Glare is negative perceptions that prevent self-knowledge. The passive types of glamour are reviewed, including fear, anxiety, and worry.
By Roberto Assagioli and others. Excerpt from the book Creative Meditation.
Introduction
The charms explained in the third instruction contained an assertive and persistent quality and were called “positive.” The charms in this second category have a completely opposite quality and are therefore called “negative.” They have a milder quality and generally do not arouse the aggressions that the positive charms do, nor do they have the same destructive effect on people in the surroundings.
There is another difference. The delusions in the first group are easy to see, for they are mostly expressed quite openly. The people who have these delusions are usually quite aware of it, but they do not consider them to be delusions, for in reality they regard them as useful qualities or assets and are even proud of them. Most of the negative delusions, on the other hand, are not so easy to detect, either by those who have them or by others. They are often veiled in various ways, or they are hidden by other delusions, and they may lie deep in the unconscious. This means that they are generally much more complex and require more thorough study to understand them. Many more delusions could be added to the following list, but this may give an idea of the nature and extent of the negative delusions:
Fear
Fear Inferiority Complex
Insecurity Frustration
Worry Self-pity
Depression Loneliness
Purposelessness Self-destruction
Inadequacy Unwillingness
The most pervasive illusion in this category is fear. Fear is the greatest cause of human suffering, and all but a few people know it in some form or another. Even if the long-term effects are not known, fear often has a profound hold on people, a hold that inhibits action, undermines morale, and causes all kinds of psychological and emotional problems.
Fear begins in childhood. Children’s anxiety is often very intense, but because it expresses itself in an illogical and naive way, adults do not consider the problem with the attention and thoughtfulness that it should have. Instead, such anxiety attacks go deeper and deeper into the child’s consciousness because of the adults’ inadequate treatment of the problem. It does not help to tell children that their anxiety is nonsense and that they should know better. It does not help at all, for example, to tell them that there is no reason to be afraid of the dark. Adults should patiently, lovingly and pedagogically guide children out of their anxiety. This requires understanding and wisdom, and children must be trusted before they can be helped.
Each age has its own anxiety tendencies – i.e. tendencies that are strongest at the current age. For example, teenagers feel that adults only fear whether young people will succeed, but adults tend to fear opposition, poverty, fear of death, and so on. There are so many different kinds of fear that it is impossible to study them all, but one of the most basic is the fear of death.
Fear of death
In some cases this fear of death begins very early in life. It is in fact the important instinct of self-preservation that has carried a splash of this fear into all living beings, but generally the youth does not react to it because they encounter other forms of fear that are more pressing, and more positive experiences remove the fear for a time. With age the problem of having to face death moves closer and penetrates their consciousness.
Here lies the value of having a “ real” faith and a “ serious ” spiritual outlook on life. The words “real” and “serious” are emphasized because many religious people believe in immortality and in a paradise, and yet they fear death. This is of course not logical, but it can easily be explained by the fact that human personalities live on different levels.
In thought one may be convinced that immortality is a truth, one’s feelings may also tend to accept death, but the more personal emotional life and especially the part that is rooted in the physical instinct of self-preservation is afraid. The animal instinct of self-preservation is found in every human being, and therefore fear is not logical at this level. The physical bodies of humans are “animal” bodies. They contain all the animal instincts, and the most important is self-preservation. It is a necessary instinct, because without it life would not continue. The physical body must constantly fight against everything that threatens its integrity and survival.
The problem is identification
The illusion is due to the fact that humans, as beings in the fourth kingdom of nature, i.e. the human kingdom, identify themselves with that which belongs to the third kingdom of nature, i.e. the animal kingdom. This is a problem. Even those people who have contact with the fifth kingdom of nature, i.e. the spiritual world, and who have serious spiritual experiences, still have an animal body. It must be remembered that advanced people live in three kingdoms of nature at the same time, and this functions, but with great complexity. To the same extent that a human being is soul-pervaded, he is in the fifth kingdom of nature. He normally lives as humans in the fourth kingdom of nature, but he still functions in an animal body from the third kingdom of nature. This explains a great deal. Every human being has his own level of consciousness. The physical side of human nature therefore has every right to be afraid of death. The whole question is about identification with the level with which one identifies. This is a significant point.
Transmutation and Overcoming
Disidentification from fear does not mean that one does not feel fear. The physical body transfers its fear to consciousness, but one does not identify one’s self-consciousness with it. In other words, one can say: “I have this fear within me, but it is not myself.” It belongs to the “animal” part of me, it is not “me.” This transfer of identification from the “animal” instinctive consciousness to the human self-consciousness, and from it to the soul, is a matter of gradual transmutation and overcoming. Fear of death is therefore not illogical on one’s own physical plane, but one must be aware that the physical body is only a temporary tool, and when it is no longer useful, one should be happy to break it down. Thereafter, one no longer fears or dreads physical dissolution, for one is prepared to let the physical body fall away. The so-called death can be regarded as an intermediate stage or a pause before beginning a new cycle of experience.
Acceptance and processing of fear
There are other ways to strengthen this attitude—psychological methods such as cultivating courage and serenity, avoiding attachment, and acting “as if.” These methods all contribute to achieving this attitude, but the most radical cure is to begin by accepting the various forms of fear in the physical and emotional parts of human nature, because that is where they belong.
They have the right to contain the forms of fear that come from the collective unconscious, from unpleasant experiences and causes that are no longer remembered. Therefore, one must first accept these forms of fear and then process them. One should beware of the harmful cycle of becoming afraid of one’s own various forms of fear, but instead use them as a “raw material” that can be processed and transmuted.
To strengthen the understanding of immortality, a repetition of the following lines from the Bhagavad Gita may be helpful. Invocation and repetition play a great role in re-establishing and retraining the unconscious and conscious thoughts, and the following words are a victorious invocation regarding the truth of immortality.
The spirit was never born
, nor will it ever die.
It has not come into being ,
nor will it ever cease.
Without being born, without dying, and without
changing, the spirit remains forever.
Death has never touched it,
although death has touched the body.
Anxiety
Paradoxically, the fear of death has its counterpart in the fear of life. Fundamentally, the fear of life is caused by the fear of pain and of painful experiences of various kinds. This is also a justified tendency, because personal life is often painful in many ways, especially now, when humanity’s clear awareness and sensitivity are intensifying. This general cause, the fear of pain, divides and branches into other specific forms of fear. One aspect is the fear of failure, which among other things manifests itself as fear of the pain that failure can cause and the pain that can be linked to other delusions, such as suspicion of what others think and say, and an inferiority complex, and so on.
All this can be transmuted through the methods mentioned. The first is always disidentification. You stand as an observer and ask “Who is wrong? What is the mistake?” Then you discover that it is just a part of the personality in a certain situation, i.e. is a limited part under special conditions. This technique can be used with great advantage in cases where you are afraid of not being able to pass an exam, which sometimes becomes a phobia for students. In this connection there is also a paradoxical situation, because the less you fear failing, the greater the possibility that what you do will succeed.
One way to eliminate or prevent the harmful cycles that these illusions tend to create is through catharsis , that is, getting rid of the emotional emptiness associated with the illusion. Another way is to accept, temporarily, the emptiness that one fears. The fear of failure is a good example. When one sees that there is a possibility of failure, one also sees that it will not be a disaster and that one can survive and learn from it, and next time one will succeed.
Energy follows thought
This can reach a point that Frankl calls “paradoxical intention,” and that is, you reach a point where you want what you fear. He uses this as a therapeutic technique that is successful, especially when it comes to insomnia. People who have difficulty falling asleep or who wake up too early often worry too much about their sleep problem and fear it, and this naturally reinforces it. Here, Frankl suggests that instead of worrying about it, you should welcome it and say, “OK, I’m glad I can’t sleep. Now I’m able to read and use my time well.” Then you fall asleep. It’s the fear of not being able to sleep that reinforces this condition, and by reading and concentrating on something else you fall asleep.
Fear of what other people think and say is another aspect of fear of pain, this time on the emotional and mental level. Glare due to hypersensitivity is largely responsible for the fear of criticism, and the answer is to adopt a detached attitude. A detached attitude reduces the emotional and mental reactions to criticism. Also, the development of extroversion, inner security and serenity will gradually strengthen immunity to the influence of others and relieve the person of this fear. It is a fear that can have a very inhibiting effect, and highly sensitive people should assess the extent to which it has a hold on them and strive to free themselves from it, so that they can live life in a freer and more joyful way.
Insecurity
Lack of security is another fear that is very widespread, but it is a result of the illusion of security, and it is absolutely an illusion, because in reality there is nothing that can be called security. In the universe, stars explode, and it is said that the universe itself is expanding, and many different things are happening, so how could one expect security and safety on this small planet?
This illusion consumes and wastes a great deal of emotional energy, because often what one fears will happen never does. On the other hand, much can happen that one did not expect at all. When one can accept this as a fact and live in the light of this knowledge, one is able to accept any security one can gain with gratitude and also be well prepared for whatever may come. This is of course not easy, especially if livelihood, home, or other necessities are seriously affected.
Furthermore, the illusion of insecurity hinders any vision. It means that one only looks in one direction and only seeks to maintain the “safe” conditions. But there are many other and perhaps unexpected ways in which one can develop life, and it shows a lack of faith in the infinite inner and outer life resources when one fears that there is no other right life path than the one one is following. Therefore, one should generally accept insecurity as a fundamental factor and know that everything must change in order to move forward in development, and at the same time one can counteract this fear by having faith in the infinite resources that life has access to.
The fundamental factor inherent in a commitment to change can also be seen as a challenge that awakens abilities and potentials, and one can meet it with a well-considered decision to promote the event and take advantage of what may emerge. In this way, one will be able to reach new heights and unfold to an extent that one would never have reached due to the “impulse” of feeling insecure.
Concern
Before leaving the subject of fear, the word worry must be added . Worry is a state of tension caused by all kinds of fear—fear of failure, fear of illness, and fear of anything that might happen in various ways. Worry can easily grow into a habitual attitude, and for some people it can become an overwhelming factor in their lives. They spend their time in anxious guesses—generally expecting the worst. They are tormented and weakened by a constant series of unjustified fears, and often they make themselves sick with this attitude.
It is not only undermining and depressing, but it actually contributes to creating images of what you fear most, because they are built up in thought forms and given thought energy. You are actually working against yourself when you worry to that extent.
Overactive imagination
Worries grow because of an overactive imagination, and they gain power the more one thinks about them. There are few better examples of the ways in which the mind takes control than the way in which a current worry can drag a person along and lead him further and further down terrifying byways until he is completely exhausted and frightened with impaired judgment—he has become a complete victim of worry.
The answer to this is clearly that one must maintain control of one’s thoughts, and the best help for this is the meditation exercises. Of course one should not refuse to work through similar problems and dangers, but one should first observe and evaluate them individually with wisdom and then continue with positive effort. The worst must never happen. And one should certainly not strengthen this illusion by creating thought forms and expectations about it.
Thought control
The worry spell, however, is very complicated and difficult. There are stages of worry that are not related to any particular form of fear, but are related to feelings such as emptiness, purposelessness and frustration, and those people who are highly sensitive and nervous have an inherent “worry response” that is difficult to control. This is due to their finely tuned systems and their lack of willful attitudes that automatically act as protectors. Here too, thought control is necessary so that thought does not lead down negative channels. Worry is a widespread spell. Everyone has some of it to some extent, but those who are burdened by it can save themselves a great deal of this suffering as well as avoid being drained of energy by allowing their thinking to take place “above” the problem or situation at hand, not letting their imagination run away with them, and by practicing the universal advice – keep your distance from it.
Depression
One of the most widespread illusions of our time is depression. This is not surprising, because there are many different causes for its occurrence, and it is often a concentration of all the causes that creates it. Some have cast doubt on whether depression is actually an illusion, because when one suffers from it, or more precisely, when one feels it within oneself, it seems very real. It is of course psychologically real in the sense that it is experienced, but it is an illusion in the sense that it is not a real part of the human equipment. This is fundamentally due to the fact that one does not perceive reality in a long-term perspective, but immerses oneself in the immediate present without seeing the larger picture of true reality and its light and joy.
Find the cause
With depression, as with other delusions, it is better to try to find the causes and then eliminate them than to try to fight them directly. In this way, you pull them up by the roots. The causes can lie at any level of the human being. On the physical level, it is low vitality and exhaustion – which in themselves can be a reaction to unusually high tensions – that very often cause depression. On the emotional level, all the negative delusions mentioned earlier and especially inferiority complex and frustration can cause deep depressions.
On the mental level, it is easy to create depression with negative thinking, but on this level there are the best methods to balance it. When you do not allow negative thought streams to enter and keep your thinking positive and creative, there will be no room for depression to come in and exert its negative and paralyzing influence.
Collective depression and anxiety
A rarely recognized but often occurring cause of depression is the negative currents that come from outside. They can come from individuals or as collective waves of depression and anxiety that constantly flow through the consciousness of the masses with great force. Sensitive people are very easily influenced by these currents, and since they do not know the cause of their depression, they add this uncertainty to their own feelings and blame themselves, when in reality it is due to a “psychological poisoning” from outside. This is thus another example of the harmful circular movements that glamour tends to create.
Another cause of depression is an inflexible attitude to an excessively high idea of what one should be or what one should achieve. The difference between the ideal or expected result and the actual state, which eventually becomes apparent, is a constant cause of depression among idealists and those people who expect the impossible from themselves and from others. Achieving perfection is a gradual and slow process. One has to accept one’s present limitations and imperfections with a certain magnanimity, and – while working to overcome them – not to demand too much of oneself or others, and absolutely not to become depressed or irritated if the result is not achieved to perfection.
Cultivating the opposite
The technique of right proportions is helpful in working through depression, but even better, cultivating the opposite —in this case, joy—is the most direct method of counteracting this bbbllæænnddwork. When using this technique, it should be remembered that it is difficult to successfully invoke a quality when one is influenced by the opposite quality, for example, joy when one is depressed.
It is a long process to develop a quality, and it requires constant time and thought to strengthen its growth. Therefore, just as one builds up one’s bank balance in good times, one must concentrate on the qualities that need to be cultivated when one is not under the spell of the opposite. When it comes to joy, much can be achieved by using this exercise to build it. In fact, one can develop it by constantly remembering that joy is an inner quality of the soul, not necessarily linked to external events, and by deliberately trying to evoke it and channel it into everything one does. In this way, one builds up within oneself an energy that acts as an antidote to the depression that is invading one. This technique can also be used to build up all other qualities.
Purposelessness
Among the main causes of depression are delusions of being inadequate, inferior, and purposeless. The feeling of purposelessness has two aspects: In a broad sense, it is a feeling that life in general has no meaning, and in a personal sense, it is a feeling that one feels without purpose in one’s own life and pursuits. The general perception is due to a lack of knowledge that there is a purpose to life. As long as one rejects or doubts it and cannot see that the difficult and negative aspects of life—pain, obstacles, and crises—are all useful and justified, one is bound to a sense of purposelessness, and one may even feel hopeless and depressed at times.
Life is not meaningless.
A thorough cure for this kind of depression is to come to the realization that life has a meaning, that there is a high and great purpose behind it, which includes all aspects of life, even the negative ones. One cannot expect to be able to understand the great purpose of evolution itself, but one can see that there are temporary and effective purposes in all processes and even in all erroneous contradictions, and they lead all living beings gradually but surely towards the goal of evolution.
Victor Frankl described in his book From Prison Camp to Existentialism the fundamental importance this realization can have for the individual, recounting some of his own experiences in World War II. The people in the prison camps who had a deep faith or conviction, and who recognized that there is a purpose to life, had far greater strength to survive than the people who believed in nothing, and they were among the first to die.
The personal sense of purposelessness is somewhat different and is closely related to the feeling of inadequacy. Here the individual feels that he is of no use, that his life has no purpose or value and leads to nothing. This is a delusion, because every form of existence has its place in the whole. The smallest wheel is necessary for the whole machine to function.
Everyone is a co-builder of a “cathedral”
The story of the three stonemasons illustrates the value of this realization. The story goes that in the Middle Ages, a cathedral was being built, and three stonemasons were asked what they were doing. The first one answered sadly, “As you see, I am cutting stone.” The second one replied, “I am providing for the needs of life for myself and my family.” But the third one said with joy in his voice, “I am building a great cathedral .” All three of them were doing exactly the same work, but the first one felt it was pointless because of the dull and menial nature of the work. The second one found a little personal purpose in it, but was tired of it. The third one looked at the work from a different perspective, seeing the real purpose of the stonemasonry, for without it the cathedral could not be built, and he was filled with joy at contributing to this magnificent purpose.
When one wants to eliminate the illusion of “purposelessness,” one must ask oneself where my life fits into the overall pattern, where I fit into the bigger picture. This may be difficult to see, but one should guard against the illusion of believing that one must always do something active and tangible to lead a life that pays off. One can accomplish little or nothing outwardly and yet accomplish much inwardly, and thus lead a life that is far from purposeless. In Milton’s well-known words: “They also serve who merely stand and wait.”
Subjective and objective actions
The work of meditation is based on real and effective inner actions that are rarely observed externally. It can be done wherever you are, even in a hospital bed, and there are many other aspects of this form of realization.
One aspect is connected with the mystical and spiritual value of pain. Many feel that they are so limited physically that their lives are purposeless, but when pain can be accepted for long periods, it is not only a subtle but also a real and high form of inner action. Here transmutation of a very high nature is involved, for not only are changes brought about in the individual, but there is also an ever-increasing understanding to undertake the alleviation of a greater part of the pain in the world. Those whose lives are hampered by ill health should not, therefore, let the glamour of “purposelessness” enter their thoughts. They have inner possibilities not open to those who lead more active and apparently meaningful lives. (A deeper study of this subject is to be found in Pain and its Transforming Power by Nancy Magor, Sundial House Publications, Tunbridge Wells, England. Available from Meditation Groups, Inc. POBox 566 Ojai, CA 93023).
Inadequacy and inferiority complex
The feeling of inadequacy is another common cause of depression. It is a delusion that undermines and inhibits an incredible number of people, and one should remember the “snowball” effect in all these delusions. One feels that one is inadequate, and thereby one holds oneself back from doing anything about it. One feels that life is being lived in vain, and thus despair arises, leading to an even deeper depression.
Lack of self-confidence and self-esteem is often caused by a tendency to compare oneself with others, but this is not a wise process. No one can identify with others, with the same characteristics, abilities and qualities, and no one acts in exactly the same way as others. Therefore, one cannot measure one’s own achievements with what others achieve. People who are less suited in some areas have characteristics that others lack, and everyone has different limitations. It is necessary to accept oneself and one’s abilities – or lack of abilities – and not worry if one feels that one is in the “shadow” of others. When one uses one’s abilities and possibilities in the best way, the results are as great for one person as the impressive results of other people are for them. In a way, one could say that it is a form of pride to want to be as excellently skilled as others, when one knows that by wanting it, one opens oneself up to various forms of glamour.
Fear of failure
An inferiority complex can become a devastating complex that inhibits and destroys opportunities in every way. Fear of failure is one of the main reasons, and people who have this delusion must learn not to think so much about their own results, but to perform the tasks in the best way and also to remain emotionally distanced from the results they see in their surroundings. One should not be afraid of failure. Failure provides experience and contains great lessons. Furthermore, it strengthens and enriches future efforts.
One should also adopt a less introspective attitude. Many people tend to look at themselves too critically and become completely divided. This makes everything even more difficult for them, and the negative effects of these illusions increase. It is probably not necessary to repeat and emphasize the value of the techniques of disidentification, proper proportions and the cultivation of opposition.
Frustration
Frustration is a negative glamour that undermines the initiative of many people and prevents them from living a useful life, but from a different and often completely opposite perspective than the one previously discussed. People who feel frustrated have talents, abilities, and qualities that they believe are not being perceived and used as they should be.
Many fields of study have become mechanical in the production process, and the bureaucratic workflows of modern society cause an almost claustrophobic frustration in people with a strong sense of adventure and initiative. Everyone needs to find some direction where their qualities can not only be given outlet, but also where they can be cultivated and given a feeling that they can live a useful life and develop.
At the same time, it should be recognized that not everyone can have the same conditions, but must adapt to different life patterns, and this will always require a certain degree of tolerance. Here, an objective attitude will be helpful in eliminating conflict, regardless of whether the limitations that frustrate are personal or come from the surrounding society. One should simply consider them as temporary internal restrictions, which are processed in the current situation, and where it is possible to find other ways in which the qualities one believes one has can be expressed.
Self-pity
In general, it can be said that all negative emotions tend to cause depression, but one particular delusion that is particularly responsible for it is self-pity. Everyone has this tendency, but it is mostly not perceived as such. All kinds of regrets and resentment are more or less veiled forms of self-pity. You feel sorry for yourself because things are difficult, because you have financial problems, because you are not appreciated as you think you should be – even because you are bad. All these are branches of self-pity, and it would be good to recognize this common denominator and unmask it.
Sometimes the cause of self-pity can also lie in an overwhelming feeling of inadequacy and inferiority, or it can arise when one feels wronged by others or by external circumstances. It acts as a kind of shield that one can hide behind when one feels unfairly treated and therefore not responsible for one’s apparent inadequacy or lack of ability to lead a better life. One feels that one’s pathetic situation should arouse the helpfulness of others, or at least their sympathy. But in reality it often has the opposite effect, so this attitude will not solve the problem.
On the contrary, the more determined the attitude is to want to perceive the real situation and to make the best possible out of it, the faster this glamour begins to disappear – “the rotation stops.” A thorough cure is to try to understand the universal character of the sufferings and difficulties of humanity, to remember how many painful conditions there are in the world, how many have far more to live through than one has, in order to arrive at a broader and more long-term perspective on one’s own condition.
Developing compassion and understanding
One way to raise one’s attitude toward all this is to have more direct contact with people who are suffering. One often tends to avoid them if one can because it can be unpleasant and can make one uncomfortable, especially if one is sensitive. But it is something one should commit to in order to get out of selfish isolation and to learn how to get out of the state of self-pity. One can visit the elderly and the sick and the hospitalized or find other forms of service that can transmute self-centeredness and bring true joy both to others and to oneself. Compassion and understanding are developed at the same time, and a true desire is awakened to help alleviate the suffering in the world.
The best medicine for virtually the entire chain of negative glamours, such as depression, frustration, and self-pity, is joy. It has been said: “Be happy, for joy opens the light, and when there is joy, there is no room for glamour and misunderstandings.” Joy must be cultivated, in the same way as one cares for a beautiful flower.
Loneliness
Another widespread illusion nowadays is the feeling of being alone, and paradoxically it is felt most strongly by people who live in big cities, where they are surrounded by many people. They meet other people at work or in their surroundings, but these are only fleeting contacts that do not entail any kind of reciprocity and do not lead to the establishment of relationships or create deeper psychological contacts.
Loneliness is the result of a self-centered attitude or excessive introversion. It is basically a lack of love, of the ability to show love, and of an unwillingness to reach out to others. Such people feel isolated and complain that no one cares about them, without understanding that in order to be loved, one must show love themselves and begin a process of turning outward and showing compassion and interest in others. They blame others, even though the fundamental deficiency lies with themselves.
But besides this main cause, there is often a secondary factor, and that is sensitivity, and as a result they try to protect themselves. Sensitive people who have been disappointed or hurt, or who feel inadequate or inferior, tend to build a defense mechanism around themselves. This can eventually become such a strong armor that it excludes them from influences they do not want, but it also excludes them from positive relationships with other people.
Conflict is better than isolation
The feeling of being alone is a spell that has great significance, because it is an unnatural state. Humans, by nature, act in groups and are purely social in a psychological interaction, even if it may consist of conflict – and that is better than isolation, because conflict often leads to reconciliation and later to understanding. One could say that it is natural to have conflicts, but unnatural to have isolation. Loneliness is a somewhat painful and harmful spell, because it tends to increase in intensity as its “victim” builds an ever thicker shell around himself, and it can lead to desperation and even to attempted suicide. It is a form of psychological mutilation and, in the worst case, psychological suicide.
The technique to overcome it is clear: developing the ability to show love, to reach out to others and to show them interest, and being willing to risk friction and difficulties to connect with them because it is always better than being isolated.
Once the root cause of the feeling of loneliness is known, it can be worked on. For example, those who are introverted need to cultivate extroversion, those with an inferiority complex need to use the methods mentioned earlier to balance it. But those who have this fascination with loneliness should, above all, study the Law of Right Human Relations and meditate on its meaning and possibilities. Not only will this law give these people a clearer realization and understanding of their problem and its solution, but it will also motivate them to understand that their relationship as a whole is a divine reality and that it can help them to establish it in their own lives.
Self-destruction
Among the illusions that can be called the “higher” ones is self-annihilation, which is an inherited tendency to stay in the background and avoid all contact.
It is mostly people who suffer from an inferiority complex and lack of self-confidence who seek to erase themselves in this way. They are reluctant to expose themselves to influences and new situations, and so they seek refuge in invisibility as much as they can, and often they protect themselves behind the idea that self-effacement is a virtue. But it is only to a very limited extent. False modesty can be just as much of a delusion as overestimating oneself, and self-effacement to an excessive extent diminishes and neutralizes valuable qualities and possibilities.
By being self-destructive, potential is diminished because one does not seize the opportunities that are present. This means that when one reduces one’s efforts, one increases the glamour, because no one knows the limit of one’s highest abilities until one exerts oneself to the utmost.
Unconscious laziness
Self-destruction can also arise from an unwillingness to take on responsibility. One hides one’s true worth and keeps oneself in the background so that one is not chosen to take on more difficult and demanding duties. This may not be a conscious process, but the unconscious is prone to using all sorts of tricks. It is said that all people are as lazy as they dare to be, and inertia is often at the root of this glamour.
People who discover that they have this glamour should use all of the techniques previously mentioned to establish a more positive attitude and a proper perception of their role in life. Every person has their rightful role to play, and as previously mentioned, their individual place in the whole, and the value of this cannot be measured by the apparent lack of importance of the role. By managing one’s own life with a creative and determined attitude with the intention of living life to the fullest will have the psychological effect that immediately afterwards this glamour will begin to disappear.
Inertia
Some form of fear lies largely, as described, behind the majority of negative glamours, but there is another fundamental cause of many of them, and that is inertia. Inertia may be rooted in the physical body, but since it can also act as a creeping paralysis, it inhibits action on other levels, thereby limiting the finished results.
Inertia is an example of a glamour that is often disguised by another glamour. For example, an inferiority complex can be fundamentally due to mental, emotional, or physical inertia, or unwillingness to make an effort, or to adopt a dismissive attitude toward an opportunity, a challenge, or a need. Self-effacement can also be due to a lazy and reluctant attitude to play a more active role and fulfill the demands of a more prominent position. It is always wise to look closely at what appears to be an uncomplicated glamour to see what it hides and what may be the cause of it.
Willpower is the best antidote to inertia, and those people who have this problem can find help by studying the fourth instruction of the second year, where cultivation and the correct use of willpower are described in quite some detail.
Indirect control of glare
However, inertia can also be worked on in less direct ways. One of them is to arouse a desire to carry out a necessary action, and to instill enthusiasm for it when one becomes aware that it is inertia that is preventing a person from carrying it out. This brings out an emotional energy that can help and support. Another method is to arouse the interest of the thinking faculty, which will bring its own energy into activity. Yet another method is to stimulate challenges. Inertia often sets in because one lives life too statically, and if that is the case, one needs to change one’s lifestyle. One should always use indirect methods when approaching one’s charms, as well as more obvious and direct techniques.
Summary
The following summary of the different ways in which inertia manifests itself will help to show the extent to which it affects and in which areas of life:
Characteristics of inertia:
- General
Laziness – Following the path of least resistance – Unwillingness to make an effort – Reluctance to change and growth.
- Physical
The attraction of matter – Difficulty – Tendency towards static equilibrium (homeostasis) – Laziness.
- Emotional
Selfish indifference to the trials and sufferings of other beings. Lack of empathy, sense of responsibility and compassion.
- Mental
Mental laziness. Opposition to anything new out of fear or belief that it will lead to changed rules for opinions, theories, uniform thinking and adjustments.
- Spiritual
Passive trust in God’s providence – expecting to be “saved” without any personal cooperation or effort – refuses to see the spiritual possibilities or to strive to control one’s life from a spiritual level.
Desensitization
The fifth technique is called desensitization, but it is easier and more descriptive to call it an “imaginative exercise.” It is based on the creative power of imaginative visualization, and it has two fundamental aspects:
- The first is a liberating and gradual elimination of the emotional burden associated with a particular glamor – for example, fear associated with an event or task such as an exam, interview or public speaking. The liberating process is achieved by visualizing the event and going through every aspect of it with the imagination, so that the emotions associated with it (they can exist in the unconscious as well as the conscious) are gradually released. They are brought to the surface, so to speak, and experienced and expressed externally, thereby losing their intensity.
- The second aspect of this technique is to use imaginative visualization in a creative way to evoke positive images. For example, if one imagines that a test related to fear has been successful, this sets in motion a positive stream of thought. This stimulates confidence and awakens the necessary impulses so that one is able to face the situation satisfactorily.
This technique should be practiced by first visualizing the situation in detail, then creating an image of the place, and then imagining the experience exactly as if it were actually happening. While all of this is being brought to life in your mind (and you should take your time to fully implement this), you must allow the emotional reactions to arise and not stop them.
You usually have to do this exercise several times before the current fear or particular fascination lessens its hold, but each time you use the technique, and you fully imagine the event and allow the emotional reactions to surface unhindered, parts of the fascination associated with it break down. Eventually you will find that you are able to enter the situation without any fascination being aroused at all.
Desensitization can actually be called “gradual dismantling of the illusion” because the process releases, splits and finally eliminates the illusion in question. Many students with intense exam anxiety have proven the value of this technique. But in addition to being able to reduce fear in specific situations, this technique can also be used to eliminate reactions in daily life, such as hostility, jealousy, impatience and so on. The emotional burdens associated with many problems, such as managing a difficult child and working with an aggressive and annoying colleague, can be released in this way, so that instead of the illusion, a constructive and positive attitude is created.
This method is in a way the opposite of the “as if” technique because it not only opens up and pushes the emotions created by the particular illusion to rise and come out, where in the “as if” method you ignore the emotional reactions and process the experience in spite of them and as if they do not exist.
Try both techniques
The choice of the technique that should be used depends on several facts:
- How urgent is the processing of the glamor?
- The ability to visualize – whether innate or uuudd – is complicated by practice.
- Human psychology
Some people prefer to go ahead despite all tendencies, so they can use the “as if” method in an energizing way. On the other hand, people with a less positive temperament may find this difficult and may not be able to do it successfully. This type of person will find desensitization more useful. But one should try both techniques, so that one can find the one that is most useful individually and the one that best suits the situation. The “as if” technique is a good “back-up method” and useful under pressure from the environment, but it does not solve the problem of eliminating the illusion it is intended to counteract. It keeps it quiet, like a wild animal locked in a cage, but it does not get rid of it. When an illusion is deeply rooted, it should be worked on with the desensitization technique, but it may also be necessary to use other methods.
The following setup is an example of a desensitization exercise that can be adapted to all situations and individual needs.
Desensitization exercise
I. As in all exercises and meditations, you should sit in a comfortable and upright position and relax.
II. Think about the event or situation that is causing your fear (or other illusion) and imagine it in detail. Visualize it as if it were actually happening, and see how you approach it, encounter it, and participate in it. At the same time, let your feelings about it come out without trying to experience the whole episode and go through it step by step. This releases the emotional load associated with it, and therefore all feelings and reactions are allowed to have full play without any kind of obstruction.
III. Now see yourself emerging from this process or test as a strong and successful person. Imagine yourself emerging victorious and clear-headed. Try for a moment to experience the joy of this successful outcome.
IV. Imagine that you can do it successfully. This creates confidence and strength to expect the right thing. Affirm blissfully and confidently
“I can get through this with ………………………….. “name the quality you need most – “courage, patience, serenity” etc.
Transmutation
Transmutation is a fundamental process that is constantly taking place on all levels. On the physical plane, countless transmutations are constantly taking place. The most obvious and simple examples are when energy from heat and from water is transformed into electrical power, which is then constantly transformed through the many everyday devices and tools into heat and motion. Now we also have the astonishing transmutation of atomic energy into nuclear power, which can be used for many purposes.
Transmutation of physical energies
In biological life, too, a constant process of transformation is going on all the time. The physical body is a marvelous machine for the transmutation of vegetable matter into animal matter. The digestion of food and its transmutation into muscle and nervous tissue and all the other bodily constituents is of great importance for the growth and continued functions of any living organism. And think of how grass is transformed into milk by the cow.
While all this is generally recognized, the psychological and spiritual transmutations that are taking place all the time are much less recognized and understood, and as a result are very rarely discussed. Yet these aspects are indeed equally significant.
Transmutation of psychic energies
Transmutation of psychic energies occurs automatically within the mind all the time. A good example is the feeling of anger. Anger stimulates the production of adrenaline, and as a result, the heart rate accelerates, blood pressure rises, and stimulating chemicals are released into the system. Fear also has certain physiological effects, such as shaking and turning pale. This is the basis of psychosomatic medicine. But psychic energies can also be transmuted on their own psychological level. For example, when you are angry and write a desperate letter, you transmute your emotionally based anger and express it in words. A Roman poet said that he let his indignation be included in satirical poems. Heine, the German poet, wrote, “out of my great pain I write little poems .” This is true of other emotions as well, and it can form the basis for countless possibilities for inner action and outer application.
The transforming power of sublimation
Sublimation is an important form of transmutation and means using psychic energies for higher goals and spiritual purposes. Sublimation can be used quite consciously, and the energies that normally fuel a spell can be transmuted and used for higher purposes. An example is enrichment – a desire to possess material goods. This can be transmuted into a desire for something non-material, for higher spiritual abilities and qualities. In general, desire can be transmuted into aspiration – the horizontal direction of desire can gradually change and become a vertical aspiration to possess higher qualities and achieve higher goals.
This process can be clearly seen in the case of love. A gradual transmutation of love is seen in the different stages of sexuality – first emotional love, then altruistic love, and then mystical love, where human love is transmuted into love for God. Here it must be emphasized that love for God is not just a transformed or sublimated human love. There is a direct and genuine feeling of love for God in mystically disposed people – a love that has a higher origin. Transmutation and human or emotional love only increase the intensity and devotion of true love for God. This is important to understand because one often hears that mystical love is simply sublimated emotional love, but it is much more.
The best in creative and artistic activity is often the result of sublimation. Wagner was fully aware of this when he said that “since my love could not find expression in my life, I used it to create Tristan and Isolde.”
The magic of opposites
When considering how to apply this technique to a particular spell, it will be necessary to know the higher counterpart of that spell. Here are some examples: The energy that promotes anger can be used to fight for the good of others, and…
- self-pity can be transmuted into mercy,
- the glamour of busyness to service,
- tendency to analysis and dissection to judgment,
- personal devotion to commitment for the good of the whole,
- intense fixation on order for proper use of time and energy.
This technique should be practiced throughout life by reflection, understanding, and the application of the will. One cannot achieve the results of transmutation by using an exercise only a few moments each day, but the following outline will create a focus for the effort, and when practiced daily, will greatly contribute to the transmutation process.
Transmutation exercise
I. Sit in a relaxed position and calm your emotions and thoughts.
II. Take the spell you wish to break and consider what the higher counterpart is to which you can direct the energy. Remember that energy itself is neutral and can only take on the quality of the particular spell because it has been attached to it.
III. Observe the possibilities inherent in the transmutation of this energy, the new abilities you can develop, and the areas of service they can open.
IV. Resolve to transform the energy involved in the particular spell to a higher level in each case, so that the energy rises higher, and resolve to develop a higher quality in every possible way within yourself. Say an affirmation of this effect and end with the words let it happen.
This exercise should be performed regularly and as often as possible.
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How to move forward
Here you can receive seven free meditations where you develop different aspects of yourself.
Also read the article Psychosynthesis an Integral Psychology and the biography of Roberto Assagioli
Read the introductory article about energy psychology
Read the introductory article about integral meditation
