The path to finding meaning in human life stands or falls with the realization of what a human being is. What is the nature of a human being: Who am I?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for Homo sapiens\u2019 relationship to its own nature, the earliest evidence that goes beyond biological physicality\u2014that is, the earliest conceptions of the afterlife\u2014comes from Egypt and Babylon; these are documented from around 3000 years B. Then, in ancient Greece, a characterization of the material human emerged, who\u2014as a physical being\u2014was already conceived as possessing a divine core. At that time, people were, of course, already aware of the significance of the answer to this question. Thus, the inscription above the Temple of Delphi, where the oracle Pythia foretold the fortunes of those who sought her counsel, reads: \u201cKnow thyself\u201d (\u201cGnothi se auton\u201d).<\/em> And she emphasized this with a further admonition: sophrosyne<\/em>, moderation. This calls upon human beings to master the typical thoughts of fear, greed, and anger associated with material <\/em>consciousness. Literature: Painting: Philosophy: Islam: Hinduism: Christianity: In the 17th century, the Silesian mystic Angelus Silesius wrote: The vernacular: Jewish wisdom: These and many other similar references first and foremost illustrate the structure of the two parts of our inner life; some, however, also point to their moral significance. Although every person is somehow aware of these opposing components of their inner life, they generally lack conscious control over their functions. Rather, most people react automatically to \u201cseeking only their<\/em> own well-being<\/em>,\u201d as suggested by examples such as cutting in line, lying, 500,000 hit-and-run accidents per year, tens of thousands of visits to brothels per day, or countless cases of tax fraud\u2014not to mention crimes or war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the one hand, these two parts of the soul consist of the instinct for self-preservation\u2014the ego program within humans, the instinctual soul\u2014which loves itself first and foremost and, at most, its own surroundings; it resides on the material plane of existence. The other part of the soul is love for all other human beings, intuition, the inner voice, \u201cthe Father within me,\u201d the spiritual soul, the gut feeling, the conscience. The spiritual soul, the \u201cbetter soul<\/em>\u201d (Faust I, Study Room) is situated on the spiritual level of human consciousness. It is the very program of love (see Chapter 17) that relates not only to one\u2019s own survival, but to that of all human beings. This is the God-son born within, who \u201cseeks his own good in the good of others.\u201d<\/em> \u201cTwo souls dwell, alas! in my breast:<\/em> Early Christianity, based on the New Testament and through the life of Jesus, recognized these two dimensions of human life\u2014namely, the clearly visible contrast between \u201cbody and soul\u201d on the one hand (the physical and psychological dimensions) and \u201cspirit\u201d on the other .\u201d From this, it developed the so-called doctrine of the two natures, first at the Council of Nicaea and later, specifically, at the Council of Chalcedon. This doctrine seeks to reconcile this mixture of \u201cspirit and flesh\u201d in some way: How, for example, can one reconcile Jesus\u2019 violent outburst against the money changers in the temple with his absolute forgiveness toward the torturers who nailed him to the cross?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Admittedly, the Church Father Augustine repeatedly addressed the aforementioned divine core\u2014referred to in the creation account as being \u201cmade in the image of God\u201d (1:26 ff.) \u2014time and again. But medieval Christianity then interpreted all attempts at this spiritual self-interpretation as presumption: It emphasized a primordial distance\u2014with the obvious exception of Jesus\u2014between Creator and creature (\u201coriginal sin\u201d). Its dogma was to trample exclusively on the animalistic side of human beings. It consistently suppressed\u2014for the sake of preserving power\u2014their image-of-God aspect from the Genesis account, as well as their characterization in Psalm 8 or in Luke\u2019s words, \u201cThe kingdom of God is within you\u201d (17:21)\u2014was consistently suppressed for the sake of maintaining power. To this day, nothing has changed regarding this suppression of the spiritual aspect of the inner self within church institutions and in personal pastoral care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to the church\u2019s teaching on sinfulness throughout the centuries and, as a result, the individual\u2019s sense of loss and distraction in the modern age, the search for self-knowledge seems to have been largely lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, the \u201ctwo souls, alas! Within my breast\u201d have not faded from people\u2019s view. Although people are leaving religious institutions in droves, they are just as actively seeking alternative guidance, as evidenced by the countless forms of new religiosity and, not least, a widespread awareness of the occurrence of such behavioral expressions as \u201cfirst thought,\u201d \u201cguardian angel,\u201d or \u201cgut feeling.\u201d The human<\/strong> form of existence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First of all, Goethe\u2019s choice of the word \u201cbreast\u201d stands for the body, the \u201chardware.\u201d This is the material vessel for the two sources in question. Spiritual Soul<\/strong> Upper divine half of the soul, my inner voice, \u201cFather within me,\u201d Atman, Son of God, \u201cguardian angel,\u201d intuition, conscience, ideas, \u201cfirst thought,\u201d \u201cbenzene ring\u201d (Kekul\u00e9), flash of inspiration, gut feeling. Spiritual love (Agape) .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Material soul:<\/strong> \u201cFlesh\u201d<\/strong> The lever of consciousness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The place where the \u201ctwo souls\u201d meet is human consciousness, which, through free will, possesses the ability to choose and the freedom to decide between them. In this respect, a person can choose between Cain and Abel at any moment. The primary instruments for this are reason and emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three-Way Mixer (Biezl) https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki<\/p>\n\n\n\n This perceiver, discriminator, decision-maker, and distributor between the two levels of the soul receives the perceptions from the sense organs as well as from gut instinct and then processes them. This is done using the aforementioned instruments of reason and emotion, and ultimately resolves the conflict between \u201cabove\u201d and \u201cbelow,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A classic example of being torn between two choices, in which human<\/em> consciousness finds itself caught between the material<\/em> and divine<\/em> soul, is Jesus\u2019 inner struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:39): Out of fear for his very existence, he is assailed from the material realm below, pleading that \u201cthis cup may pass from him<\/em>\u201d\u2014that is, torture and crucifixion; he is equally subject to the impulse from above, direct divine guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Young businessman with an angel and a devil on his shoulders. altamira83 iStock 938182110<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2014unlike the average person\u2014can decide to do \u201cwhatever you<\/u> want.\u201d<\/em> For he is in direct dialogue, a privilege granted to anyone who is heard and then follows what Goethe has the choir of angels proclaim (Faust II, Mountain Gorges, Blessed Host) : \u201cWhoever (!) strives (!) with all their might (!), we can redeem!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fundamentally, however, most people are unaware that when making decisions, they find themselves caught between \u201cbelow\u201d and, indeed, \u201cabove.\u201d Exceptions are rare, such as in the case of Jesus (see above) or Saint-Exup\u00e9ry in *The Little Prince*: \u201cOne sees clearly only with the heart.<\/em>\u201d Puccini once perceptively remarked: \u201cI do not compose. I merely write down what my soul tells me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from the fact that 99% of decisions in everyday life are made for the sake of self-preservation, the potential for choosing between \u201cbelow\u201d and \u201cabove\u201d is fundamentally not lost. This becomes clear<\/p>\n\n\n\n that in conscious, intellect-driven deliberations, self-preservation usually dominates, whereas in a fateful decision-making situation\u2014one that\u2019s a toss-up and in which a person, with the best will in the world, doesn\u2019t know what to do\u2014the decision often favors intuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast to such unconscious \u2026 guidance is the trusting request for guidance from within, grounded in spiritual experience (almost daily):<\/p>\n\n\n\n * Pruning shrubs in the garden, high up in the bushes on a ladder. As dusk begins to fall, I head back inside. There comes the shock: my glasses are gone. Searching the spot in question yields nothing. Later that evening during meditation, a loud voice\u2014though inaudible\u2014says the word \u201cflashlight.\u201d Another search, this time at night: Under a pile of branches and leaves, a metallic glint catches the eye\u2014the glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n * But: A question to the inner self: Has the time come to invite the beloved on an outing? As a precaution, he asks several times: The answer is always YES. But then she gives him a terrible rebuff. After several experiences of this kind, he suddenly realizes that questions posed to his inner guidance are always<\/em> answered<\/em> in the affirmative and thus lead him astray when the question is based on an intense desire<\/em> and a largely neutral mindset has not been established. Human Identities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Recognizing the division<\/em> of the human soul, combined with the recognition of the Decider<\/em>, is crucial for success in life. A comparison with the life of animals is illuminating in this regard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Animals are controlled exclusively by the program of unconditional self-preservation: The life of a lion pride consists of hunting, eating, resting, sleeping, reproducing, fighting rivals, and defending their territory against intruders. Animals have only this one behavioral drive. Consequently, there is no conflict between good and evil for them, because they lack the free will to distinguish between the two. They are completely subject to the survival instinct. Accordingly, members of the pride are unable to concern themselves with other prides. And their way of life comes at the expense of others. For them, the meaning of their existence is their existence itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 99% of humans also live almost exclusively according to this program. For them, too, the driving force in their lives is personal self-preservation, secured as thoroughly as possible. For them, too, the purpose of their existence is (unconsciously) their existence itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only fundamental difference between humans and all other animals is that humans possess a second basic program in addition to the self-preservation software. It is the program for the survival of all humans, whereby individual self-preservation is reduced to meeting basic needs. In this respect, animals lack a control mechanism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike animals, humans have the ability to break free from their animalistic program of absolute self-preservation. This characteristic\u2014and at the same time, this requirement\u2014is the sole theme of all religions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This requirement expresses the fact that the self-centered control mechanisms laid down by our animalistic genetic heritage at birth self-centered control mechanisms, and that the altruistic dispositions must first be painstakingly uncovered: Instinctual Soul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This connection is evident in the fact that the material half of the soul instinctively resists all impulses that define humans as evolving beings. It wishes to remain in its current way of life, for it fears a threat to its purely material way of life. Accordingly, in Goethe\u2019s human drama *Faust*, Mephisto attempts (I), to do everything in his power to dissuade Doctor Faust from his spiritual aspirations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, there are many who, while affirming further development, consistently limit it to the earthly, horizontal plane. This has not the slightest thing to do with vertical, higher development. And, of course, there are countless people who, while they \u201cbelieve,\u201d live out their formal religiosity solely through rituals and traditions, and who, after the service, continue to lie and engage in jealousy as before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reduction of the meaning of life to mere existence manifests itself in all sorts of forms, from \u201chaving fun\u201d to the countless activities aimed at improving the world in a purely material sense. However, while the material standard of living has improved tremendously over the millennia, people have remained envious, self-centered, and jealous; they suffer endlessly from the evil neighbor and the mean boss, from accidents, theft, robbery, rape, and murder; on a collective level, from pandemics claiming hundreds of thousands of victims, from terrorist attacks involving knives, firearms, or trucks, and from political and religious systemic conflicts leading to civil war or war; above all, they suffer from every conceivable disease; they continue to lie and cheat and persist in using violence against children, partners, other groups, and peoples. They allow themselves to be blinded by the fascination and the promise of salvation offered by technological and social\u2014that is, purely material\u2014progress, and it would never even occur to them to seek a fundamental (!) liberation from their unimaginable suffering. Yet this would be the most natural thing in the world, and of course all wisdom traditions, with the exception of Christianity, speak of nothing else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clinging to the agenda of the instinctual soul\u2014to egocentrism\u2014leads to a seemingly endless continuation of the cycle of good and evil, and thus also of fundamental suffering. The apparent goal of \u201cwanting to make the world<\/em> a little better\u201d is limited to raising the material standard of living and has . The fact that this complete delusion continues to operate in people\u2019s minds is because individual improvements are often successful, and this masks the worsening of the overall situation<\/p>\n\n\n\n (climate crisis and the threat of war). It is an illusion refuted day after day, yet one that appears more than successful and is called Maya in Hindu wisdom\u2014the goddess of veiling (see Chapter 23 below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The crowning achievement of the ego program is so-called love for one\u2019s neighbor. This love, as people call it, is practiced literally in relation to their immediate surroundings\u2014spouses, children, parents, relatives, neighbors, and friends\u2014and indirectly also toward members of one\u2019s own group and one\u2019s own people (Tolstoy, see above: preferential love). It has nothing to do with the other spiritual program of caring for everyone else and is worthless for human maturity in the sense of higher development. For it is nothing other than extended self-preservation, the individual benefit of which can be seen in every pride of lions. Jesus exposes this rather bluntly: \u201cDo you love only those who love you? There is no reward for that. Even the crooks do that.\u201d<\/em> (Matt. 5:45)<\/p>\n\n\n\n This understanding of love in relation to one\u2019s \u201cneighbor\u201d excludes love for strangers or enemies, particularly due to racist prejudices stemming from an unconscious fear for egocentric self-preservation: Consider the sight of hundreds of cars driving past clearly visible\u2014draped\u2014accident victims on the side of the road, or countless bank customers heading to the ATM who, under the watchful eye of a surveillance camera, step over the unconscious person lying there without batting an eye. Spirit-Soul<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the only thing that distinguishes humans from animals is the aforementioned second program. It consists of care, devotion, and the preservation of all people: Its hallmark is, in principle, to recognize and put into practice\u2014beyond the confines of family, friendship, and clan, as well as beyond those of the nation\u2014the spiritual core that is at least latent within every human being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is at least hinted at in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29 ff.). Jesus makes this point much more clearly with his call to love one\u2019s enemies (Matthew 5:44). This program is that of true<\/em> love of neighbor, which recognizes all people as \u2014 spiritual (!) \u2014 neighbors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Animals do not possess this second program. Human beings are the only beings capable of vertical development. While animals can also undergo changes in the sense of adaptation, these changes remain fundamentally on the horizontal\u2014that is, material\u2014level. Development to a higher, spiritual level is not possible for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This second program, which serves to preserve all other human beings, becomes clear\u2014albeit to a limited extent\u2014in the example of the Samaritan mentioned above. The stranger from Samaria\u2014despised and humiliated by his Israelite neighbors\u2014rushes to the aid of a complete stranger, a helpless injured man on the side of the road; he shows selfless concern for strangers. This Samaritan compassion can be found in the concept \u201cubuntu\u201d found in African cultures: \u201cI am because you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n True love for one\u2019s neighbor goes far beyond the love for one\u2019s physical and emotional neighbor described above, because it is neither individualistic nor competitive, but rather encompasses mutual<\/em> interdependence and connectedness\u2014and above all, the spirituality of all (!) human beings: The fingers of the hand are internally connected despite their outward diversity\u2014between the thumb and index finger, etc.\u2014but above all, they form a unity through the underlying flow of blood, which is the prerequisite for their existence. This unity is the foundation of their life, just as that of these fingers with those of the other hand and, beyond that, with the entire organism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although this relationship between the fingers and the equally material blood flow remains on the horizontal-material plane, it nonetheless reflects the connection between essence and form, even though the dual nature of spirit and matter\u2014or the inner God and the outer person\u2014exists vertically, as the unity of the external, visible dimension with the internal, invisible one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This dual nature shows that a sustainable<\/em> self-preservation for humanity can only function through the preservation of all others. But its practical realization is hindered by one\u2019s own ego\u2014even though there are plenty of practical counterexamples, such as Mandela, Gandhi, or the many nameless individuals who selflessly risk their lives to help strangers \u2014 even for enemies. They include lifesavers, priests, blood donors, military doctors, crisis responders, whistleblowers, and so on. They follow the second program more or less consciously, although for quite a few, their commitment is driven by a fair amount of self-preservation in the sense of self-affirmation. But the purpose behind most of their actions is higher than that of mere self-preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for a mother\u2019s care for her child, this occurs predominantly out of an unconscious form of self-preservation in an expanded sense\u2014see lion prides. But mothers, as well as rescuers and helpers in general, are already climbing the first rung of the ladder toward the karmic overcoming of egocentrism through their devotion. Nevertheless, in terms of consciousness, they remain within the confines of the material world; there is not yet a higher connection to the spiritual destiny of human life in general (see Chapter 10). In Christianity, this is referred to as \u201cperfection\u201d (Matt. 5:48); this concerns the true <\/em>meaning\u2014and purpose\u2014of existence, as described by all wisdom teachings. Whether one chooses to believe it or not, they do have meaning. And their central message is to turn toward others \u201cas one would toward oneself\u201d<\/em> (Matt. 19:19). This goes beyond preferential love and always involves the sacrifice of aspects of the ego (see the following chapters): \u201cThe sacrifice [of egocentrism] is the law of the Universe!\u201d<\/em> (Bhagavad Gita: III, 15).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2013 Judaism, Leviticus 19:18: \u2013 Hinduism, Bhagavad Gita, Canto XIII: \u2013 Buddhism, Dhammapada, verse 5: \u2013 Daoism, Tao Te Ching, Verse 49: \u2013 Christianity, Matthew 5:44: However, the crucial addition \u201cas yourself<\/em>\u201d is a foreign concept to 99% of people. For treating all other people the way I treat myself is not possible at the level of purely material consciousness. Cain sends his regards. \u201cAs yourself<\/em> \u201d presupposes a level of spiritual<\/em> consciousness where the beginning of universal forgiveness and the practice of loving one\u2019s enemies lies. This refers\u2014though not immediately apparent\u2014to the central factor of sacrifice. This is not primarily about giving up money, energy, or time, but above all about not striking back, not worrying, giving only in secret (Matt. 6), and about all the other demands, such as those contained in the Sermon on the Mount. It is the surrender of negative thoughts and selfish will, the overcoming of the ego\u2019s self-centeredness, the surrender\u2014the sacrifice\u2014of the ego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some people in certain fields of work, being there for others is, on the one hand, nothing more than a job; on the other hand, however, it is a calling for many. It enables the care and devotion for others that is inherent in them. But what a degree of understanding, consideration, protection, care, and boundless forgiveness does it require to \u201clove<\/em> as yourself<\/u>.\u201d<\/em> This strikes at the heart of the personal ego\u2014currently particularly evident in the migrant issue, especially in Europe and the U.S. It involves a great degree of letting go of the ego, as demonstrated by great role models such as Gandhi, Buddha, Jesus, Martin Luther King, Mandela (forgiveness), Janusz Korczak, U.S. Army medic Desmond Doss, Mother Teresa, or Malala\u2014but also by many \u201cordinary\u201d fellow citizens who time and again consciously (!) paid for their devotion with their lives, such as Franz J\u00e4gerst\u00e4tter (executed in 1943 for conscientious objection) or bank employee Arland Dean Williams Jr. ( \u201cPotomac Mystery Hero Identified\u201d).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The level of Universal Love (see Chapter 17) refers to an understanding of the spiritual unity of all human beings: It has nothing to do with earthly emotions such as affection. It is \u201cmerely\u201d about recognizing the spiritual substance inherent in one\u2019s own (!) self and, indeed, in all other human beings as well. It is about the aforementioned recognition of the \u201ceternal Self (see above), which is inherent in every being,\u201d <\/em>which recognizes \u201cits self in the other\u2019s self\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When Jesus uses the term \u201clove of one\u2019s enemies,\u201d this has nothing to do with the meaning of the word \u201clove\u201d as people use it in interpersonal relationships on the material level, with sympathy and emotion. Rather, it is exclusively about the understanding of the spiritual unity of all human beings, similar to that of the fingers on the hands. For the basis of the unity of the fingers is the shared bloodstream, without which these fingers\u2014and indeed the entire human being\u2014would not exist. Applied to the spiritual level, it is the insight into the shared divine nature image in every human being:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are gods!\u201d<\/em> (John 10:34) The understanding of shared<\/em> likeness to God is the foundation and perspective for Jesus\u2019 \u201clove for one\u2019s enemies.\u201d This level of \u201clove\u201d does not <\/em>refer to the material<\/em> part of the soul (the instinctual soul of self-preservation), but only to the spiritual<\/em> part (see below). It is the realization that even the most brutal person is a son of God, even if his access to this divine nature is completely blocked. (Of course, any just punishment for a misdeed on the worldly level remains in effect.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The higher level of love encompasses the awareness of one\u2019s own spiritual soul\u2019s likeness to God (Gen. 1:27) above the material dimension of the instinctual soul. It is the conscious realization of the unity of one\u2019s own divine nature with that of one\u2019s counterpart. It is the decisive stepping stone<\/em> toward attaining the awareness of the unity of all being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Christianity, this level of \u201clove\u201d is essentially exemplified by Jesus\u2019 way of life; in Buddhism, for example, by Siddhartha Gautama; but also much more concretely, for instance, by Mahatma Gandhi. However, it is foreign to the vast majority of people. The reason for this is the associated unconscious fear of endangering one\u2019s own self-preservation. After all, it would mean practically standing up for complete strangers, just as one would wish for oneself\u2014that is, for one\u2019s own preservation\u2014if one were in their place (Golden Rule: \u201cDo unto others as you would have them do unto you<\/em>.\u201d Matt. 7:12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n All these passages, however, are initially merely quotations, more or less insightful. Ultimately, what matters is their effectiveness in everyday life. Anyone who begins to engage with and interact with the people around them\u2014and beyond\u2014with this level of awareness will experience miracle after miracle: Their previous world of good and evil is increasingly transformed into a world of only good\u2014that is, without evil. Although it remains the familiar material environment and also involves setbacks, but it always ends harmoniously and successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, with regard to the aforementioned interaction with complete strangers\u2014and in light of the ever-present issue of migration in modern times\u2014this does not mean opening the floodgates to uncontrolled immigration. On the contrary: Because an uncontrolled influx of mass immigration\u2014especially into areas that are existentially attractive\u2014quickly leads to the collapse of the entire community due to overpopulation, caring for destitute strangers \u201cas for oneself<\/em>\u201d can only consist of making a collective<\/em> effort to ensure dignified living conditions for the local residents in their current places of residence\u2014precisely as one would wish for oneself as a local<\/em> resident affected by the situation. But people today (\u201cfirst,\u201d \u201cDeutschland, Deutschland \u00fcber alles\u201d) are far removed from such a self-evident sense of solidarity in the spirit of global humanity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We come into the world with self-preservation, the unconditional instinct for survival\u2014naturally: It is a necessary basic program that enables us to overcome crises, find solutions, protect our children as they grow up, and so on. But among the aforementioned 99%, this basic program develops into egocentrism, which unconsciously remains trapped within the described framework of animalistic, self-serving \u201clove of one\u2019s neighbor.\u201d A sense of humanity that extends<\/em> beyond the confines of one\u2019s self-centered environment is unconsciously blocked in people by the program of self-preservation. With their egocentric behavior, these individuals are are \u201cmerely\u201d obedient executors of the impulses of their instinctual soul. These impulses lead humans to \u201cmore animal than any animal\u201d<\/em> (Goethe: Faust I, Auerbach\u2019s Cellar): Animals do not build concentration camps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that people live in ignorance of their two<\/em> inner control mechanisms\u2014and also of the fact that they have the potential to flip the switch\u2014is the reason for the enlightenment efforts of the Bible, the Gita, the Quran, the Dhammapada, the Tao Te Ching, and so on. The Sermon on the Mount, for example, constantly calls on people to make this 180\u00b0 course correction\u2014toward \u201clove\u201d for one\u2019s enemies and all-encompassing forgiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although people generally lack awareness of true love for one\u2019s neighbor in the sense of the Golden Rule, they nevertheless find themselves\u2014as a result of the unconsciously nagging mental program (conscience)\u2014in an equally unconscious conflict between love of the self and love of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In literature, Robert Louis Stevenson attempted to explore the split in the human soul in his novella \u201cDr. Jek yll and Mr. Hyde,\u201d even though he views it only on the material, horizontal plane, without the spiritual vertical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for the dominance of egocentrism in humans\u2014in contrast to intuition, to the inner voice\u2014people have, throughout the millennia, always sought to depict this animalistic force artistically, such as in the prehistoric lion-man of Hohlenstein, the ancient Greek Minotaur, or the centaurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Statue of the Minotaur (Roman copy after an original by Myron)<\/a> National Archaeological Museum of Athens<\/a>. Commons.wikimedia.org:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Centaur (terracotta<\/a>, State Collections of Antiquities<\/a>, Munich, 8th century B.C. Lion-Man of Hohlenstein. Thilo Parg. Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA4. 0<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it was not until the great wisdom texts of about 500 years before our era that the divine aspect of humanity began to be brought into consciousness. (Even in a rudimentary form, this was already present over 1,000 years earlier in Gilgamesh or Zarathustra.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Becoming aware of one\u2019s divided soul means gradually reducing one\u2019s material aspect\u2014that of the mammal\u2014and . Buddhist wisdom calls this \u201crecognizing both worlds<\/em>\u201d (Dhammapada XIX, 269). Paul calls this \u201cdying daily<\/em>.\u201d By this he does not mean a biological wasting away of the body\u2014the \u201chardware\u201d\u2014but rather, through this reduction of the ego, unfolding the spiritual soul\u2014the software of the Son of God. In practice, this is usually initiated through meditation, which trains one to suppress the egoistic\u2014and therefore always fear- and vengeance-filled\u2014whispers. Through this<\/em>, receptivity to the inner voice, intuition, and gut feeling is increased. Consequently, in practical everyday life, this leads more and more to the overcoming of ego-driven behavior through service and a willingness to sacrifice for others, with the focus on strangers. Self-sacrifice for one\u2019s own partner or children is the realm of the animal world and is something anyone can do. Although it has considerable significance in terms of solidarity on the earthly plane, it is, as mentioned, worthless for the death of the ego.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oleksandr Chaban: In a human being there is good and evil \u2026 Who are you, human? iStock 94401140<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the world of ancient Greek mythology, the activated spiritual soul of a human being is referred to as a \u201cdemigod,\u201d as in the case of Heracles. Very few people realize that this term essentially refers to every<\/em> human being, even though this spiritual potential is often enough walled off\u2014and in many cases, completely so. The term \u201cdemigod,\u201d however, refers above all to those who actually confront their inner conflicts (attacks of egoism, envy, greed, hatred, etc.) and, with a growing awareness of the power of their spiritual aura, successfully take up the fight against their animalistic software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone has the potential of a demigod or child of God because they possess the divine spark, whether they are aware of it or not. Everyone has the spiritual potential for self-knowledge and self-liberation: \u201cYou are gods and all children of the Most High.\u201d <\/em>(see above). It follows that spiritual development, transformation, enlightenment\u2014or whatever one wishes to call the attainment of a higher consciousness\u2014is the very essence of the human being; no special gift is required for this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Figure emerges from the cosmos. Bestdesigs. iStock 1099434540<\/p>\n\n\n\n But few have attempted to make it clear to us that each of us, at our very core, is unique, divine, and fascinating: \u201cWhat good is it if I were a king and did not know it?\u201d<\/em> (Meister Eckhart: Sermons 15<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n The churches have focused, especially since the beginning of the Middle Ages, on harping exclusively on the sinfulness of human beings. Jesus\u2019 teaching\u2014to show people paths to their own perfection (\u201cYou will do even greater things than I have done!\u201d<\/em>) (see above) and to exemplify this himself\u2014was, to them, nothing less than presumption, arrogance, and haughtiness. Their understanding of humanity was that of a creature\u2014a purely earthly being with an \u201cinherent distance\u201d from the Creator God. Through this constant devaluation, they sought to suggest their own superiority and thereby expand their position of power. That is why they also wisely hushed up any enlightenment\u2014such as that brought by Meister Eckhart\u2014and, if necessary, suppressed it by force\u2014using the combative term \u201cheretic.\u201d And that is also why they persecuted the Cathars, Johannes Tauler (\u201cThe Godlikeness of Our Spirit\u201d) and Joan of Arc, persecuting them and, whenever possible, killing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason for our divine origin is stated in the story of creation: It is the aforementioned likeness<\/em>\u2014that is, a relationship like that between a father or mother and a child. Although it is not equal to that of adults, it is already on the same level. Unlike other mammals, this is associated with creative potential. But this likeness is not enough for the human ego. It wants to play God (Gen. 3:5) and achieve divine equality<\/em>: \u201c\u2026 above everything in the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, humans possess creative power, but only in terms of developments, not principles. These principles existed even before humans, just as relativity existed before Einstein. Through genetic manipulation and cloning, humans can create the design of life, but not life itself. Dr. Viktor Frankenstein sends his regards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That human beings possess a divine core seems, at first glance, hardly credible in light of their predatory behavior and what they do to our planet and their fellow human beings. Modern humans in the age of globalization face a myriad of threats from \u201cothers\u201d\u2014such as competitive pressure, terrorist attacks, job insecurity, refugee flows, burglaries, drug use, and religiously motivated violence, among others\u2014in which it is difficult to discern the aforementioned divine heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet it is also part of everyday life to witness incredible talents, remarkable achievements, and acts of self-sacrifice for the common good. The great role models of human history are not to be understood as exceptions , but as role models, as examples of the inner potential within every human being\u2014much like parents are for their children. Every day we witness the incredible abilities, talents, and courage that lie within people\u2014such as lifesavers, healers, scientific minds, gifted leaders like Mandela or Gandhi, social angels, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Humans are the only living beings capable of vertical transformation. A rose cannot do this any more than a lion can. And, as mentioned, animals cannot break free from their animalistic self-preservation instinct. Only humans can evolve spiritually to a higher level. Goethe, a master of poetic synthesis, sums it up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWere the eye not sun-like,<\/em> The two forces governing human behavior, between which consciousness must choose: Two souls dwell, alas, in my breast<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n An awareness of the spiritual second identity\u2014that is, beyond the egoistic instinct for self-preservation and emotional love\u2014this awareness of the soul\u2019s power of spiritual<\/em> love (see Chapter 7) is indeed present in most people, but it is blocked. Their self-awareness amounts to perhaps 1% of their entire way of being. For a level of spiritually guided life (\u201cThy<\/u> will be done!<\/em>\u201d) would indeed be recognizable by freedom from all suffering, all worry, and all fear (Job, Chapter 42).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Materialistically oriented people believe that they consist only of the mind, emotions, memory, and, of course, the body. They are convinced that the mind is their primary controlling<\/em> force. But the fact that it is merely a tool<\/em> and is itself guided by inputs from \u201cabove\u201d (the Spirit) and\u2014almost always\u2014from \u201cbelow\u201d (the ego)\u2014is out of the question for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, there are also many who \u201cbelieve\u201d in the existence of a guiding soul within them, but without any consequences: For after they leave the church service, they continue to be envious, stingy, and lie just as before. And the churches remain silent about this contradiction; for then their lack of success throughout the millennia would become apparent. To cover this up as best they can, their doctrine shifts salvation to the realm beyond death: \u201cpost mortem.\u201d Of course, people notice this and are therefore leaving them in droves. Incidentally, other religions emphasize the opposite of \u201cpost mortem\u201d: \u201che has attained perfection here<\/u><\/em>\u201d; see not only Job (see above) or the Bhagavad Gita in XVIII, 46. What is decisive, however, is the concrete experience of the many people who have walked the path of ego-crucifixion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (In this regard, it is always a promising practical aid to imagine one\u2019s own likeness before every undertaking, decision, or step\u2014to visualize it, for example, as a surrounding aura. For more details, see Chapter 16 on meditation).<\/p>\n\n\n\n These individuals are thus on the path to personal fulfillment, which is clearly evident in the sacrifice of the ego on the one hand and, on the other hand\u2014as a consequence \u2014freedom from suffering. In some cases, the personal sacrifice of self-preservation even extends to the surrender of one\u2019s life, as with Janusz Korczak, Arland Williams, and also some soldiers on the front lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignorance of one\u2019s own higher identity is the cause of all suffering in this world, a fact that Hindu wisdom clearly recognized two and a half thousand years ago. We are biological mammals (\u201csons of man\u201d), but at the same time, as far as our spiritual aspect is concerned, demigods\u2014that is, sons of God. We are an expression of the mammal\u2019s instinctual life, but also an expression of the divine power of love that recognizes the hand within the glove. Accordingly, Jesus emphasizes: \u201cYou are all gods!\u201d<\/em> (John 10:34). The fact that we live in a vale of tears is a consequence of our lack of knowledge about this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would have happened if human beings had been aware of their divine heritage, their divine identity (alongside their animal nature), from the very beginning of their earthly existence? The enlighteners were there: Odysseus, Heracles, Jesus, many prophets, martyrs, Plotinus, Ibn Arabi, Nanak, Buddha,<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lao Tzu, Maimonides, Meister Eckhart, Goethe (Faust), Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Teresa, Eckhart Tolle, and many others. Yet people have never viewed these guides as examples of their own hidden potential, but rather as exceptions from some other world, whom one can only regard with awe and adoration. That is why the Hindu monk Vivekananda urges every person:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you know how much power, strength, and greatness lie hidden within you? Human beings have revealed only an infinitely small part of their true power. Anyone who thinks of them as small and weak is mistaken. Do you know everything that lies within you? Within you are unlimited strength and bliss. Within you lives the Spirit of the World, whose inner voice is the only one to which you should listen. Recognize who you truly are: the soul that is not subject to death, the all-knowing soul. Remember this truth day and night until it has become an integral part of your life and guides your thoughts and actions. Remember that you \u2026 are not the sleeping, everyday person. Awaken and rise \u2026 and reveal your divine nature.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Such a call has never been made from a Christian pulpit\u2014nor can it ever be. For it would immediately cause the house of cards that is the doctrine of Jesus as the sole Son of God to collapse\u2014along with the unconscious demotion it implies of the other great prophets such as Moses, Buddha, Muhammad, Zarathustra, Krishna, Nanak, or Lao Tzu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as long as each individual lacks self-knowledge regarding their own divine image, base animalistic behavior\u2014driven by self-preservation\u2014dominates. This is precisely why the egocentric human being can fall ill, experience desires and fears, lie, cheat, torment, and kill. Christology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nazarene\u2019s statement \u201cI (?) am the way, the truth, and the life<\/u>\u201d (John 14:6) <\/em>certainly cannot refer to the half that knows of itself: \u201cI (?) can do nothing on my own\u201d<\/em> (John 5:30):<\/p>\n\n\n\n For: \u201cit is the Father in me who does the works\u201d<\/em> (John 14:10). The material \u201cI,\u201d which can do \u201cnothing on my own<\/em>,\u201d could not be the part of the Nazarene who embodies and brings about truth and life. Due to the ambiguity surrounding the divine aspect of our identity, the word \u201cI\u201d was mostly applied to the material side of the Nazarene, to his person<\/em>, even though he himself testifies in various passages that he is not to be regarded as this person<\/em>, as the outer man, as a glove, as the \u201clittle I\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf I (!) testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true.\u201d<\/em> Furthermore, when speaking of himself as a person, he uses exclusively the term \u201cSon of Man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That \u201cI\u201d as the Way and the Truth could therefore not be the material \u201cI\u201d of the carpenter and rabbi, and thus certainly not the little \u201cI,\u201d the self-preserving half of the person in the form of the instinctual soul. It had to be the divine soul within him<\/em>, the other part, the immaterial, the mighty, exalted I from Exodus 3, in which God names Himself. (\u201cI AM who I AM\u201d<\/em>), the Christ within man. (It is that instance, that inner voice, which the Quakers call the \u201cInner Light.\u201d) The Nazarene thus refers his statements sometimes to the material part of his soul, and at other times to its divine part; in doing so, he does not specify\u2014with the exceptions noted above\u2014whether he means the \u201clower\u201d part of his soul or the \u201chigher\u201d part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He continues: \u201cYou will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.\u201d <\/em>He does not say, for example, \u201cI\u201d will set you free! Jesus also never said that he is<\/u><\/em> God, but he emphasizes that he has God within him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the very beginning, the churches have interpreted this saying in such a way that Jesus is presented as the only human being who embodies this path and this truth. This is contradicted not only by a number of his own statements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Kingdom of God is within you<\/u>.\u201d<\/em> Indeed, Jesus was the great beacon of Christianity, but by no means the only one of universal significance. His teaching on human self-knowledge regarding the divine aspect\u2014along with forgiveness and love for one\u2019s enemies\u2014can also be readily found in the ancient Hindu texts of the Vedas, particularly in the Bhagavad Gita through Lord Krishna: \u201cI<\/u> dwell in everyone\u2019s heart.\u201d (XV,15) <\/em>In the same vein, the Islamic mystic Ibn Arabi comments on a saying of Muhammad: \u201cWhoever knows himself knows his Lord.\u201d<\/em> The following is attributed to Siddha Yoga: \u201cLook within; you are the Buddha.\u201d<\/em> The same ideas can be found in the ancient Chinese Tao Te Ching (Daodejing): \u201cWhoever, seeking clarity, looks within, attains \u2026 truth.\u201d (10)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the \u201cbreath of God<\/em>\u201d has been breathed into human beings (Gen. 2:7), it is true for everyone that the \u201cI\u201d within them is \u201cthe Way, the Truth, and the Life<\/em>,\u201d regardless of how strongly this inner light is either unfolding or, conversely, blocked. This polarity of the human being\u2014on the one hand, the animal nature, and on the other, the spiritual human being\u2014is expressed by Jesus, as mentioned, when he says of himself: \u201cOf my own accord <\/em>[material person] I can do nothing,\u201d \u201cthe Father in me <\/em>[spiritual intuition] does the works.\u201d<\/em> (John 5:30; 14:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The concept of the soul has given rise to countless interpretations and the corresponding confusion (see Wikipedia). Goethe\u2019s choice of words regarding the two souls in the breast brings simplicity and clarity, but insight can ultimately only come through confirmation in practical life; and anyone who \u201cstrives ceaselessly\u201d<\/em> (Faust II: Mountain Gorges), can discern these differences for themselves when they learn to distinguish between fantasies of fear, retribution, and anger on the one hand, and first thoughts, ideas (!), and gut feelings\u2014seen with the \u201cheart\u201d\u2014on the other, especially through the results of practical living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike that of the lion, human consciousness is the life-determining arbiter between spirit and matter, with a dual perspective between intuition and logic, between divine and animal heritage, between idea (Plato) and reason, between the \u201cinner man\u201d (Paul, Ephesians 3:16) and the outer person (\u201cSon of Man\u201d). Intuition corresponds to the sun\u2019s ray, which provides humans with light (knowledge) and warmth (love). The mediator\u2014human consciousness, with its instruments of reason and emotion for processing spiritual impulses\u2014decides which inspirations to follow, whereby \u201cdecisions\u201d also include unconscious behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through his inner, intuitive way of life\u2014the \u201cFather within me,\u201d<\/em>\u2014Jesus always sought to divert attention from himself: \u201cWhy do you call me good? No one is good except God!\u201d<\/em> (Matt. 19:17) In this way, he expresses the distinction between the two aspects within the human being; as a person<\/em>, he addresses his inner God<\/em> with his material consciousness (Matt. 26:39 ff.). The existence of this inner God was already expressed in the Bhagavad Gita five hundred years before the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The churches avoid teaching the direct, individual access of each person to their divine soul\u2014the path of all spiritual seekers. The churches also suppress other statements from the Gospels, labeling them \u201cmistranslated\u201d or attempting to reinterpret them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.\u201d<\/em>
In this way, they can embark on the path to liberation from suffering in the here and now.
Today, we find the theme of self-knowledge in a wide variety of areas of human culture:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJust as in every human being, so too in Nekhlyudov there lived two people: the moral man, who sought his well-being in the well-being of others<\/u>, and the animalistic man, who sought only his own<\/u> well-being and was ready to sacrifice the whole world for it \u2026\u201d<\/em>
(Leo N. Tolstoy: Resurrection; Volume I, Chapter 14)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his painting \u201cThe Drowned Boy,\u201d the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch depicts a light-colored and a dark-colored male figure walking side by side, intended to represent the two sides of the same person, both struggling to dominate him. The artist himself comments on this as follows:
\u201cThe division (!) of the soul, \u2026 which, like two birds tied together, each strives toward its own side \u2026 a terrible struggle within the cage of the soul.\u201d<\/em>
(Munch Museum, Oslo 2007)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arthur Schopenhauer, when asked who he was: \u201cMan resides in the heart, not in the head. True, we are accustomed to \u2026 regard the familiar \u2018I\u2019 as our true self. \u2026But this is merely a function of the brain and not our truest self, \u2026 which remains intact even when the [\u2018I\u2019] perishes in death.\u201d<\/em>
(The World as Will and Representation. II, 19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi wrote in the 13th century:
\u201cKnow this: Human existence consists of the spiritual soul (ruch) \u2026 and the instinctual soul (nafs) \u2026\u201d<\/em>
(The Wisdom of the Prophets II, Chapter Junus)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sacred text of the Hindus, the Bhagavad Gita, describes human beings as follows:
\u201cThe nature of all beings is twofold; partly divine, partly of a lower nature.\u201d <\/em>(XVI,6).<\/em>
Furthermore, the Gita says the following about the higher part of the human soul, the spiritual soul (the lower part: the lower part: the animal soul of self-preservation):
\u201cI am God, the eternal Self,<\/em> who dwells within every being. \u2026 <\/em>(X,20)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prominent Christian theologian of the High Middle Ages, the Dominican priest Meister Eckhart, writes:
\u201cThe soul, then, has two aspects: The higher one always gazes upon God, and the lower one looks downward and directs the senses.\u201d<\/em> (Sermon 49)
\u201cIt is also clearly evident that man possesses two natures within himself, body and spirit. \u2026 There is an outer man and another, the inner man.\u201d <\/em>(On the Noble Man)
Jesus expresses this wavering between these two souls in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane as follows (Gospel of Matthew 26):
\u201cNot as I <\/em>[ego = instinctual soul] wish, but as you [spiritual soul] wish\u201d<\/em> (39);
\u201cThe spirit is willing, but the flesh <\/em>[instinctual soul, self-preservation] is weak\u201d<\/em> (41).
The evangelist John has the Nazarene speak as follows:
\u201cI can do nothing of my own<\/u>.\u201d (5:30); \u201cThe Father in me<\/u>\u2014he does the works\u201d (14:10).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are two people within me:<\/em>
One wants what God wants,<\/em>
the other, what the world,<\/em> the devil, and death want.\u201d<\/em>
(The Cherubic Wanderer V, 120)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It speaks crudely but aptly of the \u201cinner pig<\/em>\u201d as the counterpart to the \u201cconscience<\/em>\u201d with its typical admonitions, the pangs of conscience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the second account of creation, humanity is symbolically expressed through the two elements from which it was created: on the one hand, the material \u201cclod of earth\u201d; on the other, the spiritual \u201cbreath of God,\u201d the immaterial, transcendent dimension (Genesis 2:7). This dual nature is symbolized by Cain and Abel (Gen. 4:1\u201316, as well as in the Quran in Sura 5, 27 ff.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can anyone express it more aptly than Goethe, who has Faust say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One clings to the world in coarse lust for love<\/em>
with clinging limbs;<\/em>
the other lifts itself forcefully from the * dust<\/em>
to the realms of lofty ancestors.\u201d<\/em>
(Faust I. Before the Gate)
______________________________________
* Nothingness (derived from \u201cdust\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These come, on the one hand, \u201cfrom below,\u201d from matter, from the \u201cflesh,\u201d and, on the other hand, \u201cfrom above,\u201d from the spiritual \u201crealm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The \u201cupper\u201d part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(The \u201clower\u201d part.The \u201csoftware\u201d with two drives:
Sexual drive (Eros) from our animal genetic heritage. Human emphasis: Lust.
Human love in the form of sympathy, a sense of belonging (Philia).<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/spirituelle-lebensfuehrung.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-365.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/spirituelle-lebensfuehrung.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-366.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVirtue needs encouragement; wickedness comes all on its own.\u201d<\/em>
(Wilhelm Busch: Plisch and Plum)
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself\u2026<\/em>
\u2013 Islam, Quran, Sura 41:34:
\u201cRepel evil with what is better, and then the one with whom you are at enmity will<\/em> become<\/em>
a close friend and supporter.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe spirit of life dwells in everyone\u2019s heart \u2026<\/em> (verse 17)
\u201cWhoever understands Him as the One who dwells in all does not revile his own Self in the<\/em> Self of another.<\/em> Such a one walks the path to the heights.\u201d <\/em>(verse 28)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHostility in this world is never ended by hostility. Through non-hostility<\/em>
hostility ceases.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe wise person\u2019s heart beats in all, therefore he is equally kind to the good as to the<\/em> bad.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLove your enemies, bless those who curse you, and do good to those who hate you .\u201d<\/em>
\u201cYou shall love your neighbor as yourself.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGod shows no partiality!\u201d<\/em> (Acts 10:34)
\u201cCease from man with his breath in his nostrils!\u201d<\/em> (Isa. 2:22)
\u201cI can do nothing on my own; the Father in me does the works!\u201d<\/em> (John 5:19)
\u201cThere is no partiality with God!\u201d<\/em> (Acts 10:34)
\u201cYou are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High!\u201d<\/em> (Ps. 82:6)
\u201cThe One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world!\u201d<\/em> (1 John 4:4)
\u201cYou will do even greater things than I have done!\u201d<\/em> (John 14:12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/spirituelle-lebensfuehrung.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/image-367.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Statue_of_the_Minotaur_(Roman_copy_after_an_original_by_Myron)_at_the_National_Archaeological_Museum_of_Athens_on_3_April_2018.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Genitals here on the front legs, not the hind legs!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
it could never behold the sun;<\/em>
were God\u2019s own power not within us,<\/em>
how could the divine delight us?\u201d<\/em>
(Tame Xenies, Book 3)<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGod does not look at the person<\/u>.\u201d<\/em>
\u201cA person looks at what is before their eyes, but the Lord looks at the heart.\u201d<\/em>
\u201cWhy do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYour body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n