The Missal Newsletter

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=110 style=" border-bottom: 2px solid #999980;" BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04b8dfe1esnpes.jpg"> <div> The Mystic Missal - A Door to Ways and Means on the Spiritual Path</div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Mystic Missal A Door to Ways and Me"><B>Home</B></A><B>   </B><A HREF="site_map.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><B>Site Map</B></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="ways_and_means.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ways and Means"><B>Ways and Means</B></A><B>   |   </B><B>The Missal Newsletter </B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="about_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us/Contact Us"><B>About Us/Contact Us</B></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="articles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles"><B>Articles</B></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="cd_s.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books, DVDs and CDs"><B>Books, DVD's and CD's</B></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links "><B>Links </B></A><B>    </B><A HREF="library.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Library "><B>Library</B></A><B>    </B><A HREF="prayers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mystic Missal Prayers"><B>Prayers</B></A><B>     </B><A HREF="archive_index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archive Index"><B>Archives</B></A><B>  </B><B> </B><B> </B><A HREF="http://mysticmissal.org/blog/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://mysticmissal.org/blog/"><B>Blog</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#_the_monthly_missal_1_1_1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B>The</B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#_the_monthly_missal_1_1_1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B> Missal</B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#_the_monthly_missal_1_1_1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B> Newsletter</B></A><B>   </B><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#tricks_and__traps____1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B> </B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#tricks_and__traps____1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B> </B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#tricks_and__traps____1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B>Tricks and Traps</B></A><B>   </B><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#commentary" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B> </B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#commentary" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B>Commentary</B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#commentary" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B>  </B></A><B>   </B><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#__quotes_of_the_month___1" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B>Quotes</B></A><B>    </B><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#comic_philosophy" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B> </B></A><A HREF="monthlymissal_m.htm#comic_philosophy" TARGET="TRLX_Middle" TITLE="The Missal Newsletter "><B>Comic Philosophy</B></A></div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=370 BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04b8dfc3.jpg"> <bR> <div> <I><B> <A NAME="_the_monthly_missal_1_1_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></I><I><B>The Missal Newsletter </B></I><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>___</B><I><B>_________________________________</B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="3" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="302" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#000000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#000000 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 201 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="fa718bb0.jpg" border=0 width="280" height="187" ALT="Benches - photo by Bob Fergeson" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="4"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>      This missal takes a look at two obstacles to self-discovery: <B>pride</B> and <B>fear.  </B>Though at first glance these two emotions might seem contradictory, they are two sides of the same coin. Fear could be said to be the negative root emotion of the ego, while pride is the positive. Both are functions of the primary survival ego. Whether an individual has his chief feature centered in a form of pride or fear, both will eventually manifest in a reactive pattern.  </div> <bR> <div>    <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >  Pride performs a necessary function in our existence until we are able to live without it. It can't be taken away too early or we run the risk of becoming stuck partway along the path to our final realization. The same can be said with fear, it keeps us safe from temptation and self-destruction until our intuition and connection with our true conscience are brought to fruit. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>       Pride has been said to be the first of the seven deadly sins(pride, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth) and with good reason. The basic thought that we are a separate individual, "me", leads directly to pride. We feel distinct, and thus special. We are taught from an early age what specifically makes us special, and these attributes, both positive and negative, bolster and define our pride.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#000000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000 HEIGHT= 237 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="fabbcdf0.jpg" border=0 width="188" height="223" ALT="Osprey - photo by Bob Fergeson" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="4"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 WIDTH="340"><div>  </div> <bR> <div> We have to fatten up the head before we can chop it off -- have to do a lot of studying -- have to become virtuous. Conservation of energy results in using a body function to transmit the mind into discovery.</div> <bR> <div> <I>- Richard Rose</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>      The same pattern is seen with fear. Feeling we are an individual with specific attributes leads to fear of loss of self, the fear of death. The more we have to defend, the more we have to be afraid of, and so pride and fear lead us ever further into the world of objects and manifestation. Both are emotions which require the development of a sense of self and a reflexive consciousness. We need to have a basic underlying sense of being an individual and of there being a separate opposite realm of not-self to have the emotions of pride, that of identification with the self, and fear, holding the not-self at bay.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="518" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000 HEIGHT= 186 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="face7ac0.jpg" border=0 width="231" height="172" ALT="Gator - photo by Bob Fergeson" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="4"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 WIDTH="261"><div>  </div> <bR> <div> The things that are holding you up personally are the negative things that have happened to you.</div> <bR> <div> <I>- Richard Rose</I></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>     </div> <bR> <div>      In the beginning of our spiritual search, we feel we can consciously attack the ego. This direct assault on the facets of our personality that we judge to be less than spiritual may be good for trimming the weeds and removing the drains on our energy, but sooner or later the realization that everything we do stems from the ego will hit home. This pride in our seeming ability to "do" will need to be faced, usually through some disaster of our own making. The same can be said with fear. Our paranoia, often stemming from anger and resentment, may keep us from ever facing the unknown. </div> <bR> <div>      Pride and fear are part of the paradoxical nature of the spiritual path. We need them to carry us to the limits of our mind, but they also tie us to that mind. They keep us safe and give us incentive to act, while limiting us through fear of failure and pride in success. We cannot face the truth about ourselves and our mistakes from fear of damaging our pride, yet take pride in how we play it safe by giving into our fear. At this point of seeming paradox we find that intuition, luck, and faith in a higher power are what will carry us beyond the mind and into the desert of the unmanifest.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="articles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Articles">Click Here for Featured Article:</A></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="3" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="491" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#330000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 HEIGHT= 221 ><NOBR><div> <B> </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Falling Before Fear</B></div> <div> by </div> <div> <B>Shawn Nevins</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="fa814cf0.jpg" border=0 width="276" height="207" ALT="Arikaree peak - photo by Bob Fergeson" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="4"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="___related__sites___"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>- </B><I><B> </B></I><B>Related  Sites  -</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://selfdiscoveryportal.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://selfdiscoveryportal.com"><B>The Self-Discovery Multi-Site Portal </B></A><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><A HREF="http://selfdiscoveryportal.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://selfdiscoveryportal.com"><B>:</B></A></FONT><B> </B> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B>What's behind the sense of 'I am'? Who's living, and who's facing death? Who or what am I, essentially? </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > <IMG SRC="21469860.jpg" border=0 width="105" height="134" ALT="self discovery" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="2"></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B>Throughout history occasional individuals have told of finding the answer to those questions, and their testimonies often have a surprising consistency.  For individuals seeking to find the answer for themselves, those testimonies provide helpful clues for pursuing the search to a successful conclusion. </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>  </B>   For some searchers, working by themselves is the preferred method. Others intuit that finding a few fellow seekers to work with may expedite their progress. Still more fortunate may be those who find a living person who has made the journey and can provide assistance from the perspective of that realization. The Self-Discovery site is designed to offer all three modes of help.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.spiritualteachers.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.spiritualteachers.org"><B>Spiritual Teachers Guide</B></A><B>:</B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B>This site is a timesaving guide to one aspect of the spiritual quest: the search for a teacher.  Concise reviews of teachers ranked by a seekers personal experience and years of research.  An excellent web-site for sorting through the many teachers and their systems.</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B> </B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://tatfoundation.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://tatfoundation.org"><B>The TAT Foundation</B></A><B>:</B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><B>TAT is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization established in 1973 to provide a forum for philosophical and <IMG SRC="d4189630.jpg" border=0 width="137" height="99" ALT="TAT Foundation -Community Building" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="2">spiritual inquiry. TAT was founded on the belief that your investigation of life's mysteries is expedited by working with others who are exploring, perhaps down a different road, so that you may share your discoveries, exchange ideas, and "compare notes" in order to come to a better understanding of yourself and others. </B></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="BernhardMod BT" ><A HREF="http://www.searchwithin.org/ " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.searchwithin.org/ "><B>SearchWithin.org:</B></A><B> </B></FONT>committed to spiritual seekers who are earnestly looking for deeper meaning in life. Here, you will find rare reading material <IMG SRC="b684b580.gif" border=0 width="75" height="88" ALT="searchwithin.org" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="2" VSPACE="2">for seekers who are serious about discovering something meaningful — something about their Self. We offer no dogmas, no enchanted formulas, and no sales pitches. Read these pages with an open mind and an open heart, and you may catch a glimpse of something deeper within...  <A HREF="http://www.searchwithin.org/ " TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.searchwithin.org/ ">http://www.searchwithin.org/</A> </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>* * * * *</B></div> <div> <I>Now Available!</I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="3" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="633" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#000000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000 HEIGHT= 216 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="f9888ce0.jpg" border=0 width="136" height="206" ALT="The Listening Attention" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="2" VSPACE="2"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 WIDTH="317"><div>  </div> <bR> <div> <B>The Listening Attention</B> is our innate ability to observe the world and ourselves without identification. </div> <div> The essays, poetry and insight from the Listening Attention web site are now available in book form, an 82 page paperback with photos by the author.</div> <bR> <div> Available from the author for $10 including shipping and handling at:</div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.listeningattention.org/books.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.listeningattention.org/books."><B>www.listeningattention.org/books.htm</B></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="f9986cb0.jpg" border=0 width="134" height="203" ALT="The Listening Attention" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="2" VSPACE="2"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="8c64b320.png" border=0 width="75" height="50" ALT="Mystic Missal Library" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="8c74b320.png" border=0 width="75" height="50" ALT="Mystic Missal Library" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> For <A HREF="archive_index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archive Index">past issues</A> of The Missal Newsletter, go to <A HREF="archive_index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Archive Index">the Archives</A></div> <bR> <div> <B>* * * * * * </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="tricks_and__traps____1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Tricks </B><I><B>and</B></I><B>  Traps</B></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" > <B>The Mystic Missal presents </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#BF0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><I><B>Tricks and Traps,</B></I></FONT><B> tools</B><B> built of paradox</B><B>, </B><B>designed to befuddle the ego, </B></div> <div> <B>and bring back the lost art of direct perception. </B></div> <div> <B>   The </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Tricks</B></FONT><B> are simple tools by which you leave the conceptual mind aside and take a look directly at yourself and your world. </B><B>The </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Traps</B></FONT><B> </B><B>are to expose the many ways we fool ourselves and are robbed of the ability to see directly and clearly, without concepts. </B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="4" CELLSPACING="2" WIDTH="817" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#DDDDDD" BORDERCOLORDARK="#CC0000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2 HEIGHT= 61 WIDTH="805"><div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Trap:</B></FONT><B> Fear. </B>We either run from or attack our social environment due to the threats its imposes on our ego. The ego sees others as "not-self", threats to its survival, and must either incorporate them(assimilate them through dominance), or run and hide. Either tactic is an emotional reaction coming from the lower or animal based side of our makeup, that of the herd member.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Next Trap:</B></FONT><B> Pride</B>.<B> </B>Pride is the next emotional reaction in the chain of defense as the ego becomes further identified with the animal reponse pattern. The attacker gains pride in his successes and social skills, while the fleeing animal revels in his outsider or rebel persona. Either way it has herd value, for it gets the individual up and out of the door everyday and further identifies him, either positively or negatively, with his fellow herd members as the fight or flight response patterns take hold. </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FF0000" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>Trick:</B></FONT><B> Transcendence through self-discovery.</B> Through hard work at uncritical self-observation, we can gradually come to see our pattern and how it relates us to others. Our dependence on pride to counter-act our fear will become apparent, and we may be forced into humility often enough to receive the grace of self-awareness, thus transcending the personality. This self-awareness fosters compassion towards our fellows as well as our 'self', the automatic response pattern we used to call 'me'.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="77c50240.png" border=0 width="80" height="36" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="77d4f240.png" border=0 width="79" height="36" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="77e4f240.png" border=0 width="79" height="36" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Papyrus" > </FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="3" CELLSPACING="3" WIDTH="673" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#AAAAAA" BORDERCOLORDARK="#000000" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2 COLSPAN=2 BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 HEIGHT= 172 WIDTH="276"><div> <B> </B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> "To the humble man, and to the humble man alone, </div> <div> the sun is really a sun; </div> <div> to the humble man, and to the humble man alone, </div> <div> the sea is really a sea." </div> <bR> <bR> <div> - G. K. Chesterton</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP ROWSPAN=2 BGCOLOR=#000000><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="f9f640b0.jpg" border=0 width="356" height="267" ALT="Deer Island, Mississippi - photo by Bob Fergeson" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="4"></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="prayers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mystic Missal Prayers">Click Here for </A></div> <div> <A HREF="prayers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mystic Missal Prayers"><I><B>A Page of Prayers</B></I></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B><U> <A NAME="commentary"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></U></B><B><U>Commen</U></B><B><U>tary </U></B><U>                                             </U><U> ___________________<IMG SRC="0d4a7460.jpg" border=0 width="167" height="70" ALT="Mystic Missal Monthly Missal meditation philosophy zen religion" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>The Trap of Compensation</B></div> <bR> <div> <I>"Every child is seduced into taking part in our game of life. He loses direct-mind ability when he identifies with and participates in this dimension, </I></div> <div> <I>and tries to manipulate it for his own petulant form of counter-seduction." </I><I>- Richard Rose</I></div> <bR> <div> Many are the traps of the mind, and many are the tricks it plays on us. Being dual in nature, we are kept running from one experience or mood to another, all the while thinking that the solution is just up ahead, that if we could just get the mix right, we could finally keep all aspects of our lives under control and finally secure our peace and happiness. But mind, being a two-faced dimension, will never be at peace, at least not for long. One of the basic traps of this thing called mind is that of compensation. We compensate, or balance, one aspect of our lives with another, in the vain hope the house of cards will not collapse and leave us face to face with the truth about ourselves.</div> <bR> <div> The trap of compensation, like most things, is most easily seen in our fellows and hardest seen in ourselves. It's easy to see how others struggle to keep their desires and fears in check, their daily battle to balance the spending with the earning, the work with rest. Safe in our own imagination, we may think they are a bit foolish when they blunder and stumble, lacking the perfection our own ego ascribes to itself. We are too busy buying the rationalizations and excuses we keep at the ready for why we would actualize this perfection, if only life had given us better cards. This feeling of superiority, a form of pride, is simply compensation operating in ourselves. We cannot accept that we are in the same boat as our hapless neighbor, or that his excuses are as valid as ours. Thus, we have to compensate for the tragedy we see before us by telling ourselves how we are above it, superior in either action or rationale.</div> <bR> <div> The base compensation we are all tied to is the game of pride and fear. We have a fear, that of death, which we must keep unconscious. If it were to ride too close to the surface, we would be paralyzed and could not go about our daily business in the illusion of society. This fear of death is a built-in program designed to keep us from self-destruction in one sense, but in another, it serves as a hindrance to self-discovery. We cannot question it, for that would mean facing the unknown, or at least admitting there is such a thing, waiting behind us, terrible, death to the ego's belief in itself. In order to keep moving and participate in the game of life, this fear must be kept at bay, or compensated for. This is accomplished by the mechanism of pride. We believe we are special; whether in a positive or negative sense, it makes no difference. This superior attitude gets us out of bed every day and out into the fray, believing we are something that matters. We go out to do the "right thing" and thus keep the fear safely under the mat.</div> <bR> <div> The great psychologist G.I. Gurdjieff taught that we have mechanisms in the mind called "buffers." Their function is to keep the different parts of us from ever meeting, thus assuring that we never get the kind of view of ourselves that we get of our neighbor. This helps us function by keeping us in the dark about what we're really like. We can persuade ourselves that we are good, right, doing our best, etc., while never having to let the facts rock the boat. Gurdjieff said that if a man's buffers were removed, he would go mad. He could not stand to see his true nature, with its contradictions and compensations. Pride serves the purpose of a buffer by not letting us get a clear look at our fear. We can cruise through life without hesitation or question, believing in what we have been taught, doing our best, and never doubting our self-image as the long-suffering saint, martyr and good guy, the victim and helpless innocent. One thing pride or fear will never allow us is to truly doubt. The great questions of our own existence and being are kept shut out.</div> <bR> <div> To find the truth about ourselves, and life and death, we must face our pride and find our fear. This fear is close to the root of our problem, which is that of misidentification. We have been tricked into thinking we are an object, that we exist, a person who lives and dies. As an object, we are thus in a world of objects, and must defend ourselves. We cannot admit death, the great taboo, for that would leave us squarely in the unknown, the thing we fear the most. But until we face this fear, we will never be rid of it and never be free of the mind-numbing pride that compensates it.</div> <bR> <div> The grand trick, the lie beneath the fear, is that we are a thing. That we are separate, a body/mind amongst hostile other bodies, vying for a limited pile of goodies and security. As soon as we bought into this illusion, we became liable for the entire package of fear and pride, life and death. We then can no longer face this trade-off, that we have sold our infinite non-existent existence, so to speak, for an ego/body in a world of strife. We must keep looking away, taking pride in our plans and excuses, for to remember the truth is too terrible.</div> <bR> <div> Misidentification causes fear, which causes pride, which leads us ever farther from our Home. We compensate for our lost inheritance by taking pride in our new-found "life," holding the fear of the truth as far back as possible until the house of cards collapses, and if we are lucky, we get a glimpse of the game.</div> <bR> <div> How can we find our way out? How can we return to Truth, without relying on accident or belief? Gurdjieff called the first step on the road home, self-remembering. To remember your Self. We start by observing ourselves, by questioning, to see what tricks and compensations we use to avoid looking at the facts of our situation. We begin to see that maybe we are not what we have been telling ourselves. We see that our neighbors having a rough time of it is not a cause for celebration but an opportunity to see the same in ourselves. We can face ourselves and laugh, knowing that though we may not yet have the ultimate answer, we can begin looking. We see that the game is mostly fixed, so why be afraid? Taking ourselves too seriously hasn't worked in the past; it only fostered our pride and thus our self-ignorance. We take a step within, seeing ourselves a bit more as we really are, and find it helps. We hear from others who have gone beyond fear and pride that everything is OK, and take heart. We try the tricks they teach us, and perhaps once again glimpse our infinite nature. We lose ourselves, and gain the universe.</div> <bR> <div> <I>Bob Fergeson</I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="1b159290.png" border=0 width="89" height="41" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="__quotes_of_the_month___1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B> - Quotes - </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil." - <I><B>Aristotle </B></I></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed." <I><B>- Buddha</B></I></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" Do the thing you fear most and the death of fear is certain.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time." <I><B>- </B></I><I><B>Mark Twain</B></I></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" The first two facts which a healthy boy or girl feels about sex are these: first that it is beautiful and then that it is dangerous."<I><B> </B></I><I><B>- G. K. Chesterton</B></I></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" Pride, avarice, and envy are in every home."<I><B> - Thornton Wilder </B></I></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" Five enemies of peace inhabit with us - avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace."<I><B> - Petrarch</B></I> </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes."<I><B> - John Ruskin</B></I></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">" Misquotation is, in fact, the pride and privilege of the learned. A widely-read man never quotes accurately, for the rather obvious reason that he has read too widely." <I><B>- Hesketh Pearson </B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="33257280.png" border=0 width="87" height="40" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B> <A NAME="comic_philosophy"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Comic Philosophy</B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="fa02c680.gif" border=0 width="300" height="360" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="fa158ec0.jpg" border=0 width="600" height="492" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>The whole pleasure of marriage is that it is a perpetual crisis. </B><I><B> </B></I><I><B>- G. K. Chesterton</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Everyone I know has attention deficit, and they say it with great pride. It's a bad time to be right.</B><B> </B><I><B>- Joni Mitchell</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead. </B><I><B>-</B></I><I><B> Albert Einstein</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Puritanism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy. </B><I><B>- </B></I><I><B>H. L. Mencken </B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>I don't have no fear of death. My only fear is coming back reincarnated. </B><I><B>- </B></I><I><B>Tupac Shakur</B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I>For more Comic Philosophy, go to the</I> <A HREF="http://www.listeningattention.org/humor.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.listeningattention.org/humor."><B>Humor page of The Listening Attention</B></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>* * *</B></div> <div> <I>  <a class="addthis_button" href="http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&pub=xa-4ab3749825511868"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/v2/lg-share-en.gif" width="125" height="16" alt="Bookmark and Share" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/250/addthis_widget.js?pub=xa-4ab3749825511868"></script>   </I><I> <a href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http://www.mysticmissal.org/monthlymissal.htm"> <img border=0 src="http://cdn.stumble-upon.com/images/120x20_thumb_black.gif" alt=""></a>  </I></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="47b79280.png" border=0 width="121" height="40" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> <A NAME="newsletter"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B></I><I><B>Would you like to receive the Mystic Missal Newsletter?</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Please </B></I><A HREF="mailto:mysticmissal@mysticmissal.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:mysticmissal@mysticmissal.org"><I><B>email </B></I></A><I><B> me </B></I><I><B>with your request, thanks.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0b379280.png" border=0 width="121" height="40" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0b279280.png" border=0 width="121" height="40" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="07d79280.png" border=0 width="121" height="40" ALT="spirituality meditation esoteric philosophy prayer satori nirvana zen" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Last updated 06/30/10</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I> </I><I><U>Copyright  2010 -  Robert Fergeson. All Rights Reserved. </U></I></div> <bR> <div> "True religion is the realization of truth."</div> <div> -Franz Hartmann-</div> <div>   <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">var site="sm8missal"</script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2" src="http://sm8.sitemeter.com/js/counter.js?site=sm8missal"> </script> <noscript> <a href="http://sm8.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=sm8missal" target="_top"> <img src="http://sm8.sitemeter.com/meter.asp?site=sm8missal" alt="Site Meter" border=0></a> </noscript>    </div> </td> </tr></table></body>