Animals
In one shade or another a common element in all of the lower realms is a lack of agency. Feeling of not being in control, of being a victim of either circumstances, society, fate, bad luck, bad karma, no money, bad parents, bad children, or any number of other things we may frequently wish to blame for our circumstance of suffering. In each situation there is a turning over of self-responsibility to some other entity whether it be physical or not. In the lower realms there is a desire to re-assert some sense of control even if it is misguided.
The realm of Animality uses images of animals who tend to operate on a kill or be killed or even Alpha or not-Alpha. The phrase Law of the Jungle, or such often is used as short-hand in brief explanations, which can be slightly deceiving in its simplicity.
It isn’t merely that the strong survive, it also includes the machinations to achieve a position of dominance or superiority and especially so at the expense of others. It isn’t that the individual wishes to be the top person, or the leader, it is that others must be lesser.
To be a leader is not a bad thing, in fact in most endeavors someone needs to lead or be the central point in the endeavor. In a healthy situation the leader not only rises to the top, but that person also considers how to elevate all others in the group by their own leadership. The good skillful leader does not wish to be a leader so they can achieve a position of superiority, rather that they can bring the whole group to a level of superior performance. A skillful leader is not someone who uses division to achieve their own ascendency.
In a way the situation with pack animals and an alpha in the group is quite appropriate, if the alpha doesn’t kill the challenger that is. In packs the need for an alpha does not come at the expense of the other animals, even if another animal is put in their place, they still have a place in the pack and so the whole pack theoretically survives and thrives. But don’t go too far with this analogy please.
When a leader pits one group against another or individuals within a group against each other they are operating out of the realm of animality. A skillful leader is perhaps even uncomfortable with their position of leadership and is always watchful for others in the group who may be more qualified to lead in a particular situation. The leader who leads because they have an unfulfilled desire to be superior to others is not interested in seeing anyone in the group or other groups display their superiority or even rise up when it would be more appropriate.
Because the person who operates out of animality perceives their world in terms of either they are the leader or they are inferior craves the position as a device to seek fulfillment of what they are lacking, a feeling of control over their circumstances. Being the leader gives them a false sense of being in control. Though time and time again either in big picture situations of small picture situations we see that this type of leader does not foster trust and respect.
Because they lace the ability to give trust or respect they do not receive it. As a result their sense of control is being constantly threatened either in reality or in imagination. From this perspective anyone who appears to be rising to the top or appears to be challenging the leaders authority is perceived as a threat which needs to be put down in some form or other.
One of my original purposes in writing this book is to befriend our current president, Donald Trump. (This is not about policy or politics, so please do not offer me comments about your social/economic/political views with regard to the President, it is about an individual, even though that individual is President) If I were Donald’s friend this is where I would begin. I see this individual as someone who has a deep need to be perceived as superior to others and who is incapable of giving to others the very things he desires the most. This is not uncommon for individuals who operate primarily out of the realm of Animals.
The person in Animality, as in all other realms, is in a spin cycle. Persons in Animality employ anger frequently, and crave the things they perceive as being validations of their superiority, and in all things suffer.
Escape From the Four Lower Realms
For anyone in any of the four Lower Realms escape is as easy and as difficult as entering the realm of Humanity. When we, you, I, are in a spin cycle of suffering, desire, power, arrogance, and rage it is difficult to step away and consider other people and their needs and desires and feelings. Yet, doing so is the fastest way out of the Lower Realms. The consideration need not be great or even deep. Merely to consider that someone else, the other person also has unfulfilled needs, and unmet expectation. Considering the other person may be just as imperfect as you are at times, can go a long way to making it easy to forgive rather than uncontrollable and all consuming anger.
How many situations of road rage might be avoided, or how many horns may be silenced if we stopped for a moment and considered that the other individual most likely did not get up that morning and hop in their car with the sole intent of seeking you out on the highway so they could enter your lane of traffic and forget to turn on the turn signal or perhaps even not have seen you in the mirror. Though I suppose since they were specifically looking for you they probably did look in the mirror to be sure it was you they were getting in front of.
You see in this situation and others similar, a whole story needs to be constructed in order to justify a response, never mind how unrealistic that story may be it needs to be constructed in order to justify a certain set of actions, and especially if those actions are far outside the realm of what might be more appropriate. You see, the world, and others are not always out to get you personally, they are after someone else, no seriously it isn’t always about you.
If we can step back for a moment and recall our own less than perfect actions, and when we cn see that others are fundamentally no more or less perfect than we are it allows us to enter into the realm of Humans and shifts the dynamic of our perception of reality.
When we can allow other humans and even animals to have feelings such as the ones we have then we can begin to create space in our interpretation of the events we experience for a wide range of alternate responses thereby generating a completely different experience. When we are able to embrace others, and not fear others our world expands. If we constantly are looking at how others may be inferior to us, or how the existence of others threatens our own existence, then our world expands and solutions can be sought which in the end will fulfill all of our universal needs; food, shelter, and safety.
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