We organize our reality around two things: what we believe is true (usually from trusting the information given to us by others) as well as accepting a way of utilizing that information to create a sense of a valuable, meaningful, and nurtured self. Being born with both a predetermined character and then organizing the personal growth around these two things – what we believe to be true, and who we believe ourselves to be, in order to be a good person – usually results in a conflicted life, filled with both joys and moments of emotional suffering.
Both Asian and Western spiritual paths approach the fixing of this problem by replacing the secular world view with a more sacred one, in effect shifting the belief system from the mundane to the religious group belief. By identifying as a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Buddhist (or even as an atheist) we take refuge in a pre-determined belief system rather than one we construct for ourselves. Our fear of psychosis (having our own and isolated reality), of going crazy, herds us towards the companionship of others, and to identify with a group.
Secondly, spiritual development across many paths attempts to deal with the issue of suffering either through submitting the personal will to a higher power (or outer authority), or to rest deeply in acceptance of life’s many facets, again letting the outer world define our emotional state. The easiest way the psyche does this is through selective feeling states: denial of what is apparent, fear of change, or use of an addiction to soothe anxiety.
An alternate way of organizing our reality is to confront the two things not from fixing any problem, to make it fit into a less-painful narrative in our lives, but to question the very structure of how the emotional body constructs our reality. Rather than trusting the word of others, we embark on a journey to find out our own truth, our own authentic self, and live our life from that standpoint, and not the truths given to us by others. We cultivate our intuition as well as what others tell us is true. And, we question each act of suffering or challenge, as not a threat to our sense of self, but rather an opportunity to experience who we are, and who others are, at a deep and transformative level.
I call this process “Reality Testing” : the inner shift away from defining the self through the truths and authority of others, and instead shifting our perspective to authentic and personal experience. In truth, reality testing is an ancient tool of spiritual growth, standing as an alternate option to creating the self and living a life of meaning and value.
Reality Testing allows for the possibility that anything you have been told is true, or good, may actually not be true, or the only option available to you.
Reality Testing, in terms of the chakra system, cleans out old and stagnant emotional energy, and replaces it with a functional, sensitive, chakra system that can make its own assessments. Of course, this means that you have to leave behind the comforting presence of the popular crowd, following the dictum “what is popular is not true, and what is true is not popular”. It means venturing away from consensual realities, and taking the risk to trust yourself rather than another authority.
Reality Testing is the doorway to dissolving the restrictions on how the emotional body first develops into its full potential, and then applies its truth in relationship to others, and to the outer world. The authority granted passively to others is revoked, and replaced with the search for inner knowing and inner authority. The value and goodness of who we are is discovered through the exploration of our humanity, and our character, rather than emulating another, or a conceptual idealized self. Authority can now be defined as personal freedom of choice, with the restriction that this freedom serve agape, or universal love, rather than any authority that grants you the right to exist.
Freedom of personal choice, and the individuation of the emotional body, through relationships with both self and others, then organizes our reality. The popular option – submission to the authority of another, or to a group identity – is no longer the tool used to create the emotional body, nor is popular thinking used to assess meaning or goodness to our choices or actions. Instead, we choose to grow at both the personal level, and at a spiritual level, though our own efforts and creative vision. We may occasionally wander into dangerous psycho-emotional territory, but we can reality test that event, and reset our lives back into a healthier choice option.
To support reality testing and make it work well, we need a chakra system that functions well, rather than one organizing itself around the truth given to us by others, or by taking on the values or identity of other people, or other groups. Here is how the chakra system can support reality testing:
- Chakra One: taking in nourishment from the outer material world, and eliminating waste products, providing a free-flow of physical vitality to power the remaining chakras
- Chakra Two: basic emotional attachment to others, and the emotional flow to and from the energy bodies. Who we are is awakened by emotional contact with others, and we also help awaken the emotional body of others in turn
- Chakra Three: construction of psycho-emotional narratives that make up our belief systems, but orientate around the passive questioning of authority, replacing it with self-knowledge and personal freedom. This includes the ethics of freedom, where I respect the freedom of others in making their own choices, but always default to my own authority to make any choice for myself
- Chakra Four: developing relationships over time, so as to deepen emotional depth and awaken our full potential through life experience. This includes caring for others, and supporting the rights of others no matter how differently they express their reality. This freedom is not granted, however, to the sociopath, who will attempt to exploit this freedom for selfish gain
- Chakra Five: creative expression at all levels of humanity, from clear and insightful speech, into deep listening to others, as well as the inner voices of our own reality
- Chakra Six: cognitive development that opens up the resources of the human brain, and the upper chakras, that perceive reality and life experience, at multiple levels, not just that of our inner infant mind, or simplistic and popular reality
Just as important as the chakra system is the auric boundary, or energetic skin, that surrounds our body and which holds our self definitions, and sensitivities. Change the boundary, and the chakras are affected. Change a chakra, and the boundary shifts into a new sensitivity.
Practical application in the therapeutic healing session
Here are some entry points for the healer to utilize during the dialogue part of any therapeutic astral healing work. These statements are guidelines only, and serve as ways to engage the client’s personal engagement with their transformational healing journey.
“Is what is happening, or your choice and participation in this narrative, truly *your* choice? Or, are you submitting to the authority of another person, or group?”
“If your energy system functions optimally, how do you choose to change the outer and inner narratives?”
“What resources need be activated in order to heal or grow your emotional body?”
“How can you grow into the next level of your personal evolution?”
© 2020 by Dean Ramsden. All rights reserved.
