Observing the
Sacredness of Daily Life
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
Carlos Cardoso Aveline
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Spiritual knowledge must
be severely tested in daily life,
in order to make sure it
is not mere pretense or make-believe.
*An absence of noise seems to surround all things
beautiful.
* In the presence of silence, words naturally tend to
be sincere and accurate. Happiness shines in the creative equilibrium between
silence and sound, or contemplation and action.
* Peace exists in the absence of noise,
and it flows according to the law of equilibrium. In the silence of one’s soul, truth can be heard
without a sound.
* Right self-discipline and self-control lead to
unconditional happiness.
* Students of
theosophy learn to see short term events in the wider context of time eternal.
* Every moment in life is sacred and its divine
substance can be consciously experienced, if we are prepared to that.
* The fulfilment of one’s duty is the safest path to
bliss. The sense of duty is the best compass one may use. It is in one’s own
heart. It speaks through the voice of the conscience.
* Each mistake, once it is corrected - just as every
pain understood - corresponds to a step in the warrior’s path. Conquered
imperfections become virtues.[1]
* The higher self or spiritual soul has unlimited
resources on its own plane. By concentrating our hearts on it, we get in touch
with universal life.
* Detachment, good will and confidence are necessary in
order to develop a creativity that transforms every aspect of existence.
* A concentrated mind does not “exclude” that which is
not its chosen object of observation. It includes all life: it also transcends
each and each one of its manifested aspects.
* A strong will does not eliminate open-mindedness. One’s efforts must aim at obtaining a lasting
victory which produces defeat to no one.
* Concentration of mind widens one’s horizons. It also
purifies and elevates them.
* One-pointedness allows one’s mind to have wide
horizons. A dispersive consciousness is narrow.
* Self-respect creates stability: you need a firm
basis in order to observe the sky.
* Idle thoughts should be eliminated because of their
negative magnetism. Any idea in one’s
mind must have a purpose, and one must be consciously responsible for it, and
for its results.
* Blessed are those who investigate beneath the
surface of things, for most blessings are hidden under unpleasant appearances.
On the other hand, many a harmful thing presents itself as nice and saintly.
* Students of philosophy must harmonize external
activities with their most abstract dreams and projects. From the correct
interaction between the objective and the abstract, a consistency of behaviour
and inner happiness emerge.
* Mirrors produce images symmetrical to that which is
reflected. An intimate relationship works like a mirror. It can be accurate, or
it may distort the image of the other. It
is necessary to keep in touch with the best in oneself, in order to stimulate
the best in the other half of a marriage, and do this in a long-term process.
* Whether we pay attention to it or not, life on Earth
develops in a close dialogue with countless aspects of the wider life in our solar
system. There is a dance of billions of years in the sky. Each planet teaches
our souls a particular set of lessons, and their wordless teachings and
influences interact among each other all the time.
*
Spiritual knowledge must
be severely tested in daily life, in order to make sure it is not mere pretense
or make-believe.
*
Within one’s soul, as well as in outer circumstances, life combines stability
and change. We need both factors. There is a time to choose continuity, and a
time to provoke radical changes. The transformation must not be a jump into the
unknown. It must be made with courage and prudence, while visualizing the goal
we want to reach through hard work and on the basis of acquired merit.
*
A few measures should be taken, in order to avoid unnecessary waste of time and
energy. The first one is to have clear-cut, noble goals. The second is to
develop our discernment regarding which actions lead to our goals and which
ones don’t. Provided that we have the necessary strength of decision and of
character, we will be able to save large amounts of time.
*
Planning is as important as our ability to look at life as if there were no
planning. Creativity renews our action plans, and we must include in our planning
the need to look at life from new and different points of view any time, while
persevering in that which is of fundamental importance in our roadmap.
*
We are all learners. The practice of regularly questioning and re-examining our
premises only makes them stronger and gives further power to the foundations of
our daily action.
*
Along the path to wisdom, the pilgrim is protected by his own accumulated good
karma. Courage is good, but it must be exerted with prudence, for challenges
renew themselves at each new step. It is not easy to know the precise strength
of the good karma accumulated by the pilgrim thanks to his right action. For
this reason, harvesting is dangerous and may lead to illusion. The most
important thing is to persevere in sowing good karma at each moment, using
courage when it is necessary and avoiding too much audacity.
*
The Law of Karma is the Law of Symmetry. Whenever difficulties seem to expand,
there is no need to become hypnotized by the obstacles. Positive opportunities and blessings get
increased in equal measure as to challenges, and perhaps with an advantage, from
the point of view of those who have eyes to see. While difficulties sometimes
seem to dominate the external aspects of life, positive opportunities are
decisive on the inner and highest planes, and this takes place in strict
accordance with the Law.
NOTE:
[1] The idea corresponds to an axiom in “Light on the
Path”. It is reproduced from the book “Três Caminhos Para a Paz Interior”, by
Carlos Cardoso Aveline, Ed. Teosófica, Brasília, 2002, 191 pp., p. 26.
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The above fragments were first published anonymously in the October 2014 and
November 2014 editions of “The Aquarian
Theosophist”.
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On the role of the esoteric movement in
the ethical awakening of mankind during the 21st century, see the book “The Fire and Light of Theosophical
Literature”, by Carlos Cardoso Aveline.
Published in
2013 by The Aquarian Theosophist,
the volume has 255 pages and can be obtained through Amazon Books.
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