We compare ourselves to others all the time. We look around and see that they are doing better, are more successful, have what we don't. We compare the level of our spiritual growth to that of others, too.  It looks like they have less or no problems, like they never go through crises, like they're initialized into some mystical secrets that are still unattainable to us ... Like we're missing out on some spiritual luxury that others enjoy. What we're not aware of, however, is that others are looking around, too. And some of them most likely envy you for the same reasons you envy them ..read more

In my previous post (Enjoying Blissful/Pleroma States?) I wrote about blissful states of mind. I stated that we often cling to Blissful states because ... well, because they are blissful. But clinging is an attachment. Attachment, just like aversion, needs to be removed in order to achieve the unpolarized consciousness. Here I'd like to offer you a variation of my End of Words method, which you can use to clear Blissful states. End of Words for Clearing Blissful States Feel the Blissful state and answer the following questions:  1) What's good in or about this state? 2) What's bad in or ..read more

​So in the middle ages Temperance was seen as total abstinence from the ‘bad’ pole. In other words, from sin. But complete abstinence, being an extreme, inevitably creates its opposite—overindulgence. We can see this with ex-alcoholics. When they quit drinking, they really QUIT. They don’t drink at all anymore. ​ But if they fall off the wagon, they never stop at one or two drinks. No, they get dead drunk.  The same goes for diets: after a strict eating regimen, you’ll typically get not only your ‘old’ weight back, but a few extra pounds/kilos as well. So just like ex-alcoholics, who drink ..read more

In a therapy session where you use my methods or the ST methods, you often experience high states of mind, such as Peace, God, Love, Pure Consciousness ... I call these states Blissful States, because they feel blissful--exhilarating.  My father, Z.M. Slavinski, calls them Pleroma states. Not all of those states appear to be of the same class/order. Some feel higher, some lower. Some stronger, some weaker. Some feel soothing, some mind-blowing.  So for instance, in the state of Peace, you may feel centered, weightless and calm. Whereas in the state of Divine Love, you may feel like you've ..read more

​Anger is a protest to a perceived VIOLATION. You or someone else has been wronged. Values are always involved when anger comes up. The higher the value, the more emotionally invested you are, and the stronger your anger will become. With rage, the violation seems so great because it has to do with your highest values. ​ Your Trust (or Love or Justice or Truth or Life or Self-value...) has been betrayed, jeopardized, or denied.  Practical exercise for removing anger 1) Feel the situation in which anger has come up.     Describe the situation. Be specific and brief, as if describing a scene ..read more

In the archaic world, Temperance was a symbol of balance and harmony. As seen in my previous posts about ancient Greece and China (see Temperance as Harmony of the Soul), a temperate person deals with an extreme by balancing it out—by introducing its opposite. But in the medieval period a new idea of Temperance emerged.   The Bridle And this new idea is at times pretty bizarre. ​ In two out of three Eteilla’s tarot decks, Temperance is depicted as a girl with a bridle in her hand. The bridle is normally part of the horse’s gear. It is used to restrain or guide the animal. The ‘bit’ of the br ..read more

Temperance is about dealing with our appetites and desires, passions and impulses. Most often it is mentioned in connection to alcohol, food, sex, and anger. The iconography of Temperance, the tarot card, is rooted in philosophy and religion. I’ll discuss those roots in the following posts, starting with The Ancient Greeks … … who used ‘sophrosyne’ for temperance. But ‘sophrosyne’ is a complex word, which seems to have no one and true translation in English: "the quality of wise moderation; ... prudence, moderation in desires, discretion, temperance," …   A Sound Mind “At your late age it ..read more

Yunus is a cleaner in a Baghdad house. Every day he sweeps the same yard and hums the same song--it makes the time go faster. Yunus has a lot of children he has to provide for. He always dreams of the day when he'll be free to go to desert and meditate. Many years pass. All his children are married. He's free at last. So off to the desert he goes. He walks and walks under the scorching sun. But nowhere can he find water or shade. Suddenly, there's a cloud of dust on the horizon. As it comes closer, Yunus can see FOUR RIDERS in it. They're approaching quickly. The yard sweeper, rememberi ..read more

No tarot card embodies balance and reconciling of opposites as deeply and obviously as Temperance. The meanings of the card in divination are balancing things out, moderation and patience. But how exactly do we balance ourselves and/or a specific pair of opposites? The answer to this question transformed as the idea of what it means to be temperate changed. The pictures on the cards illustrate this change. In the older tarot decks, the card shows a woman pouring liquid from one pitcher to another. Sometimes the woman is depicted with wings. In many modern versions, the woman is not a woma ..read more

So how do you make Pleroma your permanent state? Is there a special method?   A get-the-perfect-abs-in-a-week trick? A magical pill? Alas, no. What I can offer you instead is what Buddha calls 'bitter balm'. An unpleasant truth no one wants to hear. But this truth, once you realize it fully, cures you. And the truth is: you have to work your way to Pleroma. PERSISTENTLY. PATIENTLY. Spiritual evolution is missing an 'r' for a reason. Methods that take you to Pleroma are a shortcut, but they too will only take you so far.   What they do is give you a glimpse of the transcendental reali ..read more