Leo and Happiness
Leo likes multiplication. The more of him the better.
When the native enters Leo, after inhibited Cancer, the first sight of himself exposed showers him with happiness. He sees his output as a magnificent thing and is eager to show off his love of himself to everyone else, knowing they also will feel joy.
The sensation wells up in his chest from his heart, the seat of love and Leo. It spills out to the world. The revealed figure discovers who he is and finds the power of his will. He uncovers dominance. He is significant. He is remarkable. He is supreme.
With radiant high heat and light, Leo attracts, and the audience gathers. People react to the self love and often feel their own aroused, so they give grand Leo command of the spotlight. He's happy to be there and so are the people. They're often thrilled.
The happiness of self love projected is, I've concluded, the ecstatic start of creation.
Selves birthing selves in never ending exuberant multiplication.
When the native enters Leo, after inhibited Cancer, the first sight of himself exposed showers him with happiness. He sees his output as a magnificent thing and is eager to show off his love of himself to everyone else, knowing they also will feel joy.
The sensation wells up in his chest from his heart, the seat of love and Leo. It spills out to the world. The revealed figure discovers who he is and finds the power of his will. He uncovers dominance. He is significant. He is remarkable. He is supreme.
With radiant high heat and light, Leo attracts, and the audience gathers. People react to the self love and often feel their own aroused, so they give grand Leo command of the spotlight. He's happy to be there and so are the people. They're often thrilled.
The happiness of self love projected is, I've concluded, the ecstatic start of creation.
Selves birthing selves in never ending exuberant multiplication.
posted by jm at 11:36 AM
50 Comments:
Curiously, Leo multiplication always has the same result: a pride of lions. Interesting math in astrology!
It's the same old multiplication table.
Wonky internet here be back with you soon.
"It's the same old multiplication table."
Except with Leo, there's always a positive result!
I associate the sign with the solar plexus energy center which is ruled by the Sun.
It's generally true, I think, that it's very important to develop self-confidence in the solar plexus as a foundation for the capacity to fully love, from a balanced heart. Thus, we have Leo before, later in the sequence, Libra. Maybe another way of saying it is you love better when you are centered in your divine identity. There is a seed planted that must sprout, grow up towards the Sun, and then blossom to take in the light and re-radiate the glory on the earthly level.
Leo seems to be a ENFP in Myers Briggs — creative, spontaneous, cheerful. My brother is one of them. His wife is an Aquarius.
My brother, by the way, in the last few years moved from doing ad campaigns for political candidates, to being the campaign manager for a young gay Republican who won his city council race in a conservative area, and more recently to winning a city council race himself while running as an independent candidate. He and his wife were always involved in the community, and he naturally moved from creative work to governance. He's always identified as an independent, which seems to be a natural tendency among my siblings. Perhaps we're just less group-identified and more independent thinkers.
ftReally??? Wow!! Your brother!
I had no idea about your family's politics. I'm obviously glad to hear this. You know how I love independent thinkers!
I come from an intolerant very liberal family and I was taught to hate Republicans. But early on I thought, "How can I hate someone I don't know?"
Then I had a right wing world history teacher in 10th grade and I adored him. He talked politics all the time. Even though I disagreed with him I still loved him and enjoyed hearing his opinions. The experience was self assuring.
Then I moved to an independent Republican leaning state and fell in love with the people. I finally knew some real Republicans! I live with all kinds now and we get along very very well in my community. A retired Air Force Republican lives next door to a devoted liberal and they are the best of friends.
I like policies from both parties as they fit the time and situation so I vote accordingly.
In keeping with loving from your divine identity, I'm more inclined to take that route. Hate is part of the feeling body but I like to release it fast and move on. I feel it less and less since it's useless. My conservative teacher expressed a lot of dislike but it wasn't mean and dirty. He was quite the gentleman!
Independents are a very important part of our two party system. What is your brother working on and does he like being an elected pol?
Hey Wonkey!!!
I completely agree on confidence and love. The confident are more inclined to give love and not demand it in impossible ways from others. In fact they expect to receive it!
The Leo love comes from the combined central centers and the heart adds the unique Leonine warmth and romance. The sexual centers are also involved as Leo is the sign of ultimate male potency. His seed is the best thing known to life on earth, you know.
Divine love is always involved but Leo personifies mundane love of self. It's the start of consciousness as a separate being after the merging of self and other in Cancer.
My brother-in-law found it confusing when I told him that my brother had run a successful political campaign for a Republican. (I refrained from mentioning the gay bit to him; that might be a bridge too far.) I think he, being an older conservative, assumed that they were very partisan on the left because they liked a few different candidates than he did. Maybe everything in the center is too far left for him.
I told him that my brother's wife said that they are very nonpartisan, and they have done campaign ads for candidates of different political parties She said, for example, that she has voted for a very disagreeable Republican woman in their local politics. In her opinion, the Democratic male candidate was very nice but he just wouldn't be able to get the job done. She said the annoying woman would do it. It sounded like my brother's wife knew the people running. I suppose it can be said that she has an Aquarian way of weighing her options.
She said there had been some subtle smears against the young gay Republican candidate. His rival said that the young candidate didn't pay property taxes. Well, he didn't own property; it was his partner who owned the house and paid the taxes.
There was also some dog whistle stuff on social media when my brother ran for office, something about voting for candidates whose (large, nuclear) families reminded voters of their own families. My brother and his wife are an interracial couple who weren't able to have children. They invested their energy in their niece, his in-laws, and in community planning and judicious improvement while protecting local businesses and senior citizens. One night, my brother's father-in-law divulged, "You're my favorite son-in-law! Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that." Their many years of looking out for the good of their community won them many allies.
One of my brother's initial focuses is modernizing local government's processes, systems and technology. He has a variety of skills across several fields (such as architecture, graphic design, and IT) as is our family tendency to be full spectrum, and is no stranger to the strict compliance rules of government projects.
My brother reminds people that the nation's motto is E Pluribus Unum: "Out of many, one". My brother sees the nation's motto as crucial to facing collective challenges.
"does he like being an elected pol?"
He seems a happy man, although busier than ever. He was already involved on many levels. His rise is a reflection of his influence and the well-earned positive regard from his peers for his vision, honesty and diligence.
"You know how I love independent thinkers!"
They can be most fascinating.
Very very good news. I really like your sister-in-law.
I had a similar experience. My Senator was a Republican who I didn't like and disagreed with policy wise. But he was a good Senator and did the job exactly as it's supposed to be done. He represented the interests of the people in his state whether he agreed or not. So I voted for him. A flexible and critical mind is the best asset. I wish they'd teach that in the schools.
The government processes are great things to work with. I assume that means developing more efficiency which would solve so many problems. But, of course, some of them prefer the inefficiency so as to get their little hands on the loot. It's good to know your talented and ethical brother is in the system. I knew they were out there!
"Vision, honesty, and diligence." Good brother. Good family.
I often promise to rid myself of this annoying political distress in the world, but your brother and wife renew my optimism and belief in the value of political process. Thank you.
I'm also happy that Raging U has attracted politically open minded and good hearted people. That's the start of positive sociological change.
Wow Kadimiros the story of your family is so uplifting!
Quite remarkable, echoing JM, I'm impressed, and you might remember how I highly regard your sister.
I love this country, the constitution, but am often at odds with the government. I could not do what your brother in law has done.
I did however spend many years volunteering as a state certified Long Term Care Ombudsman for elderly and disabled in skilled nursing centers and retirement centers. This program was started by Richard Nixon. It is a unique advocacy role with a great deal of power when dealing with multi gov agencies.
Internet woes are part of the joys of rural living.....dial-up is not that far in my past. So having wifi is something to be grateful for.
Good ol' wifi. Zapped and connected!
What a good program you were in. Nixon? Really? I wonder who's idea it was. The power of official advocacy is good to remember. It sets the legal ball in motion which I think is going to be the solution to our current problems. It's like the citizens as a whole need an ombudsman. The government agencies are necessary but they need continual modification. The advocates are a bridge. Some lawyers even touch on it.
I sometimes think our societal troubles are not so overbearingly impossibly huge, but are fixable on countless small, medium, and large levels, like you were and Kad's brother are a part of. The melodrama is part of it too, though.
I have mixed feelings about my government. I do know that 330 million squirming human beings is a lot to give effective framework too. I am thoroughly impressed with their traffic systems. The do good upkeep. They make sense.
It was Nixon's own idea after seeing the abysmal care of his mother in law in a skilled nursing facility.
I must confess I hate Nixon but always gave him creds for his intelligence. He and Kennedy were both involved in Project Paperclip after WWII, they knew where the bodies were buried so to speak. Both were patriots in their own way and paid the price.
Nixon's genius with the program which is federal but state certified was that every Ombudsman must be a volunteer. Because of this corruption is pretty well nonexistent.
Nursing homes are mostly corporate owned and rank at the top of $ political donors.
Yes. Resolving at the lowest level for the best interest of a resident usually benefited the whole. And that's the key. Turning in a facility for a punch list of infractions meant fines and animosity. Admins knew they could call in the middle of the night and I'd be there in minutes, for the resident, family, and ultimately the facility.
One of my assignments was a sub-acute (people on life support) I learned a lot about conflict resolution, making difficult choices, how each of us face death uniquely.
Now, about this Pluto in Leo...
Looks like time for the baby boom generation to add a new set (multiply) of lessons.
Watching Trump with interest as his Pluto takes Sun, Mercury, Jupiter, in opposition with Venus and Saturn in hot pursuit.
All the transiting planets in Aquarius his 6th house of service.
I'm reminded of the old radio play....Only the Shadow knows.
Good info on Nixon and the program. You had an important job. Still do.
HA HA! Multiple lessons. Some boomers made it looking good, but a lot did not and their dominance is ending.
Not only his 6th house, but his entire 1st house is in Virgo. He's a working machine. Serving his country. What a guy.
Interesting developments regarding Pluto Merc. All the election fraud questioners and Trump advocates are being fired from main media paving the way for a big new media enterprise. That could be Trump or people he backs. Talent will flock there finding a home for free expression while the flops hopelessly try to tighten the noose. It's not the time for that but it serves to propel the alternative. His Gemini 10th points to great accomplishments in communications and that's been his life. I've been mulling possibilities but I think we'll see soon enough. The great showman creates his customary drama.
Yup, The Shadow. We have a genuine mystery here.
There's some excellent news on the state front. Lawsuits against the governors misuse of emergency powers are gaining momentum and adding states. I am convinced that is one of the major problems to address. A clarification of "emergency powers" is a must. Maybe it should go to the SC. It's an important constitutional issue and many talented ones would love to argue the case. The states are leading the way. That also needs to be decided. How much power does the state actually have? Spell it out.
Or more important, how much power does the citizen have? What is an emergency and where do our constitutional rights stand? Answer please. Not some nebulous flim flam. Concrete answers.
Other states are doing the same. I'm encouraged. Here we nearly have enough signatures to recall our Governor.
As we said people are finding their gumption.
Counties here are leading the way on the constitutional issues. People are standing up and their elected officials are backing them.
Arizona is of prime interest. Monday may see arrests of election officals who have refused to follow court orders.
Doncha love it? It's our own civil rights movement.
Yes I do! Love it! It really is our civil rights movement. I feel good about it now.
California is amazing. The people seem to be coming around.
This is our time. Our renewal.
"One of my assignments was a sub-acute (people on life support) I learned a lot about conflict resolution, making difficult choices, how each of us face death uniquely."
We can see the sacred process, raising and expanding awareness, and releasing the emotional knots that bind the spirit and compartmentalize the mind.
"I often promise to rid myself of this annoying political distress in the world, but your brother and wife renew my optimism and belief in the value of political process. Thank you."
It must have been time for looking at how things work in practice. Many learn better from story than from theory. Story bypasses defense mechanisms and selective abstraction or mental filter. It pings more energy centers. We all have pet theories but watching how things actually unfold continues to teach us. When we are surprised, we learn more, so perhaps we should hope to be surprised more often instead of fearing it too much. The happy warrior strides ahead. His inward light illuminates his outer path, as a famous poet once explained.
Well, my sister cautions her children to think through issues and policies. I tell them to talk to my brother to get different points of view. I tell them that it can make sense to be a member of a political party, such as in states where one must be to participate in primary elections, but it should be no substitute for doing one's homework. People tend to look up to, and take on the beliefs of, their leaders. It's a kind of heuristic shortcut for people, to form a tribe and listen to authority.
Historians say that the Democratic Party is the older party, and it used to emphasize small government whereas the Republicans believed in liberal federal assistance. They have swapped places with each other on various matters over time, but people don't seem to remember or know. It's been compared to a geomagnetic shifting of poles.
I saw an animation once representing the parties circling around the White House striving for power. It was striking to see them gradually move round to each other's positions, like a slow merry-go-round. There were little colored dots moving, representing concentrations of positions distributed on some kind of dual-axis space.
It's some kind of karmic vortex. We can probably apply that idea to the history of civilizations.
I know that we have been at peaks of polarization before. The argument over metal detectors is less exciting than what used to happen. Members of Congress engaged in at least 80 acts of physical violence between 1830 and 1860. They pulled hair, brawled, and fired shots in Congress. Some of those incidents were scrubbed from the public records, hidden from the general public because of concerns over propriety, but historians know of them all from private records and letters. We are a species that knows how to create our excitements.
By now, I think there must be people who were once in one party and have reincarnated into the other. The disincarnated are said to make fun of their incarnate fellows for losing perspective like we do. But there is some attraction there, so I suppose that it is all part of the process until it isn't.
I wonder if, in future, after functional shifts in how people are able to form alliances, people will look back at our times and sympathetically say, "Wow, only two political parties. No wonder you had problems." They will watch docudramas of our times, munch popcorn and drink beer, and puzzle over our funny clothing.
I agree that the parties are shifting. People from the left are moving to the right as the "liberal" approach derived from "libre-freedom" has diminished. That's been going on for quite awhile but the left totalitarian move lately has made it more obvious. There are other shifts as well. The psychological differences between the parties are quite interesting, so even as things change, fundamentals remain.
Both parties used to represent freedom of some sort so the authoritarian squeeze could be a way to highlight the phenomenon. Living creatures seek freedom when trapped, but humans keep getting into them. I study the situation diligently in hopes of understanding the nature of freedom and bondage.
It comes back to Aquarius and the ankles where bondage is often displayed along with freedom to travel about society relating to everyone. Social mobility. It could be that the party not in synch with the trend is being revealed as such or that party is overdoing in reaction. Is the fundamental nature of the left authoritarian when push comes to shove as in 1830? Something is weird about the goings-on. What freedom means might be a good thing to ponder. Is it just relative?
It can be confusing. Pluto in Capricorn indicates bondage and the wealthy entities who control government are probably less free than the commoners. They might not really know how to represent the commonwealth. With Aquarian placements it probably happens automatically while the parties shift and try to figure out their identities.
So I think things take care of themselves while humans fiddle and fuss.
" We are a species that knows how to create our excitements." Ain't that the truth! That's what consciousness will get you.
Small government is a nice idea but with 330 million citizens, plus many non-citizens, the time might be past. Limited government is still workable though. Sensible government is always valuable. Maybe both parties are catching up and will eventually reform to reflect the times. The parties are controlled by outside entities, so maybe they both need to discover freedom. Breathing freely would help a great deal.
"What freedom means might be a good thing to ponder. Is it just relative?"
That's an interesting question. Freedom's a muddy concept if scrutinized, and therein lies difficulty. Things get muddier still when humans argue over how best to ensure it for their citizens.
You can get answers, radically different to each other, from different levels of consciousness.
One level of consciousness says:
The stars fall from the sky and where they strike the earth, flowers appear. The breath of the world moves among the flowers and by doing so awakens them and bestows upon them voices. Some of the flowers speak and complain of the terms of existence. They begin to argue among themselves. "How ugly you are! No wonder you think that way!" said a lovely flower to another lovely flower who said the same back.
But a few flowers dream more than speak, and in dreams they remember that they are gods who leapt like lightning down through many planes, down to the country of time and form, with all its challenges and constraints, in order that they may be born, of Gaia, as something more than unmanifest potential.
We have labels, categories, frameworks for thinking about things. I use them as suits a purpose at hand, but in the back of my mind I remember that they are tools, just as math may describe a flower but can never substitute for its reality no matter how accurate the equations, and no matter how clever the flower that came up with the math to describe itself, and no matter if there is a war of the flowers to settle disagreements about who they are, where they came from, and what they should become.
People often mean different things when they talk about freedom. So, my instinct is to be suspicious of abstract ideals when I hear them used by anyone who wants something from me. Idealism must be practical and grounded lest it fly off into fantasy or fanaticism.
Competing political philosophies are a bit like competing religions which share the same root mythologies. A Web software developer once said that to avoid the interminable religious or religion-like arguments that generate more heat than light, developers should ask what works for the particular case at hand, move the focus away from the competing ideologies in software design and toward practical application. You may still have a mess but at least it will be a negotiated mess to which the participants said yes, however grudgingly (and you can pay a computer artist to put an aesthetic gloss on the whole thing, pay reviewers to sing its praises).
Because freedom is muddy in concept and messy in practice. Nobody actually wants absolute, unqualified freedom to exist for everybody. They want some things to be facilitated and other things to be made harder or impossible. Sharp disagreements escalate over how to prioritize even basically shared values. And the question of how to manage power enters in. As Winston Churchill related, "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms."
From one view, I can see physical reality as full of trade-offs which are essential to individuation. Things that have no constraint at all would be as if formless and unmanifest, if they could be said to exist.
The pull of gravity and the resistant barrier of the ground make it possible for us to walk, run or dance. Birds can fly because air is a loose substance against which their wings can beat while also moving through it. Laws obstruct freedom but also are the condition for achieving it.
An artist stares at a blank canvas, and is maximally free to paint whatever she likes. But she makes a mark on the canvas, and mark by mark narrows the range of options down to a final form. Pleased with the aesthetic result, she lets go of the work and soon enough begins a new painting. She plays within and with the constraints of her medium, but she can express the thematic content of her choice. A chess player stares at her board, and moves her pawn. She is fascinated by the game's multiplicity of paths to his goal, and how each move may facilitate, obstruct or both. She too repeats the process.
Games are a form of complex play where rules define possible interactions and evolving relationships between players. Without rules, there would be no contraints, more freedom in a sense; we would still have play but there would be no game.
When we are members of a group, or in a relationship of whatever kind, we trade away some freedom (if we define freedom as doing whatever we please without any consideration for another, or for their rights or their freedom.) In return for the trade, we receive benefits, perhaps other kinds of freedom.
The U.S. during its early years defined a base set of rules for its collective structure. The Founders modified the game, so to speak, away from some of the previous rules. Even so, there were tensions among its creators, and furthermore there were armed rebels who didn't like aspects of the new Constitution or perhaps would rather not have one at all.
People continue to argue today over exactly where to draw the line between the permissible and impermissible, in matters great and small. Priorities shift over time; there have been amendments. The First Amendment limits government's authority over certain individual freedoms. Government is really people, so it is limiting those who attain power so that the less powerful may be less constrained. But, of course, there are other, less circumscribed, forms of power in society. We want people to have power and the freedom to use it, but not too much!
The nations are humanity exploring possibilities. Maybe some future Aquarian geographer will conduct a comparative survey across galactic civilizations, and explain to her students how the political evolutions of hive minds were fatefully shaped by the particular characteristics of their native environments.
A learned man sits beneath a tree. He has many words and therefore knows of many things. He rises and walks away, wrapped in thought. The tree remains, moving without leaving, always entering more fully into time. It roots itself deeper and wider into earth. It knows without words. Its knowing and becoming are the same. The golden rays of the fiery Sun god enter its green leaves and the rays transform into wood, for wood comes from fire and fire from wood. Likewise, the other elemental powers, air, water and earth join with fire in becoming the tree. The tree grows from trunk to branches to twig to fruit, and from fallen fruit again seeds sprout to multiply the tree into forest, and all the trees of the forest are branches of the one tree that has always been. The Tree of Life and Knowledge knows itself as tree, and knows itself as man, but the man knows not himself.
"Small government is a nice idea but with 330 million citizens, plus many non-citizens, the time might be past."
That's my default position on it as well. People should probably simply aim for efficient government (if they can agree on at least a few goals and proper metrics). Small can become inefficient, ineffective. There may be a sweet spot, and it probably shifts over time along multiple dimensions. Perhaps "sweet spot government" is a problem for our more Aquarian friends to tackle.
"Is the fundamental nature of the left authoritarian when push comes to shove as in 1830?"
Not in the big picture, according to those who study such things. There are different dimensions, oversimplified and smushed together in American minds.
I've read that psychological research finds that both right wing authoritarians and left wing authoritarians simply use their traits to advance their respective values. Which group of extremists appears predominant depends on era, place, culture and the observer.
An individual's preference for authoritarianism increases as a dynamic response to external threats. People tend to become less accepting of human diversity when they are made anxious for some unrelated reason. The anxiety puts them into a frame of mind that reacts to difference as threat. But when they are made to feel secure and safe, they respond with more tolerance for differences. Reduce stress, reduce polarization.
I know that some people diagram the world's political spectrum as a four-quadrant political compass or map, with left-right and libertarian-authoritarian axes. On that graduated diagram, modern U.S. presidents score well into the authoritarian right whereas Washington and Jefferson, two Founding Father presidents, are libertarian right.
Other people use not just two, not just four, but six or more political categories. The left-right axis is simplistic, overgeneralized, ill-fitting. The U.S. has a binary party system that can't help but magnify dualism. And, it would be misleading to make simple comparisons to the rest of the world; in parts of Europe the right looks authoritarian while liberals are capitalistic. So, our locally packaged brand of dualism sells well in America, but would be out of place elsewhere.
Maybe the underlying issue is that most humans evolved needing a leader, an authority figure, for very practical reasons in the past such as coordinating a response to existential threats to the entire group. Perhaps that ancient psychology is part of why the U.S. Presidency grew so much more powerful than the Founders originally wanted.
I am rather cooler towards presidents than most people, but I recognize that people generally function differently from me and have different needs. Regardless of political affiliation, many want a father figure, offering them a sense of emotional security, whereas I would feel more like an employer interviewing a job applicant.
As has been noted by others, you can have many a fine government on paper but their implementation and operation is another matter. People create governments as a framework for creating themselves, and both are in process over long periods of time as all things that grow and thrive must be.
What you say verifies my idea that freedom might be relative.
I think it begins with the entrapment of the body itself. There is no escape even though people try in many ways to obliterate the boundaries. That probably works temporarily. It could be that the structures people create mimic the protections and restrictions of the body. The larger involvement with the body politic creates much conflict as well as security. Then there are micro levels of freedom in any situation. Still constraints are a necessary tool in survival. The question is who or what decides what restrictions are needed.
Maybe karmic factors contribute to whether a person lives in a totalitarian society or in one with more personal autonomy. You see that even in families. Some are ruled by authoritarian parents, some by those allowing great freedom. It's a matter of ratio.
Political freedom is my preference, but it is only one of many types of liberty. Probably the best freedom comes with acceptance of restraint with intelligent applications of structure. Driving is a good example.
Then it could be that freedom is simply the release from any entrapment, making it a phenomenon of relativity.
The whole concept of leadership intrigues me. At this stage of evolution people need it. They select leadership in all social situations early on. And the problems that come with social interaction continue as leaders come and go. The species is successful so it's working thus far. There's likely a healthy balance between following others and dictating to one's self going on naturally.
"It could be that the structures people create mimic the protections and restrictions of the body."
Yes. I too have thought before, at times, that they can be compared. And compared to the ego's relationship to the psyche as well.
The human species interestingly evolved to have bare skin, though we live on land and in many climates. The nimble species evolved toward adaptability and responsiveness, and away from being encumbered with exoskeleton, protective fur, scales, plates or feathers. Humans wear garments to protect, but can remove them for playing in sunny waters like other hairless mammals such as dolphins. We are attracted to both strength and vulnerability.
The exposed human skin of faces and hands interface with the field of action outside the skin. They can be used to separate or to connect objects or people, and therefore build structures and relationships. Society is like a collective art of relationship, an ongoing drama.
Human societies have defenders to protect their softer cores. There are small anarchic societies in the world; they survive because they are surrounded by nations that tolerate them and buffer them. Prehistoric humans were likely anarchic, needing no fixed governmental structure, because of their smaller, sparser groups.
Governments are like the edifices built by humans. The way they seem now may be but a snapshot in time. We are seeing shifts in the forms of actual houses and buildings, such as floating cities, tiny houses, and earth-sheltered homes. There will always be enthusiastic people who say, What if? Let's find out.
Good point about skin. Maybe it's part of touch and human relationship.
True true true. Governments are a reflection of society. I do not go along with the view that governments are powerful entities out to get us. The people create them as times determine. Rather than cower in fear people can learn from them and understand that self improvement will lead to better government. Maybe the furless bunch can improve their own relationships! Then voila! Good government.
"The question is who or what decides what restrictions are needed."
And for how long. Laws restrict adults from putting young children to work in factories and coal mines. And we do not permit small children to drive automobiles on the highway. (Although, there was that time....)
There may be no single, final answer, just as nature itself keeps changing.
Desirable ends, even fundamental aims, are not all compatible with each other within this plane of existence. So they compete, within the individual person as well as between individuals.
Overall, we collectively aim for a dynamic balance as patterns, needs and resources change over time. The health of the society is like the health of the body; the ego governs the mind and body to ensure that the whole organism thrives.
The children of authoritarian parents behave worse in school and learn less well. They are poorer at self-soothing and self-control. A meta-analysis of 1400 studies found that harsh control and psychological control, of children, is the best predictor of worsening behavioral problems, including alcohol abuse, over time.
We should most beware the man, whether secular or religious, who offers some kind of "final solution." Such a man offers to make us free and good by binding us to his terms, and then we would be free of our troublesome individual complexity with all its seeming contradictions and troubles. We would become like mass-produced paint-by-numbers kits, and repeat ourselves for fear of imperfection. Those who fail to comply will be perceived as flawed and to be discarded for the sake of the perfect society, in heaven or on earth. But a rigid society is maladaptive, containing the seeds of its own downfall. Fortunately, the list of outright totalitarian nations today is only two, down from eleven; their peak may be long past.
"Maybe karmic factors contribute to whether a person lives in a totalitarian society or in one with more personal autonomy. You see that even in families. Some are ruled by authoritarian parents, some by those allowing great freedom. It's a matter of ratio."
There may be special reasons to choose circumstances that aren't a natural fit, such as a highly spiritual child incarnating into a dysfunctional family to heal a multi-generational pattern. It's like a musical composition that begins with tense, heavy chords which segue to lighter runs of notes and eventually resolution as disharmony and harmony blend into a larger whole.
On a societal level, new generations bring unexpected change. Living systems cannot survive indefinitely as locked boxes; fresh energy finds a way to enter. In physics experiments, virtual particles have been found to pop randomly into existence from the zero-point vacuum, like a kind of divine creatio ex nihilo, to exert a force on material objects.
Great great news.
"But a rigid society is maladaptive, containing the seeds of its own downfall. Fortunately, the list of outright totalitarian nations today is only two, down from eleven; their peak may be long past."
Also good info about the problems with children from authoritarian homes. My father was the least judgemental person I've known. My mother also left me alone and I thrived, took care of myself early on with exceptional self discipline, and graduated first in my class. But it could be happenstance!
Good point about karmic misfits. I think death of children occurs to teach karmic lessons about loss. Deep loss which deepens the soul ideally and leads to healing as you say. Blending harmony and dissonance is an interesting pursuit. A lifelong one. I like the thought.
I must say that you are the first person who understood what I was talking about concerning the trap of the body and the body politic. I thought you would pass over it like the others, but you didn't. Very very good.
Further thinking leads me to our country's situation with this ersatz totalitarian situation now occurring. It's similar to the unnatural fit in the family. The tense heavy chords are sort of there, but the idea of a pattern correcting is a wonderful one. It makes sense.
"Then it could be that freedom is simply the release from any entrapment, making it a phenomenon of relativity."
That sounds like "freedom from" instead of "freedom to". Some people break up the idea of freedom or liberty into "positive" and "negative" forms; negative freedom is freedom from external interference, restraints or coercion. A society based entirely on negative freedom, being able to do whatever the heck one wants, would be harmful to more people, because "Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows."
Positive liberty, the capacity to act on free will, can be expanded, and can include freedom from internal constraints.
Metaphysical and mystical ideas emphasize psychological freedom through greater awareness, which leads out of the constraints of fear into the expansiveness of love. Open new doors in the mind and walk through into new realities. Change one's self concept, and one's concept of others, and see people respond differently. Self-mastery then leads to a changed life.
We are, fundamentally, free to choose from among many activities, add more variety to our daily lives, but we are often held back by mental habits and emotional patterns. We also tend to focus on apparent limitations while alternative paths go unnoticed.
For most modern people in the West, the sense of impediments is more subjective than objective, though we are so outwardly focused that we tend to blame others and vague, outside forces. People spend much time in highly ritualized, predictable behaviors. Luck comes more often to those who know when to change things up. They nurture the charged potential within themselves, and attract themselves in new directions.
Yes. I agree. We are held back by habits. Alternatives come anyway out of necessity, thankfully. Although alternatives are both good and bad.
Blaming others and the outside is my pet peeve. The nature of luck could be a whole thesis.
Sagittarius identifies luck which is based on the view that the universe is largely benevolent. So trust results and negative habit disintegrates. Destiny looms bigger than individual will so people take their chances. Lucky is as lucky does.
I've often seen Sag as a giant roulette wheel in the sky. The Sagittarian is very very eager to play.
"I must say that you are the first person who understood what I was talking about concerning the trap of the body and the body politic. I thought you would pass over it like the others, but you didn't. Very very good."
Huh. Well, thankee. I don't comment on everything people say, whether I agree or disagree. I didn't get too much into the skin as a border. Time is limited and we pick our battles. I also usually won't talk about future outcomes or events that are unpleasant or that people won't welcome hearing about; it's usually not helpful to most people.
"Blending harmony and dissonance is an interesting pursuit. A lifelong one. I like the thought."
It's very interesting to consider with respect to a lot of things, in art and in life.
"I've often seen Sag as a giant roulette wheel in the sky. The Sagittarian is very very eager to play."
Sagittarius is delightful. One of my favorites.
I don't talk about the unpleasant future either. There are plenty of others who will do it.
The pleasant and unpleasant do a relay. One buys the other. There is no unpleasant future anyway. It always come back. Sometime misfortune determines an extended ride in the unpleasant, even horrible. So I guess it's just luck!!
"Blaming others and the outside is my pet peeve. The nature of luck could be a whole thesis."
Definitely, and from many angles.
In the Tarot, the card "Wheel of Fortune" could be interpreted either as karma or as random luck, among other things.
If all is predetermined, cause and effect, then there's no luck at all but maybe also no free will and no freedom. Then, free will is a cognitive illusion, and when we (at the level of ego consciousness) decide something it's actually something or somethings that decide how we decide.
So, the relation of free will to randomness is interesting. We do not think of subatomic particles as having free will but, so far, their future states are calculated as clouds of probabilities. Some posit that there is a truly random component at the quantum level. The notion of "quantum evolution" considers that quantum mechanics is behind the ability of lifeforms to initiate specific actions as well as new mutations.
I should add a note on "positive freedom": "Positive" and "negative" aren't value judgments any more than when artists speak of "negative space" and "positive space". But positive freedom is easily distorted to justify harsh, dictatorial or authoritarian regimes that claim to act on your behalf or on behalf of your true self, and has a darker historical aspect to it than negative freedom.
The real world needs a mix of negative and positive freedom. The guy who takes away our car keys while we are drunk is infringing on our freedom in one sense, but in another sense he might be seen as preserving it, and perhaps in compliance with a spoken or unspoken agreement between the individuals involved. Fluoridating water supplies to prevent cavities, requiring public education of children, seat belt laws (whose introduction were met with majority disapproval and triggered intense protests) are some common examples where the individual's freedom to choose is infringed. To have a maximally free society, you need educated people (and education opens up more future options, more freedom, to them). But some education has to be imposed, or else that kind of society won't be successful or possible.
"Good point about karmic misfits. I think death of children occurs to teach karmic lessons about loss. Deep loss which deepens the soul ideally and leads to healing as you say."
Yes, could turn out that way in some cases.
I know one family where a troubled young man suffered from paranoid delusions. He suddenly died alone though several of his second- and third-degree relatives felt it happen. His first degree relatives seemed unaware. One relative said that there was a deep, solemn, fateful feeling in the psychic atmosphere, as if the angel of death had spread its wings over the family and the shadow of its wings had a palpable psychic weight to the soul. He knew someone had died. Another said that she saw the deceased young man in a dream smiling happily, uncharacteristically, and glowing like sunlight. A third said that the man had in a past life been a father burdened with a disabled son, while in this lifetime the roles were reversed, with the son becoming the father and the father becoming the son. Perhaps the schizophrenia itself could be a random event, perhaps caused by an infection during pregnancy, but the meanings that the affected individual and his relatives took from that circumstance is a bigger story.
Do souls need spiritual liberation from the karmic wheel, or are they expressing their will to explore life and to individuate? Nudists regard garments as unnecessary confinement, but fashionistas regard them as self-adornment and self-expression. Perhaps composted flowers continue to either marvel at or debate the meaning of their petals in the flower afterlife.
"free will is a cognitive illusion, and when we (at the level of ego consciousness) decide something it's actually something or somethings that decide how we decide."
Yep. But illusion is good enough.
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!
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