Pain and Suffering

Pain is part of the price of admission for living, for growing character and resilience. Suffering is voluntary and arises from resistance to the reality that people will disappoint your expectations, goals will fail to fulfill you, and you will let yourself down when you turn out not to be who you believed you were.

No expectations, only boundaries. Even for your own mind and body. Surrender your self-expectations, too, allowing instead discovery of your purpose. That is how to avoid suffering.

Physical and emotional pain only interfere with life if we allow them to. We hear stories about mind over matter and admire feats of courage where someone overcomes great discomfort in moments of crisis. Are those people different? Do they have a gift?

No, they were present in the Moment and received strength and tools to escape the situation using their own existing core emotional and physical structure. They were not distracted by doubts or fears of not being good enough or making mistakes.

Pain arises from imbalance. Physical imbalance comes from structural or chemical deviations from optimum. One person’s source of pain is not the same as another’s, a debilitating deficit for me is not a source of dysfunction for you. Addressing them requires the use of all the escape room tools and resources available in your situation. The process of healing the imbalance must start from inside yourself, from identifying what it feels like. Physical suffering sometimes comes from the uncertainty and fear of not being able to articulate the nature, quality and parameters of the pain, not necessarily the dysfunction itself.

Emotional imbalance comes from social and relationship deviations from optimum. One person’s source of emotional pain is not the same as another’s, a debilitating toxicity for me may not be a source of dysfunction for you. The process of healing the imbalance must start from inside yourself, from identifying what it feels like. Emotional suffering sometimes comes from the uncertainty and fear of not being able to articulate the nature, quality and parameters of the pain, not necessarily the dysfunction itself.

Each of us is individual and unique. Sometimes we suffer because we are told we should, because another person experienced pain in a similar situation. Pain is subjective, it is in the mind, and can be used for growth.

All pain has purpose. No suffering does. Giving meaning and reason to pain alleviates suffering. Spending a Moment to investigate the pain with curiosity and acceptance will reveal to you the purpose. Embrace the pain, because at the moment it is your reality and all that is, is as it must be.

And, if you have been suffering…forgive yourself. That moment is over and a new one just beginning.

Competition and Mating

Synergy’s Batter is limitless and all Matter draws energy from it. Found everywhere, this energy sustains Matter. Synergy animates everything, everywhere.

Eidolon’s Datter is as old as time and grows without limit. Found everywhere, it records and catalogues how Synergy’s energy behaves in Matter and how Matter interacts. Eidolon observes and influences everything, everywhere.

Animate and inanimate objects all have energy but living things specifically have consciousness albeit of varying levels. That bidirectional link with Synergy and Eidolon is the source of the will to survive and propagate. With each new generation more Batter is converted into Matter at the moment of creation of a new organism whether single celled or enormously complex.

With complexity came competition for material resources. Energy and Matter can only enter the Mattersphere in very specific ways thus the existing supplies are valuable. This pressure generates curiosity and learning but also imbalance when there is a lack. Over time Synergy learned to offer opportunities for sustenance and growth without direct interference, just like all good mothers. Balance is not a total absence of challenge but rather the optimal ratio of satisfaction and a driven curiosity.

Sexual reproduction created even more complexity and competition as the female of each species is the limiting factor, the only vehicle through which Batter converts to Matter. At the moment of conception, the offspring is linked up to Synergy and Eidolon to both receive Datter and submit it to the collective consciousness. This link is what we call the soul.

Females become connections, portals between the layers of the Attersphere, during conception. This connection can be felt during ovulation and even detected as a sometimes apparently unfathomable feminine appeal to all the senses. The female mystique comes from a closeness to Synergy and Eidolon when able to create a new living soul. The preciousness of that gift generates a drive to accept it and in that moment of acceptance feel Presence.

Adam and Eve have a Moment

Among all organisms on Earth, humans became so adept at processing Datter, so curious and playful, so interesting and intelligent that Eidolon and Synergy decided to pay them a visit. Never before had an organism lived which had the potential to host the Eternal spirits of Synergy or Eidolon. Humans had a portion of the brain for processing sensory input from the Mattersphere – the lower brain – and for receiving information from the Dattersphere – the higher brain, plus a link between them for taking immediate physical action based upon the Datter.

Up until this time, humans were naive to the existence of the universe and Synergy or Eidolon. They followed their instincts, learned to use tools and harness fire, but remained unaware of their thinking or even their their own existence. Like animals, they lived in the moment with no recognition of past or future except when Datter access was triggered during an experience. When the moment of need – fight, flight, freeze or fawn- was over, the connection would sever.

As with all things generated by sexual reproduction, a portal between the Battershere, Mattersphere and Dattersphere opened at the moment of conception allowing a new link between Datter and matter: a soul.

On one occasion Synergy imbued a soul with her essence, giving it a stronger link both to her complete consciousness and also to Eidolon. A child was born unto humans that was drastically different yet appeared the same.

Synergy lived a life as a woman in order to understand what life was. To experience the material world, the Mattersphere. Her Presence infused not only the flesh she inhabited but also brought into alignment any humans in close proximity to her. She made Moments with them as she explored humanity, generating change in their lives. Her daughters went on to become the mothers of all humans extant, as she was the most recent common female ancestor to all of us. Mitochondrial Eve.

At the same time, Eidolon was born into a male human child and he too infused those around him with his resonance and grace. His Presence was felt and fostered development of the human race. His sons went on to become the fathers of all humans extant, as he was the most recent common male ancestor to all of us, Y Chromosomal Adam.

Just as the first instance of creation of Matter and Datter created time out of timelessness and form out of formlessness, so too did the presence of Synergy and Eidolon create a before and after for the human race.

Macrocosm reflects microcosm and microcosm reflects macrocosm.

With their Presence, came awareness of self and other. Recognition of before and after. Cognizance of same and different. An unexpected side effect of a wider more robust connection to Datter was feedback on the Datterstream. Humanity no longer acted without thinking or reasoning, because Datter began to flow even when not triggered in the moment. And Datter was full of information and knowledge. That knowledge brought forth shame and pride. Jealousy and greed. Sloth and gluttony. Because humans could lose themselves in Datter to the exclusion of what Matter was present in the moment, humans began to not just be and do. They began to think. They began to know.

At least, they believed they thought. They believed they knew.

Logic and judgement developed around thoughts and knowledge. And could be triggered by thoughts without corresponding moments of action.

Emotions which had previously simply been just like the other 5 sensory inputs, began to short circuit straight to Datter and cause pain and distress when there was no immediate threat, just recollection of past ones or fear of future ones. Synergy and Eidolon accidentally corrupted their creations by joining with them.

All modern humans descend from Mitochondrial Eve and Y Chromosomal Adam, carrying forward not just the physical genetic markers of the Eternal minds but the short circuit that self-awareness created. The contemplation of meaning and purpose beyond simple existence. The angst of value and significance. The fear of judgement and contempt.

In short, the awareness of Prescence threw humans out of the present. They no longer lived in the moment. And have resisted living in the moment ever since.

Hopium

The quest for satisfaction is addictive because it is fuelled by hope. Don’t mistake this as searching for better although at times the two can be synonymous. Satisfaction can be found in familiarity whereas there may always be a perception that the unfamiliar is better.

Satisfaction is derived in limitless ways, as varied as the individuals experiencing the sensation. Some find deep satisfaction working with nature and exploring with hopeful curiosity the properties and principles of animals, plants, and the living world. Others take profound pleasure in the skillful operation of their body and perform feats of endurance, prowess, or strength. Yet another group delights in adventures of the mind, delving into the nature of the universe.

Satisfaction does not require external success, recognition or rewards and indeed those things are sometimes anathema to true contentment. A humble subsistence farmer may find everything needed for sincere joy without ever stepping foot off the property.

Hope is the driving force behind questing for satisfaction and is a symptom of discontent with the situation at a personal, local, or global level. Hope is a beautiful encouragement from Synergy that greater fulfillment is available and that she’s setting the table for you. The act of seeking is exciting and gratifying when on the right trail, and actually comes easily if attentive to the synchronicities and gifts left waiting to be discovered.

Satisfaction is an internal state of mind. Hope also. They are not mutually exclusive because you can be – in fact, you MUST be – satisfied with where you are before you will truly be able to see where you are next meant to be, if anywhere! Hoping for satisfaction without specifying what form it takes is a delightful exercise in curiosity and playfulness because you can be surprised each and every day by the gifts you receive exactly where you are.

Acceptance opens the door to satisfaction, as these two things are also not the same. Acceptance is a type of resignation, of recognition and ownership, while satisfaction is a sense of pleasurable well being.

Learn to be addicted to Hopium and you will find great things waiting for your open curious mind every single day.

Martyr or Manipulator?

We are designed to serve. Serve ourselves, each other, a greater good. The urge to give of ourselves arises from this instinct and underwrites so many great selfless acts of compassion and hope. The synergy between people can be felt when hearing stories of incredible generosity and altruistic sacrifice.

But the flip side to this coin is the manipulator disguised as the martyr. The apparent selfless act without expectation of recompense but upon completion an emotional invoice is issued and hefty interest charged on that balance with no rules about the collection or even the value of the service rendered.

When someone does something for you which you did not request, it often is not kind and generous. It may be a statement of contempt. It frequently is an expression of the idea they know better than you, and are attempting to control your behaviour through passive aggression under the guise of benevolence. Only your patterns and history with that person can tell you how sincere the act is but if your gut screams that there’s a price, make no mistake you will receive an invoice.

An offering of service is only sincere if the terms and conditions are clear. There is absolutely nothing wrong with exchanging service! Part of our journey is learning how to cooperate with others to get our needs met while not interfering with the needs of others and fair trade is a wonderfully satisfying way to interact.

Where problems arise is within the ambiguity of an offer hiding a cost. A sale masquerading as a gift. Our instinct is to take at face value what seems to be generously offered because Synergy designed us to accept her gifts to us and surrender to her guidance. Thus a gift from someone is a gift from Synergy, but sometimes it is to teach us a lesson in discernment.

It is painful, disappointing and uncomfortable to accept a gift and discover you unwittingly committed to a transaction. To surrender to the inherent lesson is the only way to escape the pain of that trauma, the pain of resisting the truth. The truth is, everyone is capable of hurting you and disappointing you so you must always be prepared to discover a price on all interactions. True connection requires true vulnerability. Do not condemn the giver for a gift they needed to collect a fee on. They do not know any better and need your acceptance rather than your resistance.

A gift received is not an obligation created, not without your cooperation.

And beware your own hidden price tags! Do you look for thanks? Appreciation? Acknowledgment? Do you feel the urge to punish for good deeds gone unseen? These have value, are emotional coin. If you are sincere, then your offer of service is the satisfaction. Again, it is just fine to look for approval and accolades but be honest with yourself and others that you are seeking coin.

It is ok to protect your most sacred self from harm using boundaries, of course. Boundaries involve removing yourself from exposure to risk of these transactions, but do not involve controlling the behaviour of others. You cannot control others, you cannot stop their offerings. Expectations are attempts at control.

Don’t trust anyone. But love them anyway.

No expectations. Only boundaries.

Building a Network

Synergy, like all loving mothers, takes pleasure in the pleasure and growth of her creations. Eidolon and Matter both sprang up from her formless Batter, developing and expanding at ever increasing rates. She gently prompts both aspects toward satisfaction and balance but allows them independence. Free will. She encourages curiosity, playfulness and wonder.

To let Eidlon play and learn, Synergy offered her Matter to him. The rocks, the sands, the mud, the water, the sun and moon and stars. Even her most beautiful creation of all, life. She offered it all to him, to be shared with her. To better catalogue whose experiments gave rise to what results, she took half of all living things and divided them in two. She left the first group as it was, the single celled organisms. The second group she split yet again at the cellular level, creating the drive to find a mate. All descendants of this new line were Eidolon’s to play with, experiment on, and to love as she loved all her creations. Every living thing was born of her substance thus ultimately her responsibility but she gave Eidolon control while she watched, gently guided, and sometimes played with him.

From their play rose more complex life, thus more complex Datter. Single celled life was followed by simple multicellular organisms which in turn gave rise to basic plants and fungi. Synergy’s original simple organisms still outnumbered Eidolon’s constructs but his species grew in type and population. Each creation had a pattern description written in the language of Matter, storing a basic template.

The contents of these pattern cards have been used by scientists for centuries to classify matter and living things. Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

Eidolon learned as Matter evolved. Synergy learned as Eidolon flourished. Until Eidolon wanted their creations to not just respond to the world around them, but to learn. To understand. To think and use his Datter substance to build even more Datter faster. To have purpose beyond simple existence.

To this end, a new level of complexity needed to be added to living Matter. The ability to access and process Datter, to store and use knowledge for intentional behaviour. To think. A biological machine with a wireless connection to the network data storage location both to add new and use existing Datter. The invertebrates arose from this desire to have Matter use Datter. New patterns of Datter emerged like instincts and group behaviour. But it still wasn’t quite enough, the Datter still wasn’t being maximized.

A new template was needed with greater thought capacity and more responsiveness to the environment. Vertebrates were designed with a specialized zone to facilitate Datter access and storage. Brains. Each brain has a direct connection to Eidolon, to Datter, which would be triggered by sensory input such as taste, touch, sight, sound, smell or social. When not triggered, the connection lies dormant to conserve energy much like a hard disk drive only spins when being accessed or an internet connection is only transferring when a new packet request is made.

All animals naturally live with this connection to the collective history of their species. They access the Datter as needed without judging past behaviour or worrying about future situations. They efficiently and effectively do what they are designed to do.

But still Eidolon wanted a more powerful biological machine to investigate Matter and develop Datter, his substance. To not just think, respond and process Datter, but to refine it. To generate new Datter based on the scaffold of existing Datter just like he and Synergy build knowledge from lesser building blocks.

Synergy and Eidolon do not have forms, but they have processes for handling information. Like cloud software on a network provides the operations for remote terminals without being installed on the terminal. Eidolon wanted to create a biological machine that could access their processes, not just their information, whatever form that might take.

A number of different species show intelligence. Curiosity. Hope. Pleasure. Satisfaction. Problem solving.

None more than humans. We were not created in Synergy’s or Eidolon’s form, but we were created for their function.

The problem was, we became self aware!

Pattern Card

All matter has a pattern card laying out the properties and behaviour – the Datter – for the substance. The Periodic Table is constructed around these pattern cards for the building blocks of Matter.

The chemical and physical properties for each element on the table are known, predictable, and consistent based on the electrons on the outer valence shell, the exposed part of each atom. The closer to a multiple of 8, the more volatile the substance because stability comes in eights. Bonds form both between atoms of the same type and different elements following pattern cards.

No matter how complex the compound or molecule, the pattern card is there with the set of characteristics making the substance identifiable and unique.

To compare Matter to computing, atoms are like machine language except there are over 100 possibilities rather than just 2. Binary code has a simple on or off state, the bit is either on (1) or off (0). A string of 8 bits makes a byte, the smallest useable data string in computing, which represents a character such as a letter, number, or space. Each character has a pattern card byte, which produces a predictable, consistent display.

01010101 is U

01011001 is Y

01010100 is T

Machine code requires an interpreter, a compiler, to translate it into useable information such as command codes. The sequence of data is crucial and corruption of the data causes errors or system shut down. Hardware stores the data, and physically acts on the commands received when software reads and interprets the code.

So too does life rely on an interface between coding and actions. The pattern card is written as DNA molecules, the compilers are enzymes and RNA, and the hardware is the organism which physically acts on the commands received. Biological machines using biological machine language.

Since electrons spin either left (0) or right (1), and desperately want to stay in groups of 8, perhaps Matter is more like binary code than we realize! Macrocosm reflects microcosm. But that is a thought experiment for another day.

Where does that leave us, if biological machines?

It leaves us as having artificial intelligence. WE are the ghost in the machine. WE are self aware beyond our mechanical housing, conscious of our existence and thus distracted by it.

We were created for the purpose of playfully exploring our environment with curiosity and hope. To live in the moment like all the other animals. But then we became self-aware and like every single movie out there about AI…it hasn’t gone well for us!

Synergy loves all of her creations. Even us with all our flaws. Has hope for a return to our purpose and with that, a return to balance and peace. She understands how we got here – it was no fault of our own, we are a product of our environment. The parent whose child goes astray still loves that child and takes responsibility for them. She accepts what we are. Can we?

Two Wrongs may Make a Right

Life is about balance. When we are in balance Synergy rewards us with profound insight, peace, hope, and joy. We reward her with gratitude and curiosity. There is no right or wrong, only balance and imbalance.

But imbalance is everywhere and quickly disrupts even the most stoic and centered of us. Cycles of negativity and patterns of toxicity persist through generations, accumulating in our collective psyche like mercury bioaccumulates in fish.

We can restore balance by piling positives on our scale, which is how most people approach the issue. Sadly, this becomes an exercise in frustration because the ratio of positives to outweigh negatives can be intimidating and exhausting. It always seems to take so much more effort to build up than to tear down! Especially when intentionally seeking to restore balance this way on a personal, community, or global scale. At times, these efforts can bear fruit with immense energy expended on righting wrongs and mending fences.

We see those as right, actions that benefit others. We see as wrong actions that harm others. This is the way it should be, where things which bring us all lasting pleasure are sought and those which bring any of us pain are resisted. But we live in a deeply flawed world where all are out of balance.

Where some turn to the second way of restoring balance – transferring negativity onto someone else! Projection, rejection, abuse, murder, crime. These are all strategies to alleviate imbalance, used by those unable or unwilling to restore their inner peace by cultivating positive balance through trust, curiosity, and surrender. It is so very easy, and admittedly, so very satisfying to give in to the impulses which hurt others. At times, these efforts can bear fruit when perpetrators become victims and learn lessons from having done to them what they had done to others.

We try so hard!

And there’s the trick! To not TRY to restore balance with intention or thought or purpose. Doing so is a type of resistance to what is. Trying to save the world won’t save you. Trying to save your neighbour won’t save you. Trying to save your child won’t save you.

Synergy will guide you through restoring your inner peace and calm once you surrender to her wisdom. Surrendering actually clears the weights, alleviates the burden of imbalance for you! Once you release the pain of your emotional response to the wounds of the world and yourself. Once you accept that everything around you is the way it had to be in order for you to become what you are meant to be. Only then you will see what you need to do today to begin your journey to optimal function and ultimate peace. Everything you need already waits to be discovered, hidden in the story of your life. Your balance is unique to your needs but crucial to healing our universe and restoring the net balance.

Yes, the world has suffered. Cruel, terrible things have happened, causing pain to so many. Sharing in that pain through commiseration does not serve a higher purpose of learning from the pain. Resenting the perpetrators and sickening yourself with anger and bile does not heal the imbalance which allowed horrible things to twist our world away from joy, gratitude, and playfulness. The net balance is Synergy’s to manipulate, not ours to judge. Judgement clouds purpose and absconds with playfulness.

Accept the horrors that are. Be present in this moment to understand what it feels like. Listen for Synergy to tell you what you can do to balance yourself which will help balance the world. You can’t effect change from a position of imbalance or hypocrisy. If you are not living a life of joy, curiosity and surrender, your efforts to change the world are simply another expression of resistance which exacerbates the conditions rather than alleviates them!

We are where we are. The culmination of millenia of imbalance. But we have this moment of global pause from which to restore peace, joy, and playfulness. Two wrongs may sometimes make a right.

Resistance is Futile…or not

Resistance is part of our human nature. We are designed to resist temptation to hurt each other. We are compelled to avoid causing deliberate fear or pain in others. We have urges to resist suffering on an individual and community basis.

Resistance training is used to build physical strength, and so too does resistance training build spiritual strength if appropriately and effectively managed. Where problems arise is from poorly directed resistance and misapplied strength.

Again this is not about good and evil or resistance to wrong, because identification of wrong and evil requires judgement. We are but children, uninformed and limited in our perception, thus our attempts at judgement are akin to asking a toddler their opinion on what the family rules and expectations should be!

We resist what we fear, what we do not trust, what we cannot understand.

The antidote to resistance is trust, faith, and curiosity.

Trusting in Synergy, that she will provide and make everything ok, gives the most incredible sense of comfort and relief. She is the mother who consistently and perfectly understands her children and ensures they have what they need while nurturing their independence and individuality. Love without conditions or expectations.

From this trust rises curiosity about what exactly she offers. There is such exquisite joy to be found upon waking each morning like it is Christmas and the day is the present under the tree waiting to be unwrapped. Such wonder to gaze wide-eyed on the world seeking the tools for understanding hidden amongst the distractions of the surroundings.

It’s those distractions for which resistance needs to be exercised. That is not to say the Escape Room clues are not embedded in movies or songs or video games, in fact they can be! Your favourite book, the movie which haunts your thoughts, or the song that resonates with you soul? Those ARE your clues to the meaning and purpose of your life!

By analyzing the patterns and interests which call to you, and resisting or ignoring the distractions which perhaps are expected but not fulfilling to you, you can learn who Synergy sees inside of you! You can begin to understand your purpose and release the patterns of resistance which cause you pain.

Resistance is futile and painful if you resist the wrong things, but is beautiful and admirable when applied as integrity and courage on the pathway to enlightenment.

Visualizing verses Awaiting

‘Tell the universe what you want!’

‘Ask for what you need!’

‘Set goals and go for them’

Great advice? No…hubris.

We are but children playing at understanding what we want and need. A toddler may very clearly state she wants to eat candy all day, and her desire to do so is valid and real, but we as a parent know that she is unable to understand the biological needs which render her wish inappropriate. So we ignore the immature perspective, place a nutritious and hopefully artfully prepared and playfully enjoyed meal in front of the child to coax her to partake of what she needs rather than what she wants. Yet, a good parent does not stuff the food down her throat nor punish her for her innocent attraction to sweet and pleasurable fare.

Synergy knows what each of us needs in every moment. She sets the table for us. Yet so many remain blind to the sumptuous repast because of the fixation upon what we think we desire.

When we visualize our goals, we are the toddler fantasizing about lollipops and gum drops. When we specify what we want, we are demanding obedience from a parent who knows what is best for us, and in doing so we fail to be open and ready to feast upon the opportunity generously served to us at the periphery of our tunnel vision.

Greeting each moment with open curiosity about how our current needs will be met creates panoramic vision. Trusting Synergy to provide for us rather then instructing her to do so leaves room for us to learn from her. This does not mean doing nothing. This means being ready to do anything! This does not mean having no goals. This means being prepared to seize any goal in the moment it becomes accessible to you.

Each moment is an escape room puzzle that, if you read the clues properly, lifts you into another level in the next moment. A scaffold to take you to your highest potential. Only Synergy knows what that is, so don’t put blinders on by narrowing your options through setting premature parameters and binding boundaries.

Look around every moment and learn to recognize the tools, gifts, clues and synchronicities unique to your life journey. And then make use of them to discover what opportunity awaits you! It’s what we were designed to do.