Ruler of the Mind?: Prayer Questions

HowToBe

The Living Force
I wanted to ask about this part of the prayer, as it has been a sort of block for me for a while (or perhaps the block is IN me). When I first read the prayer, this was the only part of the prayer that made me uncomfortable, and when I read the prayer to my mom, she was wary of it as well. I think she was thinking something like "I don't want some entity ruling my mind!" So this question is also for her benefit. So, what does "Ruler of the Mind" mean? I keep trying to think about it, but I think I need some input to help with this.

Also, I've repeatedly (accidentally) exchanged the words "Creation" and "Existence" in these lines:
"Holy awareness in all Creation" becomes "Holy awareness in all Existence"
"The Holiness of True Existence" becomes "The Holiness of True Creation"
However, the part about growing in knowledge of All Creation never gets confused in this manner. Now that I've learned the prayer this has become less common, but it still seems to happen occasionally. How significant is the change to the meaning in these cases? Should I really concern myself with trying to stick to the original wording?

All help is appreciated. Thank you. :flowers:
 
HowToBe said:
I wanted to ask about this part of the prayer, as it has been a sort of block for me for a while (or perhaps the block is IN me). When I first read the prayer, this was the only part of the prayer that made me uncomfortable, and when I read the prayer to my mom, she was wary of it as well. I think she was thinking something like "I don't want some entity ruling my mind!" So this question is also for her benefit. So, what does "Ruler of the Mind" mean? I keep trying to think about it, but I think I need some input to help with this.

What is the function of the mind? It's a tool that solves problems, discerns and chooses between one or the other. Walk onto any university campus and you'll see the mind deified, as if it is the be-all end-all of human existence. But is it? A closer look at the faculty, students, and ideology of that university will usually show mind divorced of conscience. Just look at the ethics employed in choosing test subjects (in my hometown, students stole people's pets to be used as lab animals), conducting research (military and corporate money determining what gets studied), and the ideology behind it (imperialism, schizoidal philosophies, etc.). The line before provides the context: carried in the heart. It is the heart that guides the mind. Conscience that determines the proper course of action. In Mouravieff's terms, it's only through contact with the emotional center that higher energies can be transduced. It ain't the mind, per se.

Also, I've repeatedly (accidentally) exchanged the words "Creation" and "Existence" in these lines:
"Holy awareness in all Creation" becomes "Holy awareness in all Existence"
"The Holiness of True Existence" becomes "The Holiness of True Creation"
However, the part about growing in knowledge of All Creation never gets confused in this manner. Now that I've learned the prayer this has become less common, but it still seems to happen occasionally. How significant is the change to the meaning in these cases? Should I really concern myself with trying to stick to the original wording?

Yep, it's pretty significant. Holiness in all creation provides the cosmic context: as in, consciousness is all and everything. In every atom of creation. It's the whole of which we are all parts. As above, so below. And it is only through having eyes to see, ears to see, and a heart that is pure that we can experience the holiness of true existence, i.e. true Being. I guess you could see it as a triad of mind/will, creation/matter, and being/experience.
 
There has already been a great deal of discussion about the prayer in this thread.
http://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=12737.0

Particularly note the following from that thread:

Laura said:
Dear Evolutionary!, Freelancer, Woodman, and all...

I want to thank Buddy for succinctly stating exactly what that prayer is about:

Buddy said:
Every suggestion for 'improvement' that I have read so far seems to be incorporated into the wording of the prayer as is. You just have to keep contemplating until you see the meaning in the deeper structure.

And Pepperfritz for pointing out that it was Objective.

All of that is intentional.

As I said, I started with the Lord's Prayer and basically "translated" it into total cosmic terms, including every single element that is in the Lord's Prayer. If you read it carefully and contemplate the meaning behind every phrase, you will see that.

Also, I am convinced that this prayer was not composed/modified without assistance from the Cs. As I have many times explained, very often when I have a burning question inside and I ponder it for awhile, the answers come to me. I don't always have to use the board for that! (Though for most things I prefer it because it is less prone to corruption - even if I think that we have a pretty robust "corruption meter" going on anyway.)

So, over time, I asked the Universe to help me "translate" the Lord's Prayer into something that would be Universal in every respect, and you have the result.

Please, read it line by line and think about it from every angle, every aspect. Try to think about some part of your existence that it does NOT cover. I don't think you will find any.

Finally, one thing that was uppermost in my mind was this: "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added unto you."

If you understand the "kingdom of heaven" as knowledge/awareness/being then you will see that the prayer deals with exactly that. I am also reminded of a story in 1 Kings 3:5 where God appears to Solomon and says: “Ask for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” Solomon thought about this and finally asked God to give him an "understanding heart." In other words, he asked for wisdom/knowledge, the ability to see and hear truth so that he could be a good king.

So God gave Solomon an understanding heart AND all the things he did not ask for… riches, power and honor and so on.

When we have true knowledge and awareness, when we have BEing, we are allowing the Universe to express itself through us in its mode of knowledge, awareness and BEing. If you think about this for a moment, knowledge and awareness and BEing include, by default, being in synch with life and creativity and creation itself.

If you have knowledge and awareness and BEing, no matter where you are or what is happening, you are in the right place at the right time; you will see what you need to see, hear what you need to hear, meet who you need to meet, and have what you need to have. All of that is included in "seek ye first the kingdom of heaven."

Seeking knowledge of all creation is learning to express the Universe in it's aspect of knowledge and when you do that, you are expressing unlimited potential.

This is what you receive when you ask for an "understanding heart."

With an understanding heart we also experience compassion and love. We also experience gratitude and inspiration and most important of all, trust in the Universe to know what it is doing and to submit ourselves to our true, higher nature - that which can be born in us if we die to the personal wants, needs, assumptions, expectations, and so on.

So, again, go over that prayer and explain to me ONE thing that you would lack in your life if all that prayer asks was granted to you.

"What profits a man if he gain the entire world and lose his soul?"

It is, after all, the Prayer of the Soul.


Finally, the issue of the Divine Cosmic Mind, the Holy Awareness in All Creation being Ruler of our Minds is exactly the same as saying "Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done, on Earth (in our body) as it is in Heaven (our minds). Because, as Jesus pointed out, the Kingdom of Heaven is within.
 
HowToBe said:
I wanted to ask about this part of the prayer, as it has been a sort of block for me for a while (or perhaps the block is IN me). When I first read the prayer, this was the only part of the prayer that made me uncomfortable, and when I read the prayer to my mom, she was wary of it as well. I think she was thinking something like "I don't want some entity ruling my mind!" So this question is also for her benefit. So, what does "Ruler of the Mind" mean? I keep trying to think about it, but I think I need some input to help with this.

Also, I've repeatedly (accidentally) exchanged the words "Creation" and "Existence" in these lines:
"Holy awareness in all Creation" becomes "Holy awareness in all Existence"
"The Holiness of True Existence" becomes "The Holiness of True Creation"
However, the part about growing in knowledge of All Creation never gets confused in this manner. Now that I've learned the prayer this has become less common, but it still seems to happen occasionally. How significant is the change to the meaning in these cases? Should I really concern myself with trying to stick to the original wording?

All help is appreciated. Thank you. :flowers:

I take it to mean that as conscience is awakened and our connection to it strengthened our thoughts, which are normally so unruly and un-unified, begin to follow the influence of conscience. I find the idea rather inspiring.
 
I've been wondering on the part of clear my eyes/ears that I may see/hear. What is the the significance to eyes and ears apart (they have seperate lines in the prayer and the saying always states 'eyes to see and ears to hear')? I'm unsure how to frame this question, is it implying a double check of facts, a corroboration of sound and vision as discernment of language and action?
 
parallel said:
I've been wondering on the part of clear my eyes/ears that I may see/hear. What is the the significance to eyes and ears apart (they have seperate lines in the prayer and the saying always states 'eyes to see and ears to hear')? I'm unsure how to frame this question, is it implying a double check of facts, a corroboration of sound and vision as discernment of language and action?
I've always translated that as meaning to "see" the unseen - what may or may not be be visible to those who are not wiling to view reality objectively. This entails everything. The same goes for hearing. Others may have more to add.
 
parallel said:
I've been wondering on the part of clear my eyes/ears that I may see/hear. What is the the significance to eyes and ears apart (they have seperate lines in the prayer and the saying always states 'eyes to see and ears to hear')? I'm unsure how to frame this question, is it implying a double check of facts, a corroboration of sound and vision as discernment of language and action?

Just some thoughts:

These lines follow the request for assistance to grow in knowledge. Seeing and hearing are the principle faculties of learning and since our knowledge has been corrupted by pathological influences, it makes sense to ask for the cleansing of that corruption.

Regarding listing the two senses separately, consider their complimentary function. Either sense could be deceived but often the other will have a corrective influence, or the reverse can happen as well, where input from one can confuse the other.
 
parallel said:
I've been wondering on the part of clear my eyes/ears that I may see/hear. What is the the significance to eyes and ears apart (they have seperate lines in the prayer and the saying always states 'eyes to see and ears to hear')? I'm unsure how to frame this question, is it implying a double check of facts, a corroboration of sound and vision as discernment of language and action?

Our eyes and ears are two of the ways we gather information about the world around us. Without them, we wouldn't learn much of anything. They're essential for communication. We use them to understand speech, body language, warnings, etc. But through conditioning and habit, we learn to focus our attention on some things and not others, and we miss many significant pieces of data. When we pay attention and observe reality consciously, not mechanically, we can "see" the meanings behind the symbols of reality and "hear" the message the universe is communicating to us. Basically, separating the wheat from the chaff (to use a really poor analogy ;)).
 
truth seeker said:
I've always translated that as meaning to "see" the unseen.[snip]The same goes for hearing.

I also translate it as so. When I say the prayer I sometimes squeeze my eyes tighter shut and focus on ears, in their respective lines of the prayer, while imagining a piercing of the unseen/unheard. Perhaps this is a trick for deeper immersion or maybe this is forcing it, like it is something that would originate from me and not something I ask for and just may be granted? just thought I'd mention it.

Jerry said:
Regarding listing the two senses separately, consider their complimentary function. Either sense could be deceived but often the other will have a corrective influence

This was what I was trying to formulate and hear if others also saw. The complimentary function, a set of organs/devices which may perceive different angles.

Jerry said:
or the reverse can happen as well, where input from one can confuse the other.

That is a good point, to seperate the two untill their respective forces/deficiencies are known.

A.I said:
Our eyes and ears are two of the ways we gather information about the world around us. Without them, we wouldn't learn much of anything. They're essential for communication. We use them to understand speech, body language, warnings, etc. But through conditioning and habit, we learn to focus our attention on some things and not others, and we miss many significant pieces of data. When we pay attention and observe reality consciously, not mechanically, we can "see" the meanings behind the symbols of reality and "hear" the message the universe is communicating to us. Basically, separating the wheat from the chaff (to use a really poor analogy Wink).

I don't think that's a poor analogy, seeing and hearing that we are 2 inside (or 987 :))

Thanks, I'm clearer on the use of separating these two angles of perception now.
 
Compared to 'Seeing', 'Hearing' is related in my mind more to feedback, not just from people but also from the universe (though the former is a form of the latter). The word 'hear' also has the meaning "To listen to attentively", which can be related to paying attention to the messages sent one's way.
 
Building upon Psalehesost's and other's, the eyes and ears see and hear more than just the physical. I consider the eyes and ears tools of perception requiring refinement and tuning as they often get clouded.

Internal vision and voice, therefore, are also part of the equation and to ask for clarity in these faculties is to ask for precision in perception with an openness to seeing and hearing truths from within and beyond, OSIT.

Gonzo
 
I always thought about these 2 lines as being representative of the external and internal aspects of observing. Seeing is sybolic for me of the extending outwards part of perceiving where our senses go out into reality to observe what is happening there, and hearing, or listening, is symbolic for me of the introspective part of observing that happens inside, the way we take in these observations.

I enjoy reading your (I find it really hard to write "your" instead of "y'alls" here) interpretations of this prayer as it has been such a powerful experience for me to use it as the seed of my meditation.
 
Patience said:
I always thought about these 2 lines as being representative of the external and internal aspects of observing. Seeing is sybolic for me of the extending outwards part of perceiving where our senses go out into reality to observe what is happening there, and hearing, or listening, is symbolic for me of the introspective part of observing that happens inside, the way we take in these observations.

Something similar for me as well. Seeing is the refinement of the ability to perceive reality (or what ever happens in it) as it is, without filters of faulty thinking, fear, assumptions or anticipation, etc. And hearing is the refinement of the ability of being receptive (taking in) and open to receive or hear the truth, also without filters, and no matter how hard or uncomfortable.
 
Maybe another way to see it is that with the eyes we have a personal and direct interaction with reality (personal experience) while with the ears it involves an indirect interaction through the others (networking)?
 
Thanks to you all for the help. I read the responses to my mom, and she wanted me to relay her response back to you. She says she understands now, and she thinks the prayer is beautiful and practically perfect. She also wants to thank Laura and the rest of the forum for the very positive influence you've had on our quality of life. :love: I concur. She's considering becoming a member as well.

I considered that in the context of the entire prayer, "Ruler of the Mind" seems to represent one's mind reaching higher and higher levels of order through the Divine Cosmic Mind's influence. The multiple meanings of "ruler" have inspired some thought as well, as it could represent one who guides and/or instructs, but also a measurement tool.

Thanks again.
 
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