Rudolf Steiner's Fifth Gospel by John David Ebert

[Lou Gold]

I don't. I see a Divine Integral Diversity rather than a Dissociated Identity Disorder.

[SanteriSatama]

I'm all for integration. But we should make distinction between integration an equalization. Integration is achieved when the ego decides to serve the higher self. It's not about having one half egoism and one half Divine Love. The Divine Nature must triumph. We don't lose our ego, we don't feel slaves to something external. We just make up our mind that we're working in the best of our interest and those of all life - whether human or otherwise - when we strive to be an outlet of the Divine Nature, the Sun Nature. It's not triumph in the sense of humiliation. The Divine Nature is the Source of Life and Love for the whole. The ego is what the Divine Nature feels like when it interacts with a brain and physical body. Because our physical bodies and environment have become so decohered and out-of-phase with the Divine, it has become possible for the ego to deviate and seek its own egoistic goals. Integration is a very long process, it will take thousands and thousands of more years. But even in this moment we can say "Lord, here: all I have belongs to you. You, from your celestial perspective, can see what is the most beneficial way that I can serve the Whole. Illuminate my mind with your Light of Wisdom. Warm my heart with your Love. Invigorate my body with your Strength. Let my eyes and ears be open so that I can understand your mysterious plan and how I can make myself useful in this plan. Help me understand what you would do in my place. Then I'll do it in freedom, out of Love. Because I understand that only in this way I'll be doing the best for the All, from the limited bodily perspective that I've been given. Only in this way we can be One."

Like my good friend said, we need the ego that fits our size.

Doing the "job" out of love and freedom is of course at the bottom, but the actual practice is more curious and embarrassing, how my addictions etc. circumstances occasionally push and drag lazy me into the meaningful encounters and synchronicities that the actual spiritual service consists of. For example last time it happened, I was running out of tobacco, the missus could not bring so I had to go to town by myself to buy some more, and decided to call a friend and invite myself for a visit. It turned out that a dog friend was spending his last eve here with us, so that passage was the purpose on that occasion. It's good to speak beautiful words, but also to stay grounded and preciate the joke aspect.

[Lou Gold]

It's good to speak beautiful words, but also to stay grounded and preciate the joke aspect.

Spirit works in mysterious ways. Always good to have a sense of humor. Otherwise, it's not funny.

[Lou Gold]

I don't. I see a Divine Integral Diversity rather than a Dissociated Identity Disorder.

Merlin Sheldrake's "Entangled Life" is an excellent book to contemplate.

[Lou Gold]

I'm also trying to express, from a system rather than an individual point-of-view, that the mycorrhizal network in the soil is vastly more aware and intelligent than the great standing ones.

How do you come to that conclusion? Is there a disassociation of a sort involved with the great standing ones, to begin with?

Interestingly, Santeri, the great standing ones (Redwoods) do not promote biodiversity. Indeed, they inhibit it. Biodiversity of the forest therefore depends on catastrophic forces like blowdowns to create species and age diversity.

[SanteriSatama]

Interestingly, Santeri, the great standing ones (Redwoods) do not promote biodiversity. Indeed, they inhibit it. Biodiversity of the forest therefore depends on catastrophic forces like blowdowns to create species and age diversity.

Old spruce forest is also pretty monocultural. But any case, tree roots and mycorriza are parts of the same organism as the light harvesting and sugar giving extensions above the ground, so I don't understand the conclusions about tree intelligence and awareness.

[Lou Gold]

Interestingly, Santeri, the great standing ones (Redwoods) do not promote biodiversity. Indeed, they inhibit it. Biodiversity of the forest therefore depends on catastrophic forces like blowdowns to create species and age diversity.

Old spruce forest is also pretty monocultural. But any case, tree roots and mycorriza are parts of the same organism as the light harvesting and sugar giving extensions above the ground, so I don't understand the conclusions about tree intelligence and awareness.

The context is the forest as the primary alter/organism/being. If one where to look from (partial) dissociated perspectives, the impressive individual great standing ones (including their roots, which for Redwoods are shallow and not extensive) are less significant than the mycorrhizal network responsible for the information exchange, the trees being analogous to the arms and the mycorrhizal network to the brain of the forest. Merlin Sheldrake's "Entangled Life" is a great read. However, my basic point is to argue for a system rather than individual perspective in which mutualism is more important than competition.

[SanteriSatama]

The context is the forest as the primary alter/organism/being. If one where to look from (partial) dissociated perspectives, the impressive individual great standing ones (including their roots, which for Redwoods are shallow and not extensive) are less significant than the mycorrhizal network responsible for the information exchange, the trees being analogous to the arms and the mycorrhizal network to the brain of the forest. Merlin Sheldrake's "Entangled Life" is a great read. However, my basic point is to argue for a system rather than individual perspective in which mutualism is more important than competition.

Any case, plant and shroom intelligence and their combinations is profoundly interesting question. Maybe their view of humans is that our endogastric bacteria - and/or foot fungi - are more intelligent and aware puny human minds.

[Lou Gold]

The context is the forest as the primary alter/organism/being. If one where to look from (partial) dissociated perspectives, the impressive individual great standing ones (including their roots, which for Redwoods are shallow and not extensive) are less significant than the mycorrhizal network responsible for the information exchange, the trees being analogous to the arms and the mycorrhizal network to the brain of the forest. Merlin Sheldrake's "Entangled Life" is a great read. However, my basic point is to argue for a system rather than individual perspective in which mutualism is more important than competition.

Any case, plant and shroom intelligence and their combinations is profoundly interesting question. Maybe their view of humans is that our endogastric bacteria - and/or foot fungi - are more intelligent and aware puny human minds.

Quite possible. VIVA! Humus VIVA!