Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Some morning wisdom today, after a night spent in surrender to a high fever and eventual, prayerful (is that a word?) peace. I figured I'd share...

We are all connected; aspects of each other. Pieces of the same whole...ONE.

Each and every individual you encounter in your life is a mirror image of an aspect of self. Every single thing you see, know, experience, perceive and understand comes through your own particular filter, and shows you who you really are.

The amount of conflict or drama created in your life is directly proportional to the level at which you own or disown this perceived aspect of yourself.

This is not always easy to look at or sit with even if you understand and recognize what it is and where it comes from. Passing judgment on another person is ultimately a judgment you hold about yourself in some way. An unowned aspect of self, for sure, but I promise you, it's there. I'm better at recognizing these times in myself as I get older (and hopefully) wiser.

Last night it was about a woman that several men seemed to be gaga over. Very intelligent men. And I just didn't see it. She was very attractive, granted, but I saw her as fairly inane, lacking depth and intelligence, flirtatious in a particular way that pretends to be cutesy and feminine that many men seem to fall for. A bit of a floozy, quite frankly. A drinker and a 'good time' girl. Seemingly open for anything but grasping and desperate for attention at the core.

I found myself thinking "Well, three things I can tell you about her. She doesn't work for NASA, she's not a member of MENSA, and she's definitely not a blond." As soon as those thoughts formed in my head I realized I was jealous. Jealous...and petty! Not qualities I've ever associated with myself. And yet, there was the ugly truth of it.

I tried to move away from it, but there it was. An ugly judgment about...me. I thought, 'Where in my life am I this woman? What things have I done for that desperately needed and wanted male attention? Where and when was I a 'good time' girl?' And then I cried.

Anytime I get to that point, I know I've hit on a core inner Truth. Wow. I spent a good deal of my youth 'being' her. Not entirely, of course. I'm mentally gifted, and my hair is too dark to ever go blond. And I don't recall ever pretending to be stupid to get male attention...I'm too prideful for that. ;)

But all the rest, yep. Check.

So I looked at all of these things. I let them in. I felt her pain and her shame (which was my pain and shame, as well). Her wanting to be accepted and loved, ultimately. The way we all do. I thought about how to better utilize my energy for healing, support and service. I forgave myself. For everything, including the shame of the judgment. I embraced instead who I am. All the love and compassion I am capable of. And I gained new knowledge as a result.

And what is knowledge? I thought of the acquired philosophical knowledge I carried from the ancient Greeks (Plato, Aristotle, Socrates), and Stoicism (Marcus Aurelius). Socrates often argued that knowledge is not empirical, but that it comes from divine insight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_Realism

This quote came from wikipedia, as well:

'According to Socrates, physical objects and physical events are "shadows" of their ideal or perfect forms, and exist only to the extent that they instantiate the perfect versions of themselves. Just as shadows are temporary, inconsequential epiphenomena produced by physical objects, physical objects are themselves fleeting phenomena caused by more substantial causes, the ideals of which they are mere instances.'

Plato himself wrote in his 'Theory of Forms' that the material world is not the real world, but only a shadow of it. He associates knowledge with the understanding of unchanging forms and their relationships to one another.

I first learned of the writings of Marcus Aurelius in my dreams. These writings inspired me and became the doorway to my first awakening. The Stoics believed that everything in the universe is cyclical. All becomes fire, consumes itself and recurs. Think of the phoenix, or the serpent swallowing it's own tail.
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/aurelius.htm

'Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being; and how all things act with one movement; and how all things are the cooperating causes of all things which exist; observe too the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web. (from The Meditations)'

I thought about my on-going work with the nature of Fire as an element; as a transmutational force. I thought about knowledge, understanding, forgiveness, service to all, our common roots (ancestral DNA), relationships, mirrors, Oneness. My fever this morning seemed the burning up of the ignorance of the mind. My emotional surrender allowed the distillation of this knowledge within the physical reality of my life as wisdom.

I know I can 'be' love. I know that I already am. I promise myself again today that I will be present and conscious to myself in all beings. That I will act in accordance with my conscience to create beauty, joy and love. That though judgment will always arise in this human condition, and is part of who I am, I also pledge to remain aware that it is a choice to project one's own ugliness or beauty onto others. Either way, it becomes an accepted reality; an objective truth. Which one do I want to be responsible for?

Today I choose beauty. And Wisdom. I'd like to leave you with a quote I received this morning between sleeping and waking.

In Love and Gratitude,
Alyce
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'If knowledge is power, then wisdom is liberation.'