Reality (part II): Three Orders of Pain
Montalk
4/22/02The preceding article summarized the basic dynamics between fear, awareness, courage, and faith. The primary goal of learning lessons in life is to gain experiential and intellectual awareness.
Positive events, ones in which there is mutually no violation of freewill, are best experienced. Negative events, involving opposition of freewill, present for humans at least two options: 1) learn the intellectual lesson ahead of time and thereby prevent the experience of pain and the forced violation of one's own freewill, or 2) choose ignorance and experience pain and freewill violation before learning the lesson intellectually.
Pain is therefore an option rather than a necessity for humans; we choose what kind of pain to avoid. Avoiding intellectual pain is as easy as revising one's perspective, and avoiding physical pain requires active defensive prevention. One does not have the freewill to prevent an attacker from choosing to attack, but one DOES have freewill to confront, escape, overcome, or succumb.
Pain is a learning aid only for those who refuse to learn the intellectual part of a negative lesson and thereby default to experiencing it. When is pain justified? This article seeks an answer. While the previous article focused upon those vulnerable to attacks, this and the next article center upon the perpetrators of such attacks, those who take the initiative to violate another's freewill.
Circle Analogy
To begin, the characteristics and placement of zero, first, and second order in relation to each other must be made absolutely clear, for it is in their differences that an answer to the previous question resides. Zero order relates to metaphysical laws, our spirit, and the Creator. First order relates to physical laws, our primal components, and the present moment of linear time. Second order concerns artificial laws and belief systems, our mechanical component, and past/future of linear time. Each order is a simulacrum or microcosm of the previous order.
The relation between these orders is best illustrated by a circle analogy.
The center of a circle represents zero order, a radius first order, and circumference second order. Looking at this diagram, geometrical relationships correspond to the nature of the three orders.
The circle has only one center. From this center, multiple radii go forth. Each radius is separated from the other in direction but all connect at the center. Disconnected from the center, but intersecting the various radii, are concentric circles. Some circles are closer to the center and some farther; the closer the circle, the smaller the radius and greater the curvature. The farther the circumference, the greater the radius and less apparent the curvature. While there is only one point comprising the center, there are numerous discrete points along the circumference of each circle. The more distant the circle from the center, the more points lie upon it. Furthermore, while the circle has an absolute center, no circle has a beginning or end, meaning the assignment of beginning or end is entirely arbitrary. Lastly, if one wishes to deduce the existence of a center, one needs to know that the circumference IS of a circle by coming full circle in his exploration around the circumference, and he must have at least three points in order to calculate the radius. A larger circle is made smaller by removing certain points upon it.
Likewise, there is only one absolute truth, the Law of One: one being, the Creator, and one reality, zero order reality. From zero order arise a multitude of objective first order realities. Each is unique unto itself but the connect at their point of origin, the Creator. Disconnected from the Creator but intersecting various objective realities are second order realities, systems of belief. Some systems of belief are closer to absolute truth than others; the closer the second order reality to absolute truth, the more evident it becomes that there is an absolute truth. The farther it is, the more absolute truth is viewed as a myth. While there is one absolute truth, there are countless second order relative "truths" or beliefs. Furthermore, while absolute truth is not arbitrary, the foundation upon which second order realities lie are indeed arbitrary. Last, if one wishes to discover higher truths, one needs to know that such truths exist by at least approaching the same conclusion from multiple directions, thus correlating independent sources of information. Also, he must have sufficient knowledge and understanding to put the pieces together and to deduce not only that absolute and object truths exists, but what they are and how far his system of beliefs reside from them. An inaccurate paradigm is made accurate by removing internal paradoxes and lies.
What the preceding intended to show is that second order things are numerous, relative, paradoxical, arbitrary, contradictory, petty, and irrelevant or illusory. First order things are objective but dichotomous. Zero order is absolute.
Dichotomies
It is from the subjective nature of second order reality that such false-dichotomies as good/evil, moral/immoral, loyal/treasonous, and pious/irreverent develop. It is from the objective nature of first order reality that real-dichotomies as pain/pleasure, life/death, cold/hot, and reproduction/extinction arise. Zero order has only unity, so there is no dichotomy there.
True dichotomies only exist in first order reality, just as true opposites in the circle analogy only exists for a radius whose opposite is its reflection across the center. Points on a circle are measured along the circumference and so it is obvious that there are no true dichotomies in second order reality -- each dichotomy is false because the pairs comprising the false dichotomy are reflected across an arbitrary point, the proclaimed "beginning" of the circle. The center of a circle is unity, for it is not made of sub-components.
To simplify, second order judgment systems rely on the false dichotomy of good versus evil, first order judgment systems upon the real dichotomy of pain versus pleasure (or survival versus death), and zero order "judgment" systems upon spiritual evolution "versus" spiritual stagnation.
Second order "dichotomies" are false, first order dichotomies are real, and zero order "dichotomies" are nonexistent. Spiritual evolution versus stagnation is not a dichotomy -- it is equivalent to saying "center" versus "no center," in which case no center implies a lack of center. Pain is the opposite of pleasure, but is not the lack of pleasure. One can be numb to pain but not experience pleasure, and vice versa.
The importance of understanding the difference between no dichotomy, dichotomy, and false dichotomy is that carelessly mixing them up leads to corrupted judgment systems.
One example is when some New Age paradigms speak of Light versus Dark. They say that Dark is an absence of Light. This is absolutely correct in the scientific sense. However, does "Light" in their terminology correspond to spiritual evolution, pleasure, or good? If it means "spiritual evolution," then this is correct because spiritual stagnation is the lack of spiritual evolution. If it means "pleasure," then it is incorrect because pleasure is not the absence of pain. If it means "good," then it is also incorrect because good is not the absence of evil, and what defines good and evil is subjective.
Further confusion is introduced when Light and Dark refer to "STS" and "STO" paths toward union with the Creator. STS means service to self, and STO means service to others. This terminology is a common one used in the Ra material, by Michael Topper, the Cassiopaeans, and those of Operation Terra. "Service to self" mode is evident when a being advances itself by subjugating others, and "service to others" happens when a being advances itself by helping others. Both are paths toward unity with the Creator, but while STO is the path of spiritual unity, STS is a path toward material unity. STS and STO are not dichotomies because they are independent paths toward the Creator rather than opposite paths reflecting away from the Creator. Thus, they are dualities. Duality is the intermediate step between a dichotomy and unity.
The following diagram shows the relationship between unity, duality, dichotomy, and false dichotomy in the circle analogy:
Sphere Analogy
The circle analogy can be expanded into the "sphere analogy" to account for the illusory perception by STS beings that there is something absolute far away from the center, another center. This time, the center of the circle becomes the north pole of a sphere, representing the metaphysical aspect of the Creator. Farthest from the north pole lies another pole, the material aspect of the Creator. STS beings do not understand that the south pole is another aspect of the Creator; they falsely believe it is a position of dominance over the Creator.
Both poles are aspects of the same unity, but are shown as separate poles in the analogy because they are functionally different from the STS point of view, but not intrinsically separate. Highly STS beings believe the south pole is distant from the north, but this is a second order illusion of the strongest kind.
In their evolution, STO beings rise to the north pole, and STS beings descend toward their perceived south pole.
Material evolution, that followed by strong STS beings, is actually a path toward unity with the material aspect of the Creator. Material evolution consists of sublimating the spirit and becoming one with physical/etheric matter through an overdependence upon technology, ritual, and second order paradigms.
Spiritual evolution consists of sublimating the primal and mechanical components of one's being and becoming one with the Creator in its pure metaphysical form. This is accomplished through the utilization of one's freewill toward the accumulation of wisdom. Material evolution is entropic and spiritual evolution is negentropic.
Between both poles lie circles of various sizes, those in the northern hemisphere oriented more toward STO modes of thinking, those in the southern hemisphere toward STS.
Moving south in the direction of STS-awareness and material evolution, the circles become smaller. Highly evolved STS beings honestly believe their path is worthwhile for they can see the "curvature" in their fields of awareness and extrapolate that the "south pole" is nearing. They are intoxicated with the illusion of power and strive toward the tip of their hierarchy.
Although such STS beings are aware, they still possess ignorance from lack of wisdom. What they do not realize is that spirit is the source of freewill, and sublimation of spirit means abdication of freewill. The closer they get to the south pole, the less freewill they possess.
It is therefore not their will that drives them toward the south pole, but entropic gravity of ignorance emanating from this illusory pole which pulls these deadweights toward oblivion. Their second order fantasies of what lies at this pole (total power over the Creator), is different from reality (subservience to the Creator).
Why does the south pole become subservience to the Creator rather than separation and domination? Because the south pole is the north pole, except those who reach it through sublimation of spirit by investment in their second order "freewill" arrive void of zero and first order freewill, and are thus incorporated into the passive projection of the Creator: physical and etheric materiality.
Therefore, unity with the material aspect of the Creator is subservience to the metaphysical aspect. The metaphysical aspect is present in those with first and zero order freewill. Remember, second order freewill is only real to those who are living in a second order reality. As later articles will show, the matrix is a second order illusion designed to manipulate and feed upon humans with an emotional investment in second order realities.
Holographic Graduation
The Cassiopaeans (www.cassiopaea.org) have made an interesting statement: the ultimate destination of STS beings is first density. In other words, those on the STS path who do not convert to STO are eventually recycled into primal matter. This is what the previous section meant by "unity with the material aspect of the Creator."
This phenomenon is understandable in terms of the three orders.
As stated earlier, each order is a holographic fragment of the previous order. Each fragment is a microcosmic reflection of the whole from which it came, a hologram possessing the image of the whole but lacking in resolution. The best each order can accomplish is unity with its creator, the order from which it was generated.
This process of unifying with the previous order is done by increasing resolution and making the fragment "grow" until it becomes identical with the whole. The process of creation fundamentally involves generating holographic fragments with lower resolution and allowing them to grow to be equal and identical with the whole.
Humans are zero order beings living through first order bodies. This interface between spirit and matter is on average centered upon first order. While the Creator is zero order, spirit is actually an intermediate step between first and zero order (the boundaries between orders are fuzzy), and can be considered one or the other depending on one's perspective. Regardless, an individual human being is essentially a first order holographic fragment of the Creator in both body and soul. The Creator is one order above us, and thus the end of our evolution consists of becoming the zero order being, unification with the Creator in its metaphysical sense.
Highly evolved STS beings, on the other hand, are falling deeper into second order illusion. They may have been first order beings before, but the sublimation of spirit means they become second order beings, giving up zero and first order freewill for the goal of possessing second order "freewill" and the illusory power that comes with it. By choosing the STS path, first order beings entropically decrease their own holographic resolution and soon descend into second order status.
What is the best a second order being can evolutionarily achieve? Unity with the order above: first order reality.
Recall that first order reality is physicality. Thus, their unification with their "creator" consists of becoming physicality. This is probably why the ultimate destination of STS beings is primal matter, unification with the material (first order) aspect of the Creator.
An STS being does not unify with first order reality through "achievement" so much as "implosion." They have no freewill with which to struggle for achievement, and are instead passively pulled toward the south pole until an event horizon is reached beyond which a process of implosion takes over.
Some Speculation on Black Holes
The Cassiopaeans have also said the ultimate manifestation of STS is a black hole.
As I have speculated elsewhere on this site, black holes are the ultimate holding prisons, capturing matter and second order beings, grinding them up and placing their subatomic/sub-etheric components into a state of suspended animation (relativistic time dilation due to intense gravity) until the end period of the physical universe.
The physical universe runs on various linear time loops, the longest one spanning between Big Bang and Big Crunch. That entire loop "was" generated by the Creator through differentiation of the void, and so the instance of differentiation should be seen separate and external to the loop of "Big Bang to Big Crunch."
After the universe has collapsed into a single black hole, it undergoes a time-reversing implosion process and becomes an explosive white hole, the Big Bang, and the physical universe starts anew. There are, however, many smaller instances where this process occurs in localized space-time areas of the universe independent of the big cycle, through black hole - white hole pairs.
STS beings are trapped within these cycles due to their inability to rise higher than 4th density (variable physicality). So if they fail to escape the cycles by converting to STO and thereby entering higher densities where such cycles do not apply, they will either become primal matter directly through personal implosion, be captured by a physical black hole, or face the eventual collapse of the physical and etheric universes upon the Big Crunch / Big Bang event and turned into primal matter.
Returning now to the main subject of this article...
New Age Fallacy
Assuming Light is the absence of Darkness, some New Age paradigms conclude that by focusing entirely on Light and ignoring Darkness, Darkness will cease to exist in their lives. The false implication is that by focusing entirely on STO modes of behavior, STS influences cease to exist in their lives. What these New Agers are forgetting is that Light and Dark do not perfectly correlate to STS and STO. Each can exist independently of each other, and beings of each polarity have freewill. Thus, ignoring STS does not make one invincible to them, or make them "disappear." In fact, ignoring STS means failing to prepare to counter their attacks, leaving one even more vulnerable. Ignoring STS works only in certain cases, to be discussed in the final articles of this series.
Any judgment system that fosters spiritual evolution is worthy of being followed. Other judgment systems based solely on material evolution, dichotomies, and false dichotomies have their faults in increasing order. When Christ said "Do not judge lest you be judged," he was probably referring to invalid judgment systems, not ones based on spiritual evolution.
Each judgment system is a way of preserving the "positive" aspects of the associated order. Second order ones seek to preserve "good," first order preserves "pleasure" and zero order preserves spiritual or material "evolution" depending on whether the judgment system is STS or STO oriented.
While material evolution "versus" material stagnation is not a valid judgment system from the STO point of view, there is no shortage of beings who wish to follow the STS path; no amount of condemnation will stem the flow of STS recruits. Therefore, it is better to strive toward STO. Additionally, STS is so ignorant that without the checking influence of STO curbs, STS forces quickly implode and burn out.
Intellectual Substances
As stated in the previous article, pain prompts an individual to learn a lesson. But just as there are different orders of pain, so are there different orders of lessons. The previous article spoke of lessons where intellectual awareness was to be gained. Awareness is a type of intellectual "substance" ultimately serving spiritual evolution. Indirectly, it serves physical survival since physicality is a method through which most people accelerate their spiritual evolution.
There are other types of intellectual substances which serve only the survival of the body or ego. Though the purpose of this article is not to elaborate upon classifications of intellectual substances, a quick summary is given:
Data consists of patterns originating from the environment. Through perception, such as the eye or a camera, it becomes information. When information is processed through cognition by individual consciousness, it transforms into knowledge. Through experience, one learns how pieces of knowledge relate to each other, and this builds understanding. Applying such understanding successfully in life produces awareness. And when this awareness is seen in relationship to spirit, the end result is wisdom.
The higher the intellectual substance gained from a lesson, the closer is that lesson to absolute reality. STS forces can have high levels of awareness, but they always lack wisdom. Achieving true wisdom requires a type of gnosis of identifying one's actions and awareness in relation to the metaphysical aspect of the Creator. Because STS forces refuse to do this, seeking to negate the real center of the circle and manipulate all other reality into forming a circle around them, they do not achieve wisdom, merely awareness at best.
Order of Order
Anyway, when pain prods one into learning a lesson, the pain might not always be justified because the lesson itself may be baseless. First order lessons are objective, based on life versus death, pain versus pleasure. Such lessons are usually justified as long as they do not compromise spiritual evolution. Pain gotten from ignoring first order lessons teach one to revise defense methods and thereby avoid further physical injury or death.
If the lesson originates from a second order judgment system, the inflicted pain serves merely to align a person with that arbitrary system or else punish him for straying. While first order lessons are objective, second order lessons are subjective.
When pain of one order prompts a lesson of another order, benefits or difficulties arise depending on which order is higher. By "high order" it is meant orders which are closer to the Creator, thus zero order is higher than first, and first is higher than second.
When a lower order pain prompts a higher order lesson, the situation is ideal because irrelevant or illusory pain brings about a practical or concrete lesson. In this case, the lower serves the higher. For example, a martyr or saint may endure physical pain to learn and propagate a spiritual lesson; a first order pain serves a zero order lesson. In another example, a father yells at his son for playing in the street; the son feels emotionally hurt but moves to the sidewalk, thus avoiding being hit by a car. Here, second order pain serves a first order lesson.
When a higher order pain prompts a lower order lesson, difficulties arise. Is the pain even necessary? Is the lesson justified? It varies from case to case because most often it is a second order lesson inducing the pain. Second order lessons are subjective, and so there is no objective standard as simple as pleasure/pain or life/death to go by.
For example, a gang member may stab a stranger for disrespecting him; the gangster taught the stranger a second order lesson of respect through the first order pain of physical injury. In another case, a father spanks his son for skipping school. In a third case, a political dissident is captured and tortured into accepting communism. These cases all involve second order lessons and first order pain, but the arbitrary nature of such lessons makes some more valid and practical than others.
When positive and negative aspects of the various types of orders are seen through the lenses of another, a wide variety of human psychoses, ethics, and standards of behavior arise. Good, evil, pain, pleasure, evolution and stagnation may be combined into equal pairs to generate these. For example, "pain is pleasure" describes the masochistic view while "pleasure is evil" is typical of western organized religions. Some pairs are more objective and absolute than others.
Since spiritual evolution is an absolute standard, pain, pleasure, good, and evil should merely be a means toward that end. Anytime standards other than spiritual evolution are placed as primary goals, various negative phenomena arise. When "good" is the absolute goal, often self-righteousness and persecution result. When "pleasure" is paramount, the frequent consequences are hedonism and spiritual stagnation.
It is important to understand that although good and evil are relative terms, behaviors or actions which are labeled "good" or "evil" may in fact be non-relative. For example, if murder is "evil" and mercy is "good," and if good and evil are relative, this does not mean murder and mercy are relative. Assuming so is a logical fallacy often used to justify depravity. That relative terms exist is no proof that all other terms are relative. On the contrary, "spiritually evolving" is absolute and "being alive" is objective; neither terms are relative.
Balance
Learning second order lessons is a matter of social practicality. Learning first order lessons enhances physical survival. Zero order lessons foster spiritual evolution. When everything is in balance and proper order, social practicality serves physical survival, and physical survival serves spiritual evolution.
To maximize spiritual evolution, physical survival and social practicality must be not only maximized, but balanced. One can neither leave society nor become intoxicated with it, and one can neither neglect the physical body nor become infatuated. A delicate balance must be reached between such extremes so that spiritual evolution is optimized.
Once again, this balance exercises one's freewill; if it were simply a matter of choosing one extreme over the other, life would be too easy...freewill atrophies, and physicality would be self-defeating. Choosing spiritual evolution over stagnation does not defeat physicality because that is the purpose of physical existence, the utilization of freewill.
Summary
We may now answer the first question proposed at the beginning of this article. When is pain justified? Pain is only justified when it occurs under both these conditions:
* when it is no longer an option
* when a lower order pain, such as pain of the ego or physical body, serves a higher order lesson, such as one of physical survival or spiritual evolution.
Part III
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