Temptations

[Shin'Ar]

Does anyone know the reason why we would pay thousands of dollars more for a gemstone that is stamped with some authenticity, than we would for a stone that cannot be differentiated from the other except by the ones who would stamp the mark?

Are we trying to impress them as we give them that extra thousand bucks?

Well, no one else would know the difference by simply looking at it.

As a matter of fact there are clones that far outshine some of the cheaper diamonds. In order to get the real high class diamonds that would actually match the look of the clone one would have to buy the more expensive diamonds.

And yet people still pay large amounts for even the cheaper diamonds, rather than buy the more impressive looking knockoffs, just to be able to 'say' it is a diamond.

And in fact, nobody could say whether or not that person was telling the truth about it being a real diamond or not without having it appraised.

This is one example of how the human likes to feed their ego.

And this becomes even more greatly exaggerated as one climbs the ladder of 'success' and riches. For the sake of prestige they will pay vast amounts just for the sake of 'classification'.

Porsches intsead of Volkswagons. Ferraris instead of Porsches. Castles instead of mansions.

As a matter of fact if we could buy the world in order to have more than the other has just to be able to hold that higher prestige, we would. Many have tried to own the entire world.

This even extends into space as we try to be the first there and attempt to acquire holdings even beyond the planet.

But, it seems that there is a limit to this ego feeding frenzy. When offered the opportunity to acquire further, that greed suddenly stops.

When offered the chance to evolve beyond the human experience to where anyone can achieve higher states of being, the interest in rising ceases, and the human seems suddenly content to be human.

Why?

Because at that point it is no longer a matter of greed. When it is something that is offered to all, regardless of status, it is of no interest. It is this very fact which the market is based upon. That which is rare is expensive, and that which is easily acquired is considered cheap. And in many cases, it becomes a matter of demand. Regardless of rarity or prestige, when a thing is in high demand it becomes valuable. And as soon as the demand for it decreases its value also decreases.

All of these expensive diamonds which people have spent fortunes on, fortunes in most eyes, would be of little worth or prestige if a diamond mine was suddenly discovered that was so filled with the stones that the market became flooded with them.

What is this temptation to have more than any of our brethren, until it is something that is offered freely to all?

What is this desire to rise above everyone else?

It is self-satisfaction. Self glorification.

And self satisfaction cannot exist when offered to everyone other than self.

It is the 'self' which attaches us to this planet with such a grip that it becomes an addiction.

All of that acquisition is not taken into the next life or the grave. That 'self' ends leaving that treasure behind for others to gather.

Take care about what you choose to place value on. The diamond that you know, may not be a diamond to another eye. And all of that effort to acquire it may only have satisfaction to you, at the expense of other opportunities that you may have been able to offer to those you love.

Getting our priorities in the right order is balance, and balance is the key to true riches that are not governed by demand or the whims of those already in places of wealth and power.

The human tends to want to be a little better than his neighbor. To have something that sets him apart. To be different than the norm.

And yet, when the opportunity comes to really become different, to evolve, the human clings to his humanity like it is the greatest of all wealth. Even though he can see it buried as dust in the ground all around him.

Are you able to really answer this question? "What is this attachment to temporary self identity, that one would actually deny the evolution of the true self?"

Remember this the next time you stand at that jewelers counter deciding whether to buy the diamond or the zirconian. Who are you REALLY trying to impress, or deceive?

Are you part of the system/problem, or are you evolving into higher being and solution?

[Brittany]

This is by far my favorite thing you've ever written, Shin. Very well said and worth considering carefully, IMO.

[Shin'Ar]

This is by far my favorite thing you've ever written, Shin. Very well said and worth considering carefully, IMO.

Well, my special little Ahktu, considering all that I have tried to profess here of my understanding, that is then, a considerable compliment. And especially from one who knows the true value of the stones.

Namaste.

[Brittany]

It is never the monetary value of the stone I consider, but the spirit that lies within it.

One time at a flea market I visited a stone booth whose owners I am familiar with. Mixed in with all their expensive, quality-cut crystals, I found a small, weird-looking grayish stone with what looked like pieces of metal stuck in it.



I felt the stone was calling to me. It had a wonderful energy emanating from it. I asked the owner what it was and he said he didn't know, he found it on the side of the road. He seemed to think little of the stone and sold it to me for ten bucks (practically free compared to some of their other pieces).

For several months I took the stone with me to every stone merchant I visited. I finally found out that it is a piece of rutilated hematite, is quite rare, and I was very lucky to snag it for ten dollars. The man who sold it to me seemed a bit miffed when I told him. He'd had something of value in his hands, and had given it away because he couldn't get past his pre-programmed ideas as to what constituted value in a crystal.

[Shin'Ar]

For several months I took the stone with me to every stone merchant I visited. I finally found out that it is a piece of rutilated hematite, is quite rare, and I was very lucky to snag it for ten dollars. The man who sold it to me seemed a bit miffed when I told him. He'd had something of value in his hands, and had given it away because he couldn't get past his pre-programmed ideas as to what constituted value in a crystal.

Yes, and in those stores you will see very clearly that the larger the stone the more highly it is priced, as though the power and energy of it is dependent on its size.

That is precisely the 'system' thinking, self gratuitous addiction feeding, and advantageous marketing I spoke of in the post above.

The wise among us who know the stones' 'connections' also know that the smallest of gems can offer far more power and energy than their larger kinds.

I hear others speak of larger stones having greater power all the time and snicker at their folly. In their effort to appease their addiction to having something bigger and better, they belittle their true opportunity to have something more powerful than anything they can imagine.

It is never the size of their material, but the size of their field. And that field cannot be measured by the material.

And when you apply that understanding to the human field, you can begin to understand the dynamics of self identity.

My most powerful emitter is a small arrowhead made of mahogany obsidian and I wear it everywhere I go.

[Siren]

Compulsive Obsessive Competitive Consumption Vanity Disorder. It's not just stones, gems or crystals. It's the gluttonous neurotic need to hoard up excessive amounts of wasteful "stuff" that has no intrinsic value in and of itself and serves no practical purpose whatsoever other than to adorn the outer shell of your persona and thus create the illusion of an elevated social/economical status higher than that of others.

This "game" is only possible in a society/culture where status differences are encouraged and agreed upon: "wealth" can only exist so long as there's a contrasting "poverty" to define it—otherwise "rich" and "poor" have no meaning, and hence: no possibility of existing.

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Though we must admit, Shin'Ar, that when it comes to crystals (as well as any other "magic paraphernalia") many spiritual seekers fall prey to this vanity too.

[Shin'Ar]

Compulsive Obsessive Competitive Consumption Vanity Disorder. It's not just stones, gems or crystals. It's the gluttonous neurotic need to hoard up excessive amounts of wasteful "stuff" that has no intrinsic value in and of itself and serves no practical purpose whatsoever other than to adorn the outer shell of your persona and thus create the illusion of an elevated social/economical status higher than that of others.

This "game" is only possible in a society/culture where status differences are encouraged and agreed upon: "wealth" can only exist so long as there's a contrasting "poverty" to define it—otherwise "rich" and "poor" have no meaning, and hence: no possibility of existing.

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Though we must admit, Shin'Ar, that when it comes to crystals (as well as any other "magic paraphernalia") many spiritual seekers fall prey to this vanity too.

Yes dear Siren, we were simply using that as an example.

But regarding your differentiation between rich and poor I am not certain that it works that way.

This tendency resides in the most primitive aspects of humanity and always has. It is only after the accumulation of certain individual efforts that the designations of rich and poor are established.

The very first human would have such tendency to self gratify.

[Brittany]

At the same time, I would not turn away a stone just because it was large, flawless or "mainstream valuable." I would judge its energy the same as I would any rock I found in the street. There seems to be the notion that having wealth or power or even just the ability to enjoy the physical life makes one less "spiritually valuable." I laugh at the hypocrisy of this statement.

I've known as many people who hold themselves superior out of the fact that they have little and/or they continually suffer as I've known people who thought themselves a cut above the rest due to physical opulence. This addiction of self-superiority can affect those of any lifestyle, rich or poor, spiritual or non-spiritual, and in the end it's all the same thing. All stones are a part of the Creator. They each have different flaws, but no intelligent person would see a flaw in a stone and say "this is not a stone." The natural state of being is acknowledged in spite of the flaws. We ALL have our addictions, yet we are still the Creator.

In my opinion, doing the best with what you have, whether that is a little or a lot, is the whole of the purpose of physical incarnation. Who knows what circumstances you chose to load yourself up with before the incarnation began, or what lessons you hoped to learn from such experiences. To simply see each soul, self and other, as a part of the Creator, seems more valuable to me than any objective system of values constructed from within the veil. Rich/poor, old/young, awake/not awake...ultimately I just see people, and in turn, the Creator, and within that view comes contentment, and I'd trade money for that any day.

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(Everyone realizes the crystal metaphor is a metaphor, right? )

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This notion came to me, that will perhaps better illustrate my thoughts:

Say a soul lives multiple lives of asceticism, then, out of the desire to balance the lessons learned in those lives, chooses to come into a life of opulence and physical focus. On the outside they might be seen as an unenlightened rich snob obsessed with money, when in fact they are fulfilling their goal experience for that lifetime and achieving notable growth.

Also, say for example a soul lives a lifetime as an oppressive, greedy tyrant, then chooses to incarnate as poverty-stricken wretch in their next life to balance the karma. You might look at that person and think "Oh, that's awful!" and rail against the system that cursed them with poverty, when in fact this is exactly what they wanted in their experience.

These sort of background details are simply not available to other selves, which makes the judging of individual value entirely objective. Not to mention the variable of free will within the incarnation, which could cause the rich man to blow all his money on a gambling addiction, or the poor man to become well off from selling handmade pottery. The base lesson still applies, but the possibilities are simply infinite, and I think in short it is completely impossible to truly judge the progress of anyone aside from oneself, and even that is far more difficult than it sounds.

Therefore yes, the system is flawed. I would love to see a world with no rich vs. poor or any other sort of caste system, and hopefully we as a collective consciousness can evolve to the point where that is possible. However, the opportunity to learn and grow is present within any circumstance, and contentment is always within reach. I would assume very advanced service-oriented souls would simply choose to incarnate where they are needed most, knowing that they are sustained by the joy of the Creator no matter where they land.

[norral]

i guess when we become attached to how others view us we will place value on being exceptional. it can be anything, working out, diet , job, income, mate , wisdom . we can get attached to it and seek to impress. hey its a human fallacy but it tends to repel others eventually because its hard to be comfortable with someone like that. i guess that is why i like being with kids and animals it doesnt really exist very much with them. i have thought for a long time that if u were to give a talk or have a meeting or a meditation it would be good to start with a hug and some touching . that tends to break down walls

norral

[Siren]

There seems to be the notion that having wealth or power or even just the ability to enjoy the physical life makes one less "spiritually valuable." I laugh at the hypocrisy of this statement.

Absolutely. As I recently wrote in another thread, one cannot truly judge a mind/body/spirit complex by one incarnation/role alone; there is infinitely more than that behind every 3rd-density mask. It would also be folly for one to judge him/herself as totally "good" and free of "sin" based on one's current 3rd-density incarnation too. This is why I have often said, "I am all the evil in the world"—because it is true.

I would also like to point out I did use quotation marks for "poor" and "rich" in my previous post, just as I mentioned it was a "game": a means for the One Infinite Creator to play/dance/interact with Itself. I didn't mean to derail the thread from crystals and temptations to socio-economic disparity!

All stones are a part of the Creator.

Therefore whoever is free of sin may cast the first stone. I'll pick it up and take it home ^.~

Life is wonderful, even if the probability/possibility vortices indicate a zombie outbreak!

All is well.

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Perhaps I should add more smileys in my posts to avoid being taken too seriously. I mean, for God's sake, I publicly claim to be a Unicorn in "real life" outside of this forum! So here's a big pink bunny face for y'all:

=3

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PS: And for the record: I'm a Unicorn, I don't like zombies. (The zombie comment was half-serious, in case in needs clarification—although it is somewhat alarming this rather morbid obsession people have with zombies nowadays...)

[Shin'Ar]

Therefore whoever is free of sin may cast the first stone. I'll pick it up and take it home ^.~

You and Lynn both hit on some keen points, but overall this is not just about the methods we choose to designate a value to any item, or whether true spirituality can be found in the rich as well as the poor, or even if riches can be a burden to attaining spirituality. These are all good points for consideration, but my OP was meant to point out, that regardless of those matters, the human tendency is to self satisfy a 'self' that is a temporary identity, even to the ignorance of the evolving true, permanent identity.

The human tendency is to please a delusional self that does not even really exist, as though this delusional self will somehow continue in other incarnations.

I used Siren's quote because she hits on a matter close to my own situation being married to a devoutly catholic wife. She often used to say to me, ' I will pray for you' as she left for church, implying a need to have my sins forgiven.

And I would respond by saying 'pray for yourself my dear, you are the one who thinks you are sinning, and yet continues to do so anyway. I do not acknowledge sin, so I have not sinned.'

[Brittany]

Shin, you know bring4th threads don't stay on topic. :p

[Spaced]

People tend to forget that the only reason anything has value is because we have given value to it.

[Cyan]

After a year or two of giving value to tearing reality apart just to see whats underneath it, it may be a good time to start learning how to build reality up, just to see how to get on top of it.