Catalyst and Spiritual Advancement

[AnthroHeart]

Do we move/progress faster spiritually when we experience more catalyst with a level head?

If it was easier, would we lose out on potential for accelerating our spirituality under the veil?

I deal with a difficult, commanding person. But I love her. When she wants to argue, I stay silent.

I don't try to defend myself most of the time. I don't see a reason to complain or fight.

Should we desire more catalyst?

And is catalyst only useful if it's dealt with the right way?

[Plenum]

catalyst really is such a nebulous thing.

I guess the issue is that unless it is recognised as catalyst, then it can't really serve the function of catalyst.

The exact same situation may represent catalyst for one individual, and not for another individual.  That may be because the second person has balanced that area, and so is not moved by it, or because they are so overloaded with other data, it doesn't even register in awareness.

I deal with a difficult, commanding person. But I love her. When she wants to argue, I stay silent.

I don't try to defend myself most of the time. I don't see a reason to complain or fight.

I can't really speak to your specific situation.  But I do believe that our family members represent the most inescapable levels of catalyst that we agreed to expose ourselves to.  For that exact same reason; one cannot deny that you are not in relation to one's parents, or to one's siblings.  So it's there in your face, for the captive period in childhood, and then voluntary association in adulthood.  Although, in your case, it might not seem so voluntary at all

My parents used to put a bunch of expectations on me.  That only really changed when the grandkids came along, and they shifted their hopes and attentions to the 'next generation'.  So that relationship between me and them changed because they let go of something, and allowed something else to be.  I'm sure, on my side, there was also some acceptance work of them as well, but from my perspective, the connection shifted when they had a major refocussing of attention.

[Aion]

I see catalyst as being like materials for building. They are the bricks, the wood and mortar. They are paints and brushes. They are words for poetry, for language, for building worlds. They are music. They are the body in all its forms. They are the world. They are everything that can be experienced and you, the Co-Creator place them within your experience. Spiritual progression, in my eyes, is a subtle refining of the presence of all things within yourself.

[anagogy]

Anything that upsets you emotionally is catalyst that is distorting your beingness somehow.

So you have to figure out, why am I upset? Why did this thing disturb the tranquility of my being?

The key is to learn how to keep the purity of your peace, even in the face of the hurricane, metaphorically speaking.

Pretending you are unaffected is not enough. It has to be real. Reach for the peace in every moment, and you will find the touchstone to every catalyst.

[APeacefulWarrior]

Catalyst really is such a nebulous thing.

I guess the issue is that unless it is recognised as catalyst, then it can't really serve the function of catalyst.

The exact same situation may represent catalyst for one individual, and not for another individual.  That may be because the second person has balanced that area, and so is not moved by it, or because they are so overloaded with other data, it doesn't even register in awareness.

I would disagree. As I see it, catalyst is everywhere and in every interaction. It affects people whether they recognize it or not. Some people may be more or less affected by given situations, based on their nature, but there is always SOME effect. It's mostly a matter of the scale and scope of the effect, not one of total negation. A long-time nurse, for example, might have hardened themselves against the distress that comes from seeing agonized suffering... but they're still using that catalyst, specifically to build/reinforce the psychic wall between them and their patients.

I largely see it as an Input/Output situation. Catalyst is energy and it has to go somewhere or do something. Catalyst goes in, and an effect emerges. This can't be avoided any more than something walking around in daylight can entirely avoid being heated by the sun's rays. They might have shells or coloration designed to minimize the heating, but it still occurs.

The difference here is that those who recognize the catalyst can make deliberate choices about HOW they catalyze it or otherwise make use of it, rather than blindly/instinctively reacting. That nurse might one day become self-aware enough to see how their psychic wall was leading them to treat patients like objects, decreasing the effectiveness of their nursing, and start making a deliberate attempt to be more empathetic despite the psychic pain it causes them personally. This would also illustrate a move from STS towards STO practices, even within an ostensibly service-oriented job. After all, the most effective nurses are almost always those who treat their patients as individuals, rather than as anonymous collections of symptoms.

I tend to think this basic recognition is one of the key steps towards taking control of one's polarity: recognizing that ANY event and ANY interaction can be used to further one's spiritual development, in whatever direction they believe they should move.