Small Steps of Denial

[Plenum]

one of the most challenging steps that Ra recommends is the consideration of Desires. That desires (quite often from in a religious sense, whether it being Christian, Buddhist, or Jewish or others) should be understood, and not dismissed out of hand as somehow being evil, selfish, or self-destructive.

In an effort to address those desires, we can quite often choose to deny ourselves, rather than following through with them (either in the physical or in the mental). We suppress them by whatever means. And we do this because somehow we think it will make us 'more pure' or 'more holy'. But the confrontation with desire has not taken place ... it has just been moved to the backburner for a time.

in this passage here, coming in the later sessions, Ra addresses a decision made by Carla to stop buying clothes for herself for a year because it was seen as an indulgence or a waste of money. But this form of self-denial (or a very mild expression of martyrdom) has some considerable consequences. Here is what Ra has to offer:

103.8 As to the instrument, the journey from worth in action to worth in esse is arduous.

The entity has denied itself in order to be free from that which it calls addiction. This sort of martyrdom, and here we speak of the small but symbolically great sacrifice of the clothing, causes the entity to frame a selfhood in poorness which feeds unworthiness unless the poverty is seen to be true richness.

In other words, good works for the wrong reasons cause confusion and distortion.

We encourage the instrument to value itself and to see that its true requirements are valued by the self. We suggest contemplation of true richness of being.

so again, this speaks to the ongoing life lesson in self-worthiness.

and the fact that this life-lesson seems so difficult to learn reflects back on us that our own particular life lessons might be just as difficult and time-consuming and distortion inducing as the one that Carla has chosen for herself in this incarnation.

it is often so easy to point out another's shortcomings, and say, hey, you should address this, its so obvious and easy to fix ... whereas the truth of the matter is that in many cases, the individual is well aware of their own struggles, and may have been addressing it from the earliest time, and yet it is an understanding that comes only ever so slowly.

and yet, the feedback on how we are doing is in the choices we make and observing the reasons and the results.

our deepest issues can be addressed with enough self-observation and care and a deep-seated desire to change.

peace