(completed 8/24/10)
Personal Notes: Wow, where do I start? Its been so long since my last entry; a move to an apartment for my son and I, a job loss, continuing efforts to launch my business, health issues for myself and family members (a knee that needs rebuilding for me, and far more serious issues for others), twins born into the family by my oldest daughter and so on and so forth... In the progression of these events and the general continuation of life, several things have stood firm. My belief that despite the turmoil that permeates societies, love is stronger than the absence of light there are forces within the etheric realm that beckons the essence of our souls toward its power. Within the pages of this book "Twin Souls: A Guide to Finding Your True Spiritual Partner" I have found a continuation of a message that mirrors the essence of my core.
During my last entry, a good portion of my thought process was engaged in the dynamics between the ontological and the epistemological basis for the twin soul concept. On that note, I first of all want to mention that during my “introduction” to philosophy several years ago, I found that trying to swim in the waters of THOUGHT, felt that I would surely drown!!! I LITERALLY felt light headed and confused trying to grasp the concepts!!! I ended up getting an “A” in the class. My point in mentioning this is that now that several more years have passed bringing yet more opportunities for thought expansion (i.e., my ongoing efforts to earn my bachelors degree), is that I do not consider myself to be a scholar or a philosopher!! Frankly, there are times when my brain still cringes during the absorption process, and there are many who I envy at having brilliant minds that are like sponges. Mine is an arduous task, and I accept the role! In short, I’m just an average guy who perhaps did too many drugs in the 70s, and one who is doing the best he can to listen to his “SOUL” while being a good father to my children, grandpa to my 8 grandchildren, brother to my siblings relatives and friends...
Content:
In regard to the book review: As expected, the “theme” of the twin soul / twin flame concept in the Joudry / Pressman book paralleled much of the essence of the previous books I’ve read and reviewed. There are however, several things that I want to illustrate from what I will identify (for simplicity with no disrespect to Mr. Pressman) as Patricia’s book moving forward. First of all, I was able to find some references for the foundation of the twin flame belief system. Specifically, she points to the ancient Sufi text. There is also significant mention of Sri Aurobindo’s “The Synthesis of Yoga.” Additionally, there is a brief mention of “residence after death in the Devachan” (see Blavatsky, Steiner or Theosophy). As I continue to compile my data I will obviously share my findings, but in my euphoria over the subject in the first couple of books, I can only recall that there were mentions of the twin flame concept in the Hindu texts as well as that of Christian mysticism, neither of which I can speak from a position of strength. The closest I’ve gotten is having listened to the Bhagavad-Gita two times this summer along with a double dose of a six hour audio introduction to the Kabala which is based on Jewish mysticism (neither of which provided mention of the twin flame / twin soul concept. Now if someone reading this blog knows of a book that expounds on the epistemological evidence for the Twin-flame concept, remember, I am all ears and would love to speak with you!!! In the absence of such a conversation, I will continue to do the best I can to find information on which the foundation of the concept is built and share it accordingly. Now with that said, back to the dig.
There are three more areas of study that I found Patricia to have brilliant insight into. First, her work in describing the dynamics within the metaphorical illustration of the Yin and Yang. Secondly, the beautiful illustration she gives of the "Two Rings.”, and finally, my personal and perhaps selfish interest in her analogy of "Graduation." Now as I move into these sub topics, I do so with a passage from Patricia’s book that helps center the conversation: “We want to emphasize that the twin-soul reality is also an ideal. It is a pattern for all relationships and attainable to a large degree by women and men of goodwill on the way to full soul realization” (pg 92).
Masculinity and Femininity Highlights:
It seems almost a shame to try and highlight such a comprehensive and beautiful representation of male and female roles in creation; however, perhaps I may hope to share enough to inspire a consideration of the read: In this section Patricia immediately draws our attention to Sri Aurobindo’s writings. She illustrates that although Aurobindo does not speak in phrasing that directly state the wording twin souls, he, “Aurobindo speaks on the opposite aspects of the Creator in terms that apply perfectly to twin souls:
They [the masculine and feminine of God] are the two poles of existence in one Being… They represent two different sides of itself, obverse and reverse in relation to each other… The two lines or currents of their energy, negative and positive, effect the manifestation of all that is within it… Even in his activity he holds in himself all her force and energies ready for projection; even in the drive of her action she carries with her all his observing and mandatory consciousness as the whole support and sense of her creative purpose” (pg24).
Patricia then uses Aurobindo’s illustration to explain that “We are masculine and feminine beings at core, descendants of the Eternal Feminine and External Masculine. We are sexual beings; our sexuality is built into the blueprint of creation. It cannot be denied. It leads to the love that is rooted in the soul… Every soul hungers for its completion; every life tends toward that. Though hidden in depths, the urge for completion is the motive from which all motive spring; it is the drive for return to that which was lost” (pg25). Simply, POWERFUL!
In regard to yin and yang Patricia describes, “In Eastern philosophy yang and yin are defined as follows: yang is the responsive impulse, which nurtures and reunites. Without yang nothing would come into being; without yin all that comes into being would die. Yang is the mental activity in its forceful aspect, yin the imaginative and poetic exalting the merely mental to the beautiful. Yang goes ahead with things, yin contains thing s within herself. Yang does, yin is. Yang in masculine givingness bestows the gifts; yin in feminine being receives, preserves, enhances and redistributes them” (pg27).
And although I've provided only a sliver of the data associated with these dynamics, we are given a short summary that I would like to share. It speaks for itself in regard to our relationship with our twin: "The exquisite harmony that will exist between you will result from that understanding between the two parts of you that are the same. You have never ceased to live and grow within the other. Sri Aurobindo writes of the feminine and masculine duality of God: ‘This Duality, though separate in aspect, is inseparable. Wherever there is one, there is the other.’
Physicists have recently discovered, and were astounded to note, that if a twirl in one electron of a two-electron atom is reversed by external force, the electron twirl of the other is similarly reversed, despite the vastness of the distance between” (pg29). INCREDIBLE!!!
The Two Rings:
At this point in the book, Patricia has set up the foundation for the understanding that twins are in fact “twins and inseparable.” With this foundation she now moves us back to “THE SUFI TEXT STATES: ‘Remember [twinsoulship] Is a gift carrying with it the tremendous responsibility of being able to face up to the greatest challenges to which any two human begins could be subjected, and whereby they are graced.” The movement of all life is toward reunion of its separated parts. In human life that movement becomes a pull in two directions: toward the need of the self and the need for closeness with others. The conflict between self and other is a central dilemma of the human soul. In resolving it, that greatest of challenges is overcome” (pg 48).
The title of this chapter which illustrates the two rings is titled “Twin Souls in Conflict.” The illustration inherently signifies what we have already learned about, i.e., being inseparably connected to our twin, but now we begin to engage the dynamics of personality conflicts. Now as this picture unfolds, one might either begin to see this as a blessing or a curse. In other words, someone may say, “Why would I want to be inseparably connected to anyone? I like my freedom!!!!” Well, that, my friend is the WHOLE POINT!!!! God is God and we are not! And this of course is now a PERFECT time to integrate Gary Zukav’s Earth School. Are you beginning to see the meaning when I make the statement “you can run, but you can’t hide?” In other words, the rings can move away from center, but cannot totally separate; picture two hula hoops together. They can move apart but only so far. Feeling claustrophobic? Its called "soul evolution!"
The two rings pull apart but cannot be broken (picture yourself when you won’t look at your mate out of frustration or anger). The crystal clear OBVIOUS message here is that God wants us to be WHOLE!! We "become" in ourselves, we attract our twin and thereby evolve into the oneness that God intended. Are you beginning to see the POWER here?? The answer for me is simple, and not just from a “head in the clouds, ultra romantic, ontological fairytale.” THIS is why I like the movie The Matrix and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave so much. Both the Matrix and The Allegory of the Cave illustrate the fact that we have been so infected with “SOCIETY” that we can’t even think for ourselves, and if anything comes into our awareness that doesn’t match up with our preconceived notions of life, then we flush it and go back to looking at the shadows on the wall!!
With that said, it becomes apparent why there are so many different groups of people with different beliefs. It also illustrates the blessing and the frustrations of being a “thinker.” Furthermore, it is why my personal belief system incorporates an eclectic, pluralistic foundation based simply on one word, “LOVE.” Love is the magnet that draws us… Perfection? Not me! Striving to “become?” That’s our individual choice, but if God is God and Twin Souls are part of creation, you can run, but you can’t hide. Everything else can be put into the category of “Becoming.”
Graduation:
Now here is where things filter down to daily life. It is also where the practicality of the twin flame, twin soul, twin ray concept cements its place as one of the most powerful social healing tools the world could ever be blessed with receiving. Just think of it, the healing of individual lives, the healing of the sexes and the combined offering of “ONENESS” to the creator!! INCREDIBLE, POWERFUL, EXQUISITE!!!
So when do we graduate? It depends on several factors. If you’ve followed my other blog entries, we know from Elisabeth Clare Prophet that there are three types of relationships: Twin Soul, Soul Mate and Karmic. To fully expand the concepts we would have to introduce the concept of reincarnation and expand the idea of Karma. For my purposes, this blog entry is pretty long, so I'll just mention that one model of Karma is described as a credit and debit system of life events; good karma = credits, bad karma = debits (highly recomend you read Gary Zukav's books (or other sources) to expand your knowledge of karma). ANY relationship is karmic in nature. Our job as universal citizens is to EVOLVE, to become. Like Gary Zukav illustrates, if you understand that you will evolve into a whole being in 5 or 500 lifetimes anyway, why not work on it now? (paraphrase, mine).
The next component we would introduce to the conversation is the idea of a “clusters.” For example, picture a tree with clusters of grapes or cherries, the twin soul concept incorporates the idea that we will have people in our lives that we “MESH” with, people we are comfortable with on various levels; these are perhaps people in our “Cluster” and may even be our twin. The idea is that we fit well together because we are part of the same cluster; this would be where the phrase soul-mate comes in. Recognition of the twin; however, is synonymous with soul evolution and graduation. Patricia describes the difference between “relationships”:
"How may we recognize the twin-soul relationship? How is it distinct from any other good relationship? The difference is this: in a good relationship two people proceed in harmony, reconciling their conflicting views; but the twin-soul relationship is founded on a fundamental sense of oneness: oneness of vision, oneness of purpose, oneness of feeling… They see with one eye, the third eye, the instrument of spiritual vision. This is not to deny the individuality in their personal way of looking at the same vista. But the differences between them complement and enhance each other’s perceptions… With the twin-souls there is no separation (individual selfhood, yes, but no longer division). Only the twin can be loved as himself or herself, in oneness of feeling, for each half is the self of the other” (pg 90,91).
So in regard to "graduation", it is a question that may be on our minds, but one that may or may not be answered in this lifetime. Furthermore, I am discovering that it is common knowledge in the twin soul, twin flame community that our twin may or may not be on this plane of existence. What is known is that the souls advance in synchronicity (helping or hindering each other) and when the soul(s) have advanced through their respective trials, on their way to soul evolution, i.e., "graduation", then their spiritual energy will magnetically attract one to the other, and the way will be cleared for their reunion. Incredible medicine for a world in pain!!! Of course one of the BIG questions that comes up is: what if a person is already in a relationship? The answer is that the message does not change, but SIGNIFICANTLY, does not condone dumping one for another; DOESN'T work that way and may cost the wrong thinker another couple lifetimes to get the karma back on the plus side (there are some excellent illustrations in the book). Yes, some of the questions and the situational dynamics can get complicated, but I guess that's why its called soul evolution and why meditation teaches people how to "Breathe" and become "Centered."
The book offers many wonderful historical and contemporary examples of twin journeys, and a much more "in depth" conversation on the topic than I have produced here. The reader of this book can expect to find incredible, practicle, and professional relational tips for individuals, couples and for twins. For me, it is a book about becoming, a book about the evolution of the soul's connection to the Universe or God if you prefer, and a book about hope... most importantly, it is a book about LOVE.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and please remember, your comments are welcome! Additionally, I would be grateful for any additional resources pertaining to the topic. Thanks again and as always, blessings on our respective soul journeys…
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Thomas
Thank you Patricia (and Maurie) for your years of hard work to bring this beautiful and comprehensive resource to us. Thank you most of all; however, for your passion and your heart of LOVE! Wonderful Blessings to both of you, your loved ones and your twins! :))
Reference: ISBN 0-517-70059-x
"Twin Souls: A Guide to Finding Your True Spiritual Partner" by Patricia Joudry adn Maurie Pressman, M.D.
I have also chosen my next book as: Soular Reunion: Journey to the Beloved -- Re-Membering the Love of Self, Soulmates & Twin Souls by John and Diadra Price
Related Blogs:
http://universalallegory.blogspot.com/ Ancient Teaching: Understanding Twin Souls / Twin Flames
http://heartsseeker22.blogspot.com/ The blog I started to begin my search for understanding intimate relationships
http://inspirationsofhumanity.blogspot.com/ A blog profiling and honoring Human Inspiration
http://heartmatesforever.blogspot.com/ Poetry of Alchemy: A Merging to the SOUL...
http://empathyandpain.blogspot.com/ A blog I started in honor of my mother
http://coreofhumanity.blogspot.com/ Breaking things down so we can talk...
