RISING ABOVE IT: The Chaplain’s Corner: Fr. Dr. Richard Ward. J.C.D., PHD. The Theocentric Psychology Teachings of Dr. Paul Leon Masters

RISING ABOVE IT

The Chaplain’s Corner: Fr. Dr. Richard Ward. J.C.D., Rising Above It.

The Theocentric Psychology Teachings of Dr. Paul Leon Masters

Throughout one’s adult life, numerous issues must be experienced, some of which are difficult and challenging to say the least. No one who has ever walked this planet has lived a life unscathed by tough and trying experiences. Metaphysically and spiritually, we understand and look upon problems as an avenue for spiritual growth and understanding.

Naturally, no one wishes to invite problems into one’s life; however, no one can avoid them. The truth is that they tend to force issues in our lives or may bring something to a head that has long since needed to be addressed. If problems, even the most difficult, can be looked upon as blessings in disguise, then it is more possible to see the spiritual reality or meaning of what is taking place in our lives.

The late, world-renowned psychologist, Carl Jung, once said, “You don’t solve problems, but instead outgrow them.” What Dr. Jung said was indeed very true, when life and its problems are seen and viewed with a deeper Spiritual perspective. A spiritual perspective can be compared to climbing a high mountain that has a wonderful view of the city in which you live. The higher up the mountain you travel, the greater the area or vastness you are able to explore from your elevated view of what lies beneath. At the top of a mountain, you can look back upon the noise, pollution and other factors that make the daily life of a city less pleasant.

In other words, by separating yourself from your immediate daily environment or activities, the chances greatly improve of your having a larger perspective of what is really occurring in your own life or the lives of others you know.

The suggestion of rising above problems is essential when it comes to living your life more successfully. When you find yourself in the midst of one or more problems, it is difficult to know what to do about them because in your mind you may be operating on the same mental wavelength as the problem. You must, therefore, separate yourself or your mind from the mental level, or functional level, of your consciousness to allow the inner higher faculties of your mind to respond.

Most problems begin and continue, if they do, on the outer levels of consciousness. In other words, they function on the personal ego level, on a conscious level, in conjunction with the memory level of the personal ego. This is where conditional responses to life’s problems lie, waiting to react to various difficulties in one’s life.

The memory level of the mind is of human origin for the most part, that is to say, intelligence that is stored there. This data has been gleaned from events, experiences, and knowledge gained from an environment that has not highly evolved collectively in its consciousness to offer much assistance regarding solutions while in the midst of any problem. Furthermore, what assistance is offered is not necessarily even correct. In other words, it is the sickness trying to find its own cure, or trying, within the poison itself, to find the antidote.

Rising above the mental level in your mind is the only way to be able to see more clearly what should be done to deal with a problem. Rising above it also means rising above the effect on yourself psychologically, spiritually and physically. Problems, if they are severe enough or long-lived, can drain you of your peace of mind and emotional steadiness, and can have adverse effects on your health.

Down through the ages, those who have entered higher realms of spiritual consciousness within themselves have seen a much larger vision of what is taking place around them in this world; problems which have been brought about by lack of spiritual awareness. They have seen the cures which would be more evident if people did possess spiritual awareness and understanding.

Whatever problems you may be having in your life at this time, or may have to confront in the future, remember always that the way out of a problem is the way in. In other words, go into yourself as deeply as you can, since the deeper into your mind you travel, the more you ascend a stairway of mental levels to the Universal Supreme Intelligence of God within the nucleus of your mental being, where all is known, and wherein a peace that comes from knowing all that can be known abides as a combined all-knowing/all peace State of God-Being.

As you seek this state or come closer to it within yourself, the negative effects of problems ease away, and ideas found in the all-knowing Supreme Intelligence of God enter your mind through doorways of intuition, and provide you with the information necessary to remove, deal with or sublimate to your advantage any problems. Note that problems exist only on the problem level and do not exist on the universal level.

Exist in your mind on the universal level to as high a degree as you can, and both the problems and their effects on you will correspondingly dissolve into the nothingness of the temporary illusion of the unaware world that gave birth to them.

Universal consciousness flowing into your conscious level will cause such a state of mind. Therefore, when such universal flowing is not dominant in your surface consciousness, monitor your own conscious thinking and attitude and try to coordinate it with universal consciousness by taking hold of your conscious thought process and filling it with concentration on the nature of universal thinking, or the Mind of God.

Dr. Paul Leon Masters

Theocentric Psychology® is a registered trademark. Please avoid unauthorized use of Dr. Masters’ unique ideas and concepts without written permission to do so.

DISCLAIMER: (The appearance of these articles does not mean that I agree with everything in the article. It does mean that there is much that I have found helpful. I hope you will find them helpful as well). Dr. Ward., www.drrichardward.com

Fr. Dr. Richard Ward, J.C.D., PHD. Therapeutic Orthodox Psychotherapist, Christian Metaphysical Doctor and Board-Certified American Academy of Clinical Hypnoanalysts. www.drrichardward.com

THE TERM The term "Orthodox Psychotherapy" does not refer to specific cases of people suffering from psychological problems or neuroses. Rather, it is something that pertains to all people. According to Orthodox Tradition, after Adam's fall, Man became ill; his intellect (called “dianoia”) was darkened, and the mind (“nous” or, the "eye of the heart") lost communion with God. Death entered mankind's life, thereafter, giving rise to many personal, anthropological, social, even ecological problems. With the tragedy of his fall, Man continued to be "in the image of God", but he had now completely forfeited the "likeness" of Him, as his communion with God was disrupted. However, the Incarnation of Christ and His bodily presence among us, and the pursuant opus of the Church (which entails the in-Christ guidance by spiritually illuminated Saints and Fathers throughout Time) are both intended to assist a person to regain the "likeness" of God, that is, to restore his communion with God. By adhering to the Orthodox "therapeutic treatment" as proposed by the Holy Fathers of the Church, Man can succeed to "manage" his thoughts properly, thus solving his spiritual issues fully and comprehensively. This "therapeutic regimen" of psychotherapy (Greek: literally, therapy of the soul) is closely linked to the Church’s "neptic" tradition (sobriety) and Her hesychastic life (of "quietude") - as preserved in the texts of the Philokalia, in the works of the Fathers of the Church and notably in the teaching of Saint Gregory Palamas. Most certainly, one must not overlook the fact that the neptic and hesychastic ways of life are the same that one observes in the lives of the Prophets and the Apostles, as clearly described in the texts of the Holy Scriptures. "Wherefore he who professes the science of spiritual medicine ought first of all to consider the disposition of him who has sinned, and to see whether he tends to health or (on the contrary) provokes to himself disease by his own behavior, and to look how he can care for his manner of life during the interval. And if he does not resist the physician, and if the ulcer of the soul is increased by the application of the imposed medicaments, then let him mete out mercy to him according as he is worthy of it."

(Canon CII of the Quinisext Ecumenical Council)

St, John’s Management Group AOCCA. A Therapeutic Orthodox Catholic Chaplaincy.

Member:

The International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC)

The American Academy of Medical Hypnoanalysts (AAMH)

Orthodox Christian Association of Medicine, Psychology, and Religion (OCAMPR)

American Metaphysical Doctors Association (AMDA)

Association for Comprehensive Energy Psychology (ACEP)