THE SEVEN MIGHTY PRINCIPLES
(Continued)
5) The Principle of Rhythm
This principle states that everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing manifests in everything; a measure of the swing to the right is a measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.”
The principle shows that movement is characteristic of the universe, and the rhythm balances the changes between the polarities. All things show rise and fall. A rhythmic cycle marks the birth, growth, deterioration, and demise of everything. Look at the seasons that change from summer to winter, with autumn and spring in between. So also, the day and night, sunrise and sunset, the phases of the moon, the ebbs and the flow of the tides, and all other physical manifestations in the world display rhythmic movements.
You can see it in the human body, in the breathing out and breathing in, in the systole and diastole of the heart, in life and death. Rhythm is there in everything and everywhere. The principle also shows that nothing is ever permanent. Change is the only constant in an ever-changing life.
The principle of rhythm builds on the other Hermetic principles, especially the principle of vibration and the principle of polarity. This is the principle of change and it ensures that the movement is not random but equal in both directions of the pendulum. And, in most cases, these are measurable also.
How can one live with the principle of rhythm? As Sankaracharya says in the Bhaja Govindam, don’t get attached to material possessions like wealth, knowledge, power, position, relationships, etc. Never get bonded to them; they all may disappear in the blink of an eye. Avoid emotional attachment to them; develop an indifferent attitude to the ebbs and flow of life, understanding that all things are transient.
As you cannot defy the laws of nature, wise it would be to go with the flow. When you see everything with the awareness that ‘this too shall pass,’ nothing should delight you beyond a limit, and nothing should worry you either. Because you know that it will be rhythmic, and you have little control over it.
Tips to live with the rhythm
· Be positive: As we discussed in the first principle, the crux of the Hermetic teachings is that everything is mental. It means that we create the reality of our lives from out of our thoughts and consciousness. The principle of mentalism says that ALL is the mind. It suggests that to live with the rhythm, we have to keep a positive mindset at all times — even when the pendulum swings to the opposite side.
Do not succumb to despair.
· When we understand the principle of polarity and that of rhythm, there is no reason for despair because we’re sure that the pendulum will swing back to the other side.
· Persevere and be consistent. Do not be carried away by good times or get depressed when the tide turns unfavorable. Be consistent and move with the rhythm.
· Don’t bank on the ephemeral. The Hermetic principles show that everything in life is subject to change, and nothing is permanent. Good health, youthfulness, relationships, wealth, and all the things in life are bound to be lost sooner or later, as asserted by Sri Sankara in the Bhaja Govindam. Understanding that the universe is a mental creation of God, learn to live with the rhythm of the creation.
· Be grateful for the blessings of God. When you are on cloud nine, be grateful to your creator and to the people who supported you in your endeavors. It will help you to cope better with the situations when the pendulum swings to the opposite side.
· Be proactive and prepared for the inevitable lows. Life has taught you that every stage in life will pass for its opposite. Be ready to live with the unfavorable swings of the pendulum by taking proactive steps to cope with the rhythm. Don’t get depressed by the lows or elated by the highs in life.
6) The Principle of Cause and Effect
One day, long back, a leaf fell in a forest in California. It landed on the ground in front of a fat green caterpillar, which was inching along. It made a sharp deviation to avoid the obstacle on its path. Now, the caterpillar came to a log and crawled up its side. Just as it reached the top of the log, a man walking by came and sat on the log. And his weight squished the caterpillar. Suddenly, the man jumped up and felt the goo on the back of his pants.
He hurried back home, changed the clothes, and took the pants to the local laundry. There, he met a beautiful girl and started a conversation with her. He invited her for a coffee at the nearby café and spent some happy moments with her. They began to date, fell in love, and got married. A son was born to the couple. He grew up as an adroit and intelligent boy and later became an attorney. The youngster went into politics and had a step-by-step rise in his party.
And so, because one day a leaf fell in a California forest, Richard Nixon became the thirty-seventh President of the United States — cause and effect.
Every cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law.” Thus goes the seventh mighty principle of cause and effect.
When something happens for which no cause is discernible, we attribute it to an accident. But there is nothing called accidents in Nature. Deepak Chopra puts it thus: “What we call an accident or a random event is the nonlocal correlation of the universal mind. Every event gets orchestrated by infinite consciousness, and every event is a conspiracy of an infinity of events. For anything to happen in your body, in your mind, in your life, the entire universe has to conspire.”
As Deepak says, everything is connected with everything else, and if we are in sync with the universe, we can experience synchronicity. Every event in our life is being orchestrated by the entire universe. Nothing comes from nothing. If we cannot see a cause for an event, it does not mean that there’s none; it only means that the cause is obscure and unknown. The law of cause and effect is nothing but the law of karma. It means that you are responsible for your life. Understanding this principle is gaining insight into the power of choice that is empowering.
These laws make us understand that ultimately life is in the hands of God, and being His creation, we have to surrender to Him. That is why Sankaracharya exhorts to sing the glory of the Almighty (“Bhaja Govindam…….muda mate”).
7) The Principle of Gender
This principle professes that “Gender is everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes –physical, mental, and spiritual.
The masculine force is the outgoing, the positive, and the provocative. On the other hand, the feminine force is incoming, receptive, negative, and creative. They have nothing to do with the male and female sexes. The sexes are just the manifestations of the principle of gender on the physical plane. Gender gets manifested in the mental and spiritual planes as well. For instance, a dynamic speaker, whether male or female, produces a masculine force in his/her speaking. Who’s the masculine force in your life? Maybe your mother-in-law or your wife.
In the practical application of this principle, effective communication occurs when you speak with someone in the masculine or outgoing mode; when you’re listening, you are in the receptive, the inflowing, the feminine mode. Just as a magnet will attract another magnet only when its outgoing/masculine pole is put together with the receptive/feminine pole, so is communication. If you were to speak from the receptive mode to a listener in the same mode, you would get a repelling force. Similarly, when you put the outgoing vis-a-vis the outgoing, again you have a repelling force. For proper communication to occur, you must have positive with negative, receptive with the outgoing, the masculine with the feminine.
When two people are eager to speak their minds, and both of them are in masculine mode, no communication would take place between them. The same thing happens when both of them are in receptive mode, and each wishes to hear the other person talking. The sender of the message should be, to some degree, in the masculine/outgoing mode and the receiver in the feminine/receptive mode for any sharing of meaning to be effective. The absence of this is a major reason for many communication failures.
One can find this principle in operation in all walks of life and all endeavors — in writing, painting, other forms of arts, sports, business, and all professions. You only have to be aware of its existence to locate this force. There are salespeople, attorneys, stockbrokers, doctors, politicians, and coworkers who can induce you to do something without any demur. It is a display of their charisma, and charisma is a strong outgoing/masculine force. All great speakers and motivators possess it.
All forceful people are outgoing. Authority figures mostly are seen as masculine figures, and you tend to switch to the receptive mode in their presence. An understanding of the principle of gender will help you exercise your freedom and power to choose your response (the masculine and feminine forces within yourself) and take better charge of your life to be an able communicator.
Concluding remarks
If you reflect on and work with the seven mighty principles discussed here, they can help you lead a rich and rewarding life. Their usefulness in life will unfold as you continue to grow and evolve. These principles are the rules of life. Many of them resonate well with the expositions of Adi Sankara in the Bhaja Govindam, like the universe is the creation of God, everything is mental; as above, so below, as below, so above; all things are dual; all things have their tides, an ebb tide as well as a flood tide; and every cause has its effect and vice versa. For instance, by learning to become more and more assertive in daily life, you can choose not to become a victim and get exploited; by gaining a better understanding of the cause and effect, one can create new cause by setting meaningful goals; using polarity, you can change from the negative to the positive, from fear to faith, from hate to love, etc.
Dr. K R S Nair
https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Indian-Simplified-UNBURDEN-YOURSELF-ebook/dp/B0CTQTDWGK/
