Monstaville Book I. Chapter 19

19

“Evil only gets a grip on us through our vices and through the fear with which it inspires us. The Devil hunts down those who are frightened of him, and flees from those who resist him boldly. The art of chaining up demons is to do good and fear nothing.”

- Eliphas Levi (Studies In Hermetic Tradition: The Great Secret, or Occultism Unveiled, 1868, p.80).

“Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.” - Marie Curie.

Be playful.

Be happy and radiant. Laugh at everything. Laugh at your own foolishness and weaknesses. Laugh at those of others. See it as one mighty joke.

Life and growth are always a challenge. They are an adventure. If you enjoy the challenge, then you enjoy life.

"One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure." - William Feather.

Take Pigsy, for example. When he messes with the water and makes my shower go very hot and very cool, it is a good thing. His motives are negative. His intention is negative. Yet, you experience it as a good thing. You can use hot water for one thing and the cool for another. Each has its uses; you just have to see them and adapt. Look at what is presented to you and use it. Some you can avoid or ignore. It is not that you must embrace all or even any of it. Just quietly look at it and see if you can use and appreciate any of it. And know that, even if you can’t, it s there for a reason and has its purpose in your life. Accept it. Send light to it. Even be grateful for it and say to the gods: ‘I do not understand the significance or benefit of this experience but I trust that it exists for my growth and I thank you. Amen.’

Pigsy enjoys having physical power over you, so you must enjoy sending your spiritual power to him! Receive his negative, destructive energy and send him your positive, creative energy. That way all will be transformed. Accept all and send out light.

"Life is a game in which the rules are constantly changing; nothing spoils a game more than those who take it seriously. Adultery? Phooey! You should never subjugate yourself to another nor seek the subjugation of someone else to yourself. If you follow that Crispian principle you will be able to say 'Phooey,' too, instead of reaching for your gun when you fancy yourself betrayed." - Quentin Crisp.

Warrior by day. Scholar by night.

When you wake up in the morning you must prepare yourself to meet life’s challenges. Above all, you must have mental poise and you must be able to express your power and individuality.

You must control your thoughts and centre your feelings. Do not waste your energy on fears, worries and anxieties even if Pigsy tries to torment you from the moment you wake up! Rise above it! Use it as a reminder to be mindful, to tune into your spirit, centre yourself, protect yourself, know your power and be practical in your approach to life’s problems. Be confident that you can deal with all these problems - Pigsy and debts.

Relax and be at peace. Be strong. Have courage (and faith).

In Search of the Miraculous. Volume 1 by Osho (Chapter 4, ‘Meditation is Death and Resurrection,’ 3 May 1970, Rajneesh Foundation, Pune, India, 1984).

Man faces the same danger in relation to meditation. The same friend also asks why one should take the risk if the danger is so obvious. It is necessary to understand it in some depth.

                The truth is that the more we risk, the more we live dangerously, the more we are alive. And the more we are afraid, the more we are dead. In fact the dead have absolutely no dangers to face. The one big danger that the dead don't have to face is that they cannot die again. He alone can die who is alive. And the more alive he is, the more intensely he can meet death.

                There is a rock somewhere, and very close to it a flower has bloomed. The rock can say to the flower, ‘How stupid you are. Why do you take the risk of becoming a flower? Don't you know you will wither away before sundown?’

                There is a great danger in being a flower really. But there is no danger in being a rock. When the flower will have withered away in the evening, the rock will be lying intact in its place. The rock does not have to face much danger, because it is not that alive. The more alive one is, the greater the danger.

                A person is in danger only to the extent he is alive. The more alive he is, the more the danger. Meditation is the greatest danger there is, because meditation is the door which leads to the attainment of the most profound in life - the supreme.

                But the friend wants to know why one should go for it at all if there is danger. I say, one should go precisely because there is danger. And I say, don't go where there is no danger. Never go if there is no danger, because there is nothing but death. And go you must if there is danger, because the possibility of life abundant exists there.

                But we are all fond of security. We are afraid of the dangers of insecurity, we run away from it, we hide ourselves from it. And thus we lose life itself in the bargain. Many people lose life in trying to save it. They alone live life who don't save it, who live with abandon, who live dangerously. There is danger indeed, and that is why you should go for it. And it is the greatest possible danger.

                Climbing Everest is not that dangerous. To reach the moon too, is not so dangerous, although only recently a few astronauts lost their way to it. The danger is great, but this danger is confined to the body; only the body is changed through death. But the danger in meditation is greater than in going to the moon.

                But why are we so afraid of danger? Have you ever thought why we fear danger so much? It is ignorance that is behind all such fear. We fear that we may come to an end; we fear we may disappear; we fear we may die. So we do everything to protect, to secure, to fortify, to enclose and to hide ourselves from dangers. We do everything to run away from them; we plunge down every avenue of escape we know.

“The psychic task which a person can and must set for himself is not to feel secure, but to be able to tolerate insecurity.” - Erich Fromm.

Retrospective inserts.

In Touch with Raynor C. Johnson by Sheila Gwillam (Light Publishing, London, U.K., 1996).

p.184. The love energy and absent healing we send to people is received like deposited pockets of energy which are then channelled by a soul’s helpers in appropriate doses. If they use higher energies “before the being’s system is ready to contain it, it can overstimulate the being and stir them up so their weaknesses.” If someone has committed a crime and does not know what all the fuss is about then some of that energy can be used to help them grow in understanding what they have done and why they are being punished. “A little light will have to grow within them a little bit at a time as they grow each day.”

Instead of moving from one wound to another, advises Zapharia, “focus straight ahead on joy.” It is very simple she says. Zapharia explains that joy is increasing on the planet and will continue to do so. Higher energies are here now. We should, if we want to feel more joy, take advantage of it and “be the guardian of it on a daily basis.” We have “got used to a certain limit.” We don’t think we’re allowed more joy.

“Joy is a fuel of your heart. Joy is a fuel of your life. And when you are in joy, and when you have generated a high level of joy inside yourself, it is very difficult to be penetrated by negative energy. When you have learnt to generate and maintain as much joy as I am speaking of - and this is the path of those who have gone through the awakening state you would know as enlightenment - it does not mean they are always ‘high as a kite,’ let me quantify, but it does mean that there is a level at which the negative energy of others no longer penetrates because the negative energy of others is no longer needed for a lesson...

                Ask yourself how willing you are to experience joy on a daily basis. For, the greatest thing that comes up for many when I pose that question...is a fear - a fear of joy, a fear of that much joy. For, life would greatly change. Life as you know it would greatly change. Overnight, life could change if you were full of joy. Of course - of course, if you are not full of joy now, it stands to reason and logic that, yes, it would be a difficult life. But, just think about what I am saying for a moment because, when you selfishly get in service to joy, everything changes around you and things move very, very quickly...inviting joy into your life is the greatest key to awakening for those who have gone through what I would call the lower levels of wounding, the release of many of the human patterns, many of the human emotions...

                Joy, for you, will be very much about what you need, who you are and what you came here to explore and discover. Only you will know what your joy is and only you will be the one responsible for guiding yourself toward it.”

                - Zapharia (channelled through Lee Harris in Brighton, Sussex. An extract from a talk titled ‘Living Joyfully,’  www.limitlessness.com).

“I'm thinking...I must try to stay fun for serious things!!!!” - A friend.

The Duel.

Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson): Right Baldrick, now here's the plan. When he offers me the swords, I kick him in the nuts and you set fire to the building. In the confusion we claim a draw.

Baldrick (Tony Robinson): Yes.

The Duke of Wellington (Stephen Fry): Ah, Your Highness. Let's be about our business.

Blackadder: Now don't forget Baldrick. You [Motions the striking of a match] when I [Raises knee].

Wellington: Come sir. Choose your stoker.

[Wellington holds out a case containing two pink, fluffy cannon stokers]

Blackadder: What, are we going to tickle each other to death?

Wellington: No sir. We fight with cannon.

Blackadder: But I thought we were fighting with swords.

Wellington: Swords! What do you think this is, the middle ages? Only girls fight with swords these days. Stand by your gun sir. Hup two three. Hup two three.

Blackadder: Wait a minute, what the...

Wellington: Stand by cannon for loading procedure...Stoke. Muzzle. Wrench. [Carries on in this way while Blackadder is talking] Crank the storm barrel. Pull tee bar.

Blackadder: ‘Congratulations on choosing the Armstrong Whitworth four-pounder cannonette. Please read the instructions carefully and it should give years of trouble free maiming.’

Wellington: Check elevation. Chart trajectory. Prime fuse. Aim...

Blackadder: Look, wait a minute.

Wellington: FIRE!

[The cannon fires. Blackadder drops to the ground. Mournful music strikes up]

Baldrick: Mr. B., Mr. B.! Sir, please help me get his coat off.

Blackadder: Leave it Baldrick. It doesn't matter.

Baldrick: Yes it does. Blood's hell to shift. I want to get it in to soak.

Wellington: You die like a man sir. In combat.

Blackadder: You think so? Dammit, we must build a better world. When will the killing end?

Wellington: You don't think I too dream of peace? You don't think that I too yearn to end this damn dirty job we call soldiering?

Blackadder: Frankly, no. My final wish on this Earth is that Baldrick be sold, to provide funds for a Blackadder foundation to promote peace, and to do research into the possibility of an automatic machine for cleaning shoes. And so I charge... [Slumps back]

Wellington: His Highness is dead.

Blackadder: [The music scratches to a halt] Actually, I'm not sure I am. Fortunately that cigarillo box you gave me was placed exactly at the point where the cannon-ball struck. [Produces a very dented case]. I always said smoking was good for you.

Blackadder: Ah ha ha. Honour is satisfied. God clearly preserves you for greatness. His Highness is saved. Hurrah.

- Blackadder the Third (Series 3, Episode 6, ‘Duel and Duality,’ written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, BBC TV, 1987).