Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex

From an early age, we like to formulate our own identities from the world around us and create appearances of how we would like to see ourselves, and we go about making ourselves “seen” in the world through our own personal images reflected back to us through the perceived notion of others. This process of “seeing” ourselves reflected in the world as an adolescent or adult has its problems, based on the premise that we want to see ourselves based on the things which appeal to us in the world, so it’s certainly possible that an undesirable type of self-serving and vanity driven social identity could develop. True encounters in life can’t be manufactured, and since so much of our lives are affected by the subconscious and unexpected, it’s only a matter of time until one is faced with the conundrum of either fighting for or fleeing from one’s own real self.

If our values and motives are based on nothing more than imitations of our own projected self, then in moments of crisis and conflict, we’ll find out (quite shockingly) how empty and impotent we really are. If our values are nothing more than a conformity to peer pressure and vanity, then we find out how easily our desires propel us down into the realm of self-destruction. When unexpected situations force us to look deep within ourselves, what can be revealed can be quite ugly and difficult to accept; and consequently, be the basis for trauma. For those who refuse to re-expose themselves and deal with their own darkness, emptiness and misery will ensue while they hopelessly try to seek fulfillment among the addictive and vain attachments to the world.

Some of the afflictions of those who deny the realities of their true selves will typically confuse pride with love, where they “give” with the expectation of receiving a commodity of greater value with the like of authority, positions of power and vain glory. They may cling to what they fear losing and feel unsatisfied regardless whatever is given in return. They may typically act as pure-bred victims, feeling totally dependent and exploited according to the whims of the world. Some may fantasize that sexuality has some sort of mysterious secret which will somehow relieve their social emptiness and ultimately release them of their fears in life and of their own mortality in death. Among all, is the deep loneliness which accompanies everyone who experiences the spiritual pain of losing one’s true-self.

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