Saturday, January 6, 2018

Commentary on Meditations: B9:24-27

Children's tantrums and toys, 'tiny spirits carrying corpses' the Underworld in the Odyssey strikes more real!

Go straight to the qualifying cause and examine it separately from the material element. Then establish the maximum time for which this individual thing thus qualified can by its nature subsist.

You have endured innumerable troubles by not leaving your directing mind to do the work it was made for. But enough.

When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you. But you should still be kind to them. They are by nature your friends, and the gods too help them in various ways - dreams and divination - at least to the objects of their concern.

Illusions - things that aren't real.  They are constructs of your mind and are not Truth.  In the first passage, Marcus reminds us that scary fiction is more fearful than meager tantrums from children.  Regardless, they are both imaginary constructs.

With regard to these illusions, turn it around - observe it.  Ask yourself how long it can survive on it's own without any mental support or attention from you.  The answer should be: "not long."

So many illusions you have created on your own by not training your hegemonikon.

More illusions are created (in your mind) when you fail to get into the mental shoes of others.  Likely, the other person does not have the mental ability to speak with reason and so they may have lashed out in hate or blame or pettiness.  But, keep digging and if you're sharp, you can figure out a way to give them the benefit of the doubt and perhaps even teach and help them.

(see also Citadel p. 41, 66, 167, 217, 271)

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