'Mortification' Articles
Mortification of the flesh means putting the flesh to death. Mortification of the flesh in a ritualized setting can help people get over these bad addictions that hurt them. The practices often show that there is more to us than our desires and served as rights of passage. Am I advocating self-mortification? No. I am advocating experience. No one practice.
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” Saint Paul (Rom 8:13).
What is Mortification of the Flesh?
Mortification of the flesh means putting the flesh to death. It has been and is still practiced in all cultures in some way across the world, though the exact intention and result is often different. There is a lot of speculation in today’s world about what motivates it. Meditation is an act of mortification, yet it is a very gentle way for some. It tends to create an impassioned response either of pain or resistance, or in the Tantric case of pleasure and frustration. Though all mortification of the body seems to have a similar impact, it’s the awareness of… Seek More
Addiction vs. Practice
Mortification of the flesh to what purpose, disidentification? Yes indeed. When people still undertook it with the proper intent, but it has no merit if it’s merely a self destructive act. Are there not other ways less destructive to disidentify? Yes, and ’destructiveness’ is a key concept. It is not the key concept of self mortification. It is the red flag. In a sense when you meditate you destroy something, if only your normal routine. Your thought patterns stagger when you start watching them. Destruction isn’t by itself an evil. When we still ourselves it is like a little death,… Seek More
Practices of Mortification of the Flesh
So to speak more on mortification of the flesh practices, they often show that there is more to us than our desires. Practices served as rights of passage, much like tribal ritual scarification. It still is practiced in the Opus Dei. They are flagellates if I recall. Opus dei, work of god in Latin. Some say work of crazies? Well, in fact we will touch on that. Some form of mortification of the flesh is even practiced in non mystical sectors. It can be argued that whenever you ignore the biological needs of the body you are practicing mortification of… Seek More
Experience over Practice
So, are you advocating for self-mortification? No. I am advocating experience. No one practice. When you are impassioned, and begin cleaning house despite physical fatigue, you restructure your whole living space. You ache miserably after pushing yourself so hard, but from somewhere not explained by your body something moved you. Experience of this I see as valuable. Some say that everything is subjective, that the spiritual and moral forces have no impact on our physical life. What of those who have exceeded human limitation to protect a loved one? I also acknowledge that after you are done that it is… Seek More
Natural Rhythm
Example of a modern mortification of the flesh: caffeine. It tends to make us feel very alert, but also uncomfy. However, it is so taken for granted that it is little questioned in general and we schedule our time and lives around an unnatural rhythm. It has a positive affect for some and isn’t an evil. I use it to still my nerves, and the Buddha recommended tea. But we aren’t using it to understand a natural rhythm or to feed a natural desire, not normally. Can you define natural rhythms and desires? Biologically it has been found that we are… Seek More
Feeling Safe
It is safe to say that both mortification of the flesh and the stock market crash are manifestations of something. We learn by testing. We learn by trial, and in the past there have been trials of all kinds. Now we are putting our trade on trial. People want to feel safe and will create risk to test and see if they are safe. When you test the flesh you can see that there is more beyond flesh. For me it was my juvenile seizures, for others it may be something very different. It is like the wounded healer phenomenon, often… Seek More
Religion as Addiction
Is religion a new addiction of self image? Often times it is from my observation. This is why modern organized religion is so troubled. In one case I was taking my son to a daycare, very religious people and thought they could be trusted. They were in the atonement cycle. Turns out the male of the household was watching pornography right in front of the children. In my mothers case, she was given up for adoption to “good” “god-fearing” parents. The elder of the household was a rapist. Due to my disability my son was taken into care of the… Seek More
Virtue and Vice
Yes, I have changed. I have reached a personal crisis, and it is here that I have had every idea or belief reduced to a bottom line. My instinct is fear. Now I have transcended that fear and thus transcended my old self, but I didn’t get it from being a good boy and believing what I was told. I did try, and it drove me repeatedly to my true nature. We learn empathy not from empathy, but from our own pain. We learn truth not from being trusted, but from our own doubts. Every strength you have arose from… Seek More
