Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ 17 – Compassion Takes Guts

Ram Dass spoke eloquently of developing a spiritual practice that enables you to keep your heart open in hell. Mahayana Buddhists have the notion of Bodhisattvas, enlightened being who after countless rebirths are ready to enter into the bliss of Nirvana, but who vow not to cross over until they have assisted all sentient beings, to cross over before them.

Once in conversation with a Zen monk, and referencing the Boddhisattva concept, the monk smiled at me and replied, “Yes, but Jesus also was a great Boddhisattva.” In that moment my entire life changed as I realised we are all just ‘walking each other home’, another Ram Dass saying.

Compassion lies at the heart of all spiritual practice, in fact is the absolute validation of our journey. If my journey, religion and practice does not increase my compassion, what’s the point. If my religion makes me cruel, fearful and judgemental what’s the point?

This episode explores the way Jesus experienced compassion and unpacks some of his crazy wisdom that enabled his to say to marginalised and dispossessed people that they were “Blessed”.

This isn’t what you may think.

Karl Marx misread this ascpect and called releigion “an opiate”. He was wrong, It isn’t opium, correctly understood this crazy wisdom is dynamite!

Links:

Bodhisattva Vows

Ram Dass – Keeping your Heart open in Hell

Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ – Integration Practice 2 – Using the Cross for personal understanding of our psyche

YouTube Video
Podcast – Audio only

From the times of Emperor Constantine and the Battle of the Milvian bridge 27 October 312 CE, the cross has come to be associated with expansionism, triumphalistic Crusades, patriarchy, and at some level this cross denotes everything that is wrong with the world right now.

It would be sad if we missed the fact that the cross is more than a religious image. It is a deepy archetypal symbol embedded in the human unconscious, and can be wisely used as a symbol of intersection and integration.
This video looks at the human cruciform expansion of the healthy ego in the first half of life as we move from the Alpha point of concetion and birth.

In the second half of life, the cross invited the ego to slowly merge with the higher IAM of the true self which is the essence of LIFE that awaits us at the omega point of our dying.

I hope you find the Integration Practice useful as you become the cross you are called to carry

Links:
Vision of Constantine
Useful list of Jungian Quotes on the Christian Archetype

Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ 15 – Follow me – with YOUR Cross

The Cross as a symbol has become unanimous with the Christian Church.

In this video Peter explores the cross not as a Christian Brand mark or even as a Colonial Crusading Emblem, but rather as a integrative symbol of psychological healing.

The cross is not intended to be expanded as a symbol of global dominance, rather is it intended as a symbol of contraction and convergence to the centre point where the four axes converge.

It is the centre of the cross that is most redemptive. It is also clear that we cannot take up the Cross of Jesus in this process. We are told explicitly by Jesus to take up our OWN cross.(Mt 16)

Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ – 14 INTEGRATION Practice – “Self-enquiry”

Accompanying the Radical Christ Journey – Peter offers a series of Integration Practices to help move Information, through integration, to personal transformation.
In the first practice we travel to India and the little town of Tiruvanamallai
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiruvannamalai
the home of Ramana Maharshi who taught the Advaita method of “Self Enquiry”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-enquiry_(Ramana_Maharshi)

Simply investigating “Who am I?” can bring us to a transforming encounter with the Divine Witness that is in us and IS us. The name of God is I AM is it not?

Happy exploring…

Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ – The Only Commandment


“Love God and Love your neighbour” is for Jews and Christians the Greatest Commandment.
This Video Explores the Radical New Ethic proposed by Erich Neumann in his Book Depth Psychology and the New Ethic. (1990)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Neumann_(psychologist)

Using ancient Rabinnic Midrash methods in Hebrew Translations Neumann came up with an amazing insight into what neighbour can also be translated to mean.
In a world where the old laws and religions no longer inform and modify our behavior there is a need for a New Ethic.
No longer a dualistic and shadow projection onto an external enemy -which justifies: wars, genocide, racism and self-righteousness.
The new ethic invites us to love our own inner evil and enemy and thereby heal and save the world by saving ourselves.

Please like and subscribe this video to help get it out there.

Thank you!

Below is a podcast version of the video.

Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ – Saviours and Scapegoats

Early on in the narrative of Jesus’ ministry, the crowd want to make him King.

Both occasions are after he has miraculously fed them (John 6:12-15) and extravagantly made wine from water. (John 2:23-25).
In a publicist’s nightmare, on both occasions Jesus withdraws from the projection and idolization, “because he knew what was in people’s hearts”.

What was it that Jesus knew?

Carl Jung in his work Aion, has helped us understand the psychology of projection which I unpack in this video.

Understanding how we project our own gold out of the shadows of the unconscious can help us understand (if not desist), from falling in love, worshiping the wrong objects, and even from falling prey to scapegoating others when they don’t meet our unrealistic expectations of them.

We cannot blame the devil, nor make Jesus responsible for our salvation.

As the poet Mary Oliver says, “You are the only person you can save.”

Also available on podcast. The diagram isn’t (grin)


Posted on by Peter Woods

A Radical Christ 10- Miracles: Signs, Wonders, Power

In this episode we continue to explore the public ministry of Jesus as part of his whole life which left us an orienting map for our own journey.
What we regard as the miracles of Jesus life were not intended to be the extraordinary and illogical events we have come to believe miracles to be.
Instead these moments were the symptoms of an integrated and inclusive life that empowered ordinary people with wonder at their own being and belonging in the world.

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Posted on by Peter Woods

Radical Christ 9 The Wilderness-Ravenous Hunger and Test

Last episode we explored the wonderful Baptism of Jesus, the dove, the voice, “You are my agapeitos” (beloved child).

Why, Jesus could have been the proto Trust (fund) Kid!

How then does the same Spirit, (can you still see the dove?) “offer him up” to the Wilderness where the Devil and the Ravens rule?

This episode explores how our Wilderness times are essential counterpoints to our Baptimal blessing moments. One without the other leads to rampant, inflated egos behind picket fences, or conversely to despairing dark depressions when we recognise we can’t be love and light all the time.

Thanks to Stephen Jenkinson for some of the insights used in this talk. You can listen to his work here https://orphanwisdom.com/listen-stranger-days/

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Posted on by Peter Woods

A Radical Christ 8 – Jesus at the Jordan river

Moving into the second phase of Jesus’ life, the public ministry once more through the lens of it being an archetypal map for ours, Peter considers the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.
The Jordan is a pivotal symbol in the Abrahamic faiths, and water is a universal religious symbol for humankind.


This episode explores those themes as well as looking in the end at what parental acceptance may do to transform our lives, and if withheld do the opposite.

Here is the Podcast link if you’d rather listen than watch…