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Procedures
to consider before starting out on pilgrimage The basic
idea of pilgrimage is simple to understand. An individual experiences
herself, consciously or sub-consciously, in an undesirable (i.e. an unhappiness
generating) situation. Let’s call it (initial or start) state A. Her
pilgrimage begins if and when she quits state A and begins the process of
attaining a desirable (i.e. happiness) situation. Let’s call the desirable (end)
state B. Her pilgrimage has ended if and when she reaches (in fact becomes,
because she is actually transforming her self) state B. Before
setting out, that is to say, before attempting to change states, the smart
pilgrim 1.
observes her current state A in fine detail to understand clearly the
cause or causes of the unhappiness (i.e. often presenting as depression) of
her current state, 2.
decides (indeed imagines, or accepts) a state B which she believes,
or which she is told will return her to happiness (i.e. elation, i.e. an energy
surge often experienced as enlightenment).
Note, since all mental
(i.e. ideational) actions (for instance, thoughts) are real (i.e. the affects
of real interactions of electrons, chemicals and so on), imagining (the goal already) produces (the goal as a) reality. 3.
decides (or accepts, as in a religious pilgrimage) the means of
attaining the happy state/reality B 4.
acquires those means 5.
practices those means to perfection 6.
anticipates the personal and interpersonal consequences of her change
of state 7.
makes a will (this is very important, specifically for wholly
dedicated pilgrims) since all pilgrimages are dangerous; in fact, the
successful pilgrim does not return). Since the
pilgrim comes to (momentary, or short term) rest at/as (end) state B,
she does not, in fact cannot return to (initial or start) state A. In
other words, (in principle) the successful pilgrim does not return home. That
must be clearly grasped by the pilgrim. In the
everyday world, the successful pilgrim may return to her place or state of
origin but will do so more or less changed, sometimes changed beyond
recognition. That has serious consequences, for she will more often than not
be met with a firewall of envy, jealousy, mistrust and even hatred. In
anticipation of this, the successful pilgrim intent on returning to her
environment of origin disguises herself, at least initially. The
unsuccessful pilgrim returns home to her initial state A or to an alternate,
equally undesirable state A1. Indeed, the unsuccessful pilgrim she
never actually left home (and which is why she was unsuccessful). Or she
returns having either faked a successful outcome to her pilgrimage, or
invented a good story that distracts attention from the fact that she failed. If the
pilgrim does not define a clean image of her goal, that is to say, to her end
state, and of the means to it, and of the time and effort needed to reach
that goal, then she will fail, though she may experience much elation
(provided by steps made either on the inner or the outer pilgrimage) while
trying. Running off half cocked, without knowing why, without knowing where
to go and without have the means of accomplishment, and which includes having
or developing absolute faith in her ability to reach that goal and the
intention and ability to persevere, no matter what, leads to failure. That’s
obvious, though not to the vast majority of pilgrims who do actually fail to
achieve, or who achieve momentarily and then lose it. It’s because
most pilgrims (in the end all pilgrims) fail (i.e. to perform the final, the
outer pilgrimage to perfection) that clever and compassionate humans have
invented a wide variety of fake pilgrimages (such as games; such as
journeying to religious ‘holy’ places). These are constructed in such a
manner as to allow just about everyone to achieve a goal and enjoy the
elation (read: enlightenment, and the joy or rapture as which it is
interpreted) resulting from (function) completion, i.e. from ending (any
process of becoming). In some
cases (for instance, on reaching Santiago de Compostella), the pilgrim is
‘rewarded’ with a certificate or medal (i.e. a shell) – elsewhere a college
degree, or a Nobel Prize, or a Gold Medal at the Olympics - and which serve
to confirm the successful conclusion of the pilgrimage. In medieval times,
religious pilgrims to (allegedly) ‘Holy Places’, such as Rome and Jerusalem,
returned with souvenirs, and which were later touted as relics. Secular
pilgrims to Egypt returned with mummies and anything else they could rob from
the graves they found.
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