Carrying the Cross

Siddhananda: (Showing a small round pink stone) (long pause with closed eyes) i see someone with a cross on their back.

G: Aha. (pause) So, why are they dragging that cross?

Siddhananda: In the heat and uphill and all that.

G: Right, right. They're putting themselves through that. (pause) So, why are they doing that, austerities?

Siddhananda: (long pause with closed eyes) Just hardship, hardship.

G: Aha.

Siddhananda: "Hardship is the way, right?" they are saying.

G: Well, there is a hard [way], but, if he is taking it on himself, and it's not the natural thing that's coming, then, he's just burning in, giving a burden to himself that he doesn't need to carry. Christ already carried that cross.

Siddhananda: (long pause) Okay, he did set it down.

G: Yeah.

Siddhananda: (pause) Okay, he's walking. He does look like maybe he's also from that time. [He's] got the (moving hands around the torso indicate some type of clothing from that time).

G: Yeah, from that time.

Siddhananda: Yeah, and he's got that outfit on with the little rope belt and the robe and sandals and things.

G: Right, he was probably a monk of Franciscan friar or something.

Siddhananda: That's sounds right, yeah.

G: And, he's been doing all these austerities for all this time.

Siddhananda: That sounds right about him.

G: Yeah, very old Franciscan.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: Franciscan monk.

Siddhananda: Right. So, that's a heavy tradition in that way.

G: Yeah.

Siddhananda: In what they were doing.

G: Yeah, some of them did a lot of self flagellation and stuff in order to become like Christ, but, that's not the way you have to become like Christ.

Siddhananda: Yeah, and as you are speaking, i do see that imagery of Christ with the thorns and blood.

G: Right.

Siddhananda: Like that was the way, hurt yourself.

G: They're more into suffering.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: Suffering. Why are you not into the risen Christ? Do you not want to know the risen Christ?

Siddhananda: (pasue) "I just know suffering," he's saying.

G: Yeah.

Spirit: I know just to bear suffering.

G: Right right.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: So, we're going to send in Christ to him to give him the message of letting go of that, that there's the risen Christ, you don't stay stuck in the suffering Christ. (smiling)

Siddhananda: (pause) Okay. So, Christ is appearing, almost like in a teaching manner with his hand out like he's giving some teaching there.

G: Yeah, we have to surrender into Christ. And we do walk, in a sense, that path of Christ, but, when you're taking unnecessary burden, that's not beneficial.

Siddhananda: Right, they come in the way, the course of it.

G: It will come of it's own course.

Siddhananda: Yeah, exactly.

G: But, you don't push it to become that suffering persona.

Siddhananda: Oh, absolutely.

G: Yeah.

Siddhananda: Gosh, it's enough without [any pushing]. (light laughter)

G: [It's] something different.

Siddhananda: Yeah. (pause) So, Christ is there, like i say, in a teaching pose. (pause) That other one has a darker energy, it's a darker feeling. I can see some blood in it.

G: Yeah.

Siddhananda: It's moving.

G: He's been so stuck in the suffering and stuff. He's so stuck in that suffering ideation.

Siddhananda: It's got such a feeling to it that is just not healthy.

G: Right, it isn't a healthy thing.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: They really get stuck in that and they don't go on to push through that to the risen [Christ].

Siddhananda: That's what's so unfortunate.

G: Freedom.

Siddhananda: Right, and that's what's so unfortunate. And i think in their hearts they love Christ dearly.

G: Right.

Siddhananda: But, they just take that, just that part of it on.

G: Right, i want to be like Christ.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: If you really want to be like Christ, then you have to accept the rising. You have to accept the regeneration, not stay stuck in the suffering. For what reason?

Siddhananda: Yeah, really just to hurt themselves on and on for all eternity.

G: Right.

Siddhananda: And as you're speaking, i do see Christ there. I do see light around that darkness with the blood. It's trying to get in there (long pause) And Christ is almost rising up with that light and is coming down in there and it's definitely penetrating in there. Thank goodness, for this energy.

G: Yeah, he (the spirit) needs to clean that out.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: And he needs to let go of that and go forward.

Siddhananda: I do again see that image of Christ with thorns, but, it's changing, it's starting to get more distant and more hazy.

G: Right.

Siddhananda: The best way to say, that's how you could say that, is it's dissolving.

G: It's going through transmutation.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: You'll go through a transmutation to the risen Christ.

Siddhananda: That's it, so, that's happening and i think he's very blessed to have that there and it was not by his own, i don't what to say choice, i mean he's open, but, it just had to come to him that way.

G: Right.

Siddhananda: Or otherwise i don't think he would have.

G: It didn't click with him.

Siddhananda: It didn't click.

G: He got stuck in that and they got stuck in that sense of i have to surrender and suffer. Christ suffered, so i'm going to take on. It's almost like they're trying to take on Christ’s suffering so that Christ doesn't suffer, but, it doesn't work that way.

Siddhananda: Yeah, how could it.

G: It doesn't work that way.

Siddhananda: It just doesn't make sense.

G: I want to emulate Christ, therefore i have to suffer. Well, no. Christ said forgive them for they know not what they do, and he went onward to be the risen. He didn't stay in that suffering.

Siddhananda: He suffered so humanity wouldn't have to suffer like that.

G: Exactly.

Siddhananda: So, they could have a path and get out of that.

G: Exactly.

Siddhananda: So, that's there and it's going to be a bit long, because this is a heavy, long standing.

G: Right, he's in this for a very very long time. This guy was probably from early Fransican's.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: Very early.

Siddhananda: Right.

G: When they first started that order.

Siddhananda: Right, and which is just an intense, an austere living.

G: Right, Very hard.

Siddhananda: But, you're meant to go beyond the austerities.

G: Right.

Siddhananda: The austerities come on their own.

G: They come on their own. It's not something you force that you are going to punish yourself.

Siddhananda: Right.

G: That's almost like you're punishing yourself.

Siddhananda: Right. It's a different thing.

G: No. Christ never wanted somebody to sit there and take a whip and flagellate (gesturing whipping)

Siddhananda: Yeah, no.

G: And beat themselves with it or take this on like this.

Siddhananda: Did he ever do that.

G: That was never what his message was.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: It was never that message. He never gave that message ever.

Siddhananda: And, he never did it himself, so, you look at his path.

G: Exactly.

Siddhananda: He never did that to himself.

G: Exactly.

Siddhananda: It's not what you do.

G: He was not punishing himself.

Siddhananda: No.

G: He walked the path he had to walk, just like we walk the path we have to walk and that stuff comes on its own.

Siddhananda: Yeah.

G: But, we're not sitting there saying "jee, let me make myself suffer" (gesturing whipping) (laughing)

Siddhananda: No. You got to look at how you perpetuate suffering. That's a different thing than taking on this whole trying to hurt yourself.

G: Right. Exactly.

Siddhananda: i'm glad that came out because that's a good. Really good pointings there. (moving the stone over to the healing center).

G: So, we'll leave him at the healing center for a while.

Siddhananda: Okay.

G: Yeah.

Siddhananda: So, we'll put him over there. We have few over there, which is good.

G: Yeah, we got a few in the healing center that are being worked with.

Siddhananda: Yeah, and they're in good hands and shape and form.