#upperworld

[precodesoul]

Mary Astor photographed by Scotty Welbourne for the film Upperworld (1934)

[stillaintnolady]

Dramatic Ginger

[eclecticoccult]

Upper Wisdom and Lower Wisdom

I've been doing a lot more contemplating on the idea of the 6 cardinal directions; the og four (east, south, west, and north) as well as above and below. I think they're more pervasive than I thought. I reference the four directions a lot in my practice, letting them represent the four elements we each have to nurture and balance within us to life a fulfilling life. But I'm wondering where the above and below fit into this paradigm.

This is something I use a lot in my tarot readings. Reading cards, we move left to right like a sentence. If we place a card behind our focus, it symbolizes the past, and vice versa with the future. I often feel called to place cards above or below a card to uncover more upper wisdom or lower wisdom.

I found my favorite definitions not even in a "witchy," book, but from psychologist Bill Plotkin in Nature and the Human Soul. He has several passages devoted to each, but here's the highlight reel;

"Upperworld denotes transpersonal states of consciousness identified with spirit and characterized by unity, grace, bliss, transcendence, emptiness, light, enlightenment, the celestial realm, and pure awareness. During upperworld experiences, consciousness communes with or merges with spirit, in this way disidentifying from all personal and cultural beliefs, goals, desires, and attachments. Here the conscious self is transcended.

[...]

Underworld signifies transpersonal states of consciousness and identity associated with soul and character ized ny depth, darkness, demons, that daemon, the subconscious, sacred woundings, dreams, the unknown or not-yet-known,shadow, death, and visions of personal and cultural destiny. This is Hades, the domain of soul encounter, the realm in which the conscious self is deepened and matured."

We all have the four elements within us which on their own can also be polarized into yin and yang. We each have a balance of yin (the synergy of water and earth) and yang (the conjunction of fire and air) that needs maintained. Upper and lower wisdom feels like something outside of ourselves.

Upper wisdom is what calls us to connect to each other. It's our collective empathy with Palestine. It's giving a dollar to a homeless person. It's baking a birthday cake for a child you don't really know. It's that toy that reminds you of that one time with your sister. It's what drives you out of your house even after you've had a really really bad day because you promised your best buddy you'd go to the club.

Even though lower wisdom and the underworld can also be conceptualized as our innermost souls, our darkest depth of shadow, our wild human nature is something that is only bestowed upon us. We have no control over it, we have no say in what it does. Our emotions are natural. Every time I go on a vision quest I find incredible things, images and pictures I never expected my brain to be able to dream up. I'm always blown away by my own psyche. I don't understand it, but we don't need to because the beauty is in the journey. Lower wisdom is our destiny calling to us through the fog and folds of time and space.

[kingsbridgelibraryteens]

Libraries and Librarians On Film: Upperworld (1934)

Andy Devine plays a chauffeur who has very definite ideas on the types of women that can be found at the public library!

BONUS:

[sow-hat1960]

Mary Astor (°May 3, 1906 - +September 25, 1987)

With Warren William in Upperworld

[villagewellness]

A beautiful start to our shamanic apprenticeship weekend! #pachakutimesatradition #mesa #shamanism #upperworld #apus #mountains (at Village Wellness) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDozaHAj7ug/?igshid=18lp7cz4zd1f

[letterboxd-loggd]

Upperworld (1934) Roy Del Ruth

February 11th 2020

[lisa-del-giudice-posts]

https://laitman.com/2019/01/principle-of-passing-to-the-upper-world/ Principle Of Passing To The Upper WorldPosted on January 8th, 2019   Rabash, “The Agenda of the Assembly – 1,” Article No. 17, Part 2: …everyone should examine himself and see how much effort he is giving to the society. Then, when they see that you are powerless to do anything for the society, there is room for prayer to the Creator to help you, and give you strength and desire to engage in love of others .…everyone should examine himself and see how much effort he is giving to the society. Then, when they see that you are powerless to do anything for the society, there is room for prayer to the Creator to help you, and give you strength and desire to engage in love of others.

Question: Rabash advises constantly trying to take care of society. Does it mean that he deliberately brings us to the wall of hopelessness?

Answer: Pointing to the need to exert all of a person’s efforts for society’s benefit, Rabash leads us to the understanding that it is impossible to serve society selflessly. Even if we talk about this with other people, they will say, “Why not? This is what we do.” Yet, in principle, it is impossible.

We need to gradually get used to uncovering the threshold that you cannot cross. However, this threshold must exist so that you would want to cross it, although you cannot.

Our problem is that we do not want this crossing, we do not touch it at all. The Kabbalist teachers are pushing us forward, “Go. Try. Pass this obstacle, as if you can exit yourself, as if you can enter society, think about it, love it and not yourself, give to it and not to yourself. Try again and again.

”Why? It is for you to know this boundary clearly marked by your egoism: you can act inside it, and outside of it, you have no strengths and opportunities. Then at the same time, you will understand that you need to overcome this boundary, but you do not know how to. Here you begin to ask, and then a prayer appears.

The principle is simple: In order to enter the spiritual world, you need the help of the Creator. The Creator gives help only when you ask Him. You can only ask when you really want it. You can only want it when you tried many times to achieve it and made sure that you want to, but can’t. That is where we start.

These are all consecutive actions that a person must go through before entering the upper world.