EN
PTArtwork from Chapter 9
Aqui está uma lista de todas as obras de arte citadas no capítulo. Elas são exibidas em cores na sequência em que aparecem no livro para aqueles com cópias Kindle que desejam ouvir o livro em Kindle e ver as figuras aqui.
Man as a Bridge Towards the Divine
Artist: AI Generated for this edition at least.
Source; License: Source: Gemini. Copyright: André Cesta.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: “Man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Superman--a rope over an abyss. A dangerous crossing, a dangerous wayfaring, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting. What is great in man is that he is a bridge and not a goal” from “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
Book Excerpt
This quote serves as a perfect introduction. If man is a bridge spanning the chasm between the animal and the superhuman, divine, what is left behind? And what awaits on the other side?
Ulysses Walks into the Light
Artist: Kristina Kurilionok.
Source; License: Ilustração comissionada para o livro. Permissão para partilha concedida, desde que os devidos créditos ao artista e ao livro sejam apresentados claramente abaixo da imagem.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: Here, our Greek hero, Ulysses, escapes the dark cave of a one-eyed ogre, symbolising a departure from ignorance.
Book Excerpt
The cyclops name Polyphemus means: “abounding in songs and legends”, “many-voiced” or “very famous”.
Funny name: “abounding in songs or legends”. One of my favourite definitions of ego is: ego is made out of stories we tell ourselves. Ego is indeed full of stories about who I am; what I promise I will do. These are identity creating stories; charged with emotions. Slimy stories that stick around; building one over the other. For instance, when we ruminate happenings of the past trying to fix them, that is typically our ego setting the story straight instead of our consciousness trying to face our shadow and deconstruct or integrate...
The Grip of Internal Voices
Artist: Kristina Kurilionok.
Source; License: Ilustração comissionada para o livro. Permissão para partilha concedida, desde que os devidos créditos ao artista e ao livro sejam apresentados claramente abaixo da imagem.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: One of my favourite definitions of ego is: ego is made out of stories we tell ourselves.
Book Excerpt
Ego is indeed full of stories about who I am; what I promise I will do. These are identity creating stories; charged with emotions. Slimy stories that stick around; building one over the other. For instance, when we ruminate happenings of the past trying to fix them, that is typically our ego setting the story straight instead of our consciousness trying to face our shadow and deconstruct or integrate. In our times, when a high-school girl says she wants to be a cheerleader or model to achieve popularity, that is often one such slimy stories.
Ulysses and his companions blinding Polyphemus
Artist: Laconian black-figure cup, 565-560 BC.
Source; License: Cabinet des médailles - Bibliothèque nationale de France. Source: Wikipedia. License: public domain.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: With the cyclops drunk in sleep, Ulysses pokes the single eye of the ego-resembling-creature with a wooden stake or spear prepared on fire.
Book Excerpt
With the cyclops drunk in sleep, Ulysses pokes the single eye of the ego-resembling-creature with a wooden stake or spear prepared on fire. This act symbolises the kundalini fire energy raising through the spine and eliminating all darkness, and blindness (the single-eyed, egotic way of seeing). When the kundalini reaches the head chakra the person is fully conscious (this chapter), when it reaches the crown chakra the person transcends his condition (next chapter).
A Ladder to the Divine
Artist: Annie-b.
Source; License: Illustration commissioned for the book.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: In a way, the Greeks used their deities as a ladder to heaven (or bridge into the divine as in Nietzsche). A ladder to a higher state of consciousness of self-knowledge, self-awareness.
Book Excerpt
If a person imagines a god seeing all he does. Isn’t that like the person being more aware of his actions? More mindful? More conscious? Conscious in a different way? Does it matter much if I see a god/God who sees and knows what I do. Or whether I see myself what I am doing? Self-awareness. Isn’t one a bridge to the other?.
Stupa and its Many Levels
Artist: Photography by Andr´ Augusto Cesta.
Source; License: Source: Photo taken by the author in Kathmandu, Nepal. Copyright: André Cesta.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: Buddha and many yogis are depicted with one or more knots of hair over their heads. Like another level of consciousness above the ordinary one.
Book Excerpt
Buddha and many yogis are depicted with one or more knots of hair over their heads. Like another level of consciousness above the ordinary one. Akin to a deity observing us from above. The stupa also has a multi-level arrangement in its architectural shape.
Stages in the Evolution of Consciousness
Artist: AI Generated for this edition at least.
Source; License: Source: Gemini. Copyright: André Cesta.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: A child in union with his mother; the development of ego; theory of mind; other forms of consciousness; and the adding of layer upon layer and their subsequent removal, transparency, or integration.
Book Excerpt
Ego and ‘learning what the wise would do’ are layers of consciousness built by adding concepts to our mind. They aim at building a better version of ourselves.
This modus operandi of adding more to oneself is the modus operandi of the ego, it keeps adding medals to its chest and promising itself more. Conceptualizing oneself is self-limiting. Why doing that to oneself when a better alternative is within reach?
An Athlete Runs with a new Medal on his Chest
Artist: AI Generated for this edition at least.
Source; License: Source: Gemini. Copyright: André Cesta.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: Notice the tension in the face and hands.
Book Excerpt
Ego and ‘learning what the wise would do’ are layers of consciousness built by adding concepts to our mind. They aim at building a better version of ourselves.
This modus operandi of adding more to oneself is the modus operandi of the ego, it keeps adding medals to its chest and promising itself more. Conceptualizing oneself is self-limiting. Why doing that to oneself when a better alternative is within reach?
An Athlete sits Still, in the Dark
Artist: AI Generated for this edition at least.
Source; License: Source: Gemini. Copyright: André Cesta.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description: An athlete sits still, in the dark. And with relaxation, looks at himself with new eyes. He sees the illusion of self, time, space. He is no longer the runner he was a second ago. His medals, conquests do not matter. All that matters is here and now. A coach takes note of the progress.
Book Excerpt
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Airman's Odyssey.
Ulysses and his companions burn Polyphemus' single eye
Artist: Kristina Kurilionok.
Source; License: Ilustração comissionada para o livro. Permissão para partilha concedida, desde que os devidos créditos ao artista e ao livro sejam apresentados claramente abaixo da imagem.
Chapter: 9 Consciousness and the Divine: Exploring Greek Gods, Yoga and Enlightenment
Description:
Book Excerpt
With the cyclops drunk asleep, Ulysses pokes the single eye of this ego-resembling-creature with a wooden stake or spear prepared on fire. This act symbolises the kundalini fire energy rising through the spine, eliminating all darkness, neurosis, and blindness (burning the single-eyed, egoic way of seeing). When the kundalini reaches the head chakra, the person is fully conscious (as discussed in this chapter), and when it reaches the crown chakra the person transcends his condition (as covered in the next chapters)..