Clarification
I was really only focusing on the circular reasoning and rationale.
In all fairness, I was reminded today that the entire spiritual process, and the intent of the MP is to drive one to go within and connect with one's own inner spiritual aspect, and determine what is not working correctly and address it. Which in the end, is not about the outer master / Gary, but that inner connection. In line with that, what Gary likely intended to say by his comments was not so much putting the outer master before one's family, but putting the inner master 1st, so as to guide you with your family in the best manner possible. If he meant otherwise then I have trouble with that, as anybody should or would. --If he didn't say it that way, then that is not the chela's fault for misinterpreting it, the fault lies with Gary, since it leaves misunderstanding a greater likelihood to occur. Sometimes the teacher is the problem, there does need to be some accountability for how things are taken if things are mentioned in a haphazard manner. --I've had to learn that when I was instructor why shouldn't Gary?
If you get that inner connection and it works for you, guides you and protects you in your life, and you gain by that in consciousness and otherwise, then I say power up and drive on and you roll with that. However if one does sincerely attempt this inner or outer connection and you get screwed by it, then it should not be followed, it is not an inner or outer master worth following, IMO.
That being said, it could be argued that even my extremely tough set of experiences / circumstances was intended to do that, and it was just my "karma" that was s**t. Additionally when I finally left that it could be argued that the time had come for me to leave the outer path and not to rely on the outer master any further but to stick to & maintain my connection with the inner master. And that it was/is my responsibility to respond dispassionately to my challenges, not letting anger, or any other emotion get the better of me as a result, no matter how vulnerable I was or may still be. Admittedly sometimes that is tougher to do, than to say. The point is to truly see what the cause was/is, since I would surely not be 1st cause in my own life but merely an emotional viewpoint / stance that I was locked into. Assuming that I didn't want to be pissed off for the remainder of my life, which I can honestly attest that I did not want, nor desire to be trapped by.
In the end we can all sit around and b***h & moan, righteous indignation, (e.g. play the victim), etc...my own attitude included. There can be a variety of reasons and rationales we can give ourselves to stay locked into that emotional stance, feelings of being victimized by another, etc...and it is the path of least resistance, and an easy one to fall into.
Look if I was naive (see ignorant) about people taking advantage of another, or even myself, when they're in a vulnerable space, emotionally, spiritually, or otherwise and this experience was what I needed to have to see it within myself, then so be it, that's just the way it came down for me and perhaps for others. Either way I am better served by accepting that truth than denying it.Educational -yes, bitter experience -yes, learning opportunity -yes, tough -yes, heartrending -yes. Can I allow those attitudes to stay and infect me negatively -sorry no I can't afford it so that means I've got to cowboy up to the situation, let go of what has happened and my responding to it negatively and drive on. I can't change the past, I can only manage the current attitude that I maintain, the best way that I can.
Whether rich or poor, fat or skinny, or whatever our outer lives are like we do manage to create our own realities, or more accurately the quality of our experiences and the quality of our lives by extension by the attitudes we maintain. --Like I said before not everything Gary has said is necessarily wrong, so I am not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Like anything else though take the good, and chuck the rest. We all have to move on with our lives, even those who've left the MP and may still have hard feelings towards Gary or the MP, it just won't do us any good, or provide any value, since it will only leave one bitter in the end. - I should know it's been ~3 years since I left, and it has taken time just to get to this point. Whatever does that in a constructive and positive manner is likely best.
Roll on, and keep the moss off your rock. Cheers.
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