Section Eta  Lesson One: Implications For Mental Health  The Concept of Health  Throughout history, humans have struggled within mental prisons of their own making. The legacy of judgment, misunderstanding, and distortion befalls incoming humans immediately, crippling them through the well intended but unenlightened actions of parents. At present the human experience is but a pale comparison to that which is intended, and to many an utterly hopeless and hellish karmic sentence. Until understanding of the human self-guidance system is firmly embraced within mass consciousness, the very concept of health will be distorted by the judgmental interference with the natural developmental system.  If the above paragraph isn't enough to give motivation for expansion of our consciousness, it's hard to imagine what would be. If we look back over our lives and recount the number of times we have experienced illness and mental discomfort, is it any wonder life has so often been labeled a "vale of tears". Yet, nature seems to offer so much balance to the other forms of life on this planet, it has to be presumed that mankind should be entitled to a greater level of happiness then he/she presently enjoys.  Health is a reflection of how much energy spirit can bring through to its physical body-mind. The vibrant high energy, happiness, and creative enpowerment of an unimpeded spirit is a state of holistic vitality nearly unrecognizable to a species who believes firmly that health is simply the absence of disease. Indeed, health is ease of spirit flowing through an ingenious mindscape designed to its evaluative specifications. Health is an easy mobility of consciousness that accesses many alternate focuses and sources of intuitive information. Health is the experience of few and irregular painful feelings, for the mindscape and the cultural landscape are intended to be designed to minimize and eliminate these deficit states. It is folly to simply allow them to exist and assume that suffering is part of the natural experience. Such an idea is like a cancer, and indeed can bring about such maladies.  Once the perspective is switched from an attitude that health is simply an absence of disease to an assumption that when unimpeded, health is a consequence and result of spirit being reflected as it is naturally meant to be, then even the medical profession is compelled to move toward removing the psychological pitfalls and recognizing the merits of the wholistic approach to physical and mental well-being.  All pains are symptomatic of dysfunction within natural systems that seek immediate correction. When these symptoms are examined within the lens of self-understanding, many truths about health will become apparent. First, we will address the concept of mental health, for emotional self-understanding will forever alter the present concepts of "sanity", "normalcy", and "evil". Mental health, as suspected, does indeed reflect the state of mind, for it is the mind that holds the slivers that prevent the growth that is necessary for a vital and complete existence. Until the boundaries of body, mind, and spirit are clearly recognized, mental health will remain entangled with judgmental beliefs, confused with emotional dysfunction, and shrouded in mystery.  The Freudian school of thought gave strong credence to the presumption that mental illness lay in the dark crevices of the subconscious and was traceable to some unpleasant experience in early life. This was only a partial truth which was formulated without factoring in the spirit nature of human beings. Had the latter nature been taken into account, the solution would have evolved with an altogether broader understanding of the problem as well as a corrective solution to the experience of mental illness.  Biological Flexibility And Destiny Challenge  Both mental and physical health are essentially rooted within the working and safeguard mechanisms of the body. As we will see, good mental health springs naturally from the unimpeded cognitive, emotional, and intellectual development that unfolds through experiential trial and error learning. But all humans are bound to the uniquely specific genetic package inherent within the cloak that they have donned for each specific lifetime. Indeed, spiritual entities choose specific physical features, sensitivities, and challenges when designing the chemical cloak to ensure the maximum possible success in overcoming both the general and specific destiny challenges. The evolving mental personality then works within that specific range of biological predestiny to maximize and express the innate value potential.  Again, in reviewing the learning experiences we have had, it should be apparent that those things we have said and done and those actions we have taken or avoided are all the consequence of the learning process and have resulted in pleasure and pain both mentally and emotionally. Sometimes that pain has even been physical which turned out to be necessary to focus our minds and realign our priorities. Yet, we did prepare ourselves and our bodies to meet those challenges we wished to deal with, choosing the make-up of our constitution as we would decide what kind of an automobile we would purchase and make the best use of in our journey down the road of life.  The range of biological predestiny is linked to the specific areas of focus of the spirit/entity. The entity desires that its multiple aspects enjoy the broadest and most well-rounded experiences in order to continue the expanding expression of consciousness. As we now know, the body is designed to pull and push the mindbound individuals in purposeful directions which fulfill these larger destiny challenges. These inner movers and shakers come in the form of human needs which when met in an ongoing manner, accomplish the destiny challenges of the earth experience. The needs guide the developing mindscape to create evermore successful beliefs and strategies. As the mind responds to the direction of its spiritual feeling signals, the mindscape becomes more and more attuned to the intuitive knowledge of other aspects of its spirit to further assist in a creative, purposeful life of self-development and expression. When body, mind and spirit are united in thought and action, health is a given and the experience would be nearly unrecognizable to modern humans.  The secret to optimum health seems to be in the understanding of the values of uniting mind and spirit through the guidance of our feelings. Once this is mastered and the old paradigm is discarded, the natural result is a healthier physical and mental state than we can yet imagine. However, once such a state can be imagined, such an achievement can not be far behind.  At present, the necessary potential range of biological diversity has been overlooked, and "normal" has been assigned to those falling in the mid-range of any given trait or propensity. Those individuals who possess uniqueness at both ends of any trait spectrum have uniquely specific experiences and offer many hints into the human potential. There are varieties of intellectual ability, perceptual focus, sensory sensitivity, openness to interaction, and flexibility of consciousness---all of which allow specific avenues of experience potentially benefitting the whole of the entity.  We have more to learn from the example of our fellow human beings than we could ever possibly learn from textbook theory. While we may dice the brains of our geniuses, hopefully after they have died a natural death, we can hardly find in such physical matter the reason behind their respective virtues or vices. Such are the result of mental attitudes which spring from spiritual guidance.  But for the most part, a great deal of what is considered abnormal, or disordered in terms of mental health relates to the developmental experiences in a world that is misunderstanding and thwarts the unfolding of the self-directing self-consciousness. Most syndromes and disorders are the direct result of misdirected emotional signals, the hardwired bodily defensive responses, the long-term mental judgments, and the patterned habits that follow. In short, a great deal of "disordered" mental health is an unnatural, man-made cultural phenomena, the inevitable perverted outcome of abusing the divine self-system.  A society that has failed to make the connection between the mental and the spiritual or that has placed more emphasis on fear and guilt than is rightly justified, has contributed much to mental disorders while failing to offer a sensible way out of perceived malfunctions.  Natural Self-Development  We have discussed human development in the context of the unfolding universal human needs, But now we can elaborate upon how needs, feelings, spiritual challenges, and mindscapes are intended to naturally unfold in a healthy unimpeded fashion. In essence, as the needs of the body push the individual toward necessary experiences, and the mind observes and self-corrects via the spiritual evaluative signals, there is a wholistic balance between body, mind and spirit that allows for the maximum purposeful experience and vibrant health.  The nature of a human being is such that there is a constant coordinated effort on the part of body, mind and spirit to achieve the greatest amount of progress over the longest possible period of time. Sometimes this process is painful, but it need not be, provided that the mind is willing to seek and recognize the guidance from spirit. If this process is successful, there is hardly any limit to how much the entity can experience while in the physical state.  The universal needs correspond with specific spiritual challenges that are part of the physical experience. These spiritual challenges have been discussed in such contexts as karmic cycles and archetypal patterns within the collective unconsciousness. They are simply part and parcel of all human experience which assist in discovery and fulfillment of purpose. Conquering each of these spiritual challenges leaves behind the gems, the archetypal understandings which facilitate a healthy mindscape. The inner need to conquer them helps humanity discover the all-powerful nature of the creative mind, and appreciate the crucial importance of conscious development of the mindscape and the diligent efforts to keep it free from mental limitations. Conscious understanding is the only prevention against falling victim to the illusions of the physical system.  The progress that human beings can make toward the necessary understanding that frees us from the established limitations of our creative ability, are driven by spirit and its universal knowledge of what we were engineered to achieve. The distance between where we are and where we can evolve to is only as great as we elect to make it. The difficulty in spanning this imagined distance is only as great as we choose to make it. We have been taught by our religious institutions that we can not close this gap without their assistance but, in truth, these same institutions have proven to be more of a liability than an asset in such an endeavor.  As needs are met and these challenges are conquered, the human becomes "mature", and the desirable state of functioning can begin. The natural process of surmounting spiritual challenge, builds one upon the other to complete the functioning human being. The self-development allows for the innate value to come forward in the physical realm and then self-expression can be ensured in as many realms as "time" allows. In short, life begins when these challenges have been surmounted.  Nothing builds character and develops a mature state of mind like the achievement of a goal. Each such "goal" accomplished is like another brick in the construction of the human dwelling. To view each level of completion is the equivalent of witnessing one's own personal growth and the satisfaction as well as the confidence that naturally follows.  As part of the physical growth process, one challenge will unfold after another in a predictable developmental pattern over the first two decades of life. The challenges can be likened to images on a vertical totem pole, wherein one climbs to new heights, each step based upon the one below. As the individual matures with age, the challenges unfold like the changes of the seasons. If each challenge is not fully overcome and the archetype readily available to the mindscape, there will be continued struggles until they are surmounted completely.  It is not unusual for the "climber" to discover that unless the "challenge" is completely conquered, it will fail to support one in the next step of advancement. Sometimes, it will be necessary to go back and repair/replace those steps that only appeared to be stable enough to support the climber to the next level and to get rid of those "steps" which ate away at the presumed accomplishments and threatened to bring the whole "totem pole" of life crashing down.  The less completion attained at each level of challenge, the more challenge the individual must then continuously juggle as the struggles of life become compounded. One who reaches any level of challenge in any degree will be pulled downward on the challenge totem pole on most occasions until the foundations are in place. Then they will snap back to the highest level of challenge. Challenge levels can vacillate from moment to moment. When the mindscape aligns empowering beliefs in any given moment, even if it might have conflicting or limiting beliefs held in memory, the challenge level can bounce quite high, only to plunge when the conflicts consciously align in a subsequent event. A healthy mindscape, of course, is free of such conflict.  What is encouraged in this process is a level of consistency. When this is not present, there are a great many steps forward followed by equal steps backward. But even with this rough road to progress, there is still a general state of progression. The educational process continues to motivate those who seek to evolve along the path. When the process is better understood and integrated into the life style of more entities, then the collective consciousness will become a part of a flow toward the universal end desired.  At present, average humans exist in various vacillations between one unmet need or another, and have surmounted some, but not all challenges or have mindscapes with so many conflicting beliefs that challenges often repeat themselves to no avail. Such individuals experience suffering, confusion, identity issues, and mood swings---but they are considered normal by most standards. Others are affected much more with long-term disruptions of the emotional system held fast by habits of thought and action that bring about corresponding chemical imbalances, and compromised mental health.  It has become commonplace to accept as normal a perpetual state of anxiety which is compensated for by seeking outlets in the consumption of legal drugs and aggressive behavior experienced vicariously. Avid devotion to violent sports played by professionals or amateurs devoted to particular games is considered a prime form of entertainment and absolutely necessary for the proper function of society, even though such violence appears to bleed through into instances of uncontrolled violence from time to time. This is what is tolerated as a level of normality.  We can now discuss this spiritual developmental process, noting where specific challenges create specific constellations of mental/emotional syndromes. With each challenge, the mind must learn and become consciously adapted through right responses which overcome the challenge and refine the mindscape. With each challenge a new self-insight is added which together comprise the full levels of functional self-understanding. Either the mind adapts purposefully, or it adapts in ways that serve only to defend and preserve its limited boundaries, creating two distinct types of experience. We can then contrast two tracks of existence: the natural purposeful path versus the chaotic and painful path, to pull together the cognitive, emotional, moral, and emotional developmental components of the spiritual self-regulation process. Only within this perspective can the present day suffering be seen for what it is---a perversion of the natural process.  It becomes nearly impossible to discover the irrationality of some behavior when one is running parallel to the activity and the society around one is caught up in the merits of the process. Greed and need are so intertwined that to threaten one is to threaten both. Thus is the collective unconscious kept on track.  Challenge I: The Mother Versus The Victim  The very first challenge that befalls an incoming infant is to experience that he or she is connected to a functional whole. The development of trust corresponds to an emotional understanding of what it means to be a mother. The mother archetype is the manifestation of what the mindscape contains after this first challenge is surmounted. The mother constitutes what has been called the yin force of the ability to receive energy and information through the empathic and intuitive pathways of insight. The mother embodies the concept of an unconditionally loving and giving universe that embraces each of its points of conscious light. The mother embodies the connection of the individual to the world. The mother listens and emphatically receives messages of the spirit and of all spirits. The mother concept encompasses both Mother Earth and the Goddess energies of mythology.  The "Mother" establishes a link with the physical world that leads to a trust in its friendly nature and starts the entity on the road to acting in a creative fashion. This is then reversed by the belief that other entities and their institutions are necessary to erase that "trust" and rely on an outside force to control further conduct of the entity.  During this most early challenge, the brain development is insufficient to hold many conceptual thoughts, and the senses alone provide the information. Actual conceptual thought is confined to memories of action patterns of approach and avoid. Voluntary movement is possible at this stage, but conscious strategic future intention is not yet present and most actions are purely bodily responses. The neural development ensures that the sensory systems will be the driving force, before the mind has an opportunity to absorb habitual judgments. A sense of permanence is not yet formed until the second year of life to ensure that the foundational patterns of moving to the inner needs are firmly ingrained.  Up to the age of at least two, the entity is in justified need of a full emotional dependency for the brain to develop along natural lines. A complete sense of security and reliance on the mother figure is essential to normal psychological development. For this reason alone, a child should be kept in a most "motherly" environment. Day care is, at best, a poor substitute.  The mother also constitutes that first sense of freedom to move within a safe and secure environment. As the parents nurture and assist the child in all of its need-meeting activities, the child is pulled up upon its own independent feet and the mind forever embraces what it means to be a mother. The child is firmly rooted in its body in its world, comfortable in the goodness of both. In an enlightened environment the child, either a boy or a girl, will conquer the mother challenge during the first year of life and shall carry this conceptual archetype within the mindscape and be able to function in the role of the mother if parenting should be a choice. With the mother, come the feelings of trust, faith and love which offer lifetime empowerment to be open and to receive life's feedback and courage to overcome challenges.  For the above reasons alone, these have to be considered the most critical years of a child's development. Though so called psychological experts may cut that time period in half for the sake of smooth productivity in the workplace, it will not serve society well to have anything less than fully developed children bring a state of balance with them into adulthood.  On the other hand, the child might continue to struggle with the mother challenge, perhaps for the entire lifetime. The quality of the early foster environment makes a crucial difference upon the first success or failure at this challenge. If the mother challenge is not surmounted, this sets in motion the less purposeful chaotic path of compromised emotional, intellectual, mental, and spiritual development (in terms of expansion of the entity.) The child instead develops the victim archetype in the mindscape. The victim archetype can last a lifetime unless consciously altered through conscious self-development. The victim fears for its safety, mistrusts the world, experiences a lack of mobility, becomes overly dependent, feels as if others "owe me", and uses the strategy of denial and blame instead of action. The victim becomes avoidant and does not receive the incoming energy necessary for fully functioning and unity. Since it is the receptive energy, the victim fails to do anything to change the situation, simply taking on more and more pain.  Once again, the "foster care" environment versus a more natural "mother care" one, is bound to have consequences for an entity, which can last well into adulthood. Nature offers its own lessons in child rearing and teaches most effectively by example. But because many so-called human experts consider nature as an inferior life form, the appreciation of natural law goes unnoticed.  The victim will also display a constellation of what have been termed anxiety disorders, for fear will become a lingering corrective signal. When the individual does not feel safe in one's own body or in the world, the stage is set for panic disorders, generalized anxiety, phobias, and somatic, bodily disorders such as hypochondria. This is a bigger potential pitfall for those who are particularly genetically sensitive to stimulus or having a low pain threshold. Organic propensities and events can also lead to autism, wherein a curtain is drawn between the individual and the rest of the world and certain sensory information is simply not received.  Devoted "motherhood" is not necessarily a guarantee for the development of a perfect human being, but it can go a long way to modifying what might be the potential problems that can be present for other reasons. Although there probably have never been objective studies done between childhood psychological problems and the parental care environment, it would behoove society to take a much closer look at the relationship and the benefits that can result when natural patterns of nurturing are kept at the fore.  Challenge II: The Father Versus The Martyr  The second challenge that falls naturally during the second year of life, is that of embracing the father concept. The father is the archetype that embodies the yang energy, the aggressive, rational, and active properties of the human self. The father energy is embodied in autonomy, initiative and empowerment to actively control one's own destiny. The father challenge furthers the sense of individual safety, connection, and freedom, and adds to it the power to make things happen in the world. It adds a grounding in the mind like the mother challenge grounded the body, as the mind chooses joy as its guide. The father is the developmental challenge, that hooks the consciousness into the divine system of self regulation. Both yin and yang can then interact in a balanced exchange and provide the solid foundation for unified, purposeful living.  In order for this opportunity to be present, a certain amount of leisure has to be enjoyed by both parents. To allow the necessary amount of time available for parents to carry out this role, (particularly the father, on whom society tends to place the greater provider role) society must come to understand the true value of the suggestions outlined above.  The developing brain at this point can hold crude representations but not long-term or complex strategies. The "mind" is not yet fully functional, but with each successful environmental interaction, it grows ever more able. Throughout this process, the child's basic sensory perceptions take on more and more intuitive abilities, and a wholeness of being begins to take form.  This suggests that the more time spent in "interaction" between parent and child, the mental and even psychic growth process of the child is enhanced. This results not only in enhanced mental capabilities later in life, but in the confidence in the self-awareness of the "wholeness" of one's being. Would that parents who compete against other parents to get their children into the best early schooling, see the true value of serving as their child's primary teacher and guide in the earliest and most formative years. In other words, putting the parent-child relationship first from the very beginning.  The father challenge builds upon the "all is one" receptive connection of the mother archetype to add "honoring others" in active thought and action. This provides the foundation for the aspects of parenting as well as the ability to take care of one's self in the cooperative context of loving others. The social strategies become cooperative interactions and the morality is to reduce pain in all. Feelings of confidence, hope, and honor accompany this passage. The father challenge is naturally surmounted within the second to fourth years of life.  Nothing teaches proper parenting to succeeding generations like example, especially as learned by the child in the early stages of his/her development. As closely as a mother's total presence might be to the child's development in the first year, so of equal importance is the relationship with the father from the second through the fourth years. If not, the individual will struggle with "father" issues in addition to the mother challenges. They will revolve around freedom, power, and creating abundance and well being. There will be a tendency to take on pain on a long-term basis, and eventually to take on the pain of others in the martyr archetype. The fear takes on shades of shame and doubt as both active/receptive roles are questioned and bring a lingering fear of losing control. The martyr subjugates his or her own needs for the sake of others in a misguided attempt to please or actively provide. Many currently fashionable beliefs about self-deprecation and religious selflessness create this dysfunctional pattern. While the victim will blame himself or his oppressors, the martyr will blame opponents. There can be wildly creative strategies of self-deception that uphold and justify the martyr archetype. The main social strategy will become competition, and the moral development will be arrested at the level of avoiding punishment.  The mere spending of time in the father's loving care and company can result in the benefits listed above. This would apply to both boys or girls, as the consequences would be complimentary to the adult life of either. In a society that has come to place a great value on productivity, even at the expense of family life, there is bound to be serious consequences for each maturing generation, if "maturing" would necessarily be the appropriate word.  Although the father challenge can be surmounted at any time during life, characteristic patterns occur when it remains unmet. The mental conditions that spring from the unanswered father challenge can result in impulse control disorders, obsessive compulsive tendencies, sexual disorders and dependency upon psychoactive substances. Impulse disorders spring from unmet needs as the martyr continues to neglect the self. Patterns of compulsion to engage in any behaviors that meet needs temporarily or provide escape from the pain of the moment can result in chemical addictions, gambling, workaholism, pyromania, fetishes, and other sexual perversions.  How many of the social disorders of our society can be traced to the absence of the father figure? Social policies that discouraged the presence of the father in the home seem to be taking their toll in present-day society. All this was the result of a decline in the general value placed on the importance of the nuclear family, which previous generations had valued most highly.  More severe conditions result from combinations of unmet mother and father challenges, which can base further developmental disorders. Individuals with a special gift of intuitively attuning to alternate self-aspects can later create multiple "mindscapes" wherein particular memories and responsibilities fall to different alternate personalities. Attunement to such intuitive senses at this age is one predictor, but this condition is generally facilitated by an abusive environment, and can usually be avoided entirely.  Multiple personalities in adults have already been observed to be associated with an abusive childhood. For this reason alone, the emphasis on providing a whole and loving environment should be given primary consideration. Should other emotional disorders be traced to similar malfunctioning family situations, it is possible that the importance of such may once again come into vogue.  Challenge III: The Contributor Versus The Servant  The contributor challenge has been referred to as the whole child or even the warrior archetype, for it builds upon the yin/yang spiritual energy by adding a separate sense of self. The contributor challenge culminates in a unique conscious focal point identity that of "self". It is the culmination of the emerging "mind". The contributor attains a finalized sense of autonomy, but within the context of a connected interdependent world.  When placed in the most advantageous environment, the child becomes a "contributor" to its own autonomy. There is a natural growth process that results in a creative stimulation, which is most motivated toward a maximum potential as result of being exposed to an optimum setting.  The contributor challenge meets the need of self-esteem within the context of freedom, power, and connection. Honoring one another translates to honoring self as an equal contributing part of the whole. The contributor challenge establishes a sense of equality and cooperative equal exchange, a personal sense of empowerment, value, and contribution to the whole. Feelings of pride, self-confidence, self-worth and excitement come from surmounting the contributor challenge. The contributor experiences a sense of personal reward for contributing their unique offerings. An early sense of creativity and meaning begin to form as strategies are personally chosen. The morality level takes on a sense of personal moral duty to contribute positively to self and society; and is no longer to simply avoid negativity but to actively contribute positively.  Just as a flower grows to full bloom when placed in good soil and provided with sufficient moisture and sunshine, so a human being is likely to live a fully balanced life when provided with sufficient nurturing and love. Like the necessary corner of a triangle, each child feels compelled to play a complimentary role of gratitude toward the creators of his/her environment.  The contributor challenge builds upon the others and can be completed by age six or during adolescence. During these years the brain is growing in leaps and bounds as the mind comes into its own. Its processing abilities and logical thought begin to engage in order to put objects in the world into order in the new mental repository. This is the most fertile time period for interventions which can turn around detrimental courses caused by abusive or under-stimulating foster environments, and prevent a good deal of future mental and emotional dysfunction.  This would suggest that the proper learning environment would compliment the ideal environment or correct the shortcomings of earlier experiences. The formal education would need to encourage a creative process and minimize the counter-productive programming which might come back to undo the benefits of the secure nurturing established by right parenting up to that time. This further educational process would not be a time for the introduction of fear and guilt.  On the other hand, the contributor challenge might not be met, and problems can continue to compound. If none of the challenges have been met, there can be further developmental delays and future anxiety, impulse control, and mood disorders. At this point, the child is particularly vulnerable to dissociation, since the mind is emerging as a singular self-unit. Although there has been a pattern of attuning to alternate states of conscious focus, they now can become alternate self-aspects, or multiple personality counterparts.  The nurturing process that avails the child to continued guidance from the devoted yin and yang influences will help to offset whatever negative influences that the contributory challenge might be required to face. In other words, good parenting does not end at the age of six.  Alone, this unmet challenge can establish the pattern of the servant. The sense of self is established, but within the dysfunctional martyred context of value in the self only from pleasing others. The servant experiences low-self worth, does not feel appropriately rewarded for his contributions, and becomes stagnant due to lack of pursuing self-needs.  These lower personality characteristics might make the subject more manageable in a controlled society, but it would also result in that decline in creativity and spiritual growth. More civilizations have probably declined because of a loss of creative freedom than any other significant factor.  Avoidant strategies of blaming continue, and accountability for one's actions escapes the servant's notice. Feelings of feigned superiority, inferiority, boredom, role confusion, and guilt all accompany the servant mentality. There will be difficulties in self-discipline, in setting personal boundaries and in meeting needs. There will be fear of rejection, over emphasis upon physical appearance even defensive narcissism, fear of making mistakes and over-sensitivity to criticism.  If these characteristics are apparent in the maturing child, it can now be clearly diagnosed as being the result of the environment created by the parents, in which the child has not been allowed to develop a balanced relationship with his/her world because of the misconception of feeling that he/she is supposed to remain in an inferior position, even into adulthood.  Challenge IV: The Lover Versus The Actor  With the challenges surmounted that have satisfied initial connection, power, freedom, and esteem, the brain developed and the mind is place, the need for connection is revisited in the challenge of the lover. This challenge generally falls around puberty and early teen years and comes to the fore with the help of hormonal sexual urges, although sexual love is but a small part of its offerings.  One has to wonder what the absence of "hormonal sexual urges" is indicative of; of course such urges can be turned inward and result in masturbation until and unless a greater level of trust with another is accepted. Otherwise, this can be a very risky period to work one's way through.  The lover challenge entails learning the ability to have intimate friendships, to share openly without fear and to develop the deepest of human bonds. It fleshes out the early concepts of connection by coming full circle and offering yourself to others as the mother once offered herself to you. This stage marks the genuine expansion of the self concept to fully include others in the thoughts, feelings, and actions. Creative impulses also come to the fore and the need for meaningful encounters strengthens. The lover begins to build a common reality with intimate friends without limit, fear, or competition. The morality of the lover honors the social order, but takes on a higher sense of duty and commitment to building the intimate friendship.  Of the two qualities, sexual drive and intimate relationships, it would seem that the latter reflects a higher level of development in the human level of progression. This would explain why the female, at the earlier years of adolescence would seek friendship with more depth in thoughts and feelings and accept the sexual nature as a necessary part of male companionship.  Feelings of compassion, love, tolerance, forgiveness, loyalty, honor, faith, and hope are the rewards of surmounting the lover challenge. These feelings are based within a mindscape that understands love as the divine power. On the other hand The actor archetype can instead emerge. The actor understands that there is some inherent value in connection with others, but is overcome by limiting beliefs that create mistrust, fear, and anger. The actor uses deception to pretend intimacy but remains isolated within a defensive mindscape. There will be emptiness, shallowness, competitive dominance and submission, and sabotage of relationships that get too close for "the mind's comfort".  The "actor" can have a strong sexual drive but will more than likely not have the level of maturity to be content in an emotional attachment. Such an individual will engineer a severing of any relationship that appears to demand a lasting and permanent connection with another person. This is often carried out on a subconscious level without fully comprehending the mental forces behind such behavior.  The lover challenge when unmet can create further mental conditions such as mood disorders, personality eccentricities and erratic and dramatic behaviors. The feelings of jealousy, contempt, hostility, and even hate can come from a lack of loving reconnection with the world. A good deal of histrionic, sociopathic and psychopathic behavior culminates at this point when there has been dysfunction at the lower levels of challenge. Individuals can retreat into severely limited mindscapes, and isolate themselves from others both mentally and physically.  Just as physical pain can serve as an alert to a state of bodily imbalance, so can emotional "pain" serve as an alert to a return to the totem pole of development. Here the need for rebuilding is likely to be called for. At the very least, a fuller understanding of the natural/obstructed process of human growth should be reviewed.  Challenge V: The Speaker Versus Silent Child  During adolescence, challenges come upon one another as the growth process reaches its goal of physical maturity. The speaker challenge engages the creative impulses to the maximum level so that external expression can be shared with the world. "Speaking" in this sense means any form of creative expression in the world that communicates an original perspective, becoming an abstract or concrete cultural contribution to the world.  This is the point of verbal creativity, but can also be expressed in a succinct form of humor or a tendency to be rebellious. Whatever form it takes, it is an expression of uniqueness and should be appreciated as such. When funneled into positive activities, it can establish one of the bricks upon which future development can be made.  At this point in the natural unfolding development, the mindscape has been finely honed and is attuned to both body and spirit. Life becomes a passionate pursuit of self-development and creative self-expression. The need for meaning also becomes more and more salient as the intuitive pathways continue to blossom. The speaker is characterized by strengthened truth and integrity, seeking broader arenas for creative expression, solid boundaries and self-solidarity. The morality of the speaker continues to respect social duty, but also speaks up when limits of convention hinders any self in any way. The feelings of creative accomplishment, passion, courage, mirth, and faith become constant companions of the speaker.  As the "speaker" looks around and sees the hypocrisy of his/her world, there is a compulsion to make corrections wherever possible This leads to a level of natural hostility between the adolescent and the adult population and a strong drive to separate oneself from the trappings of conformity. Oddly, the conformity then tends to follow the trappings of one's own peer group for strength in the conflict between adolescent and viewed adult.  The speaker challenge accomplishes a sort of merging of the mind with spirit that appears to be a surrender to the divine, and opens itself freely to the offerings of life. The speaker courageously goes forth, speaks and acts creatively, and fears not what will come of it. For the speaker feels the spiritual joy of creative expression and is becoming more and more attuned to the meaningful patterns of life. The mindscapes that hold the fundamental archetypes, of course, minimize painful missteps.  Like sailors mindful of the rules of the sea, the better prepared for the voyage, the more likely the chances of finding an intended port. This is where the early comfort and assurances prove to be of tremendous value, for true creativity can not be carried if the distractions from early life have diverted the ship of destiny.  If the challenge goes unmet, the silent child pattern will instead be evident. The silent child falls victim to a limited mindscape that creates ongoing fear. It hides itself in shame and hurt. Its unexpressed creative energies are often channeled in internally directed anger. Feelings are held in, but burst forth in dysfunctional thoughts, and self-destructive actions. The pain of separation is a constant cross to bear, and the accumulation of pent-up feelings often prompt the escapism into avenues of chemical dependency or other forms of avoidant withdrawal.  When we see such a troubled adolescent, we see little more than a "challenge" who is lacking in an opportunity to indulge in an act of creative expression. Many times the mere discovery of a particular interest or talent can stave off a self-destructive path. The educational system can be trained to recognize the cause behind such behavior and bring to the attention of both adolescent and parent (on a separate basis, if possible) what talents are recognized; and establish opportunities where attention can be directed.  If there has been an ongoing failure to meet needs still at this stage, there can be quite severe psychological repercussions. The more severe forms of mood disorder and thought disorder begin to appear at this time in those most genetically vulnerable. Symptoms such as schizophrenic psychosis, self-mutilation, and suicidal depression can begin to present themselves.  In recent times, a great deal of financial attention has been directed toward the area of sports and away from such equally important areas as music and art. Even technology as is possible with the use of computers would be of benefit, provided it is encouraged to be used in a creative manner and not just as a tool to excel in a profitable career at a later period of one's life.  Challenge VI: The Seer Versus the Intellectual  With all former challenges surmounted, the foundation is in place for the unfolding of the higher brain potentials. Enlightened mindscapes have all archetypal understandings applied in conscious thought and action and experience far less emotional interruption than that considered normal at present. Where the spiritual energy flows easily between body, mind, and spirit, there is no resistance to feedback, and the individual can "see" far more clearly and intuitively.  If not raised in that more perfect environment where parents are ideal models and everything is lined up properly for the natural evolution of mind, body and spirit, the only true road back to this solid balance between "body, mind, and spirit", may be through such practices as meditation or intent as expressed through prayer. The latter may seem a simplified process, but as a supplementation to intent, it is likely to produce powerful and satisfying results.  The seer has conscious control of the self and is unified in every sense. The seer has clear and accurate mental perceptions and has no need for avoidance or deception of any kind. He or she is secure in power, freedom, connection, esteem, is creative and now becomes compelled by the need for meaning. The seer begins to focus attentions to the higher, more meaningful aspects of mental creativity, but remains firmly rooted in body and in actively expressing in the physical world. The seer begins to access psychic gifts and tap potentials from beyond space/time. The seer begins to understand the meaning within the nuances and synchronistic nature of life. The seer no longer has the blinders created by a limited mindscape, and begins to embrace the true nature of the physical experience. The mantra of the seer is to "seek only truth".  What separates the "seer" from the intellectual is a willingness to strike out into territory that the so-called intellectual consciously tried to avoid for fear of being rejected by his fellow intellectuals. The seer can be comfortable both in the area of conformity and non-conformity, knowing that true mental and spiritual evolution comes from a level more sophisticated and detached than the world generally upholds and defends.  The seer begins to recognize and willfully control each of his creative events. Ideals of external controllers, superstitions, and fear-driven beliefs of power loss are simply not part of the seer's mindscape---for such slivers have never been seriously entertained. The illusory cause and effect relationships of the physical realm begin to give way to the higher understandings from beyond space/time as the seer becomes ever more broad in his scope of conscious vision and exploration. There are few lingering emotional corrective signals, as the seer creates events and situations that no longer limit and frustrate the spirit. The predominant feelings of the seer are compassion, love, honor, mirth, bliss, gratitude, passion of living and purposeful experience, excitement of creation, and the delightful surprise and wonder in watching how desired events will unfold.  The truly well-rounded person can look at life and see what a blessing it offers to those who do not take it too seriously. To see that it was meant to be enjoyed and to offer experiences that lead to greater understanding of our own nature and our role in the overall scheme of things. Once that relationship is fully understood, the limits to our creativity are put aside.  The seer enjoys the fully functional nature morality, wherein the moral directive is the universal principles of justice, equal empowerment, compassion, respect, honor, and accountability. The seer neither needs nor accepts external forms of moral or legal control, for they are known to be generally less enlightened than internal controls. The seer understands the deepest meaning within all symbolic morality systems and lives by the inner urgings of his spirit, enjoying cooperative, emotionally rewarding interactions with all fellow humans.  The "seer" transcends the world of power and control and establishes a confidence of both to where he/she does not need to rely upon others, be they individuals or institutions, to guide the conduct of one's life. Once the person is comfortable in such a state of mind, no additional guidance is necessary, except that which comes from within. The only challenge is to learn to trust in that inner guidance.  In an enlightened environment, the seer can emerge as early as in the late teen years. At present, however, the full value of the seer expressed in the physical realm is rare indeed. The more recognizable pattern can be recognized as the archetype of THE INTELLECTUAL.  The intellectual is too often judged by the educational credentials and the refined manner of expressing such information which is accepted among his/her fellow intellectuals, or at least not too far adrift from the "accepted". If the scientists declare that nothing can travel in excess of the speed of light, this is regarded as sacrosanct and not to be questioned. If the existence of the spiritual quality of humans is not immediately evident and measurable, it is deemed to not exist. Thus, whatever is placed at the highest point of the intellectual levels of society, is never to be doubted. It is the modern day practice of scientific dogma.  The intellectual has made some positive progress, but has a mindscape that revolves around the existing mindscape rather than a genuine openness to ongoing self-development. The intellectual has come to certain judgments and finite conclusions and holds fast to them, often going to great lengths to rationalize, justify, and even deceive to make incoming information fit the existing mold. The intellectual must constantly defend the mindscape against any corrective emotional signal and engage in selective perception. The intellectual will often have a strong sense of superiority and be loath to allow anything or anyone to question it.  A great many of the intellectual and scientific presumptions so highly prized in the world today, when compared with the previous ages in the development of mankind, bear a striking resemblance to the dogmatic positions of past centuries. It is not so much in the information upheld, but in the manner in which it is defended. The broadening of a perspective can not be accomplished without a willingness to question that perspective.  The intellectual will become less and less likely to engage in genuine self-development. The mental judgments will continue to become evermore complex and perhaps impressive to some, but all judgments do nothing but limit potential and create spiritual distress. The intellectual will find it more and more necessary to subordinate the intuitive functions to the rational analytic processes because the intuitions bring information contrary to the mindscape. Eventually the entire right brain will be less involved than the left.  This is especially true when the educational process defends and practices an attitude of programming which appears to worship one method and almost literally ignores the other. Degrees of recognition are awarded to those who conform to the process that is most recognized and accepted. Those who decline or veer away from such accepted curriculum, pay a dear price for such intellectual/emotional individuality.  The intellectual will not be able to escape the signals of fear, anger, sadness, and guilt. Their mental and physical horizons will begin to collapse. They will necessarily narrow their field of activity and limit their friendships to those who can be persuaded to agree with them. They will put others off with haughty superiority, rigid opinions, and judgmental expressions as well as ensuring a safe physical distance. They will lack compassion and tolerance, and may demand perfection in everyone but themselves. There will be a natural isolating effect as the intellectual retreats to live in the superior surroundings of his or her own mindscape.  The above description might be familiar to a great number of so-called professional people in our society. It might even be described as a state of insecurity that follows success. Unfortunately, it hints at a true sense of failure in that once a determined state of separation from ones fellow human beings of contrary viewpoints becomes an adopted life style, mental and spiritual growth tend to suffer.  The intellectual, having lost touch with the feeling system, will attempt to hold in feelings and subordinate them to ration, in evermore impressive mental contortions to justify the limited mindscape. The spirit will then work overtime during both waking and dream states to get its message through. The feelings will manifest inwardly, however, in depression, paranoia, and resentment. If underlying challenges have remained mostly unmet, there are serious repercussions to the intellect. Such a mindscape has little effectiveness at surmounting daily challenges, lifestyles; and world views are quite distorted and detrimental. In fact, not many individuals even remain living if a minimal amount of progress is not attained by this time. The entity might simply decide that willful limits are so profound that life is a try-again, do-over. There will then be a direct spiritual hand in the final exit. Perhaps a fatal illness, an "accidental" death, or the more direct suicidal exit.  The above paragraph clearly suggests that the repercussions of imbalance toward the intellect, at the expense of the emotional, can be life threatening. But before that point is reached, it can simply be life-distracting. In a left-brain oriented society which awards prizes to intellectual pursuits, we run the risk of maintaining a perpetual state of distortion which eventually supports rationalization to a point of disaster. A good example of this was this country's early attitude toward our involvement in Viet Nam. Even today, there are too many who believe that greater levels of aggression and violence would have achieved a desirable result.  The inner needs and intuitive forces which propel the challenge of the seer cannot help but broaden the bounds of consciousness at this point in physical development. If there are any propensities toward a mobile consciousness or personality fragmentation, they can become psychotically profound at this point. As the intuitions and information from beyond space/time impinge upon the closed mindscape they can be distorted and misinterpreted, but considered valid and real. They can facilitate episodes of delusional, paranoid, psychotic, and manic-depressive behavior.  If this isn't enough of a warning to inspire one to a point of self-examination, I'm not at all sure what it would take. The "episodes" listed above are too often considered by the medical profession to be little more than mysterious chemical imbalances when, in fact, they are more likely to be the consequences of one's personal distractions. Challenge VII: The Transcender  The final challenge lies in the continued focus upon the evermore complex levels of meaning that can be derived from the creative physical experience. As the self continues to expand internally and externally, so do the creative talents and powers of the individual. This archetypal understanding can be called the transcender. It has been historically referred to as the wise old man, the guru, the ascended master and other such related concepts. Reaching the full and complete state of the transcender is very rare indeed in the current Earthly experience.  While it is true that the current earthly environment is not conducive to developing the wisdom necessary to become an "ascended master", such can be overcome by intent. Information expressed in such examples as the "Lessons", can assist in the process. And while opportunities to apply these lessons may appear to be few and far between, as we absorb such information, the opportunities will automatically present themselves.  The transcender lives spontaneously in the present moment but can only do so due to the finely honed mindscape that is skilled in all worldly spheres. The mindscape is free of both positive and negative judgments, yet the experiences created bring emotional delight, and the spiritual resonance from a blissful instant, intuitive, ineffable, energy/understanding. The transcender is indeed, the full and whole human potential---the experience that the physical embodiment is designed to be.  A major step in evolving to the status of the "transcender" is getting beyond the temptation to indulge in the "positive and negative judgments" spoken of above. Naturally, this is difficult to do in an atmosphere where so many others revel in the practice, but it need not be. We are all individuals with the freedom to choose to do or not to do whatever we like. It may require getting beyond our comfort zone, but the rewards are far greater than mere security.  The transcender has the entire world at his or her fingertips in complete understanding of the purposes and functions of the physical realm. Such an individual has developed and enjoys a tremendous flexibility of consciousness and is no longer simply limited to the narrow mental daytime focus of the personality. The transcender is often competent in mobility of consciousness in realms beyond space/time, enjoying out of body sojourns, lucid dreaming, extra-sensory perception, telepathic communications, and is highly effective at manifesting energy into matter. The transcender is also competent at conscious willful control over bodily processes, and exhibits impressive healing abilities. Some individuals have mastered some of these potentials including those that can manifest matter seemingly from thin air without any time-lag. The entity known as Jesus Christ can be offered as the best example of the potential of the transcender.  There are those alive today who have mastered many of the qualities indicated above. Yet, they are not fully recognized by a world so caught up in the intellectual illusions of our time. If it doesn't fit into the current paradigm, it simply can not be incorporated by the international media. So, those few who do witness these qualities tend to worship the "pointer" and failure to comprehend the lessons behind the genius/spiritual qualities that make it possible.  Therapeutic Approaches to Mental Health  To the enlightened mind, it should be clear that the best approach to mental health is in allowing it to unfold, without messing it up with social fear, judgment, and external control. Evolving beyond the idea that human nature is flawed by mental disorder or "sin" can go a long way toward attaining mental and emotional order and purpose. Until the emotional system is understood and given its rightful place as the divine self-regulation system, most attempts at mental cures will be only marginally successful.  Let's begin again with the acceptance that we are not automatically introduced to this physical existence in a state of perpetual probation, with the only hope of being allowed to evolve into complete entities tied to the governing regulations of some particular institution. Rather, let the beginning of a person's physical existence be unmarred by anything other than the past-life baggage he/she might choose to bring aboard. From that point on, we can sail and tack in the direction we elect to travel.  At present, many cures for mental illness cause far more harm than good. It is only when the emotional patterns are recognized and accommodated in the natural developmental process, that mental health will naturally manifest. Approaches which examine and alter belief structures are of course the most effective forms of therapy, but the added spiritual understandings are essential additions to any such practice. Loving connection, trust, compassion and support between human beings is far more therapeutic than most "cures".  Would that the medical/psychiatric profession come to understand that the establishment of an honest relationship between two human beings is the necessary groundwork for working toward the cure of emotional problems. Once that is established, then the examination of the patient's belief system could be approached for review.  Pharmacological approaches are by far the most popular cure for most serious disorders, but often do far more harm than good. Most individuals that take regular doses of psychoactive drugs can only continue to take them because the chemical system has adapted to interfere with their potency in order to right and protect itself. But more often than not, individual bodies and spirits heartily reject regular doses of powerful chemicals that simply alter the emotional system instead of attacking the problem at its source. In fact, pharmacological therapy is a symptom of mass denial regarding the knowledge of the human condition. One of the saddest conditions of so called "modern" medicine is the administration of drugs to maladjusted children. While it may have temporarily positive effects on their respective conditions, it leaves the true cures more distanced and difficult to bring to the fore at a later time. Surely we can leave a better heritage for future generations.  Healthy emotional systems can easily be thrown off balance by ongoing stressful situations which tip the delicate chemical balance. But there is presently far more susceptibility to such imbalances due to such factors as diet, exercise patterns, and of course internal and external conflict. Many individuals who find themselves in a period of depression can simply enhance nutrients and eat a more natural and balanced diet to completely restore chemical balance. Although individuals often respond positively to a temporary dosage of certain medications, it is because they have jump-started the natural system into producing the chemicals that have been insufficient. Even inert substances, when empowered with belief, can bring astounding improvements.  What do placeboes do if not pay tribute to the mind's capability to address and correct the state of dis-ease that exists within us. Chemical substances such as typical manufactured drugs, have their place in the treatment of illness, but as we come to understand the true nature of what makes up a human being, we will elect to approach these states of imbalance with the balancing qualities of nature itself.  But it will only be through the loving cooperation within humanity that true mental health can emerge. With this lens of mental health in place, we can now discuss the ramifications and connections for physical health.  Table of Contents