• Home
• About
• Philosophy
• Lectures
• Articles
• Products
• Services
• Resources
• Calendar
• Contact

"Art of Growing" - Philosophy

Topics of Discussion

• Belief

• Enlightenment

•  Enlightenment of Life

•  Our Living Planet

•  Our Living Bodies

•  Our Living Universe

• Spiritual Development

• Spiritual Powers

• The Open Mind

The main source of our philosophy was introduced from the writings of our Founder Daniel Verkerke. We have provided the information below directly from his book titled "Spiritual Development Enlightenment of Life", Published and copy written 1988.

 It is known that there are two levels of Life, physical and spiritual. This information has been written to enlighten the individual with a true quest for personal development, to the higher levels of physical and spiritual life.
After man learns his physical levels of life, he will then be ready to begin with his spiritual levels. The physical level lies down a foundation which allows one to begin on the spiritual levels. If we are to gain greater physical knowledge we must accumulate our physical knowledge. We have to study our physical bodies, and how they relate to all that is around us. We study the planet we live within, and how we relate to it. We study what lives within our bodies, and how it relates to us. As we analyze, we can begin to see the comparison. Our bodies are a living world to all the living organisms within our bodies. Our planet is a living world to all the people living within it. This accumulated knowledge allows us to see that our universe is a living world to all the planets within it. As our physical knowledge can develop so far beyond ourselves, so can our spiritual level if we go beyond our bodies, to our planet, then the universe.
Warning The information below has been set in a specific order. One must learn the terms and analogy of the first chapters in order to be able to relate to the final chapters of spiritual development.
 Do not eliminate or skip over any part of this information thinking that it is not important. Everything contained herein has a purpose, which will be clear to you later if it is not presently. To obtain the full benefit to this book it should be read more than once, as your understanding will be greater the second time. This information is only meant as a guide to inspire you to your own personal enlightenment and development.

 

Belief

One of the prerequisites a person must have before developing themselves spiritually is BELIEF. One must learn to believe in oneself. Belief is the greatest driving force for the spirit and is what is true to oneself, although it can be changed through a greater understanding of life on all levels.
Some people may believe that certain items, objects or spiritual energies give them strengths and power. It is not these things or energies that give them power, it is their own belief that does. Also, if one is being worshipped by many people and believed to be a god, he will be that god through the power of his disciples beliefs.
The majority of people do not realize that they possess a great power within themselves and therefore resort to other things to give them strength, such as anything from good luck charms to gods. But no matter if we believe in ourselves or other things, it is the power of our own belief that is being reflected back to us. The stronger the belief is, the greater the power and strength will be. We all have the power within ourselves. Some of us, however, prefer to think that it would be easier to let others direct it rather than to search and develop it within themselves.

Enlightenment

Enlightenment is the moment when your understanding of knowledge changes.
When you are enlightened to another level of knowledge you will want to share this new insight with others.
Unfortunately you will not be able to teach another way of thinking to people who still think the way you once used to think. These different levels of thought, or spheres of looking through life with new eyes, cannot be taught through teaching, only through inspiration, experience and thought. In order for one to teach enlightenment, one must first relate to and understand ones student's level of thinking, and analyze their various experiences with them. Then let them find their own answers. Further, let the student analyze a similar experience you have had, without giving them your conclusion or point of views. This process should inspire the student to think, analyze and understand with their own mind.
 Through this inspired thinking they should by now realize that the answers to their past experience may have changed. If this is the case, they will then have been enlightened to another sphere or level of thinking. Levels, or spheres of thinking, can evolve through oneself, if one has a quest for a higher and more knowledgeable self.
The further one's spheres evolve, the further one will distance themselves from others of a lower sphere, which does not mean , however, a lower form of human life. If one is content in their sphere of knowledge they will remain in that sphere. If one's sphere of thinking changes he will think in that sphere and also be content. Wherever your sphere of thinking is, you will know no different until you have evolved to another, and then it won't be different, because you are thinking in that sphere.
 Consequently, what we are is all the same, only on different spheres or levels of thinking. Wherever we presently are we know no higher, but know that we are at a higher level than we were before. Spheres higher and more advanced than that of our own are at that time only theories, speculations or assumptions, but cannot be. We can believe in our theories and they will be true to our own beliefs, but this belief comes from a different state of oneself.
It does not matter whatever level or sphere we have attained we will only know for certain what or who is less advanced than ourselves. People who remained in the sphere that we were in, will not be able to know and truly comprehend our state of mind or level of thinking. They only can assume to know what we are, but will not be able to truly know, as what is above us can not be known until we have been enlightened: but once we have been enlightened we are no longer enlightened, which means that enlightenment is only a moment of realization, a moment to pass from one sphere or level of thinking and understanding to the next. Thus, it is an unending developing process, which enables us to continuously develop our oneself to a greater oneself. Lastly, only you yourself can know in what level or sphere of thinking you are according to all and everything that is around you.

Enlightenment of Life

In order to find true answers to life, one must study his body, planet and universe scientifically, philosophically, and spiritually through one's innerself.

SCIENCE - Study of life in a physical sense; an analysation of anatomy: skeletal system, muscles, tendons, organs, genetics etc.

PHILOSOPHY- Systematic reflective thinking on theories of life and the universe, which is used to culture and develop morals and help find belief.

SPIRITUALITY- The awareness and development of energy, which includes one's own life energy, soul or spirit.

INNERSELF- One's individual self; a combination of emotions, knowledge and ideals which create and motivate one's own judgment. It is this combination that allows us not only to feel what happens to ourselves, but also let us feel the effect others have on our collection of experiences. This is what creates our own innerself.

THE TWO LEVELS OF LIFE

There are two forms of life energy: physical - worldly and spiritual - universal. What our living world is to the universe is that of which our physical being is to our spirit. We know that our body is that of our living world, which makes it worldly energy. Whereas our internal energy, spirit or soul is that of the universe, which limits exceed far beyond our physical worldly comprehension. Many people do not wish to live their lives based on assumptions and theories which have no scientific proof. We certainly can believe in things which have no such proof, but when science can instill doubts in a person's mind it will cause that person to think, question, analyze and inquire, provided that he/she can do so with a balanced, clear and open mind.
Some people of course do not wish to think and analyze for themselves to find true meaning and belief, instead, they let others think for them and follow them blindly. This, however, does not mean that they do not have belief. It merely means that they cannot without a doubt truly understand their belief, and consequently it will be superficial and not true to them.
If one desires to find true belief, knowledge and answers, he will have to study the philosophies of many philosophers old and new, various religions, science, including genetics and ecology, spirituality and also oneself. It is the in-depth study of all these combined through one's own morality, that allows a person with a quest for enlightenment to develop, acquire and create their own conclusions, knowledge and belief, which only then can become true to him/herself.
Human beings have a great power within, which allows them to create and or search for answers to what they do not understand. These answers are usually created through assumptions, various interpretations, or myths and are true and correct beyond a doubt to their believers. Belief, which is reality and truth to the individual, is a great power and mental energy, as well as a guiding force for the  internal energy of the soul. When one limits their own beliefs while developing themselves physically, they will also do so spiritually, which in turn will limit their own internal energy. If one deeply believes in resurrection, one will change form and return to one's limited cycle. Even though there is a whole universe to be explored, which would allow one to develop further and further, still, some people prefer to limit themselves to resurrection. Just as others will limit themselves to a certain hell or a different religious heaven. Belief directs the spirit, soul or internal energy. Without belief your internal energy will become part of the vast energy that is circulated throughout the atmosphere. It is said: "having limited belief is better than having no belief." Your own spirit or entity, the essence of your life, evolves through the study and development of your own morality, ideals, emotions, wisdom, experience and knowledge. After spending your physical lifetime feeding your internal self all the wisdom, emotions, ideals, knowledge, experience and morality, would you be satisfied to let the essence of your life go to waste by having no belief in yourself? Without belief your energy will have no direction. All the studies and accumulations of your self knowledge will be in vain. Your energy would be incomplete without your entity, which is the essence of your life. Energy without direction will become part of the atmosphere. Belief is part of oneself and gives energy it's direction, allowing the soul, the essence of your life, to grow, develop and evolve without being confined to the physical world. Each of us has the choice and ability to create, develop and evolve our own entity, or limit it to certain particular beliefs such as a hell, a heaven, or channeling spiritual energy to other living creatures. But no matter which, spiritual energy, which is considered heavenly or universal, will always be, just as will worldly energy such as all living matter, minerals, liquids, oxygen and radiant energy. Once used, they will change form and proceed through their individual cycles of life once again. Life is thus a never ending process, where only our own ideals and morality can end if we have no belief and have not passed our ideals on to others. As we reflect we might ask ourselves: is our accumulated knowledge meant only to help our future generations exceed us in their accumulated knowledge? Or is our accumulated knowledge meant to form a foundation from which to develop ourselves on a basic level, before being capable of understanding higher forms of life. It is an evolving process however, for which one cannot be of heavenly energy to understand worldly matter. The energies of worldly living matter sustain life: minerals from (Earth), liquids from the (Water), oxygen from the air (Wind), and radiant energy from the sun (Fire). To understand these living worldly matters one must become worldly energy, and that is what the physical being of man is. To understand the spiritual energy one must leave the physical being. In order for one to understand both, one would have to begin with the lower form and slowly develop and evolve, just as one learns to crawl before one walks. This energy must be cultured and developed, and if one is not aware of it, he/she will have no direction. For us, in order to study our physical being, we must begin with the elements Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. We must study our living planet, our living bodies and our living universe through these four powers of existence, to provide us with a greater understanding of life.

Our Living Planet

Our living planet consists of four major elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Wind.

WATER - Is that of all liquid matter: lakes, oceans, rivers and rain.

FIRE - Is that of energy matter: solar energy from the sun's radiation and energy which the sun creates through the thermonuclear process.

EARTH - Is that of solid matter: the ground we stand on, rocks, mountains and sand.

WIND - Is that of oxygen matter: the circulation of our atmosphere.

ELEMENTAL CHART

WATER  (Liquids)   -  WATER (Dissolving)
WIND (Oxygen)  -  WOOD (Growing) creating oxygen
EARTH (Solid matter)  -  EARTH (Solidifying)
FIRE (Energy transformation)  -  FIRE (Evaporating)

Water  - Hydrosphere
Fire - Solar sphere
Wind - Atmosphere
Earth - Lithosphere

Each element has it's own natural individual strength which usually counterbalances it's opposites.
 Water's natural strength: tidal waves, rain storms, whirl pools etc...
Wind's natural strength: wind storms, hurricanes, tornadoes etc...
Earth's natural strengths: earthquakes, land slides, volcanic eruptions etc...
Fire's natural strengths: heat waves, forest fires, droughts etc...
Each element can cause great destruction individually, but in most cases the destruction they cause is only to maintain the balance of the world. The harmonious flow and balance of the elements combined is what creates and sustains life as we know it. An element in excess could cause destruction, just as it would should there be a lack of that particular elemental power.
Each element must work in moderation in order to maintain balance. Should man or nature itself unbalance one or more of the elements, the consequences would be reflected back to mankind in a form of destruction from that particular effected element, or from the remaining elements trying to maintain balance. Examples of counterbalancing the elements: Excessive wind (oxygen) can be balanced with excessive fire (energy transformation), excessive fire with excessive water (liquids) and excessive water with earth (solids). This principle also applies to the balancing and counterbalancing of each element's individual power of destruction. An unbalanced element could thus be counterbalanced by it's opposite element or by several elements combined, as for example: excessive fire can be countered with water or earth, excessive oxygen or lack thereof. In order to attain a better understanding of the counterbalancing of opposite forces one should study the following diagram.

EARTH

WATER

FIRE

WIND

The center circle portrays Emptiness: When all elements are balanced in even proportions they create a harmonious flow within themselves. Since no individual element is seen it seems that nothing is there, a state which is also called "wholeness", because everything is brought together as one to be none - meaning, that there are no more individual elements.
Each line that leaves the circle of emptiness has it's opposite. These lines are called "directional lines." Earth is of solid matter and creates a great resistance, whereas the opposite to earth is wind (oxygen), which has no resistance. These two lines represent forward and backward, positive and negative. Water is that of liquid matter and it's opposite is fire (energy transformation). The diagram below, which was created and developed by Soke Daniel L. Verkerke in order to teach Seicho Jutsu, the art of personal growth and enlightenment, is called the "Emblem Theory".

From our four major elements we went one step further and created these new combinations which will aid us in understanding the use and misuse of the element to which we owe our lives to. Combining them creates greater elemental powers, as for example, Earth and Fire combined can counter Wind and Water individually, as well as Wind and Water combined. Just about any combination is possible. When one understands each element's strength, one will also realize it's weakness, which in turn makes it sometimes necessary to combine one element with the another. Example: vulnerable element Wind is being taken by Fire. Combining Water with Wind would create a power which could counterbalance the element of Fire.  
Such is only the beginning of combining elements. After balancing, counterbalancing and combining all the elements through and again they will begin to form one. (This may take a long time to comprehend.) When this happens, the directional lines will no longer be seen, because every element is now balanced within the circle. The directional lines therefore only indicate each individual element in excess. An element in excess leaves the circle and unbalances the harmonious flow within it. Should this happen, the remaining elements would have to counteract the unbalanced force in order to maintain balance within the circle.

The Yin and Yang emblem helps
 illustrate the balancing of opposite forces.

The emblem of Yin and Yang portrays the counterbalancing of opposite forces. It illustrates counter balancing of opposites . The elements combined as one create an overall strength. Individually, each element possesses great strength, but when not balanced with the other elements they also have a great weakness. Every positive has it's negative. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water all have their individual strengths and weaknesses, but when combined create an overall power through the harmonious flow and balancing of each other. It is this combined power that sustains life. The elements working together create and control Seasons, Nature and Time as we know it.

Seasons  - Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
Time - Morning, Noon, Evening, Night

NATURE - is that of which is growing: plant life, fruits, vegetables, flowers etc... Nature is controlled by the seasons, whereas the change of seasons is brought about by the continuing flow and balance of the elements. Earth, Wind, Fire and Water are the four powers of our existence. Without one of these elements we cannot exist, just as one in excess may also cause our destruction. Everything living depends on the elements to sustain it's life.

MAN AND THE ELEMENTS

 Man must learn to understand and work with the elements. If mankind continues to work against these elements it may lead to his destruction. Man can use the powers which each individual element provides to create power for himself. The use of natural methods should not affect the balance of the elements, whereas, if man uses unnatural methods to create power, he may unbalance them, which in turn could provoke the elements to counterbalance themselves through earthquakes, tornadoes, heat waves  or other destructive methods.
Examples of how man can use natural elemental powers for himself:

EARTH - Man can use earth's fossil fuels, coal, oil, natural gas and oil shale to create energy. Earth's uranium and plutonium are also being developed as energy sources.

WIND - Man can use wind to generate power through windmills or any other forms which require wind to create movement which is utilized for power.

WATER - Man can use water to generate energy through the use of watermills, water turbines, steam turbines etc...

FIRE - Man can use fire to generate power through the transformation of energy (burning), as well as through the use of solar energy.

Man must develop his technology to work with the elements. He must keep in mind not to disturb the balance of the elements whenever he uses them, for if he does, he must try to counterbalance them before he causes his own destruction.

PLANETARY BALANCING CHART

The outside circle represents the sphere
in which all four elements are within and
 is used only to illustrate these four spheres.

Fire - Solar sphere
Wind - Atmosphere
Earth - Lithosphere
 Water - Hydrosphere

These four elements maintain the balance of our planet. Just as we live within this planet, this planet lives within the universe. We are the children of this planet Earth, and this planet Earth is but one of the children of the universe. Our planet is like a god to all that is living within it.

OUR LIVING BODIES

Our living bodies consist of four major elements: Water, Fire, Earth and Wind .

WATER - is that of liquid matter: all bodily fluids.

FIRE - is that of energy matter: energy that is fed to the body by the blood stream, also that of which is absorbed through the skin.

EARTH - is that of solid matter: skeletal system, muscles and tendons, all of which support the body.

WIND - is that of oxygen matter: sustains organs, cells and blood.

Each of these elements has a great purpose in the life of our living bodies.

EARTH (Solid matter)                       EARTH (Skeletal system)
WATER (Liquids)                             WATER (Bodily fluids)
FIRE (Energy transformation)             FIRE (Blood's energy)
WIND (Oxygen)                                WIND (Organs; all living cells)  

It is these four elements which our physical living bodies consist of. Without one of these elements our physical living bodies cannot exist. The human body, all physical matter and livings things are part of the planet Earth and are made of, and / or sustained by elemental energy. Energy cannot be destroyed nor created. Due to the elements our planet is constantly changing, reshaping the face of the Earth. Change is the way of the universe. Evolution never stands still. When the human body dies it changes matter, just as when a tree dies and rots away it becomes part of the Earth again and enriches the soil with minerals and other elements which will become vital energy for other life forms. The water element of the body, for example, will proceed through it's energy change, evaporate and recycle. The same happens with the rest of the human elements. Structure, living organs and raw energy all transform into other energies. Nothing vanishes, but rather changes into another energy form and recycles through life over and over again. Scientists believe that all living forms on our planet began by cells. These cells were created with atoms of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and others which were all derived from our four elements: earth, fire, water and wind were joined together by radiant energy or possibly from a discharge of lightning creating a cell. A cell consists of three main parts; wall, membrane and nucleus ( which is the center of the cell). DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which is present in the nuclei of all and every cell, is a biochemical which orders both cell growth and reproduction.
REPRODUCTION OF A CELL There are two ways of reproducing a cell: mitotic and meiosis. Meiosis is sexual reproduction through the union of male and female cells. In this case, DNA is reduced to half the amount of mitotic cells by a process called meiosis. In meiosis, DNA strands separate, just as they do in mitosis, but do not bond to a new second strand. Only after two sex cells unite do they attain the amount of DNA found in a mitotic cell. Although meiosis makes reproduction possible, it offers a slow pathway to change. Mitotic cell reproduction occurs when cells multiply, first by dividing DNA into two separate cells. Each single strand of DNA will quickly regrow into a double helix strand again. Mitotic cells are able to form mutations, as they can be altered through the random breaking of chemical bonds in the DNA helix to create changes. Since the beginning of time, cells have been evolving and producing different living organisms which, in turn, have again produced and evolved greater living organisms and so forth. Remains of the earliest species cannot be traced, as bones, shells and other protective structures did not exist and creatures were like jelly fish. Recording the past was made possible when life evolved and formed bones and shells. Survival of any species depends on their ability to change with the environmental conditions around them. The four elements Earth (structure), Water (liquids), Fire (energy) and Wind (organs) not only sustain our living body, but are also the vital forces which formed the first living cell. The body contains a vast amount of cells and other living organisms, such as germs, bacteria and parasites. Every living form can be traced back to the elements, to where it will eventually all return again. Man has evolved and developed his living internal energy as well as his living bodily energy, which consist of, and is sustained by the elements of this planet. Man's living internal energy is considered to be universal, which limits exceed far beyond our physical worldly comprehension. However, the internal energy is another aspect of our living entity and is separated from our living bodies. The highest living forms within our bodies are cells. The remaining functions of the body seem to support and service them. Water - carries liquids to the cells,  Earth - supports and protect them through structure, Fire - provides the cells with energy, and Wind - supplies the oxygen. The greatest accumulation of cells is found in the organs, which therefore also use the most amount of energy. A body needs following organs to function: brain, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, kidneys, intestines and bladder. The brain, which is the most significant organ, acts as a central control unit for the rest of the body. It receives and transmits messages through it's receptors and transmitters which are located within the body. The brain also receives and transmits messages from oneself, ones own internal entity. Living cells within the brain are quite capable of supporting life within the body, just as a plant would live, provided that the elements supply the necessary requirements. Many choices are made through analyzing the accumulated knowledge of oneself, ones own entity. This entity transmits to the brain, creating a reaction of the body which is one's physical being. One of the facts that separate man from other living species is, that man does not wait to evolve physically, as do plants and other life forms. Man has evolved his inner oneself, but not his organs, structure, shape or form, for it will probably take a great amount of time before man's shape or form changes. The sphere of our bodies consist of: Earth- (structure, skeletal system) Wind-(oxygen within our organs and cells), Fire-(absorbed energy), and Water-(bodily fluids). The elements which complete the bodies sphere are the same as those which complete the planet's sphere, but on a different level. We, ourselves, might only see the body, but to anything living within our bodies, such as microorganisms, bacteria, germs etc.., it is a universe.

Our living bodies are a world to all that
is living within them, just as our living
planet is a world to all that is living within it.

 

 

OUR LIVING UNIVERSE

Since we are not capable of exploring and understanding the universe yet, we must use our accumulated knowledge to help us to a greater understanding.

The planet earth is a world to all that
is living within it, but to itself it's just
a planet within the universe.

The living body is a world to all that
is living within it, but to itself it's just
 a body living within the planet.

The living body consists of what the planet consist of, but on a different and much smaller scale. Living matter within the body consist of what the body itself consist of but on a different and much smaller scale. On account of this knowledge we can presume, that our planet consist of what the universe consist of, but on a different and much smaller scale. Prior to man's extensive exploration of our planet Earth he had various ideas of what the Earth might have looked like. Some thought it was flat and some thought the sun moved around the Earth. All these thoughts and theories were neither wrong nor right, until the Earth was explored and discovered scientifically.
Through exploring and charting the Earth mankind gained a much greater understanding and consequently, many of his ideas and ways of thinking changed, which intern led him to think and analyze on a worldly level. It was this new level of knowledge that allowed mankind to grow and advance tremendously.
In order for mankind to understand a higher level than that of his world, he will have to look and search within himself, because what man is to the world, is what the world is to the universe.

Following illustration will indicate two different spheres of knowledge.

WORLDLY PLANET   North - upward i West - left side ---- :---- East - right side i South - downward Directions of the planet are points which will only work within the planet. For example: You are leaving Earth, exiting in a northward direction, passing the northpole. Earth keeps rotating, and as you return from the same direction you will find that the north direction is no longer the north direction. Therefore the direction of our planet can only direct us to points on our planet.

WORLDLY BODY N -upward - forward W - left side -----:----- E - right side S - downward - backward When man uses his own sense of direction, the only thing he can be certain of is his up and down, as his sense of balance is aided by gravity. Man knows that the direction he is facing is forward, but when he faces another direction, this also will be forward. Side to side direction, forward-upward and backward - downward directions are only judged by his body. Therefore, if the bodies position changes so will the direction, which gives man no real direction, only points associated with the position of his body. Should man be in space or deep underwater he would not be able to comprehend weather he is laying down or standing up. Man's direction can only direct man to points within man.

The directions of the planet are different than that of the body, but both are correct in their individual spheres. In our first sphere or level of knowledge we learned the sense of our bodily direction up and down, side to side, forward and backward. Then we charted and named the planet's points, north - top, south - bottom, east - right side, west - left side to aid us in the direction of our planet. Lastly, we began charting the solar system: Moon, Sun, Pluto, Venus etc... This is only the beginning. It is like being a cell inside the human body finding a few organs. The cell could examine and chart these organs, but could never see the entire view of the body, as it is within.
 The same applies to man. When mankind explored and charted new countries, each of which could be compared to a solar system, it took many generations and many years until man charted all of the Earth in order to have an overall view of his planet, which then gave him worldly knowledge. Mankind attained a physical knowledge of his living body, which was his first sphere of knowledge. He then attained the physical and material knowledge of his planet, which gave him his second sphere. Mankind has now entered into his third sphere of knowledge - the Universe.
We, ourselves, are a living bodily planet, living within a living planet, which in turn, is living in the universe, consisting of many stars and planets.  The universe, which mankind is just beginning to explore, may also be living within a greater source. Each time we explore a greater source we develop a higher understanding, which could be called a new sphere of thinking.

 SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT

The physical study and comparison of body, planet and universe will set the foundation for man to study the spiritual energy of life. Just as the body, planet and universe helped develop the physical knowledge of oneself, they will also help develop one's spiritual knowledge. As we know there is energy all around us; it is in the air and all that is living. In addition to energy which is used for the burning of fuels or the movement of water and wind, there is also the great energy of life, our living entity, which is also referred to as spiritual, ones innerself, or the soul. It may have many names, such as godly, heavenly, or universal, but whatever you may call it, it is the same energy, even though some may have different interpretations of these names. There is a living energy within the human body, within the planet and within the universe. Since the universe is the highest sphere man knows of yet this is where we must end for now. As man has explored himself and his planet physically, he must go further and explore his own oneself - discover his spiritual living energy, which will develop his innerself. As man begins to chart the universe physically, he must also discover, and be part of, its living spiritual energy. Developing himself in this manner will allow him to become constantly greater through the accumulation of spiritual energy. Mankind can journey far beyond the universe, as internal living energy has no end and can travel through either a small circle as that of a limited man, or through an infinite circle as that of a limitless man. We all are born a spiritual entity as well as a physical being: our physicalness allows our experiences to grow and develop. At birth, our entity is one combined emotion, enclosing all and every feeling within, which is a state of emptiness. At this stage all emotions are combined to be none and represent thus one great energy. As we grow, learn and experience we begin to define emotions through our physical being and chart them as we would a new world; instead of naming countries, a name is given to each feeling and emotion. After each is separated, studied and defined, one has to find its opposite in order to be able to counterbalance and redirect every emotion, which is called the development of one's innerself. When one understands every emotion in this level he will be empty, balanced between all emotions. Once evolved to this level one will see and understand what others do not. This then is the beginning of a higher sphere of oneself.

SPIRITUAL POWERS OF ONESELF

 The key to ones own individual power lies within "Belief" and "Emotions". Belief, a subject defined in previous chapters, is equally important to emotions, which are our greatest spiritual powers. Although every person has emotions, most do not realize the true significance of them and do not analyze them beyond the simple acknowledgment of feeling angry, joyful, passive, excited etc... As a matter of fact, how many people do, for example, even realize the change of heart rate, lactic acid level, metabolism and breathing pattern within themselves with each and every emotion? Some may, however, become consciously aware of an increasing strength, power and tolerance of pain when extremely angry, or being instantly fully awake and excited when suddenly jolted from a tired and / or relaxed state.

Emotional powers go beyond the physical being. As we begin to discover our emotions and their individual powers and start to analyze and study them we will soon detect each ones strengths (positives) as well as weaknesses (negatives). In order to develop and balance ourselves we may employ the aid of the " Emblem Theory", which illustrates the balancing and counterbalancing of opposites.

As indicated in the previous chapters the circle in the center of the emblem represents a balanced point, a point which the majority of people have not developed and instead traverse from one emotion to another. Studying oneself and ones emotions it soon becomes apparent that in order to be balanced one will have to find, defer and study every emotion and it's opposite and develop each to equal strength. The more emotions we learn to balance the greater the center circle will become and the further the directional lines will reach, which means one has developed a more extensive and stronger emotional powers. As stated, the center represents a composed well balanced oneself which is complete as a whole. When we are born we are one large circle of emotions, holding all within, feeling happy, sad, excited, angry etc. almost simultaneously. As we grow up we name each emotion to separate them from each other and to distinguish them. This then is the stage I call the intermediate process of life. The advance process begins by understanding each individual emotional power, finding its opposite and attaining the balanced point. Each time you find this point your circle will expand and control and development of oneself becomes greater. Eventually you will evolve to one large circle once more like it was in the beginning of your life, with the exception that you will find yourself in a different level. It is like being born again in another sphere of life.

SELF KNOWLEDGE - is created through one's emotions.

BEHAVIOR - is created through one's emotions.

JUDGMENT - is created through one's emotions.

We experience through emotions, right from wrong, good and bad. Just as we used our planet to guide us on our physical knowledge we will use our planet to guide and inspire our spiritual emotional power to higher levels.

Again we will use the "Seicho Jutsu Emblem Theory" to illustrate.

EARTH

WATER

FIRE

WIND

Once a person realizes the significant role of the elements in our physical world, that person may open their eyes to the spiritual power and energy those elements can provide. We first discover how much power our emotions have, then go on further to explore the spiritual emotional powers of our planet and universe. In order for man to truly feel the powers of the elements he must become one with them. This can be achieved through meditation; relaxation and imagery. In order to perform this meditation you must be able to completely relax both body and mind. It sounds easy, but really takes a lot of practice. After a period of about ten minutes of total relaxation of both body and mind, you may begin the imagery. This is where the elements come into effect. You must be able to imagine yourself as the element, become a part of that element. As you become a part of that element you will feel your breathing as well as the rest of your body begin to change. This is the beginning of developing your emotional spiritual powers to a higher level. It can be often very helpful to physically go to where the element is, and use that as an inspiration. If the elements inspire you, you will already have feelings for them.
 Earth on our planet is solid, firm and unmoving, portraying the emotion of stability and great resistance. Wind, on the other hand, has no resistance; it is elusive. For man to feel wind would mean to be totally relaxed and to have no concerns at all. Water moves as waves, creating a back and forth motion between positive and negative. Feeling water means being indecisive. Fire is great energy, portraying intense emotions. Feeling fire means being almost hyper.
A person imagining himself to be the element will feel its strength and power. Once he becomes one with it he will not only feel, but truly possess, the power and strength of that element, which will bring him to the spiritual level of his world. The emotional power and strength of the universe can only be found amidst the emptiness and vastness of it.
For man to be able to feel the universe he will first have to find emptiness within himself, which in turn will allow him to be balanced. Knowledge, emotions and experiences all have individual strong points, but when understood individually, one realizes that they also have their weaknesses, yet, when combined as one, create an overall power which sustains life itself.
Ultimately, when you can combine all your experience, knowledge and emotions, become one with them and work and understand all of them to create a sense of emptiness, you will develop wholeness, which will give you eternal strength

THE OPEN MIND

Science, Religion, Philosophy and Spirituality all have their individual knowledge, but the greatest knowledge lies in the combination of all.

This is emptiness when all knowledge is combined to be as one. The limits, which separate the individual and prevent him from seeing the complete overall truth, vanish and he begins to see things as a "whole".

If you look at life as a scientist you will have a limited point of view, you will only see what relates to your scientific mind.

You have to empty your mind of past ideals to clearly see things as a "whole".

Wholeness - openness, emptiness all knowledge combined as one to be none. This is true enlightenment.

One can never comprehend knowledge as a wholeness but one can spend a lifetime learning it as a wholeness.

There are no limits to mankind, just as there are no limits to knowledge.

Man can create the destiny of his own being; his own being can be limited or limitless; it depends on himself. A limited man can know everything that he is limited to, but he will not exceed the knowledge of his limits. The limitless man knows that he will never know everything because what he does not experience he will create.

All ideals; science, religion, philosophy, spirituality are good, as anything that expands your knowledge is good if you are open minded and willing to accept the new. If you don't learn  opposites and what's in between, you will never be complete. Even if it is against what you have been taught or discovered, to learn the opposites is only learning the Yin to your Yang or vice versa. This is being of Whole.

There is no one knowledge better than the other. They could be total opposites. The scientist will say my way is better, I will physically show you why and how this works. The religious person will say, don't question why, just have faith. Now, which way is best?

If someone does different than you, does that make them better (right) or worse (wrong) ? There is only one way to tell. Learn it the other way, develop it until you fully understand and then choose. This gives you the opportunity to sit on top of the fence free of mind. Would you climb back down your side and be limited, or would you climb down the other side to be limited ? The lesson is to stay on top of the fence in order to have the freedom of choice. A mind that is free and empty will always have choice, but if the mind is limited there will be no choice.

When you see the faults in science, religion, philosophy or spirituality do you mock them with a closed mind or do you open your mind and try to understand ? You might not be able to understand through trying, so let it be absorbed, and one day the light may shine upon you and you will understand.

Never close your mind to something you do not understand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel L. Verkerke holds the title of Founder of the Art of Growing and Grandmaster of the Seicho Jutsu schools of self development. Mr. Verkerke began his extensive studies into the art of personal enlightenment at childhood and spent his lifetime devoted and dedicated to the development, formulation and creation of his art "Seicho Jutsu".

This art which includes physical, mental and spiritual development has provided Mr. Verkerke with a great inspiration into the depths of mind, body and soul, which is reflected throughout this book. Now, after many years of exclusively teaching chosen personal students, he for the first time reveals his vast accumulated knowledge to the public.

"Art of Growing" - Seicho Jutsu and all related text and images COPYRIGHT @1984-2009 by Daniel Verkerke
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED