The Sublimation of Desire by JSM

Jesus said that "No One IS Good except God." It should be apparent from that statement alone that he wasn't referring  to a "good" which is simply the opposite of "bad." He was referencing an Absolute Good which transcends our relative perceptions of good or bad.  

You have probably heard the expression that "good is often the enemy of that which is best."  In a relative sense, whether we intend to or not, we make arbitrary judgments all the time about our experiences (sometimes subconsciously). Some things we consider good, and others bad. Usually it is because we feel those things which we classify as "bad" are infringing upon our egoic sense of self or making things uncomfortable for the "self" that we believe ourselves to be. In large part this is due to the preferences we have adopted over time and/or the way we would prefer things to be.

That being said, because of the subjective nature of our experience, it is almost impossible to distinguish, from a perspective of duality (separation), which experiences are truly "bad" from those that are ultimately working toward our Highest Good. Therefore if we resist the "bad", we may miss an opportunity to derive benefit from the experience. 

 If we are honest with ourselves, we are able to see that there is a natural tendency to gravitate toward those experiences which we consider "good" for our physical and material well-being (i.e. more money, better job, new car etc..). What is often overlooked, however, is that by placing the emphasis upon some external "good" we may inadvertently be settling for that which is less than the best because we are only evaluating the impact of those things upon the physical circumstances of our lives. 

When it comes right down to it, ALL of our judgments stem from an established sense of Identity. The perplexing contradiction in the nature of our experience, however, lies in the fact that there is frequently a difference between who we think we are, who we want others to think we are, and who we really Are. The more we are able to bring those various facets of our Identity into alignment, the less confusion we will perpetually create in our experience.

Everyone has a predominant sense of identity which governs their thoughts about themselves (material, intellectual, emotional, spiritual etc..). Usually when anything challenges that identity,  it is deemed as bad. By the same token, if it supports our sense of identity, it is considered good. As an example, if we have built our identity upon the things we own, what we do for a living or what others think of us, then when those things are threatened,  so is our identity. The natural tendency then is fear and self-preservation. (i.e. preserving the sense of self with which we most closely identify). Often this results in defense, control, denial, blame, guilt, shame, depression etc...

The Sublimation of Desire occurs when instead of reacting to external stimuli, being driven by circumstances or ruled by habitual mental patterns and emotions which are tied to past pain, through Awareness  we raise our experience to a higher dimensional perspective by recontextualization. That is, we allow what IS in the full realization and acknowledgement of One Presence and One Power  which underlies all form and appearance. We recognize that instead of being merely humans that occasionally have spiritual experiences, we are One Spirit experiencing itself in multiple dimensions of form. Therefore, we implicitly trust in the Infinite Goodness which lies at the Heart of All That Is. The Spirit and Essence which IS the Ground of All Being.

From this perspective we are not talking about totally eradicating the desire for good or a displeasure for the bad on the human plane, which some religions teach, because that would ultimately eliminate our ability to create altogether. We are talking about an ascension of consciousness into a full realization of the Sublime Desire which is inherent in the Creative Will of Divinity, which is evidenced in the perpetual evolution of the cosmos. For ALL Creation stems from the DESIRE to produce or reproduce something of value on one level of existence or another. When we are caught in a cycle of resisting our circumstances, however, it inhibits us from a proactive participation in the creation of a new reality.

The Paradox of Desire is that contained within it are the Seeds of Creation for both greatness and weakness. For whatever we give place to in Consciousness (consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously)  we create in our experience through the Law of Intention and Attraction.  Just  as the functioning of natural laws can be used to bring help or harm, so the inherently Divine Power of DE-SIRE (Latin="Of the Father") within us can be used to create our own heaven or fashion our own hell.

The ultimate key to transcending all struggle lies in a balanced understanding rooted in Divine Identity which possesses an underlying intention to create in alignment with Perfect Love. Within that Divine Awareness of Self is an Unconditional Love and Harmony which embraces the Totality and not just the selfish needs of the individual.  There is a PRISTINE DESIRE which is not solely based on the relative polarities of our divided experience but flows pure and unrestricted from the Law of the Spirit of Life in which we live and move and have Our Being. There must be an implicit trust in the Infinite Potential of Our Being balanced by an Awareness of Purpose which exists for the GOOD of the Whole.