Reconciled Among the Stars

As we discussed in class, the Gita and Hamlet both explore the idea that our life on Earth has one purpose: to unite our inherent double nature. This is captured in the following quote from Eliot, as well, in Burnt Norton: "The boarhound and the boar

Pursue their pattern as before

But reconciled among the stars."

I love this quote, mostly because I love the somewhat, well, fanciful idea of finding yourself when you reach the stars. However, both Hamlet and the Gita stress that this will not necessarily happen in the afterlife, but that it should be strived for in this life also. It reminds me of Jung's Tree of Self-Actualization and of the Buddhist idea of nirvana: being free.

It all goes back to finding yourself...

"I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another." Hamlet 3.1

This Shakespeare quote explores the idea of every man being two-sided...and of the goal of many to differentiate themselves from the face they were born with. This is a more Western thought

stemming from our ideas of individuality. Western religion focuses more on the separation of God

mortal, seen in the religion of the Greeks, one of the primary influences for much of Western

thought. However, in Eastern religion, a possible unification of mortals and the divine is explored

to a greater extent.

Here, the Gita again stresses the idea of combining the different facets of the body, the mind, the

soul, all into one, united Self.

"Little by little, through patience and repeated effort, the mind will become stilled in the Self."

For me, this idea of the mind and the Self being two separate entities is difficult...yet it makes

sense. It goes back to the idea of the Soul, of there being a separate consciousness in the body that

not related to the body, the brain, or the heart:

"Consciousness is eternal, it is not vanquished with the destruction of the temporary body." Gita

One quick thought...for some reason this makes me think of comas. I've always wondered what

happens in a coma...even if there is no brain waves, there is still something anchoring this person

to the Earth...perhaps it is the eternal soul, consciousness, not ready to let go.

More stream of my consciousness to come!