Most important facts everyone should know

Rukush Koch

Self-Diagnostics of Karma

How to determine who “I” am?

How to discover own mission (Soul’s incarnation plan)?

Don’t let your soul grow lazy, never!
Lest you should idle life away,
Your soul must work, and must endeavor,
Both day and night, both night and day!

Go drive it out into the open,
And drag it along, stage by stage,
Across the potholes, through the snowstorms,
Where frozen winds and blizzards rage!

Don’t let it stay in bed till late morning,
Or lie around in daylight.
Keep tight control upon the sluggard,
And hold its reins forever tight!

If you let it fall to a mindless idling,
If you allow it not to work,
It easily, without a mercy,
Will strip you of your only shirt.

So grab your soul by the shoulders,
Instruct it, strain it until dark,
To make it learn to live in human fashion

And fully play a human part.

It is a slave, and yet a master,

A daughter, yet a working hand…

Your soul must work, and must endeavor,

Both day and night, both day and night!

N. Zabolotsky

There are numerous religions, esoteric schools, and spiritual teachings. All of them offer ready-made recipes for health, success, wealth, high status, and eternal bliss. We are promised that through affirmations, meditations, or magical rituals, we can enlist the help of angels and fulfil any dream.

But is the purpose of our life really so primitive? Does all this make a person truly happy? Do we really pass through the pain of birth, entering this world with faith and hope, for the sake of such petty goals?

Since we are here and striving for something, there must be a deep meaning to it. After all, the stars are lit for a reason, aren’t they?

Sages and Teachers of different eras have spoken of the same thing: there is a purpose. It is to learn to love, to uncover our talents, to make the world a better place, and to become happy. As Richard Bach wrote: “I exist in order to live a life that makes me happy.” And Socrates reminded us: “Know thyself, and you will know the whole world.”

Any path of personal and spiritual growth begins with self-knowledge—understanding your inclinations and your purpose. Everyone has a purpose, not just geniuses or prophets. The main thing is not to force yourself to “climb trees” if you were born to swim. Remember Einstein’s quote? “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

And “in the beginning was the Word”… (Forgive me—another truism… But “clichés” are simply truths tested by time! How can we not believe them? One wants to repeat them and, using them as a springboard, step forward… and sing along the way!)

Applied to the psycho-anthropometric system, “I” represents the first name and patronymic—that is, information about oneself (the metaphysics of the name, gender, belonging to a specific culture, social stratum, and even a specific historical period). The surname is linguistic, cultural, and historical information about the lineage to which “I” belongs (by the way, lineage consists not only of those who carry my surname, but also my mother’s relatives, if I bear my father’s surname).

In all these cases, the information obtained is a harmony of positive and negative data. Like everything positive, it is meant to support us in our development, and like the negative, to hinder it. Hence, the very first task is to strengthen, acquire, and preserve the strong aspects of your name, lineage, and karma, as well as to weaken, neutralize, and free yourself from their negative traits.

It is already common knowledge that names are given in heaven, not by parents, and personal karma is deeply attuned to ancestral karma (after all, the Soul/Monad comes to a specific clan by affinity: like attracts like). This information is a powerful force (it is no coincidence that magicians and sorcerers have always hidden their names—that is, information about themselves)!

The next equally significant piece of information is the date of birth: the zodiac sign and the numerology of the year, date, day of the week, hour, minute, and second… I will mention only the most general and obvious details (the rest can be found in specialized literature): being born on a Sunday is a gift of Destiny (the Soul worked long and hard in previous lives); being born on a Friday means you were considerably less fortunate…

Every year also has its unluckiest day… Those born on this day either carry very heavy karma or have a very difficult mission for this lifetime, and luck is unlikely to be their best friend… On the bright side, a direct connection with the Higher Forces will be maintained throughout their entire life (the law of compensation! After all, the Almighty loves us all equally, which means everyone has equal chances for success and happiness! Only the paths and efforts differ… If we are to believe Kamigori Aichiku, “even a fool can accomplish a great thing if he puts effort into it”). Those born early in the morning will have to work hard, those born in the evening will get to rest a lot, and on Sunday—to repeat myself—life is a non-stop celebration! (Though there are exceptions—we are all unique and individual!)

Once again: one must get rid of or neutralize the negative aspects, while preserving, multiplying, or developing the strong qualities of your astrological and numerological givens (after all, perfection knows no bounds, and while being unhappy is easy, being happy requires effort).

For example, suppose you were born under the sign of Pisces. In the process of personal evolution, you should at the very least change your sign. However, this change of sign does not happen sequentially around the circle, but counter clockwise through two signs—as if moving along a square. This means the next sign of your development is Sagittarius. Then comes Virgo, followed by Gemini, and finally Pisces again (a complete circle of elements: Fire, Air, Earth, and Water once more).

However, such a path is meant for a “straight-A student”—an inquisitive and persistent personality. Moving forward by even one-step is considered a good result for an entire lifetime. But let’s not limit ourselves: completing the full square and returning to the starting point? Where is the development in that, then? The point remains the same, but the quality is different… This represents mastery of the sign, the ability to control the elements, and the point where the sign’s negative traits have been fully overcome.

Here is a schematic representation of this movement

Pisces
Aquarius  Aries
Capricorn  Taurus
Sagittarius  Gemini
Scorpio  Cancer
Libra Leo
Virgo

If you are sufficiently versed in astrology and want to test this universal law for yourself, I suggest an experiment: take one or several famous personalities as subjects of study and analyse their “square.”

For example, the well-known Mr. X, who has been named Person of the Year more than once. His actions in the world, his philosophy, his demeanour, the speed of his personal development—everything points to him being a Capricorn. Then we look up his date of birth… October 7! He is a Libra! So this is indeed his “square”: Libra – Cancer – Aries – Capricorn! And his progress is dizzying!

So, you have begun to consciously engage in inner development—or, in other words, self-improvement… How can you tell which sign you are right now (not by birth, but in terms of your current reality)? By your chronic illnesses!

Every sign has its own unique set of ailments and vulnerable areas in the body. As the sign changes, the “bouquet of symptoms” changes as well. Illnesses are given to us not only to help us realize what is wrong with our soul, but also to help us understand where it is and what stage of development it has reached.

• Aries (March 21 – April 19) – eye, ear, and nasopharynx troubles; headaches, migraines, neuralgia.
• Taurus (April 20 – May 20) – diseases which particularly attack the throat: throat, larynx, and tonsils infections; thyroid may increase; respiratory diseases; genital diseases; diseases of the uterus, liver, and kidneys; rheumatism, obesity.
• Gemini (May 21 – June 20) – nervous disorders, catarrh, and bronchitis.
• Cancer (June 21 – July 22) – cancer, pleurisy, hemorrhoids, phlebeurysm, gastritis, coughing, weakening of vision, frequent cases of poisoning with bad-quality products.
• Leo (July 23 – August 22) – back and lung pains, pains in the spine; heart trouble, poor circulation and similar troubles, blood diseases; convulsions, jaundice, and eye troubles.
• Virgo (August 23 – September 22) – the healthiest of all the signs; nevertheless is susceptibility to intestinal disorders, constipations, abdominal spasms, bowel obstructions, diarrheas, different liver diseases; as well as, weak lymph nodes.
• Libra (September 23 – October 22) – weak resistance to disease, main threat to health being the cold and damp; the most vulnerable parts of the body are kidneys and loin; frequent renal colic, ectopic pregnancy, and skin diseases.
• Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) – hepatitis, ARI, laryngitis, diseases of abdominal, genital organs, and bladder. NB! Scorpio might be in danger from fires and accidents, especially while travelling.
• Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21) – sciatica and rheumatism; may have bad skin, nails, and hair; susceptible to injury; sore throat; nerve diseases and varicose veins.
• Capricorn (December 22 – January 19) – fractures, stretching the knee joint, other leg and feet defects; anemia, chronic nephritis, acute respiratory viral infection, deafness, rheumatism, and rickets; depressions.
• Aquarius (January 20 – February 18) – nervous disorders, catarrh, diarrhea, hemorrhoids.
• Pisces (February 19 – March 20) – one of the most unhealthy signs of the Zodiac; frequent eczemas, fungal infections, colds, poisoning; possible accidents on the water.

However, true wisdom—that is, understanding the laws of existence and the goals of one’s own development—boils down to returning to the origins of your sign, completely freeing yourself from its negative aspects, and gaining mastery over yourself. Perhaps this is even more than wisdom… After all, if we are to believe Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.”

If information about a negative trait (for example, jealousy) is duplicated in both your name and your zodiac sign, this indicates a need to pay special attention to it. Outgrowing this quality or learning to manage it should become a top priority.

The next important factor is your place of birth. If you were born in the capital of a highly developed country, our congratulations to you (you accumulated plenty of bonuses in a past life!). If in a backward village in a small, poor country—as the saying goes, you blew it… Of course, there are exceptions, but they are so rare that they are remembered for centuries—Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, for example.

Another significant factor is the family you were born into. Here, things are roughly the same: an intelligent family with deep-rooted traditions means you are at a high level of development (though the expectations placed on you will be correspondingly high!).

On the other hand, if you were born to a single alcoholic mother who abandoned you, or if child protective services removed you and placed you in an infant home, it is quite likely that you were born as an already mature, independent individual. You simply do not need parents or a family—you have already experienced all of that multiple times in past lives. For this lifetime, you have different tasks—most likely socially significant ones.

Well, if you were born into an illiterate, poor, and argumentative family where you are not loved, then… you understand how it is.

Your environment and profession are also important! If your parents are teachers, most of their friends are educators, your friends’ parents are instructors, and your neighbors work at the Ministry of Education and Science, then—provided you have a strong desire—you won’t have to spend much time choosing a career. For starters, aim to become a professor! Or, conversely (again, with a passionate desire), choose the exact opposite—for instance, become an IT specialist or a slacker… (You realize, of course, that these are not synonyms, but simply a different worldview, opposed to the urge to educate, raise, and guide everyone onto the true path.)

Then again, a future profession can be spotted in childhood games: searching for criminals at the neighboring dacha—you are bound to become an investigator; treating the neighbor’s dog—a veterinarian; making facemasks for your grandmother and dolls—a cosmetologist…

And if you are 60 years old and a thoroughly miserable person because someone wanted to turn you into an engineer, or because you yourself, following fashion and prestige, graduated from a language university and became a translator—even though you dreamed all your life of a workshop smelling of paints and turpentine—do not despair! Urgently start doing what you dreamed of! That is the path to happiness! After all, life is only just beginning!

Another good aid in determining your purpose can be social-psychological constructs of behavior and feelings—specifically, envy. We are used to treating envy as a destructive feeling in psychological, religious, philosophical, and artistic aspects. But let’s look at this concept in a metaphysical dimension! It turns out to be a very useful quality that helps us discover our mission.

If I don’t envy David Beckham or Zlatan Ibrahimović, soccer is not my calling. But if I envy Vladimir Vasiliev or Nikolai Tsiskaridze, I should direct my gaze toward ballet and find my place right there. If I don’t envy a palace on the square, but envy a tiny house on the edge of a village—there it is, my level of ambition, and no palaces will comfort me. It is simply not mine: my soul craves solitude, open space, and deep thoughts on the essence of being.

And what next? Well, if those I envy succeeded, why can’t I? There it is, the path to happiness! Onward and with songs in your heart! And there’s no need to waste precious time on foolish things.

Karma is also a significant factor. After all, we are often troubled by questions: why does this infant, having just entered the world, already act like a sage? Or why is a white-haired old man so poorly versed in life? Simply because that little child has already lived many lives and accumulated rich experience, whereas the old man’s soul has incarnated for only the first or second time!

Here, we use “karma” in its narrower sense—not as the law of cause and effect (“you reap what you sow”), but as a record of past lives. Resolving these past outcomes helps reveal the blueprint for the current incarnation, which reflects one’s karma in the broader sense. There are specialists in Past Life Regression therapy who can assist with this. Thus, karma ceases to be something inexplicable.

And finally, the most important thing is to identify the age of your soul (in the context of reincarnation), meaning its degree of moral maturity. After all, being an adult person does not mean being a mature personality (just as a young age by no means implies an immature character). There are seven such stages of development in total:

I — an infant;

II — a toddler taking first steps;

III — a teenager;

IV — a youth;

V — an adult person;

VI — a sage;

VII — a Teacher.

I – An infant

Mentality: no critical analysis; needs guidance and instruction; the outside world makes him confused; actions and doings are helpless; usually does not know why he does this or that; thinking is rough and concrete.

Feelings: his actions are ruled by primitive emotions – anger, desire and fear; is seeking pleasure and avoiding pain; eats because it is necessary for life; by love understands satisfaction of the instincts; sexual intimacy is based only on sexual attraction.

Faith: none, or very orthodox forms of any religion.

Attitudes towards dying and death: panic fear of death.

Speech: consists of separate words or phrases; much use of fervid declamation.

Credo: “I am the first to get!”

Relationship: always is in a high mood, of an exalted character; does not feel genuine affection.

Behavior: aggressive or, on the contrary, imperceptible; languid and silent, like a shadow; when communicating looks away.

Appearance: unattractive; untidy or, on the contrary, looks neat, but also repulsive.

Vices [1]: false pride (the primordial original sin, both historically and genetically), manifesting as extreme arrogance, vanity, and peacocking; self-abasement to the point of servile submissiveness; an unbridled thirst for pleasure; martyrdom through extreme acts of self-sacrifice; greed in its most primitive form; a desperate drive to survive at any cost; self-destruction to the point of madness, sometimes even escalating into crime; blind stubbornness bordering on catatonia or complete detachment.

Career: engaged in a simple routine work; often leads a simple life on the margins of society.

[1] This refers to the basic, well-defined by Doctor of Psychology Jose F. D.Stevens in his monograph “Transforming your dragons”, moral shortcomings, i. e. negative moral qualities of a person, according to which the degree of a person’s maturity on the whole can be easily identified. Although, of course, the number and variety of these spiritual deficiencies is still difficult to expose to a thorough calculation and description, and, so, the approach here is also limited to the major defects/sins.

II – A toddler taking first steps

Mentality: highly inflexible and orthodox; may be characterized as paradoxical; thinks in terms of “good” – “bad”, “right” – “wrong”, without much to interpret; does not torment himself with questions and never intellectualizes on the true meaning of a word; not able to accept the idea that thoughts and feelings can affect the life and health of a human; his logic is in the form of emotional attachment and feelings, masked as thoughts or ideas; incapable of creative thinking, although he might enjoy so called “peasant’s wit”, thanks to which (according to the law of compensation!) he can be very adequate to a particular situation, i. e., “adapted for life”, which, in his eyes, raises him to the unattainable height in comparison with other “eggheads”.

Feelings: fears those who differ from him; fears and does not like to travel; his attitude to food does not require diversity; sex is treated only as the fulfillment of conjugal duties for the purpose of procreation.

Faith: blindly follows Holy Scripture, literally takes guidance of priests, and mercilessly castigates heretics.

Attitudes towards dying and death: deep fear of death and the transcendental.

Speech: illogical, extensive use of speech clichés.

Credo: “It is better to be the head of a cat than the tail of a lion!”

“There are two opinions: mine and wrong!”

Relationship: wants to be like someone else (have the same car, clothing, vacation..); capable of performing only the tasks, he is used to; uncritically accepts the rules and regulations set by those who is in authority (chief, minister, doctor, police-officer…); proclaims the rule of law, which he himself often violates (without taking responsibility for the acts committed, shifting the blame on someone else or the circumstances).

Behavior: always aimed to study the rules of conduct and afterwards to test their efficiency; in conversation it is difficult for him to withstand a straight look of the interlocutor.

Appearance: devoid of taste, style, though adequate to the occasion and time.

Vices: pride at the level of arrogance of a little bureaucrat with “the Judge approach”; self-abasement of a man, who is a tool in the hands of others; super irritable; martyrdom to the point of behaving in public life like a sheep from the flock; greed in the form of addictions and/or corruption; self-destruction as a desire to be caught by the hand; stubbornness.

Career: bureaucratic spheres of activity; may attribute himself to skinhead reactionaries or extreme “right”, as well as, to radicals , extremists, and terrorists; avoids everything that requires an independent and unconventional thinking; likes being a big fish in a small lake; prefers to lead a life within a closed system, like a club, church, and so on.

III – A teenager

Mentality: own thoughts and opinions intentionally presents in a confusing manner difficult for understanding; knows how to persuade and skillfully organize own system of arguments; is able to plan own steps in advance; knows how to avoid pitfalls in a conversation, and is able to control it; carefully delves into everything, with which he has to deal.

Feelings: unchecked; rarely follows emotions; it seems that he has neither heart nor compassion; loves everything that can be calculated or touched; demonstrates extreme flexibility in changing habits related to nutrition and sexual partner [1].

Faith: in spiritual issues can have multiple choice approach:

I – There is no God and, therefore, in this world, everyone is for himself!

II – God loves winners!

III – Is there God or not, but it’s worth going to church, and for the reputation it will be better if they see me in a place like this!

Attitudes towards dying and death: death treats as a defeat and tries to hide from it behind a euphemism of the following type, “Well, bury me on the hill so I could see the flowers around” … or “Scatter my cremated ashes over the sea surface, let my soul enjoy its expanse”…

Speech: with a share of experimenting in order to shock others; enviable ability to play with words (or a mere inclination for verbiage!).

Credo: “For these valuables… I won’t regret sacrificing my life!” and “Winners are not judged!”

Relationship: always shows competitive spirit and desire to win; divides the world into winners and losers, strong and weak, rich and poor; often is very competent in many things and has a developed sense of diplomacy, telling people exactly what they want to hear; never turns to others for help not to feel defeated; uses only the services of a doctor with the highest qualification; in relationships pursues his own selfish interests, like, “This spouse will guarantee me a worthy status”, or “This friendship can be very useful for my career”; attention is always aimed at victory, glory, wealth, social status, and power.

Behavior: is able to work very hard; loves to travel, especially with the purpose to improve the social status; at any cost tries to look young and vigorous; in communication looks directly into the eyes of the interlocutor, but with the desire to have a definite effect on him; If the conversation turns to the items of a personal nature, the established eye contact is interrupted.

Appearance: is concerned about own appearance and the impression produced; regularly visits the hairdresser, spa salon, cosmetologist, makeup artist, and etc.; blindly follows fashion, dresses provocatively.

Vices: pride at the level of vanity, i. e. the arrogance of a man, who tries to achieve a high status at any cost; self-abasement in the form of concerns about age and appearance; impatience to the extent that makes him rush headlong into everything; a martyr, controlled by financial problems; greed in the form of a secret hoarding, stinginess, and disregard for others; self-destruction in the form of “a short life without regard for tomorrow”, stubbornness in the traditional way.

Career: is able to work hard in any area, where he can be noticed, can succeed, and get ahead of others; if he cannot make a successful businessman, he turns to “goodfellas” or the mob.

[1] Food is a framework of our life, without which it cannot exist, and, therefore, this sphere of our life will always show us the extent of our maturity: what we eat, how much and which way… It is not accidentally the interviews with candidates for senior positions are held over lunch in a restaurant. And remember Hippocrates, who used to say: “Let food be thy medicine or medicine will become thy food “?

Sex, like food, is also the basis of life, and also will tell us everything about the human (though not so clearly, and in an intimate setting): one person deserves to be read for the whole life, and another is not sufficient even for a single sexual intercourse, and there are even those, with whom you do not want to be together even for all the riches of the world… It’s all very individual and is associated with the sense of harmony! And often, when people break up after a first sexual intercourse, it is not because, as they say, “he got his way,” or “all women are whor… (sorry, like these!),” but because there is no deep harmony, and, so far, it cannot yet exist…

Someone’s betrayal in the event of a prolonged and, as already mentioned, deep harmony may destroy this harmony down to the ground! Since, harmony is a rather subtle matter that cannot be patched!

IV – A youth

Mentality: often illogical, contradictory; has highly developed abilities; idealistic; is attached to own ideas and does not spare his life for them; explores different religions, cultures, and philosophies; values ​​new ideas and discoveries.

Feelings: very sensitive to the feelings of others, however, not always able to accurately determine the sincerity and direction of these feelings; frequently has problems with self-esteem, because it is difficult for him to find a proper place in this world; quite often is under internal stress because of the self-abasement fits; is experimenting from cooking to sex, questioning everything.

Faith: is not afraid to express own disagreement with the fundamentals of religion.

Attitudes towards dying and death: feels more comfortable in reference to death than people of the previous categories, although is concerned about dying earlier than will contribute to the mankind development.

Speech: thorough, grammatically and logically verified, sometimes with the use of grandiloquent phrases.

Credo: “We, people, are given lives not for the ages. And any life is brief, and being brief is violent. But, as for me, I don’t dream about easy one. I think: let death be easy!”

Relationship: likes to be in the company of people aspiring to inner development; maintains strong relationships, which can last for a long time.

Behavior: openly expresses own views, which often do not coincide with the generally accepted ones; welcomes any assistance, if it can help to answer the bothering questions; loves silence and solitude; his attention is focused on himself, others, and his desire to contribute to the development of the world; usually maintains good eye contact (you understand, that there is big difference between the “eye contact” and the “Grave’s disease”).

Appearance: is not satisfied with own body and cannot recognize own physical perfection, nevertheless, he follows the fashion and tries to match it; has taste and style; his adequate appearance makes sympathy arise.

Vices: pride as arrogance wrapped into a toga of shyness; self-abasement in the form of inadaptability and lack of proper understanding; unrestraint in reference to oneself and the system, he belongs to; martyrdom in the form of a political martyrdom; greed at the level of jealousy and lust for love; self-destruction in the form of suicidal tendencies, stubbornness at the level of radicalism and rebelliousness.

Career: can reach a certain height and to contribute to the development of humanity; works hard for the sake of principles, getting for this a fairly modest fee; can join the ranks of the “Left” radicals and rebels.

V – An adult person

Mentality: strictly logically structured, capable of finding a support point of order and harmony in any mental chaos (i. e . to find a grain of truth in any rubbish); many people of this category say that this age is a turning point in their fates and from that very moment they have begun to really live…

turns attention from “action” to “being”; in his perception “quantity” gives way to “quality”; the picture of the world is perceived as the whole; is able to quickly solve problems; relies on own creativity and easily uses the acquired knowledge; intellectually advanced; has a natural talent in many areas.

Feelings: many characteristics of this type of people coincide with the characteristics of a youth, but the actions of an adult are not ruled by his emotions; he makes fewer mistakes than a youth, and suffers from their effects less; unlike a youth, knows what love is; always keeps balance between emotions, thoughts, and actions; sometimes it seems that adults behave as if they do not love each other, because they do not demonstrate their special attachments in their relationships.

Faith: has no reason to seek solace in the church, as, quite naturally for himself, directly establishes a connection with the higher powers; although respects all religions and their believers.

Attitudes towards dying, death, and bereavement: is not afraid of death, seeing it as a transition to a new quality; experiencing loss, even more ardently follows daily routine.

Speech: usually speaks simple and easy to understand language.

Credo: “All for the good of humanity!”

Relationship: is not afraid to ask for help, if feels that it is necessary; teaches by own example; can be rich or poor, famous and not so, but if has wealth, fame, or power – makes it with a “graceful tact”, knowing how to enjoy these things and help others enjoy the same; priorities for him always being spiritual growth, mutual understanding, contribution to improving the world, and enjoying pleasures like family, friends, and bringing joy work; if something goes wrong, does not blame others and circumstances, but takes the responsibility and corrects the situation.

Behavior: the behavior of an adult is stable; his approach to any work can be characterized as very accurate, including specifying the essence of the problem, and at the same time being quite diplomatic; feels great and comfortable with people of any walk of life, without attaching himself to any particular social category; feels equal with a rich man and a poor one, with a professor and a janitor; loves to chill out doing nothing, reminding a cat after a hearty dinner, so sometimes to some people he may seem a lazy bum, because does not spend all his time on his job; however, if he works, he doesn’t spare effort ignoring the sweat trickling out and the dirt under his nails; appreciates the essence but not the sunny side of someone; does not care what people around think about him if he feels satisfied; respects other people’s point of view; when communicating, keeps a long eye contact with the interlocutor.

Appearance: loves his body, no matter how it looks; dresses so that he could feel comfortable and unrestrained.

Vices: self-abasement at the level of a lack of faith in himself; impatience of his riotous imagination; martyrdom in the form of a moderate desire to sacrifice; greed in the form of spiritual materialism; self-destruction as a sabotage against himself; stubbornness as a fierce internal struggle with himself; pride (the first and the last sin!) at the level of philosophical arrogance.

Career: healing with the use of non-conventional therapies; oddballs and eccentrics; philosophers and spiritual leaders; a huge number of ordinary people aimed at spiritual growth; musicians, artists and writers, creating timeless masterpieces; very few of the world’s leaders, who are able to see beyond the boundaries of their state.

However, what gives an adult away is his voice, which, moreover, cannot be faked, – the voice of a deep confidence and charming velvet affectionate tenderness.

… and the stages to which everyone should aspire:

VI – A sage [1]

Mentality: has true wisdom and is interested only in the truth.

Feelings: feels love to everyone and everything; has a sixth sense that allows him to know the things paranormally; demonstrates well-developed intuition and anticipates the future; knows all about people, even those with whom has never met before; kind but firm in his intentions; calm and self-assured; always feels safe.

Faith: a core value for a sage is spiritual knowledge, which, however, for him is not connected with religion; people around treat him as a mystic and healer; has unwavering faith in God and Divine Providence.

Attitudes towards dying and death: does not have any fear, including fear of death.

Speech: simple and effective, meant for a specific interlocutor.

Credo: “God has no other hands except ours!”

Relationship: even the simple fact of his presence can introduce a relaxing or easing into any tense situation; has a natural authority, people respectfully listen to him.

Behavior: appreciates hard work and true beauty; knows how to talk to animals, and understands what they want; does not divide people into friends and foes – everything and everyone for him belong to his family: a child in a charity school is his son or daughter, a seagull is his nephew; a tree – a friend… The look of a sage is calm, direct, and friendly. He probably eats dew (at least such stereotypes do exist with us!)… Although, indeed, probably he eats something…, only no one sees what and when, therefore it seems that he consumes exclusively solar energy… But who knows?

Appearance: can be anything, but always pleasant for its freshness and accuracy; dresses modestly, or elegantly, but always with taste and according to place, time and occasion.

Vices: has neither vices nor personal problems.

Career: sages are busy with contributing to the development of humanity; they have the experience, skill and talent; any work, given to them, they perform without effort; on others, they produce a calming effect; if necessary, they can move mountains; in any place and in any capacity they work for peace in the world.

[1] Of course, each category of maturity has its own striking examples… But do we really need them? Hardly! We do remember the commandment of Moses, “You shall not make for yourselves an idol!” And then … it is necessary to know The Hero personally 24–7, otherwise, it is possible to be mistaken… Though bright and unforgettable images of Sages and Teachers are well reproduced by Concordia Antarova in her book “Two Lives.” However, there are other examples, which can and should be taken seriously: Neo from “The Matrix”, the cult film by the Wachowski brothers; Albus Dumbledore from the series of books about Harry Potter by JK Rowling; Lucy from the film with the same name by Luc Besson… By the way, Lucy is a perfect illustration of a human growing through all the mentioned stages!

VII – A Teacher [1]

Mentality: transcendental; enjoys supernatural powers; can perform miracles, with his willpower suspending the laws of the physical world.

Feelings: peace, harmony, love for everything and everyone in the universe, balance, ecstasy, unity, kindness, compassion, strength, telepathy; knows the future.

Faith: unwavering faith in God and Divine Providence.

Speech: provides answers to any questions metaphorically, presenting them in the form of a parable. Relationship: no personal interests.

Behavior: is a model of behavior and lifestyle.

[1] The difference between a Sage and a Teacher is well illustrated in Andrei Proshkin’s film The Horde. In it, Metropolitan Alexius transforms from a sage into a saint—and thus a Teacher—after enduring severe hardships. While a sage understands the Essence (the Golden Mean, the Dao) through intellect and emotion and strives to follow it, the Teacher embodies this Holy Essence himself.

NB! We should keep in mind that in different spheres of human life we could be at different stages of maturity. For example, in the professional field, we can behave like an adult, but in the relationship with the opposite sex – as a youth, in the relationship with the family members – as a teenager, or even a toddler, taking his first steps.

However, there is always a prevailing current of thought, or activity, in the characteristics that define a specific level of maturity:

I –  an infant mainly demonstrates a primitive approach to everything in life;

II – a toddler always thinks and acts according to certain stereotypes, he has learnt;

III – a teenager sets goals and achieves them, considering it the most important thing in life;

IV – a youth always seeks love, acceptance, and is looking for the “soul mate”;

V – an adult person learns the laws of life and implements them;

VI – a sage teaches, heals, and just “saves the world”;

VII – a teacher is always busy with universal problems.

There is also another, perhaps even easier, way to determine the degree of maturity according to the intensity or quality of “a vice”… Here are, for example, the vices, which are so well defined (i.e. studied) by Jose Stevens:

And how, then, can you determine your level of maturity across all areas? In the approximate form, there are five:

I – Love (for the opposite sex, parents, children…) and relationships (with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, random passersby…);

II – Family;

III – Health;

IV – Education and career;

V – Money (material well-being) and recognition.

(By the way, this sequence of categories reflects the value system of an adult; in principle, each stage of spiritual maturity has its own distinct order.)

Evaluate your mindset, feelings, professional qualities, relationships, and so on. Mark your level of maturity in each aspect and category, and it will become clear what you need to do next for your development!

The more detailed your analysis, the more accurate your “diagnosis” will be—and the easier it will be to treat the “illness”!

The only thing I would like to warn you about… Once you honestly determine the degree of your spiritual maturity, do not try to rid yourself of all your flaws instantly and all at once (after all, whatever we dwell on comes to us!). Otherwise, those flaws and the problems associated with them will begin to snowball—and why would we want that?

In this regard, the words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta come to mind: “I will never attend an anti-war rally; if you have a peace rally, invite me.” Therefore:

one should strive for perfection,

defining oneself (and without arrogance!)

as a sage at the stage of creation!

P. S.For each degree of maturity, there are, naturally, its own commandments. For an adept at the initial stage of the Sun Institute, they are as follows:

• Don’t forget to throw out the garbage every day—from the bucket, from your head, and from your life!
• When things go bad for you—simply don’t go along with them!
• If a mistake can be fixed, it means you haven’t really made a mistake yet!
• There are no hopeless situations! There is always a way out, and usually more than one—a main one and a spare!
• The best Teacher in life is experience! Granted, it charges a high price, but its lessons are crystal clear!
• Delight your loved ones by showing that you no longer step on rakes, but dance on them—and with growing virtuosity every time!
• Be grateful to the people who entered your life and made it wonderful, and to the people who exited it and made it even better!
• There will always be someone who dislikes what you are doing. That’s normal—the only things everybody likes are high salaries and low taxes!
• If someone yells at you, gets angry, or takes offense—”crush” them with your positivity!
• Grow younger with each passing day, taking joy in every little detail and avoiding stress over silly nonsense! And let your age be determined only by you—without checking your passport!
• Cherish your relatives, loved ones, friends, and acquaintances… It may very well help them somehow, but most importantly, they will know that you love them and that they are worthy of it!
• Keep building your life until your life starts suiting you!
• Remember every single day that the happiest day is today!