Ramayana REVISITED Again; Part II

I had originally published a post regarding my sentiment that maybe Ravana, the opponent of the epic Ramayana, was maybe a misunderstood lover who was seeking the blessings of a woman he could not have. I originally could not place the hero Rama and the opponent Ravana as good and evil, particularly since Ravana is Siva's greatest devotee. I would think that a devotee of the Lord of Transcendence would move beyond self-interest ego under the constant meditation upon Siva. Nonetheless, I've since realized a different interpretation, one where the Law of One material seems to be on point. 

If you have read my prior posts, you know that I have some sympathy for what we deem to be "dark". I tend not to shun entities that are deemed negative, but believe there is something there for me to learn in an adventurous manner. In fact, I could never really see myself as completely love and light without the darker aspects that interest me. Be it the darker forms of heavy metal that attracts me, to the books on Goetic invocations and the Qabalist negative tree of life (Qliphoth), these negativity based beings seem to be a pivotal part of our story. They are, in sense, a catalyst for us to walk our hero's journey. Much like in the Ramayana, when Ravana was defeated and on his death bed, the hero Rama had his brother sit by Ravana's side and learn from the great master. Hence, even Rama, an incarnation of Visnu who is the manager of the universe, recognized the greatness in Ravana. Therefore, in my search, I also need to recognize the greatness in my opponents.  

In our society, pervading all cultures and religions, we have the dualistic concept of good and evil, right and wrong, righteousness and unrighteousness, light and dark. However, under those terms and creeds that we have been provided, there always seems to be a subjective interpretation of how a circumstance can be considered and what category such events should fall into. In my search to separate and categories to help my ego mind understand the nature of these concepts, the Law of One material seems to have the best way of grouping such duality. 

Under the Law of One published in the early 1980's, we are currently going through a harvesting process (post 2012) where individuals are harvested based on such dualistic concepts. Provided that the Earth has moved from a free-will solar plexus (3rd density) based planet into a compassionate loving heart based planet (4th density), humans are choosing whether to continue in 3rd density or move into 4th density. The choice is based on the dualistic concept, not of good and evil, but of either "service to self" or "service to others". The service to self concept would be in the negative, where an entity is more intrigued with dominating and manipulating other entities. The service to others concept is a much more compassionate viewing others on an equal footing. Hence, service to self is "separation", whereas, service to others is "unification". 

Before we assess which choice is good or bad, the Law of One material makes it clear that both options are necessary and are of service to the infinite one. Service to self and service to others are both expressions of the infinite, and the infinite would not be infinite if one option ceased to exist. It is through both options that the infinite can express itself in different factions and aspects of creation. So yes, even through the manipulative service to self aspect can the infinite continue to express itself for the infinite is "all that is". 

Returning to the Ramayana and recognizing the purpose of Ravana, a catalyst for Rama's journey to become a hero, do I have a better sense of this duality and the necessity for both to balance each other. In a school of spirituality, the best example that I can give is Harry Potter, where everyone takes the same curriculum and learns magick (siddhis/boons). Although everyone is provided with such education,  you are still under the free-will concept of what you are able to do with such knowledge. Much like Harry Potter was trying to do good and his opponent was simply power hungry, we have that similar situation in the Ramayana. Rama was simply attempting to maintain the status quo, to have a blessed kingdom in service to his people, where Ravana was self-interested looking to manipulate and control. Hence, we have a battle between service to others and service to self. 

Therefore, the Ramayana is a beautiful epic that not only eloquently describes the service to self and service to others concept, but also that each aspect has an importance where the negative is also a catalyst for the Hero's Journey. The Ramayana would not have existed, nor would we have the brilliance shining through the epic philosophically, if it was not for the greatness of Ravana. Though I choose unity over separation, I recognize a master in all walks of life. 

The brother of Rama learning from the great master Ravana on his death bed.