Maya

From The SpiritWiki

Maya equals illusion. More specifically, maya = the illusions of this world. More specifically, maya equals "appearances" or the misapprehension of the true nature of reality on this earth, or the illusion of presentability that we are all taught to embrace, defend, and express as part of the Socialization process we endure.

For example, we believe that we are incarnated in a free society, on a free earth, where our inner self is nurtured in a kind of cosmic forge that eventually leads us towards some kind of graduation ceremony and everlasting (or earthly) reward. We believe we live out our lives in a direction that we choose making choices that are free and clear. We believe that we exist in a healthy and functioning society of intelligent and shiny people. We believe we are doing the best that we can do. In reality however, i.e., when you see beyond the maya of this earth, you can see that we exist in a sea of pathology and suffering (note the increasing dependence on anti-depressive medications in western societies), are all slaves in a system designed to privilege a few while the many remain virtually penniless (or worse, in perpetual debt) and tied to The Wheel in grateful silence, tricked into accepting chains which bind them in servitude.

Of course, the above is only one aspect of Maya. There are many others. For example, when we look out from the front porch of our house and see a world filled with healthy, functioning, joy filled families of the evening Hollywood sitcom variety, we are embedded in maya. When we look at organized religion and ignore the pathology, pedophilia, and brutal historical repressions at the hand of religious enforcers, choosing instead to believe the propaganda that organized religions are humanitarian tasked with the salvation of humanity, we are embedded in Maya. Examples could be multiplied a million fold.

We all participate in the creation of maya. Whenever we ignore the suffering of a child, whenever we turn away from the realities of poverty and starvation, whenever we pretend that we exist in a society of general happiness, despite the epidemics of obesity, alcoholism, psycho-active drug use, and depression, whenever we present ourselves to others as fully functioning, happy, content, and satisfied when we are none of these things, whenever we offer contrived evidence that everything is ok, or caricatured philosophies that teach us to accept what is (when "what is" is far from acceptable), the more we yell and beat our children, the more we accept their indoctrination in our schools, the more we ignore our countries violent acts of imperialism and aggression, the more we believe that everything is "just ok" as it is, the more we are embedded in Maya and illusion.

Unlike what many might say, Maya is neither an example of the mystical, holographic nature of this universe, the outcome of cosmic forces, or a necessary feature of 3D existence. In fact, Maya is imposed in a complicated process of psychological indoctrination that teaches us to ignore the nature of our reality and instead present the world with what we might call an Matrix Illusion of acceptability. This begins at birth when children begin the painful process of learning to suppressing their opinions about things. This occurs as they are punished for speaking the truth by their parents and teachers. It may sound outrageous, but it happens every day whenever, for example, we force our children into silence to avoid our own shame and embarrassment when they naturally, and innocently, speak the truth as they see it.

Child points: "Oh mommy, look at how fat that man is."
Mother slaps child: "Don't say things like that." 
Result: child learns the truth is not valued resulting primarily in suppression of the Third Eye Chakra, the Throat Chakra, and the Sacral Chakra and (if suppression is severe) eventual psychological Depression

The result of this suppression is that by the time we are adults, we no are no longer capable of expressing the truth about things. Instead, we favor and express the "polite illusion" of Maya because this does not "invoke" the punishment, oppression, pain, and shame that we endured as children as we learned to speak anything but the truth of what we saw.

See Also

The Black Book

The Halo/Sharp Tarot

The Matrix Illusion

Socialization