A Glamor Dispelling Mechanism

by Robert Wilkinson

We all have a glamor dispelling mechanism that needs to be cultivated and kept sharp as a means to spot when problematic glamors arise in the life. Today's offering is brief, but to the point.

The so-called "glamour-dispelling mechanism" is a concept introduced and elaborated on for the benefit of Aspirants throughout the Alice Bailey material. You can also for practical purposes equate it with your "BS detector." This helps us cultivate Divine Discrimination, so that we do not fall into illusions or delusions.

Two of the pandemic glamors pervading our world concern wealth and celebrity/fame. Many believe these mean something about another person that usually is not the case, and gladly desire these without thinking of the major responsibilities that come with either or both.

I once thought I read a quote about them by Mark Twain, but after some research I couldn't find it, either attributed to him or someone else. So I guess I'll have to give it to you as I know it.

Wealth and fame are two things that are much overrated, and not all they are cracked up to be.

Something to remember when in the presence of such things. Celebrity and wealth are useless pursuits unless they lead us to our Higher Self so that we can serve humanity however is most appropriate to our Dharma. These tendencies are often seen well before the wealth and/or fame show up.

A person is merely a person, regardless of how wealthy or famous they may be. Wealth and fame are only as useful as the imagination of the person who possesses such things. All things come to us so we can generate "Bodhichitta," or Goodwill. And the value of a Soul is known by its capacity to give and receive love.

© Copyright 2010 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Aquila ka Hecate]

Yes.

Love,
Terri in Joburg

[12th house moon]

wisdom x thank you xx

[Nancy]

You know, this was exactly what I needed to hear from you today. I've been struggling with trying to blast out of the orbit of a charismatic manipulator. "Glamour dispelling" is a perfect way to frame it. Thank you for this.

[caliban]

For what it's worth . . .

Per word-origns.com "Unlikely as it may seem, glamour is ultimately the same word as grammar. This seems to have been used in the Middle Ages for ‘learning’ in general, and hence, by superstitious association, for ‘magic’ (there is no actual record of this, but the related gramarye was employed in that sense). Scottish English had the form glamour for grammar (l is phonetically close to r, and the two are liable to change places), used for ‘enchantment’, or a ‘spell’, for whose introduction to general English Sir Walter Scott was largely responsible. The literal sense ‘enchanted’ has now slipped into disuse, gradually replaced since the early 19th century by ‘delusive charm’, and latterly ‘fashionable attractiveness’."

Per tutorvista.com: "The word glamour was originated in the Scotland. The meaning of the word is the grammar which is the study of the proper form of sentences and the words as in middle ages only few people know how to write proper sentences. The other people thinks grammar is something mysterious and its magical to write. So the word grammar got the new secondary meaning of magic. Now the Americans transfer the meaning of the glamour of the magic to the famous glamour of the fashion , personality and the life style."

I am not familiar with the work of author John Berger or in what context he wrote the following quote, but here it is via Nu Pogodi at englishbaby.com: "Galmour cannot exist without personal social envy being a common and widespread emotion."

[Valerie]

i have read that wealth and fame are illusions. i used to wish i could win the lottery just so i could give money to my sister who was always in financial trouble. then she died suddenly last year and the money thing became moot. i wondered if it was her karma to be poor this time around, not meant for me to help her. i've been wondering about it ever since. i've been unemployed for a year and a half and getting scared. unemployment benefits running out soon... have no clue what i'm going to do. i tell myself I have everything i want to do the things i need and somehow I hope this will hold true a year from now.

i don't think about glamor, only survival.

BS detector- i like that, ha ha. Namaste :)