Depression and the Holiday Season:

A Mystical Interpretation
Poet Ricardo Saúl LaRosa

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are

spiritual beings having a human experience.”
~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Commentary
The late author and philosopher, Terence Mckenna, once said that the
poets have failed us; for they have failed to create a new vision and a new
song that may inspire and lead us to change this world for a better one.
And he was one-hundred percent right. The poets have failed us; and I as
poet have failed humanity, too. I sincerely say: I’m sorry; I’m very, very
sorry; and I will try to live up the exceptions of what being a poet means;
in the great traditional legacy of our Greek, Egyptian, Sumerian,
Babylonian and overall Pagan ancestral poets.

In those cultures the role of a poet was much different than what a poet’s
role in society is today. Then poetry was used in art, music and education;
it engulfed all aspects of intellectual life. They were not afraid to openly
dissent and criticized the status quo through their verse and rhetoric.
Sadly, this holistic approach to poetry is absent in this art form as we know
it today.

Depression in society in a common occurrence, but, during the holiday

season this depression becomes magnified collectively. The traditional
causes of depression have been abuse, certain medications, conflicts with
family members or friends, death or a loss of a loved one, genetics, major
events, other personal problems, serious illness, and substance abuse.
These causes may, indeed, have validity being “real” causes for
depression, however, one vital factor is missing from these conditions of
causality.

This writer has dedicated his life of forty-eight years exploring the real
origins of humans, known taxonomically as Homo sapiens sapiens. The
evolutionary explanations, in particularly, Darwinism, and the
Judeo-Christian versions of humanity’s creation leaves us with to many
missing pieces and contradictions. This student of history declares
fervently and unequivocally that what we have been taught in the schools
from K to the universities concerning our origins are blatant lies. We have
not been told the “whole” story of humanity’s beginnings and the
tempering of human’s DNA by beings of a much high realm than us; those
beings known in the Holy Bible and in world mythology as the “fallen
ones.”

Western civilization and its socializing institutions: schools, churches,

temples, mosques, marriage, political parties, boy scouts, military, etc. and
its prevailing paradigms: male hegemony, capitalism, patriarchal
dominance, etc. have made people, no matter their social-economic class,
into little working bees in a pathetic and criminal drive for materialism
and economic gain, while, completing neglecting our most powerful
attribute: our spirituality.

This neglect of our true nature, our birthright, and the development of our
inner self is the number one cause of depression. We are told that rational
and most certainly educated people do not concern themselves with the
supernatural, magic, occultism, Wicca, etc. and anything else that cannot
be measured, analyzed, observed, and recorded by the dubious scientific
method.

My reply to this is bullshit, indeed, a mountain of bullshit; and they know

it; they know it very well that their scientific theories of our origins are just
that: theories, speculations, conjectures, and anything else blowing out of
their asses; hiding in their academic towers; and believing that they know
it all just because they have a Ph.D. after their names.

As for myself and my indigenous tribe, the Bribri, we know who created
us: the Great Spirit of the universe; and we even know which galaxies our
spirits first inhabited. We do not believe, but, rather we KNOW who we
are and from whence we came. We did not evolve from an ape or monkey!
And to all those intellectuals and scientists who believe in evolution, I just
have one question: your monkey ancestors are they from your mother or
father’s side of the family?

As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French philosopher and Jesuit priest (May

1, 1881 – April 10, 1955) said in his famous quote, “We are not human
beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a
human experience.” This is an incredible comment and profound insight
from one of the best in the philosophical field during the last century.

Teilhard de Chardin is only reiterating what the shamans, witches,

mystics, poets, artists, and yes, we will included some people whom
society have deemed “insane” or “Schizophrenia”1 have known for well
over 100,000 years: that we are sentient beings (spiritual) originating from
a higher realm of consciousness and incarnating into a fetus a few months
after conception.

The sacred texts that have survived from antiquity and prehistory via oral
traditions tell us very clearly who we are and that our “true Self” or what
Dr. Sigmund Freud called the “unconscious” and what and Dr. Carl Jung
described as the “unmasking the mask of a person’s “persona” by
resolving the great conflict between the “Super Ego” and the “Shadow” in
order to find out the true identity of a person’s “Self.”

Indeed, it is the responsibility of every individual to research, explore,

contemplate, and to reveal the “true Self” hiding behind the “mask” of
every one’s persona. We must strive to truly “know thyself,” as is
inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Adelphi. The mythologies of the
world must be seriously re-examined and revisited; for it seems that much
truth of our past and origins lies hidden in these writings.

We must study and start taking seriously all the sacred texts from the
world’s cultures; looking beyond the holy books of the three Abrahamic
religions. A comprehensive study of the Irish Druids, the Sanskrit Vedas,
and the North American Indigenous “myths” is a very good place to start.

1
lectures by Terence McKenna
A sincere heart and an earnest desire for the “Truth” no matter where the
pieces fall is a requirement for this noble endeavor. Meditation,
contemplation, fasting, and a sincere introspection of oneself will help too.
Concerning prayer and praying do not “pray” asking for things that you
want for this childish; the original purpose of prayer was to give thanks to
those spiritual beings; the Great Spirit of the universe; or “God” as is used
(erroneously) in the West; for what we have already been given. Period.
There is no need for asking; or should I say begging; for things that are
inutile. Now, if you are praying for peace on Earth; for the homeless,
hungry, sick, poor, etc. with true altruistic motives than this type of
“asking” in your prayers is wonderful.

Also, author and historian, Michael Cremo, in his 1993 revealing and
controversial book, Forbidden Archeology, believes that mankind did not
evolve, but, rather we devolved from a higher spiritual realm down into
human form; that we are essentially spiritual beings temporary dwelling in
our physical human bodies. This book is a must read for anyone truly
interested in learning about humanity’s past.

In his monumental 1973 book, On The Taboo Against Knowing Who You
Are, Dr. Alan Watts challenges us to answer these questions, “Before your
mother and father conceived you what was your original nature?” Who
really are you? Who owes you? By answering these questions, it will make
us very uncomfortable. This is exactly the purpose of these questions.

All human beings before they “die” (transform) will experience what is
known as dark night of the soul.2 This is what happened to Job and the
Prodigal Son both of biblical fame. Dark night of the soul is a metaphor
describing a stage in a person’s spiritual development; when the “mask” of
their persona begins unmasking, hence, revealing its true identity; known
as Self or Super Soul; usually causing great anxiety and doubt in a person;
for the world as it seemed to them is not what it is; their beliefs are
questioned; and a person comes out of this experience enlightened by new
insights or traumatized finding it difficult to accept this new version of
“reality.”

2
poem and treatise by Saint John of the Cross
This dark night of the soul experience is inescapable; usually it occurs
unexpected and after a tremendously personal hardship or tragedy; thus,
you have a two choices: start preparing and try to be prepared for when
this experience happens to you or be unprepared and suffer the
consequences: your worst nightmare multiplied. This seeker of the Truth
knows what he is writing about; for the dark night of the soul visited him
whilst he was unprepared and almost caused his physical demise.

Please take your spiritual development seriously for your life and the next
one depends on it.

Finally, we need to end this obsession with psychical appearance and

so-called glamour in both women and men; this is self degrading, pathetic,
and pointless. For real beauty is not what constitutes the physical body,
but, what dwells in our hearts and in the deepest part of our soul; and that
real beauty is Truth, justice, compassion, empathy for the sufferings of
others; love and forgiveness; first, forgiving yourself and then all those
who have hurt you. Forgiving them, blessing them, and praying for their
peace and well being.

That is why we have depression and why we feel that there is something
missing in our life and there is; we need a sincere and open-minded
questioning of who we are.

Peace and Love.

Poet Ricardo Saúl LaRosa

December 23, 2010
Long Island, New York

This writer welcomes your comments, suggestions, and questions. Please leave
your comments on scribd.com or in his e-mail singers2000@yahoo.com.