Integrating The Doer, the Lover and the Knower

 

Simple rituals honours and integrates these elements of ourselves, within and without, which are hidden and therefore unconsciously directing our lives in ways we don’t realise.

During the 1980’s, a channeled fellowship called The River explained a philosophy called "The Three Great Ways". This meta structure explains three main soul paths— Earth, Aire and Water Way. We can understand these inner soul paths as The Doer, the Lover and the Knower. To become whole and grow as individuals, we need to integrate the other two paths into our lives. This means learning from and balancing the qualities we are less familiar with, both within ourselves and in our relationships with others.

The River describes how rituals can help us with this integration. Rituals are not just old-fashioned or superstitious acts; instead, they are meaningful practices that help us connect with parts of ourselves and with the world around us. For example, creating a small shrine or having a daily practice can bring transformation and congruence, within and outside in daily life.

The text explains that integration is not about becoming someone else, but about truly understanding and accepting the "Other"—whether that means other people, animals, or even different aspects of ourselves. Through rituals and relationships, we can become more balanced and complete.

The Three Great Ways explains why we are all so different, and what we are trying to achieve right now in geopolitics as humanity takes a leap in our evolution, forward into new and exciting worlds.

In the outer world, the Three Great Ways describes the aspects of humanity that are struggling for control and domination in our world. But what will truly liberate us will be the integration and balancing of all these three parts within ourselves first.

I transcribed the book sessions and present their thoughts with my own experiences incorporating the material into my personal life. I’ve left the transcripts mostly unaltered, because their language reflects the enlightened state they are speaking from. Their language is at times esoteric and mysterious, but I have left the transcript largely unedited to give a sense of their cadence and rhythm.

 

Joy in the journey!

 

River: Today we will speak about integration.

Much of the ills which the individual experiences is a problem of integration. These problems can be as an individual with another individual, as an individual within groups, families, communities or with society or between the individual and the Other realms: animal, plant or inanimate.

This is a problem of integration in experiencing in a very real, cellular way of reality, Otherness. Integration is not compromised. It is not becoming the Other but knowing the Other. In knowing the Other, the knower changes and their perceptions change in deep ways that are inalterable from then on.

Therefore, ritual from the beginning of time and consciousness, has had the goal of integration.

It is the ability to go beyond the Self, to be more than the Self, to be the Self and the Other. Therefore, through ritual, through practices, through relationships, the whole of the Net of consciousness becomes an extension of the Self. Integration is this knowing. It is the rock within the path, the cat in the window, the crocus blooming- all within the Self. Rituals then are a way of setting aside personal viewpoints, personal consciousness and becoming a greater Self.

Each individual, as we have said before, comes spun out from the All, and has a unique viewpoint, a way of sensing the world. Before integration can become a reality then, this separation and individualism must be dealt with. The Soul Self reaches towards a balanced unity with the other aspects of the trilogy of the Three Great Ways, both within and without. This is experienced in an embodied way, as if the cell in becoming the universe without the Self. This is a rather verbose way of explaining integration and now we will get more practical.

For example, a Water Way person comes into life solely knowing the world from a wisdom point of view. Their integration therefore is to reach out to the Earth way and the Air Way and bring within themselves knowing through doing and emotional relationships. Therefore, for the Water Way person, - job, work, emotional relationship, these are all great mysteries. For their integration, they must reach out to become doing and feeling people. In a triangle, balanced within themselves are the other two aspects, with wisdom at the apex of their triangle.

For example, the Water Way person has the greatest problems with the doing, action-oriented Earth Way person and the sensing/ emotional Aire Way person. Everyone will constantly be facing the other two ways within your lives as a way of knowing yourself through imbalance. Your journey therefore will consistently bring up these other two unfamiliar aspects of yourself, both inwardly and outwardly.

In a way, you must become the Doer, and the emotional relational person to define yourself by these aspects of the Other. Is this understood?

Julia: Do you mean that the Other is a person that has qualities of the other two ways? And I can bring them out, in myself and in the other person?

River: Yes, in a natural way, a cooperative way. The two of you are in a relationship to balance each other’s otherness.  So, in your case, having a son who is an Earth Way person, you bring out in a cooperative, creative way, your integration process and his integration process also. That is probably self-evident, having lived with this child for some time period.

Therefore, one part of integration, is to recognize that our relationships are our efforts to integrate and become more fuller ourselves, with the two aspects which we face outward. Paradoxically, the more you become the Doer, and feeler, the more you are the wisdom carrier. The more the Doer becomes the wisdom holder and feeler, he becomes truer in the strength of the Doer. The more the Aire Way person becomes the wisdom holder and Doer, the stronger they are as emotional relational people.

Therefore, the rituals that proceed are the rituals that enhance this integration. Integration then requires a personal integration of the hidden aspects of Self, requires integration dealing in the larger realms of society and integration with the universal. For example, choosing job patterns that are unfamiliar to the wisdom path will greatly enhance your own integration process.

For your mate, already being in the feeling Aire Way path, his job is to very much develop the wisdom path and the doing aspects of himself. It is not good to develop a triangle of people outwardly to satisfy the need to become balanced within yourself. Giving others this responsibility tends to paralyze growth within.

Therefore, always look to what triangles are within your own life, and question if what you are doing paralyzes your own growth and balance. (In other words, don’t project your own need for integration by expecting others to carry out the functions of the other two ways. For example, the Aire Way person often expects the Earth Way partner to take care of all the doing, organizing, production needs of their lives. This is not healthy.) 

Of course we form triangles for this very purpose, and knowing this is a liberating freedom. Therefore, be cautioned, if you are a Water Way soul, do not be the wisdom path for others. If you are an Aire way person, do not be the feeling path for others. If you are an Earth person, do not become the doing path for others. We must all do our own journey and develop the aspects of ourselves that include the trilogy of these aspects. In this way integration then becomes a great love and respect of others for their aspects.

This is what is happening in the triangle you have established in your household and happens in many households and which happens on a macrolevel in society. This calling in of the Other aspects of the Self to express parts of the wholeness it does not have. For example, at this point of time, the feeling aspects of society in the oversoul has given over to manufacturing, industrialization, the doing aspect. This preponderance of the doing aspect has divided the trilogy up into very rigid forms, it has not left room for integration.

In other words, in this hard division of aspects, the industrialist is forced to be nothing but the industrialist, the loving caretaker to be nothing but compassionate, the wisdom holder to be nothing but a spiritual teacher. By the very fact that the wisdom and feeling paths are constantly repeating who they are without integrating their own unfamiliar inner aspects, is forcing each position to be completely encased in itself. Instead of breaking through to more wholeness.

What is the solution? On a personal aspect, the solution is to watch inside and hone in and identify the small places within that are beginning to be the other aspects. For you, as a Water Way soul, where are you trying to integrate either the Doer or the feeler? In yourself, for example, where is it that you feel great attachment to relationships? When you sense the feeling of this, the empathy with others, a sensing part? Then reach within yourself and make that a reality by enhancing that part of the Self. This is awareness of how you can develop a way of reaching balance and integration.

Also, for the Water Way person is there a small part of doing? Doing does not come naturally to wisdom holders. It is not an easy thing for the Water Way person to find strength and satisfaction in doing. The natural thing for the Water Way person is to retreat, to become solitaire, to become the observer, to become the philosophical meta-ideas above the net instead of within the net.

Just as for the Doer- the great inclination is to lose the Self in doing, but a doing that ignores the Great Net. And it is the same for the sensor. For the sensor complete indulgence in feelings and emotions becomes a dis attachment from the net. One cannot become engulfed in feelings and still become the Other.  One cannot become attached to ideas and become the Other in the net. One cannot become involved in doing and strength and become one with the Other, only by integration of the three.

Therefore, rituals serve this purpose. By acknowledging within the Self, who you are first, and secondly, where is it within the Self that the Other two aspects of the Self are moving towards integration. In that way, using these two as a ritual process.

For example, for the doing person a ritual of action would be perfectly unacceptable to develop Other parts for integration. For the Earth way person, some aspect of wisdom and feeling must be developed. Your child has already done this with his love of animals, it is his balancing within himself of his lack of feeling and he is groping towards a fulfillment and integration of wisdom. Wisdom does not come easily for the Doer, even less does feeling. However, with his sense of injustice, his sense of right structure, it is his first attempt to make within the world for himself a wisdom path.

You can analyze your own life in the same way. We would suggest as part of a journey that the individual sit down with paper and write down their dominant soul Self aspect: Water, Aire or Earth. Secondly, drawing a triangle, putting the Other two aspects on and creating spontaneously, without too much thought and care, how could the other two sides be developed?

That is a ritual that should be done at least once a week. For example, for you. On one side you have doing, what doing thing would you do to enhance that part of the ritual? What comes up first in your mind?

Julia: As a ritual?

River: Yes.

Julia: Well, I think about my work as my doing aspect.

River: Yes, that is true and your symbol is work. But we are speaking of a ritual that you can perform as a symbol of where you were going and certainly your work has become that aspect. How within the silence of your room, can you bring out that aspect in a ritual?

Julia: I associate doing with Earth way and I have a rock in my shrine to represent the Earth Way.

River: During your ritual, what do you do with the rock?

Julia: I honor it in some way, by bowing or ringing a bell...

River: Exactly. And do not feel ashamed of this, it is a good thing that you do, bring up all the symbols from the past these have great power. How often do you ring that bell?

Julia: Three times.

River: Yes, and how often do you bow?

Julia: Three times.

River: Can you think of other rituals that you can do as integration?

Julia: I light incense.

River: Yes.

Julia: I'm too cheap to like three though. (laughs)

River: Threes are magical, they are between heaven and earth.

Julia: I don't know of any other rituals or chanting.

River: That is fine. All these rituals should represent aspects of doing. Now, the next aspect is more difficult. What part of the ceremony can be an integration of feeling?

Julia: I have a feather to symbolize Aire Way and to symbolize the feeling part.

River: How could you send intentions to the feeling path to connect your Self to feeling?

Julia: I could use the feather to burn sage.

River: Where is your feeling?

Julia: Feelings are like a bird, they fly. Feelings are associated with that symbol for me.

River: Can you fly the bird with feeling?

Julia: Yes.

River: Good, using the feeling path with your feelings, will make the feeling path the feeling path. (Laughs)

Julia: Yes, because feelings are very powerful and they soar like a bird.

River: What other feelings could the bird feather signify?

Julia: Aspiration, help, optimism.

River: The feelings that you choose to associate with the Aire Way is very important. The feeling that you choose to be feeling contributes to how you create reality. This is what the integration process is- becoming aware of how you choose to express your emotions and emotional states and integrating those aspects with the doing and wisdom parts.  For example, it is not easy for the River people, to explore their wisdom path by being feeling people, and does not come easily. However you have made much progress, and your feeling path is more open. By your work your doing path is open. (I was working with people who were experiencing poverty, immigration and addictions in the poorer parts of the city,)

Let’s talk about more about how to create your own ritual of integration. It is important to remember what direction you are starting the ritual. The opening ceremony should begin with clockwise movements. The closing ceremony is anticlockwise. By going clockwise, it opens to all possibilities of growth.

By closing the ceremony with anticlockwise movement, you close the Self to all the growth that has come about in the ceremony and you have put it within the body in a fixed place. Therefore, it is always important to end the ceremony in an anticlockwise way. It is like sealing a jar or stopping a bottle. You have opened the self, you have called into the self, you have learned and grown by the ritual. Then you can you make it fixed by going in some pattern anticlockwise.

It is true in the trilogy of the Three Great Ways, it is well to remember within a ritual of integrating the trilogy, at some place there are not any of the Ways. For example, between opening the ceremony clockwise or anticlockwise at the end, in the middle where you are not in anyone, that is where you are the most open to the healing of the world, to the healing of all beings and all essences. Remember opening the ceremonies clockwise in threes also sets up a pattern in the cells of whatever you do, that continues outward. It is the same with the closing.

Julia: So, a person could walk around a room in a clockwise direction to start a ceremony?

River: Yes definitely. Moving the hands in a clockwise movement, arms in clockwise movement in some way. We would also suggest some part of this ceremony be a quiet part. Not necessarily, meditation because this is a separate thing from meditation, but a mind state where one remains open to all aspects of matter within the net. Holding the body open in a warm and welcome way, to animate and inanimate life and consciousness, is also part of integration.

Connection happens in many places within the body, therefore it's best before beginning this to do work to clear the chakras, remaining open in this form, moving the breath upwards in the inhale and in the exhalation, drawing matter and energy into all parts of the body. Then remaining open is a way of contacting and being integrated with all matter.

It is well to remember a humbleness when one opens to all energy. A humbleness, not of servitude but of gratitude. We see, as you we have said before, each individual has during this time, opportunities to develop worship in their own way. It is through worship and ritual that growth is escalated. Genuine worship is an integration. It is not anything that one worships, but the wholeness that one worships. The Great Net is the whole.

 

After this session, which was channeled in the late 1984, I began to formulate a ritual for myself as the spiritual fellowship of the River suggested. I already had a shrine in my home since I had moved into the city from a small community on the Gulf Islands. I asked the River then for advice on how to be safe in my new environment. The River suggested a creating a shrine, a corner that was used only for meditation. I put power objects there, my collection of goddesses, pictures of spiritual teachers, crystals, posted inspirational sayings and kept fresh flowers or other members of the plant world.

When I came home filled with loneliness and exhaustion, the place I could find solace was in that one little corner of my home. I sat there every night with a candle burning, honouring the three Great Ways three aspects within myself, holding in turn a feather for the emotional part, a stone for the doing part and a statue of the Buddha to represent the wisdom, spiritual part.

Do you have a shrine in your home? A quiet place where you can sit and reflect on the inner parts of yourself – the Three Great Ways.

Post a comment or picture of your home shrine.

For more information about the Three Great Ways, check out The River Books-Book One: The Three Great Ways available on Amazon as soft cover, hard cover and Kindle.

https://www.amazon.ca/River-Books-Three-Soul-Paths/dp/B0GCDMWVV7/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0