The Bright Star of Cain

“A groan of tedium escapes me,

startling the Fearful.

Is this a Test? It has to be….

Otherwise I can’t go on…”

-Maynard James Keenan

The Bright Star of Cain, as created by the author.

“apophatic”

adjective

1. Pertaining to knowledge obtained through negation rather than positive assertions.

Abel.

Seemingly the perfect example of right action performed by mortal men in the universe, and for thousands of years countless people have seen his half of the infamous story as the focal point of the wisdom contained therein.

The favorite son who is constantly making the hard but right decisions and reaping the benefits, and living a fulfilled and abundant life.

He is a great role model, of that there is no doubt.

But nothing really exists without contrast, without its polarity.

Enter Cain.

The bitter, spiteful, lazy fuck-up who lives in perpetual misfortune…

The one who is to be reviled, denied, and looked to only as an example of WHAT NOT TO DO.

However unlikely Cain may appear to be the hero of this story, I aim to show that there is more to be learned from the results of transgression than of blind obedience.

To quote Tony Soprano:

“If you can quote the rules, you can obey them.”

Exactly.

But what if you don’t know the natural prerequisites of success in an area of life?

What then?

The specifics of success are unique to each person, their nature, the players in their life, the obstacles and resources they have and the time period they live in. These are far too specific and individualized to be given as a map to others who wish to achieve similar heights.

So what are we left with to discern a path forward?

Their mistakes, their follies,

their TRANSGRESSIONS.

There is more to be gleaned from the wrong choices, misplaced trust, malice, greed, and hubris than the victories when the victory is our goal.

While understanding the positive traits that lead to the rewards of the victorious are undoubtedly valuable, I believe watching the people you encounter and learning from their transgressions will get you much farther in the act of Self-Realization and also in the solidifying of your Will, your Vision and Direction.

Their victories are just that: THEIRS.

and theirs alone.

Re-enter Cain.

I don’t know many “Abels”. I don’t really know anyone who just always knew the right path and just took it and was never tempted or tainted by something. I don’t think those people do or even can exist.

In his transformation from a “pointless fumbling sad mistake only capable of pain”, to the Patron Saint of the downtrodden and the lost, Cain takes on a new shimmer in the light.

This is the light of a blazing Star, guiding each person on the path of realizing their innermost fulfillment.

I often view life as a round of what I call “Spiritual Bumper Cars”.

We must perform Right Action to arrive at our destination in life and not ruin the lives of those around us.

This Star is a reminder that no matter what the struggle we face is, we must discover the Right Action to engage in to move forward, and that often necessitates harsh self-reflection.

Notice I haven’t prescribed a religious set of morals or a nihilist/moral relativist philosophy to define “Right Action”.

The universe is operating on laws, and only a fraction of them are physical.

They manifest in the consequences of our behavior, and further inward as thoughts and desires, and ever further inward still to realms of Will and Spirit.

Let these ideas swim in your thoughts, and in the next installment, we’ll begin to unravel the deeper dimensions of this concept.