Above and Below the Line

Introduction

There's a modern mental framework that comes up when examining across ancient mystical traditions and their consciousness practices, which are often the origin story (or diamond) behind (or at the heart of) of all religions.

It's also an effective framework for changing your mind from error prone to more constructive.

Even if different words are used. You can still recognize this framework.

Greek: Gaia / Underworld (below) vs Aion (presence) vs Ouranos (above)

It's one of life's mysteries. How to order your mind, to Know Thyself, and resurrect during your lifetime, reborn a new person, without fears, to die before you die so that you do not die when you die. What do these things mean? What exactly changes inside of you?

We're talking mental transmutation. Shift your mind to trust and positivity, to become the ruler over your true nature or primitive self, the fear-based, war-like, 2nd-circuit mindset of Villain/Victim mentality.

Structure

Above the Line (Trust / Empowerment)
- Coach (supports & assists; ask clarity questions)
- Creator (owns power to choose & respond; focuses on outcomes)
- Challenger (provokes / evokes / action / learning / growth)
- Detail:
  - emotions are delicious, life-giving, informative, wise and relationally connecting. They are an essential part of being awake
  - Trust opens — it allows us to co-create, support, and challenge with compassion.
  - feelings above the line are rare and requires practice.
Presence
- Being in ease and flow (no ego == no fear/judgement, just awareness/perception)
- Detail:
  - Practice presence to understand where you are, make insights for change.
    - Realize where you are (above or below), then consciously shift to where you want to be. Savor the change, Build new habits.
    - Realize the universe is mental, and your own mental framing can be transmuted (e.g. from below to above).
Below the Line (Fear / Drama - Which lead to Error)
- Villain (blames self or others)
- Victim (is at the effect of)
- Hero (seeks temporary relief)
- Detail:
  - emotions are part of the cognitive emotive loop. Feelings keep recycling and often turn into moods and postures
  - Fear contracts — it makes us protect, control, defend. And is the cause of error. Error is often at the root of what's described as evil, but really is a very natural human trait.
  - emotions below the line are natural and normal.

3 states for above the line (trust)
3 for below the line (fear)

Fear is below. and Fear leads to error which is what people call evil.
We can correct for error by recognizing and then transforming Fear to Trust.

We can perform transformations most easily when in a state of Presence.

Trust is a "by me" mindset. I make things happen, by me.
Fear is a "to me" mindset. Things happen to me.

Discussion

We can use this framework to order our inner parts (see IFS internal family systems for a breakdown of parts and how to work with them). Parts are just jungian archtypes, greek daimones, personas.

Also, we can use this framework to work with other people. In every interaction, we can locate ourselves on the "card", as a sort of map, and be more aware of where we are on the drama triangle, above the line or below the line or simply in presence. When we're aware, we can notice, and then shift our consciousness if we want, and once we do, we can savor/appreciate the feeling of doing that, so that we reinforce and build that habit, by building/reinforcing that connection in our neurons.

This is a modern simplified framework.

We see this framework across many mystical traditions.

In greek, below == gaia (underworld) and presence == aion and above == ouranos, and "initiatory fire" or eplasen (forming by education) is oracular/eleusinian initiation from that temple system (or christian exorcism, sort of, we see Jesus do with daimones Luke 11:20 through Luke 11:17 read backwards) which is like modern psychedelic therapy (but more extreme and more dangerous).

As applied to your Inner Parts

As applied to your Inner Parts, Personas, Archtypes

If you pause to contemplate, you'll notice something interesting:

Inside the psyche are many aspects or inner voices — roles, personas, and archetypal patterns that sometimes compete for control. The Above and Below the Line framework helps you recognize these parts and guide them from fear toward trust.

Doing the inner work

See Internal Family Systems, which goes beyond this Above and Below the Line framework, using it to guide your inner personality parts. Read it next if you're looking for more.

Above and Below the Line

Introduction

Structure

Discussion

As applied to your Inner Parts

See Also