And here we return to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave… Now, when the person is outside the cave and functions also in daylight, we ask another question:
“Well then, if he recalled to mind his first habitation and what passed for wisdom there, and his fellow bondsmen, do you not think that he would count himself happy in the change and pity them? He would indeed. And if there had been honors and commendations among them which they bestowed on one another and prizes for the man who is quickest to make out the shadows as they pass and best able to remember their customary precedence, sequences, and coexistences, and so most successful in guessing at what was to come, do you think he would be very keen about such rewards, and that he would envy and emulate those who were honored by these prisoners…”
Plato
The answer both in the parable and on the next card – the “Judgment” is: the person who is now above the cave, understands his past condition and understands how well he has improved. He will not want to be a prisoner, bound in the dark cave, but he will come down again to help his friends! Some will claim that it’s out of sheer compassion, and some will say that only then can he continue to develop, meaning: “If you want to move on to the next stage, you must put someone else on the stage you are currently on.” Others will say that there is no contradiction here, and compassion does not contradict the will to continue to develop.
On the “Judgment” card, we see the man returning to the cave (in the form of an angel), and blows the trumpet that awakens the remaining prisoners, which represents the “sleeping” humanity. His return to the cave can cost him dearly, and it is clear to him that his old friends will not welcome him. Some may understand him, but many others would be frightened by his ideas, just as he was frightened and confused when he started his journey out of the cave. These people might harm him and make false accusations against him. A person who is now used to sunlight and is no longer accustomed to the darkness will be considered by those people to be handicapped. And if he had to compete with his fellow prisoners in the shadow contest before he had his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he would have laughed at, and the prisoners would say that he had returned from above with broken eyes and that the attempt to reach the top was not worthwhile. Either way, the reaction of those prisoners will no longer change. The final effort of that person to help and awaken his friends will free him to the last stage of development of this world – “The World” card.
It is said that in order to receive help, one must make a spiritual journey and reach a place from which he can receive help. If a person finds himself in a position where he cannot be helped, the sound of the trumpet will not awaken him, and he will miss the help. You cannot help a person who is not willing to help himself, all the other means, guides and teachers may be necessary to continue the path, but first one must understand in the full sense of the word that he needs help. Thinking or making statements about it will be of no use. A real understanding is required here, and more importantly, one must begin to try to help himself.
Usually, a person comes to the conclusion that something needs to be changed, improved, and made better. In order to change something on his own, a person must pay a price! What does it mean, “Pay a price”? It means giving up something of his own! It is impossible to change if the person is not willing to give up anything that exists. From the very beginning, when the person understood that there was a need for help and change, he becomes rebellious and does not want to pay. He was told that he had to give up his habits, his way of thinking, his money. “Why should I give up all this?” He asks himself. It’s me! It’s mine! Giving up all these means giving up “myself.“ The person wants to change, without giving up what he currently holds, but without making a sacrifice, he will not succeed in acquiring something else. He doesn’t understand that the demand for letting go relates to giving up his false ego.
Man cannot afford to miss and waste opportunities that can bring him closer to a conscious source. It does not matter how he is exposed to this source: a book, an explanation by a person, a teacher, a school, and so on. Something in him is supposed to “feel” and understand that this is the real thing. These opportunities are not repeated, and if repeated, their next iteration is less powerful and easier to miss again. Just like the Tablets of Covenant have a lot missing compared to the original Tablets that were shattered. If there was a need for a third time, who knows what they would be missing, and whether they would be given a third chance at all. Any contact with a conscious source puts us to a test. To pass this test, we must give up our false part, give up our imaginary picture of how we are supposed to find and what we are supposed to find. This test filters most people and opens the door to the conscious only to a select few. People prefer to spend their time in places that fit their thinking patterns. Things are always black or white to them: “The teacher always smiles and pleases us, he does not charge money because spiritual people do not need money; he makes me feel nice and safe.” A conscious source is never limited by patterns, never black and white. In most cases, a person who comes into contact with a conscious source will get exactly the opposite of what he expects.