Rick wrote:
Thank you very much, Rick. I appreciate that, I really do.

In this letter, Screwtape describes the predatory relationship that the infernal seeks. Screwtape describes us as food and cattle. The sustenance they seek is gathered by consuming our will; our very essence or self. Our corruption seems to be a reduction of our own self-determination until it is absorbed completely by something like Screwtape. Counter-intuitively, selfish behaviour reduces the self and conversely selfess acts strengthen it.

I say counter-intuitively, but one only has to have experienced or witnessed addiction to know how the identity of the user is eradicated; one only has to know a person who has been changed by greed or ambition until we tell them "I don't know you anymore." Moreover, it is not hard to recall how ones own acts of kindness and altruism have strengthened ones belief in oneself at its most fundamental level.

Screwtape also addresses our dual nature: both physical and spiritual. Oddly, we see that he is a prude and extremely squeemish. The rejection of the physical seems odd for one so wicked, and yet it is the roots of his misanthropy. Our vunerablity offends his infernal senses. We are beneath him and therefore do not deserve to have access to the spiritual realm. It is from our dual nature that Screwtape attempts to deny us of our spiritual self by preying on us when we sway from it. The challenge to us, is to be constant in our self (or will), even when our nature is inconstant.

However, it seems that not even Screwtape is as constant as he claims to be: he makes an undevlish error in admitting the reality of Love. For His Father Below, is not enough that one should reject and hate love. It's existence must be denied as a lie. In later chapters Screwtape pays for his heresy in Hell.

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Comments to follow...

mikey mikey wrote:
Bingo.
Spirituality IMHO is indeed quite crystal clear and logical.
This is why religion has nothing to do with spirituality...blind group belief in something illogical is not 'spiritual'.

Spirituality is something instinctual IMHO, it is never taught and it does not come with dogma attached.
There is no religion for it anymore than there is a science for it

It is unique to each and every individual and there is no right or wrong with it. There are no mystical secrets.
Everybody has it, they always did have it.