In a previous article of May 6th, Joshua asked the question: What is God to you?
When pondering this question I was suddenly reminded of the orthodox view that God is omniscient and Almighty, and that His Word should be taken absolutely literally and adhered to. During my childhood that did not trouble me at all as I have known since my birth that God is a God of Love. I even experienced that myself during a Near Death Experience. And I grew up in a love-oriented church so there was nothing to worry about.
Things changed however when during my teens I became aware of the fact that other people in other churches saw God as a Jealous God, who threatened with hell and damnation when you did not conform to His laws. And I also became aware of the Holocaust. How could such a thing have happened in a civilized society which at the time could still be considered Christian? Many people began leaving their church (or synagogue) because of the question: Where was God when all this happened? Why did He not do anything to prevent this? This must surely mean that God does not exist.
These questions were not my questions, however. I started wondering: What went wrong with the teaching of the church? Not God caused the Holocaust but people who often belonged to Christian churches. And many churches (not all) remained silent while it was all happening. Something must have gone seriously wrong with the teaching of the churches because how else could something like this have happened? How else could all these other atrocities have happened to both Jews and black people, and to the native peoples in so many countries, ever since conquering Christians arrived there? And all that during so many centuries, almost from the moment Christianity was recognized as a religion, and made into the ruling one by the Roman emperor Constantine. And how else could Christians belonging to different churches have started to even murder each other as well? Each claiming the one and only truth for themselves?
No, something must have gone seriously wrong with the teachings of the churches that appeared to be motivated more by the love of power than by the love of God. And that even started messing with the Bible texts themselves sometimes, especially those of the New Testament, in order to make them supportive of their teachings. The parts and pieces of the old biblical manuscripts that had been found had been ‘corrected’ and changed many times over before being copied again and so on and the differences between them are enormous. And also translations show many differences, caused either by interpretation or manipulation. I have mentioned this subject many times already in my comments on this blog and quite a few books were written about this subject over time.
[Of course there is another side to Christianity as well, a very positive side, but that is not the subject of discussion here.]
All this was a reason for me to undertake an independent search, not founded on the interpretations of any theologian or bible scholar. My discovery of the possibility of a symbolic Bible interpretation was of course a great help, as was the knowledge I gained from an interpretation based on Hebrew numerology but most of all from the insights I received when in a state of a meditative focus on a subject.
The mutual communication between writers and readers on this blog proved to be a great help as well. It made it possible to develop a kind of model of a cycle of spiritual development. A cycle of a descent/involution – into the world of matter – and ascension that I had discovered in the Bible stories. That brought the concept of consciousness and awareness to my attention. I am afraid I used these terms rather loosely to begin with, feeling they are important but …. What the bleep is Consciousness? as somebody asked me once. I couldn’t – and still cannot – describe it as I do not really have words for what is for me a wordless knowing. Still, I intuitively knew that these were the right words, but for what?
My model also includes the concept of energy, as waves vibrating on different levels, frequencies, patterns and what have you. I never remember the details as I am no scientist and the essence of things is what is important to me. I had been aware of the importance of the concept of energy already since the nineties of the last century. Everything is energy, including matter, which, as science finally has proven, does not even exist. No matter how deep you go into ‘matter’, everything proves to be a largely empty space with only a few very small ‘balls’ of matter in it. These however also prove to be an empty space with only a few very small ‘balls’ of matter in it, and so on, never mind how far down the line you explore. Neither do time or space exist in Reality, which was a conclusion reached by Albert Einstein, if I am not mistaken.
So what is this world if nothing is real? Buddhists call it Maya, illusion, and Hindus call it Leela, a game. It is also called a virtual reality or a dream. And this dream I recognized from Genesis, where God puts Adam, who until then had been androgynous, both male and female, into a deep sleep in order to separate the male and female sides of Man from each other. No, gentlemen, the woman did NOT arrive later on the scene than the man! The famous rib of Adam is the Hebrew word ‘tsela’, which also means side. And I am pretty sure that that is the right translation here. Nowhere it is said that they woke up after that. Mankind is still largely asleep though some of us are beginning to wake up now.
This dream is the ‘tardema’ that I have already mentioned very often in my articles and it is not a kind of anaesthesia for an operation but the beginning of a cycle of descent and ascension, of gradually descending into ever lower vibratory frequencies, with at the lowest part a stay in the so-called world of matter, and then a rising up again into ever higher frequencies and a return to the world of our origin. With conscious awareness this time.
Our life on earth is a journey in a world that is not real but a virtual reality in which nothing but our losing or gaining of conscious awareness is real. This may also be the answer to the question: Why does not God interfere? God does not interfere because this virtual reality is nothing but a game, or a school as it has also been called. For how could we possibly gain conscious awareness without getting to know the opposites of duality and without going through all the experiences of this world? How would we know the importance of Light if we had never experienced darkness? God does not interfere because in Reality nothing bad will ever happen to us. On the contrary, we will only gain wisdom from the lessons of this school, but we do have to do our homework!
*****
Looking at it from this point of view makes it easier to understand why we have to undertake this journey. It appears that to begin with we, mankind, departed from a world of High Consciousness but without much if any Awareness. I have heard this foundation of All-that-Is described as: the Zero-point Field of Infinite Potential. And also as a Field of Undifferentiated Consciousness, meaning that it is a oneness that is the same all over, without the possibility of becoming aware of anything at all because there is nothing in it to become aware of.
If this is the starting point of All-that-Is, so to speak, and God IS All-that-Is, then this means that this Zero-point Field of Infinite Potential might be another Name for God. A Name that is different from all the anthropomorphic terms and concepts that we are used to. And that we may still use as long as we remain aware of the fact that there is no One Name or concept that we can define God by. When we are right in our assumption that this term Zero-point Field of Infinite Potential is another Name for God, and in our assumption that God is Love, then Love must be the nature of this Field. And if we assume that Consciousness is another Name for God (which for one scientist was the criterion in order to be able to believe in God), then this field is Consciousness as well. However, to begin with without any Awareness of it. So something has to happen in order to gain this Awareness and this might be, in short, the starting point of a process of creation during which we as mankind finally enter this game of a virtual reality.
It has been said that we are divine sparks, sparks of the Fire that is God, another Name. We, not only humans but everything from quanta to universes and beyond, are all parts of God, points of focus of God, physical or non-physical, who each have our own role to play in this game of gaining Conscious Awareness. Even the physical ones are not really physical of course but only temporarily put on a body suit as it were by descending into the world of matter. The Dutch word for body, lichaam, comes actually from the Gothic word lic hamo, which means something like coat of flesh so people seem to have been aware of this already at the time.
God creates a game of duality and polarity in which all of us, as fractal parts of Him/Her/It (which means we potentially possess all of Its powers) each have our own part to play. We humans put on a blindfold before starting the game; this blindfold is the physical body which Adam and Eve, as mankind, receive by entering into the world of matter, by descending into ever lower frequencies of ever denser energy. In how far this implication of blindness also applies to other life forms in our ‘material’ world goes beyond the scope of this article, not to mention my understanding.
The physical body is ‘or’ in Hebrew, with a numerical value of 70-6-200. This word can also be read as ‘iver’, which means blind, as the number six, the character Vav, can be read both as the vowel o and as the consonant v. This means that we, mankind, are leaving the world of oneness and blindly enter a world of duality and matter in which we will have to come to terms with the conditions of duality. None of this is real but we are not aware of that anymore because this blindness means that our eyes are now closed to oneness but they have been opened to the possibilities of duality. We have also been given a whole toolkit full of tools to help us to discover this world, including time, space and matter, the ego with a full range emotions, karma and reincarnation, which in themselves are not real but will enable us to gradually gain Conscious Awareness by playing this game of duality for all it is worth until we reach the intended goal.
*****
In a comment I once gave a more extensive description of the game as I see it, which I now quote with some slight alterations and additions:
“I see this world as an illusion, or a dream (‘tardema’). It has also been called a game and indeed it can be compared to a computer game in which all possible choices are already there as potential realities. As such we each will create a different world on the basis of the choices we make and our perspective on whatever this world then presents to us as a result of that choice. When we use a so-called bad experience for instance to help others in similar circumstances the result will be different from when we remain angry and bitter about it.
When we enter the game, we leave our real identity behind and everything we know. We put on a blindfold. In this condition we now have to choose which choice of the first array of choices we want to make into a reality for us and then experience the consequences of that choice. Next we will be presented with a new array of choices and so on. Until game over. After the game we re-examine the choices we made and we may or may not see where it might have been better to make other choices. So we start a new game and proceed on the basis of our conclusions.
That is what the idea of karma and reincarnation is about, I think. You can roughly interpret that in two ways as well as the game is a game of duality: 1) karma is guilt which you have incurred in your previous life or game and in the next one you are punished for it, or 2) karma = action. On the basis of what you have learned from the previous life you decide what you can improve this time. Or descend further if you do not. And so on. It is all a matter of choice. There is no real guilt but only an increase or decrease of conscious awareness that has been lost or gained by our choices.
Since we are only playing a game and there is no real guilt involved, there is no need for salvation. There is just a game which helps us gain conscious awareness, which IS real. And as we get stuck sometimes, as I invariably do, we need all the help we can get in order to reach the final level of the game and bring it to a successful end.
And that help is available. We only have to call the Help desk.
And when we get really stuck and cannot bring this game to an end on our own anymore, Someone is sent to us to explain the rules of the game again very clearly and to play a round of the game with us in order to show how it is done. After that we will be able to continue the game on our own again, with some help from the Help desk from time to time.
Of course it is clear that time, space and matter, and karma and reincarnation, are only tools to help us play the game as none of it exists in reality. But as long as we are still living within the reality of this game, and we cannot possibly grasp the Absolute Reality yet, these concepts are good tools to work with.”
*****
This model roughly describes the journey through this world of virtual reality but does not yet show the result of this journey. For the world we return to is of course no longer a world of undifferentiated consciousness, a world of an undifferentiated oneness, but I have come to believe that this World has been changing right along with us! It has become a World of Conscious Awareness, and of Love and Unity in diversity. We humans have travelled different roads, and often been at odds with each other, but finally we will all arrive at the same goal. Entering the city of the New Jerusalem through 12 different gates, each ‘tribe’ passing through its own gate, as someone once remarked in a comment.
*****
There is however still another factor I did not consider yet but which became obvious in an article + video of which I may have shared a link already:
https://documentarystorm.com/the-simulation-hypothesis/
In this video there is an interesting discussion about this virtual reality, which was explained with an extensive variant of the double slit experiment, in which the presence of a Watcher was all important. And that may be the same here as well. This might also prove to be the answer to another point that was debated in the comments on this blog: ”Is God within or outside His creation?”
I looked at this subject from the viewpoint of God as All-that-Is. As such God had to be inside his creation. However when we look at God as the Father who watched the progress of his sons in my article about The Other Son, then the Father can be seen as outside his creation. His creation then being the virtual world. So He is inside All-that-is but at the same time outside the dream as the Watcher of the virtual world, who has to watch it from the outside. And the Watcher is absolutely essential in order to enable us to have all the experiences we need to bring our journey to a successful end, for if no one is watching, then our world ceases to exist. This also was shown by science.
*****
We, as the divine sparks of God, are the representatives of God in this virtual world. We are entangled aspects of His being that experience all there is to experience in this world in order to gain Conscious Awareness. As in Reality we are not separated from God, nor from each other, but an integral part of God, and God is All-that-Is, then Who is making this journey through this world of discovery? Is it not God Itself, the Watcher who keeps the game going. but who by doing so also simultaneously experiences everything all parts of his creation experience. And who in this dream world is embodied by us as so-called individual gods with a blindfold, who to begin with stumble blindly into this world of ever lower vibratory frequencies and open our eyes to the world of duality, but then gradually find our feet and start rising up again, gaining Conscious Awareness in the process. All this changes the Field of Infinite Potential but without any Awareness into a Realm of Unconditional Love and Unity in diversity, which is Consciously Aware of Itself and of all that led to this gaining of Conscious Awareness. And in which the divine sparks have been reabsorbed by the Fire they came from and never left in Reality. Where all levels of consciousness finally flow together through the process of Time that is No-time, and Place that is No-Place and all diverse forms of creation that have evolved into One Formless Consciousness with Full Awareness.
*****
So, seen from this perspective, could it be that maybe God was NOT yet Omniscient and Almighty from the very beginning but slowly gaining Conscious Awareness by this process of sending parts, sparks, of Itself into a virtual reality of time and place in order to safely experience everything there is to experience through them, and to evolve into the Omniscient and Almighty God in this way? Within the timeless No-Space of the Point, which is the translation of the Hebrew word Reshit with which it all began in Genesis 1:1: Bereshit bara Elohim et ha shamayim we et ha arets, which can also be interpreted as: With a point God created heaven and earth.
And may we not see this process then as the Evolution of God, and as the purpose of Creation? From God to God through different phases of being God? within All that is – has been – and always will be One after all?
Anny…
What a brave and wonderful idea for an article. Kuddos for the title alone!
Normally, in our limited understanding and awareness, we sometimes can be afraid to ask such a question, but when we delve into the esoteric tradition of the scriptures, it’s a valid question to say the least, which scares many outside of this tradition because they want someone else to be in total control with everything already figured out! That is human nature.
You referenced my article in the beginning, and I want to point out something crucial I stated in that article: God’s name is I AM THAT I AM, which I also stated is better translated from Hebrew to English (sorry king Jimmy) I WILL BECOME THAT WHICH I WILL BECOME. What does this imply?
Even more telling, God tells Moses, my name IS the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What is meant here, esoterically? It is none other than God’s name is that in the meaning of what we refer to as a verb, the transformative power in the evolution of what Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob BECOME. What they become is an important distinction in scripture, as even Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel indicates. What this really relates to is the fact that because we also, as you say, have a spark of the divine in us, and we evolve, so too must God.
Throughout the entire Old Testament, one distinction that we must recognize is that whenever a spiritually mature seeking person, such as Abraham and Moses, are mentioned in scripture, God chooses to work THROUGH them, and by them. Abraham has the ability to stay God’s hand in Sodom, and Moses argues with God and causes God to repent!!!! Joshua also convinces God to make the sun stand still (even if it seems indirectly, it is not meant to be seen so). These allegories illustrate that God evolves through us, most definitely. The early Rabbis that studied the scriptures with a keen eye and understood the mysteries of the kingdom teach us that Adam Kadom is the archetypal man that God evolves through, while in descent and evolution as you have so accurately pointed out in many articles. So my answer to your title question: Yes! Absolutely God evolves through creation.
There is also the other side of the coin: there is a perfected state of the higher self which is above, and contains perfection, but this perfection is made more perfect through its own evolution. And so while it is ever perfect, it is also ever perfecting!
And to a few other points in your article:
You state…
“Neither do time or space exist in Reality, which was a conclusion reached by Albert Einstein, if I am not mistaken.”
I know what you mean, Anny, but for the sake of readers, Einstein was the first to definitively argue that space and time were not independent of each other as previously thought, but rather one fluid phenomenon. In other words, 3-dimensional space and then the dimension of time are not separate. He showed that because of the constant speed of light, even time is relative to the observer. The faster your travel, the more time slows and the smaller objects shrink in size. It’s not time and space per se, but one big SPACETIME (Space-time). The hyphen is only there for our classical world brain to wrap an idea around! The world of the senses is a BLATANT LIE at incredibly fast speeds, and a WHITE LIE at slower speeds! This is the great paradox that we must accept in our limited matter-oriented experience compared to ultimate reality!
Hmm, Biblical writers were correct in telling us this through allegory. And isn’t it strange that as the tribe Judah, always facing the east, towards the rising sunlight in the camp around the tabernacle numbered almost—to the dot—the speed of light (186,400)! The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, roughly. Go figure! Did the original writers of the Bible even use miles per second? That’s an interesting topic in and of itself, and the explanation gets complicated.
Loved your recap on why mankind is still asleep in a sort of dream-world based off of Adam and Eve. In one sense, man is more awake through the grossness of matter, but it is all illusory and only the playground for gaining more self-awareness. This is an incredibly important point to make, and sums of the allegories of the Bible in a grand way.
You also state:
“It appears that to begin with we, mankind, departed from a world of High Consciousness but without much if any Awareness. I have heard this foundation of All-that-Is described as: the Zero-point Field of Infinite Potential. And also as a Field of Undifferentiated Consciousness, meaning that it is a oneness that is the same all over, without the possibility of becoming aware of anything at all because there is nothing in it to become aware of.”
Ah..and now we probe the hard question of what is existence, really! The gross world of matter allows self-awareness to expand, through the evolution of the intellect and higher emotions. It is the sacrifice of the lower ego for the spiritual ego, which must be made manifest in the end.
Another point you bring up about Love: There are many definitions of love, and many kinds of love. Like reality in a universe governed by the speed of light, it can all be relative to our experience.. But the grandest and most potent definition of love is this:
It (love) is the great universal attracting force, akin to gravity in classical understanding (although gravity is not a force but as Einstein pointed out a natural occurrence in SPACE-TIME) that brings all things unto itself, as Jesus stated that he did (Jesus is the archetype of LOVE). While we humans in our conscious experience in matter can talk about friendly love, or erotic love, or physical attractive love, LOVE as God is simply to bring all things into ONENESS. It is also the ascension phase beginning again after descending.
You also state:
“So, seen from this perspective, could it be that maybe God was NOT yet Omniscient and Almighty from the very beginning but slowly gaining Conscious Awareness by this process of sending parts, sparks, of Itself into a virtual reality of time and place in order to safely experience everything there is to experience through them, and to evolve into the Omniscient and Almighty God in this way? Within the timeless No-Space of the Point, which is the translation of the Hebrew word Reshit with which it all began in Genesis 1:1: Bereshit bara Elohim et ha shamayim we et ha arets, which can also be interpreted as: With a point God created heaven and earth.”
We can see this point in a multitude of ways, but I want you to consider a few points for a final conclusion. If the universe expands and contracts, as the Zen way says it does and has for eons of time, like the breath of life, which takes in oxygen for life and expels carbon dioxide for purity, only to wan and wax, to grow and diminish, then does God live and die similarly in a grand super cycle, or does GOD begin and ever grow between the supercycles also? Or is the very act of this grand super cycle and the power therein to maintain IS what God is?
On the other hand, how can it be this if time is an illusion and man-made conscious reality? Are we missing something even when we talk about the super cycle? Or, as Raymond alluded to in a comment to me in his previous article, (which indirectly causes us to ponder), and which when you truly consider the subject of the past three articles including yours, is there a grander truth in both which the mind cannot truly comprehend but is nevertheless very pertinent to our limited reality, and the grander reality beyond limitation, the lower ego and the higher, matter and spirit?
Since consciousness is the subject of this article, and you ask what the bleep is it, really, I want to add that there is the limited view of human consciousness, and then the grander view of a primordial consciousness which has no limits since it can interact with itself to create from infinite potential, whether it has self-awareness or not. Therefore I must conclude that if infinite potential is in fact the truth, consciousness is ever evolving and will continue to do so infinitum, and you and I and everyone reading this blog are a spark of that. And self-awareness will always evolve too as long as the playground is built through self-interaction, which in my opinion, has to happen because nothing cannot exist as that would be contrary to infinite potential. Simply mind-boggling. Isn’t it?
Thanks for an enlightening thought and discussion, Anny!
If the universe expands and contracts, as the Zen way says it does and has for eons of time, like the breath of life, which takes in oxygen for life and expels carbon dioxide for purity, only to wan and wax, to grow and diminish, then does God live and die similarly in a grand super cycle, or does GOD begin and ever grow between the supercycles also? Or is the very act of this grand super cycle and the power therein to maintain IS what God is?
Josh, something went wrong here. I wrote my comment on a document and then and copied and posted it but only the last paragraph appeared above on the blog. So below I sent it again.
Thank you, Josh, for your wonderful comment. Writing this article really has been a leap into the un-known for me, without knowing where I would end up. Even defining things and concepts that defy words was something I could not have done without intuitive insights that suddenly rose up when needed.
Your translation of God’s Name in your own article is indeed better than the well-known I AM THAT I AM but do not blame ‘King Jimmy’ for that one. I have never seen it translated differently anywhere. I WILL BECOME THAT WHICH I WILL BECOME could be seen as the plan for the creation process. Therefore I would replace the word WHICH with WHATEVER. It shows an openness to the outcome. Man is granted free will and influence after all as a temporarily independent part of God. As you also show in your comment.
Adam Kadmon is indeed the archetype of man, maybe even preceding the Paradise story. I vaguely remember that he is very great indeed (in all meanings of the word) but I do not know much about it.
Thanks also for giving more information about the findings of Albert Einstein. It would have been too much to go into many details in the article, also other subjects which I only described very summarily this time. Too many details of every item might have made the article even more complicated than it probably already is. Not to mention that science is not exactly my subject, as you know. But I do see the importance of it.
You write: “And isn’t it strange that as the tribe Judah, always facing the east, towards the rising sunlight in the camp around the tabernacle numbered almost—to the dot—the speed of light (186,400)! The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, roughly. …”. Well, I do not know if there is any connection there. Not only did they not know anything about miles at the time this text was written but also nowadays miles are used in a limited area on earth only. We have kilometres instead in Western Europe and probably in many other countries as well.
As for the concept of love, I think that has also a developing and evolving character. And on earth indeed we have many kinds of ‘love’ that have nothing whatsoever to do with the Unconditional Love that is the end product (in so far there is an end to this evolution of God/Love). I believe the words that have become the core of my belief: (love = ahava and unity = echad) both have the same evolutionary character as God and man. Their numerical value is thirteen, which is the number of transformation.
And then finally your question: “If the universe expands and contracts, as the Zen way says it does and has for eons of time, like the breath of life, which takes in oxygen for life and expels carbon dioxide for purity, only to wan and wax, to grow and diminish, then does God live and die similarly in a grand super cycle, or does GOD begin and ever grow between the super cycles also? Or is the very act of this grand super cycle and the power therein to maintain IS what God is?”
I personally believe that this is possible. And I believe that something like that is mentioned in the Kabbala as well. I see that also as evolutionary. Each cycle learns from and builds on the previous one. Whether that would mean that God lives and dies in each cycle, I wouldn’t know. Personally I once gave in the comments an example of God as a Force, as a geyser like in Yellowstone, that becomes active and erupts from time to time, and then recedes and becomes inactive for a while. I see that as evolutionary however, where in the intermediate periods maybe everything from the latest eruption is worked through before becoming active again in a new eruption.
Of course I could be totally wrong about all this but that does not really matter. If so, I will find another conclusion later because we are totally free in trying out all different ways in order to eventually find the right one. Keeping in mind of course the guideline of Unconditional Love and Unity in diversity.
And I agree with your conclusion: It is certainly mind boggling.
As always, the articles and responses are expansive. Less than a week ago, I was contemplating the saying that “there is no other name under heaven by which we are to be saved” and that Christian tradition says that the name is “Jesus”…or “Jesu”…or “Jesua/Yeshua”…or “Yehoshua”…. But that obviously doesn’t work: Hebrew is a mantric language.
Then it came to me that when Moses asked God for a name, he was answered “I am that which I am”, Or, “I will be what I have always been”…or other variations that indicate an eternal Is-ness. (A Hebrew prof said that Ancient Hebrew had no actual present tense, so that statement would of necessity need elaboration.)
Then, too, that Jesus said, “I tell you that before Abraham was, I am”. He also said, “I am the way…” The name of the protagonist of Homer’s “Odyssey”, Odysseus, means “the way to God (Zeus, Deus, Dios, etc.), the formless, infinite, being-ness. And the story is not necessarily literal, but is true, as the Bible, the Bhavagad Gita, the YogaVasistha and other ancient writings are true, but are the treasure found in a field for which we let go of everything else.
And that we are told “His name shall be called ‘Immanuel’, God with us’. From this, we have ‘ímmanent: in the flesh’–God is not only “with us”, but “is us”…except there’s no “us”.
So the only ‘salvation’ is remembrance of our true nature: I AM.
Brahmi, thank you for a comment that as always has so many new angles to share. And that reduces all to its essence: I AM.
I don’t mean to caress your ego Josh, but this is one of the maddest comments to one of the maddest articles on this blog. I’m totally hysterical now. May God bless you both. all you said be both thought provoking and enlightening at the same time. Fantastic.
Michelangelo, for some reason this comment ended up somewhere high up in the string of comments and I have been able to find the comment that it is probably a reaction too. What do you mean by it?
You might find the following quotes about ancient Egyptian religion interesting. They support what you’ve written here.
From “Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt” by Geraldine Pinch:
“In many Egyptian sources the creation of life involves three elements: the creation of a body, the transfer to that body of some part of the divine essence of the creator, and the animation of the body by the breath of life…The second element, the transfer of the divine essence, eventually led to the concept that all deities, or even all living beings, were not just made by a transcendent creator but were in some sense forms of the creator.
The creator was sometimes referred to as “the One Who Made Himself into Millions” or “He Who Made Himself into Millions of Gods.” Creation could be seen as a process of differentiation, in which one original force was gradually divided (without necessarily diminishing itself) into the diverse elements that made up the universe.
Before creation begins there is no division into genders. The creator seems to include both the male and female principles. Creator deities were commonly called “the father and mother of all things.””
From “The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt” by Richard H. Wilkinson:
“The polyvalent logic of Egyptian thought could easily allow an appreciation of the underlying oneness of god to coexist with traditional Egyptian polytheism. He suggests, in fact, that the best evidence for this is
actually the phenomenon of syncretism which ‘unites the view of god as simultaneously Many and One’.”
From “Idea Into Image” by Erik Hornung:
“In sum, the monotheism of the Egyptians consists in the belief that in the beginning the divine was one, and that in the cosmogony that was the work of the one, the one became many.”
From “The Search for God in Ancient Egypt” by Jan Assmann:
“This god transcended the world not only with respect to the mysterious hiddenness of his ‘ba-ness’,
in which no name could name him and no representation could depict him, but also with respect to
the human heart, which was filled with him. He was the hidden god who ‘came from afar’ yet was
always present to the individual in the omniscience and omnipotence of his all-encompassing
essence. He was not only the cosmos—in Egyptian, the totality of the ‘millions’, and also neheh and
djet, ‘plenitude of time’ and ‘unalterable duration’ into which he unfolded himself—but also
history.”
Thank you for this very interesting comment!
Indeed, I believe you are right and Egyptian mythology describes the same. I had no idea. It only shows that coming from all sides we are all talking about the same. That is why I like to speak of unity in diversity.
so much to digest and then
as above so below
does that mean
as below so above ?
can the 4th dimensional world be described in terms of three dimensions or even less ?
why is the univetse endless, someone once answered ‘if not God would be bored to dearh’
is that the right answer ? i don’t know, but at that time it sounded logical to me.
How many dimensions is God away from us, humans ?
Is there a hierarchy of Gods, or a network of Beings ‘in the know’
Is our realization a jump straight back in God Conciousnes ? or is there a stepwise refinement ? If so can we have an overview ? What do is our place in this Universe ? Is it the only one, hahaha, centered around our Sun ? Maybe we are an experiment gone wrong with interesting side-effects ? Do we have study-groups visiting us, do they occasionally give us some food for further devolpment ? Or do they occasionally poke us to check our reactions ? Is there an ‘UN of Suns’ that govern our area ?
So many questions, I have no answers . . .
Hi Leo,
Thank you for your comment and your many questions. Well, as my article was a question in itself, with a tentative answer from me which I reached by moving step by step from one conclusion to the next, and having to describe things that defy description by words that are limited to duality, I hope that you do not expect me to give definite answers to all of them. So my answers will be my answers of this moment and only be – if at all possible – a set-up for what you may be able to find on your own.
Question: as above so below, does that mean as below so above ?
Answer: I think it might but do not ask me how. Seen in the light of the oneness of all I see them as sharing the same essence.
Question: can the 4th dimensional world be described in terms of three dimensions or even less ?
Answer: I do not know but I have often seen explanations that linked them together somehow.
Question: why is the universe endless, someone once answered ‘if not God would be bored to death’
is that the right answer ? i don’t know, but at that time it sounded logical to me
Answer: I don’t even know if the universe is endless but if the process that I described in my article is true and God is simultaneously experiencing everything that all of his creations experience during this whole process, then I doubt if God has even ‘time’ to get bored!
Question: How many dimensions is God away from us, humans ?
Answer: Since in my view God is All-that-Is and encompasses all of us, not only humans but All that is, ranging from quanta (assuming they are the smallest parts to universes, or even beyond) God cannot be away from us at all.
Question: Is there a hierarchy of Gods, or a network of Beings ‘in the know’?
Answer: There very well might be, however in different levels of Consciousness, each higher level knowing more than the one beneath but in essence One. We as humans ourselves probably are one of these levels as all that is is part of God.
Questions: Is our realization a jump straight back in God Consciousness ? or is there a stepwise refinement ? If so can we have an overview ?
Answer: Your guess is as good as mine. My gut feeling says that it is probably a stepwise refinement as I have concluded from the experiences of other people. An overview I have only heard mention in connection with passing from this world to the next in death.
Questions: What is our place in this Universe ? Is it the only one, centered around our Sun ? Maybe we are an experiment gone wrong with interesting side-effects ?
Answer: Apart from what I wrote in my article I would not know what is our place here.
Whether our Universe is the only universe I again do not know. And even if there were to be more than one, I would not know whether that is simultaneously or one at a ’time’.
And no, I do not think that we are an experiment gone wrong, with interesting side-effects or not. The writer Chaim Potok called that: God messed up and man now has the task to bring everything back into order, also called tikun ha olam or restauration of the world.
I always choose for a positive option if there is one. My view is that everything that happens in this virtual world serves a purpose and can be given a positive meaning by our perspective of it and our actions on it.
Final questions: Do we have study-groups visiting us, do they occasionally give us some food for further development ? Or do they occasionally poke us to check our reactions ? Is there an ‘UN of Suns’ that govern our area ?
Answers: Yes, I do believe that there are other civilisations of conscious beings and that they are in contact with human beings on earth through channelling. I have heard that some of them even incarnated here in order to be of help during this period of regaining Conscious Awareness. Who knows, you might even be one of them.
They certainly give us food for thought and further development.
Whether or not they poke us I would not know. I never experienced it anyway.
And yes, there is something like a UN of the Suns as you call it. In channellings it is called the Galactic Federation.
Well, that is all I can give you and they are all my interpretations of possible answers to your questions. So in the end it is all up to you.
Lovely Anny, your elobarate answers.
For me God is ineffable. Some people I met were surely steps ahead of me on the evolutional ladder. It made me feel small in comparison.
I once read Koning Aap (the monkey king), a story about a monkey who grabbed immortality, jumped around in the heaveny spheres, created a lot of havoc among the establishment. It made me reflect on myself, a lot, haha.
Hi Leo, thanks for your reply.
Never mind that other people might seem ahead of you on the evolutionary ladder. So what. Time does not exist anyway. We only have to be ourselves and do not need to compare ourselves to anybody else. How boring it would be if everyone was the same! Did you ever consider that? We can all learn from each other, even from each other’s ‘mistakes’.
I love the image of Koning Aap jumping around in the heavenly spheres and creating a log of havoc among the establishment. That might indeed be us in our present state if we had managed to gain entrance there. So it might be just as wel that we are still here, learning our lessons in the earth school. And maybe hopping around in the Zoo on our days off?
Hi Anny,
Thank you for this really interesting and very well written article.
There are many similarities in both our current articles relating to duality, Unity and Potentiality.
The term in your article ‘Zero-point field of Infinite Awareness’ fits perfectly with: ‘Infinity and point are equal’. Gaining ‘point’ awareness both within and without would certainly achieve ‘Conscious Awareness’ — the purpose of life – when the term God-consciousness becomes more applicable than ‘God’ as a noun, as often expressed socially.
I mentioned in comment to Josh, that, while duality-nature is eternally-ever-changing, and, the Absolute, eternally never-changing, God, the Supreme Absolute Being lies beyond creation, beyond evolution and non-involved, while also present within creation simultaneously involved by means of His appointed laws of Nature. But this is not saying that God, the Supreme Being, may be gaining evolution by means of creation, this is not one and the same dynamic, in my view. Certainly, the purpose of life is the expansion of natural happiness and evolution of this human species into higher states of divine or cosmic consciousness. And gaining Self Awareness consciously would be achieving this, at personal level. Thus, indeed, through being awake in ‘Conscious Awareness’ do we carry-out ‘Will of God’, as separate from ‘will of man’ lower nature (corruption, violence). In that sense, we could say that God-Nature is evolving as happiness, spiritual well-being and physical strength through our inner mechanisms such as the spine, brain, senses and nervous system, and so on.
In other words, while God, as human relative man / woman, is operating through the laws of vibrational nature, (vibrational law or karma) Absolute Supreme lies beyond this relative creation, of cause and effect, in the vibration-less state, and not subjected to change or evolution. Which absolute state we each inherit at birth, which is also the Gnostic Spark, Christ Child, Core Flame, and other wonderful titles pertaining to the indescribable, Absolute Potential.
In Yoga it states, enlightenment is achieved over many life-times. But this ‘many life times’ is not referring to many physical life times. Many life times is referring to many meditation sessions of inner transformation, when, after each meditation period we come back into the relative world renewed, more spiritualized, more purified, more Self Aware – more Spark-ed! if we have not attained this purified state in our present life, then we come back again and resume the process from where we left of on the last journey. Thus God, as vibration, is ‘working’ evolution rather than evolution working God the Supreme Being. In other words, the seed-content-nature we create here on earth determines our coming back to earth or moving on status… as, Angels, maybe, and Higher, but which first requires development, ‘fanning’ or husbanding of Spark — biblical Joseph — when our Spark realizes Eternal Flame, or, Conscious Unity.
Thus the importance of detaching from the clinging nature of ‘time and space’, or karma, by means of expanded consciousness, as separate from reflection upon Reality only.
‘Unity in diversity’ as you put it, is also what I’m referring to: ‘the reality of duality is unity’ — both are Truth expressions.
In conclusion, Anny, there is just so much Potential to each soul, it’s mind-boggling surly. And the realization of this Potential amounts to attuning our minds with Source of evolution, and transcending evolution for short periods daily, then coming back to relative nature, but this time infused of God-consciousness. ‘Transcendence’ is indeed our coming upon the keys of the kingdom of heaven within, and for Its Creative expression into the world and beyond.
Blessings, Anny,
Ahava Echad
Hi Raymond,
Thank you for a very interesting comment with lots of things to think about. Of course all of us have our own ideas about this subject that we are hardly able to put into words as it concerns both oneness/unity and duality at the same time and words somehow only belong to duality. Because by defining what something is we imply at the same time what it is not and subjects like these go beyond that. Like when I am describing my model of descent/involution – life in the world of matter – and ascension, I am talking in terms of leaving, living somewhere and returning to our origin, but of course in Reality we are not going anywhere but are just moving through different levels of consciousness and even that is probably the wrong term as we might not be literally moving either, in whatever context. So we settle on certain terms but yours are different from mine and Joshua’s may be different again, whereas we are all trying to describe the same ‘thing’.
I do agree with you that the Absolute Supreme lies beyond this relative creation, of cause and effect, in the vibration-less state, and not subjected to change or evolution. Or I did. Because this time I suddenly came up with what looked like a totally different conclusion. To my own surprise as well. What if this idea of an absolute state was only a human idea originally as well though? Or a failed attempt to put into words what cannot really be put into words. I might be totally wrong here of course but it does not do any harm to at least consider the idea.
I do remember something I read long ago in a book about Master Eckhart, the medieval mystic. He spoke about the Godhead (Ein Sof), which is totally inactive, and God who is active. God creates all that is, which goes through a whole cycle of development and after everything has been worked through and resolved it returns to and is reabsorbed by God, who in turn returns to and is reabsorbed by the Godhead. I put it in my words but this is basically what Master Eckhart taught according to the writer of this book. If that is so, wouldn’t then the Godhead Itself be changed afterwards as well, even though It did not do or experience anything Itself? Because now something is inside it and absorbed by it which was not there before. And all this of course in terms of duality about something that is still One.
Well, just some ideas to ponder. You know me by now and I am just allergic to statements that say: This is the way it is and that is it. None of us is in possession of the Absolute Truth just yet and if we happen to have hit upon the right idea after all – that is as far as we can comprehend while still in this virtual reality – then no one will be able to prove otherwise anyway so we do not have to insist on being right. Not that you do, don’t get me wrong, but as a principle. All I do is throwing out ideas for people to ponder and to ponder ideas that they throw out to me. So thank you for your valuable contributions every time. And have a great weekend!
I enjoyed your comment here, Raymond. Really helpful as always.
I believe one of the core issues here that is starting to develop in these conversations is which aspect of God are we talking about – the Absolute (unchanging and never evolving) or the manifestation which is always changing or evolving (on any plane lower than the absolute). They are both part of who we are, which humanity is in desperate need of seeing and experiencing.
Since the divine is in us, our core essence (the Gnostic spark, eternal flame, monad, pinnacle of the Adam Kadom, Higher Self) – these are all descriptions which must produce the logos (the manifestation of creative energy) from a source that is beyond all in the human experience and understanding – beyond time, space, form or no form, ideals, ideas, and even existence as we know it.
There is no doubt that esoteric literature in every major religion teaches us there is the Absolute which is, as you say Raymond, beyond evolution and change. However, whenever we speak of manifestation, which is the reality we experience now, the Absolute then steps into time and space and experience, and is therefore subject to limitation through the same, and evolution becomes pertinent. Some teach there is an awareness space that we can go into which supercedes all into the absolute, but we must draw from this back into the human experience, and therefore, that experience in and of itself becomes the focal point of our increased awareness, at least as we understand it and begin to talk about through comments such as these.
The experience of Moses through scripture teaches us that man has the power the take the kundalini up, or throw it down again. That is the human will at work. God gave Moses the choice to take the rod and throw it down as the serpent, and then grab it by the tail (sacrum) and it becomes the rod – spinal symbolism (in potential again). In essence, and through esoteric interpretation, God was telling Moses that man has the ability to choose between raising the serpent kundalini or not to. To use it, and then put it aside, or to keep at it, getting past our fear of confronting the ego (Pharoah). Moses had climbed the mountain and seen God in the burning bush, an obvious parallel to higher consciousness (the top of the mountain) and the mechanisms which happen in the brain (burning bush) as the power of this kundalini, or serpent life force rises. What really speaks to me Raymond, as we have both discussed, and is so interesting, is that this dual simultaneous nature that is both the absolute and then manifestations of it and through which we exist through eliminates the need for us to dwell on either or, but to treat them as ONE divine manifestation. And this is why I place some value in the fact that God evolves, because as we evolve and leave imprints of the divine in our meditative experiences we have the ability to soak up both aspects of our nature. It’s a wonderful process, and I hope readers of this blog begin to really appreciate the height and breath of it.
Thanks again for the detailed comment you have provided here which illustrates this experience.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for your valuable reply to Raymond’s comment. It adds so much information again.
You write about Adam Kadmon as the Higher Self but I seemed to remember that it was even more, so I decided to look it up on the internet. I found the following on this website:
http://www.newkabbalah.com/adam.html
“In the Kabbalah, the Primordial Man is spoken of as Adam Kadmon, and, in the Lurianic Kabbalah this symbol becomes a pivotal notion linking God, Man, and the World. Adam Kadmon, as the first being to emerge from the infinite Godhead, Ein-sof, is essentially indistinguishable from the deity, yet at the same time his body is said to both emanate and constitute the world. Man, having been created in God¹s image, is said by the Kabbalists to be comprised of the very same cosmic elements, the sefirot, which comprise the “body” of Adam Kadmon. The symbol of Adam Kadmon expresses the idea that the cosmos itself has both a soul and body very much like that of man, and that the world too is garbed in the interest, value and Eros which is normally thought to be the exclusive province of humankind.
In the Lurianic Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon is the first being to spontaneously emerge in the metaphysical void, which was formed in the center of the cosmos after the Tzimtzum. The Sefirot and worlds which they comprise are, according to Luria and his disciple, Vital, emanated from the various orifices in Adam Kadmon¹s head: from the ear, the nose, eyes, and mouth. The highest, most sublime of these emanations, forms the world of Atziluth, from the Hebrew “etzel”, meaning “near” (to the infinite God). However, even higher than Atziluth, according to the Lurianists, is the World of Adam Kadmon itself, often abbreviated as the World of A¹K, a world so high and sublime as to be virtually indistinguishable from Ein-sof. From within this realm, so close to the infinite God, Adam Kadmon directs the subsequent course of events in the lower worlds.”
This is an explanation coming from the Lurianic Kabbala and of course there is even more to it but those interested can read that on this wegsite.
Have a great weekend, Josh
Anny, yes, absolutely. We can also compare Adam Kadmon to the tree of life as well, which in Kabbalah is sometimes shown as inverted, also expressing the same idea as as above so below.
Technically, Adam Kadmon is the perfected human being after many relative existences, and also Adam, although not to be confused with the physical being Adam, who is not yet perfected. And you’re right, it also refers to the first world, and relates to the crown, and acts as the divine will of creation.
Thank you for the additional links to research further.
Hi Josh, thanks for your comment.
What I wrote above did not come from me. It was a quote from this website, as you can see from the comma’s. As Yitschak Luria is one of the main sources of the Kabbala and this website is about the Lurianic Kabbala especialy, this may be very close to the origin of this image of Adam Kadmon. That is why I decided to quote the most important part of what was written here and give the link of the website as well. I myself never remember all those details.
I find it very exciting when these different images come together.
Hello and thank you for the article anny; as well as to those who shared comments that “follow”..
“follow” is in part; what-all is there.. manifested or un-manifested. Though in truth it is all ir-relevant. Whether an individual, a group, society or nation labels some-thing it always is the desire to posses it. To make it, relevant.
First, let’s consider the human body. Our bodies are an instrument to measure what is measurable and once measured becomes perceived. Noting “I am what I am” and “That which I will become, I become”. The human body with it’s cognitive ability may also be considered with a “need” to formalize concepts… to gain an understanding. Again, making some-thing relevant to it’s-self.
Humans are an aggregate of tendencies to form. This is, what is; creation. Tendencies, and this aggregation become possessive to the observer. By our cognition we seek out more… More information.. we become addicted to the process.
However, by the process of Ein-soph; we can realize this tendency. Ein-soph is what is given in the Absolute to neutralize the addictive personality.
This is the true-ness of pure meditation.
The talk of “consciousness” or “transcendence” is the devil’s realm. Possession. To make, own. To be relevant.
It is the way of justification and validation, both are the way of the mundane world.. The profane world. to give relevance to some-thing to be had.
Centered prayer and meditation in it’s pure-ness without measure fulfills the purpose of the grand design by allow-ing flow into expanded realms within this dimension and into foreign dimensions.
This is the exercise… or the exorcise… of the demon or the Prince of Lies that will-fully by it’s intent to be relevant to the person. Any and all persons are where they are, what they are by their highest level of aware-ness. Any less, and they would not be, in the manifested form.
Given insight to maya, mitote or illusion is the way of ascended-masters. The ascended-masters saw the ploy of “this world” and the great-trickster. The trickster, is always present for eternity as it is creation it-self, through NEEDING to be relevant, justified, validated… in possession of.
Ein-soph is so much greater than can ever be perceived…. the NEED for existence becomes clear as we observe how tendencies form. First, by thought; and it is here….. that any deviation from the fundamental truth becomes corrupted, and once corrupted remains so until realized and moves into the direction of the teachings of Jesus and those that came to teach the message. The attractive force, which is contained in Zero Point Energy (ZPE) is that of flow and therefore, movement. ZPE is unconditional flow… unconditional movement.. without restriction.. without restraint…
Zero Point Energy is always giving and receiving…. it is forever in motion.
There is no measurable way to validate this attractive force… It requires no measurement to exist.
ZPE…. Ein-soph… IS LOVE.
There is so much to eternal giving…. so much to eternal receiving..
Being tricked by consciousness and transcendence happens by it’s need for familiarity.. it’s importance, the need for the feeling or thought of safety, it’s place to belong.
When in Truth…. Consciousness and transcendence are NOT to be had; it was always there.. manifested and un-manifested in a DIALECTICAL world rather than in the DUALISTIC world of thought and the aggregate process of tendency “to be” or “not to be”.
In conclusion, we are taught by Jesus, Buddha, Zoaester and all the great masters that all is irrelevant for where they go we can not follow… the only relevancy… we are given the heart, the brain of LOVE.
The heart and Ein-soph are ONE-IN-THE-Same..
Peace.
Michael,
Thank you for your comment, but, I have to say, I struggle at times to relate to your sentence structure and the many hyphens and dots …. and Caps. But, I accept that you mean well.
I would agree when you say:
“The attractive force, which is contained in Zero Point Energy (ZPE) is that of flow and therefore, movement. ZPE is unconditional flow… unconditional movement.. without restriction.. without restraint…
Zero Point Energy is always giving and receiving…. it is forever in motion.
There is no measurable way to validate this attractive force… It requires no measurement to exist.
ZPE…. Ein-soph… IS LOVE.”
You then write:
“Centered prayer and meditation in it’s pure-ness without measure fulfills the purpose of the grand design by allow-ing flow into expanded realms within this dimension and into foreign dimensions.”
Again i would agree, and which is a really good way of phrasing meditation.
But then, further down, you state:
“The talk of “consciousness” or “transcendence” is the devil’s realm. Possession. To make, own. To be relevant.”
I find it strange that you can express both these sentiments at the same time. This last sentence and the reference contained in it, is not a term either myself or readers of this blog site are accustomed to, or even want to read, I would say.
You say: “Centered prayer and meditation in it’s pure-ness”, (and I Iike this)
and I say ‘transcendence’ with comets either side.
There’s no need for a distinction here — pitch one against the other — simply because a different expressional term is used other than what you may be familiar only in.
Peace always
Blessings Raymond;
May I say, for clarification; my statement, “talk of consciousness or transcendence” of being in the realm of the devil is meant to be symbolic of the etymology of “Lucifer”, the bearer of light. “Talk” is “talk” as we are given insight by the story of Babel (Gen:11: 1-9). Where we see man’s ego at work and the introduction of separate languages to cause confusion and conflict among man. Confusion is missing the mark. Confusion is movement away from the Principal of Truth. Many false prophets have walked and talked their way on Earth and continue to do so. There is so much “talk” of consciousness and transcendence. Many a “profit” has been made and more to come. Like the Templar’s sword, double edged, razor sharp and to the point. That instrument, carried in the name of what purpose. So you see, there is something to note about “talk” and it’s juxtaposition to ego, consciousness and enlightenment. It is also fair to state how the trickster, the devil, Heyokah or the jester has played a role through the centuries in all cultures and traditions to help us see the trap of enlightenment. I am grateful; for the contrary to help me learn.. how the joke makes the circle and illuminates the crooked path, how opposites contain wisdom and brings humor when we see how serious and self important we become. Invariably, regardless of how we chose to see it, the world is more than dualistic; it is a dialectical world.
My statements were made to bring attention to the ever present veil; yet an illusion of it’s own accord, that we are a creature of possessions. These possessions come in the form of beliefs, opinions, self importance, seriousness or the makings of having. These possessions are only relevant to the ego and the ego is ever at work. It is easily seen when we choose to let guards down. The symbolic characterization of Jesus, the sacred heart within and Him pointing upwards with wounds of the crucifixion depict this perfectly. Relevancy is only validation and justification. The New Testament in Jesus’ name as The Christ frees us from this possession. We are granted by grace, salvation… Unless, you disagree and would rather not even read.
Morihei Ueshiba taught students that attunement with The Order or The Cosmos would allow all traces of transcendence to vanish; that is, all thought of transcendence would disappear. By doing so, willful intention, emptying the self, allowing the Divine to function the true-self manifests.
So it can be said, transcendence and karma belong to this world in thought and the intention to seek (Matt. 7:7-8) exists as surely as the sharpness of the sword’s edge and it’s point.
It is truly a fine-ness in creation that all is variable and we shall be eternally mystified by what is presented.
Eternal blessings
“make me laugh so I can be human again, allow me to see my crooked path and the trickster as my friend.
how contrary you can be, yet you make me learn… the jokes on me, next time it’s your turn”
Jamie Sams
Michael…
Thank you for more clarification in this comment. Like Anny and Raymond, I was a little confused about what you were truly trying to say. A little more clarification might be needed, as to appreciate more of your point. For example, in one sense, you seem to be saying that true transcendence is the absence of “grasping” for it, and that the word-play we can involve ourselves in only muddles and confuses the issue, especially since there are so many metaphors floating around trying to describe that which is indescribable. Is this correct?
If so, I will elaborate on your comment more after your response.
Thanks.
Yes, that is correct Josh. With some extension on the statement of “transcendence”.. The action of transcendence is a moot point along the way of all points that are possible. We each go through our lives experiencing phenomenon, some would call tragic, some happiness and some neutral. However, for me teaching and sharing with people across all sections of community I observe the chase for that something. The chase to get well, the chase to heal, to get revenge or get even or just to make it right. The common theme, the self and the importance of the self in whatever endeavor or the experience. This extends the self in family, groups, communities and so on. The great masters see through these veils; veils of seperation. The weave of creation of itself cares little about “transcendence”. When we truly empty ourselves, when we live in the moment for true appreciation of every-thing present, recognize it as the way it is for the good of the whole; regardless of understanding and give thanks we are uplifted. Bravery, courage wells up from within and gives us strength and encouragement. And we too, shall pass… this is transcendence. It is folly to chase or seek transcendence. Any attempt to do so moves us in the direction away from God, away from the First Principal of Unity and harmony. All is in absolute unity. The matrix of all creation is harmony. Unconditional Love.
Being able to perceive every moment in relation to this great mystery, changing or adapting our way of living by our thoughts, our words and actions is the exercise to purge ourselves of our demons, doubts, questions. This is transcendence. It is always here, within each one of us now; it’s called living in God’s grace..
Michael…
You’re describing being in the eternal “now,” which many great masters of spirituality have always taught us, and sums up everything you are stating above. However, to be completely honest, not many people have mastered this concept yet. Sometimes I even struggle with it. It takes conscious practice when one first has this realization of the truth of the “now,” and therefore, intellectually first there must be a grasping. Even meditation begins this way for most. But as time goes on, and the practice remains constant, one begins to relinquish the grasping when one truly learns the process of it.
In conclusion, I think it is okay to speak of transcendence because many of us must come to the door intellectually first, while others come in another way. And whenever we discuss the Bible or any other scriptural text, we have to use terms that interpret the text, and words like transcendence any many others become quite useful. They only become a moot point when we stay in the realm of understanding them intellectually instead of practically incorporating the process into our lives.
For example, I first came to what I consider a higher truth through the intellect. I was a born again believer, but after hours of scouring the Bible, I intellectually found inconsistencies in the faith I was taught. I then intellectually began to analyze further, and because of this process, I was able to let go of what I had formally believed to be the unyielding truth. Continuing to use the intellect, I began analyzing all the spiritual texts I could find, as well as history, science, and myths from different cultures. Intellectually, I saw a common theme between all of them, and then suddenly had an epiphany. Since meditation was such theme in all the great scriptures, including the Bible, I began to practice it.
But it all started with interpreting terms, symbols and metaphors which we often discuss. Not everybody has the same journey as I did, but this was the only way I could have come. I often say, the intellect can bring you to the door, but never through it.
Hi Michael and Joshua,
After reading both your comments I understand better what you mean to say. Coming from different directions it sometimes is difficult to grasp what the other person means. I use the word grasp here intentionally because for me it obviously has a different meaning as for you, Michael, although on contemplating they are related. When I use this word I mean that I am trying to understand what it means and not so much trying to get a grip on the thing itself but the relationship is there. That never dawned on me before.
I agree with you Josh, when you write: “In conclusion, I think it is okay to speak of transcendence because many of us must come to the door intellectually first, while others come in another way. And whenever we discuss the Bible or any other scriptural text, we have to use terms that interpret the text, and words like transcendence any many others become quite useful. They only become a moot point when we stay in the realm of understanding them intellectually instead of practically incorporating the process into our lives.” I am definitely one who comes in the other way and therefore approach whatever issue from another side as well.
I like it having things become more clear for all this way.
Michael, if what you are aiming at with your statement about the search for greater conscious awareness and transcendence is a search based on motivations of the ego, a lust for power over .. , then of course I agree with you. And certainly that will be a part of the cycle as I see it, and be followed by its consequences as everything else we do. It is all part of our journey, probably in the initial stages of the upwards section. So we fall back and may learn from that. And that takes as long as it takes, but finally we will embark on an upwards journey without ulterior reasons and act from our heart, not from our ego desires.
@Michael
Thanks for referring to Aikido. The great https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morihei_Ueshiba
I read lots about him and his background.
Once I went to a presentation held in the Netherlands by an Aikido instructor.
I had hoped to catch a glimpse of O’sensei’s energy manifestation, but alas.
Michael and Raymond, thank you both for your comments.
Michael, almost everything that I wanted to say to your comment has already been said by Raymond, so there is no need to repeat it.
I just want to add that when you write: “In conclusion, we are taught by Jesus, Buddha, Zoaester and all the great masters that all is irrelevant for where they go we can not follow” I do not agree with you there. They taught us a path on which to go and to follow in their footsteps, even though we will not reach the goal they reached in one life time. I believe that the first Christians were not called People of the Way for nothing.
I do agree with what follows though: “” we are given the heart, the brain of LOVE.
The heart and Ein-soph are ONE-IN-THE-Same..”
As you probably know Love, Unconditional Love, is the essence and most important of all for me. As it obviously is for you too.
Anny;
I find your writing wonderful and utilize it as I do all the writings on this blog including comments by the readers for deeper insight including my own short-sightings. Thank you.
You comment that my writing associating the great masters and irrelevancy is apart from your agreement. I ask; will you allow me to clarify. Without defense of my own regarding my statement nor any attempt to persuade you or anyone else in my way of thinking, I relay (John 7:33-34); You will look for Me, BUT (caps my emphasis) you will not find Me; and where I am, you can not come.
Regardless of how much relevancy any-one individual attaches to any event in the end it comes as; irrelevant. We can attest by Jesus calling out “My God, My God; why have you forsaken me”. It is the final-death of the ego and the surrender to pure-absolute-oneness. Yes, those who are called or led to the message are given a suitable path, yet follow in their footsteps, hmmm; that would only lead to familiarity and the alluring thought of safety in port or harbor and the possession of one’s own life. Therefore, the origin of the word: “importance”. We remember (Matt.14:22-33) being asked to be courageous in life… and life as faith to walk out onto the water leaving the sanctuary and safety of the boat, and as the the wind raised the waters into seeming chaos, he despaired and cried out. The relevancy of the boat is made irrelevant, so are the waters, and the seeming chaos of the wind and water into perilous waves. In every human situation we shall find the same to be true.
In creation, we are blessed; so be it.
Peace
Michael, thanks for explaining.
I now see what you mean when you write: “Without defense of my own regarding my statement nor any attempt to persuade you or anyone else in my way of thinking, I relay (John 7:33-34); You will look for Me, BUT (caps my emphasis) you will not find Me; and where I am, you can not come.” But did you look at the context? Whom is Jesus addressing here? He says this to the servants of the Pharisees who have sent them to arrest Jesus. This is addressed to the Pharisees who do not have the faintest idea of what Jesus is really teaching and who only experience him as a threat. You might say it is the Spirit telling the ego that is fighting to hold on to its power that it cannot go where the Spirit is going.
And as for the following: ” Yes, those who are called or led to the message are given a suitable path, yet follow in their footsteps, hmmm; that would only lead to familiarity and the alluring thought of safety in port or harbor and the possession of one’s own life.” I doubt that the people I am referring to had such thoughts in their mind. In first instance they were those in the concentration camps of World Warr II who gave their lives in order to save or help others and who, just like Jesus, were tortured and abused and killed in the end. And others right now, who give up everything in their life to help people in the most extreme circumstances, putting their own at risk all the time. But also those who are shining examples of love in their ordinary every-day life and come to the aid of everyone who needs help. I doubt whether they even have the time to consider the thoughts you attribute to them.
I appreciate your contributions to this blog, don’t get me wrong, but please consider first whether there might be a positive explanation of a subject before coming to the conclusion that something has to be negative.
Great commentary and sage wisdom for us all to live by, thanks anny.
@Michael Thanks man, you gave me a clue to get a clearer picture of me in relation to others. It think ‘dialectic’ was one of the keywords. And I like your commitment to defense in a non-offensive way, Aikido perhaps ?
And then : Our bodies are an instrument to measure what is measurable and once measured becomes perceived. Noting “I am what I am” and “That which I will become, I become”. The human body with it’s cognitive ability may also be considered with a “need” to formalize concepts… to gain an understanding. Again, making some-thing relevant to it’s-self.
great stuff !
Lovely Anny, your elobarate answers.
For me God is ineffable. Some people I met were surely steps ahead of me on the evolutional ladder. It made me feel small in comparison.
I once read Koning Aap (the monkey king), a story about a monkey who grabbed immortality, jumped around in the heaveny spheres, created a lot of havoc among the establishment. It made me reflect on myself, a lot, haha.
I’m making this comment before reading the article and it’s because I absolutely believe this is a truth, perhaps the ultimate truth. Creation seems more objectively like love observing itself infinitely, as Josh would say. I was stoned this one time, and it was the most likely occurrence that made sense and almost unfathomably beautiful.
Lol. 🙂
Thanks Michelangelo for this comment. Even before you read it. I like that! I had the same feeling when I had this intuitive flash which showed me this question. But then the task to find words for it somehow, which is extremely difficult as it is about concepts that defy words.
I hope you’ll still like it once you have read the article!
Absolutely delicious piece Anny. I look up to all you writers here.
You mentioned and I quote “Since we are only playing a game and there is no real guilt involved, there is no need for salvation. There is just a game which helps us gain conscious awareness, which IS real. And as we get stuck sometimes, as I invariably do, we need all the help we can get in order to reach the final level of the game and bring it to a successful end.”
I believe we’ve established that there is a need for active effort on our part to return to the Source. isn’t that the purpose of attaining Christ consciousness and being “saved”? Or do you believe we have to go through an infinite number of reincarnations and learn whatsoever before we get to return to the Oneness as a tribe?
Also Anny, you mentioned that God at the beginning was likely not Omniscient. But if you believe that he is the All-That-Is and the Watcher at the same time, isn’t it possible that the concept of time doesn’t aplt to God. Afterall, I am that I am, I will be what I will be. Seems to me like Mr Manhattan in DC’s Watchmen. Being able to perceive existential events and possibilities at the same “time”. That’s pretty much omniscient.
PS: I’m really glad to interact with you all as you’ve helped me greatly and countless others in gaining conscious wisdom and being reminded of our moral and Christian obligations in lifting the veil. Thank you all.
Hi Michelangelo,
Thanks for your comment and your challenging questions. These are very difficult to answer as we are dealing with unity and duality at the same time and what seems to be true for duality does not fit in unity at all. That is why the whole article is a question rather than an answer. And it has been a struggle to try to find descriptions that might fit both in the language of duality and the concept of unity, which I suppose is hardly possible but it does give us something to think about. And feel in our heart if answers that come up go in the right direction or not. The best I can say is that of course seen from the perspective of Oneness God has been Omniscient all the time but seen from the perspective of duality, which still is our perspective, there might have been an evolution towards it, from our side but also from God’s side because we are a fractal spark of God.
And as an answer to your first question, I believe that reincarnation is one of the tools we received in order to manage our journey through this world of duality and within this framework I do believe that we may have gone through an infinite number of incarnations in order to gain Conscious Awareness through all our experiences. At the same time reincarnation is nothing but an illusion, as is this world of matter, and are time and space, so in Reality none of this is real besides the Conscious Awareness, or Christ Consciousness, we gained by playing this game.
HI Anny:
What you seem to be questioning is consciousness and also the outside world (reality). I have a few quotes that address this:
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Albert Einstein
“Much of our perception of reality is merely a projection the mind”. Ram Dass
“What you see depends upon the theories that you use to interpret your observations.” Albert Einstein
“All that we are is a result of what we have thought”. Buddha (563 BCE-483 BCE)
Whatever I see, reflects my thoughts, It is my thoughts that tell me where I am and what I am.” A Course in Miracles
“Space and time are not conditioned on which we live but in modes in which we think” Albert Einstein 1935
“The world we see merely reflects our own internal frame of reference – the dominate ideas, wishes and emotions in our minds. It is the witness to your state of mind, the outside picture of an inward condition. Perception is a result and not a cause.” A Course in Miracles
These quotes help me understand that consciousness, love, God, spirituality, everything, etc, is an ‘inside job’.
Love, Robyn
PS – I think only the US is on miles (Imperial system) and the rest of the world is on the metric system.
Robyn…
Don’t forget…
“If I am not looking at it, is there moon really there?” Einstein 🙂
Shouldn’t that be: “If nobody (of whatever species) is looking at it, is the moon really there?” I doubt if Einstein is that important that HIS looking or not looking decides about the existence of the moon..
Now, if only I knew how to produce a smiley on this blog!
Anny…
I don’t think Einstein meant much about that comment except for the fact that he was admitting he really didn’t understand the quantum world. As for the smiley face, just put in a colon : and a parenthesis ) bar right next to one another 🙂
Hi Josh, I was only joking but of course you know that.
Robert also told me that about the smiley but you know my memory! Let’s.try it out. :0
Do you see I always manage to get these things wrong? Once more or I give up. 🙂
Robyn,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I may not have put it across clearly enough but I agree with all these sayings for 100%.
Thanks for your information on the matter of miles. Indeed I could not remember any other country measuring in miles.
Love, Anny
Hi Anny:
Many of your questions in the article were about the outside world….. why do churches behave this way?, or why did the bible change?, your comments on energy and matter, Adam and Eve, numerical definition of words….. These are all questions/comments on the outside world and takes ones attention away from communing with God (in our minds/hearts). Even though I entertain myself with blogs, caring for whales, etc…. I understand that my main focus has to be with God and looking at situations/people with God.
I will leave you with another Einstein quote, “The problems that exist in the word today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them.” I believe this to be the level of our God mind.
Thanks,
Love, Robyn
Hi Robyn,
Thanks for your comment.
I do not really see how you have come to the conclusion you did for my focus of attention is not on the outside world at all. Which, as I found out already in the beginning of my search to be nothing like like a dream, or a virtual reality, It is within this world of the dream that we have the opportunity to find out who we really are, which is a fractal part of God. My one focus in life has been God as Unconditional Love. And of course I do meditate and contemplate just as you do.
You and I obviously think and feel in a different way and there is nothing wrong with that but I do not think that you should use this quote of Einstein’s in the way you do.
Everyone is following their own path with their own experiences and we should judge no one for the path they are on. Isn’t that what Jesus taught: Do not judge.
Great post, Anny! Although orthodox Christians would deny it, the truth is that the evolution of God is a necessary byproduct of their own orthodox doctrines. Think about it: Christ, who is God, LEARNS by the things He suffers, and is elevated to a higher stature; if one part of the Godhead is elevated, and they are all ONE, then the whole Godhead is elevated by Christ’s death and resurrection; hence, God has evolved!
Thanks for your great reply, Stephen. And for your additional explanation.
It is good to see that people still read older articles; there is so much to learn on this blog, and sometimes we have long since forgotten what we read (or wrore) a few years back.