Tuesday, December 28, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Did Paul hijack the Jesus movement, or was he a mystic?

There are many deconstructing Christians that want to eliminate Paul. Likewise, there are many liberal scholars that believe that Paul actually did highjack the Jesus movement and make his own form of Christianity. You can find many articles that state unequivocally that one cannot harmonize the teachings of Jesus with those of Paul. Thus, the question of this title; Did Paul hijack the Jesus movement, or was he a mystic?

So, let’s first look at the idea that he hijacked Christianity. Is that plausible? We must look at what we know about Paul. He was a Roman citizen from the town of Tarsus. It was a wealthy city that was a major trade location. It was expensive to live there. Paul was a Pharisee and a rabbi. He was a student of Gamaliel, who was a student of the great Hillel. He was given a letter of recommendation by the Sanhedrin that granted him the authority hunt down and kill Jesus followers. He was a tent maker which made him a skilled craftsman. When you look at Paul and his life, what could make him want to hijack Christianity? It is obvious to me that the only possible thing that could make the apostle Paul give up all of the above would be a radical mystical encounter!

Paul explains what that radical mystical encounter was and I will take him at his word. Act 9:1-9  Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest  (2)  and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.  (3)  As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.  (4)  He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"  (5)  "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.  (6)  "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."  (7)  The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.  (8)  Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.  (9)  For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. This was the beginning of Paul’s mystical experience with the Cosmic Christ.

Why else would Paul choose a hard life of persecution impending harm and death at every turn? The commonsense answer is that he absolutely would not choose this without having had a remarkable unexplainable experience with Jesus. So, what was the purpose? Paul explains that he was called in this mystical experience to be the apostle to the Gentiles. This meant that the Jesus movement was cosmic in nature. Jesus brought a message that was universal directed to humanity in general, and not just to the first century Jews. It was good news because everyone, Jew and Gentile alike was reconciled to God through Jesus the Christ. He was the progenitor of a new humanity. It was a humanity that would be recognized for their love for one another. It was a humanity that had the Spirit of Christ given to all.

Yes, and Paul the mystic was the one entrusted with defining what the fruit of that Spirit would be. It was Paul the mystic that was given the definition of love. It was Paul the mystic that was told that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and that all were reconciled. It was Paul that was given the message of reconciliation which was to merely proclaim that all were reconciled and therefore, each could and should be reconciled and accept that as a fact.

No, it was not Paul that hijacked the Jesus movement. The Jesus movement was hijacked by orthodoxy to provide power and control to the church. It was hijacked by those who would unite the empire and church. It was given the sword and more than that, the right to relegate some people to heavenly bliss and some unfortunate people to eternal damnation. It was given a false narrative and exterminated and burned gospels that were contemporary with the gospels and epistles sanctioned by orthodoxy. They would have never come to light except for the happenstance of finding the Nag Hamadi library in Egypt. Even with that, much of the writing and oral tradition was suppressed.

I am not claiming that everything Paul wrote was mystical revelation. That isn’t even the way that it works. Paul was a mystic, and Paul was a first century Jewish rabbi and sometimes the rabbinical got the best of the mystic, but the standard for measurement was in large part revealed to Paul the mystic. When you want to know what was revealed and what was not, judge it by the fruit of the Spirit and the definition of love. If it squares with those two it is definitely revelation from the creative source God.

Monday, December 20, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Doing Greater Works

John 14:12 “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.”

What if Jesus really meant what John recorded here? What if Jesus was the ultimate mental alchemist? It is obvious that he understood his connection with creative consciousness. He knew for certain that he was the incarnation of the Logos. This is a good place to express the idea that the Logos and the Christ are the same thing. And, while Jesus was the incarnation of the Logos and the Christ it is an error to conflate the Logos and the Christ with Jesus of Nazareth. The time for that has passed. This does not negate his teaching on what it means to love. It does not negate his assertion that if you see him and his activity you have essentially seen the Father-Mother Creator. It is obvious from the accounts, especially of John but the other gospel writers as well that Jesus was able to manipulate material reality at will.

This should not be surprising as it is quite evident that the ancient Egyptians and Sumerians were able to manipulate material reality as well. There are many references in the Old Testament text that the Magi were able to do miraculous works. An example is Moses turning his rod into serpents. The Egyptian’s were capable of the same feat. So there is little question that mental alchemy was widely reported over the millennia from a variety of cultures. Jesus was just profoundly better at it than others. But, in the above passage from John’s gospel Jesus declares that we who are also incarnations of the Logos are capable of greater works. Why? Because the Logos is returning to the Father. Not that it ever left the Father, as the Father cannot be separated from his word, but Jesus the first born of a new humanity returned to the Father after delivering this understanding. In returning, he promised that believing his message would make it possible to do the works he did. What was his message? John sums it up in his letters. As Jesus was in the world so are we.

So then, what is mustard seed faith? How can we accomplish these greater works? I do not claim it to be an easy task. If it were everyone would do it all the time. I think it takes focused faith. William Walker Atkinson in his “Arcane Formulas” suggests that it takes development of what he calls egohood. He explains that it is different than as we view the ego today. Developing egohood is developing the I AM that each of us are. It is first acknowledging and believing that the source of the universe is a mind that has absolute egohood and will. He offers and exercise for developing this kind of egohood: “Let the Neophyte place himself in a quiet place, away from the disturbances and distracting influences of the outside world. Let him assume a position of rest, relaxing the tension from muscles and nerves. Then, let him fix his attention upon his physical body; first the body as a whole, and then beginning at the feet let him move the attention upward until the whole body has been included in attention, step by step, until the brain is reached. During this process the Neophyte will become aware, by degrees, that he is a Something inside of the body, viewing and considering the latter in all of its details, instead of being identical with the body. There will be found a dawning realization that the body is but the physical envelope or sheath in which the Ego dwells—or a garment which the Ego has assumed for the conveniences of physical life.”

It is through work and meditation and does not come instantaneously. What is the difference between Creflo Dollar and some of the new age manifestation gurus like Bill Harris? Nothing! They both are offering a get rich scheme by paying them for information. What they do not tell you is that it requires work, fastidious work. It may be of a spiritual nature but it is none the less time and effort that is required. The above is just the first step of many to develop egohood and become proficient at mental alchemy. William Walker Atkinson wrote a 70 page booklet called the Arcane Formulas to help one understand what that spiritual work is. You can find a free PDF of the Arcane Formulas here.

This may be one avenue to help you develop mustard seed faith. I think it is what the Apostle Paul meant when he mentioned apprehension and apprehending in Philippians. He meant apprehending in the criminal sense. When a criminal is apprehended, they are handcuffed and not allowed to escape. This apprehension is the definition of mustard seed faith. This is the first of a bite size series that will examine the potential of the greater works promise.  

                                           


Sunday, December 19, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Two unrelated forces suppress the Hermetica

"Suddenly everything changed before me. Reality was opened out in a moment. I saw the boundless view. All became dissolved in Light — united within one joyous Love. Yet the Light cast a shadow, grim and terrible, which, passing downwards, became like restless water, chaotically tossing forth spume like smoke. And I heard an unspeakable lament — an inarticulate cry of separation. The Light then uttered a Word, which calmed the chaotic waters. My Guide asked: 'Do you understand the secrets of this vision? I am that Light — the Mind of God, which exists before the chaotic dark waters of potentiality. My calming Word is the Son of God — the idea of beautiful order; the harmony of all things with all things. Primal Mind is parent of the Word, just as, in your own experience, your human mind gives birth to speech. They cannot be divided, one from the other, for life is the union of Mind and Word.

Freke, Tim. The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs (pp. 32-33). Tim Freke Publications. Kindle Edition. 

Above is a quote from the Hermetica as translated by Tim Freke and Peter Gandy in their book “The Hermetica, The Lost Wisdom of the Pharoahs.” If you read the introduction of this book, you will find that Freke and Gandy, propose that this text is actually ancient and directly from the Egyptians. They make the claim in the introduction that ideas similar to this are found in hieroglyphics on an Egyptian Pyramid at Saqqara that is dated at 3,000 BCE or in other words, over 5,000 years ago.

Why does it matter? It matters because the writings in the Hermetica most closely explain what science is discovering about consciousness. This is especially true with the way it was written down in the Kybalion. And, if William Walker Atkinson is the author, and I believe it is very likely, he was wise to credit it to three unnamed initiates. I don’t think it would have had the same appeal written in the name of a person. And the mystery of three initiates, makes it far more appealing.  I am drawn to the Kybalion because it does not stress or project a specific afterlife. It does not anthropomorphize deity. It settles for explaining that the creative source is mind. Albeit the mind of God, the mind at large, the divine matrix, it only explains that it is a mind. In other words, it is consciousness. This is most important in any theology that may be developed going forward. And theology is merely the study of the creative source of the universe.

So how did the Hermetica get suppressed? Why is it not as widely known as other spiritual traditions? It was a set of circumstances that set its suppression in motion. First off, Queen Elizabeth I of England was very interested in the esoteric and the occult. John Dee, her court astrologer, and adviser was highly invested in the Hermetica. At that time, it was believed that it could be traced back to ancient Greece at the very least. It influenced most of the thinkers of the renaissance. It was instrumental in the return to classic ideals. When Queen Elizabeth I died, King James I came to power, yes, the James of the King James Authorized Version of the Bible, and the King James that Jamestown was named for. He was averse to the occult and wanted to rid the court of all the esoteric trappings of Queen Elizabeth I.

He subsequently invited Isaac Casaubon to be a part of his inner circle. Casaubon was a French citizen that moved to England and was embraced by King James. Casaubon was a Greek Scholar. Casaubon was asked to examine the Hermetica that had been retranslated in the 1400’s and he concluded that it was not ancient but rather likely produced by a variety of Greeks in Alexandria in the third century CE. He called it a fraud, claiming that it was not ancient at all. His discrediting of it resulted in it going obscure.

Based on Casaubon’s expertise, it was not accepted by the philosophers of the enlightenment. This further relegated it to obscurity. The problem was that the hieroglyphs had not been translated during Casaubon’s life. Had they been perhaps he would have taken a different view of the Hermetica. When the Rosetta Stone was found, scholars were able to finally decode the hieroglyphics and understand the message they gave. A pyramid in Saqqara dated to at least 3,000 BCE had writing similar to the Hermetica. This meant that it was a reliable source, and no doubt was brought to Greece by Pythagoras after his trips to Egypt and Sumer. The information found in the Hermetica was indeed ancient.  

Now, returning to the above quote from the Hermentica about the word being the son of God. The parent, father and mother are mind, conscious potential, and the son is the Logos, word that is the conscious expression of the mind. It brings potential thoughts into reality.  Herein lies the importance of Jesus of Nazareth. He taught that he was the incarnation of the word. The truth is that by virtue of consciousness we all are but as far as I know Jesus was the first to express the idea. He went on to teach that each of us as well are the incarnation of the word of the creative source. That makes all of us sons and daughters of the creator by virtue of our conscious mind.

The point of this is that the creative source, the universal mind of God has been revealing this over and over across millennia. Now, here in the twenty-first century, science is beginning to validate this view of the world we live in. It is a main step in developing eclectic spirituality where all traditions can be valued, but a deeper understanding of source can be attained.


Friday, December 17, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Consciousness and "The Logos."

"THE ALL is MIND; The Universe is Mental." 

~The Three Initiates. The Kybalion: A Study of The Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece (Illustrated) (p. 5). The Kybalion Resource Page. Kindle Edition.

Cognitive science and quantum mechanics is pointing toward verifying this first, of the seven principles of the Kybalion. And, of course, the Kybalion presents the ideas of the Hermetica. The Kybalion resonates with me at such a high level, and yet it was written anonymously in the early 1900’s. While it was most likely written by William Walker Atkinson, it is still very recent and that can lead to being suspect. However, let me reiterate, it resonates highly with me. After being exposed to the Kybalion, it caused me to do some research which ultimately led to me finding a book by Tim Freke and Peter Gandy entitled “The Hermetica, The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs.” Let me add, this book highly resonates with me as well. The two make a great pair!

It also fits right in with those scientists and philosophers who are on the cutting edge of understanding consciousness as the creative source of the material universe as we experience it, and likely is also at the cutting edge of understanding multiple dimensions and even the multiverse. I am referring to Donald Hoffman’s “A Case Against Reality,” and Rupert Sheldrake’s theory of Morphic Resonance, and Bernardo Kastrup’s ideas of mentation and dissociative personalities. They are people that I strongly recommend as voices to explore. Each of these people while fringe, are in my view, impeccable scientific and philosophical minds. They all have arrived at similar conclusions about the mental nature of material reality, and it resonates nicely with the Hermetica.

It is likewise important to look at the historical development of the concept of the Logos being the creative source and force of material reality. Of course, the word Logos is Greek and it goes back to Heraclitus, Plato, and the Stoics, but while Logos is a Greek word, the idea likely goes all the way back to Pythagoras and his journey’s to Egypt and Sumer. The word Logos is the conscious expression of an individual, but it is also implied to be consciousness itself. If through Pythagoras, then the origin of the idea is likely Egyptian or Sumerian.

You may be wondering so what? What is the importance of understanding the Logos in relation to consciousness? Well, for what I consider a very good reason, especially if you are raised in western civilization and have a western view of reality. There is a similar theme, thought construct that goes back thousands of years in western civilization that was expressed in a similar way over the millennia. Essentially it is explained in the quote from the Kybalion above. The All is mind, the universe is mental. If one accepts the idea that the Hermetica is ancient, first introduced in Egypt and possibly Sumer, then this even takes the concept back further in history to at least five thousand years ago. According to the Freke and Gandy book, the creative source, Atum, was the parent of the word. The word was the force that Atum used to create material reality. Atum was mind, in other words consciousness, and Atum’s word was the expressive force that turned the infinite possibilities that existed in the mind of the All into materiality. This was found to be written on hieroglyphs in Egypt that are 5,000 years old, but at the very least, this concept can be traced back to Heraclitus, Plato and the Stoics 2,500 years ago, and Plato claimed that his information came from Pythagoras and dated back thousands of years before him.

The scientists that I mentioned above, are beginning to show that consciousness is the creative source, and so you have a circle that extends over at least 2,500 years, and likely spans an additional 2,500 years for a total of 5,000. Christian orthodoxy talks about the doctrine of the Logos as IF it was first introduced by Jesus Christ in the first century. That is not the case. What Christianity introduced was the concept that the Logos had become incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus went on to teach that the Logos was incarnate in each of us, yes, in all of humanity. So then, as Jesus was the incarnation of the word so are we. John said the same in his epistle… “As he is in the world so are we.”

So the concept of the Logos, and that the universe is mental has a continuous history which has been passed on from culture to culture over the ages. It is logical that if this idea has been prevalent over thousands of years that there must be something to it. If as Hermes Trismegistus reported, the word is Atum’s son, then it follows that as the incarnation of the Logos, we are all children of the creative source.


Wednesday, December 8, 2021

God Beyond Religion: The law is not the problem with legalism

Rom 7:12  So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.

Since I have begun a path of eclectic spirituality, I have gained a renewed respect for the law. While I am primarily a Jesus follower, the reason being, it was the belief system that I was born in and raised in, and consequently I developed a relationship with Jesus that is unique and special. However, early on in my life I was quite certain that Christianity as I was taught and understood it was not correct. It was a feeling and impossible to prove.

I was taught a legal constitutional reading of scripture. I was taught that the scripture was the Word of God, and it was to be the map and formula for living. Further, beyond this, it was infallible and inerrant and contained the absolute and complete truth. This led to the concept that it was necessary to fulfill and obey the law perfectly at all times. However, it was also taught that one could not fulfill and obey the law perfectly and that Jesus did that for us. So, if we believed that about Jesus, we would receive his righteousness as a gift, and the Holy Spirit would help us live the law and when we did not, we could confess our sin and God would forgive us for the sake of Jesus. The bottom line was that the law was necessary to please God and gain his love and acceptance. I was also taught that breaking God’s law was much more serious than breaking the law of the city, state, or country; it could mean that I would separate myself from God. This is one of the sources of toxicity and trauma that causes spiritual abuse.

This is why I am certain that the law is not the problem with legalism. If one views the law as the perfect guide for loving others, and not an instrument that can separate us from acceptance of God and God’s love, it does not have to be an instrument of guilt and shame. Now, when I refer to the law, I am speaking of the Ten Words, and not the entire Torah. I personally do not see value in many of the 613 of Judaism. They were geared toward an archaic culture. There is absolutely no value in instructions for selling one’s daughter as a sex slave as an example. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Jesus’s amplification of the law in the Sermon on the Mount, and it too has value as a guide for loving one another.

After all, the Ten Commandments and Jesus teachings are akin to the eightfold path of Buddhism. Right understanding, right intent, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration as they are explained and understood are beneficial as long as they do not become a dogma or doctrine that establishes one’s acceptability to Source or if not followed entirely always, a reason for punishment and separation from source.

It is the dogma and doctrine that is the culprit of legalism. The Buddha warned against making the eightfold path a dogma, and it is dogma and doctrine that causes the toxicity of legalism. The freedom from legalism resides in right understanding. It is understanding the teaching of Jesus to be saying that the Father-Mother, Source already accepts, forgives, and does not keep a record of wrongs. It is favor and acceptance that brings peace, and the presence of peace with the Source, produces love for the source and one another, and from this place of right understanding, laws become a guide for developing into a loving individual that emulates the characteristics of the divine as described by Paul in the First Letter to the Corinthians chapter 13. If the source is love, then it is a description of the characteristics of the divine.

One cannot have right understanding without the awareness of the indwelling divine nature in all. One can use the indwelling divine nature to discern that which is aligned with the definition of love and the fruit of the spirit, but even then, it must be a guide and not a mandate. When it becomes a mandate it becomes toxic legalism.

 

Friday, December 3, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Why John 14:6 is not exclusive

 

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (Joh 14:6)

John 14:6 is used by many as what I call a clobber verse. It is used as a proof text that states that Jesus and Christianity is the only way to God. I have posted it above and I’m quite sure most people would say, well isn’t that what it clearly says? My answer is a resounding no! First of all it is important to point out that it is an answer to a question and not statement of teaching initiated by Jesus to inform everyone. Thomas had asked him how they would know the way, and if Thomas had not asked the question, no one would have ever heard of John 14:6. While there are many examples of Jesus standing or sitting before crowds and proclaiming a truth he wanted to teach, this is not one of them. John’s gospel was written well after all the others. John is recalling some of the teachings of Jesus that other gospel writers did not include. It is a very esoteric gospel and far more spiritual in nature than the others. If this was meant to be the clobber verse that so many have made it become, he would have proclaimed it in the Sermon on the Mount but he did not.

What was John’s message in this gospel? Well, he began the gospel with what he deemed most important. John chapter one begins with the Logos. It is actually a creation story that describes events that precede those in Genesis chapter one. Genesis chapter one speaks of creation and John chapter one speaks of before creation. When one defines Logos, John chapter one would read… “In the beginning was consciousness, and consciousness was with God, and consciousness was God.” Jesus understood that he was the incarnation of God Consciousness. That was/is the source of the “I AM.” When Jesus referred to I AM, he was referring to God Consciousness incarnated in human flesh. In fact, if one believes that John wrote about what Jesus had taught him while with him, (and I do believe that) he was taught that God Consciousness was in the world before his incarnation, but not very many recognized it. However, to all that recognized it he gave the power to understand that they were indeed children of God. You may say, where do you get that? Here, John 1:10-12 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  (11)  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  (12)  Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— “ What was in the world? Jesus? No, God consciousness. How do we know this? John answers that in verse fourteen by telling us that in Jesus, God Conscious became flesh and dwelt among humanity. It was not that God Conscious was not in the world prior to Jesus, but that not many recognized it.

So then, if we go back to John 14:6, it is saying. “God Consciousness is the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to an understanding of God being the parent except through God Consciousness.” Paul sheds some light on the universal aspect of Jesus mission in Galatians 2:16. Gal 2:16 yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.It is the faith OF Christ that justifies everyone. It is an act that was done by God and does not need anyone to add to it. It is just a fact. Paul further explains this universal mission of Jesus in Romans. Rom 5:18  Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people.Eternal life is a fact. Jesus came to show humanity that it has eternal life, and actually had it before Jesus came into the world. The writer of Hebrews explains that one of the major missions of Jesus was to die, be resurrected so that humanity could overcome its fear of death.  John states that the purpose of him writing his gospel was twofold. First it was to believe that God Consciousness became flesh, and in believing one would be awakened to the reality that therein was life, eternal life.  If we are created in God’s image, that would mean two things. We are first and foremost consciousness which is spirit, and we are eternal.

So then, when Jesus said I AM the way, the truth, and the life he was simply saying that if one grasps the teaching that humanity is God Consciousness incarnate, the knowledge came THROUGH him!

 

 

 

Friday, November 26, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Why Hoping for the New Humanity is not Spiritual Bypassing

 There is a lot of concern among some people in spirituality, especially deconstructing Christians, and understandably so, about using future hopes as merely spiritual bypassing. The reason is that future hope can bypass the present leaving issues unresolved. This is indeed a very legitimate concern. There are instances where spiritual bypassing is a legitimately beneficial practice. One example that comes to mind is the role of church for the African American Slaves in the antebellum south. It brought comfort and hope while experiencing a horrific inescapable reality. But the bypassing done here in the twenty-first century by evangelicals in no way meets that standard.

So, what about the “new humanity?” First, I think that the new humanity was one of the most profound mystical revelations that Paul received in his lifetime. However, I do not believe that it was really ever realized fully in the age of Pisces. It was much more than a forgiven sinner. In the first place, sin was a strictly Jewish concept prior to Christianity. And, both in Judaism and Christianity sin meant missing the way or the mark. In my view, the universal sin of humanity was not believing and understanding that we are all divine and a part of the divine field of consciousness that Greg Braden aptly named the “Divine Matrix.” Ultimately for the next level leap for humanity it will be required to understand our divinity and the connection we have though one another in that unified field of mentation creation.

It is reasonable that in the unfolding plan of the universe, that the age of Aquarius, would be the advent of yet another quantum leap by humanity. It would be the time when not just the few mystics, but humanity at large would begin to grasp their creative potential, and the reality of the divinity they possess. In order to accomplish this, it will be necessary to take a more eclectic view of spirituality. It will require looking backward into the most distant past of ancient metaphysical teaching and discovering the overarching message of the mystics across the millennia. It will require embracing the discoveries of physicists, cognitive scientists, and new age philosophers to piece together a tapestry of spiritual awareness that can be all inclusive and devoid of exclusivity. Since it is in the formative stage it is little wonder that much of it is simply a future hope at the present time. It is likewise advisable to look at the upward spiral of humanity from a “spiral dynamics” view to see that progress is something to reasonably hope for.

In the meantime, it is likewise beneficial to allow all of the “new humanity” currently available to permeate our present moments and make the most of who we are and where we are. This is one of the favorite things for an author friend of mine named Karl Forehand to say to all. He has written an excellent book called being, and his advice is, “be where you are and be who you are,” making the most of each present moment. Still there is no harm in hope. Hope can drive us to higher heights as long as we do not use it as an excuse to ignore our present. Of course, as the age of Aquarius unfolds over the next two millennia plus, It will become evident whether or not the mystical prophecy of the Apostle Paul came to greater fruition. My hope is that it will, and while I am enjoying my present circumstances, I also look forward to a gentler kinder world on the next go around.

 

Sunday, November 14, 2021

God Beyond Religion: The significance of the change of the age

Many people think about, speak about, write about the transition that is currently happening from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. What will the age of Aquarius offer? In some ways it is a blank canvas. It can offer the manifestation of a new heaven and earth where justice reigns. It can offer the promise of the new humanity, that was prophesied to Paul, but did not come to maturity in the age of Pisces. One thing it will likely not be is a change that is so drastic that it will eliminate any and all of the problems we experience now and produce a utopia. That kind of thinking leads to bypassing in favor of an expected future. That is not my goal and should not be the goal of anyone. With this question in mind, lets explore the age of Aquarius and the former age, the one we are leaving, the age of Pisces

There is no settled agreement as to when the age of Aquarius begins. One of the many theories put forth marks 2012 as the beginning. I personally favor that one because of the Mayan Calendar ending in 2012. However, no matter the precise date, it is obvious that the age is in transition, and we are moving from Pisces to Aquarius. What is the precession of the equinoxes? Well, it is referred to as “The Great Year.” It is a roughly 25,920-year period where the sun passes through the signs of the zodiac. Each age, also called a Platonic Month, is roughly 2.160 years in length. The age that we are leaving is the age of Pisces, and the age we are transitioning into is the age of Aquarius. Of course, who has not heard of the Broadway Play “Hair” and the song from that musical “The Age of Aquarius” a Fifth-Dimension classic.

First, what were the traits of the age of Pisces? Well, in the positive vein it was an age that emphasized and developed the concept of faith. It was an age that was marked by monotheism and the development of world religions. Since it is a water sign, and its symbol is a fish it is interesting that the first Christians used the fish as a symbol for their faith. It was the age where all of the world religions grew up. But it was also an age with conflict that resulted from faith and those religions. One religion deemed itself the only true religion and the result was bloodshed and ongoing wars. It was an age that developed the idea of orthodoxy and that invited heresy and heresy was met with intolerant violence. One of the most deleterious aspects of the age of Pisces was that it was an age of deception, illusion, and delusion.

Yet within it, some wonderful concepts were introduced to humanity. The age of Pisces produced the mystical revelation that informed us that God is love, and one of the mystics, the Apostle Paul defined love and the fruit of the spirit. It may be wise to see that the ages build on each other, and according to Mayan belief, the ages repeat themselves but in the way of a spiral that produces ever increasing enlightenment. Could it be that the age of Pisces set the stage for the advancement of some of its nobler prophecies to be fulfilled in greater measure in the new age of Aquarius?

Some of the possible positive changes that the Age of Aquarius offers humanity is the ability to emphasize compassion and kindness and truly provide equity and justice for all. In fact, while this is repetition, I repeat this often, it will allow a greater tendency toward the qualities listed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter thirteen. We will be able to love the other in greater measure, and here are the attributes that Paul described. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1Co 13:4-8a)

What I am emphasizing here is that since we are on the cusp of this new age, rapidly moving into it, that people who are aware of the potential can begin to join together and build thought forms that focus on this. There will be a natural renewed awareness of our spirituality. The line between the material and the spiritual will be reduced and a new understanding of spiritual materialism will break forth. More and more people will become aware of their eternal nature and the link to divinity. In other words, a lot of the teaching of Jesus will take on new meaning. The exclusivity of Christianity will give way to eclectic spirituality that will recognize and honor the mystical revelation from source that was given through out the millennia to many different groups and religions, and a harmony will ensue that will help eliminate division and strife.

Another of Paul’s mystical revelations will come to fruition for all of humanity and not just one group. Humanity will exhibit the fruit of the spirit in greater quantity. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, meekness, and self-control will greatly increase. This will stem from the realization that God is love and that all of God’s creation is divine including humanity and that we are co-creators and participate in the divine nature.

All the while, it is important to not loose sight of where we are now, who we are now, and express as openly and honestly as we can our authentic selves. In other words, the best thing we can do is live our lives openly and honestly before God and men. Thinking in this vane will produce thought forms that will propel humanity into its next exciting phase.


Monday, November 8, 2021

God Beyond Religion: The New Humanity and Eternal Life

"From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:66-68)

The Apostle Paul was given the mystical revelation of a new humanity. This new humanity would be an improved humanity. It would be a humanity that was more fully human, and the reason for humanity reaching ever higher human potential was it becoming aware of being fully divine. This was Jesus’ mission, and it was Jesus’s message. Jesus indeed revealed many things during his ministry. An integral part of the message was the message of eternal life. Perhaps the biggest reason for human selfishness and greed is mortality. In order for the species to survive in a material world with a multitude of dangers and the inevitability of impending death, an innate survival instinct is necessary. It seems obvious that this reality requires a potent antidote. The most powerful antidote for this would be eternal life. Nothing would create a sense of peace with the creator more than the knowledge that one is eternal and loved by the creative source.

I know that I repeat this often, but it is necessary to explain exactly what it means to be loved. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1Co 13:4-8a) Being eternal means that one, the soul of the individual, the individual consciousness, will always exist. Always existing while being eternally loved is the formula for a radical transformation into a loving being. When John wrote that perfect love cast out all fear and that one who fears punishment or torment is not made perfect in love he was speaking of the fear of death and potential final judgment.

Over the millennia the uncertainty of what happens after death has resulted in speculation of a multitude of theories. Most of these theories invite fear. Even without deep fear, the uncertainty and anxiety is prevalent. Psychologists have identified the fear of death as thanatophobia. Yes, it is a real psychological condition. This establishes the need for the assurance of eternal life. So it is little wonder that over forty-four verses in the New Testament that mention Jesus teaching about eternal life. He insists that eternal life is found in him. What exactly does that mean? It is safe to say that it is wrapped up in his teaching and mission. This is the importance of the cross event and the resurrection. It was the resurrection that proved that a loving creative source, one that Jesus called his Father in Heaven, was able and willing to resurrect him from the dead and thereby prove that humanity is indeed eternal.

In the above passage from John’s gospel, it is obvious that his twelve closest companions and disciples believe whole heartedly that he did in fact have the words that would bring eternal life for each of them. This in my view is one of the main focal messages of Jesus life and ministry. He taught that we were participants in the divine nature, and he taught that we were eternal beings loved by the creative source who was a parent. When considering this it is important to think in terms of a loving, ideal parent.

This knowledge is important in transforming humanity into a more loving humanity that is set free from the fear of death. The writer of Hebrews explained it this way. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Heb 2:14-15) In this case, it is safe to assume that the devil is the adversarial voice in ones mind that stirs up fear of death and the afterlife.

With faith in the resurrection one can begin to have peace knowing that they, their individual souls, points of consciousness, are eternal and have no reason to fear at all. This knowledge in turn supernaturally produces a greater ability to love and serve others. It eliminates to a great degree the necessity of competition with other humans. This raises the vibration of humanity in general and produces a new humanity that can exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. This new humanity can focus on love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, meekness, and self-control. Unfortunately, with over two millennium most self-proclaimed Christ followers have not embraced or understood this most basic concept. It is the key to the new humanity!


Thursday, November 4, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Miracles, the Miraculous, Faith, and Disappointment

"Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done." (Mat 21:21)

You have no doubt heard the phrase, speak to your mountain. In the secular world, Napoleon Hill said "what the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve." Word of faith preachers are continuously telling people that their words are containers that bring forth fruit. Many new age gurus are preaching the idea that one can manifest what they desire by intention. They all have one thing in common. Manifestation is dependent on and contingent on proper faith. I know of people that have left the “word of faith” Christian movement and have transferred their message minus the Christianese to the metaphysical new age world becoming life coaches for raising vibrations and focusing on love.

Recently, there has been a lot of people voicing criticism of this explaining that it is merely spiritual bypassing. They do so because of the multitude of people for which it does not seem to work. All of the people who have prayed, spoken and, given until it hurts, and not received what they were asking for, are devastated and disappointed. Why didn’t it work for them? This has caused others to become cynical and vocal against the idea.

And yet, quantum mechanics, cognitive science, and morphic resonance suggest that the universe is essentially mentation.  All of the metaphysical and mystical voices from thousands of years ago until now insist that the universe is mental, a mental construct from universal consciousness. So then, if the world is mental, if the All is mind, why isn’t mental alchemy the order of the day and common place? Why do some apparently receive miracles, and most do not? Well, if there is one creative source outside all of creation that chooses our paths it is problematic, arbitrary, and capricious. However, if indeed we are all individual parts of the source, and we have agency in our incarnation, it would mean that we choose our life path, and even the rules that govern us while locked within the incarnation. Further, if we are in a universe of mentation, our incarnation is like a dream. It is a logically sequenced dream that has space and time. In this scenario, some may simply choose to be able to experience the miraculous by faith. Another possibility is that we are all in the process of learning alchemy and some have not achieved competency yet.

In any case, using the description of the life and actions of Jesus, one would conclude that he was indeed the ultimate mental alchemist. He was an expert at creative mentation. Maybe he was telling his followers in the above passage that ultimately one future day they too would be capable of the same form of mental alchemy. They would be able to conceive, believe, and achieve. Is it possible in the next developmental leap in humanity, the one beginning in the age of Aquarius the miraculous will be commonplace?

As I look over my life, I have seen the miraculous manifest at my behest. I have prayed and received certifiable results. Likewise, I have set my intention on things that did not manifest. Through it all I have managed to keep my belief in the metaphysical and mystical. I am certain that we all are a part of the divine nature. We are all children of the source. Somehow, for some reason, we all have a connection with the cosmic consciousness. It is through mentation that we are all connected to one another. When we focus on this, we open ourselves to developing our spiritual power. This allows us to come closer to being able to tap into the mind at large, cosmic consciousness. This is the way that we can raise our vibrations and move toward a more competent understanding of our metaphysical power.

It is imperative, to realize that when we encounter disappointment, when we do not manifest that which we have set our attention and intention on, when our best efforts at positive affirmations do not produce, that we also do the shadow work, and concentrate on ways to improve our mind set about it. We can seek professional help if necessary. The goal should be to press on to improving our manifestation process, having gratitude for the successes and not allowing disappointment to drag us under completely and if it does for a time, seek the help necessary to overcome it. It should be noted that it is not a reason to jettison faith altogether.


Saturday, October 30, 2021

God Beyond Religion: How Jesus was Misunderstood by His Gehenna References

 The doctrine of eternal conscious torture is really unnecessary in Christian doctrine. It stems from a misunderstanding of Jesus references to Gehenna. It is my opinion that all of Jesus references to Gehenna refers to the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. First of all, the idea of Gehenna as a punishment for not adhering to the Torah and Tanakh is fairly recent and was not in the Old Testament writings. According to Ariela Pelaia, Gehenna - Jewish Views of the Afterlife (learnreligions.com) It did not appear in any Jewish writings before the sixth century BCE. She went on to explain that in rabbinic teaching the punishment of Genhinnom lasted for 12 months. It was assigned to those who willfully disobeyed the Torah.

It seems obvious to me that Jesus used the term metaphorically and when he said it was eternal was actually making fun of the fact that it was only for twelve months. What he was really doing with the reference was referring to the impending destruction of the temple by Rome that would result from their erroneous view of the Messiah and his mission. It is very clear in the reference from Mark’s gospel. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. (Mar 9:47-48) This is a Midrashic reference to Isaiah 66:24 and the entire chapter is about the temple, how it will be destroyed in anticipation of the New Jerusalem. It is not about an event future to the first century and it is a gross error in interpretation to believe it is. The word translated hell is Gehenna and is the main referent word that Jesus used in all of his hell proclamations. They were all meant for the first century occasion.  This is for all those who believe as orthodoxy that the scripture is the inerrant, infallible word of God. It is certainly not if one cannot properly understand and interpret it. Jesus’ reference would have had meaning to the first century Jewish people, and after all, it was to them he said it.

There is absolutely no mention of Gehenna in John’s gospel. Why you may ask? Well, if it was written at the late date, it would likely be because the occasion had already occurred, and if John was written before the destruction of the temple as some believe, it would be because, John’s gospel explained to the Gentile believers where the Jews missed Jesus universal message. I should add here that Paul did not mention Gehenna/hell at all in any of his writings. It is obvious to me that this points out how extremely erroneous orthodoxy’s take was on understanding the Christian scripture.

Let’s look at the facts. It was not written in the Torah at all. It was not mentioned in the rest of the old testament writings. It was developed after the Jews went into Babylonian captivity. It was mentioned ten times in the synoptic gospels, mostly in Matthew written to Jews and one time each in James and 2 Peter, both letters written to a strictly Jewish audience. It was not mentioned in John, any of Paul’s writings, nor Hebrews. And yet, orthodoxy and subsequently protestant evangelical orthodoxy made it the main thrust of the Christian message. The preponderance of evidence shows that orthodoxy and evangelical orthodoxy are completely wrong, and if wrong on this, how much more are they wrong on other things?

 

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

God Beyond Religion: A Healthier View of Scripture.

 

It is my view that the most toxic of all aspects of Christian dogma, especially evangelical dogma, is the doctrine of scripture. Orthodoxy completely hijacked the message that Jesus was trying to deliver. So, to begin with, what was Jesus intended message? Jesus had a two-part message. One part was to tell people what it means to love one another and the importance of loving. The other was that humanity is indeed divine, indwelt by the consciousness of God. In this, he taught that his message was the sole purpose of their scripture, the Torah and Tanakh. He was the key to unlock the mystical message of the Law and the Prophets. In fact, he stated that the Law and Prophets were the accuser of the brothers and sisters.

When Jesus claimed that God was his father, and that he was the son of God, the Jews called him a blasphemer and wanted to stone him. This is recorded in the fifth chapter of John’s gospel. I want to examine a small portion of that chapter here to make the point. "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope.  (Joh 5:39-45) They were putting their hope in the Law and the Prophets and in reality it was their accuser. Isn’t it interesting that in the book of revelation the accuser of the brethren was Satan? In the synoptic gospels, Jesus called the Pharisees and the Sadducees a brood of vipers, or the seed of snakes. This is a direct reference to the serpent in the Garden and Genesis 3:15. The seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of humanity, but, the seed of humanity would crush the head of the serpent. Sadly however, when Christianity began to gain control of people, orthodoxy adopted the exact same view of scripture that the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees had.

The above passage from John chapter five demonstrates that not all scripture is of equal value. It is only valuable when it points to Jesus and his two-fold mission that I mentioned in the beginning. It is only beneficial when it explains what it means to love and when it explains that all humanity participates in the divine nature. All humanity are the children of God who is the Father of many sons and daughters. At least three thousand years before Abraham, mystical revelation had come to Hermes Trismegistus, that explained that God was a father and that his word, his consciousness was his son. We, being created in God’s image, that is, being created with consciousness were the offspring of God. This is the message that the scripture has to offer, and it was Jesus most important message. He said that we had the anointing (the Christ) in us that would teach all truth. He said that he and the father were one, that he was in the father and the father was in him, and subsequently we too were in the father and the father is in us.

The fact is that if one allows the indwelling logos to inform one’s discernment, one can easily determine what in the scripture follows this message and mission and what in scripture is simply chronicling the history of the development of humanity during the time it was written. It was written within a culture, to that culture. Certainly not all the messages and stories are infallible, inerrant truth from the creative source. However, there is inerrant infallible truth within the scripture. We are children of God. God is love. We each possess the divine nature. We are one with the father. One of the most encouraging revelations is that as Jesus was in the world, so are we.

God Beyond Religion: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and the New Humanity

Ephesians 2:13-15 NRSV  "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  (14)  For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.  (15)  He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace," 

Can we pause for a minute and rid ourselves of religiosity? I realize that the above passage has religious connotation, especially for recovering evangelicals. Can we pause from the toxic idea that Christianity and the Christian message is exclusive/? Can we pause for a moment and accept the idea that eclectic spirituality is the reality, and that there is within the Christian message mystical revelation that is beneficial to all people? Can we pause from evangelizing to gain adherents for our group, and our correct way of thinking and believing? Can we pause, take a deep breath, change our minds about the necessity of division and right beliefs? Can we pause and see that "the Christ" is for all people? Can we pause, and contemplate what it means to say and think God is love? Can we pause and see the logical truth that we are all a part of one singular sisterhood and brotherhood of humanity? Yes, ALL means ALL!!! The claim made by many evangelicals that one is not a child of God unless converted to Christianity is absolutely, patently absurd!

Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” is integral in the development of the new humanity. Below is a chart that shows the five levels that Maslow identified.

Self-Actualization

Morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts

Esteem

Self-esteem, confidence, respect of others, respect from others, achievement

Love/belonging

Friendship, family, sexual intimacy

Safety

Security of body, of employment, of resources, of family, of health, of health, of property, of morality

Physiological

Breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion

While the hierarchy of needs  While Maslow's hierarchy of needs is usually shown graphically as a pyramid, this table serves the purpose as well. The connection with the “new humanity” is self-actualization. I think one could add to the self-actualization category, spiritual enlightenment which would include many things. The chief concept would be to self-actualize our divine nature.

When one looks at the upward spiral of humanity over the millennia, it is obvious to me, that in spite of the fact that there is a lot of evil in the world, and that humanity has moved forward in enlightenment and also lost ground and moved backward, that the trajectory is an upward spiral. It takes all of the needs below self-actualization to be met for the final step to happen. However, when a large amount of the human population reaches that point, it will be possible for a leap in enlightenment.

This should result in a kinder and gentler humanity that looks out for the other and the material world around about including plants, animals, the environment, and the societal structure. Being on the cusp of the new age, the age of Aquarius provides the perfect timing and impetus for this leap to come to fruition. This will allow the further development of the second tier in spiral dynamics. The future can be very bright based on this analysis.

Second tier spiral dynamics is shown by two different color levels. There is the yellow level and the turquois level. In the yellow tier, there is the ability to leave the model of concern over scarcity in the material world and begin to see the potential as abundance. It begins to look at the world and all in it as integral. It stresses flexibility, knowledge, and intuition. The turquoise tier focuses on the holistic aspect of the world. It combines the material with the spiritual and sees the universe as a singular conscious entity. I find it interesting that cognitive science and physics is reaching similar conclusions.

Sunday, October 10, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Eclectic Spirituality, Theodicy, and Cognitive Science

One of the benefits of social media is that one can easily get a glimpse of how people think about certain things. I participate in several Facebook groups that draw people who are deconstructing their Christianity. A topic that often comes up is theodicy, the problem with evil. In embracing eclectic spirituality, and exploring cognitive science and consciousness, I find that the problem of evil and vindication of the creative source, proposes challenges. What I mean is there is a variety of things that need to be taken into consideration when thinking about the existence of evil. My point of departure for entering into the discussion is that there is a collective consciousness, or a mind at large at work in what we call material reality. I have come to view it as the universal field of divine consciousness. I believe it to be the source of all matter and substance in the material plane which of course includes we humans. Some call it the Akashic Field, the quantum field but what ever the name it is but one primal source of the universe.

I have come to this idea based upon study of several scientific and philosophical works by several different people. I also base it on the explanations of spirit and matter in all of the ancient religions and philosophies. In that, I see a common thread that has energy and thought as central. To be more specific I have included in my conclusions the work of Dr. Bernardo Kastrup, Dr. Donald Hoffman, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, and Dr. Carl Jung.  Information about each of these individuals and their contribution to cognitive science and the field of consciousness is readily available on the internet, and one can find out all one needs to know about them on YouTube. I see a common thread in all of their studies and theories. 

Adding to the above paragraph of cognitive scientists, I also include the premises of the ancient religions and philosophies. Egyptian Hermeticism, Greek Hermeticism, Greek Philosophy, Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Kabbalah Judaism, and Christianity. All either suggest or insist that material reality is a mental construct. My point here is that there is a mounting preponderance of evidence that the universe is indeed mental, and consciousness is the creative source. The question becomes, how does one view God, and what is the spiritual realm? This is where eclectic spirituality comes into play. In Christianity and Judaism you have a heavenly realm that is spiritual. Certainly, Taosim, Buddhism, and Hinduism speak of a spiritual realm.

Yet, the reality of evil is ever apparent in our world. It is constantly in the news. This is true of the evil that is caused by humanity against itself, and the suffering that is caused by natural events. These natural events include pandemics, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, predatory animals. While our planet is a wondrously beautiful place it is likewise extremely dangerous for some. So, the problem of evil and suffering is very real. Juxtaposed against the overriding view of most religions which in some way insist that God, the creative source, is “love” it creates the problem of suffering and evil for sure.

Christianity blames it on the fall of humanity when humans chose to have the knowledge of good and evil over innocence. But atheists and agnostics claim, and I believe rightly so, that even if humanity chose to fall, the ultimate responsibility lies with the creator and creation. While I believe that Paul received a ton of mystical revelation from Source, he missed the boat with his question does the clay have the right to question the potter? Comparing pottery to an individual soul is a lousy comparison. Especially when this same Paul received the mystical revelation that defines love and therefore defines God and insisted that one of God’s attributes was to not keep records of wrongs.

So how can we vindicate God? How can one relieve the Source from the responsibility of evil? The only way that I can see is if one begins to accept a view closer to what some of the cognitive scientists mentioned above are beginning to find in their psychological studies. Likewise, what Dr. Hoffman is discovering with his experiments with the mathematical model results of evolution as it relates to consciousness and conscious agents. When you add to this the understanding of Rupert Sheldrake in morphic resonance and the existence of morphic fields. This is piling on but necessary. Add to this the concept of Carl Jung and the collective unconsciousness, and the quantum fields of quantum mechanics and a picture emerges that the source is in fact a divine field of creative consciousness. This is the description of the spiritual world. This is what Christianity calls heavenly places. It is the realm of the Logos and the Tao.

One of the key teachings of Jesus was that we are an integral part of the divine matrix. As he was the word incarnate so are we. What else could John have meant by saying that as he is in the world so are we? What else could inspire Peter to claim that we are partakers of the divine nature? What else could Jesus mean when he stated that he was in the father and the father was in him, and subsequently we humans were in the father and in him and he and the father were in us? The point of this is that we are co-creators in this cosmic dance where the spiritual realm births the material.

Imagine if you will a field of conscious energy that is likely two dimensional and we are all points of individual expressions of divine consciousness. Dr. Bernardo Kastrup has theorized that we are dissociative personalities (split personalities) of the grand divine consciousness. Also imagine that without material reality it is a field of thought only. Imagine that with geometry the source can create more dimensions. Imagine that in creating dimensions there are interesting problems. Imagine that entropy and atrophy are an example of the many problems created. Imagine if you will the freedom that is felt from choosing to participate in this divine creative dance. However, also imagine that the nature of the divine field of consciousness is love and peace. Finally, imagine that every soul that has lived, every animal, every tree, flower, and rock is an integral part of this divine field of creative consciousness.

Each soul in the creative act realizes and knows that it is eternal and cannot be destroyed. Each soul at the basic level has no concept of time and is only and always in the present now. To that soul, the real us, there is no actual harm or pain that can affect us. After all, we are indeed eternal. However, the challenges of material reality are exciting and invigorating. The problems of this existence, no matter how difficult, are the driving force of our existential happiness and satisfaction. While it is true that solving these problems can be exhausting, we have the ability to choose when to dance, and when to rest in the dance of life. Does this resonate with your soul at all?

I am suggesting that one of the problems that we have chosen to solve is the problem with evil. However, we are all in it. We are all Hitler, and we are all Mother Theresa. This dance is not unlike a drama. The poets among us have told us that all the world is a stage. Our goal in the drama is to solve the problem of evil with love and peace. All of the mystical revelation points toward this end. This drama includes reincarnation and karma and on and on. People often ask or say, this life is so tough, why would anyone choose to do it again? The answer should be obvious. Why do we not get tired of playing games to win, and if we do get tired why do we get the urge to take the game up another day, hoping for a better result?

If this is the case, and intuitively I believe it is, then it is not incompatible with the best parts of all the great world religions. Jesus, the father, the holy spirit are all compatible with this idea. The only thing that is not compatible with it is orthodoxy in the form of unchangeable dogma. In this view, God, the source is completely vindicated!

 


Wednesday, October 6, 2021

God Beyond Religion: The Cattle on a Thousand Hills; Abundance Not Lack

Psalm 50:7-15 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.  (8)  Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.  (9)  I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.  (10)  For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.  (11)  I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.  (12)  "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.  (13)  Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?  (14)  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay your vows to the Most High.  (15)  Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

I want to begin this with the idea of thought forms or egregores. As I have written about them before they are real and have actual spiritual power. In fact, all religions are thought forms, and have a life of their own. I also want to mention the fact that in my eclectic spirituality view, I see that there is mystical revelation from Source in most religious and philosophical texts. The Judeo-Christian bible is no different. If by chance you think this is simply cherry-picking scripture passages, I have written about the absurdity of that claim in other posts and will not deal with it here. 

The above Psalm passage falls into that category in my view, because it is consistent with a loving God, and a God who sees justice and people being “just” as important. Please do not confuse this with the name it and claim it gospel, the prosperity gospel, or the "Think and Grow Rich" crowd. All of those ideas and many I have not mentioned cater to the individual. That is not the case here. I am writing this to all of us who make up the collective consciousness. Consider that there is but one creative source, and that as science is beginning to suggest, it is a field of consciousness. Within this field is unlimited creative potential. Within this field there is no lack. The possibility of lack comes with mortal material existence and the fear of not having enough to survive. Likewise, I believe that the root of greed is the survival instinct. However, if the reality is we are eternal souls and spirits within the divine universal field of consciousness, then we can safely change our thinking and thought processes. This in turn can create a thought form, egregore, that is not founded in a zero-sum game. As more and more conscious agents embrace this thought form the ability to realize and experience more abundance for all will begin to manifest in material reality.

This is different than the law of attraction, or the prosperity gospel, or think and grow rich mentality because they are basically geared toward individual accomplishment and achievement.  What I am proposing is collective. It is a way to begin to generate abundance in a much more fair and just way that will increasingly eliminate lack for more and more individuals. It has the potential to radically change humanity and I think it could be an instrumental way for people to help move the age of Aquarius forward. The way it would work is to find people committed to meditating on universal abundance and justice. Once formed and allowed to grow stronger it would change the dynamic from greed to sustainable improvement globally, and who knows, it could catch on and glide past the tipping point bringing about real change.

This concept fits nicely with some of the great religious and philosophical teachings over the centuries. It was Jesus that said, Matt 6:31-33 “So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  (32)  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  (33)  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” I believe he was trying to get them to change their thought construct and for a time they did. I think it is important to point out that verse thirty-three could as easily be translated but seek first his kingdom and his justice.

The Tao resembles the stretching of a bow:  it humbles the mighty, and exalts the lowly; it takes from those who have much and gives to those in need.  This is the Tao— it diminishes those who have abundance, and nourishes those who lack.  The human way is just the opposite—  creditors take from those who lack and lavishes those who already abound!  Where are the wealthy who will use their riches to serve the world?  The wise earn much, but claim it not for themselves. They accomplish much, but are not attached to their accomplishments.  They succeed abundantly,  yet make no show of their success. Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching . Ancient Renewal. Kindle Edition. Here Lao Tzu is suggesting that if humans meditate on abundance for all without extravagant opulence that the Tao will provide. It is my belief that what we call the divine unified field of consciousness, he called the Tao.

So, from several traditions you have the same concept though stated different. There is no lack in the divine unified field of consciousness, and creating that thought form will indeed help bring it into fruition. Not so that one can have opulence, but so that one can avoid lack.

 

Saturday, October 2, 2021

God Beyond Religion: A New Humanity and a New Earth Where Justice Dwells

 2Pe 3:13  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

The Greek word dikaiosune, translated as righteousness could be equally translated justice. The biblical use is justification or righteousness, but I think that being righteous is first and foremost being just. If one looks at the definition of just it is actions and treatment of others based on behaving according to what is morally right and fair. It is acting according to the golden rule. It is doing to others what one would want done to themselves.

One of the main characteristics of the “new humanity” is justice, kindness, and love. It is my belief that one of the main focus points in Jesus’ mission was justice, kindness, and love. Especially for the downtrodden and less fortunate. He told many parables and one can be found in Matthew chapter twenty-five, verses, thirty-one through forty-six. He tells a parable about a future judgment. He says that the judge, a king will tell people that they have done justice. He goes on to say, that when he was hungry, they fed him, when he was naked, they gave him clothes, when he was homeless, they gave him shelter, and when he was sick or in prison, they came to visit him and see about him. The just were confused and they asked him when they did those things? They had no awareness that they had done such for him. The judge king told them that when they did it for the least of his brothers and sisters, they did it to him.

This parable was a reaction to Isaiah chapter fifty-eight. The prophet told Israel that the fast that God desired was to feed the hungry, clothe those in need of clothing, and give shelter to the homeless. He went on to tell them that when they did such things that their light would shine abroad. Jesus went on to teach that when one does these good deeds to others that they are in reality doing it to God. That makes sense in view of the fact that all of us humans are God’s image bearers. We are all divine and participate in the divine nature.

Well above is a description of just one of the aspects of humanity in the age of Aquarius and likewise, it is a description of the traits of the new humanity that the apostle Paul spoke of. Paul did this by way of mystical revelation that he received from the source and passed it on to humanity. In view of eclectic spirituality Jesus is not the only one who emphasized these humanitarian traits as important. Here is what the Tao says about it: FALSE AND TRUE RELIGION Abandon the pretense of saintliness and asceticism, and the people will pursue virtue. Abandon ostentatious benevolence and conspicuous righteousness; then the people will return to the core virtues of love and respect. Abandon cleverness and greed; then thieves and robbers will disappear.  Here are the four fundamentals of true spirituality: recognize simplicity, cherish purity, reduce your possessions, diminish your desires. Lao Tzu. Tao Te Ching . Ancient Renewal. Kindle Edition.

So many are erroneously looking for the new heaven and earth to be a future reconstruction after a fiery cataclysmic end of the world. That could not be farther from truth. Again, the apostle Paul mentions the ages to come, that is many ages (Ephesians 2:7.) It included the new age that was approaching in Paul’s day, the age of Pisces, but it likewise also includes the ages to come, and now that we are approaching or have entered the age of Aquarius, it will come to greater fruition.

The new heavens, new earth and new humanity is not something to happen after a great cataclysm but, the progressive improvement of humanity as the ages progress. The same is true of the New Jerusalem. Another of Paul’s mystical revelations in an understanding of what the New Jerusalem was. For Paul in Galatians chapter four it was the heavenly Jerusalem. That means it was the ideal Jerusalem that existed in heavenly places or in other words, in the divine field of consciousness. Gal 4:22-26  For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and the other by a free woman.  (23)  One, the child of the slave, was born according to the flesh; the other, the child of the free woman, was born through the promise.  (24)  Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One woman, in fact, is Hagar, from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery.  (25)  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.  (26)  But the other woman corresponds to the Jerusalem above; she is free, and she is our mother. What Paul is expressing here is that the New Jerusalem is the Jerusalem made up of the new humanity that he wrote about.

So, the point of this is that the new heaven and earth, the new Jerusalem, the new humanity was Paul’s way of expressing the idea that the gospel of God’s favor and compassion, would move humanity to be more loving. This would be the result of embracing and believing that God’s favor and compassion was expressed by the mission of Jesus that proved we are all eternal and partakers of the divinity that was ours from the very beginning.

Once we embrace the idea that the source, God, is a loving, compassionate parent, who is not keeping a record of wrongs, has reconciled the entire world to him and herself, and the truth of it was proven by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. We as children of the new humanity can begin to love with all our being. We can love one another knowing that we are all a part and parcel of divinity. This produces a love and peace that supernaturally transforms humanity from one level to another on an ever upward spiral.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

God Beyond Religion: The Divine Unified Field of Consciousness.

The All is Mind, the Universe is Mental ~ The Kybalion

Quantum mechanics speaks of the unified field in field theory. There is classical field theory and there is a field theory in psychology and sociology. Referring to the Kybalion, there is the law of correspondence that reads as above so below, as below so above, as within so without and as without so within. My point in this is that if we see fields in the material world, then it follows by the law of correspondence that there are spiritual fields, and my view is that spirit and consciousness are one in the same, and so, the mind at large, or the-all is at its basic foundational level a field as well. I would like to call it the divine universal conscious field. It is the creative source of all that is. And, we are all points of consciousness, or conscious agents within the field. In fact, all things in the material world to one degree or another are conscious agents participating in and sustaining ongoing creation.

This blog post took a serendipitous and synchronistic turn as I am writing it. I often post some of my ideas in Facebook groups that I am a member of, and I did for this one on a group called Messy Conversations. It was designed to be a safe place for conversations with people in the process of deconstructing their Christian beliefs. One of the members, a Facebook friend of mine named Dr. Paul Fitzgerald, asked me if I was familiar with Rupert Sheldrake and morphic resonance? I was familiar with Sheldrake but not morphic resonance. In looking it up on the internet, I found that he was speaking of morphic fields in biology. I wasn’t aware of the existence of these fields, but it seems that they connect all kinds of species of both plants and animals including humans. The point was made that because of these connective fields, teaching a trick to a rat in the USA, say at Harvard, would make it much easier to teach the same trick to rats in Europe because of the connection of the fields, and the memories they store. These fields reach everywhere within the species so the memory in the field is picked up by rats in Europe simultaneously. The article went on to explain that these fields exist in a variety of areas including the mind of humans, or in other words, point toward a unified field of human consciousness, and it is easy for me to add to the name, the “divine” unified field of consciousness. This is what I believe to be the creative source of the universe which includes humans such as you and I.

I am no scientist, so I do not have a scientific description of the divine field of consciousness, but I believe I have an intuitive description. It radically changes my view of heaven and what the Apostle Paul called the heavenlies or heavenly places. It is quite likely a two-dimensional field of consciousness. So, when Paul says we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, he is referring to this two-dimensional field of consciousness in which everything that exists, exists. Furthermore, when Paul says that the Colossians were dead, and their life was hidden in God, he meant hidden in the divine field of consciousness or heavenly places. Collective consciousness, another name for the divine unified field of consciousness, is the place where collective memory and information is stored. Our brains are like television receivers of this information and the source of all telepathic ability is stored in this field of consciousness. It continually grows by the life experiences of all of the conscious agents that are connected within this field.

This also radically changes my view of God. This divine unified field of consciousness is not personified. It is all encompassing. The individual conscious agents within the field are the creative source. Jesus was the firstborn of many siblings. He was designated to be the word, of the field of consciousness before creation but, then went on to explain that we all are a part of the divine creative word. This should lead us to new vistas of potentiality. We can indeed change, morph reality through consciousness. With our thoughts we can create reality afresh.


Thursday, September 16, 2021

God Beyond Religion: Jesus and The Christ, Re-imagining Salvation

1Ti 4:9-10 “The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance.  (10)  For to this end we toil and struggle because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

I have had a relationship with Jesus for much of my life. It began as a small child, continued for about 20 years, there was a 25-year hiatus, and then a re-establishment for an additional 30 years but within that period there was an ongoing growth and change. This is especially true of the last 10 years. I now believe that I am settling in on a viable understanding of Jesus roles. I use the plural roles because I see that Jesus had essentially two main roles or purposes. One was to the first century Jews that is narrated in the synoptic gospels, and the other was to all of humanity in a spiritual sense as explained by the mystical revelation of the apostle Paul. The Acts of the Apostles and John’s gospel were written to bridge the two roles into one grand spiritual one.

 

Don’t confuse what I am presenting as the same as orthodoxy or evangelical orthodoxy. It is very different. It has none of the toxicity associated with evangelical orthodoxy. It does not emphasize hell as I believe the orthodox teaching concerning hell is erroneous and does not properly reflect what is taught in the scripture. I believe it is far more accurately representative of the eternal purpose of his roles. The first departure from orthodoxy or evangelical orthodoxy is that I believe that “the Christ” gave mystical revelation to several groups over the course of human history. This is the eclectic part of this understanding. When I refer to “the Christ” I am speaking of the Spirit of the creative source. It is identified by several names over the centuries. It is referred to as the Logos, the Tao, the Christ, the Spirit of God, It is not exclusively Christian nor Jewish. The fact is that many of the religions that are called poly-theistic really believe in one ultimate, supreme, creative source. Jesus on the other hand was a human born into a specific time and culture with a universal timeless message from “the Christ.”

 

So, what is the overarching message to humanity from Jesus’ time on earth? How is Jesus the savior of all people and what is meant by especially those who believe? Well, I am confident that it is not salvation from sins. That was the mission of the first role of Jesus as the savior of the Jews. They had the most evolved concept of sin and sinfulness. Their Hebrew word for sin, chata simply meant missing the way. They had developed an elaborate structure to define what missing the way meant, and I think that Jesus came to correct that notion by amplifying their concept of the Law. He came to show that it was a guideline that would make for a more humane humanity, but they had developed it into a code that would make them righteous. In this role he showed them that they would always perpetually miss the way.

 

For the more universal role revealed to Paul the mystic, I think it is constructive to look at what savior meant in the first century. The answer is found in the Pax Romana. Pax Romana is the golden age of Rome. It spans from Caesar Augustus to Marcus Aurelius. In terms of years and time it is from 27 BCE to about 180 CE. It is roughly a 200-year span. It is descriptive of a period of peace. The emperor was considered a savior, sotor Greek, because he brought peace to the people.

 

Jesus came to declare peace for humanity with God. He came to a time and a culture that was fearful of God and the afterlife. By the time of Jesus earthly mission, the Jews had developed an elaborate view of the afterlife that included Gehenna and Gan Eden. Gehenna was a time of fiery judgment, the Pharisees reasoned that it would last for three years. Gan Eden was similar to the Christian idea of heaven. The Roman world was influenced by the various Greek views of the afterlife including many levels of the underworld. Paul wrote this in the letter to the Romans. Rom 5:1  Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus taught that he was the incarnation of the logos or God consciousness, and went on to teach that we are also the incarnation of the Logos. This is the importance of Jesus of Nazareth. He also exemplified the love of God, and his sermon on the mount described a way to be more human, and it was not intended to be a legal code, understood in a legal constitutional way.


The “Christ” or “Christ Consciousness” as it is sometime called is the most effective once peace with God is established as fact. While some may not need it, those who were taught toxic Christianity need it for sure. Especially if they are to participate in their birth right which is the divine nature. If we put the toxicity behind us, we can advance into our natural spiritual inheritance. This is not the same as saying Jesus is the only way. There are for sure others, and some of the religions are far less toxic than Christianity has become, but, to understand the real message of Jesus and the definition of God and love by Paul and John adds a richness to any spirituality and affords new insight to those of other beliefs that may become eclectic as well. This is what is meant by saying “and especially to those who believe.” There are mystical revelatory truths in Christianity found in no other place.


How I view Jesus

I still consider myself a follower of Jesus of Nazareth. He is much more than the savior from sin. In fact, I believe that he was only that ...