On "God" , Jesus, "Mental Idols", 'Coloured Glasses' & Non-Dualism

*the following are some of my opinions which contain ideas conflicting with official Christianity as well as conflicting with typical ultra-rationalism*
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Of course all opinions on any matter are ultimately affected by our 'wearing' various coloured glasses ... the biggest problem is when people reject (or are unaware of) the idea that they are wearing some type of biasing glasses affecting all of their expereinces and thoughts.

I think one basic safe idea everyone hopefully will say is "I am experiencing and interpreting Reality through some form of biasing & filtering layer and I may not even be aware of the distortions that layer causes to my thinking.


And so if you were brought up as a strong Christian (of some other type of religion) chances are you probably will contain that as some sort of filter of Reality (although that may backfire and you may become a really strong 'rationalist' who rejects all ideas that can't be "proven" rationally). Similarly, if you were brought up with a purely 'rational' viewpoint which rejected everything that wasn't (so-called) "physical" or "scientifically provable", you probably will automatically reject everything stemming from religions as make-believe nonsense.

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The middle path between these extremes is what interests me. Not following any particular religion but looking into various religions and mythologies to find ideas (often similar but reworded or altered) common to them seems to be the best approach. Also not getting caught into the idea that what I experience with my everyday senses is some sort of Absolute guideline for saying what Reality truly is (which is something I feel ultra-rationalists do).


As far as Jesus goes, I am of the opinion that he (assuming the idea of him is based on one person and not various people ... also adding that many ideas attached to him appear to be mythological symbolism) was like many mystics throughout history (even ones who came after him some of whom were killed by the Church for saying they had experienced a direct unity experience) who have had what might be called a 'cosmic consciousness experience' (really directly feeling that you are connected to the whole Reality and Universe or feeling you are the whole Universe). In India, Yogis and various other seekers throughout history have had the goal of reaching the 'mind state' of liberation from the typical dualistic mind state towards a centred oneness mind-state (at least that's my wording of the idea).

The idea of the Brahman (basically) would be as a basic ground of Reality. So experiencing a union in this way would be like seeing the whole Yin-Yang symbol (to mix symbolisms together) instead of being inside the symbol affected by sides of duality this way and that way. You could really see how the various sides of any issue, thing or occurrence are secretly part of one system of change and one side affects (and defines) the other.


The idea of "Union with the Brahman" in India sounds very similar to what Jesus is said to have said : "I and the Father are One"


It is my opinion that "Father" as a representative idea for "God" or the "All" is socially biased and that the concept of the "All" combines sides of duality and is neither male or female and male and female all at once.

In the banned early text the "Gospel of Thomas" (banned by the early Roman Catholic Church during the era of Emperor Constantine when they officially decided which texts would be part of the New Testament and which texts would be banned), you can see an almost Taoist/Buddhist idea of non-dualism mind-state as "entering the Kingdom"


http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html

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Quote: Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]."
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It is my opinion that Jesus was killed (or attempted to be killed but actually surviving the rather short duration of the crucifixion times given - I feel it's possible he went to Kashmir after that , but that's another topic) essentially for heresy against the status quo .... for saying he felt 'directly unified with all of Reality' (a "son" of "God".


I think the dogma of Jesus as being "The [One and Only] Son of God" is a false symbolism pasted onto the official Roman Catholic religion (as it formed and was guided by authorities) and serves as a social control. Instead of individuals thinking they can possibly also experience unity with Reality (which is a goal in religions in India), Jesus had been pushed far out of reach and became a useful symbol for a religion of social control.

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As for "God" .... I feel that ultimately when ideas get to specific about what this means, they are mostly all biased. Sometimes 'social control' and national egotism can bias the idea of "God" into some limited tyrant who's "on your side" and will smite your enemies (and allow you free ethical reign to loot, pillage, slaughter and take the women of some city). This is all complete cultural nonsense and very low and limited view of the idea of the mystery of the "Ultimate ground of Reality". The winning side can always claim "God" was on their side and also claim they are given divine right for all their actions.


I have read that the Sioux term "Wakan Tanka" has been typically translated as "The Great Spirit" but a more accurate translation is the "Great Mystery"...


I am attracted to the second phrase - The Great Mystery .... we humans with our limited minds (especially in this day and age of purely sober rational thought being held up as the only true unbiased view of Reality and the view of alternative states of consciousness as being purely "hallucinations" when our normal everyday rational mind is affected by arbitrary brain chemistry just as an octopus' view of Reality is affected by that particular "normal" brain chemistry) typically being conscious of barely a few variables at a time (our conscious focused attention is like one-track....whereas "Full Reality" is like countless trillions of tracks all running at once) should not assume we have some great Absolute overview of Reality and the idea that we can define "God" should be met with huge skepticism.


As the Tao Te Ching says about the Tao ...

Quote: The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name

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Essentially I feel that a dogmatic, clinging to any religion is a mistaken path. When followers of some religion claim they have the only "Real Truth" (and other religions are totally false), they are blinded by "mental idol worship" - an idol made of thought is much more dangerous than some wood, stone or gold idol of a god because people often fail to see these thought-idols as idols at all ( I'm defining "idol" as a limited, biasing, false image).

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One important point about talking about the idea of "God" is that if you consider this ultimately as a mystery you label with the convenient term "The All", merely by the rules of limited language, you have already caused the first problem with defining that which you want to refer to.

The term "God" or "The All" implies an object or noun. The only way you can define any separate "object" is by contrast with some other object or background. So if I want to say "The All" is All and includes all things, I theoretically can't even label this idea with a name or word because then I create a noun or object (and I need a background .... but I want my definition to include the background and everything). This may sound pointless but it's probably the biggest thing dogmatic religious people should understand .... or they'll continue to follow invented and limited mental idols of "God" (the "God" that is on the side of some tiny tribe in some small territory on some tiny planet around one of several hundred billion stars in one of hundreds of billions of galaxies of stars in who-knows how large a Universe.



Perhaps a direct "experience of unity" (as opposed to intellectual learning) can be the only true convincing thing .... but even then , the interpretation can be biased (so someone raised as a Christian will become convinced their religion is totally correct whereas some Yogi in India will feel they have had Union with the Brahman experience like countless other Yogis in the past and present) - or perhaps the experience of unity was with some far "lower" realm of Absolute Reality - there is still the problem that the experiencing (coloured-glasses) self is biased.


But ultimately, as limited forms inside Reality, all of our interpretations will be biased in some way - all of these various opinions and interpretations become parts of Reality (details of Reality like little trickles of water leading into the streams and rivers and ocean).

Days of the Week, Chakras & Final Stage of Alchemy

(below are a series of my rambling ideas and may contain actual factoids mixed in with various biased personal interpretations - I can't tell you which ones are which though)
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Here's an interesting subject that practically nobody has ever heard about, probably no teacher has ever mentioned to students or the "History Channel" has never mentioned with their watered-down documentaries....


The order of the days of the week ... matches the order of the chakras in Alchemy's final stage (the stage of Rubedo or 'reddening'!

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WEEK DAYS , ROMAN PLANETARY NAMES & NORSE GOD NAMES
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Hmmmmm, how interesting. What exactly does this mean anyway. Well, it appears that unlike how western media will label alchemy as merely some primitive pre-chemistry with reclusive experimenters desperately trying to make gold from base metals (many "alchemists" were likely actually this, having not found out the deeper secrets hidden by others), Alchemy was in fact much more than this ... exactly the extent of that is not known to me because the whole subject was purposefully infused with purposefully misleading information to mislead (or keep their ideas hidden). It's very hard to know what this whole subject was about and how much the 'turning lead into gold' may have been a 'smoke screen' (possibly to attract supporting wealthy backers or to hide from the prying "burning at the stake" eyes of the Church).

I do know some things and one of them is the knowledge of the chakras within this avenue of activity. This diagram below reveals the seven (main) chakras being labeled with the five naked-eye planets, the Sun and the Moon in the body where the chakras of India are labeled


http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=4004032

(this diagram shows a prior stage of alchemy ...so pay no attention to the spiral)

This arrangement was the same order from bottom to top as found in the Earth-centred model of the Cosmos. (I'm mixing up the original Greek names and the Roman names since the ROman ones are how we label the planets)


Ouranus (Uranus to Romans) ... the Sky Father of the Heavens (son and then husband of Gaia)
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7... Saturn ... crown chakra ......... Saturday
5... Jupiter ... brow chakra ......... Thursday(after Thor=Jupiter=Zues,lighting gods)
3... Mars ...... throat chakra ........ Tuesday (after Tiwas or Tyr,gods of combat/war)
1... Sun ....... heart chakra ......... Sunday
6... Venus ..... solar plexus chakra .. Friday (after Odin's wife, Frigga=Venus= Aphrodite)
4... Mercury ... sacral chakra ........ Wednesday (after Woden or Odin= Mercury=Hermes)
2... Moon ...... base chakra .......... Monday
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Gaia (Terra to Romans) or the Earth Mother Goddess - she formed before male gods from Chaos (which possibly leads to historic acknowledgement of the older long-standing Earth Goddess worship prominent at times past)

(this order of the Earth-centred model is today said to be "obselete" and "false" but since we are still living on the Earth, we actually *do* experience an "Earth-centred Reality" - relative to our location ... and the order of the Earth-centred model appears to be based on the cyclic freuqency of those objects ...ie, the speeds of their cycles - Moon fastest (monthly), Saturn(every 3o years or so). So, relatively speaking, this model is still valid in this fashion.


So there are the corresponding labels for the levels of the Earth-centred cosmos, the chakras in the body and the days of the week. I have put a number at the left for each showing the order in the sequence for the last stage of Alchemy. Starting from the Sun(Sunday=heart), it goes to the Moon (Monday=base), then Tuesday (Mars=throat), Wednesday(Mercury=sacral), Thursday(Jupiter=brow, between eyes), Friday(Venus=solar plexus) & Saturday (Saturn or crown chakra).

This order starting at the heart/Sun follows a looping spiral through the chakras in a certain pattern. I find it really amazing that this has apparently been incorporated into the arrangement of the days of the week.

A few interesting notes of interest about these symbols

1... The brow chakra labeled with lightning gods (Jupiter, Zeus, Thor). I have read that the lightning probably is symbolic of the intense experience of bright white light. I haven't experienced this (more mild pressures at the brow chakra and 'centred feeling' but nothing so extreme) but have read about such things in deeper practices


2... interesting how Mars is at the throat - also the figure in the book of the Apocalypse (Greek for "unveiling" - does not mean "catastrophic destructive end of the world"has a sword extending from his mouth (I feel that whole Biblical book is all dealing with symbolism of deep "spiritual" experiences and difficulties reaching pure "non-dualism" - search for James Pryse "Apocalypse Unveiled"


3... I have vaguely read how the 7 chakras can be "folded" at the Heart (centre) so the 3 above the heart overlap onto the 3 below the heart (so Mars meets Venus , Jupiter meets Mercury , Saturn meets Moon)

... Mars meeting Venus is interesting - anger/hatred and love/desire all seem linked
... Saturn has a crescent sickle which is similar to the Moon(base) - Saturn as 'harvester' is associated with basic matter (the base level) and similar to the 'Grim Reaper' with a sickle, material death is associated with the base level too. Just seems interesting to me how the crown level can seem linked with the base level too ...

I'm reminded of the Hermeticists/ Alchemists basic axiom:


"As Above, So Below"


(this powerful little phrase can have so many levels of meaning ... everything from the recurring "fractal" pattern shapes in physical Reality - golden spiral in snail shell, nautilus shell, fiddlehead plant, finger joints, hurricanes, spiral galaxies- to likely many other things (even in patterns in timeflow or the character of whole nations as being like individual people)

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Researching the history of the calendar and order of our days of the week would reveal interesting things (ie, who was involved in creating this) but I have not done that yet.


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ALCHEMY AS SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT PRACTICE
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It appears obvious that Alchemy did contain within it secret spiritual stages of trying to reach what in India would be labeled Nirvana or Moksha. It seems likely certain words dealing with Alchemy may represent 'enlightenment' (or the feeling of "non-duality". Here are some words and phrases I personally feel may represent basically the same thing

1... Nirvana
2... Moksha
3... Enlightenment
4... 'Gnossis'
5... Union with the Brahman
6... "I and the Father are One" (Jesus ... but phrase seems biased by patriarchal religion)*
7... Cosmic Consciousness **
8... "Christ Consciousness"
9... Philosopher's stone
10.. converting base metals into gold
11.. Rebirth of the Phoenix
12.. the Resurrection (after "ego-death" on the "cross" and "three days" in the cave - interestingly the Phoenix also was 3 days before rebirth and in ancient "mystery school initiations" I've read about(such as in Greek or Egypt),


* (many of our systems seem to have a male bias because they stem from patriarchal cultures where the symbolic (and literal) concept of Earth Goddess has been banned (or at least as much as possible ... although in Roman Catholicism it seems apparent that Mary is secretly the Earth Goddess and in something like Islam, the 'silver enclosure' of the Black Stone at the Kabba is shaped so apparently 'Vulva-like' that it meakes me wonder about that too!). I also feel that because these spiritual systems have a goal of "non-duality" , they are best symbolized as the merging of the "male" and the "female" (Gaia and Ouranus ..... not merely "fleeing from Gaia to Ouranus : or, similarly put ... "leaving the material world to the Heavenly Father"


In Achemy, they have symbols of the Sun (male) and the Moon (female) and their "marriage" producing the non-dualistic Hermaphrodite* child (not 'hermaphrodite' as used in society today) as what I would say represents a symbol for "non-duality". It appears similar to the Taoist 'Yin-Yang' in that the 'whole' Oneness is combined sides of duality ... so marrying the Yin and the Yang would produce the whole Yin-Yang and if one could experience from that mind-set, one would not see "problems", "lackings", "longings" as one feels from within one side of duality. One could see further and see how "bad" events have been the fertile ground for good things to arise ...and the other way around too.


* Hermaphrodite is formed from the Greek deities Hermes (Roman= Mercury: Odin= Norse) and Aphrodite (Venus= Roman: Frigga = Norse****)



Symbols in various cultures which I feel have similarities (perhaps historic connections)
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1... The eye of Odin (after losing one eye, he had one left)***
2... The flaming pearl between two dragons(China)
3... The ball and wings at the top of the Caduceus between two serpents (Greek)
4... The apparent "pine cone" (pineal gland?) at the top of the Staff of Osiris with two entwined serpents on it)


*** possibly making a similar "Caduceus-like" symbol, I often see Odin with one eye (one remaining eye ... although by losing one eye, perhaps this represents vision not into this physical realm - but vision inward: as opposed to "missing eye = no vision for that eye", hanging on Yggdrasil (the staff) and his two Ravens (Huginn or 'thought' and Muninn or 'memory' on his shoulders being like the heads of the serpents on the Caduceus and also the wings (of enlightenment?) at the top of the Caduceus. Odin has been corresponded with Mercury so this seems at least fitting.

(Wednesday as named after Woden/Odin is labeled after Mercury in Latin languages such as 'Mecredi' in French)


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There is so much to find out about these subjects ... I feel within Greek Mythology (and Norse mythology) as well as various religions and other mythologies, there are symbolic pointers.

I suggest that literal following of religions is misleading (but the idea has occured to me that literal following may be needed by some people in this lifetime .... so possibly a religion can contain several levels of interpretation by certain types of people "literal/historic", symbolic, and possibly something higher like magical formulae).


Anyway, went a bit off track here and there. Hope something in here is interesting to someone.

Fenrir , energy of life - bound up by civilization

I'm referring to another painting of mine in my gallery dealing with the subject of Fenrir, the powerful wolf in Norse mythology which the gods bound up.

http://www.wireclub.com/Galleries/ViewImage.aspx?ImageId=4003730


The two ravens of Odin are in the tree talking amongst each other (presumably about the issue of Fenrir and his growing size and power). Their talk (shown as the abstract "language" drifts up towards Venus (this is Figga, wife of Odin, after whom Friday is named). Mercury is to the right and is Odin (Wednesday or Woden's day is named for this ... or Mercredi after Mercury in French). I drew the branch between them in a shape implying Scorpius (which can be thought of as an initiator stage in some symbolism of enlightenment. I also intended this Scorpius shape and the two ravens to represent a Caduceus of Hermes or Mercury (and I feel Odin with his two ravens on each shoulder and his one eye may represent a sign of the Caduceus with the two snakes and the wings and the ball at the top... in the older related Staff of Osiris, the entwined snakes are there but the know appeared to be a pine-cone design - I have heard some infer that this is related to the pineal gland).

Ultimately I feel that when the gods heard the prophecy that the ever-growing/strengthening Fenrir would some day kill Odin in the final battle, perhaps it was the actual binding up of Fenrir which brought about this eventual event since he became so enraged by his confinement and lack of freedom (just my own interpretation). In a way, perhaps Fenrir being bound up is related to how civilization binds up the energy of humans and tries to control it (similar perhaps to how Zeus had Prometheus - who gave 'fire' to humans - bound in chains to the mountains where the eagle ate his liver daily.


The idea of Odin's two ravens which went across the world of humans (Midgard) and told Odin what was happening seems to relate to the concept of the "Language of the Birds" (often referred to as the "Green Language". From what I have found out, this seems to refer to a mystical experience where someone may intuitively understand the sounds of other creatures or other elements of nature in a non-intellectual way (ie, not with text or words). This reminds me of the legend that Saint Francis of Assisi may have had such an ability. There may be many examples of mystics in various religions/cultures that refer to this type of connectivity with nature.

There is an interesting part of the myth of the 'binding of Fenrir (which isn't shown in this painting ...but in another Fenrir painting in my gallery).

The gods tried a couple different chains of huge strength and both were easily snapped by Fenrir (who as asked to be bound in a game to test his power). So a magical thread was attained from the dwarves that was so thin that it was apparently incapable of restraining even a mouse let alone a giant ever-growing ferocious wolf. Interestingly this thread was made of "things that don't exist" such as 'the beard of a woman', and the 'sound of a cat's footsteps'. It's interesting that in so many case with humans, it is the complex rules of society that are imposed into our thoughts that are the strongest binders and controllers of our actions. Perhaps we are all bound up (to various degrees) by similar threads that are actually composed of things that are totally made up by arbitrary social rules - inventions of civilization imposed onto us in order for the whole machine to keep running.

When they went to try this wimpy thread on Fenrir as part of a test , he suspected they were up to some trickery and didn't want to be bound .... but he agreed to it as long as one of them put his hand in his mouth as a bit of assurance. So the god of 'single combat' (which may imply an older era of males fighting for their own personal feelings and not part of an organized army-mentality imposed upon a group by a ruling class) , Tyr (after whom, Tuesday is named... associated with Mars as shown in how that day is named after Mars in Latin languages such as Mardi in French) volunteered.

When Fenrir couldn't escape from this delicate magical thread, he of course bit off the right hand (the sword hand) of Tyr. I find it interesting how the god of 'single combat' loses his sword hand and Fenrir is bound up all at the same time. Perhaps if Fenrir is the raw energy of individual humans then binding him represents the controlling restrictions of civilization (ie ... giving you rules of what you can and cannot do, dividing your energy into work over long time periods, convincing you to believe in the validity of various rules of your civilization).


Well, that's enough interpretation for now....just some of my own various thoughts related to Fenrir.