Philosophical
Foundations
Part
III
Wholly
Spirit
This
section represents my personal philosophy and is the foundation for
much of what has preceded this section. This especially true for Part
II.
There
are two dichotomous views on the ultimate nature of reality. One can
be called the Primacy of Matter (a.k.a.
materialism) and the other the Primacy
of Consciousness (a.k.a.
idealism). Classical physics and everyday
experience support the former, and the interpretations of some
quantum physicists and the experience of various mystics support the
latter. The two views have significantly different implications. For
example, materialists explain consciousness as an epiphenomenon (see Definitions) of
matter while idealists explain matter as an epiphenomenon of
Consciousness. Thus, there is considerable contention around which
view is correct on this point as well as others. The likelihood is
that neither conception will ever be conclusively demonstrated to the
satisfaction of most people.
Both
views are faced with essentially the same conundrum, that is, initial
origination. If you are of the Primacy of
Matter persuasion, you must ask how did matter come about and from
what? One hypothesis is the so-called "big bang" event or
the near instantaneous expansion of an extremely dense concentration
of energy/matter (a.k.a. the primordial atom). Even assuming it is
correct, there still remains the question of where did this
"primordial atom" come from? Stephen Hawking, for example,
suggests spontaneous creation
or the creation of something from nothing. If you are of the Primacy
of Consciousness persuasion, you must ask where did the universal
field of Consciousness
(hereafter Source Consciousness or just Consciousness) come from? I
know of no hypothesis about the origin of the Source Consciousness.
Some Primacy of Matter advocates might argue that matter has always
existed and the material universe has cycled through endless
regeneration. Likewise, some Primacy of Consciousness advocates might
argue that Source Consciousness has always existed and always will
exist. In the end, both camps reach a point where they really have no
choice but to say that either matter just is or that Consciousness
just is. Regardless of which hypothesis you find the most plausible, you are ultimately
faced with a leap of faith.
Panentheism
is a philosophy that was first articulated in 1828 by the German
philosopher Karl Krause. Panentheism
in brief means: The whole is in God or, if you prefer, the universe is
in Consciousness. This means that the universe and God are not
ontologically (see Definitions) equivalent. Panentheism views God (a.k.a. Source
Consciousness) as the eternal animating force behind the universe,
while the universe is nothing more than a manifest part of God. The
universe exists within God, who in turn "pervades" or is
omnipresent in the cosmos (here taken to subsume the universe). Unlike pantheism, that asserts God and the universe are coextensive,
panentheism asserts that God is greater than the universe and
that the universe is contained within God.
More
recently, this position has been reflected in the works of writers
such as Franklin Merrell-Wolff (Philosophy of
Consciousness-without-an Object), Lynne McTaggart (The Field), Amit
Goswami (The Self-Aware Universe), Robert Lanza (Biocentrism) and
Menas Kafatos and Robert Nadeau (The Conscious
Universe), among others.
The
following analogy illustrates Primacy of Consciousness within a
panentheistic conception, which subsumes materialism as a secondary
perspective. Think of a vast sea
with an infinite amount of water. Suspended within this sea there is
small ball that is hollow but not empty. The surface of the ball
defines a boundary that partitions it off from the rest of the sea.
Within the ball there is a self-evolving virtual reality program
running. If you're not familiar with the idea of virtual reality,
think about a large complex "play" in which the characters
have some freedom to ad lib. The virtual reality program (or play)
has to follow certain rules, which impose limits on what can happen
but still allow a number of degrees of freedom for its operation.
From the sheltered perspective of the virtual reality program running
inside the ball, the reality created by the program is all there is,
and the vast sea in which it is suspended goes largely undetected.
Think of the vast sea as Source Consciousness. The curved surface of
the ball represents space/time. The self-evolving virtual reality
program represents the materialist model of macro reality, which
offers a few hints that there may be more going on behind the scenes.
Finally, the rules that appear to govern the operation of the
program, especially at the everyday level of reality, can be thought
of as classical physics.
Everything
outside the ball can be thought of as an infinite field of
possibility, creativity and intelligence, i.e., Source Consciousness,
All That Is, Spirit or, if you prefer, God. Everything inside the
ball is a projected aspect of the Consciousness or God. Human
consciousness is the only aspect of Consciousness within the ball
capable of recognizing and directly experiencing its true nature,
though few achieve this possibility. Thus, with this conception, one
has something of a unification of both the materialist and idealist
constructs, where materialism is subordinate to idealism. Material
reality at the macro level, within the ball, still functions pretty
much as classical physics, and common sense tells us it works.
However, all of material reality is a product of Consciousness and is
manifest as a special subset of Source Consciousness. Thus, there is
an aspect to life and phenomena that is not bound to material
reality.
For
the most part we, as physical beings, are not directly aware of this
aspect of our existence. However, there have been in our midst at
various times alleged mystics who claimed direct experience with
transcendent reality, e.g., Gautama and Jesus, among others. From
these descriptions of transcendent reality have evolved philosophies
and religions that largely agree that man is a manifestation in
matter of something eternal, that is, Consciousness, Spirit, Soul or
God. The apparent duality of the two conceptions, material reality
and transcendent reality, is overcome in the panentheistic
model because everything material is a manifestation of
Consciousness, Spirit or God. Thus, in the final analysis there is
total unification or all is Wholly Spirit.
One
still can't answer the question of initial origination, which may be
an artifact of the human mind, but the contention between the two
conceptions of reality is resolved. The resolution of the conflict
between the two views is one of the advantages of leaping toward the
Consciousness explanation in the panentheistic form. Why choose
between the two when you can have both? The origination question may
never be answered for either conception. It is likely that the human
mind is not capable of understanding ultimate origination even if it
occurred.
Primacy
of Consciousness seems to be the better choice, because it subsumes
the materialism of the Primacy of Matter conception, and therefore one
can employ either view as appropriate. Materialism leaves one with a
much more limited set of conceptual options. Furthermore, the
materialist view deprives life of any meaning outside of living for
the sake of living. Under that conception, life arose by
happenstance. There was no reason for its emergence and it has no
purpose. The meaning of life is relative, without substance and
temporal.
Under
materialism, meaning may be tied to one's circumstances and
possessions. It may depend upon the body, emotions, intellect,
skills, talents or some combination thereof. It may be rooted in
social institutions such as churches, political parties, scientific
bodies or the military. Meaning in any of these contexts is
individually pursued, individually acquired and lost with the decline
and death of the body. Pursuit of relative meaning is often
self-centered, selfish and occasionally brutal. Regardless of how one
lives, what one does or doesn't do in the long run makes no
difference. Human life is doomed to end the same way it emerged -- at
the whim of random events or happenstance. Panentheism opens up the
potential for understanding life from a spiritual perspective, which
suggests that life did not emerge by happenstance, which doesn't rule
out a role for random events in processes such as evolution. Life
from the panentheistic perspective is purposeful and inherently
meaningful. This should become clearer in what follows.
Source
Consciousness then is the ground-of-all-being, and matter
exists only as a possibility within consciousness. Thus, there is
nothing but Consciousness or, as some might say, God is All That Is or
everything is Wholly Spirit. You and I are material manifestations of
the Consciousness, as are plants, bacteria, insects, fish, animals,
chairs, shirts, houses shovels, pistols, water, earth, planets and
stars, ad infinitum. Thus, all things are potentially interconnected
and always have in common their origins in the unified field of
consciousness.
Creation
Accepting that Consciousness just is, the issue of origination can be set aside. Let's explore
a hypothetical description of creation, which is not to be taken literally but suggests how the perceived world might have come to be from a panentheistic view. In this discussion, Source Consciousness and God will be used
interchangeably. In the beginning there was God. God was, is and always will be a self-conscious, infinite and eternal field of creative and intelligent energy.
Let's suppose God chose to engage in self-expression and exercised the creativity inherent in
Consciousness. First, Consciousness searched through the infinite possibilities extant within itself. One might think of these possibilities as "thoughts" within the "mind" of God. By way of an analogy,
think of a novelist searching through his imagination for a story line. Once a story line suitable to the novelist emerges, the writer begins creating his novel. Similarly, when a possibility that could lead to manifestation
of the perceived universe in which the potential for the evolution of life was inherent, that possibility became a focus of Source Consciousness and began unfolding. Think of this as being analogous to the unfolding of a dream
in your consciousness. The unfolding began with the concentrated focus on one possibility within a field of possibilities and resulted in that possibility becoming particularized. Thus, the universe suddenly became manifest
-- perhaps cosmology's "big bang." Once set into motion, Consciousness did not need to directly engage the emerging physical universe in order for the intentions within it to unfold. Since God as a self-conscious
field of creative energy subsuming space/time but not a product of space/time would not experience time, the evolution of the universe, we might say, was a happening. A happening from our perspective that has taken unfathomable
amounts of time, which is meaningless to God.
Souls
Since all “matter” is a manifestation of Consciousness and life is inherent within this
material possibility, the universe evolved the conditions that would lead to the organization of living matter, which functions as a limited expression of Consciousness. The universe and everything in it is, at root, a small
subset of Source Consciousness. Living matter evolved into more and more complex forms as it adapted to the material conditions giving rise to it. Think of living matter as the vehicle within Source Consciousness that is capable
of expressing consciousness. One might think of Source Consciousness as an infinite carpet and each consciousness expressed through living matter to be a thread within the carpet. As organisms became increasingly complex,
the the thread of consciousness they could express became greater. Think of varying degrees of consciousness as different length of thread within the carpet. Once living entities evolved, they began laying down a collective
trace or memory within Source Consciousness of their “material” experiences. We might call this field memory as distinct from neurological memory. A field memory could be thought of as a pattern in the carpet comprised of multiple threads. Complex biological entities ultimately evolved into self-conscious entities and began laying down individuated memory traces within the collective field memory for the species (a.k.a. Akashic Record). These individuated
memory traces are like unique threads within the fabric of Consciousness. An embodied consciousness that evolves to the point of creating individuated memory traces in field memory is similar to what is commonly called a soul.
One might think of such embodied souls as having "structured memories" reflected in the
fabric of Consciousness. These structured memories or souls have essentially the same properties as Source Consciousness. Souls can be said to have been created in God's image, because they are really nothing more or
less than immature or undeveloped aspects of God (eternal field of creative and intelligent energy or Consciousness). As the complexity of these structured memories in Consciousness developed, they came to be called over-souls. A reciprocal relationship developed between each over-soul and its associated embodied soul or human consciousness. In this relationship an embodied soul draws on aspects of the accumulated memory of its associated over-soul. An embodied consciousness is not usually
aware of its connection to an over-soul. The experiences of each embodied consciousness in turn contribute to its over-soul through new field memory traces.
The recent evolution of the human form has been influenced by and accelerated by the needs of the
evolving over-souls or transcendent consciousnesses. Non-human animal forms have a collective or species "memory" field within Source Consciousness but have
not individuated sufficiently to have developed over-souls and therefore do not have a reciprocal relationship with an over-soul.
Each soul has what might be thought of as a symbiotic relationship with an over-soul and each over-soul
is capable of more than one such relationship at a time. Embodied consciousnesses are connected to an over-souls by what some refer to as subtle energy, where matter is comprised of dense energy. Once entangled in matter, subtle energy is masked by the dense energy of matter and conscious recognition of the connection to the over-soul, and thereby to Source Consciousness, is lost. The entangled
soul 's feelings, thoughts and actions are articulated by the nature of the form occupied, that is, the primate that came to be called human. The continuing evolution of this form to make it more suitable for the evolution
of consciousness was and continues to be collectively influenced by the over-souls. Embodied consciousness expressed through the physical form of the human species provides an opportunity for evolving consciousnesses or souls
to explore their potential and learn to appropriately employ and develop their inherent creative energies in a limited environment. Think of the the material and social environment in which humans operate as a self-directed
learning environment within Source Consciousness.
Dualism
The belief that spirit is distinct from matter or that man is distinct from God are dualistic illusions.
Thus, the traditional view of the soul is a dualistic conception that has each and every soul standing alone and separate from God and from the material world. The panentheistic view of the soul is one in which each soul is
merely an aspect of God, as is the material world. In the panentheistic view the soul's separateness or independence from God is merely an illusion. From the panentheistic perspective there is only Source Consciousness.
Everything is a manifestation of Consciousness that permeates and fills our being. Our brain then is a conduit for the infinite possibilities arising from Consciousness. When the mind focuses upon a possibility existing within
Consciousness, that possibility is selected and made manifest in the mind as an insight, idea or thought. Once one is aware of a possibility, it can be engaged in an effort to make the possibility manifest in external reality.
The
apparent split responsible for dualism is the product of the
dependent co-arising of the subject that chooses and the objects
of awareness. Objects of awareness are anything that is perceived
as “not me,” and can include thoughts as well as material objects.
The consciousness from which both the subject and the object arise
identifies with the subject pole of the dyad. This gives rise to the
mistaken perception that there is a subject independent of objects.
This mistake or illusion is necessary in order for experience, as we
know it, to occur. The basis for this mistaken perception or illusion
is the phenomenon of self-reference, which is not unlike the
circular meaning in the statement “I am a liar.”
In
such a sentence the predicate defines the subject and the subject
redefines the predicate, the predicate then redefines the subject,
setting up an endless oscillation or a tangled
hierarchy. The meaning in a statement like "I
am a liar" seemingly forever eludes us, as does the recognition
that I (ego/self) and it (object) are part of a tangled hierarchy
within a single source.
If we
don’t identify with the subject in the subject-object dyad, we can
escape the illusion. This state of consciousness is what the American
mystic Franklin Merrell-Wolff called introception,
which denotes consciousness without an object (and thus also without
a subject). To experience a state of Source Consciousness is to
achieve enlightenment
or an intuitive
understanding of unity with Consciousness and escape from the tangled
hierarchy.
The
dualistic illusion is necessary for experience. One effect of having
a dualistic perception is an egocentric conception of the world. This
egocentric conception is at the center of the cognitive simulation of
the world that we construct for ourselves and that guides our
interactions with the external world. A cognitive simulation or
one's internal reality can be mismatched to varying degrees with
external reality. This leads to a state of high contrast between
external reality and the diverse forms taken on by internal realities
operating in human consciousnesses. High contrast results in a
plethora of possibilities. Possibilities require choices. Choices
produce experience. Experience is the effect of choices that create
our personal reality. Our personal reality can be thought of
as the product of feedback from our choices. This feedback leads to
growth in understanding, albeit often by a highly circuitous route.
In
addition to our personal reality, there are group realities
and consensus reality. Group realities manifest in small to
large groups. A group reality may be manifest within a small group of
friends or in a platoon of soldiers. Political parties, scientific
societies, religions and nations are examples of larger group
realities. Group realities often evolve out of an individual's
personal reality or a small group of individuals with similar aspects
to their personal realities. Group realities can expand through
emotional contagion, persuasion and coercion. Group realities based
on emotional contagion are often short-lived (e.g., a mob). Group
realities formed by coercion tend to be unstable and not very durable
(e.g., dictatorships). Group realities formed through persuasion tend
to be the most resilient and the most persistent. Group realities
often compete with one another and competition can present as
anything from a friendly rivalry to total war.
Consensus reality as commonly perceived is created through what might be thought of
as a consensus of consciousness about the properties of the world.
Finally, there is Absolute reality,
which is what this manuscript is about. We have the freedom to
make choices that affect our personal reality and can influence group
realities, especially if they are not too large. We can’t
personally change consensus reality. However, we can collectively, by
the aggregate of our personal choices, affect consensus reality.
Refined experience and understanding within the context of our
realities ultimately contribute to the evolution and refinement of
Consciousness or Absolute reality itself.
The self
The
illusion of self develops as choices are made, neurological
memories are formed and habitual responses are elicited or
established and reinforced. We begin as young children with very few
if any conditioned responses. Over time and through experience,
conditioning shapes our response repertoire into a limited set of
probable responses. As this conditioning process progresses, the
probability of unconditioned responses declines. Thus, consciousness
repeatedly acts on conditioned outcomes from among the possibilities
actually available. At any given time, we are free to make any of the
choices available among the possibilities in the flow of
consciousness. However, conditioning makes habitual choices the most
likely.
Personal
identity or what we call ego is created through a conditioned pattern
of perception and response or an automatic program (AP).
Habitually responding from automatic programs is what is often
referred to as following the path of least resistance. It is
following the path of least resistance or making habitual responses
that leaves one with the impression that simple determinism governs
our behavior. However, we have free will, where that
vernacular term is defined as complex determinism. Complex
determinism posits that more than one possibility exists in almost
all situations and that human beings are capable of self-agency,which means that one can be a
casual factor in one's own life history.
When
a stimulus is presented that is associated with a habitual response,
it is processed by an automatic program that is outside of conscious
awareness. The AP will predispose one to the most probable response.
Between the response bias generated by the AP and the implementation
of this response, there is a brief delay. It is this delay that opens
the door to choice or self-agency. Through this brief window there is
an opportunity to choose not to respond or to make an alternative
response from the possibilities that exist. This is accomplished
through the exercise of intention and willfulness to manifest a
possibility other than the most probable or habitual choice. Of
course, one might choose a worse or equally bad response, but one can
also choose a better response. Better in the sense that it weakens
rather than reinforces a problematic, habitual pattern.
Thus,
automatic programs operate outside of conscious awareness, and
what we often call character in a person is related to the
patterns that have come to dominate his or her thinking, feelings and
actions. Such general patterns are impressed upon Source
Consciousness through field memory. These habitual patterns or
automatic programs contribute heavily to the development of what can
be called the self, ego or fictive-self. The
fictive-self evolves as a personal narrative
that is employed to explain to ourselves and others why we act the
way we do. Implicit within this narrative is our view of the world, a
world in which we place ourselves at the center. We usually become
fully identified with our narrative and the body with which it is
associated. Much of the cognitive dialog that dominates our thoughts
is related to editing, elaborating or reinforcing our personal
narrative. We live in a personal, mental simulation of the world that
we fervently believe is the "real" world. The
freedom to make creative choices is obscured by our fictive-self but
is always present, even if seldom exercised. Understanding that we
have this freedom and the exercise of it allows us to step beyond ignorance and discover our true nature.
Ignorance
The
material universe is an artifact of Consciousness that has rendered a
portion of itself ignorant of the rest so that dualistic
representations of itself can interact. One might think of the
material universe as a canvas created by an artist for the
development of his or her creative talents. In short, the dynamic
interactions that we think of as life are permutations of
subject/object relations grounded in Consciousness. Ultimately
speaking, subject and object are ONE and the material universe is an
illusion.
Human
beings represent an important component of the material world simply
because their potential greatly expands the range of possible
experience. The key component governing most subject/object
interactions involving human beings is ego. Ego is the identity
cloaking that obscures the connection between embodied consciousness
and Source Consciousness. The development of ego draws a veil
obscuring the link between consciousness and Consciousness, thereby
creating the dualistic illusion of me and not me. Everything animate
and non-animate beyond one's self-awareness is not me.
Good
and evil represent a dualistic pair of categories expressing a range
of potential that can be applied to intentional actions by ego in the
material world. From the perspective of panentheism, this dichotomy
too is ultimately an illusion because Consciousness is beyond good
and evil, since it is a spiritual singularity. However, it is
a very "real" dichotomy for individuals living in the
material world, especially those lacking direct experience of
Consciousness and awareness of the illusion. If Source Consciousness
created the material universe in order to impose a counterpoint to
itself for the purpose of gaining experience, then the "struggle"
between good and evil would appear to be an important and necessary
dimension of experience.
In
other terms, good and evil can be thought of as the difference
between enlightened actions and actions grounded in ignorance. When
construed this way, actions grounded in ignorance blind one to one's
true nature, that is, as an aspect of Source Consciousness or God.
Thus, evil arises out of spiritual ignorance that leads one to invest
one's sense of being in ego. Life ultimately consists of each
individual's struggle to overcome ignorance and thereby achieve
enlightenment. This dichotomy between enlightenment and ignorance
might be thought of as a bipolar construct, where one end is anchored
by selflessness and the other end is anchored by selfishness
or, conversely, love versus egotism. The further one's identity falls
toward the selfishness or egotism end of the scale, the greater one's
ignorance and the potential for "evil" actions.
An
interviewer at the Nuremberg trials for Nazi war criminals was asked
if he had learned anything from his interviews. He replied that what
he had learned was that evil was the total absence of empathy.
Empathy can be construed as the ability to expand one's sense of "me"
to include others. Carried to its logical conclusion, this inclusive
expansion submerges ego and becomes selflessness, which is the
antithesis of "me" or ego. True selflessness requires the
evolution of consciousness, which requires the expansion of empathy
that leads to a life grounded in compassion and love.
Evil
then in this scheme of reasoning arises from attempts to gratify ego
desires. Desire is what one wants as distinct from what one needs.
One needs shelter but wants a penthouse apartment on Affluence
Avenue. Desires are rooted in status seeking, righteousness,
jealousy, lust, pride, power, honor, envy, fame and fortune, along
with many other similar obstacles to the expansion of empathy,
spiritual development and enlightenment. When objects are perceived
by ego as merely means to satisfy desire, they have no inherent value
independent of one's use of them. People, animals, plants, physical
elements are all treated as objects for satisfying one's desires. The
desires of ego are an expression of ignorance and the source of evil
in the world. Satan, in Christian theology, might be thought of as
the personification of ego desire. Thus, to be consumed by the fires
of ego desire is, metaphorically
speaking, to be in Hell.
Reincarnation
An
over-soul (a.k.a. transcendent Consciousness) exists outside of
space/time and thus represents all realized and unrealized
possibilities in what we would call the past, present and future.
Possibilities within an over-soul are affected by what we would call
previous entanglements and experiences in the material world inside
space/time. In all cases, an over-soul represents far more aspects
than could be manifest in a single physical form.
A
given unfolding of a strand of consciousness from an over-soul
elaborates and articulates an embodied consciousness generated by the
aggregate of consciousness arising in a developing human form. The
transcendent Consciousness of an over-soul influences the development
of a physical form in a context that has a strong correlation with
karmic patterns comprising a thread of karmic needs in an over-soul.
In other words, an over-soul focuses on a developing physical form
that has the biological foundations (for example, gender and
temperament) and the situational circumstances (for example,
ethnicity and nationality) to support, in whole or large part, karmic
needs. The Consciousness of the over-soul then joins into a
reciprocal relationship with the developing physical form and its
embodied consciousness. As an articulation of an embodied
consciousness takes place, it unfolds in graduated stages.
One
elaboration that unfolds is a subtle energy body called the vital
body. This subtle (non-material) body or
energy field contains patterns that contribute to the development of
the physical body. Another elaboration that unfolds is the mental
body. The mental body contributes a complex
of patterns of meaning acquired through experience and encoded in the
over-soul that articulate complex thoughts and feelings. Some
influences associated with the vital body can begin quite early.
However, there can be no mapping of the mental body, which in
traditional religious terms is most closely associated with the idea
of a soul, until a sufficient level of neural development has taken
place. Thus, the mental body probably begins mapping onto the nervous
system after about six months of development.
The
third subtle body is the theme body.
The themes represented in this field are similar to what Jung called archetypes, which may
have both universal and individual components. The individual
components of the theme body are what might be call karmic patterns.
Thus, the structure of the physical body is influenced by the
"blueprints" in the vital body being mapped onto the
physical body. The mental body "writes" or maps its program
onto the nervous system, contributing to the meaningful processing of
experience. The theme body provides broad parameters within which
experiences are understood and related. The theme body, however, is
not mapped onto the physical form but is always accessible through a
supra-conscious connection. While the theme body exerts broad
influences, it is most often expressed as general tendencies or
karmic patterns. In addition to karmic patterns, the theme body may
exert influence through synchronicity, dreams, intuition and
insights. An articulation of an embodied consciousness by an
over-soul provides a pathway for the embodied consciousness through
the theme body to the over-soul and thereby to Source Consciousness.
Karma
Specific
field memories important to the self in past incarnations, such
as recalling how to tie a shoe or speak French, are potentially
accessible. Access to specific field memories from previous
incarnations is possible because the over-soul component of
Consciousness is outside of space/time. In a sense, all incarnations
are simultaneous and the field memories for one is as accessible as
another. However, such access to specific field memories from
previous incarnations is relatively rare. Usually, the operative
memories will be field memories of general patterns such as character
traits like generosity or jealousy, of talents such as music or
mathematics or of behavioral tendencies such as risk-taking or
phobias. It is from these generalized field memories that the
over-soul selects what is manifested through a new incarnation. The
generalized memory patterns held in field memory are what is known as
karma.
Karmic
patterns, in other words, generalized field memory patterns,
influence current incarnations by biasing the probability that
certain choices will be made within a given context. In short, the
conditioned response biases acquired in one incarnation can be
carried across into a new incarnation. For example, one may have
developed a pattern of responses we would call jealousy in a
previous incarnation. The extended consciousness of the over-soul may
choose to manifest that pattern in the next incarnation. Thus, an
individual with a karmic bias toward jealousy will in suitable
contexts be predisposed to making habitual responses associated with
jealousy. The purpose is to provide the individual with opportunities
to rise above this obstacle to Self-realization.
The
converse would be true for a more positive pattern such as a musical
talent. Having such a talent manifest within an incarnation will
increase the probability that one will make choices that create
appropriate contexts for further developing the talent. The purpose
is to exercise the ability and make positive use of the creative
energies available. Each incarnation brings with it a collection of
patterns or karma accumulated during prior incarnations. In other
words, there is an opportunity for each of us to overcome negative
patterns and to creatively enhance positive patterns.
Karmic patterns do not impose outcomes. They set the
conditions that are likely to lead to certain types of learning
opportunities. Habitual response patterns predispose one to respond
in a certain way to those situations. Because of self-agency, there
is always the possibility that one will choose a less probable or
creative response that is more positive than the response offered up
by an AP. A more negative response is also possible when choosing an
untried alternative response. Making a more positive response entails
being creative in the face of a challenge rather than being habitual
or reactive. Repeated success in exercising self-agency to make
better choices will result in a change in the conditioned pattern and
thus in one's karma. The single biggest obstacle to our spiritual
evolution is the belief that we are our fictive-self or personal
narrative. Learning to step out from behind this mask and see the
world and our choices with "fresh eyes" is to be "reborn"
or "awakened" and is an essential step in overcoming
ignorance and changing our character.
Birth
and death are complimentary aspects of the karmic cycle. Death is the
end of one turn of the cycle and usually the antecedent for the next
turn in the cycle. Death is simply withdrawal of consciousness from a
degraded physical form, a form that has served its purpose as a
temporary vehicle for gaining experience in the material world. Death
is a phenomenon of the material world and therefore an illusion.
Source Consciousness and the over-souls within it are immortal and
eternal.
Death
is also an exceptional window of opportunity. A conscious death is a
process that can lead to liberation. As consciousness withdraws from
the physical body, it is possible to become fully aware of all of
one's past incarnations and the obstacles that need to be overcome.
Genuine regret for and understanding of past errors arising out of
ignorance can result in their resolution through Grace. There are,
however, some karmic issues that can only be resolved by working
through them in a physical incarnation. Grace leads to a moment of
total clarity, spiritual joy and enlightenment. Conscious dying
requires preparation and intent for which a prior spiritual practice
is important.
Spiritual Practice
Given
the discussion above, it seems clear that if one accepts that one has
a spiritual nature that is a manifestation within Consciousness or
Spirit, then one should take an active interest in the evolution of
that nature and its contribution to the whole. What follows will draw
upon material offered to us by spirit entities communicating through
individuals incarnate in the material world. If one
believes in the immortality of the soul, then one must believe in
spirit entities, for what else would a dis-incarnate soul be? If one
believes that there are spirit entities, then what is so unbelievable
about the possibility of some type of communication? Bear in mind
that there can be a lot of diversity in channeled messages. Simply
dying doesn't necessarily make you more astute. Leaving all that
aside, if one has doubts about these sources then just disregard the
source and simply read and be open to the message. If it resonates
with you and you learn something from it, then great. If not, then
dismiss it and go on your way.
It
almost goes without saying that the goal of developing one's
consciousness will be for most people a task requiring some organized
effort, which is generally thought of as a spiritual practice.
Edgar Cayce (a.k.a. the Sleeping Prophet) frequently addressed the
core and most important step in developing a spiritual practice. That
step was setting a personal ideal with the intent that
it be used to guide one in interactions with others. Cayce
recommended that such an ideal should encompass such qualities as love, service, compassion and understanding. He further suggested that as an aid to
focus, a historical or fictional exemplar of one's personal ideal,
e.g., Yogananda, Gandhi, Gautama or Jesus, might be useful.
Simply
setting an ideal is not enough, because to be useful it must be put
into practice. An ideal is applied by using it as a standard to self-evaluate one's thoughts and actions on a daily basis.
Cayce counseled that the evolution of your consciousness is not
determined by spiritual knowledge but how well you apply that
knowledge in your actions. Cayce emphasized both thought and
behavior. Thought because of his repeated admonition that "mind
is the builder." What he meant here is that consciousness is
primary. Who and what you are ultimately derives from your thoughts,
and it is these thoughts that motivate behavior, including behaviors
that conform to one's personal ideal. Behavior then must be motivated
by positive intent if it is to contribute to one's spiritual
evolution. "Good" behavior motivated by ego, imposed by
religion, coerced by social opinion or enforced by law is done for
the wrong reason and contributes nothing to spiritual evolution.Setting and following a personal ideal then is spiritual practice
in it most basic sense.
The
Seth entity that channeled through the writer Jane Roberts also spoke
of the importance of ideals and supported Cayce's view that the
primary way in which ideals need to be expressed is through
interaction with others within the context of daily life. Seth
cautions that we often set very broad and general ideals as a way of
avoiding having to act upon them. Such ideals seem beyond the ability
of a mere individual to significantly impact, so we fail to act or
expect institutions to act on our behalf. Seth also warns that people
"...often believe that any means is justified in the pursuit of
the ideal...Each act that is not in keeping with the ideal begins to
unravel that ideal at its very core." Seth, like Cayce, suggests
that "...in your job and in your associations, are the places
where you intersect with the world." It is in these very
personal and daily relationships where you have the most power to
affect the world. Personal ideals can only be realized through acting
on them. Seth argues that it is the cumulative effect of this type of
action that changes the world. Changing the world is a
bottom-up process that begins with oneself.
The
Aaron entity that channels through Vipassana teacher Barbara Brodsky
takes a somewhat different but compatible focus. Aaron would not
disagree with Cayce or Seth about doing (acting in the world)
but suggests that another important component in a spiritual practice
is being (seeking the Self), for which meditation and
Self-inquiry are appropriate methods.
One
effect of a meditation practice is that it diminishes the
temporal discontinuity obscuring one's automatic programs (APs) from
conscious awareness. This makes it easier to become aware of APs and
to exercise self-agency to deal with problematic APs. The other
effect is that sitting quietly and allowing thoughts and feelings to
arise into awareness and pass through provides practice in not being
reactive to such thoughts and feelings. In meditation, one attempts
to develop skill at not following or exploring the thoughts and
feelings that arise into consciousness, which gradually exposes the
true nature of the fictive-self and how it turns us, in a manner of
speaking, into zombies. Thus, systematic application of meditation to
develop embodied consciousness helps us see through the fictive-self
and gives us the tools needed to explore our APs and to be more
deliberate or mindful about our choices.
Aaron
focuses on meditation as part of a spiritual practice that helps one
reconnect with the inner core of love that is the essence of Source
Consciousness or God. In Aaron's view there is only one emotion and
that is love. The most basic corruption of that emotion is fear. Fear
arises along with the development of ego or self that engenders a
dualistic view of the world, a world that we essentially see as
separate from us and full of potential threat to the self and its
interests. He also states that fear lies at the heart of many
manifestations of negativity by whatever name we might call them,
e.g., hate, greed, envy and even feelings that we don't usually
associate with negativity, such as pride and righteousness. For
Aaron, meditation is a method for helping us learn to neutralize fear
and embrace our inner core of unconditional love, which is reflected
in our behavior through what he calls loving-kindness.
Awakening
then is achieved by first coming to understand on an experiential (as
distinct from intellectual) level the true nature of the fictive-self
or ego and how it blocks us from connection with the true, spiritual
Self. This is aided by quietly observing in meditation the operation
of the self and coming to understand it. Learning the true nature of
the fictive-self and learning to stand aside from it allows us to
recover our natural mind. Once one is no
longer ruled by the fictive-self, it can be skillfully employed as a
useful tool for existing in the material world. This
opens up the possibility of moving through the barrier posed by the
fictive-self to reconnect with that inner spiritual Self and the love
reflected by it. The practice of Self-inquiry can be useful for
facilitating that reconnection. Recovering the natural mind may or
may not immediately lead to enlightenment or a direct
experience of the unconditional, universal love of Consciousness or
God. However, this connection must be nurtured to be maintained.
This requires that it become the centered space from which one
interacts with the world. It is the ultimate spiritual practice. There
is an eclectic program of meditation and self-inquiry in Appendix
Eight.
Realization
of the true Self (enlightenment) can be a dramatic personal
experience as reported by many who have had such an experience. It
can also be a gradual, evolving experience that slowly colonizes the
self. In neither case does it transform one into a miracle worker or
saint. Many people may not even observe any outward change in someone
who has become a Self-realized being. To the truly observant,
however, one's way of being in the world will be apparent even if in
many cases only subtly different.
Conclusion