Causa Finalis

By: Jimmy De Bilde

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 A Fellow Seeker on The Existence of a “Netherworld”

“So from personal experience around the exploration of these states of mind (hypnosis,
meditation, hallucinogens, etc), one can get a sense of both the power of the subconscious
with respect to its affect on our realities writ large as well as, as well as the potential of the
subconscious with respect to its relationship to the infinite, through which and by which being
and awareness itself rests.

Words become difficult to express the notion at some point but if you’re looking to better
understand the depth and power of the subconscious mind (or Mind in its more limitless
aspects) I would read Dolores Cannon (metaphysical works) as well as Jung if you want a bit
more psychological and intellectual depth.

I have some essays on both of these authors on my site - snowconediaries.com, which is

where I assume you got this email address from - so a search on each should show you the
relevant essays, each of which will have referenced material behind it.

Breadcrumbs my friend. Follow the breadcrumbs…”

Juan Valdez (P. W.)

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Plato’s Theory of Forms

The thinking behind Platos Theory of Forms

 Plato believed that what we see around us (material world) is a world of appearances.

 Plato believed that this world is not the basis for attainment of true and real
knowledge. He assumed the existence of another world in another dimension. He
claimed that the objects of real knowledge must be ageless and eternal.

 According to Plato, everything that we see in this world is nothing but a secondary
copy of the idea in what he called the “World of Forms and Ideas”.

 He asks, what does it mean to be a tree or an animal?

 In the material world, things like trees and plants and animals will all die out.

 The world of forms holds the true form of everything in our world. These cannot die.

The Forms

 A Form is the idea about what a thing is.

 For example, there are many types of trees but when we think of a tree there are
certain characteristics we assign to it – it has branches and leaves.

 So, there must be an ideal tree in the world of forms. An ideal, which every other tree
imitates.

Plato’s Forms

 Plato was not concerned with trees, he was concerned with the ideal Forms of
concepts such as Beauty, Truth, Justice and the Good.

 He observed that the term beauty may be applied to different objects and people.

 However, there are many types of beauty.

 Plato suggests that underlying all of these is the real Form of beauty.

 And some part of the idea of beauty is imitated by all the different beautiful things.

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The Form of the Good

 The most important form is the Form of the Good. In the material world we can label
things as good, but this does not tell us what goodness is.

The World of Forms

 Plato says that there must be somewhere where these Forms exist.

 As a form is unchanging as it is not a physical object and it can never die, so it cannot
be in the material world.

 Plato suggests that in our world there are only shadows and images of the Forms.

 When we are born, we have some recollection of what the Forms are – he suggests
evidence for this is that we all have a basic understanding of what beauty is without
being taught it.

 However, through our lives we lose the idea of the True forms.

 The Philosopher is someone who tries to escape the material world and see the Forms
that lie behind it.

 In his book, The Republic, Plato suggests that it is the Philosophers who should rule in
society.

How does Platos Theory of Forms fit with the Allegory of the Cave?

 Plato uses the Allegory of the Cave to demonstrate his theory of Forms

 The trapped prisoners represent the regular people who can only see the shadows of
the true forms

 The escaped prisoner represents the Philosopher who is trying to reach the world of
Forms

 The outside world represents the world of Forms, where the true form of beauty lies

 The sun represents the form of the Good, as it is the source of all other forms.

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P. D. Ouspensky - “Fragments Of An Unknown Teaching”
As I have already mentioned before, G. used the expressions "objective" and "subjective" in a
special sense, taking as a basis the divisions of "subjective" and "objective" states of
consciousness.

 All our ordinary knowledge which is based on ordinary methods of observation and
verification of observations, all scientific theories deduced from the observation of
facts accessible to us in subjective states of consciousness, he called subjective
(knowledge).

 Knowledge based upon ancient methods and principles of observation, knowledge of

things in themselves, knowledge accompanying "an objective state of consciousness,"
knowledge of the All, was for him objective knowledge.

I will try to convey what followed as far as I remember it, making use partly of notes made by
some of G.'s Moscow pupils and partly of notes of my own on the Petersburg talks.

Objective knowledge

"One of the most central of the ideas of objective knowledge," said G., "is the idea of the
unity of everything, of unity in diversity. From ancient times people who have understood the
content and the meaning of this idea, and have seen in it the basis of objective knowledge,
have endeavored to find a way of transmitting this idea in a form comprehensible to others.
The successive transmission of the ideas of objective knowledge has always been a part of the
task of those possessing this knowledge. In such cases the idea of the unity of everything, as
the fundamental and central idea of this knowledge, had to be transmitted first and transmitted
with adequate completeness and exactitude. And to do this the idea had to be put into such
forms as would insure its proper perception by others and avoid in its transmission the
possibility of distortion and corruption. For this purpose the people to whom the idea was
being transmitted were required to undergo a proper preparation, and the idea itself was put
either into a logical form, as for instance in philosophical systems which endeavored to give a
definition of the 'fundamental principle' or from which everything else was derived, or into
religious teachings which endeavored to create an element of faith and to evoke a wave of
emotion carrying people up to the level of 'objective consciousness.' The attempts of both the
one and the other, sometimes more sometimes less successful, run through the whole history
of mankind from the most ancient times up to our own time and they have taken the form of
religious and philosophical creeds which have remained like monuments on the paths of these
attempts to unite the thought of mankind and esoteric thought.

"But objective knowledge, the idea of unity included, belongs to objective consciousness. The
forms which express this knowledge when perceived by subjective consciousness are
inevitably distorted and, instead of truth, they create more and more delusions. With objective
consciousness it is possible to see and feel the unity of everything. But for subjective
consciousness the world is split up into millions of separate and unconnected phenomena.
Attempts to connect these phenomena into some sort of system in a scientific or a
philosophical way lead to nothing because man cannot reconstruct the idea of the whole
starting from separate facts and they cannot divine the principles of the division of the whole
without knowing the laws upon which this division is based.

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"None the less the idea of the unity of everything exists also in intellectual thought but in its
exact relation to diversity it can never be clearly expressed in words or in logical forms. There
remains always the insurmountable difficulty of language. A language which has been
constructed through expressing impressions of plurality and diversity in subjective states of
consciousness can never transmit with sufficient completeness and clarity the idea of unity
which is intelligible and obvious for the objective state of consciousness.

"Realizing the imperfection and weakness of ordinary language the people who have
possessed objective knowledge have tried to express the idea of unity in 'myths,' in 'symbols,'
and in particular 'verbal formulas' which, having been transmitted without alteration, have
carried on the idea from one school to another, often from one epoch to another.

"It has already been said that the higher psychic centers work in man's higher states of
consciousness: the 'higher emotional' and the 'higher mental.' The aim of 'myths' and 'symbols'
was to reach man's higher centers, to transmit to him ideas inaccessible to the intellect and to
transmit them in such forms as would exclude the possibility of false interpretations. 'Myths'
were destined for the higher emotional center; 'symbols' for the higher thinking center. By
virtue of this all attempts to understand or explain 'myths' and 'symbols' with the mind, or the
formulas and the expressions which give a summary of their content, are doomed beforehand
to failure. It is always possible to understand anything but only with the appropriate center.
But the preparation for receiving ideas belonging to objective knowledge has to proceed by
way of the mind, for only a mind properly prepared can transmit these ideas to the higher
centers without introducing elements foreign to them.

"The symbols that were used to transmit ideas belonging to objective knowledge included
diagrams of the fundamental laws of the universe and they not only transmitted the
knowledge itself but showed also the way to it. The study of symbols, their construction and
meaning, formed a very important part of the preparation for receiving objective knowledge
and it was in itself a test because a literal or formal understanding of symbols at once made it
impossible to receive any further knowledge.

"Symbols were divided into the fundamental and the subordinate; the first included the
principles of separate domains of knowledge; the second expressed the essential nature of
phenomena in their relation to unity.

"Among the formulas giving a summary of the content of many symbols there was one which
had a particular significance, namely the formula 'As above, so below,' from the 'Emerald
Tablets of Hermes Trismegistus.' This formula stated that all the laws of the cosmos could be
found in the atom or in any other phenomenon which exists as something completed
according to certain laws. This same meaning was contained in the analogy drawn between
the microcosm - man, and the macrocosm - the universe. The fundamental laws of triads and
octaves penetrate everything and should be studied simultaneously both in the world and in
man. But in relation to himself man is a nearer and a more accessible object of study and
knowledge than the world of phenomena outside him. Therefore, in striving towards a
knowledge of the universe, man should begin with the study of himself and with the
realization of the fundamental laws within him.

"From this point of view another formula. Know thyself, is full of particularly deep meaning
and is one of the symbols leading to the knowledge of truth. The study of the world and the
study of man will assist one another. In studying the world and its laws a man studies himself,

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and in studying himself he studies the world. In this sense every symbol teaches us something
about ourselves.

"The understanding of symbols can be approached in the following way: In studying the
world of phenomena a man first of all sees in everything the manifestation of two principles,
one opposed to the other, which, in conjunction or in opposition, give one result or another,
that is, reflect the essential nature of the principles which have created them. This
manifestation of the great laws of duality and trinity man sees simultaneously in the cosmos
and in himself. But in relation to the cosmos he is merely a spectator and moreover one who
sees only the surface of phenomena which are moving in various directions though seeming
to him to move in one direction. But in relation to himself his understanding of the laws of
duality and trinity can express itself in a practical form, namely, having understood these laws
in himself, he can, so to speak, confine the manifestation of the laws of duality and trinity to
the permanent line of struggle with himself on the way to self-knowledge. In this way he will
introduce the line of will first into the circle of time and afterwards into the cycle of eternity,
the accomplishing of which will create in him the great symbol known by the name of the
Seal of Solomon.

"The transmission of the meaning of symbols to a man who has not reached an understanding
of them in himself is impossible. This sounds like a paradox, but the meaning of a symbol and
the disclosure of its essence can only be given to, and can only be understood by, one who, so
to speak, already knows what is comprised in this symbol. And then a symbol becomes for
him a synthesis of his knowledge and serves him for the expression and transmission of his
knowledge just as it served the man who constructed it.

"The more simple symbols or the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, which express them, possess a definite
meaning in relation to the inner development of man; they show different stages on the path
of man's self-perfection and of the growth of his being.

"Man, in the normal state natural to him, is taken as a duality. He consists entirely of dualities
or 'pairs of opposites.' All man's sensations, impressions, feelings, thoughts, are divided into
positive and negative, useful and harmful, necessary and unnecessary, good and bad, pleasant
and unpleasant. The work of centers proceeds under the sign of this division. Thoughts
oppose feelings. Moving impulses oppose instinctive craving for quiet. This is the duality in
which proceed all the perceptions, all the reactions, the whole life of man. Any man who
observes himself, however little, can see this duality in himself.

"But this duality would seem to alternate; what is victor today is the vanquished tomorrow;
what guides us today becomes secondary and subordinate tomorrow. And everything is
equally mechanical, equally independent of will, and leads equally to no aim of any kind. The
understanding of duality in oneself begins with the realization of mechanicalness and the
realization of the difference between what is mechanical and what is conscious. This
understanding must be preceded by the destruction of the self-deceit in which a man lives
who considers even his most mechanical actions to be volitional and conscious and himself to
be single and whole.

"When self-deceit is destroyed and a man begins to see the difference between the mechanical
and the conscious in himself, there begins a struggle for the realization of consciousness in
life and for the subordination of the mechanical to the conscious. For this purpose a man
begins with endeavors to set a definite decision, coming from conscious motives, against

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mechanical processes proceeding according to the laws of duality. The creation of a
permanent third principle is for man the transformation of the duality into the trinity.

"Strengthening this decision and bringing it constantly and infallibly into all those events
where formerly accidental neutralizing 'shocks' used to act and give accidental results, gives a
permanent line of results in time and is the transformation of trinity into quaternity. The next
stage, the transformation of quaternity into quinternity and the construction of the pentagram
has not one but many different meanings even in relation to man. And of these is learned, first
of all, one, which is the most beyond doubt, relating to the work of centers.

"The development of the human machine and the enrichment of being begins with a new and
unaccustomed functioning of this machine. We know that a man has five centers: the
thinking, the emotional, the moving, the instinctive, and the sex. The predominant
development of any one center at the expense of the others produces an extremely one-sided
type of man, incapable of further development. But if a man brings the work of the five
centers within him into harmonious accord, he then 'locks the pentagram within him' and
becomes a finished type of the physically perfect man. The full and proper functioning of five
centers brings them into union with the higher centers which introduce the missing principle
and put man into direct and permanent connection with objective consciousness and objective
knowledge.

"And then man becomes the six-pointed star, that is, by becoming locked within a circle of
life independent and complete in itself, he becomes isolated from foreign influences or
accidental shocks; he embodies in himself the Seal of Solomon.

"In the present instance the series of symbols given - 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 - is interpreted as
applicable to one process. But even this interpretation is incomplete, because a symbol can
never be fully interpreted. It can only be experienced, in the same way, for instance, as the
idea of self-knowledge must be experienced.

"This same process of the harmonious development of man can be examined from the point
of view of the law of octaves. The law of octaves gives another system of symbols. In the
sense of the law of octaves every completed process is a transition of the note do through a
series of successive tones to the do of the next octave. The seven fundamental tones of the
octave express the law of seven. The addition to it of the do of the next octave, that is to say,
the crowning of the process, gives the eighth step. The seven fundamental tones together with
the two 'intervals' and 'additional shocks' give nine steps. By incorporating in it the do of the
next octave we have ten steps. The last, the tenth, step is the end of the preceding and the
beginning of the next cycle. In this way the law of octaves and the process of development it
expresses, include the numbers 1 to 10. At this point we come to what may be termed the
symbolism of numbers. The symbolism of numbers cannot be understood without the law of
octaves or without a clear conception of how octaves are expressed in the decimal system and
vice versa.

"In Western systems of occultism there is a method known by the name of 'theosophical
addition,' that is, the definition of numbers consisting of two or more digits by the sum of
those digits. To people who do not understand the symbolism of numbers this method of
synthesizing numbers seems to be absolutely arbitrary and to lead nowhere. But for a man
who understands the unity of everything existing and who has the key to this unity the method

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of theosophical addition has a profound meaning, for it resolves all diversity into the
fundamental laws which govern it and which are expressed in the numbers 1 to 10.

"As was mentioned earlier, in symbology, as represented, numbers are connected with
definite geometrical figures, and are mutually complementary one to another. In the Cabala a
symbology of letters is also used and in combination with the symbology of letters a
symbology of words. A combination of the four methods of symbolism by numbers,
geometrical figures, letters, and words, gives a complicated but more perfect method.

"Then there exists also a symbology of magic, a symbology of alchemy, and a symbology of
astrology as well as the system of the symbols of the Tarot which unites them into one whole.
"Each one of these systems can serve as a means for transmitting the idea of unity. But in the
hands of the incompetent and the ignorant, however full of good intentions, the same symbol
becomes an 'instrument of delusion.' The reason for this consists in the fact that a symbol can
never be taken in a final and definite meaning. In expressing the laws of the unity of endless
diversity a symbol itself possesses an endless number of aspects from which it can be
examined and it demands from a man approaching it the ability to see it simultaneously from
different points of view. Symbols which are transposed into the words of ordinary language
become rigid in them, they grow dim and very easily become 'their own opposites,' confining
the meaning within narrow dogmatic frames, without giving it even the very relative freedom
of a logical examination of a subject. The cause of this is in the literal understanding of
symbols, in attributing to a symbol a single meaning. The truth is again veiled by an outer
covering of lies and to discover it requires immense efforts of negation in which the idea of
the symbol itself is lost. It is well known what delusions have arisen from the symbols of
religion, of alchemy, and particularly of magic, in those who have taken them literally and
only in one meaning.

"At the same time the right understanding of symbols cannot lead to dispute. It deepens
knowledge, and it cannot remain theoretical because it intensifies the striving towards real
results, towards the union of knowledge and being, that is, to Great Doing. Pure knowledge
cannot be transmitted, but by being expressed in symbols it is covered by them as by a veil,
although at the same time for those who desire and who know how to look this veil becomes
transparent.

"And in this sense it is possible to speak of the symbolism of speech although this symbolism
is not understood by everyone. To understand the inner meaning of what is said is possible
only on a certain level of development and when accompanied by the corresponding efforts
and state of the listener. But on hearing things which are new for him, instead of making
efforts to understand them, a man begins to dispute them, or refute them, maintaining against
them an opinion which he considers to be right and which as a rule has no relation whatever
to them. In this way he loses all chance of acquiring anything new. To be able to understand
speech when it becomes symbolical it is essential to have learned before and to know already
how to listen. Any attempt to understand literally, where speech deals with objective
knowledge and with the union of diversity and unity, is doomed to failure beforehand and
leads in most cases to further delusions.

"It is necessary to dwell upon this because the intellectualism of contemporary education
imbues people with a propensity and a tendency to look for logical definitions and for logical
arguments against everything they hear and, without noticing it, people unconsciously fetter

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themselves with their desire, as it were, for exactitude in those spheres where exact
definitions, by their very nature, imply inexactitude in meaning.

"Therefore, because of the tendency referred to in our thinking, it often happens that exact
knowledge concerning details, communicated to a man before he has acquired an
understanding of the essential nature of a thing, makes it difficult for him to understand this
essential nature. This does not mean that exact definitions do not exist on the way of true
knowledge, on the contrary, only there do they exist; but they differ very greatly from what
we usually think them to be. And if anyone supposes that he can go along the way of self-
knowledge guided by an exact knowledge of all details, and if he expects to have such
knowledge without first having given himself the trouble to assimilate the indications he has
received concerning his own work, then he should first of all understand that he will not attain
knowledge until he makes the necessary efforts and that only of himself and only by his own
efforts can he attain what he seeks. No one can ever give him what he did not possess before;
no one can do for him the work he should do for himself. All that another can do for him is to
give him the impetus to work and from this point of view symbolism, properly perceived,
plays the part of an impetus of this kind for our knowledge.

Levels Of Being; Animate/Inanimate Matter; Consciousness & Intelligence Of Matter

This period marks the beginning of talks about Noah's Ark. I had always considered the myth
of Noah's Ark to be an esoteric allegory. Many of our company had now begun to see that this
myth was not merely an allegory of the general idea of esotericism but was, at the same time,
a plan of any esoteric work, our own included. The system itself was an "ark" in which we
could hope to save ourselves at the time of the "flood."

G. arrived only at the beginning of February, 1917. At one of the first talks he showed us an
entirely new side to everything he had spoken about up till then.

"So far," he said, "we have looked upon the 'table of hydrogens' as a table of vibrations and of
the densities of matter which are in an inverse proportion to them. We must now realize that
the density of vibrations and the density of matter express many other properties of matter.
For instance, till now we have said nothing about the intelligence or the consciousness of
matter. Meanwhile the speed of vibrations of a matter shows the degree of intelligence of the
given matter. You must remember that there is nothing dead or inanimate in nature.
Everything in its own way is alive, everything in its own way is intelligent and conscious.
Only this consciousness and intelligence is expressed in a different way on different levels of
being - that is, on different scales. But you must understand once and for all that nothing is
dead or inanimate in nature, there are simply different degrees of animation and different
scales.

"The 'table of hydrogens,' while serving to determine the density of matter and the speed of
vibrations, serves at the same time to determine the degree of intelligence and consciousness
because the degree of consciousness corresponds to the degree of density or the speed or
vibrations. This means that the denser the matter the less conscious it is, the less intelligent.
And the denser the vibrations, the more conscious and the more intelligent the matter.

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"Really dead matter begins where vibrations cease. But under ordinary conditions of life on
the earth's surface we have no concern with dead matter. And science cannot procure it. All
the matter we know is living matter and in its own way it is intelligent.

"In determining the degree of density of matter the 'table of hydrogens' also determines by
this the degree of intelligence. This means that in making comparisons between the matters
which occupy different places in the 'table of hydrogens,' we determine not only their density
but also their intelligence. And not only can we say how many times this or that 'hydrogen' is
denser or lighter than another, but we can say how many times one 'hydrogen' is more
intelligent than another.

"The application of the 'table of hydrogens' for the determination of the different properties of
things and of living creatures which consist of many 'hydrogens' is based on the principle that
in each living creature and in each thing there is one definite 'hydrogen' which is the center of
gravity; it is, so to speak, the 'average hydrogen' of all the 'hydrogens' constituting the given
creature or thing. To find this 'average hydrogen' we will, to begin with, speak about living
creatures. First of all it is necessary to know the level of being of the creature in question. The
level of being is primarily determined by the number of stories in the given machine. So far
we have spoken only about man. And we have taken man as a three-story structure. We
cannot speak about animals and man at one and the same time because animals differ in a
radical way from man. The highest animals we know consist of two stories and the lowest of
only one story."

G. made a drawing.

 "A man consists of three stories.

 "A sheep consists of two stories.

 "A worm consists of only one story.

"At the same time the lower and middle stories of a man are, so to speak, equivalent to the
sheep, and the lower story—to the worm. So that it can be said that a man consists of a man, a
sheep, and a worm, and that a sheep consists of a sheep and a worm. Man is a complex
creature; the level of his being is determined by the level of being of the creatures of which he
is composed. The sheep and the worm may play a bigger or a smaller part in man. Thus the
worm plays the chief part in man number one; in man number two - the sheep; and in man
number three – man.

But these definitions are important only in individual cases. In a general sense 'man' is
determined by the center of gravity of the middle story.

"The center of gravity of the middle story of man is 'hydrogen' 96. The intelligence of
'hydrogen' 96 determines the average intelligence of 'man,' that is, the physical body f man.
The center of gravity of the 'astral body' will be 'hydrogen' 48. The center of gravity of the
third body will be 'hydrogen' 24, and the center of gravity of the fourth body will be
'hydrogen' 12.

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"If you remember the diagram of the four bodies of man which has been previously given and
in which the 'average hydrogens' of the upper story were shown, it will be easier for you to
understand what I am now saying."

G. drew this diagram:

"The center of gravity of the upper story is only one 'hydrogen' higher than the center of
gravity of the middle story. And the center of gravity of the middle story is one 'hydrogen'
higher than the center of gravity of the lower story.

"But, as I have already said, to determine the level of being by the 'table of hydrogens' it is
usual to take the middle story. "With this as a point of departure it is possible for example to
solve such problems: "Let us suppose Jesus Christ to be man number eight, how many times
is Jesus Christ more intelligent than a table?

"A table has no stories. It lies wholly between 'hydrogen' 1536 and 'hydrogen' 3072 according
to the third scale of the 'table of hydrogens.' Man number eight is 'hydrogen' 6. This is the
center of gravity of the middle story of man number eight. If we are able to calculate how
many times 'hydrogen' 6 is more intelligent than 'hydrogen' 1536 we shall know how many
times man number eight is more intelligent than a table. But, in this connection, it must be
remembered that 'intelligence' is determined not by the density of matter but by the density of
vibrations. The density of vibrations, however, increases not by doubling as in the octaves of
'hydrogens' but in an entirely different progression which many times outnumbers the first. If
you know the exact coefficient of this increase you will be in a position to solve this problem.
I only want to show that, however strange it looks, the problem can be solved.

"Partly in connection with what I have just said it is imperative that you should understand the
principles of the classification and the definition of living beings from the cosmic point of
view, from the point of view of their cosmic existence. In ordinary science classification is
made according to external traits - bones, teeth, functions; mammals, vertebrates, rodents, and
so on; in exact knowledge classification is made according to cosmic traits. As a matter of
fact there are exact traits, identical for everything living, which allows us to establish the class
and the species of a given creature with the utmost exactitude, both in relation to other
creatures as well as to its own place in the universe.

"These traits are the traits of being. The cosmic level of being of every living creature is
determined:

 "First of all by what this creature eats,

 "Secondly by what he breathes, and

 "Thirdly by the medium in which it lives.

"These are the three cosmic traits of being.

'Take for instance man. He feeds on 'hydrogen' 768, breathes 'hydrogen' 192, and lives in
'hydrogen' 192. There is no other being like him on our planet. Although there are beings
higher than he is. Animals such as the dog can feed on 'hydrogen' 768 but they can also feed
on a lower 'hydrogen' not 768 but approaching 1536, food of a kind impossible for man. A

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bee feeds on a 'hydrogen' much higher than 768, even higher than 384, but it lives in a hive in
an atmosphere where man could not live. From an outward point of view man is an animal.
But he is an animal of a different order from all other animals.

Let us take another example - a flour worm. It feeds on flour, a 'hydrogen' far coarser than
'hydrogen' 768 because the worm can also live on rotten flour. Let us say that this also is
1536. It breathes 'hydrogen' 192 and lives in 'hydrogen' 1536.

 "A fish feeds on 'hydrogen' 1536, lives in 'hydrogen' 384, and breathes 'hydrogen' 192.

 "A tree feeds on 'hydrogen' 1536, breathes only partly 'hydrogen' 192 and partly
'hydrogen' 96, and lives partly in 'hydrogen' 192 and partly in 'hydrogen' 3072 (soil).

"If you try to continue these definitions you will see that this plan, so simple at the first
glance, makes it possible to determine the most subtle distinctions between classes of living
beings, especially if you bear in mind that 'hydrogens,' taking them as we have by octaves, are
very broad concepts. For example, we took it that a dog, a fish, and a flour worm alike feed
on 'hydrogen' 1536, implying by this 'hydrogen' substances of organic origin which are not
good for human food. Now, if we realize that these substances in their turn can be divided
into definite classes, we shall see the possibility of very exact definitions. It is exactly the
same with air and exactly the same with the medium.

"These cosmic traits of being are immediately connected with the definition of intelligence
according to the 'table of hydrogens.'

"The intelligence of a matter is determined by the creature for whom it can serve as food. For
example, which is more intelligent from this point of view, a raw potato or a baked potato? A
raw potato can serve as food for pigs and a baked potato as food for man. A baked potato is
more intelligent than a raw potato.

"If these principles of classification and definition are understood in the right way, many
things become clear and comprehensible. No living being can change its food at will, or the
air it breathes, or the medium in which it lives. The cosmic order of each being determines its
food as well as the air it breathes and the medium in which it lives.

"When we talked before about the octaves of food in the three-story factory we saw that 'all
the finer 'hydrogens' needed for the working, the growth, and the evolution of the organism
were prepared from three kinds of food, that is, from food in the strict meaning of the word -
eatables and drink, from air which we breathe, and from impressions. Now let us suppose that
we could improve the quality of food and air, feed, let us say, on 'hydrogen' 384 instead of
768 and breathe 'hydrogen' 96 instead of 192. How much simpler and easier the preparation of
fine matters in the organism would be then. But the whole point is that this is impossible. The
organism is adapted to transform precisely these coarse matters into fine matters, and if you
give it fine matters instead of coarse matters it will not be in a position to transform them and
it will very soon die. Neither air nor food can be changed. But impressions, that is, the quality
of the impressions possible to man, are not subject to any cosmic law. Man cannot improve
his food, he cannot improve the air. Improvement in this case would be actually making
things worse. For instance 'hydrogen* 96 instead of 192 would be either very rarefied air or
very hot incandescent gases which man cannot possibly breathe; fire is 'hydrogen' 96. It is
exactly the same with food. 'Hydrogen' 384 is water. If man could improve his food, that is,

15
make it finer, he would have to feed on water and breathe fire. It is clear that this is
impossible. But while it is not possible for him to improve his food and air he can improve his
impressions to a very high degree and in this way introduce fine 'hydrogens' into the
organism. It is precisely on this that the possibility of evolution is based. A man is not at all
obliged to feed on the dull impressions of H48, he can have both H24, H12, and H6, and even
H3. This changes the whole picture and a man who makes higher 'hydrogens' the food for the
upper story of his machine will certainly differ from one who feeds on the lower 'hydrogens.'"

In one of the following conversations G. again returned to the subject of classification

according to cosmic traits.

"There is still another system of classification,"' he said, "which you also ought to understand.
This is a classification in an altogether different ratio of octaves. The first classification by
'food,' 'air,' and medium definitely refers to 'living beings' as we know them, including plants,
that is to say, to individuals. The other classification of which I shall now speak leads us far
beyond the limits of what we call 'living beings' both upwards, higher than living beings, as
well as downwards, lower than living beings, and it deals not with individuals but with classes
in a very wide sense. Above all this classification shows that there are no jumps whatever in
nature. In nature everything is connected and everything is alive. The diagram of this
classification is called the 'Diagram of Everything Living.'

"According to this diagram every kind of creature, every degree of being, is defined by what
serves as food for this kind of creature or being of a given level and for what they themselves
serve as food, because in the cosmic order each class of creature feeds on a definite class of
lower creature and is food for a definite class of higher creatures."

G. drew a diagram in the form of a ladder with eleven squares. And in each square excepting
the two higher he put three circles with numbers. (See Fig. 58.)

"Each square denotes a level of being," he said. "The 'hydrogen' in the lower circle shows
what the given class of creatures feeds on. The 'hydrogen' in the upper circle shows the class
which feeds on these features. And the 'hydrogen' in the middle circle is the average
'hydrogen' of this class showing what these creatures are.

"The place of man is the seventh square from the bottom or the fifth square from the top.
According to this diagram man is 'hydrogen' 24, he feeds on 'hydrogen' 96, and is himself
food for 'hydrogen' 6. The square next below man will be 'vertebrates'; the next 'invertebrates.'
Invertebrates are 'hydrogen' 96. Consequently man feeds on 'invertebrates.'

"Do not for the moment look for contradictions but try to understand what this may mean.
And equally do not compare this diagram with others. According to the diagram of food man
feeds on 'hydrogen' 768; according to this diagram on 'hydrogen' 96. Why? What does it
mean? Both the one is right and the other is right. Later, when you grasp this you will piece
everything together into one.

'The square next below is - plants. The next - minerals, the next -metals, which constitute a
separate cosmic group among minerals; and the following square has no name in our
language because we never meet with matter in this state on the earth's surface. This square
comes into contact with the Absolute. You remember we spoke before about 'Holy the Firm.'
This is 'Holy the Firm.'"

16
At the bottom of the last square he placed a small triangle with its apex below.

"Now, on the other side of man is square 3, 12, 48. This is a class of creatures which we do
not know. Let us call them 'angels.' The next square - 1, 6, 24; Let us call these beings
'archangels.'"

In the following square he put figures 3 and 12 and two circles, each with a point at their
centers, and called it the "Eternal Unchanging," and in the next square he put the figures 1 and
6; he put a circle in the middle and in this circle a triangle containing another circle with a
point at its center and called it the "Absolute."

"This diagram will not be very comprehensible to you at first," he said. "But gradually you
will learn to make it out. Only for a long time you will have to take it separately from all the
rest."

This was in fact all I heard from G. about this strange diagram which actually appeared to
upset a great deal of what had been said before.

In our conversations about this diagram we very soon agreed to take "angels" as planets and
"archangels" as suns. Many other things gradually became clear to us. But what used to
confuse us a great deal was the appearance of "hydrogen" 6144 which was absent altogether
in the previous scale of "hydrogens" in the third scale which ended with "hydrogen" 3072. At
the same time, G. insisted that the enumeration of "hydrogens" had been taken according to
the third scale.

A long time afterwards I asked him what this meant.

"It is an incomplete 'hydrogen,'" he said. "A 'hydrogen' without the Holy Ghost. It belongs to
the same, that is to the third, scale, but it is unfinished.

"Each complete 'hydrogen' is composed of 'carbon,' 'oxygen,' and 'nitrogen.' Now take the last
'hydrogen' of the third scale, 'hydrogen' 3072. This 'hydrogen' is composed of 'carbon' 512,
'oxygen' 1536, and 'nitrogen' 1024.
"Now further: 'Nitrogen' becomes 'carbon' for the next triad, but there is no 'oxygen' for it and
no 'nitrogen.' Therefore by condensation it becomes itself 'hydrogen' 6144, but it is a dead
hydrogen without any possibility of passing into anything further, a 'hydrogen' without the
Holy Ghost."

17
Scientists Just Captured The Flash of Light
That Sparks When a Sperm Meets an Egg
BEC CREW
27 APRIL 2016

For the first time ever, scientists have captured images of the flash of light
that sparks at the very moment a human sperm cell makes contact with an
egg.

The phenomenon has been observed in animals before, but no one’s ever
seen the spark of human conception. And what’s even more incredible is
the fact that some eggs burn brighter than others, which is a direct
indication of their ability to develop into a healthy embryo, a team from
Northwestern University found.

So why do sparks literally fly at the moment of conception? Back in 2011,

the Northwestern team discovered that sparks of zinc exploded at the point
of conception in mice.

It took them a few years to figure out how to image this event, but by 2014,
they’d managed to film the event for the first time ever, and watched as
billions of zinc atoms were released at the exact moment when a mammal's
egg is pierced by a sperm cell.

Using a new fluorescent sensor that's able to track the movements of zinc
in live cells, the team caught a glimpse of an egg’s zinc-storage capabilities,
and found some 8,000 zinc compartments, each one containing around 1
million zinc atoms, just ripe for exploding. The tiny 'fireworks' that result
were found to last for about 2 hours after fertilisation.

Now, the same team has managed to film this event occurring in a human
egg at the point of conception.

"It was remarkable," says one of the team, Teresa Woodruff. "We
discovered the zinc spark just five years ago in the mouse, and to see the
zinc radiate out in a burst from each human egg was breathtaking."

If you follow health science news closely, you’ll know that the vast majority
of studies - even the most promising ones - fail to live up to their potential.
Maybe positive results in mice didn’t translate in humans, or perhaps lab-

18
based studies couldn’t be replicated in living organisms. Maybe the
researchers simply ran out of funding.

But in this case, we can actually see how quickly the team has progressed
from mice to humans, and in the space of just five years, have figured out
something that could change a lot of lives - the flashes of light that have
now been seen in humans for the first time can be used to determine the
viability of an individual egg.
For couples relying on IVF treatments, that’s huge, because around 50
percent of fertilised eggs do not develop properly due to some kind of
unavoidable genetic mix-up.

Northwestern University

"This is an important discovery because it may give us a non-invasive and

easily visible way to assess the health of an egg and eventually an embryo
before implantation," says one of the researchers, Eve Feinberg.

19
"There are no tools currently available that tell us if it’s a good quality
egg," she adds. "Often we don’t know whether the egg or embryo is truly
viable until we see if a pregnancy ensues. That’s the reason this is so
transformative. If we have the ability up front to see what is a good egg and
what’s not, it will help us know which embryo to transfer, avoid a lot of
heartache, and achieve pregnancy much more quickly."

For the experiment, the team used a sperm enzyme to activate the egg
(fertilising the egg with actual sperm for research purposes is illegal under
US federal law) and watched as the event triggered calcium levels to rise
inside the egg, which prompted the release of zinc.

"As the zinc shoots out, it binds to small molecules which emit a
fluorescence which can be picked up by camera microscopes," Sarah
Knapton explains for The Telegraph.

So why is zinc so special? The researchers found that eggs

compartmentalise and distribute zinc to control the development of a
healthy embryo - the mineral plays a vital role in controlling the 'decision'
the egg makes to grow into an embryo - so the more zinc that’s released,
the brighter the flash, and the more viable the egg.

"The egg first has to stockpile zinc and then must release some of the zinc
to successfully navigate maturation, fertilisation, and the start of
embryogenesis," said one of the team, Thomas O’Halloran, back in 2014.
"But exactly how much zinc is involved in this remarkable process and
where is it in the cell?"

This is hopefully a question the researchers are now equipped to answer,

and we can’t wait to see what they discover next.
The results have been published in Scientific Reports.

“…Together they produce what the ancients

called the Light of Creation…”

20
Trinity
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Holy Trinity (disambiguation), Trinity
(disambiguation) and God in Three Persons (album).

A diagram of the Trinity

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from Latin: trinus 'threefold')[1] defines one
God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons:[2][3] God the Father, God the
Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three distinct persons sharing
one homoousion (essence). In this context, the three persons define who God is, while the one
[4]

essence defines what God is.[5][6]

This doctrine is called Trinitarianism and its adherents are called trinitarians, while its
opponents are called antitrinitarians or nontrinitarians. Christian nontrinitarian positions
include Unitarianism, Binitarianism and Modalism.
While the developed doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New
Testament, the New Testament possesses a triadic understanding of God[7] and contains a
number of Trinitarian formulas.[8][9] The doctrine of the Trinity was first formulated among
the early Christians and fathers of the Church as they attempted to understand the relationship
between Jesus and God in their scriptural documents and prior traditions. [10]

21
The Old Testament[edit]

Russian icon of the Old Testament Trinity by Andrei Rublev,

between 1408 and 1425

The Old Testament has been interpreted as referring to the Trinity in many places. One of these is
the prophecy about the Messiah in Isaiah 9. The Messiah is called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Some see this verse as meaning the Messiah will
represent the Trinity on earth. This is because Counselor is a title for the Holy Spirit (John 14:26),
the Trinity is God, Father is a title for God the Father, and Prince of Peace is a title for Jesus. This
verse is also used to support the Deity of Christ.[11]
Another verse used to support the Deity of Christ is [12]
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of
man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given
dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall
not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 ESV
This is because both the Ancient of Days (God the Father) and the Son of Man (Jesus, Matt
16:13) have an everlasting dominion, which is ascribed to God in Psalm 145:13.[13]
Some also see
“Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven.
Genesis 19:24 ESV
as Trinitarian since they think it is saying the Lord in heaven is different from the Lord on earth. [14]
People also see the Trinity when the OT refers to God's word (Psalm 33:6), his spirit (Isaiah
61:1), and Wisdom (Proverbs 9:1), as well as narratives such as the appearance of the three men
to Abraham.[15] However, it is generally agreed among Trinitarian Christian scholars that it would
go beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament to correlate these notions directly with
later Trinitarian doctrine. [16]
Some Church Fathers believed that a knowledge of the mystery was granted to the prophets and
saints of the Old Testament, and that they identified the divine messenger of Genesis 16:7,
Genesis 21:17, Genesis 31:11, Exodus 3:2 and Wisdom of the sapiential books with the Son, and

22
"the spirit of the Lord" with the Holy Spirit. [16] Other Church Fathers, such as Gregory Nazianzen,
argued in his Orations that the revelation was gradual, claiming that the Father was proclaimed in
the Old Testament openly, but the Son only obscurely, because "it was not safe, when the
Godhead of the Father was not yet acknowledged, plainly to proclaim the Son". [17]
Genesis 18–19 has been interpreted by Christians as a Trinitarian text. The narrative has the Lord
appearing to Abraham, who was visited by three men. [18] In Genesis 19, "the two angels"
visited Lot at Sodom.[19] The interplay between Abraham on the one hand and the Lord/three
men/the two angels on the other was an intriguing text for those who believed in a single God in
three persons. Justin Martyr, and John Calvin similarly, interpreted it such that Abraham was
visited by God, who was accompanied by two angels.[20] Justin supposed that the God who visited
Abraham was distinguishable from the God who remains in the heavens, but was nevertheless
identified as the (monotheistic) God. Justin interpreted the God who visited Abraham as Jesus, the
second person of the Trinity.
Augustine, in contrast, held that the three visitors to Abraham were the three persons of the
Trinity.[20] He saw no indication that the visitors were unequal, as would be the case in Justin's
reading. Then in Genesis 19, two of the visitors were addressed by Lot in the singular: "Lot said
to them, 'Not so, my lord'" (Gen. 19:18).[20] Augustine saw that Lot could address them as one
because they had a single substance, despite the plurality of persons. [a]
Some[which?] Christians interpret the theophanies, or appearances of the Angel of the Lord, as
revelations of a person distinct from God, who is nonetheless called God. This interpretation is
found in Christianity as early as Justin Martyr and Melito of Sardis, and reflects ideas that were
already present in Philo.[21] The Old Testament theophanies were thus seen as Christophanies, each
a "preincarnate appearance of the Messiah". [22]

The New Testament[edit]

While the developed doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New
Testament, the New Testament contains a number of Trinitarian formulas, including Matthew
28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Corinthians 12:4–5, Ephesians 4:4–6, 1 Peter 1:2, and Revelation
1:4–5.[8][23] Reflection by early Christians on passages such as the Great Commission: "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit" and Paul the Apostle's blessing: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all", leading theologians
across history in attempting to articulate the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Eventually, the diverse references to God, Jesus, and the Spirit found in the New Testament were
brought together to form the doctrine of the Trinity—one Godhead subsisting in three persons and
one substance. The doctrine of the Trinity was used to oppose alternative views of how the three
are related and to defend the church against charges of worshiping two or three gods. [24]

1 John 5:7–8[edit]
Modern Biblical scholarship largely agrees that 1 John 5:7 seen in Latin and Greek texts after the
4th century and found in later translations such as the King James Translation, cannot be found in
the oldest Greek and Latin texts. Verse 7 is known as the Johannine Comma, which most scholars
agree to be a later addition by a later copyist or what is termed a textual gloss [25] and not part of
the original text.[b] This verse reads:
Because there are three in Heaven that testify – the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit – and
these three are one.
This verse is absent from the Ethiopic, Aramaic, Syriac, Slavic, Armenian, Georgian, and Arabic
translations of the Greek New Testament.

23
Jesus in the New Testament[edit]

God in the person of the Son confronts Adam and Eve. Master Bertram (1415)

In the Pauline epistles, the public, collective devotional patterns towards Jesus in the early
Christian community are reflective of Paul's perspective on the divine status of Jesus in what
scholars have termed a "binitarian" pattern or shape of devotional practice (worship) in the New
Testament, in which "God" and Jesus are thematized and invoked. [26] Jesus receives prayer (1
Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 12:8–9), the presence of Jesus is confessionally invoked by
believers (1 Corinthians 16:22; Romans 10:9-13; Philippians 2:10-11), people are baptized in
Jesus' name (1 Corinthians 6:11; Romans 6:3), Jesus is the reference in Christian fellowship for a
religious ritual meal (the Lord's Supper; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).[27] Jesus is described as "existing
in the very form of God" (Philippians 2:6), and having the "fullness of the Deity [living] in bodily
form" (Colossians 2:9). Jesus is also in some verses directly called God (Rom 9:5,[28] Titus 2:13, 2
Peter 1:1).
The Gospels depict Jesus as human through most of their narrative, but "[o]ne eventually
discovers that he is a divine being manifest in flesh, and the point of the texts is in part to make
his higher nature known in a kind of intellectual epiphany."[29] In the Gospels Jesus is described as
forgiving sins, leading some theologians to believe Jesus is portrayed as God. [30] This is because
Jesus forgives sins on the behalf of others, people normally only forgive transgressions against
oneself. The teachers of the law next to Jesus recognizes this and said
“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Mark 2:7
Jesus also receives προσκύνησις (proskynesis) in the aftermath of the resurrection, a Greek term
that either expresses the contemporary social gesture of bowing to a superior, either on one's
knees or in full prostration (in Matthew 18:26 a slave performs προσκύνησις to his master so that
he would not be sold after being unable to pay his debts). The term can also refer to the religious
act of devotion towards a deity. While Jesus receives προσκύνησις a number of times in
the synoptic Gospels, only a few can be said to refer to divine worship.[31] This includes Matthew
28:16–20, an account of the resurrected Jesus receiving worship from his disciples after
proclaiming he has been given authority over the cosmos and his ever-continuing presence with
the disciples (forming an inclusio with the beginning of the Gospel, where Jesus is given the name

24
Emmanuel/"God with us", a name that alludes to the God of Israel's continuing presence with his
followers throughout the Old Testament (Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 20:1) and used in
reference to Jesus in the resurrection account). [32][33] Whereas some have argued that Matthew
28:19 was an interpolation on account of its absence from the first few centuries of early Christian
quotations, scholars largely accept the passage as authentic due to its supporting manuscript
evidence and that it does appear to be either quoted in the Didache (7:1–3)[34] or at least reflected
in the Didache as part of a common tradition from which both Matthew and the Didache
emerged.[35] Jesus receiving divine worship in the post-resurrection accounts is further mirrored in
Luke 24:52.[36][37][36] Acts depicts the early Christian movement as a public cult centered around
Jesus in several passages. In Acts, it is common for individual Christians to "call" upon the name
of Jesus (9:14, 21; 22:16), an idea precedented in the Old Testament descriptions of calling on the
name of YHWH as a form of prayer. The story of Stephen depicts Stephen invoking and crying
out to Jesus in the final moments of his life to receive his spirit (7:59–60). Acts further describes a
common ritual practice inducting new members into the early Jesus sect by baptizing them in
Jesus' name (2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5). [38] According to Dale Allison, Acts depicts the appearances
of Jesus to Paul as a divine theophany, styled on and identified with the God responsible for the
theophany of Ezekiel in the Old Testament. [39]
The Gospel of John has been seen as especially aimed at emphasizing Jesus' divinity, presenting
Jesus as the Logos, pre-existent and divine, from its first words: "In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).[40] The Gospel of John ends with
Thomas's declaration that he believed Jesus was God, "My Lord and my God!" (John
20:28).[24] There is no significant tendency among modern scholars to deny that John 1:1 and John
20:28 identify Jesus with God. [41] John also portrays Jesus as the agent of creation of the
universe.[42]
Jesus in later Christian theology[edit]
Some have suggested that John presents a hierarchy[43][44] when he quotes Jesus as saying, "The
Father is greater than I", a statement which was appealed to by nontrinitarian groups such
as Arianism.[45] However, Church Fathers such as Augustine of Hippo and Thomas
Aquinas argued this statement was to be understood as Jesus speaking about his human nature. [46][47]
Holy Spirit in the New Testament[edit]
Prior Jewish theology held that the Spirit is merely the divine presence of God
himself,[48] whereas orthodox Christian theology holds that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person of
God himself. This development begins early in the New Testament, as the Spirit of God receives
much more emphasis and description comparably than it had in earlier Jewish writing. Whereas
there are 75 references to the Spirit within the Old Testament and 35 identified in the non-
biblical Dead Sea Scrolls, the New Testament, despite its significantly shorter length, mentions
the Spirit 275 times. In addition to its larger emphasis and importance placed on the Spirit in the
New Testament, the Spirit is also described in much more personalized and individualized terms
than earlier.[49] Larry Hurtado writes;

Moreover, the New Testament references often portray actions that seem to give the Spirit an
intensely personal quality, probably more so than in Old Testament or ancient Jewish texts. So,
for example, the Spirit "drove" Jesus into the wilderness (Mk 1:12; compare "led" in Mt. 4:1/Lk
4:1), and Paul refers to the Spirit interceding for believers (Rom 8:26–27) and witnessing to
believers about their filial status with God (Rom 8:14–16). To cite other examples of this, in Acts
the Spirit alerts Peter to the arrival of visitors from Cornelius (10:19), directs the church in
Antioch to send forth Barnabas and Saul (13:2–4), guides the Jerusalem council to a decision
about Gentile converts (15:28), at one point forbids Paul to missionize in Asia (16:6), and at
another point warns Paul (via prophetic oracles) of trouble ahead in Jerusalem (21:11). [49]

25
The Holy Spirit is described as God in the book of the Acts of the Apostles
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back
for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your
own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this
deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” Acts 5:3-4
Peter first says Annias is lying to the Holy Spirit, he then says he is lying to God.
In the New Testament, the Spirit is not portrayed as the recipient of cultic devotion, which
instead, is typically offered to God the Father and to the risen/glorified Jesus. Although what
became mainstream Christianity subsequently affirmed the propriety of including the Spirit as the
recipient of worship as reflected in the developed form of the Nicene Creed, perhaps the closest to
this in the New Testament is in Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 which describe the Spirit
as the subject of religious ritual. [50]
Holy Spirit in later Christian theology[edit]
As the Arian controversy was dissipating, the debate moved from the deity of Jesus Christ to the
equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and Son. On one hand, the Pneumatomachi sect
declared that the Holy Spirit was an inferior person to the Father and Son. On the other hand,
the Cappadocian Fathers argued that the Holy Spirit was equal to the Father and Son in nature or
substance.
Although the main text used in defense of the deity of the Holy Spirit was Matthew 28:19,
Cappadocian Fathers such as Basil the Great argued from other verses such as "But Peter said,
'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself
part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after
it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart?
You have not lied to men but to God.'" (Acts 5:3–4).
Another passage the Cappadocian Fathers quoted from was "By the word of the Lord the heavens
were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host" (Psalm 33:6). According to their
understanding, becau " ("ruach"), Psalm 33:6 is
revealing the roles of the Son and Holy Spirit as co-creators. And since, because only the holy
God can create holy beings such as the angels, the Son and Holy Spirit must be God.
Yet another argument from the Cappadocian Fathers to prove that the Holy Spirit is of the same
nature as the Father and Son comes from "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of
that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of
God" (1 Corinthians 2:11). They reasoned that this passage proves that the Holy Spirit has the
same relationship to God as the spirit within us has to us. [51]
The Cappadocian Fathers also quoted, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that
God's Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16) and reasoned that it would be blasphemous for
an inferior being to take up residence in a temple of God, thus proving that the Holy Spirit is
equal with the Father and the Son. [52]
They also combined "the servant does not know what his master is doing" (John 15:15) with 1
Corinthians 2:11 in an attempt to show that the Holy Spirit is not the slave of God, and therefore
his equal.[53]
The Pneumatomachi contradicted the Cappadocian Fathers by quoting, "Are they not all
ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Hebrews
1:14) in effect arguing that the Holy Spirit is no different from other created angelic spirits. [54] The
Church Fathers disagreed, saying that the Holy Spirit is greater than the angels, since the Holy
Spirit is the one who grants the foreknowledge for prophecy (1 Corinthians 12:8-10) so that the
angels could announce events to come. [51]

26
Early Christianity [edit]
Further information: Trinitarianism in the Church Fathers
Before the Council of Nicaea [edit]

Detail of the earliest known artwork of the Trinity, the Dogmatic or Trinity Sarcophagus,
c. 350 (Vatican Museums): Three similar figures, representing the Trinity, are involved
in the creation of Eve, whose much smaller figure is cut off at lower
right; to her right, Adam lies on the ground[55]

While the developed doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the New
Testament, it was first formulated as early Christians attempted to understand the relationship
between Jesus and God in their scriptural documents and prior traditions. [10]
An early reference to the three “persons” of later Trinitarian doctrines appears towards the end of
the first century, where Clement of Rome rhetorically asks in his epistle as to why corruption
exists among some in the Christian community; "Do we not have one God, and one Christ, and
one gracious Spirit that has been poured out upon us, and one calling in Christ?" (1 Clement
46:6).[56] A similar example is found in the first century Didache, which directs Christians to
"baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". [57] Ignatius of
Antioch similarly refers to all three persons around AD 110, exhorting obedience to "Christ, and
to the Father, and to the Spirit". [58] Though all of these early sources do reference the three persons
of the Trinity, none articulate full divinity, equal status, or shared being as elaborated by
Trinitarians in later centuries.
The pseudonymous Ascension of Isaiah, written sometime between the end of the first century
and the beginning of the third century, possesses a "proto-trinitarian" view, such as in its narrative
of how the inhabitants of the sixth heaven sing praises to "the primal Father and his Beloved
Christ, and the Holy Spirit". [59]
Justin Martyr (AD 100 – c. 165) also writes, "in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the
universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit". [60] Justin Martyr is the first to
use much of the terminology that would later become widespread in codified Trinitarian theology.
For example, he describes that the Son and Father are the same "being" (ousia) and yet are also
distinct faces (prosopa), anticipating the three persons (hypostases) that come with Tertullian and

27
later authors. Justin describes how Jesus, the Son, is distinguishable from the Father but also
derives from the Father, using the analogy of a fire (representing the Son) that is lit from its
source, a torch (representing the Father). [61] At another point, Justin Martyr wrote that "we worship
him [Jesus Christ] with reason, since we have learned that he is the Son of the living God himself,
and believe him to be in second place and the prophetic Spirit in the third" (1 Apology 13, cf. ch.
60).

The Adoration of the Trinity by Albrecht Dürer (1511): from top to bottom:
Holy Spirit (dove), God the Father and the crucified Christ

The first of the early Church Fathers to be recorded using the word "Trinity" was Theophilus of
Antioch writing in the late 2nd century. He defines the Trinity as God, his Word (Logos) and his
Wisdom (Sophia)[62] in the context of a discussion of the first three days of creation, following the
early Christian practice of identifying the Holy Spirit as the Wisdom of God.[63]
The first defense of the doctrine of the Trinity was by Tertullian, who was born around 150–160
AD, explicitly "defined" the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and defended his theology
against Praxeas,[64] although he noted that the majority of the believers in his day found issue with
his doctrine.[65]

28
 The "Heavenly Trinity" joined to the "Earthly Trinity" through the Incarnation of
the Son – The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities by Murillo (c. 1677).

St. Justin and Clement of Alexandria referenced all three persons of the Trinity in
their doxologies and St. Basil likewise, in the evening lighting of lamps. [66]
Origen of Alexandria (AD 185 – c. 253) has often been interpreted as Subordinationist —
believing in shared divinity of the three persons but not in co-equality. (Some modern researchers
have argued that Origen might have actually been anti-Subordinationist and that his own
Trinitarian theology inspired the Trinitarian theology of the later Cappadocian Fathers.)[67][68]
The concept of the Trinity can be seen as developing significantly during the first four centuries
by the Church Fathers in reaction to theological interpretations known
as Adoptionism, Sabellianism, and Arianism. Adoptionism was the belief that Jesus was an
ordinary man, born of Joseph and Mary, who became the Christ and Son of God at his baptism. In
269, the Synods of Antioch condemned Paul of Samosata for his Adoptionist theology, and also
condemned the term homoousios (ὁμοούσιος, "of the same being") in the modalist sense in which
he used it.[69]
Among the nontrinitarian beliefs, the Sabellianism taught that the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit are essentially one and the same, the difference being simply verbal, describing
different aspects or roles of a single being. [70] For this view Sabellius was excommunicated
for heresy in Rome c. 220.

29
First Council of Nicaea (325)[edit]
Main article: First Council of Nicaea

The Glory of Saint Nicholas, by António Manuel da Fonseca. Nicholas of Myra,

a participant in the First Council of Nicaea, achieves the beatific vision in the
shape of the Holy Trinity.

In the fourth century, Arianism, as traditionally understood,[c] taught that the Father existed prior
to the Son who was not, by nature, God but rather a changeable creature who was granted the
dignity of becoming "Son of God". [71] In 325, the First Council of Nicaea adopted the Nicene
Creed which described Christ as "God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten,
not made, being of one substance with the Father", and the "Holy Ghost" as the one by which
"was incarnate ... of the Virgin Mary".[72][73] ("the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us").
About the Father and the Son, the creed used the term homoousios (of one substance) to define the
relationship between the Father and the Son. After more than fifty years of
debate, homoousios was recognised as the hallmark of orthodoxy, and was further developed into
the formula of "three persons, one being".
The Confession of the First Council of Nicaea, the Nicene Creed, said little about the Holy
Spirit.[74] At the First Council of Nicea (325) all attention was focused on the relationship between
the Father and the Son, without making any similar statement about the Holy Spirit. In the words
of the creed:
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things visible and invisible. And in one
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the
essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father; ... And [we believe] in the Holy Ghost. ...

30
First Council of Constantinople (381)[edit]
Main article: First Council of Constantinople
Later, at the First Council of Constantinople (381), the Nicene Creed would be expanded, known
as Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, by saying that the Holy Spirit is worshiped and glorified
together with the Father and the Son (συμπροσκυνούμενον καὶ συνδοξαζόμενον), suggesting that
he was also consubstantial with them:
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible
and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father
before all worlds (æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one
substance with the Father; ... And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth
from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake
by the prophets ... [75]
The doctrine of the divinity and personality of the Holy Spirit was developed by Athanasius in the
last decades of his life. [76] He defended and refined the Nicene formula. [74] By the end of the 4th
century, under the leadership of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of
Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine had reached substantially its current form. [74]

Middle Ages [edit]

In the late 6th century, some Latin-speaking churches added the words "and from the Son"
(Filioque) to the description of the procession of the Holy Spirit, words that were not included in
the text by either the Council of Nicaea or that of Constantinople. [77] This was incorporated into the
liturgical practice of Rome in 1014. [78] Filioque eventually became one of the main causes for
the East–West Schism in 1054, and the failures of the repeated union attempts.
Gregory of Nazianzus would say of the Trinity, "No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am
illumined by the splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Three than I am carried back
into the One. When I think of any of the Three, I think of Him as the Whole, and my eyes are
filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of that
One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the rest. When I contemplate the Three together, I see
but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the undivided light." [79]
Devotion to the Trinity centered in the French monasteries at Tours and Aniane where Saint
Benedict dedicated the abbey church to the Trinity in 872. Feast days were not instituted until
1091 at Cluny and 1162 at Canterbury and papal resistance continued until 1331. [66]

31
Theology [edit]
"Trinitarian" redirects here. For other uses, see Trinitarian (disambiguation).
Trinitarian baptismal formula [edit]
Main article: Trinitarian formula

The Baptism of Christ, by Piero della Francesca, 15th century

Baptism is generally conferred with the Trinitarian formula, "in the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit". [Mt 28:19] Trinitarians identify this name with the Christian faith into
which baptism is an initiation, as seen for example in the statement of Basil the Great (330–379):
"We are bound to be baptized in the terms we have received, and to profess faith in the terms in
which we have been baptized." The First Council of Constantinople (381) also says, "This is the
Faith of our baptism that teaches us to believe in the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit. According to this Faith there is one Godhead, Power, and Being of the Father, of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19 may be taken to indicate that baptism was associated
with this formula from the earliest decades of the Church's existence. Other Trinitarian formulas
found in the New Testament include in 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, Ephesians 4:4–
6, 1 Peter 1:2 and Revelation 1:4–5.[8][23]
Oneness Pentecostals demur from the Trinitarian view of baptism and emphasize baptism "in the
name of Jesus Christ" only, what they hold to be the original apostolic formula. [80] For this reason,
they often focus on the baptisms in Acts. Those who place great emphasis on the baptisms in Acts
often likewise question the authenticity of Matthew 28:19 in its present form. Most scholars of
New Testament textual criticism accept the authenticity of the passage, since there are no variant
manuscripts regarding the formula,[34] and the extant form of the passage is attested in
the Didache[81] and other patristic works of the 1st and 2nd
centuries: Ignatius,[82] Tertullian,[83] Hippolytus,[84] Cyprian,[85] and Gregory Thaumaturgus.[86]
Commenting on Matthew 28:19, Gerhard Kittel states:
This threefold relation [of Father, Son and Spirit] soon found fixed expression in the triadic
formulae in 2 Cor. 13:14 and in 1 Cor. 12:4–6. The form is first found in the baptismal formula

32
in Matthew 28:19; Did., 7. 1 and 3. ... [I]t is self-evident that Father, Son and Spirit are here
linked in an indissoluble threefold relationship.[87]
One God in three persons[edit]
In Trinitarian doctrine, God exists as three persons but is one being, having a single
divine nature.[88] The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature,
power, action, and will. As stated in the Athanasian Creed, the Father is uncreated, the Son is
uncreated, and the Holy Spirit is uncreated, and all three are eternal without beginning. [89] "The
Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" are not names for different parts of God, but one name for
God[90] because three persons exist in God as one entity. [91] They cannot be separate from one
another. Each person is understood as having the identical essence or nature, not merely similar
natures.[92]
According to the Eleventh Council of Toledo (675) "For, when we say: He who is the Father is
not the Son, we refer to the distinction of persons; but when we say: the Father is that which the
Son is, the Son that which the Father is, and the Holy Spirit that which the Father is and the Son
is, this clearly refers to the nature or substance". [93]
The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) adds: "Therefore in God there is only a Trinity, not a
quaternity, since each of the three persons is that reality — that is to say substance, essence or
divine nature-which alone is the principle of all things, besides which no other principle can be
found. This reality neither begets nor is begotten nor proceeds; the Father begets, the Son is
begotten and the holy Spirit proceeds. Thus there is a distinction of persons but a unity of nature.
Although therefore the Father is one person, the Son another person and the holy Spirit another
person, they are not different realities, but rather that which is the Father is the Son and the holy
Spirit, altogether the same; thus according to the orthodox and catholic faith they are believed to
be consubstantial. "[94]
Clarification of the relationships among the three Trinitarian Persons (divine persons, different
from the sense of a "human self") advanced in the Magisterial statement promulgated by
the Council of Florence (1431–1449), though its formulation precedes the Council: "These three
persons are one God and not three gods, for the three are one substance, one essence, one nature,
one Godhead, one infinity, one eternity, and everything (in them) is one where there is no
opposition of relationship [relationis oppositio]".[d] Robert Magliola explains that most theologians
have taken relationis oppositio in the "Thomist" sense, namely, the "opposition of relationship"
[in English we would say "oppositional relationship"] is one of contrariety rather
than contradiction. The only "functions" that are applied uniquely to the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit respectively in Scripture are the following: "Paternity" to the Father, "Filiation" (Sonship)
to the Son, and "Passive Spiration" or that which is "breathed out", to the Holy Spirit. Magliola
goes on to explain:
Because such is the case (among other reasons), Karl Rahner rejects the "psychological" theories
of Trinity which define the Father as Knower, for example, and the Son as the Known (i.e.,
Truth). Scripture in one place or another identifies Knowing with each of the three Persons all
told. Which is to say, according to the relationis oppositio, Knowing (in our example) does not
define the Persons [qua individual Persons] at all, but the Unity of God instead. (Scripture's
attribution of Knowing to any one Person at any one time is said to be just "appropriated" to the
Person: it does not really belong to that unique Person). [95]
Magliola, continuing the Rahnerian stance, goes on to explain that the Divine Persons necessarily
relate to each other in terms of "pure negative reference", that is, the three "Is Not" relations
represented in the Scutum Fidei diagram are in each case a pure or absolute "Is Not". This is the
case because the relationis oppositio clause disallows the Persons to "share", qua Persons, the
unique role that defines each of them. Lest he be misunderstood, Magliola, in a subsequent
publication, makes sure to specify that each of the three Persons, while unique as a Person, is

33
nonetheless—because of the Divine "consubstantiality" and "simplicity"—the one Reality that is
God.[96]
Perichoresis[edit]
Main article: Perichoresis

A depiction of the Council of Nicaea in AD 325, at which the Deity of Christ

was declared orthodox and Arianism condemned

Perichoresis (from Greek, "going around", "envelopment") is a term used by some scholars to
describe the relationship among the members of the Trinity. The Latin equivalent for this term
is circumincessio. This concept refers for its basis to John 10:38,14:11,14:20, where Jesus is
instructing the disciples concerning the meaning of his departure. His going to the Father, he says,
is for their sake; so that he might come to them when the "other comforter" is given to them.
Then, he says, his disciples will dwell in him, as he dwells in the Father, and the Father dwells in
him, and the Father will dwell in them. This is so, according to the theory of perichoresis, because
the persons of the Trinity "reciprocally contain one another, so that one permanently envelopes
and is permanently enveloped by, the other whom he yet envelopes" (Hilary of
Poitiers, Concerning the Trinity 3:1).[97] The most prominent exponent of perichoresis was John of
Damascus (d. 749) who employed the concept as a technical term to describe both the
interpenetration of the divine and human natures of Christ and the relationship between the
hypostases of the Trinity. [98]
Perichoresis effectively excludes the idea that God has parts, but rather is a simple being. It also
harmonizes well with the doctrine that the Christian's union with the Son in his humanity brings
him into union with one who contains in himself, in Paul's words, "all the fullness of deity" and
not a part.[e] Perichoresis provides an intuitive figure of what this might mean. The Son, the
eternal Word, is from all eternity the dwelling place of God; he is the "Father's house", just as the
Son dwells in the Father and the Spirit; so that, when the Spirit is "given", then it happens as Jesus
said, "I will not leave you as orphans; for I will come to you."[John 14:18]

Economic and immanent Trinity [edit]

The term "immanent Trinity" focuses on who God is; the term "economic Trinity" focuses on
what God does. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,

34
The Fathers of the Church distinguish between theology (theologia) and economy (oikonomia).
"Theology" refers to the mystery of God's inmost life within the Blessed Trinity and "economy"
to all the works by which God reveals himself and communicates his life. Through the oikonomia
the theologia is revealed to us; but conversely, the theologia illuminates the whole oikonomia.
God's works reveal who he is in himself; the mystery of his inmost being enlightens our
understanding of all his works. So it is, analogously, among human persons. A person discloses
himself in his actions, and the better we know a person, the better we understand his actions.[99]

The whole divine economy is the common work of the three divine persons. For as the Trinity has
only one and the same natures so too does it have only one and the same operation: "The Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three principles of creation but one principle." However, each
divine person performs the common work according to his unique personal property. Thus the
Church confesses, following the New Testament, "one God and Father from whom all things are,
and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit in whom all things
are". It is above all the divine missions of the Son's Incarnation and the gift of the Holy Spirit that
show forth the properties of the divine persons. [100]
The ancient Nicene theologians argued that everything the Trinity does is done by Father, Son,
and Spirit working in unity with one will. The three persons of the Trinity always work
inseparably, for their work is always the work of the one God. The Son's will cannot be different
from the Father's because it is the Father's. They have but one will as they have but one being.
Otherwise they would not be one God. On this point St. Basil said:
When then He says, "I have not spoken of myself", and again, "As the Father said unto me, so I
speak", and "The word which ye hear is not mine, but [the Father's] which sent me", and in
another place, "As the Father gave me commandment, even so I do", it is not because He lacks
deliberate purpose or power of initiation, nor yet because He has to wait for the preconcerted key-
note, that he employs language of this kind. His object is to make it plain that His own will is
connected in indissoluble union with the Father. Do not then let us understand by what is called a
"commandment" a peremptory mandate delivered by organs of speech, and giving orders to the
Son, as to a subordinate, concerning what He ought to do. Let us rather, in a sense befitting the
Godhead, perceive a transmission of will, like the reflexion of an object in a mirror, passing
without note of time from Father to Son. [101]
According to Thomas Aquinas the Son prayed to the Father, became a minor to the angels,
became incarnate, obeyed the Father as to his human nature; as to his divine nature the Son
remained God: "Thus, then, the fact that the Father glorifies, raises up, and exalts the Son does not
show that the Son is less than the Father, except in His human nature. For, in the divine nature by
which He is equal to the Father, the power of the Father and the Son is the same and their
operation is the same."[47]

35
 A Greek fresco of Athanasius of Alexandria, the chief architect
of the Nicene Creed, formulated at Nicaea.
Athanasius of Alexandria explained that the Son is eternally one in being with the Father,
temporally and voluntarily subordinate in his incarnate ministry. [102] Such human traits, he
argued, were not to be read back into the eternal Trinity. Likewise, the Cappadocian
Fathers also insisted there was no economic inequality present within the Trinity. As Basil
wrote: "We perceive the operation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be one and the same,
in no respect showing differences or variation; from this identity of operation we necessarily
infer the unity of nature."[103]
The traditional theory of "appropriation" consists in attributing certain names, qualities, or
operations to one of the Persons of the Trinity, not, however, to the exclusion of the others, but in
preference to the others. This theory was established by the Latin Fathers of the fourth and fifth
centuries, especially by Hilary of Poitiers, Augustine, and Leo the Great. In the Middle Ages, the
theory was systematically taught by the Schoolmen such as Bonaventure.[104]

Trinity and love [edit]

Augustine "coupled the doctrine of the Trinity with anthropology. Proceeding from the idea that
humans are created by God according to the divine image, he attempted to explain the mystery of
the Trinity by uncovering traces of the Trinity in the human personality". [105] The first key of his
exegesis is an interpersonal analogy of mutual love. In De trinitate (399–419) he wrote,
We are now eager to see whether that most excellent love is proper to the Holy Spirit, and if it is
not so, whether the Father, or the Son, or the Holy Trinity itself is love, since we cannot contradict
the most certain faith and the most weighty authority of Scripture which says: "God is love". [f][106]
The Bible reveals it although only in the two neighboring verses 1 John 4:8.16, therefore one must
ask if love itself is triune. Augustine found that it is, and consists of "three: the lover, the beloved,
and the love."[g][107]
Reaffirming the theopaschite formula unus de trinitate passus est carne (meaning "One of the
Trinity suffered in the flesh"),[108] Thomas Aquinas wrote that Jesus suffered and died as to his
human nature, as to his divine nature he could not suffer or die. "But the commandment to suffer
clearly pertains to the Son only in His human nature. ... And the way in which Christ was raised
up is like the way He suffered and died, that is, in the flesh. For it says in 1 Peter (4:1): 'Christ

36
having suffered in the flesh' ... then, the fact that the Father glorifies, raises up, and exalts the Son
does not show that the Son is less than the Father, except in His human nature. For, in the divine
nature by which He is equal to the Father."[109]
In the 1900s the recovery of a substantially different formula of theopaschism took place: at
least unus de Trinitate passus est (meaning "not only in the flesh"). [110] Deeply affected by
the atomic bombs event,[111] as early as 1946 the Lutheran theologian Kazoh
Kitamori published Theology of the Pain of God,[112] a theology of the Cross pushed up to the
immanent Trinity. This concept was later taken by both Reformed and Catholic theology: in 1971
by Jürgen Moltmann's The Crucified God; in the 1972 "Preface to the Second Edition" of his
1969 German book Theologie der drei Tage (English translation: The Mystery of Easter) by Hans
Urs von Balthasar, who took a cue from Revelation 13:8 (Vulgate: agni qui occisus est ab origine
mundi, NIV: "the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world") to explore the "God is
love" idea as an "eternal super-kenosis".[113] In the words of von Balthasar: "At this point, where
the subject undergoing the 'hour' is the Son speaking with the Father, the controversial
'Theopaschist formula' has its proper place: 'One of the Trinity has suffered.' The formula can
already be found in Gregory Nazianzen: 'We needed a ... crucified God'."[114]
But if theopaschism indicates only a Christological kenosis (or kenotic Christology), instead von
Balthasar supports a Trinitarian kenosis:[115] "The persons of the Trinity constitute themselves as
who they are through the very act of pouring themselves out for each other". [116] The underlying
question is if the three Persons of the Trinity can live a self-love (amor sui), as well as if for them,
with the conciliar dogmatic formulation in terms that today we would call ontotheological, it is
possible that the aseity (causa sui) is valid. If the Father is not the Son or the Spirit since the
generator/begetter is not the generated/begotten nor the generation/generative process and vice
versa, and since the lover is neither the beloved nor the love dynamic between them and vice
versa, Christianity has provided as a response a concept of divine ontology and love different
from common sense (omnipotence, omnibenevolence, impassibility, etc.):[117] a sacrificial,
martyring, crucifying, precisely kenotic concept.

Trinity and will[edit]

Benjamin B. Warfield saw a principle of subordination in the "modes of operation" of the Trinity,
but was also hesitant to ascribe the same to the "modes of subsistence" in relation of one to
another. While noting that it is natural to see a subordination in function as reflecting a similar
subordination in substance, he suggests that this might be the result of "an agreement by Persons
of the Trinity – a 'Covenant' as it is technically called – by virtue of which a distinct function in
the work of redemption is assumed by each". [118]
Trinity and Christian apologetics [edit]
Today, several "analogies for the Trinity abound. The comparison is sometimes made between the
triune God and H2 O.[119][120] Just as H2 O can come in three distinct forms (liquid, solid, gas), so God
appears as Father, Son, Spirit."[119][120] The "mathematical analogy: 1+1+1=3, but 1x1x1=1" is also
used to explain the Trinity. [119]
Political aspect[edit]
According to Eusebius, Constantine suggested the term homoousios at the Council of Nicaea,
though most scholars have doubted that Constantine had such knowledge and have thought
that most likely Hosius had suggested the term to him.[121] Constantine later changed his view
about the Arians, who opposed the Nicene formula, and supported the bishops who rejected
the formula,[122] as did several of his successors, the first emperor to be baptized in the Nicene
faith being Theodosius the Great, emperor from 379 to 395.[123]

37
Nontrinitarian Christian beliefs [edit]
Main article: Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism (or antitrinitarianism) refers to Christian belief systems that reject the doctrine
of the Trinity as found in the Nicene Creed as not having a scriptural origin. Nontrinitarian views
differ widely on the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Various nontrinitarian views, such
as Adoptionism, Monarchianism, and Arianism existed prior to the formal definition of the
Trinity doctrine in AD 325, 360, and 431, at the Councils of Nicaea, Constantinople, and
Ephesus, respectively. [124] Following the adoption of trinitarianism at Constantinople in
381, Arianism was driven from the Empire, retaining a foothold amongst the Germanic tribes.
When the Franks converted to Catholicism in 496, however, it gradually faded
out.[71] Nontrinitarianism was later renewed in the Gnosticism of the Cathars in the 11th through
13th centuries, in the Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, and in some groups arising
during the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century.[h]
Arianism was condemned as heretical by the First Council of Nicaea and, lastly,
with Sabellianism by the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, 381 CE). [125] Adoptionism
was declared as heretical by the Ecumenical Council of Frankfurt, convened by the Emperor
Charlemagne in 794 for the Latin West Church. [126]
Modern nontrinitarian groups or denominations include Christadelphians, Christian Science, The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dawn Bible Students, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's
Witnesses, Living Church of God, Members Church of God International, Oneness Pentecostals,
the Seventh Day Church of God, Unitarian Christians, United Church of God, and The Shepherd's
Chapel.
As pointed out by Jonathan Israel,[127] the 17th Century Dutch Republic was more religiously
tolerant than other European countries of the time, but its dominant Calvinist Church drew the
line at groups who denied the Trinity; this was considered an intolerable aberration, and such
groups were subject to various forms of persecution in the Netherlands.

Other religions' views [edit]

Judaism[edit]
See also: God in Judaism, Judaism's view of Jesus, and Shituf
Judaism traditionally maintains a tradition of monotheism that excludes the possibility of a
Trinity.[128] In Judaism, God is understood to be the absolute one, indivisible, and
incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. The idea of God as a duality or
trinity is heretical – and is even considered by some to be polytheistic.[citation needed]

Islam[edit]
Main articles: Islamic view of the Trinity, Haqq–Muhammad–Ali, and Shirk (Islam)
Islam considers Jesus to be a prophet, but not divine,[128] and God to be absolutely indivisible (a
concept known as tawhid).[129] Several verses of the Quran state that the doctrine of the Trinity is
blasphemous.
Indeed, disbelievers have said, "Truly, Allah is Messiah, son of Mary." But Messiah said,
"Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my lord and your lord." Indeed, whoever associates partners
with Allah, surely Allah has forbidden them from Heaven, and fire is their resort. And there are
no helpers for the wrongdoers. Indeed, disbelievers have said, "Truly, Allah is a third of three."
Yet, there is no god except One God, and if they do not desist from what they say, a grievous
punishment befalls the disbelievers. Will they not turn to Allah and ask His forgiveness? For
Allah is most forgiving and merciful. Is not Messiah, son of Mary, only a messenger? Indeed,

38
messengers had passed away prior to him. And his mother was an upright woman. They both ate
food. Observe how we explain the signs for them, then observe how they turn away (from truth)!

— Quran 5:72–75
Interpretation of these verses by modern scholars has been varied. Verse 5:73 has been interpreted
as a potential criticism of Syriac literature that references Jesus as "the third of three" and thus an
attack on the view that Christ was divine.[130] Another interpretation is that this passage should be
studied from a rhetorical perspective; so as not to be an error, but an intentional misrepresentation
of the doctrine of the Trinity in order to demonstrate its absurdity from an Islamic
perspective.[131] David Thomas states that verse 5:116 need not be seen as describing actually
professed beliefs, but rather, giving examples of shirk (claiming divinity for beings other than
God) and a "warning against excessive devotion to Jesus and extravagant veneration of Mary, a
reminder linked to the central theme of the Qur'an that there is only one God and He alone is to be
worshipped."[129] When read in this light, it can be understood as an admonition, "Against the
divinization of Jesus that is given elsewhere in the Qur'an and a warning against the virtual
divinization of Mary in the declaration of the fifth-century church councils that she is 'God-
bearer'." Similarly, Gabriel Reynolds, Sidney Griffith and Mun'im Sirry argue that this quranic
verse is to be understood as an intentional caricature and rhetorical statement to warn from the
dangers of deifiying Jesus or Mary. [132][133] It has been suggested that the Islamic representation of
the doctrine of the Trinity may derive from its description in some texts of Manichaeism "where
we encounter a trinity, consisting of a Father, a Mother of Life / the Living Spirit and the Original
Man".[134]

Artistic depictions [edit]

Main article: Trinity in art
The Trinity is most commonly seen in Christian art with the Spirit represented by a dove, as
specified in the Gospel accounts of the Baptism of Christ; he is nearly always shown with wings
outspread. However depictions using three human figures appear occasionally in most periods of
art.[135]
The Father and the Son are usually differentiated by age, and later by dress, but this too is not
always the case. The usual depiction of the Father as an older man with a white beard may derive
from the biblical Ancient of Days, which is often cited in defense of this sometimes controversial
representation. However, in Eastern Orthodoxy the Ancient of Days is usually understood to be
God the Son, not God the Father (see below)—early Byzantine images show Christ as the Ancient
of Days,[136] but this iconography became rare. When the Father is depicted in art, he is sometimes
shown with a halo shaped like an equilateral triangle, instead of a circle. The Son is often shown
at the Father's right hand (Acts 7:56). He may be represented by a symbol—typically the Lamb
(agnus dei) or a cross—or on a crucifix, so that the Father is the only human figure shown at full
size. In early medieval art, the Father may be represented by a hand appearing from a cloud in a
blessing gesture, for example in scenes of the Baptism of Christ. Later, in the West, the Throne of
Mercy (or "Throne of Grace") became a common depiction. In this style, the Father (sometimes
seated on a throne) is shown supporting either a crucifix[137] or, later, a slumped crucified Son,
similar to the Pietà (this type is distinguished in German as the Not Gottes),[138] in his outstretched
arms, while the Dove hovers above or in between them. This subject continued to be popular until
the 18th century at least.
By the end of the 15th century, larger representations, other than the Throne of Mercy, became
effectively standardised, showing an older figure in plain robes for the Father, Christ with his
torso partly bare to display the wounds of his Passion, and the dove above or around them. In
earlier representations both Father, especially, and Son often wear elaborate robes and crowns.
Sometimes the Father alone wears a crown, or even a papal tiara.

39
In the later part of the Christian Era, in Renaissance European iconography, the Eye of
Providence began to be used as an explicit image of the Christian Trinity and associated with the
concept of Divine Providence. Seventeenth-century depictions of the Eye of Providence
sometimes show it surrounded by clouds or sunbursts.[139]

40
Yin and Yang: What Does The Symbol Mean?
Posted by Christine Sarikas | Feb 24, 2021 2:00:00 PM

You've sure seen the symbol before, but what does yin yang mean? Not to mention, which is
yin and which is yang? Yin and yang principles have a long and fascinating history behind
them, and we've compiled all the most interesting and important bits in this article.

* The different meanings of yin and yang

* What the yin yang symbol means and why it looks the way it does
* A brief history of yin and yang
* How yin yang principles have been used by everybody from politicians to interior
decorators to martial artists

What Do Yin and Yang Mean?

Yin and yang (or 陰 and 陽 in traditional Chinese characters) represent duality, or the idea
that two opposite characteristics can actually exist in harmony and complement each other.
It's the same idea behind quotes like, "there can be no light without darkness." Yin (the black
segment) and yang (the white segment) each represent various qualities. In the chart below
are some of the characteristics each represents. You'll see that, for each one, yin and yang
repre-sent a pair of opposites, such as black and white, light and shadow, north and south, etc.

What Does the Yin Yang Symbol Represent?

The yin yang symbol is often referred to as "taijitu" in China. It's a familiar symbol you've
likely seen many times on jewelry, clothes, notebooks, etc. There are many variants of the
symbol, but the most common is a circle composed of two interlocking swirls/teardrops, one
black and one white. Each swirl has a dot of the opposite color in it.The yin yang symbol
represents the interconnectedness of the world, particularly the natural world. There can be no
positive without a negative, no open without closed, no light without shadow. The yin yang
symbol itself portrays that interrelatedness. Looking at the symbol, you can see it doesn't have
a straight line going through the center to represent the divide between yin and yang. Inside,
the dividing line is a soft S-shape. It shows how yin and yang are connected and constantly
flowing into and out of each other. At the top of the symbol, as yang swells, yin contracts. At

41
the bottom, yin swells as yang contracts. The ideal situation is when there is an equal balance
between the two, as that is when harmony is achieved. Within the symbol, not only do the
white and black segments fit perfectly with each other to form a circle, each has a small circle
of the other color within it to further show the intricate between the two. The small circles
also show that nothing is absolute. In all yin, there is a little yang, and vice versa. This further
demonstrates the connection between the two. The outer circle of the yin yang symbol repre-
sents the entirety of the universe. It shows that yin and yang represent everything that we
know, as well as things we don't understand. Mastering the symbology implies enlightenment.

A Brief History of the Yin Yang Symbol

The concept of yin and yang has existed for thousands of years in China. The earliest known
reference to the two terms was found on oracle bones where they referred to different parts of
nature. A school named the "yinyang school" was also developed roughly two thousand years
ago that taught the principles of balance and patterns. Around 100 AD. the first dictionary of
Chinese characters was created, and it defined yin as referring to "a closed door, darkness and
the south bank of a river and the north side of a mountain" and yang as "height, brightness
and the south side of a mountain." Another early recorded instance of the terms yin and yang
appearing together referred to yin as the shady side of a hill and yang as the sunny side of the
hill. During the Zhou Dynasty (1050–771 BC), the concepts of yin and yang spread more
widely and began to be associated with philosophical ideas. Philosophers such as Confucius
and Lao Tzu began to incorporate yin and yang principles into their teachings. It was around
this time yin and yang became an important part of Taoism (sometimes called "Daoism").
Over time, the yin yang symbol has become one of the most common Taoist symbols and is
often seen on Taoist temples, robes, and incense burners. Over the centuries, yin and yang
principles became part of many different aspects of Chinese and East Asian culture (we
discuss some of these more in the next section). There's no exact date of origin for the yin
yang symbol, and it's unknown who first created it. However, it was definitely in use around
1000 AD when it was popularized by Song dynasty philosopher Zhou Dunyi. For several
decades, particularly in the 1970s-1990s, it was a common symbol to include in jewelry, on t-
shirts, etc. Many people who wear it aren't aware of all the history or meaning behind the
symbol but appreciate how it looks and its promotion of balance and change.

Major Principles of Yin Yang

So what's the real meaning of yin and yang? The yin yang symbol represents a variety of
different principles, each of which is important in Taoism and behind. Below we explain five
of the most important.

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#1: Together, Yin and Yang Form a Whole

Yin and yang represent opposite forces that, when they are joined, represent everything in the
natural world. Together they represent the different facets of the world and the way they need
to be carefully balanced to be complete.

#2: Neither Yin nor Yang Can Be Fully Dominant

One cannot exist without the other, the same way movement can't exist without rest or shade
cannot exist without sun. Both yin and yang always need to be present, and one is not superior
to the other.

#3: An Equal Balance Creates Harmony

The ideal scenario is for yin and yang to be perfectly balanced and each have an equal share
of the whole. When this happens, there is harmony and equality in the world.

#4: Yin and Yang Are Never Static

The balance between yin and yang is always changing; that's part of the reason why the two
segments look as though they are flowing into and out of each other in the yin yang symbol.
All is alternation between opposites. There's never a point where yin and yang stop moving,
the same way the amount of light and dark is always changing. Like set and rise of the sun.

#5: External Factors Can Disrupt the Balance

Sometimes, once a balance of yin and yang has been achieved, something from outside the
system can disrupt it. This principle is often used in traditional Chinese medicine (explained
more below), where external factors can disrupt one’s balance and cause health problems.

How Are Yin Yang Principles Used?

The concept of yin and yang spread to many facets of Chinese culture, as well as spreading
throughout East Asia and, eventually, the rest of the world. Here are five ways that yin yang
principles are used in everything from philosophy to architecture to combat.

Martial Arts

Many types of martial arts that have their origins in China, such as tai chi, make use of yin
and yang. The balance promoted by it is important during exercise movements and spar-ring.
For example, to be successful at tai chi, one must understand both movement and stillness,
attack and defense, opposites yin and yang often represent.

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Feng Shui

Feng shui is a practice dating back to ancient China that used the idea of energy forces to
make many decisions, including how to orient buildings (which is where its modern-day use
as interior design guidelines comes from). According to feng shui, there are invisible forces
(known as "qi") that bind together people, earth, and the universe. Yin and yang are part of
these forces and, to have proper feng shui, buildings should be built and aligned according to
yin yang force fields so that they achieve proper equilibrium.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

In traditional Chinese medicine, the body is thought to be healthy when yin and yang are in
balance. Different factors, such as diet, stress, and pollution can enter the body and cause
either yin or yang to dominate. When this happens, the person becomes ill because their body
is no longer in harmony. The medical practitioner must determine whether yin or yang has
become dominant and work to restore the balance.

Confucianism

Confucianism writings frequently mentioned yin and yang principles. They were spread most
widely by Dong Zhongshu, a Han Dynasty politician and philosopher. He is credited with
incorporating yin and yang ideas into Confucianism. Before, yin and yang were seen
primarily as symbols of nature and the balance it requires, but Zhongshu created an ethical
frame-work for yin and yang, stating that it was a person's moral duty to promote harmony
and balance both within themselves and the world in general. Some Confucianists also altered
yin yang principles to suit their own purposes. For example, even though it's a fundamental
principle of yin and yang that neither is dominant or more powerful than the other, certain
Confucianists considered yang to be superior.

I Ching

The I Ching is a divination text from ancient China and one of the earliest written sources of
yin and yang being used. I Ching can be used for divination, where different hexagrams and
hexagram sequences each have different meanings. In I Ching, yin and yang are each repre-
sented by three horizontal lines: yin's lines are broken, and yang's are solid. Different combi-
nations of yin and yang lines led to the creation of 64 hexagrams. Both Taoism and Confu-
cianism later adopted many I Ching ideas.

Summary: What Does Yin and Yang Mean?

So, what is yin and yang? They're two concepts that, together, represent the need for balance,
opposite forces, and change. And which is yin and which is yang? Yin (the black section of
the symbol) represents shadows, feminine energy, and generally the more mysterious side of
things. Yang (the white section of the symbol) represents the sun, masculine energy, and
things that are more out in the open. Neither is more powerful than the other, and both are
needed in equal amounts for harmony to exist.

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 Three in One: A Buddhist Trinity
The “three bodies of the Buddha” may seem like a remote construct, says Reginald
Ray, but they are the ground of existence and present in every moment of our
experience.

It is said that the Buddha is defined by three bodies of enlightenment, the so-
called trikaya of classical Mahayana theory. These include the dharmakaya, the
body of ultimate reality; the sambhogakaya, the body of joy; and the nirmanakaya,
the Buddha’s conditioned, human body of flesh and blood. The trikaya theory often
seems rather abstract and remote, far removed from our ordinary lives and daily
meditation practice. In this column I want to suggest, however, that the trikaya
actually forms part of our most intimate experience and is the very basis of our
present human existence.

Amitābha and his attendant bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara (right) and Mahāsthāmaprāpta (left)

According to the abhidharma, there are three major kinds of ground that all
humans experience in the course of their lives. The first, the ground of “existence,”
is the experience of ourselves as having a relatively solid and continuous identity,
grounded in the practical, conventional world. This ground is affirmed through all
the activities of body, speech and mind by which we seek to define, maintain and
enhance our familiar sense of “self.” This ground corresponds to the conventional
idea of human life and is what most people view as the essence of their identity.

45
The second kind of ground is “death/birth.” There are the times when we find
ourselves unable to maintain the identity we have thought of as “me.” We feel
weak and shaky, our very body and mind seem to be dissolving, and we feel like
we are falling apart. In the midst of this fear we may feel as if we are dying. We
can call this ground “death/birth,” because whatever dissolution and death we may
experience—whether psychological, social or even physical—is at the very same
time a birth into another identity or mode of being.

The third kind of ground is emptiness, or the “groundless ground.” Here,

sometimes abruptly, we come face to face with our own nonexistence. We look to
the solid and desirable ground of our familiar “existence,” and even to the typically
undesirable ground of “death/birth,” and can find neither. We are able to discover
nothing but space that is open, clear and empty. People report discovering this third
kind of ground in the midst of a serious automobile accident, or when they have
suddenly been humiliated, or while making love. It can also occur when we are
stunned by traumatic news, overwhelmed by sadness or surprised by something
extraordinarily beautiful.

These three grounds are nothing other than the three bodies of enlightenment
manifesting in our experience. The apparent solidity and continuity of “existence”
is the practical, helpful nirmanakaya; the perpetual change and transformation of
“death/birth” is the unceasing sambhogakaya; and the unbounded openness of
“emptiness” is nothing other than the immutable dharmakaya.

But, we may ask, how can these three bodies possibly manifest in the experience of
confused, unenlightened people such as ourselves? Buddhism teaches that within
each of us is buddhanature—the immaculate, peerless state of enlightenment
embodied in a perfected way by the Buddha (Buddhahood). What is
this buddhanature? It is nothing other than the three bodies of a fully awakened
one. Buddhism affirms, in other words, that the three kayas, in their integral, pure
and mature form, are within us at this very moment.

Yet obviously we do not experience the three kayas in their full and perfected form.
Rather, when they arise as the background of every moment of our lives, we
instantly overlay and obscure them with the habitual, distorting tendencies of our
ego.

Each of us, based on our particular karmic proclivities, tends to focus on one or
another of the three kayas. We try to create from it a solid, secure ground for our
samsaric “self.” For most of us, the nirmanakaya, in its solidified form as
“existence,” is the ground we most prefer, with “death/birth” and “emptiness”
being undesirable or even deeply feared grounds. Others, however, seek their
primary security in the constant turmoil of “death/birth,” and find the continuity
and stability of “existence” or the ground of emptiness extremely threatening. Such
individuals feel compelled to create constant chaos in their own lives and in the

46
lives of others. For still other people—and these are usually spiritual
practitioners—the desired ground of ego is emptiness: they find themselves most
comfortable with empty space and quite reluctant to credit either “existence” or
“death/birth” as legitimate modes of being.

We can see from our own experience that the attempt to create an ego identity out
of any of the three grounds is fraught with difficulties and contradictions. The
fallacy of the conventional attempt to build an identity out of the nirmanakaya is
perhaps the easiest to understand. By seeking permanence and security in
“existence,” one is refusing to acknowledge the impermanence that marks all
phenomena and the emptiness that underlies it all. In so doing, the conventionally
grounded person is locking him- or herself into an identity that—while perhaps
fresh and creative in its formation—quickly becomes outworn, restrictive and even
deadly when the causes and conditions that produced that identity have changed,
making it no longer applicable. From this arises the demonic quality of the
conventional, modern world, where impermanence, change and death are
marginalized and denied.

The attempt to make the continuing impermanence of “death/birth” a reference

point is equally problematic. In this case, fearing the suffocating potential of
“existence” we become perpetual rebels, deeply mistrustful of any appearance of
continuity, stability or peace. The irony and self-contradiction here is that, in our
perpetual opposition to any fixed identity, we have created the most fixed identity
of all, one of invariable opposition to anything that has been built and created, by
ourselves or anyone else.

The attempt to use the “groundless ground” of emptiness as our primary identity is
also flawed. When we try to dwell in emptiness and refuse to give the more
conditioned aspects of our lives their proper due, we avoid taking seriously the
legitimate requirements of our own karmic situation. Yet just because we are trying
to avoid the relative world, it does not go away. Instead, our avoidance of karma
that is calling to be dealt with creates its own difficulties in negative circumstances
that will eventually surface and disrupt our lives and our spiritual paths.

47
 Buddha statues at Shwedagon Pagoda

We are unable to succeed in making the three kayas into secure, solid ego ground
because of their very nature—which is our very nature. The dharmakaya is the
space of awareness, limitless and all-pervading, in which there is never any place
for a concept of ego identity to take root—even an identity conceived as
“emptiness.” The sambhogakaya manifests in the unceasing display of ever-moving
and changing energy, and this continually dissolves any sense of “I,” even one that
seeks identity in the process of change itself. And the practicality of the
nirmanakaya is defined by the needs of others. Since these are always new and
unanticipated—external to our agenda, and beyond our control—there is no ground
for ego here either.

Even more, the three kayas are said to be ultimately indivisible. When we rest in
our own inherent nature, in its purity (our buddhanature), we discover that our
experience embodies the emptiness of the dharmakaya, the impermanence of the
sambhogakaya and the practicality of the nirmanakaya, all at once. This
indivisibility goes to the very heart of why we can never succeed in making an ego
out of the three kayas. The dharmakaya—the “formless kaya”—is said to be “for
oneself,” because it is the very essence of our own liberation. By contrast, the two
other kayas—the “form kayas”—are said to be “for others,” because they embody
compassion and practical assistance to others. Different as they may seem at first,

48
each kaya implies and is inseparable from the others. The dharmakaya contains the
seeds of the other two and, when it meets with the suffering of beings, naturally
gives birth to them. For example, when we rest our mind fully in the emptiness of
the dharmakaya, and encounter others in pain, we find that the inspiration to help
others (the sambhogakaya) and the practical applications of this compassion (the
nirmanakaya) arise in a natural and compelling way. In a sense, the more we rest in
the dharmakaya, the more we are called to compassionate engagement with those
in distress.
By the same token, the two form kayas imply the dharmakaya, and, in fact, can
only function properly when they are transparent to its emptiness. This is so
because only when the energy of the sambhogakaya and the practicality of the
nirmanakaya are seen as without essence is their helpfulness to others able to be
open, flexible and completely appropriate to what sentient beings need.

The classical iconographic representation of the Buddha’s realization shows him

touching the earth with his right hand, and calling the earth to witness his
attainment. And what is this attainment? It is realizing that our ultimate nature is
nothing other than the three kayas of the Buddha. This is a realization in which we
see that there is not, nor ever was, any ground for ego at all.

See Gautama Buddha

By Reginald A. Ray, Ph.D.
Reginald A. Ray, Ph.D., is Professor of Buddhist Studies at Naropa University
and teacher in residence at Rocky Mountain Shambhala Center. His new book
is “Secret of the Vajra World: The Tantric Buddhism of Tibet”.
“Three in One: A Buddhist Trinity”, Reginald A. Ray, Ph.D., Shambhala Sun,
September 2004.

49
 Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva

Definition - What does Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva mean?

Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva is the Hindu trinity, also called the trimurti. The Supreme Spirit
or Universal Truth, called Brahman, is represented in three forms, each
corresponding to one cosmic function: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver)
and Shiva (the transformer/destroyer).
Because Hinduism is a collection of different traditions and beliefs, scholars believe
Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva was an attempt to reconcile the doctrine of Brahman with
different approaches to the Divine.
Of the three incarnations of Brahman, Shiva has a special place in the yogic
traditions as he is considered the first yogi, or adiyogi. Shiva also symbolizes the
balancing of awareness and bliss, and the calming effects of yoga practices in
general.

Yogapedia explains Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva

Unity with Brahman – which is personified as the trimurti – is the ultimate goal in
yogic philosophy and practice. Today, Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva as the trimurti is rarely
worshiped. Instead, Hindus typically worship one of the three as the supreme deity,
and consider the others as incarnations of their supreme god. For example,
Vaishnavism holds that Vishnu is the supreme god, while Shaivism believes that
Shiva is supreme. Brahma, in comparison, has relatively few devotees as the
supreme deity.
In ancient texts, the three gods symbolize earth, water and fire:

 Brahma represents earth. He is the originating power and creator of all life.
One story claims he is the son of Brahman, while another says he created
himself from water and seed.
 Vishnu represents water, which symbolizes his role as the sustainer of life. He
is the protector side of Brahman, known for upholding goodness and creation,
and is identified with his incarnations -- Krishna and Rama.
 Shiva represents fire and is identified as the destructive power of the trimurti.
However, he is also viewed as a positive force that cleanses and destroys evil,
paving the way for new creation and a fresh start.

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 The Vesica Piscis

In this article we will discuss the most important geometric symbol of the Dyad:
the Vesica Piscis.

Reference Construction Lesson #7: The Vesica Piscis

The Dyad as Maya or Illusion

“Maya makes unity appear as the world of separate things with name and form.”

It is called illusion because once unity began to individuate itself it appeared to become many.
These ‘many’ are all valid realities or perspectives, but the illusion lies in the fact that they are all
still One, still Unity, still interconnected by this infinite creation of holographic unity and infinity.
The ‘Many’ are simply reflections of the One from varied and infinite perspectives. Illusion does
not mean physical reality isn’t real. It is very real. The illusion lays in the fact that there is far, far
more to reality than meets the eye. There is far more than we can see. The illusion makes us think
the small separate perspective is the only ‘real’ perspective.

Therefore, do not get hung up on the word illusion. As Robert Lawlor reminds us, “One must
not forget that the world is an illusion only in relation to its source or Creator…for most of
the duration of our living and dying and for all of nature’s creatures, we are part of the “grand
illusion,” and for us this world is not an illusion but rather our essential reality.”

The ancient Greeks called the Monad the father and the Dyad the mother of all numbers.

51
“The two principles (archetypal gender characteristics) are everywhere and forever
inseparable and can only exist through one another as well as hidden within one another,
while being, at the same time, oppositional and irreconcilable.” Robert Lawlor

Hindu philosophy states the same thing, using different terms:

“Maya (the two) is the mother of the material universe and she is strange, mysterious, and
indescribable. Maya veils the true nature of Brahman (or the One) which is absolute and
unconditional, and causes the One to appear as many.”1

Why would this Oneness want to divide itself in the first place?

To know itself and to understand its potential.

“It was the power of that One’s own yearning-to-be that brought the world into existence.”2

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The One Becomes the Many
“Those who use geometric figures to describe the beginning of Creation must attempt to show
how an absolute Unity can become multiplicity and diversity. Geometry attempts to recapture
the orderly movements from an infinite formlessness to an endless interconnected array of
forms, and in recreating this mysterious passage from One to Two, it renders it symbolically
visible.”3

Here we have the age old question: How does the one become many? Or how does
the illusion of many come from One?

It is formed from unity casting a reflection of itself, rather than dividing itself, as
Unity contains all that is.

53
You cannot take two ‘Ones’ and put them together. One is singular, all inclusive.

Just as a new cell in our body is formed by one cell dividing from within itself rather than two
cells coming together, this is how the Dyad is formed from Unity – the Monad.

As Robert Lawlor states, “Unity creates by dividing itself.”

“The circle is the womb and cradle of our symbolic universe. It shows us the characteristics of
unity, everywhere the same and containing no differences within it. With a mirror the circle
replicates a mate for itself by contemplating itself, reflecting its light, and casting its own
shadow.”4

We have the One, a circle, “a vast, unbounded ocean of undifferentiated Consciousness. Then
a pulse – Love itself – moves within this infinite field of potential. Rays of love spread
outward from this center taking countless different forms as individual waves rise into
existence, each refracting the light of Consciousness in their own particular ways and
conditioned by various forces. The One becomes the Many, all of which also hold within
them the essence of the One.”5

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Creating the Vesica & The Birth of the Line
The Monad, Spirit, or Cosmic Consciousness, is Infinity. It is infinite in its potential, yet
it lays waiting, unpotentiated.

It first expands equally in all directions to create a sphere (circle) around itself.

Then the circle or sphere casts its own shadow, a reflection of itself.

This is the first movement of Creation.

To do this:

• Create a circle.
• Without changing the size of the compass, place the point anywhere on
the circumference.
• Create another circle.

The second center is an emanation of the original circle since it resides on the circumference.

The intersecting circles are linked across their centers. These two circles represent the
two realms discussed in Article 19.

55
 The overlapping space is the vesica piscis.

The Vesica Piscis is the harmonizing, balancing, mediating force between the two. It is
the birth portal from consciousness to physical reality and it is the doorway from the
physical reality back into the metaphysical reality.

The Vesica Piscis (“bladder of the fish”)

As Unity is represented by the circle, Polarity or the Dyad, is represented by the Vesica
Piscis. The Vesica Piscis is formed by two intersecting circles of equal size where the second
circle’s center resides on the first circle’s circumference.

It is the area where the two circles intersect and the two centers exactly touch.

The Vesica represents the intersection of “common ground”, “shared vision”, or “mutual
understanding” between equal individuals.

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The Vesica illustrates one of the most predominant and important of all relationships in
sacred geometry.

It is the shape of a human eye and represents the crucible for creation. It is the ‘eye’ itself –
the organ that both receives and transmits light. Light, or photons, are the building blocks
of all physical matter.

It is the womb of the ‘supernal mother’. (supernal = celestial)

It is the opening where the connection with the transcendental is made possible. (Third Eye)

It is the form generator in that all the regular polygons arise from the succession of
Vesica constructions.

57
 Credit: Bruce Lyons

It is the doorway from which the square roots of 2, 3 and 5 spring forth.

It is the doorway that links the Monad, or the One, with the Many.

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The Vesica Piscis was known in early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Africa, Asia and
elsewhere.

The vesica is the fish-shaped area. It is a symbolic reference to the Piscean Age and Christ
as a fish.

As Robert Lawlor writes, “Christ, as a universal function, is symbolically this region which
joins together heaven and earth, above and below, creator and creation.”

Joseph Gwilt says, “The Fish, though living in the salt sea, is not penetrated by saltness.”
Related to this is the quote by Marshall McLuhan: “One thing about which fish know exactly
nothing is water, since they have no anti-environment which would enable them to perceive
the element they live in.” This is symbolic of humanity living in an energetic sea of harmonic-
geometric oscillating wave vortices of vital and electromagnetic energy, which can be called
the Aether and of which our physical senses are unaware.

John Michell adds, “The fish, being a symbol of the mercurial spirit that mediates between the
elemental world above and the material below.”

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The Vesica Piscis is also called a “yoni” because of its resemblance to the female vulva. Yoni
is Sanskrit for female generative organs. This of course refers to the birth portal function of
the Vesica.

“By means of copulation,” writes Robert Lawlor “this mysterious place, and power of the
vulva is opened and activated allowing for the passage between the unmanifest and
manifestation. It is the place of a magical act connecting the creator with the created – the
metaphysical with the physical world, the climax of this union can also engender the deepest
sensations of utter joy and delight reflecting that of the original source, as it views a universal
play arising from its infinite Consciousness-Being.”

The vesica piscis is also called:

• The “womb of chaos”

• “The womb of the Goddess of the Night”
• “The mouth that speaks the word of creation”
• A “mandorla” – almond in Italian or “Mystic Almond”

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The Vesica Piscis as the Third Eye
Another way to view the Vesica Piscis is “as a representation of the intermediate realm which
partakes of both the unchanging and the changing principles, the eternal and the ephemeral.
Human consciousness thus functions as the mediator, balancing the two complimentary poles
of consciousness.”6

It is the portal through which we must cross, a passageway through this apparent polarity.

“The almond shape, called the Vesica Piscis, is derived from the Egyptian hieroglyph called
Ru, which symbolized the birth-portal and also the Third Eye, or brow chakra.”7

The Third Eye is that which sees the spirit worlds coming through into the material world - it
brings that which exists in the unseen metaphysical realm into the seen physical realm.

In this way the Vesica can be seen not only as the doorway in which life springs forth from
the metaphysical to the physical, but it is also the doorway back inwards - the doorway or
passage for our consciousness to enter and experience the metaphysical reality of our Infinite
natures. The passageway to this experience occurs within the Third Eye, or 6 th chakra after
each of the lower chakras are opened and balanced appropriately.

Rachel Fletcher writes, “The Vesica Piscis signifies the mediation of two distinct entities; the
complementariness of polar opposites, as when two extremes complete and depend upon one
another to exist. One circle may signify the breath of spirit, which is eternal; the other may
signify the body physical, which is forever changing and adapting. The Vesica Piscis itself
symbolizes that which mediates spirit; or the psyche or soul.”

Keith Critchlow adds, “The two overlapping circles…ascribe universal consciousness (the
realm of archetypes) to the first circle, and empirical consciousness to the second circle (that
which ‘sorts out and judges the results of the five kinds of sense consciousness’) and finally
manas to the area of overlap. Manas is described as the balancing consciousness that ‘either
binds us to the world of the senses or which liberates us from it.” The Vesica “was to the old
builders an archetype of ideal beauty”.

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As William Sterling said in 1897, “In Heraldry the Vesica was used as the feminine
shield…and was also figured as a lozenge or rhombus. In the East the Vesica was used a
symbol of the womb, and was joined to the cross by the Egyptians forming the handle of the
Crux ansata.”

The Vesica Piscis in Art & Architecture

The Vesica is seen abundantly in religious architecture and art.

“In many examples of Christian art, Jesus Christ is proceeding from [the Vesica Piscis
symbol], representing his birth from the Goddess.

The fish was also important as an astrological symbol of the coming age. Jesus was the savior
linking the old age of Aries with the new age of Pisces; an astrological truth explored in later
esoteric or mystical traditions.”1

Below are several examples of medieval Christain art featuring Christ in a Vesica.

Christ in Glory, Shrewsbury, England, 1380; Christ in Majesty,

Gospel Book, 1220; Christ in Vesica, 1200

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Christ in Majesty, Stavelot Bible, 1097; Christ in Majesty, Psalter of Westminster
Abbey, 1200; St-Alban-Psalter, 12th century

Here is a Vesica mandala by Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179):

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Here is The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesa created from 1440-1450, with a
partial geometric analysis. Christ’s upper body falls within the Vesica.

Below are two examples of Islamic Vesica art:

From Ghazali’s The Alchemy of Happiness, 1308 ‘Eye of wisdom’ from a 15th century
Islamic manuscript.

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The Vesica is the dominant geometric figure for the Piscean Age and the major thematic
source for the western temples of this age. This is seen many times over in the Gothic
cathedral doorways and Moslem arches.

The Vesica is seen on the West facade of Chartres Cathedral in France (seen below).

Christ in the Vesica, Chartres Cathedral

Reims Cathedral, Christian arches; Islamic arches

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 Here is the Great Door of Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France built off the Vesica:

Michael Schneider writes, “Through these doors, symbols of spiritual passage, we leave
the street of the Many and enter the domain of the One.

The West facade of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was designed as a circle
descending from heaven above which intersects a circle rising from earth below.

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Hindu temples were traditionally designed using geometry originating with the Vesica Piscis.
The temples represent a portal between earth and the heavens, our mundane and spiritual
identities. Below is the floor plan of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. The center of the Vesica
isthe center of the temple.

Angkor Wat at Angkor, Cambodia, built by King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century

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 The Vesica within a Vesica is also seen to determine the slope angles of the Great Pyramid
of Giza (51º 51″):

The Vesica was also used as foundational geometry for the design of certain pectoral jewelry
of the Egyptian pharaoh Tut-Ankh-Amon.

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It is also featured in the British Royal Seal. Notice how the British Royal seal is strikingly
similar in design to the pectoral of Tut-Ank-Amon seen above on the Left.

The Vesica also features prominently in many corporate logos such as MasterCard, CBS,
TWA, Chanel, Gucci and Adidas (bottom right).

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This subtle use of the Vesica in marketing has a profound imprinting ability on our psyches
and creates a brand that is highly recognizable on the conscious level and deeply intriguing on
the subconscious level. As with everything, this use of the Vesica in marketing can be used
for the positive or the negative.
Marketing = Programming. It is wise to know the source and intention of all programming in
order to decide whether to let that programming into your mind or to keep it out. The choice
is yours. Be aware.

The Birth of the Line

Draw a line from center to center – this is called the ‘line of centers’.

The line represents action, movement of consciousness, the power to make a choice,
and direction of will power. The line represents potential coming into being.

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 We will discuss the line in greater detail in the next article.

The Vesica Piscis and the Square Root of 3

The length to width ratio of the Vesica is expressed as √3 : 1

The square root of 3 (√3) is approximately 1.732…

It is one of the transcendental numbers such as phi and the square roots of 2 and 5.
In other words, if the width of the Vesica from center to center equals 1 then the height
equals the square root of 3.

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Frater Achad writes, “The curious and marvelous properties of the Vesica Piscis and of the
Rectangle formed on its length and breadth, have been subjects of profound speculation.”

The Vesica and the √3 Rectangle

As we have seen, the height to width ratio of the Vesica is √3:1.

√3:1 exemplifies the property of self-reproducibility called Dynamic Symmetry.

When you put an X and Y axis (seen in red) through the center of the √3rectangle you
subdivide it into 4 smaller √3 rectangles. This division can continue inwards or outwards
always producing more √3 rectangles.

Each of the nine smaller rectangles are also root 3 rectangles:

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 Here they are seen with a square root3 spiral:

The equilateral triangle formed in the Vesica Piscis also has a height of √3.

The height of the hexagon is also √3, as they are all related. The red line below measures √3
if the side length = 1.

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In the image on the right FB and EC are equal to √3. This creates a square root 3 rectangle
within the hexagon.

From Point to Line to Plane:

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The Vesica Piscis as the ‘Form Generator’ &
the Nine Interlocking Circles
The Vesica Piscis is the ‘form generator’ in that all the regular polygons arise from the
succession of Vesica constructions.

This means that the regular triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon, and
dodecagon automatically spring forth from the Vesica. That is, all except the heptagon – 7

The first shape to emerge is the equilateral triangle.

Then the square.

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 Here the equilateral triangle, square and hexagon can be seen.

Then the succession of the remaining polygons. They each arise out of the original scission of
unity.

Credit: Bruce Lyons, 2010

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As unity, the circle, self-divides, its center becomes the duality of points E and F seen above.

The line EF unfolds into the equilateral triangle.

Lawlor states, “All things being dual by nature are three by principle.”

Credit: Bruce Lyons, 2010

The equilateral triangle unfolds outwards to:

• define the sides of the square (4)

• the pentagon (5)
• the hexagon (6)
• the octagon (8)
• the decagon (10)
• the dodecagon (12)

The Vesica represents the Womb and the Seed.

From its germination arises the 7 circles (the root) and the polygons (the germ, giving rise
to branches).
As Lawlor states, “The three contained within the Vesica Piscis is the formative power
giving rise to the polygonal ‘world’.”

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The Vesica, 5 and 6 – Union of the Hexagon and Pentagon

Reference Construction Lesson #9: Constructing the Linked Pentagon and Hexagon via the Vesica.

This geometric construction was originally published by Albrecht Durer in Course in the Art of
Measurement with Compass and Ruler in 1525.

It was republished in Charles Bouleau’s The Painters Secret Geometry & John Michell’s The City
of Revelation.

This union of the hexagon and pentagon springing forth from the Vesica symbolizes the emergence
of the Universe (6) and Life (5) from the cosmic womb of creation.

As John Michell states, “The reconciliation of six and five and many of the other objects of sacred
geometry may be achieved by means of the figure known as the Vesica Piscis.”

Randall Carlson adds, “The reconciliation of six and five refers to the potential to develop, from the
Vesica as a starting point, polygons of six and five sides, as well as many of the other polygons,
with all their symbolic connotations and unique properties.”

The hexagon is easier to draw and precedes the pentagon.

This represents how the cosmos had to exist before humankind could emerge from the combination
of matter and energy generated through the evolution of the universe.

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According to John Michell, the pentagon and hexagon combined also symbolizes “the purpose of a
true scholar, to relate his own interests to those of the world at large…As a symbol of reconciliation
between different orders in nature, its presence here prepares the student of life’s mysteries for the
contradictions and paradoxes he/she will encounter and provides the geometric model to contain
them.”

Melancholia I, Albrecht Durer, 1514

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References:

1. Gannon, Sharon and Life, David, Jivamukti Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul,
Ballantine Books, 2002

2. Mahony, William, Exquisite Love, Sarvabhava Press, 2014

3. Lawlor, Robert, Sacred Geometry: Philosophy & Practive, Thames & Hudson, 1982

4. Schneider, Michael, A Beginner’s Guide to Constructing the Universe, Harper Perennial, 1994

5. Mahony, William, Exquisite Love, Sarvabhava Press, 2014

6. Lawlor, Robert, Sacred Geometry: Philosophy & Practive, Thames & Hudson, 1982

7. Booth, Mark, The Secret History of the World,Overlook Press, 2010

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An Introduction to Enlightenment and the
Trinity

It’s Mother’s Day today, May 13, 2012 and I’d like to return to a theme that I promised
the Divine Mother in my interview with her on May 7, 2012 that I would properly
undertake. It may be a dense subject to get through for some but I need to do it at
some time. I apologize for its density.

The exchange with the Divine Mother follows. I’d just asked her a question on her
identity that employed a bit of jargon and she replied:

Divine Mother: Many who listen do not understand this [relationship that you have
described] or these terms [that you have used].

Steve Beckow: Yes, I realize that.

DM: And part of my desire is to make very clear, that people do understand. So,
ensure, beloved, that you do make these terms very clear for your readers and
listeners.

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SB: I will. But if you would just confirm for me that you are speaking about the
conditioned Brahman rather than the Transcendental Absolute, I can do the rest.

DM: Yes, that is exactly what I am speaking of. (1)

I’m not an enlightened man (although, like all Starseeds, I presume I’ve been
enlightened in other lifetimes and wear the blindfold in this one). I’m not a spiritual
teacher and have no desire to be. I’m simply an avid writer on spiritual themes.

What I’d like to do is to provide you with a cross-correspondence of three levels of

reality and the enlightenment experiences I believe are associated with them. What
are my reasons for doing this?

First, because I wish to fulfill my promise to the Divine Mother.

Second, because I believe that we as human beings have been assigned a task the
completion of which constitutes “full enlightenment” and allows us to graduate from
the realm of human dimensionality to whatever is next. And that task is the full
realization of these three levels of reality.

Third, because it’s useful to see the whole of the human assignment to know where
Ascension fits into it.

Fourth, because a full explanation of the self-awareness path requires the knowledge
of these three levels of reality and the enlightenment experiences associated with
them. They are all aspects or levels of the One Supreme Self.

Fifth, because an understanding of these three levels of reality and the enlightenment
experiences associated with them allows one the key, I believe, to understanding the
cross-cultural equivalents of all the world’s major religions.

What I’m about to say arises from the vision I had on February 13, 1997 (3) and the
many years of research into enlightenment and the Trinity that I did after it to try to
unfold its meaning.

The Trinity
It’s my contention that, to graduate from the human experience, we’re tasked with
knowing completely the three levels of reality called by Christians the Father, Son
and Holy Ghost and by Hindus Brahman, Atman, and Shakti.

I prefer to call these three levels, altering their order somewhat, the Self, the Mother,
and the Father. Another way to refer to them is the Transcendental (the Father), the
Phenomenal (the Mother), and the Transcendental in the Phenomenal (the Self).

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I’d like to provide cross-cultural descriptions of the three and then review the
enlightenment experiences I think are connected to them.

The Self

The Self is the individuated soul, called by Jesus the only begotten Son of God, the
Christ, the Savior, the Prince of peace, the treasure buried in a field, the pearl of
great price, and the mustard seed; called by Hindus the Atman and Brahman-within-
the-individual.

It’s known to other religions as Fire the Son of the Lord, the firebrand plucked from
the burning, the lamp always burning on the altar, the God-spark, and the flame in
the heart.

I called the Self the Transcendental in the Phenomenal, the Transcendental itself
being the Father and the Phenomenal being the Mother. This is equivalent to saying
the God-spark within the heart of the individual, the treasure (the Self) buried in the
field (the Body), the Father in the Mother’s womb as the Child of God, etc.

No matter what name is used for the Self, the same phenomenon is being pointed at.

The Mother

The Mother was called by Jesus and his disciples the Holy Spirit, the comforter spirit,
the spirit of truth, the Logos, the Word of God, and the Amen; by Solomon and the
Old-Testament prophets, Wisdom, the Voice of one crying in the wilderness, and the
noise of many waters; by Hindus Shakti, Kali, Aum, the Sound-Brahman, Sphota,
Prana, primordial energy, the universal creative vibration, Prakriti (Procreatrix), and
the creator, preserver and transformer of matter, mater, Mother.

The Mother has form and the Father in “his” original

nature (“He” is not a he) is formless. When the Mother is coupled with the Father in
form, they are often spoken of as the cosmic male and female, Shiva and Shakti, the
yin and yang. I have often spoken of the Mother as being the Phenomenal, which
means all of matter, the whole of the created world, anything apart from the formless
and immaterial Father.

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The Mother is created; only the Father is uncreated. She can be realized as the light
in all creation, the highest enlightenment short of the Father.

No matter what name is used for the Mother, the same phenomenon is ultimately
being pointed at.

The Father

The Father, when manifest or given form by the Mother, is called the Personal God,
God in form, or the conditioned Brahman. The Father, when in its original and
unmanifest state, is called the Impersonal God, the formless God, or the
unconditioned Brahman. It’s also called the Transcendental Absolute when
unmanifest or formless. It’s further called Mahashiva, Parabrahman, Paramatman,
the Supreme Self, the All, the One without a second, all that is, etc.

It’s spoken of as Sat-Chit-Ananda or infinite wisdom, being and bliss. It’s

transcendent, supreme, unchanging, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, with
and without form, with and without attributes, and altogether unfathomable.

All of the Father’s manifested states and unmanifest nature share the same attribute:
namely, stillness. When movement stops, the manifest dissolves back into the
unmanifest. The Father is formless, permanent, but beginningless and endless. And
no matter what name is used to point at it and no matter the deficiencies of the
pointer, the object pointed at remains the same. Only the names differ.

Enlightenment
We know each of these objects or levels of reality in a process of realization or
enlightenment. A different level of realization is associated with each of the three
levels of reality.

I think we can describe them somewhat, but these descriptions must be accepted as
speculative only and not having come from my own personal experience.

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Realization of the Self

Realization of the Self occurs for many as seeing a discrete but brilliant light. For
some it’s an event in consciousness which occurs when the kundalini reaches the
fourth or Anahata chakra. Hindus call it “spiritual awakening” and Buddhists call it
“stream entering.” I think of it as the first level of enlightenment.

Sri Ramakrishna describes spiritual awakening this way:

“The Kundalini, when awakened, passes through the lower centres and comes to the
Anahata, which is at the heart. It stays there. At that time the mind of the aspirant is
withdrawn from the three lower centres. He feels the awakening of Divine
Consciousness and sees Light. In mute wonder he sees that radiance and cries out:
‘What is this? What is this?’” (4)

Jan Ruusbroec describes it this way:

“In the abyss of this darkness in which the loving spirit has died to itself, God’s
revelation and eternal life have their origin, for in this darkness an incomprehensible
light is born and shines forth; this is the Son of God, in whom a person becomes able
to see and to contemplate eternal life.” (5)

Please note that both these descriptions of enlightenment take the form of seeing a
light. There are other types of enlightenment but to give them all would make this
article too long. More examples can be found here. (6)

Realization of the Mother

The most common name for the enlightenment of the Mother that happens when the
kundalini reaches the sixth chakra is cosmic consciousness or savikalpa samadhi.
Some experience it as a light that lies in all creation. Others experience it as the
vision of the personal God, or God with form. I haven’t experienced any of these so I
can’t describe it precisely. The enlightenment or realization of the nature of the
Mother is the last enlightenment before leaving the world of form and entering the
formless.

Let’s provide some examples of this level of enlightenment. Here’s Sri Ramakrishna
discussing it:

“The sixth plane is at the forehead. When the mind reaches it, the aspirant sees the
form of God day and night. But even then a little trace of ego remains. At the sight of
that incomparable beauty of God’s form, one becomes intoxicated and rushes forth to
touch and embrace it. But one doesn’t succeed. It is like the light inside a lantern.
One feels as if one could touch the light, but one cannot on account of the pane of
glass.” (7)

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Here’s the poet William Wordsworth.

“Such was the Boy — but for the growing Youth

What soul was his, when, from the naked top
Of some bold headland, he beheld the sun
Rise up, and bathe the world in light! He looked —
Ocean and earth, the solid frame of earth
And ocean’s liquid mass, in gladness lay
Beneath him:– Far and wide the clouds were touched,
And in their silent faces could he read
Unutterable love. Sound needed none,
Nor any voice of joy; his spirit drank
The spectacle: sensation, soul, and form,
All melted into him; they swallowed up
His animal being; in them did he live,
And by them did he live; they were his life.” (8)

The enlightenment of the Mother carries many benefits but is not the end of our
journey.

Realization of the Father

The enlightenments associated with the Father begin when the kundalini reaches the
seventh or crown chakra. This results in Brahmajnana or God-Realization and
continues on from there. The point at which we reach liberation from the round of
birth and death is, according to Sri Ramana Maharshi, sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi,
which brings a permanent heart opening. I’m not sure if that’s the same as the Hindu
vijnana or the realization of Parabrahman, the Godhead. I think it is. At Brahmajnana
we realize that I am God; at sahaja, that God has become everything.

Here are some examples of Brahmajnana, beginning with Sri Ramakrishna:

“Last of all is the seventh plane, which, according to Tantra, is the centre of the
thousand-petalled lotus. When the Kundalini arrives there, the aspirant goes into
samadhi. In that lotus dwells Satchidananda Siva, the Absolute. There Kundalini, the
awakened Power, unites with Siva. This is known as the union of Siva and Sakti .” (9)

“After passing the six centres the aspirant arrives at the seventh plane. … The
individual soul and the Supreme Soul become one. The aspirant goes into samadhi.
His consciousness of the body disappears. He loses the knowledge of the outer
world. He does not see the manifold any more. His reasoning comes to a stop.” (10)

Brahmanjnana is also described as (kevalya) nirvikalpa samadhi. Here Ramakrishna

uses that term:

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“In [nirvikalpa] samadhi one attains the Knowledge of Brahman — one realizes
Brahman. In that state reasoning stops altogether, and man becomes mute. He has
no power to describe the nature of Brahman.

“After I had experienced [nirvikalpa] samadhi, my mind craved intensely to hear only
about God.” (11)

And here is Swami Dattatreya announcing his achievement of God-Realization.

“I am indeed that Brahman which is free from diversity. O dear friend, how can I, the
Self, salute the Self? … I am uncreated and separate from creation, for I am ever
present. … I am Self-luminous, I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as
space.” (12)

However, liberation from birth and death or moksha doesn’t occur at seventh-chakra
enlightenment, which only results in a temporary heart opening. The permanent heart
opening and liberation comes at sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi. Here is Sri Ramana
Maharshi making that point:

“[The] Heart is the seat of Jnanam as well as of the granthi (knot of ignorance). It is
represented in the physical body by a hole smaller than the smallest pin-point, which
is always shut. When the mind drops down in Kevalya Nirvikalpa [samadhi], it opens
but shuts again after it. When sahaja [nirvikalpa samadhi] is attained it opens for
good.” (13)

“Sahaja is also Nirvikalpa. You are probably meaning Kevala Nirvikalpa, which is
temporary, while the Samadhi lasts. The Sahaja Nirvikalpa is permanent and in it lies
liberation from rebirths.” (14)

“[The state beyond bliss] is the state of unceasing peace of mind which is found in
the state of absolute quiescence, jagrat-sushupti (lit. sleep with awareness) which
resembles inactive deep sleep. In this state, in spite of the activity of the body and the
senses, there is no external awareness, like a child immersed in sleep (who is not
conscious of the food given to him by his mother). A yogi who is in this state is
inactive even while engaged in activity. This is also called sahaja nirvikalpa
samadhi (natural state of absorption in oneself without concepts).” (15)

We can reach full enlightenment in any way we can. As Sri Ramakrishna said, we
can walk into the lake, jump into the lake, or dive into the lake. Any entrance effects
the same result. (16)

This implies that any sincere path will lead to God. It’s also true, as I understand it, to
say that any sincere seeker is bound to find God in one lifetime, some sooner than
others.

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Now I fear that if I were to go on further, I would cause people’s heads to spin, so I
may end the discussion of the stages of enlightenment beyond God-Realization at
this point. It can be pursued in greater depth here. (17)

On the awareness path, or on any path for that matter, the goal is always the same. It
matters not by what name we call it – the Transcendental Absolute, the
unconditioned Brahman, the Godhead, the Void – it is the goal of all human life by
any name.

It may be that to graduate from the human dimension, we have to know something
beyond the Transcendental Absolute but such is not my understanding at the
moment. My understanding is that what will vary is the depth of the knowledge of the
Transcendental Absolute. Of course I’m willing to be corrected and it’s most likely I
will be.

The Mother the other day said that “full enlightenment” was much higher than
Ascension. Here’s the relevant passage from the interview:

Steve Beckow: Why is it that not many enlightened teachers, like Adyashanti or Mata
Amritanandamayi, seem to be referring to Ascension?

Divine Mother: That is not where they have chosen to focus their energies. And they
have always, in their journey, wanted to bring their devotees, their students, their
family, directly home to full enlightenment. So, it is a difference in the fulfillment of
their unique journey. It does not mean that they are not aware of it, but to them they
feel that if they can bring their devotees directly home, then why bother with the
human Gaia process of this Ascension to the fifth, to the seventh? (18)

I assume that she means by “full enlightenment” the enlightenment that would have
us graduate from the human dimension rather than the enlightenment which ends the
cycle of birth and death – a much lower level of enlightenment. The latter is a fifth-
dimensional experience, I think, and the former a twelfth-dimensional experience.

I don’t know anything about the level of enlightenment that would have us leave the
twelfth dimension and with it the human realm. I assume it’s an even deeper knowing
of the Father but that is mere speculation.

Spiritual masters don’t necessarily use the same terms to mean the same thing.
What Saul calls “full consciousness” is not what the Mother would call “full
enlightenment.” Saul means fifth-dimensional Ascension whereas the Mother means
twelfth-dimensional completion of the human cycle of evolution. Here are some
references from Saul:

“Humanity is preparing to rise into the state of full consciousness…

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“It [brings] joyful confidence that God exists eternally, and you with Him, in the glory
of His magnificent creation where ecstatic bliss is the ever-present ongoing
experience.” (19)

“Those who are ready to make the change will move quickly and effortlessly into full
consciousness. However, many who have not yet awakened will need a period of
time, after they come to an awareness of what is happening, to adjust to this stunning
realization; then when they are ready they, too, will embrace full consciousness.” (20)

“In the brilliant daylight of full consciousness there are no problems; there are only
creative ideas and endeavors that work perfectly and transparently, and which are
understood by all. This is of course why you need to awaken, so that you can enjoy
that wondrous state.” (21)

SaLuSa also uses the same phrase of “full consciousness” and associates it with our
upcoming Ascension.

“For some time now whether or not you have personally realized it, your
consciousness levels have grown and that process is speeding up until you acquire
full consciousness.” (22)

“As time progresses you will change from one of limited knowledge to a Galactic
Being of full consciousness. Then you will be the Master that you really are, and
release your full potential. There will be little or no comparison to the Being you are
now of limited consciousness.” (23)

He compares this to leaving kindergarten and seeing the world outside for the first
time. (24) But that’s not the same as the graduation from the school of human
experience itself which occurs after the Twelfth Dimension.

In saying that the twelfth is the dimension that provides the outer limit of the human
experience, I’m relying on what Ashtar said in an interview I had with him on April 23,
2012. Here’s that exchange:

Steve Beckow: You mentioned that you operate on the fifth dimension, and I
presume that a lot of Galactic Federation personnel do as well. But that’s not to say
that your own preferred plane is the fifth dimension, is it?

Ashtar: Oh, no, that is not what I am saying. I am saying that what we have done is
we have brought our vibrations to the fifth dimension in order to be at a place where
we can meet you. If you are to think of the human realm and what is available
currently to you, if you were looking for me, I would be out of the realm of human
experience. So, let us make that clear as well.

SB: That means above the twelfth dimension, is that correct?

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A: That is correct.

SB: Thank you.

A: But if you were to seek me in the realm that is available to you in the human realm
right now, then you would find me in the twelfth. But our vibration right now, of the
entire fleet, is brought to the fifth. The fifth, with a great deal of fluctuation to the
seventh, because there are many human beings who are ready for the seventh as
well. (25)

These then are the three levels of reality that we must know to graduate from the
human realm of experience and a little bit about the enlightenment experiences, as
far as I understand them, that we must have to complete that knowledge. How we get
to that knowledge and how long we take are left up to us.

We can see from this that the human journey continues on well past Ascension to the
Fifth Dimension. It may not be as clear to see that the journey of enlightenment
carries on far past the human realm itself and any realm that we can conceive of.

We can see as well that although sources like Saul and SaLuSa say this Ascension
to the Fifth Dimension is full consciousness, it’s in no way full consciousness as I’d
prefer to use the term, which I’d imagine lies well beyond the Twelfth Dimension of
the human realm and would see us merge utterly with the Transcendental Absolute
and disappear as individuals.

I now feel that I’ve satisfied my promise to the Divine Mother on this Mother’s Day.
I’ve also set out the goal of the path of self-awareness and how we get to that goal.
I’ve discussed the entire gamut of the assignment given us as humans in the
Father’s lila or divine drama of enlightenment. And I’ve provided a key which I hope,
when amplified, will unlock the puzzle of the cross-cultural equivalents of all religions.

Footnotes
(1) “Transcript of the Divine Mother on An Hour with an Angel,” May 7, 2011
at https://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/the-nature-of-the-divine-
mother/transcript-of-the-divine-mother-on-an-hour-with-an-angel-may-7-2011/

(2) Archangel Michael in a reading through Linda Dillon some time last year.

(3) “Chapter 13. Epilogue,” at https://goldenageofgaia.com/spiritual-essays/16244-

2/the-purpose-of-life-is-enlightenment/ch-13-epilogue/

(4) Paramahansa Ramakrishna in Swami Nikhilananda, trans., The Gospel of Sri

Ramakrishna. New York: Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center, 1978; c1942, 499.
[Hereafter GSR.]

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(5) John Ruusbroec in James A. Wiseman, John Ruusbroec. The Spiritual Espousals
and Other Works. New York, etc.: Paulist Press, 1985, 147. Here is St. Augustine’s
experience of it.

“When a deep consideration had from the secret bottom of my soul drawn together
and heaped up all my misery in the sight of my heart; there arose a mighty storm,
bringing a mighty shower of tears. … I cast myself down I know not how, under a
certain fig tree, giving full vent to my tears; and the floods of mine eyes gushed out,
an acceptable sacrifice to Thee. And … I spake much unto Thee: And Thou, O Lord,
how long? how long, Lord, wilt Thou be angry, for ever? … Why not is there an hour
to end my uncleanness? …

“I seized [the Bible], opened, and in silence read that section, on which my eyes first
fell: Not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in spite
and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the
flesh in concupiscence. No further would I read; nor needed I: for instantly at the end
of this sentence, by a light as it were of serenity infused into my heart, all the
darkness of doubt vanished away.” (St. Augustine in E.B. Pusey, trans., The
Confessions of St. Augustine. London: Dent, 1934; c1909, 170-1.)

And finally J. Krishnamurti’s.

“I sat crosslegged in the meditation posture. When I had sat thus for some time, I felt
myself going out of my body, I saw myself sitting down with the delicate tender leaves
of the tree over me. I was facing the east. In front of me was my body and over my
head I saw the Star, bright and clear. … There was such profound calmness both in
the air and within myself, the calmness of the bottom of a deep and unfathomable
lake. Like the lake, I felt my physical body, with its mind and emotions, could be
ruffled on the surface but nothing, nay nothing, could disturb the calmness of my
soul. …

“I was supremely happy, for I had seen. Nothing could ever be the same. I have
drunk at the clear and pure waters at the source of the fountain of life and my thirst
was appeased. Never more could I be thirsty, never more could I be in utter
darkness; I have seen the Light. I have touched compassion which heals all sorrow
and suffering…. Love in all its glory has intoxicated my heart; my heart can never be
closed. I have drunk at the fountain of Joy and eternal Beauty. I am God-intoxicated.”
(Krishnamurti in Mary Lutyens, Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening. New York:
Avon, 1975, 171-2.)

(6) “E,” at https://www.angelfire.com/space2/light11/fdl/e1.html

(7) Paramahansa Ramakrishna in GSR, 151. Here is a second example of it from Sri
Ramakrishna, not as light but as waves of consciousness.

“’I felt as if my heart were being squeezed like a wet towel. I was overpowered with a
great restlessness and a fear that it might not be my lot to realize Her in this life. I

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could not bear the separation from Her any longer. Life seemed to be not worth living.
Suddenly my glance fell on the sword that was kept in the Mother’s temple. I
determined to put an end to my life. When I jumped up like a madman and seized it,
suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself.

“The buildings with their different parts, the temple, and everything else vanished
from my sight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in their stead I saw a limitless,
infinite, effulgent Ocean of Consciousness. As far as the eye could see, the shining
billows were madly rushing at me from all sides with a terrific noise, to swallow me
up! I was panting for breath. I was caught in the rush and collapsed, unconscious.
What was happening in the outside world I did not know; but within me there was a
steady flow of undiluted bliss, altogether new, and I felt the presence of the Divine
Mother.’ On his lips when he regained consciousness of the world was the word
‘Mother’.” (Paramahansa Ramakrishna in GSR, 14.)

(8) William Wordsworth in Marghanita Laski, Ecstacy in Secular and Religious

Experiences. Los Angeles: Tarcher, 1961 399.

It may be hard to discern why this next experience of it is also an example, but what
Paramahansa Yogananda is describing is an experience of the Mother, whom he
calls the Holy Ghost and Aum, the Word of God:

“In John 3:5-6, Christ says: ‘Except a man be born of water (the oceanic vibration of
Aum or Amen, the Holy Ghost, the Invisible Force that upholds all creation; God in
his immanent aspect of the Creator) and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of
God.’” (Paramahansa Yogananda, The Science of Religion. Los Angeles: Self-
Realization Fellowship, 1982, 51-2.)

(9) Paramahansa Ramakrishna in GSR, 499.

(10) Paramahansa Ramakrishna in GSR, 245.

(11) Paramahansa Ramakrishna in GSR, 117.

(12) Dattatreya in Swami Chetanananda, Avadhuta Gita. The Song of the Ever-Free.
Calcutta: Advaita Ashram, 1988, 56.

(13) Ramana Maharshi in S.S. Cohen, Guru Ramana. Memories and Notes. 6th
edition. Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 1993, 96. [Hereafter GR.]

(14) Ramana Maharshi, GR, 88.

(15) Sri Ramana Maharshi, Spiritual Instruction of Bhagavan Sri Ramana

Maharshi.Eighth Edition. Tiruvannamalai: Sri Ramanasramam, 1974, Chapter 3,
Question 4.

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(16) “You see, the thing is somehow or other to get into the Lake of the Nectar of
Immortality. Suppose one person gets into It by propitiating the Deity with hymns
and worship, and you are pushed into It. The result will be the same. Both of you
will certainly become immortal.” (Paramahansa Ramakrishna in GSR, 217.)

(17) “E,” at https://www.angelfire.com/space2/light11/fdl/e1.html

(18) “Transcript of the Divine Mother on An Hour with an Angel,” May 7, 2011, ibid.

(19) Saul, Jan. 22, 2011, at https://johnsmallman.wordpress.com

(20) Saul, June 17, 2009.

(21) Saul, Oct 31, 2010.

(22) SaLuSa, Feb. 24, 2012,

at https://www.treeofthegoldenlight.com/First_Contact/Channeled_Messages_by
_Mike_Quinsey.htm

(23) SaLuSa, May 24, 2010.

(24) Loc. cit. “After thousands of years slowly finding your way back through
enlightenment, you are about to launch yourselves on a journey of immense
meaning and opportunity. It is as though you have only just left the kindergarten,
and are seeing for the first time the world outside.”

(25) “Transcript of Ashtar on An Hour with an Angel, April 23, 2012,” April 25, 2012,
at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2012/04/transcript-of-ashtar-on-an-hour-with-an-
angel-april-23-2012/ Notice that Ashtar says that he would be out of the human
realm past the twelfth but he still appears to us in his human or Adam Kadmon
template form. Whether that involves temporary assumption of that form or not,
he didn’t say and I didn’t ask.

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 Geometry In The Body

In the beginning of your life in the womb, you were nothing but geometrical forms. In fact, all
life forms - trees, plants, dogs, cats, everything – have the same geometrical and structural
patterns running through them that ran through you when you were microscopic. Their very life
and structural support depend on the forms.

In fact, all life forms are these geometrical patterns, but it is not apparent to the casual eye.
These geometrical relationships are important to perceive, not only so the left brain can realize
the unity of all life, but for another reason: so that we can understand these electromagnetic
structural patterns around our body and begin to re-create them.

Every known life form begins as a sphere. It’s the most female form there is, so it makes perfect
sense that the female would choose that shape to form the ovum. The ovum is a sphere. Another
example of a round ovum is inside a chicken egg. When you remove the yolk from a hard-
boiled egg, you can see how perfectly round it is. All of us begin as a sphere.

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The ovum has a membrane around it called the zona pellucida. Inside the membrane, is a liquid,
and inside that, just like the chicken egg, there’s another perfectly round sphere called the
female pronucleus, which contains 22 + 1 chromosomes - half the chromosomes necessary to
create a human body. Inside the zona pellucida, are two polar bodies.

It is now known that the ovum must be absolutely saturated with hundreds of sperm, or
conception is not even possible. Out of those hundreds, ten, eleven or twelve must come
together in some kind of pattern on the surface - a pattern they’re still trying to figure out - that
allows the eleventh, twelfth or thirteenth sperm to enter the ovum. One sperm cannot get
through the membrane without the other ten to twelve. It’s not possible except when a human
artificially inseminates it.

The little sperm gets in through the zona pellucida with the help of the other sperm and then
starts swimming toward the female pronucleus. The first thing that happens is that the sperm’s
tail breaks off and disappears. Next, the tiny sperm head expands and becomes a perfect sphere,
which is the male pronucleus. It becomes exactly the same size as the female
pronucleus, and it contains the other half of the necessary information.

Next, they pass through each other and form a geometrical relationship called the vesica piscis.
It’s not possible for two spheres to pass through each other and perfectly coincide without
forming a vesica piscis. This means that at this exact moment literally all the information of the
Reality (and light) is contained in that geometry. This could not happen unless the two
pronuclei were the same size.

Science proved the determining factor for which sperm will enter is the female. She selects the
one to allow in. Just as everybody has a different projection length into a space or into the Void,
each little sperm also has a different-size sphere around it. She’s not going to let him in unless
his size is identical to hers. If it’s a matching key, okay; if it’s not, forget it.

Vesica Piscis

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The First Human Cell

After the two pronuclei make a vesica piscis, the male pronucleus continues to permeate the
female pronucleus until they are one. At this time it’s called a human zygote, the first cell of the
human body. So you began as a sphere before you created your familiar human body. Actually,
you were a sphere within a sphere. The human zygote will not change size during the first nine
cell divisions.

Union of Male & Female Migration of Polar Bodies Chromosomes Forming

Pronuclei To Form A Central Tube The First Two Cells

It’s fixed, as is the size of the outer membrane. The human zygote is about 200 times bigger
than the average cell in the human body, so big you can actually see it with your naked eye.
When it divides into two, each of those two cells is half the original size; and when those two
cells divide into four, each cell is a quarter of the original size.

The cells keep dividing like this, getting littler and littler, until they’ve divided eight more times
and number 512. At that point the average cell size of the human body is reached. Mitosis
continues, and the dividing cells expand beyond the boundaries of the original zona pellucida.

The cells keep dividing like this, getting littler and littler, until they’ve divided eight more times
and number 512. At that point the average cell size of the human body is reached. Mitosis
continues, and the dividing cells expand beyond the boundaries of the original zona pellucida.

First the growth goes into itself, then out beyond itself. When the first growth goes inward, it’s
as if it’s trying to figure out how to do it. Once it figures that out, it goes outward, beyond itself.
All life uses this process. The next thing that happens in the conception process is that those
little polar bodes begin to migrate through the zona pellucida. One goes down and becomes the
south pole and the other becomes the north pole.

Then, out of nowhere, a tube appears, running right down through the center of the cell. Then
the chromosomes break in half, and half of them line up along one side of the tube and half line
up along the other. This is a familiar image in human energy fields - it’s very much like the
energetics of an adult human being. Humans have a similar sphere of energy around them. You
have a north pole and a south pole, and you have a tube running right down through your body.

Half of you is on one side of that tube and half is on the other. After the chromosomes have
lined up along the two sides of the tube, they form into two cells; one of each side of the tube,
and each cell contains 44 + 2 chromosomes. Scientists used to depend on electron microscopes

96
for photographs. Now they have laser microscopes that can take movies, so they can watch
these things happening. They’re gaining information rapidly.

The First Four Cells

The next step is that the cells divide again, going form two to four - a binary sequence - 1, 2, 4,
8, 16, etc. Most textbooks show the first four cells forming a little square, but that’s not what
happens. They actually form a tetrahedron - one of the Platonic solids - and the apex of the first
tetrahedron points either to the north pole or the south pole, which probably determines the
gender.

Next, the cells divide into eight; they form one tetrahedron facing up and one tetrahedron facing
down, and you get the star tetrahedron. This is called the Egg of Life. Every single life known
on Earth must pass through the Egg of Life stage . Science has recognized that this particular
stage of development is different from any other, and it has many unique qualities that don’t
occur at any other time in its development.

The most important quality of these original eight cells is that they appear to be identical - there
appears to be nothing different about them at all. Researchers have tried to find differences, but
they couldn’t. Scientists have found that they can split the egg of life in two at this point,
through he middle of the cube, with four cells in one part and four in the other, and two
identical people - or rabbits, or dogs, or anything else - will be created. They’ve gone as far as
dividing it once more, making four identical life forms.

First Four Cells

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Original Eight Cells

These original eight cells are closer to who you really are than your physical body is, closer to
your true nature. You get a brand-new body every seven years; every cell in your body dies
within a seven-year period and is replaced with a new one, except for the original eight cells.

They remain alive from the time you’re conceived until the time you die and leave the body. All
the rest go through their life cycles, but not these eight.

These cells are centered in the precise geometric center of your body, which is slightly above
the perineum. There’s a little piece of skin there, and even though there’s not a physical
opening, there is actually an energetic opening. That’s where the central tube runs through your
body, coming out the top through the crown chakra at the top of your head.

If you look at a newborn baby during the first few weeks, you’ll see the top of its head pulsing.
If you were to look at the bottom of the baby, at its perineum, you’d see the same pulsing.
That’s because the baby is breathing in the proper way. Both ends are pulsing because the
energy is flowing from the two poles - coming from the top down, and from the bottom up - and
meeting. From the point where the original eight cells are located, it’s the same distance to the
top of your head as it is to the bottom of your feet. And the cells are arranged just as they were
when they first came into existence - in the Egg of Life pattern - north up, south down.

First Eight Cells

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 The Seed and the Flower

From the two, we come to the next stage of creation, the three. The Genesis story speaks of
the Seas being separated from Earth on the Third Day, after creating the Firmament on the
Second Day and Light on the First Day.

These separations, these curves of bending light and energy that God projects through the
dimensionless void are modeled, from a sacred Geometry perspective, as three spheres. This
rendition not only mirrors the act of creation itself, this division of primordial substances from
the great void (first Light, then Sky, then Earth and Water which is represented here followed
by Day and Night, or Sun and Moon on the Fourth Day) but also represents the structure of
the universe after the acts are complete.

Note this could only be true if in fact the Light of God passed through these geometric
images, or symbols of these images and shapes as it were. The very reason why the Geometry
is sacred is because it is true.

What we have at this point in our world creation, our cosmogony, is a sort of three tiered
world, the inside of which you can see the flower of life start to emerge, symbolically
speaking.

This is not the base of the pyramid, the Soul as it were, necessarily but it is the balance of
order underneath which sits the full base – the 4, or the bottom the Tetractys in Pythagorean
philosophy, the ground of existence also represented by the root chakra which has four petals.
The three is the beginning of the structure through which Light descends into the world, and
conversely through which light (Soul) extend back up to its source. Back into the cosmic
womb of the Great Mother – the vesica piscis.

Let’s turn to the east for a moment and look at some of the symbolism of the Vedas, a
scripture which is soaked in tripartite knowledge and threes of all kinds, primarily following
the account of Lori Thompson in Geometric Keys of Wisdom where she explains the Trayi
Vidya, or the three-part knowledge.

Her exposition is rooted in the Vedas, and we select one passage here, from the hymn to
Savitar inb the Rig Veda, that references this three-part structure of the universal order:

Savitar thrice surrounding with his mightiness mid-air, three regions, and
the triple sphere of light, Sets the three heavens in motion and the threefold earth,
and willingly protects us with his triple law.

Most gracious God, who brings to life and lulls to rest, he who controls the
world, what moves not and what moves, May he vouchsafe us shelter, - Savitar
the God, - for tranquil life, with triple bar against distress.

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This is a prayer for wealth and progeny as it turns out, but it has this fascinating description of
the world creation in it, through Savitar, the shadow counterpart of the Sun god Surya,
through which the light of life is breathed into this world, which – as the Sun - sustains it with
its warmth and – as the Moon, or Savitar - preserves it during the night when we slip back
into the underworld in our dreams. This affinity to the mythos surrounding Ra and Atum from
Egypt here should be apparent.

In this prayer to Savitar, he is called out as being surrounded by three regions, three spheres
of light, which sets the three heavens in motion and created the threefold earth, and
manifesting in his triple law (dharma). The 3 is everywhere here so let’s try and decode its
meaning somewhat and map it back to this universal geometric unfolding exercise we’re
going through here.

Geometrically speaking what can be inferred here, and I follow Lori Tomkins account which
complements the Western esoteric one more or less, we slice the circle into three arcs,
yielding three vesica piscis within the circle, each 120 degree apart, yielding a sort of
compressed three-pronged image, used for the transmutation and reflection of light as the
mystics would see it.

Figure 35: The Three Fish (Triad Piscis), the Ten and the Zodiac.

This circle then, cuts into 12 parts if we draw the 12 vesica piscis throughout, making a clock
of vesica piscis as it were in the initial sphere of creation, but the 3 primary are the basis for
the rest. And if we map them to the Zodiac signs, we get Leo, Aries and Sagittarius – the
three fire signs which is no accident either – Agni is after all the great Fire Sacrifice, through
which knowledge itself is revealed.

We can see the basic structure of the universe in this cut of three then - both in terms of time,
the clock and 24 hours of the day, and certainly the 12 measures of the Zodiac which given
the four seasons and the path of the Earth across the year. As above, so below.

Note that The Trinity is a sort of bastardized version of this wisdom in the sense that the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, while a Trinity of sorts, yields a very self-serving
message which is that only through the Son may we reach the Father. But this is not what he
says in John 14:6 (King James):

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 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

It is through knowledge, the removal of the veil of ignorance, that the Father is seen – Jesus
embodies this knowledge, and as such it is through his teaching, and the teachings of
countless other prophets throughout the ages, that true understanding of the nature of this
world, the nature of God, can be known, can be revealed.

No wonder Muhammad received his visions, the Christians went astray in a way, more truth
hidden only to be revealed – again and again in countless cycles throughout the history of
mankind.

And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he ceased
from all his works which God began to do.

The cycle is finished and rounded out as it were on the seventh day. The vast symbolism and
almost ubiquitous presence in ancient esoteric literature is almost too vast to cite here but
suffice it to say that there is a basic element of completeness, of symmetry of the number
seven.

From this emanation, this unfolding into existence you might say, we end up with this seven-
fold structure, seven-fold universe really. We represent this geometrically (and please do not
confuse the map with the territory as Pirsig was wont to say) as a series of curved spheres that
emerge, are drawn out into the void from which life. From this emanation, the universe is
brought forth, sustained and preserved, and then ultimately destroyed.

Universes beyond universes in infinite progression, and regression into and out of the
manifold of space and time, and other dimensions alike. It is the cycle of the ouroboros that is
superimposed onto this seven-fold structure which in many respects maintains the universe,
holds it up.

These are the gates of heaven you might say, our seven seals in Revelation that mark the
second coming.

But what one must understand, is that the Geometry should be coupled with the narrative to
see the whole picture. We must marry Genesis with the Gnostic knowledge from deep
antiquity. This is an unfolding process which God partakes in, embarks upon – and it is Good.

These seven spheres then, unfold in this grand chasm of cosmic soup – the spirit moves upon
the waters and starts the whole cycle into motion.

In each phase God strikes another dividing line into eternity, and what falls out are the Four
(the elements, poles of the sky), the five from which the two and two are held together – the
very base of physical reality (five senses), to the six and then the seven. Six great movements,
and on the seventh he rests. And it was Good.

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 Figure 36: The Seed of Life from the Seven Spheres

It is from the Seed (of Life) that we get the Flower (of Life) of course.

Figure 37: Seed to Flower of Life

The Flower of Life is of course made up of overlapping Seeds of Life (see figure below) - six
of them to be precise. And this maps to the six different directions we find in the Sēpher
Yəṣîrâh - Above, Below, North, South East and West basically. And within the seed is the
vesica piscis, the very foundation of this geometrical formation you might say.

Really the circles are spheres but this two-dimensional rendering makes it easier to visualize.
You must understand, everything is flat here, a rendering in 2D space of a 3D world. This is
Flatland. These words on the page are meant to be breadcrumbs leading to truth but they are
just thought seeds. They must be planted in your mind, left to grow, and then one day they
will grow into large oak trees of knowledge.

If we start from the beginning then, we have the two intersecting circles, Heaven and Earth,
who come together, and through their union (the womb of the Great Mother), the (rest) of the
universe is formed, it emerges and unfolds out of her being.

This is the Eye of Horus – this vesica piscis Geometry which underpins
the very structure of reality.

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We then have the Seed of Life that is created from her, that is encoded in the (first part of) the
Genesis narrative out of which emerges the Flower of Life in all her glory.

Figure 38: Vesica Piscis and the Flower of Life

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 “The Alpha and the Omega”

About the ‘Enlightened One’

The Finite, The Infinite, and God

In a set theory class in graduate school we got to discuss Cantor theory. This theory
discusses the relative sizes of different infinities. A nun in the class said to me "God is infinity
and infinity is God". A basic cliché we all use is that God is infinite. Naturally her statement
was an over-simplification. The comment sparked an interest, however, that has deepened
with time.

Ellen White speaks not only of the infinite value of God, but of sin when she writes:
"The infinite value of the sacrifice required for our redemption reveals the fact that sin is a
tremendous evil." [16, p 451] Elsewhere she comments that our finite minds cannot hope to
comprehend all of the infinity that is God.

The purpose of this paper is to explore a little of what infinity is and how it can
influence our understanding of our Creator and our relation to him. Tantalizing pieces can be
shared with the students when an appropriate topic arises. Hopefully this will start some of
our students thinking.

An incident will indicate that some have considered this topic of paramount
importance. Giordano Bruno, amongst others, taught that space was infinite. He strongly
advocated this concept in his dialogue of 1584 "On the Infinite Universe and Worlds." For
this he was lured to Venice, captured and turned over to the inquisition. After 9 years of
imprisonment and torture, during which time he refused to recant, he was burned at the stake.
[11, p. 19]

Infinity, as used by Christians, is most often applied as an attribute of God. It is one of

those omni - words: omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. It gives visions of eternity,
past and present. Always it is the distantly unreachable and mysterious.

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 Harry Blamires encourages us to explore the unknown.

There is nothing in our experience, however trivial, worldly, or even evil, which
cannot be thought about Christianly. To think Christianly is to accept all things with
the mind as related, directly or indirectly, to man's eternal destiny as the redeemed
and chosen child of God. [3, p. 44, 45].

Almost fifty years ago George McCready Price urged us to apply modern discoveries
to the understanding the character of the Creator.

All these modern discoveries tend to present the problems of the universe in aspects
never dreamed of by the people of the Victorian age. Yet we see little inclination on
the part of anyone to make serious use of these new discoveries in trying to understand
the character of the Creator, or in attempting to study the ways in which He is
conducting His universe. [10, p. 17]

Scripture

A study of the context of for ever, eternal, everlasting, infinity, for

evermore, and innumerable, in a concordance of the King James Version of the Bible is
essential before we go too deep into the mathematical context of infinity.

In Scripture, these words often have a relative meaning. By this I mean that there may
be expiration. On the other hand we often take them to mean absolutely what they say. Some
examples of relative use, in a traditional Adventist context are these:

Job is accused of having committed an infinite number of sins [2, Job 22: 5] The
armed strength of Ethiopia and Egypt is listed as infinite, and yet they were carried into
captivity. [2, Nahum 3:9] There are innumerable beasts, small and great in the sea,
and innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. [2, Psalm 104: 25; Hebrews 11: 12].

Jude 7 talks of an eternal fire that consumed Sodom and Gomorrah. Leviticus
lists statutes for ever that pertained to the temple ceremonies and passed away with the old
dispensation. [see 2, Leviticus 6: 18; 7: 34, 36; 10: 9, 15; etc.]. The Aaronic priesthood,
termed an everlasting priesthood in Exodus, is replaced by a more excellent ministry in
Hebrews. [2, Exodus 40: 15; Hebrews 8: 6.]

On the other hand these same words are used in a context that we take in an absolute
sense. God is an everlasting king. [2, Jeremiah 10: 10]. His understanding is infinite. [2,

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Psalm 147: 5] And who doubts for a moment that the promise of eternal life in John 3: 16 is
not really for ever? If that is not true, then indeed we are of all men most miserable.

From these and other texts it would appear that eternity or infinity is something that
lasts a long time or is extremely numerous, and, most importantly, is beyond the power or
authority of man to meddle with.

Other Early Views of Infinity

The ancient Greeks used the word apeiron ( ) for infinity. It appeared to have
many negative connotations and none positive. There was no place for the infinite in the
world of Plato or Pythagoras. The Pythagoreans believed everything could be described by a
finite arrangement of the natural numbers. Aristotle recognized that there were some aspects
of the world that might need apeiron. Things such as the flow of time, and the number of
points on a line segment might indeed be infinite. He invented the notions of potentially
infinite versus actually infinite. Something actually infinite had an air of finality and
completeness to it. The set of natural numbers (1, 2, 3...) on the other hand, was only
potentially infinite because one never used or needed more than a finite number of them at
any one time. Thus he could remain in his own comfortable little finite world without dealing
with the unpleasant concept of infinity.

St. Augustine, who adapted Platonic philosophy to Christianity, believed that both
God and his thoughts were infinite. This was a bold step beyond believing simply that God
was nebulously infinite. Augustine's successors would not go as far as he did. St. Thomas
Aquinas gives a circular "proof" that it would be impossible for God to create anything
infinite. (A circular proof assumes the result as part of the hypotheses.)

Infinity

George Bernard Shaw once astutely observed that to a bushman who can only count as
far as his ten fingers, to him "eleven is an incalculable mystery." [5, p. 42] Of course Shaw
was underestimating even the most primitive of the human race. But his point is well taken
that infinity is merely something quantitatively beyond our reckoning.

Galileo Galilei in the early 1600's was the first person to begin to approach infinity in
a modern spirit. He had learned something from Bruno's experience and so was more careful

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in how he expressed his scientific sentiments. History documents that he was not careful
enough however.

Galileo supposed that there were as many points on a 3 inch line as on a 6 inch
line. He argued that there were as many points on the circumference of a circle of radious two
inches as there were on a circle of radius one inch. To see this, draw the two circles with a
common center. Then for every point B on the larger circle there exists a corresponding point
A on the smaller circle where the radius from the original point meets the smaller circle. In
this fashion every point on the larger circle could be paired with one on the smaller circle. So
there must be an equal number of points on each circle, even though the circumference of the
larger was twice as long as that of the smaller. This type of reasoning was not fully utilized
until Georg Cantor wrote his set theory 250 years later.

Georg Ferdinand Ludwig Philipp Cantor (1845-1918), intrigued by recent non-

Euclidean geometry theory, created classical set theory, to put geometry back on track as a
respectable branch of mathematics. As part of his set theory he faced the issue of how to count
the number of elements in a set. He arrived at the fruitful technique of comparing two sets,
element by element. If he ran out of elements in one of the sets first, then that set had fewer
elements.

Cantor opened his remarks with the following bold statement:

The fear of infinity is a form of myopia that destroys the possibility of seeing the actual
infinite, even though it in its highest form has created and sustains us, and in its
secondary transfinite forms occurs all around us and even inhabits our minds. [11, p.
43].

He recognized an absolute infinity. Between this absolute infinity and the finite
numbers he created a new class of numbers he called the transfinite numbers.

He denoted the number of integers as . This is the smallest infinity. Infinite sets have
the quality that their elements can be paired with those of proper subsets of themselves. This
can, of course, violate our intuition. For example, Galileo used the following pairing to show
that there are as many numbers as perfect squares (a proper subset of the set of positive
integers):

Cantor used the same argument to show that there are no more fractions than natural
numbers. However the number of the points on a line segment is greater than . Thus there
are many different infinities each one as much bigger than the previous as  is bigger than
any finite number.

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 David Hilbert used the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet to denote infinity.
Thus O (aleph-null) had the same value as Cantor's . Continuing from there, the set of all
subsets of the natural numbers has more elements than the set of natural numbers, so he
denoted that infinity as 1 . The set consisting of the set of all subsets of the set of all subsets
of the natural numbers would be denoted by 2. Furthermore this process can obviously be
continued indefinitely.

We can now settle the medieval controversy over how many angels can stand on the
head of a pin. If each angel requires but a single point to stand on and there are O angels, the
head of the pin could contain all of the angels in the universe. There would still be infinitely
more than O points remaining unoccupied!

God is Infinite

This view of an absolute infinity far greater than the ordinary infinities we meet with
every day gives us a new and exalted view of what infinity can mean. The eternal life we all
look forward to consist of  or O years, but the God with whom we'll spend it represents
the only thing we can conceive of as being an absolute infinity.

The famous mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell points out that:

The infinity of rationals [ ] does not demand, for its definition or use, any infinite classes
or infinite integers. It is not, in actual fact a very important notion, and we could dispense
with it altogether if there were any object in doing so. The Cantorian [absolute] infinite,
on the other hand, is of greatest and most fundamental importance; the understanding of
it opens the way to whole new realms of mathematics and philosophy. [12, p. 65]

In the context of Cantor's absolute infinity we quote St. Gregory: "'No matter how far
our mind may have progressed in the contemplation of God, it does not attain to what he
is but to what is beneath him."' [5, p. 48].

In his worldview James Sire defines a God who is omniscient:

This means that God is all-knowing. He is the alpha and the omega and knows the
beginning from the end. He is the ultimate source of all knowledge and all intelligence.
He is He Who Knows. The author of Psalm 139 expresses beautifully his amazement at
God's being everywhere, preempting him--knowing him even as he was being formed in
his mother's womb! [13, p. 27].

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 Sire thus believes that God's knowledge is infinite in at least two dimensions. God knows
everything and he knows all time.

In the balance of the paper, I wish to explore some of the ideas that I have had. Many
of these are not original, of course, but many have occurred to me independently of sources I
discovered later. They should all be read with the following caveat: Our thinking in this realm
is probably as rudimentary as that of the Greek philosophers 2500 years ago, who believed
that all heavenly motion must occur in perfect circles. It will be very surprising if, in the earth
made new, any one or another of these specific theories described below are found to be true.
[Adapted with apologies to one of this country's greatest astronomers, the late George O.
Abell; 1, p. 378]. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared them that love him!" [2, 1 Corinthians 2:9].

Bounded Infinity

The term-bounded infinity seems at first sight to be an oxymoron. It refers to the

phenomenon mentioned earlier and stated originally by Galileo that a line segment (which is
bounded) contains many points as any other line segment of any length (bounded or
unbounded). Cantor showed a line segment consists of an uncountably infinite number of
points. Uncountably infinite means a transfinite number greater than Cantor's .

Mandelbrot points out that the common land boundary between Spain and Portugal is
listed as km versus 1214 km in their respective encyclopedias. [8, p. 33] He attributes this
difference to their each using a measuring device with different resolution. In fact the shorter
the measuring rod, the longer the boundary. The reason is that the shorter rod will measure
more of the irregularities in the boundary. Taken to its logical conclusion, as the length of the
measuring rod gets closer and closer to zero, the measured length of the boundary will get
larger and larger until it approaches . Mandelbrot proceeds to define a fractal dimension (or
fractional dimension). We will discuss dimension later on.

Nature tends to abound in curves that yield infinite lengths when measured with
infinitesimal measuring rods. Until recently, mathematics has not concerned itself with
irregular curves such as these. In fact it still does not have a method of modeling such curves.
They are too complicated.

Scientists have defined the chemical structure of matter in terms of molecules. These
in turn are described in terms of atoms, which were originally considered indivisible. Atoms
are now considered to consist of particles such as protons, electrons, and neutrons. Recently
some of these particles have been subdivided into still smaller subparticles called quarks. And
surely the end is not in sight. Will matter turn out to be infinitely divisible?

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 Behind all of this infinite variety in the smallness of nature, we see a Creator. He has a
design for nature that goes smaller and deeper than our most sensitive instruments.

Ponder for a moment the mystery of the electron. It's electro-magnetic force is subject
to the well known inverse square law. That means that the force quadruples as the distance to
the electron is halved. Since the electron is practically dimensionless, an object "touching" the
electron would experience an unlimited (infinite) force. Here is an infinite force bound up in
an infinitesimal point.

The computer age yields two more examples. Technology has been squeezing more
and more memory into the same physical dimensions every year. In fact, in recent years, they
have doubled the amount of memory on an integrated circuit every year. Yet computer
memory has not approached that contained within the human mind in either capacity or ease
of accessibility. God has enabled our brains to remember an apparently unlimited amount of
knowledge. Although the human body and mind have degenerated considerably since the
perfection of creation, we are still blessed with far more memory capacity than we ever use.

But God knows the name of every star [2, Psalm 147: 4; Isaiah 40:26]. Scientists tell
us that are probably at least 300 billion stars in our galaxy alone. [14, p.422] To get a slight
feeling how big that number is, suppose we gave each star a word out of the Oxford English
Dictionary for a name. We would run out of names at about 500 thousand stars. How many of
us know even 20% of that number of English words? The United Nations estimates that there
are about 2000 different languages in the world. If every language had as rich a vocabulary as
English (and most don't) and we used dictionaries of each of these languages to names the
stars in our Milky Way galaxy we could name about 1 billion stars. That is less than one per
cent of the stars galaxy alone. Furthermore there are over 200 billion known galaxies of stars.
Now marvel at the memory that knows all of that and at the same time knows exactly how
many hairs you have on your head! Are we viewing a memory that just might be infinite? I
believe we are.

When people think of computers, they normally think of speed. Today we measure the
speed of computers in MIPS (millions of instructions per second). For example the Macintosh
computer I am typing this paper on is rated at about 8 MIPS. My old Apple II+ was rated at
about 1 MIPS. Newer and faster computers run at much higher MIPS rates. What we are
doing is squeezing more and more processing into each second. I believe that God must have
the ability to do an infinite amount of processing in any given time period. The amount of data
handled needs to be measured in the realm of O at least and maybe some higher n is
required. Like some of the new modern computers and like the human brain, God's mind must

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be able to process many things in parallel (simultaneously). Again I believe that he must be
able to handle at least O unrelated thoughts simultaneously.

Unbounded Infinity of Time

As the doctrine of the eternal existence of God began to dawn on my childhood mind I
was utterly intrigued. Everything in our experience has a beginning. And so my question was
"What happened before that?" People suggested I think about a ring, because it has long been
a symbol of infinity, having neither beginning nor end. But, that didn't help a bit.

St. Augustine asked himself what God was doing before he made heaven and earth, to
which he replied "He was creating hell for people who ask questions like that!" [7, p.112].

Looking out at the nighttime heavens we see objects that are thousands of light years
distant. This implies that these objects existed long before the 6,000-year-old beginning of the
heavens and earth. A simple minded explanation is that when God made the stars he made
them with apparent age, that means that he made their light beams throughout the universe at
the same time he made them. After all, didn't he make Adam and Eve and their garden home
fully mature, with every evidence of age?

Even our simple minded answer, however, leaves us with St. Augustine's nagging
question, what was God doing before then? In God and the Astronomers Robert Jastrow
traces the tortuous trail of modem cosmology. He shows how the galactic red shift forced
Astronomers to draw an obvious conclusion. The apparent interpretation of the red shift is that
the universe is expanding. Now simply trace this expansion backwards to the time when all
these lines of expansion converge and you come up with a date. This date, 10 to 20 billion
years ago, would seem an obvious choice for the beginning of time in our universe. The event
is referred to as the Big Bang. There are two straightforward methods of arriving at this date.
One points to about 20 billion years ago, the other to about 10. But the allowance for error in
each approximation overlaps the other, so no one is worried about the discrepancies, yet. This
forced scientists to accept that the universe did have a beginning; it has not always been here.
Jastrow states, albeit reluctantly, that the modem scientist has scaled the mountains of
ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak-, as he pulls himself over the final rock, he
is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries! [7, p. 116]

Naturally he places the creation of the universe at the time of the Big Bang. Of course
neither creationists nor evolutionists believe the earth was created at that time.

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 It seems reasonable to believe that God created our universe all within a finite span of
time. This would tend to imply that he has had an infinite amount of time, if indeed he is
subject to time, to create other universes. More on this later.

Throughout the entire "life" of the universe, no matter how long or short you make it,
the universe has been changing. Were Abraham alive today he would notice that Arcturus has
visibly moved from its position amongst the other stars in the vicinity. He would notice, too,
that our North Star is not what he knew as the north celestial pole in his day.

Holmes credits the concept that good means immutable and evil means change to the
effect of Platonism on Christian thought. [6, p.73] Apparently God is the only thing that is
"the same yesterday and to day and for ever." [2, Hebrews 13:8]

Were this earth to last long enough, some great changes would take place. The most
major is that the sun would eventually run out of fuel. This would end life, as we know it on
this earth. But surely that is not the destiny planned for sinless beings by a loving God!

When God made man in his image and told him to be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth, did he mean that man was to stop procreating upon filling the earth? Maybe! But I
doubt it. Far more likely, in my opinion, God originally meant for the human race to continue
growing and multiplying until it filled the universe not just this tiny speck of dust in his vast
creation. If one is to believe Carl Sagan in his TV mini series Cosmos, at least a tenth of the
stars we see in the night must have planets about them. Many of these are possibly
inhabitable. Very possibly they are just Garden of Edens waiting for us take up residence.

Mathematically this expanding human race would mean that at any time in the future
the number of humans would still be finite. However over the vast eons of eternity this
number would grow bigger than any finite number you might name. Thus our universe would
need at least O planet eventually. Very possibly God might continue to create more as the
need arose. When our present sun did exhaust all of its fuel, he could either give it a new
transfusion of energy, or encourage those remaining on this planet to move on.

Unbounded Infinity of Space.

The majority of scientists today believe that our universe is extremely large, but finite.
If it is indeed true that it is finite, then God created the whole universe in a finite amount of
time. In other words, if the universe is finite there must be a first thing that was created.
Furthermore it can only occupy a finite amount of space. In other words there must be

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something that is the farthest away from us. If we take the distance to the farthest object from
us, we can use this distance to create a sphere with that radius about us that contains the entire
universe. What is beyond this vast sphere? No matter how great the sphere, there is still an
infinity beyond.

It seems reasonable that there are more universes beyond ours. In fact it would be
highly unreasonable to imagine that a God who is eternal would create exactly one finite
universe. Otherwise he would have had an eternity to contemplate his one "tiny" creation!

The majority of these scientists who think the universe is finite, also think that space is
curved. Think of the curvature in this fashion. In the days of Columbus, most people believed
the surface of the earth to be flat. This meant that if you sailed out in any direction you would
eventually fall off the edge of the earth. Now we have conclusive evidence (he and others
sailed far enough) to know that the surface of the earth is curved, so that if we traveled in any
direction long enough we would arrive back at our starting position. In order for this surface
to form a sphere, it has to be curved in a direction not in the plane of the surface. Thus
curvature of the two dimensional surface of the earth requires a third spatial dimension,
undetectable by the compass.

It is just as possible that if we traveled by super fast spacecraft in any single direction
far enough we would find ourselves back exactly where we started. In order for this to be
possible our three dimensional space must be embedded in a higher dimensional space, a
fourth dimension.

Many of these concepts of the nature of the universe began as I studied higher
dimensions in mathematics. They began to gel into a model as a result of a discussion I had
with Dr. de Groot, the senior astronomer at the Armagh Observatory in Ireland in the late
1970's. He had come to Cape Town for an international astronomical conference. He had been
a Seventh-day Adventist for a number of years and had been struggling with reconciling the
findings of science with Adventist views of creation.

Dr. de Groot's universe can be represented by the following diagram.

Each circle in the diagram represents a three dimensional universe. Ours is but one of
these circles (universes). There may indeed be an infinite number of these universes. Heaven,
God's throne, is at the center of all of universes. In this model Ellen White's statement that the
saints will one day "gaze upon the glory of creation,--suns and stars and systems, all in their
appointed order circling the throne of Deity" [15, p.677] makes a lot of sense.

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 You may be tempted to dismiss all I have written here as idle speculation. We who
live in the of the twentieth century in a highly materialistic culture are tempted to be passive
observers, rather than allowing our minds to get in and wrestle with the greater facts that are
not always visible to the naked eye. Robert Boyle lamented, "Sad to say our culture and even
our academic structures seem to value only the shallow conceptual word, the useful, limited,
rational word, the 'scientific' word available to the eye." [4]

During the Mau Mau war of independence in Kenya, all of the Kikuyu people had to
take an induction oath into the Mau Mau or flee from certain death. The oath involved
drinking blood as a sacrifice to the animist spirits and certain immoral acts. I've heard Mrs
Wangai tell her story of how she escaped taking the oath. As a teenager, she was brought
before the council who demanded she take the oath. She refused and so was forced into the
interior of a windowless hut to hopefully reconsider or await execution. Her captors stood
guard at the only door while she lay on the floor, praying. Suddenly she had the sensation that
she was moving.

Looking towards her feet she noticed a hole in the wall through which her feet and
body were slowly moving. Her bonds fell off and she found herself outside the rear of the hut.
After standing dazed and unbelieving for a few moments she fled into the deep bush and
escaped. But not before looking back at the hut and seeing no hole in the wall. Sometime later
she returned with others to the hut and there was no sign that there had ever been a hole in the
wall.

One way to explain this, and Christ's sudden appearance in the securely locked upper
room is simply to say that it was a miracle. And who would question that they were both
miracles, unless they refuse to accept that they happened? If some being had the power to
move in a fourth spatial direction, they could easily appear in a locked room without going
through any doors or walls. They could easily move someone out of a hut, without passing
through the wall. To the person whose senses are restricted to three dimensions, there would
appear to be a hole through which they were moving. Furthermore, a little reflection will
convince you that no lock or knot or chain can remain locked or tied or linked in four
dimensions. So bonds would fall off as a natural consequence of moving in a fourth
dimension.

Explaining these miracles in this fashion in no way minimizes the miraculous nature
of the event. After all we have no ability to perceive or use a fourth dimension. But it does
help us believe that our guardian angel can indeed be very close to us and yet remain
unperceived. Heaven can, in this way, be very close to us and ready to come to our aid
whenever we need them. Thus angels, good and evil can be close to us. They can be very real,

114
not ethereal beings. They can have great strength. They can reveal themselves simply by
entering our dimension. They can change forms easily simply by how they enter our space.
They can perform healings such as removing tumors without breaking the skin. As Paul said,
"We wrestle not against flesh and blood" [2, Ephesians 6: 12]. Angels are very different
creatures than we.

This concept I have just expressed is not new. As early as 1650 Henry More wrote that
ghosts inhabited 4 dimensions and that we only saw them when they decided to enter our
specific 3-dimensional subspace.

Incorporation into Curriculum and Instruction

There are several natural places to bring implications of infinity and higher dimensions
into one's teaching. The calculus sequence is one such place.

During the presentation of limits, one uses the concept of a bounded infinity. I usually
talk about the countability of the rational numbers and the uncountability of the irrational
numbers very briefly. I also like to talk about the infinitesimals very briefly at this point.
God's ability to handle of the universe in a small amount of time (real time) can be brought in
here. These topics are presented as asides and the students can take them or leave them.

During the discussion of improper integrals and also during the discussion of infinite
sequences and series, one talks about unbounded infinities. Most people intuitively think
about infinity as being in the same ballpark as the national debt. The Christian doctrine that
God is infinite can be mentioned here as the overwhelming reality of the magnitude of infinity
begins to be grasped by the student.

In higher-level math classes these topics can be reintroduced and expanded on as time
allows. Linear algebra is an easy place to talk about the fourth dimension. Any class where
Cantor set theory is discussed is also a natural. After all, that is where this whole paper got
started!

Conclusion

Where will all this lead us? Can anything so abstract as infinity ever find "practical"
applications in the real world? No one can really tell.

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 The history of mathematics is replete with discoveries which at first seemed to be
totally abstract, but which later turned out to be of the utmost value to other sciences.
We have seen how non-Euclidean geometry was at first accepted as a purely
theoretical creation, but later found its way into the general theory of relativity. An
even more dramatic example is that of group theory, a branch of algebra, which only a
century ago was regarded as, the most abstract of all mathematical creations, and
which today has become an indispensable tool in almost every branch of physics.
These examples show that the course of mathematics, as of any science, is quite
unpredictable, and one should never dismiss the possibility that some obscure branch
of it may suddenly come to the forefront. As the physicist Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
once said, "It is very hard to predict-especially the future!" [9, p.256].

Bibliography

Works Cited

1. George O. Abell, Realm of the Universe, 2nd edition, Saunders College Publishing,
Philadelphia (1980).

2. The Bible, Quotations are from the King James Version.

3. Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind: How should a Christian Think? Servant Books, Ann
Arbor MI (1963).

4. Robert Boyle, "Because it hath no bottome": literature and infinity, Christianity and
Literature 31, No. 2:17, Winter 1982.

5. Michael Guillen, Bridges to Infinity: The Human Side of Mathematics, Jeremy P. Tarcher,
Houghton Mifflin, Boston (1983).

6. Arthur F. Holmes, Contours of a World View, William B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., Grand
Rapids, MI (1983).

7. Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers, W. W. Norton, NY (1978).

8. Benoit B. Mandelbrot, The Fractal Geometry of Nature, W. H. Freeman, San Francisco

(1983).

9. Eli Maor, To Infinity and Beyond: A Cultural History of the Infinite, Birkhauser, Boston
(1987).

10. George McCready Price, If You Were the Creator, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., Mountain
View, CA (1942).

11. Rudy. Rucker, Infinity and the Mind: The science and philosophy of the

116
 infinite, Birkhauser, Boston (1982).

12. Bertrand Russell, Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy, George Allen and Unwin,
London (1919).

13. James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic World View Catalog, Intervarsity Press,
Downers Grove, IL (1976).

14. Theodore P. Snow, The Dynamic Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy, 2nd Edition,
West Pub. St Paul, MN, (1985).

15. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan, Review & Herald Pub.
Co. Washington DC (1911).

16.______ , The Ministry of Healing, Review & Herald Pub. Co. Washington DC (1905).

Other Works of interest:

Books:

17. Philip J. Davis, Descartes' Dream: The World According to Mathematics, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, San Diego, CA (1986).

18. Joseph Warren Dauben, Georg Cantor: His Mathematics and Philosophy of the
Infinite, Harvard Univ. Press (1979).

19. A. K. Dewdney, The Planiverse: Computer contact with a two-dimensional

world, Poseidon Press, NY.

20. Austin Farrar, Finite and Infinite: A philosophical essay, The Seabury Press NY (1979),

21. James Gleick, Chaos: Making a New Science, Viking Penguin, NY (1987).

22. Michael Hallett, Cantorian Set Theory and Limitation of Size, Oxford Univ Press, Oxford
UK (1984).

23. Historical Topics for the Mathematical Classroom, Yearbook of the National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics, Washington DC (1969); ch. 9 Number Beliefs of the
Pythagoreans; ch. 27 Transfinite numbers.

24. Douglas R. Hofstadter, Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid, Vintage Books,
NY (1979).

25. Henry P. Manning, ed., The Fourth Dimension Simply Explained, Dover Publications,
NY (1960).

26. Eli Maor, To Infinity and Beyond: A Cultural History of the Infinite, Birkhauser, Boston
(1987).

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27. James R. Newman, ed. The World of Mathematics, v. 4. Simon and Schuster, NY (1956).

28. Marjorie H. Nicolson, Mountain Gloom and Mountain Glory: The development of the
aesthetics of the infinite, Norton, NY (1959).

29. Rudy Rucker The Fourth Dimension: Toward a geometry of higher reality, Houghton
Mifflin, Boston (1984).

30. Dorothea Waley Singer, Giordano Bruno: His life and thought, Henry Schuman, NY
(1950).

31. Ernst Sondheimer, et al Numbers and Infinity: A historical account of mathematical

concepts, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK (1981).

32. Leo Zippin, The Uses of Infinity, Random House, NY (1962).

Periodicals:

33. Peter Bishop, The mysticism of immensity: comparative study of creative cosmologies,
Colloquium (Australia - N. Z.) 18 No. 2:1 May 1986.

34. R. A. Cicenia, Picturing Infinite Values, The College Mathematics Journal 17:322, Sep.
1986.

35. William L. Craig, Julian Wolfe and infinite time, International Journal of Philosophy and
Religion 11 No. 2:133, 1980.

36. P. C. W. Davies, The arrow of Time, Sky & Telescope 72:239, Sep. 1986.

37. J. A. Hynek, Is the Universe Infinite? Science Digest 92:84, Jan 1984.

38. Y. I. Manin, Geometry Unbounded: dimensions that have never been seen, Science
85 6:89, Nov. 1985.

39. M. K. Paik, Empty or infinitely full? Mathematics Magazine 56:221, Sep. 1983.

40. I. Peterson, Shadows from a higher dimension, Science News 126:284 Nov. 3, 1984.

41. ______, Wrinkles in four dimensions, Scientific American 247:80, Oct. 1982.

42. P. Yancey, Insights on eternity from a scientific view of time, Christianity Today 28:26,
April .6, 1984.

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Nature of the Immaterial Soul
Philosophical proof of reincarnation - Post #14

Hermes Trismegistus Mar 31

Defining the Immaterial Soul

The immaterial soul is consciousness. By “consciousness”, in this context, I mean “a point of
view”. Consciousness is you viewing things “from yourself” rather than outside of yourself. It
is not any particular sense. Senses are bodily functions that are observed from a point of view.
If all of your senses were to be eliminated, you would nonetheless have a point of view,
though your point of view would be of nothing. That a point of view is “of nothing” does not
mean that it “is nothing”. You would not become a zombie. Rather, you would cease to have
awareness of any particular thing. Your consciousness is still there. If senses were to resume,
you would again have awareness of particular things. Likewise, when you close your eyes,
you do not feel like you have less of a point of view. Consciousness devoid of senses is pure
self-referential point of view, not point of view that perceives any thing.

Independence of the Body

Therefore the immaterial soul is not dependent upon the senses. Nor is it dependent upon the
body in any other way; however hard you look within the body, you will only find biological
processes in the body. You will find eyes that take in light, that stimulates the brain, that
elicits a reaction, etc. Nowhere will you find a point of view. You can speculate that X and Y
processes produce a point of view, that a point of view “emerges” from them. But, in lieu of
actually finding a POV, this assertion is as unfounded as to claim that X and Y processes
produce ethereal gold nuggets, and that ethereal gold nuggets “emerge” from X and Y
processes. You would not assert the latter without evidence, so do not assert the former. You
might as well be studying an automaton. Indeed, you have no evidence that anyone other than
yourself is not an automaton (except our saying otherwise). Likewise, you have no evidence
that any thing does not have consciousness, even non-biological things.

Yet, you know that consciousness exists, because you have consciousness, and can observe
your own consciousness. .You also know, from studying your own consciousness, that it is of
a different substance than that of your body. You know it is not material. You know it is not
an object, but you also know it is not an abstract idea like “philosophy”. It exists and is
tangible to you, but is nonetheless not composed of matter, as indeed it observes matter as
well as abstract ideas (and all other thoughts). You likewise know, from observation, that your
consciousness is not capable of permutation. You cannot change your consciousness from one
form to another, in the way that you can change, for example, your thoughts or your body
from one form to another. The only thing you can do with your consciousness is to “move” it,
by focusing more intently on certain senses or objects within senses, than others. But in doing
so, the quality of consciousness does not change. It is always the same.

Immortality of Consciousness
Consciousness, therefore, is immutable, but also capable of movement. Which is to say, it is
mutable relative to other things, but immutable within itself. It is, therefore, not dependent
upon the body for its existence. The reason being, that nothing which is truly immutable can
be destroyed. To be destroyed, and also to be mutable, something must have parts that can
move relative to each other, and so can be separated. Nothing in the world can simply

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disappear. All “destruction” is separation of parts. This is known commonly of matter. An
immutable thing has no parts. An atom (a true atom: the most basic unit of matter that is
physically inseparable. Not an “atom” as defined by modern physicists), for example, has no
parts. Consequently it cannot change, or be destroyed, though it can move relative to space
and other atoms. .It is confirmed by observation that consciousness is of the same nature - you
will not perceive your consciousness, your point of view itself, to have any parts. .You will
perceive it to observe different parts of senses, but you will not perceive your point of view
itself to have parts. If there are no parts, then there is nothing to be destroyed.

What follows, if consciousness is separate from matter, not dependent upon matter, and also
immutable? That it will continue to exist after the body (which is material), ceases. Indeed,
that it will exist for eternity, regardless of its habitation, or how many things it has inhabited.
It also follows that it need not inhabit any certain type of thing in order to exist. It could
inhabit a body, space, a hammer, etc. However, since the latter objects do not have senses, a
consciousness that inhabits them is not aware of anything other than itself. It is a point of
view, but it experiences nothing except itself. A point of view will only have something to be
aware of if it inhabits a being with senses. Thus does a point of view, which we have hitherto
called and will henceforth call an immaterial soul, alternate between periods of external and
internal awareness and pure internal awareness depending on its habitation of a being with
senses in the first case, or a mere object or empty space in the second case.

More on the immaterial soul is found in the post “The Afterlives”. I will not reiterate those
things here, as this post will be presented often to secular individuals who would find such
passages to be offensive, and would therefore irrationally write off this part of Templist
Canon, which they would otherwise be inclined to agree with.

Meditation
It is desirable for the Templist to learn to “isolate” his immaterial soul for periods of time, to
observe it without recourse to senses or cognitive processes, so that he will know what it is
like to be dead, and so that he will know the nature of his immaterial soul more completely.
This is accomplished via meditation, by focusing upon the immaterial soul itself, which has a
self-referential power, to the exclusion of other things. This is easier to do if other stimuli are
eliminated. E.g, by closing the eyes, covering the ears, and so on. To begin, it may be easier to
focus on the immaterial soul without excluding other things. In this case, one would focus
intently upon specific objects of sense perception, in order to perceive the point of view that
focuses upon them. But it is desirable to eventually do away with this, and to focus purely on
the immaterial soul at some point. The most pure experience of the immaterial soul may be
thought to be sleep. .This is true, but sleep is nonetheless not sufficient to learn about the
nature of the immaterial soul, because one cannot remember the sleep-state. But one can
remember a meditative state, to learn from it. Memory, by the way, is as well something
which the immaterial soul observes, not something that carries with it.

The fact that the immaterial soul, deprived of access to senses, is purely self-referential, is not
to say that the immaterial soul is itself pure self-referentiality. Obviously, if the immaterial
soul becomes capable of external observations when inhabiting beings with senses, it must be
something other than that. The nature of the immaterial soul itself is not explainable, because
there is nothing else like it. The nature of the immaterial soul is only knowable by observation
of oneself. Any attempt to explain it in terms of material things, concepts, ideas, etc., will only
serve to obscure what it actually is.

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Is Death an Illusion?
Evidence Suggests Death Isn’t the End
Life is an adventure that transcends our ordinary linear way of thinking.

Posted November 19, 2011 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

After the death of his old friend, Albert Einstein said "Now Besso has departed from this
strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us ... know that the
distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."

New evidence continues to suggest that Einstein was right, death is an illusion.

Our classical way of thinking is based on the belief that the world has an objective observer-
independent existence. But a long list of experiments shows just the opposite. We think life is
just the activity of carbon and an admixture of molecules: we live awhile and then rot into the
ground.

We believe in death because we've been taught we die. Also, of course, because we associate
ourselves with our body and we know bodies die. End of story. But biocentrism, a new theory
of everything, tells us death may not be the terminal event we think. Amazingly, if you add
life and consciousness to the equation, you can explain some of the biggest puzzles of science.
For instance, it becomes clear why space and time—and even the properties of matter itself
depend on the observer. It also becomes clear why the laws, forces, and constants of the
universe appear to be exquisitely fine-tuned for the existence of life.

Until we recognize the universe in our heads, attempts to understand reality will remain a road
to nowhere.

Consider the weather ‘outside': You see a blue sky, but the cells in your brain could be
changed so the sky looks green or red. In fact, with a little genetic engineering we could
probably make everything that is red vibrate or make a noise, or even make you want to have
sex, as it does with some birds. You think its bright out, but your brain circuits could be
changed so it looks dark out. You think it feels hot and humid, but to a tropical frog it would
feel cold and dry. This logic applies to virtually everything. Bottom line: What you see could
not be present without your consciousness.

In truth, you can't see anything through the bone that surrounds your brain. Your eyes are not
portals to the world. Everything you see and experience right now‚ even your body, is a whirl
of information occurring in your mind. According to biocentrism, space and time aren't the
hard, cold objects we think. Wave your hand through the air—if you take everything away,
what's left? Nothing. The same thing applies for time. Space and time are simply the tools for
putting everything together.

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Consider the famous two-slit experiment. When scientists watch a particle pass through two
slits in a barrier, the particle behaves like a bullet and goes through one slit or the other. But if
you don't watch, it acts like a wave and can go through both slits at the same time. So how can
a particle change its behavior depending on whether you watch it or not? The answer is
simple, reality is a process that involves your consciousness.

Or consider Heisenberg's famous uncertainty principle. If there is really a world out there with
particles just bouncing around, then we should be able to measure all their properties. But you
can't. For instance, a particle's exact location and momentum can't be known at the same time.
So why should it matter to a particle what you decide to measure? And how can pairs of
entangled particles be instantaneously connected on opposite sides of the galaxy as if space
and time don't exist? Again, the answer is simple: because they're not just ‘out there'—space
and time are simply tools of our mind.

Death doesn't exist in a timeless, spaceless world. Immortality doesn't mean a perpetual
existence in time, but resides outside of time altogether.

Our linear way of thinking about time is also inconsistent with another series of recent
experiments. In 2002, scientists showed that particles of light "photons" knew, in
advance,what their distant twins would do in the future. They tested the communication
between pairs of photons. They let one photon finish its journey—it had to decide whether to
be either a wave or a particle. Researchers stretched the distance the other photon took to
reach its own detector. However, they could add a scrambler to prevent it from collapsing into
a particle. Somehow, the first particle knew what the researcher was going to do before it
happened, and across distances instantaneously as if there were no space or time between
them. They decide not to become particles before their twin even encounters the scrambler. It
doesn't matter how we set up the experiment. Our mind and its knowledge is the only thing
that determines how they behave. Experiments consistently confirm these observer-dependent
effects.

Bizarre? Consider another experiment that was recently published in the prestigious scientific
journal Science (Jacques et al, 315, 966, 2007). Scientists in France shot photons into an
apparatus, and showed that what they did could retroactively change something that had
already happened in the past. As the photons passed a fork in the apparatus, they had to decide
whether to behave like particles or waves when they hit a beam splitter. Later on - well after
the photons passed the fork - the experimenter could randomly switch a second beam splitter
on and off. It turns out that what the observer decided at that point, determined what the
particle actually did at the fork in the past. At that moment, the experimenter chose his past.

Of course, we live in the same world. But critics claim this behavior is limited to the
microscopic world. But this 'two-world' view (that is, one set of physical laws for small
objects, and another for the rest of the universe including us) has no basis in reason and is
being challenged in laboratories around the world. A couple years ago, researchers published
a paper in Nature (Jost et al, 459, 683, 2009) showing that quantum behavior extends into the
everyday realm. Pairs of vibrating ions were coaxed to entangle so their physical properties
remained bound together when separated by large distances ("spooky action at a distance," as
Einstein put it). Other experiments with huge molecules called ‘Buckyballs' also show that
quantum reality extends beyond the microscopic world. And in 2005, KHC03 crystals
exhibited entanglement ridges one-half inch high, quantum behavior nudging into the ordinary
world of human-scale objects.

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We generally reject the multiple universes of Star Trek as fiction, but it turns out there is more
than a morsel of scientific truth to this popular genre. One well-known aspect of quantum
physics is that observations can't be predicted absolutely. Instead, there is a range of possible
observations each with a different probability. One mainstream explanation, the
"manyworlds" interpretation, states that each of these possible observations corresponds to a
different universe (the 'multiverse'). There are an infinite number of universes and everything
that could possibly happen occurs in some universe. Death does not exist in any real sense in
these scenarios. All possible universes exist simultaneously, regardless of what happens in
any of them.

Life is an adventure that transcends our ordinary linear way of thinking. When we die, we do
so not in the random billiard-ball-matrix but in the inescapable-life-matrix. Life has a
nonlinear dimensionality; it's like a perennial flower that returns to bloom in the multiverse.

"The influences of the senses," said Ralph Waldo Emerson "has in most men overpowered the
mind to the degree that the walls of space and time have come to look solid, real and
insurmountable; and to speak with levity of these limits in the world is the sign of insanity."

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The Death Illusion
By Susan Kahn

INTRODUCTION

Humans tend to regard themselves as supreme by nature, in contrast to what is viewed as a

primitive world. We live with a sense of divinity, assumed to distinguish us from everything
else. People commonly assume that they are at least subtly God-like, marked by what is called
consciousness. A dividing wall is imagined to separate mind from matter, the animate from
the inanimate. Consciousness is our divine self, and death, a fall into lowly materiality.

The inseparable interrelatedness of people to everything else generally goes unacknowledged.

The world is provides us with things, but we are not of it, hence the extensive environmental
disregard. This dualism also requires that we either accept eternal selfhood or be doomed to
oblivion, death, as a descent into a senseless abyss.

While the notion of human privilege appears to be an advantage, it is our affliction, resulting
in an outlook of separation, conflict and fear. The idea of birth as an independent point of
origin and death as a final endpoint is a misconception. An altogether different understanding
of life and death, and of the relationship of consciousness to the world is necessary.

MIND AND MATTER

The notion that consciousness marks humans as divinely distinct, can first be challenged by
recognizing that consciousness does not independently exist, but is an inter-relational
function. What is considered to be conscious, is inseparable from what is not considered to be
conscious.

Here is a brief outline of the relationship. Sensory perception must involve perceptual objects
in order for the perception to occur. Perception does not exist in itself. The image, such as that
of a tree, is known as consciousness. Consciousness cannot be separated from sensory
perception or from the tree. They are not ultimately separable. Thought is like a synthesized
interplay of perception and objects. So, conscious thought is not an independent function, but
a dynamic, interdependent mind-body-world activity.

Conscious images are not objective impressions of a world out there. For instance, there are
no colors in the world. The perceptual image of color is activated when different wavelengths
of light are converted into images of color within the neural-visual system. Objects are not the
separate entities that they appear to be either. The impression that they are, involve other
interrelated processes that allow an immeasurable quantum-like world to appear as object
images.

A key point is that what is considered to be conscious, depends upon sensory organs such as
eyes, ears, touch, etc., that are not regarded as conscious, but as material body parts. Objects
of sensory perception such as the tree, are also not considered consciousness, but matter.

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Likewise, the neural brain that is integral to the formation and interaction of perceptual
images, is not conscious by definition, but regarded as brain matter. Therefore, no
fundamental distinction can be drawn between mind and matter. The only existence that
subject and object have is through the other.

If you look at all that consciousness depends upon and that is not considered conscious and
cleared it away, there would be no consciousness essence or function left over. Since
consciousness depends upon conditions that are not regarded as conscious, consciousness
cannot be established as having its own independent nature, being or constitution. Therefore,
just as subjects and object are mutually dependent, there cannot ultimately be a distinction
made between sentient and insentient either.

The issue is not to regard consciousness (or any phenomenon) as non-existent, but to
recognize that its freestanding appearance is deceptive. In the same way, a tree appears to be a
separate entity and yet what we call a tree cannot be separated from the sun, clouds, rain,
oxygen, minerals, and so forth. The appearance of its inherent separateness is like a mirage.
And as with a tree, it is important to note that given all of the diverse conditions that
consciousness relies upon such as sense organs and their perceptual objects, there cannot be
one singular consciousness. Consciousness becomes reified into a unitary essence under the
lens of a mechanical reductionism.

Consciousness is an abstract, conventional name for what is not reducible to a separate entity
that is conscious in and of itself. Nor can matter be reduced to an essence that is inherently
material. One cannot say what mind or matter truly are, because all formations, in both their
coarse and subtle appearances, are relational and therefore cannot ultimately be singled out.
Objects appear and function but have no nature of their own. Regarding consciousness, the
straightforward recognition that it cannot manifest apart from a body makes the point that
consciousness cannot have its own nature, as does the arising of conscious thought upon
reading these printed words.

Now, previous thoughts conventionally appear as proximal conditions for subsequent

thoughts to arise, but this is not the result of an individual continuum with an essence. A
thought does not think in itself. Thought is a dynamic interplay without establishing one iota
of independence that endures as its own entity. The appearance of continuity depends upon a
regularity of conditions. Thinking is not an independent entity or faculty that stands to the side
objectively observing and interpreting a world. There is no such separate consciousness to
which anything appears. Conscious thought is a symbolic description given to an
interdependent complex of activity that changes with every relative interaction. There is no
substance to be found in its name.

“Consciouness is a name. The name too, has no own being.” Nagarjuna

This understanding advances the refutation of an inherently existent consciousness and

correspondingly, the notion that it is privileged in comparison to what is regarded as matter. It
discredits the idea that consciousness establishes a dividing wall between what is human and
everything else. For as consciousness can be seen to lack a self-essence, it cannot be the
identifier of a human self either.

There is another reason to question the standard view of conscious as a supreme identity.
Consciousness function is limited. Most mobile organisms are required to anticipate an

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unpredictable environment. The formation and manipulation of abstract images allow for the
possibility of successful navigation and planning. The imaginal sense of a distinct past,
present and future is an example of this necessity. Images of consciousness are conventionally
designated, functional, and relative. They are not copies of a reality.

The vast majority of what goes on in the mind-body-world, including the formation of
consciousness, is not by definition, consciously perceived or regulated. Additionally, body
functioning such as the immune system, the production of a flower, or the overall coherence
of the universe for that matter, does not take place through the use of conscious images. With
this understanding it is not consistent to grant conscious activity supreme status.

The role of consciousness makes human culture and society possible. However, on all counts,
consciousness is like a cosmic network rather than the activity of an autonomous entity. These
reasonings are not intended to deny or devalue the function of consciousness, but to
appreciate its interdependent magnitude and to therefore recognize the “equality of all
phenomena.” ¹

1. Arya Nagarjuna,, Master of Wisdom: Writings of the Tibetan Master

Nagarjuna, (Dharma Publishing,1997), Exposition of Bodhicitta, sloka 29

IMPERMANENCE EVERYWHERE

All form, both coarse as in a tree, and subtle as in thought, depend upon innumerable
conditions and are not the fixed entities that they appear to be. Nothing actually remains the
same for an instant. What is perceived to be an unchanging object is on the contrary, an
instantaneous, indivisible movement of disintegration and formation, even though this
transience is imperceptible. It is in this sense that what is called death is also life, as the
perpetual transformation of all phenomena.

Everything arises dependently. The absence of inherent or independent existence is referred to

in Buddhist philosophy as emptiness. In western philosophical traditions the absence of
objects or concepts existing in and of themselves is often referred to as non-essentialism. It is
because nothing exists independently, as its own substance, nature or process, that everything
is impermanent.

For example, fire is believed to exist as a fundamental element. However, fire is dependent
upon and inseparable from countless conditions such as fuel, oxygen, thermal friction and so
forth. Every flame continuously changes because fire depends upon conditions with no
existence of its own. Since fire is not self-maintained it is impermanent.

When conditions for fire are no longer present, we say the fire died. Yes, this is
understandable, but it is important to see that each instant, the fire is a different fire, not the
same fire. Furthermore, since an appearing fire depends upon conditions that are not
considered to be fire, fire lacks its own self nature. After all, fire does not burn itself. So fire
does not and cannot die as an entity that ever existed in and of itself.

Let’s try to find fire as an element existing in and of itself. Fuel is not considered fire. Oxygen
is not fire. Heat is not fire. Friction is not fire. If these conditions are cleared away, or even
one of them, such as oxygen, there will be no fire left burning. Therefore, apart from the

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conditions of fire, there is no fire. Fire is not an independent element, but an interdependent
entity. It has no essence of its own. It is in this sense that fire is said to be empty. The same
can be said for a self or subject, consciousness, death, and all phenomena.

Ultimately speaking, one cannot say what fire is or where is it begins and ends. Its conditions
too, are empty. This is not to say that fire as it appears, does not arise, endure or cease, or that
it does not burn, but that the appearance and function of fire is not the product of its own
independent movement, nature or being. There are relative differences between phenomena
and processes to recognize. These differences however, are of appearance, not essence. All
form and all characteristics are dependent and relational in every regard. In other words, form
is an essenceless interrelationship.

Death is also falsely viewed as an independent process that results in the annihilation of life.
However, if birth and death were independent processes, there would be no relationship
between them. Birth would forever be in the process of being born and death would be dead
already, which is nonsensical. Additionally, if birth had its own independent nature and
process, it would have given birth to itself, which requires it to have already existed. And how
can something that is dead produce death Furthermore, it is contradictory to think of death or
non-existence as existing. Where could non-existence reside if it did not exist?

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The Quantum Nature of Reality:
Science and Consciousness
“Every age, every generation has its built in assumptions, that the world is flat, that the world
is round etc. There are hundreds of hidden assumptions, things we take for granted, that may
or may not be true. Of-course in the vast majority of cases historically, these things aren’t
true. So presumably, if history is any guide, much about what we take for granted about the
world simply isn’t true. But we’re locked into these precepts without even knowing it. That’s
a paradigm.” John Hagelin Ph.D

“We think that we live on a planet that is floating around the sun. It isn’t true! There is no
planet and there is no sun, there isn’t anything… It’s just pure consciousness and nothing
more.” Drunvalo Melchizedek

Our reality is nothing more than pure consciousness. This is a concept that many will find hard to accept
yet somehow, internally, we know it to be true. The world around us is dense and solid and feels very real
from our individual perspectives. Yet we are only aware of this worlds existence because we are conscious.
If we died and became unconscious this world would cease to exist for us. So does it really exist? In order
to gain some understanding we will start by deconstructing what constitutes our physical reality.

Queue science! The classical model of the atom was established by Ernest Rutherford (the father of nuclear
physics), through his experiments in the early 1900’s. He was able to theorize the basic structure of the
atom and was responsible for the discovery of the proton and under his leadership James Chadwick later
discovered the neutron. This model established that there was a diffuse cloud of negatively charged
electrons surrounding a very small nucleus. Niels Bohr expanded this model with a quantum physical
interpretation showing the electrons to have circular orbits around the nucleus held together with
electrostatic forces instead of gravity. This basic model remains sound but has since been superseded by
quantum mechanics or quantum physics. Quantum mechanics leaves classical physics at the atomic and
subatomic levels, the quantum realm. Here it “provides a mathematical description of much of the
dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter” Wikipedia.

Ok, so what? Quantum physics has shown us there are two ways to perceive the world. As solid matter in
the form of particles, or as pure energy waveforms. Energy and matter are interchangeable. Einstein was the
first scientist to show that all matter is capable of being converted to pure energy with his theory of
relativity (E=mc²). So you have two choices: You can see the Universe as being formed of pure energy, or
you can see the physical reality as being solid, made from particles that are 99.9% empty space with a few
electromagnetic particles, which are also made up of even more space and more particles that have no mass
and volume which can also be converted into pure energy!
Now we can begin to see that what exists in the physical world, may not be as solid as we may have
thought.

From a spiritual view point, everything is made up of light, color and sound. Everything in existence is pure
energy and has an associated frequency or vibration. The more energy something contains the higher its
frequency or vibration. The final piece of the puzzle: the underlying glue that holds everything together,
is consciousness. This final piece of information is also a fundamental principle of quantum physics,
sometimes called the observer effect or the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

So lets recap! Our reality has no fixed properties and is made up of pure energy, which is simply a product
of your consciousness…

The entire Universe… is a product of your consciousness.

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What is Consciousness?
Consciousness is the state of self awareness as experienced by you, the observer. You are aware of your
reality and your existence within it. Typically we see ourselves as being inside a body looking out at a
separate reality around us. This is a function of how our brain interprets the reality also known as polarity
consciousness. A long time ago we were heart centered beings but we broke that connection and moved
completely into our brains. The heart contains an older form of consciousness which only understands the
unity of life. The heart is what makes a human being, the brain is a computer.

In all of existence there exists only one Universal consciousness from which all things stem. This
consciousness has been given many labels over the centuries: Source, Spirit, God etc. The true nature,
depth and scope of this supreme consciousness is so vast, it is completely beyond third dimens ional human
understanding. Many have tried to understand it, and mankind has given rise to many different belief
systems and religions across the globe. Most of these thought systems are based in polarity consciousness,
resulting in the creation of an external God. The truth is much simpler.

You are God.

Your consciousness is part of the Universal mind. You are not separate from reality. Your consciousness is
your reality. Your reality is only limited by your own mental constructs. The truth is you
have unlimited creative potential. When you come to understand this, you will no longer see yourself as a
product of reality that reacts to circumstances. You have the innate ability to create, to form and shape
reality to experience anything you truly desire.

Where focus goes, energy flows. This is the Universal Law of Attraction. Whatever you are focused on
becomes your reality. The more energy you give something the stronger it becomes and the faster you will
draw it into your experience. Creating from the brain is not advisable as the brain will also create the mirror
opposite. You will create that which you desire and also bring forth things you didn’t.

Creating from the heart is the key. The heart will only create that which is beneficial for all of life. Move
into your heart, into the sacred space and tiny space if you understand these things, and what you begin to
visualize and dream from here will manifest in the outer world. Feeling it and knowing it is vital in the
creation process. If you can achieve an alpha brainwave state this will also help, alpha waves are produced
when we are relaxed and feeling happy. Always create as if the desired outcome is already your reality: I
am, I have, It is now. If you were to visualize something as if it were ‘coming in the future’, it would
forever be ‘coming in the future’ and would never manifest in the here and now. Understand that
everything is in divine order and trust in Spirit.

Dimensions and Consciousness

Everything is energy, all is in motion. Everything is light, sound and color and has an associated frequency
or vibration. Everything that exists within our perceivable reality (the third dimension), lies within a
specific range of frequencies. There are many dimensional levels that exist simultaneously, superimposed
over one another. The dimensions are separated into octaves of energy that correspond roughly with the
chromatic scale in music. Each dimensional level has major chords or overtones of energy before moving
up into a new octave and into a new dimension.

Another way to understand the above is through an analogy comparing consciousness to a television set.
All TV channels exist simultaneously but we only tune in to one channel or specific frequency at a time.
With consciousness, the higher we can raise our frequency or vibration, the higher we can move through
the dimensional levels. We exist on the third dimension in our waking state. When we go to sleep at night,
our consciousness transitions to the Astral Plane on the fourth dimension. The laws of reality are different
here which is why dreams don’t often translate into third dimensional understanding. Here your reality is
manifested instantaneously through thought. The fourth dimension is also where we transition when the
physical body dies here in the third dimension. These transitions are not new to you. You have been

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transitioning for eons of time. Your spirit is immortal. You were there before the start of this creation and
you will be there when it ends. You are God and God cannot be harmed.

“The Universe is a conscious living being and you are intimately connected. All life is one.”

Humanity’s collective consciousness is contained within a geometric electromagnetic grid that surrounds
the Earth. At present there are three grids representing three levels of human consciousness. The first grid is
connected to some indigenous groups from around the world, it is harmonic and aligned with nature. The
second grid is what most of humanity is connected to and it is called polarity consciousness. This grid is
less harmonic and destructive but a necessary progression in order for all of us to access the third grid. The
third grid combines the geometry of the previous two grids and has been reconstructed over the last 13,000
years. It is called the Unity Grid or Christ Consciousness. This level of consciousness returns us to the
heart. Everyone on Earth, past and present, will be moving into this new level of consciousness in the very
near future. Our planet is in the process of transformation. A shift in cons ciousness also represents a
dimensional shift.

Now we are starting to form a more holistic understanding of the nature of reality that explains many of
life’s mysteries. Life exists in many different forms on many different levels of existence. If you were to
imagine the electromagnetic spectrum as being a music keyboard that extended from the Earth to the Sun,
visible light – the part that we can see – would take up only five keys! The rest is there and we know it
exists but it is invisible to us. The higher dimensional levels of consciousness are completely beyond
human understanding. As an example, Archangels do not need space ships to travel around, they can be
anywhere and everywhere simultaneously.

Accessing The Higher Dimensions

You can communicate directly with any being on any level of existence directly through your own
consciousness. Try connecting through your heart and through natural psychic abilities. Note: There is a
process to fully activate the pineal (psychic center in the brain) and as with anything in life, the more time
and energy you devote to developing these natural abilities, the stronger they become. Communication
takes on many forms at a quantum level, you may receive thoughts, you may feel a knowing, you may see
things, hear things, and smell things. When it comes to our inner “vision” everyone is different. It is a
different form of seeing, not necessarily visual like we are used to with the eyes. There is no right or wrong
way. Be open and follow your intuition. If you wanted to consciously explore the higher realms, you can
access the 4th dimension through the practice of Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection. You do this
subconsciously every night when you go to sleep.

In order to physically move into the higher dimensions you need to take your body with you. There are
currently three methods available to humanity to accomplish this on an individual basis. This can be done
by transitioning through Death, Resurrection, or Ascension. Death is the easiest transition for humans as it
is something we have been doing for a very long time. The problem is that we tend to die unconsciously.
As a result we return to the third dimension to try again until we can die consciously or ascend. In order to
die consciously, you need to have activated your light body or MerKaBa. When someone crosses over
consciously, they are able to recreate their body on the next dimension and continue on. This process is
known as resurrection.

Ascension involves directly moving into the higher dimensions bypassing the death process completely.
This can be accomplished by manipulating the electromagnetic fields that surround the human body, this
field is the MerKaBa or light body. With this method you will literally disappear from this world
completely. The path to immortality has been walked by many people throughout the Earth’s history, most
notably Jesus, Buddha and many deities from the ancient Egyptian traditions. Ascension can be achieved in
a number of ways, through meditation, conscious manipulation of the Merkaba or Lightbody, direct
communication with your higherself, and through new (ancient) pathways that involve moving into the
sacred and tiny space of the heart. See the Meditation: Inner Tools for Spiritual Development section of the
website for more information, or contact an Awakening The Illuminated Heart facilitator from Drunvalo
Melchizedeks School Of Remembering.

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The Key: Love Is The Way Home
It sounds simple enough, and yet this is the most important understanding required for any further spiritual
development. It is at the heart of most religious and spiritual belief systems for a good reason.
Neuroscience and psychology have discovered that there are two fundamental emotions that a human being
can experience. These are Love and Fear. Other emotional responses are simply derivatives of these two
core emotions. Mammalian brains have two opposing hormonal responses to stimuli: threatening stimuli
cause an increase of stress hormones – adrenaline and cortisol, and soothing or reassuring stimuli create an
increase in oxytocin also known as the “love hormone”.

Emotions are quantum in nature, they are the physical manifestation of an intangible signal. Emotions also
have a vibratory frequency associated with them. Fear generates a long slow wavelength where as Love is a
high frequency energy. Remember energy and vibration is the foundation of existence. On a side note:
Hans Jenny developed the science of Cymatics in the 1940’s, demonstrating that as sound vibration is
passed through a medium, a resulting pattern is created. As the sound frequency is increased the patterns
become increasingly complex.

Another physical relationship between the emotional states of love and fear relates to the activation of
codon sites around the human body. In the human body there are 64 possible codes of amino acids within
our DNA structure. Theoretically they should all be switched on however we only have about 20 of these
64 possibilities activated at any one time. Amino acid chains are needed for the creation of protein
molecules which are the building blocks of life, and it is the codon sites that are responsible for
synthesizing the protein molecules from the amino acid chains. Recent scientific discoveries have found the
switch that turns the codon sites off and on is our emotions. The low frequency emotional states of fear
reach fewer receptors compared to the higher frequencies of love which connect with more sites for coding
along that pattern. Biologically this means that a person living in a state of fear has restricted access to life
supporting functions of the body, translating to increased exposure to disease and health issues. An
individual living in a state of Love has greater access to these life supporting bodily functions resulting in a
healthy mind and body and even more advanced functions not yet activated or understood in the body.

Love is the key to raising your vibration. It starts with loving yourself and loving your family. It then grows
outward reaching the rest of humanity. Everyone in the world is loved by someone else, we are all fathers
and mothers, brothers and sisters, cousins, friends and lovers. We are all connected. This love sees beyond
race and gender and deeds. This love is unconditional in the understanding that all life is one and we are
apart of each other. From there this love grows out to mother Earth and father Sun. The Earth gives us life,
she sustains us and she loves us in ways we couldn’t comprehend. The same applies to the Sun and the rest
of the cosmos. The entire Universe is an enormous interconnected system, based on the foundation of
divine love.

Learning to forgive, learning to release judgement and learning to love are the most important lessons we
could possibly master.

“Love is the way home.”

Drunvalo Melchizedek

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Noah, the Ark, and Higher Consciousness
APRIL 22, 2012 BY JOSHUA TILGHMAN

This week I want to address a story in the Bible that we all learned as children. It is
the story of Noah and the ark. For those of us who haven’t studied much ancient
history, this story appears - under different names with slightly different variations – in
the history of cultures across multiple continents. So what’s the real meaning of this
universal story?

The literal rendition of this story yields some pretty amazing and highly improbable
events. Imagine being tossed around in a boat for forty days and forty nights sitting
on an ocean that covered the highest mountains on earth. Not only would the air be
so thin that it would be impossible to breathe, but you would literally freeze to death
since Mt. Everest sits at about 30,000 feet. At its summit, temperatures can drop to
60 below zero, and in the summer it never gets above freezing. Break out the oxygen
tanks and thermal blankets!

So what’s this story all about, anyway? Was it really a judgment from God
condemning all the people on earth to a watery grave except for Noah, his family,
and the animals? Or is there a deeper spiritual meaning the Biblical author would like
us to walk away with? For those who are spiritually and consciously ready, I think the
later is in order.

I want to point out something for my readers who still might be frightened by the word
“esoteric” that keeps popping up in my blog post. Many are under the impression that
this word signifies secret teaching, but that’s not really the case. Jesus stated the
kingdom does not come by observation because it is “within” you! Now apply this
same concept to the word esoteric. By esoteric I am simply meaning teachings or
stories that are meant to be internalized. The story of Noah and the ark is meant to
be understood the same way. The esoteric rendering of this story can teach us much
about where we need to be concerning our spiritual development and consciousness.

Many stories and literal structures in the Bible represent the human mind and brain.
In an earlier post I showed how Ezekiel’s millennial temple, which can be found here,
is exactly that. The story of Noah is also symbolic of the mind. Before delving into
this, let’s briefly review the literal story:

At the time of Noah, the earth had become corrupted. God wanted to cleanse his
creation, so he devised a plan to flood the earth and rid it of its wickedness. And why
was man considered wicked? Genesis states that man was wicked because
his thoughts and imaginations were evil (Gen 6:5). I have emphasized the word
“thoughts” in the previous sentence because of its relevance to the esoteric rendering
of this story, which we’ll address shortly. But first, it is important to know that one of
the meanings for “man” in that same verse and many other verses of Genesis means
“low.” The concept here is a low man, and the evil thoughts of the low man in the

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literal story represent the lower or animalistic nature of the mind. In Genesis 6:9, we
learn that Noah is the exception. He is described as a “just man.” There is a different
Hebrew word for man here, and one of the meanings is “high.” Noah was a “high
man” that lived a spiritual life instead of an ego-driven one, and so Noah is
representative of a higher state of consciousness. Noah’s name is also relevant to all
of this. Noah means “rest.” This is perhaps the most significant of all, for Noah
represents not only the higher nature of the mind, but also a mind at “rest.” A mind at
rest is the state of being which salvation is.

The problem with the lower ego-driven mind is that it is not very conscious; this type
of mind goes through life by reacting to situations instead of acting. The individual
has little control, and even though he or she thinks they are making their own
decisions, they are usually just acting from emotion and instinct. This is natural for
the lower mind. But the story of Noah was written to teach us to live spiritually, not
carnally (ego-driven).

In the literal story the water is purifying the earth by killing all evil thoughts and
imaginations of man. These thoughts and imaginations are the lower mind. Noah,
who represents the mind at rest, rises ABOVE the evil “thoughts” below the ark
because the flood is a type of baptism in which the lower mind is cleansed. This state
of being brings salvation not only to himself, but to his family as well.

Similarly, those in Jesus / WORD/ Christ are saved when they develop Christ
consciousness, which represents a state of being. It is a consciousness
transformation.

My article on Adam and Eve and how that story relates to consciousness may shed
more light on this subject for you. It can be found here.

So what do you think? Can you now see how the story of Noah and the ark is another
Biblical example of the mind?

“The Kingdom of God is within you”…

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 A Footnote on Reality

We end the first part of our explorations of the informed universe with a
question that is meaningful but decidedly not modest: a question about the nature of
reality. We have already seen how our universe and possibly myriad other universes in
the Metaverse came into being, how they evolve and devolve, and how they
periodically give rise to the complex systems we call living. What do these stupendous
processes tell us about the fundamental nature of reality? What is it about this universe
that is primary and what is merely secondary, arising out of the reality of the primary?

The answer to this age-old question is now relatively straightforward.

The primary reality is the quantum vacuum, the energy- and information-filled plenum
that underlies our universe, and all universesin the Metaverse.

This answer corresponds to an ancient insight: that the universe we observe and
inhabit is a secondary product of the energy sea that was there before there was
anything there at all. Hindu and Chinese cosmologies have always maintained that the
things and beings that exist in the world are a concretization or distillation of the basic
energy of the cosmos, descending from its original source. The physical world is a
reflection of energy vibrations from more subtle worlds that, in turn, are reflections of
still more subtle energy fields. Creation, and all subsequent existence, is a progression
downward and outward from the primordial source.

In Indian philosophy the ultimate end of the physical world is a return to

Akasha, its original subtle-energy womb. At the end of time as we know it, the almost
infinitely varied things and forms of the manifest world dissolve into formlessness,
living beings exist in a state of pure potentiality, and dynamic functions condense into
static stillness. In Akasha, all attributes of the manifest world merge into a state that is
beyond attributes: the state of Brahman.

Although it is undifferentiated, Brahman is dynamic and creative. From its

ultimate "being" comes the temporary "becoming" of the manifest world, with its
attributes, functions, and relationships. The cycles of samsara - of being-to-becoming
and again of becoming-to-being are the Ida of Brahman: its play of ceaseless creation
and dissolution. In Indian philosophy, absolute reality is the reality of Brahman. The
manifest world enjoys but a derived, secondary reality and mistaking it for the real is
the illusion of maya. The absolute reality of Brahman and the derived reality of the
manifest world constitute a co-created and constantly co-creating whole: this is the
advaitavada (the nondualityj of the universe.

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 The traditional Eastern conception differs from the view held by most people in
the West. In the modern commonsense conception, reality is material. The things that
truly exist are bits or particles of matter. They can form into atoms, which can further
form into molecules, cells, and organisms - as well as into planets, stars, stellar
systems, and galaxies. Matter moves about in space, acted on by energy. Energy also
enjoys reality (since it acts on matter), but space does not: space is merely the
backdrop or the container against which, or in which, material things trace their
careers.

This typically Western view is a heritage of the Newtonian world-concept.

According to Newton, space is a mere receptacle and it is passive in itself; it
conditions how things actually behave but does not act on them directly. Although it is
empty and passive, space is nonetheless real: it is an objective element in the universe.
Subsequently, a number of philosophers, including Gottfried Leibniz and Immanuel
Kant, contested the reality Newton gave to space. In these views, space is nothing in
itself; it is merely the way we order relationships among real things. Space itself is not
experienced, said Kant; it is only the precondition of experience.

The view that space is empty and passive, and not even real to boot, is in
complete opposition to the view we get from contemporary physics. Even if physicists
typically refuse to speculate on the ultimate nature of reality (many hold such
questions beyond the scope of their discipline), it is clear that what they describe as the
unified vacuum - the seat of all the fields and forces of the physical world - is in fact
the primary reality of the universe. Out of it have sprung the particles that make up our
universe, and when the last of the supergalactic black holes "evaporates," it is into it
that the particles fall back again. What we think of as matter is but the quantized, semi-
stable bundling of the energies that spring from the vacuum. In the last count matter is
but a waveform disurbance in the nearly infinite energy-sea that is the fundamental
medium - and hence the primary reality - of this universe, and of all universes that ever
existed and will ever exist.

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 Apannaka Sutta: A Safe Bet
translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu
© 2008
X
T he updated version is freely available
at

T his version of the text might be out of date. Please click here for more information

Translator's Introduction
The Buddha often likened himself to a doctor, offering a treatment for the sufferings of the heart. Unlike ordinary
doctors, however, he could not show newcomers the state of health — nibbana — that his teaching was supposed to
produce. If they followed his teaching, they would see it for themselves. But until they followed his teaching, he could
offer them no empirical proof that nibbana was a genuine possibility. As he stated in MN 27, the proof that he was
awakened — and that awakening was a good thing — came with one's first taste of the Deathless, at the first level of
awakening, called stream-entry. However, stream-entry could be attained only through a serious commitment to the
practice. Thus he had to provide other, non-empirical, means of persuasion to induce his listeners to give his teachings
a serious try.

One of these means was the pragmatic argument, which differs from empirical arguments as follows. An empirical
argument presents facts that logically imply that A must be true or false. A pragmatic argument focuses not on the
facts related to A, but on the behavior that can be expected from a person who believes or rejects A. The Buddha's
main pragmatic argument is that if one accepted his teachings, one would be likely to pay careful attention to one's
actions, so as to do no harm. This in and of itself is a worthy activity regardless of whether the rest of the path was
true. When applying this argument to the issue of rebirth and karmic results, the Buddha sometimes coupled it with a
second pragmatic argument that resembles Pascal's wager: If one practices the Dhamma, one leads a b lameless life in
the here-and-now. Even if the afterlife and karmic results do not exist, one has not lost the wager, for the
blamelessness of one's life is a reward in and of itself. If there is an afterlife with karmic results, then one has won a
double reward: the blamelessness of one's life here and now, and the good rewards of one's actions in the afterlife.
These two pragmatic arguments form the central message of this sutta.

The Pali title of this sutta is an adjective that has no exact equivalent in English. It is used in two different contexts. In
the context of gambling, it describes a die that has not been loaded to favor one side or the other. In the context of an
argument, it describes a position that is true regardless of which side of the argu ment is right. In other words, if there is
an argument as to whether A or not-A is true, if C is true regardless of whether A is true or not, C is an apannaka
position.

Although this sutta is primarily concerned with the second context, the Buddha implicit ly makes the connection
between this context and the first in stating that a person who rightly grasps the apannaka position has made a lucky
throw, whereas a person who has wrongly grasped it has made an unlucky throw. Thus, to preserve this double

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context, I have translated apannaka as "safe-bet." "Cover-your-bets" might have been a more accurate translation, but it
would have been unwieldy.

The sutta falls into two parts, the first part covering his "safe-bet" arguments, and the second part extolling the person
who practices the Dhamma for tormenting neither himself nor others. The two parts are connected in that they both
present pragmatic arguments for accepting the Buddha's teaching.

The safe-bet arguments in the first part of the sutta follow two patterns. The first pattern covers controversies over
whether there is a life after death, whether actions bear results, and whether there is a causal connection between one's
actions and one's experience of pleasure and pain. The pattern here is as follows:

 A: a statement of the anti-Dhamma position;

 B: a rejection of the anti-Dhamma position;

 A1: a pragmatic argument against holding to A — a person who does so is likely to act, speak, and think in
unskillful ways;

 A2: further unfortunate consequences that follow from holding to A, given that A is wrong;

 A3: further unfortunate consequences that come from holding to A whether or not it is right;

 B1: a pragmatic argument for holding to B — a person who does so is likely to act, speak, and think in
skillful ways;

 B2: further fortunate consequences that follow from holding to B, given that B is right;

 B3: further fortunate consequences that come from holding to B whether or not it is right.

It is noteworthy that the arguments in A2 and B2 are not safe-bet arguments, for they assume that A is wrong and B is
right. Whether these arguments date from the Buddha or were added at a later date, no one knows.

The second pattern in the first part covers two controversies: whether or not a person can attain a total state of
formlessness, and whether or not a person can attain total cessation of becoming. In the context of the first controversy,
the safe-bet position is that even if there is no total attainment of formlessness, that still opens the possibility that one
could become a deva on the level of form. In the context of the second, the safe-bet position is that even if there is no
total cessation of becoming, that still leaves open the possibility that one could become a deva on the formless level.
One further reflects that total formlessness would open the way to greater peace than the level of form; and that the
cessation of becoming would open the way to greater freedom than formlessness. These last observations in no way
prove that there is total formlessness or total cessation of becoming, but they do incline the mind to view those
possibilities favorably.

The second part of the sutta divides people into four sorts: (1) those who torment themselves, (2) those who torment
others, (3) those who torment themselves and others, and (4) those who torment neither themselves nor others. The
first and third alternatives describe styles of religious practice that were common in the Buddha's time: practices of
self-torture and self-affliction, and the offering of sacrifices. The second alternative covers any and all bloody
occupations. In opposition to these alternatives, the Buddha presents the fourth alternative as ideal: the practice of his
teachings all the way to full liberation.

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For other pragmatic arguments for accepting and practicing the Dhamma, see AN 3.61, AN 3.65, and SN 42.8. AN
3.65 also contains a variant on the wager argument given in this sutta.

I have heard that on one occasion, when the Blessed One was on a wandering tour among
the Kosalans with a large community of monks, he arrived at the brahman village called Sala. The
brahman householders heard, "Master Gotama the contemplative — the son of the Sakyans, having
gone forth from the Sakyan clan — on a wandering tour among the Kosalans with a large community
of monks — has arrived at Sala. And of that master Gotama this fine reputation has spread: 'He is
indeed a Blessed One, an arahant, rightly self-awakened: consummate in knowledge & conduct, well-
gone, a knower of the cosmos, an unexcelled trainer of those persons ready to be tamed, teacher of
human & divine beings, awakened, blessed. He has made known — having realized it through direct
knowledge — this world with its devas, maras, & brahmas, its generations with their contemplatives &
brahmans, their rulers & common people. He has explained the Dhamma admirable in the beginning,
admirable in the middle, admirable in the end; has expounded the holy life both in its particulars & in
its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure. It is good to see such a worthy one.'"

So the brahman householders of Sala went to the Blessed One. On arrival, some of them bowed down
to the Blessed One and sat to one side. Some of them exchanged courteous greetings with him and,
after an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, sat to one side. Some of them sat to one side
having saluted him with their hands palm-to-palm over their hearts. Some of them sat to one side
having announced their name & clan. Some of them sat to one side in silence.

As they were sitting there, the Blessed One asked them, "Householders, is there any teacher agreeable
to you, in whom you have found grounded conviction?"

"No, lord, there is no teacher agreeable to us, in whom we have found grounded conviction."

"As you have not found an agreeable teacher, you should adopt and practice this safe-bet teaching, for
this safe-bet teaching — when accepted and adopted — will be to your long-term welfare &
happiness.

"And what is the safe-bet teaching?

Existence & non-existence

A. "There are some contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view: 'There is
nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result of good or bad actions.
There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no father, no spontaneously reborn beings; no
brahmans or contemplatives who, faring rightly and practicing rightly, proclaim this world and the
next after having directly known and realized it for themselves.' [1]

B. "Some contemplatives & brahmans, speaking in direct opposition to those contemplatives &
brahmans, say this: 'There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed. There are fruits &
results of good & bad actions. There is this world & the next world. There is mother & father. There
are spontaneously reborn beings; there are contemplatives & brahmans who, faring rightly &
practicing rightly, proclaim this world & the next after having directly known & realized it for
themselves.'

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"What do you think, householders? Don't these contemplatives & brahmans speak in direct opposition
to each other?"

"Yes, lord."

A1. "Now, householders, of those contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view
— 'There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed. There is no fruit or result of good or
bad actions. There is no this world, no next world, no mother, no father, no spontaneously reborn
beings; no brahmans or contemplatives who, faring rightly and practicing rightly, proclaim this world
and the next after having directly known and realized it for themselves' — it can be expected that,
shunning these three skillful activities — good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, good mental
conduct — they will adopt & practice these three unskillful activities: bad bodily conduct, bad verbal
conduct, bad mental conduct. Why is that? Because those venerable contemplatives & brahmans do
not see, in unskillful activities, the drawbacks, the degradation, and the defilement; nor in skillful
activities the rewards of renunciation, resembling cleansing.

A2. "Because there actually is the next world, the view of one who thinks, 'There is no next world' is
his wrong view. Because there actually is the next world, when he is resolved that 'There is no next
world,' that is his wrong resolve. Because there actually is the next world, when he speaks the
statement, 'There is no next world,' that is his wrong speech. Because there actually is the next world,
when he says that 'There is no next world,' he makes himself an opponent to those arahants who know
the next world. Because there actually is the next world, when he persuades another that 'There is no
next world,' that is persuasion in what is not true Dhamma. And in that persuasion in what is not true
Dhamma, he exalts himself and disparages others. Whatever good habituation he previously had is
abandoned, while bad habituation is manifested. And this wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech,
opposition to the arahants, persuasion in what is not true Dhamma, exaltation of self, & disparagement
of others: These many evil, unskillful activities come into play, in dependence on wrong view.

A3. "With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'If there is no next world, then — with
the breakup of the body, after death — this venerable person has made himself safe. But if there is the
next world, then this venerable person — on the breakup of the body, after death — will reappear in a
plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. Even if we didn't speak of the next world,
and there weren't the true statement of those venerable contemplatives & brahmans, this venerable
person is still criticized in the here-&-now by the observant as a person of bad habits & wrong
view: [2] one who holds to a doctrine of non-existence.' If there really is a next world, then this
venerable person has made a bad throw twice: in that he is criticized by the observant here-&-now, and
in that — with the breakup of the body, after death — he will reappear in a plane of deprivation, a bad
destination, a lower realm, hell. Thus this safe-bet teaching, when poorly grasped & poorly adopted by
him, covers (only) one side, and leaves behind the possibility of the skillful.

B1. "Now, householders, of those contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view
— 'There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed. There are fruits & results of good & bad
actions. There is this world & the next world. There is mother & father. There are spontaneously
reborn beings; there are brahmans & contemplatives who, faring rightly & practicing rightly, proclaim
this world & the next after having directly known & realized it for themselves' — it can be expected
that, shunning these three unskillful activities — bad bodily conduct, bad verbal conduct, bad mental
conduct — they will adopt & practice these three skillful activities: good bodily conduct, good verbal
conduct, good mental conduct. Why is that? Because those venerable contemplatives & brahmans see

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in unskillful activities the drawbacks, the degradation, and the defilement; and in skillful activities the
rewards of renunciation, resembling cleansing.

B2. "Because there actually is the next world, the view of one who thinks, 'There is a next world' is his
right view. Because there actually is the next world, when he is resolved that 'There is a next world,'
that is his right resolve. Because there actually is the next world, when he speaks the statement, 'There
is a next world,' that is his right speech. Because there actually is the next world, when he says that
'There is a next world,' he doesn't make himself an opponent to those arahants who know the next
world. Because there actually is the next world, when he persuades another that 'There is a next world,'
that is persuasion in what is true Dhamma. And in that persuasion in what is true Dhamma, he doesn't
exalt himself or disparage others. Whatever bad habituation he previously had is abandoned, while
good habituation is manifested. And this right view, right resolve, right speech, non-opposition to the
arahants, persuasion in what is true Dhamma, non-exaltation of self, & non-disparagement of others:
These many skillful activities come into play, in dependence on right view.

B3. "With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'If there is the next world, then this
venerable person — on the breakup of the body, after death — will reappear in a good destination, a
heavenly world. Even if we didn't speak of the next world, and there weren't the true statement of
those venerable contemplatives & brahmans, this venerable person is still praised in the here-&-now
by the observant as a person of good habits & right view: one who holds to a doctrine of existence.' If
there really is a next world, then this venerable person has made a good throw twice, in that he is
praised by the observant here-&-now; and in that — with the breakup of the body, after death — he
will reappear in a good destination, a heavenly world. Thus this safe-bet teaching, when well grasped
& adopted by him, covers both sides, and leaves behind the possibility of the unskillful.

Action & non-action

A. "There are some contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view: 'In acting or
getting others to act, in mutilating or getting others to mutilate, in torturing or getting others to torture,
in inflicting sorrow or in getting others to inflict sorrow, in tormenting or getting others to torment, in
intimidating or getting others to intimidate, in taking life, taking what is not given, breaking into
houses, plundering wealth, committing burglary, ambushing highways, committing adultery, speaking
falsehood — one does no evil. If with a razor-edged disk one were to turn all the living beings on this
earth to a single heap of flesh, a single pile of flesh, there would be no evil from that cause, no coming
of evil. Even if one were to go along the right bank of the Ganges, killing and getting others to kill,
mutilating and getting others to mutilate, torturing and getting others to torture, there would be no evil
from that cause, no coming of evil. Even if one were to go along the left bank of the Ganges, giving
and getting others to give, making sacrifices and getting others to make sacrifices, there would be no
merit from that cause, no coming of merit. Through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful
speech there is no merit from that cause, no coming of merit.' [3]

B. "Some contemplatives & brahmans, speaking in direct opposition to those contemplatives &
brahmans, say this: 'In acting or getting others to act, in mutilating or getting others to mutilate, in
torturing or getting others to torture, in inflicting sorrow or in getting others to inflict sorrow, in
tormenting or getting others to torment, in intimidating or getting others to intimidate, in taking life,
taking what is not given, breaking into houses, plundering wealth, committing burglary, ambushing
highways, committing adultery, speaking falsehood — one does evil. If with a razor-edged disk one
were to turn all the living beings on this earth to a single heap of flesh, a single pile of flesh, there
would be evil from that cause, there would be a coming of evil. If one were to go along the right bank

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of the Ganges, killing and getting others to kill, mutilating and getting others to mutilate, torturing and
getting others to torture, there would be evil from that cause, there would be a coming of evil. If one
were to go along the left bank of the Ganges, giving and getting others to give, making sacrifices and
getting others to make sacrifices, there would be merit from that cause, there would be a coming of
merit. Through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful speech there is merit from that cause,
there is a coming of merit.'

"What do you think, householders? Don't these contemplatives & brahmans speak in direct opposition
to each other?"

"Yes, lord."

A1. "Now, householders, of those contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view
— 'In acting or getting others to act, in mutilating or getting others to mutilate, in torturing or getting
others to torture... one does no evil... Through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful speech
there is no merit from that cause, no coming of merit' — it can be expected that, shunning these three
skillful activities — good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, good mental conduct — they will
adopt & practice these three unskillful activities: bad bodily conduct, bad verbal conduct, bad mental
conduct. Why is that? Because those venerable contemplatives & brahmans do not see, in unskillful
activities, the drawbacks, the degradation, and the defilement; nor in skillful activities the rewards of
renunciation, resembling cleansing.

A2. "Because there actually is action, the view of one who thinks, 'There is no action' is his wrong
view. Because there actually is action, when he is resolved that 'There is no action,' that is his wrong
resolve. Because there actually is action, when he speaks the statement, 'There is no action,' that is his
wrong speech. Because there actually is action, when he says that 'There is no action,' he makes
himself an opponent to those arahants who teach action. Because there actually is action, when he
persuades another that 'There is no action,' that is persuasion in what is not true Dhamma. And in that
persuasion in what is not true Dhamma, he exalts himself and disparages others. Whatever good
habituation he previously had is abandoned, while bad habituation is manifested. And this wrong view,
wrong resolve, wrong speech, opposition to the arahants, persuasion in what is not true Dhamma,
exaltation of self, & disparagement of others: These many evil, unskillful activities come into play, in
dependence on wrong view.

A3. "With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'If there is no action, then — with the
breakup of the body, after death — this venerable person has made himself safe. But if there is action,
then this venerable person — on the breakup of the body, after death — will reappear in a plane of
deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. Even if we didn't speak of action, and there weren't
the true statement of those venerable contemplatives & brahmans, this venerable person is still
criticized in the here-&-now by the observant as a person of bad habits & wrong view: one who holds
to a doctrine of non-action.' If there really is action, then this venerable person has made a bad throw
twice: in that he is criticized by the observant here-&-now; and in that — with the breakup of the
body, after death — he will reappear in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.
Thus this safe-bet teaching, when poorly grasped & poorly adopted by him, covers (only) one side,
and leaves behind the possibility of the skillful.

B1. "Now, householders, of those contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view
— 'In acting or getting others to act, in mutilating or getting others to mutilate, in torturing or getting

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others to torture... one does evil... Through generosity, self-control, restraint, and truthful speech there
is merit from that cause, there is a coming of merit' — it can be expected that, shunning these three
unskillful activities — bad bodily conduct, bad verbal conduct, bad mental conduct — they will adopt
& practice these three skillful activities: good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, good mental
conduct. Why is that? Because those venerable contemplatives & brahmans see in unskillful activities
the drawbacks, the degradation, and the defilement; and in skillful activities the rewards of
renunciation, resembling cleansing.

B2. "Because there actually is action, the view of one who thinks, 'There is action' is his right view.
Because there actually is action, when he is resolved that 'There is action,' that is his right resolve.
Because there actually is action, when he speaks the statement, 'There is action,' that is his right
speech. Because there actually is action, when he says that 'There is action,' he doesn't make himself
an opponent to those arahants who teach action. Because there actually is action, when he persuades
another that 'There is action,' that is persuasion in what is true Dhamma. And in that persuasion in
what is true Dhamma, he doesn't exalt himself or disparage others. Whatever bad habituation he
previously had is abandoned, while good habituation is manifested. And this right view, right resolve,
right speech, non-opposition to the arahants, persuasion in what is true Dhamma, non-exaltation of
self, & non-disparagement of others: These many skillful activities come into play, in dependence on
right view.

B3. "With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'If there is action, then this venerable
person — on the breakup of the body, after death — will reappear in a good destination, a heavenly
world. Even if we didn't speak of action, and there weren't the true statement of those venerable
contemplatives & brahmans, this venerable person is still praised in the here-&-now by the observant
as a person of good habits & right view: one who holds to a doctrine of action.' If there really is a next
world, then this venerable person has made a good throw twice, in that he is praised by the observant
here-&-now; and in that — with the breakup of the body, after death — he will reappear in a good
destination, a heavenly world. Thus this safe-bet teaching, when well grasped & adopted by him,
covers both sides, and leaves behind the possibility of the unskillful.

Causality & non-causality

A. "There are some contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view: 'There is no
causality, no requisite condition, for the defilement of beings. Beings are defiled without causality,
without requisite condition. There is no causality, no requisite condition, for the purification of beings.
Beings are purified without causality, without requisite condition. There is no strength, no effort, no
human energy, no human endeavor. All living beings, all life, all beings, all souls are powerless,
devoid of strength, devoid of effort. Subject to the changes of fate, serendipity, and nature, they
experience pleasure and pain in the six great classes of birth.' [4]

B. "Some contemplatives & brahmans, speaking in direct opposition to those contemplatives &
brahmans, say this: 'There is causality, there is requisite condition, for the defilement of beings. Beings
are defiled with causality, with requisite condition. There is causality, there is requisite condition, for
the purification of beings. Beings are purified with causality, with requisite condition. There is
strength, there is effort, there is human energy, there is human endeavor. It's not the case that all living
beings, all life, all beings, all souls are powerless, devoid of strength, devoid of effort; or that subject
to the changes of fate, serendipity, and nature, they experience pleasure and pain in the six great
classes of birth.'

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"What do you think, householders? Don't these contemplatives & brahmans speak in direct opposition
to each other?"

"Yes, lord."

A1. "Now, householders, of those contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view
— 'There is no cause, no requisite condition, for the defilement of beings... Subject to the changes of
fate, serendipity, and nature, they experience pleasure and pain in the six great classes of birth' — it
can be expected that, shunning these three skillful activities — good bodily conduct, good verbal
conduct, good mental conduct — they will adopt & practice these three unskillful activities: bad bodily
conduct, bad verbal conduct, bad mental conduct. Why is that? Because those venerable
contemplatives & brahmans do not see, in unskillful activities, the drawbacks, the degradation, and the
defilement; nor in skillful activities the rewards of renunciation, resembling cleansing.

A2. "Because there actually is causality, the view of one who thinks, 'There is no causality' is his
wrong view. Because there actually is causality, when he is resolved that 'There is no causality,' that is
his wrong resolve. Because there actually is causality, when he speaks the statement, 'There is no
causality,' that is his wrong speech. Because there actually is causality, when he says that 'There is no
causality,' he makes himself an opponent to those arahants who teach causality. Because there actually
is causality, when he persuades another that 'There is no causality,' that is persuasion in what is not
true Dhamma. And in that persuasion in what is not true Dhamma, he exalts himself and disparages
others. Whatever good habituation he previously had is abandoned, while bad habituation is
manifested. And this wrong view, wrong resolve, wrong speech, opposition to the arahants, persuasion
in what is not true Dhamma, exaltation of self, & disparagement of others: These many evil, unskillful
activities come into play, in dependence on wrong view.

A3. "With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'If there is no causality, then — with the
breakup of the body, after death — this venerable person has made himself safe. But if there is
causality, then this venerable person — on the breakup of the body, after death — will reappear in a
plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell. Even if we didn't speak of causality, and
there weren't the true statement of those venerable contemplatives & brahmans, this venerable person
is still criticized in the here-&-now by the observant as a person of bad habits & wrong view: one who
holds to a doctrine of non-causality.' If there really is a next world, then this venerable person has
made a bad throw twice: in that he is criticized by the observant here-&-now, and in that — with the
breakup of the body, after death — he will reappear in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a
lower realm, hell. Thus this safe-bet teaching, when poorly grasped & poorly adopted by him, covers
(only) one side, and leaves behind the possibility of the skillful.

B1. "Now, householders, of those contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view
— 'There is causality, there is requisite condition, for the defilement of beings... It's not the case that
all living beings, all life, all beings, all souls are powerless, devoid of strength, devoid of effort; or that
subject to the changes of fate, serendipity, and nature, they experience pleasure and pain in the six
great classes of birth' — it can be expected that, shunning these three unskillful activities — bad
bodily conduct, bad verbal conduct, bad mental conduct — they will adopt & practice these three
skillful activities: good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, good mental conduct. Why is that?
Because those venerable contemplatives & brahmans see in unskillful activities the drawbacks, the
degradation, and the defilement; and in skillful activities the rewards of renunciation, resembling
cleansing.

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B2. "Because there actually is causality, the view of one who thinks, 'There is causality' is his right
view. Because there actually is causality, when he is resolved that 'There is causality,' that is his right
resolve. Because there actually causality, when he speaks the statement, 'There is causality,' that is his
right speech. Because there actually is causality, when he says that 'There is causality,' he doesn't make
himself an opponent to those arahants who teach causality. Because there actually is causality, when
he persuades another that 'There is causality,' that is persuasion in what is true Dhamma. And in that
persuasion in what is true Dhamma, he doesn't exalt himself or disparage others. Whatever bad
habituation he previously had is abandoned, while good habituation is manifested. And this right view,
right resolve, right speech, non-opposition to the arahants, persuasion in what is true Dhamma, non-
exaltation of self, & non-disparagement of others: These many skillful activities come into play, in
dependence on right view.

B3. "With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'If there is causality, then this venerable
person — on the breakup of the body, after death — will reappear in a good destination, a heavenly
world. Even if we didn't speak of causality, and there weren't the true statement of those venerable
contemplatives & brahmans, this venerable person is still praised in the here-&-now by the observant
as a person of good habits & right view: one who holds to a doctrine of causality.' If there really is
causality, then this venerable person has made a good throw twice, in that he is praised by the
observant here-&-now; and in that — with the breakup of the body, after death — he will reappear in a
good destination, a heavenly world. Thus this safe-bet teaching, when well grasped & adopted by him,
covers both sides, and leaves behind the possibility of the unskillful.

Formlessness
"There are some contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view: 'There is no total
formlessness.' Some contemplatives & brahmans, speaking in direct opposition to those
contemplatives & brahmans, say this: 'There is total formlessness.' What do you think, householders?
Don't these contemplatives & brahmans speak in direct opposition to each other?"

"Yes, lord."

"With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'As for those venerable contemplatives &
brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view — "There is no total formlessness" — I haven't seen
that. As for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view —
"There is total formlessness" — I haven't known that. If I, not knowing, not seeing, were to take one
side and declare, "Only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless," that would not be fitting for me.
As for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view — "There is
no total formlessness": If their statement is true, there's the safe-bet possibility that I might reappear
among the mind-made devas of form. As for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans who hold
this doctrine, hold this view — "There is total formlessness": If their statement is true, there's the safe-
bet possibility that I might reappear among the perception-made devas of no form. The taking up of
rods & weapons, quarrels, contention, disputes, recrimination, divisiveness, & false speech are seen to
arise from form, but not from total formlessness.' Reflecting thus, he practices for disenchantment
toward forms, for dispassion toward forms, and for the cessation of forms.

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Cessation of becoming
"There are some contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view: 'There is no total
cessation of becoming.' Some contemplatives & brahmans, speaking in direct opposition to those
contemplatives & brahmans, say this: 'There is total cessation of becoming.' What do you think,
householders? Don't these contemplatives & brahmans speak in direct opposition to each other?"

"Yes, lord."

"With regard to this, an observant person considers thus: 'As for those venerable contemplatives &
brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view — "There is no total cessation of becoming" — I
haven't seen that. As for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this
view — "There is total cessation of becoming" — I haven't known that. If I, not knowing, not seeing,
were to take one side and declare, "Only this is true, anything otherwise is worthless," that would not
be fitting for me. As for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this
view — "There is no total cessation of becoming": If their statement is true, there's the safe-bet
possibility that I might reappear among the perception-made devas of no form. As for those venerable
contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view — "There is total cessation of
becoming": If their statement is true, it is possible that I will be totally unbound in the here-&-now. As
for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans who hold this doctrine, hold this view — "There is no
total cessation of becoming": This view of theirs borders on passion, borders on fettering, borders on
relishing, borders on grasping, borders on clinging. As for those venerable contemplatives & brahmans
who hold this doctrine, hold this view — "There is total cessation of becoming": This view of theirs
borders on non-passion, borders on non-fettering, borders on non-relishing, borders on non-grasping,
borders on non-clinging.' Reflecting thus, he practices for disenchantment toward becomings, for
dispassion toward becomings, and for the cessation of becomings.

Four individuals
"Householders, there are these four types of individuals to be found existing in the world. Which four?
There is the case where a certain individual torments himself and is devoted to the practice of torturing
himself. There is the case where a certain individual torments others and is devoted to the practice of
torturing others. There is the case where a certain individual torments himself and is devoted to the
practice of torturing himself, and also torments others and is devoted to the practice of torturing others.
There is the case where a certain individual neither torments himself nor is he devoted to the practice
of torturing himself, neither torments others nor is he devoted to the practice of torturing others.
Neither tormenting himself nor tormenting others, he dwells in the here-&-now free of hunger,
unbound, cooled, sensitive to happiness, with a Brahma-like mind.

"And which is the individual who torments himself and is devoted to the practice of torturing himself?
There is the case where a certain individual goes without cloth, rejecting conventions, licking his
hands, not coming when called, not staying when asked. He does not accept food brought or specially
made. He does not consent to an invitation (to a meal). He doesn't receive anything from the mouth of
a pot, from the mouth of a container, across a threshold, across a stick, across a pestle, from two eating
together, from a pregnant woman, from a woman nursing a child, from a woman living with a man,
from where it is announced that food is to be distributed, from where a dog is waiting, from where
flies are buzzing. He accepts no meat, no distilled liquor, no wine, no fermented liquor. He limits

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himself to one house for one morsel, to two houses for two morsels... to seven houses for seven
morsels. He lives on one saucerful a day, two saucerfuls a day... seven saucerfuls a day. He takes food
once a day, once every two days... once every seven days, and so on up to once every half-month. He
remains devoted to the practice of taking food at stated intervals. He eats a diet of green vegetables or
millet or wild rice or hide-parings or moss or rice bran or rice-water or sesame flour or grass or cow
dung. He lives off forest roots & fruits. He eats fallen fruits. He clothes himself in hemp, in canvas, in
shrouds, in thrown-away rags, in tree bark, in antelope hide, in wood-shavings fabric, in head-hair
wool, in wild-animal wool, in owls' wings. He is a hair-&-beard puller, one devoted to the practice of
pulling out his hair & beard. He is a stander, one who rejects seats. He is a hands-around-the-knees
sitter, one devoted to the exertion of sitting with his hands around his knees. He is a spike-mattresser,
one who makes his bed on a bed of spikes. He is a third-time-in-the-evening bather, one who stays
devoted to the practice of bathing in water. Thus, in these many ways, he is devoted to the practice of
tormenting & persecuting the body. This is called an individual who torments himself and is devoted
to the practice of torturing himself.

"And which is the individual who torments others and is devoted to the practice of torturing others?
There is the case where a certain individual is a butcher of sheep, a butcher of pigs, a butcher of fowl,
a trapper, a hunter, a fisherman, a thief, an executioner,[5] a prison warden, or anyone who follows any
other bloody occupation. This is called an individual who torments others and is devoted to the
practice of torturing others.

"And which is the individual who torments himself and is devoted to the practice of torturing himself,
and also torments others and is devoted to the practice of torturing others? There is the case where an
individual is a head-anointed noble warrior king, or a brahman of great wealth. Having had a new
temple built to the east of the city, having shaved off his hair & beard, having dressed himself in a
rough hide, having smeared his body with ghee & oil, and scratching his back with a deer horn, he
enters the new temple along with his chief queen & brahman high brahman. There he makes his bed
on the bare ground strewn with grass. The king lives off the milk from the first teat of a cow with an
identical calf; the queen lives off the milk from the second teat; the brahman high brahman, off the
milk from the third teat. The milk from the fourth teat they pour [6] into the fire. The calf lives on what
is left.

"He says, 'Let so many bulls be slaughtered for the sacrifice. Let so many bullocks... so many heifers...
so many goats... so many sheep... Let so many horses be slaughtered for the sacrifice. [7] Let so many
trees be cut down for the sacrificial posts; let so many plants be mowed down for the sacrificial grass.'
And his slaves, servants, & workers make preparations, weeping with tearful faces, spurred on by
punishment, spurred on by fear. This is called an individual who torments himself and is devoted to
the practice of torturing himself, and also torments others and is devoted to the practice of torturing
others.

"And which is the individual who neither torments himself nor is devoted to the practice of torturing
himself, neither torments others nor is devoted to the practice of torturing others; who — neither
tormenting himself nor tormenting others — dwells in the here-&-now free of hunger, unbound,
cooled, sensitive to happiness with a Brahma-like mind?

"There is the case where a Tathagata appears in the world, worthy and rightly self-awakened. He
teaches the Dhamma admirable in its beginning, admirable in its middle, admirable in its end. He
proclaims the holy life both in its particulars and in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.

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"A householder or householder's son, hearing the Dhamma, gains conviction in the Tathagata and
reflects: 'Household life is confining, a dusty path. Life gone forth is the open air. It isn't easy, living at
home, to practice the holy life totally perfect, totally pure, a polished shell. What if I, having shaved
off my hair & beard and putting on the ochre robe, were to go forth from the household life into
homelessness?'

"So after some time he abandons his mass of wealth, large or small; leaves his circle of relatives, large
or small; shaves off his hair and beard, puts on the ochre robes, and goes forth from the household life
into homelessness.

Virtue
"When he has thus gone forth, endowed with the monks' training & livelihood, then — abandoning the
taking of life — he abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid
down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings.

"Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He takes only
what is given, accepts only what is given, lives not by stealth but by means of a self that has become
pure.

"Abandoning uncelibacy, he lives a celibate life, aloof, refraining from the sexual act that is the
villager's way.

"Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is
firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world.

"Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell
there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here
to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or
cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things
that create concord.

"Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to
the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at
large.

"Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual,
what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring,
seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal.

"He abstains from damaging seed and plant life.

"He eats only once a day, refraining from the evening meal and from food at the wrong time of day.

"He abstains from dancing, singing, instrumental music, and from watching shows.

"He abstains from wearing garlands and from beautifying himself with scents and cosmetics.

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"He abstains from high and luxurious beds and seats.

"He abstains from accepting gold and money.

"He abstains from accepting uncooked grain... raw meat... women and girls... male and female slaves...
goats and sheep... fowl and pigs... elephants, cattle, steeds, and mares... fields and property.

"He abstains from running messages... from buying and selling... from dealing with false scales, false
metals, and false measures... from bribery, deception, and fraud.

"He abstains from mutilating, executing, imprisoning, highway robbery, plunder, and violence.

"He is content with a set of robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Just
as a bird, wherever it goes, flies with its wings as its only burden; so too is he content with a set of
robes to provide for his body and alms food to provide for his hunger. Wherever he goes, he takes only
his barest necessities along.

"Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, he is inwardly sensitive to the pleasure of being
blameless.

Sense restraint
"On seeing a form with the eye, he does not grasp at any theme or details by which — if he were to
dwell without restraint over the faculty of the eye — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress
might assail him. On hearing a sound with the ear... On smelling an odor with the nose... On tasting a
flavor with the tongue... On touching a tactile sensation with the body... On cognizing an idea with the
intellect, he does not grasp at any theme or details by which — if he were to dwell without restraint
over the faculty of the intellect — evil, unskillful qualities such as greed or distress might assail him.
Endowed with this noble restraint over the sense faculties, he is inwardly sensitive to the pleasure of
being blameless.

Mindfulness & alertness

"When going forward and returning, he makes himself alert. When looking toward and looking away...
when bending and extending his limbs... when carrying his outer cloak, his upper robe, and his bowl...
when eating, drinking, chewing, and tasting... when urinating and defecating... when walking,
standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking, and remaining silent, he makes himself alert.

Abandoning the hindrances

"Endowed with this noble aggregate of virtue, this noble restraint over the sense faculties, this noble
mindfulness & alertness, he seeks out a secluded dwelling: a wilderness, the shade of a tree, a
mountain, a glen, a hillside cave, a charnel ground, a forest grove, the open air, a heap of straw. After
his meal, returning from his alms round, he sits down, crosses his legs, holds his body erect, and brings
mindfulness to the fore.

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"Abandoning covetousness with regard to the world, he dwells with an awareness devoid of
covetousness. He cleanses his mind of covetousness. Abandoning ill will and anger, he dwells with an
awareness devoid of ill will, sympathetic with the welfare of all living beings. He cleanses his mind of
ill will and anger. Abandoning sloth and drowsiness, he dwells with an awareness devoid of sloth and
drowsiness, mindful, alert, percipient of light. He cleanses his mind of sloth and drowsiness.
Abandoning restlessness and anxiety, he dwells undisturbed, his mind inwardly stilled. He cleanses his
mind of restlessness and anxiety. Abandoning uncertainty, he dwells having crossed over uncertainty,
with no perplexity with regard to skillful mental qualities. He cleanses his mind of uncertainty.

The four jhanas

"Having abandoned these five hindrances — imperfections of awareness that weaken discernment —
then, quite secluded from sensuality, secluded from unskillful qualities, he enters and remains in the
first jhana: rapture & pleasure born of seclusion, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation.

"Then, with the stilling of directed thoughts & evaluations, he enters and remains in the second jhana:
rapture & pleasure born of concentration, unification of awareness free from directed thought &
evaluation — internal assurance.

"Then, with the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with
the body. He enters and remains in the third jhana, of which the noble ones declare, 'Equanimous &
mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.'

"Then, with the abandoning of pleasure & pain — as with the earlier disappearance of elation &
distress — he enters and remains in the fourth jhana: purity of equanimity & mindfulness, neither-
pleasure-nor-pain.

The three knowledges

"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant,
malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to knowledge of the
recollection of past lives (lit: previous homes). He recollects his manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two
births, three births, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, one hundred, one thousand, one hundred
thousand, many aeons of cosmic contraction, many aeons of cosmic expansion, many aeons of cosmic
contraction and expansion, [recollecting], 'There I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such
an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of my life.
Passing away from that state, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan,
had such an appearance. Such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such the end of
my life. Passing away from that state, I re-arose here.' Thus he recollects his manifold past lives in
their modes and details. This, too, is how striving is fruitful, how exertion is fruitful.

"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant,
malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to knowledge of the
passing away and re-appearance of beings. He sees — by means of the divine eye, purified and
surpassing the human — beings passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior
and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 'These
beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech, and mind, who reviled the noble

149
ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the breakup
of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm,
hell. But these beings — who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, and mind, who did
not revile the noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right
views — with the breakup of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly
world.' Thus — by means of the divine eye, purified and surpassing the human — he sees beings
passing away and re-appearing, and he discerns how they are inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly,
fortunate and unfortunate in accordance with their kamma.

"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant,
malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, the monk directs and inclines it to the knowledge
of the ending of the mental fermentations. He discerns, as it is actually present, that 'This is stress...
This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the
cessation of stress... These are fermentations... This is the origination of fermentations... This is the
cessation of fermentations... This is the way leading to the cessation of fermentations.' His heart, thus
knowing, thus seeing, is released from the fermentation of sensuality, the fermentation of becoming,
the fermentation of ignorance. With release, there is the knowledge, 'Released.' He discerns that 'Birth
is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.'

"This is called an individual who neither torments himself nor is devoted to the practice of torturing
himself, who neither torments others nor is devoted to the practice of torturing others. Neither
tormenting himself nor tormenting others, he dwells in the here-&-now free of hunger, unbound,
cooled, sensitive to happiness, with a Brahma-like mind."

When this was said, the brahman householders of Sala said, "Magnificent, master Gotama!
Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to
show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see
forms, in the same way has master Gotama — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma
clear. We go to master Gotama for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Community of monks. May
master Gotama remember us as lay followers who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward,
for life."

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 CERN, ANTIMATTER AND SPIRIT.
Posted
June 6, 2011,
By Claire Montanaro

""
A fascinating scientific debate centres on why matter and antimatter were not created in equal
amounts so that they balanced each other out in the Big Bang: it is believed that when the
anti-matter disappeared, as it did, the matter which remained formed our universe.

A team at Cern has managed for the first time to create 300 particles of antimatter and to keep
them in existence for 17 minutes, enough time to study them and try to discover why matter
remained and there was Creation. There are huge implications in this for our understanding of
the nature of spirituality, and indeed for the sceptics and scientists to expand their theoretical
thinking, particularly if, as I mentioned before, String Theory can be proved.

Now, I have never studied science and my understanding of it is sadly limited, but when I
heard about this breakthrough last night on a late night radio news programme my heart
stirred, and I remembered the Universal Law of Balance. This Law states that the purpose of
life (which is infinite, undying and literally universal) is to achieve equal balance at every
level so that there is harmony, whether it is between the planetary alignments, in a
relationship, in the way we live or energetically. The Law applies at every level of being,
every dimension and every plane of existence.

Sometimes a situation of imbalance has to be created in order to teach and learn and to fulfil
the ultimate Plan of God, but balance is always the ultimate goal and achievement. Our
universe had to be created and so anti-matter had to be destroyed in order for matter to remain
- to enable inter alia human existence, choice and soul growth. The challenge and opportunity
now is to enable antimatter to be, and what it represents to co-exist with matter in perfect
balance.

It is a parallel situation to the existence of duality. At one time spirit (antimatter) outweighed
matter and matter did not exist, and then with changing cycles matter became more dominant
and spirituality was virtually effaced by a tide of materialism. We have come to the point
when a new cycle hitherto unknown is about to come into being, when the world of spirit and
the world of matter, on Earth, are integrated and in perfect balance. If we look at the debate
about matter and antimatter in the context of the Universal Laws, what was inexplicable
begins to make sense and in a much deeper way.

I write about all the Universal Laws in my book, Spiritual Wisdom.

]]>

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Terence McKenna – Everything You Need
To Know About DMT

The following is an excerpt from Terence McKenna’s book, Food of the Gods: The Search
for the Original Tree of Knowledge A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human
Evolution . McKenna believed that DMT was the “quintessential hallucinogen and
consequently, the quintessential spiritual and magical tool of this dimension.” According to
McKenna, DMT is a compound that occurs in the human nervous system, in many plants and
is the commonest hallucinogen in all of nature.

Disclaimer:

This article is for educational purposes and is not a stamp of approval on using
hallucinogens in order to attain spiritual enlightenment. DMT and 5-MeO-DMT
are now both Schedule 1 illegal drugs in the U.S.A., and many other countries.

Gregg Prescott, M.S.

Editor, In5D.com

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“Part of what psychedelics do is they decondition you from cultural values. This is what
makes it such a political hot potato. Since all culture is a kind of con game, the most
dangerous candy you can hand out is one which causes people to start questioning the rules of
the game.” Terence McKenna

What can be said of DMT as an experience and in relation to our own spiritual emptiness?
Does it offer us answers? Do the short-acting tryptamines offer an analogy to the ecstasy of
the partnership society before Eden became a memory? And if they do, then what can we say
about it?

What has impressed me repeatedly during my many glimpses into the world of the
hallucinogenic indoles, and what seems generally to have escaped comment, is the
transformation of narrative and language. The experience that engulfs one’s entire being as
one slips beneath the surface of the DMT ecstasy feels like the penetration of a membrane.
The mind and the self literally unfold before one’s eyes. There is a sense that one is made
new, yet unchanged, as if one were made of gold and had just been recast in the furnace of
one’s birth. Breathing is normal, heartbeat steady, the mind clear and observing. But what of
the world? What of incoming sensory data?

“If the words ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ don’t include the right to experiment
with your own consciousness, then the Declaration of Independence isn’t worth the hemp it
was written on.” Terence McKenna

Under the influence of DMT, the world becomes an Arabian labyrinth, a palace, a more than
possible Martian jewel, vast with motifs that flood the gaping mind with complex and
wordless awe. Color and the sense of a reality-unlocking secret nearby pervade the
experience. There is a sense of other times, and of one’s own infancy, and of wonder, wonder
and more wonder. It is an audience with the alien nuncio. In the midst of this experience,
apparently at the end of human history, guarding gates that seem surely to open on the
howling maelstrom of the unspeakable emptiness between the stars, is the Aeon.

The Aeon, as Heraclitus presciently observed, is a child at play with colored balls. Many
diminutive beings are present there — the tykes, the self-transforming machine elves of
hyperspace. Are they the children destined to be father to the man? One has the impression of
entering into an ecology of souls that lies beyond the portals of what we naively call death. I
do not know. Are they the synesthetic embodiment of ourselves as the Other, or of the Other
as ourselves? Are they the elves lost to us since the fading of the magic light of childhood?

Here is a tremendum barely to be told, an epiphany beyond our wildest dreams. Here is the
realm of that which is stranger than we can suppose. Here is the mystery, alive, unscathed,
still as new for us as when our ancestors lived it fifteen thousand summers ago. The
tryptamine entities offer the gift of new language, they sing in pearly voices that rain down as
colored petals and flow through the air like hot metal to become toys and such gifts as gods
would give their children. The sense of emotional connection is terrifying and intense. The
Mysteries revealed are real and if ever fully told will leave no stone upon another in the small
world we have gone so ill in.

This is not the mercurial world of the UFO, to be invoked from lonely hilltops; this is not the
siren song of lost Atlantis wailing through the trailer courts of crack-crazed America. DMT is
not one of our irrational illusions. What we experience in the presence of DMT is real news. It

153
is a nearby dimension — frightening, transformative, and beyond our powers to imagine, and
yet to be explored in the usual way. We must send fearless experts, whatever that may come
to mean, to explore and to report on what they find.

“Psychedelics are illegal not because a loving government is concerned that you may jump
out of a third story window. Psychedelics are illegal because they dissolve opinion structures
and culturally laid down models of behaviour and information processing. They open you up
to the possibility that everything you know is wrong.” Terence McKenna

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Terence McKenna on
Psychedelics

INTRODUCTION
Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist,
mystic, psychonaut, lecturer, creator, and an advocate for the accountable use of naturally occurring
psychedelic crops. He spoke and wrote about quite a lot of topics, together with psychedelic
medicine, plant-based entheogens, shamanism, metaphysics, alchemy, language, philosophy,
tradition, expertise, environmentalism, and the theoretical origins of human consciousness. He was
referred to as the “Timothy Leary of the ’90s”, “one of many main authorities on the ontological
foundations of shamanism”, and the “mental voice of rave tradition”.

McKenna formulated an idea in regards to the nature of time based mostly on fractal patterns he
claimed to have found within the I Ching, which he referred to as novelty principle, proposing this
predicted the tip of time, and a transition of consciousne ss within the 12 months 2012. His
promotion of novelty principle and its connection to the Maya calendar is credited as one of many
components resulting in the widespread beliefs about 2012 eschatology. Novelty principle is taken
into account pseudoscience.

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BIOGRAPHY

Formative years

Terence McKenna was born and raised in Paonia, Colorado, with Irish ancestry on his father’s aspect
of the household.

McKenna developed a interest of fossil-hunting in his youth and from this he acquired a deep
scientific appreciation of nature. He additionally grew to become serious about psychology at a
younger age, studying Carl Jung’s guide Psychology and Alchemy on the age of 10. This was the
identical age McKenna first grew to become conscious of magic mushrooms, when studying an essay
titled “In search of the Magic Mushroom” which appeared within the Might 13, 1957 version of LIFE
journal.

At age 16 McKenna moved to Los Altos, California to stay with household mates for a 12 months. He
completed highschool in Lancaster, California. In 1963, he was launched to the literary world of
psychedelics via The Doorways of Notion and Heaven and Hell by Aldous Huxley and sure problems
with The Village Voice which printed articles on psychedelics.

McKenna stated that certainly one of his early psychedelic experiences with morning glory seeds
confirmed him “that there was one thing there price pursuing”, and in interviews he claimed to have
smoked hashish each day since his teenagers.

Finding out and touring

In 1965, McKenna enrolled within the College of California, Berkeley and was accepted into the
Tussman Experimental School. In 1967, whereas in faculty, he found and started finding out
shamanism via the examine of Tibetan people faith. That very same 12 months, which he referred to
as his “opium and kabbala section” he traveled to Jerusalem, the place he met Kathleen Harrison, an
ethnobotanist who would later change into his spouse.

In 1969, McKenna traveled to Nepal led by his curiosity in Tibetan portray and hallucinogenic
shamanism. He sought out shamans of the Tibetan Bon custom, making an attempt to study extra in
regards to the shamanic use of visionary crops. Throughout his time there, he additionally studied
the Tibetan language and labored as a cannabis smuggler, till “certainly one of his Bombay-to-Aspen
shipments fell into the fingers of U. S. Customs.” He then wandered via southeast Asia viewing ruins,
and hung out as an expert butterfly collector in Indonesia.

After his mom’s dying from most cancers in 1971, McKenna, hi s brother Dennis, and three mates
traveled to the Colombian Amazon seeking oo-koo-hé, a plant preparation containing
dimethyltryptamine (DMT). As an alternative of oo-koo-hé they discovered fields filled with gigantic
Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, which grew to become the brand new focus of the expedition. In La
Chorrera, on the urging of his brother, McKenna was the topic of a psychedelic experiment through
which the brothers tried to bond harmine (harmine is one other psychedelic compound they used
synergistically with the mushrooms) with their very own neural DNA, via using a set particular vocal
methods. They hypothesised this might give them entry to the collective reminiscence of the human

156
species, and would manifest the alchemists’ Thinker’s Stone whi ch they considered as a
“hyperdimensional union of spirit and matter”. McKenna claimed the experiment put him in touch
with “Logos”: an informative, divine voice he believed was common to visionary non secular
expertise. McKenna additionally typically referred to the voice as “the mushroom”, and “the
educating voice” amongst different names. The voice’s reputed revelations and his brother’s
simultaneous peculiar psychedelic expertise prompted him to discover the construction of an early
type of the I Ching, which led to his “Novelty Concept”. Throughout their keep within the Amazon,
McKenna additionally grew to become romantically concerned along with his interpreter, Ev.

In 1972, he returned to U.C. Berkeley to complete his research and in 1975, he graduate d with a level
in ecology, shamanism, and conservation of pure sources. Within the autumn of 1975, after parting
along with his girlfriend Ev earlier within the 12 months, he started a relationship along with his
future spouse and the mom of his 2 youngsters, Kathleen Harison.

157
Why Is The Universe Infinite?
By Editorialteam / January 29, 2022

Asked by: Miss Jennie Kilback

Because house is not curved they are going to by no means meet or

drift away from one another. A flat universe could possibly be infinite:
think about a 2D piece of paper that stretches out endlessly. But it is also
finite: think about taking a bit of paper, making a cylinder and becoming a
member of the ends to make a torus (doughnut) form.

How Did The Universe Develop Into Infinite?

If the universe is infinite, it has all the time been infinite. At the Big Bang, it
was infinitely dense. Since then it has simply been getting much less dense
as house has expanded. Imagine a big flat rubber sheet with sand
positioned as carefully collectively as attainable on the sheet.

Is The Universe Infinite Or Increasing?

The universe encompasses all the things in existence, from the smallest
atom to the biggest galaxy; since forming some 13.7 billion years in the past
within the Big Bang, it has been increasing and could also be infinite in its
scope.

Is The Universe An Infinite Loop?

An infinite loop: New analysis suggests the universe could also be a
closed sphere. Most individuals consider house as a flat sheet: You journey
in a single path, and you find yourself far out of your place to begin. … And
a closed universe could be a sphere, with a beam of sunshine ultimately
looping again round it to fulfill its origin.

158
Can The Universe Be A Loop?
New analysis suggests our universe may very well be a closed loop as an
alternative of a endless expanse, however the idea has drawn criticism from
different cosmologists. New, contested analysis suggests our universe may
very well be a closed loop as an alternative of an unlimited, endless
expanse.

Is The Universe On Repeat?

Paul Steinhardt describes his and Neil Turok’s new counter idea that the
massive bang has occurred myriad occasions in our universe’s previous,
repeating at common intervals throughout which galaxies, stars, planets,
and life kind anew. … It is certainly a cyclic universe; and it is evident from
the onerous information we have already got.

Is It Attainable That The Universe Is Infinite?

If the universe is completely geometrically flat, then it may be infinite.
If it is curved, like Earth’s floor, then it has finite quantity. Current
observations and measurements of the curvature of the universe point out
that it’s nearly completely flat. You may suppose this implies the universe is
infinite.

Will The Universe Cease Increasing?

There is admittedly just one manner for the universe to cease increasing:
that’s if there may be sufficient mass within the universe for the gravity
to beat the growth. … If the density within the universe is smaller than the
crucial density, then the growth will proceed endlessly.

Is House And Time Infinite?

Space and time, then, are actually and positively infinite, regardless of the
protest of the creativeness. … Professor Pickering says: “If it’s troublesome
for us to think about infinite house, it’s nonetheless extra so to grasp infinite
time.

159
When Did The Universe Develop Into Infinite?
The observable universe continues to be big, but it surely has limits. That’s
as a result of we all know the universe is not infinitely previous — we all
know the Big Bang occurred some 13.8 billion years in the past.

How Does House Go On Endlessly?

So why do scientists suppose that house goes on endlessly? It’s due to the
form of house. Our a part of house, or the observable universe, has a
particular form: it’s flat. … In truth, you’d all the time keep precisely the
identical distance aside, inside the observable universe.

What Is The Infinite Universe Idea?

Infinite Universe Theory

One of the most important theories of cosmology — the examine of house

— is that the universe we stay in won’t have an endpoint, however as
an alternative goes on endlessly.

Is Time Actually Infinite?

Time defines our existence. … As a universe, an unlimited assortment of
animate and inanimate objects, time is infinite. Even if there was a
starting, and there is perhaps an enormous bang finish, it will not actually
be an finish. The power left behind will develop into one thing else; the top
might be a starting.

Is House Infinite In All Instructions?

Space spreads out infinitely in all instructions. Furthermore, galaxies fill
the entire house through-out the whole infinite universe. … The flatness of
the universe implies that the geometry of spacetime is just not curved or
warped on the cosmic scale.

160
Is Time Infinite Round Or Finite?
Temporal finitism is the doctrine that time is finite up to now. The
philosophy of Aristotle, expressed in such works as his Physics, held that
though house was finite, with solely void current past the outermost sphere
of the heavens, time was infinite.

How Lengthy Will The Universe Preserve Increasing?

Assuming that darkish power continues to make the universe increase at an
accelerating price, in about 150 billion years all galaxies outdoors the
Local Supercluster will cross behind the cosmological horizon.

What Will Occur If The Universe Proceed To Increase?

The universe will not ever cease increasing, however will unfold out over
trillions of years, stretching all matter and power to such an excessive that
our one universe might be separated into a number of universes. Inside
these universes, the mysterious darkish power will materialize into regular
matter and radiation.

Is The Universe Nonetheless Increasing Right Now?

Since the Universe burst into existence an estimated 13.8 billion years in the
past, it has been increasing outwards ever since. … “The Hubble Constant
sets the scale of the Universe, both its size and its age.” It helps to co nsider
the Universe like a balloon being blown up.

Is The World Infinite Or Finite?

No. We have no idea whether or not the Universe is finite or not. To
provide you with an instance, think about the geometry of the Universe in
two dimensions as a aircraft. It is flat, and a aircraft is generally infinite.

161
Is The Universe Infinite NASA?
This means that the Universe is infinite in extent; nevertheless, because
the Universe has a finite age, we will solely observe a finite quantity of the
Universe. All we will actually conclude is that the Universe is way bigger than
the quantity we will immediately observe.

What Is Past The Universe?

Scientists now know the universe is increasing, at an ever-increasing price. …
Defining this “beyond the universe” would indicate that the universe has
an edge. And that is the place issues get difficult, as a result of scientists
aren’t sure if such a drop-off exists.

Does Life Repeat?

Life, general repeats itself in bigger circles. The key right here is the size
of time required for the change or repeat of circumstances. These might be
life classes. … Some of the circle or wave patterns in your life cycle have to
occur.

Is Time Actual Or An Phantasm?

According to theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, time is an phantasm: our
naive notion of its stream does not correspond to bodily actuality. Indeed,
as Rovelli argues in The Order of Time, rather more is illusory, together with
Isaac Newton’s image of a universally ticking clock.

Does Time Ever Cease?

The easy reply is, “Yes, it is possible to stop time. All you need to do is
travel at light speed.” … Special Relativity pertains particularly to gentle. The
elementary tenet is that gentle velocity is fixed in all inertial reference
frames, therefore the denotation of “c” in reference to gentle.

162
Does Time Exist Unexpectedly?
We can measure that it is altering round us in all places – satellites, particle
accelerators, something going quick. And it might be that house and time
are the identical factor all wrapped up collectively and all of it exists
unexpectedly.

163
 Infinity Symbol Meaning – What Does
Infinity Mean?
BY GINNY • MA Y 4, 2018 • BLOGS

The infinity sign is one of the few symbols that are both gracefully simple and profoundly

meaningful. Also known as the forever symbol or eternity symbol, the infinity symbol is becoming

increasingly popular in jewellery design and tattoo art. An infinity necklace with names, for

example is a common favourite for those looking to symbolize their eternal love with their loved

ones

This article will explain further the meaning of infinity, and its famous figure 8 symbol, as well as

explore the different variations of infinity in design, such as infinity heart, infinity cross and double

infinity.

164
WAT IS INFINITY? WHAT DOES INFINITY MEAN?

Before talking about the symbolic sideways figure 8 that makes the infinity sign so special, let’s

talk about the concept of infinity itself. Infinity refers to something with no bound or limit and was a

concept used in mathematics and physics.

The special and beautiful meaning of infinity was understood and used ever since ancient times:

The English word “infinity” comes from the Latin word “infinitas”, or “unbounde dness”. This Latin

word itself originated from the Greek word “apeiros”, meaning “endless”.

Today, the concept of infinity has reached far beyond its original meanings in academics. Infinity

is now used popularly to imply something will last forever. Its most popular use is as an

expression of eternal love or unstoppable capability.

165
WHAT IS THE SYMBOL FOR INFINITY?

166
The symbol for infinity is ∞. Initially called the Lemniscate, meaning ‘ribbon’, by the ancient

Greek, the infinity sign carries the shape of a sideways figure eight, whose shape could be

imagined as a twisted ribbon that has no beginning or end. It is meaningful because if you start

tracing from any point on the infinity symbol ‘ribbon’, you will never reach an ‘end’ but will

continue on the infinity loop forever.

Left: the Lemniscate infinity ribbon, Right: the mystical symbol of Ouroboros]

The idea came from the Ouroboros, a mystical symbol of a serpent biting its own tail. This symbol

symbolizes immortality, continuity, eternal reproduction and infinite return, which carries on to

gives infinity symbol its special meaning of eternity.

The infinity sign has also shown up in ancient Celtic knot designs, which, just like the modern

forever symbol can be drawn in one stroke, has no beginning or end.

Celtic knot

167
INFINITY SYMBOL MEANING

In addition to its use in mathematics and its ancient concept, the meaning of the infinity symbol

has been transcended to become a representation of eternity in modern arts and contemporary

designs.

To different people, what the infinity sign means could be different. For most, the infinity symbol is

a great way to convey endless love and connection. The two sides of the infinity sign joining are

like two people coming together in a relationship, representing the concept of being together for

eternity.

The relationship that an infinity stands for does not have to be strictly romantic. The meaning

assigned to an infinity sign could be love between family or friends or the love with God.

Infinity symbol spiritual meaning

The infinity symbol holds a lot of spiritual meanings: its shape reminds you of number 8. And

number 8 in religious context is the number of the initiate – those who went through the seven

phases of arousing and passed through the seven heavens. Also, the infinity spiritual meaning is

associated with resurrection and regeneration energy, symbolizing happiness and paradise.

168
More than that, the infinity symbol of spiritual meaning is about our spiritual growth. The

lemniscate, as a symbol of infinity and eternity, opens another level of awareness in the symbol of

infinite eternity, which helps us re-establish our lost unity with Creation and feel once again

connected to the world.

INFINITY HEART MEANING

An infinity symbol with heart necklace symbolizes never ending, limitless love. Because of its

meaning, infinity heart symbol is often used in tattoo or on wedding ring to represent promise of

love “till death do us part”. Friends also often buy heart and infinity jewelry to celebrate their

eternal bond. Infinity heart jewelry is thus a popular gift for couples or Valentine’s Day.

Polyamory symbol
Infinity Heart is a popular symbol for some individuals to represent polya mory. The polyamory

symbol is a red heart with the blue infinity symbol going through it, meaning that love is boundless

and open.

169
The poly symbol assumes a distinct significance in a polyamorous relationship. The lemniscate,

rather than infinity / eternity, reflects openness. “Openness” implies no constraints in some other

polyamorous relationships.

INFINITY CROSS MEANING

If the infinity heart is often associated with romantic love, the infinity cross is a statement of faith.

An infinity cross necklace is a reminder of your commitment to belief in God. You might also see

across infinity symbol as symbolizing Christ’s everlasting love, which allows us to lead an

everlasting life.

What does the infinity symbol mean in Christianity?

In Christianity, the infinity symbol means similarly; it represents The Eternal Being, otherwise,

known as God. Religious people will wear an infinity cross to show their love for God and the

everlasting promise to their faith or religion.

INFINITY SYMBOL WITH NAMES MEANING

Getting more personal than a plain infinity heart or infinity cross, an infinity symbol tattoo with

names or name infinity necklace usually symbolizes the eternal bond between the people whose

names are put on the infinity sign.

An infinity with 4 kids’ names may then symbolizes a testament to a mother’s infinite affection and

devotion to the children. Whereas an infinity symbol with names tattoo of you and your wife will

be a great anniversary gift as it celebrates your “till death do us part” promise.

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DOUBLE INFINITY MEANING

Double infinity symbol, which is 2 infinity signs intertwined, symbolizes two eternal commitments

coming together. Also called an infinity x infinity sign, this double eternity symbol is a promise of

two different individuals who decide to commit to each other.

With its harmonious shape, double infinity meanings also imply a beauty of balance or perfection.

Because of such deep meaning, a double infinity necklace is a wonderful gift for anyone in your

life, from a romantic partner to a daughter or dear frien d whom you wish for nothing but the best

on her journey. Double infinity sign tattoo is also incredibly popular for the same reason, as it is

an impossible doubling of what is already endless.

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 Eternal return
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
For the term as used by Mircea Eliade, see Eternal return (Eliade). For other uses,
see Eternal return (disambiguation).
"Eternal recurrence" redirects here. For other uses, see Eternal Recurrence.
This article's lead section may be too short to
adequately summarize the key points. Please consider
expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all
important aspects of the article. (March 2022)

Eternal return (German: Ewige Wiederkunft; also known as eternal recurrence) is a

concept that the universe and all existence and energy has been recurring, and will
continue to recur in a self similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time
or space. The concept is found in Indian philosophy and in ancient Egypt and was
subsequently taken up by the Pythagoreans and Stoics. With the decline of antiquity
and the spread of Christianity, the concept fell into disuse in the Western world, with
the exception of 19th century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who resurrected it as a
thought experiment.
Eternal return relates to the philosophy of predeterminism in that people are
predestined to continue repeating the same events over and over again.

Contents

 1 Classical antiquity
o 1.1 Pythagoreanism
o 1.2 Stoicism
o 1.3 Christian response
 2 Friedrich Nietzsche
o 2.1 Precursors
o 2.2 Nietzsche's formulation
o 2.3I nterpretation
 3 P. D. Ouspensky
 4 Science and mathematics
 5 See also
 6 Notes
 7 References
 8 External links

Classical antiquity[edit]
In ancient Greece, the concept of eternal return was most prominently associated
with Stoicism, the school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium, although there are
hints that the theory may in fact have originated with Pythagoras. The rise of
Christianity brought an end to classical theories of eternal return, which were
incompatible with Christian notions of free will and salvation.

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Pythagoreanism[edit]
According to Porphyry, it was one of the teachings of Pythagoras (c. 570 – c. 495 BC)
that "after certain specified periods, the same events occur again" and that "nothing
was entirely new". Eudemus of Rhodes also references this Pythagorean doctrine in
[1 ]

his commentary on Aristotle's Physics. In a fragment preserved by Simplicius,

Eudemus writes: [2 ]

One might raise the problem whether the same time recurs, as some say, or not.
"The same" has many senses: the same in form seems to occur as do spring and
winter and the other seasons and periods; similarly the same changes occur in form,
for the sun performs its solstices and equinoxes and its other journeys. But if
someone were to believe the Pythagoreans that numerically the same things recur,
then I also will romance, holding my staff, while you sit there, and everything else will
be the same, and it is plausible to say that the time will be the same.
Stoicism[edit]
The Stoics, possibly inspired by the Pythagoreans, incorporated the theory of
[3 ]

eternal recurrence into their natural philosophy. According to Stoic physics, the
universe is periodically destroyed in an immense conflagration (ekpyrosis), and then
experiences a rebirth (palingenesis). These cycles continue for eternity, and the
same events are exactly repeated in every cycle. The Stoics may have found
[4 ]

support for this doctrine in the concept of the Great Year, the oldest known
[5 ]

expression of which is found in Plato's Timaeus. Plato hypothesised that one

complete cycle of time would be fulfilled when the sun, moon and planets all
completed their various circuits and returned to their original positions. [6 ]

Sources differ as to whether the Stoics believed that the contents of each new
universe would be one and the same with those of the previous universe, or only so
similar as to be indistinguishable. The former point of view was attributed to the
[7 ]

Stoic Chrysippus (c. 279 – c. 206 BC) by Alexander of Aphrodisias, who wrote: [8 ]

They hold that after the conflagration all the same things come to be again in the
world numerically, so that even the same peculiarly qualified individual as before
exists and comes to be again in that world, as Chrysippus says in his books On the
World.
On the other hand, Origen (c. 185 – c. 253 AD) characterises the Stoics as claiming
that the contents of each cycle will not be identical, but only indistinguishable: [9 ]

To avoid supposing that Socrates will live again, they say that it will be some one
indistinguishable from Socrates, who will marry some one indistinguishable from
Xanthippe, and will be accused by men indistinguishable from Anytus and Meletus.
Origen also records a heterodox version of the doctrine, noting that some Stoics
suggest that "there is a slight and very minute difference between one period and the
events in the period before it". This was probably not a widely-held belief, as it
[1 0 ]

represents a denial of the deterministic viewpoint which stands at the heart of Stoic
philosophy.[1 1 ]

Christian response [edit]

Christian authors attacked the doctrine of eternal recurrence on various grounds.
Origen argued that the theory was incompatible with free will (although he did allow
the possibility of diverse and non-identical cycles). Augustine of Hippo (354–430
[1 2 ]

173
AD) objected to the fact that salvation was not possible in the Stoic scheme, arguing
that even if a temporary happiness was attained, a soul could not be truly blessed if it
was doomed to return again to misery. [1 3 ]

Augustine also mentions "certain philosophers" who cite Ecclesiastes 1:9–10 as

evidence of eternal return: "What is that which hath been? It is that which shall be.
And what is that which is done? It is that which shall be done: and there is no new
thing under the sun. Who can speak and say, See, this is new? It hath been already
of old time, which was before us." Augustine denies that this has reference to the
recurrence of specific people, objects, and events, instead interpreting the passage in
a more general sense. In support of his argument, he appeals to scriptural passages
such as Romans 6:9, which affirms that Christ "being raised from the dead dieth no
more".[1 3 ]

Friedrich Nietzsche[edit]
Eternal recurrence is one of the central concepts of the philosophy of Friedrich
Nietzsche (1844–1900). While the idea itself is not original to Nietzsche, his unique
[1 4 ]

response to it gave new life to the theory, and speculation as to the correct
interpretation of Nietzsche's doctrine continues to this day.
Precursors [edit]
The discovery of the laws of thermodynamics in the 19th century restarted the debate
among scientists and philosophers about the ultimate fate of the universe, which
brought in its train many questions about the nature of time. Eduard von [1 5 ]

Hartmann argued that the universe's final state would be identical to the state in
which it had begun; Eugen Dühring rejected this idea, claiming that it carried with it
the necessary consequence that the universe would begin again, and that the same
forms would repeat themselves eternally, a doctrine which Dühring viewed as
dangerously pessimistic. Johann Gustav Vogt [de], on the other hand, argued in
[1 6 ]

favour of a cyclical system, additionally positing the spatial co-existence of an infinite

number of identical worlds. Louis Auguste Blanqui similarly claimed that in an
[1 7 ]

infinite universe, every possible combination of forms must repeat itself eternally
across both time and space. [1 8 ]

Nietzsche's formulation [edit]

Nietzsche wrote that the concept of eternal return first occurred to him at Lake Silvaplana,
"beside a huge rock that towered aloft like a pyramid". [1 9 ]

174
Nietzsche may have drawn upon a number of sources in developing his own
formulation of the theory. He had studied Pythagorean and Stoic philosophy, was [2 0 ]

familiar with the works of contemporary philosophers such as Dühring and

Vogt, and may have encountered references to Blanqui in a book by Friedrich
[2 1 ]

Albert Lange. He was also a fan of the author Heinrich Heine, one of whose books
[2 2 ]

contains a passage discussing the theory of eternal return. Nevertheless, Nietzsche

[2 0 ]

claimed that the doctrine, as it appears in his own works, struck him one day as a
sudden revelation, while walking beside Lake Silvaplana. [1 9 ]

The first published presentation of Nietzsche's version of the theory appears in The
Gay Science, section 341, where it is proposed to the reader as a thought
experiment:
What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest
loneliness, and say to you, "This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have
to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it,
but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably
small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and
sequence ... Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the
demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when
you would have answered him: "You are a god and never have I heard anything more
divine." [2 3 ]

Nietzsche expands upon this concept in the philosophical novel Thus Spoke
Zarathustra, later writing that eternal return was "the fundamental idea of the
work". In this novel, the titular Zarathustra is initially struck with horror at the thought
[1 9 ]

that all things must recur eternally; ultimately, however, he overcomes his aversion to
eternal return and embraces it as his most fervent desire. In the penultimate chapter
of the work ("The Drunken Song"), Zarathustra declares: "All things are entangled,
ensnared, enamored; if you ever wanted one thing twice, if you ever said, 'You
please me, happiness! Abide, moment!' then you wanted all back ... For all joy
wants—eternity." [2 4 ]

Interpretation [edit]
Martin Heidegger points out that Nietzsche's first mention of eternal recurrence
in The Gay Science presents this concept as a hypothetical question rather than
postulating it as a fact. According to Heidegger, the significant point is the burden
imposed by the question of eternal recurrence, regardless of whether or not such a
thing could possibly be true. The concept of eternal recurrence appears similar to
[2 5 ]

Nietzsche’s concept of amor fati, which Nietzsche describes: "My formula for
greatness in a human being is amor fati: that one wants nothing to be different, not
forward, not backward, not in all eternity. Not merely to bear what is necessary, still
less conceal it […] but love it." [2 6 ][2 7 ]

On the other hand, Nietzsche's posthumously published notebooks contain an

attempt at a logical proof of eternal return, which is often adduced in support of the
claim that Nietzsche believed in the theory as a real possibility. The proof is based
[2 7 ]

upon the premise that the universe is infinite in duration, but contains a finite quantity
of energy. This being the case, all matter in the universe must pass through a finite
number of combinations, and each series of combinations must eventually repeat in
the same order, thereby creating "a circular movement of absolutely identical
series". However, scholars such as Neil Sinhababu and Kuong Un Teng have
[2 8 ]

175
suggested that the reason this material remained unpublished was because
Nietzsche himself was unconvinced that his argument would hold up to scrutiny. [2 7 ][n o te 1]

A third possibility is that Nietzsche was attempting to create a new ethical standard
by which people should judge their own behaviour. In one of his unpublished notes,
[3 0 ]

Nietzsche writes: "The question which thou wilt have to answer before every deed
that thou doest: 'is this such a deed as I am prepared to perform an incalculable
number of times?' is the best ballast." Taken in this sense, the doctrine has been
[3 1 ]

seen as comparable to the categorical imperative of Immanuel Kant. Once again,[3 2 ]

however, the objection is raised that no such ethical imperative appears in any of
Nietzsche's published writings, and this interpretation is therefore rejected by most
[3 0 ]

modern scholars. [2 7 ]

P. D. Ouspensky[edit]
Russian esotericist P. D. Ouspensky (1878–1947) believed in the literal truth of
eternal recurrence. As a child, he had been prone to vivid sensations of déjà
vu, and when he encountered the theory of eternal return in the writings of
[3 3 ]

Nietzsche, it occurred to him that this was a possible explanation for his
experiences. He subsequently explored the idea in his semi-autobiographical
[3 4 ]

novel, Strange Life of Ivan Osokin.

In this story, Ivan Osokin implores a magician to send him back to his childhood and
give him the chance to live his life over again. The magician obliges, but warns Ivan
that he will be unable to correct any of his mistakes. This turns out to be the case;
although Ivan always knows in advance what the outcome of his actions will be, he is
unable to keep himself from repeating those actions. Having re-lived his life up to the
point of his conversation with the magician, Ivan asks in despair whether there is any
way of changing the past. The magician answers that he must first change himself; if
he works on improving his character, he may have a chance of making better
decisions next time around.
The earliest version of the novel, however, did not include the magician, and ended [3 5 ]

on "a totally pessimistic note". The revolution in Ouspensky's thoughts on

[3 6 ]

recurrence – the idea that change is possible – took place after he became a disciple
of the mystic George Gurdjieff, who taught that a person could achieve a higher state
of consciousness through a system of strict self-discipline. When Ouspensky asked
about eternal recurrence, Gurdjieff told him: [3 7 ]

This idea of repetition ... is not the full and absolute truth, but it is the nearest possible
approximation of the truth ... And if you understand why I do not speak of this, you
will be still nearer to it. What is the use of a man knowing about recurrence if he is not
conscious of it and if he himself does not change? ... Knowledge about the repetition
of lives will add nothing for a man ... if he does not strive to change himself in order to
escape this repetition. But if he changes something essential in himself, that is, if he
attains something, this cannot be lost.
Ouspensky incorporated this idea into his later writings. In A New Model of the
Universe, he argued against Nietzsche's proof of the mathematical necessity of
eternal repetition, claiming that a large enough quantity of matter would be capable of
an infinite number of possible combinations. According to Ouspensky, everyone is
reborn again into the same life at the moment of their death, and many people will

176
indeed continue to live the exact same lives for eternity, but it is also possible to
break the cycle and enter into a new plane of existence. [3 8 ]

Science and mathematics[edit]

The Poincaré recurrence theorem states that certain dynamical systems, such as
particles of gas in a sealed container, will return infinitely often to a state arbitrarily
close to their original state. The theorem, first advanced by Henri Poincaré in
[3 9 ][4 0 ]

1890, remains influential, and is today the basis of ergodic theory. Attempts have [4 1 ]

been made to prove or disprove the possibility of Poincaré recurrence in a system the
size of a galaxy or a universe. [3 9 ][4 1 ]

See also[edit]

 Fractals
 Endless knot – Decorative knot
 Eureka: A Prose Poem – Lengthy non-fiction work by American author Edgar
Allan Poe
 Historic recurrence – Repetition of similar events in history
 Mandala – Spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism
 Möbius strip – Non-orientable surface with one edge
 Ouroboros – Symbolic serpent with its tail in its mouth
 Wheel of time – Religious and philosophical concept of cyclical, repeating
epochs or ages

Notes[edit]
1. ^ One rebuttal of Nietzsche's theory, put forward by his contemporary Georg Simmel, is
summarised by Walter Kaufmann as follows: "Even if there were exceedingly few things in a finite
space in an infinite time, they would not have to repeat in the same configurations. Suppose there
were three wheels of equal size, rotating on the same axis, one point marked on the circumference
of each wheel, and these three points lined up in one straight line. If the second wheel rotated
twice as fast as the first, and if the speed of the third wheel was 1/π of the speed of the first, the
initial line-up would never recur." [2 9 ]

177
The Toroidal Universe
by Lee Bladon

This article outlines a theory that explains why the universe isn’t expanding evenly in
all directions, and it relates to the geometry of space-time. Most scientists believe
that space is ‘flat’, unless it is being ‘curved’ by the presence of matter (which results
in gravity). The Toroidal Universe Theory proposes that the universe may not
actually be expanding but only appears to be because space-time dynamically flows
with the geometry of a torus. So the universe may be simultaneously expanding and
contracting in a closed loop – stretching at the top where space-time emerges from
the centre of the torus, and contracting at the bottom where space-time flows back
into the centre. The Toroidal Universe Theory also explains why time only flows in
the one direction – forwards!

Introduction
The big bang wasn’t a one-off explosion that occurred 14 billion years ago. It was a
rapid expansion of space, and since space is still expanding the big bang is still
happening. It is commonly assumed that the big bang originated from a single point
called a “singularity” but there is actually no direct evidence of this. If the current
expansion of the universe is tracked back through time, it obviously started out much
smaller than it is today, but the assumption that the universe emerged from a
singularity is just an extrapolation of that trend. In fact, the equations that seem to
suggest the expansion of the universe can be tracked back to a singularity are
incompatible with quantum mechanics, so they probably aren’t correct. The truth is,
scientists simply don’t know how the universe began, or if it even had a beginning.

178
Cyclic Universe
A promising new theory of a “cyclic universe” has been proposed by Anna Ijjas of the
Max Planck Institute and Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University. In a cyclic universe,
periods of expansion alternate with periods of contraction. Such a universe would
have no beginning and no end. Anna and Paul propose that the current expansion of
the universe is driven by an omnipresent energy field (whose behaviour is currently
attributed to dark energy). Then when the energy field weakens, the universe begins
to gently deflate, but not all the way down to a singularity, because the contraction
recharges the energy field and expansion begins again.

When I saw the above image in an article on QuantaMagazine.org, I felt excited

because it bears some similarities to my own theory, which I will outline below. And
who knows, it may even provide the scientists with some “new ideas”.
It would be pure arrogance to claim we have already figured out nearly everything.
Quite the opposite – we need new ideas.

Anna Ijjas
Theoretical Physicist, Max Planck Institute

A Flash of Inspiration
I am not a physicist or a cosmologist, so this theory wasn’t conceived by studying
data or devising complex formulas. I am an explorer of consciousness, and the idea
came as a flash of inspiration while I was meditating and inquiring with a friend,
Valerie. A few days beforehand, I saw the following image on the Wikipedia…

179
And we had been experiencing torus-shaped energy fields (like the one pictured
below) during our meditations and self inquiries for several weeks…

Then, in a flash of inspiration, the two images came together (as pictured below) and
we realised that the universe had toroidal geometry. This is not a new idea, but it
was new to us, and we knew it was significant.

Torsion (twisting energy) within the central vortex of the torus prevents the inflowing
energy-matter from forming a singularity, so it can emerge anew from the top of the
torus in an eternal cycle of creation, existence and dissolution (or Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva).

180
Most scientists believe that the universe is flat and open, not curved and closed (like
a torus is), but that could just be a matter of scale. After all, the earth seems to be
flat from our everyday perspective, even though it is actually a giant curved sphere.
So the observable universe could just be a very small area emerging from the top of
the torus. But for that to be true, there would need to be some evidence for the
universe being curved and closed, and there is…

Curved Closed Universe

An article on ScienceAlert.com describes how data from the European Space
Agency’s Planck satellite suggests that the universe is “curved and closed, like an
inflating sphere”. The research team, led by Eleonora Di Valentino of Manchester
University, discovered that the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation is being
curved more than would be expected if the universe was flat. “A closed universe can
provide a physical explanation for this effect” and the data has a 99.8% confidence
level.

The above research suggests that the universe is “curved and closed, like an
inflating sphere”, but it doesn’t state that the universe is a sphere. So the universe
could be a sphere or a torus, because both are curved and closed. The
curved/closed model is generally assumed to be a hypersphere, which has a surface
volume of 2π r . Interestingly enough, the surface volume of a torus is also 2π r , so
2 3 2 3

the spatial geometry of a curved/closed universe could just as easily be toroidal. If

the universe was spherical it would be expanding evenly in all directions, but if it was
toroidal it would be expanding differently in different directions, due to the more
complex geometry. So now we just need some evidence that the universe is
expanding unevenly…

Uneven Expansion
The rate of expansion of the universe is known as the “Hubble Constant”. It has been
measured many times but no two measurements agree, which could imply that the
universe is expanding differently in different directions.
For years, most scientists have believed that space is expanding at a constant rate,
everywhere and in all directions, but a recent article on ESA.int (the European Space
Agency’s website) seems to suggest otherwise. The research was a joint project
between the University of Bonn and Harvard University, and it suggests that the
expansion of the universe isn’t isotropic, i.e. it is not the same in all directions. X -ray
analysis of distant galactic clusters suggests that the universe may be expanding at
different rates in different directions.

Based on our cluster observations we may have found differences in how fast the
universe is expanding depending on which way we looked… This would contradict one
of the most basic underlying assumptions we use in cosmology today.

Gerrit Schellenberger Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

181
This is not the first time that researchers have found evidence of the uneven
expansion of the universe, but it is the most convincing evidence so far.

The generally accepted explanation is that dark energy (the assumed driving force
behind the expansion of the universe) is not uniform. Or put simply, dark energy is
stronger in some parts of the universe than others, which results in different
expansion rates. But dark energy is only hypothetical – it has never been found. It is
something that scientists use to fill a gap in their current understanding of the
universe. The uneven expansion of the universe could also be explained by toroidal
geometry.

Toroidal Universe Theory

The toroidal geometry of the Toroidal Universe Theory can account for the curved
nature of space-time, the forward directionality of time, the closed nature of the
universe and its uneven expansion. And it can do all this without the need for
hypothetical, elusive and mysterious dark energy. Or another way of looking at it is
that these toroidal energy fields are dark energy.

182
183
When I’m working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to
solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it
is wrong.

Buckminster Fuller

Smaller-Scale Toruses
Torus-shaped energy fields don’t just exist at the universal scale; they exist at every
scale of reality…

184
The Hidden Powers of the Mind
During ancient times it was believed by many civilizations that one had the power to control
their surroundings with the power from within their brains. Your health, your luck, your
energy, could all be guided to where you directed it. "Mind over Matter" was not just a
saying, it was a way of life. However, somewhere in our past this thought process was
chastised and written off as little more than voodoo witchcraft. Society has now reached a
point that the notion of being able to control ones environment with your mind may get you
thrown in a looney bin by your OWN family. Sure, it may sound like make believe magic at
face value, but what if our ancestors were right? What if humans had an untapped power that
has been dormant for so long we no longer believe it exists? Animals evolve and devolve on
a daily basis, so why not us?

First and foremost, the brain is still one of the biggest mysteries of the world. Scientists still
don't even know half of it's daily functions, or why it does many of the things it does. That
being said, and I may be going out on a limb by saying this, but I STRONGLY believe that
we can harness the power to control our surroundings with our Minds. Theories such as the
Laws of Attraction, and Manifestation, are all based on the idea that our brain can bring forth
what it thinks it wants/likes, OR what it thinks an outcome will be.

Energy in its purest form

As a matter of fact, many scholars believe in the hidden powers of the mind. Plato, Sir Isaac
Newton, William Atkinson, plus many others, all believed in the laws of attraction. What the
laws of attraction basically say is that "like attracts like" and that by focusing on positive or
negative thoughts, one can bring about positive or negative results. This belief is based upon
the idea that people and their thoughts are both made from pure energy, and the belief that
like energy attracts like energy. The idea of manifestation is that you think of something
happening so hard and so much, that it actually happens right before your eyes.

185
If such prestigious people around the globe and throughout history have believed in the
power of the mind, why is it such a silly notion that we still possess the power to affect our
reality with our minds? Many modern comforts and entertainment can take the load of the
blame for that one. We are a very easily distracted species. The length of our attention spans
has been hacked away over the decades. With each new video game and with each new TV
show our need for quick entertainment rises, and our need for silence and meditation erases.
In order to truly harness the powers of the mind one must first be able to silence all that is
around you, otherwise you will never hear what your mind has to say. Or could it be the
foods we eat? Have our sources of food and water been strategically poisoned to essentially
turn off any possible power we may have? One could also argue that our school system is a
culprit. Feeding us skewed information and biased history, giving us tedious homework that
takes up any personal time we could have had to get to know the energy and essence around
and within us. Enlightenment will never be achieved without knowing if AND how it can be
achieved.

Have you ever wished extremely hard for a particular event to happen to you? Wanted it to
happen so bad that you dreamed about it? Did you keep telling yourself that it was going to
happen? Did that event finally happen? If you are like me, then the answer is yes. 100 times
over. From the results of the most unimportant contests, to the biggest events of my life, I
have manifested many outcomes from my positive/negative thoughts. It doesn't always
happen the way my mind wants it to, but quite often it does. And just like every muscle in
your body, the more I attempt to harness this power of my mind, the stronger it gets. So I
challenge you to start believing, seeing, feeling, and knowing your reality. Manifest your own
life outcomes. Harness your hidden mind powers. It may not work initially, but keep trying!
When you bet on yourself you have nothing to lose.

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186
Powers Of Telekinesis: How To Access Your Magic
January 3, 2017

If you’re reading this and are already doubtful that metaphysical, supernatural powers, like
telekinesis exist, then your chances of tapping into these powers immediately become next to
impossible.

Peter Pan wasn’t entirely off his rocker when saying it’s necessary to “think happy thoughts”
in order to fly.

Developing, nurturing, and mastering superhuman type abilities is not impossible – though
incredibly difficult. Yet what it mostly takes is an unshakable, unwavering belief in oneself.
A belief in your ability to unlock the hidden inner aspects of your consciousness in order to
develop it’s potential.

By allowing even the smallest shred of doubt or disbelief cross your mind-space when trying
to conjure your secret magic potential, you are essentially restarting back at the beginning,
every time. What’s unfortunate is that most of society shares a common belief that ‘magic’,
in essence, does not exist – and is not possible to attain by any human standard.

Yet what most don’t recognize is that we are spiritual beings, borne of the cosmos and made
entirely of thought-energy vibration, thus creating what we see, think, feel, and hear.

Thus it’s almost just as impossible NOT to believe in magic. For we already are magic.

Everything in existence, whether living or not, is comprised of untold spiritual possibilities

and metaphysical miracles. Everything operates at an energetic, vibrational frequency at the
most basic of levels, within our very atoms and cellular structure. Everything is connected,
everything is Source. And most of our potential is yet untapped, simply because as a
collective consciousness, we do not yet believe ourselves capable of such mystifying feats.

Yet the human capacity is endless as long as we can perceive it as so.

Granted, it’s unfathomable to think we could attain Superhero or Jedi status, like that of our
favorite comic books, movies, and science fiction novels, any time soon. However this isn’t
to say this level of ‘magic’ isn’t attainable, perhaps one day far off into the future. Perhaps in
other worlds, across other dimensions, or in our other lives – we have already reached this
level of magic potential. For anything that can be conceived, can be achieved.

It’s not a matter of ‘if’, it is a matter of ‘when’.

So how might we access these untapped powers and believe in our infinite potential?

Choose what skill you’d like to develop. For starters this article shall focus on the powers of
Telekinesis.

187
1. PREPARE FOR PRACTICE

Telekinesis is the art of moving inanimate objects with ONLY the mind, and nothing else. So
choose your object of choice to practice on. As a suggestion, the best approach for those
beginning their journey into telekinesis is to create what’s known as a PSI Wheel.

To create your own, simply fold a square piece of paper to resemble a pinwheel. Then use a
toothpick, paperclip, or needle shoved into an eraser and balance the paper at the top end, as
shown in the image below.

2. MEDITATE THE MIND

With meditation, practice makes perfect. In order to even consider yourself capable of
moving an inanimate object, the mind has to be fully engaged and powered by belief. Enter a
mental state of calmness and focus on your intent.

Concentrate your energies on the task at hand, for as long as possible. Take breaks if need be,
yet keep them short – and return to a state of mental fortitude stronger than any previous
attempt.

3. VISUALIZE ON REPEAT

Visualize what you are trying to do. If it helps, hold your hands (palms open), facing the
object you’re working with, and use the energy of your palm chakras (Reiki), in conjunction
with the power of your mind to make the object move.

Attune your thoughts to the invisible tether of Source energy that connects you to the object.
To the vibrational frequency between your mind and the object resting before you. Visualize
the process and set the intention to make the object move (or in this case with the PSI Wheel,
to make it spin).

4. ACCESS AN ENERGY SOURCE

If you find yourself unable to conjure enough mental energy to make the object move, it may
help to ‘pull’ energy from other sources. Beings as everything is made of it’s own energetic
frequency, there is limitless access to energy reserves in all directions.

Gather energy from the Sun, from Earth itself, from your chakras, from trees and plants,
crystals, or any other number of sources. Use this energy to amplify your mental fortitude and
channel it into your practice.

As with anything, uncovering and improving upon arcane powers takes immense amounts of
time, energy, and practice. Ask any skilled magician his or her secrets and likely they won’t
let you in on them – but the biggest secret (which isn’t exactly a secret) is that it took a ton of
time and hard work for them to achieve their magical skills with such fluidity and ease.

188
It may help to keep a journal to record any progress. Track your intentions and levels of
focus, what techniques you have or haven’t yet tried, as well as any successes or failures
you’ve experienced. And most importantly, never give up!

189
 Consciousness Shift

Within this yearly rotation there’s another very slow wobble, which most
people know as the precession of the equinoxes, which takes almost 26,000
years to complete. To be more accurate, it’s about 25,920 years—it depends
on who you read, because everybody comes up with a few years’ difference.
There are other wobbles, too. For example, that +23-degree angle to the Sun
is not fixed; there’s a wobble of about 40,000 years where it changes about
three degrees—from about 23 to about 26 degrees. Then there’s another
wobble inside the little three-degree wobble that completes a cycle about
every fourteen months. And they’ve discovered another one that completes
about every fourteen years. Now they say they’ve discovered yet another one.
If you read the ancient Sanskrit writings, all these wobbles are profoundly
important for consciousness on the planet. They’re tied directly to specific
events and to the time these events happen on the planet—just as our DNA is
tied to the various phases in the growth of the human body.

For now I just want to look at the main wobble, which is called the precession
of the equinoxes [Fig. 2-39]. This wobble moves in an oval pattern, and the
large oval in Figure 2-40 is the wobble itself. The right end, on the long axis of
the oval, is called the apogee, which points toward the center of the galaxy.
The bottom half of the oval shows when the planet is heading toward the
center of the galaxy, and the top half shows when the planet has come back
around and is heading away from the center. This movement away from the
center of the galaxy is also called going with the galactic wind. The Sanskrit
writings say that the ancient beings—who somehow knew about the
precession—say that it’s not at the far ends of this oval when great change
takes place, but slightly after these extreme points are passed—at the points
indicated by the two small ovals at A and C. Great change takes place at
those two points. There are two other sitting halfway between the small ovals,
shown at B and D, which are also very important places, though change is not
as likely as at A and C. Right now in the 1990s we are positioned at A, the
lower small oval, which indicates that this is a time of tremendous change.

According to the ancient writings, when we reach the upper small oval at C
[Fig. 2-41], moving away from the center of the galaxy, we begin to fall asleep
and keep losing consciousness and falling through the dimensional levels until
we come to the place at the lower small oval, when we start to wake up and
begin to move up through the dimensional levels. We wake up in definite
stages until we get to the upper oval again, when we fall asleep again. But this
is not a closed pattern, because we’re moving through space. It’s a helical,
open-ended pattern like a spring, not a repeating cycle as within a circle.
Because of that, each time around we fall asleep a little less than the time

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before and wake up a little more. A similar cycle occurs on Earth each day. If
you look at the Earth from space, it is half dark and half light at any moment,
and the people on the dark side are pretty much asleep and the people on the
light side are pretty much awake. Even though we have day and night, we
don’t repeat the same things over and over, but hopefully we wake up and
become more conscious each day. Even though we fall asleep and wake up,
we keep going further each rime. This precession of the equinoxes is just the
same, only it’s a much longer cycle.

Yugas

The Tibetans and the Hindus called these particular time periods yugas, which
are simply ages. Each yuga has both a descending and ascending phase, so
if you use the Hindu system, the age around the top oval at C is called the
descending satya yuga. Then comes the descending treta yuga, dwapara
yuga, and kali yuga at the other end. In the kali yuga you have both
descending and ascending. Then you enter the ascending dwapara and so
on. We’re now in the ascending dwapara yuga. We’re out of the kali yuga by
about 900 years, and right now is the time when amazing things are predicted
to happen. The world is now rediscovering for itself that these are periods of
enormous changes on Earth.

This diagram [Fig. 2-42] was made by Sri Yukteswar, Yogananda’s guru. He
did this in the late 1800s. Though he did not know the true time duration of the
precession of the equinoxes, he put it at 24,000 years. That was very close,
because most Hindus had no idea of what they were doing when working with
the yugas. (I don’t mean to put them down, but they didn’t.) You see, when we
were coming through the kali yuga, we were in the darkest most-asleep times.
Most of the books written in the last 2000 years were written by people who
were asleep, relatively speaking, and were trying to interpret books written by
people who were much more awake. They didn’t understand what the older
books were saying. So, as with any book written in the last 2000 years, you’ve
got to be a little bit careful because of the time it was written in. Many Hindu
scholars were putting the precession of the equinoxes at hundreds of
thousands of years, and some said one yuga is around 150,000 years. They
were wrong and just did not understand.

Yukteswar knew better, but he wasn’t quite right either. What he did in this
diagram was to put the different yugas around the outer edge, and on the
inside he put the twelve signs of the zodiac, thus showing which yugas
corresponded with what sign. When he made this chart we were in Virgo,
shown in the bottom left quadrant. At the moment we’re between Virgo and
Leo. Depending on what astrologer you talk to, we’re close to the third eye of
the virgin right now and passing into Leo—that’s physically. That means the
planet physically is between Virgo and Leo. But if you look 180 degrees
across the heavens, you see the sky moving from Pisces into Aquarius. At this

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moment we’re right on the line between Pisces and Aquarius, about to head
into the Age of Aquarius.

But physically it’s a whole different point of view. You need to understand that,
because when we look at the works in Egypt, some of their writings don’t
make sense without knowing this perspective.

Fig. 2-39. Procession of the equinoxes (the point at which the earth’s celestial
equator intersects its ecliptic) is due to the slow rotation of the Earth’s axis around a
perpendicular to the ecliptic.

Fig. 2-40. Traveling through the time period marked by the cycles of the precession
of the equinoxes. The large oval is the path of the earth’s axis.

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193
 You are the Creator

I assume that until today many of you override the healer status and become true
Masters of Light. Sokaisi methods were meant for advanced Masters, but I prefer to
name them multidimensional masters or transmutation masters. Many of you come
here from higher dimensions to help and assist the process of spiritualization of
Planet Earth. For many of you the methods described here are the methods that you
use regularly on your original dimensions. Maybe some of you are not exactly
conscious about your mission here and now – you are facing the transmutation of evil
and darkness of Planet Earth. You’ll do a very good job as far as I know.

You were everyday facing the negation of Divine Self on this Planet and you have
struggled and resisted because something inside you knew that this isn’t the right
way. Those who ruled the world from thousand years created a system that suppresses
Spirit from your early age. For thousands of years they formed stoned adults without
resistance that have grown you up to the system, trying to implement in you from an
early age an anti-spiritual way of life. But they cannot stop high spiritual entities to
incarnate here, and here you are now regaining consciousness above all that negation
of Truth. Congratulations! You always knew that things were going to change but now
you will realize that you are the center of changes! You are now bound to free others
from anything false in any aspect of Life. From religion to society and family,
everything false will cease to manifest on this Planet and this will be possible through
your efforts.

It’s time for you to seriously assume the inner essence of yourself: The Creator! In
that way the Great Spirit will come to manifestation again on Planet Earth.

White Light of Creation will lead you to that stage of consciousness. It is the
supreme goal of your Spirit – to identify with your Supreme Creator. Those ruling the
world carefully hide this knowledge from you. As you probably know across history
the great libraries of the world, the great library of Alexandria, Egypt, Rome or
wherever the knowledge could be written, always have burned. Those who ruled the
world needed stupid people easy to control. They are doing this even today, using
television to make you focus your attention only on “garbage” things. Haven’t you
asked until now why the colossal amounts of money always are invested in the
entertainment industry? Or have you asked who are the guys owning TV companies
and whose interests they serve? For example, are you aware that mainstream media
always supports banks and wars? Or probably you are sick of news focusing on
crimes, wars, politics or world crises, but they claim they cover your need for
information! Do me a favor and pick up only the information you really need! You
are not realizing that everyday TV mind poisoning creates on a planetary scale a
terrible malefic energy whose generator is people. In other words, this works as a
giant industry – and this is not entertainment - they feed people with bad news and
people produce low vibrational energy! Did you know that your subconscious mind is
like a sponge absorbing anything if you know how to reach there? And you have no
worries letting your children sit in front of a TV! Always remember - they need
stupid people that could be “educated” by TV. Now seriously, how many times has
the television brought you good news? The television and entertainment industry has
the role to keep people out of Spirit and in negation. And it seems accomplished until
you will throw the TV out of your life.

They knew that every one of us has a direct connection with The Creator and we
are transforming reality through our individual thoughts. Yes, you are reading

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correctly! Your Mind can transform reality and it usually does, unfortunately only at
a lower vibrational scale because you are everyday taught to do that and this usually
works automatically without your control due to the lack of knowledge. The Mind is
not in your brain as you were falsely taught. The Mind is on a spiritual plane, on
another dimension if you prefer this explanation. Some people have a stronger or
weaker connection to the Mind and that explain differences of what we call
intelligence. Basically, intelligence reflects also on a spiritual state or the spiritual
background of a person.

Returning to the identification with the Creator – this is the ultimate reality of your
Spirit! But they created through religion a false image that will condemn as
blasphemy any attempt of identification with The Creator. In fact, religion was
created on the need of humans to relate to The Creator, but they made it totally
perverted just to lead no-where. Think only how the Christian church through
inquisition managed to murder in the past millions of people just to eliminate any
resistance and hidden knowledge. In fact, all religions were created much or less the
same way to control people through alienation. In the absence of media channels
religion was the main instrument of control. Religious importance diminished over
the last years due to the development of television and mainstream media. Do
yourself a big favor and throw out of your lives the religion, television and media. I
assure you that you could live without them, and even much better. At least everyone
around you will inform you about what is happening, and if you will not be among
the persons to hear the bad news I also think will be a positive gain for you.

Maybe you are a little confused hearing from me that your reality is to identify
with The Creator. This is your absolute nature and you were created to function that
way. Probably through your whole life you were learning something totally opposite.
Identifying with The Creator is your only Divine Truth and even if you bury your
head in the sand the Truth will remain the same! The more resistance this creates in
you means that the more you were indoctrinated. It’s time to clean and become a
responsible being. Hiding the True nature of you by those ruling the world is now de-
conspired and you could easily judge by yourself their “good” intentions. What is
important now is to get in tune again with The Creator! All of you have direct access
to The Creator, but I know that you were taught that you could do this only by
prayers or intermediaries. This is totally false! You have unlimited continuous access
to The Creator, every moment of your life, but those ruling the world from thousand
years knew that you couldn’t be controlled if you would be aware of your True
Nature. This is the reason that they hid the Truth for centuries. This is the explanation
of existence of all religions falsely teaching you to place The Creator outside
yourself.

Placing The Creator outside you leads to the biggest decline of the human being!
It’s the biggest crime against humanity!

Things are changing starting now! You just need to affirm that The Supreme
Creator is You!

Affirm that you are synchronizing and identifying with the Supreme
Creator every single moment from now to eternity!

Synchronize and identify with The Supreme Creator your every cell, molecule,
particle or quantum particle every moment from now to eternity. Synchronize and
identify with The Supreme Creator your energy fields, bodies, energies, organs,
glands, fluids, your entire Being, Soul, Spirit, Ego, Super-Ego, Mind and every
structure of you, every moment from now to eternity to absolute manifestation! Focus
your attention on this affirmation and you will feel the difference. You just have to
overlap The Supreme Creator with You! It is extremely simple and efficient!

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 White Light of Creation is the manifestation of The Supreme Creator at the
moment zero of Creation. You can also call it the pure energy of Creation.
Get in tune with the White Light of Creation and use it starting now!

Just call the White Light of Creation attunement on my behalf, as you did with all
the other Sokaisi attunements, until you are completely attuned. Use a mental
affirmation like this: “I call upon me the White Light of Creation attunement made
for me by Armand until the process is complete”. The attunement process could be
accompanied by a meditation sitting on a chair or other preferred position.

Once you are attuned you can use White Light of Creation with your Mind. For
example, you could use White Light of Creation for self-tuning purposes. Radiate
White Light of Creation (with a force, power, intensity of what you decide) into
your every cell, molecule, particle or quantum particle as much as is needed to
transmute and transform them into focuses of White Light of Creation until
definitive manifestation. You can do the same thing with all your energy fields,
bodies, energies, organs, glands, fluids, your entire Being, Soul, Spirit, Ego, Super-
Ego, Mind and every structure of you, every moment from now to eternity to
definitive manifestation.

This technique is highly efficient to heal, cleanse and protect!

You are expected to transmute all the darkness on planet Earth into White Light of
Creation. You could do that transmutation by sending, concentrating or radiating
White Light of Creation (with a force, power, intensity of – whatever you decide)
into darkness, as much as is needed to transmute all that darkness into White Light of
Creation until the definitive manifestation of the transmutation.

In the same way you can proceed with Planet Earth. Radiate White Light of
Creation on/to Planet Earth and its structures every single moment from now to
eternity as much as is needed to synchronize and transform Planet Earth in a focus
radiating as a star White Light of Creation to the Universe, until definitive
manifestation. Then apply the very same technique to our Sun, other planets and
entire Solar System.
Keep in mind that those affirmations always need 3 steps to function
properly: action, subject and finality.

“I radiate White Light of Creation on/to Planet Earth and its structures every
single moment from now to eternity” – action;

“As much as is needed to transform Planet Earth in a focus radiating White Light of
Creation” – subject;

“Until the definitive manifestation (or completion of the action)” – finality.

The most important way to use White Light of Creation is to get access to the
Universal Matrix that some people used to name Akasha. The Universal Matrix or
Akasha is a kind of interface between The Supreme Creator and everything
Created. It acts as a giant bank of information where every single thought form or
energy of yours and everything ever created is recorded. The Supreme Creator is
the coordinator of The Universal Matrix from whom everything emerged as
Creation. White Light of Creation is the energy of Universal Matrix, the very
substance that the Universal Matrix is made of.

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 The Creator is the concept and the Universal Matrix is the projection
of the concept.

We all are projections of the perfect beings that exist in the Universal Matrix and in
permanent interaction with the Universal Matrix. In fact everything that exists here or
anywhere in Creation has a perfect concept in the Universal Matrix. Think about
everything as a projection. We are perfection in projection, but through all the low
vibrational energies that we are sending back to the Universal Matrix we are affecting
that perfection. And we charge with low vibration the many perfect concepts of
Matrix. This is how we are transforming reality through our individual thoughts!
This leads to the apparition of disease, poverty, suffering, old age, death etc and the
source of all that we are only, because we are altering the perfect image of ours as it
is in the Universal Matrix. Obviously we are doing that until a level of self-
destruction when death occurs. We are considerably shortening our trip in projection
because of wrong concepts, thoughts and vibrations that we are projecting in the
Matrix that we are connecting after and believe firmly.

You could use White Light of Creation on your house, car, family etc to cleanse
and protect by cleaning the initial concept of all those that is projected on this plane
from the perfection of the Universal Matrix.
Evidently that we could live connected to the perfection of health, prosperity,
intelligence, abundance, love that the Matrix offers to every one of us, but people
affect the Matrix through low vibrations and receive the opposite of perfection. This
was possible because the knowledge was always hidden from you and because of the
system that creates ignorance. You are today working hard to pay your debts when
you truly have all the wealth in the world at your discretion. Isn’t that ironic?

Interacting through our lives with the Universal Matrix we are stocking thought
forms and energies. Any energy that we are sending to the Matrix becomes the
source of Karma. Because Universal Matrix is perfection and harmony every
negative energy that we are sending there couldn’t fit or manifest into a perfect
environment that will always balance and at some place when the accumulations are
growing, the Universal Matrix is sending back to us the negative energies which
manifest accordingly to what we were sending. That is the mechanism of what we
are calling Karma. We are receiving back everything that doesn’t fit into the
Universal Matrix. Sometimes the sending back is done in this life, or in the other life
corresponding to the gravity of disturbance in the Matrix. It would be absolutely
impossible for someone to not to receive back every negative sending, due to the
perfection nature of the Matrix – negativity could reside there only temporarily.

Very important now is the fact that people living these days on Planet Earth has
the tremendous chance to override their Karma. Everyone living after the year 2012
will have total access over Universal Matrix and will live accordingly. That
logically means that those people will reduce their Karma to zero. In that way, they
will further live connected to Life, Heath, and Perfection much longer in young and
healthy bodies manifesting Love and Harmony.
You can start the cleansing right now using White Light of Creation to cleanse the
Universal Matrix of everything that you produced that don’t fit the perfection of it.
You have to send White Light of Creation (with a force, power, intensity of –
whatever you decide) in all energies, vibrations and thought forms that you have sent
to Divine Matrix that do not correspond to its perfection, as much as is needed to
transmute all those energies, vibrations and thought forms to White Light of Creation,
until absolute manifestation of this transmutation. Now this is how you override
Karma!

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 Life on Planet Earth has reached now a maximum of negativity affecting the
Universal Matrix and things will not continue this way for long. At this point
everything must and will be returned to harmony. At this level everyone that
obstructed progress and Spirit, abuses others and poisons our planet, everyone has
transformed the wealth on this planet to their property, everyone that hid The Truth
and used lies to manipulate others, everyone that created pain and suffering will be
transferred on other segment of the Matrix, much more appropriate to its condition.
This segment of the Universal Matrix corresponding to life on Earth is about to
return to perfection. In fact you could start this right now influencing the Matrix
through White Light of Creation as everything obsolete and everyone retrograde to
be pulled out of Universal Matrix and placed on other segment corresponding to
their quality level. It’s your duty now for the future. Are you sick of secret
organizations, secret governments, corrupted politicians, policeman, lawman or
corporate industrialists and many others that do not correspond to Universal Matrix
perfection, including those ruling the world in the shade? All you have to do is to
send into the Matrix the energy that will eliminate all those not corresponding to the
Universal Matrix truth!

Send, concentrate or radiate White Light of Creation (with a force, power, intensity
of – whatever you decide) into the Universal Matrix as much as is needed that
anyone and everyone that infringed or infringes Free Will on Earth to be extracted
from the Matrix and thrown out in other segment, until the definitive manifestation of
that! Everyone that is contravening the Universal Matrix truth; Everyone that
infringes your Free Will; Everyone opposing Spirit!

You never imagined that it is so easy because you were taught not to think that
way! Yes, it is that easy! And those hiding the Truth always knew that. And you
have the absolute right to do that as the Creator! You have the right to balance the
Universal Matrix.
Please allow some time until manifestation of the Universal Matrix; sometimes
things is moving faster and sometimes not, depending on the quality of your
projection. And the most important thing: do not interfere with your own creation
sending negative thought forms in case that you didn’t see any results for some time.
Things are changing at a subtle manner and later come to manifestation. The most
common mistake is to think that probably your projection doesn’t work – in that way
you are contradicting your creation. Always trust what you create and the best
technique is to detach yourself totally from your creation after finishing the projection
firmly believing that things are working from now on.
And much more we will work on the Universal Matrix, much more easily our
work will come to manifestation!

Probably you think that the much-expected shift of 2012 will come also from
exterior and you will have nothing to do but observe! Wrong again – then why you
are living here in these moments? Are you expecting maybe extra terrestrials to
come and clear things on planet Earth or are you thinking maybe that things will
clear by themselves? You were too long used to that spectator role because no one
wanted you to take action. See what kind of mentality you were practicing? Did you
prefer to take a good sleep and let others work for you again? We all see where lead
our lack of implication. It’s time to wake up! Your actions will balance Planet Earth.

You have the Universal right to live in peace, love and prosperity. Those
abusing you and planet Earth have no right to do that - they took that right by
themselves and now think, that we are their property. It’s time to get your destiny
onto your own hands.

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 Findings/Conclusions

Random Number Generation

Random Number Generation and Emotion

From: ‘The Basic Code of the Universe” (Massimo Citro, M.D.)

“Emotion may even affect the activity of electronic equipment. An experiment with chicks
published by René Peoc’h shows the influence of emotional fields on a mechanical device.3
Let us see how. Chicks, by nature, demonstrate the imprinting phenomenon: they will follow
the first moving object they encounter everywhere, as if it were their mother. In the
experiment, a robot whose movements and rotating angles were chosen randomly by a
number generator contained within the robot itself was placed in a cage with baby chicks.
The chicks, emotionally linked to the robot as to a mother, tried to follow it. Peoc’h
demonstrated that when the cage was empty, the robot moved in a random fashion, while
when the chicks were in the cage with it, their presence influenced its movement (fig. 11.1).

The recorded impact of the emotional wave of the chicks on a random number generator
demonstrates that the emotional field can influence nonorganic matter and objects. The
world of “things” should be studied with new attention. The possibility that certain emotions
influence matter can also be seen in the impact of intense emotions on the physical body
(such as a heart attack), on the mind (sudden madness), and even on the environment (abrupt
changes in the field felt at short and long distances). Some recent medical literature reports
that intense and continuous emotions—experienced by some people who are a part of
ongoing conflicts—seem to create irritations that in time may trigger diseases in the body.4

While certain emotions provoke disease, others cure. To cure, the emotion has to act
spontaneously, beyond reason and will. It is the intention that makes the difference. The will
to heal—the real one—comes not from the mind but from the unconscious, which belongs to
the field. It is then that intense emotional currents can gradually destroy a tumor; if they do
so in a very short time, we speak of miraculous healing. Maybe miracles do happen (but they
are not reproducible) because in that situation faith and abandonment can emit intentional
emotional currents so powerful as to disrupt, disintegrate, and then reform matter once
again. These are field actions. If I imagine impulsively acting on one of my organs, nothing
happens, but if I induce a deep relaxation, then visualize the organ until I “feel” that I am
entering it to transform it, then the transformation of the imagined organ influences the real
one. Isn’t this similar to what was observed with Backster with the response of plants to
human intentions? Not only real situations arouse emotions, but also thoughts, ideas, and
images—any stimulation from within or from outside of us, any experience, real or
otherwise.”.

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 Insights, Musings, Notes

A human being is “matter” (material) and “non-matter” (immaterial). “Word” (scriptures)

made “flesh” (body). The immaterial is sometimes referred to as “spirit”. The ante-pole of
matter is “spirit”…. The true nature of the “immaterial” is not very well known. We consist
of “body” and “mind” (consciousness). “Mind” (consciousness) can also referred to as
“spirit”. So… Why not apply “Spirit” (mind/consciousness) to the whole Universe…? Refer
to the immaterial part of the Universe (“space” or “void” or “vacuum”) as “spirit”
(mind/consciousness). Worth noting too is that the Dutch word for human being (“mens”)
comes from Latin. “Mens” mean “mind”. “Mens sana in corpore sano”. A healthy mind in a
healthy body. The counterpart of “matter” is “spirit” (or “mind” or “consciousness”). Never
mind words. That would mean that “spirit” (mind or consciousness) is a property of the
Universe. The Universe has (or is) “spirit” (mind, consciousness, awareness). Everything is
“matter” and “mind”. Also, matter is being created or comes into existence from the “void”
or “vacuum”. That “vacuum” is nowhere near empty. It consists of so-called “unexpressed
matter”. “Pure matter” as it is also called. “Vacuum non datur”. The “Vacuum” (or “Void”)
is not empty at all. It is a force. Or energy. A “sea of infinite potential” as it were. On top of
that, “matter” and “energy” are interchangeable. The Universe = energy = force = mind =
consciousness = awareness = “Spirit”. The Universe is a form of consciousness (awareness).
“Infinite awareness”…. The Universe is basically “God”. Hiding in plain sight. There where
most people won’t look. In the more religious or spiritual writings one can read that
“everything came forth from God’s imagination” (or something of the like). Well, it seems
that is not very far beside the truth… How about that? Isn’t that worth pondering…?

Regarding spiritual concepts… A lot of new concepts and systems have been introduced
since the end of the 19th century. I think of theosophy and anthroposophy; I think of Helena
Blavatsky and Walter Russell; I think of the New Age and New Thought movements. I
couldn’t tell the forest from the trees when beginning this book. Today I saw the proverbial
Light. When thinking of Walter Russell and Helena Blavatsky, it started to dawn on me. 19 th
century. Century also of Friedrich Nietzsche. The philosopher who pronounced the Christian
god dead… The death of the Christian god… That is the reason behind all those new visions
and introductions. We are talking about “competing systems” here. To replace Christianity in
the end. It won’t come back. It can only be replaced. When the times are rips. Fertile soil.
One system will prevail over the others. And become the new religion or spirituality. I’ve
seen too many of systems/visions. What is the value of a system when it is just “one many”.
Well, one of many. And that says enough. I dispose of the internet. I’m still discovering new
systems. And that is the reason I changed the initial title of this book. It was titled
“Netherworld”. I intended to seek proof of or proper indications for a lot of spiritual
concepts. You see, as a truthseeker, I have a hard time believing things. I need to be able to
tell truth from lies, deception, misconception, manipulation, fraud… Which is not an easy
thing in the case of spiritual (immaterial) concepts. But this insight made it easy on me.
Competing systems in combination with human nature. Money, influence, followers, success,
status… And others simply want to leave their mark. People would do anything for that.
Honesty gets you nowhere in life. And if you’re honest, you will agree…

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Death is not the end. One simply “returns to the Source (of everything)”., the Universe, the
“sea of infinite potential”, the “initial state”, the “infinite awareness”, the “infinite love”,
“God”… And there is more. Scientists have discovered/concluded that the Universe is even
capable of remembering information (or events). For all I know, maybe even the individual.
Even Taoists say that after death one remains “part of the Tao” (the Universe, God…). Keep
in mind those two small circles. A black one in the white and a white one in the black. They
mean that “nothing is absolute”. Nothing. Not even death. All is transition. Energy does not
disappear. It is merely transformed. The law of conservation of energy. Yin/Yang.
Life/Death. Something of death in life. And something of life in death… “Infinite
awareness”, remember? Isn’t that what a Muslim refers to as “Paradise”? Or a Christian as
“Heaven”? That reminds me of Shakespeare: “Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To
sleep, perchance to dream - For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have
shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause, there's the respect, That makes calamity of
so long life” (Hamlet). Death the end? Who believes that story…?

“This work is about gnosis, but people must be able to distinguish lower and higher forms of
knowledge in order for this allowance to occur. A ‘knowing’ is not the same thing as an
‘understanding’ or a ‘comprehension’. It is a field of knowledge and awareness itself which
rests beyond this earthly plane of existence where mind and matter dominate the landscape so
to speak. One can tap into this reality, the Intellect of Plotinus, by means of the Soul (which
operates in both directions it turns out) but one must allow for the existence of the Soul
before this gnosis is even a possibility, otherwise the ‘experience’ and that is what it is, an
‘experience’ of knowledge, of ‘knowing’ will be rejected after it has occurred. Unless there is
a container that is suitable to hold the experience, its implications and subtle and yet powerful
truth, it will not be properly absorbed and integrated. This book is an attempt, among other
things, to create that container – and also to lead the reader along the path to this gnosis, if
not to light the spark that kindles such gnosis in a reader or two perhaps if we are lucky. One
must open the door to the possibility that things are not what they seem to be – and if this is
allowed we should be able to expand our minds some to ultimately lead a more full and
happy life.” (Juan Valdez on Gnosis in “Homo Mysticus”)

There are many beliefs that we have seen as truth in Western civilization for hundreds of
years. We live according to these "truths" and as a result manifesting a life using those
beliefs, which can be very self-destructive. So these beliefs will affect decisions in economics
and politics and everything else that we do. One myth-perception is our continued emphasis
of a Newtonian materialistic world, which by definition emphasizes the primacy of matter
and somewhat ignores or minimizes the influence of the immaterial part of the universe.This
nothingness into which the West is sliding is not the natural end, the dying, the sinking of a
flourishing community of peoples. Instead, it is again a specifically Western nothingness: a
nothingness that is rebellious, violent, anti-God, and antihuman. Breaking away from all that
is established, it is the utmost manifestation of all the forces opposed to God. It is
nothingness as God; no one knows its goal or its measure. Its rule is absolute. It is a creative
nothingness that blows its anti-God breath into all that exists, creates the illusion of waking it
to new life, and at the same time sucks out its true essence until it soon disintegrates into an
empty husk and is discarded. Life, history, family, people, language, faith - the list could go
on forever as nothingness spares nothing - all fall victim to nothingness. (D.. Bonhoeffer)

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Trinity. Three are one. Three are one. That makes me conclude that the “observer” equals the
“manifestation”. The “manifestation” being the Universe. Every observer (person/individual)
is a Universe. However incredible that may sound. When an individual is an entire Universe,
then the vision of every individual is a reality. Within the Universe that the individual
represents. The vision of religious or spiritual people actually comes down to a reality. In
their Universe. In their “parallel realm”. Imagination makes possible. Belief makes reality.
So everything is true. Whatever people believe is true. In their Universe. Everything is
possible. If not here, then elsewhere in the Universe. Or in another Universe. Also, it’s not
because something is not humanly feasible, that it is impossible. To be kept in mind…

Seeker beware… However much you think we know of reality, keep in mind the following
things. First of all, science is nowhere. Never. Add another millennium of inquiry and you
know where we are now. Secondly, know that we have limited brain capacity and reasoning
power. And thirdly, there is 1.5 percent of genetic difference between us and a chimpanzee.
We barely left monkeyhood. Well, from a lot of perspectives, we are too much of a monkey
still. How would our successor see things? How much more profound he may be. Where does
this leave us? Well, nowhere. Like science. Life is all about evolution. The only way is up…

The “infinity of Creation” (the process of things coming into existence) makes Rebirth and/or
Reincarnation theoretically, technically, statistically… possible. The individual is sometimes
called the “incarnation of God”. If that is true, Re-incarnation becomes plausible. A
possibility. Birth. Death. Return to Source. Followed by Re-birth or Re-incarnation. In one
way or another. At one time or another. If good or bad deeds during life play a role in that, I
am not convinced. It could have been invented in order to keep people well-behaved. Every
religion does that. And it’s not that illogical. The masses have to be guided. That is inherent
to society. From this perspective “past lives” become possible too…

Yesterday, when reading something about entelechy, the idea came to my mind that the
whole universe “follows the path of least resistance”. It is the case for water electricity and is
also applied to the natural world. So I applied it to the Universe as a whole. When checking
articles on the subject, I found only one. A guy on some forum what had the same idea. It is
not a widely accepted scientific idea as of yet. Let alone accepted idea. That means I came up
with a theory. It seems very plausible, even though I cannot prove it. It may be rather
difficult, if not impossible, to prove. Theoretically maybe. But that is out of my league. Haha

Egocentrisme–Geocentism. Kan dit letterllijk genomen worden? Zou dit geen feitelijkheid
(realiteit) kunnen ziijn? Ligt het centrum der dingen/het heelal bij de waarnemer? Yin-Yang-
Midden. Zo wordt het gezegd. Maar symbolisch/abstract. Vesica Piscis. Midden. Maar dat is
geometrie. Waar ligt het centum van het heelal eigenlijk? Na te gaan. And what are the
implications if the observer is indeed the center of the Universe. The observer is already
known to play a major role in the perception. What if he were the very center of the
Universe…?

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In “non-locality” and “entanglement” distance is no issue. Instant interaction between one
side of the Universe and the other. Instant. Light speed amounts to a snail race. Natural laws
lose their validity. This makes awareness “Universal”. How about that? Did I mention
intelligence by the way? For example: Imagine the complexity of DNA. DNA can be called a
“natural design” or “natural construction plan”. Correct me if I’m wrong. “Nature” designs,
plans, and constructs. There is indeed “intelligence in its ways”. The intelligence of nature
(the Universe) is undeniable too. I believe that amounts to what people refer to as “God” or
“Allah”. Supreme Creator. Supreme Intelligence. Wherever you look…

There is still hidden knowledge. To be found in the secret orders. For example, what is the
source of modern numerological insights? What is the source of the “Life Path”? That
information is said to be the result of patterns that have extended over a long period? Where
is it? The source of it? There are also “forgotten books”. Books published in the previous
centuries, but never reprinted. Those can be found in libraries. Private and public. The latter
have archives. That material (books, manuscripts…) is not accessible to the public. Such
publications get rare over time. And when you find them, they are unaffordable. The same
goes for astrological knowledge. That too the result of hundreds, if not thousands of years of
pattern-recognition…

666 – The Beast – The elites – The Illuminati – Total dominion and control… First of all,
total dominion and control need not be bad per se. And when it comes to the elites (maybe
the “Illuminati”, never forget that they made possible the modern world. The advent of the
world wide web, the release of sacred/forbidden knowledge, and the global dispersal of all
knowledge included. However bad things may seem, and I stress “seem”, one has to keep in
mind there is a “good behind every evil”. Like there is an “evil behind every good”.
Yin/Yang. Keep that in mind. Ah yes, before I forget, “Illuminati” means “Enlightened
Ones”. How bad can they be…?

There is a thing called “potential”. End that potential has a limit. Biology. That goes for
mental (spiritual) capacities as well. In that case the brain. That limit differs from person to
person. One cannot get around biology. Biology, genetics, DNA… Never mind words.
Unless one changes the genetic material. But that is still in its infancy. So that is not of much
use. This has to be kept in mind before one spends a whole life on attempting the
impossible…

The observer plays a role in the manifestation of particles (e.g. electron) And by extension in
that of the entire reality. Fact. I think the word “reality” is a misnomer. Reality does not exist.
There is only the observer. Another observer (different life form) perceives a different reality.
“Reality” is not the question. But whose reality. And that is called relativity (or “subjectivity”
or “perception”) …

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All is number. All is geometry. All is sequence. All is pattern. All is cycle. Does chaos even
exist? Maybe there is all too much order in the (apparent) chaos. Chaos is a form of order.
Order is not always obvious. Compare it with Phi. Phi is active on all levels. But not always
obvious (at first sight). If you look more carefully, you will see its workings. Divine Order!

There is a good chance we are unable to perceive higher realities. We do can perceive the
lower ones. But I believe we are not equipped for the higher ones. It’s like IQ. A higher IQ
can see through the lower one. But the lower one cannot see through the higher one. Because
it is not equipped for it…

“753” (name numerology) – Samurai code of honor. To prevent them going astray. Also the
length of (Noah’s) ark. One “orek”. Derived from “arak”. Ark. The true meaning of that story
being “duality”, “individual consciousness” and “trinity”. Seems not a coincidence…

If all is preordained, why then do we have the ability of choice? A biological adaptation
serves a purpose. Maybe even a divine purpose. It wants to be used. Unless the ability of
choice is yet another illusion. That the choices we make we are destined to make. And that
alternative choices are made in so-called “parallel universes”. Maybe so…

Actions spring from the unconscious. By the time you realize an action, it is already taking
place. All is “Becoming”. All is “Divine Unfolding”. All is “preordained”. All is “Universal
Will”. Or Gods Will… And no one has a word in the whole process. Things just “happen”.
The so-called “Freedom of the will” is one of the oldest illusions… The Universe can be
compared to a river. And all one can do is “go with the flow” (of life, existence)… Dare you
imagine that…?

However enlightened someone may be, or think he or she is, it remains questionable if he/she
does not realize the following things. I quote: “Truths are illusions that we have forgotten to
be just that (namely illusions)”. Friedrich Nietzsche. One could also say “Vanitas vanitatum
et omnia vanitas” (The Bible, Ecclesiastes). If you chase truth, better realize that. It is one of
those truths that cannot be disproved. Not even by saying that “all is illusion”. Because that is
what it means. Haha

The lines that connect the angles of geometric figures, may point to cooperation between
unspecified thing. According to the latest scientific insights/speculations such a cooperation
between different systems lies at the basis of consciousness/awareness/intelligence.. At which
point will we be able to say that A.I. is conscious/aware/intelligent? And do we even want
that to happen…?

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In the case of “Intelligent Design”… Divine Riddle. Divine Game. The goal of life is
evolution. Logically also evolution of consciousness/awareness. Why? To what purpose?
Some say that “without a physical body one cannot accomplish anything”. The body as an
“enabler”. And again, to what end? Provided that there is an end. To be found out…

I pay a lot of attention to the so-called “Trinity”. Whether it be the Christian one, or Yin-
Yang, the Trimurti, the Trikaya, the “Vesica Piscis” in “Sacred Geometry”. The ‘Trinity’
itself is what matters. The realization of the “Trinity”. The divinity of the individual. For that
is what religion is usually trying to cover up. The (hidden) essence in all of them…

Death is not an end. That is what I believe these days. I believe there is a separation of
“matter” (body) and “mind” (consciousness). Both return to the Source. Individual
consciousness becomes part of the “Greater Awareness”. Divine Unity. Or “Divine Union”…

Mythology, astrology, numerology, alchemy, tarot, color theory… are related to real-world
things. E.g. the sun, the moon, and the planets. Related to that “The Planets” (Gustav Holst)
What am I still missing? Knowledge of the vibrations (frequencies) maybe. Seek. Find.
Compile. To do…

Trinity. Three are one. The “material” (physical/body). And the “immaterial” (mind/spirit).
The latter on a small scale, but “mind/spirit” nevertheless. As below, so above. We are
“individuated mind” (Spirit). Is that the very nature of the “immaterial”?
Mind/Consciousness/Awareness? But on a grand scale… Seems logical almost…

Order is a form of “dis-order” (chaos). “Dis-order” (chaos) is a form of order. Order anc
chaos are one. The observer makes the difference. Some people do not like order (deeming it
too “clinical” or “sterile”). Again the observer. And his prejudice (preferences, tendencies,
inclinations…). Perception. Relativity. Subjectivity…

In the case of “Intelligent Design”… Divine Design. Divine Riddle. Divine Game… To what
end exactly? Evolution of life… Logically also evolution of consciousness/awareness. Some
say life has been “invented” by “God” in order to increase his own awareness…

Entelechy. The realization or fulfilment of (a) potential. Determine potential. Stress = non-
expression of genetic potential. Determining the full potential of something/someone may
prove difficult or impossible…

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Patterns are useful to life. Life in general. Life needs patterns. It needs predictability. For
survival. Maybe those patters are useful in life as well. On a personal level. So identify the
patterns. There are always patterns. You only need to pay attention. So identify the patterns.
And interpret them. Then follow the indications, hints, clues, “messages”, patterns… Never
mind words. Just follow them. And go with the flow (of life). Divine Flow. Follow your
intuition. Improve your intuition. Some say that following those “clues” is a key to success…

I now realize that it is actually a good thing that I have no firm belief in anything. This allows
me to grow. Belief turns things into rigid or fixed ideas. These exclude the possibility of
growth. So I grow… A little bit every day… And, as with investments, the long term makes
the difference…

“All is number”; “All is preordained”; “Coincidence does not exist”; “All is connected”;
“All is Becoming”. “All is Divine Unfolding”; “All is Divine Will”; “All has Divine
Purpose” etc… Keep those in mind. Increase (your) awareness…

Why is there life? And if there is indeed a god, why did he create it? And why did God create
man? Man is said to have been created “in his image”. And again, what is the origin/source of
the ancient religious wisdom? According to Dr. Rick Strassman we owe a lot of it to the use
of psychedelics. Makes me wonder. How literal do we have to take some things…?

Knowledge alone isn’t what life is about. I always have the story of King Midas in mind.
Turning into gold whatever he touched. Make sure you don’t turn everything and everyone
into a source of knowledge. Different case, same result.. Beware of the Knowledge Trap…

It’s not all about the numbers, stars, or cards. But also about the skills (gift) of the
practitioner. Clairvoyance, intuition… After all, he or she is the “contact” with the
“immaterial” (spiritual)…

Three bodies of the Buddha. I suppose that comes down to “matter”, “non-matter” (spirit)
and the physical body (flesh). The “non-matter” must be the Soul, even though Buddhism
doesn’t recognize the Soul. In any case, it is a trinity. The (hidden) essence of every
religion…

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Antimatter has an opposite electric charge and opposite properties of those of regular matter.
Maybe there are “anti-material worlds”. Ghost worlds. Spirit worlds. “Antimaterial life” so to
speak. In any case, in the Universe are regions composed of antimatter. This is scientific fact.

An end, however noble it may be, requires means. Both better be justified though. That is the
first thing. And an end, again, however noble it may be, comes with a price tag. And that too
requires justification. Unless you like to waste money, of course…

Some say that one’s whole life contains “clues” from the “Fourth Dimension”. A spiritual
dimension all around us with beings (guides, angels…) that is intimately connected to ours.
Following these “clues” would be a “key to success”. Hans Peter Roel writes about that…

One could object a lot of insights are mere speculation and daydreaming. And to some extent
this is the case indeed. But it is worth examining. Nay, it must be examined. That is what
science is for after all. Since when does science deem things unworthy of examination…?

There is a “shift in consciousness” taking place. Has been for a while. Maybe it’s the release
of the “sacred” or “forbidden” knowledge. But there is more. Some say it has to do with the
Yugas. We reached the end of a cycle not long ago (see article). It seems to affect even me…

Consciousness: fact. Evolution of consciousness: fact. Increasing awareness: a prerequisite.

Now the goal of all of this. The goal of consciousness. To increase the consciousness of God
cannot be excluded. And that of life in general in order to admire himself. Maybe so…

“Words have no meaning unless you have no ears”. It took me a long time to solve this
riddle. Haha. It is the most difficult riddle I’ve come across so far. But these days I have ears
for the music and eyes for the “Word”. Another riddle. For you…

The Universe/Existence/Being can be compared to a river. Go with the (natural) flow (of
things). Is it possible to got against the flow. And, here it comes, on what possible levels
exactly…?

It you reach the limit of the “material”, you move into the “immaterial”. And vice versa. If
you reach the limit of the “immaterial”, you move back into the “material”. Yin/Yang!

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Every individual a Trinity. Every individual a “Universe of their own”. The “observer”
allows for “manifestation”. That’s why. So… Eight billion people. Behold the Multiverse…

The Ouroboros… The snake that bites in its own tail. The beginning becomes the end. The
end becomes the beginning. Eternal cycle. Eternal Recurrence!

Concerning the nature of the Universe, or aspects of it, some talk about “loops of infinity”. A
“loop of infinity” sounds like an “Eternal Return”. Infinite cycles. On every level…

“Non-locality” and “quantum entanglement” are no less than PROOF of awareness on a

grand scale. Logical conclusion…

Every individual a Universe. An alternative Universe as it were. Imagination makes true.

Likewise so for belief. And that makes every vision true, every vision a reality…

God is “Infinite awareness. Infinite Love”. David Icke is right about that. Define “love”
(Everything You Wanted to Know but Have Never Been Told)

God (YHVH/Allah) is “Love”. God is “Peace.” “Peace” means “middle”, “rest”, “harmony”,
“balance”, “order”, and “perfection”…

“True knowledge” (Plato) or “objective knowledge” (Ouspensky/Gurdjieff). Regular

knowledge is subjective. As reality as we perceive it, is an illusion…

How enlightened can one be? Or become? And is there a limit? Actually, I believe there is
not. If the Universe is infinite, logically so must be knowledge, wisdom, insight, awareness…

Entelechy… The “end” (goal or purpose) is present from the beginning. All in nature has
purpose. Divine Purpose!

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We are more familiar with the “material” than with the “immaterial”. Also, the “material”
can be measured. The “immaterial” can’t. And to what extent do we know both? Truly know?

What is the extent of the anti-pole of the “material”. We don’t know. The different realities,
levels, realms, planes… may be mutually unreachable. Or unfathomable…;

The quantum level. It underlies everything. That includes us. Molecules, atoms, quanta... Is it
possible that this enables things we are unaware of? Or insufficiently? To be found out…

What is the value of (scientific) evidence? And that of a lack of evidence?; What does it tell?
And what does it not tell?

The “soul” is said to reside in the “pineal gland”. A small organ in the brain. It is also
referred to as the “Third Eye”, the “Eye of Horus”, the “sixth chakra”…

What is Creation if there is no one to observe it. If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no
one to hear is, did the tree even fall…? I like riddles. Haha

Only humility allows for personal growth. Humility implies doubt. People who never doubt
things, are dumb. All starts with doubt. Doubt lies at the basis of progress;

I once wondered if there is a limit to “Enlightenment”. But the answer is no. The Universe is
infinite (has aspects of infinity rather), logically so is insight/wisdom/Enlightenment…

The Universe could have a toiroid shape. Making it self-contained. Eternal Cycle; Eternal
Re-cycle; Eternal Recurrence;

Everything “material” has an “immaterial” (spiritual) counterpart. An anti-pole in the

“immaterial world”. “Material world” implies “immaterial world”. Yin/Yang...

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Everything is possible. If not here, then elsewhere in the Universe. If not in our Universe,
then in another. “The infinity of creation makes everything possible” (Johnny De Coster)…

The frequency (of vibration) determines the nature of the “manifestation” (materialization).
“Material”, “immaterial”. Maybe “half- material”, if such a thing exists…

We are homo sapiens. Our brain capacity is limited. Likewise so our senses. But what about
our (possible) awareness? Those are not the same…

There is intelligence/awareness in the Universe. Us. As below, so above. Logically follows

“as above, so below”. Divine Law!

Everything can be interpreted on different levels. Maybe the number of levels is infinite. See
the “opposing mirrors”. Focus on infinity…

Life is said to be a “test”. In the context of reincarnation maybe. Or “Intelligent Design”. To

be kept in mind…

The books I once deemed “superior knowledge” or “high-level knowledge” now seem to
have been reduced to “low-level knowledge”. Note taken…

Some say that every level of existence, and/or every universe (in the case of parallel
universes or multiverse), is/has its own god…

Psychedelics… Need we look any further? Keep in mind that religious wisdom goes deep.
And science was nowhere in those days…

The “Tree of Knowledge” is psychedelics. Psychedelics is a source of awareness, vision,

prophesy, insight, and knowledge…

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What is the extent of the “hidden powers of the mind”? Some say everything is possible…

Planetary influences. Vibrations. Ideal vibrations = days that all seems to come together.

The “Holy Trinity”. Wat is the source of this knowledge. How was it obtained? Find out;

One is composed of the other. “Material realm” and “immaterial realm” are misnomers;

Some say that with the power of the mind, it is possible to create one’s own Universe…

“One with all”. We all know the expression. Have you ever wondered what it means…?

Some claim that hidden gifts are present in all of us. And that they can be developed…

When all is connected; everything matters. Only problem is interpretation. Intuition!

Imagination (idea) impies “factualite” (or “reality”, or “manifestation). Yin/Yang…

Yin (Matter) (Awareness) + Yang (Energy) (Awareness) + Middle (Consciousness);

Matter underlies Energy (aware). Energy underlies Matter (aware). Complementary;

Gather as many visions as possible. Whether true or false. To expand your vision;

Something that is not feasible now, maybe so in a later stage of human evolution…

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Trinity = Mind + Matter + Middle = Three in One = “Trinity” applies to all of us…

People sometimes see ghosts because the “frequencies” (of vibration) interfere…

No “mutual projection” but a Trinity. Three in One. Three are One. “The One”…

Maybe we need to go “lower” instead of “higher”. Look for the/a “Beginning”…

“Material plane” = “Immaterial plane” = Individual Consciousness (Trinity)

Everything happens to everyone. Nobody does anything. Man is a machine...;

I may be too naïve about “increasing awareness”. Might not be that obvious;

Reduced sense of reality… We are all psychotic. “Your life is just a dream”…

Big Bang = The “Light of Creation” (e.g. Bible) = Conception. They knew…

“All is connected”. Eventueel zaken vaststellen (omgeving/data/meubilair);

What does the quantum nature of reality and the observer make possible...?

“All is number”. “All is vibration”. Increase awareness. Be “one with all”…

They say that “God has invisible means to rich one’s dreams”. Maybe so…

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All is (the) One. One is (the) All; “The Kingdom of God is within you”…

Yin (Matter) + Yang (Energy) + Middle (Individual) = “Manipulation”…

I believe it is possible that some people are even ahead of their species…

The individual = “The Word made Flesh” (George Washington Carey)

The word “spiritual” contains the word “spirit”. Also used for “ghost”…

‘Nosce te ipsum’ – Know Thyself – Seek the answer within yourself…

A lot of people that are into the “spiritual” actually do nothing with it…

The name of God, when properly spoken, will destroy the Universe…

The “material” and the “immaterial” are within/part of the observer…

Role of the Individual/Consciousness (“Individual Consciousness”);

Seeker beware… The most profound truths aren’t even superficial…

Everything is possible with the mind. Mind over matter. Litterally!

Life = “Conscious Awareness” (Awareness aware of itself) (Icke)

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Seek the “Kingdom of God” within yourself. You are “the One”…

One needs a physical body in order to accomplish/realize things…

It’s all about the observer. Central role/position of the observer…

The individual = The Universe; The Universe = the individual;

We know the material world better than the immaterial world;

How well do we know the “immaterial”? That is the question;

“Your life is just a dream”. Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct”…

Relativity = subjectivity = relativity. Three are one. Trinity!

Conclusion: “There is no God but the observer/individual”…

Every level of existence, every Universe… its own “God”…

The “Design” is as intelligent as the “Creator”. Indeed so!

Creation is infinite. Its infinity makes everything possible…

It’s not because something is possible, that it is feasible…

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Consciousness is all that there is, was, and ever will be…

Two snakes (“Serpents”) symbol of the god Mercury…

Doubt everything at least once in your life (advice);

(Truth)Seekers must examine everything. Always!

Imagination makes possible. Via “manifestation”...

Toeval bestaat niet. Alles gebeurt met een reden;

“Trinity”. Three are one. One has to realize that…

“Material realm” implies “immaterial realm”?

Study all religions. Extract the essence/truth...

Mind – Does not exist separately (Trinity);

Middle - Does not exist separately (Trinity);

Matter - Does not exist separately (Trinity);

Doubt is a characteristic of intelligence...

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 Quantum Reality

Reality does not exist. It is rather the observer that exists. Maybe the observer is the only
reality. Trinity. Three in one. It is not about the three. It is about the “one”. That is the
meaning of “You are the One” or “I am the One”…

An observer looking into a mirror beholds himself. The observer becomes aware of himself.
And of his mirror image. The observer becomes reality. I could also say that “the observer
becomes reality”. A mirror allows for manifestation. The mirror acts as the observer. And
without the mirror, all is potential. The true nature of things. Infinite potential. Now, if you
oppose two mirrors, what happens then? Quite simple. Potential (the true nature of things),
holds a mirror to itself. The potential stares itself in the eyes. And what happens?
Manifestation. On both sides. Infinite creation. The “material” and the “non-material” aspect
of reality. Duality is born…

The “death” of the Universe is unity. The expansion of the Universe will become such that
the amount of matter will proportionally decrease. Until it becomes negligible. And then non-
existent. Or rather becomes “potential”. It is like homeopathy. Constant dilution until the
active substance is gone. Seemingly gone, that is. It is rather reduced to a “memory”, a
“mirror image”, a “non-material copy” of it. It becomes “potential” again so to say. “Pure
matter” as it is also called. Such is the nature of the ‘Void’ (“emptly” space). POTENTIAL…

-1-0-1+… The zero does not mean “nothing”. It means “empty”. This “emptiness” actually
consists of “potential”. It is from this “emptiness” that matter comes into existence. “Matter”
as well as “non-matter”. The zero has a mirror function. A mirror allows for “manifestation”.
The mirror creates “duality”. “Matter” and “non-matter” stare each other in the eyes. Pole
and anti-pole. The observer is the “zero”. He enables manifestation. But the observer is the
“one” too. Because he himself is the manifestation of both “matter” and “non-matter”.
“Body” (material) and “spirit” (non-material). The observer is zero and one at the same time.
The observer has a “quantum nature”. As does “reality” as a whole…

A quantum can be 0 and 1 simultaneously. “Potential” and “manifestation”. “Matter” and

“non-matter” are one. Zero and one are mere “aspects of the same”. Zero equals one (0 = 1)...

The Universe IS one at this very moment. “Reality” exists only by grace of the observer. It is
the observer who lies at the base of duality…

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 Nature, Number, Geometry

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9. Every time “+1”. “1” is the number of God. “1” has the function of a
“Creator”. One could also write: 0/1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-1/0. “10” is “1/0 duality”. “10” equals
“1”. Cycle recommences. Better still 0/1-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2(-1-0-1+)2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+1/0.
“-1-0-1+” being a “switch”. Since “1 to 9” also represents the Universe, I tend to call it the
“Quantum Fluctuation”. End of cycle. Beginning of a new cycle. It could also represent
death. And the “Eternal Recurrence”. Death being “but a pause”. See ‘The Life that I Have’...

There is geometry (or “sacred” geometry) on all levels of the Universe. Microcosmic and
Macrocosmic”. “Sacred Geometry” is “fundamental aspect of the Universe” (me). The same
goes for mathematics. Numbers, sequences, ratios, proportions, growth. And likewise so the
“path of least resistance” (me – and a guy on the net – haha). Don’t ask for proof. It’s an
insight, not a fact. An insight amounts to an “idea”…

Orbit of Uranus around the sun is 84 years. 8 + 4 = 12. 1 + 2 = 3. And the orbit of Neptune
around the sun is 165 years. 1 + 6 + 5 = 12. 1 + 2 = 3. The difference approximates an octave.
“In music, an octave (Latin: octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the
diapason)[2] is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency.
The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic
miracle of music," the use of which is "common in most musical systems."[3] The interval
between the first and second harmonics of the harmonic series is an octave.”

Some claim (rather convincingly) that Phi could be a “fundamental constant of nature”.
Active on all levels of the Universe. Visibly and invisibly. Potential candidate for a “theory
of everything”. See article in “Seeker Diary”;

Now that we know that all is connected in one way or another, and now that we know that all
is merely energy vibrating at a given frequency, it is almost undeniable that data, numbers…
have an “unseen influence” on our lives…

“The Lord” moves in “mysterious manner” at times using “strange methods” and “odd
instruments”. Well, I believe He does indeed. I like riddles. Haha

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1 - point - manifestation; 2 - line - direction; 3 - triangle - shape; 4 – cube - volume; 5 – circle
– wholeness; “5” to “9” to specify/determine; “9” the cosmos and enlightened individual?

What do the numbers “1” to “9” encompass? Is it possible that the “1” to “9” sequence can be
related to every aspect of reality? Every domain? Every field? To be found out…

If numbers have meaning; they probably do so in the “material world” as wel as in the
“immaterial world”. “Matter” and “non-matter” are one. Aspects of the same. Duality is
basically unity…

3, 6 and 9 are described as “keys to the Universe”. Mind the following two quotes:

“If you only knew the magnificence of the numbers 3, 6, and 9, then you would have a ‘key to
the universe…’”. (Nikola Tesla maybe). Regardless. Needs examining…

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of Energy, Frequency, and
Vibration” (Nikola Tesla - maybe). Recent scientific insights seem to confirm this…

Duality is actually a very simple way of looking at reality. True reality (does such a thing
even exist – quaeritur) must be infinitely more complex. Beyond imagination most likely…

Escape velocity of the planets all result in “9” when the figures are reduced to one number…

Planetary orbits around the sun all result in “9” when figures are reduced to one number…

“5” is literally the “middle” of the numbers 1 to 9. Or 0 to 10. Depending on your taste…

“God” is “0”. Because “God” is immaterial. It is “emptiness” from which all springs…

Both zero and one at the same time. If you ask me that is a “state of potentiality”…

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DNA – “Natural Design” or “Natural construction plan”. I conclude that nature designs,
plans and constructs…. Food for musing, philosophy, debate, or theory indeed…

Christian Creation myth = 6 days of Creation + 1 day of rest. This is actually “Sacred
Geometry”. The “Seed of Life”. Six circles (fit) around one. (Always). In three dimensions,
however, twelve circles fir around one. (Always);

Sacred Geometry can also be found in developmental cell biology. Cell division. It unfolds
following a binary sequence. And the first eight cells form the “Egg of Life”. Sacred
Geometry. See “Flower of Life”;

Albert Einstein's Theory of relativity, E = mc2 meaning, Energy equals mass times the speed
of light squared, also is an explanation of how the Universe was Created;

From the new perspective (Trinity), the “Big Bang” would have been the flash of light
emitted by the ovum at the moment of conception… See article;

Numbers have way more meaning than I believe; “Spirit”-ual meaning. The word contains
“Spirit” (mind). Worth pondering;

Yugas result in “9” when figures (year cycles) are reduced to one number…

Material and spiritual meaning of peculiar numbers and sequences…

Scientists believe the Universe is shaped like a Dodecahedron…

Scientists are knowingly or unknowingly looking for God…

1 to 9 are the ever increasing manifestations of “God”…

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 My finding “spiritual faith” and my first “spiritual advice”

It’s raining “messages”. “They” call them “angel numbers”… I myself prefer saying
“patterns”. Useful patterns though. Useful for life. Predictability! Life (in general) needs
predictability. For reasons of survival. Prey behaviour, behaviour of the seasons (for seeding
and harvesting)… I concluded that a few pages The Universe is nothing but patterns. That is
what I call the “Divine Order”. “All is number”. “All is geometry”. “All is sequence”. “All
is pattern”. “All is cycle”. Does chaos even exist? That was my “insight” on page 204. And
that ”maybe there is all too much order in the (apparent) chaos. Chaos is a form of order.
Order is not always obvious. Compare it with Phi. Phi is active on all levels. But not always
obvious (at first sight). If you look more carefully, you will see its workings. Divine
Order…”.

I found Enlightenment. Or otherwise said: I satisfy myself with this level of Enlightenment.
Maybe there is not even a limit to Enlightenment. I don’t know. A lot of “spiritual ideas” may
forever lack evidence, apart maybe from subjective experiences. (Psychedelic) hallucinations,
psychological trickery, self-deception… There is simply too much of that. They contradict
each other too. Some of it cannot be otherwise but plain shit. Fables. hallucinations, an
overactive imagination, superstition… And if there is indeed a reality behind all of it, so
much the better. I’ll see it “when I get there” then. I am a bit into the “spiritual”.
Numerology, astrology, Tarot… They appeal to me. To some extent. I believe there to be a
certain reality behind it. Because all is connected. That is what I believe. I believe there to be
something profound about numbers. An “immaterial aspect”. The nature of which I will leave
in the middle. “Immaterial aspect” will do. I needed to get in touch with that. The “Material”
and “immaterial” side of us need to be in balance. This is normal. And it goes for all of us.
That is simply how our brains are structured. A “rational” (material) half, and a “spiritual”
(immaterial) half. The latter seeks meaning. And it is not only our brains. It is simply human
nature. Duality. When it comes to astrology, I believe “all is vibration”. This is an old
Hermetic principle. And scientific findings seem to prove it. If all is vibration, then the
“planetary vibrations” must have an influence too. Logical conclusions. To some extent, I
mean. One cannot get around the biological (genetics). Although the “planetary vibrations”
may have a subtle effect on the DNA. Similar to epigenetic influences. And when it comes to
Tarot, here too I believe that “all is connected”. If all is connected, then there must be a
connection between person and card. The interpretation is the hard part. I believe intuition
plays a role. Maybe a bigger role even than the cards themselves. Or the numbers. Or the
stars. One can improve one’s intuition too. Like the best chess players do.

Regarding that “spiritual advice”… I told a friend to get more in touch with his “material”
side. When the “material” and “immaterial” side are not in balance, this is not without
consequences. A lack of the “immaterial” (spiritual) may result in depression. Or an
“existential crisis”. That is actually a form of depression. Also, people who are too much into
the “spiritual”, as a result lose touch with the “material”. What people refer to as “reality”.
Reduced sense of reality… What does that remind me of? Indeed so. End of book.

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Akasha (a-ka 'ska) is a Sanskrit word meaning "ether": all-pervasive
space. Originally signifying "radiation" or “brilliance," in Indian
philosophy akasha was considered the first and most fundamental
of the five elements – the others being vata (air), agni (fire), ap
(water), and prithivi (earth). Akasha embraces the properties
of all five elements: it is the womb from which everything
we perceive with our senses has emerged and into which
everything will ultimately re-descend. The Akashic
Record (also called The Akashic Chronicle,) is
the enduring record of all that happens, and
has ever happened, in space and time.

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 The life that I have
Is all that I have
And the life that I have
Is yours.
The love that I have
Of the life that I have
Is yours and yours and yours.
A sleep I shall have
A rest I shall have
Yet death will be but a pause.
For the peace of my years
In the long green grass
Will be yours and yours and yours.

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