posted November 08, 2007 05:46 PM            

"World Honored One, surely the Tathagata teaches us that all things are equally true, and equally false. If there is one, there will be two. To debate the real and the unreal is foolish. The question concerns point of view. Wisdom is in seeing that both are true in one sense, false in another, and that both are essentially saying the same thing."

"Well said, Subhuti. When a ray of sunlight is reflected off the surface of a mirror, the reflection also sheds light. Even though it is only a reflection, the light is not counterfeit. It is the light of the sun, even made to shine around corners. God is the light, the eye, the mirror, and the “headstone” of the corner. All of these together, and none of them alone; for each is only a point of view; a symbol for itself and all the others. The conscious life, and the life underground, are real, and both are illusions, depending on your point of view. Each expresses only part of the story. Reality is only reality, relative to illusion. But the life that is experienced, in the present moment, consists of both reality and illusion. There is a life of action, and a life which underlies and determines the active life. But these two worlds are not distinct. The only life is in the present moment, and the memory of past present moments, along with the physical record of past present moments, and the creative act of reflection itself, are all equally revealed in the present moment, and proceed equally from the Void. But God is not the Revelation or the Void. God is both, and neither. God is beyond reckoning, but the reckoning is also God. The further you go, the further you go. You think, “Am I approaching God, or am I leaving God behind?” But you are not going anywhere. You only think you are distracted from the present moment, when the present moment has been with you all along, performing your spiritual work unbeknownst to you. Never suppose that you are not in the present moment. The present moment is always with you. This too, is only half the story."

“A man’s philosophy is his horizon. –
It is as if he were to say, ‘I can see this far and no farther!’”
~ Novalis

Every truth is contextual,
But some truths are more contextual than others;
Seek the highest vantage point.

When you are in agreement with the parable, you will be in a position to refute it.
How can you truly refute a position,
if you have not understood it yourself?
Observe the zeal of the convert.

We always forget that our purpose is eternally fulfilled
AND eternally being fulfilled.
Keep your hands open.
Grace is not something you can catch.
Keep your mind open.
Grace overflows at a speed faster than you think.

When you don’t know, you never proceed and never arrive.
When you know too little, you proceed from one position to arrive at the same position.
When you know enough, you proceed from one position and arrive at the next position.
When you know you know enough you proceed from one position and arrive at its opposite.
When you don't know you know enough, you always proceed and always arrive.
One should not think that these are different states of being.

posted November 08, 2007 08:11 PM            

Can you picture it.

The body of each ouroboros,
instead of being surrounded by Void,
would spiral off into another body,
and the empty space inside the ouroboros
would be filled by its own body.
The Void would not "appear" in the image.

See what I'm saying?

It's like an M.C. Escher thing now.

So, there is the Dragon.

But there is only the Dragon.

The Dragon never catches up with itself.

The Dragon is always escaping from the jaws of itself.

posted November 13, 2007 04:33 PM            

Yeah,
I actually posted the transcript
to this very scene a few pages ago,
on this very thread.

YouTube!
Why didnt I think of that?

posted November 18, 2007 06:48 PM            

"The half-wise, recognizing the comparative unreality of
the Universe, imagine that they may defy its Laws--such
are vain and presumptuous fools, and they are broken against
the rocks and torn asunder by the elements by reason of
their folly. The truly wise, knowing the nature of the Universe,
use Law against laws; the higher against the lower; and by
the Art of Alchemy transmute that which is undesirable into
that which is worthy, and thus triumph. Mastery consists not
in abnormal dreams, visions and fantastic imaginings or
living, but in using the higher forces against the lower--escaping
the pains of the lower planes by vibrating on the higher.
Transmutation, not presumptuous denial, is the weapon of the
Master."--The Kybalion.

This is the Paradox of the Universe, resulting from the Principle of Polarity which manifests when THE ALL begins to Create--hearken to it for it points the difference between half-wisdom and wisdom. While to THE INFINITE ALL, the Universe, its Laws, its Powers, its life, its Phenomena, are as things witnessed in the state of Meditation or Dream; yet to all that is Finite, the Universe must be treated as Real, and life, and action, and thought, must be based thereupon, accordingly, although with an ever understanding of the Higher Truth. Each according to its own Plane and Laws. Were THE ALL to imagine that the Universe were indeed Reality, then woe to the Universe, for there would be then no escape from lower to higher, divineward--then would the Universe become a fixity and progress would become impossible. And if Man, owing to half-wisdom, acts and lives and thinks of the Universe as merely a dream (akin to his own finite dreams) then indeed does it so become for him, and like a sleep-walker he stumbles ever around and around in a circle, making no progress, and being forced into an awakening at last by his falling bruised and bleeding over the Natural Laws which he ignored. Keep your mind ever on the Star, but let your eyes watch over your footsteps, lest you fall into the mire by reason of your upward gaze. Remember the Divine Paradox, that while the Universe IS NOT, still IT IS. Remember ever the Two Poles of Truth the Absolute and the Relative. Beware of Half-Truths...

So, the Hermetic Teachings do not preach the unsubstantiality of the Universe in any stronger terms than those more familiar to you, although their presentation of the subject may seem somewhat more startling. Anything that has a beginning and an ending must be, in a sense, unreal and untrue, and the Universe comes under the rule, in all schools of thought. From the Absolute point of view, there is nothing Real except THE ALL, no matter what terms we may use in thinking of, or discussing the subject. Whether the Universe be created of Matter, or whether it be a Mental Creation in the Mind of THE ALL--it is unsubstantial, non-enduring, a thing of time, space and change. We want you to realize this fact thoroughly, before you pass judgment on the Hermetic conception of the Mental nature of the Universe. Think over any and all of the other conceptions, and see whether this be not true of them.

But the Absolute point of view shows merely one side of the picture--the other side is the Relative one. Absolute Truth has been defined as "Things as the mind of God knows them," while Relative Truth is "Things as the highest reason of Man understands them." And so while to THE ALL the Universe must be unreal and illusionary, a mere dream or result of meditation,--nevertheless, to the finite minds forming a part of that Universe, and viewing it through mortal faculties, the Universe is very real indeed, and must be so considered. In recognizing the Absolute view, we must not make the mistake of ignoring or denying the facts and phenomena of the Universe as they present themselves to our mortal faculties--we are not THE ALL, remember.

posted November 19, 2007 01:53 PM            

~ Herbert Spencer
"The Principles of Psychology"

posted December 02, 2007 01:58 PM            

The spindle (of the universe) turns on the knees of Necessity;
and on the upper surface of each circle is a siren,
who goes round with them, hymning a single tone or note.
The eight together form one harmony;
and round about, at equal intervals, there is another band,
three in number, each sitting upon her throne:
these are the Fates, daughters of Necessity,
who are clothed in white robes and have chaplets upon their heads.

[~ Plato, 'The Spindle of Necessity" THE REPUBLIC]

Plato's intricate geometric vision of the cosmos, with Necessity and the Fates enthroned at the centre governing all, is echoed by Aeschylos in Prometheus Bound:

Chorus: Who guides the helm, then, of Necessity?
Prometheus: Fates triple-formed, Erinyes unforgetting.
Chorus: Is Zues, then, weaker in his might than these?
Prometheus: Not even He can escape the thing decreed.

And the philosopher Heraclitus, in the Cosmic Fragments,
declares with less than his usual ambiguity:

Sun will not overstep his measures;
if he does, the Erinyes,
the minions of Justice,
will find him out.

Greek thought, as Russell states, is full of fate. It can, of course, be argued that these sentiments are the expressions of an archaic culture or world view which died two thousand years ago, prolonged through the medieval epoch because of ignorance of the natural universe, and that we know better now. In one sense this is true, but one of the more important and disturbing insights of depth psychology is the revelation that the mythic and undifferentiated consciousness of our ancestors, which animated the natural world with images of gods and daimones, does not belong to chronological history alone. It also belongs to the psyche of modern man, and represents a stratum which, although layered over by increasing consciousness and the hyper-rationality of the last two centuries, is as potent as it was two millenia ago or even ten millenia ago. Perhaps it is even more potent because its only voice now is the neglected dream-world of childhood, and the incubae and succubae of the night which are better forgotten in the clear ligth of morning. We understand, from our much more sophisticated knowledge of the physical universe, that the sun is not a 'he', and that it is not the snake-tressed screaming Erinyes who prevent it from overstepping its measures. At least, the ego understands: which is to say, that is only one way of looking at it.

The language of myth is still, as ever, the secret speech of the inarticulate human soul; and if one has learned to listen to this speech with the heart, then it is not surprising that Aeschylos and Plato and Heraclitus are eternal voices and not merely relics of a bygone and primitive era. Perhaps it is now more than ever important to hear these poetic visions of the orderly nature of the universe, because we have grown so dangerously far from them. The mythic perception of a universe governed by immutable moral as well as physical law is alive and well in the unconscious, ans so too are the Erinyes, the 'minions of Justice'. Fate, in the writings of the Greeks, is portrayed in images which are psychologically relevant to us. Fate in the archaic imagination is, of course, that which writes the irrevocable law of the future: beginnings and endings which are the inevitable products of those beginnings. This implies an orderly pattern of growth, rather than a random caprice ro chance. It is only the limits of human consciousness which prevent us from perceiving the full implications of a beginning, so that we are unable to foresee the inescapable end. The second cnetury gnostic text, the Corpus Hermeticum, phrases this with beautiful succinctness:

And so these two, Fate and Necessity,
are bound to one another mutually,
to inseperable cohesion.
The former of them, Heimarmene,
gives birth to the beginning of things.
Necessity compels the end of all depending from these principles.
On these does Order follow,
that is their warp and woof,
and times perfection of all things.
For there is naught without the interblend of Order.

posted April 27, 2008 12:58 PM            

quote:

---

Does God Understand Himself?
for creation simultaneously exists and does not exist.
How could that not be in a mind that is Infinite?
thus God holds no one accountable--
especially Himself -- at All.

If you had a dream in which someone broke into
your house and stole a certain object,

would you, upon waking and finding that item,
call the constable?

not if you were in your right mind.
and whenever God wakes in us

His/our thinking becomes clear--
nothing is missing.

and how could He not forgive, then,
what never really happened,

and/or -- what He
caused?

Thomas Aquinas

Ducking

More significant than any act is the power,
the impetus behind it.

An ocean fish may gather enough momentum to leap
into the air and may even fall into a boat
and bite someone;

but tracing that act to its source reveals the Ocean
as the cause.

our thoughts leap out of God;
Creation took flight from his bow.

behind every act is the Beloved. He is the cause.
the child blames others for their woes.

no one can change the course of His arrows.
That does not mean that one should
not become adept at
ducking.

Thomas Aquinas

---

posted April 27, 2008 04:41 PM            

quote:

---

Heart--Shaped Cross
Knowflake
Posts: 1888
From: 11/6/78 11:38am Boston, MA
Registered: Aug 2004
posted February 08, 2006 02:04 PM

I think all things are ordained by God, so to speak. I think there is a hierarchy of wills in the spiritual universe, and, to the extent that we are operating from the level of our personal egos, we are not at the summit. To imagine that I have free will would be, as I understand it, to imagine that I am omnipotent and omniscient, otherwise, wouldn't my behavior be determined by the level of knowledge and power I possess? So, it seems reasonable to conclude that, if we are to believe in free will, we ought to believe that we, as individuals, are all omniscient and omnipotent beings. This may be the intuitive reality, but, as I have said, it is not intellectually supported.

I do not deny that, at some very real level, I am one with the Infinite Will, but, as I percieve it, this would suggest that my will is determined by God's, not that my will determines the will of God. I think that observance of the former is what was once called humility, while observance of the latter is what was once called hubris.

I think there have been individuals who attained a level of self-mastery that allowed them to transcend themselves (and I think its almost certain that this potential would be strongly highlighted in the birthchart!), and become direct channels for the higher will of God. In a sense, they were then able to direct the will of God, but, only because they were united with God in Spirit, and, so, their purposes were not divergent from that will. So, while, on a certain level, I think it makes sense to say that we are all gods, there is no difference, etc., on another level, I think that someone like Jesus or Buddha had a right to claim authority, and to identify themselves with the power of the one and only truly free and divine will, while, someone like myself, if I claimed free will, would be "taking the lord's name in vain," because I would be making myself one with God, on the physical level of manifestation, while I am only really one with God (at this point in my karmic evolution) on a deeper, spiritual level.

---

posted April 27, 2008 04:43 PM            

quote:

---

"The Masters do not escape the Causation of the higher planes,
but fall in with the higher laws, and thus master circumstances on the lower plane."
~ The Kybalion

That man elects, whom God has elected.

He chooses, who is chosen.

Free will is Divine Intervention.

---

posted April 28, 2008 02:47 AM              

Victim Mentality

This planet primarily attracts two types of beings those with a victim mentality and those with an oppressor mentality. In order to be a victim, you must have oppressors. In order to be an oppressor, you must have victims. Together, this creates balance in God-Mind.

This planet is designed as a place where beings with a victim mentality can learn to overcome it. Therefore, any higher level being will not become involved because it is necessary for those here to have the opportunity to work through their victim mentalities. To become involved would mean interfering or taking away the lessons of those with victim mentalities. Higher level beings will be objective observers who will guide and instruct you through your victim mentality once you reach them, but that is all. They are not here to ěsaveî you or this planet.

Any being who says that they are here to save you is interfering in your soul growth. Only you can ěsaveî yourself from a victim mentality. Only you can ěsaveî yourself from a victim mentality. Only you and the lessons you self-design will teach you about victim mentality. Only you can move through these lessons that will allow you to make a final release of your victim mentality. No one is waiting to help you do not be fooled by any being making such promises.

When you learn to move through your victim mentality, your mind pattern will no longer attract oppressors. The more stubborn you are in your determination to hang onto your victim mentality ways, the more intense the lessons that you attract to get you to release those ways. This means, metaphorically speaking, a bigger, meaner, stronger, stick until you finally ěget it.

You have to get hurt, belittled, and finally, angry enough to stand up for yourself and declare that you will no longer be a victim to anyone, anywhere, any more! Perhaps when you finally have had enough, you release your victim mentality by saying, ěI just donít give a dam anymore what anybody thinks! I am speaking my mind regardless! I am taking care of myself, regardless!

Sometimes, people are beaten up so much that instead of releasing the victim mentality, they decide to become the oppressor when the opportunity presents itself. This is why cycles repeat themselves. People who were oppressed find other victims, because this gives them a sense of control. In doing so, they relive their earlier experiences when they felt like they had no control. They become the perpetrator, just so they can be the ěwinnerî for a change. Of course, this is another imbalance, or extreme flip from victim to oppressor.

The ideal is to find a happy medium, or balance, between victim and oppressor. Victim and oppressor are opposite sides of the same coin in the Mind of God. In this case, two individual soul-personalities are needed to maintain an equilibrium in God Mind. One carries the weight of a victim, one carries the weight of an oppressor. What you need to do is find the balance within yourself, so that equilibrium within the Mind of God is maintained within one soul-personality instead of two.

Yes, you must learn to speak your mind and not allow anyone to walk on you. Yes, you must sometimes be harsh and cruel with words and sometimes even actions. But when this must happen, it must be done in an objective manner what is best for everyone involved to get the point across while causing the least amount of pain. Boundaries must be set.

What are your boundaries? Who crosses them and how? Who is a belligerent person in your life that you try to avoid because of their bullish, pushy ways? Why do you avoid this person? Why not practice letting go of your victim mentality and speak your mind to him/her? So what if your knees shake so hard that you think you will fall down, and your voice is shaky, squeaky, or barely audible? Somewhere along the way, you must stop your victim mentality before it stops you. Learn to be proactive instead of reactive.

When you allow others to push you around, you become angry, sullen, and introverted. Then, you lash out at the undeserving with misdirected frustration and anger. Sometimes your body becomes ill because of all that you suppress, or you insulate your body, or perhaps stop eating. One way or the other, you suffer.

But, there is a part of you that feels that you deserve to suffer. There is a part of you that enjoys this pain and self-punishment. It feels good to some part of yourself, or you would not do it. Some people create others to give them pain, sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes both. Some people do it for themselves a self-contained, fully functional, victim mentality unit. Some people are extremely successful at this.

Why do you feel so bad about yourself that you feel like you are meant to suffer, to be alone, to feel guilty, to have ill health, to be over or underweight. Did it start in this lifetime, or did it start before? Follow those feelings,and allow yourself to release it. This physical reality is your chance to overcome it. The more you ignore this situation, the harder and more intense lesson you will attract to beat it out of yourself. You came here to learn now do it. Quit whining moaning, and complaining because there is a part of you that enjoys that too.

Aches and pains can create a lot of entertainment. You can run from doctor to doctor, trying to find a cure for something that will never be cured as long as you maintain your current mind-pattern.

Bad luck can attract a lot of attention and sympathy from others. Dire circumstances will force someone to pay attention to you. Never getting a raise or a promotion is an excuse not to climb higher in your career or company. You can moan all you want about being alone, with a partner who does not understand you, or without one at all. But this self-imposed isolation also gives you time to selfishly take care of yourself without any interference. The same for saying you want children but are unable to have them. A part of you does not want a spouse, or a caring spouse, or children, because if ALL of you wanted this and it was truly in your mind-pattern, you would have it!

posted April 28, 2008 10:32 AM            

quote:

---

You have to get hurt, belittled, and finally, angry enough to stand up for yourself and declare that you will no longer be a victim to anyone, anywhere, any more! Perhaps when you finally have had enough, you release your victim mentality by saying, I just don't give a damn anymore what anybody thinks! I am speaking my mind regardless! I am taking care of myself, regardless!

---

posted April 30, 2008 12:39 PM              

and this..

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have to get hurt, belittled, and finally, angry enough to stand up for yourself and declare that you will no longer be a victim to anyone, anywhere, any more! Perhaps when you finally have had enough, you release your victim mentality by saying, I just don't give a damn anymore what anybody thinks! I am speaking my mind regardless! I am taking care of myself, regardless!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Again...agreed!

posted January 01, 2011 08:57 PM            

well, you have free will..