Post 8 - More on Belief

As mentioned in post 1 the major hindrances to understanding are belief and identity.  We spent some time on identity and the practice of non identity.  Now it's time to take on belief..  We all have a belief system as it is part of the human organism.  The problem is that we have not sufficiently identified beliefs capabilities in terms of what it can do and what it can not do.  So what do we mean by belief?  Fundamentally it is a system of  thought and ideas.  All religions are basically belief systems.  Most of what we think of  when we talk about belief is "content".  What do you believe about . . . .etc which gets people going on how they feel or think about a certain event or situation. Before we go further it should be noted that . . . . ..

Historically belief systems do not have a very good track record.  There was a time when the whole world believed the earth was flat.  But that didn't make it flat.  In the 17th century we believed that the earth was the center of the universe not withstanding evidence by Copernicus and Galileo to the contrary.  The Holy Office of the Inquisition however managed to persuaded Galileo to recant setting the world back at least 250 years.  So it seems belief doesn't make any difference in regard to effecting event level occurrences.  Belief doesn't make any difference to the outside world, but it does make a difference to the individual.

The purveyors of propaganda love our belief system because we are so easily manipulated.  TV, radio, the press, internet etc. publish all kinds of information some of it good and some of it not so good.  Semantically speaking we confuse belief with words like faith which many clergymen use interchangeably.  Faith and belief are two very different animals.  Due to the corruption of our language it is difficult to give a sound definition to either of these terms.  The dictionary definition of BELIEF is something believed.  This is hysterical.  As Alfred Korzybski [ Founder of the institute for General Semantics ] use to say " words defined in terms of other words ultimately leads to undefined terms".  I don't like the word define just because dictionaries tend to do this.  They define words in terms of other words.  Korzybski would say  "describe to me what you mean by such and such.  Much different.  Now you are using whole sentences  to paint a picture for the listener of what it is you are talking about.  So let's give it a shot. 

Belief - first of all we can't say belief IS because that is an equation of identity to start with.  We might say belief is not a well understood part of the human psyche but has to do with confidence in the truth of some statement or event that is not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof.  It is connected with language both verbal and non verbal cues and influences our behavior to the degree and strength of our conviction.  Example:  Sports is probably a good analogy.  Coaches love belief as that faculty is so manipulated for the individual to believe in himself to perform in a certain way.  Nothing wrong with that.  If you don't believe that you can play and win don't even bother walking on the field.  However, everybody who plays a sport believes that he or she will win or they would not even try.  But we all know that there is only one winner.  So 50% of the individuals who play lose.  What can we say about that.  Belief is a necessary but not sufficient condition for determining an outcome.  You must have the skill, training, the techniques and belief but that does not guarantee a win.  Finally it should be said that winning is not properly portrayed as well.  Winning is not in the 'now'.  Winning is the result of action in the now.  At the termination of the action the compiling of a score based on certain criteria determines the winner.  If a player is constantly worried about winning then his consciousness is not in the 'now' which is where it has to be in order to properly execute a play.  Coaches often misunderstand this subtle difference in mind set.  We don't have to try to win we have to play hard and focused and then that effort will make us competitive and perhaps a win.  If we don't win it's not the end of the world.  Knowing this relaxes our minds and allows our nervous system to perform at it's best.  When our minds get in the way thinking about winning we tighten up and lose our momentum.  We need to enjoy the now.  Belief should be thought of as a type of random access memory similar to a computer.  Information stored in the RAM memory resides there until some other information comes along that more nearly fits the facts of any situation.  Then discard the old.  Those who have a vested interest in a particular belief system however will fight the new ideas because of monetary interests or other reasons. 

OK how about faith.  This is a little dicie in that everyone probably has his/her own definition.  Esoterically faith has to do with fundamental vibrations of the universe.  To be precise it is the 1st harmonic of a vibration that many call knowledge.  Knowledge is not information which is what we mostly deal with everyday.  Knowledge is of a higher order which we as humans are not able to perceive.  So failing our ability to perceive knowledge we live by faith which is the 1st harmonic of the vibration labeled knowledge.  The ability to tune to this vibration called faith represents your state of consciousness.  Faith and belief are different orders altogether.  Don't confuse one for the other.  It's sloppy thinking.

Summary:

Belief - Ascertain the facts.  Decide from there. 

Faith:  Sense/feel this vibration.  Be aware and get familiar with it.  Sharply differentiate between belief and faith.

I am going to let everyone digest this post as there is a lot to be digested. 

Till next post . . . John

Post 7 More on Identity

As I mentioned in "Tough Stuff" belief systems have probably done more to divide us then unify us.  Also belief systems are thoughts 'about reality' not reality itself.  Since we image fundamental reality we are unable to directly perceive it's actions.  Thus we describe structure and function and let the individual learn from that point by his/hers own investigation. 

As I suggested in the first few posts fundamental reality consists of wave - frequencies from zero to infinity.  Part of these vibrations are energy fields [ think of electromagnetic fields] that are nested one within the other in a never ending chain [don't think linear it is fully dimensional].  Associated with these fields are properties or aspects such as power, consciousness, intelligence, and mind to name a few.  Today we will talk about identity.   As I mentioned in FIELD ASPECTS the transformer is a very good analogy of the MAN state of identity.  The field that we are identified with is what psychologists call the ego.  The ego is real to the extent that it is powered by the cosmic primary but the ego power has no source of its own.  Therefore when the cosmic primary withdraws the ego field collapses in the process we call death.  Through our lifetimes our ego field is conditioned by all sorts of factors including family, friends, culture, mass media and deliberate mass mind control techniques by various organizations with secret agendas.  Therefore this work is offered as a method of 'leap fogging' the ego field and letting that be the offering to "Cesar" and concentrate on identifying on the next stage of development which I refer to as the "Second Crossing" as outlined in post 4 the ladder of development. 

The first crossing was involved with identification of all inputs as 'this body is me'.  That was the easy part.  Now we have to make an effort to adjust to the fact that "I am " not the body, my feelings, or the images that reside in my mind and switch that identity to next field of experience.  So what is that exactly?  Good question.  We are preparing in this lifetime to give birth to a functional form that we can operate in for the experience of that level.  This action has many labels, but in our society it is called the birth of the christened consciousness.  By the way this is where the idea of the virgin birth comes from.  It has nothing to do with a physical birth.  It's an analogy  for the birth of a light body for which we will occupy in our ongoing.  We are building it right now by all the things that we do etc.  Once that form is complete we give birth to it and our consciousness (field) switches to that form.  The seeding for the start of the birthing process starts when the polarity of the positive pole has sufficient power [voltage] to attract a higher power which then makes a connection to start the process.  Just like human pregnancy but without a corresponding partner.  An analogy in electronics would be a capacitor.  A capacitor absorbs energy until it reaches its capacity and then it discharges its energy and starts again to "fill up".  Another example in nature is a thunder storm.  Clouds build up energy and finally as the potential difference between cloud and ground reaches the point where it surpasses the ability of the air insulator to maintain the division of the positive/negative differential the energy is released in what we call lightening.  The positive from the sky build up connects to ground to release the electrical tension.  This process is repeated on many levels including the human condition.  Once this lightening strikes the process of the second crossing is initiated.  It then needs time to gestate before the 'light body' is ready for occupancy.  Then we go about growing up on that level. I am trying to stay away from labels to avoid emotional ties connected with them.  Labels are convenient for communication, but they have their own cultural baggage which we will get into in later posts.  For now I will describe the process and try to stay away from hot button labels.

This process can not be rushed.  It can be aided and that's what so many of the disciplines are really doing.  Meditation, yoga, tai chi etc are disciplines that involve focusing the mind as well as clearing the body of energy blockages and waste.  Those who are fond of gardening know that the right amount of sun light, water, and fertilizer makes a plant grow and flower.  If there is reduced sun or water the plant suffers in proportion.  But having said that the individual must follow his/her own inner voice.  There's no rush.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.  

Post 6 And the Truth Will Set You Free

Post 6       And the Truth Will Set You Free

I hope we are not moving to fast.  Comment and I will try to answer hopefully sooner rather than later.  In the last post we stressed identity as certainly one of the detriments to self development.  When you drill down deep enough the term 'self development' is only in reference to the movement of ones own state of consciousness.  From the man state point of view the individual does two things.  [1] takes energy in or [2] sends energy out.  All the rest is manifestation depending on ones desires, thoughts, actions etc.and to what form the energy is directed. 

How do we release the strangle hold that identity has on us?  Here is an exercise that you can do everyday that only takes a minute.  Everything that you look at is in our consciousness mind a label.  When I look at a bottle and someone asks what is it ? I say it is a bottle of course.  But that's not what it is that is what we call it.  It is truly a configuration of units of energy and my label for it is bottle.  When you are at the dinner table and some says pass the water pitcher you then say to yourself (quietly) the item I am passing to Mr.so and so is a configuration of units of energy and my label for it is 'water pitcher'.  By doing this repeatedly the psyche begins to release it's hold on labels and gives the mind a chance to reflect on the reality of the energy involved even though it can not register the fast movements of light generated.  Remember this is a private matter and you don't want to broadcast at the dinner table that you are passing a configuration of units of energy and your label for it is water pitcher.  That won't fly with the company you keep.  Just make it a gentle reminder to yourself that you know the images in your mind are only representations of fundamental reality and not the words or labels used to describe it.  This action will go along way towards non identity and allow your world view to change as well as your circumstances. 

The ability to tune to higher frequencies in consciousness ultimately leads to the ability to see "the burning bush" so to speak.  At that state when you look at a tree and are quiet and reflective it is possible to see points of light dancing in and out of existence that form the image that you create in your mind.   When comfortable in this state of development the ho hum work a day world seems pretty one dimensional and you begin to lose interest in many of the people, activities, and interest that were formerly your daily focus.  Now you are on the cusp of seeing the 'truth'.  You remember the old saying that "the truth will set you free".  The truth won't set you free.  The truth is out there and you are not free.  OK first of all we have to get the complete quote.  It says from John8:32 "and ye shall know the truth and the truth will set you free".  The operative word here is KNOW.  Ye shall know the truth . . .  so how do we know the truth?  When you start to tune to the higher frequencies by releasing the identity of this body is me then consciousness is poised for movement.  Practice the exercise mentioned above - it works. 

Post 5 The Ladder of Development

In the last post we spoke about the ladder of development.  The term development is relative to ones state of consciousness.  There really is no development there is just process.  However if you are identified with a particular level of consciousness then development is very real.  So let's get the big picture and then we will drill down to our level. 

In the beginning was the word.  I think you heard that one before.  The word in this context refers to vibrations.  Next comes the three aspects of this process which we may describe as -

1. Fist Aspect - undifferentiated energy
2. 2nd Aspect - Energy differentiated into patterns  [ Electrical and magnetic fields ]
3. 3nd Aspect - Configurations of units of energy  which we label plants, animals etc.

In the 19th Century Helena Blavatsky who was the founder of the Theosophical Society  coined the phrase  "as above so below" to emphasize the repeating nature of forms which the major characteristic is that any part is a replica of the whole.  In the 20th century this was further defined by Benoit Mandelbrot who defined a new geometry called fractals which are often found in crop circles and are called Mandelbrot sets.  The snow flake is another example of a fractal.  Each arm of the snow flake is a replica of the whole flake. 

The most common energy forms in our reality is the spiral.  As we look into space we see spiral galaxies and on earth we see spirals in nature such as sea shells, plants and vines, branches and leaves in trees.  We also notice the spiral as we see water flow down a drain it quickly resorts to a spiral form.  So as we try to get a handle on a picture of our world spirals certainly is a major part of it.  We call this spiraling process  the 'cosmic process'. 

David Wilcox calls these spirals torsion waves in his book The Source Field Investigations which by the way is a great book and can be found at www.divinecosmos.com.

We need to understand this process so that we can make changes that will inure to our benefit.  If we remain unconscious of the process then we make choices based on whimsy and chance which is more like playing Russian roulette. 

So the first step in the practice of the way is the practice of non identity.  This is not easy and takes time but is crucial in ones ongoing.  To start we have to become aware of what we are identified with and of course the answer to this is we are identified with images that appear in our mind as substantive and 'real'.  I put real in single quotes to emphasize that the word real is an undefined term.  It's a fiction.  Real is what we decide it to be not some place that is strictly defined and available to all.  Our language is full of these fictions and occur naturally in our abstracting process.  An example would be the word tree. Tree is a second order abstraction.  The first order being the conversion from a light wave to an electrical signal after it impinges on our skin.  The electrical signal is then processed to an image and if processed in a normally healthy individual presents a well defined image.  We then label this image, in this case tree, for purposes of communication with other individuals of the same species.  We then further abstract to label a large group of trees a forest.  As we go farther and farther into the abstracting the process the farther we get away from the reality.  Forest is a fiction.  What is the reality in forest?  It's tree.  Forest is a self created convenience.  The idea here is to be very conscious of the abstracting process to avoid errors in evaluation.  Alfred Korzybski called it "Consciousness of Abstracting".

 

As mentioned previously the term abstracting or to abstract means to 'draw from'.  Another words we live in a cosmic sea of vibrations but we as humans can't process all of them at the same time so we abstract certain vibrations that are natural to our state of consciousness.  Even these vibrations are moving so fast that we can not register them so we 'sum' them and the result is presented to our mind as a picture.  This process is similar to the movement of a fan with multiple blades.  We can see the individual blade as the fan begins to rotate, but the faster it rotates [ frequency ] the less we are able to differentiate the blades as separate and the rotation speed finally builds to a point that we can no longer register the blades of the fan as separate so our nervous system sums the frequency and presents an image of a flat plate to our minds. 

This action applies to everything in nature.  In the eastern tradition this was referred to as illusion and that we live in a world of illusion.  The translation from the original Sanskrit word to the English word illusion sometimes gives the wrong impression.  Our world exists 'out there' but not in the way we perceive it.  To say that it is an illusion implies that it doesn't exist at all.  There may be something to that but for our purposes let us say that there are vibrations, we do perceive them [ not all of them ], but the resulting vibrational presentation to the mind is self created. 

J. Krishmurti was a great Indian rishi who lectured quite a bit on college campuses during the 1970's and his tag line was "you are the world" and "you create your own reality".  I'm quite sure that most people in the audience really didn't get it but all clapped and agreed.  The fact is that he was correct and before this post gets too long we'll pick up the practice of non identity in the next post.