There is a curious thread that I have discovered through many religions and faiths. I will meditate further on certain concepts related to this thread in future blogs. I know that I am not done with this subject but I want this to be the foundational blog where you can trace the idea through the many religions with me.
There are many people who do not believe they are of this World. They look at the suffering, the greed and the wanton destruction of other human beings in horror. They denounce their responsibility and their connection this world in a number of ways. Some believe their souls originate from other universes or dimensions. Some believe our species was created by another species (Annunaki) and that the human body is imperfect (Lloyd Pye gave interesting persuasive lectures on the subject). Others believe because they are born of God (even those who might believe they have extraterrestrial souls would be the same) they are not of this world. Yet, we are here. Why? When I see "N.O.W." representing "Not of this world" on the window of a big raised truck with ultra expensive accessories such as after market wheels, rims, exhausts and other performance parts. I have to smile at the apparent contradiction. Perhaps, that person is merely denying their relationship and renouncing the rest of humanity but he certainly hasn't turned his back on the material aspect of this world. This idea might go back to very ancient times. I'm going to go through all of the different schools of thought and religious ideas that express what I feel is the purpose behind this...the in depth meaning of being Not Of This World. Join me on pulling this very interesting thread... Tribal Traditions of America Sacrifice is a very important part of Native American cultures in both the North and South. The Maya sacrificed people and blood believing that it would appease their God's. In many tribes they offer a different sacrifice. Often, when they are working with the Spirits of the North, South, East and West they offer physical items that are of great value. Tobacco and corn meal are two most common. There is a commonality between tobacco and corn meal. These two items are the result of work in the field. This is often grown by the tribes and required a lot of personal toil. Anyone who has grown a garden knows the time, patience and effort that it requires. In that way it is something that is of a lot of value to the individual being the material product of their effort. Watching each plant wither or grow to abundance is a matter of pride. To offer those to the spirits is to give up one of the most valuable possessions that we are attached to in this world. This shows a great deal of humility and sacrifice of self. This is a show of giving something the individual is very attached to up to The Great Spirit/God. Hindu In the Bhagavadgita, an important Hindu text, attachment is a central theme in the story of a warrior. Here is an excerpt from a really good article on the subject by Jayaram V (http://www.hinduwebsite.com/attachment.asp): "Desire is the cause. Attachment is the result. Once attachment is formed it keeps the desire alive by inflaming it. Thus desire and attachment create a complete circle in which beings become caught and experience a wide range of emotions." (The source of the image of the Ouroboros perhaps?) I recommend reading the entire article but here is one little other excerpt that pertains to this little thread of information I've traced through all religions and practices. "Attachments have great significance in spiritual life. The first few lessons that you will learn in spiritual life is about how you have grown fond of this world, how much the world has grown on you, and how you can cut those bonds so you can feel comfortable with yourself and your aloneness." Judaisim In Judaisim we find that animals and bread (grain) were offered to God in the Temple. Both were offered within the tabernacle. The offering of the lamb, for example, was very important. For most people their livestock were their livelihood. Lambs were not only used for meat but for their wool from which clothes could be made. There are charities today trying to give Goat's to the poor in Africa because that goat with it's milk they can drink and from which they can make cheese can be a life changing difference. Wealthy used to be measured by the amount of live stock a person owned. In Judaisim there were assignments to each type of animal that could be sacrificed based on the Sin that the person wanted to release. Birds were for minor sins...and lambs for major sins. Sins occurred any time the individual broke Sacred Law. Whether that was lusting after someone's wife all the way to murder. To atone for their sin the person in the community would travel to the temple, either bring their own animal or pay the people selling sacrificial animals. They would then take it to the Levites to sacrifice on the Altar within the Temple for them. Their sin was transferred to the animal leaving them pure. Again, we see the individual sacrificing that which they are most attached. Buddhism Here is where I had my aha moment with this thread of information. In Buddhisim there is a clear emphasis on Detachment of the worldly. The belief is that all of the stuff that we are attached to in this world keeps us within Samsara- the cycle of reincarnation. Attachments are the source of all of Addictions. These attachments arise from the sense of groundlessness we have in a perishable experience. To feel solid and real people attach themselves to certain things such as food, drugs, alcohol, social situations, sex, etc. Detaching with the wonder of this world doesn't mean you cannot appreciate it...it just means that you let it go. You realize that it's a temporary moment in the overall experience of your imperishable soul. What causes us to return to the world is our desire for our material attachments. By practicing detachment and not being attached to the material world, eventually, you will not return to Earth. We can appreciate being here, in the moment, appreciating the different activities but we won't have any desire to return to those attachments. Christianity We find a similar idea to detachment in Christianity. Jesus says to his followers in John 17:14-16 "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world." When we look at this it's easy to think this is said because Jesus is from God. Yet, that presents a contradiction. He says that we are all the Sons and Daughters of God. Therefore, all of us are not of this world. When we think of a worldly person what do we think? If you type the phrase Worldly Person into Google this is what you get: 1. Of relating to, or devoted to the material world especially in contrast to spiritual concerns. 2. Experienced in human affairs. This gives us the answer to our question of what Jesus meant. He is saying that he and his followers are not attached to the material world. They are not someone devoted to material affairs. For his day and time this was very different from most people. Most people were concerned with the human idea of worldly success. Even now we have people associating themselves with the idea that, "He with the most toys or fortune is the winner. " Naturally, anyone who was saying different would be seen as an enemy that needed to be blotted out. There are many times when Jesus tells his followers not to be worried about material affairs. In Matthew Jesus tells the disciples not to worry about food because God provides birds with food. He then tells them not to worry about clothes, either, because God provides. Muslims In a recent talk at the Philosophical society Azam Nizamuddin talked about the Jihad- al-Nafs. He explains that in one of Rumi's (a Muslim mystic) books there is a story where the soldiers came back from a battle. He told them, "Now that you are back from the lesser jihad it is time that you focus on the greater jihad." Nizamuddin then explains that 'the greater Jihad' is the battle against 'the self.' The Jihad- al-Nafs is the struggle against the soul. (We see a similar idea in Judaisim with the character of Jacob who struggles against an Angel...and indeed the name Israel means 'he who struggles with God'). Here, in Azam Nizamuddin's presentation is where we find a statement that is very similar to the Buddhist concept of Detachment: "Man has three enemies, the world, the devil, and the soul. Be on guard against he world through renunciation, against the devil by disobeying him, and against he soul by abandoning desire." In light of the Hindu passage above, we know that Desire is what leads to attachment on a Soul Level. The teachings of Islam are in agreement, then, with this idea that in order to Not Be Of This World ending the circle of desire and attachment is a vital spiritual goal. Edgar Cacye Now the next one comes from the Edgar Cayce material. Which has helped me to look at different religions and ideas from a non-dogmatic and unifying perspective. This was never offered in any books I read on the subject but comes from my own interpretation of the readings. First, lets state that if there is an Atlantis it predates all of the religions we currently know. There is a curious bit of information that Edgar Cacye imparted when he was talking about the Atlantian and post Atlantian phase. Many people believe that the end of Pisces is the end of this Atlantian period of human history. The idea, many believe, is that we have been dealing with the fall out from what happened in Atlantis. In the time of Atlantis and immediately after human souls had pushed their way into the material world. A new body, or root race, was born in Atlantis because it was seen as wrong to push themselves into the bodies of plants and animals uninvited. These new forms in Atlantis, however, when the people chose to incarnate into them were flawed. The people, because their soul influenced the process, carried over attributes related to the experiences they had become attached to as animals or floral/fauna. Casey said that people would still have tails or eagle eyes, leaves, flowers or fur. The attachment to the experience of the material world is what had caused the souls to remain on Earth and return. A very complex purification ceremony was developed to help heal these people of what looked like deformities in their new bodies. This was a central part of what Cacye said the Priest Ra-Ta did in Egypt. I include this to argue that the idea of detachment from the material world experience may predate all religions. This universal expression might come from an ancient school of thought that has permeated humanity from the first souls experience in the material world. Nuns/Monks In all faiths you find people who separate them from all others. They live a life of isolation where they have taken vows against having material wealth, sex, and on other subjects. In all ways, they are renouncing their 'worldly' nature. These are usually seen as the most devout and the most seeking of their faiths. Whether it's a Catholic Priest, an Indian Guru or Buddhist Monk the practices are usually the same. Isn't this odd that all of them renounce and remove themselves worldly/material interests? I think the need for detachment from the worldly is plainly a key component in all of the most religious members of every religious and spiritual school of thought. I don't think this is a coincidence. Conclusion This post has weighed heavy on my mind. I have been very excited about writing it for some time. I believe if we start to look for the commonalities between religions...that they might all have their source in the very same story...perhaps this world will be a better place. Source has no attachment to names. Most of humanity is tired of Wars using those names as justification. I will post the story of the soul, as I see it, based on all of the threads that I have pulled through the various religions in my next post. Unlike in this post and the post I will be writing on Snake Symbolism (another uniting symbol/teaching) I will not write that story quoting the different religious and spiritual schools of thought. What I want to emphasize here, in this post, is the idea that souls were seduced into this material reality. They weren't native to it which is why so many might feel they are Not Of This World. Yet, the key teaching in all of the worlds teachings and spiritual teachings it to remove ourselves from this world is to release our attachments that keep us here. That is why when I see some guy in a lifted truck with Not Of This World on his big fat gas guzzling look at me vehicle...I smile and laugh. The teaching is lost when you try to say it only applies to a small group. This teaching of what keeps us tethered to the material world so we do not return to Source is our attachment to the experiences here. We find it in all of the ancient traditions starting with sacrifices of our most valuable worldly possessions to Spirit and God. Then we find it move from a physical offering to a mental lesson and practice...because the physical offering was a misunderstanding of the concept. To me this is one of the most important teachings. To some, it might be confusing. I will go into depth on how I have let go of my attachments in a future post. I just wanted to start off with this foundation concept so I can refer people back to it in future blogs on how I achieved that detachment and how that is purifying. A Note on Comparative Religions When I write pieces like this it often makes me think about the conclusions most people reach after taking a Comparative Religions course. Most reach the conclusion, through that study that religion is all farce. That they are all based on the same worship of the same nature spirits. Why is it that I look at these same religions, see commonalities, and come to a different conclusion? What is different about my thinking? To me, this occurs because the adherents of the Comparative Religions Studies take a pseudo-scientific approach of anthropology. They look at the people who practice these religions but they remain on the outside. They do not dare to think like them...they remain in what they consider a detached bias state. However, by assuming that no religion is the 'right way' they introduce a natural bias against all religious and spiritual practices. They fail to grasp the importance of the core teachings and to see the relevant importance of the commonalities. They become distracted by all of the side teachings that aren't really focused on teaching people how to live happier more fulfilled lives. This is why I come to a different conclusion. I come to each school of thought, try it on like a hat and see the similarities...from that perspective I can penetrate that school of spiritual thinking to the core principals and compare those instead of being side tracked by ritual or dogma.
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Brave Soul! May Your Journey On The Path Of The Seeker Bring You Joy and Peace! I'm currently posting every Saturday. With a new addition the family I have pre-scheduled most posts through December 2022. Full Moon Posts will contain up-to-date content when I can get to them. Thank you so much for your support and understanding! This is a place where you can encounter new spiritual ideas that have helped me develop as an Individual On The Path of the Seeker. Take or Leave this information as you see fit. Archives
April 2024
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