Being and Nothingness pt.2

July 28, 2014July 28, 2014 / mobius faith

In the previous post I started writing about the connection between spiritual life and physical life. I hope to expand on that today. I wonder when the spirit enters a physical body if it (the spirit) is asleep and its function is to awaken at some time during that physical existence. Following that I wonder if our human existence provides various catalysts for the great awakening. That catalyst could be spiritual or physical struggle. I also wonder if anyone can truly point to a specific time or event for their spiritual awakening. It could be that we really don’t know but there are many epiphanies along the way and one of those epiphanies may actually be the awakening itself.

My question this morning – What made Jesus so successful? I’m NOT talking popularity/celebrity which is how we have come to define success since the dawn of the 20th century. I mean successful in terms of how he was able to accomplish the “miracles” that he did. Was it because he was the son of God? I don’t think that’s it; because we are all sons and daughters of God. Every single one of us, you, me, the greatest saint to the vilest criminal had our spiritual origins in God. Even the ultimate Adversary (Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, Big D – whatever you name him) had his origins in God. God Created him. We are all spiritual beings that come from God. So if all our origins are in God what made Jesus different?

I think it was because he came to spiritual maturation much sooner and he was able to give people the revelation that they were spiritual beings, providing the catalyst so they could have their own spiritual awakening. The people who were the recipients of these miracle’s were bound/limited by either bodily deformity and suffering or spiritual deformity and suffering. And with this spiritual awakening the things that bound and limited them in this physical existence ceased to do so – ceased to bind and limit them. I do have a special reason for saying this.

Most people calls these miracles because there is no “natural” or scientific explanation – like why a persons blood would change from one type to another, or why a new limb would be generated. I would argue that most people today don’t believe in true miracles. Miracles have become events like weeping statues, mold on a slice of bread in the shape of Jesus, etc. Or people call things miracles that are not miracles, as a way of describing things they consider unlikely but are totally within the realm of purely human endeavor – i.e. “It was a miracle that I got that job.” or “It was a miracle that the doctor was able to determine my disease”. But these are NOT miracles. Because people have deconstructed and diminished their understanding of miracle, they do not believe in true miracles and, therefore, do not receive miracles like Jesus performed. I have news for you. Those miracles are still available to YOU and me today. I’ve been fortunate to have received a few miracles of healing where no doctor was involved. I’ve also been fortunate to receive other miracles in the material realm for which there is NO logical scientific explanation.

Now, back to Jesus. Jesus had two responses for people depending on if they suffered spiritually or physically.

SPIRITUAL HEALING –
If there was a spiritual problem (demons, evil spirits, etc) Jesus would “cast out” the demon or evil spirit. What is the nature of demons or evil spirits. Based on what I wrote yesterday, about the cycle of being and the carnival of life, I think that what happens is that these “demons” or “evil spirits” are spiritual beings that are trying to take a short cut to spiritual maturity by hijacking another spirits physical existence. These demons or evil spirits are trying to get around the majority of bodily experience by dumping themselves into a physical body that is already well on the way to spiritual awakening or has already experienced a spiritual awakening and thereby skipping over the majority of human experience to spiritual maturity. When this happens the original or “birth” spirit is beaten down and in battle for the body with the new entity. By “casting out” the evil spirits Jesus made it possible for the original “birth” spirit to defeat its adversary and get self-control over its original human experience.

PHYSICAL HEALING –
When someone is suffering physically whether blindness, pain or crippled this may be due to either the fragility and sensitivity of the human body or a result of harm intentional and accidental, from others. I always found it interesting how often Jesus would tell people, “Your faith has healed you.” He didn’t take credit for himself or God but gave the victory and the credit to those who were healed. Is it possible that he didn’t heal but made it possible for people to heal themselves through their faith/belief? How is this possible? I wonder if these people who suffered from physical ailments had their spiritual awakening and it could even be that these ailments helped bring about this awakening. When they realized and saw themselves as spirit beings in a physical body they could then understand this was just a temporary situation and part of the journey to spiritual maturity. With this revelation the physical pain, illness, deformity ceased to have any power over them. They were able to “move the mountain” or even better the mountain within dissolved entirely.

Again you can receive miracles your self. When one views life where the human experience is merely a filter or step to spiritual maturity there is no such thing as a “bad” thing. IN fact there is a common teaching in the true Christianity that says we can take joy/be content/celebrate in our sufferings, trial and tribulations. (James 1:2-4, 2 Corinthians 12:10) Why? Because this is all part of our spiritual growth. It’s about awakening to the spiritual connection. The mystery. The divine connection to the Source. The Source from which we come and to where we will return.

Enjoy this classic gospel song written by Andre Crouch.

Being and Nothingness Pt 1

July 27, 2014 / mobius faith

So good morning my friends.
I woke up this morning thinking about the connection between being and nothingness as part of the life cycle (although those words to describe just came to me as I’m typing here). Most people are afraid of nothingness but let’s call it spiritual existence for the time being. I think we come from God and return to God. Our very being is rooted in God or whatever name you give God. I use God here because it is the one name for the ultimate being that most people I know use.

I had an image rattling around my brain which I created this morning.

I’m thinking about spiritual existence as a primary existence and that it needs the physical experience for it’s development which is why we are born physically. This could also explain why God came to earth as a man [Jesus] – aside from the evangelical understanding of the word “salvation”. I was also thinking how we begin aging the moment we are physically born. Aging is not something that happens when we turn 40. And the reason for this aging is that the physical experience from a spiritual perspective was never meant to be permanent or finite experience but just a transition being part of a spiritual beings maturity. I wonder if this misunderstanding of the “place” of our physical existence is responsible for why people make the judgements they do and take respective actions. For example. If we view our physical existence as separate from spiritual – the physical experience is all there is; therefore aging is a bad thing fraught with disease, weakness and terrors. In that case the only response would be to try and avoid aging by whatever means possible (medication,surgeries, fashion, youthful thinking, etc). I’m reminded of an advertisement for a “beauty” product where the main character says, “I don’t intend to grow old gracefully, I’m going to fight it every step of the way.” That just seems absurd, ridiculous and ultimately harmful.

For spirits that wish to mature, they must undergo the physical experience – it is not a choice. I also think Freewill develops before a physical birth happens and therefore not all spirits experience a physical birth and never mature. The physical experience is like going through a gate at a carnival. And we choose how we experience the carnival of life. Either it is a joyride and fun house or it is a house of horrors and freak show. Unfortunately, I think the latter has become the common viewpoint. The other thing I’ve begun to think about is that the human experience is the catalyst for how the spirit/soul will mature and live it’s remaining existence. In other words, If you choose to see yourself as a victim and allow your thinking to see all of lives experiences from a negative point of view that is how you will spend eternity. Now I’m not just saying everybody be happy. Let’s face it – SHIT HAPPENS!!!!! And sometimes it happens more to some than others. There’s no rhyme or logic it just IS/DOES. As a result there are times when we will be pissed off, angry, curse, hurt, suffer or inflict these on others as a reaction. But it’s this lifetime when we have the opportunity change our viewpoint and change our thinking and ultimately our actions before we leave this carnival and go back to a solely spiritual reality. We need to understand that about ourselves and also others when they lash out at us.

We are first created spirit, become physical beings and then return to spirit. After we are physically born we develop, mature and age in human terms. And it is during this process that we can have a spiritual awakening where we understand our human existence as part of a greater experience. I wonder if this is the primary role of parenting; to assist/train the child for a spiritual awakening.

All religions (including Christianity) are started by two kinds of people. First, those who had an awakening experience and secondly, those who seek control of the human experience. The problem is that these religious people stop maturing and become spiritually stillborn. They create a dualistic system of belief that forces people to choose the founders experience instead of letting them be free to have their own experience. Because a dualistic system of belief says either/or when it creates a set of rules, guidelines, regulations and then says, “This is what you need to believe, and this is the type of experience you need to have.” “This is what your spiritual experience should look like.”

Are there people who have never been awakened? I think there are. The sleepers are those who become so preoccupied by the material, physical, human experience and have chosen to shutout all other experience. Many of these people are very religious and some even participate in religion. They are religious in their devotion to partisan human experience instead of pursing and engaging in nonpartisan life experience (human AND spiritual).

Jesus is quoted in Matthew 12:31-32 where he talked about being a divided being. The Pharisees (a Jewish sect) had just accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub (or the Devil/Satan – for modern readers). Jesus said that nothing can survive (i.e. “stand”) that kind of division and is ultimately defeated. He also said that people who make such a dualistic distinction are actually either choosing humanity over the spirit, denying the spirit, or choosing the spirit and denying humanity. And he referred to that division as blasphemy against the spirit – the one sin that is unforgivable. So here we have the strongest case for our human AND spiritual existence being connected.

So in conclusion, here are some questions to ponder:

– Where do I stand?
– What do I believe?
– Do I view life as a house-of-horrors or joyride?
– Do I focus on horrors and in my ineptitude inflict horrors on others? (the news media has mastered this)
– Do I nurture and raise my children to become spiritually awakened to see the connection – between “real” life and spiritual life?
– How do my beliefs affect my life?
– Am I denying the Spirit in some way, either through unbelief or in my daily practice?
– What am I doing to mature spiritually for when I leave this carnival of life?

Blessed Are The Disillusioned!

July 19, 2014 / mobius faith

So I was reading my Bible – sheesh when will it end….. hahaha.
Matthew 26:31 “Then Jesus is saying to them, ‘All of you shall be snared in me in this night, for it is written,….” (Concordant literal translation from the Greek)

This is what Jesus told his closest followers. Of course Peter denies it and claims to be an exception and we all know how that turned out. With a literal reading there is only one type of understanding to this verse. But what if we look at it differently? The Greek use of the word “snare” here means to trip and fall. So why would Jesus tell his closest followers that they would ALL trip and fall because of him? Another way of putting it could be that they would all be disillusioned after what happens to his physical existence. And yes, he did say ALL which suggests that all who want growth to move forward must become disillusioned at some point.

Beyond a literal understanding of what happens:
What is he talking about? I wonder if he’s talking about spiritual growth because if we look at what happens after they all are snared/trip and fall we learn in the book of Acts about the metaphysical manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that being disillusioned (tripping and falling) is a necessary part of spiritual growth? …to move beyond our “normal” relationship with the an understanding of God based on our physical existence into a mystical relationship with God that connects the physical with the spiritual?

Disillusionment as part of spiritual growth? And if that’s the case, could it be that those who refuse to allow themselves, or deny, disillusionment are the ones who wish to “stay asleep” in their own comfortable stagnate understanding? Could it be that, like Peter, they try to deny disillusionment but, unlike Peter, when it happens they instead prefer to maintain the illusion and call that illusion faith?

It is interesting that Jesus approaches disillusionment as a fact-of-life and does not deride, curse, punish those who are disillusioned. And could it be that is because he knows that it is a necessary step to greater understanding and relationship with God?

Disillusionment may be the very thing that wakes us up! Blessed be the disillusioned. There is no worry about gnosticism heresy because this disillusionment connects the physical/material with the spiritual. The true gnostic heresy would deny one or the other in the same way that some people insist on a literal reading of the Bible.

So disillusionment is necessary for individual growth in that same way that falling is necessary for walking and moving forward; as Laurie Anderson describes.

With that understanding this song takes on new meaning.

So for all of you who may be disillusioned with the Christian religion and have been accused of “backsliding”, being atheist, agnostic or otherwise. Good news – you are blessed!!!! You are blessed because you have moved beyond the mere religion of men. 🙂

“The search for truth takes you where the evidence leads you, even if, at first, you don’t want to go there.”
~ Bart D. Ehrman, Forged: Writing in the Name of God

“Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible

“Never shy away from opportunity and wholehearted living. Never be fearful of putting yourself out there. The courageous may encounter many disappointments, experience profound disillusionment, gather many wounds; but cherish your scars for they are the proud emblems of a truly phenomenal life. The fearful, cautious, cynical and self-repressed do not live at all. And that is simply no way to be in this world.”
― Anthon St. Maarten

So where do all these ideas from this blog come from? They come from my unique relationship to the Creator that is best described in this song.