Preface

Due to the nature of the subject matter, I have included this short preface in hopes of achieving as much cohesion as possible within the concepts presented here. After writing the article I came across the gospel of Thomas (Gnostic/Coptic text discovered Nag Hammadi Egypt 1945, purported to be the words of Jesus as recorded by Thomas), which I was already familiar with. I found in the first three sayings of this gospel a set of contextual brackets for the article. The descriptions in these sayings point to a deeper understanding of language, a more complete and comprehensive language whose full breadth ranges from literal to metaphoric. The first two sayings of this gospel are combined at the end of the preface.

The article starts by analyzing key seed phrases from several ancient traditions, then moving to specific aspects from the teachings of three of these traditions; Buddhist, Hermetic/Gnostic/Judaeo-Christian and Shamanic, via Castaneda/Don Juan. It is my hope that through my interpretations of these aspects, along with my own ideas, some of which are meant to reveal the difficulty of written word expressing truth, that they create a synthesis between these aspects with singular and congruent meaning within all three traditions.

Although the subject matter may be regarded as esoteric or arcane, the nature of reality and human existence, I have attempted to use language and definitions in the most common and ordinary way possible. However, some of the paragraphs may seem dense due to unfamiliar terms or concepts. It is my hope that the language used promotes an understanding of what I believe was intended. One of the most important concepts that I would like to express is that in the teachings of many of these ancient traditions, as defined by the language used, both very literal aspects as well as, by necessity, metaphoric aspects are utilized simultaneously within a single concept, and should be thus contemplated and ‘understood’ as such.

‘Whoever finds the meaning of these sayings will not taste death. Let one who seeks not stop seeking until that person finds; and upon finding, the person will be disturbed; and being disturbed, will be astounded; and will reign over the All, and will attain rest.’ (Saying number three is at the end of the article)

The Inquiry:

God is All / All is Mind / Nagual is all that is / God is Spirit / Intent is Spirit 

Brahma is the Absolute / All is Self / God is Truth

God is Love

The above is a short list of definitive maxims or declarations from a variety of ancient traditions. In this article I will start by looking more closely at these maxims and the definitions and descriptions of the key words used within them. I will follow this with my interpretation of how three of the traditions where these phrases originated, describe these maxims. What we will soon notice initially is that if all of these can be true, it would mean that; God, Truth, Love, Spirit, Mind, Self, Nagual and the Absolute must all essentially be the same ‘thing’.

‘There is a transcendental dimension beyond language… it’s just hard as hell to talk about.’-Terrence McKenna

The nature of language seems to always want to name things, or maybe it’s really that ‘human nature’ is lazy, either way, no matter how complex the idea, the easiest way to ‘identify’ an idea is with a name or phrase. Regarding the phrases above, I will be defining the use of the word ‘All’ here with the standard definitions; ‘every, entire, the whole quantity of’, ‘fully, wholly, entirely’, as well as a clarifier ‘everything; whether known, unknown or unknowable, whether past present or future, without the exclusion of anything’.

This then means that every one of the key words in these phrases therefore holds the exact same fully encompassing scope and definitions of ‘All’, as just described, literally. The implications of which, if thought all the way the way through, are mind boggling. We will find that this line of reasoning also reveals that the senses are ultimately shadowy and unreliable.

‘Through one word, or seven words, or three times five, even if you investigate thoroughly myriad forms,

nothing can be depended upon. Night advances, the moon glows and falls into the ocean.

The dragon jewel you have been searching for is everywhere.’

~Dōgen Zenji 1200-1253

Before we continue, I would like point out here that in the next few paragraphs, all clusters of words separated by the slash / symbol are either these key words or words in the definitions or descriptions of these, and are intended to all be synonymous, even though they may appear in different groupings which may give varying connotations. In general, the use of the slash symbol will be for synonyms or words that have congruence with each other.

As we start to look into the definitions of these words, names and descriptions; God/the absolute/Spirit/Self/Infinite/Source/Life etc… we find that they merge almost imperceptibly into each other. Descriptions like; ’unrestricted, free from limitation; complete, perfect or free from imperfection’, ‘that which is unconditional or free from restriction; the non-relative’, ‘eternal, limitless, endless, boundless’, ‘beyond the four propositions’. We also see ‘agency and Intent’, ‘an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms’, ‘the activating or essential principle influencing a person’, ‘divine connection’ and source/soul connection’.

To clarify the scope and implications of this initial inquiry; what we have are these single synonymous key words, and no matter how many definitions, descriptions, connotations or socio-cultural meanings may be implied to them; these key words attempt to essentially describe some singular ’thing’ that constitutes all things, yet is not a ‘real, hold in your hands’ kind of thing at all. And if it is true that this ‘thing’ we are describing constitutes and is the essence of all things, including events and experiences, then this real ‘thing’ may actually be more a kin to, for man, the entire awareness of an experience of being able to hold something in your hand, knowing that ultimately both hand and object, no matter how ‘real’ the experience may feel, are even more non-substantial and transient (secondary and shadowy) than the living/source/Spirit/Self that is primary and what we really are.

I fully understand that these ideas may seem absurd to many, however, mystics from many traditions describe things fairly consistent with these ideas above. I think we will also find that the teachings and practices of the mystics and shaman were developed to calibrate oneself with the living and transient nature of reality in order to experience it more accurately and beneficially. In addition, there are numerous scientific descriptions of ‘reality’ that paint a similar picture.

‘“…there is no exteriorization of nature; everything is the mental, spiritual, and psychic manifestation of All That Is”. The universe is a three-dimensional emotional projection through the senses at 5-8cps. This is the same frequency as the human brain’s theta waves and the base resonant frequency of all worldly phenomena. So that all worldly phenomena is a holographic projection viewed on our visual cortex.’ The Psyche As Interaction: Electromagnetic Patterns of Conscious Energy by Manya J. Long

‘All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force… We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind.

This Mind is the matrix of all matter.’

–Max Planck

If we continue down this path of inquiry a bit further and fully consider the above definitions and contemplate their implications, we then come to the following conclusion. That Source/Spirit/Self, also being complete-Potential/intelligence/intent, has by definition an inherent power/Agency that somehow enables the apparent ‘creation’ of everything that is, from nothing at all.

There may be numerous scientific and metaphysical teachings that try and explain how this could be possible, however the scope of this article will not inquire into the how or why but rather will focus on whether we can affect change in our lives based mainly on the acceptance of the above conclusion and by seeing ‘things’ as they truly are based on this realization, this ‘seeing’ or ‘self-realization’ being the primary goal of these traditions. It is only through proper seeing and realization that one can achieve the most appropriate and universally beneficial actions.

If one moves further along and is able to hold this realization in their life, one will start to get the sense, as the Buddha described, ‘the world is like a dream, a vision’, ‘It’s just a ride’ as Bill Hicks expressed. It is in this ultimate sense that we will see laid out below, that in the external world, no-’thing’ is truly what it seems.

We may in fact find that everything is actually quite different than originally thought, possibly even ‘representing’ something else entirely; as if ‘everything’ is actually some kind of sensually experienced metaphoric content in representation of both conscious and unconscious forces that we are either grasping at or pushing away, all of this played out, based on what we allow, in our own psyche/myth/movie production that is our life experience.

‘You must change the movie!’ says Dr Richard Alan Miller, but in order to do this we may need to get a better idea of who and what we are in relation to this production we are experiencing. Are we in the correct setting and plot? Do we have the right props? Are we even the lead character of our own movie? We may need to consider re-casting if not. Finally, who is the writer, the director? In the end it is we ourselves who must produce the results, the ‘final product’, the producer, the creator!

All that is truly real/primary is without substance and ultimately ethereal, not a thing. All that are things are not truly real/primary but are only appearances, perceptions, shadows. Sounds almost like magic, or a dream, but we’re awake, right?

Whether we attempt to converse by either simply trying to establish what we believe to be objective fact, or express ideas with words in the realm of myth and metaphor, it must be clearly understood we are attempting to use component elements (written language/symbols) of a sliver of a shadowy world to explain or create a portrait of another vastly different all encompassing living world or reality.

‘Words are neither different nor not-different from meaning and that meaning stands in the same relation to words. If meaning is different from words, it will not be made manifest by means of words; but meaning is revealed by words as things are revealed by a lamp’. ‘Words rise with discrimination as their cause. Words, therefore, are produced by causation and are mutually conditioning and shifting and, just like things, are subject to birth and destruction.’ –Buddha/Lankavatara Sutra

Let us move now to another aspect of these names or descriptions. All of the of the traditions where these descriptions of a non-substantial and primary ‘thing’ originated, point to its intelligence and power being incarnate in the human being as the natural state of man/woman, and perfecting this intelligence and power being the path and goal of our incarnation (note, based on our definition, all ‘things’ must essentially be ‘incarnations’ of the All in some way, including Earth, the cosmos and all of its inhabitants). It is consistent then that many of the key words here are synonymous with both the spirit/All and human incarnation, such as Buddha, Christ, Nagual etc… being used to represent both the ultimate principle (un-manifest) as well as the physically incarnate man/woman.

If we were to look at human conception in a different way, we could say that we have one mother ship of software and hardware (the egg, inside its mother earth womb/realm) and a smaller ship carrying the remaining software (the sperm). When the smaller ship properly engages with the larger one it actually merges with it and is absorbed. Like a flash drive downloading data to the ‘mother board’, it essentially turns on an organic ‘machine’, a living being who is also 3-D printer that prints from the inside out, extracting its building materials directly from its environment. It is also simultaneously the software and hardware, both the blueprint and the structure, and ultimately the architect as well. We could argue then that human incarnation is like a physical yet holographic, fractal, electro-magnetic and multidimensional temple, of the all that is, and is built and has its genesis in this manner. We could call this the first temple, from our perspective, the physical. Are there more temples then? Let’s see what we can find out.

‘Your body is the temple of knowledge’. -Egyptian proverb

As we look at the early stages of development with this body/temple, we see that the first stage/organ is the heart, and I will point out what should be obvious here, that the heart is made entirely from its environment, what is called Mother Earth in most ancient traditions. Our hearts then, along with the rest of our body is, in truth, the only piece of mother earth that we are given and entrusted with to care for. In fact one could say we are therefore, in a sense, our own mothers, it is our constitution.

Additionally, ‘heart’ being also an anagram for ‘earth’ is yet another reminder that we should care for our physical selves and all living beings, as if they were our own mother. It is also well known that the heart is not only the strongest organ, significantly more so eclectically and electromagnetically than even the brain, but it also transmits more information to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. This then confirms the old adage to ‘follow your heart’, it is the primary source, distribution center, organizer and director of information sent from the Spirit/the Absolute.

‘Our first leader is our own heart’ – Native American Proverb

‘The universe is composed of an infinite number of energy fields that exist in the universe at large as luminous filaments. Those luminous filaments act on man as an organism. The response of the organism is to turn those energy fields into sensory data. Sensory data is then interpreted, and that interpretation becomes our cognitive system.’ -Don Juan

In many of the ancient traditions, including Judaeo-Christian and Gnostic, there were esoteric aspects which included the idea that there were four living creatures that supported the earth(heart/body)/throne/house/podium (temple) of the Lord/the All. ‘And their wings (each having four) were stretched upward; two wings of every were joined to another, and two covered their bodies’ (Ezekiel 1:10) The creatures positions would form the four corners of a square with one pair of wings each stretched upwardly and connected together at a single mid point above forming a pyramid or in connection forming a square (it is seen pictured both ways). The other pairs of wings then are covering the bodies of each of the four creatures. The symbol of the feather/wings signifies the divine information/thought/code of God/the Spirit.

We see in the symbols of both the square and the pyramid, both made from four, representing a oneness in form, four in one. It also symbolizes that the entirety of form as we know it, that these four different creatures that are the support of the earth/heart are essentially made of the same ‘thing’, information. At the base level however, the four appear separate however they are covered or ‘made of’ the same essence, which is what could be called the coded or ‘spoken’ will/potential/intent of the spirit.

I would contend that these four creatures are representations of the four elements, each only appearing different by the ‘angle’ from which they are viewed or degree they are mixed. All four creatures, being completely constituted and animated by the All, and just like our physical body’s components, are both the form and structure as well as the code/thought/informational architecture of the All. Thus the four elemental creatures, Eagle/Air, Lion/Fire, Ox/Earth and Man/Water are all in essence coded waves of energy, the feathered serpent (King/Priest/God- structure/Blue Print/Architect), the agency and ability to manifest through the intent of the All, and this exists everywhere and at all times.

As above, so below; the blueprint, the structure and the architect are All one. Living waves of energy composed or feathered with the code/thought/intent of the Absolute/God, which we can intuit with and merge with. It also shows that, ‘form’ itself (four-m/square), our entire universe, is really composed of, is an expression of, or even is the actual transcendent being, the self existent One. ‘The dragon jewel you have been searching for is everywhere.’ and it can tell us many secrets.

‘Each one of us has all the wisdom and knowledge we ever need right within us. It is available to us through our intuitive mind, which is our connection with universal intelligence’. -Shakti Gawain

‘We are supreme beings and we have tones and vibrations (coded waves) moving through us and we have the environment to create using these tones and vibrations, this creating is done by knowing our own power’. -Sevan Bomar

I would now like to touch upon, in a very broad sense, the Seven Hermetic principles. The first principle being one of the definitive maxims that this article started with, All is mind. In following along the lines of thought we are on, I will now delineate all seven of these principles into two different groups. The first group containing only that first principle; All is Mind, the un-manifest.

The second group contains the last five and relate to the manifest; vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender. The second principle, Correspondence (not included in either group), is the delineation mark and is in essence an intermediary between the two groups, the one un-manifest and the five manifest, as above so below, revealing relationship and congruence in how they are really in oneness in experience.

© Mike Goehler, Flickr

In my interpretation then, the Absolute/un-manifest/infinite-potential/intelligence/intent/agency, accordingly via the principle of correspondence, expresses itself through the five hermetic principles of manifestation; vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender, establishing a metaphoric correspondence between the individual and the All, based on what is seen and how it is interpreted.

This communication, aided by the myriad of coded waves inherent in the energy fields (feathered serpent) in our realm as well as all the perceptual media of phenomena; which includes cosmic energy waves, the effects of celestial bodies, all thoughts/actions/experiences, everything, even the food we eat and water we drink. All of this contains information that through our own innate ability to discern and organize it, nourishes the individual, building what could be called the second temple, the principle/blueprint, or as is called in Buddhism, the Dharma body or truth body.

In addition to the concept of spirit bodies or transformation bodies, there are many traditions that include ideas such as the attaining of spiritual fat, spiritual clothes or even wedding clothes which signify a type of unity with the All or proper standing with these transcendent principles correspondent to the Absolute.

‘Let the Di-Vision become unitary, and the Earth/Heart can become free. No one else can make this happen. Each of us needs to walk this path alone/all-one. Here is ‘The Principal of Paradox’, paradox is not contradiction, it is complementary.’-Chiron Last

Even science, when describing the non-local/holographic nature of reality says that information can travel (be communicated) between particles faster than the speed of light (Clausen-Freedman experiment). There are numerous scientific experiments that show our understanding of time and space is not absolute, as many would believe or contend. I have experienced enough events, intuitions and synchronicities, in my life that I have no doubt that time and space, as absolute, is ultimately an illusion.

What is of greatest importance to know here is that it is we ourselves who must build our own second temple (template to follow), each one for them self, if it is to be built at all. To metaphorically collect the feathers which inscribe on our essence the wisdom of the ages. Like the first temple, the necessary materials required are extracted directly from ones environment, although it may require great efforts gather some of these.

These feathers are not merely just words, symbols and stories; they are also all of our experiences in life both good and bad. Especially the difficult ones, the tragedy, the pain, strife and even death, these unfortunately are most often where one learns the most difficult truths, which are inscribed deeply into us, being some of the most valuable information we will ever obtain.

In the Buddhist tradition Mind is called Citta, which is also described as heart-mind, ‘Citta is the only thing differentiated from the five khandas’. The five Khandas; form, sensation, perception/memory, mental formations and consciousness; these five, also called heaps or collections and are what are said to constitute and explain the entirety of a living beings complete existence. I will point out here that the original terms associated with the khandas consciousness can be plural and are in relation to the senses and the objects of consciousness.

‘There is no material universe. Matter and motion do not exist. They appear to exist, but that appearance of existence is the great cosmic illusion. Even the senses which tell us that matter exists do not exist’ -Walter and Lao Russell

Citta is also described as ‘the only thing obtained or gathered in the realm of immortality… is unshakable and unbound… the only thing compared to an indestructible diamond…is deemed to be the highest Absolute… the only thing that goes heaven bound to auspiciousness… is a foundation unto itself, is sovereign’ -Buddha (from Pali via Ken Wheeler)

The differentiation then of Citta from the five Khandas; form, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness is based on recognizing that the negative or grasping aspects towards ‘things’ that one experiences, when done with desire and attachment, should be avoided. And that the realization that the external world is only a manifestation of the activities of the All/Mind is to be patiently accepted. It is also taught in the Buddhist tradition that any element of the ‘external’ world seen as it truly is, without false imagination or discrimination and free of desire or attachment is thus seen to have the very same nature of the Citta, liberation itself when this realization is achieved.

‘Noble sons, there is a liberation of Bodhisattva called ‘destructible and indestructible.’ You must train yourselves in this liberation. What is it? ‘Destructible’ refers to compounded things. ‘Indestructible’ refers to the uncompounded. But the Bodhisattva should neither destroy the compounded nor rest in the uncompounded. Not to destroy compounded things consists in not losing the great love’ (towards living beings) ’what is not resting in the uncompounded? The Bodhisattva practices voidness, but he does not realize voidness’ (remain in solitary bliss/Samadhi).

It significant to note here that these past series of quotes are from the Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra, which documents the encounters of a ‘house holder’ named Vimalakirti who is shown to have intelligence, understanding and abilities far above any of the Buddha’s disciples and almost all of the Bodhisattvas, being second only to the Buddha himself, achieving this even while living the mundane ‘household’ or worldly life.

Based on what we have covered so far, I would like to suggest the following thought experiment that I hope may clarify some of the above, especially in regards to false imagination and misapprehension. I would ask that you imagine a gold coin, think of all the things you can know about what it is, what it means to you, to society, its uses, the value it holds etc… everything. Now, as you hold that information there, think of what a gold coin would mean then to the following; a baby, a ten year old, twenty five, fifty and seventy five year old.

Viewed from a baby’s perspective it could almost be certainly said that a ‘gold coin’ has no real existence or value whatsoever. If we then consider the other ages listed, there would be varying degrees of what the idea of a gold coin is and its perceived value. Following this idea, we could then consider its value as held by other cultures and also from diverse areas and time periods.

It can be found that idea of what a ‘gold coin’ is, may not be very different than the baby’s perspective in that it will have very little real significance or any ‘existence’ at all in some groups and cultures, especially the indigenous ones. It should also be safe to say a ‘gold coin’ will lack any inherent ‘existence’ in relation to most any of the other living things or beings on the planet.

Continuing this thought experiment one step further, Let us consider, instead of using ‘gold coin’ as an object in the experiment, we use ‘healthy woman’s breasts’ as the object perceived by the same individuals. We will also include gender in the experiment. If we now imagine the value and meaning perceived by a baby, and then up through the ages by gender and all the other possible perspectives listed above, we see it is much more complex.

What is most interesting is that with ‘gold coin’ we see mainly quantitative variances in value and meaning, whereas when ‘healthy woman’s breasts’ are considered, we find not only wider variances quantitatively in value and meaning, we also find that the qualitative differences are of a completely different kind in regards to value and meaning of this same ‘object’ between different subjects, essentially making the object actually different depending on who perceives it.

If only two common objects can have so great a contrast and difference of perceived value and meaning/reality within such a small group of subjects, it is unimaginable to consider the complexity if everything and everyone is considered. This certainly underscores how difficult a task it really is to observe, know and understand what anything truly is in the deepest sense. It also helps explain how difficult a task it is to communicate anything of real complexity with written word.

TO PART 2