soma

Nice, when I was reading your post I could see individuals tuning themselves spiritually similar to tuning a musical instrument that is out of ture. It rings of truth so keep playing.

When we read the Bible with an open mind, we see the ideas are true for all times and for all places, even though these ideas are clothed in modern and ancient terms, use English and other language phrases, and is represented in different cultures. The ideas are universal, when Christ said, "Why has thou forsaken me," this statement represents the tremendous tension in the human mind. It also signifies the dark aspect still present in the lower layers of the mind with doubts just waiting for a chance to jump up. I feel this is the cross Jesus wants us to take up. All these doubts and accounts have to be settled in the mind where they must be relinquished before proceeding into the future beyond the mind. When faced with such disagreement when we take up the cross, I think it is good to look back at former states of mind and see how our life and our attitudes have evolved, arriving at the present realization of God's purpose. This strategy helps one to be sympathetic with one's present situation, the people who oppose it, the natural flow of things, and also to understand and have compassion for those that obstruct these developments. When Jesus was being nailed on the cross he said, "Forgive them for they know not what they are doing." We have so much to learn and so little time.

I think we know it is of the spirit because the highest point of the soul is similar to a mountain peak that has been hidden in the clouds, but when the sun melts the clouds away, the mountaintop receives the full light of the sun. Love is expressed and burns away ignorance and illuminates the mind with unity and the presence of a pure consciousness that comes from Christ. It gives rise to a mind that is capable of seeing a totally new dimension. On the mountain peak of the soul one then can see a new horizon in the clear, upper, rarefied air of the pure consciousness of Christ where one is able to guide the mind’s activities in a new direction that one has never before known. In this way God gives the spiritual mind new instincts to prepare it to move in a new spiritual consciousness. What do you guys think?

I see your point where the body and the soul are one. When I am in body awareness I feel separate, but when I am in soul awareness I feel al----one even if I am alone. In this state I feel one with soul, body, universe. Both the scientist and the theologian have discovered layers, emotions and states in the mind where the functional systems of the body are perceived as substance. Carbon, oxygen and other elements found in the body and brain are also found in the external world so many people become attracted to a material existence and are ruled by a material representation of who they are. I have been in this state where I have been attracted to a sensual material concept of life where I see myself as a body and a mind alone in the world, not as a soul connected to God’s creation where the elements and all living things are an integral part of a whole. It doesn't matter if I go from the outside in or the inside out, we are all connected and we are all one, body and soul. This is what I want to remember, but sometimes body awareness gets in the way.

I hope I don't make things worse, but here goes. When the first vibration occurred, the sound of everything together could be experienced. This one sound of everything vibrating together is the Word. In the beginning of the Gospel of St. John it says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not." The Word is the offspring of God from which everything is born. It is qualified consciousness where pure consciousness takes on more and more vibrations or qualities. When the first vibration is allowed to impose on the pure consciousness, it gets quality and becomes aware of itself. This is where cosmic mind gets the feeling of existence and the universal ‘pure I' feeling is experienced. This ‘pure I' feeling is composed of all the individual ‘pure I' feelings in the universe because they came from the Word. It is the collective ‘pure I' or the feeling of existence because it is in every cell, in every heart and in the subtle as well as the gross forms. Everything is saturated with this feeling of existence, but few are aware of it. The Word is the seed in which all vibrations are contained because it is the source of everything in creation and is spoken in the silence of pure consciousness. It is God the Father revealing himself as the ‘pure I' feeling. From this Word or vibration all things are born and without ‘pure I' feeling nothing can exist without this feeling of existence. Each one of us is also a Word within the One Word. We are children of God and are the sons of God. There is one collective ‘pure I' feeling and there are individual ‘pure I' feelings in each one of us. The collective ‘pure I' feeling is the personal concept of God that we usually call the Father. The ‘individual I' feelings are our own intimate relationship with that Father. This Word within a Word can be referred to as the microcosm within the macrocosm each containing all the qualities of the other. That is why we can say we are made in the image and likeness of God. We being in our egos thinking we are doing everything, I would say we are in the doer I with little awareness of the pure I . Jesus dieing showed us that he was doing, aware and one with the Father. "I and the Father are one" His great act of sacrifice inspirors me to sacrifice my doer I for awareness of the pure I. In doing this I realize that I am a soul with a body and not a doer I with a soul.

Being a fool for God it is very difficult to put His resurrection in a box and give it a number. Christians take different stands on different things and so their Christianity goes on to a deeper and deeper level. Your question must be answered in your soul. Intellectually any answer is only words so follow what the Lord tells you. I support you no matter what number you take and you can go first or sit in the first pew if that makes you feel better.

I find it very conforting to know that the sky is all around us, which seems to be the case rather than just above us which is what we are told. God is infinite, which we would assume is everything; therefore, God is in matter. Universe...........Uni....one.....verse. Physicist say everything is vibrating. The word All vibrations come from one vibration. The word within a word. It that better or worse?

I feel if God is everything. He is abstract pure consciousness and matter concrete consciousness. The pure consciousness behind the scenes is not static, but is constantly being manifest in a series of steps. These emanations lead away from its center to the outer extremes where matter is manifest. Even though pure consciousness is invisible it is still the world of cause. The created universe as projected in the physical world is the visible world of effect where matter is at the lowest point of this manifestation, but it is still the result of pure consciousness.

The scientist thinks about a problem and concentrates to solve it. He looks at the outward signs and says he has solved the problem and has done a great or good thing. The inward significance is that the concentration has opened his mind to a greater field of receptivity. In his contemplation he has complete reliance upon natural law, an unqualified trust in it, and this directs his mind to other channels that bring everything into focus. This is true prayer. These men have entered the realms of a deeper reality, and we should appreciate their consciousness because they have had experiences that the average man cannot conceive. Even the scientists go behind the material world and stand next to the consciousness that supports our physical existence in theories. We must test all ideas, laws, theories and processes to see if they are the Truth or not, like the scientist we must be on guard against accepting that which is not true. I think some talk about prayer, but don't know deep prayer. The studies of deep prayer, which is contemplation or meditation have shown many positive outcomes, but the shallow prayer for objects has shown no benefit. There is really no need to pray for objects or actions to happen because if we truly have faith, we will know that God provides everything that is needed. To pray for our own benefit is a reaction to our surroundings. What is needed is to arrange our thoughts so we are more perceptive and more in harmony with everything and everyone. At the higher mental levels one is more realistic, more tolerant and more satisfied; therefore, one is more open minded to the pure consciousness that is all pervading. Praying for objects is like asking a millionaire for fifty dollars. It is foolish because he will give only fifty dollars, when he might have intended to give a lot more. If we believe that God knows everything; then God knows what we need better than our own limited minds. If He is all loving, He surely will provide what we need.

Thank you for the post and thread. The Holy week you are talking about I hope turns into a year so we can cultivate what you are proposing. This will take sincere effort and wisdom so we can obtain a higher level of health and intelligence. Those men and women who have the higher vision need to help others and to help themselves by having their reason act by supervising what goes on in the mind with self-examination, prudent decisions and listening submissively to God’s suggestions. Your suggestions are God's, thanks.

Wayfarer2k, You are right on making sense about what is beyond our minds. We are all in the same boat. I look at your avatar, icon or picture and no way could I describe it because it is beyond words. I do like it because it says more than words could express. My mind in the physical world so it thinks of things; therefore, I relate to Jesus as a man. His life and sacrifice motivates me to be better and sacrifice to make the world or life better for all, but I know he is more than a man. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” This is where the formless becomes visible and the pure consciousness of God becomes expressed in the unit consciousness of an individual in the form of Christ consciousness. Excuse me for using Christ consciousness, it is like your icon, I like it because it expresses to me what is beyond words. In Christ consciousness the human ego with which most of us identify is nothing but a tool to do service with on this earthly plane, the external reality. The inward reality is linked with the inward reality of the whole universe. In Christ consciousness there is a place in the mind that merges with the Mind of God and draws strength and inspiration from it. Therefore, Christ said, "I and the Father are one." The words, "I and the Father are one" can be interpreted to mean that I, the individual ego does not exist. The Father is everything so nothing has existence except pure consciousness; God is all there is; and I am a nonentity. Christ consciousness is not identified with the ego; therefore, Christ is the image of the true self that is developed. He is a model for us to imitate, an ideal that exists in our hearts and is a tangential point between the microcosm and the macrocosm. Jesus is pointing to God, the Father so I should not mistake his fingers as the goal and run over his hand, but see Jesus as the way. I like you see God and His creation as one, but I identify more with the creation. Jesus is in creation showing me how God and His creation are united.

Thanks for the links. Kibran says, "Children are the teachers." They are fresh from the other side while adults are more conditioned to earth. Children are growing in every direction Adults stop growing vertically and start growing horizontally

The sacrificial acts experienced in the higher layers of the mind remove the blinders of the ego, so in our own darkness we are able to see the hidden light that is connected to the all pervading light of God. I see Jesus dieing for others as a light that is connected to its source and shows us the way to the everlasting love of pure consciousness. Doesn’t it inspire you to know that God is manifest and un-manifest in pure consciousness here on earth? These sacrificial acts do not happen just once; they are continuous every second of everyday because a sacrifice in the higher layers is not a static acceptance. In a spiritual sense a sacrifice is a dynamic flow that is full of movement from the manifest to the un-manifest. This constant sacrifice flows in the idea of the crucifixtion unseen and quietly, giving momentum to life after life through out time and stretching through out space. I think sacrifice helps us to discard and surrender all the fears we may have so the pure consciousness of Life can be seen working in and through the motives of everything that is approached. If everything is indeed supplied by God, then one does not have to be afraid of anything including poverty or wealth, and then one can live in God drawing upon His perfect peace. I guess I see sacrifice as a positive thing.

I think we have every right to expect our belief and understanding in a new reality to be validated by science and reason. It is not for everyone, but for intellecuals who need some questions answered to acknowledge God’s presence it is not unreasonable. For others the spiritual sense will awaken our original, eternal self to God’s rhythm and the harmony that is operating undisturbed. Turning from material beliefs to spiritual beliefs is hard and there are so many different personalities to change so we have so many different techniques to arrive at the spiritual destination. Some people are artist, some intellectuals, some into service, and some will play the flute tol change the perspective and reveal the ever-present divine Love that is in pure consciousness. I like the Sufi saying trust in God but tie up your camel. Believe in God, but do what it takes to keep that spiritual experience alive.

"I believe that the biggest hindrance to becoming the witness, is our need to always KNOW all the answers." One spiritual aspirant went ot his teacher. I forget which discipline it was in, but he said master how do you know everything. The reply was "I simplify and reduce eveything down to one." It is so easy to see the different things separated from God instead of one ocean of consciousness united in God. Blessings to you. Your post came at the right time.

I like your idea of attention and awareness. If we learn to witness and watch out minds evolve, hopefully we realize we are not what we are watching, but the witness. http://thinkunity.com

It sounds like the Christian evolution is picking up steam and becoming a revolution. Nice to see so many books with new ideas. The enthusiam can be seen in the post in this thread. Our higher self wants the illumination of the fire, but not the consuming flames of the lower mind because it knows the blaze revolutionizes the mind, transforming it from the ego to the soul. In the higher part of the mind we don’t want a small god to whom we can talk casually every once in awhile, but an all encompassing, ever present God that consumes and changes our live totally. Rock on!!!!!!!! http://thinkunity.com

We have human emotions so the supernaturalist is a nice image to have a personal relationship with, we can love and talk to the Father or Jesus, and they listen. The pure consciousness is the all pervading God that unites us in an abstract medium of love so we are all united. It also helps us to space out and cleanse our emotions.

Yes, I believe the reassuring first step to know the science of God is to develop the conscious awareness of His omnipresence, which is ancient and as modern as the space age. Dedication to the recognition of this one God as an art and the unity of all things in His consciousness as a science will eliminate the stress and hustle of modern life, but it needs to be expressed in scientific terms to satisfy the intellect so the silence can be felt. http://thinkunity.com

Yes, I like that too, "Not my will, but Yours" "Let Thy will be done.” When Jesus asked the Father that His will be done, he was asking to be made a channel for His energy that the Father knew best what was good for his life. Ordinary people pray to have their desires gratified, something obtained or something accomplished, but in true love there is no place for I and mine. When the feelings of I and mine disappear from the mind, one is approaching God.

I feel God the Father, the supernaturalist or pure consciousness the panentheist (the same thing just different angles and words to describe) created and supports creation through evolution. There is still oneness in the all-pervading consciousness, but it becomes lost in the individual awareness of the parts in evolution. Jesus says, "I and The Father are one," so after productive experiences in evolution the individual parts again become aware of the affinity of all things in God or pure consciousness. Eventually, the individual again merges in the ocean of pure consciousness to sit at the right hand of The Father in equilibrium. "I and The Father are one." Does this make sense? The different religions or isms would be the different languages that God speaks to bring us back to him, and the different paths are the different ways to experience the pure consciousness that incorporates everything.

"Another thing about Marcus Borg's panENtheism is I don't understand how Marcus can believe God is nurturing supportive loving when God doesn't do anything. Just doesn't make any sense." Marilyn I like mystictrek's explanation. I would say that God the Father or pure consciousness is the all-pervading reality underlying the universe because it has no frequency or wavelength and is beyond space and time. It is un-created so It is the primary cause of the manifested levels of consciousness outside of pure consciousness. Our physical perceptions reveal only a very small part of the universe in which we live, we can't see the primary cause that creates and supports us. Pure consciousness is the highest reality, and material consciousness; the one we perceive with our senses is the lowest. On suffering I would venture to say: It is our life intelligence that guides us through the crises of birth, puberty, marriage, suffering and death; it also leads us to reflect on our inner life and our relationship to every man and woman. The intellect can give us a glimpse of the spiritual life inside ourselves, help us resist the exterior influences that blind us with passion and help us access thoughts about God or pure consciousness that are totally new, unexpected and beyond our own capacity. The effect of these inspirations is to enable the soul to approach God beyond the material realm in pure consciousness where everything is one; therefore, suffering is a tool, a blessing or a tribulation that prods us to question and know our interconnections and the uniting force or primary cause may it be pure consciousness or as I refer God the Father.

I am still a Christian because I can change my life by becoming aware of my unity with an infinite God and the infinite possibilities that await all of us, but first, every new stage in life requires us to part from the previous one. Childhood gives rise to youth as it develops into adulthood. After a temporary stay our minds expand doing away with ignorance in order to approach God where the only medium between our minds and God's pure consciousness is our thoughts. As we bring ourselves to a greater consciousness, positive life affirming beliefs are accepted and negative thoughts and problems disappear as we express more love, peace, joy, wisdom and harmony with everything that flows unceasingly from God, but many hesitate to venture into the unknown. They tend to cling to the familiar in life, even if they are not happy. That is why Jesus preached with parables because pure consciousness is above reason but not against it, if pure consciousness can first be translated into terms that the mind can grasp people will learn to sense what is expressed. Pure consciousness and reason are friends, not enemies so we should be open to new ideas because we can always reject what we consider false and concede to the truth. Christians throw rocks at me and people who hate Christians throw rocks at me so why am I a Christian because the rocks chip away the exterior showing the soul shinning underneath. http://thinkunity.com

Great article. Thanks

I don't know about ego, but I think we worship Him because it is relaxing. If we look at the word disease, it means not at ease, 'dis-ease' or imbalance. Accordingly, the glands that regulate the balance of hormonal secretions are important because they influence the growth, endurance, energy, vitality, longevity and appearance of the body. If the hormonal secretions are balanced the body will have the privilege of a long and happy life, if not it will have many problems with its energy and activity. Our personality and nature are also affected by the problems of glandular imbalance. This balance is not gained by simply being alive nor is it a commodity that can be purchased at a health food store. It is a benefit that is gained from a proper diet as well as a planned and regular exercise program, but also by a higher belief which relaxes, puts at ease, and balances the glands. Mind over matter. So belief in a higher power can work wonders, miracles, and science.