Any questions? (Jesus, ritual, moral, Earth, Sodom)

[Storm]

I figure I've been around long enough to leave some people confused or curious about my beliefs. So, if you have any questions about my theology, this is the place to ask.

I'll start by posting some of my terminology:

Rhys:
Rhymes with hiss when whispered. Plural, rhys. If you can say it loudly, you're saying it wrong.
1)The divine consciousness
2)The divine seed of mortal consciousness, not seeming (my rhys; our rhys)

Seeming:
Life is a spectrum, the infinitely complex interaction of rhys and divine matter. The seeming is that interaction, the incarnation.

This is vastly oversimplified, but it might help: matter -> biochemistry -> cells -> organs -> brain -> psyche -> spirit -> rhys. It can also be described as a wheel, with the One joining matter and rhys.

Everything from biochemical processes to spirit is the seeming, and ultimately mortal. Only matter and rhys continue after death.

Spirit vs. psyche:
The psyche is intimately connected to the brain. Our emotions, memories, speech patterns, and unconscious habits. It's only slightly less biological than spiritual. Drugs can affect it, as can injury. Likewise, it can affect the body: emotional trauma translating as physical symptoms, or the placebo effect.

The spirit, however, is something else. Our ideals, reason, willpower, personality traits. You can't give someone a pill to make them a Democrat, or change their sexual orientation. The spirit is still part of the seeming, and therefore mortal and connected to biology, but much less so than the psyche.

Universe, cosmos, and roth:
The cosmos is the simplest: the physical reality explored by modern science. Cosmos is what an atheist would consider to be the universe.
Roth (short O.) is the true reality of God. The 3 elements of roth are arn, rhys, and divine matter. Roth, to my estimation, includes many things that are commonly considered 'supernatural,' but these are simply things we do not yet understand.
The universe is everything. It is entirely possible that the One is one of many. If that is the case, the other divine beings have/ are their own roths, which are part of the universe.

The One:
God. The divine being which is the roth. Not necessarily unique in the universe. Literally immature. The purpose of life is for rhys to gain wisdom through experience.

The Becoming:
Existence (as we know it) as the process of the divine being approaching maturity.

Arn (ahrn):
The life force. Chi, magick, the element which binds rhys to matter to create life. Arn supersaturates the roth, and I believe it's intimately linked to electromagnetism. Sadly, I lack the scientific acumen to pursue that hypothesis.

Kaleria (kah-LEE-ree-ah):
A moment of overwhelming awe and wonder at the glory of life. You can find it in a sunset, a child, atrocity, compassion. To me, the definition of enlightenment is to attain a state of constant kaleria.

The bright shadow:
The awareness of divinity and the interconnectedness of all things, also the state of kaleria. Used as a blessing: May you walk in bright shadow.

Elders:
Those individual rhys who have fully Become. Guides and teachers for their younger siblings (us). Somewhat akin to the bodhisattvas of some Buddhist sects.

Avatars/Elders incarnate:
Elders can incarnate to teach important lessons directly; these incarnations are Avatars. Avatar refers specifically to the mortal vessel, whereas Elder incarnate refers to the rhys. The hallmark of Avatars is that their lives illustrate the message they taught. This isn't a definitive trait, but it is a very reliable clue. Examples of Avatars include the Buddha, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Hitler (not all lessons are pleasant), and Jonathan Larson (the author of the musical RENT).

I believe that Jesus was also an Avatar, and Judas as well that they were working together. For this reason, I sometimes refer to Judas Christ.

Sidhe (shee)/Others:
Beings that we don't understand. Earth spirits, angels, demons... I believe they exist, because the diversity of life seems to demand it.

Put it this way: I believe that there is advanced alien life 'somewhere out there, ' because the idea of humanity being the only intelligent species in the cosmos is ridiculous to me. The cosmos is just too big. Likewise, I don't think that biological life is the only form of life, because the roth is even bigger.

That doesn't mean that I believe aliens are sodomizing our cattle, or that your average medium or TV psychic is anything but a charlatan.

But I do believe that the sidhe exist, and share our planet. Most likely some of them have interacted with humans from time to time, and may even have inspired some of the deities of ancient days.


World Mother:
The sidhe-deity whose body is our planet. Highly revered, but not worshiped. Referred to in the feminine only as a nod to my neopagan background.


Os (OHSS):
There is no duality of morality. No Good, no Evil - there is only God.
However, anyone who isn't completely naive knows that there are things in this world for which no other word but 'evil.' Genocide, child abuse, torture, terrorism.... so much atrocity. These things are os.

Droichan (droy-KHAHN):
Os seemings. Serial killers, despotic dictators, Osama bin Laden.... droichan.

Droichan, however, are NOT to be regarded as damned, or despised on a spiritual level. They are not even 'unenlightened.' To be droichan is the most difficult stage of the Becoming, one we will all go through sooner or later: the true understanding of os.

They are a crucial part of life. They give us something to struggle against and become strong. Something to horrify us, that we seek a better way. They are the goad to evolution, and the bringers of balance.

Revile and denounce their actions, stop them if you can, but remember that they are necessary, and respect them as such. Hate the seeming, but pity the rhys, and remember that you, too must face this lesson eventually.

[Random]

Hurrmm...

Brave of you to post this. I would not post details about my own religion, Dolorosa, as I am wary of plaigarism and do not believe anyone here would pay attention, in any case.

I applaud you.

Now, these terms you've decided upon, "Rhys" is Rosicrucian (whether you know it or not) and means pretty much the same thing as Consciousness seed in fact, being a relative of divine Nous or mind and in their estimation correctly pronounced "Reece" as in the blood type, Rhesus Negative. "Arn" is new, and aptly described. "Sidhe" is Celtic in origin from myth and Elders/Avatars are Hindu/Aryan derivative conceptually. The other terms like "Os" seem new.

Good.

Now to my question: Panentheism, which is affirmed in my own cult, posits a Supreme Being and/or State of Being that is both personal (an entity, the Uncreate) and impersonal (pantheistically, the Universe or the Created), thus being both within and without Creation simultaneously.

This being so, you assert that there is no Good and Evil, only God: yet whilst this nonduality is essentially true on the level of the Real (meaning the Eternal/Spiritual), it is patently not true in the realm of duality we exist in, the Transient/Temporal --- so...

What, in your faith, does knowlege of Good and Evil mean and how can we decide one over the other without affirming freewill over determinism?

[Storm]

Originally Posted by Random

Brave of you to post this. I would not post details about my own religion, Dolorosa, as I am wary of plaigarism and do not believe anyone here would pay attention, in any case.

I applaud you.

Thank you

Now, these terms you've decided upon, "Rhys" is Rosicrucian (whether you know it or not) and means pretty much the same thing as Consciousness seed in fact, being a relative of divine Nous or mind and in their estimation correctly pronounced "Reece" as in the blood type, Rhesus Negative. "Arn" is new, and aptly described. "Sidhe" is Celtic in origin from myth and Elders/Avatars are Hindu/Aryan derivative conceptually. The other terms like "Os" seem new.

I didn't know about rhys. Did know about sidhe. My terminology is partly original, and partly adopted from all over the place.

I'm not really conversant on Hinduism, but I freely admit that the Buddhist concept of bodhisattvas was a strong influence. Do they incarnate, though? And would they consider Hitler one?

Now to my question: Panentheism, which is affirmed in my own cult, posits a Supreme Being and/or State of Being that is both personal (an entity, the Uncreate) and impersonal (pantheistically, the Universe or the Created), thus being both within and without Creation simultaneously.

I make no pretense of being representative of panentheism, and this statement is not representative of me.

This being so, you assert that there is no Good and Evil, only God: yet whilst this nonduality is essentially true on the level of the Real (meaning the Eternal/Spiritual), it is patently not true in the realm of duality we exist in, the Transient/Temporal --- so...

I see no such distinction.

What, in your faith, does knowlege of Good and Evil mean and how can we decide one over the other without affirming freewill over determinism?

I don't think I understand the question. I believe that Good and Evil are illusions, attempts to exalt our limited, relative morality to cosmic significance. As for human morality, I covered that with os and droichan. I have no idea what connection you're trying to draw between that and free will. Restate, please?

[Random]

Originally Posted by Storm

I'm not really conversant on Hinduism, but I freely admit that the Buddhist concept of bodhisattvas was a strong influence. Do they incarnate, though? And would they consider Hitler one?

Krishna has avatars. Bodhisattvas do incarnate to help sentient beings achieve enlightenment, and postpone their bliss to do so. That's where the connexion to Jesus comes in. It is similar to and fits with your Elders/Avatars framework.

Originally Posted by Storm

I make no pretense of being representative of panentheism, and this statement is not representative of me.

Surprising. I thought I gave a pretty standard description of panentheism, doctrinally. If God is not within and without Creation, where does you theology find its substance?

Originally Posted by Storm

I see no such distinction.

No? The necessary distinction between the Real as eternal/spiritual and the surreal, un-real or artificial as transient/temporal is a foundational belief of the enlightened. I thought you might indentify. No problem.

Originally Posted by Storm

I don't think I understand the question. I believe that Good and Evil are illusions, attempts to exalt our limited, relative morality to cosmic significance. As for human morality, I covered that with os and droichan. I have no idea what connection you're trying to draw between that and free will. Restate, please?

I won't restate, but I will simplify: where does Freewill fit in your theological scheme in terms of the choice between good and evil?

[Storm]

Originally Posted by Random

Surprising. I thought I gave a pretty standard description of panentheism, doctrinally. If God is not within and without Creation, where does you theology find its substance?

So you did, but as I pointed out, I am not representative of panentheism and do not pretend to be. I call myself a panentheist because I believe that the physical cosmos is but one aspect of God, as described earlier. My theology "finds its substance," if I'm reading you right, in the idea that God encompasses our reality. There is no "Creation," there is the roth.

No? The necessary distinction between the Real as eternal/spiritual and the surreal, un-real or artificial as transient/temporal is a foundational belief of the enlightened. I thought you might indentify. No problem.

Right, I don't see things your way, so I'm unenlightened Please try to keep your pretension in check.

I won't restate, but I will simplify: where does Freewill fit in your theological scheme in terms of the choice between good and evil?

There is no Good/ Evil, therefore the choice does not exist. There is only experience, and eventually we will experience it all.

[Random]

Originally Posted by Storm

So you did, but as I pointed out, I am not representative of panentheism and do not pretend to be. I call myself a panentheist because I believe that the physical cosmos is but one aspect of God, as described earlier. My theology "finds its substance," if I'm reading you right, in the idea that God encompasses our reality. There is no "Creation," there is the roth.

Okay, satisfactory.

Originally Posted by Storm

Right, I don't see things your way, so I'm unenlightened Please try to keep your pretension in check.

You misunderstand. Far from pretension there is the simple and easily realized fact that there are different degrees of both learning and knowing. I tried to help, not to hinder.

Originally Posted by Storm

There is no Good/ Evil, therefore the choice does not exist. There is only experience, and eventually we will experience it all.

Indeed, thank you.

[autonomous1one1]

Greetings Storm. Thank you for sharing your interesting ideas with us. You read my mind for your posts have brought some questions to mind.

You posted "I had an experience that I can only comprehend in terms of God, which left me with a deep-seated need to figure out what God is."

How would you describe your experience in the terms you have defined above?

Do you feel that there are aspects of your beliefs that would be helpful to others?

[Storm]

Originally Posted by autonomous1one1

How would you describe your experience in the terms you have defined above?

Now that, I'm not comfortable posting here, but if you give me a moment, I'll send you a PM.

Do you feel that there are aspects of your beliefs that would be helpful to others?

I don't know, really. Perhaps.

[TheWhiteWizard]

Originally Posted by Storm

There is no Good/ Evil, therefore the choice does not exist. There is only experience, and eventually we will experience it all.

So you are not a dualist? Do you take more of a monistic slant?