Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Esoterica....


Thanks to dial-up, I'm back sooner than I'd expected. This is one of those cases where friends can really help each other. (I am on a friend's dial-up account.... long enough to get this posted.)

I was blog-surfing before Comcast put a halt to that last night. This post really got me thinking.

It's not too often any of us sit down and define our perceptions of God. The times I've tried this before, it got so lost in the if/then/else analytical mire that it never came out quite right.

This is a bit like that, too ... but a few thoughts as I wrote them down last night.

I believe God is the collective consciousness, both physical and metaphysical. I don't believe God is a separate entity.

Our universe is very organized. Nothing is wasted. Since everything in nature recycles, it only makes sense that souls would recycle as well. I believe we live multiple lives. I don't believe in trans-species reincarnation.

The nature of the life we live each time is based on our energetic footprints from the life before. In other words, I don't believe a murderer will necessarily be murdered in his or her next life. Karma is not that direct. It is really a manifestation of our energetic footprint. The life will be consistent with that energy. If we're angry, we will experience anger directed toward us. If we are mean-spirited and jealous, we will experience that. The circumstances are variable. I don't believe earthly circumstances (such as socioeconomic status) determines that we lived superior lives before. I don't believe it is a punishment/reward system. It depends on the understandings and lessons we must learn to quit cycling.

At some point in our lives, we choose a set of myths that communicate universal truths to us. At the root, most myths are similar. Joseph Campbell does a good job of showing the similarities. My Thai spirituality is really not so different than Middle Eastern spirituality when it comes to the ethics and morals, even while there may be plenty of legalistic or theological differences.

I don't believe physical things can protect us. Holy water, medallions, amulets, pictures, pieces of cloth and so on are not necessary to be protected by Source. Communication with Source and alignment with Source does not cost anything. We don't have to join clubs or pay tithing to a church. Universal Truth is and should be free.

I believe souls can become disconnected from Source. That accounts for most paranormal activity, such as ghosts and poltergeists. That would explain the experience I had shortly after my father died when I woke in the middle of the night to hear moaning. Sometimes people don't realize they are dead.

I don't believe we will see familiar people in the afterlife, even though we may have to live multiple lives with the same souls in different manifestations.

I believe the spirit world has all types of beings, at all different levels of evolution, just like here.

Life goes on, regardless of us. I don't believe we can manipulate or orchestrate events in the spirit worlds. I believe we can focus our thinking, align with a particular energy ~ but I do not believe there is anything or anyone to "pray to". What I mean by that is that I don't believe there is a cosmic genie out there somewhere who grants our wishes. I believe praying or meditation or simply talking to ourselves will help us reconnect to Source.. the collective consciousness. When we think certain thoughts or take certain actions, we align with the energy force associated with that and it can manifest in results.

Nothing can negate the sense of loss we experience when someone dies or the sense of sadness we feel when something goes wrong. Emotion has nothing to do with spirituality.

This is just the beginning of this exercise, I'm sure.

It would be interesting to read what you think of these things, too. :)


Peace,


~Chani

11 comments:

Snoskred said...

I'm really not sure what I think about these things. It's an area I'm not too comfortable with in my life at this stage. I believe in Karma. As for a God or anything like that, I'm just not sure.

But re physical things protecting us, I do believe my quilt is like an armor, and therefore won't sleep without it no matter how hot it gets, is that crazy?

Tabba said...

Oh, Chani....there is so much to digest here.
But I have to say that much of what you say here I agree with.

I'm not that comfortable with the whole God/Bible/blind faith thing.

But that's such a quick statement. Let me gather my thoughts a bit & I'll be back ;)

S said...

I believe God is the collective consciousness, both physical and metaphysical. I don't believe God is a separate entity.

I more or less agree with this, though I think "collective consciousness" needs a bit of unpacking.

How would you define collective consciousness, Chani?

thailandchani said...

SM, I love that term "unpacking". I am going to steal it. :)

The answer to your question, as close as I can come at this point, would be "all that is". It is the collective consciousness of all consciousness in the universe. People, animals, plants ~ everything that is living.

~*

Tabba, I am not comfortable with the Abrahamic religions at all. There are some very essential truths in it.. but I can't buy the system of rewards and punishments and the ego-centered nature of much of it.

Yet at the same time, many Christians I know are some of the most gentle, caring, compassionate people I've ever known in my life.

~*

Snos, I think we all have comfort items. I wear a locket all the time with a small amount of Thai soil. Someone would have to kill me to get it off my neck.

It's not that it inherently holds any power beyond the significance I have assigned to it. In many ways, it represents the soil of my chosen homeland. That's powerful stuff. :)

~*

Peace,

~Chani

Christine said...

Well, when it comes right down to it I have no idea about any of this. I actually feel that right now I am in the middle of figuring some of it out, of understanding or discovering my spirituality. For the most part I suppose I am a deist, but i love the idea you put forth about God being all consciousness. All i know is this has really got me thinking. And that is usually a good thing.
;-p

Anonymous said...

Hmm. (And I haven't even read your HDH post yet :) )

This is an interesting post, and an expansion on some of the other things you've written about reincarnation.

Every point I started to make is actually touched upon in this (relatively, for the subject) short post.

I'd like to read more about the essence of the Source.

QT said...

Chani - I share many of these concepts with you - I think it is my greek philosophy coming back to me.

I have a more defined vision of "source" than you do, but for the most part, we are on the same page.

Lex said...

My first words were going to be "Oh, Chani", and I see someone else had the same idea...

I am on a journey away from organized religion, trying to answer the very question you tackle here...what DO I believe? One thing I know for sure is that there is no one, singular keeper of truth. I will continue to explore what others believe until I come to some certainty of my own. I'm thrilled to have read your thoughts.

LittlePea said...

Definitely gave me a lot to think about with this one. I nodded at a lot of the things you wrote here. I was raised with such a strict religious upbringing that I always questioned. I feel like I've had religion and the beliefs of others crammed down my throat for so long that I cringe at the very thought of belonging to any form of religious institution. But there's a longing to be a part of a real 'spiritual community'. And that is something hard to find since I don't know what to believe anymore. I do believe in 'something' though, I've just thrown all the rules out the window.

thailandchani said...

Christine, I started in the same place. For some reason, I wasn't really happy with the belief system I'd grown up with. It felt hollow and some of the things within it just didn't resonate with me at all.

I began this search by reading Joseph Campbell. The study of myth and cultural development has always fascinated me.

Choosing our own myths has always been important ~ because for all we know, it's all myth. But somehow we can pull a bunch of principles and customs to guide us and the world feels a little safer.

~*

De, the essence of Source, for me, is everything. It doesn't have dualistic concepts like "positive" and "negative". "God/Devil" doesn't make sense, that they are separate entities in competition for souls. I believe Source is collected energy. Coming from the basic presumption that people are inherently good, animals are inherently good, plants are inherently good, that means the majority of the energy in Source would be "good" energy. Kind and compassionate.. but very objective.

At the same time, Source can be angry. Source can be destructive.

What matters is what we call from it.

~*

QT, what is your definition of Source? :)

~*

Lex, I found it helpful to just sit down and start writing. Start each sentence with "I believe...". See where it goes.

~*

MsPea, I feel the same way. If someone needs to cram a belief down my throat, I automatically question their agenda. Why are they so invested in me accepting their beliefs? What will they gain from it?

I'm cynical.. and often suspicious... about those who proselytize.

~*

Peace,


~chani

QT said...

Chani -I would say my definition of Source loosely follows Plato's forms. I think our soul recognizes eternal and unchanging things - things like equality and truth. Our physical body just serves as a distraction from the higher exercises of the soul.

Are you familiar with Plato's Republic and the allegory of the cave?