The Serpent’s Back
With gratitude to our ancestors, I feel it necessary to introduce this next topic with the utmost reverence and respect for all teachings found in religious texts throughout the eras of mankind. It is my sincere intent not to prove a point, or play mischievous games, but rather to further a discussion that began long before either of us was born upon Mother Earth. Question everything I say, debate all that is known, because it my sincere hope that all beings discover the truth. Only the truth would not fear investigation, since any questions will lead you closer to its certainty; on the other hand, it is a lie that will do everything it it’s power to avoid being discovered.
As we reflect upon our present position in history, I find it necessary to examine exactly where 2020-2021 has placed us. Some would call this a crossroads, or a turning point; now if only there was a map to explain the route on which humanity has embarked. Ah ha! I have found an ancient map that will prove to be useful!
Considering the circumstances of our global pandemic and other tensions, I find it necessary to highlight specific areas of this map for the purpose of investigating our truth. Here I’ve drawn a red line on the original map as to highlight what I believe our present position in time space, relative to all past, present, and future events that make up historical existence. This red line represents the fluctuation of life on earth, or change over time, which is sometimes up, sometimes down, sometimes light, sometimes dark, and we will call this oscillation the “Serpent’s Back.” This variation of life could be called change, growth, or even aging, but the line is there to represent the process in-between life and death.
Now of course the map is labeled wrong from the very start because I should’ve written, “we are here,” rather than you being there alone.
Also, I’m quite clueless as to where exactly we are located at any given moment since our position seems to be ever changing. This idea of living along the “Serpent’s Back” is how we may view the changes along each day. Life is always changing, and since no moment is ever the same, we are balancing between high and low emotions, just like the ocean’s tide. We are always in flux, spinning on a giant rock in a circular motion through infinite space, halfway between everything above, and halfway between everything else below.
When we think in terms of Religion, we could say that life on Earth is suspended in the middle of it all, right between Heaven and Hell. Personally I don’t agree with the destinations of Heaven and Hell as many churches see it today; these viewpoints describe physical locations, or materialistic expressions, but the two abodes stated above, Heaven and Hell, are both aspects of a place that come after we’re done living when we have no body left; therefore death itself is the detachment from the material world. Upon death, we leave the body, where only our spirit transcends; this is why I cannot support a material, or physical placement. I should add that I am not here to sell you on what comes next, but rather I wish to highlight that the spirit within us is invisible, meaning it cannot be seen by the eye, or sensed in the material plane. Only our spirit passes on after Death, and this spirit (which already exists in every living being, at every moment) will always remain unharmed. Death is a portal, a voyage for the soul, and the idea of Heaven and Hell are merely two perspectives: high and low, or “On” and “Off.”
Now, if Heaven and Hell exist as the Churches teach, then we should choose to view them as states of mind, or vibrations, rather than physical destinations. Whatever you believe, it’s impossible for the mind to comprehend something that cannot be conceived, so how could anyone, including the Church, come to immediate conclusion? They call it a divine mystery for a reason.
Many Religions consider both Heaven and Hell as mythical spaces whereas Heaven is typically a pure space high in the clouds, and Hell could be a fiery abyss where the dammed are tormented and tortured for eternity. This may be useful motivation to create perspective as to why one should live a moral life, but it is harmful when fear used to guide those who sin. Sin is not ideal, it’s when we use our body for selfish actions or desires, and this is when our spirit is missing the mark. The idea of damming someone else for missing the mark is based on the “eye” for an “eye” philosophy leaving the whole world blind. To act as if we are the judges, condemning other people, proves that we are in opposition of what it means to love. If we follow teachings focused on banishing others to eternal damnation, where they are forever tormented for their sins, we are falling into a satanic perspective. By claiming that the sinners should suffer is assuming we know more than God, and this is the opposite of God’s Love and grace. By believing that the “bad” among us should be dammed is hellish in itself. Here it would be wise to wish for purification and cleansing for any of those who may fall into the depths of sin. By believing in Jesus’ path and God’s forgiveness, we should seek compassion for all beings, not damming those who have fallen off the path. In order to exist in the state of Heaven, then we should release the judgment of others.
Ask yourself what would Jesus do? Jesus would’ve offered help to anyone in need so that they too could find God’s love and grace. And even if the idea of damnation exists, it is not up to us to create the consequences for wrongful actions. Again, we should remember how God represents pure love, pure kindness, and compassion for all sentient beings. So rather than get stuck on Heaven being a pure place, and supporting Hell as a torture pit, I would like to gently explore that these are two halves of existence have been misrepresented. There is the all that is above, or all that light, (this is the highest and holiest sense, when our spirit is ignited with love, and we are “on”) and then there is all that is below, or all that is dark (this is the bottom state, or “off”). These two equal and opposite aspects are interconnected by some sort of inverse relationship, and yet both are required for the other to exist. Neither is right or wrong; they simply are required to make up the totality of all that is. The Serpent’s Back is where both light and darkness meet: it is the middle space and we call this Life on Earth.
Again, I’m open to the idea of Heaven and Hell existing after death, but judgment is not something that you or I have the right to speak for; it is God’s will above all. Many prophets, martyrs, and saints have died to share God’s truth, but all that can be known about life after death is how it is a personal journey. No one can die for you; death is an individual experience, and the process of dying is when the soul inside of you detaches from the physical body.
Some people believe that Death is the very end, when it all goes black. Maybe, maybe not. Regardless, death is the moment we lose everything material we’ve ever had. Let’s consider how Life itself begins with nothing material, and so at death we leave with nothing material as well. The point of map above is to highlight that the journey never ends. You could be “off” forever, never touching God’s love and grace, or you could take a path to find God through life on Earth.
Life itself is a journey, a series of high and low moments, and the only thing all of us have in common is that we are destined to leave our bodies behind. This is the meaning of the Serpent’s Back, and all these feelings, experiences, memories, thoughts, and interactions through life are the gifts of this present moment. We mustn’t view the process dying as something where we lose, but rather the conclusion an adventure where we received non-material gifts of all sorts. Death is foreshadowing the next step in our journey, like a bridge guiding our spirit where the path continues without a body. Although material substance seems important in this life, and whatever we gain itends be measured by our wealth, and our material success, it means nothing at Death. It is typical of Western society to measure a human life as to what he/she owns, and yet the real value of life is what we accrue on the non-material realm, or on the level of the spirit. Our life is ultimately measured by those we have helped, those we have affected, and those we have loved. When we examine our fellow sinners from this perspective, we can view them as potential opportunities to help our own salvation. If we assist in the healing of those who “miss the mark,” then we too are healing not only our own individual soul, but the soul of our collective. The closer we get to realizing the truth, the more see how we are not the body, or the mind, but rather a Great/Holy Spirit which is the essence of all that is divine. Think of our spirit as an invisible book, or passport, where we receive stamps, messages, or important lessons from all the places and experiences we’ve shared. All these “stamps” are how we are viewed by God. Whatever we do with our time on Earth is imprinted onto our soul, and so it is in our best interest to aid all those who are suffering. The new era following 2021 is the world’s greatest opportunity for Global healing if we can change our habits and work to help those in need.
Since it is hard to visualize the path of our spirit without a physical placement, I have recreated our map by erasing that silly red line and arranged a real serpent along the path. We’ll use this new map, studying it piece by piece, to help us understand how the journey we are on today is much like a dream, where our non-physical essence uses a physical plane to connect with the divine space after death, between life, and everywhere in-between.
Focusing on the original map, below I have highlighted a new line, or an eternal circle, never ending, never beginning, birth-less, death-less, everlasting, and perpetual in all rights. Now of course the original map does not contain a big bright purple circle around it’s edge, but rather the original map is persevered as simplistic as possible. And such a simple map, it possible that even a rodent, or a simple snail, might someday realize the same Truth that has been bestowed to all life. That is precisely why this map contains no words, so that it is open to interpretation, even for a simple mammal like me.
The point is that our big purple circle represents God, or Tao, or Allah, or Brahma, or Jehovah, or the Great Creator of All. However you want to name it, the big circle is all encompassing, and every form of life exists under its giant purple umbrella so to speak (even UFOs or Aliens). Enclosed in this circle is God’s grace, glory, and compassionate love, which allow us to thrive in the present existence of this exact moment. Ancient sages would say that this divine circle, or life-giving force, is so great and mysterious that a name cannot do it justice, and all that can be said about this great power is Om or Amen. The idea here is that no living form could possibly comprehend what God truly is, since the idea of an All powerful Source is unfathomable. God is all encompassing, never beginning, never ending, divine energy of sorts; this is the infinite symbolism of the circle.
Depending on where you live, and how you were raised in this world, your view of this Grand Narrator, or Supreme Power, is subject to whatever you were taught. A person raised in Tibet may not call it God, for the word alone was not offered in a Tibetan child’s language, but rather a Tibetan child may know this same eternal principle as Dharma, or Truth. However you want to call it, this divine principal is the One from which all creation starts, and it even holds the mysteries of darkness and dying within it as well. Hence why we cannot escape this process of dying, because God has created all that we are, through the gift of life, and since God is always watching over us, then the process of dying also falls under God’s grace.
Since God is the creator of all things, then the God is also of the future, and if God is in the future, then that means there is something after this present moment that we cannot yet comprehend since it has not occurred. This gives us a glimmer of hope, a light at the end of this tunnel, and here we find faith in what is to come without needing to know how it all happens. Many people cannot comprehend a path beyond apparent stresses of 2021 AD, yet the line of life, the path of the Serpent’s Back, would showcase that somehow, someway, the experience of our soul will continue on as it always has.
I should also add that by no means do I want you to agree with me. I simply think of myself as a fool who is very curious by nature. Almost everything I’m stating has already been said, and surely is written somewhere in someone’s book. My path has led me to draw connections to God by noticing how everything is changing, through the beauty of plants, trees, nature and all living things. This is where I find my faith in the power of God; this is the result of creation after all. My obsession with searching for signs in everyday life has led me to come up with some strange and wacky thoughts as to why we bloom the way we do.
To review up to this point, God is the never-ending source energy, or the creator of all, and all forms are created under God, which can be seen as the outer circle (and all creation falls under this circle). It is not up to us to decide who gets into Heaven, and who vibes in Hell, but rather it is up to us to live our lives the best we can in this moment. The true magic of life seems to be hidden in our perspective, or attitude.
I have purposely changed our map adding what I will call a “little one.” This little one represents us. It’s a symbol for our world, with all the living things ever made, so let’s call this Mother Earth. And as far as we know, Mother Earth is very much on her way, going somewhere into the future, by God’s grace, to a place that only God knows. Lucky for us, God is the Truth, so there is no need to fear where we are heading, because surely the Truth wouldn’t lie.
Some would argue our exact placement of Mother Earth along this path, and to them I say fair enough; there is a very good chance we could also be here:
Or Here:
The whole point is that we are somewhere along a path, and all we know is that past brought us the present, and we’re heading into the future. The real point to reiterate is what Ram Dass has previously advised, that we should indeed “be here now,” in this moment, and nowhere else. But of course, since we are all strange and silly creatures riding through the emotions of 2021, many of us find that we are not quite here, but rather we are living in fear of where we may be heading. For the sake of this examination, lets agree that we are here, right here in the now, and this space of nowness is somewhere between the beginning and the end:
The end and the beginning listed are as arbitrary as the colors black and white. The point is that somehow these places are equal and opposite, and we could label the map however you’d like, but somehow the beginning and end are still aspects under God’s creation… now if only we knew the way to reach God and ask what this strange predicament of 2020 and beyond is all about. And that is precisely the question we are here to answer on Earth: how do we reach God? Looking at the map, it seems that there could be an infinite number of routes to find God. We could go this way:
Or maybe this path
Or even this way:
Or possibly:
The point is that God is all encompassing, all around us, and so there are many ways to reach the Ultimate source of God. This means you could use Religion as a path to unite with God. All Religions can be pathways to God, but if a Religion claims that their path is the only way to get to God, well I would call this unusual, especially by the map depicted here. It seems that God existed before humans were on Mother Earth, so how could a Religion, a doctrine created by people, ever truly know the route to the ultimate source if God created them, whom them went on to create a Religion? The point is that this whole thing is a divine mystery, so let’s remember how God existed long before language was even created, that means not even language can truly know the route to God. Even the attempt to describe God is impossible since God’s power is infinite, while words are finite. As we journey to find God’s everlasting source, we may use human maps, or Religious frameworks, but we must remember that it is up to us to find our way home. Religions are the maps, or paths to help us, but we must take the steps through our lives to find God. Religions may provide guidance to the Truth, yet they are not the ultimate Truth; only God is the truth.
Religions are not the destination, but a method of sorts, or a way of joining us with God. The word Religion itself, comes from the Latin, which means to “Re-join” or “Re-link.” To say one Religion is better than the others is like stating that a boat is a better option than a kayak when crossing the river of life to salvation. Both are merely vehicles, or a means of transportation to the higher shore, yet both paths are potential options to cross. Now you may ask, is one option better or worse? Well sure, it depends on who you are, where you’re from, and what you enjoy. Do you want to get the truth ASAP? Then take the turbo charged speedboat by using tantric practices and you’ll fly across rather quickly. God has ways of moving you to the truth if you’re prepared.
Or do you prefer the scenic route? Maybe what you’re looking for is an inner tube to carry you down the river where you don’t have to worry about a thing? Sure, this inner tube may get you to the other shore eventually, but right now you’re choosing to be a bit carless, submitting to the flow, while others are more determined to control their pathway to the other shore. Some Religions offer a lackadaisical approach, and as far as we know, these followers have chosen a different path than us so there is no need to judge them. Again, judgment is not our duty, it’s up to God, and so all we should only be concerned with our path in this moment.
And maybe you’re not so comfortable traveling in such a small vessel with such risky chances if the evaluation of life after death is at steak? What if you’d prefer to choose a path with documented connections to God, which has led others to divinity before? Maybe what you need is larger Religion, or a cruise ship, that acts like a ferry to shuttle the community across? We classify all major religions in this boat, pun indented, as they have well documented scripture to support events connecting an individual person to God’s totality. In essence, these Religions showcase examples of successful ways to get human souls to the other side.
Now of course, some cruise lines are better than others, and some Religions are more expensive, like the Catholics, Mormons, and many Christian varieties which pass out multiple donate baskets, at multiple times, throughout a service to God. It should be said that although you can buy a ticket to cross a river on a ferry, you cannot purchase a ticket to God. If your money is going into a church which is paying off fees for molesting and sexually abusing children, then you in turn are supporting that sin, or the “missing of the mark.” Only when the truth prevails, and all the knowledge is reveled, can the Church come clean and get back on track.
If a Religion is trying to get you to “buy into” the truth, it sure seems a lot like how Carnival Cruise Lines uses sales tactics to market their boat as the correct choice for your vacation in the Bahamas. A brand will paint a picture so that your mind interprets them as the best choice, far above all others, but once you’re on board you’re stuck drinking from their rum buckets, eating from their endless pizza buffets, and you are subjected to their ideals even if it’s unhealthy. It’s hard to change your views once your onboard, especially if the local communities will guilt you into the bread buffet since everyone else is doing it. At some point along any journey, even the path overboard may seem like a wise option, but once you’ve invested time, money, and effort into getting onboard, the idea of jumping ship seems daunting since the entire community is in support of the vessel moving ahead.
Using this boat idea, by connecting major religions to vehicles of transportation, we are attempting to see how a Church is trying to take an entire community to the higher shore where God abides. All Religions are but one way to get to God, and there is a big difference between a sole-swimmer trying to cross an ocean vs. a cruise line that seems to know the way. Again there is no right or wrong way, but some ways are far risker, like a lone swimmer, but even a single swimmer has a chance of making it. A swimming, unlike a traditional Religion, has absolute and total control of the choices they make onto how they will cross. Whereas a large vehicle, such as the Catholic faith, is guided by the Captain, or Pope, who sits at the helm of the ship using the Catholic teachings as their map to God.
Before examining the dualistic nature of this map, the white vs. black balance, we should now examine the nature of the “Serpent’s Back.” As stated earlier, Christian’s believe in an idea of Heaven and Hell, where as God’s followers are rewarded with everlasting life, and those who deny the Truth are banished to Hell. A uniquely different, yet similar idea, exists within the Hindu faith; whereas those who reach Moksha, are liberated from the cycle of life/death, and all those who do not achieve that state of freedom, remain grounded in Samara, or the cycle of life, death, and suffering over and over again until they make it to the other side. Although Heaven and Hell are seen as vastly different than Liberation and Samsara, we see how these are opposites, much like “on” and “off.” You are either free from suffering, you’re in a blissful and liberated state (Heaven), or you continue to suffer, much like the vibration of Hell as it relates to suffering. We must note that the Hindu faith recognizes rebirth, where they see how the soul travels into various bodies, through many lives, all in an attempt to reach God. The Christian faith does not expand upon Rebirth, other than the fact that Jesus was resurrected from the dead; proving that rebirth is indeed real.
The idea of liberation, or pure freedom, is Union with God. This is the moment we reach God’s eternal space, or become one with the never ending circle around the light and dark aspects (duality). Before we can reach God’s totality, there is an obvious step: we must first depart from the Serpent’s Back.
This idea of departing form the Serpent’s Back is not necessarily discussed in the Christian faith, yet it is everything the faith encompasses. We are using different words of course, a fresh perspective, to showcase how a human body willing departs from the Earthly word of temptation, desire, and selfishness, in an effort to reach God. The moment we are serious about our faith is the moment we depart from the Serpent’s Back. This moment of realization is when we begin to control and monitor our desires, lust, lies, gossip, and anything else that causes our spirit to “miss the mark.” Rather than thinking selfishly for our individual worldly/material concerns, we accept that this world is far bigger than the individual alone. This realization has little to do with Religion, but rather it is when the individual “i” understands that he/she is not the center of the world. This moment of reverence for a higher intelligence is the departure from duality; here we begin our journey toward Heaven, or liberation.
As stated before, this is not about which Religion you are! There are many paths to the almighty Source of God, but before we can decided how we want to get there, we must first make the choice to follow a path toward God; this is seen as the belief and non-belief. This idea of having belief is our departure from the Serpent’s back. Anyone may use a Religion to facilitate that step toward God, but having faith requires no Religion. Faith in God is as simple as believing in a creator, a Grand Narrator, or an Higher Intelligence.
When we are rooted in Faith, our actions help us willing departing from the Serpent’s back of ignorance. Many timid individuals never leave the shore of sinful ways, and that is what we mean when we say they are “missing the mark.” Again, no need to judge them, but they are not quite in line with the truth, and there are those among us who may touch their toe into the sea of faith, but do not depart toward the Truth. For they shall always stay on the Earth, stuck in suffering life after life, always traversing the on the Serpent’s Back of duality between dark and light. Through the teachings of rebirth, they will continue to be born over and over in the hopes of someday finding a path to the higher shore. Only those who willingly follow a path to the Truth can be reunited with the Ultimate Potential of God. Those who follow the path of ignorance turn away in disbelief of the truth and stay rooted in a lie of what they believe to be true; often thinking that they are the center of the world, only caring about their accumulation of wealth and desires. Living with materialistic intentions creates a reality where the world seems comfortable, yet in essence it is a lie, since all material acquisitions will someday disappear. Remember, it is only a lie that will tell you anything and everything to stop you from discovering the Truth. It those who seek a true connection with God, or the All-powerful source, that move closer to the Truth of what God is. God is of course One, or All, while the two halves are represented as duality of human life (birth vs death, black vs white, on vs off).
Departing the Serpent’s Back (duality) is the first step to becoming One with God. Seeing that the source of God like a circle, we remember how it is birth-less, death-less, and infinite. Now we should also located the two other smaller circles on our map making a total of three infinite circles on the map (pictured below). There is the All encompassing larger circle (God, Brahma, Allah, Jehovah, or whatever name your Religion calls it), then there is a smaller white circle, as well as a smaller black circle inside the light and dark areas. These two smaller circles represent two other entry points to God within the light and darkness. We may think of these pathways, or portals; we will label them as the right had path (the pure path), and the left hand path (the dark path) while both are indeed pathways to God. These three circle (purple, green, and blue) are critical because they highlight what is known as the Trinity, or the Tri-nature of God.
To review up to now:
We should agree that we are all traveling on Earth, and Mother Nature is carrying us along a path in the middle ground between the darkness and light which I have called the Serpent’s Back. From here, we can either choose to stay rooted in ignorance on the Serpent’s Back (duality) and deny the ultimate truth of reality (the intelligence of Nature aka God), or we may willing step away from the Serpent’s Back and take steps to reunite with the Ultimate aspect of Creation. This journey home has infinite options, but again we rely on the two fold principle of duality first: a person can stay on the shore rooted in ignorance, where they will never truly know God, or the individual dares to depart from the shore where they join a pathway, in many cases a Religion, and head into the sea of the unknown, guided by teachings or dogma, to re-link and find union with God.
The journey to detach from ignorance may seem daunting, as we may be intimated to leave the comforts of what is cozy, and at a certain point, we may even regret taking on such an immense journey to seek God. Many who depart from ignorance soon realize that the truth is like the edge of a sword; it cuts away all lies swiftly and fiercely leaving only what is needed. Here our materialistic attachments will eventually fall away when we realize that upon our death we are required to detach from all possessions anyway. This can appear as a difficult concept for the Western mind rooted in Capitalism; many entrepreneurs and businessmen/businesswoman focus their lives on earning money, wealth, and material possessions of this Earth, but again, many Church teachings highlight the importance of serving others, letting go of excess, and surrendering to God. Often times businessmen/businesswoman get so attached to their identity, ego, cars, homes, vacations, that they forget the truth: we are leaving behind every material possessions we depart from the body at death.
Once we die, we cannot take anything with us, and when our children die, they too leave it all behind. There is a necessity for survival, so we mustn’t condemn a businessman/businesswoman or successful investor for working very hard to provide for their family. It is not right or wrong, to be successful and earn money while enjoying material things, but this materialism keeps us trapped if we are not careful. The more we are attached to our things, the harder it is to leave it behind and find God. Rather we should seek the highest meaning in our lives by seeking what is true; the truth is that our impact matters far more than our wealth. We should ask ourselves what will our legacy do to the world? How will my work impact the future generations? If we only produce more, sell more, buy more, spend more, are remaining attached to selfish possessions, jobs, and security? Even if we are Religious, and are committed to the commandments of a Religion, we should live our lives deliberately by committing our purpose to something beyond oneself. Yes we may receive sacraments of confirmation, or other initiation ceremonies, but if our lives are rooted in material attachment we will miss the opportunity to prepare ourselves for God correctly by staying rooted in ignorance of how we are here to serve all others as children of God. Of course it is possible to get to God while having wealth, but above our possessions, one must willingly devote their life to God above their ego, possessions, and money.
It Hindus who would reminder me that once an individual departs on their journey of faith, all progress made on the path toward Krishna, Allah, or God, is carried over to the next life, and the lives after that. All growth in faith towards God accrues until the soul reaches Moksha, or liberation, where the soul finds the end of two fold principle of duality when the soul finds Union with God. No longer is individual stuck traversing the cosmic seas above and below along the Serpent’s back. If the individual has the courage to depart toward God, then we can assume that this person is no longer on the red line in-between what we view as light and dark, so then where have they gone?
If this has happened to you, if you have found faith in something higher (whatever you may call it), and you have taken steps to seek who you truly are, why you are living, and what the purpose of life is, then you may realize how we are together but separate, looking for the One behind it all. And it barely matters what Religion you use, or if you use one at all, because the point of Religion is to find a path to deepen your faith. Reflecting on the core of all Western Religion, we see how teachings show us that God is above, somewhere outside of Earth, and if we live honest and true, pure and holy, then by the way of the commandments and teachings in the Bible we can return home to God’s Kingdom. This is all true and good, but here’s the catch, all Religious teachings explain that we must die first before we go home to God.
Now of course that is a very brief statement to sum up Western Religions, but it summarizes the essence of what we would call exoteric teachings. This is an external approach, or an outward manor in which we find union with God. Again, all Religions preach outward teachings in attempts to provide a pathway to God. This is an external, or outward approach, where all teachings, in every Religion, are stating that you must die before you get to God.
This is a key commonality between all Religions! By one reason or another, we are on Earth, and all Religions state that if you follow a path to God, you can return home to God’s Kingdom… but you have to die first.
From the map we’re using, I find it logical to interpret all External teachings, as moving upward into the white space above. Why is this so you might ask? Well because it’s up, and any ideas associated with External teachings seem to be pure, loving, helpful, and heading outward to find God. It’s all love and light as some may say. This idea is so profound and beautiful because it reinforces how each Religion is truly a way to find God. Each set of beliefs are all helpful in their own uniqueness! This map of duality (the Ying/Yang with the Serpent’s Back) is showcasing how the teachings of all religious Churches are ultimately good! Each Religion holds a potential path to reach God, and all Religions are passionate to help their community find salivation.
All Religions preach teachings from a prophet who found God, and the path of the prophet is the outward expression of faith, so again we must examine the fact that we have been taught how we are required to die before we reach God. This is represented by the smaller black circle, housed in the white purity; a portal of sorts as the dark circle in the light area represents the idea of death. But if life was all positive, if God was only outward, then why would we have to die? This dark black circle is seen as the “off,” or the opposite of the light, and it is the portal toward God into death after life. Reflecting on the symbolism of the circle, just like the larger circle, we remember circles are never ending, never beginning, and eternal in all rights. The dark circle represents the releasing of all that is material to enter into God’s Kingdom, and as this is a hard truth, it is quite abrupt departure from life as we know it.
Even Eastern Religions share exoteric teachings too. Ask a Muslim about the purpose of their Religion, and after enough discussion, you could eventually agree that they too are on a path to serve, or reunite with Allah/God. Hindus use paths like selfless service, or devotion, or religious study, as a way to find God, and these too may be seen as outward pathways to God.
Although there are many differences between religions of the East and West, I wish to address the main confusion that sets them apart (other than rebirth which we touched on earlier). Depending on where you were raised, and how you were taught, each mind reflects the origin of established teachings. Picture the mind like a fresh block of clay; if we mold this clay by what we hear, learn, touch, and feel, it becomes a manifestation of it’s environment. So if a man in Saudi Arabia is taught about local prophets who found God near his country, what is our say in the matter? Every religion, no matter where it is founded, is a written interpretation of how a Prophet came to find union with God. Let’s examine how even the Muslim Quran is aware of Jesus, and still it highlights many other Prophets who are also known throughout the Region of the middle east. This similarity also exists in the Hindu faith, where they use many examples of various prophets who found God/Krishna/Hanuman in sacred books and teachings. The main difference between all Eastern religions vs. the Christian faith seems to be focused on one man alone: Jesus.
Christians see Jesus as the only man to connect with God, as he is their Son of God, where as other Religions see him as one of many Prophets who found Union with God.
Before we proceed, remember that I am not here to change your beliefs, because I too believe in Jesus and how he found union with God. His journey was profound and tragic, and the entire Bible is the written account of Holy Scripture that describe Jesus’ path. Along with many good books in the Old Testament, all these are written accounts which bridge Christianity to God. There is so much to learn from the Bible, yet again it highlights Jesus as the lone example to find Union with God; this is what is known as the basis of Christian Faith.
The other condition I must highlight here is that Jesus was a Jew, therefore many modern Religions may claim him as an example of their Religion, yet Jesus’ upbringing and formal teachings are not Christian. His entire life before his death, an entire 32 years of his life, are unknown and unquestioned. These years are not touched upon in the Bible, except for his mystical birth, a mystical star, and three wise men. I find tremendous difficulty with this historical story; if you know the birth, his parents, and the account of the manger, why then does Religion not speak of the following 32 years of his childhood and adult life? I wonder whether his adult life is hidden on purpose, or if it was just lost? Either way, we should examine in far more detail why the modern Christian Churches seem to disregard it. If Jesus was connected with God at the age of 32 and 33, then what happened in the previous 33 years of his life? Was he always one with God? Or what teachings did he use to find God?
After studying many Religions, I believe Jesus to be a traveler who gave up his possessions, and set out to find the Truth. I believe Jesus took the Silk Road and went east toward India, Asia, or possibly Egypt/Africa. The reason I believe this is because I am examining the nature of the human mind. Again think of the mind like clay; we are molded by what we are taught, what we discover, and how we live. Each mind changes depending on what it sees, feels, and experiences. We absorb whatever experiences we are around. If a man or woman never leaves their home, their mind is only subjected to the teachings of their homeland. Yes, an individual can study, read, and pray, but we need many life experiences to grow to our fullest potential. We must be tested through the process of living to find God! Looking at Jesus’ journey, he was not your typical Jew, since he was known for many miracles, and yet the Jewish teachings cannot quite teach how to make miracles. Reflecting upon Jesus’ life before his death should be an important consideration for the truth, and we must remember how he was one man who stood against the ignorance of the masses to fight for God’s truth. This ignorant group, the crowd of the population against him, eventually crucified him because they could not come to terms with his Revelations. Whatever Jesus knew could not simply be taught in a book, but rather Jesus found a way to God on his own. I believe that Jesus went onto India where he studied Hinduism and Buddhism becoming grounded in meditation before merging those Eastern teachings with the teachings of his homeland.
Whatever you may believe about Jesus, the ultimate truth may forever be a mystery. After 2000 years, all we know is that the Bible has been edited over and over, while other books like Enoch have been withheld. The idea I wish to highlight is that at some point in Jesus upbringing, he made a choice to depart from ignorance in a search of the higher Truth. As stated above, we see this idea as departing form the Serpent’s Back, where we are initiated on a path toward God.
Departing upward, or outward in purity to find God, seems to be the path of Jesus. Jesus was a kind man, who proclaimed the truth and devoted himself to God, by living each choice in purity, loving all people as if they were himself, and serving others up until he died. This was the ultimate sacrifice.
The path upward is also well documented in Hinduism. Hindu’s see God’s nature as a trinity, where Brahma is the Father, as two other aspects complete it’s essence. Again we see the aspect of three infinite circles! Hindiu’s worship Vishnu as the preserver (green circle), the pure aspect of God, and also revere Shiva as part of their trinity, or the destroying and recreating aspect of God (blue circle), yet they are but aspects of Brahma, or the creator (big purple circle). This seems to mirror principles of the Holy Trinity in Christianity: here we see how God the Father is on top, the Son is there who walks the pure path, and the Holy Spirit ties it all together.
Just as Catholics worship martyrs and saints, Hindus worship aspects of Vishnu and Shiva who have lived throughout history. Each worship and pray to many holy people who have walked this earth, and are seen as legends throughout history. Christians view Jesus as the Son, and so Western Christianity is waiting until the Son comes again. Here this idea is inline with Hinduism, where there will be more incarnations of Vishnu or Shiva. All Religions share different words, different stories, and different perspectives, but all are based on the same truths! And if you study enough Religions, you’ll even see the same stories repeating with different names; it’s truly incredible! All these aspects of human life devoted to God are simply representations of how life is to be lived in order to find union with God.
Anyone who follows a Religion, no matter which one it is, has begun upward on the path in purity. Again we can view this as departing from the Serpent’s back of ignorance, entering into the White Sea where they ride with their Religion, or vessel of Faith, in search of getting closer to God. As this has been called the right hand path, or pure path, it may also be called the outer, or upper path.
If you’re on the outer path, or path of Light, then you’ll recognize some of the larger vessels, or Religions, you’ll find at sea; there are Christians with 2.4 billion followers, Islam with 1.8 billion followers, and Hinduism with 1.2 billion followers. Now of course there may be smaller boats too, and these may appear to be a parade of boats all following the large boats. For instance, the Christian sects share similar pathways that are called Judaism, Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Lutheran, Baptist, and Jehovah Witness. All these Religions are vehicles of faith driving communities on a path to reconnect with God using similar, but different, teachings/vessels. Each group holds a unique map, yet many of them share common principles, which is why I am considering them in a common fleet since their views may appear to be dramatically different from Islam and Hinduism at the surface from a Western point of view. And yet both Islam and Hinduism are quite different in their own aspects, and goodness where do begin with Buddhism, Taoism, and all the rest of it fit in? Even if we disagree, let’s just think of major Religious as boats, where people become followers and come on board as they accept sacraments as a rite of passage. This is essentially a boarding pass, seen as an initiation process, to become part of the community/boat.
Here are all some religions, or boats, and I can’t tell you which one is which. Each boat is one of the major religions, and if you hold some belief in God, then you are likely aboard one of these major vessels that has departed into the vast sea of Faith along the outer hand Path of purity. This means you are seeking union with God upon death.
We should have nothing but respect and admiration for all Religions that led mankind toward the purity of God’s Grace. This is not to say that all followers of one religion share the same boat, but the point is that followers are all on board, even if they’re half asleep and hanging around for the free food and Friday night fish fries. Even though there may differences views, such as orthodox or unorthodox, Sunni or Shia, the point is all passengers onboard are following a map of doctrine to find God based on the mindset of the Captain, or leaders, of their Religion. Some Religions seek God, others adore God, while others may choose to surrender to All that is. These are pathways outward, or up, and into what we will call the white cosmic sea.
Here I have added the Religious vessels onto our map, and obviously this is not to scale because the white cosmic sea is infinitely large since God is so unfathomable and the entire essence is never-ending, far bigger, and greater, than our small mind can comprehend.
So if we zoomed out, into the present moment, this is what our situation may look like. All Exoteric doctrines sure seem willing to take new passengers outward as long as you follow the set of teachings guiding the big vessel home to God. Here is the dock in which Religions welcome new passengers:
This is all good and well. Some boats are huge, and some are in small fleets, but it is not up to us to judge their beliefs. Even if cults exist, see them as simple rafts stranded in the sea of Faith looking for a way home. As far as you’re concerned, you’re vessel is on its way and you’re probably just crossing paths with another boat for a moment. Different belief systems should not really impact your individual faith, since your beliefs are between you and God alone. Once you’re onboard, the point is to follow the teachings and become an example of faith for as long as you shall live.
Well… we’ve made it halfway. So if you’re on the pure path, then keep on going until you die, because that’s how it’s done. The point of the larger all circle shows how all life falls within God, therefore God is all encompassing, and I have reason to believe that all souls after leaving the body may be reunited with God. Now some may get there right away, while others are stuck for a bit, but I believe in God’s compassion, so why wouldn’t love accept a soul even if it “missed the mark?” So even if you’ve lived a terrible and awful life, I believe God has still got you by the nature of love. By this opinion, you cannot be dammed! Sure you’ll likely have to come back to Earth, rent a new body, and pay off your Karma based on your choices, but that in itself is a cleansing process. The point here is that we need not worry because God is everywhere, in everything, at all times! By dying, and giving up our bodies, we are going into the small dark circle, giving up our material life, to reunite with God regardless of what happened in our life!
Now if you want to consider another path to get to God, a different way that is equal an opposite, then it’s time to let go of everything and surrendering your life while you’re still alive, because now we will be descending into the dark truth, or the left hand path.
At this point in our discussion, lecture, Dharma talk, or whatever this is called, I wish to highlight the downward path, which we have not covered, and this path is one that is dark and daunting. It seems eerie, unknown, and hellish to the typical exoteric teachings, or pure teachings. This dark space is regarded as esoteric, or the secret teachings.
Unfortunately there is no way around death, and it is depicted by the color black, meaning the stripping away of all that is material, yet it leaves the spirit alone. No need to fear death (even though I’m still terrified of it most nights), because I believe that this dying idea is simply a cleansing process. If you’re pure enough, you get to see God right away, if not, your body and possessions get stripped away, and whatever debt you still owe, whatever mess you made during your life, come back to improve upon where you once were. Life is a journey, and it seems that this adventure is but a test; the answer is how we live, and the weight of our impact is placed upon the scales of judgment, which do not lie, and so we get what we give.
There was a time when I rode aboard the Catholic Faith, from a young boy up until adulthood, but around my nineteen year I was thrown into a series of life tests, and these situations raised questions that not even the Catholic Doctrine could solve. I do not wish to tell my story, not today, but symbolically speaking, I walked to the very back of the Catholic vessel in the middle of the night and I jumped overboard.
This imagery is important; is shows the exact release when I abandoned the Church, which was heading upward in purity, and so I fell into the rough and dark waters of the darkness below. For much of my young adult life I was devoted to the right hand path, where I had been a good and decent member of the Church, but it was not until I jumped overboard that I plummeted without a cause into the sea of the black. Here I began the journey along the left hand path, or inner path, for better or for worse.
In esoteric teaching, the inner path, secrets are said to be revealed, and these secrets are of the mental realm which reveal Revelations as to show how God’s mysteries work. As I have grown to study many faiths, I have realized that there hidden aspects of each Church, where each Religion has a set of secret teachings. Imagine a small submarine attached to the bottom of each boat (Religion). This small sub is compact, with just a few courageous people, always going along with the Church, and yet it dives deep into mystical teachings without the main followers even aware of it’s fellow follower’s dark depths. I am aware of this because I have seen these “small vessels” as I descended along the left hand path, and I have reason to believe that these smaller vessels are actually guiding the entire community of each Church into purity without the majority of the followers even knowing.
When we look at the left hand path on our map, we see a vast half circle of darkness, and within it we find a white circle of light. Again the symbolism of the smaller everlasting circle appears, as a portal to God. First we should recall how there is a black circle within the white (upward or the right hand path), which represents the process of dying after life, or shedding our bodies to unite with God. In the opposing fashion, we discover an inverse relationship, a white circle in the abyss of darkness. If you have taken the right hand path, it appears that only a death can save you before you unite with God, but as it appears on the other path, the darkness is a process of dying while you are alive, or stripping away of all attachments while you still are in the body, where the white circle in the black half would be merging with God.
I should also add that I believe the universe is mental, and all mental thought is experienced as a physical manifestation. For those who take the pure path, you are choosing to focus your mental beliefs on God through words, actions, and lifestyle. In essence, you are devoting your mentality to shift your actions to moral cause so that God may bring you home once you are done with your time on Mother Earth. On the flip side, the left hand path is also a set of mental conditions, but this process requires stripping away all that you are as a human until there is nothing left but the pure light of the soul. This is a dark idea and as anyone who takes this path is slowly letting go of all their attachments, dying day by day. This is the essence of inner path, heading into darkness, toward God’s grace. Those who have taken the left hand path could be regarded as God’s best sinners, and the Devil’s only angel, and yet by the time they are reborn they are an advocate for all life since the truth is ultimately One.
The process of the left hand path is as simple as this: to die before you die. We can see this as an ascetic, or someone who willing gives up their material possessions, to live a life of simplicity and renunciation as a way of growing closer to God. There is no knowledge without sacrifice, and in order to gain anything, you must first lose everything. This is the story of Job in the Old Testament.
The simplest way to describe the left hand path, or what it takes to reach the white circle surrounded by darkness, is hidden in this following scenario. Let’s say you have an idea, or a belief, that could save the whole world. It’s so important, so valuable, and so powerful that you believe this idea to be the truth, and so how will you get your message out to the world? A politician will proclaim the way, even lying to put his/her laws in place, a businessman will manufacture an idea and sell it to the masses to profit from the Earth, but only the one who is willing to die for their belief is the true king. If death was standing in front of you, and you were required to give up everything so that your idea could flourish, would you surrender and give up your life, or would you give up on your belief so that you could live? It is a test of the deepest faith; this is the journey of the left hand path.