The desire for separation is the greatest desire.
When it comes to religion, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are all true within limits. Either through altered states of consciousness brought forth by meditation, mystical experiences brought forth by psychosis, or merely stepping into a reality tunnel through certain practices, I’ve come to the conclusion it’s all real. All of it.
Whether that’s the different versions of Jesus Christ that exist from the different schools of thought within the scope of Christianity and Gnosticism. Whether that’s Shiva, or experiences with the relationship between Atman and Brahman in the Hindu and Yogi traditions. Whether that’s experiences related to Hermetics or the Golden Dawn system. Whether that’s understanding of our relationship with emotions and the reality from those schools of thought that exists like Scientology.
It’s all true, or at least it can be experienced as true, which makes it as real as anything. It provides meaning, it provides contrast, it provides relationship within the scope of the human experience.
In my early 20’s I was a big fan of John C. Lilly. In his book “The Deep Self” he says…
“In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true, either is true or becomes true within certain limits. These limits are to be found experientially and experimentally. When the limits are determined, it is found that they are further beliefs to be transcended. In the province of the mind, there are no limits. The body imposes definite limits.”
Within the scope of Christianity there are debates on Faith vs Works, and which one brings salvation.
In my eyes, salvation, by whatever form, comes into existence through relationship. This is evident by the fact that everything is changing. Everything is finite. The only thing eternal is relationship.
Every relationship has works attached to it. In religion this is usually expressed through some type of practice. For Protestant Christianity, they have prayer, in my eyes prayer is a form of works. In Eastern Orthodoxy they have Prostrations and Confession. In the Hindu Tradition, they mantras, incense, and reverence for certain characters, certain gods. In scientology they have the practice of going clear and other exercises. In Franz Bardon’s version of Hermetics, he has certain exercises and meditations. In the Golden Dawn system, they have certain rituals.
All great religions have works, some form of practice that is attributed to their religion, their school of thought, and what I ultimately see as a reality tunnel.
It takes faith to believe that a certain religion is real or could be real, it takes faith to believe that a relationship is possible or could exist. And it takes works to participate in that relationship which is what makes it real.
Again the desire for separation is the greatest desire.
The key to experiencing a religion as real, to step into that reality tunnel, is through the practices, the works. But it takes a seed of faith in the possibility of its existence to participate in those works. This faith is fueled by the desire for separation, the possibility that something exists outside of me.
Many get caught up in reading text and listening to debates, trying to find faith, find belief. Though this can be intellectually stimulating, in my experience the true key to realizing a religion is through its practices.
I say all this about how all these things can be experienced as real, so doesn’t that mean none of it is real? No, it’s all real because the only thing truly real is relationship. That relationship might be defined differently, based on the different schools of thought, but the core essence of what it is remains the same. Though everything is constantly changing, the act of relationship remains eternal.
