This is the last post of my conversation with a young explorer searching for his own enlightenment. My answers to his questions are inline with his questions. He is a very intelligent individual. I think you will find his questions and hopefully my answers very interesting. My answers are in blue:
The first point I would like to bring up, if I understand your statements correctly, you said, on your website, that each individual was capable of doing anything conceivable just as any god that they personally could imagine. Correct. Also I gather that you believe that each person is technically free from any and all burdens and limits, and can with proper exercise of their “spiritual” side release these capabilities. If by technically you mean “mind” created limits then no you are not free. It is the discovery of the “I Am” that is not a part of a mind created illusion that will allow the engagement of godlike power. Gods are completely free of any burden and limits as you describe them. Going on these assumptions (and correct me if I’m wrong about those assumptions) how can such an idea be reconciled with the irrevocable position that humans find themselves in now, even those such as yourself who embrace the possibility of higher capabilities? The “irrevocable position” you describe is a “mind” created position from a collective of minds (egos works too). I know unequivocally that the mind cannot get to the possibility of “higher capability” you mention. It can attract more of “this reality” to its self and most of what we see going on in this world is just that, e.g., mind attracting more and bigger versions of the same.
You seem to imply that one can be the master of their own reality down to the last detail. If “one” is ego then absolutely not. If “one” is god then yes. Yet to imply this however seems faulty considering the fact that a human by taking thought cannot “change one hair of the head” or add an inch to their stature. Correct but what is thought? It is the mind identified with forms it chooses as important and necessary to “it’s” own identity. Mind is limited and stuck in a world it believes must be answerable to 3-D reality. It is a finite world the mind lives in. In short I mean to say that seeing that one cannot change many things about their own reality or that they are subject to such conditions in the first place implies that each being is subject to higher powers, and therefore cannot be god of their own reality beyond their control over their own will. Very nice “mind” created thought. You might as well have said “my mind can only grasp (because it has been conditioned to do so) that there must be a god out there somewhere the likes of which I can never become. That is the illusion I accept.” Certainly the mind that lies at the heart of our beings can somewhat detach itself from physical realities and ponder on things “supernatural” but this does not imply that there is complete control over the condition a being finds itself in or that it finds part of the matter it can control in (the body itself.) Your “mind” speaking again. It will tell you it can detach and ponder the “higher” things of eternity but it cannot. It is inextricably attached to the physical and knows not god. It only knows the identity it has created and will tell you anything to keep you believing that.
Even by your own actions you presume that my analysis of the matter is incorrect or faulty in that it goes against some system or pattern that must be followed…that my thoughts are following inbred tendencies and biases and that I must avoid them because of a suspicion or fear of contamination, by doing so you inadvertently have subjected yourself to what you deem to be a higher law. It may seem to you that it matters or that I care but I don’t. You’ll come to it on your own or you won’t. It doesn’t matter at all. I share with you the limitations created by the mind to keep us stuck. Judgment is the biggest. Humility is second. Don’t see a lot of either in our mind constructed world today. Your pursuits of things mystical have been, no doubt governed by certain practices which you have habitually repeated, and you therefore are a servant and not the master as a god would seem to be. I’m not sure how you could conclude such a thing but yes at one time I was the servant of my own mind created illusion. That is becoming (more and more) no longer the case. I never pursued mystical things. I did, however, always have an awareness of my spiritual, mystical (if want to call it that) nature. I tended to be afraid of it as the mind reality I was in (greatly influenced by the church) said it was evil. That is no longer my reality or illusion. I am Mystical as are you.
Science is hardly different in that it also trusts in certain natural processes and follows them through to obtain results from evidences that can be measured physically. In both cases you have people subjecting themselves to the order of things outside their own will and desire in order to bring about some realization or result. Even if one claims that seeking out this inner god requires listening to a higher instinct this still implies that there is a higher order of things being obeyed thus making null and void the idea of godlike power over ones reality. What more can I say? Your ego is stringing some good thoughts that make perfect sense to its level of reasoning. I engage my own mind to read your questions and understand what you are saying but spiritually speaking there is no “higher instinct.” Instinct is a thought form that has its creation in the mind. I’m not there. Instead of seeking out “this inner god” try only seeking out a “quiet mind.” Forget god for now. You seem to be on a quest to “not” discover him or her. Try only quieting your mind. He or she will show up sooner or later.
That was the first point.
Second, you appeal to scripture, and even your own patriarchal blessing (the thing you were told when you were 14 which you spoke of in your bio on amazon.com) to confirm your conclusions yet deny the remainder of said sources almost entirely. Hmmmmmm….I think you’re making an incorrect assumption. I don’t deny anything. I don’t care where “knowing” comes from. I accept pretty much all of it’s possible sources and believe me those sources are infinite. My patriarch was a great man and imparted truth to me that sang to my soul. He spoke to god, as god. 3 dimensionally speaking I rule out nothing anymore just because I was conditioned in a certain way. You sited Jesus as telling the people that they were “gods” and indeed He did say so, but did He not also command love, obedience, and sacrifice? Correct. This is not consistent with your assertion that Jesus and prophets taught and followed some different belief system similar to what you have discovered. I hear your conditioned ego at work again. “Belief system” as you call it is a very egoic (mind created) thought form. It calls forth duality which I have discussed earlier and in so doing it creates judgment. The mind always falls back to what it was conditioned to accept as reality. I don’t propose they had a belief system. That would be egoic and mind created. Instead they recognized they were gods and their awareness went from “mind created” to “god created.” They did not need or espouse “belief system.” In fact they are more likely to have taught us to “unbelieve.”
Third, simply denying the present physical existence as an illusion is to deny oneself insights into the realms of eternity that this physical reality must function in harmony with. Remember that the insights you speak of are mind created insights. There is noting wrong (or right) with such thoughts and insights but that is all they are. Never forget that. Even our science tells us that what makes it into consciousness is a small fraction of what is really going on. As spiritual beings it is even more that we could see and be aware of if we could see “as gods” and not as “minds.” Just as a simulation or game may temporarily and in minor ways rearrange the order of our perception of overall reality that doesn’t mean that such fabrications are complete illusions that have no connection to what we see before us. Games or fabrications? Now who or what devised them? Illusions inside illusions….you’re becoming very sophisticated in your description of “illusion.” At fundamental levels they all rely upon basic realities, yet to claim ownership of all-powerful knowledge yet still be subjected to an alleged illusion further illustrates that regardless of godlike potential one is still subject to powers greater than his/her own to which they are held captive. When you discover the god that you are you will not be subject to any law, including what we call physical laws (gravity, etc.). God’s know no law and are therefore not held captive by them. Only the mind puts barriers around the infinite. Think of it this way. any absolute you establish as “your reality” is a finite reality. I don’t dwell in that world any more but I do accept that I am in it and I try to “get along” so as to not upset to many along the way who see things as you do. Jesus called that “rendering unto Caesars what is Caesars” Don Juan called it “controlling your folly,” and there are other expressions such as “chop wood and carry water.”
To follow a route of believing that we are sucked into some illusion is to surmise that we are subjected to any number of layers of fabricated realities and discredits ones own existence and will entirely, thereby plunging everything and everyone out of existence, agency and consequence. I’ve never said you are sucked into an illusion. What i say is that we are taught “what” to see and what is important by the “mind created” world of humans. Surely I do not discredit my own existence. I exalt it but accept it as nothing more than a vacation from “other things” I and all of us were doing before incarnating on Earth. This life should be fun no matter how you “judge” the particular experience you are having at any given time.
This concept is not new, and was thoroughly explored by others as indicated by this reference. http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2 As I mentioned before. To the mind created reality there is “opposition in all things.” To the spiritual (gods) there is not. Everything is equal.
So it can be ascertained by simple observation that there are governing laws which humans have sought to understand so that we might be in harmony with them to our advantage. Governing is an egoic term. Gods don’t govern. To govern or be governed is not to be free. Humans govern but only because they have lost the “knowing” that they are gods first who are supposed to be enjoying a human experience. Also, seeing that life and existence allow the presence of goodness, joy, happiness, serenity, peace or any good thing simply shows that the overruling power of all things is “good” or freedom and agency promoting, for self-serving “evil” would not allow joy or anything contrary to its own nature or which didn’t consolidate all power life and existence to itself, and only that which is truly good and inspires freedom would allow the agency we enjoy whether to seek out greater freedom and capabilities or captivity and death. I once believed this but that was when I had a concept of “good and evil” and believed there was an “overruling power.” I no longer have a concept of “good or evil” and you know who god is.
So I ask, which is greater and more likely true to our eternal nature, the assumption that we are victims of meaningless illusion thereby robbing us of agency and free will and any form of godliness (agency), or the realization that those powers which truly enable and free and magnify the existence of any being are those which embrace and harmonize with all levels of existence? Only those caught up in the illusion are victims of it and by the way most are. You have the ability to change your life in an instant. all power for you to do that right now is at your hand. You need only do it. Your mind and the illusion it creates is what robs you of any agency you think you have or are supposed to have. Change it now. You can do that. Life and our existence itself show a pattern (even in the fact that we must be able to look beyond and comprehend things outside the physical realm) that laws do exist and only by obedience to those laws can we hope to attain to any level of additional choice, knowledge or freedom even as your assertion about the nature of reality admits. Ahhhh…Grasshopper. Spoken like a true Mormon. Obedience does not open you up to additional choice, knowledge or freedom. Awareness of the reality of a conditioned mind that believes “obedience” to mind constructed laws is what will free you. You are free already and you already know everything. Your mind prevents you from accessing what you are and what you know and all the subjection and obedience you give yourself over to will not get you any closer to finding your true self.
These are the areas where I see a key fault. Your conjectures about the nature of reality contradict themselves, for on the one hand they embrace a nature and a law and individual choice, but on the other hand claim that the realm we readily experience has no part of such nature and law and individual choice, or that we are subjected to the same until we assert our own power over it by obeying some law which should give us power although we supposedly already retain it for ourselves yet find ourselves subject to an outside force without any choice on our part. You are really hung up on “law.” I make no assertions that acceptance of “some law” that gives us power. If anything I am saying there are no laws at all that you or I are subject to at all. Gods are not bound by law. Any law and when you get that you overcome all boundaries that hold you back from being what you truly are. Remember what I said earlier. Know by “not knowing.” Let me add do by “not doing,’ see by “not seeing.” Here’s a great illusion: someone you consider to be an authority tells you to obey his or her way of believing things and you do. Who then is bound? Laws exist for those who need laws and those who need laws are the mind created collectives who want to control you in some way or another. It is confusing to try to explain the nature of such a belief or to ultimately come to the sure foundation since the pattern set by accepting such assumptions will inexorably lead one to question any other “reality” they claim to have found on the same basis as they questioned the first. I have no beliefs. All of it, everything is incredible or wondrous and to ascribe to a set of beliefs is to place my own imposed importance on something that is just to incredible to describe. I nor you really have enough time in this life to consider our importance, important.
However we should have hope despite our lack of being in complete control for our ability to comprehend and be aware of natural law sets forth a pattern which simply states that we are capable of acquiring understanding and ascending the scale of ability and choice and freedom for we are not inhibited to see and to choose to do so, and therefore we are invited to “climb.” Big problem in the illusion today. We are so convinced that we are lowly and sinful and unworthy blah, blah blah, that a big part of the current illusion has convinced us that we must “climb” as you call it and find that greater purpose that lies ahead somewhere. We are already gods! We stepped down to come here and our purpose for being here is not to step up. We already are up!! Always have been and always will be. We are “the purpose.” We came here to have fun and we are all wrapped up on finding out why we came here. Such a waste of time and energy when everything is before us to let go and just enjoy this incredible experience.
The empowerment of knowing we have choice and our own agency is the crux of any philosophy or religion or scientific pursuit. The fact of the “present” asserts the fact that we are by nature free beings over our own wills, and can use such to influence those things placed within our grasp, and the fact that we exist gives us liberating knowledge and purpose that witnesses that we are part of the fabric of the universe without beginning or end and that we have a far more fundamental involvement and place in it than is sometimes conceived. Sounds like god speaking. Great truth here. Do you know what you are saying here? Everything is in your grasp…everything. In fact, you already hold it in your hands.