Gaia: Worldtree

Re: Creation of the Universe

http://worldtree.gaia.com — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:53:17 GMT

My first introduction to an emanationist perspective! Thank you M.A.! I guess a lot depends on what you mean by "God"! The role implied in the original question would be similar to that of a "First Being" and moreover, a "Creator Being", at that! Nevertheless, it doesn't really address at all the question of where he/she/it/they came from and how "God" came to be. The progression that is explicit in the emanationist perspective 'makes sense' from the point-of-view that the meta-physical precedes and by its existence supports the reality of the physical universe. It has always seemed to me that the question of 'First Cause' asks as much about how "God" came to be as it does the universe itself. Presuming that there is a "reason" for the First Cause to exist, it asks how that came to be and by derivation, from where? by who? of what?

Re: Creation of the Universe

http://magi.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 15:58:16 GMT

Let me start with my disclaimer and say that I am in no way claiming to know the one truth, this is simply my opinion. I don't believe it is possible for us to understand timeless existence such as God. We might glimpse it even evolve to it but we can never understand it from our perspective. Mainly because at this stage humanity is stuck thinking inside of a mind that works on the corporal limitation of the brain, which runs on a successive series of events so as to order information. That said I believe there is an infinite number of other universes and each one is the body of God or the One. Thus the universe (as well as others) is the ensoulment of God and each thing within it is a series of finite pieces of the infinite One. Since time does not exist until the big bang there is no before the big bang thus the question of God coming before or after the universe is impossible to contemplate because the universe can not exist outside of time, if time exist within God (which I believe it does) then existence is God the void of infinite potentialities in which all things in themselves exist including the infinite number of universes.

Namaste

Re: Human Life/Immortal Soul?

http://magi.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 15:44:11 GMT

I have never read Jane Roberts, though I have read Aurobindo, I believe both in the evolutionary model (though truth be told I am more of an Integral Neoplatonist in my opinions) and in the ever presentness of reality. If the universe is infinite and we know that time-space is relative both in the corporal sense and in the metaphysical sense then we are both evolving toward enlightenment (or participating in God) and ever present within the One moment and place that is God simultaneously. This paradox is evident in physical existence mathematically when we realize that an infinite series of finite things make up infinity.

That said I believe that when we view existence from the stand point of the many things (what Taoism calls the 10,000 Things) we see individuals each within their own path or way towards evolution into the One, some of these individuals are further along in the sensory timeline then others. However when viewed from Big Mind or Godhead we are all One. Its a question of perspective both as the observer and the pluralities of factors effecting your observation of another and the pluralities of perspectives effecting the observed. This polydimensional model elicits an image of the Toltec belief that each and every one of us define both ourselves and reality through many mirrors (or perspectives) looking at a field of shifting smoke (temporary thoughts that stem from imperemant thoughts). This is like Plato's cave. When we evolve out of the cave we find ourselves in the world of light and things, eventually we will find that this too is another form of cave with its own manner of limited perception and so on and so forth until each and everyone and each and every thing is One.

So how does this answer the question of multiple lives? Well my wife puts it this way. If we are all ants on trip to Maui from Miami one ant may seem a greater distance ahead then other from the ants perspective. From our perspective however it is a journey that they can never complete in their own life times and thus one ants distance from the other seems academic at best. Eventually both ants will die, they will be consumed by natural forces of the Cosmos and they will be reborn in the same field of possibilities and will get a little further from our perspective it will still be very marginal. So it is with our souls, born into this infinite field of finite things our personal odyssey of life is to us of great importance but from the point of view of other intelligences we are but cosmic ants traveling toward a reachable goal but one of unimagined distance.

Namaste

Re: Human Life/Immortal Soul?

http://kheper.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 09:28:02 GMT

I find Sri Aurobindo's concept of the "Psychic Being" (as opposed to the personality, ego, and outer nature) that grows through successive life-times quite useful. Incidentally teh Theosophists and Neo-Theosophists say something similar.

A different tack is taken by Jane Roberts / Seth, regarding a Higher Self that experiences all the lifetimes simultaneously, but this implies (although perhaps I am misunderstanding this theory) means either there is no such thing as embodied evolution (because the lives are simultaneous) , or if there is it is very limited. In contrast, Sri Aurobindo's paradigm allows the Soul to evolve towards embodied (not merely transcendent or disembodied) perfection.

I still think that what Rovbberts says is quite fascinating; maybe both referto different aspects of the same reality.

Re: Creation of the Universe

http://kheper.gaia.com — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 09:19:32 GMT

Depends what you mean by "God" ;-)

An emanationist perspective may be more useful!

m.a.

Creation of the Universe

http://worldtree.gaia.com — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 03:26:56 GMT

Thought it was important to have at least two topics to start with:

Is this something to enjoy thinking about? I do, don't know how many others do. Some questions: What happened before the big bang? For that matter, what happened before God? Could there be such a thing? For that matter, which came first, Universe or God? I would put my money on God in that circumstance, but I would bet Universe wasn't far behind, soon as God did much of anything. I have given thought to and tried to answer the questions, "What are the constituent elements of God?", "How many universes are there?", "Who or what creates them?"

What do you think?

Human Life/Immortal Soul?

http://worldtree.gaia.com — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 03:18:02 GMT

Throwing the question out there....................what are your thoughts about the numbers of lives we lead, the purpose of mortal life, the existence of a personal, immortal soul in each of us?

I think the vast majority of the people we see are ensouled beings, but some...are not, either enspirited and perhaps representing an alternate reality from the ensouled version of that SELF or perhaps unensouled altogether and representing a shadow reality of the SELF. I think most of us lead a few score lives before we move on to...well, don't really know actually. I think some of us lead fewer, more intense lives, some perhaps only one. All of our lives have meaning and purpose, but most of us struggle to identify what those are in time to do something with them before we die. Perhaps this is why we are re-born so many times. What do you think?