Spiritual Realization

Lesson 3: Indoctrination, dogma, and delusion

1. What's Between You and God?
Exercise One
2. Organized Religion
3. A Long Tradition of Doing Harm
4. Darkness and Light
5. Channeling and "Ascended Masters"
6. "It's All Good"
Exercise Two
7. Nature
8. Mythology
9. Ego, Spiritual Pride, and Arrogance
10. Salvation and Heaven
Exercise Three

1. What's Between You and God?

Another way to pose this question might be: what separates you from God?

What is between you and God? Nothing? Something? Is there a gap? Is there an obstacle? Is there a clear connection? Is something in the way, and if so, what is it?

Basically, there isn't anything real that separates you from God, only an illusion. But, like the popularly held belief that the world was flat and a person would just fall off the edge if they explore the horizon, the belief that God is separate from us keeps us from moving toward God. God is way far away, in "heaven," and we are way down here on Earth, so far away. But, is that really the truth, or is it merely an illusion?

Popular religious tradition holds that God is far from us, and even declares us as being unworthy of being in the presence of God, because of inherited sin, our own sins, and so on. For a long time, ministers preached that we were all lowly sinners, not worthy of the sight of God. And, people believed that, and lived that way. They lived with no spiritual self-worth, very little self-esteem, and a feeling of great separation from God (or the Grace of God). Punishment and eternal damnation was all they heard about, fire and brimstone, and a Loving and Good God seemed so very far away indeed, especially in the typical hard life.

So, belief, indoctrination, programming, and misunderstandings can all "separate" us from God. What they do is to keep the Reality of a loving God out of our awareness, out of our consciousness, out of our expectations. And we then live in a state of delusion, despair, and even hopelessness. Who is there to answer our prayers? Who knows of our suffering?

In that "gap" which exists between us and God — even if it is entirely in our own minds — all sorts of self-negating and self-limiting beliefs and behavior can enter. And, instead of being filled with positive reassurance and Divine love, that "gap" gets filled with the opposite, the negative.

Exercise One: You may wish to begin by "clearing the air" between you and God. Many people believe that God holds judgments about them, and they also hold judgments about God. For example, they don't see God and so they believe that God doesn't care about them. And they judge God for that, as being something less than what God is supposed to be. Or they, or a loved one, may suffer in life, and they blame God for allowing that, or, perhaps, even for causing the suffering.

This is a chance to say whatever you feel the need to say. Write a letter to God, not in supplication, but simply to say what you wish to say. Keep going until you feel that you have said everything you need to say. For the sake of this exercise, do not worry about God judging you for what you write, your honesty, your suffering, your problems, your emotions, or whatever you feel. Make believe that God is big enough to hear all of that, without judging you.

The farther away you conceive of God, the more "trouble" you may get into, down here on Earth. You may imagine God doesn't care, doesn't know of your needs or your suffering, isn't reaching out for you. New Agers try to solve this problem by substituting another, bigger illusion for the illusion that God is far away: they hold the belief that they are God, or everyone and everything is really God. That illusion may provide a bit more comfort than that of a distant God, but it does not solve the problem is reality. It does not put us in right relationship with God, but rather tends to still put God off, by egotistically equating ourselves with God.

Organized religion tends to have that effect, too. It isn't just the preaching of eternal damnation which puts people off, but the replacement of a direct connection with the Divine Being via a church authority or intermediary. It doesn't matter what that person says — even if it is really nice — the fact that they are self-righteously positioning themselves between you and God, compromises your own relationship with God. They may, in fact, be doing little more than standing in the way.

Once you know that the connection with the Divine is supposed to be right there in your own heart, you may begin to realize the extent to which everything else is a distraction from your own direct connection. You do not connect with God through another person, through a book, through a social meeting or church service. You connect with God in your own heart.

And that is entirely between you and God. It's nobody else's business. And, it is surely not anybody else's job or responsibility. It is something you need to do for your self.

Learn to discern the difference between what is the Way, within you, and what just gets in the way.

2. Organized Religion

Organized religion is the means by which indoctrination and dogma are passed down from generation to generation. Generally, the more literal the interpretation, the more "truth" is declared to be found in such doctrines by the ruling authorities.

It might surprise some Christians today, but Jesus came to free people from "the law," and all the rules and traditions that are in the way of simply knowing the truth and living it, for themselves. He did not come to set up yet another endless system of doctrine, official practices, high offices, hierarchies, and so on. Understand, all of that is in the way of a person having a direct relationship with the Divine; it is not the only means for having such a relationship.

Priests, ministers, rabbis, and other religious "authorities" interfere in your relationship with the Divine, in you. Think of how absurd it would be to not have a relationship with your physical father, directly, but only through the intermediary of a person who lives down the street from you — even if they think they know a lot about your father. It would be absurd for you to accept such an intermediary in your relationship with your physical father. How much more so is it to accept such an intermediary in your relationship with your spiritual Father/Mother. It is absurd. But, that is how organized religion gained and seeks to hold on to power, control, enormous wealth and authority — all of which men have claimed for themselves. It has very little to do with any true spiritual authority.

We have discussed at length the way in which "the world" — and the society you live in — has its own agenda. Society prefers a minimally developed individual, one who does not question everything, least of all the most commonly accepted traditions. That is how a society perpetuates itself. Over time, the harshest social penalties for non-conformity have been directed at those who have a mind of their own, who think for themselves, and who seek to have a direct relationship with the Divine. Those who reject any intermediaries between themselves and God are met with righteous indignation, scorn, and condemnation, for not having followed the prescribed ways of the religious authorities.

At the present time, there is something obviously self-defeating about organized religion. In the past, religious writing and scriptures were not available to the common man (or woman); there was a time when a person could be put to death for having a copy of scripture, because only certain religious authorities were deemed worthy to have access to such information. Nowadays, with the Internet, hundreds of millions of people have access to information regarding many religious teachings, not just the ones they may have been born into. And they are more likely — and more free — to question those long-held doctrines and dogma. This is why people today are more likely to question religious indoctrination, and seek a greater truth for themselves.

If your needs are being met by organized religion, that is just fine. Many people feel that way, and we are not trying to convince anyone to abandon what they feel is working for them. However, if you have a questioning mind, and are interested in answers beyond what you may have already been taught or told, we will provide further perspective, here.

If you have ever wondered why someone else — another very fallible human being — should have more to say about your own spiritual well-being and progress than you do, you are not alone. We are here to encourage your own spiritual well-being, responsibility, free will, and empowerment. Even if for just a little while, we will allow a space in which you can raise the questions you may have, of a spiritual nature, and seek greater answers. We are not here to promote any given ideology, or a new belief system, but to assist you in coming closer to your own sense of what is right, good, and true for you.

And, that is very different from the agenda of organized religion.

Of course, the Church does not want you to be aware of anything beyond a totally submissive existence on this planet; and any matter of "metaphysical philosophy" or "psychic phenomenology" or "alien visitation" is declared "the occult." The Church claims exclusive control over all matters of the spirit, and, basically, everything you think and do. They decide what is right and wrong, for you; they decide who is a saint and who is a sinner; they have the job of protecting us all from evil. And, if you believe that, you are in big trouble. Organized religion is infested with evil; it is just big business. A church door does not keep demons out; sometimes, they stand in the pulpit. The Church is, after all, a multi-national, multi-billion dollar business seeking loyal customers for life — an unaware and uninformed customer is the best and most loyal. A monopoly is the most successful form of business, when all competitive views or "products" have been eliminated, in the most wicked ways. The Church feels that if you are not totally dependent upon it, then there is something wrong with you and you will surely go to hell. Organized religion is itself one of the greatest forms of self-devaluation and psychic attack present on this planet.

You need to understand one basic thing: nobody is an intermediary between you and the True God. It doesn't matter if they call themselves pope, infallible, appointed, anointed, called, elected, chosen, "father," "reverend," or anything else. They are putting themselves in the place of the most holy; they are putting themselves between you and the Light, between you and inner conscience. That is their goal, to separate you from the Light of conscience within you, to become an intermediary, to be in charge of your blessings and the sponsor of your prayer requests. You have to see how this empowers them and disempowers you.

3. A Long Tradition of Doing Harm

First, some definitions:
"Religious" does not mean "spiritual." And spiritual does not necessarily mean religious.
Religious does not mean true; it does not mean right; it does not mean good.
Fundamentalist religion does not mean fundamentally true, fundamentally right, or fundamentally good.
Ultra-religious does not mean absolutely true, absolutely right, or absolutely good.
A person who is very religious is not necessarily very spiritual.
The most piously religious people, throughout history (and to this day), have believed in torturing, killing, or slaughtering those who do not have the same beliefs as them. That is the exact opposite of spirituality.
Spirituality is simply seeking alignment with what is right, good, and true — not endless dogma, doctrine, rituals, observances, supplications, absolutions, prostrations, prescribed rites, ideology, social agenda, or political agenda.

Contrary to what rabbis, mullahs, priests, archbishops or the pope himself might argue, old-time, orthodox, fundamentalist, organized religion is not the moral high ground. It is the last refuge of cowards, who seek any excuse to kill, exploit, abuse, and destroy anyone who is not like them, or who does not think like them. The Church has been doing this just about as long as there has been "organized religion," having slaughtered, tortured, burned at the stake, and otherwise abused hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of innocents over the ages. Even today organized religion is being exposed for abusing generations of children.

Review history, and see what has truly happened. No organization has caused more suffering, bloodshed, torture of men, women and children, plundering of more nations and decimation of their people, their cultures, and their free thinking than organized religion — in the name of "god." Actually, both the Jews of the Old Testament and the Christians of the New have had a sizable share of this market. Then again, we should think of the Hindus and the Muslims and their "holy" wars. Every religion is "right" in its conflicting beliefs, in its absolute control of people and their "fate" in this world and the next. How can all of these religions that are so "right" be so wrong? Simple. They are institutions of evil set up to mock the True God, to separate people from the Divine within them, to rule their minds and their lives with an iron hand. They have very little to do with really overcoming evil, but instead perpetuate it.

Do not mistake the fact that there is a church on every corner, and endless religious programming, for what is right, good, or true. The truth is, religious institutions have historically used their power, resources, and dogma for just one purpose: to control the masses, to keep up Illusions, and to sustain evil.

You are probably aware that Catholic priests have raped, sodomized, and otherwise abused young boys and girls (some of them numbering into the hundreds) for decades and decades. Nothing new, here. The church leaders have been torturing, abusing, and exploiting the masses for as long as there has been religion. Time reported "Catholicism's latest sex-abuse scandal," revealing that many Catholics have "sinister memories of homosexual rape and coercive relationships," noting that 2,000 to 4,000 priests may have abused 100,000 underage victims. Stating that these are not random incidents, one source stated, "It wasn't a guy or a couple of guys. It was a generation of guys. They treated this as a hunting preserve." The Catholic church set aside at least two billion dollars to be able to settle just the recent expected abuse cases brought against them. They abuse your children, destroy their lives, and use your own contributions to pay for their sins. Quite perverted, is it not? Televangelists "fall" into "sin" in their insatiable lust and greed. How many billions of dollars have these most "divinely inspired" people squandered? And they claim the moral high ground?

Is it possible to rationalize or accept the slaughter of innocent people throughout the world, in the church's insatiable lust for power and wealth? Has it all been morally justified or "right"? Do you have any idea what unimaginable suffering the church sanctioned in its inquisitions over five hundred years, in which torture was the most acceptable and valued means of bringing "religion" to the masses? Torture was the main tool for the Church to "hear confession." Inquisitors never told the victim what his or her "wrong" was, but would just repeat the phrase, "Tell the truth," throughout the ordeal. And, of course, they took extreme pleasure in raping all the women and young girls they could get their perverted hands on, before cutting their tongues out and burning them alive at the stake. After the "Holy Office of the Inquisition" lost favor, their chief activity reverted to the time-honored church tradition of destroying books, any books that might hint at the truth. It should be clear, the religionists have no connection to God or Truth whatsoever. And they cannot give moral justification to political leaders — or war.

We have seen how the Church has slaughtered innocent men, women, and children through the ages, merely for thinking differently, or in many cases, for absolutely no reason at all — other than to completely oppress the human spirit, and maintain an unyielding control of people's lives, thinking, and behavior, from birth to death. Not much has changed in recent times. The Church still feels it has the "right" and duty to dictate how everyone else should live (while they, of course, being the lying, deceiving, hypocrites they are, live in sin, fornicate, commit adultery, molest, sodomize, and sexually abuse our children, generation after generation). They are "only looking after the children." Sure. Religious leaders see nothing wrong with sending our children off to be killed in war; that is "glorious: that is "doing God's will." Nothing wrong here. God is always on their side.

Actually, there could not be a lower moral ground than organized religion. Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, they've all had their holy wars and crusades, and slaughtered countless men, women, children, and babies, righteously so. Are they always right, or even moral? Oh, but "god" tells them whom they should kill, torture, enslave, oppress, and destroy. Honestly, if the Church is adamantly opposed to something, such as birth control via contraceptives, women's rights, the belief in reincarnation, the existence of aliens, the fact that the Earth revolves around the sun, or abortion, it is worth considering, just possibly, maybe they are wrong. Maybe they have their own agenda. Maybe they don't really want people to know the truth. Maybe they fear losing control of people and their thinking and their lives. Maybe they are living in denial. Maybe they are coming from a place of fear and loathing rather than true love and compassion. They certainly have declared that women are unfit to be spiritual — billions of women, over thousands of years — and not one has ever been seen to be spiritual, holy, or good enough. They cannot be priests; they cannot be part of official organized religion. They have nothing to give, nothing to contribute, nothing creative, spiritual, or good to offer. Well, where did all the men come from, if not from the wombs of women? What short memories they have. What closed minds. What ignorance, egotism, and stupidity. What evilness.

You need to hold yourself to a much higher standard of spirituality. That doesn't mean being more fanatical and absolute in your religious indoctrination, but rather, looking within your own heart for what your own conscience says to you, and following that.

There is in fact a great spiritual war raging in this world, between Good and Evil, and Evil will not let the good easily escape its grip. The truth is anathema to evil, so a preferred means of Evil to suppress the truth is to relentlessly program the thinking and behavior of the masses. Conformity and acceptance of the status quo are revered as some sort of virtue. However, if you do not fight for awareness, and break through the prevailing social indoctrination and programming, you may lose the battle for your mind — and your spirit or soul.

Unfortunately, religion often proves to be aligned with spiritual darkness rather than spiritual Light, and has never solved our problems in this world. All of the endlessly self-righteous mechanisms of complete domination, control, suppression, divisiveness, delusion, exploitation, and spiritual subjugation are not of the Light, but of the darkness.

4. Darkness and Light

If there is one spiritual responsibility we each have, it is to step out of darkness into the Light. No matter how brightly the sun shines, there is a darkness that commonly dwells in the soul, which breeds all wrong. And, only the Light can dispel that darkness. This ubiquitous darkness is Evil, and it manifests every form of suffering, illusion, and self-destruction imaginable. None who live in this world are immune from evil. The sane ones are those who have looked evil in the face, seen the road to darkness, madness, and ruin — and chosen the Light.

In our society there is a war between true perception and delusion, understanding and erroneous programming, truth and mass deception — reality and illusion. Do we live in an enlightened world, so that we can simply end our quest for the truth by adopting the social norm, imagining that the majority must be right in everything? In fact, the majority is most often wrong, deluded, and spiritually unaware. Individuals live in denial; families are dysfunctional; communities have great inequity, and nations feel entitled to exploitative behavior. Where do we find sanity in a world of exploitation, distorted perceptions, injustice, ignorance, untruth, and deception? Where in the darkness is the Light?

How does one choose Light over darkness? How does one choose Reality over illusion and delusion? How does one choose to be sane, or more sane? How does one choose Good over Evil? How does one escape the insanity that society accepts as normal?

Lies, untruths, falsehoods, and wrongs destroy people's lives. And, who will say otherwise.

The way to approach this material is with an open mind. This does not mean an undiscerning mind that soaks up all input like a sponge, without perceiving what is of value and what is not, what is right, good, and true, and what is not. Discern, find the truth that resonates within you, which is different from the common conditioning and popular programming. Let go of any investment you may have in the propaganda, indoctrination, and hidden agenda of the unquestioned social order, politics, economics, business, government, religion, education, and so on. You will begin to see the extent to which your thinking and behavior are controlled by forces outside you — forces which cannot and will not protect you from changes to come. Question everything.

Everything you have ever relied upon, outside you, could be stripped away from you. The extraordinary changes that are upon this world will make you aware of the Truth and the lies, one way or another. It is the same Light which reveals the truth and exposes the lie for what it is. Very simply, to realize the truth, you must think for your self.

Do you want to find your way in this lost world? Look within you. Listen to your conscience. Many things that you once imagined were "good" will be seen as the illusions they are: negative, oppressive, and destructive attachments. If you have a commitment to the Truth, then give up all pretenses, lies, and falsehood. Many preconceived ideas you may have had will no longer hold any truth for you; behavior that once brought ego gratification or excitement will no longer be attractive to you. What is not right, good, and true will die out as a motivating force or influence in your life. In this way, you may come to feel a true detachment, an evenness, within you — not based upon denial, delusion, or apathy, but acceptance of the Truth.

Look for and unfold your true self, and the non-self (or ego) will begin to fade in its imagined glory. You will learn how to respond to difficult situations in the right way, to do what you know to be right, good, and true. This is what it means to think for your self and truly solve your problems. You do not need to try to solve every problem in the world. You will know you are on the right track when you realize there is a Higher solution, a Plan for correction of all that is wrong in this world, and that all you need to do is accept the Truth and align your self with it.

Learn to see the darkness from the Light. There are countless false "solutions" to all of our problems, which say how wonderful everything is, that we are all "learning" and "growing," and all our problems are being worked out. That is, simply, not true. In fact, it is a message of darkness, not Light. The Light seeks to liberate us, not to trap us in even greater illusions.

5. Channeling and "Ascended Masters"

What you are reading is not channeled material. It is the understanding and experience of actually living on planet Earth, here, now — not the astral level. The astral level is merely another level of illusion, in some ways far more delusive than life on Earth. It is part of the physical universe, not God's Kingdom; it is not your true home, and it is not where the Light and Grace come from. Yet, it is where the popular New Age teachings come from, and where all the most popular spiritual teachers and gurus get the same old nonsense about how we are all perfect and there is nothing to do.

Channeling is a process of psychically connecting with an entity (generally on the astral level) who imparts some kind of teaching, generally of the New Age kind: "you are God," "you can have anything you want," "everything is perfect," "you are our heaven," and so on. All nonsense.

The most common channeled teachings have come from sources such as Seth, Ramtha, Lazaris, Kryon, and Abraham. These are all, basically, from the same source — not True Source. And the teachings — "you create your own reality" — are the same old, astral level, phony ascended master, "enlightened," nonsense.

We understand that there is a great deal of appeal — to the ego — in being told you are God, that you can have anything you want, that everything is perfect and getting better. It sounds marvelous. But, it is nothing other than an illusion, and a very negative one at that, no matter how glorious it sounds. Because anything that gets between you and the Truth — no matter how grand the illusion you may be given — is intended to perpetuate suffering, not to overcome it.

There are no real "ascended masters." There are beings who may have walked around on this Earth, perhaps, who hang out on the astral level. But they are masters of nothing, except illusions. They are certainly not free; they are certainly not beyond the karmic system. They are merely rewarded and given spurious authority on the astral level, for their role in administering the "lessons" that everyone else is "learning" on Earth. A more honest way to see this, is that they are rewarded in proportion to the amount of suffering that is perpetuated under the karmic system.

Until you realize that the karmic system is not Divine, just, or fair, and that there has been no escape from its endless system of suffering, you may not question all of the channeled teachings which declare that everything is perfect and we are all learning wonderful lessons and growing into wonderful spiritual beings. If you assume that all channeled teachings are Divine, and that they inherently have more love, wisdom, and truth than you are capable of finding within your self, you are merely setting yourself up to be overshadowed by the grossest falsehoods and delusions — which you fail to discern, for your self.

The belief that "it's all God" goes hand in hand with the belief that "it's all good." After all, if everything and everyone is God, or of God, then how can anything not be good? That, unfortunately, is the conclusion of many spiritual people, who simply do not realize otherwise. They imagine or believe they have found the highest truth, but it is only an illusion.

6. "It's All Good"

Well, no, it isn't all good. Evil is not good, or just as good. Suffering is not good. The lives we live in spiritual darkness, oppression, ignorance, and delusion are not good.

There is darkness and there is Light, and they are not equally good. Everything in life is not equally good, or all good. Some things are really, really bad for us: physically, mentally, emotionally, psychically, and spiritually. Refusing to understand that does not protect us from harm; it is called denial.

Realize: we are not here to "equally embrace the positive and the negative." There are different energies or influences, choices and directions, that flow to and through us, all the time. When you perceive this, you come to understand the need to choose the positive and reject the negative. One energy or flow elevates us; the other diminishes us, in small or great measures.

We continually choose what energies to flow with, consciously or unconsciously. It is all to easy to move through the world on a path of least resistance, doing what is fun, ego-emotionally supportive, materialistic, or selfish. Many people do just that, and they feel their lives "work." Others believe "it is all good," and fail to discern what takes them higher as opposed to what only holds the illusion of taking them higher, while it makes them less: less aware, less spiritual, less giving, less honest with themselves. We are not talking about how to be mindless or habitual, or run on automatic, with very little awareness. We are seeking to be more conscious, aware, free from habitual behavior, free from reactiveness, free to be who we truly are, in the moment.

There are people who essentially worship the universe, believing and declaring that "the universe provides for all their needs," and that the universe is perfect and good, and there is nothing wrong in the world (or the universe). They believe it is all good. And they use terms such as "synchronicity" to explain how good things keep happening for them, and others, as if there can only be good things happening for us when we accept everything in the universe and in our lives as "good."

They give examples of wonderful coincidences in which unexpected things happened for them, which were just amazing. They try to convince us to believe that everything is good, here, so that the same things will happen for us. But, they are actually ignoring the suffering of billions of other beings on this planet. How can you say "life is beautiful" and perfectly good and inspiring in every moment, when someone else is suffering greatly? You cannot dismiss their suffering as some sort of unfortunate event in their life because they are not accepting all the perfect blessings and abundance of the universe. That is simply not true; that is not why they are suffering. Nor can you dismiss their suffering as merely being their way of learning how perfect the universe is, and that if they were to completely trust it, all their needs would be provided for. That belief is a form of total acquiescence to and adaptation to the karmic system.

That is a typical New Age belief. And, it is most easily believed by those people who are not suffering, who are doing quite well materialistically, who have their health, who are not aged, diseased, in pain, or living with abuse and terror in their lives. They may feel as if everything is good in their world, but they are merely living in a bubble of illusion, which can burst at any time.

Exercise Two: This is an exercise in awareness. Allow yourself some time to be with the following questions. Sit with them, and be aware of the thoughts, feelings, and desires that come into your awareness.

Questions: This is a chance to "get real." Do you have any tendency to think that it is "all good," that everything is here for your pleasure and enjoyment, that it's all fun, that nothing "bad" can ever happen, or there is no such thing as "bad" or wrong or evil? If so, then make a list of all the things that could possibly happen to a person, which they would not consider to be fun. List everything, all the things that are happening to people right now, somewhere in this world, causing them horrific suffering and trauma. Be honest, and keep going until you cannot possibly think of anything else, and then add to your list everything that is harmful or hurtful to the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom, to the whole world.

When you are done, ask yourself — on a deeper level, not on the level of superficial illusions or programming — if it all really is "good." Finally, realize that nothing real separates you from the suffering of anyone else in this world, only an illusion.

The test of spiritual maturity is not whether you can make everything bad "good" in your mind, everything wrong "all right," everything oppressive "liberating," or everything hurtful "healing." That is nothing more than delusion or an inability to discern the truth about anything.

The universe, like nature, does not have a totally benevolent source, or influence on life. Open your eyes. Suffering is universal; peace, love, and goodness are not. And there is such a thing as evil. Refusing to believe that, and refusing to acknowledge its existence, does not make it go away; interpreting everything wrong as right, and everything evil as good, does not make it so. And it never will. That is just a form of spiritual blindness and denial.

7. "Nature"

There is a popular belief that we simply need to live "in harmony with Nature," in order to have a more perfect existence. The idea is that Nature is a perfect example of everything being in perfect harmony. This is, of course, not at all true.

There are so many "nature" shows which pride themselves in showing various animals killing and devouring others. They praise this as the wonderful workings of nature. And there are countless shows which show the fury of nature, in hurricanes, tornadoes and so on, claiming this is all part of the wonder and beauty of nature.

What this programming does, over time, is to make people either accepting or unaware of the existence of "natural" forms of evil, suffering, and destruction on a large scale. It is all accepted as some kind of natural process. The Earth is labeled "good," and everything that occurs on it is seen to be the way "Nature" handles everything, or "heals" itself.

Clearly, "Nature" isn't doing such a wonderful job, is it? Nature is not some imaginary benevolent force, whose every action is justified, meaningful, good, and proper. Nature is the nature of the hidden forces which structure life in this world and in this universe, in an attempt to replace Divine nature with the acceptance of these external forces as some sort of "god."

People actually worship nature. They make offerings to nature, in an attempt to placate it. And, they have been doing so for ages, in all cultures.

The only thing worse than worshiping nature, is the complete disregard for anything or anyone else, demonstrated by those who believe in exploiting everything on this earth to their economic advantage. They see the world as something that exists to be used and abused by them, however they wish, to make a profit. And, the immeasurable pollution they produce, in the food, water, air, energy, and earth, are a testament to their greed, corruption, illusions, lack of spirituality, and limitless egotism.

Clearly, delusions about nature are common on both sides of the spectrum. Yet, there is some small truth to the idea that we can come closer to who we truly are by living in a more simple and direct way with nature. The more "unnatural" things that fill our lives — the products of science, technology, chemicals, genetic modification, drugs, and so on — the further we move from any sense of what is simply right, good, and true for us.

The more "unnatural" our lives become, with artificial everything, the more accepting we become of the unreal, and the more we lose sight of what is real, and of ultimate value.

There is value in learning to simply be who we are, without trying to control everything in our environment to produce what we want. There is value in taking time to be away from the endless pollution and intrusion of all that is man-made, and spending time in a more simple and natural place. It is ironic that the extent of "wilderness" in most people's lives is their backyard, or a small city park.

Imagine what it would be like to be able to get away from noise pollution, energy pollution, pollutant filled air and water, chemical laden food, toxic products in our homes and work places, to come back to something more true and healthy, and less harmful and destructive. There is a better way to live. It has to do with not compromising what truly matters to us — either in selling out to everything artificial and man-made, or by thinking everything in nature is perfect and good except, perhaps, us.

Of course, we have a place in all of this; we just need to find our proper place.

8. Mythology

There is a reason why there are tales in all cultures, throughout time, of those who encounter and somehow overcome the greatest obstacles, limitations, or suffering in life — who remind us that it is possible. There is a reason why these tales become "myths," and come to be considered fictitious over time (even when they are not). And, there is a reason why entirely fictitious stories are considered to be true, later on.

Truth is confused with falsehood, especially as regards the most spiritual truths of life.

There are endless problems in this world. Myths — in which divine beings or heroes journey through the world (or underworld) and overcome impossible odds — are a form of reassurance to us. These stories from the past remind us that we can overcome our own problems, that victory can be ours, here, now.

Myths often involve a descent into darkness, and confrontation with terror and death. Such tales may remind us of deeper truths about life in our world, in our lives, today. They remind us of the battle between good and evil.

Myths tell us that there is a personal element in the greatest victories, that good triumphs over evil, that we can rise to the occasion, choose the highest good, or sacrifice something less for something greater. The fact that we may learn such things from myths, does not make these things any less true in our own lives.

So much for the myths intended to connect us with a Greater Truth, which tend to be seen as fiction over time. Ironically, stories that separate us from the True God tend to become accepted tradition and religious belief, over time.

The greatest confusion propagated via mythology relates to the pantheon of "gods." There are countless tales in all cultures, about creation of the world and mankind, the interactions of the "gods," and the relationships between "gods" and human beings. And they are generally false.

In the tales of Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, Hindu, and other ancient cultures, there are tales of "gods" who are often insanely egotistical, perverse, self-absorbed, and misogynistic. They cavort and do whatever they like, taking little note of what effect this may have on human beings. Many of these "gods" take great pride in subjugating humanity, manipulating and degrading it.

What possible relationship is one to have with the True God, in light of all of these false "gods"?

Well, if anything, they can be seen for the great pretenders that they are — far from any true, ultimate, Divine Being or True God. Even though they call themselves gods, they surely are not. No True God could be so corrupt, egotistical, arrogant, manipulative, perverse, or hurtful in relation to His-Her children. The absurdity of the interactions of these "gods" allows us to step out of relationship with such false notions of "god."

The other thing we learn from stories of these supernatural beings, is that there are unseen forces in our world which actually do lead us to "chaos." Whether we personalize these forces or identify them by name, or not, or consider them forces of nature or spiritual entities, we have seen their effects on this earth for a very long time. People in all cultures throughout time have written stories of the "gods" — and their unpredictability, fickleness, vengeance, and madness.

Over time, the most ludicrous images of "gods" replaced any sense of the True God. Now we have to step out of all of that. Rather than worshiping a "god" in the sky, or one who terrorizes us and needs to be appeased, we need to return to the True God. We need to know God as a God of Pure Love, Goodness, and Grace, and reject any other misconceptions about God, no matter how entrenched they may be.

God is not some uncaring, insanely jealous, hateful, hurtful, self-absorbed, unapproachable being. The True God is pure and good — the Highest Good. The True God is so kind, loving, and caring as to dwell in our own hearts. That is the only place we are to find God, and the only God we are to have a relationship with.

9. Ego, Spiritual Pride, and Arrogance

In many spiritual teachings there are warnings against ego, spiritual pride, and arrogance. We are told of various beings who believed more of themselves than of the Divine, and who suffered as a result. And there are cautionary tales of those who failed to realize the difference between true Source — the ultimate Reality — and illusion.

Some people, in reaching for a higher sense of who they are, cannot discern the difference between having true self-esteem and having delusions of grandeur. The reach too high. Others just cannot seem to find enough self-esteem, and cannot bridge the gap between their image of all all-perfect and all-knowing God, and who they feel themselves to be. They do not reach high enough.

You are crossing the river of karma. Are you sinking or swimming? Are you in a boat? Are you really heading where you think you are heading? Are you just being carried along by the river?

Most people are being swept along by the river of karma, individually and collectively. Entire nations have karma, egotism, arrogance, cultures of materialism, spiritual pride, and delusion. And, when one is born and raised in such a system, it can be very hard to see it for what it is. If everyone else around you, parents, peers, and others, all have the same beliefs, programming, socialization, customs, culture, and traditions, you may not question them.

The greatest currents in the river of karma are, perhaps, in organized religion. Just think of the enormous hate, intolerance, arrogance, egotism, and spiritual pride of the believers of organized religion. They are so "proud" of their "god" that they will force others to believe what they believe, and think what they think, or they will seek to destroy them.

When you are raised in a religious tradition to believe that you or those around you are right, and everyone else is wrong, you develop spiritual pride. This is not true spirituality. Nor is it in any way liberating or "saving." Ego is the opposite of spirituality. Spiritual pride is the opposite of true spirituality. And arrogance is the pretense of righteousness carried by the most fallible human beings.

Are you self-righteous in your beliefs? Do you believe everything you have been taught or told, or every word of your scripture? Do you believe it would be egotistical or arrogant for you to think for your self? Have you been indoctrinated to believe that questioning things is a form of spiritual failing or ignorance?

The exact opposite is true.

Until you question what you think or believe — no matter how many other people, or who they might be, believe it — you have not taken the first step in spiritual responsibility. If you are depending upon the force of the river of karma to carry you along to a proper destination, you could be disappointed where you wind up.

You may be floundering in the water, you may be up to your neck and treading water, you may be going with the current, or you may be going along swimmingly. But have you ever thought that you could step out of the water? That you can step out of the river of karma, the river that carries you along in life — away from the Divine? No matter how close you may think the other shore is, the other bank of the river never seems to be reached. Something else always arises, to keep you from reaching your desired destination. Just when you think you are getting close, you are tossed a brick of lead or gold, to weight you down even more. That is the karmic system.

And, those who are carrying bricks of gold, imagining they are being saved or gaining earthly treasures, are only carrying an illusion. They are sinking but refusing to see it as such. They think they are holding the prize, the reward for following dogma, doctrine, and tradition. They imagine the satisfaction of materialistic desires, or conforming to their social conditioning, will free them.

The question you need to answer is: are you getting free, or have you accepted chains of gold, proudly?

10. Salvation and Heaven

What is heaven? What would a true heaven be? Would it be a place where a human being could have everything they want, or would it be a place where life was completely aligned with Divine Will? Would a true heaven allow the possibility of suffering?

Various New Age and popular spiritual teachings go so far as to declare that this world we are living in is "heaven." They even say that angels are envious of us, because we have it so good, because we get to feel and experience all the range of human experience here. Of course, that is not true.

Major religious traditions all have a promise of salvation for the devoted. Those who follow the dogma, ritual practices, and philosophy of their ancestors are said to achieve some kind of salvation, or go to "heaven."

Exercise Three: This is an exercise in awareness. Allow yourself some time to be with the following questions. Sit with them, and be aware of the thoughts, feelings, and desires that come into your awareness.

Questions: Take a moment to think of where you have actually gotten in your spiritual practice. Do you participate in religious activities as a social event, to be part of an assembly, to take your place in an external church hierarchy, to receive the blessings of a church? Do you have a personal — inner — spiritual life and practice? If not, if you have not found spiritual salvation here, what makes you think you will — as a result — find it somewhere else? Are you counting on going to heaven? Why? Are you living as good and moral a life as you can, here? If not, if you have not found the Highest within you here, what makes you think you will — as a result — find it elsewhere? What separates you from God, Grace, and your Highest Good now? What can you do to come closer to, to accept, the Highest Good, here, now? What needs to be different in your life?

The good news is that living a good and moral life, and seeking to come closer to the Divine, is in itself worth doing. The bad news is that no religion can promise you salvation or an eternal place in "heaven." No matter what the philosophy might be, it does not ever free a person from the cycle of birth and death known as reincarnation.

It doesn't matter what you believe in this life, or what you believed in any other life — that belief does not have the power to free you from the endless cycle of reincarnation. Reincarnation has been as inescapable and immutable as any law of the universe. And all of the practices which are said to guarantee a believer an eternal place in "heaven" have never done so.

There are heavens on the astral level, but none of them is permanent. None of them is our true home. None of them is a place where we get to stay forever after we finish a given life on this earthly plane of existence. Yes, we may go there for a while — regardless of our beliefs while we were on this earth. But, we are always called back to this earthly level by the karmic system. We are never done with karma. And, karma rules this world, and has, for a very long time.

Consider the most absurd notions of the most fanatical believers of major religions: that they can kill in the name of "god" and be rewarded for doing so, in an eternal heaven. Over the ages, Jews, Christians, Muslims. and Hindus have all held this belief. And they have slaughtered each other, and non-believers, without end. This has not created a heaven on earth. It has created more of a hell. Yet, they all believe they are following the dictates of "god" and that their reward will be in heaven.

It is not all that different from the case of the churchgoer who is more modest in their beliefs, closed-mindedness, arrogance, and intolerance. They actually imagine that these are "divine" qualities, that they are so superior to others, that they are the special ones, the ones who will go to heaven, while all others with any kind of different beliefs will go to hell. Even people in one sect in a given religion believe that all those in other sects — in the same religion — are not saved.

Everyone prefers to think that their specific beliefs, and their specific church, guarantees them — and only them — a seat in heaven. Their seat in heaven will be just like their seat in church: filled by a person who lived in a world of illusions, who failed to understand the most basic realities of life. A person who may be able to sing hymns or recite chapter and verse, who enjoys the music, who socializes, who enjoys the sermons, who is often ego-emotionally addicted to religion, and who does not in any way discern the truth for themselves.

They believe what they are told to believe. And, if all the beliefs of all the sects are in opposition to each other, can they all be true? Or are they all false? Clearly, they are all wrong, although every one believes it is absolutely true.

There could not be any greater misdirection, failure to comprehend reality, closed-mindedness, or intolerance than that practiced by organized religion. If that were our only true "path" to God, we would all be in big trouble. Perhaps that is why we are in big trouble, and why divine Grace finds no way to enter our lives, our world. Daily, the world is moving more in the direction of hell, and away from heaven. Just look in the media, look at the endless slaughter and suffering mandated by our "born again" self-righteous, leaders. We have been lied to, misled, and deceived so often, in the most important ways, in politics, education, religion, and science, that we no longer have any idea how to solve our problems — let alone find divine Grace.

But, regardless of the insanity which passes for "godliness" in this world, there is still a True God. Not a "god" of hate and vengeance, intolerance and deceit, but a True God of Love. A God who offers us a true saving Grace — which is outside of the karmic system and the organized religions and all of the false paths and popular spiritual teachings.

Divine Grace is not beholding to any organized religion.

It is real and it is true, and it is as close to you as your own heart. You have to learn how to step out of the old karmic system, into Grace. It is not hard, but it may escape you if you imagine you already have everything you need within the karmic system — then you may fail to seek or find real saving grace.

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Jesus is ...