For those of us who follow the “Royal Road” of Direct Experience, accounts of other people’s insights, legends, and myth based religions have little appeal. We may resonate with the person(s) who had the original insights, but we understand that each time someone has a direct experience of consciousness, Oneness, divinity…LIFE, (whatever you choose to call it) there are inevitably blind followers who create empty rituals and adulterate the original insights.
You can tell how far the followers are from the original vision by the rigidity if their rules and the intensity with which they defend their position.
While Direct Experience is a living thing, followers create religions, which are dead.
Religion clings to the empty cocoon after the butterfly of direct spiritual experience has flown.
For followers, sadly, it is often true that the longer they follow religion, the more rigid they become – and fluidity and openness to the NOW are necessary for Direct Experience. To be fully awake and alive in the moment is a gift – a moment’s insight can open up a whole life.
In fundamentalism rigidity is a curse and a sadness, leading to intolerance and hostility. In some “New Age” circles, the rigidity and religious spirit still creeps in, as followers sometimes echo talk of “sacred sites” or “channeling” or “healers” with no Personal Direct Experience. They say it because they’ve been told, and they BELIEVE, but not because they KNOW it from experience.
“You’ve got to find it on your own, walking along the Royal Road. It’s why you do what you do… – From Whatcha Do, Jinn-Elliott
There really isn’t anything wonderful or admirable about having “faith” in something somebody told you, or that was written on some bronze age scroll…expecially if it contradicts your own direct experience. Come on.
The beautiful present moment is always right HERE for us to BE and to EXPERIENCE it ourselves. We really need to stay alive in the moment, and stay present and awake. And we need to be aware and watch our own inner reality for signs of rigidity, ego, superstition, hostility and religious tendencies. Because as is often pointed out religion and true consciousness/ spirituality are very different things.
It’s a conundrum. For many years quantum physics had been confirming that there are multiple levels of reality other than the material level…the (current) world view will change. It always does.
Perhaps this will end the domination of stiff fundamentalist/Dominionist style religion and bring about the openness that allows insight and personal expansion. That’s what I believe is happening now…and the rigid fundamentalist people are clinging ever more desperately to their rituals laws, dogmas and books. It’s a sign that our species is preparing to finally outgrow this prison. Look for the most regressive among us to scream all the louder and try to take over our political process even more as progress moves slowly forward.
Yet, as science and genuine consciousness reconnect, it empowers us. Remember that during the reign of the Dark Ages, when the church ruled the known world, these two schools were most persecuted: spiritual mystics and scientists. To finally see these two studies empowered and rejoined once again is a beautiful thing.
You can make sense of this world view only if you base the world on consciousness.
Consciousness is the ground of all being, and quantum physics makes this as clear as daylight.” Amit Goswami, Quantum Physicist