God and Humanity according to Christian Mysticism

[LittleHamster]

FYI:

Here is a description of the way in which a Holy Monad expresses itself as a Human Being in our world of time and space.

source: http://www.researchersoftruth.org/




PRESENT-DAY (TEMPORARY) PERSONALITY (corruptible - a human being)
|
PERMANENT PERSONALITY (Incorrupt)
|
SOUL-EGO-BEING, SELF-AWARE SOUL
|
HOLY MONAD, SPIRIT-EGO-BEING
|
ABSOLUTE INFINITE BEINGNESS (GOD)



PRESENT-DAY (TEMPORARY) PERSONALITY
This is the personality we express in each individual incarnation. It is the projection of the Permanent Personality into the Worlds of Separation and their subplanes. It is that aspect of the Self which experiences emotions, desires, and thoughts, of which a character is formed. With time, this personality learns to interpret the impressions and correct its reactions, so that a refined personality develops. It is this expression of the Selfhood that Jesus asked us to "deny" (Matt., 16:24) so that we may better understand our Real Self.

PERMANENT PERSONALITY
Our higher or inner self. Described as "the feet of the soul", this self is an expression of, and in union with, the Self-Aware Soul in the worlds of time and place. The Permanent Personality contains the Divine Laws, Total Wisdom, Total Power and Total Love. The task of the Permanent Personality is to select and supervise the lives and experiences of the present-day personalities through its various incarnations. That part of ourselves upon which the incarnational experiences are recorded and are transferred from one life to next.

SOUL-EGO-BEING, SELF-AWARE SOUL
We become a Soul-Ego-Being or Self-Aware Soul the moment a ray of the Spirit-Ego-Being passes through the Human Idea, at which point our Self is understood as something complete, yet seemingly separate from the whole. The Self-Aware Soul with its projections is both Beingness and Existence.
Self-Aware Soul, which is formed of Spirit, then begins to express Itself. As the Soul is of incorruptible Spirit, it is self-sufficient and omniscient. All Souls are equally luminous. The Soul can never be harmed or weakened in any way, so "Fear not them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matt., 10:28). It is the Soul which distinguishes humans from other Beings, for archangels have no need of a Soul as they each be-long to a communal order. It is the Soul that harbours the divine individuation of each human Spirit-Soul-Ego when we return to Absolute Beingness (God). The Soul is the womb of self superconsciousness.

HOLY MONAD, SPIRIT-EGO-BEING
This is our real Self, in at-one-ment with the multiplicity and self-sufficiency of Absolute Beingness (God). The Spirit-Ego-Being projects a ray of Itself into Creation. The Will/Pleasure of Absolute Beingness to express Itself in Itself, is identical to the Will/Pleasure of the Spirit-Ego-Being to express Itself in Itself. The Spirit-Ego-Being is not really an expression of the Selfhood, rather it is a creator of the Selfhood.

ABSOLUTE INFINITE BEINGNESS (GOD)
Daskalos coined the term Absolute Beingness to give more meaning to our understanding of God. The word “God” has been so overused, misused and abused throughout history that today it is not giving us an adequate conception about the characteristics of the Divine. One of the known characteristics of Absolute Beingness, God, is Total Self-Sufficiency – nothing is lacking and nothing is needed. Absolute Beingness as the Trinity has as It’s nature and expression the Total Wisdom, Total Love and Total Power. God is described as “Absolute Beingness” and “Absolute Infinite Beingness” because It contains an infinite number of Eternal, Spirit-Beings similar to God – True gods within The One True God. This is known as the Multiplicity of God. The Multiplicity of God does not mean that we have multiple Gods. There is but one God in His multiplicity. Multiplicity does not mean God is multiplying. Multiplicity means being in great numbers. These Eternal Spirit-Beings, these Holy Monadic Beings (meaning: The component parts of the Absolute) are the manifestation of the Multiplicity of God. A Holy Monad within Absolute Beingness is our Self in its truest Identity. It may be helpful to think of all these Holy Monadic Beings as cells within the Multiplicity of God – composing the body of God so to speak. The Holy Monadic Beings have been called by other names in the past. At the time of Christ in Aramaic they were called: Benai Allaha, which means The Sons of God as well as Benai Or (Aur), which means the Sons of Light (of course at this level, the Spirit-Beings of Absolute Beingness(God) are not expressing male or female characteristics).

We can also identify another characteristic of the Divine, which we might understand as the Primal Cause. And that characteristic is known as the Will-Pleasure of God. It is God’s all-powerful Will and His in-exhaustible Pleasure to manifest Himself, within Himself as His entire creation. The moment (which is eternal) God expresses (vibrates) His Will-Pleasure to manifest; it also resonates within all the Holy Monadic Beings as their own Will-Pleasure to manifest. At which point, God and all the Holy Monadic Beings emanate the Mind as a formless Super-Substance to be used in building all the created worlds. So we have the Mind, which is to be used for creation. And we have those Beings who use the Mind according to the Divine Plan in building up all the worlds of creation (material, psychical, noetical and ethereal). Those glorious beings that use the Mind Self-Super-consciously in building up all the created worlds are known as the Archangels of the Elements. They are the Michaels, the Gabriels, the Raphaels, the Uriels and others.

[Starhunter]

I came across very similar material when I delved into ancient mysticism, in some sections of Islamic and Kabbalistic teachings.

The basic concept is that human beings are endowed with an imperishable consciousness or spirit/soul, which can transcend or develop in stages towards some kind of divine state.

These teachings are very old, back from the days of Babylon, with the captivity of the Jews in Babylon.
Kabbalism started with some of the apostate Jews who hung onto Babylonian teachings.

I have found that the fundamental teachings of mysticism are taught in every religion of the world from the direct teachings of the occult to the diluted forms in false doctrine, from New Age to Marian-ism.

You may be meaning something else, so please correct me.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

I have found that the fundamental teachings of mysticism are taught in every religion of the world from the direct teachings of the occult to the diluted forms in false doctrine, from New Age to Marian-ism.

Indeed...LittleHamster, you need to get off this broad road of ''Christian'' Mysticism quickly and get back onto the little-travelled path of biblical faith.

FL

[LittleHamster]

I have found that the fundamental teachings of mysticism are taught in every religion of the world from the direct teachings of the occult to the diluted forms in false doctrine, from New Age to Marian-ism.

Indeed...LittleHamster, you need to get off this broad road of ''Christian'' Mysticism quickly and get back onto the little-travelled path of biblical faith.

FL

Thanks for the post Starhunter (I agree with what you posted) and thanks for the advice F.L. Yes, I am back to faith. All I'll say is that (a) some people ask a lot of questions and find inadequate answers on biblical teachings alone - hence, they study mysticism, new age, etc..and (b) those that receive answers through gifts of the holy spirit, feel the need to teach/tell others about their experiences/knowledge. Some of those gifts of the holy spirit are super-conscious awareness, the gift of healing and another is of prophesy, etc.

Remember, "Theo" is the greek word for God. So "Theology" is the study of God. and "Christian Theology" is the Study of God for Christians. As a studyer of Christian Theology, I investigate all things related to Christianity and I study them. As a Christian also, I have faith.

Interestingly, from a Catholic point of view, the Catechism of the Catholic Church presents the seven gifts as follows:[13]

1. wisdom: it is the capacity to love spiritual things more than material ones;
2. understanding: in understanding, we comprehend how we need to live as followers of Christ. A person with understanding is not confused by the conflicting messages in our culture about the right way to live. The gift of understanding perfects a person's speculative reason in the apprehension of truth. It is the gift whereby self-evident principles are known, Aquinas writes;
3. counsel (right judgment): with the gift of counsel/right judgment, we know the difference between right and wrong, and we choose to do what is right. A person with right judgment avoids sin and lives out the values taught by Jesus;
4. fortitude (courage): with the gift of fortitude/courage, we overcome our fear and are willing to take risks as a follower of Jesus Christ. A person with courage is willing to stand up for what is right in the sight of God, even if it means accepting rejection, verbal abuse, or physical harm. The gift of courage allows people the firmness of mind that is required both in doing good and in enduring evil;
5. knowledge: with the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God. The gift of knowledge is more than an accumulation of facts;
6. piety (reverence): with the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love. Piety is the gift whereby, at the Holy Spirit's instigation, we pay worship and duty to God as our Father, Aquinas writes;
7. fear of the Lord (wonder and awe): with the gift of fear of the Lord we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love. This gift is described by Aquinas as a fear of separating oneself from God. He describes the gift as a "filial fear," like a child's fear of offending his father, rather than a "servile fear," that is, a fear of punishment. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalms 111:10 || Proverbs 1:7;9:10 ) because it puts our mindset in correct location with respect to God: we are the finite, dependent creatures, and He is the infinite, all-powerful Creator.

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_gift ... oly_Spirit)

[Starhunter]

Little Hamster,

I like the fact that you seem eager to name and follow the products of a Christian life and to crystallize spirituality.

You seem to be looking for something with comprehensive purpose, symmetry and harmony, and Christianity is just that. The Catholic church can be very ordered and impressive with it's ceremonies and choirs.

But then we know that there is weakness within ourselves, chaos, pride, ambition, and other self saving devices, and as sinners we are prone to sin, as well as to fall for the idea of a soaring spiritual experience, or a methodical and intellectual approach to Christian living, as opposed to facing the raw gospel. Like the offering of Cain compared to the offering of Abel, - glamour v's shame.

Wisdom, serenity, humility, etc are very good traits, but they cannot genuinely appear in our lives if we are conscious of them, and not of the fortune we have in the sacrifice of Christ. I know you are not suggesting a dismissal of Christ, but how Christianity includes these values.
But we can find these ideals written on pagan temple hangings as well.
Sometimes we can even make the mistake of attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to these feelings and sentiments.

FL dropped the key to having the Holy Spirit - that is, to have a simple reliance on the written word. Jesus never ventured beyond that standard, even when severely tested. It never gets any better than that, and it is very safe.

Fortunately at this base level, we can never be more spiritual than anyone else, and never go on a spiritual journey above anyone else, and yet this is the only way we can genuinely love others.

[LittleHamster]

Nicely put Starhunter. I reckon you and F.L. could write a book and call it something like:-

"Starthunter's and Furstentum's New-New-Testament and Book-of-Revelations-Addendum for the Christian Apologetic and Seeker of Truth and anyone else who dares to ask questions about the bible"

I got another interesting observation for you to consider:-

I was speaking to a Pentecostal Christian. I discussed with him about the point of Faith versus receiving Direct-Knowledge through the work of the Holy Spirit. He was adamant that you need Faith first and then experiences are likely to come later. 'Not in my case' I told him. I received knowledge first with absolutely no faith whatsoever. But I had been given something even better than faith and that is that I know absolutely. God is there, Jesus exists, and a whole lot of other stuff. Note that I never, ever had to read the bible (although, reading the bible and faith have now become part of my life).

I can see why its so easy to get caught up in the super-natural stuff (e.g. like the new-age movement). My particular interest is the understanding of the spirit. The bible has some of the keys to this and christian mystic writings have some too.

So there you go ! Experience first , faith later.

[Furstentum Liechtenstein]

So there you go ! Experience first , faith later.

Huh? That sounds like ''Eat your cake, then bake it!''. You'll have to explain your ideas more clearly. What exactly are you saying?

I had been given something even better than faith and that is that I know absolutely. God is there, Jesus exists, and a whole lot of other stuff.

Such a clear understanding that ''God is there, Jesus exists'' is faith. You knew that by faith alone, unless God appeared to you in Person. (This is possible but unlikely.)

FL

[LittleHamster]

Huh? That sounds like ''Eat your cake, then bake it!''. You'll have to explain your ideas more clearly. What exactly are you saying?

Hi F.L.! Nothing to do with cakes and baking. It's to do with asking...as in "Ask and you will receive". I asked and received. Not even having faith.

Such a clear understanding that ''God is there, Jesus exists'' is faith. You knew that by faith alone, unless God appeared to you in Person. (This is possible but unlikely.)

Yes it is possible and likely. Like I've mentioned in another thread, I cant tell you what a banana tastes like, how am I going to tell you about God ? You're going to have to experience them directly for yourself.



Ask! ASK ASK ASK !!! SCREAM IT OUT FROM THE TOP OF YOUR VOICE IF YOU HAVE TO. ASK !

[Starhunter]

I guess there are different views of faith.
From what you have said, it is an acknowledgement of truth - in some form? Not necessarily a knowledge of faith or the Bible?

According to the Bible, every human being is given faith from birth, so we all have a capacity, especially as children to connect with God on some level. Jesus said unless we become as children, we cannot enter heaven. An implicit trust in a greater love, - which of course can exist before any knowledge of where it comes from.

But as adults, we are able to test our ideas by the Bible and fall into line with the faith as outlined. Why? because we have all gone astray.

Looking for a more powerful spiritual experience could be the result of ignoring unconditional love.

By powerful experience, I mean having visions, being able to speak in tongues, foretelling the future, having special insight performing miracles etc.

Having a better understanding of what we are like, our strengths and weaknesses, our words and actions, how they affect others, is the spiritual growth we should aim for. It usually takes other people to give us a true view of ourselves, in my case anyway. God Bless them.

[LittleHamster]

I guess there are different views of faith. From what you have said, it is an acknowledgement of truth - in some form? Not necessarily a knowledge of faith or the Bible?

According to the Bible, every human being is given faith from birth, so we all have a capacity, especially as children to connect with God on some level. Jesus said unless we become as children, we cannot enter heaven. An implicit trust in a greater love, - which of course can exist before any knowledge of where it comes from.

The only way I can reason it out is by analogy of my relationship to my own children. My Children are all lost. I tell them I am their father and show them the way the truth and the life. Some children:

(i) Accept it on faith and continue on through life completely satisfied.
(ii) Can't accept it on faith, think its a load of baloney, but still cry out and ask for evidence. I give them all the evidence they need and they become faithful.
(iii) Don't accept it at all.


I think I fell into category (ii).

Looking for a more powerful spiritual experience could be the result of ignoring unconditional love.

One thing I will tell you with out any doubt is that you can not experience God's love in normal waking life. Only when the holy spirit does its thing, will you know what real love is.

Having a better understanding of what we are like, our strengths and weaknesses, our words and actions, how they affect others, is the spiritual growth we should aim for. It usually takes other people to give us a true view of ourselves, in my case anyway. God Bless them.

Sounds good to me. The term "Know Thyself" comes to mind. You could interpret that as knowing your real self, knowing the Christ within yourself, knowing your soul self, knowing the sinful part of yourself, knowing all other aspects of yourself that you are not fully aware of.

Still, with the amount of accumulated sin each of us has, we need help to even know ourselves, the "ask and you shall receive" type of help.

God Bless all of us.