"I think that the Bible ought to be ceremoniously and reverently burned every Easter. We need it no more, because the Spirit is with us.
It's a dangerous book. And to worship it, of course, is a far more dangerous idolatry than bowing down to images of wood or stone. Nobody in his senses can confuse a wooden image with God. But you can very easily confuse a set of ideas with God, because concepts are more rarified and abstract.
...
But supposing we are really quiet - we don't think. Be absolutely silent through and through. You say 'Oh, well, you'll just fall into a blank!' Oh? Ever tried?
...
You don't come to the temple to chatter, but to 'be still, and know that I am God.'"
- Alan Watts
There is a growing interest in spirituality, a growing feeling that there is something more to life than what we generally see. The popularity of posts like this, and the one about life after death, are a testament to that, as are the flood of Christian movies being produced in Hollywood and released in our theaters.
And yet, and yet... as we seek Mystery, we continue to kick around ideas and theories and philosophies of what it might be, or whether it exists. All of that has its place, but none of it will show you what God is. That's the question, right? What is God?
The mystic is one who has realized, directly, union with God/Spirit/Mystery/Ground/The Absolute. Jesus, in his mystical Christ consciousness, prayed that "They may be one, as the Father and I are one." So be still, and know I Am; in the stillness you may just remember who you are. This is the true 'Good News' of the Gospel.
If you are brave enough, and open enough, then take the path of the mystic. Bring your attention to that which is common to your every experience. There is one thing that has never come, and never gone, and never changes. When you find it, you will know beyond doubt what the Mystery is, and you will probably find that all theoretical ideas about it are completely meaningless.
That's one of the defining characteristics of Spirit, for it lies beyond any logical categories. You can't even say that it is everything, for that implies a nothing that it is not... All descriptions fall into gibberish. But the experience is unmistakable, and very real indeed. And there are two other distinct feelings commonly reported by those who have had this mystical experience.
The first is that the entire universe is your body. Which, theoretically speaking, is a true fact, but it is a far cry from our typical felt perception. Quantum physics tells us that the universe is a seamless, interwoven coat, with no boundaries to be found anywhere. And we hear this, and think "Well that's interesting, but so what?" The theory is just words and concepts. But people who've had the mystical experience, and live in it, are often the most secure people you'll ever meet. They have seen, concretely, that their being is infinite. What then, could threaten them?
The second feeling brought forth by the mystical experience is that every single thing and event is in exactly the right place in a harmonious, gloriously interwoven tapestry - from the smallest dust mote to the greatest cruelty to the utterly weird and strange. Which is also presented as a theory or philosophy, in an effort to bring about the mystical experience, which is "trying to make the tail wag the dog." The words mean little compared to the incredible peace and happiness that the actual experience brings about.
"You are the light of the world." Not in the sense that you have some special talent. You do not become the light of the world after you accept the enormous shame and guilt presented by traditional Christian institutions, and then accept that Jesus is saving you from the punishment that you deserve. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that you can either do or not do about being the Light of the world, because it is not something you personally are responsible for. But you can choose to recognize it, and be conscious of it.
Jesus became a Christ through this realization, and it was his fervent hope that everyone could do the same. Whether people do or do not is ultimately irrelevant; everything is in its right place. But when you have had this incredible liberation from the bondage of human suffering, the only appropriate course of action to share it with the world, in the hopes that others may be liberated, too.
