taijasi
Gnōthi seauton
This post contains a couple of brief excerpts from Wikipedia for help with the topic, plus a good bit of commentary towards the end. My intention is to take a second pass, perhaps adding some additional thoughts, but please feel free to chime in - anyone who has observations, caveats or questions - in the meantime. I may have to sleep on it for awhile before I come up with some inspiration ...
The first excerpt is on `syncretism' in an effort to help clarify why Theosophical teachings do not fit under this category.
The second is `conflation,' simply because I think this word is used a lot (by some of us pedantic types) ... but not always with clarity, kind of like - syncretism.
My hope is that the combination of these two definitions will help folks to prevent the conflating of various ideas ... and thus enjoy more amicable, informed discussions!
From the Wiki entry on Syncretism:
From the Wiki entry on Conflation:
An example given on Wiki:
All bats are animals.
Some wooden objects are bats.
Therefore, some wooden objects are animals.
I think we can see where the trouble is on this one - the conflating of concepts which really cannot be overlapped ... and I also hope it becomes clear why some folks reject the labeling of Theosophy as a syncretic belief system.
It's a bit like considering science's understanding of the sun, or of the basics of astronomy in general. We can say that century by century, and now decade by decade, we learn more information about our universe, and especially about our own star and its local [visible] planets. There are new techniques of what we might call `perception' using frequencies of light outside of the visible spectrum, such as X-ray ... and sure enough, we now know that `rogue planets' exist, apparently moving freely through space, without being tethered to a star in the traditional sense (of regular orbits) at all.
Yet in all of this progression of understanding, from Galileo & Kepler, Copernicus and Giordano Bruno to Einstein, Hubble and Hawking ... never do we have the mistaken understanding that the Sun did not exist, same great big ball of plasma up there in the `heavens' ... supporting all of our solar system's life as we know it. Not that they taught the concept of *plasma* to kids like me in high school or college. They didn't speak of such things back then, as a 4th state of matter simply - did not exist. Or else it was too cutting edge to make it into the textbooks for us kids to digest.
The point, then, is that for Theosophists, there has always been a Perennia Sophis, or Sacred Tradition, and this is what we believe informs all of the Earth's religions - from Day 0 to Present, and certainly from here on into the inscrutable future. What is posited is that the Wisdom which we find expressed in each of the world's great Faiths was brought to our own planet from Sirius, originally ... though by way of the Venusian Lords of the Flame, some 18-21 million years ago. Since Humanity was in no state then to take proper advantage of such a momentous `Arrival' ... we ourselves had to slowly (and I do mean slowly) adapt - including the literal taking of physical bodies - in order to benefit from the `Oldest Religion.'
These are stories being told in a way that will more easily reach the intelligent, imaginative and interested seeker for Truth these days, whereas even 100 years ago it was impossible to really study or hope to grasp the profundity of such Teachings without a rather extensive, scholarly library at one's disposal, for reference's sake ... not to mention an intellect that had already made a considerable foray into the occult literature available at the time. And keep in mind, even in the mid-1800s, there were plenty of treatises available if you knew where to find them, despite our having lost a considerable wealth of such spiritual wisdom in the destruction of the Alexandrian Library.
Indeed, the Sun has always shone forth freely upon the good denizens of its various worlds. This, for the esotericist, is the spiritual parallel and even prototype of God's more Earthly-expressed, unconditional or compassionate love for all beings - in all kingdoms, both seen and unseen. To say that the Divine has clothed a tiny, tiny measure of itself (even as fractal theory pretty well shows, conceptually, as being something quite imaginable - however abstractly - being itself the *visual* and mathematical key to grasping the idea) and taken denser and denser forms, eventually resulting in the open walking about amongst us - AS one of us, literally clothed in the same skin & bones as expressed in Job 10:11 - is part & parcel of a most ancient and grand notion, accepted as a fairly basic tenet by most Theosophists, who readily affirm the same Divinity, in more latent or embryonic form, within their fellow human (and other) beings.
Sri Krishna expresses this very idea in the ancient Bhagavad Gita, the `Song of the Lord,' with the words:
Kevin Smith took a jab at the notion that the Almighty may have `withdrawn' Himself from on-high in order to do this, in the beginning of the movie `Dogma,' and the objection has not gone unnoticed by a number of his fans, me being one. Perhaps the difficulty is with our tendency to forget that God CAN be in "two places, times, universes, state of mind, etc." at the same time, since we ourselves are not yet accustomed to it. Still, the Wisdom does tend to affirm that God has "clothed Himself" in matter to make Himself more knowable to us, and to allow us to - however this works - "approach the Throne." Fortunately, Dogma resolves the issue quite well, and things are restored as neatly as possible by the end of the flick, with help from Alanis Morissette, as the Almighty.
Thus, we have the precise notion that God has taken form, as truly as the Sun has taken upon itself to shine forth and warm, nurture and literally inVigorate every single lifeform upon all of the planets of its many lesser systems. All are integrated into one whole, just as the atom or the human being, yet on vastly larger - and more spiritually as well as materially evolved - scale. As Above, So Below - runs the Hermetic axiom, and this shows us that our evolution is a continuity ... from the tiniest of lives to the very grandest. Ironically, for those confounded by size (or conflating the notion of progress with the assumption that bigger=better) and appearance, it may just turn out that some of the most evolved entities in the cosmos do not need or use a body of any type that we can perceive at all ... meaning that they may well consist of Pure Energy, or what scientists now call Dark Energy. Others, to be certain, come and go - from other planets, dimensions, worlds or spheres of existence - through what we are calling Dark Matter, yet I would suggest that it is easier to relate to them on `human terms,' since we are on the cusp of discovering that Humanity, in truth, is one, giant, intergalactic cosmic Brotherhood.
The theme here is that if such assertions and tenets, and many others held by Theosophists, turn out to be true, we will begin to accept as obvious - as obvious as the sun in the heavens above - that each religion has been like the current century or decade's effort (echoed by modern science) to grasp the same Light, even the same Love, as well as Purpose of a loving Deity, for a New Era ... of the one Human Family. Mileage may vary, and we each perhaps drive a slightly different model of vehicle, yet the road to Rome is well-marked both day and night, and the testimony of the many travelers is that such a place most definitely exists - even if I myself have yet to `arrive.'
In the last analysis, how do I *know* that it is so? Verily, Plato told us so! And thankfully, many a seeker has seen to it to pursue a similar awakening within the Cave ...
Obviously, this is a bit of a big-picture, catch-all type of approach, because I just happen to believe that the Teacher's `net's are no less *wide* than my mind can fathom ... and I personally have concluded that if indeed there is a `God,' the Love of such a being, even relative to and for the Human Family, knows no conditions or bounds.
In a more compressed picture, we can only investigate the history of `The Wisdom' as far back as we feel we can comfortably - or even, if by a bit of a stretch, *conceptually* - relate to it. Thus, I think we stretch ourselves to try to comprehend Earth's evolution on the spiritual planes some 18 million years ago, while an investigation of more recent history ... say, about a million years ago up to 200,000 ... makes a bit better sense. This is the period, after all, where I predict historians, geologists, anthropologists, and thinkers of all sorts will eventually focus their study & scientific investigations, once they have realized that Egypt's pyramids have stood in place for as many as eight cycles of the Greater Zodiac (the Egyptian Denderah itself *records* three of these, for some 75,000+ years), the Sphinx predating even the pyramids.
Today's science already proves that the erosion damage on the latter monument was caused by water, not wind, evidencing the Sphinx's construction as being *prior* to the last ice age of ~12,500ya. What records were stored beneath the paws of the Guardian, telling of our ancestors' struggle for civilization and quest for meaning? Time will tell, as to date, any findings have been censored (if not worse) ... and further investigations halted until Dr. Zahi Hawass regains the full confidence of an ego that is sorely, sorely confused about the `facts.' But ahhh, that's science for you. And a bit of religion too, yet only the cult of personality, anathema to the current needs of Humanity and Mother Earth.
Namaskar
The first excerpt is on `syncretism' in an effort to help clarify why Theosophical teachings do not fit under this category.
The second is `conflation,' simply because I think this word is used a lot (by some of us pedantic types) ... but not always with clarity, kind of like - syncretism.
My hope is that the combination of these two definitions will help folks to prevent the conflating of various ideas ... and thus enjoy more amicable, informed discussions!
From the Wiki entry on Syncretism:
"Syncretism /ˈsɪŋkrətɪzəm/ is the combining of different, often seemingly contradictory beliefs, while melding practices of various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merger and analogizing of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths. Syncretism also occurs commonly in expressions of arts and culture (known as eclecticism) as well as politics (syncretic politics).
The Theosophical Society, as opposed to Theosophy, professes to go beyond being a syncretic movement that combines deities into an elaborate Spiritual Hierarchy, and assembles evidence that points to an underlying (or occult) reality of Being that is universal and interconnected, common to all spirit-matter dualities. It is maintained that this is the source of religious belief, each religion simply casting that one reality through the prism of that particular time and in a way that is meaningful to their circumstances.
Examples of strongly syncretist Romantic and modern movements with some religious elements include mysticism, occultism, Theosophical Society, modern astrology, Neopaganism, and the New Age movement."
The Theosophical Society, as opposed to Theosophy, professes to go beyond being a syncretic movement that combines deities into an elaborate Spiritual Hierarchy, and assembles evidence that points to an underlying (or occult) reality of Being that is universal and interconnected, common to all spirit-matter dualities. It is maintained that this is the source of religious belief, each religion simply casting that one reality through the prism of that particular time and in a way that is meaningful to their circumstances.
Examples of strongly syncretist Romantic and modern movements with some religious elements include mysticism, occultism, Theosophical Society, modern astrology, Neopaganism, and the New Age movement."
From the Wiki entry on Conflation:
"Conflation occurs when the identities of two or more individuals, concepts, or places, sharing some characteristics of one another, seem to be a single identity — the differences appear to become lost. In logic, it is the practice of treating two distinct concepts as if they were one, which produces errors or misunderstandings as a fusion of distinct subjects tends to obscure analysis of relationships which are emphasized by contrasts. However, if the distinctions between the two concepts appear to be superficial, intentional conflation may be desirable for the sake of conciseness and recall."
An example given on Wiki:
All bats are animals.
Some wooden objects are bats.
Therefore, some wooden objects are animals.
I think we can see where the trouble is on this one - the conflating of concepts which really cannot be overlapped ... and I also hope it becomes clear why some folks reject the labeling of Theosophy as a syncretic belief system.
It's a bit like considering science's understanding of the sun, or of the basics of astronomy in general. We can say that century by century, and now decade by decade, we learn more information about our universe, and especially about our own star and its local [visible] planets. There are new techniques of what we might call `perception' using frequencies of light outside of the visible spectrum, such as X-ray ... and sure enough, we now know that `rogue planets' exist, apparently moving freely through space, without being tethered to a star in the traditional sense (of regular orbits) at all.
Yet in all of this progression of understanding, from Galileo & Kepler, Copernicus and Giordano Bruno to Einstein, Hubble and Hawking ... never do we have the mistaken understanding that the Sun did not exist, same great big ball of plasma up there in the `heavens' ... supporting all of our solar system's life as we know it. Not that they taught the concept of *plasma* to kids like me in high school or college. They didn't speak of such things back then, as a 4th state of matter simply - did not exist. Or else it was too cutting edge to make it into the textbooks for us kids to digest.
The point, then, is that for Theosophists, there has always been a Perennia Sophis, or Sacred Tradition, and this is what we believe informs all of the Earth's religions - from Day 0 to Present, and certainly from here on into the inscrutable future. What is posited is that the Wisdom which we find expressed in each of the world's great Faiths was brought to our own planet from Sirius, originally ... though by way of the Venusian Lords of the Flame, some 18-21 million years ago. Since Humanity was in no state then to take proper advantage of such a momentous `Arrival' ... we ourselves had to slowly (and I do mean slowly) adapt - including the literal taking of physical bodies - in order to benefit from the `Oldest Religion.'
These are stories being told in a way that will more easily reach the intelligent, imaginative and interested seeker for Truth these days, whereas even 100 years ago it was impossible to really study or hope to grasp the profundity of such Teachings without a rather extensive, scholarly library at one's disposal, for reference's sake ... not to mention an intellect that had already made a considerable foray into the occult literature available at the time. And keep in mind, even in the mid-1800s, there were plenty of treatises available if you knew where to find them, despite our having lost a considerable wealth of such spiritual wisdom in the destruction of the Alexandrian Library.
Indeed, the Sun has always shone forth freely upon the good denizens of its various worlds. This, for the esotericist, is the spiritual parallel and even prototype of God's more Earthly-expressed, unconditional or compassionate love for all beings - in all kingdoms, both seen and unseen. To say that the Divine has clothed a tiny, tiny measure of itself (even as fractal theory pretty well shows, conceptually, as being something quite imaginable - however abstractly - being itself the *visual* and mathematical key to grasping the idea) and taken denser and denser forms, eventually resulting in the open walking about amongst us - AS one of us, literally clothed in the same skin & bones as expressed in Job 10:11 - is part & parcel of a most ancient and grand notion, accepted as a fairly basic tenet by most Theosophists, who readily affirm the same Divinity, in more latent or embryonic form, within their fellow human (and other) beings.
Sri Krishna expresses this very idea in the ancient Bhagavad Gita, the `Song of the Lord,' with the words:
"Having pervaded the entire Universe with a fragment of Myself, I remain."
Kevin Smith took a jab at the notion that the Almighty may have `withdrawn' Himself from on-high in order to do this, in the beginning of the movie `Dogma,' and the objection has not gone unnoticed by a number of his fans, me being one. Perhaps the difficulty is with our tendency to forget that God CAN be in "two places, times, universes, state of mind, etc." at the same time, since we ourselves are not yet accustomed to it. Still, the Wisdom does tend to affirm that God has "clothed Himself" in matter to make Himself more knowable to us, and to allow us to - however this works - "approach the Throne." Fortunately, Dogma resolves the issue quite well, and things are restored as neatly as possible by the end of the flick, with help from Alanis Morissette, as the Almighty.
Thus, we have the precise notion that God has taken form, as truly as the Sun has taken upon itself to shine forth and warm, nurture and literally inVigorate every single lifeform upon all of the planets of its many lesser systems. All are integrated into one whole, just as the atom or the human being, yet on vastly larger - and more spiritually as well as materially evolved - scale. As Above, So Below - runs the Hermetic axiom, and this shows us that our evolution is a continuity ... from the tiniest of lives to the very grandest. Ironically, for those confounded by size (or conflating the notion of progress with the assumption that bigger=better) and appearance, it may just turn out that some of the most evolved entities in the cosmos do not need or use a body of any type that we can perceive at all ... meaning that they may well consist of Pure Energy, or what scientists now call Dark Energy. Others, to be certain, come and go - from other planets, dimensions, worlds or spheres of existence - through what we are calling Dark Matter, yet I would suggest that it is easier to relate to them on `human terms,' since we are on the cusp of discovering that Humanity, in truth, is one, giant, intergalactic cosmic Brotherhood.
The theme here is that if such assertions and tenets, and many others held by Theosophists, turn out to be true, we will begin to accept as obvious - as obvious as the sun in the heavens above - that each religion has been like the current century or decade's effort (echoed by modern science) to grasp the same Light, even the same Love, as well as Purpose of a loving Deity, for a New Era ... of the one Human Family. Mileage may vary, and we each perhaps drive a slightly different model of vehicle, yet the road to Rome is well-marked both day and night, and the testimony of the many travelers is that such a place most definitely exists - even if I myself have yet to `arrive.'
In the last analysis, how do I *know* that it is so? Verily, Plato told us so! And thankfully, many a seeker has seen to it to pursue a similar awakening within the Cave ...
Obviously, this is a bit of a big-picture, catch-all type of approach, because I just happen to believe that the Teacher's `net's are no less *wide* than my mind can fathom ... and I personally have concluded that if indeed there is a `God,' the Love of such a being, even relative to and for the Human Family, knows no conditions or bounds.
In a more compressed picture, we can only investigate the history of `The Wisdom' as far back as we feel we can comfortably - or even, if by a bit of a stretch, *conceptually* - relate to it. Thus, I think we stretch ourselves to try to comprehend Earth's evolution on the spiritual planes some 18 million years ago, while an investigation of more recent history ... say, about a million years ago up to 200,000 ... makes a bit better sense. This is the period, after all, where I predict historians, geologists, anthropologists, and thinkers of all sorts will eventually focus their study & scientific investigations, once they have realized that Egypt's pyramids have stood in place for as many as eight cycles of the Greater Zodiac (the Egyptian Denderah itself *records* three of these, for some 75,000+ years), the Sphinx predating even the pyramids.
Today's science already proves that the erosion damage on the latter monument was caused by water, not wind, evidencing the Sphinx's construction as being *prior* to the last ice age of ~12,500ya. What records were stored beneath the paws of the Guardian, telling of our ancestors' struggle for civilization and quest for meaning? Time will tell, as to date, any findings have been censored (if not worse) ... and further investigations halted until Dr. Zahi Hawass regains the full confidence of an ego that is sorely, sorely confused about the `facts.' But ahhh, that's science for you. And a bit of religion too, yet only the cult of personality, anathema to the current needs of Humanity and Mother Earth.
Namaskar
