I am a very curious person. From an early age I have been asking questions like: who are we? where did we come from? why are we here? what can I know for sure and what can I actually never really know? what is valuable to think about, to feel? who do I want to be? what impact can I actually have? why does any of this matter? who would I be if I didn’t believe that? what can I change? what needs to change? what am I learning?
These questions used to be the prison walls of my own mind. It started as simple frustration and confusion from being fed “truth” by the religion I was born into while my own internal gauge of “truth” did not align. Eventually this spiraled into an existential crisis followed by several years of existential stupor. I continually had the feeling as though I was falling into a deep dark crevasse, and as soon as I managed to climb out of it (days or weeks later), it would only take a few questions to spiral me back into a dizzy spell and tumble back down into that all too familiar crevasse of doom and gloom. My mental dis-ease manifested as a mental health crisis; an eating disorder, depression, anxiety, self harm, drug and alcohol abuse.
Years of practice, learning, opening up, sharing my story, seeking support and guidance, and completely changing the Default Mode Network of my mind, and I am now steady, healthy, strong and live my life aligned with the pure nature of my being. I am healthy and deeply in tune with my mind and body, which allows me to dive deep into rabbit holes, hold space for others who find themselves stuck in darkness, and explore philosophy that is disconnected from science without losing my connection to reality. I can explore the furthest reaches of my current knowledge to highlight my blind spots, vulnerabilities, weaknesses, strengths, gaps, etc. without worrying that I won’t be able to find my way back.
I like to think of myself as a bridge. I enjoy plunging into the esoteric, mystical, spiritual and quantum, not only to appease my own curiosity, but also because I enjoy guiding others to the edge of their knowledge and beliefs while staying in partnership with science and the material world. It becomes a slow and patient process of pushing up against the edges of our current understanding to expand what we see, believe and know to be possible. When we honour our basic needs and have a stable routine for the daily practice, it is amazing what we can change and create within ourselves.
When we are intimately and intricately connected to a foundation of safety, balance, science and simplicity, we can learn to lengthen the bungee chord we use to plunge off into various directions, always with the intent that anything we discover or re-experience from a new lens must be able to come back to the foundation and align with what we know to be true. Which also speaks to the importance of not lengthening the bungee chord too quickly or too soon. Without that continual checking in and integration, it is far too easy to get lost in the mystery of the universe or to jump and slam ourselves against the earth.
In my own learning and development, I have been plunging into the quantum and the ancient texts of The Kybalion to feed my curiosity around my desire to seek out the Universal Truths that are the foundation for this life we are living.
The further away you travel from source, the more rigid or formless you will become. And to stay connected to Source, it makes sense to have some universal truths that serve as the key reminders for a healthy relationship.
What is balance truly? It’s dancing the line of form and formless, masculine and feminine, effort and surrender, full embodiment and mystical exploration, all contributing to the expansion and contraction of energy that is our life force in the present moment unfolding. It is the “engine” that adapts, communicates, grows, and is a part of something bigger yet also the unique individual experience. How do we dance while honoring the Universal Law of Change?
I do believe there are basic (yet not so basic) key tools and gems of wisdom that are pure in nature and 100% malleable through misguided perspectives, attachments or attempts at generating control of status. In general, I think if any of these key truths are dissected on their own, they will not hold up to human complexity. It’s only when taken altogether, the tensegrity of equal and opposing forces creates a frequency of energy that is stronger, more resilient, and has the capacity for high highs and low lows. I think when we get too caught up in analyzing we have stepped away from one of the Universal Truths; we must honor both the masculine (analyzing) and the feminine (medium of felt perception).
I am new to thinking in terms of Universal Laws and Truths, and of course there are plenty of people who have already said or discovered what I am stumbling upon. I do not claim any of these thoughts as mine, as they are serving me now, and I am open to new information and guidance so I can continue down the path with curiosity to know full mind and body integration.
What I appreciate about The Kybalion is the use of the concept THE ALL when referring to the force of energy of which all creation has manifested from. I like the neutrality of that, compared to the energetic resonance I feel when I use the term GOD.
I also like the play with words that happens with using THE ALL as our framework for attempting to grasp what it is and what it is not.
(1) THE ALL must be ALL that REALLY IS. There can be nothing existing outside of THE ALL, else THE ALL would not be THE ALL.
(2) THE ALL must be INFINITE, for there is nothing else to define, confine, bound, limit; or restrict THE ALL. It must be Infinite in Time, or ETERNAL,--it must have always continuously existed, for there is nothing else to have ever created it, and something can never evolve from nothing, and if it had ever "not been," even for a moment, it would not "be" now,--it must continuously exist forever, for there is nothing to destroy it, and it can never "not-be," even for a moment, because something can never become nothing. It must be Infinite in Space--it must be Everywhere, for there is no place outside of THE ALL--it cannot be otherwise than continuous in Space, without break, cessation, separation, or interruption, for there is nothing to break, separate, or interrupt its continuity, and nothing with which to "fill in the gaps." It must be Infinite in Power, or Absolute, for there is nothing to limit, restrict, restrain, confine, disturb or condition it--it is subject to no other Power, for there is no other Power.
(3) THE ALL must be IMMUTABLE, or not subject to change in its real nature, for there is nothing to work changes upon it nothing into which it could change, nor from which it could have changed. It cannot be added to nor subtracted from; increased nor diminished; nor become greater or lesser in any respect whatsoever. It must have always been, and must always remain, just what it is now--THE ALL--there has never been, is not now, and never will be, anything else into which it can change. THE ALL being Infinite, Absolute, Eternal and Unchangeable it must follow that anything finite, changeable, fleeting, and conditioned cannot be THE ALL. And as there is Nothing outside of THE ALL, in Reality, then any and all such finite things must be as Nothing in Reality. Now do not become befogged, nor frightened--we are not trying to lead you into the Christian Science field under cover of Hermetic Philosophy. There is a Reconciliation of this apparently contradictory state of affairs. Be patient, we will reach it in time.
I do align with the belief that there must be a great “engine”, energy or cause of life. On this material and human plane of existence, we can not know all that THE ALL is. We are part of it, come from it, all of it is in us, yet as THE ALL it is beyond EVERYTHING and is therefore rudimentally unknowable.
“THE ALL is in the all, all is in THE ALL.” We can understand that anything that IS, is a part of THE ALL. And conversely, anything that IS, houses THE ALL within it. The way this makes sense to me is to think of a single cell within your body. That single cell has the DNA makeup for absolutely everything that you are. All that you are is housed in that single cell, yet it is also an individual cell and manifests as an important part of the whole, and not the WHOLE in and of itself.
"Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality--the Fundamental Truth….
"Substance" means: "that which underlies all outward manifestations; the essence; the essential reality; the thing in itself," etc. "Substantial" means: "actually existing; being the essential element; being real," etc. "Reality" means: "the state of being real; true, enduring; valid; fixed; permanent; actual," etc. Under and behind all outward appearances or manifestations, there must always be a Substantial Reality. This is the Law.” - The Kybalion
The Kybalion speaks to Seven Principles of Truth…
"The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open."--The Kybalion.
1. The Principle of Mentalism: “The ALL is MIND; the Universe in Mental”
“We can transmute one mental state into another, along the lines of Polarization. Things of the same class may have their polarity changed.”
2. The Principle of Correspondence:
“As above, so below. As below, so above.” Truth corresponds on all planes of manifestation.
3. The Principle of Vibration: “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates”
4. The Principle of Polarity: “Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites>”
5. The Principle of Rhythm: “Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; pendulum; rhythm compensates.”
6. The Principle of Cause and Effect: “The ALL is above cause and effect, except when it wills to become a Cause. Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause.”
7. The Principle of Gender: “Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine principles; gender manifests on all planes”
“He sees that nothing really IS, but that everything is BECOMING and CHANGING. Nothing stands still-everything is being born, growing, dying-the very instant a thing reaches its height, it begins to decline--the law of rhythm is in constant operation--there is no reality, enduring quality, fixity, or substantiality in anything-- nothing is permanent but Change. He sees all things evolving from other things, and resolving into other things--constant action and reaction; inflow and outflow; building up and tearing down; creation and destruction; birth, growth and death. Nothing endures but Change. And if he be a thinking man, he realizes that all of these changing things must be but outward appearances or manifestations of some Underlying Power--some Substantial Reality.” - The Kybalion
I am not suggesting you believe in Hermeticism and I am certainly not suggesting or judging you if you prefer to speak and believe your version of GOD. What I do suggest is that we can all pause and reflect on where religion came from, and begin to question the manifestation and evolution of religions to gain clarity on whether there may be another perspective to try on. Perhaps a “rule” you have been blindly abiding by can be updated, expanded or transformed as you settle into the foundational Truths that all other “rules” came from. I think all religious beliefs become convoluted and misguided when distilled into cultural rules or an organized way of living. Man is imperfect. These Universal Truths that are the foundation of so many religions have lost their potency and power because leaders in Church pull their congregation further away from Source. AND, I do believe there is wisdom in exploring consciousness and the different realms of existence as long as we don't get caught in thinking we will know what is actually unknowable.
More questions, fewer answers. What will it take for us to find solace and power in the expansive questions versus craving certainty? What will it take to stop fishing for quick fixes and answers when the questions themselves are so much more nourishing? What are you curious about? Let’s follow that curiosity.