My New Belief

[DayLight]

I would be interested to know if anyone shares my beliefs... or part of them...  This is not dogma, this is just a vague idea about reality, so there could be different variations and details... This is like trying to see outside through a foggy window.

I wrote something similar before but I used different words and angles examples, and maybe that was too confusing.  I am hoping this is more clear and maybe more people will recognize these ideaswhat I am talking about?

I like the non-religious aspect of my belief.

I believe that life always existed. And that life (as a process) creates life and that's how things keep going.  (By the way, the Bible also says that by saying that God always was and that God creates things. God could be replaced by a "system" that was always in place.)

I believe that while we live "in time", there is also a parallel existence of living "outside of time". And these are not physical places, but different ways in which consciousness perceives events or reality (it's like it puts a filter on parts of itself and through this filter it starts to perceive things "in time". )   (Christians believe that God lives outside of time and other belief systems have similar beliefs about the "no time" factor.)

I believe that we are all a part of Cosmic consciousness (and the Bible says that we are one with God and are in God and God is in us. Jesus said: don't you know you are gods... And Paul said that we are "seated in heaven NOW in Christ", thus making us be a part of Christ. And also Paul said that we are the body of Christ. That REALLY makes us a part of Christ. I don't believe in the details of Christianity, but am mentioning this to show that the idea itself exists there also (as in other spiritual beliefs).

So Cosmic Consciousness is like a Huge Forest of Trees.

"In time" each person is born as a seed, which grows into a Tree.  But from "outside of time" perspective, each person is a part of the Tree of personalities already because the Tree already exists. 

Each person's Tree of personalities dispatches its seeds to reincarnate (not the same as being born as a seed) and thus expand its number of personalities on the tree.

And each personality on this Tree is programmed with a different way to perceive reality. (But it's like it's not using that way to perceive reality at this moment).    It will be able to perceive a Multi- Being reality.  It will be able to perceive all the personalities on this Tree as parts of SELF.  So there will be many, but it will think: they are all me.  So you'll think: all those personalities are me.  All those reincarnations are me.

Even though from our perspective (our way of perceiving reality) it's not true. Because only this me is truly me.  And others are not this me.  And yet, when you'll be able to perceive reality as a Multi-Being, you'll be able to recognize all the different ones as just you.  (like different moods of ours are recognized as just us, from our current perspective)

 

So it's the Tree that dispatches its seed to come and reincarnate.  This individual you (or me) doesn't have to come back or reincarnate.  But because we will perceive all personalities us "me", we would be able to say: I kept reincarnating here and there... (even though it's not this you).

 

So the afterlife to me is just another form of existence (I am not sure exactly where or how, but I believe it will be a continuation of this life in some way, continuing evolving and exploring...).

 

[♦ Fuego ♦]

That's an interesting view. I've been mulling over something like that for a few years. I think it started as a way to understand how sometimes other personalities seem to pop up in my thinking. I've heard writers describe how their characters take on a life of their own and the story begins to write itself. I've had very strong personalities "attach" to me for a while, and it was interesting and disturbing. I had to re-assert my own choices about how I'm going to behave and even what I dwell on as "good". I wonder at times if "they" are me, another aspect of my own being, a previous life being remembered and old habits coming back, or separate "dead" souls that didn't cross over looking to play out their desires through my body.

 

Another part of this is dreams. How can dreams present such a complete world where I'm someone else, and play out in a parable of something I saw that day, or an issue with which I'm wrestling? I even had a short dream about that very subject. My "inner self" personified and showed me an enormous colorful shape that was like an intricate complex flower composed of countless interwoven lives and personalities represented as ribbons of experiences. Each intersection of ribbon was a point of choice where a person could take a different direction in life. The possibilities were endless, and so a dream or a life is experienced as a glimpse into one of these other ribbons, and can be used to view an issue from a different perspective which can lead to a valuable insight.

[Ellinas]

"I would be interested to know if anyone shares my beliefs... or part of them..."

 

Well, not that it really ought to be an issue whether anyone agrees with you, but seeing as you've asked...

 

 

"I believe that life always existed. And that life (as a process) creates life and that's how things keep going."

 

From my standpoint, I would say that only life can give rise to life.  It is that underlying principle of life that I regard as "god" in the ultimate sense.

 

"I believe that while we live "in time", there is also a parallel existence of living "outside of time". And these are not physical places, but different ways in which consciousness perceives events or reality (it's like it puts a filter on parts of itself and through this filter it starts to perceive things "in time")."

 

I have no view on whether there is such a thing as living outside of time.  I do tend to the view that our consciousnesses are filtered through the physical medium of the brain, if that is part of what you are getting at.  The nature of consciousness itself and of its' relationship to the temporal I do not know and have no settled belief.

 

"I believe that we are all a part of Cosmic consciousness".

 

Just as I consider that life only comes from life, so I tend to the view that consciousness only comes from consciousness.  Quite what that means in terms of "cosmic consciousness" is something on which I have no settled view.  You might be interested in the Atman-Brahman concepts from the link that Orbit has posted in the Advaita Vedanta thread.

 

"So Cosmic Consciousness is like a Huge Forest of Trees.

"In time" each person is born as a seed, which grows into a Tree.  But from "outside of time" perspective, each person is a part of the Tree of personalities already because the Tree already exists. 

Each person's Tree of personalities dispatches its seeds to reincarnate (not the same as being born as a seed) and thus expand its number of personalities on the tree.

And each personality on this Tree is programmed with a different way to perceive reality. (But it's like it's not using that way to perceive reality at this moment).    It will be able to perceive a Multi- Being reality.  It will be able to perceive all the personalities on this Tree as parts of SELF.  So there will be many, but it will think: they are all me.  So you'll think: all those personalities are me.  All those reincarnations are me.

 

Even though from our perspective (our way of perceiving reality) it's not true. Because only this me is truly me.  And others are not this me.  And yet, when you'll be able to perceive reality as a Multi-Being, you'll be able to recognize all the different ones as just you.  (like different moods of ours are recognized as just us, from our current perspective)

 

So it's the Tree that dispatches its seed to come and reincarnate.  This individual you (or me) doesn't have to come back or reincarnate.  But because we will perceive all personalities us "me", we would be able to say: I kept reincarnating here and there... (even though it's not this you)."

 

Well, that's one way of looking at it.  I'm not sure whether you are mixing the metaphor of a forest and of a "one tree" approach (think an Yggdrasil type of concept).  Nor have I a settled view on reincarnation (though I tend towards it as a possibility rather than a certainty for any given individual).  Ultimately you are struggling with imagery as to how to link individual existence with a universal life/consciousness principle and any analogy will break at some point.  Again, have a look at the Advaita Vedanta link (though bear in mind that Hindu philosophy has other branches).

 

 

"So the afterlife to me is just another form of existence (I am not sure exactly where or how, but I believe it will be a continuation of this life in some way, continuing evolving and exploring...)."

 

I tend to agree.  With the caveat that this is all conjecture.

 

Finally, I appreciate what you say about talking about the Bible to show that such ideas can be - well, I suppose I would say in that context "imported into" such a system.  To be honest, you would do better leaving the Bible out of this one and following it through other spiritual and philosophic systems that overtly discuss such ideas.  You can find anything in the Bible if you look hard enough for a verse that can be made to fit, but that is not a particularly profitable way to go from where I'm standing.  And don't worry too much about whether any of the rest of us have views that answer to yours in some way.  This is your quest.  How does reality look to you - that is the important issue

 

Keep thinking!