You didn't answer to this question:"And are the gods that appear in so many rituals real for you?Or are they parts of your being that you bring forth, charging them with energy of thought and emotion and linking them to particular characteristics?If the later, why does the ritual talk about respecting/revering them?If they are parts of your being (subconstious mind?) than, how could they posibly become upset?"
I am still curious to hear your point of view.
Have you ever seen a lake?...a big one?...ever gone swimming in one?...well next time you do, try this out. Get nice and calm, then hold your breath and swim down as deep as your are comfortable with, (please be sensible...if you aren't comfortable then don't do it..simple ).
Now you'll notice that as you descend deeper into the lake...things change...the water changes colour as the light is disipated, it goes from light green to dark and then eventually to inky black...it gets colder as the light fades and you can feel the weight of the water above you.
Now when your are down there...stop...your lungs will be compressed and your body should be neutrally or slightly negatively buoyant. Now open your senses. You should feel...nothing. No sight, no sound, no breath, no sensation...no thought.
OK, so WTF was that all about?
Well, I believe that all universal consciousness is the lake...this includes the human consciousness. Our normal state of being is much the same as splashing around the edges of this lake of consciousness in ankle deep water. However, when we meditate or employ ritual, we start swimming out into deeper water. When we invoke the forces of nature, we duck beneath the surface and start swimming down. It is in the inky cold depths of this lake that the denizens of the so called astral plane live. Here, we may interact with them and learn from them.
However, bear in mind that because our consciousness is as much a part of the lake as they are...it is difficult to separate where they end and we begin. Think of it more as a gentle, (or strong...depending on the entity), current that one may encounter down there. You experience them as the pull of a current and they experience you in the same fashion. So is the current part of the lake or separate?
Another way of putting it...can you say for certain at what depth the light stops?...you can say that at the surface there is light and at the bottom there is no light, but in between these two states is simply an area of ever increasing dimness. As we descend down into this spiritual lake of consciousness, we are in a very real sense delving into the deeper parts of our minds that usually lay dormant. The lake is withing us just as much as we are within it.
Such is our relationship to other intelligences.
Again, I re-iterate, breathold diving, (or apnea), is an awesome discipline bit its not something to muppet around with. Don't hyperventilate, don't push your limits unless you know what you are doing. Shallow water blackout is a killer and strikes without warning or sensation. Its just lights out and game over.
Last edited by S33k3R; 05-10-2009 at 10:40 AM.
Prick your finger it is done
The Moon has now eclipsed the Sun
The Angel has spread its wings
The time has come for bitter things
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