MANY PATHS, ONE HORIZON
© Kit Constable Maxwell


Chapter 16.

PANTHEISM AND MATTER

MANY PATHS, ONE HORIZON
The story of mankind's spiritual awakening, and of the part we play in it.
© Kit Constable Maxwell

16. PANTHEISM AND MATTER
An evolutionsits view

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The unparalleled success of the human gene reveals its finest achievement in mankind's growing spiritual awareness. The whole evolutionary thrust of the last 4 billion years has led us through the physical achievements of the human body to the spiritual depths of the soul. Souls defy matter, and the spirit of mankind now defies death.

Reflections of eternity: a play on light.

The body has become host to a powerhouse of unbridled intellectual capacity, our brain. The brain functions on the basis of energy waves which, like radio waves, are indestructible and eternal. Every thought we have has an eternal energy, and the host for this eternal energy is the dynamic we call God.

I perceive this god-force to be the energy powering evolution - without this energy there is no evolution, the god-force has no vehicle of expression, no voice and no form; like a radio transmitter without a receiver, a theoretical but unproven faculty. Neither did god make man, nor did man make god - but both are driven by the spirit of evolutionary vigour which resides in the ether of collective, conscious awareness; and this conscious awareness is the one great discovery of the last 100 years of our 4 billion year history.

DUALISM
The world's religious teachers all spoke of an external god, the dualist, 'Him and us' concept of deity. What other language could they have used to engage the attention of illiterate followers? The 'dualist god' is an image for the inner and outer energies of our extraordinary instinct to evolve and our evolving potential for spiritual awareness. This energy expresses itself as Life, through the primal cells, the amoebae and the algae of 4 billion years ago, and the genes that continue to govern the instinct for growth and replication.

This instinct has grown from primitive beginnings into the greatest collective experience of psychic energy we now call God. Just as the world of photosynthesising plants spent a billion years filling our atmosphere with oxygen, long before any animal appeared, so has the instinct for evolution fed, sustained and empowered the primitive energies of eternity. This god-energy comprises every thought, instinct and experience of evolutionary development. We share that energy, power it and are powered by it. More than this, we are now aware of it, and are individually and collectively responsible for it.

The genes of replication govern the hereditary pattern and coloration of this marine shell

In the simplest terms, the evolution of life has developed in character with the long history of evolution, into the next most appropriate form of self expression, the spiritual self, our soul. We are a long way from perfecting this new development, and Christ, Mohammed and Buddha, (the Enlightened One), are among the many messiahs, avatars and prophets of spiritual growth that have become manifest out of our collective consciousness, and come to help us take that great step into eternal knowledge by intellectualising our instinctive functions. The spiritual thrust of mankind powered them all - and our prophets responded to the needs of their own kind.

BALANCE
Evolution mobilises human personality traits as well as purely physical ones. Good and bad must find their relative balance, through participatory experience rather than intellectual appraisal. So must love and hate, generosity and greed, compassion and indifference. The higher values of the human experience, like loyalty, self sacrifice and beneficence are the characteristics that define spiritual ennoblement and show the way of eternity. Lesser values like anger, avarice or greed lead to disillusionment and are eventually abandoned by the evolving spirit in favour of higher goals.

Artists mobilise evolution by expressing the language of the collective unconscious, the astrological drift of the age and the changing face of human values. Art may be temporal or sacred, beautiful or repugnant, anguished or enlightened. The diverse influences of art will all help us to evaluate true worth. And conscious evaluation leads to spiritual evolution20.

20 Francis Bacon's satirical preoccupation with artistic horror and Damian Hirst's predilection for pickled bodies reveal just two image makers whose work we need to evaluate.

BIRTH OF MATTER
Physical growth is no longer our evolutionary goal - but the genes of awareness are still at work, now generating new levels of spiritual growth and co-creating an even greater god. God is no more and no less than the instinct that powers the search for development; first physically, then biologically, now spiritually. For the first 10 billion years of our universe's history no life appeared.

Where was the energy of God? It was busy manifesting itself in the organisation of single, undifferentiated atoms, seeking to requite the laws of science by combining with other atoms to form molecules of matter.

An atom nucleus with its attendant protons, neutrons and electrons.

These molecules then continued their instinctive role in seeking to regenerate themselves with more free atoms, to make more identical molecules before clumping together into visible matter. I detect no creation here, no awareness, just the instinct for attraction of negatively and positively charged atomic particles that characterises the laws of physics and governs the complex state of matter.

The 'Instinct' for life must obey the laws of science - or none of us would exist. This instinct resides in quarks, the regulatory particles governing the identity of atoms, and as such, grouped together into molecules, pervade all matter, all energy and all form in the length and breadth of the entire universe. The clumping together of split atoms after the Big Bang speaks of this instinct to develop, proving the laws of physics and giving birth to the energy we now call God.

I leave you to consider the ultimate question - Who came first? Did our god precede matter, as creationists would have it, or is the scientific miracle of matter slowly evolving into a spiritual environment in which divinity can express itself; a configuration in which we now recognise ourselves to be an indivisible part?

 

Appendix I GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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Anima
The feminine, yin or inner aspects of a man's spiritual and emotional energies. (Like sensitivity and creativity).
Animus
The masculine, yang or outer aspects of a woman's spiritual and emotional energies. (Like drive and determination).
Archetype
Recurrent, behavioural model or symbol derived from the collective unconscious. (Like saviour, virgin, jester, hero, fool).
Astrology
Study of the relationship of planetary placements to human behaviour. Astronomy Study of the astral configurations and planetary placements in the universe.
Aura
Spiritual energy field surrounding humans, animals or matter.
Brain- channels
Left-brain controls logic, rational and analytical perspectives. Right-brain governs intuitive, emotional and spiritual perception
Chakras
Vortices of energy interfacing between dense energy (the body) and the subtle, etheric energies (the spiritual).
Channel
A Medium or 'Sensitive' who is able to communicate with a discarnate entity.
Collective- unconscious
The external memory bank of mankind experienced as archetypal motivations (e.g. good (serving) and evil (threatening).
Ego
The consciously acknowledged aspects of the self which attempt to control the anti social instincts of the Id.
Healing
The balancing of chakras and auras and the alignment of our energy fields.
Higher Self
Our personal spiritual character and guide to inner growth and divinity.
Id
Freud's name for the instinctive or animal- aspects of our personality which seek immediate and unrestrained gratification.
Individuation
Expansion of the individual's awareness of the unconscious.
Intellect
Mankind's newly learned faculty of thinking, learning and reasoning.
Karma
Cause-and-effect philosophy governing our successive incarnations. Prevails mainly in Buddhist and Hindu cultures.
Mind
Our seat of conscious awareness and our window on thought and feeling.
Persona
The measured aspects of our true self that we present to the outside world.
Projection
Tendency to see in others our own unlived or unawakened personality traits.
Psyche
The spiritual centre or soul which energises the human state.
Psychiatry
Study of the malfunctions of the mind.
Psychology
The study of the conditions of the mind.
Quark
Any of a group of elementary particles governing the nature of sub atomic matter.
Repression
Aspects of the personality which are held back from conscious awareness.
Shadow
Untamed, unlived and denied aspects of the inner self; the dark that defines light.
Soul

The individual's incorporeal interface with eternity and divinity.

Sub- conscious
Experiences and memories lodged temporarily below the level of our conscious awareness.
Superego
The self imposed face of our ego, with which it is usually in conflict.
Synchronicity
Interplay between inner spiritual energies and outer physical experiences.
Unconscious
Unseen, collective energies that influence our thoughts and behaviour without our conscious input. Experienced both on a collective level, i.e., belonging to all of mankind, and on a personal level, relating to our own experience of awareness.
Yang
Chinese for 'light' and the active aspects of thought and behaviour associated with masculine, logic and left brain function.
Yin
The Yin and Yang interlocking symbol of inner & outer harmony. Chinese for 'dark' and the passive aspects of thought and behaviour associated with feminine, intuition and right brain function.


Appendix II. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Agartha - Beautifully encouraging and loving teachings from 'Mentor', the spirit guide who started communicating with Agartha, an American housewife in the late 80's. By Meredith Lady Young. ISBN 0-345-36277-2 Ballantine, New York.

Answers - Mother Meera The erudite teachings of a young Indian woman of great spiritual presence, widely acclaimed to be a divinely incarnated Avatar. World-wide following. ISBN 0-9622973-3-X. Meeramma, New York.

Astrology of Fate - Liz Greene. A scholarly look at our social heritage from Greek myth to modern Astrology. Complex but digestible, the author's fluent style maintains interest.

Edgar Cayce on Reincarnation - Cayce was a devout Christian who initially doubted the reality of his gift to perceive past lives. One of the greatest of our modern clairvoyants, (he died only in 1945) those who have yet to be convinced about reincarnation should read this simple and sincere book. ISBN 0-85030-857-7 Aquarian Harper.

Freud - Anthony Storr. Freud was the father of modern psychology who first identified the relationship between emotional health and our inner sentiments. Background study to modern psychology. ISBN 0 19 282210 1 Oxford Univ Press.

Gildas Communicates - Scripts from the spirit guide channelled by Ruth White. The books written about Gildas's messages do not appear to do justice to his wisdom, knowledge and empathy. ISBN 85435 141 8 Spearman.

Going Within - Shirley Maclaine. A well informed and convincing 'first person' account of this talented author's spiritual journey. Includes some fascinating eye witness accounts of phenomena like psychic surgery, artist-channellers and assorted miracle makers. ISBN 0-553-40048-7 Bantam.

Lazy Man's Guide to Riches - Joe Karbo. A practical guide to life management through positive thinking. Humorous, effective and sound. Success Classics Library.

Messages from a Doctor in the Fourth Dimension -Dr Karl Nowotny. An extraordinary document dictated to a 'channel' by a recently deceased doctor of considerable repute. No one should overlook the significance of the increasing flow of informed communication from the other side, the 'fourth dimension'. Dr Nowotny warns against the dangers of dabbling with the spirit world, but explains from his vivid and first hand standpoint what happens when we die and what our tasks are on this and on the other side of the biological divide. Read it. ISBN 0 7212 0895 9 Regency Press

New Primal Scream - Arthur Janov. A study of the effects our dormant, neglected or suppressed emotions have on our lives. First published in 1970 and still the leading work. Readable and informative. ISBN 0 349 10203-1 Abacus.

Other Lives, Other selves - Dr Roger Woolger. Jungian trained, Buddhist orientated author, teacher and lecturer. An enlightening and authoritative look at past lives, prenatal choices and karmic balance. Unique and original thinker. Essential reading. ISBN 1-85274-084-1 Thorsons.

Out on a Limb - Shirley Maclaine. Shirley's readable if sometimes almost unbelievable story of her spiritual awakening - subsequently made into a mini TV series in America and now available in UK on video. ODY 643 Odyssey.

Psychology of C.G.Jung - Jolande Jacobi. Jung's many books are profound and scholarly. Abbreviated versions are more digestible at first. Strong spiritual beliefs reveal themselves in his work. Read also Jung's Memories, Dreams, Reflections. ISBN 0 7100 15968 Routledge.

Relating - Liz Greene. A Jungian astrologer's illuminating study of the psychological relationships between choice and fate. All Liz's books are recommended for study, but start with this one. ISBN 0 904576 54X. Coventure.

Seat of the Soul - By Gary Zukav, a Vietnam veteran; deeply convincing and original perspective of the universe and its purpose. Read it.... ISBN 07126 3071 6 Rider.

The Holotropic mind - Stanislav Grof . Grof's highly respected research into the individual and collective unconscious spans 30 years and includes studies on drug induced psychic states and breathworking techniques. His extraordinary findings support his view of a one-ness of all creation and is a profound and enlightening perspective on the nature of consciousness.

The New Creation in Christ ISBN 0-06 250659-5 - Bede Griffiths. A Benedictine monk who combined Eastern and Western religious philosophies with a unique and clearly stated interpretation. A charismatic, convincing and universally respected teacher. ISBN 0-232-52014-3 Darton Longman & Todd.

The Road Less Travelled - Scott Peck. A well informed and illuminating look at the faults and failings of our emotional development. By a well known psychologist and author. ISBN 0 09 972740 4 Arrow.

The Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond An anthropologist's intriguing view of the development of mankind and his extraordinary social habits. ISBN 0 06 098403-1 Harper.

Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Sogyal Rimpoche. A modern, practical and usable manual and a rare source of inspiration in dealing with the much neglected matter of death and dying. ISBN 07126 5437 2 Random Century.

Tibetan Book of the Dead. Traditional Buddhist teaching which deals with the powerful energy of dying, where the experiences of life are carried over into the Bardo state, the spiritual home of reincarnating souls. ISNB 0-19-281302-1 Oxford University Press.

Whole in One - David Lorimer, (Director of the Scientific and Medical Network). A well researched and detailed study of the near-death experience, life review and the social, moral and spiritual appraisal of humanity. ISBN 0-14-019258-1 Arkana.


Appendix III Acknowledgements
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Page 42 'St Michael'. A sculpture installed in the Summit Chapel at St Michael's Mount, Cornwall. Courtesy of Lord St Levan. Bronze, 28 inches. By Lyn Constable Maxwell.

Page 68 Sculpture 'Dying to Love' - carved plaster, 5 inches, by Simon Constable Maxwell.

Page 76 'Despair'. Carved in plaster, 3 inches high. By Simon Constable Maxwell

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Gender: The words 'man, mankind, he' and' his' are collectively intended to include 'woman, womankind, she' and 'hers' where applicable.
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Table of Contents - click on any chapter to open it
Section
Title
Page
i
Prologue                   Click here...
v
ii.
Preface
viii
1.
Space and Matter
1
2.
Evolution of Life
5
3.
Birth of Awareness
14
4.
Spiritual Goals
28
5.
Psychology
43
6.
Evolution and Astrology
52
7.
Astrology and Fate
59
8.
Light, Love and Feeling
68
9.
Primal Scream
75
10.
World Religions
82
11.
Ethics of Caring
96
12.
Thought Conditioning
102
13.
Miracles and Prayer
108
14.
Shadow and the Unconscious
116
15.
Journey in Spirit
124
16.
Pantheism and Matter This page
131
Appendix I
Glossary of Terms
136
Appendix II
Bibliography
139
Appendix III
Acknowledgements
144