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Belief Systems |
We are only too willing to accept ideas and concepts that suite us at any one time. Facing our fears and irrational feelings is hard to do when the easy option is so much more appealing. So why bother? This brings me to the old subject of belief systems and why we need them.
What is a belief system? Being a smart arse as usual, it means any system that you believe in. A simple enough glib comment that trips off the tongue you may think. That is all it is-a system of belief that tries to explain why, how and what is happening to us a plan to follow. People believe in everything from UFOs to the Second Coming of Christ. Each one has its own reasons why it is the right one. Wars and plenty of strife have been created from the constant battle between seemingly opposing systems. So why not invent your own? In a way that is what we do. It does not matter what we believe in as long as there is an overriding desire to act from the highest possible level. Of course this is an over simplification. There are so many forces seemingly out of our control and millions of reasons not to believe in anything.
Homo sapiens are compelled to believe in something or other. From the first days of our existence, we have tried to understand the world we live in and why we are here. First we may have believed in the powers of the sun, the moon and the seasons. On a very practical level these phenomena controlled the way life was conducted. When it was light shelters were built and food gathered. As night came it was too dark to perform these compelling duties so rest and sleep were taken. It was found that at only certain times of the year plants grew, at other times nothing grew so food had to be stored when it was plentiful to get us through the barren times. Perhaps during these quiet times there was room for contemplation of what was going on. It was worked out that these forces that controlled our daily lives needed to be kept happy and so sacrifices were introduced to appease the gods of day and night and the seasons. I know it can be argued that we had powers of telepathy and healing then, but whatever qualities we had we wanted to know and with knowledge came belief. Through our general inquisitiveness and urge to use the world to the best of our abilities, science, religion and agriculture grew. Our belief systems growing with our development. Here I am talking on a very physical practical level and obviously, the whole picture is far more complicated than this.
Each passing system we come into contact with leaves its mark in some way, the same as each person we have contact with leaves something with us. As our perceived knowledge increases we all discard bits of belief that no longer suite us or that have outgrown their usefulness. Not to say these discarded pieces are forgotten forever they very often re-appear when a new insight dawns and integration of all systems becomes a possible reality. One thing always remains with us whatever the state of play, the search for our own truth. An individual journey into the channels of our mind. Whichever way we choose to go, there can be a common ground on which everyone meets to feel the power of the universal light, the vibration, God or the Great Spirit.
Our own reality is very dear to all of us for varying reasons. It only took seconds for me to write Peoples realities are not up for question, but to understand this fully, working it into my own belief took a little longer. There appear to be so many ideas and theories that it is sometimes impossible to see how they could all be generated on one planet let alone exist at the same time. On the surface it was easy to converse with others on the subject. Whether talking to astrologers, aromatherapists, Buddhists or bus conductors the overwhelming desire was to understand and be understood. Our prickly outer layers very often get in the way though, with us trying to score points off each other. We can be so guarded about our real beliefs and desires because we feel that to let the barriers down will show us weak or even worse we might let the secret out. One of my fears was that no one would take me seriously thinking I was fraud. This is largely true because I never voiced my true feelings, so I was lying to myself and therefore to others. Once I did start saying what I truly felt about all manner of things, even if it was an honest "Dont know", I was surprised how easier the fog lifted. The first person I had to be honest with was myself. If things are said in truth then no one has the right to shoot them down in flames. There is of course room for healthy discussion, debate and a good deal of laughter on all subjects, without that understanding could not be achieved.
How do we reconcile our view of life, the universe and everything with everybody elses view of it? I can only speak from my own experience. Many years ago when I was attending church, apart from the intense interest I had in the Bible and the many varied interpretations of it, the most striking part of the whole business was the way many people around me seemed to segregate their spiritual and physical lives. On one hand were their daily lives and on the other was the portion that was set aside for worship. I am not suggesting that there was a complete cut off but philosophies and teachings from the Bible became diluted during the week. This may have been my view only. I am sure that some did and still do have complete faith for a lot of the time. To me, twelve years old at the time, I could not see why the teachings learnt on Sunday should not be completely integrated into every part of life. If they were so right and fantastic then why did the scriptures not saturate everything, so making life a lot easier?
The second uneasy feeling I had was that if this plan for good living was so wonderful then why were there so many other plans other people had that they thought were just as wonderful. At this stage, I did not mean other religions just other denominations, each with a slightly different angle on the words that they all read. These varying viewpoints were a technique that would help me later in life. Some spoke in tongues, others thought this was too close to magic and therefore wrong. Some had pastors who ministered and looked after their flocks, others had no head of the church with members speaking as they were moved to do so. Each theory could back the reasons for their actions up from the same source. All this was very confusing. Then there were other religions and philosophies, every one having its own system of believing and the rights and wrongs of this that and the other, all with valid evidence for the basis of their faith. Lastly I new of people who had nothing to do with any set group or faith but were kind and generous, loving and knowledgeable about the ways of the world. Eventually the confusion and conflicting theories within the church and the conflict I felt between my spiritual and physical life lead me to believe that they all had it wrong and life was were the answers lay. If they could not agree on anything then how was I supposed to get to the truth?
Understandably, I grew up with a general distrust of any group that collectively expressed a spiritual or theological view. For much of the time, I was weary of any group doing anything. Constantly stepping back, trying to get a bigger picture. I brushed with many religions along the way, each one offering a way to the light, peace and contentment. Every time I thought I was getting close to the truth that old niggling feeling would rise up, "If they have it right surely all the others cant be wrong too". My spirit developed still feeling that incredible peace and oneness now and then. It would come at the most unusual times, sitting on a park bench watching the ducks, seeing an individual blade of grass amongst a sea of green or suddenly being aware that my skin was alive. Each time I would feel I was getting somewhere, not too sure where but getting there all the same, it was a reality.
For long periods I tried to bury my thoughts and feelings and try to get on with life. This I did with varying degrees of success. Everything had come to a head when my life seemed to collapse. Through seemingly bad luck and stupid decisions I lost my business, my home and those I loved. After a month of licking my wounds and feeling sorry for myself, my spirit seemed to soar, this was a chance to start afresh and re-evaluate my life. (If you remember, I was working at a service station). I had taken what I had needed from the spiritual experiences and was preparing to bury my feelings again. But it was not long before the conundrum of all those other religions came bounding onto my horizon like a dog looking for somewhere to bury its bone. Now however it was worse, not only were there conflicting religions there was this new age concept which encompassed paganism, dowsing, astrology, earth energies, guides and anything else you cared to mention. And what about the Aiddrienne experience? I had gone through it and out the other side, rejecting some of it and keeping the bits I liked. I still had to reconcile my beliefs although I felt more physical than spiritual.
I had to make my peace with something and hopefully everything. There was no urge to save the planet or be part of the Christ consciousness even if I had accepted it I did not realize the real meaning of what I had accepted. I wanted to heal myself. This seemed quite a logical thing to do but all these new groups of people with spiritual and theological beliefs and antagonism with the established church. What a huge great can of worms and there I was in the middle of it having spent time talking to guides and having visions of peace on earth I was now on my own, lost in it all with no apparent belief. In earlier parts of world history I would have been hanged or burnt at the stake. The conflict was not going away. There had to be a way through by which means it could all co-exist happily in my head.
