Re: The Face Of God

--- Morgan Palaeo Associates
<morganpalaeo@...> wrote:

> Do you think that the established use of
> symbolic wheels in the
> Path means that its followers are more likely
> to relate to and trade
> ideas with other cultures that also use wheels?
Hm. Well, almost everyone around actually has the
use of wheels - or at least is familliar with
them. Wheel symbology is a common areal feature,
even amongst peoples that don't habitually use
wheeled conveyances.

> I can just about see
> that, but depending on cultural attitudes I can
> also see the exact
> opposite result. Cries of heresy and so forth.
Hm. There seems to be enough latitude in
interpretation that "heresies" can't happen. A
difference of opinion would be transmuted into
another Path. " For did not the Master say: 'Each
Man must walk his own path'? "

Mind you, I'm not saying that if that
individual's path is divergent enough he won't
run afoul of the Law. The Path allows great
freedom of interpretation, beleif and action -
but that freedom comes with the price of using it
with discretion.

> > [*These are not "vices" or even just the mere
> > opposite of virtues. They _are_ Virtues, just
> > the
> > Virtues that are set _against_ the Virtues.]
>
> Can you explain? Or give a link?
I haven't looked too far that way. There seems to
be two (or maybe more?) currents or modalities
one can take along the Path. It's not really a
matter of Good and Evil (and Star Wars makes me
hesitate to use Light and Dark); though the
alternate modality is connected to the mythical
Rebellion of the Powers.

From the perspective of Telerani thought, this
alternate modality will ultimately lead its
followers to Rest; but the road is unnecessarily
rough and may lead one to needless death. The
lessons are as old as Time: all the evils done in
the world by rebellious Powers have done nothing
more than forward the cause of "God's Plan".
Likewise, all the evils done by people in modern
times ultimately lead to the same end.

To make an example, Sacrifice is one of the
Virtues (and its Aginvirtue would be
Covetousness). Follow the path of Sacrifice and
share your goods and food with the needy, for
it's the right thing to do. You get the benefit
of good karma; the needy get the benefit of
participating in the sacrifice; everyone learns a
good lesson. Follow the path of Covetousness and
keep it all in a barn somewhere, never sharing
and ignore the needs of others, for it's the
right thing to do. Sooner or later you'll die and
all that stuff will no longer be under your
control; your heirs and the community will share
in it and the barn of your folly will be knocked
down. You get the benefit of an unbalanced karma
and of reincarnation so you can spend some more
time studying the Virtues; the needy still get
the benefit of your hoard (if 30 years after they
asked); and everyone learns a good lesson. In the
end, everything works out according to Plan; it's
just that you could have made it easier all
around by doing the right thing at the right
time. It's as much a matter of "Now or Later" as
anything else.

> It's interesting that in your culture, the
> cardinal points of a wheel
> are given special significance.
Not just wheels: compasses, clocks, icon wheels,
anything that can be oriented in this way.

> > Indeed. I like this arrangement. It is also
> > how the Virtues and the Powers are aligned.
>
> Great minds think alike?
:)

> Position 12 in original ("most goodwilling")
> resembles both "wide-open
> goodness" and "truly loving". So what's left
> over?
There were only two points totally left out:
imperative and forgiving. They don't fit.

> It seems to me that
> the items on the original wheel for which you
> have included no
> equivalent are: 1. Imperative; 2. Destiny; 5.
> Unsurveyable;
> 7. Forgiving; 8. Designer. Your commentary
> explains these omissions,
> either explicitely or implicitely.
The idea of Destiny is assumed by "Seeker Sought"
and "Birth Contractions" / "Spiritual Urging".
It's the destiny of a seeker to find (you know,
knock and it shall be answered; look and it shall
be revealed) - the soul's destiny is to find
Rest, and that Rest you could equate with God.
This destiny is achieved via the _push_ of the
spiritual urging that's built into all peoples'
souls.

> I once had an argument about a related topic at
> Bible College.
> Talking about why God would bother to create
> us, I argued that it is
> in God's nature to create someone to love and
> that all of this ties
> in with the "he cannot defy his own nature" of
> 2 Timothy. Other people
> took an opposing view, that if God had needs he
> would not fully be
> God. I think that line of argument is faulty.
I think I would concur. I don't think having
needs makes God any less. If he had no needs -
there would be no reason to Create, because he
would be perfectly content with himself. Anyway,
the idea of "God" is a little different for
Telerani.

They have, apart from their native concepts, come
in contact with Zoroastrian, Jewish, Hindu,
Buddhist, Christian and other eastern and of
course nonhuman concepts of God. The result is a
depersonalised Irrisistible Force. The personal
aspects that all the other concepts of God came
with have devolved to the Saints and the Powers -
the former being holy people that especially
embody one or two divine aspects or else one of
the Virtues.

The Powers are somewhere along the spectrum
ranging from demigod to angel to native gods to
personal aspects of God. There are greater and
lesser Powers (and as hinted at, some of them
take care of the alternate modalities of the
Path); some roughly correspond to the Vala - the
firstborn of God, who did the work of shaping and
ordering the universe; or to the Angels and Gods
- mighty bringers of messages from God, teachers
of the Way, demonstrators of philosophy; the
demigods are angels that have risen from the
ranks of the speaking races and are lesser
teachers of the Way.

Apart from them, there are a host of demons (not
in the Christian sense, but in the Greek sense),
fairies, and other Othernatural beings.

> FWIW, my background is Uniting Church
Never heard of it!

Padraic.


=====
To him that seeks, if he knock, the door will be opened;
if he seeks, he shall find his way; if he searches for a way, he shall find his path.
For though the Way is narrow, it's wisdom is written in the hearts of all:
if ye would seek and find Rest, look first within!


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