Spiritual Reality, Material Illusion

 "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one." ~ Albert Einstein

 

When we speak of "reality", actual reality, we are essentially engaging in our relationship with truth.  An entire world can embrace utter illusion, but that doesn't change our personal relationship with truth.

"Reality" is far too often silently prefaced with the word "material".  

That's the assumption.  

That's the illusion. 

Those of us who have objectively witnessed and studied things that cannot be explained by the illusion of "material reality" know the truth goes deeper.  A materialist might say (and this is a hypothesis that fits for materialists) any evidence of a "non-material" reality must necessarily be evidence we are living in a material simulation.  Materialism is assumed, without question, and nothing else.  The simulation hypothesis contains the convenient aspect of necessarily negating verification of ANY observation.  After all, if you are living in a simulation, how can you objectively observe and verify anything?  Anything at all?  Thus it implicitly discourages the honest exploration of reality.  It's only a hypothesis, nothing more, and it arises out of materialism.

We spend a lot of time evading exploration.  We lack the courage to consider our paradigm may be collapsing.  We even deny that paradigms have regularly collapsed, those things we assumed were true.  No doubt we would dwell on intentional evasion even more intently should observation defy our presumed constructs.

Why is spiritual reality important?  Does spirituality exist because we can observe it?  Could it even be a part of a "material illusion" if it didn't have a foundation as a "concept"?  Spiritual Reality is such a profound discovery, even to observe it is to create it.  Love is at its Center.

How tragic it is to see just how much we have sacrificed at the altar of materialism.  We also sacrifice our authenticity daily.  We pretend the Real doesn't exist to "fit in", even when we know better.  We allow everyone and everything around us to pretend it doesn't exist as well, without question.  We even immerse our children in learning about what we know is a material illusion.  And then we are surprised when spirituality is mocked - and silenced.  

We participate in the silence.  We even silently participate in the mockery.  We appear to accept it.  And so we propagate it.  We project an illusion.  And we do know better.

This isn't going to work anymore.  The material world we live in is hanging in the balance.  The materialistic paradigm appears to be nearing its final gasp. 

This is an excellent day to share some videos demonstrating what happens when materialism fails - all of our centuries of "development" have brought us to this.  I hardly have room to share them all, but I will trust my inclination.  We aren't learning enough about this, lately.  We were schooled in it well long ago.  

 This particular scene was widely viewed on "network television" in 1983.

An astonishing number of people watched The Day After.  Back then, we would have "network television events" that reached a lot of people, and people surely paid attention to this one.  It depicted just one place, but people understood it was bigger than that - the counter-attack was referenced as well, but not shown. (See War Games, below, for a demonstration - RE: "mutually assured destruction", aka "MAD".). 

I was actually more moved at the time by the quieter movie Testament, as it better demonstrated the "slow motion" personal poignancy in intensely tragic ways.  It reminds me in a way of how a family member returning rather recently from a trip described the bottles of water people still leave as an offering in Nagasaki (because people who survived could find no water to drink).

Another 1983 movie was quite popular (and considered "lighter" entertainment).  WarGames even included AI in the equation.  This is a pivotal point in the film ("Spoiler Alert"), but worth viewing.

 

 

We had a lot to think about back then - at least back then, we were given something to think about, and thinking about it was considered totally OK.  Talking about how we felt about it was fine, too.

 

Here is one particular way we saw the future (from a film made in 1984, though the story is older).  2010 seemed far away (yet very close).  This series also happened to famously (or infamously) contain AI, though it's not relevant to the following scene.  Other things are.

 

 

 

Things have "progressed" since the early 1980's, materially.  How have we progressed spiritually?  Whatever has brought us to this insane level of material ignorance (and denial) - and it's taken centuries of it - I can tell you one thing - it isn't worth it.  

 

It will never be worth it.   It was just as "mad" then, as it is now.  

Is Spirituality itself capable of "winning"?  Hint: Spirituality is capable of ANYTHING.  It is, after all, about mutually assured survival (aka LOVE).  

Omnipresent.  Unconditional.  And even beyond our imaginations.  Sometimes we can glimpse it.

That's Reality.  It's no illusion.

("Spoiler Alert", below.)

It's time to be open and honest about how more and more of us truly feel about it.  

Why not today?

 

Nature photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Random Redwood and Buffalo Sightings

"Where have all the flowers gone?" ~ Pete Seeger

Redwood Logging Train (early 1900's), Public Domain

I know we all know this, to some degree or another, and I did, too - but I was rather spontaneously watching a program on PBS about the Redwood Forest in Calfornia earlier today, and in passing, it was stated that 95% of the original forest was cut down.

Within the past hour, something came across my Facebook feed about buffalo herds, how the remaining herds all came from less than 2 dozen left, originating from Chicago in 1900, after the others were slaughtered.

And then I saw a random post on Twitter from Elon Musk - actually it was a reply to a post from Elon Musk that just happened to flash by.  The original post stated that some day when we become "multiplanetary" (more on this in a moment), it may be that species that disappear on Earth could still be on Mars.  Someone responded, saying maybe we should stay home and take care of the Earth and watch Star Trek instead.

And then I was thinking about the old 1970's movie Silent Running, in which a spacefaring horticulturist is attempting to preserve plants from Earth (with the help of some little robots, which at one point I heard partially inspired R2D2). 

As far as "multiplanetary" goes, how tragic it is that we are placing all our focus on "multiplanetary" instead of multidimensional.  If we would focus our expansion on the latter, everything becomes possible (including "multiplanetary" and this planet, and the fates of the people who live on it). But we just keep on with the same old path which led to decimated Redwoods and disappearing buffalo herds.  If we don't learn very soon, there won't be any planets Humanity will inhabit.  We'll find another way, and do, but how sad our misguided materialism is metastasizing. 

 

The Soul is Not Containable

"Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." ~ Yoda

  

As I write, I'm listening to someone talking about AI on the radio.  We hear so often from people who have a strictly materialistic, non-spiritual view of reality who claim that it is possible to essentially duplicate, read or preserve your mind using mechanistic means.  The entire assumption (and it absolutely is an assumption) is based on an unproven premise about Reality, of course.  

Anyone who has seen evidence of Spirituality knows we cannot be "contained" in this way - because we aren't what "they" think we are, no matter how arrogantly they proclaim it.  How sad they're missing out on actual Awareness - but there is always a chance to discover it.  There are so many more "useful" things we could be studying.

We yearn for immortality, it seems, but if they could create what they seek, they would be trapped, not freed, not forever of course, as that's impossible, but in ways that are unnatural - and undesirable.  We aren't intended to be trapped.  This state is temporary.  

Our minds are not our Souls.   It's like grasping for a rope at the edge of a cliff when we can fly.  

 

 

Light Reflected photo by Susan Larison Danz.

Reclamation

“Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.” ~ Virginia Woolf

It dawned on me, though I knew it, looking back on just a year ago, that open authenticity is fading.  And we must not allow it.  It's a struggle to retrieve it.  That's how strong what this is has become.  We must do it a step at a time, as I'm doing now. 

Questioning is no longer in style.

And yet we question.  Clearly.

And that's the right direction.  It is really pretty shocking that it is the trend to question questioning.  History has taught us many times that is never, ever a good direction.  Question it.  Boldly.  As we must.

Go deeper.  And look.  And reclaim the choices that were always yours to claim. 

Choose.

Yes, you!

Choose.

Daily.

Freely.

You'll know the way.  Even when you don't. 

Spirituality teaches us that we are here to make free choices.  Several different versions of it say exactly that.  Wisdom isn't handed to us, and certainly not thrust upon us.  We must seek it.  And find it.  Anyone, and I mean anyone, who would intimidate anyone else regarding their own freedom to seek truth and wisdom is not someone who really cares much about truth and wisdom (or about you, or anyone else, or about much of anything of much use for Humanity). 

Care about truth and wisdom for yourself.  Care about it.  Seek it.  I'm speaking to myself as much as to you, though I've managed pretty well so far, quietly.  The more you find it, the more you can choose accordingly, and live your own life (no, though others would love to live it for you, that's never the right way).  Choose.  Freely.

The materialists* claim they own the planet.  They do not.  They only see things dimly because you need the Light to see.  It's really that simple.  Just because they shout the loudest doesn't make them right.  

If Spirituality calls to you (and it calls to everyone, one way or another, because of who we are and why we're here), it's up to you to open the door - crack it open if you must - push it open just a little - that's all it really takes - because what is waiting on the other side was always there to greet you.  It's an astonishing way forward.  But it begins with a choice.

I have reflected many times on Open and closed Universes, which I learned about in astrophysics class many years ago.  Truthfully, materialistically, none of the Universe varieties are particularly hopeful or attractive.  An open Universe expands and expands and expands (materialistically, that is) and eventually grows cold and dark.  A closed Universe collapses back to a singularity, eventually.  And then there is that theory about the Universes that bounce (they can't decide whether to be open or closed).  It all sounds pretty harsh, really, but we are looking at it materialistically.

I heard a story in passing today, and I only heard it partially, and I still haven't had a chance to look it up - about some black hole that has been discovered racing around the galaxy - either ours or somewhere else, I'm really not sure - but now we know black holes can be in rapid motion (seriously, yes).  

Face it.  If you believe strictly in materialism, reality is really pretty randomly terrifying.  Now we need to worry about (apparently) racing black holes.  Some years ago, it was mini black holes, or clandestine neutrinos, or any number of other things (I've already mentioned Carrington events, and near-earth objects).  I hear talk about pole shifts more and more lately.  Truthfully, compared to all of these bigger, giant things, even earthquakes and large volcanoes, the climate is rather small, though yes, that is talked about as well.  

But what we really need to be caring more about is who we choose to be, what we choose to seek, and just how open we choose to be.  That's what's going to change the planet.  (And when it comes to Universes, I prefer the Multiverse - it has a lot more to it.)

How did I come to write this in this moment?  Well, for one, I have a deadline every evening.  I was watching the first 25 minutes or so of The Hours, a movie I have not seen (I've kind of avoided it, for some reason, as I expect it to be very somber and serious, though I've known it is an excellent film - perhaps because it has a lot of gravity) - and there is a writer near the beginning who is talking about writing.  He talks of his regrets regarding not actually writing about things as they are.  Which is difficult, of course, as it requires raw authenticity.  And this feeling that there is never enough time to write enough (he is running out of time, within this story).  And this is quite a serious story, at the beginning (and no doubt, later), and in a number of serious ways.  I'll pick up watching where I left off, perhaps tonight, or perhaps tomorrow.  

But in this moment, now, I am writing.  Seeking genuine truth and wisdom helps us make wise choices (clearly).  And the choices are here for the claiming - when we claim them.  It's a necessary thing.  To know.

*A "materialist" is a person who adheres strictly to a mechanistic view of reality and generally insists on everyone adhering to exploring "truth" in this way.  Materialism arose as an over-reaction to oppressive non-materialistic world views many years ago.

Shadow in the Forest photo by Susan Larison Danz.