19
March 02ve: Sun in Pisc; Moon in Taurus
Religion
today evokes some of the worst images possible to well-educated seekers- either
the dry masses of Xian belief, the zealots of the Taliban and Al-Qada, to
parades of chanting Hare’ Krishna’s. Each equally pathetic in its’ own
absurdity. Such is the result of separating the Mysteries from The Faith.
Faith itself can be empowering, humbling, even healing but it should
always remain personal. The mistake most evangelists of any religion are making
is assuming that the Vision of Divinity they have seen is the only truth. Even
the Saints within any single religion have had different encounters, often completely
contradictory. This is usually lost on those trying to save your soul, so you
can share in their revelation.
Mysticism itself and the methodology of religion do not have to be
either preachy or dogmatic. More ancient faiths like Hinduism and Judaism
permit wide varieties of belief by letting most of religion are a social
function, and faith a personal connection with The Divine. This diversity has
allowed them to be broader in compassion, service and saner in the treatment of
Religious Ecstasy.
The more developed faiths learned at early stages that Madness and
Mysticism are Siamese twins. Campbell says, “ The very waters the mystic swims
in, the madman gets pulled into the tides”. Faith itself cannot change that in
fact alone it is the greatest cause of it. The Agonies and Ecstasies of
Mysticism without sane guidance lead to all the fore-mentioned religious
absurdities.
This led the elder faiths to create levels of comprehension within their
own prayers, holidays and rituals. The outsider sees a pretty ceremony, the
seeker sees a symbolic road to Divinity, the mystic sees the daily miracle, the
priest sees the Divine blessing the world, the initiate sees the ecstasy and
agony of the Divine: all through different levels of training and devotion. The
paths divide and that is acceptable because ultimately the goal is the matter.
Yakov Lieb Kohan once said, “Religion is the Qlippoth of Kether”,
meaning each path can lead us to The Divine, but then we must see the truth
they share. This is the importance of religion and mysticism and why it will
exist as long as we can speak, sing, write, dance and create Art. For to become
Divine we must take one of these faiths- its mysticism, worship and symbols to
its conclusion.