Friday, November 22, 2013

Help Me Get Some Fingers.

No, I don't mean the fingers of some old, dead corpse.

"The Hand of Glory - a rather worrying amulet - is reputed to make its owner invisible and paralyse anyone who looks at the light it emits. Highly prized by thieves and burglars, a few rare specimens can still be found in museums." -- From the Surnateum, a supernatural museum collection.

I'm talking about fingers for my own hands. I have a joint disorder which makes typing very slow & difficult. The following Swanson products are highly effective for healing and strengthening joints. I have used them previously with excellent results. If anyone would like to help me increase my typing output and provide more quality material for my blogs,  please consider purchasing some of these items for me.  Contact me at decoherence1638@gmail.com, & I will provide my mailing address. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.



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Saturday, April 28, 2012

Suitheism & the Shift.

A large number of New Age sources are predicting a Shift in consciousness to occur within this century -- usually sooner rather than later -- and which is accompanied by a slew of global changes, encompassing the world economy, the ecosystem, & politics, of which the current world crises are the first stage. According to the Seth material, channeled by Jane Roberts, the Shift will be complete around 2075. But the current year, 2012, also holds a peculiar significance, due to the Mayan Long Count coming to an end on December 21, the Winter Solstice.

I first became conversant with the Shift through its mention in the Elias Material, the contemporary spiritual teachings that I personally find the most valuable. Ironically, I've only became interested in the Mayan prophecies this very year. A bit late, perhaps, but as a home-bred Suitheist I never considered the Mayan mythos particularly relevant to me. Now, I've become curious as to how the energy of this prophecy may intertwine with current events, so I will be following along, keeping track, & posting my insights as I come to them.

I should note, of course, that there have been many previous predictions of the end of the world, & obviously none of them panned out. There does seem to be a greater conglomeration of crises at this period in history than in the recent past: global warming, peak oil, the credit crisis & financial collapse, the solar maximum & gamma rays from the galactic core, to name a few. However, past occasions have seemed equally catastrophic to those caught up in them, so it is wise to keep a reasonably skeptical outlook & avoid a fanatical one.

So what does all this Shiftiness have to do with Suitheism? A few considerations:

  1. In all the versions I have seen so far, the main focus of the Shift is a spiritual transformation, a shift in consciousness. And a major facet of this -- perhaps the central one -- is that people will become more aware of themselves as creators of their own reality. Indeed, this is often interpreted as the individual identity being a manifestation or avatar of the Divine. While the Shift may not result in a New Age of global Suitheism, it will, if it occurs as scheduled, at least create an intellectual climate more germane to self-deification.
  2. An important aspect of the Shift is that, as a crux point in history, it offers us an opportunity to actively shape the future. Some of the sources I have seen, especially those associated with Mayan & other historical prophecies, speak of the upcoming changes as something that will happen to us, part of a predetermined planetary destiny. This mentality, I believe, should be resisted. If we are the source of our own reality, then we can choose what kind of new world we will create. A Suitheist will take an active approach toward making the Shift happen, & steering it in the direction of one's own values & desires.
  3. Another attitude which I consider less than desirable is the moralistic slant given by some pundits: "We've been bad, now we have to be good, or we will be punished." Ecology is a common focus of this viewpoint; humankind is accused of "destroying the Earth" and so forth, ad nauseam, while the Earth Mother wreaks wrathful vengeance at her dominatrix best. This sort of misanthropy is, to my mind, no better than the equivalent religious fundamentalist denunciations of "sinful mankind". Both cases play upon atavistic fears of purity violations. Gaia plays the role of fire-raining Jehovah.

    I prefer a more level-headed approach to environmentalism, based upon good, hard science which seeks to understand & explain nature rather than personifying it with human emotions & motives -- especially projected self-hatred. Certainly, there will have to changes in how we collectively use & manage natural resources. But, as a worshipper of Self, I see no use for breast-beating, back-flogging, & a fashion trend for hair shirts.

  4. The best sources do not interpret this turn in history as "the end of the world", but simply a change -- perhaps a change so large that it would appear to be the end of things as we know it, but not an occasion for doom & gloom.

In short, in Suitheist terms, the Shift is our Shift. It is something we are making & doing. It does not belong to personified cosmic forces or mythic beings (although they are welcome to come along for the ride, as guests of our collective & individual imaginations). The question to ask is not: What is going to happen? or, What will the world become?, but: What do I want the world to be? Then, set about making it so.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Suitheism: An Introduction.

I am a Suitheist. A Suitheist, according to Traeonna A. R. Wagener, is a "person who believes themselves to be a god, but does not deny the existence of other gods." Suitheists, in other words, are people who worship themselves. (Which, by the way, does not mean that they demand worship from others. Suitheism is not narcissism. A spiritually-advanced Suitheist will have no need for the adulation of other people)

There are different varieties of Suitheism. Some Suitheists are elitists, who believe that some people are more godlike than others. I, personally, am an egaltarian Suitheist. I believe that godhood is the natural right of all, & indeed, our inherent state & condition, which can be discovered by awakening to our inner consciousness.

Another distinction in Suitheism is that of "light" and "dark". Many Suitheists identify as Satanists or practitioners of the Left-Hand Path. They use "dark" imagery of devils, demons or vampires to symbolize their personal ideals & aspects of Selfhood. But there are also some Suitheists who prefer a New Age approach, using "lighter" imagery & concepts. (Adeeb Shabazz, author of What If God Were One Of Us? is an example of this.) I, personally, prefer a blended approach which might be considered "Dark New Age". I enjoy some of the "dark" subculture elements such as Gothic & Industrial music, but I also question the assumptions which underly the very distinction between "dark" & "light". To me, they are just different aspects of Life. And it is Life itself that I worship, in its very direct, experiential manifestation as the living Being who I Am.

Suitheism is a New Religious Movement. Indeed, it may be considered as the most radical of new religions, since it challenges what in traditional religions is the most unspeakable, horrifying taboo: the deification of the individual self. Why is this such a taboo? Why is it considered so horrible to experience divinity in and as oneself, rather than in some other mode?

To help answer this question, I will sort traditional religions into roughly two categories:

  1. Heterolatry: The worship of something considered different or separate from oneself.
  2. Collectivist Nondualism: The Divine is not considered strictly separate from self, but the individual self is seen as a lesser unit immersed in a larger whole, & therefore subordinate to that Whole. (You are God, or at least a piece of It -- but the majority rules.)

The former, Heterolatry, is most familiar to us now in the Western monotheisms, but also embraces the "hard polytheistic" forms of Paganism. Collectivist Nondualism is most prevalent in the Eastern religions & the New Age. There are some hybrids of these two modes, such as inclusive monotheism, animism & panentheism, in which there are different divine or spiritual entities, but they are not strictly separate. The various entities overlap to some degree, but there is generally something regarded as bigger or greater than the individual person, to which one must render worship, obedience & service.

Heterolatry, then, involves the worship of a centralized, higher authority, a divine monarchy or oligarchy. Collectivist Nondualism involves subordination of self to a collective whole. Both of these, obviously, correspond closely to the types of social organization found in traditional human cultures, prevalent throughout the world prior to the rise of Western liberalism. It is no wonder that these beliefs are so firmly entrenched. Concepts of the Divine parallel, in the words of Robert Wright in The Evolution of God, "the facts on the ground".

By contrast, Suitheism places Divinity, & the source of life's value, squarely within each individual, qua individual & not merely as part of a larger whole. In this mode, Suitheism is a threat to the traditional concepts of external Deity, & the social & religious hierarchies which embody them. Throughout history, the different religions have been rivals to each other; but with Suitheism, each person can be a rival to God or the gods. That's a bit more rivalry, I imagine, than our social memetic complexes would want to deal with, which is why Suitheist notions have been so ruthlessly suppressed.

As a Suitheist, I believe in religious freedom & tolerance, while also recognizing the inherent threat which my faith poses to traditional beliefs. That balance, between human tolerance & natural opposition, is one which each Suitheist must negotiate. I find the concept of the Marketplace of Ideas most fruitful in this regard, since a marketplace allows for vigorous, creative competition in a relatively peaceful setting. I'm not out to convert everyone & change their views, but to present an alternative, which others may take up as they please: a new product on the spiritual market.

And the best thing about it is -- it's free. All you need to do to become a Suitheist is to decide that the concept makes sense to you, & put it to work in your own life. You create your own meaning & value, your own personal philosophy, and your own rituals & symbols if you wish for them.

Suitheism, then, as the religion of the individual, can be customized & tailor-made to suit the individual practitioner. Its purpose, like that of all religion & spirituality, is to promote one's inner sense of meaning & value. In Suitheist philosophy, the source of such meaning & value is the individual, & the place to find it is within oneself & the experiences of one's own life. It is, of course, possible to learn from others & gain inspiration from what they have thought & done, but the ultimate spiritual authority is always oneself. That is the bedrock to which one must always return, the volcanic core of the sacred mountain of Being.

In this blog, I will provide some of my ideas to help stimulate your creativity & thought process. If you find what I say interesting or useful, you can take it from there. I will also discuss Suitheism from a general philosophical point of view, its relationship to other philosophies, & Suitheist approaches to various questions & issues.