Month: August 2015

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Principle 68

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 65 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of True Authority

The standard view of authority is that it is a recognized institutionalized power delegated to certain individuals to have power of command or influence over other individuals. What gives these authorities power is that there are negative consequences if these authorities are not respected or followed.

The most common of such authorities is the police officer. He was not elected by you or me but was appointed, or chosen, for his position. If he follows you and turns on his red light you now this is a powerful authority telling you to pull over and stop.

After he stops you and says, “stay in the car” or ‘get out of the car” you know you had better do as he says or you will regret it.

Most of us have no problem with this delegated police authority as long as it is not abused. We need a certain amount of this type of authority to maintain order in our society.

Still, when I get a ticket for harmlessly driving a few miles an hour past the limit I think to myself that it would be nice if we lived in a society advanced enough to be self-regulating. Well, we aren’t there yet, so we need a certain amount of appointed authorities to maintain order.

There is a major problem with appointed authorities that is rarely addressed and never solved. Some appointments are good, many mediocre, and some outright bad. In our system though, the quality matters not, for we are under their power equally whether they are qualified or not.

For instance, it matters not whether the police office telling you to get out of the car is a good cop or bad cop. The authority is the same. You must get out of the car or suffer consequences.

This is pretty much seen as a necessary evil within our system.

This necessary evil appears in all layers of appointed authority. Every year many laws and regulations are passed, some of which, we as individuals think are the work of a sick mind. Even so, they have authority over us whether they be beneficial or not.

You may have had no choice in the principle, counselor or teacher that has authority to educate your child. Your child must follow their authority whether they be competent or not, or suffer consequences.

Yes, we have many unavoidable appointed authorities in our lives, but there are many others that people subject themselves to by their own choice. The most common of these are religious authorities, but they sometimes have more power than civil ones.

Why?

Because authorities within one’s accepted religion are seen as being sanctioned by God, and God is the ultimate authority, seen as being more powerful than a police office, or even the President.

Most church members realize there are good and bad leaders within their organization. It matters not – to follow them is to submit to the will of God.

Few, if any, would follow an order by a police officer to drink poison Kool-Aid, yet nine hundred people followed their religious leader, Jim Jones in 1978 at Jonestown, and did just that.

Even though religious and ideological groups can be accepted or rejected through free will, once they are totally accepted, an appointed authority within the organization is potent indeed, often exceeding that of civil authority.

Overall appointed authorities have power over individuals because of the following in order of influence:

(1) They are seen as representing God

(2) They have power to punish

(3) Rejecting, or even questioning them, may cause one to be thrown out of the group or organization

(4) Rejecting them may cause other members to reject or look down upon the questioning individual.

(5) Rejecting them may limit one’s own rise in authority in the group.

(6) The authority actually gives evidence that he is competent and knows what he is doing.

Notice that the last in order of influence in the minds of many is the only one that has real value.

If the religious guy tells you that you will go to hell and burn forever if you do not what he says, why would you believe him? Has he somehow demonstrated that this is a fact?

No.

The believer accepts because of a mindset, generally built on some type of illusion.

Looking at such a statement logically, the guy has no more real authority than you do.

Now, let us suppose you want to learn martial arts and you know of two teachers. The first is a guy recommended by your church. All you know about him is that he is a good member.

The second is a guy you have seen in action and you know he is very accomplished. If you have any common sense which will you choose?

The second, of course.

Why?

Because, if all illusion is stripped away, he is the only one with true authority.

This brings us to an understanding of the two types of authority. There is earned and unearned authority. The martial arts guy who demonstrated his ability is an earned authority. He one who did not is unearned.

The authority that tells you that you are going to hell is unearned as he has supplied no evidence that he knows that he is talking about.

On the other hand, the reformed drug addict who tells you that you are on a path to living hell if you abuse drugs is an earned authority.

The appointed Spanish teacher who cannot speak the language and has no successful students is an unearned authority. The teacher who can speak the language with successful students is an earned authority.

The cancer doctor whose statistical cure rate is little higher than if nothing was done is an unearned authority no matter who proclaims otherwise.

The natural healer, considered a quack by many, would be an earned authority to the thinker if his cure rate is high – no matter who believes otherwise.

If one believes a certain political system to be the best, but it has never been successful, but always failed, then he is relying on unearned authority.

If one supports a proven political system then he leans toward earned authority.

Once a seeker understands and accepts the difference between earned and unearned authority his quest for true knowledge is greatly enhanced. When you think about it the difference is quite simple – which makes it all the more amazing that so many are tricked into blindly accepting unearned authority.

Unearned authority is the foundation of the power of the beast and it is so deceptive it is written:

And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Rev 13:8

The pressure to accept unearned authorities in this world is great. For those who live under a tyrant their freedom, or even life, is on the line. For those in a religion their eternal salvation seems at stake if they question unearned authority in their system.

For those in a profession, such as medicine, challenging authority can cause them to lose their license or hospital privileges.

A faithful employee in a business can lose his job or the possibility of promotion.

Questioning unearned authority can even affect your social life. Questioning the sacred cows of your friends can cause them to distance themselves from you.

At this point the natural question to arise is why are so many tricked into blindly accepting unearned authority?

The answer is that unearned authority is often mixed in with some earned authority and the masses like to see things in terms of black and white. The average person just wants to accept or reject a thing and not go to the effort of sorting out truth from error.

Let us take a medical specialist that treats cancer, for example. He has gone through a lot of training and experience and indeed could be called an earned authority on some matters. He has studied and practiced his profession for many years and can generally be trusted to have many accurate facts at his disposal which, conforms to his belief system concerning the approach to medicine.

Within his belief system, he is an earned authority.

But what happens when we go outside his belief system and we want accurate information and guidance on alternative treatments?

Most established physicians have strong bias, as well as being ill informed about alternatives and will just condemn them out of hand.

This condemnation is often taken to be from the highest possible authority by the patient and dutifully follows the orthodox advice, often to his untimely death.

In addition to his lack of knowledge outside his field they will often not tell you what they do know.

For instance, what physician will tell his patients that a survey shows that over 80% of cancer doctors would not take chemotherapy if they had cancer, yet so highly recommend it that 75% of their patients are subject to it.

Who tells their patients that chemotherapy only creates a 3% cure rate and often with terrible side effects?

Who tells their patients that chemotherapy and radiation can increase the risk of developing a second cancer by up to 100 times?

They may know this information and much more but not share because it is not in the interests of their profession.

So, yes, orthodox experts in all fields can be earned authorities in their fields of expertise if they are honest, but the seeker must realize that they must sort out what is earned and not earned.

The trinity of accurate knowledge, honesty and good judgment must accompany true earned authority.

If the seeker tests his authority and finds that his knowledge is often inaccurate then he will not be able to trust him as an earned authority in the future, but must verify anything he says that is of importance.

If the seeker verifies that the authority deceived him or distorted the information then again he will not be able to trust him in the future but must verify anything he uses.

Finally, if the seeker finds the authority has demonstrated bad judgment then he needs to avoid automatically accepting his advice, examine the situation and rely on his own judgment, or the advice of a true earned authority.

Now, let us say the seeker has found what he considers a true earned authority. His knowledge seems sound, he is honest and seems to have good judgment. Should he just accept all he says without question, even if his words are hard to believe?

No. All of us humans are fallible and no one is right all the time. Even so, an earned authority can be very valuable to the seeker – especially in areas where the authority has more knowledge than the seeker.

An obvious example would occur when the seeker needs medical help beyond his own expertise, such as setting a broken bone or a dental problem. In such cases one needs a trained earned authority to help out.

However, when one goes beyond standard procedures and habit forming drugs become involved then one must do his own homework.

There are lots of spiritual teachers out there and if one finds he meets the true criteria and seems reliable then he can be of great assistance. If a teacher is not an earned authority then the seeker does not give his words the weight of one who is earned. But even with an earned authority one should not automatically accept what he says, but neither should he reject out of hand anything that does not fit his belief system. The advantage of the earned authority is that you know that he is honest and has placed a lot of thought in what he is teaching and that there is a good chance he is right, even if the teaching sounds strange.

The seeker can then give weight to his words and let them foment in his inner being and see what happens. Often additional enlightenment will come.

If such enlightenment does come then additional weight will be added to the words of the earned authority.

Even so, one should never cross that line so the earned authority is blindly accepted in all cases, as if he were infallible. No matter how trusted the outer authority is, the seeker must always check out anything that does not register with his own soul.

Which brings us to this question: When does the soul become an earned authority?

This is not an instantaneous happening and takes time. Before soul contact is achieved the seeker will often think that the good side of his feeling nature is his soul, but will often be disappointed in attempting to follow his desire nature. Following our own hopeful desires often leads us to dead ends, and sometimes disaster.

When the voice of the soul first comes it is very subtle and the seeker may think it was just his imagination and not trust it. It is only after he tests it again and again and proves it to himself to be correct that it finally becomes an earned authority.

But even after the soul becomes a solid earned authority the seeker must weigh carefully his own judgment, for a bad judgment can distort the highest revealed truth.

In the end it takes a long and great struggle with highly focused attention to navigate through the fogs of life until one finally arrives at the heart of the sun where light will be revealed within light itself.

No man has any natural authority over his fellow men. Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Principle 67

This entry is part 64 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of Free Will Over Force

There are two types of people on this planet. Those who believe in implementing their cherished ideas through maximum use of free will and those who desire to use the easy route and merely use force if they should have the power.

There is a major difference between the two in the planning and the implementation thereof.

The force group are very idealistic and authoritarian and when they create or accept a plan they do so thinking that it is the best of all possible worlds and seek to literally implement it by force. Anyone who seeks to change it or make it better is seen as a heretic and punished to the maximum allowed.

The free will group also seeks for the ideal plan, but is non authoritarian and realizes that many details of the plan may have to be altered for the better before a perfected final plan is created. Those who come up with improvements are not attacked but welcomed and rewarded.

Unfortunately true free will groups are rare. Usually the best you get is some free will mixed with more force than necessary. Even so, groups using some free will create much better results than the force groups

It is interesting to compare the evolution of the two.

The force group starts out by preaching an ideal that sounds great to the unthinking. Maybe someone writes up a book or a plan outlining how things are to work. Eventually, an idealist person or group gets in a position of power and put the plan before the people.

They do not say the plan will be implemented by force but proceed as if they have majority support whether they do or not. Those few who will benefit from the plan, whether it works or not, put their energy and money behind it and do all in their power, including deception, to get the support necessary to force the plan on the masses. There is no promise of free stuff that is beyond them making.

Once the plan is carried out major problems start to surface. Instead of admitting there is something wrong with either the plan or the planners they take the approach of the infallible religious fundamentalist that the plan is as good as if it were inspired of God and move forward without changes.

Then when things become worse the authorities are forced to take a look and make some type of seeming change, supposedly for the better.

Instead of changing what does not work to that which does work (which goes against their belief system) they start throwing out blame stating that the plan has not worked as desired because:

(1) Heretics are interfering.

(2) Those supporting it are being lazy and not working hard enough.

(3) More effort and funds need to be directed to the failing work to make it succeed.

True believers support this approach, but many do not. Many of the opposition are afraid to speak up because of retribution of some kind. How bad the fear is depends on the power possessed by the leaders. If they have ultimate power to imprison or decree death then the fear and suppression will be great. If their power is not absolute then there may be fear of tax audits, legal charges or mere ostracization.

Even with little opposition, and getting what is called for, the plan still does not work and deteriorates in quality. Instead of making changes supported by the people, the leaders just decree more of the same and the cycle is repeated until there is stagnation or collapse.

An example of collapse of such a system was the fall of the old Soviet Union. Another lesser example is the fall of Prohibition in the United States.

Examples of stagnation are North Korea and Cuba, though both of these will eventually collapse and experience a change in their system when weaker leaders surface.

So, what happens when there is a collapse? Unfortunately, often the unworkable ideal is replaced by another unworkable ideal effected by force.

Once in a while, the force group is replaced by a freedom group. When this happens there are many problems at first because those used to being controlled do not understand how to use their freedom. If the freedom group is not nipped in the bud then progress is made and begins to accelerate and prosper. Many changes are made along the way for the better.

Just as everything seems to be progressing well many of the idealistic force people materialize attacking the system explaining to the people why their ideals are better and that they need to be enabled through force. They do not use the word “force” but this is implied, as it is the only way they can activate their plan.

Step by step these people implement more force into the freedom group until a crisis is reached. When the crisis arrives the freedom group will sometimes come to their senses about the threat and restore a degree of freedom. This does not stop the threat as the force group resurfaces again and again.

Jefferson is proved to be correct: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”

Sadly, the force group will sometimes overthrow the freedom group and take full control. If they are fully successful the freedom people will be greatly persecuted and suppressed and great will be their sorrow and distress. Eventually the force group will fail and he freedom people will seize another day of opportunity.

Other times of crisis, when freedom still swells in the hearts of many, the freedom people will gather and fight back to restore their freedoms. If this is the situation the conflict will be fierce and the struggle difficult indeed. These will be times that will try the souls of men and women.

There is a ray of hope as our civilization moves forward. There is a pendulum that swings back and forth between freedom and slavery and the force toward freedom is increasing with each swing. Eventually all people will have the freedom to fully express themselves in harmlessness. May that day arrive sooner rather than later.

None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Principle 66

This entry is part 63 of 98 in the series Principles

The Business Principle

The world of business is often considered an evil enterprise by spiritual seekers. If at all possible they seek to withdraw from the world where goods are exchanged for profit and seek an uninterrupted spiritual quest in a monastery, some type of ashram, a cult, or even their parent’s basement.

Ahh… to be free from business to them is like being free from the greed of the world. With such freedom the seeker can then pursue his spiritual quest for peace and enlightenment without distraction.

I wonder if such a person has ever asks himself this question.

Who travels faster upon the spiritual path? The one who withdraws and concentrates on moving the self forward to the light…

The honest businessperson who seeks to make a living for himself and others by providing a product or services needed and appreciated by many people?

It would indeed be an ironic twist of fate for the dedicated spiritual, but isolated, seeker to learn, upon achieving true soul contact, that the businessperson may have taken the higher path.

In the end he may discover that the apostle Paul was one of the greatest examples of one who treads the Path. He supported himself through his business of tent making while learning and teaching others about the things of the spirit.

Imagine how different the Christian Church would be today if he had not made those tents and sold them for a profit. He may not have had power to accomplish his mission, and without Paul, it is entirely possible the movement would have withered into oblivion just as many other great movements have before and since.

Let us just look at the spiritual benefits from someone like Paul compared to the monk who withdraws from the world.

Let us examine Paul first:

(1) Through his business he supplied others with shelter through making tents. How much profit did he make? Probably the going rate, but without the possibility of profit the tents would not have been made and the shelter would not have been available. Maybe some children would have died in the hot sun.

(2) Paul was more concerned about bringing light to others than to himself. He exerted great zeal and effort in teaching others the highest he knew and in the process changed the church and the world.

(3) In addition to teaching he proved to be a great server. He said:

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. I Cor 9:19

So even here, in being a servant of Christ, Paul sees the principle behind gaining a profit for your work saying “that I might gain the more.”

He understood the great principle taught by his Master:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it. Mark 8:35

If one loses himself in the service of others without thought of self then he will experience the greatest possible benefit to himself as well as those he helps.

But, if one puts service to self first then little if any benefit will be gained.

(4) In losing himself to service additional light was given to him until he was caught up to the “third heaven” and heard “unspeakable words.”

He again discovered the truth of the words of his master:

For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. Mark 9:41

When Jesus spoke of water he generally meant the gifts of the Spirit, but that does not diminish the value of giving physical food and drink.

Let us compare this to the one who withdraws from the world to seek enlightenment of self. What benefits come to him or others?

(1) He is of very little service to others. Perhaps he makes himself useful by sweeping the floors in the monastery.

(2) He may gain a little self control and focus he can use in another lifetime, but will be of little use to God or man in this one unless he becomes a true server.

The popular health author, Andreas Moritz, gives an interesting account of his own escape from separateness:

A few years later, I began working for, and with, the founder of TM, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, to spread his meditation to the rest of the world. Little did I realize during the following ten years that I had become just as strong a fanatic in pursuing this mission as the early missionaries who tried to convert ‘lost and Ignorant souls’ to become children of God.

In fact, I had become exactly what I dreaded seeing in others. The Maharishi told us that his meditation would solve every kind of problem in life, no matter of what origin. Therefore, as a teacher of this meditation, called ‘Governor of the Age of Enlightenment’, I believed 1 knew the answers to every difficulty. I would feel guilty if I missed a few minutes of meditation since I was supposed to meditate for a certain length of time twice daily in order to gain enlightenment and help create world peace. Being a very devoted and ‘responsible’ teacher, I was absolutely regular in my practice and spent whatever time and resources I had available in spreading TM to the world. I had no ‘time’ for personal relationships for over ten years and when I learned that not listening to the master’s (Maharishi’s) instructions or going against his wishes would incur such bad karma that not even God could save such a person, I became even more disciplined and meticulous about how I lived my life.

All I had done was replace the fear of God and the Catholic Church with the fear of a spiritual master, another God. I wanted to become spiritually enlightened so badly because I believed this would save me from hell. Thirty years of meditating twice a day, several years of which I would dedicate eight hours a day to the going-within practice, certainly helped me develop qualities of serenity and patience and other values, but it didn’t bring me enlightenment. I had unsuccessfully searched for something I already was…

From his book, Lifting the Veil of Duality

Then instead of meditating eight hours a day he spent the rest of his life dedicated to the book publishing business giving out useful information on health that has been appreciated by many thousands.

I’m sure he still did some meditation, but not to the extent that it would interfere with service to others.

Many seekers who are not able to withdraw from the world still hold a disdain for business. It is frustrating for most that they have to depend on some kind of business to make a living. Even if they work for the government they are paid with taxes earned from business, so there is no escape from some type of reliance on them.

The question before us is this. Is this faction justified in their negative view of business? If not, then what is the cause of their illusion?

The first step in resolving this is to put the Business Principle into words. Here it is:

The Business Principle consists of several ingredients.

(1) Find a service of product that that is useful enough to the public to be desired by them.

(2) Figure out a way to efficiently provide that product or service.

(3) Figure out reasonable price for consumers to pay based on:

(A) What they are willing to pay.

(B) Incorporating enough built in profit so the business can pay itself and its employees a high enough wage to keep the business viable.

(4) Figure out a way to promote the business so the public is aware of the products and services.

This could be condensed into the following:

The Business Principle consists of serving your fellow men and women by providing a more valuable service or product than the money exchanged for them.

For instance, if I purchase $1.00 worth of bananas I have decided that the bananas are worth more to me than the dollar I am exchanging for it. If it is not, then I will keep the dollar and not purchase them.

“Okay, says the skeptic. You make business sound like it is almost spiritual. How do you explain all the greed and corruption that we see on display?

The answer is quite simple. Wherever there is power, or an exchange of power, you have the built in possibility of constructive or destructive used.

Does this mean that the goal should be to eliminate all use of power so no one has power to do anything?

Of course not. That would be plain silly to consider such a thing.

What needs to be accomplished with any power is to put it to constructive use and do our best to eliminate harmfulness.

Business is a real source of power that causes civilization itself to work and exist, but there are other powers.

Political or governing powers are higher up the ladder than business for they can tell business what to do. It is true that business influences government, but government has the last word, the deciding vote.

Is there misuse of political power? Indeed; Hitler’s destructive use of it made business people look like Mother Teresa by comparison.

Even in the best of governments we see more greed and corruption than we can take.

How about religion? Is there a misuse of power there? Indeed we see almost daily stories about corrupt ministers, priests, and members doing outrageous things with their power.

Here is a couple of paragraphs that turned my stomach from this morning’s paper:

QADIYA, IRAQ — In the moments before he raped the 12-year-old girl, the Islamic State fighter took the time to explain that what he was about to do was not a sin. Because the preteen girl practiced a religion other than Islam, the Quran not only gave him the right to rape her – it condoned and encouraged it, he insisted.

He bound her hands and gagged her. Then he knelt beside the bed and prostrated himself in prayer before getting on top of her.

When it was over, he knelt to pray again, bookending the rape with acts of religious devotion.

“I kept telling him it hurts – please stop,” said the girl, whose body is so small an adult could circle her waist with two hands. “He told me that according to Islam he is allowed to rape an unbeliever. He said that by raping me, he is drawing closer to God,” she said in an interview alongside her family in a refugee camp here, to which she escaped after 11 months of captivity.

From: New York Times, August 13, 2015

I have never experienced any harm from any business that comes close to the above misuse of power – and that from people claiming to represent a benevolent God?

Power is exercised in all areas of life, through the media, Hollywood, science, education, law enforcement, money, lobbyists, associations and even family.

All power can be used for good or evil.

To single out one use of power, such as business, and to classify it as evil and some other source as good is illusion indeed.

It is essential that power be available for use in all areas of life, just as we insist on maintaining our power of free will. Many misuse free will but none of us would relinquish it. Yes, free will and power are risky elements in the hands of humankind, but essential to our progress and happiness.

Slowly the wheels of justice turn and guide us toward right use of all power granted to us.

It is written:

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Titus 1:15

Basically this says to me that if you have a pure heart you see the good in all things, the glass half full. You see the good that is in politics, religion, science, the media, education and even business – or perhaps, especially business.

“There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” Ray Goforth

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Principle 65

This entry is part 62 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of Economy

Some have used the phrase “Law of Economy” but I haven’t seen the principle behind it described. It is time someone put it into words.

Here it is:

When any form of intelligence manifests a workable idea into physical existence the final, most useful form will have eliminated all excess motion and energy expenditure. In other words, the final creation will operate at maximum efficiency with as much simplicity as possible.

The French Franciscan friar, William of Ockham, in the 14th century did not fully define this principle but observed its effects and described how they manifest as follows:

“Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily” or “Plurality should not be posited without necessity.”

Previous to him Aristotle expressed a similar idea, “Nature operates in the shortest way possible.”

Since Ockham’s time scientists have simplified the idea to read: “when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better.” They have even simplified the name, reducing it from “Ockham’s Razor” to “Occam’s Razor.”

Finally human culture has reduced it to, “Keep it simple stupid,” or the simplest of all – KISS.

The Principle of Economy allows us to understand the creative process from the engineering aspect from beginning to end; whereas Occam’s Razor gives us the logical approach to reverse engineer something an intelligence has designed.

In other words, a competent creator uses the Principle of Economy to successfully manifest his idea. Therefore, an intelligent being who wants to understand the creation by studying it is wise to consider that all the ingredients function in the simplest way possible. If he sees with too much complexity he is not likely to understand correctly.

Those using Occam’s Razor are like the scientists who have found an alien spaceship and are trying to figure out how it works.

Those using the Principle of Economy” are like scientists who build a spaceship from scratch with the idea of making it as functional and efficient as possible.

Occam’s Razor and the Principle of Economy imply that simplicity rules in intelligent creation. This does not mean though that all creation was a simple thing to accomplish or understand. A flower, for example, is an extremely complex creation. Even so, all its parts and processes function in the simplest way possible. Without the use of simplicity and great efficiency, the flower could not even manifest.

The flower is so complex that all the scientists in the world have yet failed to reverse engineer one, yet as they look into creation, step by step, great simplicity is revealed within that which is complex.

In Darwin’s day scientists thought that the cells of a flower, or even a human, were merely a simple mass of nebulous protoplasm. They never dreamed about the complexity of DNA, RNA and all the intelligent electrical interplay among the trillions of atoms of which it is composed.

Still, as scientists make discovery after discovery they find great simplicity and efficiency amidst the great complexity of creation.

The use of Occam’s Razor is useful for scientists as they proceed step by step in discovery of this universe, and all that is in it, but it cannot quickly reveal all the layers behind the creative process, except through a long process of time.

However, when discoveries are made we always find that the Principle of Economy was at play in any successful creation.

Why is it that atoms of hydrogen, helium and oxygen have the same components and function in a far away island universe (called a galaxy) as here in earth?

The answer is the Principle of Economy guides intelligence to manifest the same creation in far different locations. Two creators following the Principle of Economy with the same idea will wind up creating the same thing operating on the same principles, even if they work independently of each other.

It is interesting that on the same day that Alexander Graham Bell applied for a patent for the telephone that another man, Elisha Gray, also applied for the same thing. The only reason Bell got the patent is he technically applied a few hours earlier than Gray.

Were the two phones totally different?

No. Because of the Principle of Economy in creation they both operated on the same principles.

A computer is generally considered to be a very complex instrument, but all of its mind-boggling processing begins with the great simplicity of the binary system of just two numbers, zeros and ones.

By putting billions of these zeros and ones together in the most efficient way possible for usefulness they are able to create thousands of complex computer programs, such as Microsoft Word that I am using as I write this.

The same goes for the creation of your body and everything in it. As we descend further and further into microcosmic matter we cannot find anything solid. All we find are wavelengths composed of an up and down corresponding to the zeros and ones in your computer.

The creation of all things begin with the duality of positive and negative. The two polarities multiply and then are intelligently organized. When guided by intelligence they organize according to the Principle of Economy to manifest some grand idea that is to be made flesh, or into a usable or beautiful material form.

That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. Steve Jobs

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Principle 64

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 Joseph Dewey

This entry is part 61 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of Limitation

We all grumble about our limitations, but few realize that the challenge of growing through overcoming limitations is one of the main reasons we chose to come to this earth in the first place.

In the beginning, where we resided in the highest realms of spirit, there were no limitations as we know them. Here on earth, space and distance are great limitations that separate us. Not so in the higher realms for all intelligences are linked and suffer no separation.

Here on earth we often lack strength to perform a task. In higher realms no strength is needed.

Here on earth there is pain and suffering. In higher realms there is only peace and bliss.

So why in the world did we decide to come to this place, which would seem to be hell by comparison?

The answer lies in this question. Why do athletes subject themselves to the limitations of the various games they play? Pick your favorite sport and you will see all kinds of limitations in play such as.

Limitations of time – the clock must always be watched.
Limitations as to how you can handle the ball.
Limitations of space, and what is in and out of bounds.
Limitations of action, which, if broken, can produce a severe penalty.
Limitations because of size, strength and skill.

So I ask again, why do athletes voluntarily subject themselves to such limitations?

The answer is obvious. They subject themselves for the joy of playing the game, and the hope of winning drives them forward causing them to endure whatever pain and suffering is necessary to achieve the goal.

Sure, many of them could choose to not play and spend their days relaxing, watching TV and surfing the internet. Instead, they leave behind the life of ease and endure pain, suffering and limitations for the shear joy of growth, accomplishment and winning at achieving their goals.

Even so, we could have chosen to remain in the bosom of the Father/Mother God in formless comfort. Instead, we chose a path of limitation with an end goal of transforming bliss to eternal joy through the overcoming all the limitations of time, form and space.

It is irony indeed that, that we are now here, half way to achieving the victory, yet many spend their time grumbling about the circumstances that we created for ourselves.

Who quits in the middle of a great game? Few would who understand what is at stake. If each of us search deeply within our souls we will discover that the goal is not to just get out of here as soon as possible, but to stay and fight to win and become a master of all situations.

After winning the game it is written:

“Life is now liberated, owning the quality of conscious knowledge and the fruit of all experience. These are the gifts of soul and form combined.” DK

When we long for life without difficulties, remind us that oaks grow strong in contrary winds and diamonds are made under pressure. Peter Marshall

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Principle 63

This entry is part 60 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of Absolute and Relative Truth

Some say that truth is relative and others that it is absolute. What both do not realize is they are both correct from the vantage point from which they are looking.

Those who say truth is relative often give the example of the three blind men and the elephant. Each sees the elephant differently.

One blind man touches the leg says it’s like a tree, the second one touches the ear and says it’s like a carpet, and the third touches the trunk and says it’s like a large hose.

Because each man gave a different but accurate answer to what he perceived many maintain that truth is relative.

Those who claim that truth is absolute will give the example that 2+2=4. The answer is four and no other answer in the universe is true, proving that truth is absolute.

To the casual observer both examples of truth seem correct, but there is a difference between the two examples. We can only solve the dilemma of absolute and relative truth by discovering what that difference is, which is this.

Absolute truth is truth which is broken down to its basic indivisible element and correctly stated. Relative truth is a piece of information that is a part of something greater than itself yet the whole may be quite different than the part.

2+2=4 is absolute truth because it cannot be broken down into a more basic statement as far as math is concerned.

Now to feel an elephant’s leg and to state that it feels like a tree is a mistake in relativity. The blind man is assuming he is embracing the whole elephant yet he is only perceiving a small part. It is comparable to an alien landing in the Arctic and declaring that earth is an ice planet. Of course it is not. Yet it is an absolute truth that part of the planet is covered with ice. It is also absolutely true that the leg of an elephant is somewhat similar to the trunk of a tree.

Thus we see that what is called relative truth is in reality the observer merely mistaking a part for the whole. The blind man thought the leg was all there was to the elephant. This is not true and he was mistaken. He would have been correct if he said, “The part of the elephant I feel is like the trunk of a tree, but I am not sure if I am feeling the whole elephant.”

Other things identified as relative truth are merely mistaken perceptions or erroneous conclusions derived from perception. The earth looked like it was flat in ancient times so they assumed it was flat. Some sailors with better perception noted a slight curvature of the earth in the horizon of the sea and concluded the earth was round.

When it was finally proven that the earth was a globe the truth did not change. What changed was our perception of the truth. It is absolute truth that the earth was a globe in the days of Columbus as well as today.

As we fine-tune our perception and reasoning, it is the accuracy in which we see the truth, not the truth itself that changes.

A third argument for relative truth is the changing of circumstances. Today the high temperature may be eighty degrees and tomorrow it may be ninety. The argument is the truth has changed.

This is false reasoning. The truth has not changed but the circumstances have. The high temperature on this date of history will not change because tomorrow’s temperature will be different. Circumstances will be different tomorrow, but tomorrow’s change will not alter the truth of the events of today.

The bottom line is that relative truth is merely the result of relative word play. When the point of actual truth is discovered it will be found to agree with that profound statement from A Course in Miracles which says:

The truth is true and nothing else is true.

Two plus two equal four and it equals nothing else.

This does not mean that any should assume that he is free from being a victim to the illusion of relative truth. As we look for truth in all things all of us see only a piece of the elephant. We must all be aware that we do not see the whole truth but only a piece of the elephant. Even if we see that piece correctly we must consider that there may be other pieces that will greatly alter our concept of the complete truth. Openness to more truth is the key to moving forward.

There is no religion higher than truth. P. Blavatsky

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Principle 62

August 21, 2015November 7, 2017 Joseph Dewey

The Principle of Time

What time is, how it works and whether it is an illusion or not has occupied the minds of thinkers from the beginning. It’s about time then that we reduce discussion of this important aspect down to its essence.

The first question then is, exactly what is time and the principle behind it?

Time is caused by a trinity of ingredients so let us picture a triangle, and at its base is form. The two ascending lines are motion and consciousness.

Time must have all three ingredients to exist and all three are interdependent. Form cannot exist without consciousness and motion, motion cannot exist without form and consciousness and consciousness (as we know it) does not exist without motion and form.

One might question this and say, “What about a rock just sitting there motionless? It has form.

The answer is that a rock or any other form is composed of lots of motion. The molecules and atoms within it are in a high state of vibration and the little electrons are moving at near the speed of light. Without all this motion the form of the rock would not exist. As we go smaller and smaller all we find are more forms made of wavelengths and the wavelengths themselves were created by conscious thought.

Let us look at the motion aspect in relation to time. It is obvious that without motion there could be no clocks for we depend on the various motions of the three hands to tell us how much time has passed. If the hands had no motion then no time would be registered. Let us suppose that not only the motion of the hands of clocks stopped but all motion ceased. Where would time be then?

It would not exist.

“But,” says the skeptic, “the forms would still exist.”

Actually they wouldn’t. The only thing that makes matter seem solid with form is that subatomic particles are moving near the speed of light. If their motion were to cease then we would move beyond the forms just standing still, but all form would just disappear. With no motion there would be no form. There would be no time and no consciousness to register the forms.

Now let us say that form did not exist. If there was nothing with any type of form then there is nothing to move. If nothing is in motion then there is no time to register. If time is not registered then it no longer exists.

Now let us look at consciousness. What is it that registers motion and form? It is consciousness. The passing of time is governed by the sequence of conscious registration.

In the human kingdom an entity will take about one second to consciously register a thing. That is why the second was originally determined to be the smallest unit, as it takes about that long to register in the brain what an image is. Now our eyes can capture an image in around a 1/64 of a second or less, but it still takes about a second to realize what it is we have seen.

Do you think times passes the same speed with a fly or a human cell or an atom?

No it does not. Try to capture a fly out of mid air and you’ll see that he is registering time quicker than you are. On the other hand, a second to an elephant is longer than the human one.

If you were to live within an atom you would have to slow down time millions of times just to register anything that is happening as the little electrons circle around the atom billions of times every second.

Imagine that you were reduced to the size of an atom, and instead of a second being a human one that conscious registration of a second were changed so it was billions of times quicker. In this case you could see the motion of the particles within the atom.

The bottom line is that without consciousness there can be no creation or registration of form.

So, does this mean that if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, that there is no sound?

No, it does not.

Why?

Because life is everywhere. Wherever there is form, sound, light or motion there is some type of consciousness registering the event. The existence of form, motion, sound and light depends on the combination of all life in the universe that we usually call God.

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once. Albert Einstein

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Principle 61

This entry is part 59 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of Control

The Principle of control is this:

The events and happenings in your life occur either because you are in control and made them happen, or someone or something else made them happen. You are either in control of what is happening or you are not. The key to a happy life is to put yourself in charge of your own destiny.

The further one is on the path to liberation the more he will be in charge of his life. After all, final liberation is nothing more that being freed of limitations.

You’ll notice therefore that the young soul will often feel he is a victim to a hostile world whereas the seasoned traveler will seldom complain, and though he has problems to solve he works on them from a point of empowerment rather than seeking power and permission from others.

An area of life where control is a powerful factor is our health.

Those who put little attention on control see ill health as a mere act of fate and the only thing they can do about it is go to the doctor and give additional control over to him.

Those who take control will see that most aspects of their health are under their control. If they become ill they do not charge it up to fate, but will figure they have somehow caused it and seek for the cure. Such a person may use a doctor, but he will not give him his power. He will take advice he knows is advantageous but will search out the cause and the cure for himself. Then when he removes the cause the loss of control is gone and he is again in charge.

Finance is another major category where control is in play.

Those not in control feel they have lost life’s lottery and are doomed to living in needy circumstances the rest of their lives. Those lacking control feel limited by an assortment of reasons such as:

Whether or not they have a job depends on someone else giving them one.
Their employer decides what the salary is.
The government decides which desired handouts they receive.
Parents did not give enough help.
They do not know the right people.
They do not have resources.

Those in control create different situations.

They can work where and when they want because they are either self-employed or have obtained a skill that is in great demand.
They would rather help themselves than wait for assistance from government bureaucrats.
They do not see themselves as victims but are their own greatest resource to get ahead.

Now some who are in control do not feel the need to have many possessions and are happy with a modest income. Many not in control make a good income but still feel give away their power and feel like victims.

Relationships are a third major area where control is at play.

He who has not assumed control will complain incessantly about his mate, family, loved ones, friends and associates. To listen to such a person you would think that God is up there pulling strings just forcing all these people into his life.

But how did they get into his life? They are in his life because of his own decisions.

He who is in control has a different approach. He realizes that anyone is in his life is there because of his choices. If he doesn’t want them there then he ceases to invite them in and ceases to give them any attention. If he feels his mate is a bad choice he gets a divorce and gets a new one. If his friend is a pain in the neck then he gets a new and improved one. If a family member is annoying then he avoids him. As a whole, he who is in control will find himself surrounded by people he likes to associate with.

He who is not in control may say: “I try to get good people in my life but they seem to be in short supply.”

The problem here is most likely a lack of control over himself. He who comes across as a victim is avoided by what he calls, “the good people.” Like draws to like and to control your relationships requires, first of all, control of self. Make yourself desirable and you will then have power to pull desirable people into your life. Complain about people in your lives and you will draw even more complainers into it.

In addition to these three categories we have power of control in more areas than we realize. Some additional ones are:

Our free time.
What we can learn. An unlimited amount is available to all.
What we choose for entertainment.
Where we live.
Who we help.
Whether to be pleasant or not.
Many aspects if your looks and much more.

All of us have some limitations beyond our immediate control, but few if us assume control in all areas of life readily available. This, the disciple should seek to accomplish.

Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

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Principle 60

This entry is part 57 of 98 in the series Principles

The Principle of Hierarchy

As we approach consciousness in the Kingdom of God we are like a child and instead of differentiating we just want to lean on Father/Mother God and keep things simple.

The truth is that God is a body composed of “many members” and to truly prepare ourselves to be “kings and priests” in the kingdom we must understand the make-up of that kingdom. We have many hierarchies here in the human kingdom, but above us there are indeed numerous additional.

Those who have the feel-good new age belief that there are no teachers or students, no leaders or followers, no great or small in the kingdom of God are in for a surprise for the great truth and the principle behind all creation is this:

All is Hierarchy – Hierarchy is the ALL.

The principle of hierarchy is this.

Wherever there is a need for intelligent organization to fulfill some purpose a hierarchy will manifest, for such is needed to sustain a useful creation.

There are two types of hierarchies. All hierarchies belong to one or the other, or are combination of the two.

(1) The Top Down Hierarchy.

In this hierarchy the leaders are either appointed or self appointed and usually control those under them with strong authority. Tyrants and dictators and those appointed to positions under them fall under this category.

Also in democratic nations there still exist many top down hierarchies. For instance, in the United States, where we have numerous elected government officials, we also have many appointed ones such as the leaders of the IRS, Environmental Protection Agency, Homeland Security etc. To register the difference between the two just visualize the difference in your reactions to receiving a knock on the door from an IRS agent or some official running for political office.

(2) The Bottom Up Hierarchy

This brings us to the second type of hierarchy. This is a hierarchy where the leaders are not appointed but elected from the bottom up. Many countries have elected governments and the people have less fear of those they can hire and fire with election than those over who they have no power because they are appointed.

The bottom up hierarchies range from tightly controlled organizations with lots of rules, regulations and structured elections to more loosely knit ones where leaders emerge through a quiet consensus.

For instance, we may have a situation where several friends get together for a Bible study. The group doesn’t plan on having a hierarchy, but after it experiences some growth they discover they need certain members to take charge in making sure they have a place to meet, keep a mailing list to inform members of meetings, figure out a class schedule, arrange for snacks, coffee and numerous other things as they expand. In some cases no official election will be required as natural leaders will just surface as the natural choice of the group. Such people are just silently elected by group approval, but still elected and supported by the will of the group nonetheless.

Overall people are happiest when governed by a hierarchy that is created from the bottom up where the leaders are seen as servants to the group rather than agents that require service devoted to them. The less interference in the lives of men the better as was enunciated by Henry David Thoreau:

“That government is best which governs least…”

The ideal governing principle of the bottom up hierarchy was enunciated by Jesus:

And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matt 20:27-28

Thus the greatest leaders in the kingdom of heaven are the greatest servants and God, the greatest of all, has served us all by giving us life “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt 5.45

Whether we look to this world or the next, strong authority or minimal authority, some type of hierarchy will be there.

For instance in the United States we have the three branches of the federal government–the presidency (our logos), the judiciary (Christ energy), and Congress (Saturn energy). In addition to this there are numerous departments, such as housing, welfare, energy, agriculture, interior, IRS, etc.

Below the federal we have state government with a lower reflection of the higher three–the governor, the judiciary and the senate and house. From these come many additional appointed bodies.

Next down we have the governor of a city, the mayor, the city council and local judges. Below this we have many other governing bodies–our schools, PTA, civic organizations, businesses with their hierarchies, etc.

Now if you were to explain this to a young child who had recently attained self-awareness he would be likely to be mystified by the complexity of it all and just settle in his mind to understand the government of his Mom and Dad and be happy with that.

When we consider this we realize that the information given out concerning the Spiritual Hierarchies and relating them to our own only give us a small glimpse into the workings of the higher lives.

While it is true that the state, as a whole, is aware of each and every one of us (just try not paying taxes or a traffic ticket if you question this), it is also true that most members of the state are oblivious to us as individuals. I know the President has never heard of me and no one in Congress has given me a call lately. The governor’s wife was one of our customers, but overall, I as an individual, am not in the consciousness of any governing hierarchy, excepting a few businesses.

BUT–would it be possible for me to get their attention?

Yes. An easy way to do it would be to rob a bank. Then several hierarchies would take an interest in finding me.

A positive way to do it would be to start a consulting firm. If the mayor hired me I could give him good advice and have his daily attention.

I could run for governor. If I were a good candidate the present governor would pay a lot of attention to me and spare nothing in finding out everything about me.

If I studied medicine and found a cure for AIDS or cancer then I might even get a call from the President.

Now this same principle applies to the hierarchical lives over us in that body we call God, instead of the State. Some of them are of such evolution that that they are much more aware of the whole and the parts than are our own leaders, but rarely do they give us individualized attention any more than do our earthly leaders.

Closest to you in the Spiritual Hierarchy are your “Guardian Angels,” but above them you have to do something extra to get their attention.

If you wanted to get the attention of a certain master you would have to be able to offer some useful assistance to his particular field of endeavor with which he is presently engaged. This principle applies on up the line.

Just as the leader of a country only has a few people selected who are useful to his goals, even so it is not likely that many of us would cause the Great Ones to pay much individualized attention to us. As we are progressing on the path, the main attention we receive from the Spirit is through our own souls and our fellow humans.

We like to think that the angels or masters are fighting over the privilege to communicate with us, but such communications are rare. Instead, they put most of their attention on groups as a whole. The best way to get the attention of a master is to be in, or start a group, in alignment with their purpose.

The Christ attracted the attention of the Father who he said was greater than himself because he became a useful tool in His hands and initiated teachings that would change the whole world.

As long as we need the services of one another there will be a hierarchy of those who serve and those who receive the benefits of the service.

“If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgement and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth (many scholars think that this refers to Jehovah) AND THERE BE HIGHER THAN THEY.” Eccl 5:8

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