New-Age Theology or spiritual reality... you be the judge!
Book 1 –
Seems like a good time to spin a new religion. Let’s call ours the Church of the Cellular Transformation.
No matter what some people will say, God is not absent in these times of environmental and moral implosions and upheaval. On the contrary, God is, and always has been a part of anything and everything and, understandably, at a sub-atomic level. This “Essence of Life,” not unlike the soul or ethereal manifestations of mainstream theology is a tangible adhesion, a gravitational force, if you will, to all things that exist in the mind or, at the very least, in the perceived reality of most humans.
One might say, by the hand of man, nature is being torn apart. We seem to decimate everything by our reckless acts of greed and selfishness. I say, although we, as humans, may be ravaging the planet, it is also the inherent nature of each of these basic elements: wind, water, earth, and fire to act upon us in accordance with the nature and the will of God. A balance will always be sought out, as in the ways of karma. To paraphrase, “If we mess with Mother Nature she will surely mess with us.”
The flux of natural events has been occurring since the beginning of our knowing, (commonly referred to as “Time”). However, early on in this manuscript, I would make it known that Time itself, is a distinct and unfortunately, counterproductive variable. Time is a purely human construct. It is much like our efforts to categorize and catalog the names and movements of the planets, moons, stars, asteroids, galaxies and so forth. Time serves only man. And as I will point out, may be the greatest single barrier between ourselves and God.
The rise of the human intellect has surely been a part of an evolutionary process. By no means was it spontaneous. The physiological development of the central nervous system, in general, and the human brain, specifically, happened over the course of many, many generations during the blossoming of the human species. It is an ongoing process. Our mental powers, not only of observation, but also regarding the sensing of our finite place in the natural scheme of things, (based on the cyclical properties inherent in nature), has influenced us to consider the importance of patterns. Initially, this was not a bad thing.
At some point, however, a temporal flow of the human experience was conceived of by man. “Before, during, and after” any given event meant a greater understanding when considering antecedents and outcomes to the stimulus/ response equation. By partitioning time to replace day and night with seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, centuries, a millennia, and so on, we humans determined that we could “measure out“ our existence for the sake of planning and general reference.
Planning, however, by observation of other planetary species, is not a natural thing and thus had to be based on a supernatural premise. Time would need to exist as a stand-alone tangible commodity, (eventually taking its geometric place alongside height, length, and width). Planning, also presupposes a leadership role, a social hierarchy model that would lead to a more controlled allocation of resources and the prioritizing of tasks deemed as necessary for the survival of a larger group of individuals. Time would be the measurement of those premeditated “necessary” events in relationship to the giving of commands to further insure their implementation and the so-called “future” survival of the family, clan, city, or state.
Every creature, at a cellular level must eat, drink, rest, rid itself of waste, and provide for a means of replication. Any organic creature that is a part of God, (in addition to the baser chemical elements), can and will only exist as long as it is in perfect balance with all that surrounds it. There must be an ecosystem in which it is sustained or it simply will not survive. In the true st sense, our primal existence is based on an ecosystem that is always in flux and is never constant. Whether it is expanding or contracting, this, by the very nature of observable things, must be the literal representation of God.
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It is a vain assumption, on our part, to believe that we can echo God’s construct by imagining a beginning and an end to which we all, in some way, play a crucial part. In our dumb luck at being able to survive and procreate we have come to imagine that our fate is, at least in part, in our own hands. We have come to believe that our existence requires a series of actions, steps that must be taken repeatedly, which would allow for past and/or present generations to effectively shape or reshape our collective energies into something greater than the one cell living in the here and now, whether floating in pond or Petri dish. We cannot separate ourselves from God. We can, however, choose to ignore the truth.
The fact that we, as a species, are electing to communicate this finite existence to each other, presupposes that we have become disconnected from the knowledge that we are and always have been a part of the Essence of All Things Living and Innate, and are, as such, integrated wholly with God. To imagine that we are any more capable of destroying our ecosystem, our planet, our galaxy or beyond apart from that which is the Essence of All Things Living and Innate is simply idle minds at play, something a toddler might do, donning a fire-hat and presuming to emulate the life of a fireman.
The Church of Cellular Transformation therefore, seeks to dispel our so-called intellectual superiority and suggests that a relaxed but heightened state of self awareness, along with access to the essential building blocks of life, should and presumably will give us an equal footing in our bid to survive as a species. This, as opposed to locking ourselves into a regimented routine with the premise that we are all working together in harmony toward some greater good.
The idea that an ethereal entity or many separate entities existed to control all or a part of our own existence, has influenced our actions historically, and continues to shape the destiny of mankind. These beliefs have been around since humans began to communicate with each other about the unknowns of life on this planet. In the beginning there was no talk of beings on other planets or supreme beings that ruled with lightning bolts or supernatural powers. Not, at least, until humans began to create social conventions. Prior to this point, the early deities were tied directly to the essence of the ecosystems upon which we had always been dependent. Gods existed in almost every natural form, as animals, lands and landmarks, waterways and oceans, sky, fire, and the weather, among others. Gods were first depicted as having a direct impact on our welfare and longevity without reason or logic. Randomness was a common attribute, but above all else, these spirits held sway over life and death.
As our knowledge base increased, (exponentially with the advent of written languages), the idea that passing information on to fellow inhabitants and more importantly future inhabitants of a given society, caused our concept of God to be reduced to a philosophical footnote. In order to instill a sense of superiority to and interdependency with any given populous, various self-appointed leaders would often rise to their position by brawn, by stealth, and/or by evoking a God or set of gods, that granted victories in battles and plenty in times of peace, garnishing fear and or respect in the process.
By their alignment with the local deities the leaders of old would also have had to embellish upon the local folklore and likely had some additional inside information, such as knowing how to create fire or a working understanding of the seasons, to give the impression of a deific connection. Those who were favored by this simple illusion then passed their secrets on to their decedents or to loyal comrades.
The idea that our prehistoric ancestors would designate oracles or priests to act as go-betweens would be further exacerbated by the idea that these same deities would grant “chosen” mortals favors. This could quickly be reinterpreted as, "if you want to survive in our tribe or region, then you must recognize and adhere to the edicts of our god or gods."
Thus social control was born and we as humans began to relinquish our so-called superstitious belief in the inherent connection and balance between all things perceived as natural and life sustaining. This was the advent of sacrificial offerings. This was the true fall of mankind, not from the grace of God, but rather, in that communal denial of the direct connection between us and that which is divine, our innate sameness.
The voice of God is and has been in this way usurped. Oracles, prophets, soothsayers, and many other equally guised men and women have, (and some with the best of intentions), tried to speak for the gods. Once humans realized this was a powerful tool to motivate others, the game was on around the globe. Like a campfire story, legends of “good” verses “evil” began to be considered and shared. Much was handed down through tribal leaders or elders who had survived longer than most of their peers and were thought to possess the knowledge or skills necessary for others to do the same. The concept that knowledge is power is very old. He or she who made the rules often controlled the game.
Perhaps the first real test of humans recognizing that they could assert themselves to a status that would require their peers to support them based purely upon the information they had to share came with the introduction of Time. Time is a harnessing agent. The only real purpose it could ever have had was as a means to instigate slavery or at least a coercion to control others. By adhering to any structural element of Time, the true notion of God as the Essence of Creation, a part and particulate of everything that is perceivable, was dulled like the edge of a knife.
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Time implies that there must be a posturing or positioning of the self in relationship to God as if God was a singular entity apart from man and nature. The concept of “if/then” would evolve into the current “time and place” ordinances that we humans bandy about with impunity. Nothing that would have been pleasing to any god would have been less pleasing to those espousing a philosophy of lifelong servitude.
As was our primal loss of association with the true nature of God, Time was and is a distortion of a set of transitory and flexible notions, specifically day and night and the variations, (some more obvious than others), in the changing of seasonal conditions based on the rotation of our planet in relationship to the sun. Our relationship to these variations was once that of reaction rather than direct intervention with intent to shape or change circumstances to our advantage. We learned when and where to find the basic elements which insured our survival, but only up to a point. Because the ways of God were said to be cyclical and without variation, we became less fearful, more trusting as a species, knowing that certain things would be available to us in their season. Or so we were led to believe.
I no longer believe that this was or ever could be the case. . Floods, fires, pestilence, and droughts are but a few of the natural occurrences directly impacting this planet. Change is constant. However, even considering this, I do not believe our more primitive selves would have given much thought to an afterlife, never truly having the need to understand what life was all about in the first place. Life was simply taken for what it was, to be endured or enjoyed, but certainly not to be coveted above all else.
If humans, or any other living plant or animal can not routinely access the essential building blocks of life, they will never be able to sustain themselves for long. It is as simple as that. The idea that Time could give man an advantage over the natural order of things is pure hype. The defining of a lifetime, with the possibility of an afterlife must have made the citizens of almost every civilized culture both fearful and pliable.
Theological edicts from the earliest known writings spoke clearly about the use of Time. Time was a tool for beginning a new project, setting a pace, meeting someone important, allowing for modest if not minimalistic “in-between” periods set aside for rest or recreation. Most of what were considered to be the more primal activities, i.e., the actual act of eating, drinking, sleeping, passing waste, or involvement in reproductive activities, was given an unnaturally short allocation of Time. The hunting and gathering of resources was allocated much more Time.
Once, we as humans became numerous enough there began a trend toward assigning tasks based on strengths, skills, and talents. Communal agriculture and the tending of larger and larger herds of cattle, sheep, goats, and domesticated fowl reversed the nomadic trends of the human race. Families and tribes now began to think of the earth in terms of sustainable environments. We began looking for small resource rich areas, and then regions in which to build villages and fence in livestock. We began to seriously consider securing water for ourselves and our plants and animals. This, in turn, was supplanted by the activity of forcibly taking resources from other humans and eventually neighboring tribes; the precursor to our modern day wars.
By relegating the basic functions of man to this sense of containment, religious edicts and civil laws further served to separate the working class from the privileged. The idea that God favored the privileged over the common masses was propagated by religious sects who drew upon the guilt and superstitions of their wealthy patrons for their own support.
The division of the days of the weeks and the months of the year could only have been sustained through the knowledge that we humans are susceptible to conditioning. If a sustainable sequence of events could include the basic elements of life and the occasional but routine reward for living, we humans were obviously easily manipulated en masse.
The concept of six work days and a day of rest, (which was also the day required to check in with the people who were busy educating/programming you and then sending you back out to work, was a near perfect system. Throw in a handful of special religious holidays in any given year and you have successfully harnessed a compliant work force.
Add to that the fear of not pleasing God, and you have icing on the cake. You may have noticed in our current Times that many people are rejecting their association with mainstream religion and where it overlaps, the political systems governing any given group. Some may say this further separates us from God, but as I have said, we are never separated and will never be separated from God. It is our ignorance of these things that continues to affect our spiritual awareness adversely and keeps us subjugated.
Time, is one of few things that never seems to come under anyone’s scrutiny. We have assimilated it and it us. It is a beacon of light that blinds us from the true nature of God.
What do you think would happen if we completely rejected the artificial concept of Time? It is common knowledge that with the elongation of what we call our lifetimes, there are and have been millions of elderly people who are no longer able to work but continue to have access to that which sustains them physically. We blissfully call this period of life retirement.
Retirement forced or otherwise, often includes a chaotic transition period. It is frequently marked with depression and anxiety. The body has become so conditioned to an unnatural routine that it does not know how to adjust to a normal, more natural state. The loss of a long and meticulously planned out vocation often becomes traumatic.
Worse yet, the retired individual is now seen in their own eyes and in the eyes of others as being less than capable and therefore dependent, a state underscored by the achievements made during the “on the clock” portion of life. The value of life is correspondingly depleted and the focus becomes a count down to the end of life as is defined by Time itself. This inescapable distraction further acts to separate our consciousness from that of God, the Essence of Life, that which is and always has been within each of us.
Many souls die wishing that they had more Time to do the right thing or, at the very least, they regret the things they failed to do while they still had the Time. It is a wicked deception.
It takes little faith to believe that we are God’s “children”, or that God is somehow a part of all things living. Life is an amazing experience and there is no shortage in the beauty and majesty of it all. The only understanding that can be trifled with is the notion that God is somehow external and removed from all that we see, hear, think, or feel. The making of God as the keeper of Time actually reinforces this by bringing “Him” down to a human level, thus denying the omnipresence of an entity far beyond our limited comprehension.
Many teachers and philosophers have talked or written about the lessons of nature. They have noted the simplicity and balance of the various ecosystems. They have counseled us, as advisors, on the importance of staying in harmony with the elements. If God would want anything, this seems a reasonable expectation. If a Supreme Being, a Creative Essence is to be believed in, why not examine the creation to see the creator?
It seems we busy ourselves with our Time in the process of categorization and labeling. We see this as the road to discovery but in essence we are taking these things out of the realm of God and putting them on the shelves of man. We don’t want to know why it exists, only that it does and that we have observed that existence.
Yet, in all the eons of Time that have passed since such measurements were first taken, have we ever really disproved the existence of God? We have explained many things. We think we know that many natural occurrences are not the work of some deity but instead the effects of natural phenomena. But if God is in and a part of all things how can we not say that God is not there also?
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Now is the only time that matters if balance is to be restored. One cannot balance in yesterday or tomorrow, only within the moment. To affect any balance is to know what is within and without you. My suggestion is that you look first to yourself. You must be able to visualize every cell in your body. You must attempt to find an environment in which each of God’s pieces is in alignment with that which is around it and then seek out that which is necessary for the continued sustenance of every part.
With this level of introspection one begins to realize that significant changes must take place in order to bring about this balance. The simple attainment of unpolluted air, water, and the acquiring of nutritious foods will quickly become a priority. The cultivation of your own garden may become an immediate necessity.
The real Cellular Transformation will only occur when you reconnect with the Essence of Life that is within you and position yourself both physically and spiritually in the best place to insure a natural coexistence with All Things Living.
I understand that none of this is original thought. It is, however, an expression of my own perspective on the matter. The Church of the Cellular Transformation only exists to assist you in seeing things in a similar light. Consider the destructive nature of Time. Like any other habit, it will take more than a day and a night to diminish its impact. It will take some effort to consider lifestyle options that reduce or eliminate the curse of Time.
First and foremost, find God in every cell of your being. If you cannot visualize this, consider a Cellular Transformation. Open your eyes to the possibility. Know that God is everywhere and is in everything! Apart from Time, find your center of balance. Having done so, you will come to understand that you are an eternal element of God’s Living Creation. Rejoice in it!
Continue Reading "The Church of the Cellular Transformation - 2
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Interesting and well stated. These questions have been of vital interest to humanity even before Cronus and Uranus devoured their children with such terrible a weapons as time and space. As a child I wondered how a soul could exist as an 'eternal' thing, yet somehow be lost - as those using the religion rice bowl would have us accept as gospel ... Thanks for summarizing your thoughts for us. The ideas still, perhaps always, have the power to engage us.
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A story with original photography, digital art, and illustration, about Son of Waves, 12 Dolphins to save the planet, David The Visionary on the beach in Tel Aviv, a digital messiah, and an internet of Love. Free PDF download.
