"Black & White, Yin & Yang"
"There are two sides to every coin." Humanly speaking, this is a universal truth. Everybody has their own story, their own tale to tell & it is a rare thing thing when these stories jive, even when the story is about the same event! The reason for this, of course, is 'perception'. Not only does everyone have their own peculiar ( individual ) viewpoint, or opinion, we all experience things differently, to whatever extent: this is why, for instance, the so-called 'Synoptic Gospels' all read slightly differently, although they contain the same basic Story.
Another name for 'Progression' is 'Evolution'! Of course, when we think of 'Evolution', our Mind almost immediately jumps to pictures of a single celled organism crawling out of the tar pits, or something along the lines of 'Darwinian Evolution'. That question, however, being beyond the scope of this post, we shall quickly move on to 'Progression'! You might be familiar, again, to whatever extent, with the phrase, "natural progression": in some sense, this could be taken to refer to the evolutionary laws of nature, for instance, aging. "Time takes it's toll" is one example of this concept; in essence, as one gets old, the stressors of Life naturally affect our biological bodies to the effect that they eventually break down, or cease to function. This could open a whole can of worms, but "As above, so below; as below, so above"; this concept can also be applied to the heavenly bodies!
The Stars in the Heavens, including our own Sun, although with a much longer lifespan, have proven to "wind down"! In fact, scientifically speaking, you may have heard that many of the Stars we currently observe in the night sky actually "wound down" millenia ago, it's just that their light is just now reaching us.
At this point, one might be wondering what my point is; "why doesn't he just get to it?" some might well ask. "What's all this about pendulums & duality?" Well, to tell you the truth, I decided to 'kill two birds with one stone', in a manner of speaking! The 'duality', of course, is pretty simple; "Yin & Yang", "Black & White", "above & below", etc, but "the pendulum"?!
"The Pendulum". Everybody should be fairly familiar with the pendulum. It can be made from anything as simple as a piece of string with a weight tied to one end, to something like a metronome, with a mechanical arm which swings from one extreme to the other, making a rhythmic 'tic-toc' as it swings, at least until it winds down. Although there are doubtless many that come very close, I don't think anyone has come up with a machine yet that is truly in perpetual motion, at least, not by itself!
Life itself, at least on the biological plane, may be said to operate like a pendulum! When an animal is born, whether human or otherwise, this pendulum swings from one extreme to the other. In the beginning, when the creature is immature, we may note that it is incapable of certain movements that the older, more mature creature exhibits, to whatever extent. The Pendulum's Swing seems to hit the midway point, usually about halfway through the normal life-cycle. At this point, the creature's abilities may seem to have hit their peak. As the person ages, depending, of course, on many factors that don't seem to affect many other species, the movements that previously were exhibited often become less precise, as well as more laborious. Of course, this does not apply equally to every individual because, as previously noted, there are many defining factors!
On the other hand, while this point may be arguable, for the sake of Duality, let us now launch into a discussion of Subjectivity & Objectivity. The question might well be asked, "Is Truth subjective or objective?" In other words, is it relative to the individual? Can we truly say that every person has their own particular ( peculiar ) truth, or is Truth absolute? Does 2 + 2 ALWAYS = 4, or, in a different vein, is EVERYTHING the Christian Bible says the whole Truth & nothing but?! I was brought up to believe that, "Yes", the 'God' ( Elohim ) of the Bible IS the One True 'God' & the Bible is absolutely 'His' Word to us, but is this to say that just because the Church has accepted this 'truth' for 2,000 years, it is THE Truth?!
Truth, in that sense then, is not subjective! But then, if Truth is not subjective, can we truly speak of 'individual truth'? Again, "Yes". What is true for one person may not be true for someone else: for example, while this person may perceive an object or person as ugly, that person may see it as beautiful. More questionably though, this one may see a certain action or thing as 'good', while that one perceives it as 'evil'. Relatively speaking, both are true, but objectively, the Truth 'is what it is', neither 'good' nor 'evil'. At this point, some would no doubt object, saying something like , "God's Word ( the Bible ) SAYS that's Evil, or this is Good!' That's great; if you want to BELIEVE that the Bible is 'the truth, the whole truth & nothing but the truth', more power to you, but not everyone is going to believe what some book says, no matter HOW holy it is !
Objective Truth, on the other hand, is based upon 'hard, factual evidence"! Rather than being based on individual feelings or emotions ( likes & dislikes, etc. ), Objective Truth is presented as unchanging: some might even say, "Immutable". The Christian Bible, by the way, gives the same title to 'God' ( Elohim )! As the case may be, though, one might very well argue that there is no Objective Truth, that there IS no Absolute! "Absolutely!" "Surely Truth exists?!", one might ask! Yes, Yes; don't get your panties in a wad! Of course Truth exists ( just like 'God' ( NOT Elohim )! Like 'God' though, Truth 'is what IT is". Truth, again, is "neither objective nor subjective"; those are mere human concepts. IS Truth, or 'God', for that matter, 'Immutable'? Even the 'God' ( Elohim ) of the Bible has been known to change, so could the same be said of Truth?
Another title for this post could well have been 'The Evolution of Truth'! Many would most likely balk at this suggestion though, especially with the inclusion of 'Evolution'. The truth is, though, that for truth to truly be objective, it must evolve with those for whom it is truth! This is almost to say that Truth is not Truth unless one believes it! Pilate, indeed, according to the Christian Bible ( John 18:38 ) asked Jesus the question, "What IS Truth?!" One might wonder if Jesus failed to reply to this rhetorical ( some have used the term 'jesting' ) question because HE was the Truth, or rather, a Representative of It. Elsewhere, in fact, He DOES say, "I AM the Way, the Truth & the Life"!
At this point, some may feel inclined to object ( strongly ) saying something like, "it sounds like he's trying to make us believe that God Himself is subjective, that He only exists if we believe in Him!" Honestly, I'm NOT trying to make ANYONE believe ANYTHING; that's YOUR choice! However, I DO want you to be honest with yourself when it comes to 'God' & 'Truth'! If one's perception of 'God' is somewhat different than yours, does that necessarily make that one wrong? Some would, of course, immediately reply with a resounding "YES', but that is only their perception. The same could be said of 'Truth': "Truth', like 'Beauty', is Relative, or Subjective to ones perception!
"Wait, Wait; didn't he say that Truth is NOT subjective?!" Yes, Yes I did! However, I DID offer the caveat, "in this sense"! It should be clear that, for those who believe theirs is the only correct perception, "Truth is not subjective". The same, "yes", could be applied to their perception of 'God'. This, of course, is NOT to say that the One most often called 'God', also 'Allah", even 'Brahman", is simply a figment of our imagination! No, the One, or Source of ALL is no figment of ANYONE'S imagination! However, both 'God' & 'Allah' ARE simply conceptions of humanity, a cultural perception of what the Source, or One is. 'The One' is really not an accurate descriptor at all, for it implies quantity. The Source, of course, is Infinite. It might even more correctly, as discussed previously in this blog, be called simply, 'Energy'!
In this sense then, while some would probably say that Truth is Absolute, or Objective, just as 'God', to their perception, is 'Immutable', it would be incorrect to say that Truth is Objective! Now before you blow your stack, let me attempt to clarify my rather shocking statement. "As above, so below"; to say that Truth is objective implies quantity. Just as the Source of All is Infinite; it should be noted in the same sense that Truth too is Infinite!
It has been stated before, in other words, that Duality is a merely human concept! In Infinity, there IS no duality; Light & Dark, Hot & Cold, Good & Evil ( 'God' & 'Satan'? ), etc. do not exist, for these are all but differing degrees of the same Energy; opposite ends of the spectrum, if you will. In other words, Energy just is. It is OUR individual ( personal ) experience of that Energy that determines whether it is cold or hot, good or evil, etc!
Here again, we come face to face with 'the pendulum'. From one extreme to the other, as in cold to hot, low to high, hard to soft ( or vice-versa ), the day-to-day, hour-to hour & even minute-to-minute sweep of Life's Pendulum affects us all in similar ways, though everyone experiences these 'swings' differently, to whatever extent. Which brings us back to the fact I mentioned earlier, the "defining factors": these "defining factors" could range anywhere from individual tastes to environmental issues, but ultimately, these "factors" can really only be defined in one manner; the individual's spiritual condition!
Outward conditions, such as the death of a loved one, trauma against oneself ( whether physical or emotional/spiritual ), or simply geographical location, while they definitely have an effect on us, are just that, "outward conditions": there is always a choice to be made as to how we respond ( or not ) to those external factors, those 'random happenings' ( ? )! How we choose to face these demons & ultimately, our own Darkness is what will truly determine how these events, however traumatic, affect us.
Getting to the point then, the 'Pendulum's Swing' affects all areas of biological life! Whether plant or mineral, animal or human, all have their ebb & flow ( though the degree varies ). Although most would probably perceive this process as 'natural', again, there are many factors involved & which more or less determine exactly how long that life-span will be. In the natural progression of things, or what is most often called 'The Circle of Life', one ( mineral, plant, animal or human ) must die in order that another might live!
So then, in conclusion, whether one calls it 'Evolution' or 'natural progression', in the end it works out for the good of all concerned, be they mineral, plant, animal, or human. Of course, 'the end' is only a biological term, or perception, for as we should all know by now; Energy NEVER dies, it is simply Transformed!
Namaste' & Blessed Be
Sage Charles
