What if spirituality could be reduced to the knowledge of a pair of simple rules promulgated by nature itself? To live by these rules would lead to personal growth and development; to ignore them would imply suffering and pain. Wouldn’t this be a fine moral and spiritual basis to organize our lives upon? Then we could simply stop the big treasure hunt for ultimate bliss or divine ascension—the Great Illusion of our time—and actually focus back on life itself, only this time with less misery, excellent health and a lifespan that would abundantly transcend the averages of today. Wouldn’t that be a relief?
What if these rules were already in existence? Moreover, what if they were simply called “causality”?
It is commonly known that in the outer world, every cause must have an effect. If I drop an egg, it will be smashed; a ball will fly through the air when kicked by the foot; the ashes of a cigarette are the result of setting fire to the tobacco; and so on. On a more personal level, if the phone rings, someone will answer (if nobody’s home, the caller will be disappointed or frustrated); if I ask for directions from a stranger, he or she will try to help me out (or slag me off); if someone kisses another on the lips, that person will be excited (or perhaps disgusted, depending on the kisser); etc.
Every initial motion (exertion of energy) must have some sort of counterbalance to compensate it. Some counterbalancing effects are enjoyable and pleasant to experience—for example, if I smell a rose, I will encounter a sweet scent, while other scents can be very nasty and even traumatizing. If I drive too recklessly while in a drunken state, a confrontation with a tree could be mortal. Whatever the case may be, every motion must be countered by an anti-motion. It’s simple action, reaction, cause and effect. This is how nature works, and humans are, without a doubt, humble slaves of her unbendable law.
Knowing Nature’s Law now, the next big questions arise: Why do we suffer? Wouldn’t it be great to live without suffering? Is it at all possible for a human being to live without pain, misery and even decay or death? Last, but not least, would we still be searching for ascension or divine salvation if all pain and suffering was eradicated?
To unravel the mystery behind human suffering, we must explore the fundamental nature of the universe. Panta rhei states that everything flows; all is in constant motion. We humans, on the other hand, have the free will to resist the situations or persons that occur in our lives—i.e. humans possess the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis). This faculty, which isn’t a gift but rather has come from a poisoned fruit proffered by a biblical snake, is not only in utter conflict with the flowing nature of the universe (represented by the Tree of Life), but is also the main source of our pain and misery and even the sickness, decay and death of the material vehicle—the visible and tangible body.
This actually means two things:
» What a human resists persists
» What a human preserves (or secures) will destroy itself
It suffices to say that these two simple yet powerful premises are actually the reasons for all of our suffering, because both indicate a resistant attitude towards the situation as-is and, thus, stand in sheer opposition to the eternal motion of nature itself. So it is
simply the non-acceptance of our situation as such (whatever it may be) that causes (in one way or another) unpleasant effects in the outer world and, consequently, the decay of a human’s body and mind-resistance.
Apparently, humans have to learn that:
» What they judge as “bad” (which means they want to get rid of it—i.e. aversion) will stick to them like a magnet on a fridge
» What they judge as “good” (which means they want to keep it, secure it and expand it—i.e. desire) will eventually destroy itself
To escape or eradicate the consequences of these dual forces on the human mind and body—i.e. to make an end to our suffering—is therefore a mere question of learning to walk the path between the two opposite pillars of extremity, which is beautifully captured in the symbol of the caduceus (pictured to the right). This symbol, which actually combines the essence of every religion, science, philosophy and spiritual orientation in one mighty image, is without a doubt the epitome of the Philosopher’s Stone or the Elixir of Life. Without spending another word on its marvel and mystery, let the reader contemplate its powerful symbolism, which will now reveal its enigma for once and forever.
[su_panel background=”#f2f2f2″ color=”#000000″ border=”0px none #ffffff” shadow=”0px 0px 0px #ffffff”]by Pieter Van Cauwenbergh
