The world now is in a dire situation not only because man and woman are apart and lost in their own egoistic programming; but also the fact that mankind has not reconciled the Immanent (uniting of man and woman) and the Transcendent (principle of God that transcends existence). All the actions of existence that have been played throughout history have been influenced by the severe fire of ego that has tried to fill the gulf of separateness in this realm of Immanence (i.e. God's manifestations through existence and creation). Our understanding of the Transcendent (Pure imperceptible Absolute behind existence) and its subtle relationship with the immanent world of experience; has been clouded too by this severe ego fire and it has overly formalised, concretized, externalised and monopolised the nature and perception of the Transcendent.
What I am referring to as 'Transcendent' has been addressed by the various religions of the world; more notably those who are of the monotheistic philosophy. In the beginning, the Message of the Absolute as the single-minded spiritual reality of all mankind was sent down in the consciousness of those who had fallen from Grace; to remind them that they are not gods unto themselves and that they are a reflection of the Divine and endeavouring to serve this Will through the struggle against the unruly self. This subtle reality of being the highest manifestation of God and serving the divine Will would allow mankind to see the divine in themselves but ultimately to separate the Absolute as imperceptible and beyond the pollution of the ever-changing manifestations of cultural interpretations, anthro-centric deities or egoistic traits. The balance of being the spiritual vessel and containing the ego was maintained for some time; however it was soon realised by mankind that the power of the ego was ever-dormant and only those with superior power of self-knowledge and self-struggle could resist its inevitable usurping of human consciousness down to the lowly animal kingdom into which they had already rudely landed.
What we are talking about is “the fall” from Eden; albeit this is very much an esoteric as well as a literal phenomenon. The drop from paradisial union with God in heaven was the great fall; but it brought humankind into the world of experience and learning. One had to become to appreciate what one did not have; so that consciousness could be realised with appreciation and gained as a quest and as a journey. This is affectivley the journey of the soul; and each one must make its own quest as well as participate in this Fall. The reality is however, that we are less far from the place in which we have fallen than we would've first have imagined.
In the Quran; the words used to describe this world and the afterlife are mentioned to virtually the same degree of frequency.Thus there is but a thin veil between the lofty origin of Heaven and the lowly world of mortal experience. We are born in seeming veils of flesh, as innocent children a state of blameless purity. For the first 40 days of a babies life; it is in-touch with the Pure Knowledge of the Absolute and Imminent in all its excellence and mystery. What makes it unique is that it is so absorbed in this state of submission that it is barely self-aware of its own attributes or its own characteristic qualities of consciousness. It will soon fall out of its state and un-learn all of this Pure Knowledge and make another Fall; into the world where Souls (An-Nafs) will grow. This is of vital importance; for the aim here is for the soul to develop its own individual characteristics and attributes; many will reflect that of God but they will also be subtle traits unique to that individual based not just on nature or nurture but something innately planted within them that makes them so. They will come to learn the nature of self-consciousness, the process of learning and error, of personal responsibility, pain and of course...the trials of the world and the ultimate faith that it is not they who are in ultimate control (even though free will is a sacred right and a given). They will not remember their former state; for the treasure of Rediscovery that they are about to garner shines greater than all of the jewels in the earth and heaven combined.
It is the world of creation; the world of apparent conflict, of time, of competition, of trials and of the 'unknown' – where we must earn our right to be at the feet of the Lord. Rudely awakened from the domain of Glory and Grace; we are thrown comparativley into the jaws of hell. As our soul grows; it gains heavy with the learning and experience of this place. How heavy this soul becomes depends on how vigilant we are against what is real knowledge and what is spread by those who espouse the doctrine of Separation. This deceptive doctrine is exacerbated by beings who were also cast down to this level and who value the world of 'what is' to be all that is worthy of being known. The material relationships, the seeming animalistic projection of desire and ownership are the main themes of the egoistic doctrine of Separation. It espouses that the individual is a lord unto himself; that his desire for the world is the ruling law that dictates matters, and that conflict and struggle are the measurements of success (rather than simply the testing environment necessary to fight for altruistic spiritual balance). In reality; the separation from the Transcendent is apparent because the Immanent (knowledge of God in existence) is veiled by the selfishness of lowly desire, falsely projected need and restlessness that rises with an inevitable volcano of desire except the few souls who have the fortitude to resist. Some beings who were of a better character than others; managed to remember their Lord and their origin in this testing environment and stay in touch with the Spirit in their daily lives. They weathered the storm of the Fall better than others, but as time started to accelerate; more and more tempting would be this Self as it grew heavy with the lies of the doctrine of Separation – believing that the earth and it were married as one great egoistic reflection. And as humanity multiplied, and the Doctrine became more deeply embedded in the consciousness of man; the more mankind came to reflect things more and more lowly in the manifest earth he had arrived in. The 'animal' inside man; the never-satiated beast of longing had sought the history-repeating 'ring' of the worldly (to use a Tolkien-esque analogy) to wear. The jealous whispers of Satan cannot control man against his will; but he can spread this false doctrine that man is independent and the world is his animal-reflection. And so many believed and so many followed. This triggered a series of crises, spurring the need for the Divine message to spread messengers and prophets to remind man of the consequences. To separate himself from the reality of Divine Grace not only beyond the world but also within the world; was the greatest pain of all.
When institutions were built after the arrival and message of Prophets - around egoistic and externalist interpretations of the Transcendent; the Separation of mankind from God was not alleviated. Until conscious connection with the divine could be realised in the world of experience; mankind would always feel separate from true reality and living in the fear of events after death and the veil of total 'faith'. What was needed was to re-unite with God in the here and now in the state of Immanence; in order to get closer to the real meaning of the Transcendent. That knowledge of God is not lost in fear or the written letter of description; but as a Reality that can be contemplated in the present. The separation from Immanent presence with divine reality in the here and now; was exacerbated by institutions that were based on the idea of immortality projects (please see the works of Ernest Becker for more on this important subject). These institutions were forged upon the premise that one had to 'be remembered' and leave a legacy in some manifest form that society would remember, utilise or adopt. It was an attempt to try and resolve the lack of belief in one's true origin; as man had become so separate from the nearness of divine knowledge – he was inventing systems to manage the 'terror' of death. These systems however, have served only to impede our balance and to perpetuate the cycle of misguided yearning for the world, for power, for ownership and attachment to false realities. We have dulled our inner-selves so much in this process of distraction from our true origins; that many yearn for something 'other'. But yet in their yearning for the seeming immaterial; they are fooled once more into uniting and re-merging with a false consciousness. The false consciousness that feeds the lower desires of the senses, and keeps us from being in the present. The same forces that spread the Doctrine of Separation; are ever at work and take no rest. For we are all either locked in the past or in expectance of the future. Our interpretations of scripture have taught us that faith is all that there is and that fearing God and living by the mere institutional practice of worship – is enough for a balanced state of spirituality. Sadly, when one looks at the religious communities and the larger world around us; we know that this is not enough. And it is getting worse.
The main source of evil in the world; is the suppresion of the truth. We have become so far separated from divine reality; we now almost take falsehood for truth, and truth seemingly for falsehood. We have claimed to be our own gods and the earth as our fat over-milked cattle slave. When divine revelation was disclosed to the prophets; it was not just general-principle scripture which was vital for reminding mankind his origins. There was also the practical consciousness that was passed-on to those who were near such individuals; and preserved amongst certain groups that became increasingly marginilised as the 'religion' grew with the power of nationhood and ambition of rule. These small groups became alienated primarily because they refused to completely follow the cultural-led distortions, formalisations and ego-driven interpretation of their spiritual path. They were the gnostics of Christianity, the sufis of Islam, the Taoists, and so forth. Even within these groups however; the evils of divine separation were starting to seep-in and their teachings became inevitably influenced by the sea of externalist-ideology that surrounded them. Despite this seeming assault and their dwindling numbers; these groups are still alive and the truth lives with them – but they are ever-more silent against the increasingly loud reinforcing movement of so-called 'fundamentalism'. These fundamentalists are far from the virtues that their name espouses. Instead they are so far detached from the message of the divine; that they interpret it through the veil of seeming cultural imperialism. Their driven psychology is that of the same fear and control that the leaders of this world maintain; driven-on by their turmoil and terror of the unknown in this mortal realm. Thus religion has become hated, just as our politicians have become hated along with our very selves and the world we have created. Some turn to drugs, the weekly expectant mind never lives in the present – instead yearning for alcohol, an illicit encounter, a better car, more decadent food, and to bathe in the lie of mass-media to 'escape' the dirty little project of separation they have participated in. And as time passes, the world groans under the weight of it all; and the days pass with ever-accelerating speed as if reality itself is mustering our demise (or redemption?) with an expedient urgency.
In our panic, we seek 'new' solutions and turn to science for an answer. The materialistic orientation of science is a useful tool to manage our comfort and communication in this occasionally hostile place – but to seek it as an end is a fallacy. Realised souls have told us again and again that true Gnosis (self-knowledge) is found within. Until we know what we are, we cannot reconcile the Transcendent with the Immanent. We cannot stay balanced in the present whilst knowing our Origin in its true untainted aspect. The danger that lies here, however, is the belief amongst some that everything starts with Immanence and the Self. The knowledge of Transcendence needs to be realised first through meditation and prayer. It is almost like contemplating a bright star from a distance – the glory of this light and its grace does not change as an essential reality despite the worshipper being at a distance from it. For it is a safe distance, enough to appreciate the fact of the power and brightness of being close to it even when it is so afar and yet one can perceive it even in a place so far and so different. The Sufi masters are like noble warriors against their own ego's and the lies of the doctrine of Separation that satan continues to remind. Although satan himself was not needed for man to necessarily adopt this lie; he merely expediated its inception. There is great effort that is needed to train the biggest enemy of self-realisation: the mind. It is not an effort of physical strength like that in a normal battle, but a power of resiliance and awareness. Soon a true seeker will unlock what this subtle Transcendent reality is; with a distinction that it is separate from the mind and the thoughts that attempt to trap it and deconstruct it. For it has been the task of the Sufis to maintain this realisation of Transcendence as much as possible against the backdrop of daily tests and tribulations and distractions that life throws at us. It can be easily forgotten in a moment of anger, impatience or distraction and then recalled when the lonely sage retreats and returns to his prayer-room. Both in a state of dissapointment and a noble need for divine forgiveness. Sadly, because even most sufi practitioners have greatly moderated their inner character and sense of peace; it is still rudely dislodged from their consciousness in certain moments – moreso with the opposite sex.
One must now come to the issue of the genders and that of man and woman. It is said that the biggest endeavour of the devil is to draw man and woman apart; there is even an Islamic hadith (saying) about it. There is also a saying by Prophet Muhammad that marriage is “half of your religion”. It is sad that so many have not grasped the esoteric meaning behind this saying; as it refers directly to the balanced state of Immanence that is required after Transcendence is realised (or too often merely 'formalised') in religion. This is the former half that gives balance to the latter and thus helps bring closeness to the knowledge of God as opposed to the awful state of separation and lack of unity in which we now live. It is said in the Quran that the husband and wife are garments for each other; and this has an important meaning. They are to complement each other and unite and become one harmony. Instead we have in the world; a state of distance and lack of unity between man and woman. We have socio-economic control, sexual exploitation, excessive emotionality and a total lack of presence and mutual respect of the equal roles of the two genders. These genders are subtle reflections of the Divine; and as long as they remain in a state of disharmony then the entire family and also the entire society will be affected by this unresolved disunity. One cannot become a balanced individual until the gulf between the sexes is filled with love and mutual support; not animalistic desire or materialistic ends. So subtle and dynamic is the interplay between man and woman – that it is a great struggle to maintain this balance and yoga (union). The key is to bring spirituality into the marital relationship and to stay present and not allow the animal-mind to enter its habit of expectance, reflection or agitated discontent. This can only be done affectivley when one brings the subtle and imperceptible knowledge of the Transcendent into the marital connection in the daily life. This is what is known as dhikr (rememberance of the Divine). The subtle light of the absolute Transcendent is then filtered through the pure consciousness and grace of man and woman and in its manifest reflection of two individual souls uniting. We then realise that we are vessels of this reality, not posessors of it. We are responsible for both serving it and expressing it and this can only be done when every aspect of our relationship remains grounded in the present and not the excited agitation of the expectant animal soul. On the intimate level, passion is then redirected spiritually beyond the realms of lowly sensationalism and separation and into balanced unity. It is sad indeed that such a union of man and woman has been ignored for so long; with the tension between the two exploited by those who wish to cause great mischief upon the earth. Hedonism and promiscuity merely intensify the separation of man and woman; creating great sicknesses. The energies of the body are exploited for mere sensation in itself, thus starving any possible realisation of a divine reflection and harmony in daily-life.
All of what we see in our present malaise is due to our separation from God; both out of existence as Transcendence but also in existence as spiritual balance and unity. We think that our own doctrine based on materialism and self-preservation is the answer to our own curse of loneliness. Yet if we think we can solve this mystery through our present state of separation from divine unity; we are only fooling ourselves. We are but babies at the breast of divine knowledge and we are helpless; yet we continue to drink the wine that slows us and throws us into a sleep and a false dream. One day we will awake; and it is that day which needs to come before we all drown in the intoxicated flood.
