Throughout this site there are numerous references to a concept (or more accurately non-concept) called The Absentia. What is The Absentia? The essay entitled Verse 82 gives us a hint. But there may be some who want further clarification as to the design and nature of this very strange idea (or to be more accurate, non-idea). Fundamentally, The Absentia is a theoretical "Godforce" that births and subequently influences the theoretical Universe that is created and discussed everywhere else in this study. Here is a verse that can be used to begin an understaning of exactly what The Absentia is... or isn't!:
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Behold The Absentia!
Behold its divine mystery!
Know that you are here because it is not.
You do not dwell within it.
It does not dwell within you.
Your finite forms cannot contain it.
Your infinite grasp cannot reach it.
The more you look, the less you see.
The less you look, the more you see.
So approach it with stillness.
And speak of it with silence.
By this alone, it is within and without you.
Through it you are found.
Through you it is found.
Together all are bound.
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Let's dissect this verse line by line:
Behold The Absentia! - The first thing we should acknowledge is that this verse is a hypocrisy of description. By that I mean, The Absentia is not of this universe. The Absentia is ineffable. The Absentia is unknowable. The Absentia is absent from any universe attempting to know it. Thus, any form of discussion of it, only makes it something it isn't, which is fundamentally hypocritical. But inasmuch as we are attempting to clothe an ineffable mystery to "see" where it is, we continue...
Behold its divine mystery! - This is just superfluous, bombastic rhetoric designed to mesmerize "the faithful" into believing they are about to hear something important. I just threw this in for fun. Normally, I prefer a direct, straightforward, non-reverent approach to the presentation of ideas. You can throw this line out if you prefer. But, with or without this line, The Absentia is divine. It is the Mother of ALL. It is the Father of ALL.
Know that you are here because it is not - The Absentia yields a Universe of sides. The Universe of sides reduces to paradox, and through the impossibilities of paradox, becomes something not compatible with a possible universe - i.e. it becomes transcendent. The Absentia puts the universe of opposites into motion and departs, like a string leaving a top. Thus, the POSSIBLE universe of everything and nothing is seen as the logical opposite to the IMPOSSIBLE realm of The Absentia, which we are promoting here as a Godforce. We live in the possible universe and can't know its impossible, incompatible opposite, except by "clothing" it in paradox.
You do not dwell within it - Correct, we dwell within the infinity of nothingness and the finite forms of everythingness that make up the Universe half of the Universe/Absentia duality. The Absentia is the ineffable hand that rocks the cradle, as described in Verse 82. We are here BECAUSE it is not.
It does not dwell within you - Correct The Absentia is a point of transcendence that cannot be contained. Even as sides converge and produce paradox, paradox is only the visible vestige of the immanent transcendence of The Absentia. The Absentia does not "dwell" anywhere.
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The Absentia: Can't live with it... can't live without it.
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Your finite forms cannot contain it - The Absentia lives one step beyond the finite. Do not bother building temples, it will not dwell within them.
Your infinite grasp cannot reach it - Thinking, and praying might change our destiny... or even the world by affecting the fabric of spacetime that unites us all. But The Absentia is not of this world, so thinking and praying in the normal sense will not reach The Absentia. The Absentia lives one step beyond infinity. To think or pray to The Absentia a language of paradox is the only hope we have of making a connection.
The more you look, the less you see - Like a quantum cloud of probability, looking makes The Absentia into something it is not. In fact, just bringing it up as a topic of conversation makes it something less than what it actually is - the Absentia that can be spoken is not the true Absentia.
The less you look, the more you see - To find The Absentia, look where there is no Universe. In other words, see more by not looking. A concept that might be of particular significance to those who believe that FAITH is all-important.
So approach it with stillness - By not doing we are doing what we should be doing. Be still and know that it is. But don't be fooled... stillness does not find it, it only gets you close. So do... nothing, and... expect nothing in return.
And speak of it with silence - Utter what you know of it, by NOT uttering what you know of it. Thus it is that this essay is a violation of this maxim - and a complete hypocrisy of description. This idea might be important to those who believe that, as a "Godforce" "His" name should never be uttered. There may be some who think that the name of "God" should not be uttered out of respect and reverence. But when "God" is considered as paradox, we see how uttering "His" name in fact makes "Him" something "He" is not, something less than "He" actually is. Thus it is profane to speak of The Absentia.
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By The Absentia being something that just isn't,
The Universe becomes something that just is.
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By this alone, it is within and without you - By not looking, not doing and not speaking, you find it... within and without you. If you look, do, or speak... it changes into something it si not - like a mirrage. So... embrace paradox as the most representative form of this unspeakable form! Because paradox is the irreducible crux of universal flux. The Absentia is a singularity... in two places - unity is dual! The Ultimate Symmetry! Dig it!
Through it you are found - The Absentia is absent... or in absentia... not here... nowhere - there is only you, here and now. We can only enter The Absentia by exiting and only by exiting do we enter. Thus by entering The Absentia we immediately exit and come upon ourselves, chasing our own tail. By coming to this realization and no longer chasing our tail, we are found. Thus, struggles of life cease, because we have nowhere to go but to be here now.
Through you it is found - By being in absentia, The Absentia is ‘no concept at all,’ ‘not possible,’ ‘unobtainable’ and by necessity absent from any universe attempting to know it. Thus it is a locationless concept... or no concept. But through the universe that is born from it, each manifest entity becomes a doorway to that transcendence, at its infinitessimal center. So even though there is really nothing there (it does not "dwell" within us), the potential for transcendence that is enclosed within every manifest entity effectively shows us were The Absentia is - it puts a temporary location on a locatitonless concept, or no concept.
There is also a kind of play with words at work here, because of how we immediately pass into and out of The Absentia when seeking it, and how the invisible lines of force that connect the two inner and outer aspects of The Absentia resemble the lines of force that surround a magnet, and pass invisibly through the manifest magnet. So... going through you it is found to be, or it is found to be passing through you. And, by passing through you, The Absentia finds itself. That is our divine function! People who think that we were put on this Earth "to serve the Lord" might choose to convert this idea into that.
Together all are bound - The Absentia yields a Universe of sides. Through paradox, the Universe of sides reduces back to The Absentia. The Absentia is the glue between opposite sides of The Universe. The Universe is the glue between opposite, inner and outer realms of The Absentia. So from The Absentia we get sides/opposites. By moving beyond sides/opposites we get The Absentia. It is an Ultimate Symmetry of: split Absentia = unified Universe, split Universe = unified Absentia... untwist the twisted part of a Mobius strip, and you twist what was the untwisted part. Thus, this relationship becomes a representation of the notion of Man creating "God" and/or "God" creating Man.
To understand the details of each explanation, read the book All Things Are Numbers, found elsewhere on this site.
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The Mutally Assured Creation Mandala
Here is a mandala you can use to meditate on this idea of an Absentia that, through you, is found, and through which you are found. You are here because it is not, so to find The Absentia, look where there is no Universe. In this mandala, the triangular arrows running around the outside represent the same lines of force seen in the Wreath Mandala elsewhere on this site - lines of force that were just compared, in the text above, to the invisible lines of force surrounding a magnget. They illustrate the concept put forth in the book All Things Are Numbers of a singularity in two locations - outer and inner. The top and bottom symbols are The Absentia. The left and right symbols are The Universe. Both top and bottom rings have the highly sylized symbol of a Mobius strip to symbolize the paradox that is found within the realm of Absentia. The top absentia is the outer absentia that yields to the two sided universe of possibilities - symbolized with two mirrored Universe symbols.
The bottom absentia is the inner absentia where the two sided nature of a universe of opposites is reduced, through paradox, back to absentia. The two larger triangles in the middle show how the invisible lines of force pass through the manifestation of The Universe to endlessly replenish the outer absentia - like the lines of force that run through a magnet. By being identical in appearance, these two triangles accurately represent the idea of a singularity that is also binary. They are the same (singularity), but in two locations, or two forms (binary). Conversely, the two palm prints illustrate how the sides of a universe are not identical, but are split by the singularity of The Absentia.
The two keys hovering over the two large absentia triangles illustrate The Absentia as "two locked boxes, each containing the other's key" (see The Meaning of Life in the book All Things Are Numbers). These are the same keys found on the Hierophant card of many tarot decks... the number 5 being the custodian of the ineffable inner absentia.
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Paradox is:
Possible Impossibilities with Impossible Possibilities
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Incompatible Interdependence
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The two hands drawing each other symbolize the interdependence of form that exists between Absentia and Universe, and the idea just expressed of Ultimate Symmetry and how a split Absentia = unified Universe, and split Universe = unified Absentia, and how that relationship can be seen as analogous to God drawing Man at the same time Man is drawing God. Is that God drawing Man in his own image, or is that Man drawing God in his own image? Can one really draw the other without the other drawing the other? It's a case of Mutually Assured Creation!! Unity is dual! Paradox is the irreducible crux of universal flux!!
The outer rings, that contain the triangular arrows, are in 18 segments - 9 along each mirrored path - to stand for the 9 numbers of numerology that describe The Universe that separates the two points of Absentia. The palm prints could represent the left/sinister/evil vs. right/virtuous/good of a mind that has acquired knowledge of The Tree of Good and Evil. The four operations of mathematics represent how the idea of a quaternary becomes a natural result of this one into two, two into one Untimate Symmetry of a dual Absentia and dual Universe working together.
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Is that God drawing Man in his own image, or is that Man drawing God in his own image? Can one really draw the other without the other drawing the other? It's a case of Mutually Assured Creation!! Unity is dual! Paradox is the irreducible crux of universal flux!!
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Absentia through Paradox
There are many spiritual philosophies that speak in paradoxical ways, but without ever using the actual word "paradox" in their text. Some do, but many don't. They hint around about it, they give instructions for living that are rooted in it, they make outright declarations of spiritual fact that attempt to enlighten and confound at once, but all too often do not state the obvious - that paradox is the irreducable crux of universal flux! With some of those spiritual texts in mind as an inspiration, I decided to write my own ode to paradox...
The Point of Paradox
The Mind of the Divine and the Mind of the Human are one.
So... to seek The Mind with a mind is absurd, and only leads to paradox.
A mind chasing its tail... is Divine!
In paradox... there is no one without two, and no two without one.
So... to abandon two for one is as misguided as abandoning one for two.
Thus making a life lived only in the one as much of a prison as a life lived only in the two.
With paradox, here is there and there is here.
So... do not bind the self to either.
Bond the self to both... through paradox.
Paradox unites the divided and divides the united... and back again... simultaneously... and perpetually.
Through paradox... unity is duality and duality is unity.
Humanity becomes Divine, and Divinity becomes Human.
Paradox is the irreducable crux of universal flux!
Nothing is anything and everything is nothing.
Nowhere is now here.
All one reality.
Like a Mobius band...
Untwisting the twisted will only twist the untwisted.
Paradox gives with one hand while taking with the other
Leaving behind something that is nothing.
So...
Be Human in Duality.
Be One with Unity
Be Divine through the paradox of The Absentia.
If the Human acknowledgment of of opposites is a disease,
Paradox is the cure!
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The Ontological Argument
As stated, The Absentia is a theoretical "Godforce" that, by its necessary exclusion, stands as a logical opposite, and thereby perpetually births, a Universe of everything and nothing. Some of the points made within the dissection of the Absentia verse might have lead some to suspect that, by this necessary exclusion, a statement is being made that God does not exist.
Many great philosophers have attempted to logically prove that "God exists." I am not a "great philosopher" but, like everyone, I have an opinion to share. Thus, it would be my opinion that indeed "God" (by necessity) does not exist!
Many of the ontological arguments that I've read that attempt to prove the existence of "God," seem to center around a "wishing makes it so" mindset or a "because I say so" mindset. They argue that "If I can conceive of "God," "God" must exists." They argue that "because I can conceive of God, God necessarily exists." As a devotee of paradox, I would argue just the opposite, and state that "If you can conceive it, it is not "God"." Here is the argument:
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God should be ultimate.
If you can imagine God, you have not gone far enough to be ultimate, there is one more step you have not taken.
God, by necessity, must be unimaginable, inconceivable, ineffable, unknowable or otherwise impossible - a paradox.
Therefore, by necessity, God does not exist... within our conceivable, knowable, and possible universe of mortal minds.
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That's the short, thought provoking argument. Let's dissect this:
God should be ultimate - A bold claim, with no logical proof, other than the obvious, which would be: If God was not ultimate, there would be something that is, and we would likely want to call that God.
If you can imagine God, you have not gone far enough to be ultimate, there is one more step you have not taken - This is where many arguments in favor of the existence of God fall short. Like cattle encountering a barbed wire fence, many "great philosophers" will not venture into paradox and notions of the impossible. To many, paradox is nothing more than a nuisance. To many, paradox is an indication that reasoning has gone wrong. This is where so many fail. Thus, truly, The Lord is their shepherd - and their reluctance or refusal to embrace paradox is the Border Collie that keeps their minds herded forever within the possible, conceivable and knowable. By excluding the impossible, we are thus, logically... limited. We need to take that final step. Sadly, many don't.
God, by necessity, must be unimaginable, inconceivable, ineffable, unknowable or otherwise impossible - a paradox - If our perception and conception of God is not unimaginable, inconceivable, ineffable, unknowable or otherwise impossible, there will remain something that is. We will likely want to call that God. Why is being unimaginable, inconceivable, ineffable, unknowable or otherwise impossible supreme, rather than inferior? Because it represents that which is beyond the reach of mortal minds and existence itself.
Therefore, by necessity, God does not exist... within our conceivable, knowable, and possible universe of mortal minds - The Universe of everything and nothing is here BECAUSE The Absentia "Godforce" is not. Like a martyred savior dying for the sins of others, "God" does not exist, SO THAT we do. To say that God exists, is to lower God to the level of mortal thoughts in the minds of humans. To be ultimate, God must be beyond the reach of mortal minds and all forms of existence. Being impossible accomplishes that. And whereas some might view the idea of a God in absentia as a nihilistic view comparable to declaring there to be no God at all, that is not the case in this arrangement. In this arrangement, our absent God is analogous to a parent sitting on a park bench watching us - the children of the world - play in a universal playground of life (see Verse 82 elsewhere on this site). This hands-off quality then explains the philosophical "problem of evil" as it implies that we are given the free will to fall and skin our knees and effect our own repairs. In this analogy, a Divine influence can still be theorized that would be comparable to the hands-off parent stepping in to provide miracles of healing when a more severe evil, like falling off the monkey bars and cracking our head open, happens to us. Miracles being themself unexplainable phenomena thus fulfill the criteria of being impossible acts of an impossible God. But while this idea of an intervening God might appeal to certain personality types (see Consider the Source elsewhere on this site), the basic concept of God should remain unknowable and impossible - a pradox. God, by necessity, and by design, does not exist.
Many of the arguments I've heard about the existence of God, don't really define what they mean by existence. My definition suggests that existence be defined as that which can be conceived or realized, within the limits of the finite and the infinite. The Absentia is, by definition, and by necessity, beyond each of these - i.e. inconceivable, ineffable, unknowable or otherwise impossible - a paradox. It is called The Absentia, because it is necessarily absent from any finite/infinite universe that might ever attempt to perceive it. However... if one wanted to prove the existence of God, one would only have to extend their definition of existence to include the inconceivable and impossible, and embrace paradox as the irreducible crux of universal flux. If this is a stated preference - then... God exists!
To repeat in summary:
If existence were to be defined as all that is possible in a universe, i.e. everything and nothing taken together as one... the infinite and finite taken as one. And... if God is defined as all of existence itself, then, God exists... as existence itself. But if God is supposed to exist within the context of existence itself, i.e. some sort of actual, possible, knowable entity or being existing within a universe of existence, then God would not be ultimate to existence itself. God should be ultimate. To be ultimate, relative to existence itself, God would have to not exist within the context of existence, or even as existence itself. To be ultimate to all that is possible, God would need to represent an impossible realm beyond existence itself, a realm that is beyond the reach of any conceiving mind or possible existence. That is what we would likely want to call God. Therefore, unless definitions of existence are extended to include the impossible, God, by necessity and design, does not exist. If, however, definitions of existence are extended to include the impossible, then God exists, and paradox becomes the closest possible approximation of God that any mortal mind could ever conceive. God exists only by the inclusion of exclusion. Existence is, only when God isn't. God is paradox. Many feel that the mere ability to conceive of any notion of God, means that God exists, if only in our minds. But a God of paradox is essentially a God we cannot even conceive, because of how self-nullifying and impossible paradox is to our minds. Thus to conceive of God as paradox is to conceive of God as something inconceivable.
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Impossible
When impossible
All is possible.
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