V

The Warship of Worship

In the essay Fact, Faith and Doubt, an idea was put forth concerning the nature of our minds as binary, or "double" in their perceptive qualities (see The Binary Buddy elsewhere on this site). The point of that essay was to discuss the phenomenon of how and why so many people choose to believe, rather than doubt; and whether doubt gets the kind of appreciation it really deserves. In that essay, it was observed how a mental shift from a Rational, Rule-Following mind to a more Passionate, Free-Thinking mind proved more conducive to acts of belief. What was also observed was the destructive capabilities of allowing any part of that Rational mind to comment on what was being believed. It was concluded that true and absolute belief (what a majority of people appear to view as the best kind of belief) was dependent upon 100% commitment to what the Passionate, Free-Thinking mind wanted to believe, and that to allow even 1% of our Rational mind to mix with our Passionate beliefs would produce a double mind, with an element of doubt between them.

In an interesting twist of irony, an observation was also made as to how frequently the beliefs of a group of people get perverted into hard and fast rules and rituals of behavior that must be obeyed in order for each individual to be considered safe in their absolute 100% doubt-free belief, and not be viewed as a threat to that belief or the group. By way of analogy a reference was made to the essay Dreams and Dreaming, where we put forth an analogy involving a fisherman, who, with imagination plumbs the depth of the unconscious with the utmost faith. But, whereas he succeeds in reaching far into the depths, because of a phenomenon known as "The Life Bias" his awake and alive state keeps him on the shore of his lake, where... once he has found something miraculous in the depths of his spiritually-laden unconscious, reels it in... where it promptly dies and becomes something rigid that he can grasp without it slipping away, and can now mount on a plaque and hang on a wall for all to honor with praise and devotion. Thus, what was discovered with faith is now a fact... nailed up to a piece of wood on an altar, to stand as tangible, physical evidence, or proof, of that which we might have believed with faith, but now must believe, and more importantly worship, in order to not be a social outcast among those of the majority surrounding us who do believe and do worship. This essay is about that idea of worship.

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Worship as a Social Contract

One of the biggest reasons for wanting 100% belief across 100% of a population is the need that so many people have to worship something. The idea of worship is so common and prevalent that it is almost never questioned. People simply assume that whatever someone believes, it will include something or someone to worship, or... become something or someone to worship. Why do people do that? There is one obvious answer: fear. People worship out of a sense of fear; fear that if they don't worship, then whatever or whoever it is that they are supposed to worship will not shed grace upon their being, and life threatening calamities will follow as a form of cosmic punishment for their neglect or impudence. This is a form of thought still with us from our more primitive days of superstitious beliefs used to appease the forces of nature that allowed food to be put into our bellies year after year. Even those who claim that worship is simply an expression of love and devotion to a loving and devoted God, will usually admit that to discontinue all worship would be an affront to that God and probably not be allowed to continue indefinitely, without undesirable consequences taking shape down the road... just as discontinuing to show love and devotion to a spouse would probably not continue indefinitely without undesirable consequences developing down the road. And in this way we make an important observation about the mind of those who worship. Worship is a social contract. Worship is a form of obligatory payment, in order to maintain a status quo, or active membership in good standing in the eyes of a God who is... well... a "who" - i.e. a loving, devoted, slow to anger, sometimes vengeful "person" who lives among us in our social sphere, and makes our lives better or worse, depending on how we worship! Thus... those who see God as a "who" rather than an abstract "concept" of "being" are the most likely to worship.

Because of things like paradox and doubt being seen as divinely inspired forms of thought, the study of consciousness being presented everywhere on this site might resemble the thoughts of an agnostic. Because of things like The Absentia being a concept (or... non-concept) that births a universe and then departs to stand as its logical opposite, forever outside the realm of human comprehension, the study of consciousness being presented everywhere on this site might resemble a philosophy of deism. Unless of course one's understanding of deism leads to conclusions of God being dead. In this study of consciousness and cosmos God is not dead... just - by necessity and by design - in absentia. Like a martyr dying so that others may live, the "God" of this study of consciousness and cosmos takes a place of absentia, SO THAT we may exist, as a logical opposite that otherwise would not be without also having an opposite in absentia. Because the study of consciousness and cosmos being presented everywhere on this site does not recommend that any part of it be worshiped (revered maybe... but never worshiped) it runs a risk of being a very unpopular philosophy among the majority of people who prefer to be given something or someone to worship. This has been true of numerous other philosophies throughout history. Those that don't include worship are often seen as something less desirable by the majority who do worship. Spiritual philosophies that don't include worship might be considered interesting, but are just as often looked down upon, and often rejected as "wrong" by those who need worship. Who are these people who worship? In The Numerical Tarot, they would most likely be the 4 and 6 types; those who express our inner core of being. At the core, opposites mix and trade sides. This makes the 4/6 types very social. In being social, they are the ones most likely to anthropomorphize an abstract concept of being into an actual human-like being... i.e. a "person" they can relate to like a person. The 4/6 types would be most likely to make a conceptual "God" in absentia NOT be in absentia, but be in the realm of existence where it can be related to as a thing or person living among us. Hence, the 4/6 types birth a panoply of gods with human forms, and super powers that loom over our puny selves as a constant threat we must appease with worship in order to stay in their good graces and not be adversely affected.

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Worship as a Spiritual Quest

Fear is one good reason to worship. Spiritual quest is another. Through the rituals of worship those who feel trapped in their Rational, Rule-Thinking mind are able to escape into their Passionate, Free-Thinking mind. By escaping into their Passionate, Free-Thinking mind those who feel disconnected from ideas of "God" are able to feel more connected. By making this mental shift, we move from the world of Fact, mentioned in the essay Fact, Faith and Doubt, into the world of Faith. But when we consider the idea of worship we are describing a different kind of split of mind. Typically, people who worship are the type who tend to look outside themselves for answers. In The Numerical Tarot this would be the 4/6 types who occupy the central core and look out at the world from the inside. By worshiping something or someone outside themselves the 4/6 types feel drawn out or lifted up from what they perceive to be a bodily prison of manifestation. In this way, we are not only connected by departing from our Rational mind, but must also depart from the core of our very existence, and by doing so, view our manifest state as so much filth to be washed away, or alchemistically burned off. But... as true as this is, one could very well argue that through the rituals of worship the disconnected are admitting to an ongoing and perpetual feeling of disconnection that needs to be periodically thwarted by rituals of devotion. Certainly, there are multitudes of people who simply go through the motions when it comes to worship, just to pay their dues and not be a social outcast, while never really believing, or even understanding what it is they are supposed to worship. It may make them feel connected, for a few hours a week, but most likely doesn't last... like taking a drug to get high, and then coming down. Likewise, others worship constantly... several times a day... in the hopes that a disconnected feeling can be kept at bay by sheer quantity of worship, rather than quality of being... like keeping the drugs flowing so as to never have to come down at all. In this way worship becomes an addiction - a method of clinging to beliefs so that they don't fade away and leave us disconnected again. As pointed out elsewhere on this site, the 4/6 personality - being that which holds our mass of existence together at the core - is the type most likely to cling and have addictions.

In the view of the study of consciousness and cosmos being presented everywhere on this site, superstitious worship, and addictive, needy worship, make a contribution to the psyche of humankind whose ultimate value could be questioned. Thus, the theory being put forth in the study of consciousness and cosmos being presented everywhere on this site is to pursue quality of being over quantity of worship. To quantify our beliefs with conspicuous acts of worship is to perceive the Divine with a quantitative mind, which only serves to keep our attempts to connect forever disconnected, necessitating a lifelong need for worship that never fully realizes the connections it pursues in any permanent way. The idea being put forth everywhere on this site is to forego all worship, and focus instead on a full and complete understanding of the full and complete spectrum of Potentia and Absentia, or Universe and Non-Universe. And with a complete understanding and awareness of the complete spectrum of Potentia and Absentia, live life anywhere along that spectrum that feels comfortable for whatever conditions are present in the moment. Creating an external object of worship on an altar - whether human or not - that represents a particular set of beliefs that must be followed through prescribed, obligatory forms of devotion, limits our ability to utilize the entire spectrum of possibilities around and within us. Therefore, the obligatory form of devotion prescribed by the study of consciousness and cosmos being presented everywhere on this site is: to NOT worship anything or anyone in any prescribed, obligatory way - or even any voluntary way! Just be, and know what is. To paraphrase - and modify - a popular verse from Eastern philosophy:

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Worship as a Social Interaction

By admitting that an agnostic deism, like the one being presented everywhere on this site, is probably not going to be popular (if it is to be so labeled by those who like to put labels on these kinds of things), we are supporting the idea that there are clear majorities of people who prefer other forms of perception when it comes to establishing a Godhead they can worship. In relating forms of belief to our theoretical model of existence, it seems obvious that a philosophy of agnostic deism would probably appeal more to the detached-from-humanity sensibilities of the 1/9 Cerebral personality type (like the tarot Hermit, a 9). Even though, technically, agnosticism and deism would be considered as coming from a realm off our numerical chart of human potentials - in the realm of The Absentia... clearly, the 1/9 types are closer to the kind of detachment-from-humanity required for agnostic deism than those attached to their humanity in ways that result in addictive rituals of worship. Hence, conversely, the idea of a God who is a participating, theistic "person," among loving, devoted worshipers, would clearly appeal more the the highly social personality of the 4/6 types (like the Lovers of tarot, a 6). In this way we demonstrate a third reason to worship: social interaction among others finding comfort in the 100% acceptance of belief - or the pursuit thereof - discussed earlier in this essay and the essay Fact, Faith, and Doubt. This desire, or need, for social interaction... in a house of worship, where people congregate (like a coagulating mass), reinforces the idea of anthropomorphizing God or Gods into human-like beings. Thus, by showing a desire to worship, the 4/6 types of the world reveal a preference for a God who is more like a King than a Thing (like an Emperor, a 4).

Actually... to be more precise, the 4/6 types would want a God that is a King, with a big heart. While the 3/7 types, who have a tendency to cling to idols, fetishes and talismans might have more of a tendency to make their God into a sacred thing - with an eternal soul. While the 2/8 types, being slightly more detached and introspective, would begin to acknowledge God as an indwelling, animating spirit without a finite form - i.e. a holy ghost. Or, if continuing to look outward, the 2/8 type would be the one to declare a particular place or space to be sacred and full of spirit. Leaving the 1/9 types, also detached and introspective, to detach even more by viewing God as an abstract concept of the mind. Beyond the 1/9 are those who would tend to view God as an infinite void of metaphysical nothingness from which all manifestation emerges and returns. Which leaves those who embrace the crazy pretzel logic of doubt and paradox to view God in absentia (see chart below).

Are any of the aforementioned views intrinsically "wrong" in their perceptions and resulting expressions of Divinity? No. They are all legitimate perspectives, individually derived - as this theory of consciousness and cosmos would theorize - from the theoretical parameters of existence being put forth everywhere on this site. However... as pointed out in the essays Consider the Source and Personality Types, the 4/6 types represent a huge majority of opinion when it comes to these various forms of perceptions and expression. Thus it is, that so many enter into discussions of God with assumptions that there will always be something... or someone to worship, and that any philosophy that doesn't promote worship must be il-informed or just plain wrong in its beliefs and perceptions, or... at the very least, involve a God that/who is undesirably dead. Most people prefer an anthropomorphized God/King or Queen "who" is alive and involved, such that the gratitude of worship given to "Him" or "Her" brings us favor - i.e. good crops, immortality etc. This is what the majority prefers - social interaction among fellow believers thwarting all forms of doubt with their 100% absolute acceptance of belief in whatever it is they want to believe with their Passionate, Free-Thinking minds. In this way, the 4/6 "believers" of the world manage to suppress the "doubters" of the world by the sheer force of their numbers, and thereby create the worst social interaction known to humankind, that which is rooted in the "Us vs. Them" mentality of those wanting to protect their 100% belief from any and all forms of doubt. By fostering the "Us and Them" mentality these people lead us into wars, fought between one set of worshiping "believers" and another set of worshiping "believers" leaving the "doubters" of the world to stand off to the side doubting the worth of either worship.

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Worship as a Weapon

Many wars are fought over worship. And while any one of our numerological personality types is capable of picking a fight, there is definitely one personality type who tends to move toward fighting much easier than any other... the 4/6 Visceral type. To the 4/6 Visceral personality types, who are all about being involved socially, everything is a "Team Sport" so to speak. To the 4/6 Visceral types, everything is about the groupthink of an army of warriors fighting together for what they believe. In this way, worship becomes a weapon to take into battle. With this mentality, the purpose of worship become "Greatness by Association." By worship of a power for which none is greater, some believe that they themselves become greater than any other. This is a phenomenon we can see in any crowd of people celebrating the victory of a local sports team that has just been declared the champions of their league. People pour out into the streets yelling "We're number one! We're number one!" as if they had as much to do with the victory that was just achieved on the athletic field as those who played the game, for which they were just a spectator in a seat. Nevertheless, as a worshiping member of that team's congregation, they become blessed with feelings of empowerment that they all too easily transfer from the athletes to themselves. This form of worship takes us back again to a more primitive time, when it was believed that to have a part of something or someone would equal possession of that power, transferred by magic to the recipient. In this way, worship becomes a way of obtaining power and advantage. This same phenomenon occurs with the worship of anything - even within religion... that is... wherever and whenever religious minds might make the mistake of competing for popularity among a population of people... which, unfortunately, happens a LOT.

Whether it be a sports team or a religion, the 4/6 Visceral types recognize the ideas of "Magical Transference of Power" or "Greatness by Association" as well as the idea of "Strength in Numbers" as vitally important to the preservation and greatness of their life. This togetherness and possessive nature is why the major religions of the world are called "organized" religions. It is also a big reason why these groups manage, so often, and so easily, to end up fighting with each other about whose God can beat up whose God, or which theism is the one true theism. People who see worship as a solitary pursuit (the 1/9 Cerebral types), or as unnecessary (the Paradox in Absentia types), tend to be a bit less territorial than the 4/6 types. The 1/9 Cerebral types, tending to be both physically and mentally independent, can believe what they want to believe, no matter what, no matter where - with or without worship. But... when the elaborate rituals of worship, in a house of worship, with a congregation (or coagulated mass) of people, and all the sacred costumes and sacred things, becomes a vital component of achieving and maintaining a desired percentage of belief among a population of people, people can easily become territorial.

Thus it is, that people who are not into the territorial groupthink of organized religions will often distance themselves from the warring ways of "Us and Them" by claiming to be "spiritual" rather than "religious." This language - while leaving precise definitions aside for now, speaks to a person's desire to move out from the cluster of "Us and Them" groupthink obligations and desert the battlefield as it were, perhaps to eventually live as a 1/9 hermit on a mountain top somewhere to think for themselves.

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King, Thing, or Ghost in the Machine

By attempting to distance themselves from the warring ways of organized religions, people who claim to be "spiritual" rather than "religious" demonstrate yet another example of how the underlying pattern of existence that this study of consciousness and cosmos sees as an archetypal armature of universal influence, can indeed influence the way we perceive the world. By examining the various levels of social commitment, vs. the various levels of social detachment that a person might pursue, regarding their perceptions of the universe, we encounter a progression of ideas that reveal the form of our theoretical model of existence. In this progression the 4/6 types label themselves as "religious" - effectively implying an allegiance to an "organized religion." While the 3/7 types might lessen the severity of such attachment by claiming to only be pious, theistic or theological. Which would leave the 2/8 types to claim they are spiritual. While the 1/9 types might say they are philosophical thinkers or maybe gnostic knowers, or an enlightened being of light (see chart below).

When examining the patterns of our theoretical model of existence we remember how the 2/8 and 1/9 represent the negative outsides of coagulating lines of force converging upon a center, while the 3/7 and 4/6 represent the positive insides of the evolving form - like an atom with negative electrons and a positive nucleus. In this way, the 3/7 equals the surface of the form, or a transitional membrane between negative outsides and positive insides. The negative nature of the 2/8 and 1/9 makes them more detached. The positive nature of the 3/7 and 4/6 makes them more attached. This leaves the 4/6 and 1/9 to represent the extremes, and the 3/7 and 2/8 lesser states of in between. The result is a gradient spectrum of relative attachment or detachment. And, inasmuch as worship functions, in the most broad and general sense, as an "adhesive" to the needs of belief, it becomes a more vital component of attachment... for those who are naturally acquisitive and possessive, and less and less vital to those in progressive states of detachment from any need to acquire or possess. In this way, worship becomes much more important to the 4/6 Visceral types, and less so for the 1/9 Cerebral types of the world.

The 4/6 types are more attached and the 1/9 types are more detached. So why do so many worship? Are there fewer 1/9 types and more 4/6 types in the world? Yes! The world is a scary, scary place, filled with life threatening things and life threatening people ready to do us harm at any moment. As a result, humans... or more specifically, those humans who put value on life... have a natural tendency to cluster together as a means of defense against life threatening things. As a mindset of clustering together is cultivated, things like attachment naturally follow. It is this way that worship becomes a vehicle for social interaction, social contracts and a weapon for the gaining of advantage over life threatening forces. This social quality and militant quality is how and why the majority of people prefer a concept of God that is anthropomorphized into an all-powerful King who can be worshiped, rather than a thing or something less than a thing.

But... as a small minority of people venture away from the herd to explore other ways of viewing things, we find those who become more comfortable with a concept of God as a thing, or even less than a thing. As even fewer venture even further out, on our spectrum of relative attachment and detachment, some are able to find comfort enough in the idea of God as an abstract concept of the mind that... because of its everpresent nature as a being of thought that is not devoted to social adhesion or militant advantage... does not require constant worship to possess, and indeed ought to not be possessed, as possession only imprisons it and destroys is true nature of being. But even with such a state of affairs... there are those who will venture out to find these other ways, but then make it their goal to bring those detached ways back to the herd in such a way that they can be possessed and worshiped as the majority of people so tend to do. In this way, a lot of great ideas become altered by the overpowering need of the masses to worship anything good that they think might give them advantages in life (altered by an altar!). But by bringing ideas that only a detached mind can appreciate into the world of people who express attachment by way of worship, those people never really appreciate the true nature of being for what it is, only for what it can do for them. In some ways this is unfortunate, for how it causes people to miss the point of detachment. But ultimately, we could view such practice as alternative hybrids of thought, designed to meet the needs of those who will do what they will to get what they want - period.

The 4/6 Visceral types are "Religious" in their worship of a King who empowers them. The 3/7 and 2/8 are "Spiritual" in their reverence for the indwelling sacred nature of all things. The 1/9 Cerebral types are "Enlightened" in their knowledge of being and totality as a concept of the mind to be transcended. From there, others venture even further out to transcend all of the above by an embrace of Paradox as the irreducible crux of universal flux! This, of course is a very simplified chart. In actuality, people are an ever conflicting amalgam of blended traits. The Amazing Name Numerology Calculator is one attempt to sort out the hybrid nature of any personality. As personalities become hybrids of these four ways, people who might have some detached 1/9 qualities within them might still feel inclined to worship, if they happen to also have some 4/6 qualities that are slightly more dominant. Another person with both 4/6 and 1/9 tendencies might be plagued with lifelong feelings of guilt for leaving a group of worshipers to pursue a more dominant call for detachment coming from the 1/9 nature within. Everybody's different, nobody's wrong. In The Numerical Tarot deck, a preference for one manner of worship or another is found within the suits of the deck itself. This choice between being more or less attached or detached, and more or less quantitative or qualitative is the same as the steps in creating a Quintagram! By following the path of a quintagram, one can really zero in on just what it is that makes one person worship and another not. By understanding why one person needs to worship and another doesn't, we can understand each other better and move more toward tolerance rather than hostile persuasion. We can still not like what the other extreme offers or demands of us, but by understanding the entire spectrum we can perhaps find a bit of value in any hybrid variation thereof.

Elsewhere around this site there are essays that point to The Absentia as the closest thing to "God" or a Godhead a human Mind/Spirit/Soul/Heart could ever hope to approach. But... in all accuracy we are actually meant to view this entire spectrum as one continuous, albeit segmented, expression of "God" (for lack of a better term). We, in the world of Order, are as God-like as we can be wherever we are along this spectrum. We may think that actions devoted to pushing us toward The Void or The Absentia get us closer. We may think that elevating up or emanating out of our physical prison (as some call it) gets us closer, but in reality, it's all good wherever we are. Worship, or don't worship. Elevate or don't elevate. Look inward, look outward. When finished, pick an -ism: Pantheism, Monotheism, Deism, Naturalism, Humanism. It doesn't matter, because they are all just different ways of looking at the same thing from a particular perspective that is influenced by its position along this spectrum of perception. King, Thing, Ghost in the Machine! pick one!

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The Binary or Double Mind

Through acts of worship, and the making of things sacred, we elevate the mundane and make it holy. But is it really objectively holy, or do we just convince ourselves that it is - like the enthusiastic followers in the Monty Python movie "Life of Brian" holding up a discarded sandal as an object of worship? For lots and lots and LOTS of people, it would seem that anything that tends to shift our minds out of the usual mindset of Rational, Rule-Following, Left-Brained, Conscious/Preconscious, Manifest or Material thinking and into the realm of Passionate, Free-Thinking, Right-Brained, Subconscious/Unconscious, Non-Manifest or Immaterial thinking tends to be thought of as sacred and holy. Things found along these paths of thought are perceive to be sacred and holy, because of how this free realm of amorphous thinking and lack of control liberates the mind from all that is "normal," giving us that feeling of being lifted out of a finite prison of bodily manifestation and rational thought. That's important, because of how much we tend to establish our identity of "Self" by using those opposite Rational, Rule-Following, Left-Brained, Conscious/Preconscious, Manifest or Material forms of thought. Which we do, because those are forms of thought that we can control and thereby mold, manipulate and shape what is, into what we want. Thus, we associate things we can control with our identity of Self, and things we can't control we tend to associate with external, or "other" forces that we compulsively elevate above ourselves as something more powerful, because of how it seems to control us, against our will. We then crown this perceived power as a "God" that... or who, is deserving to be addressed as holy and sacred by virtue of such all-powerfulness.

Lots of people are locked into the fixed and finite world of their Left-Brained mind. Some are locked into the fluid and flexible world of their Right-Brained mind. In many cases - too many in my personal opinion - people of one world fear or loath the world they oppose. Because so many people are dominantly Left-Brained, experiences that draw curious people into their Right Brain are often seen or believed to be spiritual excursions toward a notion of God. For some, the liberation from finite thinking, into a world of endlessly expansive freedom of thought, where anything goes, can be overwhelming. Some come away thinking they've experienced unity with the universe. While others come away thinking they've experienced a bunch of nonsense. Both are correct!! Above is a diagram to use in visualizing the difference between Left-Brained thinking and Righ-Brained thinking, or... Consious thought versus UnConscious thought. Notice that the sideways pyramid shape being used to represent the mind of a brain has its own "Corpus Callosum" type of connector. People might fear or loath their opposite mind, but as long as that connection is there, they will never completely sever their tether to each other. Thus, even the most fixed and finite mind will occasionally find itself being influenced by the fluid and flexible ways of its dreaded opposite... while the fluid and flexible mind will occasionally look for fixed and finite ways to express itself publicly, with language, and tangible, finite forms of art. One side is about Speculation (?). The other side is about Realization (!). Apply this diagram to the essay The Pentacle Person, for more on The Binary Mind of humans. Then, turn this diagram 90 degrees, so that the base of the pyramid is grounded and duplicate The Died on His Side mandala seen below.

We worship the all-powerful, for many reasons. But ultimately, what many spiritual philosophies teach is that the Passionate, Free-Thinking, Right-Brained, Subconscious/Unconscious, Non-Manifest or Immaterial realm is not the domain of God at all! but simply another aspect of the Self... an aspect of our Self that all too many of us never explore or utilize as much as the other, because of our natural preoccupations with survival on a manifest conscious level i.e. The Life Bias (see Man Seeking Woman in the essay Consider The Source). In teaching that these realms of consciousness, that we label as sacred and holy, are in fact half of our Self, these philosophies point out how we are in fact complete beings who lack nothing... nothing except an awareness of our Other Self. In lacking nothing, we can see how little need there really is to crown our "Other Self" as a "God" influencing us from afar... when in fact that "Other Self" or "God" that we perceive is really just our Binary Buddy... or Buddha! (see The Binary Buddy elsewhere on this site). From this we can see that if worship is desired, we really ought to be worshiping ourself... the Self molded by our Rational mind from the raw material given to it by our Passionate mind - the mind that is connected to every "Other Self" of every other Being. Some people theorize that there is in fact only ONE "Other Self" or "Binary Buddy... or Buddha!" and that we all share through the weblike interconnectedness of all manifest things, and by virtue of that, it deserves to be considered "God-like" and worshiped by each individual Self of rational manifestation that partners with it in such interdependent ways.

Here is a mandala/diagram we can use to contemplate the idea of our "Other Self" being a manifestation of our binary minds, wherein one "self" is used to differentiate you from me, while the other "self" is used to merge you and me into we. In this mandala/diagram we just happen to be using the idea of Left-Brained thinking vs. Right-Brained thinking as one possible source of this "ME" vs. "WE" aspect of our perceptions. In fact there are many other binary pairs of perceptive states that contribute to the whole "ME" vs. "WE" phenomenon. But as Left Brains are typically very Rational, and Right Brains are typically very Imaginal, they are a very good place to start when contemplating this dichotomy and how the two working together create a kind of "QI" or "KI" of cosmic energy between them (read about the MEWEQI mantra in the essay Mantras, elsewhere on this site). This mandala show 12 brains, or minds of consciousness. All the right hemispheres are facing inward, toward the center, and are all connected to each other with a web of pathways, illustrating the interconnectedness of all things to one. It is this interconnectedness of all things to a central one that makes some people believe that this focal point is in fact (or faith) a "God" that (or who) affects us all, and that worship of something (or someone) so vast and all encompassing is appropriate. But are we really perceiving a "God" or just an aspect of perception that is a completely natural and, dare I say it... logical complement to a form of perception which most people are typically much more familiar? Is it only because so many never use the realm of WE to define their Self, and so find it so foreign, and discover it to be so all encompassing that we come to address it as God-like, or... is our Binary Buddy really a Binary Buddha? When the Buddha died, he died on his side. He died on his right side, with his right hemisphere toward the center of the Earth, just like this mandala/diagram... which we can call the Died on His Side Mandala! By dying on his right side, we could say that he was effectively saying: This is ME. This is WE. The two are QI. So... next time sharing of the archetypal realm is desired, lay on the right side and connect better with other people laying on their right side. In the upper right is someone in America. In the lower left is someone in Australia. They are connected. Are they better connected if they are both laying on their right side? Personally, when I'm lying in bed half awake or half asleep, I often notice more visual thoughts coming to me when I'm on my right side, and more verbal ideas when on my left. Or, if writing one of these essays, I notice content and ideas coming to me while on my left side and the big picture of how to organize and sequence those ideas, or fit all the puzzle pieces together as a whole, to express an overall thought, coming to me while on my right side, so maybe there's something to this! NOTE: Just so we're not confused, this mandala/diagram is not meant to illustrate our theoretical model of existence. By having a negative inside (Right Brains) and a positive outside (Left Brains) it would be exactly inside out from what it would need to be in order to represent our theoretical model of existence! In actuality, each pair of "brains" would be a representation of our theoretical model of existence, with this diagram showing - in circular, mandala-like form - how all the negative outsides of every entity are all connected via the vast empty spaces between us, no matter which direction we are facing. I could have drawn a diagram with a bunch of "brains" scattered all over, and connected them with curved and zigzagging lines, but I decided a mandala-like diagram would be more fun, and make the idea of a web-like world of interconnectedness clearer. Thus the idea of laying our Right Brain down on the Earth is just a metaphor for connectivity to a source, versus the independence of the ME side from those connections. In this way, this mandala/diagram is essentially identical to the Paradox in the Lotus Mandala, seen in the essay Stop Being So Human, as it too portrays conscious entities as protuberances from unity. This one, though, does a bit more to drive home the idea that we truly need both halves of our binary nature to function properly. And... if any worship should ever take place, it really should be the worship of the QI between our two Selves, or... the cosmic singularity of The Absentia that lies beyond our binary selves, illustrated here at the center, with a Mobius band of paradox.

And so it is, that worship continues, no matter what... for those who need to worship. By using the theoretical model of existence being put forth everywhere on this site, we can see how the end of our spectrum that feels the most trapped in its skin of manifestation and in need of liberation (the 4/6 and 3/7 types) uses these arbitrary declarations of holiness in order to feel lifted up or out of their prison of humanity. While the end of our spectrum that is already detached from humanity and already much closer to the idea of non-manifestation, already sensing their union with totality (the 2/8 and 1/9 types) will tend to view such worship, and the making of things sacred and holy, as less and less necessary. They will tend to just be whatever is, whenever their consciousness shifts into that "holy" mode of Less-Manifest, Free-Thinking perception.

Are the minds who worship "wrong" in their perceptions? Are the minds who don't worship "wrong" in their perceptions? Is someone going to go to Hell if they don't worship... in a house of worship... with a congregation of others, and thereby get on board a Mothership of salvation? No. It's just different people seeing things different ways, depending on where they are along a spectrum of possibilities or potentialities. One sees God outside, the other sees God inside. One feels trapped in manifestation, the other doesn't feel as trapped. One has a need and compulsion to worship, the other has less of a need to worship. Thus we do ourselves the best service by understanding the complete spectrum of human perception, rather than setting up camp in one part or another and viewing the rest of humanity as wrong or eccentric, or worse... as diseased and in need of a cure, or an enemy needing to be saved... or killed. We can still set up camp wherever we feel the most comfortable, but should always acknowledge that wherever we are is only part of the totality of being (see The Totality of Reality elsewhere on this site). Thus... it becomes healthy to maintain some doubt about the conclusions we draw from any one of these limited perspectives by keeping a double mind about everything - including our chosen perspective along this spectrum, and all that that entails (see the essay Fact, Faith and Doubt elsewhere on this site). The preference of this study of consciousness is to view God as Paradox in Absentia. In that way doubt is intrinsically inclusive, as part of that belief.

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The Quintagrammatic Mind

The discussion of worship, just covered, used several of the 5 ways of being found within the making of a Quintagram (what is a Quintagram?). At one point we were using the idea of Solve et Coagula and Diminishing Returns as a guiding pattern for how trapped and territorial a worshiping person, representing the 4/6 cluster of our theoretical model of existence, might feel, compared to someone at the 1/9 perimeter of that same pattern, fading back into the void of nothingness. That was one way of examining human perceptions. In the chart above, we were also combining the Solve et Coagula of a person's perceptions with the positive vs. negative of their perceptions. Another important consideration to assess when examining human perceptions is just how far into their Rational, Rule-Following mind vs. their Passionate, Free-Thinking mind a person might be. For that we use a different pattern. By assessing the Left vs. Right of an individual, we determine if they are using the sensory experience of their Brains, Eyes, Skin, and Guts, or... the mental experience of their Mind, Spirit, Soul, and Heart. Once we know, for example, that someone is using the Mind/Spirit/Soul/Heart of their Passionate, Free-Thinking Self, we can use the In vs. Out direction to determine whether they are using their gregarious Heart, or their solitary Mind. Thus, in discussing diminishing intensity of types relative to a cluster of manifestation, we are using the idea of Invonyms and the In vs. Out of our perceptions as seen in the essay Numbers in Space. By assessing the positive vs. negative, we are using the idea of Antonyms and the Up vs. Down of our theoretical model of existence. While in discussing the Left-Brained, Rational vs. Right-Brained Imaginal shift of a double mind that balances fact and fiction, we are using the concept of Coronyms and the Left vs. Right of our Axial System of Archetypal Crystallography, as presented in the essay Numbers in Space and also Why Use Words and the Dream Analysis Calculator!

Assessing just how devoted a person is to sharing vs. solitude is one way to understand the why and wherefore of their perceptions when dealing with difficult ideas like how and where they find God. Assessing just how far into their Rational Rule-Thinking vs. Passionate Free-Thinking Self they are is another important thing to consider. Most philosophies of consciousness and cosmos are a mixture to one degree or another of these, and other important considerations of Archetypally Axial Crystallography. Thus, our mind is not just double, it is - in the opinion of the study of consciousness and cosmos being presented everywhere on this site - Quintagrammatic! Meaning, that by assessing the 5 (with an optional 6th) ways of being, put forth in the essay Numbers in Space and expanded further in the essay The Binary Influence Calculator, and illustrated succinctly with the Dream Analysis Calculator... we can calculate the perspective and needs of any philosophy around! and probably make up a few more that don't even exist yet!!

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Pick an -ism!

I am no expert in the subtleties of definition between the various forms if "-isms" that are used to define different perspectives on Divinity, but I am confident that they can all be found somewhere in the many combinations of binary influence presented in the design of The Numerical Tarot deck. As for the philosophy of this very study; as stated above, the philosophy of this study of consciousness, cosmos has a touch of agnosticism, because of its reverence for paradox as the irreducible crux of universal flux, and how such paradox prevents us from ever knowing the ultimate truth about our situation in life (can't know it with words, can't know it with silence). Because of ideas like The Absentia, it also has a touch of deism (but not a dead God, just a God in absentia!). While at the same time, as suggested in the essay Verse 82, because miracles are "impossible" we can consider them to be related to the "impossible" nature of paradox, and thereby include them as evidence of influence passing between Absentia and Potentia or Non-Universe and Universe... thereby proposing the possibility of a more theistic system that has a more participatory God (for those who want that).

Of course, as state in the essay The Absentia, the deistic or theistic tendencies of the philosophy being put forth everywhere on this site are dependent upon our definition of "existence" and our willingness or unwillingness to embrace paradox as part of existence... or not. If paradox is to be alienated by rejection, then we would have something that resembles a deism of sorts. If paradox is embraced, by acceptance of it as a crucial part in a total spectrum of possibilities, then we would have a theism of some kind. As a theistic philosophy, the idea of a detached God sitting off to the side like a parent on a park bench, means that our philosophy is somewhat Humanist - leaving us to live our lives as humans, solving our problems in human ways, rather than by praying for miracles or expecting divine interventions. Likewise... the idea that we base every idea put forth on this site upon a theoretical model of existence born from two simple steps of observable outcomes in nature could make this philosophy a kin to Naturalism.

But... do we want our agnostic, deism of impossible theism and naturalistic humanism to be a monotheism or a polytheism? I think that when or if the study of tarot, life and consciousness being presented everywhere on this site is ever thought of as theistic, it would be most accurate to think of it as a theism that spans the entire spectrum, illustrated in the chart above... from Paradox to Chaos to Order, and back to Paradox... influencing everything along the way (including humans attempting to label their theistic tendencies with language) (see Coagulation in the book All Things Are Numbers elsewhere on this site). That would make it polytheistic. But... on the other hand... because The Absentia of this philosophy receives so much reverence (not worship, just reverence), and is so special in representing a singularity of nature, we could say that this philosophy is more monotheistic. But... at the same time... because it also anthropomorphizes its concepts into iconic illustrations of mythical characters in a deck of tarot cards, taking on the roles of "Agent" of something or other (to be worshiped if one chooses), we could also say there is a touch of polytheism or maybe pantheism involved. What other -isms can be found? I don't know. If I think of any more, I'll add a comment here!

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Better... Not Worse

Because of it's emphasis on agnostic-like paradox and deistic-like absentia as representations of a singularity of nature that could be seen as a Godhead (for lack of a better term)... along with the suggestion to not worship that Godhead, but to instead just accept it as part of a total spectrum of Divinity and Humanity... many may reject the underlying philosophy of this study. In contemplating the issue of worship, many will ask what the point of religion, spirituality and worship might be if it doesn't make life better? - thereby rejecting an agnostic deism that lacks worship as being something that doesn't make life better. But... if worship intends to make life better, that's not really seeing things for what they are... that's more of an attempt to change things into what we want them to be... i.e. something better, not worse. By doing that, worship becomes more of an attempt to align ourselves with something better, or something we perceive to be an ultimate good that will benefit us, or something we can take into battle against the forces of evil. By using religion as a weapon to try and change things into what we want them to be, or aligning ourselves with something we think is an ultimate good, we acknowledge that there is such a thing as better and worse, or a good and a bad. By acknowledging that there is good and bad we keep ourselves in a world of duality; a world of duality that we were supposed to be transcending... through the philosophy of our religion! In this way, worship becomes a corruption of the very philosophy being worshiped!! Which is why this study advocates a life without worship. Worship is all too often fanatical, and all too often done for all the wrong reasons - reasons that end up perpetuating the need for worship in those same unhealthy, hypocritical, co-dependent, delusional ways.

Some philosophies of religion are about seeing and accepting things for what they are, others are about changing things to be what we want them to be - supposedly better. It's important to have an awareness of when and how we pass to and from a mindset of "neutrality of duality" vs. "acceptance of duality." It's hard to stay put in that Magic Middle or Divine Center, and never move off of that point back into the world of duality. It's important to acknowledge when and how we do, and not pretend that we don't... when we do!

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The Locus of Love

Many will reject a philosophy of religion that is based in agnosticism or deism, and lacking in worship, because of their addictive and dependent need for Love. On our chart of personality types, the 3/7 types are the ones most concerned with the concept of Love. To them, worship is: love extended and love returned... by way of the aforementioned alignment with an all powerful source of ultimate good. Because the fighting 4/6 types are directly adjacent to this 3/7 locus of love, they see their religious battles as battles in the name of love (see essay on Love elsewhere on this site). Even the 2/8 types, who are a bit more detached from any need to worship or fight, but still very much filled with the energy of enthusiasm, will mix a touch of love into their ideas of indwelling spirit or sacred spaces. It is only the 1/9 types, being even more detached and no longer directly adjacent to the locus of love, who are able to accept a philosophy that does not include love and loving worship as one of the most crucial components of its form.

Here is a combination of the apart/together model and the neither, either, both model, showing the simultaneity of the 3/7 stage and the crossing over of the 4/6 stage... like chocolate and vanilla in the blender! Here we see how the concept of Love is in fact a combination or connecting of two other factors across a metaphorical layer of thin skin. The characteristic of simultaneity, found within the 3/7 stage of development makes this marriage possible. But... strictly speaking, it's not really a marriage in the traditional Male and Female sense. Simultaneity is more about being the same - i.e. not opposites combined, but opposites as one. Opposites combined, or married, is a function of the number 5. The 3/7 stage is where sides "kiss" both figuratively and literally, before swapping sides in 4/6 sexual intercourse, leading from there to eventual marriage at 5. Love is systemic: It enriches the 1/9 Mind, It elevates the 2/8 Spirit. It nourishes the 3/7 Soul. It appeases the 4/6 Heart.

For a visual aid... here is the chart from the essay on Love, found elsewhere on this site.

To the highly involved and extremely social 4/6 types, everything is a team sport. To the highly detached and extremely independent 1/9 types, the spectator sees more of that sport. When we detach from love, we are often astonished at the things we do for love. Who will deny that the rituals of some people's worship are often astonishing? The things people will do to show devotion, in the hopes of receiving devotion... from something believed to be an all-powerful entity that is external to our Self, is often astonishing. That 3/7 love and that 4/6 power, and even the 2/8 zeal are what shape ideas of worship. It's also why worship, whether in healthy or unhealthy ways, will never go away. It's definitely not easy to detach, like a 1/9... or... be neutral, like a 5, and leave love behind. At the same time, it is interesting to note how some religious philosophies point to these detached states of mind as something to achieve in our pursuit of things believed to be closer to God (see quote from "Hsin Hsin Ming" in the essay Stop Being So Human elsewhere on this site). Unfortunately... asking people to relinquish love, and attachments to the idea of God as an ultimate good that empowers them in their battles of life and living, does not meet with widespread acceptance. Thus making these goals of detachment forever elusive to the grounded, attached mind of those dependent upon 4/6 power, 3/7 love and even 2/8 enthusiasm.

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EXTRA CREDIT

Try stepping away from "The Locus of Love" and see what happens. It's not easy. You may not like it. It's about detachment, so... if you do it correctly, it will distance you from friends and family - like a monk in a monastery cell, or a hermit on a hill far away. So... it's entirely possible that you might decide that you don't like it and want to go back... back home... like a prodigal son, or... like a plant to the Sun, or... like a junkie to their drug... and in doing so, continue to paint every idea you have about life with a coat of Love and Good. By doing so, you will never really know the 1/9 detached state, or the neutral state of 5, or the "Paradox in Absentia" ways of perceiving "God" (for lack of a better term) or the universe. It is important for those who never achieve these states of perception to understand their limited view and their biased tendencies toward Love, Good, and congregating in a mass... and how those choices shape their particular view of life and spiritual questing (see the essay Be Gray Every Day elsewhere on this site).

In the world of tarot, it's easy for some to turn off their rational mind... and leave it off for great lengths of time, and in the face of all kinds of other beliefs. For others it can be hard to completely turn off the rational mind. When it comes to belief, most people only do it to believe what they want to believe when they want to believe it, and then turn it back on when they feel a need to find reasons to object to the beliefs of others who believe things they don't want to believe, or if they need to not believe in a belief that contradicts something they do believe. Each person then calling someone who believes something else a non-believer locked into their rational mind. For more on finding reasons to believe, consult the essay Imagine A Reason to Believe.