Gazing in the Mirror

March 22 - Evil Personified

If the devil does not exist,
and man has therefore
created him, he has created
him in his own image and likeness.
~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

One of the most illuminating truths
which mysticism has revealed is that
there is no ultimate reality to evil.
No Devil, No damnation outside of
one's state of thought, no punishment
outside of that self-inflicted through
ignorance, and no salvation outside of
conscious co-operation with the Infinite.
~ Ernest Holmes

I once found myself in a long and intense discussion that began with these questions which I posed to a group of thoughtful people – "Do you believe in The Devil (regardless of how you wish to name that)? Do you believe in Evil? Do you believe that there is an ancient awareness (Eckhart Tolle termed this The Pain Body), that resonates with negative emotions in human beings and can act through humans when in that vibratory alignment?" I would say that most in our group do not express the more superstitious and dogmatic perspectives but these still arise in some.

The concept of an entity that personifies evil is the core root of duality. It is also the expression of every conflict regarding wealth and sexuality that humanity has ever had. It is the justification for eliminating enemies and making one's enemies somehow less than human or worse – some horrendous evil to be eradicated from the planet – and this continues on today in expressions made by our highest governmental officials and military authorities. And that is very scary. Women have borne the brunt of such concepts throughout history due to conflicted feelings in men amplified by religious motivations and beliefs.

The history of this concept is somewhat interesting to the thoughtful person. In the earliest Old Testament literature, this entity is perceived as "the accuser" and is a servant of God, tends to be charged with doing the "dirty work" of God but only as commanded by God. There is a concept at that time of a dark, shadowy world that every human goes into at their physical death. The first notable story is that of Job who the accuser suggests would be less faithful if his life was not so good and so is allowed to test Job, a test which Job rises nicely to.

It is believed to have been first expressed by Zoraster of Persia in the 2nd millennium BCE (his actual date of living is lost in the mists of time and cannot be accurately determined). He is credited with creating the simple and strong duality of "good and evil" concepts. This was the beginning of division and separation. He is the first to describe a battle between the two extremes in which humans must take sides. A dualism that "explains" for humans that the ultimate purpose of life is to be tested and forced to choose sides. The Jews appreciated the value of these concepts enough to incorporate Zoraster's ideas into their own theology.

All of the images that modern humans attach to concepts of Satan, the Devil, Lucifer or Hell have come down through human explanations throughout history taking on more and more details and nuances. Evil can be simply reduced and understood as "anyone" who is one's enemy and all stories, manifestations and beliefs related to this are in the final analysis for me (after viewing a quickly covered history) that simple. It was St Augustine who first described sexuality in the context of evil. From there the separation between the physical and the spiritual arises through gnosticism. Interestingly Friday the 13th became an unlucky date when the Knights Templar were systematically purged by The Church and Government – for their wealth and because of suspicions regarding their attempts to negotiate with the Muslims.

Not surprising to many of us who carry the female gender – women have throughout history been the targets of many efforts to remove "evil" from our world. Men's obsession with bedding women has often been at the heart of it. Men have too long demonized women. At times the Devil or Satan has been viewed simply as rebellion and the fight against tyranny, the personification of alternative thinking and efforts to prompt change. The scariest and worst of "modern" charges against Satanism (regarding human sacrifice) have not been provable though that was certainly an element of early Christian practices. Government uses "evil" to garner support for the elimination of its enemies. The war on terror is eerily similar to the history of "wars" on Satan and The Crusades. Satan remains as he always has been a human invention for very human purposes.

~ perspective

I have seen through the eyes
of humans something "shining"
that seemed beyond their normal
appearance and while I have seen
these things I cannot with any
accuracy interpret "the mystery".
I do know that cruelty and danger are
very real aspects of physical reality.
I do believe in a rational, benign and
Life-affirming core root of existence.
Survival prompts many humans to do
things that the lack of such stress
would not induce.
Separation, division and enemies cause
humans to do "the work of the devil".

#conflict #duality #enemy #female #gnosticism #hell #men #sexuality #temptation #wealth