A question for all pagans?

Question

I believe that everything is part of god and that life and just about everything else as we know it is an illusion. For anyone who believes in this perspective why do you believe we are seperated from our true nature? Although i believe this is the case, this question has always been one that baffles me

i guess that i need to expand this some. my beleif in god is that god is an unlimited source of energy. I believe that this energy flows through everything but that the current state most of us are at that for some reason or another the energy has become diluted but, i think that we still have the ability to connect and become with this energy source at the primordial level. I believe that god 9 at least the) ultimate source is an impersonal being. However, i believe that through the power of our thoughts ( which would still technically be part of god can imprint themselves on god/ our own energy at a higher level then most of us our currently connected to. I guess that my beleifs are a mix and assumed that because pagans believe in the power of the mind they had come to the same conclusions as me loll. As you can tell my beleifs have a little bit of influence from the hindu religion. Also although, i do not understand it to well, my beleifs have been infelucned by a basic

of the kaballah. My understanding of the kaballah is that we are all part of the god/ seprioth. Also from my understanding it is because of the abyss that we are somehow disconnected from reaching our true nature My thinking though is if we are a part of god it seems like their was at some point a concious choice for god/ us to create the illusion that we are seperate ( i know that i am not making any sense now probably). The only explanation for this i have heard, but can't say that i agree with is the idea that god do to his nature was able to experince everything but himself, thus we our the illusion of us was created so god would know what it was like to epxerince himself.

Answer 1

... in trying to reconcile your statements, I thought about how difficult it can be to express some insights in words, a necessarilly limited vehicle for the Transcendent. That most knowledge is illusionary is a concept which Taoists, Buddhists, and Hindus have explored. That everything is part of god is a concept of both pantheists and panentheists. Are we separated from our true nature or confused about it? If we achieve understanding of the unity of being, is individuality lost?

What you have expressed is pagan only in the broadest, loosest, most eclectic terms. Most neo-pagans would not agree we are separated from our true nature. Some might agree everything is part of god; some would not. Some might agree that illusion and confusion can exist, but would also recognize that metaphor can exist and be useful, that many perspectives are usually possible, that changing perspectives is a practical and effective skill.

Thank you for sharing your thought provoking questions and comments.

Answer 2

There is no God as you want to believe as such,there is an energy, of which we are all a part of, regardless of the religious indoctrination you have suffered..
We live in a multidimensional universe, if this planet was destroyed tomorrow, do you really think that we are all going to Heaven or Hell ??
Absolutely not, as these places are nothing but someone's ancient dream, they simply don't exist...
We are etherical beings and we are in our way of thinking, immortal, and we have and will live until the destruction of the universe, then we will emerge again in the new universe as we have done before when the two previous universes have turned in on themselves and BANG...
The Human Race is such an insignificant part of the universe at large, and we are being reincarnated here to learn and experience material life...
Blessed Be... )O(

Answer 3

Wow, that's a big category for such a specific philosophy. There are many many Pagans that have no belief at all that our lives here on Earth are an illusion. Do you have a specific "Eastern" religion in mind like Buddhism, or a sort of "New Age" thinking?

Answer 4

I am a pagan too, but I believe that life is reality for now, it is the way we learn each life lesson so that we can move towards enlightenment. I also do not believe we are seperaated, but that we are actually a part of everything else, and it is part of us. I have not come across your ideas before, though they are interesting.
Blessings )0(

Answer 5

So "everything" is part of God, but "everything else" is an illusion? How can there be an "everything else" next to "everything?" Isn't everything all-encompassing by definition?

I'm confused.

Answer 6

Huh? I asked my girlfriend (a pagan witch) this and she said she'd never heard this.

She told me that there is no separation of anything.

Answer 7

sounds more like Einstiens view of pantheism to me ... what Pagan ever thought of life as an illusion .

Answer 8

Nothing is true, all is permitted.

All is Beloved, knowledge is ignorance, Beloved is the Mystery.

Answer 9

to Brent.I am glad to hear you belive in God.God created you and me.So that is life.He also created the world and everything in it.The dirt,water,heaven,birds,animals,fish,and all the creepy crawling things.so that is not an illusion.It is real. He gave us a free will to choose to belive in HIm and to worship Him and to belive in the bible as His holy word. He loves us and his son Jesus died for our sins so we could have eternal life with him in heaven.

Answer 10

Um, I don't know any pagans who believe that--sounds kind of zen though, and if it works for you, go for it!