The Parable of Creation

In the beginning, when the universe was still very young, the gods went to Shiva and told him it was time to create the physical world.

“Now is the time,” said the gods. “Look at the marvels we have made already. Look at the heavens and the wonders of our realm. Now it is time to create a new plane, one of matter, ordered by our divine principles.”

The gods insisted that Shiva, because he was so wise, be the god who brought this world into being.

Before the other devas, Shiva agreed, swearing to become the god of creation; but, when the other gods went away from him, he became very sad. And, rather than begin work to create the physical world immediately, he delayed.

“If the physical world is brought into being,” thought Shiva, “the beings there will suffer greatly. Those who seek knowledge will find only ignorance; those who seek life will find only death; those who seek health will find only sickness. These will be the inevitabilities of all who live there.

“If the physical world is brought into being,” Shiva continued to ponder, “the beings there will go hungry; they will lack nutrition; they will live in poverty. They will find some security, then watch it slip away. They will watch friends and loved ones die. They will find themselves in war, perishing over greed and falsehood. They will experience tragedies, seeing their bodies become injured, deformed, and maimed.

“The beings there will seek peace but find only discord,” Shiva thought. “They will seek beauty but find only ugliness; they will seek sexual union but find only frustration. The beings there will drown, fall, and be split open; they will have their lungs pierced and struggle to breathe; they will have their genitals mutilated; they will become blind and deaf. The beings there will seek their own security, and in the process spread yet more evil and ignorance to their kin.”

For Shiva, who was greatly compassionate, these problems reverberated in his mind above all else. Shiva realized that he could not remain a just god if he brought such a world into existence.

“The gods do not know what they ask of me,” Shiva concluded. “They ask me to create great evil and injustice.”

Shiva thus began to ponder how to create the physical world without also creating evil.

Finally, the gods grew impatient, and came to Shiva again.

“Why do you delay, Lord Shiva?” they asked. “Why have you not brought the physical world into existence?”

“The physical world you seek will be a place of great injustice,” said Shiva. “How will the antelope find water when there is a drought?” he asked the gods. “How will the farmer find food when the sky becomes black? How will the infant find security when her parents are slain in war?”

All the gods, not understanding evil, seemed to not hear Shiva, except for Lord Vishnu.

“It will be a place of evil,” said Vishnu, “but by it the beings there will achieve greatness.”

Lord Shiva, not satisfied, continued.

“I have not been idle,” said Shiva, “but hard at work. During my delay, I have been seeking a solution to the problem of the physical world.”

After much debate, Shiva at last persuaded the other gods of his cause. They agreed they should not create the world until Shiva had found a solution to the problem of evil.

“Only a fool would bring such a world into existence,” concluded Shiva. “Thus, we shall delay until we can create a world without evil.”

At this, the gods adjourned.

Shiva, now with the aid of Vishnu, continued in his work to find a solution to evil.

But, one of the gods did not agree with the others. He grew impatient, like the others had before, and sought to begin creation immediately. It was Brahma, the god of the four winds.

“What marvels have we made!” said Brahma. “Look at the wonders of the firmament! The deva heavens! The great and fiery lotus of the gods! We must spread our gift of creation to all!”

Though a god, Brahma was fickle like the four winds, and did not consider the consequences of what he did.

At his word, Brahma began the process of creation. He brought into existence the planets, space, and destructive time; the places of ice and fire; the oceans; the continents. He spawned the first creatures out of him: the plants, animals, and the first humans.

Brahma looked at his creation and marveled at it. Indeed, he had crafted a world of beauty. So proud was he of his work that he summoned the other devas to him, wanting to show them what he had done.

“Look at my world of beauty!” said Brahma. “I have created a world of blue, brown, and green! I have created the mountains, the rivers, and the plains; and a vast multitude of living beings to inhabit them!”

When the other gods saw what Brahma had done, they were moved by the beauty of his work. But, they were also greatly concerned. All of the gods, especially Vishnu, had agreed with Shiva not to bring the world into being without first finding a solution to evil.

At last, Shiva arrived with the others, and saw what Brahma had done. When Shiva saw that Brahma had created the world in his impatience, he was filled with wrath.

“Fool!” said Lord Shiva. “You do not know what you have done! And by this you have created evil, suffering, and death! By your impatience you have doomed all you have made!”

The other gods, fearful of Shiva, retreated as his full wrath was brought upon Brahma.

“For this I curse you!” said Shiva. “You who created the pain of childbirth, who created mutilation and disease! No temples shall be built to you, no worshipers shall revere you! Though you be the god of creation, none will know you, and none will honor your name!”

This was the greatest curse to befall an immortal god. No one would ever honor Brahma for the work he had done. No one.

“You have done a great disservice to your creation,” said Vishnu, who appeared beside Shiva. “Though you gave them life, they will suffer and live short lives. They will seek happiness and find only despair. They will never know the true peace of our existence, the joy and security of the gods.”

Shiva retreated to Kailash, filled with rage and ferocity. All of his work had been undone. There could be no just world now due to Brahma. Then, as ever after, foolishness had been the greatest source of injustice.

“This world cannot stand,” thought Shiva, “this world of old age, hunger, sickness, poverty, and death. I cannot allow these poor beings to suffer.

“How can I make this world just?” thought Shiva. “This world of extremes, this radical world Brahma has created?” It seemed impossible.

At last, Shiva was inspired. If the world could not be made just, he would at least make sure the beings there would not be trapped.

“By his act of creation, Brahma has enslaved all to the physical,” said Shiva. “All those born in this world will know only the ideas of form and matter. Fettered to them and not to the spirit, they will suffer, life after life.

“But,” thought Shiva, “There is an answer. This world can be made just.

“I will create a hidden path, a way by which mortal man can achieve the true goods that he most desires in his heart to possess.”

It is then when Shiva devised occult knowledge, Yoga, and the noble path to salvation. Taking on a disguise, Shiva descended to the earth, distributing his secret gifts to the first men.

The saints came to Shiva, and he taught them and the first mystics the path to moksha.

When Shiva returned to the deva world, Vishnu was pleased.

“You have given them the greatest gift of all,” said Vishnu. “The gift to join our ranks, to ascend to the deva heavens. As mortals they will suffer and die, but by this they will become great, and with us drink the nectar of amrita.”

Shiva raised his hand, and gestured the abhaya mudra. To all who accepted the noble call, to all who were shrewd and walked the hidden path, to all who fought bravely and lived greatly, there was nothing to fear. By this path, there was justice in the evil world.

Dialogue - What are some strange experiences you’ve had along your spiritual journey?

 A questioner wrote:
What are some strange experiences you’ve had along your spiritual journey?

Alexander wrote:
I have had a number of strange ones over the years. There was a time when having these experiences was very meaningful to me, and constituted a kind of “proof” that I was making progress on the spiritual quest. In the east they do say that saints and yogis are supposed to manifest “siddhis” or “signs” of spiritual attainment. These days they are not something I worry too much about. I definitely rest in a world of “knowledge” now, so all the stresses do not bother me anymore. It may be that across your journey you will have these strange experiences; you may also have none. Whether you interpret them as “siddhis” or just odd events, though, is up to you.

I have gone through some of my entries I made over the years and it looks like this is a decent list of them:

1. Intuition – An intrusive line of thoughts, or an inner “push” or feeling that seems to come from a higher source. For example, it may manifest as a premonition of a future event, or you may feel a push to do something or not do something to act in conformity with your higher self.

2. Spiritual tears – Likely connected to the opening of the heart chakra, this is the “joy-making mourning” referred to by ascetic writers. Spiritual seekers will experience this sourceless crying, which we might interpret as causing an alchemical change in the body.

3. A warmth or heat in the chest – Likely a product of the opening of the heart chakra, it manifests as a definite sensation in the heart.

4. A sensation in the right abdomen, just below the ribs – I went to the doctor to investigate this; it was a strange one. The pain would not go away. The doctor was not able to diagnose it as anything – his best guess was an inflammation of the cartilage. It was not for some time till I realized the small, circular area the sensation was coming from was the location of the injury of Longinus. Whether that is a coincidence or a kindly sign is up to others to decide.

5. Vibrations in the hands and feet – These are the same vibrations many feel when they are going out-of-body. It is an interesting coincidence that these manifest most palpably in the places where the “holy wounds” of Christ were located. It shows what a fascinating, fateful universe we live in.

6. Invocation of a spiritual master – Concentrated attention for a long period time on a particular figure, like a guru, may call that teacher to be in your presence. This may be felt as a strong intuitive sense that they are there with you.

7. Out-of-body experiences – I have had some unimpressive OOBEs, where I have felt my awareness separate from my body, but I’ve been blind and brought quickly back into the physical again.

What I will do is give you the logs I made of some of these experiences at the time, as my original reactions to them may be useful to you.

Here is the one I wrote when I felt I had invoked the presence of Gurdjieff:

I wanted to make a record of this experience because I think it was an extraordinary one.

To start off, in occult books, a lot of importance is put into the idea of "invocation." Often, there is a fascination with people "summoning demons." As though summoning a demon could ever be a useful action.

Invocation, however, is not something unique to the occult. In different religions, invocations are made to gods, saints, and spiritual masters. Actually, every time you hear someone who hits his foot yell "Jesus Christ!" that is an invocation to Christ. (Of course, an exclamation like this could never invoke Christ.)

About two years ago I had an experience in this area, which has taken me a large amount of time to understand.

What occurred? Well, to explain first requires some context. As I have explained to Jhanananda and mapeli here, for many years I was a student of G. I. Gurdjieff. He was someone I dedicated a large amount of study to, and who I learned a lot from his teachings.

At one point I came to subject everything in my experience to the judgment of Gurdjieff. What would he think of X? How should I do Y in reference to him? It is important to understand this, because he occupied a large amount of space in my thoughts.

Now, how does an invocation work? How would it be possible to invoke Christ, Shiva, etc? Well, it is an exercise of the mind, and of the whole personality. Fixation is needed. One has to very seriously dedicate one's thoughts to a guru, saint, etc.

People imagine invocation in the stereotype of a pentagram drawn on the floor. They imagine a ceremony with different objects. In Christianity, people imagine the physical re-enactment of the Last Supper as being essential for the presence of Christ.

But, all of the outward show is just that. The adornments are not anything in themselves. What these objects do is simply give a context for a person. It is the person himself who invokes the guru, saint, or deva.

So, what occurred? Well, one day I was just sitting, going about my business as usual. I was engaged in study of Gurdjieff. Then, suddenly, I became aware of the "presence" of G. I. Gurdjieff.

It was a floaty experience. It was like he was there, but not there. It was like he was above me, over my shoulder, looking at me - though I could not see him back. It was unsettling. It was out of the ordinary.

In my imagination I slowly came to have different images emerge. These made the presence of Gurdjieff into a more concrete experience. His "presence" remained for a few minutes. Then, the "presence" went away.

I would like to conclude that it is essential to understand experiences like this in the context of doubt. I saw nothing. Remember, the experience was of a "presence." There could be nothing more flighty. Finally, the associative flow of images was not anything special. They cannot be made distinct from imagination. So, even if this particular experience was veritable, experiences like this always end up in a mixture with imagination. (Invocation of a Spiritual Master)

Here is one of my first entries where I refer to intuition:

Has anyone had experiences of intuition, where an (arguably) intrusive line of thoughts enters your head, just before X experience happens?

I've had several of these which has convinced me it's not just my imagination. Not that it's something I want to go around telling people about, either. But a few of the intuitions seemed to have confirmed that they were real, for example:

- One experience about a year ago, late in the evening, I get into my head one of my friends from school, who I had not talked to in years. This is at about 1 o'clock in the morning. I get a weird intimation then to check my phone... and find I had just received a conciliatory message from her.

I had a similar experience a couple months ago:

- Again, I have a line of thoughts about one of my friends (actually in regard to something in particular we're both a part of), and when I go to check my email about 10 minutes after, I find a message from that friend along with a reference to the same subject that I had had in mind. Right when I was having the intuition, was about when he had sent the email.

Interesting is that these were two people I had (and still have) close emotional connections with. Though I can't say if that emotional connection is important or not to having intuitions. What seems key about the experience, though, is that an intuition is noticeably different in quality from an ordinary line of thoughts, i.e., it isn't something you would have been thinking about on your own. I can't manipulate or produce these experiences when I want them, but they just seem to come now and then and are (probably?) tied to events of personal importance. (Intuition)

And here is a final entry I wrote where I talk about spiritual tears:

One phenomenon I have found that is explored in the Western tradition, but not the Eastern, is that of mystic crying or mourning.

In the writings of the hesychasts, Margery Kempe, John of the Cross, John Climacus, and others, there is an expression of a period during which one undergoes sobbing from no apparent cause.

Often, this experience accompanies an introversion into oneself. As one learns more about one's past experiences, these memories become painful and cause suffering.

However, while this sobbing is very sad, the consequences of it are positive. One effect is it leads to a significant humanizing of the individual. Another effect is it leads to a re-evaluation of all one's values and ideas.

There are two interesting points we can mention about these mystic tears:

First, they appear to accompany the "opening of the heart" as referred to in hesychasm. In the East, this is called the opening of the heart chakra. Either case represents our accessing the seat of our superior emotions, which for the ordinary person are inaccessible. By accessing them, we have reached an intermediate stage of spiritual development.

Second, some argue that the crying itself is an expression of a chemical (or alchemical) change that is going on in the body. This argument helps explain why the crying sometimes just happens, with no particular cause. According to this view, sobbing facilitates the "transmutation" or transfiguration of the body. (Opening the Spiritual Heart)

I hope these were helpful to share with you!

Dialogue - What do you think of the Tarot?

A questioner wrote:
What do you think of the Tarot?

Alexander wrote:
I like the Tarot very much. It certainly doesn’t have the long history we like to mythologize it does – it more likely dates back to the 1800s as divination cards – but the set devised by A. E. Waite is excellent and provides a lot of possibilities for obtaining self-knowledge.

That also is how I see the use of the cards: for the purpose of “gnothi seauton,” to know thyself, as the Oracle of Delphi put it. The cards are not supposed to tell the future, but the symbols on them can be read by a reflective mind and used to gain wisdom and insight into what is currently going on in your life.

You should only do a reading very rarely; have a purposeful and clear intent; and accept whatever drawing you receive. I had one recently which I wanted to share, as I thought it was very meaningful to me.

What do see yourself as: The Magician
Absolutely. For anyone who knows my true self and interests, this card alone is a fascinating one to draw first. That is a one in 22 chance of happening.

What you most desire: The Hierophant
I interpreted this as a symbol for guidance and structure; that I was looking for direction. This past year has certainly been a crossroads in my life, a time of great disruption, and I am certainly looking for direction on what path to follow next.

The Hierophant can represent a guide; a figure who has great spiritual attainment; or also, potentially, a fraud (like many so-called religious people often are).

Another way of looking at it is that I desire to progress further on the spiritual path. Or, the card could represent Jeff Brooks, who is a great colleague, teacher, and friend for me in this spiritual work.

What you fear: Death
This year was horrible to many due to the Corona flu. And it was additionally horrible for me as I both lost my job and was exposed to a neurotoxin this year, the latter incapacitating me and my health for about five months.

I read “Death” here to mean a fear over the “death of the old life” before the transition to a new life. I also read it as fears over the future of work, and certainly the fear I would not recover from the neurological problems I developed from the poisoning. It is a fear of the death of one’s future and one’s possibilities – a horrible prospect.

What is going for you: The Moon
I have been developing a new female friendship in a slightly clandestine way, so this was one of the ways I would interpret this card. I would say it is a good omen for the relationship developing.

Another meaning I could find is it could refer to my own spiritual work, which in a sense is done in secret. Despite the setbacks this year, it could be a good omen that the work is in fact continuing and progress is being made.

What is going against you: The Wheel of Fortune
Absolutely. It has been a year of terrible fortune. Aside from the obvious Corona flu, my unemployment and my poisoning by the toxic fumes were certainly calamitous this year.

As Machiavelli said, ill fortune comes to all so we must always be prepared for when times go bad. At the same time, the wheel of fortune is swift to turn and events may change from ill to good again in time.

The likely outcome: The Empress
I take the Empress here as a symbol of fertility and fruitfulness; a good omen. I have been at work in creating a fund to help people with brain injuries: if this omen has its way, it will turn out well. I have also been trying to develop my painting skills: this bodes well for that too. It is a good omen for my discreet relationship with my female friend: that the relationship could bear fruit. And it is a good omen for health: that my health may recover yet, despite the terrible effects I suffered from for most of this year from the poisoning.

I wanted to set this Tarot reading - and how I interpreted the symbols - down in writing. As I think this is an example of how to do one and get a lot of value out of it: To look at the symbols, to try to unpack the many possible meanings, to see who one card might be or what situation it may apply to. Then, to extrapolate the possible outcomes the cards are suggesting, and to then use that to advise you on what to do in the future.