Ancient Science of Metaphysics

Philosophy and the ancient science of metaphysics

Philosophy

The study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language is the current description for the study of Philosophy. In ancient times, philosophy was the father of all the modern sciences. In trying to understand the human experience the great philosophers examined all manner of things from physics and mathematics to theology and the divine experience.

Without the enquiring mind of the philosopher and their ‘love of wisdom’, the question of ‘Why did that happen?’ would never have been asked, and the field of science and scientific enquiry would never have begun. It is the philosophers who must guide scientific enquiry to make sure it stays ‘on-track’.

The area of ethical practice in scientific enquiry is of paramount importance because sometimes scientist can lose sight of the forest because they are focusing on a tree. Philosophers try to keep a vision of the ‘big picture’.

The western culture philosophers include; Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Socrates, Machiavelli, Newton, Einstein and hundreds more.

The eastern culture philosophers include; Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, Lao Tzu, Confucius, Umaswati, Vasubandhu, Ghandi and hundreds more.

Every theological system or religion has a philosopher to thank for their beliefs.

Metaphysics

This is a branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality and what is beyond the physical. According to Aristotle, there is a need for “a science that studies things (if indeed there are any) that are eternal, not subject to change, and independent of matter. Such a science, he says, is theology, and this is the “first” and “highest” science.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Aristotle referred to Metaphysics “as ‘first philosophy’, or ‘the study of being qua being’, or ‘wisdom’, or ‘theology’.” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) The ‘being qua being’ is interpreted as involving “three things: (1) a study, (2) a subject matter (being), and (3) a manner in which the subject matter is studied (qua being).” (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

So, for me, metaphysics is the first philosophy in the study of the gaining of wisdom in understanding the divine nature of things. It necessitates an awareness of the expression of the divine within the mundane using guidance from ‘Hermes Trismegistus’ and the ‘Emerald Tablet’.

A translation of the Emerald Tablet can be found in Theatrum Chemicum, Volume IV (1613), in Georg Beatus’ Aureliae Occultae Philosophorum:^[9]^[10]

This is true and remote from all cover of falsehood
Whatever is below is similar to that which is above. Through this the marvels of the work of one thing are procured and perfected.
Also, as all things are made from one, by the [consideration] of one, so all things were made from this one, by conjunction.
The father of it is the sun, the mother the moon. The wind bore it in the womb. Its nurse is the earth, the mother of all perfection.
Its power is perfected. If it is turned into earth.
Separate the earth from the fire, the subtle and thin from the crude and [coarse], prudently, with modesty and wisdom.
This ascends from the earth into the sky and again descends from the sky to the earth, and receives the power and efficacy of things above and of things below.
By this means you will acquire the glory of the whole world,
And so you will drive away all shadows and blindness.
For this by its fortitude snatches the palm from all other fortitude and power. For it is able to penetrate and subdue everything subtle and everything crude and hard.
By this means the world was founded
And hence the marvelous conjunctions of it and admirable effects, since this is the way by which these marvels may be brought about.
And because of this they have called me Hermes Tristmegistus since I have the three parts of the wisdom and philosophy of the whole universe.
My speech is finished which I have spoken concerning the solar work

“For there can be no Religion more true or just, than to know the things that are; and to acknowledge thanks for all things, to Him that made them, which thing I shall not cease continually to do.” Stanza 2, Hermes Trisgestimus Book 1, Divine Pymander.

24/01/202224/01/2022

Terra Nullis – Commonwealth of Australia – Myth

Did Capt. James Cook declare ‘Terra Nullis’ at Botany Bay in 1770 which led to the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia, a colony based on a myth.

From Wikipedia:

Terra nullius (/ˈtɛrə.nʌˈlaɪəs/, plural terrae nullius) is a Latin expression meaning “nobody’s land”. It was a principle sometimes used in international law to justify claims that territory may be acquired by a state’s occupation of it. It denotes land that has never been a part of a sovereign nation-state, such as Bir Tawil. International law adopts much of Roman property law in regard to acquisition of sovereignty due to the underlying European civil law at the time of early discovery voyages such as Christopher Columbus. The Roman law concepts acquisition of ownership (in international law, termed state’s sovereignty) of vacant territory or terra nullius therefore continues to apply in the modern age. This concept was often applied historically to land already possessed by indigenous populations and is subject to ongoing academic and political debate.

He could not have claimed ‘Terra Nullis’ because the land was obviously inhabited as this would have flown in the face of International Law at the time. The acquisition of sovereignty, like many other things, is guided under International Law which allows for a country, Great Britain, to acquire sovereignty through ‘Effective Occupation’.

Effective occupation is the control of free newly discovered territory exercised by a power with no sovereign title to the land, whether in defiance or absence of a proper sovereign.

Of course Terra Australis was occupied by an advanced civilisation of sovereign people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PhmgXOSU9g&list=PLmpOm5Wvj2Kn8wyfESd8aLtvdFkIslH_2&index=4&t=892s

The video above gives a small glimpse of the depth of culture that most early settlers didn’t, couldn’t or wouldn’t see for a myriad of reasons.

When Britain lost its colony in the Americas, they were looking for new land to deport convicts to. Terra Australis provided this opportunity and the First Fleet of convicts set sail to establish a new colony.

https://youtu.be/4PhmgXOSU9g?list=PLmpOm5Wvj2Kn8wyfESd8aLtvdFkIslH_2

31/07/202131/07/2021

Original Law

Original Law as understood from my perspective using Taoist teaching derived from the Tao Te Ching.

The first stanza of the Tao Te Ching reads:
-1-
The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.
The name is the mother of the ten thousand things.
Send your desires away and you will see the mystery.
Be filled with desire and you will see only the manifestation.
As these two come forth they differ in name.
Yet at their source they are the same.
This source is called a mystery.
Darkness within darkness, the gateway to all mystery.

In line with this teaching, my writing is my interpretation of my perceptions and is not the divine truth. That which is spoken or written down is not reality, it is an interpretation of reality.
When you name something you claim ownership of that which is named. In the naming you begin to create a web of “ten thousand things” to support the naming.

However, the source is ever changing and remains constant, un-named and the source of all mystery. The Tao, Path or Way, is unlimited and exists as a divine expression in physical manifestation.
The origin of law emanates from the source and must return to the source.

In stanza 42 of the Tao Te Ching we read:
-42-
The Tao gives birth to the One.
The One gives birth to two.
Two gives birth to three.
And three gives birth to the ten thousand things.
The ten thousand things have their backs in the shadow
while they embrace the light.
Harmony is achieved by blending the breaths of these two forces.
People dislike the words “alone,” “helpless,” “worthless,”
yet this is how Princes describe themselves.
So it is that sometimes a thing is increased
by being diminished and diminished by being increased.
What others teach I also teach:
“A violent person will not die a natural death.”
I shall make this the basis of my teaching.

The two dimensional picture above is an attempt to show a multi-dimensional concept from this stanza.

As the Tao, Path or Way, from the creator as the nothing, it emanates outward and gives birth to the One-verse, universe, under the influence of what we call Natural Law or Universal Law.

Universal Law as expressed by many include, but not limited to, such concepts as;
Mentalism - Everything is consciousness.
Cause and Effect – Every effect has a cause.
Polarity – Duality expressed in opposites.
Balance – Equilibrium in all things.
Correspondence – As above, so below.
Vibration – Nothing remains constant and is ever changing.

In the journey outward, the universe gives birth to the duality of Physical Manifestation under the influence of the Interactive Laws.

Interactive Laws as expressed by many include, but not limited to, such concepts as:
Consequence - For every action there is a reaction.
Equilibrium - For every force there is an equal and opposite force to maintain balance.
Attraction – Opposites attract.
Relativity – Everything acts in relation to something else as part of the one.
Manifestation – Energy flows where attention goes.
Perception – Everything is interpreted according to how it is perceived.

Continuing the journey outward, the duality of the combining of opposing forces under Natural and Interactive Laws gives birth to Humanity, amongst other species, under the influence of Social Laws.

It is under these laws that the “ten thousand things”, in ancient Chinese writings this can also be a reference to “all things”, are created.

Social Laws as expressed across the planet and within different social structures surely are the “ten thousand things”.

It is from within the Social Laws that the Rule of Law was given birth in recognition that the created cannot control the creator.

Social Laws as expressed within social structures include, but are not limited to, such concepts as;
Tribal Lore
Social mores and rules
Legislative rules
Polices and Procedures
Contracts
Agreements

These Social Laws govern how we interact at a social level and are governed by the Divine Law, Universal/Natural Law, and Interaction Law. These laws are not separated or hierarchical but are part of the whole. In order to be harmonious and in equilibrium they must exist as a reflection of each layer above, outside, above and below.

In stanza 40 – Lao Tse writes a guidance in preparation for stanza 42 and says:

-40-
Returning is the direction of the Tao.
Yielding is the way of the Tao.
The ten thousand things are born of Being and Being is born of Nonbeing.

In all laws, the Path must always return to the source. The Ten Thousand Things must return to the Three, the Three returns to the Two, the Two returns to the One, and the One returns to Nothing or Source.

This is a reminder that all things created must eventually return to its source and be accountable to its source. It is an expression of the Universal Law of Rhythm, of ebb and flow. What goes out must return.

As an entity incarnated on the physical plane, we are living beings expressing the Source in physical reality. We are all multi-dimensional beings not limited by our physical bodies. We carry with us the source of all laws within our being recorded on our soul memory and experienced during our spiritual journey.

That is why the Divine Law can never be written down, because it is already recorded on your soul and any 3 dimensional attempt to do so does it a dis-service.

And so, I apologise to you for this attempt!

13/06/202018/06/2020

The Rule of Law – Universal and Natural Law

This post is an exploration of the Rule of Law from Universal Law through Natural Law to Societal Law.

The Rule of Law is based on a premise that the laws lower in the hierarchy cannot be greater than the laws above them.

Universal Law

Universal Laws are those that have been recognised in most Philosophical and Spiritual belief systems and are now being recognised in Quantum Physics in explaining the nature of the physical universe using ‘reductionist materialist’ observation techniques.

I put a qualification here. In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu states in his first stanza:

“The Tao (path/way) that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao (path/way).
The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.” Parenthesis added.

In other words, the law that can be explained, written down or spoken about is not the Divine Law. Anything that ‘exists’ in the physical world is as a result of manifested consciousness and, therefore, an illusion created by lesser consciousness’.

As this post is a written form of the law, it may not reflect the Divine (Creator’s) Law. Unless you take into account Hermes Trismegistus’ principle of “As above, so below.” As we strive towards higher levels of conscious awareness, our understanding of the Creator’s (Divine) Law becomes clearer.

1: Law of Mentalism

Everything that exists, and does not exist, in the universe is, and has, consciousness.

2: Law of Correspondence

Everything that exists, and does not exist, in the universe exists in a state of harmony.

3: Law of Vibration

Everything that exists, and does not exist, in the universe is in a state of dynamic movement.

As we move further away from the Creator’s law, these next levels are under higher levels of illusion as consciousness moves into denser energy.

Super-natural Law

Everything that does not exist in the physical realm in the universe is referred to by Quantum physicists as ‘Dark Matter’ or ‘Dark Energy’. It was also referred to as ‘Ether’ or ‘Universal Consciousness’ by Spiritualists.

Supernatural Law is more correctly referred to as Meta-natural, or Para-natural, Law as it refers to the concepts behind, beyond or above natural law. And so, they exist above and behind Natural Law.

The Universal Consciousness responds to the Universal Laws in predictable ways and can be harnessed with the proper training. The ability to recognise, respond to and work within these laws can occur naturally in some people. However, these skills can be learned with the proper attitude and a skilled practitioner.

Always remember, these laws and resulting influences can be affected to varying degrees of illusion and competing consciousness.

1: Law of Attraction

Everyone attracts, or draws to themselves, the things they need.

2: Law of Change

Everything is in the process of becoming something else.

3: Law of Relativity

Nothing in life has any meaning, except for the meaning that we give it.

4: Law of Exchange

All things exist in balance and must return to a point of harmonious equilibrium.

5: Law of Manifestation

What you focus your conscious energy on is what you create.

Natural Law

Everything that exists in nature does so as an expression of Universal Law guided by Supernatural Law and how our consciousness perceives it.

1: Law of Polarity

Everything is on a continuum and there are two poles or opposites, the difference between the two extremes of one thing is called polarity.

2: Law of Rhythm

Everything vibrates and moves to certain rhythms.

3: Law of Cause and Effect

Every Action has a reaction or consequence.

4: Law of Gender

Every seed of thought has a gestation or incubation period. This seed of thought will move into form or physical results when the time is right.

Societal Law

As we move into Societal Law, we move entirely into illusionary rules. All laws above this level do not require “Law Enforcement” as they are ‘self-governing’.

1. The Common Law

Generally, Common Law is based on customs and interpersonal rules used to live in harmony with Natural Law.

Guiding principles of Common Law:

Do no harm to any living man, woman or child
Do no harm to any property or the environment
Be honourable in your dealings with people in personal relationships and in business dealings.

Common Law is upheld in Common Law Courts organised by living men and women, e.g., Common Law Court of Australia.

Common Law Courts are an essential element of Societal Law to ensure the ” Laws of the Land” do not get highjacked by unscrupulous people.

International Law is a branch of Common Law agreed to by member nations and formalised, and enforced, by treaties and conventions.

2. The Constitution

The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.

—James Madison. The Federalist No. 49, February 2, 1788.

The constitution is the foundational legal document of a jurisdiction. It is a compact between the people, by which they agree to be bound by its provisions and by laws made in accordance with it. All executive actions, bureaucratic actions, and all legislation must be able to trace their authority back to the constitution.

Having, or using a ‘Constitution’ can devolve into a system of enforced slavery when those in positions of ‘power’ use the agreed rules of behaviou for their own benefit and to subjugate, enslave, other perceived less- powerful people through manipulating the illusion.

In many democratic countries ‘created’ under a constitution no longer are governments of or by the people subject to them and, therefore, are a system of enforced slavery.

3. Legislation passed by initiative

Legislation passed by direct vote of the people ranks above legislation passed by the legislature. Legislators are only agents of the people, thus when the people enact laws they do so as principals, overriding their agents. The constitution should not allow the legislature to repeal or amend legislation passed by initiative. To do so would destroy the utility of the initiative as a check on the power of the legislature and give agents the ability to override their principals.

4. Legislation passed by the legislature

Legislation passed by the legislature is subordinate to both the constitution and legislation by initiative. Constitutions that allow a super-majority of the legislature to approve constitutional amendments or to reverse initiatives undermine the rule of law (as the lawmakers are no longer subject to the law).

5. Delegated legislation

Delegated legislation (also known as regulations or subordinate legislation) is created by executive officers or bureaucrats under authority granted by legislation. Delegated legislation is void if it contradicts or overrides either primary legislation or the constitution.

6. The Civil Law

At the bottom of the hierarchy of laws is the Common (Civil) Law. Every case that comes before the courts is slightly different; legislation cannot provide for every circumstance. The Common (Civil) Law is the grout that fills in the cracks. It is a necessary evil because unelected judges are effectively making law. However, this evil is almost entirely mitigated by the principle of stare decisis et quieta non movere: “to stand by and adhere to decisions and not disturb what is settled.” By requiring judges to follow the reasoning of judges in previous cases, the discretion of the judges is effectively whittled down to almost nothing. In this way the law becomes settled and predictable, and the rule of the written law (contained in the casebooks) prevails over the arbitrary whim of the judge.

In making their decisions, judges must avoid inventing law. To achieve this they must follow:

Binding precedent

the reasoning of appellate courts above them, in order of seniority;
the reasoning of judges in the same jurisdiction at the same level as them, even when they might have reached a different conclusion, but not if they themselves manifestly breach precedent;

Persuasive precedent

the reasoning of appellate courts in related jurisdictions;
the reasoning of trial judges in related jurisdictions;
the reasoning of appellate courts in less-related jurisdictions, on analogous legislation.

A judge is required to ignore his own understanding of the constitution if a binding precedent is contrary. This is because constitutional interpretation is a question of opinion, and the system requires that the opinion of the higher courts outranks the opinion of lower court judges. This renders the Common (Civil) Law predictable, even if wrong. If the supreme appellate court is wrong, then the correct check is to legislate around the error, amend the constitution, or reconstitute the court. The appellate courts should be reluctant to depart from their own decisions, but in cases of erroneous jurisprudence, they should be at liberty to do so.

The Rule of Law is that no law created from a level above it can be greater than the law that created it. Therefore, Legislative Law and the rulings of the Judiciary cannot over-ride Common Law.

While ‘The Rule of Law’ is a philosophical view, many people throw the term around to justify their position, mainly those lower in the hierarchy. It is up to the people who understand this hierarchy to keep the vision and hold those to account that try to subvert it.

To download a copy of this post, click ‘Download’.

Rule of Law Download

07/05/202024/01/2022

Adam and Eve – The History of Cataclysms

The story of Adam and Eve has always been an enigma for me until now!

My upbringing as a Christian within the Catholic tradition led me to question the story of ‘Adam and Eve’ in Genesis as part of the ‘Creation Myth’.

Chan Thomas first wrote this book in 1993, was sent to POTUS and subsequently seized and classified as ‘Top Secret’ by the CIA. It has recently been de-classified and released in a redacted form.

This file is the full un-censored photocopy of the book downloaded from the US National Archive. It is stored here as a way of preserving its vital re-telling of this ancient story at the core of Christian religious belief. It tells a story every person should know and understand from a scientific perspective. However, it is not just a Christian story, it is a story reflected through every culture on the planet.

[eBook] Chan Thomas – The Adam And Eve Story – The History Of Cataclysms (1993 Full UNCENSORED)Download

I feel that I cannot do this work justice in a short blog and prefer to let Chan Thomas explain in his own words.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H5LCLljJho

Memories of catastrophic events, including Extinction Level Events (ELE) are held within our DNA memory and recorded in the geological evidence all around us if you have the eyes to see. In a ‘Joe Rogan‘ interview with Graham Hancock and Randall Carlson, they explore some of this evidence. It is an uncomfortable reality that most of us has chosen to forget. Instead we replace these traumatic memories with fantasies that help us to sleep at night.

The reality is that we live on the third rock from the sun of our solar system spinning at an alarming rate through space that is not empty. The world is not ‘safe’ and never has been! There are no guarantees that we will live beyond today!

Yet every night we set our alarm clock to wake us up for the new day! That is ‘FAITH’!

We make plans for the future that may never come! That is ‘HOPE’!

We set out for the day ready to face the world! That is ‘COURAGE’!

When you do these things in the fantasy of ‘being safe’, you are deluding yourself!

No wonder people become depressed and upset when reality hits.

The truth is that we live in a world in which a random piece of space junk could wipe out all life on this planet in the course of hours.

It has long been my view that if ‘Mother Earth’ wanted us gone, she has the power to shrug her shoulders and we would all cease to exist. Chan Thomas’ book demonstrates what that would look like!

This book should be required reading in every school and university on the planet. Maybe, when people realise just how fragile our life is and how quickly and easily it can be extinguished, they would change their behaviour towards each other!

There is hope!

If we don’t change our ways, she may just shrug her shoulders and we all disappear!

15/06/201901/07/2019

Psychiatry: A Malingerers Heaven

Psychiatry as a malingerers heaven is no myth. The reality of how modern medicine has turned psychiatry into a place for malingerers to flourish has become very evident.

M. Scott Peck in his book “The People of The Lie” describes malingering as a side effect of our modern approach to medicine and a blight on psychiatry as it encourages and supports the practice of lying for some gain.

According to Wikipedia “Malingering is the fabricating of symptoms of mental or physical disorders for a variety of reasons such as financial compensation (often tied to fraud); avoiding school, work or military service; obtaining drugs; or as a mitigating factor for sentencing in criminal cases. It is not a medical diagnosis. Malingering is typically conceptualized as being distinct from other forms of excessive illness behaviour such as somatization disorder and factitious disorder, e.g., in DSM-5 , although not all mental health professionals agree with this formulation”

Malingering then is the faking of a physical illness for some other gain. This phenomena was first observed, or defined, in battlefield conditions going back thousands of years where a soldier would invent an illness to keep himself from being exposed to imagined or actual death. It is a defence reaction of the mind brought about by the desire to avoid some consequence or situation where a fear would have to be faced.

As opposed to a psycho-somatic condition involving a Conversion Reaction where a person’s unconscious mind creates physical symptoms as a result of a reaction to some traumatic event that the person is unwilling to face, or the mind is unable to deal with. These symptoms are very real. A person will actually go blind or paralysed without the actual physical injury to cause such a condition. Many soldiers were regarded as malingerers in the 1st World War when they developed symptoms that could not be explained through physical injury. It has since been recognised that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can manifest with very real physical symptoms.

This ability to create or dissolve physical symptoms is proven by the Placebo Effect which has been proven scientifically as being a very real ability within people to the point where science allows for the effect and discounts it as a distortion within statistical data. However, the Placebo Effect proves the mind’s ability to control physical states of existence.

Thomas Szasz in his book “Psychiatry: The Science of Lies” explores the idea that most people seeking help for physical illnesses are doing so out of some other psychological reason and are in fact malingering. He goes to the extent of saying that many people seeking help for mental health problems are doing so out of a desire for some other secondary gain not revealed to the treating physician.

The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) defines a condition known as Factitious Disorder as being ” the intentional production or feigning of physical or psychological symptoms with the motivation to assume the sick role, in the absence of external incentives (e.g., economic gain) for the behavior. There may be fabrication of subjective complaints, falsification of objective signs, self-inflicted conditions, and/or exaggeration or exacerbation of an actual medical condition. ”

The person may or may not be aware consciously of the intent to deceive as the motivating beliefs or thought patterns may be hidden in the sub-conscious mind. In its chronic form it is referred to as Munchausen Syndrome.

Many health professionals are either ignorant of this condition, are unwilling to cast doubt on reported symptoms or continue to encourage patients in reporting these symptoms for financial gain. Or, it could be that allowing the ‘sick’ person to act out their role is complimented by the ‘healer’ role. This allows people who are seeking ‘health care’, ‘attention’ or drug prescriptions to continue to return for bulk-billed consultations paid for by the government.

In other words, both the ‘sick’ person and the ‘healer’ are perpetrating a fraudulent claim for monetary gain from the government and justify their actions with a bogus science based on a myth.

At other times, it is used by mental health professionals to refuse treatment to people who have obvious and, at times, severe mental health problems. It appears to be a decision based on economics and personal belief rather than an objective examination of presenting facts. This confirms the psychiatry’s status as a bogus science.

As Thomas Szasz tells it, the medicalisation of bogus symptoms began with the widespread acceptance of Freud’s system of psychoanalysis as a science when it is nothing more than a belief system based on base rhetoric. It has less validity in the field of science than Astrology. The general population has fully embraced this bogus science because it validates their tendancy towards malingering.

The end result is that Emergency department waiting rooms are full of people with minor ailments that could be treated with first aid techniques, homeless people looking for a warm place to sleep on cold nights and people with addictions to illicit substances looking to make a ‘score’. The remainder are made up of people with genuine injuries requiring emergency treatment.

Acute psychiatric inpatient treatment facilities and emergency service first responders’ time and manpower is taken up with responding to people with imagined or feigned symptoms trying to manipulate the system for their own gain. Whether these symptoms are deliberately falsified or sub-consciously created through some underlying dis-ease process of the mind, the amount of resources dedicated to responding to their perceived ‘need’ is huge.

The people being neglected through this massive drain on resources are the people with serious mental health dis-ease conditions who are in spiritual crisis. The malingerers are using up valuable resources that should be channelled towards the people in real need. These people are often assessed with chronic conditions that don’t respond to pharmacological treatment and discharged to live with their ‘illness’. These people are usually viewed as being not worth spending time on.

Not only does the treatment system fail them in trying to treat a disorder of the mind with physical methods and then deems them unworthy of trying something different. Continuing to hold the position that a disorder of thought is caused by a chemical imbalance or genetic flaw rather than the more logical cause as being a mistaken belief or erroneous thinking pattern resulting in abnormalities in behaviour and function.

It seems that the malingerer fits more easily into the medical model as they too are looking for an answer that would absolve them of their responsibility for their own health. And so, creates the malingerers heaven that is our current general and mental health systems.

I’ll leave the last word to DJ Jaffe:

08/05/201815/06/2019

Myth of Mental Illness

The Myth of Mental Illness

“If you talk to God, you are praying; If God talks to you, you have schizophrenia. If the dead talk to you, you are a spiritualist; If you talk to the dead, you are a schizophrenic.” – Thomas Szasz, ‘The Second Sin: Schizophrenia’ (1973)

This quote from Thomas Szasz, a leading psychiatrist and outspoken critic of coercive psychiatry, and summarises society’s attitude towards people with an alleged mental illness.

He went further in his book ‘The Myth of Mental Illness‘, saying that mental illness was created as we moved out of ‘The Age of Faith’ into ‘The Age of Reason (Madness)’ with the rise in power of science as an influence on social thinking.

His work is “based on the principles that each person has the right to bodily and mental self-ownership and the right to be free from violence from others”.

It is beyond the scope of this post to provide enough evidence of the fact that ‘Mental Illness’ is a myth created by society to keep certain members of our society under control. All I can do is provide you with some information to think about and pointers on where to find more information! People under the ‘care’ of our psychiatric services deserve better assistance, not further abuse.

As we have moved out of The Age of Faith, we can no longer torture and burn witches and heretics. In The Age of Reason, we assess them as being deviant and requiring treatment to make them ‘normal’. They are incarcerated in ‘Treatment Facilities’ and given ‘psychotropic drugs’ to stop them from thinking. We label them as ‘Insane’ and strip them of dignity.

Our current model of treatment and care

Psychiatry is a sub-branch of Allopathic Medicine and, as such, is based on the belief that disorders and malfunctions of the human body are caused by a disorder, or imbalance, of the chemistry of the physical form. With this belief structure, psychiatry believes that a person’s thoughts and behaviour are determined by a person’s inner chemistry. In effect this removes responsibility of the person for their behaviour as they have no control over their chemistry and are a victim of the circumstances of heredity. Their DNA inherited from their family determines how they will think, behave and act.

The Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) produced by the American Psychiatric Association, is the ‘Bible’ used by all psychiatric services in the Western World to diagnose and treat ‘Mental Illness’. The DSM is currently in its fifth edition. It started as a guide to physicians when in 1840 a condition was identified and named by southern alienists as ‘Drapetomania’, an inexplicable, mad longing of a slave for freedom. This ‘malady’ has since been recognised as a false diagnosis and removed. By the 1880’s, seven conditions were added including; Mania, Melancholia, Monomania, Paresis, Dementia, Dipsomania and Epilepsy. By 2000, the DSM-IV-TR has 365 conditions recognised as ‘Mental Illnesses’.

The DSM is “a medical classification of disorders”. It defines a mental disorder as; “a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning. Mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities. An expectable or culturally approved response to a common stressor or loss, such as the death of a loved one, is not a mental disorder. Socially deviant behavior (e.g., political, religious, or sexual) and conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are not mental disorders unless the deviance or conflict results from a dysfunction in the individual, as described above” DSM-V pg-61.

The DSM also determines that these disorders have a classification of disease or illness. This puts these disorders into the realm of having a biological cause. It is believed that imbalances of neuro-transmitters within the brain cause aberrant thoughts and behaviour. It places these conditions into different ‘Axis’.

The main effect that determining ‘mental illness’ has a biological cause and can be treated with pharmacology is that it is no longer a mental illness. When a condition has a physical cause within the brain, it is a Neurological condition and, therefore, falls outside the realm of Psychiatry. A blood test should be able to predict the likelihood of developing the condition and surgery or medication should provide relief, if not, a cure.

So, what is a Mental Illness?

By definition, a mental illness is a condition of the mind that is unhealthy or in a state of disease. It is easy to determine a physical illness because our body ceases to function in a correct way and we experience some loss of function with pain or discomfort as a result. Certain physical markers are able to be detected using blood tests indicating the malfunction.

Does the same definition apply to the mind? When our mind ceases to function in a correct way and we experience some loss of function with pain and discomfort as a result. I would say, “Yes, except there are no blood tests to determine if someone has a mental illness.” If you search online, you will find many ‘promising’ research studies dating back to the 1970’s all with the tag ‘may have found possible links’. But with all of science’s might it has not, and probably will not, be successful in finding a blood test for mental illness.

As to the cause of the malfunction within the mind, I differ markedly from the scientific view. Science would have us believe that errant thinking and behaviour is caused by a genetic predisposition and imbalances of bodily chemistry combined with certain stress factors. For instance, it is believed that Depression is an inherited fault within certain families which causes the levels of serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine to be out of balance. By giving certain medications these levels can be regulated and symptoms relieved. Once the symptoms are controlled, further work can be done to correct errant thought patterns and better stress management techniques.

While this is good in theory, the application of this process is sometimes deficient. Particularly in the public health system. Often, because it is too costly to provide the ongoing support and treatment, there is too great a reliance placed on pharmacology providing a ‘miracle cure’.

For an explanation of the history of the treatment of depression with drugs like ‘Prozac’, have a look at this article.

In my view, the cause of the imbalance of neurotransmitters is the errant thinking or inner belief that leads to aberrant behaviour. As our minds are the creators of our reality, our minds create the changes in brain chemistry as a result. By giving psychotropic medication we can only ever give symptomatic relief because we haven’t changed the underlying thought, belief or value that the person is acting on. This is the mind-spirit connection that controls the physical form.

A mental illness then is not a physical illness but a disorder of the mind and the spirit.

A Spiritual Crisis

There is no blood test for someone going through a Spiritual Crisis. It is by its very nature an individual experience. No two people experience the same thing.

As an example, I was working in an Acute Admissions Ward within a Psychiatric Hospital as a Psychiatric Nurse. During the evening, it became time to dispense the evening medications. The nurse assisting me and I had been discussing some issues around the efficacy of psychiatry and personal experiences. We came to a patient who had been admitted for treatment for a psychotic condition where he believed aliens were talking to him telling him to do all sorts of bad things. The medication caused him to feel numb and he didn’t care so much about the voices (his report of the effects of the medication).

The nurse and I continued our rounds and our discussion shifted to things spiritual. She began telling me that she heard the voices of ‘Angels’ that guided her through her daily activities. Her face visibly brightened when she spoke of her experiences and she found it joyful.

The difference between the two people’s experiences started me thinking. How is it that two people can have ‘auditory hallucinations’, one positive and the other negative? What is the difference? I concluded that the main difference is how the ‘hallucinations’ were perceived and interpreted. As well as the effect they had on the people’s lives. One helped her to function more successfully, the other meant he lost his job and was homeless. Each person had experienced something, perceived it as being of a certain value and created an explanation as to how and why it happened. Each described a period of great turmoil in their lives when their ‘voices’ first appeared, but each dealt with it differently.

Each person experienced ‘psychotic episodes’, because we all know that aliens and angels don’t exist, right!

In their perception of reality, they do. Who are we to say that they did not, or do not, hear what they say they hear? The fact is that they hear voices telling them things. We call it an hallucination because we don’t hear them. It doesn’t mean they aren’t real.

Is the ability to hear or see things other people can’t a sign of mental illness? Obviously their reality is very different to ours. That does not necessarily make them ill or suffering from a disease. My nursing colleague was euphoric from her experiences and obviously benefited from it.

If we accept that these perceptions are real, then it comes down to how they are interpreted to explain the difference in experience.

In my post on Higher Sense Perception, I used an analogy of a computer representing our brain. A computer has a hard drive that records and stores information much like our physical brain. On the hard drive is stored an operating system and software that controls how the computer functions. Our mind (software) and spirit (operating system) pick up information from the brain (hard disk) and the environment via our physical body (the Human Interface Device; keyboard, touchpad) and acts upon it.

If you are running software that is capable of hearing or seeing inter-dimensionally, is it operating effectively when you hear ‘voices’ or see things that ‘aren’t there’. Or, is it malfunctioning?

Even if the computer is bringing back wrong information due to broken code in the operating system (spirit) or software (mind), why try to fix the hard drive (brain) when it is simply the recorder of information? If the code is broken, fix the code. Oh yes! That takes time and effort. Lets just press the reset button or better yet, install a new operating system and update the software. No need to fix the hard drive unless it is physically damaged!

Our current system for treating ‘mental illness’ is trying to fix a brain that is not broken. When a system of treatment is based on a ‘lie’ and treatment decisions are based on that ‘lie’, an act of violence is the result.

A New Operating System

Anyone who has installed a new Operating System on their computer knows how difficult and time-consuming that can be. When it comes to changing your spiritual operating system, and related mind software, it can take years or decades. But with the right guidance and assistance, it is possible.

Particularly in the public health system, we need a new way of treating people in mental and spiritual crisis that does not use systematic coercive violence to help them regain control over their lives. This shift can only happen when we truly respect our fellow travellers and use methods that do not de-humanise and degrade.

We need to be helping people in mental and spiritual crisis not treating them as a set of symptoms or as if diseased!

22/04/201826/04/2018

Shaman’s Journey

The Shaman’s Journey

Each Shaman, or Clever-man/Clever-woman, has their own journey to travel in developing their skills. No two experiences are the same and each must navigate the experience with guidance from spirit.

There are common threads within each story that indicate their vocation to the healing arts. This is something that science, and the science-minded, cannot or will not understand. One story does not fit all! There is no right or wrong, only the experience!

The pendant pictured here is a symbolic summary of that shamanic journey. It was designed by me from my experiences in 1995 and has taken 23 years to come to a point where it can now be printed using 3D Printing technology from Shapeways.

This pendant and others are available at our Dragonweb on Shapeways Store.

The following is a brief explanation of the symbolism behind the design.

The First Level

In each case of shamanic development, a person will experience a crisis of some description that threatens to destroy the person. This crisis is focused in either of the physical, mental or spiritual planes, and flows through to effect all levels of existence. Often this is referred to as the ‘death of the shaman’. The death usually being metaphysical but it can be the physical death. The three deaths of the shaman are; falling, drowning and hanging.

The outer ring symbolises the higher self or super-consciousness and its influence on our lives. It is the divine consciousness.

Falling

The first death of falling can be a physical fall or a metaphysical fall. A physical fall is fairly self evident, whereas a metaphysical fall is symbolic. It can be a fall from grace or as the saying goes, “Pride comes before a fall”. The 16th card of the Tarot displays a fall caused or brought about from a sudden revelation that destroys the ego constructions that we build to form towers of knowledge or rationalisation that support our view of the world.

The lightning bolt from the superconsciousness or higher-self destroys those false structures and bring them tumbling down. The return to a more realistic understanding occurs and we again begin to build better structures based on our new understanding. The figures falling represent the male and female consciousness as it descends back to earth.

The Shaman must be comfortable with the destruction of old ways of thinking and be able to recognise thinking constructions based on universal truth.

Drowning

The second death is of drowning and can be a physical drowning event or a meta-physical one. The meta-physical drowning is one where the consciousness becomes totally overwhelmed and the Shaman releases their conscious control and allows the death to occur and the currents take them into a new dimension. Struggling against the forces influencing the descent into oblivion make the experience more painfull.

Death is a transition from one plane of existence to another. The old body falls away and a new form emerges. The sun rising between the two pillars near the horse’s head indicates the bringing of a new awareness or consciousness.

Hanging

The third death is that of hanging and can be physical or meta-physical. The meta-physical death of hanging usually involves some form of suspension, artificial or temporary hanging, that prevents the continuation along a path.

To be suspended by the ankle with arms bound behind you indicates an inability to alter the outcome. When you suspend any form of action on your own part to influence the outcome, effects the outcome.

The Hanged Man is also The Dancer from the 22 Card, but inverted, which indicates that this stage is part of the dance of life in harmony with the Universal Consciousness.

This lightning bolt symbol used in the Shaman Pendant indicates those three deaths leading to the transformation of being.

The Second Level

The pendant has 3 concentric rings spaced at 11mm, 22mm, and 33mm from the centre point. These are the ‘Master Number’ vibrations for the Physical, Mental and Spiritual planes.
The three rings of the second level represent the three planes of existence, or being, of the human experience; Physical, Mental and Spiritual. These are the mind, body and spirit referred to in many ‘New Age’ self help books.

Physical Plane

The physical plane is anything that is manifest into our physical reality and able to be perceived with our physical senses.

Mental Plane

The mental plane is anything that exists in our mental reality and able to be conceptualised with thought. In other words is able to be perceived with our mental senses.

Spiritual Plane

The spiritual plane is anything that exists in our spiritual reality and able to be perceived with our spiritual senses.

The Third Level

The symbol at the third level is common within many cultures but is most recognised within the Christian teachings. It is commonly associated with the ‘Christ Consciousness’.

In Druidic and Wiccan symbology this symbol represents the act of rebuilding. To rebuild oneself following death is part of the Shaman’s journey.

In the christian symbol, the central trunk is replaced with a ‘P’ and the horizontal arm removed symbolising ‘The Christ’, with an underlying hexagram shape.

The amulet’s construction of crosses, also gives an indication of an underlying form of the Octogram or octogon. The eight sided polygon represents the eight cardinal directions used in cartography and occult practices.

The north, south, east and west directions are primary directions in many esoteric and religious ceremonies. The offset directions are representative of our state of being when we are ‘off-kilter’. In this state we are no longer directly connected to the universal energy flows of the higher levels of consciousness represented by the outer ring.

The Octogon is also used in the structure of the Bagua or Pagua used in Feng Shui to represent the bringing together of physical and energetic forces.

At the top of the central cross is a triangle with its point to the top.

This orientation of the triangle is usually representative of the masculine or divine energies. It also represents the element of fire in Alchemy.

At the bottom of the central cross is a triangle with its point to the bottom.

This orientation of the triangle is usually representative of the feminine or earth energies. It also represents the element of water in Alchemy.

At the end of the right arm of the central cross is a Pentagram.

The pentagram has been associated with the practice of magic. It is also the prime number used in Fibonacci sequencing and fractal geometry.

At the end of the left arm of the central cross is a Septagram or the Magian Star polygon.

The number seven has long been associated with the spiritual or occult realm.

The Final Level

At the centre of the whole structure bringing the pendant into a central point is the Hexagram Star, or Star of David as it is commonly referred to.

The Magen Dawid or Hexagram Star at the centre is commonly accepted within eastern thinking to represent the ‘Heart Chakra’ and in the west to represent the perfect manifestation of divine and earth energies in complete harmony. This is our aim in developing higher sense perceptions to aid in our healing work.

Working from the ‘Heart Chakra’ channeling those energies into another person so they can heal themselves is the aim of the Shaman. We are a channel for the healing energy, not the source of the healing.

For more information and a deeper understanding of the significance of the symbol look at Hexagram on Wikipedia.

The Shaman Journey Pendant, or amulet, is representative of the path of the Shaman in the development and recognition of their vocation.

25/03/201829/03/2018

The Science Myth

The Myth of Science

Science has been defined as “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment” or “is the study of the nature and behaviour of natural things and the knowledge that we obtain about them.” The study of science then should disprove or dispel myths. However, science can create its own myths or stories that many people believe but it is actually untrue. Like the myth that all progress is good.

The Natural World

One of the main myths of science is that scientists only study the ‘Natural World’ through observation and experiment. An explanation, or hypothesis, is developed to explain an observed phenomena. Then to prove the hypothesis, experiments are conducted within strict guidelines to ensure untainted results are recorded. Any results that contradict the hypothesis are often judged to be the result of a random anomaly or failure to control the experiment. In medicine these are often recorded as paradoxical events or the result of ‘The Placebo Effect’. More on this at another time.

The natural world studied by science is restricted to what can be proven, i.e, seen with the eyes, felt by touch, smelt with the nose, measured with some piece of technology or replicated by independent sources. This tends to restrict science to only examining about 5% of the natural universe, 95% of the universe cannot be observed with our five physical senses or a device created by man for the express purpose of measuring what we expect to measure. What these devices don’t measure is what else exists in harmony with the effects or substances being measured. The device is limited to only find what we have programmed it to find.

By definition the ‘Natural World’ includes “all of the animals, plants, and other things existing in nature and not made or caused by people” (Merriam-Webster). This is a broad definition but creates the delineation as being ‘created or caused by people’. Those things created by people would include all forms of technology or devices that we have created through the centuries to make living in this world easier. What has existed prior to our interference is part of the natural world. It becomes a little blurry at times when you consider that a substance, like gypsum is part of that natural world but when we apply certain techniques to that substance, it becomes dry wall plaster sheet that we use to line the walls of our homes and is therefore not natural.

Science would have us believe that the only substances that exist in the natural world are those able to be measured or observed through the use of scientific methods. In the 19th century, if you told someone that within the next 100 years people would be able to communicate with another person on the other side of the world while standing in a paddock, you would have been thought to be crazy, or a magician. Scientists discovered ways to use and manipulate the already existing energy to transmit and receive signals in that hidden environment and the use of mobile phones is now common place with people talking to friends on the other side of the world while walking down the street.

Many scientists now recognise that this world exists even though they cannot see, measure or observe it. The only thing they can see is the effect created when the energy is manipulated. Much the same way as a scientist experimenting in the area of Quantum Physics measures the existence of sub-atomic particles by examining the effects those particles have on the natural world around them and decide that those particles probably exist, even though they cannot be seen, measured or observed. This mass that does not reflect light is referred to as ‘Dark Matter’. The energy that cannot be detected with existing equipment is referred to as ‘Dark Energy’. It’s there but they don’t know how to measure it. Dark Matter and Dark Energy make up approximately 95% of the universe but cannot be observed by science or proven to exist. It is believed that they exist because their effects can be measured or seen. It is the matter and energy that holds everything in their place.

It is with this in mind that we revisit the works of someone like H.P. Blavatsky (“ISIS Unveiled”, 1875) who has been widely regarded as being a crackpot and a spiritualist charlattan. In her first volume sub-titled ‘Science’, she explores the concept of the ‘ether’ as those forms of matter and energy that science cannot, will not, conceed exists because it is too challenging for many in the scientific community to accept as a possibility. To admit that a hidden invisible natural world exists that cannot be explained is way too challenging. So, a label is put on it so it can be classified to fit in to the scientific world view. It is called ‘supernatural’ or ‘paranormal’ so those phenomena can be excluded from the natural world. However,those phenomena are part of the natural world when they are not caused by people but are seen or perceived by people.

The Invisible Natural World

This invisible, immeasurable, undetectable world exists whether you choose to believe or not. If you want to see the possible future, look at the works of science fiction that exist. Science fiction writers are at the fore-front of scientific exploration through the use of their imagination. Without Jules Verne’s 19th century writing of his nuclear powered submarine in “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” which certainly inspired the development of them in the 20th century.

Ask any child to tell you about ‘Dark Matter’ and ‘Dark Energy’. It is part of the storylines in ‘Pokemon’.

The world is full of subtle energy fields, spirits and hidden forces accessible by some and recognised by many. It is the magical world of myths, legends, psychics, mediums, spiritual healers, paranormal and superstition. This world is real! It is arguably more real than the veneer of civilisation we have created to try and displace it.

As science progresses in its understanding of the natural world, we see advances in the use of these hidden energy fields like Quantum Locking. Quantum Locking occurs when a super-conductor is frozen with liquid nitrogen and can be placed within a magnetic field and will hold its position without any observable support. Appearing to ‘hang’ in mid-air supported by unseen forces that defy logic.

While I cannot on this site prove the existence of spirit entities and subtle energies that influence how we think and behave, anyone who is sensitive to those influences knows what I am talking about. And just because you haven’t experienced them does not mean they don’t exist. It means you haven’t recognised the influence it has on you and, therefore, haven’t experienced them. Maybe you would think differently if you open your mind to the possibility of their existence.

I have met many people who swear they have been visited by the dis-embodied spirit of their husband, wife, father, mother, grandparent or other significant person not long after their death. It may be a trick played by their grieving mind. But, what if it isn’t?

The plethora of intelligent people who use Alternative and Wholistic Medicine in its many forms, as described by Richard Gerber in his book ‘Vibrational Medicine‘, when it is not subsidised by government funding ‘because it works’. While ‘Science’ requires proof of the effectiveness of such treatment systems, it rejects forms of evidence that does not meet its strict guidelines governing such evidence. Anecdotal evidence, stories told by people who have experience some change or benefit from these complementary techniques, is not acceptable evidence according to rigid thinking scientific mind. The Platonian myth that only rational, logical argument is ‘true knowledge’ is blatantly false and is probably the source of the elitist view that many scientists seem to have about science’s place in the world.

The knowledge of the Ancients is not to be ignored. Any group of people who could build pyramids and other structures that cannot be constructed using modern equipment and building techniques should not be ignored. The Ancients worked in harmony with those hidden forces using techniques lost to the modern age.

The great science myth is that ‘if we can’t see, measure or observe it, it doesn’t exist’ or ‘if we can’t prove it, it doesn’t exist’! It’s sort of like standing on a railway track with your back to the oncoming locomotive saying ‘If I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist!’

“… the way in which certain results of quantum mechanics are presented seems to signal the return to a religious view of the world, as indicated by the break with a deterministic vision of natural phenomena. The ultimate essence of matter leaves space for the unforeseeable since quantum mechanics presents the results of its calculations by means of a mathematical language that expresses uncertain phenomena.” (‘Myth’: INTERS – Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science, edited by G. Tanzella-Nitti and A. Strumia, www.inters.org)

13/10/201713/10/2017

Original Spirituality: Out of Australia

Original Spirituality

What is the Original Spiritual belief system that has influenced all religious belief systems? There is a common thread within all religions worldwide, that of the existence of a God (supreme being) or Gods (lesser deities). That we have a soul or inner spiritual connection to the supreme being. What are the origins of a belief in a supreme being? Why are the stories from different cultures so similar?

The earliest monotheistic belief system recorded is Zoroasterism. Sometime around 6300BC, Zarathustra travelled away from his homeland, reportedly into the area now known as India, and studied the Rig-Veda and Gathras of the Hindu faith, as it is now known. What he studied was partly recorded and partly oral tradition. But where did that oral tradition about a supreme being come from?

In his own country, Persia, the people believed in many gods. They had a god for every occasion. They were the gods of the earth spirits, similar to the Wicca spirits, of the weather, trees, water, animals and elementals.

Zarathustra returned home to Persia and began teaching about the one supreme being, Ahura Mazda which in Persian means the ‘Lord of Wisdom’. The supreme being created all things from out of a void. Creating first the earth, then water and air and land. The supreme being was the source of all life.

The Zoroasterian teachings spread throughout the Middle East, Egypt and the Mediterranean, into Africa and the lower parts of Europe. By around 600BC, the Zoroasterian beliefs had been adopted by the Egyptians, was the basis for the Judaism and Islamic faiths and was accepted the Greek philosopher Aristotle as the foundation for his new science.

Could it be that all religious belief systems come from the one source!

But where did the origin of those teachings come from?

In the tradition of the ‘Dreamtime’ of the Aboriginal people of Australia, the oldest oral tradition of a supreme being responsible for the creation of this world has been taught for over 60,000 years. Passed down from generation to generation, the oral tradition of the ‘Dreaming’ has been proven to be incredibly accurate.

According to Evan and Steven Strong on their website, Forgotten Origin, the Aboriginal (original people) spirituality and teachings may be the source of all religious belief systems as it is the oldest recorded belief in a single supreme being who created the earth. egyptian glyphs

They have been able to demonstrate through archealogical finds from around the world and Mitochondrial DNA testing that Aboriginal travellers visited many parts of the world and were visited by people from other lands. For example, the Egyptian hieroglyphs found near Gosford in New South Wales. It is believed that two Egyptians visited the Gosford area approximately 4300 years ago for spiritual guidance, according to the local elders.

Mitochondrial DNA testing has revealed that Aboriginal DNA can be traced back to one of two sources of DNA variants over 400,000 years old. That seems to give credence to Wegener’s theory of Continental Drift where the super continent of Pangea broke in two and Gondwanaland drifted away. Two distinct DNA patterns on two continents. This massive landmass then broke up into Australia, Africa, Antartica, India and South America drifting into their current positions.

The elders of the Original People tell a very similar story. Myth or fact?

07/10/201711/10/2017

Zoroaster: The First Monotheist

Zoroaster: The Persian Monotheist

Zoroaster was a Persian monotheistic teacher who is reputed to be the first spiritual preacher who proposed that there is only one supreme being who he called Ahura Mazda. In the Persian language, Ahura Mazda is translated as meaning “mighty wisdom” or “lord of wisdom”.

According to some Greek historians, Zoroaster lived approximately 600BC However, under his Persian name, ‘Zarathustra”, he is recorded to have lived around 6000BC and has a large body of written works attributed to him.

The Persian Gathas attributed to Zarathushtra were written in a language similar to Sanskrit and the Rig-Vedas of Indian tradition.

In the Gathas, Zoroaster sees the human condition as the mental struggle between asa (truth) and druj (lie). The cardinal concept of asa – which is highly nuanced and only vaguely translatable – is at the foundation of all Zoroastrian doctrine, including that of Ahura Mazda (who is asa), creation (that is asa), existence (that is asa) and as the condition for Free Will, which is arguably Zoroaster’s greatest contribution to religious philosophy.

The purpose of humankind, like that of all other creation, is to sustain asa. For humankind, this occurs through active participation in life and the exercise of constructive thoughts, words and deeds.

Elements of Zoroastrian philosophy entered the West through their influence on Judaism and Middle Platonism and have been identified as one of the key early events in the development of philosophy. Among the classic Greek philosophers, Heraclitus is often referred to as inspired by Zoroaster’s thinking. Contemporary Zoroastrians often point to the similarities between Zoroaster’s philosophy and the ideas of Baruch Spinoza. Zoroasterism was a major religious and philosophical system of belief that spread across Persia into Egypt and the Indian continent.

Zarathustra is regarded as the first source of knowledge on astrology and the magical arts. As a magi, he taught the healing practices and performed religious ceremonies.

The belief that Ahura Mazda was the supreme being who created all things, good and evil, soon devolved into a dualist belief that good and evil were seperated into two beings who were in conflict with each other.

According to mythical belief, Ahura Mazda was an alien god possibly from the Plieades along with Mithra and Anahita. They are depicted as arriving in ‘spaceship’ type craft to communicate with Zarathustra. He is also pictured travelling in a spaceship type craft travelling to meet with the god Ahura Mazda.

As such, Zarathustra’s (Zoroaster) philosophy could be the basis on which all monotheistic belief is based. And is regarded as being the source of most religious beliefs that exist on this planet into the modern age.