Theos-Talk Archives (March 2009 Message tt00173)

A study of religions/religious traditions on a worldwide scale shows
that most people/religionists usually beleive in the literalness of
their religious teachings/stories. Millions of Christians believe in
literalness of the Garden of Eden myth with trees and a talking
snake.  The Muslims have their respective beliefs, etc., etc. etc.

Speaking of my personal experiences, I guess from a fairly early age
I was not NOT inclined to literally accept the Christian religion as
most Christians did and still do! Below  is my first experience that
made it obvious at least to me that "religion" deals with a greater
reality but one need not accept the literalness of the religious
narratives to know that the "stories" embody great spiritual truths
and realities. 

In 1956 when I was a young kid I had my first full blown
encounter with an alternative reality other than the physical.

My sister took me to see the movie "The Ten Commandments."
[ http://us.imdb.com/Title?0049833 ] I was not a religious kid at the
time. I found the movie interesting but not out of the ordinary
until .... the point in the movie where Moses opens the Red Sea using
the serpent-staff.

At that point I had a remarkable inner experience. When Moses
said: "Behold his mighty hand." I experienced a profound altered
state of consciousness or what some might call a peak or mystical
experience.  My waking consciousness was suddenly altered and I
become aware and conscious of a greater reality, a greater
consciousness, a greater being of which I was a part but this greater
consciousness encompassed the whole universe. At the same time I
became aware of a great "force" which welled up in me from the lower
regions of my body and went up thru my chest and head and continued
upward to vast regions beyond. My consciousness was embued with great
bliss and everything appeared in a shining light. It felt to me as
though the whole universe was flowing thru my being. Later in my
teens I thought that it was the River Jordan that flowed thru
me....  :)   

How long this state lasted, I do not know. But even at that early
age, I knew that the staff of Moses was the means by which one can
reach God's "mountain" and the "Promised land." I also perceived that
God's "burning bush" was an immense inner reality.

Of course, one can probably guess that my all-time favorite movie is
still The Ten Commandments. Every time I watch it, I automatically
enter into that greater reality which is represented by God's holy
mountain and the burning bush.

This encounter awakened by Moses' staff was my only mystical
experience until I was in my early teens. I remember in my teens
thinking that the religious myths of Christianity embodied great
spiritual realities but the myths themselves need not be taken in a
literal and physical sense. Some years later when I discovered
Theosophy what HPB said about myths and religions made perfect sense
to me based on my own personal experiences. Of course when I started
studying world religions and mythologies it became even more
obvious!! 

See the dialogue for some of the relevant parts of the movie THE TEN
COMMANDMENTS, especially concerning the "mountain" encounter at:

http://blavatskyarchives.com/hewhohasnoname.htm

After seeing this movie and having this experience, mountains took
on a new meaning for me as you might imagine! I've lived in Tucson
for 36 years and Tucson is more or less  surrounded by mountains.  

When I go to the top of Mount Lemmon which is like an hour's drive
from Tucson:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Lemmon 

it is always like a spiritual experience for me.  I always enter an
altered state of consciousness.  My consciousness is always
expanded....
 
And about 45 miles from where I live in Arizona is Baboquivari
Peak/Moutain, which is the home of I'itoi, the creator god of both
the Tohono O'odham and the Pima Indians.  I'itoi is also known as the
Man in the Maze. A year ago a friend of mine wanted to know what
light Theosophy might throw on I'itoi. Is he a Planetary Spirit or an
Adept or ....?  

Below is a link to my rough notes made at the time which include
links to relevant material in Wikipedia as well as quotes from HPB's
and KH's writings and references to other mythological themes such as
sacred mountains, labyrinths, etc.:
  
http://blavatskyarchives.com/planetaryspirits.htm 

I thought I would share the notes with the group. The notes may make
no sense whatsoever!  

Daniel