Anxious Philosophy

reply to post by ErroneousDylan

Of course, how does a God go from being "God" to a naive individual, clueless to all in this Universe.

You should spend less time contemplating useless and solutionless theorems and more time studying metaphysics - by which I mean to refer to, Kabbalah, or more generally, Semitic metaphysics.

A created being, by the very fact of his existence, cannot contemplate what lies beyond his dualistic frame of understanding. This is why we are not God - but only a fragmented expression of an aspect.

While we possess the ability to correct and rectify our portion of the cosmos - the part we can understand, we can never, and this is a testament to human fragility, understand the whole. There is always a part - an aspect - that lies outside our understanding, because we ourselves together only constitute a part.. It is that part before creation, that unfathomable center, or in Hebraic logic, that 'hidden' One, which is ultimately responsible for it all.

There's the creator and then there's the created, together they make up the two sides allegorically sung about it in the song of songs; together, they exist in the ancient of days, in infinite light. The former, the giver, the latter, the receiver, and together, constitute 'the whole'. The latter encompasses that which lies beyond our human awareness, while we bring into actuality that which exists only in potentia.

In other words, make room for the other, because you and no one else, nor mankind combined, will ever be able to mend that gap.

Would it be alright to ask why Kabbalistic writings hold more merit than any others?

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


Partly because metaphysics (in terms of an inspired metaphysics i.e. a theosophy) has an end, whereas the questions you contemplate, do not.

When I say "kabbalah" I mean it in a fairly wide-sense, and not the strictly Hebraic kind, hence why I expanded by suggestion with 'semitic metaphysics'.

Anyways, it's worth a look.

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


Not to mention questions that cause you anxiety are not worth contemplating. Especially if the topic of your thought has no logical solution.

This is what any sensible therapist would recommend.

Originally posted by dontreally
reply to post by ErroneousDylan

 

Not to mention questions that cause you anxiety are not worth contemplating. Especially if the topic of your thought has no logical solution.

This is what any sensible therapist would recommend.

Hehe, very true. I have looked into the actual Kabbalah a little bit in the past and found some of it's theories to be bizarre. Of course, no more bizarre than what I have posted haha.

However, I have always been under the impression that God (or the Universe) in an unlimited, mentally-untangible concept. Does the semitic-metaphysical literature claim that God would be represented by something finite? Unless I am misunderstanding.

reply to post by ErroneousDylan

I have looked into the actual Kabbalah a little bit in the past and found some of it's theories to be bizarre.

What in particular did you find bizarre?

However, I have always been under the impression that God (or the Universe) in an unlimited, mentally-intangible concept.

I don't reduce God to any one thing. He is both spirit and matter, since both derive their existence from Him.

He is both a finite concept (or archetype) that can be comprehended (these are the various divine names in the Hebrew language for God, each with their own particular signification) and the Godhead, infinite and unfathomable. He is both subject an object; subject in the sense of being present in all that occurs, individually within each person and creation, and in love (as love) etc, in between them (hence the meaning of the 'angels', such as Mikael 'who is like god', gavriel, 'strength of god', or, read differently, the power of strength, Raphael, 'the healing of god', Samael, the 'blindness of God' etc) and object, in that he is ultimately different and other from any created thing.

He is in short, a complete paradox.

I tried thinking about this once, or twice, and I almost went insane I was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of the paradox. And it's that fear from the feeling which causes the subsequent anxiety.

Does the semitic-metaphysical literature claim that God would be represented by something finite?

In a way, God is represented in the finite, inasmuch as He is the Creator and Sustainer of nature, giving each form it's own particular significance which is reflected in the material realm (everything in the world is a manifestation of it's archetypal principle).

Hence, the Kabbalists say the entire Torah is written in the 'names' of God. A name is a representation, or a 'ticker' for something more abstract. Everything in creation thus serves as a means to know something tangible about Gods nature.

In a general sense, the tetragrammaton is seen as the form, and Elohim the substance of creation. Or, said differently, YHWH is the personal God, whereas Elohim is the impersonal force present within nature (which has the same numerical value as the name Elohim)...

This is what the Shema Yisrael (Hear Israel, YHWH is Elohim, YHWH is One), the central mantra of Judaism is about. YHWH, the personal God who is involved with each creature in an intimate and emotional way, is the same as Elohim, the creator and animating force behind nature.

I gave you a S&F from the heart.
Regardless that it causes you anxiety, you've just made one of most meaningful discoveries of your life.
I say trust your logic, and keep digging. The truth is out there for everyone to see it; we're just too afraid to look at it directly.
You might just had a glimpse of the truth. Don't be afraid. You're not going to be insane.

The philosophy you're starting to construct is called Solipsism (for once it actually IS solipsism, don't get me started on the idiots in that 'I am everything' thread.. "HURR SOLIPSISM"). It is actually considered a syndrome when anxiety begins to manifest as a result of adopting this philosophy:

en.wikipedia.org...

Don't worry, just think your way out of it like I have and everything will be okay, if you smoke pot cut it out for a while also.

Thanks for the replies, all. They mean a lot and I have learned a lot more too. The anxiety is gone for the most part haha I think it was just a slight bit of embarrassing panic. I think, perhaps, I felt trapped inside my own reality lol. Which would line up with the user who suggested Solipsism.

reply to post by dontreally


Thank you, that was very informational. I don't remember much from it but I believe there was some point in there I read about there being something like only 700,000 souls in existence on the Earth and all the other bodies were more-or-less splices or soulless beings. Don't quote me on that, however.

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


Yep that's the feeling you need to evade, friend; also bear in mind that anxiety can actually be a precursor to these thoughts, as well as the opposite being true. Solopsism nearly caused me bad panic attacks on many a lonely night, good luck buddy.

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


You're talking about the Lurianic (a stream of Kabbalah) concept of reincarnation.

It is actually akin to the Buddhist concept in many ways.

In any case, there are serious lapses in the theory of reincarnation, for instance, there are 7 billion human souls alive today: from whence did they come from? Just 600 hundred years ago the worlds population was exponentially less, just 400 million.

The explanation Isaac Luria gives is that each soul is an aspect of a more general soul, incarnating into this world for the sake of elevating (or rectifying, it's 'tikkun') it's animating spark.

This accords with the general kabbalistic axiom, that all mankind is actually apart of one greater soul, or consciousness, called Adam HaRishon (the first man).

But all of the above is just reincarnation, a peripheral subject of the Kabbalah.

Originally posted by WhiteHat
I gave you a S&F from the heart.
Regardless that it causes you anxiety, you've just made one of most meaningful discoveries of your life.
I say trust your logic, and keep digging. The truth is out there for everyone to see it; we're just too afraid to look at it directly.
You might just had a glimpse of the truth. Don't be afraid. You're not going to be insane.

Thank you for your very kind words, WhiteHat. I like to imagine that I am unfolding mysteries but then again I am always doubtful and apprehensive haha.

Originally posted by dontreally
reply to post by ErroneousDylan

 

You're talking about the Lurianic (a stream of Kabbalah) concept of reincarnation.

It is actually akin to the Buddhist concept in many ways.

In any case, there are serious lapses in the theory of reincarnation, for instance, there are 7 billion human souls alive today: from whence did they come from? Just 600 hundred years ago the worlds population was exponentially less, just 400 million.

The explanation Isaac Luria gives is that each soul is an aspect of a more general soul, incarnating into this world for the sake of elevating (or rectifying, it's 'tikkun') it's animating spark.

This accords with the general kabbalistic axiom, that all mankind is actually apart of one greater soul, or consciousness, called Adam HaRishon (the first man).

But all of the above is just reincarnation, a peripheral subject of the Kabbalah.

edit on 5-1-2012 by dontreally because: (no reason given)

I know I could just look this up but for the sake of convenience, can I ask if this unified consciousness of Adam HaRishon is also or the same as God? Or do "God" and Adam exist separately in an arbitrary system?

Because if we were all this Adam consciousness and Adam was God then it would give more validity to the theory of "me being God".

reply to post by ErroneousDylan

Adam HaRishon is also or the same as God? Or do "God" and Adam exist separately in an arbitrary system?

Nothing is arbitrary.

You should really read up on the Kabbalah (many great books on the subject, I would suggest aryeh kaplans 'divine space' as a good introduction) if you want to appreciate this subject more thoroughly.

As for Adam HaRishon being the same as God. Adam HaRishon is a technical term referring to the original, perfected man. All souls derive from this original soul, and so are aspects of it.

The collective consciousness of mankind are NOT God, and it is theological nonsense to assume a collective consciousness could be God. In Kabbalistic language, the collective consciousness of mankind is the same as the Shekinah (the divine presence), but this of course is not God; in the Kabbalistic model, which can be discerned in the song of songs or Rabbinic liturgy, the collective consciousness of mankind is the bridegroom of the creator - YHVH. The former, by seeking it's source, draws the latter towards it; in the same way, a womans innate sensuality draws a man towards her.

It helps to look at this in the context of masculine and feminine. As is known, the masculine is the giver, while the feminine is the receiver. In this context, God, as creator (which is different from God as He is in Himself, i.e. the Godhead) is the giver, while mankind, is the receiver. Therefore, mankind makes up 'half' of the picture, with the creator God as the other half.

Because if we were all this Adam consciousness and Adam was God then it would give more validity to the theory of "me being God".

You are not God. That is crazy talk.

We are Godly beings, made in the image of the Creator, but we are not God Himself.

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


That all depends on what you think about Philosophy. If it is a large factor in your life than it is very understandable that it affected you in this way because many of your thoughts were flipped upside down. No worries here comrade keep trucking on.

It's always seemed to me that philosophy is more an exercise in mental gymnastics than a path to discovering truth. In fact, it disengages you from the search for truth in a way) you end up giving up on the possibility that we can actually KNOW the truth. You can explore different theories on the truth, you can make up your own, but faith that your philosophy, or anyone elses is "The Truth"? Eh....that just slips away......

reply to post by Bluesma


the act of realizing objectively all what u know out of u is by its fact being truly existing as being free fact back

of course only the subject knows then as being its own free sense, that is how philosophy is only out of lonely individual philosophers subjects

it is funny how u perceive truth as a big cake or answer, truth by definition is absolute fact so knowing truth is principally for being ur tiniest free sense relax

reply to post by ErroneousDylan


I have, I have on and off panic attacks and anxiety, and for quite a while depersonalisation. Sometimes i canread something that triggers my depersonalisation if your not sure what that is there is a discirption here and when reading about things such as reality being light interpreted by your brain it made things a lot worse for me. Also reading about buddhism and the dissatchment made it worse for me. But I am slowly being able to manage it.

reply to post by eyesdown


Oh yes, I have had depersonalization and derealization for quite some time now. In fact, I have had it so often that I kind of enjoy it now because it has become so normal. When I first started getting my anxiety that's when I felt like something was wrong. Everything looked out of proportion, in terms of depth. I thought my reality was slipping and that I was truly going crazy but now I know, in scientific terms, that it is just the cortisol being released into my blood that causes my eyes' focus to narrow and give that plastic look to everything.

I am glad to hear you are getting better. I am too, slowly. Sometimes I wonder if it really is better to just take the blue pill haha.