A Religion for Everyone
"Why should not we have a poetry and a philosophy of insight and not of tradition, and a Religion by Revelation to us, and not a history of Theirs?" Ralph Waldo Emerson
People tend to look at earlier and collective metaphysical ideas, which have been associated with religion, into which they happen to be born. They tend to develop a concept of "God" based on the concept held by their parents, or their educators, or their community. Every theologian speaks simply of "God" by which he/she intends it to be understood that his/her 'god' is "the God" claiming "truth" had been directly revealed by God.
Religious concepts change as mankind changes. It is said that mankind is given the religion it needs for its current state of development, in the same manner as a child is assigned to the grade in school needed for his or her current state of development. Faith is experiencing a modern resurrection where we need to re-examine our old theological ideas, viewpoints, and teachings to see if these really fit our present state of development. We do not need to put a cap on our understanding, but we need to be constantly developing it further and further.
"Let us learn the revelation of all Nature and thought, that the Highest dwells within us, that the sources of Nature are in our own minds. As there is no screen or ceiling between our heads and the infinite heavens, so there is no bar or wall in the soul where we, the effect, cease, and God, the cause begins. Within us is the soul of the whole; the wise silence, the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related; the eternal One. When it breaks through our intellect, it is Genius; when it breaths through our will, it is Virtue; when it flows through our affections, it is Love." Ralph Waldo Emerson
In terms of philosophy of being, the question of where we find ourselves is a real one. Arising from it are answers to what the cosmos is, what forces brought it into existence and what, individually, happens to be our purpose in living. We can know through an intuition found in wakefulness (the sate of reflection and the consciousness of presence), that there are laws that frame the universe and human life, and that those laws can be not only known but followed.
Harvard professor Robert Nozick states the task very simply in the opening sentence of The Examined Life. "I want to think about living and what is important in life, to clarify my thinking --- and also my life." As a professional philosopher, the serious thinker like Nozick is meant to engage in an active thinking about life in order to clarify it and perhaps discover its meaning and proper direction.
Spiritual teachers, (i.e., Clerics of the Oversoul Associative Religion) are not primarily theologians conforming theories to actualities, but those "ordained of the spirit" helping the penitent see their experiences in the face of "spiritual realties" and aspirations. The integrity implied is not a matter of narrow self, a reductionist view in which personal conscience, or what seems right to me is the last word, but it is rather an affirmation of the capacity of each individual to integrate his or her mind to the Over-Soul, to the final thought, the One Word. All great spiritual teachers insist that true, radical change, or transformation, comes from within.
All the great religions connect this knowledge from within with the faculty of memory. The Doctrine of Recollection is central to all great traditions. It is believed by the devout that all children born into the Jewish faith, for example, know the Torah intuitively (Talmud, Nidda. 3). All children born into the Hindu faith know the Vedas intuitively. And Plato affirmed the same principle (Meno); namely that of all the virtues, wisdom was innate, and all human beings possessed within the "soul" the knowledge at birth to return to the source of their being.
Nature films have shown the phenomenon of the laying and hatching of eggs of the sea turtle. The female comes out of the water, and finds a point on the beach safely above the tide lines. There she digs a hole and deposits hundreds of eggs, covers the nest, and returns to the sea. Eighteen days later a small army of tiny turtles comes flipping through the sand and unerringly makes for the waves as fast as possible before the gulls overhead can dip low enough to pick the little ones off. No more vivid example could be desired of the spontaneity of the quest for the not-yet seen. There is no opportunity here for trial and error, nor is there a question of fear. The tiny turtles know that they must hurry, and they know how to do it. Evidently they know where they are going, too, and that when they get there they must swim, and they know how to do that immediately as they reach the water.
What does it all mean, the awakening to the functioning of Nature all about us, and especially in our own lives? How shall we utilize this recognition? Is it a way of synchronizing the beating of our own hearts in time with the cosmic rhythms? Is it a way of sensing that we are not only the products of our history, but we are also the makers of history, and moreover that we are living history itself? The role of the spiritual teacher, then, is to draw out (from the Latin educate) the knowledge of the Over-Soul --- already within.
It becomes a matter of seeing the "created world" in terms of a "creating principle." This is difficult when we conceive of ourselves as being among "the created" and hence being unable to comprehend that which was before we existed and which will continue after the ego-consciousness with which we identify ourselves no longer exists in the form in which we know it.
The Oversoul Associative Religion, never a dogmatically defined philosophy, has evolved into a meaningful path for today's "free thinking" global community. Its tenets are simple and its Doctrines are easy to follow. Oversoul encourages faith in "God ---the Creator" by direct interaction with Nature.
In the modern world, the destruction of the biosphere and the need for an ecologically valid ethical system places The Oversoul in a new world position. Oversoul is certainly not the only solution toward revising human attitudes and behavior toward the Natural World, however, the institution of the world view is one way of ensuring the survival and well being of all life on Planet Earth. The term Over-Soul is then the awareness of the wholeness and holiness, the Spirit of Life.
Reverent behavior in Nature necessitates a personal commitment towards living in greater harmony with the biosphere. Mankind must use materials in the environment, just as any species, but blatant destruction is self-defeating. A devotion for the welfare of both mankind and the natural environment requires recognition of modern needs for new life styles of creative simplicity, in which we are producers as well as consumers.
Oversoul lifestyle emphasizes personal growth, natural living, creativity, and an attitude of nurture of living things, as opposed to the spiritual decay of materialism, high energy consumption and consumptive forms of work and entertainment. Of course, in an ideal sense this might require planting a small garden, implementing water conservation methods, using solar collectors as energy sources, and eventually refusing to use internal combustion vehicles. Although few are able to fully live up to such ideals, many of the Oversoul strive for a transformation of society where such things can be common place.
The Oversoul Ethics focuses on how to live and on the individual's relationship to the natural order --- and order of which others are a part. One's own well being and that of others depends on it. Since Nature is taken as intrinsically valuable, and because seeking the transcendent in Nature presupposes its preservation and protection, Nature in general and environmental issues in particular, are important to those of the Oversoul Associative Religion.
For the Oversoul member, our biosphere is a part of the Universe and understanding Nature and Nature's God is the first step in understanding one's place in the World. We know that the fulfillment of a meaningful life depends upon a good relationship with our ultimate circumstances. Man and his inventions are also part of the Universe, but they should not be allowed to become out of balance. Imbalance is unhealthy for the biosphere and the individual as well. The promotion of harmony among people and protection of the environment is the ultimate Religious pursuit, both for our personal life and as a societal objective.
Those of the Oversoul have forms of devotion which are significant approached to Religious experience. Communion with Nature may involve artistic expression, nature observation, or various forms of outdoor activity. Wonder, reverence, and awe are promoted by the simple practice of sensory awareness, and a sense of the miraculous is a vital aspect of the Oversoul personal devotion. The member recognizes that becoming connected in a real way with the genuine and awesome power within ourselves, is an authentic form of meditation, transcending the illusionary.
We can all find ways to cultivate our inner selves and help expand our human potential. For example, among the aids to personal evolution is periodic self-analysis. Taking a personal inventory of one's individual assets and liabilities can promote a healthy psychology and implement a lifestyle of fulfillment. (Self-Reliance).
We are living in exciting times. Mankind has engineered fantastic changes in technology and science that offer expanded possibilities and challenges traditional understandings about the nature of the Universe. The use of the Hubble telescope by astrophysicists has verified the aftermath of an explosive cataclysm which created the Universe over 15 billion years ago. The outer edges of the Universe continue to expand into an infinity that is beyond the capacity of the human mind to comprehend. Geneticists present new possibilities in cloning, and computer science offers a vision of a new world shaped by the products of cybernetics, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Every thoughtful person of Planet Earth is deeply concerned with these transitions. These changes present new challenges for traditional ethics and represent paradigm shifts in thinking. The turning of the century for many is a metaphor for these changes and challenges to traditional thinking.
In the context of these changes, the need for Mankind's integration with Nature remains a fertile subject for dialog. Those who recognize the value of scientific progress, yet the essential need to integrate those developments with the fundamental Laws of Nature and the needs of the individual will find value in the philosophical viewpoints and dialog among the members of the Oversoul Associative Religion. The Oversoul is of interest to those who are concerned with many of the traditional questions that natural theologians have always asked, and that religious traditions necessarily address, especially as they begin to address the practical and ethical implications of new technologies and scientific discoveries.
The history of the world is non other than the progress of consciousness of Freedom --- the destiny of the Spiritual world, and --- the final cause of the world at large. We claim to be Spirit's consciousness of its own freedom, and ipso facto, the reality of that freedom --- This is the only aim that sees itself realized; the only pole of response amid the ceaseless change of events and conditions, and the sole efficient principle that pervades them. This was God's aim and purpose with the world; but God is the absolute Being, and can, therefore, will nothing but Himself. (Hagel)
Anyone, regardless of race, gender, or personal religious beliefs may join the Oversoul Associative Religion as a testimony of his/her/their concern for the biosphere and the sincere desire to learn more about "The Laws of Nature" and "Nature's God" and to become good stewards of the abundant gifts bestowed upon us by the Creator for the betterment of all things of Creation.
