In a long discussion on various esoteric traditions and belief, the question of what is true arose.
What came out of my mouth was interesting, so I thought I’d share it here. I’ve touched on this in related ways before.
Understanding basically comes in 3 types or stages:
1) The Believer. We follow a teaching or faith.
2) The Maverick or Synthesizer. We ‘figure it out for ourselves’, blending various teachings.
3) The Seer. We experience it for ourselves. Revelation.
The third is of course the key – anything before that is based on belief or the intellect rather than perceived truth. This stage in itself has its own subroutine of “sorting it out”, finding the understanding and language to grasp mentally what has been experienced.
It’s also worth noticing that this is also a fairly typical sequence of personal development. The Tribal keener tends to outgrow the box and become more Individual. Gradually, they have more and more direct experiences until they transcend the ego of Individual and step through Self realization. Then the journey of awakening begins.
And what a journey it is…
Davidya
I agree with your understanding of the stages. But I would change the wording a very little.
State 1 is revelation, stage 3 is realization. Something can be revealed to another but one must realize it on their own.
Enjoy the day!
Hi Christian
Thanks for the feedback – always interesting to have other perspectives. And how others use terms.
The terms I used were about understanding – the third flows from realization. But realization I use not as an understanding or experience but rather a becoming that leads to them. (as in Self realization)
I use revelation in the context of the revealing, experiences of higher reality. Certainly such experiences can bring one onto the path and seek a faith or understanding to relate to it. But the revelation I refer to here is more ongoing or permanent rather than a fleeting experience. Again, from a realization flows revelation. These are the doors that, once opened, stay open.
Some people also equate seer with someone who sees the future. I use it to mean someone who sees the higher aspects of reality. Pre-universe values, for example, are perceived directly rather than being a belief or concept. It changes the dynamic from a philosophical debate to finding ways of describing what is.
It’s remarkable we communicate as much as we do given the variety in how we relate to terms. Science has put great effort into an agreement on the meaning of terminology. That has not come to spiritual circles yet.