Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
There is some wisdom to be found in understanding the four classical elements: earth, water, air and fire. They may seem a little dated these days when we have classified many elements in the periodic table and we know that water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, and that air contains a number of different elements like nitrogen, oxygen and argon. But there is a simple wisdom in the understanding of the four elements.
You see, the four elements are the expression of the reality that underlies the universe. Earth symbolises stability, unmoving, unchanging solidity. Water symbolises fluidity and continual change. Air symbolises boundlessness, transparency, clarity, being imperceptible but essentially present. Fire symbolises energy, vibration, expression and power. Even from a basic perspective we can see the progression from fire to air to water to earth. It shows the expressive force of fire contracting to air then water then earth. There is a range or spectrum of energy, from the most energetic to the least, from the most unstable to the most stable.
What's this got to do with Non-Duality? It's a way of understanding how the true non-dual nature of Reality is expressed in the appearance of the world. What that means is that the true non-dual nature of Reality is unseen, indivisible, unmoving, unchanging life energy. It's expressed in and through the world in the apparent separation of a Singularity into a spectrum of elements that range from near to far, from high to low, from light to dark, from fire to earth, from life to death. The four elements are the play of the Singularity expressed as an explosion and condensing of frequencies of vibration. In other words, the world of energy, gases, liquids and solids, is an expression of a Singular Reality as if blown apart. High energy is close to the heat, light and source of Life. Low energy becomes cold, distant and dark. Once apparently separated they can then interact as though they are different elements.
But even the most cold and distant of solid forms is not truly impermeably solid. There is only an appearance of solidity. Reality is a Singularity. It doesn't really get blown apart into a range of frequencies. That's just how it appears. The Reality is that there can never be anything other than the Singularity. The four elements are a play of separation that form the building blocks of the world, whilst the world remains timelessly as the Singularity.
The Singularity is the Quintessence. It seems to be the centre of the cross of the four elements, the place from which they have come, the source which separates outwards to form the elements. But truly the Quintessence is timelessly the whole of the elements, without separation. Picture a cross and consider each arm of the cross to be one of the four elements. It's not that the centre is the Quintessence. It is more like the Quintessence is the whole of the cross. The cross is truly undivided. The four elements are never truly separated. They only give the appearance of separation whilst remaining timelessly Whole, eternally One.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
The world appears as a reflection of Reality. The common appearance of reflections in the world makes it a pattern or expression of that which can't be perceived. Reflections appear on the flat surfaces of water or smooth objects, such as glass, polished obsidian, or our commonplace mirrors. Reflections occur in the processing of the visible image in the eye, the echo of sounds off walls, light bouncing off surfaces, and in many human inventions such as radar and x-ray imaging.
Reflections appear as opposites or inverted copies of an original. They may appear more or less accurate depending on the pureness or smoothness of the surface they appear in. They're never absolutely perfect, as they can’t truly be the original. The reflection appears as an inverted inferior copy of the original.
Another pattern I've written about is 'the hollow'. It's commonly found in the world and expresses the infinite empty completeness of Reality. Reflection can be considered in a similar vein. The pattern of reflection expresses the nature of the world as a reflection of Reality.
It would be a mistake to think that 'the world is a reflection of me'. That's not it. The world is what appears or is perceived. That incudes thinking and the sense of identity or 'me'. These are perceived and are part of the world that appears.
This all appears as a reflection of that which cannot be seen or known. The world appears as a multiplicity of many separate things. Some things are alive, some not. This is a reflection of Reality, which is pure infinite indivisible Life. Reality isn't seen, as there is not really a separate one seeing something else. There is no real subject-seeing-object divide.
Humans can't really see themselves, only reflections of themselves. The eye can't see the eye. The Infinite One Being can't see itself. All the Infinite One can do to kind of see itself is to use the appearance of reflection and separation. So there appear beings and a world. It's all the Infinite One expressing itself by aid of reflection, separation and opposites.
The world appears imperfect, reflecting the Perfection of Reality. The world appears to continually move and change, reflecting the Unchanging Stillness of Reality. The world appears as separate forms, reflecting the Formless Indivisible Singularity of Reality.
But the world isn't really imperfect. It doesn't really move and change. There aren't really separate forms. Although the appearance of the world seems to be a reflection of Reality, there can never really be anything other than Reality. There is only ever the Infinite One.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
The wheel is a wonderful spiritual symbol of the universe. Imagine a cart wheel, with a central hub and spokes spreading outwards from the centre. It is used as the symbol of Buddhism for good reason.
The wheel shows how we seem separate from each other. There are billions of people on the planet. We all seem to be separate and distant from each other in some ways. All the people are like the spokes on the wheel. The further we are from the centre, the more separate it seems we are. This applies also to the soul's journey, as it seems to go out from the centre and become more defined and separate from other souls.
This apparent material world appears as a world of separates - so many different life forms, fighting for survival, clashing against each other. The world seems to be far from the centre of Oneness. It is reasonable to expect that there are worlds less dense and less competitive than this one. Worlds that are closer to the centre of Oneness will be less antagonistic. The borders between objects and beings will appear less defined.
It's useful to understand this perspective, that the human form appears defined and separate from other forms in the world, as it is far from the centre of Oneness. Yet, the centre of Oneness is at the heart of all human forms. The centre of Oneness is that core nature which isn't separate. Indeed, at the heart of all beings is One Being. In the centre it is recognised that none are separate. There is only the Wheel. There is only the One. No souls or worlds really stray from the centre. That's the play of the universe in the Oneness of Being. Souls only seem to go out into the world. People only seem to be defined, discrete, and separate from others. Worlds only seem to be dense, heavy and hardened, or to have degrees of density. The higher levels of spiritual manifestation - the more spiritual worlds if you like - would still only seem to be at a lesser distance from Oneness.
Oneness is always here. It can never be broken. The spokes on the wheel only seem to be separate. Really, there is just the wheel. In Non-Duality the aim for the seemingly separate selves that we think we are, is to deeply recognises that there is only One, there are no others, and for this realisation to permeate and dissolve the sense of separation in the human form.
The wheel also demonstrates space and time. The spokes stretch out from the still dimensionless centre, like the dimensions of distance and depth. The turning of the wheel signifies the motion of the world, the change that gives the appearance of time. This spreading and swirling pattern repeats throughout the universe. The significant point is that the centre remains still. Motion cannot appear without Stillness. This still centre is the Heart of Oneness in which the world of motion appears. Truly it is without dimension or change. It is the Here and Now in which the depth and motion of the world is experienced.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
The Yin and Yang symbol originated from Chinese philosophy, which stated that there was an Undifferentiated Oneness (Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate) prior to the appearance of the opposing forces of duality. It's a symbol commonly used in Taoism. There are a lot of similarities with Taoism and Non-Duality. But here I'm going to look at Yin and Yang from the Non-Duality perspective.
It might seem odd for someone reading for the first time that the Yin and Yang symbol relates to an Undifferentiated Oneness. They are opposites, right? So what's that got to do with Oneness. Well, in Non-Duality we recognise that the world appears as an interplay of opposites, but this is illusory in nature. The True Reality (or I could say, the Supreme Ultimate Reality) is Infinite Indivisible Oneness.
The Yin and Yang symbol shows the interplay of opposites enclosed in a circle. The circle represents the infinite oneness. I realise that my books have been about this all along. In the books I explain about The World of Opposites and The Law of Opposites, but I also point out that the Reality is not two. The Reality is the Infinite One. I liken Reality to an Infinite Singularity, the original unmanifest state of being. This sounds a lot like the Undifferentiated Oneness of Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate.
The Yin and Yang symbol (called Taijitu) is a wonderful visualisation of the interacting, flowing forces of the world. The opposites appear as a clear reflection of each other, light and darkness. The opposing forces flow in unison, from one to the other, and one cannot appear without the other appearing. There is an underlying sense that these opposites remain as one.
As I've explained elsewhere, The World of Opposites is an appearance of separation within the Infinite Singularity of Being. It's as if the Infinite Undifferentiated Singularity exploded into a world of opposites, what is like it and what is not like it, what is and what is not. That really seems to be a natural way to make the invisible Oneness visible - by use of opposites or reflection. It seems that what first appears is 'what is' against 'what is not'. Imagine a point of light appearing in the darkness. The point is 'what is' and the darkness is 'what is not'. A duality seems to be created, and this basic duality can combine to form the complex World of Opposites that we experience. It might seem like a huge leap, but imagine how video games have developed from the basic 1 and 0. A world of complex interactions can be developed from this basic dichotomy.
It may seem like a dichotomy - a splitting into two opposites - but it's not really. You see, the Oneness is still here. The Infinite Singularity cannot really be divided in two. It is timeless and unchanging. There is no space or time in the primordial Singularity. So when space and time appear they appear within this Infinite One. This is where we reach over to Hindu philosophy, and the Upanishads, that teach that the Ultimate Reality is our own Aware Being. This Infinite One is who we are. There is none other than the Infinite One. It is the Infinite Consciousness that experiences the world as an interplay of opposites.
Our true nature is not a conflicting or interacting of opposites. We are truly beyond the appearance of the world. The Infinite One cannot truly see itself. Only by aid of reflection and opposites can the Infinite One experience itself as limited forms. The Formless perceives forms. The Changeless perceives change. Yet there is no outside or inside of Infinite Consciousness. The play of separation of opposites appears within the Infinite One, the Ultimate Reality, Pure Consciousness.