Finding Direction

By Jeffrey Morales AOR
First published in OR Briefing 211, Spring 2259

Recently I read an article about religious commitment. The basic premise of the article said we should all “Stick to One Boat” which is implied sticking to one religious philosophy. The one question that occurred to me was: “Is it wise to become one dimensional in thought?” Granted, you need to have a firm set foundation of ideals so you can gain personal and spiritual growth. Also, the vehicle (course of study) you choose to connect with should be comfortable for you, and more importantly agreeable with you. Common sense dictates that an extensive comprehension of a specific philosophy and having the dedication to follow the entire philosophy will best prepare a person to face the multitude of adversities to be encountered over the course of a lifetime. Common sense also dictates that bouncing around “sampling” religions while taking what you like comes easy and disregarding the rest will only achieve a superficial comfort that will shatter at the first moment of crisis. If life was only so simple that you could recreate the truth to fit your wishes; things would be so much better, wouldn’t they? Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way.

A problem with many people this day and age is that they refuse to relinquish or look beyond pre-programmed dogmatic philosophies of being subservient to an all knowing, all powerful deity. Why would intelligent people let outside influence dictate what they should or should not believe? Another aspect of dogmatic blindness is people accept the written “word” at face value and are either too lazy or not mentally up to the challenge of seeking the truth. It is also unfortunate that western orthodox religions compound the problem by offering a “flexible” philosophy so that they can remain in good graces with the majority populace. The result is the sacrifice of ancient wisdom in order to maintain popularity. This “new” religious/business philosophy disrespects all the ancient scholars and other brave individuals who sacrificed their lives for the betterment of mankind. To put it in the most simplistic terms, organized exoteric western orthodox religion is corrupt. Money and power override tradition and knowledge. In time the world will be full of spiritual nomads because religions will have lost all profound meaning, since they are ever changing to placate society’s wishes. Some may disagree with this, but in time the truth will unveil it self and the issue will eventually have to be dealt with.

Does humanity even need religion? Science can only go so far, and it has been said that where science ends, religion begins. It is the imagery of mythology and theology that prompts us to ask the unanswerable questions. It is the insatiable desire of the human spirit that challenges our minds to seek out the answers that were not once readily available to us before. So the answer is absolutely; we do need religion.

However, it does not need to focus on being a slave to unknown powerful anthropomorphic gods who demand the selfish, singular attention of a small child. There are two facts to remember: 1.) Religion was written by man’s hand. While some may argue an incarnated deity wrote the religions doctrines of the world under the guise of different names, or a personally enlightened human scribe was selected by the “creator” to write on the deity’s behalf, the end result is the same. Man has also edited and revised religious doctrine an unfathomable amount of times and each time human interpretation distorts the original message a little bit more.

2.) Religion is not all factual truth. It is not a one stop shopping center for all the answers to humanity’s questions. It is however one very important aspect to the evolution of wisdom in mankind. No individual should limit their spiritual and mental evolution by accepting a singular aspect of knowledge. To begin the exciting journey in the discovery of truth, you will need to free yourself of all preconceived prejudice and outside influences.

A measure of wisdom eachman shall have,
But never too much to let him know;
For the wise man’s heart
is seldom happy,
If wisdom too great he has won.

Havamal –  stanza 55

Occult teachings provide the best example of commitment to ancestral teachings. My religion, (Odinism) follows the philosophy of showing respect and being in synchronicity with all aspects of the universe. Odin-Allfather is the embodiment of consciousness and wisdom located in the centre every person’s soul. Giving Odin an anthropomorphic quality and a dogmatic doctrine takes away from his godlike divinity. It is his representation and meaning that offers inspiration, and the true power comes from my personal commitment to align my life with those positive attributes. As an enlightened spirit within man, Odin resides in Valhalla. Valhalla is at the center of the human spirit (not in the clouds) and to achieve a place along side him in the great hall all one needs to do is achieve peace within the “self”. That is the object of spiritual religion – inner peace. You don’t need to wait for death to find your version of heaven. It’s available right now, and to get there you need to look within yourself, ask the questions important to you, and then have the courage to discover the answers you seek. Odinism (a form of polytheism) gives tribute to the very things the universe and Midgard provided the Northern European people to survive. To take the Poetic Eddas or the Sagas at face value would be confusing & abate the true meaning intended by Odinic ancestors. There is no Odinic dogma, only the root fundamentals of homogeneity and skynsemi (common sense).

Every religion has an underlying message waiting to be discovered. However that message is not for the timid. No one really knows for certain exactly what happens at the end of this lifetime of ours; although there are numerous opinions. To find direction you need to realize that the true spiritual power of mankind lies in the soul of man. A law of thermodynamics states energy cannot be created or destroyed but, instead, it can only be converted. The human soul is a receiver for that energy. The more knowledge you have, the stronger the receiver. There are no limits in the studies of metaphysics. There are many keys out there to answer humanity’s questions-your questions. The mysteries of the universe, heavenly kingdoms, and the human soul are all vital components to the evolution of humanity. The first step is asking questions; the next step is having the passion to find the answers. From these steps you will begin finding direction.