As we have explored meditation instructions and doctrinal perspectives as taught by the many apophatic spiritual teachers over time and across different cultures, we now know that we can attain awakening and know No-Thing. We can give up our suffering and the harmful consequences of dualistic alienation for a life of well-being, contentment, wisdom, and compassion. We now know that via negativa is, in fact, a positive path of spirituality and of experiencing the Transcendent that results in a firm understanding of the interconnectedness, interbeing, and continual transformation of all existence. Let us all assert the apophatic way and accomplish knowing the “unknowable”—the No-Thing. God is No-Thing An Apophatic Assertion: An Introduction for Humankind’s Transpersonal Actualization– revised -. Copyright Rodger Ricketts Psy.D.,2023
Recent developments in the neuroscience of consciousness have shown that the world we experience (i.e. everything we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste) is a combination of two things: Incoming sensory information from the environment (photons of light, vibrations of air, etc). And our brain’s best predictions about what caused those signals. This means we don’t see the world as it is. Instead, we receive sensory information from the environment (photons, vibrations, etc.,) and then our brain uses our past experiences to predict what that particular configuration of stimuli mean. Then, it puts these two things together (stimuli and predictions) to create a 3D mental representation of the world around us. And we call this reality. Alan Watts put it succinctly when he said:“In a world where there are no eyes, the sun would not be light, and in a world where there were no soft skins, rocks would not be hard, nor in a world where there were no muscles would they be heavy. Existence is relationship, and you are smack in the middle of it.”Niall McKeever, MSc
Change me Divine into one who searches for and sees delight everyday rather than dwelling upon my perceived and often made up troubles, terribleness or thanklessness. All around me are things that can “kill” me with delight and help me to lose myself in wonder. I think of this Spring – am I noticing the buds coming, the growing landscape of increasing green, the new and fresh green of young lives on a tree – a green that shimmers and looks so fresh and new and that only comes each spring? And to just see and feel the grass – the green grass I have been longing to see all winter and here it is sprouting up everywhere becoming lush and thick and I fail to notice? May my prayers be made out of grass – may I see the extraordinary in the ordinary and know it’s all extraordinary – all the wonders, I take for granted that surround me constantly and through which I can see your love pouring forth into the world and into my life. May I instruct myself in joy rather than sorrow. May I simply look, listen and lose myself in wonder, rather than my made up thoughts of misery. May the beauty of the world around me remind me what is true. O Divine, make me mindful as well in order to be well. Mary Oliver
We are all Interconnected even with the Universe 