How men approach their gods

How does a human make contact with the gods?

The point above is that God's people should not approach God in the way that the nations use to approach their gods. The question that must immediately be asked is, of course, how then do men approach their gods. How do they do that? How do people come into contact with the invisible world? It is important to know the answer so that we do not fall into the snares of God's adversary.

The inner experience of God

Life here on earth is not simple and that is why people have always needed – let's call it – 'confirmation' from the invisible world. All religions do offer man an 'inner experience of God', which has a positive influence on man's psyche, his well-being and his views on life and the hereafter. Religions differ in conceptions and rituals, but this inner experience of God is essentially always the same. The soul of man can experience the supernatural, the invisible, that which transcends all that is visible.

The higher consciousness

Normally man lives in a state of 'normal consciousness'. That is, 'I am me and I am distinct from you'. As a human being you normally live in a state of 'self-consciousness'. You are constantly aware of yourself as distinct from others and your environment. In this way man also perceives everything around him and thinks about everything he perceives.

That is the way humans should function. That's how God intended it. But this way you can not perceive things in the invisible world.

Yet there is a way to experience the supernatural. Man can manipulate normal consciousness and come to a state of higher consciousness. In that state of higher consciousness you do not experience things in the normal way, but completely different, much more beautiful and wonderful. Your experience is 'supernatural'.

Characteristics of Higher Consciousness

Such a state of higher consciousness is mainly characterized by a fading or disappearance of the 'self-consciousness'. You no longer experience yourself as distinct from your environment, but you experience that you are one with the other(s) and with what surrounds you. It is a state of peace, harmony and love. These are the moments of 'happiness'. What you perceive appears as the real reality. You have found the real truth. In this way you experience that behind the normal world there is a deeper world and truth. You also discover who you actually are, not who you thought you were in the normal world. You discover your 'true self', the 'divine spark' within yourself, your 'true identity'. What you discover is named, depending on religion or subculture: I, your identity, Self, God, All, Love, intimacy with God,

In extreme situations, a state of heightened consciousness can lead to experiencing visions or out-of-body experiences. Incidentally, there is always the danger that the experiences are not positive, but very dark and frightening. You don't hear much about it, but here are two recent publications: here and here.

The Road to Higher Consciousness

Normally man is a thinking being, who is constantly engaged in perceiving, talking about it think it over and possibly react to what is happening around him. The 'art' now is to interrupt and stop thinking (the stream of thoughts). This brings you into a state of higher consciousness and thus of the supernatural experiences.

In general, you reach higher consciousness through 'practice'. It doesn't happen all at once, but the more you practice, the better you can achieve the goal.

Now in practice there are many ways to stop your thinking and reach 'the higher'. One of the well-known and widespread is the meditation and contemplation from the Eastern religions. But you can also use certain music to 'let you float away'.

It is often the case that people use all kinds of combinations and depending on culture and religion, the rituals that go with it are different. For example, nowadays you can walk meditatively or walk a labyrinth, just to name a few examples. Even getting creative, drawing mandalas or 'adult coloring' are ways to get on this train to 'happiness'.

Meditation and Contemplation

From Hinduism we know the Transcendental Meditation and yoga. Zen (concentration and meditation) from Buddhism. These methods are widespread in many forms and under many different names. They are examples of methods aimed at stopping your thinking and reaching a higher state of consciousness.

Depending on the method, you have to go through a number of stages. For example the phases 'concentration', 'meditation' and 'contemplation'. All methods end in 'contemplation' as the highest state of consciousness.

Mindfulness is a hype that is beating thousands these days to live 'happier' and more 'balanced'. In fact, it is nothing more than a disguised form of meditation.

The way to realize the inner experience of God can also be characterized as 'the way in'.

Music

Also strong rhythms and especially heavy sounds of bass and drums influence thinking and blur it, so that people enter a state of higher consciousness (trance). In Africa, religious rituals were often accompanied by this kind of 'music'.

At the end of the 19th century, jazz music originated in America, which was then followed by a great diversity of music styles. They have in common that through the 'motor rhythm' they drag the human being into a physical movement and reduction of thinking. Today's dance parties are happenings where many thousands experience 'happiness' but in the meantime open themselves up to the influence of the invisible world.

The way of the mind

The Bible is clear. Proverbs 21:16 teaches us where the man comes who turns the mind off:A man who strays from the way of understanding will rest in the company of the dead“. Our thinking protects us from the direct influence of the invisible world. If we stray from that road, we come into the company of the dead. That is the world of the ghosts, the shadows; the invisible world. What you find there is by the way 'rest', a state of harmony and peace.

The Supreme Wisdom calls “Who is unwise? Let him deviate here. He who is without understanding, to him she says, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine that I have mixed. Forsake the unwise things and live and walk in the way of understanding” (Proverbs 9:4-6).

serve the gods

But Lady Folly, mere foolishness, cries out to the passers-by who want to go straight ahead:He who is unwise, let him turn aside here. To him who is without understanding she says, Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But they do not know that the dead lie there, her guests lie in the depths of the grave” (Proverbs 9:13-18).

Two roads are shown. One is the way of understanding, of understanding. The other is the way that "lady folly" shows people, but which ends in the invisible world of the spirits.

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