My Personal Spiritual Beliefs

I believe that everything that we perceive in everyday waking life as reality is only a small part of what actually constitutes reality.

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Mentalism. That true reality (i.e. the Universe Known to us and Unknown) is a manifestation of mental construct within the mind of GOD. Ergo, I believe that there is only One Deity that makes up the Universe. I am a Pantheist not a Polytheist. (Specifically a PanENtheist as I believe that The ALL has a distinct loving awareness of Itself including us and may exist outside of and beyond The Universe as we understand it.)

I believe that we as limited physical manifestations of GOD's mind cannot handle the entirety of that greater true reality assailing us at all times. GOD has created us in such a way as to protect us from this reality by limiting our input devices. Most of us have the senses of touch, taste/smell, sight, hearing, & intuition (based on previous sensory input and instinct). It is through these filters that we perceive the lesser reality that we accept as the waking world. We all also have the ability to open our subconscious (unfiltered) minds to the greater reality. While this is more developed in some of us than is others, it is something that we all do this when daydreaming, going in or out of sleep or concentrating on a singular task (Alpha state.) Anyone is capable of using and developing this sense if they practice at it.

I believe that it is possible to selectively lower the filters that keep the greater reality from causing these limited physical forms of ours from burning up with information overload and, with much practice, to safely connect more intimately with the mind of GOD in order to use the Matter/Energy that is the Universe to effect change in the lesser reality that we accept as everyday life. Depending on one's faith this is called either Prayer, Creative Visualization, Magick etc... Whatever you call it, it is possible when your brain/mind is in an Alpha state.

I believe that GOD allows us as creatures of apparent free will to use Alpha as a tool to obtain that which we need, when our mundane efforts are lacking. Keeping the following in mind...

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Synchronicity. Nothing happens by chance. For every effect there is a cause, and vice versa. Further, every effect and cause is in itself an effect of something else 'ad infinitum.' Our every thought and deed has cosmic repercussions. All projected energy eventually returns to its origination point many fold.

If you really think about it, this Principle (which actually contains two ideals: Cause & Effect and Reciprocity) likely precludes Free Will on our part. Even if Free Will doesn't exist in reality however, we can't see the Whole Picture(tm) and therefore we blissfully have the illusion of free will. This means that we should still take the responsibility and desire to act as if we did have Free Will out of a desire to not suffer the repercussions of our negative actions returning to the point of origin in accordance with this Principle.

In other words: Our actions are determined by all that we have become due to our genetic inheritance and everything that has happened to us individually up to the very moment that we are considering that certain action. It seems to us that we have Free Will because we cannot fully perceive the whole of The Universe and cannot calculate the countless branches of Cause and Effect which have created us and guided us to this point in time/space, nor can we know where it all will eventually lead us. Thus in order to feel more at ease in a reality where our choices are predetermined by that which has come before, we invent the concept of Free Will.

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Correspondence. All realms within the Universe are ruled by the same Greater Laws. The Macrocosm does equal the Microcosm (in theme at least.) As the Universe is a Holographic Mental construct of GOD's mind, every smallest part contains the whole. Blake put this concept to poetry when he wrote; "To see the world in a grain of sand and Heaven in a wild flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand and Eternity in an Hour."

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Vibration. Nothing is at rest. Matter is made up of atoms that are made up of smaller parts moving around rapidly in empty space and attracted to one another through their movement. Matter and Energy are one and the same. We only perceive them differently to give order to our existnce in this form.

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Polarity. As Matter & Energy are the same thing this leads me to believe that even opposites are only the two relative extremes of the same thing. Where does East end and West begin? Hot & Cold? These are illusions that we create based on our perceived orientation in The Universe and Time/Space.

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Rhythm. Everything is constantly in motion toward one extreme or the other. A vast wheel forever stopping and starting simultaneously. Everything is cyclical.

I believe in the Hermetic Principle of Gender. Everything in balance in the Universe is made up of Masculine and Feminine traits. Projective and Creative. I used to think that GOD transcends this Law but as the Universe is in GOD's mind, even GOD is Projective and Creative. This isn't to say that GOD is of a Dual nature only that GOD is Nature. GOD doesn't transcend this Principle but rather encompasses it.

I believe in the Golden Rule. One should do unto others as you would have done unto you. This is in keeping with the Law of Return and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.

I believe that Jesus of Nazareth (aka Yeshua ben Yosef/Yaweh) was a man who was in more direct contact with GOD than probably any other who has ever lived. What we know of what He taught is a good plan to model your life after. But it is a hard road to follow. Yeshua taught to turn the other cheek if struck and to love your abuser. This is hard to do and against what I perceive as my natural inclination for self preservation. This is where I have a challenge following the teachings of Yeshua. I could Love an abuser, recognising them as just another personification of GOD as I am, but I will not simply open myself or another to further abuse. I do my best to not counter negative force with further aggression, but to rather control and redirect it to harmlessness. Though I consider myself a follower of Yeshua I no longer consider myself a 'capital C' Christian (in the Church defined sense of the word) as I don't necessarily believe that Yeshua was Christ. Despite The Paulian Church's spin, Yeshua never claimed to be the Savior, only a Son of GOD who thought that he had the best plan for a happy life and afterlife. If you are worried about my redemption, Yehsua speaks to that best in Luke 10:25. While there are many good individual Christians, I am disgusted by and refuse to align myself with the political and dogmatic (sometimes murderous) machines that most all organized religious institutions eventually become in the names of the prophets of the Abrahamic religions. In my opinion these man-derived organisations often do not follow even what they perceive as GOD's Law if it gets in the way of their human passions and that is a shame.

I seek Divine Inspiration to tell the tale of the tribe through Awen. (ie. The Flowing Spirit of GOD.) In my vocation, I do this with a camera. In my avocation, I make an attempt at this with music, poetry and a camera. This is the path of a Bard as I walk it in the dawn of the 21st Century.

In addition to daily prayer and meditation. I have also chosen to honor GOD's gifts by celebrating some of the Christian holidays of my more recent ancestors and the earlier Pagan Holy days (Wheel of the Year) on which many of them are based. These being: Yule to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun and Christmas to celebrate the birth of the Son; Imbolg to celebrate the immanent onset of spring; Ostara to celebrate the Vernal Equinox and Easter to commemorate the self sacrifice of Jesus; Beltane to celebrate the fertility that allows new life to flourish; the Summer Solstice to celebrate the warm days of summer in their rich fullness; Lugnasadh to celebrate the first fruits of harvest in community and to pray for a fruitful year; the Autumnal Equinox to celebrate the turning of the wheel into fall and the second harvest and finally, Samhain to celebrate the final harvest and to honor my ancestors memories.

I venerate the pentalpha because of its Pythagorean relevance and ancient symbolism of Diety (represented by a Circle) surrounding/embracing Man (represented with an interlaced five pointed star). The pentalpha tattoo on my shoulder is a representation of my 'Masonic Mark.' (No, not all Masons have a 'mark of their work' or tattoo it on their bodies.) My 'mark' is a pentalpha that I customized by placing a universal symbol for Deity (The All Seeing Eye) within a universal symbol for Man (the star) as well as encircling the star. (Deity being ALL within man and without.) The Eight rays emanating from the eye represent the quarter and crossquarter days (aka the Pagan wheel of the year) that I recognise and celebrate.

I believe in reincarnation to the end that when we die 'that spark which is our soul' rejoins GOD as pure energy (as opposed to the mundane energy that we can perceive) in making up the Universe. This shouldn't be a sad thing because I'm hoping that this is our natural state and as we will be part of the greater reality we will also be part of those whom we loved while here in this lesser reality. Therefore we shouldn't miss this lesser reality. You can call this reincarnation because what we know of Energy/Matter tells us that energy cannot be destroyed. It can only be transmutated from one form to another. Therefore the energy that is apportioned us from GOD's mind is finite and will have to be "recycled" if you will. As we "shed these mortal coils" at death so too do we shed the limits on our senses and we join the greater reality completely to literally become the wind caressing our loved one's cheek.

This is my tradition. It has smatterings of Panentheism, Paganism, Yeshua's Teachings, Hermeticism, Deism and in my actual practice of late I am studying the Bardic path of modern Druidry, but it all seems comfortable and right to me. These are my beliefs.

Carpe Lumen,

Michael E. Bérubé