The Christian Concept of God

Seth Early Sessions, Vol 7, Session 311

The Christian Concept of God

Now, there are some philosophical matters that I would like to clear.  Ruburt has been somewhat confused concerning some of these matters.  The conventional Christian concept of God has been in many ways a convenient one, and it carries with it many truths.  It is true, you see, while it is not true.

When you realize that this is a symbol only then you begin to see more and come closer to an understanding, not further away from an understanding.  There is no personal god-individual in Christian terms and yet you do have access to a portion of All That Is, that is highly attuned to you only above all others.

In this respect, you see, there is a personal god, if those are the words you use.  There is a portion of All That Is, that is directed and focused upon every individual consciousness.  A portion of All That Is resides within and is a part of every consciousness.  Every consciousness is therefore cherished and protected individually.  There are automatic electromagnetic connections that exist here.

One portion of All That Is, is instantly aware, for example, of your most insignificant and significant problems – of yours and yours alone.  This portion of overall consciousness is the portion that is individualized within you.

Now there is even something like the idea of a personality god, but hardly in the terms used by theologians.  The personality of God, as it is generally conceived is again a one-dimensional concept based upon man’s small knowledge of his own psychology.

Many of the old ideas of precivilization come closer to anything near the truth.  What you prefer to think of as God is basically and above all, indeed as I have said, an infinite energy gestalt; or pyramid consciousness.  It is aware of itself as being, for example, you, Joseph.  It is aware of itself as what seems to you as your own future and past selves.

It is aware of itself as the smallest seed, both those that grow and those that do not grow.  The personality of this gestalt is beyond comprehension at this point.  It is both demanding and compassionate.  The word, justice, is a human one, always implying punishment.  And it has nothing to do with the God concept.

While there is a portion of All That Is, that is aware of itself as you, for example, a portion that is indeed focused within your existence, whose energy is directed within you, and to whom you can call for help when necessary, there is also an overall god-personality that is aware of itself also as something that is more than the sum of its creations.  This is All That Is, in the deepest sense.

I am trying to make this as simple as possible.  The part of All That Is, that is aware of itself as you, is also aware of itself as something more than you.  This portion that knows itself as you and as more than you is the personal god, you see.  Again: This gestalt, this portion of All That Is, looks out for your interests and may be called upon in a personality manner.  But this portion is only a part, itself, of All That Is.

But, you see, even this overall pyramid gestalt is not static.  All or most concepts of a god deal with a static god and herein lies the main theological difficulties.  The awareness and experience of this overall gestalt constantly change and grow.  Again, there is no static god.  When you say, “This is God”, then God is already something else.  I am using the term God for simplicity’s sake.

All portions of All That Is are constantly changing and enfolding and unfolding.  All That Is, seeking to know itself, constantly creates new versions of itself.  For this seeking itself is a creative activity, and the core of all action.

Consciousness, seeking to know itself, therefore knows you.  You as consciousness, seek to know yourself, and to some extent or other, you become aware of your self as a distinct and individual portion of All That Is.  You not only draw upon this overall energy, but you do so automatically, for your existence is dependent upon it.

The extent of your realization of this fact is the extent of your freedom or vitality, fulfillment and power.  It should not be forgotten, however, that the ego is also a portion of All That Is, a highly specialized portion, enabling the inner self to manipulate and interpret particular conditions.  If the ego considers itself as the only self, then you are cut off to a large degree from the vitality and energy available.

The ego’s false ideas prevent it from accepting this energy, but once the ego is aware of its position as a portion of the self, then it should not be shunted aside, but can take its place.  It is sometimes referred to almost as if it stood entirely outside of basic reality.  It is, of course, within it also.

The ego, as you know it, will not always be necessary, you see, but a type of ego is a basis for individuality and will always be necessary.  An inner ego, of course, that contains various egos that have been or will be a portion of any given self – these egos and any ego organizes experience along various lines and ties experiences together with meaningful pattern.

The inner self or the whole personality consists of many such egos, as you know, but the inner self is also aware of itself as something more than the sum of its parts.  Now this something more than the sum of its parts is a curious phrase, but within it lies a key that can give you some small understanding of what God may be.

Again, the term God is used simply because it is an accepted term for the reality we are discussing.  That which knows itself, which experiences itself within many forms and yet knows itself as something apart from the total of its sums, that left-over, unexplainable remnant you see, can be thought of as original action, original consciousness, prime mover, or consciousness as distinct from its own creations, of which it is also part.

Now, this material is at best difficult to explain verbally.

You are yourself obviously an energy gestalt; as you become more fully conscious of reality your sense of identity will contain larger and larger aspects of reality.

Biologically all human beings, as you know them, have existed as the various cells of which a human image is composed.  This is very difficult to explain clearly.

I do not mean to imply, necessarily, progression here.  Theoretically, you see, you will one day be a fully conscious portion of the personal god to whom you may now pray.  By then, you see, you will be aware of further gestalts.

All portions of All That Is do not recognize themselves consciously as All That Is.  But know themselves mainly as individuals, not as the prime gestalt individual.  When realization is reached at the highest level, then All That Is instantly creates new realities, and to some extent, you see, loses the conscious knowledge of its own identity.

The loss is always temporary and self-generated.  This is quite enough on a difficult subject this evening.