The first model and popular western
model above is
monotheism. This pertains to one monotheistic and jealous God having a
mono-ideology. God is absolute and has a predetermined meaning which
consists of prescribed and formulated
salvation plan(s), doctrines, laws and rules to follow. The more
orthodox, conservative and fundamentalist; the closer to this model. The
second model, that of polytheism, or that of the many, has to include
mystery, being a broader, more open paradigm, but not necessarily more
lenient. This model requires faith in areas of ambiguity
under the heavy burden of freedom and personal responsibility of carrying out
values and ethics, despite the
fact that some are not so clearly (and erroneously) spelled out, but
nevertheless acting as profound and sacred boundaries. This ambiguity permits
flexibility and understanding of meanings; of degrees, of the yielding
nature and of recognizing relative characteristics in nature under the accompanying influences of relative circumstances.
Fundamentalism and chaos are
not the only choices. There are many
levels, degrees and relative portions of decision making which permit
contemplation and the ability to think for oneself, beyond personal fear
and forced authority; all the while profound personal, cultural and
societal ethics, just as powerful as any monotheists, are carried out.
The contradiction to all of
this; are polytheists, who are conservatives, under one orthodox "way" in which their ideas
on multiplicity and polytheism should be practiced, advocating accuracy and
exactitude under the enforcement of stringent linear absolutes.
*Original
wise women practicing the (witch) craft did more than recite spells,
chant, light candles,
burn sage, sing and play drums. They both healed and ingested
psychedelic substances. Nightshade and other psychoactive herbs were
made into a green paste and rubbed all over the body for dermal
absorption, particularly with
a broomstick on the genital areas where the blood capillaries are
present. In this way, out-of-body experiences and shamanistic healing
was performed. - Irvin, J., & Rutajit, A. (2005). Astrotheology & shamanism: unveiling the law of duality in Christianity and other religions. San Diego, CA: The Book Tree.
A mono- ideology represents a one rule
over-confidence on the correct and prescribed methods, attacking
deviation and demonizing alternative views and practices, while a
polytheistic ideology without room for experimentation is no
different. So polytheism is more than multiplicity, but a liberalism
that permits different ideological perspectives.
One of the problems found in Monotheism,
is that it rests in monarchy, absolutism and the control of one decision
maker or in one small non-democratic body.* And the purer and more honest
one is to this ideology, the more repressive and machiavellian they are
required to become. Monotheism is based on a hierarchical structure with absolute power at the top.
It is the antithesis of democracy, that of a citizen participatory structure.
And while it is defended as hierarchical only in the spirit model, it
remains as a representative model of repression, absolute power and the absolute rule
from one decision maker who determines what is best for "his" people, the "philosopher king" of Plato.
*Two examples between mono and
pluralistic values. First, the contradiction of the Constitution, Bill of
Rights and
three branches of government as instruments of multiplicity for freedom
and justice, existing with the practices of lobbying, corruption and
other moral dilemmas. Partisan conservative ideology and decision making
of the Supreme Court are case and point; the root causes relating to the
representative
powers of the privileged few (the one) over the non-privileged majority,
(the many). The recent Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. Federal
Election Commission, may possibly be the worst decision made in the over
200 year history of the U.S. Second, the example of old Testament history where the tribes of Israel split along territorial and political lines, with Judah and Benjamin in the south loyal to the Davidic house,
while the rest of the tribes in the north preferred rule under a succession of monarchies.
Unlike monotheism and one-paradigm mentality, polytheism with its pluralism
and multi-culturalism, take on the many, acting democratic in nature.
Multiple paradigms are taken in, contradictions
are allowed, while the dominant ideologies are determined through the democratic majority, regulated by the rule
of laws that have been democratically decided that benefit the common good of the
collective (a Republic). Such laws act as
protective barriers against the "flight or fight" human response (amygdala brain function) in
times of emergencies which can exhibit irrational behavior and vote for despotism against the democratic means.
Democratic Germany prior to Nazism is a good example.
Mono-ideologies remain as one-dimensional,
mono in separation and intolerant to the point in that it demonizes most or all
of alternative views. They exist in one-party political systems and in the more fundamental
and narrowly restrictive religious ideologies.
Even in nature itself, the lack of diversity
(multiplicity) in ecology results in the reduction of biodiversity
(plural species). What species dominate then become incompatible with
the ecosystem, sustainability of the area is either greatly diminished
or ends.
In monoculture agricultural applications, soil erosion and loss of farming occurs.
Monoculture restricts species reproduction causing a smaller gene pool,
subject to disease and pest vulnerability. New pesticides must be
designed, many harmful to human health and the environment, and many
pests become resistant. As various genes are removed from the genetic
pool, future medical discoveries become lost and genetic breeding stocks
become extinct; all part of the monoculture unsustainable process.
Monotheism and mono-ideologies are
antitheses to the concept
of Unity from a diversity, a one out of many, E pluribus unum,
which leads us back to a single "one," but only under the
democratic diversity of a conflicting and united "many." It
appears that the concept of E pluribus unum is taken from Virgil's poem,
which can be found written on the American dollar bill.
Tyranny, the results of a nondemocratic, authoritarian rule, lack the alchemical ability to transform from mono
to pluralistic views. The ability rests in allowing ambiguity and relativity while sustaining fundamental values.
The dynamic movement of continual and evolving changes in questioning and adaptation is required in an evolving
universe. Monotheism and monism represent the static burial resulting from psychological blockages in thought development.
And in my opinion from observing and conversing with religious and political fundamentalists and dualistic "all
or nothing" mindsets, they may also be neurological blockages. And yet
monotheism and monism is found in political, social and economic ideologies, representing a stage in human conscious
development.
The change from monism to pluralism is
representative of something much more than a simple change, it
is more representative of an alchemical transformation or metamorphosis from "either-or," "all or
nothing," polarized dualisms based on linear thinking to that of a holistic, "and-both" type widening
of thought processes, which acts inter-dependent under relational thinking.
This can be applied to the transformation of St. Paul, his hazy mirror and unspeakable third
heaven, but not to the many contradictory letters in the New Testament.
Plant knowledge, associated with transformation and epiphany, was
also an elemental part of raising consciousness, prominent in polytheistic religious thought
and direct religious experience practiced in the ancient times; a teaching and practice long ago rejected, outlawed and persecuted under
monotheistic society; starting in the garden of Eden.
Traditional monotheism is a well
defined and mapped out ideology, ruled by one monotheistic Yahweh-Jehovah* warlike,
fundamentalist and jealous god, as found in the Judea-Christian bible.
Demanded are the linear absolutes and absolute obedience that denies all
linguistic interpretation, social, political and cultural influences and
requires the demonization of all ecumenical pragmatism. If not
polytheism then, but of internal democratic thought harnessed within
each individual person, human existence is based upon multiple and
contradicting viewpoints. Pluralistic and polytheistic dimensions are
required to accept the "unknown." Ethics, values and morals exist
despite the rejection of clearly well defined, mapped-out answers. The
ideas of the Geneva convention are not traced to any "one"
code of religious thought and national power and have independently
defined "war crimes" and "human rights" above religious and national
ideologies and laws, thus establishing a foundation for universal
ethics; a form of opposition to repressive governments and religious
powers.
*The principal gods of the
Greeks and Hebrews, Zeus and Yahweh (Jehovah), have names
derived from Sumerian meaning "juice of fecundity",
spermatozoa, "seed of life." This phrase is composed of two
syllables IA (ya, dialectally za), "juice",
literally "strong water", and U, perhaps the most important
phoneme in the whole of Near Eastern religion. It is found in the texts
represented by a number of different cuneiform signs but at the root of
them all is the idea of "fertility". Thus on U means
"copulate" or "mount", and "create";
another "rainstorm", as source of the heavenly sperm; another
"vegetation", as the offspring of the god; whilst another U is
the name of the storm-god himself. So, far from evincing a multiplicity
of gods and conflicting theological notions, our earliest records lead
us back to a single idea, even a single letter, "U". Behind
Judaism and Christianity, and indeed all the Near Eastern fertility
religions and their more sophisticated developments, there lies this
single phoneme "U". - Allegro, J. M. (1970). The sacred mushroom and the Cross; a study of the nature and origins of Christianity within the fertility cults of the ancient Near
East, (1st ed.). Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday.
Zeus
Agoraios;
representative of the assembly spirit, the goddess Peitho;
representative of persuasion and the demos representative of collective
democracy can be considered as facets of human society, a more advanced culture under a more peaceful,
humane, civil and democratic means. The intolerant and jealous; the warring and
monotheistic; the patriotic and fascist; the Jehovah type god(s); these represent
power and repression. In some cases there is justice, like the 50 year
Jubilee restoring economic equality, but this is an exception of the
one-party, one-religion rule with a history absent of civil rights, habeas corpus and the economic checks and
balances. Governing
bodies lobbied under an equal representation of citizen participation, civil liberties and economic equitable distribution
are the attributes of cooperation through a form of pluralism, while strict obedience under one ultimate decision maker
establishing and legislating one-size-fits-all
authoritative rule represents a mono-governmental framework found in unchecked military dictatorships and in unregulated economic corporate controlled
societies, which are defended and justified in the reasoning of absolutism, monism and mono-economic ideologies,
with religious conservatives reasoning monotheistic
ones.
Mono-economic theories can rest in poly-other ideologies, as along as
control rests in the highest bidder (the one or the few), and so the mono-market,
owned by the few, rules. This
is about power. Many Libertarian (mono-market) fighting corporations
are plural culturalists (left), attempting to win over the multiple
cultural paths while retaining their economic power and some democratic corporations are
mono-moralists, fighting for religious orthodoxy against sub-cultural
freedoms and expression. Overall, it's the first scenario
that is dominant. However, the method of disinformation to confuse the public into either a nihilistic relativity
or a monistic fundamentalism appear to the be current methods of persuasion that need to be rejected.
Polytheism, plant
knowledge, archeology, paleontology, psychology, neurology, biology and
etc., all address the ability to point to evolving non-fundamentalist and
alternative views that continue to contain degrees of ambiguity without the
strict implantation of preconceived religious, social, cultural, political
and economic ideas into raw data and without the fear or need of clinging to
a "One." This will require a personal death and resurrection that
is to occur multiple times over throughout the course of one's life, a
series of events that many people will never experience. And yet it will be
these people who will be the leaders over millions of other people, bringing
hardship, suffering and stupidity to all. If the holy grail of understanding
can reveal anything of substance, it should allow the ability to look beyond
the surface, where a fact is a fact, but below the appearance and beyond the ignorance of confidence, rests the multiple circumstances and
multiple unique attributes, in which under the definition of understanding,
so requires.
