1 = strong will; unity, purity
2 = duality, harmony (Yin/Yang)
3 = magic, intuition (Holy Trinity)
4 = stability, grounded (nature)
5 = travel, adventure, journey
6 = Sincerity, love, truth
7 = magic, mystery, enlightenment

I have always believed that meaning is defined within the context of a person experience. So although 7 might mean good luck to you, it may mean hate and lust to me because of my experiences with that number.

Each culture attributes meaning to numbers: Chinese numerology

Biblical numerology

Vedic numerology

More examples of spiritual meaning of numbers
THE NUMBER 7 IS EVERYWHERE

NUMEROLOGY:
Life path number - signifies intellect and an introspective, analytical mind. Considered to be a spiritual, sacred, and this is evidenced by the fact that there are seven days in the week, and ancient texts propose that the earth was formed in seven phases.
BIBLE:
In the Hebrew, seven ([b’v, - Sheh’-bah) is from a root word meaning to be complete or full.
It is known as the number of God’s seal.
Example: in Revelation 1:16 — “and He had in His right hand seven stars, ” alluding to the seven churches of Asia.
It is used throughout the Old and New Testament repeatedly with deliberate pattern.

The metaphysical use and meaning of numbers are completely at the mercy of interpretation. As such, it is all over the place with little practical application. That is a shame (as with all metaphysics) its talks around some of the most critical aspects of reality but fails to nail anything down. It is easy to see the influence of culture on the meaning attributed to numbers. The tragedy is that the imposed meaning ends up telling us more about the people and/or culture than the subject they are talking about. Here is a new system that relies less on prescribed meaning, focuses exclusively on the actual perspective of the person which in turn give meaning an absolute path.

Here is an Entirely Different Take on the Spiritual Meaning of Numbers.

We are the numbers. Our point of view, our perspective is the equation, the function through which constant values are passed to produce various results, or meaning.

Essentially, meaning is relative to perspective.

Out of western psychology, eastern spirituality and postmodern philosophy there is a new way to use numbers as a way to navigate awareness itself, the cradle of meaning. How much more enhanced is our meaning if we know its source? Its called Integral Mathematics of Primordial Perspectives. To be fair, it less about numbers than it is about perspectives, so numerology is forever safe.

Integral Mathematics of Primordial Perspectives

Oversimplified description:
Created by philosophical genius Ken Wilber, Integral Mathematics of Primordial Perspectives, we’ll call it integral mathematics, is a comprehensive method of referring to natural points of view that we all have. For example, my first-person perspective would be written as 1p (1-p). 1p = my, 1-p = first-person perspective, but there are other perspectives that I can have from my point of view: 2p = your perspective, 3p = his/her/it perspective.

So, from my perspective, I see that you have a first-person perspective:
1p(1p) x 2p(1-p)

I can also be aware of you from a third person perspective:
1p(1-p) x 1p(3-p) x 2p(1-p)

This means I’m observing your from an objective perspective, this could mean I’m using some theory or some measure or book like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) to evaluated you.

Pathology: Perspective Mathematics

Consider multiple personality disorder (aka Dissociative Identity Disorder). This would be me objectively looking at your multiple personalities:

1p(1p) x 1p(3-p) x (2p(1-p)/n)

n = number of personalities
This may be written wrong, but what I’m trying to express is my first-person perspective (1p(1-p)) view of an objective perspective (1p(3-p)) of your first person view that is (2p(1-p) that is divided by “n” personalities. The slash maybe wrong because Wilber uses “/p” to define something else. By interacting with each of the fractional parts of your first perpective, I can better understand why it has been partitioned. What are you protecting yourself against? What is the common ground of the personailities? One can also explore each personalities perspectives on itself and relationships to the world around it. The end equation could end up looking like the most beautiful monster you have ever seen.

Lucid Dream & Altered States: Integral Math

I had a lucid dream in which I was trying to fly years ago. Once I was aware of my being in a dream, I became peripherally aware of my body. I was able to hold the heavy feeling of my body at bay while I continued my lucid dream. In integral mathematics I would describe it like this:

1p(1p) x 1p(1-p) x 3p(3/p)

I (1p(1p)) had a first person perspective (1p(1-p)) of my body (3p(3/p)). The equation strip away my personal meaning and allows you to put it in your own contexts although you can still understand the mechanics of the perspective. I’m seeing the body as a separate object the same way I might see a tree or my coffee cup, but perhaps (since the body actually holds the perspective) it should be written like this:

1p(1p) x 1p(1-p) x 3p{(1p(1p) x 1p(1-p) x 3p {…}}

Which is to say, I had a first person perspective of my body which contains a my first person perspective of my body which has a first person perspective of my body…. And so on. So it becomes like two mirrors facing one another. The only way to maintain the stability of my lucid dream perspective was to minimize my awareness of my body.

Out of Body Experience

In his book, Astral Dynamics, Robert Bruce talks about similar experiences. But he takes it a step further because his theory is that the body itself continues to dream and have its very own perspectives while the subtle body has its very own experiences. He attributes the relatively low number of the phenomenon to loss of memory caused by the body “overwriting” the “shadow memory” of the subtle body.

So it would look like this…

Sleep & Dreaming mind/body seeing objects in the dream: 1p(1p) x 1p(1-p) x 3p(3-p)

Subtle body experience/altered state of consciousness seeing the sleeping body: 1p(1p) x 1p(1-p) x 3p{1p(1p) x 1p(1-p) x 3p(…)}
Traditional science tends to attribute OBE to some sort of brain anomoly hallucination (despite actual evidence of nonlocal consciousness), but for the purposes of this post we are only concerned with perspective. And the perspective is my first person perspective of the body with a first person perspective of the body… Whatever meaning that Robert Bruce, you or I attribute to this phenomenon should be put in its “own box” so to speak. And with Intergral math, that is easy to do.

Ayatollah revives the death fatwa on Salman Rushdie (integral)

The Ayatollah and other extremist are up in arms about Salman Rushie’s being Knighted by the Queen of England.     

A FATWA against the author Salman Rushdie was reaffirmed by Iran’s spiritual leader last night in a message to Muslim pilgrims.

British officials anxiously played down comments after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Muslims making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Rushdie was an apostate whose killing would be authorised by Islam, according to the Iranian media.

BBC:

His book The Satanic Verses offended Muslims worldwide and led to Iran issuing a fatwa in 1989, ordering Sir Salman’s execution.

These extremists are at an Amber - ethnocentric stage feeling a need to use violence and force to protect their traditions.  The pressure on these extremists primarily comes from organge - ethno to worldcentric rational stage Western culture which has become globalized.  The Amber extremists (be they muslim, christians or otherwise) are fighting evolution which is like trying to Ice skate up hill.    

Religions Affects on Altered States on Consciousness

I have been studying religions and mystical experiences for years seeking “truth”.

The pinnacle of what I have come across so far is Ken Wilber’s Integral Spirituality. Although I don’t yet fully “grok” his stuff on metaphysics, his ideas on religions, science and states of consciousness are GROUND BREAKING!

For one thing he has what is known as the Wilber-Combs Lattice

The Wilber-Combs Lattice is a matrix that maps states of consciousness with types of religious belief.

I’ve written a little blurb about this on my post “What is an Empirical Spiritualist”
I have been in several religions, faiths and/or societies (but currently hold no allegiance to any one organization). I have had experiences with almost all. Each of these experiences have been colored by the culture, beliefs, dogma of the organization I was in at the time.

Here are some examples of religions that influenced by spiritual experience:

Christian - as a penecostal I was worshiping Jesus surrounded by some of the praising, shouting congregation and I felt an energy bolt going through my body. A penecostal might call this the holy ghost (aka Holy Spirit).

Eckankar - I was in a state of great peace and saw/felt a blue light shine down on me. Eckist call this one part of the “Light and Sound of God” (aka Holy Spirit)

Integral Spirituality - After a session with a Zen Buddhist Genpo Roshi conducting what is called a Big Mind exercise I felt a profound (overwhelming) oneness with anything I looked at.

Each experience has been shaped and interpreted by the culture/religion/faith I was apart of at the time. This in NO WAY INVALIDATES the phenomenon. It did happen. They were very real and in some cases have changed the course of my life.

The religion/culture/society in which I live gives me the language to explain what has happened and simultaneously shapes the experience.  Sometimes the language is to crude to give an effective account.  I believe that many times the original message gets “lost in translation”.  Many religions have been founded and shaped on these crude interpretations of real experiences.

The source of the phenomenon is a different kind of discussion. While we might agree that the phenomenon happend in the brain (or perhaps merely recorded there) from the ‘mind’ we may disagree on whether the source was from subtle energies and/or spirit. We can only theorize and assume what the source of my phenomenon is.  And we can only prove the orgins to ourselves as we can not share PHYSICAL evidence of anything happening with electroencophalographs and other tools used to measure the activity of the brain. Those tools are too crude to tell us anything beyond the brain. Whatever we believe the hows and whys are, it is very important to realize the context to which these phenomenon occur. For example, if I was scitzoprenic and my dog was telling me to kill my landlord, that experience may be real to me, but the phenomenon occuring is dangerous and more than likely pathological.  The best way to make a clear judgment  on  any interpretation is to look at all (or as many as possible) sides: physical history, cultural background, stage and state of consciousness.  All are important factors in examining an inner experience.  AQAL is a perfect map for such an examination.
Language/Semantics/culture/religion and their contextual meaning shape not only altered states of consciousness but “normal” states as well. As in a dream, we construct the meaning as well as the happenings of the experience consciously, subconsciously and/or unconsciously.

I suspect that our perspective is completely relative to our constantly shifting meaning. Ego, states of consciousness, and stages of conscious experiences do have some level of reality and so they do deserve our attetion and management but the only *absolute is Being, Here, NOW. All else is real ONLY relative to something else. The “suchness” of the moment is really all there is.

*The only absolute is being, here now (nowness, the suchness of this single moment - or perhaps the only absolute is NO-absolute or as Wilber says the combination of Form & Emptiness - nondual).

Toward a Quantum-Etheric Theory

I am beginning to feel like a Ken Wilber fan boy here. I am reading Excerpt G: Toward a Comprehensive Theory on Subtle Energies and I am nearly brought to tears by Ken’s gorgeous thoughts on subtle energies (etheric, astral, psychic etc).
What are Subtle Energies:
Theories on subtle energies go back thousands of years. There are versions of this model in Egyptian, Chinese, European, Jewish, Islamic, Indian (and many other) traditions. Ken’s version:

Table 1. Levels of Energy and Consciousness (from Excert G)
Is Quantum Potentiality a Subtle Energy?
One point that I have been confused on is Quantum Mechanics. Where does Quantum Mechanics fits in the Great Chain of subtle energies? Quantum Mechanics (and lately string theory/M-theory/k-theory or whatever the hell Ed Witten is calling it these days) is extremely popular among the New Age, metaphysics, Law of Attraction rock stars (Deepak, the Secret, What the Bleep.. no hate here, I love them). Philosophers, new agers, shaman, mystical fanboys/girls throw around the words “quantum mechanics” all the time (usually without knowing what the hell they are talking about, or at least I don’t know what the hell they are talking about).
Is Law of Attraction a Modern Mesmerism
I can’t help but be reminded of mesmerism and 1920s spiritualism of when I read some new age material. Animal magnetism (aka Mesmerism) was the metaphysical theory of Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. Mesmer’s theory was based on what he called “magnetic fluid” that he claimed was in every one and could be used to cure the sick (sound familiar… Reiki and qi gong have similar theories but different practice, east Indians have myriad practice and theories on something similar… maybe he was on to something). Like our modern day metaphysical theories on Law of Attraction and other new age theories, Mesmer’s animal magnetism had a following in France, but the scientific community didn’t accept it. Some of his clients claimed to be cured by his techniques. Although animal magnetism never took hold in modern science, a 19th century physician named James Braid took his techniques and developed a little something called “hypnosis”.
Like Mesmer’s animal magnetism, I believe some new age theories (Law of attraction, mystical connections to quantum mechanics) are on to something but as of right now the theories are to vague, simplistic and perhaps (as Ken says) naive to take hold in the community (namely science and academia) that can develop it. There is clearly a hunger for answers as people (laypersons, even some scientists and religions) all over the world flock to the latest new age, material-spiritual, quantum mechanics theories such as the material we see in things like “What the Bleep do We know?!” and the Secret.
The Philosopher with the Einstein’s Brain
Ken Wilber has blasted the new age movement, the Secret, What the Bleep and anything even remotely similar. He’s got a lot of arguments about the material, but his main problem (beside what he calls “Boomeritis“) seems to be their theory of reducing nondual spirit to (physical) Quantum phenomenon. Having read HIS version of how Quantum Reality relates to spirit, I must say that he has made me a believer.
His theory makes perfect sense. From what I understand, he is saying that spirit by itself is nondual, meaning it has no opposite so it is truly beyond infinite/finite (for even ‘infinite’ has and opposite, ‘finite’). Spirit has NO reference and no qualities that we can somehow measure and quantify, whereas quantum material do have qualities and opposites. Essentially, even though Quantum potentiality is incredible magical (spookiness at a distance, as Einstein called it) it is NOT equal to spirit as spirit.
Although spirit is manifest as soul (spirit-as-soul), as mind/causal (spirit-as-mind), as prana/etheric/astral (spirit-as-prana), as physical/gross/atoms/matter (spirit-as-matter), and each of the those have opposites, spirit-as-spirit has none so there is nothing we can say about it. It is beyond what we can symbolize with words and thought. Many mistake quantum potentiality for spirit-as-spirit but it is actually spirit-as-prana.
Ken Wilber’s Summary of Quantum Realities
Following the great philosopher-sages (such as Nagarjuna, Plotinus, and Shankara), we can summarize the reasons that any sort of quantum or subquantum events are not Spirit:

1. Any quantum reality has some sort of characteristics, qualities, or dimensions that set it apart from manifest matter; but Spirit is radically shunya of drsti (empty of any and all qualities, including that characterization itself)—e.g., quantum vacuum has vast energy, spirit is unqualifiable.
2. Any quantum reality is different in some important ways from gross matter; but Spirit is not different from any manifestation, but is rather the Suchness or Isness of whatever arises.
3. Quantum reality has an opposite (e.g., non-quantum reality), but Spirit is radically nondual.
4. Spirit is dimensionless; quantum reality is merely in a different dimension.
5. And, most important, quantum material energy comes directly out of prana, not out of spirit (i.e., matter crystallizes out of spirit-as-prana, not spirit-as-spirit).

Integral Spirituality by Ken Wilber (book review)

Just finished appendix III of Ken’s book Integral Spirituality.

Ken Wilber is a genius.  The book is revolutionary and I will be surprised if it doesn’t influence a lot of developing religions over the 21st Century.  Its just that damn good. 

I don’t agree with everything Ken has to say.  He is really, really harsh with What the Bleep Do We know?! and the book is a little repetitious of his book Integral Psychology(which has the most ridiculously comprehensive diagrams and references outside of medical school text books).  Some of his criticism of other books in Appendix III come off as a bit arrogant, but I suspect Ken is just trying to be brutally, helpfully honest (except with Lazlo and What the Bleep).  I guess when your a genius there is room to be arrogant.

The Integral Post-Metaphysics is the hardest ideas for me to accept.  Not only in comprehending what the hell he is trying to say, but accepting that metaphysics needs to be overhauled. Ken is saying that metaphysics is meaningless. 

What he is saying is that with metaphysical theories you can say anything with no need for evidence or foundation.  For example, I can say that the path to god is to do out of the body experience.  I could create 14 volume series on this all based on Oliver Fox’s theories.  The concepts might all come together and might even get a following, But the bottom line is what does it mean to you if I can’t prove it to you.

Integral Post-metaphysics holds all knowledge to a higher standard.  Ken mention three criteria for “good knowledge”:

1)  Injunction - Experiment: “if you want to know this, do this”. 

2)  Experience - tuition, awareness: you experience the phenomena

3)  A communal confirmation/rejection: Check with others who have completed the first two steps.

Metaphysics:  I tell you anything with Zero proof.  — I had an Out of body experience.  Out of Body experience is the path to God –

Integral Post-metaphysics: I tell you information how I got it and how you can go get it. –  I(L/5) had an Out of body experience (S/s).  Out of Body experience is the path to God (p-3).  By entering the hypnogagic state (S/g), you can have an out of body experience.  Your results may vary.  For example, some people feel that out of body experience feels more like they are Remote Viewing (S/s) or Lucid dreaming (S/s) so the term OBE maybe an inappropriate term, however many people describe it at feeling like it is indeed “out of the body”. 

Metaphysics makes sweeping generalizations and statements about a lot of “pre-given” phenomenon.  Integral Post-metaphysics (from what I understand) explains what level of development the subject is at (L/5 - level 5, green on the worldview scale which is pluralistic, worldcentric).  It goes even further and explains the level of each concept and how they can be accessed.  The above example is probably completely out of place since Ken doesn’t seem the LEAST bit interested in anything like OBE or psi phenomenon.  A more integral view would need to include the latest neurological science on the subject as well.

While it is not the most entertaining, I feel like this is definitely one of the most important books I’ve ever read.  And Ken Wilber is one of the most important philosophical/spiritual/psychological integral theorist of all times.

If you are interested in how religion and spirituality can survive the modern world than you must read this book.

Ken Wilber is O.k.

Ken Wilber had a Grand Mal Seisure in December and is now recovering. 

Ken Wilber is America’s (and perhaps the worlds) greatest philosopher.  His is perhaps the most important vision in the world as he has dedicated his life to an integral paradigm that allows religion and science to co-exist not only in theory but in practice.

Ken Wilber is a recepticle delivering one the most important messages that humanity has ever needed.  I am so happy this man is here with us.

When you look at the dilema that both heartless flat Western science and mindless world religions have gotten humanity in, it is very clear something needs to be done.

Regardless of how you feel about either science or religion it is fair to say that most humans rely heavily on one and/or the other.  They have been at each others throats for centuries now.  Religion one the first round by trying (unsucessfully) to abort science before it could fully develop, get out of the womb and walk on its own.  Science is now a big mean teenager and is beating the TAR out of is old prudist relative, religion.

Some Atheist believe (no pun intended) that religion is pure superstitious ignorance that is the primary cause of all human suffering.  Prominent scientists such as biologist Richard Dawkins are very outspoken against religion:

“This final scientific enlightenment will deal an overdue death blow to religion and other juvenile superstitions.” guardian uk

With events like the destruction of the World Trade Center and other suicide bombings around the world being inspired by religious fundamentalist, people like Richard Dawkins are being heard; though, the acts of a few fundamentalist should not at all reflect all religious people in every part of the globe as the new breed of Atheist seems to be saying.

In some cases I agree with their arguement.  Humans have used religions to do bad things.  However, the same can definitely be said about science.  Both are used to justify and implement the unjustifiable, but I guess that is entirely dependent on your perspective of “just”.

Regardless of the agressive stance of the new athiests, the fact remains that religion remains the primary method of human development all over the world.  And in that way it is still necessary.  I don’t believe that the “God” of religions (dogma & belief) can be replaced with the ”God” of science (empirical evidence & rationality). 

I don’t believe either of their Gods can explain everything.  And they definitely can not acurately perceive everything because their perspective is most of the time completely biased about EVERYTHING. 

Which brings me back to Ken Wilber and his Integral team.  The integral paradigm that they are introducing includes all the strengths of religion and science and none of the weaknesses.  Whether you are an atheist or a tele-evangalist you should be able to appreciate the importance of allowing people the freedom to be peacefully stupid in one big stupid family.

Ken.. thank you for living another day.  I love you (but not in a homosexual way.. although I think that you have a great ass ;). 

Setting Personal Goals: Integral Goals

Big Mind with Zen Master Genpo Roshi (dharmapalooza ‘06)

Yesterday I attended Dharmapalooza hosted by Stuart Davis and featuring Zen Master Genpo Roshi.

Genpo discussed his Big Mind technique. Although “Big Mind” it is not Zen, I found it very useful in exploring all the dimesions of the self. As well as a very good compliment for Eastern enlightenment as a Western therapeutic perspective.

Here is what I got from it:

A person is a jumble of many different emotions, repressed desires and fears. There is seemingly no order in this soup of conditioned responses and (worse) no release for those we hide from the outside world.

Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind technique gives each of these feelings, fears, and passions a first person voice. Why is this powerful? It is self therapy that allows some repressed emotional mechanisms within us to have a place without conflicting or resurfacing as stress or (worse) cancer. The best way to understand how powerful this technique is is to allow some of those pent up emotions, such as Anger to speak freely in the first person. Repressing Anger (or any other emotion) is not health.

The real power is in giving each of these parts of you a title and a role. The Big Mind Technique works because it allows you to not only fully own them (instead of disassociating them or displacing them as someone else’s fault), but also organize them into efficient manageble states of shades of your self and realize that you are NOT your anger although you may have anger at times.

more details about Big Mind.

I would strongly recommend sitting in on a live Big Mind session or buying the DVD on Big Mind.

Ego, Inc: Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind

A person is a jumble of many different emotions, repressed desires and fears. There is seemingly no order in this soup of conditioned responses and (worse) no release for those we hide from the outside world.

Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind technique gives each of these feelings, fears, and passions a first person voice. Why is this powerful? It is self therapy that allows some repressed emotional mechanisms within us to have a place without conflicting or resuracing as stress or (worse) cancer. The best way to understand how powerful this technique is is to allow some of those pent up emotions, such as Anger to speak freely in the first person. Repressing Anger (or any other emotion) is not health.

The real power is in giving each of these parts of you a title and a role. The Big Mind Technique works because it allows you to not only fully own them (instead of disassociating them or displacing them as someone else’s fault), but also organize them into efficient manageble states of shades of your self.

EGO, INC

Imagine that you are not just one personality, but hundreds of personalities. You are in fact a whole corporation full of personalities each with an important task necessary to help the company stay afloat. Lets call this company Ego Incorporated. The mission is to preserve the precious “self”.

On the staff of Ego, Inc there is a security team assigned to protecting the self from the rest of the world and from itself. Security also ensures the self does not hurt others. The security teams is composed of individuals like: the Protector, the Skeptic, the Controller and Fear. Security knows that Ego, Inc has been hurt before (even by those close to the company… especially, by those close to it) so it has built WALLs and ceiling around EVERYtHING. The precious self in the middle of Ego, Inc (the precious asset) is not fond of being lock behind a wall. It conspires from the inside with staff members like Desire and Love who want to risk everything Ego, Inc has built. The self doesn’t like being locked inside with depressing employees like Loneliness and Sadness.
Other members of the Ego, Inc staff include Anger, the Victim (who does some PR work for the company every now and then), and Doubt.

Some of the sometimes neglected members include: the Inocent Child (the heart of the self), and the Damaged Self.

After taking a real hit from the outside world the Ego Inc Security team starts making not only 100 foot walls but moats and hot oil on the sides of the walls. The self with no way for genuine interaction with even the closest people in her life is left with only Dispair to talk to.

The CEO of this company is balanced with rational thought and emotional drive decides to hold a board meeting and allow each of the employees to talk. The CEO also highers consultants on to that company, Big Mind & Big Heart. They are a team who have all the answers. Big Mind and Big Heart don’t answer to anyone they are completely self sufficient. Ego Inc is actually a wholly owned subsidiary of the company Big Mind & Big Heart, who are global, beyond successful and rich beyond imagination. They have allowed Ego, Inc to run on its own to gather information for the expansion of Big Mind & Big Heart. They suggest that the company use one of its most valuable assets which they have hidden away, the Damaged Self. The Damaged Self takes on all the pain and damage that each of the employees incur. It does so openly and with total incomprehinsible compassion. It is the sum total of what some would call an unsung hero. Since the Damaged Self takes on all the hurt and all the hits and disappointment, the security team can relax some of their controls. And the self can take Joy out for a spin.

Holographic Universe beyond matter

The Holographic Model is presented at lenth by many renound philosophers.  It actually goes in much more detail then what the video summarized about our reality being an image in our brains and into realities beyond, layers of reality and the complete illusion of reality.  Ken Wilber talks about it in his book, Holographic Paradigm.  You can also read more about it in Holographic Universe, Mike Talbot.  Many other scientists (neurologists, physicists, ect) use this model because it does well in explaining the “holon” nature of  reality. (Holon = a whole as parts of another whole. Like whole molocules forming a whole organism)

What is really Amazing is this:
Spiritual teaching have been explaining the nature of reality as layered deminsion of illusions for HUNDREDS of years:

plato -
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/plato.html

Hinduism -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(Hinduism)

Christianity -
*gnostic roots - successfully destroyed by Roman Catholic church who used to be pagan:
http://www.leaderu.com/popculture/gnosticmatrix.html

islam - http://www.secretbeyondmatter.com/islamicscholars.html

perenial philosophy-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perennial_philosophy

There is something beyond that neither science or religion can adequately explain.  Mystics, shaman, spiritual teachers, and madmen (like eckhart tolle) of nearly every culture have had glimpses of it.  Their explaination is so transformative these beings typically gain a following of fans, disciples, apostles, priests (ect.) that end up starting a religions.  The religions (without fail) get subjegated by whoever is in power so that they can gain more power.

This is true for Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.  At their core, the mystics behind these religions are actually saying the same thing.  Religion is chock full of BS like ethnocentricity, sexism, tribalism and other methods of control.

Whether you believe in the now mythic figures who brought the truth or not is really irrelevant.  The beauty is in what they were pointing at.  Science is on the very begining edge of that.

All the stuff about Allah at the end was getting into some of the more deeper ideas about the universe being a reflection of something infinite and perfect.

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