Christmas Consciousness from Steven Kaufman's blog

There is not God and the world,

there is only God.

 

There is not Nothing and something,

there is only Nothing.

 

That there is God and the world,

Nothing and something,

is an illusion.

 

The illusion that there is

both God and the world,

both Nothing and something,

is like the illusion that arises

where there is only a mirror

but there appears to be

both a mirror and a reflection,

and so the appearance of two

where there is only one.

 

The world of somethings

is a reflection that arises

within the mirror that is God,

within the mirror that is Nothing,

within the mirror that is Consciousness.

 

The world of somethings exists

like a reflection exists,

but the world of somethings,

like a reflection,

is not what is actually there

where it only ever

appears to be.

 

What exists is created,

whereas what is actually there

is not created

but simply Is.

 

What is actually there

where the world of somethings

appears to be

is the formless Isness

we call our Consciousness.

 

And it is within that Nothingness,

within that formless Isness,

that the world of somethings

arises and exists.

 

And it is by that Nothingness,

by that formless Isness,

that the world of somethings

is known as reality.

 

And so there is always the appearance

of two things;

the reflection and the mirror,

the world and God,

something and Nothing,

reality and Consciousness,

when all there actually Is

is the one thing

that is not a thing,

because the other thing

that is a thing;

the world, the somethings, the reality,

is not actually an Isness,

but is only a reflection,

and so is only an appearance,

and so is only an existence,

that arises within the Isness,

that arises within the Nothing,

that we call Consciousness.

 

The appearance of what exists

is not itself an illusion.

It is only the appearance of what exists

as what is actually there

where it only appears to be

that is the illusion.

And so it is only the appearance

of what exists

as what is

that is the illusion.

 

Caught up in this illusion,

convinced of the ultimate reality

of reality,

the Isness of which the world

is actually composed

becomes hidden

behind what only exists

masquerading as what is.

 

And this illusion,

whereby what only exists

appears as what is,

imparts upon reality,

imparts upon what only exists,

a false status of equivalence

between created reality

and uncreated Isness.

 

And it is this false equivalence

between existence and Isness

that allows the uncreated Isness

to mistake itself

for what only exists,

and so mistake itself

for its own creation.

 

And once the Isness knows itself

as what only exists,

then the Isness,

when it is noticed,

must seem to Itself

to be other than itself.

 

The word God

is just what we call our Self

when that Self becomes

somewhat aware of the Isness,

and so becomes

somewhat aware of Itself,

while still unable

to recognize Itself.

 

And so arises

the idea of a God

that is other than our self

and other than the world.

 

And so arises

the idea of a God

that is separate from our self

and separate from the world.

 

And when God and the world

seem to be two different things,

we approach the world

differently than we approach God,

not knowing that to approach the world

is to actually approach God

cloaked in a veil of form,

covered in what is only an appearance.

 

Divinity does not just lie within,

but lies equally without,

it just has to be found within

before it can be found without.

 

Once divinity has been found within,

where as the formless Isness

it wears no mask,

it can then be found without

as the formless Isness

that lies behind every mask,

behind every appearance

behind every reflection

that we call the world,

that we call something,

that we call reality.

 

Christmas is not ultimately a celebration

of the physical birth

of a certain person.

That is just the appearance and excuse

that Consciousness uses to throw a party

to celebrate the Awakening of Itself

to the Christ-Consciousness,

to the unity and oneness of Itself,

that lies hidden and obscured

behind all appearances.

 

And this celebration

is an invitation to all

to become more aware of the Oneness

that lies somewhat hidden

behind the appearance

of me and the others,

and of us and them,

and which lies completely obscured

behind the appearance

of me versus the others,

and of us versus them.

 

Peace on Earth,

good will toward men.

Not just an empty slogan,

but what naturally arises

within any Consciousness

that sees past the appearance

of "I am this" and "you are that,"

and into the underlying Isness,

and so into the underlying Oneness,

and so into the singular "I am"

that lies beyond

the appearance of two things

where there is only ever actually

one Nothing.