Some metaphysical thoughts on a Thursday morning

(Photo via Google)

If the devil is in the detail, as some people would say, then maybe we should not go into it because it can be a dangerous place. Now, it might be that the angel is also in the detail, so maybe we should go into it after all so that we can commune with the divine and others may do as well. Maybe it’s all a matter of which detail to go into.

Funny but when I checked the provenance or origin of this idiomatic expression, which I found out has several versions or variations, I learned that it is in fact a paraphrase of an earlier idiom — to wit, “God is in the detail” — that is generally attributed to the German-born architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969). (“Detail” without an “s” can be used both as a singular and collective noun.) So I was right after all: We indeed should go into the detail or details provided we choose the right ones.

(Photo from The QuoteLab, resized)

The universe is a dangerous place to live in, although the danger — as well as the safety — varies wildly from place to place. I understand that our planet is populated by souls and beings from various points of origin in cosmos, from various planes of Matter and Spirit. Our planet used to be an orb of primeval beauty and Edenic peace, protected by a sheath of innocence, until some goodhearted and well-meaning people on Earth invited and tried to salvage some seemingly viable souls from the destroyed planet of Maldek. That was a big blunder. For instead of the Maldekians learning the way of peace from Earthlings, it was Earthlings who learned some undesirable things from the Maldekians.

That’s the precise point when things began to unravel. Having lost its shield of innocence in the process of doing a good turn, Terra became a sort of an open city. That means anybody from anywhere could just come in and do their thing. That is why the world is such a mess.

It is my grand fortune — or grave misfortune — to be somewhat familiar with various types and levels of consciousness. I always preferred to say that it comes with the territory of being a poet, and later of being the lone sonnet grandmaster of the world. But I knew in my heart of hearts that the deeper reason is that it comes with the territory of my soul’s vocation, that it is a knowledge I need to have to be able to fulfill my mission in life.

During my intensive spiritual initiations in 1988 to 1989, I had the precious privilege of being enveloped twice in the wondrously blissful consciousness and serene countenance of a spiritual being whose divine office is referred to in Zechariah 4:14 as “the Lord of the whole earth”, in Revelation 11:14 as “the God of the earth”, and in Buddhism and some newly organized spiritual societies as “the Lord of the World”. This spiritual being serves as the viceroy of God for our planet, the highest representative and manifestation of the Divine among us.

Until just a few decades ago, the said divine office used to be occupied by his spiritual teacher known as the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9) — he who was my earthly lord in the days of yore (in an island in the middle of the Gobi Sea) and the true inspiration of my soul. But after a long, patient and heroic service to humanity and to all that live upon this planet, the youthful-looking Ancient of Days — who is known by other names in various cultures of the globe, especially those with sacred writings — has moved back to his home world, his lengthy self-exile on Earth being a matter of volunteerism or self-imposed sacrifice duly approved by the LORD God.

So, going back, I do have some little ideas and insights about the consciousness as well as the force emanation and inner form of various beings — including those of the growling Lion of Judah, the fierce and somewhat fiery serpentine force, a large Jupiterian, a powerful ape-like being (maybe the last two are one and the same; they happened almost simultaneously within a very brief span of time, maybe in seconds, maybe within a minute or two), my own Christ Self, a centaur in motion with a divine being riding on it, a nuno sa punso (literally, a dwarf dwelling on an earthen mound; however, I was sitting atop a large dark rock when the blissful yet joyous experience happened during which I taught children many short and simple home-made chants), a one-eyed vagabond, a humpback (again, the last two might be one and the same), Napoleon in deep thought, someone skating without a skateboard (me! that means I was sort of gliding about an inch above the ground), someone walking sideways like a crab, and whatnot.

It could get really weird and eerie at times. But how much do we really know about the material-cum-spiritual Universe including our very own locality as well as far-off worlds?

I remember one incident very well. It happened about 15 years ago, a few years before I became a sonneteer, before my full talent in poetry writing came into manifestation, lodged at my disposal. I was then at a place I fondly called “Skyhall”, writing a relatively lengthy poem, which was unusual for me in those days. I was jotting down some stanzas about the universe we live in and the need for me to understand the thoughts of various beings in it — man, beast, angel and … devil! I was shocked with the realization; it struck me like a thunderbolt. But there was no escaping it. It flowed logically. I believe it comes with the territory.

I knew there was much hazard and danger to dwell on the thoughts of the more sinister beings. But how would I deal with something I couldn’t understand? How would I write about it in a knowledgeable way? It was not just a matter of inoculation. I’ve got to understand the nature of evil so that … so that I could become a force for good? Not only that; it turned out as years rolled by, as I meditated upon sacred writings both ancient and recent, that it’s something more complicated and difficult. I have come to feel that it is my divinely-appointed duty to explore the possibility of … ending the ancient enmity between loyal angels and rebel angels. Big words, no? If you say it’s nonsense or I’m crazy, I would understand.

The mass expulsion of the rebellious angels from Heaven was the climax of a major surgical operation done with lightning speed, perfect timing and masterful precision that decisively extinguished in one fell swoop the fast-spreading rebellious conflagration in the upper spheres. I call it “surgical” because there was a lot of amputation done to excise a cancerous growth that could not be anymore remedied by gentler and less forceful solutions. According to the Book of Revelation, 1/3 of angels were exiled to the lower planes of Matter — particularly to the “earth’ and the “sea” which mean the physical and astral planes. This left numerous gaps in the ranks of the celestial hierarchy that have not been fully filled up until now. Just try to imagine if there’s a civil war or huge demonstrations in your country and 1/3 of your countrymen are to be pushed out to the sea or beyond the national borders as a result. Then multiply the magnitude of the catastrophe a hundred times or a thousand times … and that should give you a fairly good idea as to how massive and horrible what happened in Heaven was. Incidentally, I have a question: “If the issue that divided the inhabitants of Heaven was decided by votation (or voting), what would have been the outcome? Which side do you think had the greater number at the point of the crucial confrontation — the loyal angels or the rebel angels?” Make a guess! Do it now before I give you some hints. Finished? Or, as we Filipinos would say: Sirit? (“Sirit” means “I give up. Tell me the answer.”) The Bible can give you some solid clues but you need to know how to do a little arithmetic, a little one plus one plus one. One third of the angels were expelled, that’s a given. But the Bible doesn’t say how many angels remained loyal to God and fought on His side. It doesn’t also say how many were those whose guilt was considered not serious enough and therefore were not expelled. Furthermore, it doesn’t say how many were more or less neutral because they were too stunned, too confused, too bewildered, too apathetic, too uninterested, too distracted, too busy, too innocent, too guileless, too dumb, too smart, too peace-loving, too heartbroken or too self-conflicted as to be unable to take sides actively one way or another. Can you make a better guess now? It was a cliffhanger or a photo finish, if I may say so. I hope that final intimation should suffice. (Photo: The Fall of the Rebel Angels, a painting by Luca Giordano, 1666.)

If Heaven is patient and somewhat kind to the rebel angels, it’s because there are sacrosanct laws and procedures being observed in the Universe. These rebellious beings had once served faithfully the vast kingdom of God as top officials and rank-and-file functionaries of the celestial government. As such, they had earned a lot of good points that need to be exhausted before they can be punished with extreme prejudice. All opportunities should be given to them to bend the knee, express remorse, and make amends for their misdeeds.

Naturally, no matter how long the deadline and the grace period might be — which varies from rebel angel to rebel angel, from rebel unit to rebel unit — Final Judgment will eventually come around even as it has already done so for the top rebel chief Lucifer and many others.

In this painting by Gustave Dore (1832–1883) of France, the rebel angels after being expelled from Heaven can be seen exploring the emotional plane (more popularly known as the “astral plane”) in search of a new place to dwell in. The astral plane is supposed to be just above the physical habitation of man; but with the darkened vibrations of its new masters, it sinks to an ever-deepening low. There are actually four major planes of Matter — etheric (or memory) plane, mental plane, emotional (or astral) plane, and our very own physical plane, the lowest and densest of them all. These correspond to the four elements of the ancients — fire, air, water and earth, respectively. (To help you understand and visualize the various planes of Matter and Spirit, you should recall the Geometry concepts of points, lines and planes.) The loyal angels did not cede the etheric plane because Heaven needed it as platform for some necessary activities. The rebel angels chose the astral plane as their main headquarters and base of operation. And that is why the rebel angels are strong in manipulating emotions while the loyal angels are strong in managing memory; it’s because of the respective planes they control and the resources therein at their disposal. For all practical intents and purposes, the astral plane is Hell because Hell is where the rebel angels are. Hell is the natural expression and logical result of the rebel angel’s rebellious spirit and darkened consciousness. The mental plane in between the astral and the etheric has served as a sort of buffer zone or no man’s land between the two warring camps. As for the physical plane, it came under the heavy influence of the rebel angels although the loyal angels also undertook operations of their own in the habitation of man.

But why is it that the majority of rebel angels have not availed of Heaven’s kindness and mercy, even long after their cause became hopeless? It’s a long story. Part of the answer is spiritual pride, group mentality, momentum of defiance and ill will, lust for vengeance by those who cannot get over their defeat and loss of their former estate, magnitude of transgressions that need to be balanced or paid up, number of rebel units which have delved deeply into the dark side of things (with the extent and type of delving varying from one rebel unit to another), and stubbornness of rebel leaders whose respective followers are accustomed to follow them.

Nevertheless, things must proceed according to Heaven’s legal processes as well as long-term plans. Besides, we should bear in mind that there were no rebel angels in our sector of the galaxy before, long long ago. The two warring camps of angelic beings are no strangers to each other. They intimately know one another like old friends and those on the other side like an ex-wife or ex-husband. There used to be one Kingdom, one Family, one huge Circle of Love and Friendship. These rebel angels — plainly and literally speaking — have legions of former friends, classmates, teachers, pupils, associates and loved ones in Heaven, many of them very high-ranking hierarchs. If bending backward a little more can save one rebel, just one, there is always rejoicing among the celestial inhabitants.

It is towards this end that I was born into this world — to save the lost sheep-turned-wolves of Heaven’s Israel (as distinguished from the earthly Israel), to do one final and mighty attempt at reconciliation and ending the ancient enmity.

How do I do that? I don’t know. When the thought first popped up in my mind a few years back, I was totally clueless, it’s as though I was facing a blank wall, and I didn’t yet feel that it’s something I had to do. But sometime thereafter, about two or three years ago, I jotted down somewhere in Facebook a tentative procedure on how to go about it including some guidelines, policies and strategies that should be adopted in undertaking what I expected and envisaged to be a prolonged and multi-staged series of negotiations.

Who knows if, at the inner planes, preliminary negotiations might have already started and what I am jotting down is mere overflow or faint remembrance from the depths of my soul, seeping out into my outer mind and consciousness?

Do I think so highly of myself as to entertain the idea of playing a role of such gravity and magnitude? Oh no, not at all. It is my very smallness and inconsequentiality that qualifies me for the job, which is prophesied in the Book of Isaiah. I am a soul young enough not to have anything to do with that old quarrel among the angels during its first phase in Heaven — what is oftentimes referred to in the Judeo-Christian tradition as the “Great Rebellion” — so I am sort of neutral. Well, not quite but neutral enough as to be able to play the role of an honest broker.

Part of my soul’s experiences in the universe involved quarreling with both camps of angels myself during the angelic war’s second phase — what Christians usually call the “battle of Armageddon” — wherein the venue this time is in the planes of Matter. So I am a combatant in my own right, in my own little way, and can therefore understand the language, psychology and culture of the quarrelsome. This should serve me in good stead as I take the lead in seeking to find a mutually acceptable end to this deadly and dolorous fratricidal war.

(Photo from Linkster)

Besides, I have my own “vested interest” and “personal motive” why I want the matter to be resolved as early and as amicably as possible. I was the one who protested against Heaven’s dumping of the angelic wars upon “the earth” and “the sea” — as Revelation 12:12 puts it (see photo above) to refer to the physical plane and the astral plane, respectively. Once upon a time, before a grand celestial council that I had the special privilege of attending in behalf of “the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea”, I bluntly charged and bitterly complained that the said dumping cruelly and unjustly punished innocent inhabitants of the two planes who were haplessly caught in the crossfire. So if Heaven has given me this job of peacemaking to do, it would be improper for me not to give it one hell of a try, pun intended.

I suppose that’s about it. I have written long enough. I intended to write only a few sentences on my Facebook wall but thoughts flowed on and on. Kindly allow me now to end this metaphysical piece by quoting some passages from the Book of Isaiah:

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The Lord hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.

And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me.

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

And he said, It is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel: I will also give you for a light to the Gentiles, that you may be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.

— Jose Rizal M. Reyes / poet-philosopher, Philippines / September 1, 2016 / updated September 4, 2016