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THE TORONTO CHANT CLUB
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AUGUST 31, 2009
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Quote of the Month
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"Believe
nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said
it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your common sense."
-
Gautama Buddha
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GREETINGS DEAR FRIENDS
Wow - summer is flying by. I had a chance to spend some time in the Sedona/Grand Canyon region - incredibly stunning natural beauty and very warm temperatures. The energy there is transforming. I believe it has helped me to sort out some of my personal confusion - learning to let go and trust the wisdom of the universe.
We have some exciting new things to tell you about - after many requests we are starting a chant club in Toronto. See below for more info. After two years of hard work and collaboration we have launched an exciting new organization - the Canadian Association of Sound Practitioners (CASP). If you are interested in learning more and/or in becoming a member visit soundpractitioners.com
This month's article explores the concept of evil and the invention of Satan. If you'd like to access past newsletters containing the ongoing articles on the Physics of Mysticism, Magic, the Power of Mantra and other topics, please visit the 'newsletter' page of my website: whyislife.com
Peace and love, Dennis. |
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THE NATURE OF EVIL
by Dennis Gaumond
What is the nature of evil. We tend to think of evil as a
force, or as some demon or entity that seeks to perpetrate evil upon mankind -
evil for the sake of evil. The mystics, however, see it quite differently. They
see evil as an absence rather than a presence. Just as cold is an absence of
heat and darkness is an absence of light, evil is an absence of love and
compassion. An evil-doer is usually someone who, because of a deep imbalance,
is simply making mistakes. Hitler, for example, actually thought he was doing
the right thing. Our everyday evils such as greed and selfishness arise mainly
from an imbalanced understanding of the true nature of things - a misperception
of the self as being separate from other selves.
Virtually every member of western society is familiar with
the image of 'Satan', the baddest of the bad, purveyor of all evil, the Prince
of Darkness. It is a concept that has become a firmly embedded paradigm - an
unquestioned, accepted part of religious dogma. However, modern research into the
origins of this concept reveal that it was invented by the early Christian
Church. The original Hebrew concept of a 'satan' had nothing to do with 'evil'.
A satan was originally an obedient servant of God, an adversarial 'force' or
'entity' sent by God to challenge one's faith. The word then evolved to mean
any kind of earthly adversary. King David is referred to in early editions of
the Bible as a satan of the Philistines.
The
word 'satan' was later appropriated by the early Christian patriarchs and made into a
proper name. The goat-like imagery of Satan as a horned, cloven-hoofed demon
was borrowed from the Greek god of sexual debauchery, Pan. The Church
associated this image with 'evil' and wove it into its teachings. There is no
mention of Satan in the Genesis stories, yet we've all grown to accept the idea
that the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve was Satan in disguise. This notion comes from
simplistic, non-Biblical books that were written by the Church circa 500 AD -
the 'Book of Adam and Eve', the 'Book of the Bee' and the 'Book of the Cave of
Treasures'.
Some researchers feel
that the emerging Christian authority needed to invent Satan, to 'put a face'
on evil and thus have a strong tool by which to rule the masses with fear. We
see this tendency persisting today. The authorities, through the media, are
always identifying some bogeyman for us to fear, whether it's Manuel Noriega,
Sadam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden. A fearful populace is easy to manipulate. We
must be vigilant about the latest tactics to scare us with impending epidemics
like swine flu, aiming to implement mass inoculations. The perpetrators of such tactics, in their imbalance, are probably convinced that they're doing the right thing.
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EXCITING NEWS! - AFTER MANY REQUESTS WE WILL BE STARTING UP A
CHANT CLUB IN TORONTO.
We'll meet on the third Friday of every month:
September 18, October 15, November 20...The first meeting will be on Friday, September 18 at 7:30 PM.
Location - Gary Diggins' studio at 219 St. Clair West, Toronto, Canada
(two blocks west of Avenue Rd. on the south side)
Suggested donation - $20QUESTIONS? Please contact me - dgomo@golden.net or 519 763-0004
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GUELPH CHANT CLUB
DATE
CITY
VENUE
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WED., JUNE 3, 09 Guelph, Unitarian Church
7:45 to 9:30 pm Ontaro
The Unitarian Church is on the corner of
Harris and York Streets in Guelph.
For more Detailed directions, check out guelph-unitarians.com
SUGGESTED DONATION - $15
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