~Truth and Illusion~

Truth and Illusion
by Andrew Schneider



Over the years I have been disillusioned by public figures and
spokespeople for institutions 'telling lies' to the public, or
twisting the truth, in order to manipulate people's thinking. I have
thought a lot about truth and lies in order to gain some peace with
this common reality, and wish to share some of these reflections with
you.

I have learned a few things, such as the fact that everyone has some
kind of agenda which is frequently self-serving, and they will do
whatever they can to fulfill that agenda. I have also learned that the
words 'truth' and 'lie' don't usually apply in the way we normally use
those words. If we think about it, we could always find other ways of
more accurately describing what we would label with these words. Most
often we use them as value judgements, implying that we agree (truth)
or do not agree (lie). What we think we are doing when using these
words is making a factual statement, but that is seldom the case.

In spiritual philosophy we separate reality into truth and illusion,
equating these terms with the real and the unreal. While these are
valid distinctions in themselves, they cannot be applied to describe
the manifest world. They are only valid as descriptions of our
perceptions. Perceptions, however, can be either superficial or deeply
insightful.

Truth is a perception of depth in which we perceive more of what is
there, while illusion is a superficial perception of reality.

From this description it is quite obvious that a lot of what passes as
truth in the public arena - clearly evident in political statements -
and between people, is illusion.

At the superficial level of reality we experience separateness and
disconnection. At deeper levels we experience unity. It is through
deepening our perceptions that we begin to experience the deeper
levels of who we are and of what things are, and there we find
connections. This is why people make meaningful connections with one
another when they reveal their depths to each other.

Truth is what is real at a deeper level than the form or appearance
level of anything. This is why in Eastern philosophies the form world
is called the world of illusion. The form is but the outer expression
of truth. To put it philosophically, truth is therefore the essence of
something or the existence of something, rather than the appearance of
something. The essence and existence of anything or anyone are unique
in the sense that they each contain both the universal dimension and
the individual dimension. It is the universal dimension that links all
life and all beings together. Truth is therefore always unifying in
its effects. And when we speak the truth we are integrating our inner
(soul) and outer (personality) selves.

When we perceive or experience either the essence or the existence of
something, we do so with both personality awareness and soul
consciousness. The personality awareness enables us to see the
individual nature, and the soul consciousness enables us to perceive
and experience the universal nature.

Truth is not the same as facts. So in our pursuit of truth, we are not
talking about 'telling the truth' as opposed to 'telling a lie.' We
are talking about living truth versus living illusion. What we call
'telling the truth' and 'telling a lie' are both often different
versions of illusion and ways of remaining in control of a situation.
We adjust to the version that enables us to be in control, have the
upper hand, get what we want, or be 'right'.

As we develop soul consciousness we increasingly respond automatically
to that which is true, good and beautiful because we increasing
experience the essence of things, including our own essence. Then
whenever we deny the true, good or beautiful, or attempt to act
contrary to them, the brain immediately detects an error. The brain is
an instrument of the soul and knows instinctively when we are
functioning inconsistently without our true inner nature. It says,
'There is something wrong that needs to be rectified.' This creates
physical, emotional and mental conflict and anxiety, relative to the
degree of soul consciousness a person has. Responding to this inner
need for rectification, we are urged to expand our consciousness by
going deeper and embracing more fully what is real.

Illusion is an incomplete perception of truth. When we do not perceive
with soul consciousness we do not know the universal dimensions of
what we are seeing or experiencing. We are then able to perceive or
experience only the form or appearance of something. This partial
perception, which is personality perception only, is described as
illusion. It is seeing the part, the particular, the individual or the
appearance, and relating to it as if it had no other dimensions to its
existence.

Illusion is rigid, fixed and somewhat static. It is limited and held
in place by its form. Truth on the other hand is very flexible as it
can express itself in endless ways and still be itself. One truth of
who we are is our human nature. All human beings share the same nature
but every human being is a unique expression of that nature. So human
nature expresses itself in billions of different ways. When we are
creative we express this uniqueness, which is not an expression of
what is different, but what is real about who we are. This is truth.

Exercises:

1. Think about a situation where you feel separate. What illusion are
you holding onto? What do you have to let go of in order to see the
truth of the situation?

2. Think of a situation or a person where you can't see the good, the
truth or the beauty. What do you have to do or perceive to see the
truth of this person or situation?
Shared with Love and Light, Rosalie xo