Epiphany: Parting the Veil

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, the holiest day in the Gnostic calendar and the start of Carnival (in those places where it is celebrated).

"Epiphany" comes from a Greek word for "revelation," theologically meaning the revelation of God -- which presumes of course a dualistic separation between divine and mundane. If one experiences a gulf between the human and divine, then the bridging of that gulf must be an occasion for reassurance and hope.

But even if one does not believe in such a divide, then unless one is an atheist one must acknowledge at least the appearance of a divide -- a veil that separates mundane consciousness from moments of awareness or gnosis. An epiphany then is a parting of the veil, the removal of our pre-occupations that prevent us from awareness of higher states of potential.

If there is only a veil between us and gnosis, then all one has to do is reach out and part the veil.

tat tvam asi... now remember!

My previous entries marking the Feast of Epiphany can be read here:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sophiaserpentia/107424.html
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sophiaserpentia/329818.html

Addendum to "Epiphany: Parting the Veil"

If there is no gulf between the human and divine, then each of us contains some connection to the divine potential, or some portion thereof. We see echoes of this in the Buddhist admonition to treat every person you encounter as if she were a Buddha, or the teaching of Jesus that "what you do unto the least of these my brethren, you do unto me."

Therefore a particularly insidious part of the veil that prevents us from seeing the divine spark within ourselves and each other, comes to us disguised as the light of wisdom: religious teachings that encourage to see divisions between people rather than connections binding us together.

I saw an example of this in today's news:

The Laskar Mujahidin group, which campaigns for an Islamic state in Indonesia and is fiercely anti-American, has set up four posts in Aceh and sent more than 200 of its members to the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. It has been collecting corpses, distributing food and spreading Islamic teachings among refugees in the city, its members said Thursday.

...One American official in Aceh, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said American forces were aware of the Laskar Mujahidin's presence and were keeping an eye on them. But so far, he said, they have only given out relief supplies and have not prompted any security adjustments by American forces.

"I'm worried. You've got to be on your toes," he said. "We're watching them. Something can happen."

Sidney Jones, a Jemaah Islamiyah expert with the International Crisis Group said the Laskar Mujahidin was "raising concerns that the presence of U.S. and Australian troops in Aceh to help the humanitarian aid effort masks a hidden agenda" of converting people to Christianity.

"They appear to see their role not only as helping victims, but as guarding against 'kafir' — infidel — influence," Jones said at a regional forum in Singapore.

from Radical Islamic Group Aiding Relief Cause