The Ten Commandments Pt 2
Welcome back
Before I start, bare in mind that the translation of the Quran and the Bible will never give the exact meaning of the word that it was revealed in.
However, it does give a closer meaning, but I encourage you to use your own intellect, and the light within you to try and relate the translated verses from todays world point of view. This way, you will get greater sense out of the truth that was created within you. Gods’ word is within you regardless of what language it is in.
If it doesnt make sense, be neutral, don’t agree or disagree.
Leave a question mark beside it and say, it shall be revealed. And move on with your day and see what will happen.
The Art of Worship
The funny thing is, is that even those who don’t believe the Creator, worship the Creator at many points in their life without even them knowing. Ask an atheist for instance that takes part in charity organisations with the intention to make the world a better place; “if you don’t believe in God why do you even need to give charity?”
He’ll most likely answer because it gives his life purpose, he likes to contribute to his society, or he just like to see people happy.
Now, this is what we call spiritual fulfilment. Although he is unaware of how the Creator of the Universe works, in this specific role he is in the act of worshipping the Creator. Because through the tool of freedom of choice he has opted for the button called ‘the mechanism of light’ which is the system that was created within us to want to do good, wanting to do what’s best.
Where worship can go wrong, is when we surrender to specific actions known as part of our decision making that are based on other peoples perception on life, beliefs, and ideologies. We have been pre-conditioned by inherited cultural beliefs and society. And this is where the majority get lost in many aspects of life.
Let’s take a severe and immoral part of decision making like murder. In the time between no murder and murder there was an irrational assumption that the only way to get rid of this person who in this scenario is causing me abuse and pain is to kill them. As a result, assuming that all the pain in my life will go away.
The mechanism of light that I mentioned earlier is alarming me to set myself free from an abusive and painful person, which part of our natural biological system. However, the decision making process is impaired in that moment because it was distorted with a dark shadow of assumption (biblically is known as the devil) casted by an idol (materialistic or no materialistic) resulting in a negative outcome.
Idol is a metaphoric symbol to any obstacle that stands in your way to do the right thing. To take a wise, loving and conscious decision.
The dark shadow of assumption comes from negative life experiences such as trauma, consuming other peoples beliefs without reflection, and the influence of society, media and so on.
The stronger the shadow, the stronger the person is influenced by the shadow of this idol. And this is what I call negative worship.
How many of you were following a recipe from a cookbook and you missed a few steps. It kept going wrong because you assumed you had read the instructions properly. The assumption made you blind from the truth which was ‘you missed a few steps’.
This is why the ten commandment aren’t what people think. It isn’t something you do once and ta-dah it’s done. This is a system of a spiritual healing journey, coming to full awareness of our actions and decision making as we go on in life.
Every single human on this earth is obligated to fulfil these commandments as they have nothing to do with religion although they are part of a religious teaching. They are commandments that evolve a person both socially and spiritually.
Once you master of the true meaning of worship, your life will change forever.
THE FIRST AND SECOND FROM THE BIBLE & QURAN
You shall have no other God's before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images.
2“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3You shall have no other gods before Me.
4You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. 5You shall not bow down to them or worship them;
قُلْ يَٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَٰبِ تَعَالَوْاْ إِلَىٰ كَلِمَةٍۢ سَوَآءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ أَلَّا نَعْبُدَ إِلَّا ٱللَّهَ وَلَا نُشْرِكَ بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا وَلَا يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْاْفَقُولُواْ ٱشْهَدُواْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ
(آل عمران - 64)
Say: 'People of the Book, let us come to a common word between us and you that we will worship none except Allah that we will associate none with Him, and that none of us take others for lords besides Allah.' If they turn away, say: 'Bear witness that we are Submitters.'
(Al-Imran Chapter 3 verse 64)
وَٱعْبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشْرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيْـًٔا ۖ
(النساء - 36)
Worship Allah (the Father) and do not associate partners anything with Him.
(Al-Nisaa Chapter 4 verse 36)
فلا تجعلوا لله اندادا وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He alone has the right to be worshipped)Al-Baquarah Chapter 2 verse 22
How can we implement this in todays modern world?
I feel like the people who are preaching in the field of ‘Religion’ today are a bit old school. We need updated modern examples to give a closer meaning to what the scriptures are trying to say, so that the youth recognise their truth and purpose in life.
You wouldn’t explain something to a child born in the last 15 years using materials or examples from the 1920’s would you?
UP TO DATE EXAMPLES
What does it mean to have no Gods before the Lord and to make any graven images?
Graven means anything deeply impressed, firmly fixed; carved or idol which is referring to any sort of materialism embodied in a physical or psychological element.
If anything materialistic ‘money, fame, relationship, wealth, knowledge, exaggerated emotions, external judgment, addiction, and many other elements’ becomes the centre of my existence, or consumes a huge percentage of my life, it becomes a graven image.
Let’s take a look at one of the most spoken about examples in the world of modern spirituality.
Example 1: JUDGEMENT
Imagine a porn-star, who hadn’t made the wisest decisions in her life, but the day comes where she realises that she’d been used by an awful industry, she’s acknowledged her self-worth and decides to stop this career.
After she moves on, her past haunts her, and she can’t see peoples judgements. She can only see her worth through a lens of a ‘material element’ which in this case his ‘human validation’.
She feels this constant need of validation from others to not view her from the lens of her past. This could be an interviewer of a new job, a new partner, or even family members. This idol that she has psychologically created in her mind is hindering her progress in life, because she is sabotaging an essential part of healing which is part of humans psychological nature especially when they decide to change (biblically known as repent).
She feels that she is worthless because of peoples judgement and she thinks that the only way to be whole again is if people understood her version of the story. There is this constant waste of energy trying to justify the actions of her past.
Any form of attachment I create between myself and another object, or another being is worship because it becomes the fuel I am charging my spirit with.
This is why most alcoholics become alcoholics when they loose their parents. They feel like they cease to exist without them.
HOMEWORK: speak to an alcoholic whether homeless, or in your family and ask them, what got you this place and listen to what they tell you.
Example 2: ADDICTION
Addiction is another form of God many people worship. They become slaves to substance. If someone for instance is addicted to social media, he becomes highly dependant on it. He relies on it to give him a gratification whether that is to gain fame, wealth, or emotional escapism. In this circumstance, social media has become his God because he is not using it as a tool to recieve those things but as a source.
If a substance (drugs, alchohol, tobacco) is taking control over my behaviour, my decisions in life, and I have lost a fragment of my consciousness because of it, which is lacking light, then I have become a slave to this substance.
HOMEWORK: Ask someone (or yourself) who is addicted to pornography or drugs, why can’t you stop? Take a look at all the reasons.. all those reasons/excuses are idols.
Example 3: DOMESTIC ABUSE
Imagine a woman in an abusive relationship and has a partner that is using her and her property to sell drugs. She has full belief that he has control over her. On many occasions she was offered help by family, community or friends but refused out of fear.
In this scenario she was worshipping her master, who is her partner. It doesn’t matter what religion she says she’s in, she has broken one of the fundamental commandments of living a happy and peaceful life because she has let fear of her master be the graven image in front of a Powerful Creator. This is what blocks the light for many victims of domestic abuse to escape. They see no light at the end of the tunnel.
HOMEWORK:
Watch interviews with survivors of domestic violence, or ex-drug dealers.
Example 4: EXTERNAL VALIDATION
If I am doing an act such as charity, or helping others and I start doing it to get other peoples attention to say good things about me, it means I’ve intentionally given them authority and validation to judge me. Also, when you start to do things waiting for a humanly reward, waiting for some sort of external validation.
It is ok to expect some sort of reward or validation, but I am emphasising on the extreme side of things. This means when I become dependant on this judgment and validation, and I do not feel the worth of my accomplishments only when they are praised by a person or community.
HOMEWORK:
Ask yourself or someone you know when they could have possibly been self-sabotaging themselves.
Research self-sabotage
Example 6: HUMAN IDOLS
When I perceive myself less than another human. Especially if this person is a an authority figure mainly a religious figure seen as man or woman of God such as Scholars, Imams, Priests, Nuns, Sisters, a Vicar, a pope, a Prophet, a companion of a Prophet.
Many people put these personas on a pedi stool close to God as if they are perfect, or sinless. Their word is taken blindly, and their presence whether in person or by word makes them feel worthless spiritually, in knowledge, and in position.
When these personas are viewed in this manner (magnificient than you are) it builds an idol that blocks the growth of your intelligence because you see that you cannot reach the same potential as these people.
HOMEWORK: THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE
Imagine yourself reaching the position of a man of God in your culture. This could be a Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, a very known priest, or scholar and say I am worthy of reaching all their positions.
If you feel afraid to say it then you have put these people on a pedi stool that neither God or they asked you to do.
How do I know if I’m worshipping something other than God?
Imagine the most valuable thing you own, or the most valuable thing you’ve worked on, the dearest person to your heart, or even the strongest belief you have?
Imagine it now dead, gone, deleted..
How do you feel?
It’s okay to feel negative emotions, but are they negative emotions with acceptance, or with rejection?
I want you on a scale from 0 to 10 to evaluate this rejection? Depending on this level of rejection, you will be able to estimate what kind of healing and dettachment you need to work on to end any suffering or pain in the future.
The severe the attachment, the harder the pain.
Start to watch your actions. Ask why am I doing them? Who are they for? Who am I trying to please? What result am I trying to gain?
What agreement can we all unite on from the above verses
Physically the words are very similar. And they signal in the same direction. This is a belief system that can transform our lives.
Why are we fighting about whose way is better when the goal is the same? Isn’t this the same as ‘fitness is the goal’, but we’re fighting over whether pilates or yoga is better? When the goal is a healthy mind and body?
You tell me. I’d love to hear your perspective.
Sit tight for part 3…
I appreciate your feedback.
Love
Peace
And Unity.
