Spirituality vs Religion
Spirituality vs Religion discussions are very popular.
I find it interesting that the topic of spirituality vs religion is so passionate among people today.
It’s only because the term religion, is being compared to the major religions of the modern day world.
In particular, Judeo Christianity and Catholicism.
However, the concept of religion is goes back much further and is older than the Roman Catholic Church or Christianity.
What is the difference between Spirituality and Religion?
In the very beginning stages of my pathwork, I asked myself this question a;pt.
I would often tell people, “I’m not religious… I’m spiritual!”
And interestingly enough, people would ask me, “Whats the difference between spirituality and religion?”
This gave me the unique opportunity to define what spirituality meant to me.
Not only that, it also gave me the pleasure of educating and showing an interested person, what the difference really was.
It gave them a chance to see what I knew, that they, and others, had not thought about.
What is Spirituality?
An Individual Experience
Spirituality is an individuals experience on aspiritual path.
It is the individual and personal path that one walks alone or on their own.
Discovering spirituality is usually linked to the beginning stages of a persons awakening.
When a person realizes, there is more to the physical and mundane world, than can be seen on the surface.
Spirituality is the learning of the unseen forces that run latent, underneath, the surface of life.
A spiritual path can involve:
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Chanting
- Rituals
- Celebrations
Spirituality is the road of the solitary practitioner.
It can involve a person detaching from the cultural and traditional norms of society, infavor of reverence and understanding of life and nature.
Spirituality is truly, an individual path or road towards understanding of ones self, and their place in the world and universe.
What is Religion?
Organized Spirituality
The difference between spirituality and religion is narrow and vague.
Many will argue over the differences of these two aspects or definitions.
However, in my opinion, and personal experience, religion is the systematic or organized workings of spirituality.
Religion is the organizational road on the spiritual path.
Religion usually takes root, when a number of individuals come together to work under one common cause.
Religion then becomes the systemic organization of a peoples spiritual belief system.
Religion, is essentially, organized spirituality.
A Religious system usually includes:
- Community or Central Place of Worship
- Central Belief Systems
- Communal Celebration of Holidays (Holy Days)
- An Established Doctrine
A religion or religious system, then becomes more about the whole, rather than the individual.
However, the basis of the religion, is the spiritual system.
The spiritual system that the religion, or religious organization, is seeded or rooted in.
A religion, becomes the cohesion that ties, binds and brings together, the spiritual community, under a unified belief system of faith.
Religare
To Tie or To Bind
The word “religion” is derived from the old latin word, religare.
Religare means, “to tie” or “to bind”.
The meaning of the word, in a spiritual context, is simply meant to mean, imply or install, a spiritual “conscienciousness, “respect, “awe” or “sanctity” for the divine.
Religare is the implication that one is bound to God, or the Divine, through a spiritual tether and understanding.
However, there are many in the spiritual community who fail to further investigate and research the origins of words and phrases.
These individuals are “Mimicers” or Meme’ickers, as I like to call them.
Meme’ickers reguritate the posting of memes which are based in partial truth, folley, pure ignorance or hate.
Here at Ancient Tree of Life, we are abour origin.
Ancient Tree of Life is never about ignorance, hate or prejudice.
We abhore it!
Origin is the truth of all things.
To seek Origin is to seek truth.
And that requires the due diligence, and hardwork, of the seeker, path worker and solitary practitioner.
Binding
The idea of “Binding” is related to, the tying together, tethering or bounding of one thing to another.
In the ancient days, this binding was akin to what was called, The Covenant or The Promise with the Divine.
Covenant
The concept of the Covenant was not just central to Catholic and Christian beliefs.
Like many ancient aspects, it is much older than these more, modern day, religious systems and organizations.
The idea of religion and the covenant go back much further.
History of Numbers
The Number Seven
The number seven (7) has always been a special number in the occult and spiritual community.
It is the number of faith, belief, spirituality and the divine.
The number seven is one of the most sacred of numbers.
It is a number that all spiritual and religious systems have in common.
But why?
In The Beginning
In the beginning, before there was a belief in Gods and Goddesses, the Ancient Ones studied the earth,nature and universe around them.
They found philosophy, science and understanding in the material world around them.
That understanding of the outside world resounded with them internally and help to develop deep, philisophical, thought processes and belief systems (spirituality).
The Universe and Stars above were an enourmous source of information and brough on a wealth of esoteric and philisophical education and speculation.
One of the most influential being, the movement and ordering of the stars and planets.
But more particularly, certain star clusters.
Star clusters, such as the Pleiades Star System and the Orion Nebula and star constellation.
Pleiades Star System
The Seven Sisters
Various constellations with seven stars have been given many different names over the ages by the ancients.
Pleiades or The Seven Sisters is one for example.
The Pleidaes constellation is believed to be a name of Ancient Greek origin.
It is said to be derived from the greek word, plein, which means “to sail”.
This is most likely due to the importance star systems played to sailers and ships using Pleidaes as a type of compass or star based navigation system in the Mediterranean Sea.
However, just as all aspects of ancient history are misunderstood, after a period of time, Pleiades became equated to the The Seven Sisters of greek mythology.
Orion Constellation
The Great Hunter
Oh all the star systems in our universe, the Orion nebula, star system and constellation, has to be the most famous of them all.
The Orion constellation is located along the equator and can be seen all over the world.
Orion just happens to be the most mysterious and recognizable star system of them all.
And yes, Orion is also composed of a seven star based system.
Many people are familiar with the Orion constellation because of the famous three pyramids of Ancient Kemetic-Egypt that are alighted with the three stars, known as Orion’s Belt.
The Ancient Greeks are said to have called Orion, The Great Hunter.
Ancient Kemetic-Egyptians saw Orion as, Ausar (Osiris), the risen and reborn King and Pharaoh, and also his son, Heru (Horus).
There is even a very old legend, that Orion was once called, The Great Predator, by pre-dynastic Kemetyu.
Just as the Hawk was beautiful and regal, it was also seen as a powerful predator from the sky.
With it’s superior eye sight, great wings and great talons, the Hawk was a deadly but revered force of nature.
The Seven Pillars
Seven Foundations of Wisdom
Are you familiar with The Seven Pillars of Wisdom also known as, The Seven Foundations?
If so, then you know that there are Seven, philisophical, Pillars (or Foundations) of Wisdom which were derived and originated in Ancient Kemet (Ancient Egypt).
The Seven Pillars or Seven Foundations are based on an ancient system of spirituality, understanding and wisdom.
The Pillars are core beliefs and concepts.
These concepts, when practiced, raise the vibration and awareness of the seeker, path worker or individual.
Seven Chakras
Most people have heard of, or atleast familiar with, the Chakras.
The Chakras, or Shen, are energy centers located at various points in the body.
And if you have not guessed it already, there are also seven of them.
Well there are atleast seven.
Many claim that there are far more than the seven.
But for our purpose here, we are only going to focus on the seven.
The ancient Kemetic spiritual system was based on seven key or seven principal aspects of the self or body.
Each point, or energy center, has a particular focus or role to serve in the inner workings of keeping balance in the mind, body and spirit.
When perfectly cleansed, charged and tuned, they function as a very powerful and potent energy system.
One that we will not get into here.
Seven Shen Centers
The Ancient Kemetic-Egyptian energetic, spiritual awareness system was based on the following:
- 🟣☥ Ankh – Life, Crown Shen
- 🟣🙌🏽 Ka – Breath, Third Eye Shen
- 🔵🐞 Khephri – Transformation, Throat Shen
- 🟢🏺 Ib – Container (or Jug), Heart Shen
- 🟡🐦Ba – Soul, Solar Plexus Shen
- 🟠♀ Tiet – Sexual, Repreductive Shen
- 🔴⚕ Was – Power, Root Shen
Blood of Auset
For the purpose of this article, we will only be focusing on the sixth Chakra or Shen Center.
Known to the ancient Kemetyu (Kemetic-Egyptians) as Tiet.
The Blood of Auset.
Tiet
Blood of Auset
Tiet represents the reproductive and sexual organs of both men and women.
It has been known for ages that there is great power in the harnesing of sexual energy.
Not just sex.
But sexual feelings, arousal and stimulation.
The building up and concentration of this energy is likened to the Kundalini.
It is the Tantric art of sexual, spiritual arousal.
But that is not all.
This also happens to be the source and center of the solar energy, or life force.
Known as Ra (Re) or Rau.
The true nature of the Kemetic Sun Neter, Ra.
The power of this energy is to create life.
Not just physical life, such as by having children, but spiritual life.
When properly trained and harnested, this energy transcends and becomes something else.
It becomes something more.
It manifests life on another level.
It bares creation, on the psychic spiritual level.
This is the key and doorway to the channeling, energy and manifestation of Will.
Both in the spiritual and in the physical world.
Auset (Isis) Knot
Tiet, known as the Blood of Auset, is also called the Bond or (tying) of Auset.
Have you ever heard of the Auset or Isis Knot?
The Auset Knot is said to have powers related to Heka.
The Heka of Auset.
Auset who is the Great Mother, and Mother of Heka or Magick.
The symbol for Tiet is represents that bond, and covenant, between the mother goddess, her children and all the people of the world who honor her.
The symbol for the Tiet is composed of two hieroglyps:
- Shen Circle
- Rope
Tiet, looks very similar to the physiology of a male or female body.
If we meditate on this long enough, we may catch a glipse of a secret hidden within the symbol of the Tiet.
Remember, as I said earlier, the Chakras or Shen centers are stationed at various points of the body.
They create a synergestic energy system.
Shen + Ankh = Tiet
The symbol for Tiet, is composed of the Shen Ring which looks to be tied or bound to, a body.
The Shen Ring is a circle, and the symbol of eternity, which is tied to a horizontal line.
The horizontal line, represents the linear aspect of life, or the earth, known as Geb.
It represents the physical plane and realm.
This ancient symbol symbolizes the Covenant, or tying, of the Higher with the Lower (known as bonding).
This is seen as the Promise or Covenent of the Bond between Heaven and Earth.
But not just that.
It is also seen as the Promise and Bond between the Neteru (The Divine) and the Individual.
It is the eternal bond between the two.
The promise of everlastiness.
Tiet is symbolic of the unification of the Higher with the Lower (self).
“As Above, So Below.”
Shen Ring & Cartouche
Ever noticed the circle around the name of the Pharaoh.
Its called a Cartouche.
A cartouche is very similar to a Shen Circle or Shen ring.
Except it is elongated.
This is to allow the of hierophic writing inside of it.
Usually a Pharaoh’s name or the names of the Neteru are written inside of a cartouche.
It’s meaning and purpose symbolize the aformentioned reasons listed above.
It is the sacred tying or binding of the invidivual to the higher aspect.
To the Neteru and Divine.
You will notice, there is a rope or some sort of twine, binding the two together.
This is representative of the divine pact and promise.
It is the Divine Covenent.
Conclusion
We must realize that terms, such as Religion or Covenant, are are much older than those used by the Roman Catholic Church or even Judeo Christians.
Their meanings are that of ancient origins and antiquity.
Tied to a much deeper spiritual and religious connotation than what is seen by the naked, uneducated and uninitiated eye and mind.
These ancient concepts and spiritual-religious belief systems have much power hidden behind them.
Symbolism is the ancient art of writing using images and objects that pull or communicate with the psyche and universe.
It is the silent communication of The Divine.
Hieroglyphs are a form of this ancient writing system.
They are spiritual tools which are meant, not to teach by telling, but to show by tugging at the psyche and intuition.
This form of, psychic communication, allows the mind and higher senses, to relay information from the environment and universe.
The Highest Law
Know thyself.
Subdue the ego.
Become.
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