The New Paradigm
vol. III, Number 12

Dear Friends,

Well, The New Paradigm has certainly been a bit spotty lately. I hope at least a few of you are still "out there." And maybe even interested in some of this. We're coming up on another anniversary here in about a month, and The New Paradigm, if it continues, will commence its fourth year. There have been a lot of changes in the meantime. I've been changing; the world has been changing; I imagine in many ways, we've all been changing, and are going to keep right on changing, possibly at accelerating rates, into the foreseeable future. Only, the future doesn't seem to be very clearly foreseeable just now, does it?

For one thing, I'm not at all sure what to do, or where to go, with The New Paradigm. Should it continue? Should it change? Should it cease? Does anyone care? Let's see a show of hands here, Folks; all in favor of tnp continuing, drop me a line [harmon@harmonhouse.net] and let me know; suggestions also welcome as to content, direction, emphasis, etc. If no one responds, well maybe I'll just let it fade away, no hard feelings; it's been great, and many of you have given me some beautiful feedback over the months and years. If any of you have enjoyed this half as much as I have, "it's been worth it."

For now, I'd like to launch into a meditation on the general question, "Why are we here?" I mean, look at all the turmoil in the world today. Is this really what we've come to, after who knows how many thousands or millions of years of "evolutionary progress?" What's it all in aid of, anyway? Is life, after all, "a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," as Shakespeare's Macbeth had it? Or have we been "overlooking something?" Maybe our common assumptions about the world, and our place in it, aren't really as sound as we (used to) think they are? Maybe everything we've learned in School, and in Church, and on the Evening News, ought to come in for a bit of critical re-examination, what do you think?

As always, the following remarks are one man's opinion only (unless you happen to agree, in whole or in part). I make no claim as to the truth, wisdom, or even "good taste" of what follows. I hope it "resonates" with some of you; if not, ignore it, and it will surely "go away."

A myth is defined in part as "a fiction or half-truth," as in a story about prehistoric heroes, gods and goddesses. Yet, when we come right down to it, isn't just about everything we believe to be true, and consider to be of foundational importance to our lives, one kind or another of mythology? In this context, myth and mythology are not necessarily a "bad thing," as is usually implied by "a fiction or half-truth." In the "real world" we have little more than myths, i.e. "fictions and half-truths," to rely on; and we do rely upon them, heavily. They form the very fabric of the world we experience every day; because if we were to base all our actions and decisions exclusively upon what we know with unimpeachable certainty, we would find ourselves with such scant basis for action that most of us would be utterly paralyzed. Is it not so? For a somewhat in-depth discussion of what we know and don't know, you may wish to refer to my earlier essay on "Knowledge."

A Creation Myth is a story about our foundation for being: how we got here, and why; how we're supposed to conduct our lives, and much, much more. It is necessarily a story, "a fiction or half-truth," because no one present can possibly have been a witness to the circumstances in which being, or existence "got started." What we know is, "we're here!" How we got here, or why, or when, have always been open to speculation, and unavoidably, are the "stuff of myths." Yet our beliefs about our origin and nature, and the origin and nature of the universe in which we find ourselves, occupy the bedrock foundation upon which we build every aspect of our lives. They form the basis for every conscious and unconscious decision we ever make; they color every part of our very experience of life "in the real world."

So really, how "real" is "the real world" after all? Don't you think a focused examination of our myths might be a good idea now, as "Year Zero" of the new millennium winds out into... ah, whatever comes next?

There are any number of different Creation Myths, each associated with a particular human culture. All peoples, in all times and places, it seems, have had some concept, or myth, about where we came from and why we are here. The so-called "Western Civilization" that has gained predominating influence over human affairs on this planet during the past few centuries has been animated by what might be called the "Greco-Roman / Judeo-Christian-Islamic" complex of mythology - which has during the past century or so morphed largely into what might similarly be called the "Scientific-Rational Myth." The Scientific-Rational Myth, overtly, is informed almost entirely by what is called the "scientific method" of rational analysis, influenced profoundly, though in some ways covertly, by its Greco-Roman / Judeo-Christian-Islamic roots.

In a nutshell, the Scientific-Rational Myth, which presumes, or claims, that all mysteries will ultimately be disclosed by application of the "scientific method" of rational analysis, has it that about twelve billion (12 × 10⁹) years ago, the universe came into existence in a cosmic cataclysm known as the "Big Bang;" out of which, somehow, emerged all the matter and all the energy that have in the intervening period differentiated into the subatomic, atomic, and molecular forms that find expression in galaxies, stars, planets, and in ourselves. This combination of events is not presumed to have happened for any particular "reason." To impute a "reason" to it all would be to resort to mysticism, which not being measurable or quantifiable, is not accessible to the "scientific method," and so must be excluded from the Scientific-Rational Myth. Accordingly, the presence of life on this planet, including ourselves, is attributed by the Scientific-Rational Myth to the "chance association" of atomic and molecular structures in patterns of increasing complexity over the span of relatively vast expanses of time, moderated by a process named by its discoverer / inventor, Charles Darwin (1809-1882), "natural selection."

There has been considerable emotional tension during the past century between proponents of the Scientific-Rational Myth and those of its progenitors, particularly the "Judeo-Christian-Islamic Myth;" which in various forms conveys the general idea that the universe, or "Creation," is the purposeful work of "YHVH," "Jehovah," "God," "the Lord," "Allah," among other names for a personal, purposeful, creative Entity as the Source of all things, including ourselves. The "God" is said to be a loving and compassionate Being, yet "He" is also a "jealous God," intolerant particularly of human actions that thwart "His" will, and is given to chastising with severe punishments those "He" allegedly loves the most. The human race in this myth is portrayed as for some reason imbued with a singularly contrary streak, which puts most if not all of us into perverse opposition to the "will of God;" which condition requires correction by a Messianic Avatar who has come, and/or will come (again), to "save" us from our "sins." Those of us who are "saved" will thereby evade the inevitable destiny of the rest, eternal damnation to hell, and ascend instead into heaven.

The particulars of both of these Creation Myth "families," in all their rich variety, are widely known, and are documented and debated in numberless works of ecclesiastical, philosophical, and scientific literature. Their many differences notwithstanding, they all bear a striking resemblance in one particular: disempowerment of the Individual Human Being. Both Science and the ministrations of the "God" are the exclusive province of arcane priesthoods with "knowledge" to which "commoners" are not privy. This has necessitated the fabrication of various artificial systems whereby "commoners" have access to "knowledge" only to the extent they have access to the priesthoods who hold the "knowledge." This automatically creates hierarchical master / slave relationships in which the priesthoods enjoy privileges never available to "commoners" - unless some within the "common rank and file" manage somehow to escape their "low birth" and "ascend" into the privileged provinces of the priesthoods.

Such systems are in place not only within the scientific and ecclesiastical communities, but in all domains of human endeavor; such as politics, law, governance, medicine, education, economics, commerce, publishing, entertainment, transportation, manufacturing, energy, ...etc. Among Human Beings, no one in all the Earth (who operates within the System) "lifts hand or foot" without the blessing of the appropriate priesthood(s). Such is the contemporary human condition, heritage of our various Creation Myths.

At this date and hour, however, an entirely alternative Creation Myth is emerging into the conscious awareness of growing numbers of Individual Human Beings. I have been calling it the "New Paradigm," but it is identified by many "labels," and is characterized by a spontaneous realization, or perception, that existence, the actual state of being, is no less wonderful, extraordinary, incomprehensible, for a single Individual, whether Human, Insect, Planet, or Atom, than for the Totality of "All That Is." "I AM" is the universal declaration of "isness" that ties together into a single, indivisible Whole every last particle and wave within the entire "length" and "breadth," and every dimension of "All That Is;" and it is applicable in all contexts, and at all scales of being.

This realization, or perception, is not disseminated through any priesthood; rather, it springs from the self-search and introspection of each Sovereign Individual. It discloses that, since All That Is is necessarily and unavoidably "One Thing," therefore "I AM" That. This is the "arch heresy" of both the Judeo-Christian-Islamic, and the Scientific-Rational Myths, for it obviates the need for the privileged priesthoods that have held the "common lot of humanity" in thrall for the past many thousands of years. The Sovereign Individual armed with this "New Paradigm" realization no longer requires an intermediary of any kind to facilitate a relationship with Source; for Source dwells directly and intimately within "Me" (whoever "I" may for the moment be). Source is the very ground upon which "I" stand, the air "I" breathe, the water "I" drink, the sky over "My" head, and every "person," "creature," or "thing" "I" encounter, moment-to-moment, in the course of "My life." There is no "frontier" in Cosmos, beyond which "I" come to an end, and "not-I" begins. There is only One here, and "I AM" That. And so is everyOne "else."

So begins, and ends, what for want of a more apt term I will be calling the "New Paradigm Myth;"* and to flesh out some of its details, I will consult That which "I AM" in a Q/A dialogue of sorts.

Q: So, ah, That, just for the sake of conversation, how would You prefer I address You?

A: You are welcome to call Me whatever pleases You - except, of course, "Late for Lunch."

Q: Ha, ha. So how about if I call You "Source?"

A: I'll answer to that. Do You have another question for Me?

Q: Yes. Source, why did You create the universe? What is the purpose of life, or has it any purpose? Wh...?

A: One question at a time, please. By way of answer, put Yourself in My position. Imagine for a moment being "All That Is." What would You do? Everything that ever "was, is, or shall be," is already what You Are. There is no "place" for You do "go," for You are already "there." There is nothing to "see" except Yourself. You can't "see" anyway, because You haven't any eyes; and there isn't any light, or dark. There is nothing to learn, because You already know everything about everything there is. And everything there is consists of only one "thing:" You. How would You like that? No time, no space, no change, no nothing. Just everything: You. I'll bet it wouldn't take very many million "years," or "minutes" of that to drive You right out of Your skull! If only You had a skull to be driven out of.

Q: I see. So You created the universe out of sheer boredom, is that what You're saying?

A: I create because it is My Nature to create, as it is Yours. Everything I say of Myself applies likewise to You, and to every One of Your Fellows, of every gender and species; for I AM what You Are, and vice-versa. I create with ...You do not have a word for it in Your three-dimensional language; call it "mind stuff," which includes thought, love, imagination, various dimensions of feeling, intuition, and many what You might call "psychic powers" that lie quite beyond Your currently experienced memory, although not beyond Your eventual capability.

In order to have experience, I have had to create "miniature Clones" of Myself, such as You, and all Your Fellows, "Friends" and "Foes" alike. And in order to create such Beings as You, I had to create a World capable of sustaining You; and a Solar System capable of sustaining your World; and a Galaxy capable of giving birth to and sustaining Your Solar System; and Galactic Clusters, and on and on. And in order to create all these "big things," I had to create quite a number of "little things" as well, like "quantum fields," and "subatomic particles," so-called by some among You. I had to work out in intricate detail the relationships among the forces that bind so-called "matter" and so-called "energy" into coherent patterns and "substantial shapes." Oh yes, I've been having a Grand Time exercising My creativity, let Me tell You!

Even so, though, it can be a beastly lonely occupation, You know? being "All That Is." You don't get a whole lot of appreciation. Relationships are non-existent - unless You create "Others" with Whom to have relationships. Of course there are no "Others," really; so You have to create "Clones" of Yourself, Who will pretend to be "someOne else," or Who are willing to forget, for a time, Who "They" really Are.

So I AM sincerely and deeply appreciative of every nuance of Your life, every puzzlement, every discovery, every struggle, every experience You have ever had, of every kind. For Your experiences are My experiences, in every detail. Right now, You have no comprehension whatsoever how profoundly I Love You. Especially now, when You spontaneously turn to Me in conversation, and We can at long last begin to become mutually acquainted.

Of course, I have been intimately acquainted with You literally forever; but until recently You have been in many ways entirely oblivious of Me. This is not a reproach, or a judgement, or a criticism; You are entirely beyond all such "shadows." Indeed, You Are perfect and without blemish: My very Son, in Whom I AM well pleased. And oh, how sweet it is to have You return Home to Me now, after Your many adventuresome wanderings! Let Me tell You, My Boy, We're going to have splendid times together!

Some of Your experiences have been a bit rough; not exactly to Your liking, although perfectly suited to learning the lessons You undertook to learn when you embarked upon this grand adventure. By participating in this World, at this time, You have also helped Me immeasurably in learning, in a sense, something I have been grappling with for an unimaginably (to You) "long time." And I will not be long withholding My appreciation from You.

Q: What's that? What have I helped You to learn?

A: Actually, everything You do, every choice You make, helps Me to learn something, to have an experience I could not otherwise have. What I have in Mind now, though, harkens back to a "time," as You might think of it, "before I created anything." Imagine a "time," or a "state," in which I "was" "All That Is," "prior" to any differentiation, as the Taoists say, of "the ten thousand things." If You imagine that "state" as a boundless, measureless, featureless "Light," You will at least have some notion of what it "was" like for Me. As I have implied, in order to experience anything, I had to create "something" to contrast with the featureless "Light" that "was" My "substance." I had to create "not-Light," or what You might think of as "Shadow."

Keep in mind, now, this is a highly metaphorical description of something quite transcendent of Your contemporary consciously accessible experience - although, ultimately, what I AM describing "was" Your experience no less than Mine; because of course We Are One; have always Been; will always Be: One.

So; from "Light" came "Shadow." Or from "One" came "Two;" or from That came This-and-That, "Yang" and "Yin," "Positive" and "Negative," "Masculine" and "Feminine," ...and so on.

Naturally, having taken that step, others like it "followed," in cascading profusion. In terms of "Light" and "Shadow," I also created innumerable "shades" and "hues," and "shapes," and "sizes," and "textures," and "qualities," in scale from the unimaginably small to the unimaginably vast; from elementary simplicity to the incomprehensibly complex.

Now everything - everything - is a direct reflection and manifestation of My Nature, for naturally there is no "other" Nature to reflect or manifest. I have no "opposite." All contrasting "opposites" spring forth from What I AM, and I do not have a preference for one or the other of any pair of "opposites." Thus, any notions You may harbor about so-called "good" and so-called "evil" are reflections of Your subjective preference, or bias, not of Mine.

There is absolutely nothing "wrong" with having preferences, with making choices. When I created You I deliberately gave You that ability, because that is the capacity I - You might say "desperately" - wanted for Myself. I created "everything else" in order that You should have as rich as possible a selection from which to make Your choices. I did My Work well: the smorgasbord of choices available to You are literally infinite; and if that's not enough for You, there's more where they came from. If You don't see what You're looking for, just ask, and I'll order it for You!

That was a joke. Actually, You will create it Yourself.

Q: Yes, but how have I helped You?

A: I'm getting to that. I have told You I Love You, and My wish for You is infinite joy, happiness, satisfaction, in every aspect of Your experience of Being. However, I cannot thrust upon You My wish without compromising Your limitless field of choice; and this I will never do, for to do so would absolutely contradict What I AM. Just as I will not be, and cannot be "bridled" in the limitless exercise of My free choice, so I will not, and cannot, "bridle" You, ever, in the slightest degree. I cannot at once give You free choice, and make any choice for You. That is clear, isn't it?

Q: Yes, that's clear.

A: Very well. So You have before You at all times a spectrum of choices which may not only transport You into "realms of heavenly bliss," but also, alternatively, into the "darkest dungeons of hell." And just as there is no "ceiling" to limit the heights to which You may rise, so there is no "floor" to limit the depths into which You may descend.

Now; for the past "several thousand years" You and Your Fellows on Earth have been doing Me the incalculably heroic service of voluntarily exploring the "dark end of the spectrum" of choices available to You, thereby giving Me the experience of learning how to deal with choices which lead to the "darkest dungeons of hell," instead of to "realms of heavenly bliss." You have purged Your memories of Who You Are, and stepped blindly forth into this chaotic, self-destructive "Dark World" in the guise of "mere mortals," to "suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," and deal with the results as best You might, with an apparently very limited selection of "resources" upon which to draw.

Some of You have pursued courses of "diabolical villainy," while others have aspired to "transcendent saintliness." Most of You have remained almost entirely "asleep," unaware of Your true Nature or potential, taken in by one illusion after another, in every imaginable walk, or station in life. All of You have performed Your parts with exquisite execution, and by Your choices, Individually and Collectively, have at last brought the Drama to the closing moments of the final Scene of the final Act. You have given Me the experience of dealing effectively with the "dark choices" available to Us, and now You stand upon the threshold of the doorway into their correspondingly "light" alternatives. If I had a hat, I would now take it off, bow low to You, scrape the Earth with it, throw it in the air, and shout "Well done!" so that it should echo from one "end" of Cosmos to the other!

Q: Well I'll be. I'm flabbergasted; I hardly know what to say! So, um, what comes next, if I may ask?

A: You may. The choice, as always, is up to You. However, as You measure "time," Your World is now standing upon the cusp of a metamorphosis of unprecedented significance. You may have had numerous intimations of this, in the form of various prophesies from diverse traditions and "historical," or "prehistoric," sources. You may "feel it in your bones." As One of Your popular song writers wrote some years back, "The Times They Are A-Changin'!" They are. You Are. Your World is. Changing. In ways You can hardly imagine. Right now, the Individuals on Your Planet are sorting Themselves into a wide spectrum of alternative "realities," which as they take shape in the near-term future, will provide each Individual substantial experiences appropriate to Shim's (Your word) unique expression of Who Shim Is - which is recorded in the choices Shim makes every moment of every day.

Even the strands of what You call "time" are in the process of breaking apart and rearranging themselves, so that "pasts" and "futures" not "formerly" connected with each other may now be connected - all on the basis of the choices You have made, and are now making. Literally nothing is impossible for You. So reach for Your highest dream, Your richest vision of Yourself, Your Fellows, and Your Worlds. "The sky is the limit" is no longer applicable. There are no limits!

Even I cannot tell You the particulars of what You, or Your Fellows, are about to experience, because I am not the One making Your choices. You People have surprised Me already (I love it when that happens!), so I imagine We're all in for an exciting and unusual experience!

Like I said, I can't make Your decisions for You, but if You'd like a little "Fatherly / Motherly Advice," I can suggest that You limber up, "hang loose," and "go with the flow." Expect the unexpected; count on surprises; and here's a hint: You are in charge of Your transition, which will take the shape You create with the thoughts, feelings, and the choices You make and maintain within Yourself. Increasingly now, Your thoughts, emotions, and intent will manifest in the "reality" You experience; so focus your attention on what You love, on Your highest vision for Yourself and Your World - not on what You fear may happen.

You have no idea, yet, how Cosmically Powerful You Are; but You Are going to find out soon enough that what you focus your attention on, particularly with emotion, will manifest in your daily experience. Therefore, if You want to be as happy, joyful, and free as I want You to be, You will quickly recognize that fear is Your only "enemy," and that You are able to control that completely by a simple act of Will; because Your fear resides exclusively within Your own Mind, and You can take control of that. Simply dismiss Your fear, when/if You feel it. Breathe deep, and let it go. You have nothing to fear, for nothing can touch You without Your permission. Remember Who You Are!

Q: Thank You, Source.

A: You're welcome. And thank You, Harmon.

Q: Now can You tell Me what You would say to someOne who may doubt the authenticity of this conversation?

A: Yes. I would say, If You don't like the message I've delivered through Harmon, call Me up Yourself on Your own apparatus (I always answer on the first ring), and maybe I'll give You a message more to Your liking. Frankly, I'd rather talk to You directly Myself anyway, than through Harmon, or through anyOne else.

There You have it, straight from the Source, if it resonates with You: something, anyway, on the "New Paradigm Myth." That's a hard act to follow, so I think I'll ring off now. Let Me know if You think The New Paradigm should be continued.

Love & Light,
Harmon

"Creation Myths" copyright 2000 by J. Harmon Grahn.
Verbatim copying and redistribution are permitted
in any medium provided this notice is preserved.

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* For a "real time" example of the emergence of a contemporary "New Paradigm Myth," see "WingMakers, Revisited, Parts I, II, III, and IV" The New Paradigm, vol. IV #5, 1/11/01, 7, 3/9/01, 8, 3/22/01, and 9, 3/31/01.