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There is a story of a traveler who desired to go through a huge deep woods, for his goal lay somewhere upon the other side. He found a path and followed it, but it began to lead him away from the direction he wished to go, so he left it.
He wondered awhile, and discovered another path which seemed to wind towards his goal. But this path was rocky and unnecessarily difficult, and finally he decided to leave it, too, and took another path which branched away from it.
He walked on for a time, and discovered an encampment right in the middle of the path!People had liked this particular path so much that they had chosen to live there, and raise their children there -- and when asked, they told the traveler in no uncertain terms that their path was the only path! In fact, they said that their village was the only village that mattered, and that he need never look upon another village again. Shaking his head in amazement, the traveler walked on.
He struggled through the thick undergrowth for a time, and passed a couple of paths that were headed in the opposite direction from his own, until he found another. This path was marked by sweet scented flowers and followed a dancing brook. He enjoyed the companions he met upon this road, and it brought him contentment and peaceful travel for a time -- but eventually, it too, seemed to wind away from his intended direction. So the traveler again walked alone, often making his own way.Pathless, and yet mindful of what he had learned of the terrain from each of the paths he had encountered, he discovered that by choosing his own path he was now able to make much progress. And one day, the traveler finally reached the end of the woods and The Center of All Things.
To his amazement, each of the paths he had seen eventually did lead here, but because he had chosen to mindfully create his own way, he had reached his destination much more quickly.
Belief systems are like stepping stones over the quicksand of ignorance and amnesia. Each may be useful, but if you linger too long upon one, it will sink into the quicksand and you may become trapped. The wise course is to skip over each stone, appreciate its usefulness and note it's dangers -- and don't stop! Just take a look at them, use them (or not) to find your way over the quicksand without getting mired in it.This is referred to as walking the Royal Road - which is pathless. There is no "authority" who can show you the Universe within.
Although learning from others who inspire you can often be quite helpful, in the final analysis we must each look within for truth.No matter what the ritual or practice, we cannot reach higher consciousness by playing follow the leader. It is the difference between following close behind a person in the darkness in order to enjoy the benefits of their candlelight; or instead, touching your own candle to theirs to help create your own light.
The word religion beautifully defines itself, of course. It means "to bind" from the Latin re(back) and ligare (to tie up).. All religions are straight jackets, jackets for the straight. - Timothy Leary, Changing My Mind Among Others
