Vigyan Bhairav Tantra (29) wrote:Devotion frees.
The exact opposite of our usual secular view. But what is "devotion"? Not a blind belief, unquestioning worship of whatever supposed authority, is meant here. Freedom given by self-chosen idiotism is illusionary & empty, leading to mayavic bonds instead of leaving them.
True devotion is comprehensive by definition, and henceforth it must be able even to criticize & correct itself. Devotion is not casting away of intellect, it is intellect brought under the guidance of one's heart & that heart's Master, whichever name is given to Him or Her.
Devotion is like Yoga, which one literal meaning is putting oneself under a yoke. It is the process of harmonizing oneself by accepting one simply can't follow every possible path, but that one can & should choose a path that is closest to one's heart. It's actually very hard practice for a modern seeker, because there are so many interesting things. How to find the red thread going through all that finds positive resonance in our hearts, & at the same times take steady steps onwards, not straying to long & often painful by-roads that may last for a lifetime or more?
As I said, there are equally good possibilities in every religion, & even in philosophies which seek the Truth without calling that search "religion". But here's an example:
Gospel of Matthew (11:27-30) wrote:All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This "yoke", as said, is literally Yoga (= spiritual practice) of any a religion: the yoke of Jesus is a little different from the yoke of Lucifer, and so forth. Every one of these devotional ways of life demand that kind of sacrifice that feels right & meaningful to the devotee.
But whatever the way of devotion, an Idol or ideal picture is needed. However subtle, there's always an ideal of sorts, even if one worships void, sunyata or absolute death: there is & will always be like a simulacrum that we need to guide that process, because our personal selves need directions even to direct ourselves to that which is actually everywhere. One can be iconoclast only by philosophy, not in reality.
That is what herein is meant by the first part in italics. Every occultist understands that our "Father" is not that poor, many times veiled picture of the so-called "God" of the Churches, but something altogether different: Truth itself, as said. Likewise, "Son" is not that symbolistic, killed & castrated Jesus-figure hanging dust-covered above the altars of human folly, but rather the spiritual Life that necessarily & always flows forth from the spiritual Truth. The Truth ("Father") is the formless Self, the Life ("Son") is a personal Ego, born from that Truth seemingly without a mother, because they are actually one & the same. The Fire and the Flame.
That is why we need devotion. Only by keeping in the "Flame" we can know the "Fire": there's no fire that could be grasped by our mind without some simulacrum created by it. Without gods, there is no God; without masters, there is no Master. Devotion is seeking one's god or master & then keeping in Him/Her as the highest possible ideal seen as practice, as an avatar of One Truth.
"For wherever I link the string of thoughts' end, there it will return, and to what form I believe my soul is cast, thereto it shall be cast; 'according to your faith be it unto you' – and the meaning of belief is certainly not in the wish for the truthfulness of one’s own delusions, but in the level of subconscious knowledge."