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Eternal Spiritual Laws
Those with an interest in spiritual/universal laws have often wondered what their source is. We too have questioned for how long they have been known. With much search on the internet the usual explanation is that they have always existed and they are immutable and eternal. This article is about sharing our in depth investigation regarding the history of the laws which is enlightening and gives a better understanding of incorporating them into daily life.
This article primarily focuses on the law of oneness as this is the most important law. It teaches the unity of life and when we acknowledge this it is easier to put the other laws into practice. By understanding we are all ONE we realize that if we hurt others we harm ourselves. The law of cause and effect will ensure that what we give out will eventually return to us. By observing the law of oneness we are more likely to consider the other laws such as unconditional love, forgiveness, compassion, cause and effect, and non judgment to name but a few.
The spiritual laws are our guide to living in harmony with all life although their true origin is unknown. Much of their history has been lost as civilization has become more and more materialistic and religious teachings have become too much focused on individual dogmas.
Religions have existed for thousands of years and followers find this gives life meaning. Although religions differ they generally contain the same basic principles and a belief in a higher power. Religions bring like minded people together and this provides mutual support. Unfortunately religions have resulted in intolerance leading to war and bloodshed. Dogma gets in the way and true spirituality seems to be ignored. Sadly the sense of oneness becomes less and less acknowledged with materialism taking over. This view sees life as physical with no belief in a higher power or in an after life.
The internet has numerous sites regarding spiritual laws and these sites list different numbers of laws. There is no way we can trace a list of laws thousands of years old. It is a difficult task to find the original source of the laws but it is enlightening to discover that their principles were in existence in ancient societies. It is likely they have always been known and it is fascinating to delve into the past and note their significance in past times. Their wisdom has not been lost and it is essential for our spiritual evolution. This article explores the impact spiritual laws have had on people from many different backgrounds.
Before considering how ancient the laws are it is helpful to understand our soul is a spark of the Divine and reincarnates with a new physical, emotional, and mental body each lifetime and we are given the right circumstances and opportunities to assist our spiritual evolution back to union with the Creator. The spiritual laws are our road map.
The spiritual laws were practised in ancient Hawaii around 3,500 years ago and the principles are still practised today. The people honour Aloba which is the spirit within and practise the other laws such as love, kindness, forgiveness and compassion. Those in government also honour the lifeforce in all. The teachings were originally called Ho’ororano but are now called Huna.
The laws of oneness and cause and effect feature in Hinduism and Buddhism. The law of cause and effect relates to karma. Karma ensures justice as whatever we give out will return to us either in this life or in a future life. It is interesting to note that Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion dating back more than 4.000 years and Buddhism is the world’s largest religion dating back 2,500 years. Ancient teachings were often passed down by word of mouth and are thus difficult to date. The Vedas are the religious texts of Hinduism and are considered to be the oldest religious texts in the world.
During the late 19th and early 20th century a number of individuals from different walks of life contributed to teaching spiritual truths. One such person was Helena P Blavatsky (often referred to as HPB). She was taught by spiritual adepts known as masters who were well versed in ancient wisdom. She wrote extensively on what she called Theosophy which means divine wisdom and established the Theosophical Society. She taught that all life is subject to universal laws and she focused on the universal brotherhood of man which is the unity and oneness of humanity. She stressed the importance of the law of cause and effect which relates to karma and reincarnation. She was influenced by the ancient teachings of eastern religions, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism.
Plato, a Greek philosopher lived around 425-347 BCE believed all are a spark of the divine and by contemplation knowledge is gained through intuition. By transcending the material world true knowledge is gained from the soul and justice and goodness are understood. He believed in one supreme God and understood consciousness to be eternal and not produced by the brain. Plato was influenced by the teachings of vedic philosophers who lived thousands of years before him and his teachings resonated with Blavatsky.
During the late 19th century Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, introduced her method of healing based on there being one consciousness and one mind ie. God’s mind and all are reflections of this one mind. Her aim was to reinstate what she called “the lost element of healing practised by Jesus.” Eddy’s belief in the divine mind and universal consciousness is expressed in the following quote in her textbook Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, ‘Consciousness constructs a better body when faith in matter has been conquered’.
In the early 20th century Ernest Holmes published his textbook “the Science of Mind” and his teachings had some similarity to Christian Science. He did not forbid medical intervention as Eddy did. Both understood the oneness of life but did not believe in reincarnation.
Two eminent physicists in the early 20th century had much to offer regarding oneness. They were Einstein and Schrodinger who both contributed to quantum physics and the entanglement theory. However, Einstein thought the theory was incomplete and called it ‘spooky action at a distance’. Schrodinger was also dissatisfied with the theory. Experiments are still ongoing today to try to prove entanglement shows we are all connected to each other.
Einstein’s quotes show he believed in the oneness of life. ‘A human being is part of the whole called the universe’. Another interesting quote from him is ‘A person experiences life as something separate from the rest – an optical illusion of consciousness. Our task must be to free ourselves from this self imposed prison and through compassion to find the reality of oneness.’ He believed in taking time to develop intuition through use of music, visualization, and imagination. He believed intuition contributed to his scientific achievements.
Schrodinger was drawn to the Upanishads which are Sanskrit texts thousands of years old, possibly dating back to between 700 and 500 BCE. These teachings are found in the final part of the Vedas which belong to Hinduism. Schrodinger believed we had much to learn from these ancient writings as the western world was so focused on materialism. These teachings have much in common with Buddhism. Schrodinger believed physics revealed the basic oneness of the universe and that consciousness was everywhere. He stated, ‘Consciousness is a singular for which there is no plural. The total number of minds in the universe is one. Consciousness is fundamental and not physical’. The remark that there is only one mind takes us back to the beliefs of Eddy and Holmes.
It is possible to go further back in time to the distant past to discover more about beliefs in oneness. Theosophy teaches that humanity developed through root races. We are currently the 5th root race and there are two more to follow. It was only during the third root race named Lemurian that the first proto humans appeared. The continent named Lemuria was located in the Pacific. Believing in a Higher Power the Lemurians were intuitive, spiritual and lived in harmony with each other under the law of one, and had a strong connection to nature. Lemuria began around 34 million years ago. When referring to ancient civilisations it is important not to put too much emphasis on dates as different writers give dates which vary considerably. As the Lemurians appear to be the first humans it is reasonable to take this as the origin or source of the law of oneness and other spiritual laws. Lemuria suffered volcanic eruption and sank under the ocean possibly around 8 million years ago.
The fourth root race was Atlantis and believed to have been located in the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous articles and books have been written about this continent. This was a highly advanced culture and they developed advanced crystal technology. Like the Lemurians they lived by the law of one but became greedy and selfish. They also misused their psychic ability and it is believed that all this contributed to their downfall. Atlantis sank into the ocean possibly around 9,600 BCE. It is noteworthy that Plato the Greek philosopher describes Atlantis in his writings thousands of years later. He considered Atlantis sank around 3,600 BCE. Again, dates must not be taken as accurate.
Many of the Lemurians and Atlanteans escaped to other lands and had an influence on the religions we know today. It’s acknowledged that all religions contain the same basic truths but see themselves as separate from each other leading to intolerance and loss of a belief in oneness.
Many have the opinion that stories regarding Lemuria and Atlantis are purely fictional so we each have to form our own opinion. As mentioned already, Plato gave a description in his dialogues of Atlantis and its sinking, and this was written around 360 BCE. His writings are the only written records regarding the existence of Atlantis. However, there are others who refuse to accept the stories are myths and have taken to research hoping to prove themselves correct. One author, Frank Joseph, has produced books on both Lemuria and Atlantis and some can be downloaded free from the internet. He was the editor in chief of ‘Ancient America’ magazine from 1993-2007 and has spent many years in research regarding these continents. He shares his research and archaeological findings all of which convince him the first humans lived in Lemuria. His findings also convince him that Atlantis was not fictional but existed as an advanced civilization.
Once again, each of us has to form our own opinion and perhaps by developing our own intuition as Einstein and Plato did in their work we will uncover the truth.
Mystery schools have been instrumental in ensuring spiritual truths are not corrupted and are passed on to subsequent civilizations and generations. They have existed for millions of years and it is believed they existed in Lemuria, Atlantis, Greece and Egypt. Pythagoras and Plato were instructed in ancient mysteries and numerous mystery schools are functioning around the world today. Members have usually been sworn to secrecy regarding teachings. This was to preserve the teachings from those not ready to receive them and who would perhaps abuse the sacred instructions.
Self development is by a process of initiations. There are lesser mysteries given to those not ready to receive the greater mysteries. In the past, teaching was taught in parables so that only the advanced could understand the deeper meanings. This is why Jesus taught in parables. Even his disciples required an explanation at times. Although there are mystery schools today Ancient Wisdom which Blavatsky taught is available today for all who are ready to acquire the knowledge needed for spiritual evolution.
The concept of unity or oneness is also found in the Bible but with much less emphasis than in eastern religions. One example from the Old Testament, which is thousands of years old, is in Malachi 2.10 ‘Have we not all one father?’ [KJV] The theme of the New Testament is love and forgiveness. Other spiritual laws also feature such as compassion and non judgement. In Acts 17.28 Paul remarks, ‘For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.’ [KJV] This implies we are all spiritual brothers and sisters created in unity. This verse is an allusion to Zeus in a Greek poem called Cretica written by Epimenidas around 400 to 200 BCE.
The law of cause and effect is also referred to in the bible in Galatians 6.7, ‘for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap’. [KJV] However, reincarnation was removed from the bible round the third century to give the churches more power and control.
It is apparent that the Creator has never abandoned humans and guidance has always been available through spiritual masters dedicated to assisting those less evolved but ready to grow spiritually. However, all will eventually, through many incarnations, learn and evolve spiritually.
Current Views on Oneness
During recent years much has been written regarding universal consciousness and the unity of life.
Deepak Chopra is a doctor, born in India and well versed in the Vedas, part of which is the Upanishads which influenced Schrodinger. Chopra believes, ‘every single thing is an aspect of one field of consciousness and the whole never loses contact with its parts, they are never lost or forgotten.’ He believes this consciousness is the unity of all life and is the intelligence which permeates the body and is the source of healing.
We often fail to acknowledge this and consider how the cells of our body are able to maintain health and wholeness of body and mind. Much can be learned just by sitting in nature and pondering on the wonder of creation. Plants produce buds at the right time and birds know when and how to build their nests. Consider the rise and fall of the tides, the rotation of the planets. These are mostly taken for granted without even thinking about this intelligence which is universal and which connects all life.
Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon, believed what his medical training had taught him: that the brain was the source of consciousness and he had no belief in an after life.
Due to a serious brain infection he was in a coma for eight days. During this time he experienced Heaven and on recovery his beliefs were totally changed. He recorded his experiences in his book, ‘Proof of Heaven’. He now acknowledges the brain is not the source of consciousness as consciousness is universal and we are all part of it. He now spends his time teaching spirituality.
He believes that entanglement and the collapse of the wave function in experiments in quantum physics prove the unity of life but many scientists still dispute this and maintain their materialistic beliefs.
In his recent book ‘Living in a Mindful Universe’ he reminds the reader of the importance of meditation to bring us into harmony with the universal consciousness and oneness. The benefits derived are healing and a more peaceful harmonious life. This is a reminder of the recommendations of Plato and Einstein.
Conclusion
This article has explored the various beliefs regarding the oneness of life and also the source of this law and other spiritual laws. It is impossible to come anywhere close to dates millions of years ago but for those who are convinced Lemuria existed and were the first humans it is acceptable to date the spiritual laws back to that ancient civilization as they lived a spiritual life believing in oneness. From a spiritual perspective the Law of Oneness is of prime importance as all other laws are connected to this principle of seeing our connection to each other as offspring of the one Creator.
It is interesting that those with spiritual beliefs accept we are all connected and it is scientists with materialistic convictions and have no belief in an afterlife or in a higher power that believe entanglement and oneness have no truth. Experiments continue and I wonder if those scientists with fixed materialistic beliefs will ever be satisfied that universal consciousness exists and if they will ever find an experiment that satisfies them that the brain is not the source of consciousness. My views seem to show that there is no immediate hope of these opposing views being reconciled. The Dalai Lama, the leader of Buddhism in Tibet, has been interested in science from his youth and has a particular interest in quantum physics. He believes in the oneness of life and is convinced that the Buddhist teaching named Madhyanika which was developed by Nagarjuna in the second century links with quantum physics. He believes quantum physics and spirituality are closely connected and has presided over many conferences which involved bringing Buddhists and scientists together to debate this topic, hoping to reconcile quantum physics and Buddhism. At the end of one such conference a vote was taken and the outcome seems to echo my opinion already stated. The result of the vote was that ‘the physicists stuck with physics and the Buddhists stuck with Buddhism.’
Truth is found within each of us and is known intuitively without physical proof. If we follow Einstein’s example and take time out to take our consciousness to a higher level by means of meditation and visualization we become one with that divine mind Eddy and Holmes describe, which is our source of healing, truth, intuition and guidance. The universal consciousness is available to all: we are all connected to it and to each other. It is our source of wisdom, love and our oneness with all life.
As stated earlier the spiritual laws are our road map for our spiritual journey. There is much information on the spiritual laws on the internet and many helpful books are also widely available. Our book ‘Living the Spiritual Laws for Health and Abundance’ gives a short easy to read short introduction to 36 spiritual laws and also has questions to assist in putting the laws in to practice. Understanding the laws is not sufficient as this won’t change lives but putting them into practice does and benefits others as well.
There are a number of articles on our website (
https://seekersoftruth.wixsite.com/home) which help explain topics touched on here such as karma. One of our articles concerns the story of Job in the bible. It is believed the story is an allegory. Job went through incredible sufferings and wanted to talk to God. It is interesting that when God spoke to him He did not discuss Job’s sufferings but invited him to look at the wonders of creation. This is a lesson for us all. We are part of the unity of all creation, and by taking time in nature and pondering on the wonder of that is, we raise our consciousness to a higher level and unite with that law of oneness.
© Helen W A Hain 2022
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