The Center for contemplative practice
A Lay Cistercian Looks at Spiritual Reality
THE THREE RULES OF THE SPIRITUAL UNIVERSE
The following ideas are excerpted from my book, The Three Rules of the Spiritual Universe. You can access this book in the Store part of this blog. In my Lectio Divina/Meditations/Contemplations, I was presented with these three ideas about the spiritual universe. They are big picture themes of the Spiritual Universe, not rules to limit inquiry or innovation. You may have more rules, these are the ones I use.
All of my books use a vertical format: there is an idea at the top of the page and then my commentary on it. Each page is a different idea, threaded together with a theme for the Chapter. It is for meditative purposes and could possibly be used for contemplation.
“There are several rules or laws of the spiritual universe,
just as there are laws of the physical universe. One of these
laws is The Rule of Threes. The Rule of Threes states that
there is only one reality possessing three independent
and distinct universes. The three universes are one, yet
quite separate. The three universes are the physical, the
mental, and the spiritual. The Rule of Threes is important
because you will not see all of reality by just looking at
the physical or mental universes. To see life from a deeper
point of view, you must use the Rule of Threes. You won’t
get to Heaven unless you have aligned all three universes
properly.” –Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D.
TO DISCOVER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, YOU MUST USE THE RULE OF THREES
RULE ONE: THE RULE OF THREES
There is only one reality containing three separate universes. God only
speaks spiritually, not in English.
RULE TWO: THE RULE OF REVOLVING CENTERS
Humans default to their animal nature without mental and spiritual help.
RULE THREE: THE RULE OF OPPOSITES
In the physical and mental universes, what is true are
power, greed, self-indulgence, influence,
sex, riches, and fame. I am the center of the physical and mental universe. In the spiritual universe, the opposite is what is true.
THE THREE RULES OF THE SPIRITUAL UNIVERSE
1. THE RULE OF THREES Humans have reason for a reason. The purpose of life is to look at every day with fresh eyes, even if they are sleepy. Those who are spiritual see with three universes, the physical sight, mental enlightenment, and spiritual wisdom. All truth is one, but with three layers or universes, each quite distinct.
2. THE RULE OF REVOLVING CENTERS
Humans are spiritual animals, but animals nevertheless. While in the physical universe, there is a constant battle between the spirit and the flesh. It is only with spiritual
energy from God that humans can consistently and persistently keep their centers intact. To aid humans, the Master gives us help, both individually and collectively.
3. THE RULE OF OPPOSITES What may seem true in the physical universe is just the opposite in the spiritual universe. When you are weak, then you are strong.
If you wish to be a leader, you must serve all. If you wish to get to Heaven, you must be as a little child. With this rule, you learn to speak spiritually.
THOUGHT: TO DISCOVER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, YOU MUST USE ALL THREE RULES
You are capable of living in three realities or universes simultaneously. Think about that statement. If you are human, you automatically live in two universes. Some of us never progress to the third universe, the spiritual plane of existence.
1. The physical universe — all matter, all chemical elements, all physics, all that lives
belong to this universe. On this level, humans are just a species of animal.
2. The mental universe — only humans live on this level. All humans begin their lives in the Garden of Eden, where pleasure is the norm. This universe is one of reason. Only humans can reason. Only humans have a mind to find out their destiny. They have their life span to learn how to get to Heaven. They have reason for a reason.
3. The spiritual universe — this is the Kingdom of Heaven where all dreams do come true. God has invited us to share this universe with him. What a deal! This universe begins when you put God at your center. The only way to enter this universe is by a free use of your will. Humans are spiritual apes, only capable of fulfilling their destiny with God’s help.
CONSIDER THIS IDEA VERY CAREFULLY!
How many universes can you live in at the same time?
You are born into the first reality, that of the physical universe. All matter lives in this universe. Humans alone have evolved into the next universe or mental reality.
We evolved, learned, and gradually discovered meaning. The third universe is strictly voluntary. It is the reality of the Spirit. You can’t measure it. That does not mean it can not be measured. It is the universe of faith informed by reason. Our challenge, as humans, is to integrate these three realities as one, in order to make it through the threshold of death into Heaven. Some of us believe this to be true, while others do not. Life is a discovery of what is meaningful. Humans use their minds to soak up reality
and try to make sense out of it. Spirituality is a way to put value and meaning in the proper perspective. Each universe is given to us to solve the mystery of our destiny.
These three universes are three parts of the grand mystery. Humans must figure out this mystery in order to move on to their final destination. It is the ultimate Monopoly
game. In this game, we learn what to hold onto and what to sell. Our purpose is to gather as many riches as possible. We are made for Heaven, not earth. We are made for Forever, not just for eighty years or so. Play to win!
YOU WON’T NOTICE THREE UNIVERSES BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY
1. Not everyone believes in three universes. Most of us just ignore the signs God gives us.
Some become bored and fall away from their core principles.
2. The Scientific reality is what you can measure. Is it correct? Of course, it is.
3. Philosophical reality is reason. The mind deduces what is not logical, what is visible and invisible. Is it correct? Of course, it is.
4. Spiritual reality uses belief in a reality that is not seen. Is it correct? Of course, it is.
5. So, how can all three levels of reality be correct? They are each looking at one part of
reality and not the whole. Reality is one yet has three dimensions or universes. The three are one. The one is three.
7. The ultimate challenge in life is to know your purpose. That purpose is somehow bound up with three dimensions or universes.
THE ULTIMATE CHALLENGE REALITY HAS THREE DIMENSIONS
THOUGHTS FOR FOOD
- The ultimate challenge is not conquering more land in the name of some country. We are running out of land. It is not judging which religion is correct.
- All religions think they have the keys to the kingdom. Only one of them has the lock.
- It is not stating which philosophical systems best describe the world. The ultimate challenge humans face is to learn the distance between these three universes in terms of truth.
- There can be only one unified theory of reality.
- If God is one, so are all three universes or realities.
3=1 is the formula to Forever.
Astronomers tell us that dark matter may make up most of the known universe. We can’t see it, but we think it exists. See the website: http://astron.berkeley.edu/~mwhite/
darkmatter/dm.html Dark matter has faint mass. What we don’t know about the universe is more than we know. The same can be said about the interface between the physical universe and spirituality. The physical universe is evolving, but so is the interface between the mental universe, and that of the spiritual universe. Humans are slowly growing towards the collective purpose for which they evolved if they don’t kill each other first. Darwin was correct to notice the evolution of the species. His problem was that he just did not look far enough. We have the physical universe to thank for the condition that allows us to live at all. We have the mental universe to thank for the condition that allows us to wonder and learn from our collective wisdom. We have the spiritual universe to thank for answering the questions of why we are here, and the direction of our destiny. The authors of Genesis were not scientists but rather poets, marveling at the order of all that they saw. Darwin was only looking at the physical universe with the power of the science of his time. You are able to look at all three universes and seek the purpose of why you are here. Some of us only see two universes.
HERE ARE SOME LEARNING POINTS
- Like the parable of the blind men and the elephant, some can see three universes and some only see two universes. When they say they want one unified theory of reality, they assume only two universes and not three. It makes a big difference in the outcome and most of the time time, scientists and those who are spiritual are talking past each other.
- Each of the three universes is a separate reality with its own rules or laws governing it. You can find the laws of the spiritual universe in Deuteronomy 6 and Matthew 22:34.
- The elephant in the room question for all three universes is: who can tell you what is correct? Are you the final arbiter of truth? If so, we have as many truths as there are people. So, the truth is not one, but whatever you think it is. That is relativism. Science, correctly, in my opinion, gets away from relativism or subjective thinking by using mathematics, physics, and other sciences to look at reality to prove what is true. The fatal flaw for scientific inquiry and conclusion is, they don’t account for all reality, just physical and some mental reality. It is not that Darwin was incorrect in his hypotheses about the Origin of the Species, so much as he did not include the whole invisible world of love and meaning and the effects of that upon evolution.
More about this topic in subsequent blogs.
That in all things, may God be glorified. –St. Benedict
The Center for contemplative practice 