\u201cLady Kay, Lord Zee, I apologise for bothering you, but I have some intellectual concepts that elude me, and everybody pointed me towards either the two of you, or Lord Buddha, who is so busy with all the souls departing from Earth, that he has a thousand angelic volunteers in his team helping him, and they all have plenty of work to do\u201d, bowed Augustine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will be glad to be at your service, doctor\u201d, smiled Lord Azazel, as his wife flicked her fingers and created a coffee lounge with a table and comfortable seats.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, what seems to be the problem?\u201d, Zee asked, as Kay poured them coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t get my head around the problem of sin and how it relates to salvation\u201d, Augustine shrugged helplessly. \u201cOn one hand, Christianity teaches that God, being perfectly just, can\u2019t tolerate sin, which is why sinful souls are prevented from heaven. Sin is imagined as a filthy stain on the soul, that can only be washed away through sacrifice, which usually includes blood. On the other hand, I was told that sin is not the problem; spiritual imperfection is. This would mean that the problem isn\u2019t that one does evil deeds, but that they don\u2019t focus on God, who is the source of all virtue and purity, and as a consequence of their spiritual emptiness, they commit all sorts of stupid or evil things. However, those evil and stupid things change the character of the soul, causing imperfections that then further contribute to the choices of everything but God. This looks like a circular issue, and I can\u2019t wrap my head around it, which is why I sought your help\u201d, he finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know my history, doctor Augustine?\u201d, asked Lord Azazel. \u201cWho I was, and how I came to be as I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told that you used to be a demon, but honestly, I find that very hard to believe, for you feel as if one concentrated love of God, love of truth and rejection of all that is evil into a single sharp blade that cuts through all pretence, falsehood and ignorance and reveals the truth of God beneath\u201d, the man answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you, doctor. My Title is indeed the \u2018Blade of Discernment\u2019, which means pretty much what you described. I was indeed a demon. In fact, I frequently found myself in company of the one you call Satan, when he was still merely scheming and planning his evil. I was the oldest and biggest of all the demons in the astral world, and I was seemingly stuck there, having spent eons doing the same worthless and nasty things with other worthless and nasty people. However, Satan\u2019s thinking struck me as so profoundly perverted, vile and insane, that I rebelled against it instinctively, and then a thought passed through my mind: \u2018How am I any different from him? I am merely a few iterations of madness away from where he is. This is unacceptable, and I have to do something to change it, and it has to happen now\u2019. Do you know what I did next?\u201d, Azazel smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, but I can imagine it quite clearly, for I myself had a similar existential crisis in my youth\u201d, Augustine nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sought out Lord Shiva, the only God I personally knew, and that was because he killed one of my demon friends when that fool challenged him to a duel. I very politely asked him for his help and knowledge, and he sat me down and very patiently explained everything, and guided me through it until I understood. But I also understood that the Lord had a terrible day, as it was the very day Satan got the permissions to use the Jewel, the artefact of creation, that would allow him to create all the worldly evils you are now familiar with, and still, he didn\u2019t just brush me off, but instead made me the central issue, and patiently taught me until I understood. I was so impressed by that, and I adored Lord Shiva so much for his incredible kindness and wisdom, that in the process of that conversation my soul attained purity, crystallised into vajra and I became an angelic being, as you are now. So, dear doctor, can you tell me what my sin was, and what my \u2018redemption\u2019 was, to use your jargon?\u201d, Azazel smiled mischievously.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me think. You said your soul was dark and impure, but it started purifying only after you decided to seek the Lord?\u201d, Augustine scratched his chin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is true\u201d, Zee nodded. \u201cGo on\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Lord didn\u2019t reject you because your soul was dark, but accepted you, merely because you asked politely?\u201d, the man asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is also true\u201d, nodded Azazel.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we can separate two aspects of a problem: the reason why you didn\u2019t seek out the Lord before, which is what we could call a sinful choice of will, and your impurity, which seems to be both a consequence and a cause of that sinful choice to be content in yourself, who are in the sphere of problems, and not seek out the Lord, who is in the sphere of solutions\u201d, Augustine smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are correct, but now we have your original dilemma: how could I manage to decide to seek God in my sinful state, if sin prevents one from seeking God; why didn\u2019t it cause God to be repulsed by my sinfulness and reject me; and how did I actually transition from one state to another?\u201d, Azazel nodded. \u201cNote that I am still using the same language of poetic simplifications as you did, which is why we don\u2019t seem to be any closer to the solution, which is why I will address you to my Goddess Wife, who excels at condensing apparent chaos and complexity into understandable wisdom\u201d, he smiled at his beloved darling girl.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Lady, I will be honoured to receive any help you are willing to provide\u201d, Augustine bowed to the smiling girl.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will take some time, since humans of your era had almost no knowledge of physics, which will limit my ability to make analogies unless I explain physics first. Fortunately, you no longer have human cognitive limitations, so we can do this quickly. The first is the atomic theory of matter. You might be familiar with Democritus?\u201d, Kay asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou mean, the Greek philosopher Aristotle quoted in his works, who taught that all matter consists of very tiny discrete fundamental particles, unto which everything can be divided, but which themselves cannot be divided further?\u201d, Augustine nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed\u201d, the Goddess rewarded him with one of her brilliant smiles. \u201cSo, this is how his theory went. In reality, physical matter contains of multiple types of atoms, which interact with each other according to their specific properties, forming more complex compounds, called molecules. Those molecules can then be clumped together in quantity, forming matter as it would be recognizable to you; for instance, a molecule of water consists of one heavier atom of Oxygen and two lighter atoms of Hydrogen. Add an enormous number of water molecules together, and you enter the visible world where you perceive the result as water, with all of its mechanical qualities as they are known to you\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand, but how does this relate to the matters of soul and sin? Isn\u2019t a soul a transcendental, spiritual entity that is essentially different from the physical matter of the world?\u201d, Augustine was confused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is, but you have to understand how the physical world was made. It was created by the Jewel, an artefact created by Lord Shiva and Lady Shakti, who also created the actual, real world \u2013 spiritual world, heaven, kingdom of God, whatever you may call it. The Jewel encapsulated their skill and knowledge, to a minor degree. However, this means that the Jewel didn\u2019t just invent the structure of the material world ex nihilo<\/i>. He had a starting point to work with, and this starting point was the structure and nature of the real world of spiritual particles and entities. In essence, he took the working template of Creation, and then modified to get whatever Satan ordered him to make. Specifically, he took the lowest of the worlds in all of Creation, the astral world, and further hardened it and increased limitations and restrictions, until he got something that couldn\u2019t be further restricted and still be inhabitable by the incarnating souls. Satan would probably have made something worse, but it just wasn\u2019t feasible, so he had to contend with what he could get\u201d, the Lady of Wisdom explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, in essence, the matter of the physical world and the matter of the spiritual world are similar enough that you can draw analogies, and different enough that particles of one produce water, rock and cabbage, and particles of another produce souls, angels and astral cups of coffee as this one I am currently holding?\u201d, inquired St. Augustine?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are exactly correct, doctor, and I am glad that you are following me\u201d, Lady Kay smiled her brilliant smile. \u201cSo, the next thing I need to explain is thermodynamics, and from the genesis of the word you will understand the meaning \u2013 it\u2019s about movement and temperature, and about the relationship between temperature and behaviour of material particles\u201d, she nodded, and he nodded back in assent.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, let\u2019s take the example of water. When its temperature is low, it is ice. When the temperature increases, the ice melts into a liquid. When the temperature increases further, it starts transforming into a gas, a water vapour, and mixes with air. However, if you suddenly introduce a cold object, of a temperature far lower than the surrounding air, you will notice droplets of dew precipitating on the object, as the molecules of water suspended in the air lose temperature and turn back into liquid. If the temperature of the object is low enough, the water will precipitate in form of ice crystals, which is how you get frost in winter\u201d, she nodded and smiled, as Augustine\u2019s eyes turned wide.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, thermodynamics. Let us again remember the water molecules as very small particles. Each one has specific energy which manifests as motion. If you put water vapour in a sealed container, the molecules of water would be bouncing around the walls or colliding with each other, because they have lots of energy, and require lots of space, since they repulse each other in collisions and so on. However, as they lose energy, because the vapour is cooled, for instance by submerging the sealed container with water vapour in cold water, they will lose energy as they impact the cold walls of the container, and gradually become less bouncy and energetic, taking up less space. So, when you open the container, you will find liquid water inside, instead of vapour. Are you following my thought experiment, doctor?\u201d, Karuna smiled at him, and he nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am following you perfectly, as much as it is possible with the immense awe that I am feeling for your intellect, for Aristotle could be but your disciple, and that only with great fortune and blessings of God\u201d, he spoke in amazement; Azazel snickered and kissed his wife\u2019s neck, and she giggled.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. So, you now understand how energy can be extracted from matter, so that it is converted into a different aggregate state, and how energy can be injected into matter, converting it into a higher aggregate state. Let us imagine that there is a temperature so low, that all motion of the material particle stops, so that even the most volatile of gases is frozen into a solid. This would be called a thermodynamic zero, a state where all motion ceases, and only as you inject energy into matter from this zero, you have positive amounts of energy in the matter, and it begins to thaw out\u201d, she regained a modicum of seriousness.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do\u201d, Augustine nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis point, when reached by the particles of the astral world, which we call kalapas<\/i>, is called crystallisation point. It is attained only after the level of impurities along the four lower elements, namely earth, water, fire and air, reaches zero. The names of elements are metaphoric, of course, and their true meanings are closer to reality, energy, thought and freedom. When purity along those four elements is reached, a soul crystallises into vajra<\/i>, the fifth element which is described simultaneously and alternatively as diamond and lightning, as it is reminiscent of both. And impurity along the lower four elements can be described as \u2018sin\u2019. Thermodynamically speaking, sin is the energy of spiritual particles that removes them from the thermodynamic zero. In order to remove sin from your souls, you need to extract the extraneous heat, and the process of extraction is subjectively felt as suffering\u201d, she continued. \u201cAre you still with me?\u201d, the girl smiled mischievously.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am indeed, and I think I am starting to see where you are going with this. What you seem to be suggesting is that sin is not an extrinsic property of a soul, such as a stain on a cloth, but intrinsic structural issue of the soul itself, which distances it from the proper aggregate state of peace with God?\u201d, Augustine asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndeed\u201d, she confirmed. \u201cSin is not something you can be forgiven; it\u2019s something you need to be transformed out of. Sinful deeds introduce extraneous energy into your soul, or break its structure, or deform it, or introduce other types of spiritual matter that would need to be cleansed out or transmuted, and after you make a mess out of your soul, you need to repair the damage. And how would you approach doing that?\u201d, she asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me think. The obvious answer would be to try to purify my actions, repent for my sins and make myself right in the eyes of the Lord, but the obvious rebuttal to this is that my sinful nature would not allow it, because a hot object will not cool itself on its own, and now I understand what you hinted at with your analogy with a hot vessel being put in a cold river to cool. The only way to remove your sin is to surrender and come in touch with someone cooler, and I now understand what your holy husband meant; he approached the Lord, and the holy presence cooled down his soul, and all sin was extracted from him on contact, the way heat is extracted from hot water when the vessel is placed in the snow. But then the energy of sin in his soul would try to prevent this, if I am not mistaken?\u201d, he wonderer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are exactly right on both counts, which is why the only sin that cannot be easily solved is the one that prevents you from seeking out the Lord, for whatever reason sin formulates in your soul. Those sins are either unsolvable, or they require you to undergo some kind of a slow, often painful process of wondering through the wilderness and feeding strangers\u2019 pigs, until you come to a point of desperation where you decide to return to your Father and endure whichever punishment and degradation rather than to continue on your wayward path\u201d, the Goddess glowed approvingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now I understand what your holy husband was telling me. He wondered the wilderness among his fellow demons for eons, until he was so disgusted with himself that something broke in him, and he decided to seek out the Lord, and from that point, everything was easy, for he broke that crucial thermodynamic point that prevented him from doing the only thing that mattered, and after which his remaining sins simply vanished as his \u2018heat\u2019 was removed in contact with the Lord, whose temperature is at the thermodynamic zero\u201d, he smiled with sudden understanding. \u201cThis explains absolutely everything, and it\u2019s no wonder I couldn\u2019t understand it before. I was using high-level poetry to explain phenomena that are essentially thermodynamic in nature, and it is no wonder that no singular good analogy could be found, and no explanation could be satisfactory\u201d, he was bright with the pleasure of knowing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad I could be of assistance, doctor\u201d, Kay smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I now understand even more. I understand that the Mind of God is not merely powerful; it is also kind, gentle and beautiful, and married to the Blade of Discernment, it gives freedom from all ignorance and attachment\u201d, he winked as she blushed and giggled.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Lady, my Lord, I will forever remain thankful for your most enlightening wisdom and kindness\u201d, he bowed to them both.<\/p>\n
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\u201cLady Kay, Lord Zee, I apologise for bothering you, but I have some intellectual concepts that elude me, and everybody pointed me towards either the two of you, or Lord Buddha, who is so busy with all the souls departing … Continue reading