Richard Smoley

Click and type in a question or comment

YES! I like your website, especially the duotone colors and mysterious imagery. The Indigo blue-violet hues are a favorite, pointing to the Vishudda chakra of creative communication. I love your book Inner Christianity, from which I have derived many affirmations on this path, as I integrate yogic spirituality with an indigenous Christian birth and baptism in the Lutheran tradition, and now current practice in the Episcopal church. I read from your book to a friend who is going blind exteriorly, but we share an upwelling conversation on the integrated, interior gnosis; she from her Roman church baptism-catechism-- as well as our common views on Christianity and yoga practice / teacher training in different places at different times.

Do you know of Bede Griffiths, and his monastery / ashram in Southern India? One of his students, Russill Paul, wrote a book with some similar "interspiritual" thoughts, in "Jesus In The Lotus; Yogic Spirituality and Christianity," which speaks directly to the end chapters of your book. Bonhoeffer is a favorite theologian as well, but I wonder if his writing has the anomaly of consciousness at his "time," yet he too, is also a time-less writer. I look forward to reading "The Dice Game...
yet prior to, is Einstein in error?
Namaste,
Melinda

Hello Richard. First, thank you for your willingness to receive comments and answer questions. My question deals with ACIM. I read an interview you did with D. Patrick Miller in which you said that even after years studying the Course you felt the need to explore paths that incorporated body awareness stuff (I think you mentioned Tibetan buddhism specifically). I've studied the Course for a couple of years and have recently gotten involved in the Diamond Approach. My question is, do you think that attempting to simultaneously follow both of these paths will prevent each from being as effective as they would be otherwise? Also do you think it is necessary to work through childhood memories?

While I loved your book "The Dice Game of Shiva'. I don't quite understand why Hinduism is considered a myth. It's very much real, as real as the God that the Christians proclaim. It's undoubtedly sad to to see that the Western world still deems itself superior.

Richard, After reading your article about Marcion, I'm curious to know if you believe in his conviction that Jehova was NOT the true father Jesus.

Dear Professor Richard

Over the past 6 or so years of studying Ancient Histories and Religeous Theologies, for personal benefit only - i came across some of your writings about a year or so ago (Nov-Dec 2010) and luckily enough for me was right up my alley.

At the time I was reading Zecharia Sitchin's writings on the Annunaki and Dr John Dickson's works on the Historical validity of the Gospels (Biblical and Non Biblical).

Your writings on 'Asherah' the wife of Yahweh - linking El, Yahweh and Asherah together I found particularly interesting, particularly after reading the book of Enoch ( three versions of it ).

What do you think of the Books of Enoch, and the correlations with Zecharia Sitchin's writings of the Annunaki and Nibiru?
I was reading ancient Sumerian mythology ( prior to this apparent Alien influence ) and found that their beliefs centred around a Magical Garden with a large tree in the centre - a story that sounds familiar when one reads the confusing and very absent of detail scrolls that make up Genesis ( Many thanks to the Council of Mycea for that... )

Not only that but the language of the Sumerians, in a way, supports Zecharia Sitchin's claims. ( From memory so correct me if i mix this up slightly ) An, Nu, and Ki are Sumerian words that mean: Gods, Sky, and Earth. Also interesting that images that I have seen ( post reading your works ) of Asherah are strangely similar to that of the Sumerian carvings of their Angel-like figures.

I also found your notes on Moses interesting, particularly his name and the Egyptian meaning of his name. But also the events surrounding his well known story ( whether he wrote it or not ) and an image that is probably subject to debate.
We can debate all we like about when Moses apparently lead the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan - as it is very difficult to pin point their place in history as there weren't, as you say, extrabiblical texts on the subject. However the debatable image i'm talking about is a Sumerian carving which seems to have some lesser people, a Giant on a throne and between them what seems to be The Ark of The Covenant. It was my understanding that Ancient Sumer was well and truly before the events surrounding Moses, as the birth of the Ark of the Covenant was ( Biblically ) on the summit of Mt Siani containing the 12 commandments.

What are your thoughts on these subjects, do you find these things interesting or just extremely coincidental?

With the Kindest Regards
Justin Banks

sonamulate@live.com.au

Read an article of yours on gnostifinfo about the "I am". Your explanation is the best I have found thus far. Oh the layers and layers that had to be peeled back to find this core of being! It has indeed changed my whole life. Thanks. Patricia

Hello again... My thought about the medulla oblongata is that it stores the personal emotions/memories that still have to be refined from past lives. We come back to work through these emotions to understand ourselves better in relation to our own divinity, to reconnect to our essential "I-ness." I believe that the "fall" is the story of our disconnection from that divinity, and we are all trying to find our way back to our true selves wading through the illusion of separation, which is the biggest illusion of all.

Thanks for your comments. Lisa, I'd never heard that the medulla oblongata stores past-life memories, and it occurs to me that I've never actually considered where in the brain they might be. I suppose I'd assumed that they were in some higher or later parts of the brain. There is also the rather vexed question of differentiating between past-life memories on the one hand and ancestral, racial, and species-related memories on the other. Anyway, thanks for your comment!

I've only read up to page 62 so this may be addressed later on, but In Inner Christianity you discuss the "circular serpent," which relates to our reptilian brain, the medulla oblongata. I've learned that the medulla oblongata stores our past life information, which is yet another aspect of time in this horizontal dimension of ours. We keep coming back to refine the "evil" energies in this human dimension so that we can blend more with the vertical dimension of soul/spirit.

Thank you, Lisa White

I like it very much!
-- Susie from Idaho