All paths lead to the same meadow

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[unbendingwill]

Greetings to all!

What do you think of the saying all paths lead to the same meadow? Do you agree to it? Why or why not?

How do you interpret the saying? Does it mean that there is one truth or one God/dess? Or does it mean that all paths have ultimately the same destination (which could be Summerland, a return to the Divine Source or something else)?

Do you think it's a valid saying or do you think it's fluffy? (Is fluffy valid, LOL?)

I've also heard that all paths lead to the same meadow, if you harm none. This sounds very Wiccan, so non-Wiccans probably wouldn't agree?

What about the saying all clockwise paths lead to the same meadow? Clockwise as in either the right-hand path or a positive, non-harm morality?

***

I'm just going to reiterate what everyone else has basically said but in a metaphorical way!!   The path of life and death is like a cracked mirror.  There are many paths that lead to one light or one dark.  You choose how you get there.  It doesn't matter what path you take, the end is the same.  BUT, having seen the web of life through deep meditation, (believe me or not I do not care I know what I've seen) and looking up from there to see what I call "heaven" what you call the meadow.  From what I've seen, it's all about your imagination because it was the God head embracing/holding onto his followers in a hug like fashion, with infinite and finite space between every one.  So in other words, everyone was packed tightly together but I could see it in their eyes that they were each in their own world and that there was infinite space between them but no space at all...all at the same time.  Just like seeing the truest form of "God" is impossible for our brains to comprehend.

[Lemon Verbena]

What do you think of the saying all paths lead to the same meadow?

I think that when the Sun goes supernova and Earth is vaporized we'll all be in the same boat (or meadow!). Until then, there are a myriad of possibilities and no, all paths do not lead to the same place.

[RandallS]

I think that when the Sun goes supernova and Earth is vaporized we'll all be in the same boat (or meadow!).

Side note/science lesson: The sun will not go supernova. It isn't massive enough to do so.  It will expand to a red giant -- probably one large enough that the Earth will be within it. Then it will shrink again and become a white dwarf.  BTW, it's possible that the Earth will survive being inside the red giant sun, and its burned up cinder may reappear after the sun exits its red giant stage.

[Rowanfox]

Side note/science lesson: The sun will not go supernova. It isn't massive enough to do so.  It will expand to a red giant -- probably one large enough that the Earth will be within it. Then it will shrink again and become a white dwarf.  BTW, it's possible that the Earth will survive being inside the red giant sun, and its burned up cinder may reappear after the sun exits its red giant stage.

LMAO! How very comforting!

[alleyesonazarath]

Side note/science lesson: The sun will not go supernova. It isn't massive enough to do so.  It will expand to a red giant -- probably one large enough that the Earth will be within it. Then it will shrink again and become a white dwarf.  BTW, it's possible that the Earth will survive being inside the red giant sun, and its burned up cinder may reappear after the sun exits its red giant stage.

Tell ya what, if I'm around then, I'll let ya know what happens.   

[Lemon Verbena]

Side note/science lesson: The sun will not go supernova. It isn't massive enough to do so.  It will expand to a red giant -- probably one large enough that the Earth will be within it. Then it will shrink again and become a white dwarf.  BTW, it's possible that the Earth will survive being inside the red giant sun, and its burned up cinder may reappear after the sun exits its red giant stage.

I stand corrected. Thanks for the info!! =)

[mandy1216]

Just like seeing the truest form of "God" is impossible for our brains to comprehend.

We can debate as much as we want, but we can never know the unknowable, or comprehend the vastness that is the Divine.

[gorm_sionnach]

I think that when the Sun goes supernova and Earth is vaporized we'll all be in the same boat (or meadow!). Until then, there are a myriad of possibilities and no, all paths do not lead to the same place.

Outside of the supernova issues, I agree with the notion that, no not all paths lead to the same place. I've come across the many paths one mountain analogy, or the blind men feeling the elephant allegoric fable, but these tend to come from monotheistic/ pantheistic perspectives. I've never come across anything which has lead me to believe in a singular godhead (source), probably why I'm a (hard) polytheist...

[BGMarc]

We can debate as much as we want, but we can never know the unknowable, or comprehend the vastness that is the Divine.

Is it that the Divine is inherrently unknowable/incomprehenisble, or that the human consciousness is inherrently unable to fully know/comprehend the Divine? Either way, could you expand a little on why you think this is the case?

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

Outside of the supernova issues, I agree with the notion that, no not all paths lead to the same place. I've come across the many paths one mountain analogy, or the blind men feeling the elephant allegoric fable, but these tend to come from monotheistic/ pantheistic perspectives. I've never come across anything which has lead me to believe in a singular godhead (source), probably why I'm a (hard) polytheist...

See, I'm just a curmudgeon.

I think all *true* paths have pieces of the same Whole - which leaves, of course, the out that some religions aren't *true*.  Which I believe, but I figure everyone's got the same right to be wrong that I do, so I don't go pointing fingers and saying which ones.

[gorm_sionnach]

See, I'm just a curmudgeon.

I think all *true* paths have pieces of the same Whole - which leaves, of course, the out that some religions aren't *true*.  Which I believe, but I figure everyone's got the same right to be wrong that I do, so I don't go pointing fingers and saying which ones.

Can I get a Meh?

[mandy1216]

Is it that the Divine is inherrently unknowable/incomprehenisble, or that the human consciousness is inherrently unable to fully know/comprehend the Divine? Either way, could you expand a little on why you think this is the case?

Both. We can abstractly understand things like infinity (most of us anyway) but it is just that-abstract. God/dess, whatever you believe in, is beyond what we can really comprehend. Can we really and truly understand the universe, its vastness, ever-expandingness, the plethora of possible life and all its variations that co-exist with us? Can we really comprehend the nature of time, the possibility of multiverses and how they interact?

I don't truly think so. All of these things represent just a fraction of what Divinity is and represents. We can understand and relate to pieces of what that means, but I really think its beyond us.

[RandallS]

Can we really and truly understand the universe, its vastness, ever-expandingness, the plethora of possible life and all its variations that co-exist with us? Can we really comprehend the nature of time, the possibility of multiverses and how they interact?

I don't see why not.

[Lemon Verbena]

See, I'm just a curmudgeon.

I think all *true* paths have pieces of the same Whole - which leaves, of course, the out that some religions aren't *true*.  Which I believe, but I figure everyone's got the same right to be wrong that I do, so I don't go pointing fingers and saying which ones.

I disagree. I dont think its about whats "true" or "untrue". Its about whats true for you. Different people, different truths. Perception shapes reality, IMHO.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

I disagree. I dont think its about whats "true" or "untrue". Its about whats true for you. Different people, different truths. Perception shapes reality, IMHO.

I have SUCH a hard time with that.

I mean - I can believe I can walk on water all I want, but I'm gonna sink.  y'know?  Even if I don't know I SHOULD sink, I will.

Reality trumps perception.  I think that's true for all things - there IS a reality out there, and it's what's REAL.  Our perception might match it and might not - we might have pieces of it - but what we believe is ultimately irrelevant to what's actually there.

The idea that we're powerful enough to warp reality to our own perception just boggles my wee widdle brain.

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