We all sometimes wish we had THE answer, that we knew THE truth.
There is a wonderful teaching fable about six blind men who are asked to describe what an elephant is like. Each one of them in turn walks up to the elephant.
The blind man who touches the trunk proclaims that an elephant is like a snake. The blind man who touches the elephant’s leg insists that the animal is like a pillar. The one who touches the elephant’s tail describes the elephant to be like a rope. The fourth blind man touches the elephant’s ear and decides that an elephant is just like a big leaf. Touching the elephant’s side leads to likening the animal to a wall. And the final blind man touches the tusk, which obviously makes the elephant just like a spear.
All men were “right.” An elephant is just like all of those things – while still being an elephant.
When it comes to discerning spiritual truth, we have to remember that we are all just touching our part of the elephant. Depending on our perspective, our beliefs, our upbringing and our Soul’s history, we are all going to have a different experience of the elephant. Truth is subjective. Our Truth is not the same as anyone else’s, and it may change and evolve as we do. THE Truth doesn’t really exist.
So is everyone simply always right? No. That’s where spiritual discernment comes in.
Even if we’re just touching one part of an elephant, we can be very certain that what we’re touching is, for example, definitely NOT a bird. And yet, there are some people that will try to convince us otherwise.
“What is this?” we ask.
“A bird,” they say.
“A bird? But it has no feathers.”
“It’s a different kind of bird,” they say.
“I don’t feel a beak, either.”
“It’s a very, very special bird,” they say.
“It seems rather large for a bird.”
“This is a bird unlike any the world has ever known,” they say. At this point, many will be tempted to accept that the elephant is, in fact, a bird. After all, we don’t want to appear stupid or unevolved. We don’t want to rock the boat. And there may be five other people who are consenting that this must, indeed, be a bird.
Spiritual discernment, however, demands that we continue.
“How is this like a bird?” we ask. “There’s no feathers, no beak, and it’s way too big. What exactly makes this a bird?”
“This bird is beyond our current understanding,” they say.
“Well, wouldn’t it make sense then that this is NOT actually a bird?” we ask.
“Oh no, it’s a bird. We’ve been told it’s a bird. Believe in the bird, and you will realize in time that it’s a bird.” they say.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not a bird. Could this maybe be a different animal? Why don’t we get a bunch of people together and investigate, see what they think?” we ask.
“You just don’t have the depth and level of spiritual advancement to recognize that this is a bird. You need to spend a large amount of time/money, so that you may in time, if you are deemed worthy, experience the bird.” they say.
“But this is not a bird!” we say.
“If you are not with the bird, you must be against the bird!!! Be gone, you negative influence! In time, may you come into the truth of the bird!”
And, hopefully, we walk away.
Divine Truth will never demand that we throw reason and logic overboard. Divine Truth satisfies us on all levels – it does not demand blind faith. Divine Truth is a complement to our conscious mind. It does not create division within us. Divine Truth fits itself into our comprehension with a satisfying “click.” It doesn’t leave unanswered questions to wrestle with. It doesn’t for one second consider itself beyond our current understanding.
Divine Truth meets us half-way. We may only be able to grasp our particular perspective of the elephant. But that perspective will be perfect and deeply satisying for us, for where we are right now. We don’t need to insist that it’s the only Truth, or that it would be as satisfying for anyone else.
But our responsibility is also to apply discernment and stand firm in the knowledge that the elephant, no matter how limited our perspective might be, is definitely NOT a bird.
Blessings,
Andrea
Want more on discerning your own Truth? Listen to this Interview I did on intuitive development with the Red Hot Mama, Lynn Ward for her podcast.
Filed under: Embrace Your Highest Path and Purpose • Spiritual Development
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You made me laugh with the illustration about the bird. It’s hiliarious!! But seriously, the bird or not-a-bird example is helping me understand more deeply on what you mean about discerning Divine Truth. You’ve provided me wise advice on how to decide for myself what is believable, in the sea of “spiritual” information out there. A million thanks!!
Hi Andrea, on planet X, birds are quite different than what we see and hear on planet Earth. How different? So different, in fact, that I would never be able to recognize them if it weren’t for my Guide to Birds from Planet X. Absent said guide, I would have been without the knowledge and experience to identify a bird from planet X.
Evelyn – thank you! Glad you got a chuckle out of it.
Chris – Yes, but we’re definitely HERE. And if we perceive it here, we are to grow from it here, and it also has to fit into our frame of reference here. And the Guides that work with us within our chosen “school” that is our third-dimensional experience KNOW that.
“Because my Guides said so …” is not enough. It has to fit and make sense. Positive Guides will never ask us to choose between reason and spiritual information, because that creates division.
If we’re asked to believe “because Guides said so” without applying discernment … well … we might as well go get a religion.
Blessings,
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
- Great post – my question is what real-iife scenario were you thinking about to get to the bird / not-bird example? – religious fundamentalists? -scientology?
For me, while I understand that there are many subjective realites or truths,
per the writings of painter and teacher Glenda Green in “Love without End” there is a vision that there is, in fact, a real reality (or ground of being) that we can have a subjetive experience of: i.e. if we imagine we can fly, (our subjective reality) then jump off a bridge, we will be soon informed otherwise!
- but the trick for being able to manifest in a third dimensional reality, is the ability to perceive reality as it really is, (or feel the elephant, as an elephant, not a bird) then take our dreams (as we see them in our heads) and start to make them real, based on, and supported by, our correct perception of reality. Those that are able to do that, will be able to manifest and create, in alignment with the rest of reality as it already exists; for it is not about “belief” but rather the reality that we are able to perceive
- Jeremy
Thanks for this post Andrea. This reminded me of how A.H. Almaas says we can see spirituality as really just a way of seeing reality as it is, rather than through the lens of our conditioning. Seeing the one substance that makes up everything is actually understanding the universe as it is objectively, as opposed to just seeing one part of the elephant.
lol Andrea, that’s a great dialogue with the bird.
That’s an interesting point about Divine Truth being in alignment with logic and reason. There are something things that Divine Truth can be wayyy ahead of logical reasoning on, where what we call science still has a ways to catch up on.
Things like how there’s no such thing as distance since everything is literally here and now, how there’s no such thing as linear time, and so on. We are nothing, yet simultaneously everything. There’s some things that seem to be completely mind-boggling. It’s challenging for the mind to wrap itself around these ideas.
This is the beauty of humanity and our entanglement, we all ehance each others experience with our own unique perspective. Namaste!
An elephant ear’s can flap like a bird’s wings in the wind, and didn’t dumbo fly? =)
Hi Daniel – good point … but Dumbo was still a flying elephant, not a bird.