That Which I AM, A statement of belief
Part 2, The singular unity of oneness
THE MYSTERY STAYS AHEAD OF THE FACTS
As facts are gathered about the origin and structure of the universe, the existential mystery moves deeper into the woods. Shades of night draw about it. To help bring light to darkness, cultures adopt and worship gods. The construct of creator brings comfort in knowing that something greater than humanity brought us into being, that we exist for a reason, and that we are protected and provided for now and in an afterlife. We want to know there is meaning and purpose beyond the body.
As science expands what is known about the origin and structure of the universe, the constructs of creator adapt in response. Science seldom answers the questions surrounding the meaning of life that the construct of a creator provides. Thus, as scientific knowledge advances, the construct of creator evolves to meet the persistent demand for a spiritual realm that transcends form.
The construct of creator varies among cultures and across time as facts replace myths. Creators have been viewed mostly as separate from their creations. Many gods are likened to a potter that places its clay creations in a world built to hold them. Then there are creators described as source, much like a sugar-maple tree is a source of sweet sap. The tree produces sap from its essence as a tree and is the source of the sweetness drawn. But once drawn, the sap is separate from the tree. If the tree dies, the sap is still in the jug ready for processing into syrup. If the potter dies, the pot is still on the shelf to be used as a soup bowl. Once created, the creation is apart from the creator in such instances. Even though there may be some shared essence, they exist separately and are not the same.
Sometimes creation is not regarded as separate from creator, but as an extension of it. In extension, creation cannot exist apart from source, but source does not need creation for its existence. An analogy is the ocean wave. Wave is not separate from ocean, but ocean does not need wave for its existence. Ocean and wave exist in union without separation, but wave is dependent on ocean while ocean is independent of wave. Even though there is no separation, the wholeness of ocean and wave is not the singular unity that is oneness. Oneness is a seamless connection between creator and creation to the extent that there is neither creator nor creation. There is a single essence of being without separation or dependence.
Shiva-dancing offers a metaphor for oneness. Shiva’s rhythmic movement cannot separate from Shiva. Shiva in motion is the universe going in and out of existence. Shiva is the dancing. The dancing is Shiva. Dancer and dancing are mutually dependent and cannot be separated in expressing the thought of dance. There is neither dancer nor dance without dancing. Shiva’s dancing expresses the universe. Shiva not dancing is potential, or the possibility of the universe. The moment before the Big Bang, so to speak. The universe’s existence is Shiva dancing. Shiva-dancing is the single essence of being that is the universe.
Shiva when dancing symbolizes the existence of the universe. The universe is existence as you know it. The whole of existence is a mystery that lies beyond your knowing. This mystery is consciousness. Instead of a god as potter, source, or extender, there is consciousness expressing the whole of existence, which includes the universe. There is no consciousness without expressing and expressing cannot happen separately from consciousness. This is the singular unity of oneness. This is Shiva-dancing.