We have written records of a time when everyone believed in divinity, and that The Divine (in all it’s forms) would influence, control, and maybe bless (or positively affect) every aspect of life and death.
Religion encourages faith. Even so, religious doctrine is based on religious books; teachings and moral codes refer to written works from the faith, or from other related (and possibly older) faiths. Interestingly, the same stories arise in many completely different and geographically separated cultures – see the end for an example.
We now also have a new paradigm called science; knowledge based on theory and analysis.
Science requires proof. This seems to be the opposite of “faith”. But to prove anything, I have to refer to documented knowledge. For instance, even though bees can fly, there was no proof they could until recently (reference at end).
So can I ever know anything original, or for certain? If both science and religion are based on books written by others, that I cannot personally verify, then where do I stand?
Intuition might be the middle ground. Intuition – “gut feeling” – requires faith because the feeling hits before the event. However, every biological scientist would agree that it represents knowledge, because so many non-speaking animals survive by intuition.
Yoga looks inside, at what’s happening inside, now. We feel tightness/ restriction when practicing (if you’re not feeling that, then try a more challenging class). There’s also a narrative in our heads, because thinking is what a head does. Practicing is our opportunity to connect with our feelings, and to notice correlations between thought and sensation. Thought and sensation blend when that special, intuitive feeling arises. In this way, Yoga practice develops intuition.
Beware “placebo”. Often people tell me, “I feel better, but that could be placebo effect as I thought I might feel better if I did Yoga.” Please don’t doubt yourself – you intuitively knew that Yoga would help and your intuition was right.
Better measurement means that we understand how bees fly
http://www.livescience.com/528-scientists-finally-figure-bees-fly.html
The legend of Taliesin (Wales) mirrors Moses (baby in a basket)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/society/myths_taliesin.shtml
