The nature of "partiality"

In following the problem of conflicts, suffering and human dysfunctionality (or "evil" if you prefer), I often track such phenomena back to that principle of Ultimate Reality or Timelessness I refer to as "Partiality" or "Polarity" ("+" and "-" inherent in reality, necessary for motion). People following Timeless Education might be most familiar with this concept through the idea of partial or polarized human types in Bias psychology. However, partiality as a root cause of human conflicts and problems involves a lot more than a difference in various human types clashing with each other.

A huge part of human partiality or bias is also that reality I refer to as "Masked Man" (or Cultural/Hypnotized Man) that involves rigid habits and unquestioned assumptions conditioned by the environment or by a subculture. Thus partiality entails both a conflict between different types and a conflict between different cultures or conditionings, as well as the conflict between a type expressing more of his or her nature and a person mostly expressing or embodying the habits of a culture or idea. Another aspect of partiality is that which involves different, conflicting states of consciousness. There are some traits that tend to be universal to lower consciousness, regardless of psychological type or environment, such as being drawn to mockery and the surface of things when engaged in conflict, as well as giving up reason, fairness and personal responsibility in order to retain social order, safety and familiarity.

These are the partiality of the external analyzed in conflict or problems. There is also the internal partiality or polarizations within the individual going on at the same time. The confusion whether one is primarily a mind or primarily a body, and a partiality towards the one or the other without a proper unity, constitutes one such polarity. Whether one is partial towards one's own internal preferences or towards the expectations of the external environment is another factor. A third kind of polarity exists between 3 different energies or psychosis-hylomorphisms in one's energy-configuration, along with a polarity within each energy individually where the auxiliary energies may be partial and assist in the expression of a particular side of this energy.

Finally, there is one more polarization to consider, which is that of consciousness and unconsciousness; of attentive discernment or lazy mental habits. To say that one can be partial towards either consciousness or unconsciousness is only partly accurate, however, since a lot of the time people are kept unconscious through circumstance by no fault of their own, and don't know the taste of true conscious experience. But there still remains an element of consciousness that people should be able to have more of a choice in, even without the right teaching, when a person encounters the friction between different systems of belief and can, almost every day, witness the clash of cultures and ideologies. When such friction is present, especially in young people, one would expect a desire for discernment and truth to arise in their consciousness (in order to solve problems). This is, after all, the "alarm clock" of reality.

However, it seems that this is where personal preference (such as expectations, sense of loyalty or identity, psychological "type" or socio-economic circumstance) kicks in and partializes the desire for discernment and truth into a disingenuous or deceptive focus of attention and manipulation. Because of this it is important to remember that the problem or issue of "partiality" involves a somewhat complex interplay of circumstance, history, conditioning, cultural temptations, physical health, psychosis-hylomorphism (psychological type), and level of consciousness. This is why I have categorized self-knowledge (or the complete range of the essential understanding of partiality) into the following categories (excluding the "impartial" Timeless Man) : "Unfree Man," "Masked Man," "Biological Man," "Polarized Man" (a.k.a. "Natural Man") and "Temporary Man."

Partiality, in its expression, not only desires to fight against an "opposite" but more generally to simply convert others to itself. A big part of partiality involves the projected belief that everyone (or at least the majority) would enjoy or benefit from its preferences and in fact does not really believe that people or circumstances make up a big difference. This is where partiality disguised as "good intentions" come into the picture. And whenever supposed differences are pointed out they tend to be mostly directed towards something like biological or social determinism rather than level of consciousness.

Forcing people into one or another kind of partiality tends to be people's idea of unity, utopia and development. But it is a false unity ultimately enforced through repression, propaganda, ridicule, threats, superficiality, self-abandonment, and limiting the dissemination of information and freedom of expression to maintain a minimal amount of questioning. In other words, maintaining a low level of awareness or pushing it down. This is how we know that partiality is an aspect of lower consciousness, and that the stronger the partiality or bias the lower the consciousness. Furthermore, partiality (because it was not consciously chosen) cannot be said to have true agency or creativity.

If follows then that the more impartiality (or Non-Attachment) a person cultivates, the higher the possibility of consciousness (and "Omni-Appreciation") as well as agency and creativity. Therefore the development we are aiming for with Timeless Education must not be confused with just one more form of the usual blind partiality, even though it can be thought of as a higher form of partiality properly organized in relation to the whole. It is the study of how things function in connection, how to prevent dysfunctionality, and make the beneficial case for conscious impartiality – including the surprising rewards, self-discovery and satisfaction this results in and which the partial mind is futilely seeking and striving for in specific, limiting and temporal conditions.

But we must not forget to retain a certain appreciation for the natural partiality our bioenergetic dimension possesses, otherwise we are still not truly impartial and objective. Partiality in nature fulfills a necessary and functional role, especially when it goes along with consciousness. But conditioned, provoked or unconscious partiality in complex life-forms such as human beings leads to dysfunctionality and suffering. With everything ultimately being partial (as a necessary component of the configuration of reality) the final polarity ends in consciousness and unconsciousness; or source and its effect. Do you want to understand the source and be closer to it in action, or just be another one of its accidental effects?

Freedom of speech

In my book Tidlös utbildning: en introduktion (2016), I defended freedom of speech as one of the best signs of a healthy society and that "the more restrictions that are introduced the more the society deviates from wisdom" (page 140). Since then, however, I have come across two arguments against total freedom of speech that made me want to reflect on whether I may have formulated a flawed argument for the freedom of speech.

The first counter-argument or flaw in the freedom of speech is that not everyone has the same prerequisites for reaching out with their message, need, or opinion. Social groups that are in the majority and people with the largest technological platforms will persuade and mesmerize others; not through the best arguments but mainly by "screaming the loudest" and being the most visible. Thus the belief that the "marketplace of ideas" will let the best arguments win through their own merit has forgotten to take this into account.

The other counter-argument is that freedom of expression also leads to a lack of restriction or filter being placed on advertising, gossip, spam, frivolity, scams, rumors, and poorly informed opinions that in many cases run the risk of drowning out more useful, healthy and essential information.

Since I agree with these flaws in freedom of speech, I felt compelled to go back and read what I wrote in my own assessment of freedom of speech in the book. I was wondering if I might have reached an erroneous conclusion or not used the timeless parameters correctly.

Fortunately, what I wrote is something I still largely stand behind. My main point in the evaluation was that freedom of speech does not work without Timeless Education with its practice of non-identification and development. I could definitely have gone into more detail on the subject, but the text is not at all as flawed as I feared it would be. On the contrary, I do not defend freedom of speech as much as I point out that it needs a complement in the form of the right education and a wisdom-compass, otherwise people cannot handle such an ideal. Translated quote from the book:

"Freedom of speech also involves a responsibility to be able to take counter-reactions, otherwise there is always the choice to keep quiet. No one can expect [there to be] accepting people who can take responsibility for either freedom of speech or anything else until they have done the work required to develop themselves."

One question that is still relevant, however, is how the right teaching and information, whether we talk about Timeless Education or something similar, can reach people if it is not conveyed by the largest platforms or if it drowns in a sea of trivial, banal and misleading information? In a way, the whole book is about this problem, especially the first two chapters, so there was no need to repeat this. That too much information and opinions are a problem for wisdom is definitely not something I forgot to pay attention to or ponder. That people with the most influence have more power in terms of information is also related to this, and pretty obvious, even though I did not mention this directly.

It was for this very reason that I chose to express a warning in the text, where I stated that crimes against the understanding of timeless truth through prohibition, neglect or distortion of Timeless Education will not be forgiven (by reality). Nothing works without it. Not politics, not religion, not school, not rule of law, not revolution, and not freedom of speech. And to make sure that Timeless Education gets the space it needs for a healthier world with healthier people, I would actually prioritize it over total freedom of speech. This does not pose that much of a risk for what is most essential in freedom of speech, since freedom of speech is largely included in Timeless Education. But the necessary respect needed for the principles of Ultimate Reality in a healthy society may require a limiting or questioning of freedom of speech in its current form. But if we are to apply any kind of restriction and punishment, it must be constructive and reasonable. Banning calls for violence is already a reasonable limitation.

How to reach people with wisdom has always been a challenge. If you come on too strongly, wisdom easily becomes fanatical religion with oppression of opinions, and if you create a mystique around wisdom to make it attractive by hiding it in monasteries or secret societies, it easily becomes elitist or crushed by other ideals that become totalitarian in its place.

True freedom of speech belongs to a higher state. The majority of people do not really want freedom of speech. Ordinary people are biased, passionate and prone to group pressure. And at the same time freedom of speech is something attractive that can support the demands and desires of individuals or groups until these are reached and then inevitably limits the same freedom of speech with precisely these demands and desires. Such is the result of freedom of speech without timeless wisdom.

But if we already consider freedom of speech to be an ideal in our Western culture, then the answer to how we should get people to notice Timeless Education lies precisely in pointing out that our current ideal of freedom of speech needs this kind of wisdom as a complement in order to function and be realistic. Saying that true freedom of speech needs Timeless Education, or wisdom, otherwise it is impossible, could provide us with an effective rhetoric that is easy to remember and at the same time can generate interest in Timeless Education.

What is religion?

What is religion? Religion is near identical with culture, a philosophy of life and attitude pattern based on insights that derive from metaphysics. And since metaphysics was said to be the first philosophy according to Aristotle, and Greek philosophy was something like a reformulation of religion into a new term, we can say that religion, philosophy and metaphysics not only are connected, but that in many ways they are merely different terms for what originally was the same thing.

I say "originally" because all these terms or concepts have diverged from one another and deviated from their origin, and not in a good way. The more division that happens, the more you can expect the concepts to be taken and understood erroneously. That everything is connected and founded on recurrence, reflections and correspondences is a fundamental law, and the true meaning behind the expression "all is one" or "all is in one, and one is in all", etc.

The word "religion" originates in the Latin word religio, the origin of which has been speculated to be "reconnect" or "reconnecting," which has the implication of reconnecting to a particular source or origin.

Therefore we must distinguish what religion originates from – what it was in its essence – and what it later became in various cultures or in the psyche of the individual person. In other words, what is of interest here is what the term religion should refer to, not necessarily what it is considered to be among the masses. When different individuals and cultures use the same word but mean different things, then it becomes a problem. Thus it is often necessary to either clearly define words and terms before they are discussed, or invent a new word or term that is less likely to be misinterpreted.

In Timeless Education I attempt to do a bit of both. In part, I try to analyze, explain and clarify old terms in videos and texts such as this one. And partly, I invent and reformulate old terms into new ones as part of a new teaching. I could say that the term "timeless education" has the same meaning as the term "religion." But then people would just say, "Oh, so timeless education is just religion..." But no, it's not religion as people understand it because most people do not know what I mean by religion. You do not know what religion really is, or what it was meant to be. Almost nobody does. Timeless Education also has the same meaning as philosophy, psychoanalysis, science, education, politics, etc. And normally people do not get all this in a single package, properly developed. Timeless Education is universal religion free of all nonsense. It is "essential culture."

I could make it very easy for myself here and simply say: "Religion is not what you think it is. Real religion is the same as Timeless Education. So if you want to know what real religion is, go and read up on Timeless Education." And, obviously, I think you should do that. But I want to elaborate a bit more on religion and explain certain things, since people often want arguments and support for this kind of assertion.

It is often said that all religions are fundamentally the same, with the same message, and containing the same truths. But this is an incompetent way of expressing it, a lazy-minded repetition of something people have heard. And as a result, the counter arguments are often stronger. It is more precise to say that all religions derive from the same source, that they were originally meant to be the same, that they should be the same, but that they, through misinterpretations, human partiality and incompetence have over time deviated both from their original form and from each other. So, no, today's religions are not the same. And because of that, the majority of them can not be called real religions. They are empty shells and rituals that long ago died and have lost their essence.

Ancient enlightened people knew and accepted that all religions sooner or later must die, to be updated and give way to a new formulation of timeless wisdom that reconnected to the source. I brought this up in my text on Norse mythology and Ragnarok. That the gods fall during Ragnarok is partly a metaphor for the coming death of the old religious system. That is why antiquity had so many different religions with similar gods and systems.

Same thing with the monotheistic religions. Christianity and Islam were both reformulations of Judaism. Christianity attempted to clarify that the scriptures should not be taken literally by, among other things, raising the point that "the letter kills but the spirit gives life." Islam attempted to clarify that all religions originally had been valid by saying that all people have had their own prophet. But even these two religions died very early. In their true essence, they only lasted probably for about a 100 years, tops. So the lifespan of a religion is very short. Just because people still call themselves Muslims or Christians does not mean that the real religion, its essence, has not already died a long time ago.

People are very superficial. They think that a label and some routinized rituals mean something. People do not sense their own lack of substance, and that is why they can defend empty rituals and literal interpretations, even though the scriptures or myths often were formulated so that a literal interpretation becomes absurd. Only by sensing that the religion does not feel right and does not fulfill deeper needs can the individual genuinely begin to seek and perhaps find the right interpretation or the origin of his or her religion. Every prophet and originator of a new religion has experienced disappointment with the former religion and how it was practiced. Real spiritual and religious individuals are seekers, people who question.

But then what is this source from which true religion originates? The source consists, in its essence, of two things. The first thing is a self-insight that one's own true identity is an inner observing point or "knower," "observer," "emptiness," "witness" – no definition can quite describe it so this consciousness, veiled behind all thoughts and psychological processes, must be experienced. In the East, this is the original aim of meditation, and in Christian tradition it is called "mysticism." However, "mysticism" is a term that, like religion in general, has different interpretations. Some Christians believe that "mysticism" is to get in contact with God or Jesus as an external invisible gestalt, or a literal voice that speaks to them, and so on. But these are later misinterpretations and superstitutions that are often transmitted by quacks. It is very easy for charlatans to exploit the term "mysticism," and through this concept claim just about anything. So I avoid the term "mysticism" because I do not like the word and I don't know how people interpret it.

But this part of the source of religion refers to the inner source of yourself. What you are when you peel away everything that is temporary and changing and connects to what remains and is permanent – you as an inner observer. And it is this observer or knower who is universal man, who is in God's image, not the rest of you.

The second thing that is the source of religion is a kind of source code or formula that expresses the principles of ultimate reality or highest natural law. This source code is called various things such as "Logos," "Tetractys," "Religio vera," "The Word," "the cross to take up," "God's name," "Jod-He-Vau-He" (or "JeHoVaH"), "Yin-Yang," "Ishvara," "Trimurti," "Odin-Vili-Vé," and so on. Out of this formula or source code, all well-known religious concepts are derived; such as non-dualism, the Creator, Karma, Almighty guide, the light of the world, sacrifice (such as humility and acceptance in front of reality), arithmetics, numerology, astrology, inspired texts, etc.

The purpose of religion is to preserve this source code as sacred and transmit it so that this ultimate guiding principle never dies out. Because without it, only lies and falsity, conflict and disorder, arise, mainly in the form of dualistic thinking – "the devil." And for people, even extraordinary people and philosophers, it is virtually impossible to reach the right conclusion in terms of reality on their own since people are too partial. The second purpose is to heal people and make them more healthy and capable of taking responsibility by giving them proper education in self-knowledge, especially deeper self-knowledge of the inner observer, so that they may develop true free will and act in harmony with the nature of "the Creator" or Ultimate Reality.

So true religion is inner unity, especially with the inner witness; and hard metaphysics, e.g. philosophical principles, process logic, and the consequent meaning of this, such as communicating a worldview born from the answers through storytelling. This is "reconnection to the source." Everything else is more or less pseudo-religion and pseudo-spirituality.

The symbolism of the Edda and Ragnarok

What is Ragnarok, and how should our ancient norse spiritual tradition be interpreted?

I have mentioned that spirituality can be translated as "essentialness" or "ancient psychology." All spirituality and religion, in which I also include Greek philosophy and 19th century psychoanalysis, derive from the same source – namely ancient metaphysics. It is important to understand that everything is connected, and that the division of all this into artificial categories and dogmas involves a lack of knowledge and competence. Nothing originates in a vacuum, and the only thing that is of essential interest is what is potential improvement or deterioration in truths or timeless wisdom.

In order to understand ancient religions and spiritual teachings, it is necessary to first understand ancient metaphysics. The biggest mistake is to take ancient metaphysics literally and thus believe that religion arose out of superstition. Superstition was something that came later, once people ceased to understand that no spiritual texts should be taken literally.

Before man's language had developed into the complex languages ​​we have today, prehistoric people seem to have used symbols – analogy – to communicate ideas. That's why parables such as light and dark, anthropomorphic creatures, the classical elements, etc., are common in man's early metaphysics that aimed to explain the invisible inner life and the psyche. People used the few words they had for things in the world along the most appropriate analogy or parable. If they had no word for "understanding," they used the term "light", and "ignorance" became "darkness" – since no one sees clearly at night which increases imaginary shapes and fears while daylight exposes what exists in nature and creates more peace and relaxation in the psyche. The use of these metaphors was an ingenious feature of their wisdom tradition, then. Especially since they often had no possibility of preserving insights other than in oral tradition. But over time it became more of a confusion than an effective language.

Psychology is a modern term for what originally was and belonged to spirituality. Psychology is and means the science of the mind or the soul. The word "spirit" is an ancient term that originally stood for thoughts and the intellect. The "spiritual world" is not some supernatural or parallel reality that exists somewhere out there. The spiritual world was and is the inner world of the mind; an invisible world of knowledge, principles, ideas, dreams and psychological states.

The characters in spiritual writings represent these ideas and psychological states which, with the lack of proper teaching from those who were the originators of the texts, are misinterpreted as merely historical individuals or gods which are then prayed to in an imitative and superstitious manner. Spiritual stories were ancient psychology which only used historical and worldly symbols (or people) as analogy to inner mental states and attitudes. A spiritual book that tells about the visible world is in fact not a spiritual book at all. Otherwise all books about history and about religion would be spiritual books.

Arithmetic or mathematics, however, are intellectual and abstract concepts that belongs to the invisible world, and thus constituted an element of ancient metaphysics. Ancient metaphysics and spirituality were closely related to arithmetical operations (equations) and, moreover, the origin of mathematics. Thus science was also an element of ancient metaphysics, which made it hard metaphysics. Numbers are abstract forms that make it possible to achieve higher knowledge and insights into reality, which also makes it possible to act correctly. You cannot separate numbers from logic and thus wisdom.

If these texts and sagas were merely superstitions, why then insert a lot of precise numbers? For example, take the following verse from Grímnismál in the poetic Edda:

   'Five hundred doors
   and forty more
   I think that Valhalla has;
   eight hundred Einherjar
   in width can walk through each door,
   when off to battle the Wolf they go.

I don't know exactly what meaning the numbers 540 and 800 have in terms of symbolism, just that numbers are usually related to geometric structures, astronomical processes, and arithmetics. It is also not certain that the numbers have been preserved correctly. But that eight hundred men can walk through a door at the same time reveals that the original writer did not expect it to be taken literally.

Another example revealing that the writings have a psychological meaning, and not a literal or superstitious one, is the names of Odin's ravens Hugin and Munin, which are usually translated as "thought" and "memory." I have also seen them translated as "reason" and "will." Technically, both names are variants on the word "thought." I'm guessing they are related to the activities of the two halves of the brain and that it should be reason and intuition, where with "intuition" I refer to inner images as in dreams. But to me it doesn't matter exactly what psychological attributes they refer to as long as people understand that they represent precisely psychological attributes. However, it is important to understand that it is not only the ravens or bird creatures that have a psychological meaning. Everything mentioned in ancient mythology and spiritual writings, including the world itself, is a psychological metaphor!

There are, however, two exceptions to this rule. One is a symbolic analogy with historical events where the psychological meaning is still primary. The other is geometric structures and astronomical processes where the latter also often has a historical analogy. For example, 540 x 800 will be 432,000, which is the number of astronomical years people are said to have lived in wisdom before going under in a flood according to an ancient Babylonian priest (Berossos). For 432,000 years foolishness and disorder could be kept at bay before wisdom fell completely, so every year could be likened to a soldier who maintain a fight against madness represented by a beast. And since ancient people saw the world as cyclical processes, it is likely that they also expected that both psychological and historical events would recur.

The Edda is a mixture of religion, history and culture in general. A blend made to preserve knowledge and tradition more economically, especially in oral tradition. Folklore always become a concoction of spiritual concepts, misinterpretations, contradictory elements, exaggerations and historical anecdotes. What we have left of the Nordic ancient spirituality is what remained at the end, when also influences from Christianity had found its way into the material.

Snorri's Edda
I will briefly go through Gylfaginning, ending with the description of Ragnarök, and analyze its psychological (i.e. "spiritual") meaning.

King Gylfi, who visits the Æsir and calls himself Gangleri, is Odin, since he says in the Grímnismál that he has called himself Gangleri and Third. The chieftains he meets are called High, Just-As-High and Third – which means that these too are Odin. Again, we are reminded that this is an abstract metaphor, nothing literal or superstitious. Odin could be said to be reality or existence itself as he is also called "Allfather", and within reality or existence (or a psyche) its different parts interact with each other.

The three chieftains – High, Just-As-High, and Third – are the three timeless principles of antiquity that express divinity. They can be expressed in different forms, but what they essentially express is process logic. Ancient process logic focuses on the basic principle of all movement in nature until it can no longer be reduced. Movement arises from the oscillation, relation or harmony of opposites through equilibrium. Hence the name "Just-As-High" for the second chief or principle. The third principle is the most difficult one to perceive, the actual relationship or movement between polarities, which explains why it is mysteriously called here simply the "Third."

Allfather or Odin is thus not only reality, but also the ancient yin-yang principle or triad that we find in all authentic religions or timeless philosophy. It is found in Hinduism in the form of Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It is a part of philosopher Heraclitus' principle of reason or "Logos." I have also included this principle in my own timeless education in the form of A X Ω.

In other words, the three chieftains, who are Odin, represent the cause behind all motion and contrasts: the principles of ultimate reality; the Creator; causality; the highest natural law. It is said, among other things, in Gylfaginning that: "Allfather took Night and her son Day, gave them two horses and two carts, and placed them in heaven that they should go around the earth every day." The name Odin has its root in movement, penetration, and even rage, which are expressions of the unstoppable force of reality or nature. But we are also Odin, since we are part of nature and reality. In particular, Odin represents our higher Self or pure consciousness, what is called our inner observer.

The reference to "the old Asgard" probably refers to an even older religion or teaching than the gods in the Edda. The reason I suspect this is because the concept Asgard refers to a scheme or system (which I will go into), and there Allfather had twelve names but none of these were "Odin."

The number twelve, especially related to gods and the like, expresses particular psychological shapes on the way to wisdom. Gods are aspects of reality that represent different ways to finally reach the same overall reality. The worship or sacrifice to a deity is to choose an accessible starting point that fits the circumstances and psychology of the individual (i.e. human type) and by focusing on this part of reality (together with endurance) ultimately be able to realize oneself and understand everything that's essential. Some of these ways or starting points are, for example, love (through which we can reach wisdom); knowledge (through which we can reach love); art and self-expression (through which we can reach self-knowledge); physical activity, family and household, or adventure (through which we can reach educational experiences), etc.

More specifically, gods have their origin in twelve shapes as counselor gestalts to study, depending on the analogy with one's own psychological state or temporary attitude in life. The gods therefore represent different degrees of health.

That Allfather "lives through all ages" means that he is timeless: the movement or process that remains in a world of ceaseless change. That "he has mastered all his kingdom and prevails over everything, both in large and small," also means that he has self-control, i.e. our higher Self's control over the lower energies of the psyche (provided we have manifested our higher Self through the understanding of the principle and self-knowledge).

That he "created heaven, earth, the air and all that is in them" means that this higher principle creates how the psyche is shaped in our mental landscape. That "he created man and gave her a spirit that will remain and never perish, even if the body turns into soil or is burned to ashes" means that this principle leads to awareness of the inner observer or higher Self which was considered immortal. The "body" here does not necessarily refer to the physical body. That is too literal, and the principle here is to not take anything literally. "All the righteous ones" who shall live and stay with him are those psychological aspects that are grounded in reality and consistent with eternal or timeless principles. "Evil people" who goes to Hel and Niflheim are those psychological aspects that increase delusion and ignorance.

The nine worlds are sections of the psyche's or soul's various parts. They are also related to numbers. Before heaven and earth were created, Odin was with the hrimthurs (frost giants), which are the subconscious drives of the psyche. Giants and hrimthurs are symbols of desires and uncontrolled (and often unconscious) drives. That is to say, before a person has formed or "created" order in his/her psyche, "created heaven and earth," the higher Self remains hidden in the mental chaos. This chaos or non-formed psyche is also called Ginnungagap. The frosty Niflheim is related to these unconscious drives. Darkness, cold, sea, storm, chaos and fog are metaphors of ignorance, delusions and subconscious drives. The warm Muspell or Muspelheim is the intellect or a previously enlightened mind, which may refer to childhood wisdom or to influence from an external source. Light and fire are as a rule metaphors for clarity, knowledge and understanding.

The giant Ymir and other creatures are early psychological manifestations born at the beginning of knowledge or wisdom, from the "sparks" and fire from Muspell. These, however, we must later eliminate to form a yet more sane and harmonious psyche. But the psychological aspects we later possess derive from these early giants and creatures, like evolution. But since these early psychological aspects and attitudes were less wise, they are called "evil" – that is, undesirable in the long run. Cows and similar animals are often symbols of ancient spiritual writings and teachings. The cow Auðumbla, who fed the giant Ymir with her milk streams, probably was some old inadequate doctrine. That the cow lived by licking "the frost-coated stones" suggests that the wisdom was not the highest. Stones, mountains and rocks are often metaphors for literal and rigid interpretations of spiritual teachings. But whatever it is, it still helps to shape some better psychological aspects. In the end human beings arise and also Odin, Vili and Vé who are probably the same as Third, High and Just-As-High. They form order in the psyche by killing the giant Ymir.

There we also have an analogy with prehistoric history when a disaster occurred about 11,500 years ago. The latest science indicates that a meteorite struck into the ice sheet that covered most of North America, so that it quickly melted and formed a kind of flood. The generation of hrimthurs – the giants – who drowned from the blood when Ymir is killed, refers not only to immature aspects of the psyche, but also to immature and foolish people at the end of the last Ice Age. But the giant Bergelmir rescued himself with his wife and household by using a boat. He is called the "knowledgeable" giant, indicating that he was a wiser giant and thus used as a symbol of a wiser psychological aspect that is not lost in the internal mental cleansing. It is likely that the boat they saved themselves by is also related to some kind of wisdom cult or similar; old knowledge that was preserved and survived since prehistoric times. That is also a recurring theme in most other religions associated with flood stories. It is through these clues and the analogy that we know that all true religions derive from the same source.

And Odin, Vili and Vé – who create the world out of the former mess, such as Ymir's body – is finally the enlightened mind and higher knowledge. It is the beginning of wisdom and psychological health.

Heaven is the intellect; and the sun, the moon and the stars in the sky are symbols of higher principles that guide.

The earth is what is called the astral body and the center of the formed psyche. It is not dead matter since life and plants grow. Earth is the result that arises from the rest.

The air is the higher emotions, but is not the same as the sky/heaven.

The sea is the lower emotions, the subconscious with all the primitive drives and instincts.

In other words, this is the same symbolism and psychological meaning as the four classical elements. Fire is the sky (heaven) since the sun, the moon and the stars shine like fire. Air is what mediates between heaven and earth, i.e. between fire and earth. The fact that the earth is round like an island in the Great Ocean of the world indicates that the earth is a smaller part of the psyche, probably closely linked with the intellect since it is created by wisdom. Atlantis is a metaphor for an enlightened and healthy psyche that was lost in a stormy mind. It was not just a historical analogy. Historically, Atlantis refers to America and the disaster I mentioned earlier when the ice melted from a meteorite impact. But Atlantis is another subject.

Midgard is a castle in the middle of the earth that defends itself against attacking giants, i.e. intrusive desires. It is when a person has gotten his psyche in order this far that he/she can be called a human being, before that she has metaphorical animal nature or hrimthurs nature. The first humans, Ask and Embla, represent this – healthy psychological aspects. The fact that the first humans are made of trees is related to the world tree that plays a central role in higher knowledge. Asgard, the dwelling of gods, is the memorization or construction of a wisdom system in the mind. It is a kind of model or map or measure that supports wisdom. The gods and their generations are figurative principles that belong in this wisdom construction or system. It is time to take a look at the gods and parts of this system:

Here they are – the twelve gods and their abodes. The Zodiac. However, it is necessary to understand that the Zodiac on the starry sky is just another analogical symbol derived from the visible world to represent the inner psychological one. It is the starry sky within our psyche that is essential, not the one in the night sky. The Zodiac was placed at the center of the culture's consciousness by using its geometry for counting time (calendar). But counting time was its secondary purpose. Like religions, astrology too has been misunderstood through literal interpretations. It is not the planets out there in the solar system that affect our psychology, it is the planets inside our psyche!

Like the Zodiac, the seven classical planets are also merely analogical symbols taken from the visible world to represent the psychological. The seven classical planets are metaphors for levels of consciousness. Each sign of the Zodiac or god, every house or abode in the Zodiac, is associated with a planet – i.e. with a level of consciousness representing the amount of understanding and spiritual health. Planet means "wandering star" and referred to those lights that did not stand still in the night sky. Both the sun and the moon were counted among the seven planets or wandering stars. Sometimes these were called the seven stars, the seven heavens, and the like. But regardless of name, as a rule they refer to levels of consciousness. However, I find nothing written down about seven planets or the like in the Edda, so it does not seem like this concept has been preserved among what has been left to posterity.

The Zodiac is a large part of Asgard, and perhaps Asgard was the actual Nordic name for the Zodiac. Among other things, it is represented by the temple with twelve seats for the gods. Glaðsheimr is another name.

The twelve divine Æsirs are the twelve psychological shapes or attitudes a person assumes on their way to wisdom. Odin, the highest god, is symbolized in the center of the Zodiac. That Odin "sits in the high seat and looks over all the world and understands everything" is yet another metaphor of him being the internal witness or pure consciousness in the psyche that is aware of and knows about all other lower psychological aspects in the mind. Identifying exactly which god belongs to which house in the Zodiac is a bit difficult, and in order to make an accurate guess we must know certain fundamental principles and how the Zodiac works as a psychological system. The most important thing to understand is that each house or sign is connected with a psychological attitude, and this attitude is in turn linked to a planet – that is, with a level of consciousness. In the Zodiac, as we know it, two signs are associated with the two highest levels of consciousness, represented by the Sun and Moon, namely Leo and Cancer. The two highest gods after Odin should therefore belong to these houses on the map. The rest of the houses are arranged like a cycle that goes downward and then up again in terms of level of consciousness beginning at Virgo (next to Leo) and ends at Gemini (next to Cancer).

Thor is said to be the most noble of the gods, and the symbolism with the hammer that breaks the head of giants is analogous to Leo – the shape of the master – who steps on the serpent in the Dendera Zodiac. His residence in the Zodiac is called Þrúðvangr.

Heimdallr is called the white Æsir, great and holy, and has a high position that fits the level of transformation. I call Cancer the level of transformation (level 2) since Cancer was originally represented by the Egyptian beetle that symbolized transformation.

Balder probably belong to Virgo's place since the third level is associated with the original childhood state and innocence. And that Balder represents innocence is obvious in the Edda.

Forseti probably has the place of Libra since he is the god and judge of justice, and the scale is an ancient symbol of justice. So Forseti is on the fourth level of consciousness.

Scorpio is the dangerous, risky or sneaky sign – the sting that risks killing off wisdom by tempting us to think in opposites. This is clearly represented by Loki, the slanderer of the gods and the origin of all falsehood. And the origin of all falsehood is to not see the harmony of opposites, i.e. to think dualistically and to bring suspicion and accusations towards various aspects of reality.

Accusations and mistrust leads to a conflict with the opposite and disturbs the harmony. This is probably represented by the god Ullr who is said to be war-like in all his being. This is consciousness level 6. In the Zodiac, this is represented by Sagittarius, and Ullr is said to be a good archer.

This leads us to the lowest level or rock bottom, and what god can represent this if not a blind god? Höðr, who happen to kill Balder (although Loki manipulates him) is called blind but strong, and it is said that the gods would probably wish they did not have to remember him. He is also called Hel's companion.

At the sign of Aquarius, which symbolizes new hope in the dark, we probably find the god Víðarr who is said to be quiet. But also Váli is a possibility since he is called Höðr's enemy and slayer.

Pisces, representing the sleeping masses at level 6, are likely represented by the whale-fish god Njörðr.

It is the gods Bragi, Týr, Víðarr, and Váli, which I have the most difficulty placing. They belong to the remaining signs in the Zodiac. There are articles written by individuals who have realized that the gods are associated with the Zodiac, but those I have seen have placed the gods at the wrong signs since they do not understand how the system was meant to work. I have not found anyone who understands that the planets are essential and that they represent levels of consciousness. So do not trust other lists you may find out there. People are lazy and ignorant, even people with academic education. The wives and children of the gods and the like probably belong to the decans of the Zodiac.

Wolves are related to the giants and represents ignorance, madness and things forgotten. Sköll, who chases the sun, and Hati who chases the moon, are psychological forces that can stifle knowledge and insights. Same thing with the Fenrir wolf. One thing that is a bit annoying with ancient spiritual jargon is that the same concept is often repeated with different names and shapes and stories. For example, it is obvious that the wolf Sköll is the Fenrir wolf, since they both swallow the sun. Same thing with all the different names and shapes Odin has. My guess is that people enjoyed telling different variations based on the same ideas, a bit like how today's entertainment industry often goes through trends where they draw inspiration from each other. Then the most popular stuff was preserved and mixed together into a concoction, which people later held on to out of reverence instead of sorting out what was the most important and simplifying it. It is just like all the entertainment, literature and culture that exist today. Nobody wants to throw anything away or sort out what really is of value.

By the time the Edda was written down by Snorri there were also not many who practiced this religion anymore, and if they did chances are that it had deteriorated and was being taken literally.

The dwarves, who have human shapes, appear to be less important principles in the system, which is suggested by the fact that some of them have the names North, South, East and West. The elves are probably principles or ideas of greater importance than the dwarves.

The ash tree Yggdrasil is another part of the system, or more precisely the origin of spiritual systems: namely ancient arithmetic and mathematical operations – which is the source of the 9-base numerical system and mathematics. The tree, i.e. the arithmetic, is "the most holy place of the gods." Like mathematical logic, its branches spread all over the world and reach over the intellect, what is called "heaven" in ancient spiritual writings. It can be illustrated in this way:

The worlds here are distinct classes of phenomena divided into planes or levels that summarizes every complete being or thing, similar to what we today call fractals. The whole process can be likened to a tree where every new branch and also the nerve structure of every new leaf repeats and reflects the basic pattern of the tree. Hence why ancient systems called the numeral system the "world tree." All diversity can be dissolved into the basic laws that governs it and expresses itself in the numbers 1 to 10 in the above manner. Every thing in the universe contains in one of its constituent parts a fully reflected world.

Thus we find three dimensions of polarities in each complete phenomenon: the polarity of a sphere as well as polarities between spheres. And this is a miniature picture of the universe expressed in numbers. As you can imagine, this ancient teaching about numbers is quite difficult to understand, making the symbolic metaphor of trees and worlds very abstract. Therefore I usually stick to the worlds expressed in the psyche, which tends to be the essential.

At first I thought that the three roots that upholds the tree were the three columns of this ancient arithmetic. But after reading more in the Edda, I suspect that the three roots are the three spheres of the psyche or soul. The first root is the upper sphere associated with the Æsir. The second root is the mediating sphere between intellect and vitality and seems to be associated with the giants. The third root is the lower sphere, the vital one or sensory-motor. The fact that each root has a life-giving well for the tree means that no world, not even Hel, can be rejected. There is wisdom in every natural system that is inherent in the energies of an organism, but this self-knowledge of one's own biological nature and function is often lacking.

That Odin hung on the world tree pierced by a spear symbolizes self-sacrifice and process of meditation in search of self-knowledge – which is real wisdom. He puts himself to death, that is, his own ideas and assumptions, and learns how to learn from nature. Runes are hidden or secret knowledge. The goal of a heroic adventure is to become a non-hero, someone who does not try to be something they are not.

The Edda or poetic poems such as Völuspá are symbolized by the goat Heiðrún; the tree it eats off is the world tree which is knowledge and arithmetic operations; the milk or the mead she spills is the fine nectar of the sagas. Thus Heiðrún produces more nourishment than the cow Auðumbla, who did not feed on equal knowledge.

Other text or poem is represented by the hart Eikthyrnir; the branches it feeds on are also the world tree; the droplets from its horns are the wisdom; Hvergelmir (the primordial well) in Niflheim is the unconscious in the mind; "the elves who all from there originates" are likely higher feelings such as those that produce poetry and expressions of art. Here, however, I have to question whether they really mentioned the correct well for the origin of the elves.

The fact that the ash tree is exposed to various other animals might symbolize that the concept is easily damaged by misinterpretations and the like. That the tree is related with secret and special knowledge is obvious. Birds are usually related to intellectual activity, like Hugin and Munin. Urðarbrunnr is probably related to a place in the Zodiac since it resides in heaven. Same with Alfheim, Breidablik, Glitnir, Himinbjörg, Valaskjálf, Gimlé, etc.

More than one heaven is mentioned. These are likely related to levels of consciousness as I mentioned earlier. The number of heavens, however, is not mentioned here. The fact that the myths do not claim to know everything and sometimes speculate reveals that they are incompletely preserved. Things are missing and have been lost, but we could already guess that.

The Midgard serpent symbolizes, like serpents in other mythologies, the vital life force. When it eats its own tail and circulates around the earth, it is a metaphor for harmony in the vital energy. Order in the world is a metaphor for order in one's own psyche and self-control.

The thin and soft fetter or band that binds the Fenrir wolf symbolizes the power of small things, and that often it does not require much to keep ignorance and folly at bay, if one has consciousness. Knowledge is generally the power of the small, and the key is usually a secret or knowledge instead of physical strength.

Valkyries represent some form of guiding principles or ideas that increase knowledge and wisdom, thus it is said that they carry drinks and mead. Drinks such as mead, wine, milk, etc., are symbols of wisdom. That is why Odin, the god of Wisdom, is said to only live on wine. That there are precisely 13 Valkyries being listed makes me suspect that they are also related to the Zodiac. The people they choose are those inner thoughts and attitudes that lie closest to the higher wisdom and are timeless.

There is, however, much that is difficult to interpret, and also quite futile, since it may well be things that are not preserved well or did not belong to the original ideas to begin with. So I will focus on the two stories that the Edda itself says are the most important: the death of Balder and Ragnarok.

The death of Balder
Balder symbolizes innocence or the original childhood state, and his death is not a physical death but a metaphorical spiritual or psychological death – that is, innocence is lost in the individual's psyche. The innocence is killed by Loki, that within us that wants to accuse, slander and criticize reality, people or our own nature. I.e. dualistic thinking. That's what the antagonistic god or force symbolizes in most religions. Balder, the innocence, can be restored if all psychological aspects of the individual want it. But in a person who has lost his or her innocence, there is always an aspect that is indifferent. This is represented by the giantess, Þökk, who refuses to cry for Balder and says Hel can keep him. This giant likely represents some form of resentment that feels that innocence is not of use or to any benefit in the individual. The point is that the individual who loses their innocence, their inner Balder, has something in themselves that does not think the innocent open childhood state led to anything good. A kind of inner wound they carry. It is also said that Þökk was probably Loki, and that is possible since internal wounds are related with accusations and hostility towards something.

Ragnarök
The fact that aspects such as Loki, the Fenrir wolf and other psychological forces also arise in an enlightened mind with a orderly world means that the whole thing is a cyclical process. The possibility of losing one's wisdom or purity is always there. And when this happens, the individual must again go through Ragnarok and renew the world, the inner psychological harmony and health. An analogy with the external cultural world also exists, of course, where wisdom is lost in cultures. Attempts are made to bind and suppress both the Wolf and Loki by the inner higher aspects, but for the process to succeed, these must be released and expressed. A necessary expression of pathology on the path to health, freedom and wisdom. Every enlightened man has undergone his own Ragnarok.

First, mental unhealth and darkness arise in the individual, which is symbolized by the Fimbulwinter. The number 3 stands for completion of something, beyond the two principles of dualism. Three winters in a row does not mean the usual temporary bad mood or the like, it is pathology that is undergone to a purifying degree. The psyche is about to be restored or reborn. All the old has to die so that something new can begin, a complete healing and inner transformation. War and disorder between people is another expression of this initial process. Our psyche is in disarray because our own inner aspects, thoughts, wills and ideas are not consistent or in tune with one another. We lack self-control and a stable psychological ground to stand on.

That the Wolf devours the sun means, as previously said, that folly and ignorance reaches its culmination; reason and clarity of vision are lost. All order in the psyche is lost in chaos, the mental inner world is collapsing. The Midgard serpent is probably uncontrolled passions, overdesiring, dualistic aggression, and the like. The boat Naglfar, made out of dead people's nails, is probably related to negative verbal expressions and curse words. In another place in the Edda it is implied that the mouth can be called a boat with the tongue as its rudder. And since Loki, the slanderer, is aboard Naglfar, it is likely that the boat symbolizes verbal accusations. Hel, the death kingdom, is psychological suffering – feelings of lack, confusion, self-deception, frustration, despair, etc. Hel is Loki's daughter, that is, the offspring of the dualistic thinking. The Midgard serpent and Fenrir wolf too are Loki's offspring.

The sons of Muspell who come riding with burning fire and a sword that "shines stronger than the sun" is the inner conflict that arises in the encounter with higher wisdom and truth. Ragnarok can not happen unless it is in a context where the individual has access to or is confronted by higher wisdom. Ragnarok is the conflict between own partial desires, false knowledge, inner wounds and higher wisdom or truth. That is why only a person on the road to enlightenment can complete Ragnarok and renew themselves. Odin, the shape of the higher Self, battles ignorance – the Wolf. Thor, the psychological force that attempts to control the lower energies, battles the out-of-control desires – the Midgard serpent. The old system and symbolism collapses as it is time for an update, the gods fall in front of both the mental chaos and the renewed wisdom that comes with Surtr and the sons of Muspell. That Víðarr does not fall may be because he is the silent god, ready to take in and listen to the new. Váli, the other god who survives, probably has similar virtues. Thus Víðarr puts an end to ignorance, the Wolf.

That Surtr is victorious and burns the whole world confirms that he represents renewing purifying wisdom. Fire is related to consciousness, since light is a symbol of clarity of vision, and burning the old system and renewing is also something like forming a new religion or wisdom teaching, though still based on the same timeless principles. Ignorance increases when the old system begins to be misunderstood, so the system or tradition must constantly be renewed. The new beautiful earth, however, primarily represents the new inner health and order inside the psyche of the self-perfected or enlightened individual. Balder, the innocence that is goodness, comes home from Hel, etc.

This is, in general and essential terms, the spiritual meaning of Ragnarok and the Edda. And of course we all know that the old gods have long since been replaced by new ones. But what nobody has done is to update the system and ancient wisdom in a competent manner. And that is what Timeless Education aims to do: an update of timeless wisdom adapted to our time.

Creational causality

In Timeless Education I will often use the term "Creational causality," a term that is associated with both "the timeless cause" and accidents (i.e. the lack of free will).

I use this term instead of "determinism" because I want to get away from erroneous assumptions. Most critics of determinism focus on attacking the idea of predestination, that everything is already settled. But not even most determinists think everything is predetermined. They use the word determinism but they mean that everything is in the hands of accidents, not that it is predetermined.

Since I share that view, I think it's a good idea to simply get rid of the term determinism and instead use something that refers to causality – cause and effect. But I also have another reason to discard the term determinism, and that's because it is often used materialistically without taking into account a more complex consciousness. Causality also includes people's "programmed" inner nature in addition to determinism's focus on external influence and environmental nurturing.

Besides, Timeless Education leaves room for some free will in the form of free choices of attitude towards what happens to us, which in turn may, at right times, change the direction of causality. Only Timeless man can overcome cause-creating causality and bring about change or make deliberate constructive work – become a "causal source" of their own – to the extent possible. But this freedom is an exception that requires the right education, endurance, courage and discipline. It is not the norm in people.

"Orsaksmässig kausalitet" (roughly "cause-creating causality") is also called "Skapande kausalitet" ("Creational causality"), which is both easier to translate into English while at the same time connecting the concept with the term "Creator." Causality is more or less the true nature of the Creator in all religions: reality, truth, Tao, karma, Logos, the highest natural law, etc.

The symbols of this highest natural law are the numbers 3 and 4: The Creator and its process of creation without beginning or end. This triad and tetrad are in my system formulated through the essentialness-key A-Ω-X-Ω, and I have called it the timeless configuration of reality that regulates things beyond what people can influence, and thus should understand and accept.

So not only materialistic science emphasizes the limits of free will. It has always been an essential element in ancient wisdom and religion. The success of modern humanistic society is also the result of this insight, that circumstances determine actions more than free choices.

Real insight into and the keeping in memory of creational causality (the lack of free will) leads to less blaming, less hubris, more humility, more forgiveness (including self-forgiveness), and more wisdom with better connection to reality and an opportunity to actually begin acting properly. Even the adoption of victim role decreases. Only someone who still believes that others have free will can assume the role of a victim.

This insight should rather encourage curiosity regarding "what's going to happen" – focus on experience, on surprise – instead of striving in an impossible direction, which is a reduction of life and of experiences. Real freedom is a change in attitude. Real "doing," real actions, are inner actions – attitude, controlled intention. The confluence with truth; with the timeless cause; with the right valuation, is the most beneficial and peaceful. The more people develop, the more they experience themselves as part of a whole in constant exchange of energy and reciprocal maintenance, whether they try or not. Free will is better expressed by the word self-control, especially control over one's attitude. The will people have in their basic state is not free.

Creational causality assumes that people work with things and ideas they come into contact with and mediate these along their own individual nature and experience rather than give rise to something new or truly original. Originality is rather the result of unique events and circumstances.

The goal of development is to understand what is happening to us and how we are participating in an abundance, so that we fully agree with reality. A person who claims to believe in or trust in God, but does not fully agree with reality, can not be said to believe in God. I have never ever met a person who believed in or trusted in God in the true sense. Without a correct definition of "God" and "the Creator," the terms will just become imaginations. God's image in us is the internal witness, which can also do through the right attitude, but people have fallen from this deeper dimension or soul so that they are no longer in the image of the Creator. They are Temporary man instead of Timeless man.

Man and her psychological wiring with programmed instincts is within the powers of chance. People are not causal sources that can achieve without the right internal and external influences or circumstances. Achievements are circumstances and accidents, random genes and preprogrammed drives, but creates the delusion that we can achieve anything with unreasonable demands placed on ourselves and others. Praise and self-praise regarding what we have achieved in life is self-deception and a form of lying. Same thing with self-criticism and blame. People are mediums through which things are done by everything but themselves. And yet they take the credit for it. Wise men give credit to creational causality – to reality, to karma, to the Creator, or whatever they choose to call it.

And even if you believe in free will, which I too can believe in to some extent, this possibility of choice or "possible free will" is still so small and limited that focus on it just becomes a distraction. It is more practical and strengthens the awareness of the laws of reality more if we talk about how much people lack freedom and free will in comparison.


[This text is a transcription of the English subtitles from the Youtube video Orsaksmässig kausalitet (Creational causality) from November 2017 that can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/7kgFQ3I3-Yc]

Summary of Concepts

[The following text is a transcription of the Youtube video Introduction and summary of Timeless Education from March 2018 that can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/TyTqPypi8EQ]

For people who are not familiar with Timeless Education and want a quick introduction of the essentials, I figured [in this text] I'd summarize the most important bits and how things in it are connected, for my English speaking audience.

The opening argument is that questions concerning things like quality of life, development, health, success, ethics, etc., have no meaning without a standard or yardstick to relate to, like a compass. And often people talk about these things, throwing out phrases like "self-realization," "acting morally," "taking responsibility," and "achieving success in life" without first defining what is meant by this. What are the parameters of self-realization, morality, responsibility, success, etc., and are they objective? Who makes the judgement? And who knows what morality, responsibility, success, and so on, really is?

We have seen how destructive and immoral so-called "moral" religions have acted. We have seen how destructive and irresponsible hardworking leaders and politicians have acted. Lazy people at least have the virtue of not doing anything, instead of risking unintentional destructiveness. Similar things can be said about people with so-called success, which is often imaginary. We often underestimate how rich our own lives really have been, and could have been if we did not pursue vain success to look good in front of others. We could have been more moral if we did not try to force morality, more responsible if we did not try to control, manage, or interfere with natural development, and so on.

So the proposal is a new standard; an objective and sane yardstick to orient ourselves around, what I call a Wisdom or Evaluation Compass. This is the core of Timeless Education, and why it can also be called 'Essential Education'.

When it comes to attaining a higher impartial logic or sensible compass, we must admit that knowledge is essential, and that knowledge should be based in reality – be true. So how do we gain understanding or knowledge (facts, truth) about something at all? First, we need to seek something that can be known, reach a common basic assumption that everyone can stand behind. What can we all know with certainty? Only that which repeats itself is possible for everyone to know with certainty. Without recurrence in phenomena, no objective or useful knowledge can be established. All precise knowledge, all measurements, are only possible through observation of recurring things and processes.

This also applies to what people call single events. In order to have knowledge of single events, for example, that a car accident has occurred on a road after hitting a moose, you must first have knowledge of both cars, moose, and roads. All of this in turn requires recurrence, that is to say, experience. Had you never witnessed any of this before and seen this combination of phenomena for the first time, you would have no idea of what it is.

We should first accept movement (change, time) as a basis for knowledge; then mathematical units (numbers). Besides this, we only know that a world in which we live exists and that our consciousness within ourselves exists. This is fact, reality, even if it can not be proven or disproven. Everything else is worthless as a foundation. Everything else is merely unknown quantities and phenomena such as "nature," "matter," "life," "death," "energy," "light," "darkness," and so on. None of these quantities or phenomena can work as a starting point.

Thus we have begun to formulate a starting point for essential philosophical principles, principles that can be called "timeless" and lasting (permanent). In other words, knowledge begins with experience and philosophy. Not with science or information. Because even if you're reading a book on facts or someone's statistical survey, you still can't tell if the information you're reading is true or competently executed.

The next step is to seek the cause behind phenomena and behind our consciousness that experiences. So we reduce phenomena till their basic elements can no longer be reduced, to see how they are constructed. We observe the world as primarily movement, and that the fundamental movement that recur is circular in terms of, for example, days and nights, and seasons. Thus nothing is permanent except for the movement itself. This can be called a "configuration" the world is based on. An "ultimate" reality. Everything else is being put together and then broken down, but movement (time) consists.

But how does movement work? What is its causal mechanism?

In order for movement to work, an oscillation is required; a polarity; two connected things that simultaneously repel each other. A single thing can not produce motion or phenomena. Neither can two things unless they constitute opposites of comparable strength or permanence.

We therefore conclude that existence is dependent on at least three aspects in order to produce more phenomena and form a world like the one we exist in. Thus, we can formulate this fundamental and permanent cause behind phenomena in the following mathematical symbols:

   +  (force)
   -  (counterforce)
   ∞  (connection, oscillating or mediating force, equilibrium and punctuated equilibrium)

This is the closest we come to a configuration or timeless cause behind the movement, phenomena and effects of reality – since phenomena can not be reduced or divided into smaller elements of a compound. In the absence of a better symbol, we can also use this triad as a symbol of the basic element or basic principles of our consciousness. This timeless cause that regulates the essence of things thus becomes the foundation of our knowledge, and is consequently the most worthy as a guide.

Real impartial knowledge requires the discovery of the categories for the configuration of reality, that is, the timeless natural laws, and a deepening of the appreciation of their significance. These principles convey what we should already find in our experience. They are primarily a formula for retaining in our memory the elements of experience that are timeless. They are never wishful thinking.

So what conclusions can we draw and how can we apply this fundamental knowledge in regards to quality of life, development, health, success, ethics, responsibility, and so forth?

It is obvious that circular motion or a permanent background (cause) can not have any direction or improvement. It is also obvious that attempting to make something else permanent is to challenge or struggle against this fundamental configuration, which can only lead to frustration and disappointment. Therefore it also becomes clear that nothing can have an end goal or climacteric purpose in a permanent or recurring (cyclic) eternity. In fact, there can be no climactic purpose even if existence were to be temporary.

If end goals and climacteric purposes can not exist, then they can not be the right direction to seek our answers. If we are looking for a permanent state, then is it not more sane and realistic to look for an already existing permanent state: ceaseless change that gives us experiences and surprises and prevents us from becoming bored? The only sane direction in terms of development, then, will be: not an end goal but a goal of presence, of appreciating and living in the moment. This does not mean a cessation of planning or trivialization of the future, but rather planning should support continued presence and appreciation of each coming moment with receptivity, openness and interest. Besides, the higher the life-form, the less repetition and more variation is necessary for health and satisfaction.

In terms of purpose, then, we no longer seek it in the future in the form of ideals to achieve, but instead we seek the purpose of what we are right now. That is, to be and to manifest what we are. Instead of asking ourselves if we have an objective to achieve in the future, we should ask whether we don't already, with the particular nature we've received, serve a function in a world of interconnected processes; a "function" similar to how different microorganisms support higher species, and how species support a larger ecosystem, and so forth.

Our valuation thus becomes the knowledge of reality we've established; direction becomes the moment; and improvement (development) becomes synchronization or flowing with the configuration of reality or timeless cause, which is beyond time and polarities (opposites). Quality of life, health, success, ethics, responsibility, and so on, is also connected with this. That is, with presence, with the right knowledge, with natural function, and so forth. For example, responsibility must primarily involve teaching about this.

   Valuation: truth, the principles of ultimate reality
   Direction: the moment, become more what we are
   Improvement: flowing with the laws of reality

What is to be regarded as wrong valuation is thus knowledge that deludes us that we must or should achieve goals or permanence in the future; which is wrong, unrealistic and meaningless (vain) direction; and leads to a worse condition with the struggle against reality. That which increases delusions and thinking in opposites and makes us strive in an impossible direction, wasting our energies and distracting us from both presence and what we already are, is thus the opposite of development or improvement.

   Wrong valuation: delusion and erroneous knowledge
   Wrong direction: focus on goals in the future, become different
   Wrong development: fighting against reality

So we have arrived at the conclusion that the most logical direction is to manifest or be what we already are, pursue our "function" in relation to our natural environment, which should lead to a deeper satisfaction with a true sense of freedom and meaning. Wrong direction is focus on becoming what we are not (by setting up goals in the future) which risks upsetting the function of what we are, while at the same time working against satisfaction and a sense of freedom or meaning by "invalidating" our natural energies and attempting to replace, control, or change them with invented ideas, fantasies or goals beyond the present which are not the right "nourishment."

This in turn leads to the conclusion that we need to know and become familiar with "what we are" as the primary goal, what we really want and need, and so forth, and this is where the importance of self-knowledge comes into the picture... In order to even be able to move or choose the right direction for health, development, quality of life, and so on, we need to find a way to deal with the inner and outer reality we as human beings find ourselves in. Thus we can divide Timeless Education into the following concepts to get the general overview:

   A-Ω-X-Ω
   Freeless man
   Masked man
   Biological man
   Natural man
   Temporary man
   Timeless man

The culture must first of all provide us with the right knowledge before anything else is possible, and that, for example, is the purpose of Timeless Education and [this text]. So it starts there. Understanding must become part of our nature, instead of ignorance, lies and delusions. That's the first step. Thus development, paradoxically, begins not from our own nature, which is too biased and ignorant, but from external factors in order to then reach our inner, authentic factors.

The formula A-Ω-X-Ω is what represents the foundation for secure knowledge or truth. A and Ω represent the reality of contrasts, and X stands for the relationship between them and the movement of them. The second Ω is what makes it possible to expand this tool and also explain the world's diversity. So the tool A-Ω-X-Ω stands for knowledge of the principles of ultimate reality, while the rest of the system is more centered around psychology and self-knowledge.

A-Ω-X-Ω is connected primarily with universal knowledge, analogical method, timeless now-centeredness, organizational numbers, and to counteract what I call "eternity blindness" – which is deceptive ideas about climactic purposes in eternity.

"Freeless man" is connected with creational causality, which is also represented by A-Ω-X-Ω. The basis of self-knowledge should be built around the fact that circumstances have primarily determined our choices. People do not have as much freedom as we tend to attribute them. The concept of "Freeless man" permeates all aspects of self-knowledge and should be established as early as possible.

"Masked man" is connected with cultural acquisition, upbringing, and cultural hypnosis. Like Freeless man, this is an aspect of the fact that we do not exist separately from others or our surroundings. Every human being will, and must inevitably, begin to imitate the surroundings in order to communicate and survive in the environment. This happens with or without conscious attempts at education from the surroundings. "Acquisition" (culture, knowledge) can therefore not be separated from our nature. It is also here that the egoism is predominantly inhabited, since the super-ego connects to prevailing values and suppresses our own nature rather than asserts it. "Masked man" contains a lot of false garbage that we have to clean ourselves from. However, some things we have adopted from the culture can be helpful and useful, for example, providing us with a common language that enables us to communicate more effectively.

"Biological man" is our physical body with its organs and functions, and is connected with physical health. Knowledge of this aspect of ourselves is important for maintaining physical health by eating sensibly, not stressing, knowing how much sun we can tolerate, what diseases we can protect ourselves from, and so forth. This is an important part of self-knowledge, but it is also the part that already gets the most attention in our culture. There is already a lot of information and advice on how we best keep our bodies healthy, so that's why I don't prioritize it in Timeless Education.

"Natural man" is our individual energy patterns and preferences – instincts. This aspect of self-knowledge is connected with the individual's "purpose" and "function," as well as concepts such as exchange of energy, reciprocal maintenance, and so forth, that support a sense of meaning and satisfaction. It is this part of ourselves that needs attention and self-expression to experience the feeling of freedom and substance. Tools belonging to Natural man are Bias Psychology, where certain characteristics of people can be categorized and analyzed, so-called "human types" or "personality traits." A lot of new terms are used here, but should not take too much time to learn, and they are most useful for providing words to character phenomena there often are no good words for. Also political ideas regarding, for example, "Triarchy" are connected with Natural man and its needs.

Another thing that is connected with Natural man is Eternal metamorphosis pattern, i.e. evolution. You can not talk about Natural man without also talking about evolution, and a sensible theory of evolution must be compatible with types, which the current theory of evolution barely is. It is, for example, important to understand that special qualities can not be inherited in humans as in animals. I would therefore like to offer an alternative or updated theory of evolution.

Criticism of our current science, such as the prevailing theory of evolution, is perhaps not necessary to maintain our so far established parameters for the evaluation of quality of life, health, responsibility, and development. But if our current theories have shortcomings, then it can not hurt to establish a more sane or probable theory, even if only as a placeholder. Understanding and truth is, after all, our highest valuation in these parameters.

"Temporary man" can refer to all other aspects of ourselves except for "Timeless man" (i.e. the previous aspects I have already talked about), but primarily it refers to our temporary attitudes and ways of relating to the world. This often indicates how developed we are and where we find ourselves in relation to "Timeless man."

"Timeless man" is the most internal and permanent that we are. It is our true and final identity that is experienced as an observing self-awareness or pure consciousness that is difficult to describe or define through symbols and language. Often we are not even aware of this inner aspect of ourselves because we identify with one of the aforementioned aspects and invent ideas of what we are or want to be. However, many people in every era have always been reminded of this deeper or "higher" Self through, for example, spirituality or religions, and it can be said that the concept constitutes the basis of all religion (where some religions have deviated from this foundation over time). It has also been a part of philosophy. Today, the concept sometimes also appears in psychotherapeutic contexts, even if it's perhaps not so common. Carl Jung attempted to represent it through the idea of the "collective unconscious", but it is difficult to determine if he really understood the sources he got his inspiration from.

Timeless man is closely connected with the evaluation compass. Since it constitutes a spiritual dimension, it's also related to discussions of things like reincarnation, metensomatosis, higher energy structures, dark quanta, and regions of complex numbers beyond our observable physical space-time world. How important these elements are for Timeless Education can be debated, but every reasonable education must deal in one way or another with religion and spirituality. Especially since consciousness is still difficult to comprehend.

What makes Timeless man important is that it is the only aspect of self-knowledge that can deal with circumstances beyond our control through a change of attitude. We could say that Timeless man, or the inner witness, is the only aspect of ourselves that can act freely through a choice of attitude and intent. And since morality is dependent on freedom and free will, only Timeless man can act morally, as well as define what is moral, namely a shift in attitude and to increase one's understanding of reality.

So that's the concepts in Timeless Education in general. For more detailed information regarding what you want to know, see [Youtube videos] or articles on the blog regarding the specific subject. And remember that educational videos in Swedish have English subtitles.