I think there’s a misconception going on regarding what it means to not believe in God anymore from a perspective of spiritual awakening so today when I was out walking I got inspired to write about the difference between beliefs, opinions and realizations.

Some would perhaps argue it’s not the same but from my perspective it is so I will use the belief in Santa Claus as one of the examples in this article. (A belief is a belief).

Once a belief-system is crumbled, it can’t be reversed. (It can be changed and molded, but however it changes it’s still a belief and beliefs are not true so they are irrelevant).

Like for example, even if you wanted to, once you have realized that there is no Santa you can’t go back into believing that again.

The mind can briefly go back to a long-held belief in a weak moment (like the belief in God or Astrology etc), similar to the drug addict that gets a relapse, but with our spiritual growth we learn how to recognize those moments and with time we no longer get caught in old ways of thinking and believing.

We see that it’s just the mind feeling more comfortable being in the same old same old (habits/habitual thinking) and find it’s more safe ‘over there’ in the old because it’s familiar.

When that is seen the seeing gets deeper and deeper until there’s no going back anymore.

With the process of spiritual awakening none of the things we go through are a conscious choice.

It’s basically life dragging us through it whether we like it or not. (Some call it Grace).

It’s not like we one day decide not to believe in God anymore, or angels or whatever.

It’s not like we have a to-do list and look at it in the morning going “Okay, lets see, today I have meeting with Ken, and then the dinner at Margaret and Greg’s place, and oh yes, have to remember to buy milk, .. and lets see, oh! I almost forgot, have to let go of God today too”.

It’s not like that.

And it’s not like many Christians seem to believe, that someone who doesn’t believe anymore is somehow angry or disappointed with God so he/she decided to not believe anymore.

That’s not what awakening is about at all.

There might be a lot of frustration, anger, sadness and so on (but absolutely not necessarily as you can have an all loving relationship as well that for example many priests that has had a huge awakening to Truth can attest to) while in the process (leading up to the final let go), but once the revelations hits you, it has no base in those emotions at all.

Again; you’re not angry at Santa either now are you? No, probably not.

You just realized that Santa is not real, and even if you have been disappointed for not getting the new doll you wanted when you were a little girl and instead got socks, that was not the reason you stopped believing.

It’s not like it’s a revenge, like you think “I don’t like you anymore so I’m not gonna believe in you”.

Either you believe in something or you don’t.

If you only let go of God because you’re angry, then you still carry a belief, but now your belief is “There is a God but I don’t like him”, whereas with spiritual awakening to Truth is the absence of God completely. (Like “Holy crap, there is no God! Wow. It doesn’t exist”)

There’s nothing there.

Just like there’s nothing there when it comes to Santa.

It’s just simply not there anymore, so there are no feelings or emotions involved in it whatsoever.

There is nothing to be against, so you don’t go from one group or community to another where they believe differently and then rally for those belief instead of your previous ones.

The belief is not there, and that’s all there is to it. Poof! Gone. End of story.

Some may call themselves atheist, which is totally fine by me, but I personally don’t like labels at all. I don’t want to label myself as being anything particular.

I’m for female power and would like to see more female leaders in the world and so forth, but I don’t want to call myself a feminist either.

I don’t even like the label of being called ‘spiritual’!

It’s limiting. And it has so many concepts attached to it, whatever the label is.

And usually it has some kind of against-ness attached to it; like atheists are against God (they are not against God, that’s not what being an atheist means) or that feminists hate men and all that nonsense.

So when we realize there is no Santa we don’t join a club called “non-believers of Santa”, we just let the beliefs go and that’s that. Or more accurate would be to say that we embrace the realization and the letting go is not something we do, it simply happens.

When all beliefs are stripped away, that’s where we discover Truth.

And it has no name or description or label.

A belief system is an idea (or thought pattern) that has been accepted as true but it doesn’t make something true just because millions of people believe the same thing.

And an opinion is a point of view that is open for change.

It’s open for discussion, and we change our opinions all the time (if we’re not rigid in our thinking) while beliefs are very set and concrete.

It’s not easy to have an open discussion or conversation with someone who firmly believe what they believe. It’s like talking to a wall.

All beliefs are illusions, and if we look below and beyond them, that’s when we open ourselves up to the deeper truth, and that can only happen if we question our thoughts (of course an awakening can also suddenly happen to someone even whiteout them having done anything), and when we are open to having our opinions challenged.

That takes some curiosity. Not only towards life but also towards other people and their way of being and thinking. Openness.

Opinions doesn’t need to be defended, and if there is a need to defend them rest assure that that’s a belief and not an opinion.

Opinions should not be threatening to anyone as it’s just someone else’s point of view. It’s neither right or wrong – it’s just a point of view. A different perspective.

That’s all it is. Nothing scary.

What you think of this article for example is only your opinion and I don’t mind your opinion, it doesn’t threat my point of view and it’s certainly not threatening to my realizations.

I know what I know, and I also know that I can’t ‘make’ anyone know (and I’m not interested in that either) – it’s not teachable.

It’s a discovery each an everyone has to make for themselves.

So it can’t be pushed onto others, it can only be pointed towards and the pointing can only be received if someone wants to receive it.

That’s what my articles are about – I want only for you to look for yourself (within yourself), but if you don’t, then that’s perfectly fine with me.

I’m not out to save the world or anything like that. I’m not on any kind of mission.

Holding on to a belief-system for dear life closes people down and their perception gets very narrow as they will only see through their already set of beliefs and if someone wants to do that, it’s fine with me.

Opinions will always be there.

We prefer this over that, we like this and not that and so forth, we may have opinions about politics and fashion and what not, but the moment we think that our way of looking and seeing things is the right way – that’s when we are stuck in a belief system and that’s what hurts humanity, that’s what keeps us closed and alienated from each other.

That doesn’t mean we should like everybody and talk with everybody (some people we should stay the hell away from) and sing Kumbaya with each other around a campfire ‘yes’-ing each other and agreeing with everyone and respecting others opinions.

I don’t personally respect all opinions – some opinions are just plain crazy to me, like people who think it’s okay to beat children or torture animals. That doesn’t mean I’m going to do all I can to make you convert to my opinions.

It simply means we can voice our opinions and we should (that’s my opinion), even if it’s uncomfortable and even if we risk of losing friends and supporters, because what it all boils down to is that we are of no good use in this world if we are not true to who we are.

And who we are doesn’t need any beliefs systems to hold on to and feel safe in.

So be opinionated – be curious – stay open-minded!

A realization is like an aha-moment, or sometimes it’s a huge revelation and sometimes it sneaks up on you where you one day just suddenly realize that something is not believed in anymore.

A realization is not a belief system and it’s not an opinion.

Once you have seen you can’t un-see, once you have an inner recognition of Truth, you are not able to share it, talk directly about it or build altars around it.

You can’t give it away, sell it or teach it to people.

An opinion can be adopted and then evolve into a belief – if someone charismatic has an opinion about something then someone who seeks the truth may start to think alike (have the same opinions) and if that opinion then is cultivated and groomed and never questioned it develops into a belief and there you have the perfect recipe for religious cults and other belief systems where other human beings are being worshipped and put on a pedestal.

When you have a genuine opening to truth or an awakening experience, that is when you realize that what you have discovered is not something to believe in or even have opinions about – because it’s beyond all that – it stands by itself and can’t be put into a neat box called this or that.

A realization can’t be created or chosen (decided for) – you can chose an opinion and you can chose (to some very small extent as much of it is programmed since childhood and from our close environments/influences etc) your beliefs, but a realization is something completely different.

It just crushes all those other things and sets you free, it liberates you from more than you could even know you were carrying around with you in your mind.

So many concepts are attached to beliefs but once they are seen for what they really are it becomes impossible to ever take any beliefs seriously again.

Moahahahaha..!! 🙂

Just play with that thought for a moment; “what if nothing I believe is really true..?”

When we don’t fully believe in anything we are open to all kinds of possibilities and points of views. This is when it gets interesting too.

When we don’t have our full investment in a belief, we are free to explore life more deeply.

If we are offended because our beliefs are being challenged and we start to defend them, then we shut ourselves out from the delight that it is to learn and discover new things and seeing things from different perspectives.

Belief systems like religion says that God is the creator of all good and if someone takes credit for their own doing (which by the way doesn’t mean boasting about anything) it’s called “pride”.

That to me is devaluing yourself and it’s also false humility to say “oh, no, it’s all God, all glory to God” and that also makes me wonder how you would react if I punched you in the face and said “it was God, he made me do it”, because lets face it, the biblical God is not very benevolent, so then what’s the difference?

We can’t take credit for the good we do, but we should definitely feel shame and blame for the bad things we do? That’s really self-denying and devaluing of yourself.

Putting yourself down basically.

And when “bad” things happen, then it’s all your fault; your “vibration” wasn’t high and positive enough, you weren’t visualizing the right way or clearly enough, or you think “it’s all Karma”, or that there’s a God somewhere in the heaven punishing you for not being good enough.

Pure and utter nonsense!

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