The word “Fitrah” is an Arabic noun which has the following meanings according to Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Standard Arabic: Creation, Nature, (Natural) Disposition, Constitution, Temperament, Innate Character, Instinct.
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
“So direct your face toward the Deen, inclining to truth. [Adhere to] the FITRAH of Allah upon which He has CREATED [all] people. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct Deen, but most of the people do not know.”
In the above verse of the Quran we can see the usage of the root from which the word Fitrah is derived to mean both Natural Disposition and Creation.
The way that I understand this means that we as human beings have a nature or innate character that CAN and SHOULD incline towards spiritual evolution and enlightenment. But this absolutely does not mean that human beings already have this natural disposition or that we are born with it. This world has too many examples of sociopaths, narcissists, psychopaths and a myriad of other mental and personality disorders which prove that we aren’t naturally born with an innate inclination towards enlightenment and spiritual evolution. Very few people in this world walk the path towards spiritual evolution and those who manage to achieve it are said to have attained ‘Divinity’.
There are essentially two distinct paths that we can all choose to walk; 1) the path towards enlightenment, love, spiritual, physical and mental evolution; in essence, Divinity. Or 2) the path of chaos, moral decadence, all manners of perversion, hate, deceit, murder, pillaging and destruction; in essence, Devilment.
What will YOU choose, Divinity or Devilment? What do YOU wish to be, Godly or Devilish?
The above two paragraphs will offend the religious minded but that is because we’ve been fed a constant diet of lies from the time we are born until the day we breathe our last breath. Organized religion and religious ways of thinking actually do more to contribute to the problem than it does to help alleviate it. That’s another topic which deserves an article of it’s own. But in the meantime we should ALL do our own research into our collective history and learn that we all have some Anunnaki DNA in us and that human beings aren’t native inhabitants of Planet Earth.
Walking The Divine Path
وَيَمْكُرُونَ وَيَمْكُرُ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيْرُ ٱلْمَـٰكِرِينَ
“They plot and plan and Allah also plots and plans and Allah is the best planner.”
The Quran says that “Allah is the Best of Planners”. When an individual’s consciousness and/or will has become fully aligned with that plan then that person becomes a divine being, i.e., “God in Person”.
Attaining such actualization is achieved through one or more of the methodologies of spiritual cultivation. Let’s briefly explore these methodologies.
YOGA
Yoga is a Sanskrit word which means Unity or Union. A Yogi (one who is a practitioner of Yoga) seeks to achieve “Unity/Union” with the divine consciousness through meditation, physical postures known as asanas and specific breathing exercises. Yoga isn’t the only spiritual practice that makes use of meditation. Meditation is a regular practice in Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism and Hinduism.
One of the goals of meditation among these different spiritual practices is a superconscious state known as “Samadhi”. This superconscious state results in Unity/Union between the human consciousness and divine consciousness.
MEDITATION
As already mentioned, meditation is a practice which seeks to bring about a union between the human conscious and the divine higher conscious. But one does not have to practice any of the aforementioned spiritual practices in order to benefit from meditation. In fact, meditation is practiced by many people all over the world and the vast majority of them do not practice or observe Buddhism, Yoga, Taoism, Hinduism or Jainism. Meditation can be practiced by people who are religious or non religious. One can be a member of any denomination of the three Abrahamic religions and still benefit from establishing a regular meditation practice. A person can have no religion at all and practice meditation.
It is worth mentioning here that there are actually different forms of meditation and different schools of thought on the best way(s) to meditate. It is my belief that the differences mainly stem from the different schools of thought in Buddhism. Going into deep detail about these different schools of thought in Buddhism is outside the scope of this article. But I will mention that probably the most popular school of thought and meditation practice among Westerners is Zen meditation which, of course, is practiced in Japanese Zen Buddhism (or Ch’an Buddhism in Chinese).
These differences are of no importance to the layman who only wishes to spiritually evolve to her/his higher self. I myself meditate and I practice meditation as observed in Theravarda Buddhism but that is what’s most appealing to me. This way may not be appealing to others which is perfectly fine. The point is to get into the habit of daily meditation.
MANTRAS
In Buddhism and Hinduism a mantra is a word or sound that is repeated to aid a person’s concentration while meditating. In Sanskrit this word literally means “sacred utterance”. A very popular mantra that is one constant sound that is practiced by many is the ‘OM’ (or Aum) mantra which many people believe originated in Hinduism, although this is highly debatable.
A mantra can also be a statement or a slogan that is repeated frequently. The purpose of this type of mantra is the same as the kind already mentioned, and that is to aid in one’s focus on a specific spiritual goal. Possibly the most popular mantra that is a repeated phrase or slogan is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo which comes from Nichiren Buddhism and is a homage to the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra. If you want to know what this mantra sounds like when chanted just look up Tina Turner and Nichiren Buddhism on YouTube.
ASTROLOGY
For centuries, humans have looked to the heavens for guidance. Astrology is, put simply, the study of the correlation between the astronomical positions of the planets and events on earth. This includes the effect that these correlations have on human beings on Planet Earth. Astrologers believe that the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets at the time of a person’s birth have a direct influence on that person’s character and subsequent behavior.
Astrology can be used as a powerful tool for understanding ourselves, others, and the world around us. Fortunately for us, obtaining our natal chart is now as simple as gathering your birth information and pointing your browser to a site with a good Astrological chart generating software program. Even better is to take your birth information to a long established and reputable Astrologer and have that person interpret it for you.
Having your natal chart read by an Astrologer affords you the opportunity to understand your innate good traits and not so good traits. The ultimate goal is to augment and increase your good traits and to eliminate, or at least greatly minimize, your not so good traits.
THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
There are four noble truths in Buddhism. Within the fourth noble truth is a guide that is meant to end human suffering. But this guide, when practiced truthfully and diligently, can not only put an end to human suffering but can also greatly aid a person seeking to attain self actualization and “Divinity”. The eight parts of the Noble Path are grouped into three
essential elements of Buddhist practice—moral conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom.
If you’re wondering how this can possibly end human suffering AND help lead a person to spiritual evolution, it is important to understand the context in which this guide was originally presented and to understand the Buddha’s understanding of what constitutes suffering.
According to the Buddha agony is born from desires; usually from unhealthy desires.
The Buddha taught that nothing lasts forever. With this understanding, we as human beings should give up all cravings and attachments to this physical plane of existence. We must learn to manage our expectations. The LESS we crave, the LESS we suffer. And in this way we awaken.
The Four Noble Truths Are Expressed As Follows:
1. All existence is Dukkha. The word Dukkha has been variously translated as ‘suffering’, ‘anguish’, ‘pain’, or ‘dissatisfaction’. The Buddha’s insight was that our lives are a struggle, and we do not find ultimate happiness or satisfaction in anything we experience. This is the problem of existence.
2. The cause of Dukkha is craving or attachments. The natural human tendency is to blame our difficulties on things outside of ourselves. But the Buddha says that their actual root is to be found within us or in the mind itself. In particular our tendency to crave or attach to things (or alternatively to push them away) places us fundamentally at odds with the way life really is.
3. The cessation of Dukkha comes with the cessation of craving/attachments. As we are the ultimate cause of our difficulties, we are also the solution. We cannot change the things that happen to us, but we can change our responses.
4. There is a path that leads from Dukkha. Although the Buddha throws responsibility back on to the individual he also taught methods or different paths through which we can change ourselves. The method or path that he taught in all of his discourses is the Noble Eightfold Path.
This is The Noble Eightfold Path as taught by the Buddha:
- Right understanding (Samma ditthi)
- Right thought (Samma sankappa)
- Right speech (Samma vaca)
- Right action (Samma kammanta)
- Right livelihood (Samma ajiva)
- Right effort (Samma vayama)
- Right mindfulness (Samma sati)
- Right concentration (Samma samadhi)
It is not correct to think that the eight categories of the path should be followed and practiced one after the other in the numerical order as given in the usual list presented above. But they are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the others.
Fitrah As Natural Constitution
According to the Dictionary of the Holy Quran by Abdul Mannan Omar, the Arabic word Fitrah also means ‘Natural Constitution’.
There was a time when an INTEGRATED, HOLISTIC system was in place which nourished all of humanity and the planet earth. This holistic, integrated system is what enabled humans to be integrated with the cosmos and attain God Consciousness. This God Consciousness and Divine Unity ( unity with the divine consciousness and unity among human beings ) governed the actions and interactions of humanity and brought about a system that was as close to Utopia as we can possibly imagine. I believe such is the goal of The Venus Project which is why I think the spiritually evolved should support it.
CONCLUSION
Man is not perfect ( yet ) and because of this fact life on Planet Earth isn’t perfect ( yet ). But spiritual and moral perfection is attainable. Even if you don’t attain this perfection, merely striving towards doing so can do wonders for you and those around you.
It is my sincere and undying hope that through the study and practice of the ancient spiritual systems human beings can establish a reunification with the Universe and The Divine Consciousness and bring about a New Creation of Paradise on Planet Earth; a New Fitrah.