Mary Ann S: Thank you so much for your prompt reply!  May I ask a couple other questions?  1) Just to clarify for myself, would it be correct to say that you believe that after your own death, your personal consciousness will continue on in some way?

Djs: There are two issues to be addressed within your question:

First: Do I ‘believe’ that after your own death, your personal consciousness will continue in some way? The answer to this personal question regarding my personal belief is ‘Yes’.

Second: Putting my personal ‘beliefs’ aside, what do ‘first philosophy’ via reason and dialectics – ‘first science’ via observation and measurement – ‘first religion’ via faith and ancient wisdom – tell us regarding: … that after your own death, your personal consciousness will continue on in some way.

They tell us, if we use reason to connect the dots, we can emphatically conclude: …that after your own death, your personal consciousness will continue on in some way.

Mary Ann S: In other words, the consciousness that DJS experiences within the physical realm will still be “there” just in another form that we can’t really know yet? 

Djs: I ‘believe’ this AND reason, as this site demonstrates over and over again, demonstrates this is so.

Mary Ann S: 2) Will you explain your understanding of karma and how it works in the context of a panentheistic framework? 

Djs: Although it may appear that I know ‘everything’ there is to know about ‘a panentheistic framework’, in fact I do not. Karma is an Eastern concept that I know little about. As such I must be the first to say: I feel certain karma fits well into a panentheistic framework but I am not certain I understand ‘how’ karma fits into the panentheistic framework.

The thing about ‘new’ perceptions of reality such as symbiotic panentheism is that the validity of ‘new’ metaphysical perceptions can be ‘judged’ by their ability to generate new ways of thinking and your question is an example where there are so many arenas of new thinking evolving from panentheism that one person does not have the time or ability to understand them all.

Now if the question had been: ‘If the process of karma plays a role within a panentheistic framework, ‘why’ would karma be a factor …:, then I would have had something specific to say.

Mary Ann S: 3) Will you explain your understanding of “prayer” or connection with the divine/absolute/ultimate consciousness?

Djs: Prayer – the connection of one’s conscious existence with divine/absolute/ultimate consciousness.

The biblical phrase goes as follows: ‘…and God created man in his image and in the image of God created He man.’

If God/the absolute/ultimate consciousness/cosmic consciousness is omniscient, God would know how to do create man perfectly in His image. If God is omnipotent, God would have the power to create man His image. And if God is omnipresent there is no ‘place’ to place His creation than ‘inside’ Himself.

If man was created ‘perfectly’ in God’s image then the individual, like God, is divine in nature and as such there is no reasonable way to treat the individual than to treat the individual as one would treat God, with honor and respect.

Note: I use the male pronoun for God only because it is used in the biblical context. I do not personally believe God is exclusively male or female.

Mary Ann S: Thank you again for taking the time to help me as I explore these questions! 

You’re welcome

Feel free to send other question if and when you like.