Introduction

Panphilosism is a philosophy created in response to a new way of relating to the universe. For most of human history, god-oriented religions have dominated the psychological landscape. We have built temples, shrines, churches, mosques and altars to worship and sacrifice to them. We have prayed to them and gone to war over them. Governments have risen and fallen because of these religions. An ocean of innocent blood has been spilled in the name of the “gods”, who all the while have remained invisible and silent, choosing only to speak though “appointed messengers” and “prophets”.

  But men and women of reason have always sought another way of relating to the awe-inspiring and mysterious universe around and within us, a way that does not subjugate their fellow humans or require casting reason aside in favor of “blind faith”. These visionaries have often gone against the conventions of their day to strike out anew, searching for a reasoned and rational way to express and explore the spiritual dimension of humanity. Some have tried to redefine deity, and some have rejected the concept altogether. Some have taken the “human” mask off of the universe and found something far more worthy of reverence than any god; the universe itself.

  Panphilosism takes as its root the religion of Pantheism, not to be confused with the pantheism or polytheism practiced by such cultures as the ancient Greeks or Romans. Modern Pantheism is not really a religion at all, in the way most people understand the term. There are no gods or goddesses demanding worship, no “revealed” texts or secret teachings. There is no clergy, no church buildings, no set of moral absolutes, no heaven to hope for or hell to fear. Modern Pantheism has no object of veneration other than the universe in all its intricacy and beauty. Pantheists see in the universe a complete system, self-regulating and regenerating, needing no separate creator or sustainer. They find their holy places in nature, their clergy in the fellow creatures who share this universe and their sermons in the voice of the wind in the trees or the thunder of a passing summer storm.

  Panphilosism does not seek to replace Pantheism in any way, but rather to add a new dimension of expression to it. It is not better than any other Pantheistic belief system, but may resonate more fully for some who currently are Pantheists. Panphilosism takes “theos”, the Greek word for “God” and the concept of deity completely from its name and replaces it with “philos”, the Greek word for close friend or loved one. This is reflective of an attitude of intimacy and meaningful cooperation. What Panphilosism offers is a fresh perspective, a new relationship based on a living, loving connection with the universe.

  Questions will naturally arise as to how one can have a living, loving relationship with the universe. How can we relate to the universe as if it was a living thing? A Panphilosist sees life in the changing seasons, the birth, death and rebirth of stars, the multiplicity, diversity and interconnection all life forms and the way in which the universe responds to and interacts with every one of us. To them, the universe is not an empty mechanism driven simply by laws of physics and chemical reactions. It has a a living energy that flows through every human being, just as real and strong as the forces of gravity or magnetism.

  The relationship between the Panphilosist and the universe takes place beyond the ego-based mind, in what is called the "larger consciousness." A definition of ego and the larger consciousness as these terms apply to Panphilosism follows.

  The ego is our concept of a self that is set apart from the rest of the universe. While it is obvious that we have individual bodies, an undue emphasis on this fact is the beginning of all our troubles. Believing ourselves to be separate from one another and the universe leads to fear, greed, lust, delusion, anger and a whole host of other wrong behaviors that over the years leave us with confused minds and hardened hearts.

  Please understand this, however; the ego is not evil or wrong. Neither is it to be completely done away with. It is necessary as a means of distinguishing ourselves from one another, much like our names. Every one of us is unique, with natural talents and abilities that we can use to be of service to the ourselves, our fellow living beings and universe at large. The problem arises when the ego is placed in control. It was never meant to be in charge. This is the position of the larger consciousness, the one that is integrated with the universe. But because we are humans who were brought into this world and raised by other ego-controlled humans, we have never been taught the proper function of the ego. It ends up in the position of authority by default.

  What the ego fears most is death; its own extinction. This is because in reality all of "you" that dies is the ego. The body and the identity that you have in this life does not, indeed cannot follow the rest of you, which is your larger consciousness, on its journey. This is as it should be. One day you might look at them the way a butterfly might consider its cocoon; a vessel you once used for making your natural transformation from one form to another.

  Since the ego is trying to accomplish something it was never designed for, it suffers from an inferiority complex. It vacillates between self-love and self-loathing, grasping onto anything it can for security. We find ourselves engaging in compulsive behaviors we know are wrong, but believe we are powerless to stop. Guilt and justification follow and we spend much of our time in quiet desperation or surrender to lives of being so much less that we could be.

  It is through accessing our larger consciousness that we can truly begin to develop the relationship with the universe that is our birthright as human beings, creatively interacting with it beyond the limitations of the ego-based mind. Like the ego, the larger consciousness is also ours from birth. Some perceive this as the source of our sense of ethics, what is "right and wrong". The spiritual sense comes from here as well, the feeling we have that there is more to the universe than what we can sense on the physical level. When we feel "connected" to the universe and experience a sense of "oneness" with everything, then we are operating in the larger consciousness. From this point of view we can clearly see the mechanizations of the ego, what drives it and how it works, and we can be uninfluenced by it, free to act and react  spontaneously and naturally as any situation requires. It is the goal of the Panphilosist to restore the larger consciousness to its position as the dominant point of view.

  Panphilosism is an intuitive philosophy, "intuitive" in the sense of "what is already known." There is information that is "already known" by the larger consciousness. This information is revealed in insights, inspirations and later in a personal "paradigm shift" that restores the larger consciousness to its proper place in our lives as our dominant perspective. Someone who insists on using only logic and reason to examine it will never be convinced of its validity, any more than a person who uses only intuition and personal experience to judge the world can accept the truth of quantum physics, which is counter-intuitive. Using only logic and reason to examine the world is just as limiting and lop-sided as using only intuition and personal experience. This is why Panphilosism encourages the use of the full suite of tools for "knowing"; logic, reason, intuition and personal experience.

  On the subject of the genesis and generation of life, Panphilosism believes,, firstly, that the universe is inherently creative, and secondly, that this creativity appears in an evolutionary manner. This creativity does not come from a separate "creator" mind or spirit, but from the universe itself. It is through the manipulation of genetic structures that the universe expresses its creativity and advances its agenda of progress and balance.

  It is not the aim of Panphilosism to recruit anyone, but to place in a philosophical structure those elements that one already feels to be correct. The Panphilosist is always open to the experiences around them, weighing the truth of what they encounter against what they already know to apply to their individual relationship with the universe.

  Once we recognize that we are not here simply to live out the urgings of our ego-based minds, the next question is "What direction should we point our lives in?" To the Panphilosist, the answer is service. The nature of this service varies greatly, depending of the talents and abilities of the individual, but the Panphilosist is always asking the universe the question, "How can I help?" and is ready to respond to whatever opportunity presents itself.

  This is an overview of the philosophy of Panphilosism. Every Panphilosist should investigate the truth of these principles. They are provided as guidelines based on my observation, but take nothing at face value. The real evidence and the real benefit of Panphilosism comes from taking responsibility for your own spiritual development and experiencing the truth of it for yourself.

~ David Rutland 2004