[krasniyluch]

dear friends,
i haven't posted much here because i've been busy soaking up the wisdom and knowledge that all of you have so graciously been willing to share.

i'm hesitant to throw this out there but i need some direction... i come from a christian background and since i don't consider myself to be a "sheeple" i was never one who just took what i heard, in church or reading christian based books, or classes, etc..., at face value. i always checked things out and really studied to see if it was truth, and i believe when we sincerely seek the truth we are shown it, hence why i'm here at divine cosmos... i was led here step by step, not a coincidence...

this email is for those of you who have broken free from the confines and dogma of religion... the fear and guilt i was feeling for so long just got to be too much, plus i knew in my heart of hearts that there was more to god, our creator, and this universe, and our planet's history, than what i was being taught. knowing what i know about the bible based on all of the digging and studying i've done, i see much truth there-in especially in the words and teachings of jesus... what an amazing guy, so full of love and truth.

so my struggle lies in trying to take all of what i know and believe and am as a "christian" and connecting it to all of this... what we're learning about and sharing here. so for those of you who have a background similar to mine... what have you done to make peace within yourselves and to make sense of all of what we're learning?

blessings and thank you,
kelly

[jeockammece]

jesus' message was absolutely a part of what you read about in the law of one series.

ra attempted to give a more all-inclusive spirituality during the times of atlantis, and it was horribly distorted. it really didn't take long to occur... in fact, i now believe ra-ta himself started the problem later in life.

2000 years ago is really the "last minute" in terms of a 25,000-year cycle. it was an effort that sprang from the confederation -- one of its own members -- and was then passed by the council of saturn, our own local governing body.

the focus, as i understand it, was on promoting as simple of a message to promote 4d positive compatibility as possible. the ramifications of this mission were understood, the timelines studied, but the conclusion was still made that the good would outweigh the bad.

you can see many threads in the law of one series that validate and further clarify the messages given by this great teacher.

i've also had several dream interactions with the man and can tell you he has a great sense of humor and is quite naturally humble and kind. he honestly wouldn't stand out to most people -- he's just a friendly, down-to-earth guy.

- david

[Idonnaink]

so for those of you who have a background similar to mine... what have you done to make peace within yourselves and to make sense of all of what we're learning? kelly, hi.
personally, my feelings are that we are living in difficult times indeed. my greatest passion in life is the search for answers, and i do feel that the sheer difficulty of this; the weight of all the confusion in the world is the source of the depression i suffer from. but, as they say "the truth will set you free". the ones who have gone out of their way to hide the truth from humanity have done an extremely terrible injustice; perhaps if it wasn't for this, there wouldn't be people like me in the world suffering as a result.

about finding peace in yourself.

just learn to listen to your heart.

albert einstein wrote
"the intuitive mind is a sacred gift; the rational mind is the faithful servant. we have created a society which honours the servant and has forgotten the gift".

we need to learn to hear our own soul again.

it is this world and its conditioning that has caused us to forget.

and imo, i do feel that jesus was a true lightworker, and his teachings totally resonate with me.
there are so many different opinions on whether or not he lived, and if he did who he really was, etc, etc, etc. it's so easy to get "lost in translation with it all".
the important thing is, what do you feel?
what do you feel when you read the words?

[thighikergove]

hi kelly, and welcome.

just fyi carla rueckert (the main channel of ra) is also of christian backround. some of her favorite activities at the time of the compiling of those books included going to church and singing in the church choir. this turned out to be (according to ra) in fact a very important and beneficial activity for her to continue, to express her love for the creator in this way. i believe whichever way one chooses to praise the creator is fine.

ra also stressed that to the pure seeker enlightenment can be found through any of the world religions including christianity.

i would just suggest to see any teachings you come across here as a compliment to your current beliefs and not as something that is meant to compete with, or replace them. only perhaps to give you a more complete picture of the law of one. as any worldly teaching is incomplete, the literal ideas can only take you so far -- this is where elements of your christian faith can be important. to believe in that vast, infinite and loving god that is completely beyond our full knowing in this life, and to hold onto those ideals that we know in our hearts yet cannot be expressed through any words.

[arreskslarlig]

hi kac527,

i also come from a christian background. quite a few years ago, i had a powerful and transforming experience of the holy spirit. for several months, i was so happy and in love with god that i didn't question anything. but eventually i realized that my dogma did not fit with the nature of god as revealed to me inwardly. this was a wrench but i developed the strength to feel my way without reliance on authority structures.

i can see that you also are developing this strength by your comment that you are trusting that your sincere quest to be shown the truth will bear fruit.

the negative entities use deception everywhere. where christianity has erred, in my opinion, is that they have assumed that their religion(s) are somehow immune to this deception. jesus named the two key tools of the negative entities, violence (fear, force, etc.) and deception. [the devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning]

try googling universal salvation. or pm me and i'll tell you a website that completely undoes the punitive and hell teachings, using scripture. i would never have believed it could be done. people are so sure the bible teaches all this negativity, but it is mostly deliberate plus honestly mistaken mistranslations that are the culprit.

additionally, i have come to believe that negative entities have encouraged us to twist the teachings.

for more than ten years i abandoned christianity as hopeless. but now i see that it can easily be uplifted, and that the teachings of jesus are pure. i see no conflict with what is taught by ra or this website.

here is the way i understand jesus' teachings: (i can provide scriptural references if you're interested) :

religion is controlled by authorities that have misunderstood true spirituality and therefore prevents/hinders the people from reaching the inner wisdom.

in order to quicken the spiritual faculty of true discernment you must have an experience of inner contact with the divine (i.e., be born again of the holy spirit). the holy spirit is the living waters after which you never thirst again. [you never feel really separated from god again.] it is also from this that you begin to have enough wisdom and confidence to not be easily deceived by materialistic and negative teachings.

god's love never falters or alters toward any being at any time. this is perfection, and is our own goal as well.

therefore the key into heaven is not about signing a contract with god, and heaven is not a place under guard by a gate. the key into the kingdom of heaven is love. it won't work to love only god and not your fellow man. until you love all mankind, unconditionally - not as a command but from your own uplifted understanding - you are not living in heaven.

this is a description of how things work and are mistakenly taken for commands. you cannot love your enemies by command - you must have your inner nature transformed. the holy spirit together with the inspiring words of jesus can do it but you must always give your assent and surrender. god never, never uses any force or manipulation of any being. that is why god is good. goodness is the complete allowing and acceptance and noninfringement toward other beings.

the process of surrendering to god, letting go of ego's hold so that it can expand into universal love is what jesus referred to as the bridal chamber. it is intensely personal and a path of joy. thus the metaphor.

i call it 'saying yes to god.'

just to enter the bridal chamber requires some readiness. in the gospel of thomas, which i admire greatly, he makes a statement to the effect that only those who "stand alone" can enter the bridal chamber. to me, this means that you must have developed a modicum of inner contact with the divine so that you can have the trust to be the bride in the chamber. you also have to be able to trust what you are being taught even if it conflicts with what the authorities are teaching.

the sheeple aren't ready. there's something missing. basically, you're ready when you're ready.

another gospel of thomas favorite, when the apostles asked him where his kingdom was:

"the kingdom of heaven is already spread out upon the earth, but people don't see it."

heaven is a state of consciousness. it is not won by faith or works and certainly not because "god demanded a death" (billy graham said that) but from expanding your soul into the ability to love.
i.e., nonseparation, unity, service to others as taught by ra.

[BoattyGonm]

kelly, the words you used "believe", guilt, fear are all the feelings that block our search for truth and wisdom of peace within. the truth, the love and wisdom is within yourself. you are unlocking and opening that knowledge.

i agree with the other post and yours., all searching, seeking points the way

from fear to love
from guilt to trust
from heart comes your soul and source connection
from belief comes knowing and peace

[Pete789]

hi, kelly,

there have already been so many beautiful, insightful replies to your message - i find it encouraging for me, too! so i'm glad you asked. i hope my reply is helpful.

i've been a christian all my life. i've been studying edgar cayce's work for about the last 7 years, and the law of one series for the last 3 years. i still consider myself a christian because i believe that what jesus taught is the law of one. the path to the creator is the same, no matter what path you choose. it's just that most christians (and jews, and buddhists, and...etc.) still think they are separate from god, so they never "get" it.

i walk a fine line. i am employed as a music minister in a church. i let my light shine, so to speak, because i know what i know, but i am careful how i answer people so as not to cause them to stumble (to allow them their free will). my law of one books are not on display in my living room - again, so as not to infringe on another's free will or, even worse, to cause them to "fear for my soul."

carla rueckert calls the holy spirit "holly." i call the holy spirit "kundalini" or beautiful lady. it's all good. (it's all god).

[krasniyluch]

thanks so much to all of you who've responded to my question/dilemma.
i just went back and reread all of the posts and your thoughts and words have given me much peace and much to think about. very helpful!
this is all so new to me so it hasn't quite "settled" yet but the most important thing is that it has "resonated" so strongly that i cannot deny what i've been shown. everything i've ever been taught as a christian just makes more sense now that i've read the law of one series. i wish i had made this discovery years ago because i feel like there's not enough time to do all of the reading and studying i want to do! oh well, one bite at a time i suppose.

the one thing that still sticks in my craw a bit is the message that we are god because we are one with everything... i can grasp that god is in us, in our hearts and in our beings, but to think of it in terms of us being god and co-creators with him is hard for me to swallow because who am i? does that make sense? a religious person would call that "blasphemy", right? claiming to be god and/or equal to god...
i feel like i have a lot of false teachings (no blame here, just what i've picked up from multiple sources over the years) to unravel or separate from the truth i know, and have always known, because how can the bible say we are "sons and daughters" of the king, of god the father, creator, and then also say that we are miserable sinners deserving of the worst... confusing! i guess i need to figure out who i am.

thanks to all of you!

blessings,
kelly

[Pharmaciest]

hi kelly and all.
you've received some truly amazing and insightful responses to your post. what i find so incredibly inspiring is that no one told you that you should be a christian, and no one told you that you should only follow the ra teachings. at the same time, no one told you not to follow them either!

instead of that kind of limited thinking, they all had inspiring and uplifting words of wisdom to encourage you to find your own path! wow!

i was raised as a radical christian in a cult-type environment, and as soon as i turned 18 i high-tailed it outta there. but now as i get a bit older and [hopefully] wiser, i can look back and see it from a different viewpoint, and i was surprised to discover a few years ago, that i could have stayed there and chose that path without compromising my principles!

you see at that time i was looking for everything that was wrong with it, and in doing so i failed to see all that was right with it. i truly believe now that i could be in any religion and find a way to make that my path. (well maybe not radical islam!)

don't get me wrong, i love the path i am on, since i created it without following anyone else's idea of right and wrong. no regrets here! but then again maybe i'll look back in another 20 yrs and think, "how could i have been so obtuse?"

[krasniyluch]

yes manny, you've made an excellent observation! the general concensus was to find my own path... no one judging or pushing or trying to persuade.
the key is loving the path we're on. and for me, i need to be okay with the fact that the path changes almost on a daily basis.

how blessed are we to be a part of this "family"? you guys are amazing and talk about love... this forum is full of love and acceptance and patience, etc... it reminds me of the fruits of the spirit mentioned in the book of galatians:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. that's what i see in the people who belong to this forum and when you stop to think about it, the fruit you see on the outside of the tree is a reflection of the nature of the tree from which it grows...

all i see is beautiful fruit...

blessings,
kelly

[arreskslarlig]

whetherwich,


i walk a fine line. i am employed as a music minister in a church. i let my light shine, so to speak, because i know what i know, but i am careful how i answer people so as not to cause them to stumble (to allow them their free will). my law of one books are not on display in my living room - again, so as not to infringe on another's free will or, even worse, to cause them to "fear for my soul."

this really makes me smile! who knows how many of you are out there?

kelly,

everything i've ever been taught as a christian just makes more sense now that i've read the law of one series.

i have also noticed that oftentimes wisdom from other systems seem more direct, and that the same wisdom is contained in the west, but in a much less obvious way. reading something like this helps you to see it was really there all along. this sort of thing has helped me come to re-appreciate christianity.

the one thing that still sticks in my craw a bit is the message that we are god because we are one with everything... i can grasp that god is in us, in our hearts and in our beings, but to think of it in terms of us being god and co-creators with him is hard for me to swallow because who am i? does that make sense? a religious person would call that "blasphemy", right? claiming to be god and/or equal to god...

in my opinion, a very good ability to foster is to allow/tolerate the incomplete understanding of something. allow it for as long as needed. it is a form of spiritual patience. you do not have to understand something fully; just let the paradox or incompatible idea sit and your angels and unconscious mind will work on it. this has been one such question for me as well. i am not equal to god, even though all is god. ra speaks of a process of merging with god (i am not entirely sure i want that) that takes millions and i think perhaps billions of years. we, now, are not at that point.

what is important to understand is that there can be nothing outside of god. existence is the ultimate mystery and there can be only one source and cause. everything arises out of god and is part of god. the idea of god versus not-god is false. there is no such thing as nonexistence! there is only existence, and there is only god. at root, all things, including god are one substance, endlessly permutated via duality, yin and yang, positive and negative, into the elements and the millions of things.

this is a point of logic to understand that all things must arise from one fundamental substance, therefore:

everything is pure, there is no sin, all is forgiven in every moment of time.


i feel like i have a lot of false teachings (no blame here, just what i've picked up from multiple sources over the years) to unravel or separate from the truth i know, and have always known, because how can the bible say we are "sons and daughters" of the king, of god the father, creator, and then also say that we are miserable sinners deserving of the worst... confusing! i guess i need to figure out who i am.

the bible does not say we are miserable sinners deserving the worst! preachers come up with fads, the latest i hear about is "utter depravity."

what an utterly depraved doctrine.

in fact, to say that we are utterly depraved and deserve hell is a blasphemy. god created a world in which "all was good."

if you were - all right let us just use christian terminology - if you were satan, wouldn't you want to instill in people's minds:

a sense of hopelessness and fear of god?
to disparage god's character and cosmic plan as one of unhealed evil and eternal despair?
to harden people's hearts toward their fellow man so as to tolerate the idea of being happy in heaven while others suffer forever without mercy?

and what's the big difference between god and the devil anyway, in such a scenario?

forgiveness is not about deciding not to be punitive toward someone who deserves it. it we deserved it, we should get it. forgiveness is total healing - which is seeing that no one deserves it, all sin is ignorance and error and fear. forgiveness is seeing the truth of everyone's being - total purity.

evil exists, but it does not fundamentally exist and that is why it will be healed. if evil existed fundamentally there could not be forgiveness!!!

[AlabamaBoyz]

i too grew up in a christian religion and have constantly all my life been searching for more spiritual truth.i have read everything i can on this site and of david's and it resonates with truth in me.i found this site quite by accident or synchronicity.i had been reading a lot of edgar cayce's books and 1 day happened to come across a link on a forum that led me to project camelot which then i came to this site.i have had to reconcile lots of beliefs i have always had with what i have learned and have to reject some of it.my belief is that several things possibly happened with the bible.first as we all know a lot of it has not been translated correctly.some of it has been edited out on purpose because of fear.i believe also that a lot of what was taught was just plain not understood in that time and so was written how these people understood it for their time and so is not a real honest view of the teachings but not on purpose just in not understanding.i do believe their was a great teacher but whether his actual name was jesus there seems to be some dispute about but i don't think that really matters.if you study a lot near death experiences most people seem to meet someone that they take to probably be jesus and these people are not all christians some are even atheist.i know a lot of people do not put much stock in nde's but i study them because to me they may be one of the closest ways to learn what happens after we leave are body.here is a great link that talks a lot about the bible,nde's and reincarnation in the bible that was edited out.i personally believe a lot of the reason for fear in hell and sin was because that may have been all the people understood.i think these people could not just understand the good and love that they could have so they had to be taught that the bad would bring them down as a means of inducement to do good rather than just being taught for good on its own.that is just my own belief.


http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen06.html

[Tinasblue]

i grew up in a born again baptist christian family, which means also extended family, friends and relatives. i was brought up on a diet of the bible from the perceptions of those that meant they had found the answers. i had to listen twice each sunday and each wednesday and of course that vacation bible school during the summer. some things i could understand, other's i couldn't. what i did find out was that the questions about our consciousness and where we came from were very important to find an answer to. i didn't get around to challenging the assumptions that i was given until i was 37 years old. that was back in 87. today, i thank my christian background because it gave me a fundament from which to search for more. in all that searching, i have learned to appreciate the fact that the clues to the metaphors spoken by jesus, are not to be found in the bible. new and exciting understandings are to be discovered. if you want to know more you will have to email me privately. mike from norway

[BoattyGonm]

expanding to all these wonderful post.

god is love
and
love is all that is

as you walk though each moment, you might feel and look at things around you a little bit more differently.

love thy neighbor because you are loving god.

st john 14:34
jesus said, a new commandment i give unto you, that ye love one another; as i have loved you, that ye also love one another

[neniajany]

hi,

here are my thoughts on this issue and i would qoute a famous passage from the bible that everyone knows:

"no one comes to the father except through me". john 14:6

for everyone (as based on how it is taught traditionally) this means you should worship and accept jesus as your personal messiah and savior to go to the kingdom of heaven. another interpretation would be to see this through the window of eastern philosophy which totally changes the meaning. in that view this becomes a 'this is the way to enlightenment' or a blueprint rather of how one should conduct their lives.

"when will the kingdom come? jesus said: it will not come by expectation; they will not say: "see, here," or "see, there." but the kingdom of the father is spread upon the earth and men do not see it." thomas 113

"if those who lead you say to you: "see, the kingdom is in heaven," then the birds of the heaven will precede you. if they say to you: "it is in the sea," then the fish will precede you. but the kingdom is within you and it is without you. if you will know yourselves, then you will be known and you will know that you are the sons of the living father. but if you do not know yourselves, then you are in poverty and you are poverty." thomas 3

in the traditional belief system as taught again (keep in mind that religion and spiritually are two different things) this points to following and worshipping jesus as christ/messiah/savior for one to enter the kingdowm of heaven or even to have glimpse of it. those passage can also be seen and interpreted as taoism wherein you are asked to find your own path to experience the kingdom of heaven essentially asking each of us to 'find ourselves' and to open our eyes.

ultimately think about this, would a trully perfect creator want to be worshipped? isnt that a sts concept? it is better to experience its creation to know itself and this is why we have time and this is why we have duality in everything (night and day,man and women,black and white etc.) because we are removed from eternity (aka distortion) and exists on the plane of time which realistically is an illusion. all we have is perspective relation to motion (theory of relativity) which we see as time because we occupy space.

[BoattyGonm]

this is one of my favorite e. cayce readings on ra-ta

the story of ra-ta

294-149
let's don't forget the thesis, or the key for which all of this understanding had come:
that there might be a closer relationship of man to the creator, and of man to man

[corsar-caribean]

hi kelly -

there isn't much i can say that will add to the reams of wonderful material already offered, but i want to get my two cents in anyway.

i've noticed that just about every religion comes with a "best if consumed by" date of something like 500 years.

before this date, you see a beautiful flowering of culture around the new religion; after it, you see the authorities eventually take back what control they lost last round by usurping the reins of the faith. you see this in christianity, you see it in islam, i imagine you would see it in buddhism as well but i haven't found much material to go by.

we are at a state where currently what many people think of as their religion is really nothing more than their sexual regulation system and social support network. it has degraded to its lowest form: government. this is why they can commit horrible acts against each other and still call themselves christians/muslims etc. with a straight face.

just remember to keep thinking for yourself.

if god > religion then
nobody knows for sure, since nobody has spoken to him recently
you can do whatever you want as long as you are sincere
end if

if religion > god then
better do what they say
end if

[S.T.D.]

i would like to reply to this thread. i do not often post as i prefer not to interfer with the free will of those here to grow in their own way. however, i would like to post a reply to this thread with the following charge: that you accept this in the intent it is offered, that is for thought and consideration only; that you only accept that which you find resonates and leave what does not without any reservation; and that you go and find out for yourself the truth and not accept on belief or faith anything that i have to say.

with that being said i now feel that i can freely present what i desire to share. onething stated in their post "until you love all mankind, unconditionally - not as a command but from your own uplifted understanding - you are not living in heaven". that to some degree is a statement i find to be somewhat true. the portion that i call to question is the use of "unconditionally"

this is not consistent with the actions of master yeshua nor with the, what i find to be, intent of his charge - that we are to love one another as he loved us. that does not mean unconditionally as demonstrated by master yeshua himself.

unconditional love means that we will love and accept regardless of what the other may have done. this is the type of love a parent has for a child. it is the kind of love one receives from the one infinite creator. it is a passionate love.

unselfish love on the other hand is a loving and acceptance of another as being part of the one but it does not mean that i have to condone nor accept actions that are contrary to another's free will.

master yeshua demonstrated that he practiced unselfish love when he drove the money changers and others from the temple. if he practiced unconditional love he would have had to accept the acts of the others and still have loved them. instead he showed compassion for them by the manner in which he drove them out but yet he showed that he did not accept their actions. it is also a demonstration that actions based on inner emotional conflict is acceptable as long as it is within reason.

two further small pieces for you to consider. if you base your information on the translations of the material that composes what is referred to as the bible please understand that much of the material was not written by first hand witnesses. the only two gospels that were written by actual witnesses to master yeshua's teachings are matthew and john. the only two were written by those with a second hand knowledge of the teachings by having listened to those that had first hand knowledge.

secondly, be aware that the original transcription was done by catholic monks converting from languages that were not completely familiar to them. as an example the first word of the lord's prayer in aramaic is abwoon which was translated as "our father" but has over 125 derivative meaning that can be taken from the single word. why did they choose to translate it as our father? it also can mean the "one infinite source". makes you wonder what was actually meant, doesn't it?

there is nothing known that you do not know. it is only a matter of accessing that knowledge.

in the light and love,
asa

[arreskslarlig]

hello asa,

your opening was so polite, thus i deeply apologize that i tend to be a bit argumentative; however, i see a real misunderstanding of my meaning, so i will go through and respond bit by bit.

the portion that i call to question is the use of "unconditionally"

this is not consistent with the actions of master yeshua nor with the, what i find to be, intent of his charge - that we are to love one another as he loved us. that does not mean unconditionally as demonstrated by master yeshua himself.

from my perspective, there is no reason to conclude that yeshua ever failed to love anyone. also, you say the one creator loves us unconditionally, but that yeshua does not. is that right? remember, he said that the father in heaven sends his rain on the just and the unjust, gives the sun to the evil and the good, says to love your enemies and 'be ye therefore perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect.' matt 5, 44-48

but i will explain!

unconditional love means that we will love and accept regardless of what the other may have done.

yes, absolutely, that is exactly what it means but that does not make bad actions good or acceptable.

this is the type of love a parent has for a child.
i certainly hope not - some parents who do this raise criminals.

it is the kind of love one receives from the one infinite creator.

be ye therefore perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.

it is a passionate love.

on the contrary, it is impersonal. universal means without respect of persons. passionate, personal love tends to be more egotistical.

unselfish love on the other hand is a loving and acceptance of another as being part of the one but it does not mean that i have to condone nor accept actions that are contrary to another's free will.

nothing about condoning negative actions. love and approval of actions are not the same thing. i, personally, am kind of looking forward to getting away from the meanies, at least for a while, so that the rest of us can have more fun. and relax.

master yeshua demonstrated that he practiced unselfish love when he drove the money changers and others from the temple. if he practiced unconditional love he would have had to accept the acts of the others and still have loved them.

really? how about this - he did not accept their actions but he also still loved them?

it is also a demonstration that actions based on inner emotional conflict is acceptable as long as it is within reason.

i'm not sure about what inner emotional conflict was there. the religion had been perverted, they were profiting from what should have been holy, and the keys of knowledge taken away from the people. (luke 11:52)

i do not think the biblical scriptures are perfect or the word of god. i think they vary in quality from inspiration by negative entities to inspiration of the holy spirit, and that we need to have sufficient wisdom to weigh them.

the teachings of yeshua are reasonably intact, but they are also mistranslated/interpolated in places.

[erepsysoulpfbs]

people have spoken about the specificity of worshipping jesus as opposed to worhshipping god. they have noted that a common christian interpretation is that only jesus can be worshipping.

i find it worthwhile to analyze this through some of the concepts of advaita vedanta.

however, first i will note the christian concept of the trinity. it is not a triple godhead. each aspect of god is the entirety of god, and this is not a paradox. in god all paradoxes are resolved.

now i will not vedanta. as i said before "the upanishads are summed up in one phrase तत् त्वं असि "tat tvam asi" (that thou art) by the advaita vedanta and they believe that in the end, the ultimate, formless, inconceivable brahman is the same as our soul, atman. we only have to realize it through discrimination."

the distinction

nirguna-brahman is god as he is. he is formless and transcendent, the guiding principle that animates the universe.

saguna-brahman is god with attributes. this is when we think of a picture of jesus, a cross, or use words

(tantra make an interesting distinction here. an image of a god is considered gross, the corresponding yantra (mandala) subtle, the mantra the highest form. each is used.)

note: it is important to note than anything represents the entirety of god. a soul, an image, a moment, each is a micrcosm of god and essentially represents the entirety (think fractals) so no matter what you are contemplating, you are contemplating the entirety of god.

realization of nirguna is only possible with nirvana/enlightenment, obviously.
until then it is recommended that you concieve of an image of him. note that ra reccomends this form of mediation, concieving of a personally inspiring image of perfect, something that makes you feel peaceful, personally connected. this is clearly something that can be done outside of meditation; simply attempt to feel the presence of love, god and peace. (note: bhakti yoga)


i see many of you have a christian upbringing. my recommendation for you would probably to continuing to use the jesus image in your thoughts and prayers, as this likely forms a strong personal connection to you.