Posted by jboy on September 21, 19100 at 15:32:30:
In Reply to: Re: Levels of consciousness posted by CeCe on September 19, 19100 at 08:19:07:
: Yes "sin" is possible, as all things are - but as to "it" being likely to occur inside the "Realization," (the state of knowing in consciousness?)
There is a book called _Ways In Mystery_ available at White Cloud Press (see link below). I enjoyed it. Y'all may, too. I had long been aware that our Western saints were "tainted" with sinfulness and our hagiographical literature and approach to beatification and canonization processes reinforce this awareness. We are given examples of exceptional and heroic virtue to emulate but not of perfection. This book puts in similar perspective, IMO, the Eastern experience. Whatever the hypothetical arguments and word plays might lead one to believe through logical extrapolations from various premises, the "real life adventures" of the mystics consistently reveal ... well, I gave the *spoiler* above. East or West, classical formative spiritual path language still seems to hold fairly well: purgation, illumination and unification or justification, sanctification and glorification. The Unitive Way is rare enough indeed. Additionally, distinctions between the immanent, impersonal, ontological, existential growths in awareness and transcendent, personal, metaphysical and theological growths in awareness are very real, at least in authentic Roman Catholic mystical theology. Sin is not just possible but probable, so I suppose that entering into whatever this "Realization" consists of must be what is next to impossible (per MY worldview).
Interesting discussion even if my angle of approach is obtuse perhaps.
shalom,
jb