How do we distinguish between “God” and “the Godhead”?
The question arose recently. Let me expand on my answer here.
I ask that we remember that I’m not an enlightened being and am simply expressing my opinions – based on research, rather than personal experience. (1)
After discussion of the difference, let me briefly bring in the two other members of the Trinity (Divine Mother or Holy Spirit and the Christ or Atman).
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The words “God” and “Godhead” have been given various meanings by enlightened masters.
One common version of the difference between the two is to say that “God” relates to the personal God, God in form, what Hindus call the conditioned Brahman, and the “Godhead” relates to the impersonal God, God beyond form, the unconditioned Brahman.
The Godhead is often called the Supreme Being, Prime Creator, Transcendental Void, and the One. These names could not be used of “God,” as narrowly interpreted here.
That having been said, I find the term “Godhead” cumbersome and unfamiliar to readers. After this discussion, I intend to resume my everyday practice of talking about “God” when I actually mean the Godhead.
The Godhead is void of anything and everything material and does not speak or move. About it, nothing affirmative or negative can be said. Though it cannot be known with the mind or senses, it causes everything in the world to come into creation.
Krishna expresses the mysterious relationship between the Godhead and the world:
“This entire universe is pervaded by me, in that eternal form of mine which is not manifest to the senses. Although I am not within any creature, all creatures exist within me.
“I do not mean that they exist within me physically. That is my divine mystery. You must try to understand its nature. My Being sustains all creatures and brings them to birth, but has no physical contact with them.” (2)
The minute the Godhead moves matter in this temporary dreamworld, we call it “the Divine Mother.” When at rest, we call it the Godhead.
The mystery of the Godhead, like so much else, cannot be realized with the mind. If anything, as we all know, the mind has to be quiet before realization can occur.
Movement in the mind is like a breeze on the lake; it prevents us from accurately (internally) “seeing” the reflection of the Moon. And it is “seeing” it that causes recognition or realization that what we are seeing is who we are.
Apparently each universe in the multiverse has a God who watches over it. The God of this universe has often spoken through channels, most notably Suzy Ward.
Here for instance is a passage in which Matthew distinguishes between God and Godhead, the latter of which he calls “Creator”: “Creator established the cosmic laws and God, by whatever name one calls the Supreme Being of this universe, must honor those laws in this universe.” (3)
I confess that I haven’t studied the God of this universe very much. I’ve been told in readings that it was because of my aversion to my Father. That combined with my unimpeded love for my Mother made it natural to turn to the Divine Mother as my chosen ideal.
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Let me now briefly discuss the two other members of the Trinity: The Divine Mother or Holy Spirit and the Christ or Atman.
The Divine Mother, the second member of the Trinity, is called by Christians the Holy Spirit. “She” (4) is the Godhead’s creative energy and power expressed in form.
The Mother expresses the Father’s wishes – which, because they are One, are hers as well (5) – into form; that is, into matter, mater, Mother.
She does so by willing creation, preservation, and transformation, at all levels – the basic level of the cell – and below – on up to us – and beyond.
Hindus gave names to these three powers, calling them the gunas or cosmic forces. Creation is rajas; preservation is sattwa; and transformation is thamas.
For Eastern readers, I might relate that I asked the Divine Mother to confirm for me that these three cosmic forces or gunas are what are personified as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and she concurred.
Steve Beckow: [I’d like] to know if the gunas, the cosmic forces which are called rajas, sattwa, and tamas, are the same as the Trimurthy [Triad] of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
DM: Yes. We are the same as that triad.
SB: All right. And the Trimurthy of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is a subset of the Universal Creative Vibration that you are at your essence. Is that correct?
DM: That is correct. (6)
(Concluded in Part 2.)
Footnotes
(1) With the exception of the vision I had on Feb. 13, 1987, which showed me the total journey of an individual soul from God to God and identified for me the nature and process of the Trinity. See “The Purpose of Life is Enlightenment – Ch. 13 – Epilogue,” at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2011/08/13/the-purpose-of-life-is-enlightenment-ch-13-epilogue/
(2) Sri Krishna in Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, trans., Bhagavad-Gita. The Song of God. New York and Scarborough: New American Library, 1972; c1944, 80.
(3) Matthew’s Message, Nov. 12, 2004, at https://www.matthewbooks.com/mattsmessage.htm. An instance of the God of this universe speaking through Suzy Ward follows this article or can be found here: https://goldenageofgaia.com/2016/09/19/no-country-earth-people-free/
(4) “She” is not a female; “He” – the Godhead – is not a male. The Company of Heaven retains that way of referring to the divine couple, probably for its usefulness as a teaching device.
(5) And our will too, since we are also the Godhead.
(5) “The Divine Mother: Come to Me as I Come to You – Part 1/2,” Oct. 17, 2012, at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2012/10/17/the-divine-mother-come-to-me-as-i-come-to-you-part-12/.
Sri Shankara also confirmed it in another Hour with an Angel:
Steve Beckow: Let me ask you: … what is the connection between what Hindus call Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and the gunas or the cosmic forces of rajas, sattwa and tamas?
Sri Shankara: I can answer this very quickly. There are no differences. …
You do not have to change your language or your reference points, because they all end at the same place [Brahman or God]. They all begin, travel and end at the same place. (“Sri Shankara: Everywhere You Look will be a Monsoon of Love,” June 26, 2013, at https://goldenageofgaia.com/2013/06/sri-shankara-everywhere-you-look-will-be-a-monsoon-of-love/.)