The Left or the Right Path?
There exist a question that asks about how you follow your spirituality, they called the left hand path and the right hand path. These terms have meant different things through time. At one point meant one was the path of light and the other the path of darkness. Thus if you were Christian, then the left hand path meant those people that followed evil paths and in league with Satan/Lucifer or another demonic entity. This generalization however was limited and evolved into a more multicultural definition. This meant following the right hand path included Hinduism, Islam, and even Wicca. Essentially, it means any concept that followed a clear defined spiritual path, with rules, ritual and belief in the law of return. Which means, if you do good, good will come to you. And if you do evil, evil will come to you. These concepts have not survived into the modern definition, as it does not explain why bad things happen to good people.
The modern definition of Left hand path and Right hand path have become more of a classification based on the characteristics of the path being followed.
The Right Hand Path is defined as one that follows a organized, established religious tradition, with it beliefs, dogma, ritual and trappings, that serve part of one’s spiritual growth. The body, mind and spirit is separated and it this part which is focused upon. In this system, the physical is devalued, as taboo subjects are refrained upon, including sex as a form of spirituality.
The Right Hand Path is thus defined as one that includes the body as path of the individual’s development. Sex is also used as part of spiritual and magical use. Taboos are not isolated but are open for exploration by the follower of the path and traditions, ritual and dogma are called into question of their relevance.
Which this in mind, let us look at people and we can see that many follow both paths, knowingly or unknowingly. There many people that incorporate religiously piercings, tattoos and their sexuality while also believing they are part of following the traditions of an established religion. They are therefore combining two different spiritual paths. In fact, if many of us analyze what we believe, we may find that we are not following one path and we may be mixing different things together, offering ourselves to our flesh as much as committing ourselves to our spirit. One can argue that is because we live in a society which has diminished the ideas of what is taboo and welcomed a more physical existence.
This duality can be seen illustrated in our entertainment. Perversions do not seem as perverse as they once were, we accept all kinds of once taboo ideas as part of the mainstream. The question is… is the blurring of the lines of the left and right, good or bad. I would have that for each to determine on their own, because whether we like it or not, many of us have some perversions where we exalt our more animistic side vs a purely spiritual existence.