Trivia - Three Paths

"Learning is the very essence of humility,
learning from everything and from everybody.
There is no hierarchy in learning.
Authority denies learning and a follower will never learn."
-Krishnamurti

"The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names."
-Chinese Proverb

The word Trivia has come to be associated with any information or
knowledge which is either insignificant, purposeless or has only
minuscule value.

However, upon taking a closer look, we find that the word Trivia is
actually composed of two roots: tri and via. Tri means "three" and
via means "road" or "path". By combining these two roots we
discover that the word Trivia actually means "Three Paths".

Suddenly, a word which we have always thought to mean one thing,
in fact, actually means something entirely different.

When we look up its etymology (the ancient roots of modern words)
we learn that Trivia is the plural of the Latin word trivium which
means "a place where three roads meet". *** Therefore, the word
Trivia, being plural, actually means "places where three roads meet".

Three is the number of Creation which is Symbolized by the
Christian, Gnostic, and Esoteric Trinity. Three is also the number of
sacred Gunas which are revealed to us in Vedic teachings.

A "place where three roads meet" is Symbolized by the letter Y,
which is also the Symbol for "crossroads".

As we can see, the midpoint of this Symbol unites Three individual
branches, legs or roads. This mid-point is the Esoteric focal-point
where Three essences, energies, Thoughts or Pathways meet in
order to manifest in a synergistic manner; whereby the final
Creation is greater than the sum of the original Three parts. This
synergistic manifestation can take place on any of the Three planes:
physical, mental or spiritual.

In fact, the esoteric focal point of the Three roads can also Symbolize
Creation which simultaneously combines a physical path, a mental
path, and a spiritual path; thereby representing manifestation on
the grandest of all scales - Enlightenment!

When Alexander the Great founded Alexandria he wanted it to be
the "crossroads", the "meeting point", the "focal point" for all
Wisdom, knowledge and theologies of the known world. He realized
that when we combine our diverse physical, mental, and spiritual
faculties we not only share and create, but we also grow synergistic-
ally as individuals, cultures, and nations.

In this he succeeded, and the numerous cultural diversities which
were blended together in his Alexandria found their way to the
most distant parts of the then-known world. Alexandria's Trivia
became the world's Fortune.

So, as we can see, Trivia is not so "trivial" after all. It is amazing
how, after time, the true meaning of this word has been turned
completely around and is no longer used and understood in its
proper context. This is an excellent example, a metaphor if you will,
of how Wisdom and Truth lie openly hidden all around us and we
simply fail to "see" them.

Words are powerful. Their specific meanings not only Name, but also
describe and limit those things to which they are referring. It is by
delving into, and tracing back, the ancient roots of our modern
Words and phrases that we can begin to understand the essences
and Wisdom which our most distant ancestors have passed down
to us.

*** Reference: The Barnhart Dictionary Of Etymology

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2010

Blending Of Differences

"We are all one.
Ours is not a better way,
ours is merely another way."
-Neale Donald Walsch

When we create a soup, a stew, or a sauce we blend together many
different ingredients which give these creations a unique essence,
flavor, and aroma. This combining of various ingredients, which
creates the foods we enjoy, is just one example of the Blending of
Differences. This Blending of Differences produces Synergy;
whereby the created whole is greater that the sum of its individual
parts.

The same Divine Principle which creates our culinary masterpieces
also pertains to the creation, growth, and expansion of all
achievements which manifest themselves in our material realm.

Blending of Differences, however, should not be confused with the
union of opposites.

Blending of Differences is the the merging of different ideas,
notions, and concepts which individuals and cultures share with each
other that are slightly different from, but not opposed to, each other.
Symbolically, this Principle is represented by the act of Weaving.

On the other hand, union of opposites refers to the merging of
extreme opposites of the same concept. To unite extreme opposites
is to Transcend Duality. When we transcend Duality we enter into
the Realm of Unity; the Realm of Divinity; the Realm of
Enlightenment: a Realm which very few individuals are able to
achieve during their physical Incarnation.

Let's use a familiar example to illustrate one example of the
Union of Opposites versus the Blending of Differences:

It is a natural urge and desire for nearly all men and women to
be united with a partner of the opposite gender. However, if the
union is based solely upon physical attraction, or personal needs,
while ignoring, or denying, the polarizations and the lack of
similarities between each other, this union will soon begin to suffer
and eventually crumble. We are all familiar with these types of
Relationships; most of us having experienced this kind of situation
ourselves.

Let us now consider the Relationship of a man and woman who
have differences but are not extremely polarized. The closer their
individual philosophies, Beliefs, ideals, and Personalities are in
Harmony with each other the stronger, and more flourishing, their
Union will Become. (This kind of union is symbolized by the
Vesica Piscis of Sacred Geometry and is further alluded to in
Borders Between Realms.)

in China marriages were arranged by a match-maker who paired
couples based upon their Astrological Charts. This insured that
a marriage was based upon a Blending of Differences (different
similarities), not merely a union of opposites. The match-maker,
along with the parents of the man and woman seeking a spouse,
understood that when a man and woman are Harmonious with
each other tensions become non-existent and there is no need for
either person to "look elsewhere".

Perhaps the best example history provides of the Blending of
Differences is the Ancient city of Alexandria. When Alexander the
Great conquered Egypt he had the dream of creating a city which
would be a magnet for all the knowledge and scholars of the civilized
world. He founded Alexandria to promote peace, prosperity, and
Unity between all cultures.

The Great Library at Alexandria collected, and made copies of, all
the books, manuscripts, and scrolls it could locate. Upon copying
these works the Library would then return these items to their
rightful owners.

Scholars, along with all interested individuals from everywhere in
the civilized world, were invited to Alexandria for the purpose of
mingling and sharing their ideas, customs, and philosophies with
each other. When these individuals and scholars eventually returned
to their homelands, they brought back with them new knowledge,
ideas, and perspectives from such far away places as Persia, India,
and China.

Alexandria was the perfect metaphor for Synergy, whereby the
entire known-world Became more knowledgeable, and sociable,
due to the Blending of Differences acquired from numerous like-
minded, yet different, individuals who gravitated to Alexandria
from all points of the Ancient World.

Today, it seems as if we live in a world which concentrates more
on differences between individuals and cultures than on similarities.
Ancient Teachings, the City of Alexandria, and the Chinese match-
maker all teach us that we grow both spiritually and mentally by
focusing on similarities between people and cultures. It is when
we Become excited about Learning something new that we enter
the realm of Wisdom. It is by the Blending of Differences that we
start to experience wholeness with each other and oneness with
the Universe.

We occupy a physical realm but we are spiritual beings. In the
physical realm, opposites attract in order to create (See:
"The Three Gunas"). In the spiritual realm, similarities attract in
order to synergistically expand the process of creation.

Therefore, if we wish to achieve peace, Harmony, contentment, and
Abundance during our current physical Incarnation, we must
combine the attraction of physical differences (both as individuals
and cultures) with spiritual similarities. When we focus on spiritual
similarities we attract like-minded individuals into our lives who
then blend their similar differences with ours so that we may both
become better, more knowledgeable, more Abundant, and Wiser for
having interacted with each other.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009