The Sun rises and you notice that the seat of your garden bench warms up. At the same time, you notice that the driveway asphalt warms up. That is a simple example of correlation.
It would be a mistake to think that if you warmed up the garden bench, your driveway asphalt would warm up… causation. The cause of the warmed up asphalt is, of course, the Sun… not the warm garden bench.
For a more interesting example: Yesterday, Bill and I placed a Shiva Linga in the waterfall. I told Bill that should bring some good luck. Then with a smile, I told him I was going to make a phone call to see if it worked. For months, I was hoping for a particular thing to happen and I would call and see if there was any good news about it. And then, eureka, it in fact happened! The phone call brought the good news.
Now here we need to be careful. Firstly, the good event actually happened BEFORE we placed the Linga, so causality between the two is not a possibility. Secondly, of course, we do not know for sure that it was not just a coincidence; so we certainly do not KNOW that a correlation phenomena occurred. That is to say, both the Linga placement and the good event could have occurred as the result of some other causal event they had in common (similar to the Sun rising causing multiple things to warm up); or it could have just been a coincidence.
However, this sort of thing happens a lot. We do a havan and come home to good news regarding the intent of the havan. Or as happened recently, someone receives a gemstone recommended by his jyotishi and immediately the desired result occurs. At some point, you have to begin to understand the principle of correlation on a more cosmic level than the garden bench and driveway example.
Then the inevitable question arises: Would the good news have come if the Linga was not placed? Would the desired result have occurred if the gemstone was not received? Well, just ask yourself this: Would the driveway have warmed up if the garden bench did not?
Nice to reflect on☀️
What a great blog to help further our understanding of how the world works. It also is a good reminder of humility. We just don’t know what causes what. I remember several years ago having some yagyas done to help with wealth. Right at the end of the yagya, I received an all expenses paid trip to Australia. Correlation? Cause & effect? I don’t know but I do know that life just gets better and better as I stay with the program.
A brilliant and very clarifying explanation. Your blog, itself, is a great tool to help sort out the misunderstandings between causality and correlation.
If you have to ask, you cannot understand the answer.
Live Long and Prosper.
Beautiful reflection for this morning. Thanks Brahmarshi.
Thank you, Michaelji:
I always have read the blogs considering two perspectives: a) my own and my wish for continued learning/evolvement and, b) the perspective of the “stranger”…the “non seeker”,…the world, as it were. My criteria as to how a blog might be received/perceived worldwide obviously reflects my conditioning, my lifelong seeking and, last but not least, my heart of hearts. An extension of that are the questions: dare I show this to my families and friend and not put them off? Does this blog appear to be for a limited “in” group? Who does this talk to, can it be heard? I assure you my comment is not a criticism and is said with all humility and respect.
That said, I love this blog in that regard (and the last two) and how you have presented it and the tone….. such that any reader could come away the feeling you are speaking directly to him/her irregardless of cultural/religious/political beliefs and, moreover, providing new and fresh opportunities to consider ……
Yvonne,
I had similar thoughts regarding this blog. People cling to their world view and are often put off by anything that challenges it. That seems to be particularly true these days with all the conflict in our world, in our country, in our societies and cultures. Where is the humility? Where is the learning?
Then comes the paradigm shift… Newton, Galileo, Einstein… they all faced persecution. At least I am offering nothing new… just a revival of ancient knowledge that has be lost to the prejudice of the ages…
Every generation seems the think they have found the answers. They then crucify all else.
I offer nothing new… just a brushing off of the dust that has obscured the truths that have endured through the ages.
Michaelji:
As you have said many times,…..brushing off the dust…..is ever so delicate. How to convey it such that it does not evoke resistance/constriction/contraction and the feeling of imposition. Might I say, all healthy responses when ones perspective is loosened/threatened, even just a little bit. I know since I did and felt all that when the questionable interpratations/teachings of my childhood drove my innocent heart into hiding.
How grateful I am to you for getting out the brush!! Does not mean I don’t say OUCH!!!!, though.
Yvonne
Interesting ….
Here’s how my mind works with having Rahu in first house. If you were sitting on the bench, it might not warm up, but you certainly might. The explanation was excellent in the examples of correlation and causality though. Also, if you only accept time as being linear…to me there are days when time is becomes increasingly flexible. Thank you Michaelji! As always, food for thought.