In trying to make sense of the world and ourselves, we need the vision to perceive what is going in within and without. We see the world around us, and we attribute definitions and symbols to describe and reference what is around us. Sky, ground. Air, earth. Above, below.

We also try to relate ourselves with the world around us; to relate, correspond and analogize the inner world of consciousness and what happens in our life at an internal level with the outer world of existence and the symbols used there. Symbolism can be used in many ways to describe things. Symbolism is also multilayered. Symbols that reference the world around us can be applied to reference the world within us.

Air is above, the earth is below. We breathe in air and are surrounded with and this is a sign of life, with life all around us. We stop breathing when we are dead and go into the ground where it's cold and surrounded in darkness. The way things work int he outer-world can be used to mirror and correspond to concepts we use to describe our inner lives and how or why we behave.

The sky is above, higher. The ground is below, lower. What is above and higher relates to the air element, and what is below and lower relates to the earth element. Above there are also things related to light, heat and being alive, such as the sun and the stars, with the sun providing life in the form of heat so that plants and animals can exist. The air is associated with above as well, and the air is what we breathe for life. In the earth below it is dark, cold and dead. The light of truth and morality can make people alive and more conscious of how to live, while being dark to truth and morality can make you "dead" in unconsciousness by comparison, and cold in your actions.

The previous image has basic symbols for a basic explanation. The following image has more detail with respect to the multilayered symbolism, expanding and developing upon the sky/ground, air/earth, above/blow, higher/lower symbolism.

Heaven, Life, Light and Higher States of Consciousness

The air in the sky is symbolically associated with heaven and the afterlife. The symbolism of heaven and the afterlife is not literal, but symbolic to represent what is within ourselves and what we can create externally. First we can create a "heaven" internally, and then we can project that externally through our actions to create a "heaven on earth" (earth not as the "lower plane", but as the external work to do compared to the inner work to do in ourselves).

We don't create the human world alone, we co-create the human world together in the aggregate. Although you can create a "heaven" internally in your own inner world and consciousness, it takes everyone together to create it externally in the world we all live in. The external is where we have a lot of work to do, but it starts with the internal.

The external manifestation as symbolized by "heaven", the "afterlife", "salvation" and "Elysium", is done through the concept of Maat (truth, morality), Isis, the right-hand of "God" to do good, and order. When we live by those ideals, we are truly "alive"; with life; with light; with the sight and vision to know how to live in the wisdom of right-action.

The light of the sun and the stars in the air, sky or "heavens" above, represent truth and higher states of consciousness. When you grasp truth, and when you attain greater degrees of truth to live by (like moral truth), then you are more "alive" than you were before, when you were "dead" in the ground in darkness. You have a new life, of being risen from the dead; it's an afterlife. You have the light of truth, rather than the darkness of ignorance or falsity. When you have the sight and vision, you can finally see with the light of truth because when we're in the darkness and lack truth we can't see; we are blinded.

The air, sky and "heaven" is above, high in the sky, which requires a higher consciousness in order to attain inner states of putting our houses in order, to create a "heaven" internally and emerge into an afterlife compared to the deadened lower consciousness state of being. This is also the symbolism of "God", a symbol for being the good generator, the generator of good; the ruler of the sky or heaven; the higher consciousness state of living with truth and morality that allows us to create order in the world.

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Hell, Death, Darkness and Lower States of Consciousness

The symbolism with the earth and the ground relates to "hell" and the "underworld" compared to "heaven" and the "afterlife". This is perdition and Tartarus which is represented through the concept of Isfet, Eris, the left-hand of "God" (fiery punishment) and chaos. Creating chaos is how we punish ourselves in the aggregate to create our own suffering.

When you're in the ground, you're "dead", in "death", in darkness and blind. You're not alive in the sense of having truth that makes you morally alive and risen from a deadened state of consciousness in an afterlife. You don't have the higher life and higher consciousness because you're "dead", in the ground where there is no light or heat of truth reaching you. You need the light of truth as a first catalyst to wake you up, the initial care for truth in order to begin the knowledge quest or "spiritual" journey on the path and way towards greater attainment with truth and morality, which involves greater care for other beings.

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Just as the previous symbolism was above and high in the sky with higher consciousness, when you are "dead", in the darkness and blind with a lack of light, you're below and low to the ground in lower consciousness.

The symbolism of the ground and the sky can apply in an inverted way as well, where you're floating in the clouds in belief and fantasy imagination, vs. being grounded in reality and truth, but that is not the symbolism being applied at this moment. Symbolism is multilayered and can apply in different ways depending on the context.

Being low to the ground in this sense is to be lower in consciousness compared to being higher in the sky in higher consciousness. The higher consciousness state is of being a generator for good which is the ruler of "heaven" (ideal life, paradise, afterlife) we can create through generating good and not evil. In the ground, below, in the "hell" and "underworld", is the evil generator symbolized by the devil. God is one letter short of good, and the devil is one letter added to evil. God is symbolism for the generator of good, and devil is symbolism for the generator of evil. These are qualities within us. These are not literal things that exist. They are symbols to describe aspects of human life so we can better understand ourselves.

God as the generator of good is the ruler of the sky and "heaven" that leads to "salvation" and the "afterlife" through living in alignment with truth and morality. This is to be "alive" rather than "dead", to have life rather than death, to be in light rather than in darkness. The devil as the generator of evil is the ruler of earth and "hell" that leads to "perdition" and the "underworld" through failing to live in alignment with truth, good, right and morality, or actively participating in evil, wrong or immorality.

Much of the population as the "masses", are living as blind ignorant fools, and creating a hell on earth through their own ignorance that often results in the participation or support of wrongs, harms, injustice, immorality or evil. This is symbolism to understand the duality of who we are and how we can create into the world. We can create in the image of good or evil, of "God" or "Devil".

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Hero Monomyth

Other similar symbolism exists through the "Hero" monomyth, where the hero needs to traverse through the underworld, to fight the demons or dragons, in order to come back to the world above and make it better through a self-transformation process. The symbolism of the "hero's journey" can apply internally as well as externally, where we go within, internally, and face the darkness, demon, shadow and wrongs within ourselves, and also the external manifestation of how we create that darness into the world through lower consciousness living that reflects these false aspects of being into the world through our actions and behaviors.

The way to correct the "hell on earth" and create a "heaven on earth" is to go into the hell underworld within ourselves and to correct and defeat the demon, darkness, shadow, negative, evil, wrong and immorality within ourselves that we are creating out into the world. When people do this and heals themselves internally -- to bring themselves into an internal heaven and afterlife of being awakened into caring for truth and living in truth and morality -- then we can create an external heaven and the new way of life (afterlife, paradise) in the world around us.

Symbolism vs. Literal

Think of the symbolism of these words, and how they apply in meaningful ways that we can use in our lives here and now by understanding the symbolism, rather than taking the words and symbolic imagery as literal things that exist somewhere.

A state of "heaven" within is to be united, aligned and harmonized with what is right, good, true and moral. Higher consciousness. A state of "hell" within is to be united, aligned and harmonized with what is wrong, evil, false and immoral. Lower consciousness. A state of "heaven" or "hell" in the outer-world we all exist in, is created via our actions that stem from within consciousness. Putting to death the darkness and demons within in order to be risen, reborn, renewed and resurrected into the "afterlife" and paradise of living in morality and truth.

Reality vs. imagination. Which one makes more sense to you? Which ones has more value to help you navigate and understand life that you actually live here and now?

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Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.

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