"The Absolute ... is outside the world and hence unknowable. It can only be conceived of in negative terms. This is why it can only be said that it is impersonal, formless, inactive, unreachable, inconceivable, without dimension or limit. The ancient languages never used the word god to refer to this timeless, immaterial, and unmoving principal; instead, they had neutral terminology such as logos ... the immenseness of the beyond... It is out of the question for living beings, whether men or gods, to reach the Absolute Being by means of rites or prayer. It is quite outside the sphere of religion or mysticism. At the time of the realization of the plan, conglomerations, centers of individualized consciousness imbued with a sense of self, are formed in energetic substance; they will be witnesses observing the apparent structures of the world at different levels. From the point of view of the Conceiving Being, a god, observer of the play of galaxies, is of no more importance than the observer of the beauties of the earth... There is no fundamental difference between gods, spirits, men, animals, and insects. They can be compared to spectators seated in the different circles of a theater.
"The word dieu...derived from the Indo-European root dev, that means “radiant / radiating,”...dev refers to the forms of subtle and active consciousness present at the different levels of creation and thus part of the multiplicity...The gods are personification of the forces that rule the universe and control its development; for creation is a living thing which evolves according to a plan contained in its seed. … Each sidereal organism, each type of molecule of matter, each living species forms an entity, a unit corresponding to a pattern evolving through the passage of time. There exists a consciousness, a thinking being that presides over the achievement and development of each species, somewhat as each human “I” presides over the countless cells that make up his body.
"It is with these aggregate consciousnesses that we make contact when we try to communicate with the supernatural world. These are the ministers who accept our prayers and feed on the sacrificial incense that we direct to the gods. In the hierarchy of creation, there are parallels and connections between the various levels of existence corresponding to the combinations of analogous archetypes. This is why the conflicts between subtle powers that are the spirits and gods are reflected in the wars of mankind and the upheavals of matter that give rise to cataclysms. They often occur together and can easily be described in terms of one another. Storms, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions go hand in hand with epidemics, invasions, wars, and massacres. They both reflect and express the conflicts that take place in the parallel world of the heavenly powers.
"These subtle beings that humans worship as gods are countless… Religious, mystical and magical experience enables us to make contact with them."
~ Alain Daniélou, While the Gods Play, p. 109-111
