Habits Of Thought - II

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In our philosophy we speak of a fourfold personality. We would like to approach this fourfold personality in a way entirely different to that so far employed.

Our material body manifests itself in and through a concentrated ether-field. Inasmuch as this ether-field works and acts within our body we speak of the etheric body since we live from and through the ethers. Immediately outside the material body, the etheric body retains the shape of the material body, but soon merges into the field of manifestation or respiration (the auric field).

The mental faculty in the brain is likewise an ether-compound, albeit of a very rarefied composition.

Furthermore, there is consciousness present in the body. It is to be found in the cerebro-spinal system, the serpent-fire column, and we know that this fire of consciousness is ultimately connected with the blood and the nerve fluid. This consciousness, together with the blood and the nerve fluid, is governed by our desire-essence, from which it can be explained.

This desire-essence is thus the inner nucleus of our dualistic, material existence; it is the 'I', the blood-I, the earthly soul. Its seat in the body can be localised as the liver-spleen system. This location is to be understood not merely in a figurative, but also in a literal sense. The liver, the spleen, the kidneys and the adrenal glands plus the solar plexus (the pelvic cerebral centre) form the realm of the blood-I, the desire-being.

Man lives by virtue of the liver, the supreme organ. By its very name we can discern that the original name-givers of some nations knew about this. In the liver-spleen system and its attendant organs, the blood, the nerve fluid, the serpent-fire and thus the entire person is controlled and kept in a certain state-of-being. All those forces and their hormonal effects which cannot be explained out of this nature are therefore removed from the blood in this system!

We stated that the nucleus of the I-being resides in this system. It lies enclosed in the spleen. During our waking state it lies, coiled up as it were, in the spleen, but during sleep it steps outside; the coil unrolls, a cloud-like ribbon appears from the spleen and this cloud forms a figure in the respiration field, namely: the form of the true dualistic man, the desire-being, the true blood-I. This 'I' usually looks quite different from our material form! We would rather not give a description.

You will understand that this desire-being, appearing in the field of manifestation, is completely different from the thought-beings discussed previously. During sleep this, our true dualistic 'I', can withdraw from the material body to a fairly great distance, but by no means as far as the mental body. Once you are aware that all your nightly experiences take place in this desire-being and are absorbed by it, and that this blood-I fully belongs to nature, it will become clear to you why it is quite impossible for it to receive impulses of a liberating nature. The natural  'I' cannot be made receptive to Higher Life. The natural-I must perish, for 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God!'.

If for some reason or other we are highly agitated, the I-being leaves the spleen without our knowledge, ready, as it were, to face a potential aggressor.

Besides being the residence of the I-being, the spleen is also the principal entrance gate to the body for ether-forces. The desire-being feeds on these forces, lives from them and thus completely controls the entire bodily system. Finally, the mental phantoms, the origin and behaviour which we described to you, influence the spleen quite substantially. The process connected herewith can be described as follows:

The desire-being impels the brain to use its creative faculties, its mental activity, in accordance with the nature and the needs of the blood-I, thus populating the entire respiration or ether-field of the microcosm with mental beings.

Each of these thought-images form a focus for ether-powers dwelling in the manifestation field and transforms them according to its type. In this way, the ether-field is treated by all these thought-beings in a particular way, and the result thereof is lapped up by the desire-being, the 'I', via the spleen. All these forces circulate as if through a sluice-gate: they enter the body through the spleen and leave it through the liver. Thus we see that the entire process of life serves to feed the desire-being, the blood-being, the 'I' within us. That is the sinister image of our reality!

Now, when you completely survey both the poverty and the fatefulness of all this and consequently comprehend your captivity in every fibre of your being, when all these matters are intensively studied and proven in detail you may cry out: 'For goodness sake, stop it! I know that I live in a prison, but what is the good of measuring and defining its walls and the nature of the confinement right down to the tiniest detail?' Nobody, however, can rise from the grave of nature unless he has experienced to the very marrow the chill of the mortuary in which he 'lives'! No one can tread the Path of Redemption unless he has perceived the ubiquitous breath of death. And no one will behold the Dawn of Eternal Freedom unless he is ready to carry the Cross of Truth through the hours of midnight.

Whoever is not strong enough to bear this should keep away from our work. 'The Gospel of Jesus Christ is solely for the strong', says Paul, and rightly so. And this Gospel begins with the unmasking. If, however, you do indeed taste, like us, the bitter wormwood of the prison, if you are prepared to imbibe the sour vinegar, then we shall lead you to Paul's mystery of salvation, to the method of healing.

'Lo! I tell you a mystery of healing, a mystery of recovery: We shall all be changed! The perishable must put on the imperishable, the mortal must put on immortality; then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in Victory' 

From "The Nature of Human Imprisonment" - The Coming New Man - Jan van Rijckenborgh

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"Man does not live, he is lived"

Do you believe that you are in control of your thoughts and emotions? You are not. Do you wonder why you do the very thing you hate and then ask yourself "Why did I do that?". The answer is: you think and do the things you do because you are impelled to do them, to feed the desire-being with the ethers it needs to survive. Our desire-being, the blood-I, is a parasite, and we are its unwitting host. Due to our ignorance, our lack of True Knowledge, we live day-to-day, hour-by-hour being victimized by the I-being that controls us.

Until man is confronted with the Truth, until he examines this Truth and verifies it for himself, man will not take the necessary steps required to change his dire circumstance. He will remain a wandering microcosm, lost in disbelief, ignorance, delusion, darkness...and in slavery.

May you accept, understand, but most importantly, utilize the knowledge of this Revelation to begin your walk towards Freedom.

~ g
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Habits Of Thought

[QUOTING]

As we have seen, the candidate for new liberating life must first of all form the image of the Immortal, Heavenly, Original Man in the process of sanctification through which he must live. Through a fundamental change of life he must build up this mental conception, this thought-image within his field of respiration.

You probably know that all thought-images created by man are taken up into his field of respiration. Thoughts are things, light flashes, light impulses of the brain. These light rays are compounds of a very rarefied matter which can be detected and even weighed by means of very sensitive instruments. So thoughts are things, real material forms, though of a much more rarefied nature and construction than our gross material bodies. These thought-forms remain within or near their creators' immediate field of action. They unite with thought-forms of the same kind and become more and more powerful thereby. When we do not mentally animate these thought-beings within our field of respiration and they consequently remain at rest, they resemble cloudy accumulations that show a distinct motion like the cloud formations in the air.

If we observe a person from this point of view, we see these thought-clouds appear at the right-hand side of the body, at the height of the waist, then rise above the head, only to descend and disappear at the left side of the body, again at the height of the waist. When observing another person, this circulation appears to be clockwise, while observing the process withing ourselves, the movement appears to be counter-clockwise.

Since they are creatures, living beings, these thought-clouds must be fed. We have to understand that thoughts are living entities of a definite order and class. For their maintenance they depend upon the light-power, the light-matter of the brain from which they originated. These beings will therefore entreat, and if possible, even compel their creators to feed and maintain them with the same thought-power out of which they are created. We would like to fully describe the way in which this coercion is exercised by the offspring of our thoughts.

When a human being succumbs to this completely natural compulsion -- as he does daily, almost hourly -- then we distinctly see forms originate from these mental clouds circulating within the field of respiration, the most expressive external characteristics of which are perhaps the eyes. To the degree in which the form is being mentally fed, its eyes emanate a paralyzing, hypnotizing influence, with increasing force. Hypnotized by his own mental offspring, the person in question is driven to action, to a series of actions, and thereby to complete slavery to his own phantoms.

In this way all of us, in the course of ages, have become slaves of our delusions, of our prejudices and vices which had taken shape in our field of respiration through the working of our thoughts and which we had kept up and fed until they finally began to dominate us. The mode of life which we so often regret and so frequently offer powerless resistance, the mode of life which embitters our life because we become disgusted with ourselves and are in danger of losing all self-respect, is the result of that compulsion proceeding from this circulation of habits of thought, from our mental conception in the field of respiration.

Humanity is ill, mortally ill, a victim of its own creative drive, and there is no earthly man of whom this statement is not true. Because dualistic man, second-by-second, abuses the creative faculty of his brain we mention in such a horrible, chaotic manner -- with all the fatal results associated therewith -- he has often degraded himself below the animal. When the Bible fulminates against the abuse of the holy creative function, it refers to this destructive application of the mental faculty which is subjugated to an almost unbounded desire life and its consequences. Imprisoned within the vicious circle of habits of thought, many people are thus too black and depraved to be touched.

If we fathom our own heart we must admit that, imprisoned in the chain of habits of thought, we have experienced undesired thoughts forcing their way to the surface of our consciousness for unknown reasons, to follow their calamitous course. How many times have we not exclaimed: 'I don't do what I want, but do the very thing I hate!'

What then, is the cause of this disastrous, undesired stream of lower thought life, which escapes our control to an alarming extent?

Generally speaking, the cause is the blood! The desire, the susceptibility for unholy living lies anchored in our blood. Duality is rooted fundamentally in our blood. The passion of the blood forces its way, no matter what. This is a matter of survival for the human animal.

How does this passion, this primal passion, enter our blood? To answer this oppressive question, we must be detailed. The time has come for a more scientific explanation.

From "The Nature of Human Imprisonment" - The Coming New Man - Jan van Rijckenborgh

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Precession And The Age Of Aquarius

We measure a day by the rising and setting of the sun. When the sun rises again, we recognize that a new day has begun.

We measure a month by the phases of the moon.

We measure a year by the solstices and equinoxes which occur approximately every 90 days.

We measure a sidereal year by calculating the amount of time it takes for a particular star to appear in the same position over time. Imagine standing on your front porch one night and marking the position of a star. The amount of time that it takes for that star to return to that same position is called a sidereal year. These periods span large amounts of time, typically many thousands of years.

The Great Year

Now imagine standing on your front porch on the morning of the spring equinox (March 21 or so). You will see the sun rise at a particular location. If you stood on your porch at the next spring equinox, you would see the sun rising slightly to the left of where it rose the year before. This motion is called precession, because the position of the sun precedes where it was located the year before. This motion is caused by a peculiar tilt, or nutation, in the rotation of the earth that causes the earth's axis to change its inclination over time. The motion has been likened to what happens to a child's toy spinning-top. When the top begins to wind down, it starts to wobble in a certain fashion. That is a crude, but effective example of what nutation is.

At dawn, the sun rises in a particular zodiacal constellation. There are 12 zodiacal constellations, each takes up 30 degrees of space, as perceived from the earth. 30 x 12 = 360 degrees, a full circle. Scientists and astronomers will argue this, but they are tied to a certain dogmatism by virtue of their earthly educations and indoctrination. Most are atheists and the vast majority have no clue of how this nature-order truly works.

Viewed from the earth, it takes the sun 72 years to appear to move through 1 degree of space, 2,160 years to move through an entire 30 degrees of a single zodiacal sign and 25,920 years to complete a circuit through all twelve signs of the zodiac. This called a Great Year, or Platonic Year.

The Aquarian Age

The 2,160 years that it takes for the sun to transit a zodiacal sign is commonly referred to as an Age. The last three zodiacal ages have been Pisces, Aries and Taurus, in that order (which is the reverse order of those signs. Remember, precession is a backwards movement through the zodiac). The Piscean Age commenced around the time of the Christ, over 2,000 years ago. Hence the frequent references to fish in the New Testament. Prior to the Age of Pisces were the Ages of Aries and Taurus. Again, in the Old Testament, there are countless mentions of rams and lambs (Aries), calves and bulls (Taurus). We are now moving into the Age of Aquarius, the symbol of which is a man pouring out a pitcher of water. In the New Testament, we find reference to this Age in the use of terms like "fishers of men" and "the Son of Man". So, we can see that these zodiacal ages were known to exist by the ancients and were used, among other things, to reference different time periods in ancient literature.

By the way, did you know that the diameter of the moon is 2,160 nautical miles while the circumference of the earth is 21,600 nautical miles? Or that 2,160 is the total number of corner-angle degrees on the surface of a cube? The number 2,160 is a fairly significant gematrian number. 2,160 as well as 25,920 both add up to nine. "9" is the number of completion, as there are no other digits that follow it.

Anyway, i digress. The point of this blog post is this. If we follow the chronology of the ancients, we are 2,160 years removed from the start of the Age of Pisces. Many systems indicate that the Age of Aquarius is slated to begin in 2012. Again, astronomists and scientists will pull out all of their "facts" and gleefully set themselves to the task of de-bunking what has just been written. Again, man's vaunted scientific knowledge is flawed, erroneous and sometimes, flat-out untruthful. Man's current knowldge is mostly based on the crystallized, flawed observations made by ego-driven humans spanning a period of only a few hundred years.

Some say that the Age of Aquarius began in 1950. Others maintain that because the sun will not rise in Aquarius until several hundred years from now (approximately 700 years, to be exact) that we have not entered the Age of Aquarius yet. If this is true, then i submit the following: when does spring begin? Do the trees begin budding all at once on the vernal equinox, like magic? Or haven't you ever noticed that trees and shrubs will begin budding weeks before the official first day of spring? How about autumn? Do trees immediately go gold on September 21st? Or have we not noticed that leaves begin falling from trees around mid-August? The point being made is this: the exact start time of the Age is not what's critical here (except to scientists and astronomers who always require "proof" of a thing before they can support it). When something is just below the horizon, as the dawn of a New Age, we on earth will feel its effects long before it manifests itself in full glory.

According to the chronology of the ancients, including the compilers of the Mayan calendar, The Great Year of 25,920 years will reach a new starting-point on December 21, 2012. On that morning, the Sun will rise in the constellation of Ophiucus, the so-called, "newly found" 13th sign of the zodiac, situated between Saggitarius and Scorpio. The symbol of Ophiucus (which once went by the ancient name Serpentarius) is that of a man wrestling with a serpent. Earth, Sun, Ophiucus and the Galactic Center will be in syzygy (celestial alignment). Powerful energies will be transmitted from whatever is housed in the center of our galaxy, focused through Ophiucus, then through the Sun and on towards the earth. Will anything be felt or experienced by humanity? We will not know until the time comes.

However, it would probably be wise to have one's light-vesture in good order by that time. Fore-warned is fore-armed, you know.

"And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in." Luke 22:10

~ g
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The Etheric Double and Mankind's New Beginning - II

As we are now enmeshed in the ending of a major world cycle, let us try to remember one thing. The world is not going to "end". The world is going to change, or transform.

That said, we will qualify the above statement with the following -- for those who do not adequately prepare for and align themselves with the transformation that is presently taking place among humanity, the world, as they've known it, will indeed come to an end.

The inter-cosmic radiations of the Christ are touching every human entity on planet earth. One of the effects of these radiations is that our etheric vehicles are being conditioned, purified. If we work with these radiations, the results will be positive. We will be assisted in preparing for the storm that is approaching. If we reject or resist these radiations, our light-vesture will not be properly conditioned. We will be "found naked" when the trumpets sound. Many will become agitated and behave in violent, obsessive and foolish ways. There are plenty of examples this occurring every day across the world.

This planet is leaving the dense, material realm. It will continue its evolution on the etheric planes. If you wish to join her in her journey, you will need a proper vehicle. The dense, physical vehicle that we now own cannot function on the etheric plane.We need an etheric body to experience on the etheric plane, just as we needed our current dense, physical vehicle to function on this plane. This is why Jesus told all who would listen that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven".

How do we prepare our etheric double, our Light-Vesture? There is more to it than exercise and healthy food. Our thoughts, feelings and actions must be as pure and unselfish as possible. The continuous purification of our thoughts and emotions will reap greater benefits than any earthly remedy can provide. Treat all others with kindness, compassion and love. Remain objective towards earth-life. Be neither for nor against any thing. Recognize that no matter how alluring, sensational or beautiful earth-life can be, it is still a prison for the soul.

Due to the special circumstances connected with the ending of this major world cycle, a significant portino of humanity has an opportunity to raise their vibration in time for the Harvest. Sadly, not all will take advantage of the Grace being showered upon mankind. In the end, there will be only two groups. Those who will choose to follow the Gnosis, and those who will choose to cling to duality. These latter ones will have their microscosms purged by the astral fire that is to come. They will resume their evolution many millions of years hence, but will have to start from scratch with no memory of who they were. There is no punishment, there is only choice.

Preparation of the etheric vehicle will enable the human to withstand and properly assimilate the transformative energies that are penetrating the earth. Depending upon the level of vibration, those who are prepared will either move on to the New Earth (Lesser Harvest) or will attain Final Liberation from the Wheel of Death and Re-birth, the One Goal of Humanity (this is the Greater Harvest).

Those who do not obtain the Greater Harvest at this time should not fret. Their time will come. On the New Earth, all those who attained Lesser Harvest will be taught how to achieve the One Goal, in a setting of peace and beauty, free of the distractions once brought about by their deluded brothers who walked in darkness on the former physical earth. Because these inter-cosmic radiations retreat and return in cycles, another opportunity for Greater Harvest will come.

Lesser Harvest or Greater Harvest, what is most important is that you make the firm decision to fundamentally reverse your way of life and detach yourself from the things of this world, in order to prepare for the New World. Prepare your etheric double, your Light-Vesture, so that when The Moment arrives, you can safely be taken aboard the Ark which has now formed and is ready to set sail.

New Heaven, New Earth, New Body.

~ g
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The Etheric Double and Mankind's New Beginning

In addition to your dense physical body,  we have an etheric body. The etheric body is often called the vital body, because it is where we derive our physical vitality. It is also referred to as the etheric double, because it is an exact duplicate of our physical body. Actually, it should be said that the physical body is an exact duplicate of the etheric double. The only difference is that the physical body is composed of denser particles.

The importance of the etheric vehicle cannot be understated. Any disturbance or imbalance affecting this vehicle will manifest itself in our physical body. We call these imbalances disease ("dis-ease"). The word itself represents uneasiness. What is it that is uneasy? Our etheric double.

We are surrounded by viruses and bacteria. Why do some people get ill, while others do not? More than likely, the cause lies in the condition of the etheric body. When the etheric double is healthy and vibrating at a high level, we radiate that beneficial auric energy from our hands, feet, head, etc. These healthy radiations vibrate very rapidly. Thus, when we are approached by the lower vibrating energies that compose the virus and bacteria kingdoms, the health aura acts as a repellent or barrier, and prevents these inimical vibrations from entering our auric system.

When the etheric double is vibrating at a low ebb, due to abuse of the physical body, depressive thoughts, negative emotions, stress, etc. the health aura radiates weakly. These weak vibrations are not strong enough to turn away the  ever-present, low-vibrating viruses and bacteria and before we know it, we are "sick".

Humans think that we "catch" disease from others. In a way, we do, but not in the way we've been led to suspect. A sick person can sneeze in our faces as much as he wants. If our vital body is in optimum condition, we can just wipe our faces and move on. We are protected as described above. But if we are around the sick while our own health aura is low and, for whatever reason, we allow our aura to be "infected" by their negative thoughts and feelings or our own negative thoughts and feelings (such as feeling "sorry" for them, fear of "catching" something, etc.) we run a high risk of allowing our etheric body to be attacked by these micro-organisms. This is why the best thing that we can do when we are around the sick is to preserve a positive, cheerful attitude. This keeps our aura vibrating at a high level and we can impart that vitality to our sick friend.

All disease manifests from the inside-out. If we get sick, we should examine our thoughts and emotions. If we are honest with ourselves, we should arrive at the conclusion that we have been harboring negative or stressful thoughts and emotions prior to falling ill. There is an unmistakable connection between our health and the types of thoughts and emotions we entertain.

Let's talk about HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases. Doctors say that these can be prevented by the use of a condom. These are viruses. They are microscopic. If you look at a condom under a microscope, you will see plenty of holes. How can a condom prevent the transmission of microscopic particles? The only way to prevent the contraction of sexually-transmitted diseases is to not have sex. But since humanity is both ill-informed and hard-headed, we try to find ways to continue to break certain cosmic laws while trying to evade the consequences.

Humans should not be having sex for "pleasure". The sex act was designed for a single purpose: the propagation of the species. It was never meant to be a recreation or an indulgence. But humanity is strong-willed and self-indulgent. Couple this with a complete ignorance of the laws of this nature-order and we inevitably find ourselves suffering the consequences of our reckless actions. Sexually-transmitted diseases are behavior-driven. This means that they can be eradicated only if humanity reverses its behavior as it pertains to the abuse of the sex function.

Deep within, everyone knows this to be true. However, instead of contemplating the issue intelligently, they either lash out at the messenger, or dive ever deeper into their sexual addictions and proclivities. These traits and behaviors are part of our Atlantean heritage. Our microscosms carry within them the seeds of these ancient desires. Life after life, we try to conquer them or at least, to control them, often failing miserably. When we fall into abuse of this sacred creative function, sexually-transmitted diseases will act as a corrective measure, to try and alert the human entity that the consequences for this particular behavior will always be painful, and at times fatal.

The same circumstances apply to any wrong-thinking or wrong-actions that we may commit (smoking, drinking, drugs, impure or violent thoughts, depression, anger, fear, etc.). The effects of these causes will impact the etheric vehicle first, and then manifest in the physical body and its internal organs.

Anyway, the subject of the etheric double and the vitality of the human entity, although interesting and important information, was not the original purpose of this post. That will have to be presented in the next blog post.

~ g
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The Central Position Of The Etheric Body - Part II

"THE human personality has a very complex structure. Apart from the physical body there are also an etheric body and an astral body. Fourthly, there is also a mind, a mental body, which is still in a very elementary stage of development.

The purpose of the gnostic process of development is to give back to the fourfold personality its Original destination as intended by God, and to make it completely subservient to this destination, because only on that basis is Divine-human life possible.

Striving to enter this Divine-human state of life in an uninterrupted flow of new manifestations of life is the essence of the gnostic aim. All of this aims for the unification with the Christ*.

* The Christ is not a man who walked the earth 2,000 years ago and was crucified, but a mighty radiation power that permeates this solar system and is present here and now, surrounding and penetrating every creature and creation on earth. ~ g

No doubt your self-knowledge is great enough for you to experience tangibly the great chasm that stretches between your fourfold personality and the Christ. If you can experience even a the slightest part of this divine greatness, you will feel completely unworthy. Hence, you will know, and see it clearly and distinctly before you, that unification of your fourfold nature-born personality with the Christ is unthinkable. That would mean the burning up of your personality.

And yet, an encounter with this Supreme Power of Liberation can neither be avoided nor postponed. Actions to slow down progress cannot be catered for in the Gnosis' great process of development, because the processes of development of the world and humanity have to continue; they have to run their course as determined by the Logos, with or without the co-operation of the entities concerned.

For this reason the atmospheric changes and developments that are occurring at present form a situation of the greatest urgency for all of humanity. It is of no use for any mortal to try his best to cultivate an aspect of his personality, or to achieve a splitting of the personality*, in the expectation of thus achieving a union with the Most High, because due to the present and future atmospheric developments, all imitations will be completely unmasked.

*"cultivation of the personality" is when people attempt to adjust their behaviour so that they may become as 'cultured', 'refined' or as 'spiritual' as possible, in the hopes that 'being good' will be enough to get them into man's so-called 'heaven'. "Splitting of the personality" is what the occultist trains himself to do so that he can travel in his astral body, fully-conscious, during periods of sleep or trance, while the etheric body remains with the physical body. ~ g

It is therefore necessary to draw your attention once again to your fourfold nature-born personality, and the etheric body in particular, also called the etheric double or vital body, for this vehicle contains the center of gravity of the development in the period that has now commenced.

The present astral atmospheric conditions and the current exchange of the inflowing and outgoing radiations of the Holy Seven-Spirit, of the Gnosis of the fulfilment, force every human being to a very radical re-orientation of his directedness, and a multi-faceted shift of interest, from the physical body to the etheric body. For there, in the etheric double, in the 'vehicle that is in the middle', the nucleus of the liberating conscious has to be anchored.

When we speak in the Spiritual School about soul-rebirth, we mean the creation of a new soul consciousness, emanating from and living in the etheric body.  This consciousness will begin to guide the entire personality, while the matter-born "I" must be fully prepared to entrust itself completely to this guidance. Only then will a total transfiguration of the whole personality be able to begin. The personality is now still held prisoner by all the chains of matter.

The current change of the radiation conditions has consequences not only on the physical plane, as you will understand, but also on the astral and etheric planes. More complicated and more polluted than the physical plane is the etheric plane of life that is populated by myriads of beings. All life and activity in the etheric planes is being hounded by the new radiation values of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, causing all these beings in the tenuous, subtle planes to seek refuge in the physical plane.

On the one hand, we have humanity in which the etheric double is in the process of being viviified, but which, with a few exceptions, is totally unconscious of this vehicle of the personality. On the other hand, there are the forces and powers which are seeking a safe refuge and are swooping down on the developing etheric vehicles of the great masses. This is the only explanation for the senseless crimes being committed in all parts of the world and in all strata of society, apparently without any reasonable explanation.

It is not only great criminality that seeks our attention in this context; it is also all the strange, often illogical and impulsive behavior that takes place on the edge of, or just above, the criminal or at least very questionable sphere.

Now you may be inclined to focus your attention on the criminal elements outside your own immediate sphere. Or perhaps you could think of someone you know closely and who, in your opinion, is behaving strangely, and to whom the above description could very well apply.

But no matter how much your perception of things outside yourself may confirm the urgent distress of humanity -- in the first instance you should include yourself in your perception. For as long as you are not living out of the fire of Divine grace, out of the gnostic astral forces, you are forced, with your disturbed magnetic system, to live out of the astral sphere of death and the ethers that develop from there, with all the resulting consequences. Just like every other human being, you are open to the ordinary dualistic ethers which are saturated with undivine life.

The choice will therefore be quite apparent to the true pupil of the School of the Golden Rosycross. In self-surrender to the soul, he will try to live, work and strive on the basis of the fire of Divine grace and thus serve a two-fold cause:

-- firstly, the New Soul will take shape in him or her, thus in principle liberating the soul,

-- secondly, he will thus become a living stone in the group of the young Gnostic Brotherhood. This group will be strong both inwardly and outwardly and possess a conscious Spirit-Soul.

He or she will testify and prove that everything that humanity still experiences as a time of great distress, can be turned into a Blessing. After all, that is the purpose of the atmospheric developments in the great order of things".

"The Central Position of the Etheric Body" - The Living Word - Catharose de Petri
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The Central Position Of The Etheric Body - Part I

"DUALISTIC life can be completely explained by the astral fire of this world. The mortal soul lives completely out of this fire, as do all nature-born human beings. It is also everyone's experience that this way of living brings only discord, anguish and disillusionment, due to the self-maintenance of the "I".

There can be no way of truly living as originally meant, as long as we do not live, work and strive out of the fire of Divine grace, and as long as we do not enter the Fundamental Reversal ad try to come into harmony with the gnostic-astral force, the fire of Divine grace.

The pupil, who begins to become conscious of this, experiences a kind of anguish that is totally different from the sorrow of the world. This is the anguish that drives the pupil to new knowledge, so that there can be an end to this fundamentally disharmonious state, this apparently endless succession of rising, shining and fading.

This liberating Knowledge, this Science of Liberation for which the pupil longs, is available for everyone. With un-paralleled grandeur this Knowledge has come to dwell among humanity. Everything you need to know lies literally spelled out before you. The question now is, whether you understand this Wisdom, and whether you, having ears, can indeed hear.

In the past, we may have been told of coming events, but at the moment, humanity is in a situation in which drastic changes are occurring in the astral atmosphere and a reaction has to come, be it positive or negative.

For this reason, you should make an effort and should open up completely, not only to hear what is occurring with respect to astral turbulence and change, but also and especially to let your innermost being fathom the inevitability of the consequences. And above all, you should grasp the Helping Hand which is being extended to you again and again.

You need to gain a deep understanding of these changed atmospheric conditions and of what they have to tell you so that in great humility, you will react positively by taking positive action, without delay. If you don't do this, you will lapse into a negative reaction. There is no middle road".

"The Central Position of the Etheric Body" - The Living Word - Catharose de Petri
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Welcome To Hell...May I Take Your Bags?

"Delusion plus delusion remains delusion. The Spirit does not descend into it to associate with it. First, the volcano has to become extinct. The unleashed fire has to burn itself out and cause its own extinction.

However, this does not deny the fact that many divine sparks are imprisoned in unholiness. This is why the Lord of all life, and the Gnosis standing in His service, comes to lead His own out of the burning fire.

The powerful drama of the nature of death is that every human being is led to the consciousness and the experience that he is living in hell. As soon as that consciousness becomes yours in the violent storms of good and evil, and that consciousness is an absolute knowledge formed out of experience, you can make an attempt to seek and find the true state of consciousness in unity with God".

 -- Catharose di Petri --

Should we "accept the world for what it is", or should we "try to make it better"? The answer is neither. We should be looking for a way out of here.

What is hell, anyway? Hell is where the Divine Spirit is not. If we are enamoured of, fascinated by or attached to this life for any reason, that is our way of saying that we want more of this hell. And more we shall have, which is why we've been incarnating on this planet for so many millions of years. That is why only those who are completely through with earthly striving, the highs and the lows, the joys and the sorrows, the beautiful and the ugly, have an opportunity to open the Rose in sincerity and humility. These ones will have a fighting chance at succeeding in obtaining their liberation.

This is why life on earth is so hard. This is why the slightest error brings us so much pain. It is all by design. The hope is that we will get so tired of being beaten to the ground by our experiences in this nature of death that we will one day just throw our hands up in resignation and cry out "Lord, what will you have me do??".

When we have reached that nadir, that low point of surrender, then we will receive a response. Then, the Rosebud, the spirit-spark atom located in the upper right ventricle of the heart, will begin to bloom. From that humble beginning, we can begin to bid farewell to earth-life. We surrender our self-serving, self-focus and effect a complete turn-around in our way of living -- a fundamental reversal. We live to serve others, we pursue true Knowledge, we seek Gnosis.

i can't speak for others, but i've had my fill. It's been real, but i'm done. Enough already.

To hell with Hell. It's time for us to turn and head for Home.

~ g
.

A New Heaven And A New Earth - Part II

[QUOTING]

A magnetic law originates in a radiant idea that moves the root-substance of space. And subservient to, and because of that idea, a universe forms in a diversity of shapoes and forces.

When we observe the nature of death, we know that the idea lying at the root of this universe is undivine and can never become divine. For that idea is not good, and therefore its manifestation is not good.If the idea of our universe were divine, an undivine expression in our universe would not be possible.

For this reason you must realize that there is another idea, another Gnosis, and therefore another magnetic field, hence another universe, nearer than hands and feet, existing and moving everywhere whereever the nature of death is not. Not outside and not inside, not above or below, but omnipresent and nevertheless further than the furthest object in space.

Suppose we are together in the same space, and we all have ideas, views of life, and hence modes of life which are all completely different. There is therefore a diofference in nature, in vibration, in magnetic state. Our idea and its results cloud around us, and so each of us lives in his own world, in his own order, while we all exist in the same space at the same time.

We want the awareness to penetrate into you that besides the fundamental law lying at the basis of our dualistic order and of the universe belonging to it, other fundamental magnetic laws exist in the same space at the same time.

The pure, Original Idea of God determines an absolute order and forms a universe. Could that universe not be corrupted and decay? This is impossible, for the radiation fullness of the Idea of God is irresistible and always the same. For this reason, the Divine universe existed, exists, and will always exist.

We are from that universe; we fell from it into another universe by another stimulating idea, and our existence has adapted to it. Thus the Gnosis cannot possibly exist in the nature of death as a manifesting fullness.

But as soon as a fallen human being were to participate again in the Original magnetic field, that Original universe would show itself to him again. For the participation in another magnetic field signifies a different consciousness, a different personality and a different microcosm.

We say to you therefore that there is another earth and another sun, another solar system, another universe. That Original universe is not being created again; it always was; it cannot disappear. It is the same yesterday and today.

[END QUOTING]
From "A New Heaven and a New Earth" - The Gnostic Mysteries of Pistis Sophia - Jan van Rijckenborgh.

A New Heaven And A New Earth - Part I

[QUOTING]

Before continuing on our discussion...it is necessary to give you an explanation of a magnetic field and its nature. We so often speak about the magnetic field of the New Life and that of the ordinary nature, and the whole Universal Doctrine needs to be understood in connection with magnetic forces and can be explained from them so completely that it is a vital requirement for every pupil to understand and to visualize what we are speaking about when we are referring to magnetic fields.

Particularly in times like these, when all kinds of events can be explained only from magnetic influences, it really is a vital necessity that the pupil understand the connection of events.

As an introduction, we would like to call your attention to a saying written on the bronze plate in the sepulchre of Christian Rosycross: 'There is no empty space'.

This saying has a multiplicity of meanings; so many that one could easily say an infinite number. And, in general, one could say of these descriptions that what we call space, or infinite space, is the field of an equally infinite number of developments, developments that inter-penetrate, surround, and fill each other and that are distinguishable from each other by a difference in magnetic laws.

Each development has its own magnetic system, its own magnetic law, and hence is absolutely separated from every other development, although existing in the same space. We see a sun and other conspicuous heavenly bodies. We experience their influences noticeably. We know we belong to their system. There is an order in which all these things fit and in which all factors co-operate with each other virtually infallibly, and we know that all this is held together by an all-embracing law.

Everything rotates and revolves and describes spirals according to the norms of one fundamental magnetic law. Our world image, our image of space, the impressions we get of the universe, our own nature and state, the situation and figuration of our microcosm, all these things are brought about by, and can be explained out of, the same fundamental magnetic law.

One cannot say of our omni-revelation that is an illusion in the sense that it does not exist. But when we speak of 'duality' and Jacob Boehme speaks of the 'nature of death' as being the whole visible space, as being all that stretches out between and around the stars, then we mean and he means that this omni-revelation is undivine, not united with the Divine Nature, not to be explained from it.

If we nevertheless did interpret it as divine or considered any part of it so, this would be an illusion. When transfigurists spoke of the Immovable Kingdom, the Kingdom not of this world, people always ask mockingly where that Kingdom, that field of life, might be then. People call it a figment of the imagination, absolute nonsense, delirium, etc. They never understood what transfigurists were talking about. Many pupils probably have the same problem. What answer would you give if someone asked you that question, eyes sparkling with ridicule?

People can imagine an event such as described in Matthew 24: an earth and a heaven that pass away in a catastrophe. Astronomers know of stars that vanish and new ones that appear. But when something disappears in our universe, something else takes its place. The universe remains, albeit in a much different order. The sun could be extinguished and thus bring the end to our solar system but the universe exists.

Telescopes  can see immeasurable distances into space, and new telescopes explore spaces where no human eye has been able to penetrate. And there is a dispute about the problem of whether the universe is finite or infinite. It has been discovered that light rays bend and return to their point of origin. It is known that some stars are moving apart at enormous speeds, while others are approaching each other. People talk about expanding and contracting universes. But all these things are based on our world picture, on our vision of the universe, on our fundamental magnetic law of our fallen nature-order.

For this reason it is no surprise that the nature-religious person seeks the Kingdom of God in the reflection-sphere, or on some other star or planet to which one could travel in a space ship. 'Well, if the divine kingdom is not here and not in the reflection-sphere, it must be somewhere outside of it', or so a primitive pupil of the Spiritual School might think.

No, even if you were to travel through the entire universe, you would not find the Kingdom of God, because this Kingdom can be seen and entered only by means of a different magnetic law or order.

"A New Heaven and a New Earth" - The Gnostic Mysteries of Pistis Sophia - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]

End of Part I

When we speak of 'two universes' you must not think in terms of this visible universe being 'over here' and the other one 'over there'. They both exist here and now, in the same space! We cannot observe any other universe but this dense, physical one because our five senses are attuned to respond only to dense, physical plane stimuli. To perceive any other universe, we would have to develop the necessary sense organs attuned to a particular universe.

There have been, and there are now, certain humans who are able to view the higher planes in this physical universe. However, these humans are simply viewing the reflection-sphere of this universe, not a different universe.

The end result of the twin processes of transformation and transfiguration is to enable the candidate to perceive and participate in a completely different nature-order, a divine nature-order. All the equipment needed to make this transformation is contained within the human's four vehicles (physical, etheric, astral, mental). What we are missing are the keys, the instructions for bringing this change about. That is what the Path is for -- to show us The Way to deliver our microcosms safely from this fallen nature-order to the divine one.

~ g
.

Demolition

[QUOTING]

The candidate is going the Path, and he is prepared to serve humanity. He demonstrates this by the sacrifice of himself, in which he begins to forget his own self and his own unhappiness. In this wonderful servitude he forgets his own difficulties. But these nevertheless remain, and their presence is evidence of the fact that the aeons of nature are still ruling the soul, and from time to time, the I-being sings the highest note. Every candidate, therefore, knows periods of relapse.

However, the Gnosis also speaks in the soul, and from time to time it, too, makes its power felt. In the same way, the soul of the candidate at the beginning of the Path lives between hope and fear. He walks amongst depressions of the soul as on a journey along the feet of high mountains, periodically allowing him breath-taking views.

The soul perseveres in humility, but if the candidate is in such need of humility, there must be something not quite in order with the state of his psyche. He is making progress, but the fact that he has to have such courage to travel through this darkness of the soul is evidence that the I-being still represents a great power at the center of his soul. This is why there are such tremendous ups and downs, alternations between optimism and pessimism.

If the soul wishes to break through to the Light-Birth, to the total fulfillment of the Gnosis, and if the soul wishes to become one with the Christ-radiation, then the total demolition of the soul-state of nature with all its well-known and unknown behavior is strictly necessary. The soul must be led to the complete non-being of nature, and it must demonstrate this non-being, not in theory, but in practice.

The soul needs to lose everything in order to gain everything. The important thing is: where does the candidate lay his emphasis, what is he prepared to lose, and what does he wish to gain?

The pupil on the Path is fighting against his own natural state. In this struggle, he becomes weaker and weaker, because he is working with dualistic means. After all, fighting is a dualistic method. By means of combat, he is trying to deny the reality of his nature-birth and hence reality itself.

This can be done for a certain length of time, but there is a limit. All the laws of nature prove that nature will always re-assert itself. What appeared to be valuable and initially brought success now turns out to be useless, because nature, which had so long resisted, now re-asserts itself. The humility that the candidate now possesses enables him/her to accept the truth and the reality, the reality of the words of the Christ: 'Whoever fights with the sword, shall die by the sword'. At a certain moment, the candidate leaves the arena of combat and stops resisting the rights of nature.

It is important that you understand this psychological situation very well. It is certainly not the case that the candidate welcomes nature with joy and enthusiasm and makes himself or herself subservient to it. This would be impossible. As a seeker for Divine Wisdom and detachment, the candidate has a divided soul. There are two souls in the candidate's center: one living from the Fundamental Divine radiation and the other living from the dualistic magnetic field.

The soul that lives out of the Fundamental Radiation ceases its fight against the companion of nature, but this companion still goes on existing. Discovering that fighting only makes the nature-soul stronger, the soul ceases to fight and even turns the other cheek when it is struck on one cheek. And so, psychologically and consciously, the soul enters the state of eminent impotence. In this way, the soul terminates the opposites and wins without a fight.

It works among people as well. If one person wishes to start a fight with another, but the latter does not wish to enter into it, then such a psychological fortress can never be captured. The combatant is disarmed, and the differences are resolved. All that remains is the mutually unassailable psychological values. When the soul applies the mode of life of the Sermon on the Mount, it becomes unassailable. If the soul fights, it loses, because this is a dualistic way of doing things.

The great secret lies in the termination of the opposites. Nature strikes the soul because it fights against nature. If the candidate can apply the principle of non-action completely spontaneously from within, without trying to make a point to others, and dissociate himself mentally, he will terminate the contrast between nature and the longing of the soul. Immediately, rest and peace come, and the candidate on the Path becomes unassailable. If the candidate will not allow himself to be tempted into combat and so consciously terminates the opposites, he will immediately become free from duality, because duality is always motivated by opposites.

"The Song Of Demolition" from The Gnostic Mysteries of Pistis Sophia - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]
.

The Two Life Fields

[QUOTING]

Eventually, our yearning for salvation drives us to the limit of what is possible in earthly nature, and we find ourselves faced with an inescapable reality. We have to come to terms with the fact that our desire for the True Human state cannot be satisfied anywhere in this material world, and neither can it be satisfied in the world inhabited after death. Experience shows us that everything that exists in this nature is subject to the law of Rising, Shining and Fading. Everything that is born, everything that has a beginning, will eventually decay, and come to an end. And experience shows us that the hereafter, too, is governed by the same law. There, too, time and space prevail, and everything perishes after a while. So eternal life is not to be found there.

No one on earth is exempt from this law of birth, maturity and decay. There is no way to escape it. And yet, how often we try to avoid it, to shut it out of our experience. Only think, for instance, of the enormous efforts made by modern scientists to extend the human lifespan. And think of all the effort and expense we pour into making our possessions and creations more perfect, more long-lasting. We are so certain that the ultimate perfection exists. We are so certain that the eternal can be attained.

But what makes us so certain? What drives us to keep on trying, no matter what?

We call that motivating power 'pre-remembrance', the deep-seated urge, the primordial desire for the Perfect Life. As we explained in our last letter, this desire originates from the last remnant of the Original, Divine Life state, present within the human being. That remnant is the Primordial Atom, the spirit-spark atom, the indestructible divine nucleus.

Surely the fact that we are so dissatisfied with earthly nature, and have such an irrepressible tendency to resist any form of decay, is a clear indication of the presence within us of something that does not belong to this world? How could human beings struggle so tirelessly against a lack of freedom, injustice and suffering if it were not for the presence within them of some kind of 'divine remnant' that is constantly trying to manifest itself?

And if we accept that there is something within us which does not belong to this world, then it follows that there must be two worlds, two life-fields. This insight is in fact one of the pillars of gnostic teaching. First, there is a Divine life-field in which the Original Human Being participates (although, in us, all that remains of the Original Human Being is the Primordial Atom, the Rosebud). Second, there is a non-divine life-field to which everything we currently term 'human' belongs.

The Divine life-field is the field in which everything is as it should be - as intended by the Divine Plan. It is the field in which absolute, lasting values exist, where nothing ever perishes or turns into its opposite. That is why we sometimes call it the 'static nature order'. Life in the static nature order involves no death or decay, but only eternal genesis, ever-developing manifestation, unfolding from glory to glory. And it is this Divine nature order that was always intended to be the human life-field.

It is and always has been the life-field of divine Humanity. But it is the antithesis of the life-field of fallen, earthly human beings who, because they do not know the truth about their own, perishable world, keep on being drawn into behavior patterns that attempt to initiate the divine world and thus oppose its laws.

Of course one shouldn't think that the Divine World exists somewhere else - somewhere in outer space, for instance. The World of Light is all around us. It is 'nearer than hands and feet'.

The earthly life-field is also called the nature order of 'dialectics' (g: duality), because life within it is a constant interplay between opposites, and nothing is eternal or lasting. But it is a sham life, not a real life. It is nothing more than a constant meandering from one antithesis to another: from dark to light, from light to dark, from war to peace, from peace to war, from freedom to captivity, from captivity to freedom. And so it goes on.

The dualistic nature order includes not only the visible, material world, but also the hereafter. It is a non-divine world. Even though it can only exist thanks to divine power and energy, it is cut off from the Divine Life. It is an emergency order, needed to provide the fallen human being with the experience necessary to recognize his fallen state and decide to return to the Original Life.

The dualistic nature order remains a prison for the human being until the Primordial Atom can be awakened within him or her. For that purpose, calling, awakening impulses are sent out into this life-field, so that the possibility always remains open for the True Human Being to be guided back to his Original Domain of Life.

The following extract from The Coming New Man by Jan van Rijckenborgh (Rosekruis Pers Haarlem, Netherlands, pp 99-100) deals with this subject:

'It is a good thing to dwell on this point for a moment, because from this it follows that our prison is not only a penal settlement, but, at the same time, a resort of mercy where efforts are made to help us regain the sonship of God. Fow now it perhaps is clear to your consciousness that there are two atmospheric fields. Not one here and another somewhere else, but present simultaneously and existentially, just as there are also two electromagnetic fields existentially present.

One condition demonstrates the state of fall and mercy, the state of patience and of helpfulness. The other condition expresses absoluteness and divinity. Both conditions are present at the same moment, in the same space, here and now. The Kingdom of God and its life atmosphere is nearer than hands and feet, yea, it is within you'.

So two life-fields exist. The Higher One interpenetrates the lower one, but not vice-versa. However, they both occupy the same cosmic space. So liberation in the real sense is never escapism; it does not mean 'fleeing the world'. Rather, it means returning to the Reality - the One and Only Reality.

From "The Two Life Fields" LRC

[END QUOTING]
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A Package To Deliver

We, as microcosms, re-enter the nature of death repeatedly, creating a new personality each time. This new personality inherits the karma of all the previous personalities that inhabited our microcosm. It also inherits the experiences of our earthly parents and their ancestors. Finally, the influences of the auric being, totally attuned to this nature, over-shadow the personality. With these forces arrayed against it, the personality begins its new incarnation.

Is it any wonder then, that saddled with these handicaps, the microcosmic personality fails time and time again in its mission to attain the Great Goal of Liberation? There is so much to overcome. Not thousands, not millions, but billions of years of karmic, ancestral and auric influences!

"Since the dawn of the Fall, all of us, as microcosms, have an enormously long past behind us. The history of this past is recorded in the magnetic system of our auric being, and the sum of the past will always speak by way of the magnetic system of our brain. We are tied to this past, which is billions of years old and which our microcosm itself has helped to build and maintain. And it is totally clear that all the archons and aeons of dualistic nature make their voices heard in us from time to time. Many of them dominate our whole being right now". The Creation of the Thirteenth Aeon - J. van Rijckenborgh

Yeah. Forgot to mention the impelling forces of the archons and aeons, our own creations which now rule us. Looking at this situation, one would be justified in thinking that humanity's plight is hopeless, and that liberation from this nature order is a dream, a wild fantasy.

Well, despite these formidable obstacles, our personalities have a job to do. We have a package to deliver. It is our job to gain knowledge, insight into our condition. With that insight, we will begin to yearn for salvation, the 'way out' that we have been told about. If we surrender the self (take the focus off of "the I") and adopt a new attitude to life, we will be on our way to obtaining the One Goal of Humanity - liberation from the fallen nature of death and decay.

That is our only purpose in life. Problems arise when we deviate from that purpose. This is why there is conflict and sorrow in almost every human life! It is because we are involved in every other foolish thing except the One Thing Needful! That One Thing is finding our way home to the Divine Kingdom, our Father's house.

As long as we continue to focus on love, money, comfort, safety, stature, pleasure and all manner of earthly distractions, we will continue to have difficulties in our incarnations. Those difficulties are actually corrections being offered to us by the Original Nature, as it tries to coax us into focusing on what is truly important.

We, as microcosms, have a package to deliver. We are charged with delivering the Other One, the True Man that lies buried with the Rosebud, back across the border to the Original Kingdom of the Father. That is our duty, that is our charge. If we are unsuccessful, our personality will gradually vanish upon transition, to be replaced by another some hundreds of years hence. But, if we are successful, our personality will be merged with the Mighty Personality that we have worked so hard to liberate. There is not enough room on this page to describe how glorious this will be. Just know that we will once again be linked to the Divine. We will have our wings returned to us, fallen angels no more.

~ g
.

The Wonder Of The Original Atom - Conclusion

[QUOTING]

What is 'my world'? My world stands and falls with the ensouled life in it. And this ensoulment I am myself. The "I" must annihilate the "I". From the same moment, another I will stand in another ensouled life, in another world order. Nothing of me will enter this Other Kingdom, for it has no need of me. There is no fallen I in my "I"; my "I" fits wondrously well in the world where I exist. I am no 'fallen man' as is said in nature-religious delusion. I was born in this nature of death, and death is my signature, my life. Just by my existence alone, I already spread death and decay around me. I live from death.

No, the fallen self, the sunken self, lies in the Rosebud, in which "I" am not, in which "I" have no share, but which I carry with me. And the fallen "I" can be liberated and live only when I am no more.

Oh, foolish power of ignorance that made me try to enter the kingdom of God! The New Kingdom is for and of the Other Me, dwelling, sleeping in the Rosebud. Would I be able to love the Other One so much that I could give up myself for It?

To be able to love someone, he must be known to you. And so it must be possible to know the nature, the characteristics, the aspects of the Wondrous Atom, to prove them as it were, to experience them, so that the sacrifice of self-immolation can be made for the Other One in this tie of love. For isn't that why I carry the Rosebud with me, so that self-sacrificing love will awaken it? Isn't that the meaning of all holy myths? Isn't that the purpose of all holy scriptures?

Am I now the victim of emotional ecstasy? Is there a Freudian complex acting in me, full of religious, self-chastising eroticism? Can I test my discovery against the modern science of atoms?

I can! Natural science teaches and shows that by the fission of one atom, we can get an atom or atoms of entirely different nature and value. The ending of the one --  consciously -- in the great fire of self-emptying, gives life to the other.

Now I know what the flowering rose bush has to tell us in the language of symbols. The flowering rose bush does not want to beautify the old mouldered shed and make it appear what it is not. The rose bush around the cross of nature, the rose bush of the crucified world soul, shows us the person who, looking into the Rosebud, takes one life to its death in order to keep Another Life. The life that devotes itself to its death is not useless; it is valuable multifariously. It enables the Rosebud to unfold. It is the sweet death, the self-termination of the Gnostics.

As in the mirror of the heart, I see the beloved of which so many initiates have spoken. The world of the holy Other One is revealed to me as eyes that stare at me. I see that the Rosebud has seven petals. I see that the Wondrous Atom consists of seven atoms and that this seven-fold constellation will open up like an expanding universe upon the mighty word: 'Let there be Light'. I see that this seven-fold, stilled manifestation is surrounded in a wide circle by an equally latent zodiac -- a magnetic, fiery circle.

And I hear the Holy Scriptures call this sleeping, as yet dark zodiac, the Throne, the divine Throne. I hear the seven-fold Atom, the seven-petalled Rose, being called the seven Lords before the Throne, and I see this divine microcosm, which is enclosed within me and surrounds me on all sides, has seven fields of activity. I see that there are seven rays and that seven potentialities and seven labors of rebirth have to be completed. I see how candlestick after candlestick is lit and begins to glow with an ineffably glorious light.

And now I understand the beginning of the Apocalypse for the first time. It is the invocation of the person who goes to awaken his Beloved -- the invocation of the person who begins his enduristic work and thus speaks mantramistically:

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: 'Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead'.

And immediately I entered into rapture on this day, which I delivered to the Beloved -- the rapture -- unto fulfillment!

[END QUOTING]

From The Wonder of the Original Atom by Jan van Rijckenborgh .

The Wonder of the Original Atom

[QUOTING]

The person who keeps his attention fixed on the spirit-spark atom with undying fervor and with all of his seeking soul makes wondrous discoveries, so wondrous and boundless in results that a deep gratitude rises up in him that the Rosycross makes use of every opportunity to draw his attention to the Original Atom situated at the top of the right heart ventricle. The unchanging message that the Spiritual School directs to its pupils is, 'Brother, sister, in all things and before all things, pay attention to your Original Atom. For that atom is the key to your true existence. It is the mystery of all mysteries, the beginning and the ending of all new geneses'.

 Firstly we will give you an utterly sober account of a person who took up the urgent invitation and kept his devoted, seeking attention unwaveringly fixed on the spirit-spark atom. See here the result of his investigation:

'Following the advice I had been given with wise intent, I started to keep my attention unchangingly fixed on the spirit-spark atom, and I succeeded in making this the subject of my unfading interest a presence with me in all my daily activities. Even when activities on the horizontal plane completely occupied my mind, I nevertheless knew that this object of my concentration was present and active in a certain part of my brain.

Finally my situation was such that I had difficulty in preventing this subject from obsessing me, but eventually this gem of my devotion became a possession of my blood, just as our characteristics, the idiosyncrasies of our type, are in our blood and continually exert their influences.

In this way the mystery of the Original Atom circulated in my veins as a characteristic so that all the centers of my personality in turn were affected by it, day and night. It became part of my thinking, willing, feeling, and acting. I dreamt of this mystery of the heart.

And just as an extremely sensitive precision instrument registers impressions that escape the sense, my being was thus being prepared for the gazing into an immense miracle. Firstly I knew that the Original Atom in its virginal, dualistic state is also called The Rosebud. Our microcosm, our small world, has a soul, an ensouled personality, a small world soul. And didn't Plato in his Platonic mysteries speak about the world soul that is crucified? Indeed, how correct!

The cross of our personality stands erected in the nature of death, in a microcosm that is broken away from the Logos. I experience everything that the School of the Rosycross has taught me about duality. I am hanging on the cross in the breath of death. But at the same time there is a tremendous joy that there is a Rosebud, full of the promises of a new youth.

The atom is a wonderful phenomenon. What is an atom? It is everything -- it is a universe. It contains forces that defy the bravest imagination. When a small number of atoms of a certain kind are broken up with tremendous energy, explosions are caused that wipe away everything for miles around.

The energy released by a split atom can be channelled and applied according to certain techniques. But the atom of The Rosebud cannot be split by any known or yet unknown dualistic energy. The energy in it, the mystery of it, cannot be released in such a way. The Rosebud can grow and flower only in a completely different field of existence. Joy would have to make way for sadness, if some scientific genius were capable of splitting the Rosebud atom, because the released energy would bring only devastation.

An atom is a world, a world order, a microcosm. I understand very clearly that indications such as large or small are only spatial-temporal concepts. The spaces inside the Rosebud atom are as wide as eternity. The aspects and meanings and possibilities in it are as manifold as grains of sand by the sea.

The Rosebud is a world order, a world soul, an omni-manifestation that cannot express itself here. It is an omni-manifestation that is not of this world, a gigantic kingdom, but not of this nature. The Rosebud contains a stilled life that would be able to blossom with exuberant majesty. But the fragrance of that royal glow of life cannot be perceived here.

I carry within me a new world, thrice divine. I carry the house of the Father, in which there are many mansions; but no one can be in and of two worlds at the same time. What the occultist regards as participating in two worlds is just participating in two spheres of one and the same world. If I want to participate in that stilled, sleeping world, in the kingdom that is not of this world, in the kingdom that I nevertheless carry in me, and of which it is said, 'See, the kingdom of God is within you', then I must leave my world.

[END QUOTING]
From The Wonder of the Original Atom by Jan van Rijckenborgh .

Encouragement

Whatever you do, whatever happens, however difficult things may become.

Don't Quit.

If you fall off the Path, lose your way or get distracted then quickly release that failure and regain your focus.

Don't Quit.

What we are being asked to do is not easy. However, if we were not up to the task, we would not have chosen the undertaking. Again, do not hold on to failures. Allow them to slip through your fingers.

Know that everything we need to reach The Goal is already available to us. We have but to continue to turn away from the lure of duality and look in the direction of the spirit. Stay on the Path. Keep your Lamp lit.

Do Not Quit.
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