The Sins Of Gossip And Criticism

Engaging in Gossip and Criticism will present serious obstacles to one's progress on the Path. These careless thoughts and actions can infect the heart sanctuary, so to speak, thereby hampering the growth of the Power that lives within.

This subject has been discussed previously in this blog (see "On Gossip And Criticism" or search the blog using "gossip" as a keyword).

As it never hurts to reinforce a teaching, the following is being posted for review.

[QUOTING]

You must guard, too, against certain small desires which are common in daily life. Never wish to shine, or to appear clever; have no desire to speak.

It is well to speak little; better still to say nothing, unless you are quite sure that what you wish to say is true, kind and helpful. Before speaking, think carefully whether what you are going to say has those three qualities; if it has not, do not say it. It is well to get used even now to thinking carefully before speaking; for when you reach Initiation you must watch every word, lest you should tell what must not be told.

Much common talk is unnecessary and foolish; when it is gossip, it is wicked. So be accustomed to listen rather than to talk; do not offer opinions unless directly asked for them. One statement of the Qualifications gives them thus; 'to know, to dare, to will, and to be silent'; and the last of the four is the hardest of them all.

Another common desire which you must sternly repress is the wish to meddle in other men's business. What another man does or says or believes is no affair of yours, and you must learn to let him absolutely alone. He has full right to free thought and speech and action, so long as he does not interfere with any one else. You yourself claim the freedom to do what you think proper; you must allow the same freedom to him, and when he exercises it you have no right to talk about him.

If you think he is doing wrong, and you can contrive an opportunity of privately and very politely telling him why you think so, it is possible that you may convince him; but there are many cases in which even that would be an improper interference. On no account must you go and gossip to some third person about the matter, for that is an extremely wicked action.

Three sins there are which work more harm than all else in the world - gossip, cruelty, and superstition - because they are sins against Love. Against these three the man who would fill his heart with the love of God must watch ceaselessly.

See what gossip does. It begins with evil thought, and that in itself is a crime. For in everyone and in everything there is good; in everyone and in everything there is evil. Either of these we can strengthen by thinking of it, and in this way we can help or hinder evolution; we can do the will of the Logos or we can resist Him. If you think of the evil in another, you are doing at the same time three wicked things:

(1) You are filling your neighborhood with evil thought instead of with good thought, and so you are adding to the sorrow of the world.

(2) If there is in that man the evil which you think, you are strengthening it and feeding it; and so you are making your brother worse instead of better. But generally the evil is not there, and you have only fancied it; and then your wicked thought tempts your brother to do wrong, for if he is not yet perfect you may make him that which you have thought him.

(3) You fill your own mind with evil thoughts instead of good; and so you hinder your own growth, and make yourself, for those who can see, an ugly and painful object instead of a beautiful and lovable one.

Not content with having done all this harm to himself and to his victim, the gossip tries with all his might to make other men partners in his crime. Eagerly he tells his wicked tale to them, hoping that they will believe it; and then they join with him in pouring evil thought upon the poor sufferer. And this goes on day after day, and is done not by one man but by thousands.

Do you begin to see how base, how terrible a sin this is? You must avoid it altogether. Never speak ill of any one; refuse to listen when any one else speaks ill of another, but gently say: "Perhaps this is not true, and even if it is, it is kinder not to speak of it".

From At The Feet Of The Master - J. Krishnamurthi (1910)

[END QUOTING]
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Persevere

As you walk the Path of Return, the aeons of this nature will begin to take a deep interest in you. They can sense when they are losing control of a microcosm. Every candidate who succeeds in walking the Path of Return weakens the grip of the aeons on humanity by a significant factor. Because the aeons of this nature know you better than you know yourself, every trick in the book will be applied in an attempt to divert your focus and deter you from your Great Task.

Your weaknesses will be probed, your desires will be stimulated, your doubts will be inflamed, your fears, exaggerated. You will be laughed at, ridiculed and spat upon by others. Provocation and challenge will come from those you least expect. Throughout the entire ordeal, you must continue to bear your Cross. This is your via dolorosa.

Never lose sight of the Goal. Be in the world, but not of the world. What you are seeking lies beyond the setting sun. Where you are headed requires the complete renunciation of the world, and of all the matter therein.

The Struggle will be great, but the Rewards will be even greater.

~ g
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Discrimination

"FOUR qualifications there are for this Pathway:

Discrimination

Desirelessness

Good Conduct

Love

The first of these Qualifications is Discrimination; and this is usually taken as the discrimination between the Real and the Unreal, which leads men to enter the Path. It is this, but is also much more; and it is to be practiced, not only at the beginning of the Path, but at every step of it every day until the Good End. You enter the Path because you have learned that on it alone can be found those things which are worth gaining. Men who do not know, work to gain wealth and power, but these are at most for one life only, and therefore unreal. There are greater things than these- things which are real and lasting; when you have once seen these, you desire those others no more.

In all the world there are only two kinds of people - those who know, and those who do not know; and this knowledge is the thing which matters. What religion a man holds, to what race he belongs- these things are not important; the really important thing is this knowledge- the knowledge of God's plan for men. For God has a plan and that plan is evolution. When once a man has seen that and really knows it, he cannot help working for it and making himself one with it, because it is so glorious, so beautiful. So, because he knows, he is on God's side, standing for good and resisting evil, working for evolution and not for selfishness.

If he is on God's side, he is one of us, and it does not matter in the least whether he calls himself a Hindu, or a Buddhist, a Christian or a Muslim, whether he is an Indian or an Englishman, a Chinese or a Russian Those who are on His side know why they are here and what they should do, and they are trying to do it; all the others do not yet know what they should do, and so they often act foolishly, and try to invent ways for themselves which they think will be pleasant for themselves, not understanding that all are One, and that therefore only what the One wills can ever be really pleasant for any one. They are following the unreal instead of the real. Until they learn to distinguish between these two, they have not ranged themselves on God's side, and so this discrimination is the first step.

But even when the choice is made, you must still remember that of the real and the unreal there are many varieties; and discrimination must still be made between the right and the wrong, the important and the unimportant, the useful and the useless, the true and the false, the selfish and the unselfish. Between the right and wrong it should not be difficult to choose, for those who wish to follow the Path have already decided to take the right at all costs. But the body and the man are two, and the man's will is not always what the body wishes.

When your body wishes something, stop and think whether you really wish it. Will only that which God wills; but you must dig deep down into yourself to find the God within you, and listen to His voice, which is your voice. Do not mistake your bodies for yourself-neither the physical body, nor the astral, nor the mental. Each one of them will pretend to be the Self, in order to gain what it wants. But you must know them all, and know yourself as their master.

When there is work that must be done, the physical body wants to rest, to go out walking, to eat and drink; and the man who does not know says to himself: "I want to do these things, and I must do them." But the man who knows says: "This that wants is not me, and it must wait awhile." Often when there is an opportunity to help some one, the body feels: "How much trouble it will be for me; let some one else do it." But the man replies to his body: "You shall not hinder me in doing good work."

The physical body is your animal- the horse upon which you ride. Therefore you must treat it well, and take good care of it; you must not overwork it, you must feed it properly on pure food and drink only, and keep it strictly clean always, even from the minutest speck of dirt. For without a perfectly clean and healthy body you cannot do the arduous work of preparation, you cannot bear its ceaseless strain. But it must always be you who controls that body, not it that controls you.

The astral body has its desires- dozens of them; it wants you to be angry, to say sharp words, to feel jealous, to be greedy for money, to envy other people their possessions, to yield yourself to depression. All these things it wants, and many more, not because it wishes to harm you, but because it likes violent vibrations, and likes to change them constantly. But you want none of these things, and therefore you must discriminate between your wants and your body's.

Your mental body wishes to think itself proudly separate, to think much of itself and little of others. Even when you have turned it away from worldly things, it still tries to calculate for self, to make you think of your own progress, instead of thinking of the Path and of helping others. When you meditate, it will try to make you think of the many different things which it wants instead of the one thing which you want. You are not this mind, but it is yours to use; so here again discrimination is necessary. You must watch unceasingly, or you will fail.

Between Right and Wrong, the Path knows no compromise. At whatever apparent cost, that which is right you must do, that which is wrong you must not do, no matter what the ignorant may think or say. You must study deeply the hidden laws of Nature, and when you know them, arrange your life according to them, using always reason and common sense.

You must discriminate between the Important and the Unimportant. Firm as a rock where right and wrong are concerned, yield always to others in things which do not matter. For you must be always gentle and kindly, reasonable and accommodating, leaving to others the same full liberty which you need for yourself. Try to see what is worth doing: and remember that you must not judge by the size of the thing. A small thing which is directly useful in the Great Work is far better worth doing than a large thing which the world would call good.

You must distinguish not only the Useful from the Useless, but the more useful from the less useful. To feed the poor is a good and noble and useful work; yet to feed their souls is nobler and more useful than to feed their bodies. Any rich man can feed the body, but only those who know can feed the soul. If you know, it is your duty to help others to know.

However wise you may be already, on this Path you have much to learn; so much that here also there must be discrimination, and you must think carefully what is worth learning. All knowledge is useful, and one day you will have all knowledge; but while you have only part, take care that it is the most useful part. God is Wisdom as well as Love; and the more wisdom you have the more you can manifest of Him. Study then, but study first that which will most help you to help others. Work patiently at your studies, not that men may think you wise, not even that you may have the happiness of being wise, but because only the wise man can be wisely helpful. However much you wish to help, if you are ignorant you may do more harm than good.

You must distinguish between Truth and Falsehood; you must learn to be true all through, in thought and word and deed.

In Thought first; and that is not easy, for there are in the world many untrue thoughts, many foolish superstitions, and no one who is enslaved by them can make progress. Therefore you must not hold a thought just because many other people hold it, nor because it has been believed for centuries, nor because it is written in some book which men think sacred; you must think of the matter for yourself, and judge for yourself whether it is reasonable. Remember that though a thousand men agree upon a subject, if they know nothing about that subject their opinion is of no value. He who would walk upon the Path must learn to think for himself, for superstition is one of the greatest evils in the world, one of the fetters from which you must utterly free yourself.

Your thoughts about others must be true; you must not think of them what you do not know. Do not suppose that they are always thinking of you. If a man does something which you think will harm you, or says something which you think applies to you, do not think at once: " He meant to injure me." Most probably he never thought of you at all, for each soul has its own troubles and its thoughts turn chiefly around itself. If a man speaks angrily to you, do not think: "He hates me, he wishes to wound me." Probably some one or something else has made him angry, and because he happens to meet you he turns his anger upon you. He is acting foolishly, for all anger is foolish, but you must not therefore think untruly of him.

You must be true in Speech, too- accurate and without exaggeration. Never attribute motives to another; you cannot know his thoughts, and he may be acting from reasons which have never entered your mind. If you hear a story against any one, do not repeat it; it may not be true, and even if it is, it is kinder to say nothing. Think well before speaking, lest you should fall into inaccuracy.

Be true in Action; never pretend to be other than you are, for all pretense is a hindrance to the pure light of truth, which should shine through you as sunlight shines through clear glass.

You must discriminate between the Selfish and the Unselfish. For selfishness has many forms, and when you think you have finally killed it in one of them, it arises in another as strongly as ever. But by degrees you will become so full of thought for the helping of others that there will be no room, no time, for any thought about yourself.

You must discriminate in yet another way. Learn to distinguish the God in everyone and everything, no matter how evil he or it may appear on the surface. You can help your brother through that which you have in common with him, and that is the Divine Life; learn how to arouse that in him, learn how to appeal to that in him; so shall you save your brother from wrong.

From "At The Feet of the Master" by Alcyone (J. Krishnamurti)

~ g
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Advent Of The Cosmic Night

"LET US REMEMBER that our existence in this fallen world, in this emergency order, is only justified when we walk the True Path that leads back to the Divine Kingdom. Nothing is left to human experiments; on the contrary, the Logos perpetually emanates radiations that make us walk a long, long way of experience in the "school of hard knocks" if necessary and which, ultimately, bring us into contact with various higher powers and possibilities.

In the case of a positive reaction, that is to say, if we surrender ourselves unconditionally to those higher powers, then a new birth develops in our microcosm, a transfiguration, the emergence of a New Man, who is eternal and who is able to return to the "House of the Father".

If we react negatively and do not walk the Path that is shown us, then the said radiation powers will empty our microcosm of this non-responsive, resisting personality by death, and they will repeat this as long as is necessary. We have nothing to hold on to, because our own little world is ever fated to be eliminated and recycled.

Our emergency order, being a dualistic one, will pass, and we cannot prevent it. Everything arises and everything fades away, only in order to rise up again. Never can this emergency order, this dualistic nature, be made permanent, for it is fundamentally apt to change. Personality follows personality, each time in a new aspect of the world and, thus, there is no end to the fresh opportunities that the microcosm receives for a return to the Promised Land. This process continues life after life and death after death, until, at the end of a Cosmic Day - a major world cycle or sidereal year - a radiation law releases a universal Force that wipes out every kind of fallen, unintegrated life on Earth.

A Cosmic Night is now setting in during which the face of the Earth will be entirely changed. Thereupon, as has been the case cyclically for ages upon Earth, a new Day of Manifestation dawns and, under altered conditions, the process is started once more in order that the remainder of humanity may now react in the correct manner. Messengers of the Gnosis descend anew, to once again show mankind the only Path of Liberation."

From Chapter 6 of "The Great Play" - The New Call

~ g
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The Flesh

"Fear not the flesh, nor love it. If you fear it, it will gain mastery over you. If you love it, it will swallow and paralyze you"

The Gospel Of Philip - Nag Hammadi Library - Codex II, Tractate 3
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The Parable Of The Fishes

The following excerpted from the Monday Reflection of the Spiritual Pentecost series. Had to share ~ g

And there were certain men of doubtful mind who came to Jesus, and said to him, “You tell us that our life and being is from God, but we have never seen God, nor do we know of any God. Can you show us whom you call the Father-Mother, the One God? We do not know if there is a God.”

Jesus answered them saying, “Listen to this parable of the fishes. The fishes of a certain river communed with one another, saying, ‘They tell us that our life and being is from water, but we have never seen water; we do not know what water is.’ Then some among them, wiser than the rest said, ‘We have heard there dwells in the sea a wise and learned Fish who knows all things. Let us journey to him and ask him to show us what water is.’

So several of them set out to find this great and wise Fish. And they came at last to the sea in which the wise Fish dwelt, and they asked him.

When he heard them he said to them, ‘O you foolish fish that do not consider! Wise are you, the few, who seek. In the water you live, and move, and have your being; from the water you came, to the water you return. You live in the water, yet you do not know it.’ In like manner, you live in God, and yet you ask of me, show us God. God is in all things and all things are in God.”

The Gospel of the Holy Twelve 57: 7-10
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Somebody Famous Died Today

Every day someone rich, or famous, or rich and famous dies. What happens when they cross over? It is then that the "weighing of the heart" will take place. The man or woman will be judged by deeds done while on earth in the service of mankind and the Divine Plan of the Logos. It will be simple and clear. There will be no "judgment", only a reconciling, a balancing of the books.

These rich and famous ones will not be asked how much money they made, or how many houses they owned, or how much notoriety and adulation they received while on earth. There will be no velvet rope, no VIP section, no paparazzi to shout and ogle.

They will say, "Do you know who I am?" and the response will be, "We do not care who you were. We are only concerned with what you have done". The unmasking will begin. The charade that was played while on earth will come to an abrupt end. Slowly it will begin to dawn on these ones that their entire incarnation was wasted on the pursuit of things that were not lasting, that had no value.

One cannot bring one's earthly wealth, power and fame with them beyond the veil. There are no points for that. The man who dies rich, dies in disgrace. To realize these things once the weighing of the heart begins is rather a bit late. A bitter lesson to learn, but one that the materialistic personality must learn.

All of the mundane cares of earth will crumble to dust, right along with the material body. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we spend our incarnations in constant service to others, as opposed to serving the self. Not having enough money, or nice enough clothes, or a big enough house...none of those things matter!!! These are only temporary issues, that will fade into the mist when we transition. The only things we can take with us are our good works. These translate into riches that mean something, riches of true value.

Once one begins to realize and accept that the "Chase" one engages in on earth is a futile and purposely-designed means of distracting man from his True Calling, one will stop desiring the things of this world. One will begin to seek for that which is more valuable than any earthly wealth. The Pearl of Great Price. If one can live a humble, physical life in which the goal is to place the welfare of others before one's own, that one will have lived a worthy life, and will reap the rewards of such, not here on earth, but Elsewhere.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your Treasure is, there your Heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

~ g
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The Auric Being (Re-Post)

Originally posted on 6 April 2014 ~ g

[QUOTING]

The pupil must know then that there are three great hindrances to finding the True Path.

- the first is our I-being and all the delusions of the material-sphere

- the second hindrance emanates from the reflection-sphere and all the forces and entities active therein, whilst

- the third and, to date, scarcely mentioned hindrance emanates entirely from one's own microcosm and especially from its least-known part, the auric being. This third hindrance exerts its full influence when the pupil threatens to escape the first two.

The auric being is a field organized in a sevenfold manner, in which all the powers and organs of the microcosmic firmament are present. Besides its readily conceivable spherical shape, this auric being also has the form of a personality, but a much larger personality than the earthly one which we know, which we are. You will certainly understand that the auric personality is a being of light; and as this personality bears the organs of the lipika, one can rightly speak in a certain sense of a heavenly being, a shining, sparkling, mighty being, two metres high at the very least, full of multi-dimensional splendor.

Therefore one must say that every microcosm possesses two personalities; an earthly form and an auric form. But this auric heavenly form with its almost cyclopean stature, equipped with great abilities, must certainly not be confused with the Original Figure which must be born gain in the microcosm and which will again be able to enter the Original Human Realm, the Immovable Kingdom. Just as the earthly figure of the microcosm must be renewed by transfiguration, so too must this heavenly figure.

In occult literature in particular the auric personality is referred to as 'the higher self', as 'the true man', as 'the god within us', and the pupil is induced to merge into perfect union with this higher self. Highly sensitive persons or those with mediumistic characteristics from time to time receive impressions from the higher self, or are occasionally confronted with it. In a state of mystical-religious exaltation, the lower self is often overshadowed by the higher self. The ignorant imagine such overshadowing to be experiences of special divine grace but in reality they see nothing other than their own auric prototypes.

The well-known stigmatist Therese Neumann, who was quite at home with the heavenly virgin and was virtually worshipped as a miracle of the church, was not the victim of an illusion or a trick of the reflection-sphere, but established a negative-occult connection with her own auric being. This was her "heavenly virgin"! Experiences with Jesus apparitions, etc., obtained in mystic exaltation, all have exactly the same cause.

If you examine your own experiences on the basis of this information, you will probably arrive at the conclusion that you too have experienced the touch of this auric being at some time or other, that you too have seen or felt something of this sort.

You will perhaps ask: "Where does the auric being obtain its splendour and glory? Why is it so mighty? What is its nature, aim or being? Is that being good or bad?

In order to obtain a satisfactory answer to these questions, you must consider everything the Universal Doctrine has imparted to you up to now concerning the auric being.

The auric being is, among other things, a firmament of sense centers and focal points. All these principles together form a unity, a flaming fire, a synthesis of great powers in which a certain fire has been kindled. One of the expressions of this flaming unity is a fiery, shining apparition in which we recognize the gigantic image of a human form, grotesque, magic, strangely imposing.

Another expression of this huge fire is the small world arising within this firmament, the micro-planet, terrestrial man, the lower self. We are begotten of this flaming auric fire, we are maintained by this fire. Thus the auric form finds its reflection in our earthly form but in turn is fed and maintained by the activity of our existence. It is therefore obvious that when we look up in exalted adoration to our microcosmic firmament, to our own microcosmic heaven, a response is sent by our own fire-god from whom we originate and exist. It is equally obvious that if we want to tread the path of the true Divine mysteries with the I, with our own non-transfigured small world (~ g: "microcosm" literally means 'small world'), the auric fire-god will bar our way. For out of their mutual dependence follow the I-centeredness and self-maintenance of the ordinary self.

So there is indeed a 'god' within us: the lipika-being. It is our creator, we are its creatures. This creator can never relinquish his creature, for in their mutual dependence the destruction of the creature means the destruction of the creator. In other words, although it has a form, the fire-being in our own firmament in many respects possesses 'impersonality'. It is bad when we are bad, it is good, when we are good. And it will be broken up when we break up our own self in the process of endura. To say that we stand upon the Path while this lipika-being is still alive with all its old power, is to lie.

From "Two Figures in the Microcosm" - The Coming New Man - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]

Lipika-being def.

This is the auric firmament, the entire system of sense centers and power foci in which man's karma is embedded. Our earthly, mortal being is a projection of this firmament, which determines its possibilities, limitations and character.

The auric being, or lipika, represents the entire burden of sin of the fallen microcosm. It is the old (microcosmic) heaven which must pass away and be replaced by a 'new heaven'. This transformation comes about as the result of a total reversal of life, with the aid of the Gnosis, and it leads to the formation of a 'new earth', the resurrection of the true man in whom Spirit, Soul and Body once more form an imperishable unity in accordance with the Divine Plan.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more" Revelations 21:1

~ g
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A Requirement Of Importance

"By 'God' is meant the Source of all things, the Highest Being from which all existence emanates. All who wish to go the Path of Return, as it is contained in the Highest Being, all who know themselves to be called to the Sonship of God, ought at least to know and fathom our heavenly Father. That is why the knowledge of God has always been the objective of the true gnostic. From this Knowledge all other things can be ascertained."
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The Hymn Of The Robe Of Glory - Conclusion

My Bright embroidered Robe,
Which ... with glorious colors;
With gold and with beryls,
And rubies and agates
And sardonyxes varied in color,

It was also made ready in its Home on high
And with stones of adamant
All its seams were fastened;
And the image of the King of kings
Was depicted in full all over it;

And like the sapphire stone also were its manifold hues,
Again I saw that all over It
The motions of Knowledge were stirring
And as if to speak
I saw It also making Itself ready.

I heard the sound of Its tones,
Which It uttered to those who brought It down
Saying, "I ...
Whom they reared for him in the presence of my fathers.

And I also perceived in myself
That my stature was growing according to his labors.
And in Its Kingly motions
It was sprawling Itself out towards me,
And in the hands of Its Givers
It hastened that I may take It.

And me, too, my Love urged on
That I should run to meet It and receive It;
And I stretched forward and received It,
With the beauty of Its colors I adorned myself

And my Toga of brilliant colors
I cast around me, in Its whole breadth.
I clothed myself therewith, and ascended
To the Gate of Salutation and Homage,
To the Majesty of my Father who had sent It to me,

For I had done His commandments,
And He, too, had done what He promised,
And at the Gate of His princes
I mingled with His nobles;

For He rejoiced in me and received me,
And I was with Him in His Kingdom.
And with the voice...
All His servants glorify Him.

And He promised that also to the Gate
Of the King of kings I should speed with him,
And bringing my Gift and my Pearl
I should appear with Him before the King.

The Hymn of the Robe of Glory (also know as the Hymn of the Soul) by the 3rd century gnostic, Bardaisan

~ g
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The Hymn Of The Robe Of Glory - Part 2

"Call to mind that thou art a Son of Kings!
See the slavery -- whom thou servest!
Remember the Pearl
For which thou didst speed to Egypt!

Think of thy Bright Robe,
And remember thy glorious Toga,
Which thou shalt put on as thine adornment,
When thy name hath been read out in the List of the Valiant,
And with thy Brother, our next in rank,
Thou shalt be King in our Kingdom."

And my letter was a Letter
Which the King sealed with his right hand,
To keep it from the Wicked Ones, the Children of Babel,
And from the savage demons of ...

It flew in the likeness of an eagle,
The king of all birds;
It flew and alighted by me,
And became all speech.

And its voice and the sound of its rustling,
I started and arose from my sleep.
I took it up and kissed it,
And loosed its seal, and read;

And according to what was traced on my Heart
Were the words of my Letter written.
I remembered that I was the Son of Kings,
And my Free Soul longed for its natural state.

I remembered the Pearl,
For which I had been sent to Egypt,
And I began to charm him,
The terrible, loud-breathing Serpent.

I hushed him to sleep and lulled him to slumber;
For my Father's name I named over him,
And the name of our next-in-rank,
And of my Mother, the Queen of the East;
And I snatched away the Pearl,
And I turned to go back to my Father's house.

And their filthy and unclean garb
I stripped off, and left it in their country,
And I took my way straight to come
to the light of our home, the East.

And my Letter, my Awakener,
I found before me on the road,
And as with its voice it had awakened me,
So too with its Light it was leading me.

Shone before me with its form,
And with its voice and guidance,
It also encouraged me to speed,
And with his Love was drawing me on.

I went forth, passed by...
I left Babel on my left hand,
And reached Maishan the Great,
The haven of the merchants, that sitteth on the shore of the Sea.

And my Bright Robe, which I had stripped off,
And the Toga wherein it was wrapped,
From the heights of Hyrcania
My parents sent thither,
By the hand of their Treasurers,
Who in their faithfulness could be  trusted therewith.

And because I remembered not its fashion --
For in my childhood I had left it in my Father's house --
On a sudden as I faced it,
The Garment seemed to me as a mirror of myself.

I saw in it my Whole Self,
Moreover I faced my Whole Self in facing it,
For we were two in distinction,
And yet again one in one likeness.

And the Treasurers also,
Who brought it to me,
I  saw in like manner,
That they were in twain, yet one likeness.

For one Kingly sign was graven on them,
Of His hand that restored to me
My Treasure and my wealth by means of them.

-- to be concluded --

~ g
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The Hymn Of The Robe Of Glory - Part 1

When I was a little child,
And dwelling in my kingdom, in my Father's house,
And in the wealth and the glories
Of my nurturers had my pleasure,
From the East, our home,
My Parents, having equipped me, sent me forth.

And of the wealth of our Treasury
They had tied up for me a load.
Large it was, yet light,
So that I might bear it unaided --

Gold of ...
And silver of Gazzak the great,
And rubies of India,
And agate from the land of Kush,
And they girded me with adamant
Which can crush iron.

And they took off from me the Bright Robe
Which, in their love, they had wrought for me,
And my Purple Toga,
Which was measured and woven to my stature.

And they made a compact with me,
And wrote it in my heart that it should not be forgotten:

"If thou goest down into Egypt,
And bringest the one Pearl,
Which is in the midst of the Sea,
Hard by the loud-breathing Serpent,
Then shalt thou put on the Bright Robe
And thy Toga, which is laid over it,
And with thy Brother, our next in rank,
Thou shalt be heir in our Kingdom."

I quitted the East and went down,
There being with me two Messengers,
For the way was dangerous and difficult,
And I was young to tread it.

I passed the borders of Maishan,
The meeting place of the merchants of the East,
And I reached the land of Babel,
And I entered the walls of...

I went down into Egypt,
And my companions parted from me.
I betook straight to the Serpent,
Hard by his dwelling I abode,
Waiting till he could slumber and sleep,
And I could take my Pearl from him.

And when I was single and alone,
A stranger to those with whom I dwelt,
One of my Race, a Free-born Man,
From among the Easterns, I beheld there --
A youth, fair and well-favored.
And he came and attached himself to me.

And I made him my intimate,
A comrade with whom I shared my merchandise.
I warned him against the Egyptians
And against consorting with the Unclean;
And I put on a garb like theirs,
Lest they should insult me because I had come from afar,
To take away the Pearl,
And lest they should arouse the Serpent against me.

But in some way or other,
They perceived that I was not their countryman;
So they dealt with me treacherously.
Moreover, they gave me their Food to eat.
I forgot that I was a Son of Kings,
And I served their king;

And I forgot the Pearl,
For which my Parents had sent me,
And by reason of the burden of their...
I lay in a deep sleep.

But all these things that befell me, 
My Parents perceived and were grieved for me;
And a proclamation was made in our Kingdom,
That all should speed to our Gate,
King and princes of Parthia,
And all the nobles of the East.

So they wove a plan on my behalf,
That I might not be left in Egypt,
And they wrote to me a Letter,
And every noble signed his name thereto:

"From thy Father, the King of kings,
And thy Mother, the Mistress of the East,
And from thy Brother, our next in rank,
To thee, our Son, who art in Egypt, greeting!
Up and arise from thy sleep,
And listen to the words of our Letter.

-- to be continued --

~ g
.

The Suicide

The act of suicide is a mistake. Not only for the obvious reasons, but for reasons that are unseen, as well.

Once the suicide has crossed over, the first thing he realizes is that he is still as much alive as ever. From beyond the veil, he is able to look back into the physical realm and see the sorrow of all those whom he hurt or disgraced by his rash and unintelligent action. He also experiences an indescribable feeling of being "hollowed out". The reason for this is as follows:

Prior to the rebirth of a new personality, an archetype is constructed in the mental regions of the reflection-sphere. This archetype acts as a mold for the physical body that is to be used in the coming life by the personality and is set to vibrate at a particular frequency for a previously-determined period of time. We can liken the purpose of the archetype to an hourglass where the vitality of the personality is represented by the sand therein. Not until the last grain of sand drops can we consider our earthly incarnation to be over.

In the case of natural death, the activity of the archetype ceases, and the mold which was used by the dense, physical body is taken over by the astral, or desire body. In the case of the suicide, however, an awful feeling of "emptiness" remains until the time comes when, in the natural course of events, his death would have occurred. It is said that the feeling is like a "gnawing" that will not go away.

In addition, the next personality will have to re-live the life just terminated, repeating all scenarios right up to the point of despair where, once again, he or she will have to make a decision as to whether to battle on or terminate the experience. There can be no progress until the proper choices are made. It is therefore very short-sighted and extremely unwise to attempt to end an incarnation prematurely.

The deep impression of this singularly unpleasant after-death experience is very powerful and remains with the microcosm. The memory can be instrumental in helping to prevent future personalities from falling victim to the temptation of suicide in subsequent lives.

Those who do not have insight into the invisible worlds or knowledge of the fact that life persists beyond the veil of so-called death will, in ignorance, selfishly choose the option of suicide as a means of escape from difficult and unpleasant earth-life situations. If they were aware of the foregoing, it is possible that they would think twice before choosing to "end it all".

It is said that a personality is never presented with life situations and scenarios that he or she cannot handle. Each life is set up for success, not failure. Much depends on whether the personality succeeds in making the right choices. Therefore we must remember to battle through whatever difficulties that earth-life may present to us, as all troubles are designed to balance karma, assist with soul-growth, etc.

God will not be mocked. We must play the hand that we are dealt. It is our job to turn lemons into lemonade. Suicide is not an option. Never was, never will be.

~ g
.

Death Unto Life

The following responds to a question regarding suicide, posted in the comments section of the post Touched, dated 21 April 2016 ~ g

Q: "If one is really tired of this life and has found the thread back to the path......is it ok to voluntarily end this life?"

A: The ancient and ever-present gnostic Universal Doctrine has always emphasized that the true Seeker, once on the Path, must undergo a death of the personality in order to liberate the Immortal One that sleeps within. This is commonly referred to as a "death unto life", where the death of the nature-born entity is necessary in order to make way for the rebirth of a Divine entity.

This "death unto life" was referred to by the medieval Cathars of Southern France as the endura. Its meaning was this: that the candidate on the Path must endeavor to detach himself from the natural world. He must cease to be interested or invested in the things of the world, for it is those very attachments that will prevent the candidate from making any progress on the Path towards the Divine rebirth. Man cannot serve two masters. One cannot aspire to Divinity if one's focus is rooted in Mortality. A Choice must be made to pursue one or the other. It is impossible to do both, and extremely ill-advised to even try.

The medieval Church twisted this basic, fundamental teaching of the Universal Doctrine into slanderous allegations that the Cathars practiced suicide as a part of their belief system. These allegations were due either to ignorance or deceitful intent.

Throughout the ages, this misconception has arisen whenever nature-born religious "scholars" and theologians were confronted with this basic, fundamental teaching of the Universal Doctrine. Invariably, their ignorance showed as they accepted - without proper discernment - a literal interpretation of the gnostic doctrine of the endura. The early Manicheans of the first and second centuries also faced similar accusations.

If,  during the physical life, one is fortunate enough to locate and embark upon the Path of Return, the candidate must proceed to live that physical life as a stranger among men. He or she cannot, should not, and must not attempt to expedite the process or "hurry home" via the agency of suicide. There are several reasons why this act should never be undertaken in the name of the Gnosis:

1. Transmutation and Transfiguration of the personality must begin on the Physical plane. The physical body is composed of certain organs whose designed purpose is to participate in and help facilitate an alchemical transformation. This alchemical transformation cannot hope to succeed without the use of the physical instrument.

It is ironic that in order to turn away from the physical, one must retain the use of the physical body for as long as possible.

2. As stated above, the candidate who is successful in awakening the Rose of the Heart is engaged in an alchemical process of transmutation. As a key part of this process, the candidate attracts, or draws into his microcosm, gnostic Light power from the divine kingdom. This activity benefits not only the candidate, but his fellow human-beings as well.

3. Every personality is born with an expiration date. As part of one's destiny, the time and circumstances of the death are already set in advance. It is a violation of cosmic law for the personality to attempt to circumvent that expiration date. The consequences are severe and far-reaching. It is illegal to do so in order to avoid pain and strife. It is just as illegal to do so to under the mistaken impression that by voluntarily terminating the incarnation, one can accelerate his spiritual progress. In fact, the exact opposite result will be obtained.

Contemplate the above and commit it to memory. There is no "skipping of classes" in this earthly school of life. Those who are fortunate enough to find the Path are entrusted with a great power and a great responsibility. We do not choose the Path only for our personal salvation, but in unity with all those who have succeeded before us and in service to all who are presently attempting to complete this Walk. Selfish motives that focus upon our own well-being will only impede our progress, thereby harming The Work and the group.

It is the plan of the Logos and the duty of the candidate to connect Heaven with Earth, thereby bringing Light to mankind and hastening the process of Liberation for all of humanity. Personal reward will manifest as a natural by-product of this activity, for when one serves the group, one ultimately serves the self as well.

~ g
.

Touched

"If a person does not feel at home in this world, he will turn to a Spiritual School. He longs for the unknown purpose of human existence. A person who thinks along those lines catches in the heart something of the radiations of the Gnosis.

These influences enter by means of the Rose of the Heart. They affect the blood and push this person gently into the direction of a Spiritual School. What he sees and experiences there corresponds to the suggestions that wander through his blood. This makes him feel grateful, and he praises the Light."
.

Your Garment Awaits You

“Receive your form and that shape, which exist in the presence of the Father. It is the status and the rank that you knew before you wandered astray and were sentenced to become flesh.”

Interpretation of Knowledge
.

As Children

"What an enormous advantage have those who are able to approach the mysteries of God open-mindedly, like children."
.

The Holy Aim

"We intend to place you once more before The Holy Aim, which is hidden to those who are understanding and wise by the standards of this world. If only you can find the missing thread again and hook the missing link to the chain again, then for you the Call will not have sounded in vain.

You are not expected to apprehend the complete fullness of the Divine Life in the twinkling of an eye. The issue is the restored contact, the being born anew. Even if you are still in the swaddling clothes of your new childhood, you are already worth more than if you possessed the highest consciousness estimated by the norms of nature; for you know the words:

“The things which are hidden from the wise and understanding of this world are revealed to the children of God.”
.

The Day Will Come

"Once you have seen that you are dreaming, you shall wake up. But you do not see because you want the dream to continue.

A day will come when you will long for the ending of the dream, with all your heart and mind, and be willing to pay the price; the price will be dispassion and detachment, the loss of interest in the dream itself."

-- Nisargadatta Maharaj
.

Restoration

“In the original nature, the spirit of man was an abode for the Light. Through his preference for the material, he must now walk in ignorance and in darkness, but if the Divine Spirit can gain entrance again, as Fire and Flame and Light, a pure state of consciousness can be restored in man.”

— Robert Fludd
.

That One Necessary Thing

“The best Treasure that a Man can attain unto in this World is true Knowledge; even the Knowledge of himself: For Man is the great Mystery of God, the microcosm, or the complete Abridgment of the whole Universe.

He is the Mirandum Dei Opus, God’s Master-piece, a living Emblem and Hieroglyphic of Eternity and Time; and therefore to know whence he is, and what his temporal and eternal Being and Well-being are, must needs be that ONE necessary Thing, to which all our chief Study should aim, and in comparison of which all the Wealth of this World is but Dross, and a Loss to us.”

The Signature of All Things - Jacob Boehme

"Let us therefore take hold of this Beginning and accomplish with haste our passage through all that awaits us; for it is difficult indeed to abandon what is so familiar and to leave behind all that one has, in order to turn back to the ancient and first things."

Corpus Hermeticum
.

Answers For Brian

The following are posted in response to questions presented here. The responses were too long to fit in the Comments section ~ g

Q: I am trying to get insight into The New Man "merging" with the Other One. Does Oneness equal death for a Microcosm?

A: No. The microcosm is immortal. It is the successive, un-divine, mortal personalities inserted into the microcosm that are temporary. The mortal personality experiences birth and death, repeatedly. The immortal microcosm persists.

Q: What happens to the New Man? Does he not enter the New Field of Life then?

A: When we speak of the New Man, we are speaking of the liberated human-being. One who, through self-surrender and a complete, fundamental reversal of attitude towards life, has succeeded in undergoing the transmutation that leads to transfiguration, thereby allowing the Other One, the True Man, to regain control of the microcosm.

The New Man will be in permanent contact with the New Life Field (the 6th Cosmic Domain), no matter where he may be located in time and space. The New Field of Life is not a physical destination or a place light-years away. The New Life Field is here and now. It surrounds and interpenetrates our physical realm. It is only those who are able to tune into the frequency of the New Life Field that will be able to forge this link.

For these ones, there will be no need to return to the material world via the agency of physical childbirth, unless there is a voluntary need to do so for the good of the rest of fallen mankind. Even if such a one returns to earth as a Sent One, he or she will never lose their connection with the Divine Kingdom. Symbolically speaking, though their feet may be on the ground, their head will be in the clouds.

Q: Do the Pure One's become Shepherd's for the others stuck in dialectics?

A: Yes. This human life-wave, although fragmented at the present time, was once a unity. We must be unified once again before we reach the end of these Seven Cosmic Days of Manifestation. Those who have been Liberated from the physical realm will take their places as new links in the extensive Universal Chain of Brotherhoods. It is their sacrifice and their loving duty to remain behind, to postpone their own future development in order to "reach back" into the Physical Realm and fish souls out of the sea of living-death. No one needs to be lost.

Q: Is the Vacuum of Shamballa an astral realm? There is not much on it in JVR writings other than "you will have time to complete transfiguration there" and something about the Gobi desert. How would that be able to happen?

A: The Vacuum of Shamballa is a manifestation of the 6th Cosmic Domain (the Divine Kingdom), that has established a focus here in the 7th Cosmic Domain (the Physical Realm), right down to the material earth. You can say that there are seven aspects, corresponding to each of the seven planes of the 7th Cosmic Domain. The physical-etheric manifestation of the Vacuum of Shamballa is located in the middle of the Gobi desert. It is the Heart of the World.

Because the vibrations of the 6th Cosmic Domain are so much higher than those of the 7th, the vibrations radiated by the Vacuum of Shamballa, although very high, are stepped-down in frequency a bit to allow the seeking, terrestrial man on the Path to receive its special vibration or to approach it, if possible. One can think of it as a simple bridge extended over a deep valley, enabling people to move from one side of the valley to another. One can also liken it to a diving bell, which allows man to breathe underwater at great depths, or to an airlock, which enables astronauts to get accustomed to breathing oxygen again after a space-walk. Think of it as a sort of halfway-house, where one learns to acclimate themselves to a new environment before finally taking the trip home.

The Vacuum of Shamballa is a safe haven established here in the earth-planes for use by those who are intent upon walking the Path of Return all the way to the victorious Good End. It provides much-needed help for each candidate, providing them with the strength to walk the Path. Shamballa is characterized as a vacuum because, similar to how a vacuum can roughly be defined as "the absence of air", there is an absence of aeonic influences and reflection-sphere pollution there; the very things that conspire to interfere with our Walk while we are in the physical. If death comes to one while he or she is engaged in the process of transmutation, the remains of their personality cannot go to the ordinary reflection-sphere, as their microcosms no longer vibrate at that frequency. There has to be a place for these ones to go after physical death, and that place is Shamballa.

For more information on the Vacuum of Shamballa, you may want to read "The Brotherhood of Shamballa" by Jan van Rijckenborgh and Catharose de Petri, if you have not done so already. It should answer many questions for you.

Q: What are all the inner degrees/inner schools/various aspects in the LR for?

It is not critically important to obtain information about such things at this time. All organizations have a structure and a hierarchy. What is important is to gain much-needed insight about the Path of Return so that the decision can be made to surrender the self in diligent pursuit of the One Goal of Humanity: Liberation.

~ g
.

Victory At The Start

Most nature-religious systems promise some sort of "pot of gold" at the end of the proverbial rainbow.

1. live a good life, go to "heaven" (the reflection-sphere), Live a bad life, go to "hell".

2. live a life, die, go to the heaven-worlds (the reflection-sphere), incarnate again, repeat.

3. after repeated lives, developing along occult lines, one can die and remain in the heaven-worlds (the reflection-sphere) for an eternity.

4. live a life, then die. There is nothing further.

These are the four options presented to mankind. Each chooses his or her option based on the belief-system that they were either born into or have become acquainted with along the way in life.
Everyone has questions about these options, because they just don't know for certain what the outcome will be. Revelation will only come once they draw their last breath.

For many, this makes for a state of a bit of uneasiness. Without knowing what "the end" will be, they stumble through life trying to ensure either present or future happiness. They have to believe what their nature-religious spiritual leaders tell them, even though all evidence indicates that the vast majority of these so-called "leaders" are either clueless automatons or unsavory vassals of the prince-of-this-world.

There is another option, known throughout the ages by all those called to become Sons of the Fire. This option is revealed to those who show themselves to be worthy by way of their intense desire to be free of the chains of this world. For these ones, there is the gnostic Path of Return, the path of the Fundamental Reversal that leads to Transfiguration and ultimately, to Liberation from the ever-rotating Wheel of Death and Rebirth.

Unlike the nature-religions, which promise eventual salvation at the end of a long period of development, the Path of Return promises the exact opposite. Once a candidate forges a link with the Gnosis via the agency of the Divine Spark, the Spirit-spark Atom, he or she is immediately linked with the healing and transmuting powers of the Divine Kingdom. He or she is provided with what is needed to complete the Journey, in whatever measure is suitable for the present state-of-being. No candidate will be asked to travel farther or faster than they are able. Even so, the very act of linking up with the Gnosis guarantees that the candidate is already free. He or she now has but to complete the Path and bring their journey to its ultimate Good End.

Once the Divine Spark is awakened and the New Soul is in the process of being born, then upon death, the microcosm will not go to the reflection-sphere where dissolution and rebirth await. Instead, it will head for the Vacuum of Shamballa, where those who have begun the task of Transfiguration during earth-life can complete the process in a special atmosphere designed for that very purpose. Now this may take some time, but the key is this: rebirth into the nature-of-death will no longer be necessary. In addition, the personality will not be dissolved, but will remain a viable part of the process until it is time to merge with the revived Other One.

Therefore, take heart in the reality of the fifth option:

5. live a life then, due to the unceasing sorrows encountered, yearn to leave that life. This yearning will attract the light of the Gnosis. The Immortal Spark at the center of the microcosm will be touched and a Great Process of Transmutation will begin. Upon so-called death, one will not go to the ordinary heaven-worlds on the other side of the veil, to the reflection-sphere, the realm of the dead, but will instead retire to Shamballa, where he or she will join the ranks of the Living, to complete the alchemical process of Soul Rebirth..

Victory assured at the start.

~ g
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That Which Is Caesar's

Found these on the Web... ~ g

The Modern Rosycross And Its Attitude To The Surrounding World, Vol. I



The Modern Rosycross And Its Attitude To The Surrounding World, Vol. II


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He Is Risen (Re-Post)

The following is re-posted in remembrance of The Resurrection that must take place within all of us ~ g

[QUOTING]

Let us pose the obvious question, the one logical problem:

'How can the fallen human-being become a god again? How can the prodigal son Thotmes return home?'

This problem and its solution is given in every Universal Philosophy: we are humans who are to become gods. The Great Messengers of humanity were gods who became human in order to show humans how to become gods.

If this problem stands clearly before you, you will know it was born 'in conflict', and that the road to it was toil and trouble. Like Prince Thotmes, you have to excavate your Sphinx, which will pose a great problem to you personally. If you neglect your Work for one moment, you will sink back into the bottomless depths of this nature. Then you will feel at one with this world, and you will become accustomed to it again. You must understand that for the defeated soul the question: 'How does the fallen human become a god again?' will develop enough motivation to be able to go the Path as a pilgrim to seek an answer the that question.

Hence we can say: Whoever has seen the Sphinx will enter the Pyramid.

The Pyramid is a temple of resurrection and not of worship. It is a temple not for symbolic acts but for instruction. It is a sepulchre. People can create a lot of mystification about it, but as the Pyramid is hewn in stone its essential language cannot be destroyed.

In our opinion everyone who has seen the Sphinx from within and everyone to whom the Sphinx has spoken, like Prince Thotmes, will be able to understand the stone language of the Pyramid. We say that the Sphinx makes the Call and that the Pyramid points out the Path.

From "The Mystery of the Sphinx and the Pyramid" - The Living Word - Catharose de Petri

[END QUOTING]

The ancients speak to us in symbols. Once you have the gnostic Key in hand, it is like reading an open book.

The Great Pyramid is a four-sided triangle, with a square base. Around the base one can draw a perfect circle. Triangle, Square, Circle.

These shapes have symbolic meaning:

Circle = the Eternal Spirit
Triangle = the Threefold Soul
Square = the fourfold Body

Thus the Pyramid itself represents the reunification of Spirit, Soul and Body, which is the ultimate aim of the transfiguristic Path of Return.

The interior of the Pyramid is constructed in such a way as to outline the steps of this Path using specific measurements, angles, different types of stone and sacred numerology (gematria). The exalted beings who constructed the Great Pyramid did so using a silent, common language that could speak to all human-beings, no matter what the time period. Of course, those human-beings would have to have the gnostic Key in hand.

During the time of the ancients, there were very, very few who were motivated to walk the Path of Return. Around the ancient world, those who showed that they were sincere about doing so were brought to secret places of initiation. This was the purpose of the Mayan and Aztec temples in the West. This was the purpose of the extensive system of caves in the Sabarthes region of southern France. This was the purpose of the Great Pyramid.

The Pyramid is not a tomb, as present-day bumbling archaeology chooses to define it. No physical human-being was ever buried there. It was a tomb for the I-being. It was where a true pupil was taken to complete the endura. It was where the old human-being died as to this nature and the New Man rose in its place.

That is why the "tomb" in the King's Chamber is empty. In silence, it expresses what was written regarding the Christed One on the day of His resurrection as a Divine Human Being:

"Why do you look for the Living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen". Luke 24:5-6

~ g
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Manimal

The human-being is barely one step above the beasts of the forest. The only things that separate us from our brother-animals is that we have an in-dwelling mortal soul and the ability to reason (allegedly).

Everything else about us is of an animal nature, especially our instinct for self-preservation and our self-focused desires. Humans may clothe themselves in a façade of culture, yet behind closed doors or in the heat of some trial, it's a whole different story. On the outside, we pretend to be civilized, genteel, polite and courteous, but let someone cross us or do something that we don't like. Then watch the claws come out as we bare our teeth with a snarl. The aeonic forces that influence us by the second will routinely assert their control.

The fact that we are but beast-men can be deduced by reading any newspaper or walking amongst any large crowd. Despite all of our great inventions and so-called accomplishments, evolution has barely just begun for the majority of the human race. There are higher, greater levels of attainment than where we are today.

So, don't be content to just be a super-animal. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you are a finished product. Don't pat yourself on the back, content to think that you are at the top of the food chain. Man is not yet perfected. We are destined for a much Higher Purpose. Remember that. Don't stop here, keep going.

~ g
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Re: Blog Additions

A Search feature and an Email Feed feature have been added to this blog at the bottom of the left-hand side of the page.

~ g
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White As Snow

[QUOTING]

If you release the power which lies sunken in the Primordial Atom by surrendering yourself in inner silence and calm; if, in this way, the 'fragrance of the Rose' can find expression, then the New Soul, which is of God, will be able to achieve whatever it wills. If, regardless of his current state-of-being, the personality-being places himself entirely under the wings of the New Soul, then from power, activity and eternity the only true human form will arise.

That is why humanity needs to understand these things. And that is why we are talking about them now. For, as the Bible laments, 'My people, my brothers and sisters of the Soul, are lost for lack of knowledge'. And that is why the Brotherhood of the Rosycross reveals the science of Liberation, the knowledge of Salvation. But if you absorb this knowledge intellectually, and hold onto it as a mere intellectual concept, taking the nature-born self as your starting-point, it will go wrong; then you will never reach your goal. That is why people must be given the understanding necessary to enable them to cooperate with the process, consciously and in the right way.

Now you might say: 'I already knew about that; it is like this, and it is like that, and I must do this, and I must do that...', but you must do nothing! Only surrender, in inner stillness, to the God within you. Do, please, understand it: within your microcosm burns the Light, the central heart; and it is to that you must turn.

The central heart must grow, but you must perish. And since you must perish, you will need to understand the process. That is the reason why the knowledge is given to you. Not to cram your head with it, so that you can say 'now I know it all', but to enable you to walk the Path of Liberation.

Though nature-born man may have transgressed and sinned most grievously against the elementary laws of life, provided he surrenders and entrusts himself to the only-begotten Son within him, to the immortal Soul (the Divine Spirit-spark atom), this immortal Soul will be able to break through even the most fatal, self-invoked doom; this is the only forgiveness of sins. That is why we read in the Bible, for instance, with respect to the penitent adulteress who had turned to the True Soul: 'Let him among you who is without sin cast the first stone'.

That is why we never raise any objection to any pupil whoever, regardless of what misdeeds he or she may have done in the past; provided that those concerned entrust themselves to the soul, genuinely and positively, and give proof of it in their way of life. Then, in the modern Spiritual School, too, the words will be spoken: 'Let him among you who is without sin cast the first stone'.

Pupilship must be shone in a concrete way, and carried out demonstrably. The doctrine of guilt and the forgiveness of sins and grace is a classical hermetic teaching. It fills us with joy to be able to tell you this and to be able to prove it with the aid of the gospel of the Arch-Gnosis, which is so many thousands of years old. This great and glorious consolation comes to us in this passage from the thirteenth book with the assurance that the True Soul is higher and more powerful than any fate. This consolation is also given to us in the more familiar words from the Bible:

'Though your sins be as red as scarlet, they will become as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they will become white like wool'.

From "The Only-Begotten Son Of God" - The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis, Vol. 4 - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]

The issue of balancing karma that is many thousands of years old has been discussed previously. This passage brings to light once again a great blessing that results from walking the Path. The accumulated karma and the sins of the predecessors in our microcosm can be forgiven in this life, thereby preparing one for the process of transfiguration. This can happen only if one learns the requirements of the Path and endeavors to walk it truthfully and with humility. One must also heed the admonition: 'Go, And Sin No More' . Those who are play-acting will be found out. Those who yearn for the New Life-Field, will have their robes washed.

The Plan of the Logos is for man to succeed in obtaining Liberation. That is why we are offered this free pass, this "Get Out Of Jail Free" card. The New Soul, which is of God, can do the impossible, precisely because it is of God.

~ g
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Eight Days Of Easter (Begins March 20th)

This is re-posted as a reminder. Originally posted on March 8th, 2016.

As was done for Christmas, the following is being passed on to any who may wish to receive these emails during the Easter season ~ g

[QUOTING]

                            http://spiritualtexts.academy/

Experience the spiritual meaning of Easter and the special symbolism of the Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of The Christ through daily inspirations based on ‘The Gospel of the Holy Twelve’ by Jasper Gideon Ouseley.

These inspirations will be send by email over the Easter period, beginning on March 20th and ending on March 27th.

The Spiritual Easter online program consists of 16 daily narratives and reflections sent to you via one email each day, from which you can read or listen to the program:

 

• 3/20 morning: The Passage

• 3/20 evening: The Last Entry Into Jerusalem (chapter 67)

• 3/21 morning: Going Through The Gate
• 3/21 evening: The Christ Within The Soul (chapter 69)

• 3/22 morning: The Mystery Of Birth And Death
• 3/22 evening: The Cleansing Of The Temple (chapter 71)

• 3/23 morning: Purifying The Inner Temple

• 3/23 evening: The Last Paschal Supper And Washing Of The Feet (chapters 75 + 76)

• 3/24 morning: Surrender To Your Inner Master
• 3/24 evening: The Garden of Gethsemane And The Betrayal Of Judas (chapters 77 + 78)

• 3/25 morning: Showing New Inner Strength
• 3/25 evening: The Roman Trial, The Crucifixion And The Burial (chapters 81 + 82 + 83)

• 3/26 morning: The Crucial Victory Over Yourself

• 3/26 evening: The Resurrection And The Appearance To Emmaus (chapters 84 + 85)

• 3/27 morning: Liberation Of The Inner Man
• 3/27 evening: Jesus Appears In The Temple And To The Twelve (chapters 86 + 87)

 

Register for daily inspiration in the week before Easter at:

                                  http://spiritualtexts.academy/

This free online program is available as both text and audio.

[END QUOTING]

~ g
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The Global Malaise

[QUOTING]

Have you not noticed that many people complain of ill health? This is also true of pupils of the School. The main complaint is tiredness. One has the impression that many experience these difficulties because of long periods of stress without sufficient rest. The diet of many pupils, too, is far from ideal.

This is a symptom of our times. In this respect, we feel that pupils of the School are no different from other people Outside the School, too -- all over the world, in fact -- this general deterioration can be observed. The state we have entered into now was predicted several years ago in the modern Spiritual School. Pupils were warned about it again and again.

Why were they warned? What can one do about it? As nature-born human-beings aren't we all threatened by the same dangers?

No, you were warned repeatedly because there is something you can do about it! But one of the difficulties of these times is that people do not listen well and understand so poorly. Moreover, people forget very quickly. Everything we are telling you today, you could well have forgotten entirely by tomorrow, not intentionally, not because you are primitive, but because what you hear, you repress!

The atmosphere in which we live has changed. The Great Game is being played! You observe how world events are affected by the Great Game, how they correspond to the unmasking*. But do you observe how the Great Game has already begun with respect to you?

A general sickening, weakening of all mankind has begun. We announced this well beforehand so that you would not be victimized by it. All these complaints show that all are being swept along in the mighty current of destruction. Coughing and sneezing, anemic and laden with all kinds of symptoms, we are carried along by the current, unable to resist. Uneasiness and despondency prevail wherever you look. People are asking themselves: "Where is all this going to lead? What is going on?"

From "The Delusory Goodness of Evil - The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis, Vol III - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]
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Dialectics

As promised in a comment posted on 3/17/2016.

Dialectics (definition)

Our present-day life-field where everything reveals itself in pairs of opposites that are inseparably linked: day and night, light and dark, joy and sorrow, youth and old age, good and evil, life and death; they inevitably generate and follow each other.

Through this fundamental law everything in this field of existence is subject to continuous change and disintegration, to rising, shining and fading. Through this law, this field of existence is a place of finiteness, pain, sorrow, demolition, illness and death.

On the other hand, from a higher point-of-view, dialectical law is a law of Divine grace, which prevents man's final crystallization (and thereby his inescapable downfall), through a continuous demolition and renewal, offering him, time and time again, a new possibility of manifestation.

In this way man repeatedly receives an opportunity to recognize the Purpose of his existence and, through Transfiguration (rebirth out of Water and Spirit) to walk the Path of Return.  

Glossary definition of Dialectics, The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis, Vol. III, Jan van Rijckenborgh

~ g
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On Building The New Soul

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.”

Socrates

Following a spiritual path requires change. Following a path implies going somewhere, somewhere else where presumably things are different, even better.

 

We often find ourselves lamenting the state of our lives, the state of society, the state of the world. Certainly there is much to lament. But does it help anyone, out there or especially ourselves, to moan about it? We can, after all, only change ourselves. And change within ourselves does change the world around us, in the way we look at it, in the way we affect it, in the way we let it be without trying to control people or situations.

 

When we truly long for the new life, for a life for the Soul, then the best help is to focus on that, on the New Soul, and not lament the rest of it, not lament what our ego has to leave behind. We will have to leave it all behind eventually anyway, and now we are given the conscious opportunity to begin that process, which is what is meant by ‘dying while living.’ Why not be free now? That is liberation, that is not being tied down by -- well, anything. We can each list our own particular weights, the baggage that we carry around with us. But if we want to build a New Soul, then Socrates advises us to let this baggage go rather than to focus on it or bemoan it.

 

As members and pupils of a gnostic spiritual school, we have material available that is meant for the Soul, that can help free the Soul from our baggage. We have books, we have online programs, we have meetings and conferences and time in the Temple, and we have a developing Soul that can recognize what is good for it. When we provide the soul-nourishing food in our focus and in our thoughts, then we provide it peace and we too are quiet and restful. It is a state we come to recognize and appreciate, a different state than chasing after the ephemeral prizes of the material world. Even in the midst of worry or turmoil, we can recognize the still quiet center of the heart and choose to serve it rather than our ego, even while the ego is striving to achieve some outward satisfaction.

 

It is unlikely that we will always succeed in pulling our focus from our ego to our Soul, but we do learn the consequences each time that we make a choice. Gradually we learn to anticipate when we are making a conscious choice for the ego or for the Soul. The more we concentrate on this, in our thoughts, in our longing, then the more we can build the New.

LRC Contact Letter - Change - February 2016

~ g
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Eight Days Of Easter

As was done for Christmas, the following is being passed on to any who may wish to receive these emails during the Easter season ~ g

[QUOTING] 

                            http://spiritualtexts.academy/

Experience the spiritual meaning of Easter and the special symbolism of the Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of The Christ through daily inspirations based on ‘The Gospel of the Holy Twelve’ by Jasper Gideon Ouseley.

These inspirations will be send by email over the Easter period, beginning on March 20th and ending on March 27th.

The Spiritual Easter online program consists of 16 daily narratives and reflections sent to you via one email each day, from which you can read or listen to the program:

 

• 3/20 morning: The Passage

• 3/20 evening: The Last Entry Into Jerusalem (chapter 67)

• 3/21 morning: Going Through The Gate
• 3/21 evening: The Christ Within The Soul (chapter 69)

• 3/22 morning: The Mystery Of Birth And Death
• 3/22 evening: The Cleansing Of The Temple (chapter 71)

• 3/23 morning: Purifying The Inner Temple

• 3/23 evening: The Last Paschal Supper And Washing Of The Feet (chapters 75 + 76)

• 3/24 morning: Surrender To Your Inner Master
• 3/24 evening: The Garden of Gethsemane And The Betrayal Of Judas (chapters 77 + 78)

• 3/25 morning: Showing New Inner Strength
• 3/25 evening: The Roman Trial, The Crucifixion And The Burial (chapters 81 + 82 + 83)

• 3/26 morning: The Crucial Victory Over Yourself

• 3/26 evening: The Resurrection And The Appearance To Emmaus (chapters 84 + 85)

• 3/27 morning: Liberation Of The Inner Man
• 3/27 evening: Jesus Appears In The Temple And To The Twelve (chapters 86 + 87)

 

Register for daily inspiration in the week before Easter at:

                                  http://spiritualtexts.academy/

This free online program is available as both text and audio.

[END QUOTING]

~ g
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Crystallization

[QUOTING]

This nature-order has become materialized owing to a number of incidents in the process of human genesis.  Hermes calls this process of materialization and all its results a process of evil, a process of un-divine genesis, for materialization is crystallization;  a process that ends in petrifaction and therefore leads to total stagnation. The time will come when a crystallized, petrified earth can no longer serve as a life-field for embryonic, nature-born beings, for entities who are still in the process of development. That is why earth's history has always been one of rising and declining, where things crystallize increasingly and are constantly broken up, so that the earth can again become a field of development.

As soon as the crystallizing human-being, perishing in evil, genuinely turns to The Good, to the Divine Order, to the Gnosis, his decline will be converted into an ascent. The crystallizations and their results will then be transformed in a process of total transfiguration. And then, he transforms evil into The Good.

From "Earth, The Womb Of The World" The Egyptian Arch-Gnosis Vol. III - Jan van Rijckenborgh

[END QUOTING]

Matter is Spirit, crystallized. Spirit is Matter, etherealized.

~ g
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'Happiness' Is Not The Point

Most believe that 'happiness' is the ultimate goal to be obtained during earth-life. It is the prize. A constant and unceasing state of harmonious, self-pleasing 'happiness' is supposed to be the sign of a well-spent life. This mindset, coupled with the fact that man, if lucky, can expect to live to an average of 72 years, drives human-beings to expend an enormous amount of energy in a fruitless pursuit of 'happiness'.

Thus, racing to beat the clock-of-death, every setback drives man to panic. Why aren't things working out for me? Why can't I get the things that I want? I just want to be 'happy'. Why can't I be 'happy'??

Here's your answer, Poor Unknowing Soul: You will never be 'happy' in this life because earth-life is not designed to bestow permanent 'happiness' upon anyone. We live in a dialectical reality, a duality, where everything has its opposite and everything eventually turns into its opposite. If one manages to obtain a semblance of 'happiness', he or she can be certain that it will not last. Eventually, that 'happiness' will turn into its opposite. Things cannot be otherwise.

This dialectical nature-order is temporal. Everything about it screams temporary. The only constant to be found is change. In keeping with that fundamental law, the events in our lives swing back and forth between two poles, like a pendulum in perpetual motion.

So then, what is the point? Why was this nature-order designed to prevent an eternal state of 'happiness'? Well, let's think about it. If man could find a way to obtain permanent 'happiness' here on earth, he would cease to progress. He would not seek for anything better because he would be completely content with what he has. Man would crystallize into a state that would truly doom his microcosm to the Outer Darkness.

This is why death comes to humanity. It comes to break up that which is in danger of crystallizing. It comes to afford the microcosm a fresh opportunity to create yet another new personality that will not foolishly seek for 'happiness' on the horizontal plane of dialectics, but will seek the Gnosis, the Keys to Freedom and a return to the eternal bliss that can only be found in the Divine Kingdom.

~ g
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Dream

It is a most difficult task to tear one's self away from the only 'reality' one has ever known, but tear away one must, if one is to ever obtain an opportunity to return to man's Divine Home. 

When you fall asleep at night, your dreams become real. For those few hours, that is your 'reality', and you are consumed by it.

This life is no different. We are asleep; asleep and mesmerized by a most fantastic dream. We are also paralyzed and unable to move. Our eyelids refuse to open. And so, we slumber on, not knowing of the worlds that await our seeing, if we would only open our eyes.

~ g
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