Preparatory Exercise for Study Group- 1993

Relax the furrow of the brow. It is this place - above the eyes, not of the eyes themselves (as commented upon) - which precipitates tension in the narrowing down of concentration. Allow the lens, central to the eyes, to widen and release.

***

MASTER Gravity, I struggle not. All day I have wrenched and fought my clinging frame. I cleave to the world in all my waking hours; and yet too, I desire my freedom to leave also - but you are relentless Master Gravity. I who admonish you, now asks for reconciliation - I desist from my struggling tension and submit to oblige, dear friend.

I am empowered by the spirit to expand out from this very pivot, now made stable, fixed within this our world. I acknowledge that I have chosen my place for being, and after examining many areas of cosmic interlude and frequented many savory houses grand and small, I am become content that here is chosen best, and much loved by me.

The hoary beast, the frenzied harpy, the slime, the toothsome, loathsome, quarrelsome. . . all of these undesirables and more, should become ennobled and with friendly face, were they to know my place in the world - my place here, right here, where I am in the world.

The fearful, the outraged, the insolent, and the indignant, they too, should come to peace in the safe harbor of my place. Let them come, with troubles presenting, each twisted and sorrowful face. . . they may touch me so as to know that joy which shall release them from all woe that beguiles the fretful soul. . .

And the overly humorous, the flighty, fidgety, scurrilous; the frivolous, the joker who laughs behind Death's cavalcade: to these and more, I invite them to me, that they may know the sanctity of servitude and the humbling power of all good reasoning. Take off the dancing shoes, put down the horn and drum, and be silent! . . . For a while, just for a while. And they, in my place, in this place, where I am, right here, do come and may take ease from their ceaseless jargon and babble and chaos.

For I have a gift, as each one beholds this gift - 

[Group is then directed to:]

Open hand ... close hand ... Feel the presence of this gift within your grip.

The strength does emanate, it is pulsing, raying directly from the heart, from the heart to the palms. . . you can feel it - and with this we may define the world. Our hands do connect us most actively, with this our world. These members are deft and most willing, they tell us intimately. . . whereas the eyes tell the soul most cunningly. Our hands lead us, as we them, to feel that which is before us; and we are often very much in our hands, in the movement, in the sensing, by the expression, in the impression, we touch the world. The guiding will flows down the arm, emanations flow down fingers and out through the tips, and irradiate out - sometimes as streams, sometimes as droplets, sparking and firing, from this, our active hand.

But in the palm there is the direct road to the heart - and this is the great significance of the handshake!: That heart to heart we greet and connect unto each other.

(This now then makes for good timing to shake the hands of those who are present and waiting, and know of this flow from one heart unto another.)

Our dear Christ offers too His Hands, and we may bring Him before us palm to palm, both hands connecting. Join up with Him, as this He offers.

Where might we find the physical Hand of Christ? In any man's grip, we may know of His Presence. For He stands at the shoulder of each and every man, whereupon He maybe glimpsed; if we look to the goodness in the man before us. So not only may we greet another in friendly recognition, but also perceive our Christ in him, within; and clasp the hands of his Master also.

(This becomes good timing to go back now and palm to palm, clasp both hands of those amongst you and silently address the Christ within.)

Now it is with deep and solemn gratitude that we come before the altar of knowledge. Together, as we meet, we are uplifted by each man's striving, we are driven by our fellow's curiosity, and we are delighted in our sisters' and brothers' findings.

Not only have we come to recognize our place right here, this moment, within this room, but also to acknowledge the other men and women, who with gracious spirits have combined proximities, and drawn close together for this time. If we are to work our thought together, the effort shall summon the compulsion of Inspiration herself.

We may know that all good truth experienced by us, remains always. . . even if it is as only the elusive scent, as subtle as it is beautiful.

Christendom & the Crusades- 26th March 1993

WHEN coming to the chronicles of events one finds that they are jumbled and veiled - chariots of half-lies (to say half-truths is a contradiction). There are members of egregious sects, protective of their bloodied altars; women defiled, their motherhood expended; children vanquished in such early life; more than mortally bruised, their spirits became incoherent and detached from desire to return to a world of constant vomit. Reckless sin paramount to an unstable society; the calf, the snake, the cat, the bull, all betrothed to Man. Penance exonerated the High Priest and Priestess, for they were but the mouthpieces of several haunting beings. The Oriental world, detached, in perfect servitude - save for the Mongolian brutalities, the outbreak of which ventured even into Islam; Persia, the home of beauty, offered too, strict covenants to protect her ward; whilst the old world of Mohammed knew only the iron brace, the crippling of wills and the suppression of digression.

However, the new world was to be founded and forged in Jerusalem. The Hindu and the Jew were beset with an enclave of freshly procured evidences. Hitherto each tiny domain, native or civilized, had encircled its community with the incantations of a chosen stream impervious to each other’s influences. Insurmountable, even unapproachable, was their fortress of inner reality. 

Christendom changed that. There was never before a 'new' stream which held keys to pass through and into an older precedent. The systems were locked, and within the systems the men too were becoming more and more rigidly defined. It was as a compulsion to one's bloodstream - the blood of racial caste and the blood of ego-relationship with an old world religion. Christendom was and is the New Age, where Man himself was revivified.

Here we can go further: because Christianity holds essentially within it the key of 'fresh spirit', it shall ever be renewed upon itself - and particularly when activated (called upon) to do so. The key element was such that divisions were dissolved and men were brought back to being men once again. The significance in global terms was one of reuniting and brotherhood. This was new, dynamic and radical. Not one minor god would have willingly given way to this; the plea to free the people was a silent cry worldwide.

Then there were the early champions, those whose egos had in part remained sufficiently distinct from their bonds of blood connection. To these, the stars would hold direct conversations. These men were awake with a vision of the new world, and with pity for their captive brothers they began the crusade.

Suppression had closed in upon the world, stifling Man from every corner. Whilst added to that, the blood itself was coagulating, and the flesh so hardened that it was becoming as the bones themselves. The flesh of animal was preferred to the flesh of fruit, and men were soon to age so rapidly that their sons could no longer recognize their fathers, nor fathers their sons- save for the exception of a very few who had escaped the confines of an obstinate body, for the spirit of renewal had come upon them and made progressive transformations.

The secret to renewal is to 'turn it around, back to beginnings'. All beginnings are good because they are of God. All that is new is wholesome and uncorrupt. All that begins holds within the secret plan for that which is to be, become and end. To renew, is to return (re-turn) - it is not to replace but to restart that which is already.

The Church is not Christendom - the Church is the body in obeisance to the spirit within. This is why there can be many representative churches in concurrence, and yet not all of them make suitable bodies for the young, defiant, Christianity. If they close doors and hearts and are separatist in nature, then they shall turn away our presenting Spirit, which undeterred, shall come before the men within, despite the doorman that stands and guards the cell. Christianity is pervading and undeterred by sectarianism and office.

The prime message of John: to be as little children, was the very essence of renewal, the essential central point to Christianity. The twofold aspect has contained within, the answer to the grief of the world.

The divisiveness of the past is falling asunder; it is only when men are made separate and ignorant of Heaven that they may be persuaded by demons. Christ makes the call to men because the He was there, ere the beginning; and evokes such memories reminiscent to first love, first awakening, first being. This is why most often an instruction will take a theme of demonstrating our primeval associations of warmth and nurture, that by such evocations we may come to a certain strength of renewal, within. It is wholesome for a soul to come to the familiar and pure; for that which was our past as lived by us is ever present.

The ability to reform is contained in that being, our being, which was and is of purity. But not as mere repetition of the past; rather, of a being exonerated and exalted by way of initial beginnings. "As we are born, so we become" - it does not translate terribly well, however in terms of the spirit this is so.

The freedom of men was won by a King whose only crown was benighted by suffering. His personal Quest was to regain the treasures of Man for men. The immaturity of Man gave over to a preponderance of substitute visionaries, that his ego was to be so combined with that which drew him nearer, associated only by the immediate past. Whereas Christ calls for release from the vagaries of mal-intentions and suffers no eternal contracts to be borne upon the soul.

This does not mean to say that the richness of offerings are sectioned away accordingly, but that man may 'take much unto himself' without pledging his being to that which he experiences. For where there is curiosity and subsequent attraction, men are led ever further to discovery. Without Christ there should be no way to return from such experience, and the man 'becomes' that which he is so drawn to. That Christ, as both challenger and defendant, equips Man to be free of the compelling and consuming aspects of cosmic/mortal reign.

Also too, here is the answer as to why Christendom itself, shall succeed in permeating the turtle-like shells of ancient worship - closed systems provide for 'closedness' and traditions of themselves may only sustain themselves: tradition.

Furthermore, Christianity does vouchsafe for all men, even to the point of 'storming hell' to make a successful retrieval. The courage is limitless, the faith profound, the knights of the Order are resilient, determined and with love of the world.

Selling Spiritual Wisdom- 16th March 1993

QUITE often in these matters divisiveness manifests in opinion and rests upon personal circumstance. "To be kept in the manner you are accustomed." Comparisons of dollars - one dollar, one thousand dollars - is only relative, and subjective to the value of its system in relation to the people from whom it is extracted. And so the question does not pertain to 'suitable amounts' from respectable people, but rather if there is indeed a case for any money to be levied with the disclosure of profound mystery.

Let us go back and examine the consciousness of a child, whereupon true prosperity - which is in no way relative to the wealth of money - is open to Heaven's offerings, without shame, without questioning. Just as the chicks open beaks for mother/father bird to drop morsels in, we are expectant of all loving grace to come to us, this is natural to us.

It is unnatural to believe oneself to be so downcast as to be without love, without sustenance, without hope, without being worthy of having a prayer said or replied to. This, if you like to call it such, is true 'poverty consciousness'. What is natural to the child has become unnatural in the grown adult-child; and now, for now only, it appears natural for a man to believe that he is alone in the world, making his way for himself, earning a place; and independent to the rest of humanity.

So too does the adult-man declare that he is self-reliant - whereas nothing could be further from the truth. Strands of our being are as inseparable rays, so blended they are indistinguishable as one - space is naught. We are in every way, in every realm, and throughout every kingdom, dependent. We cannot for one moment set ourselves apart from the elements, the contributing organisms and etheric world, from our God, from our own humanity, from our 'essences' of humanity, from our higher selves; from our requirements, we may not divorce or alienate.

We rely on the governing spirits of the Globe: the angels who attend to every facet of earthly manifestation, and those angelic beings beyond. We are dependent upon souls that the temperature remain even and constant, that the winds are restrained, that the Moon is mostly deflected, that the orbit is protected from incoming spin-offs, that the soul of the vegetable kingdom does not depart and expire, and with it our earthly platter; that the overriding will which binds the organs in communal servitude does not depart and leave us as a marrowless, fleshless frame. There can be no argument between the crystal world and that of the flesh. Encroachment is prohibitive to reliable cohabitation. This is obvious.

Regarding money: We may begin to differentiate between need and surplus, whereupon capitalist law lends itself to the extremes of the ever-needy, and those who have more than enough to meet their requirements. Of course, there is freedom afforded within the provisions of this system to remedy this.

Moderate living standards imply different things to different peoples. Also many wish for personal achievement, advancement; and measure it in terms of their affordable 'lifestyle'.

However, there is a general rule for conduct: that one does honor a man in his own house. Therefore we must honor the laws and confinements which are contained in the house of our society, as practicably as possible. If one finds that the master of the house is disagreeable, then we may leave, but where practicable, our attentions and concerns must lie with the ordinances of the house we are currently in. Given that the monetary system is in place, as is, and regardless of its true value outside of its net of dependence, we must make choices relevant to economic barter, for the time being. It is a matter of making informed choices rather than denial of there being a monetary dependence at all.

Here is a clue: one can be very clear as to what exactly might merit the need for money. Tangibles to be hired or purchased warrant income, wisdom does not. The kettle to heat the water, to brew the beverage; the paper, the pen, the reproductions etc., these require contribution. You may distinguish these from the spiritual teachings which are aloof and independent of money - that is unless you yourself make it otherwise. For if one is to place any monetary value as a catalyst for the forthcoming of certain knowledge, i.e. "You shall pay me $X and I shall oblige you with this knowledge that you crave", then you have made such truth as from you, now married with a dependence to money- i.e. no money, no wisdom. And the 'wisdom' is muddied because it has been altered so, the purity is gone, and it has become but another ego-remnant of the world. Its divine vitality has diminished, in point of fact it barely throbs with a somber glow; and the men who receive it are ill-content, for it has not the promised merit and is not satisfying.

How can this be so, that connections are made by men, such as affect the deliverance of wisdom? Students of the inner worlds must begin to discriminate and 'feel out' what is right. Did you know that the same truth as is holy, delivered by an evil and corrupt individual, is so defiled that it may be as a poison in the world? Fortunately they are seldom privy to greater realities, let alone are so moved as to share them.

However, the point being that: all thought, and particularly spiritual truth, beautiful spiritual truth, is connected with its parent reality. When we call forth an aspect of wisdom, when we speak it, when we hold it in our meditation, when it evolves into an inspiration, if we sing it, if we impart it, as we experience it, it is always corresponding with that very reality of it - and we may know this, just as Heaven herself knows of our connections and experiences.

If we combine our soul/spirit experience of wisdom-truth with impure or mundane complications, we forfeit our relationship, we close the inner door - which is truly the truth itself - to that heavenly participation. Are you beginning to get the picture?

Spiritual wisdom will not be defiled; it withdraws and shall leave in its place a vague and empty mirror-representation which cannot be experienced directly by the soul. Now you must understand the complimentary and open attitude necessary for the giving and receiving of wisdom.

For all things of the world will perish, and only that of true value shall remain. Trust that you shall receive what you truly need. One does not give, however, in order to receive more; one gives because of the purpose: a need perceived and answered, is as a redemption for greed.

Honor that of the House of the World, honor too, that home enduring, of the spirit/soul . . . and know which requires what, without confusion of the two.

Tolerance- 8th March 1993

Surrender us to beauty, Oh Lord,
That we may be ineffably altered accordingly. . .

I pledge to never forsake the pitiable,
To never despise the enviable,
To bear all weight as delivered unto me,
By the strength of God's constancy.

I ask only to be smiled upon -
And to know it: the grace of Grace,
And ne'er to be frowned upon, cast down upon
Turned out without, this Radiant Face.

Turn not from Beauty, oh soul of Man!
Lest she find you not ever again!
Once come, she gives to every son,
The jewel to fit the heavenly crown!

PLEASURE provides the aftertaste of beauty but is not of true exquisiteness, and has not the essential quality. Secondarily men seek out pleasure, for it is reminiscent to them of great contentedness, of harmony, be it simple or great. But pleasures indulged in to excess, milk the soul and devour the constitution. Therefore we may not rely only on capricious pleasure to link our happiness with the world without.

To be tantalized is to come through expectation's doors and be confined to a waiting-bay, wherein one window presides, displaying a sought-after longing. This waiting-bay is but the frame of the mind, wherein truth a man may come and go freely - would that he knew it. There is mystery in this.

Then there are delights: such as the birdcalls of the early morning, of which we partake in the revelling, but are not part of- the simple magnificent joy to be experienced from which nothing is to be personally gained but the appreciation of. How splendid it is to forget all worldly care for those moments and embrace a moment of Creation!

Much has been said of returning to the silence, of knowing the quiet within and of the discipline of nihilism. What for, oh Grasshopper, if it is not for that which we may come to see and hear, within and without, without the flurry and fluster of overactivity? Great beauty lies behind the veil of tired and expectant eyesight.

Also, yes, how wonderful it would be if a man might go out of his way just once in a day, to offer something to the altar of Beauty. It need not be much, but the intention would of itself hold good and grow. And it is Beauty in actuality that all men spring from and live by.

As said before, the ascetics were not without Beauty: they did indeed hurl themselves into creationism, and drank of the nectar firsthand. It was only those who came after who gave stern interpretation, to splinter the doctrines of disciplined life and immoderately present such viewpoints. Many brothers, for example, who silenced tongues, knew the language of mind to mind; as indeed the whole order. An outsider or a pursuant of empty tradition however, sees but the external splinter of the reality.

Similarly, the hair-shirt was not as punishment or towards perverted flagellation, it was because the holy and pious of the time were very much apt to lose 'sense' (as in sense of the world). Their devotions, their raptures, expelled them from their earthly bodies, and expelled their bodies from earthliness. Many accounts of unusual and unnatural consequences from pious living are given account of, and in order to remedy the temptation of excarnating through the bliss of Godly consciousness, the monks devised all manner of irritants to reawaken the senses accordingly. One might add too, that the experience to them was not as it would be to a man who had not their problem. It should be torturous - as is interpreted - and of misery, to no good purpose.

Not all reliquary was fraudulent. The clairvoyant perception was clear enough in those qualified, to know if an object had profoundly significant emanations. And with the blessing of their presence, such holy objects could inspire in such men, magnificent insights and visions. We may have television today, but it is nothing to be compared with some of these visions concealed within those artifacts! They could be interpreted and experienced just so! It is without exaggeration to suggest this; just as there have been primitive equivalents which also hold stores of picture/experience representations locked-in by masterful forefathers of devotion.

There is a marriage between sense and savor, whereupon we are not usually offended. If the light were brighter it should offend the eyes; if odor were more pungent it should offend the nose and throat, and so forth. We should not be able to come to the experience of Beauty if we could not withstand the powerful impressions she yields. By this happy union and balance of interaction, we come to the word tolerance. It is but the marriage of two perfectly suited, complementary interactives.

For the most part this is life in such conjunctions! So too may we order those fields and forces which stream into and through our being - and they too needs be tolerated. However, the larger meaning is that we may meet with life and all that is contained, perfectly; furthermore, hold ability to adjust as conditions presented do change.

At present we live life attuned to a leeway of variables. This is grace that we should do so, and as refinement proceeds within we come to measure more accurately the span of our 'beingness' in relation to the gradients before us. Not only may we become skilful in readjusting the 'lens' of our being, but also are we offered greater cooperation from Wisdom's divinities without. There is a hierarchy of twelve major influences of Wisdom, and it is for us to decide who should be preferred by our sentient beings. We may 'go over' to one such influence or, as is prayed for, receive a relationship with all twelve.

Beauty - God's Providence
Scholarly Wisdom - Precision
Philosophy - Conjecture/Imagination
Strength - Will/Determination, Forthrightness
Prosperity - Charity
Nurture - Motherhood
Creation - Father-principle
Devotion - Obedience
Humility - Revelation
Constancy - Cosmic Law & Lesser Law
Agility - Evolvement
Compassion - Selfless Love

"That which I do take for myself, unto myself -
That which does sustain me:
Be it filled with the fire from the Twelve,
And so Divinely imbued,
That I may tolerate life,
And life shall tolerate me."