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Post by paul on Mar 7, 2012 7:17:19 GMT 9.5
Lead me from the unreal to the Real
Lead me from the darkness to the Light
Lead me from the temporary to the Eternal
- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
While we are learning to distinguish the unreal from the Real, we may wish to lean upon the authority of others.
Who and what are our favourite authorities and in which areas?
I rather like Blavatsky as an authority on ancient mysteries.
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Post by paul on Mar 7, 2012 19:05:05 GMT 9.5
Some years ago I ran a workshop on distinguishing spiritual teachers. I picked a range of texts and photocopied them without source indications and then gave them out in pairs asking the attendees to put each pair in order of perceived quality.
The standard of quality was a less known part of the Gospel of John and it was universally perceived as the highest.
One pair included a sample from a well-known Hindu guru and one of the attendees was a devotee of that guru. She said that the unrecognised sample from her guru was muddy and not pleasing. She was quite shocked when I showed her the original source.
Her guru radiated a strong emotional aura but not much else - I am being charitable. In the absence of her beliefs she could see his writings and sayings were very ordinary.
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Post by LorrB on Mar 8, 2012 7:47:55 GMT 9.5
What an interesting exercise! Can you share the less know part of John's gospel with us please?
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Post by LorrB on Mar 8, 2012 7:53:20 GMT 9.5
I'm with you on Blavatsky. I also like Alice Bailey's work.
I was lead to Edgar Cayce by a very odd set of circumstances and 'his source' threw a lot light on various subjects for me. It was his source which introduced me (very reluctantly) to Reincarnation - and a later OOB entity confirmed it for me.
Loved Earlyne Cheney's works also. Easier to grasp than some of the info presented by the above mentioned.
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Post by LorrB on Mar 8, 2012 7:59:38 GMT 9.5
Found this overview of the Chaneys Astara is a hermetic occult fraternity founded in 1951 by Robert and Earlyne Chaney, both former Spiritualists. As a young medium, Robert Chaney had been active in the Spiritualist community in the Midwest in the 1930s and 1940s and was one of the founders of the Spiritualist Episcopal Church in 1941. He became somewhat alienated from Spiritualism after reading theosophical and hermetic literature and accepting some ideas, such as reincarnation, he discovered there. Reincarnation was still a very controversial idea in Spiritualism at the time. Meanwhile, Earlyne Chaney, who had been a clairvoyant since childhood, had held conversations with a spirit being who called himself Kut-Hu-Mi. She later discovered this being described in theosophical literature. Kut-Hu-Mi told Chaney that she had been selected for a special task—teaching the ancient wisdom to the people of the New Age. The Chaneys resigned from their church in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, moved to Los Angeles, and founded Astara.
Astara's teachings are an eclectic body. They draw on Christianity, Spiritualism, Theosophy, yoga, and especially on the ancient Egyptian teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, who is believed to have organized the original mystery school from which all others ultimately derive. The Chaneys also have made themselves open to new insights from the world's religions and philosophies.
From Hermes, Astara teaches that God is the only uncreated reality and that he has emanated his seven attributes and all that exists. Hermes taught the seven laws beginning with the magical law of correspondence ("As above, so below"). The law concisely states that any part of the world reflects the structure of the whole. Other laws deal with basic observations concerning motion, polarity, cycles, cause and effect, gender, and mind. The acceptance of these laws leads to a number of spiritual practices. Central to Astara is Lama Yoga, a method of mind expansion originally taught to Earlyne Chaney by the masters. The law of vibration has led to the practice of reciting "Om," the Sanskrit word believed to encompass the creative energy of the universe. Along with other yogic and meditative techniques, Astara recommends a natural food diet that leans toward vegetarianism. www.answers.com/topic/astara |
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Post by paul on Mar 8, 2012 8:05:28 GMT 9.5
What an interesting exercise! Can you share the less know part of John's gospel with us please? I think I still have the originals at home - in a box somewhere. I will have a look on the weekend. |
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Post by LorrB on Mar 8, 2012 14:45:04 GMT 9.5
RE HPB.. H.P.B. has some interesting material on Hiram Abiff, Solomon and his Temple. They were both mythical figures and in spite of dates being widely attached to them, did not exist as living men. The Temple itself was also a myth, with no establishable historic existence.
It is not difficult, however, to discern an allegory in the story where Solomon is the Wisdom, and the Temple its magnificent and perfect vehicle on earth (Know ye not ye are the temple of God? - Cor.3.16)
Our story of Masonry indicates clearly the continuing tradition of the Ancient Wisdom from the remotest times up to the present day which constituted a main stream of thought with many tributaries, each of which has been an individual representation of the main ideas. These representations have always in time suffered various fortunes but the purity of the original teachings has either become lost or delayed. The knowledge has been replaced by belief and as that belief has not been based on scripture it has been superstitious. Truth has gradually been lost. www.theosophical-society.org.uk/html/booklets/the%20right%20angle.html |
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Post by paul on Mar 8, 2012 14:49:20 GMT 9.5
Perhaps one meaning of the temple not made with hands or sound of hammers or use of metal is the soul body of the human.
The soul body could be considered the structure formed by sub-plane matter from the top of the mental plane.
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Post by LorrB on Mar 9, 2012 8:44:00 GMT 9.5
That is what I think. And when the temple is ready ...
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Post by jackjack on Mar 10, 2012 6:10:05 GMT 9.5
Spiritual authority, I believe, is something that can only be discerned; I liked your workshop exercise, Paul. Very good exercise indeed. Getting back to authority, I believe that there are strength in numbers; for instance, a common mystical experience that many people have is the stairway to heaven motif as well as the dream of the knight rescuing the princess from the dragon; therefore, it is more then likely that there is something that exists in the spiritual world or a person's heart that is very real that people learn about when they exercise spiritually or sleep. Another old spiritual truth is the invisible temple...I've heard very few people talk about this one. ...And then there's the door portals in outer space...  |
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Post by paul on Mar 10, 2012 7:22:51 GMT 9.5
.... Another old spiritual truth is the invisible temple...I've heard very few people talk about this one. The Freemasons' temple extends from East to West and from North to South and from the center of the Earth to the Heavens. As it is physically invisible few brethren pay attention. Are you serious? If so perhaps you may say some more. Portals may be rather common. |
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Post by jackjack on Mar 15, 2012 5:16:39 GMT 9.5
Is the masonic temple that huge invisible pyramid with all those steps?
...And yes, there are many doors in outer space...
But only one correct key that fits the correct door.
See, the following is what is communicated by the bad angels or the spirit of Lucifer to those who are mystically inclined--that their job is to get certain keys and go through certain doors.
All illusions aside however...
One key, one door; if you find it, you have access to it all the time and can go in and out and get whatever you need.
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Post by jackjack on Mar 15, 2012 5:20:29 GMT 9.5
...And that is the secret that neither Lucifer nor his angels want you to discover...
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Post by LorrB on Mar 15, 2012 7:23:27 GMT 9.5
 All that is wanting is The Key. |
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Post by LorrB on Mar 15, 2012 7:46:55 GMT 9.5
I do like the works of Manly P Hall... and talking about keys.. How did the Messiah affect the Key of Knowledge?
By the Messiah fulfilling and removing the Old Covenant or the Law of Moses, the Aaronite priesthood was removed (Heb. 7:11-15) and there was no more sacrifices or a priestly mediator between Israel and Elohim. The people had direct access to their creator within, which is the key of knowledge.
Now the "key of knowledge" is the Holy Spirit or the Messiah within each of us under the New Covenant. The Messiah told His disciples that He would not leave them comfortless (Jn. 14:17-18) (1 Tim. 2:5), but at that Day (Pentecost) the Holy Spirit, which is the teacher, would teach them all things. (Jn. 14:26).
This same spirit has continued to teach down to this present day. Paul said the greatest mystery revealed to mankind is the Messiah within. He states: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom Elohim (God) would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Messiah (Christ) in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:26-27):"
By the Messiah abolishing the old Aaronite priesthood and the old form of temple worship, this enabled the people to worship Elohim in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:21-24). Under the new Melchizedek priesthood, everyone that was and will be resurrected became/becomes a king and a priest (Rev. 1:5). This means that they have direct access to Elohim first hand without the need of a priest. Because the temple is the body of Elohim, the Holy Spirit now is appearing within the minds of men and not in temples made with men’s hands (Acts 17:24). www.plim.org/1Key%20Of%20knowledge.htm |
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Post by LorrB on Mar 15, 2012 7:46:56 GMT 9.5
I do like the works of Manly P Hall... and talking about keys.. How did the Messiah affect the Key of Knowledge?
By the Messiah fulfilling and removing the Old Covenant or the Law of Moses, the Aaronite priesthood was removed (Heb. 7:11-15) and there was no more sacrifices or a priestly mediator between Israel and Elohim. The people had direct access to their creator within, which is the key of knowledge.
Now the "key of knowledge" is the Holy Spirit or the Messiah within each of us under the New Covenant. The Messiah told His disciples that He would not leave them comfortless (Jn. 14:17-18) (1 Tim. 2:5), but at that Day (Pentecost) the Holy Spirit, which is the teacher, would teach them all things. (Jn. 14:26).
This same spirit has continued to teach down to this present day. Paul said the greatest mystery revealed to mankind is the Messiah within. He states: "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom Elohim (God) would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Messiah (Christ) in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:26-27):"
By the Messiah abolishing the old Aaronite priesthood and the old form of temple worship, this enabled the people to worship Elohim in spirit and truth (Jn. 4:21-24). Under the new Melchizedek priesthood, everyone that was and will be resurrected became/becomes a king and a priest (Rev. 1:5). This means that they have direct access to Elohim first hand without the need of a priest. Because the temple is the body of Elohim, the Holy Spirit now is appearing within the minds of men and not in temples made with men’s hands (Acts 17:24). www.plim.org/1Key%20Of%20knowledge.htm |
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Post by LorrB on Mar 15, 2012 7:54:34 GMT 9.5
The people had direct access to their creator within, which is the key of knowledge.
Now the "key of knowledge" is the Holy Spirit or the Messiah within each of us under the New Covenant. The Messiah told His disciples that He would not leave them comfortless (Jn. 14:17-18) (1 Tim. 2:5), but at that Day (Pentecost) the Holy Spirit, which is the teacher, would teach them all things. (Jn. 14:26). The Point within the Circle? The infallible Centre? |
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Post by jackjack on Mar 16, 2012 8:12:10 GMT 9.5
I think just about everything you said is correct there, LorrB; the only problems I do see with the quotation is that it subtly removes three Christian landmarks:
1. The Deity and Divinity of Jesus Christ (the christ mentioned in the article is a kind of New Age Christ being resident inside of everybody; more like a symbol for the "higher self" instead of the very real personage of Jesus Christ).
2. Achieving salvation through believing in Christ's atoning work on the cross alone (in the article, it is assumed that b/c of the New Covenant, everybody automatically without exception has instant access to God).
3. Reverencing and obeying God is the ultimate goal in life--not amassing secret knowledge (in the article, it is assumed that the ultimate goal in life is to amass secret teachings/knowledge).
Based off of my mystical experiences, I can say that one of the first lessons I learned was the rule of opposites--that many things have their opposite. I also learned that there is a very real evil spirit in the world that answers to the devil and his angels, who are both great and small. There is, however, a very real good spirit that restrains the forces of evil from ruining things; they are NOT the same thing however. They are different and opposite from one another and have nothing whatsoever to do with one another; there are good angels who come from God and bad angels who come from the devil. Good angels are not bad angels but bad angels can masquerade and pretend to be good angels.
Ever heard about the "mystical traditions that have been handed down from the beginning of time?" Well, there are TWO mystical traditions that have existed for a VERY long; one is, in essence, good and the other one, in essence, is evil. Each has followers/practitioners, each has leaders, and each have secrets. Some of these secrets are value neutral (ie the common mystical experience of seeing portals or keys in outer space), some are not (ie demons possessing someone).
Having said all this, I say that while Manly P. Hall was very close to the truth, he did not apprehend it. The truth is that you have to make Jesus the Lord of your life, turn away from your old ways, and follow Him. Yes, there is such a thing as secret knowledge but you shouldn't chase after it; instead, you should spend your time wisely serving the Lord God and as the years go by, should He see fit, He will show you some of the treasures in His treasure house.
But you must remember that if you're a Christian, the ultimate goal in life is to respect and obey Jesus your Lord, Savior and Master. It isn't to chase secret knowledge, worship angels, or any of that other stuff those evil angels or their ministers try to tell people to do.
THAT'S the real key--salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
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Post by paul on Mar 16, 2012 9:59:25 GMT 9.5
It may perhaps be of use to distinguish the good-evil dichotomy from the light-dark dichotomy. Thus the dark and light energies cycle rhythmically, driven by the out-breath and in-breath of the Creator.  The difficulty in human identification of evil is reflected in the saying: It is an ill wind that blows no good. |
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Post by paul on Mar 16, 2012 10:03:14 GMT 9.5
....salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. There are 3 interesting aspects there: - whether the immortal soul needs salvation - whether the immortal soul achieves salvation through the faith of the human personality - whether such faith needs to be anchored in a particular (and very recent) cultural tradition. Theology is a wonderful area for discourse and it gets even better when the brethren have seen God. |
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All that is wanting is The Key.