Many people seem to despair even though they belong to some group, society or church which is trying to teach them how to live in harmony and peace.
Whilst many such groups are giving out useful teachings – many members of these groups fail to grasp the principles and the leaders become no more than “father figures” unto whom the members continually run when troubles arise. “What can we do?” they complain. “Why don’t we see the Light?”
These people find it difficult to divorce their attention from that which appears to their senses and consequently they try to relate the essence of the teachings to worldly conditions. Thus, they fall, as it were, between “two stools” and experience a kind of barrenness. The attendance at meetings becomes either a bore or a duty and the real joy is lost.
Finding one’s self is really a matter of “loosing” one’s self in the atmosphere of the group and allowing one’s self to share in the joy of unity with one’s fellows. Not trying to see their “short comings” or indulging in idle gossip. We should allow, or release, the life energy from within to flow out freely until we find ourselves “bubbling” over. Pure religion is therefore a necessity where people need help in this direction – because the one in charge should be experienced in the manipulating of correct conditions to provide the right kind of release. The present trends show how incorrectly disciplined sections of the community have expressed their own warped visions of these matters and have manifested degraded effects. The lack of control of one’s own outlook will result in disharmony. Again, the Holy Spirit represents the activity of God and demands some kind of action by the participant before the power can move through him. He either dissipates it uselessly in running around in supposed events in the world of effects or allows it to work through him in an attitude of peaceful assurance. We have explained, many times, that by using the world of effects as our “yardstick” we fail to understand what the teachings of the Christ are about and the present apathy towards “Christianity” has been brought about by the priests and ministers of this religion. A “spiritual” teaching relates to “spiritual” matters only and not to systems devised by men. Men have created political systems, healing systems, social systems and religious systems then try to fit spiritual truths into them. This simply will not work. It is like building a church for God then expecting, or demanding, that He comes to dwell in it. We cannot devise ways and means for God to act. We have to fall into line with that which He has already established for our good. It is because man is always acting the wrong way round that his life is upside down.
Now the facts are these: If you are finding yourself still unhappy, still not right then you will have to admit that you must be “wrong” somewhere in your outlook and maybe in your actions in relation to the Truth about life. This is a fact which we have to face up to and then be “brutally” honest with ourself to do something about it before we can expect any change whatsoever. That which has already been established in the Universe cannot be changed no matter what we think, say or do about it so all we can really do is throw ourselves upon the Reality Itself to experience Its glorious nature.
Let us go further to state that whatever assessment one makes on the Truths of God from the effects appearing in the affairs of men he will be “way out” and that man cannot understand himself or God through the medium of his bodily senses. Once we can accept this point we see things begin to fall into place in relation to life as it is. We should, in this light, work mentally to control the way in which we look. The process could be defined, roughly, as this. We should accept the fact that it is the nature of man to express the nature of God. God represents that which is Perfection in every way. Wholeness, Harmony, Peace and Joy are the only Realities which are ACTUALLY in expression already from the Source of Being. By continuing to think, act and live in this kind of attitude brings the fruits to bear in one’s experiences. If this be not so then the person is at fault somewhere and will not readily admit it.
In the early stages one has to live as if these things “were so” because Jesus once appealed to His hearers by saying “believe me for the very works sake.” He knew that unless the process was set into motion, at some point, there could never be fulfilment. There are many people who, whilst they like to think they believe, they never act in accordance with their beliefs – this is a common form of human self-delusion. There are many ways to find the truth but only one Truth about life. The Christian will say “There is no way to God except through Christ”. More often than not this person is thinking of by believing in a man in time and space – or that everybody else is wrong and are either heretics or heathens so we have to be very careful what we mean by such statements. What the Christ taught is by all means the path to take and the principles to live by. His teaching is not just something to be revered or respected as is the attitude of most worldly minded philosophers and church members in general but pointers to set principles that ARE the REALITIES in themselves. In Truth there is a REAL POWER to be reckoned with and this REAL POWER can only move through a person when he is in tune with IT. The right principles are the notes of that tune and where a person is not observing the principles of respect for life, for purity and honesty then he cannot fool us by his claims of enlightenment.
Agreeing on all these points bring us to the door of the “inner sanctuary” and all we have to do then is step inside. You can remove many mental barriers by simply forgetting them and leaving them to dissolve away on their own accord for in living the right life the illusions are dispelled in the light of truth. Remember that we remain in the illusion as long as we conform to old habits and old ways of thinking so we have to accept our “new” life with joy and thanksgiving and in continual expectancy of that which is right and true being manifest through us. Banish all resentment – this will burn you up. Be always ready to forgive – if you don’t you will become “sealed up”. Let life FLOW from you for even in simple human relationships you will begin to feel an increasing joy and harmony.
Let us take a step further to show the exact difficulty of explaining the true meanings that lie behind our teachings and you will see that it depends upon the depth of your understanding as to what the nature of the powers you embody will be :
Man is made in the image and likeness of God. God is absolute life, the very Wholeness Itself, unlimited and eternal. Because man is part of this Wholeness he is limited in his relationship to the Whole.
Can you see the contradiction in the above statement? – For a brief moment let us take a look back into similar conflicting statements made in the previous talks.
We have said that man is an integral part of a greater organism which we have called God. We have even mentioned that man is akin to perhaps, say, the heart or lungs of a greater body. If this were to be absolutely true then he must have limits to his potentialities. Yet we have said in another place that he is unlimited – being in the absolute likeness of God who is the Wholeness Itself! Yet if man is God can there be anything to be the image and likeness of? Since in Reality there is only One. Even if we were to say that man is merely a living thought existing in the mind of God we cannot deny our existence! What it comes down to is this – that it depends upon the depth or breadth of your understanding or awareness as to what the nature of the powers you embody will be. Once you can understand that that facet of life which you believe yourself to be is only an instrument or vehicle of the Very Life Itself then affairs in the world of effects begin to fall into line.
Let us sum up this great and glorious mystery as follows:
Because Elade, for example, is only the vehicle or mode of expression of the Real Man and the Real Man constitutes Mankind as a whole – in like manner – Mankind is only a vehicle or mode of expression of God. Therefore Man is God. Individual man identifying himself with the Perfect Man will only experience that which Mankind is the vehicle for. Individual man aware of his True Source can experience that which issues forth from the Godhead.
Read and reread the above until you get the idea.
There is much talk of a “path” or “way” – but whilst we are still walking along this “path” or “way” do we ever arrive at any place? The fact is that we are attempting the impossible because if we think that we are going to arrive some place the attitude is always one in the future tense. More often than not we tend to “walk” farther away from our goal when in reality we are always rooted in It. We cannot escape the truth about ourselves because it is always evident and all we possess is ideas about it. No matter what we know about “occultism” or “magic” or any other powers or mysteries we cannot escape the fact that whatever is experienced in these self-imposed disciplines there are those who can shatter our small worlds with one or two words of Truth.
In the main when we hear or read of the grades of “Master”, “adept” or “Magus” – these are only degrees conferred on people by some kind of Order which has been established by humans. These titles then are given when such persons have taken the prescribed number of lessons or have been elevated through the degrees worked by the Order. These titles do not indicate one’s ability to perform or demonstrate the “powers” he is supposed to have at his disposal. Likewise, any power manipulated within the world of ritual etc. possesses no power other than that belief in it by the operator and close believers. The “power” which flows through you when in conscious knowledge of your divinity can and will dissolve all that which is transitory and make you aware of the PERMANENT.