Spiritual Quote
Bitterness imprisons life; love releases it.
Bitterness paralyses life; love empowers it.
Bitterness sours life; love sweetens it.
Bitterness sickens life; love heals it.
Bitterness blinds life; love anoints its eyes.
Henry Emerson Fosdick

TESTS ON THE PATH

Some have asked why, when walking a metaphysical Path, that life seems to become a series of frustrations instead of being full of “love and light” as others proclaim. This depends purely on where one is situated on the ladder of evolution and the level of spiritual maturity that one has attained.

An aspirant’s advance is determined by how rapidly he can meet and conquer the forces of his own nature and by the speed with which he may be tested by the destructive elemental forces of the planet. If he manages to pass and conquer the first onset of these forces, he progresses rapidly. If, however, he does not manage to completely conquer the problem, he is tested again and again through the years until he feels he is beset by troubles and frustrations, as indeed he is. He is tested until he overcomes the problem. It is similar to passing a test at school to see if the student is fit enough to go up to the next grade.

The greatest test on the Path is usually one of doubt. If doubt can be cast aside as he strides forward, he will find the reality of the Path, and his resolve will be strengthened. He does not fight because there is no need to fight; he sees beyond the physical. But if he is overcome by doubt, then faith flies out the window, and his struggle can become quite intense as he searches for meaning in his life.

The next greatest test is personal love. Love must become purely unconditional. This is one of the hardest tests along the Path. When a man turns his face to the solitary Path of Discipleship, and he does not do that unless he had heard the call, he must leave behind the mortal ties that bind him to Earth. This does not mean to say that he must leave those he loves but that he must cease to lean upon them or to rely on them. So it becomes that he walks with his loved ones, assisting them through the earth plane phase of their journey, instead of dominating or trying to posses them.

His focus of interest must change, and the one dominating purpose of life, the fulfillment of Universal Law, must order his thought. As he continues to practice unconditional love in all his earthly affairs, he will naturally become more unselfish as he gives all and seeks nothing in return. This also is a hard test and naturally changes his point of view. No longer does he feel that he has the right to posses; indeed, he feels it a privilege to love, to give and to serve. This is the spiritual meaning of the vow of poverty. It does not mean giving away all your earthly goods; it means not having an attachment to them because they are only transient. They are not the things you can take when you pass through the veil. The only thing you can take with you is love. Love is an energy—not an emotion.

Another test on the Path is that of anger or hatred. The disciple must learn to receive betrayal or injustice without anger or hatred; to do so merely causes an imbalance in his energies. It should not be his concern what others may do to him for the Law has its own way of working out and will bring justice to all concerned. What matters most of all is whether attacks by destructive forces through human vehicles can stir destructive forces within him. It matters not about the attitude of others towards him; it is his attitude to others that determines his progress. You only have to look at the great Ones to see how they handled their lives.

We live in difficult times, faced with uncertain circumstances, so live and enjoy each moment that you have.

In relating this short discourse, I am sticking to the dictum of using the masculine gender for both personalities to save the tiresome repetition of constantly writing his/hers, she/he, him/her, man/woman etc.

THE MAGIC OF MERLIN CLASS UPDATE

The Magic of Merlin Class was a huge success. A lot of information about the true identity of Merlin was channelled through and some of the strangeness about the mystery surrounding Merlin was explained in a manner that modern students could understand. This information was relevant and was in agreement with the teachings of the Sirian Mystery School.

The true meaning of some of the tarot cards also came to light; especially the Magician, and the Fool. We discovered that Merlin played the part of both Magician and Fool. The Path of High Magic represented by the two Paths leading from Kether on the Tree of Life.

We also noted his association with the Goddess energy, also represented on the glyph of the Tree of Life in the form of the Empress and the High Priestess, and noted the association between the polarities of wisdom and folly signified by the Empress being balanced by the High Priestess as she sits on the Pillar of Equilibrium.

Everyone had a great visual experience as we pulled down the "Globes of Light" and errected the psychic barrier to strengthen the merkabah before invoking the dragons. Everyone could perceive the dragons as they came forward quite readily, and full of curiosity during the dragon attunement and the meditation that followed.

The Celtic symbols we were given for the Merlin Master attunement were exceedingly powerful healing symbols and everyone enjoyed giving and receiving a treatment.

We then enchanted the wands I made to make them "magical wands." Everyone enjoyed using the wands as part of the healing process as well.

Overall, itwas a great day, and we managed to take some photos showing the spirit guides in the aura.

The wand on the left is before enchanting - the wand on the right is after enchanting.

http://EsotericCollege.org

THE MAGIC OF MERLIN CLASS

On Sunday, 12th November, I will be running a Magic of Merlin Class where we will be considering Merlin's association with certain key Tarot cards, the Magician and the Fool. The Magician Trump shows the mastery of the four elements, while the Trump of the Fool, if you are on a deep metaphysical path, shows an allegory of magical power. The beautifully turned out figure steps, not blindly, but knowingly to where he wishes to go. The Fool is the essence of magic, its actual power; while the magician is aware that every act is a magical act. Possessing that knowledge separates him from his ordinary peers.

We will also be considering the analogies between the four elemental principles of fire, air, water and earth. Another allegory we will be considering is that of the Garden of Eden. This allegory is graphically illustrated on the Trump of the Lovers.

The course is a very practical one and we will be experimenting with many magical powers, such as pulling down globes of light, and erecting psychic barriers.

This will allow us to make a connection to those magical, mystical creatures, the dragons. Dragons are real, and make excellent guardians and friends and can communicate telepathically. So we will be using a meditation to call forth the dragons from their lair.

There will also be an attunement to Celtic Druidism so that the Celtic symbols can be used in a healing manner while creating an enchanted story. The symbols are magically powerful.

We will also be looking at Merlin's association with the Tarot Trumps of the High priestess and the Empress and how the Goddess energy signifies both wisdom and folly. Druids were great respecters of Mother Nature and enjoyed her many gifts and blessings. We can do the same in this day and age.

I have made Druid Wands for the course and we will be enchanting them to make them magically powerful. They can be used in ceremonies, for activating symbols and runes, for charging water or for channelling the vital life force. Their uses are many and varied.

In my next blog I will give some examples of our experiments.

SYMBOLS AND ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

I would like to give you some information on how symbols may be used in mystical exercises and how the symbol may serve as an instrument in the technique of initiation. The aim of all initiation is the integration of an entity’s personality and the elevation of consciousness. There are techniques that assist an integration and elevation of consciousness and how it may be facilitated. At all times since humankind has been on the planet the symbol has served as a powerful tool in that technique. Consider it now from that viewpoint.

The subconscious mind, when permitted to speak through the personality, will express itself in the language of symbols during dreams, visions, or psychic experiences. Such symbols will always emerge spontaneously and unannounced. Usually they will appear quietly, almost casually; at other times, they erupt into consciousness with great force. Most of them are enigmatical and possess multiple meanings. This is one of the many ways the Higher Self has of getting information through to the conscious mind.

These images or symbols must be extensively contemplated, their hidden meaning deciphered, until their concealed message has been comprehended and understood.

But the converse aspect of the situation is of importance also. Inasmuch as the symbol is the language of the subconscious mind, it is also the language which this mind can understand and by means of which it may be reached. Thus, symbols may affect the subconscious mind and arouse it into activity. When used in this manner, the symbol may serve as a powerful tool to stimulate the subconscious mind. Sometimes information will come into the subjective mind, which seems to lie between the subconscious and conscious minds, and this information can then be retrieved through the process of meditation.

It follows that a consideration of the use of symbols in meditation has two aspects: first, the action of symbols upon the subjective mind; second, the proper assimilation of those symbols, which emerge from the subjective or subconscious mind.

Consider the first. It is well known that symbols may be used to awaken realizations that lie dormant within the subjective mind. A Neophyte of the ancient mystical initiation was provided with a symbol and required to contemplate it in solitude, in silence. During a state of contemplation, the objective mind of the candidate was subdued and the subjective mind made receptive to inconiing impressions. Contemplation of the symbol exerted an influence upon the subjective mind through association and suggestion.

Inasmuch as the subjective mind reasons deductively only, the chain of associations awakened by the symbol through resonance stirs into action certain forces, and may arouse ideas or realizations that have lain dormant for several incarnations.

However, in order to unfold, and this is of great importance in modern day meditative training, the seeds of such realization must already have been sown, perhaps in previous incarnations.

Barren soil cannot give growth to rich fruit. Symbols can only reawaken that which is lying asleep. For every mind there will exist certain symbols that will not evoke any response. When this occurs, the effect of a symbol is not that of reawakening, it is the beginning of a new acquaintanceship. In this event, the symbol—so to speak—sows the seeds which may take some time to mature.

Those meditators who have trouble perceiving the required symbols in meditation are therefore asked to consider that they may have to ponder the given symbol for a longer period of time to allow resonance to build and the mind to accept the new information.

A powerful ancient traditional method of permitting a symbol to penetrate required the meditator to draw or paint a prescribed set of symbols with most painstaking care, and to do so in color. This activity forced the symbol to impress itself profoundly upon the subjective mind, and drew it into active participation. In ancient times symbols were also painted upon temple walls or were made part of the architecture. Intensive contemplation upon a symbol enables it to become effective. The ancient mystical philosophers knew this well.

By following the Ancient Wisdom, the method to be used in order to make a given symbol effective should now be patently obvious. First, the student should draw and colour the relevant symbol or symbolss, and do so with most painstaking care, so that the meaning may be absorbed during that preparation time. The symbols thus prepared must then be contemplated: Only ponder one symbol at a time until each symbol has activated.

The student must assume a borderline state or an altered state, simultaneously opening his mind to the power of the symbol. He must be patient. He must permit the symbol to speak to his inner self. Such exercises when faithfully pursued will reap their ultimate reward. Meditation will not be hurried, regardless of whether the student thinks that the symbol should appear rapidly or not.

Next, consider the second aspect of the usefulness of symbols; namely, the permitting of symbols to arise from the subjective mind or even the subconscious mind. The technique of properly accomplishing this is the subject matter of much deeper esoteric instruction which will not be elaborated upon here, except to add a few comments.

All students of mysticism know that during what is known as a borderline state, or an altered state of consciousness, the subjective mind will reveal its symbolic messages as visions or as psychic experiences. Such symbolic messages generally belong to two classes; their nature may be impersonal and reveal a universal law or cosmic truth, or a universal symbol that has been instructed by the teacher of meditation. Or, on the other hand, they may emerge to convey a personal message, relevant to the student's psychic development, for the purpose of guidance.

In each and every case the symbolical message will be cryptic, and it must be deciphered through extensive meditation and contemplation. When finally the symbol has been properly understood and assimilated, then it must be made to react upon the subjective mind and evoke from it a subsequent message.

Permitting the subjective mind to speak, interpreting its symbolical message, and finally allowing the symbol to react upon the subjective mind, results in a state of harmonious cooperation between man's two minds, resulting in an expansion of consciousness and a state of happiness.

The ability of any particular symbol to evoke a response depends largely upon the mental attitude and spiritual maturity of the observer. Any sign may transform into a symbol, provided its observer is in a receptive state of mind. Of this important fact the mystical philosophers were fully aware. The traditional ceremonies of initiation contain elaborate formulae for the express purpose of placing the Neophyte into a receptive state of mind during which the proffered signs could undergo a psychological metamorphosis into mystical symbols.

Only a mind possessed of a firm conviction that life possesses a deeper meaning than that exhibited by external appearances can be receptive to such stimulation. To such a mind, the physical world is like a cloak that covers a hidden treasure. A candidate for esoteric initiation must undergo extensive training to open his mind to this fundamental realization. On the other hand, the mind of one to whom appearance is reality, and to whom there is no distinction between shadow and substance, will be insensitive to the power of the symbol. A mind that functions rationally only will receive only intellectual stimulation from a symbol. The symbol, if sufficiently arresting, may evoke an intellectual or an aesthetic response, if it stimulates at all.

It follows that a given symbol may induce different reactions: it may appear alive to one person, it may be dead to another. Its influence will depend upon the onlooker's attitude toward life. But even then the symbol will evoke no response if there are no seeds that can unfold and mature.

The effectiveness of a symbol depends also upon its universality. Certain symbols seem to affect practically everyone. They contain a basic common denominator, essentially unconscious. They represent a universal human experience, an experience shared and comprehended alike by everyone, formulated in a most evolved, differentiated expression.

A mystical symbol is a living symbol. Symbols are fundamental tools in practical mysticism. The subjective mind speaks in symbols; symbols speak to the subjective mind. The proper use of the symbol facilitates a cooperation between man's two minds and enables him to attain a state of balance or perfect harmony.

Contemplation and meditation, when applied to symbols, serve a dual purpose. a) they permit the symbols to emerge and b) they permit them to act within provided a receptive attitude is maintained in an altered state of consciousness.

NB Tarot Image from "Wheel of the Year" Tarot Deck from Tarotopia.

LOOK WITHIN FOR THE ANSWER

When disaster strikes, people often ask themselves the wrong question, 'Why did this happen to me?” Or “What did I do to deserve this?" Instead, they should be asking themselves, "What can I do about this?"

It's only natural that, at first, to feel crushed and inadequate, and maybe a little resentful, too. Most people turn to family and friends for support, feeling that they can’t cope alone. But those feelings won't help you climb out of the gloom, and there is a limit to what other people can do for you, especially if you refuse to help yourself.

Pull yourself up every time you begin to think negatively – you are only attracting negative conditions into your experience. You will soon learn that life is neutral toward you, neither refusing you anything nor bringing anything to you without your consent, but always responding to your inward convictions when you definitely assume the leadership. Nature is abundant but it will never override your free choice in the matter. The secret to becoming master of your own destiny is through the power of positive thinking and correct imaging. It won’t work for you even if you are saying all the positive things under the sun unless you hold a picture of the desired outcome in your mind as well.

All of your beliefs go into creating your outer circumstances. And the adage: “As ye sow, so shall ye reap,” bears much pondering. Others also attract to themselves similar problems associated with their own inner thinking processes and experiences and wonder why their life is not working as they think it should.

If you can take a page out of the book of nature, and expect one thing to follow another in ordered fashion, you will take a different viewpoint to the one that has been entrenched within you and begin to relax and let things flow as they should. We do not see any delay in nature – night follows day, the stars come and go and the sun always rises and sets. Likewise with the seasonal changes – summer always follows spring and winter always follows autumn. Babies arrive on time, plants always sprout from seedlings and flowers always open up from buds. Everything flows in natural rhythmic cycles.

The solution lies within you, and you will find it by deliberately turning your mind inside and connecting with your Higher Self. You may receive information about some new venture, finding a new interest to absorb your time and energy, or it may have no immediate bearing on the problem that you're facing, and carry no instant healing for the wound. But what will be given will start the process and you will be given assistance in helping you look at what you might need to change before any progress can be made. Sometimes it will be a tremendous boost in building up your resistance, confidence and courage so that you can lift your energies to prepare you for the things ahead. Perhaps the loss has been financial or emotional, or maybe a mixture of both. The main bread-winner of the family loses his job; you find yourself suddenly single, faced with the trauma and distress of divorce, or bereft of the companion who loved and supported you; your children leave home. One way or another, your supports seem to have been knocked from under you, similar to an injured man having his crutches kicked out from under him.

Under these circumstances, of course you're entitled to sit down and shed a few tears, to turn to friends for sympathy. But one day you must pick yourself up, and set about making a fresh start. You won’t know for sure how it will turn out. You can only be certain that you'll never know unless you make the effort to move forward. But as is so often the case when people are forced to make a change, it turns out to be the best thing that could have happened, and they are far happier than they could ever have anticipated in their darkest moments.

I've known many people who have coped with just such threats to happiness as I have mentioned above and found, to their own surprise, that they have emerged into a different kind of sunshine and have taken a different life path.

Should an unforeseen blow happen when you're younger and more vigorous, find some project, or some opportunity to join like-minded people in some common aim, to do something where you can contribute and where you will fulfill some need. If you have spent your life caring and comforting and guiding others, being deprived of the opportunity to do this often hurts the most, yet the need can be fulfilled in other ways, outside the home.

The first step is to think about what talents you have and how you can put them to good use or what time you have to give. Every charity in the land needs willing, voluntary workers, and anyone who undertakes this sort of work will tell you that the rewards far exceed the effort. There may be some national project that interests you, such as preserving wild life, or assisting in greening the local area. Or closer to home, your practical skills could make you invaluable backstage at a dramatic society.

Of course, no one really expects you to forget completely your worries, nor ignore any grief you have suffered. But the important thing is never to allow yourself to come to a full stop. Life is a flowing current, and you must keep up with it, helping it to run more smoothly by reason of your own special qualities, gifts, personality, and spiritual wisdom.

The Higher Self sees no obstructions. You are of its nature, and do not need to encounter unnecessary obstructions. Begin expecting something good to happen during the course of the day – and learn to look for it; it might not happen immediately because of your mental conditioning or grief, but if you learn to think in this manner, you will begin attract into your life the things that are yours by divine right and so fulfill your destiny.

From Personality to Soul Infused Personality

When you were created, you were given unique qualities in the configuration that only you have. Many others may have similar qualities, but they will be different to yours. You came down onto the earth plane to express and develop certain of these qualities for your journey in this particular lifetime. If you don’t know what qualities you have, look at your talents, what you are good at, what you like doing, or what you would like to do if you had the opportunity. Success in life is much more than economic gains, titles, and degrees. Planning for success is about mapping out all the aspects of your life and forming a chart that you refer to, to keep you on track. Similar to taking a journey anywhere on earth, you need to define some details for yourself.

A map has a starting point so we will start from where you are right now. When you are asked to introduce yourself you would normally state your name, maybe your age if you are a young person, and what you do. But this doesn’t tell people who you are; it only tells them what your present occupation is. To gain insights about yourself, you need to look closely at your beliefs, values, and principles aside from your economic, professional and cultural status. Moreover, you can also reflect on your experiences to give you insights on your good and not-so-good traits, skills, knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. These insights can only be gained through a process of introspection. People are different – and they respond to different situations in different ways. Personality Analysis using the four elements of fire, air, water and earth, relating to the four fixed signs of the Zodiac and the four holy creatures in Ezekiel’s vision, give excellent insight into the personality you have chosen to work with this incarnation.

Your vision relates to what sort of a person you want to be. This is why it is important to know your temperament and the qualities of the temperaments so that you can have a clearer idea of who you want to be and the traits you want to change into the opposite polarity, whether they are attitudes, habits, or points of view. If you hardly know yourself, then your vision and targets for the future would also be unclear. Your destination or what you want to do should cover all the aspects of your being: the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. If you are following a spiritual path, you probably will want to be in the field of service to humanity. You can be of service simply by doing the right thing every day, white washing yourself of an evening and clearing any negative energy from your auric field.

Your mission is the means by which you can reach your destination. It is really your vocation in life. To some extent, your mission depends on what you know about yourself and the talents you have inherited so that you can make the wisest judgment in your choice of service. Many people during this time want to work in the alternative health field or in some aspect dealing with “saving the planet.”

Your knowledge, skills, and attitude towards people and life all play a part in determining if you need a professional degree or some other qualification to help you achieve your vocation. This will determine your competence and help you in attaining your vision. Given such, there is a need for you to assess what knowledge, skills, and attitudes you have at present and what you will need to gain along the way. This assessment will give you insights on your measures of success. If you have constantly tuned into your Higher Self and asked for guidance, you will find doorways opening for you to achieve whatever you have listed as needing. In planning out your life chart, you also need to have certain landmarks and a route. These landmarks will indicate your measures of success along the way. These measures must be specific, able to be accomplished, realistic, and within a certain time frame. Thus you cannot set two major landmarks such as earning a degree in science and studying for an art degree in the same time period. You need to choose which one is of the highest priority for your main function in life, even though both might be appropriate for the type of work you wish to do.

Your life chart was organized before you came down into incarnation with the help of the Council of Twelve and your guides and mentors. If you are successful at making contact with your Higher Self, you will usually be able to map out your life chart quite successfully and fulfill your function while you are here on the earth plane. If you are walking a spiritual path, when you have fulfilled your function, you will usually be called home. You may elect to study the Ancient Wisdom before you incarnate again.

The purpose of trying to create your life chart is to minimize hasty and spur-of-the-moment decisions that can make you lose your way. But ofttimes your plans may be modified along the way due to delays, and other situations beyond our control. Like in any path, you may encounter turns, detours, and potholes and thus you must anticipate them and adjust accordingly. Delays and other situations can often be karmic so it is no use complaining or wishing it were different. Instead, put all of your energy into making it the best life that you can.