2001-7-22 16:18:00
Let's all wish Glenys good luck with her next round of Chemo. I have sympathy with her for all the advice she must be getting. When my sister had cancer she received so much advice she didn't know what to do with it all so she ignored it all.
Unlike Glenys - she was not into health and healing so she didn't have much of an idea as to what advice was good or not good so she just followed her doctor's advice and that didn't work either.
When a fellow friend is in trouble we, of course, want to give advice and I probably give as much as any but one thing we must avoid is being offended if our advice is not taken. It is the person who is in trouble who has responsibility for the final decision and this decision must be respected, right or wrong.
My friend Wayne has an interesting way of dealing with advice. He tells you, "Yeah, you're right. I should do that." Then he completely ignores the advice. People who do not know him as I do think they are really getting through to him and changing his life.
Glenys, I placed that quote on Coffee by John Paul I with you in mind. I knew you would like it. It's funny how a little tidbit like that often gets more conversation going than a whole treatise I may write.
I never drank much coffee until I married my current wife. She turned out to be a coffee connoisseur and there was no way to avoid drinking it. We are always on a lookout for the ultimate cup. Generally the best we have found is fresh ground Starbucks. The only better coffee I have found was some given to me by my daughter when we visited her in the Seattle area. It was a brand native to that area and I have never tasted anything better, but it is not available here in Boise.
Now the funny thing is that my wife's evil (lol) chiropractor has told her to lay off the coffee so she just drinks a little now and then. This is one reason I haven't gone to a regular doctor in over 20 years. You never know how they will try to interfere with your life.
WIT writes: "Is their One (LOGOS?) at the apex of the Hierarchy that transcends (or proceeds) All Others?"
JJ
Generally when a question like this is asked it is done with the idea something like this:
Why should I waste my time advancing from hierarchy to hierarchy for billions of years when, if I find the head guy (or gal), I can just make one giant leap into his presence and end the quest and lay down in the bosom of eternity forever and just be?"
Now you may or may not believe this way, but this expresses the basic attitude of almost all the astral based religious beliefs of the world.
For instance, the Fundamentalist Christians go berserk when one presents them evidence of a hierarchy of Gods. They like the idea of being saved by accepting Jesus, thinking this will take them that giant leap into the arms of the universal Logos. The search is over and there is no more evolution to take place.
Many Buddhists see Nirvana as one giant leap into the arms of the Universal also marking the end of the quest.
Islam sees Allah as the highest there is and accepting him is the ultimate. There is no further advancement to be made.
Many New Age philosophies also follow this reasoning. For instance, Ekankar has their EK Master as the highest being in the universe incarnated on the earth to teach then how to make a giant leap over thousands of useless lives into the arms of the ultimate God, never to be reborn again.
Now a growing new age belief system is emerging that is not tied to any particular group which teaches that we need to find the ultimate God of the void. This God is beyond duality, beyond form, beyond consciousness, and if we merely focus ourselves on that point (similar to acknowledging Jesus to be saved) which is neither right nor left, top or bottom, good nor evil, our consciousness will be magically transported to the arms of the Universal no more to be subject to karma or future lives. We will remain in a blissful state of nothingness for all eternity beyond time.
Thus when the concept of eternal progression and the Hierarchy is taught, one who is ingrained in orthodox religious thinking will almost always say:
"The heck with these small fries. Give me the top dog so the quest can be at an end."
Well, the Hierarchy ahead of us is not so small a fry. As Djwahl Khul points out the Logoi above the Solar is to our consciousness, much higher than we are to a slug. He relates it to the consciousness of a human compared to a single atom.
Now think of it. How much attention have you given lately to teaching slugs or single atoms?
Even so it would be a total waste of time for a logos above solar to have anything directly to do with average humanity.
All in the universe are aided by another life of similar consciousness, but only a little further on the path. It is not in the plan for those a million miles ahead on the path to backtrack when there are plenty of helpers for all in each location.
So why do so many have this great desire to take this large flying leap to the arms of the highest life in the universe?
Answer: Because they believe they will be happiest there.
But what they do not understand is that we are happiest in working with the lives in the next kingdom above us, not 100 kingdoms above us.
If the average seeker were transported to the presence of the Solar Logos (far from the highest) what kind of exchange would take place?
The seeker may ask questions such as: What am I supposed to do with my life? How can I be of service? What is the meaning of life, etc?
The Solar Logos would reply, "There are already millions of lives available in this solar system that can answer your questions to the extent that your consciousness can comprehend. What do you need me for? If you are not ready to even hear the words of a Master on your planet, what makes you think you can have any understanding of my purpose?"
If a slug came to you asking how to be a better slug you would tell him to find a slug ahead of him and learn from him. You do not even want to deal with the tiny lives when the great lives are of much more import.
It is as Jesus said, "Ye are of more value than many sparrows." Matt 10:31
Even so, from the viewpoint of the Solar Logos, one of his direct disciples is worth many humans and that is where he needs to place his attention.
A good teacher for us here in the human kingdom would make more sense to us than instructions from the Solar Logos or higher.
Now let me quote from a previous post I made.
"I wrote earlier about part of the chain of the Hierarchy. There are various ones on this earth with the highest being the Planetary Logos. The highest in the solar system is the Solar Logos however there are millions of Hierarchical workers in between.
"The major leap above this is a logos over seven solar systems of which our Sun is but one.
"In our Milky Way Galaxy we have billions of solar systems and there are many great Logoi until we get to the Galactic Logos. As you know, there are also billions of galaxies which compose our universe, the end of which has not yet been discovered by our scientists. But it does have an end and beyond that we assume there are more universes.
"Now, most metaphysicians assume the Hierarchy and creation goes on infinitely. They think that our universe is one out of millions and these millions form a greater universe and then there is yet another group higher and so on for infinity.
"This assumption is a guess and is not the case.
"The hierarchy ends with the universe of galaxies. The creative mind of God has reached its ring-pass-not at this point.
"Now, there are an unlimited number of other universes, but the hierarchy in one universe is not linked to hierarchies in other universes. This is why I say that the Hierarchy stops at the universal level.
"But progression does not stop there. The life of God as it is incarnated in the various universes is BECOMING, and as it does, groups of universes will eventually be linked in Hierarchical order.
"The Hierarchy at the top of our universe of galaxies is very loosely tied together for the creative form of the universe itself is far from complete."
End quote
This universe is an evolving universe and as such, the top logos of our system is in a state of BECOMING and solidifying his position and purpose. There is no top universe of all the universes as the relationship between physical universes will be virtually non existent for ages to come.
But what about the Big Guy, the one who is over all things?
In asking this question we ask it from a human point of view seeing the Big Guy as a great human sitting on a throne somewhere with human thoughts.
The universal One God is not a logos or a part of any hierarchy, but manifests through all the hierarchy as well as every life in the universe and is thus aware of the fall of a sparrow so long as the sparrow itself is aware of its fall.
But still one may say, "well, then, I want to go directly to this one God."
The answer is that you do not go to the presence of the one God by defying His creative purpose and attempting to jump into a void of nothingness beyond all creation. This cannot be done and is not allowed to be done, for we are all caught in the motivating stream of original purpose and there is no way to escape it because we are one with it. The only thing we can do to move ahead is to find out our part in the Purpose and move with it.
But a lot of people believe that they have escaped duality and gone to the void back to the initiating one God.
Answer: The first thing that would happen if this were possible is that the person would disappear and be no more here in body or consciousness. In fact even his consciousness would be no more, period.
Some, through meditation or focused attention, achieve states of consciousness bordering on bliss that seems beyond all duality and becoming but in this I believe they are deceived. First, if such a state were truly achieved then duality could not pull them back. They would just disappear from this world.
Some do achieve contact with higher realms where duality is seen as a unity but escape from the creative purpose of God is not achieved, nor is it desirable.
We've gone off the basic lesson plan but I think it has been interesting. Now the plan is to get back on course. I will give you my thoughts on the symbol and then we will continue with the lessons.
Anni - could you round up all that everyone has said on the symbol.
"With Pope Luciani, you laid out the facts, made your own recommendation, then gave him time and space to consider. Having absorbed all the available information, he would decide, and when Pope Luciani decided, nothing, and understand me on this, nothing would move him or shift him. Gentle, yes. Humble, yes. But when committed to a course of action, like a rock."
Comment by Cardinal Giovanni Benelli
Copyright 2001 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved