Principles of Discernment
Comment: You say that the Masters do not itemize which books we should read yet you itemized and rated a number of works. What’s that about?
JJ: Yes, it is true, I must be cautious about dissecting the teaching of other people but I think I am being consistent here with the principle I was attempting to put across which is this:
Avoid the declaration of absolute (godlike) authority in declaring a teaching to be true or false. This sets the teacher up as a beast of authority to be mindlessly accepted. Instead, I teach the principles around discernment so the seeker can find out for himself, independent of the teacher. This is one reason I do not present any teachings as absolute. As noted, others may have different opinions on the various ratings. Also note that I am not representing any supernatural being but am one of you, thus not presenting myself as having some infallible source.
In attempting to emphasize this principle of discernment you will note that no matter how inspired I feel internally, or what higher source from which my teachings may come, I consistently avoid throwing in some higher weight with the idea of convincing you I am right. Even my foundation book, The Immortal, is published as fiction – which drives many people crazy because they want a black and white declaration of truth so they do not have to discern for themselves. Because of this approach, even those who are attached to authority have to step back when they read anything controversial and ask:
“Is this guy for real or not?”
“This sounds strange. Maybe he just conjured this out of his imagination. I’d better check this out for myself.”
“This guy obviously is fallible so I’d better think on this.”
Unlike some teachers under the authority of the beast who are pleased with mindless acceptance and no questioning, I am pleased to see people thinking and questioning.
Of course the Middle Way must always be considered. To approach any teacher as if he is always right is the same error as approaching the teacher as if he is always wrong. The correct line of approach is to trust the words of a teacher as they resonate within the chambers of one’s own soul. The only way to do this is to listen afresh with an open mind on each new presentation while always giving some weight to earned authority or to previously discovered illusion.
You’ll notice the use of absolute authority is used on both sides of the equation. The religious teacher will claim that his teachings are from the word or mind of God with 100% accuracy.
Now if the student believes this it puts him in an awful situation – for who wants to go against God and suffer his wrath?
Numerous New Age teachers (many of which disdain the authority of the religious teacher) do the same thing. But instead of using God for their absolute authority they will use a channeled being or supposed Master who speaks from the vantage of knowing the mind of God because he is supposedly from the higher spheres where all is known.
This approach has the same effect as the first in that the believing student does not want to risk missing his leap into the fifth dimension (or some blissful translation) because he does not mindlessly believe and accept.
I therefore teach as one of you, claiming no higher authority than you have within you.
Concerning the latest philosophy under question (Ms Prophet) you will note that when I began talking about her I said these words in answer to a direct question:
“I’ll give you a few of my thoughts with this caveat. The only infallible authority is your own soul, so realize I could be wrong and check with your inner self to the best of your ability.”
Then instead of declaring in the name of God, Djwhal Khul, or St. Germane, that Ms Prophet is out to lunch, I presented an application of principles in relation to discovering the truth.
If I had said something like: “I had a talk with God (or some otherworldly entity) last night and he told me that Ms Prophet is totally wrong,” then I would have violated the principle I teach.
This is the same principle followed by Djwhal Khul and other true teachers when they avoid giving us a list of teachers to believe and discard.
BUT
They have all taught principles to pursue in the discovery of truth and will at times examine select teachings from a guru and examine them from the plane of the mind.
Alice A. Bailey, for example, pointed out some teachings both true and false that came from C. W. Leadbeater and others and Djwhal Khul once pointed out an idea from Ghandi that would have lead to disaster. In each case they gave the reasoning behind their criticism.
Even so I will from time to time give my thoughts (positive and negative) about various doctrines. This will not be to attack, but either because it fits into the topic at hand or someone in the group asks a specific question.
In summary, it would be good to review some criteria that will be helpful in the discovery of truth from an otherworldly source.
(1) Is there a strong claim of authority (subtle or direct) behind the teaching? If so double check with your own soul as well as look at the intent of the teacher and the direction the group is going.
(2) How did the revelation come? If it was by direct voice, or unconscious channeling, then chances are the entity involved understands higher principles no better than you do, even though it may present fanciful data.
If the revelation was received while the medium was fully conscious then this is a good sign, but by no means infallible. You must always run the teachings by your soul.
(3) Does the teacher seem to be stroking his lower self? That is, does he (or she) seem to be the center of much glamour and loving it? Does he dress in special robes and attire that sets him apart from the students? Does he spend a lot of money on himself gained from the sacrifice of the students? For instance, Bhagwan Shri Rajneesh had over a dozen Rolls Royces obtained from donations for the “higher cause.” Then there are others who charge thousands just to ask their channeling entity a question.
(4) Are principles received or just data? This is one of the most reliable tests once the seeker understands what a principle is and that the language of the soul is the language of principles. (See my previous writings on this).
(5) Does the teacher practice what he teaches? No one is perfect, but it should be obvious that the teacher is attempting to live his own teachings.
For instance, many gurus forbid their students from eating meat, yet eat meat themselves, forbid sex, yet are promiscuous, demand discipline, yet are undisciplined themselves, etc. They often feel they have special privileges because of their unique status.
(6) Do the teachings lead to exclusivity? Is the group 100% right with the rest of the world being the enemy? The true teacher will be open to the fact that he will have fiends in many camps and that there are many true revelations received by disciples and groups in various quarters of the earth. Even so, the true teacher will always put any purported revelation to the test.
(7) The supreme test is to run the teachings by your own soul. This is accurate as long as true soul contact is reached and successfully brought into brain consciousness.
If the person has not arrived at soul contact, and is deceived into thinking he has such verification, when he has only contacted the higher astral, he must still go with it because it is the highest he knows. As long as a person consistently follows the highest he knows, true soul contact and discernment of truth is an eventual reality.
A Master will generally work with conveying the principles to be understood through the science of impression or higher telepathy – often leaving the disciple with only the teaching, but not a knowledge of the teacher.
As a final note one must keep in mind that there are exceptions to every rule, but the rules are good signposts.
We must always be open to all possibilities for even in the God of the Bible once gave revelation through an ass. (See Numbers 22)
June 29, 2002
Copyright By J J Dewey
Easy Access to All the Writings
For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE
JJ’s Amazon page HERE
Gather with JJ on Facebook HERE