Month: April 2023

The Nicolaitans

“But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Rev 2:6

The voice of the Master gives another word of praise, and a somewhat odd one at that. The disciple is complimented for hating the same thing that God hates. But wait! We are not supposed to hate anything, are we? And yet a voice representing Christ or God speaks of his own hate.

Now one could argue that Christ would never hate and perhaps this is merely John’s interpretation of the mind of God, putting a thought of God in language to which the seeker can relate.

Yes, it may be true that in the higher spiritual spheres hate may not exist and the reason is that it is not a necessary means of communication there; but when any intelligence, whether man or God, descends to the earthly sphere, the language of emotion applies to all.

I think, then, we can agree that the voice of God clearly states that it disapproves of the Nicolaitans in a way that we would interpret as hate – that is, if such a God were a human being speaking with us.

So what is it about the Nicolaitans that cause the emotion of hate to come not only from the aspirant, but from the voice of God itself?

Scholars have difficulty with this because there is little written about this group. Most of them, however, believe they were either founded or inspired by the disciple Nicolas who is mentioned once in the Bible. In Acts 6:5 his name is given as one of seven called to assist the Twelve Apostles.

It is thought by some that he apostatized from the teachings of Christ and must have started a reprobate group after his name. Actually, the few writings we have from the early church fathers tell a different story. Here is an interesting account recorded by Eusebius giving a story told by Clement of Alexandria about Nicolas:

This man (Nicolaus), it is said, had a young and lovely wife. And when he was reproached by the apostles, after the ascension of the Saviour, for jealousy, he brought her into their midst and bade anyone marry her who wished. For this action, it is said, was in accordance with that saying (of his), ‘One ought to abuse the flesh;’ and, as a matter of fact, the members of his sect have followed both example and precept absolutely and without question, and commit fornication freely. But for my part, I understand that Nicolaus had intercourse with no woman except his wife; and that, as regards his children, the daughters grew old in a state of virginity, while his son preserved his chastity. Such being the case, when he brought the wife, whom he jealously loved, publicly into the midst of the apostles, it was to renounce his passion; and it was self-control, in the face of pleasures men eagerly seek, that taught him to say ‘abuse the flesh.’ For, I imagine, in accordance with the Saviour’s command, he did not wish to serve two masters, pleasure and the Lord.

The Nicolaitans then pursued the unrestricted license to pleasure and gratification in food, sex or whatever they fancied. To justify their actions they cited the story of Nicolas and his willingness to give up his wife to marry, or pleasure, any who wanted her. Since no one condemned him for this, then thy reasoned it must be okay to share sexual favors, have group sex or whatever.

The interesting thing is the Nicolaitans confiscated the name of a man who was doing his best to control passion and corrupted his teaching to give them license to have no self-control whatever.

In the above quote we are told that in deed Nicolas was a very ascetic man who believed in sexual purity. He only had sex with his wife and his children were virgins and chaste.

So it turns out that those who used his name to promote their doctrine of licentiousness were claiming to be followers of Nicolas, but were not. Indeed they were the opposite of Nicolas, or anti-Nicolas.

This point sounds familiar, does it not? It does indeed when we go back a couple verses to these words spoken to Ephesus:

“…thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.” Rev 2:2

This makes sense when we realize that the true seeker cannot bear false apostles, but neither can he tolerate those who falsely use the name of Nicolas, an assistant to the apostles.

While it is true that the Master doesn’t approve of either extreme – asceticism or promiscuity – neither was offensive enough for him to use the word hate. Jesus did not show hate toward the prostitutes of his time. What offends the Spirit much more than indulging in the pleasures of the flesh is taking the teachings of a just man, corrupting them, and leading the people in the opposite direction. We are told that this happened with false apostles, and that there are those who corrupt the teachings of Christ and are antichrist. Finally, there are those who corrupt teachings of lesser saints such as Nicolas and hypocritically use his name.

Another hint as to what is so disturbing to the voice of the Spirit is found in the name itself. Nicolaitans, derived from Nicolas, comes from two Greek words. The first is NIKAN, which means “victory or conquest.” The second is LAOS, which means “the people.” This implies one who is such a powerful personality or of such powerful authority that he dominates the people. Common people can easily accept the word of a powerful leader above their own inner voice.

It is quite possible then that the meaning of the name of the Nicolaitans reveals that God is disgusted with the fact that men often set themselves up as an authority over the people and in doing so claim to be spokesmen for God. This causes them to replace the inner voice of God among the people with their own voice and ideas, thus deceiving the people out of their own inner contact and free will.

We can conclude we are on the right track in identifying the things that God hates because they are the same two things that Jesus hated, which were:

(1) Those who were in charge of the temple claimed to be the rightful heirs to administering its services. Instead of keeping with the original intent set forth by Moses, David and Solomon, they corrupted it to their own ends.

Jesus hated this and called them a “den of thieves” and made a whip and chased them out.

(2) Jesus hated the hypocrisy of the leaders who would not let the people think for themselves. These leaders claimed to speak for God and that they should be followed without question.

To them Jesus said:

“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” Matt 23:13-14

Jesus never expressed disgust toward the typical sinner, but had compassion toward them. But he did express very negative feelings toward unjust leaders.

The hate expressed by the voice of the Master toward the Nicolaitans was merely a reiteration of the disgust Jesus had toward the leaders in his day.

It makes sense that the aspiring disciple, who has gained a sense of spiritual freedom, would hate the doctrine of the Nicolaitans who would seek to corrupt past teachings and force followers to conform to that corruption.

It is interesting that misplaced hate still runs rampant in the churches today. They will tolerate that which God hates – corruption and unjust authority – while hating any type of sexual talk or indiscretion. Promiscuity is not the way of the disciple, but it is a much lesser wrong than that which is committed by those who seek to control the minds of men and take away their free agency.

Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps. David Lloyd George (1863 – 1945)

Dec 30, 2006

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Wayne – A Loyal Friend

My goodly brother Wayne (who was in The Immortal) died Wednesday Dec 27, of heart complications.

I found it interesting that within hours of his death I also learned of the deaths of President Gerald Ford and singer James Brown. Now you couldn’t find two people who were more different than these two, but when I thought about it I see a little of both of them in Wayne.

There was a part of Wayne (especially in his younger years) who was impulsive, likes attention, liked to cut loose, was unpredictable with a devil may care attitude like James Brown. Then (especially in his later years) he was more measured, introverted, reflective, loved quiet conversation and like to mingle with friends and like-minded thinkers. This part of Wayne was more like Gerald Ford.

I’ll just tell a couple stories of his younger James Brown side.

Back in his college days there was this one particular teacher Wayne didn’t like. He was particularly agitated when he came to class one day and the teacher sprang a pop quiz on them. Wayne was completely unprepared for the quiz and felt he had to do something. He leaned back in his chair and it fell over backwards and Wayne started rolling around on the floor like he was having an epileptic fit.

The teacher ran up to Wayne and leaned over him and held him down as he was rolling his eyes around like a crazy man. If this wasn’t bad enough, Wayne slapped the teacher three or four times. Then he acted like he was coming out of it, sat up and asked “Where am I?”

The teacher nervously explained what happened and Wayne replied that the last thing he remembered was sitting back on his chair.

The teacher asked him if he was OK and Wayne said he wasn’t sure, he felt a little dizzy.

The teacher then excused him from the class, as well as the quiz, and told him he could make it up later.

Wayne reserved his exuberance until he was out the door headed for freedom. Who else do you know who slaps a teacher he didn’t like and gets totally excused for it?

Here’s another one.

Back in High School around 1962 during the Cold War Wayne got in trouble with Mr. Horton, his biology teacher. The class was just before lunch and there was always a mad dash to the lunchroom so students could get the best seats and first servings.

We were supposed to wait until the bell before beginning the sprint, but Wayne kept taking off just before the bell rang. Horton warned Wayne, but it didn’t do any good. Wayne kept on leaving a few seconds early.

Finally, Horton had enough and expelled Wayne from the class.

Wayne was upset and wrote Horton a letter and brought it to me because I had a typewriter. He asked me to type it up for him because he didn’t want anyone to recognize his handwriting.

I took it from him and read it. It said something like this.

Comrade Horton:

If we are to take over the United States, we need to have our planted agents, such as yourself, be more cooperative and obedient to orders.

Concerning that textbook you use to infiltrate their minds – we command you to throw it away and replace it with something interesting. Playboy magazine would be better than what you have now.

You know that if we are to make slaves of all the students you teach that they will be of little value unless we keep them in good physical condition. Therefore, we order you to encourage a short sprint to the lunch line to make sure they get a good dose of daily exercise.

We warn you comrade that if you do not do this it will be Siberia for your next assignment.

Signed Khrushchev

That’s the gist of it, but it was several times longer and I found it very amusing to read. After finishing it I said, “Even if we type this they’ll still figure out that you wrote it.”

“I want to send it anyway,” he said.

I thought a moment and replied, “If you are set on sending it then I have an idea. I have a pen pal in Canada. We could send it to him and then he could mail it from there. Horton will not be able to figure out who could have sent it from Canada.”

“Let’s do it.” He said.

I then typed the letter up and sent it with instructions to my Canadian pen pal. I think he was hesitant to cooperate and after about six weeks passed I thought he may have thrown the letter away. Finally, over the intercom I heard an announcement:

“Will Wayne Garner please come to the Principal’s office.”

Wayne went to the Principal’s office and was invited to take a seat in front of his desk. The Principal then began with small talk asking Wayne how he was doing in school and then asked him what he wanted to major in when he went to college.

Wayne told him that he was thinking of majoring in forestry.

The Principal then told Wayne that he knew of some good forestry schools up in Canada. He said, “If you went to college in Canada – are there any relatives or friends up there you could stay with?”

“No,” said Wayne feeling a little puzzled.

“Do you know anyone up in Canada?”

“Nope,” he said.

Then the principal pulled out the letter and looked it over as the conversation moved ahead. Wayne saw it and got a little nervous when he realized why the principal was talking about Canada.

The Principal then showed the letter to Wayne and asked: “Did you write this?”

“No,” said Wayne sheepishly.

“Look,” said the principle. “Sure Horton was a little upset at first, but he’s OK now. We just want to know who wrote this. If it’s you we won’t do anything.”

Wayne took him at his word and confessed and then in Wayne’s words to me – “All hell broke loose.” They called in his parents, threatened a lawsuit and just about expelled him from school. Fortunately, Wayne was allowed to stay in school, but Horton was highly offended and refused to let him back in Biology class nor did he ever encourage students to take a short sprint to the lunch line.

Also of note is that the main thing that made the principle doubt that it could have been Wayne is he thought the letter was well written in good English and Wayne didn’t get good grades in English.

I could tell many more stories about this interesting friend. In fact, I think I told several at the Sun Valley Gathering.

Wayne never pretended to be a saint or particularly spiritual but he was one heck of a nice guy who would do anything for his friends. He had quite a lot of money go through his fingers but rarely had any extra because he was always helping others out. If he had a fault in his older age, it was that he was too generous.

I could write a book about my friend, but am out of time. His spirit and mine have yet an eternity to go and it will only seem a small moment before we work and play together again.

May his rest be sweet.

Never refuse any advance of friendship, for if nine out of ten bring you nothing, one alone may repay you. Madame de Tencin

Dec 29, 2006

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Freedom Without Responsibility

The Master follows the praise with some criticism:

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” Rev 2:4-5

Scholars are somewhat mystified as to what was the “first love” of the church at Ephesus. Some think that it was the original enthusiasm, brotherhood or ideals of the members that just wore off and they were being admonished to get themselves recharged.

A closer examination will reveal that this was not the problem. To understand what the first love is we need to return to the key word which is “permission.”

As written earlier, the first real step toward enlightenment and movement on the path occur when the seeker gives himself permission to follow his internal authority rather than the outward. To discover the first love we must ask ourselves what the seeker was attracted to that caused him to take the steps to find the path in the first place – before he followed his internal self. In other words, what virtue did he have before he was enlightened that made him move toward Spirit to begin with?

The answer leads us to his first love.

Before he was ruled by internal permission, his life was governed by external authorities who gave him permission. These external authorities were seen as representing the voice of God. As such, the seeker took these outer commands and instructions very seriously. He felt that if he disobeyed the prophet, priest, guru or book it was the same thing as disobeying God. He was thus very assiduous about honoring that voice and being a good servant for God, as he understood the concept. This was his first love.

Then, at the start of his new journey, he discovered that the authorities representing the voice of God knew no more about the truth than he did – that his internal voice was what he needed to follow.

The problem is that there are two internal voices. One is the voice of the Spirit and the other is the voice of the lower self, expressing lower desire. When the seeker first begins his journey on the path it is true that he does indeed contact the real voice, but neither is he perfect nor has he overcome selfishness. The lower voice is much easier to hear and requires no meditation or concentration of attention to get its message. Thus, when the aspirant begins his spiritual journey, he hears the lower voice much more than he hears the higher.

In the past he had some protection from following the lower nature because he followed his “first love,” his teachers and the voice of God they represented. Despite their faults, these outer authorities admonished him to exercise self-control over his passions and lower nature. They encouraged him to have self-discipline.

When the seeker discovers his inner authority and gives himself permission to ignore the outer, he (for a period of time) goes from one extreme to the other. He goes from obeying every external word that seems to come from God to ignoring all he has learned in the past.

What does he do now? Now that he has released himself from outer authority, he follows the inner, but the trouble is that the spiritual voice does not lay down the law in detail, as did the outer. If he has a decision to make and does not receive clear instruction from the Spirit, he falls back on lower desire. When he makes this mistake he is left with a choice between lower desire and outer authorities… BUT he has rejected outer authorities, so in all areas where he has no clear communication through the soul (or perhaps ignores that communication), he is left with following lower desire.

The net effect of this situation can be summarized as follows:

(1) The seeker makes the breakthrough and clearly hears and follows the still small voice.

(2) He releases himself from the bondage of outer authorities.

(3) He feels free and this freedom seems to be what enlightenment is all about. He now goes overboard and follows every desire that comes to him, ignoring the discipline he learned in the past.

This explains a popular criticism that many who consider themselves “enlightened” receive from the rank-and-file religious people. With some justification they will accuse them of being carnal, undisciplined, licentious, rebellious, etc. The seeker will often laugh such criticism off as being somewhat primitive and unenlightened, and continue to follow any impulse that feels good to him. This takes him away from the soul for a period of time. He will find that he will need a wake-up call from the Master’s voice to set him back on track.

In a moment of sanity, when he sees that the lower impulses lead to disaster after disaster, he hears the higher voice:

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

Upon hearing this message he realizes that he has discarded many principles from his past that harmonize with the voice of the Spirit. He has merely used his new freedom as an excuse to follow his lower nature. He sees that if he continues on the current course he will lose contact with the true inner voice and the light (candlestick) will no longer shine within. He must “repent,” or change course. He must honor those things from the past which were good and lead him toward Spirit, and follow the voice of the soul to yet higher realms of understanding.

A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the *Pierian Spring Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744)

*Pierian Spring 1. Greek Mythology. A spring in Macedonia, sacred to the Muses. 2. A source of inspiration.

Dec 28, 2006

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Freeing the Mind

A fellow student who is in prison was hoping to get paroled but was denied and probably has to wait another five years for another chance. He wrote me asking for advice on why this did not happen and I thought my answer may be of use to others so here it is.

I’m really sorry you did not get your parole. It must have been a great disappointment.

I thought I would respond to your concerns that your freedom did not happen when you felt that it would. There is a thing or two missing from your belief system that needs to be corrected to avoid illusion in the future.

I will give you a hard, but true statement, one that I have learned from hard experience.

If you were totally free within yourself then it would not have mattered whether you received parole or not. You would have been completely prepared to accept the decision, either way it went.

If you obtained your physical freedom then you would have allowed yourself the joys that go along with using that freedom.

If you were denied your physical freedom, you would give thanks for your internal freedom from which no one can take and then do your part in fulfilling higher Will, whatever it is. If it were important in the grand scheme of things that you be released then you would be. Because you are not this tells us that the best thing you can do for the Purpose of God is to serve in whatever capacity you can and continue to prepare for the future.

Remember this. When the disciple prepares for the future he does so with a vision not only of his present life, but with future lives in mind also. The self-discipline you may learn in prison may be something that will assist you for many lifetimes to come. Eventually, when you reflect over the life of the soul your period of restriction will seem only a small moment, but an important one as far as learning is concerned.

It is true that we make our own reality but there is a lot of illusion connected with this belief. The main one is the idea is all we have to do to get what we want is to change our thinking. For instance, you seemed to have thought that if you set your mind free the freedom of your body would follow.

The truth is not that simplistic. For one thing if your mind were truly free the denial of parole would have created little disappointment. If the mind is totally free it is free in all circumstances. This is a hard saying and one on which I am still working myself, but a true one that I have proven in imprisoning circumstances in my own life.

The disciple must realize that there are many more forces involved in making reality than his own little will and sphere of influence.

Let us say, for instance, that you want to make a million dollars. Is all you need to do is put yourself in a frame of mind that sees yourself as rich and then wait for the money to come in?

Not exactly. Such is only a first step, but to get the million you must realize that the money is presently in the hands of others. If you had power to just decree the money as your own you would have to force someone out there to give up their money when most probably they do not want to and it would be a painful loss to them.

Would it be fair then for you to get the million at the expense of painful loss to others?

So what is the correct way to get the million? Yes, putting yourself in the correct state of consciousness is a good first step, but only a first step. Next, if you follow the path of harmlessness, you will figure out how to cause others to willingly give up their money to you because they are getting something valuable in return. Maybe you have created a new seasoning that tastes great and everyone who will buy it will be extremely gratified. In this case you not only have the rich mindset, but you have come up with a way to give those who give to you a value for the exchange.

Now in our personal life it is difficult to assess all our true circumstances. In your case, for instance, it is possible that you have a debt from past lives that your soul has deduced can best be paid off by a few more years in prison. Then it could be something else. Perhaps you have a great mission ahead and your soul has concluded that a few more years in prison will sharpen your abilities and better prepare you for things to come.

The bottom line here is that we all have limitations that we have to accept. Even the Master Jesus, when he realized the extent of his sacrifice, asked God to take him out of the circumstance, but he yielded to the higher will nonetheless.

You also want to be removed from your circumstances, but wisdom decrees you must continue in a restrictive mode for a while yet to come. You too must acquiesce and say, “not my will but yours be done.”

Question: I wondered what benefit it would be to the Christ or even Jesus to reincarnate into the World again via being born as babies, if they are already working in the World in physical bodies now?

Whether or not one of the greater lives can work in the flesh with humanity and how they can interplay with us is determined by two things.

1. Humanity’s karma.
2. The readiness of humanity and disciples who will be taught by the avatar.

To openly manifest to humanity would create such a disturbance that this situation is avoided in this age. We are told that the gods walked among men in the days of Atlantis and this may have been necessary at the time to accomplish certain objectives, but it also created numerous problems, which would be amplified today.

One obvious problem would be that those in power and authority would be threatened and would seek to undermine the work and teachings of the Masters.

The coming of Christ will pave the way for the externalization of the Hierarchy so they can work openly with humanity again. My guess is that it will take some time before humanity is ready for complete openness, that it will be first tested among disciples.

In recorded history the greater lives have been born among us when they desire to work directly with us. When one is born as a babe he is much more accepted than a life that may not be seen as a normal human. Sometimes an avatar will be born among us and other times he will overshadow a disciple. The overshadowing has drawbacks as the body belongs to the disciple and not the Master. This gives the disciple full power of decision making and if he does not listen properly or fully cooperate then the work can suffer. Jesus was one that did fully cooperate (as far as we know) and this made his life a great success.

The drawback of the avatar being born as a babe is that it may take some time for him to fully understand his mission and he has to pump into his mind all the data and learning he will need for his mission. The advantage is he can work among us as a normal human without being an immediate threat to the powers-that-be and within the restrictions of karma.

It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything. Chuck Palahniuk (1962 – )

Dec 27, 2006

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Praise from the Master’s Voice

“I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:” Rev 2:2

Nothing can be hidden from the inner God. He knows all thoughts and intents of the heart. The works of the newly aspiring disciple are seen and known. Three things are known about the aspirant by the Observer within:

(1) His works

Working for a spiritual ideal that goes beyond serving the lower self must take place before the seeker begins to tread the path of liberation. If a person thinks he is on the path but has no works, then he only has passing interest and has not yet gotten serious about moving forward. Nothing important happens, even for the spiritual seeker until actual work is done. The pilgrim will try every avenue possible to avoid work and take shortcuts until, after lifetimes of frustration, he finally realizes that there is much work to do and he must do his part.

(2) Labor

It would seem that there is not much difference between labor and work until we examine the Greek and realize that this is an incomplete translation. The word used for labor is KOPOS, which is more accurately translated as “strenuous and painstaking labor.”

When the seeker begins a work he often thinks it will be painless and fun. He begins with an attitude that he is going to have a good time as he proceeds in the work. Even though there are always good times to be had (and one should make the best of all situations) all is not fun and games in the spiritual work. It is not long before storm clouds arise and troubles come. That which seemed to be easy becomes difficult and that which was fun becomes tedious and challenging.

(3) Patience/Endurance

Patience comes from the Greek HUPOMONE; “endurance”, or more specifically “steadfast endurance”, is a more accurate translation.

This translation makes more sense and adds depth to the work of the aspirant. Many times the seeker begins an unselfish work but then quits after a few obstacles get in the way. When it looks as if the work will not bring immediate results he loses faith. Finally, after numerous cycles of labor and quitting he realizes that he must attain the added quality of endurance, an endurance that can carry the seeker through pain, grief and disappointment until results are obtained.

He must obtain a living witness of the words of the Master:

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Matt 24:13

He who endures until the work is done takes the first step in his own salvation or deliverance.

Notice that the seeker is being praised for having achieved these three qualities in the first stage of discipleship, but the voice of the Master does not stop there. He gives additional praise: “thou canst not bear them which are evil.”

This is awkward to interpret in isolation. Many people have different definitions of what is “evil.” We are clearly told though that the aspiring disciple does not embrace that which he sees as evil or destructive, but is repulsed by it. Apparently, he sees true evil, for the inner voice acknowledges his intolerance as a good thing.

The next part of the verse identifies a particular evil that must be confronted: “…and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.”

A particular evil faced by the aspiring disciple are those who say they are apostles and are not. Who are such people? The word “apostle” is generally linked with the twelve disciples of Jesus, but  many people surfaced with the claim of being the true successors of the original twelve or apostles in their own right.

“Apostle” comes from the Greek APOSTOLOS and means “one sent forth with orders.” This implies that such a person has strong external authority.

Now let us look again with whom the aspirant is dealing. These are they “which SAY they are apostles.” In other words, as the seeker begins the path of liberation one of the first great evils he must confront and overcome are those who seek authority over him to give him marching orders. Where do they get their authority? They only seem to have it because they (or their followers) “say” so.

In order to make his first step of granting himself “permission” to listen to the inner voice, he must free himself from false unearned outer authorities. But note that he does not mindlessly reject an outer authority just because it is there and attempting to instruct or order him about. What does he do?

The Master gives him praise for testing such people, and John himself, in another scripture, talks about the importance of such tests:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” I John 4:1

Now the question arises as to how the seeker is to test such people. The next verse seems to give a simplistic answer:

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” I John 4:2-3

So is that all there is to the test? If they confess that Jesus came in the flesh then we know they are of God, right?

Not quite. First we know this is not correct based on observation alone. Many tyrants and people of great evil have confessed the coming of Jesus. Cortez and other Conquistadors confessed the coming of Jesus in the flesh and forced thousands of Native Americans to also make such a confession or die.

If this common interpretation is not correct, then what is? To understand, let us examine the verse more carefully. The key to the meaning is found in the phrase: “Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.” We covered in the beginning of this treatise that the name Jesus Christ means “anointed to deliver”, and applies not only to the Master in Galilee, but to all who successfully follow in his footsteps and seek to assist those who tread the path of deliverance.

“Is come” is from the Greek ERCHOMAI and is the middle voice of a primary verb used only in the present and imperfect tenses. Here it is used in the imperfect tense which implies a thing that is in the state of progress or happening in the now, whenever that now is occurring. If we take this into consideration, then what is the verse really telling us? Who are those that pass the test?

The orthodox version reads: “Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”

A more accurate rendering as far as the meaning is concerned would be:

Everyone who confesses in spirit that (the name of) Jesus Christ is manifesting in (their own) flesh is of God.

This agrees with another scripture written by John:

“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Rev 14:1

The name given of the Father is Jesus Christ and is written in the minds and hearts of all true followers.

What then is the test of the true apostle? The seeker must search him out and discover this one thing: does he see himself as a representative of Jesus Christ in a way that you are not or could not be if you so chose? Or does he see you and himself as equals in the opportunity of manifesting the Christ within our fleshly tabernacles? Does he allow you to speak the words of your innermost soul and allow you to follow them without trying to place his outer authority over you, above your own inner authority?

If he respects your inner voice as he does his own, and if he allows you to manifest Christ with the same authority that he does for himself, then he is of God. But if he seeks authority over you for the sake of glorifying his ego, then he is not of God – no matter what words of support he gives to Jesus.

The seeker at this stage is thus praised by the Master’s voice. He has seen the deceit behind those who sought to control and direct him toward their own ideal rather than that of the inner Christ.

The next verse reads:

“And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.” Rev 2:3

This reinforces the praise for the seeker’s endurance. Endurance is reiterated because successful endurance in keeping the mind steady on the Inner Light is much rarer than the performance of a labor. Many labor for a while and give up in the heat of the day, but those who have securely entered the path of liberation must be able to “endure all things” and continue until the work manifests the desired fruit – even if that end seems far away.

I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean G. K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936)

Dec 23, 2006

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Beginning the Spiritual Journey

Next, we will examine the seven churches, and seek to discover which ray each represents and the inner message to the aspiring disciple. Let us first list them with their equivalent meaning from the Greek.

(1) Ephesus comes from the Greek EPHESINOS, which in turn is derived from EPHESOS and means “permitted or permission.”

(2) Smyrna is derived from the Greek SMURNA, which is the herb myrrh. This is an antiseptic and was used for embalming, an ingredient of oil used for anointing. Myrrh was one of the gifts of the three wise men to the infant Jesus.

(3) Pergamos is unchanged from the Greek spelling and is derived from PERGOS, which means a “tower” or fortification “rising to a considerable height, to repel a hostile attack or to enable a watchman to see in every direction.”

(4) Thyatira comes from THUATEIRA, which is thought to be associated with affliction.

(5) Sardis comes from SARDIES. and means “red ones.” Sardis was a particularly luxurious city.

(6) Philadelphia in the Greek means “brotherly love.” This was sometimes called “the white city.”

(7) The seventh church was the Laodiceans from the Greek LAODIKEUS and means “justice of the people.”

We shall examine these one at a time.

The letters to the seven churches represent instructions to the seeker as he undertakes seven different stages on the path to initiation where he reaches the point that he can hold his mind “steady in the light” and not be moved out of his place. In addition, the churches represent seven groups of people. Those in the groups are loosely attracted to each other due to reaching a similar point on the path and similar ray qualities.

Notice that to each group the Master gives both compliments as well as stern criticism. This fits the paradigm because, until the disciple learns to keep his mind steady in the light and overcome illusion, his actions will waver in and out of his spiritual center. In some areas he will be focused and follow the inner voice, but in other areas he will ignore the inner voice in favor of preconceived notions and lower desires.

Ephesus: Gaining Permission

Let us look at the first set of instructions:

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;” Rev 2:1

Ephesus basically means “given permission.” Why is permission an important word as the seeker begins his path to discipleship?

It is indeed of extreme importance, much more than has been realized in the past. Throughout his long struggle the pilgrim has only acted when given permission from some earthly authority. That authority may be a priest, prophet, king, teacher, book, belief system, political party, group etc. Because the average person can only act under the permission of earthly authorities the inner voice is muffled. Why? Because the inner voice gives permission that overrides all outer authorities.

A great problem then arises when the inner voice is recognized. The authority of the inner voice conflicts with the authority of the outer. Which is the seeker to follow? At first he has many fears of defying the outer authorities and hesitates. Later, after he takes the initial plunge, he goes to the other extreme and defies all authority almost mindlessly. He makes many mistakes until he learns the true lessons of harmonizing the inner voice with the outer world.

To help the seeker put things in perspective he is told that the voice holds “the seven stars in his right hand, (and) walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.”

The seeker is reminded that he is only lighting the first candlestick on the path to discipleship. He has six more great obstacles to hurdle and six more teachers and belief systems to transcend before he becomes a disciple. He must eventually realize that all seven stages are under the guidance of the inner Christ. Even though there are many perils, the path is a part of a grand design.

A smile is the shortest distance between two people. Victor Borge (1909 – 2000

Dec 22, 2006

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The Reason for Death

Question: Why are we born with no memory of our past and purpose?

To understand the answer we must understand the main reason we die after a few short years upon the earth.

When you watch people age you notice that most of them settle in a routine, mindset, belief system, habits, and learn less and less the older they get.

If the average person lived a thousand years, he would spend over 900 of it in the same routine, the same profession, with the same habits and would learn very little during that period. As far as actual usable progression goes for many that last 900 years would be a waste of time.

To solve this problem of inefficiency the divine plan places into effect the law of economy and pulls us away from physical life around the time we start wasting our time.

We have to then be placed in a new situation without the memory of our past habits and ability. We are forced to start with a clean slate and forced to learn if we are to function at all. We repeat this cycle for many lifetimes until we gain control of our own learning and purpose. When this happens we become “born again” without being reborn in the flesh and can learn and create new things through our own initiative and thus become an initiate. The initiate is then on the path to overcoming all things, including death.

No matter where you are on the path you must follow the highest you know with extreme honesty and sooner or later the next step will be revealed.

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:26

Since we have members here with diverse views on the Bailey writings I want to make it clear that there is no demand or expectation that anyone accept the Bailey writings as gospel to be in good standing in this group. All it takes to be in good standing in this group is to be considerate and abide by the basic rules.

The Bailey writings are not for everyone. In fact, DK says this several times and indicates that the main people he is writing to are a handful of disciples who will take what he says and filter it down to the consciousness of seekers so it can be assimilated. This is what I have tried to do with much of his material. He says that many other seekers and intellectuals will glean some helpful information from them.

He also says that if it feels like you are not assimilating much continue reading anyway and after a while, things will start fitting together. I found this to be invaluable advice for when I started reading the books I wondered if I was absorbing much but continued and eventually everything starting making more sense.

I remember when I first bought my first Bailey book. I read a few pages and it didn’t take long to come across several things that went against my belief system. I also found it very difficult to read, but I sensed a high intelligence there. I put the book back on my shelf and it was several years later that I finally got around to reading some more. When I finished the complete book on White Magic I was hooked and determined to read and understand all the books.

On the other hand, the Bailey books are not the only ones I had difficulty plowing through and understanding. The Book of Isaiah and Revelations are equally obtuse, yet when studied they turn out to be the most profound writings in the Bible, except for the words of Jesus.

A reader made a reference to trance channelers. Bailey did not go into a trance when receiving the material from DK. Trance channelers usually receive from the astral world, often from entities that know less than earthly teachers. A Master communicates to a disciple while both are in full consciousness using impression or mental telepathy.

I am patient with stupidity but not with those who are proud of it. Edith Sitwell (1887 – 1964)

Dec 21, 2006

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Djwahl Khul and Alice A. Bailey

Concerning the writings of Djwahl Khul through Alice A. Bailey, there are a number of reasons he is an earned authority with me. The main one being that he touches on a principle that vibrates with my soul in almost every paragraph he writes. No other writer does this for me.

Another reason is that often when I have had things revealed to me through the Oneness Principle, I later will be reading DK and discover that he had written about it either directly or indirectly through hints.

I find it interesting that the writings that Alice A. Bailey did by herself rarely say anything that I consider profound, that overall, a page of DK’s writings equals the light in one of her books – and her books are pretty good from a standard point of view. The difference testifies that Alice A. Bailey did not write the books attributed to DK.

Now one can say that some tricky evil spirit dictated the DK books, but they definitely did not come from Mrs. Bailey.

I believe the writings come from a true master of Wisdom and thus when his writings take me into unknown territory, I give then strong credibility.

Does this mean I automatically accept all he writes? No, but it does mean I give weight to all he writes. I personally find it amazing as to how much I automatically agree with because of soul confirmation as I read. After decades of study there are only two or three things I have on the shelf – on which I have not received soul confirmation and which I may disagree.

What are the possible origins of the DK material? Here are the possibilities:

[1] Alice A. Bailey was a clever ambitious girl and made them all up.

[2] She received the writings of a Master as represented.

[3] She received the writings from a dark brother disguising himself as a brother of light.

 [4] She received the writings from a higher intelligence that is neither dark nor light, but just screwing with us.

[5] She received the writings from her subconscious mind.

[6] She received them from her solar angel.

Interestingly, in relation to this question, I found a helpful piece of information today – a sample of Alice A. Bailey’s handwriting. This gives us powerful evidence in answering the first possibility. Fortunately, I have been a student of handwriting analysis since I was a teenager.

Here are a couple things it reveals.

The thing that stands out first is she saw herself as a strong personality, capable of influencing others and dominating a situation.

She was very passionate, but with emotions under control. She also had some suppression which probably contributed to her health problems later in life.

She was very determined and decisive, loved to work with people. She had a good imagination with her mind exploring the abstract as well as right human relations. Her weakness was the physical side of life, sometimes not following through to ensure the financial means she needed.

She liked responsibility and liked to lead. She was fairly honest and straightforward. She had some childlike qualities and faith.

The big question is this. Was she intelligent enough to have fabricated the writings of DK?

The answer is a definite no according to her handwriting. She was a little above average in intelligence, but her native intelligence was far from the quality needed to write something like “Treatise on Cosmic Fire,” or even the fourteen rules of White Magic.

She was methodical, a good student, but did not have a penetrating mind, was not particularly perceptive or innovative. She was a team player. She was not the deep thinker compared to the author of the writings of DK, or even H P Blavatsky.

What intelligence was she capable of displaying? Fortunately, we have the answer for she wrote several books without DK’s help.

In fact, the comparing of her writings to that of DK is the most astounding proof that she did indeed receive the writings of DK from somewhere higher than her personality self.

If you read some of her own words such as “Consciousness of the Atom” and compare them to “White Magic” you will see the difference between night and day.

Her own writings reveal the intelligence and personality as revealed in her handwriting. In fact, when I finally found her handwriting, I saw nothing to surprise me. It was about what I had expected, based on my knowledge of her own writings.

On the other hand, if she had indeed fabricated the DK writings, I would have expected something entirely different. There would have been evidence of super intelligence as well as deceit.

To create two styles of writings are difficult enough, but to create two levels of intelligence consistent throughout the two sets of writings is close to impossible.

The most difficult thing I have ever written was the dialog for Philo in the Immortal books. It was very difficult indeed to put myself in his mindset and write with his intelligence.

In my mind then, there is no doubt that Alice A. Bailey did not fabricate the higher writings of DK. She did receive them from somewhere above the personality level.

“Having achieved one pinnacle of spiritual success, another can be glimpsed, and between the two pinnacles, lies a field of service, a sphere of danger, a land of glamour and deep morasses through which you must struggle, until the point of attainment planned by your soul for this life is yours.” DK – Discipleship in the New Age, Vol 2, Page 470

Dec 18, 2006

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Christ and Inspired Writings

Question: How is it that “Christ was in a physical body” when John had this vision on Patmos? If that is what you are saying here, then how do you know that?

A Master as high as the Christ always has a physical body available. They are capable of working in the sphere of their choice and when working with the physical inhabitants such a being will always have constant access to a physical body. This could be a body from a past life or a Mayavirupa, which is a physical body created and organized by the power of thought.

Christ said “I will be with you until the end of the age.” He meant more than being with us in spirit but being with us in all spheres including the physical.

How do I know these and other things? The door to all higher communication, no matter what the source, is through the soul. In most cases I center myself in the intuitive mind and attempt to see through the Oneness Principle. Also, Djwahl Khul, an earned authority with me, has also taught this.

Of course, I could be right or wrong in what I put down in writing. The reader must always check with his mind, reason and soul and verify by the highest he knows. If unable to do this then the best thing is to put it on the shelf and await more solid knowledge.

Sometimes a seeker will see much in one direction but be blocked in another. Sometimes the block is created by his own soul for his own good because he is not ready.

Question: Then why did the Christ need to overshadow the disciple Jesus if he had a physical body already at his disposal, or could easily create one “by the power of thought”?

We have no evidence that he Christ had overcome death before the age of Jesus so he may have had no physical body available. And why doesn’t God, or some high entity, just manifest physically in front of the United Nations and explain what is needed to bring peace on earth? Christ and other high entities presently have the power to do this if they so choose. Why do they not more directly work with us in an impressive way?

The answer is simple. They have learned through painful experience that it is destructive to attempt to do for us what we can do for ourselves. (recall the story of the caterpillar receiving help to free itself from its cocoon.) They broke this rule in the days of Atlantis and the world as it was known then was completely destroyed because regular humans did not learn the lessons necessary to create stability.

The karma of the world dictated that the highest entity that Christ could manifest through (to common humanity) was a disciple such as Jesus, a regular guy in many ways, but one with great aspirations of spiritual quality.

Will Christ come in a physical body of his own this time? It depends on how many disciples are prepared to receive him. This is one reason the manner of his coming is not given out. If there are not enough people prepared then he will manifest through a disciple (or disciples) as he did last time.

After the resurrection Jesus kept his own body for a period of time. We have legends in many lands of his ministries. The Christ returned to a body in his home among the Masters on the borders of Tibet. There he established the active heart center of the planet, the Spiritual Hierarchy. Today a partial essence remains in a physical body but works though high disciples and through deep mediation and oneness with his Higher Self contacts and inspires other disciples dispersed throughout the earth.

There are many things I teach that cannot be proven with black and white facts. That does not make them untrue. If it did many of Jesus’ words would be negated.

If the Christ does not work through a physical body, then from whence does he work?

He would not dwell in the astral world for the Masters do not work from that illusive sphere.

If his lowest point of dwelling was the mental or formless spheres then his work would be there. Because his main work is with the redemption of humanity, he dwells here with us so his focus will also be with us.

Question: Isn’t Christ and the Hierarchy in the etheric in the Gobi Desert somewhere?

What I said is that Shamballa, where the Ancient of Days representing the head center of the earth resides, is composed of etheric matter. The Ancient of Days also has a body composed of etheric matter.

The Spiritual Hierarchy of the earth, the Heart Center, that deals directly with humankind does not reside in Shamballa, but in physical bodies and, according to DK, a good portion of them live “on the borders of Tibet.” Here they guard what is called the “archives of the Masters” and the Christ is acknowledged as “the teacher of angels and men.”

Question: Who was the being in the first chapter of Revelation?

What John saw here (from my point of view) was not the man Jesus, or the entity known as the Christ, but a symbolic being created by his brain after it was filtered through his mind. Neither entity has feet like brass in a fire nor flaming eyes, nor the voice of many waters nor holds seven stars in his hand. These are symbols created through a point of revelation received by John. They were not to be taken literally but were to be interpreted. The scripture says clearly this image was “like” the son of man, or a being like Christ who has overcome death. The image was not the entity who is Christ, but a symbol of him.

The voice represented the voice of God, but the voice of God can come to us through our own souls or projected by a master or group mind. Most likely the whole vision was a synthesis of revelation from the angel who did not want to be worshipped as God or Christ because he was a brother (Revelation 19:10) and the intuition of John.

Of this DK wrote: “In the New Testament, John, the beloved disciple, was privileged to gain a cosmic picture and a true prophetic vision which he embodied in the Apocalypse, but he is the only one who so achieved and he achieved because he loved so deeply, so wisely and so inclusively. His intuition was evoked through the depth and intensity of his love-as it was in his Master, the Christ.” Glamour, Page 137

This harmonizes with my soul, which says that much of the revelation was due to the invocation of John’s intuition.

Comment: I believe that DK was a mental creation of AAB

This statement makes me wonder if you have even read enough of DK’s [Djwahl Khul] words to make a fair assessment. If you read 100 pages of Alice A. Bailey’s [AAB] writings and then read 100 pages attributed to DK you will see a difference in intelligence that I would consider impossible for any one person to fabricate.

AAB’s situation is much different than the many channelers out there. Even though some are quite profound and provocative it is still possible they could have been written by intelligent and educated individuals. In addition, most of these writings do not elaborate on any principles, whereas DK’s writings deal with many principles – a true indication of an inspired work.

Comment: Perhaps a higher intelligence was focused on AAB, but the end result was distorted by her thought process.

Here it sounds like we are in agreement. The higher life for Alice A. Bailey was stated to be DK. I’m sure there is always some filtering but Alice A. Bailey said that DK was often very specific in his wording. She did say they sometimes argued some back and forth as to the best way to word an idea and DK sometimes complained that Alice’s mental ability and knowledge was not sufficient for him to express himself as he wanted.

Many times, I have been accused of plagiarizing much of my material from the Bailey writings. This, as you know, is not true. When I borrow anything directly from anyone I attempt to give credit where credit is due. There are many of my teachings which are elaborations of his writings or just happen to run in harmony with them. Sometimes I will receive something that I think has never been put in print and then later I will find a hint or reference to it in DK’s writings.

In fact, the phrase “soul contact” was originated and taught by him. I have added quite a few ideas to the concept that he did not say, but what he did write on it was very illuminating.

One problem seekers have with teachers and inspired works is that sooner or later they will find one or two items they are sure are not correct. This will cause some to reject the whole work. Even if the teacher is wrong in an area or two this does not mean his whole work should be rejected.

One’s first step in wisdom is to question everything – and one’s last is to come to terms with everything. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799)

Dec 16, 2006

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The Sword of God

“And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.” Rev 1:16

  “And he had in his right hand seven stars:”

We are told in verse twenty that the seven stars are “the angels of the seven churches,” and that the seven candlesticks “are the seven churches.” We’ll discuss them in more detail when we examine that verse.

“out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword:”

The sword, though often a symbol of war, is also a symbol of divine power. Here are a couple of scriptures that enhance the meaning:

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” Eph 6:17

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12

The sword in this sense is “the word of God.” What exactly does this mean? One may answer that the word of God is merely the truth, but is that all there is to it?

Not quite. An algebra teacher can give students a lot of truth, but he has no power to divide “asunder of soul and spirit.”

What, then, is the word of God and why is it so powerful?

The answer is that the word of God is the highest authority of which the mind of man can conceive. This great authority speaks when the soul of man registers his connection with the God Within and feels the affirmation of that truth within his innermost being. What he will register at this point will be true, but with something else added… the seeker feels the great importance and impact of that truth. Whereas the truths in his math class may put him to sleep, the truth from internal revelation awakens him to a level of consciousness never experienced before.

This impact has power to completely change his life and direction. The Dark Agents realize this great power and do all in their means to substitute their outer voice for the inner voice of God, thus creating a Beast to control the sons and daughters of men.

This sword goes out of the mouth of this one-like-Christ, who is a symbol of the soul within. The word of God is thus found through soul contact. It has two edges, meaning that in whatever direction the disciple wields the truth discovered, it will cut to the heart of those who receive. Both the conservatives and liberals, the left and the right, are powerfully affected. Those who are ready will rejoice at the truth. Those who are not will draw their own single-edged sword in anger.

“and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.”

When the truth is seen, all darkness around the subject disappears and the source of truth, the Christ within, becomes to the seeker as an internal sun, always sending forth the radiation of light to the mind, causing spiritual vision to increase.

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Rev 1:17-18

When the disciple contacts the inner Christ and receives his first real sword of truth, he does nothing but bask in the greatness of the experience. The interesting thing is that even though he has reached a new plateau, he is doing nothing with the knowledge. He is afraid to do anything because of what people may think and what some may do to him. He is no more used to the spiritual plan than are those who are spiritually dead. He might as well play dead himself if that is all he is going to do with his knowledge.

The inner voice does not give up on the fledgling seeker, but lays his right hand upon him and tells him not to fear.

The right hand is a symbol of labor, and this symbolizes a call to action that finally comes to the consciousness of the seeker. When he does act he overcomes fear.

When he agrees to act he hears further revelation:

“I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

This inner voice, though new, seems oddly familiar and the aspirant knows internally he can trust it completely. He knows that if he is injured he will be healed. If he is killed he will rise again, and if he is threatened with hell he will turn it into heaven.

After an eternity of progression from time immemorial, he has finally taken the first great step that will lead him to his true home.

The Seven

“Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” Rev 1:19

It is interesting that John was told to write “the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter.” In other words, the book is not just predictions of the future, but has teachings applicable in the both the present and future.

“The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” Rev 1:20

Here, we are told plainly that the seven stars are the seven angels of the seven churches, and the candlesticks are the seven churches. Nothing, however, is as simplistic as it may seem in this book.

In orthodox interpretation the candlesticks are merely the seven churches, and no additional layers of meaning are normally seen. There is not universal agreement on the seven stars, which are the “angels” of the churches.

The word “angel” comes from the Greek AGGELOS, which means “messenger.” This can refer to a mortal person or a divine being who is acting as a messenger. Some scholars believe the seven angels were seven Bishops of the churches, and others think it is referring to seven angels who work with the churches from the world of Spirit.

Because all scripture can have multiple layers of interpretation and can all be correct, both interpretations have merit.

Let us bypass orthodoxy and go below the surface. What is the inner meaning of the seven churches?

As noted earlier, the word “church” comes from the Greek EKKLESIA, which means “called, or gathered out.” The seven churches represent seven natural divisions among humanity according to their ray qualities, as well as seven stages of progress on the path to discipleship. The seven stars represent leaders who are over these groups. There are leaders such as the Bishops and invisible angels, but also leaders on a higher level who represent Masters working with the Christ and creative lives much higher than any found on this little planet.

The world is my country, all mankind are my brethern and to do good is my religion. – Thomas Paine : Rights of Man

Dec 12, 2006

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