“The Spirit of our Lord speaks thus in the Book of the Secrets of God, which St. John wrote down: to him that overcomes, He says, that is, to him who overcomes and conquers himself and all else, will I give to eat of the hidden manna, that is, an inward and hidded savour and celetial joy; and will give him a sparkling stone, and in the stone a new name is written which no person knows saving the one who receives it. This stone is called a pebble, for it is so small that it does not hurt when one treads on it. This stone is shining white and red like a flame of fire, and it is small and round, and smooth all over, and very light. ….

“Now to him who overcomes and transcends all things, this sparkling stone is given; and with it he receives light and truth and life. This stone is also like a fiery flame, for the fiery love of the eternal Word has filled the whole world with love and wills that all loving spirits be burned up in love.” ~John of Ruysbroeck

Book of the Secrets

The “Book of the Secrets of God”, better known today as “The Secret Book of John,” or “The Apocryphon of John) is a Gnostic book that talks about God being the One who rules all and the Pure Light, among other things. It is surprising that Ruysbroeck references it since he was not known to be particularly gnostic in his beliefs and teachings.

Overcomes and Conquers

What it means to overcome and conquer yourself is that you are able to control your animal instinct, and your ego, and put the development of spirit and soul above all else. That may seem like an impossible task in today’s materialistic, capitalistic world, but it can be done. It doesn’t mean that you can’t have a normal job but must live in a monastery. You can have a normal life, but with the idea always in front of your mind that the spirit comes first and the Laws of God come before those of Man. And spiritual development techniques only need to be practiced for five to fifteen minutes a day, so should be doable by all.

Hidden Manna

There are two kinds of Manna. There was the manna given to the starving Jews in the desert that was a physical bread to nourish their bodies. There is another manna that is spiritual and available to those who seek it in love and humility. That second manna is God’s Light that comes to us through the spiritual sun. That manna is the hidden manna that awakens and nourishes the spirit and soul. Nothing physical can do that.

Sparkling Stone

Ruysbroeck says the awakened person receives a sparkling stone that is shiny, white and red, and does not hurt. So he is saying in an indirect way that this stone is not something physical like the Sorcerer’s stone in the Harry Potter tales. I have left out a section of the quote from Ruysbroeck because I think it is misleading. Ruysbroeck goes on to say that the stone is actually Jesus Christ, who is the savior of all. Those who are spiritual students generally know better. The Sparkling Stone, also known as the Philosopher’s Stone, is our own inner Christ that is awakened with spiritual practice. That is what Jesus meant when he said we should follow him. He meant that we should awaken our own inner Christ, our own Sparkling Stone. It is only by doing so that we are able to reach up to the highest level of consciousness known as Heaven, and become one with the All.

“I have never failed to come to the aid of the poor and lowly. I have ever obeyed the laws of God and Man. Goodness has always been honored in my heart, and I have consistently read the sacred writings. Yet never have I found these things consistent with mortal wellbeing. Because my tongue did not turn around corners and twist back on itself, because the words I spoke came from my heart, undiluted with any malicious thought, because I chided the rich for their selfishness and inconsideration, their wasteful living and meaningless activities, they became my enemies. Because I called upon the powerful to live according to the laws they professed to uphold and the words declared to be sacred, I was seized and imprisoned. When I protested the injustice to the ears of the people, I was beaten with rods, I was branded as one who seeks to destroy the stability of the land. I, who tried to set an example of goodness, to lead a life dedicated to my God, to convert the wicked to righteousness, am myself declared wicked by the workers of evil. Why is this, O my God? Have I, to my sorrow and undoing, weighted the values of life wrongly?” ~The Kolbrin Bible (MAN:19:8)

To Aid the Poor and Lowly

To aid the poor is certainly a good thing, although not always done properly. When done with humility and a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood, it is a good thing. When done to show off how much better a person you are and to boost your ego, it isn’t.

Obeyed the Laws

It is usually a good thing to obey the law, but there are exceptions. Sometimes, the laws of Man conflict with the Laws of God. When that happens, the spiritual person must put the Laws of God before the laws of Man. Between those two are the laws of nature. We would also be wise to obey the laws of nature as much as possible, even when they conflict with Man’s law. We don’t need to worry about the laws of nature conflicting with the Laws of God, they never do.

Reading Sacred Writings

Like obeying the law, reading scripture is usually a good thing, but not always. If you read scripture with no comprehension of what it means, or your read it without even trying to understand it, then reading it is pointless. Perhaps even worse than reading sacred books without comprehension is reading them with a false comprehension, something which is unfortunately common today. Most of humanity has become so material oriented that we interpret everything in a material and literal way. When you do that with scripture, you almost always end up wit nonsense. The holy ones who wrote scripture knew that true spiritual teachings were dangerous in the hands of materialistic or evil people, so they generally wrote in allegory or other kinds of code. If you don’t have some understanding of the codes they used, you will get a false understanding.

Tongue did not Turn

I think this allegory is one that is easy to understand. When the author says his tongue “did not turn around corners’” he is simply saying that he did not lie, but always told the truth as he knew it. While this is definitely a good thing, there may be occasions when telling the truth is not the best thing to do. If telling the truth will hurt another person’s feelings, it may be best to tell a white lie or say nothing at all. If corrupt authorities ask you about the location of some innocent person they want to arrest, it is best to not answer, or tell a white lie. When the early Christian Martyrs were arrested, they were often tortured to get them to reveal the names and locations of other Christians. Most refused to do so, and that was as it should be.

Chided the Selfish

Here is where the person in the quote went wrong. Chiding the rich and powerful is rarely a good idea. If you are not in a position that prevents them from taking revenge, it is a bad idea. It is not that greed is acceptable, but trying to teach people something they are not ready to learn is pointless and likely to get you into trouble. Instead of chiding the rich and selfish, you could gently suggest to them that there is great joy in sharing, otherwise, it is generally best to keep those beliefs to yourself. Of course, it is always acceptable to speak in generalities and say things like “greed is not a good thing,” but don’t mention individuals or classes of people when doing so.

Likewise, chiding government officials for not doing their job can get one in trouble, depending on the type of government you are under.

Ego Trip

Most of all, when your idea of spiritual practice is to complain about the greedy, the corrupt, and those who oppose spiritual development, you are feeding your ego, not your spirit. That is why much of what this person did was not moving him forward in a spiritual way. The ego is not an enemy that needs to be destroyed, but it does need to be kept under control by an awakened Soul.