Once You Start on the Path of Spiritual Development, Stay on It

“Now that thou hast taken these names upon thee of good, modest, true; of emfrwn, sumfrwn, uperfrwn; take heed lest at any times by doing anything that is contrary, thou be but improperly so called, and lose thy right to these appellations. Or if thou do, return unto them again with all possible speed. And remember, that the word emfrwn notes unto thee an intent and intelligent consideration of every object that presents itself unto thee, without distraction. And the word emfrwn a ready and contented acceptation of whatsoever by the appointment of the common nature, happens unto thee. And the word sumfrwn, a super-extension, or a transcendent, and outreaching disposition of thy mind, whereby it passeth by all bodily pains and pleasures, honour and credit, death and whatsoever is of the same nature, as matters of absolute indifference, and in no wise to be stood upon by a wise man. These then if inviolably thou shalt observe, and shalt not be ambitious to be so called by others, both thou thyself shalt become a new man, and thou shalt begin a new life.” ~Marcus Aurelius

Emphrōn, Symphrōn, Hyperphrōn

Aurelius is making a little wordplay here with the last three adjectives in Greek which are emphrōn, symphrōn, and hyperphrōn. This is the translation in more modern English of that sentence.

“If you ever get to call yourself good, moral, honest, conscientious, amenable, and dignified, never exchange them for other labels or lose them. He is warning people that once they achieve such an honorable description, they take care not to lose it or violate it.

This doesn’t apply only to those attributes listed by Aurelius, but to all improvements made as part of your spiritual growth path and techniques, including the development of humility, and love for all.

Return to Them Again

Here, Aurelius is saying that if we should stray from the path of truth, justice, humility, and love, rather than quitting in frustration, we must make every attempt to get back on the path. While we shouldn’t brush it off as meaningless, we should also not give up too readily when we stray. For the vast majority of people, the path of spiritual development is often two steps forward, one step back, rather than a steady path forward. Partly, this is because the forces of darkness try so hard to pull us away from the Path of Light.

Intent and Intelligent Consideration

Here, Aurelius is telling us that one thing we can do to help prevent us from straying off The Path is to think out each thing before we do it carefully. Ask ourselves if it is what a peaceful, loving person of humility should do. If not, don’t do it. Some modern Christians would say, “Ask what would Jesus Do?” That would be good advice if they actually knew what Jesus would do, but they have made it clear that many of them have no idea what Jesus would do, only what their favorite preacher would do, and those preachers are rarely true representatives of the teachings of Jesus. By now we should all know that the true path to God and salvation is through humility and love, as well as Solar techniques, so by simply asking ourselves if the thing we are about to do or say meets those criteria, we should be heading in the right direction. Eventually, most of us develop our intuition well enough that it helps keep us from straying.

Pain, Pleasure, Death, and Indifference

Aurelius says that pain, pleasure, death, and indifference are “in no wise to be stood upon by a wise man.” So he is advising us to avoid doing anything that brings pain or death to others and to avoid being indifferent to the pains and difficulties of others, even strangers. Pleasures may seem out of place here, but there are different kinds of pleasures, and Aurelius is warning us not to take pleasure in things that are mostly physical in nature, such as overeating and sexual indulgences. It is not so much that such things are bad in themselves, but that we tend to get attached to physical pleasures and then they easily distract us away from the spiritual. The ancient spiritual teachers warned that becoming attached to physical things tends to slow down, if not stop, our spiritual progress. And it provides openings for the dark beings to attack and manipulate us. So as Marcus warns, do not be ambitious, and become a new man or woman.

The image used to illustrate this post shows Marcus Aurelius granting clemency to prisoners rather than having them put to death, so he practiced what he preached.

The Vital Life Force that comes from the Spiritual Light

“The belief that nearly all diseases have their origin in the invisible nature of Man (the Astrum) is a fundamental precept of Hermetic medicine, for while hermeticists in no way disregard the physical body, they believed that man’s material constitution was an emanation from, or an objectification of, his invisible spiritual principles. A brief, but it is believed fairly comprehensive, resume of the hermetic principles of Paracelsus follows:

There is one vital substance in Nature upon which all things subsist. It is called, archeus, or vital life force, and is synonymous with the astral light or spiritual air of the ancients. In regard to this substance, Eliphas Levi has written, ‘Light, that creative agent, the vibrations of which are the movement and life of all things; Light, latent in the universal ether, radiating about absorbing centers, which, being saturated thereby, project movement and life in their turn, so forming creative currents; Light; actualized in the stars, animated in animals, humanized in human beings; Light, which vegetates all plants, glistens in metals, produces all forms of Nature and equilibrates all by the laws of universal sympathy—this is the Light which exhibits the phenomena of magnetism, divined by Paracelsus, which tinctures the blood, being released from the air as it is inhaled and discharged by the hermetic bellows of the lungs’ (The History of Magic)

“This vital energy has its origin in the spiritual body.” ~Manly P. Hall

Invisible Nature of Man

While Mr. Hall equates the “invisible nature of Man” with “the Astrum,” I find that Astrum is derived from Latin, and means a star. So he is saying, I believe, that man gets his invisible nature from the stars, or from a star, which could only mean the Sun. While that is not exactly correct, it is true that the Light referred to later in the quote does reach us through the sun, and the most spiritual frequencies of it from the Spiritual Sun.

Another note: spirits are invisible to the physical senses, but not to the spiritual ones, so awakening the spiritual senses allows us to “see” spirits on another level.

Material Nature an Emination from Spirit

In a sense, it is true that the material body is an emanation from the spirit, but not because spirits set forth to generate physical bodies. It is because, the false god, the Demiurge, created the realm of matter by altering some of the spiritual realm. As a result, we can say that everything material has some spirit within it and behind it, and it is the goal of all true spiritual development to return that which is material back to its original state as spirit.

Vital Life Force

Paracelsus calls the Vital Life Force, “archeus”. The definition I found online says that the Archeus is a term that “generally refers to the lowest and most dense aspect of the astral plane which presides over the growth and continuation of material life. In short, it is the link between matter and spirit.

When I look up Vital Life Force, I find several similar definitions that basically say it is a vital essence (or energy) that animates all living things. Wikipedia relates it to the Ayurvedic “prana” which permeates reality on all levels. The most interesting part of this definition is when they add that “prana is sometimes described as originating from the Sun and connecting the elements.” So we can say that the Vital Life Force is that which generates life, feeds and maintains life, and encourages the existence of life.

Of course, some of the more materialistic definitions laugh at the concept, such as this from The Free Dictionary: “A hypothetical force (not physical or chemical) once thought by Henri Bergson to cause the evolution and development of organisms”

Creative Vibrations of Light

There are indeed creative vibrations in light. Both physical and spiritual light generate life on one level or another. Physical light is responsible for material life. Plants are the most obvious as they live almost entirely on light and water. Animals get light directly from the sun, but also indirectly from plants that they eat. Man also gets physical light for his physical body, but humans are also capable of taking in spiritual Light from the Spiritual Sun for their spiritual Self. Even without trying, we take in a little spiritual Light, but to fully awaken and develop our Spirits, we need to take in more spiritual Light by seeking it and accepting it in Love and humility. Spiritual Light will not flow to greedy and arrogant individuals.

Phenomena of Magnetism

We know that magnetism is not a force that is found in light, but when Paracelsus said that it was, it was at a time when magnetism and electricity were considered the same thing. While the two are related, magnetism and electricity are not the same. So I think Paracelsus was saying that light is responsible for electricity. While that is not true either, there is some connection. We know that electricity can produce light under certain circumstances, and light can produce electricity at times. But It may be that Paracelsus was trying to say that Light gives us the “electricity” or “magnetism” of the Vital Life Force, so to strengthen and extend our life, we must turn to the Light.

Practice Spiritual Exercises for a “Ripened” Consciousness

“When exercises for intuition are practiced, they not only affect the etheric body but extend to the supersensible forces of the physical body. But it must not, of course, be imagined that effects are brought about in the physical body which are discernable to ordinary sense observation, for these effects the clairvoyant alone is able to judge, and they have nothing to do with external powers of perception. They come as a result of a ripened consciousness, when this latter is able to have intuitional experiences, even though it has divested itself of all previous inner and outer experiences. The experiences of intuition are, however, subtle, delicate, and intimate, in comparison with which the physical body, at its present stage of development, is course. For this reason, it offers a positive hindrance to the success of any exercises for attaining intuition. Nevertheless, should these be pursued with energy and perseverance, and with the required inner calm, they will ultimately be these powerful hindrances of the physical body. The student will become aware of this when he [, or she] notices how by degree, particular actions of the physical body which hitherto had taken place without his [, or her] own own volition, now come under control.” ~Rudolf Steiner

Exercises Practices

Steiner speaks of these practices as “exercises for intuition” but they can also be called exercises for spiritual development or spiritual growth. Those terms are more commonly used today but mean the same thing as it was spiritual development that Mr. Steiner was trying to teach. Of course, we students of Cosolargy are aware that exercises, or as we call them, techniques, must be practiced regularly and faithfully to achieve any significant spiritual growth.

Extend the Supersensible Forces

Steiner doesn’t explain what he means by “supersensible forces,” but I think we can say that practicing spiritual techniques not only brings energy (Light) into the energy centers of the spirit but also those of the body, so practicing these techniques can have a good effect on the body and mind as well as the spirit. Mr. Steiner says their effects are not discernable by the physical senses, and that is generally true, but there are exceptions. While beginning students may find this hard to believe, many Cosolargy students who had brown eyes when they started have seen their eye color gradually change to blue or grey (which experts say is not really grey, but a grayish shade of blue). While this color change may not seem to matter, as it doesn’t seem to be accompanied by other changes, it is, at the very least, a good indication that one is practicing the techniques properly and achieving the desired results. Other noticeable effects might be a general improvement in physical health and in mental health and attitude. Some of those improvements may be due to changing long-held beliefs that have proven untrue once you start developing higher levels of consciousness. Other may be the result of the increased energy of a positive kind brought into the body by practicing the techniques. However, it should not be assumed that practicing spiritual techniques will eliminate all illnesses, though it does happen to a few individuals.

Ripened Consciousness

Mr. Steiner says these changes come about because of a “Ripened” consciousness. While that is an unusual way to say it, it is totally appropriate. Today, we are more likely to say expanded consciousness, or reaching higher levels of consciousness. I have chosen to illustrate this article with an animated GIF of an opening Lotus blossom to represent this expansion of consciousness. It might be useful to think of that image when practicing techniques.

Hindrance By the Body

The physical body can be a hindrance to spiritual development. Gene Savoy, Sr. has noted this in some lectures when he said that it is hard to practice techniques when one has a toothache or headache. But even when you are not suffering from any obvious illness, the dense materialism that the physical body has degenerated into over many centuries does offer a hindrance to spiritual development. It can, however, still be done with patience and regular practice. We must all understand that we can’t erase centuries of degeneration with a few weeks, or even months, of spiritual techniques. We must keep at it diligently and faithfully for years.

Quantum Physics and the Interconnectedness of All

“Up close, an atom is composed of tinier bits of matter whirling at lightning speed around a huge empty space. …

“If you zero in on these bits of subatomic matter, they are not material at all but rather mere vibrations of energy that have taken on the appearance of solidity. This discovery, that matter is a fluctuation of energy dressed up in a different guise, fueled the quantum revolution lrd by Einsten and his colleagues. …

“The quantum revolution made it inevitable that our world-view would change. Quantum physics proved that the infinite variety of objects we see around us—stars, galaxies, mountains, trees, butterflies, and amoebas—is connnected by infinite, eternal, unbounded quantum fields, a kind of invisible quilt that has all creation stitched into it. Objects that look seperate and distinct to us are in fact all sewn into the design of this vast quilt. The hard edges of any object , such as a chair or a table, are an illusion forces upon us by the limits of our sight. If we had eyes tuned to the qquantum world, we would see these edges blur and finally ment, giving way to unlimited quantum fields. …

“It is nw believed that a single superfield, called the unified field, exists; it is the ultimate reality that underlies all of nature.” ~Deepak Chopra

Looking at the Atom

As Chopra says, the atom was for centuries considered the smallest particle of matter and was fairly solid. Only the invention of more powerful microscopes made it possible to see that the atom was not solid at all, but made up of smaller particles whirling around each other. When I was in grade school and high school, this was typically depicted as a nucleus of particles with solid electrons swirling around it only a short distance away. The new quantum version has the electron a greater distance from the nucleus, and it is all fuzzy to show that it isn’t solid at all, but only appears solid when observed.

All Connected

The greater discovery of Quantum Physics is that these tiny subatomic particles are all connected to each other in some as yet unknown way. While many scientists who favor a more Newtonian view of the world insist that this interconnectedness of subatomic particles does not extend out to larger objects like trees and people. While that opinion may give them some comfort, it doesn’t make sense. If everything is made of atoms, which are made of smaller subatomic particles, and those particles are interconnected, then everything and everyone is interconnected. On a material level of existence, that interconnectedness is not apparent, but at a higher, more spiritual level it is. Dr. Chopra refers to this as a great quilt, but I don’t think that gives an accurate view. A quilt is made up of many pieces that are sewn together, yet they remain separate. The idea here is that objects are not truly separate but are joined to all other objects, directly or indirectly. And that is just on the physical level and in the universe of matter.

The Spiritual Side of Interconnectedness

This interconnectedness is even greater on a spiritual level. We only have to think a little about what spirits are. Spirit is not restricted or affected in any way by space and time. A spirit occupies all space and all time simultaneously. As a result, they are clearly all interconnected. If every spirit is infinite, then in any location, no matter how small, all spirits are there. So while physical subatomic particles/waves are connected to others in the same time and space, spirits are connected in all times and all spaces. It is the goal of spiritual development to reach that level of consciousness where we become aware of that interconnectedness and become One with the All. This doesn’t mean we lose our individuality, but it does mean that individuality is more limited than most of us believe.

Being Healthy

A final note on being healthy. The quote from Dr. Chopra comes from his book titled “Perfect Health”. In this book, he expresses the idea that disease and aging are optional. In a quantum world, we must understand that nearly every cell in our bodies is regularly replaced. It is only because we believe in it that the process allows the cells to age or develop disease. He says that if we can change our beliefs to understand that those cells can reproduce perfectly each time, no matter how old we get, we will live much longer and healthier lives. Gene Savoy, Sr. taught the same idea.

Spiritual Development Must Progress Logically and Naturally, Like any other Education

“It is the object of contemplative prayer, as it is the object of all education, to discipline and develop certain growing faculties. Here, the faculties are those of the ‘transcendental self,’ the ‘new person’—all those powers which we associate with the ‘spiritual consciousness.’ The ‘Sons of God,’ however, like the sons of men, begin as babies, and their first lessons must not be too hard. Therefore the educative process conforms to and takes advantage of every step of the natural process of growth: as we, in the education of our children, make the natural order in which their faculties develop the basis of our scheme of cultivation. Recollection, Quiet, and Contemplation, then, answer to the order in which the mystic’s powers unfold. Roughly speaking, we shall find the forms of spiritual attention which is called ‘Meditative, or ‘Recollective’ go side to side with the purification of the Self; that ‘Quiet’ tends to be characteristic of illumination, that contemplation proper—at any rate in its highest forms—is most fully experienced by those who have attained, or nearly attained, the United Way. At the same time, just as the self in its ‘first mystic life,’ before it has passed through the dark night of the spirit, often seems to run through the whole gamut of spiritual states, and attain that immediate experience of the Absolute which it seeks—though as a fact, it has not reached those higher levels of consciousness on which true and permanent union takes place.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Discipline and Development

Ms. Underhill is correct in linking together discipline and development in any educative process. With virtually any type of education, self-discipline goes together with developing the skills or knowledge of that education. This is probably more important with our spiritual development than with any other form of education. A person who gains spiritual knowledge without also developing the discipline to handle and control that knowledge can harm themselves or others, and either negate into developing the dark side or become frightened and stop their spiritual development entirely. So the smart spiritual school or teacher helps the student develop discipline at the same time they are learning spiritual development techniques. Think of Mr. Miyagi teaching Daniel in the original (1984) version of “The Karate Kid”. He made Daniel develop patience and discipline before learning Karate.

The New Person

I have taken the liberty here of modernizing Underhill’s statement which originally read “new man” because I want it to be clear that it applies to women as well. What Underhill is saying here is that with proper spiritual development, we don’t just become better educated, we become a new person, a transcendental person who is greater than before such development. You are not just educating yourself, as with studying math, for example, but literally changing yourself.

Sons and Daughters of God

Just as our physical self begins as a baby, so does the newly awakened spirit. While a spirit is never a baby, it is similar to one in that it is uneducated, so its education must start with the basics. You wouldn’t put an infant in a college physics class. Likewise, you don’t start teaching spiritual development with advanced methods and knowledge. It might not have to be as basic as stacking blocks and coloring in color books, still, the concept applies. The beginning student must start at the beginning and progress slowly, with very few exceptions. And a good school will allow each student to progress at his or her own speed, and not forde them to go too fast or slow them down so much that they lose interest.

The Order in Which Powers Unfold

While we are all individuals, and some may develop differently than others, there is a general order in which spiritual development happens. So a good spiritual education takes that into account and teaches in the order in which things usually develop. And it isn’t just the order in which they develop, but the order in which they can be understood. It is also true that some people develop certain spiritual gifts while others don’t. As a dog owner, I have been disappointed at times in my limited ability to communicate with animals, yet this is an advanced gift that few develop until a very late stage, so I accept that now, and make use of those spiritual abilities that have developed. It should be noted that spiritual abilities and psychic abilities are not the same, so try not to confuse the two.

Dark Night of the Spirit

The Dark Night of the Spirit (or Soul) is something mentioned often in regard to spiritual development. Some express the idea that without going through such a period of great difficulties and depression, spiritual development cannot happen. Fortunately, that is not true. While we all go through some difficulties, something as deep as the Dark Night of the Spirit doesn’t always happen, nor does it have to. Just as some people are easier to wake from deep physical sleep than others, so too some are easier to awaken from the deep sleep of spirit than others. And having a Dark Night of the Soul does not guarantee a spiritual awakening. Many have such an experience and do not develop spiritually at all. So don’t seek out such an experience on the idea that it will awaken your spiritual faculties. Following the techniques of a spiritual school like Cosolargy is a better and safer way to do it.

The Views of the Spiritualist and the Materialist

“Neither the occultist generally, nor the Theosophists, reject as erroneously believed by some, the views and theories of the modern scientist. Only because these views are opposed to Theosophy. The first rule of our society is to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. The Theosophists, therefore, are the first to recognize the intrinsic value of science. But when its high priests resolve consciousness into a secretion from the grey matter of the brain, and everything else in nature into a mode of motion, we protest against the doctrine as being unphilosophical, self-contradictory, and simply absurd, from a scientific point of view, as much and even more than from the spiritual view. Truly, the astral Light of the derided Kabalists has strange and weird secrets for those who can see it; and the mysteries concealed within its waves are there, the whole body of materialists notwithstanding. These secrets, along with many other mysteries, will remain non-existent to the materialists of our age, in the same way as America was a non-existent myth for Europeans during the early part of the medieval ages, whereas Scandinavians and Norwegians had actually reached and settled in that very old ‘New World, several centuries before.” ~H. P. Blavatsky

Theories of Modern Science

Some people think that being spiritual means you oppose the theories and teachings of modern science, but that is not true. While spiritual people question the theories of science, we do not reject them outright. Science has given us much in modern society. Discoveries in science and engineering have made modern buildings, bridges, and roads possible. Discoveries in modern medicine may have made many of us too dependent on drugs for healing, but it has also cured many diseases. And modern science has given us conveniences like electric washing machines, television, and automobiles. Granted, there is a negative side to all of those things, as it is with everything in the realm of matter, but there is a positive side as well. The old Yin-Yang symbol illustrates this truth quite well.

Theosophy

Madame Blavatsky founded the spiritual school known as Theosophy, so she tends to relate to all things spiritual in terms of Theosophy. We should simply replace Theosophy with spiritual development to get a more general idea of what she is saying.

Render Unto Caesar

I think most spiritual schools, including Cosolargy, would agree with Blavatsky when she says that the first rule of the Theosophist is to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesars. Spiritual people do not reject the material world as useless, or evil. We do not reject all material comforts and live naked in a cave, as some did in ancient times. We are allowed to enjoy material comforts for the sake of our physical body and mind, as long as we don’t get too attached to them. If you agree with those who refuse to leave their homes when told to evacuate because of wildfires, floods, or tornadoes, then you have become too attached to matter, and you need to work on that. The reason the spiritual student needs to avoid such attachments is that they can be used by the forces of darkness to pull us away from spiritual development.

Consciousness in the Brain

I recently wrote a lengthy article for the Cosolargy Blog on the subject of consciousness (click here to read the article), so I won’t go into it much here. Suffice it to say that the views of consciousness are changing rapidly today. Many scientists no longer accept that it is merely a creation, or as Blavatsky calls it, a secretion of the brain. Indeed, we are getting to the point where some are starting to accept what is called “Biocentrism,” which says that it is consciousness that is creating the material universe around us, or at least our view of it. This goes along with the studies in Quantum Physics that find that things are affected by the viewer of those things. That works in both directions, of course.

The Astral Light of the Kabalists

What Blavatsky is calling the astral Light of the Kabalists, we would say is the Spiritual Light that comes from God, and reaches us through the intermediary of the Spiritual Sun. This light does indeed have “strange and weird secrets” for those who learn to absorb it and the knowledge hidden within it. It is, in fact, the best link available to us between the realm of spirit and the realm of matter, so we should make use of it properly, and with humility and reverence.

Follow the Brightness of God Back to Our Origin

“Out of our highest feeling, the brightness of God shines into us, which teaches us Truth, and moves us toward every virtue and in eternal love towards God. If we follow this Brightness without pause, back into that Source from whence it came forth, there we feel nothing but a quenching of our spirit and an irretrievable sinking into simple and fathomless Love. Could we continue to dwell there with our simple gaze, we should always so feel it; for our immersion and transformation in God continues without ceasing in eternity, if we have gone forth from ourselves, and God is ours in the immersion of Love. If we possess God in the immersion of Love—that is, if we are lost to ourselves—God is our own, and we are His. This immersion is essential and is closely bound up with the state of Love: and so it continues whether we sleep or whether we wake, whether we know it or whether we know it not. … And this down-sinking is like a river, which without pause or turning back ever pours into the sea, which is its proper resting place. So likewise when we possess God alone.” ~John of Ruysbroeck

God’s Brightness Shines in Us

When we seek the Light of God, his brightness will shine in us. As Ruysbroeck says, that brightness will bring us Truth and Knowledge. Not the kind of knowledge we get from books or college classes, but the Divine Knowledge that the Gnostics called Gnosis.

Follow the Brightness

Just seeking God’s Brightness (or Light) isn’t enough. We must seek it always, every day, and go deeper and deeper into it with time and practice. As we do, using the techniques taught in Cosolargy, we gradually increase our level of consciousness until we reach the highest level, which is God. When we reach that level, we become one with God, one with Love, one with All. We are then a true child of the universe, but the immortal spiritual universe, not the mortal one of matter.

Sinking Into Love

I would not have chosen to call it “sinking into love,” but the idea is correct. When we enter the brightness of God’s Light, we experience the feeling of universal Love. This is not a love for an individual or for humans only. Universal Love is for all beings. It is an all-consuming Love. People who have had a Near Death Experience (NDE) often mention briefly experiencing this and it usually leaves them permanently changed. They can no longer see other beings as slaves or tools of man but as spirits in a physical form that just happens to be different from our own physical form.

Immersion in God

Ruysbroeck says that total immersion in God is essential, and he is correct. To become one with God, we must become immersed in God, immersed in His Light. Ruysbroeck’s comparison of this process to a river that forever flows into the sea is an apt one. That is how we must connect with God. Of course, it will start with connecting briefly and temporarily, but advance over time until it is a permanent connection. Of course, rivers and seas are not truly eternal, yet the comparison makes the point well. So practice techniques as taught and soon you too will be connecting with the Brightness of God’s Light, even if you are not consciously aware that it has happened.

Living In a World of Change and Corruption

“All parts of the world (all things I mean that are contained within it), must of necessity at some time or another come to corruption. Alteration I should say, to speak truly nd properly; but that I may be better understood, I am content at this time to use the more common word. Now say I, if so be that be both hurtful unto them, and yet unavoidable, would not, thinkest thou, the whole itself be in a sweet case, all the parts of it being subject to alteration, yea and by their making itself fitted for corruption, as consisting of things different and contrary? And did nature then either of herself thus project and purpose the affliction and misery of her parts, and therefore of purpose so made them, not only that haply they might, but of necessity they should fall into evil; or did not she know what she did when she made them? For either of these two to say is equally absurd. But to let pass nature in general, and to reason all things according to their own particular natures; how absurd and rediculous it is, first to say that all parts of thw whole are, by their natural constitution, subject to alteration; and then when any such thing doth happen, as when one doth fall sick or dies, to wonder as though some strange thing had happened?” ~Marcus Aurelius

Everything Changes

Aurelius is correct in saying that all things in this world change, and that change generally means becoming corrupt, rotten, sick, or dead. There are a few exceptions, but even those are usually signs of aging which eventually leads to death or destruction. It seems a beautiful thing when a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, but it also means that the animal has reached the last stage of its life and will soon die if it doesn’t get eaten first.

Don’t Blame Nature

Mother Nature, of Gaia, the governing mind of planet Earth is not to blame for this problem of everything rotting or falling apart. The one who is really to blame is the false god that the Gnostics call the Demiurge. The true God created a world without rotting, decaying, or dying. But the false god created with imperfections, so his creation, the universe of matter, is flawed. When the Demiurge saw how his creation was corrupt, full of death and disease, and beings that must live by killing and eating other beings, he was shocked but had no way to correct the problem. Only the real God can, and will, correct the error.

Don’t Expect Permanency in Material Things

Aurelius is telling us that since the very nature of the realm of matter is change and change which is usually in the form of decay and destruction, we should not be surprised or angry when it happens. That is easy to say, but I know from personal experience that it is not easy to avoid getting angry or upset when a refrigerator stops working, a pet dies, or a tire only a few months old has a blowout. I must work to remind myself that such is the nature of the corrupt world of matter, as must all of us.

Another Way to Look at Change

While it is true that change is almost always in the direction of decay, death, and destruction, we must remind ourselves that there is another side to it. All beings, all things, have a spirit, and spirits never die. While it is not true that all people go to Heaven simply because they have physically died, still, they all have an immortal spirit. When animals and plants die, their spirits usually enter another life form being born and therefore continue. Eventually, all spirits return to the Spiritual Realm where there is no death or decay, no illness, no pain. So when things are falling apart around you, remind yourself that you are only here temporarily, so don’t let it get to you.

Solving the Problem

Just because everything decays here, doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do about it. There are things we can do, and should. We can avoid littering and wasting. We can contribute to growth in the world by planting gardens or trees. We can adopt, or otherwise care for one or more animals. Most of all, we can try to keep ourselves physically and mentally healthy and slow down our personal decay and corruption. And we can aid God in redeeming this realm of matter and returning it to the realm of spirit where there is no corruption.

The Geothermal Rising Conference is Coming to Reno

Reno’s Peppermill Resort

The 2023 Geothermal Rising Conference will be held in Reno, Nevada October 1st through October 4th with some pre-conference events starting on September 29th. The event will be held at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino. A tour of our Steamboat Springs Healing Center & Spa will be offered to the group by Steamboat. Here are the details:

Steamboat Hot Springs Healing Center & Spa is Reno, Nevada’s only mineral hot springs. A registered state historic landmark, the day spa features geothermal water for soaking combined with the relaxation of a spa getaway. Considered a local treasure, Steamboat’s famous natural volcanic waters are chock-full of rare, health-boosting minerals found nowhere else in North America. Guests have the option of soaking indoors in private spring-fed tubs with complimentary aromatherapy and color therapy options or can unwind in the outdoor geothermal hot tub. In addition to soaking, Steamboat Hot Springs offers guests an array of luxurious spa services, such as therapeutic massage treatments—including those using CBD oil—sauna, mud treatments, lymphatic stimulation, cupping and hot stone therapy, exfoliation scrubs, chakra alignment therapy, vibrational therapeutics and Naturopathic consultations, to highlight just a few items on their comprehensive spa menu.

Field Trip Schedule

9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
1:30 PM – 4:00 PM

The cost is $125 per person and includes transportation to/from the hot springs, a tour of the facility, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of one of the soaking options listed above. Additional products and services would be at the expense of the participant.

Space is limited and pre-registration is required

About the 2023 GRC!

The GRC is the geothermal industry’s flagship annual conference, reflecting the global nature of the geothermal industry and bringing together people in industry, academia, government, and the general public.

Conference Agenda

Date	Start Time	End Time	Event Name
09/29/23	8:00 AM		Lassen Field Trip Departure (overnight Field Trip)
09/30/23	8:00 AM	1:00 PM	Workshop Registration (all workshops require separate registration)
09/30/23	8:00 AM	5:00 PM	Workshop: Geothermal 2.0: New Technology and Ideas Helping to Scale Geothermal Developments
09/30/23	8:00 AM	5:00 PM	Workshop: Synergies with Other Renewable Energies to Accelerate Geothermal Project Development
09/30/23	8:00 AM	5:00 PM	Workshop: The Hunt for Superhot Geothermal
09/30/23	9:00 AM	12:00 PM	Field Trip: Ormat Steamboat Hills
09/30/23	12:00 PM	5:00 PM	Workshop: Purpose and Process of Underground Injection Control Permit Applications in Nevada
09/30/23	1:30 PM	4:30 PM	Field Trip: Ormat Steamboat Hills
09/30/23	6:00 PM	7:00 PM	Workshop Reception (Workshop Participants & GR Board Members Only)
10/01/23	6:45 AM	4:30 PM	Golf Tournament
10/01/23	12:00 PM	8:00 PM	Registration
10/01/23	12:30 PM	3:30 PM	20-Minute Sponsor Hosted Technical Sessions
10/01/23	1:00 PM	2:00 PM	Peppermill Resort Direct Use Tour
10/01/23	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	Peppermill Resort Direct Use Tour
10/01/23	4:00 PM	6:00 PM	Geothermal 101
10/01/23	6:30 PM	8:30 PM	Opening Reception and Exhibit Hall
10/01/23 10/01/23	7:00 PM 6:30 PM	8:00 PM 8:30 PM	GR DEI Task Force 2024 Goal Setting Meet Up Poster Session
10/01/23	8:30 PM	10:30 PM	GRC23 After Hours Networking Reception
10/02/23	6:00 AM	7:00 AM	Women in Geothermal (WING) Yoga
10/02/23	6:30 AM	7:30 PM	Registration
10/02/23	7:00 AM	8:00 AM	Breakfast
10/02/23	7:00 AM	6:00 PM	Speaker Ready Room
10/02/23	8:00 AM	10:00 AM	Opening Plenary Session
10/02/23	10:00 AM	10:30 AM	Break
10/02/23	10:00 AM	10:30 AM	GR Student Members Icebreaker
10/02/23	10:00 AM	11:00 AM	Peppermill Resort Direct Use Tour
10/02/23	10:30 AM	12:30 PM	Plenary Session II
10/02/23	12:00 PM	1:00 PM	GR Student Committee Resume Building Workshop & Professional Headshots
10/02/23	12:30 PM	2:30 PM	Lunch in Exhibit Hall
10/02/23	12:30 PM	2:30 PM	Poster Session
10/02/23	12:30 PM	5:00 PM	Exhibit Hall Open
10/02/23 10/02/23	2:00 PM 3:00 PM	4:00 PM 4:00 PM	How the Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation (FESI) Can Contribute to Accelerating Geothermal Power Innovation and Commercialization Workshop is complimentary but pre-registration is required. Limited space available. Peppermill Resort Direct Use Tour
10/02/23	3:00 PM	5:00 PM	Panel Session 1A: Closed-Loop Geothermal at Scale: Demonstrations and Deployments
10/02/23	3:00 PM	5:00 PM	Concurrent Sessions
10/02/23 10/02/23	3:00 PM 7:00 PM	5:00 PM 9:00 PM	Panel Session 1G: Growth of Geothermal Energy Networks in the US and Throughout the World Monday Night Mixer (included in full conference registration fee)
10/03/23	7:00 AM	7:00 PM	Registration
10/03/23	7:00 AM	6:00 PM	Speaker Ready Room
10/03/23	7:30 AM	9:30 AM	Plenary Session III
10/03/23	9:30 AM	10:00 AM	Break
10/03/23	9:30 AM	8:30 PM	Exhibit Hall Open
10/03/23	10:00 AM	11:00 AM	Peppermill Resort Direct Use Tour
10/03/23	10:00 AM	12:00 PM	Panel Session 2A: Geothermal Everywhere? The Role of Subsurface Characterization in Advancing Geothermal Technology
10/03/23	10:00 AM	12:00 PM	Concurrent Sessions
10/03/23 10/03/23	10:00 AM 10:00 AM	12:00 PM 5:30 PM	Panel Session 2G: Translating Oil and Gas Industry Experience into Hot Geothermal Industry 20-Minute Sponsor Hosted Technical Sessions
10/03/23	12:00 PM	1:30 PM	Lunch in Exhibit Hall
10/03/23	12:00 PM	1:30 PM	Women in Geothermal (WING) Core Value Awards & Panel Session
10/03/23	2:00 PM	4:00 PM	Panel Session 3A: Do Non-Conventional Geothermal Developments Need a Specialized Legal Framework?
10/03/23	2:00 PM	4:00 PM	Concurrent Sessions
10/03/23	3:00 PM	4:00 PM	Peppermill Resort Direct Use Tour
10/03/23	4:00 PM	4:30 PM	Break
10/03/23	4:00 PM	4:30 PM	GR Mentor-Mentee Meetup
10/03/23	4:30 PM	6:30 PM	Panel Session 4A: Critical Minerals, Mineral Commodities, and Geothermal Systems: Past, Present, and Future
10/03/23	4:30 PM	6:30 PM	Concurrent Sessions
10/03/23	6:30 PM	8:30 PM	Networking Reception in Exhibit Hall
10/03/23	6:30 PM	8:30 PM	Poster Session
10/03/23	7:00 PM	8:00 PM	GR Student Committee Trivia Contest
10/04/23	6:00 AM	7:00 AM	Women in Geothermal (WING) Fun Run/Walk
10/04/23	7:30 AM	12:00 PM	Registration & Information
10/04/23	7:30 AM	9:30 AM	Annual Meeting Meeting & Awards Breakfast
10/04/23	9:30 AM	10:00 AM	Break
10/04/23	9:30 AM	2:00 PM	Exhibit Hall Open
10/04/23 10/04/23 10/04/23	10:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM	11:00 AM 5:30 PM 12:00 PM	Peppermill Direct Use Tour PIVOT Panel Sessions Concurrent Sessions
10/04/23	12:00 PM	1:30 PM	Lunch in Exhibit Hall
10/04/23	1:30 PM	3:30 PM	Concurrent Sessions
10/04/23	3:30 PM	4:30 PM	Closing Networking Break
			*Schedule is subject to change.

One Wolf Bites the Other Wolf as they Both Follow a False Path

“The spirit of the stout beast is the hellish worm; the crowned bride that sits upon it is the false Woman (or Whore) Babel: She drinks only out of the cup of Whoredom and Abomination, her drink in that cup is the fierceness of the Anger of God of which the people drink, and become drunk, and so in their drunkenness they become murderers, robbers, thieves, mockers, jesters, scorners, proud, high-minded, self-honorers, stern malicious people. There is no end to the number of those that hate one another; everyone supposes his way is right, and that he walks in the right path; if his brother and sister go not in the same way with him, he scorns them and calls them heretics, and so one Wolf bites another; his Way is in his own opinion, as his Master teaches him, who yet never regrets anything. Thus one hypocrite deceives the other, and they are scorners and prosecutors one of another among themselves and one is a Wolf as much as another; and the poor Able who stands in true resignation, and relies upon God) must continually be their footstool, and is continually murdered in a twofold manner.

“One is that he is deceived [by the Wolfs], and goes along into Babel, and is murdered, as to the Kingdom of Heaven. The other is that, if he remains constant, then the Devil (with Cain) will not endure him, but murders him outwardly, as to the body, or takes away his good name and credit, and covers him so that he may not be known, that so the Kingdom of Cain and the Antichrist may remain in Babel of which we know well by our own experience. But it fares well with our Abel, and our being scorned springs up in the Blosominf of the lily, whereat we will rejoice when we return from Jerico to Jerusalem and to our Father. ~Jacob Boehme

The Hellish Worm

hellish worm

Calling the spirit of The Beast a Hellish Worm is an interesting way to put it. I think in Boehme’s day, worms were thought of as filthy creatures because they lived in dirt. Many early descriptions of dragons refer to those beasts as great worms rather than giant lizards as they are generally depicted today. The addition of the “crowned bride” who is the whore of Babel is a new addition to the tail. First, it tells us that this is no ordinary garden worm, but one of great size like a dragon. But why is a woman wearing a crown riding it? I think the idea is that she is a very vain woman, that is why she wears a crown, one she has probably awarded herself. She drinks from the cup of abomination and becomes “drunk” on the lies of the dark beings and forces who supply that allegorical drink.

Anger of God of Which the People Drink

Sadly, the woman on the hellish worm is not alone in drinking from the cup of abomination, allegorically speaking, of course. Many people drink from that cup regularly, while others drink it only occasionally. There are very few who never drink from that cup. Drinking from this cup often makes people angry with God, because God doesn’t do what they want him to, as if God was their servant and not the other way around. Others lose all belief in God because God doesn’t answer their prayers. They don’t understand that God is all about the spiritual and answers spiritual prayers, but not materialistic ones.

Wolf Bites Wolf

Because those who drink from the cup of abomination usually think that their path of religion or spirituality is the one true path, for no particular reason except that it is the path they have chosen, they often argue, fight, and even wage war against those whose beliefs are different. They don’t realize that the ones they are fighting are also ones who drink from that cup, so it is a case of a wolf fighting another wolf.

The Poor Able

Here Boehme is using Cane and Able as examples of good and bad people, with Able representing the good ones who believe in God and who practice spiritual development as Jesus taught the apostles to do. Cane represents those wolves who have lost The Way and are either making no effort to find it, but embracing materialism instead, or they are clinging to a false path as taught by a materialistic church that has lost its way.

If you think war is a good thing, if you think some people should be hated because of their religion or nationality, if you think some people are better than others, you are one of the wolves, one of the tribe of Cain. Hopefully, more of us will awaken and turn to the truth of the tribe of Able.