“The rupture between faith and knowledge is a symptom of the split consciousness which is so characteristic of the mental disorder of our day. It is as if two different persons were making statements about the same thing, each with his own point of view, or as if one person in two different frames of mind were sketching a picture of his experience. If for ‘person’ we substitute ‘modern society,’ it is evident that the latter is suffering from a mental dissociation, i.e., a neurotic disturbance. In view of this, it does not help matters at all if one party pulls obstinately to the right and the other to the left. This is what happens in every neurotic psyche, to its own deep distress, and it is just this distress that brings the patient to the analyst.” ~C. G. Jung

Faith and Knowledge

We often here that there is a rift between religion and science, and that is quite true. But most would relate faith to religion and knowledge to science in Jung’s statement quoted above. But Jung wrote this several decades ago, and things have changed since then. What has changed is mostly on the part of science. Many in the scientific community talk about, and actually treat, science as if it is a religion. To question a long-accepted scientific query requires that you have overwhelming evidence. Otherwise, the community of science will label you a crackpot or charlatan. Science today is more like a religion than they choose to accept, yet they laugh at the unscientific approach of religion. Perhaps if both groups started listening to the other, they might find that they are not so different after all.

Sketching a Picture

We have probably all heard of, maybe even participated in, the experiment of whispering something to one person, who then repeats it to another and so on until eight or ten have heard the secret. I remember doing this in Junior High. When the last person in the line says the story out loud, the first person is shocked to find it has dramatically changed. This is partly due to mishearing what the other person says, but largely because we each have to add a bit of our own beliefs and personality to the tale. I’m sure the same would be true of Jung’s sketching example. This is especially true if you rely entirely upon their imagination. If you tell ten people to sketch a building they are standing in front of, the sketches will be similar, but never identical. But if you ask them to sketch a woman holding a rose, the sketches will be very different—and revealing if you know what to look for.

Now consider a spiritual example. Ask them to sketch God, or an angel. The sketches will vary greatly, but will likely resemble some picture they have seen in a book or a statue in a church. They really won’t use their imagination very much for this one, yet they should. But that is why a spiritual awakening is something each of us must experience so we can gain spiritual knowledge first hand, and not rely on the descriptions from others.

Neurotic Society

When Jung wrote this, probably many doubted his claim that society is suffering from “a neurotic disturbance”. Today, I think most people would agree. We have become more divisive than ever before. Many don’t even try to get along with others to have different beliefs, different behavior, but instead try in every legal way possible to get rid of THEM. And if they can’t get rid of THEM, they try to isolate them, make them live only in certain locations, prevent them from voting, etc. While some of this can be blamed on the masses, a lot of it can be blamed on the leaders and on the natural tendency of governments and businesses to start functioning like a living being. What that means is that consciously or subconsciously they develop the idea that the most important thing is for the society to survive—at any cost.

Spiritual Society

That is why the only solution is the growth of a spiritual society that values humility and truth above self-preservation. Such a society must begin with spiritual individuals forming spiritual communities. Spiritual communities can then grow into spiritual societies and, finally, spiritual nations.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“The angels who turn inward toward God in love and fruition, with all they had received from Him, found beatitude and eternal rest; but those who turned towards themselves, and sought rest in themselves, with self-complacency in the natural light, their rest was short and was unlawful. They were blinded, and there was a wall of separation between them and the eternal light, and they fell into darkness. …

“Now mark this, when a man wishes to possess inward rest in idleness, without inward and desirous cleaving to God, then he is ready for all errors; for he is turned away from God, and inclined towards himself, seeking everything that pleases him. Such a man is like a merchant, for in all his activity he is turned only toward himself, and seeks his own means and profit, more than the Glory of God. A person who thus lives in mere natural life, always possesses himself in self-love without self-renunciation. Such men often lead a hard life with great works of penitence, that they may become known for their great sanctity, and merit a great reward; for all natural love is favorably disposed to itself and likes to receive great honors in time and a great reward in eternity. … And thus they are often deceived; for sometimes, through the work of the devil, those things which they desire happen to them, and they ascribe this to their sanctity, for such people are proud.” ~John of Ruysbroeck

Angels Turn to God

I would rather say that angels turn to God, or toward God, rather than say they turn inward to God. That is because there are too many people who have fallen for the simplistic approach to spiritual growth that says all answers are within us. Yes, some answers are within us, but others, like the Light of the Spiritual Sun, are outside of us. So expecting to find all the answers within simply doesn’t work.

Beatitude and Eternal Rest

Angels as well as humans who turn to God do eventually find eternal bliss, but the idea of eternal rest is misleading. We will eventually achieve Oneness with God and with All, but that is not really rest. The All is constantly in motion. What we do achieve is release from the attempts of the Devil and his minions to control us or guide us into following their path rather than God’s. But we don’t reach that level of spiritual advancement in a few years, or even a few decades. The process of spiritual growth continues for most of us even after we leave the physical world. Development continues in the spiritual realm.

Idleness

We have all heard that idleness is the devil’s playground, but do we really understand what that means? This is not about physical idleness. The physical body needs its rest just as much as it needs activity. The same is true for the brain-mind. But what Ruysbroeck is talking about are those who are in idleness with regard to their devotion to God and to their own spiritual development.

While we dwell in the physical plain of matter, which is the realm of Satan, it is easy for Satan and his demonic minions to control and manipulate us. When we turn to God and to spiritual self-development, we make it harder for those forces of darkness to control us. When we are spiritually idle, we make their job easy.

Like a Merchant

Ruysbroeck clearly doesn’t have a good opinion of merchants. Actually, what he is saying here doesn’t apply to all merchants, and certainly not to merchants all the time, but it does apply to many when they are on the job. Basically he is saying that materialistic people who only look at things in terms of how it can benefit them will achieve little, if anything, on a spiritual level. Let’s look at two individuals as examples.

Person One is practicing spiritual development techniques in private and with humility. This person is not trying to show off, but to develop their true Self to live in service to God. This person will have relatively rapid spiritual growth.

Person two is that merchant type. This person is practicing the same spiritual techniques, prays in public and makes sure everyone knows, brags about how holy he/she is, etc. This person will advance much more slowly because the humility and desire to please God rather than the ego is not there. Attitude matters when it comes to spiritual growth. Turn to the Spiritual Sun in love and humility, not in greed and a desire to be better than others.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Hermes taught that man qualifies himself for union with spiritual forces after death, in proportion as he uses his powers on earth for furthering the purposes of those spiritual forces. Those especially who had worked most seriously in this way between birth and death would be united with the lofty Sun-God Osiris. On the Chaldaic-Babylonian side of the stream of civilization, the direction of the human mind toward the physical sense-world was more conspicuous than on the Egyptian side. The laws of that world were being investigated and from its reflection in the sense-world these people looked up to the corresponding spiritual prototypes. Yet in many respects the nation remained wedded to physical things. Instead of the star-spirit, the star was put first, and instead of other spiritual beings their earthly counterparts were made prominent. Only the leaders attained really deep knowledge concerning the laws of the supersensible world and its connection with the physical. The contrast between the knowledge of the initiates and the perverted beliefs of the people became more apparent in those nations than anywhere else.” ~Rudolf Steiner

Union with Spiritual Forces

Union with spiritual forces is a sensible goal. Union with spiritual worlds and spiritual consciousness is an even better one. It is a goal we should all be seeking, but few do. Many don’t see any need to awaken their spiritual Self, others don’t think anything needs to be done to awaken it. They think they can be as materialistic as they like while trapped in a physical body, but when they die, they will automatically be welcomed into the realm of spirits. That is like believing that you don’t have to bother to learn how to swim. If the ship you’re on sinks, you will learn automatically when you need it. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. As Steiner says, Hermes taught that man must “qualify” himself for union with spiritual forces. We do that by awakening and developing our spiritual faculties while we are still in physical form.

Furthering the Purpose

God grants union with spiritual forces to those who will use such knowledge and power to further His Plan for redeeming the fallen realm of matter. Those who oppose such plans, or simply avoid contributing, may gain temporary union with spiritual forces, but will soon lose it.

United with Osiris

Being united with the Sun God Osiris may not be your goal, but unity with God should be; and God is a Sun God because the Spiritual Sun is His Agent spreading spiritual Light into the realm of matter. Now it is even more so with the birth of the Sun of Righteousness, which means that the Spiritual Sun now carries a special Presence of God to more easily help us awaken our spiritual faculties.

The Failure of Egypt

Steiner is telling us that while great spiritual knowledge was made available to the people of Egypt, few changed their materialistic ways and turned to spiritual development. We know that some of them did turn to the spiritual, including some Pharaohs and priests, but the majority did not. Steiner tells us this story as a warning. Today, with the help of the Sun of Righteousness, we have been given a one-in-a-thousand-year opportunity to turn away from matter—which is temporary anyway—and embrace the spiritual. If we fail this time, there will not be another chance. These are the End Times and a final decision is upon us. Make the wise decision.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Pleasure and distress, desire and fear, and what follows from them, were not originally created as elements of human nature, for in that case they would form part of the definition of that nature. I follow in this matter St. Gregory of Nyssa, who states that these things were introduced as a result of our fall from perfection, being infiltrated into that part of our nature least endowed with intelligence. Through them the blessed and Divine Image in man was at the time of our transgression immediately replaced by a clear and obvious likeness to animals. Once the true dignity of the intelligence had been obscured, it was inevitable and just that human nature should be chastised by those witless elements which it had introduced into itself. In this way God in His providence wisely made man conscious of the nobility of his intellect.” ~The Philokalia

Elements of Human Nature

The Philokalia says that fear, pleasure, desire and distress were not originally part of human nature. This, of course, refers to material pleasures and desires, not spiritual ones. Material pleasures, desires, and fears were not part of our nature when we were spirits only. It is only when the Great Fall into matter happened that we developed such emotions and thoughts. The author of this section of the Philokalia (the book has many authors) is correct in relating these thoughts and emotions to those of animals. It is our animal self that has those thoughts and emotions. We must learn to overcome this weakness by emphasizing the spiritual and not giving in to readily to that animal thinking.

Least Endowed with Intelligence

In the quote from “The Philokalia”, this sentence makes sense only if you replace the word “intelligence” with “consciousness”. Perhaps the word was used differently when the quote was written, but today, especially in Cosolargy, we equate intelligence to the physical body and mind while consciousness is a more universal and spiritual kind of thinking. So it would be better to say that this lower part of nature is least endowed with spiritual consciousness.

True Dignity Obscured

The part of our “true dignity” that is obscured is the spirit and the spiritual consciousness, not the intellect. The intellect is in fact doing much of the obscuring rather than itself being obscured. We can also blame the materialistic societies we live in for teaching us from an early age to emphasize the physical and mental and ignore the spiritual, or at least push it to the background. But if humanity is to be saved, we must reverse that thinking. We must put the spiritual before the physical, God before Man, and let the awakened Soul rule the intellect (or ego), not the other way around. It is not that the physical is evil, but that it is limited and doomed to end, while the spiritual is permanent. The problem, however, is that most people don’t want to bother awakening their spiritual faculties, or don’t think it is necessary. As a result, the spiritual self stays dormant and can’t take control.

Human Nature Chastised

Part of what the quote means when it says that the human nature is “chastised” is that there are consequences for doing the stupid things our mind tells us to do, often in the form of Karma. What we give out is what is sent back to us. If we are indifferent to the needs of others, they will be indifferent to us. If we are greedy, Nature will be greedy with us. If we are killers, we are doomed to die.

Another way that our “human nature” (spiritual nature) is chastised, is that even when our spiritual faculties are dormant, they somehow “whisper” to us when we do things against that true nature. Most of us can feel these pings of guilt we call a conscious. Some people have unfortunately become so materialistic that those spiritual pings either don’t happen, or are not noticed. Such people never feel there is anything wrong with anything they do. Such people are unlikely to ever be convinced to awaken and develop their spiritual Self. For everyone else, don’t wait for those nudges from your conscious, start the process of awakening and developing your spiritual faculties now.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Sometimes it may happen that a speculative artist may, by his own eccentricity, think out for himself some new method in Alchemy, be the consequences anything or nothing. He need do nought in order to reduce something into nothing, and again bring back something out of nothing. Yet this proverb of the incredulous is not wholly false. Destruction perfects that which is good; for the good cannot appear on account of that which conceals it. The good is least good whilst it is thus concealed. The concealment must be removed that so the good may be able to freely appear of its own brightness. For example, the mountain, the sand, the earth, or the stone in which a metal has grown is such a concealment. Each one of the visible metals is a concealment of the other six metals.” ~Paracelsus

New Method in Alchemy

While this may be about the general concept of alchemy as being used to convert one physical substance into another such as making gold from lead, it is more likely that Paracelsus is talking about the true alchemy of converting the lower level consciousness of materialistic humans into the higher levels of spiritual or mystical consciousness.

Something Out of Nothing

As for the idea of turning something into noting, and then back again, we all know that is impossible. First, you cannot turn something into nothing. You can change one kind of matter into another. You can change matter into energy. You cannot change something into nothing, accept in appearance only.

Likewise, you cannot create something from nothing. You might create something visible from something invisible or change energy into matter, but that isn’t really making something from nothing.

Destruction Perfects

Here I must disagree with Paracelsus. He gives the example of a metal hidden in a rock or a mountain and implies that the rock or mountain must be destroyed to get the metal. We all know metal can be removed from a mountain without destroying it. But his statement that the “concealment must be removed that so the good may be able to freely appear of its own brightness,” tells us that he is not talking about metals but about the spiritual hidden by the physical. He is saying, therefore, that the physical body must be destroyed in order for the spirit to be revealed, and that is simply not true. Through spiritual growth techniques though in schools such as Cosolargy, one can strengthen the spirit to the point where its light shines while the body remains. More importantly, it is possible for the spiritually awakened soul to take control of the ego and stop the ego from running things. It isn’t that the ego is evil and needs to be destroyed, but it is limited to knowledge of the physical world, so must be kept in check by the superior knowledge of the awakened soul.

Each Metal Shields

I’m not sure what Paracelsus is trying to say when he claims that each of the “visible metals is a concealment of the other six.” I could have a ring made of silver and gold, but the one metal doesn’t conceal the other unless it completely covers it such as having the gold plated over the silver. If I placed a bar of lead next to one of gold, neither of them would become invisible. Maybe what he is trying to say is that the greater metal would shine above the lesser, and be noticed more. Converting that into its spiritual equivalent, he is saying that a highly developed spiritual person outshines a lesser.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette.

“Let human consciousness change or transcend its rhythm, and any other aspect of any other world may be ours as a result. Hence the mystics’ claim that in their ecstasies they change the conditions of consciousness, and apprehend a deeper reality which is unrelated to human speech, cannot be dismissed as unreasonable. Do not then confuse that surface-consciousness which man has trained to be an organ of utility and nothing more—and which therefore can only deal adequately with the ‘given’ world of sense—with that mysterious something in you, that ground of personality, inarticulate but inextinguishable, by which you are aware that a greater truth exists. This truth, whose neighborhood you feel, and for which you long, is Life. You are in it all the while, ‘like a fish in the sea, like a bird in the air,’ as St. Mechthilde of Hackborn said many centuries ago.

“Give yourself, then, to this divine and infinite life, this mysterious Cosmic activity in which you are immersed, of which you are born. Trust it. Let it surge in on you.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Changing Human Consciousness

Human consciousness is not a fixed thing. We are not trapped at a certain level of consciousness and unable to move from it. It may seem that way to many; and to materialistic people, it is fixed, but for those who have begun their spiritual awakening, it does become possible, even inevitable, that they move into higher levels of consciousness. And I say levels because there is more than a single level of consciousness above that of materialistic humans. Exactly how many there are is a subject of much debate, but it doesn’t really matter. The point is we can climb those levels like climbing stairs, one at a time, until we reach the ultimate level which is unity with God and with the All.

Of course, changing you level of consciousness is not as easy as changing your shoes. You have to know what you are doing and you have to work to make it happen. Unfortunately there are many who are trying but are misled by those who don’t know as much about spiritual growth as they think they do, or are simply charlatans. But if you are serious about it, you will eventually be led to a real spiritual school that can teach you how to climb those levels of consciousness, the true stairway to Heaven.

Other Worlds

Yes there are other worlds at other levels of consciousness. These are generally called dimensions, and we are in the third dimension. There are a total of nine primary dimensions, so you can see there are several levels above us. The fourth dimension is psychic in nature and is the realm of demons and fallen angels—it is best avoided, but we must travel through it to reach the higher levels of consciousness. Just don’t stop there thinking you have achieved the ultimate.

Surface-Consciousness

The regular consciousness of most humans that Underhill calls surface-consciousness is limited to the material world, and while it may have been trained as an “organ of utility,” levels of consciousness are not separated by brick walls. A little of what is in other levels leaks through at times and helps awaken us to the knowledge that there is more than just matter and the material universe. In some cases, it may be beings in higher levels intentionally pushing such ideas through to us to help us. They want us to move up to those higher levels of consciousness. They want it more than anything else.

Truth is Life

Yes truth is life. Living in a world of fantasy may be pleasant for a while, but eventually it falls apart. Living in a world of materialism and denying spirit may not be exactly living in a fantasy, but it isn’t living in truth either, and therefore not truly living, but merely existing. So awaken and develop your consciousness.

From the SOLAR WIND collection by Harold Boulette

Soul Song

“From the writings of the ancient philosophers of all races, from the songs of the great poets of all peoples, from the preachings of the prophets of all religions and times we can gather traces of this illumination which has come to them – this unfoldment of the spiritual consciousness. We have not the space to numerate these numerous instances. One has told of it in one way, the other in another; but all tell practically the same story. All who have experienced the illumination, even in a faint degree, recognize the like experience in the tale, song, or preaching of another, though centuries may roll between them. It is the song of the Soul, which when once heard is never forgotten. Though it be sounded by the crude instrument of of the semi-barbarian races or the finished instruments of the talented musicians of today, its strains are plainly recognized. From old Egypt comes the song from India in all ages – from Ancient Greece and Rome from the early Christian saint – from the Quaker Friend – from the Catholic monasteries from the Mohammedan mosque – from the Chinese philosopher – from the legends of the American Indian hero prophet – it is always the same strain, and it is swelling louder and louder, as many more are taking it up and adding their voices or the sound of their instruments to the grand chorus.” ~William Walker Atkinson

Writings of the Philosophers

Actually, many of the great spiritual philosophers of times past didn’t write down much, if any, of their teachings. They were passed from master to students orally. Fortunately for us, a few of those students did write down some of it, but because of their pledges of secrecy, it is always codified in legends and allegorical tales. Yet enough has survived of the philosophies of Pythagoras, Plato, Rumi, and others to let us know that the path of enlightenment does exist, though it is a long and sometimes perilous journey.

In Songs and More

The writings of the philosophers and their early students are not the only place where one can find guidance on the path to illumination. The Soul Song is found in music, poetry, paintings, statues, architecture, and even in modern movies. Sometimes it was put there intentionally, but often it wasn’t. Sometimes the musician, sculptor, screenwriter, etc. is inspired b a spiritual muse without even realizing it.

It is hidden in simple folk songs like “You are my Sunshine” and rock songs like “Age of Aquarius”. You expect to find some of it hidden in movies like “Father Sun, Sister Moon,” the film about the spiritual awakening of St. Francis, but not in an animated film about cavemen like “The Crudes,” yet there it is if you know enough to recognize it.

To most viewers, The Crudes is a simple comedy about a more primitive family of cavemen who are forced to learn some new ways by a young caveman from a more advanced tribe. But it also has these, spiritual lessons, and more. First, the primitive cavemen are always hiding in their cave from a big cat that chases them. When circumstances force them to abandon that cave, they learn that their assumption was wrong. The cat didn’t want to eat them, it was lonely and wanted someone to play with! They also learn that going to new places and learning new things is not so bad after all, even when it does include learning about the cute little pink birds, which turn out to be like flying Piranas that attack animals in a swarm leaving behind nothing but bones. And they are reminded regularly by the advanced caveman (spiritual guru) to “Go forward, go toward the Light, toward the Sun, that is where you will find safety.” A valuable lesson for all, if we but understood the allegory.

Once Heard, Never Forgotten

Yes, we are inspired by songs, poems, legends, and myths with hidden spiritual meaning, and that is why they tend to stick with us, even if we haven’t figured them out yet. But more importantly, as Atkinson says, even those who have had but a faint glimpse of the spiritual world, a single listen of the soul song, they remember it and began to recognize it in unexpected places. That will keep happening until they make the soul song their theme song and devote themselves full to spiritual growth and illumination. The soul song does indeed lead us to higher and higher levels of consciousness until we achieve the highest level and become one with God, one with the All.

Original article posted at SOLAR WIND by HAROLD BOULETTE on June 2, 2021

“In Love, everything renews. In Love, there is eternal bliss. I say Love is a nice world where I can rest; in Love is paradise.

“Love is this that rectifies all mistakes. For me, Love is this that rectifies the people, this that makes them live better and without lying to each other. The nicest and the most beautiful thing is Love. Wherever we see the nice and the beautiful, there Love is. This that is not Love leave it on the side. Allow Love to start acting in you where it has not acted so far.

“The words ‘I cannot do it’ in Love do not exst. You will put the words” ‘I can do it.’

“The Love in you must bring in its fruit. The Love that you have will always come back to you. Your Love must always go out, do good, and then come back to you. Until it does the whole good, it won’t come back to you, and when it comes back, you will be glad.

“I say; put now in your mind the thought, ‘We have to serve God and we have to serve Love.’

“What are we going to do for the Lord today? One microscopic good.” ~Beinsa Douno

Love Renews

Douno is correct in say that love renews. If you are on social media regularly, you have probably seen some of the posts about a dog who was so depressed because no one wanted to adopt him, and he finally gets adopted after three years in a shelter and is suddenly overjoyed and can’t stop kissing his rescuer. Or the dog that was scheduled to be euthanized in a few hours when someone finally adopts her. She jumps with joy at the reprieve. The same thing happens to people who have felt rejected by the world who finally find love. Not lust, which is often confused with love, but the real thing. That person transforms overnight.

Love is a Nice World

A world full of love would indeed be a nice world. Prophets, poets, singers, and others are often telling us that if we loved more if we all loved each other, the world would be a wonderful place. The only problem with saying that is none of them seem to have a plan to make that happen. They seem to think that it is just a matter of telling people to change, and they can do it. Unfortunate, it isn’t that simple. As long as our spiritual nature, our spiritual faculties lie dormant, we have little control over our tendencies to get angry and violent. The solution is to awaken those faculties. Once our spirit and soul have been awakened, they can develop until they are in control, not the ego. That is the only way to bring love to everyone in the world at all times.

Love Rectifies Mistakes

Real love does rectify many mistakes. Perhaps not all, but most. But that is only true after you have developed complete universal love, love for all humans, love for all beings, love for all that exists. That doesn’t mean that you have to love all the things people do such as murder and animal abuse, but it does mean that you understand the underlying causes of this abhorrent behavior and still can love the true being, the eternal being, hiding behind it. Love forgives mistakes. Love renews.

The Nice and Beautiful

When creative people such as painters, musicians, and poets make things of beauty, they are expressing love. This doesn’t mean that they are in love with any particular individual, but that to some degree, they are feeling universal love towards all of humanity. When artists create things that inspire us and make us want to better ourselves, they are filling their art with love. When they create ugly things, they may be revealing truths that people don’t want to see, but they are not expressing love. Love sees the ugly but looks beyond it. Love renews.

Serve God and Serve Love

There are many who think they are serving God, but they show by their behavior that they do not. They think that by hating those who are different—who are gay, or were born in another country, or have a different skin color—they are serving God. Nothing could be further from the truth unless your god is Satan. Hatred never comes from God. Hatred is never endorsed by God. God is Love. Those who truly love God, love all things, all beings. God renews. Love renews. To be one with God is to be one with Love.

Original article posted at SOLAR WIND by HAROLD BOULETTE on June 4, 2021

“I answered and said to him [Jesus], “Master, we can obey you if you wish, for we have forsaken our fathers and our mothers and our villages, and followed you. Give us the means not to be tempted by the evil devil.” The master answered and said, “What good is it to you if you do the father’s will but you are not given your part of his bounty when you are tempted by Satan? But if you are oppressed by Satan and persecuted and do the father’s will, I say he will love you, make you my equal, and consider you beloved through his forethought, and by your own choice. Won’t you stop loving the flesh and fearing suffering? Don’t you know that you have not yet been abused, unjustly accused, locked up in prison, unlawfully condemned, crucified without reason, or buried in the sand as I myself was by the evil one? Do you dare to spare the flesh, O you for whom the spirit is a wall surrounding you? If you consider how long the world has existed before you and how long it will exist after you, you will see that your life is but a day and your sufferings an hour. The good will not enter the world. Disdain death, then, and care about life. Remember my cross and my death, and you will live.”” ~The Secret Book of James

Give Us the Means

James or one of the other disciples of Jesus says they can obey him, but it would be easier if Jesus would give them a way to avoid being tempted by Satan. This disciple is essentially asking Jesus to give them smooth sailing at all times. No storms, no errant winds, no rogue waves, all smooth sailing. It is an unrealistic request. As long as we are in the physical world we have to face adversity and deal with it. Jesus isn’t going to make the obstacles of disease, hunger, storms, earthquakes, etc. go away. They are part of this world, which is not God’s world. This world is the creation of the Demiurge or Fallen Angels, so Satan has power here. As long as we are in the physical realm, we will be tempted by Satan.

If Tempted By Satan

Whether or not Jesus could do as James asks, Jesus replies that he has no intention of preventing them from being tempted by Satan. He gives them a good reason why, if they understood. it. Jesus asks them, “What good is it to you if you do the father’s will but you are not given your part of his bounty when you are tempted by Satan?” What he is saying is this. When we do good because there is no alternative, we have not accomplished much. If the only option we have is to do God’s Will, then doing it is good, but not special, not deserving any reward. On the other hand, if we are frequently tempted by Satan and his minions to do what is pleasant, comfortable, fun, but in violation of God’s Will, and we resist and do what is right, we have accomplished something to be proud of.

When a swimmer swims against a current, he grows stronger and stronger. If he just floats in an unmoving pool, he gains little. If a weight lifter lifts barbells and dumbbells with no weights attached, she doesn’t get stronger, she doesn’t increase her stamina. But if she adds enough weight to strain her muscles, she will increase strength and stamina. In the war of Light against darkness, God needs soldiers of Light who are strong, who have stamina, and who resist temptation. When tempted by Satan, they must say no, not whine for the temptation to go away. Overcoming the obstacles makes us stronger and more useful to ourselves and to God.

Disdain Death, Care About Life

Jesus also replied that the disciples should disdain death and care about life instead. What he means by that is we should care about real life, eternal life, the life of the spirit and soul, rather than the life of the physical body which is going to die at some point no matter how well we care for it. That doesn’t mean that we should ignore the needs of the body, but the needs of the spirit should take priority.

Remember My Cross

In the final line of the paragraph quoted, Jesus reminds the disciple to remember his cross. This will almost certainly be considered by most to be the crucifix that Jesus was hung on to die. To a limited degree, it is. Jesus, who is now appearing to them in spirit after his physical death, is reminding them of the suffering he faced that was worse than being tempted by Satan. But he is also talking about the Cross of Christ which is different from a crucifix. It is not a symbol of death, but one of eternal life. Its design is recognized by the spirit and soul that understand the language of symbols.

The paragraph after the one quoted above goes into that more, and I will probably cover that in another post.

Original article posted at SOLAR WIND by HAROLD BOULETTE on June 14, 2021

Perfection

“That is the gospel of him whom they seek, which he has revealed to the perfect through the mercies of the father as the hidden mystery, Jesus the anointed. Through him he enlightened those who were in darkness because of forgetfulness. He enlightened them and gave them a path. And that path is the truth that he taught them. For this reason error was angry with him, so she persecuted him. She was distressed by him, and she was made powerless. He was nailed to a tree. He became a fruit of the knowledge of the father. He did not, however, destroy them because they ate of it. He rather caused those who ate of it to be joyful because of this discovery. And as for him, he found them in himself, and they found him in themselves, that illimitable, inconceivable one, that perfect father who made all, in whom the realm of all is, and whom the realm of all lacks, since he retained in himself their perfection, which he had not given to all. The father was not jealous. What jealousy, indeed, is there between him and his members? For, even if the eternal being had received their perfection, they would not have been able to approach the perfection of the father, because he retained their perfection in himself, giving it to them as a way to return to him and as a knowledge unique in perfection. He is the one who set all in order and in whom all existed and whom all lacked.” ~The Gospel of Truth

Seeking Perfection

Sadly, it has become popular in New Age spirituality to criticize the idea of seeking perfection. They seem to think that no work is involved in becoming spiritual, no attempt to improve is needed, we just need to accept ourselves as we are, and we are on our way to Heaven. This idea seems to be promoted by modern Buddhist teachers, but I don’t think Buddha, or any of the other great spiritual or religious leaders of the past, ever believed or taught that.

We all want to change, we all want to grow and become something greater than we already are. Perhaps absolute perfection is a goal we cannot achieve in our lifetime, but it is a goal worth aiming for. Many experts tell us that when we set goals of any kind, we should set them high. Shoot for the moon, and even if you fall short, you have accomplished a lot. Others disagree with that approach and feel we should stick with easily achievable goals. Either way you do it, seeking spiritual perfection should be the ultimate goal of your spiritual quest.

Read the entire article online at spiritsun.net.

Original article posted by HAROLD BOULETTE on April 21, 2021