“When we receive visits from our brethren, we should not consider this an irksome interruption of our stillness, lest we cut ourselves off from the law of love. Now should we receive them as if we are doing them a favor, but rather as if it is we ourselves who are receiving a favor; and because we are indebted to them, we we should beg them cheerfully to enjoy our hospitality.
“accepting the task of hospitality, the patriarch used to sit at the entrance to his tent (cf. Gen. 18:1), inviting all who passed by, and his table was laden for all comers, including the impious and barbarians, without distinction. Hence he was found worth of that wonderful banquet when he received angels and the Master of all as his guests.” ~The Philokalia

Giving Hospitality

“Hospitality is an often overlooked, yet important, virtue. The giving of hospitality is closely related to the virtues of kindness, generosity, and love. You cannot honestly claim to love people if you refuse to be hospitable to them. You cannot claim to be kind if you limit your kindness to those you agree with, or to those who are friends. The truly hospitable person must be hospitable to all—but within reason.”

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“If a man had only one sense he would obtain but a one sense idea of the outside world. If another sense is added his knowledge is doubled, and so on. The best proof of the relation between increased sense perception and development is had in the study of the evolution of animal forms. In the early stages of life the organism has only the sense of feeling—and very dim at that—and a faint sense of taste. Then developed smell, hearing, and sight, each marking a distinct advance in the scale of life, for a new world had been opened out to the advancing forms of life. And when man develops new senses—and this is before the race—he will be a much wiser and greater being.” ~William Walker Atkinson

“If a new sense or two were added to the present normal number in men, that which is now the phenomenal world for all of us might, for all that we know, burst into something amazingly different and wider.” ~Prof. Masson

Sense and Senses

“It is obvious, I think, that the more senses we have, the better we can comprehend the world around us. I doubt that the senses developed in exactly the sequence Atkinson suggests because I know there are primitive life forms that still exist with only touch, a limited sense of taste (if any), and a primitive eye spot capable of distinguishing light from dark, but little more. That seems to indicate to me that sight comes before smell and hearing, but it may vary depending on the environment the species develops in. It makes sense, though, that since sunlight is important to all forms of life, they would very early in the evolutionary process develop the ability to sense its location.

“Of course, there is one “sense” that is greater than any of the senses, and that is the mind. It is up to the mind to take the information from the senses and interpret it. . . .”

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“The reason philosophers have trouble agreeing, then, is partly because that is the nature of the subject (philosophers deal in questions that people in general don’t agree upon) and partly because philosophers go about their business by challenging assumptions and concepts. …
“Despite the inherent difficulty of philosophy, its value should not be underestimated. As recent discoveries in genetics and biotechnology have shown, it is impossible to know what to do with scientific discoveries without reflecting on what sort of a society we want to live in and what duties we owe to each other, our descendants and the environment. … None of these issues are questions for science or for art, but for philosophy.” ~Philip Stokes

The Important Job of the Philosopher

“First, we have to define what we mean by “a philosopher”. Merriam-Webster says a philosopher is one who “studies ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc.” By that definition, I think nearly all of us could claim to be philosophers. A real philosopher, we might say a professional philosopher, goes beyond just studying those thing, but forms opinions about them and shares those opinions. Another definition is, “a person who seeks wisdom or enlightenment,” and those are the real philosophers.

“Some people seem to think than anyone who is highly opinionated and is willing to share those opinions with anyone who will listen is a philosopher. I think most such individuals would more accurately be called critics.

“As Mr. Stokes points out, the primary purpose of the philosopher is to help us use knowledge, especially science, in a way that is beneficial for us and nature, and does not destroy us after a time. Some such philosophers are called Ethicists these days, but that is just trying to rename something considered too artsy and flighty (philosophy) with a more scientific name. An ethicist is still a kind of philosopher.”

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“So here is your vocation set out: a vocation so various in its opportunities, that you can hardly fail to find something to do. It is your business to actualize within the world of time and space—perhaps by great endeavors in the field of heroic action, perhaps only by small ones, … that holy creative energy, which this world manifests as a whole but indifferently. You shall work for mercy, order, beauty, significance: shall mend where you find things broken, make where you find the need.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Spiritual Vocation

“Ms. Underhill says it is our job as spiritual people to actualize “holy creative energy”, or spiritual energy in the world. While that is not the only job of the spiritual adept, it certainly is an important part of it. There are many ways to do this. You can talk to people in a loving positive way. And while you’re talking to them, see positive spiritual energy flowing from you to them (we all exchange some energy with others when we meet, but it works best when done with intent). We can share our knowledge online, in books, and in other media.

“We don’t have to limit that sharing of energy to other humans. We can share with animals, plants, and even the so-called non-living things. Sit on a bench in the park and send spiritual energy to the squirrels, dogs, and other animals. Some may sense it and approach you in acknowledgment. Send it to the grass, the trees, even the bench you are sitting on. When you do, encourage these other beings to send energy back to you. It is one of the best ways to learn to understand other beings, even if only on a subconscious level.”

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“The eyes of the Righteous shall see God’s Image and hear His Word. He shall no more be hidden from them and his Light shall not be revoked by the Darkness. He shall dwell with men on earth in the enlightened Words of Light ordained to be fulfilled by His Image as a perpetual lamp lit in the Sun of His Righteousness—as the flaming oil of Nephtai over the heavenly altar.
“He shall prepare a banquet in Heaven of the Bread of Life and the Waters of Truth to nurture all Souls that hunger for Life. He shall breathe eternal Life into the nostrils of Spirits who sleep and make them to stand upright, and walk in the way of God.” ~Gene Savoy

God’s Image

“It is an important distinction. Mr. Savoy doesn’t say the Righteous will see God, he says they will see God’s Image. We find in other writings by this spiritual teacher that the Spiritual Light that comes to us through God’s agent, the Spiritual Sun or Sun of Righteousness, is the Image of God.”

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“I will prefix this article with a paragraph quoted from Marcus Julian Felicetti:

‘Atapa Snana is the yogic phrase for the healing science of Sun bathing. We live in a modern world that is bombarded with paranoid messages about how dangerous the Sun is. We should remember that the ancient yogis and many other cultures knew how to use the Sun to heal all kinds of illnesses, and bring about radiant health. In the West we also have a history of using Sunlight therapy that dates back to the ancient Greeks. It was called heliosis. Today, the name for Sunlight therapy is heliotherapy. We evolved as a human race … under the warmth and love of the Sun.’

“It is not just the frequencies and rhythms of the Sun that affect us biologically. The radiations that it emits include not only the solar winds, but the Sunlight we take for granted. Solar Ultra-Violet rays provide us with the best natural source of vitamin D, which is absorbed through our skin by a process called dermal synthesis, and then activated in a second step known as hydroxylation in the liver and kidneys. This enhances our absorption of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc. It is essential for our bone health and it appears that calcium does not benefit us much without vitamin D. When I was recovering from multiple bone fractures in the Royal Brisbane Hospital in 1995, the nurses would often wheel us orthopaedic patients out onto what they called their ‘Sun verandah’ when conditions were bright, to increase our intake of Sunlight.

Even the simple act of sunbathing causes the secretion of the ‘feel good’ hormones serotonin, beta-endorphins, and dopamine although, as we have noted earlier, this should only be done for short periods and with due regard to the risks of skin damage.

“UV rays are considered by many to be the bogeymen of the light spectrum, mainly due to their association with cancerous cell mutations, when over-exposure to the Sun occurs. People also screen them out by wearing UV-rated sunglasses. Personally, I never wear sunglasses. They block light from getting into the eyes, which affects the ability of the optical nerve that runs to the hypothalamus to adjust the skin’s resistance to the Sun. That resistance is based on how much light is taken in by your eyes. It may sound anomalous, but UV radiation is used to treat some skin conditions, such as acne. It is also used to sterilise medical equipment because it can kill harmful bacteria.”

Read the full article by Paul Young on the blog at his web site SolarAncestors.com.

This article was first published in New Dawn Magazine, Special Issue Vol.10 No.5 (October 2016), the theme of which was “How To Escape the Sickness Industry.”

“The mystics are artists; and the stuff in which they work is most often human life. They want to heal the disharmony between the actual and the real: and since, in the white-hot radiance of that faith, hope, and charity which burns in them, they discern such a reconciliation to be possible, they are able to work for it with a singleness of purpose and an invincible optimism denied to other men. This was the instinct which drove St. Francis of Assisi to the practical experience of that poverty which he recognized as the highest wisdom; … St. Teresa to the formation of an ideal religious family; … Florence Nightingale to battle with officials, vermin, dirt, and disease in the soldiers hospitals. …” ~Evelyn Underhill

Mystics as Artists

Mystics are artists in the sense of being creators and agents of change. If they don’t make the changes them selves, they are either helping others to do so, or working with God and the angels to make it happen. They are not artists of chaos. They are not artists who seek to reveal the dark and slimy underbelly of life on the material plane. Instead they are
seekers of beauty, much like painter Georgia O’Keeffe saw beauty in the desert where she lived. 

Georgia OKeeffe, Summer Days (1936)

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“The oracle of Dodona was presided over by Jupiter, who uttered prophecies through oak trees, birds, and vases of brass. … The ‘talking’ trees stood together, forming a sacred grove. When the priests desired answers to important questions, after careful and solemn purifications they retired to the grove. When they had stated their questions, the trees spoke with the voices of human beings, revealing to the priests the desired information. …
“Most curious of the oracles of Dodona were the ‘talking’ vases, or kettles. These were made of brass and so carefully fashioned that when struck they gave off sound for hours.” ~Manly P. Hall

Talking Trees

“The trees of Dodona didn’t actually talk. What they did varies depending on who you listen to. Some say actual voices could be heard coming from the trees. Others, that the rustling leaves made sounds that could only be interpreted by the oracles. In either case, we are talking about sound coming from the trees.

Talking Kettles

“More interesting is the tale of “talking” vases or kettles made of brass. The fact that it was said they gave off sound for hours after being struck indicates that this is something different from listening to the “voices” in the trees and from the birds. This sound more like a tool used to raise the vibrations of the priests and others present during the oracular ceremony. This sounds very similar to the singing brass bowls used in Tibet and the crystal ones used elsewhere in spiritual and mystical ceremony.”

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“Even in the superior phase of the Soul—that which proceeds the impressionable faculty and any sensation—how can we reconcile immunity with the indwelling of vice, false notions, ignorance? …

“If the Soul were material and had magnitude, it would be difficult, indeed quite impossible, to make it appear to be immune, unchangeable, when any of such emotions lodge in it. And even considered as an Authentic Being, devoid of magnitude and necessarily indestructible, we must be very careful how we attribute any such experiences to it or we will find ourselves unconsciously making it subject to dissolution.” ~Plotinus

The Immune Soul

The soul is immune from many things, but Plotinus is primarily telling us that it is immune to having negative emotions. It is immune in that it cannot experience for itself such emotions, or for that matter, most positive emotions. It cannot be jealous, angry, vengeful, or hateful. It cannot even be happy, sad, joyful, or friendly. All such emotions are experienced by the body and the mind, not the Soul. But there is one cautionary message that needs to go with this idea. While the soul can’t experience such emotions directly, it can be affected by them indirectly.

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“Those whose names he knew first were called last, so that one who has knowledge is one whose name the Father has pronounced. For one whose name has not been spoken is ignorant. … For whoever remains ignorant until the end is a creature of forgetfulness and will perish with it. … Hence, whoever has knowledge is from above. If called, that person hears, replies, and turns toward Him who called. That person ascends to Him and knows how he is called. Having knowledge, that person does the will of Him who called. That persons desire to please Him, finds rest, and receives a certain name. Those who thus are going to have knowledge know whence they came and whither they are going. They know it as someone who, having become intoxicated, has turned from his drunkenness and, having come to himself, has restored what is his own.” ~The Gospel of Truth

Called Last

Why should those with knowledge be called last? For the same reason that the ship’s crew and captain are the last ones to leave a sinking ship. The ones with the knowledge about life boats, life vests, and so on, must show the passengers and help them get off first. Likewise, those who gain knowledge must help teach the rest so they too can be saved.

Read the complete blog post at Solar Wind.

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