Develops Step by Step

“Do not regard lightly the immaterial substance of the Soul, beloved one. The immotal Soul is a precious vessel. See how great the heavens and the earth are, and yet God was not satisfied with them, but only with thee. Consider thy dignity and thy nobility, that to thy succor the Lord came in person, not by the medium of angels, to recall those who were lost, those who were wounded, and to restore to thee the primal fashioning of the pure Adam. For Man was master from the sky above to the things beneath, and capable of discerning the affections, without any connection with devils, pure from sin, the Image and Likeness of God. But by transgression, he was lost, and wounded, and brought to death. Satan has darkened his mind. In one thing this is so, and in another, he lives and discerns, and has a will.

“When the Holy Ghost comes, … sin is eradicated, and man recovers the primal fashioning of the pure Adam. Man, however, by the power of the Spirit and the spiritual regeneration, not only comes to the measure of the first Adam but is made greater than he.” ~St. Macarius the Egyptian

Do not Regard the Soul Lightly

There are many people in this materialistic age who don’t believe they have a soul at all. As sad as those people are, even worse are those who do believe they have a soul, but treat it as something trivial. Some see it as a kind of lifesaver to be used only after physical death. Others think they need to do nothing to develop the soul, it came to them fully developed. Why they would think that I don’t know. We are not born with a fully developed body but have to work to develop it to its full potential. We are not born with the mind of a genius but have to develop our mind along with the body. The same is true of the soul, if not more so. We enter the physical world with our spiritual faculties in a dormant state, somewhat like being in a coma. If they are not awakened and developed, they will be wasted. The first step of spiritual regeneration is awakening the spirit. Then it must be developed in a fully conscious Soul.

Recall Those Who Were Lost

God does call to us to return to Heaven where we belong, but few hear the call. That is because the call is spiritual in nature and can only be heard by our spiritual faculties, but those faculties must first be awakened. If they are not awakened, that call is not heard or is heard very vaguely by the mind. It is why some wealthy people are never satisfied with what they have, but always want more. Deep down they feel something is missing in their lives, but they don’t realize it is something spiritual, so they keep trying to satisfy that need with material wealth.

Man Was Master

Before the Great Fall, Man was master over many things as trusted servants of God. After the fall, many people still think they are the masters, but in fact, they are being led and controlled by the forces of Darkness. Only those who have turned to God and seek spiritual regeneration can escape from the control of darkness. Even for them, it is not easy, but it can be done if one develops love, humility, and trust in God. The power of spirit is that it can give back to Man that mastery.

Wounded and Brought to Death

When humans were pure spirits living in Heaven, we experienced no illness, hunger, or death. But after the Great Fall symbolized in the story of Adam and Eve, we became material beings and now experienced illness, death, and many other negative things. Death does not affect the Soul, so that is another reason to seek its regeneration, or more accurately, awakening and development.

When the Holy Ghost Comes

There may have been various ways that the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit came to people in the past, but we are now in the age of the Sun of Righteousness, so it comes to us through the Light of the Spiritual Sun. We must turn to that Sun with pure hearts and minds to experience the power of the “regenerated” soul.

“The painter, however great his natural powers, can hardly dispense with some technical training; the musician is wise if he acquaints himself at least with the elements of counterpoint. So too the mystic. It is true that he sometimes seems to spring abruptly to the heights, to be caught into ecstasy without previous preparation: as a poet may startle the world by a sudden masterpiece. But unless they be backed by discipline, the sudden and isolated flashes of inspiration will not long avail for the production of great works. ‘Ordina quest’ amore, o tu che m’ami’¹ is the imperative demand made by Goodness, truth, and Beauty, by every aspect of reality, upon the human soul. Lover and philosopher, saint, artist, and scientist, must alike obey or fail.

“Transcendental genius, then, obeys the laws which govern all other forms of genius, in being susceptible of culture; and, indeed, cannot develop its full powers without an educative process of some kind. This strange art of contemplation, which the mystic tends to practice during the whole of his career—which develops step by step with his vision and his love—demands of the self which undertakes it the same hard dull work, the same slow training of the will, which lies behind all supreme achievement, and is the price of all true liberty.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Technical Training

What Ms. Underhill means by technical training is not training in the use of technology such as computers or cell phones. What she means is training that is specific to the discipline you want to learn, such as the artist studying perspective, or the musician studying music theory. Many people today who are calling themselves “spiritual,’ or “awakened,” think that little training is necessary. You simply have to become aware that there is something more than the physical. While that is the first step in the spiritual journey, it is hardly all of it. There is much to learn and it is best learned through a reputable school or teacher. This was the convention at the time Ms. Underhill was writing.

Note: The quote uses “him” or “his” when referring to a mystic. It doesn’t mean a mystic or spiritual student can’t be a woman.

Caught into Ecstasy

As Underhill notes, there may be a rare case of a person who is suddenly caught in spiritual ecstasy with no preparation or training. Those cases, though, are quite rare, so waiting for that to happen is a foolish plan. Also, those who do have this sudden ecstasy generally either lose it or go insane because they don’t know how to deal with it. It is far better to prepare for it.

Backed by Discipline

In the ancient mystery schools, the mystic learned discipline, among other things. In fact, part of the trial period that most new students were put through was so the teacher could evaluate their ability to become disciplined. The reason it is important to be disciplined is that the undisciplined person is far more easily misled by the forces of darkness, and led away from the true path of Enlightenment. A large part of the training in modern armies is training in discipline. This is necessary so the soldier will not fail on the battlefield. The battle of Light and Darkness is a different kind of battle, but still demands discipline and training.

Obeys the Laws

The sensible spiritual aspirant understands that like those learning anything else, she must obey the laws. That means, in this case, primarily the Laws of God, but also the Laws of Nature while we live in the world of matter. It is also generally a good idea to obey the laws of man as well, except when they conflict with the Laws of God.

Develops Step by Step

This is a very important point Underhill makes. The mystic doesn’t develop overnight. The great mystery schools of the past took years to develop a mystic, not because they were inefficient, but because it is required. That need hasn’t magically disappeared in our age, despite having the help of the Spiritual Sun of Righteousness. Spiritual development is not something that happens instantly, or even quickly. It takes years of discipline.

“A slave longs for freedom and doesn’t hope to own a master’s estate. A child claims the father’s legacy, but those who inherit the dead are dead. Heirs to the living are alive and are heirs to life and death. The dead are heirs to nothing. How can the dead inherit? Yet if the dead inherits the living, the living won’t die and the dead will survive.

“Those who sow in winter reap in summer. Let us sow in the world to reap in summer. Winter is the world, summer the other realm. It is wrong to pray in winter. From winter comes summer. If you reap in winter you will not reap. You will pull up young plants. At the wrong season no crop is yours. Even on the days of the Sabbath the field is barren.” ~The Gospel of Philip

The Slave Longs for Freedom

Yes, the slave longs for freedom. We all long for that which we don’t have. The sick long for good health, the blind long to see, etc. There may be a few slaves who wish to be masters with slaves of their own, but most simply want to be free. We must understand, though, that almost everything in the quote above is allegorical. While it may be true in a physical sense, it is the spiritual equivalent that Philip is writing about.

Those Who Inherit the Dead

This is a line that is, I think, obviously allegorical. Obviously, no one inherits the bodies of dead people or animals. This is talking about those who inherit material goods. While having material goods, through inheritance or otherwise, doesn’t make us dead, if it is all we have and all we desire, then we are indeed among the living dead. Our primary desire should be for the spiritual. We should desire a true awakening of the spirit, a full development of the soul, and finally, unity with God. We are among the living if we desire those spiritual things above all else.

But there is hope for even the living dead. The quote says that if the dead inherit the living, they will survive. This means that if the materialist develops their spiritual self, and puts the spirit above the body and mind, they will join the living by becoming eternal. Only those who awaken and develop the soul do that.

Sow in Winter to Reap in Summer

Just as with similar tales about sowing and reaping in the Bible, and other Scripture, this is an allegorical type of sowing and reaping. In this case, winter refers to being trapped in the cold and darkness of the realm of matter. Summer is the Light, Joy, Peace, and freedom of Heaven, or the Spiritual realm. SO Philip is saying that if we want to reap eternal life in Heaven, we must sow the seeds of spiritual development now, while we are in the realm of matter. Many think they should wait until they are physically dead to worry about the development of the soul. That is like thinking you should learn how to swim after the boat you are on sinks. That is too late. We must do it now, while we are still alive in a physical form. Only then can the mind and spirit become fully integrated so that we can become complete beings in the spiritual realm. So don’t try to reap if you haven’t yet sowed, and don’t wait for summer to do the sowing that should have been done in winter.