Q. I am feeling very joy-full. I look forward to a greater elation as the Truth and Work unfolds.
A. It is well that you are feeling relieved and happy, but you may wish to reserve words like Joy for later, since the kind of intense Joy (which is a quality of the divine Soul leading to Bliss: a quality of the Spirit) that we are moving towards in the Work is unspeakable. Better not to 'look forward' to anything, for in so doing we project our minds into a non-existent future. If you are seeking Joy before Truth you will find neither.
When one has a tendency to try to please, this habit may lead one to fall into the glamor of exaggeration from time to time. Remember that anything more or less than the Truth is a lie! This is why the sages are often silent.
Q. I want to find the Truth but so often feel dispirited. What can I do?
A. We are very close now to world chaos and transformation. It is, therefore, time to get very serious about the purpose of our incarnation.
If we do not love the Truth with all our being, then we shall not find it, and until we find it, we shall never be Free.
A man becomes worthy of the Greatest Prize when he loves the Truth with all his being and when he seeks that Truth - for itself - uncompromisingly in every moment.
Q. It appears that in recognizing and embracing the Truth, one may lose many friends. Is this necessarily the case?
A. Due to your new, truly intelligent focus, you are about to recognize who your true friends are, and how few you really have in this world of distortion, fear and ignorance. If we were able now to rise above all the loose threads of the Earth-tapestry, and if we were able to look down from above that tapestry and count the number of 'lightworkers' who were compelled to 'serve' with ulterior/selfish motives, we might be quite shocked indeed. We might feel a sense of great hopelessness for this world, yet we would behold in that place of no-time that the Divine Plan for this phase of the Earth's development will succeed, has already succeeded beyond the veil, and so we would see that Gaia would indeed be salvaged, despite the scarcity of true workers/servants in God's vineyard.
Q. Can you tell me what teachers or saints have inspired your ideas?
A. Scholars and academics many be interested as to where and from whom Truth may spring, but if it is Truth at all, then there is only one Place from which it can possibly originate.
If you sense Truth in anything we ever say or write, then you can be sure that we, as personalities, are not the originators, neither is any other person, however evolved.
As long as we insist on identifying with the world of the personality - the separate - we shall never truly See or Know.
Perhaps it is time for us to discard our tendencies to categorize things sacred and rest back on the reality that God is in all things and that since our essential Nature is of God, it is God Who said, wrote and created every worthy thing that ever was, is and will be.
Knowing well the Law of Cause and Effect as I do, I do not propagate 'ideas,' that is, in the sense of ephemeral, philosophical thoughts, theories or speculations. If I cannot validate a concept in my own heart; if I cannot feel its verity, relevance and quality and so experience it to be true and, therefore, my own - whether the idea came from within me or from within someone else (which is the same thing anyway) - then I will not expound it. It really does not matter from whence the Truth comes, for in God there is no here or there, past or future, in or out, you or I, them or us. Only the dualistically-bound mind perceives it as such.
Truth is the frequency of Reality. But what is true at one level is not so true at another. Everything we have been discussing thus far is only relatively true since we are sharing concepts, and concepts always falsify Reality. This they must do because Reality is beyond the mind. So let us beware of our clinging and misidentifications. The reason you have been uplifted of late by my 'lies' is due to the vibration of Truth imbued within the concepts. Now THAT is what you call 'original' because it is transmitted fresh and new right now in the eternal present from a place within me that sees and knows. This is called Realization, as opposed to book-knowledge, for example, or hearsay, speculation, etc.
Do ponder on this, and understand that I am always seeking to draw your attention upward towards the true Light of Reality, which is where we all Live and have our true Being. Seek the Truth alone; regard not the perishable personalities through which trickles of the divine Stream may pass, and then you will not care from where the Truth comes or how and from whom it manifested; the Truth Itself will be enough to satiate your appetite. Of course, it must be a true Appetite in order to be appeased by the Truth.
Q. If we are to 'serve' others by leading them toward the Truth, how do we do it with people who do not have the eyes to see or ears to hear? I struggle and have been struggling with this for some time. Although I try to keep a light heart and stay focused on the good in everyone I meet, it just AMAZES me that people don't WANT to know this glorious change that is occurring on our planet...and the fact that we are not mere mortals, but Spiritual Beings inhabiting this world. I don't want to keep hitting my head against the wall, and would appreciate your input on this as it is the one thing that I can see becoming so burdensome.
A. Four
categories of souls exist on Earth at this time. Let us first discuss
the first three: those who are descending are in their involutionary
stage; the second category have stopped in one place, they are at the
lowest point in their development and have not yet started their
ascent; and a third category of souls are those who are on the ascent,
are in their evolutionary period, the phase of Return.
Most human beings on Earth today are still in the involutionary stage: child souls.
At the boundary between the involutionary and the evolutionary epochs is Christ. His Coming heralds the beginning of the evolutionary Epoch for Earth-humanity - the evolutionary arc of return, but the majority of human souls at present continue to descend; that is, they are still on the involutionary path. In this way, they will not accomplish transfiguration (Harvest or final Liberation). Another impulse upward towards the Sun must come in the next age. They are not yet Seekers of Holy Truth, therefore there can be no truly spiritual relationship with them.
The second category of souls could be termed adolescent souls. If they are sincere and pure in motive we can work with these, yet we are unable to reveal to them all the Mysteries. Their souls are not yet sufficiently developed to go the Way of Deliverance.
The third category of souls are what we might term 'harvestables'. These are sincere hearts who are done with duality, who are probably quite weary of reincarnation on the wheel and of being in the physical dimension at all and who yearn to Return. It is to these mature souls that the following paraphrased words of the Buddha apply:
If this Earth were all that the poets dreamed of, if all disaster were swept away, every pain brought to an end, every joy made more profound, every beauty made more sublime, even if everything here were raised to the summit of perfection, the soul would still be weary of it all, and, freed from all lesser desires, it would turn away therefrom. This dualistic Earth has then become a prison for the soul, and however nicely it may be adorned, the soul longs for the free and unlimited atmosphere beyond the surrounding walls. And the so-called heavenly world of the astral sphere has for it as little attraction as the material sphere, the soul becomes tired of this also. These celestial joys have entirely lost their power of attraction. One's mental and emotional enjoyments do not give even the slightest satisfaction any more. Indeed they also come and go, transitory as they are, just as do the perception of the senses; they are limited, passing, unsatisfactory. The soul is weary of all these changes, and it is out of this world-weariness that it cries loudly for Liberation.
The fourth category is one that is discussed in Servers of the Divine Plan and is somewhat unique on Earth at this special time. It consists of those souls who have descended from the higher worlds of Spirit in order to be of service to world and mankind in these end times, to constitute the critical mass on Earth in order to fulfill the Law. These are the 144,000 (symbolical) 'elect of God' prophesied to appear in the world at this juncture of mankind's development.
These beings are the ones who will dynamically help manifest the Ark of Christ in 'the clouds of heaven' (etheric plane) and who will take leave of the world to return to work in the higher spheres on their way back Home before the great tribulations begin on Earth.
These souls are mostly working underground today, waiting and watching and sounding the Call wherever they are able. They are not well understood by the mass of even spiritually-disposed humanity. It is as if they come from the future. One of their most important duties is to help construct an interdimensional bridge in the galaxy from the higher to the lower, including right down to the etheric plane on this planet.
Now, traditionally there are three types of human being: i)
Hyletics - those with only a consciousness in the five senses, ii)
Psychics - those who use the mind and may have experiences of the
subtle spheres (ie., lower psychism), iii) Gnostics - those whose
divine spark is awakening to Life, sometimes called "men of
remembrance".
It is only these last types (which are relatively very few in
number on Earth) who can both hear the Call of Christ and respond
adequately to it in order to receive salvific Grace in these times.
So, those who are able to recognize and respond to the Call are known
as men of remembrance.They are either advanced souls descending to
Earth or mature souls who have developed through the Earth evolution
and are ripe for the Harvest. They may also be mature starseed souls
from elsewhere who have incarnated on this planet at this time in order
to partake of the Grace of an Age which is approaching the Earth today.
Traditionally, in Gnostic schools, the bestial or material humanity has been called the sons and daughters of Darkness, while the elect have been called the sons and daughters of Light (the psychic or faithful human being representing a stage of development of the soul in between these two grades). This view is common to other mystical or esoteric schools as well, for example, it appears in the teachings of the Essenes and among Jewish Kabbalists and Islamic Sufis.
The very word applied to mystical teachings and inner traditions - esoteric - implies this idea. Esoteric means "for the few," as opposed to exoteric, which means "for the masses" or "for the many." Thus, what is "esoteric" is for the spiritual or elect.
This idea has nothing to do with exoteric teachings of a "chosen people" but rather represents the development and evolution of the soul-being in individuals. It is spiritual not material, and it is discerned inwardly not outwardly.
Just as this idea has nothing to do with exoteric ideas of a "chosen people," as though one is chosen or elect just because one is born into a certain family or tribe or nation; likewise, it has nothing to do with whether one is in possession of esoteric teachings or not. One is spiritual or elect when one can embody and live the Spirit and Truth of the teachings, not merely because one knows the words and concepts. In a similar fashion, one is not spiritual or elect because one has some glimpse or recognition of the Spirit or Truth, but rather because one lives according to the Truth and Light revealed in one's own experience and thus realizes the Spirit of Truth. Again, it is an inward state - a state of the mind, heart and life - and is outward only in the sense that it determines how one speaks and acts and lives.
In the Valentinian Teachings we find the following statement: "The material ends in decay; and the psychic, if it chooses what is better, will rest in the Middle; if it chooses what is worse, it too will end in a destiny like its choice." As for the spiritual or elect, the teaching goes on to say, they are in the world but not of the world, and they have their root above in Light and Life.
In the discussion of the material, psychic and elect, one cannot help but recall Jesus' parable of the sower and the outcome of the seeds thrown on stone, shallow soil and rich soil: it directly reflects the result of teachings or initiations received in three different conditions. Most importantly it reflects the result of whether or not spiritual teachings and initiations take root; hence whether or not one receives the Truth and Light and follows in the Way of the Spirit of Truth. Essentially, one who embodies and lives according to Truth-Consciousness is spiritual or elect.
Now we have the names Gnosticism and Gnostic, and the intention of Gnostic teachings is primarily for the spiritual or elect and secondarily for the psychic or faithful. Quite frankly, these names are no different than Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim or any other; after all, anybody can call him or herself anything. The real question is: Does one live the Truth and Light of the name one puts on. In terms of the name Gnostic and Gnosticism, the intention is that one does - and that is true of any authentic spiritual tradition.
Though Gnosticism is growing in popularity it must be said that Gnosticism is not for everybody - for not every one is ready for the actual mystical journey. In a manner of speaking, there is such a thing as due season in the development and evolution of the soul-being, and Gnosticism seeks those who are ripe for the "harvest of souls." What determines the state of a soul is its capacity to directly receive the Light-Transmission and to unite itself with the Light-Presence and, thus enter into the Light of Christ. Such a soul is holy and elect, and such a soul is Gnostic.
In Isaiah 45:7 it says: "I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I Yahweh do all these things." This implies the generation of Cosmic Forces of diverse forms - Divine, Admixed or Titanic and Dark or Demonic. Essentially, Yahweh, in the excerpt, is the Force or Energy-Intelligence within all form-life, regardless of its appearance.
Now, Elohim is a word that implies the underlying Sacred Unity within and behind the Cosmic Beings/Forces, and yet at the same time designates a plurality of Beings/Force. Thus, Elohim indicates the one united Divine Being, but also indicates a multiplicity of Cosmic Beings/Forces of different qualities, all emanating from the One. The Elohim are divine Beings, but there are also titanic and demonic beings, a whole spectrum of beings/forces.
What is meant by Divine Beings are those Cosmic Forces that consciously and directly serve the Divine Will or Divine Plan in creation. Titanic beings are those that serve their own self interests, sometimes in harmony with the Divine Plan and sometimes opposed to it. Demonic beings are those that completely oppose and serve to obstruct the Divine Plan. In this regard, Earth-humanity tends to be most akin to the titanic beings/forces, serving its own agendas.
In the Gnostic tradition the principle of the demiurgos, or false creator, and the archons or rulers of the demiurgic realm represents the world of titanic beings/forces, the idea of Satan or the evil one being quite distinct and alluding to the dark and hostile forces (the demonic). Thus, in Gnosticism the play of Cosmic Forces is not simply a matter of good versus evil, but there are also forces of admixture or titanic beings/forces, which are neither exactly good or evil. This, of course, presents a more subtle, sublime and complex view of reality.
Now all of these beings/forces are sustained by the One Life-Force named Yahweh in the biblical extract. The Spirit of Yahweh is manifest as all these "things" and this play of Cosmic Forces forms the Matrix of Creation; the Great Conflict of Forces facilitating the process of involution/evolution of Consciousness.
In Gnosticism beings/forces are titanic or demonic due to cosmic ignorance, the demiurgos itself is the personification of cosmic ignorance, and the archons are the manifestation of the cosmic illusion-power. This world at its present level of development exists under the dominion of the demiurgos and archons, and the demonic forces; hence the necessity for the Light-bearers who enter to teach the Path to Liberation.
Thus, in the Gnostic Tradition, God, the demiurgos and Satan are three distinct Principles, as though gradations of one and the same Being-Consciousness-Force. Realization of the sacred unity thus facilitates transcendence beyond the play of the cosmic illusion.
The aim of the Gnostic is to become conscious of the play of cosmic forces and so to be able to rise above the play of beings/forces. This leads to Liberation from Maya or the Great Illusion. Essentially, when one is unconscious, one is unconsciously compelled by these forces and bound by them. This is the state of the mass of humanity on Earth today.
Spiritual beings/forces only have influence in the material
dimension through material beings, specifically incarnate human beings.
Human beings have a unique capacity to channel and embody spiritual
forces, and in so doing grant dominion to spiritual forces in the
world, whether Divine, titanic or demonic. In this light one might read
the words of St. Paul in Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in
the heavenly realms.
It is in this light that Gnostics speak of Gnosis or divine Knowledge that Redeems or Liberates.