There is a wonderful article to be found at http//www.urbandharma.org entitled Friendship in the Spiritual Community.  Here the author shares an account of a conversation between Ananda and the Buddha. “Lord”, Ananda declares, “this spiritual friendship, spiritual companionship and spiritual intimacy is no less than half of the spiritual life.” The Buddha replies, “Say not so Ananda.  It is the whole, not the half of the spiritual life.”

The idea about the essential nature and importance of friendship really made me pause and reflect.  Certainly our spirituality does not exist in a vacuum.  Words like love, compassion and forgiveness are not empty ideations but exist in relationship to another, to “I and Thou”. Here is the ‘word’ made manifest.  Relationships are the proving ground  of our evolving consciousness. I would like to highlight the following points made by the author.

• Many of those Buddhists who are familiar with the concept of spiritual friendship or kalyana mitrata think of it in terms of a ‘teacher-disciple’ relationship (or a ‘vertical’ relationship). As a result they pay little attention to a vital dimension of spiritual friendship that could be called horizontal friendship: that is, friendship with one’s peers. 

• Notwithstanding the common image of the Buddha as solitary and withdrawn, in the East many images depict the Buddha accompanied by his chief disciples Sariputta and Moggallana, with hands raised in respect before them.  Such images are, in effect, representations of the Buddha and the Sangha, (spiritual community) incorporating the vertical and horizontal axis of spiritual friendship in a single image.

• Far from being an incidental pleasure in the essentially solitary business of spiritual life, there are passages in the Buddhist scriptures which suggest that friendship between peers belongs not only to the Path but also to the Goal. (Italics mine.)

Christ imparted the concept of the vertical and horizontal axis of friendship, as well.  “Wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  Walking the spiritual path together secures the blessings of the Teacher and the Teaching. In friendship our shortcomings and flaws are only passing shadows, a source of humor and pathos.  We are reinforced on our journey by the true bonds of friendship– those formed by our aspirations for transcendence.  Here in the living world, we are blest to find friendship and to discover in it a deep well– a profound source and activator of psychological insight and spiritual growth.

2011 on target for most earthquakes recorded in 12 years

Transmutation and Earthquakes

Nearly ninety years ago the Ascended Master El Morya physically contacted Nicholas Roerich, the Russian visionary artist, and his wife Helena in London after their escape from revolutionary Russia. They were able to maintain their contact with him and gave the world the Teachings of Agni Yoga.

Here are a number of poetic mediation glyphs from Nicholas and Helena Roerich from their Agni Yoga Society books on the subject of earthchanges, earthquakes and the power of transmutation which lies in the collective and personal consciousness.

Consider this idea: take One Prayer of fire, hope and light into your very heart. Become it, pray it, decree it, say it aloud as a mighty fiat to heaven. Gather with friends to meditate and pray. Let the world hear your voice rising to stay the tide of fear, hate, division and anger. Read More »

We are posting this essay from our friends at Starfires Astrology. This blog gives key information for our nation and world in terms of astrology, personal and planetary transformation and transmutation.

Learn more about the alchemy of the violet flame and the power of this new spiritual dispensation. The Violet Flame was first given in the 20th century to seekers on the spiritual path as a scientific and spiritual tool to accelerate consciousness and vibration so earth could transit more peacefully through these difficult times. Read More »

Awakening To The Fire Of Our Reality

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.”
–Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Moses met the Eternal God in the burning bush. When Moses asked His Name, He said, “I AM THAT I AM”. A Name given to mankind as a memorial to all generations and a statement of Being.

Where is our burning bush? It can come at any moment, the awareness of your child’s laugh, the goodness of a stranger, the remarkable miracle of a sunset, the quality of light pouring across the city or the plains. The Immanent God is all around us, beckoning us to a greater sense of reality.

Our calling is to awaken. The Buddha said, “I am awake”. Let us awaken.

“Earth is a planet of violet fire, earth is the purity God desires. I am a being of violet fire, I am the purity God desires”.

Try this prayer as you walk through your day and awaken.

A caravan crossing the trackless wastes is stronger when the company is many although each may have a separate mission, an individual interest, and at the end of the journey each may pursue a different course.

-Morya:  Letter of April 1, 1952 to Mrs. Ballard of I AM Activity and to the heads of the Theosophical Society, Christian Science, Rosicrucian Society and Unity School of Christianity, inviting a more broad and unified spiritual activity; dictated via Geraldine Innocente

Although it might be simple to dismiss “messengers” that one doesn’t believe in, it is interesting to note the essence of the message itself. If a messenger be an ant, heed him. What if the many who believe in the on going existence of the Ascended and unascended Masters joined with one another for the uplifting of the culture and the victory of freedom and truth on earth? What would that cooperative effort look like?

Theosophy, ground breaking and revolutionary, brought the ancient and hidden teachings to the forefront of modern thought. It inspired innovation in physics, chemistry, indeed many avenues of science. Theosophy brought inspiration to poetry, literature and the study of religion. The teachings of Theosophy through Leadbeater, Besant and Hodson continued to open new pathways of spiritual experience and world service after the turn of the new century.

The I AM Movement, Bridge to Freedom, and the Summit Lighthouse incorporated the science of the spoken word, the use of fiat, and group practice into the study of the Masters teachings- old and new. Each of these groups taught a new spiritual practice- meditating upon and saying decrees for the violet flame of transmutation, mercy, freedom and forgiveness.

Imagine the cooperative effort of all these spiritual groups pursuing their studies, their meditations, and their active endeavors to better the world, all the while aware of the whole antahkarana of spiritual seekers working together.

The goal of the spiritual path is not personal enlightenment and mastery for self alone, it is to help the Logos in the upliftment of humankind and all life. Let’s consider giving humanity a more cohesive family of spiritual seekers to look to for support and help. Let’s explore dialogue and cooperative effort.

A riveting account of a near death experience is given in a book called Secrets of the Light.  Dannion Brinkley describes his shocking experience of death and of his consciousness or soul passing out of his body -more than once- and exploring the mysteries just beyond our daily level of reality.

Dannion saw the crystalline or etheric cities or the “heaven world”. He experienced the power of prayer and  meditation to set one ‘s self free  as well as setting others free from the downward pull of sadness, regret, violence and war.  He was also shown a spiritual gift rather unknown to many spiritual seekers, that of the violet light or violet flame.

It is like the alchemical elixir of ancient times that was said to restore youth and well being. Taken in a spiritual context, this violet flame restores the spirit and transmutes the lead of mistakes, wrong doing and pain into the gold of opportunity, mercy and forgiveness.