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• Notwithstanding the common image of the Buddha as solitary and withdrawn, in the East many images depict the Buddha accompanied by his chief disciples Sariputta and Moggallana, with hands raised in respect before them.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.

Norman Rockwell’s works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. He is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for over 4 decades.

He considered “Freedom of Speech” the best of the four. Rockwell was a prolific artist, producing over 4,000 original works.  He went on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States of America’s highest civilian honor in 1977.

A message from the Ascended Master Paul the Venetian who served the culture of the world as the artist Paolo Veronese:

I remember when Norman Rockwell came to me at inner levels to study in my etheric retreat. And I remember as I counseled him to show the Christ in the American people, in everyday scenes of humor, humility, wonder, togetherness, heroism. And all these have been treasured, remembered, and valued highly because something of the spirit of the Christ image that is become an image of America came through his work.

A unique artist, one devoted to the inherent qualities and identity of the individual. As his perception of the Christ was, so was his painting the capturing of unique moments. You might examine that work to find in each painting what is the glimmer, however great or faint, of some aspect of the individual reaching for the Higher Self.”

© CUT  Vol. 27 No. 3   Jan. 15, 1984

This Master is the Chohan or great teacher of the third ray of God’s consciousness. Each of the Seven Rays has a great teacher who is the tutor of souls evolving along that line or discipline. As souls step into the accelerated spiritual path, each one is seen, guided and taught by a spiritual teacher on the “inner” planes of consciousness. Treasure the path and the Teacher.

A friend of mine recently discovered a beautiful  restaurant, spa and bookstore in Old Prague called The Alchemist. People flock to the place to experience its atmosphere of ancient mystery, old books and magic. We are still seeking out the answers to the mysteries of life. One of the greatest spiritual gifts mankind has received is the miracle of transmutation through the Violet Flame. It was the alchemists that first discovered this energy.

Many spiritual seekers are drawn to these  Alchemists of old who locked their secrets in coded manuscripts, cyphers, endless experiments and oblique references to mixtures, compounds and attempts to create gold.

These brave men and women documented their ordeal to  change base metals into gold. They were laughed at and sometimes persecuted by a dogmatic Church. Now, modern science gives these ones credit for helping to establish scientific principle and methods of discovery. The truth is, that these Alchemists were wiser than they are made out to be, and the transmutation of metals like lead into gold is symbolic of a higher and more noble alchemy — the alchemy of self-transformation. Read More »

Today is the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, the spiritual reformer of the Catholic Church. Saint Francis created a revolution in spirituality and guided people to purity, the acceptance of poverty rather than the pursuit of power and authority, and the pursuit of a truly Christ like life for all Christians. Francis created a true community of brothers and sisters following Christ with all their hearts during a particularly corrupt period in Church history. He was not well loved by the Church in his own time.

Have you ever wondered what the soul of a Saint Francis would think and do in regards to the world of the last hundred years? How would spiritual revolution appear today?

It’s interesting that the esoteric spiritual  teachings that were revealed in the last century through Theosophy, the Agni Yoga of the Roerich’s, and the Summit Lighthouse teach that the soul of Saint Francis later embodied as  the Master Kuthumi, one of the founders of Theosophy. 

The spiritual revolution sparked by Theosophy beginning in 1875 brought a reawakening to the West about the existence of the Brotherhood of the Masters, or the Great White Brotherhood (white referring to the light of the aura), reincarnation and the spiritual path of initiation for seekers who are attempting world service and to accelerate their spiritual development.

The Wisdom Teachings bring a great gift to humanity of their priceless spiritual origin and the path way back to the heaven world as saints and masters. Read More »

Happy Independence Day Souls of Light!

The celebration of the American Independence Day on July 4th is truly a spark of freedom that is fanning into a world wide flame during this transition of the ages. Freedom is rising in many countries around the world. And with that freedom comes the reinforcement of the  freedom of spiritual pursuit and beliefs.

A teaching from Morya on the Universal Religion:

Blessed hearts, understand the meaning of the term Universal. The Universal Christ, the universal doctrine, the universal God Government, is a thing that exists in itself. It is that something, beloved, that is present and real as the etheric matrix, of the heart. Up to this hour, that universality cannot be out pictured; for by definition, the moment that etheric matrix hits time and space and begins to come into form, immediately it is boxed and there is the contriving and then there is the arguing and then the wars accelerating for who shall have the seat of power, who shall bear the sign of authority.

…For all as one and one for the allness of God in all should result- should it not, O father?- in a perception similar enough to create the brotherhood on earth that we have conceived and realized in heaven. It is a brotherhood of mystics and saints and pillars of eternity and good folk who stand for Light and are unabashed as they decree for its alchemy in themselves and their world.

Lightbearers of the World Unite!

transcribed from a Pearl of Wisdom, vol. 28 , no. 51

Karma and Thought Patterns

This article is from the August 1921 Theosophist, interesting in its approach to how our mental patterns can box in even the highest teachings.

“If, over the gateway of Century I. of our era, fatally glowed the ominous words ‘the Karma of Israel’ over the portals of our own, the future seer may discern other words, that will point to the Karma for cunningly made-up History, for events purposely perverted, and for great characters slandered by posterity, mangled out of recognition, between the two cars of Jagan-natha—Bigotry and Materialism—one accepting too much, the other denying all. Wise is he who holds to the golden mid-point, who believes in the eternal justice of things.”

Are we not all Sons and daughters of “the Karma of Israel” when we closely consider what are the difficulties with which we battle?

Ingrained in the race-mind are the ideas of heaven and hell, reward and punishment, God and devil—the one who can save, the other who may ruin. As the true and devoted student takes up diligently the study of Theosophy, unless he discerns well, the black shadows of the cloak of religion will o’erspread him and he will silently remold his ideas on that old and more deeply hidden basis—bedecked in a new garment of names and terms. Read More »

Our last post on February 23rd was about Earthquakes and spiritual transmutation. As we all know, on March 11th the beautiful country of Japan was devastated by one of the world’s largest earthquakes- a 9.0 followed by a massive tsunami and the loss of thousands of lives. We mourn with the people of Japan and send compassion, strength and aid. May the power of transmutation and light, the science and art of prayer and invocation, the unity of meditation raise the entire planet’s vibration so that humanity can better navigate these stormy times.

Earthquakes from Agni Yoga

The Adepts and the great Brotherhood are attempting to awaken humanity and support us in our time of trial and challenge.

You know how the free will of humanity is directed. There can be warnings of many kinds, even earthquakes, but free will prefers destruction of its own choosing. People know that explosions cause rain, yet they will continue to disturb the atmosphere even if threatened with the fate of Atlantis. There are some responsible scientists who try to remind humanity that the harmony of physical laws should not be broken. But people are indifferent, and do not realize what harmful forces are evoked from space by disharmony. A great effort should be made to restrain such free will. Supermundane – The Inner Life – Book 1 (1938) – 241.

However, Nature’s book is full of subtle omens, and people should be able to read them. Only the blind will fail to see the fiery signs, and only imperceptive physicians will not distinguish the fiery diseases. People say, “The sun rises, the moon shines, and everything is in order; yet for some mysterious reason we feel threatened.” Those who can see will point out unusual events that are influencing human nature, while other events will pass unnoticed. Many things happen in unpredictable places, and if you were to record the whereabouts of earthquakes, floods, epidemics, unusual atmospheric events, and unexplained tensions, you would have a book about the sickness of the planet. Supermundane – The Inner Life – Book 2 (1938) – 251.

Remember that the Divine Mother and the Heavenly Hierarchy are with us. They are calling us higher and have given us many spiritual tools to hasten our spiritual growth. We have the Rosary, a meditation on the heart of the World Mother.

Here is a new version of the Rosary for our times:

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God

Pray for us Sons and Daughters of God,

Now and at the hour of our victory over sin, disease and death.

The Blessed Mother is appearing to visionaries all over the world. She is promising us her help and aid. She has prophesied the genocide in Rwanda, the war in Bosnia, and our economic challenges. Mother Mary appeared in Akita, Japan and warned mankind of great trials. She is requesting that we fast, pray, and give her the energies of our hearts in the Rosary.

We also have a new spiritual gift, the transmuting power of the Violet Flame. Mystics and Adepts have taught about this light.They have seen this flame. They have called it the light of the Holy Spirit. In the 1930′s, the Master Saint Germain gave teaching on the Violet Flame to Guy and Edna Ballard. Experiment with this Violet Flame. It is the light of freedom, mercy, forgiveness and transmutation. Decrees are part of the Science of the Spoken Word. They are meant to be said aloud, from a loving heart, with clear visualizations and wise action. Here is a wonderful Violet Flame Decree:

O Violet Flame! O Violet Flame! O Violet Flame!

In the name of God, in the name of God, in the name of God!

O Violet Flame! O Violet Flame! O Violet Flame!

Flood the World, and flood the world and flood the world!

In the I AM name, in the I AM name, in the I AM name!

Peace and Peace and Peace be spread throughout the earth!

May the Orient express Peace,

May the Occident express Peace,

May Peace come from the East and go to the West,

Come from the North and got to the South,

and circle the world around!

May the swaddling garments of the earth

Be in place to magnify the LORD

In this day and hour and this night,

May the world abide in an aura of God Peace!

We invite you to enter in to a great spiritual experiment with the Rosary and the Violet Flame.

Call upon the Lord.

copyright 1983  The Summit Lighthouse

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 »

A Spiritual Gift of Fire

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE HEART
SHINING IN THE DARKNESS OF BEING
AND CHANGING ALL INTO THE GOLDEN TREASURY
OF THE MIND OF CHRIST

I AM PROJECTING MY LOVE
OUT INTO THE WORLD
TO ERASE ALL ERRORS,
AND TO BREAK DOWN ALL BARRIERS.

I AM THE POWER OF INFINITE LOVE
AMPLIFYING ITSELF
UNTIL IT IS VICTORIOUS
WORLDS WITHOUT END.

Your hearts are the jewels of life
Love to all the Coworkers of the Worldwide Ashram
known and unknown