Delphi
  • Home
  • About Oracle
  • Time Travel
  • Eclipse Meditation
  • Alt Media
  • Brexit 1
    • Brexit 2
  • Eleni's Farm
    • Eleni's Farm (Deutsch)
    • Η Φάρμα της Ελένης
    • Eleni's Farm - Syriza
    • Eleni's farm (Greek)
  • The Event
  • Hero Tales

Delphic Oracle

Cosmic Meditation

2/3/2017

1 Comment

 
Picture
The day the world changed.
Above, is the image from the Space Observing System in Tomsk in Russia. This measures the Schumann Resonance.*

The fat red arrow marks the point in time when between 150,000 and 200,000 people began a meditation for the healing of the etheric rent in the reality fabric within and above the Congo. This was to heal the effects of decades (if not centuries) of abusive behaviour, especially towards women, incited by etheric archons. The Russian Space Observatory monitored a huge increase in plasma activity that started one hour after the commencement of the meditation.

If you do a reverse search for the image above in its original form (found here) you will see it does not exist anywhere on the Internet, except here and here.


Read More
1 Comment

Earth's Electric Prison

19/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
In a previous post, here, we saw how the Gnostics believed in an ignorant and dark Creator God called Yaldabaoth.
This myth appeared to be a distortion of a profound teaching from Plato's Timaeus. But the Gnostic doctrine may have been capturing a reality that applies specifically to Earth and the subtle systems that surround it, within what esoteric teachings refer to as the astral and etheric realms. These ideas, rejected by mainstream science, perhaps have their place in the emerging science of plasma and the electric universe theory.

Read More
0 Comments

Cagliostro - A Hidden Master?

3/2/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Cagliostro - as represented in a silent movie
Cagliostro – a remarkable man – has been much maligned*.
Born in 1700's, he was very likely the (illegitimate?) son of royal blood, connected to the now vanished monarchy of Trebizond. He was raised in Medina and deeply imbued with the learning and insights of the East. He fell foul of certain elements in the Catholic Church, and this led to attacks on his good name throughout his adult life.

*See note at the end of this post

Childhood

His own recollection is that he was raised by various dignitaries, including Mufti V Salahaym of Medina. He had as his tutor, Althotas, an Alchemist. Deriving from Trebizond, a Christian enclave in the then mighty Ottoman empire, meant Cagliostro was raised as a Christian, but with access to the learning of the Orient, which in many areas far exceeded that available in Europe and the Americas.

Cagliostro wrote of Althotas:

"It was he who taught me to adore God, love  and serve my neighbour, and to respect religion and law in all places."

He travelled with his tutor to Egypt in 1763, where he could immerse himself in learning.

At some point he met an even more enigmatic figure of this age, the Comte de St Germain. The remarkable philosopher and historian, Manly P Hall write about St Germain in these words:
Picture
Comte de St Germain
[The} Comte de St.-Germain, over whose Masonic activities to this day hangs the veil of impenetrable mystery. The exalted body of initiates whom he represented, as well as the mission he came to accomplish, have both been concealed from the members of the Craft at large and are apparent only to those few discerning Masons who sense the supernal philosophic destiny of their Fraternity.
Manly P Hall
Cagliostro studied Paracelsus (with whom he shared more than a few characteristics). Paracelsus had gone against the medical orthodoxy of his day, attacking many of their practises as bogus. He was deeply learned in naturopathy as well as a profound student of Alchemy. Like Paracelsus, Cagliostro treated the poor, and made no charges.

Stories suggest that his understanding of the more hidden qualities of nature meant he could do what appeared magical to those who saw it. He became the darling of the great aristocratic houses of England, France and beyond, but gradually his reluctance to astound people with tricks and phenomena, meant some turned on him and denounced him as a fraud.

He was moving through Europe rife with intrigue, and the seeds of the French Revolution were being scattered far and wide at this time. He was perceived as a threat to both State and Church, and so it is no wonder he made enemies.

But he made friends too, as the quote below suggests.
Cagliostro—the idol of France, surnamed "the Father of the Poor," who never received anything from anyone and gave everything to everyone ...
Manly P Hall
Picture
Cagliostro
Mystics, philosophers, and alchemists were all bound together with a secret tie and dedicated to the emancipation of humanity from ignorance and oppression.
Manly P Hall
He has had his detractors but also those who have been more than happy to defend him. His knowledge of medicine appears to have been profound, and his grasp of the occult (hidden forces of nature in this context) was equally deep. More important, his time in Egypt had given him a sensitive understanding of Theurgy: this art and science that is the 'magic of the Divine', the use of Ritual with language and movement for spiritual purposes.
Cagliostro, the Great Master Cagliostro, had nothing to do with the character described by Alejandro Dumas in his work, The Life of Giuseppe Balsamo, nor with the character invented by the Inquisition to discredit the Rosicrucian Grand Master.
Quote taken from a Rosicrucian site here
Recently it has been suggested that St Germain gave him the task of protecting the Mysteries of Isis. He had developed the famous Egyptian Rite, which he had introduced into Masonic Lodges all over Europe. He was able, through his contacts with high society, to introduce aspects of the Knowledge of Isis to aristocratic women. Some of this lore can be seen in the content of the paintings shown below.
The pictures above come from a collection here. They show ladies at their toilette. The hand positions show mudras - or meaningful arrangement of hand and fingers. The open palmed hand (fourth row right) is known as the Bestowing Posture, and can be seen in Buddhist sculptures.

Some of the Eastern meaning of mudras are given here.
Mystical Masonry
In the quotation below from Rudolf Steiner's third lecture in Berlin (1904), entitled THE ESSENCE AND TASK OF FREEMASONRY FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF SPIRITUAL SCIENCE something of the mysterious nature of Cagliostro and his real purpose is hinted at.
Now I must mention the various branches of Freemasonry and their tendencies, even if I am only to indicate some thing briefly. First of all, it is to be borne in mind that the whole of the masonic higher degrees trace back to a personality often spoken about but equally very much misunderstood. He was particularly misunderstood by nineteenth century historians, who have no idea of the difficult situations an occultist can meet in life. This personality is the ill-famed and little understood Cagliostro. The so-called Count Cagliostro, in whom an individuality concealed itself which was recognised in its true nature only by the highest initiates, attempted originally to bring Freemasonry in London to a higher stage. For during the last third of the eighteenth century, Freemasonry had fairly well reached the state that I have described. He did not succeed in London at that time. He then tried in Russia, and also at The Hague. Everywhere he was unsuccessful, for very definite reasons.
Then, however, he was successful in Lyons, forming an occult masonic lodge of the Philalethes [Searchers after Truth] out of a group of local masons, which was called the Lodge of Triumphing Wisdom. The purpose of this Lodge was specified by Cagliostro. What you can read about it is, however, nothing but the work of ignorant people. What can be said about it is only an indication. Cagliostro was concerned with two things: firstly, with instructions enabling one to produce the so-called Philosopher's Stone; secondly, with creating an understanding of the mystic pentagram. I can only give you a hint of the meaning of these two things. They may be treated with a deal of scorn, but they are not to be taken merely symbolically, they are based on real facts.

We will leave the final words of this short biographical sketch to Cagliostro himself.
"I am not of any time or of any place; beyond time and space my spiritual being lives an eternal existence. I turn my thoughts back over the ages and I project my spirit toward an existence far beyond that which you perceive, I become what I choose to be.

Participating consciously in the Absolute Being, I arrange my actions according to what is at hand. My name defines my actions because I am free. My country is wherever my feet stand at the moment.

Put yesterday behind you if you dare, like the forgotten ancestors who came before you, give no thought to the morrow and the illusionary hope of greatness that will never be yours, I will be what I am."

Quote attributed to Cagliostro
Picture
Note: In researching this very brief biography it is impossible to miss that many of his biographers hated him. In his lifetime he was called a fraud, and information was put out that he was in fact a trickster from Sicily by the name of the Sicilian,Giuseppe Balsamo.

Sources I trust suggest this story is a calumny. An equivalent would be to look at current US government statements on Edward Snowden. These describe him as a traitor. Indeed some ask for the death penalty for him. But it is clear there are many millions who disagree with that view.

Both Rudolf Steiner and Manly P Hall saw Cagliostro as a man of exceptional gifts, and a recent commentator has posted
here (in January 2017) that he had an important part to play in keeping the Mysteries of Isis safe for posterity. For that alone we should be deeply grateful.

0 Comments

Rape, Pillage and the Easy Life

19/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
The first post in this series can be found here.

Warriors will be warriors

Picture
When Odysseus starts his return to Ithaca, he has been at war with the Trojans for ten years. He is known as wily, a clever man and a trickster. The Trojan Horse is largely his idea.

As  they start on their journey home, they come to a Ismarus where the Cicones live. Odysseus and his men plunder the city and take the women. One man rapes a woman inside the temple of Athena. Eventually the Cicones fight back, and drive Odysseus's band away, killing six men from each ship.

Land of the Lotus Eaters

Picture

The next place Odysseus and his sailors find is the land of the Lotus Eaters. Those who partake of this particular fare lose all memory of who they are and from whence they came.

They just like to sleep and eat.

Odysseus, forces those who have eaten back on the ship, much against their will.

Interpretation

The whole story of the Odyssey can be seen as the journey of the Soul back to its Source. More precisely, it is a journey in awareness, and the awareness is that of Odysseus. Odysseus's name means wrathful, he is an angry man. We also know he is a clever man, The anger never leaves Odysseus, and he draws on it when he finally gets back to Ithaca, and has to deal with the feckless suitors and their faithless maids.

At first, his mind is unwise. This is represented by the rape within the temple of Athena. The band of sailors is beaten back by the Cicones.

Their next trial is  to even be bothered. It is easy simply to stay in a state of lethargy. Soul culture, soul growth, training the mind and hear and will, is hard work. Mostly the indolence and lethargy of the untutored soul has to be overcome. One of the major inner battles is against inertia.

Odysseus, being a hero, knows this and thus forces his sailors, less developed aspects of himself, back on the ships and their return journey.

This will bring him against one of the most fearsome of his opponents, a story we will consider in the next post.

The first two ports of call for Odysseus represent the great interior trials of the Soul, underpinning much else. He has to deal with:
  1. Anger or irascibility
  2. Sex drive
  3. Inertia
Only when these have begun to be addressed can Odysseus face one of his greatest trials, with outmoded thought.
0 Comments

The Soul and the Odyssey (i)

18/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A good friend once told this writer that the Iliad and the Odyssey are the story of the phases of the Soul.
The Iliad tells of the descent of the Soul into matter.
The Odyssey is the account of the return of the Soul to its true home.
This becomes quite clear when we look carefully at the Odyssey and how the story is constructed. The confirmation comes particularly with certain stages of the story, as when Odysseus arrives without clothes to be found (and dressed) by Nausicaa on the Kingdom of Scheria (Phaeacia); early in  the story the blinding of Polyphemus is also indicative as we shall see.

But the story does not start with Odysseus, it starts with the Goddess of Wisdom Athena, and the search for Odysseus, lost since he set sail for Troy. His son, Telemachus, is encouraged to search for him. His home is in disarray, as suitors vie for Penelope's hand. There is not a moment to lose.
The story is set on the 'wine dark sea' of the Mediterranean, But Odysseus' journey cannot really be made to fit to any real geography, especially when some of the places he visits are so clearly states of being, rather than actual islands.
Our map, as we work through the key stages of the return to Ithaca, is more of a hierarchy of consciousness.

The Map

Picture
Lower on the scale of things is Troy (which means 'mud' and indicates where the Soul incarnates) – the realm of matter.
Lowest, is the underworld, a place the hero must cope with on their journey to their true home.
The Gods, occupy the highest place, on Olympus.
The next highest is Ithaca, the Palace and its gardens. This is Odysseus's true home.
The main part of the story takes place where Odysseus wanders. Here there are perils and monsters, but here too are places where kind and wise people dwell who help Odysseus on his journey.
Picture
Penelope beset by suitors

The Return

  1. Cicones
  2. Lotus Eaters
  3. Cyclops
  4. Aeolian Island
  5. Laestrygonian land
  6. The island of Circe
  7. Underworld
  8. Sirens
  9. Scylla and Charybdis
  10. Cattle of Helios
  11. Isle of Calypso
  12. Phaeacia
As with the story of Herakles, there are twelve testing places before Odysseus returns to his home and wife, Penelope.
Odysseus on his return, must deal with each of these twelve challenges. he is never really alone, although towards the end he feels as though he is. In the first part of the story, his son Telemachus (which means "he who fights for ends") seeks news of his father.
Telemachus represents the spiritual soul, the true soul purpose. This is why, in his seeking, Telemachus is always accompanied by Athena, or Divine Wisdom. However far the individual soul strays from its true purpose, there is always that part that has never left its true home or its connection with Divine Wisdom, and will search. This is why the story starts here with the son, before we meet Odysseus, for there has to be a stirring of spiritual yearning for the soul to move at all. And, as we shall see, Odysseus makes plenty of errors before he gets anywhere near Ithaca.
0 Comments

Masters - what are they?

15/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

The Masters

In the Lightworker and Spirituality Community (what used to be referred to often as New Age) there is much talk of Masters. This has been particularly influenced by the Theosophical Movement of the 19th Century. Prior to that, the masters tended to me drawn from the ranks of the Ancients, and might or might not include the founders of great religions, like Krishna, Buddha and Jesus.

We will look at known great masters, divine teachers, masters contacted telepathically and how (and when) masters may arise.

Orpheus

Picture
Both master and hero?
The great souls that undoubtedly walked the sands and temples of Egypt, are shrouded in mystery and the stories always have mythic elements. Akhenaton is one of these, and the great (female) Pharaoh Hatshepsut is another. When we progress to ancient Greece, then we begin to move into greater historical certainty. The individual Orpheus, hovers between myth and history. He may rightly be called a master, as his hymns, teachings and life story were highly influential on Hellenic thought and beyond.
In the telling of his myth, Orpheus is decapitated, and his head floats to Lesbos. This indicates the dissemination of his teachings and how his ideas flowed on through time.
"HERMES, draw near, and to my pray'r incline,
Angel of Jove, and Maia's son divine;
Studious of contests, ruler of mankind,
With heart almighty, and a prudent mind."
From Orpheus' Hymn to Mercury trns Thomas Taylor

Pythagoras

Picture
We know little of the accurate history of Pythagoras, and the current writer, who knew members of the European Pythagorian movement, learned that the name may refer to one or several individuals. That said, the official history teaches of a savant who studied with the priests of Egypt. and brought those teachings to the Greek speaking community in the Mediterranean.

His appreciation of number and harmony, influenced those Hellenic thinkers who followed him.
He plays a part in this novel. In one tradition he married the remarkable Theano from Crete, who led his school for many years after he died.
Pay honour first to the immortal Gods,
As order hath established Their Choirs;
Reverence the Oath. The Heroes, Great and Good
Revere thou next, and Earth's good geniuses,
Paying them such honours as are due.
The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans

Lao Tze

Picture
Lao Tse founded Taoism. A contemporary of the Buddha and Pythagoras, his teachings, summarised in the Tao Te Ching have had a huge impact on Eastern thought and still resonate with those who come across it today.

The simplicity of his teachings match their profundity. His name means 'Young-Old'.

"Without leaving his threshold a man may see the universe,
Without looking through his window a man may see the Tao of Heaven."

"The Tao that can be expressed in words is not the All-embracing and Immutable Tao; the name which can be uttered is not the Ever-applicable Name."

Plato

Picture
Thomas Taylor, the great 18th Century Platonist, referred to 'The Divine Master Plato'. More recently Plato has been called the father of Philosophy and all that has followed being merely footnotes to his thought.
The rediscovery of Platonic thought had an enormous impact on the Renaissance, and even today thinkers can be seen as essentially Aristotelian or Platonic in their approaches.

Plato is misunderstood if his ideas are reduced to politics and psychology. His ability to 'see' into the spiritual realities above, and his enormous influence on human thought, means he richly deserves the term 'Master'.
Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind
Plato The Republic

Krishna

Picture
Each major religion is founded by an individual.

It is inevitable, that their lives will be remembered largely in terms of myths and stories, with each element having symbolic significance. But in each case a flesh and blood human being first received the revelation that provided the seed of the religion that flowed from their life and teachings.
Just as with Jesus, there is a question over whether we are dealing with a God in human form, or a human that in some way transcends their humanity, so with Krishna, some see him as Divine as such and some as the Messenger of the Divine.
Beyond the Manifested there is another, Unmanifested and Eternal,
lasting ever amid unlasting things
Bhagavad Gita

Patanjali

Picture
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are  brief but profound teachings that can be seen as the cornerstone of spiritual Yoga.

We know little of Patajali's life, but the teachings speak for themselves in their influence on countless individuals and Schools of Yoga that turn to his writings for inspiration.
When the agitations of the mind are under control,
the mind becomes like a transparent crystal and has the power of becoming whatever form is presented. knower, act of knowing, or what is known.

The Arrival of Theosophy

Picture
Madame Blavatsky
Picture
Blavatsky flanked by two Masters
With the arrival of Madame Blavatsky and her extraordinary teachings, the Western World was introduced to a range of Masters reputed to be living in the fastness of Tibet or the Himalayan Mountains. Although the images above look like early photographs of these august teachers, it is unlikely that anyone took pictures of them in India.

Picture
Alice Bailey
Picture
Alice Bailey's extraordinary prolific writing
As a psychologist, the current writer has always been perplexed at the lack of interest in the prolific writings of people like Helena Blavatsky and also Alice Bailey (whose works are shown above). Both claimed to have received teachings from "Masters'. In both cases the content of the teachings have been highly influential. The valuable school of psychotherapy called Psychosynthesis was developed by the Italian Psychologist Assagioli. He was directly influenced by Alice Bailey's teachings (amongst other things). He is reputed to have been one of the Disciples referred to cryptically in her writings.

The Problem with the Masters

With the Masters as described by Blavatsky (19th Century), Alice Bailey, David Anrias (early 20th Century) and many who have written since, much has to be taken on trust. With Saint Germain. Khut Hoomi, Hilarion, and The Tibetan we do not have direct access to their teachings, in writing or from those who have literally 'sat at their feet'. In each case their work is through the medium of those who received the words in some form of telepathic state.

With many of these masters, there have been a multitude who claim to have channelled their words, so a huge amount of discernment has to be exercised to differentiate between what might be the teachings of a great mind (received by one attuned to that mind) and the deliberate disinformation arising from either a discarnate being with mischievous intent, or the rearrangement of commonplace truths within the subconscious of the one channelling.

But knowing that certain writing is truly the work of a great mind, or indeed revelation, requires a certain element of trust. This applies in all cases. If we take, for example, The Beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    For they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    For they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    For they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    For they shall obtain mercy. ...
These words were not spoken in the English language, however beautiful the King James version manages to be. Nor were they spoken in Greek. Can we be sure that they were written down as they were spoken (in Aramaic or whatever language we assume Jesus used). Or were they transcribed by an inspired genius decades later?  Or possibly centuries later?

In the end, we have to judge the words according to their own merits and the beauty, truth and goodness of the ideas they convey. Although religions will claim the words of their scriptures have been protected by Divine Fiat, a glance at the different Bibles of Catholicism, Orthodoxy and the many sects of Protestant Christianity in America, will show that a bewildering number of versions of "God's Word" exist, each with subtle (and unsubtle) differences.

So the teachings of the known great teachers of mankind rest partly on the teachers being real and not fictitious, but more so on the wisdom of the teachings themselves. The persistence of teachings over great periods of time, when they have been the object of study and inspiration to generations of fine minds, is another indication that the ideas are worth careful reflection.

So what is a Master?

The very concept of a Master, suggest an exceptional being delivering a teaching necessary at a particular time, for certain historical groups or for humanity as a whole.

We need to address first the lack of women amongst the Masters mentioned above. There may be many reasons for this, and we should bear in mind that the Soul of each of us is both male and female. The expression of a teaching through a male body may reflect requirements both esoteric and exoteric, cultural and social. In the case of many Masters, there is often a woman who is absolutely crucial in the development and life of the individual.

Pythagoras was the son of Pythia, a priestess and his earliest teacher. Plato's mother, Perictione, is considered to have been of utmost importance in his intellectual development, as was the mysterious philosopher, Diotima for Socrates. With Jesus his mother Mary (almost certainly an Essene and trained in their wisdom) and – more controversially - Mary Magdelene (who some suggest was a priestess of Isis and whose true import has been deliberately distorted) were crucial to his fulfilling his destiny. Similarly, Krishna has Radha as his lover.

Sri Aurobindo, a Master within living memory, could not have done his work without 'The Mother' a French woman of remarkable abilities.

So although the teachings may be associated with a given man, the conception, reception and dissemination of those teachings required specific women (for example Blavatsky and Bailey).

The making of a Master
Various factors may be considered in the 'making of a master'.

They need teachers who are wise and steeped in a tradition. They need to be part of a tradition that can receive their insights and wisdom. Some, it is said, are God taught (without a teacher). This title was given to Ammonius Saccas of Alexandria. But even they need a tradition receptive to their revelation.

They have to have the right body (genetic constituency). This is one reason that the idea of blood-lines is emphasised with certain of the great teachers. Their ancestry is important.

We may assume that they are remarkable Souls. This does not require a belief (or indeed necessity) for reincarnation. But it is clear that the individuals listed at the beginning of this post were in no way 'run of the mill' and that they brought some extraordinary capacity with them at birth. Often their births appear to have miraculous elements. In today's parlance we would say they are 'old souls'.

We may suggest that in some way they can access the Higher Mind and the collective higher minds of the tradition to which they belong. In this way they are in tune with their times and their teachings have a huge impact at that time to those who can 'hear' what is being said to them.

All, without exception, have many moments when they are inspired, The Divine Spirit, raises their thinking and actions to a higher level of significance. They see further, their ideas fly higher. And with all true Masters, there is also Revelation. They are the conduit of a new Divine Teaching, that is not and cannot be in contradiction to any other Divine Revelation that has gone before.

Their teachings have a beauty and a simplicity and carry the spark of inspiration across millennia.

0 Comments

Psyche Soul and Mind (II)

11/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Part 1 of this post is found here
Ancient Alexandria was home to one of the greatest minds to walk this planet, namely Plotinus. Although he is considered a 'pagan'*, his writings have been hugely influential on Christian thought. He is considered by certain authorities to be equal in stature to Plato and Aristotle in terms of the power of his thought and ideas.
*Pagan is an interesting word, that relates to the dwellers in the countryside (Latin paganus meaning villager or rustic). The towns adopted the official religion of Rome, namely Christianity, quicker than those who lived in more rural, and less accessible, settings. Hence the non Christians were referred to as pagan.
Plotinus developed the theory of Soul more fully than any of his predecessors. As he uses the term (he of course spoke of psyche) it can refer to a 'world', zone or state of being, as well as the individual identity of a human being.
Picture
One definition that can be applied to the Soul is
"that which has its centre everywhere and its circumference nowhere"

The soul is not something the body has, tucked away somewhere. Rather it is the limitless reality that is the source of all that the body can do.
Soul can be seen as midway between Spirit and Body. The body is limited in time and space. Spirit is eternal and without any limitation. Soul is the principle that connects the two.

Picture
In this sense, Man (women and men) live in what has been called, "The blessed station of the midst". Created with an individual Soul human beings dwell between the eternal heavens and temporal Earth and can participate in both.

The Soul is a mystery and will not reveal her secrets quickly or to those who are not prepared to make an effort to seek.

The Delphic Oracle rightly stated "Man Know Thyself", for that is the journey of the self-realisation of the Soul.

The Soul is free, but that freedom may be curtailed by the Soul's own choices. The more she immerses  herself in the world, its ways and its multiplicity, the less she will be likely to experience the simple unity of her essential nature. Identifying with the world, dims the awareness of that that is - to use Plotinus's word - Yonder (the Realm of the Divine Life)

Picture
Taken at the level of the individual, certain things can be said about the Soul.

The Soul is self-consciousness, or is the quality of self-consciousness. It is the principle that enables awareness of the continuity of self, throughout all the changes in an individual's condition. It provides the sense of 'I am'.
It would be wrong, though, to say that Soul can be defined as 'self-consciousness' as it is more than that.

The Soul is self-motivity. It moves itself, rather than being moved by another force outside itself (remember we are referring to the Soul here, not the body). In an earlier post here we mentioned the book Meditations on the Tarot. In that book, the anonymous author points out that the symbology of the arms and legs (on the Tarot cards), often refers to the will. The legs carry us where we want to go, once we decide to go. The arms and hands enable us to manipulate our environment, by picking up and letting go. When we act consciously, then that action (or movement) derives ultimately from the Soul. It is at the level of Soul that we have free will, rather than the level of the specific body.

The Soul is self-vitality. The Soul is alive and cannot die. It is not Life as such (that is a superior and Divine Principle) but it enables lesser natures to have life. This life is expressed through desires, instincts, appetites and similar. This is true of the individual Soul as well as what is described as World Soul.

The Soul is self-subsistent. The body and its faculties, as well as its characteristics and personality, persist over time. This permanence indicates a quality that 'stands under or sustains'. This is subsistence.

These aspects of the Soul and how they interelate are dealt with a a very fine book, recently republished after a thorough revision, called Plotinus and the Path to Liberation.


Picture
Produced by the Editors of the Shrine of Wisdom
More about The Fintry Trust and The Shrine of Wisdom can be found here.
Picture

The Soul and the Mind

The Soul is self-conscious. However, the Soul is not the mind. Plotinus and ancient Greek philosophers were clear on this point. We saw in an earlier post that Hermes is necessary for Persephone to be released from Hades. The same idea is represented when the same caduceus bearing god protects Odysseus from the enchanting ways of Circe. His crew have become like wild beasts, but Hermes gives Odysseus a way to remain clear thinking amongst her charms.
Picture
Odysseus can only free himself from the clutches of the endless cycles of life, if he uses his connection with Divine Mind. That comes through his soul and through the god Hermes (the power of Divine Thought). When Hermes aids Odysseus, then Circe has no direct power over him. Rather she can help him with his journey home, for through mastering her realm (she is Divine herself), wisdom is revealed that enables Odysseus to journey further.

The Soul is self-conscious but is not self-gnostic. In other words all knowledge is not within the Soul but must be found by experiencing all the realms above and below. The self-gnostic principle for Man is nous in the Plotinian system of thought. Nous is at one with Divine Mind, and knows All.
Just as Hermes guides Persephone home, and helps Odysseus in his return to Ithaca, the Higher Mind is companion to the Soul throughout its journey. These gnostic powers range from the senses and instincts shared with the animals, through the speculative powers shared with higher animals, to reason, that is Man's alone. But above the faculty of reason lies Intuition*, where truth is beheld as whole and complete. And above Intuition lies Nous.
The Soul on its path of return, has to master these different powers of gnosis. Each have their part to play. But the City of God (if we may put it that way) will only be revealed to the Intuitive vision. It cannot be simply reasoned about, as its origin lies above human reason. And dwelling in the City of God comes through nous. where the Soul is raised to the its Spiritual Essence.
*Intuition as used here, is different from hunches, gut feel and instinct, which are about specific things. Intuition, in this context, is always impersonal and about universal ideas in relation to the All. Some describe intuitions as 'wholenesses of truth'.

World Soul

Picture
Osiris Ruling the Underworld
Picture
Dionysus before being dismembered
We have already suggested that Soul may be considered as an individual attribute or reality, but also it refers to a World or Plain or Zone of the greater Reality of All That Is. Soul, as World Soul is the true dwelling place of all individual souls. It is where they are truly at home. It is where we are seeking to return.
World Soul, as an idea, is represented by Dionysus and by Osiris, and the myths of these two gods explain much about the relationship of World Soul to the Mundane World analogically 'below'. For more on the Mundane World click here and here.
0 Comments

Spirit and Spirits

5/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
In spiritual circles, there is much confusion over the use of the term ‘spirit’. With the word meaning very different things to different people, this uncertainty persists. Some suggest that this confusion has been deliberately fostered, using words for the understanding of our Journey back to our Source that have double or hidden meanings. It is helpful to go back to the root meaning of words, and also to find how the word was used in some of the earliest teachings that we cans till access today.

Spirit, as a word, has been in use since the 13th century. It relates to the Anglo-French word espirit and  has a relationship with the word ‘breath’ and the Greek word pneuma. If you look at a Dictionary like Merriam-Webster you will see that they suggest spirit is a synonym of Soul and Psyche. This in itself can give rise to real confusion, as the principle of Soul (Psyche) differs from that of Spirit.

Then we have the concept of spirits. This use of the word refers to what remains behind when a person or animal dies, and also to ghosts (which is not quite the same thing) and to demons or occasionally, angels. 



Picture
Doing the impossible, in the afterlife ...
This after death state is explored in the Robin Williams film What Dreams May Come.  The malleability of that realm is rather well portrayed, as is the effect of the consciousness of the one who has died upon what they experience. In addition, the truth that there are those who assist the newly transitioned, is also illustrated.
Without clarity in the terminology, then discussion of processes like ascension, salvation or even following a spiritual path, is really difficult to undertake, without adding to the confusion. This current brief article and other related posts on Delphic Oracle, will suggest how these terms might be differentiated. It is right that we should start with a consideration of Spirit, as this is the highest principle that may be applied to Man (men and women). 

It is most helpful to differentiate between the terms Spirit, Soul and Mind. Mind is that which knows, and has been explored a little, already, here. Soul is the middle principle that falls between the corporeal (bodies and matter) and the incorporeal, (Spirit and Being). Spirit, in this context, is Divine.
The human being is very fruitfully considered as threefold, namely

Spirit
Soul
Body

Each of these are principles rather than ‘things’. As that is so, there is no state in which the human being does not have a body of some description, as that is the vehicle through which the Soul experiences. But the ‘body’ need not be a gross material body; it can be a dream body, an astral body or a body of light (referred to in some traditions as the rainbow body). There is an even higher idea that is of the self-shining body which it is said is the final Home of the Soul. 

Spirit is always perfect for it is Divine. Spirit is not within time and space, being completely transcendent to time and space. Human Spirit has been fruitfully described as a ‘Spark of the Divine’; but any notion that the individual Spirit is somehow separate from Divinity, or the Supreme Unity, would be an error. Yet each individual can, in truth, rest assured that they are in their highest sense, an Immortal Spirit. Everlasting life is not something that has to be given through salvation (at least from this point of view) but is already our birth-right as Spirit. We are indeed a Divine Self. The Greeks, in their beautiful grasp of this paradox (our Divine Perfection amidst imperfection), used the term nous. For at the level of the Divine, Spirit and Mind may be considered as one. Nous, or the Divine Mind, is available to all, but has to be won on the journey back to our true Home. When in touch with nous, then there is no separation between Divine Mind and our awareness. We simply know as The Creator knows. This is the seat of the deepest mysticism and the highest revelation. 
 Spirits
By mixing up the term spirit with that of ghost, or etherial being, real confusion sets in. In another post we have looked at the various levels of mind. Our everyday mind, the one that interfaces with our brain, and is our moment to moment awareness, is who we think we are, and that identity rests on our memories. Unfortunately, at this level of mind, memories are highly malleable. Our Higher Mind has a much fuller record of our memories, and these are less constrained by the limits of our body. Our Divine Mind, or Divine Awareness, has a perfect knowledge of all the has befallen us and all we have done. 

Picture
When we die, that is when our physical body can no longer be the home of our ordinary awareness, an opportunity arises for our day-to-day awareness, who we think we are, to merge with our Higher Mind. Should that not occur, then this lower mind drifts around lost, and remains close to those places in or on Earth that are familiar. We could rightly say that this is our ghost. 
Those who have read the Tibetan Book of the Dead (and no serious student of spirituality should skip that step!), will know that when someone dies, a monk will - under ideal circumstances - talk the consciousness through coping with the immediate after death state. 
Spirits, in this context are lost (lower) minds, that gradually lose their identity. They include what we might reasonably term demons, but that is a topic for another time. What they are not is Divine. They are bound to the temporal, and the Divine is never bound in temporality. 
Picture
The next part of this series can be found here.

0 Comments

Ascension - Part 2 - Transcendence

26/12/2016

1 Comment

 

What ascends and how?

Picture
Man (men and women) incarnates (is born) in a body on earth. Once he passes beyond an entirely natural life, at one with the animal kingdom, a deep yearning may arise, to pass beyond the boundaries of earthly life, and return from whence he came. This happens, even if the memory of that Edenic place is vague. When such an awakening occurs, a flame is ignited within a woman or a man, that can never be extinguished. The things of this world don't fully satisfy any more. The path of return is the only path that provides real peace.

Tales of heaven, sacred gardens, angelic realms, the courts of Jove, the Grail, each speak of a state of being far removed from time and space; beyond a world of scarcity, pain and death. It is natural that the chance to 'ascend' from down here to up there, appeals to many who hear of that possibility, whether within a religious context or without. Mighty Norse warriors would happily die on the field of battle to obtain Valhalla, even as a Buddhist priest might set himself alight to free his country and achieve Nirvana.

The questions arise: what ascends and how does the ascent take place?
Read More
1 Comment

Ascension - Part 1 - What is it?

26/12/2016

3 Comments

 

What is Ascension?

Picture
What does ascension mean? Since before the millennium the new spirituality has spoken of a coming time, often relating to the Mayan Calendar, when humanity or part of humanity would ascend.

If indeed there is ascension, and if it has been foreseen over hundreds if not thousands of years, then the ancient wisdom will also have a part to play in explaining what will or may happen, as well as the emerging understanding as we move further into 2012.

The Christian story, which contains profound echoes of other earlier traditions, provides clues as does the understanding of the Ancient Egyptians, the Greeks and their academies and mystery schools.

READ MORE
3 Comments

    Author

    Murray Morison is a novelist living in Crete

    RE-POSTING
    Posts can be reproduced in other blogs provided they are copied in full with a link back to this site.

    Archives

    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Ascension
    Current Events
    Disclosure
    Dream
    Ghosts
    Goddess
    Intuition
    Media
    Mind
    Mind Gym
    Mind Virus
    Mundi
    Novels
    Oracles
    Psychology
    Revelation
    Science Frontiers
    Slavery
    Soul
    Space Program
    Suppressed History
    Time
    Tradition
    Visionary Fiction
    Wisdom Tales

    Picture
    Teenager Rhory is thrown into a mission through the ages... can he survive a second battle across time?  
    Picture
    When a teenage priestess, living 5,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt, connects with Rhory, an English schoolboy visiting the British Museum, she puts herself and him in grave danger.

    Click here to learn more about M C Morison's time slip book

    Recent Posts

    ...
    Is our History Simply Wrong
    The World's Oldest City
    Is God Fair
    Queen Nefertiti and Treasure in Turkey
    Dark Deeds - Mind Lab
    Darwin and the Mousetrap
    Thought Police
    One eyed monsters
    Do Angels have wings
    Psyche Soul and Mind 2
    Psyche Soul and Mind 1
    Atlantis Old and New 2
    Atlantis Old and New 1
    Secret space programme
    Spirit and spirits
    Awareness and Higher mind
    The fake news war
    Citizens hearings on disclosure
    Understanding the Goddess
    Thrive - did you miss this
    Fake news and the alt media
    Ascension Part 2
    Ascension Part 1
    Tradition
    Mundi - a mind trap
    The Mundane and mundi 2
    The Mundane and mundi 1
    Affirmations

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About Oracle
  • Time Travel
  • Eclipse Meditation
  • Alt Media
  • Brexit 1
    • Brexit 2
  • Eleni's Farm
    • Eleni's Farm (Deutsch)
    • Η Φάρμα της Ελένης
    • Eleni's Farm - Syriza
    • Eleni's farm (Greek)
  • The Event
  • Hero Tales