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Concept Definitions in General Mysticism and The Christian Mysteries |
Out of the
New Revelation and Hermetics
Franz Bardon
Jakob Lorber
The forgiveness of Sin is the very first and most important Mystery
This whole idea of the "forgiveness of sin" is pivotal in concept of ones own
redemption or salvation. First of all the definition of a "sin" is a very
misunderstood concept. Most people assume that the actions taken when lying, killing, stealing, and
the like to be all that there is to committing an actual sin. Most would agree
that these are not good actions and that they set into
motion the law of cause and effect, or as Christ said, "reaping what we
have sown." They definitely make the life of the doer and the recipient unnecessarily
more difficult but where is the sin in them? These actions interfere with
other peoples lives and can consume huge amounts of time in the lives of
others. If someone steals they have consumed the time of another person
that needed to
acquire or make what was stolen. If we lie we consume the time of another person
by misleading them into unnecessary actions. If someone is killed we have
taken away their physical body and the remaining time in their lives to
fulfill their intended God given destiny. This interference needs to be
adjusted in some way to compensate.This is one consequence of sin
and why it is a sin strictly from the physical stand point. But, more importantly these actions are taken
because of an unseen impetus, this is what needs to be investigated by an
individual personally to understand their own inclinations to prevent
their destructive actions from manifesting.
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her
already in his heart. (Mathew 5:28)
This statement by
Jesus Christ exemplifies the hidden nature of sin and the state of suffering
that it provokes. In the New Revelation
Christ clearly teaches that the spirit and soul link into the human body
through the heart. Since the physical heart is just that, physical, the
impetus for an action cannot come from it. The spirit is made in the image
of God it does not sin. This leaves the soul. This is where the desire
arises that may lead to a noble or despicable physical action.
Even though we may have a propensity does not mean we must act on it.
This is perhaps the greatest advantage to having physical form. In our
spirit of soul what we are thinking is also what we are doing. Having a
physical body permits us the luxury to not necessarily act upon what we are
thinking or feeling. For the most part if we do not act others will likely
not know our mind. This is a test of our will.
Depending on how strong our conscience is our propensities provoke a
struggle within us that creates an internal state of suffering. When an
unwholesome propensity comes to fruition in an equally unwholesome act we
commit what is commonly known as a sin. These actions are not alone in the
process of committing a sin. Intent has a lot to do with it. In war, for
example, otherwise good people are forced to kill one another - the question
is, "are they sinning?" Many prophets, Moses, David and others whom God
favored also killed.
A personal sin is based on intent as much
as in action. The intent hurts us personally - the action may often hurts
others and sets into motion the wheel of "Cause and Effect" aka Karma. If someone steals because they are too lazy to work - their sin is
not only theft and what it does to the victim - it is primarily personal
laziness - the laziness being the greater sin and the impetus for the
action. If someone simply steals
because they want what someone else has, their personal sin might be
either greed, selfishness, laziness, jealousy, avarice, etc. The consequence of an
action to others is, in addition to the sin, already present within. To find
the sin within oneself one must look within with a cold blooded
conscientiousness to find what is keeping them from God and being
Christ-like. This is the key to the forgiveness of sin. The action is just
a physical external manifestation of an inner unseen characteristic. The
action is often repeated often without the sinner (doer) clearly
understanding why or at times even recognizing fault. This why the first step in all mystical teaching in
relation to the forgiveness of sin is the "know thyself."
To know this, one must see what disturbs
their own inner peace and provokes or incites them to do the destructive
deeds like those mentioned above. Although the actions are a problem it is
the unseen force that incites them that should be clearly understood.
These are the negative characteristics that are part of our personality.
To attribute these action directly to Satan/Lucifer would be to shirk ones
own responsibility and culpability. We have free will, therefore we are
responsible no matter what the cause.
These personal characteristics are the
actual sins, they are what make us deaf, dumb and blind, not only to many
of our own unconscious destructive habits but, also to the higher
aspirations of our Spirit. They also are responsible for being blind and
deaf in spite of having physical sight and hearing. They are the tempters
that distract us from Godliness. They tempt us into unwholesome actions.
Many people attribute these "temptations" strictly to Satan.
This is a difficult point to explain in brief. If we permit these urges to manifest into actions, the actions will set
into motion a equally corresponding spiritual backlash. We are made to
reap for what we have sown and ultimately held accountable. This is the
judgment of sin. We are judged because we could have prevented it and would
have been made stronger by resisting the "temptation." Were we to act in
ignorance we are judged less severely. God in His Love is fair because
ultimately only God is just and only God is good. When we
are in the wrong and still proceed acting knowingly we act out of
Pride. When we act in pride we act out of defiance towards God, His
commandments and are therefore committing a sin. If Satan were the cause
of our final actions he would be held accountable, instead, we are
held responsible for our own actions.
In order to be forgiven these unclean
characteristics which reside within our soul, are the actual sin, we must strive to eliminate
them from our souls (personality) through deliberate effort. The term
forgiveness is actually a very poor description of the process of the
removal of an actual "sin." The actual forgiveness of sins is the
purification of the soul - through the ennobling of our character. Through these efforts we become
the forgivers of our own sins through God's grace. Until then we are in a constant state of
judgment (karma). This is also the path to spiritual rebirth. It is the
shorter path but not a short cut by any means. Because a person achieves
more in less time, this mystical path requires more effort and is also
more painful.
The fact is that as long as these
characteristics (sin) are in us they will produce situations whereby we
are tested. The test itself is like a torment - a judgment opportunity
intended to correct us and strengthen us. The purpose of the test is to
make us aware of the existence of our shortcoming.
A blatant example might be
a smoker who is tormented by the craving for
tobacco as much as a thief is drawn to stealing. Their respective actions
bare a consequence. They also are fully aware that what they are doing is
wrong and self destructive. The consequences are mercifully created by the
law of cause and effect which is intended again to bring to light their
hidden cause. Although it may not seem so, this is done out of love. Good
parents teach their children in the same way. A spanking is intended to
"persuade" a child from misbehaving. Adversity and the consequences of our
actions are very much like a spanking.
An unfavorable repetitive
pattern in one's life can be as much a result of karma as it can be from a
subconscious mental pattern. The cause and effect sets itself up to bring
to the person's attention what it is that they are doing.
Because the characteristic has a
recognizable and predictable method of action, it has to have a very
specific intelligence. ie. all people who possess anger, lust,
selfishness, gossiping etc. will behave very similarly when these
characteristics overtake them. The sin is the state in which the
person finds themselves in when an actual "unclean" spirit moves them
involuntarily. It lives
through the actions of its host and does not want to be discovered. It can
draw other similarly unclean spirits to itself by influencing the actions
of its host. The stronger it becomes the more it stupefies its host of its
existence and the more severe and daring its actions become. This entity
lives of the energy of its host. It is a true vampire. Providence permits
this in order that these immature spirits gain experience. It is part of
an agreement we enter into by agreeing to physical life.
We have all heard of the spirit of love,
charity and hope. On the negative side there are spirits of anger,
laziness, lewdness, dishonesty etc. This is what we are actually fighting
against during our human existence on Earth. Their purpose is to very
subtly focus our consciousness (tempt) towards their ends. Most people
succumb to these predominantly physical concerns. Through this we lose our
spiritual direction and purpose. We can have intellectual mental clarity
in the worldly sense but still be totally deaf, dumb, blind and mute to
matters of the spirit. By being seduced by entirely physical matters our
soul becomes more physical and loses its spiritual attributes, which is
the purpose of these spirits.
These unclean spirits can be inherited
from our progenitors, from our foods, from the company we keep, from
unclean air, what we are exposed to (TV, radio, etc.) and so on. They are
the origin of or they nurture our predisposition towards drinking,
lechery, unwholesome pleasures and ultimately are the cause of our ailments. By removing the unclean
spirits of the afflicted Christ healed. An unclean spirit can also
literally be defined as "poison." Being in a state of sin is
like being in a state of possession by degree. Depending on what type and
by how many spirits are in someone determines the degree. In the end we
are pursuing something imaginary but in our lack of self-awareness we do
not know why, although at times we momentarily get a "feeling." This is
one more reason to pray over our food and for guidance in all things.
Of course we can supplicate Christ's help
but we are always free to pursue our own will.
Clearly, there is no way for another human
being who is afflicted with similar or worse "demons" to forgive the
"sins" of another human being through a confession. As Paracelsus puts it, "how can a thief
confess a liar, or how can a lecher confess a murderer, or how can a lazy
person confess a gossip." (paraphrased) No one can confess and forgive
another's sins today - only the 12 original apostles could.
Christ did indeed give His apostles the
ability to forgive the sins of others this is how they healed - but this
was not an ability that was inherited. In this context it is clear that
ailments are produced by sin. As sin exists in the soul it stands to
reason that ailments have their origin in the soul - manifesting as
physical ailments and aging.
What is a sin? Here are some examples;
anger, envy, avarice, lechery, perversion, hatred, gossiping, laziness,
tardiness, jealously, etc., all negative emotions or negative character
traits. (these are the actual causes of disease) To make a clearer
distinction between these and what are also confused with emotions - love
is not an emotion - love is a virtue as are honesty, courage, compassion,
punctuality, etc., to name a few.
These are the sins. It is our duty as
human beings striving to become children of God to first overcome these
vices. This is the first step in attaining complete control over ourselves
and Creation, as was promised in the Bible. Clearly, these godly powers
are not to be bestowed unto those who cannot be trusted with them.
Christ Himself upon assuming a human
physical body and soul was similarly tempted and succeeded in removing
these from Himself, then He took His purified body (transfigured) up with
Him at the Ascension. He showed us that it could be done and how to do it.
This is why the mysteries exist and have
always existed for those who seek them, and have been kept from those who
would seek to abuse them. The time of the kingdom of God has therefore
always been and still is at hand - it is not as much a place - as it is
simply the purest state of being. It is Eternity.
The systematic method to achieve this
forgiveness has been clearly given back to humanity in the clearest form
since ancient times through the work of Franz Bardon.
Sin and the The Guilt Factor
The guilt often associated with
sin is not part of Christianity itself. However, it is primarily borne out
of religious dogma and other related superstitions which in the West is also
associated with Christian or Jewish religions and part of that religious
cultural mindset. It is irresponsible for religious institutions to place a
universal guilt onto the shoulders of people for what is essentially a
universal fact of physical human existence. Every person living on Earth
carries a burden as part of their life. This artificial guilt was directed
towards the very being of an individual; apart from the actual physical
living circumstances of one's life which, at a time when few were educated
fed people's superstition and fear of the unknown. This psychic (of the
soul) life burden is partly inherited from
the so called "sins of the forefathers (and foremothers), partly learned and
partly from ourselves. This burden shows itself as an emotional impairment
or impediment to the absolute spiritual godliness that is within everyone in
whose image we have been created. It exists within a person as part of the
human condition.
Although suggesting that
everyone is essentially a "sinner;" that is to say; that we are all
imperfect due to individually varying inborn destructive tendencies is
sobering. But, to turn this into a tool of manipulation by ascribing
universal guilt to everyone because of it would be the same as condemning
water for being wet or fire for being hot. The tool of guilt was and is
still used
to extort loyalty, money, obedience, service and much more from people
by people who were and are just as guilty of the same faults. This grossly
hypocritical and underhanded manipulation was a blight on Christianity. It
undermined the message of love that is the essence of this extremely
beautiful faith and is likely the very reason, or at least a principle cause
of why it is losing some of it's hold on people and why so many never
pursued Christianity more deeply in our modern times.
On the positive side, (there
is always a positive side), because of this "guilt" some people were forced
to examine themselves and take stock of themselves in order that they might
take inventory of what their character make-up actually was. This
contemplation is not without worth. It is the very foundation of spiritual
awakening because in it is the seed of self awareness. Along with this
association with guilt there is also an element of shame. By associating the
state of sin with guilt and shame and it's inherent oppressiveness a person is prompted to delved a little
deeper into themselves to better understand why this state of sin exists
within them. It is healthy to question one's self. It takes humility to
introspect. Humility, being the main ingredient in love is also the
fundamental ingredient in true Christianity . Rather than guilt, perhaps a
more accurate term to describe the state of sin is suffering. This state of
sufferance is not necessarily a physical pain but more state of emotional
unease created by fear, anger, jealousy, gluttony, avarice, laziness and so
on. These states bring discomfort. These are also states of sin. Guilt is
inadequate and even inaccurate when describing their effect.
By not defining "sin" it is
easy to use the word guilt in association with it.
Christian religions have
also made the word "guilt" stick by associating the crucifixion of Christ
for the sake of our sins to it. Clearly, if the Lord had Himself crucified
for our sins we committed knowingly or not, the religions are quick to point
out that we were the reason for His death. This however, would be
like a mother holding her child hostage forever because of her labor pains
in that child's birth. If the Savior died for our Salvation out of love then
it would make sense that the Christian God of supreme love cannot at the
same time be a petty God. It would not make sense that He would die for our
sins just to make us feel guilty about it.
Christ is not a hypocrite. He cannot be Savior and condemner at the same
time. Guilt, therefore
has no association with a loving God. Christianity is a guilt free religion.
Will someone please tell the churches that!
The Concept of God, The Holy Father, and Jesus Christ
The concept of God, The Holy Father, and Jesus
Christ have been considered historically and philosophically to be separate
parts of the same Whole. However, an explanation has rarely been given or
attempted. It has
always been termed a "mystery." In the New Revelation writings this is made
quite clear or at least much clearer than any other attempt at describing
this concept.
The Deity is the All in
All, perfect and complete in every way, omnipotent, omniscient, and
omnipresent. The words we often use to name or describe the Deity exemplify
the various aspects that make up His being. When we use the word God - we
refer to the Judge aspect of Divinity. When we use the term Holy Father, we
address the Love aspect of the Divinity. And, when the name of Jesus Christ
is used, we are addressing the Wisdom of the Divinity which incarnated (made
itself flesh) itself.
It is for this reason that when we supplicate
the Divinity we are best to pray to the Holy Father - the Love of God or
to Jesus Christ - the Wisdom of God. Because through these aspects
we address the Love and Wisdom of God, not God the Judge. This further emphases that
the way to God is through the Lord Jesus Christ i.e.. - "Wisdom separated from
(out of) Love." Much, much more can be said and is said in the New Revelation!
Further analogies can be made
from the second paragraph in this chapter. The Divinity of God is feminine.
The Might of God is masculine. The Wisdom (Sophia) of God is feminine, even
though it is expressed in the male form of Jesus Christ. A lot more can be
said about his.
Taken out of The Sermons of the Lord: Gottfried Mayerhoffer
What is the Holy Trinity? One aspect.
There are three bodies: the Physical
body, the Soul or astral body and the Spiritual body. The physical body is
necessary for a physical existence. This physical existence is necessary in
order to exercise free will while being exposed to the temptation of the
physical world and would not be possible without the soul or astral body. In
order for the physical body to be alive or have animation the soul must be
within it. (anima in Latin means soul - the words animation, animate etc.
come from it) The physical body lives in the physical world and is made of
the substance of the physical world. In the physical realm there exists time
and space.
The soul or astral body exists in the so
called fourth dimension also called the astral world also commonly called
"the beyond." From the Astral world physical life is regulated. As the
physical body consists of the Elements of the physical world so to is the
soul made up of the Elements of the astral world. The soul or astral body is
where we have our positive and negative characteristics that make up our
personality. (This is where the uniquely Christian concept of "the
forgiveness of Sin" has its base. To forgive a sin is to remove a negative
characteristic from the soul. It has nothing to do with confession to a
clergyman. After all, how can he be capable of cleaning anyone's soul if his
is not any cleaner) From these characteristics which correspond to a
specific Element the true aura emanates. To see this aura while still alive
in the physical world requires that the astral eyes be fully developed. The
astral body or soul has life because the spirit is within it. The soul is
therefore animated by our Spirit. The astral body is therefore the harbinger
between the physical body and the Spiritual body. There is much more that
could to be said.
The spiritual body is the finest of
the three bodies and the part of us that is truly made in the image of
the Creator. It is composed of the Elements of the Spiritual world.
It's main attributes are Will, Intellect, Feeling, and Consciousness
in correspondence with the Four Elements. The Spiritual world is
spaceless and timeless.
All of these three bodies or realms
exist as density degrees out of the God Principle also known as the
Akasha. The Akasha is the source of all existence. It is God. And,
because all life emanates out of God all is controlled through it - He
is the Lord of all.
This explanation corresponds with the
Bible. The words may vary slightly. From these principles arise the
concept of the Trinity of body, soul and spirit.
The Four Elements are symbolized as
the Tetragrammaton (the four letter word) the name Jehovah. (Jod-He-Vau-He)
There is also the concept of the Father, Son
and Holy Ghost which will be posted at a later time.
The Western Equivalent of the Yin Yang
All life is the result of and is
maintained by the Electrical Fluid and the Magnetic Fluid. The
Electric and the Magnetic Fluids are the Primary and Simplest
emanation out of God.
Taken from the work of Franz Bardon
The above statement made by Franz Bardon
is one Western interpretation of the concept of the "Pair of Opposites"
interpreted in the Orient as the Yin Yang. In Western Kabbalistic
teachings this concept is represented by the number "2." The number 2 in
Western philosophies represents polarity. Plus and minus, light and
darkness, right and wrong, God and man, male and female etc., and of
course electricity and magnetism - these being the foundation of the
Highest Wisdom. This fundamental Western interpretation influenced by Christian Mysticism
permitted the West to develop many modern electronic and mechanical inventions that could not
have been and were not developed elsewhere. The West did not have to adopt
or even interpreted the oriental concept of Yin and Yang. The West had its
own version of it more suitable to western thinking.
What Are Good and Evil? - Is Good really good and is Evil really evil?
It is the
difference between you being in control of yourself vs. something else
having control over you.
Absolute Good and absolute evil are not that
hard to define. We all have our own concept of it even if we define it
slightly differently. If we deal with behavioral patterns it becomes very
subjective and not at all concrete because what may be good to one may be
considered evil to another and vice versa. But, if we detach it from
behavior and base it upon a principle, the judgment is removed to some
extent and it can be a more objective study. Unfortunately, this still does
not completely remove subjectivity but it does lay down a plausible
philosophical foundation.
In the continuum of absolute good to absolute
evil there are only two variables. There is God, of course, who is
universally associated with absolute good and then there is Satan; who is
associated with absolute evil. Here we have the two poles of good and evil.
A persons behavior can be said to be more godly or more devilish, therefore
when "standing" closer to God one is said to be Good when "standing" with
Satan one is said to be Evil.
This same
concept can be expressed in more than one way. For instance, If God is truth
and Satan is falsehood, and if the truth will set you free, then when acting
in accord with Gods Will a person can be said to be acting in absolute
freedom and therefore also acting in "Good." Whereas when a person is acting
is falsehood they are said to be acting satanically. One is acting according
to the true Inner Light, the other is acting according to a false light. One
is acting under their own consciousness willfully while the other is acting
under the pretense of good while in a state of false consciousness. The
former is full control of themselves, the latter is being controlled by
something else and therefore an unwitting slave to it.
There is a also
a measure of subjectivity to what is good and what is evil that is rooted in
the fact that no one is absolutely perfect and therefore not God and no one
is absolutely evil and therefore not Satan. On Earth, everything is a
mixture of good and evil and therefore before a certain point every human
being will mistake good for evil and evil for good depending on their level
of spiritual maturity. In the process of evolving the human being realizes
that in order to come closer to the absolute truth experience will teach
that a personal truth has to develop from within to compare with the
absolute truth. Gradually, the personal or relative truth approaches the
absolute truth more and more until they become one. The relative truth
accepts the absolute truth for what it is - the absolute good - God.
There are people
who see everything as predominantly evil and those who see everything as
predominantly good. The fact that each view can be substantiated is
interesting.
All things ultimately must serve God because nothing could have existence
without it being Willed of God. The outcome of evil will therefore, in the
end, ultimately serve the higher purposes of Good. Were this not so, then
God would not be Perfect and be subject and vulnerable to the same
corruption we suffer on Earth.
The
above may also explain why many of the modern inventions came from the
Western "frame of mind" and not the Orient.
