Journey 27 - Spirituality Without Religion

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Journey 27 - SPIRITUALITY WITHOUT RELIGION

"The foretelling time. The pages from the rear are in the fore. Sun-worshippers have taken theirplace. The ray of love is seldom perceived and often misunderstood as having flesh. The daybreak

of the new morn is founded on the proper perception of the ray of love. Babes know it not- -neither

man nor woman. The mystic alone knows the reality of this ray." THE WORD OF ONE, "Doer."

In Aristotle's collected writings, (class notes written down by his students), they couldn't think of a

good name for that part of the book which came after physics. So they just named it "after physics"or "beyond physics" which translates as "metaphysics."

Over the centuries, the meaning of the term "metaphysics" has wandered. At times, it seemed part

of theology. At times, it was ontology. In the early twentieth Century, the logical positivistsdeclared the term void of any meaning at all. Quite right. So I feel free to define it anew. I define it

as the study and practice of spirituality. The seekers of today (including me) say they are not

religious but they do seek spirituality or metaphysics (two terms that I have made identical).

The terrorists of 9/11 who destroyed the Twin Trade Towers in the name of Allah have discredited

religion. If there were an Allah, he would strike these blasphemers dead. While we don't knowmuch about the "between" (between lives), we can be pretty sure it won't be paradise for these

evildoers, not now, and not ever. At the very least, they will have to relive the terror and suffering

of each of their victims, all 3000 of them.

Spirituality can mean reading the spiritual classics of earlier times. I must warn you that none of

these books can be trusted. Huston Smith has edited a collection of new translations of what he

calls "Mystical Classics of the World." A better title for the series would be "Spiritual Classics ofthe World." This includes "The Tibetan Book of the Dead," more correctly translated as "The Great

Book of Natural Liberation Through Understanding of the Between." In other words, this is a bookabout the Between. Yet, we know from modern Psi studies that it is totally mistaken. Humanbeings do not reincarnate as either animals or gods. There is no demon Yama to welcome you to

the Between. There is only the White Light, loving and forgiving.

Another famous classic is The Bhagavad-Gita. I reject it for its reliance on and acceptance of Caste.

India must get rid of the Caste system, if it is to be a modern democracy. The Gita takes place in

the middle of a battlefield, with two huge armies waiting to destroy each other. The form of it is a

long argument made by the god Krishna to Prince Arjuna, that it is his duty as a member of thewarrior caste to make war and sacrifice all these millions of warriors on both sides. Modern

spiritual seekers always avoid violence if they can, and make war only in self-defense, not to

uphold a social duty to be a great warrior.

Huston's collection also includes THE ESSENTIAL KABBALAH, THE TAO TE CHING, THE

ESSENTIAL RUMI, and THE WAY OF A PILGRIM, all familiar except the last. THE WAY OF APILGRIM is the personal story of an anonymous wandering "Starets" in 19th Century Russia, a

familiar type in Orthodox Christianity. The last and most famous of these wandering holy men was

Rasputin, a man of many faults and gifts, a crude peasant who had a way with the women, an

enormous capacity for alcohol and a tremendous resistance to poison.

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In the chapters that follow, I will follow an approach to spirituality that includes mystical

experience, symbolic divination and revelation. Divination, if it works, is itself a minor miracle.

Ditto with revelation. Not all revelations are of equal value. We can give some weight to arevelation only if mystical experience confirms at least part of it. One that I give high marks is the

Evolved Tarot, also known as the Word of One, the T tarot, or the Tarot of the Nameless One. The

22 major arcana of the evolved tarot comprise a small part of a vast amount of material deliveredby home-made Ouija board, using a silver dollar as the planchette, to a group of Seekers back in the

winter of 1962-63. I was not part of that group. John Starr Cooke and Rosalind Sharpe published

it in 1969, again in 1970, and in 1992.The complete sessions were published in 1975 as Word of One, now available on-line.

I was first attracted to the Major Arcana of the new tarot reproduced in a newspaper once published

by Llewellyn Press, called The Gnostica News. This was in the 1970s. The image of the Deliverercaught my attention. I realized that it described the Illumination of Fire, and shows the lesser

mystical states which make up the path leading to the fire. A true revelation can vastly extend ones

metaphysical knowledge. We must test it against all of our other ways of knowing.

These are books written entirely in the language of symbolism, humanitys only universal language.

Nothing is arbitrary in the language of symbolism. Learning the language of symbolism is asimportant for the science of metaphysics as learning higher math is important for the science of

physics.

THE BOOK OF THE KNOWER reassures me that our souls do indeed have immortality as part ofthe ONE. THE BOOK OF THE CITADEL tells me that the soul creates minds. I shall close this

chapter with some quotes from the words of the Nameless One.

A few explanations are required to understand these quotes. The source of this material never gave

itself a name, so John Cooke referred to the source as WE, identifying it with a collective self.

The source gave each participant a new name, and called John Cooke "Legion." The Doer is theevolved form of the Sun card, and is a seven-year-old boy, holding an unrolled scroll and a ribbon

that loosely holds a black horse. A white horse rears on a human skull. A beautifully figured Sun is

high overhead. The Book of the Mother represents Creation. She is the new version of the HighPriestess. All quotes are from Word of One. Remember that these statements were made in the

winter of 1962-63. Even if true then, they may not be true now. You must judge.

"ONE is all.... Deny not ONE while you live. The world is full of those who say they seek ONE.How is it that seekers always blind themselves first to their surroundings? Until they remove the

film, they seek in vain. Do you wish a word of comfort? There is none. Do you wish a better road?

There is none. Do you wish a Savior? There is none. For you, there is only ONE. You will makethat do." p. 385.

"There is a stirring felt in sleeping regions. Great must be the full awaking. Neither din nor forceshall accomplish this. The awakened One arises. The sleeping one sleeps. There is an arouser but he

wakes not up."--P. 170.

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"Over all lies a mantle of fog through which the sun is coming--the son is coming.... The breath of

life is in your hands, the spark of death, also. Quicken the new birth and fan the spark that the

passing past is laid at rest. Desire above all things the Sun."

"The Rosetta stone is rolled away. A burden is lifted. A free soul flies onward. Yellow eyes,

unblinking, number the years." --P. 171.

"The siren bell has rung. Its penetration has entered but not emerged. Therefore its vibration

continues its wonders to perform...The market place is a-thrive. Strange beads and salt are vended.Buyers there are none. A pitcher of water reflects the sun. The thirst is mighty but the sun is

reflected undisturbed. Maggots will grow if the pitcher is not emptied."

"Children parentless seek the Mother. She is busy begetting the Sun. He is now with the world. Hiscord is severed. He will soon speak. He will speak of the Mother."

"Fairy frost at the windows betoken good fortune. Magic are the times now, Magickal are the

happenings. The Doer has been activated."

"The juice of memory rises. When it spills will be the time of reversal. It is coming. Be yeprepared. Mighty shall be the roar, violent the rending, joyous the release." p. 164

"Great will be the transformation now while nothing visible appears to happen--yet the New Man

will stand naked in glory. Tis a promise seen dimly now." p. 112

"LEGION: Is the Great Event Imminent?

WE: Yes.GAYLA: How imminent?"

At this point a sudden wind whipped open the heavy door beside the group and night air rushed into

the room."WE: Take a breath. It has taken place...." p. 413.

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Journey 27 - Spirituality Without Religion