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Before Papus it is said that initiation does not exist
- Détails
- Catégorie : Educational 2
- Publié le Dimanche, 13 Mars 2011 16:38
- Écrit par Super User
- Affichages : 108
Before Papus:
it is said that initiation does not exist.
Even if you are not concerned with affiliations, you have to know the inference from Serge's Caillet that Papus may have just made it all up, the rituals and initiations.
You can interpret an initiation in several ways:
- A symbolic new beginning,
- Being given knowledge,
- Etc.
However, if the initiation is supposed to be passing on a spiritual seed, that requires that the person passing it on has it to give in the first place, or they would not be able to pass it on.
If the Martinist initiation is just symbolic, or giving new knowledge, it is, very different from if it is supposed to be passing on a spiritual seed that it never possessed in the first place.
Judging by the countless Masonic rituals, anyone with a good imagination could create a whole set of impressive rituals and initiations, or even a completely new Order.
Is this what Serge Caillet is suggesting Papus did?
If someone had a good knowledge of rituals, they could probably create rituals that worked.
If someone just started an Order that had no basis in history, it would still develop an egregore over time.
Even if the teachings were false. You could tap into it, and deceive yourself.
Some Martinists seem to have been able to follow the way of the heart and the theurgic way.
When a group of people meet with the same intent (and aspiration or “désir”, from an esoteric viewpoint we have an "event": In the unseen worlds, this is not to be taken lightly at all.
The aim of Martinism is to produce conscious co-agents of the Divine Being.
Filiations are secondary to that, and are almost of no importance.
In the East, some people are tutored and initiated entirely in the dream state. Without referring to the realm of fantasy, some people have had initiations in dreams the night before their real initiation. They seemed as real as the initiation the next day.
. Modern authors such as Henri Corbin refer to it as the Imaginal state, between waking and sleep.
The Divine Mind directly guides them. In the Tibetan tradition also, one of the six yogas of Naropa is dream yoga, specifically to be in a state of constant awareness, even in sleep. In the Gospel, one needs only to read the parable of the seven virgins and their lamps, awaiting the wedding.
It can be tricky. Nevertheless, there is a way that one can be open to receive the influence of the Invisibles without necessarily having to be in the same room.
Every "Temple" is a symbolic edifice of an archetype that exists in the Unseen realms. The point of the physical Temple is to provide a venue for entrance into and communication with the Unseen.
One of the first things Papus and Chaboseau did was to exchange their initiations, (which they both supposedly received from St. Martin). One wonders why they would even bother to do this if none of them ever received an initiation from St. Martin in the first place.
Serge Caillet is pointing out that there is almost no evidence that the Initiation was actually passed down from St Martin.
Papus has devised the method of transmitting the Initiation into 3 degrees (and the 4th degree of Initiator). Did he just split the original initiation into several parts, giving a bit at a time; or if he just added the earlier degrees, and that the S I initiation is the only real Martinist initiation.
If Papus actually created a legend regarding his initiation, why Chaboseau would not have debunked him.
He supports Papus position in a record of conversation in Van Rijnberk's book.
Land of make believes
- Détails
- Catégorie : Educational 2
- Publié le Dimanche, 13 Mars 2011 16:41
- Écrit par Super User
- Affichages : 77
Land of make believes
o The Bible is infallible
The Bible as the written and printed book we hold today is fallible and has had many revisions to the original inspired and non-inspired texts, enough in many cases drastically to change the sense of the writings.
o All Holy books are equal
Some Holy Books are clearly man's creation, others contain some inspired material and other material that is not.
o Salvation through Gnosis
Who knows?
o Reincarnation
Just a belief?
o Earth/Matter is "evil», a prison
For who? Are not we warders of evil?
o An eternal place some call "Hell"
If God is love, what is the purpose of Hell?
o All souls eventually find salvation
Hope so!
o The Apostles/Nicene Creed
Are we able to eat such stuff?
o All religions are equal in truth
All religions are equal in truth and lie.
Theou Ergon Theurgia
- Détails
- Catégorie : Educational 2
- Publié le Dimanche, 13 Mars 2011 16:43
- Écrit par Super User
- Affichages : 84
THEOU ERGON THEURGIA.
Literally, it means "the Work of God".
What is Theurgy?
A prayer, with a human allowed praying in a simple ritual.
What are the goals of Theurgy?
· The alleviation of the suffering
· The resuscitation of humanity in God's Love and Wisdom.
Human spirituality
"Spirituality" would be "the relation of man to God".
It therefore has nothing to do with "intellectuality", "knowledge" or "education".
Human spirituality is expressed thus:
Ä Exoteric
Religion, worship
Ä Esoteric
1. Monasticism
2. Philosophical
3. Sacramental or Theurgy
4. Initiation
· In 10,000 B.C., the Orphists used their Orphic Hymns in a philosophical, initiatic, sacramental and religious system that has been called "Orphism". Aristotle says, "Orpheus was the one that established the sacramental rites in Greece".
· From the 2nd century A.D. originates the text of the Chaldean Oracles, which - apart from the philosophical and initiatic doctrine - gives specific instructions for the operation of Theurgy.
· The Neoplatonic philosophers -- and especially Jamblichus -- promote and practise Theurgy as a means of transcending Nature and integrating oneself into the Creative Divine Operations.
· Jesus Christ and his disciples operated a multitude of miracles.
· In the Byzantine Empire, the only concrete thing that we know is the commentation of the Chaldean Oracles by Michael Psellus and Georgios Plethon - Gemistos.
· In Renaissance, esotericism is used theoretical and practical. Khunrath, Reuchlin, Tritheim, Agrippa, Fludd, Dee...
· In the 18th century, Martines de Pasqually founded the "Order of Knights Masons Elected Coëns of the Universe". The adepts of the highest grade -- the Reaux Croix -- practised a Theurgy.
· L.C. de Saint Martin, Pasqually's disciple and secretary -- based on the same principles with Martines -- established his own theurgic system. He states: "Theurgy is not just a gift of God to Man; it is a duty of anyone that feels the thirst for this realization in his heart; because God gives Man this mandate, by igniting this desire in Man's heart".
What’s Theurgy (and what’s not Theurgy)
There are four main types of rituals that should not be confused.
1. Religious Sacraments
2. Magical Rituals
3. Theurgic Rituals
4. Satanic Rituals.
Rites: Agent: Will:
Religious Sacraments God’s angels Divine
Magic Man Human
Theurgy Man, cooperating with angels Divine
Satanism Man, subjugated by demons Demonic
There is also another type – being initiated by using rituals that are related to the notion of egregore.
Prerequisites
1. Basic
a. motivation
b. way of life
c. environmental conditions (room, time etc)
2. Sacramental
3. Qualities (virtues)
a. Purity
b. Love
c. Faith
d. Remission (of oneself to God)
These virtues are the four Pillars of the Inner Temple.
4. Dynamic
a. Self-control, awareness, freedom from any kind of obsession, "Spiritual Sobriety".
b. State of inner prayer
Elements of Ritual
1. The Altar or Table of Operation.
2. The Candle
3. The Cross
4. The New Testament, open at the beginning of the 1st chapter of the Gospel of St. John.
5. Incense
6. Word.
7. Gesture
Inside a Ritual
"A (theurgic) ritual is the expression of Man's inner Word and his ardent wish to be associated with God and to cooperate with Him, by means of a series of thoughts, words, gestures and symbols".
In Theurgy, there are no "magic rituals".
One is free to compose his own ritual that should be based on the principles of sound spirituality.
A theurgic ritual functions in various levels:
1. Psychological influence
2. Attunement with God
3. Attunement of the inner world with the outer world
4.Creation of the "vertical axis" of attunement and communication among planes.
Structure of a Theurgic Ritual
Opening
Expression of repentance
Invocation of the Guardian Angel
State of inner prayer
Expression of gratitude
Glorification
Prayer to Father, Son and the Holy Spirit
State of acceptance
Specific operation, if any (therapeutic or other).
Expression of gratitude
Ending
Results of Theurgy
Theurgic influences all levels of man's existence -- his body (material being), soul (emotional being), and spirit (reasoning being).
However, its most important result is Transcendence. By definition, "transcendental" is what transcends or surpasses human nature.
Transcendence is NOT something that man can control; it is completely a Gift from God, it is the germination and growth of the Ineffable Word in Man.
I. Applications
1. Initiation
2. Therapeutic applications (healing)
3. Talismanic applications
Stages on the Theurgic Path
First stage
· Prerequisites: attainment of inner uplifting.
· Goals: avoidance of exoteric moral mistakes.
Second stage
· Prerequisites: avoidance of exoteric moral mistakes
· Goals:
o Achievement of inner purity
o The Theurgist seeks chances to benefit people.
Third stage
· Prerequisites: achievement of inner purity. Nothing should pollute the Theurgist's inner Temple.
· Goals: to become a benefactor of humanity.
Ritual of collective operations
- Détails
- Catégorie : Educational 2
- Publié le Dimanche, 13 Mars 2011 16:53
- Écrit par Super User
- Affichages : 65
RITUAL FOR COLLECTIVE OPERATIONS
For the purpose of collective action, theurgists should be chosen who, to a certain degree, are already experienced in individual operation. This is necessary because harmonious co-operation is possible only under such conditions. It is impracticable to start instructing new members about elementary rules for spiritual work during an actual meeting, thereby wasting time and the attention of the remaining trained participants.
When all those who are supposed to take part in an operation are assembled in the chosen room, the leader invites them to form a circle and places a small table in the middle, on which he puts a list of names and photographs (if available) of those who are to be helped (in other words - patients).
The traditional ‘Cord of Union’ is then placed in the hands of those forming the circle and each member wraps it once around his left thumb, leaving the right hand free. The cord should be soft and may be of silk or nylon, about 5/ l6ths of an inch thick and green, blue or dark red. It will most likely be readily obtainable from any good haberdashery. The length should be sufficient to go round the largest circle that can be made in the room (which will have several chairs and the table in it), plus two or three yards to surround the photographs.
The free ends of the cord remain in the hands of the leader, who takes his place close to the table, so that he can read the list of names and prayers relevant to the meeting. Two wax candles are usually lit on the table, and all other lights are extinguished during the time of the operation.
When lighting the candles and incense the leader three times softly pronounces:
‘In the name of Almighty God, who created the universe and all of us who are in it!’
The members respond with a whispered ‘Amen’.
Everyone sits in a perfectly erect position on their chairs, knees together, hands resting palms downward on them.
The middle part of the cord is left on the table to form a circle around the photographs of the patients.
After lighting the candles and incense, the leader greets the members and says to them:
‘This meeting is dedicated to the help of our suffering fellow men, who are in need of God’s grace and pardon.’
Then, very slowly, he reads or chants with the utmost concentration, the invocation to the Holy Spirit and all members simultaneously repeat the words.
INVOCATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
O Ruler of Heaven
O Consoler!
Spirit of Truth
Omnipresent and filling everything
Giver of Life!
Come to dwell in us,
Purify us of all iniquities
And save our souls,
O Merciful Lord!
This being done, the proper action commences.
The leader begins the ritual for collective operation, by slowly reading the following verses three times each:
Verse 1: I know that a sincere prayer is a blessing from the Almighty, but a negligent invocation of the Lord falls as a damnation on a foolish man.
One minute of meditation follows during which members mentally repeat the verse.
Verse 2: There is no man born who has not committed a sin:
so, before I turn to Thee, 0 Lord with my prayer, 1 beseech Thee to be gracious to me, a sinner, who, with head humbled deep in the dust before Thee, is sorry for all his iniquities.
At this point all bow their head and then there is one minute of meditative prayer, with full concentration.
Verse 3: I pray 0 Lord for my brother/sister (give full name THREE TIMES) who is in distress because of errors committed against Thy goodness and wisdom, but Thou who art the whole of grace and compassion, may lighten the burden of my brother/sister (again give the name three times) if Thou hearest my prayer for him/her.
All join in intense, silent, prayer for one minute. Then the leader invites members to rise and stand around the table, each placing two fingers of their right hands on the edge of the photograph of the person for whom they now pray, while the cord still remains twined around each member’s left thumb, and ready to repeat with him the conjuration for the imposition of hands:
Verse 4 May help and solace be given to you, brother/sister (slowly aloud and with intense concentration all repeat the name of the patient three times together with the leader) and may Grace flow through my hands into you. Let the Lord’s will be done!
This formula is the culminating point of the whole operation and success depends upon it.
Silent prayer follows for one minute.
Verse 5: Blessed be Thou, 0 Lord, enlighten me through Thy initiation! Let my prayer join the unceasing current of worship of Thy saints, and rise to Thee as the smoke of incense.
If there is more than one patient, verses 1, 2 and 5 are used in common for all of them, but verses 3 and 4 must be repeated three times for each person.
When standing in the circle with fingers placed on the patient’s picture, members must memorize it and the mental image is then joined to the ritual of the imposition of hands, so that when pronouncing the name, you have the face of the person before you.
This finished, the leader invites members to resume their seats, thanks them for their co-operation, extinguishes the candles and switches on the normal lighting.
Theurgic meetings intended to give assistance to others, like the one just described, are a very intimate activity, and no member should ever speak about them in public or boast of his participation, for this will rob everything of its effectiveness. That is why it is an accepted practice not to advertise a theurgic group in any way.
Leaders usually note the exact time when verses 3 and 4 are read, as evidence for the absent patient. Physically sick persons, and those for whom the operation is being performed, should not be present at these meetings while the action is in progress.
In certain theurgic groups no one who is to be helped is even admitted to that meeting.
This is done for a number of very good reasons:
a. It is very hard for the person mentioned in the operation to be in the circle and, at the same time, retain full emotional and mental composure. The egoistic, if even subconscious element is still too strong in average human beings and it may easily be excited by the ritual. On the other hand, the operating members themselves feel better and less restrained when they do not see the patients among them. If there is a physical illness to be alleviated, it is a definite rule to exclude such a patient from the meetings of healing theurgic groups, during the time of their action, and the reasons for this are simple.
b. The most effective operations can be best performed by physically healthy healers, that is, those whose physical and astral auras are normal. Full harmony within the group is then preserved, and no transmission of the suffering of the patient(s) to the operators is possible, unless such an event has deliberately been sought.
c. There are cases where a selfless operator agrees to accept the suffering of his brother on his own shoulders. This very seldom happens, for great spiritual power, courage and wisdom is needed for such a sacrifice.
Therefore, we have to accept that, in general, no one within a healing group wants to be ‘infected’ by his brother’s ailment, and therefore the precautions just mentioned must be fully enforced during every theurgic meeting.
Every prayer or invocation, as given in this book, can be included in the programme for a meeting, according to the needs that arise and at the leader’s discretion. In fact, theurgic groups throughout the world, as a matter of fact, adjust their programmes to fit their needs as sometimes they may require healing power, spiritual support, help in material conditions, defence against evil influences, or simply an open-hearted worship of the Lord. Moreover, for all of these things they will find suitable material in the theurgic tradition. Some groups end their meetings with the following invocation, which the leader says as he stands and faces the gathering:
‘May every day of your life take you closer to spiritual enlightenment, so that your present incarnation will not be wasted, but an evolutionary one, in accordance with your own efforts to obtain the awareness of the Eternal Light, which lies hidden in every being. And when the hour of your departure comes, may you meet it, not with confusion and fear, but with joy, hope and certainty, invoking the holy presence of your spiritual master, who will then support and guide you to the light.’
The leader then announces the date and purpose of the next meeting, advising members to study certain prayers or invocations, which he intends to use next time.
This is an appropriate point at which to explain the theurgic conception of all diseases and suffering. Tradition recognizes that every manifestation has its ‘soul’, or better still, a ‘spirit’. If Karma requires that an ailment should descend upon a man, the ‘spirit’ of the sickness (or the cliché of the accident, and so on) is sent towards the subtle bodies of the man (that is, astral and mental). From there the trouble is gradually transferred to the gross, physical matter, and then we have a disease, which develops in the affected body. From this we can see that, theoretically and logically, it would be possible to expel the ‘spirit’ of the sickness and a man could be cured, providing the operator is strong and knowledgeable enough, and knows how to deal with the invisible invaders. Occultism, and especially its ‘magic’ branch uses this method of help.
The magician acts upon the astrosome, compelling the spirit of disease to quit the patient, and then we have a classical example of a ‘magic cure’. In practice, magnetism, mesmerism and hypnotism, if successful, also do similar work: they try to expel the evil. However, say theurgists, the expelled disease (that is, its spirit) has to go somewhere. Whom will it then attack? The magician has his answer to this doubt. He tries to ‘transplant’ the disease to the wood of a cross.
In remarking about the expulsion and transplanting of diseases, Master Andréas, so often quoted by Paul Sédir, said: ‘How would you feel if you had the disease of a giant transplanted into your body? For plants and animals suffer similarly when used as a cloak for magic operations.’
For a faithful theurgist or a ‘white’ occultist there is nothing to fear or regret: they know that everything that happens is eventually for the best. Whatever had a beginning must also have an end and the human family on this earth cannot be any exception. If the evolutionary way of one kind of population on a planet becomes doubtful, then another will take its place.
In addition, at the same time, the spiritual search (again according to the old prophecies) in man grows and is reaching a never before equalled intensity. Many people are thirsty for the higher spiritual, imperishable values in their lives. Often these strivings are wrongly directed or simply, intentionally misguided by the forces of darkness, which lead men on dangerous by-paths (this too has been predicted) instead of towards the light. But there is a ray of hope: in all the mess, man starts to turn towards spiritual ideas, often abandoning certain unsafe occult paths, which were so prevalent in Europe during the second half of the nineteenth and first quarter of the twentieth centuries.
Now men ask for something better and safer. And sometimes they return to the almost forgotten conceptions of God. Interest in theurgy may be one of the first steps in that direction after infatuation with things Eastern.
Just before the culminating point of an operation is reached, that is, Verse 4: ‘May help and solace…‘, the operator inhales deeply and produces tension in all the muscles of his body, as if he is about to leap forward or dive deep into water. This should last for only a few seconds (not more than five) and when the actual pronouncing of Verse 4 begins, a slow exhale accompanied by a gradual release of the body’s tension must follow. In this case there is no need to assist the action by any effort of imagination, as is done in some occult practices, for here the created astral energy of itself goes in the right direction, providing the mind of the operator has been duly concentrated on the significance of Verse 4 and the release extended over the whole of the reading of it.
