“It’s a gift to be simple, it’s a gift to be free.”
You’re doubtless familiar with these words from an old Shaker hymn. These words of inspiration and guidance are so in tune with Christ’s message to us in troubling times. (but of course, what times haven’t been troubling here on earth?)
The Master’s words “except you be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
And,
“Know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”
To experience the gifts of simplicity and freedom, we must be willing to give up our own hearts and minds to that of a greater Power, the unifying love of Christ.
Beloved Master, guide us on this journey to become more trusting and obedient children of Light, with simplicity that makes our eye be single, with truth that frees us from misgivings and error and desires that bind and blind us.
Through Thy mercy and grace shall we enter in and receive Thy gifts to share on earth.
Amen
Mark
From Father Paul, excerpt from Book of Activity class Chapter 8, verses 10 – 20
This morning I want to (I wonder if we can turn that light off a moment, directly over my head here. I thought at first I was really getting illumination or something! All right, thank you.) I want to start in with the eighth chapter of the Book of Activity, and the tenth verse: “To him that would be silent that he might hear my voice, without speaking to his brother let him also look within, that he shall see my Child.”
This particular verse can be read over very easily, and if you don’t know too much about the Master and his ways of speaking, you might misunderstand the great impact that this particular verse has. When a person sets aside himself in silence for the purpose of making himself accessible to Jesus Christ, the Father, to the Host, he is attempting to place himself where he may be of greater service, and become a true messenger of the Almighty. For until you have learned to be quiet, both physically and spiritually, mentally, you will not be able to hear the true Voice or the communication of the Brothers, the Master, or any of these, for even without speaking you must learn to be silent and quiet and yet stay active to receive. Your act of being silent and quiet is a distinct prayer and it will be answered by those above.
But the impact of this particular verse comes right at the last: “Let him also look within that he shall see my Child.” Here is where Jesus has declared and is letting us know that it is not merely a matter of us being with him and in unity, and becoming a part of the body of Christ, but it also is saying this: “You are my offspring. You are not – I am not trying to hold you as a composite part of me. You are my child. I want you to grow up in this universe. I want you to get to understand your Father in heaven, as well as myself. My child. I want you to get yourself to the place where you too can live as an adult on a cosmic level.”
Now one of probably the most, to me, idiotic statements, and certainly a tremendous ego statement which is used so prevalently by the metaphysical people, is, “Let us be in unity with God.” Who on earth do they think they are? That they have the purity and the love that they could even approach the Father, hardly?
“Let him look within that he shall see my Child.” Why, and how is it that Jesus would say and call us his children? He did call us his flock in the Testament. But remember one thing, he did go to Calvary for the forgiveness and the atonement of our sins, as well as the atonement of the earth. He did make it possible for us to be reborn, not in the sludge and dirt which had at that time existed, but as a Child, purity in Light, and become a part of a cosmic Family. Now this isn’t some way-off-yonder fou-fou, but a Reality. And this is one of the things that we are going to have to learn.
For until we feel that we can take the place of those whom we have heard him say and quote the Testament, “Suffer the little children to come unto me.” Until we can take the place of those little children, we aren’t going to get very far. For here is exactly what he was talking about, “My Child. Look at my Child. This being, the Self, soul, this is my Child. I have given the blood and the Way. I have brought it through redemption. I gave birth to it on the new earth, and therefore it is my Child. There’s not only the rebirth, not only that new birth, that rebirth of a spiritual being, but the physical body. For being born again is really a birth, the whole body is reborn. There is a whole new function, a whole new vibration, a whole new reality, to that being who is truly reborn. But he cannot be reborn unless he can be the Child of Christ.
This is something which the conventional church has avoided to talk about, because they were afraid to get into the – they were afraid to reach that cosmic level, because they would find that the people themselves would start to have revelation, they would start to see the realities, and they’d have to start to answer questions which they did not want to answer. So they have avoided the true reality of rebirth of the earth and the people, so that they could keep away from freeing them in reality.
And he did not say, “You are my subjects.” He said, “You are my Child.” You are an offspring of that birth which I gave to you through the cosmic reality and initiation that comes to us, which we celebrate through the Holy Season. That rebirth is a reality and we can experience it, if we haven’t before. That rebirth is a rebuilding and producing a new body which is a reality in Jesus and the Father. And if you are a child of anybody, you know that you have been born, because you couldn’t be the child of somebody unless you were born of that person. That is impossible. And if you are born of that person, that person has given you off and set you up there. You are his son, his daughter, and he says, “My son, or my daughter, it is now time for you to grow, because we have cast you off and you are now an individual being.”
And he didn’t say, “I want you to become in unity with God.” He said, “You are my Child. You belong to this family. Now grow. Grow up in my image. Grow up in the image of him who gave birth to you.” He sought to make you an independent, a free, a real Christian with a cosmic background, not something of the old school, of the Old Testament.
“Look within that he shall see my Child.” For your father, then, is not only the Father, the Creator, but the father is the Christ who paid that price for your transgressions – speaking of the past out there – and has brought you into the Holy Family, has made you a part of the Cosmic Family and the reality, and has become the father of the people. (I guess that would make God kind of a Grandfather, wouldn’t it? Well, He’s old enough.)
Now that’s – you see the difference between the Reality and something that somebody would ask you to believe, out here, after they got through mauling it over for years, and taking out what they want and putting in something else? It’s a vast difference, isn’t it? It’s a vast difference. These are his words!
In fact, I just discovered this the other day myself, because I am learning one thing out of this book, even though I have spoken it for him. I am learning that this book has many, many things in it that is going to build a new Christian life, a new Christian reality and way, and it’s pretty potent. That I will say, it’s pretty potent. But unless you look very carefully at this book, you will not see the realities that it is really talking about, because you have to get away from the old way of thinking, the old way of approach and take it clean and clear, just as it is spoken, and everything it implies as it is spoken, and you will find that this way which he has prepared for us is really vastly different than that which we had before.
Sacraments in the Life of an Initiate: CONFESSION
Confession is basically a very simple thing. It involves the giving over, or letting go, of one’s sins to God. Sin is merely a name for the incorrect use of the great creative law of God. This law is the nature of our own being and function. Right use of this law brings happiness, peace, fulfillment, and realization. Wrong use of the law breeds pain, suffering and confusion.
Through the build up of negation brought about by ages of misuse of the creative Law of life, the earth was in a state of crystallization and decay which was fast becoming irreversible when our Master Jesus became the channel for the redemption of the earth by the Christ.
The redemption is simply the creation and establishment of a permanent pattern of growth into the earth by the infusion into the earth of the Christ consciousness. Once done, it can never be reversed. Now, as we say, the door of reformation is always open.
The atonement is the result of the redemption. It is the process of re-attuning all things and all people into harmonious vibration with this Divine pattern. It is the process of at-one-ment, now available to all who will reach for it.
The Science of Man does not have a set ritual for confession. This does not indicate any devaluation of this important sacrament, but rather emphasizes our positive New Age approach to the reality of the Atonement. No longer is the seeker to be considered a down trodden creature compassed by infirmity who needs the grace of confession just to make it through the Pearly Gates by the skin of one’s teeth. Rather, seeing what truly is–a seeker is a perfectible creature imbued with the Divine Spirit, the Self-soul, created in the image of God, on a journey of experience and initiation through life.
Actually, if a person never goes to confession, but knows that the absolution is granted through the atonement and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ; such a person, if truly contrite for sins or errors, is then absolved and is freed of errors because the atonement is a free gift to all who would receive it. Know it is received through grace.
The sacrament of confession is in reality a retrospection spoken by a person into the ear of the priest and the giving of absolution by the priest, who is duty bound by his vows to stand in the presence of Jesus Christ to offer the atonement when one is truly willing to “go, and sin no more.” The priest has taken a solemn oath to never reveal what is offered in confidence by another.
Confession to a priest can be a very uplifting experience. It is a very helpful aid to someone preparing for baptism, and as needed at other times
LIGHT II
As we begin to have a deeper conception of God, the musty veil of darkness is drawn to one side, and destroyed by the divine light and illumination of Chris
The Christ Light is the LIGHT which illumines every man, bringing into focus the desires, thoughts and ideas of the Creator.
Appropriate work calls forth this phenomena, the true Light which enlightens every man coming into the world. He also states that that light is the light of man.
Scientifically speaking, light is a form of radiant energy that acts upon the retina of the eye. This energy is transmitted at a velocity of about 186,000 miles per second, by wave-like motion, or vibratory motion. This is its relative speed in its travel in our earth’s atmosphere.
This light is mainly from the Sun of GOD, that which causes things to grow. Light moves at a very high rate of vibration.
The presence of LIGHTS within the body and around it, is a state which congruent to divinity, activates illumination or a Christ state. It activates spiritual sight. It causes us to know and see and understand the things of God.
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” — Matthew 5:14. A city cannot be hid. Jesus is telling us that our spirituality is the very life of nature — that Light power of our magnetic structure demonstrates the force and power of GOD to all the Universe.
Being the light of the world, we must demonstrate the Christ to all beings. This is truly the Light which enlightens every man coming into the world.
Jesus said, if your eye be single, your body will be full of light — meaning if all your vision, all your understanding, all your knowledge, be one in spirit, then that great light of Christ will surround you with its loving power, and keep you healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Practice seeing this light by using the knowledge given to you in the lesson on Meditation.
In Paul’s experiences, Acts 9, it is recorded that suddenly a light flashed from heaven, he fell to the ground and he heard a voice. Paul had received the first degree of illumination. His mind started to become spiritual, and he was now born of the Light.
This light is what is needed in us; then all other things in our rate of vibration will begin to glow and grow.
For light, even Spiritual Light, is issued forth from the Solar ray, and it is this ray that gives life to the planet Earth.
By understanding this, we understand how GOD spiritualizes the Earth through His perfect manifestation, Man, who in reality is the image and likeness of the Creator GOD.
In first John is given this message, “We have heard from Him, and proclaim to you, that GOD is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”
If we say we are in fellowship with him, and we walk in darkness, we lie, and the truth is not in us.
Walking in light is walking with GOD, in that we are in time with the infinite Mind, (our Father-Mother Creator). The Word of Power, the spiritual Word, is our light and lamp.
King David mentions this fact in the most scientific book of the Bible, Psalms 119, where he states, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path.”
If we follow this Light, and become children of the Light, we shall have fellowship one with another.
It is the purpose of the Science of Man to help you find Love, Light, and Truth through the teachings of Jesus Christ and all Masters and Saints, and especially through the physical sciences, in correlation with the Holy Covenants of all the world religions.
John concludes and so do we, with these words, “And we know the Son of God has come and has given us understanding to know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true, in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
Now students, find the Light. Share it with humanity. Watch, and pray.
Amen.
Bhutan Happiness
Happiness itself is an individual pursuit. Gross National Happiness then becomes a responsibility of the state to create an environment where citizens can pursue happiness. It’s not a promise of happiness, but a responsibility to create the conditions for happiness.
When we say happiness, we have to be very clear that it’s not fun, pleasure, thrill, excitement, all the temporary fleeting senses. It is permanent contentment with life; with what you have. That lies within the self. Because the bigger house, the faster car, the nicer clothes don’t give you that contentment.
Gross National Happiness means good governance. GNH means preservation of traditional culture. And it means sustainable socio-economic development.
-Kinley Dorje
Bhutan Ministry of Information and Communication
A ‘bike highway’ running between Daejon and Sejong in South Korea is a sight —or rather, a concept —, you surely haven’t thought of before: It stretches for 20 miles (32 km), and it not only shields cyclists from the sun but also generates power at the same time.
It’s true that a bicycle lane in the center of a highway is an unusual location for one, especially with three lanes of traffic on either side of it, yet it works. Much like the $3.7 million SolaRoad in the Netherlands, a 230-foot road replaced by solar panels, which powers the highway’s lighting system, this bike highway is a win for green energy. Its lanes produce more than enough electricity to power the lighting of the highway and the electric vehicle charging stations, according to Fast Company.
However, in the Netherlands, bicyclists ride on top of the panels instead of under them, while South Korea’s case is the opposite. Under the overhead solar panels, cyclists use subterranean tunnels to enter and exit the path, which boosts safety tremendously since they can get on and off the bikeway without being involved in the regular traffic. Once on the route, they’re shielded from the traffic on each side by barriers, and while that doesn’t provide pleasant roadside views, it does offer sun protection. –https://interestingengineering.com/south-korean-20-mile-solar-bike-highway-generates-electricity
Urban Agriculture: Within the city of Detroit, home to nearly 1,400 community gardens and farms, there is one officially designated agrihood, Michigan Urban Farming Initiative. The nonprofit in the North End neighborhood, just north of the recently gentrified Midtown area, calls itself America’s First Sustainable Urban Agrihood.
It was founded in 2012…
The Michigan initiative is a 3-acre farm focusing on food insecurity in one of Detroit’s historic communities that was once home to a thriving Black middle class. Now the median home value is under $25,000, and about 35% of the residents are homeowners.
The Detroit agrihood model plans to provide a Community Resource Center with educational programs and meeting space across from the garden, a café, and two commercial kitchens.
“For us, food insecurity is the biggest issue,” says, Quan Blunt, the Michigan initiative’s farm manager. “The closest [fresh] produce store to this neighborhood is Whole Foods [4 miles away in Midtown], and you know how expensive they can be.”
MUFI grows lots of hot peppers and collard greens, because that is what North Enders like, Blunt says. But they’re also an economic opportunity. At MUFI, one of their sustainability goals is to create hot sauces from their fresh peppers to sell. The farm also has rows and rows of other vegetable varieties all dotted with marigolds, which help keep bugs away, organically.
Blunt, who joined the Peace Corps after college to do food security work in India, was born and raised in Detroit, and is proud of the agricultural heritage passed down through his family.
My grandmother grew up in this neighborhood,” says Blunt, a graduate of Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture who majored in Food Science and Environmental Studies. Growing up in Detroit, labeled a “food desert,” was a major motivation for Blunt to enter the agricultural field. “People deserve fresh food,” Blunt says, “I believe good nutrition can help people reach their potential.” –https://www.yesmagazine.org/social-justice/2019/11/05/food-community-detroit-garden-agriculture
Waiting
Serene, I fold my hands and wait,
Nor care for wind, nor tide, nor sea;
I rave no more ‘gainst time or fate,
For lo! my own shall come to me.
I stay my haste, I make delays,
For what avails this eager pace?
I stand amid the eternal ways,
And what is mine shall know my face.
Asleep, awake, by night or day,
The friends I seek are seeking me;
No wind can drive my bark astray,
Nor change the tide of destiny.
What matter if I stand alone?
I wait with joy the coming years;
My heart shall reap where it hath sown,
And garner up its fruit of tears.
The waters know their own and draw
The brook that springs in yonder height;
So flows the good with equal law
Unto the soul of pure delight.
The stars come nightly to the sky;
The tidal wave unto the sea;
Nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high,
Can keep my own away from me.