The Jungle of Life

» Today at 06:21am

Excerpt taken from "Grow Rich! With Peace of Mind" by Napoleon Hill

 

One day I knew the time had come to write this book. Perhaps the brief illness I had at that time, during which I outlined the book, was planned by those others to draw my mind away from day-to-day affairs. I wrote the book, enjoying it as one always enjoys a labor of love. It took a number of months, during which I felt highly alive and happy.

I completed the last chapter and still sat before my typewriter, musing on what I had written. Ultimately, nothing matters, I thought — yet it is good to have achieved that which the mind has conceived for so long a time. I was alone in my study and all was very still.

A voice spoke. I saw nobody. I cannot tell you whence the voice came. First it spoke a password known to few men, that riveted my attention.

"I have come," said the voice, "to give you one more section to include in your book. In writing this section you may cause some readers to disbelief you, yet you will write honestly and many will believe and be benefited. The world has been given many philosophies by which men are prepared for death, but you have been chosen to give mankind a philosophy by which men are prepared for happy living."

"I whispered: "Who are you?"

In a softened voice, which sounded like chimes of great music, the unseen speaker replied: "I come from the Great School of the Masters. I am one of the Council of Thirty-Three who serve the Great School and its initiates on the physical plane."

The Great School of the Masters!

That is the school of wisdom which has persisted secretly in the Himalayas for ten thousand years. Sometimes known as the Venerable Brotherhood of Ancient India, it is the great central reservoir of religious, philosophical, moral, physical, spiritual and psychical knowledge.

Patiently this school strives to lift mankind from spiritual infancy and darkness to maturity of soul and final illumination.

"These Masters," says J.E. Richardson in the The Great Message, "are the Great Teachers who, through all human history, have not only declared their personal knowledge of another life, but have made the personal demonstration of their knowledge in such manner as to leave no possible doubt in the minds of their disciples, or students, as to the fact of that personal knowledge."

The Great School of the Masters always has exercised its powers for constructive unfolding of individual human intelligence, in harmony with man's unchallengeable control over his individual powers of thought. The Masters believe that this great prerogative, which has been reserved for man alone, provides man with the means by which he may largely control his earthly destiny.

Now I knew that one of these Masters had come across thousands of miles, through the night, into my study.

The Master Continues To Speak

After having paused to allow me time in which to collect my thoughts, the Master continued in the same great musical voice which surely would have resounded through the house had it not been audible to my ears alone.

I shall not set down every word he said, but I shall include the gist of his message. Much of what he said already has been presented to you in the other chapters of this book or will follow in other chapters.

"You have earned the right to reveal the Supreme Secret to others," said the vibrant voice. "In the journey through life there is a Jungle of Life, a Black Forest through which every individual must pass alone. In the Black Forest he overcomes enemies and his own inner opposition and turmoil. The Black Forest helps to give refinement to the soul of man through struggle and resistance, so that the soul may return to the Great Eternal Reservoir from whence it emerged and become a part of Infinite Intelligence. You have been under the guidance of the Great School but you have been your own master. Now you must give the world a blueprint with which others may traverse that same Black Forest.

"And now I shall name the enemies who must be met and conquered in the journey.

"The foremost is FEAR. The expression of fear denies man the use of his true power of thought — a power which can enable each individual to acquire all of his physical needs and control his earthly destiny.

"The next great enemy," said the Master, "is GREED for the possession of material things and for power to control others for selfish ends. No person who is filled with greed and avarice can pass through the Jungle of Life and successfully attain and use the Supreme Secret, for he affronts the Creator when he violates the rights of others.

INTOLERANCE is third on the list of enemies. Intolerance is the evil partner of selfishness and ignorance. It closes the mind and shuts out facts. It deprives a person of valuable friendships he will need in his journey through life and repels the co-operation of others.

"EGOTISM is the fourth great enemy of man. Self-respect is a most desirable quality, but self-love is self-deceit and causes a man to lose his respect for others.

"LUST is the fifth enemy. It prevents sex emotion from being properly transmuted and properly directed. It leads to excessive sexual expressions which dissipate the vital creative forces of the mind and body.

"ANGER, the sixth enemy, is a form of temporary insanity. Righteous indignation that is controlled and directed toward the correction of a cause is occasionally necessary, but those who live with rage cannot truly know the Supreme Secret.

"HATRED, the seventh enemy, is anger which has been allowed to dwell in the mind until it has hardened like so much cement. It is a mind-poison which erroneously twists the individual's thinking. One who harbors hate cannot control and direct the power of thought toward constructive ends, and thus is denied this one and only outright prerogative with which man has been blessed by the Creator."

The Master went on while I listened raptly. He spoke of the enemy of JEALOUSY, that mixture of covetousness and fear; and of IMPATIENCE, which prevents cause from bearing its fruit to effect. He listed DECEIT, which in the end deceives the deceiver; FALSEHOOD, which weaves a noose with which the liar spiritually hangs himself; the related enemy of INSINCERITY; and VANITY, which makes men vulgar and forms a repulsive force.

In the midst of a great silence the representative of the Great School told me I had been chosen to tell others of all the enemies, including CRUELTY, which attracts all the other enemies like a pack of wolves, and MERCILESSNESS, which turns its back upon those in need and makes the soul shrivel. He spoke of INJUSTICE, of SLANDER and of GOSSIP. He pointed out that one may know the Supreme Secret in words but cannot use it if he ever attempts to destroy others. He showed me how the Black Forest closes in for a lifetime upon those who do not vanquish the enemies of UNDEPENDABILITY, DISHONESTY, DISLOYALTY and REVENGE.

In concluding with the names of four more enemies against whom I was to warn the world, the Master said they were fully as important in their menace as any of the others. They were: WORRY, which reveals that a man is no bigger than that which he allows to worry him; ENVY, a form of jealousy which most particularly destroys initiative and self-discipline. HYPOCHONDRIA, which prevents the mind from conceiving the continued good health of its bodily temple and so gives ill health its first foothold, which often is in the mind; and INDECISION, which grows stronger the more it is indulged until it rides one's back and one can fall and lie lost in the Black Forest.

"There are other enemies of man," the Master said, "but who conquers these twenty-six will conquer all the others. Know that one who seeks earnestly to conquer these twenty-six lurking enemies becomes an Initiate of the Great School. We know him, and he has access to the mind of a Master. The Initiate may at times convey his need for instruction through what is commonly known as prayer."

The Principle of Prayer

The Master then told me the principles which lie behind prayer that can bring true help and guidance. You who read the mere printed word should read this section several times until its great meaning is clear to you.

"Prayer," the Master said, "is to be based upon a real need for help to accomplish something of constructive value.

"In true prayer one asks for help only after he has proved, by his own effort, that his own powers are not sufficient to enable him to accomplish his purpose.

"The person who prays for help should not assume he gives over his own individual freedom of action, but rather should know he is to co-operate with the helping agents he cannot see.

"He must know, with confident, self-respect, that his first duty is to improve himself and his condition; and that out of this, when it is well done, flows his second duty, which is to help humanity.

"These are the principles we look for in any prayer. However the prayer may be said or thought, under whatever conditions, these principles come through when they are present and bespeak the suppliant's fitness."

The Master now gave a word of caution for the Initiate who is on his way through the Jungle. He told me — as I now tell you — that now and then open spaces appear in the that Black Forest, and as one walks clear of clinging underbrush he may think he has conquered all of the twenty-six enemies. This may be a deception on the part of the enemies. A dependable way to keep track of the enemies one has overcome is to list them on a chart, thus:

FEAR
GREED
INTOLERANCE
EGOTISM
LUST
ANGER
HATRED
JEALOUSY
IMPATIENCE
CRUELTY
MERCILESSNESS
INJUSTICE
SLANDER
GOSSIP
UNDEPENDABILITY
DISHONESTY
DISLOYALTY
REVENGE
DECEIT
FALSEHOOD
INSINCERITY
VANITY
WORRY
ENVY
HYPOCHONDRIA
INDECISION

The list should be checked closely at least once a year. Done honestly, and with the insight of self-knowledge one has gained, such a check enables one to search his record and know the names of the defeated enemies. These are crossed off the list. As long as one enemy remains, the person who made the list still wanders in the Jungle of Life. When every enemy has been accounted for, he has passed through the Jungle.

What Happens at the End of the Great Journey?

The Master explained: "When the Initiate has truly conquered all of the twenty-six enemies of success, peace, and harmony, he will receive a communication from a Master of the Great School. He will be assured of his success in having passed through the Jungle, and he will receive definite instructions for his future conduct.

"First, he will be shown that a reasonable part of his time is to be devoted to directing others who are struggling to pass the Jungle, and to helping his fellow man in every other possible way. He will know already that a benefit to others benefits himself, but now he will realize those benefits in their fullest measure.

"Second, he will be given the power to handle all adversities so that their eventual benefit to him always is revealed and he is conscious of his power to turn adversity into benefit.

"Third, the Initiate who masters the twenty-six enemies of man will quickly recognize the nature and purpose of any special mission to which he may be assigned in the future, and he always will have the courage to carry out that mission."

The Master went on quickly: "The Initiate retains the power to neglect or deny any of these requirements, but, should he do so, the penalty may be the complete revocation of the powers he has gained through many years of devoted effort. The powers include great blessings:

"Hope, faith, and courage to carry out any desired objective.

"Benevolence toward his fellow men, and compassion for their problems.

"Self-understanding which reveals to him the nature of his own stupendous powers.

"Endurance and persistence enough to enable him to overcome all obstacles in his path.

"Sound health, both physical and mental.

"The wisdom with which to evaluate all things, and the self-discipline to give him complete mastery over himself.

"Patience with which to deal with adversities.

"Tolerance toward all, and a true spirit of brotherly love.

"Freedom from worry.

"Material abundance to meet all his needs and desires.

"A keen evaluation of time.

"Freedom from all vices.

"A magnetic personality and a spirit of generosity which attracts friendly cooperation.

"The ability to profit from mistakes of the past.

"A listening ear, a silent tongue, a faithful heart, a keen sense of loyalty.

"A profound love for truth.

"A true understanding of scientific prayer, along with the capacity to get aid from the Masters when it may be needed.

"Immunity against the acts of all evil persons.

"Release from all inherited negative traits.

"Complete mastery of every kind of fear, including the fear of death.

"Understanding of the over-all purpose of life, along with the glorious ability to live according to that purpose."

The Master Concludes His Message

Another pause in the deep silence, and the Master said: "He will not only understand the true purpose of life, but also he will have at his command the power to fulfill that purpose without having to experience another incarnation of the earthly plane.

"And the Masters of the Great School, on this earthly plane and all others planes, will rejoice at his triumph and will bid him godspeed toward his own Mastership. His cycle toward Mastership will not have ended, but he will have spread before him the chart by which to navigate successfully."

The voice ended. I began to hear little sounds of the world around me, and I knew the Master had returned to the Great School of the Masters.

The Inherent Lesson in a Few Words

Ultimately, nothing matters. Read once more and see how much of the Master's message is concerned with here and now, the time in which we insure, by ourselves, whether life will reward or punish us; whether we will win our dreams or die unfulfilled. Notice the several ways in which we are enjoined not to become too meanly important... meanly important in a big show of property or power which counts as nothing in the scheme of things and can destroy health and happiness.

As for the Ultimate beyond our earthly ultimates, we see a vision of a greater reservoir of life-spirit, but we are not enjoined to walk in awe nor walk apart from the affairs of life in some kind of self-assumed sainthood. Goodness in life devolves upon living, and life was not planned as a bed or roses, but as a wholehearted adventure in training one's self to know and win it — you will see why this is so.

 

JAY'S NOTES

You'll probably find that what the Master here refers to as the "enemies in the Jungle of Life" are exactly those things I've come to refer to as the "Destructive Impulses", of which motivate Man to trespass against the rights of his brothers, and eventually, over time, evoke an equal or greater consequence or penalty upon himself.

I've discovered there to be a Great Balance in Life:

The nature of any Destructive Impulse held in the mind, especially as a habit over time, and the severity to which it is given expression, particularily in regard to how it may violate the rights of one's fellow man, boomerangs back with an equivalent — and often much greater force — at which it was projected.

And just as in the case of the boomerang (which does not return the moment it leaves the hand), there is a delay between expression and eventual "kick-back" — which seems to be why we are often lured in by their seductiveness.

But as the day follows the night, it will and must come; in this life or the next.

That is why the Greater Life is found only by refusing to accept the bribe or the initial short-term benefits that the Destructive Impulses cunningly tempt us with — for those who look back, after their Destructive Impulses have boomeranged back, moan and whimper with the realization that the long-term expenses they've incurred upon themselves weren't near worth half the price of the short-term benefit.

The True Nature of Faith

» Saturday, February 20th, 2010 at 03:55pm

When most of us speak of Faith, what do we mean?

Don't we generally seem to use it in a "religious" context?

As in, "My faith is Christianity."

Or "My faith is Buddhism."

If this is so, doesn't it imply that Faith is a mere belief or set of beliefs? That when we "have faith" in something we believe it to be true to the facts?

But does the simple act of believing in something make it true?

Most of us will probably find little difficulty in coming up with countless examples that would easily prove that there is a vast difference between mere belief and the knowledge drawn from the facts.

For it is possible for me to believe that I live on the planet Mars, but does that make it true just because I believe it to be so?

The answer is obvious:

Upon the facts, I live on the planet Earth.

And no matter how much I believe that I live on Mars and no matter how many arguments I can engineer to convince myself that I do, it does not change the facts.

Using this example, we can conclude two very important things:

  1. Belief can be based on opinion regardless of and contrary to the facts.
  2. True Faith can only be based on the facts.

This seems to be the distinction between the truly insane and the Dreamers:

The insane base their beliefs on wild imaginative wanderings or superstitions, removed from Nature, and Nature's Laws.

The Dreamers base their "belief" on their knowledge of the Facts and Operations of Nature.

And to those who do not understand Nature, the Dreamers often appear crazy — at least until their dream, through the applied effort in aligning their aims and purposes into perfect correspondence with Nature's Processes, and thus, finally give it birth in physical reality.

As it is common to "ye of little faith": Only when we can see it, do we finally believe it.

But to the Dreamer, it exists before its translation into its physical equivalent.

Thus is can be said:

Faith is like a giant oak tree.

Before it grew to maturity, I could have held the seed in my hand. I could have said, "This is the great monarch of the forest."

To an ignorant savage, who is unfamiliar with Nature and her Processes of growth, I might become the subject of ridicule and entertainment, for what does he see?

A tiny seed, resembling nothing of a tree many times taller than himself.

But us educated people know that if that seed is supplied with the conditions and essentials that Nature requires, she will do the rest in time, and eventually that seed will mature and grow into the great monarch of the forest.

Under a similar Process of Nature, within the psychical realm as opposed to the physical, so it is with the true operation of Faith:

To understand the facts and processes of Nature and to know it is within one's ability to conform to them, all with the aim of establishing the conditions Nature requires for the unfoldment of the dormant powers necessary in the translation of Dream into physical reality, is the foundation of true Faith.

After all, what was the Master Jesus' true Faith?

Were not the fundamental tenets of his Message:

  1. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
  2. "Do good to those that hate you."
  3. "Love your neighbor as yourself."

His Faith was founded not on the myths and lies concerning "the Afterlife", but in his understanding of Human Nature, the Great Problems of Life, and his own confidence that it is possible for Mankind to form a Great Brotherhood the world over, wherein everyone can learn to and apply themselves to respecting the rights of others.

I reckon He knew very well that we can only respect ourselves to the exact degree to which we respect the rights of others; therefore, in respecting others, we not only do them a service, but perhaps add unto ourselves an even greater benefit.

Or stated differently, we cannot tear another down without also tearing ourselves down to an equal or greater degree, and we cannot build others up without also building ourselves up in direct or greater ratio.

For it is true, when trespasses grow to seed:

The thief finds he has stolen only from himself.

The slanderer discovers the only person he has discredited is himself.

And so on.

In the same way, when benefactions grow to seed:

The teacher realizes he has added more knowledge to himself.

The altruist finds he has no shortage of offerings of aid.

The Greatest Master

» Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at 05:16pm

To anyone who has read the Bible outside the lens of Superstition, Intolerance, and Dogmatism, it cannot be helped that one mysterious individual stands out prominently...

Yet He is mentioned only a couple of times.

He draws attention for two very important reasons:

  1. Abraham, the great king, gave Him one tenth of his earnings (which might be where the idea of tithing or giving 1/10th to God came from)
  2. The Master Jesus became a High Priest in the Great Spiritual Order He organized

This is all the Bible reveals about him.

However, He is claimed by many who came into association with the Great Parent School of Knowledge, and therefore gained access to those documents and histories unavailable to us men of civilization, to be the Greatest Master of all the Ages.

It's interesting to note that, like the Master Jesus, He was also said to be born of a virgin mother.

Yet aside from these tidbits about the man and His life, He remains an enigmatic character.

And though I do not know with absolute certainty, it is however my strong intuitive hunch that He is the "Heavenly Father" of whom the Master Jesus commonly referred and prayed to for guidance.

Furthermore, it is known that the Master Jesus' true mission in Life was to fill the head position in the Order of Melchizedek, as it exists here on Earth.

Is there such an entity as "God, the Father"?

Or is there the Master Melchizedek, that "Heavenly Father" or Great Leader of the Great Spiritual Order, responsible for organizing and commissioning all Constructive movement and progress, existing throughout the ages and extending through all the spectrums of the spiritual planes, right down to Earth?

The Sins of Man and Nature's Penalties

» Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 at 11:39pm

The dogmatist says:

"If you sin, you are an evil, wicked, and unworthy wretch destined to burn in hell for all eternity! But lo! Do whatever I tell you to and refuse to pursue what I don't have the courage to attempt for myself — for if you should achieve what I haven't, I would greatly envy you — therefore, I will fabricate a terrible punishment and implant it in your imagination, then offer you an equally phony way to escape it... all as a means of stopping you from enjoying what I don't."

But the Master says:

"If you sin — or allow a Destructive Impulse into your mind — it's outward expression will not only tear down your fellow man through association by default, but more importantly, it will evoke an equal or even greater penalty, through Nature's Laws, upon yourself... and stop you from living the Greater Life, of your own Volition."

Yet if any Destructive Impulse we admit into our minds and, as a result, give it opportunity to produce itself through an outward physical expression, whether unconsciously or deliberately, just why is it we often welcome and encourage it, despite the torment it brings upon us?

It will be found that almost every Destructive Impulse appears to carry with it an initial short-term benefit — which, when matured and has grown to fruitation, carries a much greater long-term penalty.

For example, we know that the desire to get revenge on someone who we feel has wronged us often appeals to us. Furthermore, we justify it with the archaic aphorism, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

But to anyone who's witnessed another spend endless time plotting and committing vengeance has probably observed the great misery it brings, perhaps initially to his victim (only to do him a service by forcing himself to grow stronger), but much more notably on him who admits the Destructive Impulse of Revenge into his mind — for he slowly destroys the conditions of his own mind which set the foundation for his own Happiness in the process.

The same can be said of Lust:

There is the initial satisfaction of sexual pleasure in the short-term, but he who over-indulges in the sex act also brings the Level, as he suffers a great dissipation not only of his vital energies but the Great Creative Force within himself, a necessity in the pursuit the Greater Life.

The dogmatist, who simply passes down the dated tenets of the Dark Ages, tells us we should not sin because it's "bad". Instead, we should mimic the outward expressions that come naturally to him of high Moral Character. The reason given for this act of Dishonesty is to avoid a conjured punishment that has no basis upon the facts of Life.

But the Master, who has observed the effects of the continued admission of the Destructive Impulses (or Sins) into the mind, knows better:

He proclaims that every Destructive Impulse penalizes the one who admits it, and in so doing, also destructively influences those who merely come into contact with him; therefore, it is to the individual's best benefit to workout his crimes under Nature.

Not because he "must" or because he "should" nor because he is condemned if he does not, but because it is the only way by which he may truly profit in Life.

For it is true:

Where others can avoid the one who harbors a Destructive Impulse of which the outward expression they find repulsive, he who admits it out of habit must bear the yolk and burden — if and until he can deliberately workout his crimes against himself, and thus, lift Nature's Penalty in correspondence from his own Soul.

Only thus may he erect the Gateway to the Greater Life.

Jesus Christ: Martyred Savior of Mankind?

» Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 09:33pm

I want to tell you what Christmas means to me:

The Hope that it is possible to control the Destructive Impulses of our natures, the Faith that it is within our capabilities, and the Charity or True Altruism which is the result, through Cause and Effect.

Is that not the Science back of what the Master came to teach?

Most of us are familiar with the common belief concerning the Master Jesus' birth and life:

We know that the dogmatists claim He was God incarnated into a man for the sole purpose of saving humanity from their sins by being murdered, so that we may escape the misery of Hell after we die and instead gain entry into Heaven.

But, upon the facts of Nature (responsible for all the operation and functions of what we call "reality") is this, and perhaps more importantly, can this be true?

If we investigate it, and in that investigation should we remove the toxic superstitions from this common myth — of which nothing seems to have a greater force in binding the minds of men to the chains of ignorance, that great Antithesis of Knowledge necessary for Happiness — it will be found that we are, in fact, left with the truth; thus, allowing a man to throw off the limitations it creates for himself within his own mind, thereby unfolding new channels of power to him.

However, like a glass of pure water that has even one drop of poison added to it, consequently making the entire glass lethal, so it can be said of but one superstition mixed into any of the Great Truths.

For with the presence of that one superstition, like a single drop of poison added to a glass of water, it alters the "chemistry" and transforms it from a tonic into a toxin.

And a myth in the mind will destroy his "mental" health as surely as a poison in the body will destroy his "physical" health.

Therefore, let us remove the superstitions!

Let us drink pure water, free of toxins!

It is known that three Great Masters made the trip from the Himalayas to be present at Jesus' birth and make their first contact with Him. Through their Knowledge of the operations of Prophecy, they foresaw Him to be born and eventually evolve Himself into a Great Master, with perhaps unmatched faculties of Reason and Intuition, perfectly balanced.

According to the Bible, we see this quite clearly when, as a young boy, He confounded even the most learned scholars of His time.

Then we hear nothing of Him from that time until His return from, assumably, the Himalayas, to begin His Mission and fulfill the Great Commission set for Him by the Wise Men who paid homage at His birth.

It will be found that His commission was, indeed, to "save the world from their sins" — just not in the manner of which the ill-informed have come to believe.

Most of us who have come to the age of mental maturity know that we are all susceptible to the Destructive Impulses, such as Envy, Jealousy, Anger, etc. — which motivate us to trespass against the rights of others.

And we know the axiom of the Master's Message was "The Golden Rule".

But can I or anyone else directly stop you from admitting or expressing any of the Destructive Impulses?

There is no doubt it is possible for someone to coax another into not expressing them, but does anyone else truly have the ability to stop us from reacting destructively from within our own minds, without our cooperative effort?

Upon the facts, it will be found it is impossible. Some form of Personal Initiative and cooperation are necessary.

Did He come to "save us from our sins"?

He had Knowledge, accumulated over thousands of years by the Great Parent School of Knowledge, and backed by over a decade of His own persistent effort and practice in mastering the Destructive Impulses that all us men are ere to, which was exactly what He was Instructed to teach others, when His preparations were complete and the time arrived for His obligatory "Ministry".

If it could be said that giving us a method by which we can master our Destructive Impulses is synonymous with "saving us from our sins", He did come for that purpose.

Did He come to "save us from Hell" that we may "gain entry into Heaven"?

When the Master spoke of Heaven and Hell, He was simply referring to states of mind. With any amount of life experience, where any of the Destructive Emotions have been experienced, I doubt not one of us would vouch that Fear or Jealousy or any of the others are "heavenly" states of mind.

In fact, we know that they create "Hell" in our experience by twisting our stomachs, making us sick, and bringing about anxieties.

Thus, in the sense that He came with the "Good News" or "The Way" to harmonize one's thoughts to coincede with the Constructive Emotions, while eliminating the Destructive Emotions from making a haven for themselves in the mind, and thereby creating the state of mind known as Faith or what He often referred to as "Heaven"...

Yes, He did.

Did he "die for our sins"?

Upon the fact that he was killed because he became a "political" threat — as the Instruction He gave was aimed at freeing the masses' minds from their superstitions and since it will be found that perhaps the only way by which "Leadership by Force" can be so-called successfully accomplished is when those to be led have had their minds doused in superstition.

By teaching the masses how to free their minds, in an indirect sort of manner he did "die for our sins" — or more accurately, since the purpose of His Mission was to teach others to master Sin through the use of Practical Knowledge, as he had already accomplished this feat under the Instruction of those who had gone before, His purpose became an obstacle to those "in power".

Thus, He was murdered for it, through the support of the Envy of the masses, who would rather see a man fail and die than watch Him enjoy what they secretly believed themselves to be missing out on.

It is written:

"Whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Does this mean to "invite Him into our hearts to save our Souls from damnation" — whatever that signifies?

Nay!

It means to believe that what He said, or the Knowledge he was Commissioned to impart, was true to the facts of Nature and that, if applied correctly, would unfold the dormant potentialities of any individual, as it had already done for Him, to the best benefit both here and hereafter.

Thus, upon these grounds:

Be gone you Superstitions!

You seeds of Fear and products of Ignorance!

You servants of Greed and Self-Righteousness!

You bastard childen of Vanity!

Be gone!

Here and Hereafter

» Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 at 04:48am

To the best of my knowledge, the relation of Life, Death, and the "Afterlife" can be likened to attending a party:

Life is the party, sleeping at the end of the night is Death, and the morning after is the Afterlife.

We know that it is our conduct at the party which determines the state we'll find ourselves in the next day and thus our ability to carry on with what needs to be done then.

We know that what we decide to do at the party has much less to do with so-called "good" and "bad" as it has to do with the nature of the operations and processes of our bodies:

If we drink ourselves into a drunken stupor at the party, we know that we will very likely, according to Nature's Laws and Design, be quite hung-over the next morning.

We know it will take time and perhaps effort on our part before we are restored to our "normal" condition, ready to get on with the day... maybe only be noon.

If we drink to mild intoxication and stay up late, we may find ourselves somewhat exhausted or drowsy the next day, which puts a small kink in the beginning of our day.

And if we drink moderately or remain sober at the party, we can arise the next day well rested and fully ready to take on the day at "full capacity" with no complications in relation to having attended the party.

So it can be said of Life, Death, and the Afterlife:

It is known that the Moral Character we have attained when we leave this side of Life, under natural law, determines what state we find ourselves in on the Other Side.

Is it "bad" to drink ourselves drunk?

There is room for debate, I have no doubt, but as far as the purpose of this analogy goes, the effects we bring upon ourselves are simply undesirable, unwelcomed, and cause us "pain and suffering" until we can restore the body's natural state and vitality slowly as the day progresses.

We can speed it up by drinking more water, along with taking other measures.

So it is with how we handle our Destructive Nature's this side of Life:

To the degree to which we allow our fear, anger, revenge, greed, lust and the remainder of the instinctive impulses of our nature to make us their servants this side of Life is the degree to which we penalize ourselves, under Nature, on the Other Side, forcing us to put in the effort and make up the balance then, allowing time to do the rest.

Truly, "Heaven" and "Hell" is of our own making in the exact sense that the morning after the party is of our own making in direct relation to how we conducted ourselves at the party.

They are figurative.

There is no paradise with golden streets, and there is no pit filled with flames.

It seems some Teachers have simply used these images of "Heaven" and "Hell" as pictures to represent and give us an idea of how our conduct here and now affects the state of our Souls hereafter.

The Masters' teachings were not directed at being a "good" person in order to be "rewarded" after Death.

Their instructions were presented so that we may know the Facts, and therefore have the Knowledge to better direct our lives this side of Life in a way that is to our own best benefit.

When we understand Nature demands a balance be paid in full, we are less likely to incur a debt this side of Life.

But if or when we are ignorant?

For if we did not know that drinking ourselves into drunkenness would incur a debt of nutrients and thus debilitate us temporarily the next morning, we may have reconsidered our decision.

No Master ever demanded another live their Life according to His message, founded on The Law, for doing so is perhaps the greatest act of immorality.

Each and every Master simply presented the Facts few of us know this side of Life, that we may weigh the pros and cons and then decide for ourselves — which is why "evangelism", it will be found, under Nature on the Other Side, issues perhaps some of the greater penalties upon the Soul of those who partake in it on this side.

There is a very simple reason for it.

Furthermore, it will be found that, like having a huge hangover after a party does not (generally) create any permanent damage that can't be overcome with time, so it will be found with those aspects of our Destructive Natures we don't master this side of Life.

We are the "captains of our Souls".

The only "judge" is the profits or penalities Nature must, by The Law, issue in relation to our choices — in the same way we know that "every action has an equal and opposite reaction", and in the same way an excess of alcohol in our systems will penalize us.

The Origins of "Christian" Dogma and Superstitions

» Saturday, November 7th, 2009 at 05:03pm

All religion seems to have but one foundation upon which its doctrine is based:

The Great Transition known as Death, that "undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns".

And being that Death is the "great unknown" and perhaps the cornerstone of all fear for it may be observed that it is the singular fear back of most — if not all the remaining fears.

For why do we fear poverty?

Is it not so that living in poverty makes death a greater possibility? For to lose access to shelter and food places death at our doorstep.

Why do we fear ill-health or old age?

Is it not true that it foreshadows death and "brings it within our sight"? To contract a deadly virus or to age within death's jurisdiction forces us to fully confront the end of mortality, as we know it.

Why do we fear loneliness?

Is it not because, through the superstitions of isolation in the Hereafter, we will be abandoned and live out an eternity, chained to brimstone, without company?

Therefore, religion's purpose which, it seems, is common knowledge among the devoutly religious as well as the heathen alike is, in part, to serve as a provider of Hope to mankind that Death is not the end of the securities we know this side of Life.

Yet if the declarations of the religious concerning the Hereafter are formulated on superstitions, due to ignorance of the facts of Nature?

Then what?

Is it not inevitable we will attract all the fears like a pack of wolves?

For the progression into darkness is this:

Ignorance of the facts of the Nature of Death produces superstition; superstition produces fear; and fear paralyzes the Soul.

So where do we turn?

There are many people who believe they know what happens after Death, but only a very select few who actually know.

For what is the difference between knowledge and belief?

Isn't knowledge founded on the proven facts of Nature under the condition of direct personal experience, while belief can be independent of the facts and void of direct personal experience, and furthermore it can be prone to any variety of prejudices and superstitions adopted from others who knew not — even greatly removed from the facts and formulated on nothing more than the vainest, most arrogant intellectualism?

But we who want Hope without doubt, let it be known that there is a method whereby anyone this side of Life can prove to himself what happens after Death.

Amongst many throughout the ages, Jesus made this demonstration for himself, thus earning the title of "Master", and was commissioned — by those whom he refused to name in the midst of his enemies — to give his knowledge to the masses that "they may do all that he had done, and even greater things".

Let it further be known that the fundamental beliefs of what now bares the name of the Master no longer consider the facts upon which His original message was formulated.

Instead, we are left with several fundamental superstitions which, instead of serving to give us the Hope we crave and show us the way of constructive spiritual unfoldment, only serves to cater to our fear of dying — in essence, preventing that growth.

It would appear that the keystone of this great superstition is the so-called "Trinity", where "God" is divided into the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

If we know the facts, it is not only not difficult to see how these delusions were formed into beliefs but it also allows us to open ourselves to hearing the True Message of the Master, with the superstitions no longer making of themselves barriers to seeing The Light.

The Father

The Master often spoke of and prayed to the "Father" or the "Heavenly Father".

But did he ever say the intelligence or being he was referring to and addressing was "God" or "The Creator"?

It is known by those who instructed the Master Jesus during his "absence from modern man's history books" that the "Father" here referred to was not "God" nor an "aspect of God", but one, who I suspect upon the facts of Nature, must have, at one time or another, been a human and also walked this Earth just as we do.

If we take a look at the term "Heavenly Father" by looking at each word separately, we can draw the Truth from it:

It seems that when the Master Jesus or any of the other Masters spoke of "Heaven" or "The Heavens" they were simply referring to the Spiritual Realm we all enter into after the Great Transition when our spiritual body separates from our physical body.

"The Heavens" consist of every other spiritual plane of life, excluding the physical realm we are all familiar with here and now.

Furthermore, it is known that at the highest plane of life sits a "monarch" who governs all the planes of life below it right down to the physical, in the way we see a leader govern a country by delegating the work that needs to be done to those in different provinces or states, or the best analogy most of us can better relate to — a "Father" who governs the household.

This would seem to be the reason the Master spent hours asking to be relieved of the duty the Great Leader had set for him during that period before the Romans seized him.

In this, it is very likely the reason the Master Jesus was often referred to as a "king" or a "prince"; he was just that under the great "spiritual order", governed by "our Father who art in the Heavens".

And it is highly likely that referring to the Great Leader of the Universe as "The Father" was simply the best way for the Roman culture, in their intellectual infancy, to understand it during the days the Message was given by our most recognized martyred Master today.

The Son

We know that the Master often referred to Himself as the "Son of God".

This is a fact — if the Bible is true to what He actually said.

Yet if we should believe Him in stating this, should we not also believe His other statements?

For it is also true that He said we are all "Sons of God".

This, too, is a fact — according to the gospels.

Thus, if the Master was a "Son of God" and He said every man is a "Son of God" (and I have no doubt he would have also said "Daughters of God" or "Children of God" had he not lived during a patriarchy), why would that make Him any more "divine" or different in his essential make-up than you or I...

Or anyone else, for that matter?

It is known that the only difference between us who have not mastered ourselves and a Master is that the Master has achieved a level of Morality high enough for Nature to evolve their spiritual and psychical powers which lie dormant in all the "Sons of God".

The Holy Spirit

The myth of the "Holy Spirit" seems to have several different origins, most of which are drawn from actual facts of Nature. However, these facts have been misinterpreted, misunderstood, or altered to the benefit of other powers.

It would appear the main one is this:

I have had occasion to be present at several religious revival meetings and have witnessed people "speak in tongues".

If you are in any way familiar with these meetings, those present generally attribute this phenomenon to being overtaken by the "Holy Spirit".

The fact that they have been overtaken by a spirit is true. But they are greatly deceived as to the identity of that spirit.

It is known that an individual upon the spiritual side of Life (who was once a physical being like you and me before death) can take possession of another on the physical side of Life, should that person make himself susceptible to let the spiritual person take full command of his faculties and powers.

Revival meetings are arranged in such a way that the natural conditions necessary for this act of Possession to occur are put in place, perhaps in a similar way that the ice has to first be melted before it can be poured into a bottle.

It might be worth noting that it is not uncommon for one who has been possessed during these meetings to enter into a great depression for days afterward, and no longer feel what they perceived and concluded to be "the presence of God".

The reason is simple:

In order for the spirit to take possession, he has to draw off a lot of the subject's magnetic and chemical energies; therefore, after the spirit has released his control over the subject, he is left in a depleted state.

It further may be worth noting that it is during these moments, where Nature's protection has been broken-down, that the person's Soul is vulnerable to the possession of "vicious spirits".

What's interesting is that this act is what religious advocates, when reading the Bible, refer to as "demonic possession" — that subjective act all the Masters have condemned as the most dangerous to the state of a man's Soul for the end result is often insanity for the remainder of physical life.

Thus:

To those of us who seek the Truth for the benefit of our Souls, both Here and Hereafter, that we may one day see The Light, banish these superstitions from the mind, forever!

They are untrue when held to the lens of Nature and will evoke nothing but suffering in every aspect: on this side of Life, in and through Death, and on the other side of Life.

For assuredly:

It is impossible to live without fear in this Life while superstitions exist in the mind.

It is known that if superstitions exist in the mind at the time of Death, under Nature's Law, they evoke a painful transition into the Other Side.

And It is also known that as long as superstitions exist in the mind after Death, the longer it takes to accept, and thus adapt to the new conditions of Life on the Other Side.

The Pursuit of Happiness

» Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 12:55pm

I do not know with absolute certainty yet but it seems to me at this time that:

Morality is the foundation of Happiness, and Love is its structure.

And since a structure's strength is in direct relation to its foundation, it seems that the first step to selecting a mate suited to our individualities — enabling us to raise the house of Happiness — is to achieve Self-Mastery.

Self-Mastery, I know, can only be accomplished through the continuous application of principles that coincide with Nature's Laws until practice has enabled us to bring our instinctive natures under the direct power of our will, rather than being at their mercy.

When this has been accomplished, our Morality rises to the level known as Masculine Power, giving us the necessary foundation to support True Love.

For when we do so, we not only take care of the responsibility Nature obliges us who seek Happiness, but with it comes the decernability in choosing a mate, where the sex relation results in a harmonic.

It is that very harmonic which seems to be the source or cause of Happiness, under Nature's Law.

Musicians and music enthusiasts know that two sounds, when set in vibration at the same time, produce essentially one of two things:

A harmonic or a discord.

Happiness seems to be the result of a man and a woman who each produce "vibrations" that, when present at the same time, create a harmonic in relation to each other instead of a discord.

The most important fact is this:

Knowing the above process shows us the way in the Pursuit of Happiness.

The first is the understanding of Natural Law.

The second step is to gain the knowledge of how to conform to it's constructive operations, which is the basis of the Moral Law.

The third step is to apply the Moral Principles to life until Self-Mastery has been achieved and we receive the benefit, Masculine Power.

And the final step is to wait until the "right" woman shows up and reveals herself.

The reason for this can be found in one simple fact:

The higher a person's morality — due to his heightened awareness — the easier it becomes for him to gauge another person's level of morality in relation to his own, thus the quicker he can determine the compatibility of a woman.

That would seem to be the scientific reason why people of lower morality tend to be more promiscuous.

It's more difficult for them to make distinctions.

Yet at the same time, to those who attempt to reverse-engineer Morality, celibacy is not an indicator of higher morality. In fact, if the secret motive for celibacy is sex suppression, the morality will often be much, much lower than in the promiscuous.

All that said, it seems to me that Happiness is like bread:

Moral Law is the recipe.

Moral Practice is selecting and arranging the appropriate proportions into the batter.

And Self-Mastery and Masculine Power is the resulting dough.

Then Love is the heat action required to change the dough's chemistry so that it comes out of the oven as bread.

But what happens if we don't have the recipe?

Or we got the wrong one?

What happens if we don't measure the ingredients correctly?

Will it be the fault of the heat if it comes out wrong?

Or if the heat is the wrong temperature, will we not of failed to choose the right one because we didn't have the recipe or we got hurried?

So if Nature knows best, how much better is it to invest our time learning Her ways and disciplining ourselves to conform with them before we take the next step... rather than ignoring the facts and haphazardly, through our ignorance of Cause and Effect of The Law, receive the benefits and penalities by fluke?

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