Spiritual Contemplation
Spiritual Christmas - 15 - Seven fundamental principles for your life
Spiritual Christmas - English
05-01 Narrative 15 Chapters 63 et 64 of the Aquarian Gospel: John preached. Jesus is baptised by John in the Jordan
Narrative:
Narrative 15, for the evening of 05 January: John preached. Jesus is baptised by John in the Jordan
Reflection:
Reflection 15, for 05 January: Seven fundamental principles for your life
Narrative:
Narrative 15, for the evening of 05 January: John preached. Jesus is baptised by John in the Jordan
Chapters 63 and 64 of The Aquarian Gospel: John preached. Jesus is baptised by John in the Jordan
And John went down to Jericho; there he abode with Alpheus. And when the people heard that he was there they came in throngs to hear him speak. He spoke to none; but when the time was due he went down to the Jordan ford, and to the multitudes he said. Reform and in the fount of purity wash all your sins away; the kingdom is at hand.
Come unto me and in the waters of this stream be washed, symbolic of the inner cleansing of the soul. And, lo, the multitudes came down, and in the Jordan they were washed, and every man confessed his sins. For many months, in all the regions roundabout, John pled for purity and righteousness, and after many days he went again to Bethany; and there he taught. At first few but the honest seekers came; but, by and by, the selfish and the vicious came with no contrition; came because the many came.
And when John saw the repentant Pharisees and Sadducees come unto him, he said, You children of the vipers, stay; are you disturbed by news of coming wrath? Go to, and do the things that prove repentance genuine. Is it enough for you to say that you are heirs of Abraham? I tell you, no. The heirs of Abraham are just as wicked in the sight of God when they do wrong as any heathen man. Behold the axe! and every tree that bears not wholesome fruit is cut down at the roots and cast into the fire.
And then the people asked, What must we do? And John replied, Accept the ministry of helpfulness for all mankind; spend not upon your selfish selves all that you have. Let him who has two coats give one to him who has no coat; give part of all the food you have to those in need.
And when the publicans came up and asked, What must we do? John answered them, Be honest in your work; do not increase for selfish gain the tribute you collect; take nothing more than what your king demands. And when the soldiers came and asked, What must we do? The harbinger replied, Do violence to none; exact no wrongful thing, and be contented with the wages you receive.
Among the Jews were many who had been waiting for the Christ to come, and they regarded John as Christ. But to their questions John replied, In water I do cleanse, symbolic of the cleansing of the soul; but when he comes who is to come, lo, he will cleanse in Holy Breath and purify in fire.
His fan is in his hand, and he will separate the wheat and chaff; will throw the chaff away, but garner every grain of wheat. This is the Christ. Behold he comes! and he will walk with you, and you will know him not. He is the king; the latchet of his shoes I am not worthy to unloose. And John left Bethany and went again unto the Jordan ford.
– – – –
The news reached Galilee, and Jesus with the multitude went down to where the harbinger was preaching at the ford. When Jesus saw the harbinger he said. Behold the man of God! Behold the greatest of the seers! Behold, Elijah has returned! Behold the messenger whom God has sent to open up the way! The kingdom is at hand.
When John saw Jesus standing with the throng he said, Behold the king who cometh in the name of God! And Jesus said to John, I would be washed in water as a symbol of the cleansing of the soul. And John replied, you do not need to wash, for you are pure in thought, and word, and deed. And if you need to wash I am not worthy to perform the rite.
And Jesus said, I come to be a pattern for the sons of men, and what I bid them do, that I must do; and all men must be washed, symbolic of the cleansing of the soul. This washing we establish as a rite – baptism rite we call it now, and so it shall be called. Your work, prophetic harbinger, is to prepare the way, and to reveal the hidden things. The multitudes are ready for the words of life, and I come to be made known by you to all the world, as prophet of the Triune God, and as the chosen one to manifest the Christ to men.
Then John led Jesus down into the river at the ford and he baptised him in the sacred name of him who sent him forth to manifest the Christ to men. And as they came out of the stream, the Holy Breath, in form of dove, came down and sat on Jesus’ head. A voice from heaven said, This is the well-beloved son of God, the Christ, the love of God made manifest. John heard the voice, and understood the message of the voice.
Now Jesus went his way, and John preached to the multitude. As many as confessed their sins, and turned from evil ways to ways of right, the harbinger baptised, symbolic of the blotting out of sins by righteousness.
Reflection:
Reflection 15, for 05 January: Seven fundamental principles for your life
Seven fundamental principles for your life
As humanity, we stand at the beginning of a new era with great possibilities that will last more than 2100 years: the Age of Aquarius. At the present time, the deeper spiritual aspects of the great lessons that Jesus gave to the world can be understood and realized by millions of people, because the possibilities of arriving at a heightened state of spiritual consciousness have never been greater than now.
On our journey through life, we may depend upon our deepest inner self and the Wisdom that is made available to humanity. If we want to go a spiritual path, more is needed however: the deed, the intelligent act in accordance with the inner knowledge and the insights gained.
That’s what matters. Because the human intellect is far from complete, it serves a great purpose! And faith will never mean adhering to a system, but rather using the opportunity to convert the power in the heart into a conscious deed. Heart, head and hands: every conscious action – be it an internal or an external act – that comes from inner knowing, is a testimony.
If you want to determine a course for your life from a gnostic spiritual starting point, it is meaningful to know where you came from, where you are now and in which direction you might go. The seven sages define seven fundamental principles (seven postulates) that reflect the inner spiritual journey of the Aquarian age.
The seven fundamental principles or axioms are based on the idea formulated by Lao Zi as “He who knows the beginning of the Original has the thread of Tao in his hands.” These principles are abstract but will be understood by more and more people as human thought becomes less and less determined by what is perceived with the senses.
In chapter 60 of The Aquarian Gospel Jesus says:
The history of life is well condensed in these immortal postulates. These are the seven hills on which the holy city shall be built. These are the seven sure foundation stones on which the Universal Church shall stand.
Man is not far enough advanced in sacred thought to comprehend the Universal Church, and so the work that God has given me to do is not the building of that Church. I am a model maker, sent to make a pattern of the Church that is to be – a pattern that the age may comprehend. And when the better age shall come the Universal Church will stand upon the seven postulates, and will be built according to the pattern given.
It can be deduced from the Introduction to The Aquarian Gospel that in this passage Jesus refers to the Piscean era as ‘the age’, and the Age of Aquarius as ‘the better age’. Here an ‘age’ is one 12th part of a solar cycle of around 26,000 years. Each solar year goes through 12 different periods that are influenced astronomically by a sign from the well-known zodiac. The solar year is the result of the cone-shaped spinning motion of the earth’s axis.
When we clearly and concisely formulate the ideas on which the seven fundamental principles of The Aquarian Gospel are based and we link these with what we have discussed so far in the reflections in Spiritual Christmas, their sequence and relationship become clear.
The first principle: Creation begins with thinking. The unknowable God also creates by thinking.
The second principle: There is a grandiose divine plan of creation that evolves according to certain laws. Man is also a part of this and is called to collaborate in the realization of this plan of creation. Man was originally a purely spiritual being.
The third principle: Due to his strong desires, the original spiritual man descended into the realm of matter, causing all forms of life to become disharmonious, and the living exchange between man and the higher divine realm to disappear.
The fourth principle: This ‘descended spiritual man’ degenerated and was connected to a physical body and an earthy personality that developed almost automatically to a more or less perfect form. He grows as a plant grows, reaching a limit whereupon it becomes possible to ascend to spiritual life. The personality, based on inner desire, begins to make preparations for spiritual awakening and renewal. John is born, grows up and starts to prepare the way.
The fifth principle: The New Soul (Jesus) is born and grows in the physical human being based on will and faith, neighbourly love and universal love. Man can once again connect with the spirit through this new soul. Spirit is not the mind but is ‘holy breath’, the healing power.
The sixth principle: The new soul grows and becomes more powerful. The inner light dispels the vices of the personality. The entire human system is now a prepared temple in which the cosmic power of Christ will live.
The seventh principle: The power of Christ transforms all the essences of the human soul into ‘Holy Breath’. Through this inner alchemical process, through this transfiguration, the human being can return to the high divine realm from which he originated. Personality, soul and spirit once more form an effective and harmonious trinity. The return journey to our native spiritual land is complete.
According to the Chinese sage Meng-ste, it was necessary for these basic principles to be formulated. The vestures of the ancestors, he says, were threadbare, and humanity was longing for more light because a higher means of thinking had been reached.
What is meant by ‘vestures’ is: all the outward forms in which the divine wisdom is expressed. Sacred scriptures and rituals are like garments: they express something of the divine wisdom, but they are not gnosis itself.
The seven basic principles reveal a cosmic image that is almost impossible for the human mind to imagine. They describe the great development plan for creation wherein the well known hermetic law always applies: “as above, so below” and: “as in the greater, so in the lesser.”
These abstract principles therefore contain universal and useful guidelines for the human being who wants to be a ‘disciple of the soul.’ The guidelines for the daily life of the human being who wants to develop him/herself in the highest spiritual sense are based on Love and derived from the seven fundamental principles of The Aquarian Gospel. They appeal to heart, head and hands, and they read:
1. Purify your thoughts by focusing on the highest within you, because thinking is a creative activity. Each creator is bound to his creature.
2. Add your harmony to the seven creative, driving forces emanating from the One. They have shaped the human being and help to build the kingdom of the soul within us. Do not point your lamp at the seductive powers of this world.
3. Pay attention to your desires. They often pull the soul downward into the world of the senses in which the soul then becomes entangled.
4. Acknowledge your great task as a personality, because you are the soil wherein the seed of the true man shall germinate and grow as the plant grows.
5. Rely on your inner knowing and follow it, because faith is a force that liberates the all-conquering Love of the soul. The soul is being drawn toward the absolute light by four steeds: will and faith, neighbourly love and universal love.
6. Allow the process of renewal to complete itself within you by going your inner path, for then all the things of the senses will be transformed into soul attributes. It is in unity, liberty and love that the soul builds the Empire of the Soul, the Universal Church, which was not made by human hands.
7. The holy, healing breath can then spread itself in the soul and transform the human being into the spiritual being that he originally was.
Accept these seven touchstones as they are the seven steps through which the Christ can descend into the soul. The mysteries of Love are found in the tomb of your heart. Christ, the universal love, lives there where your passions also reside.
These seven principles are the vestures of the universal gnosis by which the great cosmic processes can take place within you. And they invite you to follow them, through inner understanding.