Thomas said:
Not quite - He is the incarnate Son - we are children by adoption - there is a difference. We are not the Trinity.
As an
esotericist, and esoteric Christian, this is not quite what I believe. In fact,
we are the Trinity! This could be approached from
dozens of angles, but in simplest terms, I maintain (on
no less than Scriptural Authority!) that in our
highest Essence (sic), we
are literally a Spark of the Divine Logos. This means that our Identity is not different or other than
God the Father, 1st Aspect.
True, we do not yet recognize this in our daily awareness,
nor fully - even in a state of Bliss - until we are Transfigured. Until then, we are St. Paul's
carnal, or
Babes in Christ. And as the Apostle put it, who
was himself one so Transfigured (described Biblically as his "conversion"):
I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. (I Cor 3:1-2)
Notice the parallel:I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. (Matthew 3:11)
For starters, we can investigate A Treatise on Cosmic Fire (being the psychological key to The Secret Doctrine). This 1000+ page volume deals extensively with the esoteric significance of the familiar truism of Deuteronomy 4:24.
And the Mystery of Identity, we are told, is
not finally revealed until the Fifth Initiation, which neither St. Paul
nor Jesus of Nazareth had attained in their respective lifetimes (!). Yet we
presume to say that we have the authority,
or even that the Church does, to interpret Christ's most intimate Teachings? Hmmm ...
The
Spark, or 1st Aspect, clothes itself in spiritual substance,
this - as a
principle - constituting the
2nd Aspect, St. Paul's
"Christ within," which
is not other than Christ the World Teacher ... save that the latter represents the
natural outcome of
Ephesians 4:13, rather than our current status as the
carnal, or
Babes in Christ.
How does the Christ within
unfold, grow, develop, mature, or
progress upon the Spiritual Path? It is the
same for you, as for me, as for Joe Blow, as for
Mary, Joseph and
Jesus: By virtue of
incarnating into the material world,
"falling" into Generation, which is involvement with the
3rd Aspect of Logos (Active Intelligence,
Holy Spirit indeed, the Creative Forces or
Demi-Urgos).
MAN,
like God,
is the Trinity.
For in the likeness of God were we fashioned ... and I don't think it was one of those
circus mirrors She was looking into when
Sophia Achamoth fashioned us.
Thomas said:
Andrew - that is such an arrogant and transparently anti-Catholic comment! Shame on you!
Presumptuous, I will grant you ... but anti-Catholic? I deny it! Remember that as an esotericist, I believe in a distinction between Christ, the
Bodhisattva or
World Teacher, and
Jesus of Nazareth, now a Master of the Wisdom (or technically, a
Lord of Compassion - and a
Chohan, or
`Dharma Lord' at that). I also have the
same Faith in the authority of Revealed Teaching as you do; I simply cast my net wider, and include Revelation of the past 150 years. Contest them if you like, but consider these words of the Tibetan Master:
The Master Jesus, Who is the focal point of the energy that flows through the various Christian churches, is at present living in a Syrian body, and dwells in a certain part of the Holy Land.
His pupils are frequently distinguished by that fanaticism and devotion which manifested in earlier Christian times amongst the martyrs. He Himself is rather a martial figure, a disciplinarian, and a man of iron rule and will.
He has stayed and worked with the Christian Church, fostering the germ of true spiritual life which is to be found amongst members of all sects and divisions, and neutralizing as far as possible the mistakes and errors of the churchmen and the theologians. He is distinctively the Great Leader, the General, and the wise Executive, and
in Church matters He co-operates closely with the Christ, thus saving Him much and acting as His intermediary wherever possible. No one so wisely knows as He the problems of the West, no one is so closely in touch with the people who stand for all that is best in Christian teachings, and no one is so well aware of the need of the present moment.
Certain great prelates of the Anglican and Catholic Churches are wise agents of His.- Initiation, Human and Solar, pp. 56-57
It is the
last sentence which I wanted to highlight, though several others are relevant. I maintain this indication of the Tibetan's, and I might add to these words with a few from
Master Jesus:
And some of these ministers in name, walk with great pride and an air of self-righteousness, deeming themselves to possess the only key to Truth, even though I taught my disciples to practice humility, saying,
blessed are the humble in spirit; since only the humble of mind and spirit are receptive to enlightenment.
Alas, that they should shut the door to Knowledge by reason of their watertight convictions, and shut their ears to my voice which fain would whisper to them a little more of Truth ... But who listens to gentle voices who deemeth to know all himself?
And wherefore, my son, do my proclaimers of glad tidings clothe themselves in garments of mourning? Rather would I wish to see them clad in less sombre apparel.
Yet there are others who dress in scarlet and fine linen as a mark of their spiritual status; and this, even though by my example I desired to teach unostentation.
But think not that I deprecate all grandeur and pomp and ceremony when employed for righteous ends and in the right spirit, for they have their place in the Divine Purpose. Gloom and gloominess do I deprecate, and the assumption on the part of some of my misguided followers that colour and beauty are unrighteous and ungodly and pertaining to "the Devil."
Is it not written in my Gospels:
The Kingdom of God is within you - yet think these gloomy ones that the kingdom of God is misery and ugliness instead of Joy?
Although my words were unequivocal, too little have my ministers proclaimed the joyful immanence of God, so that knowing it man should realize his inherent divinity.
Verily, right thought giveth life and health, and giveth it more abundantly, and
the immanence of God is a right thought. But too much have my ministers chosen to stress only His transcendence, thus believeing themselves to be His intermediaries.
As leaders of prayer and performers of uplifting ceremonies, and as ministers to the sick and sorrowing do I bless my priests.
- The Vision of the Nazarene, penned by Cyril Scott (only the bold is mine)
Nuff said.
Thomas said:
Your agenda is showing its petticoats, old friend!!!
Mine is Truth. Yours is the Church. You make that
clear. That you
believe the Church to be in
possession of Truth, I recognize. That there is
Greater Truth, even within
every human Heart, I also recognize. True, it is
in potential, not yet realized ... again,
vide the writings of St. Paul. But see also, since these words are relevant, the Teaching of the Lord of Lords Himself,
just 75 years (1932) in the utterance:Henceforth I come not solely through groups with recognized officials, through organizations rendering me what is often no more than lip-service in their assumptions of Brotherhood; I come to each and all who love me, no matter of what race, class or creed. The greatness of their need of me, the strength of their desire to see me, shall be the measure of their power to see me. The peasant in the Swiss mountains; the scientist in his laboratory; the artist dreaming of his creation; the mystic and the psychologist; the spiritualist and the musician--to these and many others I come if their intuition, their inner vision be true enough to recognize me, if there be in their hearts That which responds to the Love which eternally flows forth to them from mine.
...
Therefore by this Power which I hold, this Power of Almighty Love, seek I to draw the hearts of men into unity with that Good, that Happiness, which is for all men the goal, no matter what name they ascribe to it, no matter under what guise and seeming it appears to them. The ways of search be manifold, but on each of these I am ready to meet my own.
And through these my own will I speak, will I walk amongst men when the hour strikes; not confined to one recognized medium or vehicle, but where-ever the light of aspiration is kindled within a heart, there is my medium, there my vehicle.
- Through the Eyes of the Masters: Meditations and Portraits, by David Anrias
Thomas said:
You have often presented me with the authority of your own sources - many of whom are entirely subjective - and I/we are expected to accept them on your authority. I have never made any such claim, I always defer to the authority of the Church, Scripture and Tradition, because I know that even in absolute certainty, I am still fallible.
Perhaps it is good to remind you of the words of
another of this world's
Saviors:
THE LORD BUDDHA HAS SAID
that we must not believe in a thing said merely because it is said; nor traditions because they have been handed down from antiquity; nor rumors, as such; nor writings by sages, because sages wrote them: nor fancies that we may suspect to have been inspired in us by a Deva (that is, in presumed spiritual inspiration); nor from inferences drawn from some haphazard assumption we may have made; nor because of what seems an analogical necessity; nor on the mere authority of our teachers or masters. But we are to believe when the writing, doctrine, or saying is corroborated by our own reason and consciousness. "For this," says he in concluding, "I taught you not to believe merely because you have heard, but when you believed of your consciousness, then to act accordingly and abundantly."
And help us ... to do our part.
Namaskara,
taijasa
