The Problem of Religions
A beautiful green laurel wreath radiates livingness upon the head of a glorious and dynamic being… the face is shining, joyous and alive… and although ethereal, it is also very Real and as vivid as the vibrant aliveness of the eternally evergreen wreath which halos it.
What does this symbol so eloquently state?
It refutes anything other than joy, truth and beauty and it confirms the victory over illusion and suffering that have haunted humanity for eons… for too long; indeed It eloquently describes Victory… Victory over death… the living wreath of victory replacing the suffering and death which once was represented by the dead crown of thorns with its images of punishment, sorrow and torture, an image which has suffused hearts and minds throughout Christendom for the past 2000 years… an image which many have believed to offer salvation and redemption created by a man made authority, The Church and its imposed power over the multitudes, a power which has been implemented through fear, a fear which crushes Love and bows down to an authoritarianism which has taken The Lords name in vain. This name otherwise known as Love, condemned to allow its dual opposite hate pour forth into the world, wreaking havoc on an Earth which is now slowly awakening, the halo radiating from a world transforming through the wisdom born of suffering, the ultimate knowledge that suffering is the separation from love.
This tragedy, among many, is that this blasphemy has been perpetrated in the name of God and His representatives on Earth, and it is interesting that the implement of suffering has been symbolized as a crown of thorns upon the head, the head representing knowledge and wisdom over ignorance. How apt that the heart was not pierced with a sword, for ultimately love cannot be destroyed, but ignorance can stop man from gaining his true inheritance of joy and unity which has nothing to do with the materialistic, this being merely the tool for experience to enrich the soul’s journey toward its true home. The material or finite can be destroyed, but the truth of what we are when all else is stripped away, Love, is infinite. Man must overcome ignorance, the ignorance which has allowed evil to reign free on Earth for millennia. The result all too obviously has been the blatant materialism that we now may equate with, quote: ‘churchianity , dogmas and doctrines, sectarianism and conflict, ritual, pomp and ceremony, exoteric emphasis, authority and theology.’
Nevertheless there has been much truth within the nucleus of Christianity and all the major religions taught over our past history; if we could have discerned the truth within the outer crust, may we call it ‘the heart of the matter’, literally, may we also have avoided the deep suffering and ignorance that has led to the present time, a time of rampant materialism born of ignorance? True Christian teaching is, or at least should be about Love, and there are many beautiful quotes on this redeeming quality throughout the Bible, including from the man Jesus Christ whose very mission on Earth was to teach Love, Love for one another and all living things… the new dispensation of the New Testament, was this not His overarching message? Is this not the energy of the soul? Is this not another word for true unity and the connection of souls creating the Oneness of all living things? the Oneness which creates unity and joy?
To the more advanced humanity at this time in history do any of the teachings in the sacred books really hold sway? Do the parables and teachings really matter to an ear that cannot hear, to an eye that cannot see? Surely Love, forgiveness, compassion, unity and wisdom are all that really count at the end of the day, and all of these things are recounted in the sacred books, these qualities cannot be denied, these sacred and sometimes ancient texts always have much to teach an awakened humanity. It is the adulteration by certain individuals within the race of man that has ignored these precious teachings, so simple as to be missed, that has led man away from entree into the kingdom of heaven… which of course is within, as it is said… ‘the kingdom of heaven is within…’ this kingdom is love combined with knowledge which negates ignorance, symbolized by the golden orb crowned by the equal sided cross…equating to mastery over the earth, through the mind, in other words the sovereignty of mind over matter, the matter with which humanity has come to identify, along with its fear and ignorance, causing selfishness, greed and evil.
We are now at a serious turning point in the history of mankind and in the turning of the wheel in the heavens, as we move away from the old Piscean energy and 6th Ray of idealism and devotion often leading to fanaticism (as witnessed over the last 2000 years), we transit into the coming new era, or age, of the Aquarian and the seventh ray of creating order out of chaos, of ritual and white magic, we are faced with both the positive and the negative of this new opportunity for growth, harmony and unity.
Because men and women everywhere have become so disillusioned with orthodox religion over the last centuries, we are in danger of throwing away eternal truths which if adhered to would aid immensely in restoring the plan on Earth; namely Love for one another; if we can take the beautiful and the positive from the teachings over the last millenniums and add to it the growing intelligence of mankind may we be will on the way to this restoration.
I believe that the main ingredient lacking in our world today is spirituality, a spirituality that might restore hope and co-operation as well as depth and truth through the understanding of esoteric concepts such as the connection of all living things, a connection provable through the etheric and the fact of the soul, the teaching of brotherhood, of the basics such as karma and reincarnation and the importance of service to that One organism of which we are all an integral part creating one whole.
Although we have become a very materialistic and hedonistic society without any thought for anything other than appearances, I believe that within its heart and the depths of its soul, humanity is beginning to cry out, indeed thirsting for something other than the material which can only satisfy momentarily. People everywhere are tired of an authority which appears to be driving Earth and its inhabitants to the very brink of disaster, an authority that a credulous society has followed, voted for and believed in… until now. Is it finally dawning that Love does not rule this world? In fact surely it is its opposite that has been in control throughout history.
Surely as we evolve and begin to question, mankind will cry out to know what is hidden beneath the external world of appearances, if the material world is finite, it must have an opposite, infinite , when will dawn break on the human mind? The new religion will teach of this infinity, of the law of consequences, and of service, and the beauty of eternity, from which there is no escape, the state of heaven being a consciousness, not a place; a state which is experienced when we find that Love is within each of us .
Religion can no longer expect an intelligent humanity to have blind faith; It can no longer preach that God is an unattainable energy for anyone other than the priest caste, but rather that God is imminent, that the kingdom of Love and truth and joy lies within each individual. Religion can no longer say ‘ Look to us, we are a hierarchy with our own separate state, with vast amounts of property and stone edifices , conducting pomp and ceremony, with assumed power over the individual.’ Can you not see that we have been an institution which has perpetuated evil and separation on the Earth?’
The new religion or spirituality will promote and teach unity, and empower each individual with the knowledge that each has the capability to discover the depths that lie within their own heart, mind and soul. The time for institutions is now over, a new form of spirituality must grow organically, from the grassroots upward, is it not said that ‘the meek shall inherit the Earth’? It is not about material wealth, it is about the wealth within, this must be the new dispensation, and it will involve esoteric proof, through the experience that this is so.
If there is to be a new religion it must appeal to mankind’s growing intelligence and supply true knowledge of the esoteric constitution of man, the soul and the Oneness of all souls in all of creation and the fact that the many are in reality One. No longer fear based and incredibly the fear of God, fear of our own constitution, including the sacredness of sexuality, but rather teachings that include first and foremost ‘Man Know Thyself’ and “To Thine own Self be True.’
The time is coming for the growing maturity of man to be acknowledged and treated accordingly, but man must take these steps himself, demanding a new church of love, a body of Christ which stands with stability and truth in service to All, to One, and finally implements the all encompassing teachings of Love.
… and what if?
… and what if we now begin to come alive, truly alive like the ever fresh and living Laurel wreath? As alive as the Risen Christ Whom it crowns… not as a boast… not as a ‘worship Me’… but rather as a statement that there is no death… and shall we share in this inheritance, not only spiritual but also this abundance that we call Earth, an abundance which may only be grasped by an innocent yet wise humanity observing a garden of Eden, available to all, a civilization that honors and loves their earthly home which provides all its needs, an Eden allowed to thrive in a love that does not pillage and ravage, a love which gives and gives through selflessness and a knowledge of its connection to all living things.
( quote:) ‘you too will do as I do, and more will you do.’
The way forward?