Paths, spiritual

This Important Collection Goes to the Spiritual Heart of Anthroposophy, the Essence of Which Is the Rosicrucian Path... 

Spiegelman, J. Marvin. The divine WABA (Within, Among, Beyond, and Around) a Jungian exploration of spiritual paths. Berwick (ME) York Beach (ME) Nicolas-Hays Distributed by Red Wheel/Weiser, 2003. xviii, 270 p. ISBN 0-89254-077-X... 

Yet the resurrection of alchemical tropes at the birth of modern atomic science demands a third version of the story. Weart notes that the word transmutation offered a clue that could help explain almost every strange image that would later appear in nuclear energy tales (6). In order to understand fully the relationships between alchemical transmutation and the science of radioactivity, I take a path that branches off from both the traditional history of scientific discovery and the image history that Weart provides. In Modem Alchemy, I reconstruct the history of how scientific knowledge was produced and how it was elaborated in a broader cultural and spiritual context. That is, I look at science, its public elaboration, and its spiritual4 dimensions as mutually interacting realms, and tell a story of how science and occultism were entwined. 

In this book, our method will be that of the indirect path, using potent associative symbols from the collective unconscious, that will lead our awareness into direct apprehension of the Uncreate Realities that these symbols represent, so that we can look with the Eye of Time into the Eye of Eternity. For it is vital to realize that symbols, of themselves, are empty forms, cups awaiting the wine. They are the signposts that indicate the direction of our journey, but not the journey itself. A symbol becomes connected to the spiritual force it represents through study and meditation. Part of the purpose in the teaching sections of this book... 

When, in the preliminary exercises preceding the actual practice, practitioners build up the Tree of Life in their aura, the paths are formulated as a consequence, since they are subjective reactions to the objective power of the Sephiroth. The Fountain Breath exercise then unifies the influences of all the Paths and the Sephiroth. This happens because there is only One Power that flows through all the paths and manifests in a ten-fold aspect as the Sephiroth, the outpouring of the Most Holy One that is Mezla, grace, by which the worlds are nourished and sustained. For grace is not some abstract poetic metaphor, but an actual etheric, astral, and spiritual substance. Alchemy names it the water that burns and the fire that flows. It is the First Matter. 

True progress, from the esoteric viewpoint, consists of the alignment of the lower, personal consciousness with the higher, spiritual consciousness, to create an efficient tool whereby the will of the Eternal may be fulfilled in Earth, even as it is in the heavens above. This, of course, is the true reason for the knowledge and training imparted by the rulers of the Mysteries—the Lords of Compassion—and is the only truly acceptable reason for any esoteric work. This is the true line of advancement, the Path that leads to the fulfillment of the Great Work, for in His will is our perfect peace. All other lines of progress, all other lines of interest, ire but partial aspects of this Path of Return, which is open to all humanity. 

And even before their ultimate ascension, his true disciples had the capacity to rid themselves of the taint of original sin and reach toward spiritual perfection and eternal life. But to attain such moral purity, they must be prepared to overcome terrible ordeals that would be strewn in their path. Only seventy-two Masons could achieve the first grade, forty-eight the second, and so on up to the final grade, where a dozen immortals would eventually reign forever as spiritual rulers of the world. Masons must realize, however, that the devils necromancers were constantly at work to divert them from this true path with temptations—earthly greed and cupidity. As a rule of thumb, they should trust spirits whose names ended in er, and shun those whose names ended in el. ... 

Given the fact that chemical substances can make you depressed (through the influence these substances exert on the brain), the consistent avoidance of chemical substances is a big step forward on the path to happiness It s easier to feel contented in a healthy body. Allow yourself to be inspired by good spiritual books on this subject and, for example, seek out TV programs or movies that portray people who, despite... 

Alchemy is more than just something you do in a laboratory. It is a spiritual path leading one to enlightenment—to evolving. It can be thought of as a psycho-physiological transformation directed by human self-consciousness. 

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