Sun of Life, Sun of Righteousness, Always Shining Sun

The Fountain of Light

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“For the spring of the great anguish. Which was in the beginning before the Light, in the tart Harshness, from which the bitter sting or prickle is generated, that is now in the sweet fountain of the Love in the Light changed from the water-spirit, and from bitterness or stinging is now become the fountain or spring of the Joy in the Light. Thus now henceforth the fire-flash is the Father of the Light, and the light shines in Him, and is now the only cause of the moving Birth, and of the Birth of Love. That which in the beginning was the Raking Source, is now S. U. L., or the oil of the lovely pleasant Fountain, which presses through all the fountains, so that from hence the Light is kindled.” Jacob Boehme

Did people really talk like that in the fifteenth century? This is more than a little convoluted, yet I think it is a good quote to discuss.

In general, Boehme is saying that there is a great Fountain of Light and that fountain kindles the spiritual fires within us.

It may be confusing when he talks about a time when that Light didn’t exist since we know that God’s eternal spiritual Light has existed forever. I believe that what he is saying is that when the material universe was first created out of the spiritual realms by the beings we call the Demiurge, the material world was devoid of that spiritual light. I doubt that he is completely correct in that. I believe that Light was still in the worlds of matter, just very dim. Continue reading “The Fountain of Light” →

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healing music, Sacred music, Heavenly Harmony

The Spiritual Student is Like a Harp String

Posted on by Harold Boulette

Each spiritual adept or mystic is like a string on a harp. Individually, each makes a pleasant sound, but it is only when played together that truly beautiful music is made. This is true for the spiritual teachers as well as the students. One sign that your spiritual teacher is probably a fraud is that he insists you listen only to him and ignore all other teachers. Likewise, it is not a good sign if the ministers at your church insist that you never read the holy books of other faiths. Some will even tell you that you should not read other variations of the same holy book, only their accepted version is the true one.

A legitimate spiritual teacher, guru, or minister will actually encourage her students to be well read, and not just the books of that school or church. They will encourage interfaith studies and reading the writings of other teachers, sometimes including the obvious frauds just to get you to see how they trick people (usually, by appealing to emotions and by telling you what you want to hear instead of what is true). Naturally, they will mostly want you to read those books that back up what they teach, but they would never tell you to read only those books. They may even encourage you to listen to videos from other schools. If they don’t, if they force you to wear blinders and listen only to them, this is probably a school you should leave. Continue reading “The Spiritual Student is Like a Harp String” →

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Self-Knowledge is Necessary for True Spiritual Knowledge

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“This climb up the mountain of self-knowledge, said the Victorine , is the necessary prelude to all illumination. … It is a lonely and an arduous excursion, a sufficient test of courage and sincerity: for most men prefer to dwell in comfortable ignorance upon the lower slopes, and there to make of their most obvious characteristics a drapery which shall veil the naked truth. True and complete self-knowledge, indeed, is the privilege of the strongest alone. Few can bear to contemplate themselves face to face; for the vision is strange and terrible, and brings awe and contrition in its wake. The life of the seer is changed by it forever. He … is forced to take up a new attitude towards himself and all other things.” ~Evelyn Underhill

All spiritual and mystical schools teach the importance of self-knowledge. It should be obvious that if you don’t know yourself, how can you truly know others? Underhill correctly informs us that most are content to not climb that mountain, to stay in the muddy valley of self-deception and illusion, draped, as she puts it, with the obvious that veils the truth. Whatever does she mean by that? She means that if you think of an apple as a red fruit, nothing more, what you believe may be true, but it is only the thinnest outer layer of the truth. To really know an apple, you need to know what it tastes like, what vitamins and other nutrients are in it, where do they grow, and so on. Even when you know the material apple inside and out, you have still just scratched the surface because you still don’t know the spiritual apple, or how the apple was created.

What is both funny and sad is that the people who hide the most behind the veils of society often like to brag about how well they know themselves, how they know their own mind, and so on. They can tell you that they like to do something, let’s say swimming, but if you ask why, they probably have no answer. Most people rarely delve into their motivations for what they do, what they say, or what they wear. Continue reading “Self-Knowledge is Necessary for True Spiritual Knowledge” →

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Random Thoughts 8-23-2015

Posted on by Harold Boulette

I’m not a fan of Donald Trump or Jeb Bush, but I really don’t get the fuss of their use of the expression “anchor babies”. They didn’t invent the term, but it is a common one so until someone can offer a better one, they don’t have much choice.

 

It’s curious how Republicans who consider the constitution holy writ, never to be questioned or violated, are the ones who most often suggest changing it. First, they wanted to add an amendment a few years ago to make same-sex marriage illegal in all states (they failed on that one, fortunately) now we have at least one candidate who wants to rewrite the fourteenth amendment and millions who are agreeing with him. I guess it’s only holy writ if you agree with it.

 

Why is it the media can’t shut up about a black teenager getting shot by a police officer for months after it happens, but few even bothered to mention this week that a two-year-old child picked up his father’s loaded gun and shot dad dead? I guess none of the media is willing to take on the NRA. And this isn’t the first one. Dozens of similar incidents happen each year and are almost always ignored by the national media. Continue reading “Random Thoughts 8-23-2015” →

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