authors of evil

Authors of Evil and Defeating Them

Posted on by Harold Boulette

Authors of Evil

“The greatest authors and instigators of evil are ignorance, self-love and tyranny. Each depends on the other two and is supported by them: from ignorance of God comes self-love, and from self-love comes tyranny over one’s own kind. The devil establishes these in us when we misuse our pwn powers, namely our intelligence, our desire and our incentive power.

“By intelligence we should be stimulated to overcome our ignorance and to seek the one and only God by means of spiritual knowledge; through desire – through a passion of self-love which has been purified – we should be drawn in longing to the one God; and with an incentive power divorced from all tyrannical propensity we should struggle to attain God alone. From these three powers of the Soul we should actualize that divine and blessed love on account of which they exist, that love which joins the devout man to God and reveals him to be a god. …

“We should care for ourselves and each other in the way that Christ Himself, who patiently suffered fro us, has already shown us in His own person.

“For the sake of love all the saints resisted sin, not showing any regard for the present life: and they endured many forms of death, in order to be separated from the world and united with themselves and God, joining together in themselves the broken fragments of human nature.” ~The Philokalia

Ignorance

While it may be true that ignorance, self-love (more on this later), and tyranny are the greatest authors of evil, I think we can safely say that the greatest of these is ignorance, specifically ignorance of God and Spiritual Truth. This is because only one who is ignorant of truth can have the other two traits. So if we want to develop our spiritual self, we need to concentrate on ending our ignorance. The rest will follow automatically.

Ignorance of God doesn’t just mean that someone doesn’t believe in God. It also applies to the many millions who have no first-hand knowledge of God, but rely on the written or spoken word of others to inform them of God. Such written or spoken descriptions are never accurate because God is so much more than human language is capable of expressing. We must know God from personal experience by reaching to the higher levels of being and consciousness where God and the Angels are found.

Self-Love

This is a tricky one. We absolutely do need to love ourselves, but only in a certain way. It can’t be in an arrogant, narcissistic way. It can’t be in a way that we put ourselves above others. Rather we must love ourselves as equal to others, not better. I really believe that one reason many people today can’t believe in God is that their narcissism won’t allow them to accept that another being is superior. In truth, you can’t really love others if you have no love for yourself. Having proper self-love doesn’t mean that you accept everything you do and don’t want to change a thing. You can love yourself and still desire to grow and change. So as far as authors of evil go, self-love is not always one of them.

Tyranny

Tyranny is definitely an author of evil. If you have tyranny in you, you cannot love all beings as God requires. You also must still be in ignorance of God to some degree, or your tyrannical ways would end.

Note that practicing tyranny “over one’s own kind” isn’t limited to tyrannical government leaders. It can be a business manager, a school teacher, or even a parent lording over their children. It isn’t the position, but the behavior that determines a tyrant. But a tyrant who wants to can reform. A tyrant who wants to awaken and develop their spiritual Self MUST reform.

The way to do that is the same for most forms of bad behavior. Before you go to sleep at night, review your day mentally. Were you mean to others? Were you too easy to anger? Did you rule over others with tyranny? If the answer to these, and similar questions is “Yes,” you need to think about how you can do better the next time, and vow to make the effort to do so. It also helps to awaken your spiritual faculties so you will know and love God, and all that He created. You cannot be a tyrant with those you love.

Spiritual Development

The way to defeat all the authors of evil, even ones that were not mentioned in this passage from The Philokalia, is to awaken and develop your spiritual Self. You do that by using the Light of the Spiritual Sun and practicing Spiritual Sun-Gazing. This is not the same as physical sun-gazing, I. e., gazing at the physical sun, though we have to do that as a starting point. Proper sun gazing doesn’t mean staring at the sun. Not only is that concentrating too much on the physical, it can cause serious harm to your eyes. It has to be done in a subtle way that is taught in real spiritual schools such as the school of Cosolargy. When done properly, sun gazing will gradually shift from the physical sun to the Spiritual Sun and a true awakening of the soul will happen. That is the way to defeat the authors of evil.

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spiritual wealth

Spiritual Wealth Should be Shared

Posted on by Harold Boulette

Share Spiritual Wealth

“If there is a rich man, and he makes a costly repast, he spreads out of his wealth and the treasure that he has, and is under no fear that he will run short of anything. … The poor man, who has no such wealth, if he wishes to provide a repast for a few friends, has to borrow the very dishes, the drapery, and everything else. … When it is over, he gives back to each person that which he borrowed. … He himself remains poor and naked. …

“In the same way, when those who are rich in the Holy Ghost, really having the heavenly wealth and the fellowship of the Spirit in themselves, speak to any words of truth, when they impart spiritual discourses to any souls, it is out of their own wealth and out of their own treasure; …. and they have no fear that they should run short. … But one who is poor [in spiritual wisdom], and does not possess of the wealth of Christ, and has no spiritual wealth in his soul,… even if he wishes to speak a word of truth, … yet not possessing it in himself, but only repeating from memory, and borrowing from various parts of the Bible, or what he has heard from spiritual people, … he himself remains naked and poor, having no treasure of the Spirit for his own, upon which he draws.” ~St. Macarius the Egyptian

Having Spiritual Wealth

The main point that St. Macarius is making is that before we can share spiritual “Wealth” or spiritual knowledge with others, we must have it in ourselves. He further says that it should not be second-hand spiritual wealth, which is to say, sharing the knowledge of others rather than that which is in ourselves.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t tell others you believe in the Bible and quote some favorite passages. Nor does it mean you can’t quote some modern spiritual guru. The important thing is that you must give credit to the author of the quote and be sure that you know it and practice it yourself before recommending it to others. Just reading spiritual writings doesn’t make you spiritual. Just quoting from someone else’s spiritual experiences doesn’t either. Continue reading “Spiritual Wealth Should be Shared” →

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golden chalices

Golden Chalices of Sorrow and Comfort

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Of the Two Golden Chalices of Sorrow and of Comfort. I, slothful sinner that I am, kneel down at my hour of prayer, and it seemed to me as if God were unwilling to give me the least measure of His grace. Then would I fain have wept and mourned, because of my sinful desires; for it seemed to me that they were the hindrance to my spiritual gladness. But no, said my soul, think rather of the faithfulness of God, and praise Him for His goodness. Glory be to God in the highest! And as I praised, there shone a great light into my soul; and in the light, God showed Himself to me in great majesty, and in unspeakable glory. And it was as if He held up in His hands two golden chalices, and both were full of living wine. In the left hand was the red wine, the wine of sorrow, and in the right hand the most holy consolation. Then did the Lord say, “There are some who drink of this wine alone, although I pour out both in My divine love. Yet the golden wine is in itself the noblest, and most noble are those who drink of both, the red wine and the golden.” ~Matilda of Magdeburg

Golden Chalices

Matilda calls the two “Chalices” sorrow and comfort. They could also be called positive and negative, dark and light, etc. The important thing to understand with these chalices is that while circumstances will force us to occasionally drink from the chalice of sorrow, we can choose to do most of our drinking from the chalice of comfort.

There Shone a Great Light

The brilliant light reported in near-death experiences over the past few decades is not something new. People have been seeing that light for many centuries. But only a few ever see it. A near-death experience is one way that it can happen. Another is by practicing the spiritual awakening techniques that have been taught in mystery schools for centuries. This light can be found in one of the allegorical golden chalices of Matilda’s story. That light is found in the chalice of comfort, joy, and truth. That chalice is the Spiritual Sun or Sun of Righteousness. This Spiritual Sun is a portal between Heaven and Earth, or if you prefer, between the material third dimension and the spiritual fifth dimension. Continue reading “Golden Chalices of Sorrow and Comfort” →

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splendor always there

Splendor Always There in Eternal Light

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“It really seems as though the mystics’ attainment of new levels of consciousness did bring with it the power of perceiving a splendor always there, but beyond the narrow range of our poor sight; to which it is only a ‘luminous darkness’ at the best. ‘In Eternal Nature, or the Kingdom of Heaven,’ said Law, ‘materiality stands in life and light.’ The cumulative testimony on this point is such as would be held to prove, in any other department of knowledge, that there is indeed an actual light, ‘lighting the very light’ and awaiting the recognition of man.

“Consider the accent of realism with which St. Augustine speaks of in his own experience of Platonic Contemplation; a passage in which we seem to see a born psychologist desperately struggling by means of negation to describe an intensely positive state. ‘I entered into the secret closet of my soul, led by thee, and this I could do because Thou was my helper. I entered and beheld with the mysterious eye of my soul the Light that never changes, above the eye of my soul, above my intelligence. It was not the common light which all flesh can see, nor was it greater yet of the same kind, as if the light of day were to grow brighter and brighter and flood all space. It was not like this bt different: altogether different from all such things. … it was higher because it made me, and I was lower because made by it.’” ~Evelyn Underhill

Splendor Always There, a Light Never Changing

The mystics and spiritual adepts do perceive a splendor that is out of range for our physical sight and other senses. Only the spiritual senses can perceive these spiritual dimensions or levels of consciousness, but they must be awakened and developed before that can happen. That is why mystery schools didn’t have one-week or one-month courses. Those who joined such schools spent years developing such abilities, and nothing has changed to make the process significantly faster today. It is a little easier to get started because we now have the promised Sun of Righteousness shining down on us, but once the process is started, it still takes years of gradual development before that splendor always there can be felt or observed.

Part of the splendor always there is the Light never changing, the Light “lighting the very light”. Too many spiritual students confuse the talk of darkness and Light in spiritual writings with the common darkness and light of the physical world. The Light never changing is not a physical light but a spiritual one, and like all things spiritual, it is endless, eternal, always shining. But most can’t see it because they ;look with their physical eyes which cannot see the Light never changing or the Splendor always there.

Eternal Nature

Spiritual people generally don’t think of Nature as eternal. It is clear in this case, though, that what Underwood is calling “eternal Nature” is the spiritual realm (or dimension), not the physical world. Nothing material is eternal, only spirit is eternal. Only spirit is within the splendor always there.

In any other Department of Knowledge

It is a frustrating fact to many spiritual teachers and students that what would constitute absolute proof of almost anything else is considered insufficient with regard to the spiritual. Moreover, the spiritual splendor always there, when they study it at all, is expected to obey the laws of matter, which of course it does not do because, duh! it’s not matter.

Secret Closet of The Soul

When St. Augustine talks of going into the secret closet of his soul, it will undoubtedly mean that he turned within to find the spiritual. That may be the case, but it does not mean that everything spiritual only exists within us. If that were the case, we would be dealing with hallucinations, not dimensions of spirit that are as real—or more real—than those of matter. Going into the closet of his soul is more accurately interpreted as meaning going into his spiritual mind rather than his physical mind. The physical mind is associated with the brain, but the spiritual mind is the soul.

Because Thou was my Helper

No one can enter the splendor always there without the aid of God. Not just anyone is allowed in. Not just anyone knows how to get in. Only those inspired and energized by God and His Angels are capable of entering those spiritual places, which are also the highest levels of consciousness. This is not because God is being greedy or elitist. It is because those who enter spiritual dimensions without being ready for it can suffer a mental breakdown as a result. They can also pollute those dimensions with their negative and materialistic thoughts. That is why they are kept out.

Above My Soul and Intelligence

The Light that Never Changes is above the soul and the intellect, not in a physical way, but because it is of a higher dimension than either the soul or the intellect. It emanates from the highest level of consciousness, which is the highest level of the splendor always there.

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