God, nature, and man

God, Nature, and Man for True Knowledge

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Alchemy is that science which results from a knowledge of God, Nature, and Man. A perfect knowledge of either of them cannot be obtained without the knowledge of the other two, for these three are one and inseparable. Alchemy is not merely an intellectual, but a spiritual science; because that which belongs to the spirit can only be spiritually known. Nevertheless, it is a science dealing with material things, for spirit and matter are only two opposite manifestations or ‘poles’ of the eternal One. Alchemy is an art , and as every art requires an artist to exercise it, likewise this divine science and art can be practiced only by those who are in possession of the divine power necessary for that purpose. It is true that the external manipulations required for the production of certain alchemical preparations may, like an ordinary chemical process, be taught to anybody capable of reasoning; but the results which he would accomplish would be without life, for only he in whom the true life has awakened can awaken it from its sleep in the prima materia, nd cause visible forms to grow from the chaos of nature.” ~Franz Hartmann

Knowledge of God, Nature, and Man

Hartmann says that Alchemy results from the knowledge of God, Nature, and Man. But virtually all of us have some knowledge of each of those things, yet we cannot claim to be a true Alchemist. So it might be better to say that Alchemy is the science that results in complete knowledge of God, Nature, and Man. He notes that there are those who have perfect knowledge of one or two of the three, but not all. Those people, he says, cannot be true Alchemists. They will be the kind of Alchemists who deal with material things only and are therefore only ordinary chemists. Of course, if you look up “Alchemist” or “Alchemy” on sites like Wikipedia and Dictionary.com, you will see that this phony type of Alchemist is how they define the whole science. But as Hartmann says, real Alchemy is as much a spiritual science as it is an intellectual one. And the purpose of the real Alchemists was not to transform base metals like lead into valuable metals like gold, it was to transform the leaden consciousness of materialistic men and women into the golden consciousness of the spiritual adept. The word Alchemy itself tells us this. It is derived from words that mean “to Transform” which didn’t mean changing one metal into another.

Spirit can Only Be Spiritually Known

I put that line in bold font in the quote because it is a very important statement. Too often materialists try to prove or (more often) disprove the things of spirit using the science of matter. This will never work and the materialists think that proves that spiritual things and spiritual worlds are fantasies, or at least unknowable. But spiritual things can be known by spiritual methods and there are spiritual sciences developed over many centuries that are just as reliable in the spiritual realm as conventional science is in the realm of matter. So before you scoff at the idea of spiritual realms and spiritual beings, start using the proper sciences to investigate such things. In order to know God, Nature, and Man, you need to know the spiritual as well as the physical.

Poles of the Eternal One

While it is true to say that the realms of spirit and matter are two opposite poles of the eternal One, it can be misleading. It sounds as if you are saying they are but two sides of the same coin, but they are not. First, the realm of spirit is the creation of the real God and is intentional. The realm of matter, on the other hand, was created by the fallen angels called the Demiurge in Gnostic teachings. So matter is not just the other side of spirit. It is a distortion of spirit, a disease of spirit like cancer. And like cancer in the physical body, it must be cured or removed. The great transformation that has already started, and is at least partially responsible for what is called “global warming”, will turn matter back into spirit and heal it.

Art and Artist

While Alchemy, or any form of spiritual discipline, is a science, it is also an art and requires an artist to do it properly. That will likely change with time.

From the 1940s through the 1960s, the study of computer programming was far more art than science. Even when I entered the field in the 1970s. But over the decades, businesses and universities worked to make things in that field more standardized and more predictable making it more of a science than an art. Yet there still remains a bit of art to it.

While the idea of being an Alchemist may no appeal to you, try replacing that word in this article with “Gnostic,” “Mystic,” or “Spiritual Adept”. Those terms mean nearly the same thing and everything that is said here about Alchemy is true of all of those disciplines. So is the idea that we need to know God, Nature, and Man to achieve Gnosis.

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Plato's Atlantis

Plato’s Atlantis and Our Threefold Nature

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“From a careful consideration of Plato’s description of Atlantis it is evident that the story should not be regarded as wholly historical but rather as both allegorical and historical. … Plato’s Atlantis symbolizes the threefold nature of both the universe and the human body. The ten kings of Atlantis are the tetractys , or numbers, which are born as five pairs of opposites. The numbers 1 to ten rule every creature, and the numbers, in turn, are under control of the Monad.

“With the trident scepter of Poseidon these kings held sway over the inhabitants of the seven small and three great islands comprising Atlantis. Philosophically, the ten islands symbolize the triune powers of the Superior Deity and the seven regents who bow before His eternal throne. If Atlantis be considered as the archetypal sphere, then its immersion signifies the descent of rational, organized consciousness into the illusionary, impermanent realm of irrational, mortal ignorance. Both the sinking of Atlantis and the Biblical story of the “fall of man” signify spiritual involution—a prerequisite to conscious evolution. …

“This does not mean to imply that Atlantis is purely mythological, but it overcomes the most serious obstacle to acceptance of the Atlantis theory.” ~Manly P. Hall

Plato’s Atlantis

The description Plato gave of Atlantis thousands of years ago remains a topic of much discussion and disagreement today. Every few years someone has a new theory of where Atlantis actually was and offers some limited proof to back up the theory. There are two problems with nearly all of these theories. First, they nearly all assume that Plato’s description is physically accurate, yet he may have been wrong about the location. Second, they ignore the allegory of the tale, just as so many ignore the allegorical tales in the Bible and the Upanishads. People need to start waking up to the fact that tales told by spiritual people are almost always allegorical in nature. Even if essentially true on a physical level, the allegorical interpretation is the important one. So the exact physical location of Atlantis is irrelevant. And maybe the reason it can’t be found is that they fail to see that its “sinking” was allegorical, not literal. So instead of searching for an island that sank, they should be searching for indications of a great civilization that fell apart. Continue reading “Plato’s Atlantis and Our Threefold Nature” →

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God in nature

God in Nature and Nature Mysticism

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“To ‘see God in nature,’ to attain a radiant consciousness of the ‘otherness’ of natural things, is the simplest and commonest form of illumination. Most people, under the spell of emotion or of beauty, have known flashes of rudimentary vision of this kind. Where such a consciousness is recurrent, as t is in many poets, there results that partial yet often overpowering apprehension of the Infinite Life immanent in all living things, which some modern writers have dignified by the name of ‘nature mysticism.’ Where it is raised to the highest denomination, till the veil is obliterated by the light behind, and ‘faith has vanished into sight,’ as sometimes happened to Blake, we reach the point at which the mystic swallows the poet. …

“Blake conceived it was his vocation to bring this mystical illumination, this heightened vision of reality, within the range of ordinary men: to ‘clean the doors of perception’ of the race. They thought him a madman for his pains.” ~Evelyn Underhill

God in Nature

It is true, even today, that those who wish to gain spiritual enlightenment are advised to get close to nature. This is as it should be. It is a good approach. Man has, unfortunately, moved far from God over the centuries. Nature has not. So in many ways, nature is closer to God than we are. That doesn’t mean nature is better. It doesn’t mean nature is more important. It just means that nature continues to operate within the laws of God. All laws of nature are in harmony with those of God. While man’s laws are often contrary to those of God. So by getting into nature, we move closer to God.

Do not confuse tins with nature worship. I am not promoting Pantheism. Nature is definitely not God. While in a sense, all things come from God, the physical universe is the creation of the Demiurge. You could think of it as a part of God that had been detached from the whole, like an arm that has been amputated. Yet getting closer to nature and away from man-made things does help bring us closer to God. Even though nature (or Gaia, if you prefer) is part of the fallen universe of matter, it still stays within the Law of God. We relearn the Law of God when we learn to be close to nature.

How to See God in Nature

When I say it helps to get close to nature, I mean in a benevolent and helpful way. A torturer is close to the person he is torturing. That is the wrong kind of close. In the United States, the Corp of Engineers is getting close to nature in one way when it builds dams, levies, and bridges. That too is the wrong kind of close. It is treating nature as an enemy. It is fighting a war with nature rather than trying to become friends with her. That approach has resulted in hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and droughts. Nature does fight back. The Gaia mind is a real thing. And she is no longer being very tolerant of those who abuse her.

The correct way to see God in nature is to take a walk in the woods or a park. You could hike a mountain trail, or climb the mountains. You can walk along the seashore. But that is just the first step. Your attitude when you do those things matters. If you are climbing a mountain with the attitude of defeating an obstacle, that is the wrong attitude. If you are hiking through the forest just to get big numbers on your Fitbit, that is the wrong attitude. The correct attitude is to observe nature, breath it in, take part in it. Try sitting on a bench or rock and watching the squirrels and birds. Practice thinking peaceful, friendly thoughts and see if they move closer to you. Observe how the animals and plants coexist as part of a whole, not as adversaries. Yes, hug a tree. It won’t hurt at all. Better yet, hold your hand near the leaves of a tree and offer it some of your energy. The tree will probably send you some of its energy. Through this, you are learning about nature as it really is, but on a subconscious level.

If you climb a mountain, feel the strength of the rock. Breathe in the fresh air, and appreciate it. Look around at the things below. Observe how the mountain fits in with the environment around it. Notice how the vegetation changes as you climb higher.

If you are on the seashore, watch the waves hitting the beach. Notice the rhythm of their flow, the harmony of it. Look at the sunlight glistening off the water. Breathe the freshness of the salty air. Become one with the rhythm of the waves and the airflow. Become one with nature. See God in nature.

Beyond God in Nature

As Ms. Underhill says, getting close to God in nature is a good step along the path to spiritual enlightenment. But much like practicing meditation, it is just a step, not the whole stairway. All steps along that path are important, but we should never stop after taking a few steps. We need to continue beyond getting close to nature. And depending on where we live, it may be impossible to do. But like any other step, we can work around it, though that may make things more difficult. The most important thing is that we try to see God in Nature when possible, and get close to nature. That may mean just visiting a city park occasionally. That is still better than nothing. But also, don’t stop with becoming one with nature. Move on to being one with the sun, one with the universe of matter, then one with the universe of spirit. Then you will truly be seeing God in Nature, as well as beyond nature.

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darkness

Darkness and Light and Their Eternal War

Posted on by Harold Boulette

“Let us worship the spirit of the comforter, bless lord Jesus who sent us the spirit of truth. He came and split us from the world’s error. He came with a mirror, we looked. In it was the cosmos. When the holy spirit came she disclosed the way of truth. It taught us two natures, light and darkness, distinct from the beginning. The kingdom of light has five greatnesses: father and his twelve aeons, and the aeons of aeons, the living air, the land of light, and the enormous spirit through whom they breath and which nourishes them with light. But the kingdom of darkness has five storehouses: smoke and fire and wind and water and darkness. Their advocate creeps in them, inciting them to make war on each other. When making war they dared attack the land of light. They supposed they could vanquish it and didn’t know that their plans would crash down on their own heads. There was a horde of angels in the land of light, ready to pour out and break the father’s enemy. They were pleased to have the father’s word to rout those rebels who saw themselves exalted. The angels were like a shepherd who sees a lion padding near to destroy the fold, who cunningly takes a lamb and sets it as a snare to catch the lion. With a single lamb he saves his fold, heals the lamb, and wounds the lion. Such is the way of the father who sent forth his strong son” ~The Coptic Manichaean Songbook

Spirit of the Comforter

It seems odd to me to refer to Jesus as a comforter. He came to rock the boat. He came to get people out of their complacency and acceptance of limited, materialistic views of religion. While he offered comfort by telling us the true God of spirit was a loving and tolerant God, unlike the vengeful and Jealous Jehovah, He also came to get us out of our comfort zone and into working for the true awakening of our souls. He promised comfort, but only by working hard to reach that stage of development first. Sadly, many Christians of today have wondered far from what Jesus was actually teaching and now believe that he was the comforter and didn’t want us to do anything, just let him do it all and we could simply worship Him. That, of course, is not at all what Jesus taught. It isn’t what any of the great founders of religions taught. Comfort comes only after each of us does the hard work himself.

World of Error

In the time of Jesus, the world was in error by believing that sacrificing animals or other things to God (or gods) was the way to win favor. The idea that destroying the creatures that were already God’s would please Him is just stupid, yet many believed it. Jesus taught us that what the real God wanted us to sacrifice was our own materialistic and egotistical wants and desires, and instead develop our spiritual faculties.

Today, the religious environment is different, but just as lost as back then. None of the major religions of today engage in human or animal sacrifice. But some of them have become very materialistic. Many think that helping people with material problems is what religion is all about. Wrong! While feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, etc., are all good things to do, they are social goods, not spiritual. So that is why this is a world of error and has been for a long time. But we are now at the dawn of a new Golden Age of Light that will change that if we don’t prevent it from happening.

Two Natures

There are two natures. The one nature of light, and the one of darkness. The quote says they were distinct from the beginning, but that is not exactly true. The darkness did not exist at all until it was created by the Demiurge. Before that, all was light. But it is correct to say that the realm of light is completely separate from the realm of darkness.

There are many who say that we can’t develop only our light side, our light being. They say we must develop both the light and dark equally. That is the wish of the dark demons who rule that realm. We have to acknowledge that the darkness is real. We do not have to embrace it. We have to convert it back into light. We have to bring more and more light into the darkness until there is no darkness left. God will be doing most of it, but only if we decide to help.

War of Light against Darkness

The Manichaean song quoted above has it correct. There is a war between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. It is a foolish war, but then the fans of darkness are fools. If we think of ordinary darkness and light, it will be obvious that light defeats darkness simply by being present. Put a light into a dark room and it is no longer dark. It may still have dark corners, but it isn’t completely dark. Now try putting a piece of darkness into a brightly lit room and what happens? First, how do you do that? You can use a lamp, candle, or flashlight to put light into a room, but how do you add darkness? Second, even if you had some device that could add darkness to the room, it would still be lit. Darkness can’t overcome light. Only by removing the light can the room become dark.

But in the war of light vs darkness, we are speaking of a different kind of light. This is a spiritual light. It is a light of truth and wisdom. It is a light of peace and growth. Whereas the darkness on this level represents the world of lies, greed, death, and disease. In short, the light is spirit and the darkness is matter. But much like the regular light and darkness, spiritual light is never totally eliminated. The darkness of matter is never total. There is always a little spirit hidden within it. This makes it possible for those being trapped in the realm of matter to be saved. They are saved by transformation.

Weapons in the War

Artists often depict the war of Light against Darkness as if it were an ordinary human war with both sides fighting with swords, knives, or even guns. Nothing could be further from the truth. The weapons in this war are quite different. The weapons of the forces of darkness are lies, deception, and control. The weapons of light are truth, wisdom, freedom, and transformation. The angels not only work to transform us, humans, they even work on transforming those fallen angels and their offspring. They have succeeded with some, at least to the extent of getting them to switch sides. But we must all transform before the world we live in can transform as well. That will be the final end of darkness.

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