We the Choir Gather and We Learn to Sing Together

[Steppingfeet]

One of the more profound and visionary books I've ever read from a human author, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible, contained this nugget which I shared with some friends recently: 

"We are social animals and need at least a little bit of affirmation. We cannot stay in a deviant* story by ourselves; in the face of a whole society that pulls us into the Story of Separation, we need allies. This book is meant to be such an ally. I hope that it will awaken or reinforce your understanding that you are not crazy after all, and that if anything it is the world that has gone insane.

You might say I am preaching to the choir. Yes. But as a member of the choir myself, I am grateful for the wonderful preachers whose words have kept me here, kept me believing. Without them I would have quit long ago and found a job greasing the wheels of the world-devouring Machine. That is also why conferences, retreats, and communities for alternative culture are so important. We hold each other in new beliefs. 'Yes, I see it too. You are not crazy.' We, the choir, gather, and we learn to sing together."

[*By "deviant," he is describing the "new and ancient Story of Interbeing" that is emerging on the planet, deviant as it is from the "Story of Separation" which has been humanity's operating software for some time.] 

What if anything does this stir in you?

While it can point to the belonging and personal reinforcement that membership in a group confers, a topic long studied, to me this dovetails with my narrative about the birth of fourth density.

Group thought can permit its members to become untethered from needed openness to and analysis of available evidence, but when the vision is of something transcendently beautiful, a reality where love is made visible, where love is the way of people, and when that vision is tender and difficult to hold by oneself, then the community, the choir, is the greatest ally.

I feel strongly that fourth density doesn’t so much happen to us as it happens through us. The more that we heal and open our hearts, the more space we make for the emergence of fourth density. And even more powerfully, the more that we connect and bond with each other in the open heart, the more we strengthen that grid that invites and holds the dawning of a reality of Love and Understanding.

Thanks to all the lights on Bring4th doing the work of connecting self to other-self in the open heart.

[Diana]

Group thought can permit its members to become untethered from needed openness to and analysis of available evidence, but when the vision is of something transcendently beautiful, a reality where love is made visible, where love is the way of people, and when that vision is tender and difficult to hold by oneself, then the community, the choir, is the greatest ally.

I have more thoughts on this, but...

Immediately I thought of the scene in "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" (not sure if that title is correct), by Dr Suess, when after the all-night effort of the Grinch to steal all the presents, the Whos from Whoville still got up and celebrated the day singing, as though the Grinch had stolen nothing.  

[Patrick]

... you are not crazy after all, and that if anything it is the world that has gone insane ... 'Yes, I see it too. You are not crazy.' ...

What if anything does this stir in you?
...

That it's ok to foolishly throw all your cards up in the air and hug everyone no matter what.  It's ok if it does not make any sense.  It's ok if it does not compute.  It's ok if it's crazy.

Our thinking brain is too serious to get this alone, it lets others think that we're not all in.  Just because of seeming disagreement.  When we let our heart team up with our brain, that's when the magic can finally manifest.

The heart does not know how to type on a computer keyboard, but if we let our brain be used the way it's meant to be, as an instrument for the heart and spirit.  Then we can finally type those foolish words (and mean it): All, all of you, each other-self, whatever you think of me, I hug you and I love you.

[Ming the Merciful]

As I have been moving away from mainstream thought and philosophy, I am simply beginning to realize that Humanity is a single Race. The people who are putting up all the barriers are the elected politicians. Its the politicians that create wars, famine, food shortages, imbalances in nature, and they show no accountability for their actions because the fact is, the political system worldwide is corrupt. Until we, (Humanity), can remove the current political crisis, nothing will change. It is the politicians that need to be "Awakened". I see this as a good organization and a focal point, (but), to be successful a few thousand members are not enough. What it needs is millions, if not hundreds of millions of members to make a difference. You cannot awake those who are asleep, they are in a dream-state, oblivious to the outside world. Go forth unto all the world and multiply. Although to quote the Buddha. When you are at peace, the world is at peace. I watched a video on YouTube last night, and a likeminded person said, it only takes one percent of the population to make a change. We are becoming the one percent. (for good), not greed. Peace.

[Patrick]

Sometimes I like to fantasize and imagine what would happen if "the people" all started loving all politicians. It gives rise to many different ways this could go, but for me it all ends in a humorous way no matter the scenario I imagine. Just imagining them completely baffled brings a smile.

[Ming the Merciful]

Sometimes I like to fantasize and imagine what would happen if "the people" all started loving all politicians. It gives rise to many different ways this could go, but for me it all ends in a humorous way no matter the scenario I imagine.  Just imagining them completely baffled brings a smile.

And their misdeeds and corruption? We shall see what Mother Karma will do? Mother Karma works in mysterious ways? There is always the Universal Balance. This is why I don't believe in the "Law of Attraction", and demanding from the Universe. The Universe can give, and it can also take it away. Once again, human greed. There are those people, (unnamed) and I had good arguments with them on YouTube. Man, they seethe with rage when you call their bluff. Perhaps it is subconscious guilt for praying on the simple-minded and gullible? Peace Brother and don't be taken for a ride.

[Patrick]

Ah but that is why it is so foolish to just let go and love them­ and forgive them for real (the magic of this would be mind-blowing). It is foolish... it is also the solution. Because people are down here to learn to become foolish or as Ra says to learn the ways of Love.

[Steppingfeet]

Ah but that is why it is so foolish to just let go and love them­ and forgive them for real (the magic of this would be mind-blowing). It is foolish... it is also the solution. Because people are down here to learn to become foolish or as Ra says to learn the ways of Love.

Love - Seeing love is literally the lesson/goal of our world

Love - the game can only be won by those who lose their cards in the melting influence of love

Love - universal love more important than political goals

Love - no greater magic than honestly felt love

Love - no greater protection than love

Love - is the great protector

Love - sent to the negative polarity causes it to depolarize (solution!)

Love - harmony and mutual love of the group gives them "shield and buckler" against mighty oppositional forces

[Sacred Fool]

"We are social animals and need at least a little bit of affirmation. We cannot stay in a deviant* story by ourselves; in the face of a whole society that pulls us into the Story of Separation, we need allies. This book is meant to be such an ally. I hope that it will awaken or reinforce your understanding that you are not crazy after all, and that if anything it is the world that has gone insane.

You might say I am preaching to the choir. Yes. But as a member of the choir myself, I am grateful for the wonderful preachers whose words have kept me here, kept me believing. Without them I would have quit long ago and found a job greasing the wheels of the world-devouring Machine. That is also why conferences, retreats, and communities for alternative culture are so important. We hold each other in new beliefs. 'Yes, I see it too. You are not crazy.' We, the choir, gather, and we learn to sing together."

What if anything does this stir in you?

Am I supposed to be honest about this?

Well, if I were to be honest, I would report that it stirs in me a big yawn.  That's probably not a socially sensitive answer to a question reaching towards social participation, but here we are.   I'm giving the personal aspect more weight than social considerations at this juncture.

For me, comparing myself to others to get a sense of my identity is something I've not leaned towards for a very long time.  That is, I don't look externally when assessing my sanity.  I don't look for allies in that regard.  I have a fairly strong sense of self as the one who does things with other people in the external planes of life, as well a sense of self as one who's traveled up and down innumerable hills and valleys along a spiritual path, and the combination of these two has led me to the present moment here, initially tapping out and further crafting this post.

I'm also pretty well past the need for preachers.  I'm no longer looking for new ideologies to explore, nor do I seek support for my own ideations, particularly.  I'm not seeking a group re-enforcement of self-ness nor of togetherness.  I'm not interested in singing about myself, nor in supporting you in doing the same.  I'm looking for different sorts of experience: not focusing on self-validation, but on creative exploration up into the firmament of deeper being.  I don't care about singing kumbaya, I yearn to soar into more deeply self-integrated vibrations of a magical self.

Doing this with other entities is fantastic, but so far I've only done so with those not of a corporeal disposition.  We'll see what happens next.

   

[Patrick]

Sacred Fool, from your viewpoint, do you get a little inspiration from the kind of sharing we see in this thread or if that instigate something more akin to revulsion?

We often have alarming posts on the forums, I personally felt inspired by this change in beat.

Maybe I'm just suffering from a different brand of sacred foolishness?

I was told before that being a white male living in abundance made it easy for me to post lovey gooey stuff. There is truth for sure. The abundance part came after the work on lower chakra had been done. But the white male part, even in Canada, is a bit of a cheat. Yet this remark did not change my course. I'm still posting stuff like that. I do it because it's spilling out of me. Ra asked us not to repress our feelings. Surely this applies to positive feelings as well?

Anyway, I believe our world can use a bit of lovey doey from time to time.

Maybe we could add to this platform the same type of thing used for sharing spoilers. You know it's displayed all in black until you click the Show spoiler button. This way a fair warning could be given. warning lovey gooey stuff. And it remains not visible to those not in the mood to see such.

Just a thought that popped up.

[Ohr Ein Sof]

Sacred Fool, from your viewpoint, do you get a little inspiration from the kind of sharing we see in this thread or if that instigate something more akin to revulsion?

We often have alarming posts on the forums, I personally felt inspired by this change in beat.

Maybe I'm just suffering from a different brand of sacred foolishness?

I was told before that being a white male living in abundance made it easy for me to post lovey gooey stuff. There is truth for sure. The abundance part came after the work on lower chakra had been done. But the white male part, even in Canada, is a bit of a cheat. Yet this remark did not change my course. I'm still posting stuff like that. I do it because it's spilling out of me. Ra asked us not to repress our feelings. Surely this applies to positive feelings as well?

Anyway, I believe our world can use a bit of lovey doey from time to time.

Maybe we could add to this platform the same type of thing used for sharing spoilers. You know it's displayed all in black until you click the Show spoiler button. This way a fair warning could be given. warning lovey gooey stuff. And it remains not visible to those not in the mood to see such.

Just a thought that popped up.

Of course I cannot speak for Sacred Fool as that would make me another sacred fool in lower case.
With that being said, I do believe that there comes a time when there is no need to participate in the human drama even if it means group hugs. It isn't a good or bad thing, but rather, someone who no longer looks for validation of any sort from the outside world. Maybe they have searched long and far for that love and it was never found no matter where they looked. Now they are here...looking only from the sources from within itself for the love it seeks, the only validation that is real.
They may choose to rejoin the group or not, in the group hug and lovey dovey ewy gooey and they may go way beyond ever needing that again; realizing there is a deeper meaning to the love they seek that cannot be found from entity to another.
IDK. This of course is an opinion or rather, my take. Which is always distorted.

Warning! This message contains multiple distortions of all sorts! Lol.

[Steppingfeet]

Of course I cannot speak for Sacred Fool as that would make me another sacred fool in lower case.
With that being said, I do believe that there comes a time when there is no need to participate in the human drama even if it means group hugs. It isn't a good or bad thing, but rather, someone who no longer looks for validation of any sort from the outside world. Maybe they have searched long and far for that love and it was never found no matter where they looked. Now they are here...looking only from the sources from within itself for the love it seeks, the only validation that is real.
Warning! This message contains multiple distortions of all sorts! Lol.

Hello Ohr Ein Sof, the "not looking for validation," this is indeed a portion of the path of the adept. The Ra Contact speaks primarily to that path, I think.

In fact, Ra describes this self-sourcing and self-independence as a "necessary" portion of the path of the adept who experiences a "disassociation from the miasma of illusion and misrepresentation of each and every distortion" where the self is freed from the "thoughts, opinions, and bonds of other-selves." 80.10 - 80.12 (A subject rich for exploration, I would note that among its fruits, this disassociation helps to remove or make transparent the blockages and other entangled interpersonal psychospiritual dynamics that had obscured universal love from the vision.)

I understand that the quoted section can seem to smack of co-dependency, but to me it speaks to what I understand of both Earth's history and its future. How many individuals have held this vision alone or in small clusters, eventually squashed or sublimated by the sinkhole of indifference or the machinations of negative philosophy (authoritarianism included) or the fight for survival or other forms of confusion and entropy? Lights have flared throughout our history, but lacking togetherness, only incremental progress has ever been available in the tottering seesaw of polarity perched over the sinkhole. In other words, it takes the power of critical mass to manifest a vision of a more beautiful world.

Indeed, it takes the unification of humanity to open the gateway to intelligent infinity that makes way for the dawn of fourth density.

13.23 Ra: The fourth density is, as we have said, as regularized in its approach as the striking of a clock upon the hour. The space/time of your solar system has enabled this planetary sphere to spiral into space/time of a different vibrational configuration. This causes the planetary sphere to be able to be molded by these new distortions. However, the thought-forms of your people during this transition period are such that the mind/body/spirit complexes of both individual and societies are scattered throughout the spectrum instead of becoming able to grasp the needle, shall we say, and point the compass in one direction.

Thus, the entry into the vibration of love, sometimes called by your people the vibration of understanding, is not effective with the present societal complex. Thus, the harvest shall be such that many will repeat the third-density cycle.

The energies of your Wanderers, your teachers, and your adepts at this time are all bent upon increasing the harvest. However, there are few to harvest.

The evolutionary direction of the universe itself bends toward togetherness: the merging of self with self and with other-self, and finally with the Creator, is the path to the heart of self.

Whether in positive or negative societies, fourth density is characterized by the total revealing of self to other self; but in the positive, the entities join and merge consciousness; they share identity, thoughts, emotions, memories, and hopes in the collective experience of a group identity wherein individual differences are pronounced although automatically harmonized by group consensus.

We all have individual journeys to take with individual lessons to learn, and for those of us who are wanderers, we have individual reasons for being here, but overarchingly we are all working toward this reality. Evolution, the response to the Original Desire, calls us to it.

And toward that end, the physics of reality are changing, making that which was hidden, known, as the veil is thins and information is revealed. In humanity's not distant future, we will be unable even to cloak our thoughts from one another, yet here we are on Bring4th, individuals seeking a group experience, and many of us do not reveal or share the self with the group, including our real names.

They may choose to rejoin the group or not, in the group hug and lovey dovey ewy gooey and they may go way beyond ever needing that again; realizing there is a deeper meaning to the love they seek that cannot be found from entity to another.
IDK. This of course is an opinion or rather, my take. Which is always distorted.

I'm interested in some of the replies to this thread, from "lovey dovey ewy gooey" to "group hugs" to the rather derisive label of "kumbaya," it sounds like the traditionally politically conservative response to the hippies or anything thereby associated. Even compassion can look sickening.

Again, dependence upon another for identity is certainly something to grow out of, but is a choir not composed of individual voices strong in their independence coming together to make harmony and melody as one voice? One voice with many notes and parts, one voice of greater range and magnitude, one voice of greater depth and subjective beauty.

[Diana]

Am I supposed to be honest about this?

I, personally, sincerely hope you will always be.

For me, comparing myself to others to get a sense of my identity is something I've not leaned towards for a very long time.  That is, I don't look externally when assessing my sanity.  I don't look for allies in that regard.  I have a fairly strong sense of self as the one who does things with other people in the external planes of life, as well a sense of self as one who's traveled up and down innumerable hills and valleys along a spiritual path, and the combination of these two has led me to the present moment here, initially tapping out and further crafting this post.

I'm also pretty well past the need for preachers.  I'm no longer looking for new ideologies to explore, nor do I seek support for my own ideations, particularly.  I'm not seeking a group re-enforcement of self-ness nor of togetherness.  I'm not interested in singing about myself, nor in supporting you in doing the same.  I'm looking for different sorts of experience: not focusing on self-validation, but on creative exploration up into the firmament of deeper being.  I don't care about singing kumbaya, I yearn to soar into more deeply self-integrated vibrations of a magical self.

Doing this with other entities is fantastic, but so far I've only done so with those not of a corporeal disposition.  We'll see what happens next.

I think Eisenstein's book is a very relevant and hopeful book, and I appreciate his sentiment in the book being an ally for people.

I can relate in some ways to what you say, Sacred Fool. It can be a challenging place to be in that it is often judged to be that which it is not. I am often seen as cold, when that isn't it at all. I will say however, that in my case, though I am detached from the human drama to a great degree, I can still "play" here as the Significator does—the actor and the acted upon. I can, for example, go to a fundamentalist church and join in the joy there when Gospels are sung, while at the same time, being utterly misaligned with the ethos of Christianity. It is paradoxical-seeming but there really is no conflict there (for me)—it is absolutely sincere on my part. I feel this view is expressed in the following Ra quotes:

80.11 ▶ Questioner: Could I say, then, that implicit in the process of becoming adept is the possible partial polarization towards service to self because simply the adept becomes disassociated with many of his kind or like in the particular density which he inhabits?

Ra: I am Ra. This is likely to occur. The apparent happening is disassociation whether the truth is service to self and thus true disassociation from other-selves or service to others and thus true association with the heart of all other-selves and disassociation only from the illusory husks which prevent the adept from correctly perceiving the self and other-self as one.

80.12 ▶ Questioner: Then you say that this effect of disassociation on the service-to-others adept is a stumbling block or slowing process in reaching that goal which he aspires to? Is this correct?

Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect. This disassociation from the miasma of illusion and misrepresentation of each and every distortion is a quite necessary portion of an adept’s path. It may be seen by others to be unfortunate.

[Sacred Fool]

 
It appears to me that my post and those responding to it have opened up a rather complex discussion of identity.

To Patrick: If I felt revulsion at this thread, I probably would not post on it.  It is not my intention to reject anyone else's reflected identity by choosing to not use them as mirrors to define myself.  I would try to learn from them, but not define myself by them.  And that's not because I have an identity as an almighty adept, this is merely the structural disposition I find within.  If you wish to go all lovey-dovey, more power to you.  It's just that I would identify you as someone who chooses to do that, rather than as someone whose identity is particularly defined in that way.  And I would try not to identify myself, necessarily, as someone who would never do that.  That is, I try not to take such identifications personally and I try not to project them personally.  (Naturally, I have a significant failure rate, but that's another matter.)

OES: Thanks for trying to understand.

Diana: I can certainly relate to that way of being misunderstood in a social context.  I have a lot going on under my hat and much of it is self referenced and not appropriate to share.  I don't mean that I'm entirely in another world, but that I'm trying to learn from the catalyst as we go along as best I can.  And when people do not receive the expected social cues, or when they see someone who is decidedly self-referenced, they can be threatened by it.  Frankly, I can have that feeling about others myself sometimes.  A lack of conventionality can put people on their guard, and I am not all that saturated in conventionality, if you can believe that.

Gary:  My sense is that my vibratory signature is little different from yours, and that this difference offers us different perceptual experiences.  The kumbaya reference was meant to be descriptive, not antagonistic.  Referring back to Patrick's comments, I do not find this sickening, AND I might suggest you not burden yourself by projecting identifications upon yourself based upon how you guess that I identify you.  (I hold no antipathy towards you, btw, that I'm aware of.)

I'm not sure you're correct in what I take as an implied contention that humanity moves forward best by everyone joining hands and walking and singing together (kinda like The Sound of Music).  I expect that's true to some extent, yet there's an additional factor which might be more important, viz., we're not going anywhere physically, and we're not going all that far emotionally nor mentally.  That proverbial journey of 14 or so inches from the head to the heart is a largely internal process of balancing the animal self and accepting the angelic self.  In my view, for the most part, beautiful choral singing--something I do know a little bit about--is the RESULT of the journey or the journey in progress, it does not precede the journey (except in certain musicals).  Depth of meaning comes becomes apparent to the self after passing over various inner thresholds of self-awareness.  Ergo, by that measure, the best way forward is to lead the way across those various thresholds.

Or maybe not?  Maybe I'm reflexively justifying my own biases?

   

[Patrick]

...(Naturally, I have a significant failure rate, but that's another matter.)...

And possibly each attempt fail a tiny bit less spectacularly than the last...  That's pretty much all we can ask of life.

[Sacred Fool]

...(Naturally, I have a significant failure rate, but that's another matter.)...

And possibly each attempt fail a tiny bit less spectacularly than the last...  That's pretty much all we can ask of life.

That would be one response to the catalyst.  Another would be to take each failure as an invitation to move more deeply into one's commitment to transformation.

  

[Patrick]

...Another would be to take each failure as an invitation to move more deeply into one's commitment to transformation.

Basically what I wanted to express with my clumsy words.

[Diana]

...Another would be to take each failure as an invitation to move more deeply into one's commitment to transformation.

And, I will add, to be willing to face and—no matter whether one "fails," or is perceived to have failed, or not—what is uncomfortable to look at. Reminds me of a quote from Jim Morrison that I love:

Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.—Jim Morrison

[Steppingfeet]

In my understanding, the idiom "preaching to the choir" is typically invoked when someone is speaking to those who already think or see or feel similarly and congruently.

About the phrase, Google turned this up: "To try to convince someone about something that they already support; to state one's opinion to those who are already most receptive to it."

So the implication is that the person preaching to the choir ought to be expending their efforts elsewhere. Depending on context, that could be for the purpose of convincing or converting or for winning over other's to a cause. (None of which fits L/L's dispassionate mission.) Or just speaking aloud to those who already agree.

Thus, what I also appreciate about the quote in the OP is the way re-envisions the idea by placing value on being with the choir, that is, sharing and being with others of like-worldview, or like-vibration, or like-values, or like-heart. Not in conformity or unanimity of thought. Not in monotone or homogeneity. Not in a silo or on an island, either. But in strength, support, evolution, and the protected/nourished space to grow your particular type of plant.

If parasitic insects are constantly devouring your leaves, or other larger plants are blocking your sun, or if you're being stomped on by other creatures, you as a plant might find reaching your full potential rather problematic.

Things often become more visible in the extremes, so here is a potent examination of the impact of the environment or the collective on the individual:

71.14 Questioner: You have made the statement that pure negativity acts as a gravity well pulling all into it. I was wondering first if pure positivity has precisely the same effect? Could you answer that please?

Ra: I am Ra. This is incorrect. Positivity has a much weaker effect due to the strong element of recognition of free will in any positivity approaching purity. Thus although the negatively oriented entity may find it difficult to polarize negatively in the midst of such resounding harmony it will not find it impossible.

Upon the other hand, the negative polarization is one which does not accept the concept of the free will of other-selves. Thusly in a social complex whose negativity approaches purity the pull upon other-selves is constant. A positively oriented entity in such a situation would desire for other-selves to have their free will and thusly would find itself removed from its ability to exercise its own free will, for the free will of negatively oriented entities is bent upon conquest. (See also: 70.23)

In the extreme of a purely negative environment, it becomes impossible for the positive polarity to maintain its chosen polarity, its desired evolutionary pathway to the Creator. The unfortunate entity in that situation would be forced to shut down and block their heart completely in order to pursue the ways of being enslaved and enslaving others.

While Earth's environment is not purely negative, much can be extrapolated from that scenario about the influence that the collective entity exerts on the individual entity. Whether it be paradigms of materialism or fundamentalism or militarism or other cocktails of confused values and human disharmony, such outer circumstances can limit, retard, and otherwise distort self-expression and the discovery of self.

On the flip side, these conditions are also highly conducive to the development of will and faith, offering a far more intensive catalyst than the entity can find elsewhere. And some rare souls do teach themselves how to make efficient use of this catalyst all by themselves, at least without visible outward community.

But in the main, I would venture, having at least a minimally protected space of shared hearts is highly productive of the freedom to fully discover the self. Adversity and diversity have their merits, of course, but being seen and held non-judgmentally by others for who you are in a generally shared vision and purpose can be an enormous boon to personal development and all that completely inward, internal work.

I think this has connection to the fact that the only entities able to achieve harvestability during the last 25k year cycle were a small group of souls who together built a polarized *culture* that supported, encouraged, and uplifted the individual in the values of service to others.

The individual is the irreducible unit of evolution, and chapters of the journey may feature solitary or less socially connected stretches, but exactly zero individuals exist outside the context of a collective of individuals. Evolution is as much a collective undertaking as it is an individual one.

[Ymarsakar]

Everybody is at different levels of experience and progress. Some are at 4.3.3 others are at the cusp of 4.4.4 and still others are breaching into 4.5

It's like herding cats.

[Sacred Fool]

 
Surely, it is well to protect the young from predation and misfortune, but the time arises when each must venture out into the cold unknown to find one's "pearls of great price," those things for which one would give all, and thus enter into the dark tunnel of transformation.

Perhaps this leads to an extremely negative environment?  Perhaps it leads to something else?  The pathways to the heart of self are multifarious, to be sure.

Yes, indeed. we need comfort along the way, and sharing a good cry or a good song (or a good sermon) may suffice for a little while.  But then the personal journey recommences.

Can outer circumstances distort the mature being?  Certainly so.  Am I wrong, or do Confederation sources not teach that seeking the deeper self in such a context is the basic reason for taking incarnation in 3D?  Do they not aver that the riches thusly found far outweigh the burdens of the seeking?  Do they not say that coming to a clear understanding of what one truly seeks helps to refine the balance of one's soul stream?  Do their sermons not typically end with an exhortation to find pure Divinity within self (not in a group)? 

Perhaps I've misunderstood this?

  

[Ymarsakar]

You have understood your path quite well by now.

[Sacred Fool]

You have understood your path quite well by now.

Well, I would like to think so.  LOL  But I've screwed it up so darned many times that I don't make assumptions about that.  I just try to keep my eyes open, my heart open, my mind open and, as best I can, move towards the best and highest vibration I can discern.....when I'm paying attention to the incoming catalyst.  As you well know, it's a demanding endeavour.  Poise and balance can be quite elusive. 
   

[Ymarsakar]

So long as you remain in this incarnation, no matter how many mistakes you make, you can choose again.

Besides, the universe would have used someone else even had you not volunteered. In that sense, there are no mistakes. In the long term, it all fita together like a puzzle from the future.

Cats can drop things from high up when figuring out puzzles.

[Ming the Merciful]

So long as you remain in this incarnation, no matter how many mistakes you make, you can choose again.

Besides, the universe would have used someone else even had you not volunteered. In that sense, there are no mistakes. In the long term, it all fita together like a puzzle from the future.

Cats can drop things from high up when figuring out puzzles.

Another area that has been overlooked, are the teachings of Madam Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. The "Missing Link". Compared to the current strata of thinking, both parties seem to be Primordial and not current, (yet), the information they acquired at the time was phenomenal. Their teachings and philosophy is. (indirectly), related to current day thinking. In the writings of Madam Blavatsky, there are indirect connotations to Ra and Higher Beings, (implying otherworldly). Has anyone read Isis Unveiled" or the "Secret Doctrine". Highly recommended reading. There are more things in Heaven and Earth than you realize. Once again, everything is connected, (is it not). Don't look at the obvious, but the sublime. The God(s) work in mysterious ways?

[Diana]

Another area that has been overlooked, are the teachings of Madam Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. The "Missing Link". Compared to the current strata of thinking, both parties seem to be Primordial and not current, (yet), the information they acquired at the time was phenomenal. Their teachings and philosophy is. (indirectly), related to current day thinking. In the writings of Madam Blavatsky, there are indirect connotations to Ra and Higher Beings, (implying otherworldly). Has anyone read Isis Unveiled" or the "Secret Doctrine". Highly recommended reading. There are more things in Heaven and Earth than you realize. Once again, everything is connected, (is it not). Don't look at the obvious, but the sublime. The God(s) work in mysterious ways?

I have read Isis Unveiled, many years ago. There were two volumes—theology (I think) and science. Someone (I always lend out books to whomever) borrowed my copies and I never got them back.

I read one of the Theosophical Society's books I found at the library before I got the Isis Unveiled two-book set. I was walking down an aisle and a thin book was sticking out. So I checked it out. I remember thinking there was a lot of interesting stuff in it, and got Isis Unveiled as a result. A dear neighbor who passed away several years ago had a spiritualist church in Phoenix for decades. She used to reference Alice Bailey all the time, and she was the person who bequeathed to me an original copy of the Ra Material..

The mind is a many layered part of us. No matter how much we think we know, there is always more to be discovered. And of course it then goes way beyond the mind—it has to. One can't look at the Hubble photo of billions of galaxies alone, even as an empirical scientist, and not realize how vast, how mysterious, and how unfathomable from out point of view existence is.

[Ming the Merciful]

Another area that has been overlooked, are the teachings of Madam Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. The "Missing Link". Compared to the current strata of thinking, both parties seem to be Primordial and not current, (yet), the information they acquired at the time was phenomenal. Their teachings and philosophy is. (indirectly), related to current day thinking. In the writings of Madam Blavatsky, there are indirect connotations to Ra and Higher Beings, (implying otherworldly). Has anyone read Isis Unveiled" or the "Secret Doctrine". Highly recommended reading. There are more things in Heaven and Earth than you realize. Once again, everything is connected, (is it not). Don't look at the obvious, but the sublime. The God(s) work in mysterious ways?

I have read Isis Unveiled, many years ago. There were two volumes—theology (I think) and science. Someone (I always lend out books to whomever) borrowed my copies and I never got them back.

I read one of the Theosophical Society's books I found at the library before I got the Isis Unveiled two-book set. I was walking down an aisle and a thin book was sticking out. So I checked it out. I remember thinking there was a lot of interesting stuff in it, and got Isis Unveiled as a result. A dear neighbor who passed away several years ago had a spiritualist church in Phoenix for decades. She used to reference Alice Bailey all the time, and she was the person who bequeathed to me an original copy of the Ra Material..

The mind is a many layered part of us. No matter how much we think we know, there is always more to be discovered. And of course it then goes way beyond the mind—it has to. One can't look at the Hubble photo of billions of galaxies alone, even as an empirical scientist, and not realize how vast, how mysterious, and how unfathomable from out point of view existence is.

Did you know that all the Theosophical books are online, and more importantly, free in PDF format? I used to have copies of Isis Unveiled and Secret Doctrine, until the point, (which changed my life), I lost them. Or, that was at the beginning of the "Transition". The point is, I realized I didn't have them, so I went, (forthwith), to the Theosophical Website and downloaded them. I always considered them like old friends. I have travelled a lot. Mostly across North America and Europe, (I have seen most of the countries in Western Europe). The point is, whenever I travelled, my travelling companion was always Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathrustra". Although it is the "Anti-God" and the rise of the Ape to Man. My favourite non-religious philosophical book. What is Ape to Man? A laughingstock and painful embarrassment. Just so is Man to the Superman. A laughingstock and painful embarrassment. My favourite quote.

However, by reading Nietzsche is also gave me the insight to question Religion, (all Religion). Question everything, and never accept anything on face value or false pretenses. This is what I was saying earlier, (if it was this discussion), about "Evangelical", because I can see some hints of it here, (small traces). What is that supposed to mean? Just because the Book of Ra was, (supposedly), from a channelled transcript, it does not make it absolute. No Spiritual treatise is "Absolute". The perfect example. I have read most of the Vedas, a lot of the Buddha's Sutras and I think the Bhagavad-Gita is, (probably), the most accurate Spiritual book. And then my brother became a Mormon. That is true. While I was venturing into Eastern Philosophy, (and some of it is extremely advanced). My brother converted and became a Mormon, (the agony). I read the Book of Mormon, and compared to the Philosophy of the East, it is like reading a comic book. People actually believe it? It is obvious by the way it was written that Joseph Smith, (and his cohorts), were illiterate. If that is supposed to be Spiritually inspired, then they have a lot to learn. The gullibility of people. People accept on blind faith, without questioning anything. Even question the validity of the Book of Ra. If the Book of Ra is what it claims to be, then it can prove itself against investigation and scrutiny.

Compared to a lot of people here, I probably sound a "Revolutionary" or "Backslider", (in Christian terminology), except I know enough about Religion and Philosophy to know if something is genuine, (or not). Although in favour for the Book of Ra, I do see reflections of the Vedas. The first time I glanced at it, I did think I was reading parts of the Upanishads or Mahabharata. It is that good. Did you see my other comments regarding the Mystery School in Peru? I had a friend and he had an interest in an organization in Cuzco, called "The Brotherhood of the Seven Rays". Basically, what it was. My friend considered himself to be an "Advanced Spiritual Being", and qualified to become a member of the Mystery School. He went to Peru, in search of the Mystery School. He did not find the Mystery School, (per se), but he found individuals who were outside the organization, who became contacts, and he was contacted after he returned home. They were in the Mystery School, working as outsiders. The fact is, he would have never qualified, because he was Spiritually immature. It was all ego. The point is, other outsiders visited him, and I happened to meet some of them. Without sounding egotistical, (which I am not). It was those people who got me into the Zen Buddhist organization, because they said I had potential. So that is how it is.

The Mystery School and the Law of One. What is the most amazing coincidence. I have read some of the writings from the Mystery School, and the core beliefs is in Ra. Or, there are, (supposed), otherworldly connections in the Mystery School through an associated covert organization. Then the connections go back to ancient Egypt, the Sumerians, and possibly Atlantis. So, we are talking BIG. Which puts the Law of One at the tip of a very large iceberg. The pinnacle at the top of the pyramid. This is why I am looking objectively and thoroughly at everything. There is a lot more here than most people realize? Here, (and not here), because there is a possible connection to something more intense. So question everything and do not accept on face value. There are also those that say, that the Theosophical Society has connections with Eastern Mystery Schools, (and again), connections and influences from Ra. We must join the dots. Look at the overall picture, not one small fragment. So ends the discourse...

Peace.

[unity100]

Creating alternative cultures and sub-cultures is definitely needed, it must happen, and it is happening everywhere, especially on internet.

The evolutionary direction of the universe itself bends toward togetherness: the merging of self with self and with other-self, and finally with the Creator, is the path to the heart of self.

Indeed, and spiritual evolution actually bends the existence towards the point where everything is united.

[Ming the Merciful]

Creating alternative cultures and sub-cultures is definitely needed, it must happen, and it is happening everywhere, especially on internet.

The evolutionary direction of the universe itself bends toward togetherness: the merging of self with self and with other-self, and finally with the Creator, is the path to the heart of self.

Indeed, and spiritual evolution actually bends the existence towards the point where everything is united.

I have the belief that during OUR next stage of evolution. Religion will become extinct. Please note, I said "Religion" and not "Spirituality". The perfect example. There is a religious sect, with a million members. All the members believe in the core beliefs of the sect. There are two people sitting next to each other. Each individual has their own interpretation of the core belief, and could be totally opposite to the person sitting next to him. What I am saying is, Spirituality and Spiritual Development is totally on the individual interpretation and is an Absolute. What every person in this organization has their own interpretation of the teachings, (and they are correct). Even if another member disagrees with them, (even an opposing view). and yet it remains correct, (and an Absolute). Spirituality, (as an entity), is an Absolute.

So ends the discourse...

Peace.

[Ohr Ein Sof]

So long as you remain in this incarnation, no matter how many mistakes you make, you can choose again.

Besides, the universe would have used someone else even had you not volunteered. In that sense, there are no mistakes. In the long term, it all fita together like a puzzle from the future.

Cats can drop things from high up when figuring out puzzles.

Another area that has been overlooked, are the teachings of Madam Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. The "Missing Link". Compared to the current strata of thinking, both parties seem to be Primordial and not current, (yet), the information they acquired at the time was phenomenal. Their teachings and philosophy is. (indirectly), related to current day thinking. In the writings of Madam Blavatsky, there are indirect connotations to Ra and Higher Beings, (implying otherworldly). Has anyone read Isis Unveiled" or the "Secret Doctrine". Highly recommended reading. There are more things in Heaven and Earth than you realize. Once again, everything is connected, (is it not). Don't look at the obvious, but the sublime. The God(s) work in mysterious ways?

Both excellent books