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Post by a on Feb 4, 2005 7:50:21 GMT
Yoki posted on another thread"As a speculative Mason I strive for the next sage which is Spiritual"
Sometimes in life it is possible to strive really hard for something only to find that it is right there.
And I would suggest that over the next year or so more and more Freemasons will come to appreciate the progression from speculative to spiritual. It won't be an easy transformation for some, and I would imagine that there will be a lot of waves, but if I were a betting man (which I am not) I would bet that some Lodges in some Fraternities have been finding strengthening spiritual backing at a Lodge level for some decades now.
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Post by Hubert (N. Z.) on Feb 4, 2005 8:59:09 GMT
The beauty of this forum, amongst others, is that with its' freeflow of ideas we all become more informed and thus the spiritual will surface.
Just because general freemasonry tended towards the mundane,does not in itself mean, it had no purpose. We must all lay a foundation stone, of any edifice, prior to the "Temple" being built.
"Spiritual" freemasonry is no superior ideal, mearly a different approach, and each has much to learn from each other, which I beleive will bring a melding of the two. when we are then both ready to unite as one WHOLE.
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Post by hollandr on Feb 5, 2005 0:16:37 GMT
Folks
Can I put in a plug for Masonry as a science?
What does that mean?
Is Masonry then a spiritual science?
How is a spiritual science different from spiritual study?
Cheers
Russell
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Post by Hubert (N. Z.) on Feb 5, 2005 8:34:49 GMT
Knowledge in Action!
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Post by hollandr on Feb 6, 2005 7:46:00 GMT
Hubert
Yes, that is to use the science established by past brethren.
What are we doing to progress the science and discover (or rediscover) new knowledge?
Russell
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Post by Hubert (N. Z.) on Feb 6, 2005 8:36:27 GMT
I would imagine that could lead to a very long discussion.
Before we can put anything into action we need to have the tools whereby we can understand the observations we make.
It is not sufficient to just observe when doing scientific investigation, for, as one result occurs we must test it with other processes.
You, Russell, are obviously hinting at more spiritual scientific investigation, which the newly initiated need to become familiar with prior to delving deeper.
Having achieved that we then need to formulate further means by which to continue our study. A good avenue to start would be meditation OR reliance on ones own intuition.
An example that works for me: I am also a natural therapist and perform several modalities, including therapeutic massage/reflexology/rebirthing. Quite unexpectantly (tho' it must have been that intuitive spark) I started following a method that always proved correct - I would massage an area on an individual (usually my wife), simultaneously getting an irritation/discomfort on some other pat of MY body. If I then investigated that area on the patient I found this to be of even greater discomfort to the patient, even if they themselves were initially unaware that it needed treatment. A series of such 'pressure points' would ensue, until I got no further "message" and the treatment was complete for that session, the patient feeling immesurably better.
Like reflexology it is difficult to explain why it works, but the proof is in the result.
THAT IS WHAT I UNDERSTAND YOU TO MEAN BY FUTURE SSPIRITUAL SCIENCE.
I await your comments with a degree of fervor.
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Post by hollandr on Feb 6, 2005 9:03:09 GMT
Hubert
You have given an excellent example.
In your therapeutic dealings you are able to use your etheric and astral bodies as instruments for perception of the client.
To the extent that your systems are unstressed your resonances with the client are detectable in your own bodies.
This is a fundamental principle of spiritual science - use of our own vehicles as instruments.
Of course the vehicles are self-intelligent and may act instinctively but generally we should bring that aspect under control so that we can observe and test before triggering an intervention to occur.
One of the reasons for avoiding instinctive therapeutic interventions is to assess the rightness of the intervention. For example not all people suffer from their own problems. Also some people are very finely balanced in their difficulties - through intervention of other beings. In such cases an uncoordinated intervention by us may cause the client to lose functionality through unbalanced energies.
But I digress.
You are quite correct. The would be Masonic scientist must learn to work on the inner - generally through an effective meditation technique - and progressively cleanse the inner bodies so that energy may flow - then learn to control the inner bodies so that they become precise instrumental partners in our work.
And as we learn to control the mental steps of Jacob's ladder we become able to distinguish our own thoughts from those coming from outside.
At that stage we can detect clearly the suggestions coming to us. Assuming our alignment is good, we are then able to do useful inner work. For example we may be able to diagnose Masonic ritual and design improvements. We are also able then to establish a reliable communication with our sponsor(s)
Cheers
Russell
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Post by billmcelligott on Feb 8, 2005 3:34:54 GMT
One mans spirituality is another mans poison.
The lesson I have learned from my experiences in Masonry , is tolerance.
To accept the other mans Faith or belief system and not to stand in Judgement on him.
Is this not what sets Freemasons apart from all other Groups, the non expectation that you must conform in order to belong.
One expectation alone, to belief that there is a supreme being.
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ruffashlar
Member
Lodge Milncroft No. 1515 (GLoS), Govanhill Royal Arch Chapter 523 (S.G.R.A.C.S.)
Posts: 2,184
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Post by ruffashlar on Feb 8, 2005 4:23:34 GMT
Hiya Bill.
Respectfully, I must differ. You don't have to accept anyone's beliefs, and you certainly don't have to respect him for having them.
There are a lot of personal beliefs which in my opinion are total baloney, and I will freely expound upon them given the slightest encouragement.
You do have to respect his absolute freedom to have those beliefs, however, and that is a right which as much in another's behalf as in my own, I would defend to the death. The way things are headed, I may even have to.
Beliefs are not people, they are not worth protecting because they cannot be harmed. But rights are fragile, and we in the exercise of our freedom to believe and not to believe, do each day strengthen them to a philosophic muscularity.
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Post by taylorsman on Feb 8, 2005 10:38:46 GMT
I'm with Bro Bill here. There are many beliefs, some Religious, some Political, to which I object in myself and could never accept nor follow but I do not enter into arguments about them with their adherents AS LONG AS THEY IN TURN DO NOT SEEK TO IMPOSE THESE UPON ME!
If someone believes that drinking alcohol is "sinful" that is their affair, I am not forcing them to drink it, but they must not seek to stop me enjoying my pint or glass of Whisky. Likewise if Pork to you is unclean, don't eat it, but don't stop me eating a pork pie! If you are against Contraception, that is up to you, and your partner's affair , but I have had a Vasectomy so use it now automatically in any intercourse I may enjoy.
If someone believes that a man or woman is a "Saint" because they have been declared as such, that is up to them, but don't ask me to venerate them.
So in all it is about "Give and Take" and mutual respect and tolerance . I will only attack someone's beliefs be those Religious or Political if they pose a threat to my own or if they have been deliberately offensive to mine.
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Post by bevan on Feb 8, 2005 17:36:49 GMT
Russell, like ruff I respect your right to hold your beliefs. I also even respect your beliefs as, in many ways, they reflect mine, albeit from a totally different viewpoint it would appear. However, I do not intend to expound much further on my personal spiritual beliefs here as they are exactly that - personal. My truth is no doubt not the same as yours. Herein lies my problem with your belief in Masonry as a spiritual science. Anyway, as you have been quite free with your beliefs perhaps I could ask you to expand on your quote below... ...And as we learn to control the mental steps of Jacob's ladder we become able to distinguish our own thoughts from those coming from outside. I promise not to play Socrates but could you perhaps give us an example of outside thoughts that were not your own? How did you know? In the process of working this out were you using your thought or outside thoughts? When you visualise or foreground an entity/energy etc. do you think or feel their thoughts? Again, what do you use to differentiate? The steps of Jacob's Ladder is a little nebulous and could mean so many different things to different people. Of course explanations on forums like this can only go as far as their textual interpretation but it's a start...
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Post by Hubert (N. Z.) on Feb 9, 2005 8:30:23 GMT
I'm right with you there Taylorsman. Your examples are a credit to any TRUE Freemason.
Tollerance & understanding goes along way to making this planet a safer and more pleasant place to live.
But added to that it provides us all with an open mind to listen and judge for ourselves what is meaningfull.
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Post by hollandr on Feb 9, 2005 9:53:55 GMT
Bevan
The fundamental skill required is being able to observe your own mind operating so that you can distinguish incoming thoughts.
The step on Jacob's ladder that is relevant is 5.2 - the second highest subplane of the mental - the level on which exist the love petals of the soul.
Below that frequency we tend to be too absorbed in our mental processes to observe clearly.
But here are some typical examples:
Many years ago I learned to ride a bicycle in northern scotland in winter when the road was so icy that it was very difficult to walk. On the first day I had a thought : I am going to fall off. Being well trained in mental stuff I pushed the junk thought away - and immediately fell off.
The next day - wobble wobble on the ice - and here is the same thought. Ok Junk thought - push it away. I immediately fell off.
Third day - wobble wobble - Thinks: I'm going to fall off. Oh no it is a warning not a junk thought." I concentrate hard and I do not fall off.
Then a month later, I am driving around a narrow highland road and come to a blind corner. Thought: this is a dangerous corner.
I am getting good at this by now. I brake quite sharply and 2 seconds later a car comes around the corner on the wrong side. If I had not braked sharply on a clear road there would have been a collision.
Of course if we are doing spiritual work the incoming thoughts may be more profound.
There also entities that conceal themselves in our minds and drop poisonous thoughts in that we think are our own and often act upon.
If you want to be good at this you have to practice rising on the planes - a qabalistic exercise concealed under the image of Jacobs ladder
Cheers
Russell
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Post by bevan on Feb 9, 2005 10:25:13 GMT
Russell, I appreciate your thoughts and honesty. My view is different in that I am everything that I think and experience. Of course I am also an integral part of the whole. Very much like a flower IS the bulb through which time flows. This to me is the key. Time flows through us as complete entities, we do not change or grow older through time. Time is simply the window through which we observe our "current self". Therefore, for me, distinguishing incoming thoughts makes no sense. My job is to simply expand my consciousness enough and realise my complete self and my place in complete union with the whole.
In general I find Theosophy and Rosicrucian theory all a little disappointing. I think that far too many people have ascribed meaning to symbols and theories that were probably never intended in the first place. During the 1800's they developed a life of their own and people now think they need to practise the alchemy of the old romantics to get anywhere. Of course, qabalistic exercises and "rising through the planes" will be of use to some folk but to me it all seems a little mechanical. I can understand how this could be seen as a "science of spirituality" but to me that is a contradiction in terms. Not sure if I'm making myself clear...?
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Post by hollandr on Feb 9, 2005 11:04:45 GMT
Bevan
If I understand your position then there is nothing for the human race to do but be itself.
So any temple in the heavens is not for us to help with.
And any nature kingdoms that may be unbalanced are for some other species to sort out.
For myself I am too active for that. It seems to me that I have work to do and the sooner I sort out what should be in me and what should not. the sooner I can get on with it.
Cheers
Russell
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Post by bevan on Feb 9, 2005 11:28:01 GMT
I think perhaps that there is nothing for the human race to do but to DISCOVER itself. That means you can be as active or as inactive as you desire. Any temple in the heavens is already built and we are already a part of it. All nature kingdoms are already in balance. However, we may only be viewing certain aspects of them, causing us to see an imbalance which does not actually exist.
We each unfold further layers of our self as we seek them out. Some might not recognise the next layer until they've unfolded the current one. But I don't think it's linear and the relative strength of the different aspects of ourselves determine which paths we follow and which layers we unfold.
Altenatively, perhaps we do simply need to just BE ourselves and let the layers dissolve by not tinkering with them. Like a pimple left alone it will eventually go away and not get further inflamed. In many ways I am attracted to this 'zen' approach because I realise that in this current manifestation of my self I know I cannot come to know all that is. Also, knowing does not necessarily imply drawing closer to union with the ultimate truth for knowledge is simply an idea developed that could, for all we know, be drifting away from it.
The nature of 'contact' with other entities or outside thoughts is that we think they must be correct. But of course we would, wouldn't we? The logical problem I have is that as soon as we think we have the truth, then a) it must necessarily evolve to something more or b) we should either become entirely whole or cease to exist.
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Post by hollandr on Feb 10, 2005 11:37:02 GMT
Bevan
Your position is attractive - the human race only has to discover itself.
In a sense that is clearly true.
But perhaps we have to know the answer (the real nature and role of humanity) before we can design the discovery process.
If the human race is an active component in a bigger system then perhaps we have to practice being that component and interacting with other components. I think that is implicit in Masonry - e.g the stone rejected.
On the other hand if the solar system were a form of laboratory specimen then the human race could just be, without any concern about external obligations.
So I guess it depends whether you think the Creator has finished the creation process and everything just has to settle down.
Or perhaps the Creator is still warming up and is looking for some help with the newer bits - e.g. right relationship.
I suppose that that could be one meaning to the Sons of God idea and to the recent idea of co-creators that has crept unannounced into the western psyche.
As far as Truth goes, I think we can learn something from Masonry. There we use a plumbline or a level to check trueness relative to our instrument. There is no sense of absolute trueness - it is always relative. Perhaps Truth is not a proper word but a reification of a process.
Cheers
Russell
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Post by whistler on Feb 10, 2005 18:53:35 GMT
Threads like this can be really exciting I like to look to the sky on a cloudness light - to see the millions of stars knowing there a millions more that I can't see. Then I think of the tiny tiny little planet - full of all the smart people who think they know so much - with Gods and ritual who only talk about Planet Earth.. If we free ourselves from the Earth mind we are able to wonder and work through so many more concepts. There is nothing so wacky that it should be written off. These posting take split seconds to travel around the world, only 200 years ago it would have taken over a year. Why should Stewarts Sirrus connection be impossible. If Russell and others can astral back to Egypt why stop at Egypt.. There is even an option to consider Russell just goes to the Akashic Library and looks in the correct Book. Lots of Esoteric students refer to "Gateways" Maybe those gateways do exist and may be a clue to travelling great distance. Many Freemasons claim ritual traces back to Atlantis - yet scientists can't find Atlantis. Maybe they are not looking with the correct skills. Most religions have a creation legend that focus on "Gods creating earth" wonder if those God's had Gods who made them. Which of those Gods planted the seeds of those legends - where did they come from - With the Martians as carved in the Rocks of the Sahara? We may live 70 odd earth years - how many 70 years in even one light year. It is important not to get too hung up on all these things - we are living a life on planet earth - The freedom to be able to consider any concepts is wonderful. It is unlikely we will know all the answers the exciting thing is each answer provides the next question. It is this Knowledge that lets us smile when people say that something is rubbish or impossible. Think of the etheric beings we connect with in our Lodge Meetings - then think of the Cosmos ---mmmm...... might be just too much to consider - my point is somehow the question has been raised ;D
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Post by billmcelligott on Feb 10, 2005 20:31:55 GMT
My lessons are:
So if each Mason enters into Freemasonry having agreed he must accept that all , should respect every Faith.
Respect and tolerate all.
I have only sailed through the First degree so far.
Many say the words , not so many live by them. So I would like to repeat my earlier post:
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Post by hollandr on Feb 11, 2005 10:08:26 GMT
Whistler
some odd comments:
- One of my favourite characters is a cosmic seagod standing in the solar system on playground duty.
- The akashic records are probably better not imagined as books so much as the bodies of the beings who ensoul the planes of existence. Hence all our emotional acts are embedded in the body of the being who ensouls the astral plane of earth - one of the lords of karma and one part of the Recording Angel of the Book of Revelation. The implications of this can be deduced.
- Gateways (portals) do exist and serve to connect different parts of existence (different dimensions?) closely together so that communication and travel is easy. I think they may also be termed wormholes and they can connect into the next incarnation of the solar system - that is the solar system when our god is not a god of love but a god of will. If we accidentally get really good at building a group light body we may generate some substance suitable for the body of the Heavenly Father in His next incarnation. This substance would progress (in most cases) through a "wormhole" into the next solar system that does not exist in our time. (Sorry Ruffy - I call it as I see it)
- The religion of the gods partially survives in the 3 fold grip in HRA. There may be other remanents in RAM. They left these for their descendents - among others, the sons of the Widow
- The Martian connection is real - see Dune for a reasonable exposition - Arrakis is Mars - says it in the book. Our ancestors mucked up Mars and here we are having a go on another planet
- some of the etheric beings in the lodge may be cosmic etheric - just putting a finger into the earth to feel the lodge.
Cheers
Russell
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