Throughout our worlds history, great teachers, masters, avatars, messiahs, prophets, buddhas, and bodhisattvas, have taught us the steps we need to take in order to help liberate ourselves from suffering. Some of those steps include changing the way we think, feel, and act. Ethics, principles, laws, commandments are the very foundation of each great religion. Today we are going to discuss the first three of Manly P Hall’s Ten Basic Rules for Better Living and how ethics, religious laws, commandments and the great work relate to them and us. We are going to discuss how changing the way we think, feel and act are important factors for our spiritual development.
1. Stop worrying
The popular idea that a worrier is a thoughtful and conscientious citizen is false. The Egyptians realized this when they included worry among the cardinal sins. Do not confuse thoughtfulness and worry. The thoughtful person plans solutions, but the worrier merely dissolves in his own doubt. If you think straight, you will have less cause for worrying. The worrier not only suffers the same disaster many times, but undermines his health and annoys all others with whom he comes into contact. There are many things in this world that require thoughtful consideration, but there is really nothing to fear but fear. - MPH
At the root of any worry or fear, is some desire, ego. Through desire ignorance is born.
Samael Aun Weor said:
"The ego is the root of ignorance and pain."
The Ego-Ignorance is the cause of our worries and fears. The ego creates ignorance. The ego is our pride, anger, lust, greed, vanity, envy, gluttony, sloth, selfishness, etc, and we worry because we have these psychological defects. We worry because most of our consciousness is asleep and thus; we cannot perceive reality.
“The human being - has his or her consciousness asleep. Therefore, he or she is incapable of vividly experiencing that which is not of time, that which is the Reality.” - Samael Aun Weor
“97 percent of our consciousness, is bottled up within the ego.” - Samael Aun Weor
If 97 percent of our consciousness is trapped in ego, then we only have a small amount of consciousness available to work with. Our level of perception is quite low. We have many worries and fears because we are more unconscious then conscious. We feel pain in our body and our emotions and our minds are in chaos. What is this pain? Why am I suffering? We worry about money and because we worry, we create fears that we will go hungry or that our children will go hungry. We worry about not being able to pay the bills. We worry about not being able to buy the latest technology, clothing, vehicle, movie, etc, etc. We end up envying what others have because we cannot afford what they have. We worry about death, sicknesses, war, etc. We worry about not being special, good looking, etc. We worry about what other’s think or say about us. We worry about our spouse leaving us. If we don’t have a spouse we worry about finding one and all of this worrying leads to fear. We end up radiating fear and we spread that fear to others. We pass it on to others. Our worries and fears hinder our spiritual work. We worry because we are not living in the present moment. We have our minds focused on the future or the past. We are creating illusions when we Worry about things that haven’t come to pass. Our illusions creat suffering for ourselves and others.
All of our worries and fears fall under what Samael Aun Weor describes as Subjective Reasoning.
What is Subjective Reasoning? Subjective has to do with a mistaken perception or some kind of a mental interpretation that is a self-created illusion within our mind.
The following is a quote by Samael Aun Weor:
“Sub, under,” that which is below the range of our perceptions. What is below our perceptions? Is it not perhaps the Infernal Worlds? Is it not perhaps subjective that which is in the physical or beneath the physical? So, what is truly subjective is what is below the limits of our perceptions.“Subjective: the darkness, the tenebrous. The subjective elements of perception are the outcome of seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting. All of these are perceptions of what we see in the third dimension. For example, in one cube we see only length, width and height. We do not see the fourth dimension because we are bottled up within the ego. The subjective elements of perception are constituted by the ego with all of its “I’s.” Subjective - Vague, incoherent, not precise, illusory, fantastical, absurd.” - Samael Aun Weor
There is another type of reasoning that Samael Aun Weor describes as Objective Reasoning.
What is Objective Reasoning?
The following is a quote from Samael Aun Weor:
"Objective - Real, spiritual, true, divine, etc. Awakened consciousness is objective. Only objective consciousness can enjoy objective knowledge. Objective: the light, the resplendence; it is that which contains the Truth, clarity, lucidity. Objective reasoning is the reasoning of the Being. Subjective reasoning is the reasoning of the animal ego. Objective reasoning is possessed only by the one who has passed through the Buddhist Annihilation [the complete elimination of the ego: pride, lust, envy, avarice, laziness, jealousy, anger, etc]... The objective reasoning is the mind of light, it is real intelligence, exalted thoughts. This can only be processed in accordance with the inner, vivid experiences of the consciousness." - Samael Aun Weor
Samael also mentioned the consciousness.
What is the consciousness? Consciousness is the foundation of perception and understanding. Consciousness relates to the soul, the essence, to the Being.
"Consciousness is not the mind or the senses. Consciousness utilizes the mind, heart, and senses to perceive, but can perceive levels of existence that are beyond our mind (intellect), heart, and physical senses. In Kabbalah, consciousness is related to several sephiroth on the tree of life, primarily Tiphereth and Geburah. - Glorian Gnostic Instructor
Click on the image in order to see the full picture!
So, we need to learn how to shine the light of the consciousness on our worries and fears, but it’s difficult because we still have our perception filtered by the ego and we only have so much free consciouness to work with. We have not achieved the Buddhist Annihilation. We still have ego and objective reasoning is difficult for us.. All the impressions we take in, all our thoughts, and emotions are clouded by our egos.. But we do have some ability to tap into our superior reasoning - By utilizing our consciousness and by questioning things that come into our mind. When doing this, we are seeking to observe the entire situation that we find ourselves in that is causing worry and fear. We should question our instincts, emotions, and intellect because it's important to question ourselves when we begin to worry about things. For example: Why am I worried? Is this worth worrying over? Why do I feel this way, think this way, and act this way? When we are worried, how do we feel? Are we stressed? If yes, does that stress create suffering for you and those around you? How do we feel physically, emotionally and mentally when we are worried? Does worrying help us, or does it create chaos in our minds and hearts? Are our worries going to help create a better world inside and outside of us? Are they going to solve the problem or make it worse? If we spend our time worrying, what happens, what is the outcome? Other factors that help us utilize our objective reasoning when afflicted with worries and fears are: Praying to our Innermost Being, meditating and paying attention to our intuition when we question ourselves. These practices help us comprehend our worries and fears. Do we turn to God or do we we get lost in egotistical chaos? "To be or not to be."
Let’s discuss what intuition is:
Intuition is a type of understanding and information that comes from our Innermost Being.
Samael Aun Weor describes intuition in the following way:
“Intuition is direct perception of the truth, without the depressing process of reasoning and opinions. The Inner Master speaks to us through intuition (feelings, perceptions, hunches). If humans obeyed these intuitions, they would live without problems. It is the faculty of interpretation." - Samael Aun Weor
Overtime, we discover that our egos confuse us (Subjective reasoning). The ego worries because the ego is worry. The ego is the intelligence of the underworld. The ego utilizes our instincts, emotions and intellect. The ego works through our three brains and five centers (intellect, emotion, motor, instinct, sex). We have explained what the 3 brains and five centers are in past lectures. The ego cannot comprehend nor perceive that which is truth. The ego is not capable of comprehending the light.
The ego is darkness.
"And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehend it not." - John 1:5
So, Worry and Fear can create many kinds of sufferings. These sufferings may include: stress, anxiety, untrustworthiness, paranoia, violence, selfishness, addictions, etc. Through these, many more diabolical creations come about, inside and outside of us. We cannot control everything and worrying about things that we have no control over falls under what Samael Aun Weor calls “subjective reasoning.” We need to learn to be alert, vigilant, conscious, and cognizant from moment to moment, so that when worry and fear enter into our hearts and minds, we see them for what they are. If we study ourselves we find that they are Self-created illusions, subjective elements that come from the underworld (sub-consciousness, infraconsciousness, unconsciousness). If we want to overcome ignorance we have to study ourselves. We have to face our fears. We need to learn how to utilize our consciousness. When we learn how to utilize our consciousness we can observe and perceive any given phenomena at our own level. With the consciousness we can study our psychological defects. We can observe our thoughts, feelings and actions throughout the day. We can observe ourselves during meditation. We can observe what comes into our mind, while being aware of our psychological well-being. We want to observe ourselves consciously not mechanically or on autopilot so to speak. We are observing consciously when we are alert, cognizant and watchful. For example: When we shine our flashlight in the dark to see something, we are utilizing energy and light to focus on something. This is the same kind of process when we use our energies and the light of the consciousness to focus on something within ourselves. When we learn to use our consciousness in order to comprehend our worries and fears, which is the faculty of alert, cognitive perception, through the processes of Self-observation (observing our thoughts, emotions and actions), Self-Remembering (Remembering our inner divinity) and Meditation, we comprehend that worry and fear are temporary. We learn that they are without true value and pass away like the coming wind.
We’ll end this first one with a short quote by Samael Aun Weor:
"Do not worry; cultivate the habit of being happy." - Samael Aun Weor
2. Stop trying to dominate and posses your friends and relatives
“Each of us likes to feel that he is running his own life. The moment we recognize the rights of others to seek life, liberty, and happiness according to their own dreams, hopes, and aspirations, we begin to conserve our own resources. It is very debilitating to give advice which is ignored or rejected, and equally disappointing to attempt to posses and dominate persons who immediately resent and combat our dictatorial tendencies. We are hurt when they do not see things our way. If we save advice for ourselves and those who seek it from us, and who are therefore grateful, all concerned will be the better.” - MPH
Desire is at the root of trying to dominate our fellowman. The Desire to dictate or enforce our will upon someone else can be motivated by many different egos. Our egos of pride, anger, greed, envy, lust, etc, motivate us to dominate and enforce our will upon others.
Here is an example given by Samael Aun Weor:
Audiance: I want to ask you a favor: it so happens that my husband has been taken from me by another woman; I undergo the unspeakable, and do not know what to do. Since you know the esoteric sciences, it seems to me that you could fix my problem. I know that you have a wonderful mental force and therefore, you can dominate the mind of the neighbor, to entice the beloved one, to place him at my feet by means of magic. What would be the price of your work? I can pay you whatever the price may be. Samael Aun Weor: I believe you are mistaken, lady. I am not a black magician. To use the forces of the mind in order to subjugate others, in order to enslave them, in order to force them, is violence, and any violent act is black magic. Each to his own. Nobody has the right to intrude into the private affairs of other people; it is absurd to want to dominate others. When will people learn to respect the free will of others? Do you believe perhaps that one can force somebody—to force him with impunity—to love other people, just by our whim? It is necessary for you to know that these types of actions of black magic are chastised with very severe punishments. The angels of destiny are not willing to forgive these types of crimes. Therefore, if you continue on that path you will receive your punishment. In this world there are many people who dedicate themselves to witchcraft, to sorcery, to black magic. Thousands of sorcerers live on that filthy business, thus, it is clear that such people do not progress because black magic brings misery, hunger, nakedness, supreme pain. - Samael Aun Weor, The Law of Freewill
So, each one of us has freewill and to dominate or enforce our will onto someone else is a type of black magic. To take away someone's freewill is unethical. Those who wish to dominate the minds of others tread the path of the demon.
What are Ethics?
In Christianity ethics are known as the Ten Commandments. In Buddhism we have the five precepts which are ethical laws. To not Kill, to not steal, refrain from the misuse of the senses or sensual pleasure, refrain from wrong speech, refrain from intoxicants. In Hinduism you have the Yoga Sutras. The first two Sutras are Yama and Niyama. Yama and Niyama correspond to things we should and shouldn't do. Yama and Niyama are about ethics and behavior. These types of teachings will help us learn the right way to think, feel, act and that there are consequences for our actions.
“Yama and Niyama are about learning to restrain behaviors that harm ourselves and others, and learning to adopt behaviors that benefit ourselves and others.” - Glorian Gnostic Instructor
For more information study the yoga sutras at Glorian.org
So, we should question ourselves when we desire to dominate others: For example: Why do we want others to agree with us or to see things our way? Do we want to be right? What is our motivator? Is it my greed, envy, pride, laziness, lust, etc. What do we want? Do we want them to do something for us? Do we want something they have? Are we seeking to control someone with our perverse behaviors and tendencies? Why? Is what I want going to create suffering? A lot of the time we lie to get what we want. We lie in order to dominate someone's mind into believing us. Is lying ethical? One of the commandments or laws in the Bible tells us "to not bare false witness against thy neighbor." Baring false witness is to lie and if we become aware of ourselves we may find that we lie in many ways. Another commandment is "to not kill." Killing is not only a physical action. We also kill mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. We kill a part of ourselves when we lie. Lying causes us to destroy and imprison part of our light (essence). We create deceitful monsters (Egos) within our interior. We end up destroying and wasting our energies. How about the other person that we lied to. Have we thought about what happens to them? How we hurt them mentally and emotionally, by destroying and killing the trust that they once had in us? Have we hurt their feelings? Have we destroyed part of the relationship? What are the karmic consequences?
Samael Aun Weor said:
“Everything depends on the law of karma. This word (karma) means action and consequence.”
Many sacred teachings teach us not to behave this way. Why? Because it's unethical and it creates suffering. When you lie pay attention to your internal well-being. How do you feel, think and act? Another way we seek to dominate others is by trying to change them. Some of us think we know better then those around us and we try to dominate them by telling them they are wrong and we are right. We may feel that we are superior and we justify our actions. We try to show them that we know better and that by doing so, we're just simply trying to help them. Perhaps we are right, but have we thought of the fact that they may not be ready to hear what we have to say? What is motivating us to say something? Is it coming from pride, etc? We may have good intentions, but most of the time our sincere but mistaken intentions create suffering for the other person and ourselves. We need to learn to put ourselves in someone else's situation.
Here are a few quotes by Samael Aun Weor:
"There are sincere but mistaken individuals, people with magnificent yet mistaken intentions. Remember that the path that leads to the abyss is paved with good intentions."
"Cruelty will continue to exist on the face of the earth as long as we have not learned to put ourselves in the place of others."
Some other ways that we ourselves are dominated/influenced or we dominate other people is through tv, radio, news papers, internet, music, etc. We may watch, listen and read things that are not good for us. We may have those around us do the same. We begin to discover the truth of this when we become more aware of ourselves (paying attention to our thoughts, emotions and actions). When we meditate we are trying to observe ourselves. Through the process of meditation we find that our minds and hearts are in chaos. We find that we are psychologically disturbed, because of all the garbage we've been consuming for a very long time. We find out that we've been lied to. We find that what's mostly on tv, media, etc, is false, unethical, and egotistical. Truly, in order for us to become aware of these factors, we need to meditate and we need ethics. We need to see things in the right way. So, There are many ways that we may desire to dominate others and all of them cause suffering. Most of us are not aware that we are dominating others and that’s because we don’t have a strong ethical foundation. It is also because we have our consciousness asleep. A great spiritual teacher known as the Buddha Shakyamuni seeked to find out the causes of suffering and he discovered that desire and ignorance are the root of suffering. He also taught the eightfold path and the first step of the eightfold path is Right View.
What is Right View?
"It is the knowledge of suffering, the knowledge of the origin of suffering, the knowledge of the cessation of suffering and the knowledge of the way of practice leading to the cessation of suffering. This is what is called Right View."
When we study ourselves, we begin to discover that we've been viewing things throughout our lives the wrong way. We begin to comprehend that our actions have created suffering. We learn if we have ethics, and if we renounce harmful activities, little by little we begin to transform our minds and hearts. We start to see things from a new perspective. We begin to feel and act in an upright way. When we have ethical discipline we stop seeking to dominate others, and we stop allowing ourselves to be dominated. We begin to perceive and view things in a new way. We begin to comprehend the garbage we once consumed was killing us and instead of dominating people, we seek to love our fellow beings.
3. Moderate Ambition
“There is a tendency to overlook natural and simple blessings while we plunge on toward distant goals. Each individual has certain capacities. If he can recognize his own abilities and work with them, he can attain personal security. If, however, he is constantly seeking that which is not reasonably attainable, he can never know happiness or contentment. The wise man observes the disastrous results of uncontrollable ambitions, and chooses moderation. It is not necessary to be famous in order to be happy, nor must one be the leading citizen in the community in order to gratify ones social instinct. The ambitious usually pay too much for what they get, and are the more miserable after they get it.” - MPH
What’s Ambition? It is a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work.
In the beginning, it is common for us to set goals for ourselves that are unattainable. There are many of us who believe we can skip steps and reach enlightenment. Some of us believe we can meditate and reach samadhi without first having built a solid foundation in ethics, concentration, renunciation, etc. We want to be able to astral project, talk to masters, invoke angels, meet our innermost, awaken chakras, become great teachers, etc. We want them without having done the work in order to earn those abilities and gifts. We want a spouse so that we can awaken our kundalini, etc. We want to attain degrees and initiation’s without having eliminated our psychological, defects, aggregates, vices and errors. Eventually we discover that our ambitious goals are rooted in desire and are motivated by ego. Our egos are impatient. The "me," the "myself," the "I" (Ego) wants things right now. The ego wants to be special. It wants to be recognized, followed, worshipped, etc. The ego is ambitious and believes it can achieve things that have nothing to do with it. The ego justifies itself and believes it can go to heaven. So, before we set goals we should ask ourselves, "is any of my ambitious goals motivated by humility, love, or a longing to know divinity or am I motivated by selfishness, pride, envy, lust, vanity, greed, etc?" Sometimes when we read Samael's teachings, we think to ourselves, "I wish I could do that," "I want to be a able to do those things," etc? But are our goals truly attainable? Right here and now? With who we are today? Again, are they motivated by love or selfish desire? Sometimes we end up feeling like failures when we create goals for ourselves that we never achieve and sometimes we end up giving up. Why? Because the ego is impatient. The ego cannot achieve spiritual victory but it thinks that it can. In the beginning, our want to to do this work may be rooted in ambition, desire, etc, but over time, as we keep working, we comprehend these factors and we change. Our egotistical ambitious goals transform into aspirations to be a good person and to know our inner divinity. We begin to fall in love with the great work.
The following quote is about ambition from the book Fundamentals of Gnostic Education by Samael Aun Weor:
"There exists ambition in the one who aspires with infinite madness “to become someone, to show himself to others, to climb” and there exists ambition in the one who becomes an anchorite because he does not want anything from this world, and his only ambition is to reach Heaven, to become a liberated one, etc. So, there exists mundane ambition and spiritual ambition. Sometimes ambition uses the mask of indifference or sacrifice. There are those whose ambition does not set its sights this miserable wretched world, because their ambition aims for the world beyond; thus, their ambition is not to acquire money but psychic powers. The ego, the self-willed, the myself, masquerades while hiding ambition; he conceals ambition within the most secret nooks of the mind, and then says, “I have no ambition, I love my fellowmen, I work unselfishly on behalf of all human beings.” All wars have their origin in fear and ambition, and the most serious problems of life have their origins in ambition. Love must replace ambition.
So, we need to study ourselves in order to know what we are capable of and we need to know our level of Being. The Level of Being is the level of consciousness that we have right here and now.
In Samael Aun Weor's book Revolutionary Psychology he states the following:
"Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? What are we living for? Why are we living? Nobody can deny the fact that there are different social levels. There are churchgoing people, people in brothels, farmers, businessmen, etc. In a like manner, there are different Levels of Being. Whatever we are internally, munificent or mean, generous or miserly, violent or peaceful, chaste or lustful, attracts the various circumstances of life. The lustful person will always attract scenes, dramas and even lascivious tragedies in which he will become involved. A drunkard will always attract drunkards and will always be seen in bars or taverns; this is obvious… What will the usurer attract? The selfish one? How many problems? Jail? Misfortunes? Nonetheless, frustrated people, tired of suffering, want to change, to turn the page of their history... All things repeat themselves in their life; they say the same things, do the same things and complain about the same things. This boring repetition of dramas, comedies, and tragedies will continue as long as we carry in our interior all the undesirable elements of anger, covetousness, lust, envy, pride, laziness, gluttony, etc. What is our moral level? Or better said, what is our Level of Being? The repetition of all our miseries, scenes, misfortunes, and mishaps will last as long as the Level of our Being does not radically change. All things, all circumstances that occur outside ourselves, on the stage of this world, are exclusively the reflection of what we carry within. With good reason then, we can solemnly declare that the “exterior is the reflection of the interior.” When someone changes internally and if that change is radical, then circumstances, life, and the external also change. Therefore, if we really want a radical change, the first thing we must understand is that each one of us (whether black or white, yellow or brunette, ignorant or erudite, etc.), is at one “Level of Being” or another. What is our Level of Being? Have you ever reflected upon this? It would be impossible to pass into another level if we ignore the level in which we presently are."
So, it is good to know what our level of being is right now. Am I capable of reaching the goals that I am creating for myself? Is this goal attainable with my level of consciousness? What are we able to do right here and now? Through the processes of self-observation, self-remembering, meditation, continuing to put the teachings to use in our daily lives, we begin to know ourselves better and better. We discover our capabilities. We stop being ambitious. We begin to see things for what they are. We let things come naturally or unfold naturally. A goal, such as: eliminating an ego, becomes a normal part of our reality. Working to help those around us (sacrifice) gets to be more enjoyable, but we need to be aware and comprehend what is our motivator. Why am I doing any given thing? Love, or selfishness? Humility or pride? etc. After a lot of hard work and dedication, the teachings, some of the beautiful experiences that we read about, become attainable, and not because of an egotistical desire, but because we earned them. We begin to achieve gnosis. We have our own experiences and know longer desire someone else's. We begin to comprehend that our ambitious egos are holding us back. They keep us from experiencing reality. Our Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Vanity, Gluttony, Anger, Sloth, etc, are not capable of experiencing the truth.
Again Samael Aun Weor said:
"The ego is the root of ignorance and pain."
If we want to experience divinity, if we want to awaken in the astral world, then we need to awaken consciousness. We cannot awaken consciousness by strengthening and fortifying our egos. Our egos are the ones who motivate us to day dream of heights that we cannot reach yet. Again, the ego cannot go to heaven.
The Apostle Paul said:
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
These things relate to our egos and we have them within ourselves. So, we have work to do and it starts with ethics. It begins with becoming aware of who and what we are (How we act, speak, and feel). The beginning of our work consists of building a solid foundation. This is true whether your a Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, etc, etc. The Buddha taught that we need to refrain from to much sensual pleasure. How are we going to experience the teachings if we are addicted to pornography, the orgasm, intoxicants, tv, drama, etc. How are we going to know ourselves. How are we going to eliminate the ego if we are feeding it.
Have we ever found everlasting happiness through worrying, domination, and egotistical ambition? Have they created a beautiful world? What do we find when we take a look at our current humanity? Do we find harmony, and serenity or do we find disharmony with each other, and our planet? Without ethics we create a hell inside and outside of us. If we do not have compassion, love, patience, selflessness, respect, humility, charity, generosity, chastity, etc, and instead we have an abundance of greed, hatred, pride, lust, selfishness, envy, etc, etc, we end up creating a hell inside and outside of ourselves.
Samael said:
“The exterior is the reflection of our interior.”
What motivates us to worry, dominate others, and to have ambitious goals, whether they are moderate or not? Are they going to help us know our true selves? We need to know who is pulling the strings. Our egos that we’ve created are the idol worshiper’s. How is God going to help us if we continue to worship our addictions? How are we going to experience the teachings if we are wasting all of our energy worrying, and trying dominate our neighbors? How are we going to experience divinity if all we want is to fulfill an egotistical goal. How are we going to achieve anything we read about if we continue to engage in harmful activities? Our egos are cunning and they may trick us into believing it’s ok to watch things that harm our hearts and minds. It’s ok to listen to music that is negative. It’s ok that you covet powers because you want to use them to help others. It’s ok if you fear everything. It’s ok if you try to force your will onto someone else, because your right and they’re wrong. It’s ok if you indulge in activities that are harmful because your going to learn from them. This is what the Buddha called wrong view and all of this wrong perception is going to keep us trapped and we will continue to strengthen and fortify our egos. Our level of perception is clouded by our egos. So we need a solid foundation. We need ethics and we need to renounce harmful actions.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” - Mathew 7:24-27
“It is obvious that we must build the church (us) for the intimate Christ upon the living stone (sex). Woe to those who build their interior temple upon the quicksand of theories. Rain will fall, rivers will, run, and their house will crumble into the abyss.” - Samael Aun Weor
The stone that we build a solid foundation on relates to transmutation and sexual magic which we are not going to discuss to much today. But we need ethics if we are going to practice sexual magic with our spouse. How would we behave without ethics? Most likely like an animal. We would continue to fornicate.
19But the foundation of God stands firm, and it has this seal: “And THE LORD JEHOVAH knows those who are his, and let everyone who calls on the name of THE LORD JEHOVAH separate from evil.” - 2 Timothy 2:19
16Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. - Isaiah 28
So again, we build a strong foundation with ethics. Ethics helps us with meditation, and the awakening of our consciousness. Ethics helps us with all of the great work. We will not progress with the great work without them.
“If you want to be more alive, love is the truest health.” - Rumi
Samael Aun Weor stated that “Jesus did not covet powers, initiations, degrees, etc, but only wanted to be a good man.”
Here are some helpful prayers when we are confused. When we are in need of strength and guidance:
Prayer to the Divine Mother
Oh Divine Mother, I am all yours. You are my only refuge and support. Protect me, guide me, have pity on me.
Hail, Mary
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Yeshua. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, now and at the hour of the death of our defects. Amen
Prayer of the Lord (Pater Noster)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen
Apostles Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Gnostic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen
Evening Prayer and Exercise
In front of a mirror, contemplate your face closely. Then pray as follows:
My Soul, you should succeed. My Soul, you should overcome Satan. My Soul, take over my mind, my sentiments, my life. You should keep the Guardian of the Threshold far away from me. You should overcome him. You should take power over me totally. Amen. Amen. Amen
“The Guardian of the Threshold is our Satan… our internal beast, the source of all our animal passions and brutal appetites…” - Samael Aun Weor, the Revolution of Beelzebub
Another important prayer is the Invocation of Solomon. We need to study Kabbalah in order to understand this prayer. But until we comprehend each of the ten Sephiroth of the tree of life we can still utilize this prayer. This prayer calls upon many forces and names of God. When called upon they will help us and give immediate assistance, guidance, and protection.
Powers of the Kingdom, be ye under my left foot and in my right hand! Glory and Eternity, take me by the two shoulders and direct me on the path to victory! Mercy and Justice, be ye the equilibrium and splendor of my life! Intelligence and wisdom, crown me! Spirits if Malkuth, lead me betwixt the two pillars upon which rests the whole edifice of the temple! Angels of Netzach, and Hod, establish me upon the cubic stone of Yesod! O Gedulael! O Geburael! O Tiphereth! Binael, be my love! Ruach Chokmael, be thou my light! Be that which thou art and thou shalt be, O Ketheriel! Ishim, assist me in the name of Shaddai! Cherubim, be my strength in the name of Adonai! Beni-Elohim, be my brethren in the name of the Son, and by the powers of Sabbaoth! Elohim, do battle for me in the name of the Tetragrammaton! Melachim, protect me in the name of Yod Hei Vav Hei! Seraphim, cleanse my love in the name of Eloah! Hasmalim, enlighten me with the splendors of Elohim and Shekinah! Aralim act! Orphanim, revolve and shine! Hajoth ha Kadosh, cry, speak, roar, bellow! Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh! Shaddai, Adonai, Yod-Havah! Eheieh Asher Eheieh! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! Amen. Amen. Amen.
All of these prayers are available to us in the Gnostic Prayer book which is available on the Glorian.org website.
When we pray we should pray with our hearts.
“It must always be remembered that any prayer or supplication to the divine is only as effective as the depth of sincerity in our heart; a prayer uttered mechanically, without any real feeling, will be cold and lifeless. A simple emotion, longing for the forgiveness of our own Spirit, will bring more results than the most fantastic or complex recitation.” - Glorian Gnostic Instructor
There are many prayers that will help us but we can also pray with our own humble and sincere words. Here is an example of a prayer pertaining to what we’ve discussed here today: Beloved Divine Father and Mother, I am full of afflictions. Help me to comprehend my worries and fears. Help me to comprehend my egos that motivate me to dominate my fellow beings. Help me to become aware of my egotistical ambitions. Help me my Innermost Being to perceive reality. Help me to perceive and comprehend that which is truth. Not my will but thy will be done. Amen.
Now we are going to perform a very simple and helpful exercise together.
We are going to perform a breathing exercise together. When we are confused, frustrated, sad, fearful, etc, it is helpful to take a moment to breath, to just breath. We want to breath in the life force (prana). The life force will help us to perceive things more clearly. Conscious breathing will help us calm down when we are afflicted with worries, fears and any kind of egotistical chaos. It will not cure us but it will help to calm the senses and the chaos in our minds.
In Sanskrit Prana means: Breath of life, Spirit, vitality, energy, wind, etc.
“Prana is the Great Breath. It is the Cosmic Christ. Prana is the life that palpitates within every atom, as it palpitates in every sun. Fire burns because of Prana. Water flows because of Prana. Wind blows because of Prana. The sun exists because of Prana; the life we have is Prana. Nothing can exist in the Universe without Prana. It is impossible for the most insignificant insect to be born, or for the smallest flower to bloom without Prana. Prana exists in the food that we eat, in the air that we breathe, and in the water that we drink. Prana exists within everything. When seminal energy is refined and totally transformed, the nervous system is provided with the richest type of Prana. This rich Prana is deposited within the brain in the form of pure Christic energy, the Wine of Light. An intimate connection exists between the mind, the Prana and the semen. We can gain dominion over the mind and Prana by controlling the seminal energy with the force of willpower. Those people who spill the semen can never gain control over their mind, let alone Prana. Their efforts to gain control over their mind and over Prana will undoubtedly fail. People who gain sexual control, also gain control of their minds and control of their Prana. These types of human beings reach true liberation." - Samael Aun Weor, The Yellow Book
Exercise:
So, today we are going to sit or lay down on our backs comfortably, with our back straight. Lets close our eyes and become aware of our thoughts and our emotions. Now let’s breath in deeply and be conscious of inhaling the prana. Visualize if you can the life force entering your lungs, into your blood, and throughout your entire body. Exhale and continue for 10 more minutes. If your mind becomes distracted, simply go back to concentrating on your breathing. Be aware of what your doing. Breathing in the life force that will help clear your mind naturally without force.
Further your knowledge by reading fundamentals of Gnostic Education, the Yellow Book, Tarot and Kabbalah, the three mountains, Pistis Sophia Unveiled, the elimination of Satan’s tail, the great rebellion, treatise of revolutionary psychology, Revolution of Beelzebub and Revolution of the Dialectic by Samael Aun Weor.