knowledge, great university, truth stages, ontologism, gnostics

Great University of Spirit and Truth

“The great university will be divided into grades, admission to which will be through preliminary tests or initiations. Here mankind will be instructed in the most sacred, the most secret, and the most enduring of all mysteries—symbolism. The initiate will be taught that every visible object, every abstract thought, every emotional reaction is but the symbol of an eternal principle. Here mankind will learn that Chiram (Truth) lies buried in every atom of Cosmos; that every form is a symbol and every symbol the tomb of an eternal verity. Through education—spiritual , mental, moral, and physical—man will learn to release living truths from their lifeless coverings.” Manly P. Hall

The Great University

It is difficult to believe in this age of materialism that a great spiritual university could exist at all. Not only did secular institutions steal the name “university,” which originally meant schools that teach universal truth and was applied only to spiritual schools, but in some places governments now restrict the use of the word so only those secular schools approved by the government can be called universities. But what Hall says is true, such a university will happen.

The Beginning

Because of the state of the world we live in, that great university won’t start out great. Not in the terms of the secular world, at least. It won’t have many thousands of students. It won’t have a campus of many fine buildings covering hundreds of acres. The library of the university won’t have many thousands of books to read and study. Not in the beginning.

It must start out small. A private school that may began with only a few dozen students. It may, for a time, have to operate underground to avoid problems with secular authorities. It may have to avoid advertising itself in public media, relying on word-of-mouth as the primary means of advertising. A humble beginning. But that is probably a good thing since humility is a valued attribute of the spiritual student.

A Growing Force

That great university will have humble beginnings, but will grow. As the general population becomes more and more disenchanted with materialism and its empty promises, more will seek for something more. Many will turn to the spiritual and the university will grow. But even there problems will happen. Continue reading “Great University of Spirit and Truth”

sublime idea, Spring watering the soul

Sublime Ideas from the Wellspring of the Soul

“A Great, Sublime idea can only be born out of the bond between two intelligent beings. This is the Law. We need to have a connection with God for sublime idea to arise within us. All thoughts that flow through the mind, all feelings and desires that flow through the heart come from a great wellspring. This wellspring ins the soul. The wellspring of the soul is fed by an even greater Wellspring. This is the Divine Spirit. This wellspring of the Divine Spirit is fed by a still greater wellspring that is the Absolute Unknown, the Spirit of Creation.

“Every thought that brings the essence of love to the human soul comes from God. Every thought that brings the Light of Wisdom comes from God. … The freedom of truth to the human soul comes from God.” ~Biensa Douno

A Sublime Idea

Yes, a great idea can come only from the bond between two intelligent beings. But one of those beings must be of a higher form. While two humans can inspire each other, it isn’t the same thing. A Sublime idea must come from a higher being. It must come from an angel, a Light Being, or God Himself. Sublime thought doesn’t flow uphill anymore than water does. If goes from the higher being to the lower. We often recognize this in the arts when a great artist is said to be inspired by a mysterious “muse”.

Wellspring of the Soul

Yes, the soul is a wellspring of truth and knowledge. It is not because all knowledge and truth are in the soul, but because the soul connects to the Source. Through the soul, we are connected to everything. The wellspring of the Soul connects us to all beings, every place, and every time.

That may not sound like a description of your soul as it exists today. That is for one of two reasons. Either you haven’t awakened it yet and it remains in a dormant state, or it has awakened but is not communicating well with your mind. You need not be too concerned if it is the second case. Your brain-mind really doesn’t need to know everything the soul knows. On the other hand, if your soul still lies dormant, you need to start making the effort to awaken it.

A Greater Wellspring

The soul is awakened by a greater wellspring, a more powerful one. This greater wellspring awakens and feeds the soul. It also connects it to the highest wellspring. This wellspring is the spiritual sun or Sun of Righteousness. Think about it. The sun is millions of times bigger than you are. Isn’t it logical that it has a much more powerful spirit and soul?

The Greatest Wellspring

The spiritual sun doesn’t originate that light and energy any more than we do. It comes from and even higher wellspring. That highest soul is what most call God. It feeds Divine Light to the spiritual sun and the spirits of all other stars. This light, modified somewhat, is than sent to our individual souls. But if we turn away from that light, or block it, it will have little or no effect. We have to seek the light, embrace the light. Then we awaken and truly become part of the light.

we are light, immortal life, man transformed

Immortal Life of Spirit and Soul

“Even supposing life could be described as a condition imposing upon matter,still the source from which this condition entered the matter must necessarily admitted to be immortal simply b being unable to take into itself the opposite of the life which it conveys.



“Each is a principle of motion, each is self-living. … The soul then must … itself be eternal.” ~Plotinus

Life is not Death

Much like the somewhat comical saying that the leading cause of divorce is marriage, some will say that the leading cause of death is life. While at a superficial glance, that may appear true, it isn’t. The difference is that divorce is the end of a marriage. If no marriage happened, there can be no divorce. On the other hand, death can exist where there never was any life. So death is not the end of life, but the absence of it. The difference may seem subtle and irrelevant, but it isn’t.

Immortal Life

So Plotinus tells us that life is not death, and can never be death. If the life force carried death within it, life itself would die, and that isn’t possible. No matter how much the universe changes, life will exist and create living beings from the substance of that universe. So life itself must be immortal. And Plotinus wisely argues that if life itself is immortal, than the gift of life that it brings to us and other beings must also be immortal. Yet we know that some things die. So what gives? Continue reading “Immortal Life of Spirit and Soul”

Alchemical Astrology

Alchemical Astrology in Spiritual Schools

“Another tool that the alchemist used to a far greater degree than we understand today is astrology. In the present day, astrology only survives in tabloid newspapers for most people. … However, just as there is a difference between thaumaturgy and theurgy, so there is a distinct difference between the popular idea of astrology and that used by the alchemists. …

“In the interpretation of Bardesanes, A Syrian Christian scholar—who has often been identified as a Gnostic—the motions of the stars govern only the elemental world, leaving the soul free to choose between the good and the evil.” ~Bernard Simon

Alchemical Astrology

Just as a farmer looks to plant seeds at the best time, so the Alchemical Astrologers uses astrology to help them choose the best day and time for their experiments. Whether they were doing mundane experiments with chemistry, or spiritual ones involving the awakening of the soul, they tried to increase the chances of success as much as possible by considering astrology.

Considering astrology is more complicated than the farmer deciding when to plant. If the alchemist was trying to help a person with their spiritual awakening, he didn’t just need to know the current position of the stars, but also the stars under which that person was born.

Mystery Schools and Astrology

Many of the ancient mystery schools taught their students astrology. But it was not the tabloid astrology of today. Now was it considered something that could force you to behave in a certain way, a scapegoat for bad behavior.

That taught astronomy as something that could be used as an aid to accomplish what you wished. For the negative aspects, they taught that astrology only created a path one could follow. It didn’t force you to follow that path. If you strengthened your will and spiritual resolve, you could resist the pull of astrology. It cannot force you to behave in a certain way. It cannot force you to develop certain traits that you don’t wish to develop. But you do have to know your astrological chart so you can recognize when it is trying to steer you wrong. Continue reading “Alchemical Astrology in Spiritual Schools”