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This month's newsletter contains two lectures which describe the nature of apocalypse and revelation.
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Sixth Seal
Earthly and Cosmic Nutrition Streams
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| Outer, Inner and Secret Teachings The Apocalypse of Sophia The Mysteries of Revelation and Apocalypse The Revelation of St. John the Divine Ancient Mystery School Initiation The Mysteries of Sophia Esoteric Anatomy and Physiology Endocrine Gland System A Spiritual View of the Glands Earthly and Cosmic Nutrition Streams Foods of the Gods The Etherization of the Blood The Tongues of Flame Sophia and the Etherization of the Blood The Eucharist as Spiritual Nutrition Vajrayogini's Tantric Wisdom Plasma Generators in the Human Body Three Toroidal Fields of Force Brain Waves and the Threefold Human
The Three Worlds
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Lecture Three
The Mysteries of Revelation and Apocalypse
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| Since the first Revelations of the prophet Ezekiel, authors have been trying to interpret the symbols and meaning of the prophecies and predictions that usually accompany an apocalypse, or "uncovering" of the soul. These are powerful moments in which the divine imparts mystery wisdom to the seer via a secret message in a vision or a dream. In the Old Testament, God usually instructs the prophet to write down a message and deliver it to the current king or ruler. The message typically holds great value for a leader, for it reveals his personal fate and that of his entire kingdom. A prophet, therefore, was highly valued, having been singled out from amongst many counselors, astrologers, magicians and seers for having a precious direct connection to the divine. The authentication of the prophet was accomplished in a few ways, often established by a revelation wherein he undergoes experiences that demonstrate his role as a divine tool or messenger. |
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In the
Book of Daniel
in the
Old Testament
, Daniel is a captive in Babylon, but a well-known child of Israel with 'no blemish, but well-favored and skillful in all wisdom, learning, cunning, knowledge, science,
and had understanding of all visions and dreams.' As for his three companions - Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah - God gave them 'knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.' Taken all together, the king found the four of them to be ten-times wiser than all the magicians, soothsayers, and astrologers in his realm.
Daniel had night visions that revealed the meaning of dreams. Choosing not to eat meat or drink the king's wine, he lived a vegetarian lifestyle and often fasted and prayed to receive visions of the future. In this way, Daniel was able to enter into the inner life of the king, to see the ruler's dreams, and then pray for an interpretation. The dreams and visions he experienced are portrayed in symbols and characters that, interestingly, later also appear in the story of another prophet in the
Revelation of St. John
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Here is what Daniel sees:
~ A lion with eagle's wings is made to stand erect and take on a human heart.
~ A bear and a leopard are described, the latter with four wings and four heads.
~ Another beast arises that is the total of the others combined into one, with ten horns.
~ A new horn grows that absorbs three of the ten and develops eyes and a mouth to speak.
~ At this point, the "thrones" are thrown down and the Ancient of Days appears in a white garment, his hair like wool, upon a fiery throne with burning wheels.
~ A fiery stream issues forth from the Ancient of Days as tens of thousands minister unto him.
~ The horn speaks.
~ The beast is slain and burnt.
~ The other beasts are defeated.
Daniel describes another night vision wherein he encounters the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven to sit upon the throne of the Ancient of Days. Here, the Son of Man is given an everlasting dominion. This vision grieved Daniel until he was able to interpret it, for it concerned the future of the kingdom and its leadership. The vision showed that the Ten will be ruled by the Three and then the One will have dominion. When that happens, the faithful will enjoy a time of peace throughout the kingdom. These are, in essence, mystery numbers describing the evolution of the soul and spirit.
At the end of the interpretation, Daniel says, 'As for me, Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.'
In other words, he did not fully understand the night vision that predicted the future to the end of time. Therefore, in the first few images of Daniel's book of prophecies, we have a testament to his character and the authentication of his ability to visit the spiritual worlds and return with truth unlimited by time and space. He is claiming his authenticity as God's messenger, one who can bridge the divide between the spiritual world and the physical world.
In the long-run, Daniel himself simply tells us that the images, symbols, and words are given to him by the divine. In this way, he describes the elements of self-initiation. He can take a question to the throne in heaven and return with spiritual wisdom and insight into the past, the present, and the future. He can use dreams, night visions, day-time visions, and other means to seek direct interaction with the forces that rule the world and providence.
Daniel and his companions are first proven as authentic communicators of the divine through a test of eating meat and drinking wine. They reject this practice, demonstrating instead to the king that their vegetarian diet is superior.
When they refuse to worship the king's new golden idol, they are thrown into fire, but do not burn. Then, Daniel is put in the lion's den, but the lions do not harm him.
All of these are trials of initiation, miracles from the divine that support Daniel's claim of having direct communication with God. Their authenticity proven, Daniel and his companions all become leaders of the kingdom and are highly respected.
Click here to read the remaining lecture. |
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Discussion Questions for Lecture Three
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Use these questions to spark further thought, reflection or discussion about the lecture that you have just read. These can be used by yourself or with others in a discussion group.
1. Have you ever been given a secret message from the divine in a vision or dream? Describe this experience. What was the message that you were given?
2. What form of divine communion do you experience: dreams, night visions, day-time visions or other types of interaction?
3. What images, symbols or words did you encounter during the experience? Did you immediately understand them?
4. Has a body of water, such as a river, stream, lake or ocean, ever been a central element to an encounter with the divine?
5. How do you use intuition in your life? Do you tend to follow it?
6. Do you feel that you have understanding or mastery of the four bodies of human constitution: physical, etheric, astral and ego? Which ones have you already mastered?
7. When you are in the etheric body, what types of beings and images do you encounter, from your own cultural perspective?
8. Are you able to easily cross the threshold? If so, what is this experience like for you?
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Lecture Four
The Revelation of St. John the Divine
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Let us now examine in detail one of the most famous self-initiations and ascensions into heaven: the Book of Revelation, the Apocalypse of St. John. This book has been analyzed from thousands of perspectives, and has yet to be exhausted. That is the nature of a living archetype. It is eternal and offers a limitless wealth of interpretations.
Even a quick online search for the words "revelation" or "apocalypse" reveals thousands of books on these two subjects alone. There are too many movies to count about this topic. In fact, most sci-fi movies have a post-apocalyptic premise. So, it is a "given" that the Book of Revelation is true and that an apocalypse is imminent.
John's "book of secret wisdom" has become the fear and terror of our age. The vials of wrath from angels raining down punishments on mankind have penetrated deeply into the collective unconsciousness of most Westerners. There are people who await the rapture, when they will be "taken directly to heaven." Others wait for the thousand years of peace that is predicted to reign upon the earth.
Most forget the beautiful parts of John's Apocalypse. In essence, he is telling his readers that he is an authentic prophet because of his ascension into heaven to the "throne of God." John does offer prophesies, but the beginning of the book is a testament to his belief in the "living Christ" who governs time - "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty" -and the fate of all people on Earth. Essentially, John is stating that he is an initiate who has been found righteous and can speak directly with God. This is a perfect example of self-initiation where virtue begets ascension. This is why his book is so relevant to our journey here. John is the one person in the Bible who has had the most experience with ascension, having witnessed both Jesus and Mary's ascensions into heaven. His own ascension, therefore, is quite complete and bears our attention and study.
Click here to read the remaining lecture.
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Discussion Questions for Lecture Four
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1. Do you see the consistency in the process of ascension as recounted by different prophets such as John? What are the different stages of ascension?
2. Why is working on the seven chakras with the seven virtues of the Temple of Wisdom a
prerequisite for ascension?
3. Are you confident in your immortal spirit?
4. Have you experienced resistance when trying to gain access to heaven?
5. Have you already developed new spiritual organs of perception
that help you see, hear, and commune with spiritual beings?
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