Solar Logos

The Solar Logos

The Ancient Roots of the Solar Logos as referenced in the Book of John. As it say in the modern versions “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So now, we go to the original Greek and find the direct translation ”In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with Theos, and the Logos was Theos. Keep in mid that “Theos” is the Greek word for God.

Also from the New Testament Bible we find the following verse:

~“I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

The “Logos” represents the heart of the cosmic pattern (the plan and mind of God put forth into action and form) and the source of existence - its emblem being the sun - which is the source of life and light. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans the “Invincible Sun” (Sol Invictus) was the master of all nature, creator and preserver of men. Like God/Source, the sun eternally gives forth from itself without ever being diminished, thus establishing itself as the most perfect symbol of the ineffable First Cause.

Commonplace in Hellenistic thought, if the sun can be seen as the material reflection of the First Cause, by analogy the First Cause can be represented as the Spiritual or Intelligible Sun. Philo refers to God as the Intelligible Spiritual Sun, and the Logos his offspring, as the Son of God. Remember, there is much confusion among people today. They classified and identified the ancients as “sun worshippers” but it was the power BEHIND the sun they recognized as God/Source.

“The Logos is God’s Likeness, by whom the whole kosmos was fashioned.” ~Philo Judaeus

“We speak of God, of the Son, his Word (Logos), and of the Holy Spirit; and we say that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are united in power. For the Son is the intelligence, reason, and wisdom of the Father, and the Spirit is an effluence, as light from fire.” ~Athenagoras

The nature of the Logos was also represented by the natural principle of musical harmony. It is through the power of harmony that all parts of creation are reconciled into a greater whole. This can be seen in the 7 notes of the musical scale, the 7 days of the week, the 7 colours of the rainbow, etc.

The Logos is in the arche, the Beginning, Source or Fount of existence. As the underlying harmonic pattern of creation, all things were made through the LOGOS, which contains the principles of Life and Light. The cosmos itself is a reflection of the Logos, which exists here-and-now in the manifest world; yet, without the power of Mind - the power of Light - the created world is basically unaware of the higher realities, even though it mirror images them.

According to early Christian beliefs and literal teachings, the Logos (Word) was made flesh, and became incarnate in Jesus. The meaning here is that the Revelation of the New Law, the Logos, has now been made manifest among humanity. There were essentially two parts of God - one was unreachable, unknowable, beyond all comprehension - and the other was manifest in all of creation and made evident in ALL things. No one has at any time seen the ineffable, High God. But the only begotten Son - the Logos - who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed to humanity the nature of the transcendent Source, both through consciousness - the Light of Life - and through the perfect structure of the universe itself working in harmony as a perfect timepiece.

As credited to Jesus, in the Gospel of Thomas, “It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the All. From me did the All come forth, and unto Me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood and I am there …” ~The Solar Logos as the Cosmic Christ

Ancient scripture also said, “The spirit of the Lord … fills the whole world, and that which holds all things together knows every word that is said.”

“The cosmos is fundamentally and primarily living … the Christ Consciousness is rooted in the entire world, even in the very heart of the tiniest atom … nothing seems more vital, from the point of view of human energy, than the appearance and eventually, the systematic cultivation of such a ”cosmic sense." ~Teilhard de Chardin

So then, we ask what is the pattern that connects ALL things?

"He is the image of the unseen God and the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible. Before anything was created, he existed, and he holds all things in unity. ~Col. 1:15–17

The Cosmic Christ, seen as the “pattern that connects,” affirms the scientific quest for such a pattern … the Matrix fiber of unconsciousness. It offers hope by insisting on the interconnectivity of all things and on the power of the human mind and spirit to experience personally this common adhesion and connection among things. The Cosmic Christ personalizes and localizes this “pattern that connects.”

The Cosmic Christ introduces an era of coherence, of ending the separation, division, dualism, that characterize a world without mysticism, a society without a living cosmology. A cosmos is always a whole, a unity, a state of coherence even if the coherence seemingly exists for a time only in the hearts and imaginations of the people, only in hope. The Cosmic Christ unites psyche and cosmos once again. It makes things whole - holy - and unified through the Oneness of all things.

It is not enough to celebrate the Cosmic Christ as “the pattern that connects” and the “bearer of coherence” as expressed merely in one man who was named Jesus. There is a real sense in which the Cosmic Christ has not born yet. The word “Christ” is a title and means “the anointed one” in Greek. All of us are anointed ones. We are all royal persons, creative, godly, divine, persons of beauty and of grace. We are all Cosmic Christs, “other Christs.” But what good is this if we do not know it? Everyone is a sun of God as well as a son or a daughter of God, but very few believe it or know it. Worse than that, it would be considered blasphemous by modern literal Christianity. We are all called, like the Cosmic Christ, to radiate the divine presence to/with/from one another. An inter-connection of all that was, is, and will ever be.

Because we are Cosmic Christs awaiting the birth of the Divine Spark and the awareness of that essence of God/Source within us all, and because we are called to birth the yet unborn Cosmic Christ … we are, as a Jesus, prophets of order over chaos. Light over darkness. Love over abuse. It s WE who are the light of the world. It is WE who serve in this physical world as the presence of God/Source. And if WE do not affect change, it simply will not happen. We are the Body of Christ. We are the caretakers of humanity.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Allegorical Interpretation

Allegorical Interpretation

An allegory is a symbolic representation of one thing, through another. Most ancient scriptures are allegorical in nature - certain physical people, places, things or events of an earlier time have an ultimate spiritual application in the present or future. For example, the Old Testament high priest Aaron was an allegory, or symbol, of the spiritual High Priest. The Bible claims its own authority for these metaphorical interpretations. Man has always tried to figure out what “God” would want for humanity if we had the opportunity to have God/Source stand upon a pulpit and have the network news broadcast it. Unfortunately, this is likely not to happen.

Over the centuries since The Bible was written, some people, for a variety of misguided reasons, occasionally well-meaning and honest, but usually not, have applied the “meaning” of parts of the Bible to their own time and circumstances, far removed from what is truly found in the deeper ancient teachings and metaphors.

Some today even believe that the ultimate fulfillment of Biblical Scriptures is actually taking place even though it was never meant to be literal or historical. They deny Inner Mysteries of what the Bible and other ancient scripture says, and hijack the Sacred Truths for their own self-serving purposes - using them as a means of glorifying themselves, controlling the general public, and not sharing the mystical Truths contained in the teachings … simply because this would empower the people and then the church and its hierarchy would no longer be in power or even be needed.

Allegorical and metaphorical interpretation is the correct and legitimate usage, its self-centered approach is actually more ancient than Christianity, having originated with pagan mystics of Egypt, Greece, Persia, the Far East, and then adopted, revised, and customized by some Hebrew and Christian “thinkers.”

These thinkers who attempted to overcome the problems posed by literal interpretations of ancient Greek myths, the allegorical method was further developed by scholars, such as Philo of Alexandria in the 1st century AD, and Christian thinkers, such as Clement and Origen of Alexandria in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Though other methods were often used, particularly by the formation of The Holy Roman Universal (Catholic) Church in 325CE, the allegorical method was still around until late medieval times, though mostly underground and in secrecy. The Protestant Reformation of the 16th century rejected, for the most part, the allegorical method and returned to a literal historical interpretation of the Bible, not having the understanding and foundations of the ancient Wisdom of Egyptian and Greek Mystics and Philosophers.

The allegorical and metaphysical method of mythological teachings of spiritual Truths attempts to overcome the difficulties of morally perplexing Biblical passages and to harmonize them with certain traditions and accepted teachings of the symbolism within the ancient temples. By assigning to each feature of a text - a hidden, symbolic, or mystical meaning beyond the primary meaning that the words convey in their literal sense - the allegorical interpretations make the text more comprehensible, acceptable, relevant, and applicable regardless of time and era. In other words, it is more important to ask ourselves DOES it happen, rather that DID it happen.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Guidance of Inner Spirit

Guidance of Inner Spirit   Spirit/God/Source functions in our lives to provide us with information of a higher nature. The answers to our deepest questions and yearnings are conveyed to us from God/Source in a amazing process. The “Inner Spirit” is a gift that functions in our mind as the conduit or circuit by which higher information is conveyed to our Higher Self.

Located in the highest layers of our consciousness, this wonderful gift actively takes OUR beliefs and feelings and reflects Spirit’s perspective ONTO them. We are given the capacity to think as God thinks when we, with intention and attention, desire to become more Spirit-like, more God-conscious … our Christ Consciousness.   We grow in our relationship with our Inner Spirit through our decisions. The more we choose to respond to the circumstances and situations in our lives in a higher way, the Inner Spirit lovingly and devotedly creates the ideas in our minds that feed us with information and inspiration - those flashes of insight, or perhaps the answer to a question coming in an innovative or fresh idea or concept. The information builds in our being over time and helps us to look at life in a different way … in a better and more positive light.   Activating and building a relationship with our Inner Spirit happens when we take time during the day to quiet our mind, and take the time to ask for the higher information to weave into our everyday thoughts. We should ask our Inner Spirit questions about our life. The answers will come in time through this process of quieting our mental chatter (I call it monkey chatter).

Stilling our mind is the fundamental step to take in allowing the spiritual energy in our mind to relax the body so what God/Source Energy wants to direct to you can resonate within. The universe within and without is always broadcasting and we have to take the time the receive the message. Spending time away from the busyness of the day distances us from the usual thoughts we … think so that the thoughts that Spirit would like our Higher Self to think … can grow within our mind and body.   Spending this quiet time in spiritual contemplation gives our Inner Spirit the opportunity to convey feelings of peace, love, joy, strength, courage, faith, patience and tolerance to help us continue to live our lives better through our Higher Self. Our Inner Spirit gives us the picture of who we really are and helps us to recognize our divine life plan … so we can follow and achieve it more consciously.   In allowing the Thoughts of God/Source Energy through our Inner Spirit to reflect love and truth into our mind and body, we are laying the foundation for the plans of Spirit within, to move us further away from our base animal nature, and closer into union with our Higher Divine Nature; thus enabling us to become more of who we really are - a intricate and integral expression of creativity and love as an essence of the entire universe.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Your Ego And Its Job

Your Ego And Its Job

Before we jump into the subject of this article, let’s take a moment to get some brief etymology on the actual word “ego.” This word comes from the Greek and means “I”, or “me.”

Now, it’s truly unique and somewhat bizarre to really truly understand that we have an elemental ego – a living breathing element of us with its own thoughts and feelings - quite separate from our own. And yet, we’re both living in the same body. It’s kind of like being locked in a dark closet with a total stranger.

Imagine the feeling. All our life we think we’re alone in our closet. Then we discover there’s a stranger in there with us. How did we not see this? How could someone else be in here with us all this time – and we didn’t even know about it?

It is so much easier to pretend there’s no such thing as an ego … or just pretend it doesn’t really matter, as if it actually has no impact. But if we truly had only ONE ‘part’ of us – one aspect of our “self” – then we would never feel the need to talk to ourself. All would be quiet inside our head because there would be nobody else to talk to. In reality, we have many voices in our head. Some talk to us. Some sing songs that won’t go away. Some punish us verbally for mistakes we make. And some are just waiting for a confrontation, or discussion, and sometimes some ill advice.

Most people are under the belief that they ARE their ego. With no difference between the “Higher Self I” and the “lower ego self I.” They are of the opinion that “I am my ego; my ego is me.” Yet, this is most definitely NOT true. Ego is critical for our survival. Much like the sonar or radar on a ship … But it’s NOT who we really are entirely. It’s one PART of us. WE are MORE than our ego … but the ego wants to feel as if it’s all alone and in charge.

Many people, however, function from their ego. Our ego is dumb and repetitive. Oh-so-cynical. Self-destructive. Bitter. Seething. Like a slow bubbling brew of yuck. When we function from our ego, tomorrow will be like yesterday. Yesterday will be like tomorrow. Predictable. Little surprise and a lot of pain and struggle. Bad memories will be played back on the videotape in our head. Warnings based of past occurrences will pop up allowing us to miss out on new experiences out of fear and guilt.

Every human being has an ego. Our ego was born when we were born, and it stays with us our entire life. We could not survive without it. But the true purpose of the ego is to take the information from the world and deliver it to us. Like the Mail Carrier. Our job, is to interpret and respond properly to that information in an intellectual, intelligent, and intuitive manner.

Unfortunately, the pain and shame of past memories often throws the system off-balance. We decide we don’t want to make decisions about what’s happening to us. And we choose to not make choices. Instead, we try to force our egos to make the interpretations for us about our life and our experiences.

For example, a small child, being punished, cannot possibly figure out why it’s happening. The child cannot understand the connection between spilt milk and a scolding or a punishment. They can modify their behavior – they adapt to the trouble – but that’s an entirely different story. They adapt even though they don’t quite understand it.

But, as human beings, we always seek meaning. A child will always seek to rationalize the pain inflicted upon it by those God-like beings we call our parents. Lacking an understandable answer, the child turns to its ego. “Why did they yell at me?” The ego – even less equipped than the child, is always ready to come back with the answer. And it’s always something like this: “Because there’s something wrong with you.”

This is the one answer that always seems to makes sense to the ego, and thus the patterns begin to lay a foundation to build on. First, the pattern of asking the ego for answers, begins. Then, the pattern of forcing the ego to interpret the data it delivers. Then we begin the pattern of making the ego be responsible for things it can’t possibly be responsible for. It wasn’t built for this type of decision making.

It’s like making the Mail Carrier coming into your house, sitting down and opening all your mail for you. And then deciding for you just how to handle each letter, and how to pay all your bills. Also, comes the pattern of shaming the ego. Shame is like a hot potato to the ego. When somebody throws a hot potato at us, our natural tendency is to throw it somewhere else. For a child, usually the only place to throw “shame” is onto their ego. “You’re stupid. You’re bad. You’re wrong. You can’t be fixed.”

Now of course the child doesn’t even know yet that it even has an ego. It doesn’t yet understand the practice of inner dialog. It just knows that it feels bad, and it wants to do something with those feelings. About the only place for a child to dump it’s shame … is on it’s own ego. The ego, though, has its own thoughts and feelings, its own desires, its own imagination. It has a mind of its own.

And it can easily start to dislike us at an early age. We force it to do our job of thinking and feeling and evaluating. We force it to come up with answers. We force it to be responsible for our life. We force it to take on our shame, our pain, and our self-hate. We abuse our ego as we were abused. Well guess what happens when we dump and dump and dump on somebody? They start hating us and they want to get us back anyway they can. Have you ever seen a picture of a person with a little angel on one shoulder and a little devil on the other? That little devil on our shoulder is your ego.

It started out with us as an ally, but most likely, now it’s become our anything less than our friend. And it’s always talking - and sometimes yelling - in our ear. It’s the voice telling you this is all nonsense. The voice always trying to distract you away from what’s real. The voice that always wants you to judge without evaluating. The voice that tells you you’re either better than or less than. But never equal. The voice that tells you “you really are a victim." And then gives you a hundred reasons why. Stop for a moment right now, close your eyes, and ask yourself “Do I have an ego?” And just listen for the answer. That’s what your ego sounds like. Your Higher Self will whisper in a still small voice. We need to listen intently for THAT direction.

As we advance spiritually, we can learn to put the ego behind us and let our Spirit/Soul lead. Ae can see new experiences as new rather than have them compared to past situations. We can take a few extra moments to RESPOND to a situation thru the direction and guidance of our Inner Higher Self, rather than a brief second to REACT from our lower base nature ego mind. See your ego as somewhat of a radar detector. It’s job is to tell you there’s a speed trap up ahead … but it’s job is not to respond to the information it has delivered to you. That’s YOUR job. Your Higher Divine Self. You are a spiritual being having a physical experience, and the more you learn about your Higher Self, the better the decisions you will make.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Its All In Your Head

It’s All In Your Head

We all probably learned this way back in high school, so here’s a recap for you anyway. It takes 8½ minutes for the light from the sun, traveling 186,000 miles per second, to reach us here on Earth. That means that the sun we see isn’t the “real” sun. It’s the sun that was out there 8 ½ minutes ago. We missed it … and we always will.

In fact, absolutely everything we see is not the real thing. It’s the thing that it was a split second ago, when our eyes turned it into electrical signals and sent it to the vision center in the back of our brain, where it was interpreted as sunlight. Reminder … the sun (and everything else you see) is in your brain’s Vision Center (in your head), not “out there" somewhere. You can fly from New York to London and you did it all inside your head.

Our genius brain has a way to convince us that it’s all happening right now. But we can only see the past. In true reality, there is no such thing as the present. Think about that for a moment. If you try to grab the present moment, it’s already in the past, no matter how hard you try to break the experience down into the tiniest of nano-seconds. It has already “passed.” What we truly have is NOW, and it changes to a new NOW every nanosecond.

According to the immense and highly respectful research of Albert Einstein, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. So someday, when the sun completely burns out (which it inevitably will), we actually won’t know about it here on earth until the very last light rays reach us … 8 ½ minutes later. That moment will be fascinating (well sort-of) for science, if we’re still living - which we probably won’t be for long, unless we’ve made plans to move elsewhere. And given the level of reality world planning we’ve seen lately, I’m not very optimistic that a new place of residence will ever become reality.

But then, what if a psychic says, “Last night I had a dream that the sun burned out - we’ve got about 8 minutes left" So what does that do to Einstein’s theory? Some things must travel faster than the speed of light. What Einstein meant was that nothing you can measure in Consensus Reality (the logical reality we all agree upon) travels faster than the speed of light. 

But the psychic’s prediction is in Non-Consensus Reality, and telepathy, thoughts, dreams, and a whole host of things that can’t be measured. Some of us would believe the prediction, some of us wouldn’t. And honestly, if the sun burned out, it probably wouldn’t matter much either way. 

Yet it suggests that there is already a future out there that can be grabbed and experienced right now, and that the past and the future co-exist on some level. If some form of the future is already there, then there’s no traveling at all. And that ,,, is MUCH faster than the speed of light.

Everything we perceive through our senses as “external stuff,” or matter - like the coffee table, a bird, the sidewalk, the mountains, your neighbor, cars and boats, the earth, the cosmos - is in reality, merely only electrical signals in our brain. That’s it. Electrical signals. What we call “matter” is merely vibrational energy manifesting at the lowest frequency of vibration.

We see a colorful bird in our external world. But it’s not really “out there,” it’s in our head. It’s perceived, identified and labeled, in the pitch dark reality in our heads. It is the transfer of electrical perceptive energy being analyzed by and in our brain where it is identified, labelled, and communicated to us what it is.

The light particles reflect off the bird, enter our eyes, and are converted into electrical signals that get transmitted by neurons to the vision center all the way in the back of our brain. And the Vision Center is this tiny dark place that interprets the electrical signals, and somehow “tells” us what we’re seeing.

Just to remind you, your brain, completely encased in your skull, is sealed off from light. Its interior is in absolute darkness. It is impossible for the brain to have any direct contact with light itself. Think about that for a minute. The brain is never illuminated. It is always in total pitch darkness. Yet we see the flaming light of a burning candle, the sun burns brightly, and we watch a brilliantly colorful and magnificently lit world inside our totally dark brain … NOT outside of it.

All our OTHER senses are perceived and interpreted in the brain too. Through electrical signals and energy transference. In fact, our brain, throughout our lives, NEVER EVER confronts the original version of the matter existing “out there.” It is an impossibility. It only gets the electrical copy. We think that these copies are instances of real stuff outside of us, but we are deeply misled my friend.

Distance is just a feeling of space that is formed in your brain. And so colours are also added in our head as hues - frequencies of different ranges. Looking at the stars, we know and sense that they’re gazillions of light years away. But in actuality, the stars are right inside you, in the vision center of your brain.

Mind blown yet? How about this. Right now you are not actually inside of a room - but the room is inside of you. And seeing your body makes you think you are inside of it, but your body is just a sensory image and experience formed inside your brain. So, your body, is actually INSIDE your brain as well.

The only reality we actually cope with, is the world of perceptions we experience within our minds. And since we can never really reach the external world, ask yourself - how can we possibly be sure that it actually exists?

Maybe the brain, in its darkness and isolation, makes it all up so it won’t be lonely and bored. Maybe as a spiritual and not a physical being, we got bored and hit the SURPRISE button and here we are … having this perceptual experience. And just one more for kicks … since the brain can actually perceive itself … the brain is ALSO inside the brain.

Just a thought … (inside my brain)

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Kabbalah The Sixth Sense

Kabbalah The Sixth Sense

Science and philosophy advance side by side with the advancement of mankind. And today, all of the scientists and philosophers agree that man’s investigation of the world around him is limited.   Therefore, it is possible to say that man is similar to a “black box” which feels and understands and receives only that which comes from outside, towards him. In all of our investigations, we are always limited by our five physical senses. And all of the instruments, which we build, and which are to be built in the future, do not escape the limitations of our five senses. They merely widen the boundaries of our senses.   This is because we are never able to imagine what our senses lack. Namely, what other additional sense we need in order to recognize the TRUE reality all around us. We feel no lack for this, as we feel no lack of a sixth finger on our hands. That for which we feel no lack, can never be something to which we would come to request. Therefore, all of the investigations of our world can only be according to the limits of our five senses, and we can never begin to see and feel and understand what is beyond these senses. These are the unavoidable limitations of our conceptions.   Also, keep in mind - our imagination is the product our five senses - and the experiences, which stem from them. We can never imagine any object or creature, which does not resemble that which is familiar to us from our five senses. If we have not had a sensual experience with something, we cannot confirm it’s existence.   If I want, for example, someone to draw for me some creature from another planet, certainly he would draw it according to the elements, which are familiar to us from our world - and certainly not anything that he has witnessed. And if I asked you to describe something imaginary you would give me without a doubt something, which is very similar to this world, and certainly NOT otherworldly since we have no concept of what may lay beyond this world that we live on.   And this exemplifies all of our limitations: we all live within a small world, and we are not able to feel, and therefore imagine, anything outside of it. And since our limitations are absolute, no science or philosophy can ever help us to understand what is beyond this world. For example, a person who has no capability of hearing, cannot understand the concept of music, other than through the vibrations that their other senses offer them.

In fact, I could blindfold you, take you to a warehouse that has the sounds of the ocean, a gentle breeze, sand on the floor … and you would think you were at the beach. We experience ALL things in our heads. The central information processing center of our senses.   It could be that in the same universal space, in other dimensions - exist other creatures, other worlds - multiverses. And we are not able to feel them because we lack the requisite vessels - the senses to feel or experience them. It could be that in this other world more vast than ours, are to be found the reasons for our existence, for all of the incidences which occur to us, and the reason for our life and death. And we, oblivious of these causes, live without true knowledge and without a true goal, as being unconscious in our world … even though answers exist elsewhere.   There are people in our world who do receive additional senses, which make possible for them to feel the wider existence, which surrounds us. These people are called Kabbalists, since they know how to receive, a higher knowledge than our knowledge. They connect with Higher-Self from within and without.   These people say that around us and within us there exist worlds above ours. And all of these worlds are like the layers of an onion, in which our world is found in the midst of all of these worlds. And we, who exist in this world, are able to feel only THIS world, the innermost sphere in all of existence. And we are born, live, and die in this sphere, which is called this world … earth being experienced through the limits of our sensory perception.   The Kabbalists tell us that “this world” is called so, because this is just a small fragment of the true reality, which we are able to feel with our senses. And if we could develop additional senses, then what we would feel with them would be called - the world that was, the world that is, and the world to come. The method whose help can bring us to feel and experience the world to come is called the Wisdom of Kabbalah. It is an ancient spiritual system developed in ancient Egypt and further developed by illuminated Hebrews who knew the teachings of the ancient Mystery Schools.

If you want to experience the spiritual expansion of consciousness that existed before our modern day religions distorted the ancient Wisdom. Research and study the Kabbalah, and the ancient Gnostic Christian teachings. You’ll find much that lays hidden between the lines of the ink and paper.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Kingdom of Ebla

The Kingdom of Ebla

The Kingdom of Ebla had previously been known in ancient Sumerian, Akkadian and Egyptian texts. Tell Mardikh - the ancient Ebla - is on the main road to Aleppo in Northern Syria, not quite half way between Hamath and Aleppo.

Since early excavation began in 1975, there have been more than 17,000 tablets recovered so far - not from the major royal archives - but rather a collection of records that were kept near the central court of the ancient city. Here, the provisions and rations were stored, tribute was collected, and apprentice scribes did their copying from the tablets which they would take temporarily from the royal archives themselves.

The two rooms where the main body of more than 15,000 tablets were recovered were close to the entrance to the palace. If the royal archives themselves are found as excavation proceeds, the potential for the study of matching Biblical times backgrounds and ancient history is awesome.

These types of tablet discoveries are of the sort that scholars dream about, but rarely find. Personal names are included, and in one text alone 260 geographic names have been given. Other texts give lists of animals, fish, birds, professions, and even names of officials.

There are a number of historical texts which can be tied in with other known records, such as those of the city of Marik, coming down to the time of Narim Sin who eventually defeated the Eblahites. It appears that the city was defended by mercenaries rather than by its own army, more than likely the reason why Akkad finally prevailed over Ebla. The tablets would appear to date to the two last generations of the city, which would be somewhere about 2,300 BCE. The final destruction was apparently around 2250 BCE.

Among the tablets were found literary texts with mythological backgrounds, incantations, collections of proverbs, and hymns to various deities. Rituals associated with a multitude of gods are referred to … many of these gods being known in Babylonian literature of a much later period. These include Enki, Enlil, Utu, lnana, Tiamut, Marduk and Nadu. The god of the city of Kish is referred to as well. Most of the subjects in the tablets deal with economic matters, tariffs, receipts, and other commercial dealings. However, other matters such as offerings to the gods are also dealt with too.

The city was in contact with other cities all over the Near East. One of the interesting illustrations of this comes from the list of nations given to messengers as they traversed certain routes, with the names of the cities given. There are lists of towns in their geographic regions, and even lists of the towns that are subject to Ebla. Biblical towns known in later times are included, such as Ashdod and Sidon.

These Ebla tablets were written in a Sumerian script, with Sumerian logograms adapted to represent Akkadian words and syllables. About 1,000 words were recovered initially (hundreds more later) in vocabulary lists. The words are written out in both Sumerian logograms and Eblaic syllable-type writing. These offered an invaluable key to the interpretation of many of the Ebla texts.

Language translation, understanding, and symbolism is always the key to the treasure. It unlocks the secrets locked within. It is clear that this was an organized Kingdom - one that existed about 1,000 years earlier than that of the times of Moses - and in writing it gives all sorts of details about the administration of justice. It is clearly a highly developed civilization, with concepts of justice and individual rights.

Some tablets deal with case law, and the law code of Ebla must now be recognized as the oldest ever yet found. In dealing with the penalties for injuries, distinction is made according to the nature of the act. An injury caused by the blow of a hand merited a different penalty from one caused by a weapon such as a dagger. Differing penalties were prescribed for various offenses. There is elaborate discussion of case law, with varying conditions recognized for what at first sight might seem to be the same crime. In the case of a complaint involving sexual relations, if the girl was able to prove that she was a virgin and that the act was forced on her, the penalty against the man was death. And the list goes on.

There is a creation record remarkably similar to the Genesis account and accounts of other civilizations. There are dealings with Hittites long before the story of Abraham purchasing the Cave of Machpelah from the Hittites of his time - it is not so long since it was argued there were no Hittites so early. There are treaties and covenants similar to those in Exodus, and for the protection of society there are laws that point towards the concept of justice so prominent in Exodus. There are ritualistic sacrifices long before those of Leviticus, and before the Canaanites from whom the Hebrews borrowed from. There are prophets proclaiming their message long before the nevi’im (prophets) of the Old Testament scriptures.

While on the subject of laws, later in Babylon, Hammurabi’s Laws (negative commandments) were posted on a huge tablet in the city as it’s laws to be followed. From these two civilizations Moses (possibly the real Akhenaten) developed the Ten Commandments. Today, Hammurabi’s Laws are on display in the British Museum for all to see.

There is much still to discover, and uncover about our ancient past. The more that is revealed, the more we realize how much they truly knew and how advanced they were back then.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

We Are Creators

We Are Creators

We’re made out of star stuff - all of us. The source of our creativity comes from the stars. As they send out the energy of their beings, you and I are the recipient. The stars, in their ever evolving nature, provide a constant source of energy within the entirety of the universe so that WE may create within this incarnation on the Earth plane.

The stars are our cosmic siblings, and work with us to further our spiritual growth as a Creator. When our Soul incarnated into our present Earth body, we forgot our eternal spiritual heritage, and our profound ability to create. Think of the stars and the spectacular force of energy they contain - and know that we too - are of the same energy and hold within us, the same power to create.

It is time to remember who we really are and where we really came from. We are a being of light - true light - consciousness light - with the ability to create all and experience all within this vast universe. Think about creation as the joyous activity it is meant to be. The possibilities of creation are endless. There is unlimited potential. While on Earth, we all have forgotten the power of what can be created, and what we have created before. Every Divine spark of energy is all-knowing - originating from God/Source Energy/Origin - and has the capability to become all that is desired. The real us is a collection of energy; therefore, we are all-knowing and have unlimited capacity to create.

On Earth, so many people do not believe that we are made of energy, nor do we believe that your ability to create is unlimited and boundless. Energy can not be created or destroyed. It is eternal. The first step in becoming more aware of our natural creation abilities is to become closer to and more conscious of our Inner and “Higher Self.” This connection will help us to break down the barriers that keep some of us non-believers in this universal re-generating universe.

Sometimes it is difficult to take new information purely on opinion or faith, and that is common for many people. People often look for proof, or scientific information before they can reach a personal conclusion, form an opinion, and then a believe system. There is scientific data available - right now - that not only defends and makes true what the ancients knew, but that can help us to understand many things about energy and the universe. Exploring topics on quantum physics (the study of matter at the atomic level) and cosmology (the metaphysical study of the origin and nature of the universe) along with celestial based Astrotheology, will help us gain some deeper spiritual insight and expand our personal awareness.

Many books have been written in every-day language, rather than scientific jargon, and are very easy to understand. Reading what Scientists have proven to be true, and have demonstrated through experimentation, or accepted theory - helps us to open our minds to the endless possibilities and potentiality contained within each of us. We may not understand all that is presented to us, but at least we should understand that a vast amount of scientific knowledge has been discovered, even though the general public may not be aware of much of it at all. We must research, study, and desire to know more about who we really are.

Another way to become more knowledgeable about the universe and scientific discovery is through the many TV programs that are carried on the Science Channel, National Geographic, or Discovery Channel, and many others. Even online documentaries can be found all over YouTube, Netflix, and numerous other video media outlets. Remember that whatever vehicle we choose; the purpose is to help open our minds about energy and the universe. When we begin to understand that the possibilities are endless, our unlimited creativity becomes unleashed … freed from captivity.

We are unknowingly creating every nanosecond of our life, but we are likely stuck in automatic mode which does not require any new input. This results in us choosing the same experiences again and again. We cannot do the same things over and over again and expect different results. We truly create every aspect of our life - so we must transition to a higher level of thought. Shouldn’t we make the most of our creations since they affect the day-to-day feelings and experiences of not only ourselves, but so many others that we share this infinite reality with?

We can build our awareness by being more conscious of the choices we make, our energy level, and our feelings so that we can begin to see how a set of different choices and feelings will create a different experience. Most people’s creations are rarely on a grand scale, but rather more at a local level. We create our experiences, which in turn affects those around us - whether it is our family, friends, or coworkers. WE can create harmony or chaos, happiness or sadness, and anger or forgiveness. At each moment the choice is ours.

To take our awareness of creation to the next level we will need to spend time in thought, in tranquil personal meditation - and in contemplative prayer. At the end of the day, we should review our choices and actions and ask ourself “was I conscious of this choice?” “Why did I make the choice I made?” “What other choices were available to me?” “What are the things that I could have created?” When in meditation or contemplative prayer - stillness and quiet inner connection - connect with the Divine consciousness - look deeply within yourself and explore how often we consciously create our experience. This is the Universal Law of Cause & Effect - what is called karma, or “doing.” Analyze what stops us from utilizing our conscious creation ability and visualize and imagine how an experience might have changed if we were more consciously aware of our power to actually create. Apply what we learn and little-by-little, we will see a change in the experiences we create. The world does not just happen around us. We are the one who are in control by what we choose to create - collectively - as an individualized essence of the whole.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Tips To Remember Dreams

Tips to Remember Dreams

Maintain good, consistent sleep habits. Not getting enough sleep or going to bed ‘dog-tired’ can dramatically reduce natural dreaming activity. Here is a list of tips if you are having trouble getting restful sleep.

When you go to bed tell yourself that you will remember your dreams. Repeat “I will remember my dreams” to yourself several times as you drift off to sleep. It sounds odd, but this tip has been shown again and again to be one of the most helpful.

Try to wake up slowly to remain within the ‘mood’ of your last dream. Use an alarm clock with a gentle wake setting (sometimes called a progressive wake). This type of alarm starts at a low volume and gradually increases.

Awake at least once during the night, many times this will occur around an REM sleep cycle. Set an alarm or drink a lot of water prior to bed to ensure you have to wake up at least once.

Think about, but do not dwell upon your mood/emotions as you drift off to sleep. Keep positive thoughts top of mind before you doze off. No worrying or being concerned about problems or to-do lists for tomorrow.

Avoid alcohol near bedtime. Alcohol reduces the frequency and density of REM sleep. It keeps you from getting into the deepest stages of your sleep patterns.

Keep a pad and pencil next to your bed so you can jot down quick notes about your dream if you awake during the night (you may not remember it by morning) or as soon as you get up in the morning. Just the process of writing things down may help you recall more information about your dreams. These dream thoughts fade fast.

Start a dream journal. Take your notes and recollections of you dreams and record your dreams in journal or story form. There are tablet and phone apps that can help you with this and make it very convenient.

Discuss your dreams with friends and family members. Just articulating your dreams can help you remember additional details. Think about them during quiet time. You may recall some of the deeper memories in details.

If you awake during the night, think about your previous dream as you go back to sleep. This will help to reinforce the dream for improved dream recall in the morning. Do your best to re-enter where you left off if possible. Stay on that track, and don’t stray.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Pagan Christian Holidays

Pagan Christian Holidays

Christian Holidays:

Christian Holidays are ancient Pagan feasts that were ushered in by the Roman Catholic Church during the rule of Emperor Constantine. Constantine was a Pagan follower of Mithra(s) who had what he thought was a “Christian experience” that led him to victory in battle. He wanted to unite his empire, both Christian and pagan together with a Universal (Catholic) religion. He achieved this by taking ancient Wisdom and spirituality from multiple civilizations and beliefs and then re-writing history and re-naming pagan feasts with Christian names. This began at the Council of Nicea in 325CE.

Valentine’s Day:

Pagans in Rome celebrated the evening of February 14th and February 15th as an idolatrous festival in honor of Lupercus “the hunter of wolves”. It was not until the reign of Pope Gelasius that the holiday became a “Christian” custom. As far back as 496, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia on February 15th to St. Valentine’s Day on February 14th. The original Saint Valentine was Nimrod, on this day in February, Semiramis, the mother of Tammuz, was said to have been purified and to have appeared for the first time in public with her son as the original “mother and child.”

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day:

Mother’s Day dates back to ancient cultures in Greece and Rome. In both cultures, mother goddesses (Queen of Heaven). were worshipped during the springtime with religious festivals. The ancient Greeks paid tribute to the powerful goddess Rhea, the wife of Cronus, known as the Mother of the Gods (Queen of Heaven). Similarly, evidence of a three-day Roman festival in Mid-March called Hilaria, to honor the Roman goddess Magna Mater, or Great Mother, dates back to 250 BCE.

As Christianity spread throughout Europe, the celebration of the “Mother Church” replaced the pagan tradition of honoring mythological goddesses. The fourth Sunday in Lent (Weeping for Tammuz), a 40-day fasting period before Easter, became known as Mothering Sunday. To show appreciation for their mothers, they often brought gifts or a “mothering cake” (Jeremiah 7:18) and over time, it began to coincide with the celebration of the Mother Church. Mother’s Day always falls on the second Sun-day of May, and like so many other holidays rooted in pagan sun-worship including Father’s Day which always falls on the third Sun-day of June, usually fall on the day named in honor of their most powerful god – The Sun.

Easter Sunday:

Easter or Ishtar, also known by her biblical name Semiramis and later called the “Queen of Heaven” was the widow of Nimrod and mother of Tammuz. Easter is the bare breasted pagan fertility goddess of the east. Legend has it that she came out of heaven in a giant egg, landing in the Euphrates river at sunrise on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox, busted out, and turned a bird into an egg laying rabbit.

To honor this event, Pagan sun-worshippers would go out early in the morning and face to the east to watch their Sun-God arise over the horizon before having a mass (sacrifice) in which the Priest of Easter would sacrifice human infants and take the eggs of Easter and die them in the blood of the sacrificed infants. The blood-red colored Easter eggs would later hatch on December 25th, the same day her son Tammuz the reincarnate sun-god would be born.

Easter (Ishtar) married her son Tammuz who was by legend the reincarnate Sun-God. Tammuz went pig hunting and was gored to death by a wild boar and that is why Pagans eat ham on Easter. Because Tammuz was killed when he was forty years old, Pagans fast one day for each of the years that he lived leading into Easter. This practice is known as Weeping for Tammuz by Pagans but called Lent by Catholics.

Halloween:

All Saints’ Day was followed by All-Souls’ Day, November 2, unless that was a Sunday then it was November 3, this was another Catholic adaptation of Pagan festivals for the dead. Prayers for the dead are an integral part of the traditional All Saint’s Day services, which are scheduled in Catholic churches on November 1, and on the next Sunday. Halloween gets its name from the Catholic holiday, it is a Hallowed evening, because it precedes All Hallows’ Day, thus: Hallow’en. Halloween is a Pagan holiday to honor the dead and evil spirits. Surprisingly, Christian scriptures warn not to take part in customs and traditions like this.

Pagans served their gods by honoring the evil spirits on Halloween. They did this by dressing up like evil spirits and giving offerings to the evil spirits. This is why candy is given out on Halloween, as offerings for the evil spirits. The phrase trick or treat was attributed to this practice because Pagans believed the evil spirits would do something bad (trick) to them if they did not leave an offering (treat) for them. Many times they would hang food on their front doors for the spirits of the dead.

Thanksgiving:

The pagans in Rome celebrated their thanksgiving in early October. The holiday was dedicated to the goddess of the harvest, Ceres, and the holiday was called Cerelia. The Catholic church took over the Pagan holiday and it became well established in England, where some of the Pagan customs and rituals for this day were observed long after the Roman Empire was absorbed into the church system. In England the “Harvest Home” has been observed continuously for centuries.

Closer to here, among the Aztecs of Mexico, the harvest took on a grim aspect. Each year a young girl, a representation of Xilonen, The goddess of the new corn, was beheaded. The Pawnees also sacrificed a girl. In a more temperate mood, the Native Americans of the Southeast danced the “Green Corn Dance” and began the new year at harvest’s end.

This is the reason that Native Americans were right at home with the Pilgrim Fathers on that day in 1621. Obviously, the idea for this “first Thanksgiving” in the New World was not a new idea. On the contrary Thanksgiving, in the guise of the Pagan harvest festivals, can be traced right back to ancient Babylon and the worship of Semiramis.

Christmas:

Christmas was celebrated by Pagans for thousands of years before the supposed literal historical Messiah/Christ was even supposed to have been born. It all started during the building of the tower of Babel. Nimrod supervised the operation and was called the Sun-God and worshipped as such. To end this worship, Nimrod’s uncle Shem, supposedly Noah’s eldest son, killed Nimrod and cut his body into small pieces then scattered his body parts across the land.

Ishtar or Easter, also known by her biblical name Semiramis was the widow of Nimrod. She was called the “Queen of Heaven” and claimed to have been impregnated by Nimrod through the rays of the Sun and later had a son by the name of Tammuz who had a miraculous birth on December 25th. Pagans believed that Nimrod was reincarnated as Tammuz and so Easter (Ishtar) married her son Tammuz. Pagans celebrated the birthday of the reincarnates Sun-God on December 25th. Christian scripture is very clear that Christians are not to celebrate this particular holiday … yet, well … you know.

“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the Queen of Heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other deities, that they may provoke Me to anger.” (HIM Jeremiah 7:18)

The passage above is obviously referring to making Christmas cookies and leaving those cookies and a glass of milk for Nimrod’s widow Easter who was called the Queen of Heaven. The only difference is now those offerings are left for Santa (Satan) himself. Let’s look at another interesting passage from Christian Scripture.

Thus says the Lord, "Do not learn the way of the gentiles, and do not be dismayed at the signs of the heaven; for the gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are vanity; for one cuts a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it not move. (HIM Jeremiah 10:2–4)

This passage is obviously referring to cutting down the “Christmas tree,” putting it on some sort of tree stand, and decorating it. Once you learn why it had become customary to use an erect evergreen tree that has a pointed end decorate it with big red balls you will realize the extent of the sexual intentions in this holiday.

The erect tree symbolizes Nimrod’s erect masculinity. The tree was evergreen because evergreen trees are full of life year round, like Nimrod’s penis. The tree was pointed at the end just like Nimrod’s pecker. The big red balls that dangle off the tree, well you get the picture. This holiday is perversion at its best. Remember also, that the steeple on Christian churches is representative of the masculine phallus and it’s power. Remember, every Sun-God was born on December 25th. Amun-Ra, Horus, Mithra(s), Tammuz, and Zeus were all born on December 25th.

Sunday Church Worship:

Early believers kept Saturday as the Sabbath until March 7, 321 CE when Pope Constantine passed a law requiring believers to worship on Sun-day, the day the Pagan world worshipped the Sun-Gods. Hebrews still kept Saturday as their Sabbath. Another law was passed eleven years later and this law signed into decree by Pope Constantine forbade Christians to worship on the Sabbath (Saturday) and it became punishable by death by the Roman Catholic Church. Many believers were burned to death by the Catholic Church for keeping the original Sabbath.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Four Horsemen

Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse

In the final book of the New Testament Bible, the Book of Revelation; we find perhaps the least understood and the most confusing and fought over book in the entire Bible. It is called the Apocalypse, which does not mean the end of the world as many believe. The Greek word Apocalypse means an unveiling of that which is hidden (A Revelation). It is a book credited to a writer named John, more than likely NOT the John of the other John in the Gospels of the Bible, and perhaps - this book may have even been written by a female author.

It is an esoteric book of high symbolism and deep allegory. It is NOT a prophecy of a future literal history as is believed by so many. It is not prophecy of a literal second coming of Jesus, a rapture, and 7 years of tribulation. This is metaphor and imagery. Signs and symbols of transformation within each of us. There is within the black and white text of scripture, deep spiritual ancient Wisdom being revealed. Today, we will talk about the Four Horses and their symbolism.

The WHITE HORSE (Spirit) represents your spiritual nature. Unfortunately, the Rider trying to break him is religion. For the most part, the White Horse has wandered off of the path that leads to light, and gallops along carrying you deeper and deeper into the nightmare that is organized religion.

The RED HORSE (Emotion) is your emotional nature. The Red Horse should be following BEHIND … so that the BLACK HORSE - representing your intellectual nature - can make decisions based on right or wrong, and NOT on emotions. But generally, what happens is that the Red Horse rears up and charges, and your emotions take over, and get in the way of your ability to reason.

The BLACK HORSE (Intellect) is your intellectual nature. The Black Horse is strong and can bring you much that is favourable, but generally it is overwhelmed by the strength of the Red Horse of emotions. The Black Horse also is easily misled, and we see this in the operations of government, politics, and organized religion. We try to base intelligence on what comes from politicians, and pastors, and our intellect crashes under the hoofs of the Red Horse, and ultimately … we are the ones who lose.

The PALE HORSE (Physical) is our physical nature. The Pale Horse is the favorite of religion, because they look to control the physical. They take control of your mind through placing a belief system within you from an early age, and later further control your finances, by controlling your physical nature.

Modern day religions promise great prosperity. They take, you give, they take, you give, and eventually … the Pale Horse is caused to become lame. So you are promised mansions in heaven, or to be saved from a lurking Devil seeking to devour you, or to be healed in some miracle service, or saved from the eternal fires of hell, etc. Fear and guilt based control.

The Horses are symbolic. They are not real horses - they are the four aspects of human nature and we ride them every day. They are the four aspects of your nature which operate through your mind. The control center and our personality. The human personality operating through a closed and wired system in each human being and actually controls all of our actions, including our desires, our loves, our hates, etc.

The Bible, as well as all Ancient Wisdom, scripture, hieroglyphs, scrolls, mouth to ear myths and fables, all hide within them much deeper teaching for those who have eyes to see, and those who have ears to hear. Among the ancients, there were the Outer Mysteries, reserved for those who desired a simple go-to-church on Sunday morning kind of following, and then there were the Inner Mysteries. The deeper Truths reserved for those initiates willing to commit years of study in the Ancient Mystery Schools. The Outer Mysteries were the “milk” that Paul spoke of. The Inner Mysteries were the “meat” that Paul spoke of.

When the Inner meets the Outer, the transmutation or metamorphosis is complete and there is no turning back to the old ways. Divine meets man … and becomes the Christ. The Divine Spark of God/Source within all things of the universe.

Just a Thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Esoteric Last Supper

The Esoteric “Last Supper”

The Last Supper, where Jesus and his twelve disciples, recline and eat the harvest. (Mark 14:12–26; Matthew 26:17–30; Luke 22:7–38)

Not only in antiquity, but even now; is the natural time of year to have a huge feast. In America we celebrate Thanksgiving and have a huge feast of food.

We eat the flesh (the body) of the fruit (the Tree of Life/ The Vine) —joining us with the Creator who makes the fruit grow; and we drink wine—the blood of the grapes (fruit of the vine), esoterically, Christ is the vine, we are the branch - joining us with the Creator/God/Source/Sun who makes the grapes grow. Without this food we would perish.

The “lower nature” in fact, is represented by the devil/ego (deceiver) which must be vanquished before we are able to re-member that each of us is a child of the divine Source. A begotten son/daughter of God.

The esoteric mystery of “The Last Supper” can, perhaps, now be more easily understood. As our spirit (Christ) comes forth, it begins to consume ‘the bitter herbs of the beast’ (“this is my body, this is my blood”), and any of the beastly tendencies of the lower nature. The process of the “last supper” continues until all of the “dross” (lower nature) has been removed from the Golden (Holy) Spirit and we have, by our diligence and God’s grace, restored our “original nature”. In order to get the gold, the impurities must be burned off.

So, as we continue to look at the real meaning of the LAST Supper, remember that the Bible is a multi-level transcendental masterpiece. Surprisingly it also includes, in symbolic language, a summary of the quantum physics of light … photons, and light consciousness.

To repeat, the esoteric mystery of “The Last Supper” explains the event that as our spirit / soul (Christus) comes forth, it begins to consume (replace) “the beast” (“this is my body, this is my blood”), and any of the beastly tendencies of the lower nature. This so that we can reach our Higher Self.

The process of the “last supper” continues until all of the “dross” (lower nature) has been removed from the Soul and we have, by our diligence in meditation and we are restored to our “original nature”. The souls who are “lost” (unaware of a spiritual “base”) have forgotten these precepts and live an uncomfortable existence that goes on eternally beyond the veil of time.

Those who practice the law of love ascend a “measure” with each victory attained over the “lower nature” and experience greater and greater blessings. Everything around them is “lifted up” with them. Until, finally, they are off of the cross of “self” and attain liberation. The esoteric crucifixion.

This last supper only happens to the few who attain the mount, those that have transcended the physical and have become one with the higher self, via meditation and contemplative prayer … to connect directly to the Divine within. The last supper represents the last meal or the last time that your mind will be under the influence of the false ego (persona - which means ‘mask of an actor’ in Latin) … the lower mind. We’ll look deeper into this false ego / satan / devil / ego mind in a later article.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Mystery of Mystery

Mystery of Mystery

The word “mystery” (in Greek Mysterion) is a key word in Christianity. It appears in the New Testament 22 times in the singular and 5 times in the plural. The following verses indicate that Christianity was originally established as a mystery religion: 

“they (the deacons) must hold fast to the mystery of the faith …” —1 Timothy 3:9 (NRSV) 

“The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” —Luke 8:10 (NRSV) 

“… the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God …” —Ephesians 3:9 (KJV) 

“This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.” —Ephesians 5:32 (KJV)

“… so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ …” —Colossians 4:3 (NASB)

Although most members of the Christian clergy would deny it, it is clear that Christianity had its roots in and derived its sacrements from the mystery religions of antiquity. This would be the Pagan origins from Egypt, Greece, and surrounding geographic regions that had interactions and trade with the early Hebrews as they were forming and revising their own customized belief system.

In recent years it has become common for authors to conclude that Jesus Christ was a mythological character based upon wishful thinking of Messianic Hebrews, and then revised by Emperor Constantine of Rome during the Council of Nicea on 325CE. In actuality, the gospel accounts of Jesus Christ are based on the lives of at least 3 distinctly different people, and possibly a fourth. Jesus is a conglomeration of multiple people, including Apollonius of Tyana.

What makes the task of reconstructing events from this time frame so difficult are all of the massive edits done to the Christian scriptures by various Judaizing and Hellenizing sects during the second century. There is also the problem that conspirators committed to the fire and literally burned and destroyed forever anything that they could find that contradicted the approved Roman doctrine after the Council of Nicea was held in 325CE under the supervision of Emperor Constantine.

Christian Scholars and Apologists seeking affirmation for the existence of this religious icon of the Christian faith turned to the only reliable source of Israel’s history of that period … that being the writings of historian Josephus. However, it soon became all too evident that when it came to Jesus, Josephus was moot with the exception of one famous passage, known as the Testimonium Flavianum, in the final chapter of his final book “Antiquities of the Jews.”

However, here Josephus is seen affirming that Jesus was indeed the Christ something a pious Pharisaic Jew would never do. So, the debate began. Was it authentic or a latter day Christian forgery? This debate has long been been resolved and it has been determined to have been inserted by later scribes. Therefore, many of the so-called Josephus documentations have to be forgeries. Hence, forgery, and plagiarism played an important role in its creation which makes its value unreliable and suspect. He also mentions Jesus in an account of the death of James, the supposed brother of Jesus.

It has always been assumed that the four canonical gospels represented four independent accounts of the Passion of Jesus, however, with the publication of “Caesar’s Messiah” by ‘Dead Sea Scroll’ archivist Joseph Atwill, it became clear that they actually stem from one continuous narrative which has been broken up into 4 separate gospels. However, each of these stories were originally intended to cover a distinctly different aspect of the events in the life of Jesus and are not attempts at giving independent accounts of the same story.

The gospels have undergone some degree of manipulation to make it seem as if they are 4 complete stories, but originally they were not. The Gospel of Mark once lacked any reference to the resurrection of Jesus, but there are those who believe that a part of the mystical end of the Gospel of John was actually the original ending of Mark. It was only in the late second century that Irenaeus assigned the names of authors to these anonymous works. Hence … the Gospel “according to …”

The 3 Synoptic Gospels are more Hebrew in origin and are influenced by Yeshu (Yeshua), the Essene ‘Teacher of Righteousness’ and social reformer, who was unceremoniously stoned and hung by the ‘Wicked Priest’ Aristobulus II c 65 BCE.

All we know of the Teacher comes from the Dead Sea Scrolls which indicate that some sort of defining event ocurred among the Essene sect at about that time. The Gospel according to John is a second century Hellenized Gnostic version of a more mythical supernatural Jesus Christ written to appeal to the more secular Greek sensibility.

However, the true esoteric teachings of Jesus are contained in the Synoptics and reflect the authors Zorastrian Pythagorean Essene and Gnostic background. They also contain certain Buddhist, Egyptian, Greek, and Hindu elements and myth pertaining to several subjects. This leads to the obvious question, “Where did they come from?” In order to understand the source from where the Christian scriptures originated, it is important that we start with the teachings not of the Old Testament, but of Zoroaster and Mithra(s), and many Godmen that came before them. But, this is for another day, and another article.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Ancient Greek Creation Myths

Ancient Greek Creation Myths

From the beginning, according to the myths of the ancient Greeks, the Greek world was created much like the story of creation and the story of Adam and Eve, in the Hebrew Old Testament Book of Genesis.

At first there was only Chaos, a shapeless mass of darkness and meaninglessness. Out of this Chaos came Nyx (night) and Erebus (the unfathomable deep). The first God to come into existence was Gaea, which means “Mother Earth” … it is unknown where she came from or how she came into being. Ouranos (Uranus in Latin), “Father Sky,” was born of Gaea as she slept. He became her husband, and together they had many children.

Their first-born children were, one, Hecatonchires - huge, powerful monsters with fifty heads and one hundred hands. Along the Hundred-Handed Ones, the Cyclopes were born - giants who had only one eye in the middle of their forehead.

The second born children, the Titans were born huge and powerful, like the Hecatonchires, but they were not hideous and uncontrollably destructive. Ouranos (Uranus), Father Sky, was harsh and cruel toward the Hecatonchires - he did not approve of their wild and destructive behavior.

They played with thunder, lightening, and earthquakes like weapons, and they were always fighting. It was believed that Ouranos feared that his powerful sons might topple him from his position as Lord of the Universe. Eventually, out of fear and ravenousness, Ouranos locked the Hundred-Handed Ones into a prison deep within the earth.

Naturally, Gaea was upset that Uranus had imprisoned the monsters. She turned for help to her youngest, Cronus (Time), who was the only one who had the courage to challenge Ouranos. After defeating his father, Cronus then took his place as “Lord of the Universe.” But Gaea was sorely disappointed to discover that Cronus’s REAL REASON for overthrowing Ouranos was simply to fulfill his OWN ambition. Now that he ruled the universe, Cronus had no intention of releasing his hundred-handed brothers from their dark prison.

Cronus married Rhea, another Titan, and together they had five children, who became Gods: Demeter, Hestia, Hera, Hades, and Poseidon. Like Ouranos, Cronus feared that his children might one day overthrow him. So each time Rhea gave birth, Cronus would then swallow the newborn God. However, since Gods are immortal, they did not die, but continued to grow inside of Cronus.

Determined to protect her sixth child from his father, Rhea gave birth in SECRET. She named the infant Zeus and sent him to the island of Crete, to be raised by nymphs. Then, pretending to obey her husband’s cruel command that she surrender all their children to him, Rhea wrapped a heavy stone in a baby blanket and carried it to Cronus, who swallowed the stone without any notice.

As the young god Zeus matured, he became more and more powerful. When Rhea, thought him mighty enough to challenge Cronus, she told him about his five brothers and sisters trapped inside their father’s body, and about how narrowly he had escaped the same fate.

With the help of his Grandmother Gaea, Zeus forced his father to regurgitate his five brothers and sisters, as well as the stone. The stone was taken to Delphi and left there. What Cronus feared all along became a reality. His children, who were led by their youngest brother, Zeus, waged war against him. However, Cronus was not left defenseless, he was backed by most of his brothers and sisters, the Titans.

The war between the Gods and the Titans was so terrible that it nearly destroyed the universe. The Titan Prometheus, whose name means “forethought,” could see that Zeus and his siblings were destined to win this war against Cronus, so he abandoned his own brothers and sisters and joined the other team.

He secretly advised Zeus to release Gaea’s first-born children, the Hundred-Handed Ones, informing him that they wielded thunder, lightning, and earthquakes as weapons. Once released, the monsters fought much harder against Cronus because he had betrayed his earlier promise to free them.

With the help of Prometheus and the monsters, the gods finally defeated the Titans. Cronus and his relations were then imprisoned at Tartarus, the deep bowels of the earth. Zeus, impressed by the effectiveness of the monsters’ weapons, appropriated the thunder and lightning for his own use. From that time on, whenever Zeus grew angry, he hurled thunderbolts at the target of his rage.

With the entire world open to them after the war, the Gods chose the cloud-draped summit of Mt. Olympus to be their home. The only Titans who were welcomed into the counsel of the Olympian gods was Prometheus, who’s advice had ensured their victory, and his brother Epimetheus, as a favor to Prometheus. Prometheus preferred to keep Epimetheus near him, because Epimetheus, whose name means “afterthought,” lacked wisdom and commons sense.

Zeus assigned Epimetheus and Prometheus the task of populating the earth with mortal creatures. With that task, Epimetheus thoughtlessly bestowed so many gifts on the lower animals that when the time came to create man, there was nothing left.

The beasts already had the sharp teeth and claws, the warm fur and feathers, the tough, protective hides, the wings and shells, and speed, size, and strength. Epimetheus turned to his wise brother for help in figuring out what gifts to bestow on man.

Prometheus gave man a more noble, upright stance, so man would be above the beasts, with his face turned toward the heavens rather then down toward the ground. He also gave man an intelligence that reached much higher than the beasts’ mere cunning.

Prometheus was partial to these men he had created, and he was always thinking of ways to benefit them. As Prometheus became more biased, his gifts became more lavish. He took a torch up to the heavens and lit it from the fire of the sun. He gave man this gift of fire, the gift that made possible all of man’s arts, and that also made it possible for man to conquer the cold and the dark. With power over fire, man was indirectly given the possibility to obtain seats near the Gods. Anger flourished when Zeus realized that Prometheus had stolen the sacred fire of the Gods and given it to mortals. Zeus then had him chained for all eternity to a rock in the Caucasus.

Though time, power and control corrupted Zeus and he became weary that his sons would overthrow him, as he had overthrown his own father. He sent Hermes to ask Prometheus, who could see the future, which son would be his nemesis. Prometheus refused to reveal the secret, so Zeus found a way to make his punishment crueler. Everyday an eagle was sent to devour his liver, but every night the liver would grow back, making Prometheus’s agony as eternal as his imprisonment.

His suffering lasted for many ages until, finally, he was freed through the good offices of Zeus’s son Heracles, who begged his father to have mercy on Prometheus. Moved by Heracles’s pleas, Zeus allowed his son to kill the eagle and to break Prometheus’s chains. Thus Prometheus was freed at last.

During Prometheus’s pain and suffering man was not left unpunished. Zeus commanded Hephaestus to fashion a woman out of clay. Up to that time, man had consisted entirely of males. So a woman named Pandora, meaning “all gifts,” for she was endowed with every quality that would make her enticing and desirable. Zeus sent Pandora as a gift to Epimetheus, who gladly accepted the charming creature, even though Prometheus had warned him that Zeus was their enemy and they must never accept any gifts from him.

Pandora brought with her a box that her maker had given her. She was warned that she must never, under any circumstances, open the box, which piqued her curiosity. The day came where she could no longer bear the mystery of the box. She carefully lifted the lid. To her dismay, all sorts of hideous winged creatures came flying out of the box so fast that she could not shut the lid, the last of them escaping. Preconceiving that Pandora would eventually succumb to curiosity, all knowing Zeus packaged the box with every sort of physical and spiritual ill he could devise. Therefore, Plague, Famine, Misery, Despair, Hatred, Warfare, and many other forms of suffering escaped into a world.

After Pandora had slammed the lid shut, she heard a small fluttering sound from inside the box. Her curiosity arousing once more, lifting the lid once more, a small, delicate creature with golden wings flew out; its name was Hope.

And that, was how the Ancient Greeks explained the process of creation and how the world came into existence. Each civilization had their own unique myths of how the world came into existence. Ultimately, they all got meshed together across multi-civilizations and mythical fables and allegories. So, until we can really figure it out, my suggestion is that we enjoy our time here in this incarnation, be kind to others, spread love and compassion among humanity.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Medulla Oblongata

Medulla Oblongata   You see the title of this article and you’re thinking what the heck does this mean? Trust me, I’m going to make this a short but very important article geared towards wrong thinking and how exactly the entire process starts, and ends. I have done my best to simply the process to make it easier to remember and to understand.   An event or experience enters the brain through a ’keyhole“ called the medulla oblongata. The oblongata’s job, is to always ask the same question … “what does this mean?” It kind of reminds me of an old Monty Python movie when the bridge keeper would ask one question before allowing anyone to pass … ”what is your favourite colour?“   Then our little subconscious voice in our head opens the bad memory files - the old videotapes and recordings of the past - and creates a movie in our head. This movie is kind of like Imagination TV, and after the movie begins, our 10 million nerves accept this ITV program, and then believes it to be real.   This process then leads to our feelings, and as a result, creates bad feelings. Then, these feelings establish a belief system for us. Once the belief system is established, we then develop a bad attitude. Going beyond the bad attitude, comes the final stage of the cycle … bad actions and/or bad behaviour. It’s that ego reminding us of what happened the last time … you know this isn’t going to turn out right, etc.   To stop the cycle of bad events, we must change the ”source perception.“ We must close the bad memory files … put away the tapes, tape a lid on the boxes, and see each event as NEW and FRESH. Here’s how we guard the gate … and actually make that change in our source perception … to be more mindful of what enters the keyhole entrance and how we answer the question of ”what does this mean?"

So we answer the question asked of the medulla oblongata from a different perspective. We answer from our CONSCIOUS awareness and NOW perception rather than allow our subconscious memory files to apply the negative OLD bad memories to the event instead. For some reason, we like to return to that which is familiar. It’s just easier.   Trust me, if change the way you think, you’ll change the way you live. I guarantee it. See everything as a new experience in the NOW. Your job, relationships, co-workers, even commuting in dense traffic. Look back only in reference if it leads to learning and knowledge of how to perceive your current NEW event or experience in a positive way. If we base all of our experiences on old bad memory results, we can’t change the negative cycles and can’t break free from the ITV channel. Grab the remote, and change the channel.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Allegory of Paradise

Allegory of Paradise

Most of us are familiar with the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. So the story goes, Adam and Eve are living in Paradise … The Garden of Eden. Everything is provided for them. They have all they need and are living in fantasyland. No worries, no concerns, just good times. Until they defied the warning of God/Absolute.

They were told they could eat from among all of the trees in the garden, including the “Tree of Life,” EXCEPT for one … the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” In fact, so forbidden was it that the day they were to eat of the tree, they were told they would die. Now, if we were to take this story literally, we would have to wonder why God would place such a tree in Paradise in the first place, and why Adam and Eve didn’t die when they ate the forbidden fruit. But this, as is the entire Bible, is allegory and metaphor. The tree is needed to fulfill the deeper message of the myth.

One day, a talking serpent (obviously metaphorical, since snakes don’t talk) appears to Eve at the Tree of Knowledge, and says don’t worry about the warning. On the day you eat of the fruit of the tree, you will NOT die. This … is a metaphor for Eve having a inner battle with her ego/serpent. Now before we go any further, we must understand that Eve represents the feminine principle of creation both in body and mind. Eve is our subconscious mind. Birthing whatever our conscious mind wishes - and asks no questions or has any determination of right from wrong. It just does.

Adam, is the masculine principle and the conscious mind. Whatever our conscious mind impregnates into our subconscious mind, will be birthed … brought forth into reality and manifested form. Conscious mind, should be implanted good thoughts into the garden of our subconscious mind so as to bring forth goodness … but, as is evident by the present world condition, this is not always the case.

So, Eve now presents Adam with this fruit, and they both eat of it. In doing so, the God(s) are quoted as saying now that they have eaten the fruit of that tree, they have become as us (yes it says plural Gods). So they get thrown out of the Garden … Paradise. But wait … what about the death part? From the pulpits your will hear “well they died spiritually” or you will hear “they committed the original sin and became dead to God” etc. But let’s go a bit deeper on this.

This entire allegory is a story designed to speak of the development of consciousness among mankind. And there are multiple labels of consciousness, each having purpose and meaning. In the early formation of man, our subconscious mind ran everything. Everything was like the Garden. It was provided for mankind with no conscious thought needed. But as mankind developed conscious thought, and reasoning, things began to change … and change drastically. Man became as God, and could now think, create, discern, be led by Ego self, or Divine Self. We had a choice … free will. We no longer ran solely on our perfect and Divine pre-programmed subconscious and superconscious mind that runs our entire body without us even knowing about it. We developed the conscious mind … and could now cross the line into egotistical sensual fulfillment. In other words, we could now choose from the path that had already been paved, or wander off into the desert or wilderness.

Allow me to stray for a second. I learn much from my dogs. They are with me all day every day. One thing that always fascinated me is the freedom they have to live each and every moment without ever knowing they are going to die. One day, I will be left with one, and the other will carry on never knowing what happened to the other. You see, on the day we ate the fruit (developed conscious thought and reasoning) … we learned about death. We became aware of our own mortality. This was a devastating revelation. We knew not death, and now we fear it more than anything else.

This is what was meant by “if you eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil you will surely die.” We DID become as god(s). And, the knowledge of death became not only an inescapable reality, but has ruined our lives … not so much by witnessing it, but by fearing it. It follows many people as a dark shadow waiting to take away their very last breath. So many people are consumed by worrying and fearing death. When they will die, how they will die, etc. Even though we are eternal Spiritual beings having a physical experience, we still have much we would like to do in this incarnation. So many things to see and do. No one WANTS to die … to leave this life for another. So the knowingness of death came with the expansion and evolution of mankind’s conscious awareness.

So when we were earlier ancient, base nature man, we had no knowledge of death. We experienced life everyday without ever having a clue that one of those days - would be our last. Not knowing you would die, would have been paradise would it not? But the process of involution and evolution must move forward … must progress and grow. We now have the option to choose what Adam feeds Eve and so forth. What our conscious mind feeds our subconscious mind … will manifest into form. Good, or evil. We now have the knowledge, and we have to power to know good from evil. Choose rightly.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Has God Really Been Removed

Has God Really Been Removed?

How many times do we see it on the news? “School removes ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance.” Or the constant fight to remove “In God We Trust” from our monetary symbols. Even the battles to remove any reference to God in our court and justice system. Do you realize just how magnanimous and immeasurable such an undertaking would be to remove “God” from everything so as to be politically correct, or as not to offend the tiny populous of folks that have no belief in a God?

Well, let me tell you the Truth. The honest to God’s Truth. It is an impossibility. Not because of all the changes and work that would have to be done, but simply because all that exists in the entirety of the universe … IS GOD. It may not be the old man with a white beard sitting on a golden throne in the clouds, but it is who God truly is. And there are of course many names. God, Allah, El, Ra, Absolute, The All, Source, Almighty, Origin, etc. There are literally thousands of names that thousands of civilizations have given to this “God” … this higher power. Funny thing is, “God” in not His, Her, or Its name … it is WHO He, She, or It … IS. This is how we label the power that is greater than all of us. “God” is not the name, it is a title, a description, a classification … but not a name.

The honest Truth is … there is NO us. There is NO other. We are Actor’s in a Cosmic Passion Play. The word “person” comes from the Latin word “persona” which literally means “the mask of an Actor.” Instead of watching a movie released by “Universal Pictures,” WE are star-ring in a story being released by “Universe Pictures.” We are the writers, editors, creators, actors, grips, FX, CG’s, and our General Manager is not only our boss … but IS ACTUALLY US. God is experiencing Life with us, through us, and AS US. We are eternal Spirit having a material and physical experience. The entire universe is one massive organism of which we are all bits and pieces that hold it all together. There is no separate you or me, we are ONE … with everyONE. There are no separate things, there is ONE thing, and we are everyTHING. What we do to or for someone else, we do to or for our self.

If you can fathom this, your life will change immensely. We are made of star stuff. Everything in this universe came from ONE point of origin. Therefore, everything in the universe is made out of the same thing that that point of origin is made out of. The water in your drinking glass, shower, pool, puddles, rain, clouds, rivers, streams, oceans, appliances, cars, and hot tea … is still WATER. The same water that has been here since the beginning. We can’t “make” water. In fact, our bodies are made of something like 80% water. So water, like everything else, is ONE with the universe. A fish is one with the water. Between you and I, are things we can’t see. There is air, molecules, bacteria, oxygen, nitrogen, atoms, cells, germs, dust particles, airborne viruses … that we can’t SEE … but still tie us altogether as one living organism AS - and WITHIN - the universe … or … GOD/Source Energy.

Life … inspires and expires with each and every breath we take. Within each of us is the Divine spark of the origin of the universe. We are on a continuous cycle of re-generation. Your age is how many times you have revolved around the sun. All is NOW. The past, the future, is all right now living in this incubator that we call the universe. And I haven’t even touched on multi-verses yet. Where else would anything go? When someone dies, where else would they go? Heaven? The Afterlife? They’ll ALL in this universe. It’s an infinite balloon thats filled with everything all tied together with the seen and the unseen … with a common unconscious Matrix of common-union.

I could literally go on for days, but I won’t. Suffice it to say as we return to the title of this article … you can’t take “God/Source/I AM/I Exist” out of school, coins, courtrooms or anything else even if you tried … because ALL of these things ARE an individualized essence made of the entirety of what we call God/Source Energy. Everything is Spirit … energy. Matter is merely the lowest form of vibrating energy. You and I are waves in the ocean, inseparable, and collectively the ocean itself is God/Completeness and entirety.

You can peel off the label on a jar, you can scratch off the brand of a pencil, you can paint over what a sign says, you can cut off the brand label on a shirt … but it won’t change what these thing are. It won’t change the fabric, the contents, the material or fiber of what they are. We can’t make dirt, we can’t make water, we can’t make sand. It was already here. We can re-arrange it into something else, but every material we use was already here. And something … put it here. And that something, left within all that exists, a part of itself that by simple genetics tells us that everything in the universe is relative, and related. If your Mother and Father created YOU … then YOU, are THEM. We are born OUT of this earth, not into it. As a leaf comes forth from a tree, we come forth from the earth.

I have had many conversations with, and read many writings by many brilliant atheists. They know more about religion than people who practice it. They’ve done their homework. But the one thing I have found is that it’s not that they don’t necessarily deny belief in a God, it is that they have no belief in the God they were taught about. If you break it down to calling God the air that you breathe, how can one deny the existence of God? What if I said that God was the ever continuous light of the sun that burns 24 hours a day without fail throughout or entire Solar System. Could you deny the existence of God? Before “God” can be discussed, we must first find out from people who or what God really means to them. I guarantee you that you will get as many different answers as the number of people that you ask.

I hope I’ve given you enough basic information for you to understand that once two cups of water are poured into one pitcher, they cannot be separated or un-poured. They are ONE. Just as everything that exists in this universe is ONE. and that Oneness, is whatever you wish to call it. But among the ancient Wisdom and true religions of the past, and among the most brilliant philosophers and metaphysicians alive today … that one thing is called God. The Nature of immutable Universal Law that keeps this machine running, whether we pay attention to it or not.

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.

Truth In Lies

Truth In Lies

I once asked a friend of mine if he believed there could be Truth in a lie. He said “of course not, it’s a lie.” But, there actually can be Truth in a lie, if what is being said has a deeper meaning that contains Truth. We must learn, to discern.

For example, what if my son forgot to close the front door and our puppy got out. We spend time to find him and fortunately we do. Now, I can sit my son down and tell him how irresponsible he was for leaving the door open … which would go in one ear and out the other … or I can tell him a story. Something like this:

“When I was your age, my friend Tommy left his door open and his family looked for hours to find their puppy and they never did. Imagine how sad they all were when they lost their puppy, Can you please do your best to make sure to close the front door when you come home from school?”

Now THIS … will stay with him. He’ll remember this story because it speaks to his heart and emotions rather than just his mind. The lesson here, is that I never had a friend named Tommy who lost his puppy. It was a bold-faced lie. But not a lie as we see it, there was Truth hidden within. It was a fable, a myth, an story designed to teach a deeper lesson.

This was the way most ancient scripture among many civilizations was written. It was not written to be taken as literal and historical. It was written as parables, metaphors, allegories … stories containing deeper lessons for a people that had no books, DVD’s, Internet, and most without any ability to read or write. They told stories … passion plays. Dramatic campfire tales. What scripture calls “dark sayings of old.” Many of these “stories” contained a hidden teaching “for those who had eyes to see, and ears to hear.”

So before we can determine a lie versus Truth, we have to first discern the difference between what we are really talking about - fact versus fiction, and Truth versus illusion. An illusion is a necessary presence and appears to be real, but will dissipate and dissolve in the presence of Truth. It is the duality of one. Fact versus fiction is simply it happened or it didn’t.

Here’s a good way to understand the difference. When you look into a mirror, the mirror is necessary for you to see the image of yourself. But the job of the mirror is merely to show you … you. Once you see yourself, you realize the mirror is an illusion, and it is you that is the reality. The illusion is no longer needed but was a lesson for you. You have learned what you needed to know and only the Truth of you remains. The two, have become one, but there needed to be TWO (duality) in order to become ONE.

Ancient scripture and myth, including the Bible, tell many stories that were never to be taken as historical and literal events. They were using people, places, and things as part of an allegorical myth to explain them in a way that would be both entertaining, and that would hold remembrance for us. We may not easily remember what a teacher writes up on the blackboard or prompter, but if the teacher told us a story that contained within it - the lesson, we would retain and understand it’s meaning better, and longer. We may even pass it around. It’s kind of like a joke, we may not remember exactly line for line how the story goes, but we remember the gist of it, the subject matter, and the punch line.

To wrap up this article, it is important to know that - other than math - none of us will ever experience Ultimate Truth in this incarnation. But we will experience Personal Truth. And we do this through experience. When we actually experience something, witness it, we accept it to be true … at least for us … because it is our experience. All else is assumption and opinion. The only way that I would know that you keep water bottles in your refrigerator, is if I look inside and see it for my self. Much the same with our spiritual experiences. We have to look inside, and see for ourselves … rather than simply accept someone else’s opinion. Simply put, if you weren’t there to experience an event or happening, then your REALLY don’t KNOW that it happened or not. So you must ask yourself … DID it happen, or DOES it happen?

Just a thought …

~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.