DEVIL AND EVIL

DEVIL AND EVIL

If you were raised in the Christian Faith, chances are some of your earliest fears were brought on by the fearsome personage of all evil ... evil incarnate ... the Devil, and/or Satan. Other names you may have heard used: Beelzebub, Lucifer, the serpent/snake, Mephistopheles, etc. 

Chances are you were also taught at the same time about the all-powerful God who could turn off the sun if he chose to do so. So then, how is it that "another" mighty, eternal, God of Evil can co-exist with this Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent total power of the One good God/Source of Absolute Truth? 

The church system would teach that this Devil/Satan was literally once a mighty Angel, the most beautiful of all, they say. But his rebellion led to an uprising and he took a third of the Angels with him ... cast out of the heavenly realm. So, having no where else to go apparently, he came to Earth as a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and therefore brought with him, chaos and disorder into Paradise that once was - before he moved into the neighborhood. Talk about home values plummeting.

So, now he and his fallen cohorts (so-called demons) travel about the world, tempting humans into wars, poverty, hunger, lies, rapes, murders, theft, vandalism, and every other evil that we can come up with. "The Devil made me do it" is what people claim, yet it is the person who has done the evil that will go to jail ... not the Devil or his demons. This is all fine and dandy if it was the basis for the plot of a low-budget horror film, but other than that ... it is all just a convenient way to blame someone else the for effects that WE cause. 

The original Christians (Krestianoi) knew the Truth. But then again, they were murdered and tortured to death by the Roman Church, and most all of their scriptures and physical evidence were either destroyed or confiscated. Quite a bit of bounty was collected for a newly formed Empirical Religion that had behind it the armies and legions of the Roman Empire. But, to maintain power over mankind, the power must be held in secret within the highest ranking leaders of the Church. If the people knew the Truth, if they had been empowered with the Truth of The Ages, the Hidden Wisdom, the Apocalyptic Revelation that was Life changing, then they would no longer be able to be controlled. And the money, donations, and food offerings would cease to come rolling into the temples and churches.

So then, who is this guy/power?

"For as much as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself took part in the same, that through DEATH, he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is THE DEVIL."

~Hebrews 2:14

Much like a dictionary, biblical scripture will give you definitions if you look hard enough. Many times, we have to go back to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. So right here, we are told in plain English, that whoever or whatever has the "power of death" is the "Devil." 

"For since BY MAN came DEATH, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

~1 Corinthians 15:21

So, according to this verse ... direct from the Bible ... MAN has the power of DEATH. And every man is subjected to duality (Though it is an illusion). There are two polarities of men within every man. The Inward Man and the Outward Man. The "outward" is the man of flesh ... Adam, so to speak. We inherited this outward man from the Genesis story of Adam. Adam is a man (according to scripture) and therefore we inherited the sin nature of Adam, right up the line, as an inclusive part of our human nature. 

"For the wages of SIN is DEATH."

~Romans 6:23

Now follow me ... I'm going somewhere with this. So it is SIN that has the power of DEATH. Sin is the Adam-man ... the human nature man ... the first of two. Adam, and Jesus. Adam (and sin) represent your human animal nature ... the flesh that your Soul is wrapped in. 

"If you live after the flesh, you shall die. but if you "by the Spirit" (the Mind of Christ) do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live."

~Romans 8:13

The human body has the power of death, through it's sin (error in thinking) and the battle is in the Mind ... where Spirit lives. This is ego-centric consciousness vs. Christ consciousness. While in the mythical Garden of Eden (Mind), Adam and Eve were tempted by the lust of sin ... wrong thinking, missing the mark of Divine Truth, which is in all men. The conversation with the serpent, was actually Eve having an internal conversation amongst her-selves. Just as we do today. We talk to ourselves, ask ourselves questions, and actually answer them. She had wandered into Ego-land. 

This story is about inner temptation. Eve was tempted. Adam was tempted. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. The lust of sin in the flesh (the ramblings and desires of our ego) bring about these temptations. And therefore, this Devil/Satan who is "the opposer," or "adversary," leads us astray from the natural default of goodness and righteousness. When we "sin" (make an error in judgement through ignorance leading to consequences) we bring forth the Devil. Satan ("ha-satan"). The opposite end of polarity between good, and not good. We are given this duality (range of polarity) so that we can discern what is right, or unright. Human nature ego, or Divine nature Mind. Once we see the Truth, that which was illusion dissipates. 

Your mirror reflection is not actually you, but it looks just like you ... in the opposite reverse polarity. Once you see that the image is not real, that it is merely an illusion, it is no longer needed. You have learned the lesson that was intended. The Devil/Satan are not anthropomorphized evil as personages, they are our ego Mind, forever wanting to follow the desires of our senses, rather than what is best for our Self and everyone else. We are one race, one blood, one point of origin. God/Source/Spirit lives with us, through us, and AS US. When all is "whole" ... "holy," then we can attain the ultimate goal ... Heaven on Earth. There is ONLY ONE power in this world. God alone is all there is. We are each an emanation from this Source of all there is. 

"so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things."

~Isaiah 45:6-7 

There is no room for a creature called the Devil to exist in a realm in which GOD is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, or ... ALL there IS. 

"for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."

~Romans 14:17

"Neither shall they say, Look here! or, look there! for, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you."

~Luke 17:21

The Kingdom is described in the scriptures as being "Love, Peace, and Joy." So, let's make it happen ... and KNOW that it is found WITHIN us. Collectively, we are commissioned to bring order from chaos (day from night, light from darkness). We have the ability to reason. 

"For IN HIM we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

~Acts 17:28

The universe/God/Source is one giant organism, and we live within it, move within it, have our being in it, as it, and there is nowhere else to go but right where we are right now. All is NOW. All is here. The present is a gift ... enjoy the moment. 

Just a thought ... 

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

HEBREW CONNECTION TO SATAN

HEBREW CONNECTION TO SATAN

Among the ancient beliefs of Zoroastrianism, the Persian Magi (Astrologers and Zoroastrian Priests) turned some Hindu concepts around, and with them the Asuras were good, and the Devas bad. “Ahura Mazda,” the god was good, his counterpart “Ahriman” was bad … the “devil” of sorts. So there was now evil and good. Therefore, there was between the god and the devil the waging of a perpetual war. And why not? Man has always been at war with himself, so why not the Gods as well?

Author Gerald Messandé wrote: “The early framework of the three monotheisms [Judaism, Christianity, Islam] had been erected. The Devil’s birth certificate was filled out by an Iranian prophet (Zoroaster).” Although, this is really only partly true, his full birth certificate was filled out by those who had changed the religion to what many contemporary followers of that faith believe today. And also, mixed in a bit from here and there, from among ancient myths and legends - and many other religions and philosophical systems - to create a conglomerate.

Now we move forward to the Hebrew Connection to all of this good/evil, god/satan stuff. Many years after all the changes to Zoroastrianism were made by the Magi, the Hebrew people came into contact with Zoroastrianism during the Babylonian rule, from 597 to 538 BCE. This was now a period after they had been exposed to numerous other beliefs and doctrines from other civilizations while under earlier Assyrian rule. Remember also, that the ancient Hebrews, were not always monotheistic. In their earlier times, they were polytheistic as many others before them were as well. There were Sky Gods, Nature Gods, etc. 

It is from this Babylonian exposure to Zoroastrianism, that Judaism acquired the belief in a dualistic cosmos being torn between the forces of good and evil. It was here that Judaism acquired the concept of angels and, more specifically, their seven Archangels (the Seven Attributes of Ahura Mazda). It was here also, that the Hebrews were exposed to the idea of the evil entity Ahriman (Satan/ha-satan) working directly against God and a Saoshyant (Messiah) who would come at the end of time (Frasho-kereti) to assure and guarantee the restoration of Divine Law to the world.

It is worth noting that the Hebrew word for “angel” is malach, meaning “messenger.” Also note, the same is true for the English word Angel, derived from the Greek word “Angelos,” which also means “messenger.” Throughout Biblical scripture, an Angel, is a messenger of God/Source who carries out the Divine will of the Almighty. There is not one example in the Hebrew scriptures where any Angel, Satan included, “opposes” God’s will. “Satan (or ha-satan)” in Hebrew means “adversary.” (or opposer/accuser)

Now, shortly after Satan’s “birth,” the idea of Hell gained wide acceptance. Prior to this, the official doctrine was that all Hebrew people who died went to Sheol. Sheol was a place of shadows where the world still existed but remained forever out of your grasp. Everyone went to Sheol whether or not they were wicked or holy. Our modern idea of ghosts emerged from this belief. But, technically, it was ultimately “the grave.”

The Persians are also responsible for the doctrines of a “final battle,” a “final judgment,” and the “resurrection of the dead.” From them, the Hebrews developed a scheme of world history, new beliefs about the end of time, and a more extensive set of beliefs concerning Angels. Frankly, the Hebrews had few original ideas.

In fact, all of what you will find in Old Testament scripture (allegory and metaphor) was nothing new or original. It had all been said before, and long before the Hebrews came along. They merely customized earlier stories with their own symbolism, rituals, geography, and names. The same goes for the Roman New Testament as well.

So, returning to where we were ... “Satan” gained a established place in late Hebrew and early Roman Christian thought to explain the sinister reality of sin and suffering in a world whose faith, was believed to be under the wise and beneficent guidance of the Almighty God/Source. Biblically speaking, this concept of Satan, was one of being a Prosecuting Attorney, under employ of the Court of God.

The conception of “the evil one” in his dual aspect of being the enemy of God, enemy of man … even a “fallen Angel” can be traced way back to its origins in much earlier religions, and is based entirely upon mythology. Just remember, under all of the stories, fables, metaphors, allegories, parables, and myth … is hidden much deeper lessons for the spiritual advancement of man. This evil one, is none other than the human ego. The one who chooses to either be in alignment with the default of goodness, or stand in opposition to it. 

The ancient Greek root word “mythos” is not as we see the word “myth” today. Today, we see see and use the word “myth” and the meaning we have attached to it is that “it never happened,” or “it’s just a meaningless fable, or urban legend.” But that was not the original concept by the Greeks. There was always something hidden under the guise of a myth that was much more important than the story itself. I will wrap this up with one of my favourite quotes from Joseph Campbell:

“A myth is something that never was, yet always is.”

Research everything you’ve been taught. Question everything you believe, and why you believe it. There is always something more to the story than meets the eye ... and the word. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM. 

ORIGIN OF THE WORDS SIN AND EVIL

ORIGIN OF THE WORDS SIN AND EVIL

Sin & Evil: In the Aramaic Language and culture that the New Testament Biblical Jesus taught in, the terms for “sin” and “evil” were archery terms. When the archer shot at the target and missed, the scorekeeper yelled the Aramaic word for sin. It meant that you were off the mark, take another shot. In Aramaic, the word used is “ḥōb,” which can mean in many Aramaic dialects either a debt owed to a lender or a “sin.” Same with the Greek. In the Greek, “hamartia” means “missed the mark.” In Hebrew, “chait” was used in the same manner. Accurately translated as “error” or “mistake.”

The concept of sin was to be for positive mental feedback. Sin is when you are operating from inaccurate information and thus a perceptual mis-take. When you become conscious and aware of the results of your inaccuracy you have the option to reconsider what you have learned and do as they do in Hollywood, “do another take.” By the way, to further add to what was mentioned above, during the Olympic Archery events, where the arrow fell - when it missed the target - was referred to as evil. This coincides with the original Greek word mentioned above for missing the mark: “hamartia.”

The church system however, defines sin as “an act that is regarded by theologians as a transgression of God’s will.” This would mean, by design, that the church decides what God’s will might be and therefore by default, is a decision as to what the church leaders have decided would be God’s will, since God is Spirit and unable to write a book.

Reaching much farther back into time, and into ancient mythology, Sin - (Akkadian) was god of the Moon; a counterpart of the Sumerian Nanna. In Mesopotamian religion, the god of the moon was the father of the sun god, Shamash (Sumerian: Utu), and in some myths, of Ishtar (Sumerian: Inanna), goddess of Venus, and with them formed an astral triad of deities.

Sin was represented as an old man with a flowing beard - a wise and unfathomable god - wearing a headdress of four horns surmounted by a crescent moon. The last king of Babylon, Nabonidus (556–539 BCE), attempted to elevate Sin to a supreme position within the pantheon.

Biblically speaking, “The wages of sin is death” say the scriptures. We must not look at scripture like this, in a literal sense. It is allegory and always carries a deeper esoteric and metaphorical meaning. Another way of seeing this verse is “what is paid or received for work or services due to inaccurate information and thus a perceptual mis-take, is a resulting ignorance.” As referenced in the first paragraph above: “debt owed to a lender.”

We are also seeing in action, the Law of Cause and Effect ... karma. We are not punished FOR our sin ... we are punished BY our sin. The consequences of ignorant thinking and acting. 

We as human beings, must find the Truth and live within the Universal Laws that have been established ... boundaries. Laws such as mentalism, correspondence, vibration, polarity, rhythm, cause and effect, Gender, etc. When we learn to live within these parameters, we do not transgress the Laws. When we ultimately find the Truth, then “the Truth will make us free.”

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM.

PERSONIFICATION OF SATAN

PERSONIFICATION OF SATAN

The characterization and personification of “Satan” (Greek: σατανάς) (Hebrew: ha-satan) is portrayed to humanity in ever changing and varied images. The diversity of the images should be noted, particularly the diversification of forms “Satan” has taken on throughout history depicted by the images which have been catalogued, is not coincidental. 

Either these extremely varied pictures are all true to some extent and represent the “Satan” creature’s ability to morph like some kind of “shape shifter,” or there is no Truth to his being a real entity. 

In his poem, Dante portrayed the Devil as a grotesque, winged creature with three faces - each chewing on a devious sinner - whose wings blew freezing cold winds throughout Hell’s domain. In The Bible, there is no description of the Devil in any physical detail, and Historically by the end of the Middle Ages, the Devil had taken on the appearance of the horned, trident-wielding figure with a tail that has endured to modern times.

All the images of Satan are just many different depictions of many different imaginations that are based on imagery borrowed from ancient mythological creatures ... such as Pan. Pan being the nature demon that frightened everyone at that time. Pan’s fearful presence has carried on into our English language through words such as PANic and PANdemonium.

The primary meaning of the Hebrew word שָׂטָן (satan) is “an adversary, an opponent.” So in the Old Testament, satan (ha-satan) is commonly used to mean “an enemy”, either within or without. Biblically, in many of the places where this word is traditionally translated “Satan,” it should really be translated as “enemy or adversary." The Greek word σατανάς (satanas), comes from the Hebrew word satan, and has the same meaning: an adversary or enemy. 

We also find the use of the other word known as “Devil” in ancient texts. In the Greek of the New Testament, the word  “devil” (διάβολος/diabolos) most of the time meant a ruling evil figure. The underlying meaning of this Greek word is “false accuser, slanderer.” So once again, when we read “the Devil” in the New Testament, it refers to a very human reality: those who slander others and make false accusations.

These different graphic depictions can only be mental fabrications and constructs with no real model to base them on. So too is “Satan” himself ... a mental fabrication. Albeit, one in which many people believe to be real, in a physical sense.

The medieval period has been the most profound period of artistic depictions of what it is believed Satan looked like. The graphic images played a huge part in the conciousness of unsuspecting and unquestioning citizenry throughout that period, and assisted in setting up a belief that “Satan” was a physical being with a physical form ... and this horned being may well be the oldest deity reconized by humankind. 

Just like the fabrications of creative pagans and superstitious Christians of the past, the demons of the present day and of the New Testament period, were little more than mental constructs used to strike fear in the heart of mankind. That being said, know that the very word “demon” in the original Greek simply meant “spirit” (δαίμονας/daímonas), or Divine power. Nothing more. 

Although every culture assigned images to their concepts of their evil deity, the Truth of the matter is that the pagan nations each had their own multiplicity of Gods to worship, but that doesn’t make them real. These are non-existent, fabrications of men’s minds and were often made into statues and idols by the very hands of men. It is these “Gods” who were known as diamons/demons by the Ancient Greeks.

Although not specifically good or bad, they were believed to be “spirit energies” but eventually the Christians of old rejected the concept of “good spirit energies” and concluded ... these must be evil demons.

Today, many Christians believe the Devil was once a beautiful angel named Lucifer who defied God and fell from grace. This assumption that he is a fallen angel is often based the book of Isaiah in the Bible which says: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations.” It is important to note that “Lucifer” isn’t a proper name but a descriptive phrase meaning “morning star or day star,” and can also be properly translated as “light Bearer or light bringer.” Lucifer is Latin, and in the Greek we find “Phosphorus” (Greek Φωσφόρος Phōsphoros) ... the Morning Star, the planet Venus in its morning appearance. 

The Latin word lucifer, corresponding to Greek φωσφόρος, was used in Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל (helel), meaning Venus as the brilliant, bright or shining one, in Isaiah 14 (Isaiah 14:12), where the Septuagint Greek version uses, not φωσφόρος, but ἑωσφόρος. As a translation of the same Hebrew word the King James Version gave “Lucifer,” a name often misunderstood as a reference to Satan. Still, the name stuck and the Devil is often referred to as Lucifer.

By the time the Christian movement had swept across the Western world, our language would reflect that reversed perception, the Greek term daimones, “spirit energies,” would become in the English language, “demons” ... and are considered to be evil. These spirit-energy creatures, had become Satan's little helpers. 

Throughout history, the Devil’s reputation as an evildoer hasn’t changed much. Most followers of the Christian Religion still believe he has literally wreaked havoc on the earthly plane, and is responsible for much of the world’s corruption and chaos. To find the real satan though, we must look within ... and find our own sensory based ego-driven choices that bring consequence rather than benefit to humanity. This, is the “Opposer,” the enemy, false-accuser, and adversary - and, in many ways - the Antichrist. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM.

ALLEGORY OF PARDISE

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 THIS 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. We would also have to ask “how did they know about death in the first place?” But this story, 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 from God. 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. Thought, to form. 

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 manifest form. Conscious Mind, should be implanting good thoughts (thinks/things) 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 ... out of 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 allegorical meaning of this story is 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 things drastically changed. Man became as God, and could now think, create, discern, be led by Ego self, or Divine Self. We had a choice ... we now had 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 we could 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, will I suffer, how long will it take. etc. Even though we are eternal Spiritual beings having a physical experience, we still have much we would like to do in this journey. 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 every day 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 (gnosis), and we have to power to know good ... from evil. Choose rightly. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM. 

RESIST NOT EVIL

RESIST NOT EVIL?

 

"Resist Not Evil" - What Does This Mean?

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he...” Proverbs 23:7

Whatever a man thinks, he creates.

Whatever a person focuses on, that, he shall have.

This is such a simple concept and yet we have not grasped it. Jesus was quoted as saying, “Resist NOT evil.” WHY did he say that? And why do we continue to resist it?

The word “resist” here is key. He knew that in our resistance and focus, we will create MORE of what we are actually NOT wanting. THINK ABOUT THAT. 

Let me explain further: The human being is endowed with this “pearl of great price,” something that has been forming within the human race for eons. This “treasure” hidden within the human field is the ability to create. Whatever the human focuses his/her thought and emotion upon he/she creates MORE of what he/she thinks about.

Let’s say a woman experiences betrayal and thinks about the circumstances of the betrayal time and time again, and feels the pain, and sheds the tears because of the pain she re-lives. There is a deep cry coming from within her being that is actually requesting, ASKING to be betrayed! 

The Universe does not discriminate. It hears the vibrational request because a human being is focusing thought and emotional currency into - in this case - being betrayed. And the answer is YES. It is always yes. Our subconscious Mind cannot accept “not” or “won’t” … it accepts the thought … in a positive light … and delivers. It is based on image, or picture graphics. You cannot draw a picture of someone NOT swimming. They are either swimming, or doing something else. In this same way, the subconscious Mind and Universe cannot deliver to you ... something that you DON’T want.

The more we think about war … the more war we get. Think about PEACE, and in that way we can eradicate war by manifesting peace instead.

Scripture, in Philippians 4:8 says “take every thought captive” and to “... think/meditate on things that are pure, lovely and of a good report.” There is good reason for this. 

If you are focusing on betrayal for example, you are actually sending a detailed plea for more of the same. You must cease focusing on betrayal and begin focusing on loyalty and integrity in order to receive it. 

Albert Einstein said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different results.”

Don’t like where you are? Don’t like the ways things are? Then change your thinking. 

Dr. Wayne Dyer said “Change The Way You Look At Things And The Things You Look At Change”. 

If we truly grasp the mechanics of creation, then we will maintain our focus on GOOD things. Focusing on things we deem as evil/bad will attract more of it to us, and we will ultimately receive whatever it is that we “ask” for ... good, or un-good. 

The reason that so many people focus on the negative things is because we have an ego that recognizes right and wrong, good and evil. “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” We must remove this wrong thinking ruler from the throne of our humanity, and let the ego be a servant to us rather than a master of us. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM. 

DEVIL AND EVIL

DEVIL AND EVIL

If you were raised in the Christian Faith, chances are some of your earliest fears were brought on by the fearsome personage of all evil ... evil incarnate ... the Devil, and/or Satan. Chances are you were also taught at the same time about the all-powerful God who could turn off the sun if he chose to do so. So then, how can "another" mighty, eternal, God of Evil co-exist with this Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent total power of the One good God/Source of Absolute Truth? Hmmm. 

The church would teach that this Devil/Satan was once a mighty Angel, the most beautiful of all, they say. But his rebellion led to an uprising and he took a third of the Angels with him ... cast out of the heavenly realm. So, having no where else to go apparently, he came to Earth as a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve, and therefore brought with him, chaos and disorder into the Garden/Paradise that once was - before he moved into the neighborhood. Talk about home values plummeting ... 

So, now he and his fallen cohorts (so-called demons) travel about the world  tempting humans into wars, poverty, hunger, lies, rapes, murders, theft, vandalism, and every other evil that we can come up with. "The Devil made me do it" is what people claim, yet it is the person who has done the evil that will go to jail ... not the Devil or his demons. This is all fine and dandy if it was the basis for the plot of a low-budget horror film, but other than that ... it is all bunk. Yes, bunk. It is just a convenient way to blame someone else the for effects that WE cause. 

The original Christians knew the Truth. But then again, they were murdered and tortured to death by the Roman Church and most all of their scriptures and physical evidence were either destroyed or confiscated. Quite a bit of bounty was collected for a newly formed Empirical Religion that had behind it the armies and legions of the Roman Empire. But, to maintain power over mankind, the power must be held in secret within the highest ranking leaders of the Church. If the people knew the Truth, if they had been empowered with the Truth of The Ages, the Hidden Wisdom, the Apocalyptic Revelation that was life changing, then they would no longer be able to be controlled. And the money, donations, and food offerings would cease to come rolling into the temples and churches.

So then, who is this guy/power?

"For as much as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself took part in the same, that through DEATH, he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is THE DEVIL."

Hebrews 2:14

Much like a dictionary, biblical scripture will give you definitions if you look hard enough. Many times, we have to go back to the original Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. So right here, we are told in plain English, that whoever or whatever has the "power of death" is the Devil. 

"For since BY MAN came DEATH, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

1 Corinthians 15:21

So, according to this verse ... direct from the Bible ... MAN has the power of DEATH. And every man is subjected to duality (Though it is an illusion). There are two polarities of men within every man. The Inward Man and the Outward Man. The "outward" is the man of flesh ... Adam so to speak. We inherited this outward man from the story of Adam. Adam is a man (according to scripture) and therefore we inherited the sin nature of Adam, right up the line, as an inclusive part of our human nature. 

"For the wages of SIN is DEATH."

Romans 6:23

Now follow me ... I'm going somewhere. So it is SIN that has the power of DEATH. Sin is the Adam man ... the human nature man ... the first of two. Adam, and Jesus. Adam (and sin) represent your human animal nature ... the flesh that your Soul is wrapped in. 

"If you live after the flesh, you shall die. (sounds a bit like Genesis huh?) but if you "by the Spirit" (the Mind of Christ) do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live."

Romans 8:13

The human body has the power of death, through it's sin (error in thinking) and the battle is in the mind ... where Spirit lives. This is ego-centric consciousness vs. Christ consciousness. While in the mythical Garden of Eden (mind), Adam and Eve were tempted by the lust of sin ... wrong thinking, missing the mark of Divine Truth, which is in all men. The conversation with the serpent, was actually Eve having an internal conversation amongst herselves. Just as we do today. We talk to ourselves, ask ourselves questions, and actually answer them. She wandered into Ego-land.

This story is about inner temptation. Eve was tempted. Adam was tempted. Jesus was tempted in the wilderness. The lust of sin in the flesh (the ramblings and desires of our ego) bring about these temptations. And therefore, this Devil/Satan who is "the opposer" leads us astray from the default of goodness and righteousness. When we "sin" (make an error in judgement through ignorance leading to consequences) - we bring forth the Devil. Satan (ha-satan! the Opposer). The opposite end of polarity between good, and not good. We are given this duality (range of polarity) so that we can discern what is right, or unright. Human nature ego, or Divine nature Mind. Once we see the Truth, that which was illusion dissipates. 

Your mirror reflection is not actually you, but it looks just like you ... in the opposite reverse polarity. Once you see that the image is not real, that it is merely an illusion, it is no longer needed. You have learned the lesson that was intended. The Devil/Satan are not anthropomorphized evil as personages, they are our ego mind, forever wanting to follow the desires of our senses, rather than what is best for our Self and everyone else. We are one race, one blood, one point of origin. God/Source/Spirit lives with us, through us, and as us. When all is "whole" ... "holy," then we can attain Heaven on Earth. The Kingdom is described in the scriptures as being "Love, Peace, and Joy." So, let's make it happen. Collectively, we are commissioned to bring order from chaos (day from night, light from darkness). We have the ability to reason. The universe is one giant organism, and we live within it, as it, and there is nowhere else to go but right where we are. All is NOW. All is here. 

Just a thought ... 

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

DO NOT RESIST EVIL - WHY?

DO NOT RESIST EVIL - WHY?

"Resist Not Evil" - What Does This Mean?

“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he...” Proverbs 23:7

Whatever a man thinks, he creates.

Whatever a person focuses on, that, he shall have.

This is such a simple concept and yet we have not grasped it. Jesus was quoted as saying, “Resist NOT evil.” WHY did he say that? And why do we continue to resist it?

He knew that in our resistance and focus, we will create MORE of what we are actually NOT wanting. THINK ABOUT THAT. 

Let me explain further: The human being is endowed with this “pearl” of great price, something that has been forming within the human race for eons. This “treasure” hidden within the human field is the ability to create. Whatever the human focuses his / her thought and emotion upon he / she creates MORE of what he / she thinks about.

The universe does not discriminate. It hears the vibrational request because a human being is focusing thought and emotional currency into being betrayed. And the answer is YES. Our subconscious mind cannot accept “not” or “won’t” … it accepts the thought … in a positive light … and delivers. It is based on image, or picture graphics. You cannot draw a picture of someone NOT swimming. They are either swimming, or doing something else. In this same way, the subconscious mind and universe cannot deliver something that you DON’T want.

The more we think about war … the more war we get. Think about PEACE and in that way we can eradicate war by manifesting peace instead.

Scripture says “take every thought captive” and to “think on things that are pure, lovely and of a good rapport.” There is good reason for this. 

If you are focusing on betrayal for example, you are actually sending a detailed plea for more of the same. You must cease focusing on betrayal and begin focusing on loyalty and integrity in order to receive it. That which we resist, continues to persist. Remember this always.

If we truly grasp the mechanics of creation, then we will maintain our focus on GOOD things. Focusing on things we deem as evil will attract it to us and we will ultimately receive whatever it is that we “ask” for.

The reason we focus on the negative things is because we have an ego that recognizes right and wrong, good and evil. We must remove this wrong thinking ruler from the throne of our humanity, and let the ego be a servant to us rather than a master of us. Always let the Divine within, lead us to the default of goodness. 

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