Ritual

So what on Earth is Universalism? Well, it’s actually a Church, and a philosophy. It’s an idea that helps you to let go of all the dogma that normally surrounds religion and ‘church’. I first heard the term many years ago through the work of Edgar Cayce. While he was a strong Christian in his waking life, in his trance state he would use the term ‘Universalist’ to describe a more holistic approach to spiritual understanding. On looking into a little further, I found out that there is a Universalist Church in America, which has now joined forces with the Unitarian Church. Wikipedia describes it thus: “Unitarian Universalists assert no creed, but instead are unified by their shared search for spiritual growth.  So that’s the Church, but it’s the idea that I’m more interested in. The concept that there is one underlying truth that is generally colored by the history and culture it finds itself expressed through. And too often, (unfortunately) this truth is influenced by the desire for power that many still hold. So it is not the teachings themselves that cause war, but the people who like to wield them like a weapon, and an excuse for separation., and thereby, power. If we look further though, we can see a growing interest in Ancient Egyptian philosophy, Hermeticism, the works of the great Alchemists, the re-emergence of the Polymath (such as Robert Grant), and a renewed interest in Sacred Geometry. We also have Quantum Physics supporting metaphysical principals, the Law of One, manifesting, deeper mind practices (meditation, self hypnosis, regression techniques) and much much more! However, rather than competing, these ideas, philosophies and teachings all inform and expand on the other. More importantly, they empower the person who reads them, and endeavours to not only understand them, but to practice them. Who, through having a curious and respectful mindset, can accept and respect all that is on offer, while taking in that which resonates and assists with their own personal and spiritual growth. Personally, I have a pretty strong feeling that we are drawn to particular teachings because we have been exposed to them before. Perhaps we were around at the same time that the teachers first appeared, or perhaps we were involved in working with these ideas in some way in a past experience. So for me, I think the way to cut through all that is on offer (cause it can get confusing right?) is to use the heart as a litmus test. If it lights you up on the inside and does not offend your values and ideals in any way – then keep listening. Is it the path, the destination, or both? ‘the ‘path’ has been become the new ‘must have’, rather than the knowledge…’ I also believe that at the back of all this we need to be working on our own strong connection to source consciousness. It is so important that we have our personal experience to filter it all through, our own reliable pathway to intuition and our higher self, our soul self. This is what is exciting about all of the new pathways being offered to us, they all encourage and teach us to go within. If there is anything about this that I find challenging though, it is that the ‘path’ has been become the new ‘must have’, rather than the knowledge, or the teaching that awaits us in the practice. To be fair, I have my own path that I am now teaching –  a path that was first dropped into my mind in a moment of reflection (downloaded?), and then honed through my studies and personal experiences. I have the belief that it will be of value to some, however I am very mindful not to call it a panacea, or pathway to Heaven on Earth – in that it will deliver untold riches and the perfect life. Just because I want it to be so. I was very clearly advised away from this in a dream I had a few years ago where I was told by the Master Soul, ‘no selling spirituality like snake oil off the back of a truck’.  It’s something I now put a lot of thought into though… how do I help without sounding like a ‘snake-oil’ salesman? For you, for me, for all of us, personal experience is KEY. And when asked which is the best meditation to practice, Cayce replied ‘the one your going to practice’. Look for the point of resonance – if the idea is dropping in on fertile soil, you will feel it in your heart. Reading, regressions and dreams For me, I’m definitely drawn to the mysteries, however, most of my deep understandings have come from my own experiences, and teachings delivered in dreams, meditations, contemplations and reveries. Add to that, I have also been ‘awakened’ to the knowledge within via a number of very powerful past-life regressions. There is a lot written about regression work these days, however the most powerful aspect of the experience was when I was taken through the dying experience. The usefulness of this is now debated, however the alteration in consciousness that I felt in going from a ‘recalled life’ to a soul mind perspective was life changing, and it continues to be influence how I think and act today. So while there are many different influences that come can come together when we are on ‘a path’ of awakening, or re-awakening, the most potent information comes from the higher self. You know all this already I guess what I’m saying here, is that so much knowledge already exists within us, waiting to be re-awakened, and we are drawn to one practice or another depending on our previous exposure to these teachings. They are all the same at heart though, and have been a part of the human journey since we first walked the Earth. Once, we also required the use of mind altering plants to show us that there were...

The desire to understand the mysteries The way of the ‘Initiate’ over the eons has been the desire to understand the mysteries of the natural world, as much as the desire to understand the spirit and the SOUL. The Cosmos, the Creative Principle and the Unifying Factor. The Mystery. If you’ve ever read any of Edgar Cayce’s work (and I grant you – it isn’t easy!) – it is to be drawn into the mysteries in a very matter of fact way, and yet, his work also contains a certain poetry! Of interest here is that Cayce always maintained that the man Jesus (who embodied the Christ), studied in the Mystery Schools of Egypt (in addition to many other places), long before he returned to his homeland and his role as teacher. Cayce often referred to Him as the The Great Initiate – as he states that he was the first to complete the process of ‘transmuting the flesh’ – which was during an initiation within the great pyramid of Egypt. In that way, he also refers to him as The Way Shower, The Master, and even… our big brother, come to show us the ‘Way’. It’s an inspiring tale, and often told through the past-life readings he gave to others. Sadly though, Cayce also states that many of this man’s most important teachings have been lost or obscured over time – including the importance of equality between the female and male principle. Interestingly, around the same time as Cayce was going into trance on a daily basis, to bring back knowledge and wisdom from the Akasha, a book on Hermetic Philosophy was being written. This book espouses many of the same principles, and as a consequence of it’s popularity it is helping to usher in a new passion for mysteries, for the ‘initiates way’. So, Who or what is an Initiate? The meaning of the word ‘initiate’ –  is to begin; to commence or to usher in – to take action. To initiate can also mean ‘to initiate someone into a group or society’, typically with ritual. Ritual and the process of initiation are ideas and processes that have been enacted out over the millennia. In the past a ‘Ritual Drama’ was a way of acting out what you wanted another to learn. It facilitated instruction via story telling, combined with the elicitation of emotion. “Ritual Drama has now permeated every aspect of our culture” Initiate also comes from the Latin ‘initiare’, which means to inspire, so to initiate someone into a ‘Way’ or a path, is to inspire them to commit to a particular journey. When we look at it in this way, a marital contract can be also seen as a commitment to a particular journey, and the ceremony is meant to inspire an emotional connection to that commitment. In that moment, in front of others drawn to the cause, we marry emotion with will, and we set out upon our journey. Many other various cultural and religious ceremonies can be seen in the same way, and in fact, our obsession with movie and theater, can also be seen as a continuation of the ‘Ritual Drama’. A way that we learn, from watching others, how to engage or respond to the situations of life that present, and we continue to place reverence upon those that act out these dramas for us, whether deserved or not! A true Initiation however requires certain elements: 1: Idealism, and the creation of a desire to aspire toward the attainment of certain values/ideals. 2: Reflection. It should inspire inner work, contemplation and learning. Deepening whatever is instructed with self knowledge (gnosis) 3: Elicit an obligation to fulfill the ideal or task that the heart has set its sights on. An initiation then, can be seen as a marriage of the motivating forces and the emotional body to facilitate commitment…WILL – (I Will). Personally, I feel its time we broaden our understanding around the importance of Initiation and Ritual Drama, as these things continue to be a part of our lives – but often, in an unconscious way. As a result, they have lost their potency, and at the same time the ideas being delivered are not ones that inspire learning or the soul-development of the ‘group’. What we have instead is default ‘ritual drama’ from social media, tiktok and reality TV, and we don’t have to be in the town square to watch the drama unfold – it is being beamed to the masses in all places. So, what’s the antidote? Or where can we start? Well, let’s take it to where it’s already happening, our own homes. This is something we need to foster in our society, our culture, at this time, to help all of the new souls coming to the earth at this time – particularly the Indigo Souls. Magick as active prayer; drama as intentional and conscious learning of ideals to assist with spiritual growth; ritual as commitment to something extraordinary – I’m all for it! 🙂 How about you? Are you ready to commit to something extraordinary, to the journey that goes above and beyond, and develop a little ritual in your life to mark the beginning of something new (a New Age). To fire up the emotional heart? It’s similar to the idea of spell-casting, which is really a supplication to the natural forces – divine in origin, in that you are acting out your intention with reverence and honor. Someone recently described it as prayer in action! What a beautiful idea…. It’s simple enough to do, and you can incorporate some of these elements to engage the psyche, as well as the spirit and SOUL forces. 1: Create a space, it can be a corner of the room, a dedicated area, somewhere out in nature, or by the sea. Throw a glorious cover over the space or onto the ground – to denote your area of ‘special-ness’. 2: Work with the energy of the...