Stainton Moses: Spirit Teachings (“Imperator“ channelling)

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I saw this referenced in Stafford Betty’s work and got curious: there are two books containing the channeling of a group of spirits headed by “Imperator”, channelled by Stainton Moses, a 19th century former Anglican priest. They are available online for free in different formats here, but I’d suggest you get the book/kindle book from Amazon if you are interested (the online version seems to have many scanning errors and the punctuation is often screwed up). The first book is called “Spirit Teaching”, published by Moses himself, the second book is called “More Spirit Teachings”, published posthumously on the basis of the records he left. I haven’t read the second one yet.

Apparently, this used to be one of the all-time classics and foundations of the spiritualist movement, but it seems that few people have heard of it nowadays. (Interestingly, “Imperator” foresees the complete corruption of the spiritualism movement by a conscious plan carried out by the forces of evil, and it sure seems he was spot-on.) In my opinion, the material in there is far, far superior to most New Age type of channelling I’m familiar with such as Bringers of the Dawn. And the comments by Moses between the sessions and in his introduction show that he was a very bright and noble guy in his own right.

Keep in mind that this was a communication for an Oxford-trained theologian and former priest in Victorian England. There’s certainly a biblical/Christian gloss there, and Imperator makes it clear repeatedly that he can only convey information for which the receiving mind is ready, and that he and the other spirits in his group don’t bother shattering certain beliefs if that is not crucial to their mission. But even that gloss seems surprisingly minor. However, the dealings with biblical history should be taken with a very big chunk of salt. But even still, there are some interesting bits there as well, and some of it even jives with what we know from books like “From Yahweh to Zion”.

I take it that Imperator and his gang of spirits, each of them having a certain role in the process, are highly evolved 5D spirits or something like that. Whoever they are, they sure write with supreme style! Truth be told, I had a blast reading this book, and thought that on every page there is some great wisdom or some interesting clue worth thinking about.

What I also like about Imperator’s teaching is that he provides different angles on issues at different times, therefore creating a very nuanced picture. He even says as much, that truth can only be relative in our realm, i.e. we can only shine the light on truth from different angles, but cannot come to a definite statement of absolute truth. For example, he spends much time deriding Christian orthodoxy, but at the end of the book, strengthens the Christian faith and provides a very insightful interpretation of Christ’s life as a parable for spiritual development and gives a (imo) fascinating interpretation of Christian holidays as celebrating different stages and aspects of spiritual evolution. Another example is that he thinks it best to live in a quiet and undisturbed environment for spiritual communion, but at other times he says that a secluded life spent in fanciful meditation outside of duty is of no worth at all for spiritual development. Still another example is that he speaks of the progressive development of man’s understanding of God, i.e. there is truth in the old teachings like Judaism, but that you need constant revivifying of those teachings and that we get progressively more refined in our understanding. On the other hand, he comes down very hard on Judaism. So there is a certain dialectic to the whole book that I think is very fruitful and uses Stainton’s own mental world to convey a very powerful body of teaching.

So one thing I took from the book (I think) is a better understanding of the nature of “spirit teaching” and teaching in general. It’s fascinating to observe how Imperator tries to stir up something positive in Stainton Moses, to nudge him towards discovery and towards laboring to find out more, to shock him awake at times, to dispel his doubts and soothe him, to lead him towards more “receivership capacity”. It reminds me a bit of the Cs actually – same principle, yer totally different because of different people and different times. It also makes me appreciate Laura’s work even more, because the obstacles are so great and the odds so slim even for the best to “get it” and walk the walk till the end…

Anyway, I found this book very uplifting and at times fascinating, especially if one reads it with all the background we have here and avoids the usual traps when interpreting channelled material.

I’ll post some quotes here, but if someone else has read the book or plans to read it, I would like to know what you think. It might be very fruitful to discuss some of its content, including some of the things that seem less convincing, where there might be a difference to the Cs’ teaching etc.

 

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Here are some quotes that are kind of typical for Imperator’s style and the quality of his teaching:

We attach little importance to individual belief: that is
altered soon enough by extended knowledge. The creed
which has been fought over with angry vehemence during
the years of an earth lifetime is surrendered by the enfran-
chised spirit without a murmur. The fancies of a lifetime on
earth are dissipated like a cloud by the sunlight of the spheres.
We care little for a creed, so it be honestly held and humbly
professed; but we care much for acts. We ask not what has
such an one believed, but what has he done? For we know
that by deeds, habits, tempers, characters are formed, and the
condition of spirit is decided. Those characters and habits,
too, we know are only to be changed after long and laborious
processes; and so it is to acts rather than words, to deeds
rather than professions, that we look.

The religion which we teach is one of acts and habits, not
of words and fitful faith. We teach religion of body and
religion of soul; a religion pure, progressive, and true; one
that aims at no finality, but leads its votary higher and higher
through the ages, until the dross of earth is purged away, the
spiritual nature is refined and sublimated, and the perfected
spirit perfected through suffering, and toil and experience
is presented in glorified purity before the very footstool of its
God. In this religion you will find no place for sloth and
carelessness. The note of spirit-teaching is earnestness and
zeal. In it you will find no shirking of the consequences of
acts. Such shirking is impossible. Sin carries with it its
own punishment. Nor will you find a convenient substitute
on whose shoulders you may bind the burdens which you have
prepared. Your own back must bear them, and your own
spirit groan under their weight. Neither will you find en-
couragement to live a life of animal sensuality and brutish
selfishness, in the hope that an orthodox belief will hide your
debased life, and that faith will throw a veil over impurity.
You will find the creed taught by us is that acts and habits
are of more moment than creeds and faith; and you will dis-
cover that that flimsy veil is rent aside with stern hand, leav-
ing the foul life laid bare, and the poor spirit naked and open
to the eye of all who gaze upon it. Nor will you find any
hope that after all you may get a cheap reprieve that God
is merciful, and will not be severe to mark your sins. Those
human imaginings pale in the light of truth. You will gain
mercy when you have deserved it; or rather repentance and
amendment, purity and sincerity, truth and progress will bring
their own reward. You will not then require either mercy or
pity.

This is the religion of body and spirit which we proclaim.
It is of God, and the days draw nigh when man shall know it.

Content is, in the pure
soul, only retrospective. It cannot rest in that which is past;
at best it views the achievements of the bygone days only as
incentives to further progress. Its attitude to the past is one
of content, to the future, of hope and expectation of further
development. That soul which shall slumber in satisfaction,
and fancy that it has achieved its goal, is deluded, and in peril
of retrogression. The true attitude of the spirit is one of
striving earnestly in the hope of reaching a higher position
than that which it has attained. In perpetually progressing
it finds its truest happiness. There is no finality; none, none,
none!

Similarly, reward is no sensuous ease in a heaven of eternal
rest; no fabled psalm-singing around the great white throne,
whereon sits the GOD; no listless, dreamy idleness, cheaply
gained by cries for pity, or by fancied faith; none of these,
but the consciousness of duty done, of progress made, and
of capacity for progress increased; of love to God and man
fostered, and the jewel of truth and honesty preserved. This
is the spirit's reward, and it must be gained before it can be
enjoyed. It comes as the rest after toil, as the food to the
hungry, as the draught to the parched, as the pulsation of
delight when the wanderer sights his home. But it is only
the toil-worn, the travel-stained, the hungry, the parched
traveller who can enter into the full zest. And it is not with
us the reward of indolent, sensuous content. It is the gratifi-
cation which has been earned, and which is but an additional
spur to future progress.

 

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Here is a summary of some of the spirit's theology which Imperator gives early on in the book:

This mortal existence is but a fragment of life. Its deeds and their results remain when the body is dead.

The ramifications of wilful sin have to be followed out, and its results remedied in sorrow and shame.

The consequences of deeds of good are similarly permanent, and precede the pure soul and draw around it influences which welcome and aid it in the spheres.

Life, we teach you, is one and indivisible. One in its progressive development; and one in the effect on all alike of the eternal and immutable laws by which it is regulated. None are excused as favourites; none are punished mercilessly for error which they were unable to avoid. Eternal justice is the correlative of eternal love. Mercy is no divine attribute. It is needless; for mercy involves remission of a penalty inflicted, and no such remission can be made save where the results have been purged away. Pity is Godlike. Mercy is human. [I think with “pity” they mean compassion and with “mercy” the mean “pardon”]

We know naught of that sensational piety which is wholly wrapped up in contemplation, to neglect duty.

We know that God is not so glorified. We preach the religion of work, of prayer, of adoration. We tell you of your duty to God, to your brother, and to yourself—soul and body alike. We leave to foolish men, groping blindly in the dark, their curious quibbles about theological figments. We deal with the practical life; and our creed may be briefly written:

Honour and love your Father, God. (Worship) Duty to God.

Help your brother onward in the path of progress. (Brotherly Love) Duty to Neighbour.

Tend and guard your own body. (Bodily culture) Duty to Self

Cultivate every means of extending knowledge. (Mental progress) Duty to Self

Seek for fuller views of progressive truths. (Spiritual growth) Duty to Self

Do ever the right and good in accordance with your knowledge. (Integrity) Duty to Self.

Cultivate communion with the spirit-land by prayer and frequent intercourse. (Spirit nurture) Duty to Self.

Within these rules is roughly indicated most that concerns you here. Yield no obedience to any sectarian dogmas. Give no blind adherence to any teaching that is not commended by reason. Put no unquestioning faith in communications which were made at a special time, and which are of private application. You will learn hereafter that the revelation of God is progressive, bounded by no time, confined to no people. It has never ceased.

Here’s part of one of the main chapters dealing with the overall philosophy the spirits try to convey:

[Some reiterated objections of mine, which have been
stated before, were finally answered thus (Aug. 31,
1873)]:

We propose to speak to you on a subject of which we have
before treated, but not at large. You have alleged, and it has
frequently been said, that the creed we profess and the system
of religion which we teach, are vague, shadowy, and im-
palpable. It has been said that the effect of our teaching is to
unsettle men's minds as to the old faith, without providing a
new and rational form of belief. Many of these objections we
have dealt with separately, but we have not yet attempted to
set before you an exhaustive outline of the religion which we
desire to see rooted among men. This we propose to do now,
so far as it is possible.

We commence with God, the Supreme, All-Wise Ruler of
the universe, who is enthroned over all in eternal calm, the
Director and Judge of the totality of creation. Before His
Majesty we bow in solemn adoration. We have not seen Him,
nor do we hope yet to approach His presence. Millions of
ages, as you count time, must run their course, and be suc-
ceeded by yet again myriads upon myriads ere the perfected
spirit perfected through suffering and experience can enter
into the inner sanctuary to dwell in the presence of the All-
pure, All-holy, All-perfect God.

But though we have not seen Him, we know yet more and
more of the fathomless perfection of His nature, through a
more intimate acquaintance with His works. We know, as
you cannot, the power and wisdom, the tenderness and love
of the Supreme. We trace it in a thousand ways which you
cannot see. We feel it in a thousand forms which never reach
your lower earth. And while you, poor mortals, dogmatise as
to His essential attributes, and ignorantly frame for yourselves
a being like unto yourselves, we are content to feel and to know
His power as the operation of a Wise and Loving and All-
pervading Intelligence. His government of the universe
reveals Him to us as potent, wise, and good. His dealings
with ourselves we know to be tender and loving.

The past has been fruitful of mercy and loving-kindness;
the present has been instinct with love and tender consider-
ations; into the future we do not pry. We are content to
trust it in the hands of One whose power and love we have
experienced. And we do not, as curious mortals please them-
selves with imagining, picture a future which has its origin in
our own intelligence, and is disproved by each advancement
in knowledge. We trust Him too really to care to speculate.
We live for Him and to Him. We strive to learn and do His
will, sure that in so doing we shall benefit ourselves and all
created beings whom we tend; the while we pay to Him the
honour which is His due, and the only homage which His
Majesty can accept. We love Him; we worship Him; we
adore Him; we obey Him; but we do not question His plans,
or pry into His mysteries.

Of man we know more than we are permitted to tell, as yet.
We are not charged to gratify curiosity, nor to open out to
you views and speculations which would but bewilder your
mind. Of the origin of man you may be content to know that
the day will come when we shall be able to tell you more
-certainly of the spiritual nature, its origin and destiny; whence
it came and whither it is going. For the present you may
know that the theological story of a fall from a state of purity
to a state of sin, as usually detailed and accepted, is mislead-
ing. Few, perhaps, even of those among you who have pon-
dered on the subject, have not given up all attempts to
reconcile with reason so distorted a legend. You may better
direct your attention for the present to man's condition as an
incarnated spirit, and seek to learn how progressive develop-
ment, in obedience to the laws which govern him, leads to
happiness in the present and advancement in the immediate
future. The far off spheres, into which only the refined and
purified can enter, you may leave in their seclusion. It is not
for mortal eye to gaze into their secrets. Sufficient that you
know that they unfold their portals only to the blessed ones,
and that you and all may be ranked within them after due
preparation and development.

It is more important that we speak of man's duty and work
in the earth-life. Man, as you know, is a spirit temporarily
enshrined in a body of flesh; a spirit with a spiritual body
which is to survive its severance from the earth body, as one
of your teachers has inculcated rightly, though he erred in
minor particulars. This spiritual body it is the object of your
training in this sphere of probation to develop and fit for its
life in the sphere of spirit. That life, so far as it concerns
you to know, is endless. You cannot grasp what eternity
means. Sufficient now that we demonstrate to you enduring
existence, and intelligence existing after the death of the
physical body.

This Being, temporarily enshrined in the body of earth, we
regard as a conscious, responsible intelligence, with duties to
perform, with responsibilities, with capacities, with account-
ability, and with power of progress or retrogression. The
incarnated spirit has its conscience, rude frequently and unde-
veloped, of inherent right and wrong. It has its opportunities
of development, its degrees of probation, its phases of
training, and its helps in progression if it will use them.
Of these we have spoken before, and shall say more here-
after. For the present we tell you of man's duty in the sphere
of probation.

Man, as a responsible spiritual being, has duties which con-
cern himself, his fellow-man, and his God.

Your teachers have sufficiently outlined the moral code
which affects man's spirit, so far as their knowledge has
extended, and has been communicable to you. But beside
and beyond what they have taught you lies a wide domain.
The influence of spirit upon spirit is only now beginning to
be recognised among men; yet therein lie some of the mightiest
helps and bars to human progress. Of this, too, you will
learn more hereafter; but for the present we may sum up
man's highest duty as a spiritual entity in the word PROGRESS
in knowledge of himself, and of all that makes for spiritual
development. The duty of man considered as an intellectual
being, possessed of mind and intelligence, is summed up in the
word CULTURE in all its infinite ramifications; not in one direc-
tion only, but in all; not for earthly aims alone, but for the
grand purpose of developing the faculties which are to be
perpetuated in endless development. Man's duty to himself
as a spirit incarnated in a body of flesh is PURITY in thought,
word, and act. In these three words, Progress, Culture, Purity,
we roughly sum up man's duty to himself as a spiritual, an
intellectual, and a corporeal being.

Respecting the duty which man owes to the race of which
he is a unit, to the community of which he is a member, we
strive again to crystallise into one word the central idea which
should animate him. That word is CHARITY. Tolerance for
divergence of opinion; charitable construction of doubtful
words and deeds; kindliness in intercourse; readiness to help,
without desire for recompense; courtesy and gentleness of
demeanour; patience under misrepresentation; honesty and
integrity of purpose, tempered by loving-kindness and for-
bearance; sympathy with sorrow; mercy, pity, and tenderness
of heart; respect for authority in its sphere, and respect for
the rights of the weak and frail: these and kindred qualities,
which are the very essence of the Christ-like character, we
sum up in the one word Charity, or Active Love.

As to the relation between man and his God, it should be
that which befits the approach of a being in one of the lowest
stages of existence to the Fountain of Uncreated Light, to the
great Author and Father of all. The befitting attitude of
spirit before God is typified for you in the language of your
sacred records when it is said that the exalted ones veil their
faces with their wings as they bow before His throne. This
in a figure symbolises the REVERENCE and ADORATION which
best become the spirit of man. Reverence and awe, not
slavish fear. Adoring worship, not cowering, prostrate dread.
Mindful of the vast distance that must separate God from man,
and of the intermediary agencies which minister between the
Most High and His children, man should not seek to intrude
himself into the presence of the Supreme, least of all should
he obtrude his curiosity, and seek to pry into mysteries which
are too deep for angel-minds to grasp. REVERENCE, ADORA-
TION, LOVE ; these are the qualities that adorn a spirit in its
relation to its God.

Such, in vaguest outline, are the duties which man owes to
himself, to his fellow, and to his God. They may be filled in
by future knowledge; but you will find that they include
within them those qualities which fit a man for progress in
knowledge, and render him a good citizen, and a model for
imitation in all the walks of life. If there be nothing said of
that external and formal duty which is made so much of by
the Pharisaic mind, both now and heretofore, it is not that we
do not recognise the importance of external acts. So long as
man is a physical being, physical acts will be of importance.
It is because we have no fear that sufficient importance will
not be attached to them that we have not dwelt on this
side of the question. We are concerned rather with spirit,
and with the hidden spring, by which, if it be working aright,
the external acts will be duly done.

 

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Here’s Imperator’s discussion of ancient Egypt which strikes me as very insightful and nuanced. The dialogue between Stainton and the channelled source is also a good example of how Stainton went about it. Notice that there are quite a few things in there that seem to check out and are congruent with things we have learned, but the passage also shows we need to be careful about the historical references Imperator gives. No doubt Stainton’s mind and preconceptions limited some of the answers, and/or Imperator and gang had some specific goal, or simply toned down their “light” for Stainton, or whatever. As always, we can’t take such things as gospel truth:

[I inquired if there were any available records of
Egyptian theology to which I could get access.]

It is not necessary. All that remains of the old Hermaic-
books is little. The writings in the mummy cases from the
Ritual of the Dead are excerpts from them. The care for the
body, we have said, was the distinguishing mark of Egyptian
religion. The funeral ceremonies were very long and minute,
and the writings on the tombs and on the caskets which
enshrined the bodies of the departed are the earliest records
of Egyptian faith.

You will not need to dive into these matters. It is needful
only that you see and grasp this great truth, that the despised
knowledge of the past had its germ of truth.

Nay, more. Religion was to the Egyptian the master prin-
ciple of daily life, to which all else was subservient. Art,
literature, science, were the handmaids of religion, and the
daily life itself was an elaborate ritual. The faith in which
he lived was incorporated in every act. The Sun-God, as it
arose and set typified the life which was then but beginning
and which in the twin Sothriac cycles would return again after
three thousand years of progressive education to earth, only
to be absorbed at last in the pure beams of Ra, the source and
spring of life and light.

The ceremonial purifications of worship pervaded his daily
work, and gave a tone of spirituality to the businesses of life.
All that the Egyptian did had reference to the life hereafter
on which his stedfast gaze was fixed. Every day had its
special presiding spirit, or deity, under whose protection it was
placed. Every temple had its great staff of prophets, priests,
pontiffs, judges, scribes. These were versed in mystic lore,
and spent lives of purity and chastity in penetrating into
nature's hidden secrets, and the mysteries of spirit intercourse.
They were a pure, learned, spiritual race, albeit their know-
ledge of some things known to men now was but slight. But
we may say to you that in deep, philosophical knowledge, in
clearness of spiritual perception, your wise men have no claim
to rank with them.

Nor in practical religion can your people equal the old
Egyptians. We have learned long since to estimate man's
religion by acts rather than by words; and we pay little heed
to the character of that ladder by which man climbs heaven-
ward. False faiths abound still. Man now, as heretofore
befogs himself with foolish imaginings which he calls Divine
Revelation. And though the faith of Egypt were erroneous
in much, it possessed that which redeemed its errors and en-
nobled the lives of its professors. They at least had not
clothed their lives with a dead materialism. They had not
closed every avenue to the higher life of spirit. They recog-
nised their god in every act of daily life, even though their
idea of the god-principle was crude. They would not buy and
sell and trade with deliberate purpose to defraud and over-
reach. They would not ignore all else but dead matter, even
though they did pay undue reverence to the perishable and
material.

You know how far it is true of your age, that it is material,
earthy, grovelling; that its thoughts and aspirations have been
earth-bound; that it is unspiritual, without lofty aspirations,
without deep spiritual insight, without active faith in spirit-
life and intercourse. You can draw the contrast for yourself.
In pointing it out we do not exalt Egyptian religion, save to
show you that what seems to you so earthy and vile was, in
some of its aspects, a living faith, powerful in daily life, and
possessing deep spiritual wisdom.

Yes, in a way, no doubt. It seems that so much may be
said for every form of faith. They are all man's grop-
ing after immortality, and vary in degree of tintth
according to his enlightenment. But you are hardly
fair to this age. No doubt there is a deal of Materialism,
but there is also a deal of striving to avoid it. Few are
Materialists from choice. And if ever there were a time
when thought about religion and God, and the hereafter,
might be said to be rife, it is now. It seems to me that
your strictures would suit better a bygone age of apathy
than one in which is at least awake and alive to the 'mo-
mentous questions on which you speak.

It may be. There is, as you say, much tendency to look
into these matters; and where that exists there is hope. But
there is also a strong desire to exclude all reference to spirit
as a factor in human existence: to refer all to matter, and
crush out all seeking into spirit intercourse and the spirit life
as at least unpractical, if not unreal and delusive. It is, per-
haps, necessary that the temper of your age should take its
tone from the peculiar religious epoch through which you are
passing. The transition state that intervenes between one
form of faith and its successor, is necessarily one of con-
vulsion. The old is fading, and the new is not yet clear.
Man must pass through this, and it has a tendency to distort
his vision.

Yes. Things seem in a fluidic state, shifting, and
obscure. Then, of course, there are many who do not
want to be disturbed. They resent being roused from
their dreams. And some have dealt with matter so
long that they cannot bear to think that after all it is
only the vail of spirit. But this does not affect my
belief that no age that I know of, short of that grand
era in old Greece, shows anything like the same active
and intelligent seeking into deep spiritual and natural
truths.

It is well that you think so; nor do we desire to shake that
opinion. We have but striven to show you by a typical in-
stance that there are truths hidden even in those faiths which
to you seem most gross and earthy.

I suppose the Jewish Lawgiver, "leaded in all the wis-
dom of the Egyptians," incorporated a good deal of it
into his code.

Yes, indeed. The ceremony of circumcision was borrowed
from the Egyptian mysteries. All the ceremonial purifica-
tions of the Jewish temple were borrowed from Egypt. From
the same source came the linen dresses of the priests; the
mystic cherubim that guarded the mercy-seat: nay, the very
idea of the Holy place, and Holy of Holies, were but adapta-
tions of the plan of Egyptian temples. But Moses, skilled as
he was in the learning of the priests by whom he was trained
did not in borrowing ritual, borrow also the spiritual ideas
which it typified. The grand doctrines of immortality and
spirit agency find no real place in his writings. The destiny
of spirit, as you know, he never alluded to. The appearances
of spirits are mere phenomenal manifestations incidentally
introduced, and the great doctrine is untouched.

Yes. The rite of Circumcision existed in Egypt before
the time of Moses?

Oh, yes. Bodies which were so religiously preserved by
them at a date previous to Abraham, and which still exist
among you, prove that, if you need proof. [This seems to check out.]

I did not know that. Did he borrow any articles of
faith?

The doctrine of the Trinity existed in Egypt as well as in
India. The Mosaic code reproduced much of the minute
character of Egyptian ritual without its spirituality.

How cornea it that such mines of knowledge as Egypt had
should be closed to us? Confucius, Buddha, Moses
Mohammed live. Why not Manes?

He lives only in the effect he had on others. The religion
of Egypt was confined to a favoured class, and was not suffi-
ciently extended beyond the country to be permanent. It was
a religion confined to a priestly sect, and it died with them.
Its effects are seen in other faiths.

The idea of the Trinity, was it Indian or Egyptian?

The Trinity of Creative Power, Destructive Power, and
Mediatorial Power, existed in India as Brahm, Siva, Vishnu;
in Egypt as Osiris, Typhon, Horus. There were many Trinities
in Egyptian theology. The same existed in Persia as Ormuzd,
Ahriman, Mithra (the Reconciler).

Different parts of Egypt had their different theologies.
Pthah, the Supreme Father: Ra, the Sun-God, manifestation
of the Supreme: Amun, the Unknown God, were all various
manifestations of the God-idea.

1 thought you said that Osiris, Isis, Horus, made the
Egyptian Trinity?

We did but put in Isis as the Productive principle Osiris,
Creator; Isis, Principle of Fecundity; Horus, son of Osiris
and Isis. There were many developments of the idea of the
Trinity. It is not important, save that it bears upon the broad
question.

Then did Egypt get its religion from India?

Partly: but on that point we have no one who can speak.

PRUDENS.


[The foregoing was written February 28th, 1874. On
April 8th, the answer was written, much other
matter having been given in the meantime.]

You inquired as to the connection between India and Egypt.
The religion of Egypt was essentially a religion of body, as
that of India was of spirit. Egypt had multifarious acts of
external ritual; India cultivated contemplation. God to the
Hindu, was an undiscoverable essence; to the Egyptian he
was manifested in every type of animal existence. To the
Hindu time was nothing; eternity, all. To the Egyptian
every passing moment had its consecrated work. Egypt was
the antipodes of India. Nevertheless, it is true that Egypt
received its first religious inspiration from India, even as did
Zoroaster in Persia.

We have told you before that the special grandeur of Egypt's
faith was the consecration to religion of daily life. It was
a faith which influenced daily acts. Therein lay its power.
It was a faith which recognised God in all nature, and
especially in all animal life. It was the mystery of existence,
the highest manifestation of Divine power that the Egyptian
worshipped, when, as you imagine, he bowed down before an idol
graven in the image of an ox. It would be well that the
same care for the body, the same present view of religious
duty, the same perception of an all-pervading Deity which
formed the creed of ancient Egypt, and which enters so largely
into ours, should be again prevalent among you.

I suppose, in effect, that Egyptian theology was a reaction
from Hindu 'mysticism. You speak as if that elabora-
tion of ritual was a good thing. I should have thought
that the Egyptian priest wasted a deal of time, and
that his punctilious washings and shavings were merely
silly.

Not so. The ritual was necessary for the age and people.
We are not concerned with anything but the underlying idea.
Art, literature, and science laboured for religion: and so far
from worship absorbing the work of life, it was rather that
every act of common life was raised to the dignity of an act of
worship. In this sense only is it true: and a nobler truth can
hardly be declared. To live in the presence of Deity to see
His image all around, to consecrate every act to His service, to
keep mind, spirit, body, pure as He is pure, consecrated to Him,
and to Him alone; this is to lead the godlike life, even though
it contain mistaken details.

No doubt prejudice hampers us greatly. But you would
not say (ivould you?) that a man's faith is entirely
indifferent in its substance, so he honestly professes it.
For instance, Egypt reproduced now would not be the
ideal you seem to paint.

Surely not. The world progresses, and gains higher know-
ledge. It may not recur to that which was fitted for another
people in an earlier stage of development. But though the
world has gained, it has lost also; and among the things which
it has lost is that which may belong equally to all forms of
faith, the devotion of self to duty and to God. This is no
inseparable quality of Egyptian faith. Rather was it ampli-
fied and exemplified in a higher degree in the life and teaching
of the Christ. But you have forgotten it; you have lost
that mark of true religion. It needs that you see that in
this point you were surpassed by those whom you despise
and contemn.

We do say, we have always said, that man's responsibility
is in proportion to the light which is in him; that man's
duty is not lessened but increased by the quality of the revel-
ation of which he is the recipient. We tell you that many a
soul has progressed in spite of its creed by honesty and sin-
cerity and singleness of purpose; and that many a soul has
been dragged down by the very load of that faith in which its
hopes were centred. We know that it is so, and that man's
faith in its external presentment the outer shell which alone
you can see is of comparatively little moment. He must
perforce take that which falls to his lot, and according to the
use he makes of it is his progress. It is an accident whether
an incarnated soul be Jew or Turk, Mahommedan, Christian,
Brahmin, or Parsee; but it is of the essence of that soul's pro-
gress whether it so uses its opportunities as to progress, or so
abuses them as to retrograde. Souls have different opportu-
nities here, and according as they use them they have increased
or diminished capacity for progress in the after state for which
they have fitted themselves. This you know; and the chance
of progress may be as great with the despised and humble soul
on whom the Pharisaical Christian looks down with contempt
as with one incarnated amidst every influence of good, and
every opportunity of progress. It is a pure question of spirit,
into which you cannot yet enter. You are concerned with the
husk here; you have not reached the kernel.

But surely one who acts up to his knowledge as a
Christian, that knowledge being high, and that acts
good and complete, according to capacity and oppor-
tunity, gets a long start of the barbarous fetish-wor-
shipper, however honest he may be.

In this small fragment of existence it is not possible that
any gain be snatched which may not be readily made up in
another state. You are hampered by the limited nature of
your vision and knowledge. The accidents which seem to you
such bars, may be but the means selected to bring out some
needed quality, endurance, patience, trust, or love; whilst the
luxurious surroundings, the poisonous flattery, the complacent
self-satisfaction may be the engines of the adversaries who are
dragging down and stifling a soul.

You judge too hastily and imperfectly, and from ex-
ternal signs only. Nor are you able to see what the guar-
dians intend, nor to make due allowance for temptation and
its results. These are questions which now are beyond your
judgment.

Further, as to your question, it is a bounden duty in each to
accept and act up to the highest view of Divine Truth which
is revealed in him, and which he is able to accept. By this his
progress will be judged.

Do you teach a General Judgment?

No. The judgment is complete when the spirit gravitates
to the home which it has made for itself. There can be no
error. It is placed by the eternal law of fitness. That judg-
ment is complete, until the spirit is fitted to pass to a higher
sphere, when the same process is repeated, and so on and on
until the purgatorial spheres of work are done with, and the
soul passes within the inner heaven of contemplation.

 

[luc]

This interpretation of Christianity and the stages of spiritual development I found fascinating and very useful; it reminded me a bit of Mouravieff, but it is delivered with much more punch and “soul”. Imperator calls Christ’s life the “pattern life”, each stage symbolizing a certain stage in spiritual development:

Guided by angel-influence, the Church, that bears his name,
has gathered up the germs of truth that that life typified,
though now, alas! long custom has familiarised men too much
with the old ideas, and they have lost their chief power.

You know that the three branches of the Church of Christ
are agreed in celebrating certain festivals in memory of events
in the life of Jesus. They who, outside the Church, have
refused to keep fast and festival are not wise. They cut-
themselves off from a portion of the truth. But the Christian
Church keeps in memory of its Head, Christmas, Epiphany,
Lent, Easter, Ascension, and Whitsuntide. Those are the land-
marks in the Christ life, and each represents an event in his
life with a hidden spiritual significance.

The Christmas Festival of the Birth of the Spirit on the
plane of Incarnation typifies Love and Self-denial. The
exalted spirit tabernacles in flesh, abnegates Self, animated by
Love. It is to us the Festival of Self-denial.

The Epiphany, the Festival of the manifestation of this new
light to the world, is to us the Festival of Spiritual Enlighten-
ment: the shining of the True Light that lighteth every one
that is born into the world: not the carrying of it to men, but
the uplifting of the Light so that they who can see may come
to it.

The Fast of Lent typifies to us the struggles of Truth with
darkness. It is the Wrestling with the Adversaries. The
recurring season shadows forth a constantly recurring struggle.
It is the Fast of Conflict: of wrestling with evil: of the
endeavour to overcome the world.

Good Friday typifies to us the consummation of the struggle,
the end that awaits all such conflicts in your world, Death:
Death in Life. It is the Festival of Triumphant Self-
sacrifice: the realization and consummation of the Christ Life.
It is to us no Fast, but a Festival of Triumphant Love.

Easter, the Festival of the Resurrection, typifies to us the
perfected life, the risen life, the glorified life. It is the Festi-
val of Spirit, conquering and to conquer: of the risen life,
enfranchised and set free.

Whitsuntide, which Christendom associates with the bap-
tism of the Spirit is to us a Festival of great import. It
typifies the outpouring of a large measure of spiritual truth
on those who have accepted the Christ-life. It is the Festival
which is the complement of Good Friday. As human ignor-
ance slays the truth that it cannot receive: so, as a consequence,
from the higher realm of spirit comes a blessing on those who
have embraced what the world has crucified. It is the Festival
of the outpoured Spirit, of increased grace, of richer truth.

Ascension, lastly, is the Festival of the completed life, of the
return of the Spirit to its home, of the final sundering from
matter. It is the end as Christmas was the beginning: not
of life but of earth life: not the end of existence but of that
span consecrated by love and self-denial to mankind. It is
the Festival of the completed work.

These are the spiritual ideas which underlie the Festivals
of your Church. It is not because she has not fully grasped
their meaning that she has not done well to celebrate them.
And as the spirit who has charge of us and of our work has
broken down for you the wall of dogmatism and has shed light
on the superstitions of the Church, so it is permitted to us to
show you that beneath all lies enshrined the germ of truth:
and when man's error is removed, God's truth is more plainly
seen.

We have desired to complement the teaching you have
received. As it was necessary to destroy, so is it to conserve.
Even as He, the Lamb of God, the Saviour of men, rescued
Divine Truth from Jewish ignorance and superstition, so do
we rescue Divine Verities from the crushing weight of man's
theology. As He, the great Healer of the nations, unloosed
the struggling souls, and released them from the dominion of
spiritual evil: so do we set free the spirit from the bonds of
human dogma, and bid the enfranchised Truth to soar so that
men may see it and know that it is of God.

And about man's spiritual development:

So it is. The whole course of the typical life of the Pattern
Man is emblematic of the progressive development of the life
begun on earth, completed in heaven (so to use your terms),
born of self-denial, and culminating in spiritual ascension. ln
the Christ-life, as in a story, man may read the tale of the
progress of spirit from incarnation to enfranchisement. Thirty
years and more of angelic preparation fitted the Christ for His
mission: three short years sufficed to discharge so much of it
as man could bear. So man's spirit in its development pro-
gresses through the course covered by the Festivals of the-
Christian Church, from the birth of self-denial to the festival
of the completed life. Born in self-denial, progressing through
self-sacrifice, developed by perpetual struggles with the
adversaries (the antagonistic principles which must be con-
quered in daily life, in self, and in the foes), it dies at length
to the external, and rises on its Easter morn from the grave-
of matter, and lives henceforth, baptized by the outpoured
spirit of Pentecost, a new and risen life, till it ascends to the
place prepared for it by the tendency of its earth life.

This is the Spirit's progress, and it may be said to be a process
of regeneration, shortly typified by crucifixion and resurrection.
The old man dies, the new man rises from his grave. The old
man, with his lusts, is crucified; the new man is raised up to
live a spiritual and holy life. It is regeneration of spirit that
is the culmination of bodily life, and the process is crucifixion
of self, a daily death, as Paul was wont to say. In the life of
spiritual progress, there should be no stagnation, no paralysis.
It should be a growth and a daily adaptation of knowledge;
a mortification of the earthy and sensual, and a corresponding
development of the spiritual and heavenly. In other words,
it is a growth in grace, and in the knowledge of the Christ;
the purest type of human life presented to your imitation.
It is a clearing away of the material, and a development of
the spiritual a purging as by fire, the fire of a consuming
zeal; of a life-long struggle with self, and all that self includes;
of an ever widening grasp of Divine truth.

By no other means can spirit be purified. The furnace is
one of self-sacrifice: the process the same for all. Only in
some souls, wherein the Divine flame burns more brightly, the
process is rapid and concentrated; while in duller natures the
fires smoulder, and vast cycles of purgation are required.
Blessed are they who can crush out the earthy, and welcome
the fiery trial which shall purge away the dross. To such,
progress is rapid and purification sure.

Yes; the struggle is severe, and one hardly knows what to
fight against.

Begin within. The ancients were wise in their description
of the enemies. A spirit has three foes: itself; the external
world around it; and the spiritual foes that beset the upward
path. These are described as the World, the Flesh, and the
Devil.

Begin with self, the Flesh. Conquer it, so that you are no
longer slave to appetite, to passion, to ambition: so that self
can be abnegated, and the spirit can come forth from its
hermit-cell, and live and breathe and act in the free scope
of the universal brotherhood. This is the first step. Self
must be crucified, and from the grave where it lies buried will
rise the enfranchised spirit untrammelled, free from material
clogs.

This done, the soul will have no difficulty in despising the
things which are seen, and in aspiring to the eternal verities.
It will have learned that truth is to be found in them alone;
and, seeing this, it will maintain a deathless struggle with all
external and material forms, as being only adumbrations of
the true, too often deceptive and unsatisfying. Matter will
be regarded as the husk to be stripped off before the kernel
of truth can be got at. Matter will be the deceptive, fleeting
phantasm behind which is veiled the truth on which none but
the purged eye may gaze. Such a soul, so taught, will not
need to be told to avoid the external in all things, and to
penetrate through the husk to the truth that lies below. It
will have learned that the surface-meanings of things are for
the babes in spiritual knowledge, and that beneath an obvious
fact lurks a spiritual symbolic truth. Such a soul will see the
correspondence of matter and spirit, and will recognise in the
external only the rude signs by which is conveyed to the child
so much of spiritual truth as its finite mind can grasp. To it,
in veriest truth, to die has been gain. The life that it leads
is a life of the spirit; for flesh has been conquered, and the
world has ceased to charm.

But in proportion as the spiritual perceptions are quick-
ened, so do the spiritual foes come into more prominent view.
The adversaries, who are the sworn enemies of spiritual pro-
gress and enlightenment, will beset the aspirant's path, and
remain for him a ceaseless cause of conflict throughout his
career of probation. By degrees they will be vanquished by
the faithful soul that presses on, but conflict with them will
never wholly cease during the probation-life, for it is the
means whereby the higher faculties are developed, and the
steps by which entrance is won to the higher spheres of bliss.

This, briefly, is the life of the progressive spirit self - sacri-
fice, whereby self is crucified; self-denial, whereby the world
is vanquished; and spiritual conflict, whereby the adversaries
are beaten back. In it is no stagnation; even no rest; no
finality. It is a daily death, out of which springs the risen
life. It is a constant fight, out of which is won perpetual
progress. It is the quenchless struggle of the light that is
within to shine out more and more into the radiance of the
perfect day. And thus only it is that what you call heaven
is won.

Sic itur ad astra. That is very much the central idea of
Christianity, and also of Buddhism, as well as of the
Occultists. Christ's sayings teem with the notion which
animated his own life. The great difficulty is to carry
out such an abstract system into operation in the world.

Therein is the struggle, as He himself said, to be in the
world, but not of the world. The high ideal is well nigh im-
possible for those who have upon them the care of daily toil.
Hence it is that we have striven to withdraw you, so far as
we can, from the objective side of spirit-intercourse, foreseeing
that it would be hurtful to you. You must strive to rise above
the material, and to leave it behind. Such intercourse is
fitted only for those who can be secluded from the cares of
daily life.

I said long ago that I believed mediumship, if carried
out, to be incompatible with daily work in the world.
The very development of sensitiveness, which grows so
rapidly, is quite enough to unfit the medium for rude
contact with the world: or, at any rate, to encourage in
him moods, and draw round him influences, which
make him unfit for work.

To a great extent it is so: and, therefore, we have with-
drawn the more material side of mediumship from you, and
that should develop the spiritual, in which no such danger
lurks. At any rate, you may trust us to do what is wise. The
danger is when they who guide are unfit for the work. It is
then that risk becomes serious. Be content; your course is
clear. Only remember that now is the hour and power of
darkness. Be patient.

† IMPERATOR.
[Easter Day, 1877.]

 

[Laura]

Pretty interesting material. I only wish my stack of "to read ASAP" books was smaller!!

 

[Voyageur]

The first book is called “Spirit Teaching”, published by Moses himself, the second book is called “More Spirit Teachings”, published posthumously on the basis of the records he left. I haven’t read the second one yet.

From your opening link, Moses also has books titled:

- Spirit-identity

- Direct writing by supernormal means : a record of evidence for spirit-action, in the manner before called ''psychography''
-Psychography : a treatise on one of the objective forms of psychic or spiritual phenomena

 

[Voyageur]

- Spirit-identity

This seems to have come about on get-togethers with other spiritualists. As a list (note a few interesting topics - fixed some of the text), he says within:

This results also from the nature of the facts themselves 6

The Intelligent Operator has to be reckoned with . 8

The investigator has little choice in the matter . lo

The higher phenomena are not susceptible of demonstration by the scientific method . 13

The gates being ajar, a motley crowd enters in . 16

We supply the material out of which this is composed 18

No necessity to have recourse to the diabolic element 19

Neglect of conditions proper for the investigation . 20

Agencies other than those of the departed . 24

Sub-human spirits — the liberated spirit of the Psychic 25

These have had far more attributed to them than

they can rightly claim . . . .26

Specialism in Spiritualism . . .27

Religious aspects of the question . . .28

Notes of the age . . . .31

The place of Spiritualism in modern thought 33

The Intelligent Operator at the other end of The Line.

Scope of the inquiry . . -37

The nature of the Intelligence . . • 39

What is the Intelligence ? . . .40

Difficulties in the way of accepting the story told by the Intelligent Operator . . .41

Assumption of great names . . .41

Absence of precise statement . . 42

Contradictory and absurd messages . . 44

 

[luc]

A thought struck me today with some force: it almost seems as if this book ("Spirit Teachings") was written precisely for this moment in time!!

Imperator says:

God is being poured into longing hearts, and permeating thinking minds. There must be many to whom the gospel given of old is satisfying yet, and who are not receptive of further truth. With these we meddle not. But many there are who have learned what the past can teach, and who are thirsting for further knowledge. To these it is given in such measure as the Most High sees fit. And from them it flows to others, and the glorious tidings spread until the day comes when we shall be called on to proclaim them from the mountain top! And lo! God’s hidden ones shall start up from the lowly places of the earth to bear witness to that which they have seen and known: and the little rills that man has heeded not shall coalesce, and the river of God’s truth, omnipotent in its energy, shall flood the earth, and sweep away in its resistless course the ignorance and unbelief and folly and sin which now dismay and perplex you.

This is the religion of body and spirit which we proclaim. It is of God, and the days draw nigh when man shall know it.

What if that time is right now?

What I mean is this: with the whole Jordan Peterson phenomenon and the recent debate about Darwinism that even entered the semi-mainstream (David Gelernter etc.), materialism has suffered quite the blow. People like Bernardo Kastrup, John Cleese, and many others are coming out in force to question scientism and materialism. The IDers are getting stronger.

But there's a problem: what then? Some are "going Jesus", others are holding on to crude enlightenment ideas or stick to a modified form of Darwinism or whatever. People are confused.

Many refuse to "go Jesus" because of the absurdity of Christian doctrine that is deeply offensive to any thinking person, despite sophisticated theological attempts to explain away all the nonsense that is in the bible. Not to mention that psycho-God of the old testament, one of the main reasons the New Atheists are so convincing.

Enter "Spirit Teachings". The whole book is written and arranged in a way that speaks to Christians who have sympathy for Christianity, yet cannot bring themselves to accept Church orthodoxy. It guides the inquiring mind towards an interpretation of Christianity that is very much like Jordan Peterson's: the life of Christ as the ideal life, the "pattern man" living the "pattern life", exemplifying the highest ideal possible. A parable, a hero's tale of ultimate spiritual growth. A total rejection of silly doctrine like physical resurrection etc. A very rational discourse. A progressive view of intellectual progress and conception of God ("evolution", but of consciousness). An ethic that fits precisely with the "clean your room, meditate on what you can do better, take care of body and soul etc." Peterson-formulation. And on and on. The book seems perfect for Jordan Peterson fans who want to go one step further: accepting other, higher realities, a Cosmic Mind that is real, an explanation for the "sense of meaning" Peterson talks about etc.! And those IDers who are not satisfied with "going Jesus" will find a much more rational and sophisticated explanation there.

Yes, compared to the Cs and to what we're doing here, the knowledge in "Spirit Teachings" is more diluted; but at the same time, it maybe appeals to many more people. In contrast, here, everybody will find a thread that will offend him so much that he runs away screaming :) Spirit Teachings, on the other hand, is much more considerate to the mass of "Christianity dabblers", although of course it still won't appeal to the masses, which is in the nature of such things. But the book is as good as it gets IMO as a rough, but powerful outline of the "One True Religion". And this seems to have been Imperator's mission: give the world a coherent, convincing outline that speaks to the Christian world in particular.

So maybe it would be worthwhile to promote that book at this point in time? Maybe a Sott article about this would be good, too. But let's wait and see what others think about the book.

 

[Laura]

I'm not sure that we should promote something that might be so easily taken in the wrong way by so many.

Keep in mind that you are critically correcting as you read; how many are even able to do that?

 

[genero81]

To me it speaks a very clear message. But it could be argued I've been through a lifetime of preparation to receive such a message;

"Life is Religion" One should have as a goal the consecration of every moment to higher Being and purpose.

"The futility of third density existence" The very arduous and continuous struggle to extricate oneself from the lure and pleasure of material existence I believe is what forges the 'spirit body' or 4th density body along with growth in Knowledge.

These are just a couple of things that jump out at me from reading those few excerpts.

But not everyone would see it the same way. But I personally think it's a great find. Thank you luc!

 

[Wandering Star]

I saw this referenced in Stafford Betty’s work and got curious: there are two books containing the channeling of a group of spirits headed by “Imperator”, channelled by Stainton Moses, a 19th century former Anglican priest. They are available online for free in different formats here, but I’d suggest you get the book/kindle book from Amazon if you are interested (the online version seems to have many scanning errors and the punctuation is often screwed up). The first book is called “Spirit Teaching”, published by Moses himself, the second book is called “More Spirit Teachings”, published posthumously on the basis of the records he left. I haven’t read the second one yet.

Apparently, this used to be one of the all-time classics and foundations of the spiritualist movement, but it seems that few people have heard of it nowadays. (Interestingly, “Imperator” foresees the complete corruption of the spiritualism movement by a conscious plan carried out by the forces of evil, and it sure seems he was spot-on.) In my opinion, the material in there is far, far superior to most New Age type of channelling I’m familiar with such as Bringers of the Dawn. And the comments by Moses between the sessions and in his introduction show that he was a very bright and noble guy in his own right.

Keep in mind that this was a communication for an Oxford-trained theologian and former priest in Victorian England. There’s certainly a biblical/Christian gloss there, and Imperator makes it clear repeatedly that he can only convey information for which the receiving mind is ready, and that he and the other spirits in his group don’t bother shattering certain beliefs if that is not crucial to their mission. But even that gloss seems surprisingly minor. However, the dealings with biblical history should be taken with a very big chunk of salt. But even still, there are some interesting bits there as well, and some of it even jives with what we know from books like “From Yahweh to Zion”.

I take it that Imperator and his gang of spirits, each of them having a certain role in the process, are highly evolved 5D spirits or something like that. Whoever they are, they sure write with supreme style! Truth be told, I had a blast reading this book, and thought that on every page there is some great wisdom or some interesting clue worth thinking about.

What I also like about Imperator’s teaching is that he provides different angles on issues at different times, therefore creating a very nuanced picture. He even says as much, that truth can only be relative in our realm, i.e. we can only shine the light on truth from different angles, but cannot come to a definite statement of absolute truth. For example, he spends much time deriding Christian orthodoxy, but at the end of the book, strengthens the Christian faith and provides a very insightful interpretation of Christ’s life as a parable for spiritual development and gives a (imo) fascinating interpretation of Christian holidays as celebrating different stages and aspects of spiritual evolution. Another example is that he thinks it best to live in a quiet and undisturbed environment for spiritual communion, but at other times he says that a secluded life spent in fanciful meditation outside of duty is of no worth at all for spiritual development. Still another example is that he speaks of the progressive development of man’s understanding of God, i.e. there is truth in the old teachings like Judaism, but that you need constant revivifying of those teachings and that we get progressively more refined in our understanding. On the other hand, he comes down very hard on Judaism. So there is a certain dialectic to the whole book that I think is very fruitful and uses Stainton’s own mental world to convey a very powerful body of teaching.

So one thing I took from the book (I think) is a better understanding of the nature of “spirit teaching” and teaching in general. It’s fascinating to observe how Imperator tries to stir up something positive in Stainton Moses, to nudge him towards discovery and towards laboring to find out more, to shock him awake at times, to dispel his doubts and soothe him, to lead him towards more “receivership capacity”. It reminds me a bit of the Cs actually – same principle, yer totally different because of different people and different times. It also makes me appreciate Laura’s work even more, because the obstacles are so great and the odds so slim even for the best to “get it” and walk the walk till the end…

Anyway, I found this book very uplifting and at times fascinating, especially if one reads it with all the background we have here and avoids the usual traps when interpreting channelled material.

I’ll post some quotes here, but if someone else has read the book or plans to read it, I would like to know what you think. It might be very fruitful to discuss some of its content, including some of the things that seem less convincing, where there might be a difference to the Cs’ teaching etc.

I agree more.

The diamond that "we are" is so covered in "impurities" that it is a huge achievement to clean it.

For my part, "tranquility" comes with the decision to try to do the best we can, knowing what "still" is necessary to "improve."

When you work on it, you know the enormous merit of the people who have given it away.

However, as you know, "we will do what we will do."

Even without more achievements, having been able to "get closer" to the truth is a great gift for me.

 

[Wandering Star]

I'm not sure that we should promote something that might be so easily taken in the wrong way by so many.

Keep in mind that you are critically correcting as you read; how many are even able to do that?

Actually, just reading what you have written these more than 20 years is a huge job.

Suppose that without knowing anything about your work, you find this page. When would it take to catch up?

Thanks for the truth.

Inevitably you filter everything with the enormous knowledge you have.

Laura's recommendation is very pertinent, it seems to me.

 

[HiThere]

Interesting and I share your view that this seems to correspond with much that concerns us, thank you for distilling and sharing :)

 

[luc]

I'm not sure that we should promote something that might be so easily taken in the wrong way by so many.

Keep in mind that you are critically correcting as you read; how many are even able to do that?

Yes, very true. It's easy to forget that we have formed a unique way of looking at things over the years. I guess I just wish people had some inkling about a "higher world" out there, and that their deeds count on every level. I know that this was what cut through the thick fog in my own heart and mind when I found this place. I remember how not only did the Wave speak to my heart, but to my rationality as well, and that these two together eventually did the trick after a period of constant doubt. Reading this book reminded me of that, and I wondered how the worldview offered there could do good to people like me back then. It's one thing to have a semi-materialist understanding that morality matters, or some half-felt religious belief that doesn't really stand up to scrutiny; it's another thing to be convinced of a spiritual life "beyond the veil" accessible to reason, of "God watching", and have this inform your every act (or rather aspire to this with all your heart).