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What are the things for which you're grateful at the moment? This is always an important question to ask as there are so many things we have to be grateful for that we constantly overlook.
I have a new deck of Tarot cards that I've been working with lately. This is a joy, to go down the mystical road to Christ with the cards and their ancient history. Recently, I've also shifted into a more "creative" phase (I get short bursts of these from time to time) and am enjoying that as well. And our technology...where would we be without it? Some might argue that world would be a better place, but there's so much good that comes through communication. May Christ continue to bless us. In Christ, Steve
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This is why Jesus appeared: he opened the Book of Gnosis.
He was nailed to a tree, he fastened the testamentary disposition from the Father to the Cross. O such magnanimity, such that he draws himself downward to death while eternal life encloses him. Having divested himself of these perishable rags he clothed himself with the imperishability which none has the power to take from him. From the Aquarian Catholic Spiritual Community to you, may the pure love of the Divine shine down on you this and forevermore.
May the love of Christ blaze within our hearts. May God guide us to the deep, true, and abiding theosis. In Christ, Steve From Wikipedia: "Septuagesima (/ˌsɛptjuəˈdʒɛsɪmə/; in full, Septuagesima Sunday) is the name for the ninth Sunday before Easter, the third before Ash Wednesday. The term is sometimes applied to the seventy days starting on Septuagesima Sunday and ending on the Saturday after Easter. Alternatively, the term is sometimes applied also to the period commonly called Shrovetide or Gesimatide (the Pre-Lenten Season) that begins on this day and ends on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, when Lent begins.
The other two Sundays in this period of the liturgical year are called Sexagesima and Quinquagesima, the latter sometimes also called Shrove Sunday. The earliest date on which Septuagesima Sunday can occur is January 18 (Easter falling on March 22 in a non-leap year) and the latest is February 22 (Easter falling on April 25 in a leap year)." Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her. One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty, for she will be found sitting at the gate. To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding, and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care, because she goes about seeking those worthy of her, and she graciously appears to them in their paths, and meets them in every thought. -The Wisdom of Solomon, Chapter 6, Verses 12-16
Simultaneously, I've been reading through the book of Genesis as well in the Jewish Study Bible. One thing is clear: the "genesis" is essentially a reference to all the known world's people in addition to the world itself.
One of the interesting things to see was the lineage of Cain and the lineage of Seth having extremely similar names, both ending with someone named "Lamech." The difference is that in Seth's lineage, Lamech is the father of Noah. There are several possibilities of why the names are similar, and my own perspective is that Cain was probably originally seen as the ancestor of Noah with Seth being a later invention OR a different variation on the story of Adam and Eve's children altogether that was edited into the overall narrative. Cain being Noah's ancestor then means humanity is descended from the first murderer as opposed to a neutral, seemingly righteous person. On the other hand, since Noah's supposed to be the "new Adam" and the reboot of humanity as a whole, I'm not sure why the difference in lineage would be absolutely essential. Things to ponder on! In Christ, Steve Yesterday, I finished reading the Gospel of Luke. The main aspect of Luke that stands out is the Nativity Story, which is not found with the same detail elsewhere.
Overall, I'm not sure what I felt about Luke. Decidedly, much off what was written was perplexing or even downright uninspiring; after finishing the Gospel, I was walking my dog, trying to figure out where I stood on various issues and relative to the Gospel. Without the Gospel situated in a proper context of Tradition and Mysticism, it's almost uninspiring. I thought to myself, "Why in the world would anyone hear this and be so moved by it?" In and of itself, there's something obviously missing. The first missing aspect is this: we just don't hear much of what Jesus is teaching. So, this indicates that things Jesus passed on to the Apostles and the other disciples aren't entirely written down, and it would be safe to say those things were not even mostly written down. So what is the purpose of the Gospel? It's a justification, an argument, a system of rhetoric to support certain teachings attributed to Jesus. It's a way of saying, "These things happened; this is why the teachings we pass on are important." Another purpose of the Gospel is to show us what it's like to be connected to the Higher Self and the Divine, to walk against cultural currents and to try to explain things to people when you're operating on a different level than they are. It is an absolutely grave mistake to try to understand the Gospel outside of a tradition of interpretation. Everything falls apart quickly. Without the mystical context, everything becomes a story of history that doesn't make that much sense. More to come. In Christ, Steve Our prayer should involve at least some sort of visualization.
A common and perhaps effective means by which to do this is to visualize the Soul Star above one's head and direct the prayers to this Soul Star. This will naturally connect with and contact the Divine. Prayer shouldn't merely be the recitation of words but also the lifting of the mind to God. This is almost more important than the particular words we use, though the words can carry power in and of themselves. Let us pray more deeply. In Christ, Steve Though we're a bit past Candlemas, I thought this prayer was quite beautiful. - Steve Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the true Light enlightening every soul born into this world. Today we celebrate the feast of Candlemas. Before Holy Mass, the priest blesses the candles, whose wax is the humming summer's work of countless bees. The flames of these candles will shed their light upon the altar at the Holy Sacrifice. Help us to realize, this day and every day, that our own humdrum daily work, if it is done for love of You, and in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, will be a supernatural work, and will shine brightly before You for all eternity. Help us realize, too, each time we see the blessed candles at Holy Mass, or at the bedside of the sick, that they are a symbol of Yourself, the Light shining in the darkness of this world. Help us to live in that Light, to make it our own, and to kindle it in the souls of others, increasing the area Of light and lessening the darkness in the World This, dear Lord, help us do, through the merits of Your own dear mother, Mary, who did everything for love of You, from the moment she brought You into this world till the day she joined You in the realms of light at her death. Then we, too, working for You, shall be light-bearers who will help to spread Your kingdom on earth, and increase the number of those who dwell in heaven, the city of eternal light. Amen. Thanks to Father Sergio drawing my attention to the existence of the Raccolta, I acquired a copy after many months of deliberation.
The Raccolta contains an incredible number of prayers for the Christian devotee, but perhaps most charmingly, many of the prayers are written both in English and in Latin. I've shared some on here recently and will continue to do so. Why pray in another language? There's something beautiful about praying in Latin (or Hebrew and Greek and so on). Many Evangelicals appreciate the language of the King James Version of the Bible because the words have a regal, authoritative sound. Latin and Greek do something similar for me, though I would associate Greek with being somewhat more mystically inclined. Nonetheless, I do suggest to people to at least learn basic pronunciation for something like Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, especially if they're coming from the Christian tradition. There's a power in the language, and part of the Latin bypasses our ordinary linguistic processes and connects with us on a deeper level. In Christ, Steve
from the Raccolta
from the Raccolta
And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything. -The Book of Genesis, Chapter 14, verses 18-20, New Revised Standard Version This brief set of verses takes place at an interesting point: most of Genesis 14 centers around a war narrative of various kings and armies going to battle, of Abram going to battle and regaining the people stolen from him and such. King Melchizedek, a priest-king, appears just before another figure, the King of Sodom, and interrupts the narrative.
The name "Melchizedek" sounds like "King of Righteousness" in Hebrew. Salem here probably refers to Jerusalem, and it's possible this story is meant to mark an ancient precedent for Jerusalem being the holy city God. "God Most High" is "El Elyon" in Hebrew. "Elyon" is often added to the names of deities in this era, and it's probably a way of denoting majesty. Interesting from the Christian perspective is that the ordination rites in the Apostolic Succession feature a phrase along the lines of, "Thou art forever a priest after the order of Melchizedek." Also interesting is that Melchizedek brings forth bread and wine, possibly a precedent to later rituals involving bread and wine, including the Shabbat and the Holy Eucharist. Abraham giving a tenth of what he owned seems to lay a precedent for tithing. In Christ, Steve "O Hidden Life, vibrant in every atom; O Hidden Light, shining in every creature; O Hidden Love, embracing all in Oneness; May all who feel themselves as one with Thee, Know they are therefore one with every other." -by Annie Besant
From the Aquarian Catholic Spiritual Community to all of you,
brightest blessings in the Lunar New Year! My Queen,
My Mother, I offer myself entirely to thee. And to show my devotion to thee, I offer thee this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my whole being without reserve. Wherefore, good Mother, as I am thine own, keep me, guard me as thy property and possession. Amen. Holy Mary,
help those in need, give strength to the weak, comfort the sorrowful, pray for God's people, assist the clergy, intercede for religious. Mary, all who seek your help experience your unfailing protection. Amen. We turn to you for protection,
holy Mother of God. Listen to our prayers and help us in our needs. Save us from every danger, glorious and blessed Virgin. As a typical and easy prayer to recite, the Three Hail Marys comes highly recommended. Times for sheer devotion include the morning and around sunset, as per traditions that have developed in Europe. But the Three Hail Marys can be offered for basically any petition, any prayer, any problem. It's quick, easy, and effective practice that comes highly recommended from me. According to St. Gertrude (1256–1301),
the Blessed Virgin Mary promised the following: "To any soul who faithfully prays the Three Hail Marys, I will appear at the hour of death i n a splendor of beauty so extraordinary that it will fill the soul with heavenly consolation." There's an immense amount of wisdom contained within the Tarot, and a number of means of reading Tarot cards exist.
The language of the Tarot is something internal that must be learned; it can only be understood through practice. One learns the individual meanings of cards, though the best reading comes from a knowledge of traditionally associated meanings (of which there are all kinds of variations) and use of one's own intuition. The process can also not be forced. It's best to allow each of the cards to absorb into one's mind, bypassing the conscious mind's attempt to slay meaning and to allow the inner self to grasp the archetypal meanings of the cards. Curiously, I had an argument with someone long ago about the transmission of complete pieces of knowledge through imagery and ritual. His assertion was that one can only do that through the conscious mind, while I (correctly) asserted that the mind absorbs far more than we realized. No doubt, one may learn things from a conscious perspective; that's obvious and not in question. But we learn much more than from this means. That doesn't mean the transmission of knowledge can't be abused- it can be. Guard your thoughts, guard your mind. Always maintain the utmost of integrity and ethical standards. In Christ, Steve "There is a thinking in primordial images-- in symbols which are older than historical man, which have been ingrained in him from earliest times, and, eternally living, outlasting all generations, still make up the groundwork of the human psyche. It is only possible to live the fullest life when we are in harmony with these symbols; wisdom is a return to them. It is neither a question of belief nor of knowledge, but of the agreement of our thinking with the primordial images of the unconscious. They are the source of all our conscious thoughts, and one of these primordial thoughts is the idea of life after death.... They are indispensable conditions of the imagination; they are primary data." --C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of Soul
Have mercy, O Lord, upon all those whom Thou hast associated with us in the bonds of friendship and kindredship, and grant that they, with us, may be so perfectly conformed to Thy Holy Will, that being cleansed from all stain, we may be found worthy, by the inspiration of Thy love, to be partakers together of the blessedness of Thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. -from the Old Gallican Sacramentary, adapted for the Aquarian Catholic Spiritual Community
O Sovereign and Almighty Lord, bless all Thy people and all Thy flock. Give peace, Thy help, Thy love unto us, Thy servants the sheep of Thy fold, that we may be united in the bond of peace and love, one body and one spirit, in one hope of our calling, in Thy Divine and boundless love; for the sake of Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep. Amen. -from the Liturgy of Saint Mark
O God of Light, Father of Life, Giver of Wisdom, Benefactor of our souls, who givest to the fainthearted who put their trust in Thee those things into which the angels desire to look; O Sovereign Lord, who hast brought us up from the depths of darkness to light, who hast given us life from death, who hast graciously bestowed upon us freedom from slavery, and who hast scattered the darkness of sin within us, do Thou now also enlighten the eyes of our understanding, and sanctify us wholly in soul, body, and spirit. Amen. -from the Liturgy of Saint Mark
O Almighty God, we are confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in us, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: we pray that our love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that we may approve things that are excellent; that we may be sincere and without offense, till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Amen. -an adapted version of the Epistle to the Philippians, Chapter 1, Verses 27 through 29
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