1. Spirit: The Inside Track
It’s possible to tap into an inexhaustible source of vital energy, a veritable fount of life. The power that flows from this source is not only invigorating to body and soul, but is a strangely magnetized attractor of good fortune and unexpected blessings. People who find a way to connect permanently to this source invariably have their lives transformed and are able to fulfill their deepest longings.
The nature of this source is divine, but it’s not supernatural at all. The reason it can act as a fountainhead is that it’s the power that created the universe itself. You can accurately visualize it as the Big Bang pouring forth all the matter and energy of the cosmos, firing up the stars, and radiating its life-giving energy upon us from the Sun. However, people who can only conceive of this physical layer of creation can’t access the power of the source in any other way. To do this you have to grasp that the source and its omnipresent radiance is conscious, and that it’s possible to forge a personal connection with it. People who do understand this often refer to the source as Spirit. This Spirit does not exist outside of nature, but is the ground of being of nature itself. Our own consciousness is a product of Spirit, so the task is actually to connect with the source of our own being.
The word “spirit” has many usages, so to define exactly what we mean by it, we designate it as Supernal Spirit, and describe its nature at that link. Then The Spirit in Our Midst shows the divergence between people connected with it and those totally bereft of it: “some seem to dwell beatifically in a lifelong Heaven on Earth, while their neighbors… go daily through the torments of Hell.” The next chapter apprises us of the great difficulties faced by the individual in the quest for Supernal Spirit. But we learn The Secret of the Gita, which is that there is a collective way to connect with the Source: a Supernal Sodality. This is a well-bonded group of people tapped into the Spirit by means of a powerful intermediary, like the Avatar of a high religion. Thus the individuals in the group have an inside track ~ no matter how advanced or rudimentary their own state of development may be, they can enter into the group’s connection with Spirit by the simple but effective practice of spiritual surrender, which is also called bhakti: devotion. Thus they have a marvelous shortcut to the Source, a path followed by millions of devout souls in countless sodalities throughout history.
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“This is a well-bonded group of people tapped into the Spirit by means of a powerful intermediary, like the Avatar of a high religion.”
Joseph,
This issue I have with this is the cult mentality which easily develops into the devotion of a personality such as the Pope, Jim Jones, etc;. Weak minded people look for someone to shepherd them and strong minded people usually cannot take a back seat. Creating a group of sheep lead by a wolf seems to be the nature of the game. If not at first certainly as time progresses. I’m not sure if a group of sheep is worth a dam unless your are the one sheering them. Gathering a pack of wolves, (or at least Aurochs), together requires proof of continuing, vital leadership.
How does one identify a true Avatar as opposed to a ‘religious’ con man?
If such an Avatar is found how does the Supernal Sodality formed around it remain pure of purpose as opposed to being a front for those who manage to infiltrate and twist it to their own ends. We all know this is the modus operandi of ‘Them’.
This is not meant to be confrontational so much as an inquiry as to the practical formation, organization and maintenance of such a sodality.
Thanks,
Z
My first impression is that your worldview is overly dualized between strong people & weak people, whether the middle word is “-minded”, “-willed”, or whatever. In reality the majority of people are in between, but since you’re evidently polarized to “strong”, you may imagine that they’re all awash in that opposite pole of weakness. Of course I could be wrong, this is just what comes to mind based on my observations of humans here in their earthly habitat. Almost all of them are heavily influenced by the tenor of their times, which for the past couple of centuries has been coagulating a Zeitgeist of cynicism, skepticism, and individualism. It’s also very materialistic in a philosophic sense, and rabidly anti-religious. Your remarks about “cult mentality” could apply to religion itself. No Good Shepherds in your flock!
In order to step out of your POV I suggest thinking of it in terms of families. Good parents don’t sheer their children. The majority of people are not sheep (evidence: lots of them share your attitude and see everybody else as sheep), but they ARE children, spiritually speaking. In a healthy, positive culture ~ of which there is barely a remnant today ~ religious leaders, teachers, preachers, and clergy serve as their spiritual parents. Of course there are always some wolves in religious raiment, but most were sincere individuals doing their best to serve their God(s) and their flocks.
You can see that I don’t think the Avatar issue is key to your question. They’re rare, but when one does show up there’s no doubt about their identity. E.g. they can do things like this:
Divine Intervention
In this chapter my fictional Avatar Gavin aka Ramar repeats the miracle recorded in the Bhagavad Gita by manifesting to his friends & followers as the ultimate omnipotent Godhead. Soon I’ll be working on a chapter where he rises from the dead. You get the idea.
But a human being does not have to be an Avatar to sincerely serve God and his kindred.