Linda Mihalic, Pentecost,May 19, 2002, Cleveland, Ohio, Proverbs 25:2-7, and Proverbs 4:3-9

  "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. The heaven for height, and the earth for depth, and the heart of kings is unsearchable. Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer. Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness. Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men: For better it is that it be said unto thee, Come up hither; than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince whom thine eyes have seen."–Proverbs 25:2-7
  "I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee."–Proverbs 4:3-9

  Jesus said, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." This is a solemn promise, which you must fulfill by adding your own divine soul substance to it until you become the truth. Then you will know. All the truly profound truths you uncover are extremely simple. People make discovering the truth difficult because they hide it from themselves while looking for it in all the wrong places. Your desire for truth is there, but your other desires to enjoy this world's dubious pleasures and rewards seem to weigh more in the balance scales. Truth is what is real, but too often you prefer the fake glitter of the world of appearances.

To know the truth that will make you free at last, you must have integrity and be integrated, gathering all your scattered parts into one whole living soul. Integrity is defined as "an original perfect state, with nothing left out; undivided." You must take back those parts that you have let the world lay claim to. You must ransom the soul substance that you have wisely or unwisely invested in this world, in other people, in material "things." No one else has any enduring claim on your soul substance, other than what you give them. To feed another upon your soul substance makes of them weaklings at best and vampires at worst. It assuredly does nothing to promote your integrity.
  Edna Lister said, "Integrity is practicing all the 144 soul virtues, exercising every God-given faculty or talent, all turned upward as vision. A Virtue is, or represents, a primary law." Integrity is fashioned from three prime virtues: Responsibility, Loyalty and Honor, which correspond to the Degrees of Master, Priest and Christos. Responsibility, the hallmark of a Master of Law, is being answerable, morally accountable to God for all your creations and for His Creation as a creator with Him. Because you know that you are responsible, you know that you may be called to account at a moment's notice. You are capable of fulfilling your obligation or trust; you are reliable, and trustworthy.
  Loyalty, as the world defines it, is fidelity, faithful adherence to one's promise, oath, or word of honor. It is seeking God first and always before you look to the world. Because you are loyal Sons and Daughters of the King of the Universe, you are faithful and true to your obligations of duty as Priests and Priestesses of the Flame. My first real exposure to the concept of honor came through poetry, which Thomas Carlyle called "the language of the soul": In 1649 Richard Lovelace (an English poet, soldier, and Royalist, the prototype of the perfect Cavalier) wrote, "I could not love thee, dear, so much, Loved I not Honor more."

"What is Honor, but a greatness of mind which scorns to descend to an ill and base thing?" said the Earl of Stanhope in 1705. Wordsworth said that Honor is "the finest sense of justice which the human mind can frame." Our government bestows the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty."
  We've all heard of the Honor Roll, honors students, graduating with honors, "Magna cum laude" (with high honors) and "Summa cum laude" (with highest honors). Honors are a special distinction gained, in a university or other examination, for proficiency in scholarship beyond that required to pass the examination. In many universities, honors refers to a course of study of a higher or more specialized character than is required for an ordinary degree.
  People say, "It is the honorable (upright) thing to do," and you are "on your honor," a phrase by which the speaker stakes his personal title on the truth of his statement, an expression of strong assurance, to put a person upon his honor, i.e., under honorable obligation. A code of honor is the set of rules and customs which regulate the conduct of some particular class of person according to a conventional standard of honor. For instance, even a gambler says, "Honor your debt."
  Honor, which is the hallmark of Oversoul and the virtue of the Christos Degree, is a fine sense of and strict allegiance to what is due or right, not what is due according to some conventional or fashionable standard of conduct. Honor implies a reverence for the invisible and super-sensual in our nature. To have honor, you must be honorable, which requires an elevation of character, a nobleness of mind, a scorn of meanness. You must be selfless and unselfish. Honorable means worthy of being honored; entitled to honor, respect, esteem, or reverence. As Plato said, "The soul which came from heaven is more honorable than the body which is earth-born." Honor grows, in the Latin and the Hebrew, from a root, meaning "repute, esteem, official dignity, ornament, grace, beauty," and "burden," in allegiance to the moral principles which are imperative in one's position, or to some conventional standard of conduct; as a moral bounden duty: A debt of honor.
  The whole world seeks the rewards of honor, but they wish to obtain it at a sale price, which is impossible. Yesterday's heroes have become anti-heroes. Lying, which is the utter distortion of truth and reality is now called by other names, such as "spin" and future truth." Spin-masters, who are consummate liars are now admired and emulated. The Elect's task is tearing the veils from horizontal lies covering truth, thus turning the world to the vertical truth again.
  Just as all Light comes from above, so does all real truth flow as a Fountain of Life from the Throne of the Father Supreme. As the Elect, we subscribe our lives to live by Light, Truth, and Honor. Thus we achieve integrity, gathering our scattered parts together in one living soul ruled only by Oversoul. The time has come for the Elect to be the Soul of Honor, to do all things in the name of our Father as honor, loyalty, integrity, and responsibility!
  You are One with God when you choose to be. The whole of earth stands in the Valley of Decision, to choose between the truth of reality and the truth of appearances. Let your standing together as one — in the Light, for the Light and as the Light— be so great that you are a beacon, attracting all of earth's masses to choose the Light. You are responsible for paying all your debts of honor. Your loyalty to your Source renews your honor, moment to moment. Honor integrates your soul until you are the Soul of Honor!

The Mystery of Desire

Linda Mihalic, August 11, 2002, Cleveland, Ohio, Genesis 3:6-19, Luke 14:26-35

  "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."–Genesis 3:6-19

  In thirteen verses, this passage from Genesis outlines the struggle of the soul to conquer on the Via Christa, to attain Christed consciousness, the "mind that was in Christ Jesus." Thus, we may read it as "So when the rational soul saw that knowledge was good for nourishment, and that it excited desire, as knowledge desirable to quench desire for wisdom, she took of its Light and ate. She also gave to her appetitive soul, which ate. Then appetitive soul and rational soul knew that they shared a physical body. They understood the meaning of physical desire, and made themselves weak. They perceived the Breath of Life rejuvenating their centers from the Source of the River of Life, and they hid their weakness from the attention of Oversoul and heavenly Councils, fearing censure of the Source."
  Then Oversoul called to appetitive soul, and asked, "Where are you?" appetitive soul replied, "I heard the whisper of the Breath in my body's centers, and I was afraid because I was weak, and I hid myself." Oversoul said, "Who told you that you were weak? Have you eaten from the Light of Knowledge of which Councils commanded you that you should not eat?"
  The appetitive soul said, "The rational soul consciousness, whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the Light, and I ate." Oversoul asked the rational soul, "What is this you have done?" The rational soul said, "The splendor, the magic creative fire beguiled (ascended) me, and I ate."
  Councils sentenced the magic serpent, the creative fire, "Because you have arisen without conscience, you are restrained from arising, more than all unconscious creatures, and more than every awakening animal. You shall sleep coiled at the base of the spine, and you shall eat the life energy of Light all the days of your life. Light will cause conflict between you and the rational soul, and between your consciousness and her consciousness; conscience shall not allow you to rise to control the head centers of soul, and you shall draw appetitive soul down into the body." Council sentenced the rational soul thus, "We will greatly multiply your conflict and your creativity. In conflict you shall bring forth creations. Your desire shall be for your body, and it shall rule over you."
  Then Council sentenced the appetitive soul saying, "Because you have heeded the voice of your consciousness without conscience, and have tasted knowledge of desire before Light commanded you, we have restrained the magnetic currents for your sake; you shall struggle to gain knowledge all the days of your life. It shall bring forth conflict between your awareness and desire, and you shall cleanse the taints of the animal nature. By struggling, you shall grow in grace till you return to the Light, for out of it you were taken. For Light you are, and to Light you shall return."
  Desire, in its highest expression, is the Creative Impulse, the cause of all Creation. The purpose of Creation is to embody this Creative Impulse. The Creative Impulse upholds Creation as the heartbeat empowers physical life, eternally oscillating between poles of activity and rest. Desire is one of the most paradoxical factors of life. Your desires can destroy you, or save your soul alive.
  Each living soul is apportioned into three working phases: appetitive soul, rational soul, and Oversoul, which forever remains before the Throne, praising God. We come to earth with the other two phases. Rational soul holds the pattern of the body, provides rational waking consciousness, and is the functioning tool for the Oversoul, which descends in cycles every seven years, increasing its hold on consciousness, ideally, until it moves in permanently at age forty-nine. Appetitive soul constantly maintains the body through the metabolism, and preserves youth and health. These are their ideal functions, but it usually doesn't work that way in daily life. Appetitive soul, which embodies the principle of desire, exerts a supernatural hold on the body, serving to anchor the silver cord in the heart. The "brain" of the appetitive soul is at the solar plexus. Edna Lister said, "appetitive soul sits in the seat of desire, as Pharaoh in Egypt."
  The living soul, to hold its body, requires the nourishment of two currents of vitality: The magnetic currents of earth, and the etheric currents from above. Adam, the appetitive soul, responds to, can appropriate and use magnetic currents for the body. These stimulate desire. Eve, the rational soul, responds to and feeds upon the etheric currents, which stimulate love. As Edna Lister said, "The highest point of burning desire is the Oversoul's expression of selfless love. Love is the soul's high desire." The dictionary defines desire as "coveting and craving," which appetitive soul expresses as urges to gratify physical senses and appetites. To rational soul, desire's other meanings apply: "to have a strong wish for; to long for something lost, to miss, to regret." Rational soul remembers its high home and longs to unite with Oversoul in the Light.
  We have all spent countless lifetimes struggling with our conflicting desires. History reveals the many cycles of hedonism, which is worship of the body senses, and self-indulgence. The world has most recently spent decades deep in the midst of such a cycle, from the prudery of the Victorian Era, to the pendulum swing from the conservative pole to blatant hedonism and outright moral perversion. Must we always seesaw from one extreme to the other? Excess in either direction is unsavory, from the indifference and lack of restraint of the "whatever generation," to the prudish moralism of the religious fanatic. We see these conflicting desires on the nightly news as fundamental religionists war with the materialistic consumers, agnostics, and atheists. Twenty years ago, greed was good, today it stinks.
  We need the moral law of moderation in all things. None of us wants to believe that we are prone to excess. We claim to drink moderately, play moderately, and stay in shape. Some of us are past the age where we want to party all night. We've gotten married, had children, raised them, scrimped and saved to educate them. We've suffered life crises, hurts, disappointments, divorce and unemployment. We've been counseled, analyzed, therapied, rebirthed, joined 12-Step programs, and quit when we felt better. Most of us have lost at least one parent. We wonder how we'll care for the other, and at what cost. We've lost friends to ugly terminal illness: Heart attack, stroke and cancer are no longer "words" that happen solely to an older generation. We've stopped planning how soon we can retire and worry instead how long we'll have to work.
  All these experiences have been struggles, so no wonder you get tired. You go to religious services at the church or temple of your choice, and they ask you for money. They ask you to have a greater social conscience, to help the poor, the needy, the battered, the war torn. You resent it, then feel guilty that you aren't "good." Why? Why do you feel guilty then do your level best to forget those pleas? You are in the middle of a war zone right here, right now, with the rest of the world.
  We, the Elect, are fighting the battle for the mind of man in every city, town, and village, in jungles, deserts, on islands. Everywhere the struggle is the same: What will you pay attention to?—a critical question because the law is, "Where you center your desire, Power follows, feeds it and creates it." Where is God in all this? Too many priests, ministers, and rabbis hardly believe in Him anymore; thanks to atheism and secular humanism, we are in danger of "higher powering" ourselves to death. Hardline fundamentalists of every religion are urging the worst wrathful, vengeful version of the Almighty, while our schools teach agnosticism, hedonism, and atheism.

We are still standing in the doorway of the 21st Century, trying to hold onto the baggage of the past 10,000 years. We've lost the splendor of our desire for God. Modern religion has forgotten that we each have a soul. We've misused words, such as discrimination, judgment, desire and love so badly that most of the young people do not even know their true meanings anymore. "You're gonna love this, baby!" is a popular advertising slogan. If corporations, advertisers and marketers tell us to "love this car, love these clothes, love this music, love this restaurant, love this vacation place," what are the youth supposed to think love is?
  Desire, fully matured in the soul, becomes love divine, the most aggressive, cohesive power in the universe. Love ignites suns and fuels their burning radiance. Love is the power of attraction that holds solar systems and galaxies in their places, endlessly orbiting the primal Source of All Light. Love nourishes and sustains every being and body in the universes. Love sent you out here, and love will take you home, when you let it.
  Every company sells a product or a service, all designed to meet your needs. A need is an unfulfilled desire. All marketing and advertising pander to the appetitive soul. God could use a better marketing and advertising program. Let's give religion some free advice: First, identify your market niche. The market potential is huge. It's all those people who haven't got time for or interest in organized religion's version of our Heavenly Father.
  The second step is to identify the need. Simple. It's all about identity and what people identify with. Let's add our true Heavenly Mother to the program, and stop pretending she's perpetually virgin. Remove the grime from the truth about God. He's no unapproachable Father, deaf to our prayers because He's so far removed from the world. God still walks in the garden in the cool of the day. Throw out every crucifix and plaster statue and scrape the moss off ideas about the Begotten Son so people can see him as he truly is: Not eternally crucified, anguished and sorrowful, but the very embodiment of joy. He walks with us, talks with us, and tells us that we are his own, to paraphrase an old hymn. He laughs with us, holds us when we weep and is the very best older brother that we could have. He's been there, done that and understands everything. Best of all, Father, Mother and Son are as close as your next breath, and always on call.
  Retrain God's current sales staff. Bring those rabbis, pastors, ministers, and priests up to speed on the joy vibration. Serving God 24/7 is joy-inspiring, when you know how God really is. Everyone can then identify with the Holy Family, instead of worldly role models. Give them all classes in laughter and smiles. Throw out the guilt and the shame. Tell them karma ran over their dogma. Reinstate the doctrine of reincarnation. Teach openly that death only happens to bodies, not to souls. Introduce the idea that Grandma could wind up being your granddaughter's child, and great-grandpa is Johnny's younger brother now. There is never any loss, only gain.
  Think of it. Millions could throw away their antidepressants overnight. Toss out those gloomy old interpretations of divine law as a heavy burden. We've all bought at least one rule book only to discover that it was wrong. The marriage book, the career book, the success book, the happiness book. Knowing that the real rules are there to protect you is a comforting thought. Who knows, maybe a sense of responsibility will become fashionable.
  "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."–Luke 14:26. Did Jesus really mean this? Let's read this another way: "If anyone comes to me, and loves his earthly ties, and his own life more than he loves God, he cannot be my disciple." Put still another way: "If anyone comes to me, and does not transform his desire to universal love for his earthly ties, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."
  Edna Lister said, "Desire comes in stages from lukewarm to white hot. Your desire to ascend must be greater than your desire for ease in the moment. You ascend on your intensity of desire. You must want God more than anything else! When you lift desire, it opens the channel of love, and sublimation cleanses desires of all taints."
  "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."–Luke 14:27. This means "Whoever does not resolve his inner conflicts, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."
  The remainder of this passage is all about the fervency of burning desire, its quality and quantity: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish."–Luke 14:28-30. This passage deals with the quantity of your desire. How much do you have? Is it enough?
  "What king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation, and asks conditions of peace."–Luke 14:31-32. This passage deals with the quality of your desire. When faced with overwhelming odds, will you sit down and quit, beg off, ask for a temporary truce with life? If God called you to arms tonight, could you give up all that you have to serve Him? When shall you be able?
  "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."–Luke 14:34-35. Desire is the salt of life. But if my desire is for me or my family alone, to pleasure myself, to find earthly security and happiness for myself and my family, then what have I? My desire has lost it savor, the flavoring of love. Salt is the preservative of earthly food substance. Desire is the preservative of soul substance and the soul's Christed consciousness. I weep, and my tears are salty. Is it appetitive soul desire for worldly satisfaction, or Oversoul love for the perfect symmetry of divine law and love? Tears of sorrow, born of the world's struggle, or tears of joy that I am made one with all? Let your desire for heaven and God's glory beguile you instead of the senses. It's better than letting earth deceive you.
  Let's advertise the splendor of the living God. If we market our God-inspired joy with smiles and laughter instead of gloomy frowns, with kind words instead of biting sarcasm, then others will desire to know our secret. This is the mystery of desire.

"Lord, all my desire is before Thee." – Psalm 38:9. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

The Valley of Decision

Linda Mihalic, October 20, 2002, Cleveland, Ohio, Luke 6:12-38, Joel 3:9-14

  “Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples to himself; and from them he chose twelve whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him, for power went out from him and healed them all. Then he lifted up his eyes toward his disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets. But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”–Luke 6:12-38
  “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble and come, all you nations, and gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; for the winepress is full, the vats overflow—for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.–Joel 3:9-14

  This test from Luke is at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He’d gone through the area of Galilee and had spoken about the Kingdom of God in a way that excited people, in a way that was different from what they were hearing expounded in the synagogues. He breathed new life into the old words. People began to follow him. They became excited. He said things in a new way and he did things that they had not seen done before.
  One of the difficulties about studying the Torah, the Law, is that you can become so very set, intellectually, that all you have left is not law at all, but words and intellectual opinions, which eventually breed extreme prejudice. Yet, if you’re not educated in the law, then you live by the self and all the emotions and petty things that drive the self. Then where are you? All you have left is the self, which will get you nowhere.
  When Jesus chose his twelve, Luke says there was a crowd of disciples, more than twelve. He had quite a few to choose from among those who had followed him for weeks or months. Yet he chose twelve whom he had observed, one for each sign of the zodiac, and chose them because they embodied the principles of those signs perfectly. Were they perfect men? Oh, no. The gospel record shows how they quibbled, argued, criticized one another, and had opinions about each other. They were prejudiced about all kinds of things. They were competitive. They were obnoxious. They were self-righteous. They were self-centered. They believed and they doubted. They were hot. They were cold. They were just like you and I.
  Each was the best because he embodied one prime virtue. Today we read the names of those disciples, the sign of the zodiac that they represent and the name of their virtue. Today we must awaken the remnant of the twelve tribes of Israel and Ishmael and all the nations of the world: They are called into the Valley of Decision today. After this, there is no escape.

  Peter was an Aries, and he represents Faith.
  Andrew was a Taurus, and represents Strength—not stubbornness, but strength.
  James was a Gemini, and he represents Judgment.
  John, the beloved disciple, was a Cancer, and he represents Love.
  Philip was a Leo, and he represents Power.
  Bartholomew was a Virgo, and he represents Imagination.
  Thomas, the Libra and the doubter, represents Understanding. He couldn’t believe it until he understood it.
  Judas, the Iscariot, was a Scorpio and he rules Desire.
  Matthew was a Sagittarius, and he represents the faculty of Will.
  James Alpheus was a Capricorn, and he represents the prime virtue of Order. Simon, the Zealot, was Aquarius, and he represents Zeal.
  Judas, who was called Jude, the tiniest, last book of the Bible, was a Pisces, and he represents Illumination.

  We call them by their name to awaken them and their descendants. Your name has just been called somewhere, in the reading of this list. Either you’re related to the house that disciple came from originally, or you’re in that sign this time. You probably have several different relationships, or perhaps you’ve the very embodiment of one of these virtues. Or, you’re so poor at that virtue, that you’re called today, to become that virtue. It applies to all of us in so many different dimensions.
  The Beatitudes and the woes that Jesus taught that day seem so very simple. “Well I knew that. I’ve all heard that before.” How odd that you’d use a set of the Beatitudes where only five are included, not all nine. The number five represents the freedom to choose under law; in Luke's version, only the five were necessary. All these woes and blessings are so very easy to know, but so hard to do. You cannot do these things outlined here unless you are completely unconscious of doing them. As long as you’re conscious that you’re doing this, you haven’t attained mastery over it; you’re merely practicing it, like a disciple, like an adept, like a mystic. You haven’t yet learned mastery, or the priestly service of doing for others, or the Christing that sets you free. That should tell you where this falls on the great climb.
  When you become a law, God then writes that law on your heart. The Divine Hand of God writes with a diamond stylus upon the Emerald Tablet within the heart center of your desire body. Once written there, you can never lose that law, unless you choose, unless you decide to do or to be evil. Then of course, it would be obliterated. That would be a terrible price to pay for very stupid choices.
  In this passage from Luke, in the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus outlined in public the thirteen steps of the Via Christa, the way of the Christ. The multitudes had followed him, but the text says that he lifted his eyes toward his disciples. So many hundreds or thousands were called to be with him, to be in his presence, to touch him, to reach out; they wanted something. They wanted healing. They wanted the feeling he gave them. That’s why you follow: You want something.
  Jesus knew they were following him for reasons. Hundreds, thousands flocked, but only the few burned with such a flame that he could recognize their light and see them for what they truly were, not for what they wanted to appear to be. Those who live by the surface appearance are the Pharisees. “Beware the leaven of the Pharisees.” He was preaching to his disciples, first. He named them apostles. Apostle means a messenger, a passionate, strong supporter. Well, that’s not wishy-washy. “Hey, I heard about this guy named Jesus. Wanna go listen to him? He might have something to say.” That’s wishy-washy. These men were on fire. “You’ve got to hear this! You’ve got to hear him! I never heard anyone like him!”
  We, the Elect who walk the way of the Christ, follow in the footsteps of the greatest of Messiahs, the great Master of All. You then take on a portion of that mantle of messiahship, which he so freely gives his Elect; he lays it about your shoulders. If you’re wise, you cause it to grow. If you’re foolish, it shrinks. This mantle of power is what others want to reach out and touch. They see it and don’t know what it is, but say, “You know? He has something. She has something.” And they desire to get. If you come to give, you give and you get.
  Jesus taught this outline of the Via Christa to those who could hear, not to those who were just listening, but those who truly heard him. Anytime you go to hear a speaker, the chair can be hard, the room can be uncomfortable, the person next to you could be chewing gum, they could be moving around. The person behind you could have their foot on your chair. Noise. Distraction. Irritation. Imagine what it was like when thousands were gathered in the hot sun of the Galilee. There were no port-a-potties. It wasn’t comfortable or easy to go hear him speak. Often the only area large enough was well outside town. You ran the risk of going hungry all day, unless you packed a box lunch.
  Once you were there, in his presence, you were caught, you were captured. You were totally uplifted. You were in another place with him, where being with him was the only thing that was happening, until the little part of you, the little self of you dragged you down and out of that silence. Then you heard the world, you noticed all of earth, and lost his words. We do it now. We don’t remain focused.

  He said: 1: Love your enemies.
  2: Do good to those who hate you.
  3: Bless those who curse you.
  4: Pray for those who despitefully use you.
  5: Turn the other cheek. (We don’t like this one.)
  6: Do not resist force.
  7: Give to everyone who asks of you.
  8: Lend, hoping for nothing in return. (That’s sad news for the selfish ones.)
  9: The Golden Rule: Just as you would have others do unto you, do to them.
  10: Be merciful. Your Father is merciful.
  11: Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
  12: Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.
  13: Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.

  These are the road signs and guard rails on the Via Christa. Do these laws sound difficult? Of course they do, because they all deal with your emotions. Not one of them is objective; they’re all subjective. They deal with your emotions, and everyone has trouble with those. They challenge the petty little self of you.
  The worst news of all is that these thirteen laws are the absolute minimum amount of effort found acceptable. Every Divine Law ever given to humanity sets a minimum standard for acceptable performance. This law of the minimum standard is about to to shatter what’s going on out there in the world. Let there be no doubt of what’s happening today. God is on the march, on the move and using dynamite, using blasting caps. God is going to practice holy terror.
  Among the most wicked acts upon earth today is the teaching that a law is too hard to obey and that therefore it may be ignored or somehow circumvented. This brand of sophisticated evil is practiced in every arena of life: Business, politics, sports, the entertainment industry, the media, and among every organized religion in the world. This must end now.
  The Gemara, in Sanhedrin 56a, tells us that the b’nei Noah, the Sons of Noah, the nations of the world other than Israel, were given only seven commandments to live up to, only seven. 1: Not to have illicit sexual relationships. 2: Not to murder. 3: Not to worship idols. 4: Not to steal. 5: Not to blaspheme the name of God. 6: Not to eat the flesh of a living animal or drink its blood. 7: Dinim, the last commandment, literally means “the establishment of a system of just laws.” The Mishnah Torah, the Law of Kings, chapter 8, verse 10 says, “This obligation to teach all the peoples of the earth about the laws of Noah is incumbent upon every individual in every era.” That means it has not gone out of style. It’s binding on us, today. Today, we teach that these laws deal with seven Degrees:

  1: Adultery, or illicit sexual relations is a perversion of love.
  2: Murder is a perversion of strength.
  3: Idol worship is the perversion of faith. True faith in One God is the gate to eternity and represents man’s ultimate victory over evil. The only power that evil has is its ability to misdirect your faith.
  4: Theft is the perversion of beauty, since beauty is the trait that enables us to relate to each other with kindness and consideration.
  5: Blasphemy is the perversion of the soul’s honor of God.
  6: Eating live flesh and drinking blood are the sacraments of the Black Mass and are an utter perversion of soul substance; this is choosing death since “the life is in the blood.”
  Finally, 7: Law is the foundation of any kingdom. The Noahide commandment to “establish a legal system to judge the transgressors” is meant to regulate and to rectify society, not to let it run wild, doing as it wills. Yet no law anywhere is just unless it applies to everyone equally. This is being so perverted in our great nation today. This must end, now.

  The purpose of life is “to serve God with everything I have.” Jesus prayed all night before he decided which twelve would follow him for three years. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake in choosing his disciples. He did not want to get halfway through and start over, so he prayed all night.
  You can’t afford a mistake in what you’re choosing to follow, not after today. When was the last time you prayed all night? Ever? Today is October 20. By midnight, your fate is sealed for a year. On October 20, heaven gathers together all your credits and all your debits, and forms them into a composite that then creates your Chart of Initiation for the coming year. Variously and individually you have done stupid things at times. You acted in ways that have caused you years worth of grief. You have taken shortcuts that have been the long way round. It has not been funny.
  What you choose now will determine the course of your future history for no less than thirteen incarnations. Choose wisely. You have no idea what is at stake.
  The entire world has been called today, by the Power of the Word, into the Valley of Decision, where God will judge them as He has always judged them. But the “end of the age” is at hand and God will judge in no uncertain way; He will draw a line under the column and there will be “much weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Some will find themselves in the outer darkness. Others will find themselves engulfed and enrobed in Light, sharing the joy of their Master.
  What can I do to save myself? People are always saying, “Well I did pray, but it didn’t happen.” Things get tough, and you say, “I have prayed.” The trouble is that you quit too soon. This is a message for the whole world. Let it be written on your heart now. You see ten percent of the miracle and say, “Uh, I guess that must be it.” Thirty percent and you’re pretty pleased, fifty percent and you think it’s done.
  You’re quitting before it’s finished! Not just this lifetime, but for the last hundred. This isn’t a new problem, not with any of the Elect. You quit too soon. You don’t keep going. If you didn’t get what you asked for, then you just haven’t prayed enough, you haven’t prayed long enough, or you haven’t prayed hard enough with enough zeal and fervor.
  This scripture says that “God is kind even to the unthankful and to the evil.” You know you’re not evil, but you all qualify for a few nasty spots of “ungrateful” and “unthankful.” When was the last time you said, “Thank You, Father” a thousand times in an hour?
  God will surely answer your prayers when you pray as the Master taught us to, “in full faith, believing.” Let’s stop settling for illness and injury, for poverty and unemployment, for unhappiness and confusion. God is telling us today to get on the right track, the Via Christa, and go home. Stop “trying” to obey the laws that you know and just do it! Start ascending and keep on climbing. Stop taking breaks and vacations. In no Gospel does it even suggest that Jesus went off for a few days’ rest. He was a Messiah and a world teacher. “If the world gives you a cross,” Edna Lister said, “you’d better stop whining about it.” What kind of Master would the Messiah have been if he’d said, “Well this is really hard. I wish someone else would do this. I don’t see why I have to.” The short Path of the Masters has only thirteen steps.
  Tell yourself: “I am equipped to conquer. I can do this now and I do obey the Christ laws, now. I am. I can. I do.” That’s what a Master says on the short path. This is only thirteen steps, not the thirteen incarnations you face if you don’t. Thirteen steps this life, thirteen incarnations otherwise. It’s your choice.
  Luke said that the whole multitude sought to touch Jesus because “the power went out of him.” And that power healed them all. He healed them of their diseases. He healed those who were tormented by unclean spirits. He healed those who had drug problems. He healed those who had mental problems. He healed those who were plagued mostly by self. You can cave in to the self so much that it creates an entity that then possesses you. It’s nearly as bad as being possessed by an entity from the outside.
  
  He healed them all: All they needed to do was to touch him. You are healed in the very instant that you reach for him, and the very instant that you give God your all. As the Master promised us, “Give and it shall be given to you.” “In good measure.” A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, will run over and be put into your bosom. Press it down, get the air out, all that hot air of self. Shake it together; amalgamate it. It will be a cup, the Chalice of Light that runs over with Light. What you give to the world, God gives to you.
  “For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” God cannot give anything more than what you have given Him. It’s a circuit; it’s your job to complete the circuit. You give, He’ll fill you a hundredfold. Then you must give that hundredfold so that He can fill you a thousandfold. It’s a cubic progression. You could walk through this world as an open door of Light. This is exactly how to earn your Mantle of Messiahship. A messiah is a redeemer. All that soul substance that you’ve invested in the world, pull it back, pull it out of the world. Withdraw that investment. Do it today. If you haven’t been hurt by the stock market yet, rejoice. Those who have lost on mutual funds should understand that the amount of their loss has been exactly how much they were invested in the world. If that doesn’t thrill you, pull it out of the world.
  Be conscious. Work at this. When you arrive in the Valley of Decision, God will judge, and you won’t fear that judgment. As the story in Matthew says, if you persist, you will sit with him on the twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes. You don’t need to fear; you need to work. You need to burn with zeal. You need real “heartburn.” You need indigestion from worldly food. You need the ultimate milk of magnesia—love.
  Let there be Light. Let there be love. Let there be joy. Say it with me. Let there be Light. Let there be Love. Let there be Joy. I am healed. I am healed and I am well healed. And so you are. Amen!

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