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We have seen that for the Neophyte Holy Night marks the birth of the Christ Child within himself: that is, he knows himself to be a true Son of God. It is this knowledge which opens to him the Path of Discipleship. As a Disciple, through continuing cycles of light he prepares himself for liberation from the prison house of the body — not in death but in Initiation, when by his own volition he soars aloft into higher spheres of consciousness. For the Disciple, therefore, the supreme attainment on Holy Night is the condition or state of becoming the Initiate.
The earth globe is by this time so penetrated by the Christ Fire that if it were observed with spiritual vision from outer space it would have the appearance of a mighty ball of golden light rolling in its orbit around the Sun. This is the Christ Light which makes Initiation possible to all mankind, not as before His coming to certain priestly and royal families alone.
The Disciple has not, when he comes to the place of Initiation, left the Manger entirely behind him. To the Neophyte the Manger represented the place where the beasts of the lower sense life were feeding, and this Manger had to be cleared of the beasts and made ready for the Babe. Only through purification and the transmutation of the lower forces can the Babe be born within the soul.
For the Disciple who has made himself worthy of Initiation the Christ is also born in a Manger: but this Manger is located in the head and is formed of two spiritual sense organs, the pineal and pi tuitary glands, which when awakened create the new mystic Star which shines about the head, as we see it depicted in many paintings of the Master Jesus.
Among the ancients the word manger meant light. By the light of the magical Christmas Star shining forth from within the head, the Disciple follows the straight path which leads toward the heart of the earth. He has found the way to the inner Shrine where he hears the jubilant Angels chorusing the initiatory hymns.
As the victorious Disciple is guided through the Halls of Light to the triumphant music of Angels, he views upon the eternal scroll of nature's etheric records the sublime picture of this earth as it will be when wars have ceased and the glory of an unending peace prevails. He understands anew the meaning of the angelic song which resounded over Bethlehem on the first Christmas night, of Peace on earth and good will among men; for now in the keynote of the planet which sounds continuously from its central Sanctuary he discovers it again, and it is the same song proclaiming the same truth of Peace on earth and good will among men. And as the mystic midnight hour approaches ;n which the holy festivities reach their cu1mination, he is caught up in a blaze of glory and bathed in the effulgent glow of a Sun which shines in darkness. Great waves o1 light pulsate about him, sublime chorales of angelic voices engulf him, and within the transcendent splendor of that Sun he sees the illumined figure of the C.lirist. and hears the tender compassion of His voice: Well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou in to the joys of thy Lord.
The Christ has always worked with mankind. For aeons that work was done from without. Since His incarnation, first in mortal form and afterward as earth's Regent, the work has been done from within.
Before His incarnation the earth's psychic atmosphere had be come so darkened by human evil that the Christ could not be contacted directly except by the advanced few. The multitude touched His influence only indirectly as it reached them from the Moon. through Jehovah, the lunar Regent, and his archangelic helpers. who conveyed it to humanity in the form of the various religions which preceded and foreran the Christ. All such religions were racial; they were separative, and as such they are destined to yield to the universalism of Him before whom every knee shall bow and whom every tongue shall confess as Lord of the World.
After Christ's Incarnation conditions changed. There was a cleansing of the planetary aura and an acceleration of its life forces. The bars which had for so long denied the many direct access to the Cosmic Christ were lifted so that whosoever would might come. Initiation was opened to all, the necessary aid had come. The gods had intervened, the Christ made sacrifice; by His loving presence, hope and strength returned, and man once more laid hold of his long lost estate as son of the Father in heaven. A stupendous loan of spirit power was extended to the earth, and not to man alone but to all its kingdoms of life - mineral, plant and animal, as well as man. Such is the mission of the Christ. His ancient sacrifice has never ceased. Nor will it cease until a sufficient number of humanity has attained the power to carry to its conclusion the work initiated by Him. Then, and not till then, will He find liberation from earth's cramping confines and return to the Father and to His throne in the Sun.
Until the final liberation the Christ sacrifice will be repeated with each passing year. Six months in every twelve the Christ dwells within our planetary sphere; during the other six, still magnetically linked with the earth, He influences it from without, just as the human ego withdraws from the body in sleep but remains attached to it by the "silver cord."
From the Vernal to the Autumnal Equinox, the Christ functions outside His temporary earthly vehicle; from the Autumnal to the Vernal Equinox His labors are within it, and the spiritual impulses reach their maximum on Holy Night when the Christ is "reborn" in the center of the earth, whence He radiates a love of such dynamic potency as to find response in human hearts of every clime and creed. Thus does t.lie world grow kindlier; altruism becomes its watchword and cheerfulness its keynote.
It is at this sacred time that conditions are most propitious for Initiation, and the Disciple who is welcomed into t..lie Temple Sanctuary beholds the Christ Star shining in the midst of the earth; and through the bulk of the earth globe, which has become transparent to his gaze, he sees the Sun at Midnight from which that Christ Star descended.
The Earth Initiation, whereby man achieves the ultimate victory of Spirit over matter, constitutes part of the mystic Ceremonial of the Winter Solstice Season. For the 3x3 Initiate. or Initiate of the Ninth Degree, the Nativity signifies the overcoming of the "last enemy", death, and a new birth into the estate of Adeptship. Of this we have more to say in another place.
Those who attain to this condition are eligible, with others of like illumination, to take part in the work of spiritualizing the atoms of the earth planet. This spiritualization of matter is accomplished largely by means of sound. The Christ Himself, in a mighty Intonement, gives the keynote of the Great Work. and this Cosmic Sound is in fact the Word which St. John speaks of, by which all things were made and continue to be made. This is the primal Tone sounded forth by the great Sun Spirit, which built all the worlds of our solar system and will sustain them so long as they are needed in the evolutionary plan. It is the keynote of our planetary pattern of evolution, and consequently we are attuned to the Christ in the most intimate way.
This is therefore the keynote of the planetary song which the earth sings throughout the four Sacred Seasons. The song of the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice sounds on the outbreathing of the Earth Spirit, while the song of the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice sounds on the inbreathing. It is on the inbreathing of the planetary Logos that the Christ Ray descends to the earth; on the outbreathing it ascends once more to the Sun.
The Disciple who, Iike Parsifal, observes from the Door of the Temple, must learn to focus his attention so one-pointedly in the idea of cosmic life that there can be no negative reaction; then the atoms of his body respond to the immortality-giving vibrations of the Christ Song as it emanates from the heart of the earth and from the Sun. As concentration becomes more controlled he hears sounding within himself th words whic.h are sung: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
This supreme chant is lifted far up into the starry spaces by innumerable hosts of Angels, where their triumphant chorus is augmented by the voices of such of our own life wave as have attained to this exalted state of consciousness.
The last enemy to be overcome is death. This has always been a Temple teaching, and it is still the goal of Initiation.
In the Christmas Ceremonial, the Master who is our divine life-pattern bends low above us, beckoning us forward upon His illuminated Way, as the earth resounds with the echoes of His mighty Voice: "Be of good cheer. I have overcome the world."
Upon a high hill stands a luminous white Temple. The structure is twelve-sided, and raised above its vast dome is a great cross gleaming against a five-pointed star of light. The interior of the Temple is full of a shimmering white mist, purer than the most crystalline snow. Above the altar hangs a spotless white cross, its center adorned by a single white rose.
This Temple is the seat of a group of benign beings who have dedicated themselves to service to the world, to bring about the upliftment of mankind and t.1/2.e surcease of sorrow and pain. The masses of humanity are completely unaware of their work, but to the wise they are known as the Compassionate Ones. Ever at the mystic hour of midnight these mighty ones assemble before the great cross with its single perfect flower. As they unite their spiritual forces and direct them toward the rose it gradually becomes lumi nous; its petals unfold, and a light, dawn-fresh and pure, increases until the entire blossom is transformed to a radiant golden hue. This light continues to increase in volume and intensity as the work of the Brothers proceeds, until the whole Temple is suffused with it. Then the light passes out through the twelve windows, one of which adorns each of the twelve sides of the Temple. All the landscape round about is illumined by the mighty rays as they expand and advance and are finally swallowed up in the infinitude of space.
The Temple at times appears to be almost physical in outline. Again its great dome becomes enveloped in an undulating ebb and flow of silvery etheric mist.
Sometimes an eager aspirant finds himself outside the portal of the magnificent Temple, enfolded in the light emanating from it. Eagerly he places his hands upon the· closed door, hoping that at last he will be bidden to enter. But in gentle, loving tones a voice says, "Not yet, my child, there is more work that you must do."
The price of entrance into this holy place is not riches, nor fame, nor the adulation of the world. Rather, one must learn to bear his cross more bravely and to walk more closely in the Master's steps. One must learn to tread the straight and narrow path that leads up the steep ascent of Calvary. The price of entrance is not a crown of gold but a crown of thorns.
Before this door will open the heart must be cleansed of selfish desire, the mind disciplined until it possesses the clearness and brilliance of a diamond.
In these days of ardent self-seeking there are few who are willing to follow this lonely path to the end, few who can believe that this is t.lie only true way and that upon it is found the "pearl of great price".
But when the Disciple is freed from the last remnants of self interest, he is ecstatically conscious of having become one with the light pouring from the Temple, and he knows that regardless of time, space or circumstance, he will never again be parted from it. He knows that throughout all the days of all his lives on earth this light will be a mystic bond connecting him with the exalted beings who labor within the Temple.
On Christmas Eve, the holiest night of earth's year, the work of the White Brotherhood reaches its zenith. Hour by hour through that night the members unite to pour forth a mighty spiritual force, a force that causes the single white rose upon the cross to grow ever more lustrous. Hosts of Angels descend and surround it. Sing ing softly and with exquisite tenderness, they gather up shining ribbons of light and bear them away.
Some release their precious burden above the lurid fields of battle. Others swoop down into the city's darkest and foulest areas. Some bestow their benediction upon hospitals and houses of pain. Still others weave shining garlands as balm for hearts laden with sorrow and heads bowed by the weight of care. Some seek the realms where those assemble who are newly released from the body in what men call death. With their streamers of light the Angels build a shining pathway from these so-called dead to the home and hearts made desolate by their going, establishing an intimate and tender communion between those who have "gone over" and their loved ones left behind on the earth plane.
All during the hours of the holy Christmas night the exalted Brotherhood within the mystic Temple performs its labor of love for the world, while the Cross and Star above the Temple dome glow with heavenly light and multitudes of Angels chant in triumph ant chorus: "Glory to God in the highest, and peace — peace on earth among men of good will."
Lights, color and music, together with a joyous air of expectancy, create the magic of Christmas in our outer world; but beautiful and inspiring as our holiday observances may be they pale into insig nificance beside the spiritual activities of the inner planes. While there is no exchanging of gifts or feasting in higher realms such as we have here, yet the Christmas season there also is a time for giving and receiving — of oneself; and with recapitulating past experiences and assessing their soul values.
The purpose of earth life is to develop soul power through extracting the spiritual essence of experience. For those who have recently passed beyond the veil, Christmas is a time when such work is brought to completion.
An instance illustrative of alchemical operations in the soul world at this hallowed season of the year concerns two men who had lately been liberated from earth life. They had been friends since boyhood and in their early years they dreamed together and planned on spending their lives in joint enterprises. But as they grew older their religious beliefs divided them, one being a Catholic and the other a Protestant. They concluded that it would be wiser for each to go his own way, though the separation would bring deep hurt to them both; for theirs was a bond like unto that of David and Jonathan and could not be lightly cut asunder.
Both men were successful and both attained to positions of eminence in the world of affairs. Passing from this earth life only a few weeks apart, they presently found each other in their bodies of light. With the arrival of the holy Christmas Season they were drawn together to study etheric records wherein they looked back upon their earth lives with an understanding not previously within their grasp. They now saw how narrow creedal beliefs had dimmed their understanding and how groundless were their reasons for separation. In the light of the great eternal verities, it became clear that what really counts is the kind of life one lives, not the theological doctrines one follows or the religious organization to which one be longs. As this joyous realization was borne in upon them they once again clasped hands. Soul met soul in a wordless communion which transcended human speech and carried the assurance that never again need there be a parting.
One of the most beautiful of the many planned activities at Christmas time is angelic ministration on behalf of spirits about to re-enter earth life. Under the direction of Angels, these egos are guided through the etheric mists of the earth plane where they enter homes of their choosing for the purpose of bestowing blessings upon them. If human eyes had the vision, if human minds and hearts were free from the illusions of mortal existence, how transporting would be the communion between those. in the flesh and those about to incarnate. Sometimes a prospective mother, earnest and devout in her Holy Night devotions, may glimpse a cherub face smiling down upon her and blessing her with a breath of heaven more fragrant than the essence of her most inspired dreams.
The inner realm is a sphere where spiritual progression goes on without interruption. Stage by stage the soul rises, for, contrary to the simple concept held by many, "Heaven is not reached in a single bound." An ego does not enter the loftier realms the moment it lays aside its physical body. After that has been left behind there is a gradual dissolving of less dense veils. The etheric, astral and mental bodies are succesively outgrown until the spirit, naked and unconditioned by any external form, knows itself as an individualized entity in a world of pure spirit.
Many devout Christians believe that the instant they leave earth life they will be ushered into the presence of their Lord and Master, the Christ. Such is not the case. Before the glory light of His solar effulgence can be endured by a liberated ego, the stains of earth must have been cleansed away. When this is accomplished, the meeting occurs. While it may take place at any time, there are periods when celestial conditions specially favor its consummation. Christmas is such a season.
An outstanding instance of an ego's Christed elevation, as observed by the eyes of spirit, occurred on Holy Night. A disciple of the Master who departed this life several years ago finally qualified for the exalted experience of being wafted into the very presence of the Christ. This soul had carried through a heavy assignment in the past life; an assignment that was performed successfully and in unwavering dedication. Arrayed in shimmering whiteness to which snow would appear as shadow, and surrounded by hosts of chorus ing Angels, this radiantly joyous spirit was now ushered into the Divine Presence and was privileged to hear the tender and com passionate words. "At last, my child, come up higher."
On Holy Night the shining pages of etheric records are illumined with pictures of the Christian Mysteries: the Nativity, the Star, the Visit of the Shepherds, the coming of the Wise Men with their rare gifts. The full Mystery of the Incarnation stands revealed. Some who continue to walk earth's ways, and others who abide upon inner planes, are brought together to study this wonderful Christmas Mystery.
The observer receives no mere external impact from these pictures. Their emanations enter his heart to reveal their deeper spiritual significance. He comes to understand that the purpose of the Christmas observance is to awaken the Spirit of the Christ within, and to bring out the important truth that each and every scene connected with the Christ's incarnation represents a definite step in the process of soul unfoldment. When this realization came to St. Paul he chose as the keynote of his discipleship work, "Let the Christ be born in you."
That they might come into a more perfect attunement with the Christ Force, the early Christians inaugurated the midnight Mass on Holy Night. The same desire has prompted individuals and groups over all the world to perpetuate the sacred vigil. Wherever individuals come together in unity of spirit and identity of purpose, their combined aspirations call down the Christed Power and channel it into the world of men around them. Then Angels draw near singing the most beautiful of Christmas songs, set to the keynote of the earth: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will among men."
— Corinne Heline
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Contemporary Mystic Christianity |
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