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1 Page 1 of 6 = ( Part 7) VII. It may be added that Theosophy is the only system of religion and philosophy which gives satisfactory explanation of such problems as these: 1. The object, use, and inhabitation of other planets than this earth. 2. The geological cataclysms of earth; the frequent absence of intermediate types in its fauna; the occurrence of architectural and other relics of races now lost, and as to which ordinary science has nothing but vain conjecture; the nature of extinct civilizations and the causes of their extinction; the persistence of savagery and the unequal development of existing civilization; the differences, physical and internal, between the various races of men; the line of future development. 3. The contrasts and unisons of the world's faiths, and the common foundation underlying them all. 4. The existence of evil, of suffering, and of sorrow -- a hopeless puzzle to the mere philanthropist or theologian. 5. The inequalities in social condition and privilege; the sharp contrasts between wealth and poverty, intelligence and stupidity, culture and ignorance, virtue and vileness; the appearance of men of genius in families destitute of it, as well as other facts in conflict with the law of heredity; the frequent cases of unfitness of environment around individuals, so sore as to embitter disposition, hamper aspiration, and paralyse endeavor; the violent antithesis between character and condition; the occurrence of accident, misfortune, and untimely death; -- all of them problems solvable only by either the conventional theory of Divine caprice or the Theosophic doctrines of Karma and Re-incarnation. 6. The possession by individuals of psychic powers -- clairvoyance, clairaudience, etc. -- as well as the phenomena of psychometry. 7. The true nature of genuine phenomena in spiritualism, and the proper antidote to superstition and to exaggerated expectation. 8. The failure of conventional religions to greatly extend their areas, reform abuses, re-organize society, expand the idea of brotherhood, abate discontent, diminish crime, and elevate humanity; and an apparent inadequacy to realize in individual lives the ideal they professedly uphold. ================================ THEOSOPHICAL? LINKS Further Detailed Information about Theosophy, and/or The Theosophical Society... International Headquarters, Adyar, Chennai, (Madras) India? National Headquarters, Theosophical Society In America, Wheaton, Illinois?

2 Page 2 of 6 Wheaton, Illinois? Orlando Florida Lodge Theosophical Society In Orlando 1606 New York Ave. Orlando, Florida, Schtsyorl@webtv.net ================================= HELPFUL INSPIRATIONAL LINKS? Mysticism Inspiration Humor Research Gayatri Upasana Random Acts Of Kindness Research Peace Animal Welfare VEGETARIAN LINKS Vegetarian Resource Group Vegetarian Sources Bhojan = = INSIGHT INTO PRAYER & MEDITATION My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter in yourselves (where at the centre of your being, the indwelling divinity or Christ dwells). Nevertheless always remember - things you desire when you pray, believe

3 Page 3 of 6 Nevertheless always remember - things you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them. And so it is!? From the outset it is submitted that both prayer and meditation are essential to the growth and development of the spiritual aspirant or Initiate on the path of Truth. Some may say, prayer is speaking to God and meditation, on the other hand, is quietly listening to God. Some Spiritual Teachers compare prayer to a young monkey that grasps frantically with its hands, in times of crisis, to its mother's neck, as the mother makes good their escape; whilst meditation is compared to the young cat or kitten that stays quiet and still in a crisis so that the mother can grasp it at the back of the neck carrying it to safety - the kitten submitting totally to the care its mother. Some are of the view that prayer is paramount, preferring the monkey's approach; the young monkey that grasps its mother's neck, represents the spiritual aspirant or Initiate on the Path who constantly prays to God - God being represented by the mother, which carries the young monkey to safety in times of crisis. Others feel that meditation is paramount, preferring the cat's approach in times of crisis, whereby, the kitten, representing the spiritual aspirant, depends totally on the mother by sitting still with total faith in its mother, representing God, to do what is necessary to ensure its safety. The truth is, we human beings should use both Prayer and Meditation. We, being neither monkeys nor cats, behave differently in a crisis. Hence, a child in a crisis clutches around the neck of the mother and the mother simultaneously wraps her hand or hands around the child. This human method of clutching each other represents ultimate security, combining the cat and monkey method. Hence we are advised to use both Prayer and Meditation in realizing the fullness of God's grace: they compliment each other. The need to pray and meditate is as essential to your spiritual life as breath is to your physical life on Earth. And the same way that breath is inter-related to spirit, whereby, we became 'living Souls' when God breathed into our nostrils, so too, is prayer inter-related to meditation. For example, some Spiritual Teachers teach that every breath is a prayer unto God; and the sound of your breath as you inhale and exhale is your sound (song) or prayer unto God. And by extension, if you put your mind one-pointedly on the mild sound (song) or resonance of the breath as it flows in and out of the nostrils, you become immersed in the sound of your breath or song unto God. That is a form of simple meditation. There are all types of prayer, for example, prayers of petition, of consecration, of dedication, for binding and loosing, for praise and thanksgiving, but the ultimate prayer is "Our Lord's Prayer" or the "Our Father", as it is also referred to. Hence we will briefly analyse and present the ultimate prayer, "The Lord's Prayer" before dealing with a few simple meditation techniques. The commonly used version as appears in any authorised (King James) version of the Bible reads as follows: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

4 Page 4 of 6 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. The above version has served humanity well, in that besides teaching deep esoteric truths it has emphasised humility; this was necessary in that humanity has lived, especially over the last thousand years, in a very brutish, aggressive, unspiritual manner, whereby might is right and truth is an offence. In some circles, it is pointed out for those who have ears to hear that our Heavenly Father waits patiently to give us our daily bread, if we would just accept it. Furthermore the Heavenly Father implores us to feed on the bread of life (the Christ spirit substance), because if we don't we will surely die. Before presenting the Lord's Prayer as originally taught by Yashua, or Jesus the Christ, it is posited that asking the Heavenly Father to "lead us not into temptation" is infra dig; that is not even something we would ask our earthly Father not to do! Hence for those of us who know that to live humbly is the only way to live, and that God is Everything, a more intimate, original version of the Lord's prayer, as recorded in the Akashic "Records of Nature," is presented: My Father who art in Heaven: Adorable One. Thy kingdom is come. Thy will is done in me, as it is in Thee. Thou giveth me, each day, my daily bread, and Thou forgiveth my debts, and I forgive my debtors. Thou maketh me strong against temptation; Thou delivereth me from evil, for Thine is the Kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. The more intimate version above when said by the Initiate reflects an affirmed faith that is essential in bringing about the spiritualisation of the three-fold body, which in turn culminates in the "mystic marriage" of the three-fold Soul to the three-fold Spirit; as Paul of the Bible indicated you must persevere "until Christ be formed in you", whereby there is a transmutation of mortality into immortality. After the initial words of salutation, the words of the Lord's Prayer relate to the purification and spiritualisation of the dense, vital and desire bodies as well as the mind, the link to the three-fold Spirit. For example, the words 'Thou giveth me, each day, my daily bread," relate to taking care of the dense or physical body; and the words "Thou forgiveth my debts, and I forgive my debtors" relate to the purification of the vital body in that the subconscious records of all thoughts, words and deeds (good or bad), are imprinted on the reflecting and light ether of the vital body. By repeating those words of purification, a Soul is saved a lot of post-mortem misery in the after-life, that is, if a Soul does not realize during a lifetime (here on Earth) the "mystic marriage" to the Christ within. And finally, the words "Thou maketh me strong against temptation; Thou delivereth me from evil," relate to the desire body and the mind respectively. Desire is the great tempter as well as the great incentive to action; hence one's desire body must be purified to work in unison with the Christ mind as distinct from the carnal mind.

5 Page 5 of 6 The mind, it must be remembered, is the faculty of discrimination, which must in time - deliver us from evil. Hence, the initiate must purify his mind and become high-minded through prayer and meditation. There are many forms of meditation. For example, there is TM or Transcendental Meditation and Ananda Marga meditation, both of which have become fairly well known in modern times. For Catholic Christians there is a form of meditation known as "Centering Prayer" taught by a Catholic Monk called Father Pennington, which is excellent. He has many books on prayer and meditation, which you may wish to obtain. This meditation or centering prayer is done by consciously thanking Christ for his indwelling presence and thanking Him for allowing you to sit in silence in His Divine presence. Thereafter when any disturbing sound is heard or distracting thought comes to your mind you merely replace it by mentally repeating the word "Love", "Christ" or "Jesus" according to your preference. This should be done sitting upright in a quiet place for twenty minutes. The spiritual attunement and peace that you experience when you do this cannot be denied. Another very simple meditation technique, which may be referred to as the "Hansa" or "Hongso" breath meditation, may be done by anyone. You merely sit in a quiet place and consciously put your mind on your breath. I say "consciously put your mind on your breath" because we tend to breathe in a very shallow manner, subconsciously. Concentrate on breathing deeply and rhythmically. You should consciously breathe in and out slowly and completely. To start your meditation you must first exhale slowly, comfortably and completely, then whilst you inhale meditate on the sound "HONG" and as you exhale meditate on the sound "SO". The mantra "Hansa" or "Hongso" means, "I am That". "That" means the "Divine Spirit" or if you are a christian "the Christ Spirit". You should do this for twenty minutes. Alternatively, instead of seeding your breath with the word "Hongso", you may exhale "Fear" and inhale "Christ spirit substance". As indicated above, there are many forms of meditation that are more complex than the above two simple examples. These more complex forms are taught by teachers of meditation. However, do not necessarily overlook the simple for the complex, because there is godliness in simplicity. In conclusion, you are advised to pray ceaselessly and to meditate at least once a day for twenty minutes, but it is preferable to meditate twice a day. However, if you seed your breath with a one or two-word prayer or mantra you can pray and meditate whenever the opportunity presents itself throughout the day. For example, before doing anything of importance in your life, pause for a few minutes and consciously do some slow rhythmic breathing and meditation with your mind held steadfast on a chosen mantra or prayer as taught above. All that you require in life is yours for the asking. Awaken! the science of life is given to you, but it is up to you to use it. God is always ready to give, but you must be a conscious, willing recipient. Remember always - you are the children of the light and the children of the (new) day.

6 Page 6 of 6 We Invite You To???? DISCOVER? THEOSOPHY A Whole New Continent Of Exploration???????????? Into??? Man-God-And The Universe Till Next Month... Thank You for being with us for another issue of THEOSOPHY TODAY. Address all communication to: Editor: Theosophy Today Schtsyorl@webtv.net THEOSOPHY TODAY September, 2003