Introduction to the Order of Melchizedek

Introduction to the Order of Melchizedek Some Terms If you are beginning to become acquainted with the documents of the Unfolding Impulse, then you will be meeting with a number of terms that may be new to you. There is the Free Priesthood ; the Liturgical Priesthood, the New Expression of the Priesthood lots of stuff about Priests and the Priesthood and most importantly something called The Order of Melchizedek. If you have been given access to the Library, this is because you have come into contact with Melody and John either directly, or through another person. In this way you will have made a contact with our spiritual teacher, the Reverend Mario Schoenmaker. Rev Mario was a spiritual teacher in the Western Mystery Tradition. There are a number of different traditions in the world, but a spiritual teacher from any tradition will be able to trace his or her spiritual lineage through their own teachers. The purpose of a spiritual teacher is simple. It is to teach about spirit! The spiritual teacher can only work with spiritual learners that is those who have a deep need to learn about spirit. About Spirit In the West (and probably now also in the East) it has become very difficult to learn about spirit. This is because our psyche has become split between two understandings two different modes of being if you like. We can represent the totality of human experience by drawing a circle: Very few of us, however, are able to experience this unity. A better description of the modern, western experience would be the divided circle: We could call the two sides of human experience, realm 1 and realm 2. Almost all our conscious experience is in realm 1. When we make a decision based on logical or scientific reasoning, we are operating in this realm. When we make decisions based on habit or on physical instinct we are still operating within realm 1. Many people in fact the vast majority of people in modern culture have decided that Realm 1 is all there is to life. In a small number of people (but growing!) there is an intuition an inner knowingness that the realm of ordinary consciousness is only a part of John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p1

the story. Almost every person experiences Realm 2 at some stage in their life. This may be in the form of a significant dream. It may be in terms of intuitions which come towards us. It may simply be in the form of a knowing that there has to be something more to life. We are meant to be whole. To be whole means that we would experience Realm 1 (the physical world) and Realm 2 (the spiritual world) with equal clarity. We are able to experience Realm 1 with such force because we are physical beings. We inhabit physical bodies which have a whole range of physical and instinctual needs. We are able to experience Realm 2 because we are also spiritual beings. The bridge within us which enables us to unite the two worlds is the soul. It sits across both worlds and experiences both worlds. At the very core of the soul is the spiritual essence of who we really are. Most people are asleep to this understanding. But to be spiritual is not to be a human being on a spiritual trip ; it is to be a spiritual being on a human trip. As we begin to identify more and more with our spiritual identity, so we begin to light up our own world because our spirit is of the same nature as God and God, as the bible says, is light. Very rarely we meet an individual who has managed to so express the light within, that they radiate this light of spirit to the whole world. This is the spiritual teacher. Rev Mario would light up the whole building when he entered. We didnʼt need to have an announcement made that Elvis has entered the building, we knew when Mario arrived. Marioʼs work lit up the whole world. This work, he called The Priesthood of the Order of Melchizedek. The Purposes of the Order The first purpose of the Order of Melchizedek is to re-awaken in people the understanding of spirit. We truly are strangers in a strange land this world is not our home. We come from God and we shall return to God. The second purpose of the Order is the transformation of the world. Although we may not normally be able to see it, the world is gradually being transformed. This comes about through the change and evolution of consciousness. The members of the Order are instruments of this change. They are facilitators in the process. The changes empowered by the Order are always towards greater consciousness. For this John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p2

reason Rev Mario wanted the Order to embrace those whose vocations brought them into touch with other people. Healers of all descriptions, both mainstream and alternative; business people; teachers; social workers and therapists; musicians, actors, and entertainers Mario foresaw that empowered individuals could transform society as a whole. The Priesthood and Ordination In Marioʼs terminology the priest was the mediator between the spiritual worlds and the physical world. He was greatly saddened that by and large, the various priesthoods of the world seem to have abandoned this great task. One of the reasons for this is that the faculty of awakening spiritual insight had largely been lost by Western institutions. This awakening of spiritual insight, is commonly called initiation. Initiation is nothing less than the awakening of consciousness into the spiritual worlds. The gospels call this gift the kingdom of heaven. This is what the disciples of Jesus received from their teacher. An individual receives this gift as a seed. Jesus compares the kingdom to a mustard seed which grows into a huge plant; or like yeast, that makes the whole bread rise. A spiritual teacher chooses carefully candidates for initiation. A candidate has to be prepared, often over a long period of time. Such an individual will receive something of the life-spirit of the teacher so that they also are enabled to carry on the work of the teacher. Mario called his initiations, Ordination into the Order of Melchizedek. Ordination implants a seed. Like the mustard seed, if it is cared for, this seed of initiation may one day grow into its own power and dignity and the person ordained will be able to give from their own insight and power. The Origins of the Order Mario, because of the extent to which his own inner light illuminated his vision, was able to perceive beyond the boundaries of this present life. The seerʼs vision is not restricted by time and space. However, because his vocation brought him first to ordination within the orthodox church, he wore the metaphorical garments of the clergyman. For this reason he talked in the language of the church, of theology and especially of the Bible. Mario knew the Bible with amazing intimacy. He introduced us to the Order of Melchizedek through its references in the Bible. The first two references come from the Old Testament: And Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High Genesis 14:18 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ʻYou are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.ʼ Ps 110:4 Here we see three features of the Order. Firstly, it is ancient. Secondly the symbols of the Order are bread and wine. Thirdly the priesthood is not for a single life it is for all eternity: you are a priest for ever John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p3

The Order is mentioned in the New Testament by name in one book, the Letter to the Hebrews: In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Heb 5:7 10 Here we find that the high priest of the Order is the Christ. The Work of the Order According to Rev Mario the Order is raised anew every thousand years. The greatest renewal of the Order occurred two thousand years ago through the incarnation of the Christ. Here we saw played out on the world stage the two great purposes of the Order. Just as a spiritual teacher can ignite the spiritual flame within another person, the work of the Christ gave the potential of that flame to the whole of humanity. Because the Christ is the high priest of the Order, we could say that the work of the Order is to be the hands of Christ to carry out the purposes of Christ. But what are the purposes of Christ? Two thousand years of darkened consciousness have obscured the purposes of the incarnation of Christ. Christ came for one great purpose (as the gospel of John states): to set us free. To give us freedom from all external influences all ties of blood, relationship, culture, history. To set us free from the fetters of the past; to free us from fear of an unknown future. Christ will even set us free from himself. For indeed, as St Paul writes, Christ is in us. How is Christ within us? If we remember that the soul connects the two realms of experience, and that at the core of the soul is the spiritual essence then this is the reality of Christ. Christ is another name for the tiny flame of spirit that burns at the core of our being. The more we acknowledge the presence and the power of this flame, the more we discover who we really are and, paradoxically, the more we discover the nature of Christ. The work of the Order is to introduce the world to the presence of Christ. Or, in other words, to empower individuals to discover their own inner spiritual nature. The priest facilitates this process as the mediator. There may be talking but there may not be talking. There will almost certainly be listening. There may be the power of touch, the liberation of real healing. There will always be light. The priest of the Order of Melchizedek is the light-bearer. The priest is also the lighttransmitter and the light-awakener. The priest should be the enlightener, the empowerer. John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p4

The new expression of the Order within the world During his life time, Rev Mario, together with his co-worker Rev Colin Read, created an organisation, The Independent Church of Australia. The purpose of the organisation was to support the work in the world of these two great souls. Mario and Colin ordained a number of individuals into a priesthood which functioned within the infrastructure of this organisation. This is known as the liturgical priesthood. Mario knew that when he and Colin moved on from this world into the next, that the function of the organisation would be completed. He intended the Order of Melchizedek to continue and to grow past his own life time and in order for this to occur he devised a strategy which would free the priesthood from the bounds of any organisation or formal structure. This new development of the priesthood he termed the Free Priesthood or the New Expression of the Priesthood. Accordingly in 1996 Mario and Colin ordained nineteen individuals into the New Expression. Mario knew that people in the world would no longer reach out to the priest. Therefore he determined that the priest would reach out to the world. The priest of the New Expression is a priest incognito. He or she is prominent within a profession which brings them into contact with many people. Mario and Colin were very keen to ordain those in healing professions: Doctors, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, Reiki masters, alternative healers of many kinds, counsellors, social workers, therapists the list is endless. In a broader sense, many professions are associated with healers: entertainers (as Marcel Marceau once said) are planetary healers ; people in business have wonderful opportunities to reach out to people; teachers, academics, lawyers, judges again there is no restriction to the reach of the priesthood. Ordination into the Order Mario made it plain that those who belong to the Order of Melchizedek are only a small part of the population. Although every human being (or spiritual being on a human journey!) has a spiritual destiny, spiritual destinies are varied. Only a small number of people in the world are called to be priests in the Order but the Order works with the destiny of the whole of humanity. Melchizedeks are not confined to a race or a religion a Buddhist or Hindu might well be a Melchizedek priest, whereas a minister or pastor of a Christian sect might not be. The question which arises then is How do I know whether I belong to the Melchizedek priesthood or not? The first answer to this question is that you are reading this document! Melody and John have some reason to believe that you belong to the Order, and that may be sealed through ordination at some stage in the future. The second answer to this question, is that you have found your way to one of the few places in the world which may offer ordination. Light calls to light. There are many spiritual brotherhoods in the world, all working to aid the evolution of the world. The philosopher Gurdjieff, described normal consciousness as a sleep consciousness. There are points in every life where we are invited to awaken from this sleep. Such a point may be an unanticipated trauma a life-changing experience which forces us to question the old frameworks by which we related to the world. Or we may come into contact with an individual who points us in a new and unexpected direction. Or we may simply and gradually move to a state where we become deeply dissatisfied with our life; where the old values seem John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p5

irrelevant and pointless; where we need answers and there is no one providing us with such answers. If you have experienced one of these awakeners then perhaps you have been brought to the right place at the right time. The third answer to the question is that you have identified with the signs of the Melchizedek. 1. The gifts of bread and wine. These gifts represent the balancing of the intellect with the emotional forces the uniting of head and heart. They indicate that to live from one level or the other is to be unbalanced that in order to grow and evolve human beings need to be whole and united. 2. The recognition that Christ is the high priest: this is the recognition that deep within us is an eternal essence. That from time to time we contact and manifest that essence and that the nature of this inner reality is love. 3. The priesthood is eternal. This is the recognition that this life is not the end. That we will proceed from life to life, being reborn and evolving towards an unguessable future. That the future must be a future of freedom not just for ourselves but for every soul who comes into existence. That the power to create this future is in our hands. Admission into the Order In this document we have tried to explain the Order of Melchizedek in clear and simple terms. Rev Mario left behind deep and complex understandings of the Order, which we may make available in time to come. The Order is eternal. It manifests in outward form rarely in history, so the opportunities for initiation into the Order are limited. It is our task, and the task of our co-workers, to make this initiation available to those who are truly called. Such initiation/ ordination is given in secret. The priesthood received, is expressed in secret. The ordination is given in response to the request of the soul and spirit of an individual and according to their preparation for this bestowal of power. Much of the Library is dedicated to such preparation, but we have discovered that Life is the great Preparer! A candidate for the priesthood never stops searching for the greater expression of an inner reality. Those who are able to give this ordination are themselves bound by stringent conditions. An individual may only be offered ordination when such conditions are met. A few of these conditions are beyond the scope of this article to explain but some are associated with the candidate already expressing the principles of the priesthood within their own life. For example: Giving the gifts of bread and wine This happens when the person has brought their own emotional and intellectual life into discipline and balance. When they have demonstrated the ability to make changes within their life which result from spiritual thinking. Recognising that Christ is the high priest This happens through the love which an individual displays towards the world. When the needs of others prompt sacrifices of personal pleasures and satisfactions. John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p6

Seeking the priesthood as an eternal order Here the candidate for the priesthood expresses themselves through interactions with other people in such a way that the lives of others are enriched and enlightened. The priest never stops searching for the greater expression of an inner reality. In the finality, the Order of Melchizedek is about power. There is a story in the gospels about one of the disciples who felt aggrieved by the treatment he had received from the population of a village. In his aggravation, he suggested that Jesus call down fire from heaven to destroy the offenders. Christ never gave that person power to destroy but he did bestow upon that very disciple, power to up-build, to forgive, to release, to heal and to love. This is the power of the priesthood. To silently uplift souls; to give release to souls, and to bring to the world, very quietly and subtly the freedom of healing and the joy of love. John: Introducing the Order of Melchizedek p7