Prayer

Most of us seem to think that the purpose of prayer is to ask God for things that we want, and "need," as well as to ask for what we want for others. It is generally defined: "The act of attempting to verbally communicate with the supenatural, or Divine. It is sometimes communal, as during a church service; it is sometimes done in private. Its purpose is to praise God, to give thanks to God, to repent of sinful behavior, to ask forgiveness, to seek a favor from God." Of course this definition is limited, but the point I want to make is that prayer is communion with the divine. Communication is reciprocal sharing between individuals of written, oral and non-verbal information according to a common set of rules. The problem lies in that most of us are too busy talking, to recieve anything.
As prayer becomes more attentive and inward, one will find that one has less and less to say, and ideally it becomes a time of complete silence. By silence I do not mean inactivity. This is when one can begin to "listen" rather than speak. It is the understanding that "God, already knows of that which you have need." Therefore, it is unecessary to reiterate it verbally, one needs only to be still, and allow one's self to recieve.
"Be still, and know that I am God."

Theurgy

The term Theurgy is used to describe the practice of a series of rituals, sometimes seen as magical in nature, performed with the intention of invoking the action of God (or some other personified supernatural being or power), particularly with the goal of re-uniting oneself with the Divine, achieving theosis, and perfecting oneself. The Catholic mass can in fact be considered a form of theurgistic ritual, in which the being of Christ is invoked into the Eucharist.

Theurgy literally means divine-working. The source of Western theurgy can be found in the philosophy of the Neoplatonists, especially one Iamblichus. The universe is regarded as a series of emanations proceeding from the Godhead. Matter itself being the lowest form or manifestation of these emanations, and therefore is not in essence considered to be different from the Divine. Although opinions concerning the number and qualities of these emanations vary, most were in agreement that God was singular and good. Neoplatonists were technically polytheists, they also embraced a form of monism: reality itself is multi-faceted, with varied gods, but they all represented aspects of the one reality, though in accordance with the perceptions and culture of the individual.
According to Plotinus, and Iamblichus' teachers Anatolius and Porphyry, the emanations are as follows:
The One: Deity without quality, sometimes called The Good. Mind: The Universal consciousness, from which proceeds the psyche
Soul: Including both individual and world soul, leading finally to
The Physical, or Nature as we perceive it.
Plotinus urged preparation and deep contemplations for those who wished to perform theurgy, the goal of which was to reunite with God. Therefore, his school resembled, and was structured as a school of meditation or deep thought. One of his students, Iamblichus of Syria, taught a more ritualized method of theurgy, that involved invocation and religious, as well as magical ritual. Iamblichus believed theurgy was an act of imitation of the gods themselves, and in his work entitled "On the Egyptian Mysteries," he described theurgic ritual and practice as "ritualized cosmogony" that endowed embodied souls with the divine responsibility of creating and preserving the cosmos, or allowing disembodied souls (the gods) to work through the practioner.
Iamblichus' analysis was that the spiritual cannot be fully understood by mental contemplation alone because the spiritual transcends reason and is supra-rational. Theurgy is a series of rituals and operations aimed at recovering the transcendent essence by retracing the divine 'signatures' through the layers of being. Education is important for comprehending the scheme of things as presented by Aristotle, Plato and Pythagoras but also by the Chaldaean Oracles. The theurgist works 'like with like': at the material level, with physical symbols and magical acts; at the higher level, with mental and purely spiritual practices. Starting with a working knowledge of the relation of the aspects of the divine in the physical world, the theurgist eventually reaches the level where the soul's inner divinity re-unites with God from whence it originated, and achieves a sense of closeness and nurture for all creation, especially humanity.

The Holy Grail Legend

I am writing this, not for my peers in esoteric studies, but for the general populace. There has been a serious influx of interest in occult and esoteric literature due to Dan Brown's The Davinci Code becoming first, a national best seller, and second a major motion picture. As they say, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

There has been much discussion and media coverage concerning the Holy Grail as of lately, especially in connection with Mary Magdalene and the grail. I would like to inform those who are new to this arena of knowledge that there are other "legends" concerning the nature of said grail. Not just the one you have been exposed to by reason of the public's apparent adoration of Mr. Brown's fictional story, and sensationalized description of events. One such legend has been passed down thus:

Prior to being cast out of heaven, Satan was the most glorious of all the angels: He wore a crown or diadem in which was fixed a green stone which is now called the lapis exilis (stone of exile). During the battle which took place between the host of heaven, and "rebellious Angels" who followed Satan, Michael the arch-angel struck the stone out of Satan's crown with his flaming sword. The stone then fell through the various celestial worlds into the abyss.

Out of this stone was made the Sangreal, or Holy Grail from which it is said that Christ drank at the Passover, or Last Supper. Joseph of Arimathea supposedly brought this chalice to the crucifixion and caught in it the blood issuing from Christ's wounds. Later, Joseph had become the keeper of the sacred relics which included the grail, and the spear of the Roman soldier Longinus ( the lance used to pierce Christ's side). He supposedly carried the artifacts off to a distant country. one version says his descendants placed them in Glastenbury Abbey in England; another says in a castle in Mount Salvat in Spain, built by Angels in a single night, and yet another says that the last of the Grail Kings, one Prester John Parsifal carried it into India and disappeared forever.

This legend however, was quite real in the mind of Adolph Hitler, he sent troops to a museum in which the lance was reported to be, and had it stolen (or so the story goes). As the legend said, "He who possesses the spear, controls the destiny of the world." It is reported, on 12th March 1938, the day Hitler annexed Austria, he arrived in Vienna a conquering hero. He first stop was to the Hofmuseum where he took possession of the Spear which he immediately sent to Nuremberg, which was the spiritual capital of Nazi Germany.

Of Truth, And Love

Truth and Love are of the same essence, for both in their purest forms are unaltered by external circumstances or events. By this I mean of course true love, as the love for one's children. The love that is between a man and a woman rarely comes into this sphere of existence , as one or both are often times imperfect in their love toward the other, or in a word; selfish. Indeed the word "love" today, is much abused. Truth likewise, is truth no matter what; unaffected by circumstances or events taking place in the life, or in the mind of the contemplator. The two, love and truth are in fact so close in relation, that upon careful examination, you will find that you cannot have one, without the other. This is also the meaning behind God's love, implied according to the definition of truth. As it is written, "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."
Now the Tetragrammaton, meaning "the four character word", which is God's name represented by the four Hebrew characters יהוה; contains in itself (among other things) the complete expression of truth and love. Its meaning is can be interpreted thus: two separate things combine (as man and woman), with a double effect; first the destruction of both by denial of themselves for the other, accompanied by the realization that prior to this union, they were each incomplete; secondly, the creation of a third thing (usually a child), which brings about the joy of the creation of life which confirms one's own existence (for one does not truly exist, until one's existence is acknowledged), then thru examination and self development, one becomes aware of his own imperfections, and loves unconditionally. One will also notice that both of these (truth and love) are of no effect, and cannot be obtained nor maintained without action, for action is required for the expression of each. Again, it is written, "If you love me, keep my commandments,"and "Faith without works, is dead," I will leave you to draw your own conclusions from here, as there are countless applications and parallels to be perceived from this formula, which can be applied to one's own life in any number of ways......

Religion?

The word religion has it's origin in the Greek tongue, the word literally means to bind, hold, or restrain. This can be viewed or taken in different context and literal translation, some say it is to bind as in people together, or to restrain lust and vice. These are reasonable translations, depending on the sincerity of the organization or church in question. But, history paints a different picture. Let me say this from the beginning, it is not my intention to debase, degrade, or demonize organized religion, or to attack any church or denomination. Nor is it my intent to insult anyone's beliefs, but rather, I am simply trying to inspire individual thought and investigation. I will not bore you with my own testimony, or give you the details on how I arrived at these conclusions (unless you ask). I do not think it is unreasonable to question yourself and your beliefs, to see if your faith is true. The Lord does not want a bunch of mindless fools professing his good name, and pronouncing their faith in him! Examine yourselves, and the doctrines presented to you by your chosen leaders.
Religion has been used to manipulate the minds of the people for years,... centuries! Not to mention the fact that it divides even people professing the same faith! Constantine the great meshed Christianity with paganism just to be able to employ the "villagers" in the Holy Wars against the Ottoman Empire. So you see, it has also been used for political gain. I therefore, see religion as a tool to restrain, hold down, and surpress spiritual growth. The church has excluded dozens of books from the holy texts! And why? Because they (the writings) didn't coincide with the church's teachings! So, you decide; was the problem contained in the writings, or the church?
As I said, I am not here to judge anything, just to provoke thought. Religion serves many purposes, a sense of well-being, fellowship, community, etc... Some may even need it in order to behave themselves! That's fine, what ever makes you a better person. Most importantly and foremost, it should be a constant learning process. Not just taking what you are told for face value, but investigating for yourself! To have faith is extremely important, but be sure of who, or what it is that your faith lies! Is your faith in the Word, or in the doctrines of men? Do you study, meditate, and pray? If so, and if your heart is true, you will strengthen your faith to the point of knowing indefinitely! Not merely believing! To know is the manifestation of communion between God and man, through Christ. To believe without knowledge, is foolishness! Even a parrot, can be trained to repeat words that it hears, such are many church goers. More to come...