Meditation, the Guiding Light

Meditation, the guiding light. I think that we can talk a little bit about this guiding light and its relation to meditation.

Tarot Key Number 17, you see the lovely lady. Very beautiful indeed, with all the stars and the heavens and the waters.

And you see the ring they may look like rings in the water but what is water? It always symbolizes consciousness in all of occultism wherever you see water you are being given a secret beyond secrets you're being told that consciousness is fluidic and indeed those of us who have experienced the deepest levels of this substance of consciousness the one thing all of us share even if there have been different levels of the experience amongst us we all share the realization that it is fluidic that it is experienced in such a way that one has no other way of describing this substance except to say it is oceanic and I'm sure those of us who have read books those of us who have at least read about the mystical experiences of others or levels of cosmic consciousness they may have experienced or touched I'm sure that we will be remembering that these very mystics have when they have had the true experiences have always used terms that are similar to oceanic when certain individuals have meditated and we'll talk about meditation and just a little bit more intensely but when certain individuals have meditated for long and long according to worldly points of view in other words when they have made meditation a way of life so that they have almost forgotten what it is like not to be in a state of meditation they may not look differently on the outside such people but one of the things that that is noticed.

Anyone who has a certain sensitivity to vibrations will experience an oceanic type of pervading lift from such a mystic. Experience, it has been described sometimes as sort of feeling pervaded by love waves and waves, notice. This is a term that has to do with what? With a fluidic something, oceanic. In other words now the fact that certain mystics or individuals have been able to experience this touch it some actually become immersed in this type of awareness doesn't mean that they are the only ones that have it that have this substance in them according to all of the Western occult training. There isn't anything within all of the universe that doesn't live, move, and have its being within this universal cosmic mind stuff, which, though it cannot be described, can certainly be inferred. One can and put one's own consciousness in a questioning state of what is really meditation. And here is something that goes beyond the mere word, which never can give a description of a higher experience, because words belong to the world of the senses.

They belong to that which is therefore being experienced within a limited range of vibrations but the actual direct experience of consciousness that is less limited cannot have words to describe it since words do not belong in that area they aren't from that level I think that we ought to be able to understand this quite well if we will just remember one of our favorite analogies no one can describe to us the taste of a peach unless they have tasted it and if we try to describe a taste of a peach from somebody else's description we certainly will just be giving them what somebody else said we will not be sharing with them anything that's direct it is known within the deeper qabalah especially that very often spiritual aspirants make quite a mistake in thinking that those who have a great deal of knowledge about occultism and they can certainly impress us very much on lecture platforms or in the parlor when we visit each other some individuals can have vast scholarly knowledge about occultism still these types of people are similar to what has been called an accountant you know an accountant can take the figures and he can can keep very careful and detailed records and he can know who and what has the money and where it comes from and how it's been made, but he can't use it. He can't use that money because it doesn't belong to him. In the same way, there are those in occultism who have gone in for reading about the wisdom teaching, for reading about the various techniques and the principles involved, and reading about these things, others make the mistake of thinking that because they show this knowledge, which is intellectual that they have the answer or have the secret.

But you see, they're like the accountant who has the information but he can't use that money.

He can't use these riches. The mystic, the occultist who works with the various meditative techniques the methods taught right here who does it assiduously who does it consistently step by step becomes the type of individual who is able to use this Richard in other words it becomes an owner of the riches in other words you might almost say a sort of spiritual capitalist if there would would be such a word because you know they're almost opposite meanings involved but certainly the the administration aspect is there because it is his to administrate such a person now then what we have to do in trying to understand how to utilize meditation so that we will be unfailingly guided to be unfailingly guided actually involves the necessity of understanding meditation not like the accountant but understanding it because it becomes our belonging and when it's our belonging it's because we have been using it Meditation is the type of thing you can have only by using.

You can develop only by practice. It isn't the type of thing that we can receive for nothing or what we think might be for nothing.

Meditation. Now let's go back to what meditation is and is not, perhaps, at least in some of its areas.

Meditation is a particular state of consciousness that the mind holds itself in far more readily than most of us recognize. I know in the books, practically all the books that we read, especially those we get out of the libraries, including if it was our library, most of the books make meditation sound like something very extraordinary something different something that most people know nothing about something that's very difficult to develop and the result is that I have so many spiritual aspirants at times that is, when they manage to get to me look at me yearningly and say, oh, I wish I could learn to meditate. You know, I try but I don't succeed.

And I look at the poor darlings because there's never been a time they haven't meditated. And I realize that, again, here that knowledge about a thing and especially when it's knowledge that isn't so. Because you see, I've been talking about knowledge that might be correct but what about all the extra little goodies that are thrown in when we're picking up knowledge that somebody else has given us? If we don't know it's true we can mix more nonsense with wisdom and because it has the pearl here and there of wisdom we think the nonsense is also true and so we can be quite a mixture a really adulterated mixture and in Qabalah we make quite a point of the principle involved in becoming purified but most people immediately jump to the wrong interpretation of the word. They think becoming purified means that you become a virginal nun or a celibate monk and that you stop thinking about love, union, that you stop thinking about food or wanting it because to love food of course that's considered not very spiritual in other words whatever mistaken notion one has been given as to what is or isn't spiritual if we have the notion that it's not spiritual then we decide purification involves getting rid of it whereas it might be very spiritual indeed it's just our notion that might be wrong you see well we have the mistaken notion then because mainly we've been told by others that it's difficult we have the mistaken notion that meditation is difficult and that to learn how to meditate is going to take not only a long time but it is only for those who have the the ability first to do this and first not to do that, and then there are all sorts of rules and regulations one is given, and the subconsciousness is beautifully conditioned to think that it's going to have one fantastically horrible time learning how to meditate.

And so grim determination will develop for those who are very deep aspirants. Others will sort of sigh and try and drop it and say, well it's so difficult that you know it depends on the temperament but again I'm pointing out that when we understand what meditation is we realize that there isn't a time we haven't meditated and this and let me explain why now here in tarot key number 17 we see this lovely figure of isis also symbolizing the natural intelligence in other words is Isis has unveiled herself it has been said no one no mortal mind can unveil Isis no Isis unveils herself and mortal man is a good idea because you see it's the higher level of consciousness to which Isis or wisdom or the hidden unveils itself now how is it unveiling itself it's unveiling itself via the fluidic mind stuff because the mind stuff is experienced as fluidic how um what is the function here meditation but what is meditation all right when we get up in the morning even before we're really awake, if we'll stop to think what our consciousness does, we'll see that the second we're waking up, we're already meditating.

We can be meditating on how unhappy we are or on how much we hate somebody or on how much we think somebody hates us. We can be meditating on our misfortune or on our hopes, but still, what is it? In other words, the minute the consciousness cast itself upward or outward like fishing that's why this hebrew called the an Aramaic character from the ancient of ancient times has been called the fishhook and deals with meditation revelation that's why it's important to recognize the fact that we always meditate we don't have to learn how to meditate it isn't some fantastic extraordinary gift that comes only after doing this and not doing that we do have to go in for many disciplines indeed on the occult path of return to God but the discipline has to do with learning how to use our meditations consciously as a guiding light as a connection between ourselves and the divine it's learning how to use our meditations in such a way that something in us is continuously continuously on a deep, deep level of the self, saying in essence, without having to use words to say it, saying in essence, Thy will be expressed in and through me, O Lord of the universe.

Whatever decision I make, I want it to be in accordance with Thy will. When we get to the point where we see that meditation as the guiding light is something that we must learn how to utilize but it is having the consciousness hold itself with that vast the vast beyond being, the totality, the divineness.

That's why the star is what this Tarot key is called. And using, and the star casts light. Remember, the star is a sun, basically.

It radiates light. And remember, our fraternity, our spiritual work, our order, always utilizes this light.

We sign ourselves always, your brother and or your sister, no, frater or sora, in LVX, which is the traditional way of utilizing the idea of light since LVX are the three letters used in the ancient Latin terminology for light. That means light.

And it is when we learn to guide ourselves via the light which we then discover has been that which has really been guiding us all along it's then that we start learning how to utilize meditation properly now let's keep in mind one very important factor here in the Qabalah which is the Western method for spiritual development it doesn't permit us to go off into these escape mechanisms if we stay with these teachings it helps us to bring the spiritual powers into earth which is what we must do we have this figure showing it very clearly one leg is on the earth solid earth the other leaning on the waters we have to bring results onto the physical plane we have to bring the spirit into into matter in this and this is the way we watch how shall we put it from the fall which is really the vibratory condensation for the purposes of creation from this fall we redeem the fallen centers or sparks of the divine we redeem them by redeeming every spark that is part of us here again we have the ideas of light we have the idea of the infinite of space in cosmic awareness in cosmic consciousness which is the result of proper the guided meditation always there is this awareness not only of this this fluidic substance that interrelates, it interpervades, it interpours everywhere.

It's nowhere absent. It isn't an outside thing that hits against. It goes through all of us, with some more intensely than others, as I shall point out in a moment. But in this experience of this interpervading fluidic substance, this vastness, there's also the awareness of a beginningless, endless space that's involved except that it's a substance rather than anything else and yet remember words will send us off in the wrong direction if we take them exactly and literally because higher consciousness cannot be explained in terms of words but I always try to do with you and this is the role of one who who has the privilege of my responsibilities.

It is the role of a spiritual teacher who has achieved a certain amount of cosmic knowing to project via the cosmic light, the cosmic substance, this rate or level of knowingness, this vibratory rate, this fluidic mind stuff, to help build in the disciples, in the beloveds, more and more ability and capacity to receive and then finally to consciously experience these more profound, enlarged levels of consciousness and the ability and capacity to control more and more of the environment because of this higher, deeper, raised consciousness. This is why in the work we always speak about the hierarchy.

Because always there are layers upon layers or levels upon levels of these consciousness that have attained different rates.

And so whatever we permit ourselves to be hunting for with our consciousness, if we're hunting or evidence of not being loved or liked or treated well, why, we're naturally going to get it because we're going to catch the fish that we're angling for, don't you see? If we're hunting around to see who we ought to avoid, why, we're going to find out that there are more and more of them because we become better and better at getting the exact fish that our consciousness holds. And so we become better and better at catching misery fish you know instead of joy fish and only when we come to the point where that guiding light as I pointed out has to do with wanting the divine will and only when that divine will become something to us that has to do with the fullness of loving of wanting to do the benevolent the the right, the loving thing, and wanting to do it with joy, wanting to do it with flowing outpouringness, without expectation of return, because lots of people want to give so they'll get something back.

And as I think Khalil Gibran mentioned in the book The Prophet, they get their rewards. Of course, he doesn't go on to say exactly. Sometimes these rewards aren't very good, but it's implied. Because anyone who gives to get, they'll finally, they'll attract people who are only giving them so they can get something back. You don't discover or experience true giving and flowing. Now the desire to just have the capacity to love, to give, to serve, comes only with the ability to perfect ourselves, comes when our meditations become such that every single moment of our lives are looked upon as an opportunity to perfect our outflowing givingness. And not wanting to get back, I want to remind you. In other words, when we want love, we're telling subconsciousness all the time that we haven't got it, and so we're not going to have it with abundance and more and more abundance, and we'll be rejected all over the place.

So we have to stop using our meditative power, bringing ourselves more darkness and tears. What we want is that guiding light, that beauty, The only fulfillment there is in the universe, we will all discover sooner or later, so let's do it sooner, the only fulfillment there is, is developing the capacity to want to love, and not only want to, but to just go ahead and love. I know there are some people I've sort of expressed my love towards at times, who seem to want to kick it back, and at first, when I was a lot younger, my feelings would get hurt, and I'd feel rejected and I thought uh-oh only one day in my meditation hunting for an answer I thought uh-oh that's a hundred percent the wrong way to feel for a spiritual aspirant if they don't want to let me express my love outwardly okay then I'll find something that does the sky isn't going to fight with me about it or the breeze or the tree certainly not the song of the bird I can send my love out it'll just go into infinitude and my mind can be saying gee I love you and of course after a while we become so adept at having the exquisite joy of just loving and in the final analysis what we discover is that since everyone and this means everyone deep down in the bottom of their souls they want to be loved they want to be appreciated it no matter how they may be working it in reverse but for this morning at least let's take home this basic idea that meditation is not something we have to learn to do what we have to learn to do is keep our meditation with the patterns that are in harmony with our our highest spiritual desires.

In order to do that, of course, we do have to learn how to keep ourselves remembering. And the tarot, working with the tarot, helps us to do this. What we want to take home with us today is the determination, the real determination, that we want to learn how to be so grateful for somebody to love, that we're going to do everything in our power when we have it not to start destroying it by being forgetful or selfish to learn how to stay from our hearts thank you God that I have this love or beloved there it is our husband our wives our friend our pet our garden thank you that I I have this to love, give me the capacity to keep remembering to love it and to be grateful for this love and to tenderly care for and nurture it. Your meditation then will be bringing more and more light, not only to yourselves, but to all living creatures everywhere in the universe, and sorrow will become a thing of the past.