Oct/Nov 1995
Transformation
In the case of a group's birthday, it is nice to gather the leaders of the group together to meditate, think and review the past year; to learn if the consciousness of the group is expanding; to evaluate if the events and activities, the labor and striving of the group are in alignment with its purpose and vision; to learn what changes are needed; and how to bring about improvements and regeneration.
It is for this reason that we felt the focus of this issue of Meditation Monthly International should be upon Transformation. Transformation means to change-to change yourself, to strive toward perfection. To change means there must be an inner urge to perfect yourself. Once a person or a group makes contact with the Core of its existence, it will have the urge to change, to progress, to strive and to improve. There will be an urge to be more advanced, more beautiful, more progressed. The deeper the contact with your Core, the greater the urge to change and improve the present form of your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual levels.
It is interesting to observe how the process of transformation can create oppositions as you labor and strive to make improved changes. The oppositions can be created by yourself, the group, or from everyone and everything. For example, you make a decision to improve yourself, to make yourself healthy, to become a more vital human being. You believe meditation is a tool to help you reach this goal. When you tell your friends you are going to meditate, they may laugh at you and ask if you are crazy. They are afraid you will change yourself.
I was thinking about the cycles of the planet Pluto in a person's life or in group life. Pluto cycles bring about changes, yet many people are afraid of change. The Tibetan D.K., in Esoteric Astrology, says that Pluto affects the life of the soul much more than it does the personality life. The First Ray, as it is expressed through Pluto, the ray of destruction, the ray of changes to the old forms, is felt only in a positive manner when you are on the path of Discipleship and the path of Probation. May we all strive toward change and regeneration as we celebrate our 13th birthday year. Shanti
We are Divine Sparks going through the human experience with the guidance of our Solar Angel. The scale of justice that man carries within himself is based upon the level of consciousness he has created. It is an inner justice that the Soul oversees.
Justice means not only to correct ourselves but to transform ourselves. Transformation is the first real stage of spiritual maturity, a stage of giving the human soul an opportunity to work with a more sensitive and refined physical, emotional and mental body. Through the process of Transformation, we change our nature; we "spiritualize" our personality. The next stage of change is called Transfiguration, which occurs when we purify our vehicles and free ourselves from the traps of the lower self. In the stage of Transfiguration, our inner light shines.
Our universe is a chain of causes and effects. We create with our words and thoughts, and often we forget that thoughts can be more powerful than words. On the path to Soul Infusion, which is a path of creativity, we must learn to visualize a new self-image and a new birth. Once a person undergoes the process of self-transformation, in which he makes a conscious contact with his Soul and becomes aware of his Divine Nature, he will gain control over his thoughts, words and actions. As we recognize and take responsibility for our divinity, justice will grow, and, in turn, our thoughts and deeds will serve justice.
Justice is the very essence of God and man in which we respond to the call of our Central Core-the Central Spiritual Sun, the Cosmic Magnet-that is calling each one of us "Home." It is a joy to know that we are part of God and that we are expanding along with this Great Force of Energy.
By Ann Prosch
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Transformation means change, to change and improve the present form-for example, our physical, emotional and mental bodies. Self-transformation means that we are going to change ourselves by making contact with the mechanism called the Self, the Core of our being, and through that contact gradually synchronize all parts of our nature with that Self. The lower self is our personality, which is made up of our physical, emotional and mental bodies. These bodies are not yet "wholistic." They are not in harmony with one other. They are still separative, filled with such issues as jealousy, anger, and revenge. The reason for this is that we are focused on what is outside of ourselves. We are focused on the programming that has been given to us by the media, by well-meaning friends, and through well-meaning teachings. These are not a part of the fabric of that true mechanism called the Soul, the light of which the lower self uses to move to higher levels of consciousness. If we are not in contact with that Soul, then what we act upon is our programming. Perhaps we had a teacher or a parent who said "You can't do this," "You aren't that," or "You're no good." These negative experiences eventually make us immune to real guidance both from without and from within.
Doesn't it make sense that if everyone has been born with a purpose, and that purpose is to progress, then the first challenge we have is to create harmony between ourselves and our life? No matter what life gives us, we need to find a way to synchronize ourselves with that life. The Soul is the mechanism which is the blueprint of the purpose of our life. When we contact the blueprint, something happens. That something is called the urge to change. Our relationships change, our attitude begins to change, our consciousness begins to change, but only after the light of our consciousness penetrates into the atoms of the physical, emotional and mental bodies. The inner light of the Self releases the hidden light in the atoms and cells of our being. When this light is released, our life will no longer be rooted in the domination of the will of our ornery small self.
Every once in awhile, we'll have a lifetime where a Teacher will come to us and say "You need some help. You've forgotten your roots. You've forgotten the Self." This will be a lifetime of transformation. The Teacher is like an artist who chisels away bit by bit, even though we run after the pieces saying "No, no, no. Put them back." These pieces are usually rooted in jealousy, hatred, anger, revenge, disappointment, fear, ego and vanity. This lifetime of transformation will draw us into heavy issues in our life to the point where we throw up our hands in despair and begin a search. This search is where we begin to hear, or begin to respond to the Call from our Soul. The Soul is rooted in the greater whole, which is a part of higher levels of consciousness. Our consciousness at this stage is wrapped around our jealousies, our hurts, our disappointments, our unhappiness, our negative experiences, until we reach a point where we get so tired of it all that we finally hear the Call. Hearing this Call is the first step to connecting with higher levels of existence.
Nicholas Roerich was not only a great artist, but a great statesman and spiritual human being. He said that when our attention is fixed upon our high vision, like a light that penetrates dark corners, more and more details are revealed. (A high vision would be thinking about your future.) The light as it shines upon the darkest parts of our being will reveal those things that need to be transformed; in other words, all that is working against the purpose of our life.
The first stage of change is called Transmutation. Transmutation occurs as we begin to spiritually mature. It is the stage of transferring our focus from the lower centers to the higher. Each human being has seven main centers, and the centers are divided at the diaphragm. The centers are like wheels of energy within our etheric body, the body that feeds the physical body. If the lower centers (those below the diaphragm), are more active than the higher, we'll be functioning in the lower self. The centers below the diaphragm are less refined; they run on a lower grade of fuel. The higher centers, the ones above the diaphragm, are comparable to magnificent, fragrant flowers.
When we are around aperson who functions through the centers above the diaphragm, their fragrance activates our nature by penetrating into our auric field.This is then transferred into the etheric body, which, in turn, begins to affect the glands, organs and cells of the physical body. This is why in some lifetimes we are drawn to a physical plane spiritual Teacher, because we're ready to make the shift from the lower centers to the higher ones. As the lower centers slowly experience the stage of Transmutation, the energy is transferred to higher centers and becomes more refined. We, in turn, become more creative. What kind of creativity are we referring to? Not creativity that is imitative, but creativity that is original. It is like a musician playing a composition by Debussy. Even though he is playing the works of another composer, he is interpreting it through his own creative fire. As he is playing, his performance affects the environment and begins to transform it. To become a true artist in any field of endeavor, we want to connect with the mechanism within ourselves that will begin the process of self-transformation.
The key to self-transformation lies in changing our habits, beginning with physical habits. Physical habits are forms or patterns that are found in the etheric body. Once a habit is dropped, watch the transformation. On the emotional level, we have many habit patterns that prevent us from expressing pure feelings. Feelings are pure expressions. Emotions are distorted patterns made from anger, jealousy, greed, hatred, and revenge. Getting rid of mental habits means to change your self-image. When you have a successful day, say, "Hey, this is great. I want more experiences like this, so I can build more success in my life." And when you've had a bad day, say, "Thank goodness, I've worked off some of my karma. I've gotten that out of the way, and I won't have to experience it again." Change your habit of thinking. Whether it's a physical, emotional or mental habit, remember, just letting go of one habit at a time is the beginning of self-transformation.
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Our group was born in a very similar way, under dictatorship and the dictatorship of the social classes. As people of goodwill, our intention is to give birth to, in some small way, what was done by the Templars. We, too, have searched for documents of a happier, more positive life, dedicated to happiness, to joy, to hope and love-everything that has a positive influence on life. We have found that like the Templars, we have tried to organize ourselves according to those ideas.
We have centered our lives in an old rambling house and mill in the Pyrenees, where we gather together every weekend for manual labor and to dedicate ourselves to making our work spiritual, integrating it into the various presentations, which we perform for multiple purposes.
Though there may be nothing that distinguishes one from another, on the inside each of us intends to be faithful to the ideas of the Tradition. Our performances allow us to make contact with others and with our Divine Core, and to convey the seriousness of our work, which precisely radiates our idea of service. We attempt to give the appearance of peace and security, and our confidence in these attempts is what guides us and helps us to create within ourselves a very positive attitude. We are this way always with the hope that we can change consternation and unpleasantness (which always seems to present itself) into very positive things.
We began as four people and now we number in the hundreds. We have travelled through France, Germany and the United States believing that if we serve well, and profoundly clean our psyche, we can serve others. We try to give performances that preach of a life totally guided by the positive, detesting all negative influences that have been imposed upon us in the era of Pisces.
We also give our service to the poor. This is one of our ideals, through which we act for free, or at reduced prices, in hospitals, hospices, or for small groups or entities.
To finish, I would also add that some of our members have become very interested in helping and revitalizing Bosnia, a region of tremendous strife in Europe. In fact, two of our members are dedicating all of their efforts to organizing expeditions to bring relief to that area. Muchas Gracias.
(Manuel Barbal may be reached at La Mola Sort, 25568 Lerida, Spain.)
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Q: What can I do to help myself
and my family be happy?
A: Happiness is created by building a solid foundation of human values. Happiness is built upon the cornerstones of love, harmony, forgiveness and a sense of responsibility.
There was a policeman who had been shot in the line of duty by a young gang member. The shooting disabled the policeman, turning him into a paraplegic. A husband and father, the policeman said he wanted to contact the young man to let him know he was forgiven. Three years later from prison, the young gang member placed a phone call to the policeman. In a brief but intense conversation, he listened to the policeman sincerely express his forgiveness. The gang member explained that he had grown up without a father. He said, "Had I a father like you, a father who had given me values and good examples to live by, I know my life would have been different." He asked, "How can you forgive what I did to you?" The policeman's reply was, "I believe each of us is here to help others and to believe in something greater than our own selves. I could not live with myself if I had not been given to the opportunity to forgive you." The gang member said, "I will never forget you." A few months later, the young boy died from an illness.
As a person begins to unwaveringly express the cornerstones of happiness in all his actions, emotions and thoughts, he will gradually build a value system that will create a life path of greater happiness and joy, a life path that will never fail or disappoint.
Q: Why do people who study the Teachings need a Teacher?
A: A Teacher serves as a point of light and equilibrium for a student. As students read and study, as they become engaged in daily meditation, they make a contact with high level energies. These energies penetrate into the student's consciousness, feeding his vanity and ego, releasing age-long bugs hidden in his subconscious mind, and stimulating his vices, hatreds, prejudices, desires and cravings. He will frequently behave as if he is special, "a chosen one," looking down on others, judging and condemning their life paths. The student can become trapped in his glamors, ego, vanities and illusions, eventually finding himself lost in the sea of separation. To prevent being caught in these traps, the student needs the Teacher to help him.
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