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Serpents of Wisdom
Part 1
"Seekers there are in
plenty: but they are
almost all seekers of personal advantage.
I can find so very few Seekers after Truth.“
Sa’adi
1
The imitator gives expression to a hundred proofs, but he speaks
from discursive reasoning, not direct vision. He is musk-scented but
not musk; he smells like musk but is only dung.
Rumi
You have probably come to the realization that there are no listings
of Masters and true Teachers in the Yellow Pages. It is possible to
find psychics, astrologers, and other such flora and fauna, and you
may even find advertisements in metaphysical-type magazines for
birds of ill-omen who call themselves masters, but unless we have
polyps for brains, we ought to know that the only thing they are
masters of, is deceit of an expensive kind.
In this ‘New Age’ we are besieged by
hordes of so-called shamans, gurus, channelers, high priests,
clairvoyants, magicians, yogis, wizards, witches, necromancers,
dream-interpreters, transcendentalists, spiritualists, diviners, and
a variety of other dolts, all frantically waving wands, rods and
pointed fingers; chanting mantras, developing chakras, burning
candles and incense, drawing holy circles, squares and triangles;
selling talismans and charms, raising the dead, astral traveling,
reading fortunes from greasy Tarot cards and plastic runes; mouthing
incantations, achieving cosmic awareness, reaching ecstacy through
tantra, gaining power and healing by means of crystals; theorizing
on the Cabala, practicing Norse magic, Celtic magic, Enochian magic,
Teutonic magic, ceremonial magic, temple magic and herb magic.
The ill-advised followers of these self-appointed teachers, swallow
wholesale the most absurd propositions put forward by these coolies
of the Occult; these poachers on Spiritual grounds.
But is there a single Master among them? An Adept, perhaps? Or an
Initiate? The sad but true answer is NO - not one. There is not even
a good imitation of one.
So where will you find one?
Do you think you would recognize a Master if you did meet one? Are
you under the impression that he would advertise his Mastership by
wearing saffron robes? Flowing locks? Sandals? A halo? A crown of
thorns? Or could it possibly be that he is so well hidden because he
looks like any one of us, giving us no obvious signs to recognize
him by, and, in this manner, throwing us back on our ability to tell
Truth from falsehood?
How many of us are willing or able to know and
welcome Mastership or Adeptship by listening to words of Truth? The
majority seem to prefer personality, fame, and drivelers of
ineptitude who reconfirms our preconceived opinions.
-
And what does a Master do with all his Wisdom and Power?
-
How come,
if they are as wise and as powerful as they are cracked up to be,
don’t they put an end to world hunger and injustice, and to wars?
How easy that would be for us! We could then carry on as our usual
intolerant, greedy and unrespectable selves, and have the Masters
die on an assortment of crosses on our behalf - pay the consequences
for us, so to speak. Ah, what bliss! Heaven on Earth!
We could wallow in our smooth sinfulness without effort or care,
until we turned into elemental dust and blew away. Holy Hades! There
would be no need to learn anything at all and we could sit around in
our recliners, like the dross of hell, moaning and griping about
everything and everyone.
Is this what we would like? It seems to be what the majority would
like, since it is what the majority does.
And anyway, to the ordinary man, all that stuff about Masters,
Wisdom, Light and Love, has no meaning - it makes him yawn. What
matters to him is profit in dollars, the latest football scores,
fun, food, and lots of sleep. If you talk to this kind of plebeian
about the more elevated things - things of the Spirit and of the
Higher man, he will probably brush you aside with: ‘In my opinion,
that’s a lot of bull.’ and it will be your own fault for
thoughtlessly throwing your pearls before the swine. Your hard
gained pearls of wisdom will be trampled underfoot, and neither you
nor the plebeian you sought to enlighten will have gained a thing by
your eagerness to share your new-found Light.
Regretfully, you will soon learn that most men shun the light like
so many vampires hiding in their coffins as soon as the sun comes
out.
2
Eliphas Levi said that :
“Fools are the people who kill men of
genius”, and we might add that "they are also fond of killing the
Messengers sent to us from God.”
We all know what crass humanity did
to Jesus. Apollonius of Tyana was thrown into prison and later
tortured to death; Daniel was thrown to the lions; Raymund Lully was
stoned to death; Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake; Ibn Gebirol,
the Kabalist, was murdered; Jaques Cazotte, the seer, was executed,
and Socrates was condemned to death.
  Pythagoras had to flee from the tyranny of Polycrates.
Cagliostro died while confined in prison; Giordano Bruno was burnt
alive; Sendivogius was imprisoned and tortured; Paracelsus and
Agrippa were forced to spend their lives as wretched
wanderers......... and the list goes on.
You may argue that all this took place a long time ago, that we are
civilized these days and would never tolerate such barbaric
behaviour. Don’t believe it! Human nature does not change much, and
however arrogant and self-satisfied modern man is concerning his
latest achievements and so-called progress, he is still as stupid
and as cruel as ever. Fools are still persecuting and killing
messengers, whether physically or by ridicule, who irritate them, or
who hold views considered threatening.
This is one of the reasons why the Wise keep silent as to who, what
and where they are - and maybe - to a lesser extent, so should you.
It is also wrong to foist your beliefs on others who may be at a
different stage on the Path than yourself; or who may simply be
going by a different route. Since it is only possible for us to
understand something up to our own level, how would we know if we
were foisting ourselves and our beliefs on those who have far
surpassed us in knowledge and Wisdom? And yet, people do all the
time, unaware of the pitying and gentle smiles of those who can see
through them.
And although you should always protect the fellow traveler lower
than yourself on the ladder to the Light, you must at all times
guard against being preached at or dictated to by them. As for the
majority, those who care not, let them go on their merry way,
without judging them, but at the same time make sure that you see
them for what they are, freeing you from the
 danger of falling for
outward trappings.
Do not be like the “false prophet”, spoken of by Levi,
“who must
slay if he cannot pervert. For he clamours for tolerance towards
himself but takes good care in what sense it shall be extended to
others”.
We pray to the Higher Powers to show tolerance towards our own
failings and yet we forget to be tolerant towards our fellow man,
persecuting them in the name of religion, country, race and
political system not the same as our own.
The largest part of
humanity suffer from intolerance, and the remainder tends to be
apathetic and indifferent where it concerns the rights of other
humans, being utterly disinterested concerning anyone’s welfare but
their own. Apathy is a disease more deadly than either cancer or
AIDS, both of which only kills the body, whereas apathy kills the
Soul.
By observing the fool, we can learn how not to be; but talking to
them is as futile as trying to tan during a total eclipse of the
Sun. This is one of the reasons why the secrets of the mystic should
not be divulged to fools, who would not understand them, and would
ridicule the divulger, and drag the Sacred Teachings through the mud
of their imbecility.
But if the opportunity to plant a seed in their barren soils
presents itself, you should do so. A good seed may lay dormant until
the experiences of their lives has watered their soil with tears and
enriched it with the ashes of their dreams, sprouting into a
beautiful flower of wisdom, years - or lifetimes hence.
It is possible that you yourself is on the Path because someone, at
some time, planted a seed in you. A kind soul did the work of the
Master on your behalf and you are now reaping the benefits of that
kindly act. This is the Way of Service and it is the only Path you
can take if you want to reach one of the Masters.
If you are sincere about reaching one of the Masters, you may have
to work alone, and very likely in obscurity, for a long time. There
will be nobody to cheer you on and the only evidence of the
usefulness of your Quest, will be your faith. You will be sorely
tested as to courage and strength of purpose, and these tests will
sometimes present themselves to you in subtle ways, forcing you to
dig deep into your purse of faithfulness and stamina. Only those in
possession of an unshakable conviction - those who have to go on
because they must - will reach the Goal. Half-heartedness will get
you nowhere, and laziness, either of the body or the Spirit, will
make you an easy catch for the false teacher who promises mastery in
three short months.
There are no short-cuts, no part-time positions, and no bargains to
be had on the Path to the Light. We all have to travel the same road
and overcome the same obstacles in order to obtain our Goal, and
only the strong and steadfast, the loving and faithful, will be
crowned with success. Let us at all times remember that even the
Masters had to travel along this Path in times gone by, and for this
reason they understand fully our aching hearts and our yearnings,
but they also know that the Reward is well worth striving for.
They know that it is necessary for man
to live through material darkness, for we can only be born into the
Light from this darkness. But before we start longing for this
Birth, we must reach a point where we feel the limitations and the
powerlessness of the darkness. We must long, with our whole hearts
and minds, to live within the rays of the Light, and we must
fearlessly face the Truth. If the Truth hurts, we must have the
ability to look within ourselves for the fault, rather than change
the Truth in order to spare ourselves.
Then, and only then, can we hope to be noticed by the Masters who
live within the Light.
“Where do the Masters live?“
“Quite near the Sun.“
“Why?“
“Because they can stand it.“
3
 When the Disciple is ready
the Master appears.
This is a true saying, but when is a Disciple ready?
It is not enough to have read a few metaphysical books written by
brazen-faced ink-slingers; nor is it enough to attend a variety of
meetings held by some New-Age-style group, led by people who are as
much in the dark about things as you are yourself, for that will
only lead to confusion and eventual disillusionment.
The Master reflects:
“How many can be said to be truly ready for the
Master? It is a well-known fact that most seekers prefer to live in
a dream within a dream of illusion. Is it not true also that most of
those who profess to have a longing for probing into and learning
the Divine Secrets prefer to solve them in their own ignorant and
fantastic manner, rather than having them explained by the chosen
Adept - appointed to this task by the Gods themselves? And how
difficult it is to find such an Adept and to KNOW him!”
 The purpose is self-enlightenment, not self-delusion, so let us set
to and pluck the weeds of ignorance out of our soil. Ignorance is
the great stumbling block on the Path to the Light; the great
mountain which is conceit and it is the first business of a Student
of the Mysteries to do away with it, for it is not possible to learn
what we think we already know.
The purpose of our studies, after
all, is not to have our prejudices confirmed, but to gain wisdom at
any cost to our preconceived ideas.
No one religion, philosophy, cult, coven, doctrine, sect, or book is
going to give you all the answers. We witness today the sad
spectacle of souls leeching on to unorthodox and exotic religions
and belief systems. These folks wear their various religions as they
would wear the latest fashions - for the image it gives to others. I
am tempted to call it Designer Religion.
These wind-bags who follow this trend stand before you with heads
full of imaginary knowledge and pretense, crystals and pentagrams at
the ready, and shamelessly claim:
“I’m a Zen Buddhist”, “I practice
Enochian magic”, “I’m into Shamanism”, and so on and so forth ad
nauseam.
If you are stupid or unfortunate enough
to lend them an ear for a while, they will prate and babble
deliriously, without drawing life-giving breath, in an infantile and
superficial manner, about things of which they have no more
understanding than the pig has about the pearls.
Arrests all forward movement; the Veil separating you from the
Truth. One of the symptoms of ignorance
 These cockalorums will tell you in no uncertain manner what to do,
when to do it, what to eat, what not to eat, what to wear, what not
to wear, which religion to believe in, which music to listen to,
which psychic to consult, how to save the whales and the world,
which quartz crystal will cure your ills in order to end up becoming
as smug and as half-witted as they have managed to become.
Their speeches are invariably spiced like a cheap Mexican dinner,
with spices hot enough to mask the bland taste of the re-hashed,
refried beans. It is truly a matter of wonder what a tablespoon of
Karma, half a cup of cabala, a few yin-yangs, some slices of
Kundalini, and a couple of drops of Yoga can do to poor ingredients.
This whole concoction will be stewed and brewed over their feeble
alchemical fires until all goodness and original flavour has
evaporated. What a cauldron! What poor cooks! Is it any wonder that
food such as this will not fatten their lean spirits?
On the other hand we have the Christians, sitting in their pews like
mutton on a skewer, and filled with the fear at the prospect of
losing sheep to the New Age or to ‘heathen’ religions. These are the
so-called friends of Jesus who, without too much prompting from the
Devil, will send a Jew, a Hindu, or a Muslim straight to Hell for
not believing as they do. In return, the Jew, Hindu or Muslim, will
send the Christian to hell. It was probably this kind of intolerant
ass Job had in mind when he said:
“Miserable comforters are ye all”.
Arthur Machen also seemed to be
unimpressed with the behaviour of those who call themselves
Christians:
“The New Testament for all these
people has been written in vain; they will still believe that a
good Christian is one who drinks a cup of cocoa at 9:30 and is
in bed by ten sharp. And to such persons, of course, the texts
which assert the necessity of becoming like little children if
we would enter the Kingdom of Heaven are clear enough; it is
merely a matter of early hours and plenty of cocoa - or,
perhaps, of warm bread and milk.”
Respectability, rather than love and
mercy, is the yardstick used by our Christian brothers and sisters
in these ‘enlightened’ days of our Lord. And it was Pinero who said
that:
“The vainest are those who like to be thought respectable”.
All is, indeed, vanity and vexation of spirit, and we come to
discover that the worst man is usually him who sees himself as the
best.
4
There are many who pretend that they seek real knowledge, when in
reality they seek social gatherings and attention, recognition and
admiration from other owls with opinions.
The beliefs of these people are no more than superficial ideas
voiced in the current terminology of their circle, to be dropped and
replaced by other, equally superficial ideas as they move on to the
next social gathering. Their professed beliefs appear to be
dependent upon whom they befriend or socialize with, and are used as
keys which open the door to the coveted club of the moment.
But the person of wisdom is always alone. I did not say
lonely....... I said alone. There is a great difference. To a wise
person
 the crowd is never company; the faces are undistinguished and
the conversation is no more than a string of trite phrases; the
laughter is hollow, and false friendship is easily obtained and
lost. Yet, out of the need for outward show (for such it is), the
inept person inevitably resorts to this kind of self-important
posturing, being dependent on the opinions and admiration of their
haw-humming cronies.
Such a person would probably not want to hear that the Path has to
be trodden alone, and that their only companions along
the way will be the truth and the belief that they will be heard and
answered when they are ready. It takes great courage to stand alone
and be faithful even when life tests you; but adversity, when
cheerfully overcome, builds character, which is invaluable to the
Aspirant.
A timid person will give up at the first hurdle, like a gray mouse
startled by discovery. For such the Light will be too strong: only
the brave warrior will gain Mastery and eventual Liberation.
In the words of the Master:
“Once you have trained yourself to
live and serve in such a way that you become worthy of that holy
and most intimate contact with the Master within, and once you
have learned to listen to his kindly voice, and to act according
to the way he guides you so lovingly, you will be found worthy
to come into contact with other Masters, and they will show you
the way of service to those brothers and sisters who have not
yet found the Path, but will inevitably do so in God’s good
time.”
And who can take their pleasure in the
cacophony of the hypocritical crowd once that One Master has been
found? It would be akin to sleeping in a bed infested with bed-bugs,
or having your teeth drilled down to the nerves.
Most of us have, at times, indulged our curiosity by going to talks
given by ‘experts’ or ‘authorities’ on various metaphysical
subjects, and having quickly come to the conclusion that the only
things they are authorities or experts on, are their own feverish
imaginations. No proposition is too absurd for belief, for most men
are incapable of knitting two consecutive thoughts together in order
to arrive at a right conclusion.
The only thing the false teacher
has to do, is throw an incomprehensible statement at them, which
will act as a wrench in the works of their brains, rendering it
useless for further discrimination. And human conceit, being what it
is, will not admit to its own stupidity, but will sit there
listening to endless drivel with a contrived and holy look on its
bland face, for fear of appearing not to have comprehended the deep
and secret gas works being wafted at them.
I urge you to beware of the noxious souls who pretend to teach the
mysteries; even of those who pretend to be deliverers of ‘new’
gospel truths; for of the truth they have no more idea than a
cockroach has of fine dining.
Most of the sacred writings and great minds of this world, warn us
(if we take the trouble to consult them), about the false teachers.
The
Third Book of the Pistis Sophia says:
“Renounce the doctrines of error,
that ye may be worthy of the mysteries of the Light and saved
from all the chastisements of the great dragon of the outer
darkness.”
And in John 5:1 it says:
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they be of God: because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.”
“Abiding in the midst of ignorance,
thinking themselves wise and learned, fools go aimlessly hither
and thither, like the blind led by the blind”.
So states the Katha Upanishad, and it
goes on to say:
“This sacred knowledge is not
attained by reasoning; but it can be given by a true Teacher.
Not many hear of him; and of those not many reach him; and he
cannot be reached by much thinking. Wonderful is he who can
teach about him; and wise is he who can be taught. Wonderful is
he who knows him when taught.”
But the majority of students mistake the
false teacher for the true and spend their lives chasing after these
knaves; engaged on a quest of utter futility, they waste their time
and money on moronic books, psychic readings, and New Age
workshops... all to no avail!!
The cloud of darkness hangs about them thicker than ever. The crude
and oily exudations of the false teacher burns like any other oil
well, with lots of show, little benefit, and a certain amount of
danger. Before the self appointed victims know it, the black cloud
of smoke shuts out the Light and leaves them, scared and confused,
groping about in the dark.
False doctrines can only be preached to men who do not think; to
those with cerebral congestion and an immune system weakened by
repeated bouts of hallucination. Once their defenses are down, they
catch every spiritual plague of every
 disease carrying rat they lay
themselves open to. Not yet satisfied, they want others to catch it
too, they proceed to cough their infested coagulum into the faces of
any person who do not know how to take to his heels.
In an account of an Initiation from the book ‘Egyptian Mysteries’,
the Hierophant says to the candidate:
“Learn to see clearly, learn to wish
for what is just, learn to dare what your conscience dictates,
learn to keep your intentions secret, and if, despite all your
efforts, today brings no more than yesterday, do not lose
courage, but continue steadfastly, keeping your goal before you
with determination. Onward!”
5
“The root matter of this great
knowledge (the wisdom of the Masters) is not to be found in
books,” says Plato, but that “we must seek it in ourselves by
means of deep meditation.”
This is perfectly true, for the Sacred
Writings are heavily veiled in their esoteric parts, and unless a
person has the keys, it is a near impossibility to open the Door to
the Temple of Wisdom. These Keys are in the keeping of the Masters,
and unless we can live in such a way as to become worthy of their
attention, we shall have to live in the darkness of the outer court
where all is confusion.
Meditate, by all means, but let your meditation be an attunement
with Light and with Love.
Wait for the True Master in peace and secrecy; for how can a Master
contact a person full of turmoil and one who continuously seeks out
the friendless and envious crowd? To the person who is deemed ready,
and who has been chosen, the Holy Laws will be revealed only under
solemn vows of silence. The reason for this is simple: Were the
false teachers to get wind of the Secret Laws, they would do to them
that which they have done to everything else - use them for their
own glory and their own financial gain. The Holy Laws would fall
prey to man’s first instinct - the lower self - which is only
interested in earthly appetites, selfishness and greed, and the True
Messenger would be ridiculed and persecuted.
In this manner would the Saviour of Mankind, the Truth of the Most
High, be dragged through the mud and lost forever to the True Seeker
on earth. Darkness would reign supreme and the hope of the genuine
disciple would go unfulfilled and unmet.
For these reasons will the Adept keep
the Holy Laws out of the hands of the unscrupulous and the unready.
It is to be kept safe, as a Pearl of Great Price for those whose
earthly skin is wearing thin; for the battle-scarred Warrior who has
come through lifetimes of tests and trials, and whose whole being
longs for Peace and Mercy. To such the Truth is given with
tenderness and love by the Masters of Wisdom, and there is no
greater gift for the weary traveler.
How far removed this is from the smelly gatherings of sniveling
fanatics who have the audacity to call themselves masters and
adepts! The difference is as great as between heaven and hell, and
the choice is yours.
If you align yourself with the latter, your head will be full of
imaginary knowledge and pretense and the wise will flee from you.
They know that outward show and vain posturings are the marks by
which they can recognize the inept - the slaves of ignorance of this
world. Of the mighty simplicity of the works of the Hidden Deity,
they know nothing; humble worship from the heart is alien to them;
and the true Teacher is hidden from them by God’s splendour, that
they may not know him.
Let us listen to the Master again:
“We are either negative and
destructive in our thinking and acting, thus associating ourselves
with the black side of everything in the Universe - or we think
positive and constructive thoughts - building in the full blaze of
the Cosmic Light and goodness, instead of cowering like cravens in
dark corners, together with all the devils of hell.
“There is no middle way - unless we
call aimlessly drifting along without even attempting to turn to
either light or darkness a third way. But to imagine such an
existence as another way or Path is unthinkable. We are - or
should be - either dwellers in the murky dark, forever hating,
moaning, and destroying, or we are the Children of Light -
glorified in the union of all that is good and God-like. There
is no middle way.”
6
From Ignorance springs all the world’s evils. It is the parent of
materialism and greed, of pride and envy, and of cruelty and hatred.
An ignorant person is one who bases his opinions on lies, and who is
utterly unaware of the Holy Universal Laws - of things that ARE,
thus making his opinions worthless, as any opinion based on a lie
must be.
We are all more or less ignorant, it is true, but there is a
difference between the person who is oblivious to their own
ignorance, thinking they know it all and who dishes it out to all
and sundry in a sanctimonious manner, and the Wise who are painfully
aware of their own ignorance, for they have discovered that the more
we know, the more we know how little we know.
While the former are beating their chests and blowing their
discordant trumpets, the latter goes about his life calmly and
quietly, trusting in the Lords of Life to show him the way, being
all the while careful to avoid dogmatism, for he knows that life on
Earth is an Illusion and other men’s opinions are based on shifting
and illusive foundations. Dean W.R. Inge said of opinion:
“Public opinion, a vulgar,
impertinent, anonymous tyrant who deliberately makes life
unpleasant for anyone who is not content to be the average man.”
So you, as a Student on the Path to the
Light, and who is not the average man or woman, should dismiss all
opinionated men as if they are of no consequence and value. In this
manner can you make these boors as impotent as eunuchs in a Harem.
The persons most vulnerable to ridicule are those filled with pride
and pretensions. We find these pride-filled scabs in all walks of
life. There is the prude who is proud of his purity; the prig who is
proud of his own behaviour; the racist who is proud of his own race;
the fool who is proud of his littleness. I am sure we all know such
a person, group of persons, race or nation, for these are not hard
to find in this world of ours. These fools advertise their folly by
self-congratulation, self-righteousness, flag-waving, and by a sorry
lack of humour where it concerns themselves, their possessions, or
their station in life.
 All (and the majority of mankind are guilty) forget that the Gods
giveth and the Gods taketh away.
Nothing, either good or bad, can be achieved without their
intervention and assistance.
H.P. Blavatsky says:
“Self-congratulation is like unto a
lofty tower, up which a haughty fool has climbed. Thereon he
sits in prideful solitude and is unperceived by any but
himself.”
The only one such a person impresses is
himself, for people, on the whole, are only interested in
themselves, caring nothing for, or being envious of other people’s
vain dreams.
You can recognize the truly great persons by their quiet dignity and
their lack of empty boasts, for they have no need of pretense, being
already in possession of that which the stupid person pretend to be
in possession of - perfect accomplishment - and perfect
accomplishment in any field of endeavor is always to be admired. One
must stand in awe of a spider spinning his incomparable web, or the
artist who presents us with his peerless creations.
Care and devotion to any task or
undertaking is always worthy of commendation, and to be admired. By
their works shall ye know them! Not by their fair show (which
Shakespeare claimed meant the most deceit)), nor by their riches,
family name or university degrees; for greatness can only be
achieved by, and should only be admired because of perfect
accomplishment.
“Whatever thy hand findeth to do, do
it with thy might.”
(Ecclesiastes ix.10).
The fool knows nothing of perfect
accomplishment but basks in empty glory while rolling the stone of
Sisyphus along the
 Broad Path of the Mediocre. Their dream is to be
admired and applauded - and perhaps even envied - by other fools.
The easiest way of achieving this, as the sly fool has discovered,
is by lowering yourself far enough, by crawling in the dirt if you
have to.
That there are many who are willing to pay this price for
fame can be witnessed in our world of entertainment where, for a
burst of applause and their image to appear on TV, they are willing
to degrade themselves to appeal to the very basest emotions of their
audience.
It is probably a good thing that they are oblivious to the indulgent
smiles of the Wise, who behold their prancings with patience and
tolerance, much in the same manner a teacher of the deaf and blind
would behold his students. He knows that after a long night of hard
work, trials and bitter tears, dawn will come.
Eventually even the lowest and coarsest human must evolve; the
lashes of experience will see to it. The Higher nature, which has up
to then been willfully suppressed, will stir and make itself known.
Tenderness will flower in the once brutish heart and it will ache
with longing for its lost inheritance.
Cruelty and fear, which are the signs of a brute, will be replaced
by compassion and faith.
Evolution is inevitable, and even if the process seems endless to
our limited understanding, the day must and will come when the
presently foolish will stop climbing trees to seek for fish.
 With Ignorance wage eternal war,
to know
thy self for ever strain,
Thine ignorance of thine ignorance is thy
fiercest foe, thy deadliest bane;
That blunts thy sense, and dulls thy taste; that
deafs thine ears, and blinds thine eyes;
Creates the thing that never was, the Thing
that ever is defies.
Sir Richard Burton.
The Kasidah
The critical time in which the search
for the True Master begins, is once we become aware of the stirrings
of the Higher Mind. Of such awakened souls there are very few at all
times and strength is needed for such in order to withstand the mis-applied
encouragement of the multitude who would dearly want these souls to
join them in
 their pit of manifold deceptions.
 This is why I encourage you to stand
alone; to hold fast to your inner urgings, and not allow yourself to
be sidetracked by the gaudy swagger and the vulgar sideshows of the
high-plumed fool.
Place not your aching heart in the care of
scoundrels who would have you pay for the ‘privilege’ of having your
intelligence insulted.
Away, away, from men and
towns,
To the wild wood and the downs To
the silent wilderness
Where the soul need not repress
Its music, lest it should not find
An echo in another mind,
While the touch of Nature’s art
Harmonizes heart to heart.
Shelly
An Invitation
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