Autobiography in Five Chapters

A poem by Portia Nelson

1) I walk down the street.

    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

     I fall in.

     I'm lost... I'm hopeless.

     It isn't my fault.

     It takes forever to get out.

2) I walk down the same street.

    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

     I pretend I don't see it.

     I fall in again.

     I can't believe I'm in the same place.

     But it isn't my fault.

     It still takes a long time to get out.

3) I walk down the same street.

    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

     I see it is there.

     I still fall in... it's a habit.

     My eyes are open.

     I know where I am.

     It is my fault.

     I get out immediately.

4) I walk down the same street.

    There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

     I walk around it.

5) I walk down another street.

Lessons of Herthew, First Hero of the Noble Race

Lessons of Herthew, First Hero of the Noble Race, Son of the Firstfather Dadam, as taught by Habaris, after being expelled from the lushlands.

Book of Creation, from the Great Book of the Sons of Fire

Herthew learned:

There is a place of gloom, where the air is foul, and malodorous breezes carry pestilence and poisonous particles. This is the source of all maladies and ailments and of the things which cause putrefaction and decay. This place had been closed off from Earth, for it existed in another realm beyond the ken of mortals; but it was brought into attunement with Earth when a forbidden act was accomplished.

Lack of effort, indolence and indifference to duty and obligations, the taking of the easy path, are just as wrong as actual deeds of wickedness.

Men reach the true goal of life by transmuting lust love into truelove, and true victory is gained only over the defeated bodies of their vanquished passions and baser selves.

There is an Oversoul which fills everything in creation, as the Soulself fills the mortal body. The Soulself develops from mortal sensitivity and feeling transmuted into divine sensitivity and feeling, through suppression of the baser instincts within mortals. It is strengthened by development of feelings of love between man and woman and between these and their kindred by the appreciation of beauty and devotion to duty, and by the development of all beneficial qualities that pertain to humanity.

The Soulself is quickened by soul substances outflowing from the Godhead. The strong soul is transformed and molded to the soul's desire, but the weak soul is not its own master; it is flabby, unstable and is pulled into a state of distortion by its own vices.

In the afterlife there is unbounded joy for the entry of a noble soul; it will glow with splendor and stand out proudly. The mean soul of the wicked is dull-hued, twisted and drab, and being drawn towards its own compatible state, it shrinks into dark places.

Beyond God there is an Absolute which no man should try to understand, for it exists and has always existed in a state beyond man's finite comprehension. It is from this Absolute that God, The Ultimate in all Perfections, was engendered.

From Awenkelifa flows Gwinin, the energizer which stabilizes all things so they maintain their proper form and Awen, which responds to the molding desires.

To create, God first visualized in thought, then he produced an outflowing wave of power, which in a manner of speaking, solidified what might be called building stones (atoms, molecules). The outflowing power also produced a Celestial Hymn (sound vibration), which brought the building stones together in harmonious forms.

All creation is the harp of God, responding to his song and manipulations. It is an everlasting unfoldment. The voice of God can also be heard in the voice of his beautiful daughter who endows all living things with life and beauty (Gaia).

There is a divine purpose in creation, known only to a few. This knowledge is the key to all unanswered questions. Acquiring it is like the drawing back of a heavy curtain which has kept a room in gloomy half light, so all things suddenly become clear and distinct. He who gains this knowledge knows the Grand Secret, the answer to the riddle of the ages, and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt.

God gains nothing from His creation, except that as a Being possessing infinite love and goodness. He must have something to receive the gift of love and respond to it. Also, He needed something wherewith He could contrast himself, some medium wherein He could perform, and this is creation. Creation is also, for mortals, the school of life. The training ground for godhood.

Regarding the Otherworld, there are three rays from the central invisible sun, which manifest all things, upholding them in stability of form.

There are three circles of reality, three realms, three stages of existences. They are:

Heaven, where perfection visualized on earth may be realized and desires and ideals materialized; where hard-striven-for aspirations are attained; it is the place where all the properly developed spiritual potential latent in man reaches maturity and fulfillment. (Fifth dimension)

Earth, the place of training, development and preparation, the testing ground, the battlefield where men discover their true natures when confronted with life's challenges, contests and contentions; where competition and controversy are the rule. It is here that the proper road must be wisely chosen. (Third dimension)

Then there is the Realm of the Misty Horizon, the intermediate place, the place of spirits, where those above can commune with those below and where free spirits wander within their limitations. (Fourth dimension)

And so it is.

Transmuting Greed and Selfishness Into Love and Compassion

Greed and selfishness has infected our society like an evil virus, polluting the human population with its poisonous venom. So many of our government and corporate leaders, who claim to work on behalf of the people, are seduced and intoxicated by status, money and power. It has become so common we almost begin to imagine this as acceptable, even desirable behavior.

Today's 'looking glass' version of our socio-economic system encourages and rewards self-serving and manipulative activity, while presenting an illusion of fairness with oversight. The more covetous and greedy someone is, the more the financial system rewards them. The more cunning and devious, the higher they rise within the halls of power and status.

It seems the inmates are running the asylum and a person literally needs to possess a psychopathic personality to become a high level “public servant”, or a multi-national corporate director. Too many of our fellow humans are willing to lie, cheat, steal and even kill for money. We are destroying our planet for larger digits in our bank account and a greater return on investment.

This may be how things are now, but it's not how it was meant to be. It may seem that the black hats are winning the game of life, but those of us white hats have an ace in the hole called LOVE. God is Love. Love is Truth. Love never loses. Greed, fear and selfishness tremble and quake at the foot of Love, and Love forgives them. Love is the salve that heals all wounds. Circumstances will change for the better when we refocus our attention on Love.

Love and compassion for our fellow human is the vaccination, remedy and cure for this and all dis-eases. We become more loving and compassionate by shifting our focus just a little bit away from ourselves and a little more towards those around us, loved ones, family, neighbors, our community.

Giving those things we wish to receive ourselves is the only True Way to live in balance on this planet. Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. One can not exist without the other and both are just degrees of the same thing - cooperation, an exchange of energy.

We can neither give too much nor take too much without eventually having to come back into balance. A balanced society where everyone is giving and receiving creates the world of peace and plenty we all desire. It is as easy as: Treat others the way you want to be treated; Do No Harm; and, Honor all your agreements.

Reset your priorities and open your heart to others. Remove your mental focus away from what you don't want and shift your attention and energy towards the way you do want things to be. All things in the material world are Expressed into creation as a result of thoughts that are Impressed in our minds.

Thoughts are things. Thoughts direct energy. Where attention goes, energy flows. The more intense the emotions behind the thought, the stronger the creative energy and the faster things manifest from a thought idea into the material world. Keep it positive. Make it count.

How Do You See The World?

The greedy and selfish see a world of lack, scarcity and competition, where they feel compelled to accumulate more than their basic needs require, and are always seeking more, more, more. They live in a dog-eat-dog world where they must fight to keep what they have at all cost, while turning a blind eye to those around them who suffer lack and privation.

They have the ability to help others but don't even consider it, because they secretly fear others who have less than them covet what they have, and will undoubtedly try to steal it somehow, so they must hold on to their possessions with all their might. Possessed by their possessions, they believe others are selfish and greedy just like them, isn't everyone? And only those willing to get ahead at the expense of others will win.

Love chooses to see a world full of wonder and beauty, where the bounty of earth provides for the needs of all of her denizens and is shared by all. A world of abundance and prosperity, where everyone respects the rights of others. Where each individual helps another and contributes their special talents and abilities to the benefit of the collective. It is in this way that no one lacks the basic requirements of life – clean water, fresh air, wholesome food, the security of a home, and access to earth-friendly sanitation, communication, transportation, education and healthcare – and no one has too much or too little.

Love and compassion creates a world where we all acknowledge that everyone is a spark of the Divine temporarily inhabiting a material body, which will eventually wear out and return to the earth at our death, while the Divine spark that is our soul returns to its Creator.

Upon our return to the divine sphere, we each must account for how we conducted ourselves during this short sojourn we call life on earth.  No one gets out alive, and no deed, good or bad, goes unnoticed.  How we treated others in this life is how we will be treated in the next. The ancient Egyptians believed, after death their hearts were weighed on a scale against a feather.  Everyone strove to have a heart as light as a feather, not weighed down by the sin and evil that is greed and selfishness.