Along the Path Blog

     Legends abound concerning the worship of the infant Jesus by the "wise men from the east." A common tradition is that they were magi (Hebrew chartumim; Greek magoi) a priestly class of mystics among ancient Medes and Persians credited with esoteric powers and knowledge by which they were able to interpret hidden meanings in the scriptures and to read secrets of the past and divine the future.

     The adoration of the Wise Men is far more significant than merely another scene of pageantry recognizing the holy birth. It was the defining stamp of God placed on the life of Jesus that would in the future characterize his mission and message - a reminder that Jesus was born in the Orient, an Oriental Christ; and that his teachings bore the influence of the Eastern culture and customs. There is a very strong tradition in India, authoritatively known amongst high metaphysicians in tales well told and written in ancient manuscripts, that the wise men of the East who made their way to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem were, in fact, great sages of India. Not only did the Indian masters come to Jesus, but he reciprocated their visit. During the unaccounted-for years of Jesus' life - the Scripture remains silent about him from approximately ages fourteen to thirty - he journeyed to India. His own God-realization, reawakened and reinforced in the company of the masters and the spiritual environs of India, provided a background of the universality of truth from which he could preach a simple, open message comprehensible to the masses of his native country, yet with underlying meanings that would be appreciated in generations to come as the infancy of man's mind would mature in understanding.

     Whatever celestial star might have indicated to the Wise Men the birth of Jesus, it was a "star in the east" of greater power by which they knew of the coming on earth of Christ Jesus: the all-revealing light of the spiritual eye of the soul's intuitive divine perception located in the "east" of the body - in a subtle spiritual center of Christ Consciousness in the forehead between the two physical eyes.

     During meditative concentration at the point between the eyebrows, the spiritual eye can be seen: a brilliant white star in the center, encased within a sphere of sapphire-blue light, encircled by a radiant golden aura. The golden light is the epitome of the vibratory sphere of the Holy Ghost; the blue light is the omnipresent Intelligence of the Christ Consciousness; the star is the mystic door into the Cosmic Consciousness of God.

     Jesus said, "If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." When the Wise Men saw a star intimating to them the birth of Christ, they were beholding through the wisdom-star of infinite perception in their spiritual eye where the Christ Consciousness was newly manifested in the body of infant Jesus. Had it been a star in the skies, it could hardly guide the travelers . . . for it is impossible that a star can show the place in which a cottage stands; much less still, the place in which the Babe lay down."

                                           ~ ParamahansaYogananda  

                                                          from The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the                                                                       Christ Within You

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     I'm going to veer a little from the topic of the last post to share a piece that emerged this week from a dark hole in my filing system.  It has long been a favorite of mine and one that I've taken out to read when I need to be reminded of its very important message.

     There is an old legend of the Middle Ages. It seems that a citizen was arrested by one of the barons and shut up in a dungeon in his castle. He was taken down dark stairs, down, down, down by a ferocious looking jailer who carried a great key a foot long. The door of the cell was opened and he was thrust into a dark hole. The door shut with a bang, and there he was.

     He lay in the dark dungeon for twenty years. Each day the jailer would come, the big door would be opened with a great creaking and groaning, a pitcher of water and a loaf of bread would be thrust in and the door closed again.

     Well . . . after twenty years, the prisoner decided that he could not stand it any longer. He wanted to die, but he did not want to commit suicide, so he decided that the next day when the jailer came he would attack him. The jailer would then kill him in self-defense and thus his misery would be at an end. He thought he would examine the door carefully so as to be ready for tomorrow and, going over, he caught the handle and turned it. To his amazement, the door opened, and upon investigation he found that there was no lock upon it and never had been, and that for all those twenty years he had not been locked in, except in belief.

     At any time in that period he could have opened the door if only he had known it. He thought it was locked, but it was not. He groped along the corridor and felt his way upstairs. At the top of the stairs two soldiers were chatting, and they made no attempt to stop him. He crossed the great yard without attracting attention. There was an armed guard on the drawbridge at the great gate, but he paid no attention to him, and he walked out - a free man!

     He went home unmolested and lived happily every after. He could have don't this any time through those long years since his arrest if he had known enough, but he did not. He was a captive, not of stone and iron, but of false belief. He was not locked in; he only thought he was. Of course this is only a legend, but we are all living in some kind of prison, some in a prison of lack, some in a prison of remorse and resentment, some in a prison of blind, unintelligent fear, some in a prison of sickness. But always the prison is in our thought and not in the nature of things.

     There is no truth in our seeming troubles. There is no reality in lack. There is no power in time or conditions to make us old or tired or sick. "You are not locked in a prison of circumstances. "

     "You are not chained in any dungeon. Turn the handle, walk out, be FREE!"

     Build a mental equivalent of freedom, of vibrant physical health, of true prosperity, of increasing understanding and achievement.

                                          ~ Author Unknown

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     "In my Father's house are many mansions." John 14:2 in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

     "These many mansions are the many subtle planes in the spiritual world," states Geoffrey Barborka in The Divine Plan (1980). Death, and birth in the astral world are merely a change in consciousness. When we die to the physical plane, we lose consciousness of the physical life and become aware of our subtle astral form in the astral world. This does not intend to imply that all consciousness of the physical world is annihilated, however, but rather that our attention will be primarily in the next dimension where our vehicles or bodies are compatible with the astral atmosphere. 

     We live in a solid, material, physical world and wear solid physical bodies. The physical or material world is where our consciousness resides. When we leave our bodies during sleep we are conscious on another level in another of our bodies - one of the more subtle bodies which we occupy. We travel to the realms of those who have made their transition from the physical world and visit with them, at times, when we dream.

     When our senses are active, in tasting, smelling, touching, listening and seeing, we are working principally through our physical bodies. When our powers of will and visualization are exercised we are working mainly through our astral bodies - while still in the physical. Our causal body finds expression when we are thinking or diving deep into introspection or meditation; the cosmic thoughts of genius come to the person who habitually contacts his/her causal body. This process of contact can be conscious or unconscious. In this sense, a person may be classified as chiefly materially minded (physical level) or energetic (astral level) or intellectual (causal level) depending on the level one is accessing at that time. While still in the physical level of existence, then, a person uses and is more or less conscious of all three of these vehicles, the physical, the astral and the causal bodies.  (The Great Transition: Bridges to the Afterlife, Ann Frazier West) http://www.amazon.com/Great-Transition-Bridges-Afterlife/dp/145258480X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411688966&sr=1-1&keywords=the+great+transition+bridges+to+the+afterlife

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     This is a happy day!!!  The manuscript I've been working on for several years has finally hatched and has been submitted to Balboa Press to be published. I do not yet have a timeline for its publication, but as soon as I do, I'll post it here.

     When I started this blog, I had many ideas and concepts to share, but the nudging toward finishing the book became more and more urgent. I had to suspend the topics of the blog and finish my bigger project to share with others, instead. I'll come back to the original lesson material when the book is launched - perhaps before then.

     The book is a subject close to my heart because of the continuing inspiration of "three remarkable women" in my life who have now passed on into the afterlife. I continue to connect with them in other-dimensional levels and feel their guidance in my life, always. What began as a book about my connection with these women - my mother, my close friend and my teacher/friend, expanded into a story which includes my own spiritual journey and, through my personal sharing, a guidebook for readers who are ready and willing to connect with their loved ones on the other side of life. It is an experience that is open to all who desire it - a most fulfilling and comforting experience.

     Watch for more about the book: THE GREAT TRANSITION: Bridges to the Afterlife.

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     As we enter the New Year we have a new vibration to respond to universally.  This vibration changes every twelve months with the beginning of each new year.

     In September, the 9th month of the year, the influence of any vibration activated on January 1st begins to finish its mission and to blend it with the influence of the mission of the coming year. The old year is ushered out on December 31st and a new influence comes in with full force, bringing with it a new focus for the new year.

     Our New Year, 2013, comes under the vibration of the number "6" (2+0+1+3). Our universal "5" influence has set the stage with its many and sudden changes throughout this past year; interest in new and varied subjects; expansion in our inner and outer lives.

     In the vibration of a "6" year, matters of home, family, health, service and business will come to the fore. Improvements to these areas are inportant to us this year. After the breathless activity in 2012 we want to settle down and regroup, to make needed adjustments and bring things into harmony within our lives. In the number "6" is found the expression of the feminine principles which include receptivity, intuition, sensitivity, and creativity.

     "Six" is the number that promotes service to others, and it brings awakening of psychic and spiritual sensitivity in those receptive to the energy. You may find yourself wanting to make life a bit easier for those around you . . and around the world.

     Take good care of yourself, first, and you will be more balanced and ready to offer your service to others.

     May all your best dreams come true in 2013!

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