Chicago Gnosis Podcast

The Voice of the Silence 06 Liberation and Renunciation

"The PATH is one, Disciple, yet in the end, twofold. Marked are its stages by four and seven Portals. At one end — bliss immediate, and at the other — bliss deferred. Both are of merit the reward: the choice is thine. The One becomes the two, the Open and the Secret. The first one leadeth to the goal, the second, to Self-Immolation.

"When to the Permanent is sacrificed the Mutable, the prize is thine: the drop returneth whence it came. The Open PATH leads to the changeless change — Nirvana, the glorious state of Absoluteness, the Bliss past human thought.

"Thus, the first Path is LIBERATION. But Path the Second is — RENUNCIATION, and therefore called the "Path of Woe."

"That Secret Path leads the Arhan to mental woe unspeakable; woe for the living Dead, and helpless pity for the men of Karmic sorrow, the fruit of Karma Sages dare not still." ―The Voice of the Silence

Upon entering the heavenly regions of Nirvana or the superior dimensions of nature, two paths open before the initiate: the spiral path of liberation or selfish bliss, or the straight path of sacrifice and renunciation. Learn about the secret, straight path of the bodhisattva: "the essence or incarnation of wisdom / Christ" that leads the practitioner towards the absolute heights of divine attainment, known in the Hebraic Kabbalah as the Ain, Ain Soph, and Ain Soph Aur: the Absolute.

This path has been taken by all of humanity's greatest sages, prophets, and luminaries, especially Jesus of Nazareth, who demonstrated with his revolutionary life the way of selfless service and boundless compassion. Through sacrificing oneself for numerous humanities, the bodhisattva of the straight path may be granted entrance into the highest degrees of enlightened experience.

The Voice of the Silence 05 The Heart Doctrine

"False learning is rejected by the Wise, and scattered to the Winds by the good Law. Its wheel revolves for all, the humble and the proud. The "Doctrine of the Eye" is for the crowd, the "Doctrine of the Heart," for the elect. The first repeat in pride: "Behold, I know," the last, they who in humbleness have garnered, low confess, "thus have I heard.”

"The Dharma of the "Eye" is the embodiment of the external, and the non-existing. The Dharma of the "Heart" is the embodiment of Bodhi, the Permanent and Everlasting." ―The Voice of the Silence

True spiritual knowledge, the Heart Doctrine, is gained from direct experience, not from books, lectures, scriptures, scholasticism, intellectualism, or debates. Discover how true wisdom and understanding of Dharma, the divine law, is based upon our living experiences of the truth, denominated in the East as bodhi: the light, perception, and wisdom of Christ. This lecture explains the nature of the Heart Doctrine and the essence of bodhichitta, the wisdom-mind, mind-heart, or heart of compassion within esoteric Buddhism and the Christic path of initiation. Real wisdom is gained through selfless service, for in order to attain complete liberation of the psyche, compassion and sacrifice for others is necessary.

Resources:

• Carmina Burana: O Fortuna
• Carmina Burana: Fortune Plango Vulnera

Guided Practices | Relaxation, Self-Observation, and the Mantra Om (ओम्)

Stress and tension are the norm for modern Western life.  Relaxation is essential for entering a state of meditation, for without profound serenity, it is impossible to clearly observe the contents of our own mind and arrive at comprehension. Learn how to enter a state of lucid equanimity through pronouncing and prolonging the mantra Om (ओम्), a sacred syllable of divine import. By saturating our mind, heart, and body with superior influences, we strengthen the consciousness, minimize suffering, and enter the region of spiritual clarity.

Guided Practices | How to Relax

A preliminary relaxation exercise to prepare for concentration, serenity, and meditation. By establishing a firm but relaxed posture, meditators can forget the body and withdraw attention within. When the body is calm and suspended, the consciousness can investigate and understand new phenomena within the screen of the imagination.

Guided Practices | The Rune Ur (ᚢ)

A continuation on our practical series of runic yoga, an ancient mystical practice encoded within the Nordic language (Futhark ᚠᚢᚦᚨᚱᚲ). The Rune Ur (ᚢ) is the second letter of this sacred alphabet. From the solar, projective forces of the Rune Fah (ᚠ, the Divine Father) emanates the lunar, receptive powers of divine femininity, Ur (ᚢ, the Divine Mother). Ur or the Hebrew אור Aur is the light of spiritual consciousness, born in us through this profound exercise. Discover how to connect with the eternal feminine through this rune, so as to empower your heart and ability to positively impact your community.

Resources:

• The Rune Fah PowerPoint Presentation
• The Runes Course (Glorian Publishing)
• The Magic of the Runes (Samael Aun Weor)

Guided Practices | Retrospection

A basic technique for remembering one's thoughts, emotions, impulses, behaviors, and activities. By serenely visualizing the events of the day and recalling them upon the screen of lucid imagination, the consciousness strengthens its ability to perceive and understand situations, interrelationships, virtues, errors, and solutions. Through dispassionately reviewing voluntarily evoked imagery, we begin to probe the underlying, psychological causes of suffering, discovering the way to transform pain into wisdom.

Guided Practices | The Mantra O

A simple, fundamental exercise for charging the heart, elevating our mood, and empowering our spirituality. By vocalizing and prolonging the vowel O, we saturate our emotional center with divine energy, so as to protect it against negativity through the power of superior emotion.

Gnostic Kabbalah 03 The Legacy of the Initiates

Spiritual initiates from every religion have existed, conveying their teachings through diverse scriptures, allegories, and symbols. The Jewish mystics were no different. However, their knowledge was codified in such a way as to provide accessibility and insight for those who were trained to read, interpret, and understand with an awakened consciousness. This lecture builds on Kabbalah: The Doctrine of Soul and Spirit, describing how five elements of Medieval Judaism can inform our understanding of initiatic life, specifically through Aggadah (narrative tradition), Halakah (Jewish law), Piyyut (liturgical prayer), Merkavah mysticism (the science for creating the soul), and The Sefer Yetzirah (a profound scripture of magical, initiatic import).

Guided Practices | Spiritual Defense Against Danger (Fons Alpha Et Omega Prayer)

This Latin prayer is exceptional for rejecting negativity, encouraging positivity, and strengthening profound introspection of the mind. These sacred mantras can provide spiritual defense in times of danger, particularly physical crises. Mentally pronounce these words in public, and aloud in the privacy of your own home. Concentrate on the presence of divinity in your heart, and supplicate for aid, guidance, and protection wherever and whenever you need it.

Resource:

• Be Protected in Moments of Danger: Use the Prayer Fons Alpha et Omega (Glorian Publishing Video)

The Voice of the Silence 04 The Seven Sounds

"Before thou set'st thy foot upon the ladder's upper rung, the ladder of the mystic sounds, thou hast to hear the voice of thy inner GOD in seven manners.

"The first is like the nightingale's sweet voice chanting a song of parting to its mate. The second comes as the sound of a silver cymbal of the Dhyanis, awakening the twinkling stars. The next is as the plaint melodious of the ocean-sprite imprisoned in its shell. And this is followed by the chant of Vina. The fifth like sound of bamboo-flute shrills in thine ear. It changes next into a trumpet-blast. The last vibrates like the dull rumbling of a thunder-cloud.

"The seventh swallows all the other sounds. They die, and then are heard no more." ―The Voice of the Silence

Discover the kabbalistic significance of the seven mystical sounds, which symbolize how the soul or consciousness ascends, through the initiatic path, up the famous kabbalistic Tree of Life, specifically the seven inferior Sephiroth: Malkuth (physicality), Yesod (vitality), Hod (emotions), Netzach (mind), Tiphereth (willpower), Geburah (divine consciousness), and Chesed (Innermost Spirit, Atman). This lecture explains the relationship of the seven mystical sounds with the crucifixion of the Intimate Christ, whose seven esoteric utterances resound within the initiate dying to psychological impurity upon the sacrificial cross of alchemy.