Been a long time coming

it's been about four and a half years since I last posted on here. Wow! so much has happened in that time. Half the world has succumbed to an unethical mass formation psyop, hypnotised by television and other globalist controlled media, particularly in the English speaking former colonies of Great Britain and in G.B. itself. We are close to the edge of plummeting down into a world wide nuclear war, manufactured by the Archontic forces behind all this. (see the post below). And we have a new Lizard King! Wey-hey!

Meanwhile, I've been busy creating 'Magic Sam's Yard and Reading Room' a small public space seating around 15 souls for meditation and enlightening talks which I hope to be able to film and share online. Our meditation group has been running for about a year now and is planning to continue to meet once a week on Tuesday's over the winter, and I'm also planning to start a new venture here called: 'Talks By The Fireside,' that I plan to kick off myself with a talk on 'Numerology in the Tarot'. Other speakers will be invited from time to time to give talks mainly on the topics of wellbeing, alternative healing, and esoteric topics etc.

‘Introducing the Archons’ - a simple guide to a Secret Hidden Reading of the Apostle Paul.

Reading back my last post to myself, (see below), I realise how dense and impenetrable it is, so I thought I would try and write a layperson’s guide to the ‘hidden secret’ world of St Paul.

Paul’s teachings are an interesting mix of the mystical and literal, or Gnostic and Proto- Orthodox. We are dealing here with a story that flows between mystical events that took place before time began, and an historical re-enactment performed by Rabbi Yeshua that happened in space and time 2000 years ago.

What I am trying to introduce is a little known feature of the gospel story - the mystical and literal phenomena of the Archons or rulers. The off world/on world beings who kick started human civilisation. I know it’s starting to get weird but bear with me. Some of these Archons are wicked and some have a benevolent attitude towards humankind. Some of the wicked Archons are the ones currently orchestrating WW3 and are keeping us in slavery, again both literal and spiritually, through such techniques as usury, the ‘mortgage’ (death pledge), and the rollout of 5G microwave frequencies that all have a profound effect on the happiness and wellbeing of humankind, while mainly benefitting the psychopathic elite, those who carry out the wishes of the Archons. (Remember not all Archons, and therefore not all of the Elite, are wicked).
What the ‘old-time’ Gospel, (or good news) of Paul is about, is that because Christ died for us he paid the price of our ‘mortgage’ that we owe to the wicked Archons, so they can no longer keep us in slavery to their system and we can reclaim our inheritance as Children of the Most High. (The idea that we owe this debt to the Most High is another lie the Archons slip into the gospel to distort the true message). Paul believed that those who call upon the name of Yeshua are released from debt to the Archons. We become ‘Telestai’ those whose debt to the Archons has been paid in full by Christ.

What is there left for us Telestai to do now our debt has been paid? We are called to share this good news and love one another as Christ first loved us. By dying to our own egocentric, archontic nature, (the negative fear-based voices in our head that create negative emotions that in turn can cause physical illness) we begin to follow the ‘only way’, and nail ourselves along with Christ to the Stauros the stake and then rise again. In other-words we die to our egocentric self and rise as our higher self, or move from ‘Paranoia’ to ‘Metanoia’- fear to love. The real secret hidden message of Paul is this: That along with such actions as loving service to all sentient beings, prayer and meditation, we are free to escape our ‘prisoner status’ in order to become children of God - our true birth right and inheritance. The question is do we follow Jesus, and ‘repent’ (literally, to access your higher mind) or not? It’s up to you but here’s what Yeshua taught us - ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened’. (Matt. 7:7-8).

One way that can really sets us on the path is the ‘Asking-Seeking-Knocking’, meditation (ASK). It is an ancient Christian meditation mantra that involves saying silently saying the 'Verbo Mirifico' – Yud/Hey/Shin/Vav/Hey.
Which is also known as the Pentagrammaton The 5 letter name of God discovered in the Renaissance era by Reuchlin, Pico dela Mirandola, and others. Who I suspect claimed it was the Hebrew name of Jesus, Yehoshua rather than Yeshua, to throw the Inquisition off the scent and make the practice of employing the miracle word more acceptable in the Christian world. Why else would Reuchlin, a respected scholar of Hebrew, make such a mistake? And if you want to study the small print of all this you can find it in the post below, and also by researching for yourself in the authentic letters of the Apostle Paul. Blessings.

A Secret Hidden Reading of the Apostle Paul

Paul was revered both by Gnostic and Proto- Orthodox Christians in the early Church. I find the understanding presented here makes more sense to me than the usual Christian take on the New Testament Gospel and the teachings of the Apostle Paul.

1) Jesus didn’t die on a cross. The word used for ‘cross’ by Paul is ‘Stauros’ – meaning an upright stake. The term ‘Crucifixion’ has been falsely translated from the original Greek ‘Estaurosan’. The Cross has been used in pagan religions since the very earliest times. E.g. the Cross of Tammuz, (employed by the Roman Orthodox Church). And the Egyptian Ankh (later adapted by Coptic and Ethiopian Christians etc.) We can assume with some justification that the actual Cross, that was used by Rome from the 3rd century only, became so popular, like many other later Roman innovations, because of its association with pagan religion in order to attract more pagans to the Christian faith. As an Anglican with Christo-Pagan tendencies I don’t see this as a problem, I’m just pointing this out, so we don’t have to get bogged down in the literalist/mythicist dichotomy right at the start.

-The crucifixion, or rather the Estaurosan, describes a mythical event where the Lamb was slain from the founding of the world (Ἀρνίου ἐσφαγμένου ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου.), a sacrifice that defeated the Archons and the powers of darkness - aka. ‘The Watchers’ who appeared on our planet in ancient times. (1 Cor. 1:17-18, 2: 6-8). For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross-(Stauros - σταυρὸς) of Christ be emptied of its power- Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age (The Archonton - ἀρχόντων), who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had they would not have crucified (estaurōsan- ἐσταύρωσαν·) the Lord of glory.


2) Christ the Son of God became the sacrificial substitute that was re-enacted by the Prophet Yeshua during the Roman rule of Palestine around 37 BCE. Christ’s mystical death has set us free from the present evil aeon.

3) Yehshua’s (Jesus') unfairly instigated death, re-enacted Christ the Lamb of God’s mystical death as the substitute for the death of all who fall short of the glory God intends for Humankind, (which is pretty much all of us!), erasing the legal records that makes us into slaves to the powers of this Age. It was set aside, nailed to a stake. This spiritual action disarmed the Archons and authorities of darkness, taking away their power over humankind.

4) The Death of Christ was the price that was necessary to buy Humankind out of their slavery to the rules laid down by the elemental forces of darkness (Archons/Watchers), enabling the Father to adopt Humankind as His legal Children. It makes no sense to believe that the so called ‘Laws of God’ are what the Most High Loving God actually wishes us to be slaves to. Of course it’s hard to argue with the 10 commandments as delivered to Moses, but many of the myriad of other additional laws and prophecies found in the Old Testament are surely the work of man often inspired by the fake messages of the Archons, as well as often being redacted and mucked about with by various Priests, Prophets, Scribes and Pharisees. (Gal 4:1-7- 1 Cor. 6:20/7:23).’ I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God/
You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. You were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.


5) Therefore all of Humankind has been rescued from the powers of darkness (‘the Empire that never ended’ - Philip K. Dick). And we have now been transferred to the Domain of God’s beloved son.

6) Everything in Paul’s message boils down to the overthrow of the rule of the wicked powers and authorities that had enslaved humankind who became ignorant of the one true God.

7) Yeshua’s resurrection is the evidence of their ultimate defeat – this is the moment when Christ ascended above all the powers and authorities ruling the Earth and putting our enemies under his feet. Christ’s body, as God’s manifestation now fills everything with His love and God becomes ‘all in all’. (Eph. 1:20-23/ 1Cor.15:24-28). That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him that God may be all in all.

8) In the light of Christ’s ultimate triumph, everyone who calls upon His name, (Yud –Hey – Shin – Vav – Hey – (The Hebrew letters that spell the name Yehoshua, the quintessential mantra of the Son Yeshua), is liberated and freed from servitude to the Archons. (Romans 10:13). For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

9) Re-enactments of Christ’s original ascent and resurrection have been practiced by Humankind since the very earliest times and the evidence for these rites and ceremonies can be found in the caves, pyramids, Dolmens, and other megalithic structures, and that can also be observed still taking place in Shamanic Sweat Lodges throughout the world to this day.

10) Christ, therefore brought about the end to the Jewish Tribal Law (1 Cor.10:23) and we now live under the law of Christ where all things are lawful, the natural Law of Agape, Unconditional Love and positive regard. (Rogers). As Paul states:- “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

11) God has sent into our hearts the Spirit of His Son, so we are ‘no longer slaves’, but Children and heirs to God’s heavenly domain (In my Father’s house are many rooms – (monai), if it were not so I would have told you. (John 14:2).
We learn from Paul that Christians are also Gnostics, that all of us now possess knowledge (1 Cor.8:1-3). This Gnosis releases us from the Archons and their fake law so that ‘All things are Lawful – though not all things are helpful to the Spiritual Life. We know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
Therefore, (for example), as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, (the anointed Yeshua) through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
However those in the know, should be careful not to cause those weak in the faith to stumble: ‘Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak’. (1Cor.8:9)

We’ll leave the last word to Paul:

12) ‘If I understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1Cor. 13:2).

The Christo-Pagan Tradition

I was alerted to this post that I produced on a different site I had forgotten about. It was originally posted back in 2008 and actually with a few tweaks I think it stands up pretty well after 10 years of massive changes to my life. The label of Christo-Paganism as a way of defining one's spirituality is a term that I eventually grew out of. But as an academic term it still has validity. However it would seem that many seekers out there still like to use the term, and continue to put it into search engines considering the amount of comments that were under the post.

Some Elements of Christo-Paganism

So just what is Christo-Paganism and what makes it unique and different from mainstream Christianity and other spiritual paths? To begin with I will focus on some of the elements of Christo-Paganism as it has developed in Western Europe, as my experience of other forms of Christian syncretism is limited. Each individual element that combines to form European Christo-Paganism is not necessarily unique to this tradition alone. However, each one can be traced back to teachings that circulated widely the early Christian era. So here is a brief overview of some of the main principles of the Christo-Pagan tradition as I see it.


The Golden Rule


It would be fair to say that all Christo-Pagans subscribe to some form of what is known as the ‘Golden Rule’ that is to treat others as you wish to be treated, otherwise known as the ethic of reciprocity. This rule emerged from a period in history called the Axial age (800 BCE – 200BCE) and can be found in the writings from many major civilisations including Greek, Hebrew, Indian, and Chinese cultures. (1) Over two hundred years after the end of this age Jesus said; ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets’ (2). He was not saying anything new even in the culture of his time. The Hebrew Rabbi Hillel had already made a similar declaration many years before: ‘That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the whole Torah (law), and the rest is commentary, go and learn it’ (3). Pagan Wiccans also have a similar golden rule called the Wiccan Rede; ‘An it harm no one, do what thou wilt’.
When you begin to reflect more deeply on the golden rule, you discover that it is pretty much impossible to live up to. We intentionally and unintentionally harm others every day and we can’t completely avoid it. The ancient Greeks had a word for our inability to live up to this maxim that was adopted by the early Christian communities, they called it ‘harmartia’, missing the target, a word used in the game of archery and which was translated into English as the now loaded word ‘Sin’. St. Paul said, ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ (4). What he was getting at was that we all fail to live by the golden rule, but as we start to become more enlightened we can begin to move towards living closer to that ideal, and as we do we become closer to our true nature which is unconditional love. This process is traditionally called Kenosis or self-emptying that in turn leads to genuine Ekstasis or self-transcendence.


Kenosis

Kenosis is a Greek term that means emptying the self or Ego. Followers of all spiritual traditions speak of this experience in a variety of ways yet words cannot adequately express what happens in this process. Jesus said that it was like being born again, and that we must become ego-less, similar to the way babies experience existence, before we can experience the fullness of being.
Ego is a Latin word meaning ‘I myself’. In Freudian and other branches of psychology Ego has a specific technical meaning but in spiritual circles the word has come to mean ‘the person we think we are’, which is partly constructed by social conditioning and also by our own thoughts and feelings. What genuine spiritual paths teach us is that the self we think we are is a fiction, an illusion, and a veil that must be seen through before we can discover the reality beyond. The experience is often said to be a state beyond thought which is why it is so hard to describe in words.
Some say Kenosis can only come about through what the early Christians called ‘charis’ or divine grace that just happens regardless of what you do to try and make it happen. Or maybe the truth lies somewhere beyond the dichotomy of effort and grace and yet involves them both.


Ekstasis


Ekstasis is another vital Greek term from which we derive our word ecstasy that literally means to step outside of oneself. Human beings have devised many ingenious ways to simulate this, for example, through mind-altering herbs and drugs, dancing and various forms of bodywork, sex, overeating, fasting, consumerism, gambling, the application of pain, worship, meditation, and ascetic practices of various kinds. The experience of kenosis can also produce feelings of ecstasy but it is also far more than just a feeling, it is a state of literally stepping out of oneself, a freedom from duality, the division between ‘I’ and ‘myself’ that is sometimes described as enlightenment. Anyone who has experienced this state will tell you that the feelings produced during genuine ekstasis is of a much higher order than the feelings produced by human ingenuity, a bit like the difference between floating in outer space and flying on a budget airline. Self-transcendence is a state of grace, as Jesus said, the wind blows where it chooses and might just appear for no apparent reason at all just that it’s your time. (5)


Heaven is within - the realm of Sacred Spirit



Jesus taught that heaven was not somewhere above the clouds he said that the kingdom of heaven is within (or among) you. (6) The concept of God being a like a king, or a king being like a god is one that is uncomfortable for most of us in the present era, but it is clear from the overall message of Jesus that the kingdom of Heaven was not meant to be a hierarchical system, as he teaches in other places that we are all sons and daughters of God, all equal, and therefore in a sense ‘Royal’ people.(7) The term ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ in the original Greek is: Basileia ton ouranon. The term ‘basileia’ does not mean a place, like a kingdom, but rather a realm of royal influence and power, and Jesus talks of the power of the Holy Spirit and its influence upon us. A better translation might be ‘The realm of the Spirit’. The word basileia is also thought to have come from the Greek word for a base or foundation. The foundation of our spirituality is in the deepest part of our being where we find our connection with the Universe. Forget about any idea of God being some distant deity out there somewhere. Jesus himself was called Emmanuel, ‘God with us’, however it’s not so much that God is within us but that we are in God, this concept is sometimes called panentheism.


Panentheism


There are various ‘theisms’ in religious studies. A theist is someone who believes in God, an atheist is someone who doesn’t believe in God. Pantheism is the belief that nature is synonymous with God, and Panentheism is the belief that God is within everything, or rather that everything is in God, literally ‘all in God’. It is the theological position where God is seen as imminent in the world but still transcendent. Most Christo-Pagans would probably find this theological position closest to their own, but they would also emphasise that the divine is a syzygy, with both male and female attributes.


Syzygy – God and Goddess


Most natural phenomena have a male and female aspect and so if we are made in the image of God as it states in Genesis then it makes sense that the divine also has both male and female qualities. (8). Many Pagans believe in individual Gods and Goddesses, who often personify natural objects like trees, the sun and moon, lightening, and other natural phenomena. On the other hand literalist Christians tend to view God as a single, male like deity like that perceived in the Jewish God YHWH, also known as Yahweh, or Jehovah. They claim that there is no other god but this god, but then go on to present a rather complex doctrine that this one god is actually comprised of three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christo-Pagans hold that God is ‘Ineffable’ and indescribable and by reading between the lines in the Bible and alternative Christian texts we can discover that many early Christians actually pictured God as having both male and female characteristics, though they often differed in their descriptions. Interesting and informative it might be to speculate about who or what God is or isn’t, it is important to have a blind notion of the ultimate mystery of the nature of the divine. God is often pictured as the divine darkness, within the clouds of unknowing and any way that we imagine God is idolatry, even the way I am describing God now. This is the real meaning behind the Islamic and also Christian Protestant iconoclasm that involves the destruction beautiful and priceless statues and images of God. What the mystics are really telling us is not to destroy all religious artwork, which was often designed to help non-literate people begin on the spiritual path, but to deconstruct our internal images so that we can experience the true reality of the divine beyond all conceptions.


Gnostic Elements


In common with mainstream Christianity the Christo-Pagan tradition contains many Gnostic elements. Gnosis is another Greek word from which the English word knowledge is derived. Gnosis however, in mystical terms is more like an experiential knowledge that is beyond the knowledge of words. In the ancient world there was no such religion as Gnosticism, there were only individuals known as gnostikos those who were learned or ‘in the know’. Many leading early Christians can be described as being ‘Gnostic’, including St Paul and many Gnostic ideas eventually found their way into orthodox Christian dogma. (9) Christo-Paganism has been influenced a great deal by Gnostic ideas but it differs in some very important respects, for example many of the cosmological myths of Gnosticism are viewed by many as being unnecessary and complicated and can encourage a devaluing of the human body, sexuality, and the physical world in general. Christo-Pagans are critical of the way we see the world egoistically but do not devalue creation itself for which we encourage profound wonder and respect. However there is the question of the ‘fall’ which is interesting. In Gnostic thought the fall can be likened to a line of ‘bad code’ inserted into creation, that means that both human perception and creation itself has been hijacked by the Demiurge, or ‘half- architect’ and his minions the Archons or rulers, that between them have infected the world and turned it into a ‘Prison Planet’. This begins to make sense if you view Christ as being sent by the Father, the loving Godhead, beyond the Demiurge, to free us from the viral infection. But like old saying goes; ‘it’s complicated’!


Ecology and respect for the Earth


In common with many other ancient spiritual paths Christo-Paganism emphasises that original creation is good in itself and we must acknowledge and accept totally our physical nature. We do not believe in original sin but in original blessing (10). One early Christian teacher, St. Augustine, taught a literal understanding of the myth of the fall and promoted the idea of original sin; that is that all people are originally born evil. When this idea is coupled with the still more diabolical doctrine that we are somehow meant to have dominion over all the creatures of the earth (11) and also have the freedom and free will to exploit them has lead to the justification of all manner of evil in history that continues in our time. (12)


Know yourself


The ancient Greek aphorism, ‘Know yourself’ (gnothi seauton) has been originally attributed to many philosophers including Pythagoras and Socrates but may in fact have originated in ancient Egypt. It can be thought of as the second ‘golden rule’, the implication being that if you know yourself, that is, your original nature, you have discovered the key to begin to unlock the mysteries of life. As we progress on the spiritual path we begin to realise that we are essentially spiritual beings, a fact that most people don’t find out until they die. Countless people have reported experiences similar to enlightenment after having what are known as ‘near death experiences’ where they become their true spiritual self after leaving their body. At death we may move on to other spiritual realms to continue our evolution or return again to this world to learn what we need to know before we can progress to the next level of being. This second process is known as re-incarnation a doctrine that was widely believed in the early church and traces of this doctrine can even be found in the canonical gospels. (13) Christians also believe in a similar sounding concept known as the resurrection, the idea that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many.


Anastasis - the resurrection


One of the central doctrines of the Christian church is that of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and one of the ancient tests of whether or not someone is a true Christian is that they confess that Jesus was literally raised from the dead and appeared again in a physical form. In the Pagan mystery religions there were many myths of a similar dying and resurrecting God-man figure and many characteristics of these myths appear in the Christian stories of Jesus. The English word ‘resurrection is translated from the Greek word ‘anastasis’ which also means ‘awakening’ that is, awakening to the spiritual realm. What is clear even from the canonical accounts of Jesus’ resurrection is that his resurrected body was a supernatural body of a completely different nature to a normal body and some early Christians even believed that Christ always had a supernatural body while here on earth. What is more important to Christo-Pagans than all the speculation concerning the resurrection is for us to enter with Christ into our own spiritual death and resurrection and yet again we drawn back again to the core teaching of the death of the ego and the birth of our spiritual self.


Heaven (and Hell) on Earth


Christo-Pagans have a deep awareness of the cruelty and profound injustices that exist among humans and how that injustice impinges on the rest of creation. For many people life on Earth is a living hell and suffering begets suffering and the situation often appears hopeless both for those who are suffering and for those trying to help. There is something diabolical in the heart of humankind that can be roused to perform such acts of cruelty as torture, genocide, terrorism, and war on our fellow beings. This diabolical part of our nature is an unconscious spiritual process that feeds on our fears and insecurities and only a counteracting spiritual energy, the power of unconditional love, can provide a genuine solution. When we contemplate deeply on the gospel stories of the passion of Christ we are lead to the revelation that by ‘fighting fire with fire’, apparent for example in phrases such as ‘the war on terrorism’, only adds to the problem and feeds the flames of diabolical fear and insecurity in the world. Only by discovering and nurturing our spiritually resurrected and eternally free nature can we gain the courage and wisdom to stand up to the madness of the hell that we live in and create alternative oases that can serve to quench the flames of fear that are the real root of our suffering. Some Christo-Pagans believe in a concept known as realised eschatology; that is that Heaven and Hell are not places that we go when we die but are always present in our hearts and in the world right now. As we begin to grow spiritually our lives and the people around us are transformed not through coercion and force but through a natural process that encourages egalitarian thinking that promotes the seeds of change that can develop into the production of a kind of heaven here on Earth. The potentiality for this has always been present and has been visualised by all the great mystics down the ages. Examples of egalitarian communities exist and have always existed that provide blueprints for us to follow and what we know of some of the earliest Christian communities also provides us with similar communal blueprints to emulate.


Magic and Miracles


The stories of miracles in the Bible are one of the common stumbling blocks to faith for readers so much so that many Christians attempt to explain them away and deny that they ever happened. However people embarking on a spiritual journey often discover that as they open up to the possibility of miracles and magic, magical things begin to happen in their lives. Early Christians often depicted Jesus as a Hierophant, a Pagan priest whose role was to reveal the holy and interpret the mysteries and he was often pictured using a magic wand to perform miracles (14). The Gospels and other early Christian texts are filled with miracles and magical events and if you were able to extract them all you would be left with an exceedingly dull read indeed. Science and rationalism have for the last few centuries lead us to believe that the universe is a solid mechanism that cannot be influenced by the mind and the miraculous but Christo-Pagans see the universe as a great miracle and just being part of it is the most amazing miracle of all. Science itself has more recently become less rigid in its outlook and Quantum physics reveals a universe that is fluid and mysterious that can be influenced by our presence and our emotions. Christo-Pagans practice a wide range of magical activities in their every-day lives including prayer, meditation, and the use of various forms of complementary healing systems and spiritual tools to enhance their lives and the lives of others. As their practice develops they commonly experience a phenomenon known as synchronicity where coincidental events are felt to have a profound spiritual meaning. They also tend to entrain with the natural world by honouring the Pagan wheel of the year, often performing magical ceremonies to honour the cycles of the sun and Moon as well as Christian festivals many of which overlap and entwine with one another.


The Journey of the Watercourse


Aqua is the ancient Latin word for water, a symbol of the Spirit and also the experience of rebirth and renewal. Water was frequently employed as a ceremonial device in early Christianity, and both Christians and Pagans used baptism in water as a rite of passage.
The Christo-Pagan tradition is above all a journey into an existential knowledge of oneself and the universe in all its dimensions. That journey is eternal and the water cycle of the natural world is a potent metaphor for that process for as we feel we have reached the sea, we are taken once again up into the air to fall yet again upon the earth; all the time the earth is growing and developing like our eternal Self is being nourished by the living water of the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus said to the woman at the well: ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ (15).
The above is an adapted excerpt from a book i'm writing at the present time. If any of this makes sense to you, or if you agree or disagree with some or all of what i've written please leave comments!



Notes
1) The term ‘Axial Age’ was coined by The German philosopher Karl Jaspers who saw it as a pivotal time in the development of the spiritual consciousness of humanity.

2) Matthew 7:12

3) Babylonian Talmud – Shabbat 31a

4) Romans 3:23.

5) John 3:8

6) Luke 17:21

7) Matt 1:23.

8) Genesis 1:26. ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness’.

9) See: Pagels, E (1979) The Gnostic Gospels: Penguin. London for a comprehensive discussion on Gnosticism in the early Christian era.

10) A term first coined by Matthew Fox

11) Gen 1-26

12) Gen 28-3

13) For example in John 9:1-2 it says; As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ The man could only have sinned in a previous life. See also John 1:19 and Mark 8:27

14) In the Roman catacombs there are several portraits of Jesus using a hierophants wand to perform miracles.

15) John 4: 13-14

What is an Oxymoronic Anarcho-Anglican?

I describe myself as an Oxymoronic Anarcho-Anglican and I think it’s time to break down in more detail what this label is describing for those folks at home who may be wondering, and also to clarify my own faith in more depth too.

1) Oxymoronic. A slightly humorous play on words combining ‘moron’ and ‘oxymoron’ defined as a figure of speech in which two apparently contradictory words, in our case ‘Anarchy’ and ‘Anglican’, are fused together into one word. A Moron is a very stupid person that in my mind is expressed as a punk parody of the word. I obviously do not consider myself to be stupid even if you may think I am dear reader!

2) Anarcho: A person who believes in and promotes an anarchistic way of life. In this sense I mean one who does not obey the ‘Archons’, who in Gnostic myths were the servants of the ‘Demiurge’ or the semi-architect who devised the fallen aspect of our planet. Another way to imagine the Demiurge, to use computer speak, is like a virus that has put a line of bad code into earth’s program, while the Archons are replicas of the Virus that reverse true meanings and spawn fake truth. The Archons display no originality at all, they merely imitate. They are what St Paul described as: ‘The Rulers’, (Archas) and the ‘Cosmic Powers of the Darkness’, (Kosmokratoras of Scotous ), which are the evil powers that we, along with Christ, are advised to struggle against. (Ephesians 6:12)

3) Anglican: A member of the Church of England. Anglicans are a part of a world- wide Episcopalian Church. Episcopalians are those who accept the top down rule of Bishops and other members of the clergy who reverse the true meaning of what a Bishop is, by assuming that they have power to rule over other Christians, rather than Christ’s real message of those who rule should be the lowly servants of all.

It should be now becoming clearer that our ‘oxymoron’ is not as contradictory as it first appears. The description that I employ here is really a critique of the so-called apostolic succession that the Anglican Communion claims to be upholding. Whilst I celebrate the historic roots of the Episcopalian Church, I am critical of its pyramidal top-down method of governance that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus. While the rule of the Bishops, (not to mention the Queen of England who is in fact the real ruler in charge here), is apparently benign, it is still the case that Anglicans are supposed to conform to the dictates of those above us, even when, as in my case, we often end up disagreeing with the way the ‘C of E’ goes about its business.

Back to the myth of the Demiurge, who is the fake god of our imagination, or who we envisage the true God to be. For example, when we hold on to our ideas of the tribal god of the Israelites, or, even worse, as an ‘angry jealous old man in the sky', rather than say, the concept of a loving God who is described as the ‘Ground of Being’ by theologians like Paul Tillich. Even though this description is still a concept and therefore is still a ‘Fake’ image of the ineffable- too much to be expressed in words. Thus I propose that the genuine Christian idea of the true God is actually more akin to the Chinese ‘Tao’ than to some demiurgic deity of our imagination.

It is then not such a stretch to imagine Christ as face of the true loving God, the Father and Mother of us all, sent to free us from the Prison Planet we are currently entrapped in by the Archons that employ all manner of torture and suffering through war and misrule, (both spiritual archons as well as human), that Jesus as an anointed avatar of the true God, came to liberate us from.

Catching the Pranic Waves

Someone mentioned on the bus the other day how tanned I was looking. I explained that I hadn’t been away to ‘Foreign Parts’ like many folks do round here in the summer, but I had just been pottering about in the yard, tending to the Tomato’s, Courgettes, and Cucumbers and sitting reading and playing guitar and generally ‘catching some Pranic waves’ whenever I could. For many days over the summer it has felt as if I was away on holiday, but without the hassle, travel chaos, and expense. (Prana, by the way, is Sanskrit for life-force or cosmic energy)

Carl G. Jung the great Esoteric Psychologist wrote about how important it is to have the use of one’s own plot of land, 'so that our instincts can come alive once more'. I’ve kind of taken over the back yard from my sister, who I share the house with. We’ve got a sort of uneasy territorial agreement that she manages the front garden while I take care of the back. One of my oldest pals, the Reverend Bob came and built me a polytunnel in spring that I call ‘the Gween Womb’. I didn’t have much time to get some plants in so I simply bought and cadged what I could, not really knowing what I’d got. So it’s been quite a journey of discovery finding out what I’m actually growing. I’ve also created a fire pit area and put a bit of wicker fence up to make it seem a bit more private, nevertheless I don’t think I’ll be entering my design for the next Chelsea Flower Show just yet. (see pic).

I’ve not long finished David Icke’s latest book – ‘The Phantom Self’ which was an interesting read if you don’t mind wading through the seemingly endless accounts of the dastardly dark deeds of the Elite Architects of Control. He seems to be making more these days of the Gnostic teachings concerning the ‘Archons’, an ancient Greek term that simply means ‘Rulers’ but was used by the early Gnostic Christians to represent the ‘Dark Forces’ controlling the ‘World Empire’. Sadly it’s only in the last few pages of the book that we are offered some hope of a solution to the ‘Juggernaut of Tyranny’ waged by the Archontic forces. The title of the book implies that we are not the imaginary ego or Phantom Self that we think we are and that we are in fact Infinite Eternal Awareness rather than our prescribed roles, religions, and characters that we strut about acting out on this grand podium of Life. While I’m not sure how far I go with David on his analysis of the problems facing the world as he sees it, what matters to me is that he’s also busy promoting the ancient esoteric solution that the Anointed Jesus taught along with all the great sages from every tradition - the message that: ‘If we want a world of kindness we need to be kind. If we want a world of peace we need to be peaceful. If we want a world of love we need to be loving’.

Talking of which, I forgot to mention that while in Glastonbury at the time of the winter solstice, I found what turned out to be a second-hand paperback copy of the ‘Holy Grail’- a.k.a. 'A Course in Miracles' - at the local flea market in the town hall. I was told by my university mentor back in the day, Prof. Balbinder Singh Sohal, in 2000 that it was an interesting read, and that as a Christian I ought to have a look. It took me 15 years to get round to it but what a fortuitous read it has turned out to be. The book purports to be the channelled message from an anonymous non-physical intelligence who claims to be ‘one’ with Infinite Christ Consciousness. It is not an easy book to read, that varies in power and intensity. It uses non- inclusive old fashioned Christian language - the female pronoun is never used - I’m sure this has and will put off many modern readers of the text. But for some reason I have stuck with it and it is slowly revealing its treasures to me mightily. The way I have got into the course is by only focusing on what has meaning to me at the time and by copying those bits down in my journal. By writing down only those parts that make sense to me and shelfing the rest, I have the chance to meditate more deeply only on those bits that are making sense. Here’s a random example of one of the more easily understood parts:

‘To be alone is to be separated from infinity, but how can this be if infinity has no end? No one can be beyond the limitless, because what has no limits must be everywhere. There are no beginnings and no endings in God, whose universe is Himself. Can you exclude yourself from the Universe or from God who is the Universe? I and my Father are one with you, for you are part of us. Do you really believe that part of God can be missing or lost to Him?’ (A.C.I.M. p180 - paperback version).

Passages like this stand out from other parts that are very hard to penetrate. However the longer you stick to the course the more it reveals to you. The guy who sold it to me for £5 said he had been studying the Course every day for 18 years, (he probably had a posh copy back at home). I’m just beginning to understand why he has studied it for so long, and it looks like I may be studying it for the rest of my lifetime the way things are going.

Finally, the other book that I keep by my meditation table at the moment, is the 14th century book on apophatic prayer known as ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’. Written by another anonymous intelligence - that from the language he uses, was probably a Carthusian monk that came from the East Midlands of England, my own neck of the woods. I feel as if he is probably as close as I'm going to be able to get to an indigenous ancestral meditation teacher. To find out more on what this book is about you can go to the facebook page I’ve set up at- https://www.facebook.com/agnosticcloud/ Please ‘like’ the page if you decide to take a look, it helps to get the page about on the net. Cheers.

The Rubric of the Shamanesque

Rubric = Custom, Role/Function or practice- 'Spiritual Praxis').

Shamanesque = A word describing that which is ‘Shaman like’ or describing a person who is acting in the manner of an indigenous Shaman.

The roles of Prophet, Priest, and Shaman are specialised vocations and while many may desire to be ‘called’ to such roles, only a few are actually recognised by their community as being ‘chosen’ by Sacred Spirit to perform this work:

‘For many are called but few are chosen.’ – Lord Jesus.

The parable that this saying comes from,speaks of a wedding guest that isn’t wearing suitable clothing for the occasion and it teaches us, among other things, not to claim to be something or someone that we are not.

Though we may have to give up the notion of Priesthood or Shamanism as a career choice, this does not mean that we have to give up incorporating aspects of the ‘Shamanesque’ into our everyday personal spiritual practice.

Over the course of the next few post I'm going to be looking at some of the Shamanesque practices that can enrich your life. They are not for everyone and may only be suitable for people at certain times in their lives when the circumstances call for it, for example during periods of physical sickness or a mental breakdown, on retirement and during times of unemployment or under-employment whatever the cause.

Praxis

However, having said that, I have to begin this series of posts by saying that developing some kind of a personal spiritual practice, is something that we should all make time for, however hectic the pace of our lives might be, (saying you have no time is not a valid excuse - you can make time if you choose to). Spiritual praxis is the main antidote to the toxicity of being lost in the consensus trace- the media fuelled corporate hamster wheel that most of us spin on day after day. It is a main part of the process of moving from states of fear and hatred towards the consciousness of compassion and loving kindness.

The mainspring of any spiritual praxis has to be meditation, mindfulness, and prayer. Meditation prepares the soil from which the deep roots of a genuine spirituality grows.

How To Meditate

There are many methods of meditating, that have emerged from all the great religious traditions of the world. The method described here has its roots in the Coptic 'Abbas' and 'Ammas', (fathers and mothers) that took to dwelling in the deserts of the Middle East in the first few centuries of the common era. It is quite likely that they were influenced by Buddhist and Hindu monks that travelled the silk roads. The similarity to 'Transcendental Meditation' of the method described here would suggest so, and there is clear evidence of Buddhist monks being in in Alexandria at this time.

Sit down. Sit still with your back straight. Close your eyes lightly. Then interiorly, silently begin to recite a single word – a prayer word or mantra. The World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) recommend the ancient Christian Aramaic prayer-word "Maranatha" that means 'Come Lord Jesus/ the Lord is here'. This saying was commonly spoken among early Christians, and it is thought that Aramaic was the language that Jesus spoke.

Say it as four equal syllables. Breathe normally and give your full attention to the word as you say it, silently, gently, faithfully and - above all - simply. Many people like to say the prayer word along with their normal breathing rhythm – so breath in with ‘Ma’/ out with- ‘Ra’/ In with ‘Na’/out with ‘Tha’ or ‘Ta’.

The essence of meditation is simplicity. Stay with the same word during the whole meditation and in each meditation day to day. Don't visualise but listen to the word, as you say it. Let go of all thoughts (even good thoughts), images and other words. Don’t fight your distractions: let them go by saying your word faithfully, gently and attentively and returning to it as soon as you realise you have stopped saying or it or when your attention wanders.

It is important to realise that meditation is not about emptying your mind or stopping thinking. You can no more do this that stop clouds blowing by holding up your hand. The art of meditation is the rocking back and forth from being lost in thought to focusing on your word faithfully throughout your time in meditation.

Meditate twice a day, morning and evening, for between 20 and 30 minutes. This is the ideal you should be aiming for but any time spend in meditation, however short is never wasted. It may take a time to develop this discipline and the support of a tradition and community is always helpful.