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While the mysteries of Christ have been contemplated by many, only the few have penetrated the depth of the wonders of his certain knowledge, his inestimable outreach, his power of ineffable light, calculated to part the veils of illusion and reveal the infinite capacity of God to externalize, not only in the natural order but also in the spiritual order, a kingdom without end.
The more men meditate upon the Christ and upon spiritual things, which buoy up the heart above the restless tides of human thought, the more intense will become the light around them and the farther they will see into the internal mysteries of being. To relate the life of the Christ to the self is the Father's intent, for thereby the mighty molding board of the Spirit through his grace may sculpture the living soul into the fashion of the divine plan.
The life-force in man must be governed, not just by reason and desire but by the pure potential of be-ness, the mysterious comprehension of the Light by itself. If the fingers of the law of God discover anomalies in the life pattern of an individual and the result be a chastening, it is always for the purpose of greater spiritual fruit and a more abundant life to the one whom God has desired to try. To know God is to be known of him, and the rule of order by law establishes in all dimensions a steadfast rise in the comprehension levels of spiritual grace.
When grace is understood, it is perceived as the God-race - G standing for "God" and r-a-c-e for "race," hence grace or "great race." It is a race in the sense that it is a "contest" between the philosophies of men for the winning of "the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus,"1 even as it is the swift acceptance by the sons of God of the heavenly patterns for the establishment of the divine kingdom upon earth.
Men may say, "I am a citizen - I am a native - I am a recipient of the power of a great nation." But when the desire for unity is stripped of all spirit of competition, there can be only a cosmic plan, a cosmic dream, the thoughts of the Infinite One. The lesser images fade into obscurity or to the background, so great is the revelation of the pure intent of the Father.
Men must seek to raise themselves before they can come to the point of transfiguration. To raise the self is to bring it to a point where the power of the light can penetrate the substance of their own world, not only by their request but also by their invocation.
Examine the word raise. The first two letters refer to the power of the Son of God, the power of light itself, the power of Ra (see the Egyptian word Ra, from whence comes the word ray). Then take note that the I (Eye) or lumen, the organ of vision, or the ego of being, is the third letter in the word. This is followed by se (see). The full meaning of the word, then, becomes, in all of its glory, "the light of God I see," or "raise," which is synonymous with "rays," denoting the extension of the power of the sun from its center out into the field of darkness. As it was stated by John the Beloved, "The light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."2
The purpose of our work in this day and age is to see to it that men do comprehend the light and that they walk upon the path of faith. The meaning of raising the self, then, is to bring the self to a place where it is capable of discerning the light. When the light is discerned it cannot help but reveal the shadows that exist in the lower self.
Whereas some men have said to themselves before the light shone in the darkness of being, "We are very good," after they have perceived by the power of the light the conditions they were in, they were ready to cry to the mountains, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne."3 Yet punishment or estrangement is never the divine intent, for there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed, and His mercy endureth forever.4
By the power of Truth the exposure of the darkness of the self takes place and then mankind is able to bring the darkness to the light in order that the light can transmute and redeem that darkness. We deem this the process of the resurrection. It is a re-surging of the uprightness that is now and always has been within man - within the Spirit of man.
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."5
The hour has come when the devotees of the laws of God upon earth can no longer afford those indulgences which in the past have been so lightly taken for granted. If the initiatic process is to be externalized in a lifetime, it must be recognized that each day is precious. Therefore the ritual of the resurrection signifies the raising up out of the darkness all of the shadowed substance that has been superimposed upon man, to bring it to the light, and to transmute or change its nature into the nature of the light.
This is the emergence of the "Corpus Christi," the body of Christ, out of the tomb of materiality. It is the rolling away of the stone of matter which signifies the calcination of the carnal mind with all of its densities. It is the purification of the countenance, the refusal of the soul to be enslaved by the legions and tribunals of Caesar or the power of the Sanhedrin.
This denotes that the soul must be freed from all banal influences of either church or state, for both church and state have come under the influence of nefarious powers from time to time which have made them instruments of a diabolical sort, even as they have been instruments of great good; hence, the soul can no longer afford to brook the tyranny of family, friends, or outer conditions of temporal power in any of its forms.
This does not mean that men should not be subject to the laws of the land or that they should fail to recognize legally constituted authority. However, it does mean that they should recognize the superiority of the heavenly intelligences and not permit the tyranny of mortality to put a yoke around their necks, denying their God-freedom.
By releasing their light into manifestation through the presence of God which dwells in man as the Holy Christ flame within the heart, they "rise from the dead" of corporeal substance, of the paper world of illusion that has far too long held man in bondage. The tangible reality of the radiant living Christ blazes through them because they have willingly and lovingly invoked it through their consciousness and through their flesh forms. They are able, then, to summon by the power of the spoken Word the mighty angels who assist each emerging Son to "roll away the stone" and to "come forth from the tomb - victorious."
In addition to this, they stand at the portal of transfiguration and are ready for the second initiation into the reality of be-ness. That which is within man, that which is the active - Divine Principle, the Spirit, the Animus, the Divine Ruach6 - all in complete harmony, will prevail and man will ultimately reestablish his relationships with God and humanity from the viewpoint of the initiatic level.
There is a difference between the natural man and the spiritual man. This was clearly demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. His outpicturing of his transcendental ministry was ordained by the grace of the Eternal Father through my hand, and I stand ready to assist all who would experience the beauty of the Resurrection Spirit in their lives this year.7 Each individual can come to a point of conscious knowing of the wonder of the light and none will ever regret it, as they have often regretted mortal passions.
Now, then, let us go and see the place where the Lord lay.8 Within yourself envision the threefold flame of Life and God- intelligence, sealing you in his grace daily.