17.0 Philosophy of Life - General Page 1 of 14

17.0: Philosophy of Life - General

A Philosophy of Life, in an informal sense, is a collection of those ideas which we have about the process of living. Collectively, these generate a significance and meaning to our life. It helps us to have a view on questions such as "Why are we here?", “ Why am I here?”, "What is life all about?", and "What is the purpose of existence?" and topics, for example, covering God, the soul, reincarnation, karma, good and evil, the spirit world, free will, and subjects such as religion, science, and philosophy. Paul Brunton expressed his dilemma as: 1

'When I look abroad, on every side I see dispute, contradiction, distraction. When I turn my eye inwards, I find nothing but doubt and ignorance. What am I? From what cause do I derive my existence? To what condition shall I return? I am confounded with these questions.

I don’t propose that you will be able to put precise answers to all these fundamental questions but you will, with the help of the sections and chapters in this book, be able to have a real view on each of them – and many more. I have used the term ‘Philosophy of Life’ rather than ‘Faith’ or ‘Belief System’ because what we all need is an integrated set of truths which cover every aspect of life and which guide us in everything, whether material or spiritual, that we think, say, and do. As the Rev. Henry Keane wrote in the introduction to ‘A Primer of Moral Philosophy’: 2

Philosophy is an attempt to explain things by their causes or first principles. By Moral Philosophy we understand such an attempt as applied to man's moral life. By 'man's moral life' we mean the life he leads, or the acts he performs, when he acts characteristically as man; that is, when he acts as a free, rational agent.

We all need this ‘moral philosophy’ or ‘Philosophy of Life’ as I call it. It is an extension to our conscience; that which tells us what we think say and do is right or wrong. Within this context, lie those unanswered questions to which we all seek answers, and Sir Oliver Lodge recognised that: 3

No one can be really indifferent to the great problem of existence - the mysteries of life and death and human destiny.

In using the word ‘philosophy’ I do recognise that it may put may people off because of its academic associations. Nevertheless, I have used it because of one particular aspect. In our lives we can study and gain a lot of knowledge through learning. Living life and reflecting upon the experiences which it provides brings a different type of understanding. Bringing these two features together will bring us wisdom – and this ‘wisdom’ is the route source of the word philosophy. Karen Armstrong understood this connection when she wrote: 4

Apart from his famous theorem of the right-angled triangle, we know very little about Pythagoras himself - later Pythagoreans tended to attribute their own discoveries to the Master - but it may have been he who coined the term philosophia, the "love of wisdom." Philosophy was not a coldly rational discipline but an ardent spiritual quest that would transform the seeker.

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...and the importance of her association of philosophy with the spiritual quest is the most vital lesson that humanity has to recognise. Some people do, as was expressed by Jim Wallis in the foreword to Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston’s treatise ‘Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement’: 5

Many people today are searching for a spirituality in which to ground their lives and work.

If we do not probe and try to understand this ‘spirituality’ and what it means to our lives, we are left without purpose and cannot understand the reason for life and the universe. I do not expect either of us to find the answers to all the questions, but the search that we undertake will reveal some elements of the underlying truths of life. We have to clean our spiritual window through which we look at the world. We are told by Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall that a similar metaphor was used by William Blake in ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’: 6

Whatever our specific sense of the spiritual, without it our vision is clouded, our lives feel flat and our purposes dreadfully finite. As the Poet William Blake wrote, 'If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to us as it is, infinite.

So by searching we may find purpose and a refreshingly different view of life. Many illustrious thinkers have tried to plumb the depths of these questions in order to try to provide humanity with a set of everlasting truths. They have not succeeded. The reason for this is that such truths are so far beyond our capability to understand, thus only partial truths can be defined – based on our level of understanding today. This means that as time goes on, we should expect such truths to be enhanced and further developed. Thus we should accept that all the Cosmic Laws as we understand today should be thought of as flexible – to be developed as our understanding grows.

The physicist Tom McLeish understood that one of the objectives of the Venerable Bede, the 8 th century English historian and scholar, in writing ‘De Natura Rerum' was to rationalise extant knowledge. Tom notes that this book was: 7

...a theologically motivated set of physical explanations of natural phenomena so that his readers would not impute supernatural causes to them or derive unwarranted fears.

It is a pity that religions did not continue this process and stimulate each of us to take as much knowledge from any and every source as we can and develop our own understanding of life – of our own unique life. Raynor Johnson grasped the idea that we do need to set what we believe and do in the context of everything else: 8

This is why an adequate philosophy of life is so important, and by this I mean one which places the span of an individual's life in the setting of a vastly greater whole. This is also why I attach importance to the data of psychical research and the far- reaching inferences which may be made therefrom, living as we are in an age which demands evidence but is prone to assume that the data of the senses are all there is to be known.

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All those who have trodden the path upon which you are now travelling have tried to understand the primary questions concerning life on earth. Searching, lifting stones, probing in the nooks and crannies of knowledge, assessing what others have thought or been given is all part and parcel of your journey. Even for the mystics, as Evelyn Underhill has found: 9

This quest, for them, has constituted the whole meaning of life.

The father of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, also recognised that having a Philosophy of Life constituted one of the aspirations of mankind. In 1933 his lecture on Philosophy of Life was published. Here is a short extract, which although couched in very academic terms, is useful in adding weight to the need to look at the fundamental questions of life: 10

We will now take a bold step, and risk an answer to a question which has repeatedly been raised in non-analytic quarters, namely, the question whether psychoanalysis leads to any particular Weltanschauung, and if so, to what. ‘Weltanschauung’ is, I am afraid, a specifically German notion, which it would be difficult to translate into a foreign language. If I attempt to give you a definition of the word, it can hardly fail to strike you as inept. By Weltanschauung, then, I mean an intellectual construction which gives a unified solution of all the problems of our existence in virtue of a comprehensive hypothesis, a construction, therefore, in which no question is left open and in which everything in which we are interested finds a place. It is easy to see that the possession of such a Weltanschauung is one of the ideal wishes of mankind. When one believes in such a thing, one feels secure in life, one knows what one ought to strive after, and how one ought to organise one’s emotions and interests to the best purpose.

Whilst that is the case, we are so far from understanding the real truth that what we can understand in this life is but a small token of what really exists. An impression of this was described by Sir Oliver Lodge in ‘Man and the Universe’: 11

Our present state may be likened to that of the hulls of ships submerged in a dim ocean among many strange beasts, propelled in a blind manner through space; proud perhaps of accumulating many barnacles as decoration; only recognising our destination by bumping against the dock wall. With no cognisance of the deck and the cabins, the spars and the sails; no thought of the sextant and the compass and the captain; no perception of the lookout on the mast, of the distant horizon; no vision of objects far ahead, dangers to be avoided, destinations to be reached, other ships to be spoken with by other means than bodily contact; a region of sunshine and cloud, of space, of perception, and of intelligence, utterly inaccessible to the parts below the water-line.

We must recognise, too, that there are those people who received inspired thoughts which take them and us beyond current awareness. These intuitive quantum leaps may be provided by those entities within the Spirit world whose role is to help to move humanity forward. This perspective was offered by Carl August Wickland: 12

The philosophy of life and descriptions of conditions in the higher realms have been given by spirits who have attained enlightenment and are desirous of helping humanity to an understanding of the spiritual laws.

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These often small steps upward on the spiritual ladder force us to readjust our philosophy of life. How we look at the elements of our life varies virtually daily. Let me take you back to prehistory where nearly all explanations of what happens in life were determined by religion – or at least what then stood for a belief system. As time moved on and ‘scientific’ knowledge developed, then the understanding from such sources overtook religious teachings. This continues today. Thus, as science adds more to our knowledge base, then perhaps that which constitutes ‘belief’ rather than fact will decrease.

I have no difficulty with this. However, it is only when science starts to accept and investigate the fact that there is more to life than just the five senses, will we start to make significant inroads into our understanding. This was the essence of a communication given to Arthur Ford by his spirit guide Fletcher: 13

In the age in which you are living, all the debris that has accumulated around Truth must be brushed aside, for all Truths become loaded with ideas, organisations, which grow up in the heart of devout people, but which have no relation really to the Truth itself. And so today you live in a time when men know a great many facts, but they haven't learned how to identify these facts - this data - with ideals. And a scientific knowledge without philosophical reflection can result in emptiness. And that is what you face. .. But if you try to build a life, a philosophy, or a religion only on those facts which you are able to perceive through your senses - and if you rely only upon sensory perception and experience, you will not find Truth.

Until that happens, and I can’t really see a lot of evidence for it, there is little chance of ‘proving’ once and for all many of the beliefs that we hold dear. This means that each of us, as individuals, must develop and pursue our own Philosophy of Life – hence our uniqueness. Each of us must build on our knowledge and experience to create our own world view. From Raynor Johnson again: 14

We must bear constantly in mind that no one else's experience can ever be an adequate substitute for our own. [Rudolph] Steiner would have heartily endorsed the truth of this, for on higher levels of the world, "to know is to experience, and to experience is to know".

We must, therefore, look at all the experiences which impact upon us and see what each means and how we need to change to accommodate them. There are often the trials of life; apparently we only learn from the difficult experiences not the easy ones. The Jesuit priest Gerard W Hughes advised that: 15

If we try to find God by ignoring our own experience, we shall construct an abstraction.

Similarly, we ought not to accept other opinions as necessarily being correct; we must not be led into the blind alley of automatically accepting someone else’s views without serious thought. Don Cupitt recognised that people, like you and me, who want to take control of our own lives should: 16

… insist that it is better to live one's own life, even if unsuccessfully, than to live a

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life which is merely the acting of a part written for us by somebody else, and the principle holds even if that 'somebody else' is god.

We can, however, use other people’s experience as supporting bricks in our own wall of truth. On this point, Jostein Gaarder, in his excellent introduction to philosophy ‘Sophie’s World’, wrote: 17

Of course everyone needs food. And everyone needs love and care. But there is something else - apart from that - which everyone needs, and that is to figure out who we are and why we are here. .. But history presents us with many different answers to each question. So it is easier to ask philosophical questions than to answer them. .. However, reading what other people have believed can help us formulate our own view of life.

Harry Emerson believed that his own experiences and views could help others if they were prepared to understand them. In trying to convey them to his son he said: 18

Listen, my son, and listen attentively. What I am about to relate is my own experience, and will be of great value to you in your conduct of life. It will teach you how to live wisely, how to live socially, politically and religiously, and it will not confine you to a narrow way of living. Your enjoyment of life will not be restricted; it will be enhanced, because it will give you a confidence and a faith in humanity and in yourself which no other philosophy could give you.

Such experiences may be accepted or rejected – it doesn’t matter provided we consider each aspect carefully. Remember we are creating our own unique philosophy of life. We may, after looking at a particular aspect of science or religion, reject a specific notion and take another in preference. This is what Carl Jung did after studying the Eastern approach to life: 19

The Indian's goal is not moral perfection, but the condition of nirdvandva. He wishes to free himself from nature; in keeping with this aim, he seeks in meditation the condition of imagelessness and emptiness. I, on the other hand, wish to persist in the state of lively contemplation of nature and of the psychic images. I want to be freed neither from human beings, nor from myself, nor from nature; for all these appear to me the greatest of miracles. Nature, the psyche, and life appear to me like divinity unfolded and what more could I wish for? To me the supreme meaning of Being can consist only in the fact that it is, not that it is not or is no longer.

Have you wondered why you are reading this? What triggered your interest in seeking to expand your knowledge and experience? I suspect that your answer would be totally different to mine; and to everyone else’s. My interest was stimulated by the feeling that I had someone or something around me when travelling in my car and that the things that were happening in my day-to-day life were planned or directed in some unknown way. Some people, particularly as age creeps upon them, start to think more and more about what will happen when death comes to us. In fact, Winifred Graham’s father, from the Spirit World, suggested that we all should: 20

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… think about Death long before any idea of illness or old age had made it a painful subject to dwell on. Accustom the mind while in full health and strength to contemplate with immense wonder and great joy the change you will one day be fitted for, when your work is done on earth. Be always looking forward to the marvellous life in store.

This trigger was also considered by Raynor Johnson: 21

It has always been to me a matter of surprise that people, who on religious grounds claim to believe in their survival of death, are apparently content to hold vague and unsatisfactory views about the nature of the life they will then confront. If they knew that in a few years' time they would be going to live permanently in another country, they would take an intelligent interest in learning what they could of that country.

Using the same analogy Roy Dixon-Smith wrote: 22

I could produce a mass of reasons to show that the ignorance-cum-blind-faith of orthodox precept is not a virtue, and that personal investigation into so-called psychic matters is not a sin, quite the very reverse; that the latter is no more upsetting and no more a sign of eccentricity than an inquiry into the conditions of some foreign country in which later we are bound to reside.

…and a similar metaphor was used by John Oxenham: 23

When one is contemplating a voyage into a far country, one naturally has to consider what that country may be like, and as to the possible mode of life of its inhabitants. And so, when we are considering the longest journey of all, it is inevitable that our mind plays upon it and tries to picture what it may be like. And I think we are justified in doing so. Our ideas - which are necessarily clothes in the terms of this human life - may be quite beside the mark. But they can do no harm, and may be in some ways helpful to those who share our general thoughts on the matter. If they stimulate thought in others and lead them to workout their own ideas, this little book will have been worth while.

Some, as Deepak Chopra mused, may just be thinking about the more complex problems of life: 24

It's the inner person who craves meaning in life, the end of suffering, and answers to the riddles of love, death, God, the soul, good and evil. A life spent on the surface will never answer these questions or satisfy the needs that drive us to ask them.

It is often the role of a spiritual medium to be the trigger to awareness. A communication via automatic writing from White Owl to Stephen O’Brien, a medium himself, about the value of mediumship demonstrates this: 25

It is our [spirit guides] function to touch the soul of man and make him think, helping him become aware that he is a mind, evolving through experience. We desire to make people aware of the infinite possibilities and potential within

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them, so that they will turn away from the false worship of materialism which creates bitterness, greed and cruelty. It is our hope that people will learn the value of peace and love and project these out into the troubled earth so that the children yet unborn may find a better world in which to learn their experiences when their time for birth is ripe. If we can lift one soul, help one person towards the light of patience, tolerance and genuine caring for its fellow creatures, including the animal kingdoms, then our task has been worth while. For these reasons, and many more, we return to your dark earth bringing with us our light of understanding which will sweep away all creeds and dogmas and false divisions between nations and replace them with the knowledge that all life is linked and is One under the Guiding Influence of the Great Spirit - the Giver of All. For the God-Force is within everything, behind everything and through everything. When man learns these truths and lives them in his life with the respect for creation that these truths bring, then peace will be his.

This search is a perennial focus; it is not just our recent generations who look for answers, as F C Happold recognised: 26

...the early Christian theologians were ... groping after a solution of the perennial metaphysical problem of how that which we call God was related to the world, of how spirit and matter were connected.

Since then, we have progressed ... but not very much. Many scoff at the thought that the Spirit World may have some sort of impact on our lives, and investigations into the supernatural often engender ridicule although, as the scientist Carl Sagan noticed, there might be something in it: 27

As amusing as some pseudoscience may seem, as confident as we may be that we would never be so gullible as to be swept up by such a doctrine, we know it's happening all around us. Transcendental Meditation and Aum Shinrikyo seem to have attracted a large number of accomplished people, some with advanced degrees in physics or engineering. These are not doctrines for nitwits. Something else is going on.

But what? That is what each of us has to investigate, think about, so that we can arrive at some sort of view which will form one segment of our Philosophy of Life. This is because, as Maurice Barbanell knew: 28

...man is a spiritual being with a spiritual heritage and with a spiritual destiny to fulfil.

Because men of science and psychology tend to concentrate on what they can perceive with their senses, many are too blinkered to consider the impact of a spiritual dimension. Bede Griffiths understood this limitation when he wrote: 29

In this ancient tradition wisdom the order of the universe is seen always to be threefold, consisting not only of a physical dimension but also of a psychological [including social] and a spiritual world. The three worlds were always seen as interrelated and interdependent. This understanding of the three orders of being and of their interdependence is what is known as the perennial philosophy .

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Of those who do set a large store by the spiritual nature of man, William Law, at the turn of the 18 th Century, was typical. In everything we think and do, we have to use our reasoning capability; that God-given ability which allows us to differentiate between truth and falsehood. He wrote: 30

A devout man makes a true use of his reason: he sees through the vanity of the world, discovers the corruption of his nature, and the blindness of his passion. He lives by a law which is not visible to vulgar eyes; he enters into the world of spirits; he compares the greatest things, sets eternity against time; and chooses rather to be for ever great in the presence of God, when he dies, than to have the greatest share of worldly pleasure whilst alive.

This is a typical mystic’s perspective, which I believe is extreme. We must balance our material lives with the spiritual so that they are synergistic – so they complement each other. This is how Jesus the Nazarene lived. And, of course, in our quest for the right philosophy for our lives, we could do worse than rationally imitate many of the ancient masters and prophets. In consideration of the life of Jesus the Nazarene, Evelyn Underhill wrote: 31

Further, these mystics see in the historic life of Christ an epitome - or if you will, an exhibition - of the essentials of all spiritual life. There they see dramatized not only the cosmic process of the Divine Wisdom, but also the inward experience of every soul on her way to union with that Absolute "to which the whole Creation moves." This is why the expressions which they use to describe the evolution of the mystical consciousness from the birth of the divine in the spark of the soul to its final unification with the Absolute Life are so constantly chosen from the Drama of Faith. In this drama they see described under veils the necessary adventures of the spirit. Its obscure and humble birth, its education in poverty, its temptation, mortification and solitude, its "illuminated life" of service and contemplation, the desolation of that "dark night of the soul" in which it seems abandoned by the Divine: the painful death of the self, its resurrection to the glorified existence of the Unitive Way, its final reabsorption in its Source - all these, they say, were lived once in a supreme degree in the flesh. Moreover, the degree of closeness with which the individual experience adheres to this Pattern is always taken by them as a standard of the healthiness, ardour, and success of its transcendental activities.

The primary place to find out about the life of Jesus is the New Testament of the Christian Bible. However, we must be careful because I do not believe that we can assume that each word in the Bible (or, in fact, any other major Scripture) can be taken as being literally true. There are many sources which may help you to appreciate the real underlying ‘spirituality’ in these texts. One example only is contained in an excellent book called ‘Spirit Teachings’. This contains communications from the Spirit World through the automatic writing of William Stainton Moses. In talking about religions, the book suggests that we: 32

Cast aside that which is merely legendary, mythical, or traditional, and dare to walk alone, untrammelled by any bonds, and unfettered by dread of any conclusion at which you may arrive. Dare to trust God, and seek for truth. Dare to think soberly, calmly, about revelation.

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But don’t forget, as Ladislaus Boros reminds us through his reference to Erasmus, who in his ‘Admonitions on the Study of Christian Philosophy’ said: 33

First one must know what Christ taught, then one must live it.

So we must ‘walk the talk’; our ‘Philosophy of Life’ must be a ‘Philosophy for Life’. Jim Pym looking at his from a Quaker’s perspective wrote: 34

Remaining loyal to the traditions of silent contemplative worship, to our peace and social testimonies, and to the inspiration of other Friends, we feel free to use spiritual language gleaned from other sources if it expresses our experiences more clearly than traditional Christian terms.

...and of course, as the Teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz advised, we must: 35

Be impeccable with your word.

This is because what you think, say and do reflect your philosophy - your philosophy MUST be YOURS and yours alone. It must reflect what you are, what you believe in and the tenets against which you judge your life. There are many people ‘out there’ who would give you advice on what you should do. Look at all these notions but you must use your own reason to decide what is best. I’ll give a few views. I mentioned the book by William Stainton Moses above and he provides us with probably the best template which I have, to date, come across: 36

We tell you of your duty to God, to your brother, and to yourself - soul and body alike. We leave to foolish men, groping blindly in the dark, their curious quibbles about theological figments. We deal with the practical life; and our creed may be briefly written:-

Duty to God: Honour and love your Father, God. (Worship) Duty to neighbour: Help your brother onward in the path of progress. (Brotherly Love) Duty to Self: Tend and guard your own body. (Bodily culture) Cultivate every means of extending knowledge. (Mental progress) Seek for fuller views of progressive truths. (Spiritual growth) Do ever the right and good in accordance with your knowledge. (Integrity) Cultivate communion with the spirit-land by prayer and frequent intercourse. (Spirit nurture) Within these rules is roughly indicated most that concerns you here.

A slightly different tack was communicated by White Eagle and which form the rules of the White Eagle Lodge and include: 37

… the avoidance of binding dogma, abstention from political conflict, the setting aside of personal ambition, the overcoming of egotism … the awareness that 'truth lies in the spirit', respect of women by men and general sobriety of life, respect for the animal world, the setting of an example through Polaire ideals, and the idea

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that the Polaire was primarily a citizen of 'a world wherein all are to him or her brethren, but also a loving son or daughter of his or her own country'.

Everyone ought to have an element in their Philosophy of Life which respects animals and all other life-forms. In his book ‘The Secret of the Quiet Mind’, the Archdeacon of Westminster Basil Wilberforce echoed this and beseeched us: 38

...to add to your convictions a sense of responsibility for all living creatures, which, in their measure, are expressions of that Being of beings who fills and transcends the created universe.

In summary of this we can take the statement from the Dead Sea Scrolls we commands that we should be: 39

…focused on truth, righteousness, kindness, justice, honesty and humility along with brotherly love.

Look at some of the belief systems of others and you will find gems of knowledge which you may wish to bring into your life. Jim Pym expressed some of the Quaker testimonies in order to offer them to others. They include: 40

* peace and non-violence * truth and integrity * simplicity in living * honesty in our dealings with others * avoiding gambling and speculation * avoiding excesses * equality * sharing our resources * care for the planet.

Looking at life from a totally different angle, Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall offered their own seven steps to a greater spiritual understanding: 41

* Become aware of where I am now * Feel strongly that I want to change * Reflect on what my own centre is and on what are my deepest motivations * Discover and dissolve obstacles * Explore many possibilities to go forward * Commit myself to a path * Remain aware there are many paths

The last example that I will give is from William Clemmons, who is a Professor of Christian Education at South-eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. He wrote: 42

One is called to receive formative life directives from transcendent sources, from inward dialogue with all dimensions of life, from life lived in relationships, from daily living, from the current world setting, from our faith traditions, and especially from Scripture. One then also gives form to each of these areas of life.

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Of course, at the end of the day you are creating your own religion – that combination of physical, mental and spiritual ideals. And Timothy Keller asks the rhetorical question: 43

What is religion then? It is a set of beliefs that explain what life is all about, who we are, and the most important things that human beings should spend their time doing.

…and in the words of Dean Inge: 44

Ask yourself sometimes, 'What are the things which I would die rather than do?' Answer that, and you know what your real religion is.

Your philosophy has to be yours, and, as recalled by William L Watkinson, Octave Feuillet stated that: 45

Individual catechisms are the only ones left to us. So develop it, own it and live it, but don’t make it too complicated as recommended by Harry Wilmer: 46

Find your own spirituality - and the simpler, less trendy or 'de rigueur', the better.

Don’t be too influenced by those around you who may not be on a similar spiritual path. This is particularly true of those with whom you work or play. They may not even recognise the need to walk one’s spiritual pathway or set their priorities accordingly. That which is important to you must form the basis of your philosophy, as the Sufi mystic Al Ghazzali recognised over 1000 years ago: 47

The word important signifies anything which is of import to you; and nothing is of any import save your fate in this world and the next. But since it is said in the Qur'an and attested by insight and experience, it is not possible to enjoy both pleasures of this world and the bliss of the next, it is more important to concern oneself with those things which will endure for ever.

When you live such a life it cannot be but reflected in your whole demeanour – others will see it and some will understand. It should be the inner you that they see – not a veil which cloaks what you really are. Your habits and foibles are always on view and, because people judge you according to them, they must reflect your inner being. Of this, the astute Eastern Orthodox saint, Theophan the Recluse, reported: 48

The way of life for a particular person is established from the sum total of all habits, rules and procedures of this type, in such a manner that the way of his thinking and his outlook are made up of this sum total of preestablished notions.

In all aspects of our life we must never abuse our philosophy; we must always stay true to it; it will guide us through thick and thin. We should not be distracted by all the material and all the other factors which impinge upon our lives. The Russian philosopher Nicolas Berdyaev believed that: 49

Here we face the fundamental question which is that of the hierarchy of values.

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Spiritual culture is a higher value than politics or economics, which should only be subservient means. The great problem consists in not allowing the means to become the ends...

And yet we must live in this very world whose views are often opposed to our spiritual focus. Therefore our Philosophy of Life must be an integrated combination of both our spiritual and physical natures as the writers Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston noted: 50

Biblically, no separation exists between the inner and outer life; they are two sides of the same coin.

This means that we must strike a balance between the material and the spiritual; we must not follow the majority in taking a totally material path but neither should follow the extreme route of the religious fundamentalist or fanaticist. Balance is the key as recognised by Theophan the Recluse: 51

That is, his life is either spiritual, with spiritual views, habits and feelings; or it is intellectual, with intellectual concepts, habits and feelings; or it is carnal, with carnal thoughts, deeds and feelings. (I am not taking into consideration the states in between - the intellectual-spiritual, or the intellectual-physical, because I do not want too many categories). This does not mean that when a man is spiritual that the intellectual and physical have no place in him, but only that the spiritual predominates, subordinating to itself and penetrating the intellectual and physical parts.

For the last few thousand years we, humankind, have been trying to unravel the mysterious. We have attempted to understand principles which correctly govern our life on earth … and beyond. So far, we have not been too successful. I believe that we are getting there, unlike Paul Davies who said: 52

Might it not be the case that the reason for existence has no explanation in the usual sense? This does not mean that the universe is absurd or meaningless, only that an understanding of its existence and properties lies outside the usual categories of rational human thought.

I do not agree. I believe that we will, step by step and very slowly, uncover those truths which we need to understand to live fruitful and progressive lives. As Madam Blavatsky, the founder of Theosophy, communicated through the mediumship of Mrs Wickland, eventually: 53

All theories will go down and philosophy will rise.

I can now articulate the purpose behind my writings, and it following the objective set out in Michael E. Tymn’s book ‘The Articulate Dead’. In it he referred to a communication from the spirit of Sir William Fletcher Barrett who in life was a renowned English physicist and parapsychologist. Sir William explained that his objective in communicating with his wife was not simply to add to the mass of evidence already given concerning the survival of consciousness at death but to help find a working philosophy to guide those on earth who are struggling with finding a purpose in life; he said: 54

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It seems to me from where I am most people are not even struggling but meandering on purposelessly, blindly, because they have no definite philosophy as a starting point.

Things haven’t changed much since the beginning of the 20 th century. Don’t be like this – make your faith your Philosophy of Life. Use the following sections and chapters of this book to focus your thoughts and ideas – don’t be put off; don’t be distracted by the worldly.

1 Paul Brunton, The Secret Path, Rider & Co, 2003. Chapter III - The Mysterious Overself, (Pg 44) 2 Rev. Henry Keane, A Primer of Moral Philosophy, Catholic Social Guild, Oxford, 1956. Introductory 1. What is Moral Philosophy? (Pg 7) 3 Sir Oliver Lodge, F.R.S., Man and the Universe, Methuen & Co, 1912. Section IV - Corporate Worship and Service: Chapter X - The Alleged Indifference of Laymen to Religion, (Pg 195) 4 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Part One: The Unknown God - 3 Reason, (Pg 59) 5 Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston, Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement, Kingsway Publications, 2003. Foreword [by Jim Wallis], (Pg 7) 6 Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall, SQ : Spiritual Intelligence, The Ultimate Intelligence, Bloomsbury, 2001. Chapter 2: The Crisis of Meaning, (Pg 19) 7 Tom McLeish, Faith & Wisdom in Science, Oxford University Press, 2014. Chapter 4: Order and Chaos: The Comet, the Storm and the Earthquake, (Pg 91) 8 Raynor Carey Johnson, Nurslings of Immortality, Pelegrin Trust, 1993. Chapter 10 -Light on Evil and Suffering: The Evils we Suffer but have not Caused, (Pg 218) 9 Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism, Oneworld, 2005. Part ONE:The Mystic Fact: Chapter I - The Point of Departure, (Pg 3) 10 Sigmund Freud, New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-analysis, Hogarth Press, 1933. Lecture XXXV, A Philosophy of Life. 11 Sir Oliver Lodge, F.R.S., Man and the Universe, Methuen & Co, 1912. Section II - The Immortality of the Soul: Chapter V - The Permanence of Personality; Subliminal Faculty, (Pg 102) 12 Carl August Wickland, Thirty Years Among the Dead - Part II, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Chapter XVI: Philosophy, (Pg 428) 13 Arthur Ford, Unknown but Known, Harper & Row, 1968. Chapter 10 : The Sun Myung Moon Sittings, (Pg 136 / 137) 14 Raynor Carey Johnson, Nurslings of Immortality, Pelegrin Trust, 1993. Chapter I - The Need for a Philosophy of Life - Man's Search for Truth, (Pg 29) 15 Gerard W Hughes, God in all Things, Hodder & Stoughton, 2004. Chapter Two: What is Holiness? God's Transcendence Here and Now, (Pg 21) 16 Don Cupitt, Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 2001. 1 Introductory: The Spirituality of Radical Freedom, (Pg 4) 17 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. The Top Hat, (Pg 12) 18 Harry Emerson, Listen My Son, The Psychic Book Club, 1945. Chapter One: Death Cannot Destroy You, (Pg 11) 19 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. IX Travels: IV. India, (Pg 306) 20 Winifred Graham, More Letters From Heaven, The Psychic Book Club, 1943. While in Full Health, (Pg 51) 21 Raynor Carey Johnson, Nurslings of Immortality, Pelegrin Trust, 1993. Chapter 12 -The Nature of the "Next Life": False Ideas of the Next Life, (Pg 238)

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22 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part One: Chapter VI: Interlude in India, (Pg 123) 23 John Oxenham, Out of the Body, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Preface, (Pg vi) 24 Deepak Chopra, The Book of Secrets, Rider & Co, 2004. Introduction - Opening the Book of Secrets, (P 2) 25 Stephen O'Brien, Visions of Another World, The Aquarian Press, 1989. 16 Behind the Scenes, (Pg 205 / 206) 26 F C Happold, Mysticism - A Study and an Anthology, Penguin Books, 1971. The Study: 24. The Coinherence of Spirit and Matter, (Pg 113) 27 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 1 : The Most Precious Thing, (Pg 19) 28 Maurice Barbanell, This is Spiritualism, The Spiritual Truth Press, 2001. Foreword, (Pg 13) 29 Bede Griffiths, A New Vision of Reality, Fount, 1992. 13 The New Age, (Pg 278) 30 William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life - extracts, Mowbray, 1981. Worship of God, (Pg 56) 31 Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism, Oneworld, 2005. Part ONE:The Mystic Fact: Chapter V - Mysticism and Theology, (Pg 121) 32 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XXIV, (Pg 199) 33 Ladislaus Boros, Open Spirit, Search Press, 1974. Erasmus and the Centre, (Pg 90) 34 Jim Pym, Listening to the Light, Rider & Co, 1999. Introduction, (Pg 33) 35 Mary Carroll Nelson, Beyond Fear - The Teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz on Freedom and Joy, Rider & Co, 2003. Chapter Six: Tools for Transformation - Part One: The Mitote and the Inventory, (Pg 75) 36 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section VIII, (Pg 57) 37 Colum Hayward, Eyes of the Spirit, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1987. Chapter Seven - The Lodge ideals and vision: the sixth principle, (Pg 134) 38 Ven. Basil Wilberforce, D.D, The Secret of the Quiet Mind, Elliot Stock, 1916. Animal Sunday, (Pg 101) 39 Robert Lomas and Christopher Knight, The Hiram Key, Arrow Books, 1997. Chapter Eleven The Boaz and Jachin Pesher, (Pg 280) 40 Jim Pym, Listening to the Light, Rider & Co, 1999. The Adventurous Life, (Pg 150) 41 Danah Zohar and Ian Marshall, SQ : Spiritual Intelligence, The Ultimate Intelligence, Bloomsbury, 2001. Chapter 13: Six Paths Towards Greater Spiritual Intelligence, (Pg 263) 42 William Clemmons, Discovering the Depths, Triangle, 1989. Introduction, (Pg viii / ix) 43 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder & Stoughton, 2009. Part 1: The Leap of doubt. ONE There can't Be Just One True Religion, (Pg 15) 44 Dean Inge, Goodness and Truth, Mowbray, 1958. Sermon 21: Finishing the Work God Gave Us, (Pg 185) 45 William L Watkinson, The Influence of Scepticism on Character, Charles H Kelly, 1898. The Influence of Scepticism on Character. Chapter II 46 Harry Wilmer, Quest for Silence, Diamon, 2000. 8 Patience - And What Can We Do About Silence and Noise? (Pg 180) 47 Al Ghazzali, The Book of Knowledge, SH. Muhammad Ashraf, 1991. Section V On the Properties of the Student and the Teacher, (Pg 138) 48 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 7 The Life of the Soul - The Desirous Aspect, (Pg 54) 49 Nicolas Berdyaev, Towards a New Epoch, Geoffrey Bles: The Centerary Press, 1949. Freedom to Create and the "Fabrication" of Souls, (Pg 92) 50 Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston, Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement, Kingsway Publications, 2003. 1. Turning the Tide: Faithworks Spirituality, (Pg 16) 51 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 12 The Supremacy of Spiritual Life, (Pg 71 / 72) 52 Paul Davies, The Mind of God, Penguin Books, 1992. Chapter 9: The Mystery at the End of the Universe - Turtle Power, (Pg 225) 53 Carl August Wickland, Thirty Years Among the Dead - Part II, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Chapter XV: Theosophy - Experience, November 1, 1922, (Pg 424) 54 Michael E. Tymn, The Articulate Dead, Galde Press, 2008. Part III: The Mediumship of Gladys Osborne Leonard - Fourteen: Sir William Barrett Returns, (Pg 148)

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17.1: Philosophy of Life - Be Flexible

We have been trying to understand the whys and wherefores of Man’s existence since before recorded history. Hundreds of years ago with the advent of philosophy and natural science we began to have some success at answering some of the basic questions of the material life. Do you think that in that short time, we have become so developed as to be able to state all the truths that apply to the universe? Never! The communicator which gave us advice through the mediumship of William Stainton Moses stated that: 1

Moreover, man has fancied that each revelation of God enshrines permanent truth of universal application, of literal and exact accuracy. He did not see that man is taught by us as man teaches his own children; and accurate definitions of abstract truth do not suit the comprehension of a child. With all the literalness of a child he accepts the very words of revelation as mathematically and logically accurate, and builds upon them a number of theories, absurd in their nature, and conflicting among themselves. The child accepts the parent’s word unhesitatingly, and quotes it as law. It is only later that he learns that he was being taught in parables...

This flexibility to new ideas was also the perspective of the French Enlightenment philosophers - Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau - and there were many, many others. This Age of Enlightenment began in the late 17 th and early 18 th centuries in Europe and its adherents emphasised reason and individualism rather than tradition. They thought that it was essential to: 2

…remain sceptical of all inherited truths, the idea being that the individual must find his own answer to every question.

Don Cupitt, from looking at historical events, believed that: 3

…concepts, and also entire belief-systems, do undergo profound transformations and revisions in the course of time.

So we should never expect a ‘truth’ to remain fixed for all time. Communicating from the Spirit World, White Eagle said that: 4

In spiritual life, do not expect to catalogue everything, for by so doing you are limiting the universal. Try to conceive the heavenly state as being a perfect fitting- in and harmonious outworking of exact law, but never limited, always expanding.

If things change then we have to have firstly an open and receptive mind and secondly some way of assessing those changes. Perhaps we can take a leaf out of the scientist’s book. Carl Sagan, for example, tried to stress that: 5

...at the heart of science is an essential balance between two seemingly contradictory attitudes - an openness to new ideas, no matter how bizarre or counterintuitive, and the most ruthlessly sceptical scrutiny of all ideas, old and new. This is how deep truths are winnowed from deep nonsense.

We must learn to use our ability to reason – and that’s another chapter on its own. At this

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:27:55 17.1 Philosophy of Life - Be Flexible Page 2 of 12 stage we must recognise our need for flexibility; the need to search for improvements in what we believe and know. We must never assume that we know it all. Blaise Pascal, according to Sherwood Wirt, made a distinction between those who strive with all their power to instruct themselves, and those who live without troubling or thinking about it: 6

I can have only compassion for those who sincerely bewail their doubt and who, sparing no effort to escape it, make this search their principle and most serious occupation. But as for those who pass their lives without thinking of this ultimate end of life, I look upon them in a manner quite different.

This quality that each of us ought to possess, that of freedom of thought, is in keeping with all spiritual thinkers. Ladislaus Boros, with his mind centred on Socrates, wrote: 7

An intellectually honest man, then, is one who doesn't make up his mind in advance; he probes and tests; he realises that he knows very little, and that he must stand back respectfully to make way for the truth.

Jostein Gaarder used a rather nice analogy when he was considering thoughts that we have. He compared them to a river: 8

The thoughts that are washed along with the current of past tradition, as well as the material conditions prevailing at the time, help to determine how you think. You can therefore never claim that any particular thought is correct for ever and ever. But the thought can be correct from where you stand.

So the totality of our Philosophy of Life is made up of elements of ideas which we believe to be correct - at the time. After reading the next book or even listening to a revealing television programme the seed of change may take root. By taking this approach, it may be that a large portion of our beliefs may gradually change or even explode in our faces. This idea of triggering an explosion of previously held thoughts, figured in the mind of Ralph Waldo Emerson: 9

Every new thought modifies, interprets old problems. The retrospective value of each new thought is immense, like a torch applied to a long train of gunpowder.

From the Spirit World also comes the advice on having an open mind. Stephen O'Brien was often reminded by Spirit that: 10

If you believe in anything 100 per cent, then this is dangerous. It is unhealthy because the mind is then closed to any new possibilities.

…and from White Eagle: 11

...that to hold to no belief too rigidly is by far the most freeing thing.

This wise spirit expanded this thought and once stated that he ‘believed in everything’. In explaining this statement he said: 12

That may seem a sweeping statement; but what we meant – what we still mean – is that we keep an open mind on all subjects and never say nay to anything. We are

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interested in and we believe in the strangest things, because there is so much in heaven and earth which is undreamed of in the philosophy of man.

Similarly, during a conversation with an eager listener, the mystic and teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti revealed that: 13

To examine the many complex issues of existence, we must start without being committed to any philosophy, to any ideology, to any system of thought or pattern of action. The capacity to comprehend is not a matter of time; it is an immediate perception is it not?

In addition, the communicator who used Neale Donald Walsch as a channel conveyed a similar idea: 14

You cannot comprehend God if you are thinking inside your current values, concepts, and understanding. If you wish to comprehend God, you must be willing to accept that you currently have limited data, rather than asserting that you know all there is to know on this subject.

We have to accept that whatever we know is there because we can understand it. That is, a truth can only ever lie within the bounds of our existing knowledge and this has been true for all time. The truths exposed in the Scriptures of all the religions were expressed in terms of the acceptability of the times in which they were given. We are children of our time and so are the manifestations of the truths. In order to move forward along the road of discovery, therefore, we must recognise two facets are needed. Firstly, we require a degree of humility which expresses itself as a realisation that we don’t ‘know it all’, and secondly a desire to extend our knowledge through study, experience and inspiration. The scientist and paranormal investigator Oliver Lodge recognised the impermanence of existing truths and wrote: 15

Let us study all the facts that are open to us, with a trusting and an open mind; with care and candour testing all our provisional hypotheses, and with slow and cautious verification making good our steps as we proceed. Thus may we hope to reach out farther and ever farther into the unknown; sure that as we grope in the darkness we shall encounter no clammy horror, but shall receive an assistance and sympathy which it is legitimate to symbolise as a clasp from the hand of Christ himself.

Yes, spirit will always be there to guide and lead us if we allow them to do so. It is an exciting journey upon which we have embarked, because, as the philosopher Bertrand Russell stated: 16

Instead of being shut in within narrow walls, we find ourselves in an open world of free possibilities, where much remains unknown because there is so much to know.

We need to think outside our current box; to extend our horizons beyond what we presently believe. Perhaps, as Evelyn Underhill wrote, this is in our destiny: 17

Whatever God meant man to do or to be, the whole universe assures us that He did not mean him to stand still.

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Many writers have stressed the need for each one of us to be as flexible as possible. For us to be sufficiently plastic to allow our beliefs to be changed and for us to make sure that these changes are for the betterment of us and humanity. I’ll quote from a few such people. They include Abbé Henri de Tourville, Colin Fry, Brian Weiss, Winifred Graham and Raynor Johnson, Barry Oates et al, the Sufi Abu-Said, Karl Bath, and Maurice Barbanell respectively:

Be open to all new ideas and be glad to put them into practice wherever, as far as your understanding of people goes, it is practicable or possible. 18

...we all need to be open to growth and change according to circumstance. 19

Keep an open mind... 20

Keep your minds always like an open window. 21

A whole continent of adventure is in front of us. 22

Flexibility of thought and mind is essential. 23

To be a Sufi is to detach from fixed ideas and from preconceptions; and not to try to avoid what is your lot . 24

To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often . 25

...close your mind to nothing. 26

All these statements exemplify that we must have the kind of belief system that always welcomes new ideas. In fact Leslie Weatherhead argued that an open mind is a mandatory prerequisite to spiritual development. He wrote: 27

This kind of faith welcomes, nay demands, the open mind and complete sincerity; complete readiness to part with what we wish were true, if the evidence points otherwise, and complete readiness to break with convention, prejudice and the pressure of those around us who think differently, and the bias produced by our upbringing and early training. This bias is an extremely difficult thing to overcome as every psychologist knows.

Using the words of Carl Sagan again, and from his scientific perspective: 28

The scientific way of thinking is at once imaginative and disciplined. This is central to its success. Science invites us to let the facts in, even when they don't conform to our preconceptions. It counsels us to carry alternative hypotheses in our heads and see which best fit the facts. It urges on us a delicate balance between no-holds- barred openness to new ideas, however heretical, and the most rigorous sceptical scrutiny of everything - new ideas and established wisdom.

Change should be a natural part of growth. It is not a matter of thinking that either we are always right or that we have been erroneous in the past, but believing that as we learn more

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:27:55 17.1 Philosophy of Life - Be Flexible Page 5 of 12 then our approach to life will change. Spiritual Development is dependent upon it. The spiritual mentor Michal Levin knew that: 29

Being able to see new truths is a measure of your development – not of having ‘got it wrong’ in the beginning!

Not all change will be clear cut, and some potential change may turn out to lead us up a blind alley. Don’t worry if that is the case – it will strengthen what we already believe. On this, Peter Berger wrote: 30

We must begin in the situation in which we find ourselves, but we must not submit to it as to an irresistible tyranny. If the signals of transcendence have been rumours in our time, then we can set out to explore these rumours - and perhaps to follow them up to their source.

Exploration is the key and complacency its barrier. We must continuously be inquisitive. Look at, for example, all the scriptures with clear vision and a questioning approach, and don’t be misled by the fixed thoughts of others. C. S. Lewis realised that: 31

Christianity claims to give an account of facts - to tell you what the real universe is like. Its account of the universe may be true, or it may not, and once the question is really before you, then your natural inquisitiveness must make you want to know the answer.

...and don’t be led by evangelists into believing that any one religion has all the answers. Take what is good and right for you from each one and build your own philosophy. This was the principle behind the following words given to Adeline Yen Mah by her grandfather: 32

Unlike Muhammadans or Christians, we Chinese have trouble with the western view that there is one true God. Why can’t Muhammad be accepted as a prophet as well as Moses? Why does one belief have to exclude another? Why can't all the religions merge together and become one?

If that were possible, what a beautiful world we would live in. This will take many millennia to come to pass – only when the desire for power and materialism have abated will true spirituality across all religions be realised. In the meantime, it is up to us to extend our knowledge and personal spirituality recognising that generally spiritual growth is very slow; we need patience. This also applies to how we ought to treat new truths or changes to our existing beliefs. The spirit communicating through John Scott gave this insight: 33

A new argument is rarely victorious at the first onset; time must elapse for it to find its station in the whole mental composition and make-up of a man's mind and become a familiar inhabitant of that earlier colony, having won in line against its fellows.

…and as was articulated in the preface to ‘The Christian Agnostic’: 34

...only accept those things which gradually seem to you to be true.

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Don’t necessarily believe that truths accepted in the distant past are applicable now. William Stainton Moses was given the advice that: 35

If you know not so much as that, then are you not fit to go forward. From those old creeds and faiths, venerable in their antiquity, but crude too frequently in development, men have derived comfort. They have found their utterances convenient and suitable for them. They have derived from them a satisfaction which they do not bring to you. Why? Because your spirit has outgrown those old, and to you lifeless, utterances. They benefit you not.

It is obviously a corollary of change in belief that it is possible that the direction and emphasis of our whole life may change. And, of course, the obverse is also true, as Diana Cooper recognised: 36

When we, who have signed up for this course on Earth, wish to change something in our lives, we must look within to alter our beliefs and attitudes in order for our outer world to change.

Stimulating change in our attitudes often comes with being more spiritual – whatever that entails. Embarking upon a spiritual direction in life is like opening a door to a new room – you have no idea what is behind it; this is the excitement; the freedom. There are many facets which comprise spirituality; one is prayer as Beth Collier realised: 37

When we embark on a life of prayer we must expect our attitudes to be challenged and changed.

By accepting this adventure and pursuing our spiritual pathway, we are also inherently changing what we consider as our ‘self’. We will, by definition, accept truths which completely change us. Father Andrew said that to subdue the rise of ‘self’ is necessary to develop our spiritual nature and that this: 38

...should be the end of every rule of the life that we make for ourselves.

Change, albeit to our Philosophy of Life, only comes when we are spiritually ready for it. If it comes too soon, then we will have to ‘park’ that aspect that we cannot accommodate. That is why change and development is slow. Thomas Merton counselled that we should: 39

Make no decisions until the time for making decisions

I think that we can relate this to the changes in our belief system. Until we have investigated any new understanding then we must not make the decision to discard any currently held belief. Once we are sure of the new concept, then and only then, can we jettison the old. This often happens through reading and contemplation of ideas that are new to us. For example, if, as I was, you were brought up in a Christian environment, then your starting point for your philosophy will be based on Biblical teachings. If then you start to read and understand Buddhism, it may change your life-view completely which Peter Berger confirmed as a possibility: 40

Christianity and Buddhism present us with clear and, I think, essentially contradictory religious options. The protagonists of both religions should be clear

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about what both options are, and so should the people who choose neither religion.

It is not just the basic religions which will stimulate this change. Often it is books on the lives of, or writing by, the saints and mystics which can achieve it. Reading expands our knowledge and tunes our beliefs. Evelyn Underhill, in her book ‘Concerning the Inner Life’, explains that: 41

…as we grow more and more, the saints tell us more and more: disclosing at each fresh reading secrets that we did not suspect. Their books are the work of specialists from whom we can humbly learn more of God and of our own souls.

It is important in our Philosophy of Life to make sure that we can accommodate all those things which we experience. For example, I have been given messages by mediums in Spiritualist churches purporting to be from people who have died. Some of these have been very evidential. It is necessary, therefore, for my own belief system, to consider death, the Spirit World and all associated with them. These are personal experiences which I had to rationalise and then to accommodate in my belief system. The communicator who channelled teachings through Neale Donald Walsch stressed the importance of such personal experience: 42

Live your truth, gently, but totally and consistently. Change your truth easily and quickly when your experience brings you new clarity.

Every experience we have needs to be carefully considered in the light of our current beliefs and where necessary, after due deliberation, our philosophy may be enhanced. This sounds very clinical, which does not actually reflect reality. Not all our beliefs may be well reasoned and many may be inklings which have not been well considered at all – fuzzy is probably a good description of them. This ought not, however, prevent us from bringing them into sharper focus and considering them in greater depth. This optical metaphor was used by John C Lennox in the preface to his book ‘God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?’: 43

Our worldviews may not be sharply, or even consciously, formulated, but they are there nonetheless. Our worldviews are of course shaped by experience and reflection. They can and do change - on the basis of sound evidence, one would hope.

Discussion is a great vehicle for clarification of ideas. Exposing tentative thoughts to scrutiny with like minded and open minded friends can really help to bring effective consideration of all experiences and knowledge. Plato, according to Karen Armstrong, had a similar view: 44

Plato insisted that it must be conducted in a gentle, compassionate manner so that participants "felt with" their partners. "It is only when all these things, names and definitions, visual and other sensations, are rubbed together and subjected to tests in which questions and answers are exchanged in good faith and without malice that finally, when human capacity is stretched to its limit, a spark of understanding and intelligence flashes out and illuminates the subject at issue." If the argument was spiteful and competitive, the initiation would not work. The

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transcendent insight achieved was as much the product of a dedicated lifestyle as of intellectual striving. It was "not something that can be put into words like other branches of learning; only after long partnership in a common life devoted to this very thing does truth flash upon the soul, like a flame kindled by a leaping spark, and once it is born there it nourishes itself thereafter."

This emphasis on accommodating experience is necessary and important. As Brian Weiss realised, you ought not to dismiss or discard ideas or brush aside what you experience because they are different from what you were led to believe, because: 45

It is possible that the strange might be true, the familiar false.

So don’t be afraid to discard your current views for something that fits better with what you have met in life. Be bold, as William Stainton Moses wrote: 46

Quit the dead past, though it be to journey through a new present to an unknown future.

One of the greatest barriers to stepping into this unknown space and thence to spiritual progress is the intransigence and inflexibility of thought of family, friends and acquaintances. Be careful not to be diverted from your spiritual journey. In the epilogue to her book ‘The Case For God’, Karen Armstrong expressed the view that there are so few people who know that they lack wisdom and the necessary truths: 47

Too many people assume that they alone have it and, in matters secular as well as religious, appear unwilling even to consider a rival point of view or seriously assess evidence that might qualify their case. ... The quest for truth has become agonistic and competitive. When debating an issue in politics or in the media, in the law courts or academe, it is not enough to establish what is true; we also have to defeat - and even humiliate - our opponents. Even though we hear a great deal about the importance of "dialogue," it is rare to hear a genuinely Socratic exchange of views. It is often obvious in public debates that instead of listening receptively to other participants, panellists simply use others' remarks as grist for a brilliant point of their own that will deliver the coup de grace

This style of debate is becoming endemic – and it is stunting our progress in so many fields. Particularly in our spiritual understanding, we must be wary of those with fixed ideas and who shout loudly about them. In a speech given on his daughter's graduation day, Alan Alda gave the following advice to the listening graduates: 48

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while or the light won't come in. If you challenge your own, you won't be so quick to accept the unchallenged assumptions of others. You'll be a lot less likely to be caught up in bias or prejudice or be influenced by people who ask you to hand over your brains, your soul, or your money because they have everything all figured out for you.

This is the problem with the capitalist and materialist oriented society which was becoming a significant driving force a couple of hundred years ago. It was within this environment that John Wesley developed his own brand of Christianity and, in terms of the influence of

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...always insisted that he cared nothing for the 'opinions' of his followers, by which he often meant their particular beliefs on secondary matters, such as their opinions about the details of assurance or of justification.

Our continual progress, through all forms of influence, is vital. There seems to be a natural law of the universe which indicates that change is progress and setting your beliefs in stone is stagnation. Onward and upward towards a goal which is so far out of sight as to be unknowable. However, there are some guidelines which may let you determine whether you are on the right track. Take, for example the teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz, within which is expressed the view that: 50

The beliefs that make you happy are worthy of being retained. The beliefs that cause you unhappiness can be reviewed and altered. Your goal is to reprogram your beliefs to achieve freedom from fear.

I do not take this very simplistic view although it does have some value for some people. I believe that fear is naturally allayed when love takes over. This is the greatest metric; if you can feel the love in what you think, say and do then you are certainly on the right spiritual track.

Don’t be frightened by change – it is exciting. It will happen, no matter what you do. In order to live your life positively and with passion, you must develop your spirituality and, in parallel with this, expand your Philosophy of Life. Cyprian Smith in his book about the teachings of Meister Eckhart wrote that: 51

Genuine spiritual growth means that our concepts of God will be undergoing continual change and transformation throughout life; we shall not rest content with any one of them, but always be prepared to move on when we are ready, recognising that in the final analysis no concept of God is adequate to the Reality, and the Reality will only dawn in its fullness when our life has run its entire course.

…and Lumsden Barkway based on the writings of Evelyn Underhill expressed the view that the spiritual life of any individual: 52

…has to be extended both vertically to God and horizontally to other souls; and the more it grows in both directions, the less merely individual and therefore the more truly personal, it will be.

You must follow the principle that the spirit of Maurice Barbanell communicated through the medium Marie Cherrie. In all his life, whether on the earth or now in the Spirit World he is: 53

...continuously testing my pre-conceived ideas.

There is one apparent disadvantage to changing your belief which revolves around changed attitude to life. For example, if you now believe that all life is precious and it is wrong to kill, then perhaps you want to stop eating meat. This can be very disruptive for those family members living with you. So whilst the change will be for the better it can have significant

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:27:55 17.1 Philosophy of Life - Be Flexible Page 10 of 12 consequences on the lives of others. This point was made by the inspirational teacher Michal Levin: 54

Letting go of old truths can be painful, and can lead to considerable upheaval, for you and for others.

All the above discussion has been focussed on the need to have a flexible approach to our beliefs. However, there is a different way of looking at our Philosophy of Life which revolves around not external stimuli for change but deliberately changing our belief system to accommodate a change we identify in our life. This was brought to my mind after reading Lance G Trendall’s book ‘Dead Happy’ in which he wrote: 55

So the main thing is to deal with your own beliefs, examine them and if you want to change your life, do it through changing your beliefs.

This all hinges on the creative notion that we can significantly influence our own future by the way we think. This ‘New Age’ concept suggests we be positive about our life; think big, be big. I’m not sure to what extent this happens, although I do know that a really positive attitude has helped me in my life so far. Anyway, back to our need to flex or philosophy based on new understanding, I’ll leave you with a summary from Bertrand Russell who believed that: 56

It is of course possible that all or any of our beliefs may be mistaken, and therefore all ought to be held with at least some slight element of doubt. But we cannot have reason to reject a belief except on the ground of some other belief. Hence, by organising our instinctive beliefs and their consequences, by considering which among them is most possible, if necessary, to modify or abandon, we can arrive, on the basis of accepting as our sole data what we instinctively believe, at an orderly systematic organisation of our knowledge, in which, though the possibility of error remains, its likelihood is diminished by the interrelation of the parts and by the critical scrutiny which has preceded acquiescence.

Go for it – look to the future and let your Philosophy of Life develop and expand to become your Philosophy for Life.

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1 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XXIII, (Pg 191 / 192) 2 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. The Enlightenment, (Pg 242) 3 Don Cupitt, Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 2001. 6 Doctrine and Disinterestedness, (Pg 81) 4 Walking with the Angels - A Path of Service, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1998. Part Two - 12. Introduction: the Angelic Stream of Life, (Pg 91) 5 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 17 : The Marriage of Scepticism and Wonder, (Pg 304) 6 Sherwood Eliot Wirt, Exploring the Spiritual Life, Lion Books, 1985. 1 - From Pensees by Blaise Pascal, (Pg 10) 7 Ladislaus Boros, Open Spirit, Search Press, 1974. Socrates and Honesty, (Pg 13) 8 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. Hegel, (Pg 279) 9 Ralph Waldo Emerson, Natural History of Intellect, Solar Press, 1995. I. Natural History of Intellect - I. Powers and Laws of Thought, (Pg 21) 10 Stephen O'Brien, Visions of Another World, The Aquarian Press, 1989. 8 Communications from Beyond, (Pg 100) 11 Colum Hayward, Eyes of the Spirit, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1987. Chapter Six - The Principles of the Lodge, (Pg 126) 12 White Eagle, Spiritual Unfoldment 2, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1994. VI: Fairyland, (Pg 75) 13 J Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living - Third Series, Victor Gollancz, 1961. Psychological Revolution, (Pg 43) 14 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 3 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1999. Chapter 21, (Pg 344) 15 Sir Oliver Lodge, F.R.S., Man and the Universe, Methuen & Co, 1912. Section II - The Immortality of the Soul: Chapter V - The Permanence of Personality; Religious Objections, (Pg 110) 16 Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1951. Chapter XIV The Limits of Philosophical Knowledge, (Pg 148) 17 Evelyn Underhill, The Life of the Spirit and The Life of Today, Mowbray, 1994. Chapter I: The Characters of Spiritual Life, (Pg 24) 18 Abbé Henri de Tourville, Letters of Direction, Mowbray, 1939. IV – Forerunners, (Pg 29) 19 Colin Fry, Life Before Death, Rider & Co, 2008. 3. Understanding: your family is not you, (Pg 51) 20 Brian Leslie Weiss, Many Lives, Many Masters, Judy Piatkus, 2002. Chapter Two, (Pg 31) 21 Winifred Graham, More Letters From Heaven, The Psychic Book Club, 1943. A Prison House, (Pg 20) 22 Raynor Carey Johnson, Nurslings of Immortality, Pelegrin Trust, 1993. Chapter I - The Need for a Philosophy of Life - Man's Search for Truth, (Pg 28) 23 Barry Oates, David Hopkins and Carole Austin, Philosophy of Spiritualism, Spiritualists' National Union, 2007. Second Principle: The Brotherhood of Man, (Pg 20) 24 Idries Shah, The Way of the Sufi, Penguin Books, 1975. At the start of the book a quotation from Abu- Said, son of Abi-Khair: 25 Hugh Ross Mackintosh, Types of Modern Theology, Nisbet, 1949. VIII: The Theology of the Word of God, Karl Barth, (Pg 264) 26 Marie Cherrie, The Barbanell Report, Pilgrim Books, 1987. Part II: Twenty-Five - 11th June 1986, (Pg 162) 27 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Chapter X: Prayer and Faith, (Pg 155 / 156) 28 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 2 : Science and Hope, (Pg 27) 29 Michal Levin, Spiritual Intelligence, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Part III: How to Live the Ideas. Chapter Eleven – Truth and Illusion, (Pg 269) 30 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 5 - Concluding Remarks - A Rumour of Angels, (Pg 119) 31 C S Lewis, God in the Dock, Fount, 1998. 7 Man or Rabbit? (1946), (Pg 60) 32 Adeline Yen Mah, Watching The Tree, Harper Collins, 2001. 1 Watching the Tree to Catch a Hare, (Pg 8) 33 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Communication: (Pg 29) 34 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Preface, (Pg xiv) 35 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XIII, (Pg 106) 36 Diana Cooper, A Little Light on the Spiritual Laws, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Chapter Two: As Within, So Without, (Pg 11) 37 Beth Collier, Beyond Words, Triangle, 1987. 9 You and me, (Pg 98)

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38 Father Andrew SDC, In the Silence, A.R.Mowbray, 1951. Union with the Will of God: IV. Mortification, (Pg 75) 39 Thomas Merton, A Secular Journal, The Catholic Book Club, 1959. Part Five: St Bonaventure, Harlem and Our Lady of the Valley (1941), November 1, 1941 St Bonaventure, (Pg 128) 40 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 4 - Theological Possibilities: Confronting the Traditions, (Pg 103) 41 Evelyn Underhill, Concerning the Inner Life, Oneworld, 1999. Part Two - The Goals of the Inner Life, (Pg 56) 42 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 1 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997. Chapter 8, (Pg 134) 43 John C Lennox, God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, Lion, 2007. Preface, (Pg 13) 44 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Part One: The Unknown God - 3 Reason, (Pg 72 / 73) 45 Brian Leslie Weiss, Same Soul, Many Bodies, Piatkus, 2006. Chapter 11 - Contemplation and Meditation, (Pg 171) 46 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XIII, (Pg 107) 47 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Epilogue, (Pg 309) 48 Alan Alda, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, Hutchinson, 2007. Chapter 2: Lingering at the Door, (Pg 18) 49 John M. Todd, John Wesley and the Catholic Church, The Catholic Book Club, 1958. Chapter Five: The Last Fifty Years, (Pg 98) 50 Mary Carroll Nelson, Beyond Fear - The Teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz on Freedom and Joy, Rider & Co, 2003. Chapter Six: Tools for Transformation - Part One: The Mitote and the Inventory, (Pg 69) 51 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 3 The Silent Desert, (Pg 39) 52 Lumsden Barkway, An Anthology of the Love of God (from the writings of Evelyn Underhill), Mowbray, 1953. VIII Service, The Activity of Love: Inwards, Upwards and Outwards (Mixed Pasture), (Pg 210) 53 Marie Cherrie, The Barbanell Report, Pilgrim Books, 1987. Part I: Twenty - 19th February 1986, (Pg 117) 54 Michal Levin, Spiritual Intelligence, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Part III: How to Live the Ideas. Chapter Eleven – Truth and Illusion, (Pg 271) 55 Lance G Trendall, Dead Happy, Lance Trendall Publishing, 1992. 17: More on Spirit Communication, (Pg 126) 56 Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1951. Chapter II The Existence of Matter, (Pg 25 / 26)

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17.2: Philosophy of Life – Living It

It is no use having a Philosophy of Life if you don’t live your life by it – if you don’t ‘walk the talk’. Saskia Murk Jansen, an academic specialising in medieval theology, particularly the writings in European vernaculars of lay women known as Beguines, said of their version of Christianity that it, like your Philosophy of Life: 1

...is not a matter of form and observance, but a way of life.

To be effective as a spiritual individual you must practise what you preach; you should do the things you advise other people to do.

Those people that you encounter in your daily lives, at work, at play or in the comfort of family relationships will not necessarily believe what you say, but they will wholeheartedly believe what you do. To use another cliché, actions speak louder than words. But, even if what you do matches what you say, you will eventually falter if it doesn’t match your own fundamental beliefs. It only works when what you believe and do and say align – this is implementing your Philosophy of Life – it becomes your Philosophy for Life. Thomas Merton, a 20 th Century mystic who followed the Trappist tradition, said that to him: 2

…the first responsibility of a man of faith is to make his faith really part of his own life, not by rationalising it but by living it.

And later in the same book, ‘No Man is an Island’ he summarised this idea when he wrote: 3

Being and doing become one, in our life...

As I have a great deal of admiration for Thomas Merton, I will take two more quotations from another book of his entitled ‘Thoughts In Solitude’. Firstly he suggests that once we have found our niche in life, then it may be a little easier to develop and sustain our Philosophy of Life: 4

When we find our vocation - thought and life are one.

…and of the three aspects of our lives – physical, mental and spiritual – he puts the latter always to the fore: 5

The spiritual life is first of all a life. It is not merely something to be known and studied, it is to be lived.

Not as a chore but with enjoyment and passion. This is the essence of spirituality. The North American clergyman Morton Kelsey associated this with his view of religion and recognised that: 6

The only way I know of to be thoroughly familiar with a religious point of view is to live with it imaginatively .

In fact, as noted by Maulana Mohammad Ali: 7

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...iman (belief) according to the Holy Qur'an is not simply a conviction of the truth of a given proposition; it is essentially the acceptance of a proposition as a basis for action.

This was also the view of the mystic Henry Thomas Hamblin who said that: 8

If our knowledge of Truth be not translated into constructive action it is useless, and all our study of it is abortive. ... it is our duty and privilege to convert them [ideas] into substantial achievement and concrete results.

To sit with this thrust, the components of this philosophy of yours must meld together into a consistent whole and that this totality represents as close as you can get to the ‘truth’. Robin Waterfield an English classical scholar expressed it as: 9

The really important thing is to be living in the truth.

From the Buddhist tradition, Hui Neng, who was a Chinese Zen monastic and traditionally viewed as the Sixth and Last Patriarch of Zen Buddhism, was quoted by Aldous Huxley: 10

This truth is to be lived, it is not to be merely pronounced with the mouth...

From our own perspective truths do not have to be absolute. However, they do need to be sufficiently developed for us to understand and accept them. This theme was explained by Dom Aelred Graham who was a 20 th Benedictine monk from Ampleforth Abbey in England: 11

We need not now concern ourselves with an accurate philosophical definition of truth; it will be enough to say that we are perceiving truly when our minds conform to reality as it is, that we 'do' the truth when our conduct (including therein our secret desires and aspirations) corresponds to the inspirations of grace and the dictates of conscience.

Our innermost truths widen as we come to accept the reality of the relationship between ourselves and our Creator which derives in a parallel realisation with our spiritual development. Aldous Huxley in ‘The Perennial Philosophy’ knew this to be a truth: 12

Spiritual progress is through the growing knowledge of the self as nothing and of the Godhead as all-embracing Reality. (Such knowledge, of course, is worthless if it is merely theoretical; to be effective, it must be realised as an immediate, intuitive experience and appropriately acted upon.)

Understanding and acting upon the truths we find in life is not an easy process. In Hugh Ross Mackintosh’s book ‘Types of Modern Theology’ we are provided with a window on Søren Kierkegaard’s life. This renegade philosopher believed that: 13

The only truth it is worth while to know has first to be endured, then thought, and the outcome will have the signature of the thinker’s warfare and pain.

Once we can recognise that inner conscience as representing some of our higher values to which our life should conform, then we have a chance of living the sort of life to which we

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:28:21 17.2 Philosophy of Life – Living It Page 3 of 17 aspire. Aristotle, according the Karen Armstrong, insisted that: 14

We must, therefore, in so far as we can, strain every nerve to live in accordance with the best thing in us,

...and through our own volition to live as spiritually as we can. If we can do this, and it is initially by no means an easy task, then we will achieve the state described by the 14 th Century English Augustinian mystic, Walter Hilton, that: 15

...the inner reality of a man should match the outward appearances.

This concurs with the belief, as reported by St. Theophan the Recluse, held by Macarius the Great: 16

That you wholeheartedly embrace this very way of life and that you of your own accord decide to live that way to the end.

It was, according to William Stainton Moses’ communicator that, in ancient Egypt, the whole nation lived and breathed its philosophy: 17

We have told you before that the special grandeur of Egypt’s faith was the consecration to religion of daily life. It was a faith which influenced daily acts. Therein lay its power. It was a faith which recognised God in all nature, and especially in all animal life. It was the mystery of existence, the highest manifestation of Divine power that the Egyptian worshipped, when, as you imagine, he bowed down before an idol graven in the image of an ox....It would be well that the same care for the body, the same present view of religious duty, the same perception of an all-pervading Deity which formed the creed of ancient Egypt, and which enters so largely into ours, should be again prevalent among you.

Thomas Merton expressed this from a monk’s perspective as: 18

But above all in his prayer, his thoughts must agree with what he sings.

...and another famous mystic, Jacob Boehme, recalled by Robin Waterfield, said: 19

What good doth knowledge do me, if I live not in and according to the same? Knowing, and also the will and real performance of the same must be in me.

What a shame that we have lost so much. This ancient knowledge, Andrew Harvey recognised, abounded in all religions: 20

All the serious mystical traditions have known that for people to live 'contented, self-controlled, firm in faith' an ethical reordering of the whole life is necessary.

It is not because the Masters of the major religions have suggested that ‘walking the talk’ is important that I believe it to be vital to our lives. How can we build personal and community friendships if we do not act according to what we believe. We must, as Don Cupitt, professed: 21

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…in a profound way identify my very being with the morality I profess.

One aspect of building and living an effective philosophy is to create a ‘picture’ of what we would like to be and use this as a template for our development, as Elizabeth MacDonald Burrows suggested: 22

…no individual can become more perfect unless he allows what he perceives as an ideal to become his teacher.

We can look towards exemplars to provide us with a guide to how we can develop and live our life. Jesus the Nazarene is perhaps the greatest example of a person who we would want to emulate. Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston described his profile as: 23

His teaching was bound up in his actions, which were always authenticating his words.

Others, such as the Quaker George Fox and explained by Jim Pym, led their lives as their philosophy dictated: 24

...his emphasis is on living the spiritual life, rather than preaching.

The lives of others, less renowned or well known people, can be studied and can provide guidance for our own life. For example, the private life of Mère Ignace Goethals, the Third Mother-General of the Sisters of Notre-Dame de Namur: 25

...adhered faithfully to the Rule she had drawn up; God, her family, society, the unfortunate, all had a share in her time, for her one desire was to lead a useful life.

Even people who are very close to us, whose lives we tend to accept as common place, have a lot to offer in terms of setting an example for us. In the Foreword to Pamela Young’s book ‘Hope Street’, Patricia Scanlan describes Pamela’s mother Evelyn who: 26

...lived her philosophy of service, helping family, friends and anyone who needed her in a most truly non-judgmental way.

I suppose that the Scriptures, from any of the religions, could provide guidance on building a philosophy and then living it. Through looking at the lives of many of the mystics we will be able to unfold and grasp the drives within their lives and hence to consider them as being important to us and our philosophy. This will help us to recognise our own limitations and failings and permit us to take those steps which are necessary to develop our better nature. It is through gaining footholds on a better life that happiness and peace thrive. In the book ‘Unto Thee I Grant’ come a similar thought: 27

Establish unto thyself principles of action, and see that thou ever act according to them. First know that thy principles are just, and then be thou inflexible in the path of them. So shall thy passions have no rule over thee; so shall thy constancy ensure unto thee the good thou possessest, and drive from the door misfortune. Anxiety and disappointment shall be strangers to thy gates.

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We do have to be careful that we don’t appear as ‘holier than thou’ to all those that we meet. However, provided we have a balanced philosophy, one which respects the physical and the spiritual, then such a pious attitude will never exist. Schleiermacher, according to B. A. Gerrish, believed that: 28

As our knowledge of the world became complete the development of the pious consciousness in ordinary life would completely cease.

That is, we would become ‘whole’. There is little chance of that, however, during our current lives on Earth. This again, is something to aspire to; to aim towards as best we can whilst creating a worthwhile practical philosophy. White Eagle, too, suggested that we develop a down-to-earth way of living: 29

The soul has to live, not for itself and its own glorification, but to serve and minister to people, healing the sick and comforting the sorrowful, feeding the hungry. An individual's religion [his Philosophy of Life] must express itself in practical service on earth.

In other words, others become more important than ourselves. The thrust of this argument is not new. The Sufi mystic Al Ghazzali about 1000 years ago, in explaining the qualities and duties of a spiritual teacher, related that: 30

God also said, "Will ye enjoin what is right upon others, and forget yourselves?"

Staying with the Islamic tradition, Karen Armstrong noted that: 31

Like any religion or philosophia, Islam was a way of life (din). The fundamental message of the Qur'an was not a doctrine but an ethical summons to practically expressed compassion: it is wrong to build a private fortune and good to share your wealth fairly and create a just society where poor and vulnerable people are treated with respect. The five "pillars" of Islam are a miqra, a summons to dedicated activity: prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. This is also true of the first "pillar," the declaration of faith: "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet." This is not a "creed" in the modern Western sense; the Muslim who makes this shahadah "bears witness" in his life and in every single one of his actions that his chief priority is Allah and that no other "gods" - which include political, material, economic, and personal ambitions - can take precedence over his commitment to God alone.

And this thread of ‘service’ is another of the fundamental facets of our own philosophy. Harry Edwards, the renowned spiritual healer, agreed with this completely: 32

There is an important ideal to be woven into the way of life, and that is to seek to live by a code of true values. You will do no harm to anyone, you will always seek to serve.

The importance of this total integration of what you believe with what you do cannot be overstressed. The American Actor Alan Alda tried to convey this to his daughter, Marissa, at her graduation day: 33

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As for what you believe in, your values really are not so much what you say as what you do. The more you bring those two things in line with each other, the easier it may be to get where you are going.

This holistic, integrated way of living makes the journey easier and the load smoother. This concept is not complicated; in essence it is easy as Oliver Lodge explained: 34

But the way is really simple, and when the fog lifts and the sunshine appears, all becomes clear and we proceed without effort on our way: the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein. The way, the truth, and the life are all one. Reality is always simple; it is concrete and real and expressible.

And Father Andrew, in his down-to-earth way, wrote to a member of the Free Church who was thinking of joining the Anglican Communion, and told them: 35

Don't do anything that you do not believe, and don't act till you believe...

It is your belief system which, being continuously expanded through knowledge and experience, allows you to respond effectively to each new situation whether your own or that of others. This was the thrust of the ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius who, according to Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh realised that: 36

In life we want to constantly be ever-responsive to new circumstances as they arise, just as a farmer is vigilant about situations that affect his field.

There is another source of help and support for us on this journey. It is from our guardian angels and spirit guides who are ever available to us. The pathway towards expanded spirituality will give us a greater awareness of those guiding spirits around us and may permit us to sense, in some way, their presence and what they are trying to tell us. We are not all sensitive to the impressions of Spirit although if, for some part of your day, you adopt a contemplative or meditative or prayerful approach then there may be a chance that you could realise their promptings. This ‘Divine’’ illumination is important not to miss. Such blending of contemplation and living is, too, another aspect of each person’s philosophy. It was emphasised by F P Harton in his book ’The Elements of the Spiritual Life’: 37

What one is in one's life one is also in one's prayer; there is no magic about it. The life of prayer consists in the union of prayer and life, and if one is making no effort to approximate one's practice to the will of God, one can hardly expect to pray.

Taking time to meditate is important; it brings us and those in spirit much closer together. We should all spend some time each day in this silent world where we find peace and inspiration. A description of one person’s experience of this comes from Pamela Young: 38

In my meditations it has been impressed upon me that I should meet with kindred spirits and enter the 'silence' together. The silence is where the divine resides within each one of us and is waiting for us to commune. Doing this in groups creates spiritual synergy and is exponential in its radiance and effects. This can be done anywhere but joining together in spiritually charged places is even better. Your inner voice may tell you other ways to heal and awaken but mine has led me to

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the following guiding principles and affirmations which I attempt to live by: * I am in service to the Light and knows and understands only love * I speak only from my heart and spiritual mind * I shall not make people feel any less than they are, for they are all of the light * Whatever I think, say or do to others, I do to myself * I shall not waste my time highlighting the faults of others, they are only reflections of my own, but rather I shall look for their beauty, their love and their generous spirit * I live in love, never fear * I live in gratitude I should point out that most days I fail to live up to them, but I keep trying.

Let us take Pamela’s aspirations into our own philosophy and build upon them. Most of these principles can be summarised by the word ‘love’ and are about our relationship with others. It is through these contacts that our experiences develop and our spirituality builds. I found a good summary of this in Idries Shah’s book ‘The Way of the Sufi’. In it he refers to Insan-i-Kamil’s view of the path taken by all Sufis, which leads to: 39

...the completion of mankind and womankind, through the institutions of discipleship, meditation and practice. The latter is the 'living of reality'.

In other words, use meditation to expand your knowledge which in turn will lead to an improved set of beliefs that determine how we live our lives. However, many mystics have taken this approach to the spiritual extreme. Because many, in the past, have developed in a monastic environment, often they have ignored the need to balance a physical life with the spiritual. Nevertheless, we can temper this extreme view by making sure that whatever we do has a spiritual focus. We could follow the teaching of Meister Eckhart who, according to Cyprian Smith, knew that: 40

This is what the spiritual life, at its deepest, really means: not merely 'believing' in God, or even 'worshipping' God, but living and dwelling in God.

Brother Watchman Nee, a church leader and Christian teacher who worked in China during the first half of the 20th century, also recognised the real need to live every day according to the inherent beliefs which we hold: 41

What is really valuable before God is not how we emotionally feel the presence of the Lord or how we even feel love towards Him; rather it is how we follow the Holy Spirit and live according to what He has revealed to our spirit.

If this is taken as advice for our spiritual aspect, then fine. But do not set yourself apart spiritually, for having to live in the world of matter puts additional burdens onto us. Thus our philosophy must accommodate everything that we encounter in our lives, thereby using our knowledge and experience to define the standards by which we live – how we approach life and its problems.

As you will have realised from all that you have read so far, your Philosophy of Life is equivalent to your religion and its elements are part of your faith. Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese American artist, poet, and writer recorded something similar in ‘The Prophet’: 42

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Who can separate his faith from his actions, or his belief from his occupations...

…and

Your daily life is your temple and your religion.

Here Kaklil is referring to our own religion. There are hundreds of ‘ready-made’ religions and denominations many of which expect complete adherence to the ways laid down by their founding prophets. This is fine, except that most of these original concepts have been subsequently distorted by additions applied by early followers; for example the Hadiths of Islam, the Talmud of the Jews, and creeds and dogmas of Christianity. All these religious extensions have, to varying degrees, distorted the underlying messages of their Prophet. Nevertheless, there are millions of people who accept every tenet of these religions even though they fly in the face of 21 st century knowledge and reason. Even John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, in a letter in 1750 to the Baptist minister Gilbert Boyce, believed that all followers of a particular religion should respect its order and beliefs: 43

If I were in the Church of Rome, I would conform to all her doctrines and practices as far as they were not contrary to plain Scripture.

Some religions have more to offer than others. In an early chapter of his book ‘Listen My Son’, Harry Emerson explained that Spiritualism: 44

...appealed to my reason, something interesting, a way to live and have something to live for.

In general, the Scriptures are a good source of knowledge for us. Al Ghazzali tells us that in both the Bible and the Gospel is written: 45

Seek no new knowledge unless you have put into practice what you already know.

There is something more in these words than meets the eye. As soon as we understand a new facet of spirituality, we become responsible for implementing it; with knowledge comes responsibility. Once a truth is revealed to us there are a couple of implications. Firstly, that we have the knowledge to understand it and, secondly, that we have or will be given the strength to implement it. The ‘Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart’ also reinforced the view that if our philosophy is ‘right’ for you then you will be given all the strength that you need to carry it out: 46

For he who partakes of this [Divine] illumination shall not only keep the law in his heart with full conviction, but shall also have strength to live in accordance with it.

This is very reassuring – the fact that we are never working alone, but all the help we need will be given by God’s agents. Thus our philosophical foundation is continually expanding in breadth and depth as our experiences are rationalised. Consequential upon this improvement, therefore, we have to learn how this affects how we live our life, as Deepak Chopra realised: 47

To master pure awareness, you must learn how to live it.

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Of course, none of us will ever be able to completely live how we know we ought. Arthur Schopenhauer, a 19 th century German philosopher, personally recognised this difficulty as William L Watkinson, in discussing the influence of scepticism on one’s character, informed us: 48

He must throughout his life have been painfully conscious of the discordance of his philosophical principles with his habitual practice.

Schopenhauer claimed that our whole world is driven by a continually dissatisfied will, continually seeking satisfaction. That is probably right if the material aspects of life are our goal, but when this is balanced with a primary focus on the spiritual then the opposite will be true. We must make sure therefore that the spiritual is in ascendency and that the physical aspects of life continue to stay in the background. Follow the advice given by Mother Teresa to Henri Nouwen who asked her for spiritual direction: 49

Spend one hour each day in adoration of your Lord, she said, and never do anything you know is wrong.

Follow this, said John Eldridge, and you'll be fine; such simple, yet profound advice. Perhaps, to make sure that we are acting appropriately we should, each evening, review our daily activity and, in considering what we have done during the day, see if it is in accordance with our highest principles. St. Theophan the Recluse seemed to agree with this course of action: 50

Thus, we should examine each act which occurs to see if it is in compliance with the Divine will and then perform it with the conviction that it is totally in compliance with it and is pleasing to God. A person who always acts with such discretion and in the clear consciousness of pleasing God with his actions cannot fail at the same time to acknowledge that his life is proceeding truthfully.

This comes back again to confirming, on a daily basis, that we are walking the talk. George Fox in a letter, written in 1652 to a friend, advised: 51

Be not sayers only, nor backsliders, for the backslider is a sayer and not a doer.

In more recent times, the spirit communicator who used Phyllis V. Schlemmer as a channel suggested that you: 52

...continuously view your motive in order to keep yourself in alignment with your highest purpose.

Our philosophy therefore must be a reasoned extension of the knowledge we have gained and the experiences realised. It should seep into everything else that we do, as recommended by Andrew Harvey: 53

Intellectual or even inward spiritual understanding of mystical truths is not enough; they must be integrated into the fabric of our every thought, emotion, motive, and action.

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Thomas Merton, too, melded what we know with what we do: 54

Truth, in things, is their reality. In our minds, it is the conformity of our knowledge with the things known. In other words, it is the conformity of our words to what we think. On our conduct, it is the conformity of our acts to what we are supposed to be.

Starting out to ‘live our belief’ is none too easy; in fact, it is very hard. We may need to break lifetime habits and force ourselves to change. There is one consolation, however, which is that the more we do it the more of a habit it will be and eventually it will become a natural part of each of us. This point was made by Brian Weiss: 55

Consider the lessons. Intellectually the answers have always been there, but this need to actualise by experience, to make the subconscious imprint permanent by 'emotionalising' and practicing the concept, is the key Memorising in Sunday School is not good enough. Lip service without the behaviour has no value. It is easy to read about or to talk about love and charity and faith. But to do it, to feel it, almost requires an altered state of consciousness. The permanent state is reached by knowledge and understanding. It is sustained by physical behaviour, by act and deed, by practice. It is taking something nearly mystical and transforming it to everyday familiarity by practice, making it a habit.

Of course, we cannot stop living whilst we develop our philosophy. It will be something that evolves and our daily experiences will mould it into its proper shape; living will, perforce, stimulate change; it becomes a way of continuously testing our philosophy, as the Philokalia remarked: 56

He who seeks to understand commandments without fulfilling the commandments, and to acquire such understanding through learning and reading, is like a man who takes a shadow for truth ... for understanding of truth is given to those who have become participants in truth (who have tasted it through living).

Knowledge is fine but experience is paramount and only with the latter can we hope to understand. It is the difference between reading about the taste of liquorice compared with tasting it; there is no comparison. It is only by taste that we can put liquorice within the context of all the other foods we have tasted. Hans Küng used a different metaphor to describe something similar: 57

An image has much more power and is much more forceful when it is lived than when it is merely drawn. History bears eloquent witness to this fact.

Similarly, if we are told about and accept the existence of the Natural Law of Love, then we ought to do our utmost to live according to it as Red Cloud, Estelle Roberts’ spirit guide, remarked: 58

It is no use people going to the prophets of today [spiritual mediums] and listening to me or any other of my world who comes through to the matter-world; it is useless teaching theory, as we do, unless you endeavour to put it into practice.

Putting our philosophy into practice may well change the way we look at everything that

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:28:21 17.2 Philosophy of Life – Living It Page 11 of 17 happens to us. If we take Theophan the Recluse’s view of people that we encounter perhaps we will think about them in a different way. He said: 59

...when someone from outside comes to visit, or you go call on somebody yourself, keep in mind several things. First of all, God has sent this person to you, and He is looking to see whether you receive him and relate to him in a Godly manner; secondly, God has assigned you a task outside the house and is watching to see whether you will do it in a way He wants you to.

Look at everyone in a positive and loving light and you will be surprised how effective your relationships will be. Another way of looking at yourself was described by the Spirit teacher White eagle: 60

If you can think of yourself as being all that you know you should be: constant, gentle, loving and kind to every man, woman and child, and to every circumstance in life; kind and tolerant in your attitude towards all conditions on earth; above all, if you can conceive yourself as being completely calm in all conditions and circumstances, quiet and yet strong - strong to aid your weaker brethren, strong to speak the right word, to take the right action, and so become a tower of strength and light; if you can see yourself facing injustice and unkindness with a serene spirit, knowing that all things work out in time for good, and that justice is always eventually triumphant; if you have patience to await the process of the outworking of the will of God: if you can picture becoming like this, you will know something of mastership...

Once you have started out on this more spiritual journey, you may not be able to stop. Your life will become more meaningful and you will have a sense of peace and happiness which may have eluded you before. There will be no going back and it will tend to consume your life in that everything you do will have the correct basis. Again from Don Cupitt: 61

Sometimes it is right [from a moral perspective] to take it easy. In religion there is no such possibility, for religious commitment is day and night, sleeping and waking; it is one's entire mode of being and there cannot be a holiday from it.

This is no easy journey – it is hard to achieve as Thomas Merton said: 62

It takes intrepid courage to live according to the truth.

This is because we know we will not be perfect; we will make many mistakes as Laurie Worger recognised: 63

When we return to earth we forget our past and as we all know from personal experience, still make a tremendous number of mistakes concerning the purpose of our living.

But this is what the process of living is all about; we have to learn from our mistakes and through this mechanism our soul progresses. You would think that it gets easier as you get older ... no such thing. This is mainly because as we begin to know more, then our demands upon ourselves increase and so integrating what we do with what we ought to do becomes more difficult. On this point Evelyn Underhill remarked: 64

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It is far easier, though not very easy, to develop and preserve a spiritual outlook on life, than it is to make our everyday actions harmonise with that spiritual outlook. That means trying to see things, persons and choices from the angle of eternity; and dealing with them as part of the material in which the Spirit works. This will be decisive for the way we behave as to our personal, social, and national obligations. It will decide the papers we read, the movements we support, the kind of administrators we vote for, our attitude to social and international justice.

Because of this, there is a serious disadvantage to operating your life through a spiritual persona. Malcolm Muggeridge was able to articulate this from Tolstoy’s perspective, and he wrote that: 65

…it was [Tolstoy’s] insistence that religion was a way of life that made him - in the eyes of the ecclesiastical authorities - a dangerous heretic. The sufferings of the poor, the afflicted and the oppressed; the futility of trying to find fulfilment through the senses, or celebrity, or any of the pursuits of the will or the ego; the inadequacy of power as an instrument for instituting justice and brotherliness...all this was made actual by the light of his genius and the force of his sincerity.

…and from the pen of Carl Jung: 66

Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible. The loneliness began with the experiences of my early dreams, and reached its climax at the time I was working on the unconscious. If a man knows more than others, he becomes lonely.

This is the stuff of martyrs and one of the greatest of them all was Jesus the Nazarene. It can be said that he suffered death because he did not want to conflict with his own Philosophy of Life which was based around his relationship with his Creator. Anselm, an English Benedictine monk who rose to be Archbishop of Canterbury during the turn of the 12 th century, referring in his book ‘Cur Deus Homo? (Why God became Man?)’ to many passages in the Bible, particularly Phil.ii.8; Heb.v.8; Rom,viii.32; John vi.38, xviii.11; Matt.xxvi.39, wrote that: 67

In all these passages Christ is represented as having endured death rather by the constraint of obedience that by the inclination of His own free will.

Nevertheless, don’t be discouraged – it is far worse to recognise spiritual truths and not live by them, as Emanuel Swedenborg informed us: 68

Those who acknowledge genuine truths and yet do not live according to them appear in the spiritual world without light and heat of vitality in the tone of their voice and speech, as if they were inert beings.

So our understanding of the totality of life will determine what we believe and what we do. If we take a balanced approach where the spiritual drives us in our physical incarnation then we will be living the life that we were put on earth to accomplish. If we live by these truths then, as was told to Beatrice Russell: 69

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...to thine own self be true, and thou canst not then be false to any man

…we will become a mirror of our philosophy which is a measure by which we love humanity or, as William Law put it: 70

But the spirit of love is not in you till it is the spirit of your life.

This in essence is the theme of the life of John Wesley, because as John M. Todd noted: 71

Once having seen the ideal of a Christian life, it was not enough to give himself to it as a profession, not to pray for help to make the best of it. He must set about organising his life so that it had the best possible chance of reflecting the ideal.

It is inevitable that what you believe becomes you. You are a walking response to all the truths that you live by; that is your Philosophy of Life. On August 2 nd 1896, William Watkinson delivered the sixteenth Fernley lecture at the City Road Chapel, London, in which he echoed everything that I have said: 72

...whatever a man really believes, whatever theory of the world he finds himself constrained to accept, whatever interpretation he gives to human life, whatever type of character secures his sanction and admiration, whatever may be his ultimate hope or fear, inevitably fashions his character and colours his action day by day and hour by hour.

If we rephrase all the above in terms of a religious and monotheistic perspective then there would be no finer paraphrase than that given by a spirit writing on a slate and recorded by The Rev. W. Stainton Moses: 73

God's will be done on earth, as it is done in heaven; that the Christ-principle of doing good be inculcated as the only saving efficacy from selfishness, discord, and error; not simply to be investigated, but unfolded; not to be obtained by formal rites, but because originally implanted, must necessarily be developed in the everlasting life of man, and it only remains for man to place himself under the conditions of harmony to become receptive to the wide-spreading volume of God's universal welcome.

...and from the Quaker Jim Pym who recognised that modern Friends are urged to: 74

Be aware of the Spirit of God in the ordinary activities and experience of your daily life.

So that if we do use a particular religion and follow a particular Deity, albeit partially then we could, as St. Theophan the Recluse recommended: 75

Look to Heaven, and measure every step of your life so that it is a step towards it.

All followers of the major religions should also realise that they have changed considerably since their founder’s life on earth. In those days religion was a living, breathing entity; something that was lived by all its followers as recalled by Karen Armstrong in her

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Religion, therefore, was not primarily something that people thought but something they did.

...and this, agreed Major J H Webster, is what we have lost: 77

Religion, I submit, is not public worship; it is life. Religion and life are one. They have only been separated in the past by ignorance.

Such a way of thinking is rife. People follow the rituals without living the underpinning tenets of the original religion. The philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti recognised that: 78

Religion is not a matter of dogmas and beliefs, of rituals and superstitions; nor is it the cultivation of personal salvation, which is a self-centred activity. Religion is the total way of life; it is the understanding of truth...

If we are to recover this situation, then we must educate our children, not in a particular religion but in the need to have a spiritual focus in life. Forget ‘faith schools’ and concentrate on every child having a sound grounding in all aspects of spirituality. In the Old Testament we can, as did Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston, find interesting guidance for this: 79

The writer of Deuteronomy comments: 'Impress them (God's laws) on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.' (Deuteronomy 6:7-9) Israelites were thoroughly convinced that their sacred writings instructed every aspect of life that was lived in its totality before God. Authentic Hebrew spirituality was about 'joined-up' living.

And it is only our future generations that can achieve this. Whilst you and I can develop our living philosophy, we are only a small fraction of the totality of humanity, and it is this collective whole that will really make a difference to living on earth. In the foreword to ‘Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement’ Jim Wallis wrote: 80

Steve believes, as I do, that a true faith must be put into practice. Action preserves a genuine faith, while an authentic faith maintains the integrity of our actions.

This theme of ‘develop and live’ our philosophy was also highlighted by the saint of the Russian Orthodox Church Theophan the Recluse with reference to James 2:20: 81

Carry out the commandments, for faith without works is dead.

In everything we do, therefore, our faith - our Philosophy of Life - must never be compromised. We must, as White Eagle remarked: 82

...stand firm and loyal for what you know is truth.

Finally, a simile to encapsulate the need to have a Philosophy of Life which we use as our

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Philosophy for Life. It was written by Father Andrew, probably based on his love of painting and sketching, in a letter to one of his spiritual children in 1940: 83

I think our lives are made up of background and foreground; the background is our faith, the foreground is our practice. Take away the background, and the life is full of fret and fuss; take away the foreground and it is a thing of dreams.

Thus, live your life according to everything you believe; be guided by spirit and the Cosmic Laws you recognise. Do this and the changes in your life will be remarkable.

1 Saskia Murk Jansen, Brides in the Desert - The Spirituality of the Beguines, Darton Longman and Todd, 1998. 6 Conclusion, (Pg 117) 2 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. Prologue, (Pg xiv) 3 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 8: Vocation, (Pg 119) 4 Thomas Merton, Thoughts In Solitude, Burns & Oates, 1993. Part Two: The Love of Solitude: IV, (Pg85) 5 Thomas Merton, Thoughts In Solitude, Burns & Oates, 1993. Part One: Aspects of the Spiritual Life: X, (Pg 46) 6 Morton T Kelsey, The Other Side of Silence, SPCK, 1985. Part Four: The Use of Images in Meditation - 16. Putting Imagination to Work, (Pg 210) 7 Maulana Mohammad Ali, Introduction to The Study of the Holy Qur'an, The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at- Islam, 1976. Chapter II - Essentials of Religion: Section 1 - Unity of God, (Pg 65) 8 Henry Thomas Hamblin, The Book of Daily Readings, The Rally, 1944. October 26, (Pg 157) 9 Robin Waterfield, Streams of Grace, Fount, 1985. (Pg 61) 10 Aldous Leonard Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, Perennial, Harper Collins, 2004. Chapter VII: Truth, (Pg 139) 11 Dom Aelred Graham, Christian Thought in Action, The Catholic Book Club, 1958. Chapter One: What Is the Spiritual Life? (Pg 16) 12 Aldous Leonard Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, Perennial, Harper Collins, 2004. Chapter IX: Self- Knowledge, (Pg 163) 13 Hugh Ross Mackintosh, Types of Modern Theology, Nisbet, 1949. VII: The Theology of Paradox, Soren Kierkegaard – Chapter 1: His Early Life and Training, (Pg 220) 14 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Part One: The Unknown God - 3 Reason, (Pg 75) 15 Walter Hilton, The Stairway of Perfection, Image Books, 1979. Book One: Chapter One, (Pg 63) 16 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 30 The Inner State According to Macarius the Great, (Pg 144) 17 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XXVIII, (Pg 225) 18 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 10: Sincerity, (Pg 181) 19 Robin Waterfield, Jacob Boehme, North Atlantic Books, 2001. Part Two - 1 Selections - A Letter to an Enquirer, (Pg 77)

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20 Andrew Harvey, The Direct Path, Rider & Co, 2000. Two: Practicing the Path, (Pg 68) 21 Don Cupitt, Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 2001. 5 Worship and Theological Realism, (Pg 74) 22 Elizabeth MacDonald Burrows, Pathway of the Immortal, International Publications Inc, 1980. Chapter III: The Cosmic Law of Karma, (Pg 53) 23 Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston, Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement, Kingsway Publications, 2003. 2. Intimacy and Involvement: Spirituality in the New Testament, (Pg 40 / 41) 24 Jim Pym, Listening to the Light, Rider & Co, 1999. The Source, (Pg 44) 25 Mère Ignace Goethals - Third Mother-General of the Sisters of Notre-Dame de Namur, A Member of the Same Congregation, Alexander Ouseley Limited, 1934. Chapter II: In the World, but not of it (1817 - July 1821), (Pg 32) 26 Pamela Young, Hope Street, Coronet, 2011. Foreword [by Patricia Scanlan], (Pg v) 27 Unto Thee I Grant, Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1966. Book Nine: Man Considered in Regard to His Infirmities and their Effects. Chapter II- Inconstancy, (Pg 55) 28 B A Gerrish, A Prince of the Church: Schleiermacher and the Beginnings of Modern Theology, SCM Press, 1984. The Acts of God, (Pg 57) 29 White Eagle on the Intuition and Initiation, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 2004. Part Two: Developing the Intuition - IX: Heart Work, (Pg 95) 30 Al Ghazzali, The Book of Knowledge, SH. Muhammad Ashraf, 1991. Section V On the Properties of the Student and the Teacher: The Duties of the Teacher, (Pg 153) 31 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Part One: The Unknown God - 4 Faith, (Pg 101) 32 Harry Edwards, Spirit Healing, The Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary, 1978. Part One: Spirit Healing - Chapter Five - The Healing Gift, (Pg 46) 33 Alan Alda, Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, Hutchinson, 2007. Chapter 210: When the Breeze Was Scarce, I Named the Boat Patience, (Pg 122) 34 Sir Oliver J Lodge, Raymond or Life and Death. Methuen & Co, 1916. Part III: Life and Death - Chapter XVII: The Christian Idea of God, (Pg 392) 35 Kathleen E. Burne, The Life and Letters of Father Andrew, A.R.Mowbray, 1951. Part II: Letters: To a Member of the Free Church thinking of Joining the Anglican Communion, February 20, 1939. (Pg 140) 36 Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh, The Path, Viking, 2016. 4: On Decisions: Mencius and the Capricious World, (Pg 80) 37 F P Harton, The Elements of the Spiritual Life: A study in Ascetical Theology, SPCK, 1950. Part IV - Chapter XVII Meditation, (Pg 234) 38 Pamela Young, Hope Street, Coronet, 2011. Part Four: The Work, (Pg 244 / 245) 39 Idries Shah, The Way of the Sufi, Penguin Books, 1975. Part Eight: Letters and Lectures: The Sufi Path, (Pg 294) 40 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 5 The Voice of God, (Pg 64) 41 Watchman Nee, When is My Spirit Normal?, Ministry of Life, 1927. Chapter 1 - The Dangers of Spiritual Life, (Pg 133) 42 Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, Arrow Books, 2005. (Pg 90) & (Pg 91) 43 John M. Todd, John Wesley and the Catholic Church, The Catholic Book Club, 1958. Chapter Ten: The Church, (Pg 171) 44 Harry Emerson, Listen My Son, The Psychic Book Club, 1945. Chapter Two: Years of Spiritual Black-out, (Pg 17) 45 Al Ghazzali, The Book of Knowledge, SH. Muhammad Ashraf, 1991. Section VI On the evils of Knowledge ... (Pg 168) 46 Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, Faber & Faber, 1992. Part Two: Hesychius of Jerusalem to Theodulus - Texts on Sobriety and Prayer – 86, (Pg 296) 47 Deepak Chopra, The Book of Secrets, Rider & Co, 2004. Secret #3 - Four Paths Lead to Unity, (Pg 41) 48 William L Watkinson, The Influence of Scepticism on Character, Charles H Kelly, 1898. The Influence of Scepticism on Character. Chapter III, (Pg 137) 49 John Eldredge, The Journey of Desire - Searching for the Life We've Only Dreamed Of, Thomas Nelson, 2001. Chapter Ten: Entering More Deeply into Desire - Worship - The Heart's Healer, (Pg 177) 50 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 37 Harmony with the Will of God, (Pg 170) 51 Jonathan Fryer, George Fox and the Children of the Light, Kyle Cathie, 1991. The Epistles: To Friends (1652), (Pg 218)

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52 Phyllis V. Schlemmer, The Only Planet of Choice, Gateway Books, 1996. III: New Light on Earth's Ancient History - 10: The Seeding of Humanity and the Aksu Culture, (Pg 140) 53 Andrew Harvey, The Direct Path, Rider & Co, 2000. Two: Practicing the Path - Eighteen Sacred Practices for Transformed Spiritual Living, (Pg 76) 54 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 10: Sincerity, (Pg 167) 55 Brian Leslie Weiss, Many Lives, Many Masters, Judy Piatkus, 2002. Chapter Sixteen, (Pg 210 / 211) 56 Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, Faber & Faber, 1992. Part One: Gregory of Sinai - Texts on Commandments and Dogmas #22, (Pg 42) 57 Hans Küng, Why Priests?, Fount, 1980. Chapter Four: The Form of the Ministry of Leadership in the Church: 9. The Apostle as a Model for the Church Leader, (Pg 84) 58 Estelle Roberts, Red Cloud Speaks, Tudor Press, 1992. Chapter Twelve: Spiritualism versus Orthodox Christianity. (Pg 59) 59 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 49 The Burdens of Life, (Pg 214) 60 White Eagle, The Quiet Mind, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1984. Introduction, (Pg 8) 61 Don Cupitt, Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 2001. 6 Doctrine and Disinterestedness, (Pg 82) 62 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 8: Vocation, (Pg 119) 63 Laurie Worger, My Treasures For You, The Percival Book Company, 1965. Chapter 15: Concerning Karma, (Pg 144) 64 Evelyn Underhill, The Spiritual Life, Mowbray, 1984. Part Three: The Spiritual Life as Co-operation with God, (Pg 80) 65 Malcolm Muggeridge, A Third Testament, The Plough Publishing House, 2002. (pg 123) 66 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. Retrospect, (Pg 389 / 390) 67 Anselm, Cur Deus Homo? (Why God became Man?), The Religious Tract Society, 1886. Cur Deus Homo?: Book I – VIII, (Pg 50) 68 Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence, Swedenborg Society, 1949. Chapter VII: Man is admitted interiorly into the Truths ... (Pg 170) 69 Beatrice Russell, Fragments of Truth from the Unseen. Unknown Publisher, 1951. Simplicity, (Pg 42) 70 William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life - The Spirit of Love, SPCK, 1978. The Spirit of Love: Part the First in a letter to a Friend, (Pg 358) 71 John M. Todd, John Wesley and the Catholic Church, The Catholic Book Club, 1958. Chapter Two: The Early Years, (Pg 36) 72 William L Watkinson, The Influence of Scepticism on Character, Charles H Kelly, 1898. The Influence of Scepticism on Character, (Pg 1) 73 The Rev. W. Stainton Moses, Direct Spirit Writing (Psychography), Psychic Book Club, 1952. General Corroborative Evidence: III Special Tests, showing the Impossibility of Previous Preparation of the Writing, (Pg 94 / 95) 74 Jim Pym, Listening to the Light, Rider & Co, 1999. Introduction, (Pg 36 / 37) 75 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 16 The True Goal of Life, (Pg 88) 76 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Introduction, (Pg 4) 77 Major J H Webster, Through Clouds of Doubt, The Psychic Book Club, 1939. Chapter XIII - The Clouds Disperse, (Pg 151) 78 J Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living - Third Series, Victor Gollancz, 1961. The Fragmentation of Man IS Making Him Sick, (Pg 92) 79 Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston, Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement, Kingsway Publications, 2003. 2. Intimacy and Involvement: Spirituality in the Old Testament, (Pg 29 / 30) 80 Steve Chalke and Simon Johnston, Faithworks: Intimacy and Involvement, Kingsway Publications, 2003. Foreword [by Jim Wallis], (Pg 8) 81 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 17 A God-pleasing Life, (Pg 92) 82 White Eagle, Spiritual Unfoldment 2, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1994. V: Companioned by Angels, (Pg 45) 83 Kathleen E. Burne, The Life and Letters of Father Andrew, A.R.Mowbray, 1951. Part II: Letters: To Spiritual Children (Various): To Miss B. August 28, 1940. (Pg 179)

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17.3: Philosophy of Life – Use of Reason

Our Philosophy of Life will never be static. It will always be changing, developing and expanding as we extend our knowledge and experience new situations. In some respects this is an exciting process although often it can feel a little daunting. We have to put our reasoning powers in gear when we wake in the morning and they have to remain active throughout the day. Everything that happens we have to examine and potentially think about.

In order to try to gain a modern view of ‘thoughts’ I turned initially to the internet and found: 1

Thought can refer to the ideas or arrangements of ideas that result from thinking, the act of producing thoughts, or the process of producing thoughts. Despite the fact that thought is a fundamental human activity familiar to everyone, there is no generally accepted agreement as to what thought is or how it is created. Because thought underlies many human actions and interactions, understanding its physical and metaphysical origins, processes, and effects has been a longstanding goal of many academic disciplines including artificial intelligence, biology, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Thinking allows humans to make sense of, interpret, represent or model the world they experience, and to make predictions about that world. It is therefore helpful to an organism with needs, objectives, and desires as it makes plans or otherwise attempts to accomplish those goals.

Thinking initially allows us to develop our strategy for how we will live our lives and thereafter it will come into play when we use our reasoning powers to assess events. It is this process of reasoning which will pitch one idea against another; a current view of something against new material which may change that view. Whatever we meet in life we must assess, as William Stainton Moses suggested: 2

Man must judge according to the light of reason that is in him. That is the ultimate standard, and the progressive soul will receive what the ignorant or prejudiced will reject. God’s truth is forced on none.

…and a very good recommendation articulated by Alexandra David-Néel and based on the advice given by the Buddha to His disciples, the primary recommendation that the Masters give to neophytes is: 3

"Doubt!"

This is because, as he further commented:

Doubt is an incitement to research, and research is the Way which leads to Knowledge.

If we are to look at everything using our own reasoning then each of us will, quite rightly, develop our own philosophy. If you were, as I was, brought up in a Christian tradition, then there is no doubt where you start and perhaps, as Don Cupitt did, develop from that point: 4

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Moreover, within the Christian tradition itself, I am selective, as is everyone else. Again, why not? Nowadays we are very much aware of the varieties of individual personality and religious outlook. So far as world-view, spirituality and values are concerned everyone in our culture puts together a personal package. Such liberty and variety need not be corrupt or confusing. It can be enriching, provided we each strive in our own way to make a religiously-valuable and coherent whole of our lives.

According to Ibn Rushd, a 12 th Century a Muslim polymath, Reza Aslan writes: 5

…religion simplifies the truth for the masses by resorting to easily recognisable signs and symbols, regardless of the doctrinal contradictions and rational incongruities that inevitably result from the formation and rigid interpretation of dogma. Philosophy, however, is itself truth; its purpose is merely to express reality through the faculty of human reason.

This is the path each of us must follow – we must reason for ourselves. Combine this with imagination, as Peter Toon suggested, and you have a very powerful tool to support you: 6

Unless we stop to analyse our thinking we would not be particularly aware of having used the imagination in this way where it is basically the servant of reason.

We must never take another person’s faith without critical appraisal. Evelyn Underhill expressed this as: 7

The amount of time which can be given [to spiritual activity] and the way that it is used will vary between soul and soul; and the first snag to avoid is surely that of adopting a set scheme because we have read about it in a book, or because it suits somebody else.

Everything and everyone should be tested. The spiritual medium Stephen O’Brien mandated this in his book ‘Visions of another World’ when he replied to a question: 8

…test everyone and everything with your powers of reasoning and intelligence.

This applies to formal religions too. Each of the major religions fixes a follower’s view on the dogma and creeds which have grown up around the basic concepts of the faith. The fundamental ideas, whether be it from Moses, Jesus the Nazarene, Muhammad, Buddha, Zoroaster or any of the other major prophets, have all been clouded in man-made ideas to the detriment of the spiritual underpinning that those Masters gave to us. People who are critical of much of this ‘fluff’ around the basic spiritual ideas tend to take their criticism too far and reject everything that religions have to offer, as Cyprian Smith identified: 9

It could be that many people who seem to have rejected religion, who profess scepticism and unbelief, are really treading this same path without knowing it. What they are rejecting is not God, but the limited images of God which can actually, at a certain stage in life, hinder our perception of reality. What they are smashing is not God, but an idol, and their anger is a sacred anger.

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So you don’t have to destroy every notion that a religion has to offer, to understand and accept, into your own philosophy, many of its basic tenets. According to B A Gerrish this is what Friedrich Schleiermacher, an early 19 th Century German theologian and philosopher, did: 10

What Schleiermacher lost in his Moravian seminary was not his religion but a system of doctrines. And because they belong together, it is possible to conceive of his theology as simply the turning of his critical intellect upon the content of his religious sensibility, not to destroy it but to understand it and give it more adequate form.

Carl Jung also advised against automatic acceptance of decreed truths without critical appraisal of them: 11

“He who is able to receive this, let him receive it." (Matthew 19:11f.) Blind acceptance never leads to a solution; at best it leads only to a standstill and is paid for heavily in the next generation.

Reason must always be the guide as William Stainton Moses advised: 12

If you will further recollect the standpoint we have selected, you will see that in place of blind faith, which accepts traditional teaching—the old, merely because it is old - we appeal to your reason: and in place of credulity we demand rational, intelligent investigation and acceptance grounded on conviction.

…and he also suggested that: 13

Blind faith can be no substitute for reasoning trust.

This is very appropriate to acceptance of the traditions of religions. The 19 th century German theologian Albrecht Ritschl recognised that we must all apply reason when considering every aspect of Christian dogma: 14

No doubt in a broad sense most of us are speculative rationalists in so far as we try to think out and think through the implications of Christian Faith in an effort to correlate each belief with all the rest.

We cannot have aspects of our own personal philosophy which are inconsistent with the rest. Ratifying this, from the Spirit World, Silver Birch in his teachings told us that: 15

Our appeal is no longer to names and authorities and books, but to reason alone .

…and from Thomas A Kempis: 16

You must not ask who said it, But what is said - attend to that.

H G (Herbert George) Wells, that prolific science fiction writer, also put into the mouths of some of his fictional characters thoughts that he himself pondered. In his novel ‘The Babes in the Darkling Wood’, one of puzzled young people during a conversation with the

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At the back of all there surely has to be a creed, a fundamental statement, put in language which does not conflict with every reality we know about the world. We don't want to be put off with serpents and fig-leaves and sacrificial lambs. We want a creed in modern English, sir. And we can't find it.

This is what everyone is searching for; we need to have a set of principles which we can totally believe in and follow through into our daily life. A couple of these basic questions were posed by Don Cupitt: 18

...through much of Christian tradition (and to some extent among Jews and Muslims as well) there have been two main doctrines of the soul and life after death, one closer to Plato and the other closer to Aristotle. The Platonic tradition teaches the immortality of the soul. .. The Aristotelian tradition teaches the resurrection of the body

The search goes on. In every facet of life we have to ‘lift the boulders’ and see what we can find. Spiritual truths are not easy to find - I prefer to use the word ‘spiritual’ rather than ‘religious’ as it comes with less baggage. Colin Fry has a similar use of these words: 19

...an increasing number of us [are] searching for meaning in our daily lives, something that is not necessarily religious but spiritual.

So we don’t need to follow the paths of a particular religion nor, I should emphasise, do we need to follow the paths trod by those who purport to be spiritual people. Certainly examine what they have to offer but use your reasoning to determine the value of it to you. Watchman Nee, a church leader and Christian teacher who worked in China during the first half of the 20th century, wrote, in the tract ‘When is My Spirit Normal?’20

Thus ought we to follow the direct leading of the Lord in our spirit rather than the words of spiritual people. Does this then imply that words of the spiritual fathers are useless? No, they are most useful.

…provided we look at them in the right light. Buddha, too, challenged us to be critical: 21

The Buddha insisted strongly on the necessity of examining the propositions put forward by him, and understanding them personally before accepting them as true.

...and as the minister William Houff said: 22

Words and logic are essential to classifying experience, and in discerning and turning away from error.

Peter Berger suggested that we must check what we read and what knowledge we manage to acquire from and with our own experience: 23

If the religious projections of man correspond to a reality that is superhuman and supernatural, then it seems logical to look for traces of this reality in the projector himself. This is not to suggest an empirical (a source of knowledge acquired by

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means of observation or experimentation) theology - that would be logically impossible - but rather a theology of very high empirical sensitivity that seeks to correlate its propositions with what can be empirically known.

Personal experience is crucial to developing the right Philosophy. This is particularly true of spiritual experiences, which, according to David Hay: 24

...they, like any other human experiences, are data which ought not to be ignored in making coherent sense of one's world. Most people are struck dumb if they do not use traditional religious language when they try to describe the meaning of their experience. This is evidence of how destitute contemporary models of reality are when it comes to dealing with these deeper aspects of life, not that these deeper aspects do not exist.

This applies to all sources of knowledge. Science we must also be critical of. The real problem of science is that it has become so complicated, so compartmentalised that it is very difficult to have a holistic scientific view on anything. We are often given half truths or truths from a particular perspective without consideration of the whole. It is therefore up to us to do the sifting – very difficult particularly if you do not have a scientific bent. This difficulty was outlined by Rosalind Heywood:25

The methods of science when studying a new phenomenon are quite clear cut. First, observe it as often and as objectively as possible. Next, tentatively put forward a possible cause for it. And finally, learn to reproduce it in controlled conditions, as and when required. This procedure is comparatively easy in the physical sciences; less so in biology; less so again in psychology; and in psychical research immensely difficult.

That is not to say that we should ignore scientific revelations, but we should critically look at them using our ability to reason. Again from the book The Nature of Man by Don Cupitt: 26

If you accept the authority of reason you must recognise the achievements of modern science and try to adjust your view of life accordingly.

Immanuel Kant, as recognised by Timothy Keller, was also sceptical of authority; of those ideas which organisations and individuals attempt to impose upon us: 27

Immanuel Kant defined an enlightened human being as one who trusts in his or her own power of thinking, rather than in authority or tradition.

We must also be cognisant of the fact that the society within which we live and have most of our experiences will colour what we believe to be our realisable truths. White Eagle taught us to be wary of this: 28

Often it is a question of geography: what might be considered bad in a Christian country can be practised elsewhere with impunity... So it is necessary to take a wise and very broad view of the whole.

Dreams, according to Carl Jung, can be a source of notions. Such ideas may spur us to

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Naturally, such reasoning does not apply to everyone. There are people who feel no craving for immortality, and who shudder at the thought of sitting on a cloud and playing the harp for ten thousand years! There are also quite a few who have been so buffeted by life, or who feel such disgust for their own existence, that they far prefer absolute cessation to continuance. But in the majority of cases the question of immortality is so urgent, so immediate, and also so ineradicable that we must make an effort to form some sort of view about it. But how? My hypothesis is that we can do so with the aid of hints sent to us from the unconscious in dreams, for example. Usually we dismiss these hints because we are convinced that the question is not susceptible to answer. In response to this understandable scepticism, I suggest the following considerations. If there is something we cannot know, we must necessarily abandon it as an intellectual problem. For example, I do not know for what reason the universe has come into being, and shall never know. Therefore I must drop this question as a scientific or intellectual problem. But if an idea about it is offered to me in dreams or in mythic traditions I ought to take note of it. I even ought to build up a conception on the basis of such hints, even though it will forever remain a hypothesis which I know cannot be proved.

Don’t get carried away with the idea that we can dream our philosophy, but we can certainly use all the triggers that are available to develop it. We should not miss a trick. We should look at every situation from all angles as William Clemmons suggested: 30

What is necessary for seeing is to develop the eyes that can truly see all that is going on around us. We need to see things 'from the other end', to see things 'as they really are'...

I quote often, in this chapter, from Peter Berger’s book ‘A Rumour of Angels’. Here are a couple more which make us think about our human history from an anthropological perspective: 31

If anthropology is understood here in a very broad sense, as any systematic inquiry into the constitution and condition of man, it will be clear that any kind of theology will have to include the anthropological dimension. After all, theological propositions only rarely deal with the divine in and of itself, but rather in relation to and significance for man.

…and: 32

History provides us with the record of man's experience with himself and with reality. This record contains those experiences, in a variety of forms, that I have called signals of transcendence. The theological enterprise will have to be first of all, a rigorously empirical analysis of those experiences, in terms of both a historical anthropology and a history of religion...

Beware, too, of material distractions. There is so much in the media which is likely to cloud our vision. It is easier not to look at those difficult questions and live a very shallow, superficial life. Again, Peter Berger does well to advise us that: 33

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…denial of metaphysics may here be identified with the triumph of triviality.

We must not let it happen – our lives should be lived to the full and be focussed on the important things; those things which constitute our Philosophy of Life, as Colin Fry remarked: 34

We are all trying to make sense of our everyday life experiences and find some purpose in our existence.

These difficult questions may not have answers that we can rationally identify in this lifetime – they may have to wait until much later in another life or another sphere of existence. Thus we may have to accept, with Paul Davies, that some ideas that we have are acts of belief or faith and not based on any solid foundation. 35

Just how far can reasoned argument take us? Can we really hope to answer the ultimate questions of existence through science and rational inquiry, or will we always encounter impenetrable mystery at some stage?

So, starting with the knowledge that we have and the experiences that we have rationalised, we can develop our understanding of things physical and spiritual. And, in Carl Jung’s words: 36

My own understanding is the sole treasure I possess, and the greatest.

And how do we develop it? Through searching for the truth in all things combined with reasoned argument. Even though this search seems endless, never give up. Silver Birch encouraged us when he said: 37

It is better always to search for truth, diligently and patiently, rather than to sit still. It is always better to strive for progress.

Scrutinising every bit of knowledge, experience and existing belief may lead you to pastures new. Suppose that, at the start of your spiritual development, you did not have a view as to whether there was life after death or not. Then, through reading books and attending many Spiritualist services, you will have an inkling that there may be a Spirit World in which resides the spirits of people who used to live on earth and who are supposed to be dead. This will set you on a whole new journey and along this new pathway even more truths will be uncovered. Don Cupitt understood that such revelations will drastically change your outlook on life: 38

...for whether or not one believes in life after death obviously makes a vital difference to one's understanding of man and the meaning of human life.

Each prospective truth must have our own reasoning applied to it. The conversation in the book ‘Sophie's World’ leads us to this same conclusion: 39

Rene Descartes was born in 1596 and lived in a number of different European countries at various periods of his life. Even as a young man he had a strong desire to achieve insight into the nature of man and the universe. But after studying

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philosophy he became increasingly convinced of his own ignorance. .. Like Socrates? More or less like him, yes. Like Socrates, he was convinced that certain knowledge is only attainable through reason. We can never trust what the old books tell us. We cannot even trust what our senses tell us. Plato thought that too. He believed that only reason can give us certain knowledge. Exactly. There is a direct line of descent from Socrates and Plato via St. Augustine to Descartes. They were all typical rationalists, convinced that reason was the only path to knowledge. After comprehensive studies, Descartes came to the conclusion that the body of knowledge handed down from the Middle Ages was not necessarily reliable. You can compare him to Socrates, who did not trust the general views he encountered in the central square of Athens. So what does one do, Sophie? Can you tell me that? You begin to work out your own philosophy.

And during this process implement the advise of William Roache: 40

Never accept anything that offends your reason.

This does not mean that you should reject everything that you do not accept. You are allowed to ‘park’ issues. That is, for those issues which you, through application of your reasoning ability, have no strong view either way, then put the idea to one side – it may not yet be the right time to consider that particular issue. The time for resolution will comes at some time in the future.

You must, however, be careful not to make reason an inhibiting power. Geraldine Cummins, whose book ‘The Scripts of Cleophas’ supplements the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of St. Paul was inspired to write: 41

...a man's reason oft checketh and holdeth back the other part, which cometh from the Spirit.

In this process, you must reason well; never let go of your need to question and reason as Martin Israel suggested: 42

Always hold on to reason, but never let it dictate the nature of truth. Its function is to assess new insights, and if these are acceptable, to bring them into harmony with past knowledge so that a new synthesis may be effected.

The inspirational teacher Michal Levin also recognised the need to set reason in ‘servant’ rather than the ‘master’ context: 43

Applying reason and logic can never be wrong. Being led only be those qualities is a grave shortcoming, though.

In this way our philosophy expands and becomes enriched through, according to the physicist Carl Sagan, critical appraisal: 44

Ideas contradict one another; only through sceptical scrutiny can we decide among them. Some ideas really are better than others.

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Carl, being scientifically trained and experienced, realised that we must accept only those things for which the evidence is strong: 45

Keeping an open mind is a virtue - but, as the space engineer James Oberg once said, not so open that your brains fall out. Of course we must be willing to change our minds when warranted by new evidence. But the evidence must be strong. Not all claims to knowledge have equal merit.

By ‘good’ evidence I don’t mean just scientific or that evidence which can be unequivocally reproduced. There must be a blend of scientific and non-scientific ideas within our portfolio and the ‘evidence’ for some may be more rigorous than for others. Perhaps we can take Evelyn Underhill’s approach: 46

Consider that wonderful world of life in which you are placed, and observe that its great rhythms of birth, growth and death – all things that really matter ... are not in your control. That unhurried process will go forward in its stately beauty, little affected by your anxious fuss. Find out, then, where your treasure really is. Discern substance from accident. Don’t confuse your meals with life, and your clothes with your body. Don’t lose your head over what perishes. Nearly everything does perish: so face the facts, don’t rush after the transient and unreal. Maintain your soul in tranquil dependence on God; don’t worry; don’t mistake what you possess for what you are.

It is not just our own significant experience which we have to put under the microscope of reason but all events that cross our path, as Carl Jung did: 47

...I lend an attentive ear to the strange myths of the psyche, and take a careful look at the varied events that come my way, regardless of whether or not they fit in with my theoretical postulates.

Such events may be experiences of other people which we can use to help ourselves. There is a cycle of events which follow some sort of pattern. An experience leads to the formulation of a theory by the person who has experienced it. Others may then use their own experiences together with theories developed by someone else to extend their own philosophy ... etcetera, etcetera. This confirms, to some extent, the view of Baron Von Hugel:48

...experience comes first, and theory much later on...

Of course, new situations and experience may be difficult for us to accommodate. But we have to face them and tune our philosophy accordingly. 49

Most people move in grooves of thought, and find it difficult to summon the courage and energy to investigate without prejudice a system of unfamiliar enquiry and belief. It is always uncomfortable and disconcerting to have the presuppositions of one's thinking disturbed.

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The reason behind this is that when we use reason to assess anything we are comparing with what we already know and thereby often reinforcing our existing beliefs. In the eyes of the spiritual philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti: 50

All inquiry, reasoning or unreasoning, starts from knowledge, ‘the what has been’. As thought is not free, it cannot go far; it moves within the limits of its own conditioning, within the boundaries of its knowledge and experience. Each new experience is interpreted according to the past, and thereby strengthens the past, which is tradition, the conditioned state. So thought is not the way to the understanding of reality.

Although it is one of the ways to test an emergent truth. Thus, we must not be led to assume that something is correct without testing through reason. As the book ‘Unto Thee I Grant’ states: 51

Presumption is the bane of reason; it is the nurse of error

In all of your investigations, keep your mind open to everything. Don’t just look at those things which support your current views – look at, to some degree, those notions that contradict them. Don’t fool yourself by looking only at those things which reinforce your current view. The British physicist Michael Faraday warned of the powerful temptation to: 52

…seek for such evidence and appearances as are in the favour of our desires, and to disregard those which oppose them…

This was echoed by the medium Colin Fry: 53

Most people will accept supporting evidence for the things they believe in and reject evidence for things they don't believe in.

In my last few years whilst developing my spiritual outlook, I have been very conscious of the existence of a range of Cosmic Laws which underpin all our lives. Oh for a peak at what they really are. If we knew what they were then we could adjust how we live our lives to speed our progress. Perhaps this is the nub of our Philosophy of Life – to seek these Universal Rules. Certainly, the communicator of William Stainton Moses recognised the importance of understanding them: 54

Of the distant ages of the hereafter we say nothing, for we know nothing. But of the present we say that life is governed, with you and with us equally, by laws which you may discover, and which, if you obey them, will lead to happiness and content, as surely as they will reduce you to misery and remorse if you wilfully violate them.

Only by knowing these truths can we progress effectively. We have to search for them; for those which affect us as individuals. Jostein Gaarder reflected on this and wrote: 55

According to Kierkegaard, rather than searching for the Truth with a capital T, it is more important to find the kind of truths that are meaningful to the individual’s life. It is important to find ‘the truth for me.’ He thus sets the individual, or each and every man, up against the ‘system.’

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That is fine – it is about personal development. We have to search beyond what it is that we currently know and believe. Michael Newton looked at this in terms of our freewill: 56

We strive for improvement through free will and change. Searching for inner wisdom is essential because unless we find a personal inner knowledge beyond those institutional doctrines developed by others long ago, we cannot truly be wise about how to live our lives today on Earth.

We have to search, too, through contemplation. In those quiet moments when we are spiritually alone we may be inspired with truths. Evelyn Underhill uses the term ‘prayer’ rather than contemplation but the idea is still the same: 57

Therefore what happens to us in this vast and varied world of prayer - the world of our specifically religious experience - will greatly and rightly influence our beliefs.

…and Martin Israel offered: 58

What we learn in the action of contemplation it is our duty and privilege to carry out in our worldly vocation.

It is from this ‘inner’ world that inspiration comes. Such revelations are easy to miss or to ignore. Do so at your peril. Inspiration comes from the Spirit World and it is residents there who have your interests at heart. Put in more monotheistic terms by C. S. Lewis: 59

We love and reason because God loves and reasons and holds our hand while we do it.

So it appears that our ability to reason will open the door of truth. This analogy of a ‘door’ was used by Chan, the spirit guide to James Legget. This inhabitant of the Spirit World, as a consequence of his demise during the battle of the Somme, was given the advice: 60

You must study, observe and think if your spirituality is to have any worth. Consciousness is knowledge, and knowledge comes through mental effort. The intellect and reasoning powers cannot give you life, but they can open the doors for wisdom and life to enter.

But be careful ... we must use our reason to test anything and everything that is inspired from Spirit. From ‘Cavalcade of the Spirit’, Paul Miller explained that: 61

I know of no guide of any standing who has insisted that his identity be revealed. They all prefer that they shall be known by their works and by their conduct and that reason should be the test applied to all they do and say.

...and from the psychic investigator Roy Dixon-Smith we are adviced to: 62

"Reject what your reason cannot assimilate," say our discarnate advisors; and that is the formula that will never lead one far astray.

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Cyprian Smith tried to focus us on this deeper, spiritual, world when he wrote: 63

We try to understand the world - and even what there is of God revealed in it - too much from the 'outside', instead of from 'within'. Observation, analysis, experiment, description - collating facts and data, manipulating and exploiting people and things - these operations are not necessarily wrong, and they do lead to a kind of knowledge, but not the truest and deepest knowledge, because they miss the foundation on which the whole edifice is based. That foundation cannot be found by looking outside ourselves; it can only be found by looking within.

Once we have used reason to help us to develop our Philosophy of Life then, as time goes on, living it becomes easier. From Evelyn Underhill again: 64

Virtue, perfect rightness of correspondence with our present surroundings, perfect consistency of our deeds with our best ideas, is hard work. It means the sublimation of crude instinct, the steady control of impulse by such reason as we possess ; and perpetually forces us to use on new and higher levels that machinery of habit- formation, that power of implanting tendencies in the plastic psyche, to which man owes his earthly dominance.

This typifies the whole reason for developing the Philosophy of Life – to use it as a basis for the life we live. This applies to all our thoughts, words and deeds. Neale Donald Walsch was given the view from the Spirit World that: 65

When you have a thought that is not in alignment with your higher vision, change to a new thought, then and there, When you say a thing that is out of alignment with your grandest idea, make a note not to say something like that again. When you do a thing that is misaligned with your best intention, decide to make that the last time, And make it right with whomever was involved if you can

In the same book he also wrote: 66

If a thing is obviously right, do it. But remember to exercise extreme judgment regarding what you call 'right' and 'wrong'. A thing is only right or wrong because you say it is. A thing is not right or wrong intrinsically.

Who knows what is right or wrong? All we can do is to have a stab and follow it through in our life. As Mervyn Stockwood realised, the immediacy of such decisions often prevents us from thinking about what to do for too long before action has to be taken. 67

Daily affairs continuously ask us what is the truth of some matter or other, and decision will not stay for an answer. Not only is our knowledge limited, but we must give that answer in a limited time with limited consideration; and our answer must be subject to what the physicist would call both random and systematic errors, the random errors of our mental machinery and systematic errors like those which psychologists attribute particularly to our upbringing.

We can act properly only, as Thomas Merton recommended, by: 68

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It is only by making our knowledge part of ourselves, through action, that we enter into the reality that is signified by our concepts.

Let reason help us to come to right conclusions about our life. We can follow the process as outlined by R Abdy Collins:69

After observation of a number of facts - sometimes great, sometimes relatively few - a theory or hypothesis is formed. Consequences are deduced from the hypothesis or supposition, and the whole framework is put to test by comparison with the results of further observation and experiment. If the result is satisfactory and no facts inconsistent with the hypothesis can be found, it is accepted for the time being as the true explanation of the known facts. If it does not answer the test, it is rejected or modified as the case may be.

Sometime we need to temper cold reason with caution as White Eagle suggested: 70

What you call cold reason can tempt the soul away from heavenly truth or divine intelligence.

So I would suggest that we do not adopt too rigid a system of validation. Don’t be too scientific. Sometimes we need to be controlled by the heart; by our inner feelings and then only as we increase our real knowledge of the forces of nature and the spirit can we, according to Harry Edwards,71

...align our moralities and lives to come within the borders of these truths.

Nevertheless, we must not let our desire for spirit contact cloud our application of reason. This warning was outlined in the book ‘Unto Thee I Grant’: 72

In all thy desires, let reason go along with thee, and fix not thine hopes beyond the bounds of probability; so shall success attend thine undertakings and thine heart shall not be vexed with disappointments.

As well as not setting unrealistic aspirations, we should be careful not to act based solely on our non-spiritual desires. The 17 th century philosopher and Jesuit Baltasar Gracián stressed this in one of his aphorisms: 73

Don’t act when moved by passion: you will get everything wrong. You cannot act for yourself if you are beside yourself, and passion always sends reason into exile.

From Arthur Findlay, one of the founders of Spiritualism, comes the advice for each of us to keep our philosophy and truths as the basis for all we do: 74

Think straight and true, and put truth always first and foremost.

This should control all that happens in our lives. If our stay on earth is a developmental one, then we have a duty to be so. We must seek our truths and follow them for the benefit of ourselves and others – including God. Ladislaus Boros in the epilogue to his book ‘Open Spirit’ wrote: 75

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God has 'ventured' something, and expects something of us: an attitude of mind that can be most simply described as 'the duty to be intelligent'. God challenges us today to ask questions, to push ahead into unknown territory, and to overhaul the conceptual apparatus of our message… It consists in absolute honesty, in openness towards any kind of truth, and a resolute search for what is right.

Will we ever get there? Will we ever reach a state of understanding that approached the ideal? Chuang Tsu offered the thought that: 76

Let knowledge stop at the unknowable. That is perfection .

This recognises that perfection is relative and that we will never attain complete knowledge. Nevertheless, we have to strive towards it and through use of our God-given reason we can move in the right direction.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought 2 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section I, (Pg 11) 3 Alexandra David-Néel, The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects, City Lights Books, 1981. Chapter II, (Pg 15)

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4 Don Cupitt, Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 2001. 11 The Justification of Faith, (Pg 153) 5 Reza Aslan, No god but God, Arrow Books, 2006. 6. This Religion is a Science: The Development of Islamic Theology and Law, (Pg 153) 6 Peter Toon, Meditating as a Christian, Collins, 1991. Part Three: What is Involved. 11 Imagining, (Pg 117) 7 Evelyn Underhill, Concerning the Inner Life, Oneworld, 1999. Part Two - The Goals of the Inner Life, (Pg 38/39) 8 Stephen O'Brien, Visions of Another World, The Aquarian Press, 1989. 17 Questions and Answers, (Pg 216) 9 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 3 The Silent Desert, (Pg 41) 10 B A Gerrish, A Prince of the Church: Schleiermacher and the Beginnings of Modern Theology, SCM Press, 1984. Religion and Reflection, (Pg 19) 11 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. VII The Work, (Pg 242) 12 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XI, (Pg 88) 13 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section VII, (Pg 52) 14 Hugh Ross Mackintosh, Types of Modern Theology, Nisbet, 1949. V: The Theology of Moral Values, Albrecht Ritschl – Chapter 2: Negative and Polemic Features, (Pg 142) 15 A W Austen, Teachings of Silver Birch, Psychic Press, 1993. The Divine Plan, (Pg 34) 16 Thomas A Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Elliot Stock, 1891. The First Book - Warnings, useful for a spiritual life. Chapter V(II) 17 Available from http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1303171h.html 18 Don Cupitt, The Nature of Man, Sheldon Press, 1979. 5 Body and Soul Together, (Pg 82 / 83) 19 Colin Fry, Life Before Death, Rider & Co, 2008. 6. Searching: the quest for spirituality, (Pg 108) 20 Watchman Nee, When is My Spirit Normal?, Ministry of Life, 1927. Chapter 1 - The Dangers of Spiritual Life, (Pg 134 / 135) 21 Alexandra David-Néel, The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects, City Lights Books, 1981. Chapter I, (Pg 7) 22 William Houff, Infinity in Your Hand, Skinner House Books, 1994. Chapter 10: Taoism, the Natural Spirituality - Or, the joy of dragging one's tail in the mud, (Pg 126) 23 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 2 - The Perspective of Sociology: Relativising the Relativisers, (Pg 65) 24 David Hay, Exploring Inner Space - Scientists and Religious Experience, Mowbray, 1987. Epilogue: The future of Religious Experience - The return of the depths, (Pg 216) 25 Rosalind Heywood, The Sixth Sense, Chatto & Windus, 1959. Chapter V - Foundation of the Society for Psychical Research, (Pg 39) 26 Don Cupitt, The Nature of Man, Sheldon Press, 1979. 7 Postscript: Man and Spirit, (Pg 109) 27 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder & Stoughton, 2009. Part 1: The Leap of doubt. THREE Christianity Is A Straitjacket, (Pg 45) 28 Walking with the Angels - A Path of Service, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1998. Part Two - 17. Angels Hold the Balance, (Pg 123) 29 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. XI On Life After Death, (Pg 332 / 333) 30 William Clemmons, Discovering the Depths, Triangle, 1989. 6 Seeing Things as They Really Are, (Pg 68) 31 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 3 - Theological Possibilities: Starting with Man, (Pg 66) 32 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 4 - Theological Possibilities: Confronting the Traditions, (Pg 105) 33 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 3 - Theological Possibilities: Starting with Man, (Pg 96) 34 Colin Fry, Life Before Death, Rider & Co, 2008. 6. Searching: the quest for spirituality, (Pg 113) 35 Paul Davies, The Mind of God, Penguin Books, 1992. Chapter 1: Reason and Belief, (Pg 20) 36 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. III Student Years, (Pg 108) 37 A W Austen, Teachings of Silver Birch, Psychic Press, 1993. Reincarnation, (Pg 177) 38 Don Cupitt, The Nature of Man, Sheldon Press, 1979. 2 Man in the Great Religions, (Pg 37) 39 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. Descartes, (Pg 180) 40 William Roache, Soul on the Street, Hay House, 2007. Part III: On The Street. 14: The Spiritual Path, (Pg 223) 41 Geraldine Cummins, The Scripts of Cleophas, Psychic Press, 1961. The First Parchment - Chapter XXiX: Paul's dealings at Paphos with Sergius Paulus, the Roman Governor, and Elymas the Magician, (Pg 99)

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42 Martin Israel, Summons to Life, Mowbray, 1982. Chapter 13: The psychic faculty and the spiritual path, (Pg 101) 43 Michal Levin, Spiritual Intelligence, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Part II: Your Journey. Chapter Six – Head, Heart and the Rest. (Pg 135) 44 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 17 : The Marriage of Scepticism and Wonder, (Pg 305) 45 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 10 : The Dragon in my garage, (Pg 187) 46 Evelyn Underhill, The House of the Soul, Methuen & Co, 1929. Chapter III, (pg 45) 47 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. XI On Life After Death, (Pg 331) 48 P. Franklin Chambers, Baron Von Hugel: Man of God. An introductory Anthology compiled with a biographical preface, Geoffrey Bles: The Centenary Press, 1946.An Introduction Anthology - Part One: Personal - The Dawning of Reality, (Pg 48) 49 Raynor Carey Johnson, Nurslings of Immortality, Pelegrin Trust, 1993. Chapter I - The Need for a Philosophy of Life - Man's Search for Truth, (Pg 27) 50 J Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living - Third Series, Victor Gollancz, 1961. Can Politics Ever Be Spiritualised? (Pg 234) 51 Unto Thee I Grant, Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1966. Book Nine: Man Considered in Regard to His Infirmities and their Effects. Chapter VII- Presumption, (Pg 66) 52 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 2 : Science and Hope, (Pg 32) 53 Colin Fry, Life Before Death, Rider & Co, 2008. Introduction, (Pg 9) 54 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section X, (Pg 77) 55 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. Kierkegaard, (Pg 291) 56 Michael Newton, Life Between Lives, Llewellyn Publications, 2005. Part One: The Initial Inquiry - Addressing client belief Systems, (Pg 6) 57 Evelyn Underhill, The Essentials of Mysticism, Oneworld, 1999. The Philosophy of Contemplation, (Pg 116) 58 Martin Israel, The Pearl of Great Price, SPCK, 1988. 5 - The Hollow Image, (Pg 44) 59 C S Lewis, Broadcast Talks, Geoffrey Bles: The Centerary Press, 1944. What Christians Believe - Chapter IV, (Pg 55) 60 Stephen Turoff, Seven Steps to Eternity, Clairview, 2002. Chapter 12, (Pg 158) 61 Paul Miller, Cavalcade of the Spirit, Volume I, The Psychic Book Club, 1943. The Moses of Spiritualism, (Pg 58) 62 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part Two: Chapter XVII: Psychical Science and Religion, (Pg 326) 63 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 5 The Voice of God, (Pg 70) 64 Evelyn Underhill, The Life of the Spirit and The Life of Today, Mowbray, 1994. Chapter III Psychology and the life of the Spirit: (I) The Analysis of Mind, (Pg 67) 65 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 1 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997. Chapter 3, (Pg 78) 66 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 1 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997. Chapter 1, (Pg 48) 67 Mervyn Stockwood, Religion and the Scientists, SCM Press, 1959. C.F.A.Pantin, (Pg 67) 68 Thomas Merton, Thoughts In Solitude, Burns & Oates, 1993. Part One: Aspects of the Spiritual Life: III, (Pg 30) 69 R Abdy Collins, Death is not the End, The Psychic Book Club, 1941. Chapter II: What is Proof? (Pg 5 / 6) 70 White Eagle on the Intuition and Initiation, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 2004. Part One: What the Intuition is, and is not - II: Moving Beyond the Age of Reason, (Pg 23) 71 Harry Edwards, Spirit Healing, The Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary, 1978. Part Two: The Application of Spiritual Healing - Chapter Ten - Why Some Healings Fail, (Pg 88) 72 Unto Thee I Grant, Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1966. Book Two: The Passions. Chapter I- Hope and Fear, (Pg 15) 73 Baltasar Gracián, The Art of Worldly Wisdom - A pocket Oracle, Mandarin, 1995. Aphorism 287: (Pg 162) 74 Arthur Findlay, The Rock of Truth, SNU, 1999. Part II: Chapter XII: Life's Certainties, (Pg 201) 75 Ladislaus Boros, Open Spirit, Search Press, 1974. Epilogue, (Pg 207) 76 Chuang Tsu, Musings of a Chinese Mystic, John Murray, 1927. Random Gleanings, (Pg 103)

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17.4: Philosophy of Life – Must Be Your Own

You are unique; we are all unique. You are important; you are one of the valuable cogs in the Cosmic Wheel.

The characteristics with which you were born, the upbringing by your family, the experience gained through your daily life and your ability to reason have all come together at this time, now, right at this moment, to form the individual that you are. With all this, you have developed a personal approach to life and very often give little thought to each of the elements that comprise it. So, by considering all aspects of YOU, you can explicitly construct your underlying Philosophy of Life.

This may sound difficult and very academic but it is not. The ideas are basic … and through the process of thinking about them we give ourselves the ability to further develop in all sorts of ways.

In life, we must be true to whatever principles we lay down for ourselves to follow. We can do nought else – we must not live a lie. We must, as William Blake declared, create our own Philosophy of Life: 1

I must create a system, or be enslaved by another man's, I will not reason or compare; my business is to create.

The fact that this belief system is very personal and must be created by each of us, is borne out by history and the lives of the mystics. Mary Carroll Nelson relayed to us a similar idea when she articulated the teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz: 2

Each person has the task of creating a private and sacred place that is beyond hell and beyond the fears inculcated by society, religion and the domestication process in the family. Miguel prophesises that this will be done by individuals without the intercession of any priest or church. His teaching is a preparation for the time that is coming when human beings must create their own route to God.

This is the pathway suggested by the spiritual director and teacher Michal Levin. She pointed out that: 3

Religion and old-fashioned ideas of God have lost their place; the rest of the picture doesn’t fit together any more either. You don’t need a priest or guru to connect you to a spiritual reality. You have to learn to reach out, touch it, know it and be prepared to redefine it, yourself.

...and the fact that this journey will be mainly outside the limitations of formal religions was identified by one of Joseph Sharp’s spiritual teachers who advised: 4

If you can’t find a religion that supports you, start your own.

Joseph, at that time a hospital chaplain who had been diagnosed as being terminally ill with AIDS, was startled by this remark. It does, however, demonstrate the inability of all the major religions to answer the significant questions for which we all need questions. In a

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:29:21 17.4 Philosophy of Life – Must Be Your Own Page 2 of 14 roundabout way this point was also expressed by the Jungian analyst and academic Harry Wilmer: 5

Take time, honour patience, and find your religious centre. It probably is not in a church.

We must each accept this challenge and build our own structure which we believe to represent who we are and what we want to show to the world. William Stainton Moses believed that this is what everyone must strive for: 6

Man makes his own future, stamps his own character, suffers for his own sins, and must work out his own salvation.

So it is as a consequence of this construction that we have something to live by. This is in agreement with the thoughts of Father Andrew who said that our personal philosophy: 7

…must be the principle of our life, not a department of it.

…and from it, according to the practical philosopher Raynor Carey Johnson, we can gain so much: 8

...there is no security in escape - the only security is in courage. Courage is at least possible when a man has found a satisfying philosophy of life. In the light of this he can judge and meet with confidence all that may come to him. .. A philosophy of life is something that each man has to discover for himself.

This discovery is not just to be realised in this world but the Hereafter too. Many of those discarnate spirits who have been able to communicate between these two worlds have not only identified that a philosophy of life is for each to develop but each step we take in building it brings love and understanding. One spirit who was able to advise us was one known as Wm. Y. Sr who communicated in 1920 through the trance mediumship of Mrs Wickland. He said: 9

When you find this wonderful understanding of life, and realize what the object of life is, that is glory. No one can do this for you; others can only teach you, but you have to work for yourself.

Investigating the afterlife is part of extending our knowledge of the total environment in which we, as spirit, exist. Through this route we can find perhaps acceptable answers to some of life’s intriguing questions. The renowned scientist Sir Oliver Lodge took this view and wrote: 10

Well, speaking for myself and with full and cautious responsibility, I have to state that as an outcome of my investigation into psychical matters I have at length and quite gradually become convinced, after more than thirty years of study, not only that persistent individual existence is a fact, but that occasional communication across the chasm with difficulty and under definite conditions is possible.

Similarly, the famous author Arthur Conan Doyle looked towards paranormal research to answer some questions that other routes of investigation had not furnished appropriate

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:29:21 17.4 Philosophy of Life – Must Be Your Own Page 3 of 14 answers. He suggested that: 11

We need more first-hand accounts of these matters before we can formulate laws. It has been stated in a previous book by the author, but it will bear repetition, that the use of the séance should, in his opinion, be carefully regulated as well as reverently conducted. Having once satisfied himself of the absolute existence of the unseen world, and of its proximity to our own, the inquirer has got the great gift which psychical investigation can give him, and thenceforth he can regulate his life upon the lines which the teaching from beyond has shown to be the best.

Plato and Aristotle, according to Karen Armstrong, had a similar perspective: 12

Like Plato, Aristotle was chiefly concerned not with imparting information but with promoting the philosophical way of life. His scientific research was not an end in itself, therefore, but a method of conducting the bios theoretikos, the "contemplative life" that introduced human beings to the supreme happiness.

Taking all this into account - expressing our understanding of all that we know and all that we experience - allows us to start to articulate all the major questions in life and, in many cases, to provide a reasoned view. This can only come with a great deal of ‘life’. Living gives you the experiences necessary and reading broadens your knowledge so that you can stitch a meaningful philosophy around them. It has been said, by many, many mystics and spirit communicators that whatever you build should be built upon love – love of God and love of humanity. This melds in with Kierkegaard’s view, as expressed by Timothy Keller, who asserted that: 13

… human beings were made not only to believe in God in some general way, but to love him supremely, centre their lives on him above anything else, and build their very identities on Him.

From this viewpoint, Emile Cammaerts identifies a couple of very important points: 14

In the supernatural world, we have to deal not only with hard spiritual facts, such as the Incarnation and Resurrection, but with absolute and eternal doctrines involving definite Commandments, such as the love of God and of one's neighbour, which may be extremely difficult to follow, but which cannot possibly be distorted in the light of passing circumstances.

…and this is echoed by Julie Soskin who likened the development of a Philosophy of Life to drawing on a clean piece of paper: 15

You will be given a paper on which to begin your drawings of the future. These drawings, like any building, must have a foundation and that foundation must be love.

This point that love forms the basis of everyone’s philosophy must not be glossed over. The two fundamental principles, as Emile referred to above, are an overwhelming gratitude to our Creator and His agents, and love for humanity and every created thing. These have been the pillars upon which all mystics build their life’s edifices. Father Andrew, an Anglican friar and Church of England clergyman, described life to one of his spiritual

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Life is Love's opportunity: Love is Life's interpretation. That is the philosophy I live by.

This whole process of developing a belief system is an exploration; it is an adventure. In his poem The Explorer, Rudyard Kipling tried to express the idea that not everyone will take this step of investigation but at the end of the day each of us will have to take the initial step. Have a look and gain inspiration from the first two and the last verses:

There's no sense in going further -- it's the edge of cultivation," So they said, and I believed it -- broke my land and sowed my crop -- Built my barns and strung my fences in the little border station Tucked away below the foothills where the trails run out and stop:

Till a voice, as bad as Conscience, rang interminable changes On one everlasting Whisper day and night repeated -- so: "Something hidden. Go and find it. Go and look behind the Ranges -- "Something lost behind the Ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!" …

Yes, your "Never-never country" -- yes, your "edge of cultivation" And "no sense in going further" -- till I crossed the range to see. God forgive me! No, I didn't. It's God's present to our nation. Anybody might have found it, but -- His Whisper came to Me!

Each of us have opportunities in our lives to look more into the non-physical, non-material world and try to explain it. Not many of us take this opportunity; I hope you are doing so. The difficulty of this is recorded by Imperator, the spirit communicator who used William Stainton Moses as his scribe: 17

Man gropes on more or less blindly, evolving for himself, from time to time, ideas more or less erroneous. Since God exists only in the conceptions, each man has his God peculiar to himself. Absolute truth, out of mathematics, does not exist. And so man, at his best, becomes a solitary unit, alone with his own spirit, replying to its questionings, evolving views which satisfy for a moment, only to be succeeded by others, which in their turn give way to newer ideas; unless, indeed, intellect becomes fossilised, and the old views are permanent because they have ceased to live.

It is a living process – we must not assume that it is ever completed. The stimuli are many and varied. My investigation started through being aware of some force guiding and helping me – I knew not what or how. This led me to attend Spiritualist church services and later spiritual development classes. It was my personal experience that was the trigger, and it is our own experiences which will lead us to greater strides along our life’s journey. Perhaps, based on what he has written, this was also Martin Israel’s perception too: 18

The awe of death and the uncertainty of personal survival are the foundation on which the corner-stones of faith are laid.

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It is a shame that many who see that something needs to be investigated or thought through, will not take the time away from worldly pursuits. In his 1941 book ‘Death is not the End’, Bernard Abdy Collins also regrets that many take this line of inactivity: 19

The great majority of those who consider that survival is proved and call themselves spiritualists, base their conviction on some personal experience or experiences. Few have the time or inclination to study the evidence as a whole. Intimate personal experiences convince those who are fortunate enough to meet with them but do nothing to help those who are so unlucky as not to have them and will never break down the opposition of the inveterate sceptic and the scientific and religious world.

John Scott wrote of his sadness that: 20

...there is a universal carelessness for what cannot be put to a material use, impatience with matters of the spirit and a general belief that reflection on life as a whole is merely a business for philosophers and clergy, not a subject to occupy a man's private thought and guide his daily effort.

Once you have been aroused to start this journey, there is no turning back. Not because we are not allowed, but because it becomes a real objective; something we must achieve. It changes our lives; it forces us to be introspective and look at what we really are and what we must be doing. Here, Thomas Merton, through the pen of Abbot Christopher Jamison, offers an insight which illuminates the whole sacred space that is opening up in front of us and sets an agenda for life: 21

In order to become myself I must cease to be what I always thought I wanted to be.

This inner change through experience drove Carl Jung to write: 22

Nor in Europe can I make any borrowings from the East, but must shape my life out of myself out of what my inner being tells me, or what nature brings to me.

…and through this developmental process, as Colin Fry remarks: 23

...you and I need to make sure we make the most of our time here in a way that is meaningful both to ourselves and to others.

Of course our life template must be meaningful to each of us. It depends on our upbringing and all that we have experienced and learnt up to this point. Adeline Yen Mah went so far as to indicate that our language also plays a part in our development: 24

There is an intimate connection between language and psychology. .. the type of language spoken by an individual appears to affect his mentality. Conversely, his culture and behaviour also influence the way in which he thinks and speaks. Each language apparently creates its own 'Weltanschauung' 25 .

Within this context of total environment, we live and learn and experience. Part of the process of spiritual progress comes through reading and study. Many people read books for entertainment, distraction, or relief from boredom rather than for illumination. For me, like

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Teilhard de Chardin: 26

The prime motivation for most of his reading was to nourish and develop his own ideas rather than to be merely informed .

Remember that it is a personal quest, not a collective one. That is not to say that others cannot help along the way, but that the onus and principles that you uncover will be yours to follow; not for anyone else. Ian Lawton believed that we must take personal responsibility for this development and not attempt to foist it upon anyone else: 27

Personal reconnection is required for every soul ... This requires smaller groups not affiliated to any religion to provide comfort and connection and support; to nurture individuals; to remind them of the truth, and of how to make faith non- exclusive and part of everyday life; and to help them to remember they hold the seed within, and to look within themselves. Humans are too quick to look to others to solve problems and issues.

Neither should we take the lazy man’s approach and blindly accept another’s philosophy. A good example of this was recalled by Roy Dixon-Smith: 28

During the afternoon I had a long discussion on survival and communication with an elderly lady in the hotel. She obviously believed in it but, being a staunch Catholic, was forced to assume the ready-made attitude of her church towards communion with the departed. It was clear to me that her inner convictions were at variance with the anathema imposed on them so, though an intelligent woman of strong personality and quite capable of sound argument, I soon reduced her to a back-to-the-wall declaration that her religion said it was wrong and thus, so far as she was concerned, it was wrong; and we left it at that.

All religions hold some truths – but not all. There is great value in looking at different formal religions and taking on board those truths which they espouse. This route was taken by Jim Pym who reported that: 29

When I became a Quaker I did not leave my Roman Catholicism or my Buddhism behind, but added them to the rich tradition I have inherited from early Friends. The same is true for many of us today. It is easy to say that we reject our previous faith and practice, but even then it remains there, as a part of us.

Chinese traditions too can hold a lot for the developing philosophy – Taoism was part of my initial stimulus. Of this Geoffrey Parrinder wrote: 30

If Confucianism was not properly a religion, but an ancestral cult or at most state- worship, Taoism can claim to be the truly native and personal religion of China, its original contribution to the religious development of the world. Covered over with a mass of superstitions, often regarded as nothing but exorcism and magic by outsiders, Taoism has nevertheless been claimed as the flowering of personal religion, the way of mysticism.

Taoism you can use as a template, but from my understanding, Confucius was not really concerned about the personal type of development. I believe that Adeline Yen Mah also

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:29:21 17.4 Philosophy of Life – Must Be Your Own Page 7 of 14 recognised this limitation: 31

Confucius seldom spoke of the supernatural nor did he seem to worry about the immortality of his soul. However, he did not deny the existence of spirits or the possibility of life after death. When asked directly, he replied, 'When one does not understand life, how can one understand death?'

Whether we lean towards the ancients or the modern thinkers it doesn’t really matter provided that they can provide a helping hand, a foothold on our spiritual climb. The Scottish theologian Hugh Ross Mackintosh suggests that: 32

It is perhaps from thinkers of the modern period that a man derives most help or warning in the formation of his own theology. ... To use history as a cushion to ward off the necessity for personal decision is to misuse it.

Whatever basis we use, each of us will develop our own route to our personal God, and recognising this dilemma Evelyn Underhill wrote: 33

Hoffding goes so far as to say that any real religion implies and must give us a world-view. And I think it is true that any vividly lived spiritual life must, as soon as it passes beyond the level of mere feeling and involves reflection, involve too some more or less articulated conception of the spiritual universe, in harmony with which that life is to be lived. This may be given to us by authority, in the form of creed: but if we do not thus receive it, we are committed to the building of our own City of God.

She is so right – we must build our own Philosophy of Life. It is a process of self- discovery, as Michael Newton realised: 34

The road to self-discovery and shaping a personal philosophy not designed by the doctrines of organisations takes effort but the rewards are great. There are many routes to this goal which begins by trusting in yourself.

…and we should recognise that even though so much has been written about personal discovery and development, all we can do is to use the knowledge passed down through time to meld with our own experiences to give us the basis for our lives. Even recognised clerics, such as Abbé Henri de Tourville, realised the difficulty that the ‘Church’ has in this respect: 35

We are the brothers and sisters of the Saints. They became holy in their way; we must become holy in ours, not in theirs. Otherwise sanctity would be for us nothing but a wearisome routine for which nevertheless we could not blame such holy souls. They lived before us and did not absolve us from the responsibility of independent thought or of deciding for ourselves as to what suits us best. Why should we always give pre-eminence to the minds of the dead rather than to those of the living?

The implication being that a personal philosophy can never graduate into a universal one which everyone can accept. Sigmund Freud, the Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis, believed this also: 36

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One may require every man to use the gift of reason which he possesses, but one cannot erect, on the basis of a motive that exists only for a very few, an obligation that shall apply to everyone. If one man has gained an unshakable conviction of the true reality of religious doctrines from a state of ecstasy which deeply moved him, of what significance is that to others?

Some, including Simone Weil, rightly understood that whilst development is personal, there are often some ideas and principles that we can use as scaffolding to create our own view: 37

I may say that I never desired any other good [death after living as one should] for myself. I thought that the life which leads to this good is not only defined by a code of morals common to all, but that for each one it consists of a succession of acts and events which are strictly personal to him, and so essential that he who leaves them on one side never reaches the goal.

Whatever route you take which leads you to a comprehensive philosophy of Life take heed of the words of the Buddha as referenced by Leslie Weatherhead: 38

Let me quote here some words of the Buddha: "Believe nothing because a so-called wise man said it. "Believe nothing because a belief is generally held. "Believe nothing because it is written in ancient books. "Believe nothing because it is said to be of divine origin "Believe nothing because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself judge to be true."

The questioning approach is vital – never accept some else’s dicta without detailed consideration. John Lennox in his preface to ‘God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?’ recalled that: 39

Aristotle is reputed to have said that in order to succeed we must ask the right questions.

So each of us, particularly in the light of new scientific revelations, need to question our own beliefs. The Anglican priest David L Edwards in ‘Religion and Change’ recognised that many people: 40

...have attempted to relate their inherited scriptures and religious traditions to the scientific outlook and to life in a modern nation.

From this investigative and questioning stance we are likely to build a reliable philosophy for living. In addition, personal experience can open the door to the search for truths. In this way we will discover truths which are necessary for us to understand and come to terms with. The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, according to the Scotish theologian Hugh Ross Mackintosh, believed that: 41

...only the truth that edifies is truth for thee.

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...and Hugh went on the make the important point that:

There is no such thing as spiritual truth not fused with personal experience that costs. At every point the one question worth asking is “What does this truth signify for my tragically real existence?”

If a truth is of no significance then it can be only additional baggage on our journey. Of course, we have help in this search for truths; we have associated with us guides and helpers from the Spirit world then our task is made much easier. Roy Dixon-Smith believed that: 42

We are meant to investigate and find out for ourselves, in the process of which our knowledge is built up step by step and far more thoroughly and firmly ingrained and much more easily assimilated than if it were handed to us ready made; and this is confirmed by the eagerness with which the higher discarnate souls who have preceded us help us in our search for the real truth.

Whatever you arrive at, says Sherwood Eliot Wirt, becomes your faith, your religion: 43

God has revealed the way of eternal salvation only to the individual faith of each man, and demands of us that any man who wishes to be saved should have a personal belief of his own.

In line with this, the Quaker view, as articulated by Christine Davis, upholds that: 44

As people of faith, stewardship of our capacity for love and loving service is at the core of our responsibilities to our own integrity, to each other and to God - the Spirit - Truth .

Underpinning love as the prime theme of any spiritual philosophy lies the truths which we discover. I know that what we recognise as such elements will only be partial but they will be sufficiently robust to guide our life on earth and beyond. I came across a somewhat dusty old book first published in 1740 as a set of standards for Freemen of The City of London entitled ‘Rules for The Conduct of Life’. In it it stated that we should: 45

Take care to fix right principles well in your mind...

This is how it works ... our philosophy should be a natural part of our mind set to such an extent that it becomes habitual; we do that which is right without really thinking about it. I have tended to concentrate on the spiritual aspects of our life, but our philosophy should not just be limited to this – it extends across all life’s encounters; the spiritual, the mental and the physical. It should impinge upon all facets of your life. It is striking a balance, as Andrew Harvey suggested: 46

...no one else can meditate or pray for you and no one but yourself can help you to integrate your deepest feelings and perceptions of the nature of God with your everyday life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson understood that there are two aspects to our lives: 47

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There are two theories of life; one for the demonstration of our talent, the other for the education of man. One is activity, the busybody, the following of that practical talent which we have, in the belief that what is so natural, easy and pleasant to us and desirable to others will surely lead us out safely; in this direction lie usefulness, comfort, society, low power of all sorts. The other is trust, religion, consent to be nothing for eternity, entranced waiting, the worship of ideas. This is solitary, grand, secular.

I believe that it is not either one or the other of these concepts but a joining together of them both. We have to live in the physical world, to earn a living, to support and develop our family, as well as to come to grips with the supernatural and spiritual parameters which influence our lives.

Every action which we undertake is our responsibility and will be governed by our basic tenets of belief. This is the freedom that we have been given; the free will which is under our control. No religion can force it on us; we have the freedom to develop it ourselves, as recognised by the mystic Henry Thomas Hamblin: 48

But, man, being a free agent, cannot be forced or overruled, he must come to the Truth in his own way, and of his own free will.

Without a Philosophy of Life we become inconsistent and fickle. Jostein Gaarder grasped this and recognised that we need to underpin our actions: 49

Nevertheless we are free individuals, and this freedom condemns us to make choices throughout our lives. There are no eternal values or norms we can adhere to, which makes our choices even more significant. Because we are totally responsible for everything we do. Sartre emphasized that man must never disclaim the responsibility for his actions. Nor can we avoid the responsibility of making our own choices on the grounds that we ‘must’ go to work, or we ‘must’ live up to certain middle-class expectations regarding how we should live. Those who thus slip into the anonymous masses will never be other than members of the impersonal flock, having fled from themselves into self-deception. On the other hand our freedom obliges us to make something of ourselves, to live ‘authentically’ or ‘truly.’

Yes! We must be true to our philosophy. In the book ‘In Tune with the Infinite’ Ralph Waldo Trine said: 50

...if we are true to the highest within us, we will look for and will seek to call forth the good in each individual with whom we come into contact.

We, therefore, will have a beneficial impact on those people that we encounter. Perhaps too we may extend this to all God’s creatures and treat them as they deserve and as Ryuho Okawa wrote: 51

Do not kill - neither people nor anything living.

With Timothy Keller again, we can look back to our history and reflect on what was required then and see if it differs from what we need to do now: 52

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In ancient times it was understood that there was a transcendent moral order outside the self, built into the fabric of the universe. If you violated that metaphysical order there were consequences just as severe as if you violated physical reality by placing your hand in a fire. The path of wisdom was to learn to live in conformity with this unyielding reality. The wisdom rested largely in developing qualities of character, such as humility, compassion, courage, discretion and loyalty.

Brace yourselves! Look at your motives; look at yourself. Assimilate all that you know together with all that you experience and form the template with which to live and judge your life. Use your ability to reason to put all matters in perspective and do not be cowed by authority. But ... do not be tempted to try to foist your ideas on others. By all means explain your views, but leave others to work out their own philosophy as the American medium John Edward suggested: 53

I don't impose my beliefs on anyone, and I encourage everyone I meet to make up their own minds about the essential elements of our existence.

Living your Philosophy will tell you, and anyone else, what you believe in; you cannot hide from your thoughts, words, and deeds. Perhaps it is with this in mind that the American New Testament scholar Marcus J. Borg was able to state: 54

Tell me your image of God, and I will tell you your theology.

However, although not in the spiritual context, there have been some attempts to try to identify those aspects of a philosophy which are important. An interesting set of ‘rules to live by’ were written and published by the mayor of London in the 18th century and it contains some fascinating stuff about how to conduct yourself in life and in business. I have condensed them down into one sentence per rule, and I hope have kept to the original meaning and intent although I have also chosen to put them in the first person singular, as it seemed more powerful that way, if a bit strange to read: 55

1.Whatever I intend to do I must consider the end product; will it result in good stuff or bad stuff happening? 2.Having chosen what to do I must then consider the means by which I am to accomplish it. 3.Having done all of the above remember to actually do it and don’t procrastinate (James 4:17, Lk 12:47) In short, make the purpose of my actions be always for the good and use any means proper to bring them about. 4.Don’t become so enamoured with this world and its pleasures that I live only for now and forget my eternal destiny. (Deut 32:29). 5.Prepare for death well, as a passage into eternity. 6.As such, live well, repent where necessary and allow my life to be reformed. 7.To live well is to be constantly obedient to Gods commands; as such I must study Gods word to understand what He would require of me. (Phil 4:8) 8.Arm myself with a fixed and firm resolution. This will be the rudder that guides me through life. (Matt 10:28, Act 5:29 Mk 8:38) 9.Don’t seek praise for myself. (Matt 5:16, Ps 115:1, 1Cor 4:7). 10.Take care to fix good and right principles well in my mind.

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11.Whatever I do I should do it in a proper manner. Let that which is of greatest importance be done first. (Matt 6:33) 12.Be in reality what you are willing to be thought to be. 13.Fill my heart with a sincere love of humanity, even my enemies. (Eph 4: 31-32, 2 Tim 2:24,25, Rom 12:19,21) 14.Be affable and cheerful in conversation avoiding back biting and bitterness of speech. 15.Be always ready to help those in need. Remember that the riches I already posses are a gift of God. 16.Be content with my own position, whatever it may be. (Matt 10:29, Heb 12:6, Ps 119: 71) 17.Don’t meddle in the affairs of others that are not my responsibility. (1Thess 4:2) 18.Don’t get more involved in debates and arguments than I am obliged to. (Act 24:16) 19.Don’t lead an idle life; otherwise I could become snared in all kinds of unhealthy things. 20.Don’t be a slouch in business, be resolute and determined in my efforts to bring about what I have aimed to do. (Rom 12:2) 21.Only commit myself to the amount of work I can actually do successfully. 22.When I find myself in a position to be able to do something, and I have no need of another’s help, just get on and do it. 23.Don’t procrastinate. (James 4:14, Prov 27:1, Eccles 9:10) 24.If I get an avalanche of work, don’t get discouraged; simply put the work in order of importance. 25.Always be a good manager of my time and make good use of opportunities that come my way. 26.If I can’t complete the work on my own I should call in people who are qualified enough to help me. 27.Always consider the probable consequences of what I am about to do; not everything that looks good initially is actually good further down the line. 28.Consult and reflect with myself and with wise people about everything of importance that I am about to undertake. 29.Whatever I gain in my work should come from honest means. (1Tim 6:9,10, Isa 23:15) 30.Take time out from work to relax, nurture your talents, and enjoy life. 31.Take care of my health, such things are gifts of God which should be treated with respect. 32.Keep my passions under control. Always have my passions guided by reason. Like fire and water, passions are good servants put poor masters. 33.Fly from the first emotions that tempt me to sin, and take sanctuary in good books, or good company. (Matt 24:41) 34.Be very careful about the kind of deep friendships that I make. (Prov 4:14,15) 35.Comply with the traditions and mores of where I live but beware that in doing so I don’t violate my moral code and duty to God. (1Pet 3:15) 36.Have God in all my thoughts: study to know and do his will, and be instant in prayer to him.

Think about each of these relative to your current way of living and see if by contemplation of them you will change your approach to life.

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Your journey will be long, you will walk up some blind alleys, and you will often be frustrated by what you feel is very slow progress. Nevertheless, take to heart the experience of the trance medium Maurice Barbanell: 56

I warn you that it may be a long search, but it is an exhilarating spiritual adventure. Even among the dross the gold is there, waiting to be found. But the treasure, when excavated is enduring.

Bon voyage.

1 Osbert Burdett, William Blake, Macmillan & Co, 1926. Chapter V – Lambeth, (Pg 87) 2 Mary Carroll Nelson, Beyond Fear - The Teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz on Freedom and Joy, Rider & Co, 2003. Chapter Ten: The Way of Death at Teotihuacán, (Pg 130) 3 Michal Levin, Spiritual Intelligence, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Part II: Your Journey. Chapter Three – Emerging, (Pg 42) 4 Joseph Sharp, Living Our Dying - A Way to the Sacred in Everyday Life, Rider & Co, 1996. Part II: Inviting Dying into Everyday Life – Chapter 3: Taking Another Look, (Pg 56) 5 Harry Wilmer, Quest for Silence, Diamon, 2000. 8 Patience - And What Can We Do About Silence and Noise? (Pg 180) 6 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XXXI, (Pg 277) 7 Father Andrew SDC, In the Silence, A.R.Mowbray, 1951. Union with the Will of God: VI. Prayer, (Pg 86) 8 Raynor Carey Johnson, Nurslings of Immortality, Pelegrin Trust, 1993. Chapter I - The Need for a Philosophy of Life - An Age of Insecurity, (Pg 24) 9 Carl August Wickland, Thirty Years Among the Dead - Part II, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Chapter XVI: Philosophy - Experience, October 27, 1920, (Pg 429) 10 Sir Oliver J Lodge, Raymond or Life and Death. Methuen & Co, 1916. Part III: Life and Death - Chapter XVII: The Christian Idea of God, (Pg 389) 11 Arthur Conan Doyle, The Vital Message, Hodder & Stoughton, 1919. Chapter III: The Great Argument, (Pg 116 / 117) 12 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Part One: The Unknown God - 3 Reason, (Pg 75) 13 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder & Stoughton, 2009. Part 2: The Reasons for Faith. TEN The Problem Of Sin, (Pg 162) 14 Emile Cammaerts, The Flower of Grass, The Cresset Press, 1944. Chapter v - Liberalism and Christianity, (Pg 111) 15 Julie Soskin, Transformation, College of Psychic Studies, 1995. Chapter 4 - Waves of Light, (Pg 34) 16 Kathleen E. Burne, The Life and Letters of Father Andrew, A.R.Mowbray, 1951. Part II: Letters: To Spiritual Children (Various): To Miss Q. November 9 (1944?), (Pg 234) 17 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XIV, (Pg 114) 18 Martin Israel, Summons to Life, Mowbray, 1982. Chapter 17: Building the spiritual body, (Pg 139) 19 B Abdy Collins, Death is not the End, The Psychic Book Club, 1941. Chapter I: Introductory, (Pg1) 20 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Communication: (Pg 13) 21 Christopher Jamison, Finding Sanctuary, Phoenix, 2007. PART TWO: STEP 3 – Obedience, (Pg 85) 22 Carl Gustav Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, Fontana, 1995. IX Travels: IV. India, (Pg 305)

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23 Colin Fry, Life Before Death, Rider & Co, 2008. 1. Are you living or existing? (Pg 12) 24 Adeline Yen Mah, Watching The Tree, Harper Collins, 2001. 9 Hidden Logic Within the Shape of Words, (Pg 176) 25 Weltanschauung is a German word that often is translated as 'worldview' or 'world outlook' but just as frequently is treated as a calque or left untranslated. A Weltanschauung is a comprehensive conception or theory of the world and the place of humanity within it.] 26 Ursula King, Towards a New Mysticism, Collins, 1980. I Unity of Life and Thought. 2: Early Contacts with the East, (Pg 43) 27 Ian Lawton, The Wisdom of the Soul, RSP (Rational Spirituality Press), 2007. 5: Concluding Questions, (Pg 145) 28 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part One: Chapter III: First Contacts, (Pg 66) 29 Jim Pym, Listening to the Light, Rider & Co, 1999. Introduction, (Pg 33) 30 Geoffrey Parrinder, Worship in the World's Religions, Association Press, 1961. Part III - The Far East: Chapter 8 - Chinese Cults and Taoism, (Pg 143) 31 Adeline Yen Mah, Watching The Tree, Harper Collins, 2001. 4 Do Not Do to Others What You Do Not Wish Others to Do to You, (Pg 47) 32 Hugh Ross Mackintosh, Types of Modern Theology, Nisbet, 1949. I: Introductory – Chapter 1: Character of the Modern Period, (Pg 2) 33 Evelyn Underhill, The Life of the Spirit and The Life of Today, Mowbray, 1994. Chapter I: The Characters of Spiritual Life, (Pg 18) 34 Michael Newton, Destiny of Souls: New Case Studies of Life Between Lives, Llewellyn Publications, 2005. 10: Our Spiritual Path, (Pg 398) 35 Abbé Henri de Tourville, Letters of Direction, Mowbray, 1939. V - On Being Ourselves, (Pg 37) 36 Sigmund Freud, The Future of an Illusion, Hogarth Press, 1978. Future of an Illusion V, (Pg 24) 37 Simone Weil, Waiting on God, Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1952. Letters of Farewell; Letter IV; Spiritual Autobiography. (Pg 16) 38 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Chapter III: Authority and Certainty, (Pg 31) 39 John C Lennox, God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, Lion, 2007. Preface, (Pg 9) 40 David L Edwards, Religion and Change, Hodder & Stoughton, 1974. Part One: Chapter 1 - Religion and the World's Coming of Age - One World, (Pg 45) 41 Hugh Ross Mackintosh, Types of Modern Theology, Nisbet, 1949. VII: The Theology of Paradox, Soren Kierkegaard – Chapter 2: Some Fundamental Presuppositions, (Pg 224) 42 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part One: Chapter VI: Interlude in India, (Pg 127) 43 Sherwood Eliot Wirt, Exploring the Spiritual Life, Lion Books, 1985. 3 - From Christian Doctrine by John Milton, (Pg 39) 44 Christine A M Davis, Minding the Future, Quaker Books, 2008. Chapter 3 - Quaker witness: inheritance and challenge, (Pg 31) 45 Anon, Rules for The Conduct of Life, Oyez Press, 1927. Rules for the Conduct of Life: Rule X, (Pg 13) 46 Andrew Harvey, The Direct Path, Rider & Co, 2000. Two: Practicing the Path - Eighteen Sacred Practices for Transformed Spiritual Living, (Pg 77) 47 Ralph Waldo Emerson, Natural History of Intellect, Solar Press, 1995. I. Natural History of Intellect - I. Powers and Laws of Thought, (Pg 56) 48 Henry Thomas Hamblin, Divine Adjustment, The Science of Thought Press, 1998. Chapter One: The Stream of Blessedness, (Pg 14) 49 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. Our Own Time, (Pg 351) 50 Ralph Waldo Trine, In Tune with the Infinite, G Bell & Sons, 1931. Chapter V - The Secret, Power, and effects of Love. (Pg 85) 51 Ryuho Okawa, The Laws of the Sun, Element, 1996. Chapter Two: The Truth Speaks - The Eightfold Path: An interpretation for Today, (Pg 44) 52 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder & Stoughton, 2009. Part 1: The Leap of doubt. FIVE How can a Loving God send people to Hell? (Pg 71) 53 John Edward, One Last Time, Piatkus, 2001. Part 3: Deeper - 16 Sneaking Peeks, (Pg 158) 54 Marcus J. Borg, The God We Never Knew, HarperSanFrancisco, 1997. Part II: Chapter 3: Imaging God - Why and How it Matters, (Pg 57) 55 Anon, Rules for The Conduct of Life, Oyez Press, 1927. 56 Maurice Barbanell, This is Spiritualism, The Spiritual Truth Press, 2001. Foreword, (Pg 13)

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17.5: Philosophy of Life – Social Impact

Developing your own understanding of life through thinking about all the elements of your physical, mental and spiritual aspects of your being will certainly change your attitude to everything. You will have a different view of yourself, your acquaintances, your immediate family, and the whole environment within which you live. Consequently you will have more time for your fellow man, your community, your country and you will put effort into helping where you are able. From inside the dust wrapper of the book 'When Man Listens' by Cecil Rose is the following verse

Everyone can listen to God, When man listens, God speaks, When man obeys, God works, When men change, nations change.

This makes the point very vividly, that as we as individual change then that change is reflected in what we do and hence in the environs within which we live. Outlining this from the Spirit World, Zodiac said: 1

We are individual, yet we are one - God's creation.

There is a social impact to discovering ourselves which gives each of us a unique way in which to help others. As I have said before; we are all unique and therefore each of us must not only develop our own perspective but also accept that others will have an equally valid but different view of life that we must respect. To give you some other views on this, I quote from Peter Spink, Neale Donald Walsch, Irene Bays and Christine Page respectively:

Concede to all others their full right to believe and to know as they will .. Stand on the hill of clear perspectives. 2

Allow each soul to walk its path. 3

There is nothing wrong with people having different ideas. There is nothing wrong with people following different cults, different beliefs, so long as all speak in truth, for if all speak in truth then it can only lead to the truth. 4

...values do not express a judgment towards those who choose to live their lives differently but allows everyone to live by qualities that nurture the soul. 5

By being different we can all contribute to society in diverse and yet complementary ways. We can all strive for progress; differently but together. I use the word ‘strive’ deliberately. It is not an easy journey for any of us; there are many distractions and we must remain focussed on our spiritual goal. Timothy Keller used the Christian ideas of Jonathan Edwards to stress this and he wrote: 6

In 'The Nature of True Virtue', one of the most profound treatises on social ethics ever written, Jonathan Edwards lays out how sin destroys social fabric. He argues that human society is deeply fragmented when anything but God is our highest love. If our highest goal in life is the good of our family, then, says Edwards, we will tend

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to care less for other families. If our highest goal is the good of nation, tribe or race, then we will tend to be racist or nationalistic. If our ultimate goal in life is our own individual happiness, then we will put our own economic and power interests ahead of those of others. Edwards concludes that only if God is our 'summum bonum', our ultimate good and life centre, will we find our heart drawn out not only to people of all families, races and classes, but to the whole world in general.

Certainly our focus must be spiritual and as we develop this path our material life will naturally fall into place. For many people, however, the pull of worldly goals has clouded their spiritual pathway. Peter Berger, from whose book ‘A Rumour of Angels’ I will quote extensively in this chapter, wrote that modern society: 7

...has not only sealed up the metaphysical questions in practice, but (especially in the Anglo-Saxon countries) has generated philosophical positions that deny the meaningfulness of these questions. 'What is the purpose of my life?' 'Why must I die?' 'Where do I come from and where will I go?' 'Who am I?' - all such questions are not only suppressed in practice, but are theoretically liquidated by relegating them to meaninglessness.

The implication is that when we try to grapple with a new truth or a new spiritual experience we always do so in the context of the society in which we live. David Edwards, an Anglican priest, explained that: 8

...when a person makes this attempt, when he undertakes one more crack at the riddle of the universe, he does so almost entirely within the context provided by his community. ... This understanding of religion (and irreligion) as an experience interpreted by the faith of a society has come to be fairly widely shared by thoughtful people - with consequences which have not only influenced the academic study of religion, but which have also affected the position of the living religions in the modern word.

So the whole of our environment, particularly our close friends and relatives, and the society in which we live have a significant bearing on our spiritual thinking and hence the Philosophy with we construct. In today’s world, with so much emphasis on the material aspects of life, and education pushing young minds in that direction it is not surprising that we learn to brush spiritual thinking under the carpet right from our early days. The New Age author Deepak Chopra identified all recognised that: 9

We were taught to follow a set of habits and beliefs that totally disregard the mystery of life .

Current entertainments, pastimes, electronic games, advertising all contribute to the diversions which beset us. We have to be strong to resist them; we should use our Philosophy of Life to help us to brave the onslaught. Don Cupitt said that our current temporal life and its needs and foibles: 10

...draws us away from religion in several different ways. For example, many people waste most of the best years of their lives toiling away in the attempt to make their last years financially secure, and others are involved in occupations (such as fashion, marketing, and communication businesses) which chain them to the study

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of fleeting whims of Demos - an intriguing topic, but spiritually dissipating: 'Vanity', it used to be called.

The majority of our acquaintances do not seek the spiritual and because of this they, by their words and deeds, try to pressurise us into accepting their own approach to life; a very worldly one. This is reinforced by their other contacts – as Peter Berger realised: 11

One of the fundamental propositions of the sociology of knowledge is that the plausibility, in the sense of what people actually find credible, of views of reality depends upon the social support they receive. Put more simply, we obtain our notions about the world originally from other human beings, and these notions continue to be plausible to us in a very large measure because others continue to affirm them.

But of course, for them, Dean Inge had the following advice: 12

…a man who marries the spirit of the age soon finds himself a widower.

Therefore, as Stephen J Connor suggested, don’t be swayed by social fashion; it is fickle, capricious: 13

...do not let people talk and preach you away from your God...

...and the inspirational teacher Michal Levin implored us to: 14

...it is essential to hold on to you own truths, even when others don’t smile on them.

Every element of your belief system will be tested in this way – it is through such trials that your philosophy strengthens. The American medium Arthur Ford used one part of his own creed to demonstrate this: 15

Two things are absolutely essential to the overcoming of the fear of death. The first is to achieve conviction of survival of human personality after biological death by honest confrontation with the evidence. The second is to sustain this conviction against the eroding forces brought to bear on it by a materialist society. These two things accomplished, the truth of survival becomes part of one's core belief - like gravitation, one of the assured certainties of the universe.

These truths will help us to build a barrier between the worldly focussed and ourselves. Peter Berger has some more advice for us on this topic: 16

...it is possible to liberate oneself to a considerable degree from the taken-for granted assumptions of one's time. This belief has as its correlate an ultimate indifference to the majority or minority status of one's view of the world, and indifference that is equally removed from the exaltation of being fully 'with it' and from the arrogance of esotericism.

Certainly, set yourself apart from all of these material notions, but not apart from the people who hold these views. It is they who really need the help not just spiritually but through supporting them by using the gifts which you make use of. Even more advice from

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Do not be complacent, do not involve yourselves with pettiness of groups and societies whose only interest is something of a performance, something that has an excitement, but will really only cloak you from the whole of your being.

Through this approach, you will naturally find yourself in the minority. Look at the lives of the ancient mystics and religious heretics for proof of this. Peter Berger outlined this when he wrote: 18

Whatever the situation may have been in the past, today the supernatural as a meaningful reality is absent or remote from the horizons of everyday life of large numbers, very probably of the majority, of people in modern societies, who seem to manage to get along without it quite well. This means that those to whom the supernatural is still, or again, a meaningful reality find themselves in the status of a minority, more precisely, a cognitive minority - a very important consequence with very far-reaching implications.

He also made the observation that we can counter-balance much of the worldly pressure by building our philosophy upon our own personal experiences – these cannot be taken away from us and thus the ebb and flow of material and religious fashion will have little lasting impact: 19

The suggestion that theological thought revert to an anthropological starting point is motivated by the belief that such an anchorage in fundamental human experience might offer some protection against the constantly changing winds of cultural moods.

The whole thrust of the above discussion is not only to reinforce the need for your own philosophy and to hold on to it, but to try to highlight the need for changes to the attitude of the formal religions. Leslie D Weatherhead, quoting Sir Julian Huxley, wrote: 20

It is of the greatest importance that humanity should now and again take out its beliefs for spring-cleaning.

From the pen of the scientist Carl Sagan comes reference to this in the writings of Thomas Paine, who: 21

…was unswerving in his criticism of conventional religion. He wrote in 'The Age of Reason': "Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the word of God. It ... has served to corrupt and brutalise mankind." At the same time the book exhibited the deepest reverence for a Creator of the Universe whose existence Paine argued was apparent at a glance at the natural world. But condemning much of the Bible while embracing God seemed an impossible position to most of his contemporaries.

So, all the major religions have to come to terms with the strange, inconsistent and incomprehensible events recorded in their Scriptures. It is through attempts to half-

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Nor is it obvious to me that this postulated being who underpins the rationality of the world bears much relation to the personal God of religion, still less to the God of the Bible or the Koran.

I don’t suppose that this matters to the individual provided that they develop and live their own Philosophy of Life and from this do the best possible for their community.

Hence our lives determine collectively the lives of our community. Roy Dixon-Smith confirmed that in his 1952 book when he wrote: 23

The fate that befalls us is the fate caused by our own selves, collectively and individually.

…and he extended this to indicate that the fate of the world is in our hands: 24

It brings us thence to the practical realisation that world citizenship and one plain religious philosophy such as Jesus taught is the only answer to our self-inflicted woes; that world reformation can only come through mass change of individual character; that from individual to race we make our own separate and combined fate; and that if we all became true and practising philosophers the fate of the world would soon improve.

This also was the treatise of Mokichi Okada. He was a poet, artist, mystic, visionary, businessman, husband, father, and spiritual teacher. His vision was to create a world of peace, health, and prosperity for us all - a paradise on earth – and he taught that: 25

…each of us must first reorient and reconstruct his inner self, and then reorient and restructure our civilisation to remove from it the evils of war, sickness, and poverty.

Finally a quotation from Cyprian Smith’s book ‘The Way of Paradox’: 26

If any order is to be brought into the chaos of the modern world, if anything is to be salvaged from the wreckage and made the foundation of a better world in the future, this can only be done by those who have attained what Eckhart attained - loss of self and surrender to God in the Soul's Ground. It is that, and that alone, which can produce real change, because in the last analysis the world can only be changed by changing the people who live in it. ... if you want to change the world, change yourself.

Don’t be daunted by this … live your life according to your Philosophy of Life and you will automatically have a beneficial impact on the whole community however small or large it is.

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1 Gems of Thought, The Greater World Christian Spiritualist Assn, 1989. How We Can Give and Take From Flowers, (Pg 62) 2 Peter Spink, Beyond Belief, Judy Piatkus, 1996. 9: Illusion and Reality, (Pg 136) 3 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 1 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997. Chapter 1, (Pg 47) 4 Irene Bays, Entwining Lives, Stonecliffe Publishing, 1994. Part One: Chapter V – Freewill, (Pg 71 / 72) 5 Christine R. Page, Spiritual Alchemy, C W Daniel Co, 2004. Chapter Two - Cycles of Energy, (Pg 67) 6 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder & Stoughton, 2009. Part 2: The Reasons for Faith. TEN The Problem Of Sin, (Pg 168) 7 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 3 - Theological Possibilities: Starting with Man, (Pg 95) 8 David L Edwards, Religion and Change, Hodder & Stoughton, 1974. Part One: Chapter 2 - The Social Impact of the Secular Century - The Social Character of Religion, (Pg 53 / 54) 9 Deepak Chopra, The Book of Secrets, Rider & Co, 2004. Secret #2 - The World is in You, (Pg 19) 10 Don Cupitt, Taking Leave of God, SCM Press, 2001. 8 How Real Should God Be? (Pg 110) 11 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 2 - The Perspective of Sociology: Relativising the Relativisers, (Pg 50) 12 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 1 - The Alleged Demise of the Supernatural, (Pg 37) 13 Stephen J Connor, Everything as Divine, Paulist Press, 1996. Part II: Selections from the Counsels on Discernment - Counsel 20. Of the Body of our Lord; .. (Pg 72) 14 Michal Levin, Spiritual Intelligence, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Part III: How to Live the Ideas. Chapter Sixteen – The Phoenix Rises, (Pg 344) 15 Arthur Ford, Unknown but Known, Harper & Row, 1968. Chapter 7 : An End to the Fear of Death, (Pg 77 / 78) 16 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 1 - The Alleged Demise of the Supernatural, (Pg 42) 17 Julie Soskin, Transformation, College of Psychic Studies, 1995. Chapter 13 - The Union of Spirit and Matter, (Pg 112) 18 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 1 - The Alleged Demise of the Supernatural, (Pg 18) 19 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 3 - Theological Possibilities: Starting with Man, (Pg 69) 20 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Chapter II: Agnosticism and Doubt, (Pg 11) 21 Carl Edward Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, Ballantine Books, New York, 1997. Chapter 14 : Antiscience, (Pg 259 / 260) 22 Paul Davies, The Mind of God, Penguin Books, 1992. Chapter 7: Why Is the World the Way It Is? - A God Who Plays Dice, (Pg 191) 23 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part Two: Chapter VII: Philosophy, (Pg 137) 24 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part Two: Chapter VII: Philosophy, (Pg 141) 25 Mokichi Okada, Johrei - divine light of salvation, Society of Johrei, 1984. Introduction, (Pg 18) 26 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 8 The Glory of the Kingdom, (Pg 116)

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17.6: Philosophy of Life– Conscience

As an inherent mechanism of our Philosophy of Life, we have developed a conscience. This is our ability to distinguish right from wrong. Often it seems to act as a brake and accelerator for what we do and often referred to as ‘the voice within’. Emanuel Swedenborg, the Swedish scientist, philosopher, theologian and mystic wrote: 1

In order that man may examine himself an understanding has been given to him, and this separate from the will, that he may know, understand and acknowledge what is good and what is evil; and also that he may see the quality of his will, or what he loves and desires.

…and from John Scott who said of our conscience: 2

You may regard it as the regulator of thought in action...

In other words, our conscience, if we listen to what it is telling us, can act as a governing mechanism and as a guide to what we say and do. According to John Todd, the Methodist pioneer John Wesley, in one of his sermons, stressed that: 3

...a man's conscience must be his guide.

...and in discussing the spiritual life the Russian Orthodox saint, Theophan the Recluse, explained that: 4

The conscience is the legislator, the guardian of the law, the judge and executor.

From a psychological point of view we often feel remorse when we offend our conscience and it can act as a check on continuing to do so. Similarly, the converse is true, that we can feel elation when we do things which are in line with our conscience.

From a moral perspective, our acceptable social norms have been built from our early days and our subsequent experiences. It is possible that our ability to reason has influenced our moral values and hence our conscience. On this point, the spirit communicator through John Scott said: 5

Social life has clarified and improved that natural gift [of conscience] , but it did not create it.

…and from Thomas Merton: 6

The moral conscience translates the general laws of being into the less general moral law, and, what is most important, it not only interprets the moral law to fit the circumstances of our own lives, but apprehends concretely, at every moment, that which is far more than any abstract norm of conduct. The moral conscience, by showing us the way of obedience to the inspirations of actual grace, grasps and possesses at each moment of time the living law that is the will and love of God for ourselves.

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Of this moral conscience, the 4 th Century student of the scriptures and eventual cave dwelling hermit, John Chrysostom said: 7

…there is another type of gift which surpasses all others: the gift of knowing right from wrong and the courage to choose what is right. This moral gift is not something which is given at birth, and which some people possess and others do not. The potential moral discernment is like a seed sown in every human heart; and this seed grows only if it is nurtured through reflection, education, prayer and practice. It would be better that our leaders were poor in natural gifts, but rich in this moral gift, than that they exuded authority and wisdom, but used these natural gifts for their own ends.

Sigmund Freud agreed that our conscience develops considerably during our formative years: 8

As a child grows up, the role of the father is carried on by teachers and others in authority; their injunctions and prohibitions remain powerful in the ego ideal and continue, in the form of conscience, to exercise the moral censorship. The tension between demands of conscience and the actual performances of the ego is experienced as a sense of guilt. Social feelings rest on identifications with other people, on the basis of having the same ego ideal.

Science may argue that there is an aspect of our conscience which is genetically determined. However, I’m not in accord with this as I believe our conscience is initially formed by the environment and culture within which we start to develop as individuals and not something that is inherent in us as a foetus. There are many aspects of each of us which are DNA formed, but not our conscience. Timothy Keller in his book ‘The Reason for God’ also dismissed the idea that evolution was the source of our conscience: 9

Evolution, therefore, cannot account for the origin of our moral feelings, let alone for the fact that we all believe there are external moral standards by which moral feelings are evaluated.

From a spiritual angle, our conscience has been moulded by our developing view of our personal God and what we believe we ought to aspire to in order to meet our life’s objectives. Whether there is some input from our soul, I do not know, except that those ‘old souls’ seem to have a greater developed conscience than most of us. There is of course, the input that our spirit guides and helpers provided which is not inconsiderable. The religious roots of conscience were understood by the spirit communicator using John Scott as a channel: 10

The exploration of conscience, as you should well know, was largely the work of Christianity in the development of a Stoic principle. It has existed since the dawning of Man's reflection and awakening to morality, and you can find a slight suggestion of it in trained animals. When enlightened it is a sure guide for every normal man, whether he be an intuitive or an intellectual.

...and Theophan the Recluse linked the spiritual life to conscience: 11

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The standard of the holy, virtuous and righteous life is inscribed in the conscience.

There is a very close relationship between conscience and free will; our choices are governed by our conscience and the subsequent actions are a result of the freewill that we have been given. Again, referring to John Scott’s book ‘I Lent a Hand to a Ghost’ his spirit communicator said: 12

...your conscience is the most powerful influence within you, as in all human beings endowed as we are with free choice.

He also advised that our conscience, having so many disparate inputs, will never lead us astray: 13

...have perfect confidence in your conscience and not to be misled by fashions in thought.

Thomas Merton also recognised the relationship between conscience and free will: 14

Conscience is the soul of freedom, its eyes its energy, its life. Without conscience, freedom never knows what to do with itself.

This confidence in our conscience was also expressed by Teresa of Avila: 15

If we keep a pure conscience, we can suffer little or no harm.

We use our conscience, to use a modern Americanism, 24/7. Everything we do is judged by it even if it is not controlled by it – we can choose not to abide by what our ‘inner self’ tells us. This attitude is not good; we should always choose the right course of action, as stated in the Philokalia: 16

...since we know how to do good, we have no right to neglect it.

We should, as Theophan the Recluse advises, always abide by the feelings that we are given by our conscience: 17

Do not do anything that your conscience prohibits, and do not omit anything that it says to do, whether great or small.

Because our conscience forms a fundamental part of our Philosophy of Life, then it can be considered that, by recognising that this is the case, our judgements ought to be based completely on our basic philosophy. This view was also held, so Mary Carroll Nelson informs us, in the teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz: 18

The inner judge bases all judgments in the belief system.

This was amplified more recently by Thomas Merton: 19

Our free acts must not only have a purpose, they must have the right purpose. And we must have a conscience that teaches us how to choose the right purposes. Conscience is the light by which we interpret the will of God in our own lives.

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He also believed in the fact that our conscience is a reflection of our Philosophy of Life. That is how our Philosophy of Life has become our Philosophy for life. He wrote: 20

Conscience is the indication of hidden things, of imperceptible acts and tendencies that are much more important than itself. It is the mirror of a man's depths.

…and on the same page in his book ‘No Man Is An Island’ he also offered: 21

Conscience is the face of the soul.

Relating our conscience to our inner essence is also outlined in the Qur’an, as Margaret Smith uncovered: 22

The essence of man, according to Qur'anic psychology, is the heart, containing the secret and hidden shrine of conscience, by which God can speak to man…

It may be considered that our soul and our conscience are inextricably related. As we grow our conscience develops in line with all our experiences and, no doubt, with much of what we subconsciously remember of our past life experiences. Maybe there is a fusing of all this knowledge to provide an enhanced conscience. This soul / conscience relationship was broached by Michael Newton based upon his work regressing patients through their past lives: 23

I have been told that our spiritual masters constantly remind us that because the human brain does not have an innate moral sense of ethics, conscience is the soul's responsibility.

Some mystics, in particular Theophan the Recluse, perhaps driven by the knowledge that the soul is the ‘spark of God’, have extended this relationship to include our Creator: 24

The conscience is a great thing. It is the voice of the Omnipresent God in the soul. He who is in the world with the conscience is also in the world with God.

Henry Thomas Hamblin used this link to God to make a specific distinction which we all learn, to a greater or lesser degree. The first lesson, he says, that we have to learn is: 25

...that all good comes from the Lord, the One Source and Fountain of Good. It is not necessary to define what is meant by the term good, for we each know intuitively what is good, and what is not good. We know that sin, such as lust, impurity, selfishness, hate, uncharitableness, untruthfulness, insincerity, unfaithfulness, living below our ideals, fear, mistrust, is not good, but evil. We also know that disease, sickness, penury, disaster, disharmony, wretchedness, misery, care, anxiety, ugliness, disorder are evil and not of God, although He can bring good out of every experience.

Because of this ‘God to soul to conscience’ link, maybe there is something that instinctively lies within the breast of every sentient being. Norman Grubb, a 20 th century British Christian missionary, using his appreciation of the New Testament, believed so: 26

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That is why humans instinctively know wrong from right: we know what proceeds from selfishness is wrong, whatever is self-giving is right. Paul truly said that we have the law written in our hearts, and John speaks of "the light that lighteth every man", and the conscience that bears witness to the truth.

As our life goes on, our conscience changes; it becomes enhanced and much more resilient. In our early days our conscience is very plastic and, as the years of experience unfold, it becomes more settled although should never be fixed. Broadening our conscience is not an automatic process – it takes effort and time. The best mechanism to develop it is in parallel with your spiritual development; through contemplation, meditation and prayer as Thomas Merton suggested: 27

One of the most important functions of the life of prayer is to deepen and strengthen and develop our moral conscience.

This is where our ‘concrete’ link with Spirit emerges – through intuition and inspiration. So recognise that your conscience is important to you in your day-to-day life. It will give you a taste of what is right and wrong and guide your actions in line with your Philosophy of Life. An important corollary of this, as articulated by St. Theophan the Recluse. is the implicit relationship of our conscience to our spiritual life: 28

A conscience with reverential remembrance of God is the wellspring of true spiritual life.

...or as he also remarked: 29

The conscience is also known as the divine voice in the human spirit.

As an aside, it might be worth thinking about the possibility of a ‘common conscience’ possessed by groups of people. What is considered right and wrong in England, may be different, at the fringes, than that considered so by those in Iran. Could this be related to the scriptural base for these communities? Ian Robinson the author of ‘Who Killed the Bible?’ and a British literary critic and academic, posed a similar question: 30

At the same time conscience, in the individual, speaks for a 'common' morality assumed to be beyond challenge. 'The power and authority of conscience ... is a part of me but it speaks with an authority that is greater than I personally possess.' Conscience is ordinarily a warning voice, telling us either that we really 'ought', despite our inclination. In a Christian society conscience speaks in the language of the Bible. It remains to be seen whether in a post-Christian society common conscience can survive.

Whether this is the case I do not know. I do know, however, that the development of one’s conscience is paramount to a sound and realistic philosophy of life.

In this chapter I have quoted freely from three sources; Thomas Merton, Theophan the Recluse and John Scott. I will end it with another quote from the spirit who communicated through John Scott. In this, he praises the person who sets out to acquire a ‘good’ conscience: 31

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The well-disciplined conscience is a very beautiful thing, but it should be the aim of mankind to co-ordinate it with their other powers, not neglecting the influence of common sense in operating what is perhaps the most delicate piece of machinery in the human constitution.

Therefore, develop your conscience and let it shine through everything you do.

1 Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence, Swedenborg Society, 1949. Chapter IX: Evils are Permitted for the Sake of an End which is Salvation, (Pg 218) 2 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Psychology: (Pg 62) 3 John M. Todd, John Wesley and the Catholic Church, The Catholic Book Club, 1958. Chapter Ten: The Church, (Pg 170) 4 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 9 Spiritual Life, (Pg 62 / 63) 5 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Psychology: (Pg 63) 6 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 3. Conscience, Freedom, and Prayer, (Pg 33) 7 John Chrysostom - The Golden Voice of Protest, Arthur James, 1996. (Pg 40) 8 Sigmund Freud, The Ego and the Id, Hogarth Press, 1962. III The Ego and the Super-Ego (Ego Ideal), (Pg 27) 9 Timothy Keller, The Reason for God, Hodder & Stoughton, 2009. Part 2: The Reasons for Faith. NINE The Knowledge of God, (Pg 148) 10 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Psychology: (Pg 62 / 63) 11 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 11 The Influence of the Spirit on the Soul, (Pg 69) 12 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Psychology: (Pg 64) 13 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Psychology: (Pg 63) 14 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 3. Conscience, Freedom, and Prayer, (Pg 22) 15 Teresa of Avila, Way of Perfection, Sheed & Ward, 1984. Chapter XLI, (Pg 178) 16 Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, Faber & Faber, 1992. Part Two: Hesychius of Jerusalem to Theodulus - Texts on Sobriety and Prayer – 187, (Pg 318) 17 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 43 Inner Peace, (Pg 192) 18 Mary Carroll Nelson, Beyond Fear - The Teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz on Freedom and Joy, Rider & Co, 2003. Chapter Five: Mind, Evolution and the Dream, (Pg 63) 19 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 3. Conscience, Freedom, and Prayer, (Pg 25) 20 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 3. Conscience, Freedom, and Prayer, (Pg 26) 21 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 3. Conscience, Freedom, and Prayer, (Pg 26) 22 Margaret Smith, Studies in Early Mysticism in the Near and Middle East, The Sheldon Press, 1931. Part 2: Chapter VII - Asceticism and Mysticism in Orthodox Islam, (Pg 144) 23 Michael Newton, Journey of Souls, Llewellyn Publications, 2009. Chapter Five: Orientation, (Pg 70) 24 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 67 Diligent Confession, (Pg 277) 25 Henry Thomas Hamblin, Divine Adjustment, The Science of Thought Press, 1998. Chapter One: The Stream of Blessedness, (Pg 13) 26 Norman Grubb, The Sponaneous You, Lutterworth Press, 1966. Chapter 6. That Clever God, (Pg 40) 27 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 3. Conscience, Freedom, and Prayer, (Pg 26) 28 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 43 Inner Peace, (Pg 193) 29 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 14 The Covering of the Soul, (Pg 82) 30 Ian Robinson, Who Killed the Bible?, Edgeways Books, 2014. 5 The English Bible and The Idea of a Christian Society, (Pg 115) 31 John Scott, I Lent a Hand to a Ghost, Psychic Press, 1950. Psychology: (Pg 62)

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17.7: Philosophy of Life – And Knowledge

In terms of gathering together your own Philosophy of Life and developing your spiritual nature, knowledge is useful but not imperative – you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand yourself and develop your own spirituality.

Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something, which can include facts, information, descriptions, or skills acquired through experience or education. It can refer to the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It can be implicit (as with practical skill or expertise) or explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of a subject); it can be more or less formal or systematic. 1

Knowledge is important; although you may not think so if you were to accept the Tao teaching as contained in Chapter XIX of the Tao Tê Ching. It states that: 2

Banish wisdom, discard knowledge And the people will be benefited a hundredfold. Banish human kindness, discard morality, And the people will be dutiful and compassionate. Banish skill, discard profit, And thieves and robbers will disappear. If when these three things are done they find life too plain and unadorned, Then let them have accessories; Give them Simplicity to look at, the Uncarved Block to hold, Give them selflessness and fewness of desires.

This seems to equate to the way that many religions keep their flocks in fear unless certain ‘truths’ are accepted without necessarily any valid evidence. I do not accept this method of control. The Sufi philosopher Idries shah put this whole situation in the context of the search for knowledge. He wrote that: 3

One of the most interesting – and little-known – facts about higher knowledge is that its pursuit is as much dependent upon exclusion as inclusion. It is as important to exclude certain elements as it is to include others. You may think that all you have to do is to find the right formulae of belief, ritual, exercise: but if you do not at the same time avoid doing or thinking of practising certain things, these excluded things can – often do – act as contaminants to your efforts.

We must bear this in mind as we search and develop our knowledge base. Each of us needs to work out for ourselves the beliefs that we hold and against which we live. I would follow the views outlined in the book ‘Unto Thee I Grant’: 4

If there is anything lovely, if there is anything desirable, if there is anything within the reach of man that is worthy of praise, is it not knowledge?

…and, as articulated by Silver Birch, a teacher from the Spirit World, who believed that: 5

…knowledge is to be preferred to ignorance and I would say - though, of course, I speak only for myself - that it is better for you, as a rule, to have knowledge by

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study, which only means the experiences of others who have trod your path before, than to work in ignorance.

The philosopher and mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti went much further, for he believed that: 6

Knowledge is essential, for without it we should have to begin all over again in certain areas of our existence. This is fairly simple and clear.

No one can stand between you and your spiritual destiny; it is you who will carry the can for what you are and what you believe and what you think, say, and do. Your Philosophy of Life exemplifies this. Elizabeth MacDonald Burrows understood this eternal relationship and offered: 7

Again it is stressed that the relationship between the student and God be a natural one, born of respect and reverence. The added ingredient is an eager desire to learn.

...and, of course, we can all echo the comment made by an attendee at one of the mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti’s gatherings that: 8

To learn is a great virtue, but to be content with what one knows is stupid.

In her book ‘Mysticism’, Evelyn Underhill looked back at the lives of the mystics and from this study realised that there seems to be something within us which drives our thirst for knowledge. To express this urge she wrote: 9

We must perceive in it as some mystics have done, "the beating of the Heart of God"; and agree with Heraclitus that "there is but one wisdom, to understand the knowledge by which all things are steered through the All."

In other words, from the spirit whose teachings came via Neale Donald Walsch: 10

Wisdom is knowledge, applied.

However, we have to be very careful that we do not seek to gain knowledge for its own sake, as Walter Hilton remarked: 11

Knowledge by itself is only water, flavourless and cold.

What we seek must lead us to uncover or develop an understanding of some aspect of truth. Malcolm Muggeridge seemed to see, in the world, a pattern which was: 12

…the pursuit of knowledge without reference to truth which alone gives knowledge its validity.

...and gaining knowledge for its own sake is fruitless, and, as Sayed Najmuddin says: 13

Knowledge is generally confused with information. Because people are looking for information or experience, not knowledge, they do not find knowledge.

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It is so easy to become cocooned in a theological and academic lifestyle that living the knowledge acquired becomes secondary. The Shankara Acharya born near Malabar in Southern India about the year 686 AD experienced this type of person, and of them said: 14

Well uttered speech, a waterfall of words and skill in setting forth sacred texts and learning are for the delectation of the learned, but do not bring liberation.

Such people are dangerous to religion as they are trying to educate and help those who are seeking enlightenment and yet are not enlightened themselves. Another way of describing a similar person was used by Aldous Huxley who quoted from the Tao Tê Ching: 15

He who knows does not speak; He who speaks does not know.

In fact, John Blofeld through his own experience, realised that knowledge itself was not an essential stepping stone to spirituality: 16

My deepest inspiration came from the simple Mongol pilgrims who inspired me with the belief that learning and scholarship are by no means essential to the truly religious life…

This was also a view of the German theologian and philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher. Who, according to the Scottish clergyman Hugh Ross Mackintosh, said that: 17

Quantity of knowledge ... is not quantity of religion.

This has been echoed throughout the ages from the pagan religions of pre-history to the present day particularly by the mystics. In his book about the English mystics, Gerald Bullett identified that to them: 18

This doctrine, the primacy of spiritual sensation and the relative unimportance of intellectual notions, is common to all ... mystics of whatever school.

Development of ideas and expanding our Philosophy of Life comes from a combination of experience and knowledge. This was also the thesis of Hiram Corson, a 19 th century American professor of literature. In his treatise ‘The Voice and Spiritual Education’ he expressed the view that: 19

Technical knowledge is a good thing in its way, but a knowledge of life, in whatever form, is a far better thing. And it is only life that can awaken life. Technical knowledge, by itself, is only dry bones. The technical, indeed, cannot by itself be appreciated. It must be appreciated as an expression of life—as an expression of the plastic spirit of thought and feeling.

Nevertheless, the more of these two aspects we have however, the greater is our responsibility to live by the truths revealed. Perhaps this is why, in the ‘The Scripts of Cleophas’ was written that: 20

...knowledge is sorrow.

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...which will be so if knowledge gained is treated as just another constraint on our daily activity rather than an opportunity to spiritually grow. So we take what we already possess, add more knowledge through reading, etc., and, using our reason and logic, transform all of this into truth or otherwise. In essence we build our knowledge for a purpose; which has been described by the medium Betty Shine as: 21

Seeking knowledge, so that you know the difference between right and wrong, is the most important task you have whilst you are inhabiting this planet.

And remember that, as rabbi Jonathan Sacks noted: 22

Knowledge grows by being shared.

I think that this is one of the points that Abbott Jamison referred to in his book ‘Finding Sanctuary’: 23

Reading moves beyond information and becomes transformation.

This transformation of knowledge is vital. Gurdjieff states that: 24

…knowledge is one thing, understanding is another thing.

So we need to explore, to gain more knowledge and which, providing we understand it, helps us to move forward. But what is it; what is knowledge? Early in the 20 th century the Archdeacon of Westminster, the Venerable Basil Wilberforce, remarked that: 25

It is interesting to study the frantic attempts of the great philosophic writers to define knowledge; the Platonists, the Stoics, Whateley, Hamilton, Mill, have filled pages with their attempts. And yet we know what we mean when we use the word ‘knowledge’ on the ordinary human plane; we mean the consciousness of certain facts and phenomena acquired by experience, or as the result of the exercise of the faculties of observation and thought.

...and he then went on to identify that there are two types of knowledge: 26

There is a knowledge which is not the result of the exercise of the faculties of observation and intellectual activity. There are within us two centres, and originating founts, of knowledge. Paul differentiated them sharply as, one, the ‘carnal mind,’ and the other, the ‘mind of Christ.’ Schelling names them, the one ‘ordinary consciousness,’ the other, ‘the capacity above and beyond ordinary consciousness’, Jacob Boehme speaks of them as ‘scientific knowledge and inward light.’

The mystic Frederick Crossfield Happold gave a more analytical introduction to knowledge acquisition when he wrote: 27

There are five possible ways of knowing. There is first the knowledge of a material world outside ourselves which we gain through our senses. Next is the knowledge we have of our sensations and the knowledge which comes through introspection. Thirdly there is the knowledge we gain by the use of reason or intellect, which

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interrogates and interprets the first two types of knowledge and which is governed by the laws of logic. This is rational knowledge. Rational knowledge is, however, incomplete in itself and can only carry us a certain distance. In addition to the rational facility men possess, in varying degrees, a faculty of intuition or insight. It is found particularly in seers, inventors, poets and other creative artists. .. Finally, there is knowledge which is given through mystical experience at various levels.

I will try to expand, using other quotations, the ideas that Fredrick has outlined. Firstly, knowledge of the world around us, which each of our five senses notice, is voluminous. Of our minds, Thomas Merton noticed that: 28

Our minds are like crows. They pick up everything that glitters, no matter how uncomfortable our nests get with all that metal in them.

Our minds generally filter that which our senses register so that our capacity is not filled in the first couple of sensory days. This is very noticeable when you are walking down the road – you tend to see and make note of all that is important to you and filter out that which is irrelevant. For example, it is important to see the up and coming curb but not the colour of the curtains in the house that you have just passed. To some extent, your mind ignores that which is not important. You can, of course, help this process along. I don’t know whether our minds have a fixed capacity, but what I do know is that if we fill our minds with immaterial junk then our ability to retrieve that which is important may be diminished. This brings to mind a story which I will show in full. There are many variations on this morality tale - here is just one - it is called ‘The Jar of Life or Stones, pebbles and sand’: 29

One day, an old professor of the School of Public Management in France, was invited to lecture on the topic of “Efficient Time Management” in front of a group of 15 executive managers representing the largest, most successful companies in America. The lecture was one in a series of 5 lectures conducted in one day, and the old professor was given 1 hr to lecture. Standing in front of this group of elite managers, who were willing to write down every word that would come out of the famous professor’s mouth, the professor slowly met eyes with each manager, one by one, and finally said, “we are going to conduct an experiment”. From under the table that stood between the professor and the listeners, the professor pulled out a big glass jar and gently placed it in front of him. Next, he pulled out from under the table a bag of stones, each the size of a tennis ball, and placed the stones one by one in the jar. He did so until there was no room to add another stone in the jar. Lifting his gaze to the managers, the professor asked, “Is the jar full?” The managers replied, “Yes”. The professor paused for a moment, and replied, “Really?” Once again, he reached under the table and pulled out a bag full of pebbles. Carefully, the professor poured the pebbles in and slightly rattled the jar, allowing the pebbles to slip through the larger stones, until they settled at the bottom. Again, the professor lifted his gaze to his audience and asked, “Is the jar full?” At this point, the managers began to understand his intentions. One replied, “apparently not!” “Correct”, replied the old professor, now pulling out a bag of sand from under the table. Cautiously, the professor poured the sand into the jar. The sand filled up the spaces between the stones and the pebbles.

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Yet again, the professor asked, “Is the jar full?” Without hesitation, the entire group of students replied in unison, “NO!” “Correct”, replied the professor. And as was expected by the students, the professor reached for the pitcher of water that was on the table, and poured water in the jar until it was absolutely full. The professor now lifted his gaze once again and asked, “What great truth can we surmise from this experiment?” With his thoughts on the lecture topic, one manager quickly replied, “We learn that as full as our schedules may appear, if we only increase our effort, it is always possible to add more meetings and tasks.” “No”, replied the professor. The great truth that we can conclude from this experiment is: If we don’t put all the larger stones in the jar first, we will never be able to fit all of them later. The old professor continued, “What are the large stones in your life? Health? Family? Friends? Your goals? Doing what you love? Fighting for a Cause? Taking time for yourself?” What we must remember is that it is most important to include the larger stones in our lives, because if we don’t do so, we are likely to miss out on life altogether. If we give priority to the smaller things in life (pebbles & sand), our lives will be filled up with less important things, leaving little or no time for the things in our lives that are most important to us. Because of this, never forget to ask yourself, What are the Large Stones in your Life? And once you identify them, be sure to put them first in your “Jar of Life”.

I know that you will have heard a similar tale and whilst it is quite amusing it is also very poignant. If the larger stones represent the fundamental truths which affect our lives and the sand is the dross peddled by the media and organisations touting the celebrity culture then you can see the value of being very circumspect and discerning in your life.

Perhaps, too, we can follow Jack Joseph’s suggestion: 30

Unnecessary shoots of knowledge may have to be pruned from your mind allowing the flower of knowing to flourish more abundantly in your heart!

By taking more notice of significant knowledge then we can possibly gain access to truths more readily. Getting hold of knowledge through the senses involve quite complicated processes. These include communication, perception, association and reasoning. I’ll deal mainly with communication by observing the joy and excitement I get when I discover a new idea or a new facet of an old notion. This joy is the stimulus to read, talk and listen to those who are more spiritually aware than I am. Simone Weil, in fact, reckoned that joy is an indispensible part of learning and gaining knowledge: 31

The joy of learning is as indispensable in study as breathing is in running. .. It is the part played by joy in our studies that makes of them a preparation for spiritual life, for desire directed towards God is the only power capable of raising the soul.

Implicit in this statement is something that was explicitly stated by one of the higher spirits channelling their teaching through the medium Dion Fortune. That is, as we read and garner knowledge our soul is also benefiting: 32

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...books speak not only to the conscious mind but also to the sub-conscious.

History teaches us, through the books and lives of those more experienced people, of truths which we must be aware. In ‘Unto Thee I Grant’ is the statement: 33

From the experience of others do thou learn wisdom; and from their feelings correct thine own faults.

This seems to capture the sort of things we ought to be doing – comparing how we feel about all aspects of our life with those expressed feeling of the Masters. The latter have often been guided to write down their observations, experiences and feelings so that the likes of you and me can benefit. These ancient Masters are the pioneers of spirituality and ought not to be dismissed. From the writings of Evelyn Underhill, Lumsden Barkway extracted the advice that: 34

The saints are the great experimental Christians, who, because of their unreserved self-dedication have made the great discoveries about God; and as we read their lives and works they will impart to us just so much of these discoveries as we are able to bear. Indeed, as we grow more and more, the saints tell us more and more: disclosing at each fresh reading secrets we did not suspect. Their books are the work of specialists from whom we can humbly learn more of God and our own souls.

Evelyn Underhill, being a mystic herself, understood their drivers and ways of thinking and through this penned her most famous book on ‘Mysticism’ in the early part of the 20 th century. Many other mystics have, with varying degrees of success, described their experiences in written form. Kathleen Pond in collecting some of the writings of the Spanish mystics referred to those of Alonso de Orozco who in chapter 7 of his 'The Mount of Contemplation' wrote: 35

If, then, you want to find this Lord of mercy, read learned and spiritual doctors, for St Lipsianus says: 'As in prayer we speak with God, in reading our God speaks to us.'. Origen extols holy reading to such an extent that he says it is another heaven of delight.

Notice that it is the experiences of these saintly folks and not their biographies that are important. On this topic F P Harton wrote: 36

It is not books about the masters, but the masters themselves that should be read.

Our debt to these authors and mystic and spiritual leaders is huge. To emphasise this, I’ll give three other references; firstly from Dan Cohn-Sherbok: 37

In the modern world, these spiritual giants of the past can enlighten those who struggle to find their way through darkness to the Divine Light.

Secondly from Peter Marshall’s book ‘Mr Jones, Meet The Master’: 38

Perhaps it is because of this desperate need for a new dynamic in human life that, more than ever before, we need the testimony of those who have made spiritual

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discoveries.

…and thirdly from Cecil Rose: 39

We are under an unpayable debt to men like St. Augustine, Brother Lawrence, John Wesley, and a great unnamed company of men and women who have been willing to let us see, in the inner history of their own souls…

It has been said by some that the only books that need to be studied are those recognised as Holy Scriptures. For example in the ‘Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart’ Simeon The New Theologian is reported to have believed that we should: 40

Study also yourself the Holy Scriptures, especially the practical writings of the holy fathers, in order to compare with them what you are being taught by your teacher and preceptor.

Personally, I have not specified what sort of books or what exemplars are important. This is deliberate. I firmly believe that if your intention is to spiritually progress and part of that process is the acquisition of knowledge through books and similar media, then you will be guided to the right books for you at the time. A good example of this is from Roy Dixon- Smith who desperately wanted to learn more about of the topic of survival of the soul after death: 41

I had been reading all the books on mediumship and psychology that I could lay my hands on, books for and books against survivalism, and endeavouring to steer a midway course between obstinate scepticism and undue gullibility.

From this quote you can get a feel for the passion with which he pursued his objective. Don’t take this too far and consume every book avidly. The Spanish Jesuit Baltasar Gracián astutely advised that we ought not to become one of those who: 42

...praise books for their girth, as though they were written to exercise our arms, not our wits.

In addition, do note that whatever is read ought not to be accepted without applying your reason – try as Roy Dixon-Smith did, to balance scepticism and acceptance.

There are a few books which I have deliberately read at least twice. The reason for this is twofold; firstly that I never pick up all the nuances at the first time of reading, and secondly is that as I become more spiritually aware, then a book I read two years ago will yield much more to me now that it did then. Evelyn Underhill also noticed that different people will get different benefit from the same book. She wrote: 43

This is why spiritual books bear such different meanings for different types and qualities of soul, why each time we read them they give us something fresh, as we can bear it. Such books and teachers are reservoirs of the Spirit; what they give us is nothing to what they still hold in reserve.

…and in the famous mystical treatise ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ came the advice: 44

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The more often you read it [The Cloud of Unknowing] the better, for that much more shall you grasp of its meaning.

In fact, Alonso Rodriguez in his ‘'Ejercicio de Perfeccion de Virtudes cristianas’ argued that: 45

A good book has not to be read once only - the second time you read it, you will derive more profit from it, and the third still more, and it will always be new to you.

No matter what books you read there is likely to be some, even obtuse, spiritual element within them. I have read most of the ‘discworld’ novels of Terry Pratchett and in some I have found the most thought provoking material – In fact I have used quotations from his books in this treatise. Hence, when you read any book, look for the hidden treasures; you may be pleasantly surprised. It is not necessarily the lives of the exemplars which give you thoughts and ideas. So bear this in mind and, as Thomas Merton recommended, treat reading as: 46

…an act of homage to the God of all truth.

As well as books you can gain knowledge by discussion with like minded people. On this Peter Ouspensky, a Russian philosopher, stressed the extreme views of George Ivanovich Gurdjieff which included: 47

A man can only attain knowledge with the help of those who possess it. This must be understood from the very beginning. One must learn from him who knows .

Of course this is the best mechanism, but there are not many people around today who are following the spiritual pathway and who can help us. You will have done well if you are able to find such a person or group of people. Even so, you must always be critical of their views. One of the central themes of the human quest for knowledge is the need to be able to distinguish mere ‘opinion’ from ‘knowledge.’ The Oxford academic Alister McGrath posed the question: 48

How can we distinguish a belief that is warranted and rigorously reasoned from mere unsubstantiated opinion? The debate goes back to Plato, and continues today. The key question – whether in the natural sciences, philosophy, or theology – is this: What conditions must be fulfilled before we can conclude that a given belief is justified?

In the last analysis it is our personal view that is the decider. We should test them against not only your own reasoning but against what you have previously read. This course of action is suggested in the Philokalia: 49

Study also yourself the Holy Scriptures, especially the practical writings of the holy fathers, in order to compare with them what you are being taught by your teacher and preceptor.

The Rev. Dr. William Houff, a dedicated Unitarian parish minister, also believed that such acquired knowledge is important to our developing spirituality. He wrote that: 50

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Knowledge, we need to remind ourselves, is the raw material and stimulus of intuition and, hence, it is indispensable to all creativity, including spiritual growth.

The spirit communicator helping The Rev. C. Drayton Thomas reminded us that: 51

Everything which trains the mind is useful, although purely technical and detailed knowledge gained on earth may be lost or left behind; for it is the effect of the training and education which accompanies you here [in the spirit world].

So everything you learn must be treated with care. You do not want to be ‘led up the garden path’. You must develop your thoughts; do not let others do it for you, as William Clemmons recommended: 52

As long as you ask a book to do your thinking for you, you have escaped the responsibility for that intimate dialogue between you and God.

The consequences of not doing this are highlighted by Irene Bays: 53

There are those who bury their noses in great books and are learned, and yet they know nothing.

This historical acquisition of knowledge affects us all. Since pre-history man has been striving for more and more knowledge; knowledge builds upon knowledge. It is this ladder effect which prevents some knowledge from being uncovered before other knowledge has been established. Jostein Gaarder in reference to Hegel wrote: 54

Anybody who studies history will see that humanity has advanced toward ever increasing ‘self-knowledge’ and ‘self-development.’ According to Hegel, the study of history shows that humanity is moving toward greater rationality and freedom. In spite of all its capers, historical development is progressive. We say that history is purposeful... History is one long chain of reflections. Hegel also indicated certain rules that apply for this chain of reflections. Anyone studying history in depth will observe that a thought is usually proposed on the basis of other, previously proposed thoughts. But as soon as one thought is proposed, it will be contradicted by another. A tension arises between these two opposite ways of thinking. But the tension is resolved by the proposal of a third thought which accommodates the best of both points of view. Hegel calls this a dialectic process.

So the knowledge that we have takes from what already exists and builds upon it. This idea of building upon previous knowledge was considered by the British philosopher Bertrand Russell when discussing the problems of philosophy: 55

All acquisition of knowledge is an enlargement of the Self, but this enlargement is best attained when it is not directly sought. It is obtained when the desire for knowledge is alone operative, by a study which does not wish in advance that its objects should have this or that character, but adapts the Self to the characters which it finds in its objects.

As we acquire more and more knowledge, we construct a greater understanding of life and

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:30:40 17.7 Philosophy of Life – And Knowledge Page 11 of 31 all its ramifications which, in turn, improves and adds quality to our inner self. All this additional and refined knowledge is housed in our memory (wherever and whatever that is!). By some mechanism, we can overlay what we previously know with newly acquired knowledge to improve what we had before. Roy Dixon-Smith in his book ‘New Light on Survival’ agreed with this: 56

The most essential function of the mind is memory, for it is memory that enables ideas to be formed and integrated for critical thinking and purposeful activity. ..

…and, he notes, that we can classify memory: 57

…under three main headings: (a) The memory of the consciousness associated with the physical organism. This memory is intermittent and the only one that the average person is aware of. (b) The memory of the consciousness associated with the astral organism which includes (a) above, plus experience during periods of astral awareness and physical unconsciousness such as trance, deep hypnosis, sleep and so forth. This memory- period extends from the commencement of one incarnation until that of the next (if reincarnation occurs) (c) The grand overall perfect cumulative memory of the ego [what I call the soul] , which is continuous and uninterrupted from the birth of the primary soul onward into the eternal future.

Irrespective of how we bring our existing knowledge to the surface, it is the combination of this and new facts that we can increase our knowledge base through the application of reasoning and logic. This thinking process is vital to development of our Philosophy of Life. In his Dune series of books the US science fiction novelist, Frank Herbert, wrote: 58

The beginning of knowledge is the discovery of something we do not understand.

…which is often the case. This lack of understanding stimulates us to find out more and more and eventually for us to either understand or accept what others have said because there is nothing better at that point in time. There is nothing wrong with ‘parking’ an idea because you don’t have enough information to develop it further or do not fully understand it; in time, you may find all is revealed. In order to understand an additional piece of information we must understand the words and concepts that are being used to convey the idea. If we don’t have the wherewithal we will not be able to appreciate what we are reading or what is being said. Articulating this in the book ‘The Cosmic Doctrine’ a spirit world teacher said: 59

Knowledge falls into two divisions – the record of facts and the explanation thereof. Knowledge can only consist of that which is present in the mind. That which does not enter the mind cannot be known. Therefore you can only know that which you have senses to interpret to you. A new senses open up more planes of existence can be known.

Putting knowledge and experience into the cauldron of our reasoning mind will allow our ideas to distil and hopefully wisdom will crystallise. In fact, understanding using the knowledge you have will give you what is needed. On this, Idries Shah, an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition, said: 60

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Thus, knowledge and understanding are vitally important…

Of course, the implication of gaining more knowledge is that some existing knowledge will be overtaken or needs to be jettisoned. This is the natural law of progress. An interesting thought was offered by C S Lewis who believed that, in the maelstrom of knowledge acquisition and replacement, there seem to be some elements which never to change: 61

...wherever that is real progress in knowledge, there is some knowledge that is not superseded. Indeed, the very possibility of progress demands that there should be an unchanging element.

I’m not sure that this is the case, for the implication is that some aspect of our knowledge is absolute and that we know an ultimate truth. This hard to accept – I believe that our current knowledge is so limited that humanity, at its current stage of development, should consider itself in the knowledge kindergarten. So, for me, I am willing to follow Ibn-Mas'ud, who according to Al Ghazzali, said: 62

The refuge of the learned man lies in the words 'I do not know.' Whenever he abandons this refuge he will be bested.

There is so much that we don’t know; and often we don’t know that we don’t know, therefore we have to accept that it is very limited. This very point was expressed by the 19 th century German-born philologist and Orientalist, Max Müller in his ‘Last Essays’: 63

The lesson that there are limits to our knowledge is an old lesson, but it has to be taught again and again. It was taught by Buddha, it was taught by Socrates, and it was taught for the last time in the most powerful manner by Kant. Philosophy has been called the knowledge of our knowledge; it might be called more truly the knowledge of our ignorance, or, to adopt the more moderate language of Kant, the knowledge of the limits of our knowledge.

As time goes by, we seem to have an inherent desire to know more; we all have a thirst for knowledge and Aristotle, on this point, was referred to by Rev. Henry Keane: 64

"All men naturally desire to know," says Aristotle in the opening words of his metaphysics, and this is only another way of saying that the desire for knowledge is a natural appetite.

Some elements of our knowledge are so built into our being that we know that we are able to do things but very often don’t know why. Karen Armstrong, in her book ‘The Case For God’ used the words of Michael Polyani, a chemist and philosopher of science who argued that: 65

...all knowledge was tacit rather than objectively and self-consciously acquired. He drew attention to the role of practical knowledge, which had been greatly overlooked in the modern emphasis on theoretical understanding. We learn how to swim or dance without being able to explain precisely how it is done. We recognize a friend's face without being able to specify exactly what it is that we recognize. Our perception of the external world is not a mechanical,

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straightforward absorption of data. We integrate a vast number of things into a focal awareness, subjecting them to an interpretive framework that is so deeply rooted that we cannot make it explicit.

So some things we can just accept as part of our living necessities, whereas to others we must apply our logic and reasoning ability. In this way we will develop a strong Philosophy of Life provided that we are careful not to assume that knowledge on its own is sufficient. As John Blofeld said, there is an old Chinese saying that: 66

…though wisdom is the highest goal, both discipline and knowledge are essential to its attainment.

…and Agnes Sanford noted on this point: 67

Nor will the mere saying of a word bring wisdom, for words sometimes limit our knowledge, labelling a thing too glibly, so that we may go on our way in specious content, thinking that we know when we do not know .

…and from the pen of William Roache: 68

Those who have knowledge do not always have wisdom.

Wisdom appears to be a ‘holy grail’, for without it we cannot apply what we know and what we have experienced in the most appropriate way to benefit humanity. Wisdom is the appropriate application of applied knowledge. For, as Hazel Courteney noted in her book ‘Divine Intervention’: 69

Knowledge is neutral, it's how you use the knowledge that counts.

Using our intellect and reasoning we can create a consistent whole which lies behind the scenes and which determines everything that we think, say and do. Theophan the Recluse believed that intellect to be important within the developmental process: 70

The sum total of concepts that have been formed in this way constitutes the image of your thoughts, which image you also detect whenever you are speaking. This is the realm of the knowledge you obtain through mental labour. The more problems you solve, the more definite thoughts or ideas about things you will have; the more such ideas you have, the broader the sphere of your knowledge. In this way, as you see, your intellect stands above memory and imagination; this intellect, along with intellectual labour, obtains for you definite concepts or cognitions about things.

Notwithstanding this faculty, there is a limit to the knowledge that any one of us can accept. It is dependent upon our own ability to accommodate ideas and new thinking. The spirit communicator who used William Stainton Moses revealed that: 71

…knowledge does not come until there is capacity to receive it. Neither does the mind get higher revelation until is has so far advanced as to feel the want of it; and that for the simple reason that it is itself the agent through which comes the revelation of which it is the recipient.

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This has been corroborated by Aldous Huxley: 72

All knowledge ... is a function of being. Or, to phrase the same idea in scholastic terms, the thing known is in the knower according to the mode of the knower.

Therefore, the more we know and experience, the more we are able to know and experience. This is why spiritual development is a slow process and requires undue patience. Until we are ready, we cannot accept the next step along the knowledge and experience highway. Peter Spink believed that: 73

Scriptures, spiritual books, inspirational talks of every kind, gurus and teachers all have a function at the right time and place, to reflect back to you that which is 'dawning in your own mind'. Beyond that they merely add to the ceaseless function of informing the intellect.

Don’t get the idea that knowledge is hidden – it is there for all but its acceptance and understanding depends upon the ability of the individual. Roy Dixon-Smith, said of the evidence for survival after death: 74

It is a very wide and absorbing subject, and any one book on it can only serve as an aperitif to whet the appetite for further investigation. No mystery is made of the life- to-come. No facts are hidden by a secretive Deity. Information is given to us freely and copiously, limited only by the limitations of human understanding and comparative earthly terminology. It is quite impossible to describe such details of scenes and conditions that have no earthly comparison, as it is to convey to one who has been born blind a conception of light and colour.

…or as John Templeton said: 75

Human language has always been too inadequate and restricted to utter all truths once and for all. The human mind has never been ready to receive all knowledge.

This is probably why Gurdjieff said: 76

Generally speaking the being of modern man is of a very inferior quality ... If you think of this you will understand why only a few can receive real knowledge. Their being prevents it.

I think that this is going a bit too far. Certainly there are very few true mystics or those that take the first two commandments to their very heart, but each of us can progress some way along the road. We can develop our ‘self’ where we can do the best we are capable of. On this point, Irene Bays wrote: 77

Within the sacred temples is great knowledge, and if you look upon yourself each one of you, as a sacred temple, you will realise that within each one of you there is great knowledge. A knowledge which can be brought forth.

Not all that has been known is currently available to us. Knowledge, in ancient times, was handed down verbally, so that when a spiritually oriented race disappears, then their whole learning is destroyed. Peter Berger thought that this was the case: 78

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Thus it is in no way certain, but altogether possible, that we know some things today about the scope of 'humanitas' that have never been known before. It is also possible that there was a secret conclave of Aztec priests who knew something that we have never dreamed of - and that this truth perished with them, never to be recovered.

In time we may regain that knowledge but it may take a very long time.

There is another route to expanding what we know; this is from our own experience. Even in the 13 th Century AD it was deemed to be vitally important. Roger Bacon, an English philosopher and Franciscan friar, is reported by Leslie Weatherhead, to have said: 79

Of the three ways of acquiring knowledge - authority, reasoning and experience - only the last is effective.

This is particularly true for psychic phenomena. The scientific community, with a few notable exceptions, has, generally, ignored the need to try to express people’s supernatural experiences in scientific terms thereby integrating psychic and physical knowledge. Of knowledge and experience, Peter Spink remarked that: 80

...there is no inevitable connection between collecting information and experiencing it. Indeed, the accumulation of facts about God, human beings and eternal realities may powerfully militate against spiritual awakening, for the intellect was always a deceiver and is quick to say 'I know' when what it really meant is 'I am informed about'

Many ancient and modern mystics associated experience with love; love of God and love of one’s fellow travellers. They also were able to contrast this with the acquisition of knowledge. In Germany, about the same time as Roger Bacon, Meister Eckhart was giving the same sort of messages: 81

It is by knowing in this way [by reason, memory and imagination] that we are able to develop the various sciences, theoretical and practical. We can also go a step further in abstraction, and speculate about the nature of the universe, of man, of perception, being and so on. That leads to philosophy. Can science or philosophy grasp the reality of God? Hardly. They might lead us to put forward an intellectual theory about God, his existence, nature and properties. But theories about God are not knowledge of God.

And another century on, Richard Rolle, an English religious writer, Bible translator, and hermit, stated that: 82

Nowadays too many are consumed with a desire for knowledge rather than for love ... An old woman can be more expert in the love of God - and less worldly too - than your theologian with his useless studying. He does it for vanity, to get a reputation, to obtain stipends and official positions. Such fellows ought to be entitled not 'Doctor' but 'Fool'.

In those days this was heretical stuff. More recently, Aldous Huxley, in concise form, said

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It is better to love-know God than just to know about God...

Knowing about things has, over the last couple of centuries or so, fallen to the scientists. There is a general belief that science has superseded religion and, for some, taken over the role of God. In ‘God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?’, John C Lennox an Irish mathematician, philosopher of science, and Christian apologist who is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, wrote: 84

Thus we have the interesting situation in which, on the one hand, naturalist thinkers tell us that science has eliminated God, and, on the other hand, theists tell us that science confirms their faith in God. Both positions are held by highly competent scientists. What does this mean? Well, it certainly means that it is far too simplistic to assume that science and faith in God are inimical and it suggests that it could be worth exploring what exactly the relationships between science and atheism and between science and theism are. In particular, which, if any, of these two diametrically opposing worldviews of theism and atheism does science support?

In fact, it doesn’t really matter. What you and I have to consider and ask the question ‘Are the new scientific developments in line with what we currently know and believe?’ In this way what new ideas we gain are either incorporated into our believe system or not – we don’t have to take another person’s or organisation’s opinion. Often scientific discoveries are reported in the media in such a way as to misguide us. The following is a selective extract from a news item transmitted by the BBC in September 2015 concerning the health impact of alcohol: 85

One of the earlier studies drawing a link between alcohol consumption and health was performed by the late, great Archie Cochrane; the godfather of evidence-based medicine. In 1979, Cochrane and two colleagues tried to work out what exactly was responsible for the differing rates of death from heart disease across 18 developed countries, including the US, UK and Australia. Their analysis came up with a clear and significant link between increasing alcohol consumption – specifically of wine – and decreasing rates of ischaemic heart disease (heart disease caused by the build-up of fatty deposits inside the blood vessels supplying the heart). ... The World Health Organization reported last year that drinking can increase your risk of depression and anxiety, liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, suicide, violence, and accidental injury. ... In total, there are more than 200 diseases and injuries that can be linked to alcohol consumption, including 30 that are caused only by alcohol. But the idea that moderate alcohol consumption might be beneficial has not entirely gone away, and even organisations dedicated to combating the problem of alcohol grudgingly say that small amounts of alcohol may have a protective effect against heart disease and some types of stroke. Confused? You’re not the only one. Perhaps the best summation of how alcohol affects our health comes from a critical analysis published in early 2013. Its author concluded that, while the evidence of alcohol’s harmful effects was solid, there were

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plenty of reasons to take evidence of alcohol’s health benefits with a grain of salt – but not, perhaps, a slice of lemon.

Because the media do not appear to look at any health research holistically or that science is such that knowledge is insufficient to draw any specific conclusions, then we have to draw our own conclusions – be they right or wrong. It is not surprising then that Idries Shah quoted the Prophet Mohammad who said: 86

Assuredly, some forms of what is called knowledge are in reality ignorance, and some forms of what is thought to be eloquence are in reality incoherence.

Hence, whilst we have to use our judgment, we must remember that knowledge and (spiritual) experience together are essential for progress. Knowledge leads us to interpret our experiences, through application of love, so that we move slowly but surely along our designated pathway. George Ivanovich Gurdjief explained that our journey brings together two elements. He said: 87

There are two lines along which man's development proceeds, the line of knowledge and the line of being. In right evolution the line of knowledge and the line of being develop simultaneously, parallel to, and helping one another. But if the line of knowledge gets too far ahead of the line of being, or if the line of being gets ahead of the line of knowledge, man's developments goes wrong, and sooner or later it must come to a standstill

Although he used the term ‘being’ rather than experience, the essence of what he believed ties in nicely with integration of knowledge and experience.

Without this over-layer of experience, knowledge can present a barrier to progress. Quoting Peter Spink again: 88

...the amassing of facts, however edifying, creates barriers against true learning.

In his book ‘Beyond the Gods’ John Blofeld documented a number of eastern views on this subject. The great sages of Taoism and Buddhism spoke with one voice in deploring the obstacles posed by too much learning. For example he cited: 89

LAO TZU says: 'Banish the wise! Away with the learned!' 'Those who know do not talk. Those who talk do not know!’ 'To know and not be knowing is best.' 'The arrival of (specious) wisdom and intelligence generated great hypocrisy.' 'Therefore the sage desires to be without desire, does not value what is hard to come by and learns (the wisdom of) not learning.'

CHUANG TZU says 'You have heard of the knowledge that knows, but never of the knowledge that does not know. Look into the closed room, the empty chamber where brightness is born! Fortune and blessing gather where there is stillness' 'Undo the mind, slough off the spirit!' 'The world values words and hands down books but, though the world values them,

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I do not think them worth valuing.'

SENG CHAO says: 'Truth cannot be reached through name and form, nor understood by consciousness.'

BODHIDHARMA says: 'Directly pointing to the mind, my teaching is unique, not hindered by the teachings of the canons.'

HSIANG-YEN CHIH HSIEN says: 'At a single stroke I forgot everything I'd known. Now there's no more need for cultivation.'

HUANG PO says: 'Only renounce the error of intellectual or conceptual thought processes and your nature will exist in its pristine purity.'

And from John himself, who had a foot in both the western and Eastern philosophies: 90

Thus, there are teachers who claim that direct approach to Truth comes more easily to the illiterate or semi-illiterate than to the scholar, the former having less mental sediment to dispose of.

In the Christian tradition Thomas Merton noted that St Paul remarked: 91

The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

…and this point was reiterated by Ralph Waldo Trine who wrote: 92

It is the letter that killeth, it is the spirit that giveth life and power.

This is true even if the words studied are within the most respected Scriptures – be it the Torah, Qur’an, Bible or any other revered words. Even Peter Toon, who was an international advocate of traditional Anglicanism, was minded to state: 93

Though many will find the following claim difficult to take, I make it because I think it is true – academic study of the Bible can be a barrier to the true knowledge of, and communion with, God. It need not be; it ought not to be; but it can be! Centuries ago Cassian was much aware of both the benefits and the snares of study. As we see from his Conferences (Nine and Ten), he allowed that the mind should engage in academic studies; yet he was afraid of it, at least with younger men, because monks had noticed how easily the pursuit of academic knowledge leads to pride in knowledge and to a vanity, causing the young man to speak too quickly and show off his logic or information or whatever.

Arrogance is one of the dangers of possessing advanced knowledge. St Namdev around the 13 th / 14 th centuries AD recognised this peril: 94

Clever men of the world try to solve its problems, but they themselves suffer from

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the fever of inner passions. Deliverance from them and acquisition of true knowledge is possible only when one is in rapport with the Divine. Everyone resorts to his own cleverness. There is no one who plays the game of life dispassionately to extinguish his inner fever. He is crooked within and base of nature; he wastes his days on superficial adornments. There is not one who recognises the Lord and takes all else as a dream. He alone is the adept, the holy and the gnostic, who is in rapport with the Divine. Says Namdev, he alone has obtained peace in whom God's Name has taken abode. [Hindi Padavali, poem 13]

And Andrew Harvey quoted Thuksey Rinpoche who once said: 95

The great enemy to spiritual progress is the belief you know already. Knowledge is unfolded. Pray to be willing, at every stage to be ignorant, so you can be really taught.

Inflation; the scourge of capitalism and the corruption of personalities. William of St Thierrry, a 12 th Century Benedictine monk, used similar terms to describe the potential impact of knowledge on the individual: 96

Whereas knowledge puffs us up, charity builds us up.

In his book ‘Religion and the Scientists’, Mervyn Stockwood echoes this theme: 97

For mankind, power tends to corrupt; and if knowledge is but power then knowledge must tend to corrupt also, as indeed some have said.

In earlier days, there was the belief that expressing greater knowledge and understanding than one’s elders was not the thing to do. Rosemary Hill, in her book ‘Stonehenge’ referred to comments by John Aubrey, an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer, when she wrote: 98

'Till about the yeare 1649', as Aubrey noted, ''twas held a strange presumption for a man to attempt an innovation in learning; and not to be good manners to be more knowing than his neighbours and forefathers.'

Another slightly tangential perspective was given by Emile Cammaerts: 99

A secular life tends to narrow our outlook because it induces us to close the book [of discovery] after reading the first chapter.

The implication of this is that all development, spiritual and physical, could have stagnated – but it did not. There were many who were not so constrained. Of course, the temptation then is to become swelled with one’s knowledge. Compared to all there is to know, we know very, very little. It is very arrogant to believe otherwise. There are two poetical works which highlight this. Firstly by Rabindranath Tagore in ‘Stray Birds’: 100

The mystery of creation is like the darkness of the night - it is great. Delusions of

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knowledge are like the fog of the morning.

…and from Dante’s Divine Comedy: 101

In consequence our vision, which perforce Must be some ray of that intelligence With which all things whatever are replete,

Cannot in its own nature be so potent, That it shall not its origin discern Far beyond that which is apparent to it.

Therefore into the justice sempiternal The power of vision that your world receives, As eye into the ocean, penetrates;

Which though it see the bottom near the shore, Upon the deep perceives it not, and yet 'Tis there, but it is hidden by the depth.

There is so much more to discover once we have gained sufficient background knowledge to accept it. On this point, Sherwood Wirt thought that we ought to remember that: 102

…there are some things which our understanding cannot fathom, cannot search out their depth.

And with reference to our own abilities, Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross said: 103

We have to accept, in humbleness, that there are millions of things which we cannot understand.

From a spiritual view point Leslie Weatherhead gave us a more extreme description: 104

...intellectually man probably knows as little of the vast, far-reaching activities of God as that ant knows about preaching, let alone about the wider life of the world.

In less emotive terms, the American neurosurgeon Dr Eben Alexander used what he learned during his personal Near Death Experience to describe the chasm between what we know compared to the vast reservoir of knowledge in the universe. He wrote that: 105

...outside of this lowly physical realm and into the loftiest dwelling place of the almighty Creator, revealed the indescribably immense chasm between our human knowledge and the awe-inspiring realm of God.

Notwithstanding this fact, what we do know, however, we should treasure. If we recognise that we have been placed upon the earth to gain one or more goals and that, in order to achieve them, we have been given the ability to know all that is necessary to reach them, then, we should be very grateful. The academic and vocational gifts we have were, to some extent, planned and hence we should not abuse but use them. We should not be swelled by our prowess but humble and grateful for everything that we have. Swami Paramananda,

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The arrogant and foolish man thinks he knows everything; but the true knower is humble.

This means therefore, as Emile Cammaerts realised: 107

Knowledge is an instrument which may be beneficial or harmful. It all depends on the quality of the person who wields it.

So let us make sure that we are appropriately based so that we use the knowledge that we have for the benefit of our acquaintances and humanity. Because, as John Templeton told us: 108

Humility is the gateway of knowledge.

He further developed this idea, and used a rather good analogy: 109

Gaining knowledge is like working in a quarry. As we chip out bits of information, the mining face gets larger and larger. The more knowledge we gain the more we can see the extent of the unknown. As we grow in knowledge, we grow in humility. This may be just as true in studying the soul as in the investigations pursued by natural sciences.

Staying with the analogy of ‘the more you dig the more you realise there is to dig’ Harry Edwards, the well renowned spiritual healer, wrote: 110

We only realize the lack of our knowledge and comprehension of spirit activity the deeper we delve into it. There is obviously a boundary we cannot pass, but out of the mists of obscurity we are able to place together a few factual fragments, preparing the way for the greater knowledge of the future; certain at least of the sure foundation, that there is no "death," but a new phase of individual existence, greater than any we can now conceive.

We must have the right attitude to whatever little knowledge we gain. It is how we look at what we have; from a selfish or a selfless angle. Jacob Boehme put this development in the context of God; God being the driver and not the ‘self’. He wrote: 111

I do not say that man is not to study and learn - No, this is useful to him, but his own reason is not to be the beginning. Man is to order his life, not only through the external light of reason - this is all very good - but he is to sink into deepest humility before God and set the Spirit and Will of God at the beginning of all his studies so that the light of reason sees through God’s light. And, even though reason knows much, it is not to take this as its own possession but give the honour to God who alone is knowledge and wisdom.

And this knowledge expansion ought to be on a spiritual as well as a material basis. We should put our spiritual development, knowledge acquisition and reasoned argument as a trident at the forefront of our life. If we do not then we are likely to fall into the way described by Walter Hilton: 112

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For whoever stays at the same level in knowing God and spiritual things usually seems to grow very little in loving God.

I have talked about expanding our knowledge base and the pitfalls which surround it. There is another route to extending what we know. William Johnston reckoned that: 113

The balanced and integral human person needs both rational and intuitive power.

In order to investigate this, we can use the categories that were offered by Peter Spink: 114

All of us have access to three areas of knowledge. The first is that which is called instinctive ... The second ... Is that which we call rational ... The third ... Is intuitive.

The first two, instinctive and rational, I have grouped together and dealt with them above. What I haven’t done yet is to explain the important fact that we can expand our knowledge base through listening to spirit – the instinctive. Certainly, reading, discussing and reasoning have their roles to play but the most beneficial thing that we can do is to listen to our guides and spirit helpers. I don’t mean physically listen. I do mean that, if we can, we should try to tune into our instincts, our intuitive helpers. The prime objective of our spirit guides is to support us on our spiritual journey. This necessitates learning; growing in knowledge. They will know the most desirable ‘next step’ that we should take and therefore we ought to listen to the promptings of Spirit in order not to be distracted and take the wrong pathway.

Most mystics don’t talk in this way. They tend to assume that all their communication is directly with God. As such their phraseology tends to be ‘God’ centred rather than ‘Spirit’ focussed. To make this point, I quote Julian of Norwich: 115

The saints in heaven do not want to know anything except what our Lord wants to reveal to them.

It is through spiritual experiences that we can expand our knowledge the most. Often these are felt during contemplation, meditation or prayer – in the silence as Kahlil Gibran said: 116

And what is word knowledge but a shadow of wordless knowledge?

Listening to the ‘voice within’ was recommended by the Zen master Dogen, as Andrew Harvey reported: 117

In his great work 'Fukanzazengi', the fourteenth century Zen master Dogen wrote: "Truth is perfect and complete in itself. It has always existed. It is not something to be attained since not one of your steps lead away from it." Dogen goes on: "Do not follow the ideas of others, but learn to listen to the voice within yourself. The practice of meditation is not a method of the attainment of realisation - it is enlightenment itself. Your search among books, word upon word, may lead to the depths of knowledge, but is not the way to receive the reflection of your true self. When you have thrown off your ideas as to mind and body, the original truth wilfully appears."

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The importance of spiritual knowledge was impressed on me through the writings in the book ‘Unto Thee I Grant’: 118

As one who traverseth the burning sands in search of water, so is the Soul that thirsteth after knowledge.

This analogy was also used by Maulana Maulana Mohammad Ali when describing the teaching of the Qur’an: 119

...which not only appealed to reason, ever and anon, but declared man's thirst for knowledge to be unsatiable, when it directed the Prophet himself to pray: "O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge" [surah 20:114]

Most religions accept that there is something within us that stimulates our search for knowledge and experience. This, as Gerard W Hughes noted, is a sign of spirituality: 120

The search for knowledge and truth is a further mark of transcendence. 'God' has been called 'a beckoning word', constantly calling us out beyond ourselves. The beckoning of God is seen in our relentless pursuit of knowledge and truth, especially when it appears that the knowledge acquired is unlikely to be of any obvious benefit to anyone, or that the revelation of a particular truth will offend the powerful. A divine restlessness is one of the marks of holiness in an individual or group. The God who led Israel out of the prison of Egypt, through the wilderness and into the promised land, is the God of the now. Whatever form of bondage may take here and now, God is still leading us out of it and beckoning us on.

But be warned. You will not get all the answers to all the questions. When I first started out in earnest on my spiritual journey, I wanted to know everything – particularly what were the Natural Laws that control my eternal progress. I have learnt a great deal but I have only just scratched the surface of understanding. The 17th / 18 th century French mystic Madame Guyon was also quite aware of the limitations of our extant knowledge: 121

If knowing answers to such questions [as why God does not deliver us directly] is absolutely necessary to you, then forget the journey. You will never make it, for this is a journey of unknowables - of unanswered questions, enigmas, incomprehensibles, and most of all, things unfair.

Our objective, our driver is to learn and develop but not to knowing everything. Brother Watchman Nee, from his Chinese cum Christian background wrote: 122

We should not be content with just spiritual knowledge but treasure as well the walk after the spirit.

Here he stressed the dual importance of learning and experience – the latter being the most important. As always, however, I do add the caveat that not all communications with the Spirit World are for the good. Even the prophet Zarathustra thousands of years ago was aware of this: 123

1. It is ignorance that ruineth most people,

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2. Those ill-informed, 3. Both amongst those who have died, 4. And those who shall die.

In the quiet time of contemplation whatever your instincts and intuition reveal to you, use your reasoning ability to ‘test’ the quality of what you feel. In that way you will not go far wrong and in the silence you will gain untold riches. This search for the mystical experience will not be realised by most of us. We will never reach the heights of mysticism that the ‘greats’ have attained. W.H. Dyson was one writer who was aware of this: 124

Those "unmannerly distractions," which Faber found intruding upon the hour of prayer, are with most of us all the time. And yet the duty abides, the call is imperative. Notwithstanding all hindrances, impelled by painful soul-hunger, we must search into the realities of personal experience, and find the sure foundation of the soul's eternal life. So we turn with wistful gaze to the saints of old, the goodly fellowship of the Mystics, whose testimony has a new significance for us, and whose mystical experience is our secret quest.

In these times of contemplation we become very close to spirit. Many of us can physically feel their presence, others, who are more psychic, may see or hear them. This coming together was expanded by Evelyn Underhill: 125

When the living spirit in us thus meets the living spirit of the past, our time-span is enlarged, and history is born and becomes contemporary; thus both widening and deepening our vital experience.

Don’t be put off living intuitively by the reticence of other people who, as F C Happold wrote, believed that: 126

Knowledge arising out of intuition and feeling has been regarded with some suspicion.

It is the knowledge that we possess already that is transformed by the extra information gleaned from contemplation and spirit guidance. In ‘Living With Invisible People - A karmic autobiography’, Jostein Saether realised that: 127

...spiritual realities gave me a new understanding of what I already knew in physical reality .

This steady expansion of our spirituality is always from the combination of everything that we know. Again using the words from Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: 128

...knowledge helps, but knowledge alone is not going to help anybody. If you do not use your head and your heart and your soul, you are not going to help a single human being.

I have stressed that knowledge is important in helping your spiritual journey, and part of that knowledge acquisition will be through reading particularly the Scriptures and other spiritually focussed books. But remember the advice of St. Theophan the Recluse: 129

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Books are only for guidance in the spiritual life.

Evelyn Underhill in her famous book on ‘Mysticism’, using the words of Julian of Norwich, also stressed the combinatorial impact of knowledge and experience: 130

"I saw Him and sought Him: I had Him and I wanted Him," says Julian of Norwich, in a phrase which seems to sum up all the ecstasy and longing of man's soul. Only this mystic passion can lead us from our prison. Its brother, the desire of knowledge, may enlarge and improve the premises to an extent as yet undreamed of: but it can never unlock the doors.

It is axiomatic that ‘The whole is of greater value than the sum of the parts’. This also applies to what I know of the physical world which is integrated with what I understand and experience of the spirit world. There is another way of looking at all this, as Emanuel Swedenborg suggested: 131

...everything is known from its opposite...

Which is something similarly stated in the Tao Tê Ching: 132

It is because every one under Heaven recognises beauty as beauty, that the idea of ugliness exists. And equally if every one recognised virtue as virtue, this would merely create fresh conceptions of wickedness. For truly 'Being and Not-being grow out of one another; Difficult and easy complete one another. Long and short test one another; High and low determine one another. The sounds of instrument and voice give harmony to one another. Front and back give sequence to one another'. Therefore the Sage relies on actionless activity. Carries on wordless teaching, But the myriad creatures are worked upon by him; he does not disown them. He rears them, but does not lay claim to them, Controls them, but does not lean upon them, Achieves his aim, but does not call attention to what he does; And for the very reason that he does not call attention to what he does He is not ejected from fruition of what he has done.

…and from the mystic who wrote ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’: 133

Nature designed the senses to acquire knowledge of the material world, not to understand the inner realities of the spirit. What I am trying to say is that man knows the things of the spirit more by what they are not than by what they are. When in reading or conversation we come upon things that our natural faculties cannot fathom, we may be sure that these are spiritual realities.

Thus we have to look at what we know from all possible angles and thereby we may develop a better understanding of what our lives are about. This widening wisdom yields widening responsibility. The more that we know, the greater is the personal responsibility

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You cannot have knowledge without the responsibility that it brings.

How do we implement this? It is through our Philosophy of Life that all the understanding that we possess becomes a reality in our life. This template has been described by Emanuel Swedenborg: 135

Man is reformed and regenerated by means of these two faculties, called rationality and liberty, and he cannot be reformed or regenerated without them; because it is by means of rationality that he can understand and know what is evil and what is good, and it is by means of liberty that he can will what he understands and knows.

…or in more simple terms from Rick Warren: 136

Receiving, reading, researching, remembering and reflecting ... are all useless if we fail to put them into practice.

So our Philosophy of Life becomes our Philosophy for Life - we ‘walk the talk’. Over time the contents of this framework change. In the beginning of our quest and before we really started to investigate our own spirituality, then knowledge takes the foreground, or as Arthur Findlay opined: 137

When knowledge is lacking faith sustains...

But in time as our spiritual experience expands those aspects of belief become overlaid with facts; as we gain more experience, knowledge replaces the wisps of faith. Arthur recognised this and wrote: 138

Knowledge takes the place of faith, and consequently errors and conjectures are discarded.

This relationship has been put into a ‘rule of thumb’ formula by Harry Emerson. In his book ‘Listen My Son’ he asked his son to recognise that his mother’s love is still available to him even though she had passed to spirit, and he gave him this pseudo-mathematical expression: 139

Faith + Knowledge - Doubt = Courage.

In more verbose terms, the courage to implement our Philosophy of Life is increased as our knowledge and experience increase and doubt is left behind. In addition, as our knowledge is enhanced then our need to accept things on ‘faith’ is reduced. Hope is strengthened to belief, belief is reinforced to faith, and eventually faith is crystallised into complete trust.

This is what ought to have happened with the major religions, but organisational imperatives prevented and still prevent it from happening.

Never be cowed into accepting something that sits uneasily with your reason. Look beyond the boundaries of conventional acceptability. Forge your own path but make sure that it is anchored in seas of sound knowledge and real experience. Don’t be afraid, as Peter Berger

DAJ 07/11/2019 19:30:40 17.7 Philosophy of Life – And Knowledge Page 27 of 31 suggested, stand: 140

…outside of the taken-for-granted routines of everyday life.

Read, talk and expand your knowledge but, as White Eagle advised: 141

…do so with care and to proceed wisely.

Once you have realised the value of spiritual experience, then don’t let your knowledge outstrip it, as Gurdjieff believed: 142

If knowledge gets far ahead of being, it becomes theoretical and abstract and inapplicable to life, or actually harmful, because instead of serving life and helping people the better to struggle with the difficulties they meet, it begins to complicate man's life, brings new difficulties into it, new troubles and calamities which were not there before.

Listening is one of the keys to progress, therefore use the counsel contained in the Tao Tê Ching: 143

He who knows does not speak; He who speaks does not know.

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36 F P Harton, The Elements of the Spiritual Life: A study in Ascetical Theology, SPCK, 1950. Part IV - Chapter XVII Meditation, (Pg 232) 37 Dan Cohn-Sherbok, Jewish & Christian Mysticism - An Introduction, Continuum, 1994. Introduction, (Pg 14) 38 Peter Marshall, Mr Jones, Meet The Master, Peter Davies, 1955. Some Things I Know, (Pg 23) 39 Cecil Rose, When Man Listens, Blandford Press, 1956. Chapter Three: Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges, (Pg 44) 40 Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, Faber & Faber, 1992. Part One: St. Simeon The New Theologian - Practical and Theological Precepts: 33, (Pg 103) 41 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part One: Chapter II: Outline of Mental Mediumship, (Pg 42) 42 Baltasar Gracián, The Art of Worldly Wisdom - A pocket Oracle, Mandarin, 1995. Aphorism 27: (Pg 16) 43 Evelyn Underhill, The Fruits of the Spirit; Light of Christ; Abba, Longmans, Green and Co, 1957. Light of Christ: III Christ The Teacher, (Pg 56) 44 The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counselling, Doubleday, 1973. The Cloud of Unknowing: Chapter 74, (Pg 143) 45 Kathleen Pond(ed), The Spirit of the Spanish Mystics, Burns & Oates,1958. Alonso Rodriguez - Of the Importance of Spiritual Reading, and some ways of performing it well and with profit. (Pg 123) 46 Thomas Merton, Thoughts In Solitude, Burns & Oates, 1993. Part One: Aspects of the Spiritual Life: XIV, (Pg 61) 47 Ouspensky P D, In Search of the Miraculous, Harcourt Inc, 2001. Chapter 2, (Pg 39/40) 48 Alister McGrath, Dawkins' God; Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, Blackwell Publishing, 2005. Proof of Faith, (Pg 82) 49 Writings From The Philokalia on Prayer of the Heart, Faber & Faber, 1992. Part One: St. Simeon The New Theologian - Practical and Theological Precepts: 33, (Pg 103) 50 William Houff, Infinity in Your Hand, Skinner House Books, 1994. Chapter 5: Methods in the Paths of Discipline and Knowledge - Like the Zen archer: taking aim in the dark, (Pg 58) 51 The Rev. C. Drayton Thomas, Beyond Life's Sunset, Psychic Press, Undated. Chapter IV: Occupations in the Life Beyond Death, (Pg 22 / 23) 52 William Clemmons, Discovering the Depths, Triangle, 1989. Introduction, (Pg xi) 53 Irene Bays, Entwining Lives, Stonecliffe Publishing, 1994. Part Two: Chapter VI - The Truth, (Pg 198) 54 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. Hegel, (Pg 280) 55 Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 1951. Chapter XV The Value of Philosophy, (Pg 158) 56 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part Two: Chapter XIII: Psychology and Reincarnation, (Pg 224 / 225) 57 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part Two: Chapter XIII: Psychology and Reincarnation, (Pg 225) 58 Download 26 th September 2016 from http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/26173.html

59 Dion Fortune, The Cosmic Doctrine, Helios Book Service, 1966. Introduction, (Pg 10) 60 Idries Shah, The Elephant in the Dark, Octagon Press, 1985. Chapter 16, (Pg 68) 61 C S Lewis, God in the Dock, Fount, 1998. 2 Dogma and the Universe (1943), (Pg 27) 62 Al Ghazzali, The Book of Knowledge, SH. Muhammad Ashraf, 1991. Section VI On the evils of Knowledge .. (Pg 184) 63 Max Müller, Thoughts on Life and Religion, Archibald Constable and Company, 1905. Knowledge, (Pg 96) 64 Rev. Henry Keane, A Primer of Moral Philosophy, Catholic Social Guild, Oxford, 1956. Part I: Ethics Chapter III - Human Happiness Acts and the Good For Man, (Pg 38) 65 Karen Armstrong, The Case For God, Vintage Books, 2010. Part Two: The Modern God - 11 Unknowing, (Pg 273) 66 John Blofeld, Beyond the Gods, E P Dutton & Co, 1974. Chapter 5 - The Path of Learning, (Pg 93) 67 Agnes Sanford, Healing Gifts of the Spirit, Arthur James, 1999. Introduction, (Pg 9 / 10) 68 William Roache, Soul on the Street, Hay House, 2007. Part III: On The Street. 12: Love and Loss, (Pg 199) 69 Hazel Courteney, Divine Intervention, Cico Books, 2002. Chapter 16: Return to Mother, (Pg 207) 70 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 6 The Life of the Soul - The Intellectual Aspect, (Pg 50) 71 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XII, (Pg 95)

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72 Aldous Leonard Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, Perennial, Harper Collins, 2004. Chapter VIII: Religion and Temperament, (Pg 146) 73 Peter Spink, Beyond Belief, Judy Piatkus, 1996. 9: Illusion and Reality, (Pg 137) 74 Roy Dixon-Smith, New Light on Survival, Rider & Co, 1952. Part One: Chapter VI: Interlude in India, (Pg 127 / 128) 75 John M Templeton, The Humble Approach - Scientists Discover God, Collins, 1981. V. Humble About What? (Pg 40) 76 Ouspensky P D, In Search of the Miraculous, Harcourt Inc, 2001. Chapter 4: (Pg 66) 77 Irene Bays, Entwining Lives, Stonecliffe Publishing, 1994. Part Two: Chapter II - Healing (Healing Energies), (Pg 177) 78 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 3 - Theological Possibilities: Starting with Man, (Pg 94) 79 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Chapter IV: God and Our Guesses, (Pg 42) 80 Peter Spink, Beyond Belief, Judy Piatkus, 1996. 6: The How of Learning, (Pg 89) 81 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 2 The Eye of the Heart, (Pg 17) 82 Richard Rolle, The Fire of Love, Penguin Books, 1972. Chapter 5, (Pg 61) 83 Aldous Leonard Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, Perennial, Harper Collins, 2004. Chapter V: Charity, (Pg 82) 84 John C Lennox, God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?, Lion, 2007. 1 War of the worldviews - The last nail in God's coffin? (Pg 18 / 19) 85 Downloaded 28 th Sept 2016 from http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150901-is-alcohol-really-bad-for-you 86 Idries Shah, The Way of the Sufi, Penguin Books, 1975. Part Four: Among the Masters. (Pg 206) 87 Ouspensky P D, In Search of the Miraculous, Harcourt Inc, 2001. Chapter 4: (Pg 64) 88 Peter Spink, Beyond Belief, Judy Piatkus, 1996. 6: The How of Learning, (Pg 82) 89 John Blofeld, Beyond the Gods, E P Dutton & Co, 1974. Chapter 5 - The Path of Learning, (Pg 90) 90 John Blofeld, The Wheel of Life, Rider & Co, 1959. Chapter 6 - The Sacred Mountain of Wu T'ai, (Pg 133) 91 Thomas Merton, Elected Silence, Hollis and Carter, 1950. Part Two - With a Great Price, (Pg 140) 92 Ralph Waldo Trine, In Tune with the Infinite, G Bell & Sons, 1931. Chapter IV - Fullness of Life - Bodily Health & Vigour. (Pg 54) 93 Peter Toon, Meditating as a Christian, Collins, 1991. Part Four: Hpow it Develops. 15 Bible Study and Meditation, (Pg 157) 94 J R Puri & V K Sethi, Saint Namdev, Radha Soami Satsang Beas, 1978. Part II: Selected Poems of Namdev - The World is a Dream, (Pg 96) 95 Andrew Harvey, Hidden Journey, Rider & Co, 1994. LORD MOTHER – THREE, (Pg 81) 96 William of St Thierrry, On the Nature and Dignity of Love, Mowbray, 1956. Chapter XII - The Philosophy of Love, (Pg 53) 97 Mervyn Stockwood, Religion and the Scientists, SCM Press, 1959. C.F.A.Pantin, (Pg 82) 98 Rosemary Hill, Stonehenge, Profile Books, 2008. 2: Contending with Oblivion: The Antiquaries, (P 27) 99 Emile Cammaerts, The Flower of Grass, The Cresset Press, 1944. Chapter vi - The Impact of Pain, (Pg 118) 100 Rabindranath Tagore, Collected Poems and Plays of Rabinranath Tagore, Macmillan & Co, 1958. Stray Birds, (XIV) 101 Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy, Capella, 2008. Paradiso Canto XIX, (Pg 340) 102 Sherwood Eliot Wirt, Exploring the Spiritual Life, Lion Books, 1985. 14 - From The Rules and Exercises of Holy Living by Jeremy Taylor, (Pg 196) 103 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Life After Death, Celestial Arts, 1991. Living and Dying, (Pg 12) 104 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Chapter II: Agnosticism and Doubt, (Pg 12) 105 Dr Eben Alexander, Proof of Heaven, Piatkus, 2014. Chapter 33: The Enigma of Consciousness, (Pg 154) 106 Swami Paramananda, The Upanishads, Grange Books, 2004. Kena - Upanishad - Part Two: III, (Pg 91) 107 Emile Cammaerts, The Flower of Grass, The Cresset Press, 1944. Chapter ii - Truth, Beauty and Goodness, (Pg 42) 108 John M Templeton, The Humble Approach - Scientists Discover God, Collins, 1981. II. The Blossoming Time of Man, (Pg 11) 109 John M Templeton, The Humble Approach - Scientists Discover God, Collins, 1981. V. Humble About What? (Pg 37)

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110 Harry Edwards, The Mediumship of Jack Webber, The Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary, 1978. Chapter XXII The Author - Henry James (Harry) Edwards, (Pg 119) 111 Jacob Boehme, The Way to Christ, Paulist Press, 1978. The Fourth Treatise on True Resignation (1622) Chapter One, (para 35) 112 Walter Hilton, The Stairway of Perfection, Image Books, 1979. Book One: Chapter Thirty-Four, (Pg 104) 113 William Johnston, Silent Music - The Science of Meditation, Fount, 1979. Part II: Consciousness. 7: Return to the market-place, (Pg 84) 114 Peter Spink, Beyond Belief, Judy Piatkus, 1996. 3: The Fully Human Being, (Pg 34 / 35) 115 Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, Penguin Books, 1998. The Long Text – 30, (Pg 82 / 83) 116 Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, Arrow Books, 2005. 117 Andrew Harvey, The Direct Path, Rider & Co, 2000. Two: Practicing the Path - Eighteen Sacred Practices for Transformed Spiritual Living, (Pg 110) 118 Unto Thee I Grant, Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1966. Book Eight: Man Considered in the General. Chapter III- The Soul of Man, its Origin, and Affections, (Pg 47) 119 Maulana Mohammad Ali, Introduction to The Study of the Holy Qur'an, The Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha'at- Islam, 1976. Chapter 1 - The Holy Qur'an: Section 6 - Miraculous Nature, (Pg 48) 120 Gerard W Hughes, God in all Things, Hodder & Stoughton, 2004. Chapter Two: What is Holiness? Hunger for Knowledge and Truth as a Sign of Our Holiness, (Pg 22) 121 Madame Guyon, Spiritual Torrents, Christian Books, 1984. Part I: Chapter 5, (Pg 37) 122 Watchman Nee, When is My Spirit Normal?, Ministry of Life, 1927. Chapter 1 - The Dangers of Spiritual Life, (Pg 129) 123 The Zend Avesta of Zarathustra, International Biogenic Society, 1973. NASKS 3: AOGEMARDE, I, (Pg 24) 124 Dyson, W.H, Studies in Christian Mystics, James Clarke, 1913. Chapter 1 - The revival of mysticism, (Pg 14) 125 Evelyn Underhill, The Life of the Spirit and The Life of Today, Mowbray, 1994. Chapter II: History and The Life of the Spirit, (Pg 33 / 34) 126 F C Happold, Religious Faith and Twentieth-Century Man, Pelican Books, 1966. 2 Perception and Knowledge, (Pg 41) 127 Jostein Saether, Living With Invisible People - A karmic autobiography, Clairview, 2001. 2. The spiritual breakthrough and early experiences, (Pg 96) 128 Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Life After Death, Celestial Arts, 1991. Death Does Not Exist, (Pg 26) 129 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 70 On the Reading of Spiritual and Secular Books, (Pg 284) 130 Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism, Oneworld, 2005. Part ONE:The Mystic Fact: Chapter IV - The Characteristics of Mysticism, (Pg 90) 131 Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence, Swedenborg Society, 1949. Chapter II: Divine Providence of the Lord has for its end a Heaven from the Human Race, (Pg 27) 132 Arthur David Waley, The Way and its Power, George, Allen & Unwin, 1936. Tao Te Ching: Chapter II, (Pg143) 133 The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counselling, Doubleday, 1973. The Cloud of Unknowing: Chapter 70, (Pg 138 / 139) 134 Anne Dooley, Guidance from Silver Birch, Spiritualist Press, 1966. Chapter Four: Problem of Suffering, (Pg 33) 135 Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Providence, Swedenborg Society, 1949. Chapter IV: There are Laws of the Divine Providence, and these are unknown to man, (Pg 54) 136 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, Zondervan, 2002. Transformed by Truth, (Pg 191) 137 Arthur Findlay, The Rock of Truth, SNU, 1999. Part I: Chapter I: The Truth, (Pg 1) 138 Arthur Findlay, The Rock of Truth, SNU, 1999. Part II: Chapter VII: Spiritualism and what it Stands For, (Pg 115) 139 Harry Emerson, Listen My Son, The Psychic Book Club, 1945. Chapter Twenty: News from the Spirit World, (Pg 107) 140 Peter Berger, A Rumour of Angels, Pelican Books, 1971. 2 - The Perspective of Sociology: Relativising the Relativisers, (Pg 43) 141 White Eagle on the Intuition and Initiation, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 2004. Part Two: Developing the Intuition - VII: Accepting a Higher Power, (Pg 70) 142 Ouspensky P D, In Search of the Miraculous, Harcourt Inc, 2001. Chapter 4: (Pg 65) 143 Aldous Leonard Huxley, The Perennial Philosophy, Perennial, Harper Collins, 2004. Chapter XV: Silence, (Pg 216)

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17.8: Philosophy of Life – And Intellect

Intellect is our ability to come to conclusions about what is right or wrong and our capability to solve problems. It has two aspects; firstly it is concerned with intelligence, which is more about education and the ability to learn, and secondly about common sense or nous.

It is not necessary to have a high degree of intellect to have high levels of spirituality. In fact, many sages have indicated that being very intelligent is a veritable barrier to spirituality. Elizabeth MacDonald Burrows voiced her view that: 1

...formal education is not the criteria for success but may be used as another vehicle in the journey.

In terms of rationalising and coming to integrate all that we know with any new knowledge that we uncover, intellect is very useful and will support the development of our Philosophy of Life. This is only part of the story. The other half is about the inner experiences that can only be gained through living with the addition of contemplation and meditation. In the mystical book ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ is written: 2

For however much a man may know about every created spiritual thing, his intellect will never be able to comprehend the uncreated spiritual truth which is God.

So, none of us should be shy or apprehensive about our level of education. Having academic qualifications does not increase our ability to climb the spiritual ladder. Certainly it will help us to acquire knowledge through articulated discussion and reading but this is not where we gain our spiritual spurs. Our spiritual development and inspired thoughts are given to us through contemplation or meditation and our linking to Spirit in the silence. Through this process will we be shown and given insights which are beyond learning; which are expressions of our spiritual experience. White Eagle, advising us from the Spirit World, said: 3

The intellect, the mind, when it comes to the major experiences of life, birth, sickness, joy, love, death - cannot explain or answer anything.

It is through spiritual and thereafter mystical experiences that much is unfolded before us – all of the mystical writings teach us this important fact. Although I realise that God’s agents in the Spirit World are the means whereby we gain our spiritual experiences, many believe that it comes directly from God. One such writer is Frederick Harton. He confirmed that: 4

No wise man wishes to depreciate the work of the intellect in its right place - it has its part, and a very fundamental part, in all true religion - but it must be pointed out that religion, which is life with God, and prayer, which is the expression of that life, are fundamentally the work of the will and the affections. God has not commanded us to understand Him, or argue about Him, but to love Him.

…and he also noted that: 5

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The intellect, like the tongue, is an unruly member. It loves to work out its own ideas about God, and in its own place such intellection is right and proper; but in prayer it needs to learn the illumination of adoration, its attitude should be "Lord, enlighten me, show me Thyself." That is the attitude here.

What we have to realise therefore, is that we must, over time, change the degree of influence that our intellect has over our life; we must try to achieve what Madame Guyon has recommended in the early 18 th century: 6

Each of us as believers needs to be shown how to reason less and love more. Sometimes this has to be done very, very slowly, because our proneness to reasoning goes very deep...

As an aside, and just out of interest, this extract from her book ‘Spiritual Torrents’ contrasts with the translation by A. W. Marston from the Paris Edition of 1790 which gives: 7

The way to deliver them from such a state would be, to lead them to live less in the intellect and more in the affections, and if it be manifest that they are gradually substituting the one for the other, it is a sign that a spiritual work is being carried on within them.

Anyway, back to the plot. Some mystics not only pointed us towards the Spirit as the source of all, but suggested, as did Richard Rolle, that we ought not to develop our knowledge base and understanding of spiritual matters: 8

There is nothing so sweet as loving [God] , and because this is so let us not inquire too closely into matters we earthlings cannot possibly understand.

Grace Cooke, who was the medium through whom White Eagle communicated, also recognised the barrier to psychic awareness that intellect can erect: 9

...the etheric body of a physical medium is loosely put together and easily drawn upon; but when the intellect becomes very strong, the etheric body seems to shrink, gets tighter, contracts, and when this happens the person becomes averse to all psychic things. The frontal mind dominates, and so such a person appears to be all intellect.

Then, if our intellect is uppermost, there is a tendency for it to be the main plank in our life and suppress our spiritual aspects. Again drawing on the wisdom within the ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’: 10

Natural intelligence is turned to evil whenever it is filled with pride and unnecessary curiosity about worldly affairs and human vanities, or when it selfishly covets worldly dignities, riches, empty pleasures, or flattery.

If we see the vanities which loveless lives exhibit, then perhaps we would express the same view as Adeline Yen Mah who wrote: 11

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In many Chinese minds, an educated person, no matter how poor, still commands more respect than one who is rich and ignorant.

So we must not put too much emphasis on intellect nor hold it in too high a regard, as Helen Greaves was told by her spirit friend: 12

We do make the mistake of valuing intellect too highly in the earth life, scorning the simple follower of Reality. The values are awry on earth. Intellect and trained brain-mind are great adjuncts, but they often become barriers to truth and a true expression of Divine Love.

Simplicity of attitude seems to be the key and arrogance is one of the prime barriers to development. Expanding this, the philosopher and mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti observed that: 13

It’s good to inquire, but not to assert that you have or have not. To inquire rightly is in itself the beginning of intelligence. You hinder intelligence in yourself by your own convictions, opinions, assertions and denials. Simplicity is the way of intelligence - not the mere show of simplicity in outward things and behaviour, but the simplicity of inward non-being. When you say ”I know”, you are on the path of non-intelligence; but when you say ”I don’t know”, and really mean it, you have already started on the path of intelligence. When a man doesn’t know, he looks, listens, inquires. ‘To know’ is to accumulate, and he who accumulates will never know; he is not intelligent.

Another of the difficulties of increased intellect is the assumption that what is written can be absorbed in the way that the writer intended. This is not always the case, Spiritual and particularly mystical, experiences are very difficult to document; we don’t have the right vocabulary to achieve this. Not only that, but many of the religious Scriptures have been adulterated over time and do not necessarily reflect the intentions of the Masters. In the same way, the intellect of the authors also contorts the spiritual revelations. This was captured in the book ‘The Humble Approach’ by John Templeton: 14

Many religions hold that knowledge about God comes not so much from human reasoning as from God choosing to reveal Himself to us. .. Men could write down only what they understood. Communication reduced the revelations to the mental development of the messengers.

…and, from White Eagle, just to ram the whole idea home: 15

...spiritual truth always escapes the grasp of the intellect.

This does not totally dismiss the intellect, it puts it in perspective. Our progress through life needs to bring all our abilities and faculties together; our study, our knowledge, our experience, our intuitive learning, and our intellect. These are all important and yet should all be subservient to our overall objective which is to love God and humanity. In an article by Ritamary Bradley, Julian of Norwich’s three ways of learning was outlined: 16

...she kept on learning in three modes: through bodily or imaginative figures centred on the face of Christ in his passion and transfigured in his glorified state;

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through reason by which she reflected, raised doubts, revised tentative positions, and drew firm conclusions based on what she knew and believed, and on what she had seen; and finally through spiritual sight.

There is a place for education which develops the intellect and, as Harry Emerson recognised: 17

Take advantage of all the education available to you; train your minds to think.

...and the greater our intellect and reasoning ability, then when we encounter some new potential truth, it is easier for us to assess it and either accept or reject the hypothesis. This is the value realised by Shankara Acharya: 18

...the function of intelligence is to reach a judgment regarding what is perceived.

This mechanism has been used for millennia; we use our logic and reason to draw conclusions as Theophan the Recluse noted that: 19

...the entire process of the intellect is guided by experience and observation. From what it learns haphazardly and disconnectedly by this method, the soul forms generalisations, draws conclusions, and thus obtains basic suppositions about a known sphere of things.

In fact, we have a duty to apply or reasoning and our intellect in making sure that our Philosophy of life is consistent and actually fit for purpose. The English psychologist Robert H Thouless also believed that: 20

We have an intellectual duty to do our best to attain right opinions in religion even if this may mean that other people disagree with us.

This, as every student knows, is the art of learning; of building truth upon truth. In parallel with this usually come discernment and the desire on the part of the student to assess new ideas in the light of what they already understand. The Liverpudlian theologian Martin Conway, observing the student scene, said: 21

...students, in any country and century, are those who are attentive to new ideas and eager to try them out in practice. It is not that students themselves often produce the new ideas, but that they are usually receptive to them. ... They are taught to refuse to accept an assertion merely because the professor made it, and to refuse to rest content with mere repetition of the words...

This is the approach which we all ought to use; don’t be cowed into believing something because authority says you ought. Remember that spirituality is not a necessary sequitur of high intellect or using the description from William L Watkinson’s 1898 paper on ‘The Influence of Scepticism on Character’: 22

...intellectual merit must not be classified with moral excellence.

So don’t worry about your intellect – whilst it is useful it is not the be-all-and-end-all for spiritual development. Albeit useful, you don’t need it. Develop your link with the Spirit

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World and give your guides and helpers the opportunity to lead you correctly along your life’s journey.

1 Elizabeth MacDonald Burrows, Pathway of the Immortal, International Publications Inc, 1980. Chapter XII: Keeper of the Light, (Pg 249) 2 The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counselling, Doubleday, 1973. The Cloud of Unknowing: Chapter 70, (Pg 139) 3 White Eagle on the Intuition and Initiation, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 2004. Part Two: Developing the Intuition - IX: Heart Work, (Pg 94) 4 F P Harton, The Elements of the Spiritual Life: A study in Ascetical Theology, SPCK, 1950. Part IV - Chapter XVIII Affective Prayer, (Pg 252) 5 F P Harton, The Elements of the Spiritual Life: A study in Ascetical Theology, SPCK, 1950. Part IV - Chapter XVII Meditation, (Pg 250) 6 Madame Guyon, Spiritual Torrents, Christian Books, 1984. Part I: Chapter 2, (Pg 6) 7 This is freely available from The Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25133 8 Richard Rolle, The Fire of Love, Penguin Books, 1972. Chapter 7, (Pg 64) 9 Grace Cooke, The New Mediumship, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1994. IV. The Nature of Mediumship, (Pg 45) 10 The Cloud of Unknowing and The Book of Privy Counselling, Doubleday, 1973. The Cloud of Unknowing: Chapter 8, (Pg 58) 11 Adeline Yen Mah, Watching The Tree, Harper Collins, 2001. 4 Do Not Do to Others What You Do Not Wish Others to Do to You, (Pg 58) 12 Helen Greaves, Testimony of Light, Neville Spearman, 1995. The Scripts, (Pg 63) 13 J Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living - Third Series, Victor Gollancz, 1961. To Be Intelligent Is To Be Simple, (Pg 175) 14 John M Templeton, The Humble Approach - Scientists Discover God, Collins, 1981. V. Humble About What? (Pg 39) 15 Walking with the Angels - A Path of Service, White Eagle Lodge Publishing Trust, 1998. Part Two - 12. Introduction: the Angelic Stream of Life, (Pg 91) 16 Robert Llewelyn (ed), Julian - Woman of our Day, Darton Longman and Todd, 1986. Julian on Prayer by Ritamary Bradley SPCC, (Pg 63 / 64) 17 Harry Emerson, Listen My Son, The Psychic Book Club, 1945. Chapter Sixteen: The Truth About Religion, (Pg 83) 18 Shankara Acharya, The Crest Jewel of Wisdom, John M Watkins, 1964. The Crest Jewel of Wisdom - The Subtle Body, (Pg 24) 19 St. Theophan the Recluse, The Spiritual Life and How to be Attuned to it, St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1995. 11 The Influence of the Spirit on the Soul, (Pg 67) 20 Robert H Thouless, Authority and Freedom, Hodder & Stoughton, 1954. Chapter Four: The Religious Goal, (Pg 54) 21 Martin Conway, The Undivided Vision, SCM Press, 1966. Chapter One - Introduction: Observing the student scene, (Pg 14 / 15) 22 William L Watkinson, The Influence of Scepticism on Character, Charles H Kelly, 1898. The Influence of Scepticism on Character. Chapter II, (Pg 26)

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17.9: Philosophy of Life - Truth

There are two aspects to the word ‘truth’; both are important. Firstly, and through most of this treatise, it is used to mean a fact or a hypothesis about which we can agree and which represents part of our reality. Secondly, it is about us not telling lies.

How can we develop and live our Philosophy of Life if it is not founded upon truths – according to the first meaning - that we recognise and accept. Our life has to have integrity and therefore must be based upon those truths which we hold dear. This is in total accord with The Gnostic Gospel of Philip within which is written: 1

He who has great faith in Truth has found the Real Life;

In order to proceed and for you and I to be ‘on the same wave-length’, I will summarise my thoughts on truth. For a more detailed explanation have a look at the chapters on ‘Truth’.

If we were to know every truth and live by them, then there would be no need for us to live on the earth as a training ground. We would know how to live and abide 100% with every truth – we would be able to be perfect. That cannot be the case. Therefore, during our sojourn on the earth we will be able to uncover some aspects of truth which help us to live our life better. Of course, your view of a truth may be different than mine, and I’m not sure that this really matters too much.

Over the period of recorded history, we have developed and continue to develop, new views of truth. If we take, for example, a ‘truth’ concerning the attributes of a Creator then the views expressed in pre-Biblical times through those days of the Old Testament and through the last two thousand years demonstrate a considerable change in approach. Perhaps it started with a God to be feared, and then, added to this, one who is on ‘our side’ through to my current view of a loving and passive Divinity. What I’m trying to say is that as humanity develops so do its accepted views on each and every truth. Even sometime accepted scientific truths have to be tuned to accommodate new awareness. On top of this, many truths have become clouded through organisational and political interference. Taking this even further, the communicator from the Spirit World, who spoke through the medium Arthur Ford, said: 2

In the age in which you are living, all the debris that has accumulated around Truth must be brushed aside, for all Truths become loaded with ideas, organisations, which grow up in the heart of devout people, but which have no relation really to the Truth itself. And so today you live in a time when men know a great many facts, but they haven't learned how to identify these facts - this data - with ideals. And a scientific knowledge without philosophical reflection can result in emptiness. And that is what you face. .. But if you try to build a life, a philosophy, or a religion only on those facts which you are able to perceive through your senses - and if you rely only upon sensory perception and experience, you will not find Truth.

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This says it all. We have to build our Philosophy of Life aright and base it on truths which we have accepted and which have passed the test of our reason. I’ll try to expand what I have said with suitable reference; starting with the fact that truths, for us living our simple earth lives, are not absolute and therefore are subject to change as our understanding changes. Arthur James Balfour, in poetic form, said: 3

Our highest truths are but half-truths; Think not to settle down for ever in any truth. Make use of it as a tent in which to pass a summer's night, But build no house of it, or it will be your tomb. When you first have an inkling of its insufficiency And begin to descry a dim counter-truth looming up beyond, Then weep not, but give thanks: It is the Lord's voice whispering, "Take up thy bed and walk."

So we can take what we believe, often based on what has been told to us by history, and as new information comes along then we can adjust our beliefs; our truths. Again using a spirit teacher, William Stainton Moses recorded that: 4

It is needful only that you see and grasp this great truth, and the despised knowledge of the past had its germ of truth.

This notion of new truths being constructed from the skeleton of old truths is something which Evelyn Underhill recognised in her famous book on Mysticism. She wrote: 5

…not merely an infusion into the surface-consciousness of new truth, but rather the beginning of a life-process, a breaking down of the old and building up of the new.

Because of this our whole personality has to be attuned to the possibility of new truths being revealed. From the pen of Neale Donald Walsch we had: 6

Don't close off the possibility of new truth because you have been comfortable with an old one. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

This is exciting, adventurous; we have a life long quest. Succeeding in this will improve everything that we do and makes achieving our Life’s Objectives that much more likely. Taking another quote from Neale Donald Walsch: 7

Truth is often uncomfortable. It is only comfortable to those who do not wish to ignore it. Then, truth becomes not only comforting but inspiring.

Don’t be a Luddite! They protested against change and ‘kicked against the goads’. We should be open and use our free will appropriately. We should welcome change, as it can be so inspirational. The Spiritualist Arthur Findley suggested that those who do search, find and accept new truths are the courageous ones: 8

Some regard the new era with fear and apprehension and cling firmly to the old traditional way of life and thought, whilst others, braver than the rest, put truth first and follow where it leads.

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More similar words came from Ralph Waldo Trine, who developed this a little further: 9

Whenever a man or woman shuts himself or herself to the entrance of truth on account of intellectual pride, preconceived opinions, prejudices, or for whatever reason, there is a great law which says that truth in its fullness will come to that one from no source. And on the other hand, when a man or a woman opens himself or herself fully to the entrance of truth from whatever source it may come, there is an equally great law which says that truth will flow into him or her from all sources, from all quarters. Such becomes the free man, the free woman, for it is the truth that makes us free.

This freedom is also a shackle; a real dilemma. If we now know a truth which we did not recognise before, then we must abide by this new truth. This is a severe responsibility on our part and therefore each truth which we expose must be examined to see how it will change our lives. For example, if it is wrong to kill, then should we all be fruitarians – spurning killing animals and plants. We may not go this far but we certainly can take a step away from killing for sport or pleasure.

Every new ‘truth’ we come across we must assess its value and therefore its impact on our own philosophy, as Max Müller pointed out in his ‘Last Essays’: 10

What is wanted is the power of sifting evidence, and a simple love of truth. Whatever value we may attach to our own most cherished convictions there is something more cherished than all of them, and that is a perfect trust in truth, if once we have seen it.

Remember also that, like any secret, once you know or believe a truth, you can never forget it. It is emblazoned on your soul only to be expanded, modified and improved. This was explained by the 19 th century American essayist, philosopher, and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote: 11

The point of interest here is that these gates, once opened, never swing back.

The more truths we uncover then more important are the first two commandments; love God (and his agents) and love humanity. This was aptly captured by the author, teacher, spiritual healer, and mystic, Joel Sol Goldsmith: 12

Truth destroys personal good and raises up in its place divine Love.

However this change affects you, you will know that it will be personal to you. You are like nobody else. Your truths are unique to you; you will have discovered them for yourself. The philosopher Kierkegaard believed that truth is ‘subjective: 13

By this he did not mean that it doesn’t matter what we think or believe. He meant that the really important truths are personal. Only these truths are ‘true for me.’

…and taking a more Eastern bias, Bede Griffiths said that: 14

Each man must therefore discover this Centre in himself, this Ground of his being,

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the Law of his life. It is hidden in the depths of every soul, waiting to be discovered. It is the treasure hidden in a field, the pearl of great price. It is the one thing which is necessary, which can satisfy all our desires and answer all our needs. But it is hidden now under deep layers of habit and convention.

So we have to dig out our beliefs starting within ourselves. We can start to implement through contemplation; sitting in the quiet and thinking about those things that matter to us in our spiritual quest. Whilst we may evolve our own version of each truth, we ought to remember, according to Cyprian Smith, that: 15

…all views of Jesus and of ourselves are relative and partial, because if we do, that will help us to remain open to other, rather different views, which may also have their own value - even for our own time.

Thus, don’t dismiss, out of hand, any potential new idea. We have to welcome thoughts and new ideas as being stimuli for new adventures in spiritual awakening. We can look at those things which we have done in the light of our beliefs and ask. ‘Does my belief still stand true? Do I have to tweak my understanding? Being true to ourselves, to acceptance of our mistakes is an opening, as Thomas Merton discovered: 16

But the man who loves truth can already find rest in the acknowledgement of his mistakes, for that is the beginning of truth.

It is the nature of the truths we know that builds our Philosophy of Life and it is this that leads us to continue to improve the life we lead. Many writers use the word ‘Truth’ as a collective noun which represents the totality of all truths and/or is a synonym for God. Abbé Henri de Tourville does this when he indicates that we ought to live according to our understanding of life: 17

Everything consists in living in the Truth ... there do what you can, however little or unfruitful it may seem to you; you can do nothing better…

With the same idea in mind, Emerson, according to Father Andrew believed that:: 18

Truth is our only armour in all passages of life or death .

Implementing our Philosophy is therefore the same as living the truths that we recognise. For example, if I believe in Karma (cause and effect or compensation and retribution) then I will only want to do what I think is in accord with my life’s objectives and in support of my fellow human beings and in gratitude of God. Anything else would be out of kilter with my belief system. Whilst not using this example, Thomas Merton understood that truths are notions to live by: 19

The saint must see the truth as something to serve, not as something to own and manipulate according to his own good pleasure.

Putting it in a nutshell; you are the truths that you recognise. Expanding this Dharmachari Subhuti in his book ‘The Mythic Context’ wrote that truth: 20

…is a heartfelt response to what you hear, and which can only be explained by the

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fact that truth is you; the truth that is expressed outside you is the truth that is in you. And the truth in you responds to the truth embodied outside you in this immediate vibration on to another ... You know where you play a particular note on the piano and a glass starts jangling on the mantelpiece in sympathetic resonance with that note that is struck, Well, in the same way, when the note of truth is struck there is a resonance within your own heart and your response is one of faith, of direct intuitive faith. .. You can build it upon your experience because you find that what you respond to is true in your own experience.

This idea of reflected truth is worth noting. As you live your life, other people recognise, through what you say and do, the truths that you believe in. This starts them thinking about their own beliefs – and so the cycle continues; through your actions are you recognised. Everything we experience becomes integrated into our philosophy even though sometimes, we cannot specify in detail or understand in a scientific sense. For example, I know that I am able to dowse, not only for water, but for spirituality of people and places. How this works I haven’t a clue, but I know that it does. The implication of this is that we can live, as Evelyn Underhill knew, according to a quite indistinct set of truths: 21

Imperfect though any conception we frame of the universe must be and here we may keep in mind Samuel Butler's warning that “there is no such source of error as the pursuit of absolute truth" still, a view which is controlled by the religious factor ought to be, so to speak, a hill-top view. Lifting us up to higher levels, it ought to give us a larger synthesis. Hence, the wider the span of experience which we are able to bring within our system, the more valid its claim becomes: and the setting apart of spiritual experience in a special compartment, the keeping of it under glass, is daily becoming less possible.

Our whole life, then, is dependent upon what we know and believe. We must always live by these tenets otherwise we would be living a lie. We would be trying to fool ourselves and I for one could not do this. There must be integrity of intellect which, within the bounds of our free will, compels us to abide by what we believe. On this Thomas Merton suggested that: 22

Truth is the life of our intelligence .

In the same book, ‘No Man is an Island’ he captured the essence of how we should live: 23

We make ourselves real by telling the truth. ... We must be true inside, true to ourselves, before we can know a truth that is outside us. But we make ourselves true inside by manifesting the truth as we see it.

This was also echoed by Ryuho Okawa: 24

...the most important precept is never to tell lies: that is morally wrong and cannot possibly be described as 'right speech'. Further aspects of 'right speech' include avoidance of flattery, insincere words of any kind, and slanderous statements.

…and from Swami Paramananda: 25

When one is firmly established in speaking truth, the fruits of action become

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subservient to him .

Being truthful should become part of our being; a natural thing that we always do. If we can achieve this, then other aspects of our personality will also shine through. Thomas Merton linked truthfulness with sincerity and fidelity: 26

Truthfulness, sincerity, and fidelity are close kindred. Sincerity is fidelity to the truth. Fidelity is an effective truthfulness in our promises and resolutions. An inviolate truthfulness makes us faithful to ourselves and to God and to the reality around us: and, therefore, it makes us perfectly sincere.

In the Far East the evangelist Watchman Nee linked truth with other aspects of our personality: 27

If our spirit is pure and gentle, then we are able to voice the truth.

Of course, I do recognise that it is not always appropriate to tell the whole truth but we must never, ever, tell lies. Francis de Sales recognised this too: 28

...for though it is not good always to say the whole truth, yet it is never lawful to say what is contrary to the truth. Accustom yourself never to lie wittingly, either by way of excuse or for any other reason, remembering that God is the God of Truth [Psalm 31, 5]

And Ladislaus Boros when he considered the life of Thomas Aquinas wrote: 29

Truth should always be spoken, even in the face of the great and powerful: 'Truth does not change according to the high degree of him to whom it is spoken. He who speaks the truth cannot be defeated, no matter with whom he disputes.'

Often in life those who don’t accept a true statement try to suppress it. This was highlighted in a spirit communication through Arthur Ford: 30

And so whenever you find anyone persecuting another person you know that the one who is persecuting is doing it in order to keep himself from admitting the truth. And he is killing the one who threatens his security, because the inquisitor is always unsure .

So the whole of a life is based upon living and breathing ‘truth’ in all its senses. If we do this then we can be sure that we are fitting ourselves spiritually – we must abide by the advice of William L Watkinson: 31

Let us be loyal to the highest truth...

As an example of a set of ‘simple’ truths I would refer you to Michal Levin’s book ‘Spiritual Intelligence’ where she list what she believes to be the primary truths which should govern our lives. She wrote: 32

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In the midst of change, and given the inevitability of change, some truths may stay the same. They’re very simple. Because they are very simple, it seems that must be easy to follow. Don’t be deluded. 1. Do no harm 2. Honour interconnectedness 3. Accept responsibility for your self, your actions, the situations they create and their effect on others 4. Respect difference 5. Understand that things change.

Accepting these and following their lead you will have a good basis for your life. Finally, I’ll leave you with a couple of thoughts from Cyprian Smith and Leslie Weatherhead:

Truth comes with maturity, in religion as in marriage 33

For me, the area of 'fundamentals' grows smaller as I grow older, and the area of agnosticism - in which one says, "I don't know" - grows larger. 34

…and how true this is – I seem to know less now that I did 10 years ago – but through expanding my spiritual understanding, my life has become more tranquil and more fulfilling.

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1 Alan Jacobs, The Gnostic Gospels, Watkins Publishing, 2006. The Gospel of Philip, (Pg 73) 2 Arthur Ford, Unknown but Known, Harper & Row, 1968. Chapter 10 : The Sun Myung Moon Sittings, (Pg 136 / 137) 3 Arthur James, first Earl of Balfour, "A Tent in which to Pass a Summer Night" 4 William Stainton Moses, Spirit Teachings, The Psychic Book Club, Undated. Section XXVIII, (Pg 220) 5 Evelyn Underhill, Mysticism, Oneworld, 2005. Part TWO:The Mystic Way: Chapter II - The Awakening of the Self, (Pg 197) 6 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 3 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1999. Chapter 4, (Pg 90) 7 Neale Donald Walsch, Conversations with God - Book 3 An uncommon dialogue, Hodder & Stoughton, 1999. Chapter 1, (Pg 38) 8 Arthur Findlay, The Rock of Truth, SNU, 1999. Foreword, (Pg vi) 9 Ralph Waldo Trine, In Tune with the Infinite, G Bell & Sons, 1931. Chapter VI - Wisdom and interior Illumination, (Pg 108) 10 Max Müller, Thoughts on Life and Religion, Archibald Constable and Company, 1905. Truth, (Pg 217) 11 Ralph Waldo Emerson, Natural History of Intellect, Solar Press, 1995. I. Natural History of Intellect - I. Powers and Laws of Thought, (Pg 38) 12 Joel S Goldsmith, The Contemplative Life, L N Fowler & Co, 1963. Chapter TEN - Meditation on Life by Grace, (Pg 186) 13 Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World, Phoenix, 1995. Kierkegaard, (Pg 292) 14 Bede Griffiths, Return to the Centre, Collins, Fount Paperbacks, 1978. 14. The Eternal Religion, (Pg 99) 15 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 6 - The Incarnate Word, (Pg 79) 16 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 13: "My Soul Remembered God", (Pg 205) 17 Abbé Henri de Tourville, Letters of Direction, Mowbray, 1939. I - Living in the Truth, (Pg 15) 18 Father Andrew SDC, In the Silence, A.R.Mowbray, 1951. The Eighty-Fourth Psalm: V. Strength in God, (Pg 131) 19 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 10: Sincerity, (Pg 174 / 175) 20 Dharmachari Subhuti, The Mythic Context, Padmaloka Books, 1990. To See with Angels's Eyes, (Pg 2 para 4) 21 Evelyn Underhill, The Life of the Spirit and The Life of Today, Mowbray, 1994. Chapter I: The Characters of Spiritual Life, (Pg 19 / 20) 22 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 10: Sincerity, (Pg 169) 23 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 10: Sincerity, (Pg 166) 24 Ryuho Okawa, The Laws of the Sun, Element, 1996. Chapter Two: The Truth Speaks - The Eightfold Path: An interpretation for Today, (Pg 44) 25 Swami Paramananda, The Upanishads, Grange Books, 2004. The Threads of Union (excerpts from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali) - Part Two: On Spiritual Disciplines: 2.36, (Pg 115) 26 Thomas Merton, No Man is an Island, Burns & Oates, 1997. 10: Sincerity, (Pg 169) 27 Watchman Nee, When is My Spirit Normal?, Ministry of Life, 1927. Chapter 2 - The Laws of the Spirit (3) Poisoning of the Spirit, (Pg 150) 28 Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Burns & Oates, 1948. Third Part of the Introduction. Chapter XXX - Some Further Counsels in Regard to Speech, (Pg 189 / 190) 29 Ladislaus Boros, Open Spirit, Search Press, 1974. Aquinas and Harmony, (Pg 127) 30 Arthur Ford, Unknown but Known, Harper & Row, 1968. Chapter 10 : The Sun Myung Moon Sittings, (Pg 129) 31 William L Watkinson, The Influence of Scepticism on Character, Charles H Kelly, 1898. The Influence of Scepticism on Character. Chapter III, (Pg 162) 32 Michal Levin, Spiritual Intelligence, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000. Part III: How to Live the Ideas. Chapter Eleven – Truth and Illusion, (Pg 272) 33 Cyprian Smith, The Way of Paradox [spiritual life as taught by Meister Eckhart], Darton Longman and Todd, 1996. 3 The Silent Desert, (Pg 34) 34 Leslie D Weatherhead, The Christian Agnostic, Hodder & Stoughton, 1966. Chapter XVI: Credo and Commitment, (Pg 245)

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