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Path to Eden
(Part 13)
other essays
by Michael F. O'Keeffe
These brief essays are based on 18 years of study and contemplation of The Aquarian Gospel.
Heaven
The following is in quotation
marks, even though some of it has been edited and changed to modern English.
Jesus proclaimed,
"Heaven is not far away, it is not a place with metes and bounds, it is
not a country to be reached; it is a state of mind. Just put away your attachment
to all physical pleasures as best you can, meditate long and often on your
oneness with the Love for all living things, pray for those who trample on your
rights, loose yourself in your work – in service to others (and don't look
back)...and the state of mind called ‘Heaven’ will gradually come to you; and
this Treasure will be yours forevermore."
Death, and The Grand
Illusion
You may ask, how can death
be an illusion?
All of physical reality is
an illusion. The Spirit world is all
there is. The physical world exists
only in the mind(s) of immature God-children.
Because we, as immature children of the divine, have the power of
creation, whatever we believe to exist seems to exist. Because of our fall from Eden, we certainly
believe in physical reality.
Since death is a physical
process, and all physical reality is an illusion, death is an illusion. Part of the process of the “fall of man”
included our biting into the apple of all the attractions of physical existence
– all the apparent pleasures here, in this realm. These sensations are illusory, but during our fall, we became
addicted to them all; we don’t want to let go.
Thus we are stuck here. Until we
follow Christ, by giving up all physical pleasures, we continue to be stuck
here. When we follow Him, then we are
free: arisen! Restored to the place
from which we fell - Eden.
The process of redemption
has been a long, arduous difficult one.
Eons have passed since we fell.
We have lived many, many lives (incarnations) in the physical world, just
so that we can learn countless lessons, and become prepared to comprehend the
truth – that physical reality is an illusion.
God, our Father, has
nurtured us down through the ages – bringing us to these technological times –
where physical illusions are commonplace, projected onto screens (from film,
tapes and disks).
Through our experiences
with these marvelous physical inventions, our minds are better prepared to
comprehend the greatest illusion of all – the three dimensional illusion
– the world in which we reside: the grand illusion! Thus, even technology is part of God’s plan of salvation, helping
us become prepared for the Return of Christ.
Great multitudes of people are now prepared to comprehend His message,
whereas only a few were able to comprehend when He last came to Earth.
Eden, from which we fell
(accurately described – metaphorically – in the Hebrew Bible) was a place (a
state of mind) where we had everything we needed, and peace and tranquility
reigned. As soon as we bit into the apple
of physical reality (and its pleasures) we began to experience constant
shortages of our needs, and ever since ‘the fall’ we have had to struggle to
fulfill our needs - by sweat and hard labor; and as a result, pain, frustration, confusion, misunderstandings,
suffering, resentment and warfare became normal.
All true mystics and
prophets have had one thing in common.
Quietly, and without fanfare, they abstained from physical pleasure – the only escape from “the
fall.” They abstained. They fasted. They practiced the golden rule, and they spent much time
practicing meditation and prayer.
Knowing how difficult it is
to maintain this lifestyle, they often would say to those who would emulate
them, “take stock of yourself before you start to follow me.” These mystics and avatars know (from
experience) that to take up the lifestyle of a true mystic, and then to turn
back, is a devastating experience.
Remember Lot’s wife (and Samson’s haircut).
Jesus, the Christ, was the
greatest mystic who ever lived.
Following Christ’s advice, those who exert great mental and spiritual effort, trying to overcome the addiction to physical pleasures (and the psychological pleasures of the carnal mind) soon discover (if they persevere) that shortages disappear, along with pain, suffering and sadness. Peace and tranquility reign again! Continuity between spans of life replaces death. Death is no more.
Judge Not
Why do spiritual teachers say “judge not?” The answer is; to judge another is to judge yourself. How can this be? First, one needs to understand the law of karma, and how it is the key to forgiveness (or it can be a curse, depending on how we react to it).
Simply stated, by the law of
karma, nothing happens to a person, except that he brought it upon
himself. If you hit a person in the
face, you will one day be hit in the face by another – this is the law. It never fails. (Thus the Hebrew saying: “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.”) It
may take weeks, years, or another lifetime before the energy you created by
your act returns to you in kind, exactly as you gave it out. This is God’s most basic law.
When some evil thing happens to
you (your car is stolen, your home broken into, or a hateful comment is
directed at you) this is karma in action.
You once did the same thing to another; otherwise it would not (could
not) happen to you. You may not
remember it, but this matters not. The
law of recompense never fails.
Karma serves us, for it is our
opportunity to be forgiven. No one is
ever forgiven an evil act except that he forgives himself. One forgives one’s self by forgiving the
person who brings his karma. If you
judge harshly the thief or the slanderer (or any other offender) you have
judged yourself. They are merely people you have been,
returned to you, for you to forgive!
Thus, by harshly judging any
offender, you have missed an opportunity to forgive yourself. Worse than this, by judging harshly (and/or
retaliating) you have created more unpleasant karma for yourself (you have increased,
rather than decreased, your karmic debt) and you will eventually be just as
harshly judged when you offend another (as you surely will).
Through the blessing of karma,
our Father-God gives us opportunities to undo our sins; and we must undo every
one of them. Prophets are men and women
who have paid (or nearly paid) their entire karmic debts.
Thus, mystics have always taught:
Judge not, for as you judge
others, you have judged yourself!
Footnote:
One might ask, if one receives
only that which one has created by the law of karma, what about Jesus’
crucifixion? Was it karma?
The answer to this (a logical question) lies in the mystery of holy sacrifice. All prophets and prophetesses, as men and women of God (who have paid up their karmic debts) are protected from those who would harm them. Yet, these master souls have the power to remove this protection, when it serves God to do so. (This is the sacrifice of Christ!)
Mystics are always maligned and persecuted by those who hate the truth. This is the sacrifice our Father (eventually) requires of all of us. And not just once, but many times, until one achieves the zenith of perfection, which God Himself calls “Christ, the Messiah – Immanuel.”
Jesus, Christ the Messiah – Immanuel was able to escape all attempts to harm Him (and there were many such attempts) because He was shielded from harm, by the non-existence of harmful karmic debt, but when the time came for Him to give His life in willing sacrifice, He removed His protective karmic shield (as Master Souls can do); He allowed evil men to have their way with Him. Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice. And by this sacrifice, He blessed His executioners (and all the world).
It behooves us to honor and to emulate our Lord and Master.
Star Over Bethlehem – the Mystery is Solved
For many centuries people have
wondered about the star over Bethlehem.
What was it? We now have the
answer. This mystery is now revealed,
during these times of revelation.
Souls on Earth are at various stages of development and maturity. The term, “wise men” (in scripture) refers to elder, more mature souls, who are indeed wiser than most. In ancient days some of the wise men and women of Persia were very advanced in wisdom; they were “seers.” They had developed the ability to see things which most of us cannot. They could see souls. Some of these masters were priests of the tradition of Zarathustra in Persia. They were known as the Magi.
When souls are about to
incarnate on the earth, seers can see them approaching. They appear in the skies as points of light
moving toward Earth (looking much like stars).
Two thousand years ago, some of the Magi of Persia observed an unusually
bright “star” approaching the earth. As
this bright soul approached, they soon realized it was extremely brilliant –
far beyond any they had ever seen – more like the noonday sun than a star. (Thus, the term, “day star.”)
They knew a very rare event was
about to occur; they knew a mighty master soul was about to incarnate on earth. They observed with great anticipation and
wonderment as this brilliant light descended to Earth, toward the west, in
Palestine. They discerned the child to
be male, and they knew he would be born near Jerusalem. They also knew
he was destined for greatness, because of his advanced wisdom, understanding
and power. They also knew about Hebrew
scriptures which foretold of the incarnation of a great King, and thus they
felt the arrival of this brilliant soul fulfilled prophecy.
Three of them, Kaspar, Zara and Melzone, desired to honor the newborn king. They prepared provisions for the long journey to Palestine, and they arrived in Judea shortly after the child’s birth. When these three wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem, their inquiries astonished the people of the city, because they inquired, “Where is the child that has been born a king? While yet beyond the Euphrates we saw his star arise, and we have come to honor him.”
The star over Bethlehem is no longer a mystery.
The Aquarian Gospel, in one
sentence:
To be human is to be an angelic spirit being (a
child of God) trapped in a physical body filled with selfish desires and a
selfish ego, and our goal is to conquer the carnal self, in order that we may become
the angelic beings we are, but have not yet realized.
The six-pointed star, the Star
of David, has been the symbol of Judaism and the Jewish culture for many
centuries. The meaning of this symbol
can be interpreted in various ways. In
light of the revelations contained within The Aquarian Gospel, I present the
following interpretation of the symbolic meaning of the six-pointed star:
God is Truth. He has three attributes: Strength, Wisdom
and Love. An appropriate symbol for God
is a triangle. What better way to
symbolize God than with a simple, equilateral triangle, standing upright? Structural experts say the equilateral
triangle is the strongest shape. Wisdom
and Love, conjoined, form an apex, and they stand on the foundation, Strength. A triangle is simple and uncomplicated, as
is our God, our Father. He is pure
strength, pure wisdom and pure love.
Every person has God’s image
and likeness within his soul, but Man fell from his position, because we
strayed, by disobeying our Father’s command – not to bite into the apple (of
physical pleasure). Our Father knew we
would do this.
Man, in his fallen condition,
is Truth reversed. What better way to
symbolize Man than by a triangle identical to that of God, but fallen – inverse
(upside down!)? If we overlay these two
triangles, we have a six-pointed star, the Star of David. This overlay symbolizes that God, forever
upright, never abandons His fallen Children, but remains eternally linked to
Mankind, in an ever-present pose of upright Truth. He stands silently upright, waiting for Man, His offspring, to
right himself.
What better way to symbolize
the religion and the culture chosen by God to deliver to the entire world His
message of Salvation than by the Star of David?
And, what better way to
symbolize the imminent reunification of Judaism and Christianity than with the
Star of David – combined with the cross of Christ, standing firmly upright upon
the foundation, Strength, enclosed by Wisdom and Love?
A brief overview of Salvation
How does God’s plan of
salvation work? His law says that any
of His Children, who bites into the apple (of physical pleasure) becomes blind
to his own divine nature, and he can comprehend only his lower self, his animal
self – his physical body. He becomes
deceived. He thinks that he is his body.
Our Father knows that every
youthful soul falls, and experiences this deception. Everyone must fall, in order to grow strong, by getting up. Each and every fallen Child of God must
recover from the fall. Salvation is a
long, long plan by which we are taught how to recover.
We are shown that by overcoming
the passions and desires of the body, we recover, and re-enter Paradise. His law says that none may be given his divine
inheritance until he has grown strong, by recovering from the fall, and this
strength must be demonstrated. Our
Father gives us many incarnation experiences, until we finally recover from the
fall.
Thus, even though all of
physical reality is actually an illusion, our Father requires that each of us
learn to deal with this illusion in a blessed, peaceful god-like way before he
admits us to the “real kingdom.” Each
child of God is “performance-tested” before he is granted his legacy. Each of us must defeat the grand illusion –
the physical body, the body of desires.
Salvation is the process by
which we get up, and stand erect before our Father-God and receive the crown
that He waits patiently to place upon the head of every one of His
children. This is the Crown of Life –
Eternal Life.
Jesus received The Crown in spectacular glory; and said, “You may follow me.”
Footnote:
If you have studied “A Course in Miracles,” you may recall that the transcriber of that three volume publication wrote that the Crucifixion at Calvary never happened! Thus, some have questioned whether “A Course in Miracles” contradicts sacred scripture. Actually, “A Course in Miracles” merely confirms the fact that illusions are not reality. Thus, physical events (which are illusions) are real only in so far as they seem real. Therefore, it is fair to say that “A Course in Miracles” does not contradict scripture.
Our Father’s plan of salvation
requires us to learn to deal with the illusions of physical reality, as if they
were real, and only after we learn to deal with physical reality in a blessed
and holy manner (perfectly) are we admitted to the Real Kingdom, The Kingdom of
The Soul – The Kingdom called Heaven.
In the physical world (the
world of illusions) we are “performance-tested,” before we can be admitted.
Signs of the Times
Chapter 157 tells of the
days when the return of Christ is near (and the judgment day). Vs. 25 states: “…signs that men have never seen
will appear in heaven and earth; in sun, and moon, and stars.” If you wish to view clear evidence that such
signs are now appearing, suggest you visit some of these websites: ----- Cropcircles.htm
The Power of Evil
As stated in the Prologue,
throughout the history of the world, men and women of God have been persecuted,
prosecuted and slain.
Whenever this maltreatment
of the children of the Light occurs, there are always some (wiser and braver
souls) who choose not to maltreat them, who do not scorn them, nor misjudge
them, but instead, see in them, beacon-lights, which they emulate. And thus, the vine of Christ has always
silently, steadily grown (slowly, before the life of Jesus, and rapidly, ever
since) and when this invisible vine has become a mighty vine, enveloping the
entire earth, evil will be cast out of the world. This time is near.
We live in the transition times; the New Age is about to commence. We must prepare.
One of evil’s
accomplishments in recent decades is to implant in the mind of many the idea
that the New Age is some far-flung, thoughtless and worthless concept to be
laughed at and scorned. Many false and
misleading ideas and concepts regarding the New Age have been perpetrated and
widely published. (Such is the power of
evil. Desperate and fearful, the evil
one works feverishly to delay his expulsion.
But his time is short.)
The great upwelling of
selfishness, greed, hypocrisy and violence, which we now witness, is not a sign
that evil is winning the struggle. It
is a signal that evil knows his time on Earth is short, and he is uneasy,
anxious and afraid. These strangely
evil and violent times are the death throes (the last gasps) of evil. He truly is about to be cast out; and our
Lord, Jehoshua, shows us the way.
Everlasting Life,
Continuity
We know from our own
childhood experiences, and by observing children, that a small child can seem
to live each day as if the previous day never happened. He or she benefits from
lessons learned in earlier days, but conscious memory of previous days is
fuzzy, at best. As a child matures, memories of past days are more consciously
retained, and this continuity enhances the ability to retain learning, and the
child’s learning accelerates.
The same principle applies
to human spans of life. A person who
has not conquered himself recalls little of previous spans of life. Any person who has achieved the victory over
the lower self retains complete memories of previous life-spans. This continuity enhances and accelerates
learning. Because of this, men and
women (children of God) who have overcome, advance rapidly into divine
maturity. Each lifespan becomes like a
day in the of a soul.
This is everlasting life.
A person who has gained
Eternal Life (as Jesus taught us) is a master soul, and retains precious
memory. Such a person is no longer just a child of God, but a Son of God, a
Daughter of God. This is the difference between ordinary people and prophets
and seers. They possess continuity;
their concept of time is totally different than ours. Their spans of life (both
physical and ethereal) seem to fly by like days. They are conscious of
eternity.
In recent decades, many
ordinary people have reported being able to partially recall memories of past
lives. This is a sign of the times. The judgment day is near; for we, God's
youthful children, are nearing the time when we will be ready to learn,
prepared to travel the path – the path which leads to the victory, and we will
live our spans of life in peace, with continuity and joyous, painless
transition...from one span to the next. This is a description of the Age
of Aquarius. And this is just a glimpse of “the Earth,” which the meek are
about to inherit!
Footnote:
The earth (a living, conscious being) like all living things, exists in both
realms. Each living thing of the
physical realm has its counterpart in the ethereal. When we pass on, we reside in “ethereal Earth” – in the soul of
Earth. When we incarnate into the
physical realm, we actually exist (reside) in both realms simultaneously, but
our awareness (for the most part) is limited to physical things, including
incarnate Earth. In light of this, we
can now understand Our Lord’s words, “The heavens and the Earth will pass away,
but my word will not pass away…” In
other words, when God’s plan calls for it to pass away, physical reality will
cease to be.
Regarding the Author of the Aquarian Gospel
I have made the statement
that the author of the Aquarian Gospel is none other than Jesus, Christ Himself. How can I make such a statement? Jesus knew that every word He spoke and
every act He performed was being recorded in what masters and mystics call The
Book Of God's Remembrance; and He knew that approximately 1,800 years after His
lifetime, a man would be born into the world who is strong enough to open that
book. He also knew that this man would
transcribe, in great detail, the epic of His entire life (as a precursor to the
return of Messiah). Well aware of this,
Jesus was fully conscious of the fact that, as He journeyed through life, He
was creating an historic, panoramic drama, and His epic would one day be
published worldwide. Therefore, except for the introductory chapters and some
of the narrative, Jesus wrote this book!
How can one be sure this
work is genuine? Just read (carefully)
and you will know. One who reads
carefully, with an honest, open and sincere attitude, will recognize the
strength, wisdom and love of God – manifest in a man – Jesus, the Christ.
This remarkable story
reunifies Judaism and Christianity.
Indeed, this story unites all the peoples of the earth (both religious
and non-religious) who cherish truth, kindness, decency and liberty. Every person is invited to read this
beautiful epic, the greatest book ever written, the greatest story ever
told.
The Book of Revelation
contains a prophecy, which refers to someone very strong, who is able to open a
book. The Book of God's Remembrance
(The Akashic Records – where all of History is perfectly recorded) has been
opened. Levi H. Dowling (1844 - 1911)
an American who lived in Ohio, attained enough strength and knowledge to view
this Sacred Recording of Human History by following the path of Christ.
He became strong enough
(and worthy enough) to view Our Father’s Perfect Recording sometime after his
fiftieth year on Earth. He gained the
strength and know-how through many years of practicing all-night sessions of
meditation, combined with fasting.
After reaching his goal, he was able to focus his mind on a particular
time and place, and view the events which occurred there, as if happening “here
and now.” He was able to replay events
as many times as necessary, in order to provide us with a perfect transcript. He spent many months transcribing the events
he directly witnessed – in “The Book of God’s Remembrance.”
Levi opened only a small
portion of God’s History Book (he opened “the little book”) – that part which
is the record of the life of Jesus. His
transcription is commonly known as “The Aquarian Gospel.” There is no longer any reason to wonder who
was Jesus, or to speculate or debate what He said or did. The entire story is now available, and anyone who reads carefully, sincerely and comprehensively
will recognize the authenticity; and indeed, only those who read carefully,
sincerely and comprehensively will recognize this book’s authenticity.
The
“little book” is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the stomach.
As God’s Children, we are gods; however, our Father requires much of us.
Aquarian
Gospel Text Return to autobiographic
More
info. about the authenticity of the Aquarian Gospel
Meditations:
This physical body, with all its impulses (all of its selfish passions and desires) is not me. I am an eternal spirit being (a child of God) and I temporarily inhabit this physical body, to enable me to grow strong. All of the carnal impulses of my physical body provide me with opportunities to gain strength. By exercising self-restraint (by learning to control all my selfish desires and appetites) I can become master of every one of them. When my Father sees that I have conquered them all, He will give me an inheritance befitting a child of God, just as He gave to my elder brother, Jesus, the Christ, and to many of His disciples.
(more short essays and
meditations will be added to this page.)