Monday, January 16, 2012


THE ABYSS
by Felix Fojas


The abyss is
dark and deep
The abyss is
an endless
downward tunnel
The abyss is
a bottomless pit
The abyss is
a black hole in space
Yet headlong
you and i must
jump into
The abyss and
rise phoenix-like
from the ashes
of despair
from the rock bottom
of our fears and soar
to the upper air
beyond the woof
of space and the warp
of time beyond
the music of
the spheres beyond
the seven planes
of the spirit
and ascend to
the highest heaven
by plunging into
the darkest lowest
depths of hell

Los Angeles
Jan. 13, 2012

Sunday, January 15, 2012


SPIRITUAL SAYING FOR THE DAY 



                                                               





"WHEN YOU'VE LEARNED
TO APPRECIATE NOTHINGNESS,
THEN YOU ARE FULLY ENLIGHTENED."           



                                                 ~Felix Fojas           





                              


THREE LINERS: Minimalist Poems 

by Felix Fojas


1. CHAMELEON
     Dragon who can change
     Your complexion at whim,
     What's your true color?

2. CICADAS
     The cicadas sing
     A heart-rending dirge, mourning
     The passing of Spring

3. CROCUS
     A solitary crocus blooms at
     The wide lawn's edge. What stark
     Contrast to a legion of green grasses!

4. DAREDEVIL
    He crashes through
    A wall of fire astride his bike,
    Spitting Death in the eye!

5. DAWN
    And after the long
    Night, a new love came to me--
    Gentle as the dawn...
6. Dewdrop falls to
    The grass, instantly quenching
     A passing ant's parched throat.
7. Diamond
    The gem dazzles
    In the sand, but no one sees
    To praise its beauty.
8. Dragonfly
    On weightless feet it
    Alights on water. Away
    It flies. No ripples.

9. DRAMA
    To the player, Life's
    A tragedy. To the one
    Watching -- pure comedy!

10. DUNG BEETLE
      Uphill, downhill, it
      Rolls the stinking nugget as
      If made of pure gold.

A poem a day drives the blues away...


LOVE SONG OF DR. FRANKENSTEIN
by Felix Fojas

Here is the promised song, beloved.
I gave it a monster's body,
Huge and intimidating,
Complete with a hirsute, muscular
Chest as wide as a football field,
A head shaped like the dome
Of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome,
Humongous hands that can
Swat two tigers and an elephant,
And a pair of awesome feet shorn
In a size fifty hobnailed boots.

I have adorned his forehead with
A hundred stiches, and his
Temples are studded with steel bolts.
He is the quintessential freak from
Head to foot, his hand and feet
Chained to a heavy, tilted
Operating table where he
Lies lifeless and inanimate,
A copper band wrapped around
His head to serve as conductor.
It is a waiting game as I count

Each passing night and day by
Twiddling my gloved thumbs while
Waiting, waiting for a perfect
Storm to conjure that keening,
Blinding flash of inspiration,
That rhyming miraculous moment,
Which in turn will quicken my freak
And gift him with foreverness
And the poetic license to wreak
Havoc upon the inarticulate world,
Wake up the living dead.

Los Angeles
Jan. 13, 2012

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

THE MAGIC FORMULA FOR SUCCESSFUL PRAYER: 
Researched by Felix Fojas



When to Pray
 
Prayer, like breathing, should be a controlled process in every well-ordered life. We should endeavour to make of our lives, one continuous prayer. Our endless spiritual contact with the source of our spiritual strength and guidance.

Hence, each may, before we enter into the work of that day, we should set aside a space and devote it to our meeting with God. We should retire to the privacy of our room and then there ask Him for His aid. We can ask Him to show us the way. Since it is this work that we are doing, it is right that we should ask Him to show how it should be done.

If we ask, with faith and sincerity, the way will open for us. Then at night, after our work is done, we should again return to the privacy of our room and there make our request to Him. Tell Him how we have, during the day. done His work, and ask that we may be re-created so that we might continue in service to God and our fellowmen. God measures not your devotion by the length of time that you give
to your prayers, but by the fact that you come to Him with humility and ask.

Where to Pray

We have read in the words of the Master that we are to close ourselves into our room, alone, with nobody or nothing to distract our attention. It is easier to turn ourselves entirely over to the duty of prayer.

Sit quietly, make yourself comfortable. Do not strain. Keep the room slightly darkened. Too much light might prove a distraction.

Get everything out of your mind. Try to make it a perfect blank. This is called developing your receptiveness. After you have developed yourself to a stage where you can clear all matter from your mind for a length of time, you are ready to go into silence. So we come to the answer to the question" "Where to pray?" it is--Pray wherever you can make your contact with your God, which should be at all times, anywhere and everywhere, when you know how.


How to Pray

When you ask God to do something for you, you must believe that it is already an accomplished fact. By a accepting the accomplishment of your work, affirmatively, you are helping God make it a reality. Think that He is actually doing the things that you have asked Him to do. Pray with the thoughts that the things you want are already yours since time began. This thinking with God, will make your prayers realities. That is the message that God has for you. They are the answers to your prayers.

What to ask for

The first important thing to do is make certain just what it is that we want. Someone once said that there were only two tragedies in life. One was not getting what we want, the other, getting it.

Sometimes we wish, hope, strive and even pray for things that will do us more harm than good. We have not thought sufficiently on the subject of our desire.

So the first injunction is, "Know what to pray for."

The second injunction is, "Pray only for the good."

The second important thing to remember is what we should not pray something that is going to harm another. And that goes for no matter who the somebody else happens to be. There are no enemies in our life. We are our own first and last enemy. We must learn to conquer ourselves.

The third injunction is to pray for something that fits into our life. Something that should belong to us. Pray for the things that are yours.

The fourth injunction is, "Raise your voice in prayer for those who know you and those who call you friend."

We must be ready to give thanks as we are to ask a favor. For God measures our capacity for blessings by our ability to appreciate those things that we have. We must learn to be thankful for small favors.

There should be no shame in facing God and telling Him that we erred. That's why we are human beings. We must at all times be ready to forgive those who have trespassed against us. We should ask God to forgive them. Remember how he said, in the midst of travail: "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." This should be our motto in prayer.

For that  moment when we can understandably forgive others, that moment, we have made our most intimate contact with the Lord and Master.

Above all, we must be open and above board with our God. Never try to make excuses for anything that you've done. God knows your intention before you yourself have thought of it.

Hence we learn the answers to our question: "What to pray for?" It is--PRAY FOR THE VISION TO SEE GOD'S WORKS.

Live Your Prayers

We live our lives so that at every turn and at any moment of the day or night, God might look into it and find the faith and belief that always glows in the hearts of those who love Him. Our lives must be one continuous prayer, singing to heaven the Glory of God.

As a reminder in moments of forgetfulness, we can carry with us the some talisman or amulet. This will be a constant physical reminder that we are His children, and that He is constantly with us and that we are never alone. We should wear this talisman or amulet on our person, so that we are constantly aware of its presence.

The Use of Candles in Successful Prayer

What better way is there to pray, than in the privacy of one's room one should and by the light of candles bring to the glory of God.

Candles are a symbol of faith and should be manifest before God and man and burn brightly in the performance of good works. Therefore let your light shine before all men and let them see your faith and your good intentions.

Candles carry a symbolism of their own. They spread the light of love. They brighten up the darkness. They give our prayers a certain definiteness.

There are a great many people who believe that they should burn appropriate colored candles with each of their prayers. For your guidance, I repeat the following colors and the properties that are ascribed to them:

White      :               for Purity

Red         :               for Love

Pink         :               for Success

Yellow     :               for Spirituality

Orange   :               for Attention

Black       :               for Evil or Remembrance

Blue        :               for Health

Brown     :              for Happiness

Green      :             for Money

Purple      :             for High Power

Gold         :             for Good Fortune and Safety

Another way of using colored candles is as follows:

Black         :            Evil, Hexing, Crossing, Repelling

Blue           :            Spiritual and Psychic results

Brown        :            General or non specific objectives

Green         :            Luck, Money, Business

Orange       :            Peace of Mind

Pink             :           Success, Attraction, Love and Friendship

Purple         :            Power, Domination, Control

Above all, we must not make the mistake of setting up idols before us. We must not pray to the candles, but to God. We must use the candles as symbols of the light within us.

To light our way. To make the path clear before us. To banish evil and darkness before and around us.

It is these symbols that make our prayers complete. They enable us to make a close confidential and understandable contact with our prayer-beads.

The altars of the world reflect the kind soft light of candles. So let the altar in your heart made visible by the light of a candle show you the way to enlightenment.

(Note: Candles, like incense, bells, and sacred images, attract invisible helpers among which are angels who help us manifest our prayers and positive wishes).

Monday, January 9, 2012

WELCOME TO THE GOLDEN AGE 
by Felix Fojas



"The shape of things to come," exclaims the visionary. "Armageddon!" cries the doomsday prophet. "The Golden Age," the mystic proclaims. "Aquarius rising, " remarks the astrologer. "Pure, unadulterated nonsense," says the skeptic in a bored tone. Call it anything you want, imagine it to be your own unique concept of heaven or hell--chances are it will be beyond your wildest dreams. For one thing is definite: a new age has dawned upon us.

     Astrologically, the period that takes the earth to pass through each of the Twelve Signs of the Great Zodiac is divided into a greater and lesser cycle. The greater cycle, which is known as the Great Year, is composed of 25,868 years. On the other hand the lesser cycle or the Great Month lasts approximately 2,000 years. Actually it is the Great Month of Aquarius that we have entered in the the year 2000 A.D. Strictly speaking, we are just in the orb of Aquarius, but the Great Year of Aquarius is till a long way off and will commence in 2638 A.D. when the Sun will by precession enter the constellation Aquarius.

     As the song goes, which was popularized by the Fifth Dimension in the late 60's:

                        When the Moon is in the Seventh House
                        And Jupiter aligns with Mars
                        And Peace will guide the planets
                        And Love will still the stars...

     The dawning of the Millennium, which be marked by a major planetary alignment, will in turn trigger a drastic change in human civilization. If Pisces, a water sign symbolizing feeling, stirred a revolution in human emotions two thousand years ago when Christ walked the earth, Aquarius or the Water Bearer--an air sign commonly mistaken by many as a water sign, which stands for the psyche--has been predicted by seers to usher in a revolution in the human mind.

     Since the middle of the last century when Aquarian vibrations started impinging upon planet Earth, up to the present era, science has literally made a quantum leap." Aquarius is responsible for more inventions for the benefit of humanity than any of the other Signs," opines Alan Leo, the internationally famous astrologer. Note, however, that the true keyword of Aquarius is 'humanity' and it is hoped in the future that the scientific breakthrough will be followed by a spiritual renaissance. Here the moderating influence of Leo, Aquarius's polarity, will be crucial in averting a nuclear holocaust and other man-made cataclysms. As a counterforce, the planetary ruler of Aquarius is Uranus, the celestial harbinger of revolution and sudden change, although the planet also exerts a positive spiritual and humanitarian influence.

     Based on esoteric astrology, the Moon, the Sun, the Earth, and other celestial bodies have their own aura or electromagnetic field known in occult parlance as the "ring-pass-not" which extends millions of miles into outer space. Ever since the Sun moved toward the constellation Aquarius, its vast aura already came in touch with Aquarian vibrations long before the Sun actually entered the Sign. Now that we have entered the Great Year of the Millennium which started  in the year 2000 A.D., a spiritual revolution had already been sweeping the face of the earth to prepare humanity for the advent of the Golden Age or Satya Yuga in Sanskrit.

     The violet-colored Aquarian or Seventh Ray energy will bring out the best and the worst among men. The spiritual will become more spiritual, whereas the materialist will lust for more power and wealth. This will effect a polarization of two opposing forces, the yin and the yang, the negative and the positive, the evil and the good--leading to a final confrontation which will result in a global catharsis or purgation in the form of natural and man-made catastrophes. After learning such a painful lesson, humanity will recover from its spiritual trauma and erase national boundaries. A spiritual world government will be created which will champion the ideology of love and brotherhood. One thousand years of peace will reign upon Earth under the leadership of a new great spiritual teacher or avatar. Clairvoyance, ESP, and astral travel will be common phenomena. The likes of Einstein and da Vinci will populate the world.

     New Age philosopher David Spangler in the book Reimagination of the World: A Critique of the New Age Science and Popular Culture (co-authored by William Irwin Thompson) states that the New Age can be defined in four major viewpoints. First, the emergence of a planetary culture," not in the sense of a world goverment, but a "greater global awareness, cooperation and coordination on the part of all peoples and institutions, with particular mindfulness of how we are all interconnected and interdependent...Second, the response to the archetype or myth of the sacred planet, an embodiment of man's desire to create a world in which humanity, nature and the domain of the spirit work together in ways that are naturally empowering and co-creative. Thirdly, New Age is the gestalt of our multifaceted responses to the global changes happening around us...the spirit behind our responses to the technological, political, economic, scientific and spiritual realities is the factor which minimizes or eliminates the danger that we will destroy ourselves and our world and maximizes the possibility that through a greater planetary awareness and a shared planetary culture, we will further the emergence of a sacred world. And lastly, the New Age is an evolutionary shift within the life and spirit of the Earth itself. Just as human puberty brings hormonal shifts, rebalancing and the changes are going on within the subtle or spiritual body of the Earth. New "energies" and qualities are being taken on, and the older ones are being let go of. The Earth as a being is forming a new pattern of inner relationships with the cosmoc."

     In her tour de force titled The Aquarian Conspiracy, Marilyn Ferguson describes a network of conspirators in the United States whose ranks work singly or in a group, often unaware of one another's activities. This network has a singular goal: usher in a revolution in human consciousness and give birth to a civilization with boundless material spiritual potential. Although Ferguson limits her study to the United States, her insight can well apply to the rest of the world.

     To quote Ferguson: "The network is the Aquarian Conspiracy which represents the Now What. We have moved into unknown, The known has failed us completely. Taking a broader view of history and deeper measure of nature, the Aquarian Conspiracy is a different revolution. It looks to the turnabout in consciousness of a critical number of individuals, enough to bring a renewal of society."

     Derived from the Greek word paradigma, which means "pattern," a paradigm is a mental construct, a framework of thought that is utilized to explain certain aspects of reality from a particular viewpoint. Paradigms can be applied to all fields of human endeavor, and people speak of an economic, religious, political, philosophical, or scientific paradigm. Thomas Kuhn, a science historian and philosopher, invented the concept of "paradigm shift" which which he originally applied to science. A paradigm shift is nothing more that a new way of thinking about old problems.

     Usually it takes generations or even centuries for an old paradigm to be supplanted by a new one. There is often a yawning time gap that separates the discovery of a new paradigm and its actual application. To cite an example, even the most influential scientists are still under strong attack from the Establishment, the sworn defender of the old paradigm, until a new paradigm gains ground and creates a revolution in human consciousness.

     The same argument holds true for New Age teachings, the paradigm of the Aquarian Age. Thirty years ago, very few paid serious attention to them. New Age teachings were either branded as an absurdity or superstition, if not downright work of the devil.  In stark contrast, today New Age teachings are capturing the hearts and minds of the young and old alike. But what exactly are New Age teachings? These are the quintessence, minus dogma, of the same age-old spiritual truths which were preached by Christ, Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad and other enlightened beings to fit the pragmatic needs and temperament of modern man.

     New Age teachings will shape the consciousness of a new type of humanity that is emerging, a much more compassionate and loving one than its predecessors. This new species of man is probably what the philosopher Nietzsche foresaw in a vision a century ago--which he described as the "ubermensch" or superman whose luminous countenance will bring light to the world. Slowly homo mechanicus will become extinct and give way to homo magicus, the Aquarian genius.

Today, Astrology has been transformed into the modern and scientific-sounding "Biorhythm," Absent healing is now called "Radionics." Exorcism is currently termed "Psychotherapy," and Yoga has been renamed "Cybernetics." All these are old spiritual wines in new bottles. Indeed, there is a groundswell of interest in New Age teachings. Thousands of books and countless seminars are being offered on such diverse esoteric subjects as Crystal Power, Creative Visualization, Feng Shui, Alchemy, Yoga and Color Meditation. On the other hand, interesting magazines and journals on spirituality, the paranormal and the occult, both  of the eastern and  the western variety, are proliferating the world over. Spiritual organizations, old and new alike, denominational and non-denominational, are gaining legions of adherents. It is obvious that there is a growing market for spiritual commodities.  New Age books and other spiritual paraphernalia are selling briskly. This is why Astroscope, Magical Blend and other similar magazines have appeared on the publishing scene in order to respond, not just to a solitary voice, but to innumerable voices out there in the wilderness that are crying for the manna of spiritual enlightenment.

Sunday, January 8, 2012



Spiritual Saying for the Week by Brother Felix Fojas

"On your own you cannot evolve, you cannot become enlightened. Enlightenment is not a solo flight but a collective effort. You need help from God in the form of grace, help from enlightened beings and invisible helpers like devas and angels, help from your own spiritual group, help from your family and friends, help from Mother Earth and the whole Universe itself."

DAFFYNITIONS by Felix Fojas


1. Feast
    To dine while facing the East.

2. Feel
    An amorous marine eel that caresses once held and fondled.

3. Female
    A woman fond of drinking ale.

4. Feminism
    A modern school of philosophy that teaches the tenet that women are always right.

5. Ferocity
    A tropical metropolis populated by fierce, cannibalistic tribes like Los Angeles for one.

6. Festive
    A jovial woman.

7. Fib
    The golden mean between a brazen lie and a white lie.

8. Fidelity
    An exemplary virtue exclusively practiced by the dead.

9. Fidget
    A jittery dwarf.

10. Fiendish
      Food for demons.

11. Figurehead
      A synonym for a Math expert.

12. Figure of Speech
      Sexy, seductive language.

SERENDIPITOUS SAYINGS by Felix Fojas


1. Occasionally Dame Fortune smiles at the unfortunate.

2. O how Fortune smiles at the Rich and Famous,
    O how Fortune smirks at the poor and anonymous.

3. Fortune is the prime occupation of the cunning and opportunistic.

4. Freedom is like a leaden coin--There's a hollow ring to it.

5. The bells of freedom are loudly ringing.
    Unfortunately all tyrants are stone deaf.

6. O Freedom! Thou art a sweet illusion,
    A mirage of nubile houris belly dancing in the desert.

7. An old trusted friend is like vintage wine.
    Its taste is so smooth to the heart's parched tongue.

8. Friendships last that do not ask,
    Friendships last that do not judge.

9. You shall know the fruits by their trees.
    The only problem is that trees are born out of fruits.

10. Hell knows the fury of a woman
      Who has not yet received last month's alimoney.

11. Why worry about the future
      When the present is problematic enough?

12. The food was so rich that the chef
       Died after tasting his own dish.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

A poem a day drives the blues away...


ALPHABET

by Felix Fojas

(Originally appeared in the first issue of the relaunched Evergreen Review,
New York, a prestigious international magazine founded by Barney Rosset,
a world-renowned publisher, and which featured a host of writers before
they became Nobel Prize winners. The first issue of this mag featured
Jean-Paul Sartre, Samuel Beckett, Henri Michaux and Michael Hamburger).

In kindergarten our elders
Teach us to memorize by heart
Each sugarcoated letter
In the ABC of lies
Because the aspirin of fact
Is a tough act to swallow.
Then we slowly learn
To shape letter into
Plain words of truth.
Afterwards, we graduate
To the art of stringing
Beads of pearly words
Into lustrous sentences.

A necklace of deception.
Finally we ourselves become
Masters of prevarication
And fabricate sentences
Into flawless paragraphs
Of falsehood which we print
Into a hardbound handbook
Of light and circulate
To the coming generation
While the primer of truth
Gathers dust and cobwebs
In some dark, stuffy corner
Of the inarticulate.

Friday, January 6, 2012

HAIKOANS: Poems by Felix Fojas




1. angelus
    church bell tolls
    woman making a sign of the cross

2. clock rings
    man smothers it with a pillow
    & sleeps again

3. speeding ambulance
    screaming siren
    little boy covers his ears

4. rope breaks
    anchor drops into the sea
    plop!

5. sweat trickles
    down the man's brow
    tear-shaped tiny sun

6. late night
    empty courtyard
    silence playing a game of solitaire

7. calm waves
    overturned boat
    floating bloated bodies

8. sun setting
    in the sea:
   O half fire, half water!

9. badge glittering
    in the sun
    heart of gold?

10. ball rolls
      child follows ball
      screeching tires


THE HUMAN ENIGMA by Felix Fojas



Man is a wonderful enigma and mystery. He has a sevenfold nature consisting of a physical body, an emotional or astral body, a mental body, a causal body, a Christ body, a buddhic body, and a paranirvanic body or body of bliss. Yet man in his ordinary state of consciousness is asleep, for he is completely under the control of his false self or ego. In turn the ego is subdivided into a physical or instinctive ego, an emotional ego, and an intellectual ego--which are fragmented and uncoordinated, each seeking to dominate the rest.





    Thus man lives in a hazy, subjective world, a shadowy globe which is molded out of pure fantasy and illusion, forever preventing him from perceiving objective reality as is. No wonder the life of a man in a waking-sleep is a continuous nightmare and he cannot experience leasting peace and contentment in both his internal and external life. Neither can he attain wisdom abd enlightenment in such a state of sleep where total chaos, duality, contradiction, and suffering reign.

     The key to man's redemption is how to transcend his threefold ego which is imaginary and does not exist in reality. This can be achieved through a two-step technique or method called self-observation
and self-awareness. Just by acting as an impartial or non-judgmental witness to the petty activities of his ego, one can pracice self-observation. If he makes a regular practice of self-observation from moment to moment--which can extend from a few months to many years--something that varies from one person to another, he gradually awakens into superconsciousness.

     There are seven types of humanity. Man number one is primitive man who is governed by his animal instincts. Man number two is the emotional type who feels and gropes at life. Then there is man number three, the thinker who uses his mind as his eyes to observe and understand the world.

     On the opposite end of the pole is man number four, five, six and seven. Man number four is one who  through self-observation and self-awareness, has partially awakened his authentic self and whose power of intuition guides his life towards achieving objective consciousness of his spiritual nature. Man number five is one who has fully awakened and has attained objective consciousness of his own being. At this point he becomes immortal and is conferred the title of  Master of Wisdom, the Christ-Man, one who has learned all the lessons he needs to learn on Planet Earth and has liberated himself from the Wheel of Birth and Rebirth. Man number six is one who has achieved objective consciousness of both his own being and the universe itself. Man number seven is the apex of spiritual evolution possible for a human being in which one has become the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega, and is transformed into a wave of bliss that has fully merged in the ocean of the Absolute. If ever man number seven is reincarnated on Earth, assumes the rolle of an Avatar, a great spiritual teacher who has taken the path of sacrifice in order to spur all of humanity to a higher state of divine
consciousness.

     To hasten one's spiritual development it is imperative to understand and abide by the following cosmic laws:

     1. The Law of Three

     2. The Law of Seven

     3. The Law of Karma

     4. The Law of Love

     5. The Law of Abundance

     6. The Law of Compassion

     What is the Law of Three? It is the cosmic law which is based on the principle that energy, whether physical or spiritual,operates in the universe as a triad composed of three elements. In Christinaity the Law of Three is symbolized by the concept of the Holy Trinity composed of God the Father, God the Mother or the Holy Spirit, and God the Son or the Christ. In Hinduism, this is represented by Shiva the Trimurti, which consists of Shiva the Creator God, Kali the Goddess of Destruction, and Shakti which is the Preserver aspect of God. On the other end of the spectrum in quantum physics, there is the electron, the neutron and the positron.

     Let us now proceed to the Law of Seven. This law states that the universe, as far as Earth's humanity is concerned, is divided into seven dimensions or planes of existence. In the absolute sense there are ten of more planes of existence but this is beyond human understanding. The seven planes relevant to mankind include the physical, emotional, mental, causal, the Christ plane, the buddhic plane, and the paranirvanic plane. There is another plane which is the etheric, but it still belongs to the physical plane and is its most subtle part. In turn the seven dimensions are further subdivided into fourteen, twenty-four,and forty-eight subplanes.

     What is the Law of Karma? It is simply the law of cause and effect and which is substantiated by and made flesh in the biblical passage "As ye soweth, that ye shall reap also." In other words, If one sows a negative deed, that individual will also reap something negative in the shape of a curse or bad luck. This is precisely why Confucius, the great Chinese sage, advocates the observance of a strict ethical or moral code, which is encapsulated in the Golden Rule "Do unto others what you wish others to do unto you."

     Next is the Law of Love. Love here requires a definition since there are many kinds of love. By love we are not referring to mere physical or romantic love. The type of love in focus is objective, unconditional love. Or love in a pure, unadulterated state. Which means that one must love everyone else equally, fairly, and with no strings attached. In short, a person must love for the sake of loving without expecting anything in return. Always bear in mind that divine love, which radiates from the Supreme Creator, is the greatest force in our universe and beyond. As such there is no other force in existence, whether positive or negative, that is greater than or can equal the power and intensity of Love.

     The Law of Abundance pervades both physical matter and spiritual energy. Simply put it is based on the eternal law that abundance is the birthright of man and he deserves to receive infinite blessings and prosperity from God. However, if a person is not getting his just rewards, it is because something is blocking him from God's blessings--perhaps the possession of negative traits such as jealousy, pride, selfishness and greed. Man is God's steward of wealth on Earth. Hence abundance and prosperity is man's natural state. There is no gainsaying the fact that those who are generous to others and engage in philanthropic causes become richer, while those who are miserly towards their fellowmen become poorer and poorer, Charity, aside from from Hope and Faith, is one of the exemplary virtues that benefit both the giver and the receiver.

     Last but not least, the Law of Compassion deserves an explanation. This law is based on the sacred injunction that "we are our brother's keeper." Thus we must always, as soul workers or as disciples of a true Spiritual Master, care for and serve others wholeheartedly and without conditions. This act of caring for others should not only be exclusive to our fellow human beings, but must also include animals, plants, and minerals--other forms of being, whether animate or supposedly inanimate, which is a misconception because even a humble stone, or a grain of sand, or enery for that matter, has a consciousness.

     Aside from understanding and applying the aforementioned cosmic laws, one must simultaneously engage in seven lines of work to achieve a balanced spiritual life and find a shortcut to the Kingdom of Enlightenment. The frist line of work is ASSIMILATION. In this work one must take the initiative of accumulating knowledge in both theory and practice in the hope of finding the real answer to the what, who, when, where, why and how of our existence. Of course in this line of work practice makes perfect and there is no substitute for experience.

     Objective knowledge or wisdom, which involves soul-understanding and research, must replace subjective knowledge or mere ego-learning. In the words of the Russian mystic George Gurdjieff, "to strive to know ever more and more about the laws of world creation and world maintenance." In assimilation the keynote is attention. Will power is needed here to concentrate one's attention single-mindedly upon a subject or object to acquire total knowledge of its essence. One must have the capacity to possess and be possessed by a thing in order to know it inside out, before that something reveals its entelechy or spirit.

     The second line of work is STRUGGLE. Struggling with one's weaknesses is only possible if a man is detached from his ego, his lower self. In order to affirm one's essence, one must deny or negate the body, the emotion, and the mind-centered ego. Pain and suffering is involved here because doing something that the lower self or ego does not want one to do creates a lotof friction or tension not only in the physical body, but in one's feelings and thoughts as well. But once a man suffers pain to the limit, he is automatically jolted out of ego-induced sleep into wakefulness in spirit land.

     The third line of work is SERVICE. It means helping one's fellowmen individually, by directing the work to a single person, or collectively by rendering service to the community. The third line of work involves a lot of sacrifice and responsibility. The best way of doing service is just by performing a helpful action without expecting anything in return.This is known as selfless service, which is an effective act or technique of renouncing one's ego. The third line of work requires a social conscience, a sense of duty or responsibility. There is a need to get something done and one must simply do it. Contrary to the egoistic attitude that one is not his brother's keeper, if he wants to evolve spiritually, it is imperative that he attends to the needs of his brother with the same urgency and attention he is giving his own personal needs.

     The fourth line of work is MANIFESTATION. The work manifests itself. One has nothing to do with the action either actively or receptively. One is just fulfilling a role and one's ego or personality has nothing to do with it. Action is performed with a sense of detachment. The measure of success in this line of work is if the manifestation is genuine. Only by fulfilling one's work with quality, with a labor of love, can the Work truly manifest. Note here that work is spelled with a capital "W" which stresses that work must be done by the Spirit and not by the ego.

     The fifth line of work is RECEPTIVITY. This kind of work has something to do with one's willingness to receive help. This is difficult work because very few poeple are humble neough to admit that they need help from others. In sprituality, as in ordinary living, "No man is an island..." to quote the English poet John Donne. Thus a spiritual seeker needs the help of an incarnated physical master, ascended masters, spirit guides,and the company of invisible helpers like devas or angels, to assist him in his quest for enlightenment. Moreover, a person--who has a mindset and whose thoughts and ideas are petrified--cannot be a repository or holy grail for new wisdom .An aspirant must take full advantage of the darshan or personal blessing from a spiritual  master, or baraka or spiritual energy that radiates from holy shrines associated with saints and divine beings. It is therefore important for one to have absolute trust or faith in a spiritual guru or master.

     The sixth line of work is SUBMISSION or SURRENDER. One must sacrifice the lamb of one's ego upon the altar of selflessness. To find the Master within, one must surrender to the Master without, to an external spiritual guide.This work requires mastery in the art of letting-go. Submission requires that we unlearn everything we have leanred in the past to allow something totally new and different to enter our consciousness.

     The seventh line of work is ACCEPTANCE or PURITY. The student of the spirit must accept his being or essence, as well as the essence of other beings without any bias or reservation. One must wholeheartedly accept his or her present condition in life as well as that person's assigned spiritual mission on Earth. This predicates that one must not compare oneself to others. The practice of total acceptance of oneself and the selves of others ultimately leads to Purity. It goes without saying that Purity is the twin flame of Acceptance. Purity implies that one must be pure in word, body, action, feeling, and thought--in all departments or spheres of life.

     The topics discussed here are the golden keys that open the door to enlightenment. There is nothing more to be added or subtracted in order to achieve total mastery of oneself.  So let us conclude by reflecting on  the sublime words of an unknown ancient sage: "Who is the greater man, he who has conquered the whole world, or the man who has conquered himself?"