Pluto in Capricorn.

The reactionary conservatism that followed upon the 1960s and 1970s social justice and sexual revolution has re-emerged once again with the progress of Pluto into Capricorn.

This astrological aspect is surprising in itself as astrology is generally thought of as a left-wing/Aquarian phenomenon.  It reveals just how desperate the conservative forces have become.

They seem to think that this aspect will bring with it all the victories and benefits that they saw in the 1980s.

This is in no way certain, however.  For one thing they don't have the White House or the Lodge, despite the constant efforts of their media outlets.

For another the progress of Uranus into Aries forms a square (tense) aspect to Pluto unlike the  sextile (harmonious) of the 1980s.  And the progress of Neptune into Pieces does not augur as badly as the Scorpio/Capricorn aspects of the previous position.

We will see the rebellious aspects of Uranus actively challenging the power of the conservatives and plutocrats.  Aspecting as it does the Sagittarius/Aquarius youth (1996-2008).

Even though we have seen the last of the great conjunctions - Jupiter/Neptune in Aquarius and Jupiter/Uranus in Pisces/Aries - the Neptune/Uranus conjunction in Capricorn of the 1990s comes into play.
This is already being seen in the active support of celebrities for the gay and lesbian marriage rights campaign.  This reveals grass roots opposition to the conservative forces which can only increase as time goes on.

We need something, however, that is not controlled by the Satanic forces in the music industry and elsewhere if we are to succeed.  The negative forces work towards a negative result and this will sabotage and poison the Aquarian Age if we do not find something positive to replace it.

We can pray for them to see their error and begin to move forwards instead of backwards.  This will require a change of heart and commitment to the truth and forgiveness which leads to reconciliation with God.

If we can get social awareness of Satanism in the entertainment industries to a sufficient level then we can call an amnesty and a Truth and Reconciliation Commission like that in South Africa.

And from there modern music and culture could move forwards and contribute positively to the social revolution that will lead to the Age of Aquarius.

Alternatively the fortunes of the gay civil rights movement could be an indicator - a sign of the times - that shows the mass of people supporting new ideas and the new religious paradigm = Progressive Christianity (another indicator) which must be developed in order to make a safe place for gay and left-wing people and also reformed Satanists in the Church.

If we can convince the rebellious Satanists that sex, and especially gay sex, is O.K. with God then the chances of a turn around are increased dramatically.


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Just Do it.

It is one thing to know something intellectually, it is another to do it.

If you truly take something to heart it becomes part of your life and everything that you do.

If you truly believe in unconditional love then you will show unconditional love to everyone that you meet, no matter how they look, or what you think they have done, or what they in fact have done.

If you truly love God you will do it.


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The Unconscious.

The collective unconscious is full of perceptions, positive and negative, which effect the thoughts and feelings that we have.

Therefore prejudices and stereotypes effect how we think and feel about ourselves.

These reflections show how those around us in society and beyond think about us, and what we think about others.
These are projected onto the other person and effect their thoughts and feelings.

For example this can make you feel guilty without any rational reason if the other person thinks you are the type of person who would feel guilty or fearful in that particular situation.
Or it may be done maliciously by those who do not have your best interests at heart (Satan worshipers working in the unconscious).

By praying or meditating we create blessings which are beneficial to the particular person which we prayed for or meditated upon.

So out thoughts and feelings affect others directly by projections through the unconscious, and indirectly by their influence on our actions.


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Crime.

In the beginning the Hippies believed that criminals were poor people who had not had the benefit of our privileges and were therefore not guilty.
We believed that if you showed them love and understanding they would change.
But not if you didn't change the society that made them that way in the first place.

Later; after experiencing violence, ridicule, blame, and force; we became more pragmatic and cynical.

We were right the first time.

What we believed intuitively was closer to God than what we were forced to believe.

Harsh penalties, victims rights, tough love.

We have moved further away from the truth.

We have hardened our hearts.


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Theodicy.

Theodicy is that branch of theology which attempts to reconcile God's goodness with the existence of evil.

I would say that in most cases what people label as evil in the world today is not evil at all.  Such things as child abuse, rape, and murder are crimes of passion which have plausible explanations.
Is this evil?  I would say that it is not because there is an explanation for it.

And what people see in the world today as not evil - like rock music and horror movies - are evil because those who create them are deliberately doing what they consider to be evil.
Deliberate evil is a conscious choice*.  In this sense evil is not a reality but an idea. And as such it is a human construct and not part of God at all.

(*This choice is usually a reaction against received knowledge about God (i.e. what they have been told) very often about sex (and homosexuality) and the devil and what he can do.  This knowledge is manifestly untrue.)


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Worldly Authority.

When we were young we read about Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar and Napoleon and we were encouraged to admire their achievements.

When we went to Sunday School we were encouraged to emulate Jesus' and the disciples' good works and morality.

We were never told that the Bible calls the great conquerors beasts because of their brutality and cruelty.

Instead we were indoctrinated with the idea that worship of God is equated with respect for authority.

This is an error.

People in positions of worldly authority are more like beasts than God.

The correct position is that Jesus, as God's representative, challenged those in positions of worldly authority and was put to death by them.

After Jesus' death the message from God of unconditional love and forgiveness was usurped by the authorities and modified to become a tool which the establishment used to subjugate the masses.

"'From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.'"  Matthew 11:12 (NRSV)

They made God in their own image.

And it has been that way ever since.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Psalm 82.

God addresses the ruling council:

"'How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?

"Give justice to the weak and the orphan,
maintain the right of the lowly and destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

The wicked rule the earth:
"They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
they walk around in darkness,
all the foundations of the earth are shaken."  Psalm 82:2-5 (NRSV)

But they are children of God also.

This recalls the prophets.

The world in which the innocent masses are dominated by the wicked still exists today.  What has changed?

Powerful people enslave and kill others.

These powerful, wicked people are full of fear.
The conventions of our society are institutionalized fears.

So perhaps, rather than seeing them as an enemy, we could almost feel sorry for them.  So racked are they by fear.  Fear of poverty.  Fear of failure.

Financial conventions are literally petrified fears made law.

Pray for Captains of Industry!
Challenge business conventions!


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Family Values?

It occurred to me that what was at the heart of family values was love.
What do families have that others do not?  Love.

You will find that in family love will override condemnation, judgment, or disapproval, even apathy and indifference (neglect).

God is a father and all are His family.
The family of humanity.

The objective is not to treat our family like we treat everyone else.
The objective is to treat everyone like family, i.e. with love.

So there is no difference between what progressives and conservatives are saying.
The things of God are the things of love and family is one of those things.

Even tough love is love.

So the heart of progressive and conservative religion is the same: Love!

(N.B. Homosexuality = love between two people of the same sex.)


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My Generation.

My generation rejected the violent, manipulative, fear and guilt message of the Church in favor at first of eastern philosophies and then New Age spirituality.

What is left is corruption and confusion.

We scarcely know what we are saying at all.

We chase after false prophets who promise happiness, money, power, and success.

But there is a rear guard action seeking the original message of Jesus: unconditional love, forgiveness, social justice, mercy, healing, prayer.

This is a holistic message, not the warring factions of dualism.

We risk the fires of heresy and crucifixion.

We threaten the power of the Church (as Jesus did).

For in centralizing Jesus' message of love we take away the weapons of power: fear, guilt, violence, triumphalism, power over sex, rewards and punishments, Machiavellian manipulation.

All the perversions of Jesus' message: original sin, redemption, the blood of Christ, salvation, penitence, sin, fear of God, judgment are rejected in favor of what I believe is the real message of Jesus: Love.


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The Key.

The key is, when we reach Jerusalem, to treat the religious authorities with love and understanding.

"'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.'"  Luke 6:27b,28 (NRSV)

Jesus criticized the religious authorities but was prepared to talk with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
He could be said to have provoked the scribes and Pharisees.

When he was brought before them he said nothing.
He knew that they would use his own words against him or put words into his mouth.
He understood treachery.

But treachery is fear:
Fear of losing power and influence.
Fear of losing riches and privilege.
Fear of divine punishment.
Fear of God.

If we understand that, like us, they are a product of their heredity and experience, we may be able to defuse the situation.

To talk about fear is the key.
There are only two things in the world - love and fear.
As fear diminishes love grows.
What stops us loving is fear.
Fear is hard and cold (like stone).
Love is warm and soft (like flesh).
Fear makes us violent, makes us attack.
Love makes us fearless.

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love."  1 John 4:18 (NRSV)


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Success?

When we are children our parents instill in us an expectation of worldly success.
This is often accompanied by an expectation of religious goodness or spirituality.

The two are, in most cases, mutually exclusive.

"'If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.  If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own.  Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world - therefore the world hates you.'"  John 15:18,19 (NRSV)

"'Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.'"  Matthew 5:11,12 (NRSV)

"'Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.'"  Luke 6:26 (NRSV)

Jesus was not a success in the worldly sense.
He did nothing and was put to death before he could establish or achieve anything on earth.

People are seduced by the idols of world.

This is not the aim of religion or spirituality.

Love.  Compassion.  Justice.  Understanding.  Forgiveness.  Peace.
These are the aims of religion or spirituality not fame or success.

Jesus is a failure.
He doesn't even go to work.

In school we are taught that the victors are great - Julius Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon.....

In church we are taught that Jesus is greater - King of Kings, Lord of Lords.....

But the Bible calls the great victors beasts.
They don't tell us that in school, however, or in church for that matter.

So we are left with an impossible task - to succeed in the world and be good Christians at the same time.

What has happened is that the message of Jesus has been modified to conform to the values of the world.

So that now we are scarcely Christians at all.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Rock Satanism.

If there is one thing that I would tell young people today it is that the rock music which they are constantly listening to is evil poison.

Since the 1960s rock stars have sold their souls to the devil and practiced Satanism and black magic/witchcraft in their music.

This is cleverly disguised, often as wisdom or goodness, but they are whited sepulchres.

Death, evil, shame, blasphemy, profanity, violence, incest, hate, Nazism, madness.....

All these things can be found in their music.

Things to look out for are: horns, skulls, snakes, spiders, spider webs, flames, anything upside down or backwards, backtracking, dogs (gods backwards), black, darkness, negations, misery, guilt, and fear.

At first it may seem as if only overtly Satanic rock bands are involved but I can assure you that the others are equally culpable, even if their pop music appears harmless on the surface.

Look a little closer.  Look beneath the mask.

Not all their songs are dark and sinister.  They include innocent songs in order to draw you in, then they will poison and curse you to death.

But they are sorely mistaken.
There is no Satan to reward them.
They have been misled.

In the end there is only God's Love.

Pray to God to deliver you from their web of evil.
He will hear.
And you will be delivered.


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My Contribution.

What I do and what I say cannot be discounted or invalidated merely by saying it is left-wing or politically correct.

Nor can it be rejected as heresy.

What I do is real and has value.

Neither can you say I do nothing.  I do many jobs around the Church.
But most of all I contribute to the interpretation of scripture.
And this is done according to my experience not just my mental assent.

Neither can you nullify my contribution because it is not good works.
Contemplation and prayer have value as well.

"'You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.'"  Matthew 7:5 (NRSV)

Then what you do will follow.

You may in fact do the same things as before but the motivation will no longer be fear, the motivation will be love.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

Equals.

God does not see people as good or evil.

God treats everyone like a family member.
Some will succeed, some will fail.  Some will win, some will lose.  Some will obey, some will rebel.  Some will be well regarded, some will be reviled.

But we are all God's children, members of God's family.

So no one is rejected or condemned.

We are all equals in the sight of God.


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Encounters.

When you first encounter evil the natural (instinctive) reaction is to battle against it and destroy it or at least defeat it.

As you slowly come to realize that this approach does not work - sometimes you win, sometimes you lose - the injunction to love your enemies and pray for those who abuse you becomes more attractive.  Usually this is a last resort.

When you first encounter God you assume that He wins everything hands down. As you come to know God better you realize that this is not the case.  God is non-violent and our assent is voluntary.

God can lose.
We can refuse.

But God is non-violent.
There will be no punishment.

God looks for improvement, not victory over evil.
Improvement in our caring for the needy.
Improvement in our loving.
More warmth.
More friendship.
Less fear.
More Love.

This is in harmony with the social justice message of the prophets.


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Commandment.

It is written in the Egyptian texts:
"Thou shalt not terrify men and women,
       thing not pleasing to God."

I have never known God to be angry or vengeful or violent at any time.

God is not a punisher of men and women.

I believe it does not please God for His representatives to instill fear in children (or adults for that matter).

God is Love or Love is God.

One should love God not fear God.


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Aquarius 2.

Uranus rules the sign of Aquarius with Saturn :

Freedom                                                   Duty
International                                           National
Original                                                    Traditional
Future                                                       Past
New                                                           Old                                          
Universal                                                  Personal
Radical                                                      Conservative
Change                                                      Status-Quo
Experimental                                           Tried and True
Equality                                                     Hierarchy
Even-Playing-Field                                 Summit
Adolescent                                                Mature

The asteroid Chiron orbits between Uranus and Saturn.

Chiron is called the wounded healer because the centaur Chiron was a healer of others but could not heal his own wound.

This represents the wounding lacks of youth which become the healing abundance of maturity.

Chiron mediates between Uranus and Saturn healing old wounds.
  

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Aquarius 1.

The astrological sign of Aquarius is so called because of the number of stars in the constellation that relate to water.

It is also in the region of the sky known as The Sea.
This region includes the constellations of: Capricornus (the Sea-Goat), Aquarius (the Water Carrier), Pisces (the Fish), Cetus (the Whale), Delphinus (the Dolphin), Eruadenus (the Great River), Hydra (the Sea-Snake), Argo (the Ship), and Crater (the Cup).

This relates to the upper waters of the sky through which the sun moved during the rainy season.

The Babylonians related it to the 11th month and the Deluge (11th book).
Aquarius is the 11th sign of the Zodiac.

Aquarius is also said to relate to the myth of Ganymede (Zeus's cup bearer) - a noted homosexual myth - in which the beautiful youth is kidnapped by Zeus in the form of an eagle and taken to Olympus to be his lover.


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Elijah.

After he had killed the priests of Baal Elijah longed for death "'for I am no better than my ancestors.'"  1 Kings 19:4b (NRSV)

But God feeds him and shows him a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire.  But God was not in these spectacular, violent events.
God was in the "sound of sheer silence" 1 Kings 19:12b (NRSV) that followed.

To me this means that God does not act in spectacular or violent ways.

God is non-violent (harmless).


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Tell the Truth.

If Satanists tell you to lie the chances are that they're lying to you in the first place.

If you do evil or harm or blasphemy in the hope of a reward from Satan you are kidding yourself.
There is no Satan, only God.

The apparent effect of wealth and fans (i.e. sex) happens anyway.
It happened to matinee idols in the 1950s.
It happened to Christians.
It is an illusion, based on a lie.

While they are still practicing Satanism the harm will remain.
But it is 90% fear and 10% substance.

Children watch the screens and they copy or do what they are told :
Drugs, lies, materialism, fame, violence, blasphemy, magic, wicked, filth, ego, hate, thrills, party, money, korruption*, crime, gangs, nasty, knives, guns, murder, incest, racism, homophobia.....

There is a network of them throughout the media selling and promoting Satanists and their proteges.

This is a web of evil designed to drag you into hell.

But there is no hell.  Hell is God's punishment and God does not punish us, therefore there can be no hell.

But while they are still doing it the harm remains.  And its serious.

They are doing it for nothing.

You cannot sell your soul to the devil because there is no devil to sell your soul to.
The contract is null and void.

But if you harm people the harm remains.

Better to forgive and tell the truth.


*The letter K is associated with the Zodiac sign of Scorpio and power (kundalini).

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Are We Any Better?

Are we any better than others?

We try to please God out of fear of offending Him.
We try to be perfect out of fear.

Perhaps those who blame God are more honest then us.

The ledger will never balance.
He who is forgiven the greater debt will love Him the more.
(See Luke 7:41-43)

I am not perfect.
The Lamb Without Spot is a fiction concocted out of fear.

Fear of offending God is fear of punishment.
So, as God does not punish us, there is no reason to fear offending Him.

Of course we do not want to offend God gratuitously.
But the occasional slip or mistake will be forgiven.

This allows us to relax a bit more.

This does not mean that we should not be good or try to do what we think is right.
We may in fact do more or better things out of love than out of fear.

It would seem that when we give up our fears what is left is love.

Do we obey God out of fear?
Are we afraid of losing our advantage, our brownie points?

Do we think we are better than others?

Content to be equal and act out of love.

That does not make Satanism right or evil good.

Neither does it make God evil.
(The old dualistic trick - beyond good and evil).

I have never known God to act in a way which was harmful to anyone.

God is trustworthy.

We cannot manipulate God.

It is moral superiority.
That which we criticize in others but fail to see in ourselves.

This is generational:
our parents, ourselves, our children.....

Generation X is no worse than our generation.
Satanists are no worse than Christians.

All are equal in the sight of God.
There is no us and them.

To do good makes us feel good.
To love and be loved is pleasurable.

Satanists have been told that evil is delicious.
They have been told that the devil has everything they want.

So are we so different?
Are we not both just choosing pleasure and avoiding pain?
Even suffering in the hope of a reward?

It has been said that we love some things and hate others.
But is not hate just fear?
Perhaps when the fear is gone we will love what we now hate.

The yogis say we must be fearless.

Were we fearless would we hate evil?
Perhaps then we would love our enemies.


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The Homeless Poor.

"Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high."  Isaiah 58:4b (NRSV)
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?
"Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
"Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly......then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
"If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness, and your gloom shall be like the noonday." Isaiah 58:6-10 (NRSV)

Here, as in Zechariah, social justice (the improvement God calls for) is made the priority, not fasting.

The widow (women without income), the fatherless (those without support), the hungry, the naked, the poor.  Criminals (those who have gone astray), strangers (refugees/asylum seekers).  The sick (including mental illness and drug addiction).  The friendless (the lonely), the broken-hearted (those who have been rejected).
It is these we should be helping.

Improvement is called for.
Not just meeting our obligations out of  fear.
But real friendship and community.

The problem of homelessness would be solved if people who go to Church on Sundays let out their second houses (including investment properties) at low rent to people who have nowhere to live.

"'Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none'"  Luke 3:11 (NRSV)
Instead of going away on yet another overseas trip.

I can hear the excuses :
"I worked hard for that money."
"They're lazy good for nothings."
"'For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.'"  Mark 4:25
"They all smoke and take drugs."
"They're all dole-bludgers."
"This is not a charitable institution."
"They're immoral single mothers."
"You get what you deserve in life."
"They're just jealous of us."

The convention is that you don't do anything do stupid things like that.  Even in Church.

They vote for the conservatives who endorse injustice and hand out excuses.

"That's just political" (i.e. left-wing).

"In your opinion."


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Sex and Spirituality.

Always there seems to be a conflict between sex and spirituality.

But what is it the causes an erection but blood from the heart.

The heart mediates between the body/mind and the spirit.

It has been said that to be loved is pleasurable but to love another is more pleasurable still.

The aim is not to eat up love like a black hole but to give love like a star.

No one can give to others day and night without ceasing.
There will always be giving and receiving = mutuality.

But to give love is the key.

Love will grant your heart's desire - union with the beloved = sex.


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The Heart.

It seems to me that the heart is the organ of love alone.
The heart is either whole (loving) or broken (stone).
Fear hardens the heart.

For some the wound is too deep.

What is a loss of faith but a heart that has been broken by the representatives of God, mistaking God's representatives for God's self (the Father).

Ask:  What experiences has this person had in their life to make them the way they are?
Did he received enough love as a child?
Has her trust been broken?

"'Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.'"  Mark 10:15 (NRSV)
i.e. what you were like before your heart was broken.

Lovers of humanity have whole hearts.
Those who hate or do evil have wounded or broken hearts.

God does not differentiate.
As a father will not.

"Love your neighbor because he is like you."  Mark 12:31.  Translation by Rabbi Melchior, Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne.
i.e. a product of his experiences.

So understand the other and heal his wounds (with love).

Lovers of humanity are those who have experienced love.
Those who hate are those who may not have experienced enough love.

"'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.'"  Luke 6:27b,28 (NRSV)


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Little Boxes.

We all live in our little boxes.
Even families live in their different rooms.

When we congregate in public invisible walls still separate us.
Occasionally someone will cross the boundary and speak to a stranger but this is rare.

The objective is not to treat our family like we treat everyone else but to treat everyone like we treat our family.

The Family of Humanity.

This relates to the heart and whom we open and close (harden) our hearts to.

Fear rules - stranger danger!

In church people will talk to you on Sunday or during official functions or groups.
They will fulfill their obligations but go no further.

"look past the Church's door" says the hymn (Community of Christ).

God looks for improvement.
Improvement on this stalemate.

Fear stops us from going further.
We are not prepared to take that extra step.

When the fear reduces in God's presence you find that people begin to talk to you.
They sense the friendliness (love) which replaces the fear.

If God is our Father then everyone is my brother or sister.
Once we realize this the fear leaves us and is replaced with love.


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Moses and the Prophets.

The language in which the Ten Commandments were written has something to do with the astrological sign of Capricorn.

Either Moses' own planets in Capricorn and/or transits of Capricorn influenced him to choose language that was slightly threatening and severe.

Capricorn is the great rule maker, so God's message was expressed as a set of rules.

So what Moses was saying may not have been bad in itself.
It is just the language that is threatening.

He may not have intended future generations to live in fear of these guidelines.
But he could see what was needed to improve the children of Israel.

One tends then to think that more is better.
So Moses (or his successors) went on to write the five books of the law.
Extrapolating from the Ten Commandments the style rather than the content of what God wanted.

So we get the law which is "man-made" as Jesus called it, because it is extrapolated from the original message.

In the story of Moses it constantly refers to Pharaoh's heart being hardened.

Moses' message was from the heart.

When God is present there are words and showings but not everything can be said to be God's word.

God allows us to work things out and realize things in His presence.
Occasionally there are contradictions or corrections.
There may be errors.

But the heart of the message is clear.  The mind returns to it again and again.

"'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'"  Matthew 22:37 (NRSV)
"'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  Matthew 22:39b (NRSV)
("'On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.'"  Matthew 22:40 (NRSV))

"'Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you'"  Luke 6:27,28 (NRSV)

We have seen how the law was extrapolated from the Ten Commandments which were essentially the commandments of love expressed according to Capricorn (as rules).

The prophets had great faith and great love.
Elijah's love for the widow and her son.
Elisha's love for Elijah.

Elijah says, "'It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am not better than my ancestors.'"  1 Kings 19:4b (NRSV)  This is after he has killed the priests of Baal.

God tries to show Elijah with the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire - God was not in these violent events but in the "sound of sheer silence" which followed.

So the prophets interpreted the word of God according to their understanding.

With David and the prophets we see God's presence (or the word) coming and going.
They have great love for God but their understanding is incomplete.
They interpret the word according to the standard wisdom of the times, i.e. the notion of rewards and punishments.
The sufferings and misfortunes of Israel are attributed to the nation's turning away from God.

Isaiah has God say, "What to me are the multitude of your sacrifices?"  Isaiah 1 11a (NRSV)
"learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.  Come let us argue it out."  Isaiah 1:17,18a (NRSV)

The word of God can be said to be in this but Isaiah's fear then takes over when he links this to punishments in the form of wars and battles etc..

The prophets' understanding was that worldly events were caused by God punishing or rewarding people.

Fear caused them to say these things even though the word of God did not stipulate this.

In Jeremiah for example God warns His people of invasions and wars which they are not strong enough to win.
This is God's love for His people Israel.

The linking of this, however, to the concept of punishment for wickedness and iniquity was not necessarily God's word.
It may have been Jeremiah's reaction to God's word.

Jeremiah and Ezekiel see things and they interpret them according to their understanding - the standard wisdom of the time.

How many times does God say "Fear not!"
For it was their fear which made them speak of punishments.

Daniel sees visions and has dreams - these are symbolic and he interprets them according to his understanding.

The prophets were not perfect but they may still have had contact with God.

"The color of the water is that of its container." - Al-Junayd (14th century Sufi).

"the forms taken by religious experience are provided by the conceptual equipment of the experiencer." - John Hick The Fifth Dimension.

We share in the work.

And that work is Love.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A, and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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The Water Carrier.

The symbol for the astrological sign of Aquarius is the ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for water.

The pictorial image is a man carrying a jar of water.

The Egyptian hieroglyph for a jar is ab which means the heart.
The spiritual wisdom, which the water in the jar is said to represent, is what the Egyptians called the intelligence of the heart.  This was the objective of all their religion.

The intelligence of the heart is all about Love.

Aquarius is an air sign.  It is also a human sign.
So the secret of the enigmatic symbols of Aquarius is the development of the human heart through the intelligence of the heart which is Love.
 

Love, Light, and Life.

Many religions suggest that Love, Light, and Life are characteristic of God and the Cosmos.

Most say that light and heat come from the Divine Fire as light and heat come from stars.

But if we say that the force of attraction which creates the light and heat is love. Then light and life could be said to come from love - the heart of the Cosmos.

The three main centers in the body are the heart, the mind and the sex.  Love, Light, and Life.

I would suggest that the mind and sex are outward manifestations of the heart which is the deeper nature.
The soul or divine spark is located in the heart not in the mind.

Because our eyes are located in our head we assume that the self or soul is in our mind.  This is an optical illusion.  If we are honest we will know that our heart is closer to ourselves than our mind or sex.

Sex is the consummation of love.
The energy and the blood flow from the heart.

What we think comes from the heart.
The mind is like a tool with which we hone our ideas.

The true self is in the heart.


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The Door of the Closet.

The main reason why closeted Christians are not able to come out is that they unconsciously or consciously think that everything below the waist, meaning sexual activity of any kind, especially homosexual activity, is of the devil and hell.

This fear has been drummed into them by terrified parents and father figures, i.e. ministers and priests.

Coincidentally this is the main reason why hippies and baby-boomers rejected the Church.  Which means that most of them don't think that sex is a sin.
This is a good thing.

By the same token this is also the main reason that rock musicians and stars sell their souls and worship the devil - because they believe that everything below the belt is of the devil and hell.

Neither of them is right.

The devil does not exist.
He is part of an explanation of life which is based on dualism.
Dualism is a primitive mental construct not entirely based in fact.

Hell does not exist.
It relates to a concept of God as a judging, punishing deity who watches all our actions and writes them in a big book, balancing and tallying the ledger.
This is simply not true.
My experience of God is that He is never angry or judgmental but always mild, helpful, and loving towards His children.  I have never known Him to punish or harm anyone or anything.
So the concept of hell is totally out of character and impossible.

The time for these concepts is up!
Mankind will no longer stand for such destructive and negative ideation.  Our intuitive understanding of God  will not stand for it!
Like blood sacrifice and an eye for an eye these concepts will disappear from the world and we will all be better for it.

Once these concepts are gone the door of the closet will be open and men and women will no longer live in fear.

The concept of sin is attached to these concepts of the devil and hell.
Fear of sinning is what stops people acting on their sexual impulses.  They think that if they sin they will go to hell, and all temptation is of the devil.
This is why Muslims wear the burqa - so that they will not be tempted and go to hell.
This is why women are portrayed as evil - see Eve and the devil in Genesis.

Homosexuality is even more terrifying.
The Koran talks constantly about the sin of Lot and the punishment reserved for those who practice it.
This is why gay rights are so bad  in Muslim countries.

But the Koran, like the Bible, is not literally true.
It needs to be deconstructed as the Bible has and understood more fully before any progress can be made on these issues.

The progress of our concepts cannot be stopped and at some point they will become self-evident.
So as long as we address the issues with integrity we are progressing towards a new understanding.

Likewise evil is a dualistic concept.  It only exists in the world as a reactionary mental concept.  It has no reality.  Anyone who is embracing evil as a reaction to hypocritical religion is only harming themselves and others.  There is no profit from evil.  There is no devil to reward them.  So when they realize what has happened they will stop.

'Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire."  Revelation 20:14a (NRSV)

These concepts will exist no more.

What will exist is a new holistic understanding of God.

God is everywhere and everything.
Immanent and panentheistic.
God's nature is entirely benevolent.
God does not judge or punish.
God loves us like a father loves his children.
There is no fear in God.
Everyone is forgiven.
Whatever we have done out of ignorance or fear is forgiven.
Those on the left will not be damned they will be reconciled.
"Satan" is God's prodigal son.
No one will perish.

What is real is God's Love.
Universal, unconditional Love.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Left and Right.

Uranus and Saturn - left and right - are the co-rulers of Aquarius.

How can we reconcile them without resorting to violence?

In fact both are trying to do the same thing in different ways.

Perhaps the relevant passage in the Bible is:
"'For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, "He has a demon", the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!"'"  Matthew 11:18,19 (NRSV)

This quotation shows two different approaches to life, both of which are valid.
Self denial and discipline (Saturn, right) and abundance and enjoyment (Uranus, left).

For a man denies himself for God and a man enjoys himself for God.
Both are trying to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

The heart, however, is slightly left of center in the body, and below the neck.

The Buddha recommended the middle path using the symbol of the harp strung neither too tightly nor too loosely.

The asteroid Chiron orbits between Uranus and Saturn.  He is called the wounded healer.  He also sacrifices himself for Prometheus and is later taken up to Olympus.

Perhaps if we can see the wounds which cause violence and hatred we will be able to show compassion to our enemies.


(Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.)

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Tears for Fears.

An understanding of what God's representatives said to people who decided to sell their souls can bring compassion for Satanists and magicians, particularly if they are gay!

Perhaps we can have compassion for those who have been beaten or abused by father figures or priests passing on their fear of God from generation to generation.

This fear of God can create terrorists like Osama Bin Laden.

What is said from the pulpit is vital.
The virulent sermons in Uganda have resulted in a demand for the death penalty for homosexuals in that country.
Fear drives this demand.

The religious right in America derives from a particularly fearful form of Christianity.
Their violent rhetoric and action is a response to violence attributed to God in the Bible.
But it is fear that drives them.  Fear of judgment.  Fear of hell.  Fear of being punished.
Perhaps they were punished  as children by their parents or priests.
Certainly the Catholic Church goes to great lengths to terrify children.

May we have compassion for them even as their violence affects us.
May we see the fear that drives them.
May we have understanding and sympathy for those who attack us.

And we pray that we can overcome and transcend our fears.


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