Guidance & The Christ
In our previous discussion we pointed out the role of emotion in the development of various species on the Earth, and how that development is facilitated through the food chain in Nature.We also pointed out that one of the very important purposes of the human race is to manifest the Love aspect of the Godhead, at the level of Man.
This development is never without guidance. No species, race, group, individual, or fragment of Being is left to its own devices. Chains and hierarchies of guidance and help exist unbroken, to assist the lowliest shoot of grass all the way to levels within the unfathomable Godhead. But (as those who have followed us so far will understand), the Prime Directive mandates a Being to know itself and explore its own Being, in any way as it would choose. To this end, any guidance and help are available primarily in a Being's chosen path of development, whether it be for good or for evil. Forces aligned with both the Unitary and Separative Principles understand that such influence must be limited to attempts of directing a Being in making its choices, and not in making those choices for that Being. This is because serious interference into the working of universal laws almost always results in calamity, whether done with good or evil intention. Unless of course the Being in question relinquishes its will, or opens itself up to such interference, or explicitly requests help. When directed toward higher forces, a request essentially becomes prayer.
Many in the East are familiar with the concept of a personal spiritual guide, or guru as it is called. The latter term has become too overloaded with various connotations that we will use the term personal spiritual guide in this discussion. And yet, this term hardly covers any of the shades of meaning that we really intent to convey. The function involves not just guidance, but also unequivocal commitment on the part of the guide, and an intimate and deeply personal relationship between the guide and the guided. The quality of a spiritual guide is to be assessed not by his or her level of supposed spiritual attainment, rather by the level of commitment he or she has to those being guided. It is the guide's commitment that assures the disciple's success on a chosen path. The disciple may wander, but the true guide is like the good shepherd, who will go to dire lengths to retrieve even the one that is hopelessly lost. The guide may even take on some of the latter's spiritual burdens, enabling the disciple to move forward.
While there exist personal guides for individuals, such guidance also exists for the human race as a whole. Given that a very important purpose of the race is to learn to manifest the Love of God at the level of Man, such guidance arises unprecedentedly and directly from the Love aspect of the Godhead itself. The personification of this Love aspect, called the Christ in Judaic traditions, manifested in this epoch on the Earth through the Master from Galilee. Through that manifestation He offered a perfect example of divine human nature based on Love, and the power and wisdom that comes with it. But this alone did not cover the mission of the Christ in that experience, for it also had to do with unburdening the race from its own shackles. This we have covered in the chapter 'Chaos' of our book, 'The God Principle'. In the chapter 'War', we also discussed how such unburdening of a group or race is actually possible. Through physical incarnation Christ was enabled to transfer a portion of the karmic burden accumulated by humanity and then discharge it. The process required strong identification with the human race, including the collective consciousness and the unconscious – which was made possible through the mediation of the body and personality of Jesus. This identification is sometimes referred to by the phrase “He became sin for us, who knew no sin”. So intense and intimate was the interaction between the human race and the Christ on the Cross, that the collective unconscious of the race now recognizes the Christ intimately. Any human being need only ask oneself, under any situation in life, as to what the Christ would have done in that situation, and the answer will flash up immediately. Any individual who follows up on that action walks in the path shown by the Master. This is but one form of guidance from the Christ, which is readily available to every individual.
Those who have followed our previous discussions may understand when we state that this unburdening of the race by the Christ, to the extent that progress is again possible, resulted in freeing up souls who were stuck in nether worlds due to their own choices - effectively giving them another chance to take the upward path. These souls were now able to manifest back on the earth again, which has resulted in a tremendous population explosion over the centuries. They bring with them their natures, proclivities and burdens (now lighter) and manifest in areas of the earth that are vibrationally compatible to them. This manifestation has left, by the Principle of Reflection, those areas of the earth highly prone to war, disease, poverty, famine, pestilence, and many horrors which the average westerner can only imagine (see section Judgment ). It is to these very locations of the earth that the missionaries of Christ are sent above all, as the souls manifesting there have the most to lose if they now fall victim to their own natures. For they are literally facing their last chance to move upward with the rest of humanity. It is hoped fervently that the ever persistent war, pestilence and suffering entrenched all around them provide a great impetus for those souls to look up toward a higher source, and begin to receive the glimmerings of a spiritual message of love and forgiveness, especially in the practice of caring for their fellow beings. Any candle of light that can be lit in those hearts is more than sufficient to set their foot on the higher path. The missionaries and their work of salvation there are of course guided by the Christ.
The other form of guidance from the Christ is of the intimate kind that we mentioned earlier, where He takes on full commitment for a disciple's progress. This happens through what may be called the phenomenon of the Christ, which is known to all evangelical groups across the world. The relationship is established through a simple but heartfelt prayer and invitation by the disciple, often cemented through formal initiation (known as baptism), which from then on allows direct intervention of the Christ into his or her personal life. The ensuing commitment from the Christ literally ensures that the disciple is 'saved' as these groups call it. We must state that this phenomenon of the Christ is quite independent of various theologies that usually come packaged with it, for the disciple is not really required to subscribe to any of those to partake of His commitment. In any case, the end result is a direct intimate master/disciple relationship which brings with it an acceleration of the disciples' progress. Often this can mean the necessity to meet and set aside many of their burdens in an expedited fashion, while the Master provides great support in this process of meeting themselves. But for those who enter into this commitment (called the new covenant), yet make a mockery of the path He shows, nothing short of trial by fire can return them to the fold.
There are many who are repelled by the exclusivity of the message of Christ as it is preached throughout the world, mainly in the assertions of its ministers that it is either their way, or hell to choose. We will however state that such a scheme of affairs is the one that works best at present, given the state of humanity. All religions and scriptures must generate both good and evil, for they assist man in meeting himself. We have covered this in ample detail in prior sections, and in our book, The God Principle. The Christian message when preached in the exclusive form, compels the practitioner to act and reach out to his or her brethren and offer help, compassion and love. The amount of good it generates far outweighs any evil that it may also create (evil which must manifest itself in any case). In the final analysis, what one carries in the heart and applies in practice is far more important than any belief system one might carry in the mind. To this end the Christian dispensation has been so successful in moving the race forward, that we would not suggest changing anything about its message of exclusivity at this time.
Finally, the Christ manifested on the earth through the person of Jesus, the Master from Galilee, at the onset of the Piscean age. This age of sorrows is denoted by the sign of the fish (Pisces), a life form that exists in the medium of water which is symbolic of emotion per se. The Master was considered a man of sorrows, and many of his prominent disciples around Galilee were fishermen. To this day the symbol of the fish is used, even on automobiles, to remind the faithful of the Christ and His mission. In the coming age of Aquarius the water bearer (symbolizing elevated or higher emotion), the Christ will again manifest on the earth, this time in human hearts - thus completing His mission and a very important purpose of the human race.