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Originally posted by Lysergic
So he controls the way I am, therefore I am doing no wrong, ever? Because its what God is wanting me to do?
Originally posted by BlackGuardXIII
If you have no choice, then how can you be saved? I think that serial killers, serial rapists, child abusers, and habitual violent criminals cannot avoid taking responsibility for their crimes. They can claim, it was Gods will, or the devil made me do it, but I don't buy it......
.......I believe that they chose it, and that if there is a God, that God would make freewill a necessity, because without it then this whole thing is just one big meaningless rehearsal where all the actors lines are written for them, and you already know the ending, so whats the point?
Originally posted by dr_strangecraft
Sometimes I wonder whether humans gain freewill once they have seriously pondered surrender to God:
Luke 4:18b
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed . . .
John 8:31-32; 34-36
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." . . . . Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
The whole conversation between Pontius Pilatus and Jesus in John 18 turns on freedom and truth, but is too lengthy to quote here; it's worth a look, as well
Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love.
A Talk on the Mysteries of Life and Death
...Well, this indicates that we do not even have free will.
Everything happens to us, I repeat, as when it rains or thunders.
There is a small margin of free will, but it is very small.
Imagine for a moment, a violin inside its case. There is a very small margin of movement for that violin.
In this form is our free will. It is almost non-existent, there is only a small margin of free will, it’s almost imperceptible.
If we know how to use it, then it’s possible for us to transform ourselves radically and to become free from the Law of Recurrence, but it is necessary to use that small margin.
In practical life we have to become a little bit more self-aware. When one accepts that one has a psychology, then one begins to observe oneself and when one begins to observe oneself, then one begins to become different.
It is in the street, at home, and at our job where the defects that are hidden appear spontaneously, and if we are as alert and vigilant as the watchman in times of war then we can see them. A discovered defect has to be judged through conscious analysis, reflection and inner Meditation, using the Being with the intention to understand it. When one comprehends a determined defect, then one is already prepared to disintegrate it atomically.
Is it possible to disintegrate the defect? Yes it is possible, but we need a power that is superior to the mind, because the mind by itself cannot fundamentally alter any psychological defect. The mind can classified it with different names, can pass it from one level of the understanding to another, can hide it from itself or from other people, it can justify it or condemn it, but it can never alter it radically. We need a power that is superior to the mind, a power that can disintegrate any I-defect. That power is latent in the bottom of our psyche, it is necessary to know that power and to learn to utilize it...
(Tamahu's notes in parenthesis)
amirfatir.tripod.com...
In the Egyptian system, Hu meant will. But the Arabic system associated Hu with Sa to the point that the Arabic word for Sa (Shay) came to mean will.
The Egyptians understood that two wills operated in woman and man. The "ordinary" will was symbolised as Heru(Horus)(Tiphereth) while the divine will was symbolised as Tehuti(Chokmah). It was the work of the initiate to bring the Heru(human)-will(Human Soul) into accord with the Hu (divine) will(Chokmah/Tehuti).
When the two wills were at odds, the result was (in Arabic) shaytaan. Shaytaan (Satan) actually means "two wills". (The word shayt means will and "aan" means two)...
About the Soul
...Before all, it is necessary to know the way which takes us to the Intimate Self-realization of the Being.
It is urgent to comprehend the necessity to crystallize within us that which is called Soul. Jesus the Christ said:
“With patience shall you possess your Souls.”
Also, before all, it is good to understand what the Soul is. Truly I must tell you that the Soul is a group of laws, principles, virtues, powers, etc. People possess the Essence, the psychic material to produce the Soul, but they do not possess the Soul yet.
Obviously, someone who wants to possess that which is normally called Soul must disintegrate the undesirable psychic elements (“I’s”) like laziness, gluttony, etc. Virgil, the poet of Mantua, said,
“Even if you had a thousand tongues and a steel palate, you would not be able to enumerate all your Defects.”
Obviously, they are called “psychic aggregates” in Tibet. These aggregates are like many of the elementaries which several Occult organizations talk about, and they are a living personification of our errors.
It has been said that Jesus of Nazareth threw Seven Demons out of Mary Magdalene’s body. Indubitably these represent the seven capital defects which incessantly multiply themselves. This affirmation about the Christ means that the intimate Christ threw several inhuman psychic aggregates out of Mary Magdalene’s body. Each one of these aggregates is organized in a very similar way to that of the human Personality, and they possess three brains: the intellectual, the emotional, and the moving-instinctual-sexual.
Each Aggregate really looks like a person. If we say that many people live within us, we are not exaggerating; it is so. All the aggregates fight with each other, they struggle for superiority. Each one of them wants to be the “Master,” the lord. The one who succeeds in imposing himself, the one who succeeds in controlling the five cylinders of the organic machine in a given moment, thinks he is the only one. Moments later, nevertheless, he is vanquished and another takes his place.
So in reality, truly, a person is not the same, not even for half an hour. It seems incredible, but it is so. You, yourselves, sitting here and listening, came in with an aggregate, and you sat and listened, but if you pay attention to what has happened inside you until this precise moment, you will discover that now you are different, that you are not the same ones who came here and sat down. Why? Because the psychic aggregate which controls the organic machine and began sitting down was displaced by another which is now listening.
If I said you were the same all along, I would be abusing your Mind and my own. So in reality, psychic aggregates are changing; one is in control of the main centers of the brain just as soon as another. We never remain the same.
As for the Essence, it is the most worthy, the most decent thing we have inside of us. It is our Consciousness. Unquestionably, it is found bottled within all those multiple aggregates, processing itself by Virtue of its own conditioning.
Each one of you is legion. Let us remember what Master Jesus asked the possessed man in the gospel. “What is your name?”
And the possessed man answered: “My name is legion.”
What is the name of each person here? Legion! You do not have true individuality. You have not achieved it.
The Consciousness in each one of you is terribly asleep. Why? Because it processes itself by virtue of its own embottlement. It is found in a hypnotic state and that cannot be denied.
And about the Soul itself, have you achieved, perhaps, its crystallization? If I said that you do not have an immortal Soul, I would also be lying; I am conscious of this. Obviously, each of you has an immortal Soul, but you do not possess it.
Someone could have a beautiful diamond put away in a safe, and possibly he would enjoy thinking he has such object. But if it were pawned, he would not possess it. He would know that he has the jewel, but he could not ignore that he truly does not possess it.
Many times someone receives a nice inheritance and he knows he has it, but it is one thing to have it and another to possess it...
Originally posted by Tamahu
It is true that the Law of Karma(created by God) is for our own good, in that we can learn from our mistakes.
But you're saying that God intentionally creates suffering directly?
That would be blasphemy.
Originally posted by GreatTech
Originally posted by Tamahu
It is true that the Law of Karma(created by God) is for our own good, in that we can learn from our mistakes.
But you're saying that God intentionally creates suffering directly?
That would be blasphemy.
God not only intentionally creates suffering directly, but suffers Himself. His only Son suffered much of His Life with the pinnacle being the suffering on the Holy Cross. This not blasphemy; this is reality and the truth.
Suffering is part of life but not wholly. Angels even cry in Heaven. With faith, hope, and love, we all find the path back towards ecstasy.
If you have suffered much of your life, you can, through God's Infinite Will, inspire others back to happiness. By helping others, you help yourself.
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve"... - Joshua 24
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Matt 6:24
www.aasorlando.org...
...Heru corresponds to our will, which is the freedom to follow or reject divine law, and our emotions.
This freedom is the crux of our divinity.
Without it, man would be compelled to follow the structural shaping forces of order which manifest in the 10th sphere as the “instincts” that compel all other creatures to obey the law, in which case he could not be held accountable to law, human or divine, let alone be considered the “likeness of God”.
Hence, spiritual growth occurs only when behavior and actions are initiated independent of emotional impulses (i.e., one ignores them). Many people are ignorant of the intrinsic freedom of their will, or are so habituated to acting out of emotional impulsion, or seeming compulsion, that they voluntarily renounce their intrinsic mastery over their spirit. This defaulting to the emotions is represented by Heru Khenti an Maati, or “Heru the Blind”.
The other common misconception about the will is the belief that “power” is an attribute of it. The ability to achieve one’s will is, therefore, spoken of as “strength of will”, etc. But the very factors that make the will intrinsically free of emotional (the power part of our being) influence, also denies it of power as its attribute. A major correspondence of Heru (Shango, the “sun”, etc.) is the king (and all people in authority). His function is to command the people and the army to carry out works. He does not have the power to do it himself. Similarly, when we declare our will to achieve a goal or carry out a behavior, we are commanding another part of our being which possesses the attributes of power. This is Ra, our life-force. It is of interest to note that the symbol of Ra is a serpent surmounting the solar disk, and all of its creative functions are carried out through the agency of hekau (words of power). We should not be surprised that the most primitive, hence most powerful part of our brain, the “reptilian brain” or R-complex, is responsive to sound waves and rhythm and not ideas. Perhaps some day, Western psychologists will realize that this part of the brain is the doorway to the root shaping factors of our behavior, as well as the powers of nature. The supreme way, then, of willing events is through the chanting of the heka controlling the physical manifestation. This manner of declaring our will is symbolized by Heru-Pa-Khart (Harpocrates), i.e., “Heru, the child”. He is depicted emerging from a lotus wearing the red and white crown, holding the flail and crook (see Appendix A) in one hand, while making the sign of silence and of chanting hekau. The lotus, which is a flower that requires a great deal of sunlight (it closes with the setting sun, opens with its rising) is a symbol of the psychic centers (chakras) wherein manifest the forces represented by the words of power. The “sign of silence and chanting hekau,” which is made by pointing the index finger to the mouth, symbolizes chanting combined with the cessation of ideation as the supreme means of expressing the will.
...Our willingness to carry out our will, as we all know so well, depends greatly on our state of vitality...
...But the heart of the teaching is that by observing order, regularity, and the cycles governing the body’s functions, the health of the vital organs were insured, and thus the vitality. It is thus that we secure and preserve the ability to maintain the clarity of mind that is necessary for the practice of Men Ab, and the sense of vitality that supports our willingness to carry out our will. Compare this with the common belief, even among psychologists and “mind power experts”, that “will power” is developed through “mental exercises”.
© Ra Un Nefer Amen
www.gnosticteachings.org...
Beloved brethren of my soul:
We are now going to study the sixth Arcanum of the Tarot.
Beloved, remember that indeed without any doubt, the two interlaced triangles of the Seal of Solomon, which join or separate love, are the two shuttles with which the ineffable mystery of eternal life in the loom of God is woven or unwoven. The upper triangle symbolizes Kether (the Father who is in secret), Chokmah (the Son) and Binah (the Holy Spirit of each Human Being). The lower triangle represents the Three Traitors of Hiram Abiff; those three traitors are inside of us. The first traitor is the Demon of Desire; that traitor lives within the Astral Body. The second traitor is the Demon of the Mind; that traitor lives within the Mental Body. The third traitor is the Demon of Evil Will; that traitor lives within the Body of Willpower (Causal Body).
The Bible cites these three traitors in the Apocalypse of Saint John in Revelation: 16: 13, 14:
And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet; for they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty (El-Shaddai).
The three traitors constitute the reincarnating Ego, the psychological ‘I,’ the Satan that must be dissolved in order to incarnate the Inner Christ, which is constituted by Kether, Chokmah and Binah. The superior triangle is the Resplendent Dragon of Wisdom whereas the inferior triangle is the Black Dragon...
This freedom is the crux of our divinity.
"Thy Will be done in Earth(Tiphereth through Malkuth) as it is in Heaven(AIN through Geburah)."
Lucifer
From a Buddhist perspective, there are two perspectives which are like two trees that share the same roots. To explain it Kabbalistically, we can say that the true nature of a thing is the Ain Soph, which transcends duality, the perceiver and perceived etc. That is the Seity. On the other hand, under the Absolute, within the created and manifested universe, duality is the seed of everything that seems to exist. The problem occurs when you don't understand both of these perspectives. If you forget about the Seity, then you believe that everything is happening and occuring as it seems to be happening according to your so-called awareness--this is the root ignorance and this is why the ego becomes identified. On the other hand, if we were to think that there isn't relative existence and that dualism is a lie, then we ignore the understanding of the mechanics of the manifested universe (which leads again into delusion) and therefore could not ever attain liberation from the mechanics of this universe. Therefore, in order to be liberated or above Good and Evil, you must have the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Originally posted by GreatTech
A believer in "Free Will" denies God Perfection. Do you think God could rightly judge your virtues (good works) and sins in this life and the Afterlife if He lacked perfect knowledge of your past and the Universe's future?
God works for the good of every Soul and no external force (that doesn't exist!!!) can take away from this. Do you believe all of Will is the sum of God's, an external force's, and human's? The sum of all Will is God's Will. What agencies of Life have "Free Will" other than that of God's?
www.gnosticteachings.org...
"Karma creates nothing, nor does it design. It is man who plans and creates causes, and Karmic law adjusts the effects; which adjustment is not an act but universal harmony, tending ever to resume its original position, like a bough, which, bent down too forcibly, rebounds with corresponding vigor." - H.P.Blavatsky
Originally posted by crow2crow
A dog can make choices, it thinks it has free will as does man. God is what is inside all creation. If one thing does not have free will they all don't. If one thing does they all do. God is in everything, we judge ourselves. Reality is an illusion on top of illusion. We are in a real illustion. The creater can not be know seperate from creation. The creator is best seen in change and is there for changeless.
Nature of Beings
A baseball player would say:
"The end of the game is equal to the beginning plus the experience of the inning!"