Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Gifts From The Gods

I asked for STRENGTH...
and the gods gave me challenges to make me strong.
I asked for WISDOM...
and the gods gave me problems to solve
I asked for PROSPERITY...
and the gods gave me the brain & brawn to work.
I asked for COURAGE...
and the gods gave me danger to overcome.
I asked for LOVE...
and the gods gave me people and friends to help.
I asked for FAVORS...
and the gods gave me opportunities.
I got nothing I wanted, I got everything I needed.

What give you strength? Your thoughts.
What weakens you? Your thoughts.
What destroys you ? Your thoughts.
In reality, thoughts are given to expand you, so you will realize:
"I AM ALL"

Friday, February 11, 2011

The Tao Of Karma

This article was originally published in Infinity Magazine

From birth we are programed to think that things are either good or evil. While there are positive and negative forces around us, the universal law has no point of view. Things simply happen without regret as in nature. There are things we may consider acts of evil but anothers point of view may see it as good. In universal reality good and evil do not exist, but the true archetypical conscious and karma do.
The way it works is your conscious determines your karma. The word 'KARMA' is a Hindu term that means 'DOING'.ie:"That's your good doing" or "That's your good karma." What you do determines your karma. Your spirit is like a magnet and karma is like a million little metal chips floating around. There is positive karma and negative karma. This is where you conscious plays in. When you do something that makes you feel good or those around you feel good you attract positive karma. When you do things that fill you with regret, anger, or make others feel this way, you of coarse attract negative karma. This can play a major roll in your emotions. The more you attract of one or the other can effect you behavior and those around you.
Another factor in this is what we call "the Apocalypse" or "Ragnarok" as the Norse call it. You see every time someone dies they are experiencing the end of 'their' world, ie:The Apocalypse. When someone dies, unless they have been spiritually trained, death comes as such a shock that you give yourself up to those karmic forces which have attached to you. This is where the term "the final battle between good and evil" comes from. The more positive or negative karma you have determines where you are placed in the great divine plan.

-By Brian S. Morgan

Release From Christian Programming

Let it be known that this is not an attempt to downsize Christianity or the Christ, nor is its teachings. What it is, is a piece of work to open those doors of fact and reality. It is a means to separate the Christian thought when exploring other religions. It is also an attempt to show how the Christian thought has dominated and dictated the view of other religions. The Christian ideas has been put into the way we think, how our social structure is run, how we view the world, the way people guide their judgment, and the way we have established our environment. Which rather blocks out the whole idea of "freedom of religion. That makes it hard to truly understand another religion in it's purest form. This is because it is always looked at from a Christian point of view. Even when most try to understand that point of view, it is still compared to Christianity.
When I speak of Christianity I am including all that would follow the bible and the following of Jesus Christ. Be it Roman Catholic to Protestant to Jehovah Witness, etc.
One major factor in our Christian programming is the recording of history. When history began to be recorded, who recorded it. Those with Christian thought. And any other form of thought of any kind of written record would be burned by them. So most of what is recorded in our history books is from a Christianize point of view. Not to mention how it is taught in our elementary and high schools. So it starts at a very young age. For example when in high school when they teach you about Greek mythology, they teach in a way to make it sound like it is unimaginable that a whole culture could ever believe in such things. But yet it is OK to believe that giant, winged, uni sexual beings will come down to save man from his wrong doings.
Which brings me to my next point. The Bible and the way society views it. Every religion has a mythology that goes along with it. The Webster's dictionary and the Oxford Collage edition dictionary defines a Mythology as: A collection of stories, myths and legends about the origins and history of a people, their deities and ancestors based on a religious idea. So there for, THE BIBLE MUST BE LOOKED AT AS A MYTHOLOGY, not the one and only most holiest book in the world.
Now one very good reason why the majority of the society will look at the Christian mythology in such a way is because it is more down to earth. Meaning that its stories are more believable than any other religion. You are dealing with more humanized characters doing more humanistic things. For example, you do not have as many unbelievable hero's doing extraordinary acts, in that only the greatest can commune with the gods. Nor do you have such a collection of deities. What you do have, is ordinary people doing ordinary everyday things who "God" comes and speaks to. Which for most people makes it more heart felt. Just like with the most beloved movies or books are about ordinary people who have something extraordinary happen to them.
Now for another look at our Christian influence, look at the terms we use, like 'Satan or even 'hell.' Even being used by many who are pagan. Those who would call themselves "Satan-worshipers" or follow the path of "Satan" is still buying into Christian thought. "Satan" is purely a Christian deity and Christian idea. So even to rebel against Christianity through means of Satanism is not so pagan. The definition of Pagan is: A person who is NOT a Christian, Muslim or Jew; A heathen. One who really defines them selves as pagan would find their spiritual essence outside the Christian teachings. Satanism is still part of those teachings, weather or not those teachings say not to follow it. But again I am not saying there is anything wrong with the teaching of Christ nor those who follow it, nor is there anything wrong with Satanism. If that is your path, that is your path and I am not judging. For a lot of us who study the esoteric philosophies, Satanism is usually our starting point. Once you see beyond that, a whole new world emerges.
In order to truly understand a something, more specifically a religion or culture, one must look at it universally. As the old saying goes "Look at the bigger picture." Now here someone would say "well I see God in all." No you put Christianity in all. While we should see the Divine in all or more accurately our divine selves in all, you must know the separation of the religious ideas. If you want to know the true essence of a religion or culture you learn from those who FOLLOW it not just those who SUDIED it. And to even go deeper you follow it yourself.
One thing that constitutes a big problem in the Christian thought is people worship the messenger and not the message. Meaning this makes them unable to hear or truly understand the message. If you went to school and started praising your teacher before you even listened to his teachings because all you knew was that his reputation was grand, here's a few things that will happen. a) You will have a one track mind and one point of view of those teachings. b) You will be unable of making your own judgment and conclusion of those teachings. c) you will not grasp the full concept of those teachings.
One must question in order to learn even if you must question authority. If the person you considered the greatest teacher in the world told you that "you are really a jellybean."
I would hope that you would question that. But by praising and worshiping your teacher you may actually start to believe that. Now don't get the wrong impression, if your teacher has taught you a great deal it is good to honor them but not worship them.
The Christian view of God and the worship there of, is by far the most confused. To bow down as servant and worship, if you do not, you will be burned and tortured for all eternity. THIS IS STRICKLY A TACTIC OF FEAR. When one uses fear against another, it is only used for one purpose, one end result. CONTROL. Which is more humanistic trait than a being who is supposed to being all love. Now that sounds more dark and demonic than any concept of Satan. To truly understand this, look at it from a parental perspective. Remember, 'God' is supposed to be all love and those teaching say we are the children of 'God.' If you are parent or know love from your parents, you have love for them. Unconditional love. If you see them do something what you consider wrong, would you truly want to see them be tortured and let their torture continue if you had the means to stop it? Of coarse not. If you do something wrong, yes you get punished for it. But nothing is an eternal punishment. You get several chances to make mistakes. That is how we learn. That is why we get several life times to get it right. Something that is all love would have nothing but compassion and would give you several chances due to their compassion. That is not say everything is handed to us on a silver platter. We have tough tests to take and experience to gain. For example, if you want to gain muscle and get physically fit, you have to work at it. Which means putting your body through pain and maybe even pulling a muscle from time to time. When you get to a point in your work-out were you feel accomplished, you can look back at your experience you gained to get there. Maybe even teach someone else what to do and not to do. That's how we learn, through hard work by means of failing and succeeding. The spiritual path to universal enlightenment is no different.
For the concept of bowing down and serving, this constitutes the problem of inferiority. The true essence of the teachings is to be like 'God'. Most of the world can't figure that out on their own, which is why you have messiahs to "show the way." When you have learned a great deal of knowledge from a teacher or guru, you give them thanks of gratitude and offerings to show your respect. You do not fall down and worship them and become their servant and slave. Any one who would teach you anything does not teach you in order that you become their humble servant. They teach you so that hopefully you will become as knowledgeable as them so you will no longer need their teachings and so that maybe those teaching can pass on through to many more.
If someone can posses the patience and fearless approach to raise the analogy in all it's bearings can not fail to obtain a clear understanding of the purpose to know what you know. For instance some things you automatically know, some things you assume to know and some things you just believe. That which you 'know' becomes your starting point. "A solid ground" so to say. That would be your basis to lead you to a personal investigation and intelligent study of facts to that which we assume and believe. That purpose is to establish beyond all question the true relation which mere dogmas and beliefs sustain to actual knowledge, and suggest the relative value and impotence of each the individual.
In order to gain spiritual greatness and become in tune with you higher self, weather that be through becoming one with all thing or complete separation of all things, you must remember that, all religions speak the truth but the only lie they would say is that their way is the only way. We all have our own paths. You will never be on the wrong one because with each moment we have, each failure, each accomplishment, and every waking day we view the world, there is a lesson. And how long it takes us to learn that lesson, that is your true path.-

-By Brian S. Morgan

Runes & The Teutonic Tradtion

This is an article I had published in PROMISE Magazine

Rune, the word means 'secret' or 'mystery.' Those who would follow the Teutonic way is to unlock this secret. They were practiced among most of northern Europe, consisting of Scandinavia, Germans and Goths. What most people know of runes is that they are used for divination. Their divination or "rune-casting" as it is properly called, is only a small part of their true essence. One must understand them individually before one can give a true rune-reading.
There is magick in runes. Each one is not only a number and a letter but each one can correspond to ones emotions, the different levels of consciousness, and most importantly the projection of the will. The runes are a way to awaken the soul. Much like that in the practice of Buddhism where you awaken the Buddha within, the Teutonic tradition teaches us to awaken the Odhinn (Odin) within. The Nordic mythology tells us that the race of gods known as the AEsir were the practitioners of runes. Odhinn was there chief god. Odhinn was the first rune-master. He discovered the runes (not invented) after hanging on the tree of Yggdrasil for nine days and nights. Odhinn's mythology teaches us that in order to gain, one must sacrifice ones self. Such as the old philosophy of "give and take." You can not take without giving. The more you give your self or 'sacrifice' your self to the universe, the more it gives back. For example, the more you sacrifice your time to the divine nature through prayer, meditation, and awareness, the more your life is filled with joy, understanding, and abundance.
In order to awaken the runic energies within your being, the first step is to meditate on each of the 24 runes individually. This gives you a feel for each one , but a more detailed program of this is available in the book "The 9 Doors Of Midgard" by Edred Thorsson.
As a way of magickal lore, the runes can be used in a number of ways, from binding different runes together in talismanic fashion, to a magickal projection of the mind, and even a way to control your own fears and bad habits. When you start working them and build them into the psyche you can even use them in your dreams, but once you reach this level you become more conscious in your dreams.
For the purpose of divination, store bought runes should only be used for practice. A true rune set is hand made from either wood, bone or cards. The most traditional being wood from the yew tree but ash and oak work quite nicely as well. After the medium in which the lots will be put on, they are to carved in a ritualistic way. When one carves a rune, you sing a poem for that rune. Then it is colored, with a form of red ink. If you can find it, red ocher mixed with linseed oil is the most traditional, unless you wish to follow the ancient rune teachings. Those teachings being that you use your own blood to color the runes. But that is for the most devoted and it would truly give your rune set a more personal might. The preference is entirely up to individual.
The runes are very symbolic, In ancient times these symbols were religious and held mysticism for the inscriber. Symbols, be it as they are, are a way that our subconscious perceives something that words can not. When one looks at a image or some religious symbol, a whole meaning builds up into the psyche. Symbols are a way that the subconscious mind expresses itself. This is one way that give the runes very specific power. There are many great things beyond the range of human understanding, so we constantly use symbolic terms to represent concepts that we can not fully define. On this understanding, the runes must be felt to be understood.
The lore of the runes hold a key to the great mysteries. They are part of the frame-work that builds up the cosmos. That frame-work starts from within and is built up, strengthened, then released by the will so that it expands outward. This is the process in which the runes are projected. But you must first awaken them with yourself were they lie hidden and a sleep as secret.

-By Brian S. Morgan