New Year Message from H. P. Blavatsky

Blavatsky Portrait by James Montgomery Flagg

New Year thoughts from HPB:  In 2019, the perihelion or the Theosophical New Year will occur on January 2nd.  The average date of perihelion, over the centuries, is January 4th. Special thanks to fc (friendly chap) for this post:

Instead of wishing our readers a happy or prosperous New Year, we feel more in the vein to pray them to make it one worthy of its brilliant herald. This can be effected by those who are courageous and resolute. Thoreau pointed out that there are artists in life, persons who can change the colour of a day and make it beautiful to those with whom they come in contact. We claim that there are adepts, masters in life who make it divine, as in all other arts. Is it not the greatest art of all, this which affects the very atmosphere in which we live? 

That it is the most important is seen at once, when we remember that every person who draws the breath of life affects the mental and moral atmosphere of the world, and helps to color the day for those about him. Those who do not help to elevate the thoughts and lives of others must of necessity either paralyze them by indifference, or actively drag them down... Everyone lives, and thinks, and speaks. 

If all our readers who have any sympathy with Lucifer endeavoured to learn the art of making life not only beautiful but divine, and vowed no longer to be hampered by disbelief in the possibility of this miracle, but to commence the Herculean task at once, then however unlucky a year, it would have been fitly ushered in by the gleaming star...The Theosophist who is at all in earnest, sees his responsibilities and endeavors to find knowledge, living, in the meantime, up to the highest standard of which he is aware.  

Man's life is in his own hands, his fate is ordered by himself. Why then should not be a year of greater spiritual development than any we have lived through? It depends on ourselves to make it so. This is an actual fact, not a religious sentiment...  Let no one imagine that it is a mere fancy, the attaching of importance to the birth of the year. The earth passes through its definite phases and man with it; and as a day can be colored, so can a year. The astral life of the earth is young and strong between Christmas and Easter. Those who form their wishes now will have added strength to fulfill them consistently. (CW IX:3-5).

The Gods are many; and every December, according to the Japanese, is the month of the arrival, or descent of the Gods; therefore there must be a considerable number of deities lurking around us mortals in astral space. The 3rd of January, a day which was consecrated to the worship of Isis, was also set apart as the day on which the deities of Olympus visited their worshippers. January the 4th is the day of Mercury (Hermes, Budha), who is credited with adding brains to the heads of those who are civil to him... Shine more on us, O, Helios, Son of Hyperion! Those on whom thou beamest thy greatest radiance must be, as in the legend of Apollo, good and kind men. (CW X:278, 280)

Every man or woman is endowed, more or less, with a magnetic personality, which when helped by a sincere, and especially by an intense and indomitable will - is the most effective of magic levers placed by Nature in human hands - for woe or weal. Let us then, Theosophists, use that will to send a sincere greeting and wish of good luck for the New Year to every living creature under the sun - enemies and relentless traducers included. Let us try and feel especially kindly and forgiving to our foes and persecutors, honest or dishonest, lest some of us should send unconsciously an 'evil eye' greeting instead of a blessing." (CW XII:67).

"To be brief, it is January the 4th which ought to be selected by the Theosophists - the Esotericists especially - as their New Year. January is under the sign of Capricornus, the mysterious Makara of the Hindu mystics - the 'Kumaras,' it being stated, having incarnated in mankind under the 10th sign of the Zodiac. For ages the 4th of January has been sacred to Mercury-Budha, or Thoth-Hermes. Thus everything combines to make of it a festival to be held by those who study ancient Wisdom. (CW XII:76)

Jacob Boehme on the Inner Christ

There is no doubt that, as some will have it, the legend of the descent of the Redeemer is the description of an astrological process; but this theory, far from disproving the incarnation of divine wisdom into a human form, confirms it; because that which takes place in the macrocosm produces corresponding effects in the microcosm. In man is the sun, the moon, the stars, and the whole of the zodiac. In the microcosm is represented every part of the macrocosm in its material a...nd spiritual aspect. When man sees the external sun rise in the outer world, the sun in him arises and gives joy to his heart. Any individual person, or also humanity as a whole, may become either a god or a devil incarnate.(Franz Hartmann, Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme, 226:2)

The Christ can never be born or revealed in any impure soul. A soul wherein regeneration is to take place must be an immaculate virgin, having no intercourse with any external god; but executing the will of God dwelling within herself. 229:1

"God lives also in man." (Threefold Life, xi. 106.) Each human being (if he is not godless) carries God and the Christ, the Holy Spirit, the virgin Mary, together with the angel Gabriel and all the rest of the angels and spirits within himself. It is, therefore, of little use to seek for all that in history. We can find it nowhere except within ourselves. 235:2

Whenever I speak of the man Christ, and of what a triune God and man He is, I make a distinction between the human creature, that came from us human beings, and the triune Divinity, the revealed word of the power and omnipotence. Not that they are separated from each other, but the Spirit of God is higher than the being to which that Spirit gives birth in its outbreathed word. I do not say that the sweet and beloved Christ is the man, but it is the holy sunshine in the flame of love in the man; for whenever I see a holy Christian man stand or walk I do not say, "Here stands or walks Christ;" but I say, "Here stands and walks a Christian man in whom shines the sun of Christ." (Jacob Boehme, Stief. 421.) 237:2

Astrology: Winter Solstice, December 21 2018

Message in a Bottle

Among other things, Jupiter’s passage in Scorpio brought a sort of sexual revolution, with women becoming very assertive about the prevalent problem of sexual harassment. With fiery Jupiter in Sagittarius, of which it is the ruler, a more confident, outgoing attitude begins to emerge. But we still have to wait until spring for the full momentum, because retrogrades have sent Chiron back into watery Pisces and Uranus back into fiery Aries, a position of revolutionary change, which can be seen with the recent Yellow Vest protests in France, for example.

This Solstice has some interesting indications. A Mercury/Jupiter conjunct is exact and is opposite the Moon, forming a T-Square (with Neptune). A Venus/Neptune trine is also exact, forming a minor grand trine with Saturn. Moreover there is a Venus, Saturn, Moon (apex) Yod, which serves to bind the two previous figures together quite neatly. Moreover, it arrives just a day before a full moon and the following new moon on January 5 brings a partial solar eclipse, which has a strong stellium in Capricorn, followed by a total lunar eclipse on January 21, again with a stellium.

Psycho-Babble

With a Venus (in Scorpio), Moon (in Gemini), Neptune (in Pisces) T-square, there may be communication problems. The desire to reach out and communicate is strong, but the mind tends to be in a very intuitive, abstract, idealistic frame and can have a hard time being understood. Delusive, exaggerated, and overly imaginative tendencies tend to hamper the expression of the intuitive visions that need to be expressed.

This figure contains one of 2019's two most important aspects, a Jupiter/Neptune square. This tends to exacerbate Jupiter’s over-zealous, exaggerating tendencies. According to Astrology King: “Jupiter square Neptune transit brings a test of your faith due to an embarrassing loss of face or some disappointment. You may have been too trusting or over idealized a romantic interest. It is important to cut your losses as soon as the reality of the situation shatters your illusion”. The problem of naïve spiritual delusions could come to the fore: ''The WISE ONES heed not the sweet-tongued voices of illusion" (H.P. Blavatsky, The Voice of the Silence, Fragment 1).

According to Matthew Currie: “Even though the square is considered to be a bad aspect, there is much good that can be gained from it if you work with it properly. Jupiter is the ruler of traditional religiosity and spiritual beliefs, and Neptune has a similar spiritual bent to it — but is a little more focused on the feeling than it is on the rules and regulations involved. When these two forces are in conflict, it is possible that (with wisdom), new insights can be made into the nature of your Universe”.

Intellectual Beauty

Fortunately, the minor grand trine provides an excellent balancing counterpoint. Passionate Venus (in Scorpio) trine Neptune (in Pisces) is harmonized by a solid, grounded Saturn in Capricorn, which brings eloquence and balance to the need for deep, creative connections. A Venus/ Mars (in Pisces) trine adds to a very passionate configuration indeed. This figure contains next year’s other main aspect, a Saturn (in Capricorn)/Neptune trine, which can add balance and discipline to one’s spiritual, creative intuitions.

These two complementary figures are nicely encapsulated by a Saturn, Venus, Moon (apex in Gemini) Yod, which indicates difficulties in communicating feeling and visions. This can be resolved by a rational appreciation of traditional feminine values. In Christian Mysticism, a purified communion with the Celestial Virgin is necessary for the powers of the Holy Trinity to manifest.

The Sun is also quite active with a recent exact trine with Uranus (in Aries) which brings a sense of discovery and spontaneity, There is also a Sun/Mars square to watch out for, as it can bring some aggressive, impulsive, argumentative tendencies.

Overall, we have a very interesting chart that sets the tone for most of 2019. Neptune is a central focus, as it relates to the strongly situated planets of Jupiter and Saturn, two fundamentally opposite planets, but also complementary. The dynamic fire/stable earth combination of these two planets situated in adjacent signs can make for a productive synergy. According to Dana Gerhardt: “An optimistic Jupiter can loosen the grip of an inadequate or fearful Saturn, just as a responsible Saturn can realize the here-today-gone-tomorrow enthusiasms of a restless Jupiter. Jupiter dangles the carrot while Saturn wields the stick. Jupiter points us to the future and Saturn grounds us with the past. The philosopher in Jupiter ponders life's meanings, the monk contemplates god's truths, the explorer braves new territories, while the builder, executive and statesman in Saturn ensure that we have universities, churches and roads for our journeys. Jupiter is the eternal child, Saturn the wise elder. Together this fool and fuddy duddy bring the antagonistic and complementary pulls of expansion and contraction, faith and skepticism, luck and diligence, adventure and practicality-or as Caroline Casey calls them, "Haagen-Dazs" and "brown rice."

In the Spring, when Chiron moves back into Aries, and Uranus back into Taurus, the new celestial configuration should consolidate into quite a productive, active, progressive mode. Before then, we have a final opportunity to address the past social injustices, inequities and corruption, as well as past personal impediments, as we struggle to give voice and form to our visions of a better world and projects for idealistic reforms. It is a good time to work on harmonizing one’s inner life with the outer world, or orienting one's actions in reference to essential values.

Astrology King

https://astrologyking.com/jupiter-square-neptune/

Matthew Currie

https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/ohmystars/2018/12/astrology-2019-part-one-jupiter-square-neptune.html#PSeE2YMG2vJeyIA2.99

Dana Gerhardt

http://www.astro.com/astrology/in_dg_sat_jup_e.htm

Sheikh Ghassan Manasra - Abrahamic Reunion

Sheikh Ghassan Manasra was one of the Abrahamic Reunion’s Co-Coordinators in the Holy Land until moving to the US in 2015, and has been an active contributing Peacemaker with the AR for more than a decade. He is an ordained Sheikh in the Qadiri Sufi Order in the Holy Land, and son of Sheikh Abdel Salaam Manasra – head of the Qadiriyya Sufi Order in the Holy Land. He is the founder of Anwar-Il-Salaam, the Lights of Peace Center in Nazareth, and is Director, Islamic Cultural Center in Nazareth. Ghassan is an expert and lectures in Islam, Islamic history, Sufism, and contemporary Muslim issues in the Middle East, Europe, and the USA.

https://www.abrahamicreunion.org/
Rough Transcript from Connection Beyond Conflict: Interfaith Solidarity and Peacemaking in the Holy Land at Dawson Peace Centre October 30 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am

What is the situation? What can we do? It is important to ask, who am I? We can be part of it all. My daughter asked me, she knows me as a father, after an event, she asked me, who are you? I could not answer. We need to ask this question. It is a big question. How many people go to meet themselves? Meeting yourself – if you succeed in meeting yourself, you will succeed in meeting everyone in the world. We are not separate. I once went to see my Shaykh and said, I cannot connect with people, they’re so aggressive. My Shaykh replied, there are no aggressive people, each person has a drop of light. First you need to find a drop of light, not the aggression.

We, Muslims, Jews, Christians, all have the same father, Abraham. If you need to know your god, you need to know yourself. I began to work one year later. It’s not so easy, hegave me a very hard mission. Rabbi told me, look at the eyes of another, and you can know yourself because she is your mirror. I look at the eyes of all of you and I’m so happy, I can know myself. We are all essentially the same. We don’t need to ask a lot, if you ask too much you lose your image. You don’t need to speak, your heart will talk. Teach children how to connect with people. I take my children to events of others such as Christmas celebrations.

One day I received an invitation to a circumcision from a Rabbi from an ultra orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem. I took my seven year old daughter with me. The Rabbi informed me that no girls were allowed. So my daughter was left to play with a Jewish girl. She told me later, we spoke. I asked, did she know Arabic? No. Do you know Hebrew? No. She began to explain what they spoke of, she spoke in Hebrew – my daughter spoke in Arabic. When they related they spoke of, both related the same thing. You don’t need to talk, just to feel, be together, do not judge, understand the other person.

Strong people can create peace, weak people create war. All people are ethical, we all search the way. We need the search to be fruitful. We are born clean and clear, many elements influence us. We develop a kind of blindness, not real but imagined. With the help from others we all have a part to create peace. Some say, I want to be a peace builder but I don't have time. Come with me, we will do a little bit.

I don’t think there is a civilisation clash. Each civilisation builds from the other. In 2004 we needed to do something to heal the Holy Land. We went to the politicians, we want to see the educators and they began to be a part of us. We began peace projects, we faced lots of challenges, dangers. I began to work, lots of projects, Israel, Palestine, England, Germany, USA, during the wars, this was the time to work. We invited Jews, Muslims in Nazareth, some attacked Jesus, some approved us.

The Abrahamic Reunion has four main groups:
1- Families forum - They read poems together, make food together, build values of peace and love, children raised in this path.
2- Women’s peace group – we recognize that women are half of our life - women influence their neighbours
3- Youth project – our future – they will be wiser – many groups do not nurture new generation in Jericho
4- Text Study group – Samaritans, Christians, Muslims, Jesus, 50 – 80 people-

People may say, what is your success? We still have wars. It is better to have peacemakers, than not. There are thousands now, tomorrow maybe a 100　000. We will be optimistic. The Holy Land belongs to all people. Our hands are open, you are the leaders of tomorrow, your facilities will be bigger to continue the work. Many times I almost lost my life. Don’t wait go to the other, make the first step, knock on the door. In America we have Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs. Come to change yourself, don’t try to change the other.
85% of people from both sides want to create peace. The problem is not with the people, but with the leadership. Jesus visited Hebron, Nablus, etc.. and was peaceful. Spread peace by overcoming ignorance. To know yourself, you need to learn about other human beings. By knowing your circle of people you can gradually reduce your ignorance, understand the unknown, be aware. Barriers will come down, disappear. Then I can see clearly, then I can see myself.

The Septenary Principle in Sufism

Although Hindu, Greek, Taoist, Egyptian and Zoroastrian examples of the septenary constitution were presented in early Theosophical literature, Sufi examples were relatively scarce, even though the Sufi schools are a notable esoteric tradition that make prominent use of the sevenfold structure, as subsequent studies have shown, a pioneering work being Henri Corbin’s The Man of Light in Iranian Sufism (1971).

The table below adapted from a Naqshbandi model (https://sufipathoflove.com/seven-levels-of-being/), with additions from the Kubrawiya school.

1	2	3	4	5	6	7
An-Nafs al-Ammara Inciting to evil self	Nafs al Lawwamah Reproachful self	Nafs al Mulhimah Inspired Self	Nafs al Mutmainnah Tranquil Self	Nafs ar Radiyyah Content Self	Nafs al Mardiyyah Pleasing Self	Nafs al-Kamila The Pure /Perfect Self
Soul: Ruh Madeni Mineral soul	Soul: Ruh Nabati Vegetable soul	Soul: Ruh Haywani Animal soul	Soul: Ruh Nafsani Personal Soul	Soul: Ruh Insani Human Soul	Soul: Ruh Sirr Secret Soul	Soul: Sirr Al Asar- The Secret of Secrets
Light/Colour /Aura : Blue	Light/Colour /Aura : Yellow	Light/Colour /Aura : Red	Light/Colour /Aura : White	Light/Colour /Aura : Green	Light/Colour /Aura : Black	Light/Colour /Aura : Colourless
Located: Human skeletal system. As-sadr –The Breast/Chest	Located: Liver and related to the digestive system. Al- Qalb – The heart	Location: Heart & Circulatory system Ar-Ruh -The Spirit	Location: Brain and nervous system. As-sir The Innermost being	Location: Inner or Spiritual heart. As-sara'ir – The Consciences	Location: Innermost Spiritual Heart. Al-Akhfa –The Hidden	Location: Innermost Spiritual Heart of Hearts Al-Khafa – Secrecy
Mediation- Dhikr to repeat: La-ilaha ill-lil-lah no Gods, but The God.	Mediation- Dhikr to repeat Ya Allah O The God	Mediation- Dhikr to repeat Ya Hu! O He	Mediation- Dhikr to repeat Ya Haqq O Truth	Mediation- Dhikr to repeat: Ya Hayy O Everlasting	Mediation- Dhikr to repeat Ya Qayyum O Eternal	Mediation- Dhikr to repeat: Ya Qahhar O Omnipotent
Quran Ref: Behold! The commanding nafs encourages evil, except when my Lord bestows mercy. (Qur'an 12:53)	Quran Ref: And I swear by the reproachful soul!” (75:1-2)	Quran Ref: And a nafs and Him who gave order to it and inspired it with a sense of what is wrong for it and what is right for it. (Qur'an 91:8)	Quran Ref: O the righteous soul will be said, "O, you nafs in complete peace and satisfaction!" (Qur'an 89:27)	Quran Ref: Return to your Lord, content (Qur'an 89:28)	Quran Ref: for His being pleased with you! (Qur'an 89:28)	Quran Ref: This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor to you, and have chosen for you as your religion Islam. (Qur'an 5:3)
Traits: narcissistic, mechanical, conditioned, non-reflective, impulsive.	Traits: conscience, capacity for self-observation	Traits: generosity, gratitude, modesty, empathy, ardent desire.	Traits: dignity, sincerity, courage, compassion, complete loyalty.	Traits: endurance, resignation, constancy.	Traits: knowledge of Allah, sincerity, unbounded faith and hope in existential communion.	Traits: freedom from duality, acceptance of Allah's will, joy of union, freedom from expectation, contentment.