A Valentiniánus Iskola

 
A korai kereszténységben egymás mellett létezett az ezoterikus kereszténység és az exoterikus Katolikus Egyház. Az ezoterikus keresztényeket "gnosztikusoknak" nevezték. A "gnószisz" (gnózis) görög szó, jelentése: közvetlen, transzcendens tudás. A gnószisz kiegészítője a pisztisz (hit), ami a még nem közvetlenül tapasztalt transzcendens valósággal kapcsolatos bizonyosságot jelenti. Így felfogva a gnózis a hit természetes beteljesülése, ámde ez a szó az egyházi kereszténységben csakhamar az "eretnekség" szinonimája lett.

A korai kereszténységben, és némely esetben annak peremén több mint harminc különféle gnosztikus irányzat, iskola létezett. Ezek közül a legnagyobb a Valentinosz által a második században alapított iskola volt. A valentiniánus iskola voltaképpen a Katolikus Egyházon belüli ezoterikus kör volt. Bár ők maguk nem tekintették magukat az Egyházzal szembenállóknak, a püspökök egyre inkább így tekintettek a valentiniánusokra. Kezdetben tolerálták őket, a harmadik században még megtűrtek voltak, a háromszázas évektől azonban az iskolát eretnekségnek nyilvánították. Pedig Valentniosz, az alapító, egy időben esélyes volt a római püspöki székre, vagyis kis híján ő lett a római pápa. De az Egyház története más irányt vett - a C-befoylás felől a B- és az A-befolyás irányába.

(Megjegyzem, hogy a gnózis az Egyházban mindvégig megmaradt, különböző formákban; ilyenek voltak például a katedrálisokat építő iskolák, vagy a középkori misztikusok. Továbbá, ellentétben azzal, ahogyan manapság sokan beállítani szeretnék őket, a keresztény gnosztikusok sohasem gyűlölték az Egyházat - különbséget tudtak tenni az isteni eredetű valóság és az emberi képviselők között.)

A valentiniánus iskola negyedik út-iskola volt, mert tagjai a világban éltek, az iskolai tagság mellett tagjai voltak a nagyegyháznak is, és egyszerre dolgoztak intellektuális, érzelmi és mozgási vonalon. Most egy sorozatban bemutatom ennek az iskolának a tanítását. A soron következő írásokat a gnosis.org -honlapról fordítottam, egy David Brons nevű szerzőtől.

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Valentinosz

Valentinosz egy második századi keresztény misztikus és költő volt. Néha úgy emlegetik őt, mint „gnosztikust”, a misztikus ismeret (gnózis) azon fontos szerepe miatt, amit az gondolkozásában játszik. Valentinosz Kr. u. 100 körül született a felső-egyiptomi Phreboniszban, és a közeli Alexandriában tanult. Itt lett tanítványa Teudásznak, a keresztény tanítónak, aki viszont Szent Pál tanítványa volt. Valentinosz állítása szerint Teudász azt a titkos tudást adta át neki, amit Pál bizalmas módon, csak belső köreivel osztott meg.

Sok korai keresztény misztikushoz hasonlóan Valentinosz azt állította, hogy látomása volt a feltámadt Krisztusról. Látomását követően, 120 táján megkezdte keresztény tanítói pályafutását Alexandriában. Ezoterikus teológiája gyorsan nagy követőtábort vonzott köré Egyiptomban és Szíriában. 136-ban, rövid ciprusi tartózkodás után Rómába ment. Itt hamarosan kitüntetett helyre emelkedett, ékesszólása miatt pedig széles körben tisztelték. A római egyházban annyira megbecsülték, hogy 143-ban a püspöki tisztség egyik jelöltje volt. Valószínűnek látszik, hogy a magas tisztséget ő maga utasította vissza. Ezután még legalább tíz évig továbbra is Rómában tanított.

Későbbi pályafutásáról semmi bizonyosat nem tudunk. Talán Rómában halt meg 155 körül. Egy kései forrás szerint elhagyta Rómát, és Ciprusra távozott. Néhány „Szent Valentin”-ról szóló legenda bizonyára a Rómában élvezett tartós tekintélyét tükrözi vissza. Valentinosz halála után tanítványai tovább fejlesztették eszméit, és az egész Római Birodalomban elterjesztették azokat.

A valentiniánus iskola szervezete

A valentiniánusok nem alkottak külön egyházat vagy felekezetet. Ők egyszerűen a keresztény doktrína teljesebb, ezoterikus interpretációját nyújtó iskola voltak. Önmagukat vagy tanításukat nem tartották olyannak, mint ami szemben állt volna a katolikus kereszténységgel. Szent Pál utódainak tekintették magukat, az apostoli tanítók láncolata útján. Az iskola tradíciója szerint Valentinoszt Teudász oktatta, akit pedig maga Szent Pál tanított.¹

Bár kiváló vallási tudósok és tanítók gyakran játszottak vezető szerepet a mozgalomban, mégsem tekintették őket úgy, mint az individuális és az isteni világok közötti közvetítőket. A gnózist elérő egyént úgy tekintették, mint akinek közvetlen kapcsolata van az isteni világgal, és nincs szüksége külső közvetítésre. Mindennek természetes következménye volt az egalitarizmus. Valójában nincs is följegyzés egyetlen állandó egyházi hivatalról sem a valentiniánusok között.

A valentiniánusok, bár részt vettek a Katolikus Egyház nyilvános életében, ugyanakkor saját összejöveteleket is tartottak, elkülönülve a gyülekezettől, amelynek részét képezték. Számos olyan összejövetelük volt, amely nyitva állt minden érdeklődő előtt, abból a célból, hogy a mozgalom számára potenciális megtérőket szerezzenek. Ezek az összejövetelek meglepően nyitott és egalitárius események voltak. ["Open meeting"-ek...] Ez mély benyomást tett az ortodox kritikusra, Tertulliánuszra, aki megdöbbenve számol be a következőkről: „Mindannyian egyenlőképpen járulnak oda, egyenlőképpen figyelmeznek, egyenlőképpen imádkoznak – még a pogányok is, ha éppen oda találnak jönni... A béke csókját is mindenkivel megosztják, aki odajön.”²

A valentiniánus összejövetelek egyik jellemzője, ami néha a klérussal való konfliktushoz vezetett, az eukharisztia és a többi szentség celebrálása volt. Az egalitarizmus az egyházi hivatalokra is kiterjedt.

Liturgikus feladataik végzése közben a valentiniánus beavatottak nagymértékű részvételt biztosítottak a tagoknak. Tertulliánusz szerint: „Ma az egyikük püspök, holnap meg a másik; az, aki ma diakónus, holnapra felolvasó; az pedig, aki pap, holnapra már laikus. Mert még a laikusokra is ráruházzák a papság funkcióit.”³ Továbbá – legnagyobb szörnyülködésére – utalást tesz rá, hogy még nők is betölthetik a püspök szerepét.

Ezeken a nyilvános összejöveteleken csak az alapvető valentiniánus tanítások voltak hozzáférhetőek. A beavatottaktól elvárták, hogy hogy föl tudják mérni az újonnan jöttek spirituális fejlettségi szintjét, és ennek megfelelően kezeljék őket. Erről szól Fülöp evangéliumának példázata a megfelelő étrendekről: „Testi formák nem tévesztik meg őket, hanem figyelembe veszik minden egyes ember lelkének állapotát, és ennek megfelelően szólnak hozzájuk. A világban számos állat van emberi formában. Ha Isten tanítványai valakikről fölismerik, hogy disznók, akkor makkal etetik őket; ha barmok, szénával, pelyvával és takarmánnyal; ha kutyák, csontokkal; ha szolgák, előétellel; ha gyermekek, teljes étellel.”⁴

Ha valakiről úgy ítélték, hogy a fejlődés materiális szintjén áll (vagyis „állat”), semmi egyebet nem kaptak, mint a nyilvános összejöveteleken hozzáférhető tanítást („széna”, „pelyva” és „csontok”). Ha valakit animális szinten lévőnek ítéltek („szolga”), azt meghívták magánoktatásra. Ezeken az oktatásokon megkapták az alapvető tanításokat („előétel”), hogy el lehessen dönteni, alkalmasak-e a további tanításra. ["Prospective meeting"-ek...] A valentiniánusok a legtöbb keresztényt ebbe a kategóriába tartozónak tekintették. Az ezen kategóriába sorolt tanulók megkapták a lehetőséget a következő szintre való továbblépésre. Ha valaki elérte a legmagasabb spirituális szintet, és „gyermekké” vált, azt meghívták, hogy csatlakozzék egy előrehaladott osztályhoz, ahol megkapták a teljes tanítást. Tertulliánusz szerint a teljes képzés öt évig is eltarthatott, és szigorú önfegyelmezéssel járt együtt. Meg kell jegyezni azt is, hogy mindazokat, akik a magánoktatásokon megkapták a teljes tanítást, hallgatási kötelezettség kötötte, hogy azt ne tárják föl a nem beavatottak előtt.⁵

A teljes beavatást elnyertek a többiek spirituális vezetőiként működtek közre a gnózis végső célja érdekében. Az esetleges beavatás a gnózis meglétének bizonyosságától függött. Ahhoz, hogy valaki beavatott legyen, szükséges volt számára, hogy „többé már ne az emberi tanúságnak, hanem magának az Igazságnak higgyen.”⁶ E cél érdekében az előrehaladott szintű oktatás nagy részét minden bizonnyal meditációs technikák képezték. Amint valaki teljesítette a képzést és a gnózis elérésének bizonyítékát mutatta, megkapta a beavatást a valentiniánus keresztség fölvételével.

Minden valentiniánus részt vett a katolikus gyülekezet nyilvános életében, amelynek szintén részét képezték. Némelyek még egyházi hivatalokat is betöltöttek. Florinus például presbiter volt Rómában Victor püspök alatt, 200 körül. Az egyházi hivatalt olyannak tartották, mint aminek pedagógiai szerepe van a nem-valentiniánusok felé, akiket úgy tekintettek, mint akik elérték a spirituális fejlődés pszichikus szintjét, és ezért külső vezetéstől függenek.⁷ Az üdvösség egyházi közvetítését a lehetséges gnózis felé vezető első lépcsőnek tekintették.

Az ilyen változatos gyülekezetekben néha megoszlások támadtak, amelyeket kezelni kellett. Szent Páltól vett képet használva, a tanító, aki „A tudás magyarázata” című írás szerzője, úgy írja le az Egyházat, mint ami Krisztus teste, melynek mindannyian részét képezik, az egyénileg kapott különféle adományok ellenére. A szerző megfeddi a valentiniánus beavatottakat, mivel az átlagos keresztényeket, „tudatlannak” tartva lenézik,⁸ és mint „idegeneket” kezelik őket.⁹ Azonban azokat a nem-valentiniánusokat is kritizálja, akik irigykednek „az Igében előrehaladókra”,¹⁰ ahelyett, hogy ők is részesedni vágynának a másik adományában. Az Egyháznak mint Krisztus testének Szent Páltól vett képét használva rámutat, hogy a gyülekezet minden tagja élő részét képezi a testnek. A gyülekezet minden tagja, különböző adományaival az adás és befogadás kölcsönös viszonyában létezik. Egyetlen tag sem létezhet egyedül. Ha valaki lemetszi magát a testről, az számára a halált jelenti.

Néhány kivételtől eltekintve, a valentiniánusokat egészen a negyedik századig elfogadták, mint a keresztény gyülekezetek tagjait. Titokban ezután is találkoztak, de egyre inkább egy független szekta identitását vették magukra. Az üldözések ellenére a történeti följegyzésekben legalább a hetedik századig találhatók utalások a valentiniánus iskolára.

1Alexandriai Kelemen, Sztrómata 7:17.

2Tertulliánusz, Pergátló kifogás az eretnekek ellen 41.

3Tertulliánusz, A valentiniánusok ellen 1.

4Fülöp evangéliuma 81:3-13, vö. Zsidókhoz 5:12-14.

5Vö. Tertulliánusz, A valentiniánusok ellen 1.

6Herakleón töredékei 39.

7Iréneusz, Az eretnekségek ellen 1:6:1; Herakleón 39.

8A tudás magyarázata 21:25.

9Uo. 16:24 skk.

10Uo. 16:31-33.

The Hanged Man (Az akasztott)

“When wisdom is obscured in darkness, then wrong is thought to be right.” [Bhagavad-Gita]

We know that the thirty work ‘I’s are divine wisdom, but when the steward is not using them, “wisdom is obscured in darkness.” This is illustrated by the Hanged Man tarot card (XII), in which the steward is upside down, asleep, only imagining that he is awake. (08-14-05)


“Unless the weeds are removed, neither plants nor flowers can grow.” [Al-Ghazali]
“Weeds,” which represent imagination, are the most common symbol in the tarot. In the Hanged Man tarot card (XII), the steward is portrayed upside down, his head surrounded by weeds. Unless imagination is removed, presence—the lotus—cannot appear. (1-23-05)

“The pleasures of the world seem sweet till they are tried, and then they are found to be very bitter and repulsive.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]

When you are in imagination, you do not feel any pain. In the Hanged Man tarot card (XII), although the figure is upside down, he is not in pain. When you awaken from imagination, however, you realize that it was bitter fruit, for you have been deceived by the king of clubs. (08-14-05)

“Most have their hands tied behind their back.” [Rabia]
This refers to the Hanged Man tarot card (XII). Eighty billion people in the history of humanity have passed through the earth’s unconscious stage with their hands “behind their back.” They were asleep, only imagining that they were awake, and they did not suspect their condition. Gurdjieff said, “Machines they are born, machines they die.” Attar said, “The back would please you if you had never seen the face.” Eighty billion people have been content with the four lower centers. The “back” has pleased them, for they have not seen the “face”—the intellectual parts of centers engaging presence. When our steward is not using the thirty work ‘I’s, our hands are tied behind our backs. This is our pitiful condition. However, this situation will not last, and the tarot ends with the World card (XXI)—in which world twelve is triumphant, in a prolonged state of presence. This is the state we are in now. We have the lower self chained, hand and foot. (9-25-05)

“A man in chains cannot run. Nor can the mind that is enslaved to passion see the place of spiritual prayer.” [The Philokalia, Evagrios the Solitary]
The “place of spiritual prayer” is the nine of hearts. “A man in chains cannot run” refers to the intellectual parts of centers not promoting presence, represented by the Hanged Man card (XII) in the tarot. The Nobel prizewinners are men in chains. The steward that is enslaved to the four lower centers cannot see the
place of spiritual prayer. (10-21-05)

“He who busies himself with the sins of others has not yet even begun to repent or to examine himself so as to discover his own sins.” [The Philokalia, Maximos the Confessor]
The steward who “busies himself with the sins of others”—the sleep of others—“has not yet even begun to repent”—has not begun to use work ‘I’ number one—“or to examine himself so as to discover his own sins.”

This predicament is represented by the Hanged Man tarot card (XII), which depicts the steward listening to the ‘I’s rather than separating from them. If one turns the card upside down, one can see that the Hanged Man is not feeling any pain. He is asleep, only imagining that he is promoting presence. In the Hanged Man card, the Tree of Life has six cut branches on each side, representing the six work ‘I’s that are not being used. In II Samuel 23:13, it is said that David had “thirty chief” officers, of whom six were more important, and three were the most important. These three are: “Eat,” “Drink,” and “Be merry.” (11-9-05)

"Pure is the tongue which is in the King's mouth. The King will not be hanged head downwards." Pyramid Texts

"Pure is the tongue which is in the King's mouth", the mouth of the Lord, the steward. "The King will not be hanged head downwards", that is, he is not in the state of imagination. This passage is convincing proof that the tarot originated in Egypt. It refers to the Hanged Man card (XII), which portrays the steward asleep, imagining that he is engaging world twelve. However, the word Be, or a shock from Influence C, alerts the steward to his pitiful condition. The Hanged Man card is lovely because on either side of the figure a branch with six shoots depicts the first six work I's. However, they are red rather than green, signifying that they have been cut off. The tree of life is not flowering. (12-28-05)


“And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.” [Revelation 12:4]

A sculpture from the cathedral of Chartres depicts a laughing devil, who has thrown a pregnant woman over his shoulder. The woman represents the nine of hearts, who is pregnant with the Son of Man. However, the devil has consumed her son, whose face is now inside his belly.

The son is like the Hanged Man, for he does not realize his condition—that he is asleep, only imagining that he is awake. However, when work ‘I’ number one Be sounds, it will deliver him from this illusion. We can see that the woman is in imagination, because the tail of the devil is whispering in her ear. The figure of the devil is an authentic portrayal of the lower self. It is animal intelligence in human form. He is standing upon a representation of the city—the intellectual parts of centers—which is under the control of the lower self and not promoting presence. This is the state you are in when you are using a computer, driving a car, or speaking on the telephone without presence. You are not feeling any pain. You do not realize your condition. I can guarantee that the lower self has put you into this state. He has you where he wants you. You are under his feet. (1-1-06)


“The illusion of grace comes to us when we fall into a light sleep while our remembrance of God is half-hearted.” [The Philokalia, Diadochos of Photiki]
“The illusion of grace”—the illusion of presence—“comes to us when we fall into a light kind of sleep while our remembrance of God is half-hearted.” A “light kind of sleep” is the state of the Hanged Man. (1-4-06)

“Down to the deepest depths I peered;/I hung on that windy tree,/Swung there for nine long nights;/None gave me bread./None gave me drink.” [Icelandic poem, from about 1200 AD]
“Down to the deepest depths I peered”—the belly of the whale, the bottom of the pit, world ninety-six—the lower self. “I hung on that windy tree”—the king of clubs—“swung there for nine long nights”—the intellectual parts of centers not promoting presence—three, three, and three—the three wise men who visited Christ with their three divisions. “None gave me bread”—none gave me the thirty work ‘I’s. “None gave me drink”—none gave me prolonged presence. The Hanged Man was totally oblivious to his condition. (1-4-06)

“When this prayer becomes grafted in our heart, then there are no inner interruptions, and it continues always in the same evenly flowing way.” [The Philokalia, Theophan the Recluse]
This is a lovely new thought for us. “When this prayer becomes grafted in our heart” means that the work ‘I’s are acting with the emotional center. They are grafted in the heart to actually engage presence. “Then there are no inner interruptions, and it continues always in the same evenly flowing way.” The state you are in now is the state you want to reach at the end of the sequence, and to hold it for the same length of time as it took for you to attain it.

The Hanged Man card (XII) illustrates quite clearly that the nine of hearts is the Tree of Life. However, the work ‘I’s were not grafted in the heart; in fact, the branches have been cut off. There is no emotional connection with the sequence. (6-7-06)

“Never turn your back carelessly on an enemy, because this can only lead to evil days.”
[Persian Book of Kings]
“This can only lead to evil days” refers to the six “days” of the week—the six work ‘I’s—submerged in imagination. It can only lead to the Hanged Man. The story of Judas symbolizes the sequence breaking down at work ‘I’ number four. The sequence failed, and Judas hung himself, and became the Hanged Man. The thirty pieces of silver that he received signify that, rather than acting, and becoming thirty pieces of gold, the sequence remained in the second state. For the Christians, Peter also represented the Hanged Man, who was crucified upside-down. (1-14-07)

“What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” [Mark 8:36]
“What shall it profit a man”—what shall it profit the intellectual parts of centers—“if he shall gain the whole world“—if they shall serve the lower self—“and lose his own soul”—and lose the steward? This is illustrated by the Hanged Man card (XII) in the Tarot. Abu Said said, “Those seeking this world will kill Moses and worship the Pharaoh.” Those seeking this world—the ‘I’s unrelated to your sequence—will destroy your sequence and serve the lower self. (8-27-06)

“I will walk upright, I will not walk upside-down, and I will go aboard the bark of Ra.”
[Egyptian Coffin Texts]
We can see by this passage that the Egyptians invented the Tarot, as well as the common deck of playing cards. They are referring to the Hanged Man (XII), who is hanging upside-down. “I will walk upright”—I will engage presence with the sequence—“I will not walk upside-down”—I will not say Be, Hold, Hear without connecting with presence—“and I will go aboard the bark of Ra”—the nine of hearts prolonging presence. Ra means Be. (8-6-06)

The Wheel of Fortune (A szerencse kereke)

The world is a big game of king of the mountain boys scrambling on a pile of sand. One gets to the top and calls out, 'I am the king!' Then another throws him off and makes his momentary claim, And then another, and so on. [Jalaluddin Rumi]
Yes, this is what they call the Wheel of Fortune in the tarot, or more truly, the Wheel of Unconscious Fortune. One 'I' replaces another; each one, momentarily, is king. (11-24-04)

Be careful, for Satan will tempt you at every turn. [Hafiz]
Imagination is always ready to work in us and deceive us. [Peter Ouspensky]
The Wheel of Fortune card in the tarot deck represents the many 'I's. It depicts three rats-'I's-circling on a wheel. The first rat, at the top of the wheel, is wearing a crown, the second rat has just descended from the top, and the third rat is about to displace the one at the top. This means that each 'I' is momentarily a king. In fact, it is not the Wheel of Fortune, but the Wheel of Misfortune-the Wheel of Unconscious Misfortune. At every turn of the wheel-with every breath-the king of clubs appears. (12-5-04)

“The world but seems to be.” [Iraqi]
Gurdjieff said, “People are asleep, imagining they are awake.” Iraqi said, “The world [the four lower centers] but seems to be.” They are virtual reality, not reality itself. Another Sufi, Nasafi, said, “You are non-existent, but you imagine that you are existent.” In a stained-glass window in Sainte Chapelle, Samson, the steward, is portrayed lying down; beside him the wheel of fortune is grinding. This means that the steward is asleep, imagining that he is awake. (2-20-05)

“Why do you carry the burden of the world, like a cow?/Turn around and rise above the world.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]
The instinctive center is symbolized by the bull. The “cow” refers to the nine of clubs. We can see by Rumi’s thought, “Why do you carry the burden of the world, like a cow?” that the four lower centers are controlled by the instinctive center. Ouspensky said that the king of clubs is the mind behind all the work of the machine, a mind quite different than the intellectual mind. It is king of the jungle.

“Turn around and rise above the world” refers to the wheel of fortune. In the Wheel of Fortune tarot card [X], the wheel is turning to the left, towards the goats—the ten thousand ‘I’s that oppose presence. Rumi said, “Turn around”—that is, turn to the right towards the sheep—the ‘I’s that promote presence. In Exodus 3:1, Moses “led the flock to the backside of the desert.” This means that Moses, the steward, went to the edge of the second state with his work ‘I’s; he turned it around. (2-20-05)

“O world traveler, if you turn around the world and see nothing but forms, you must be sleeping.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]
This, too, refers to the Wheel of Fortune tarot card [X]. “If you turn around the world,” means that if your attention is going from center to center, and from thought to thought, you are a “world traveler”—without presence. Rumi said, “Only a sleeper would consider this place [the second state] real.” We must find presence more interesting than imagination until our last breath. (2-20-05)

“The world spins, turning its wheel through birth and through destruction.” [The Bhagavad Gita]
This refers to the Wheel of Fortune tarot card [X]. The world spins like the wheel of fortune, turning through birth and through destruction. The rat portrayed on the right of the wheel represents birth, and the rat that has descended represents destruction. In Psalms 3:6, it is written, “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people [the ten thousand ‘I’s], that have set themselves against me round about.” In Exodus 21:23-24, Moses said, “If any mischief follow, then thou shalt give … eye for eye.” One must give a work ‘I,’ such as “Be present,” “Stay out of imagination,” “Do not identify,” or “Do the looking exercise” for one of these ten thousand mechanical ‘I’s. One work ‘I’ can vanquish all of them, because they are without substance. (2-20-05)

“I saw my lower self as a rat.” [Hujwiri]
He saw his “lower self”—the four lower centers—as a “rat”—imagination. This idea is represented in the Wheel of Fortune tarot card (X). (2-27-05)

“The millstone is your heavy body. What makes the stone turn is your thought river.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]
Imagination is the “thought river.” The “millstone” refers to the Wheel of Fortune tarot card (X), which is, in fact, the wheel of unconscious fortune. (2-27-05)

“If you climb a couple of stairs on the ladder, you will belong to the people on the right side.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]
In Matthew 25:31-33, it is written: “When the Son of man, [the steward produced by the intellectual parts of centers] shall come in his glory [presence] … he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” The “sheep” are the work ‘I’s; the “goats” are the ten thousand mechanical ‘I’s. This is represented on the Wheel of Fortune tarot card [X], which, in fact, is the wheel of unconscious fortune. It is a lawless state, for with each breath an ‘I’ appears that thinks it is real ‘I.’ (3-20-05)

 
“It is God who is real and remains so forever. So why waste your time over something that is here today and gone tomorrow? Go directly to the Source without delay.” [Jami]
This refers to the Wheel of Fortune tarot card (X), which represents the many ‘I’s. Why waste your time with something that is here today and gone tomorrow in three seconds? (3-27-05)

“Look with his eye of wisdom and see that the creatures are revolving in the circle of the mundane whirl, and are toiling without finding the right means to escape from the rotation.” [Hindu Text]

In the Gospel of Philip, it is written, “An ass which turns a millstone did a hundred miles walking. When it was loosed, it found that it was still at the same place.” The “hundred miles” is a play on the ten thousand ‘I’s.

“It is impossible for us to become united with God, if we do not first return from the whirl of the world.” [The Philokalia, Nicephorus the Solitary]

The Grim Reaper (A Halál)

Tarot card thirteen, the Grim Reaper, shows a skeleton with red knots that indicate the two pressure points in the neck and the spine. On the neck, there are four knots, indicating that the four wordless breaths are being strangled by the lower self. At the base of the spine, there are three doughnut-shaped windings, denoting that the three Be’s have not acted.

Detail of Tarot card XIII, showing JEHOVAH written in Hebrew on the back of the head of the Grim reaper.

The Grim Reaper, represented in the Death tarot card (XIII), has the two pressure points. In the skull of the Grim Reaper, discreetly written in Hebrew letters, is the word “Jehovah,” meaning “I was, I am, I will be.” However, it is blocked off by the knot at the neck. This means that presence is being choked off by the king of clubs prolonging imagination. (5-20-05)

“I was” is short Be; “I am” is the middle point; “I will be” is long BE. However, in the head of the Grim Reaper, the word “Jehovah” is in the dark. (6-21-06)

The Hermit (A remete)

Here we see the Hermit Card—the Wise Man—card number nine, showing four fingers on each hand. He is a hermit—a steward apart from the ten thousand ‘I’s. He has four furrows on his forehead, forming a pyramid, and one more over his left eye. On the top of his staff is a circle, and beneath it an orange square. His first finger touches the circle, while his bottom finger touches a square, like the sculpture in Goethe’s garden

Hand of a Mayan king with 6 fingers; Palenque, Mexico

Drawing of the same hand

The Magician (A varázsló)

“Get back, you dangerous one! Do not come against me, do not live by my magic.” [Going Forth by Day]
“Get back, you dangerous one!”—the king of clubs. “Do not live by my magic”—do not pretend to be the steward. In the Magician tarot card (I), the figure of the magician represents the steward, with the four lower centers on the table in front of him. The mysteries of the steward are that he can engage the divine presence of world six and world twelve. (9-25-05)


“For the man who knows this secret doctrine the sun neither rises nor sets: it is always day for him.” [Upanishads]
“For the man”—the intellectual parts of centers promoting presence—“who knows this secret doctrine”—the thirty work ‘I’s that materialize presence—“the sun neither rises nor sets: it is always day for him”—prolonged presence. Here, “day” refers to the thirty work ‘I’s sustaining presence. *This is illustrated in the Magician tarot card (I), in which the young steward is learning to use the thirty work ‘I’s—the “secret doctrine”—to promote and prolong presence. (1-8-06)


In the Magician tarot card (I), the magician holds in his left hand what appears to be a measuring reed—the thirty work ‘I’s. However, it is blue, signifying that the steward is in the second state; he is not the third eye. In the World tarot card (XXI), the figure of the dancing woman is holding the same reed in her left hand. It represents the thirty work ‘I’s, with Be and Hold on either end. The earth is not the center of the solar system, the galaxy, or the universe. However, the micro-cosmos man is the center of the universe. Conscious man is the measure of all things. How is conscious man produced? By engaging presence with the thirty work ‘I’s. (1-29-06)

 
“He was a crafty magician and diviner and skilled in spiritual arts.” [The Arabian Nights]
He was a steward skilled in the art of producing divine presence. (1-29-06)
 
“He became versed in medicine and chemistry and natural magic and the art of making gold and silver.” [The Arabian Nights]
“He”—the steward—“became versed in medicine.” In Luke 4:23, it is written, “Physician, heal thyself” of this most difficult of all illnesses—sleep. “And chemistry”—using electronic sex energy to produce the divine presence of the third eye—“and natural magic”—the thirty work ‘I’s. The ten thousand ‘I’s are the black magic of the lower self. “And the art of making gold and silver”—the art of making golden presence. “Silver” may refer to the thirty work ‘I’s. (1-29-06)

In the Magician tarot card (I), the magician holds in his left hand what appears to be a measuring reed—the thirty work ‘I’s. However, it is blue, signifying that the steward is in the second state; he is not the third eye.

The Magician tarot card (I) depicts the steward, in front of whom is a table on which are three dice. Three sides of each dice are visible, making a total of seven dots, four of which are on top. Together, the three dice have twenty-one visible dots. This refers to the World tarot card (XXI), which represents the divine presence of the higher emotional center. This is what the Magician wants to produce. 

"The first step is searching for Him; the last is to become Him." [Kashani]
"The first step is searching for Him." When one is in imagination, one is desperate for the work 'I' Be. "The last is to become Him"-the steward transcending himself in prolonged presence.

The first step is illustrated by the Magician card, the first card in the Tarot. The last step is illustrated by the World card, the last card in the Tarot. The Magician and the dancing figure in the World card both hold measuring reeds, representing the thirty work 'I's. However, in the World card, the Magician has transcended himself and has reached the higher emotional center. Both figures carry an object, representing the nine of hearts, in their right hands. Rabia said, "I carry a priceless vase within me." Both also have golden hair. (3-22-06)


"O ye who believe! Games of chance are only Satan's handiwork. Leave them aside in order that ye may succeed." [Koran 5:90]
This is the key revelation of this meeting. "Games of chance" means that you are not using the sequence; you are only guessing. You may be using Look, Smell, Think, Touch without a sequence, but it is only a game of chance, and you are playing into the hands of the lower self. In schools, "gambling" means not using the sequence. Of course, most gamblers lose. (4-2-06)


“The unbelievers have their tricks against me, but I too have my tricks.” [The Koran]
“The unbelievers”—the ‘I’s unrelated to presence—“have their tricks against me”—the steward—“but I too have my tricks.” (4-9-06)

The Magician has three dice on the table to move the sequence along, each of them having four spots on top. This is related to God being mentioned in the Bible 4,444 times. Influence C are far ahead of us and they are using all of their powers to help us be present and join them. Hans Christian Andersen said, “You can bear an awful lot when you know the intentions are good.” The awesome friction they give us is for the best of all causes, to be present to our own life.
 
“The physician knows what produces sickness or health in the body. He recognizes that knowledge of God is beneficial and that sin is deadly poison for the soul.” [Al-Ghazzali]
“The physician”—the steward—“knows what produces sickness”—imagination— “or health”—the sequence.

The “physician” is also the “magician,” represented by the Magician card (I) in the Tarot. The Magician has his bag of tricks before him, and will eventually produce the prolonged presence of world twelve, represented by the World card (XXI). “He recognizes that knowledge of God is beneficial”—the sequence, divine knowledge—“and that sin”—imagination—“is deadly poison for the soul.” (6-18-06)

“The intellect’s circular movement is its highest and most befitting activity, and through which it even transcends itself and is united with God.” [The Philokalia, Gregory Palamas]
It is quite lovely, is it not? The Magician—the steward—represented by card number one in the Tarot, transcends himself into the Dancing Figure of world twelve in the World card, number twenty-one. “The intellect’s circular movement is its highest and most befitting activity”—this is the steward passing from short Be to long BE on a spiral, a minaret, a ziggurat. (9-3-06)

The Magician--Tarot card number one--represents the steward. The Magician has his bag of tricks--in his purse are the thirty great work ‘I’s. The three legs of the table, and the three dice, both refer to the three Be’s. Incredibly, there are twenty-one points on the dice, representing a successful sequence unfolding. It means that the steward--card number one--will transcend himself into card twenty-one. [05-11-08]

“The sequence is a lifeboat on a sinking ship. It is magic we can carry in our pocket, which works when we use it.” [Abraham Goldman, Apollo]

The Fool (A bolond)

“A mark of steadfastness at the middle stage is that you do not indulge in yourself.” [Al-Qushayri]

A mark of passing through work ‘I’ number four is that you do not indulge in your lower self, which is located at the base of the spine. The Egyptian Demotic Papyrus says,
“Do not stop to listen to the words of a foolish man.” Do not stop to listen to ‘I’s unrelated to the sequence, because they are coming from the Fool. The Fool is the zero card in the Tarot, because the state we are in reveals imagination to be nothing. This is why the lower self detests it. In fact, he carries a back of tricks with ten thousand options in order to destroy this state. (1-14-07)

“Your speech contains grave errors; you have not given it due consideration.”
[Sumerian Texts, Debate between Bird and Fish]
“Grave errors” refers to a work ‘I’ not acting—a broken sequence. This is what happened when Moses broke the tablets. The Aztec Texts say, “Do not walk aimlessly; do not wander without a destination.” Even though they have no destination, homeless people walk back and forth in the same spot, wandering aimlessly. This is illustrated by the Fool card in the Tarot. The Fool card is the zero card, because the fool is not present; he is without substance. The state we are in, however, detects the treachery of the lower self, who is sometimes referred to as the “wanderer.” Moses wandered in the wilderness for forty years—that is, he drifted into imagination at work ‘I’ number four. Jesus, too, wandered in the desert at work ‘I’ number four. (1-1-07)

“He took a box wherein he had several medicines that he carried about him to use as occasion might require.” [The Arabian Nights]
This refers to choosing the appropriate theme. Here, the sequence is referred to as “medicines,” which cure us of the illness of sleep. The work ‘I’s are also called “physicians.” In Luke 4:23, it is written, “Physician, heal thyself”— work ‘I,’ engage presence.

The fool in the Fool card—the lower self—carries a bag of tricks with ten thousand deceptions. The magician in the Magician card—the steward—also has a bag of tricks. However, the steward has great Influence C on his side, and they know every one of the tricks of the lower self, and are teaching us his deceptions one by one. This is why we are present more often, and for longer periods, than we used to be. (1-1-07)

“I have slipped away out of the trap, by saying the name of God.” [Ravidas]
Of course, the “trap” is the fool, illustrated by the figure in the Fool card, with his bag of tricks on his shoulder. He has ten thousand options in his bag; however, in this passage, he has slipped out of the trap with Be. Ibn Arabi said, ‘If you ask what the Word of the Presence is, we will reply, the word ‘Be.’” It is lovely, is it not? Bahauddin said, “Allah means presence.” (12-24-06)

“To know the moral precepts and not apply them to the cure of passions is to be like a diseased man carrying a bag of medicine which he never uses; and this is a grievous failure.” [Gampopa]
“To know the moral precepts and not apply them” means to know the sequence and not use it. Buddha called non-recitation “the rust of the scriptures”—of the sequence. “Is to be like a diseased man carrying a bag of medicine which he never uses.” This is the steward failing to use his tools—his weapons— represented by the Fool with his bag of tricks in the Fool tarot card (0). In Journey Forth by Day, it is written, “Take your garment, your sandals, your staff, your loincloth, and all your weapons.” All of these objects refer to the sequence—the thirty great work ‘I’s. The Egyptians portrayed the pharaoh with a cloth—a garment—on his head, which later became a skullcap for the Jews. It represents reaching work ‘I’ number six. (12-3-06)

[Allah said] “O Children of Israel! Part not with My revelations for a trifling price.”
[Koran 1:41]
A “trifling price” means a foolish price, represented by the Fool card (0) in the tarot. It refers to an ‘I’ unrelated to the sequence, coming from the Fool—the zero card. The Fool carries his bag of tricks on his shoulder, whereas the king of hearts holds his sword over his shoulder. (12-3-06)

“To arrive at the unshakable, you must befriend the Tao.” [Lao-Tzu]
The “unshakable” means that you have completed your sequence and cannot be shaken from prolonged presence. The “Tao” is the sequence. You must “befriend” the sequence—that is, you must engage presence with it. Al-Sulami said, “He who has not founded his journey upon the Koran will attain nothing”— he who has not founded his journey to the present upon the sequence will attain nothing—the zero card in the Tarot. Mohammed said, “In truth we have made the Koran easy to remember.” What is truth but the sequence? (8-6-06)

“The path of the Sufi to God is by struggling against the self.” [Shirwani]
The path of the steward to presence is by struggling against the lower self. How do you struggle against the lower self? By proceeding in an uninterrupted sequence. Similarly, Rumi said, “Journey from your lower self into your Self”— journey to your higher self through the sequence. What a journey it is! If you are not taking this journey, then you are taking a journey to the moon—to imagination. The Fool card in the Tarot, is also the moon—the zero card. (8-6-06)

“The cause of wrong action is the glance. There is danger in the glance. If you correct the glance by returning to God, it departs.” [Ibn Arabi]
This is a new revelation for us. It is illustrated in the Fool card, in which the fool is glancing over his back. He has work ‘I’ number four around his belt and is in control of it. “The cause of wrong action is the glance”—the cause of imagination is a glance—that is, merely giving one’s attention to imagination for an instant. “There is danger in the glance. If you correct the glance by returning to God, it departs.” If you correct the glance by returning to your sequence, you deflect it and continue to the next step. Return to God. (7-19-06)

“God shows evil to be nothing.” [St. Augustine]
Presence shows imagination to be nothing; this is why the lower self is represented by the zero card in the Tarot. In this state, he is nothing at all. (6-14-06)

“To obtain a human body is extremely difficult, so it is foolish to ignore Dharma once having found it.” [Padmasanbhava]
Dharma” is the sequence. The “human body” refers to the six precious utterances, because although they lead one out of the second state, they themselves are still in the second state. When you begin a sequence, you are starting with a “human body,” which emerges from the chaos of the ten thousand ‘I’s. It is foolish to disregard the sequence at this point. A thirteenth-century sculpture depicts a Japanese monk intoning the sequence. One sees the “human body”—the six notes issuing from him.

What is foolishness? The zero card in the Tarot. Everything is foolishness but engaging presence with the sequence. (6-7-06)

“A heedless man, although he utters much of the Scripture does not act accordingly.” [Buddha]
The heedless man is a foolish man. This is represented by the figure of the Fool in the Fool tarot card (0), who has turned his back on the present. You know that if the work ‘I’ engages presence, the sequence is right. Rechungpa said, “Whether the sword is sharp or not will be obvious when you strike.” When you strike imagination with the sequence and produce presence, it becomes obvious whether or not your sword is sharp. (5-28-06)

“This offspring of a dog pretends to be of noble birth.” [The Arabian Nights]
The lower self pretends to be the sequence, which gives birth to consciousness in you. This is represented by the figure of the Fool, behind whom follows a dog, portrayed in the zero card in the tarot. Why is it the zero card? Because when one is present, imagination is nothing. (5-24-06)

“Do not stop to listen to the words of a foolish man.” [Egyptian Texts, Demotic Papyrus]
“Do not stop”—the sequence—“to listen to the words of a foolish man”—to listen to thoughts unrelated to the sequence, coming from the lower self.

The figure of the Fool in the Fool tarot card (0) carries a bag of tricks— the ten thousand ‘I’s—over his shoulder. When he successfully displaces presence, he stands on the ball of his foot, and the steward is flat-footed. (5-14-06)

The Fool tarot card (0)is the zero card, because the Fool is nothing but imagination, turning his back on the present. On his shoulder, he carries a bag of tricks. The Mahabharata says, “He is unrivaled in the tricks of dice, and his tricks are never detected by others.”

“A vainglorious bull turns his back for fear of contest.” [Egyptian Tales]
This refers to the lower self, who is “vain”—asleep—and “vainglorious’— feigning presence. He turns his back, like the Fool in the Fool tarot card. (4-9-06)

The lower self is the Fool, represented by the zero card in the Tarot. Since he cannot be present, the Fool has to whisper something to you that is unrelated to presence.

"Let the yogi undistractedly restrain his mind, as a charioteer restrains his vicious horses." Upanishads
Let the steward restrain the vicious mind (the lower self) which cannot be present, and dedicates all his efforts to displacing our presence. (3-15-06)

“The senseless man hears the call, but is ignorant of the place to which he has been called.” [Gnostic Texts]
The refers to the intellectual parts of centers not promoting presence, but serving the Fool, represented by the zero card in the Tarot. In Matthew 6:3, Jesus said, “Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” (1-22-06)

“Back! Rebel of abominable character, whose step has been impeded by Ra,who did evil, who stepped outside the prescribed path, who loved the fight,and enjoyed quarreling.” [Book of the Victory Over Seth]

The first word, “Back,” refers to the lower self, which is represented by the figure of the Fool with his back turned to presence in the Fool tarot card (0). He is a “rebel of abominable character”—he is not someone you would wish to invite into your home—“whose step has been impeded by Ra”—whose attempts to displace presence have been impeded by your efforts to engage presence—“who did evil”—imagination—“who stepped outside the prescribed path”—who opposed the thirty precious work ‘I’s. The lower self wants you to be interested in anything but being present to your life. He wants you to be in imagination. “Who loved the
fight, and enjoyed quarreling”—he is argumentative, quarrelsome. That is why the non-expression of negative emotions is one of the very last things he wants you to practice; he wants you

“He who prays ceaselessly gradually loses the habit of wandering thoughts.” [The Philokalia, Theophan the Recluse]
He loses the habit of “wandering thoughts”—imagination. This is represented by the Fool wandering in imagination in the Fool tarot card (0). He has his back turned towards us. (12-4-05)

“O dog, would you have us believe you are an honest man, when your back shows us the contrary?” [The Arabian Nights]
“Dog” refers to the Fool in the Fool tarot card (O), who has turned his back on presence. The staff he holds is composed of the thirty mechanical ‘I’s that seek to displace presence. The “honest man” refers to the intellectual parts of centers. However, here, his “back shows us the contrary”—that he has a hidden agenda to displace presence. This idea is illustrated by the statue from the cathedral of Strasbourg, which portrays a smiling figure holding out an apple, but who has poisonous serpents and toads hidden on his back. (11-9-05)

“There is a dog which is always with you, indeed inside your skin—named negative emotions.” [Al-Ghazzali]
This signifies that the dog in the tarot represents the expression of negative emotions. (10-21-05)

“If you could give up tricks and cleverness, that would be the cleverest trick.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]
If you can give up the lower self, you will have the higher self. This will be your cleverest trick. The Fool tarot card (0) represents the trick-master. He has turned his back on presence, and is without a number. He is the zero card, because there is no presence in imagination. You are nothing without presence; you are a zero. In fact, without presence you are the lower self.

The Fool holds a bag of tricks over his shoulder near the knot behind the neck, which he uses to keep you asleep. Hafiz said, “The enemy desires to be as eloquent in writing poems as Hafiz.” The lower self uses very poetic thoughts to draw you away from the present with his bag of tricks. (10-3-05)

“The jester is also the fool.” [Mohammed]
The zero card in the tarot. (10-3-05)

“Attention is standing firmly planted and not wandering.” [Nicephorus the Solitary]
Divided attention is standing firmly planted and not wandering into imagination. The figure of the Fool in tarot card number zero is wandering in imagination, turning his back on the present. (09-18-05)

“The fool shoots a hundred arrows and each one misses the target. If thou art wise, shoot one, and that one straight.” [Saadi]
In the tarot, the zero card is the Fool, who has turned his back on presence. Rumi said that the fool shoots a hundred arrows and each one misses the target. However, the fool is not aiming at this target—the third eye. He is aiming to displace the third eye, and if he shoots a hundred arrows, and we listen to each one of them, he is right on target, for he has lured us away from the present. (07-24-05)

“The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness.”[Ecclesiastes 2:14]
The Fool tarot card is the zero card; it does not even have a number. The fool is walking in darkness. “The wise man’s eyes are in his head” refers to the intellectual parts of centers promoting presence with work ‘I’s. (3-22-05)

“How foolish is the man who tries to make this world his permanent abode.” [Al-Ghazali]
How foolish is the man who tries to make the four lower centers his permanent abode, when only the third eye can be permanent, immortal. In the Fool tarot card (0), the fool has his back turned. He is the zero card, because one is nothing without presence. (2-22-05)

“God created a mirror: its shining face, the heart; its darkened back, the world; the back would please you if you have never seen the face.” [Jalaluddin Rumi]
The “darkened back”—the four lower centers—would please you if you have never seen the presence of your own higher centers. In fact, eighty billion people have been quite content with the “darkened back”—the second state. In the Fool tarot card (I), the Fool has a darkened back, and is running from presence. (1-23-05)