beginning the great work......
SPIRITUAL MYSTERY SCHOOLS
Guide Policies and Procedures
KNOW THYSELF!
Welcome! You are beginning a great adventure. It is called the “Great Work.” The result of the Great Work is to KNOW yourself! Know yourself as a Body, Soul and Spirit. This is not the path for those who are only curious. It is not a path for a dabbler. This is the path for true seekers. There are many paths, and it is up to you to decide if this is YOUR path.
About Spiritual Mystery Schools
As a global mystery school network, we offer the esoteric teachings of Hermetic Knowledge; and Shamanism in the Celtic, Druidic, and Native American traditions. Our teachings come from a system of spiritual discipline known as the Hermetic path. The path originated from the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, the legendary Egyptian Master. He has been credited for being one of the founders of the mystery teachings, and is considered to be the one who “discovered” Alchemy.
A part of the Hermetic path includes study of the Hermetic Qabalah, which is ”a dynamic system of Judeo-Christian theosophy, mysticism, and theology. It is founded on the ancient traditions and teachings of several groups. These are the Jews, the Babylonians, and the Syrians. In later times this tradition included the Essenes, whose notable members were John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth.” Hermetic knowledge is also called Esoterism, which is defined as “the theory and practice of the arcane or mystical arts and sciences.”
Spiritual Mystery Schools are based on the Right Hand Path, and we are dedicated to the purpose of illuminating all Humankind.
Our Mission Statement
We serve those who seek light and knowledge.
1- We act as a teaching organization.
2- We train Initiates for service as Teachers of the mysteries, activators, healers, and channels of light. Initiates advance through 3 grades of instruction and training we call “Initiation”. Our goal is to bring these teachings into the mass consciousness of Humankind to create Shamballah which is defined as the Universal Brotherhood and Sisterhood on Earth.
3- We seek personal evolution and the full expression of the qualities of Wisdom, Devotion, and Power. “Wisdom evolves as we apply understanding to knowledge we have gained with correct action. Devotion is developed through meditation, which evolves our emotional nature and prepares us for oneness. Power is developed through the application of Wisdom and Devotion, through Ritual and Ceremony. The power directed through Ritual and Ceremony is the power of LOVE, and we believe this is the only true power in the Universe.”
Spiritual Mystery Schools do not discriminate against any person regardless of gender, religious or social background, and status. Our curriculum is one of study (seminars, workshops, and study of written materials), meditation, and ritual. Lessons center on the Kabbalah, Channeling, Shamanism and specific Healing and Activation Modalities. We weave Ritual and Ceremonial training through all seminars and workshops.
Seminars offer instruction in tools and techniques as well as the philosophy of the Mystery Schools. We provide specific tools to assist you in evolving and overcoming the negative ego.
Later, on the path of Initiation, these programs empower you if you wish to work as a Metaphysical Teacher, Healer, or Ceremonial Master.
Meditation is used to create a personal communication with the only true teacher, your Higher Self.
Ritual & Ceremonies are used for many purposes, the most frequent being Initiation. Initiations are used to create changes in consciousness and bring empowerment. Initiation offers direct connection to the Hierarchy of Light and offers tremendous protection! Ceremonies are offered on a regular schedule. Generally, ceremonies are separate from Seminar Training in order to maintain the sacred nature of Ceremony!
Many of our programs are based on healing. Through the use of energy, light, and sound we train Initiates to channel energy for all who are in need as they heal and evolve themselves. In the end, all healing is self healing.
You can find a Teacher or Guide near you on www.thespiritualmysteryschool.com. These Guides teach, heal, and work as metaphysical professionals as they progress through the grades of Initiation. These leaders of light can offer you Initiation, basic seminars and workshops, healing, and many personal services.
Spiritual Mystery Schools are not a church or religion! We are a membership organization, seeking to uplift Humankind, one seeker at a time. We are dedicated to the goal of establishing Shamballah (also called New Jerusalem and Shangri-La), and an age of light and knowledge here on Earth. We will never urge to you take classes, seminars, or to receive private services. These are steps you must consider seriously and decide for yourself without persuasion.
A well known saying within the Mystery Schools is “When the Student is Ready, a
Teacher Will Appear.”
Harmony & Ethics
In the tradition of mystery schools, lodges, and esoteric orders, the people you work with are truly your brothers and sisters of Spirit. When Initiates bond together to work ceremony, they truly become a family. As a result, it is customary to call those who are participating in or teaching you the mysteries “Brother or Sisters.”
The opportunity to receive Instruction in the practice of the Mysteries is a great privilege, at this stage of Humankind’s development, the Age of Brotherhood is like a delicate flower. It requires attention and care.
A few things are required of you: Efficiency and Serenity. Serenity is necessary to maintain an atmosphere suitable for spiritual work. Of the two, serenity is the more important. Another need is that “quiet flow of good humor!” Cheerful co-operation and conformance to the rules is absolutely necessary in any Spiritual organization.
We need to develop the ability to laugh at ourselves when we find we are taking ourselves too seriously. We must learn to laugh WITH our brothers and sisters, and not at them. To have sympathy for everyone and recognize that we all make the same mistakes, and we all have clay feet (lack authenticity) is most important if we are going to advance on the path. When we can see the divinity in another, in every living thing, we are indeed in that place of harmony with each other and the world in general.
It is an inner law that if we focus on the small imperfections in our brothers and sisters we will tend to give power, energy, and new life to those undesirable traits. If we focus on that which is praiseworthy, admirable and spiritual, we will find those positive traits grow, while the negative ones disappear from lack of energy. In this way we help each other to evolve in more positive ways. Summing it up: Don’t focus on the negative traits, focus on the positive!
This positive imagery becomes especially important when we are considering our attitude toward our leaders. Images of loving support, respect, and confidence aid these personalities to serve us ever more effectively for the benefit of all.
Morals and Ethics in Esotericism
There is not an organization religious, scientific, political or otherwise without a code of conduct that could be called “Morals and Ethics.” Spiritual Organizations are often an exception. This is not because there is no morality in spirituality, but it is that the standards of behavior are not established.
The best we have to offer qualifies as basic common sense and simple guidelines. Those who learn through Mystery Schools are by and large seeking Spiritual Growth. It seems to be a paradox to seek Spiritual Growth without some sort of guidance through a set of moral codes and ethical behavior patterns.
If you study ethics you will learn that our ideas of what is ethical change from age to age.
Absolute truth is changeless! Relative truth changes. To explain this: what is true for the child is no longer true or applicable for the adult. Concepts such as the infallibility of the parents, the idea of Santa Claus all change with time. However, the fundamentals of ethical behavior cannot and will not change.
Morals and ethics are guidelines! They will enable a seeker of spiritual truth to proceed without infringing on the free agency (liberties and rights) of any other person, and to avoid creating blocks in her own path or Karma which must be repaid sooner or later. Morals and ethics as guidelines can only be vaguely defined. To make “laws and punishments” is to create dogma which limits the opportunity for learning and spiritual growth.
The Law Initiates live by is “Do as you will, as long as your choice does not harm anyone.”
Beyond that there are a few simple guidelines—they are deceptively simple. What is NOT so simple is the willingness to follow these guidelines. These simple truths have been with us a long time; they are often neglected in our everyday busy lives. These simple principles of truth are what are commonly called “The Sermon on the Mount.” These simple yet powerful admonitions are enough to guide our choices.
Regarding what is commonly called “white magic and black magic.” The simple facts are: There is no such thing as either white or black magic, there is only magic—just as there is no “black electricity” or “white electricity.” What is the issue is the use of these kinds of power. In electricity, electrocuting another person would cause someone to think of the power as black or evil. Or you could begin to think of the use of that power to light a house as white or good. Well, the same logic applies in magic. If the end result is intended to be for good, then we would call the use of the power white. Where the intent is to do harm, the use can be called black. But magic in itself, like electricity, is neutral and is simply a force that can be directed.
In some traditions, it is required that the Initiate or Master be compensated for the work they do. This is a tradition of “paid ministry” and many religions as well as mystery traditions require compensation for teaching and for ceremonies performed on the behalf of individuals or groups. For example; in the Native American tradition, some medicine teachers and psychics were not allowed to reveal the mysteries or the future unless they had been paid first. Some traditions require an exchange of service as compensation in kind for the energy or ceremony. Each individual initiated into a particular tradition is bound to honor the tradition they are working through! To do otherwise is to void the magical current set up by Initiation into that tradition!
Secrecy. Many times in occult teachings you will encounter the motto: “To Know, to Will, to Dare, and to be Silent.” What they meant by this reference is not so much to refrain from sharing, but to keep things to yourself. The reason for this is the Power within need silence and focus to grow. Talking dissipates the energy and power!
“Thou shalt not be another man’s guru.” Today there are many lonely, disillusioned people seeking someone, something. A hidden hunger causes them to reach out in all directions. They try this ‘ism’ and that, this regimen or that activation from a different tradition. They seek spiritual growth, awareness, ascension, and nirvana. They seek the Messiah, an Avatar who can demonstrate the proper magical powers, or at least a teacher who can show the way. Some of these seekers become the prey of any good con artist who can represent themselves as an avatar or guru! To teach someone when you have not mastered the work, to guide someone when you don’t know where you are going, is to inflict the worst of Karmic sins. It is one thing to endanger your own well being; it is quite another thing to guide someone else, one who trusts you, to the same pit.
If you want to be a magician or an alchemist, BE one, don’t merely POSE as one. No true magician will initiate a ritual without being sure it does not conflict with individual freedoms, and no healer will work without the consent of the one being treated. Gratuitous help, no matter how good the intent, if going contrary to the will of the recipient, is not only harmful, it bears the karmic consequences mentioned. If you work on your own behalf, the only person you can hurt is yourself and that is entirely your right. If you wish to work for someone else’s benefit, unless you have been well prepared and understand fully what you are doing, the best choice is simply to be a good example.
One adept, the Master Jesus, summed it up very nicely with his words; “If I be lifted up (spiritually enlightened) I will lift mankind with me.”
