The Maker of the Martyr

In THE LADDER OF DIVINE ASCENT, John Klimacus speaks:

On Unmanly Fears STEP 21

If you pursue virtue in a monastery or in gatherings of holy men, you are unlikely to be attacked by cowardice. But if you pass your time in solitary abodes, you must strive not to be mastered by cowardice, the child of vainglory, the daughter of unbelief. Cowardice is childish behavior within a soul advanced in years and vainglory. It is a lapse from faith that comes from anticipating the unexpected. Fear is danger tasted in advance, a quiver as the heart takes fright before unnamed calamity. Fear is a loss of assurance. A proud soul is a slave of cowardice. Trusting only itself, it is frightened by a sound or a shadow. Those who mourn and those who are insensitive suffer no cowardice, but the fearful and the frightened often collapse and their minds are unhinged. Nor is this unreasonable. For the Lord rightly withdraws His protection from the proud so that the rest of us may not become vain.

 

 

On “guilds the plying” I wrote in a prior essay (THE UNDETERMINED FEAR):

Re: Book of Revelation

The woman represents the Prophet carrying Wisdom within the Sacrament of Reason. Why is she called the great harlot? Hosea 1.2 says … The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto you a wife of harlotry and children of harlotry: for the land has committed great harlotry, departing from the LORD. Hosea was to marry into that of the secular/religious in order to do the will of the Lord. This has to do with God Purpose. That he married a harlot is not the teaching; the teaching in this command is that he partnered with that of mankind, as Hosea was not of man. Hosea was of God. This was/is a necessary practice for one who prophesies on Truth, as this process guilds the plying. Make ready… prepare yourselves … pick up your mat and walk … take up the cross and follow … tell the people to get moving!

 

 

What is meant by guilds the plying? First, religious often yearn for change in their institution. They go on and on about REFORM—what to do, how it’s done, where they should go, who they should hire, what they should do away with, what should be added  … Almost never do I hear a connectedness to:

a. The Prophet on Truth b. The Mystics within this advance c. The signs and the places d. Spiritual Gifts and Gifting e. Spiritual Awareness f. God Purpose. Almost ALL of the TEACHINGS they say they subscribe to in Holy Scripture never quite make it to the table for the real discussion. These are often Corporate Advocates at work, not chosen ADVISORS ordained by God. This is not to say that God does not have His chosen working the fields, trying to guide, or build, or move people. But it is necessary to ask why God would need to move people. Well, one does not need to be a prophet or a seer to see what has happened in the institutions, regardless of what or who they claim as their authority, and for these reform seekers to grab at the plight of the poor to use as cloak of credibility and justice … or to orchestrate in a way that fuels the less aware to acts of aggression, and or the village equinox … does not withdraw the poison from the system, nor does it cleanse any of hypocrisy and malpractice. Master says: I gave you a “talent” … what did you do with it? What—buried? Return it that I might give to those who have returned unto Me.

Look around, does anyone look to you like a John Klimacus? Forget the “doctors” of The Roman Catholic Church, The Orthodox Church, and the other Christian denominations, and look specifically at one, or even two or three, who have the qualified, impartial, Spirit drive as Klimacus. Not much is known about him, and this is a splendid thing. What we do have are texts—the writing. Had he been a painter, we might’ve seen some really outlandish, near impossible imagery—imagery that many may have doubted, like a two-headed angelic being, a dog-like figure with no eyes, but with nose and ears of significant worth. He would not have been a Michelangelo, fixated on the male figure as a beautiful ornament of desire. His desire wasn’t man, or woman, and his paintings depicting God would never have been a male figure—front or back—because John speaks the Language of the Spirit through human hands. The Spirit doesn’t look like what man/religious see through his limited vision. The Spirit speaks in articles of Symbol, Light, and Character of Truth. Unfortunately, these “images” seldom make it to the table in the corporate discussions.

    I appreciate the Orthodox ikon for its sublime intent, primarily the old ones, for these carry a truthfulness beyond the desire of the flesh. One must be an archaic to see beyond these graves, and to understand the premise, and how this differs from the ikon of the West. But I do not write this to impose belief in one being superior to the other. The other had its reasons, even its season, and its intent, for those in need of this, desiring this, wanting this … Like the spectacular Lord of the Rings in film, and in book form: two different visuals—two different vessels. I share this to bring to light the advance—the need for movement, away from what has become complacent, stagnant, even corporate and or diseased. WE must return to the SYMBOLOGY—the IMAGES of Truth and gain a better understanding of what is Teaching: WHAT IS TRUTH—WHAT IS GOD. And this cannot be done without gaining insight into the Angelic Messenger, and those used within Prophesy: God and man ongoing. And I should say, again, even though this is a highly complex movement of place and people and purpose … CHOICE is never denied.

 

 

 

Guilds the plying is the respondent gesture from those having heard the Spiritual Call (not religion call)—SPIRIT CALLING—responded, and moved to necessary usefulness of God Purpose. These look at themselves not in the body of a man or a woman, but as vessels of something almost alien, undefined by manmade complexion. There are no pictures or studies yet in these vessels, for these are in the process of being written. These “ikons” are blueprints for something growing, blooming—something up ahead that may one day be as commonplace as the Liturgical Sacrament.

 

This is the needed Movement.

 

A little of the starter is brought in to begin anew—to restore, and to move within the Return. Recall I wrote than man is still in infancy on God, some as adolescents, and this gives the believer the canvas to see how much more NEEDS writing—gifting, seeing, knowing and being known. Within this, we bring that which holds water to the table, and build (grow) in soil more suitable. You see, for me, it’s not ABOUT the Roman Catholic Church, and it’s not ABOUT the Orthodox Church, or any other denomination. My work and worth are not bound to these, or aligned with the doctrine of these institutions. This does not mean I do not work with those calling themselves Catholics or calling themselves Orthodox, but I am not waiting on Bishops, Popes, Priests in set institutions, fighting and arguing and waiting for these to decide on this or that … Reform is not an option for me. I see what’s ahead and know my place. If something is in the way of “vision” for many in the time to move, it will be removed. People will still choose, but they will at least have CHOICE. This is what needs moving. 

 

 

I look out across the plains of man and I see forests with unique trees, trees with interesting leaves, flowering, some even grow fruit, but I also cannot ignore the seasons of these. What is beautiful in spring may not be so beautiful in the fall, and yet, for another, what is beautiful in the fall, may appear quite unspectacular in the spring. Each has a purpose, however, and should ‘it’ choose to grow under the Light of Truth, it Becomes of something greater than itself, and this is not the forest, but the life-saver. Healers are a ridiculed and rejected testament in the Work and Worth of the One, primarily because man, his ego, agendas and selfish ways will not permit it. He allows himself an open vessel for the enemy, and when many open similarly, it becomes an epidemic. What insects feast inside this tree, and those like it, rendering it problematic? Unfruitful? Or with contaminated fruit? How do you recall death? If something or someone dies from eating contaminated fruit, how can one bring to life what is dead?

In John 11, the story tells of a certain man, Lazarus of Bethany (Bethany meaning: house of figs), the town of MARY AND HER SISTER MARTHA. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

Read the verses … The disciples said to Him, “Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if he walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”

Jesus continues … “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I might wake him up.” 

And do not forget that Thomas, who is also called Twin, says: LET US ALSO GO THAT WE MAY DIE WITH HIM.

 

 

John makes a point of bringing to the attention of those hearing, the following:

God has helped the house of figs, which translates to “the house which contains fruit is helped by God.” In other words, the Lord woke the fruit of the Spirit in the house of Lazarus because Mary (and Martha, for she opened their house and made ready this table)) anointed Jesus with fragrant oil, and this prepared the way for the Gift of Healing. Lord is clear in the Teaching: whatever you did not do for the least of these you did not do for me. Symbolically, Mary was and is “the least of these.” This speaks on the fragrance and fruit of the Feminine Divine—the ESSENCE OF THE SPIRITUALITY OF CHRIST. This would also be true where Lord says whoever welcomes a prophet receives a prophet’s reward.

 

 

In the Text by the hands of Klimacus,  we see many articles of Teaching. John lived in a “time of the monk,” where the life was obscure, predetermined in scope, existential in habit, and yet, rich in a feverish desire to see and experience Spirit, which required cleansing within. Many listened to voices not so fair—not of the penitential Life. Many succumbed to these voices and were rendered of little use in the Worth and the Work. Many claiming to be monks today are of repetitious vocation, succumbing to an idea of what this life is. It is now of memory. Even something as big and grand as the Roman Catholic Church is memory. It no longer is what is once was. This was a place of determination and focus. It has become something other. This would be true of other religious sects, as well. Fear is danger tasted in advance. The carrion sees its potential demise and acts too often according to its own wishes, not the safe-keeping of the young. Is it not of these Teachings that we are to come into knowledge? If the Lord says this tastes of brine, and is bitter on the tongue, do you eat of this bitterness? Savior says, I will make you fishers of men.

Note: I was looking in one of the Gospel/Revelation of the Apostles in a book entitled, The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (The Revised and Updated Translation of Sacred Gnostic Texts), to find where Savior speaks of “WISDOM, who is called barren, is the Mother of the angels” (Gospel of Philip) … which is the Teaching on Parable of the Sower, for the proper soil is needed for the Spirit to take root unto God, and what caught my eye was The Teaching of Silvanus. This struck me as of the New Age Silva meditation teaching, and I saw how it is “by their fruits ye shall know them” is often understood in the streambed that follows.

There is always movement … whether people want to move or not, but as I have shared here in SPIR: just because there is activity does not mean there is growth. The Spirit, my friends, is ever-changing, always moving, but cannot be where it is denied. Truth cannot be where Life is not, for Truth LIVES for One. If you look at the story of Ruth, you see the Symbology of Spirit in place.

 

 

 

Trusting only itself, it is frightened by a sound or a shadow.

 

 

 

 

The cowardice of the times is the anarchy of the rich. The belly grows its vainglory, fearful of being found out. It is childish ego that tells the world, “My house is bigger and better than all others, and it shall never die. We will do whatever it takes to keep it from change, even if we have to lie, steal, cheat and throw stones.”

A captured soul is a captured soul.

 

 

 A proud soul is a slave of cowardice.

 

 

 

The companion of the {Savior} is Mary of Magdala (The Gospel of Philip).

Do not hesitate to go in the dark of the night to those places where you are normally frightened. The slightest concession to this weakness means  that this childish and absurd malady will grow old with you. Klimacus

 

 

 

It is now time for some to be silent, while others are called to ignite into the spectacular. It is time to cut away from any so large, especially if damage and disease persist, or where fear renders places insufficient, that the necessary might feel the sun, and move into positions of healing.

 

 

It is not of us to ask to do away with the Sacraments of the Orthodox, but to verify them—renew—even add to them. Like a Book not completely read—an unfinished Book—one possibly having remained in its box, it it time for RENEWAL—the Return.

 

 

The birds migrate south, and by night … they find their leavened bread in the silver of the morning light … which cast its first rays from the East.

 

 

 

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto leavened bread, which a woman took, and hid, within THREE measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. Matthew 13.33

 

 

 

Peace and Love