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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT
IS INITIATION IN THE WESTERN SPIRITUAL TRADITION?
Initation
is a process by which the Individual awakens to a deeper understanding
(and in time direct perception) of the invisible spiritual realities
which shape our lives and all of creation. The Western Spiritual
Tradition teaches the essential knowledge and practices of Spiritual
Initiation through concepts which can be clearly understood
by modern Western students. It includes deep teachings from
earlier traditions (such as the Ancient Egyptian) put into images
and concepts which make sense to us today. In the VESICA classes,
there is a particular emphasis on the high level teachings and
practices of the European Rosicrucian and Holy Grail Traditions,
as exemplified in works such as those of the great Austrian
spiritual scientist Rudolf Steiner.
HOW
DOES THE WESTERN SPIRITUAL TRADITION APPLY TO MY LIFE?
The
Western Spiritual Tradition teachings and practices provide
essential keys for modern Western people to understand the spiritual
realities which guide our lives. Today we see an unprecedented
growth in the number of people who are on independent spiritual
journeys, who no longer completely subscribe to the dogmas of
a particular religious group but want to know for themselves.
This growth of the “New Age” movement has led to the
dissemination of many different fragments of information and
practices from different traditions, but with very few resources
available to put these fragments back into a coherent picture.
The VESICA trainings in the Western Spiritual Tradition are
devoted to offering a clear, coherent, and grounded context
(and the missing pieces of practices and information) which
is so hard to find today.
WHO
CAN BENEFIT FROM LEARNING THIS?
Anyone
seeking to clearly understand the essential spiritual realities
which create and shape our lives. Our students come from many
different traditions and backgrounds, but share one thing in
common: they have not been satisfied by the fragments of information
available elsewhere and seek an independent understanding of
“how all the pieces fit together.” In reality, there
are two important aspects to our classes. The first is that
they offer a concise synthesis of information and practices
simply not available anywhere else, which allows individuals
of any spiritual background to make significant advances in
their own spiritual journey; this is the aspect which is shared
by all students. The second aspect is the training in the deeper
knowledge and practices of the Rosicrucian and Holy Grail tradition;
this is the true spiritual home of many spiritual seekers today,
but there are few resources available which illuminate this
path. So some students absorb the teachings from the Rosicrucian/Holy
Grail Traditions that we offer as simply a part of their larger
understanding of spiritual traditions and perspectives, whereas
others find in them their true home.
HOW
DO YOUR TEACHINGS REGARDING THE ROSICRUCIAN AND HOLY GRAIL
TRADITIONS DIFFER FROM OTHERS?
This
is a deep question, but in short there are two aspects to emphasize:
1.
Many of the external groups teaching “Rosicrucian” knowledge
have a particular institutionalized form, in other words they are
organizations with particular claims and grand titles of authority
given to their leaders. We on the other hand believe that the Rosicrucian
spiritual impulse is not restricted to any one organization, and is
a matter for the independent understanding and development of the
free individual. We make no claims as to our own status, nor do we
foster in students the desire to attain any titles or organizational
positions of authority; our sole interest is in the individual’s
direct connection to the spiritual realities which stand behind these
traditions. We appreciate the work done within these various Rosicrucian
organizations and sincerely wish them the best on their journey, but
we have not found the deeper teachings and practices of the Tradition
to be optimally cultivated in their hierarchical structures. Others
of course may disagree, and we hope they find what they seek on their
chosen path. But we hold that the spiritual realities behind the Rosicrucian
tradition cede their authority to no organization, and work with any
individual who sincerely strives toward them. That is the essential
basis of the Rosicrucian movement from its first beginnings over 500
years ago.
We have found as a matter of direct spiritual perception that
the works of the late Austrian Rosicrucian teacher Dr. Rudolf
Steiner are the most advanced publicly available Rosicrucian
documents. Accordingly we work with these extensively, and offer
clear summaries of some of the less-publicized deeper aspects
of his work as an essential part of our courses. However we
have no formal connection to any institutions or organizations
related to Dr. Steiner’s legacy.
2.
Much of what is currently publicized about these traditions
in New Age circles today is unfortunately highly sensationalized,
superficial, and often completely inaccurate. The Holy Grail
Mysteries in particular have been reduced from a method to
directly connect the individual to high spiritual realities,
to instead have a materialistic focus on “Bloodlines”
and hidden hierarchical authorities of the Holy Grail. What
we offer in our trainings are the deeper spiritual knowledge
and practices which lead toward the true treasure to be found
in these Mysteries.
In
reality, the Rosicrucian and Holy Grail traditions have always
warned of something called “Occult Materialism”,
which is the tendency of neophyte spiritual seekers to reduce
great transcendental spiritual realities to purely materialistic
explanations. We see this tendency everywhere today in “spiritual”
writings and initiatives which actually have nothing spiritual
in them; for instance Angelic beings described in ancient
texts are explained as being something completely material,
ranging from a metaphor for church officials to flesh-and-blood
‘ET’s’. We know through direct experience that
the Holy Grail is far more than a physical bloodline, and
we invite those who feel unsatisfied with the shallowness
of currently popular ideas of that kind to join us in exploring
the spiritual realities which the real Rosicrucian and Holy
Grail Traditions are based upon.
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