Sacred Symbols of Initiation, and the Solstice

Celtic Woman

MANY witnesses believe that crop circle formations are a modern spiritual mythology, embedding symbol-encoded occult messages.

These living symbols appear mysteriously every summer in the fields of Wiltshire, UK and elsewhere, an enigmatic presence open to many interpretations.

Some observers maintain that the symbolic formations are ‘mandalas of hope’ for our troubled world, as Theosophical writer David Pratt concludes in his article “Crop Circles and their Message.”

“The basic element of crop glyphs is the circle,” Pratt believes , symbolize “unity, boundless space, and the universal creative spirit or godforce. Crop circles with rings and satellites

sometimes resemble diagrams of the chemical elements, with their orbiting electrons.”

The “Boundless Circle”

“Tacitly admitting the All-Presence of the boundless Circle,” H. P. Blavatsky explains in The Secret Doctrine, makes of it “the universal Postulate upon which the whole of the manifested universe is based.” 

“Although revolution and change often appear to be precipitated by things that happen to us from without,” theosophical astroblogger Lauren Coleman writes: “this process of revolution is also dependent on an inner evolution, an unfolding from within.”

Be Cruelty Free, with a Universal Compassion for Life

THE spiritual sun of consciousness manifests by degrees, not in humans alone, but the  legacy of all kingdoms of nature as befits the plan of their particular hierarchy — from atoms to stars.

Samhain, origin of Halloween, for example, is similar to the Gothic samana, and the Sanskrit sámana — the Hindu God Krishna — all symbols of man’s Higher Diviner Nature.

It is such universal spiritual forces that manifest cyclically during mankind’s darkest times. And the whole of nature, visible and invisible, benefits from such cycles, it is taught in esoteric cycles — wisely appointed beneficent spiritual impulses.

It is no less than in the Bhagavad-Gita (IV:31), where Krishna, the Higher Self of all human beings, assures his disciple Arjuna that he is continually reborn as a a world benefactor.

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It is only selfish Buddhas, the “Pratyekas”, he taught, who remain in the their selfish state of personal Nirvana and refuse to reach out to help others. Corresponding examples of such evil separateness can be found in all walks of life in every culture and clime.

“I produce myself among creatures whenever there is a decline of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world,” says Krishna, “and thus  

I incarnate from age to age for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness.”

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Our daily sleeping and waking cycles correspond to this universal impulse which daily transports us to our true home. Dreamless sleep is a state “in which even criminals commune through the higher nature with spiritual beings, and enter into the spiritual plane,” wrote W. Q. Judge in Three Planes of Human Life.

Animals have many dream states too, and dreamless states where they commune consciously or unconsciously in varying degrees, depending on the kingdom to which they belong, with the spiritual hierarchies of their particular degree.

“It is the great spiritual reservoir by means of which the tremendous momentum toward evil living is held in check. And because it is involuntary, it is constantly salutary in its effect.”

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In an ideal world, perfect harmony and balance between man and nature would be the norm. Thus, the keynote of Mme. Blavatsky’s worldview was the just and moral treatment of all the beings in nature, the First Object of the Theosophical Society, Universal Brotherhood.

This foundational teaching of Theosophy is expressed in The Secret Doctrine, Summing Up #5, which states that “everything in the Universe, throughout all its kingdoms, is conscious,” and

“…endowed with a consciousness of its own kind and on its own plane of perception.”

‡

Consequently, Mme. Blavatsky was adamant in opposing animal cruelty. She spoke out forcefully against sport hunting, foxes, birds and big game, and most strongly against vivisection — animals in biological experiments.

“If these humble lines could make a few readers seriously turn their thoughts to all the horrors of vivisection,” Blavatsky wished, “the writer would be content.”

Halloween: the Eternal Spiritual Fire

“THE Sun and Venus align themselves this week with the Pluto/Chiron sextile that is arranged in the background of our lives.”

“This alignment is in preparation for the Taurus Full Moon,” explains Lauren at Astrology by Lauren — a Theosophy inspired website — “which culminates on the 6th of November.” 

“Full Moons often bring things to a head, or unveils truths,” she writes: “this one also brings healing, or at least the tools to relieve ourselves of some serious baggage. It’s up to us to use them.” To read the full essay and next week’s horoscopes, visit the Articles and Horoscopes page.

Halloween, an annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, is importantly in Theosophy understood as a harvest festival.

It is called “Samhain” (Summer’s End), and is rooted in Celtic polytheism. The word is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November. 

The Halloween time was the beginning of a “darker” season on Earth, with less sunlight and shorter days. But instead of the usual psychic horrors and scary costumes, we choose instead to reflect upon an inner spiritual sun, symbolized by a flaming candle placed inside a hollow pumpkin.

Candlelight Vigil

“Today the season has morphed into a holiday celebrated with costumed children and treats, where children make their rounds like so many fairies and demons from beyond the veil,” Lauren writes:

“In ancient Ireland bonfires were lit in honor of the dying sun, and as a beacon to remind the Sun to return once more from the underworld, in order to light our days once again here in the North.

And so we continue to celebrate this most magical time of year with hope and anticipation of the returning light.”

Bonfire Dance

The spiritual sun consciousness manifests, by degrees, and is the inheritance of all kingdoms of nature as befits the plan of their particular hierarchy — from an atom to a star — not humankind alone.

Samhain, origin of Halloween, is similar to the Gothic samana, and the Sanskrit sámana — which is the Hindu God Krishna, a symbol of the Higher Self, who incarnates cyclically at mankind’s darkest times.

“Even though myself unborn, of changeless essence, and the lord of all existence, yet in presiding over nature — which is mine,” Krishna says in Ch. 4 of the Bhagavad-Gita: “I produce myself among creatures…whenever there is a decline of virtue and an insurrection of vice and injustice in the world; and thus I incarnate from age to age for the preservation of the just, the destruction of the wicked, and the establishment of righteousness.”

In the Bhagavad-Gita (IV:31), Krishna assures his disciple Arjuna that as a world benefactor he is reborn to nature and humanity. It is only the selfish Buddhas, the “Pratyekas” who remain in the their selfish state of personal Nirvana and refuse to reach out to help others.

Our daily sleeping and waking cycles correspond to this universal impulse which daily transports us to our true home.

W. Q. Judge explains in The Three Planes of Human Life, that dreamless sleep is a state “in which even criminals commune through the higher nature with spiritual beings, and enter into the spiritual plane.” 

Animals have many dream states too, and dreamless states where they commune consciously or unconsciously in varying degrees, depending on the kingdom to which they belong, with the spiritual hierarchies of their particular degree. For humans

“… it is the great spiritual reservoir by means of which the tremendous momentum toward evil living is held in check. And because it is involuntary with them, it is constantly salutary in its effect.”

In an ideal world, perfect harmony and balance between man and nature would be recognized and practiced by all. Thus, the keynote of Mme. Blavatsky’s worldview was the just and moral treatment of all the beings in nature, the First Object of the Theosophical Society, Universal Brotherhood.

All Nature is Conscious

This foundational teaching of Theosophy is expressed in The Secret Doctrine, Summing Up #5, which states that “everything in the Universe, throughout all its kingdoms, is conscious,” and

“…endowed with a consciousness of its own kind and on its own plane of perception.”

‡

Consequently, Mme. Blavatsky was adamant in opposing animal cruelty. She spoke out forcefully against sport hunting, foxes, birds and big game, and most strongly against vivisection — animals in biological experiments.

“If these humble lines could make a few readers seriously turn their thoughts to all the horrors of vivisection,” Blavatsky wished, “the writer would be content.”

Sacred Dawn

TODAY is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, which means it’s the longest day of the year in 2011.

The exact moment of the solstice today will occur at 1:16 p.m. ET. In the Southern Hemisphere, today actually marks the 2011 winter solstice.

As with mythology, such traditions appeal to our imagination and are open to different interpretations.

“Although revolution and change often appear to be precipitated by things that happen to us from without,” theosophical astroblogger Lauren Coleman assures us:

“this process of revolution is also dependent on an inner evolution, an unfolding from within.”

Ω

“Heralding the beginning of summer and the longest day of the year,” writes astrologer Elaine Kalantarian, “the June solstice was called Midsummer by the Celts.”

Many people believe that the summer crop circles in Wiltshire UK carry a symbolically encoded message. (Click here, or on the photo below to view the latest circles.)

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Symbology experts such as researcher Freddy Silva, imagine that the enigmatic designs in growing fields are sacred geometry, and may represent ‘mandalas of hope’ for our troubled world. 

Theosophical scholar, David Pratt, thinks so. In his engaging article “Crop Circles and their Message,” he theorizes: “The basic element of crop glyphs is the circle which can symbolize unity, boundless space, and the universal creative spirit or godforce.”

“Crop circles with rings and satellite circles sometimes resemble diagrams of the chemical elements, with their orbiting electrons.”

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Lighted from Within

HALLOWEEN is an annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Known also as a harvest festival, called Samhain (“Summer’s End”), it is rooted in Celtic polytheism. The word is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November.

It was the beginning of a “darker” season on Earth, with less sunlight and shorter days. In place of the usual psychic horrors and scary costumes, we chose instead to consider the symbol of an inner or spiritual sun, represented by a flaming candle placed inside the pumpkin.

Samhain is similar to the Gothic samana, and the Sanskrit sámana. The Hindu God Krishna, symbol of the Higher Self, notably incarnates cyclically at mankind’s darkest times.

New Spiritual Patterns 3

Celtic Woman

MANY people believe that crop formations carry a symbolically encoded message.

As with mythology, symbolism appeals to our imagination and is open to different interpretations.

But most researchers would agree that crop formations are ‘mandalas of hope’ for our troubled world, Theosophy writer David Pratt reports in his article “Crop Circles and their Message.”

Pratt theorizes “the basic element of crop glyphs is the circle, which can symbolize unity, boundless space, and the universal creative spirit or godforce.”

“Crop circles with rings and satellite circles sometimes resemble diagrams of the chemical elements, with their orbiting electrons.”

“Tacitly admitting the All-Presence of the boundless Circle and making of it the universal Postulate upon which the whole of the manifested universe is based,” Blavatsky explains in The Secret Doctrine …

A Solar Puzzle

TODAY marks the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere, and the return of an ancient solar festival.

Significantly there will also be a total lunar eclipse, lending additional power and importance to this cycle.

The Earth, Moon and Sun will be lined up together with the Earth in the middle — say, between a rock and a hot place? 😉

“With Mercury Retrograde, and Pluto thrown into the mix,” astrologer Lauren counsels, “we have a lot of healing, renewing, and rebuilding energy.”

“It’s time to throw out the old and make way for the new,” she says.

It is both the Sun, Theosophy teaches, and our hearts, that are the great renewers. Each continuously radiates a mysterious force — indissolubly connected, they both have a similar physical and a spiritual function.

Occult astrology and astronomy identify many ancient temples, chambers and pyramids around the world as being connected to sun and moon symbology. Such sites and mounds are usually considered mere burial tombs by archeologists ignorant of the occult traditions.

Please note: This post has been updated and republished at:

Wake-up Time