On Hell and the Devil

"For centuries, especially during the Middle Ages, the Church was
forever striking fear into Christians about the punishments of
hell. They claimed they were doing so in order to save souls, but
in reality this approach also resulted in a great deal of damage.
You might even say that souls almost became shelters for the
devil, for people thought so much about him they forgot about
God. Think of all the pictures they painted of the devil! He was
drawn, sculpted and painted, and preachers made excessive use of
him in their sermons or their writings. He was used in the same
way children are threatened with the policeman, the wolf or the
bogeyman to keep them quiet.
But, even in our day and age, there are still people who use
religion in this way, aren’t there? It is very bad from an
educational point of view. Contrary to what they claim, those who
act in this way are not so concerned about the good of souls;
they are mostly seeking to exercise power over them. And if they
are sincere, it is not much better – it means they are ill."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Drunk

"You have seen drunkards, with their zigzagging gait reflecting

their moods, which swing from one extreme to another. They laugh,

then they cry; they look blissful, then furious; they fall asleep

under the table or smash everything up. But wine is not actually

the only thing that causes drunkenness. There are thoughts and

feelings that are like wine: jealousy, anger, sensual desires,

and so on. Those who are in the grip of these wines lose

themselves in the mists and vapours of the astral world, their

gait and their judgment both unsteady.

But there also exists a divine inebriation – ecstasy. And that

inebriation does the opposite; it gives clear-sightedness and

illumines consciousness. It is not forbidden to be drunk; God

himself placed this need in human beings. But they must seek

drunkenness above, in beauty, in light, in drinking the pure

water that springs from the peaks of spiritual mountains. Drink

from this water, and you will experience a wonderful kind of

drunkenness, which will give you balance, strength and clarity."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Le niveau de conscience

Plus le niveau de conscience d'un groupe d'individus s'élève, plus il a une répercussion sur l'entourage, l'environnement, la nature. Une telle action peut avoir une incidence sur une communauté, un pays, l'humanité tout entière... Cela dépend des forces mises en oeuvre pour atteindre l'objectif. Plus la conscience est éveillée, plus l'action peut être intense.

O.Manitara

A Woman's Way

A woman's influence is very different from a man's. A man needs to conquer, to vanquish an opponent. Therefore, his victory is often superficial-he may get the other guy to nod his head, but not his heart.

A woman is able to reach inside a man, so he may not even recognize her influence. He feels as though this was his idea all along.

From where does this talent come? Paradoxically, from the woman's union with a man. So too, from the man's union with a woman, he too can learn to fix the world through nurture.

T. Freeman

Two Minds

When the Infinite Light emanated a world, It did so with two minds, two states of consciousness. One mind sees from above to below -- and so, all is insignificant before it. From above to below, there is no world, only One.

The other mind sees from below to above -- and so all of creation is G-dly to it. From below to above, there is a world to point to the Oneness.

At the nexus of these two minds, at the crux of their paradox, there shines the very Essence of the Infinite Light.

The first mind descended into man; the second into woman.

That is why the man has the power to conquer and subdue, but he lacks a sense of the other.

That is why the woman feels the other. She does not conquer, she nurtures. But her light is tightly constrained and so she is full of harsh judgments.

As they bond together, the man sweetens the judgment of the woman and the woman teaches the man to feel the other. And in that union shines the very Essence of the Infinite.

T. Freeman

A Different Peace

True peace is not a forced truce, not a homogenization of differences, not a common ground that abandons our home territories.

True peace is the oneness that sprouts from diversity, from a panorama of colors, strokes and textures. From the harmony of many instruments each playing a unique part, not one overlapping the other's kingdom by even the breadth of a hair. There, in the most delightful beauty of this world, there shines G-d's most profound oneness.

Those who attempt to blur those borders, they are unwittingly destroying the world. Beginning with the crucial border between man and woman -- for this is the beginning of all diversity, the sharpest focus of G-d's oneness, shining intensely upon His precious world.

T. Freeman

Real Ideas

I don't believe in philosophy.

I believe in ideas that change people.

T. Freeman

Beyond Understanding

God knows all before it occurs. More than that: It is His knowledge that brings all events into being.

But we still have free choice.

You claim this is illogical. I ask you: Knowledge of existence before any thought of any thing exists is logical?

When we talk about the Source of All Existence, our principles of logic no longer apply. We don't understand a thing, because there is no understanding.

T. Freeman

How Could It Happen

You ask me, "Why did God allow it to happen?"

You recognize that everything in this world has purpose and meaning. Examine any aspect of His vast Creation, from the cosmos to the workings of the atom and you will see there must be a plan.

And so you ask, where does this fit into the plan? 

How could it?

I can only answer, painfully, God alone knows.

But what I cannot know, I need not know.

I need not know in order to fulfill 

that which my Creator has created me to do.

And that is, to change the world 

so this could never happen again.

T.Freeman

Objective Faith

If your belief system is based upon what makes sense to you, what you find most gratifying and what best accommodates your own self concept --then you will undoubtedly fear intellectual inquiry. At best, your approach will be subjective and bribed.

However, when your faith is based not upon your subjective self, but because this is the reality of your inner soul, a truth to which it is intrinsically bound --then you are not afraid to inquire. There is no apprehension of being proven wrong, only certitude that you shall understand more.

Therefore, only true faith can be truly objective.

T. Freeman

Better Than the Sun

Some would like to be like the sun, aloof from this world. Whatever material matters they accomplish during their stay occur as if by chance, with no real involvement of their own.

Others become entirely wrapped up in all the fetters and chains of life. They suffer its scars and bruises, delight in its offerings, thirst for its rewards and tremble at its pain.

True tzaddikim emulate their Creator. To them, every detail of life has meaning and purpose--every step is a decision, every move is deliberate. And yet, they remain above it all.

What is their secret?

They remember they are not the body, but the soul.

T.Freeman

There is obviously a connection between thought and action

"There is obviously a connection between thought and action:
anyone who has an idea will hope to realize it. But the strongest
connection is between feeling and action. When you experience
love or anger, why does the feeling make its way immediately to
the physical plane? Whether you intend to or not, you make
gestures which correspond to the feeling. If you love someone,
you are instinctively inclined to smile at them, stroke them and
hug them. If you are annoyed with them, it’s all you can do not
to glare at them or hit them.
Every feeling is expressed via specific gestures. And the
reverse is also true: if you look amazed, you will end up really
feeling it; pretend to be disgusted, and you will also be it.
Just as feelings automatically lead to certain gestures, so
gestures lead to corresponding feelings. These are laws you
should be aware of, so you can put them to use in everyday life."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Gravity

No one has ever seen, touched or measured a particle or a wave of gravity. Furthermore, the very notion of gravity is mystifying: masses light years apart with nothing between them, affecting each other's movements!

Yet we all accept there must be a cause behind the phenomena we observe, so we call this elusive force "gravity."

So too, there is a cause behind existence. That Cause may be even more elusive, but the reality of its existence is at least as inescapable and empirically evident.

T. Freeman

Good Citizens

"Destroy Man's desire to sin" our sages tell us, "and you would destroy the world."

Not that anyone needs to sin. But one who lacks the desire to sin is not a citizen of this world. And without citizens, who will effect lasting change?

T.Freeman

Two Are One

Many people, without realizing, end up with two gods:

One god is an impersonal, all-encompassing, transcendent force.

But then, at times of trouble, they cry out to another, personal god, with whom they have an intimate relationship.

Our faith is all about knowing that these two are one. The same God who is beyond all things, He is the same one who hears your cries and counts your tears. The same God who is the force behind all existence and transcends even that, He is the same God who cares about what is cooking in your kitchen and how you treat your fellow human being.

God cannot be defined, even as transcendent. He is beyond all things and within them at once.

T. Freeman

The Dream

You build a dream house.

You start with a dream. The dream becomes a plan. The plan becomes a lot of dirty work. The dirty work becomes a house. If you are successful, it is the house of your dreams.

Dream, plan, dirty work, success. Why is this the fundamental strategy of all human endeavor? Because it is the story of the universe.

Those who can feel the dream, those who can read the plan, they see we are now at the finishing touches.

T.Freeman

Getting Ahead with Failure

  There is only one thing that can put you further ahead than success, and that is surviving failure.

When you are successful, you are whole and complete. That is wonderful, but you cannot break out beyond your own universe.

When you fail, you are broken. You look at the pieces of yourself lying on the ground and say, "This is worthless."

Now you can escape. The shell is broken, the shell of a created being. Now you can grow to join the Infinite.

T. Freeman

Disinterestedness

"Disinterestedness is not the most widespread of virtues where

humans are concerned. Even when they give something away or give

generous speeches, there is nearly always a hidden motive. Of

course, no gesture, feeling or thought can truly be absolutely

disinterested. Even love of God is motivated by self-interest.

Those who love God know they will gain light, freedom and eternal

life, so their love contains an element of self-interest. But in

changing its objective, this interest has moved to another level,

for light, freedom and eternal life are divine acquisitions.

So this is the direction we must go in: we must conquer the

lower interest, which tends only to satisfy the instincts and

desires, and find a higher interest: the need to grow, to become

nobler, more godlike. But this too has an element of

self-interest – whatever we do, we act in our own interest."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

"People say, ‘I am my own master; no one has the right to impose their will on me.

"People say, ‘I am my own master; no one has the right to impose
their will on me.’ Poor things, are they really in control? (When
I say ‘they’, I am referring to their divine self.) Well, no, you
can’t be certain. Others have taken their place – chaotic, dark
forces, passions they allow to rage within. Meanwhile, their true
self is like a prisoner cooped up in some dungeon, fed on crusts
of bread and a little water. They suffer and are miserable.
So many people think themselves free and powerful! And maybe for
a while at least they succeed in imposing themselves on those
around them, or even on a whole country, but their freedom and
their power are only apparent ones. Inside them there is anarchy,
and this inner anarchy is much more serious and dangerous than
political or social anarchy. Prisons, clinics and psychiatric
hospitals are full of it. How long will this go on? Until those
who are conscious and vigilant are able to restore the divine
principle as their inner authority."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Tout se passe toujours d'abord dans les mondes invisibles

Tout se passe toujours d'abord dans les mondes invisibles avant d'apparaître dans les mondes visibles. Quand tu vois une chose, c'est qu'elle est déjà faite. Si tu vois de l'eau couler, c'est qu'elle coulait avant que tu ne la voies. Il est dit dans la Bible que Moïse a frappé un rocher de sa baguette et que l'eau a jailli, mais Moïse n'a pas créé l'eau. Avec une baguette de sourcier, il a simplement repéré un courant d'eau qui était caché et l'a montré : il a montré ce qui était caché. L'eau était déjà là. Rien ne peut apparaître qui n'existe déjà. Quand tu parles, tu fais apparaître un monde qui était caché. Il y a toujours deux mondes : le visible et l'invisible.

O. Manitara