In so far as history records, not a single one of the Initiates, Avatars (not so named by themselves), Messengers, or anointed bid their followers to worship them. This is equally true of the Nazarene. The Gnostic Fathers did not instruct their followers to worship the Christos, but to bring him into manifestation. No authentic Initiatory school ever taught that a human incarnation was to be worshiped. They all taught two things: The Awakening of the Divine Spark and/or the Christos to become God-like and to Worship God.

It was not until centuries after the passing of the Nazarene that the church taught worship of him and that he was co-equal with God and, in may instances, like Mary his mother, an intercessor for the sinner.

The Nazarene, like all other Initiates and Soul and God Conscious Initiates, had no relish for personal laudation and self-aggrandizement. Like all of the Illuminated and Anointed, his gradual attainment of Soul Consciousness also developed his gradual attainment of Soul Consciousness also developed into modesty and satisfaction with the simple things in life; he thought solely of the glory of the highest, rather than praise of one, knowing full well that in the glorification of the day rested the seeds of condemnation of the morrow.

The Nazarene was an Exampler among Examplers; one of the greatest of all teachers of the Divine Law and leaders of men toward Individualization. He adjured the mass to follow the Light at all times, i.e., obey the law in the Way and the Means of finding this Light. "I speak nothing of myself," he reiterated times without number so that there could be no misunderstanding and that those who followed him would not fall into error of worshiping a personality.

Lift up the son of man (that is, the mortal, carnal, dying self), was his constant command; that he was here only as a Messenger - the Anointed - from Him who had sent him and in His service only was he engaged.

When speaking of the "son of man," he had in mind all men of woman born, and that these sons, born of the flesh, possessed within themselves that which would become the Son of God, if the carnal self were lifted up out of the dregs of sin, evil thinking, desiring and action .for he knew this was the only means of awakening and bringing into manifestation the Christos, or Divine spark, part of God implanted in man, and that this effort constituted true worship of God.

One important aspect or quality of the Light in man, though still dormant, is the conscience. It is the voice of conscience that will make itself manifest to man, more or less clearly, and point the way to righteousness (right doing), unless it has been totally destroyed by continued acts of evil.

It is essential that man should listen to this voice, weigh it in the balance, and follow its indications. If he does this, then the voice will continually become stronger and he will be able to better understand it. Like all other qualities possessed by man, this voice becomes stronger through exercise, i.e., listening to it and obeying its commands.

To the direct question: "What is meant by lifting up the son of man?" the Master-Teacher answered in substance"
To live the Light that is with (in) man." In this respect the Light may be considered as the Voice. He had no desire to confuse. His mission was to make plain the Way so that all might be enabled to follow it. He, more than anyone else, was fully aware that within man there is a director or accuser, a something no generally or easily defined and that this accuser creates an uneasy feeling when the thoughts and desires are of a degrading or destructive nature that would, if obeyed, end in the debasement of the moral, Spiritual nature of man.

The spirit of all true religions consists of this one fundamental: To live according to the best of one's comprehension. The Nazarene simplified this, though making it difficult in the process: "Be ye perfect." If you cannot be perfect, then do the best you can and, in time, perfection with all its rewards will be attained. No man, able to reach a stage of development or consciousness above the animal plane, can commit a wrong or disgraceful act and truthfully claim that the Light or Conscience within him sanctioned it.

This Light or Conscience within acts as a guardian and is part of the Christos, leading only to the eternal verity. He, who follows this Light or Conscience, follows the Christic admonitions and these lead only to acts of righteousness and man's eternal, not merely temporal, well being.

In Luke 11:35, the Nazarene is made to say: "Take heed therefore that the Light which is in thee be not darkness." The correct translation would be, "...that the Light which is in thee be not hidden by darkness," i.e., be clouded by the darkness of evil.

In Matthew 6:23, this is stated somewhat differently and certainly more direct, to the point, and unmistakable: "If therefore the Light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness."

This is the Light which the Nazarene, the Apostolic writers and Initiates, and Initiate Priests of all ages, spoke about so greatly and constantly, in connection with man's Spiritual nature. It can be darkened only by gross thoughts, degrading desires, and carnal, lustful acts. As soon as man awakens even partially to the truth and begins to follow the dictation of his Conscience, voice of the Light, he will gradually, though possibly by slow degrees, gain the knowledge that leads him on toward the goal of the greater Spiritual Light. To "follow the light" is to slowly awaken to pure and idealistic thoughts and desires, which will urge one to actions that will bring harm neither to the self nor to others. For, be it ever remembered, that man is not sufficient unto himself nor does he save himself alone. So long as one Soul is in travail, other Souls do not attain to absolute freedom.

When man's thoughts are gross and carnal, his desires cannot be other than ignoble and delusive, and the acts that will follow, will be of like nature, though temporary pleasure or profits be derived from them. These temporary pleasures will only be loans and must be repaid, usually by pain, loss, misery, sorrow, and the hell of an uneasy conscience. The Light within will be darkened still more. This is the Law of Reaction following action; the Reaction forever and always must be of the nature of the action.

Long before the time of the Nazarene and another great teacher and leader of men, Apollonius of Tyana, like all of the true Initiates inculcated the keynote of truth and reality, namely, that the Light within man which must be brought into manifestation, is the Immortalized Soul.

Throughout the ages, this has been the subject, the aim, and the end of Philosophic Initiation, soul or god Consciousness, just as it is of the New Interpretation of the New Order of the Ages. This cannot change, because this Light to be found and Individualized is the only reality - feeling being its personal blessing.

The entire intellectual activity of man, to be balanced must be centered in one Ideal, if he is to attain the highest degree of his all around or four-fold developments. The basis must be reason, action analyzed, and all efforts must be directed toward constructiveness in the physical and Spiritualization of the inherent, though Divine, self.

Man was divinely invested with reason and the power of analysis that, by these, his life should be guided sanely, and that he should not be misled by illusion. "Follow reason, illuminated by the Divine Light within, and attain the all-good, not alone for the self, but that others may share it," has been the inculcation and command of all true teachers of mankind.

In his attempts to instruct those who would listen to him, the Master-Teacher gradually led them to a presentation of the truth, applicable to their thoughts and actions and in such manner that they would benefit instead of being made to suffer. He assured them that, if they would understand and accept, then, the kingdom of heaven was at hand.

A few did accept and to these he made his most important statement: "To you (who accept) is given (unveiled) the secret of the kingdom of heaven, but to others (who will not accept) it is not so given." This eternal Law has not changed in any respect. It is the Law of the New Order of the Ages. Those, who will accept and obey the Divine Law and proceed to develop the Light within, will not alone be protected against the evils to which all humanity is in bondage, and for which they suffer, but will instead be assured of the blessings in the eternal promise voiced by the Nazarene: "seek ye first the kingdom of heaven (seek to know the Law and harmonize with it) and all things shall be given unto you."

This is not alone a religious exposition, but the action of the Law with which every junior in high school is familiar: "The Reaction of action."

Everyone knows with certainty that man reaps according to his sowing; that wheat cannot from thistles grow; that Love is not a return of hate. Of such is the "kingdom" or domain of righteousness (right and of Law and Order. No man has ever found, or will ever find or "enter into" this kingdom of peace and the supply of all his needs, unless he first meets the demanded requirement: Obedience to the Divine Law in all its aspects in relationship to the human family.

The concept of the kingdom of heaven was not something new with the ministry of the Nazarene, but with his teaching it became more pronounced. This kingdom was erroneously thought of as a kingdom to come on earth where some human being, possibly more exalted than the average, would be enthroned to his own particular welfare.

The Mysteries never considered the material or physical sphere as above the Spiritual, though the blessings there of were equally distributed to mind, body, and the Spiritual self. The kingdom was always described as being a state, and an obedience to the Law, and a result or reaction. The idea was that there would be heaven established within those who so prepared themselves and to them also would accrue the blessings of material things.

In close connection, or in juxtaposition to this kingdom, was the highly mystical statement: "Ye are the temples of the living God." the preparation for one was at once the qualification for the other. This is never to be forgotten. Where can the kingdom of heaven be found, except where the King of all Kings, God, dwells? Furthermore, this was clarified still more in the assurance: "I in you and you in me."

Simplified, this informs us that the body of man, purified of its evils, Regenerated, becomes or is transformed, into the temple of the Father. Certainly none would be foolish enough to believe or to pretend that God can dwell in some impure or unholy place.

Through Regeneration the Christos is awakened and brought into consciousness and ,in conjunction with this process, the temple must also be cleansed and prepared for the Christic state. All this is the result of man's exercise of the right of choice and of deliberate effort - not by his living a life of evil, or by his confession of faith which changes the "mortal into the immortal," Biblically - "mortality taking on Immortality."

Matthew Arnold undoubtedly had an understanding of this combined physical, mental, Spiritual process when he wrote the immortal lines:

"Once read thy own heart aright,
And thou has done with hears;
Man gets no other light,
Search he a thousand year;
Seek in thyself! There ask
What ails thee - at that shrine."

Seek within thyself. Search the heart as thou would the earth for gold. Discard the unworthy and save the good. Seek within until the Light is revealed to thee, and be led by that Light to the one and only reality. In that Light is hidden all that ever was, and only that Light can reveal it to thee.

Within man, in what is commonly termed the subconscious, the record of all the past is to be unearth or revealed - all there was, is and all that ever will be. Within man is the means, the only means, the fuel for the Flame that will kindle the Immortal Light. Before man is able to find the path to the Biblical "well of living" - life giving water - he must awaken his mind and constructive energies to build the temple so that the Light within may shine forth and mark out the Way for him to take.

Since time immemorial, men, with the rarest exceptions, have sought knowledge, understanding, health, peace, contentment and the things that would make them happy and satisfied, outside of themselves, despite the fact that all religions and philosophies have commanded them to look and seek within. They expected then and still continue to believe that these things may be found in the realm of sense by self-gratification and in possessions, and, as a result, have been unfailingly and bitterly disappointed.

All that is worthwhile and lasting - reality - everything that can bring peace and contentment, must come to man from his great inner storehouse and to be able to enter, desire and effort of the right kind is essential. Once he has thoroughly learned this lesson and begins in real earnest to direct his thoughts and desires, after he commences his search in the right direction - away from the without or realm of senses where exists little other than illusion, and toward the realm within, of reality - then, and then only, will he begin to realize his "dreams" and find them to be reality.

Browning understood this, otherwise he would have been unable to pen these lines so relative to this idea.

"Truth is written within ourselves: it takes no rise
From outward things, what ‘er you may believe.
There is an inmost center in us all
Where truth abides in fulness; but around,
Wall upon wall, the gross flesh hems it in."

The Initiate Alchemist called this The Center in the Inmost Center of the Triangle. Browning could not come nearer to an expression of the exact truth. In the very Center of man's being, after he has awakened the Christos, developed by his efforts, this Great Center, is the home of "the Living Christ in thee." Only the Initiate can truly understand either what Browning or the Alchemists claimed as a Divine Truth. Knowledge can come to man only by experience; experience by doing.

Toward the development of the inmost Center, this Great Center, all Spiritual effort must be directed. Before man can accomplish this and drink of the pure waters of life, the fountain of life and wisdom, he must break through all that "hems it in." He must clear away the debris of a thousand thousand years of error and disobedience to Law and Order, and roll away the "stone" under which is buried the Living Light. In this manner are we admonished that the carnal self, the son of man, must be "lifted up" and exalted so that he may be able to recognize the Light when it appears, the truth when he hears it.

This necessitates a change in life, a transmutation of the gross substances that compose man and color his thoughts and desires. These must be transmuted into the purer substances, this is possible only to the extent that man listens to the dictates of the Divine Law, as set forth and manifested by those who understood and came for the express purpose of teaching man the way and the life.

Man may realize that the illustrious teacher is walking the earth, yet he will not be able to find the fountain of "living water," unless he is willing to obey the Law. As long as unhallowed desires of the carnal man, called by Paul "the natural man," are gratified, just that long will the gross flesh continue to hide the Source of Life, Light, and Love that is hidden within.

Strangely enough, many of the writers imbued with poetic thought, held the key to the Mysteries. Among them Gletcher and Beaumont who wrote An Honest Man's Fortune:

"Man is his own star, and the Soul that can
Render an honest and a perfect man,

Commands all Light, all influence, all fate:
Nothing to him fall too early or too late."

Strange that all of these, like John, made Light the only reality. Stranger still, that so very few, even of those sincerely seeking to find the path to salvation, should not have recognized even a glimpse of the Mystery so plainly indicated. Strange that the mass of men still remain blind to the simple truth.

These words of the poet portray the writer's conviction that we, and we alone, are the masters of our fate; and that this fate is neither more nor less than the return, the Reaction, or our own actions; as we set the sail, so will we journey to the end.

The soul, once awakened, established and become Illuminated, that is come into the Light, is the Star in man's heaven, and will lead him directly to all things worth having. Through the instrumentality of the body, now become an obedient servant, all things will become possible to him. The body, to employ another figure of speech, is his ship; his Soul is the Captain of the ship and there is no sea that is not charted for him to sail.

The enlightened man, the man who has searched within, is the master of his fate. Fate actually no longer exists. He has learned the Law and obeys it, fate plays no part once the Law is in operation. It rests entirely with man himself as to what he will be, what he will do, what he will become, what he will attain. Upon his shoulders rests squarely the responsibility of what the end results will be by his choice of action. None, however great or small, are exempt from the action, or the Reaction of the Law. Obey and be the master of the ship; disobey and fate will take over and sail it for you.
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