SPIRITUAL MYSTERY SCHOOLS

Guide Policies and Procedures

KNOW THYSELF!

Welcome! You are beginning a great adventure. It is called the “Great Work.” The purpose of this program is to prepare and educate you to be an effective Initiate in the Western Mystery Tradition of the 7^th Ray Mystery School. The result of the Great Work is to KNOW yourself! Know yourself as a Body, Soul and Spirit. This is not the path for those who are only curious. It is not a path for a dabbler. This is the path for true seekers. There are many paths, and it is up to you to decide if this is YOUR path.

About 7^th Ray Mystery School Established Under the Ray of Metatron

As a mystery school we offer the esoteric teachings of Hermetic Knowledge; and Shamanism in the Celtic, Druidic, and Native American traditions. The Shamanic teachings are offered as Wicca and Celtic Shamanism. The Shamanic teachings and path of the American Indian are woven through the teachings at every opportunity. The esoteric teachings we practice and teach are a system of spiritual disciplines that are known as the Hermetic path. Hermeticism is based on the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus, the legendary Egyptian Master. He has been credited for being one of the founders of the mystery teachings with Isis, and is considered to be the one who “discovered” Alchemy.

The Universal Qabalah is a dynamic system of Judeo-Christian theosophy, mysticism, and theology. It is founded on the ancient traditions and teachings of several groups. These are the Jews, the Babylonians, and the Syrians. In later times this tradition included the Essenes, whose notable members were John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth. Esoterism is the theory and practice of the arcane or mystical arts and sciences.

Arcane means mysterious or secret. These same secret arts have been practiced by the Avatars, great Adepts, and Masters of all ages. In the Orient, India, and Tibet Esotericism is practiced as Yoga.

Mystery Schools in History

Mystery Schools have been in existence for thousands of years, their origins lost in time. Some of the schools formed through the centuries are those of Isis and Osiris, Zoroastrian Mystery Schools, the Mystery Cult of Dionysus, the Mithraic Mysteries, the Eleusinian Mysteries, the Gnostics, the Essenes, the Sufis, the Knights Templar, and the Brotherhood of the Golden and Rosy Cross. In 1888, a new and eclectic expansion of the Western Mystery Tradition took shape in Great Britain as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

7^th Ray Mystery School is an order of the Right Hand Path, and we practice the Mysteries according to free Will and for the purpose of enlightening all Humankind.

Our Mission Statement

We serve those who seek light and knowledge with a three-fold purpose.

1.   We act as a teaching organization. We focus on teaching seekers the Ancient Wisdom of the Kabbalah (Qabalah, Kabalah, Universal Kabbalah, or Qabbalah), Alchemy, Shamanism, Channeling, Astrology, as well as the rites and practices of Ritual and Ceremonial Magick. There are many other Esoteric Sciences we also offer seminars on.

2.   We train Initiates to serve in unselfish service to humankind. We provide a seed ground for their growth and development through group and individual training in the Mysteries, healing, and many kinds of energetic activation.

3.   We work to bring these teachings into the mass consciousness of Humankind in the effort to elevate and enlighten all! We are dedicated to the mission of creating Shamballah, a Universal Brotherhood and Sisterhood on Earth.

Initiates advance through 3 grades of instruction and experience which we call “Initiation.” This assists them in their quest to reach their highest potential. The goal of this training and experiential process is illumination and the full expression of Wisdom, Love, and Power.

Wisdom is acquired by the experience of correct actions, based on true knowledge and insight.

Love is developed through meditation which prepares the heart for the illumination of Union and oneness with ALL.

Power is developed through the correct application of Wisdom and Love, through Ritual and Ceremony. The power directed through Ritual and Ceremony is the power of LOVE, the only true power in the Universe.

Spiritual Mystery Schools does not discriminate against any person, regardless of gender, religious or social background, and status in a worldly sense. Our curriculum is one of study (seminars, workshops, and study of written materials), meditation, and ritual. Lessons center around the Kabbalah, Channeling, Shamanism and specific Healing and Activation Modalities. We weave Ritual and Ceremonial training through all seminars and workshops.

Seminars offer instruction in tools and techniques as well as the philosophy of the Mystery Schools. We provide the specific tools to assist you in evolving and overcoming the negative ego.

Later, on the path of Initiation, these programs assist you to offer yourself as a Teacher, Healer, or Ceremonial Master in the world.

Meditation is used to create a personal communication with the only true teacher, your Higher Self.

Rituals are used for many purposes, the most frequent being Initiation. These Initiations are used to invoke enormous changes in consciousness and empowerment. These changes lead you to recognize the inner realities behind the outward appearance.

Other Ceremonies are offered on a regular schedule. The ceremonies are separate from Seminar Training in order to maintain the sacred nature of Ceremony! Initiation also offers direct connection to the Hierarchy of Light and God, and gives tremendous protection!

We dedicate many of our teachings toward applications of Esoteric Knowledge toward healing. Through the use of energy, light, and sound we train Initiates to channel energy for all who are in need.

You can find a  Guide near you on Guide List. These Guides are teaching, healing, and doing the “work” professionally as they progress through the grades of Initiation with the 7^th Ray Mystery School. These leaders of light can offer you many seminars and workshops, healing, and other personal services.

Written study programs like Basic Metaphysics and Master of Magickal Studies are designed to “fill in the blanks.” They provide a foundation of knowledge necessary for those who truly seek to KNOW THEMSELVES.

We are not a church or religion! We are a membership organization, seeking to uplift Humankind, one seeker at a time. We are dedicated to the goal of establishing Shamballah (also called New Jerusalem and Shangri-La), and an age of light and knowledge here on Earth. We will never urge to you take classes, seminars, or to receive private services. These are steps you must consider seriously and decide for yourself without persuasion.

A well known saying within the Mystery Schools is “When the Student is Ready, a Teacher Will Appear.”

Harmony & Ethics

In the tradition of mystery schools, magical lodges, and occult orders, the people you work with are truly your brothers and sisters of Spirit. When Initiates bond together to work magick, they truly become a family. As a result, it is customary to call those who are participating in or teaching you the mysteries “Brother or Sisters.”

One of our brothers in the work described the opportunity to receive Instruction in the practice of the Mysteries a rare and great privilege. He pointed out to us that in any given age the number of souls working in the Western Mysteries and the Path of Ceremonial Mastery are few. Further, he emphasized, that at this stage of Humankind’s development, the Age of Brotherhood is like a delicate flower. It requires attention and care.

I found an unpublished communication from the third order in the archives. It says: Two things are required of you: Efficiency and Serenity. Serenity is necessary to maintain an atmosphere suitable for spiritual work. Of the two, serenity is the more important.

Another leader in our lineage emphasized the need for that “quiet flow of good humor!” Cheerful co-operation and conformance to the rules is absolutely necessary in any Spiritual organization.

We need to develop the ability to quietly laugh at ourselves when we find we are taking ourselves too seriously. We must learn to laugh WITH our brothers and sisters, and not at them. To have sympathy for everyone and recognize that we all make the same mistakes, and we all have clay feet (lack authenticity) is most important if we are going to advance on the path.

It is an inner law that if we focus on the small imperfections in our brothers and sisters we will tend to give power, energy, and new life to those undesirable traits. If we focus on that which is praiseworthy, admirable and spiritual, we will find those positive traits grow, while the negative ones disappear from lack of energy. In this way we help each other to evolve in more positive ways. Summing it up: Don’t focus on the negative traits, focus on the positive!

This positive imagery becomes especially important when we are considering our attitude toward the leaders of a lodge or order. Images of loving support, respect, and confidence aid these personalities to serve us ever more effectively for the benefit of all.

Morals and Ethics in Esotericism

There is not a body of thought, religious, scientific, political or otherwise without a code of conduct that could be called “Morals and Ethics.” The esoteric domain could be an exception. This is not because there is no morality in esotericism, but it is that the standards of behavior are not established to any extent. The best we have are guidelines of various sorts. Those who learn about Mystery Schools are by and large seeking Spiritual Growth. It seems to be a paradox to seek Spiritual Growth without some sort of guidance through a set of moral codes and ethical behavior pattern.

If you study ethics you will learn that our ideas of what is ethical change from age to age.

Absolute truth is changeless! Relative truth changes. To explain this: what is true for the child is no longer true or applicable for the adult. Concepts such as the infallibility of the parents, the idea of Santa Claus, etc., all change with time. However, the fundamentals of ethical behavior cannot and will not change.

Before discussing this further, we should explain what we mean by morals and ethics. They are guidelines! They will enable a seeker of spiritual truth to proceed without infringing on the free agency (liberties and rights) of any other person, and to avoid throwing impediments in her own path or creating Karmic debts that must be repaid sooner or later. Morals and ethics as guidelines can only be vaguely defined. To make “laws and punishments” is to create dogma which limits the opportunity for learning and spiritual growth.

The Law Initiates live by is “Do as you will, as long as your choice does not harm anyone.”

Are there any guidelines that we can hang onto? Yes, I believe there are. A few simple guidelines—they are deceptively simple. What is NOT so simple is the willingness to follow these guidelines. These simple truths have been with us a long time; they are often neglected in our everyday busy lives. Or worse, we stick our heads in the sand when they infringe on our consciousness. These simple principles of truth are what are commonly called “The Sermon on the Mount.” These simple yet powerful admonitions are enough to guide one’s course for a long time, avoiding most of the reefs in the waters of life.

Now we can expand these ideas to the topics of what is commonly called “white magick and black magick.” The simple facts are: There is no such thing as either white or black magick, there is only magick—just as there is no “black electricity” or “white electricity.” What is the issue is the use of these kinds of power. In electricity, electrocuting another person would cause someone to think of the power as black or evil. Or you could begin to think of the use of that power to light a house as white or good. Well, the same logic applies in magick. If the end result is intended to be for good, or to benefit the recipient (there are limitations on this goal) then we would call the use of the power white. Where the intent is to do harm, the use can be called black. But magic in itself, like electricity, is neutral and is simply a force that can be directed.

In some traditions, it is required that the Initiate or Master be compensated for the work they do. This is a tradition of “paid ministry” and many religions as well as mystery traditions require compensation for teaching and for ceremonies performed on the behalf of individuals or groups. For example; in the Native American tradition, Cat tribe teachers and psychics (those with any kind of feline as their medicine or totem power) were not allowed to reveal the mysteries or the future unless they had been paid first. Other totems require service without compensation in exchange for the energy or ceremony. Each individual initiated into a particular tradition is bound to honor the tradition they are working through! To do otherwise is to void the energetic flow set up by Initiation into that tradition!

“Occult Secrecy.” Many times in occult teachings you will encounter the motto: “To Know, to Will, to Dare, and to be Silent.” What they meant by this reference to silence is not so much to refrain from sharing, but to keep things to yourself.

“Thou shalt not be another man’s guru.” Today there are many lonely, disillusioned people seeking someone, something. A hidden hunger causes them to reach out in all directions. They try this ‘ism’ and that, this regimen and that other one from a different tradition. They seek spiritual growth, awareness, moksa, and nirvana. They seek the Messiah, an Avatar who can demonstrate the proper fabled magickal powers, or at least a teacher who can show the way. At this point in their lives, they are the prey of any good con artist who can represent themselves as an avatar or guru! This creates a despicable situation. To teach someone when you hardly know which end is up, to guide someone when you don’t know where it is you are going, is to inflict the worst of Karmic sins. It is one thing to bring your own well being, your soul, to the brink of disaster; it is quite another thing to guide someone else’s soul, one who trusts you, to the same pit.

If you want to be a magician or an alchemist, BE one, don’t merely POSE as one. No true magician will initiate a ritual without being sure it does not conflict with individual freedoms, and no alchemist will administer a potion without the consent of the one being treated. Gratuitous help, no matter how good the intent, if going contrary to the will of the recipient, is not only harmful, it bears the karmic consequences mentioned. If all this sounds as if we are treading in dangerous waters, this is indeed the case. Now if you work on your own behalf, the only person you can hurt is yourself and that is entirely your right. If you wish to work for someone else’s benefit, unless you have been well prepared and understand fully what you are doing, the best choice is simply to be a good example. One adept, the master Jesus, summed it up very nicely with his words; If be lifted up (spiritually enlightened) I will lift mankind with me.”