To the Editor of the Recorder.

Dear Sir:

In last week's issue of your esteemed paper appeared an unsigned communication entitled "Was Christ Initiated?" As I am perhaps causing some fermentation in the mental spheres of some (a hopeful sign) I feel like injecting more of the same light into the question and make the matter as plain as possible on the basis of common sense, which is all that is needed to understand these issues no matter how abstruse they may appear at first sight. In the lecture I gave some weeks ago, I said, referring to the great fundamental truths on which every true religion has been built, that "Jesus was initiated into this wisdom during His sojourn in Egypt, and He taught and exemplified it in his life. Buddha and other great teachers attained it, and it is possible for every human soul to enter and become identified with this great Light."

The strict meaning of the word "initiate" is from the Latin and means to go into, to become one with. Therefore the man Jesus was initiated, entered into, became one with, the wisdom of Christ or of God, in general terms. It does not matter a "picayune" whether this process took place in Egypt or Jerusalem; whether sages or wise men helped Jesus the man in this process of entering into conscious relation with the Father in Heaven, or whether Jesus was able to accomplish this alone without outside aid. It was initiation just the same, an entering into another and higher state of being. A worm is initiated, enters into the higher consciousness and power of a butterfly. A race of savages by the action of evolving forces is initiated, enters into, a highly civilized race. A plant by the initiation of growth produces a glorious flower. In other words initiation in its vital sense is an orderly process of natural or divine law, whereby one form of life may become identified with a higher order of life and consciousness.

The records show that Jesus went into Egypt, and the evidence points that while there he was initiated into, became identified with, the great Deific, Omnific, Universal principle of Love, Life and Light, which in Christian theology is referred to as the Christ. I did not say that Christ was initiated, The Christ or Christos is the Master of Masters, and is the Great Initiator of all Life. Ammon-Ra, a Deific being of the old Egyptian religion held exactly the same attributes and powers that the Christos does in the Christian system. They are one and the same in reality. The difference in name does not change the fact.

I think all Christians accept the statement that Jesus grew into Divine Wisdom and Godly knowledge and powers. This I have shown was by a process of growth or initiation.

Now, what is Theosophy? I have been trying to find out for twenty years. I never met anyone who knew, or could tell. I can, however, tell some things it is not. It is not a religion, it is not a church, it is not a creed or system of beliefs or doctrines of any kind. Then, what under the heavens is it? some may exclaim. Theosophy is a word, a name, the meaning of which includes the truth in all the sacred books and bibles, written or unwritten, that the world has ever seen or ever will see. No truth can be outside of Theosophy for the word means Divine Wisdom. Such is the literal meaning of the word. It is made up of two Greek words, Theos, God, and Sophia, Wisdom. Therefore, how can books or mortals know, tell, or impart Divine Wisdom. One must be it to know. "Those who know it tell it not, those who tell it know it not. "

So when the learned writer in the communication of last week made the facetious reference to Jesus preferring an Egyptian cat to Divine Wisdom, which is Theosophy, he was mercifully unaware of the blasphemy he had perpetrated. Truly, Mr. Editor, hath it been said that "fools rush in where angels fear to tread." No personality is meant by this, but would-be critics should be sure of their ground before they attempt to belittle universal truths and principles. The undersigned never heard of the Book of the Holy Twelve, and it is not included among the many books which in this day make up the literature which has grown up around the term -"Theosophy." And if it were, it would not matter, for students of theosophy do not accept any books or any personal opinion as their authority. True students of Divine Wisdom look for the truth in every Bible of the world, and not only in the printed volumes but in the great word expressed in nature around us, in life everywhere, knowing that truth is everywhere for the open mind, for the tolerant, the unbiased, the unselfish seeker. A true student knows that in proportion as one searches for hidden causes in the hearts of people and things, and is animated by the feeling of true brotherhood without distinctions, the Christ will utter Itself more and more through him or her. Therefore, students of theosophy can only interpret Divine Wisdom according to the degree of light they have attained.

From what the undersigned has written, it might appear that he was seeking to defend Theosophy, but he is not. Theosophy, Divine Wisdom, needs no defense. It is quite able to take care of itself. Like other seekers for truth and light, the writer might be classed as a christian with leanings toward the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Catholics, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, etc., or as a Buddhist, a Platonist, a Sun Worshiper, a Christian Scientist, Theosophist, Socialist, etc., in the sense that he believes in and is willing to accept all the truths that any of these sects and cults may contain.

Much more could be said, Mr. Editor, for the supply of ammunition is inexhaustible, but what's the sense of using a cannon to kill a fly? If we would only obey the wise precept of the immortal Lincoln, the progress of humanity would be more rapid, for he laid down the golden rule of conduct to be: "Liberal in things doubtful, tolerant in things uncertain, in all things charitable."

-- William H. Dower, M.D.

Some thoughts of my own:

During one of the times of being in prison, Nelson Mandela wrote this: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of the Universe. Your playing small does not serve the World. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to manifest the glory that is within us. It is not in some of us; it is in every one. As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people the right to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence liberates others."

How do we work on this process of letting our own Light shine? It is not by "letting it all hang out," by talking about our wonderful talents or telling others how to do things because we know best. As he points out, this shining occurs as we liberate ourselves from our own fears. This process of letting go of fear is a life-long endeavor. If we can gradually let go of our need to have an instant fix, we will find there are many techniques and tools available to us.

The tool nearest to us is our own Inner Knower, our intuition. But unlocking the door to this tool may seem overwhelmingly mysterious. It isn't, you know. it just takes persistence. We have all had experiences of acting on a hunch, a feeling of needing to do a particular act, go a particular way that later turns out to be just the right thing. At that point, we talk about coincidence, or pride ourselves on our good judgment, when we need to give the credit to our awakening sense of intuition.

We tune into this sense when we still the brain chatter long enough to listen quietly within. Try to awaken the White and Golden force within your heart and concentrate them in one spot. Think of yourself as a part of the whole, connected in a very real way with everyone else. Direct helpful thoughts inwardly to yourself, or any whom you wish to help. Always ask that the Divine Purpose be served, with "Not my will, but Thy Will be done." Know that everything is inside you, nothing is outside of you. There is truly no outside; everything is inside. We waste energy in imagining the flow of the White and Golden forces outward from our hearts. Instead, we need to imagine that flow into our hearts and through that center into the Universe far and wide. For instance, you can imagine your own body as a rapidly expanding sphere which contains every thing.

Each time we sit in stillness and quiet and listen within, we hear something deeper, finer, truer. When you feel overwhelmed by the demands of your life, you can, by aspiration, concentration and faith, find this quiet center in the midst of life's most incessant needs. A very wise lady once told me she got her most inspired moments when she was on her knees scrubbing the kitchen floor.

The most important tool we have at our command then is the ability to let go and let God, trusting that Divinity will help us to learn, grow and reunite with our conscious connection to all that is.

This is what is meant by the beautiful words in the message, Sing, Let thy heart sing, O my Soul! For it sings of God -- and of Angels' wings. Let it sing as it soars through starry skies and doubt not its power within! Let thy heart sing before the Lord Whose presence demand the song thou alone can bring into form, one of beauty rare and charm, that Life everlasting may the world adorn.

---Eleanor L. Shumway
March 16, 1997