Paul Vargis
TyHave you danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?
-Joker (as portrayed by Jack Nicholson in 1989’s Batman)
There are many catch phrases in Christendom that have grown out of the Pauline, Johannine, James’ and Jesus’ schools of ancient thought (to name but a few, but each of the original 11 surviving men, and 7 women established their own mystery schools and so began the cult of saints). But I digress. The opening quote does tie into a spiritual practice/discipline. For there are two catch phrases that seem to resonate around again and again within Christendom—that of John 3:16, but also of “Remember who you are.”.
Over the past few weeks in church our minister is doing a series on the Letter to the Church in Ephesus (also known as Ephesians). It was written by a student of Paul’s. In the early chapters of the letter Pseudo-Paul spends time getting the hearers to remember who they were, what they have come through and who they are now. It is deeper than just what we in the 21st century think of when we hear remember. For it is the pilgrimage.
The struggle between shadow and self; the unity of anima/animus; yin/yang. Both sides of a coin. The pieces that need to find unity for completion, and those parts we need to work beyond (ala Cosmic Christ moving beyond Ego). Or as Levi reminds us in the Aquarian Gospel:
- The living waters always leap and skip about like lambs in spring.
8.The nations are corrupt; they sleep within the arms of death and they must be aroused before it is too late.
9. In life we find antagonists at work. God sent me here to stir unto its depths the waters of the sea of life.
10. Peace follows strife; I come to slay this peace of death. The prince of peace must first be prince of strife.
11. This leaven of truth which I have brought to men will stir the demons up, and nations, cities, families will be at war within themselves.
–Aquarian Gospel 113:7-11
The war within. The eternal struggle between angelic and demonic ways. The stardust and chakra sludge. Giving in to the easy journey of selfishness and independence instead of striving for selflessness and interdependence. Now before you say how does the Joker show us this? Think back to any portrayal of Batman-Joker you have seen; or Superman-Lex Luthor, Wonder Woman-Ares; heck even Captain America-Red Skull, (Robin Hood-Prince John/Sheriff of Nottingham) and what you see in these tales that keep going over and over again that become our archetypes to show that unity means wrestling with the darkest pieces of ourselves manifested. And yes, in those instances as noted above the darkest shadow self, is our greatest strengths twisted when we are at our most lost in the wilderness of our interior castle.
- And Philip said, Must men and women suffer in the flames because they have not found the way of life?
14.And Jesus said, The fire purifies. The chemist throws into the fire the ores that hold all kinds of dross.
15. The useless metal seems to be consumed; but not a grain of gold is lost.
16. There is no man that has not in him gold that cannot be destroyed. The evil things of men are all consumed in fire; the gold survives.
-Aquarian Gospel 116:13-16
Let those words resonate as you begin or continue your pilgrimage to the sacred heart within you. To get to gold the fires must burn away the crud and sludge, that which stops the shine and shimmer. So is the pilgrimage to our interior castle to live out of it. The crap must be burned away, a purgatory if you will (and yes there is some Roman Catholic theology around purgatory as this type of thing) that only leaves the truly good, very blessed creation continuing to live forward. Also, sometimes the sludge we have built up that has been cast on us is not due to our own actions, but the abuse of others, but in the process we also need to allow the purging of this crap to be able to shine forward as we truly are.
- Go forth and take possession of the unclean quadrupeds.
20.And they, and all the evil spirits of the tombs went forth and took possession of the breeders of the plague,
21. Which, wild with rage, ran down the steeps into the sea, and all were drowned.
22. And all the land was freed of the contagion, and the unclean spirits came no more.
23. But when the people saw the mighty works that Jesus did they were alarmed. They said,
24. If he can free the country of the plague, and drive the unclean spirits out, he is a man of such transendent power that he can devastate our land at will.
25. And then they came and prayed that he would not remain in Gadara.
-Aquarian Gospel 118:19-25
An ancient story of Jesus casting out the torments of Legion into the unclean animals, showing that even when we take this as a story of the pilgrimage we can be like the people of Garda standing on the precipice of unification with our Cosmic Christ only to push back and away.
But is this the point there is two paths to choose, and we must contemplate which one as we literally/figuratively and allegorically dance with our own personal devil in the moonlight?
- And Jesus said, We cannot look upon a single span of life and judge of anything.
27.There is a law that men must recognise: Result depends on cause.
28. Men are not motes to float about within the air of one short life, and then be lost in nothingness.
29. They are undying parts of the eternal whole that come and go, lo, many times into the air of earth and of the great beyond, just to unfold the God-like self.
30. A cause may be a part of one brief life; results may not be noted till another life.
-Aquarian Gospel 114: 26-30
The role of life and decisions. The build up of karma when we choose the path of selfishness/ego for this life, next life or past lives… BUT when we choose the path of angelic/Cosmic Christ and living into and out of L-O-V-E (Dharma) our selves and our localized world transform for the better. Much like the pebble in the pond creating cosmic ripples through the stardust that connects everything into the Holy Mystery and the Holy Mystery into everything.
Today, as we celebrate the giving of sacred life with those who are our mothers; grandmothers; crones whether by birth, choice or tribal roles given. Take time to decide if you are going to choose the path of light or dark?
At this moment in time, will you choose the path of the hero or the villain? What will you need to do to be able to change direction of your path. To be able to become your own Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman?
Are you willing to dance in the moonlight?
