(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) A Shaman is, as Eliade describes, a Technician of Ecstasy. This is an essential qualification and/or result of contact with the Divine. More than that, in order to be in direct contact with the Divine, the human being must be able to "see the unseen." This Seeing is the capacity of human beings to enlarge their perceptual field until they are capable of assessing not only outer appearances, but also the essence of everything in order to access the level of being that enables them make choices that are capable of initiating a new causal series.
[Comment - Human beings can only enlarge their perceptual fields when they have been touched by the Divine. The former is not the cause of the latter.
One does not come into contact with the Divine by seeing the Unseen. Rather, one is always, and under all circumstances, in contact with the Divine (and we could not be at all - that is, we would not exist - if that were not so).
When - through insight, realization, unveiling, understanding - we are brought into contact with the Divine that is currently operating in our lives in manifest ways, then, we begin to see the possibility (which is, itself, a gift of God) of aligning ourselves with those loci of manifestation which may enable us, God willing, to come into contact with the Divine in ways previously inaccessible to us. We see both the Seen and Unseen by the light of Divinity and in no other way - the unseen is not the route to Divinity, but the result of Divinity’s Presence.
Finally, ecstasy is not the only key to ultimate knowledge and understanding. Sobriety is also necessary. Unless an individual has a foot, so to speak, in both relams - the ecstatic and the sober. that individual will have difficulty using what is known to constructively serve others. ]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) Aside from the fact that actually reading that nonsense is an energy drain, such a perspective does NOT resonate with the Cassiopaean information in which independent study and gaining of knowledge is urged as the only means by which we can be protected from being led into "traps."
[Comment - The Cassiopaeans very clearly indicated to Laura and company that they should network with other people as well. There needs to be a balance between independent effort and networking of the right kind.
To be sure, we are each responsible for what forces we align ourselves with through the choices we make. However, working in conjunction with people who are properly aligned (or more properly aligned than other available possibilities) with the Truth helps broadened the resource base on which one has to call in order to assist one’s independent study.
Furthermore, the idea that we can do the whole spiritual journey on our own is fraught with problems. On the other hand, the choice about whom to choose to render assistance is also immersed in difficulties. Just as one cannot trust all aspects of one’s interior life, one cannot trust all the people one meets.
We need help in sorting this out correctly. We need help from someone who actually can help us in this respect, as opposed to someone who may hurt us spiritually.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) Anyone can be a channel. It takes knowledge and WILL to be able to CHOOSE who or WHAT one will channel.
[Comment - What do we trust within ourselves to make such a choice? What do we trust in others to make such a choice? These are among the most fundamental questions one can ask in relation to the spiritual path.
Often times, Laura and company give me the impression that they believe they have chosen correctly with respect to the issue of the influences with which to align themselves for purposes of channeling. After having read hundreds and hundreds of pages of their material, I still am far, far from comfortable with the idea that, indeed, they have made the right choice.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) One of the hardest things for anyone to acknowledge is their own susceptibility to suggestion, manipulation and external control. No one wants to admit that their awareness can be manipulated. Yet, without exception, all of the Mystery Teachings tell us that the first order of business in expanding awareness is to overcome the hypnosis, or "sleep state" in which man exists. And, without exception, all of the Mystery Teachings tell us that this is so formidable a task that only one in ten thousand can achieve it!
[Comment - This is what some of the Mystery Teachings - some even say that only one in a million will be able to wake up to the dream we call life. However, such statements are based on what, other than the claim?
Even if, for the purposes of argument, one accepts such claims, the fact remains that the ones who are successful are successful because of Divine succor and for no other reason. The individual who struggles in this way deserves commendation, but the praise for the accomplishment or achievement belongs to God.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) It is the one who realizes that all of his perceptions must be minutely scrutinized, doubted, tested, examined and challenged who has the smallest hope of escaping the hypnosis!! And, to realize this is but the first in a long series of steps to awakening. And, remember, awakening is not the same thing as seeing! Many can see in expanded awareness, but immediately go back to sleep and what they saw is interpreted by the standards of the "hypnotic sleep state" of ordinary awareness. This is what happens to most of those who claim to channel with no need to "check their sources!" And, as Ark wrote, "to check whether the information comes from a higher source or lower source, it is always necessary first to check whether the information makes any sense or is just a mumbo-jumbo. ...Real research is ALWAYS necessary. ... You must never RELY on what the entities tell you. ...Unless you WANT to live in an illusion."
[Comment - The realization about the need for analystical, critical, and reflective rigor is not self-generated. It comes as a gift from Divinity.
The discovery of a practical, workable, strategy for implementing the foregoing sort of realization also comes as a gift. In addition, success in relation to the application of such critical methodology so that one becomes progressively opened up to the Truth, is a gift of God as well. And, finally, being able to apply, or live in accordance with, what one knows of the Truth, is another gift of Divinity.
God always initiates what goes on in our lives. Divinity is the One who places the ball in our court, and, then, we have to struggle with a variety of choices concerning the play which has been sent our way.
Everyone is given the opportunity to play the game and make choices. In fact, it is impossible to be alive on the Earth and not be seeking to return the ball which has been lofted into one’s court, for this is the 'stuff' of life.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) One of the necessary conditions of learning to truly SEE is to be able to bring the mind to focus on anything with uncommon force and clarity. Yet, what is learned during these periods of focus is usually unavailable to normal recall." [Castaneda, The Fire From Within, 1984]
Obviously, great polarized strength is necessary here. SEEING is to witness the unknown and to glimpse the unknowable. The unknown is veiled from man but is within the reach of man's reason if he is sufficiently polarized and amplified!
[Comment - SEEING is not necessarily a matter of witnessing the UNSEEN. Furthermore, to speak in terms of being able to ‘glimpse the unknowable’ is oxymoronic since if something is truly unknowable than, ipso facto, it is unglimpsable since even glimpsing permits a certain amount of knowing.
In any event, to SEE is to be opened up to the Truth of the way things are, irrespective of whether one has any visions or is witness to kiramat (wondrous deeds). Seeing the Truth can take many forms besides altered states of consciousness. Seeing the Truth means correctly understanding the nature of things on some given level of consciousness.
Authentic faith is a form of seeing which is rooted in experience even as faith points to that which has not been experienced. Authentic faith is a form of interpolation and extrapolation which permits one to correctly connect the dots of experience even though a certain amount of evidence and demonstration may be absent in what one is experiencing or has experienced.
Seeing is to have one’s interior life in such a condition that it is open and receptive to, among other possibilities, the currents of ilham (flashes of insight) which descend to inform and direct reason. Reason must always be pursued through the lens of an understanding which is rooted in non-rational (trans-rational not irrational) faculties which are capable of properly orienting the dynamic of critical thinking and hermeneutics.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) The idea that there was a time when man was directly in contact with the Celestial Beings is at the root of the myths of the Golden Age which have been redacted to the Grail stories of the 11th and 12th centuries. During this paradisal time, it is suggested that communications between heaven and earth were easy and accessible to everyone. Myths tell us of a time when the "gods withdrew" from mankind. As a result of some "happening," i.e. "The Fall," the communications were broken off and the Celestial Beings withdrew to the highest heavens.
[Comment - As even the Cassiopaeans have testified - in their own way - there are not 'gods' but only one God. Moroever, God did not withdraw from mankind but, instead, began to interact in a different way, through a different array of Names and Attributes. Communication was not broken off but assumed a different spectrum of modalities.
However, communicating in the most essential way was closed off to all but a few. These few are among the signs of Mercy because they offer the possibility and hope of spiritual transformation.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) As we have already noted, BEFORE the Fall, every human being had access to communication with the higher densities via the "Maidens of the Wells," or the union between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and alignment with the 4th density STO. Because of their alignment, their frequency, and the lack of STS dampers, it was a simple matter to amplify Frequency Resonance Vibration.
[ Comment - Is Divinity a 'density'? Why would human spirits have had their access to communication with Divinity mediated by the "Maidens of the Wells" even BEFORE the Fall? Wasn't access to Divinity direct, in some sense of this term, prior to the Fall?
I wonder what Laura would make of John Lorber's work concerning those who, for all practical purposes, have no left and right brains, and, yet, such individuals function quite well? See: Emergent Properties for more on the work of John Lorber, together with some reflections concerning the possible implications of such findings.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) AFTER the Fall, it seems that a specific genetic variation was somatically induced by the incarnation of certain higher density beings who "gave their blood" for the "redemption of man." That is to say that they changed the body and DNA by Forced Oscillation. It is likely that this was done through the female incarnations because of the role of the mitochondrial DNA, but I don't want to get ahead of myself here, so we will leave that for the moment.
Nevertheless, the presence of this DNA, depending upon the terms of recombination, makes it very likely that there are literally millions of carriers of this bloodline/Shamanic ability on the earth today. And it is for all of YOU that these pages are being written.
[Comment - There is absolutely no proof of any of the foregoing. This is all stipulation of the Cassiopaeans. Why should anyone treat it as ‘truth’? Why insist on making the spiritual a function of the material realm or having the right sort of genetics?]
(From the New Testament) The Sufis have kept the "Technician of Ecstasy" concept alive in their tradition of the "Poles of the World." The kutub or q'tub (pole of his time) is an appointed being, entirely spiritual of nature, who acts as a divine agent of a sphere at a certain period in time. Each kutub has under him four awtads (supports) and a number of abdals (substitutes), who aid him in his work of preserving and maintaining the world. The interesting thing about this idea is that the individual who occupies the position does not even have to be aware of it!
[Comment - A qutb is not "entirely spiritual in nature". A qutb is selected from among the human beings who exist in a given era, and part of being a human being is to have the potential to give expression to more than just the spiritual. This, especially, would seem to be the case if the individual who is appointed as qutb "does not even have to be aware of it."
Moreover, the qtub or spiritual pole is not necessarily the only ‘technician of ecstasy’in a given era. Any individual who, by the Grace of God, has achieved fana (a spiritual condition in which an individual is overwhelmed by the Divine Presence to such a degree that everything else disappears even as the latter continue on outside the experience of Divine Presence) and baqa (a spiritual station in which an individual is both aware of the Oneness of everything even as one experiences that Oneness through the uniqueness of individuated experience) would have the capacity to be such a technician, if God permits this.
In fact, anyone could be a 'technician of ecstasy' if she or he were one through whom God chose to channel the barakah which enabled spiritual transformation. Different technicians of ecstasy have different functions, roles, and responsibilities.]
(From the Cassiopaeans) Q: (L) But isn't the nature of a person determined by their soul and not the physical body?
A: Partially, remember, aural profile and karmic reference merges with physical structure.
Q: (L) So you are saying that particular genetic conditions are a physical reflection of a spiritual orientation? That the soul must match itself to the genetics, even if only in potential?
A: Yes, precisely.
Q: (L) So a person's potential for spiritual advancement or unfoldment is, to a great extent, dependent upon their genes?
A: Natural process marries with systematic construct when present.
[Comment - I think Laura might have misunderstood what may have been said. Spiritual potential is not a function of, or dependent on, gene structure, but, rather, a person’s genetic structure reflects, in part, spiritual potential.
Genetic structure does not cause spiritual potential, but, rather, spiritual potential existed first and the genetic structure with which that potential is aligned reflects what has been already determined on a higher, non-genetic level. It is ‘As Above, so Below’ and not ‘As Below, so Above.’]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) A shaman stands out because of certain characteristics of "religious crisis." They are different from other people because of the intensity of their religious experiences.
[Comment - Who is to judge, and according to which criteria, what the nature of the “intensity” of religious experience is? Down through the ages, there have been many reports of individuals who have had intense experiences which were satanically inspired rather than Divinely inspired, or which were occult in nature, rather than spiritual.
Intensity of experience is not, by iteself, a sufficient criterion by which to identify authentic spiritual experiences. The source of an experience is the most crucial determinant with respect to the authenticity of a given experience.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) In ancient times, it was the task of the Shamanic elite to be the "Specialist of the Soul," to guard the soul of the tribe because only he could "see the unseen" and know the form and destiny of the Group Soul. But, before he acquired his ability, he was often an ordinary citizen, or even the offspring of a shaman with no seeming vocation (considering that the ability is reputed to be inherited, though not necessarily represented in each generation.)
At some point in his life, however, the shaman has an experience that "separates" him from the rest of humanity. This Native American "vision quest" is a survival of the archaic understanding of the natural initiation of the shaman who is "called" to his vocation by the gods. A deep study of the matter reveals that those who seek the magico-religious powers via the vision quest when they have not been "called" spontaneously, generally become the "Dark Shamans," or sorcerers; those who, through a systematic study, obtain the powers deliberately for their own advantage. (Again, Don Juan's distinction between the Sorcerer and the Warrior who practices to be Free.)
[Comment - The task of the Shamanic elite is to assist both the individual and the collective. While in certain ways, the souls of individuals are entangled in the destiny of a given collective, individuals have a second destiny which is their own and is not shared by the collective except to the extent that the individual becomes a source of light or darkness that colors and shapes the collective destiny in this, or that, manner.
In addition, we are all ‘spontaneously’ called to become our essential selves and to realize our unique spiritual capacity - this is not just something to which the Shaman, alone, is called. How, we respond to this call and whether one goes in the direction of the darkness or the light depends on the sort of forces which are chosen for alignment.
Finally, the quest of a Shaman - whether in the form of a Sorcerer or a Warrior - should not revolve around the issue of powers, but, rather, that quest revolve around gaining access to the sort of knowledge that will assist both the individual and the collective to have the opportunity to constructively struggle toward realization, understanding, and applying such knowledge in the context of everyday life - for the benefit of the individual and for the benefit of the community.]
(From Eliade) ...The myth of renewal by fire, cooking, or dismemberment has continued to haunt men even outside the spiritual horizon of shamanism. ...The myth of rejuvenation by dismemberment and cooking has been handed down in Siberian, Central Asian, and European folklore, the role of the blacksmith being played by Jesus or other saints. [Eliade, Shamanism, 1964]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) All of what follows from here on out must be understood to apply ONLY to those who have accepted the CALL. If your life has not followed the Shamanic pattern, none of the following can be construed to apply to you. If, on the other hand, you do think that your call is to be "one whose head has been purified," then you should study a great deal more until you arrive at your own "initiation," at which point YOUR choices will be clear to YOU. But, for the sake of those who are already "there," the following remarks are being made as generalities to be applied ONLY if or when they "fit."
[Comment - To suppose that one can establish a formalistic check list as to whom can be, and cannot be, a Shaman, or to suppose that the way of the Shaman is the only way to becoming a ‘technician of ecstasy’, seems rather presumptuous, arbitrary and unnecessarily narrow. God has no need to be limited to such a checklist - that is, Divinity can give to whomsoever Divinity pleases. So, why does Laura insist on the necessity or validity of such a checklist?
Furthermore, given that Laura has been advised by the Cassiopaeans to eschew ritual of any kind, this whole Shamanistic thing seems replete with rituals. Moreover, given that Laura is someone who criticizes others for considering themselves to be special or chosen, one begins to be concerned when she says: "All of what follows from here on out must be understood to apply ONLY to those who have accepted the CALL. If your life has not followed the Shamanic pattern, none of the following can be construed to apply to you." Seemingly, she is doing exactly what she has warned against - that is, she has said that people should be wary of those who allude to the idea of one's being special or chosen, and, yet, Laura appears to be appealing to people’s desire to be a chosen one or a special individual by saying that what follows is only intended for those whose lives reflects the qualities and characteristics of a Shaman.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) Now, let's go a step further into practical matters. As I said, after the "initiation" that I passed through in my "descent" into Hell, the world changed for me in profound ways. The profundity of the change was at a level I could not fully fathom in my consciousness, but it bore fruit almost immediately. My view of all my relationships, all my actions and interactions with the world changed in incalculable ways. I could literally "see the unseen" dynamics of every exchange between myself and other people in all situations. And by seeing, I was able to choose that reaction that was truly expressive of Unconditional Love, of Truth, of ultimate Beauty in Cosmic terms. I no longer saw with my human eyes nor was I ruled by my human emotions.
[Comment - We only have her word on all of the foregoing. This is not to suggest that she is not telling the truth - at least, according to her understanding of things - for, one can be sincere in what one says and, yet, still be mistaken. A person can make whatever claims one likes, but the act of making such claims does not render them true thereby.
Laura may see, or she might not see, and what she sees may, or may not, be the Truth. Many people have altered states of consciousness, but such experiences can be: biologically driven (as with temporal lobe epilepsy), psychologically driven (as in auto-suggestion or hypnosis), satanically driven, nafs (an individual's seat of rebellion concerning the truth) driven, or dunya (worldly entanglements) driven . Altered states of consciousness mean nothing, in and of themselves.]
(From Laura Knight-Jadczyk) Now, if it becomes clear that the marriage partner is at a level or position on the "learning cycle" that is different from the individual who is "waking up," what is the level of responsibility? One might think that it is their responsibility to stay in the marriage because they simply ARE married or committed. In this case one then has to think very carefully about the term "RESPONSE - ability."
How are you going to respond to a person who makes choices to act as "food" in the Service to Self hierarchy? How are you going to respond to a person who is still "lost in the illusion" that he has free will and the power to choose his destiny, and is completely unaware of the forces that dominate our world? How are you going to support a person who makes choices to NOT expand his or her knowledge base to the same extent that you have, a person who is content to stay in the locked room and doesn't care that it may be locked. He or she has not even arrived at the point of checking the door! If you have left your own "locked room," are you then going to move into the locked room of another person?
Well, you can continue to support them, in which case your energy amplifies their own STS frequency AND feeds the STS dynamic THROUGH them. Okay. That's cool. You can think that this is something you are willing to do as an act of Love and Giving because Loving and Giving are your ideals. But there is something far more important here and that is: if, at the soul level, they have set up lessons so as to be eventually brought to the point of an STO choice, your continued support and sustenance prolongs the period of time it will take them to do it! It may even be that, by your support, the individual will not learn what they incarnated to learn in this life and will be obliged to do a whole additional life (or more than one), over again. If you are trying to "save" them you are doing far more harm than good.
[Comment - On the other hand, maybe, by sticking by someone, one will help that individual learn what she or he was brought into being to learn? Why assume that it will result in failure - although, be sure, there may come a point when one comes to the realization that the other person is not really interested in either seeking help or making use of the help which is given?
In any event, much of Laura's foregoing analysis is predicated on the premise that there is a Lizzie-driven feeding frenzy going on and that by supporting someone who is aligned with such an alleged feeding frenzy, one is supporting the predators. However, let's approach this issue from a slightly different direction.
The Prophets and awliya (friends) of God didn’t make awakening a condition of people being able to associate with the former. The Prophets and awliya offered time, energy, resources, knowledge, effort, and sacrifice in an attempt to help people, and the former individuals did not cut the latter people off unless the members of that people did things which were intended to be destructive of the lives or efforts of the Prophets and awliya - and, sometimes, not even then.
Just where is the cut-off point in the wake-up cycle which causes one to distance oneself from people because of the draining effect one feels they are having on one’s life? Human relationships are inherently problematic, and as Rumi (may God be pleased with him) indicated: 'if one is waiting for a perfect friend, one will be a lonely person.'
The very nature of life and spiritual struggle draws energy and resources. What are the criteria for deciding that one is not going to try to help someone anymore and that such individuals are most ‘lovingly’ served by throwing them to the predators to learn their lessons, or not?
While I agree that there may come a time when one must withdraw from a relationship because it is too problematic, Laura sometimes seems like she wants to play God to determine who is worthy of her help and who is not. What she finds draining, many a saint has found invigorating and the material from which spiritual development is spun.
As just one example of what is meant by the last statement of the previous paragraph, I am reminded of the story in which a person sought counsel from a mystic who was quite spiritually advanced. The mystic lived in the jungle, and after several days travel, the seeker came upon the mystic in a clearing. The mystic was riding a huge tiger.
Amazed, and somewhat freightened, the traveler kept a respectful distance and waited for the mystic to be finished with the ride. When, finally, the mystic dismounted and indicated for the animal to leave, the visitor revelaed himself at the periphery of the woods and addressed the mystic.
"Where did you acquire such amazing powers that you are able to tame such savage beasts?"
The mystic did not repond to the question but, merely, said: "Can I offer you some refreshments?
The seeker accepted the offer, and the two walked in silence, with the mystic leading the way. Finally, they arrived at a little thatched hut.
No sooner had they arrived when a woman came out of the house and began berating the mystic about all the things which he had failed to do. Then, she turned to the stranger and starting attributing all manner of alleged faults to the mystic.
Afte quite a few moments of this, the woman apparently tired and went back inside the hut. The mystic said nothing but gave the visitor a look which seemed to say: 'Now, you have part of the answer to your previous question.']
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