At the time of My Victory, I dwelt in Mesopotamia, in a
beautiful country, where the roofs were open to the blue sky
and the roses and vines made a natural covering on the walls
and arches. Before our City stretched the blue sea and behind
the City was a desert. In this desert there was a Monastery of
Mystics, to which I retired and wherein I received My training
and
My final Victory of the Ascension.
The Monastery was large, built after the manner of the
Chinese Temples in Seven Courts. The Innermost Court was
called ‘The Temple of Supreme Harmony,’ and none were
allowed to enter there until there was no more inharmoniousness
in their entire beings or worlds.
The First Court, wherein we were received was all that the
heart of the Novitiate could desire; luxurious, beautiful,
restful;
truly an expression of all one expected of the Spiritual World,
wherein one had retired, away from the ‘turmoil’ of outer
living.
Here, for six months, we lived in Beauty and Peace; with no
Lessons, no Discipline, etc., surrounded by exquisite paintings;
all with Spiritual Meaning for the Discerning. Here we sat amid
libraries throbbing with Spiritual Lore if we chose to open them
and read. Here, some of us began our Spiritual Venture, others
were not Alert and rested among the Wealth of Knowledge,
waiting for an OUTER prompting from the Hierophant to tell
them where to begin. We were watched every moment to see
how well we Availed ourselves of the Spiritual Wealth that lay
about us.
After six months, our training began. First, we were shorn of
our
hair to eliminate pride. Then, we were given robes to wear; THE
COLOR OF OUR AURAS. The Insignia of the Order was a Single
Rose Stem with Six Thorns (representing the six senses) and
at the top, when earned, a Single Opened Rose (representing
the seventh sense Inspiration). On the breast of our gowns was
woven the Stem with the Six Thorns, and as we Unfolded, there
was added a Single Petal, a Bud, a half opened flower, etc.
We were banded into groups of seven, with whom we lived
and slept in dormitories; having but TWO HOURS SOLITARY in
every twenty-four. The seven were chosen not for congeniality,
but the Hierophant chose personalities directly opposed to each
one; to draw out the hidden vices and the viciousness in our
worlds. We had to spend 22 hours out of the 24 with these
individualities. Many dropped by the wayside, bitter towards the
Order and toward the ‘unthinking’ choice of companions. Those
of us who remained finally became fast friends, but no sooner
had we learned to work in Harmony than we were reassembled
in other groups of seven; with other trials, etc. On my day of
rest,
I would run down to the sea and plunge my face in the water, or
I would run through the desert until the wind blew my short hair
straight, in an effort to regain and hold my Peace and Poise.
FINALLY, the Bhagavad Gita by Shri Krishna taught me that the
Lesson I had to learn was that no one outside of myself could
disturb me and that all externals were but reflections in the
Maya
of Life of qualities within myself; and thus, I found Peace.
After three years, a small, haggard band of well-worn
travelers, were admitted to the Temple of Supreme Harmony.
As we stood humbly before the Altar, we looked fondly at each
other, remembering the many battles royal of the past. There
we were again, banded together in sevens and formed Units
of Healing, Inspiration, etc. We Drew Magnetic Currents
and
Projected them forth over the Earth, until The Cosmic Law said,
Our Balance to Life was Paid; and so when we had returned to
Life, that Balance, Our Victory, was Won and Our Ascension
Assured.
NADA
