“And Allah’s are the best Names, therefore call on Him thereby, and leave alone those who violate the sanctity of His Names; they shall be recompensed for what they did; God’s alone are the attributes of perfection; invoke Him, then, by these, and stand aloof from all who distort the meaning of His attributes.” Quran Al A’Raf 7:180

“Say: ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Beneficent God; whichever you call upon, He has the Best names.’ Say: ‘Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, He is always the One — for His are all the attributes of perfection.’” Quran Al Isra 17:110

“Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god; Who knows both what is hidden and what can be witnessed; He is the Most Compassionate and Merciful. Allah is He, other than Whom there is no other god; the Sovereign, the One, the Source of Peace, the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Security, the Exalted, the Compelling, the Supreme. Glory be to God, beyond any associations. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Form. To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: Whatever exists in heaven and earth declares His Praise and Glory. And He is Exalted in Power, the Wise.” Quran Al Hashr 59:22-24

“He is the First and the Last and the Ascendant (over all) and the knower of hidden things, and He is Cognizant of all things. He is The First (Al-Awaal) and The Last (Al-Aakhir), The Outward (As-Zhahir) and The Inward (Al-Batin); He is The Knower of All Things.” Quran Al-Hadid 57:3

The Divine Names

As humanity evolved along the path of spirituality, various aspects and attributes of divinity were sensed. Climbing higher on the scale of the holy path, Man discovered more facets of Allah, or whatever one may call the Absolute. Gradually, the hidden Isis unveiled, and is still unveiling her beauty–her naked Truth. This revelation is an on-going process, for humanity will not cease to struggle for enlightenment being unsatiated with the crumbs or the milk of the Word.

Discovering himself, man discovered God; and the more he grew in self-awareness, the more he discovered the treasures, the various divine elements unawakened within his essence. This was how the various names of God came into existence. Primitive cultures might have referred to the unseen Intelligence with a single appellation, but as they grew in maturity, in awareness, wisdom and understanding, as they unfolded their own innate divinity, more attributes were realized and names were assigned to the God they worshipped, for man inherently felt that the awakened virtues he had are possessed in full perfection by the Source of All. The amount of God-names expands as man develops his Spirit-awareness.

What man formally understood broadly, he now began to apperceive the details, the minor rays of the One Light; and these details, he may subsequently discover, further differentiate themselves ad infinitum. These divine rays or virtues of Allah were personified by the ancients ushering man from the animistic stage to the polytheistic phase. Almost all of the ancient cultures had their pantheons of gods and goddesses, representing externally the inherent, and somewhat dormant spectrum of divine virtues lying hidden within man. Though man be made in God’s image, possessing the seeds of divinity, he still reflects poorly the divine attributes and aspects of his Progenitor; thus humanity still needs to grow into God’s image and attain its own beautification, acquiring the state of perfection, the evolutionary stage called “Insan Kamil,” or “Perfect Human Being.”

Polytheism is not merely a concept or untrue. Human beings do evolve into perfection and attain god status as exclaimed by the prophets, “ye are (intrinsically) gods!” An adept on the spiritual path might make a divine virtue a predominant part of its expression that the embodiment of the attribute causes the adept to be universally and celestially recognized as a god of the divine ray itself. Thus, we have Venus, the goddess of Love, Kwan Yin, the goddess of Mercy, Thoth, the god of Wisdom, etc. The gods are embodiments of the ideal and various esoteric practice revolves around the assumption of the forms and characteristics of the gods and goddesses in order to quicken the magician’s own divinity and to produce occult effects. The gods, however, do bow in reverence to Allah, the One Essence recognizing and understanding more than what is known to mortal minds.

In Islam, and in al-Hikmah, in general, human figures are not permitted to represent Allah or the divine attributes, as they are considered sacrilegious. Even the portrait of the Prophet was not saved for posterity. This was to avoid making a cult around the personality of the Messenger as was unfortunately done with the Piscean Master.

One of the teachings of Islam is that angels do not descend into houses filled with dogs and images. Though fundamentalists may adhere to the rule of the letter, esoterically, this refers to the unrestrained desires and the idols of the mind. The Divine Ray of the Holy Spirit has trouble entering man through the crown chakra blocked with psychic toxins generated by the impure mind and emotions. This is the esoteric interpretation of Christ knocking at the door and waiting for entry. He who would not purify himself causes the portal to remain barred.

There is an interesting account about images: during the early days of the promulgation of Islam by the walis or saints in Indonesia, the Islamic leaders encountered a problem as the indigenous people of Java were fond of the shadow-puppet theatrical plays. These puppets were in the shape of human figures. In keeping with the Islamic law that human icons were not allowed to be portrayed, they sought to ban this traditional entertainment but feared causing an uproar as a consequence. One of the Walis known as Sunan Kalijaga, intervened, however. His keen mind saw the potential of the plays as a media in conveying the moral teachings of Islam and suggested to the council of the “9 Saints” to allow the continuance of the practice. To comply with the teachings of Islam, he proposed that the human figures of the puppets be caricaturized. Thus deformed images of the shadow-puppets came into being. Samples of these may be found all over our website.

The Divine Names in Islam that have traditionally been passed on to us are 99 in number; the word “Allah” rounds the number to 100. The “Beautiful Divine Names” is probably the development of the 72 divine names of the Schemhamphoras, the 10 God-Names of the Qaballistic Tree of Life, and the other numerous appellations of God to be found in Jewish scriptures. Scholars of Islam may debate as to the legitimacy of the 99 names as a whole, whether they are a revelation from God and a true teaching of the Prophet, or whether they are simply concocted by man; but as occultists, this is of no import. The names are archetypal and may be experienced as realities within the recesses of one’s psyche.

Each letter of the Arabic alphabet has a numerological value and is said to be associated with khodams, or angelic servants. The letters are embodiments or are representative of cosmic energies. The combined letters forming the Divine Names are in turn associated with other spirit khodams or classes of the angelic hierarchy. Having numerical values, the combined letters of the Divine Names represent metaphysical structures mathematically-based that possesses esoteric significances. Practitioners normally chant the Names the number of times in accord with its total value. The numerical value of a Name resonates with the power that it represents. Thus chanting the value of a Name or one of its expression mathematically derived therefrom, invokes the power, grace and virtues of the Name into the magician’s consciousness. The figures in the table below, extracted from old manuscripts, is the result of just one numerological method of calculating the value of the Names. The Arabic letters, not the Latin, have been used as a basis for this calculation; the various methods of acquiring the value of a Name will not be given here as they are related to initiatic transmissions.

The khodam familiars assigned to the Divine Names may actually represent an angelic class rathers than to specific individual spirits judging from the vague statements of certain Islamic authors. Various lists assign different angels to the Divine Names, however, most of these are probably due to the variations in pronunciation/spelling of the angelic names. According to our compilation of the list below, some angels are associated with more than one Divine Name; thus for instance we have ‘Athfayail as the guardian of Al-Lathif and Ash Shakur. As to the accuracy of the list, we leave that to the practitioner to discover through direct experience.

Practical Usage

Above we initimated that the angels of the Divine Names may be known through direct experience. In the occult practices of Ilmu Hikmah, the beautiful appellations of Allah are recited for thousands of times per day, sometimes for consecutive months in order to evoke the khodams to “material” appearance. The purpose of the evocation are varied. The angelic servers may be called upon to assist the practitioner in solving the varied problems of life; to provide familiars, to acquire occult powers and abilities, mystical objects, general information and magickal knowledge; to assist in magickal operations, etc.

In Islamic occultism, the interaction with angelic spirits are preferred to the socializing with jinns or the trafficking with demons. Jinns are unpredictable and deceptive while demons are malicious. Orthodox Islam as a rule, does not condone the practice of conjuration as it presents too many dangers for the evolving soul. Al-Hikmah, however, teaches the subject but with the stipulation that the novice be fully guided in the process and apply the strenuous disciplines that refines the soul, awakens the heart and will, and uplifts the intelligence so as to offer protection against the temptations, illusions, deceptions, glamor and maya along the way. Conjurations in al-Hikmah are confined to angels and jinns, and in rare cases to human spirits. “Demons” are not sought for except by the strayers of the path.

Methods of conjuration are numerous. They may be done through the methods of the magickal schools of the Western Tradition (the Golden Dawn, etc), the shamanic process, or the simple zikir in Tasawuf, or Islamic mysticism; though the latter, viewing from a spiritual perspective, does not consider conjuration as of any importance or even as causing obstacles along the path. Al-Hikmah, being eclectic, combines many methods, depending upon various factors. Different methods are also used by different schools of the al-Hikmah tradition. These occult lodges guard their methods with secrecy–or sad to say, with a price.

So far we have mentioned the lower goals and effects of the recitation of the Divine Name. This comes under the province of thaumaturgy. We would like to point out that the chanting of the Divine Names has a more lofty purpose and this is theurgical in nature. Islam refers to the chanting of Divine Names as “zikr.” It is widely practiced in the tarikat aspect of Islam. Zikr means “remember.” It is the remembrance of Allah, done through contemplation of the name and not mere mechanical chanting. Practitioners of Tasawuf recognize the psychic effects of zikir but stand aloof from them. Their purpose is to unite with Allah, the “unio mystica,” through his Divine Names. Zikr somewhat plays the same role as the occult practice of the assumption of godforms.

In the teachings of the Asma ul-Husna or the “Divine Names” of Islamic mysticism, the first step is to know and memorize the names intellectually. Then one contemplates upon the Names, striving to express the divine attributes in daily life. Concomitant to this, one would chant the Names in one’s daily practice until overshadowed by them. Knowing all of the Divine Names, not merely intellectually, but experentially is part of the gnostic stage of Islam. Termed “marifat,” the gnosis offers the practitioner a greater awareness of the Spiritual Source. Zikr of the Divine Names is just one method of attaining the gnostic state. It leads to the Inner Light and Sound emanating from the Divine Throne.

Divination

The Divine Names, like the Urim and Thurim of Judaism, long vanished, may be used as a divinatory system approximating the spiritual consultation system of the I Ching. Chips with the Names inscribed thereon may be constructed and consecrated with the associated Name. These are placed in a talismanic pouch. Inquiries may be made and the chip/s drawn to answer the questions. We will not over-dwell on the mechanics and process of this, leaving it to the ingenuity of the practitioner to develop his/her own methods and reading style. We would just like to add that our many inquirers were amazed at the accuracy of the system as we presented it to them.

Spiritual Discipline

Before engaging in any magickal practice, one should undergo a strenuous period of purification, sensitivity training, the unfoldment of the heart and will, the spiritual culture of one’s character, the accumulation and comprehension of essential knowledge, the practice of goodwill, and the development of intuition. These would greatly protect and shield the practitioner from assorted problems presented by astral glamor and the illusions on the mental plane.

Such a period of discipline ought to be supervised by a spiritual adept or his representative. This is essential for various reasons; one being that the novice may not know the appropriate standard or criteria with which to evaluate his advancement. Lacking the overseership of an adept might cause the novice to be filled with illusions of personal grandeur, pride, vanity, etc. The pitfalls are indeed numerous. Being predominantly a magician or a mystic causes problems. The way of the heart and the head/will should be in equilibrium. It is the magi that balances both qualities to perfection.

How to Invoke

Prior to commencing a rite of invocation of one of the Divine Names, undergo an ablution–a holy wash. Then sit in a quite room and do some rhythmic breathing. If you are conducting your obligatory prayers at the same time, then begin the chanting of the Divine Names after the prayers; if not, offer a general prayer of worship to Allah prior to the zikr. If you know the Al-Fatihah verse, commence with this.

Carefully choose a Divine Name in accord with your need, or you may pick one from your divination pouch as explained earlier. Then recite the name for the amount of times equal to its value; or you may multiply the value with the sacred numbers 19 or 11 to be found structurally in the Quran and chant the resultant amount.

Another method is to chant the Name until you feel that you have reached an inner response. In some specific rites you may be asked to chant for a certain number of times unrelated to the value of the Names. This is permissible so long as there is ground for this. There is much leeway in the practice of the Divine Names. We might also point out that Allah loves odd numbers.

To count the number of chants, a tasbih (rosary) may be used. Use one tasbih for one Divine Name, Mantra or Prayer, as this would charge the rosary with a specific energy and not fill it with cross vibes derived from charging with too many different Names. They may cancel each other out. Stick to this rule–one mantra or Name–one rosary. This would transform the counter into a powerful talisman as the energy of the Name accumulates. Practitioners have found that rosaries are the best counting device, as mechanical counters and watches tend to dysfunction because of the influence of the energy build-up.

When reciting do not phrase the Names with the prefix Al but begin with Ya; and add the suffix “u” to it. Thus for instance, “Al Jabbar” is invoked as “Ya Jabbaru.” “Ar Rahim” as “Ya Rahimu.”

Begin the recitation with a voice volume-level neither loud nor soft.You may then shift to whispers or to a mental recitation; and back and forth–for variations. Avoid monotony. Recite with full focus, mentally and emotionally, on that attribute of God of the Name in question. Let your consciousness absorb the power of the Names. Do not chant mechanically, but do it with feelings of awe, respect, love, and admiration for the Divine Attribute. Visualize yourself as being filled with rays of light from the celestial realms. Contemplate the names. Chant with a sense of devotion and faith expecting no rewards. Conduct the chanting rite for no other purpose other than to approach closer to the Throne.

After completing the zikr close the session with a brief prayer of thanks.

Other Effects of the Names

Regular chanting of the Divine Names affects one psychologically. The practitioner tends to express strongly in his everyday life the Name that he regularly recites in his spiritual disciplines. This is one of the great benefits of the Divine Name recitation. Transforming one’s character and evolving the soul should take precedence over the acquisition of earthly possessions. The practice of the chanting also have its effects in the improvement of mundane affairs or unfolding the dormant psychic faculties. This should be considered as blessings and not as the main purpose of the discipline.

Evoke the Angel, “Qanyail”

Chanting the Divine Names as mentioned before may be done for thaumaturgical or theurgical purposes. Physical needs should be met so that greater time, energy and resources are available for spiritual works. So long as there is a realization that the goals of mundane life do not represent life’s purpose, they may be temporarily attended to by any harmless means at one’s disposal. Magicians resort to magick.

Below we present an example of a rite of evocation in al-Hikmah of an angel:

If you are interested in evoking the angel Qanyail to assist you with your needs, recite daily after the 5 obligatory prayers the Divine Name “Al’Aziim” (Recite “Ya Aziimu”) 1020 times. Do this in a clean room and wearing clean clothings. Repeat this rite daily for two months (perhaps more) on a vegetarian diet until the angel appears. When the spirit manifests, state your need. At each session after reciting the Divine Name for the stated amount of times say the following prayer once:

[Note: Table, prayer and notes may be seen as originally published at our website]

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

How difficult the search for truth and enlightenment can be. In fact the path can seem so impassable that many give up without further effort. An enlightened teacher may have hundreds or even thousands of students—but only a small percentage obtains a glimpse of all the possibilities that could unfold before them.

The physical world of everyday reality presents many challenges to all who reside on our planet. Unfortunately, some are so unaware of what may exist beyond their immediate awareness that they only believe what is right in front of them—and some aren’t even aware of that. They never become equipped to handle the concerns of the past, present or future in an effective manner. They live what Henry David Thoreau calls “lives of quiet desperation.”

The enlightened individual resides in a higher state of awareness. But unless he has achieved the absolute highest states of enlightenment—the resistance and opposition he encounters from others affects him.

Following are the four stages of awareness beginning with the stage of the uninitiated. Of course, there are many more stages than this—possibly an infinite amount—but in order to simplify matters we will cover only four.

Total Obliviousness to Higher Awareness – The Uninitiated

You would think that with all the pain, suffering and frustration most people suffer they would eagerly search for a higher state of awareness—one filled with joy, pleasure and ecstasy. Tragically, most are unaware that there are higher states of existence to reach—so they never attempt it. They believe happiness is something found in the world around them—not knowing that it is within—that they already possess it. They are the uninitiated.

Now some of these people are attracted to organized religions that promise salvation after death—that is if they follow some strict doctrine or dogma. In order to keep them in line they are threatened with eternal hellfire or some other unpleasant eternal punishment if they don’t submit to a “higher” authority—as if there is greater pain and suffering than they are already experiencing.

What is strange—much of the dogma is supposed to be based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. This is peculiar because Jesus said “Most of mankind is asleep.” And indeed most people are.

When an enlightened one attempts to communicate with the uninitiated he has the double burden of feeling their suffering (an enlightened person is highly empathetic) and having a sudden twinge of frustration (although he quickly gets over it). Sadly, he discovers they are unteachable. In fact they are resistant to anyone who attempts to free them from their illusions. They actually oppose him—and in some cases they torture and kill him. Now that’s a solution! Kill the one who sees through illusion so you can perpetuate your own illusions and delusions.

The uninitiated walk around with their eyes and ears closed. Their mind has shut down. They don’t realize they exist in a dream state. The enlightened individual thinks that maybe someday they will awaken from their long sleep and realize they were only dreaming—having a series of unnecessary nightmares. However, it probably won’t occur in this lifetime. So they must continue suffering in their obstinacy and ignorance.

The Seeker Who Fails To Follow Through

A person is aware he is missing a piece or many pieces of the puzzle, so he begins searching for something that could make a difference in his life. He (She) thinks there must be something that can free him (her) from suffering and frustration—so he (she) searches and searches. Unfortunately this person never sticks to anything long enough to learn the lesson. He is like “The Seeker” in the song by the Who.

“I asked Bobby Dylan

I asked The Beatles

I asked Timothy Leary

But he couldn’t help me either”

This individual is similar to the overweight person who jumps from one diet plan to another. I once knew a lady who changed diet plans every 2 weeks until she became discouraged and frustrated from her lack of success. Then she would go on a hamburger, fries and ice cream binge. She would gain more weight and become depressed. Finally she would pull herself together and repeat the same cycle once again—with the same dismal results.

A person can’t expect to meditate for only a few weeks and suddenly gain enlightenment. Higher awareness is a lifetime pursuit. It takes a continuous effort of meditation, residing in the higher states, positive knowing, overcoming obstacles and challenges—and everyday enjoyment of all the pleasures and ecstasies life has to offer.

I’m not sure what happens to the unfulfilled seeker. Does he or she live a life of quiet desperation? Does he receive some satisfaction from his seeking? Or does he accept the way he is with some glimmer of awareness and happiness?

Guru Dependence

Some discover what they believe is “the answer”. And in many cases it is a level of higher awareness. They also discover the teacher of this higher level of awareness—a teacher who is an enlightened one. The teacher or guru helps them discover many truths that are hidden from the uninitiated. You could call these seekers quite fortunate.

When the student is ready the teacher will appear. I’m sure you’ve heard this saying. Some sayings end up as worn-out clichés. Fortunately this statement is true. Many times in my life—times I was at a crossroad and experiencing some uncertainty and frustration—the right teacher or book appeared. A period of further enlightenment would begin.

The problem arises when the student becomes dependent on the teacher. A truly enlightened being doesn’t desire “guru status.” His most urgent desire is for the student to learn—then move on to the next lesson. Unfortunately some students are so enthralled with the teacher they are unable to cut the connection. They don’t realize that to be reborn into a higher state of awareness they must cut the “umbilical” cord. They must ascend.

The higher teachings speak of not forming possessive attachments. Becoming attached to a guru violates basic metaphysical law. I know you come to love your teachers and sometimes it is difficult to move on. However the next higher state of existence only becomes possible when you let go—and that means letting go of your dependency on your teacher. Anyway, he or she will always live in your heart and soul. The memories never fade away. And the teachings are yours for eternity.

Higher Awareness – Achieving Universal Harmony

In the “Pathways to Mastership” course Jonathan Parker says “When we talk about being in harmony—we are talking about the realization of the oneness within the universal mind, going with the flow, offering no resistance at all and not forming possessive attachments along the way—that would be universal harmony.”

How wonderful to reach this higher state of awareness. What is delightful is that there are always higher states to aspire to. The universe is expanding into eternity at a rapid pace—and your mind and spirit can expand along with it. We can imagine all the possibilities of this existence—but can we envision what awaits us in other dimensions and existences?

I have caught glimpses of these during my meditations—and sometimes in my dreams. I definitely realize one thing—that is where I want to someday go—when my mission here is completed. However for now I am thrilled about all the pleasures and ecstasies that await me in my current awakened state of awareness. Ah, life on our great planet has its rewards—if only you open your eyes and ears—and activate your body, mind, and spirit.

Enlightenment is when God reveals truth to the mind. The best analogy would be as light hits a mirror and reflects back. It is really more like the refraction of light that is given off by a prism or cut crystal gem, because the truth spreads out in many directions and encompasses many things and many people often hitting upon unexpected places with varied effects.

Enlightenment by God is a form of spirituality. It should in no way be confused with “spiritualism” which is 1) non-physical and 2) occult or founded on nothing more than metaphysical circumstances which may have bad results. God’s insight is always true and a sure thing driven by love. However, both kinds come with knowledge that is without inference to objective reality and both are arrived at without reasoning or preparedness. This means that enlightenment or “true wisdom” requires no formal education, critical thinking skills, nor genetic or mental agility. It does not require a team of experts, no matter how enormously paid, since it cannot be bought or sold. Truth is usually simple, straight-forward, noncontradictory and absolute.

Intuition is one form of Godly wisdom. We have all heard of a mother’s or father’s intuition which comes from the gut and heart rather than logic. It is the power of knowing intuitively and apprehending immediately. Christians call this “discernment of the spirits.” We see innate and instinctive behavior in animal species all the time. Fight or flight, mating, and parenting would be examples of instinctive behavior. Something is apparently hard-wired into everything and everyone’s brain that allows them to reproduce. Things get a little stickier when we think about conscience, ethics and fair-play. King Solomon is the best example of this kind of Godly common sense. He forced two mothers to make a difficult choice, thereby squeezing out the truth about who the real mother of a baby could be. When given the order to cut the child in two, the real mother offered to give the child away rather than see the child come to any harm. Only the real and loving mother would be so unselfish and compassionate.

Prophetic ability is a gift of God and although it is available to everyone as need dictates for God’s sake, not everyone is called to act as God’s servant or messenger. Prophecy is divine inspiration by God to predict the future or give instructions in religious matters. The words should always make reference to who is in charge – God – and contain grace and salvation

Many people believe that new age books are different from spiritual books, even though there are so many books available that are described as new age spiritual books. If we look at the terms new age and spiritual, we find similarities, where spiritual refers to soul or spirit and new age has been described as ‘of or relating to spiritual and consciousness raising movements’. New age books encompass health, medicine, philosophy, religion and the occult. And yet, the term new age was only coined in recent decades, mainly from the 1970’s. So that begs the question – is there such a thing as a New Age?

Many so-called new age books (and spiritual books) that have been written over these past few decades are emphatic that we are indeed in a new age spiritual era that is NEW in every aspect to what has come before. However, researching older spiritual books and philosophy books shows that humankind has passed through eras of high enlightenment before – inspirational times of metaphysical and spiritual awareness that equals or surpasses our current times. So is this perhaps not a new age as such, but simply a remembering of metaphysical, esoteric, inspirational parapsychology and spiritual powers that all of us possess but have temporarily forgotten. If this be the case, then perhaps a more apt term would be Mind Body Spirit.

Which brings us to another so-called new age term … parapsychology. New age parapsychology is the study of paranormal phenomena and the term parapsychology comes from the Greek para ‘beside, beyond’ and psychology, derived from the Greek psyche ’soul, mind’. So, here we are back to the spiritual again or, as mentioned above, Mind Body Spirit. And yet, some people still insist that spiritual books, new age books and new age parapsychology are totally separate themes. Perhaps that’s why more and more people are coining the phrase Mind Body Spirit in an attempt to mold these various terms into a more unified category.

If we look more closely at the core messages in the various spiritual books, new age books, metaphysical, esoteric, parapsychology, philosophy and even self improvement books, we often find similarities that are sometimes veiled in different terms that could all be better described as Mind Body Spirit. Yes, even philosophy books, which are essentially the belief or system of beliefs accepted as an authoritative account by a group or philosophy school, have similarities to each other and also to the more recent spiritual new age parapsychology and metaphysical esoteric books. The various philosophy books available today, which are scriptures handed down over many centuries that are the core beliefs of the world’s many religions, also have strong similarities in the original message, although the interpretation of these books over the ages has led to contrasting viewpoints.

Considering the strife that such opposing views of philosophy books over the ages has caused, perhaps this new age of parapsychology, with its metaphysical, esoteric and spiritual messages and books will help break down these old belief systems that have divided humanity for so long, particularly when unified under the more acceptable catch-phrase of Mind Body Spirit. The proliferation of self improvement books alone has brought a spiritual awareness to thousands, if not millions, who seek to grow through better knowing themselves. Old philosophy books are being rewritten in more spiritual new age terminology and marketed under various terms, not only new age and spiritual, but also metaphysical books, esoteric books, new age parapsychology, inspirational books, self improvement and even philosophy books. An increasing number of these books are being grouped, on websites and also in physical bookstores, under the Mind Body Spirit label.

The overriding influence of these books is inspirational, encouraging readers to delve deeper into themselves to discover their true spiritual nature and it is encouraging to see so many spiritual new age parapsychology (Mind Body Spirit) books coming out in increasing numbers each year.

Two such books are listed on www.1-inspirational-quote-book.com/ although many readers place them into various categories. They are a mixture of metaphysical, spiritual, esoteric and self improvement books, even though they are based in a sci-fi theme. Above all, they are inspirational, told from the viewpoint of an extra-terrestrial race of Beings who are concerned about the direction we are taking. Regardless of the various viewpoints, they will easily fall into the more generalized Mind Body Spirit category and, overall, the feedback from readers has been fantastic, many of them describing the books as ‘inspirational and thought provoking’. As one reader wrote ”The story slowly engulfed me, drew me in until I was on my own journey. It opened my mind, enticing me to read more. I ask, is this just a novel or a key to our future…?’

With just a few short days until Christmas, even if you don’t identify as a “Christian”, it seems appropriate to examine the meaning of the word “Christ”.

Many Christians falsely believe that Christ was Jesus’s last name. No, sorry. Jesus’s name was probably Ieshua bar Iosef.

Instead of a surname, “Christ” is a title. It comes from the Greek and means anointed or slathered with oil. Believe it or not, we get words like cream, grease, and gristle from the same word origin. However, like all things biblical, it’s literal meaning is not as important as the metaphysical and symbolic meaning.

For example, if I told you that Julius Caesar wore purple robes – that wouldn’t mean much in itself. However, if you knew that, traditionally, emperors in Rome were the only one’s allowed to wear purple, you might understand some of the symbolism and deeper political meaning behind this type of dress.

So Jesus wasn’t just being described as “Joshua the greasy.” In ancient Israel, anointing with oil was reserved for the holy, the priests and ritual objects. And there is a deeper meaning of equating Jesus with the prophesied messiah.

This is a bit of sensitive subject for some, but it’s important to understand what is meant by messiah. The messiah was meant to be a military AND spiritual leader who would reclaim Israel from the Romans. In that sense of the word, it doesn’t really fit well with Jesus – although some scriptures paint Jesus as trying to start a military revolt.

The metaphysical sense of Christ is anointed, not just with oil – but with consciousness. Think of enlightenment and one as synonyms for Christ. New Thought movements refer to Jesus as “Jesus the Christ”. They refer to the movement towards Unity with god as Christ-consciousness.

Although his lessons have been perverted to reinforce un-enlightened power-bases, Jesus taught that we are all “Christ”. He said, quoting Psalms, “I said ye are gods.” he also said, “the kingdom of heaven is within you.” And furthermore in john he said, “he that believes in me, the works that I do shall he do also: And greater things than these shall he do.”

But the problem with ego is that it tells us we are limited, that we are not one with god but separate. We need someone to intercede with god on our behalf. We need priests and a savior because we are filthy and imperfect. Hogwash.

The kingdom is within us. This is truly something to celebrate over the Holidays. Let’s celebrate our Unity with Christ-consciousness. let’s celebrate the birth of one of the enlightened masters who showed us that we are all immortal gods.

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♫♥Click here for the High Quality Version♥♫ www.youtube.com ♫♥Steven Halpern – Chakra Chimes♫♥Thank you for taking the time to watch my video, hope you enjoy it..Please visit my other YouTube Channel: Kassandra4Love(Romantic, Love & Relaxing Videos)and let me know what you think of the other videos and songs** www.youtube.com **Please don’t forget to support the Artist and buy their Music!!** ♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥*♥* Steven’s award-winning

www.siddhayatan.org http www.askacharyashree.com Acharya Shree Yogeesh, a living enlightened master, sheds light during a conference call on the topic of “Kundalini Energy.” This is the first video of a Kundalini lesson series. Acharya Shree…

Viaje maravilloso a través de los chakras en este video hecho a computadora por Anodea Judith. Subtítulado por yours truly.

The Illuminated Chakras por Anodea Judith. Un hermoso corto de animación por computadora que nos da un viaje inspirador por todos los chakras.

www.siddhayatan.org Living Enlightened Master, Acharya Shree Yogeesh, continues his conference series on the Kundalini Energy and Chakras, by discussing the chakra centers and the corresponding glands and organ systems in the human body.