NATURALNESS AND SIMPLICITY
AR
JANUARY 2020
NEW BEGINNING HUMAN BY PRAYER
U.K . £5.00, U. S . $5.95, C a nada $5.95
And supreme over all the Will of our Creator inexorably manifested and manifests in the irrevocable march of events. On passing into the beyond every human being is divested of earthly power and its protection. Name, position, everything is left behind. Only a poor human soul passes over, there to receive and experience what it sowed. Not a single exception is possible! On its path it is led through all the wheels of the relentless reciprocal action of Divine Justice. There is no church, no state, but only individual human souls who must personally account for every error they have made! He who acts against God's Will, and thus commits a sin in Creation, is subject to the consequences of this transgression. It matters not who he may be and on what pretext he acted. Be it an individual under the cloak of the church or of the law ... a crime committed against body or soul is and remains a crime! Nothing can alter it, not even the semblance of justice, which is by no means always justice; for of course the laws, too, were made only by intellectuals, and therefore must be subject to earthly limitations. [...] This hitherto uncurbed materialism carries within it a foreboding of death, which becomes more evident every month! Yet in many human souls, in all places, on the entire earth, something is astir! The radiance of the Truth is still only covered by a thin layer of old, false conceptions, which the first gust of a purification will sweep away, thus setting free the core, whose light will unite with that of so many others to unfold its cone of rays, rising like a fire of gratitude to the Realm of Pure Joy, to the Feet of the Creator. And with this the grievous sin of all mankind against the spirit, which has kept the spirit bound on earth through the intellect, is at last redeemed! Only that then is the right way back to what is natural, to the way of the Will of the Creator, Who desires men's works to be great, and suffused with living intuitive perceptions! The victory of the spirit, however, will at the same time also be the victory of purest Love!
Grail Message
You have not only lost the knowledge of God, you have also lost faith in yourselves. Infinite are the powers that lie in man, but he makes no use of them, he lets them wither. Before he begins some work he introduces his thinking, and lets himself be governed by it. And in its limitations the memory of man, which is lawfully subordinate to this earth, cannot grasp that the spirit should be superior to it. He degrades it himself, raises doubts in his powers, which then render man incapable, carrying him ever further back instead of forward. From ‘Past Millennia’ (Published by Stiftung Gralsbotschaft, Stuttgart)
22 Through the wise ordering of Creation man has been given the power to shape conditions for himself with the Power of the Creator. Happy is he who uses it only for good! But woe unto him who succumbs to the temptation to use it for evil!
PEARL Published by New Millennium Press Ltd PO Box 73999 London E5 5EH, UK
ISSN 2516-5976
Editor
Grail Message
Ìsíjú Ká
Contributing editors Jide Adefope, Michael Wilhelm
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The old has passed away, the unnatural mastery accorded the limited perceptive capacity of the earthly intellect over the intuitive perception of the spirit is being swept off by the accelerating pace of far-reaching world events which continue to increase in intensity, effecting transformations and heightened personal experiences for individuals throughout the spectrum of humanity and is evident in largescale natural and man-made disasters claiming untold casualties. Materialism is past its climax as the intellect is restored to its natural place in the human condition as a tool of the living spirit. A new year of ‘Pearl’ magazine begins with this current issue. We continue with our modest efforts to affirm the Word of the Grail Message of Abd-ru-shin and to try to bring the new knowledge it conveys and its effective application to the attention of our readers through our articles and contributions. Our intention is to lay with our efforts a series of stepping stones signposting to the spiritually seeking human being the high and unique values that are waiting to be discovered in the Message of Abd-ru-shin. We go into the new year with the firm commitment to put our will and ability even more to the service of this cause. Our conviction in the high goal is unwavering and we are happy to be at its service.
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Copyright © 2020 Pearl Magazine
ISSUE 22 JANUARY 2020 www.pearl-magazine.com
CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS
5
Editor’s note
Marianne Klauser Stalder
6
Contributors
7
Correspondence
10
Good Vibrations
12
Prayer
30
The Black Spider – Part FourShort Story: The
A practising psychologist and psychotherapist in Switzerland, Marianne Stalder has many years of experience in dealing with anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress disorders, also with life and identity crises, as well as serious occupational crises such as burnout. Her quest for spiritual values acquainted her with the Grail Message – In the Light of Truth by Abd-ru-shin.
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Machine Stops
34
Short Story: The Machine Stops
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Page 4: Cypress Alley in the Gardens of Pojega, Valpolicella, Lake Garda, Italy
Pearl Magazine is published 12 times a year in print and digital. Annual subscription (Print): £40.00 (UK); $65 (US & CANADA); €60 (Europe); Other countries: US$85 Digital subscription – information available on our website: www.pearl-magazine.com or send an e-mail to: subscribe@pearl-magazine.com Customer Service PO BOX 73999, London E5 5EH, UK Tel. 044 (0)20 8686 1088
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According to the Divine Laws of Creation every person in authority, every judge, no matter what office he holds here on earth, should never stand in his actions under some protection of his office, but like any other person he must alone and purely personally, unprotected, bear full responsibility himself for all he does in his office. Not only in the spiritual but also in the earthly sense. Then everyone would regard things much more seriously and carefully. And so-called ‘errors’, whose consequences are forever irreparable, will certainly not so easily occur again. To say nothing of the physical and psychic suffering of the victims and their relatives.
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Grail Message
G O O D  V I B R AT I O N S PAU L   S C H M I T T
J
ust as eternity lives in every moment and every heart craves to love, so is the human soul predisposed to look gratefully upwards in ardent
devotion, in childlike wonder and jubilantly enjoy the gift of life in all its overwhelming abundance.
T
he New Year ushers us in with all its wonder and promise which can illuminate and bring out the true beauty of our innermost being
in all its radiant rapture.
B
ut in order to find the real treasure of life, and liberate the inner self, one has to dig deep; this can often be a difficult and
burdensome task as it involves surmounting the over-developed intellect, in which we encounter many almost immovable blockages and entanglements that we once knowingly and unknowingly allowed to develop within ourselves.
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Man is a sun; and the senses are his planets.
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Novalis
P R AY E R Clarif ied spirit Calmed heart! M A R I A N N E   K L AU S E R S TA L D E R
Part Two
Develop a personal prayer culture Praying is a pathway that is to be well-kept! Several aspects will have a positive effect on the development of a personal prayer culture, namely the trust that we place in prayer, the necessary preparation and the individual shaping of the prayer in accordance with our own personality.
Pray with heartfelt confidence Many people find it difficult to pray because of adopted errors that act as stumbling blocks on the path thereto. One of these is the idea of an arbitrarily punitive or helpful God. It is rightly perceived that this conception of God, which was transmitted in former times, described in many facets in the Old Testament or depicted in art, can never correspond to what God really must be: HE, the Creator of the whole Universe, the starting point of all Power and all Light, high and sublime, stands far above all human conceptions and visualisations. Many people pray to God to intervene in all the wars, horrors and hardships and to deliver the nations and 12
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peoples from the misery ensuing therefrom. Sooner or later, those who utter such prayers meet with disappointment, because their prayers seemingly remain unanswered. The wars only get worse and the misery increases unabated. Nevertheless, it may be assumed that prayers which originate from genuine compassion and longing for peace do not remain without effect. However, we must first come to the recognition that God does not intervene arbitrarily in man-made events, nor does He need to, because, already from the very beginning of Creation, He has woven His Will in the form of active forces into all parts of Creation in such a way that they have an ordering and regulating effect in absolute perfection over everything in Creation. These lawfully acting forces of Creation can be recognised by human beings as Laws of Nature as soon as they open their eyes to these forces which act in nature as well as in human life. Drawing on the parables of Jesus, Paul described one of these Laws in his letter to the Galatians: ‘Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ (6,7) This describes the principle of reciprocity, which runs through the entire Universe and not only manifests in nature as seed and harvest, but also confronts us human beings
Nothing could be simpler, and yet it is the hardest: simply to be.
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From ‘Ephesus’ (Published by Stiftung Gralsbotschaft, Stuttgart)
There is a great Law that permeates the whole Creation. He who does not sow shall not reap either. That means: he who would like to obtain something shall strive for it. Striving for it, however, does not mean impetuously rushing at it, wanting to force along fulfillment of the wish at all costs. When the wish will be fulfilled, when the harvest is ripe, depends on God’s Will. When man has done his part, he must wait. Exactly at the hour decreed by God, he may then receive what he has earned through his deeds.
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Zoroaster
in the Law of Reciprocal Action with the fact that we must reap what we send out, thus what issues from us, be it in thoughts, words or deeds. Fate or so-called karma develops in the strict activity of this Natural Law for the individual human being as well as for whole nations and ethnic groups and can thus be seen as a consequence of former events and personal decisions, which often go far back into previous earth lives. Only when we take into consideration that every person living on earth at the present time already has a number of earth lives behind him at different times and in different places, does it become clear to us why a particular fate often must inevitably develop, be it in the life of the individual or encompassing whole groups of peoples. At the same time, however, it has to be borne in mind that not everything that we human beings lament or deplore as hardship, serious setbacks, crisis situations and ill-fated events are karmic repercussions. Rather, many devastating or harrowing developments, such as the loss of a loved one or even the homeland, a severe illness or other mental and emotional traumas, act as catalysts towards faster spiritual maturing and may thus ultimately be seen as a blessing, however difficult this may be to recognise at the time. Thus, there have been in the course of thousands of years, again and again, peoples who have matured more quickly as a result of terrible events such as war and oppression than those who lived carefree lives in peace and prosperity. However, karma can begin anew, just as old karma, instead of being redeemed, can be continually reinforced by bad thoughts and hateful, rage-filled emotions that cannot be overcome and laid aside. In order not to fall into one-sided judgments about the fate of individuals as well as of entire nations or ethnic groups, it is necessary to realise and accept that we human beings do not have an overview of our entire existence and often can only forebodingly distinguish between a ‘blow of fate’ and merciful grace with great difficulty. In order to be able to deal with everything that is imposed on us in life for our own maturation, the Creator, in His all-embracing love, has placed the healing and strengthening power of the Light and of Love into Creation. Innumerable figures in higher spheres are fully engaged directing these forces in manifold active forms to humans. These forces spring into action as soon as a person seeks a connection with them. That is why Jesus, who knew of these activities in Creation, said, ‘Seek, and ye shall find! Knock, and it shall be opened unto you!’ We may therefore call for help at any time, something which can be experienced especially poignantly in prayer.
With the assuredness of these active forces as well as the just exercising of the Natural Laws, the inner attitude of the praying person may be borne by calm confidence, thus confidence in these perfectly acting Cosmic Laws, trust in the Creator's living Power flowing constantly through Creation which holds, at the ready, help for every need and a solution to every pressing question, but also trust in absolute justice, which belongs only to Him, the Creator, as a mark of His perfection. This awareness of all these active cosmic connections makes it possible to develop in the praying person a deeply felt reverence, calmness, assurance, hope and joy as well as a new fervour while praying.
Praying calls for preparation That praying is not an everyday activity that can be quickly attended to without much effort, thought or preparation or merely out of habit, is made abundantly clear in the following quotation from the Grail Message: ‘Prayer requires profound earnestness. Pray in quietness and purity, so that the power of the intuitive perception will be increased through quietness and receive through purity that luminous lightness which will enable the prayer to be carried upward to the heights of all that is light and pure! Then the supplicant will receive that fulfilment which will be most beneficial for him and really advance him in his whole being!’ (Lecture: Prayer) Whoever feels like praying must, therefore, attune to ‘quietness and purity’, must gather himself together and commune with silence, because only through quiescence can a connection be made with the true Heights. However, this requires neither an exhaustive, time-consuming meditation nor any other longwinded exercise, but rather the realisation that one now intends to direct one’s attention solely to God, to HIM, the Most High, the Origin and Creator of all life on earth, the inexhaustible Source of Light and of all Power constantly pulsating through Creation. This realisation alone can convey a soothing calm and quiescence, through which the external stimuli recede and prevailing thoughts and feelings also calm down. The great forerunners such as Zoroaster, Moses and John the Baptist withdrew for a certain period into solitude in order – surrounded by nature – to prepare themselves for their task. Only in this way could they develop a receptive attitude that was directed upwards and gave rise to a strong connection with the highest planes, where they found new insights and an inexhaustible source of power for their Pearl January 2020
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later work, giving them a completely new strength of personality that expressed itself in clarity of spirit, unperturbed by the hustle and bustle of human activities and independent of their views. At the same time they had to ensure their physical survival, so they could not ‘waft away’, but had to be vigilant towards all earthly exigencies. All of them were tested, challenged, even subjected to temptation several times during this preparatory phase and had to prove their inner orientation. They became patient thereby, having learned to wait. Even the Son of God Jesus withdrew into the desert at about thirty years of age, after becoming aware of His true origin and mission, in order to gain new clarity, awareness and independence in the silence and solitude of this environment. We humans can learn a lot from this and hereby receive encouragement to seek quiet moments ever again amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life, whereby it becomes possible to delve deeply within ourselves and at the same time to lift our gaze upwards in order to find a connection with luminous higher spheres and also with the threads of Light standing by to help us. This is exactly what develops the true essence of life, that indescribable quality that each person experiences differently again, according to his or her personality and that ultimately gives rise to ‘watching and praying’ as an integral part of the person’s demeanour. This preparation, thus giving room to silence and quietness, will only take up a few moments, but nevertheless requires a conscious, active focus and all the power that a person can muster according to his individual nature at this moment, in the awareness that he is not about to conduct an everyday conversation, but is seeking a connection with the Most High. Therefore, in all the prayer traditions of the great religions, a special stance, far removed from everyday gestures is adopted, such as the lifting or folding of the hands, which is to serve to gather one’s thoughts and makes it clear that one is now separated from everyday affairs, even if only momentarily, and aims to focus on higher spheres. So it can also help the individual to cultivate a personal stance and disposition that corresponds with the special moment of praying. This phase of preparation must proceed speedily, because with a long, preparatory meditation comes the danger that everyday thoughts begin to dance around in the brain again, the suppression of which causes much power to be wasted. A story from a Buddhist monastery may clarify this: One day a cat appeared shortly before prayers and began to disturb the momentum of the necessary composure of the monks. On the advice of the abbot, 16
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the cat had to be tethered before praying in order to ensure the necessary peace! But when the cat died years later, the monks could no longer pray... until a new cat appeared that they could tether! ‘Tethering the cat’ is thus a symbol for a certain, preparatory movement, a necessary act, which is meant to bring about a distancing from everyday thoughts, which then makes the inner adjustment and composure possible. Each person will find a personal way to ‘tether the cat’, in order to distance himself from everyday concerns and thereby to find the necessary composure of thoughts. Often this requires an inner jolt, an active bestirring, so that even during phases of absent-mindedness, disquiet and depression, a true prayer can still result. Strongly squeezing together the index finger, thumb and middle finger is a proven exercise for many situations requiring concentration and composure, including preparation for prayer. A useful form of preparation can also be in reflecting on something good in one’s current life, be it in the morning or at the end of the day. As a result, gratitude will be immediately perceptible, which is expressed, first and foremost, in thanks directed ‘upwards’. This can occur in the form of a thought, a sentence or just a word, or else simply in the intuitive perception, without words. Reading a poem can be another way towards composure, because the speech rhythm, along with the content, has a helpful – centring effect. It is also a great help for the soul, if it can devote itself, during times of extreme duress or restlessness, to a predetermined, uplifting text. Beautiful music can also impart a distancing from everyday events and enables the senses to be receptive towards movements from higher spheres. For people inclined towards the visual arts, viewing a picture may help them attain composure and inner preparation. Art has produced impressive representations of various biblical events – often in connection with luminous phenomena – which are able to tune the viewer's senses to forms of radiation from otherworldly spheres. The conscious examination of one's own actions and behaviour as well as the current inner attitude also furthers preparation for prayer. But this must not lead to a brooding attitude that loses itself in self-doubt and diffuse feelings of guilt, which only presses down. Rather the preparation should work towards composure and receptivity, to adjust the individual’s senses towards a readiness to receive.
Only attempt a prayer when your soul stirs, be it in joy or in suffering. But every prayer out of wantonness or habit is sacrilege towards God! Let His Name be too sacred for you to have it on your lips at every opportunity! From ‘Past Millennia’ (Published by Stiftung Gralsbotschaft, Stuttgart)
The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss. Thomas Carlyle
Such forms of attunement and composure bring with them a distancing from everyday thoughts and should make it possible to direct oneself ‘upwards’, to listen and to open up.
Find the courage for individual prayer What is needed for prayer preparation is also true for the prayer itself: He who seeks, finds! He who seeks a suitable form of praying will discover for himself the pathways leading to it, and be assured that it will be personal, harmonious and last but not least, attuned to the level of maturity he has attained! It is only with the right attunement that the foundation is created on which a personal prayer culture can develop, in which prayer receives its regular place in everyday life; for example, as a morning prayer that expresses the intention to begin the day by looking up to the Creator and to subordinate oneself to a higher order ordained by Him. Or, as an evening prayer that concludes the day’s review of one's own behaviour and expresses gratitude for all one has experienced. Abd-ru-shin gave two prayers for this purpose, expressing in their brevity and freshness the simple truth that praying is not meant to be an endless stringing or repeating of words. (Page 24) In addition, in the work, In the Light of Truth the following advice is given: ‘Therefore become natural in your praying, men, become free and unaffected! What you have learned by heart so easily becomes a recitation. You only make it difficult for yourselves by this.’ (Lecture: Ask, and it shall be given unto you!) In the Grail Message it is also pointed out that the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, this masterpiece of prayer given by Jesus Himself, should not be ‘rattled off ’ in the hitherto accustomed manner. Rather, this prayer is a compendium of spiritual knowledge. Each statement is an invitation to hearken, thus to listen attentively, to reflect deeply in silence. Whoever makes this effort will find that the gate is opened to him so that he may find the way to the recognition of the Most High, just as Jesus had promised. The path of development towards a personally appropriate, natural praying style varies widely for each person, according to his individual nature: A predetermined prayer may provide the necessary support for one person, while for another, it is just this which
would be perceived as a constriction. While words help one person to express and shape his inner perception, for another, a visualisation of higher planes in the mind is better suited to this. In addition to the planned prayer accompanied by the appropriate preparation, spontaneous forms of prayer are just as valuable in everyday life. These may arise during distressing emotional states or when facing especially challenging tasks, but also out of pure relief and gratitude when things turn out well. As a result, a human being can repeatedly reconnect with higher spheres and receive strength and inspiration from there. Regularly holding back and reflecting during the course of a day also has a beneficial effect; this can be a brief pause during which one asks oneself: ‘Where do I stand with my inner orientation right now?’ Maybe, a small correction is necessary right now in order to refocus and ‘stay on track’ so that one does not lose oneself in the hustle and bustle of one’s surroundings. A brief upward gaze, the visualisation of the active forces from the spiritual world, but also a review of our own intentions and goals, can bring an undreamt-of brightness, a real ray of light into the daily routine and make us calm, cheerful and sensible even in difficult moments. If we were to take only a few seconds to utter a short, heartfelt prayer in disturbing situations, there would be far less reckless behaviour or inflammatory language stemming from these, since at the moment of prayer, the mind is able to calm down, rebalance and attain some clarity. Thus praying is not only actualised at certain times of the day or in given situations but will, in time, evolve into an inner attitude, which then forms a vital basis for thoughts to brighten and for the mind to clarify. Challenging emotional states such as anxiety attacks or depressive moods as well as constrictions brought about by addiction gradually undergo a progressive brightening right up to a complete dissolution through regular prayer and through the confidence engendered thereby. However, one should view this as a process which requires the necessary time to take effect. A further aspect of prayer, which Abd-ru-shin points out in the Grail Message, opens up a completely new vision; it is a praying with the help of pictures, which needs no words: ‘If man cannot combine both, i.e., the word and his volition, if he must think too much about the right forming of his words, then it is better only to pray and to thank, or to petition intuitively without words! Then it will surely be undimmed. The firmly formed word blurs much too easily and cramps every intuitive perception. Pearl January 2020
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‘Much more beautiful is it, and also stronger, if you can drop your words and replace them only with one picture arising spiritually before you, into which you can pour intuitive sensing, great and pure! You must try which is easier for you and which does not restrict you! ‘As soon as you can dispense with earthly words then it is your soul which speaks – the soul as it will speak when it has departed from this earth and also from all the planes of gross matter, for then the formed word remains behind.’ (Lecture: Threads of Light above you) This reveals to us a new kind of praying, which leads away from merely stringing words together, to a heartfelt attitude of willing only what is good, from which, in turn, new forms of prayer emerge, namely living forms that are attuned to the respective state of mind and the individual nature of the praying person. The ways of prayer are constantly changing in the course of life and, fully in line with the Cosmic Law of Movement, keeping pace thereby with the ongoing personal development of the individual concerned. Forms of prayer that weary or weigh down indicate that an appropriate form of personalised prayer has not yet been found. The Grail Message encourages everyone to personalise their whole life, including the development of a personal prayer culture: ‘In so doing he [the human being] must not keep to rigid forms, but everyone must develop himself, from within.’ (Lecture: Awake) Anyone who takes this statement seriously and seeks to put it into practice, will soon experience that such a personal prayer will always feel good, lively, invigorating, warming, reassuring as well as encourage the gaining of new insights. These new perceptions enable the necessary change of perspective to take place and thereby open fundamentally new horizons. These, in turn, will result in profound joy and confidence as well as encourage the generation of new thoughts.
‘Watch and pray’: thought and mind cultivation in prayer Most people consider their biography as the result of everything that has approached them from without; for example, whether they were fortunate enough to have a good career or were able to find a suitable partner, whether they are healthy or suffering from ill20
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health, whether they had to cope with misfortune, or whether they had received help when they needed it. But in reality, it is the other way around: A person’s so-called fate develops on the basis of his thoughts, words and deeds! The person himself is the focal point for the way that his life unfolds! Most people suspect, upon examination of their own lives, that their deeds do have consequences, which fall back on them in accordance with the Cosmic Law of Reciprocal Action, but they generally do not include their thoughts in this. However, thoughts too, have similar repercussions: With the nature of the thoughts emanating from him, each person – even before these manifest in concrete actions – creates a finer material environment which envelops him, the existence of which is not recognisable with the physical eye, but is real nevertheless. This environment, located in the world of fine matter, is characterised by forms and colours that correspond exactly to the nature of the thoughts produced. These radiate outwards, while at the same time also react backwards upon the originator. It is thus the human being himself who creates these radiating shapes and colours. This radiation, that is, the thought-energy, attracts similar thoughts from the finer material part of Creation, whereby the initial thought gains reinforcement. Good, luminous, upbuilding and thoughts borne of love attract similar thoughts, which over time can form a protective layer around a human being. Destructive thoughts of hatred, anger, envy, resentment or those linked to addictions or evil habits likewise attract similar human-created forms from the base planes of the ethereal world. This reinforcement from the centres of thoughtforms in the ethereal world explains why a person often finds a perceptible strengthening of his or her original thoughts, be it in an upbuilding, inspiring or creative manner or at the other end of the scale, reinforced with sombrely depressing, aggressive, angry, fervid or destructive content. This vividly active cosmic causal relationship is described in more detail in the Grail Message: ‘The Living Creative Power which flows through man collects ethereal substance through the volition of a completed thought and moulds it into a form which gives expression to the will of this thought. Thus this form is something real, something living, which now, in accordance with the Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species, attracts what is homogeneous in this world of thought-forms or is attracted by them, depending on the strength it possesses.’ and:
All Truth-bringers were permitted to proclaim God’s Eternal Truth. Then came men who began to quibble about it, dragging it down to their level, and distorting it until the Truth had become falsehood!
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Mohammed
‘Even man’s nearest ethereal surrounding can contribute much to uplift or debase him. This is the strange world of thought-forms, the vital activity of which comprises only a small section of the giant mechanism of the whole Creation. Their threads, however, penetrate both into the Gross Material World, and further up into the Ethereal World, as well as descending into the realm of Darkness. Like a gigantic network of veins or nerve-strands, all is intertwined and interwoven, untearable and inseparable! Mark this well!’ (Lecture: Thought-forms) Now we are able to understand in a new way the urgent advice: ‘Watch and pray!’ conveyed to us in the Grail Message: By opening up inwardly, by watching as well as by praying, hence by adjusting to higher, luminous spheres, the world of thought-forms that surrounds each human being will be illuminated as if with a light beam, immediately forming corresponding forms and colours that begin to operate radiantly as new energy which unite with prayers of a similar nature by other people into corresponding power-centres. This explains why it happens that, especially in prayer, a new orientation, an inspiration suddenly arises or that an issue spontaneously appears in a whole new light. It also follows that an impact may definitely be expected when many people pray earnestly and confidently for the same high aim, such as for peace, for example. Moreover, the luminous thoughts accompanying such a prayer form a path of grace for the praying human being, because the ethereal world surrounding him shapes itself as a reflection of the these thoughts thereafter and is illuminated and clarified thereby, which gives rise to a natural protection.
The good volition with help of prayer! The innermost core of the human being is spirit, which is often erroneously confused with the intellect or reason. In the English language, the term ‘spirit’ is a vague one and is applied to describe many different things. But in reality, however, spirit is another aspect or dimension of human life: It is the innermost living sentience in the human being, imbued with an inherent power for the good. Spirit can therefore also be called inner wisdom, which lies dormant in every person and will never adopt a one-sided attitude but seeks to realise the good in a far-sighted manner. It is from this innermost core that the true human volition arises, which is not to be confused with the earthly will that has its origin in the intellect and aims to set earthly goals only. The true volition, on the other 22
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hand, springs from the spirit, which existed before the beginning of this earth life and will detach itself again after the death of the body to continue on its path of development. This spirit, as a living entity, has the power to a far greater extent than the thoughts generated by the frontal brain, to attract what is good, upbuilding, clarifying, luminous and powerful from the spiritual world in accordance with the Cosmic Law of the attraction of similar qualities. This power can be buried, neglected or ignored and therefore remain ineffective for the duration of a whole lifetime due to other aspirations of an earthly nature taking precedence, such as, for example, self-centred egotism or the fear of attracting attention. However, this power has basically been given to every human being in equal measure on his or her path of development so that there is no question of injustice here. In addition, fate taps us on the shoulder again and again and urges us towards the good, to change our views for the better and to improve our behaviour. We hear these promptings as the inner voice, as the voice of conscience, which warns us against one-sidedness and other dangers and tirelessly urges us to embrace an approach borne of love as well as to adopt a behaviour pattern which places giving at its centre. This is clarified by the following quotation from the Grail Message: ‘An Eternal Law operates in the Universe: That only in giving can one receive where lasting values are concerned! Like a sacred legacy of its Creator, this Law deeply permeates the whole of Creation. To give unselfishly, to help where help is needed, and to understand both the suffering and the weaknesses of your fellow-men, means to receive, because it is the simple and true way to the Highest! ‘And to will this seriously brings you immediate help and strength! By one single, honest and ardent wish to do good, the wall which your thoughts have hitherto erected as a barrier is cleaved as with a flaming sword from the other side that is now still invisible to you; for you are indeed one with the beyond which you so fear, deny or long for, you are closely and inextricably linked with it.’ (Lecture: Awake) If we experience difficulties, conflicts or disturbing situations, to which no life is immune, we nevertheless still have the choice either to react directly to these situations by giving rise to corresponding feelings such as disappointment, grief, anger, resentment or annoyance or instead, to take a deep breath and reflect upon the meaning of the situation for a moment and seek guidance. During such moments it is therefore the good volition which breaks through, thus the spiritual volition, out of
which a prayer of supplication for better understanding and for a just response, borne of love, will grow. Finally, the awareness will also arise that nobody is perfect, that everyone still has knots to untie, whether stemming from this life or from a previous one. Every person can experience this inner quality of spirit as an effect of good volition as soon as he begins to listen deeply within himself in silence, so deeply that distractions brought about by current feelings such as sadness, anger, resentment or fear recede and lose their grip. If a person listens deep within himself, the innermost qualities of the spirit, unaffected by the feelings currently assailing him, can be felt in his innermost sensibility. This innermost sensibility or the ability to perceive intuitively is initially given to each human being in equal measure for his earthly incarnations. It is then the living, inner wisdom that speaks and mediates a connection with the spiritual world, from whence waves of power, inspiration, and trust flow to us, as soon as we consciously make room within ourselves for the power of good and actively cultivate it. Every human being is able to take the appropriate steps towards this, for he immediately receives strength and support from the spiritual world as soon as he, within himself, consciously cultivates intentions to do good. But only then! This is because it is the conscious volition for what is good that first creates the ethereal channels for all higher support. Prayer in silence and purity is the ‘royal road’ to rouse and invigorate precisely this power of good, the inner wisdom, and thereby also to ennoble the nature of thoughts and perceptions by cleansing them. In a real prayer the good volition will always resonate: The petition for recognition, for a hint towards further adjustment, a way forward, springs from the desire to totally understand even difficult situations, to ‘acquit oneself well’ and thereby to put into practice the good in life. Such a deeply perceived desire can attract strengthening powers from the spiritual world, where personalities are active who exemplify just this type of activity towards the good in full, just love and therewith impart inspiration and mediate a clarifying orientation to the seeking human being. The prayer of intercession also gains a special importance in this light, because it arises from affectionate care and is therefore likewise carried by a good intention. This kind of selfless love can even bring very special waves of power into motion. Thanks or thanksgiving, too, has a link with the good, for it springs from the knowledge that nothing in life may simply be taken for granted.
Finally, worship as the highest form of prayer intensifies the deep yearning for the high, the pure and brings about: ‘...maintenance of the connection with the Luminous Heights, and the opening of oneself to holy streams of power for earthly application’, as described in the Grail Message. (Lecture: Do not Fall in Temptation) The good volition therefore forms the basis of every earnest intention to pray, and in turn, every real prayer, in the reciprocal effect, strengthens precisely this good volition! This represents, so to speak, a cycle of activity of forces for the good! The more imbued with conviction, the more selfless and the more heartfelt this good volition is in its execution, the more powers it is able to attract in the Law of the spiritual power of Attraction of Similar Species. This process is described in the Grail Message: ‘Power of volition! A mighty force, unsuspected by so many! Attracting similar powers like a never-failing magnet, it grows like an avalanche. Uniting with similar spiritual forces, it works backwards, again reaching the starting-point, thus the origin, or rather, the producer, uplifting him high to the Light, or pressing him deeper into the mud and filth! Exactly in accordance with what the author himself originally willed.’ (Lecture: Awake) Any person who has the intent to do good in his heart of hearts, in his innermost being, can therefore unite with these powers in prayer. Through this he receives a strong protection that surrounds him like a luminous cloak, repelling dark currents which bounce off harmlessly. A person who, borne of good volition, seeks pathways in prayer is raised and becomes capable more and more to develop for himself a personal prayer culture that can lead him to the highest recognitions, as is promised in the Grail Message: ‘He who bears within himself the firm volition for what is good, and strives to give purity to his thoughts, has already found the way to the Highest! All else will then be added unto him.’ (Lecture: What seek ye?) He who therefore engages with prayer in this way and strives for individually suitable ways of praying will surmise why Abd-ru-shin expressed the earnest wish: ‘You men, could you but pray aright at last! Really pray! How rich would your existence then be! For in prayer lies the greatest happiness you can receive. It uplifts you to immeasurable heights so that supreme happiness streams through you blissfully. Could you but pray, men! That shall now be my wish for you. Pearl January 2020
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‘In your small thinking you will then no longer ask to Whom you shall and may pray. There is but One to Whom you are allowed to dedicate your prayers, only One: GOD! ‘Approach Him in solemn moments with a sacred intuitive perception, and pour out before Him what your spirit can bring up in the way of gratitude! Turn only to Him when you pray; for it is to Him alone that gratitude is due and to Him alone you yourself belong, Oh Man, because only through His great Love were you able to come into existence!’ (Lecture: Ask, and it shall be given unto you!)
Thanks – the very first basic prayer experience Prayers given by Abd-ru-shin
Morning Prayer Thine am I, Lord! To Thee alone In gratitude I dedicate my life; O graciously Accept this my volition And grant me The help of Thy Power this day! Amen
Evening Prayer O Lord, Who art enthroned Above all the Worlds, I beseech Thee: let me rest In Thy Grace this night! Amen
Grace Before Meals O Lord, in the weaving Of Thy Creation, Thou hast graciously Set before us An ever-prepared table; Accept this our thanks For Thy Goodness! Amen
O lord, at this meal We are mindful of Thy Grace, And we ask Thy Blessing On this food! Amen 24
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Spiritual bread immediately refreshes, Truth revitalises and Light animates! Abd-ru-shin
Key Points • Prayer is open to everyone, regardless of one’s level of education and outward situation or status in life. Therefore an illiterate person can pray just as well as a scholar! • Prayer opens a spiritual space within man that connects him with invisible threads to the spiritual homeland. • Difficult, demanding situations in life can be understood in completely new ways through prayer. • States of anxiety and depression undergo a sustained brightening over time, thanks to prayer. • For people trapped in an addiction spiral, prayer channels the power needed to overcome their addiction! • For every task – no matter how difficult it may seem – the energy required to accomplish it can be sought in prayer. • All good work, whether physical or mental, is raised and ennobled through a prayer. • Prayer helps to better understand difficult social situations and relationships and to improve one's own behaviour within this framework. • In prayer, thoughts as well as the mind become clarified. • Prayer strengthens, in a new way, the good volition that is able to connect with the higher spheres. • Over time, a luminous, ethereal protective cover is created around a praying person, from which unpleasant, gloomy currents are deflected. Praying is the best protection for the soul! • A person’s positive attitude to prayer, acquired over time, accompanies the soul at its earthly death or transition into the world beyond, there also becoming a staff and support for its further ascent towards luminous, spiritual realms.
Praying moves mountains: a true story High up in a Tibetan village, not far from the capital, Lhasa, lived a girl named Dolma. Her homeland had been occupied many decades ago by a foreign power that had shut down the Tibetan schools and monasteries in their region and banned the Tibetan language. Ever since, the Tibetan religion and language could only be learned in other countries, which is why new Tibetan Buddhist schools and monasteries have been established outside the Tibetan homeland, in neighbouring countries by Tibetan refugees. However, Dolma's two older siblings attended the new Chinese school in the region, learned Chinese, familiarised themselves with the ideas of communism, and veered away more and more from Tibetan culture and religion. This made the mother decide that Dolma and the younger siblings should not attend school at all. Instead of learning to read and write, Dolma was given the task of looking after the five younger siblings
and sewing Tibetan clothes, while the mother worked in the nearby quarry. Dolma, who was still a child herself and could not read and write, taught the younger siblings to pray as best she could and gave the little ones lessons in Tibetan Buddhism, as she had heard from an old monk. After a few years, one of the younger brothers expressed the wish to become a monk and one of the girls wanted to learn to read and write the Tibetan language. After much deliberation and because the two siblings grew ever more entrenched in their wish, Dolma, who had reached adolescence in the meantime, decided to take a chance and run away with these two siblings across the high mountains of the Himalayas and bring the brother to a Tibetan monastery and the sister to a Tibetan school, having heard of their existence in northern India. The preparation did not last long; the season was favourable. For food, Dolma wrapped nutritious Tibetan roots that were not heavy to carry. After saying a prayer asking for protection and blessing for all three, as well as receiving the travel blessing from the old Buddhist monk, the three set out one night on their long journey. The higher the three siblings ventured into the Himalayas, the harder, more severe and colder the trek became. Dolma often had to carry her little sister, since she sank to her hips in the snow! They hid during the day, travelling only at night. They keenly watched out for the occupying forces and border guards so as not to fall into their hands. After a gruelling hike through snow, freezing cold and thin air over a Himalayan pass, they reached the first Nepalese mountain village, where good people gave them food and advice for the continuation of their journey. Later on, after arriving in the dusty Nepalese city of Kathmandu, Dolma was able to sell the remainder of her roots to a pharmacist and buy bus tickets to India with the proceeds. After the cold experienced in the Himalayas, the heat in India was almost unbearable! But wherever they were, the three siblings said their prayers daily and asked for protection, and time and time again they encountered good people who assisted them with advice and practical help until 17-year-old Dolma finally achieved her twin goals after several weeks on the road: The Tibetan monastery for the brother and the Tibetan school for the sister in northern India! Dolma was happy because she had been able to fulfil her task that she had set out to do. Should she now stay in India? But she thought of the three smaller siblings, the mother who had no time to care for them, and so she decided to go back alone the same way she had come. On the return journey – she was already close to her home country, not far from the border – she suffered a severe setback: Border guards from the foreign occupation Pearl January 2020
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Love each other with strong, severe love! It is not love when you remove every stone from each other’s path, when you speak in sweet, flattering words, different from your soul’s inner perceiving. True love sees the faults of the other, and helps him to over come them. From ‘Past Eras Awaken’ (Published by Stiftung Gralsbotschaft, Stuttgart)
forces discovered the Tibetan girl on her nightly trek! She was dragged to the guardhouse and thrust into a prison cell. Later, Dolma only remembers that she lay on the hard, cold floor of the cell and prayed. After several days – or was it weeks? - she can no longer remember – she was surprisingly released, but accompanied by serious death threats should she show her face again near the border. When Dolma finally reached her home village with the last of her strength, people screamed and ran away because they thought she was a ghost! Dolma needed a few months to recover from the ordeal and the violence she had suffered. Now, however, there was no more peace for Dolma, for she knew that she was no longer safe in her home village. A report had been drawn up about her. The authorities had also noticed that two children in the family were missing and that none of the smaller ones attended public school. The future of the three younger siblings worried Dolma more and more. Already now, the youngest boy wished to become a monk as well. And the two girls eagerly said their prayers under her tutelage. Finally, the mother gave her consent for another flight. Dolma knew that they would never see her again. However, this second escape was much easier than the first one, even though the three siblings were still small. She had been advised to head east, since the border with the Kingdom of Bhutan would be safer to cross. Dolma heeded this advice and after weeks of renewed hiking over the cold, high, snow-covered mountains, which was followed by a bus and train journey, she safely reached, for the second time, the place in northern India with the school for the two girls and the monastery for the brother. Again she was happy and relieved because all her younger siblings would now be taught and educated in the Tibetan faith, and thus given the opportunity to develop into good people. And she herself? Where should she turn now? She could not stay in India, nor could she dare to go back to her homeland. Tibetan people advised her to flee further, namely to Switzerland, to that distant country with mountains, where many Tibetans had found a new home. It is not a place within walking distance however; she would need to board a plane to get there. Money for a plane ticket was collected for the brave girl. And so it happened that one day Dolma boarded an aircraft in Delhi, India, to reach that far-off land whose name she could barely pronounce. During the several hours of flight, she did not dare to accept the food offered on board, as she had only a few Indian rupees and did not know how much the food would cost. Once in Switzerland, Dolma was astonished, as never before in her life, at the cleanliness of the airport. For a long time she did not dare to sit on one of the
shiny airport benches. When she finally did so, she was grateful that no one turned her away because she suddenly felt interminably exhausted. But let us allow Dolma to tell the rest of her story in her own words: ‘I sat on the bench at Zurich Airport and prayed. I could not do anything else. I had no money, not even a cup. We Tibetans always have a cup with us on every journey, but I had sold my cup. I had nothing at all, just my Tschubba (Tibetan dress) that I was wearing. ‘And I was so tired. I could not ask anyone, as I would not have understood anything, nor would anyone have understood me. So I sat and prayed; prayed that some help would come. It seemed like a very long time while I sat there and prayed. It was getting dark outside. ‘Then – suddenly I saw a young man of Tibetan appearance! He approached me and spoke to me in Tibetan. He brought me to his parents who had lived in Switzerland for a long time. The next day they all accompanied me to the right civic agencies, and this was how I came to live in a house for refugees.’ ‘Dolma, to whom did you pray when you sat on the bench at the airport?’ ‘To the supreme God!’
Epilogue: Dolma has now been living for more than 10 years in Switzerland, where she has found a new home. In the refugee home she met her future husband, who, as a Tibetan monk, also had to flee his homeland. They got married and now have four children. Her husband, who once completed a master's degree in Tibetan philosophy, is proud of his secure employment in the Municipal Cleaning Department with which he can maintain his family! The four children have learned German easily and are diligent students. Dolma, too, has a job she is proud of: She helps in the household of a busy psychologist and is still amazed today that one can earn money for such easy work. She is immensely grateful for her own spacious apartment with its ‘own kitchen, heating and even a balcony’. She was also able to inherit the Sunday crockery from the psychologist's mother and is happy that she, who after her escape, could not call anything her own, now is the owner of so many cups! In deep gratitude, she now teaches her four children to pray, just as she had taught her siblings back then.
Literature: Quotes from the ‘Grail Message – In the Light of the Truth’ by Abd-ru-shin; (Published by Stiftung Gralsbotschaft, Stuttgart) Pearl January 2020
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We in our age are faced with a strange paradox. Never before have we had so much information in bits and pieces flooded upon us by radio and television and satellite, yet never before have we had so little inner certainty about our own being. The more objective truth increases, the more our inner certitude decreases. Our fantastically increased technical power, and each forward step in technology is experienced by many as a new push toward our possible annihilation.
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Rollo May
THE BLACK SPIDER JEREMIAS GOTTHELF
Part Four
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ver more clearly the belief emerged in her soul that if a priest in the service of the Lord were present at the birth, bearing the sacred sacrament, the sacred love of the Redeemer, and armed with strong spells of exorcism, no evil spirit would be granted to approach, and the priest could straightaway administer the sacrament of baptism to the newborn child, which custom allowed in those days; then the poor child would be forever wrested from the danger which the fathers’ indiscretion had brought upon it. This belief also crept up on the others, and the young woman’s grief touched their hearts, but they were loth to admit to the priest the pact they had made with Satan, and no one had gone to confession ever since, nor confided in him. He was a truly pious man, and even the knights in the castle took no liberties with him, though he told them the truth. The peasants had envisaged that once the matter was over with, he could no longer prevent them; but now none of them was willing to be first to tell him about it, and their consciences left them in no doubt why. ‘Finally the lamentation stirred one woman to the heart; she rushed off to the priest and revealed the bargain to him, and what the unfortunate woman wanted. The pious man was violently appalled, but he wasted no time in idle chatter; boldly he strode into battle against this daunting fiend to defend a poor soul. He was one of those who do not shy away from the fiercest battle, because they long for the crown of eternal life and know full well that no one would be crowned who has not fought the good fight. ‘He sprinkled the perimeter of the house in which the woman awaited her hour with a sacred charm of holy water to make a line of interdict which evil spirits dare not breach, he blessed the threshold and the entire room, and peacefully the woman gave birth and the priest baptised the child without any disturbance. All was equally calm outside, luminous stars twinkled in the clear sky, gentle winds wafted among the trees.
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Some people claimed to have heard a guffaw afar off; others, though, maintained that it was only little screech owls at the edge of the forest. ‘All present, however, were greatly elated, and all the fear and anxiety was gone, for ever, as they thought; for if once they had duped the green huntsman, they could always do so again by the same means. ‘A lavish banquet was prepared, with guests invited from far away. The priest cautioned in vain against having a feast or exultation, exhorting them to be wary and to pray, for the enemy was not yet vanquished nor had they atoned before God. Deep within him he felt that he could not impose any penance of atonement on them, and that a mighty and severe penance was approaching from the very Hand of God. But they did not listen to him, merely seeking to ply him with food and drink. He went away saddened, prayed for those who did not know what they were doing, and girded himself with prayer and fasting to battle as a faithful shepherd for his entrusted flock.
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hristine, too, was seated in the midst of the festive gathering, but she was oddly quiet, with glowing cheeks and sombre eyes, and there was a strange twitching in her face. Christine, being a seasoned midwife, had been present at the birth and had stood as godmother at the hasty baptism with insolence in her heart and lacking in fear. But when the priest sprinkled the water over the child and baptised it in the name of Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, it felt to her as if someone were suddenly pressing a fiery iron to the spot where she had received the green huntsman’s kiss. In sudden panic she had flinched, almost dropping the child, and since that moment the pain had not eased but grew ever more intense from hour to hour. At first she had sat quietly, suppressing the pain and secretly turning over the gloomy thoughts in her awakened soul, but more and more frequently she passed her hand over the burning spot where it felt
Lighter and more luminous has the Lord of the Worlds created woman, so that she shall go before us men. She is to smooth the paths for us. We have forgotten this in the course of our earth lives.
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Buddha
as if a poisonous wasp was perched, boring with a fiery sting down into her marrow. But as there was no wasp to chase away and with the sting getting ever fiercer and her thoughts growing ever more alarming, Christine began to show people her cheek, asking what they could see on it, and again and again she asked, but no one saw anything, and soon no one was willing to be distracted from enjoying the festivity by peeking at Christine’s cheek. Finally she succeeded in persuading an elderly woman; just then the cock was crowing, morning dawned, and all the old woman could see was nothing more than an almost invisible speck on Christine's cheek. It was nothing, the woman said, it would no doubt go away, and went on her way. ‘Christine sought to comfort herself with the thought that it was nothing and would go away soon; but the pain persisted and did not ease, and imperceptibly the little mark grew to become noticeable, and everyone saw it and asked her what was the black object on her face. No one thought it was anything special, but the comments pierced her to the quick, rekindled her gloomy thoughts, and over and over again she was forced to think that the green huntsman had kissed her on that very spot, and that the same fire that at the time and from time to time since struck through her bones like lightning now burned and gnawed continuously there. Sleep deserted her, and food tasted like burning ashes in her mouth. She dashed about erratically hither and thither, seeking relief but finding none, while the pain grew ever more intense, and the black spot grew bigger and blacker, separate dark strands emanating from it, and towards her mouth a bump seemed to be implanted on the round spot. ‘So Christine suffered and thrashed about many a long day and many a long night, revealing to no soul the fear that gnawed at her heart nor what she received from the green huntsman on the spot in her cheek; but she would have sacrificed everything in heaven and on earth to be rid of this anguish. She was by nature an insolent woman, but now she was turning wild writhing in maddening pain.
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nd it happened that yet another woman was expecting a child. This time there was no great fear, the peasants were even light-hearted; they felt reassured by the thought that as long as they made certain that the priest was there in time, they could defy the green huntsman. Only Christine did not feel this way. The nearer the day of birth drew, the fiercer grew the fire on her cheek, and the more massively the black spot enlarged, thrusting out distinct legs and sprouting short hairs, shiny spots and streaks appeared on its back, and the bump turned into a head, from which what seemed like two glittering eyes flashed in fearsome venom. People shrieked aloud at the sight of 32
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It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see. Henry David Thoreau
the poisonous spider on Christine's face, and they all fled in panic and horror when they saw how it was firmly perched and had grown out of her face. All sorts of comments and advice ensued, but whatever it might be, no one envied Christine, everyone shunning and fleeing from her at every opportunity. The more others fled, the more Christine chased after them, dashing from house to house; she knew full well that the Devil was reminding her of the promised child, and in hellish fright she pursued the folk, openly urging them to make the sacrifice. But the others were hardly bothered; whatever was tormenting Christine caused them no distress; and in their opinion she herself was to blame for her suffering, and if they could no longer evade her, they simply told her, “That is your lookout! No one has promised a child, and no one is going to give one.” She launched a furious tirade at her own husband. He fled like the others, and when he could no longer evade her, he callously told her that it was sure to get better, that it was only a wart, such as many people had; once it was fully grown the pain would cease, and then it could be easily tied off. ‘But meanwhile the pain did not cease, each of the spider’s leg felt like a hellish fire through every one of her bones, with the body of the spider like hell itself, and when the woman was about to deliver, Christine felt as if she was engulfed in a sea of flames, as if redhot knives were burrowing to her marrow, and fiery whirlwinds were whistling through her brain. The spider, however, swelled up even more, it pranced amid the short bristles, its eyes bulging forth venomously. When Christine, in her fierce anguish, met with no sympathy anywhere and saw that the expectant woman was well guarded, she tore like a madwoman down the path along which the priest had to come. ‘The priest strode briskly along the slope, accompanied by his sturdy sexton; neither the blazing sun nor the steep path impeded their stride, for the life of a soul was at stake and a never-ending misfortune needed to be averted, and he was also concerned about the terrible delay he had encountered in returning from a sick-bed far away. In desperation Christine threw herself in his path, clasped his knees, pleaded for deliverance from her torment and for the sacrifice of the yet unborn child, while the spider swelled all the more with a black and horrific glint on her crimson face, and glared with ghastly, hate-filled eyes at the priest’s sacred implements and symbols. But he quickly thrust Christine aside and crossed himself; he saw the enemy there all right but he refrained from fighting in order to save a soul. Christine leapt up, stormed after him and in desperation tried to hold him back, but the sexton’s strong hand kept the raging woman off the priest, and he arrived in time to protect a house, to receive the child into his consecrated hands and place it in the hands of Him Whom hell can never overpower.
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eanwhile, Christine had been waging a terrible struggle outside. She wanted to get hold of the child before it was baptised, tried to get in the house, but strong men defended it. Gusts slammed against the house and pale flashes of lightning leapt round it, but the Hand of the Lord was over it; the child was baptised, and Christine circled helplessly and in vain round the house. Gripped by ever more savage torments of hell, she let out sounds unlike anything known to a human breast; the cattle shuddered in their sheds and broke free of their halters, while the oaks rustled, horrified, in the forest. ‘In the house jubilation erupted over the fresh victory, the impotence of the green huntsman and the futile wrestling of his accomplice; but outside lay Christine, writhing on the ground in excruciating pain, her features convulsed by such extraordinary contortions and pulsating with an anguish such as no woman in childbirth on earth ever suffered, and the spider on her face continued to swell ever higher and burned ever more fierily through her body. ‘It seemed to Christine as if suddenly her face burst open, as if glowing coals were being born in it, coming alive, crawling away over her face and all her limbs, as if everything on her face was coming to life and away in a fiery crawl from her body. In the pale flashes of lightning she saw swarms of long-legged and poisonous little black spiders beyond count running over her face, scurrying down her limbs and vanishing from sight into the night, pursued by countless other long-legged and poisonous swarms. At last she could see no more swarms in pursuit, the fire in the face died away, the spider settled down, turning once more into an almost invisible speck and following with jaded eyes the hellish brood that it had spawned and dispatched into the world as a reminder that the green huntsman was neither to be betrayed nor trifled with. ‘Faint like a woman who had just given birth, Christine scrambled home; even though the fire on her face was no longer as torrid, there was no relief from the blaze in her heart; and though her weary limbs yearned for rest, the green huntsman would not leave her in peace; once he had his claws in somebody, this was what he did to them.
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nside the house, however, revelry and rejoicing went on, and for a long time they failed to hear the cattle bellowing and going berserk in the shed. At last they rose, startled, and a number of them went to investigate; they returned pale with fright and brought the news that the finest cow lay dead, the rest were in such state of wild rampage as they had never seen. Something was not right, and they suspected a strange hand at work. The revelry died down, and everyone rushed to the cattle, whose lowing resounded across mountain and valley, but no one Pearl January 2020
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knew what to do. They tried both worldly and spiritual arts against the spell, but to no avail; before the day dawned, death had ravaged all the cattle in the shed. But as things quieted down in one place, so the bellowing struck up on the next farm, and then the next; those who were there heard how the pestilence had reached their cowsheds and how, in their terror, the cattle called woefully to their masters for help. ‘They hurried home as though their rooftops were engulfed in flames, but they brought with them no relief; in one place as in the next death plundered the cattle, the wailing of men and animals pervaded hills and valleys, and the sun, which left the valley so blithe and merry, peered down into scenes of appalling misery. With the sunrise the peasants could at last see how the sheds where death had struck down the cattle were teeming with countless black spiders. These spiders swarmed over the livestock and fodder, poisoning whatever they touched, and if it was a living creature it was driven into a frenzy, until it soon dropped dead. No shed could be purged of these spiders once they had penetrated; it was as if they materialised from out of the ground itself, and no measures could keep them out of any shed, for abruptly they crept out of all the walls and emerged in hordes from the floorboards. The peasants drove the cattle out to the pasture, but in doing so merely drove them into the jaws of death. For no matter where a cow planted a hoof on a pasture, the ground began to stir to life; black, long-legged spiders sprouted like horrid-looking alpine flowers, creeping up the cattle, and a frightfully vicious roar sounded from the hills down to the valley. And all these spiders resembled the spider on Christine's face, just as children resemble their mother; nothing like them have ever before been seen. ‘The roar of the wretched beasts had also reached the castle, and shepherds soon followed, proclaiming that their cattle had succumbed to the vermin, and in rising anger von Stoffel learned how herd after herd had been lost, learned what pact had been made with the green huntsman and how the peasants had deceived him a second time, and how the spiders resembled, as children their mother, the spider on the face of the woman from Lindau, who alone had entered into the agreement with the green huntsman and had never given a proper account of it. Then von Stoffel rode up the hill in rage and thundered at the poor peasants that he was not prepared to lose herd after herd because of them; they would have to make good whatever losses he suffered, and keep whatever promise they had made; for whatever they had taken on voluntarily, they would have to bear. He would incur no damage on their account, or if he did, he would extract it from them a thousandfold. They had better watch out. He harangued them in this vein, oblivious to what he was demanding of them, and 34
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it did not occur to him that he had driven them to such a sad plight, reckoning only with what they had done. ‘Most of the folk had already realised that the spiders were a plague from the Devil, a warning to fulfil the agreement, and that Christine must know more than she had told them about the bargain she had struck with the green huntsman. Now they trembled again at the thought of the green huntsman, no longer laughing at him, and also quaking in fear of their worldly lord. If they appeased these overlords, what would their spiritual Lord have to say about it, would He permit it, and would He then refuse them penance? Racked with such fear, the most respected among them gathered in a solitary barn and Christine had to come and give a straightforward account of the agreement she had actually negotiated.
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hristine came, savage and vindictive, tortured anew by the growing spider. ‘As she saw the men’s trepidation and no women being present, she told them plainly what had happened to her: how the green huntsman had taken her quickly at her word, and had planted a kiss on her cheek as a token, to which she had paid no special attention; how on that same spot the spider had grown, agonising her with such hellish torments, from the moment when the first child was baptised; and how the spider had spawned a teeming flock in such fiendish pains exactly as the second child was baptised and the green huntsman was duped; for he would not be made fool of with impunity, as she herself had been experiencing in her thousandfold pangs of death. Now the spider was growing again, her anguish was mounting, and if the next child was not handed to the green huntsman, there was no telling what ghastly misfortune might come next, and what horrible revenge the knight might exact. ‘So Christine told to them, and the hearts of the men quailed, and for a long time none of them would speak. By and by, stifled sounds began to come from their choked throats, and when what they uttered was pieced together, it showed that they agreed precisely with what Christine had told them, but not a single one of them had given his consent to her recommendation. Only one man stood up and spoke briefly and bluntly that the best solution seemed to him to strike Christine dead, for once she was dead, the green huntsman could still hold her responsible and would have no more hold on the living. At that, Christine burst into wild laughter, stepped right up to the man and told him to strike, as it was all right by her, but she pointed out that it was not her the green huntsman wanted but an unbaptised child, and just as he had marked her, so he would mark the hand that touched her. There was a twitch in the hand of the man who alone had spoken; he sat down
and listened in silence to the counsel of the others. And in halting utterances, where no one expressed himself fully but merely uttered something that was meant to convey a little, they agreed to sacrifice the next child, but no one would offer his hand in carrying the child to church slope Kilchstalden where they had left he beech trees. None had shrunk from using the Devil for what they thought was for the general good, but no one craved to make his personal acquaintance. Then Christine volunteered herself to do this, for having dealt with the Devil once, she could hardly be any more vulnerable a second time. They all knew well who was to bear the next child, but said nothing about it, and the child’s father was not there among them. After coming to mutual agreement, both spoken and unspoken, they parted.
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Help and further your neighbour, and thereby you will fulfil on him what you owe him! For you men are on your journey in order to mature through one another! It avails you nothing if you injure no one because you seclude yourselves and flee from men. You thereby neglect your duty! But rich in blessing will the heaven of recognition open up to him who united with men and could detach himself again, because thereby he could experience reciprocally all that he needed, and also helped the other to advance.
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From Past Millennia (Published by Stiftung Gralsbotschaft, Stuttgart)
he young woman who had sobbed apprehensively, without knowing why at the time, on that harrowing night when Christine gave her account of the green huntsman, was the one now expecting the next child. The events surrounding the previous births did not leave her in good cheer and confident, an indefinable fear weighed heavily upon her heart, which neither prayer nor confession could dislodge. She felt surrounded by a suspicious silence, no one mentioned the spider any more, and every eye directed at her evoked distrust and seemed to be calculating the hour when they might snatch her child to appease the Devil. ‘She felt so lonely and forsaken against the sinister power around her; she had no other support than her mother-in-law, a pious woman who stood by her, but what can an old woman do against a wild mob? There was her husband, who had made all kinds of good promises, but how he moaned about his cattle and gave little thought to his poor wife's fears. The priest had promised to come as quickly and as soon as he got word, but anything could happen between the moment he was summoned and his arrival; and the hapless woman had no reliable person to send but her own husband, who should be the one to protect and watch over her; what is more, the poor woman lived in the same house with Christine, and their husbands were brothers, and she had no relatives of her own, having come to the house as an orphan. Imagine then the anguish in this unfortunate woman's heart; it was only in prayer with her devout mother-in-law that she could gain a little confidence, but she lost it again the moment she met evil looks. ‘Meanwhile the pestilence persisted, and kept feeding the terror. To be sure, it was only here and there that an animal went down where the spiders made an appearance. But as soon as one person let go of the fright, or as soon as someone thought or suggested that the scourge was dying down on its own Pearl January 2020
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and that they should pause to reconsider before doing wrong to a child, Christine's hellish torment flared up, the spider ballooned, and death ploughed with renewed frenzy through the herd of the one who had thought or talked in this way. Indeed, the nearer the awaited hour of birth drew, the more the distress seemed on the rise again, and they realised that they would have to plot how they could get hold of the child, certainly and without fail. They were most afraid of the husband, the father of the unborn child, and using violence against him was repugnant to them. Christine undertook to win him over to the plan, and that she did. He did not want to know about the matter, would do the bidding of his wife and fetch the priest, but would not do so in a hurry, and he would not ask about what took place during his absence; this was how he reconciled himself with his conscience, he would settle matters with God through extra masses, and maybe there was something else that could be done for the poor child's soul, he thought, maybe the good priest would wrest the child back from the Devil, and then they would all be free of the whole business, they would have kept their part of the bargain and all the same fleeced the devil. So the husband thought, and in any case, he felt that come what might, as it were he himself would bear no blame in the whole affair if he took no active part with his own hands. ‘So had the unfortunate woman been sold and, not knowing it, she clung apprehensively to a forlorn hope of rescue; the dagger thrust in her heart had been wielded in the conspiracy of men; but what the Lord above had decided was still concealed by the clouds that veil the future.
I
t was a year beset with storms and the period of harvest had arrived; all energies were concentrated of getting the grain into safe cover during the daylight hours. A hot afternoon had developed, heavy banks of clouds stretched their heads upwards over the dark peaks, the swallows fluttered in alarm around the roof, and the poor little woman felt so confined and uneasy left all alone in the house, for even the grandmother was outside in the field, more to help with the will than with the deed. Then splitting pains surged through her frame and everything grew dim before her eyes; she knew her hour was near and she was alone. Fear drove her from the house, and she lurched clumsily towards the field, but was soon forced to sit down. She wanted to shout into the distance, but her voice was choked inside her tight chest. She had with her a little boy, who had only just learned to use his little legs and had never before walked on his own to the field but only carried in his mother's arms. This little boy was the only messenger available to the poor woman, who did not know whether he could find the field or whether his short legs 36
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If you discipline yourself to make your mind self-sufficient you will be least vulnerable to injury from outside. Critias
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would carry him that far. But the faithful little boy saw the fear written all over his mother, he ran, fell and got up again; the cat chased his rabbit, doves and chickens scurried about his feet, his lamb gambolled along behind in a gay frolic, but the boy saw none of it, would not be diverted and faithfully delivered his message. ‘Breathless, the grandmother appeared, but the husband dallied; he had just one more cartload to discharge, he conveyed. An eternity passed, then he came, but another eternity elapsed before he finally began to trudge the long road, and meantime the hapless woman was assailed with mortal fear as her hour sped ever nearer. ‘Out in the field Christine had been watching everything with gloating. A scorching sun beat down over the hard labour, but the spider hardly burned her at all, and she felt light on her feet for next few hours. She carried on gaily with the work and did not hurry to return home, knowing how slow the pace of the messenger was. Only when the last sheaf had been loaded and gusts of wind heralded the approaching thunderstorm did Christine hasten onwards to the prey, which she felt certain was hers, or so she thought. And to many a soul that she passed on her way home she gave a meaningful wave, and they nodded to her, quickly carrying the message home; many a knee trembled at the news, and in their panic many a soul wanted to pray but could not. ‘Inside the small room the poor woman whimpered, and each minute turned into an eternity, and the grandmother could not calm her woe neither with prayers nor comforting words. She had locked the room securely and placed heavy equipment against the door. So long as they were alone in the house, they held together, but when they saw Christine coming home and heard her prowling by the door along with several more footsteps and furtive whispers outside, and no priest or any other faithful friend in sight, and as the moment, otherwise so longedfor, drew ever nearer, it can be imagined what fear gripped the wretched women, as if they were floundering in boiling oil, at their wit’s end and in despair. They could hear how Christine did not budge from the door; the tragic woman could feel the fiery eyes of her savage sister-in-law penetrating through the door, which burned right rough her body and soul. Then the first whimper of a newborn child filtered through the door and was quickly smothered, but too late. The door flew open from a furious, calculated shove, and as a tiger pouncing on its prey, Christine swooped upon the hapless woman who had just given birth. The old woman hurled herself to meet the tempest, and is struck down, while the young mother, in the sacred fear of motherhood, struggled to her feet, but her weak body collapsed and the child was in Christine's hands; a blood-curdling scream broke forth from the mother’s heart, and then she was shrouded in the black shadows of unconsciousness. Pearl January 2020
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ecoiling fear gripped the men as Christine emerged with the stolen child. The foreboding of a dreadful future dawned on them, but no one had the courage to interfere, and the dread of the Devil's scourge was stronger than the fear of God. Christine alone did not waver, her face was glowing, radiant like that of a victorious warrior, and it seemed to her as if the spider were caressing her cheek with a gentle tickling; the flashes of lightning that flickered about her on the way to the church slope Kilchstalden seemed to her merry lights, the thunder like a tender rumble, and the vengeful storm like a sweet purr. ‘Hans, the husband of the hapless woman, had kept his promise all too well. He had sauntered along on his way, making a leisurely inspection of every field, gazed after every bird, and before the thunderstorm had paused to watch as the fish in the brook leapt up to snap at gnats. Then he lurched suddenly and began to forge ahead, and was on the point of breaking into a run; there was something within that was driving him and was making his hair stand on end: it was his conscience warning him of the wages in store for a father who betrayed his wife and child, together with the love he still bore for his wife and his unborn child. But then something else held him back, something that was stronger than the first; it was his fear of the people, his fear of the devil, and the love of the things that the Devil could snatch from him. Then he trudged along slowly again, slowly as a man on his last walk to his place of execution. Maybe he really was on such a walk, for after all not many a man realises it at the time, and if h did, he would not embark upon it or would do it differently. ‘So it was late before he got to Sumiswald. Black clouds swept over the Münneberg, heavy raindrops sizzled in the dust, and the dull tolling of the little bell in the tower began to admonish people to think of God and beseech Him to stay His storm from turning into judgment over them. The priest stood in front of his house prepared for any errand, at the ready to set out when his Lord, Who moved along in the heavens above, might call him to a dying man or to a burning house or anywhere else. When he saw Hans approaching, he recognised the call to a difficult errand; he gathered up his vestments and sent word to his sexton to find someone to take his place at the bell and come accompany him. In the meantime he served Hans a refreshing drink, which would be most welcome after his brisk walk in the sultry air, although Hans hardly needed it, but the priest had no suspicion of his treachery. Hans relished his refreshment leisurely. The sexton appeared with some delay and gladly shared in the drink Hans offered him. The priest stood before them, armed and ready, spurning any drink, which he did not need for such errand and battle as lay ahead. He was reluctant to ask someone to come away from a drink of hospitality and did not like to violate a guest’s privilege, but he was 38
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aware of a duty higher than the duty of hospitality, and this waste of time exasperated him. ‘He was ready, he said finally, for a woman in distress, who was about to be assailed by a vile outrage, was waiting. He had vowed to place himself and his sacred weapons between the woman and the crime, and so they must come now without delay; there would be more up above for the one who has not slaked his thirst here below. At this point Hans, husband of the expectant woman, remarked that there was no need for any great hurry, as his wife was inclined to make heavy weather of everything. And forthwith a flash of lightning blazed into the room, blinding them all, and a peal of thunder broke over the house, shaking it to its foundations. Then after he had finished saying his grace the sexton spoke: “Listen to the conditions outside, the heavens themselves have confirmed what Hans said, that we should wait, and what good would it do if we did go, we would never make it up there alive, and in any case he himself said that there was no need to hurry where his wife was concerned.”
A
nd indeed such a storm was raging as had not often been experienced in living memory. It was blowing up a gale from every gorge and every valley, gusts from all sides, the winds coming from all directions to converge on Sumiswald, and every cloud turned into a warring army, with one cloud storming the next, each trying to slay the other. It was a battle of the clouds, and storm-clouds gathered, and flash after flash of lightning struck down as if trying to cleave a passage through the earth’s core to the other side. The thunder roared incessantly, the storm howled furiously, the clouds’ bosom burst, and deluge upon deluge poured down. ‘The tempest howled, blustered and roared as if these were meant to fuse into the last trump, heralding doom to the worlds, and fiery sheaves rained down upon the village as if to erupt every hut in flames; but the servant of the One Who speaks through thunder and to Whom lightning is but a servant has nothing to fear from these fellow servants of the same Lord, and he who treads the way of God can confidently leave God’s storms to His Will. And so the preacher strode undaunted through the storm towards Kilchstalden, carrying with him the consecrated sacred weapons and his heart was with God. But the two companions followed with less courage, for their hearts were elsewhere; they were unwilling to go down the church slope Kilchstalden, at least not in such weather and not so late, and Hans still had an additional special reason to hesitate. They pleaded with the priest to turn back, to go by other ways, saying that than Hans knew shorter paths while the sexton knew better ones, both warning of flooding in the valley from the swollen Gru ĥne River. But the priest did not listen, paid no attention to their pleas; driven by an indescribable urge, he
He who conquers others is strong; He who conquers himself is mighty. Lao Tse
pressed on towards Kilchstalden on the wings of prayer, his feet hitting no stone, and no flash of lightning blinding his eyes; quaking and a long way behind him, and protected, or so they thought, by the holy sacraments the priest was carrying, Hans and the sexton followed. ‘But when they had reached the outskirts of the village and got to where the slope descended into the valley, the priest suddenly stopped and shielded his eyes with his hand. Down the slope from the chapel a red feather was shimmering in the flash of lightning, and the priest's keen eye caught sight of a swarthy head protruding from a green hedge, with the red feather swaying on top this head. And as he gazed even further, he saw a wild figure bounding rapidly down the opposite slope as if chased by the wildest gusts of wind and flying towards the swarthy head, on which, like a banner, the red feather was swaying. ‘Seeing this, there stirred in the priest a sacred urge to do battle, which overcomes those with hearts dedicated to God the moment they sense the presence of the Devil, just as the impulse that surges upon the seed-corn when it germinates or penetrates the flower when about to unfold or overcomes the hero facing the drawn sword of his enemy. And like a parched man into the cool waters of the stream, or a hero into battle, the priest dashed down the slope, plunged into the fiercest battle, thrust himself between the green huntsman and Christine, who was about to place the baby in the other's arms, and calling out the names of the Holy Trinity in between them and raising the sacred host to the green huntsman’s face, he sprinkled holy water over the child, splashing Christine at the same time. Howling in dreadful pain the green huntsman took flight, darting away like a glowing red streak until the earth devoured him; touched by the holy water, Christine is cauterised with a frightful hiss, like wool in a fire, or lime in water, shrinkng, hissing and spewing flames, until she merged with the black, grotesquely swollen, fearsome spider on her face, hissing and shrivelling together, and then perched herself, rife with poison, right on top of the child, and malevolent glances shot like lightning at the priest. The latter sprinkled holy water at the spider, the drops sizzling like water on hot stone; the spider grew larger and larger, stretching its black legs farther and farther over the child’s body and glowering more and more venomously at the priest; and then the priest, with the courage of his fervent faith, reached out a bold hand to grab hold of it. It was as if he were reaching into scorching thorns, but undaunted he held his grip rockfast and hurled the vermin away, grabbed the child and without delay hastened with it to the mother. ‘And as his battle came to an end, the battle of the clouds also ceased, and they hurried back into their dark chambers; soon the valley was bathed in gentle starlight wherein shortly before the fiercest battle had 40
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been raging, and almost out of breath the priest reached the house in which the wicked deed had been perpetrated against both mother and child. ‘The mother lay still unconscious, having fainted away with a piercing scream; beside her the old woman sat in prayer, for she still trusted in God, believing that He was mightier than the Devil’s malevolence. In bringing back the child, the priest was also able to revive mother. Beholding her baby again as he awoke, a blissful rapture suffused her, such as is known only to angels in heaven, and in the mother's arms the priest baptised the child in the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and now it was wrested from the Devil's sway forever, until in the future the soul had to decide of its own free will whether or not to yield to him. But God protected it from such, for its soul had now been delivered into His grace while the body was left poisoned by the spider. ‘Soon the child’s soul departed this world, the little body covered with scorch-marks. The poor mother shed many a tear, but when each part goes back to where it belongs, the soul to God, the body to the earth, comfort arrives, sooner to the one and later to the other.
Created by God the Lord more delicately and finely than man, woman was placed into life to serve this life as an ornament, like the flower in the garden. Man should look up to women with reverence. Mohammed
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A
s soon as the priest had performed his sacred duty, he began to feel a strange itching in the hand and arm with which he grabbed and hurled away the spider. He observed tiny blotches on his hand, visibly they grew larger and swelled up, while the horror of death surged through his heart. He blessed the two women and hurried home, intent as a loyal warrior on returning the holy weapons to where they belonged, so that they might be available for his successor. His arm swelled up considerably, erupting in black bumps that bulged more and more enormously; he struggled wearily against death, but he did not succumb to it ‘When he reached the slope Kilchstalden, he saw Hans, the father who forgot God and whose whereabouts had been a mystery, lying on his back in the middle of the road. His face was swollen and burnt horribly and in the middle of it sat the spider, huge, black and ghastly. It puffed up at the approach of the priest, the hairs rearing up poisonously on its back, its eyes flashing with venomous intent at him, like a cat poised to spring into the face of its mortal enemy. The priest began reciting a holy verse and raised the sacred weapons, at which the spider gave a start, recoiled on its long legs from the blackened face, and lost itself in the hissing grass. Thereafter the priest made his way straight home, placed the sacred host in its place, and while ferocious pains ravaged his body unto death, his soul waited in sweet tranquillity for its God, for Whom it had valiantly fought the good fight, and God did not let it wait long. But such blissful peace as waits calmly on the Lord did not exist down in the valley, no up on the mountains. From the short tale ‘The Black Spider’ published in 1842.
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Dear Lord, Give me a few friends who will love me for what I am, and keep ever burning before my vagrant steps the kindly light of hope... And though I come not within sight of the castle of my dreams, teach me to be thankful for life, and for time's olden memories that are good and sweet. And may the evening's twilight find me gentle still. ~Irish Prayer
In these turbulent times, the liberating Word of Truth rings into the Cosmos!
‘In order to convey to mankind such knowledge, which gives them a clear and intelligible conviction of the working of God in His Justice and Love, I have written the Work “In the Light of Truth”, which leaves no gap, contains the answer to every question, and clearly shows mankind how wonderful are the ways in Creation that are upheld by many servants of His Will.’ ‘Not a single question remains unsolved for you; a great understanding arises within you of the mysterious working of the adamantine Laws in Creation, which guide you with the outworkings of your volition; and as a crowning for your trouble comes the wonderful divining of a Wisdom, of an Omnipotence, of a Love and of a Justice that can only issue from God, Whose Being you therewith discover!’ Abd-ru-shin
– In a 3-volume set (paperback) or composite volume (hardback) Available online or in bookstores Inquiries: www.grailmessage.com Tel (UK): +44 (0)141 5302144
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