RE: [BardonPraxis] Wealth and Esotericism

["Johan Pretorius" <africure@...>]

Hi,

I just have a few thoughts on this subject.

As students of Bardon our path is about balance and moderation. Let's face
it. Money is great. But at what cost?

Most of the very wealthy men did not set out to be that wealthy. Bill Gates
would still be messing with computers even if he did not make any money. He
is doing what he loves.
Making money just to be very rich will leave you no time to follow a
spiritual path. You are going to be working day and night. You will never be
content, as someone will always have more money than you. As you live in
fear, once you have made your big money, you will then fear losing it.
Sooner or later the pressure will be to much, and you will either end your
own life, or die of a drug overdose. I realize that I am making general
assumptions and wild statements, but I think not far from the truth.

The point is that our path demands consistent practice for us to advance.
For me the path of the very rich and the Hermetic path don't go well
together. Somewhere in between will we find the balance we are seeking.

Best Regards

Johan Pretorius

-----Original Message-----
From: esoteric777@... [mailto:esoteric777@...]
Sent: 17 February 2004 03:31
To: BardonPraxis@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [BardonPraxis] Wealth and Esotericism


Dear List,

One of the list members stated that he was still in the university and very
career motivated; he was wondering if his drive for achieving big success
would
be an impediment to his spiritual progress.

In short, he asked "is there anything wrong with that (making 'BIG money')?"

Having had the opportunity to deal with people across the entire financial
spectrum, from very poor to so wealthy they literally did not know what to
do
with it, I think there are several things anyone asking this question needs
to
consider.

The current belief in material poverty as being good and wealth as being bad
has its roots in several areas, one of which a form of gnosticism which
says,
material life is essentially evil and needs to be escaped from, thus throw
yourself into your spiritual activities.

The same is found in any schools of yoga, and is easily understood as a form
of compensation in cultures and communities that suffer under crushing
poverty
or little avenues for material advancement.

Another influence is the Roman Church, that used similar language to comfort
peasants (or keep them from rioting) for the last 1,000 years. With improved
standards of living, courtesy the industrial and technological revolutions,
this holds less power.

The Protestant Work Ethic that equates material success and wealth as a for
of godly blessing has also eroded it somewhat.

So where does that leave us?

Well, if we look at Wealth and Esoteric Wisdom, we see they both relate to
the qabalistic sphere of Chesed. Wealth it the more material manifestation
of
this force, wisdom its more subtle form.

Chesed is in short, out inner blueprint or highest ideals in the realms of
duality, or manifestation.

Projected through Yesod, or our subconscious, they take form.

Now, lets look at the idea of renunciation in Easter and Western though. We
hear a lot about it, giving once again the idea that only a monastic life is
the spiritual life. However, there is the warning that it is easier to be a
sinner while a hermit than in the world.

In truth, renunciation is not an absence of material things, but in using
them, not being used by them, and being firm in your commitment that the
material
life is a tool and not an end.

>From this point of view, all things can be brought into the Path of Service.

If our highest ideal is to be enlightened for ourselves alone, that puts us
at Tiphareth. If our ideal is to make wealth for ourselves alone that puts
us
in Malkooth. If our ideal is to serve and be of assistance to humanity,
that
puts us in Chesed, where all things are at our disposal.

There is also the reality that you will die.

Your time is limited, even if it is 100 or 150 years thanks to medical
science.

As such it is not so much what you do, but why you do it. Time is limited,
pick wisely.

If it is out of need for security and to own nice things, for status, and
privilege, you are working from fear. If it is to enjoy life while making
firm
and definite assistance to others, then it is our of love and compassion -
the
domain of Chesed - and you will not even be asking the question you did.

I hope this makes your journey into the Magic Mirror a little more fruitful.

Sincerely,


Mark Stavish
Institute for Hermetic Studies
Advisor to the Louis Claude de St. Martin Fund
www.hermetic.com/stavish/
www.hermeticinstitute.org (under construction)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




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