One of our personal experiences with our deceased friend with whom we related previously would substantiate this principle as described by Swedenborg:

We once decided to visit our friend in the heavenly regions. We had some joyful news that we wanted to convey to her–news that she was waiting to hear while she was alive in the physical. Not knowing where she was or able to directly manifest before her, we were escorted by a guide to a lovely garden with a Greek temple in the midst of it. The garden was empty, or so it seemed. But while adjusting our sight, people appeared everywhere. They did not notice us, however. It was as though we did not exist in their eyes. Our escort went into the building and moments later our friend came out all beaming with joy. “I’ve been waiting for you,” she said. Then she looked more closely at me and commented jocularly, “you are so bright, I could faint.” After conveying to her our message we bade farewell. As we were leaving, we noticed that no one was yet aware of our presence; however, a dark-skinned man who was sitting on a bench reached out and touched me to, perhaps, reassure himself of my presence and reality. We smiled at each other.

After a lengthy stay in the astral or lower mental heavens, and when one is about ready to reincarnate through karmic necessity or choice, one first goes to the causal realms for a brief sojourn. Not all souls experience this; however, some incarnate directly from whatever realm they may be. In the causal world the soul experiences bliss and peace, and a real rest as a reward for a soul-mission well done. One of the purposes of this stay in the causal realms is the transference of the positive qualities acquired by the soul and recorded in the seed-atoms, to the causal body where it is stored as one’s “treasure in heaven.” The positive deeds and virtues of the soul adorn the causal body with a greater glory than its former condition. Every incarnation offers a form of nourishment to the causal body when its incarnated life ends. This causal body is called in Masonry “the temple not made with hands.” Other traditions call it “the Chalice.” When the soul is prepared to reincarnate for new soul-experiences, it seeks out the appropriate parents, time and place to be reborn in the physical world. This seeking is done with the help of spiritual guides.

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According to Christianity other “religions” are false religions so the statues are nothing but pieces of whatever they are made from be it wood, metal, plaster, etc!

What is the Cosmic Christ? “It is the Soul of the Universe, the link or the relation between matter and spirit, and the redemptive energy, which leads the life, sleeping in matter, toward glorious heights of endless unfoldment…. It is the Son, the second person of the Trinity.” (Christ the Avatar of Sacrificial Love). It is the Love energy in nature, that attractive, magnetic power that links us to each other. To me, the Cosmic Christ is the universal Messenger of God, who guides, inspires, and overshadows all great Teachers of world religions. It is through Him that all religions manifest. He has given the Divine Teachings to humanity through His intermediaries such as Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Zoroaster, Lao Tse, Mohammed, to name just a few. If we are able to embrace the idea of a Cosmic Christ, Who does the will of the Father in Heaven, and elevates all mankind with God’s Teachings, then we can start building the bridges that will eventually help us unite all humanity under one God, not under one religion, but under one God with many manifestations. Conceptually, the idea of the Cosmic Christ helps us build the bridges of tolerance and acceptance.The Cosmic Christ is known in many traditions under various names, such as Imam Mahdi, the Messiah, the Kalki Avatar, the Maitreya, the Bodhisattva, the Coming One, the Great One, the Great Spirit, and many others. He is known as the One Who is so far advanced and accomplished that He is able to give to humanity successive spiritual guidance through the Masters of Wisdom.Our global conditions reflect our separative and exclusivist thinking. Our mind set conditions our opinions, feelings, and our actions and decisions. The idea of the Cosmic Christ can heal our separative minds. It can remove the walls of exclusivity that endanger human welfare. It allows us to think in broad terms and consider the majesty of God as part of all of us. It is in this way that we can understand that God does not take sides; He is always thinking of His children and, through the Cosmic Christ, never leaves us bereft of His Messengers and never leaves humanity without guidance.Many religious people talk and act as if God is only on their side and not on the “other” person’s side. We pray to a sectarian God, a separative God, and one who takes sides helping us defeat the other person and beat others down. When I think of God and spiritual ideals in universal themes, I see how silly human beings have become and how separative we are when we think that our way is the only way. In thinking this way, we have effectively drawn a tight circle around us and identified the world between those who are in our circle and those who are outside of it. Even Presidential candidates in the United States talk about being on the side of all “true believers”!!!!! What about those who are outside of that circle by not believing the way a Presidential candidate may believe? How dangerous is this kind of separatism and how huge are the ramifications of such thinking? For all the talk about tolerance and acceptance, we have in effect taken that extra chair out of our dinner table and made sure no one comes and sits with us who is not “one of us.”Some may object to this view saying that their particular Messenger is the only true Son of God and putting their Messenger in the same category with others demeans His status. To me this is not the case at all. Belonging to a group of Great Ones who incarnate to teach and guide humanity gives more power and legitimacy to each Messenger. They are not alone, but are part of the universe. If we can entertain this philosophical perspective, it may give us a new way to identify humanity. We would no longer look at one religion as better than another. We would no longer see one Messenger to be better and somehow more advanced than another. We may even form the philosophical foundation that enables us to be truly tolerant, inclusive, and humanitarian in our approach to others.For people who have studied these kinds of Teachings and who have been exposed to many cultures and religious traditions, this is a logical and very beautiful idea to accept. For others, especially those who are very strict in their interpretation of religious teachings, this is totally unacceptable and may even be blasphemy. To the former, the Cosmic Christ means the Initiate, the Anointed One, the Cosmic Avatar; to the latter, Christ belongs only to the Christians and no one else. Those with strict interpretations of their religious teachings find the idea that greatness and reverence may be allowed to all Holy Ones is in itself totally unacceptable.Sometimes you simply cannot force open unwilling hearts and minds; you just let life take care of it and let experience show how unity and love and tolerance are much more conducive to human welfare than hatred and separatism and sectarianism.The Ageless Wisdom Teachings are slowly permeating the thinking of religious and spiritual leaders. If for no other reason but the need to understand those who have a different faith and to practice the love and tolerance that is the cornerstone of every religious and spiritual tradition, this is an important development. Now that we understand that there are no borders in the world and we are one humanity, we need to consider the philosophical foundation that would make this understanding intellectually and religiously plausible.You may not agree with this understanding of the Cosmic Christ. You may object strenuously to it. You may feel threatened that your religious beliefs are the most valid and most sanctioned by God. That is fine and I am not out to change anyone’s religious beliefs. Rather, I am presenting a view that may help us appreciate our common spiritual ancestry.Let us set a new round table for religious discussions, one that allows a nice chair reserved just for the Cosmic Christ. Let Him listen to our discussions and our worries and our issues with each other. How would we then approach each other? I wonder what He would say as He listens to us?

A circle of drums is more than a jam in concert parking lot, it’s a fundamental exercise in Buddhism. Anyone who has participated in a drum circle knows that the boundaries of the individual breakdown and a feeling of one emerges. This is because the real truth is that we are all the same being in different disguises.

Buddhism began in the 4th century by a Hindu prince named Gautama Siddhartha. Born a prince, he abandoned his kingdom for a life of meditation and teaching. Not being motivated by fear or desire, Gautama “woke up” to his true nature.

Upon attaining “enlightenment”, Gautama instantly recalled all his past lives and was able to explore the complete potential of temporal consciousness. In the course of meeting people, they would ask Gautama not WHO he was, but WHAT he was. He would answer “I am awake!”

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