TEACHINGS in the FREE CATHOLIC CHURCH
FREE from such uniforming binding dogmas and anathemas as e. g. the Nicea council formed and CATHOLIC ("kata holos") in the sense embracing all religious ways, universal, broad-minded, liberal and CHURCHLY, building on CHRIST, apostolic succession, sacraments and all the prophets of religions.
TRUTH is in our eternal SPIRIT, beyond thoughts and words and in "the Secrets of the Kingdom "which Jesus says "is given to few. To those on the outside everything is given in parables" (Mark 4. 11)The secrets are in the trusteeship of those who are spiritually awakened. They intimate that absolute truth is ineffable but ONE with our innermost nature, the all-one-being, which is eternally unmanifested and is temporary manifested and incarnated in all beings. That "Self" in all may say "I am the truth" (John 14. 6). Prophets and seers may have revelations and try to interpret our Spirit with words fitted for limited minds .Some do use words understood as negating our illusions: "Pleroma, Ain Soph Aur, Nirvana, Parabrahm, poor in spirit" (Matthew 5. 3) and use paradoxes as "Our eternal spirit is a circle of which the centre is everywhere and the circumference nowhere". "The man who loves his life will lose it" (John 2. 25) etc.
Many parables may look positive. Jesus says "You are gods" (John 10.34) "All gods and angels are one with your innermost being" (Pistis Sophia Gospel). St Paul writes "God chose us before creation of the world, predestinated us to redemption" See the word god (elohim) in Genesis 1:1 "beginning created Elohim, (=gods), heaven and earth. A learned kabbalist translates: "Gods, heavens, earth were created. God = Elohim is then understood not as the creating subject bud as one of the created objects. The subject is e.g. named "Ain Soph Aur" which is a "negative" secret absolute "nobody". Philosophers intimate that this absolute being emanates "God and Satan" (the shadow of God) as the first manifestations and that the absolute being will reabsorb God and Satan and all when the drama of creation is finished and the actors undress their roles and are again at home in the eternal as before creation. All our spirits return. And that is intimated by Ecclesiastes 12.7. It is named "Apokatastasis panton" in the Acts 3.21. God+Satan are roles in our mysteries. Both roles are misunderstood. The "Satan"-role is the necessary opponent, adversary as resistance for muscle and character is necessary. Evolution or manifestation of latent possibilities is a result. St Paul says in Corinthians 2.7 that "we speak of God´s secret wisdom what has been hidden. The spirit has revealed it to us". In the Eucharist we invoke nine hierarchies of "bright" angels. But just as necessary and helping are the "dark" angels of death, justice ("karma") and of such natural forces as volcano-fire, storm, earthquake and deluge which can end our bodily life and give place for new better start. Saints who are initiated look behind the necessary opposites and look to the eternal wisdom behind temporal changes.
Other parable in religions is that our souls are "fallen angels". Our souls have fallen" from the heavenly home and are now incarnated in this world. But all "angels, gods, souls" will finally be returned glorified to the heavenly home, say some prophets. It is even said that our eternal spirit does breath us out in manifestation and inhales us. Spirit is "the wind of the Eternal" or is "the Word" or its sevenfold laughter which manifest all beings. Important common interpretation is that all are pre-existent eternal beings and shall be finally reabsorbed glorified. Veils of parables covers our "holy scriptures" and "hearts" admits e.g. St Paul (2 Cor 3.16). The message of the eternal is "I am the Life and the resurrection" (John 11.25, 14.6)
1/
A beginning of manifested nature is
as is said in the Gospel of John
our supernal “Word”, Thought,
2/
Before the beginning of time is
only the empty space which
is symbolized as the “empty”
circle of
3/ Our supernal Thought,
“Word” is in the Circle
first not
manifested (is
“Darkness” Genesis 1.2
4/ Our
supernal Thought or
“Word” is
manifested periodically
(is named “Light”,
Genesis 1.3)
5/ Our supernal Thought
(“Word”) is first manifested as
Abraxas, a
gnostic term for
consciousness
Prayer is a ladder which does often start with primitive petitions founded on a dualistic belief in a "God" who is thought to be somebody else than our own innermost Self: " O God, if there is a God, save my soul from Satan .if I have a soul. I hate the devil and he hates me". Some religious leaders as Luther had great fear for "the devil" and have fettered their followers in such illusions. In more enlightened prayers do we understand that. our Divine Self always give all what is really good to each one of His/Her children. It is therefore senseless to pray God to change and give more love. or help" What is necessary is only that we do change and become more receptive. It creates illusions to pray: "O God give more peace to me"? In a more enlightened stage of prayer we do not any longer pray petitions as "give more". In a still higher stage we do drop "to me". What remains is "God and "peace". In the highest level of prayer it is not the human self but the innermost divine Spirit who prays or contemplates in creative ways within us. Prayer in the Free Catholic divine services are most affirmative contemplation and such sacramental acts which tends to transsubstantiation of the personal imperfect nature, to make it more and more perfect. That is not a task only of the priest with sacramental ordination. Each one is innermost a heavenly priest and priestess with the task to transubstantiate.
Interreligious ecumenical mission is an ideal for our pioneers. They do "not abolish prophets and Law (Mathew 5 17) which the Spirit sends to religions. with completing and correcting messages. The fundamental Spirit is the same in all religions. But human corruption by scribes and killing letters(2 Cor 3.6.) is veiling all religions. The Spirit or Christ-Nature is the same in all men and in sacraments and in all nature. The divine nature in animals is still less manifested. Saints have compassion with . them.
Why do we have sacraments, prophets, sacramental priests… when all are said to be "gods"? Jesus answers with the parable that we as a kernel of wheat must fall to the ground and die in order to flourish (John 12 24, . 1 Cor 15
"I am the Way" says the eternal innermost Self who is peace and is sword (Matthew 10 34) .In religions are parables for how the eternal Self and angels and saints are fighting. The parables are from worldly wars. Messiah is named Prince of Peace but the meaning is the peace after the victory in the battles of the Saviour. We read in Rev 19.11 "before me was a white horse, whose rider makes war" .The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses. St Paul writes to the Ephesians 6 17:"Put on the full armour of God… the sword of the Spirit"… The fight is within us against imperfection.
Saint George is in one of our icons riding on a white horse. A dragon is killed by St George .A princess is thereby saved. She is sometimes parable for our soul. Christian Knights Templars do keep parables of the inner war. In the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu gospel, can we find the prophet or Avatar Krishna preaching Yoga as inner war. The battlefield is within us. Buddhists read in "The Voice of the Silence" about the same inner war. JIHAD of the Muslims is the same inner Holy War.
Samurais of Japan may fight in literal meaning just as Christian Knight Templars. But the ideal oftheir fighting is in a state of freedom from the limited personal capacity, in a state of contemplative peace.
IN A FREE CATHOLIC CHURCH may we keep parables and ritual wording even from these fields. Confirmation is a sacrament which has sometimes linguistic usage from the order of Knights Templars. .And our sacramental Eucharist is as the "Exodus" of Moses an inner pilgrim way of fighting until mystic death of the limited self at the border of the Promised Spiritual Land. It is sacramental Yoga with Eastern Language. It is Holy Jihad-war with the mystics of Islam. This means that we fight with all our inner personal capacity but even with sacramental help of the Eternal. That Self is peace which transcends Understanding (Phil 4. 7) and it makes war for justice (Rev 19.11).
Art is used by the Church to inspire us. And to teach.. We have art of many kinds. Many icons from our old orthodox branches as a Russian icon from the 16th century named Resurrection. Greek icons are also appreciated. E.g. the Eternal experienced as our Mother. From our time is a painting . by the artist Aaltona: "crucifixion" .According to the ideal of "United Religions" do we educate even with help of art from other religions. One example is the Buddhist "Prajna Paramita", the Wisdom who is Mother of all Buddhas . The dancing God "Shiva" reminds us of a Christian Gnostic rite where Jesus is dancing.. Primitive art may also have values but is even stupefying. Schiller said: "Mit Dummheit kämpfen GötterSelbst vergebens" Our reforms are hindered by the weight of past ignorance. But truth will survive
After the death of your body will you still be a pilgrim climbing higher and higher. And you will be among many who will reincarnate as Elijah is said to reincarnate in John the Baptist (Matthew 11.14 and the Pistis Sophia Gospel). You will be guided by an eternal "Christ" , personal or impersonal .He is the first of our "episcopi vagantes" wandering shepherds.
He is our CHURCH and its sacraments,
He is CATHOLIC, all-embracing.
He is FREE , proclaiming freedom (Luke 4 18)
is part of
the knowledge about
Christ who gave to the apostles
7 catholic sacraments and gnosis
The sacraments and the apostolic succession did we get through the Old Catholic Church. But we did
liberate us from the dogmatic compulsions of the majorities councils and churches. Perfect liberty for
thinking and belief was reinstated for us. Jesus did quote “ release to the captives.. to set at liberty
those who are oppressed” (Luke 4 18) His apostles did preach “the freedom of the children of God
(Romans 8 21) and “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom” (2 Cor l7). The apostles preached
“the perfect law, the law of liberty” (James 1 25). This means freedom for both advanced gnosis of the elect and the most infantile faith among the multitude.
GNOSIS was given by Christ to those elect “To you has been given to know the secrets of heaven, but to them it has not been given….. I speak to them in parables” (Matt 13 11)
“Woe to you lawyers for you have taken away the key of gnosis (Luke 11 52)
The gnosis of Christ was later on given to many who named themselves Gnostics. But they had true and lower imperfect “gnosis”. St Paul worked with that problem. He writes about himself (1 Cor 4 1) as “steward of the mysteries of God”. In Athens did he get a famous pupil, Dionysious Areopagita
He is said to be the father of the Christian mysticism. Perhaps it is a later Areopagita-incarnation who
has teached us the affirmative contemplation which is in our services and still higher contemplation.
Majorities of leading church people did forbid what they named gnosis. And the Gnostic minorities.
Persecutions against the Christian Gnostics brought jail and murdering for those who did not take to flight. Many did veil themselves with new names and secret orders of Masonic type. They did hide the
Gnostic scriptures which should otherwise be burned. In our time are fragments of gnostic writings recovered and great scientists do find in them great values. Some believe that in those scriptures are fragments of the original unveiled teachings of Christ
The doctor and psychoanalyst Jung did 1916 write his book “Seven sermons to the dead”. He does there give what he thinks is the gnosis of Jesus. Jung says he has been taught by the gnostic Basilides but he did even know gnosis of Clemens and Origen (death in jail 254) and gnosis of other religions, which has other names,“Kabala, Suffism , Mahabuddhi, Bodha-Bodhi, Brahma. Vidya..”
The emperor Justinian I wished conformed religion and did condemn “the insane” Origen. He got a local synod to condemn what they named gnostic Origenism, 545. Liberal thinking became dangerous
Reincarnation was forbidden teaching by the majority at a council 553 It survived most secretly.
In the Pistis Sophia Gospel does Jesus speak more openly about John the Baptist as a reincarnation of the prophet Elias and how we all reincarnate and reap according to what we have sown. Belief in reincarnation is now more common among ripe Christians and is not punished as it was- Older belief in reincarnation is still among Albigense-Christians though they were military defeated 1209-1229
in the district where the mother of Franciskus had lived. He did not protest. He had promised obedience
to the pope who wished that “crusade” He dared not object. As vegetarian he cared for animals
The order of Temple Knights was crushed 1314 because of gnosis and too much money. The leaders were burned in Paris. Most gnostic people died in silence as unknown soldiers for freedom
Eckhardt resembled gnosticism and died 1327 as a “guest” of the pope. Perhaps poisoned.
Freemasons may resemble gnosis and were condemned 1718 by pope but free thinking is growing
Blavatsky was initiated in free Masonic interreligious gnosis l877 and influenced even Free Catholics
Our patriarch bishop Wedgwood was initiated in theosophical gnosis and Masonic 1918. He died 1951. He was sorry that many new members wished to hide gnosis. But he had 1950 met and inspired Elis Wikström, who became bishop of our Free Catholic branch and 1985 started to send gnosis of Christ through Internet , “World Wide Web”. That is according to the order by Christ (Mark 16 15) “preach my gospel to the whole creation” After his death will at least his foundation continue to send more and more gnosis of Christ and of all prophets. All shall be quite free to compare the gnosis of all schools- We have fredom for deep secret gnosis as for infantile religion
Gnostic scriptures from all religions are recommended to our students. Jesus has said (Matt 5.17)
that he has not come to weaken the prophets but to fulfil. We understand that he then accepts even the prophets of other religions though all may have been veiled. We are sure that He knew about Buddha and Krishna and the coming of Mohammed. Missionaries from the East came at least to Alexandria..
Among Jews it was dangerous to speak of foreign prophets so Jesus may have been silent with many..
John 16 12 tells that Jesus “has many other things to tell you but you cannot grasp them now”
MOST IMPORTANT GNOSIS for our time is the teaching that the innermost in all beings is the eternal self, who is ONE but temporarily manifests as duality for our evolution. The teaching is John
10 34 “you are gods” and more is said in the Pistis Sophia gospel. In the Gospel of Thomas is Jesus saying that he is even incarnated in stones and trees… A Moslem Sufi-poet writes that he has been
incarnated in stone and trees and animals and now is a human being but will become an angel and will
incarnate as still higher being and finally return to God. The reabsorbation of all beings, named Apokatastasis in the Acts 3, 21 is mentioned in many religions but is too difficult to understand for many as it says that all beings are ONE IN THE ETERNAL. Common religious faith is dualistic in the sense that man and the Eternal are believed to be in reality two. Duality is temporary illusion:
TRINITY, ONE IN THREE and ONE IN MANY belongs to manifestation in time and space
Our church is often believed to be a new branch of the Tree of Christ. Gnostic branches have been
destroyed but are reborn in us. And our greatest joy is that the Christ-nature gives us to heir the divine sacraments and gnosis and gives us to be in this time “stewards of the mysteries of God “