American Unitarian Conference Forum

http://www.plotinus.com/mysticism1.htm

Pretty comprehensive...for your viewing / resource pleasure.

Beautiful paintings / illustrations if nothing else....

http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon2_copy.htm
http://www.plotinus.com/the_daemon2_copy.htm
http://www.plotinus.com/mystic_heart_copy.htm

etc.

An excellent web site for those interested in the Esoteric and Mystical.

Thanks for posting the link.

With love,

Rev Dorris

The section on "The Hermetic Mystery of Christ" reminds us that:

http://www.plotinus.com/perfect_model19_copy.htm

"...Until such time that consciousness reveals that the psyche does not really exist...it was a perfect mirror reflecting purified impulses that disappear leaving a silent space within... a level of consciousness in which the world of duality is non-existent and in its place appears the Presence the uncreated and immortal Essence of Being, the "I AM" Presence and the sudden realization that :

"I AM ... WHAT I AM"

"The apostles before us used to employ the terms: 'Jesus the Nazoraean Messiah', which means 'Jesus, the Nazoraean, the Christ "The Anointed One".

Remember: The last name is "Christ", the first name is "Jesus", the middle name is "The Nazarene".

Hence the Name "Jesus Christ the Nazarene" means; The Anointed One, the Giver of Truth - The Bringer and Source of Redemption - The Revealer of what is hidden - The Enlightened One who has the gift to Awaken others..."

"...the Name IESHUA corresponds to Jesus's existence as a heavenly power in eternity (the Perfect Model). The INITIATOR and SAVIOR in the Christian Mystical Mysteries... Hence it is the transcendent Spirit beyond the realm of physical matter... On the other hand, Yeheshuah, or (Jeshua) - Jesus represents the immanent Spirit present within physical matter. (the Perfect Mold)."

Interesting material....I have always been drawn to the esoteric side of religion more than the exoteric...today, Christianity is almost all exoteric...."proper" understanding of the exoteric requires understanding of the esoteric. This is lacking...has been hounded out as un-orthodox, gnostic, mystical, transcendentalism etc. The Western approach is not different from the Eastern in essence..

"For Buddhism, all seekers and disciples of Buddha are known as having Buddha nature inherent within their nature. In the same manner, for the hermetic and esoteric Mysteries of the Western tradition, the essence of the Cosmic Christ is innate to all sentient beings and part of his spiritual blueprint, (the Perfect Mold), in the West and in the East."

Another refreshing moment to be a Unitarian or a Universalist: Both of these religions have embraced (to varying degrees) mysticism, rather than shunning it.  It would seem that Unitarianism tempers religious experience (especially in the form of Transcendentalism, our own heritage) with Reason; whereas Universalism more aggressively embraces mysticism but likewise tends to bind it to compassion and love (a more right-brained faith).  I find this refreshing as pure mysticism tends to lead to something like Unity, New Thought or New Age-valuable in someways but not sufficient, for me at least, for it is too liberal in. Ironic that despite the similar name 'Unity' has little in common with Unitarianism or Universalism.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Esoteric and the Mystical are hugely important, but I think it is important that they be understood in the context of compassion and tempered a bit by reason.  

Interestingly in the West I think Quakerism has a good grasp on the idea of God being within, with its belief in the "Inner Light".  Christian Universalism likewise believes that human beings are essentially divine in their spiritual nature (literally born of God), and thus all people a bit of "Christ" (Buddhood) abiding within, something which is also shared with the New Thought path.  Amazing how such a belief appears to be...Universal, no?

Big O Orthodox Christianity's ultimate goal is "theosis"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosis) with similar corollaries in other branches of Christianity.  This contrasts sharply with the exoteric aspects of modern (esp. Protestant) Christianity that Eruonen mentions.

Of course Hinduism has a long history of this kind of thinking as well...

In Eastern Orthodox practices you see the concentration on Theosis....which is why it is appealing to some outside the ethnic culture it is usually associated with. Still, they have all the trappings of Catholocism that on one had are superficially appealing unless you think about them. Catholics seem to down play that aspect...in fact most of their mystical practitioners were eventually labeled heretics or forced to either recant or shut up. But....all of these faiths have shared slim connections to the ultimate universal essence....getting there is the issue.

Re Universalism...this is interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_reconciliation

"Recent developments

Vatican, April 7, 2008, Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion of Vienna in his presentation at the First World Apostolic Congress of Divine Mercy, argued that God's mercy is so great that He does not condemn sinners to everlasting punishment. The Orthodox understanding of hell, Bishop Hilarion said, corresponds roughly to the Catholic notion of purgatory.[13]

In May 16, 2007, the Christian Universalism Association was founded at the historic Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, D.C. This was a move to distinguish itself from modern Unitarian Universalism, as distinctly and dogmatically Christian.[14]

In 2005 Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, reiterated that Universal Salvation was entirely compatible with Catholic teaching [15] and expressed his personal hope for universal salvation.

Bishop Carlton Pearson received notoriety in 2004 when he was officially declared a heretic by the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops. Bishop Pearson, who had attended Oral Roberts University, a conservative Christian teaching institution, formally declared his belief in the doctrine of universal salvation. His church, called New Dimensions, adopted the doctrine.[16]

Evangelicals and related Christian denominations have published extensively against universalism in recent decades, defending the doctrine of perpetual Hell.[17]"
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In effect, the concept is totally compatible with all but the evangelical / pentecostal movements.

This is interesting too:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlton_Pearson

“ A person who spends every day getting drunk, will ruin their health, marriage, family and career; they will make their lives a living Hell. But that still falls far short of the chronic alcoholic being condemned by a just God to literally burn in Hell forever and ever.

For others it may very well be that the punishment merited by their sins is greater than what they receive in this life. For those people perhaps there will be some kind of punishment after death, but we believe that it will be remedial and corrective rather than just punishment for punishment's sake. Exactly what that will be and how long it will last we don't know. Will Hell for some people last 10 minutes or 10 million years... we don't know. But this we do know; Hell will not last for eternity; it will not be endless... Don't sin. Be reunited with God now, rather than after you have put yourself (and those you love) through Hell. ”

Indeed the Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis is fascinating...I believe Eastern Orthodoxy is also panentheistic in their understanding of God, and more open-minded than the Western churches towards Universal Salvation.  My guess is that this is because the East was spared the influence of the so-called St. Augustine (whose theology I find downright stupid at best, perverse and blasphemous at worst).  It is interesting that despite all of its mystical trappings the RCC continues to try and keep the mysticism tied strictly within orthodox walls (which fits with their concept of conscience though-in both cases conscience and mysticism are A-OK as long as they don't go against the organizational church. )

Interesting notes on Universalism as well...it really is a belief that is applicable in many places.  The CUA has noted that a large percentage of Universalists in this country are Evangelicals and Pentecostals...indeed, Universalism flourished amongst the "Latter Rain" movement.  I never would have guessed!  Granted some of them are more conservative universalists (the equivilant to the Biblical Unitarians, so to speak) but still, this good news.