He Who Takes Away the Sins of the World

"Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." -- John 2.6

What does it mean to say that he "takes away the sins of the world?" (John 1.29)

The Christ's deed was to redeem the planetary karma of the Earth. He took the collective karma of all humanity upon himself. This was His mission and He succeeded.

As I said before, we should claim our share in the responsibility for all social problems. We don't need to, but if we want to find the Christ it is necessary, if we want to really be in a state of collective consciousness, because that's what the Christ represents. The Christ consciousness is where you are the collective of all humanity. ALL humanity! That's why you "love your neighbor as yourself" because your neighbor IS yourself in that collective state.

It's okay if we're not quite ready to claim more than our share of responsibility. But the Christ claimed ALL of it to himself. When he "takes away the sins of the world" he doesn't erase the karma, but bears the total responsibility. When we can claim at least our share of responsibility, we will "walk in the same way in which he walked". And this makes you not less powerful, but more powerful, since you will attain a measure of likeness to God.

If you try to be always happy and never said, always peaceful and never in conflict, you weaken your power and ability to transform darkness into light. This is an exhortation to find strength and courage through these difficult times.

-- S.A.O.

The Kingdom of Heaven

"To enter the kingdom of heaven, you must become as a child."

The kingdom of heaven is a playground. You must be 'as' a child to enter into it. It does not say you must 'be' a child. It is not a return to a lost innocence. "Even the gods love to play" as even the great philosopher Plato has written. We must grow up beyond adulthood to play the games the gods play. The use of the child simile is meant only to remind us of the innate wisdom we have always had, but have forgotten how to use. But how do we capture the wisdom of the child and harness the knowledge of the 'grown up'?

It is up to the student to ask the questions. The person who 'plays' the role of a teacher cannot answer all questions. You have all the resources within yourself. A teacher cannot give you something you don't already have. All he can do is try to help you remember something you already know.

A teacher 'plays' his role best when he 'plays' on the meaning of words. The Greek god Hermes is the god of writing. The purpose of writing is to communicate thought. A 'good' teacher is one who can skillfully communicate his thoughts into words. But Hermes was also a trickster, a joker, and a game master. And he guards the kingdom of the heavens with many subtle tests. You must be able to laugh, joke and play to participate in the games of the gods.

-- Stephen Anthony Orzel
 

A Most Wise Game Master

Tired of playing the same old game, running through the same repetitive loops day after day?  Is there anything wrong with changing the rules of the game as you go along?  You were the one who set these rules, you are the master of the game.  So why not change them if they aren't serving you anymore?

How do you change the rules of the game?  Take an action that's different from the one you normally take.  It's that simple!  Redefine your life by acting in conformity with your highest excitement. 

You must do more than just think positive thoughts.  You must take action on what you have learned.  Apply your understanding.  This is the 'wisdom of the fool' who jumps in head-first, because he realizes that's the only way to test if some idea is valid or not.

There is a serious illness that I like to call 'information-overload-induced-paralysis'.  It happens when your head is filled with thoughts that you have never tested by taking action on any of them.  The only way to overcome this paralysis is to get your body in motion.  Take an action that's different from the one you normally take.  And watch the whole universe change. 

You are the master of your creation.  You don't need to learn how to get power-- you can't get what you already have.  What you need to do is apply your power through doing, expressing, creating.  What you need to learn is not how to do what you already know how to do, but to learn how to use this power wisely.

-- Stephen Anthony Orzel

On Laughter and Creative Power

Remember that laughter is the most powerful agent of dissolution and always look for the positive. Even those who harm us were acting in ways they thought were good, or were coming from their own place of suffering. We must look past the finite space-time conditions and see it as an opportunity to strengthen the soul.  And we must see the transgressors as being on their own path of perfection. Trust that they will eventually learn from their mistakes and find how to turn their harmful actions into loving actions. 

You must be able to laugh at your fears and enemies.  What you think are your fears and enemies are actually your own creations due to misinterpreting the goodness hidden beneath surface appearances.  But nonetheless, you have created them.  You are a creator, a divine creator being.  You just have to learn to use your creative power in beneficial ways.  You must laugh at your own detrimental thought-entities, for then their energies will have nothing to latch on to.  You will stop feeding them by laughing at them.  Starve them with laughter.  Look for goodness in all situations, you will find it.  Look carefully and with look your heart.  Then you will be using your creative power wisely.

-- Stephen Anthony Orzel

On Giving and Receiving

You have never paid for anything. Everything you have received has been a gift. Everything is free. You can have whatever you want and will always get it.

But there is always a limit to what you can get right now. You cannot have it all at once.

In that sense, nothing is free. There are no gifts, everything has its price. You have to work for it if you want it. You can only get what you are fit to receive. But still there is no real cost to anything. Even the power to do work is a bestowal from above.

Do not be thankful to a higher source for what you have. It is rather that the one who gives is the one who receives. It gives thanks to itself for what it bestows upon itself. It gives itself exactly what it needs exactly when it needs it. And you exist because of that need.

Do not be thankful. Be greedy by giving yourself to yourself. And thank yourself when you pay yourself, for the cost is great, but the gift is free.

-- Stephen Anthony Orzel