The Faith Column
Unity in diversity
Posted by Jim Corrigall - 31 October 2007 11:45
In his latest blog entry, Jim Corrigall attempts to recapture the magic of a Unitarian service
Most Unitarians would say that worshipping together is at the heart of what we do. Normally, Unitarian communities gather on Sundays in their churches, meeting houses and chapels for worship. It is in worship that we affirm and celebrate the faith and values we share.
The form that Unitarian services take varies a great deal, although most Unitarian worship still follows the hymns-prayers-readings-sermon tradition of Nonconformist churches. But while ...
The great mystery
Posted by Jim Corrigall - 30 October 2007 12:16
In his second blog entry, Jim Corrigall explains how Unitarians view God
Unitarians recognise that ‘God’ is a very subjective word, and we do not seek to define God for others. We believe that everyone should be free to encounter the ‘Great Mystery’ for themselves.
Most Unitarians would use the word ‘God’ to signify whatever they believe to be of supreme worth. God is that which commands ultimate reverence and allegiance. God is the inspiration and the object of those ...
Unitarianism- an introduction
Posted by Jim Corrigall - 29 October 2007 13:25
In his first blog, Jim Corrigall takes us through the birth of Unitarianism and the beliefs it holds dear
The Unitarian faith had its roots in the Protestant Reformation of 16th Century Europe. At that time, Protestant Christians claimed the right to read the Bible in their own languages and to interpret it for themselves.
Some who did so found that the Bible spoke of one God, without qualification. This did not accord with the orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which says that God consists of three ...
He who feels it knows it
Posted by Tony Randon - 18 October 2007 15:29
In his final blog, Tony Randon relates how he was initiated into Rastafari, and what it did for him
I was born and raised in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. My parents were both from the parish of Hanover, Jamaica, and the company of my mother's Jamaican friends made our childhood very enjoyable.
Every weekend there was a dance, a party, a christening or a wedding. Me and most other children of Jamaican parentage grew up so close to Jamaican culture that it was understandable why people, when they heard ...
Word, sound and power
Posted by Tony Randon - 17 October 2007 14:22
How reggae evolved into its present day form, and what its contribution has been.
Reggae producers and promoters are at pains to point out that reggae music is the expression of the Kingston ghettoes, and not Rasta music as many mistakenly believe.
Initial reggae singers, including the young Wailers, wore slick suits and had well groomed hair, as was the fashion of the day (rude boys). Rasta men were seen as such an embarrassment to society, that no night club owner or producer would ...
Fi Wi Story
Posted by Tony Randon - 16 October 2007 14:44
From Marcus Mosiah Garvey to the ghettos of Kingston town...Tony Randon relates the Rastafari story
The term Rastaman was first used in 1930 to describe a group of about 1900 settlers. They had moved from the Jamaican countryside, to settle in an old sugar plantation in the parish of St Thomas.
Their leader Leonard Howell had been a follower of Marcus Garvey, and member of his New York based UNIA organization, during the early 1920s. Garvey, born in the parish of St Ann’s in Jamaica, ...
Are you a Rastaman?
Posted by Tony Randon - 15 October 2007 13:18
Rastafari is my doctrine and reggae is my tool, writes Tony Randon in his first blog, where he reveals the philosophy that shapes Rastafari
Are you a Rastaman?
This question was asked me one day by a woman who came into my shop to buy an Admiral Tibet CD.
She and her husband were visiting London from Walsall, a town very close to where I was born -Wolverhampton. I smiled, as I hadn’t expected the question. She didn’t look like some one who knew anything about reggae let alone Admiral Tibet, and then to ...
Make love, not war
Posted by Leora Lightwoman - 11 October 2007 15:40
In her final blog, Leora Lightwoman explains the relevance of Tantra, and takes us through her personal spiritual journey
For the main part, what is advertised as “Tantra” today is in fact “neo-Tantra”, modern syntheses of one or more traditional Tantric paths interwoven with more eclectic movement meditations, healing processes and personal sharing, dialogue and guidance.
The intention of these schools is to offer a practical, spiritual approach to relationships, meditation and life. So the goal is not purely “nirvana” or transcendence, but also to become a happier, ...
The history of Tantra
Posted by Leora Lightwoman - 10 October 2007 14:52
Leora Lightwoman explains how Tantra evolved into its present day form
Tantra is not a religion, although Tantric symbology and practices have emerged throughout history in all religions and cultures. Representations of the sacred union of the masculine and feminine principles, and the non-duality of this “sacred inner marriage” can be found as far back as 2000 BC in the Indus Valley civilization and the Egyptian old kingdom. Tantric principles are inherent in mystical Judaism (Kabbalah), Christianity and Sufism. Chinese Taoism ...
Tantra, sexual energy and desire
Posted by Leora Lightwoman - 09 October 2007 12:49
We desire things because we perceive ourselves to be separate from them. Tantric mediations focus on moving beyond the apparent duality of desire and the object of desire.
There is a fundamental difference between directly experiencing sensuality and seeking it. Tantra is not hedonism, which is the pursuit of sensual pleasures. Tantra is the absorption in what is here now.
And of course, as human beings, we have desire.
"When desire or knowledge have manifested, forget their object and focus your mind on object-less desire or knowledge as being the Self. Then you will reach deep reality."Vijnanabhairava ...
What is Tantra?
Posted by Leora Lightwoman - 08 October 2007 11:33
In her introductory piece, Leora Lightwoman reveals the secret to transcending the physical...
The word Tantra comes from the Sanskrit roots “tanoti” meaning “to expand” and “trayati” meaning “liberation”. Through the expansion of consciousness, liberation is attained.
There is no one fundamental Tantric text or scripture- there are many. Sutras may take the form of a conversation between Divine lovers, Shiva and Shakti, the archetypal male and female principles, or the form of a song, sang in ecstasy. For example, the Song of ...
Alchemy and Tantra
Posted by Giles Oatley - 04 October 2007 12:52
In his final blog, Giles Oatley reveals the secret to the philosopher's stone...
Throughout the writings of Samael Aun Weor you will find many of the key elements of the formulas of Highest Yoga Tantra, otherwise known as Alchemy.
The Two Trees of the Garden of Eden are the two essential branches of all knowledge. The Tree of Life is the science of Kabbalah. The Tree of Knowledge is the science of Tantra, or as it is known in the West, Alchemy. ...
A 'conscious' revolution
Posted by Giles Oatley - 03 October 2007 12:54
Being alive does not mean simply going through the motions. One must learn to live consciously and intelligently
Gnosis aspires to restore inside each one of us the capacity to learn how to live consciously and intelligently. This is not possible if we do not work on ourselves, if something does not die in us (we are referring to the mystical death). The three factors for the revolution of the consciousness are birth, death and sacrifice.
In every authentic transformation there exists death and birth simultaneously. Each one ...
Gnostic psychology
Posted by Giles Oatley - 02 October 2007 11:29
It is only through self discovery that man may realise his true potential
There exist many different schools in the world that have methods to develop the many internal senses, but all this could lead us to disorientation and failure, if we did not begin by developing the sense of psychological self-observation.
The development of this sense of intimate observation leads us gradually towards knowledge of our self, permitting us to carry out a psychological inventory of what we have in excess, and ...
Gnosticism - an introduction
Posted by Giles Oatley - 01 October 2007 12:37
In the first of four blogs Giles Oatley explains what Gnosticism is and how it began as a movement
Samael Aun Weor founded the Gnostic Movement in the 1950’s in South America, and wrote more than sixty books and gave hundreds of complementary lectures. Illustrative of the synthesis contained within these teachings we have the ‘Perfect Matrimony’, being the first book to publicly unveil the ‘mysteries of fire’ and the tantric knowledge of the authentic schools of mysteries.
"The Perfect Matrimony and the Cosmic Christ are the synthesis ...
