The Ladder - Symbol of Ascension

Symbolically, The Ladder is a connection between the world of
matter below with the domain of Spirit above. It symbolizes the
spiritual stairway which enables a Seeker or Initiate to ascend to
higher realms of consciousness in the Quest for Spiritual
Perfection.

The Ladder, which is rich in Symbolism and Metaphor, consists
of Horizontal Rungs and two Vertical Uprights. The Horizontal
rungs represent progressively higher levels of consciousness
and the two Vertical Uprights, (I I), represent the symbol for
duality.

The horizontal rungs remind us that our spiritual journey is
upward, and the vertical uprights remind us that our upward
journey occurs within the realm of duality.

As The Ladder has no moving parts, it symbolizes ascension
by way of personal Desire and Effort. The Ladder also reminds us
that reaching the highest realms of consciousness is not a short,
swift journey. Each rung represents a gradual ascent whereby
Wisdom, knowledge, enlightenment and perfection are earned
by us one step at a time. However, we must also keep in mind
that no journey is without its rests and pauses. Therefore,
whenever we require a respite during our spiritual ascent, the
rungs of The Ladder provide us with the support and strength we
need until we are ready to take our next step upward.

In addition, The Symbol of the Ladder also reminds us that our
upward ascent, from the bottom-most rung to the upper-most rung,
is a journey through the realm of duality. Before we can step up
to the next higher rung on The Ladder we must first experience and
master the Lessons of duality which exist at our current level of
elevation.

As we steadfastly ascend the rungs of The Ladder we slowly elevate
ourselves, higher and higher, above the lower plane of the superficial
and mundane. Upon reaching the higher rungs of The Ladder, we
begin to breathe in the rarefied air of Higher Consciousness. It is at
these higher levels of consciousness that the mysteries of Eternity
slowly begin to un-veil their secrets to us.

When we reach the top-most rung of The Ladder we enter the
realm of highest consciousness. We have now left the frustrations,
confusions and restraints of the material world well below us and
are now finally able to enjoy the purified realm of angels, higher
spirits, and Divinity. Through our personal Desire and Effort we
have Transcended Duality and achieved entrance into the Infinite
Domain of Enlightenment and Unity.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009

Master Teachers - Ancient Spiritual Guides

"The hopes of the instructed are better
than the wealth of the ignorant."
-Epictetus

Master Teachers have been called by many different names
throughout Time: Thoth, Hermes, Solomon, Christ, Buddha,
Confucius, Veracocha, Quetzalcoatl...

And although Master Teachers have not walked upon the earth for
millenia, their Thoughts, Wisdom, and Esoteric Instructions remain
eternally available to each and every one of us by way of Symbolism,
Mythology, Sacred Writings and the Oral Traditions of Indigenous
Cultures.

Master Teachers are revered for the sublime levels of Spiritual
Enlightenment which they attained: Enlightenments which they
passed on to both their Students and to all future generations.
Master Teachers also possessed certain Divine Characteristics.
Characteristics which caused them to be held in the most highest
esteem by the men and women of their Time.

Master Teachers were Sovereign individuals who possessed a
profound understanding of both their inner and outer worlds.
They understood the Cycles and patterns which govern Time,
the universe, and humanity. They also possessed a very deep
understanding of their Spiritual Nature, their Atman.

Their Spiritual Alignment and Harmony was the result of the years
they spent in contemplation and meditation. Spirituality was their
way of life. They understood the interaction and Interdependence
which exists between the world of matter and the realm of Spirit;
they were Aware of the interplay of opposites which permeate our
daily lives, and; they had a deep respect for the Spirit which resides
within all Thought and matter.

Master Teachers neither demanded, nor expected, a following. They
imposed their Teachings on no one. They Simply imparted their
Wisdom, left their Footprint, and moved on - leaving their audiences
Free to do whatever they Chose with the Wisdom which had just
been bestowed upon them.

Furthermore, Master Teachers did not demand that any buildings
be erected to their "cause". Neither did they expect organizations
be established to "preach" on their behalf. The Master Teachers
Simply reminded us that Spirit dwells within us; that our body is the
Temple of Divinity which we are Free to enter whenever we Choose
by going within ourselves, meditating, and Seeking Inner Guidance.

Master Teachers brought Spiritual Philosophy, Divine Principles,
and Ancient Wisdom to the many people they visited. Their
Teachings have withstood the "test of Time" and are available to
every one of us. We Simply need to Seek them out, absorb their
Timeless Wisdom and follow their Spiritual Guidance.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009

The Femur - As A Symbol

The Femur, or thigh bone, has been a Sacred Symbol since the
earliest beginnings of time. It symbolizes strength, power, support
and regeneration.

The Femur symbolizes Strength and Power in that it can support
30 times the weight of a human adult. It symbolizes Regeneration
in that its role is the creation of new blood cells.

The Femur also further symbolizes Support in that it is the bone
on which we place our books and purses when we are in a sitting
position. It is the bone which supports our elbow when we assume
a thoughtful pose - as in the sculpture of "The Thinker". Our Femurs
are also the bones which support our children when they sit on
our lap.

In Ancient Egypt The Femur was symbolized by the uas (was)
scepter: a staff of authority held by the Egyptian Neters which
symbolized their power, support and eternal renewal. The uas
scepter, just like the Femur, consists of a "ball joint" on one of its
ends and a "socket joint" on its other end.

The Femur has also been used as an alternate symbol of the Big
Dipper constellation in which the thigh represents the dipper portion
of the constellation while the leg represents the handle portion which
rotates around the pole star and represent the Cycles of Eternity.
(For further insights on the Big Dipper, see: The Shooting Star -
Symbol and Myth)

The Femur is also depicted in the very ancient and familiar symbol
of the Skull and Crossbones in which two crossed Femurs are
placed below a skull. In this symbol, the skull represents the
domain of the mind and the Femurs represent the realm of Duality,
or matter. The two crossed Femurs, in addition to symbolizing
strength and regeneration, also represent the intersection of the
spiritual and material realms; which are part of our Dual nature
and discussed in further detail in The Union of Duality and Weaving.

Ancient symbols contain the lessons and Eternal Truths which have
been handed down to us from the most forgotten beginnings of time.
The more we explore, and understand, these symbols the more we
come into touch with the very interesting Wisdom, reverence and
instructions of our distant ancestors which assist us in governing
our travels during our Current Incarnation.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009

The Shooting Star - Symbol and Myth

The Shooting Star has been revered with awe and amazement
throughout history. To better understand why this has been so,
we must first imagine the night sky under which Ancient cultures
viewed the many heavenly wonders.

Unlike the night sky under which we live today, which is blotted out
by big city light pollution, Ancient cultures lived under a vast, dark
canopy which was wondrous, awe-inspiring and Eternal.

The night sky of the Ancients contained an infinite abundance of
Stars, planets (the Wanderers), constellations, comets, meteors
and Shooting Stars.

During certain times of the year, the Ancients would experience
meteor showers streaking across the sky. They envisioned these
streaking lights to be the Lightening bolts of eternal forces which
were at war with each other.

Occasionally, one of these streaking lights would fall from heaven
and tumble to earth as a ball of fire. Since fire is the Symbol for
light, illumination and enlightenment, the Ancients perceived that
these balls of fire which plummeted to earth contained the Breath,
Essence and Enlightenment of Divinity. In effect, these Ancient
cultures considered Shooting Stars to be "gifts of the gods".

Shooting Stars consist of iron. Therefore iron, which was bestowed
upon the Ancients in a fiery package from Heaven, was also
considered to be a Spiritual Gift which contained all of the Aspects
of Divinity. The Ancients used this "gift of the gods" to fashion
their tools, weapons and sacred implements.

Perhaps the most interesting implement fashioned by the Ancient
Egyptians was the one that was crafted for the Opening of the Mouth
funerary Ceremony.

During this Ritual an iron bar, in the shape of the Big Dipper,
was used to Ceremoniously "pry open" the mummified mouth of
the recently deceased. The iron in this Ceremonial instrument
symbolically represented the Essence and Breath of Divinity which
was reverentially pried into the mouth of the deceased so that the
Breath and Essence of Divinity could accompany the deceased
throughout his, or her, journey through the afterlife.

The Symbolism contained in designing this iron instrument in the
shape of the Big Dipper alluded to the fact that the front part of the
ladle of the Big Dipper points directly to, and appears to be attached
to, the pole star. This symbolically causes the Big Dipper to rotate
around the pole star, as do the handles of a clock, thereby forming a
Circular path around an unmoving center point. This rotation
creates the Sacred Symbol of a Dot Within A Circle.

Additionally, in other sections of Egyptian funerary scripts, Deity
would be invoked to "open up your iron gates" in order to allow
the recently deceased entrance into the realm of the Infinite.

The Shooting Star has mesmerized individuals throughout the
course of history. Even today we have a ritual of making a wish
upon seeing a Shooting Star in the Hope that Divinity will grant
our request. Whenever we make a wish upon a Shooting Star we
are sharing the same awe and respect for Divinity as did our
Ancient ancestors many, many centuries ago.

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009

Blessings

"The proud man counts his newspaper clippings,
the humble man his blessings."
-Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

"When I started counting my blessings,
my whole life turned around."
-Willie Nelson

Blessing are the simple little gifts of Divinity which are bestowed
upon us nearly every day. They come to us in invisible little gift
boxes which contain no colorful gift wrapping, fancy bow or cute
little card to announce their arrival. Blessings are delivered to us
quietly and unannounced. It is up to us Seekers to recognize these
invisible little gifts when they come our way and be thankful and
appreciative for receiving them.

But what are these Blessings that we are supposed to recognize,
appreciate and be thankful for receiving?

To begin with, every morning most of us wake up with the Blessings
of our health, basic comforts, peace of mind and a good night's
sleep. These Blessings alone are a pretty good way to begin our
day. However, this is just the beginning of our day and our gift bag
will be full of numerous other blessings before our day is finished.

With these Thoughts in mind, let us take a look at some of the many
other Blessings which go into our gift bags every day.

Blessings as Common Courtesies: These are the kindnesses
and favors which are bestowed upon us by others. Some examples
of these kinds of Blessings are: the person who holds a door open
for us; a courteous driver who lets us enter a long line of traffic; a
child who smiles us and waves "hello"; a bank teller who opens a
new window to help us conduct our business more quickly; a
college professor who meets with us on his, or her, day off to offer
us guidance, and; coupons (or sales) which appear for us on items
we are suddenly in need of purchasing.

Common Courtesy Blessings come to us every day in many different
forms. They are the Feather, the "little things", that bring joy into
our lives.

Blessings as Divine Intercession: Symbolically, these types
of Blessings are represented by The Hand In The Cloud. These
Blessings take the form of answers and Insights that come to us
in our dreams, during meditations, "out of the blue", and during
conversations with friends and strangers.

Divine Intercession Blessings also occur in the form of unexpected
opportunities; a rare winter snowstorm in the desert; and,
butterflies, lightening bugs and the whisper of the breeze through
the trees.

While Blessings are being bestowed upon us every day, often we
are too immersed with our own "problems" and "misfortunes" to
recognize them. So, they pass us by.

However, recognizing and being thankful for our small blessings
prepares us to be able to recognize and be thankful for the greater
Blessings and opportunities which Divinity has prepared for us:
Blessings and opportunities which also come to us "Free Of 
Charge!"

Comments and Emails: I welcome comments and emails from
people with similar thoughts and feelings. My email address is
located in the upper-left area of this page. Comments can be
posted by using the "Comment" link located below each article.
Also: If you found value in this article please feel free to forward
it to other like-minded individuals, organizations and sites.

Disclaimer: None of my articles should be considered to be
either advice or expertise. They are simply personal opinions
and no more. Everyone is encouraged to seek competent
advice from a licensed, registered, or certified professional
should such advice or service be required.

© copyright Joseph Panek 2009