Our Philosophy

1. NOTES ON COMPANIONSHIP AND OUR CHURCH

Our Church represents a sanctuary or consecrated place, serving as a retreat to which the members can come to fraternise with those holding the same views on the way of life we practice.

Our Church has an atmosphere filled with the spirit of fellowship where people for a brief period, are able to get away from the upsets and turmoil which troubles this world of ours, and meet with kindred spirits to renew their faith.

It is this need for fellowship, for companionship, a need to feel kinship, and being wanted which makes people want to be part of our Church. But in order to be effective in such a relationship, if one would be a good companion of others, one must learn to be a good companion of oneself.

Under present-day conditions, notwithstanding all the modern miracles of telephone, fax, radio, television, computers, the internet, and transport which place less need on human companionship, there is still a need to be a good companion to oneself. Even among the biggest crowds one can experience an inner loneliness.

The origin of Churches came through the desire for companionship. Groups with common interests banded together for a common purpose. The need for being a good companion to oneself is a real one as otherwise one cannot be a good companion to others.

Companionable means "fit for good fellowship". The origin of the word companions is the Latin panis, meaning bread. So a companion is one with whom we break bread. However, before there can be any basis for good fellowship with others there must be certain qualities of character and habits of life which enable a man to live at peace with himself. To be a good companion with oneself implies that one must first be concerned with inner values. It calls for self-criticism and a judging by oneself of one's own standards, beliefs and conduct and setting these standards higher even than our friends would set for us.

It is interesting to note that the great orders of Chivalry which marked the Middle Ages were essentially Orders of "companions" and some are alive and well today such as the Orders associated with our Church. The ideals of these Orders were the protection of the weak, the relief of the oppressed, the cultivation of courage, self discipline and virtue. Sometimes Orders of Chivalry were founded to promote a great cause, as for instance, the recovery of the Holy sepulchre from the hands of the non believers. The crusades were largely sustained by many Orders of Chivalry which already existed or were brought into being for or during that purpose.

It is also significant that the aspirant to knighthood, or companionship of a particular Order spent the night before his admission alone in prayer at the alter. Before he could be accepted as a good companion. He had to fit himself for that companionship.

Again, if we are to be good companions, both to ourselves and others it is desirable to have a worthy cause to serve.

A man should have something bigger than himself to which he can become devoted, if his deepest aspirations are to be satisfied. Having a worthwhile cause to serve, to which others are also devoted. means that his companionship will bring strength to the common cause.

I think also that to be a good companion to oneself, it is necessary to practice charity. One should contribute his share to the store of human kindness that is in the world, by helping those in need. This seems to be one of the indispensable means which providence has ordered for the discipline, training and instruction of the human soul. A man cannot be good companion to himself if, when he is alone, he has no need of compassion to recall, or generous impulses to remember.

Finally to be a good companion to oneself, one must ever keep in mind that there is a source of strength, of help and direction, outside of himself and beyond human aid, which he can draw upon at need, by communicating with God.

We need the companionship, one of the other. Let us be generous in giving of our companionship and friendship to our friends in the Church.

Dated 27/1/'91

2. Notes on the Transformation of Man, (click on the link)

3.. Notes on time

The importance that Society places on time is a major constraint against developing a unity with God. You must forsake the constraints that time places on you and listen to the perfect inner consultant, God.

If you do not wear a watch time looses its importance and we do not feel compelled to keep track of when, where and how fast we live. We stop referring to time and scheduling our lives and become more efficient as a result. You discover the unlimited time for things you wish to do and achieve. Without physical time constraints, your life not only flows more efficiently but has an increased richness and texture. You only have to ask contented retired people.

You will not feel trapped in time and therefore will not worry about doing something in the prescribed manner or number of minutes. Instead you feel a new level of being on time. In the process of letting go of time your life will become richer, fluid, flowing and perfectly balanced.

Your new perspective allows you to tackle any project with a sense of inner excitement and awareness that I am who I am, doing what God wants in the way God would want you to do it.

Dated 27/1/'91

4.. Notes on thought

Your desire to improve your life is really your thought to improve your life.

Your will to live is really your thought to live.

Your attitudes about your entire life are really your thought about your life.

Your entire past is really nothing more than thought.

Your entire future is nothing more than thought.

Your relationships to everyone in your life is nothing more than thought.

Your determination to succeed is nothing more than the thought to do so.

Your ideas of success are nothing more than you thoughts of success, etc. etc.

We literally become what we think about.

Your thoughts have always and will always create your world.

If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and live your life according to those dreams, you will meet with uncommon success.

Everything you do and have done is the result of the picture that you placed in your mind at some time before you made the attempt to achieve that objective.

So if you wish to change your life we must first change our thoughts so that our behaviour will become modified.

In order to make a visualisation a realty in the world of form, you must be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Everything that you can picture in your mind, through visualisation and imaginary, is already here waiting for you to connect to it. You must say internally I will do whatever it takes because that feels right to me. Remember, willingness produces internal harmony and is purely a thought. It is impossible to fail as you will produce the results in time. The time taken is proportional to your will, effort and commitment.

There is only a dream. How you live out your dream character on this earth is entirely up to you. Your thoughts will determine your reality on earth, as both the character in the dream and the dreamer.

You are only limited by what you believe you deserve.

Dated 27/1/'91

5. Notes on detachment

You must detach yourself from the need to hold on to things, ideas, the past and people, especially requiring others to do your will. In essence you can never own anyone or anything. Every attachment is an impediment to living at a higher level of consciousness.

Try squeezing a hand full of water and see how quickly it disappears. Allowing things to flow naturally is the way of the universe. Energy must flow freely in order to be most efficient as the universe is nothing but energy.

Human beings are an energy system and since all energy wants to flow unimpeded, it is only natural to conclude that in order for us to function perfectly in our universe we too need to flow uninterrupted of attachments such as control of others and possessions. Detachment in one of life's great lessons for those who wish to progress on the path to enlightenment.

The more you are able to flow without attachments, the happier and more contented you will feel.

Then miracle of miracles, the more you give away, the more you have.

Dated 27/1/'91

6. Notes on death

There is only one dream.

God is the ultimate dreamer.

Our form is as real to us as it is to the characters in our dreams, but form an expanded awareness we can see that they are all illusions in one dream.

In the waking consciousness level of existence, we view death as something fearful and the ultimate in suffering. In fact it is quite the opposite. You cannot suffer in the thought plane. Suffering is played out in the world of form. With the death of form, suffering is no longer possible.

With this understanding death is a reward not a punishment. It means transcending your form and producing an end to suffering. Viewing the entire dreaming dimension of higher consciousness as one dream, with many characters in the level beneath helps us to recognise death as a transformation rather than a punishment and to see the great oneness as our home, not made with hands eternal in the heavens.

Dated 27/1/'91

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Postal Information: PO Box 628, Sorell, Tasmania, 7172. Phone: 61 3 62651007 Fax: 61 3 62651007 Web: www.grandduchy.org