The Paradox of God

The Paradox of God's Love

God is love and love becomes relative only when we want, must, need, and can't. When we apply separation and the word "I" as a point of separation to the wholeness of life, we can come to discover that the false "I" is seemingly made of the "substance" of our desire. Yet, if there were no desire, the love of God would not unfold into the relative world it is doing. This is, perhaps, one of the greatest paradoxes for the aspirant on the path. We are asked to give up our illusions and to become aware of the actual. Yet, our willingness to say "I" is what produces :change in our world. In affirming our unity by saying "I AM," we become agents of omnmity, and life becomes, even for us, an experience of the actual.

The illusions produced by desire, obligation, necessity, and impossibility are relative. Love is absolute. Yet, the former without the latter is impossible for us to realize. Without our desire and yearning, love could not continue to break out of unity and bring about he miracle of diversity. The actuality of the Cosmic is open to us and, hence, if we are willing to awaken to the laws that govern change within the cycles set before time, we will experience and share in the fruits of the "Chemical Marriage" and be what we were at first, lost in a remembered love, but fully conscious now of the oneness and unity that is.

To be one of those who follow "the way" of the Rose-Croix is an honor and a privilege, although it is also difficult sometimes to understand what this could mean. No mundane rewards are given. Nor is there even great joy in the early stages. Often, when we look around at the many different schools and paths, we find that the way we go, led by our own experience of the Inner Self, is easy to doubt. When arrogance and hubris (over-weening pride) are the experiences of our life, let us then try to explore what the Rosicrucian Way is all about!

Contrary to some beliefs, the path of service is not merely a path of self-development; it is a path of letting go, a path which to external eyes can appear to be a path of sacrifice. The path of service is not a path that is strewn with flowers or glamour; the path of service is to the beginner hard work. It is ruthlessly demanding and if we are so privileged as to be on this path, seldom will we experience being let go. This is not a path of form. This is not even a path of the formless, for that, too, is a concept. The way requires courage and perseverance in the face of what seem to be insurmountable difficulties. This is what it means to experience a "Heart Unafraid," for this requires that we consider nothing as more important than the spirit in what we are asked to do. This way merely fulfills the purpose of life on Earth.

Our own purpose is first to find out the way; to seek this way out in everything that we feel, see, think, or do. Let us now look below the surface of things and never again accept things at their face value. May we be intelligent, that is, may we awaken within us a genuine intelligence through will, the Spirit. We no longer will see a chair, for instance, as just a chair, nor even a pattern of shape and molecular structure, but rather as a manifestation of Divine Principle. That is the way.

Awakening to God's Love
This way is not easy. It has existed from the beginning of time and was neither born, nor created. It permeates all things, gives life to all things, and yet, is independent of all things. To seek out this way is to learn to love very, very much. Within ourselves we can discover a boundless love for mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms, and hence, we come to participate in conscious love itself. Already we might be able to love our neighbors as our selves, but if we also sing with the plants, we may awaken to God's beauty in the plants. Remember, "the sole purpose of love is beauty." Yet, we do not often see this. We take things too much for granted. However, if we are willing to follow the way leading to freedom, we will continually bring the light of our consciousness to the areas we usually ignore and relegate to the unconscious darkness.

To love each other in the name of the God of our Heart and Realization! Now here is the greatest challenge of all, for who is loving whom? Are we really separate from each other, or are we just exemplars of unity and oneness? The mind can conjure up all sorts of splendid ideas, but it is only the heart that can truly understand. We are thus asked to polish the mirror of the heart. We do this by knocking at the door of the heart, remembering that the door is opened from the inside. We ourselves cannot open it. So who opens it? Only when we can say, "It is Thou," in answer to His question, "Who is knocking at My door?" can the door be opened.
If we go beyond the mind (which, in one sense, is necessary for the world of compari­son to exist to our perception), then what happens to "us"? I mean, what happens to what we thought we were in the first place? Where will all the sacred cows go, and the caterpillars we wanted to turn into butter­flies? What might happen if we simply ceased to exist as a concept? What is there beyond the concept of who and what we are? No one can tell us that!

If no one can tell us the truth but the experience of truth itself, then how do we proceed? We can seek all the time, keeping the question in the heart and mind all the time, and not give up. If there is no one who can tell us the truth, then from where does the answer come?
If we do everything for love, in love and by love, all that stands in the way of the truth of love goes, little by little. Even "reason is powerless in the expression of love!"

Meditation in love melts the stuff of mind, so, little by little, we are left with nothing to hang onto. At that stage we turn, once and for all, to the sources of all strength. There is nothing else to do! When we have realized that the only road to service is the sacrifice of our mistaken belief in separateness, we can go on. To be wounded in love is to see the battle won.
This path is not for the squeamish or half­hearted. It is not for the arrogant or selfish. It is not for those who want half the truth. This path is for those who can accept that they are chosen by God to come to know Him, and to know of His ways. Only in complete humil­ity can we approach the door of the heart. We approach the door of the heart when there is nothing else to do. When we knock, it shall be opened unto us. That is the prom­ise that we were given, and are given, from the beginning of time. Finally, we may know there is only the Oneness. We are veiled by endless masquerades, until the moment comes for the veils to be lifted, and in the mirror of the heart we can see Him face to face, and truly say, "0 Thou!"

We have free choice. We can remain in a tight knot of illusion, governed by the old laws based upon want and desire, or we can begin to learn from those who have already seen into the actual world. We can know the laws that are representative of a new order to come on Earth. The East has traditionally followed the way of negation. Now the West, through all that has gone before, is asked to follow the path of affirmation in the knowl­edge of unity, knowing that in saying "I AM" we become aware of life's actuality for the first time. Thus, we begin to fulfill our des­tiny in being born man and woman. When humanity is established, we know that all people, from whatever race or creed, will come to the wonderful realization that we are all one within this Divine Principle.