Thursday, July 14, 2005, 12:22 PM PDT

     There is a way that seemth right unto a man, but the way thereof, is the way of death. Moving the lighthouse to the mountain top is a case in point. I have covered this subject in some detail in a front page article some time ago, which I would say is worth reviewing (see: The Subversion of the Lighthouse - Literally), but I have run into another example of it, which I think must predate, perhaps by more than a decade, the examples listed in the original article which dealt primarily with the artwork used on the TSL website. This example is from the introduction to "Mark's Movie" which was released in 1989. I have captured the introduction and placed it in a Flash movie. Click the button and it will begin.

     I would reiterate the basic principle here, that a lighthouse that is moved to the mountaintop, can no longer serve its purpose, when it comes to warning ships away from the rocks. Yes, it looks pretty up there, and exalted, and we can all ooh and ahh over it, yet the truth is the truth. Because that lighthouse has been taken away from the shoreline, many mariners will lose their lives. Compare and contrast the reality of the increased danger of catastrophe and death that this relocation will certainly bring, perhaps not to all, but to some, ocean going travelers, with the sense of beauty that this depiction presents. Actually, this is very sick. It is vanity at its extreme. The senses are overcome by the appearance of beauty, when in fact, the essence of the relocation produces death. Sweet death. This is a subliminal way to help the soul feel good about death, good about failing tests, good about the corruption of principle and definition, which is in effect, the corruption of the cell membrane of life itself.

     Now, when you think about it, it is not too difficult to understand how important it is for the lighthouse to stand its ground amidst the storm. Keepers of the Flame, are assigned important positions within the economy of this nation. They have important work to perform at their assigned station. One of those responsibilities is to anchor the light among the people, to be there among the people, so that the Masters can use the student to transfer the light and the teaching, as circumstances require. The light and the teaching is for the saving of souls. Now, the brighter the light, the more the student will be attacked by the forces of darkness. The forces of darkness will try to put the light out, and if they can't do that, they will try to drive that lighthouse away from the shore. The student must be able to stand his or her ground, so the light can shine where the Masters need it, where souls need it, who would otherwise be sailing in the dark. There are great pressures placed on the Keeper of the Flame to abandon the battlefield, to move off into another area where the opposition would be less. There is great pressure in this regard.

     These images of the mountain top lighthouse do not help the student in passing this particular test, but encourage the student to fail the test. These perverted images plant the idea in the mind, that the more exalted location for the lighthouse is away from the storm, up there on the mountain top, where the soul can be above it all. And thus, the soul is encouraged to believe that its decision to abandon the shoreline, is a beautiful decision, when in fact, it will bring death upon that soul for sure, and many who will no longer have access to the guiding light.

     The light that shines from the Lighthouse, that light originates at the summit of being. That's what the word "summit" refers to. The word "summit" does not refer to the location of the lighthouse itself. The lighthouse itself must stand on the shoreline, where the light can be seen by the mariners.

     Beyond this fundamental dimension of the issue, in terms of standing one's ground so that the light can be accessible by those who need it, there is another fundamental dimension to this issue that has to do with the importance of definitions, and the destructive consequences associated with the corruption of definitions.

     To illustrate the importance of definitions, we can consider the issue of terrorism in connection with the United Nations. I found out recently, while listening to a panel discussion on C-Span, that the United Nations has no internal organization committed to fighting terrorism. And this of course is a rather odd thing, in as much as terrorism is a global threat. The reason the United Nations has no such organization committed to fighting terrorism, is because the U.N. General Assembly cannot agree on the definition of terrorism.

     So, when the subject comes up, regarding the U.N. role in the battle against terrorism, there are people who say that the U.N. should do more, and that U.N. should devote resources to this battle, in other words, set up an organization that can do some good in this area. And so, the planners sit down, and they place their pen onto the paper, and they are going to outline the responsibilities of this new anti-terrorism organization. What is this organization going to DO? What are the people who will make up this organization going to DO? They are going to fight terrorism. They are going to fight people and organizations that are engaged in terrorism. Well, then, what people, and what organizations are involved in terrorism? Who are the bad guys? The bad guys are those who engage in terrorism. And so, we come full circle. We cannot proceed, unless we have a clear definition for terrorism. And on this definition, they cannot agree. So the efforts to establish the new anti-terrorism organization comes to a grinding halt, and nothing is done. The U.N. can fight AIDS. The U.N. can feed the hungry, and so forth. But they cannot fight terrorism, because the members nations cannot agree on the definition of terrorism.

     Here, then, we see that a definition is the basis of purposeful action. A definition is the basis for the marshaling of resources towards a particular goal. A definition is the basis for the application of power to accomplish a particular end. Corrupt the definition, confuse it, make it so that people cannot agree on it, and you put a stop to purposeful action. You put a stop towards the marshaling of resources. You put a stop to the application of power. And so it is in this case.

     When you corrupt the definition of the lighthouse, you corrupt a symbol that serves as a blueprint for the Path of Initiation. When you corrupt that symbol, you are corrupting that blueprint, and in the process thereof, you are imposing obstacles, within the mind, towards the achievement of the goals of the path.

     Now, in way of explaining why this is so, I would begin by observing this fundamental truth, that rebellion is all about the corruption of definitions. Using the word "gay" to describe homosexuals would be one good example, though contextually unrelated to this situation. Clearly, by putting the lighthouse on a mountain top, the definition of the lighthouse is being corrupted. The lighthouse is built as a navigational aid. It is placed upon the shoreline, as depicted in the Chart of the Divine Presence. When you move the lighthouse to the mountain top, no ship at sea can make any use of it. Thus, it is no longer a lighthouse, by definition. Given that the definition has not just be corrupted, but totally abandoned, rebellion must be at the root of that act. Rebellion must be at the root of it, because it is rebellion, and rebellion only, that feels comfortable in the destruction of definitions.

     Moreover, where there is rebellion, there you will find pride. The two are always there, side by side. Pride refuses to admit any wrongdoing when it comes to the corruption of a definition (or any aspect of the law). Pride will continue to exalt the corruption, placing the corruption above, in a position superior to, the divine definition (or the divine law). This is the act of the not-self exalting itself about the Christ-Self. And this act of self-exalting, is mirrored in the mountain top placement of the lighthouse itself. Here, spiritual pride, which derives a sense of self-exaltation by virtue of its physical association with a superior teaching, desires to have a symbol that will radiate that sense of superiority. Placing the lighthouse on the mountain top communicates this idea, that it has the possession of the highest, and the most superior teaching, and therefore is superior in its own self because of it.

     These points become very important and very relevant, when you understand that victory on the path is predicated on the surrender of all pride and rebellion. That's right. The path to victory, must consist of educating the student in the art of identifying pride and rebellion. The path to victory must consist of impressing upon the mind of the student the importance of making these identifications accurately. The path to victory must consist of impressing upon the mind of the student the importance of surrendering these qualities, once they are identified.

     Now, the fact of the matter is this. The mountain top light house works against these three fundamental goals of the path. In fact, these qualities of pride and rebellion both, are invested in this mountain top lighthouse, which amounts to a focal point of adoration, a sacred symbol, thereby having the effect of transferring these very same qualities into the minds of those who worship and adore the symbol! Obviously, if you are encouraging someone to swallow a particular poison, not only are you poisoning the person, but you are destroying the person's ability to make the distinction between what is poison, and what is not. If there is such a thing as poison for the mind, surely it would be in the corruption of definitions. Corruptions of definitions produces disorder, and disorder, confusion, and confusion, lack of concentration, and lack of concentration, disempowerment, and disempowerment, vulnerability to the forces of darkness. This mountain top lighthouse pours that poison into the mind, and the student is encouraged to drink it down, having been sweetened to such an extent that the bitter taste of the poison is quite effectively masked.

     Yes, it's so pretty, but as you can see, so deadly. Certainly, when you grasp how you are being manipulated into feeling good about the corruption of principle, and when you understand how that equation is the destroyer of the path in you, the corrupter of principle in you, you will find the will to tear your eyes away from it. Your devotion to principle must overcome the pride of the eye.

     I am wondering, like everyone else, how this corruption actually made it into this important video, i.e. "Mark's Movie". I will conjecture. In other words, I am going to set forth a theory, based on some knowledge. Being a theory, it is open to challenge by anyone who has additional information.

     Now, knowing first hand about Sean Prophet's immersion in the video editing business, and given the fact that Sean Prophet is the son of Mark Prophet, I will theorize that Sean Prophet had primary production responsibility for this video. The video is copyrighted 1989, so Sean Prophet was still with the organization at that time, and quite active. Secondly given the fact the we know it was Norman Thomas Miller who executed the mountain top lighthouses in the new charts of the presence (referred to in the original article), and the mountain top lighthouses that "grace" the TSL website, the banner of the Heart to Heart newsletter, and other promotional material, and given the fact that he was clearly the resident artist for this organization at that time (1989), I think it is safe to conclude that the mountain top lighthouse depicted in the video was a collaboration between Norman Thomas Miller and Sean Prophet. Sean Prophet needed a nice colorful introduction, so perhaps he said to Norman Thomas Miller, 'Please give me a nice painting of a "summit" lighthouse, that the camera can pan, up and up and up [to extenuate just how high it is] so we can have a dramatic opening to this video.' And Norman Thomas Miller complied.

     The implications of this collaboration between Sean Prophet and Norman Thomas Miller are significant, especially in light of the fact that both of these individuals were turned around, and drawn into the service of the false hierarchy. Sean Prophet today is a detractor of the ascended master cause, an advocate for Rock Music, and he is raising his children to love heavy metal music, and Norman Thomas Miller now serves on the board of directors of the new organization created by the false messenger David Lewis. Yes, those who were responsible for executing this mountain top lighthouse, who found it appealing, so appealing that all concerns about the corruption of principle were set aside, were simply operating out of that dweller of pride and rebellion which the mountain top lighthouse itself depicts so accurately. That dweller of pride and rebellion in them was the hook used by the false hierarchy later to pull them both off that path, and into their service. Yes, that is exactly how dangerous that mountain top lighthouse is. It appeals to, and it therefore amplifies, the existing dweller of pride and rebellion, keeping it alive, and making it bigger, giving the false hierarchy a larger avenue of access into the world of the student, providing them with the opportunity, at a crucial juncture, to turn the student away from the sun center of divine reality, and in the direction of the Black Sun of betrayal.

     Now, Elizabeth Clare Prophet has some responsibility in this, because there can be no doubt that she consented to the depiction of this mountain top lighthouse. Obviously she was aware of the corruption of principle that is associated with moving a lighthouse to the mountain top. Only a fool can miss this obvious truth that a lighthouse on a mountain top cannot fulfill its reason for being. But there were factors operating in her world that persuaded her to keep her concerns in this regard to herself. Those factors where not of the light, and I think this can be best understood in light of the fact that the area wherein she was absolutely the least objective, where her vision was the most distorted, was any area in which her children were involved. This observation is validated by the fact that all of her children subsequently turned away from their association with the organization she founded. Loyalty is a quality of the divine heart. Her children, generally speaking, do not exhibit any significant level of loyalty to her life's work. While this can change, and I hope it will, so far they have abandoned the furtherance of that work. Therefore, we can conclude from this, that the quality of the divine heart was not operating in the domain of her relationships with her children, that the flame of divine loyalty was not being built up in those relationships, but rather, the needs of the human heart, the mother's prideful heart, which can be a domain of great blindness, were at the forefront. Clearly, she had a strained relationship with Sean, by his own account. And she had very high expectations for him, as Mark's first born son, in terms of his role in this organization. I think a reasonable conclusion in this area would be that his footing on the path was shaky at best, his footing within the organization itself was tenuous at best, hanging by a thread even at that time, and that she feared confronting him on this issue, perhaps being the straw that would break the camel's back, driving him away from his mission. When quick and decisive discipline might have been the only thing that could have saved the mission of Sean Prophet, she could not bring herself to do anything, or say anything, that would drive her only son away.

     Perhaps I have mentioned this before, but it is worth repeating here. In 1985, at Camelot, I was crossing the wide green lawn area out in front of the Chapel of the Holy Grail, heading towards the chapel steps. Before I got there, I looked up, and saw Sean and his future wife Kathleen, about 20 yards ahead of me, walk up the chapel steps. As I remember the scene, there was no one else around but them, and me. Now, I was struck by a powerful insight. Both of these individuals were saturated with rock music. This vibration just dripped off of them. And I will never forget it. This is branded in my memory. And so, you can be sure that this rebellion in which Sean Prophet was immersed even at that time, was a significant bone of contention between him and his mother. Perhaps she, like so many others, turned a blind eye, just to keep the peace. And that blind eye, animated by various expectations, and many fears, would have been the source of the error made by Elizabeth Clare Prophet when she decided not to challenge the depiction of this mountain top lighthouse in her son's video project.

     I believe it is possible that Elizabeth Clare Prophet is bearing the weight of this karma now, and perhaps we could conclude from this, that whatever mistakes she made, if her students could identify and correct them, that this could shorten her days of travail. Yet, it is ironic how idolatry itself is a barrier to right action in that regard. The students will not admit that their idol can make a mistake, therefore they will not lift a finger towards the correction of any of her mistakes, and she is left to suffer the longer for them.

     Of course, it is an amazing travesty that this corruption of definition and principle, this focal point of rebellion and pride, is placed at the very beginning of the one production that depicts the life of the Messenger Mark Prophet. Those who are interested in the integrity of his legacy, will oppose this corruption, and demand that it be removed. I raise my voice to that end.

     May you pass every test. And don't forget to visit the pearl while you are here.

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