Level 1, Lesson #11A, Audio: 220 Etiquette and decorum for initiates
1) What are the main teachings brought out in the lecture recording?
The initiate should be pure of body, speech, and mind when entering the spiritual hall. This means that the initiate should bathe, and dress properly. The aspirant should avoid harsh words or resolve matters involving harshly spoken words before entering. One should avoid entering the temple while angry, or harboring negative thoughts such as anger, hatred, jealousy, or lust. Meat and sexual intercourse should be avoided before entering the temple, and worldly posessions are best left elsewhere. When entering the temple, the initiate should prostrate before the divine image, and greet the spiritual preceptor(s) properly. The initiate should sit in one of the prescribed seated positions, with the back held straight like the Djed pillar. Extended conversations about one’s personal life, if they occur, should happen elsewhere.
Poor hygiene should be also be avoided in the initiate’s daily life as it promotes distraction and disease. Physical hygiene is promoted through daily bathing and avoidance of synthetic products on the skin and hair. Hygiene of the speech and mind is promoted through divine chants and meditation. The initiate’s mind should be constantly focused on the divine: formal worship or attending classes is not enough. The initiate should be especially well-versed in the Kemetic Diet and Initiation into Egyptian Yoga Volume 1.
Practicing Integral Yoga is necessary for success on the spiritual path. This means that the initiate must practice all four main paths of Yoga: Wisdom, Meditation, Devotion, and Righteous Action.
To practice Yoga of Wisdom, the initiate should read and listen to the texts and lessons numerous times in order to truly gain understanding. The initiate should also continue to reflect on these teachings, and put them into practice in daily life.
In order to practice Yoga of Meditation, the initiate should commit to a daily minimum time, and add on as time and capacity will allow. Patience and perseverance are necessary as the initiate’s capacity to sit and focus for extended periods of time develops.
Yoga of Devotional Love should be practiced through formal worship, and other attempts to truly get to know the deities, and to develop love for them in the initiate’s heart. Devotional love is also practiced through loving others as manifestations of the divine Self.
Yoga of Righteous Action involves acting from the knowledge that all is the Self, and realizing that all actions performed are actually the divine Self acting through the initiate. The initiate should take neither credit nor blame for results of actions taken, because in reality nothing has occurred, and all is the Self anyway. Eventually, this realization leads to dissolution of egoism, and eventually, enlightenment.
2) Are you currently implementing the teaching given in the book & lecture? If so, which ones?
I am more consistent in my formal meditation practice than I was the last time I answered this question. Currently, it happens probably 80-90% of days.
I always attempt to complete Daily Worship at morning, noon, and evening. Most days I achieve this, though sometimes it is only twice, and vary rarely, only once.
My altar is set up as prescribed, and is not often disturbed. My children are learning to avoid picking up and playing with items, e.t.c.
I wish I were able to worship in able to worship in a formal temple setting, in person, but for now, I do not have access to one. If I did, I would be take great care to follow the appropriate behaviors.
I do keep in mind that I am to perform Integral Yoga, and practice all 4 paths to my current capacity.
3) If not, then how will you implement the teachings you are not currently practicing, in your life and spiritual practice?
Currently, I am uncertain of how to be more consistent with my spiritual practice, or how to devote as much time to formal meditation as I would like. My willpower is almost always sufficient; my main obstacle is that my family responsibilities often require that I limit and/or interrupt my worship or meditation sessions. Sometimes it is difficult to prevent becoming frustrated, but I do find it rewarding to care for my children, e.t.c. Also, I know it is a test of patience that I must need.
I plan to continue to make my spiritual practice as consistent as possible. I also make use of opportunities to practice the teachings through my interactions with others, singing chants to myself throughout the day, and so on. In time, I hope my life becomes less complex so that I can further develop my spiritual studies.
