Level 1 Lesson 11A, Audio 220 The Etiquette and decorum for Initiates, 1:00:00
Main teaching brought out in lecture?
1.Studies that stay at the level of historical issues are fine but a serious student needs to practice the techniques and aspire to nehast.
2.How to conduct yourself as an initiate in the presence of the Shety group or spiritual preceptor. cleanse before coming in to temple in body, thought, speech. Proper posture and proper respectful acts toward altar and precepto. Leave worldy objects outside. Do not partake in worldly or passion inducing acts such as meat or sex before coming to temple. Plant oneself as a Djed piller. Attentiveness, wakefullness, neccesary when attending a teaching. Greeting preceptor.Importance of prostration to the divinity. Dua to the Sebai. relationships with others should not be friendly in a worldly sense. Should have a friendly but busines like and detached attitudes. Initiates are focused on learning the teaching and not to disrupt the conduct of that process. An initiate should understand that the teachings are the reality, even while upholding, sustaining, and spiritualizing worldly activities. Hygiene of your body speech and your mind are the three main concerns for an initiate
3.Any lecture by your spiritual preceptor is to be considered as “special” and deserves undivided attention.
4.Devotion in your worship, divine love, is the essential key but devotion without wisdom is blind faith. Wisdom without devotion is dry intellectualism. Must develop a connection or feeling and understanding of the divinity,
5.Eventually have to put the sheets down for memorization, at least for basic chants and prayers. Otherwise they will be like crutches.
6.Must learn to relax and flow in one’s practice and in your devotional feeling.
7.One must learn to develop internal detachment and dispassion, an understanding about the world. The teaching does not require or advocate fanaticism, it is a deterred from enlightening the whole personality.
8.Personal responsibility to follow up on teachings given, and taking more time than just attending classes to study, reflect, meditate.
9.One must realize the body is not the ultimate abode. It is not your only existence. Worrying, or running after the body perpetually is counterproductive to the teaching and not enjoined.
10.Importance of Kemetic Diet Book. Physical, mental, and spiritual food. Initiation Book. Should be well versed in the first Egyptian Yoga book so that you are aware of what your doing and can explain it when necessary.
11.Conflicts: should be discussed and resolved based on the teachings, if this cant happen then the problem should be brought to the Sebai and the answer followed. If conduct is done as prescribed by the teachings then conflicts will be minimized.
12.Initiates must be first and foremost ready to forgive and understand. Its important not to harbor resentments as this will prevent striving ahead in understanding by holding onto ignorance. One must aspire to be cleansed of anger, hatred, greed, guilt, envy, lust, etc as all of these are detrimental to spiritual evolution.
13.Duty of an initiate is to serve- selfless service. Being one with Maat = glorious and positive benefit.
14.How we deal with life challenges is the difference with an initiate, one should expect mishaps while being committed. This means one should not be disturbed.
15.Everything happens for a reason.
16.The teaching is hard but success is glorious.
17.Life, the teaching, etc these things are hard because of how we relate to it. We want to aspire to be quiet and strive. when Maatian action is developed you will have gained peace, understanding, power.
Questions 2 & 3:
I am striving. When impressions arise , I have periods where I believe in it, and the living through past conditioning continues. This I would say is what I’m mostly strongly working with, which brings me into afflictions and in various ways max time available is not always given to conscious practice formal or informal. Being engaged in this course has been very helpful- like a pressure cooker in a sense. It regularly presens me encouragement for strong aspiration for the spiritual path and serious practice and I spend time reflecting on worldy interests and seeing them through the teachings – so it makes me want to learn the teachings more and live them. In regards to conduct, I would like to purify my motivations and also the times in the present and past when I may have offered disrespect or neglect to higher opportunities, teachings, beings in my life. I don’t feel my action is completely in line with Maat and the Precepts and intensive Shedy practice is not fully established, I see areas where I slip into the conditioned past actions or negligence, so I seek to bring this into my practice and continue to become a more perfected aspirant.
