The power of ritual. Lesson 170

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Domine, non sum dignus, ut intres sub tectum meum: sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.
-- Pre-communion liturgy of the Tridentine Rite

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Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
--Arthur C. Clark, science fiction writer and inventor

The longest running public ritual, with the largest number of participants, in modern recorded history is, arguably, the Roman Catholic Mass known as the Tridentine Rite. There are arguments for the Jewish Shabbat Temple service rivaling the Roman Catholic Mass in terms of length of time, however, we believe the mass has been more formulaic and had the participation of a larger population. The Tridentine Rite version of the ritual was practiced daily by millions of people worldwide, and on Sunday, as was mandatory at the time, by perhaps 5 to 10 times As many people as the daily service.

The Tridentine Rite, commonly called the Latin Mass, was made the standard by Pope Pius V in 1570 A.D. and was practiced millions of times around the world until Pope Paul VI in 1962, when the current version of the Mass in the vernacular (local language) was introduced and made mandatory. Later popes reintroduced approval to celebrate the Latin Mass with local approval.

We use the Latin Mass only has a very large example of a ritual practiced regularly around the world. There are many other examples of ritual, public, private and secretive which to a greater or lesser extent exhibit the same properties.

We call this property focused intention, or more commonly, just intention.

There are many organizations which have specific rituals for initiations, progression through the ranks of the organization and so forth. Most college fraternities and sororities (often called the Greek societies), The Masons, the Rosicrucians, the Knights of Columbus, the Lemurian Society, the Shriners, the Fraternal Order of Eagles (FOE), the Elk Lodges and Moose Lodges the YMCA, even organizations expressly for young people such as the Campfire Girls, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts have initiations and advancement or progression rituals which have been practiced for years, sometimes even centuries. Certainly there is a social aspect to these rituals, a sense of brotherhood or sisterhood. But the idea of ritual has a rich history that extends 2000 years or more BC.

What is humanity's fascination, one could even say obsession with ritual practices? Is there a reason that the practice of ritual has been such a significant, compelling and enduring part of human society?





References:
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZ1nweotz-8MZGNiNHB6YzhfNjlobTljNmhkOA&hl=en
http://www.dailycatholic.org/holymas5.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tridentine_Mass#Recent_Popes_and_the_Tridentine_Mass

The power of symbols & talismans. Lesson 175

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... For words, thoughts and deeds, though they rankle and smart, May never delude us or hold us apart Who treasure this talisman deep in the heart...

-- Arthur Guiterman, poet

The old saying goes, "A picture is worth athousand words." Modern businesses are well aware of this. Many, if not most businesses have a logo, or a symbol or picture which connotes the company. We know immediately when we see a Ford motorcar symbol that it is, in fact, a Ford motorcar.We all recognize the four colored square icon that tell the sum product for software is from Microsoft. The Gerber baby and the Aunt Jemima smiling woman set our expectations at a glance. Symbols can also connote thoughts or ideas. We immediately recognize the RX symbol as representing a doctor's prescription or a pharmacy. That happens to be a universal symbol that is recognized worldwide -- at least where the Roman alphabet is used.

Like rituals, symbols and talismans have had a rich history with mankind. Symbols and talismans, being physical or drawn thingscan be traced to prehistoric times, many thousands of years before written language allowed us to record the words and actions performed in rituals. Talismans are far more enduring, like prehistoric cave paintings were Native American arrowheads. They have a permanence, the meaning of which is often obscure, lost to history.

One find symbols and talismans everywhere in modern day religion. The Jewish Star of David, the Christian cross, the Roman Catholic crucifix all paint a rich mental image for us, a complex tapestry of ideas that would take many words to describe. We also ascribe certain supernatural powers to certain symbols. A St. Christopher medallion is supposed to protect a traveler.

Do they work?

In short, yes. They can. It is possible. But, talismans and symbols do not work because the objects or pictures have any particular supernatural or magical powers.The objects are just objects. They are like most currency or coins issued by governments, or even gold bullion. They have no intrinsic value. You can't eat a coin, plow a field with it, or drive it to work. The dollar bill or the quarter is a symbol or representation of an idea. It represents the value to society of and amount of work you performed, and allows you to transfer that value to somebody else. The coin represents an idea. The coin is, in essence, a talisman. Giving the coin to somebody transfers ownership of that formalist thing (work) to someone else.

We don't generally think of money as a talisman. We generally think of a talisman as something, some physical object having supernatural power. In reality, Talismans are, when used properly, a physical reminder of stored intension! If a St. Christopher medallion protects us when we travel, it is because the lump of metal with an image stamped upon it reminds us to invoke our banked intension.

The parking rock.

In the late 1970s, we did an experimen, and called the parking rock. This is a brief description of the experiment. It is quite remarkable, and you are invited to give it a try.

Step 1, find a rock. Go out in the yard, beach, local park or on the street and find a nice rock that can fit in your hand. It should be like a stone that you would use for skipping at the beach, flat on both sides. This stone will become your parking rock.

Your new parking rock is like a new car battery bought at the store. Like the car battery, you must charge your parking rock before you can use it. Hopefully, however the charge on your parking rock lasts longer than the charge on an ever ready battery that you buy at the drugstore.

Charge your parking rock's battery. For a parking rock to work, you must first charge it. The power of the parking rock is directly proportional to its charge. Since you can't plug it into an electrical socket, we have to have another way.

Find a nice place in your home, and place your parking rock on a plate or tray in that place. Twice a day, at the same time every day, go to your parking rock, turned it over, and concentrate for just a couple of seconds, imagining yourself finding a parking space every time you look.

Do this for 30 days in a row. Don't miss a day. If you miss a day, you have to start from the beginning and do 30 consecutive days. After that, carrier parking rock in your pocket. When you go to the college campus, the mall, or market or wherever, think of your parking rock, drive to the nearest entrance, and watch the amazing result.

Try this amazing experiment for yourself, and let us know what happens.

Next: How the talisman is like a electricaln transformer or capacitor.





References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amulet
http://talismanicidols.org/video.html

Articles of Organization

Articles of Organization

of

INTENTIONAL LIVING ASSOCIATION

A Church Organized In the

State Of Florida,

United States Of America

Under the Laws and Freedoms Granted By

The United States Constitution

Witness that on the 11th day of October in the year 2010 the undersigned organizer does hereby on this day and date create, ordained, and establish this lawful Church under the auspices of the Universal life Church headquartered in Modesto, California, Charter #19946, originally established in Buffalo New York on March 19, 1979; and


Whereas the organizers share in communion with certain beliefs regarding the nature of divinity; and,

Whereas the nature of those beliefs draw upon the traditions and beliefs of other ecclesiastical organizations, religious beliefs, and that were dogmas; and,

Whereas the beliefs of the organizers differ substantially in some details from other ecclesiastical organizations; and,

Whereas the organizers wish to commune, associate, pray and to learn with other similarly like minded individuals; and,

Whereas the organizers wish to promote the expansion of their knowledge of the divine presence, perform acts of charity, learn from other like minded individuals, and promote the promulgation of their believes.



Now Therefore, the organizers do ordain and establish these articles of organization.





Article the first. The organization, herein after also referred to as the Church, shall be named and be known as INTENTIONAL LIVING ASSOCIATION.



Article the second. Governance of the Church.



The Church shall have two governing bodies.



A). The first governing body shall be known as the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees shall be responsible for the management of the church in all matters relating to finance and administration



1. there shall be three trustees.

2. the initial trustees shall be elected by the organizers.

3. trustees shall serve for a term of three years.

4. There is no limit on the number of successive term to which a trustee may serve.

5. the trustees shell be unrelated by birth or marriage.

6. except as otherwise indicated, voting for trustees shall be by cumulative voting. An election shall be considered complete and successful when each candidate receives a number of votes greater than 50% of the votes cast.

7. unplanned and mid term vacancies in the Board of Trustees shall be filled by a majority vote of the remaining trustees.





B). The second governing body shall be known as the Doctrinal Congress. The Doctrinal Congress shall be responsible for the management of the church in all ecclesiastical matters.



1. the doctrinal college shall have a line at them veto over the budget which must be approved by the board of trustees.



2. approval of the final, annual budget shall require a simple maturity of the combined membership of the doctrinal college and the Board of Trustees.



3. there is no prohibition against members of either the doctrinal college were the Board of Trustees having membership in both organizations. when a person is a member of both organizations, and where both organizations vote on a particular issue, the person who is a member of both organizations is entitled to the number of votes for each position.



4. membership in the doctrinal college requires that the member of doctrinal college be a member in good standing of the clergy of the church.



5. the initial members of the doctrinal college shall be elected by the organizers.



6. members of the doctrinal college shells serve for a period of four years, except for the members elected as chairman of the doctrinal college who shall serve for life unless removed from office by a 75% majority of the combined board of trustees, doctrinal college and a quorum of the members in good standing of the clergy of the church, where such a quorum represents at least 50% of all members of the clergy in good standing.



7. except as otherwise indicated, voting for members of the doctrinal college shall be by cumulative voting. An election shall be considered complete and successful when each candidate receives a number of votes greater than 50% of the votes cast.



Article the third. Membership in the Church. The Church shall have two classes of membership:



A.) members of the clergy are ordained as ministers after completing the following:



1. completion of a prescribed course of study.

2. its successful completion of oral and/or written examinations.

3. successful completion of written dissertation.



B.) Lay members.



Article the fourth. Creed.

The church believes first, in that which is right. The church believes that each individual is a manifestation of a both a physical entity and a spirit and that the spirit, mind, or soul is that which animates life and is what separates living plants and animals from non-living matter.


Article the fifth. Services and the forms of worship. The Church shall have regularly scheduled meetings in person, online meetings, and other meetings scheduled at least weekly.



Article the sixth. Doctrinal Congress. The Church shall have (c) a definite and distinct ecclesiastical government,



Article the seventh. Maintaining membership in good standing. The Church shall have (d) a formal code of doctrine and discipline including two classes of membership,

A). Clergy who conduct meetings, provide guidance, and lead discussions of the leaf and the learning.



B). Lay membership.


Article the seventh. The church has:

(e) a distinct religious history,

(f) a membership not associated with any other church or denomination,

(g) an organization of ordained ministers,

(i) a literature of its own,

(j) established places of worship,

(k) regular congregations,

(l) regular religious services,

(m) Sunday schools for religious instruction of the young,

(n) schools for the preparation of its ministers, and

(o) any other facts and circumstances that may bear upon the organization's claim for church status.


In witness thereof, the pastor of the Church hereby affixes his signature and sale to these articles of organization:

/S./Albert F. Case, Jr., DD

Albert F. Case, Jr., DD (Florida)

Pastor & Chairman of the Board of Trustees

will/S./signature here

Adam H. Lewis (Connecticut)

Trustee

/S./signature here
Chalotta Molvang (Sydney, Australia)

Trustee

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_____________________ _________________ FORM: SS-4 NOBOD


INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE INTENTIONAL LIVING ASSOCIATION


CINCINNATI OH 45999-0023 % AL CASE


11459 SKIPJACK WAY S


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Norbert Wiener

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Norbert Wiener
Born	November 26, 1894 Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
Died	March 18, 1964 (aged 69) Stockholm, Sweden
Nationality	American
Fields	Mathematics Cybernetics
Institutions	Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alma mater	Tufts College BA 1909 Harvard University PhD 1912
Doctoral advisor	Karl Schmidt Josiah Royce
Doctoral students	Amar Bose Colin Cherry Shikao Ikehara Norman Levinson

Norbert Wiener (November 26, 1894, Columbia, Missouri – March 18, 1964, Stockholm, Sweden) was an Americanmathematician.

A famous child prodigy, Wiener later became an early researcher in stochastic and noise processes, contributing work relevant to electronic engineering, electronic communication, and control systems.

Wiener is regarded as the originator of cybernetics, a formalization of the notion of feedback, with many implications forengineering, systems control, computer science, biology, philosophy, and the organization of society.