Beware of False Prophets
I am responding to David Spero’s comment in NonDual Highlights about Franklin Jones, aka Adi Da Samraj and a whole host of appellations. How does one know that “He (Jones) merged, in a heated sexual embrace, with the living force of Kali--the Divine Mother or the Divine Mother Consciousness?” Because he said so? It reminds me of when Nasargadatta asked someone how he knew that this teacher spoke with angels. And the man replied that someone who spoke with angels wouldn’t lie. I have been blessed from the beginning of my spiritual career to have met with several “Shakti Masters” who kept changing their names with each initiation they said to have completed on the spiritual planes. They blasted me with all kinds of blissful experiences. One even tried to strangle the ego out of me. Literally. Fortunately I didn’t turn away from seeing the shadow of these “masters” even though I tried very hard not to see, because the shadow seemed such a contradiction to the bliss I felt in their feet. Plus, not to mention, I was feeling pretty special because I was following the World Teacher or Avatar or Whatever.
When I began my studies to become a Waldorf teacher there was a piece of advice by Rudolf Steiner that helped ground me. He said to the effect: With every step one takes in the spiritual realm, one needs to take two morally. And this is not in regards to the morality of society, but in building of character. He saw that there were basically two forces pulling at the individual: the one of Lucifer, who pulls the soul away from the earth in the bliss of abstractions; and the other of Ahriman, who pulls the soul into the physical where reality is consigned to the quantitative. The initiate needs to stand between both of these forces, neither being caught in sympathy or running away in antipathy. Lucifer is a mighty being of light who brings great ideas to humanity. Many artist and writers and thinkers…and teachers are inspired by this being, according to Steiner. But he is also egotistical as hell. Look at the artist and musicians and the like and see how imbalanced they can be while creating amazing work.
Another work that helped to bring a reconciliation of great teachers who seemed to have a giant ego is the game called Leela, by Harish Johari. It is an ancient Indian game that Snake and Ladders was derived from. It depicts the Jiva leaving Cosmic Consciousness and rising from the lower planed of Delusion and making its way back up the eight levels, corresponding to the charkas. It does not take too many levels before one becomes pretty impressive in comparison to those who are wallowing in the lower levels. In fact by the fifth plane one is nearly god-like. However, there is still three more levels to go and the higher up one travels the more snakes there are to bring you down, such as Egotism or the Plane of Violence. The point of the Game is to not take the toss of the die personally as one rises or falls, because after all nothing is happening to Spirit. Still, in the relative sense of the Game, one does fall. Now if one likes to be an Avatar sitting up above the world, when the fall happens (which might be just for an instance), then pride may blind the eyes, then down one might stay longer despite hiding behind titles. This is why Ramakrishna cautioned people to watch the teachers and see where they really stand and that is why it is said that there will be many false prophets and you will know by their fruits of their actions who they are.
2005 Janaka Stagnaro
www.janakastagnaro.com