Return Path to
(Part 4)
The Great Discovery
The return
path to
Introduction
to
“My Letter to a Friend”
by Michael F. O’Keeffe
Over eighteen years ago, I
experienced a great discovery – the return path to
I decided to try to convince
my closest friend – by explaining the discovery in writing. I began composing a letter, but how does one
explain such an important discovery? I
had the ideas from the beginning, but only recently did the right words finally
come. It took me eighteen years to
complete the correspondence. This letter
is worth sharing with all who wish to know and comprehend the most precious
discovery – The Return Path to Eden – now revealed, ...in “The Aquarian
Gospel of Jesus, the Christ.”
My Letter To a Friend:
(revised)
Dear ******, my dearest friend,
You are aware, I’m sure, that the problem that always plagues all us human beings is not having enough – not enough time, money, health and wellness and peace of mind; not enough strength and patience and love; not enough awareness to avoid costly mistakes and accidents; not enough liberty, serenity, memory recall, and so on. This has been Man’s Problem – always – since the beginning of time.
Not any more! I have found the hidden
cure for all these shortages (available to everyone). Now, I (almost) always have enough. Enough of everything!! I want to share this discovery with all. I have published a description of this
discovery, and this letter introduces my publication.
Give a man a fish, and you have fed him for the day. Teach him to fish, and you have fed him for life. I have learned to “fish” …to fish for everything one needs in life. I have discovered the hidden cure for shortages!
I first discovered this remedy many years ago, but have just recently (finally) acquired the ability to make good use of it. (I’ve been trying all these years, but I found, in the early years, that I didn’t have enough will-power.) “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
I discovered the cure for shortages in 1983, in the
book called “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, The Christ.” Jesus teaches us how to fish (for all that we
need) and then our minds are at peace. All
our worries are gone. Jesus teaches us
how to have a life filled with peace and joy – through the exercise of
will-power.
I
have been struggling (for eighteen years) to live the life He teaches. He teaches that, in order to re-enter
#1.
We must love our Father in heaven with every fiber of our being, and likewise
love one another. This includes constant
cleansing and purging our minds of every evil and selfish thought (accomplished
through frequent and persistent meditation and prayer).
#2.
We must put aside our addiction to all sensuous things – the physical pleasures
we all love so much – like a snack of cookies, a sumptuous meal with tasty
sauces and herbs, ice cream, tobacco, luscious beverages, and all the other
countless delicious and sensual things that appease our appetites.
#3.
We must dedicate our lives to helping others comprehend this precious way of
life – this path, which takes us back to our original home, the Garden of Eden
Jesus
(a very advanced Human Soul) knew this, and He accomplished the three
requirements and invited us to follow Him.
Indulgence
in the physical pleasures of carnal life makes us blind, hopeless and
inept. Furthermore, this condition of
blindness and impotence causes one to experience all kinds of shortages. These shortages fill one’s life with hard
labor and frustration. They also bring
disappointments, mistakes, afflictions, misunderstandings, resentments,
conflicts and every other kind of misery and wretchedness. (And any of these, when intense, can cause
“weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”)
This
is a description of life outside of
God,
our Father, knew we would disobey His command to avoid that fruit called “physical pleasure,” and He lovingly waits
for us (His beloved children) to find the strength and willingness to change
our minds – to reject “the apple,” so that we may return to Paradise – where we
belong – where there are no shortages!
Only
a few people at a time (each earth-round of life) find enough strength and
willingness. When one accomplishes this,
he (or she) has purchased the Pearl of Greatest Price. Soon all the people of the earth (who are
found worthy on Judgment Day) will be given a great blessing, and they will be
so inspired that they will find enough strength and willingness to
reject the apple! Vast multitudes will
re-enter
Indulgence
in sensual pleasures has been a keystone of human traditions ever since we bit
into this apple. We are addicted. We do not want to let go. Yet, in preparation for the imminent arrival
of the New Age, the return of Christ and the Judgment Day, we must now do the
best we can.
As
the Age of Pisces was about to commence (over 2,000 years ago) there was one
cultural tradition (the Essenes) which understood the root-cause of all human
suffering. Master-teachers of this
ancient Jewish sect were well aware of the tragic consequences of our addiction
to the pleasures of the physical senses.
They knew about “the curse of the apple.”
They
knew that our addiction to sensuousness holds us in bondage, and therefore
Essene teachers (unlike elders of nearly all other cultural traditions) were
devoted to overcoming sensual cravings, and teaching others the same. They taught their youth the value of
conquering the appetites, passions and desires of the physical body and carnal
mind. They espoused winning The
Victory – the victory over the lower self.
That is, they taught the value overcoming one’s self, and thereby obtaining
the Pearl of Greatest Price.
Jesus,
a very advanced soul (who had already conquered his carnal passions and desires
in previous incarnations) was born into the cultural tradition known as the
Essenes. This was no accident. We, God’s Children, are always born into the
cultural tradition best suited to one’s current level of soul-maturity;
providing opportunities to advance closer to Perfection. (Important lessons learned in prior incarnations
must be relearned and reconfirmed in subsequent earth-rounds of life.)
Jesus
was sent into the world, therefore, cradled by a culture well aware of true
meaning of “the apple of
In
His early youth, Jesus re-learned that which He had learned before, and He
learned much, much more. The Aquarian
Gospel describes Jesus’ trek through life and His numerous learning
experiences. This book describes how He,
once again, conquered himself (His lower self) and thereby became His higher
self – the God-like self; and how He went on to teach others to do the same.
Then, He became the first person in the history of the world to conquer death;
and He said to His followers, “you may follow me, and indeed, you shall. This is our Father’s plan. Victory over death is every person’s
destiny!”
Our
Father sent Jesus here to demonstrate man’s potential. Jesus is a child of God – just like us; He is
our elder brother – an advanced soul, very advanced. He demonstrated to us what a very advanced
soul achieves when he does his best. He
said that we must always do our best, and He said, “each of us is destined to
become as advanced as He; because Our Father-God has determined that all His
children shall be free!”
All
men and women shall eventually fulfill their potential; all will accomplish The
Victory over self – and indeed, eventually, the victory over death. All will achieve this – for, as children of
our God, this is our destiny!
Ever
since I first read the Aquarian Gospel, I have been striving to reject the
apple (to conquer my lower self) as Jesus says each person must do – in
order to become one’s
higher self, and attain serenity,
and to become conscious of our eternal, spiritual nature.
It
took me so very long to achieve significant progress in this endeavor
because, as you well know, the sensuous and the delicious were my greatest
obsession – and they became my downfall, as we both know. In recent years, however (and in recent
months especially) I have finally begun to have a little more success – more
perseverance – in my efforts to follow the unselfish life-path (of will-power)
that our Lord urges us to adopt. And
guess what: whenever I have achieved significant progress, all my shortages
began to disappear!
I’m
still trying to wean myself from all sensual gratification (as He
teaches). I’ve been close a few times;
and each time I was close, I noticed that I had enough (enough of
everything – nearly all the time)! Best
of all, each time I made real progress, accidents, injuries and bodily ailments
diminished to the point of disappearing, and my mind became very peaceful. I was so close to Eden, I experienced a touch
of paradise. I was at the very gate!
My
problem over the years has been that whenever I have achieved such progress
(whenever I have approached the gate) I have slipped. Unable to persevere, and maintain my
will-power, I returned to “carnal ways.”
My shortages quickly returned.
The marvelous blessings quickly evaporated.
Like
Lot’s wife, I “looked back,” and I found out what it’s like to become “a pillar
of salt.” Spiritually, I went from
being a living, breathing example of
“salt of the earth” to being a stagnant, lifeless, motionless pillar;
worthless dust – God’s refuse – very unpleasant. And, like the man who began building a house
without counting well the cost, I found myself unable to complete my endeavor,
and became the butt of ridicule.
Yet, I never give up. I always recall Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (AG - Chapter 144). I look forward to the day (soon, I hope) when I will have finally attained The Victory over myself, and then all my shortages (and worries) will have completely vanished…forever. I will have crossed the sacred threshold! (And it will be my pleasure to teach others how to attain this serenity.)
Through these efforts (through my
successes and my failures over the years) I have learned firsthand the greatest
paradox: he who restrains himself is free!
And I have become very familiar with the other side of the coin:
he who indulges in sensual pleasures is not free; but instead, is held in
bondage. He (or she) is a prisoner, a
captive of chronic shortages, and he experiences tyranny, as well as
afflictions, misery, fear, a restless mind, and death.
Yes, when we indulge, we experience all of these – especially
tyranny, because there are always people in the world who dedicate their
God-given talents to exploiting and enslaving the weak – the self-indulgent
(who always suffer from weakness and chronic shortages). And indeed, many of the exploiters are sly
enough to continually promote and advertise indulgence (through various direct
and subtle means) because they sense the connection between our self-indulgence
and their ability to maintain exploitation – their ability to manipulate and
control, to divide and conquer.
However, resenting “the exploiters” is useless; this
just multiplies the grief. Resisting
them leads to terrible tragedies. (Such
resentment and resistance are the root cause of social conflicts and war.)
Besides, the exploiters of today are not the exploiters of tomorrow. The exploiters of weakness occupy the positions of exploitation for only a short time. They too indulge, and thus they too experience weakness and, therefore, shortages. They soon lose their positions; others are quick grab the exploitive positions from them.
Therefore, all who indulge are
un-free – slave to those who currently occupy exploitive positions, and the
only remedy for this tragic, persistent human condition is self-restraint – the
straight and narrow path – the Return Path to Eden. As Jesus put it, “Do
you not know that everyone committing sin is slave of sin? abides in bondage
unto sin?”
I have urged many people over the years to read
Jesus’ book, because the first time I read it, I recognized almost immediately
how precious is this book. I have
experienced remarkable results from my attempts to overcome sensual
gratification – reinforcing my awareness that the Aquarian Gospel is the most
precious document that exists. Jesus’
book gives to us a treasure map; His book describes for us (in detail) the
Return Path to Eden!
Furthermore, the Aquarian Gospel
reunifies Judaism and Christianity.
Indeed, this book unites all the peoples of the earth (both
religious and non-religious) who cherish truth, kindness, decency and
liberty. Every person is invited to read
this beautiful epic, the greatest story ever told!
Jesus did not claim to be God; He said that He is just one of us (an elder brother) sent to us by God (our Father) to show us The Way; the way to happiness, peace and joy. However, He also said that, by conquering His carnal nature, He became one with God, our Father, and thus He spoke and acted as our Father, and we can do the same!
We can do this, He said, because God and Man are one! How can this be? He explained that when a person cleanses his mind of all evil and selfish thoughts and also cleanses his mortal body by rejecting the apple (and perseveres) The Victory has been won. The victor’s mind has become identical to God’s; and by natural law, the Oneness of mind with that of our Father soon manifests. (Whenever one’s mind becomes identical to that of our Father’s, the two have become One.)
All our minds were identical with our Father’s before the fall of Man (before we bit into the apple). That mouthful was the parting of the ways, the beginning of The Separation. And all of History is the story of our long, long trek back to “oneness;” the story of our return to our Father; the story of Salvation.
The mind of the Victorious person becomes synchronized with the mind of God, our Father. The Victorious person, therefore, can do nothing other than speak and act as our Father. This is Christ; this is how Jesus became the Christ; and He said, “follow me, Christ belongs to all.”
All true prophets therefore, have been, in a measure, Christ. The difference between Jesus and all prophets (before or since) is that He was the most advanced (the most mature) soul ever to incarnate on Earth. From His very first breath to His last, He lived a Perfect Life, then conquered death. No one else in the history of the world has ever achieved this.
Yet, eventually, everyone will achieve this (on some world – in God’s unbounded space). He revealed this to His disciples.
Jesus’ book tells us that every one of God’s children eventually (after many incarnations) decides to reject “the apple,” but only a few achieve this difficult accomplishment each re-generation. However, The New Age (the Age of Aquarius) is fast approaching; and, as stated previously, everyone (who is found worthy on the first day of the new age – the Day of Judgment) will be given many very precious blessings, and all of these blessed men and women will be filled with inspiration, and will find the strength and willingness to expel the apple, and thus, will re-enter Paradise.
Until that glorious day, we must do our best. Some have already re-entered Eden (but they have revealed this fact to only a few) and still others may succeed before that day.
The
Judgment Day is near. And Jesus said (regarding that day of
reckoning) “None can know the day nor
the hour…keep watch at every season of the year,... let not your hearts be
overcharged with sensuous things, nor with the cares of life, lest that day
come and find you unprepared...and pray (each day) that you may meet the Lord
with joy, and not with grief.”*
This publication contains more
than twelve reviews, summaries and synopses of The Aquarian Gospel (from
different points of view). One of them
is this letter and another is the essay entitled, “The Still, Small Voice” (a single page). The longest one is “The
Greatest Paradox: He Who Restrains Himself Is Free.” (about 13 pages).
I have spent the better part of the last eighteen
years (during my free time) composing these numerous essays (and the other
pages of this publication) trying to create an accurate, clear summary and
synopsis of the Aquarian Gospel – to share this fantastic discovery with all
who care to know.
I urge you to read my
compositions, so that you may “preview” The Aquarian Gospel (or better yet, go
directly to The Aquarian Gospel and begin
reading). I want to help you learn to
fish! …for everything you need…and to have the most
precious of all – peace of mind.
Every chapter of The Aquarian Gospel contains precious gems of wisdom and understanding, but none is more profound than Chapter 40, where Jesus reveals The Silence – the hidden place where we may go to receive wisdom and find a treasure.
In this most profound chapter, Jesus
explains that The Silence is available to anyone who has become pure in heart,
and has developed strength, will-power and a peaceful mind (through self
restraint, meditation and prayer). He
tells us that one must achieve an absolutely peaceful mind before he or she can
experience a very
special kind of out-of-body episode, and enter the holiest place of all,
and find there, the treasure chest which belongs to everyone – the Ark of the
Covenant – and we may open it and grasp the three gifts within.
Love,
Mike
P.S.
Who is the author of the Aquarian Gospel?
The answer can be found in the Foreword, which I
have inserted into this publication of this sacred book.
Click on
The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the Christ – the book that reunifies Judaism and Christianity!
Levi H. Dowling - the man who "traveled in time"
Divine Reproduction – God’s Children
Table of
Contents of this website.
The Perfect Life
– Everyone’s Destiny
Go to next page – “The Greatest Paradox” – Part 5
* The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus, the Christ." Transcribed by Levi H. Dowling, Devorss Publications, Marina Del Rey, Ca., ch. 112 vs. 16, and ch. 157 vs. 38, 39.
