Rev. David Dale Mavity
Master of
Spirituality Final Essay
Having spent the last twenty-five years studying comparative religion and philosophy, as well as several esoteric/ mystery systems, I found this course to be very straight forward, concise, and easy to understand. What I found of particular value was the advice given from a practical, ministerial perspective. When ministering to others, it is clearly necessary to not only understand why a person would come from a completely scientific perspective, and the thought process, historically, that would bring a person to that perspective.
A very practical, nice little course for ministers. Or, so I thought. And then came Lesson 18.
In Albert Pike’s “Morals and Dogma,”# there is an odd chapter describing the lessons taught in the 15th Degree of Scottish Rite Masonry. The author goes on for quite some time, explaining the exoteric and esoteric meanings within the Zend- Avesta, Kabbalah, and Gnosticism (all favorite subjects of students of the Western Mystery system), then suddenly tells us that they are “wild and useless speculations.” This generally leaves most readers scratching their heads, wondering what Pike was trying to do with this chapter. Then, it is usually quickly forgotten and the average reader goes back to his in- depth study of the same systems he was just told are a waste of time.
Rev. Chuck Bynum nailed it in one, short lesson, and that one lesson, Lesson 18, is the inner, secret beauty of this entire course, and the one I enjoyed and identified with the most.
To quote another famous Freemason (albeit a contemporary one, still living), “As I begin the seventh decade of my life, I find myself more inclined to listen to a story than to study a text or reflect on an argument- more inclined to tell a story than to presume to teach a lesson or offer advice.”# I have not hit my seventh decade yet, but I have the same issue, so I suppose that is sufficient apology for the story that follows. Even in the case of trying to describe what I learned from the course and my impressions, this seems the best way to do it, particularly with the subject at hand, and even more particularly with the fact that the knowledge imparted by Rev. Chuck is entirely indescribable- in his words, “The problem with words is that they are limiting.”
About two years ago, I felt I had hit a wall in my studies and practice, both as esotericist and as a minister. Everything I had studied suddenly seemed to be meaningless, even though it had been intensely interesting and exciting to learn. Even Freemasonry, of which I have been a member for 14 years (and of which some of my Brethren foolishly believe me to be a “leader” and mentor) had lost its appeal and interest. I gradually stopped reading the oddball and obscure texts I had once so much enjoyed, and everything seemed to lack any particular meaning. About six months ago, I decided to put into practice something I had preached and given lip service for years: the line written above the doorway to the temple of Apollo at Delphi.
“Man, Know Thyself, and thou shalt know the secrets of the gods and of the universe.”
Having meditated for many years (effectively, I thought), I hit it with extra force and this orientation. So as not to further bore you, I won’t go into the progressive understanding, but suffice it to say, I arrived at the same conclusions as Chuck (and Albert Pike).
It’s so complicated that it’s not that complicated. I don’t think I can explain that in a way that makes any sense, maybe the worn- out phrase “the only secret is that there are no secrets” might come close.
What gets in our way with everything is our ego. Like it or not, I’ll bet that almost all of us initially became ministers largely because we could put “Rev.” in front of our names and have people think that we’re wise, serene gurus who have all the answers. C’mon, admit it. I originally became a minister and then even studied for the priesthood (Liberal Catholic) for just those reasons, although I fooled myself into thinking it was purely to “serve humanity.” Don’t get me wrong; some of it was that. But I realized most of it was me wanting to feel superior. My study of esoteric religion and philosophy eventually became motivated by the same thing.
There are really only a few of things we need to know, as ministers and just as regular people:
- There is some sort of universal organizing, creating Source (I call it “God” because it’s easy to type and socially acceptable) that has its presence within all of us. Know Thyself to know God. You aren’t Him/ Her/ It, but you’re certainly a part of Him/ Her/ It, and He/ She/ It dwells within you, and connects all of us.
- There is only now. No past, no future. What is, is what there is. Live in it, now.
- Your ego isn’t going to go away, and completely forget the popular idea of “dissolving the ego.” You can’t do it, nor do you want to- it’s a useful tool. But manage it. Question your own motivations by standing back and analyzing why you are doing what you are doing.
- You can’t know everything, because there isn’t all that much to know. Like a rabbi friend of mine says, “You can try to get to the center of an onion by tearing off every layer, one at a time. And when you finally reach the center, you’ve destroyed the onion.”
That’s about the sum total of it. The course spent 17 weeks giving some incredibly valuable information on the evolution of Western thought, as well as great advice on how to minister to non- spiritual people, but the gem was Lesson 18.
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