Monday, June 20, 2005
MEDITATION AND THE NEW WORLD RELIGION
In researching the occult and its inroads into the Catholic Church, I have frequently come upon a “shadow”, a something not quite definable lurking just out of sight. Something so deceptive that it could only come from the Evil One. Something that appears to be authentically Catholic, but is not.
Every time I’ve seen it, I have shuddered, because its identity was elusive.
It seems to be coincidental—or perhaps there is no coincidence—that just as Lee’s book has come to publication, I am finding information on topics I’ve researched in the past that was not previously available. There is movement of the shadow. It is beginning to step into the light. And it would seem that its name is “Meditation.”
A brief refresher…
In von B’s Afterword, he wrote: “Like the anonymous author, who refers to him critically in the MEDITATIONS, Ouspensky was a Russian emigrant, and was also an influential teacher. In his work A NEW MODEL OF THE UNIVERSE, he expounds the game of Tarot according to the general outline of his world-view, partly in the framework of Eastern religion and partly in that of depth psychology imbued with erotic elements.”
Did Fr. Ron Rolheiser get his concept of “sex as sacrament” out of von B’s work? Whether he did or not, he and Fr. Richard Rohr have jointly produced a 3-cassette teaching on adult Christianity which is sold at Rohr’s website.. Richard Rohr promotes the occult Enneagram.
Sacramental sex and occult personality-type identification. That’s quite a combination.
But Fr. Rohr is into much more interesting territory than Enneagram promotion!
Both Rohr and Rolheiser were on the program at the Oblate School of Theology symposium in October 2004 where they attempted to “create new vocabulary for the faith that will speak more convincing” and to “find a common ground between polarized groups within churches, and between Christians and the secularized world.” It would appear as though these objectives are largely being met. The new vocabulary word is “meditation”—an old word, actually, but it has a new meaning, and its new meaning is the “common ground” of unity that was sought.
For some time conservative and traditional Catholics have been rejoicing that it appears the liberals are an aging and dying breed. There has been much hope a few more years would signal an end to the reign of liberalism. Meanwhile traditional Catholics have been concentrating on restoring the Catholic culture.
Liberals have gotten the message and morphed into the new breed of Catholi….uhhhhh….”universalist”?
Enter Monastic Interreligious Dialogue and the International John Main Conference.
I ask you to note something. Two of the people who appear giving cover endorsements of MEDITATIONS ON THE TAROT are also prominent names in the founding and continuation of the John Main Conference—Fr. Bede Griffiths and Thomas Keating. You can read about their involvement in the John Main Conference at the website.
Richard Rohr is a speaker at a conference coming up in August as his website indicates. Additional information on the conference can be read at The World Community for Christian Meditation Bookstore and on this page in The World Community for Christian Meditation website.
You can get a feel for what The World Community for Christian Meditation is about by looking at the selections in the Bookstore. Joan Chittister is barely Catholic, and the Dalai Lama is Buddhist.
John Main Seminars are described at The World Community website:
The World Community for Christian Meditation
Meditators at the John Main Seminar held at New Harmony, Indiana in 1991 gave the community a new form in The World Community for Christian Meditation. It has now spread through a hundred countries. Individuals, groups and centres share the vision of peace and unity arising from meditation. Groups meet in homes, parishes, offices, hospitals, prisons and colleges. A network of Christian Meditation Centres helps to serve this community and its teaching work. Dialogue with other faiths has arisen from this deepening of Christian spirituality in the lives of men and women in all walks of life. The link with the Benedictine monastic family is especially valued.
A Quarterly Newsletter with a spiritual letter and news is distributed worldwide.
The John Main Seminar is held annually. Presenters have included Rowan Williams, Bede Griffiths, Jean Vanier, William Johnston, the Dalai Lama and Mary McAleese.
The International Centre in London serves the worldwide community and is happy to receive any queries or information.
The Dalai Lama is Buddhist.
A couple of additional speakers, Joan Chittister and Kallistos Ware.
Past speakers are given at this Spanish website. Despite the language barrier, there is little difficulty in reading the names. Raimon Panikkar was a leader in Opus Dei according to Maria del Carmen Tapia’s exposure of the organization in BEYOND THE THRESHOLD.
Huston Smith was the speaker in 1999, a major figure in the interreligious dialogue realm, and one of the presenters at the “Paths to the Heart” Conference along with Kallistos Ware.
Why does all of this matter?
Because “meditation” is the new syncretistic approach to religion. Check out the list of links at Teosofisk Forening Arhus, a Theosophical website. On that list you will find the Global Dialogue Institute agroup associated with Leonard Swidler who founded the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church. You will also find the Monastic Interreligious Dialogue, the World Community for Christian Meditation, and the United Religions Initiative.
Now I know about the argument that this doesn’t prove anything just because there are links on a Theosophical website. I would counter that with what your mother told you, “Be careful of the company you keep” and the old saw that “Birds of a feather flock together.” I would also ask you to note that Swidler’s group (Center for Global Ethics) can be found at the World Goodwill’s New Group of World Servers, a Lucis Trust website.
The followers of Theosophist Alice Bailey, who founded the Lucis Trust, which is the parent of the World Goodwill and the New Group of World Servers today teach meditation through the Arcana Workshops. And is that a rose up top? As in Rosicrucian? As in Rosa Mystica?
The Lucis Trust offers an Introductory Guide to Meditation.
The Christian Research Association describes small religious communities in Australia at their website offering this bit of insight:
Similar emphases on secret knowledge made available to initiates and allowing them to live a more fulfilling life can be found in a range of other groups in Australia, such as the Holy Grail Movement which originated in Austria in the 1920s, the Builders of the Adytum, Gnostic Institute of Anthropology and the International Metaphysical Ministry. A recent American expression is The Foundation of Rosa Mystica. Two Australian groups which were founded in the 1990s in Australia with an emphasis on recovering ancient secret knowledge include the Gnostic Apostolic Church and the Path of the Heart Movement.
As in Paths to the Heart Conference which included Kallistos Ware?
Syncretism has moved into Catholicism and found itself welcome. When Christ asks "Who do you say that I am," what will be our answer?
Robert Powell is the translator of MEDITATIONS ON THE TAROT. His website, the Sophia Foundation, has a Rosy Cross on it as well as a promotion of the book. He teaches sacred dance. Articles by Robert Powell, and more information about the writings of the author of MEDITATIONS, Valentin Tomberg, can be found at the Vermont Sophia website. A lot of other stuff is in there as well, including information on Rudolf Steiner.
Meditation is growing in popularity. We had better pay attention to what we are doing, or we are going to find ourselves no longer Catholic.
When Christ returns, will He find any faith on the earth?
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!
