WESAK FESTIVAL 2013
When Easter, the great festival of the arisen sun, has passed, it is for a time as if a quietness settles upon the earth. In spite of all the lush new growth and the activity of the newborn life, there is felt a deep underlying peace which we associate with the Divine-Mother aspect of God, who gives form to all beauty.
It is at this time that the Buddhist festival of Wesak occurs, not only on the outer planes when disciples and followers of the Lord Buddha are drawn together in a great festival of communion and reunion and worship; but more vitally in the inner ethers, which White Eagle describes as a ‘meeting place between heaven and earth’. And at that level a ceremony takes place through which the influence of the compassionate Buddha blesses the whole earth.
The meditation at this time is of utter stillness and surrender, and of the oneness of all life; those who can tune in to the festival and share the great communion can, in meditation, reflect upon the world the deep peace of the Lord Buddha and the shining brotherhood gathered on the inner planes. If you are thus illumined, you feel and know the power of the Holy Spirit. Your vision and understanding are quickened and your one desire is to help and care for others, whatever their experiences on earth. Thereafter you live not for yourself, but that your life may bless others. This is not remote; this is where your path is leading you.
When you receive the holy blessing, you are then an ambassador of God, and go forth into life to serve, to uplift, to heal, to comfort. You are a chosen one of God in the service of human kind, even as the apostles were after Pentecost.
This thought we would commend to you: that the development of your own being is not for your own sake, but so that you can render service to life, so that you can more adequately give.
We would give to you all love, and the blessing of the Great White Spirit……
From White Eagle on Festivals & Celebrations
A MEDITATION FOR THE WESAK FESTIVAL
We would raise you from your lower physical level of thought to the upper level, to the purer air, to the finer pulsation or vibration of life. We would take you to the vast assembly of brethren on the higher etheric plane, the assembly of the Buddhist or Wesak festival of peace, compassion and love. In your heart, in your pure spirit, you will be enveloped in this sweet and holy love… your own heart must be full of love and compassion for all life, for at this level, brethren of the light know that all life is one. You feel compassion for all life: for the animal kingdom, the nature kingdom, even for the mineral kingdom and for the very substance of the earth planet. Meditate on this at-one-ment……
In the holy silence, see: see with your inner vision the form of the Lord Buddha; with him is the Master Jesus and behind both these forms the perfect shining golden figure of the Cosmic Christ. As you become absorbed into this golden light, you feel especially the contact with the Lord Buddha as he pours forth the blessing of love and compassion upon all life. Peace, infinite peace fills your soul.
All discordant feelings and thoughts are washed away in this divine peace and the radiance of the Lord Buddha. It waxes and then it wanes, like a great cosmic breath, and as the radiance glows from his form you feel the infinite peace enfolding you and find yourself breathing forth peace and love on all living creatures.
You are now with the great brotherhood of the ages in the temple of the one true light, the Christos.
Feel the perfect harmony in this universal temple of brotherhood. Feel the rhythm of all life, the at-one-ment of all the kingdoms of life from the amoeba, through all the animal kingdoms, right to the supreme Being. Feel the rhythm, the life-beat of all creatures… Feel the complete at-one-ment of all life…
Worship in your own way in the temple of universal brotherhood. You are in IT: you are in this vast sea of life. You cannot be separated from your brother-sister, life. You are in IT, and your brother-sister is part of yourself, and all are part of God.
Be at peace.
From White Eagle on Festivals & Celebrations
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EASTER 2013
SURRENDER
Beloved brethren, your religion teaches you to feel unhappy at this glorious time of the year, and many are heavy with sorrow at the thought of the crucifixion of their lord and Master; they think sorrowfully of the physical body suffering on a cross. May we tell you that the crucifixion is not as you understand it. It is a symbol of the spiritual growth and evolution of man, the symbol of the initiation of the earth, and in it can be read the story of the liberation of the spirit from the domination of the flesh and earthly matter.
The beloved Master Jesus could not be crucified nor put to the agony which men imagine. He withdrew from his physical body, and could not be harmed through any physical ordeal. This is a great truth that you too have to learn, that the spirit of man can be touched neither by pain nor grief nor sorrow.
The lower nature, the self which is full of pride resents having to surrender to the will of the Father; and so long as it resents it suffers. You have experienced this in your own life. You are in this sense crucified in matter, and you suffer; but as soon as you surrender to the will of God, your suffering ceases.
This is a lesson which Easter has to teach. It is a time of sweet surrender to the light and beauty of the spirit; and with this surrender comes the great outpouring from the Son, Christ, to bless the child of God.
The crucifixion is a symbol of the earth initiation in which (put in very simple language) the soul, having seen the glory of the Father, is able to demonstrate that glory in his actions on earth. It is one thing to know theoretically, but practice is very far from theory. The earth initiation means bringing the Christ spirit into manifestation in daily life.
Whatever your personal sorrow, fix your vision upon the glorious light of God and you shall have peace in your heart and you will rejoice, for the love of God will be made plain to you. Do not let your mind batter at you with trivial questions. Rather cultivate steadfast faith in goodness and in evolution. Cultivate a very steady and calm mind and a heart full of love towards God and your fellow man……….
From White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations
THE ARISEN CHRIST
The message for which all the world is waiting is that of the arisen Christ. When this message from the spirit is heard by the world humanity will receive the full power of the spiritual Sun, of the arisen Christ.
During the Christian era, men have studied the message of the Master Jesus, but they have not comprehended its full implication. Man does not even understand why he is on earth; nor does he know that he came from realms supernal – that is, that his spirit as a divine spark came from realms of light. If man once understood the purpose of his life here, and the whole story of his spiritual birth, evolution and resurrection, he would turn his face to the light; and instead of dwelling on the form of the crucified man, he would see a risen sun; and in the heart of that sun would see the Perfect One, the son of man and the Son of God. He would see that form with arms outstretched making a cross of light within the circle of light, and he would be seeing his goal, the end of all his travail. Then his would be inspired by the divine love of the Christ Spirit………….
From White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations
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January 2013
THE NEW YEAR
It is customary at the beginning of each year for kindly people to wish each other happiness, or ‘good luck’ (though we know that there is really no such thing as good or bad luck). But what do we mean by happiness? Will satisfaction of our material desires and longings bring us happiness? If every material or even spiritual desire is fulfilled, will this bring us a happy New Year?
We do not think you will find this to be so. Happiness is not merely pleasure, for happiness can come sometimes in the mist of great sorrow. Happiness, my friends, is the realization of God in the heart. Happiness is the result of praise, of thanksgiving, of faith, of acceptance; a quiet, tranquil realization of the love of God. This brings to the soul perfect and indescribable happiness. God is happiness.
And so, my dear friends, we do not wish you good luck, we do not wish you prosperity, we do not wish you good health … we wish you supreme happiness in the union of your spirit with the Great White Light, with Christ, and all His angels. We wish you the happiness of heaven, for no earthly event will ever rob you of this. Not birth, nor death, nor sorrow can rob you of this true happiness of becoming at one with our Father-Mother God.
And so may you find this happiness in the New Year, and may you be able to sow a little seed, or shed a little light onto the pathway of another and thus share your happiness with your brother.
White Eagle.
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December 2012
WE ARE WITH YOU AT CHRISTMAS
We bring all love from the brotherhood invisible.
No matter how far you travel, wherever you go, whatever you do, the friends of your spirit will be close beside you, and the happiness and joy which you feel in your hearts will be increased by their loving presence. Never shut us away at Christmas, we like to come in, we like to come into your heart and into your home.
We know many of you feel wistful about those who have passed away from your side. Yet they are still by your side. They have not left you; and if you can remember this during your Christmas you will lose all sense of loneliness and grief. You will know that where there is love there can be no separation. True, they are spirit; nevertheless they remain the same individuals that you loved, when in their fleshly dress. They are with you now and they will remain with you throughout your quiet, peaceful and joyous Christ mass.
White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations
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October 2012
SAINT FRANCIS
On October 6th we remember the life of that most beloved of Christian saints, Francis of Assisi, who was so close to the heart of God that he was not separate from any one of God’s creatures. But Francis is not just a figure of long ago; he is still alive and active behind the scenes of life in the world today, working ceaselessly to lighten the burden of pain and terror borne by the animal world, because of men’s callousness, cruelty and greed. His is the inspiration behind the many groups working to alleviate animal suffering in all its many forms, and to educate and awaken mankind to respect and revere all life.
It is easy, in the face of such a mountain of wrong, to feel useless and inept, but never forget that all reform starts first with thought. It starts on the inner planes of life, in the soul world; and this is where each one can play a giant’s part by the very positive and active radiation of the light of the Christ Star to affect mankind’s outlook, stimulating all that is good and loving and aware in mankind; and also to invoke the healing angels to move among the animals, bringing healing and protecting them from fear.
We can also help by looking closely at our own way of life; in case, in ignorance or thoughtlessly, we are abetting cruelty in any form. We do not think it helps to argue and fight, for this only stimulates the negative forces and creates new dissension, upon which cruelty feeds. But the quiet but very positive radiation of the light of love and understanding, trying ourselves to live in harmony with the law of God and in conscious awareness of the unity of all life, will work miracles.
Prayer: May the light of the Christ Star shining from my heart bring compassion to the heart of humanity and healing to the world of nature.
The above was written by Ylana Hayward, our former Lodge Mother who passed on last year, from Stella Polaris October/November 1999.
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September 2012
September 22nd brings us to the first day of autumn. How quickly the summer has flown!
We are now getting ‘back in the track’ so to speak, after our summer break.
It is good to come together again and continue our White Eagle work as autumn approaches, bringing shorter days and cooler temperatures – almost forgotten (but not quite) those days of summer when the temperature reached 35 celsius!
Here are some of White Eagle’s words on autumn……..
“After the culmination, in the harvest thanksgiving, of all the vigorous growth and activity of the summer season, it is good to feel the gentle peace of autumn pervading the fields and woodlands, parks and gardens, even the very earth herself. As the sap withdraws into the roots and the life-force within the earth becomes for a time quiescent, this deepening peace becomes almost tangible. This is a time of the balancing of the life-forces. The eternal law of balance manifests in every aspect of life, in light and darkness, summer and winter, the ebb and flow of the tides, and in so many ways in the wonderful mechanism of the human body. It manifests too in the swinging of the human consciousness between the outer and the inner worlds, between waking and sleeping, life and death. The coming of autumn in the northern hemisphere is the beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere, and vice versa. So too, the withdrawal of human life from physical manifestation means birth on the inner plane. We mourn the death of the body but those on the other side of life rejoice because the soul is born again to them. In nature the withdrawal of life from outward form is quiet; but even as the leaves fall and the golden stubble is ploughed in and the quiet of autumn settles upon the land, deep below the outward manifestation a new life is stirring, as it were a heavenly spring-time……..”
On September 29th we celebrate the festival of St. Michael and All Angels, and White Eagle tells us………
“The archangel Michael is one of the Sun spirits, a messenger from the Sun, the sphere of the Cosmic Christ; and the sword he wields is that of spiritual truth, which Christ places in the hand of every one of his followers - the truth of the spirit or of the Son of God indwelling within every human breast. This is the weapon which will guard man through every crisis of his human life, which will give him strength to overcome.
At the beginning of this new age of brotherhood, the Age of Aquarius, with its vast potentialities for destruction as well as progress, it is necessary for all peoples who understand the power of the light to work with the angels of the light, to give their allegiance to the archangel Michael and all his angels, so that the white light may maintain the equilibrium and bring mankind into that golden age which is waiting to manifest on earth.
It is a time when angels from heaven are drawing very close, breaking through the barriers of darkness and unbelief, and bringing the light to men. We want you all to become familiar with this companionship, and believe that angels can help you in many, many ways. All people are guided throughout their days on earth by an angelic guardian. When you are sad think of the radiant angels who are very near to you. Give them your confidence, having yourself done your very best. Then be ready to respond and they will lead you out of your prison into the freedom of the spirit.
Have no fear, my children. Attune yourselves to this invisible company of angels, and you will find their power manifests in your daily life.”
Both the above teachings are taken from White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations.
If you would like to learn more of White Eagle’s teaching on angels we feel sure you would enjoy Spiritual Unfoldment 2 where he describes the ministry of angels and the invisible worlds of nature.
Happy autumn!
Bright blessings from us all at the Ontario Daughter Lodge.
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June 2012
THE CHRIST FESTIVAL
You come from the Sun, the source of light and happiness for all humanity, love; and to the Sun you all return, but in full consciousness of the powers which your Father-Mother gave you at your birth from the great Heart, the cosmic Heart, the centre of love, wisdom and power.
The message of Jesus, the Christ, is the message of eternal life. Understand that life itself is the Sun in you, and the Sun is the Christ spirit; and that the Christ spirit is divine love, which is ever creative, ever bringing light out of darkness.
The greatest work you can do on your earth is to turn your faces to the light, to live for the light and to help all men towards this realization of light. You are not born to live in darkness and unhappiness and hardship. You are born so that you may develop the powers of the Sun in your soul; and unless man is doing this he is not making use of his life as God intended.
At the full moon when the sun is in the sign of Gemini there is a great festival in the heavens, the Christ festival, when there is an exceptional spiritual outpouring upon the earth and into the hearts of men from the Christ Sun. The ceremony takes place on the plane of what we call the white ether. The white ether is the level of consciousness where all souls can hold communion with the Son of God, the Cosmic Christ. It is the plane of reunion, the plane of true brotherhood; it is the plane of the Cosmic Christ. At this level the great Christ Festival takes place, and those who are functioning always at the Christ level look to their brothers in the flesh to be channels through whom they can pour the light and love of the Christ Sun on to earth’s humanity.
And so, at the time of the full moon in June and near the summer solstice, give yourself time to withdraw, mentally, from the cares and attractions of the physical life and, in spirit, join the company of those assembled high in the etheric peaks of life, on that plane of the white ether. Be very still in mind and body, try to feel that point of light in your heart which is of the Sun, and receive into your heart the glorious outpouring from the heart of the Sun…and become an instrument to radiate light and love to all mankind.
-- From White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations
This year the Christ Festival falls on June 4th, this coming Monday, and is a day of great spiritual significance. -- Best wishes from us all at the Ontario Lodge.
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EASTER 2012
Now is the time of resurrection, resurrection from darkness and the cold of wintertime into a golden spring. How thankfully you greet the sun in your northern hemisphere as the days grow longer and brighter after the drear cold. This is an illustration of what takes place in the soul of man when he can attune himself to the warmth and the love and the light of the spiritual sun, and free himself from his enslavement by physical matter. We are not suggesting that the physical life is unimportant. The physical life on your earth is of the utmost importance. But man has been put into a physical body in order to learn to free himself from the bondage of matter and to fill the physical life with the beauty, happiness, well-being and health that God intends him to have. In other words, to attain mastery over physical matter. By self-discipline, by subjugation of the lower instincts, the selfishness which is within the flesh, and man can be reborn into the spirit. In time the spirit will command the whole earth and the golden age will come on earth.
The golden age! At this time of the year, in the spring time when the sun shines, bringing warmth and lightness and joy to the earth, nature bursts forth into golden flower, and green-gold leaf – a reflection of that lovely golden spiritual sunlight which radiates from the Christos. You have no conception of the beauty of that golden light radiating from the Lord Christ, which shines forth like a blazing star all over the earth.
Have you ever noticed that many of the spring flowers which push through Mother Earth at Easter time, the daffodil, the hyacinth and many others, manifest the symbol of the six-pointed star? They have six petals; and deep within the flower you will see yet another little star in many of them. Just examine your spring flowers and you will see there the message of the arisen Christ, for the six-pointed star is the symbol of man and God united. God manifesting through man. Man made prefect through the gentle Christ spirit within his being. My children, when you release yourselves from the bondage of earth, of materialism, you will not only recognize the Christ spirit in the world of spirit, but you will also recognize it down on your earth. But your recognition of it depends on you and on your own way of life, your own spiritual development, the unfolding of that flower of the divine spirit within you.
Throughout the ages there have been Christed ones, men made perfect by the Christ spirit within; men who have learnt the secret of the Christ being. But Jesus above all, through his life, death and resurrection, demonstrated the power of God which was within him and within every man, to transfigure, to transform, to irradiate matter. Did he not say, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do …? Every man has this gift within him, but the creative power which man has to change himself, to change the world, is not loud, noisy, and quarrelsome - it is the humbles, gentle, loving spirit. It is the gentle spirit of Christ which you all have within you which is the power that performs miracles.
This, my children, is what will save mankind, not the crucifixion of the Master on a cross, but the crucifixion of the lower self and the release of the glorious son of God in man. Eastertide is not the celebration of death and physical crucifixion; it is the celebration of life and resurrection, an awakening from materiality into the beauty and wonder of the spiritual life -- not after the death of the physical body, but whilst you are still living on this beautiful earth, in this beautiful world which God, the first great cause of life, has created.
White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations
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JANUARY 2012
This White Eagle teaching for the New Year is all-encompassing; so encouraging and strengthening that we wanted to share it with you. It actually came in the monthly Newsflash from our Mother Lodge, St. John’s Retreat Center earlier this week.
From a White Eagle New Year’s Address:
“Behold I make all things new!” You, beloved family, stand at the threshold of a New Year; which means you have before you fresh opportunities for serving God and helping forward the spiritual evolution of the present age.
You survey the earth and the conflicting minds of humanity and your hearts are sad, or perhaps even full of fear. You wonder what the coming year holds in store. The masters and the lord of Karma who direct the progress of mankind will reveal to hearts which are pure and simple the truth of that future. From these great beings who control and direct the destinies of mankind we bring to you the message for the New Year.
In spite of uneasiness and fear they tell us that the new age is destined to bring a new revelation of God to mankind. Before the coming of this new revelation the heart of mankind must be prepared. The furrows must be ploughed before the seeds can be sown. That plough is even now at work on the earth and some people are finding this process unpleasant because it means a complete revision of preconceived ideas they held concerning their own personal and particular comfort and benefit.
The new age brings to humanity this wonderful and glorious revelation of life in a spiritual sense, a revelation of the brotherhood of spirit. Men and women have to learn that they cannot live for themselves – cannot live to him or herself. They have to learn that every thought and words and deed of theirs affects the whole race. They have to learn also that whatever is gained for self alone cannot be enjoyed, for he or she cannot be happy while his brother man remains in want. For personal happiness depends upon the welfare of all others. This is a hard lesson, which is why much conflict arises while the ploughing of the field is taking place. However, when the first furrow is ploughed the ploughman keeps his vision straight before him, concentrated upon the sign-post towards which he is driving. Therefore this New Year do not be deflected by the opinions and fears of the world, but keep your vision steadily fixed upon your goal; remember that with every passing day fresh opportunities are being offered to you by the lords of karma...
We give you this message as one of hope, and to comfort you. For what takes place in the personal life, the individual and particular life, is taking place in the collective life. That which you see in the world which appears painful is the way that the race must travel. That which you see in the personal suffering of someone is the way that particular soul must travel… as you accept with patience and with sweet surrender the difficulties which you encounter, so will you find flowing into you a great power, which is a light and a life-force which will make all things new… Be consoled and know that God is love, God is wisdom. He looks to His children, to you and to all men and women to live in accordance with his Divine decree. As you do this so will you enter into the perfect kingdom of life…
God be with you. God bless you…all our love to you…”
Trusting that this New Year will bring you deeper insight and wisdom, casting bright light on your path.
Very best wishes from us all at the Ontario Lodge.
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DECEMBER 2011
Christmas Day is almost here!
Last Sunday we held our Christmas Service and welcomed Ray back! It was so good to have him with us again for a short while, ‘in the bosom of his Canadian White Eagle Family’!
One of the carols we sang was ‘It came upon a midnight clear’. The bards of old were very special men. I think you will agree when I remind you of the words of the last verse :
For, lo! the days are hastening on,
By prophet-bards foretold,
When, with the ever-circling years,
Comes round the age of gold;
When peace shall over all the earth
Its ancient spendours fling,
And the whole world give back the song
Which now the angels sing.
We shall keep on keeping on to help bring the Golden Age around once more!
In the book ‘White Eagle on Festivals and Celebrations’ there are several pieces on the Christmas Festival, and here is part of one:
"…..At this time of year a heavenly outpouring of love and wisdom comes from the holy and blessed Trinity, Father-Mother-Son, an outpouring to which all men and women will respond according to their sensitivity or degree of spiritual evolution. Each aspect of the Godhead has a particular influence on humanity, on the human spirit, the soul, and the body. And at Christmas time in particular the divine Mother (as well as the divine Child) pours forth the love, the joy and the sweetness of the spiritual life.
For this reason the heart (or human love) in everyone becomes stimulated and there is a desire to think of others, to make contacts which will renew goodwill and kindliness among you all. Never close your heart to this great inflow of light from God at Christmas time………………Every season has its own spiritual significance, but of them all Christmas is the greatest for it binds the human family together as the heavenly family is bound. The light shines from the heavens and enters the cave, the chakra of the heart. There the light gives life to the Child, renews the Christ life. It is not enough that you accept this truth with your mind. You must accept and believe with your whole being.”
From our hearts to your hearts we send much love, and may the magic of the Christ-mass remain with you throughout the coming year.
From all your friends at the Ontario Lodge.
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OCTOBER 2011
Recently, during our Absent Healing Group, we read this inspiring ‘Gentle Brother’ and wanted to pass it on to you in the hope that you will find it inspiring, too. We also hope that you will find comfort and encouragement in White Eagle’s words as we ‘Keep On Keeping On’ together.
THE GENTLE BROTHER
You cannot too often call upon God in your heart. This, my dear brethren, is the secret of your happiness, your joy in service. Even if you are making food, if you are polishing a floor; if you are tilling the ground, watering the flowers – whatever you are doing, even if you are perhaps weary and unhappy, think to yourself, ‘I am doing this for God, not for myself, but for God…God…God’. And your thought of God brings healing to your heart, and healing to the particular condition or person you desire to help.
You think your world is in chaos; but we know that by the help of the many groups at the present time who are discovering God, the reality of life, who are praying to that God for peace and good-will, gradually, step by step (like walking up a ladder, from earth to heaven), humanity is being raised. Humanity is doing a lot of talking and quarrelling, but it is learning, and it is gradually rising above those things of a material nature which are the enemies of mankind. You are gradually escaping from them, you are gradually overcoming your enemies, because you yourself are beginning to see light, truth or in very ordinary language, common sense, which means the sense of right-ness and harmony.
You are never alone. Your need is understood; but every worker, whoever you are … has to undergo tests. This is the secret which you must try to understand. Every worker is faced with many tests. These tests can be uncomfortable and make you very unhappy; but on the other hand, they can bring you strength, they can bring you an increase of spiritual power and love, and so can fill you with indescribable happiness and joy.
Never forget the angel by your side. Hold the hand of love and true humility in your work. ‘Lord, of myself I can do nothing. It is Your life-force within me which does the work, which guides my brain and gives me strength to work manually, mentally, spiritually.’
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SEPTEMBER 2011
Hello, everyone!
The summer has passed very quickly, it seems, and once more we are back in the track and raring to go! Hope your summer was a good one.
We still have a few kinks to iron out on our web site and we thank you for your patience.
Our first Sunday Service of the season will be on September 25th and it will be good to see everyone again. We would love to have you join us for our services if you can.
The groups have started up once more (the Oakville Group continued throughout the summer) and so we are off and running. You are most welcome to join the group of your choice
I think most of you have heard by now that our beloved Lodge Grandmother, Ylana Hayward, passed into the light in the early hours of September 7th. Her passing was peaceful, surrounded by her family. What a wonderful welcome she would have received on the other side! Ylana was very active in the Lodge for 77yrs. She had just celebrated her 95th birthday in August. We certainly miss her physical presence, but know that she will continue to work with us, seeing a lot more clearly now!
Our Mother Lodge in Texas has had a very difficult summer with the drought. Fortunately, the fires did not reach them
Please hold them, and all the state, in the light of the Christ Star.
Thank you for visiting our site.
Good wishes and bright blessings from us all at the Ontario Lodge.
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May 2011
THE DAUGHTER LODGE HAD VISITORS
What a pleasure it is to share the home and countryside we love with dear friends from far away! This we experienced recently when Anne and Austin Bassett, who work at St. John’s Retreat Centre in Montgomery, Texas, came to visit us here in Southern Ontario, Canada. For Anne it was in part a return to places she knew from childhood, and for both of them a vacation and a rest in the bosom of our Ontario Daughter Lodge family.
Nancie Patterson, Anne’s mother, had been an integral part of the Daughter Lodge here from its inception eighteen years ago, and a member of the Lodge before that of course, so that Anne’s tie by birth to us makes her doubly dear.
To say that Austin and Anne are easy guests is an understatement. I had some trepidation when inviting them to stay in my modest, small apartment, yet somehow they managed to fit themselves in and join in my rather staid routines with apparently total ease. They took my lively dog Star to their hearts, and he is still missing them, I fear, as are we all. The advantage to staying in this particular spot is its peacefulness and its closeness to waterfalls, meadows and woods, which I think they enjoyed fully.
Photo: Austin and Anne (right) visit with friends Eda and Dianne in Toronto.
It has been a cool and rainy Spring here, and we were most fortunate to have good weather while Anne and Austin were here, so that they were able to enjoy a day out with Pat at Niagara Falls and then Niagara-on-the Lake, one of our prettiest small towns. While they were there they visited one of Canada’s icons, Tim Horton’s, for lunch. They spent an afternoon with Anna and Karen, having a memorable and rather outrageously extensive lunch at the Mandarin, a favourite Chinese buffet. We all enjoyed a pot luck lunch at Sue and Johnny’s home in Binbrook, which members from near and far attended. We were glad that Austin and Anne were able to share in our Brotherhood Service too. At the end of our visitors’ stay in Greensville Ray came to pick them up, and he drove them to Toronto and then ferried them around for the rest of their vacation in the big city, finally taking them to the airport to fly home.
Perhaps what we all enjoyed the most was the chance to be in Anne and Austin’s company, talking about White Eagle, the teachings, and the Lodge, hearing each others’ experiences and maybe enlarging our understanding of the depth and richness of our Brotherhood heritage. This is not to suggest that we did not laugh often, cry occasionally, and eat too many peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. It was a gift to us that Anne and Austin chose to spend their precious vacation here, giving us much to look back on with delight, and encouragement to keep on keeping on our White Eagle path.
Margaret Rees
May 2011
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After our Absent Healing Service on Monday afternoons, we always read one of White Eagle’s Gentle Brother’s and we particularly loved this one, although every one is a little jewel, and we wanted to pass it on.
THE GENTLE BROTHER
Beloved brethren, we pray that in your hearts you will feel the love and understanding of the Brotherhood of the Star. They bring this to you, dear brethren, because every human being needs understanding. People are so hasty in their judgments. Oh! how quick the human nature is to rise up in judgment – and such judgment is always wrong. But the Master does not judge, he is all-love.
The Master listens to your thoughts. Each one of you vibrates thought, and thought is the most powerful agent in life. Life is the result of thought. As a man thinketh, so he is. Humanity is born on to this earth planet by God’s thought and God’s love for His children, the little sparks of His own life. As your children are born of your love, so all the great family of mankind is born of the love of the Father Mother God. Therefore try to be compassionate and tenderly understanding of your brother. There is so much confusion of thought on earth, but you, as an individual, can do so much to help humanity; you can do so much by being right with God in your own heart. If you are right with God in your own heart you cannot do any other but be right with your fellows. Let a man set his own house in order, then he will no longer judge others. Get right yourself, right with God; put into operation the law of unity and harmony, and in this way you will help your country, you will help the whole world.
God loves us all. God is love. You are part of God. There is no higher gospel, no purer gospel than the gospel of love. Look for the best. Never condemn. Remember that every soul has to learn to recognize God in every form of life. You call life good and bad, but you will learn that all life is one and what appears to be bad, and what you on earth call evil, is really the life of God evolving and causing all that is good to rise to the surface. Think of that, my children, and balance what appears to be good and evil, for both are part of life. Both have their part to play in the growth, in the evolution, and in the salvation of every living thing.
Keep on keeping on and you will get there, you will get there.
We hope it speaks to you, too!
From us all at the Ontario Lodge.
