This commentary on The Sanctified Life by Mother Maria Juliana, written by Dr. John Gilbert, was originally published in Gnostic News, the official weekly newsletter of the Church. Mother Maria Juliana is the abbess of the Order of the Sisters of Juliana. Brother John is a professor at Universal Seminary and an archbishop in the Church.
The subject of this commentary is The Sanctified Life by Reverend Mother Maria Juliana, abbess of the Order of the Sisters of Julian. According to Reverend Mother Betty Jean McCloud Reeves, the presiding archbishop of the Universal Gnostic Fellowship, this is one of the most profound spiritual books ever written. In eleven short chapters, readers are taken through ten steps, that with practice, will help them live a sacred and holy life on Earth. You can download a copy of this book from our website for a donation: or ask the Church to mail you a copy.
According to Mother Maria, The Sanctified Life is devoted to the illumination of the spirit, to experiencing, or seeking to experience, union with the One, union with God, with the Divine.
Various religions and faiths call this union with the Divine by various names. It's called communion, satori, nirvana, seventh heaven, Divine Realization, spiritual trance, and a thousand other names. What it really means is that we attain a state of oneness with the Divine, a blissful state where we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that we are unconditionally accepted, forgiven and loved now and forever.
Whatever we call it, to experience this for even a microsecond is to know Divine Love. This is one experience you'll never forget. You'll remember this experience and this feeling for as long as you live. The question is not if you and I can experience this union with the Divine, but how we can attain it.
First, find a way of communicating your wants, needs and desires to the Divine, not as a whining and begging child, but as a mature adult with intentions for your life. Some of the ways you may want to explore are Contemplative Prayer, meditation and Intentional Prayer.
Secondly, download or purchase a copy of the Kybalion and a copy of The Sanctified Life. Read them both, one chapter at a time and develop your own system for implementing these practices in your life. My suggestion is to read the same chapter seven days a week until you understand the wisdom contained there.
Thirdly, find the time to take a Blessing Walk for ten to sixty minutes every day. You may download this technique from the website of the Modern Essenes free of charge.
Please read the Introduction and Chapter One of The Sanctified Life to prepare yourself for the next lesson and assignment.
Chapter One Reversing the Polarity is all about looking at ourselves from a different perspective. While we're trapped in this physical reality we think of ourselves as this body, this mind, this occupation, this title and as this person. We classify ourselves by our family, our home, our neighborhood, our community, our country, our things, our possessions, our abilities and anything else we can measure that separates us and sets us above or apart from others.
In other words, we see ourselves as in competition and opposition to each other, the environment and the Divine. Think about it for a moment. Isn't that really what humanity thinks life is all about?
Deep inside ourselves we know that isn't the truth of life. Deep inside we know we made a decision to be here, not to gather more possessions or become rich, not to be better at anything that anybody else, but to become a better person and help others become better too. We know we came here to cooperate with one another to make this reality a better place to live. We know we came here to learn how to love everybody and everything more and more. Deep inside ourselves, we know.
It's all about reversing the polarity and thinking about ourselves as a child of the Divine. Please review Chapter One and then read Chapter Two of The Sanctified Life to prepare yourself for the next lesson and assignment.
The Sanctified Life, Chapter Two, A State of Mind is all about changing ourselves so we're in contact with the Divine 24/7 (twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week). We can use any method of meditation, any style of contemplation or any form of prayer that suits us. The secret is to choose a method of communing with the Divine and use it.
Communion is really nothing more than communication with the Divine. This communication is a two-way street. If we are the physical representative of the Divine in this physical reality, then we have every right to ask that our needs and wants be satisfied. We just need to know what we really want (intention) and know that the Divine is more than willing to give us these things (belief). Then we allow the Divine to manifest these things in our life. If you don't have a system of daily prayer that's working for you, please take the time to investigate Intentional Prayer or Power Meditation.
In addition to this right for Divine intervention, we have the right to knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment. The tools we use to attain these are meditation and/or contemplation. In the reading section of the Universal Gnostic Fellowship website we have several things you may find useful. If you don't have a system of daily contemplation or meditation that works for you, please visit the Modern Essenes and check out the Essene Healing Breath Meditation.
The secret to spiritual growth is to speak with the Divine more and more. Just don't forget to listen. It's all about a state of mind and thinking about ourselves as children of the Divine. Please review Chapter Two and then read Chapter Three of The Sanctified Life to prepare yourself for the next lesson and assignment.
Copyright 2007 - 2011 Universal Gnostic Fellowship, all right reserved
Web Design and Hosting by IPX Services