Different attitudes to the account of Martinus mission

Martinus wrote this 1936:

"In as much as my work has gradually been made accessible to a good many people, appreciative of its spiritual science as a fundamental factor in their lives, I have considered it appropriate to furnish them with a brief survey of the events directly giving vent to this spiritual mission of mine.

These events, leading to my vocation, are of a character so unusual, that a mere description, however detailed, will at most seem fantastic and unreal to the uninitiated; to the more intolerant of those who have not as yet fully embraced the message of love my experience may even give offence. In extreme cases, in the guise of “holy indignation” they will go so far as to characterize me “obsessed by the devil”, “a blasphemer”, a victim of “megalomania”, or some other form of abnormity or insanity, not to speak of the rare instances when I have been designated “Antichrist", “a false Messiah", etc.

People of this stamp have evidently in course of time become so deeply rooted in the notion that so-called “revelations” are past phenomena, exclusively applicable to biblical persons. For thousands of years it has been proclaimed and reiterated from pulpit and platform, from church and chapel, and in the open air, throughout the world - that “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”; that ”God spoke” to Moses; that “God spoke” to the prophets; that Jesus was “transfigured” on the mountain; that the apostles were “filled with the Holy Spirit”, appearing like “tongues of fire”, settling down on them; that Saul (= Paul) on his way to Damascus was enveloped in “a white light”, and so on and so forth. Nevertheless most modern people on the same level as referred to above would be the last to understand or believe that the same events might just as well take place at the present time, in our modern, scientific, and technical era.

From the level in question it is considered quite natural that “the Spirit of God” in the form of “a burning bush” appeared to Moses, and that “the white light” enveloped Saul, though the former had committed murder and the latter was an obstinate opponent of Christ and a persecutor of his followers; the truthfulness of these narratives is firmly believed. At the same time, if a man today is to tell that he has been “overshadowed by the Holy Spirit”; that he is “One with the Father”; that he has himself become “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, his statements are not to be credited, and he is personally subjected to calumny, however upright and blameless he may be, and however well he may sustain his assertions scientifically.

But this is not to be wondered at. The said opponents, so far as logical reasoning and analytic powers are concerned, are still in religious bondage. They do not as yet feel independent enough to break with the official opinions of the “herd”. the firm views of which constitute an unwritten code, acting as a religious go-cart, in virtue of which they attempt to keep erect, as long as their mental aptitude for penetrating into the expository labyrinths of life’s mysteries is still in a state of dependency and helplessness. In this condition a life beyond the scope of prescriptive religious traditions and dogmas would to them be like a wilderness, where, left to themselves, they would be spiritually starving and, in one way or another, seem to be in danger of perishing miserably.

Judge not!

To people of the type described above, this communication is not written. Notwithstanding, if inadvertently it should fall into the hands of a person so disposed, let me at once give the following advice: By all means, stick to the religious persuasion which to you means life and happiness, and which you regard as the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

Do not for a moment imagine that I am anxious to have you deviate from this supreme vital basis of yours. I do not entertain the slightest wish to weaken anybody’s faith in whatever is found lovely, noble, and true, and as such proving to be a divine inspiration to the individual in his everyday life.

At the same time I ask you to remember that it would be violating the Great Commandment of love not to admit that your knowledge may be limited, and that beyond this limitation you are encompassed by a zone of which you may know nothing, in so far as you act as a “believer” only. For beyond this sphere of yours there does exist an infinite zone of which you may be ignorant, and which, accordingly, cannot but constitute an impenetrable darkness. What this black night of apparent nonentity may conceal, you can have no idea of. Consequently, you can be no authority or qualified judge whenever the vistas of this terra incognita is being broached, for it is only within the domain of personally acquired knowledge that your dictum will count.

In the sphere where you exist simply as a “believer”, your capacity must necessarily be limited, for here you live on what others have been telling you, what others have written. This is to say that here you are a mere disciple, i.e. an apprentice, a pupil. You have not yet attained the mature stage where your education is finished. You have not yet obtained your certificate, passed your examination or test.

But is it not the wisest and most natural attitude for the pupil to acknowledge his deficiency when the role of “listener” is being assigned to him, rather than for him to imagine that he is entitled to pose as the “censorious” and “instructive” party, thus in fact, though unconsciously so, pretending to be a master or teacher? If the “believer” were to instruct the “adept”, the pupil might just as well take upon himself to teach the master. This would be like setting the cart before the horse, and everything unnatural militates against the principle of love. The “believer”, therefore, violates his own conviction by censuring the “adept”, even if this is done in good faith.

Moreover, is it not to this effect that Jesus said to his disciples: “Judge not, that ye be not judged; for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged”? The one who is really aware of this will pass no judgment on whatever he is ignorant. Consequently, it is not for the mere “believer” to do so, but a privilege reserved for the initiated “adept”.

Unto whom the Birth of my Mission is recounted.

If you happen to get into touch with the following account, roughly sketching the career of my life as one grand revelation of divine wisdom, resulting in a permanent transformation of religion into science, please remember, according to the above, that I am not here addressing myself to those who in advance repudiate my message, biassed against it through the assumption of having attained to the summit of religious experiences in virtue of “faith”, thus considering themselves “saved” and “blissful”. Rest assured, on the other hand, that I am seriously addressing myself to each and everyone sufficiently mature not to form any judgment on the basis of mere suppositions, such as denoted by “faith”, but exclusively to such as are impartial seekers after truth, to whom, accordingly, actual “knowledge” is sacred, hence eagerly pursued, the only basis for their reasoning power, their judgment, and their mode of action.

Why should “Revelations” not be just as possible now as in the past?

Your own religion teaches you that there is something superior to “faith”, viz. the actual, personal experience of light, and that, in case this did not exist, you would never have been granted the divine light of “faith”, would never have experienced anything about a deity, the great propositions of life, or the everlasting truths: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”; “Love one another”; “Everything is well with the world”, etc., which combined make out the fundamental realities of life.

If Moses, the prophets, the world redeemers, the apostles, and other representatives of divine wisdom throughout the history of the world, had not met with the Spirit of God, how should the Bible or any other inspired text-book have been composed? How would you have attained the “salvation” or “bliss”, which now constitutes the blessing of your own life? It is a fact that the persons referred to have brought new divine impulses into human mentality. But in this way it also becomes a fact that these men initiated something that no others could have told them, something that they did not acquire through reading. These new viewpoints have thus arisen in their own consciousness, their own mentality, a personal experience, constituting a first-hand-knowledge.

Since it is thus a fact that divine wisdom for centuries has been communicated through persons qualified to receive it, why should this transmission not continue? Why should only such individuals be subjects of interest simply because their experiences have gained a traditional patina? Why should these phenomena actually be treated as mental museum exhibits? Would it be logical to suppose that God in his divine providence, otherwise so firmly believed in, should not at the present time be just as interested in manifesting his supreme wisdom through individuals now alive, by literally revealing himself in flesh and blood in the sunny light of the twentieth century, just as well as in the days and nights of antiquity? Is it really logical to presume that present generations should be less in need of having the great vital truths revealed to them as conspicuous and palpable demonstrations in the midst of their daily lives?

Is it not a veritable fact that the modern way of reasoning is undermining the capability of belief, and that modern science-minded individuals have far greater difficulty in believing than the tradition-minded?

Jesus heralds future Revelations.

When a man, owing to his scientific attitude cannot “believe”; there is only one way for Providence to help such a modern-minded individual, not to direct his attention to revelations in the past, irrelevant as these are to the nonbeliever, but to have revelations repeated, corresponding to our own times, as scientific facts, reincarnated in any inspired modern prophet, manifested as such in word and deed, and accessible to anyone through impartial research.

But is not this exactly what your own religion has taught you? Has it not been recorded in the words of Jesus: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it into you.” When to this added that, among other prophecies, Jesus repeatedly emphasizes his own “second coming”, this does not, at any rate, indicate that past revelations were not to be repeated. What is “the Spirit of truth”? What is “the second coming of Christ”? Do they not mean the very greatest predictions imaginable? The things that the disciples of Jesus could not bear might at least imply that future generations would better be able to understand the mysteries alluded to, and would not, with the scientific disposition now prevailing, a greater facility of understanding the cosmic mystery be expected? And is not this the very reason that modern, science-minded people can no longer be satisfied with simple “belief”, but demand “knowledge”?

Be careful, therefore, not to judge others, for you do not know “when these things shall come to pass” nor “the day nor the hour”. “These things” will come “as a thief in the night”.

That in your mind you feel blessed on the basis of past spiritual events or revelations does not at all entitle you to imagine that these are adequate for all time or comprise everyone else; for if so, the prophetic utterances of Jesus would be quite irrelevant as far as the present generation is concerned.

According to your own religion, the Bible, the clergyman’s sermon, it is not out of the question that people of today can be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. It is no more an impossibility for God, therefore, to “speak” directly to an individual in the twentieth century than it was in bygone days. Nor is it to be precluded that a man of humble birth and of inferior position should be so spiritually minded that the Holy Ghost can be manifested in him as a physical entity, thus making religious revelations realistic facta for the present generation, even as was the case in ages past.

Only by virtue of love can the working of the Holy Spirit be realized.

Life itself and your own religion warn you earnestly, according to the above, not to judge. You are not aware with whom you have to do whenever you are face to face with your neighbour. You do not know anything about the secrets of the heart and of the mind. You can have no idea as to whether a comparatively unknown person is, or about to become, a divine revelation; he may, for all you know, be a messenger of God to man, a new herald of the world-redeeming principle. No matter what his (or her) social position may be, whether or not, for some reason or other, he may have to live near the “manger”, so to speak; that he (or she) may not go to church, be no member of any religious community, even be apparently irreligious; born and bred under conditions characterized as “sinful”, e.g. be a so-called “illegitimate child”, possibly neither “christened” nor “confirmed” - all of which does not preclude his (or her) susceptibility to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, a veritable incarnation of divine consciousness. The humble position referred to, at any rate, even seems to be preferred whenever the divine spirit is to be revealed in this earthly zone of ours; for it was not from a luxurious cradle to a golden throne, but from the manger to the cross, that the greatest redeemer - and consequently the grandest manifestation of vital consciousness - was revealed.

Do not, therefore, be too rash in your judgment, I beseech you! You never know when you may meet with an adept from some higher zone of existence. The zones in question represent other realities as to rank, position, and appearance than the earthly one which predominates by means of material prestige. And you must, by all means, not imagine that the initiated themselves are going to disclose their identity. Such individuals may obscurely move about amidst the rank and file of men without being recognized by them. As they have not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, such individuals may appear in the form of e.g. your errand-boy, your house-maid, your charwoman, or the like; but you will not be aware of it, unless peradventure in your own bosom you entertain such an affection for these very people that it makes them respond by opening their hearts and minds to you. So modest a social position does not in itself, to the great majority, call for respect or deference, because affluence and luxury in bearing and conduct are more likely to appear as the ideal way of building up a reputation with the press, with scientists, and even with the laity. Nor must you expect to be able to see and understand an initiated adept so long as public opinion, whatever is in vogue, or consideration as to what is done or not done, etc. is the criterion of your attitude, even if you should come across such an individual. You will perceive nothing whatever but the “manger”, the inferior form in which he will appear, possibly stressed by defamation, irony, and derision, whereby the uninitiated may attempt to hamper the passage of his earthly life.

Hence, be on the lookout! The Holy Spirit, besides being identical with the profoundest knowledge of God, is also equal to the highest degree of love. But this quality can only be recognized by such as are themselves filled with and guided by the supreme principle of love. If, therefore, you are imbued with this quality in its purity and refinement, you will detect the spiritual revelation of divine love in the bosom of anyone else, whoever he (or she) may be, and irrespective of whatever “rags” may serve as a disguise. That you feel “saved” yourself, therefore, does not endow you with any qualifications to pass judgment on others. Love alone constitutes the distinctive mark of divine affinity.

It is not the object of the initiated to plagiarize the manifestations of other consecrated individuals, but only, mentally and morally, to deepen man’s comprehension of life. When the Spirit of God overshadows an individual in his physical life, it is exclusively in order to convey something new to the human race, so as to raise the ethical standard to a still higher level. The initiated mediator, therefore, will never undertake to plagiarize what has already been communicated or revealed by the Spirit of God through the instrumentality of any other consecrated individual. “New wine is not put into old (leather) bottles.” The genuine adept has always come to the world in order to disclose or reveal a continuance of the divine plan for human existence. Consequently he will always thwart traditions and dogmas that are out of date, by exploding old prejudices. If he did not do so, if he confined himself to what thousands of clergymen, religious speakers, and others, according to messages propounded by inspired leaders of the past, keep on repeating throughout the world, what would be the use of his manifestation? In order to reiterate what has been preached for centuries there would be no need of any overshadowing by the Holy Spirit, no initiation, no cosmic consciousness or vision. The clear-sighted adept, accordingly, is not called upon to replace the manifestation of another equally consecrated individual, whoever he may be. His mission in life is solely that of producing fresh material for the expansion of mental and ethical understanding of genuine life at the core of all human phenomena.

It behoves you, therefore, to react circumspectly whenever you hear anyone tell you things that you have not been accustomed to acknowledge in the way of morals or ideals. You might meet with a new messenger of God. And now suppose that you were to censure, defame, and oppose his mission, would you not thereby be opposing God himself, thus making nought of the promises couched in your own religion by counteracting the consummation of the highest human aspirations?

You may be a clergyman, a member of the Oxford or Evangelical movement, an adventist, a spiritist, you may embrace the anthroposophic or theosophic persuasion, or what, not - all of which does not exempt you from acting according to your own personal responsibility. Was it not the very Chief Priest himself that became a “Caiphas”? Was it not, moreover, among all the rest in whom the official dignity as “moral guardians” was vested, the most zealous advocates for the crucifixion of Christ were found? And did not Jesus himself say that “the first shall be the last”? - It is hardly this position you aspire to! So be on your guard lest, sooner or later, you may be confronted with a corresponding problem, however self-confident in your own salvation you may feel today!

Three reactions to my account of the birth of my mission.

When in so many words I have addressed myself to you, my patient reader, it is because you now, if you continue to follow me, will have your capacity of love put to the test. By your attitude to the present account you will have to choose between two ways of reacting, unless you do not at all feel qualified to side with or against me and so remain neutral. If this is not the case, you will either understand me and rejoice at my disclosure and start along the path leading to redemption, towards perennial peace on earth, so devoutly desired, - or you will be irritated, grow intolerant, consider me a minion of darkness, and try to obstruct my way or harm me, thereby taking the path leading to war, grief, mutilation, and suffering, wholly irrespective of how religious you may consider yourself. In the latter case you will belong to the category of whom it will be most proper to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

This for your guidance in your reflexions, so that you may not in advance, without basic circumspection, try to oppose what you are now going to learn. And let me once more remind you of the superb admonition of your own religion: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” - “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

My wish for my readers.

Now perhaps the following question about my own person may have turned up in your mind: Do these admonitory words that you have been addressing to me denote that you yourself are “overshadowed by the Holy Spirit”, that you are an “initiated adept”, and am I supposed to believe that you even are a “world redeemer”? Let me at once make it clear to you that, for my part, I entertain absolutely no wish that you or anyone else should “believe” anything whatever. I am only anxious to make people investigate for themselves the actual facts relative to the divine manifestation in palpable, physical phenomena, whoever and wherever this might appear, so as to change mere belief into certainty, ignorance into knowledge, religion into science. I am desirous of subduing every form of personal worship and, on the contrary am working for an ever increasing recognition of the veritable existence of the Holy Spirit.

When in the above I have spoken so freely, it is certainly not do draw attention to myself - my personal and private ego. I am not so naive as to imagine that a personal prestige is attainable by merely speaking of oneself. I am fully aware that only a demonstration of the real facts will supply religious material that would appeal to science-minded people of the twentieth century. “Flattering words” will but “delight fools”, and homage on this plane of consciousness would only be the aim of a “fool”, i.e. one who is over-ambitious, thirsting for personal honour and admiration, wishing to be adored, lionized, and idolized, hence regarding everything else as of minor importance.

But how is such an individual to be a sober-minded and impartial channel for the manifestation of truth in the supreme sense? To a person for whom the verification of truth is of less importance than the admiration of himself, truth will be veiled, in as far as he is hankering for mere adoration. And the natural reaction characterizing a normal person in quest of the truth must be neutralized, to the extent that he is the one coining the truth, and not vice versa. The light of revelation, therefore, will inevitably be obscured by passing through individuals egotistically disposed.

The essentials in this account and the basis of my appearance.

At this juncture I wish to emphasize that the question of who I am and what I know can only be of secondary importance. The main thing is to demonstrate that manifestation of the Holy Spirit, i.e. an event, in the Bible designated a “revelation” actually has taken place, while I was wide awake, within the scope of my realistic experience. The question of making anyone believe in this revelation may, for my part, be left open. But what, on the other hand, I do want to stress is to demonstrate that the revelation or manifestation of “the Holy Spirit” referred to need not be anything miraculous or mysterious, but an absolutely sober- and perspicuous reality, in its way subject to analysis, as intelligible as any other realistic phenomena that we all may meet with in our daily experiences. Consequently, my aim is confined to that of founding a basis for attainment of knowledge in spheres where my fellow men have had to be content with belief and, accordingly, build on what others have been telling them.

To diffuse enlightened respect and veneration for the cosmic forces at work in life, to demonstrate that the golden rule of loving one another - these are scientific essentials, sacred to me, all this is the sole basis of my life. Every little area within the labyrinths of mysticism that I may be allowed to transform into veritable science, tending to make God a reality in the minds of my fellow men, is thousandfold more valuable to me than the blind adoration of a million “fools”.

Trusting that I may have made this clear, and that it may prove an aid in your appreciation of truth sublime and continue to study my manifestations, I shall just remind you of your own world-redeemer’s dictum: “for the tree is known by its fruits”. To transpose into science the quintessence of infinite truths, uttered by sages throughout the ages, will thus in loving-kindness be constituting my “fruits”."

© 1981 Martinus Institut