Atelier Master’s Message Winter 2018

Musings of Spring

Greetings, fellow Martinists!

by William Fickas, S.I. Master, Rocky Mountain Atelier

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:…

…A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;"

—Ecclesiastes 3:1&7 KJV

“Whether you like it or not, the sun rises when the time comes; whether you like it or not, the sun sets when the time comes!” ? Mehmet Murat ildan

The seasons point out changes and perhaps winter more than most. The text of the solstice is bookended mystically by the Ieschouah Ceremony and the Festival of Lights and more generally by Christmas, Yule and the New Year of the Common Era.

The Romans called the month January after their god of two faces, Janus. In the the material world there are many such dualities: portals to pass beyond and pillars to pass between. As you read this the ebb and flow of the seasons has already turned Winter's Tide. The Visible Sun, unbroken and unbowed, has begun its long climb back to the zenith of heaven. From where I sit on the other side of the door, Winter is coming and I am still in the West awaiting the journey to the East to greet the rising of the Invisible Sun.

We look at the sun rising in the east with astonishment and wonder. When the changing and ever rearranging path of life tweaks our best laid plans we can rage against it or we can recognize it as a shining inner sunrise and look at it with the same wonder we see the outer sunrise. With such wonder I stare at the Mystical East where I must go and curious path that brought me to its threshold.

This is also a season of giving and I give thanks to my sisters and brothers who have entrusted me with this and supported me. Particular thanks go to retiring Master Judith Stewart for her unceasing love and devotion to the TMO.

May You Ever Dwell in the Eternal Light of Divine Wisdom

Provincial Master’s Message Winter 2018

My Brothers and Sisters, Fraters and Sorores;

A new year is upon us. The Sun has ceased its relentless withdrawal and now is promising a new season with new life as it allows the days to become longer and warmer. And what are we going to do with this new opportunity, this new season of creativity and accomplishment? Well, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are all about!

There are many traditional areas in which to resolve to make changes in our lives: lose weight, stop smoking, finally get those projects done that we’ve been putting off, and such. But we, as mystics, should be looking a little deeper in our resolutions.

It is so easy to get caught up in daily life that we forget our Divine purpose in being here on the Earth plane. We are part of a tradition, going back millennia, that has but one purpose – to perpetuate and transmit the esoteric teachings that will lead mankind back to his original state of purity and oneness with the Creator. That gives us a little different perspective on what we should be doing in life. Perhaps our New Year’s resolutions should lean a little in this direction.

What can we do differently this year that is more in concert with our mystical tradition? We can study our teaching more thoroughly, we can improve ourselves through being more diligent in doing our exercises and meditations. Yes, this one area in which improvement can be made. These practices, and others like them, sharpen the edge of the mystical sword that we are to wield as knights of truth. But what of actually using this symbolical sword in doing the creator’s work? There are two aspects of Divine work. First there is learning and integrating into our being the esoteric teachings, and then, second, there is the living out and passing on these teachings. I’ve just touched on the first aspect. Now about the last practice. What does perpetuating the esoteric tradition mean? On the one hand it means passing on to those who are ready the deep understanding of the works of the Creator, of teaching and mentoring those who are just beginning to see the larger aspect and meaning of life. On the other hand it means being a shining light, a beacon, to our world, an example of what living with the knowledge of esoteric truths can do in a life. In this manner we draw to us, and to the esoteric tradition, those who are living in darkness and who have need for an awareness of humanity’s Divine heritage.

So, my fellow agents of Light, this year, and in all years to follow, let us focus on our true purpose in being here and less on the more mundane concerns and task. At this point in history the world needs us!

May you ever dwell in the Eternal Light of Divine Wisdom!

David Schloegel, F.R.C.

Provincial Master

Traditional Martinist Order