Our spiritual development during Advent
What does Advent mean for us? Christmas?
We love the Advent preparations, the Christmas intimacy, but we also take seriously the spiritual and spiritual challenge and development that this period holds for us.
Advent is the season of light, yet it is also the time of greatest darkness in our world and the most important time of spiritual growth in the year.
The whole period from the autumn solstice to Christmas is a time of inner trials. It is a time when light diminishes and darkness increases in the world. As the light of the sun is outside, so is the spiritual light within us.
Already in the season of Advent, the "opposing forces" within us tend to come to the fore with particular intensity. At such times we can strengthen our moral-spiritual forces, and thus have a great opportunity for spiritual development during Advent.
The season of Advent is both an opportunity and a reckoning. An opportunity to move forward and grow, an account of the knowledge gained and the graces received. It is a time for man to develop certain moral qualities by trusting in himself and relying on his faith. These four weeks are a testimony to ourselves that we are capable of progress, that we are persevering on our path.
During the four weeks of Advent, we can take four tests and through them strengthen four moral capacities within ourselves. If we keep within us the energies of Love - Faith and Hope, and call in the divine virtues, we will move forward on the path of progress, strengthened by them all.
First week of Advent - Justice - Michael
they want to deceive man's outer and inner senses in order to corrupt the right relationship between man and the world. If man fails in this temptation, he is in danger of losing his sense of inner autonomy, the strength necessary for "spiritual rectification". This would, however, plunge him into the abyss of the deepest despair, into true spiritual death. Therefore, in order to resist this first temptation, man would have to develop in his soul to a great extent the virtue of justice: a subtle inner receptivity to the just cosmic forces that are everywhere prevailing in nature and in man.
The first test is particularly challenging for our physical bodies.The internal counter forces want to deceive our external and internal perception. If man fails in this temptation, he is in danger of losing his sense of inner autonomy, the strength necessary for "spiritual uprightness", and then the right relationship between man and the world is disrupted, leading to despair in man.
The virtue of justice is the first temptation to be averted. What is karma at the universal level is justice at the individual level, and justice can only be done by one who is in possession of certain universal truths. Justice helps us to see the divine side of everything and reveals falsehood.
And truth is the child of right cognition, and ultimately it is the virtue of justice that makes us human - an honest, conscious attitude towards ourselves and others.
We must learn to bear sufferings and disappointments with calm and unbroken fortitude.
This week, let us call in the Spirit of Justice and receive its energies through Michael.
Second week of Advent - Moderation, discretion - Melchizedek
The second test affects the etheric bodythe most. It can strengthen tendencies in us that can lead to a selfish, excessive increase of desires.
This week, conscious moderation is man's weapon. Make a conscious effort to meet our needs and not our wants. If we extend awareness to our speech, we can develop the virtue of prudence. Then we think first and then we speak.
We must learn to follow higher principles and ideals regardless of our personal mood and emotional state.
Third Week of Advent - Courage - Metatron
The third test primarily affects the astral body: the forces within want to arouse fear and anxiety in us. We can feel that we are losing our spiritual balance - as if the three forces of our soul want to turn into wild beasts that threaten to rush in and devour us.
- Will => wild bull
- Feeling => roaring lion
- Thought => predatory eagle
The separation of the three forces of the soul (will, emotion, thought) fills one with fear. And fear can make you do things you don't want to do. With the power of courage, we can bring these parts of our soul back into balance.
This is represented by the Sphinx : head of Man, chest, front legs of the Lion, back of the Bull and wings of the Eagle.
We need courage to tame these inner forces. Even in the most difficult situations, one must find the right solution by listening to the prompting of the spirit. We must preserve their presence of mind!
Fourth Week of Advent - Wisdom - Jesus
Once the balance is established, the test affects our whole being.In the time immediately preceding the winter solstice, we can reach the threshold of the spiritual world within ourselves. It is then that we have the opportunity to absorb new spiritual wisdoms, if we can stand the test of the intense forces that arise.
This is the test of inner solitude. It is through the sense of cosmic loneliness that arises from the detachment of the higher spiritual hierarchies that we come to experience the inner unity that leads to spiritual cognition.
Thus, if we endure the test in the fourth week of Advent, we have the opportunity to acquire and retain spiritual wisdom.
After successfully completing the previous three tests, in the fourth week, the opportunity to connect with the higher worlds opens up. This contact helps us to truly experience the sacred holiday of Christmas in a spiritual way.
It is this progress, this light that we can celebrate with our loved ones on Christmas Eve.
Through these trials, by developing our virtues, we can gain greater inner spiritual strength and make our whole life happier.
