D H Parsons

Contrary to what some might believe, there is a Divine Order to everything in this universe.  Unfortunately, some still do envision the universe as a total hodge-podge of random events and actions, and a very chaotic place in which to live.  But they would be wrong.

Actually, randomness, chaos and chance are relatively new concepts when discussing principles of a universal nature (i.e. science and spirituality.)  The fact is that every ancient culture believed the universe had a Divine Order to it.

There may be some scholars among you who might question that last statement because you remember the teachings you learned back in high school about the Golden Age of Greece and how, to the ancient Greeks, the universe and earth were formed or “created” out of what they called “Chaos.”

But Chaos to the Greeks was not necessarily a random state of being like what we would call chaos today.  Chaos was the name of the God who “personified the empty space that existed before the formation of the cosmos.”  Chaos was not a state of being at all; Chaos was the God who brought order to the universe.  Later on, in more contemporary times, we actually perverted the meaning and definition for Chaos and made it into what we know today.

In the ancient Egyptian mysticism, we find basically the same thing, only not as refined as the Greeks. One interpretation of the analogy being:  In the beginning was an eternal void of nothingness and out of that void appeared the great, Creative Intelligent Mind we call today, “God.”  Or, as we prefer to use the term, the Divine Source.

This Divine Source began immediately to order the universe by means of creative, thought process.  And wherever there was “chaos” (as we know the term today) or wherever there was disorder or randomness, the Divine Source automatically corrected the disorder by mental will alone.  (The terms, “creative thought process” and “mental will” will be discussed in detail in future articles.)

Out of the Egyptian Creation story there arose a concept for the total Divine Order of all life.  The ancients called this concept, “MAAT,” which literally translates as “order,” or “truth.”  Maat was the cosmic principle that was behind everything in this universe.  The solar systems, the constellations, the spinning galaxies, every star and every unknown anomaly that can be seen or not seen with the most powerful telescope in existence.

Since human beings are orderly creatures, Maat, was also the principle governing all human nature.  In fact, wherever there is order – which is everywhere and in all things – Maat is present, and has governance over the order of each thing, be it human, animal, vegetable, mineral, gas, liquid, and even things of an unknown nature.

To the Egyptians, Maat, was the principle that held their ancient and wonderful civilization together.  For thousands of years, because of the concept of Maat, the glorious kingdom of Egypt was able to do amazing things via an extended period of time that has not been duplicated since.  Things we can never even conceive of today.  From erecting this world’s most incredible architectural accomplishments, the Pyramids, to the practice of a system of intricate mystical symbolism that involves principles of astronomy which not only baffle astronomers today, but some have even suggested are not of this world. (Many of these almost unbelievable accomplishments will be covered in future articles by various writers.)

It is a fact that the concept of Maat was so well respected to this great civilization they personified it.  They saw Maat as the Essence of the one great Creator God that was responsible for Order, Justice and Truth.  They called this Essence the Goddess, Maat.  In Hieroglyph form, Maat is the Goddess who is represented as having a feather in Her headdress.

To be, “ma-a kheru,” or “at one with Maat,” was the aim of every Egyptian.  It was the Egyptian ideal to lead a life that was truthful to your beliefs in yourself as a Divine Being, as well as to be in total harmony with your neighbors, your culture and all of Nature.  If you chose to ignore the principle of Maat it would be a disgrace for not only you, but also your family and future generations as well. Indeed, the concept of Maat was taken very seriously.

Therein lies the reason why the Egyptian religion emphasized the teachings of Maat so extensively.  These principles brought harmony to the people and they brought an understanding of humanity’s relationship to the vast universe.  There is no doubt that the adherence to the principles of Maat by the populace was the principle reason this civilization lasted as long as it did.  It was really on when there came a time when a few corrupt individuals began to deviate from Maat – for reasons of greed and personal power – that Egypt, the greatest Empire this world has ever know, was able to be overrun and conquered by another culture whose strength lay not so much in civilized advancement, but in military might.

Now … what is the point of this detailed background?  Simple.  If the concept of Maat is an accurate one and if all the above has basis in Truth, that is to say that there is a Divine Order to all things, then we would be wise to work within the Laws and principles of that Divine Order, as opposed to fighting against it.    It would be wise to determine what those basic principles of Divine Order truly are, and then try to conform our lives to them, thereby reaping the benefits of “being in the flow” of Divine Order.  For it is only when we are in the flow of the Divine Order of things that we experience the most “good” for our lives:  good health, success, prosperity, peace of mind, emotional stability, wisdom and intelligence.

This determines success for our Spiritual path, as well.  If we are in the Divine Flow – conforming to Maat –, which is to say flowing with the order of this universe, then it will also be easier for us to more quickly learn how this universe operates.  We will be able to understand at least in part how “God” maintains the entirety of Creation.  This wisdom will allow a more rapid advancement of our  Spiritual quest.  We will be able to more quickly rise to the Spiritual heights the Divine Source originally intended for us, instead of merely “hanging around” here on Earth while playing at so-called religion.

Let us now define the basic, inherent principles for the Divine Order, Maat, as they relate to the Human Being.  If we do not know what these are there is no expectation that we will be able to live within them.

There are many Laws governing the Divine Order of the universe.  Some of these are the grander and more obvious Laws, such as the Hermetic Laws, and these will be given their own space in future articles, but there are a few more subtle sub-principles, if you will, that compliment the grander Laws and bring completion to them.  These sub-principles are much closer to home for us as human beings and as inhabitants of this particular planet we call Earth as opposed to the principles that might govern other worlds.

In this lesson we will cover two of these crucial principles as they relate to the Divine Order for our own lives.  If we are diligent and learn these principles well and apply them to our physical existence, we will see great success and rapid growth in everything that we are and on all levels.  This will occur because we are no longer fighting against the Divine Order, but channeling it through us, and letting it become such a part of us that we, just as the ancient Egyptians did, become “ma-a kheru.”  At one with Maat.

The first principle is the principle of TRUTH.

This concept goes far beyond “not telling lies.”  Within the Egyptian Mysteries, “Truth” was another name for God, and to be Truthful meant: to openly and honestly be the person you were designed, by God, to be.  To live in a contrary way to your own design was to disrupt the harmony of God’s laws for you.  The consequences for doing so were serious.  If you lived such a contrary life you would never live up to your highest physical potential, and your Spiritual growth would be placed in jeopardy as well.  At the very best, as a result of your living contrary to Maat, you would live a dull and unfulfilled life.

A good question to ask yourself at this moment is, “do I feel like I’m living a dull and unfulfilled life?”  If so, could it be that you are living outside the flow of the Maat principles?

The bottom line of Truth in Divine Order is that we should above all else desire to be what we were designed to be by the Divine Source, and not settle for anything of a lesser nature.  It is also a Divine principle that every one is designed to be something wonderful.  However, it is our personal choices and our own decisions that determine our success or failure in achieving that which we were meant to be.

Quite often, the reason we don’t become what we are meant to become is because we allow others to determine our life’s course for us.  You witness this in how some parents become over controlling of their children.  Even more common is how one spouse is held back from becoming who they were meant to be because of his or her abusive and controlling partner.

You even see this in contemporary churches that, for so long, have indoctrinated their congregations with false teachings and opinion, that very few within their ranks are able to break away and return to the Divine Flow for their own lives. They remain prisoners to the dogma and traditions of their chosen faiths, even though those faiths have no power.

All we have been discussing is really a form of lying to oneself, and thereby, going against God’s Divine Order and design for one’s life because, remember, Divine Order is based on Truth.  You will never become who you are meant to be by lying to yourself or by following false teachings.  You will only face discouragement and unfulfillment of the remainder of your life.

However, it is never too late to turn things around.  It is never too late to steer your course back into the Divine Order.  But you have to be honest about it. You have to admit wrong decisions and make new decisions that will correct the old.

The second principle of Maat is the principle of LOYALTY.

And here we are not referring to being loyal to your boss or your friends or even you family.  Some people have corrupt bosses.  Some have shallow friends.  Some are born into families that have serious problems.  And there is no teaching anywhere that ever demands that we have blind loyalty to any other human being.  That would more closely be termed “slavery.”

What the teachings do reveal is that the most important person you are to remain loyal to is YOURSELF.  Even in the Bible we find the command to “love your neighbor as yourself,”  assuming that if you do not know how to first love yourself you will not know how to love your neighbor.

Loyalty to oneself is crucial to Maat, because by being loyal to yourself you are honoring the principle of Truth, which is to honor the Divine Order for your life.  You are honoring God’s Prime Directive for us all:  that we do not remain stagnant on our Spiritual Paths, but that we progress.  That we move forward while learning everything we can along the way about the wonderful mysteries of the Cosmic Intelligence that is our Divine Source.  That we don’t find some comfort spot along the way and just sit on it for the rest of our lives.  That we don’t settle for Spiritual milk when we can be eating the solid nourishment of Truth and Wisdom.

Being loyal to ourselves means doing everything we can to grow and to progress.  To transform ourselves from how we used to be into what we truly are.  By constantly learning in order to develop what has been called the “Mind of Christ,” (1 Corinthians 2:16) or the Christ Consciousness, that is our due.  Because it is within the Mind of Christ where we find Maat in its purest form.

In order to develop anything – from a muscle to a mind – you have to use it.  This is a serious problem with religion today.  Religions do not allow a person to develop their own mind.  Churches teach a very basic form of Spirituality with very rigid rules to govern that form.  And this is a very narrow way of approaching the vastness of the entire universe!  Perhaps, this is why many scientists don’t go to church.

For so long we have been taught wrongly that being “like Christ” is being like the people who go to church.  And we have all seen the hypocrisy in that.  We have never been taught that the Mind of Christ is an ever expanding, intelligent, highly imaginative, ENERGY SOURCE that can be tapped into and used for purposes of gaining Higher Awareness.

This Truth is not being taught in churches today and that is why so many true seekers have evolved beyond the dogmatic tradition and have found them standing at the doors of the ancient mystery traditions.  That is why Eastern Mysticism and so-called New Age philosophy has become so predominate in today’s culture.  This mass exodus from the traditional church was not caused by the “urgings of demons,” as the church would have us believe, but by the church itself.  The church forced alternative philosophies to come into existence due to it its own mismanagement of Truth.

We must learn to be loyal to ourselves in order to learn everything we can that will bring about our state of Higher Awareness.  We must admit that there is more to this existence than meets the eye.  That is why the Apostle Paul said to, “live by faith and not by sight.”  (2 Corinthians 5:7)  Because we cannot believe the illusions placed before us by our own culture.  We must see everything through Spiritual eyes.  Through the “Eye of the Mind,” as Hindu Rishis refer to it.  We must use all of our senses for ourselves and not depend on the senses of the communal society in which we reside.  This is the only way to discover Truth.  To discover Maat.

To be “ma-a kheru” – at one with Maat – is about the most important thing you can be.  If you are not, you are fighting against the entire universe.  This is a battle you will never win.

APPLICATION