First Dream: A long, straight, empty asphalt road with a dividing strip in the middle leads me to the end where there is a mountain. Houses on my left, desert on my right. Above, there is a bright sun. I walk on the left-hand side of the road. There are no foot-paths and I have to cross the courtyards of houses with large trees to shade the owners and restaurants with tables and chairs to accommodate diners.

I do not feel comfortable entering somebody else’s private property but it is mandatory to go through them as my goal is to reach the top of the mountain. I enter a large courtyard looking for a way out, whilst a black puma comes running towards me. I am pleasantly surprised. I kneel and I open my arms to embrace the animal. She jumps on me and starts licking my face.

How does such an animal run free in the world? From where has she escaped? Who could be her master? But again, can a wild puma have a master? I am looking to find the owners of the house when a beautiful woman appears in front of me. She has long brown curly hair reaching her hips. She wears a brown dress with folds that cover her figure. She moves forward, stops in front of me and I tell her that she might have lost the black puma. She responds that the puma is not as tame as other such animals they have in captivity. She tells me that this black puma always returns home and they certainly love her just as much as the others. The moment I give the animal to her, the black puma transforms into a little blonde girl at the age of eight to ten. The lady takes the girl by the hand and together they leave, whilst I continue on my journey.

Second Dream: I climb up a winding staircase whose steps are made of books. At the end of the stairs, I meet the same woman from the first dream. She gives me two old leather-bound books to read to read in English language which is a real challenge for a Greek-speaker like me! One book is titled, BYBLOS, and the other, The Year of the Rabbit. She always speaks to me in English and tells me that I must read them. I respond that they are very heavy reading (and indeed they are at around 20cm thick each) and that I will not have time to read them in this lifetime. She answers me with a smile, not to worry, because I will definitely read them!

Third Dream: Waking up in the morning from my night’s rest and as I prepare to go for work, I have the memory of a dream without being able to remember the details. Is it lucid-dream?I try in vain to remember when a scene creeps into my mind at lunchtime. This same woman that I described in my second dream comes and tells me in English: “Take care of Ishtar”. I have a feeling that something is watching me and I should care for it too. The years pass.

I didn’t pay much attention to dreams then as I was a pure rationalist until the age of 41. At that time, I had no sympathy at all for metaphysics. Mythology seemed to me to be just a very nice fairy-tale with no realistic relevance to my life.

Trip to Jordan: A few days after my 41st birthday, I traveled to Jordan for a vacation. During my visit there to the ancient city of Petra, I came across a local Bedouin tribesman who was selling small ancient souvenirs he had found by digging in the sand around Petra, which he sold to tourists to supplement his meagre income.

At the archeological museum in Petra, I saw a room full of statues of the same figure I was seeing in my dreams. It turned out to be the ancient Goddess of Love, Ishtar, otherwise known as Venus, Isis, or Astarte.

I started researching on the internet for anything that could teach me about Ishtar; photos, texts, history, mythology, etc. Searching on Google, I found Ishtar, the old city of Byblos, Isis, then everything that followed flowed by itself. A photo from the theosophical classic book by HP Blavatsky, Isis Unveiled, especially caught my eye. This was a photo of Madame Blavatsky. Her penetrating blue eyes brought me a sweet shudder and a strong feeling of warmth. This experience led me to contact the publishers, the Theosophical Society in Pasadena. Bill Daugherty, the Secretary-General of the TS Pasadena, answered my letter, and that enlivened my interest in theosophy. I looked forward to receiving his next letter which was full of interesting research on mystical subjects and very thought provoking.

A few months later I received a parcel of transcripts of a variety of conferences which had been sponsored by the Theosophical Society Pasadena. I enrolled in some Correspondence Courses coordinated by Nancy Coker, who, together with her husband, John, did some incredible work at the International HQ of the TS Pasadena when they were resident there from the 1980s through to 2016 for John who passed away at the young age of 64 and Nancy who passed just a few years later at 70 years. They both wrote beautiful articles in, Sunrise: theosophical perspectives, the international magazine of the TS Pasadena. I starting reading avidly and it was like I found my new self!      

The famous American mythologist, Joseph Campbell, says every myth or story has three stages:

  • Separation (x),
  • Initiation (y),
  • Return (z). 

Do you notice the similarity with Campbell’s diagram of the process of Myth, and the logo of the Theosophical Society?

Most of us would acknowledge that we would prefer to change ourselves for the better and live more harmonious lives. So often we are out of tune with the more exalted part of ourselves. Many years ago, Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, a student of Rudolf Steiner asked him: “Why is it that the spiritual impulse is so weak in humanity today?” Steiner’s answer: “The plant of today lacks the nutrition to connect Thought with Will.”

Becoming aware of a character fault is the first step in transforming it. The next step is to be quiet with ourselves and allow ourself to feel it.  We need to take time for Meditation, for Contemplation. Five minutes can transform our lives. Slowly the “drivers” of our lives reappear.  We have all of the secrets of the mystery of life within us, waiting for us. All we need to do, is – not Think – which can derail our positive actions. The doing comes from Will. When we trust to act with thought-free awareness we begin at last to access the Higher Mind.

We begin to realize our inner world is with us all the time. A core of indescribable Sacred Silence surrounding us, interpenetrating us. We waste our time with the minutiae of life that are at best a distraction. The inner world waits for us to enter. It waits to impart understanding and embody wisdom in action.

In the silence of our intuition the wisdom of the Divine Mind comes to us and speaks with the voice of the silence. We begin to feel and know that what we are affects everyone on the planet. Maybe for the very first time we understand Nature by harkening to her silent voice.

Theosophy made me realize that material and spiritual progress are seemingly two opposite but parallel movements. One cannot be explained without the other, whilst together they explain the World! At this point in my life my spiritual guide came through symbols to me. It led me and continues to lead me to transcend on a symbolic path to virtue and spiritual growth through trials and obstacles that I will have to go through. Without this help, it would be impossible to succeed.

Everything in all grades and developments is a field of research and reflection from which we will catch the little precious gems of Truth. A comparative study that covers the past and present, science with myth, which is still trying to penetrate into the future without myopic barriers. That absolutely demands our theosophical presence, adapted to the world that is constantly changing and endows us with the appropriate means to explore every moment with a new eye. No anchors, no commitments to tie us to ‘rocks’ that no longer make any more sense.

So, the vitality of Theosophy is extremely important. The only one that ensures the successful accompaniment of our inner quests and expectations. Theosophy is far from dogma. Whatever truth each theosophist can approach depends on him/her. From his persistence in research and his physical, mental and spiritual potential. Of course, the Truth is an unfathomable place. It will never be found in its totality. But our studies and especially their application, the practice, in accordance with the theosophical principles, allow us to avoid dead ends. First of all, let us note that comparative study and self-knowledge exclude static states. NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN THE TRUTH – the motto of the Theosophical Society. It is the quintessence of the vitality of the Theosophical Society. It reveals that no spiritual organization monopolizes the Truth.

There is no belief or doctrine to nurture and support complacency. Our basic principles are simply “work cases”. The teachings of many contemplatives and philosophers are in complete agreement that after a certain point in spiritual growth what counts is not what you collect but what you reject. Prejudices, superstitions, fanaticisms, beliefs, knowledge that we thought made us great. This rejection will empty the sacred chalice of our being leaving room for some truths that have no place as long as it is full of the Lower Ego.

In all the texts of inner traditions there is a clear distinction between the two levels of consciousness, Truth and Falsehood. Man has a choice on his road to Truth. We must constantly develop and exercise the ability to distinguish and discriminate. It is the first of the qualifications that the prospective student of inner philosophy must acquire as is emphasized in the precious little book by J. Krishnamurti, At the Feet of the Master.

According to the Buddhist tradition, fools work attached to their works while the wise work without attachment. The wise man/woman does his/her job without caring about the result and without expecting a reward.

If we want to know what is real we have to overcome these limitations and that means the ‘destruction of the destroyer.’ Since the mind destroys the true by limiting the perception of the true, we destroy the destroyer by limiting its limitations.

“Before the soul can understand and remember, it must have united with the Silent Speaker, as with the idea of ??the craftsman the form imprinted on the clay.”

“Then the soul will understand and remember”.

“Then the inner ear will speak”

As soon as the soul hears the Voice of Silence, it will “remember”. Plato spoke of forgetfulness and memory saying that we all suffer from amnesia and that learning is a remembrance of what we have forgotten. That is a process of remembrance. Finally, what does the Voice of Silence tell us? What message does it deliver to us? So, let’s follow the prompts of HPB from her book, Voice of Silence, let’s be silent and meditate on them. There are so many beautiful and familiar horizons waiting for us as we progress on our soul journey!

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