‘Viable’ spirituality

According to early twentieth century Russian Orthodox Christian Hermeticist Valentin Tomberg (d.1973), there are several essential conditions to which any viable spiritual tradition must adhere.

[ His perspectives on this and many other issues of vital importance to those who would intend to grow as one of those who follow seek to Christ are contained in his treatise—“Meditations on the Tarot”, published 1985, translated by Robert Powell.   A spiritual director recommended it to me in 2004 and I have read and reread it twice since then. I recommend this book to anyone who desires to dive deep into the practice of contemplation/meditation.]

1. It must be founded from above. That is, it must “come from either explicit revelation, or by direct action from above—acting with moral irresistibility.” Examples: The monastic orders of Benedictine, Dominican, Franciscan, Jesuit, Cistercian…he goes on to say that “these orders have survived through the centuries because of explicit revelation or an irresistible vocation”. *I wonder if he would also apply this to the founding of Islam by Mohamed?

2. It must observe the ten commandments and be “inspired by the ideal of virginity”. The ten commandments signify much more than simply a moral code for daily life. “They signify the hygiene, the method and the fruition of the life in the Spirit”—including all degrees of practical esotericism.

In commenting on the ten commandments, Tomberg formulates, as a way of further explanation—the first four are in relation to the Living God, an awakening of one’s essential self to the individuated presence of Reality, in spiritual practice—and the other are in relation to the fundamental laws of spiritual culture or discipline serving as a basis of practice to which the first four commandments relate.

i. surrender to the living God ( thou shalt have no other gods before me.);

ii. non-substitution of the products of the human mind, or those of nature, for the reality of the Living God ( thou shalt not make for thyself a graven image, or any other likeness)

iii. activity (or verbosity) in the name of God without making use of his name in order to adorn oneself with it ( thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain);

iv. the practice of meditation ( remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy);

v. continuity of effort and experience (“honor they father and thy mother”);

vi. [promote and exemplify] a constructive attitude (“thou shalt not kill”);

vii. faithfulness to the alliance ( thou shalt not commit adultery);

viii. renunciation of the desire to accept merit which is neither the fruit of one’s own work nor the gift of grace ( thou shalt not steal);

ix. renunciation of an accusatory role towards others ( thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor);

x. maintain a respectful consideration of the personal and private lives of others ( thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, etc.)

These constitute the ten foundations of not only a healthy moral life, but also the platform for all mystical, gnostic, magical, and hermetic spiritual practice.

His interpretation of the fifth commandment is different than any I have heard of before.

In stating that one has to advance in order to learn, he infers that one has to appreciate the experiences of those who have lived before us in the past, and one must continue that experiential learning in the present and continue into the future. All progress presupposes this continuity—a coherence between, the past, the present and the future. Therefore we are to honor our father, and honor our mother.They represent a living tradition. Therefore, for life—spiritual life and even biological life—there is always tradition, that is continuity.

We must abstain from all activity that breaks continuity, thereby cutting the current of life. This is a fundamental law of a constructive attitude, or the commandment-thou shalt not kill.

Continuity—or tradition and life itself, implies faithfulness to the cause that is espoused, to the direction, or attitude that is taken, to the ideal that each of us has a guide, and to all alliances with entities above and with human beings and institutions below, for the sake of continuity of life. This is the deeper meaning of ‘thou shalt not commit adultery’.

Tomberg’s words run like a plumb line down through the truth of the ages.