Introduction | History | Organization | Grounds | Death, Reincarnation, and Karma | Courses | Traveling Spiritually | Counseling | Dreams | Visiting | Reincarnation Counseling | The Brotherhood's Visualization Studio | Rebazar Tarzs - Founder of the Brotherhood | The Brotherhood and Defense | Conclusion The Brotherhood of Light Environment and Grounds The central structure in the Temples of Wisdom is the center of nine halls. It is like the capitol rotunda in Washington with a great dome overhead. The dome is gold and white, with carved and jeweled ribs and it lights the building. If you look up, you can see the dome of white light become rainbows, and then see the eternal story of creation. The dome itself is a kind of hologram for visions, and beautiful three dimensional images are often displayed there. The other temples can be reached from this central dome via different hallways. These temples also have external entrances. For instance, to enter the Temple of Healing, one first walks through a green field with golden wheat swaying in the distance, and blue-purple mountains far away. The sky is bright blue. The road is made of white sand and it leads to the temple of healing and purification. It is modeled after the temple of Aesculapius, the Greek god of physicians. It is of white marble with large pillars and there is a statue of the god outside. Inside it is lit by tall, elaborately carved floor lamps, which shed bright golden light throughout the interior. There are carved censers which spread different kinds of incense. The floors are also marble. In the front and center of the main room is an altar to the lords of all worlds. There are many hallways connecting to rooms off to the sides. These are used for healing, purification, and therapy. There are eight other temples besides this one. From the central dome, one corridor leads to the Temple of the Past. This temple, also called the Temple of the Knowledge of Many Worlds, is a museum that contains the recorded experience of many realms of being. When there are visitors from new worlds, they are asked to visit the museum and donate some of their memories. They then think of their past and the world they inhabited, and the information is reflected or recorded in the records of the museum. These memories are then available to those who wish to learn about these worlds. When these visitors are professionals, memories of their expertise are also recorded. They are often asked what they consider most important, most beautiful, or most unusual in their worlds and this information is recorded. This temple is often visited by souls before they do spiritual travel to familiarize them with other cultures that they wish to visit. The "research on worlds" area which is part of the Temple of the Past acts to give information to the Meeting Center. At the Center, there are representatives from many worlds who speak and share ideas. There is much debate about what to do with worlds that are spiritually advanced, but have no current representatives, like earth. For a while there were several representatives, and much rivalry between them. Currently there are none. The Temple of Spiritual Arts is rose-colored, with walls showing the sunrises and sunsets of many different worlds. There are buildings for the visual arts, music, dance, and changes from one sensory modality to another. There is no need of museum guards to protect the artwork, and visitors are encouraged to interact with the art. There is a room for transcendence where the art functions to bring souls to other worlds and a room of immanence where the art opens the individual's heart to emotion, contemplation, and thoughtfulness. The works of art come from the Brotherhood's artists, and from the memory of visitors who remember the arts from their worlds. Music may be localized in one place, or it may fill the buildings, which resonate to the sounds. The spiritual arts in this temple focus on dramas. The music and light most effective for spiritual travel are found in another temple, the Temple of Transformation. Sometimes when there is an influx of souls from a particular area or culture, there are special exhibitions on the arts of that region. The displays are not political - their intention is to share the spiritual and aesthetic sensibilities among individuals from different worlds. The Temple of Archaic Spiritual Paths collects ancient religious beliefs and practices, which have lost popularity on their worlds of origin. Spiritual pathways are ladders through the heavens, and the steps are still there, even if nobody ascends them anymore. In this temple, this information is collected for people who are dissatisfied with the religious paths that they have learned, and want other options. There are experts in the Brotherhood that have tried them, and can discuss their advantages and disadvantages. The Temple of Transformation (or "soul travel central") is where the more disciplined and difficult spiritual travel occurs. This is where there are specific instructions for spiritual travel, and moving from ego to ego, and body to body. If a group trip is organized, the people sit in meditation, leaving their bodies meditating in rows or circles, and travel together to their new destination. In this temple, there are charts, and maps of the many worlds which are relatively close and accessible. For higher and more distant spiritual worlds, there are instructions on going from one intermediate world to another, each subtler than the next, until the traveler reaches a level of discomfort. At that point, travel should cease until the person is better prepared. There are also descriptions of the farther worlds, and warnings of dangers if any are known. For those worlds with guardians or sentries, the guardians are described, along with proper greetings, passwords, offerings, and legitimate reasons for visiting. One hallway that proceeds from the central great dome of light has golden floor tiles and crimson walls. It is the pathway to the Halls or Temples of Justice. There are three meeting rooms that compose the Halls of Justice. The first has high ceilings, royal blue walls, and Persian carpets. It is furnished with large oval tables, and the room is used for mediation. When there are fights and struggles and disagreements, the parties sit around the tables to negotiate. Mediators from the Brotherhood spend time here trying to get representatives of warring factions to talk to each other. The representatives come from many different races, with different personalities and desires but they have one thing in common - they are fighting with each other. The members of Brotherhood try to be peacemakers. The second meeting room has crimson colored walls, and is for evaluation. Here the Brotherhood has panels of judges, which review cases of karmic uncertainty, of unwillingness to accept reincarnation and responsibility for previous actions, and of special requests for delay of karma in order to accomplish some specific task. There are criminals claiming innocence, desirous souls claiming compulsion, and sneaky souls trying to get out of their obligations. The third meeting room is for formal meetings, for treaties, for state functions, and for public tribunals. The room is dark green with ebony wood and gold fixtures. There are rows of seats for spectators, and a stage upon which commitments are made. It is also a place used to welcome new members. The Brotherhood has been misrepresented as controlling the universe. It does not do this. However, the Halls of Judgment are the closest the Brotherhood comes to this function. They have met with beings who could accurately be described as gods and angels. The Brotherhood understands them as beings seeking help with their problems, and they do not ignore those who are weak and low-caste just as they do not grovel before those who are powerful. They welcome the company of a wide range of beings and work with them. The universe is composed of many layers. Souls from other worlds visit through the Brotherhood's spiritual area, and the reason for their visit is often the Halls of Justice. They may wish a respected place for negotiation, or a neutral ground for investiture. The rooms are large, but can expand to become much larger. The Brotherhood has fit thousands of visitors in these rooms with the help of some visualizers who can expand their capacity. In the Temple of Records, there is a center for the study of karma. Karma is really an enormous topic, and there are records of the deeds and actions of universes. Of course all that information is not stored locally. No matter how compressed the information, it would still take universes to store all of it. What is present at the temple is basically the card catalog, which gives the means to look up the desired information. People who had skill in this area left detailed instructions for meditation, mantras, and visualizations which allow the researcher to locate the records of a person's life, and specific memories or emotions within the life. All people have karmic records. For those who possess the ability to perceive them, the records look like a comet's tail behind the person as he or she passes by. The center of the study of karma is confidential - people should not spy on each other. It is only open to counselors and judges, who use the information to help others. The Temple of Wisdom is the academic area, with large auditoriums for classes in meditation, karmic analysis, and comparative religion and spirituality. When great souls visit, they are asked to teach and share their wisdom. There are also more practical classes in maintaining the grounds, extended visualization, defense of the gates, and processing of visitors. There are also guest speakers with specializations in counseling, negotiation, and other valuable skills. The ninth and final temple in the Temples of Wisdom complex is the Temple of Compassion. It is an extension of the healing area which is focused on the development of compassion towards all forms of life. Here, there is contemplation of suffering, discussion of morality, and praise of helpfulness and sacrifice of personal pleasure for the sake of others. While the healing center is run by experts, this temple is for ordinary souls, to encourage them to develop the qualities of love and forgiveness. There is also a center of Light - the light which runs the complex. It is not electricity but perhaps some spiritual analogue. It too is used for travel but in very limited ways. The Garden Area and Beyond There is also an outdoor garden area on the grounds surrounding the Temples of Wisdom. At the garden gate, there are two swans, carved out of marble, their great-feathered wings lifted for flight. They represent the paramahamsas, the great souls whose light shines out like the feathers of a swan. As one walks into the garden, the trees are made of gold and silver, with jeweled leaves and fruit. The paths are made of tiny white quartz crystals of sand, and the plants have flowers which shine with light and spread their sweet fragrances. There are hedges carved in the shapes of animals, and rest areas with mosaic floors. One mosaic represents the sun, with many colored rays. Another shows wooden ships sailing beneath a starry sky. The garden has fountains, and in their water and spray can be seen many worlds. There are small rivulets surrounded by wild-flowers, and grassy fields in the distance with bright birds and butterflies flying above them. Looking beyond the garden, one can see land stretching to the seashore. In the distance are great cliffs of rose and lavender, silver through the ocean mists. At their foot, where the water meets the cliffs, there are caves. Some of them are under water, and they reflect the deep blue of the water on their turquoise walls. These are meditation caves for those close to the water element. Higher on the cliffs are caves facing the sun full of golden crystals for those closer to the fire element. Deeper into the cliff are darker caves for those who appreciate earth, with sand floors, and sandstone walls. Atop the cliffs are gazebos for teaching, delicately arched in gold and marble, and also caves open to wind and air. These are for those that appreciate the air element. Here the cool winds take away one's sins and distractions, as the sun burns them away, and the water washes them away. The earth just has them settle or drop away. The garden is for beauty, thoughtfulness, and purification. The Visitor's Areas The Brotherhood accepts many visitors and has varied accommodations for them. Within the lodge, there are tapestries that depict the history of civilizations. These hang behind couches full of mandala pillows, tables of beaten brass, and decorated hookahs. These rooms are for visitors from the East so that they feel at home. For visitors from the West, there are different sorts of decor. There are tall simple white walls, with arches and pillows. The couches are plain and white, and the floors are black and white marble. There is fruit and flowers, and a library-wall of leather-bound books. For other visitors, there are Persian rugs, and carved furniture. It is important to have familiar objects so that visitors feel comfortable. For souls that are anxious, crazed, and in need of therapy, there are beautiful and well-kept gardens. Desperate souls can walk along the garden borders, and along rivers splashing over rocks, and find peace. Beyond the gardens, there are beautiful mountains and valleys, pearly sunrises and dramatic sunsets. The garden walks lead into rooms where the visitors stay. The rooms are very simple, like monastic rooms, for souls must learn not to be attached to their soul-bodies. The beds are covered with rough cotton, and there are wooden floors. Books are placed on the tables that might be suitable for these visitors. Introduction | History | Organization | Grounds | Death, Reincarnation, and Karma | Courses | Traveling Spiritually | Counseling | Dreams | Visiting | Reincarnation Counseling | The Brotherhood's Visualization Studio | Rebazar Tarzs - Founder of the Brotherhood | The Brotherhood and Defense | Conclusion Home Copyright © 2002-2005,   J. Denosky,   All Rights Reserved