Take Up Your Cross - The Road to Ascension

Matthew 16:24-28

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul.

"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. 

"Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

During this past weekend I was afforded the opportunity to attend the Stations of the Cross service at one of our local churches.  I'm not a regular church goer.  I don't practice any particular religion. However, the stations always remind me of the sacrifices, pain and suffering Jesus endured in coming to the earth.

It was in one particular section of the service that I began to understand the words Jesus said during his walk to his crucifixion.  

In the second station they described Jesus taking up his cross.  They explained that someone was looking to help Jesus.  They looked at him and he looked away.  This person heard his voice saying "I do not need your help to carry my cross.  But know this; every time you do not help someone who needs it, the weight of my cross increases."

My first thought was that it was Jesus's voice that this person heard without him saying anything directly to this person.  Today we might call this telepathy.  Telepathy sounds too "out there" for me at times. I believe it would be better to term an experience like this as "consciousness" and the knowing that our consciousness can be reached by Jesus, God, and all the masters who have earned their ascension as Jesus did.  In this way, it is truly a demonstration of us all being and becoming one.

During these last few days I've pondered this story of Jesus and what's been told to me by him and some of the masters.  I've struggled with the idea that justice still has not been served for Michael Jackson's death.  When I read the words from Matthew posted above, I finally understood the path of ascension.  

The first verse says: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me."

In my lifetime I've long sought to become like the masters.  In this verse Jesus explains exactly what that entails.  Should we long to become like Jesus himself, we must deny ourselves.  This means we must shed the ego part of us and all attachments to what the outside world brings us.  We cannot think of ourselves as a profession, a ethnicity, a family member or as belonging anywhere but to God the father.  Shedding our ego means putting away all of the ideas about our life and who we are and accepting the path that God leads us to.  We must bear the burden, or take up our cross as Jesus did.

But what does "taking up the cross" mean?  It is not our personal burdens that Jesus speaks of.  As described in the story told at church, every time we do not help someone who needs it, the weight of the cross increases.  When people condemn others, treat them unfairly or when we turn a blind eye to injustice we place the responsibility for making things right again on the "cross".  This burden is carried by those who have chosen the path of ascension as Jesus did.  They will be, and have to be, those that serve God and take up the cross on behalf of others to make things right again.

On my personal path this is exactly what has happened.  For the past few years I've struggled to go back to a "normal life".  One that fits in with society.  To take a normal job, a real profession, date, and go about my life living like "normal" people do.  Yet every time I ask the masters for their advice I'm given the same answer.  I've had to "trust" them, trust God with my destiny.  Should I decide to follow the path I have chosen and have worked for so long, I have to listen to and follow the path laid before me.  

I've had to do a great many things I simply did not want to do.  I've struggled greatly with having to call those who have been unkind to me and offer help to those who have treated me unfairly.  I've had to write things here on the blog and in books I would have rather not spent my time on.  Yet this is exactly what Jesus was trying to say.  I had to "lose my life" (Matthew 16:25) in order to find it with him.  The choices and things I've done had everything to do with others.  Had I looked to my benefit alone, I would not have chosen those things the masters have called me to do.  It is a choice to "serve" and an honor to carry the burden as Jesus did.

This path is not an easy one.  Losing yourself means losing everything you were "taught" to believe in and trust in a higher power.  You will most likely go through all the things Jesus did; mocking, belittlement, abuse and suffering.  

At times I've found myself becoming very angry because of others who were in positions of helping others failed to do so.  This has placed the burden on our shoulders.  Our cross has become heavier because of the lack of doing others have made a choice in.  This can be likened to the child who was abused that you have to nurture because of the abuse of another or the steps you must take to redeem another who was crucified by their fellow man.  This is God's work and the work that you will do should you choose the path of ascension yourself.

"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul."  In this verse we find the choice.  Choose the path that man has laid before you in exchange for fame, celebrity or money or choose the path that offers you the opportunity to serve and become one with God.  Will you look to the now and what you have to benefit from it?  Or will you look to the eternal and what benefit it will give to the whole regardless of the suffering you must endure?  The benefit in choosing the latter is to walk with the masters and gain your freedom in His Kingdom.

"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS."  I have been told that Jesus, the Son of Man, is coming again.  Many years ago I chose to believe that the Book of Revelations in the Bible was merely a story about opening the seven seals of our chakras.  I realize now how off my thinking was.  For one of the first readings in that book describes the one who has prevailed in opening the seven chakras or seals:

"And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."

- Revelation 5:5

The seventh seal or chakra described in this passage, is the opening or gateway to the father.  This state of consciousness connects the father directly to his servant.  This is the path of ascension and the consciousness and power of the father is with the one.  Now they are one together.  This Godly power and seventh seal is located at the top of the head.  This is why Jesus is depicted with a gold halo around his head in many religious paintings.  

As we venture through the rest of our journey and into the now open Book of Revelations, may we choose our paths well.  Will you take up the sword in the name of our father or will you choose to live in the present moment only for yourself?  The choice is truly ours.  May we all choose well.