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"For now we see through a glass darkly: but then face to face." Corinthians

The quest to realize one's higher possibilities through the practice of presence is as old as humanity. It is the aim of all esoteric teachings. "Pathway to Presence" is created by the Fellowship of Friends, an esoteric school which has its roots in the Fourth Way tradition, and utilizes the esoteric knowledge of many different cultures, religions and teachings. Our emphasis is on working with practical methods to increase presence.

This site was created with the understanding that the possibilities of the written word are limited. Esoteric teachings need to be experienced. To understand the essence of a teaching, personal contact is needed.

Moments (with the stories connected to the images)

Legends and fairy tales often describe the life and fate of a hero who serves as an example for humankind. However, they often have a hidden meaning which supports the esoteric work of those who are prepared to understand them. Every moment in the life of these heroes carries a hidden message, just as a moment of presence has a hidden meaning for the higher self in us. (Click on the images for the story.)

Christ Standing Before Pilate

"What is truth?" Pilate asked Christ. But Christ was not willing to give away his knowledge to a person unprepared for his teaching. So he remained silent. Read about esoteric knowledge in Esotericism.

When Christ arrives in Jerusalem, he is betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas. Judas delivers Christ into the hands of the Jewish elders, who consider Christ a self-appointed prophet, and they wish to end his influence. They bring him before Pilate, the Roman governor of the region. Pilate questions Christ about his beliefs. To the question, "What is truth?" Christ refuses to answer. He remains silent before Pilate, and is delivered to be crucified.

Snow White

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” asked the dark queen in the tale of Snow White. "You are the fairest of them all," answered the mirror, until Snow White had developed her full beauty. The Two Selves describe our higher and lower selves.

Snow White is born with skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony, and lips as red as blood. Her father the king remarries a vain and wicked queen. For years this queen is satisfied by her magic mirror which tells her that she is the fairest in the land, but as Snow White grows in beauty, the day comes when the mirror announces that Snow White is the most beautiful of them all. The jealous queen tries to destroy Snow White. Snow White flees, but is ultimately tricked by the queen and falls into a deep sleep. A fair prince discovers Snow White and brings her back to life. With his help, she is able to overcome the spell of the dark queen and overcomes her, in order to live happily ever after.

Scheherazade

As morning dawned, Scheherazade ceased telling her tale. Another night had passed in which the sultan abstained from his killings, another day in which the country could live in peace because of Scheherazade’s perseverance. Read about the nature of Efforts.

In the opening story of the Arabian Nights, a sultan is betrayed by his queen. As a result, he orders every night for another young virgin to spend the night with him, and has her killed in the morning. To stop this bloodshed, Scheherazade resolves to spend the night with the sultan, and makes a plan. Each night she tells the sultan stories, but she never finishes the tale before dawn approaches. Each dawn, the sultan postpones her death, as he is curious to hear the end of the story. After a thousand and one nights, the sultan reverses his vow, and declares his love for her.

The Temptations of Buddha

The demon Mara sent his three beautiful daughters to distract Buddha from his meditation. Buddha did not respond to temptations, because he had sworn not to arise before he exerienced true wisdom. Imagination explains our main obstacle and how to deal with it.

After experiencing the horror of death in his kingdom, the young prince Siddhartha positions himself under the Bodhi tree and vows not to arise from meditation until he experiences true wisdom. The demon Mara claims that the seat of enlightenment rightfully belongs to himself, and sends his three beautiful demon daughters to distract the prince. But Siddhartha remains unmoved. After this, the demon Mara sends a whole army of monsters, but Siddhartha stays rapt in meditation. Mara finally comes with his entire army of soldiers to impress the prince, but Siddhartha reaches down to the ground, and the ground itself confirms his enlightenment.

The Sentinel in Love

“I am a sentinel and I am in love,” said the guard, not willing to rest from his watch. He would not desert his post until the beloved had arrived. The role of the steward and emotions and their connection to the higher self is described in the Steward.

In Attar's Conference of the Birds, a sentinel is not willing to rest from his watch because he is in love. A friend begs him to rest, but the sentinel refuses. His love will not let him rest; it keeps him watchful every moment, making him aware of the thieves which stalk him, hoping to steal the jewels of his heart. He knows that if he remains awake he will acquire true knowledge and will be aware of whenever God draws near.

© Fellowship of Friends, Inc.