Authenticity

Read John 15:1-7 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. John 15:5-7

Right Effort is always fruitful. This vine could be our vascular system and with the Right Effort we can become aware of Christ pulsing through our blood. Then our efforts will always bear much fruit.
Right Effort can also be compared to a musical score; the notes, the tempo, the instrument and the musician create the perfect harmony. This harmony is true, honest, authentic; it is real. If our efforts are Christed then they are real; they are not swayed by fear or favour. We deal with the facts; we don’t hide them or worse, ignore them. Imagine playing a musical score and ignoring some of the notes or the timing. To be true also means that we never blame others. It is obvious to us that we are the catalyst for whatever situation we are in. Without us there would be no situation, or it would be a different situation. When we can stand in our responsibility then our connection with our I AM is strong and the presence of Christ is a reality. It is only through the I AM that we are able to bear the true, the honest, the authentic.
The crucified Christ is the prime example of Right Effort. Knowing that there is a greater deed to be done we allow ourselves to be nailed to this materialistic world. Sure we can look for ways to make it a better place; to point to the spirit which creates and sustains it, but for the most part it is better to accept our cross as gladly as possible.
Walking the path of Right Effort means that we continually strive to be moral and ethical, nurturing our developing spiritual conscience. One way to do this is to place ourselves in the other person’s shoes – experiencing what they experience as if we were them. This is not as simple as it seems; usually we try to share their experience but from our own perspective – how often do we say, “If I were you ...” Standing in someone else’s shoes is also contrary to our ‘me-first’ world. Also, thoughts about the greater good are either too altruistic or too self-sacrificing. These ideas require deep contemplation to grasp the finer nuances.
Furthermore, how often do we choose to sacrifice our bruised ego in the spirit of forgiveness? Even among those of us who understand reincarnation and karma there is a pervasive idea that we can do it better next time. Rev Mario Schoenmaker warned that to set foot on the spiritual path invokes five times the karma. Such is the spiritual economy and forgiveness is not optional.
What is not often understood is that there is a mighty power in forgiveness, power enough to cancel karma. More than that, a great act of forgiveness is like oil to brighten the Christ light. True forgiveness is saturated in honesty; it has an authenticity that can literally take your breath away. It is always a privilege to participate in a real act of forgiveness. Furthermore, to forgive is to forget.
Those who choose to walk the path thereby admit that they seek initiation. This is not something to choose lightly and Right Effort is at the core. Édourd Shuré in his wonderful book ‘The Great Initiates’ compares the spiritual path of Egypt with today when he says: “Modern humankind seeks pleasure without happiness, happiness without knowledge and knowledge without wisdom. The ancients did not allow one to separate these things.”
“In order to attain mastery,” said the sages of that age, “human beings need a total remolding of their physical, moral and spiritual beings. But this remolding is only possible through the simultaneous exercise of the will, intuition and reason. Through the complete cooperation of these three, human beings can develop their faculties to an incalculable degree. The soul has senses that are asleep; initiation awakens them. Through profound study and constant application, human beings can put themselves in conscious touch with the hidden forces in the universe. Through a great effort they can attain direct spiritual perception, can open to their vision paths of the afterlife and can make themselves capable of advancing along these paths. Only then can they say they have conquered fate and here on earth have acquired their divine freedom. Only then can the initiates become initiators, prophets and theurgists, that is, seers and creators of souls. For only those who control themselves can control others; only those who are free can set free.”
Right Effort is always enacted out of our Higher Self which presses us towards initiation. The aim is to be at the frontier of consciousness so that we can complete Christ’s afflictions and as his co-creator assist to raise this world up.