REBORN ORDER

Recently, some people asked me "What if in the future the need for a spiritual Order would emerge? Something like the legendary "Knights Templar? It should be an Order in which people from various religions and beliefs would feel at home", they told me...."Contrary to Christianity, e.g. in Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam, spiritual Orders are still flowering. Please, do us a favour and design a universal Order for us. It should be as realistic as possible". I was amazed, for I didn't know about recent interests in monastic life. Since I feel connected to the Templars myself, I felt it as a challenge to give in to their request. Actually, while writing I became increasingly enthusiastic about it. So I made my design as realistic as possible.

Obviously, the critical times that we live in, raises the necessity of joining forces to the benefit of the Whole. It is common to say, that there are many factors coming together. F.i. climate change, water shortage, pollution, disappearence of bio-diversity, violence and war, hunger and poverty, mass-migration, increasing electronic control, child abuse etc.etc. However useful, too many "causes" can also divert us from the key causes, paralysing rather than empowering us. Could there be a common denominator to all these disasters? If so, then addiction to the self, greed for power and money could be quite close to the truth. "To have as the inability (unwillingness) to Be". Materialism and spirituality as two mutually excluding forces.

It is like 1500 years ago, where the decadent Roman Empire collapsed. It was followed by centuries of chaos. Our times are very similar. With the exception that the current Empire still tries to dominate the entire earth. Together, science, technology and big business (STC-complex, prof. E.Vermeersch), try to get the whole of humankind in their grip. Society is purposely being broken down. All levels suffer from it: from individual well-being, relationships and the community to health care, the educational system, environmental protection etc. The destruction goes at an unimaginable pace. What can be done? What is the optimal response in "such a case?" Can we learn from the past? In the Dark Ages a heroic attempt was made to save the (classical and christian) culture. Pachomius, Basileus, Columbine, Augustine, Benedict and Bernard found the answer: in founding monastic communities*.

* Remember, that the succes of Buddhism is largely related to a monastic rule, as well.

In a time in which "evil forces" deliberately try to destroy the integrity of human soul, it becomes almost impossible to survive as an individual. We HAVE to join forces. And not just that. We have to re-connect to the Source as well. Not to a mega-computer, but to the living Vessel of Regeneration. To not only sharing our daily lives, but also our joint longing for renewal. Hence, in these most critical of times, once again, monastic communities are THE answer to the decay of society. They are a refuge to those who are willing to "die to the old", practicing a monastic rule based on meditation, personal integration, study, devotion and compassion. Seeing how addiction, greed and affluence is corrupting life, they voluntarily embrace a life of simplicity, sharing, common values or/and even hardship (hardship will come anyway....), aiming at serving the Whole.

In the coming years/decades the ruling elites will exploit the raising fear. Under the pretext of offering "security" they will try to extend their control to every human being. Electronic technology (internet, chips, biometrics etc.) are the instruments with which Big Brother tries to dominate the entire globe. True security has its roots somewhere else, though. Its foundation is to re-connect with one's True Self, while becoming part of the Whole, once again, in which mankind restores its harmony with "Heaven, earth and the (new) community. Trust, love, cooperation and solidarity is where it is all about. Monasteries new style ("Transformatoria") are taking the lead here. They are training centres for Green Men and Wise Women. The latter encouraging the people of the world to Heal the Planet, to start with themselves. It is still not too late!

The Reborn Order is a new spiritual nobility ("sangha") in which women and men are absolutely equal. It will develop its own unique spirit. It has its links with all mystical traditions, with spiritual knighthood (including men and women), as well as monasticism and women's, ecology and communitarian movements. It comes at a moment in which society is in a transition from extreme individualism, disintegration and the destruction of nature towards a new community, wholeness and the saving of the earth. Especially those who are prepared to "die to the old" - if you don't die voluntarily you will die involuntarily - could play a major role in regenerating the culture. Members of the Reborn Order are a.o. taking refuge in the Great Mother, committing themselves to the Transformation of Self & Society, the "protection of the Holy Grail" and its moral law, helping the weak and oppressed, while guiding people on the spiritual Path. Guided by the Mother, an ongoing contribution is made by the members to the wellbeing of all sentient and non-sentient beings. They do this through teaching students, aimed at Spiritual Service, Health Service and Community Service. Moreover, as leaders of the CultureRenewalMovement they aim at realizing the Seven Steps of the Transformation of Self & Society.*

In matriarchal times the worship of Mother and Son/Daughter stood central in society. The Son was born out of the Mother, while becoming Her lover/successor as soon as he became adult. Usually, the Mother was known as a Goddess or/and as a Queen, the Son/Daughter being Her executive in the form of king/queenship. However, he/she was not a king/queen as we know him/her, but one who had to take care of fertility and the optimal course of the seasons. Hence, in autumn the king had to die, went to the underworld in order to be reborn in spring. There was thus a hierarchy between Mother and Son. This can be confirmed by spiritual Realization, in which Light is born out of Darkness. Once this hierarchy is acknowledged one may come to understand, that the masculine principle has to be inferred from the feminine*. In spiritual terms this means, that the ego has to serve the Self. The ones who understood this were the knights e.g. the troubadours in the Middle Ages. It is the secret behind the Knights Templar and the Grail. As protectors of the Temple of Solomon, they came to know the mystery behind it. This was nothing less than the "Womb of Astarte", as the Holy of Holiest was called by initiates. This Vessel was taken to the West in great secrecy and popped up soon after in the various legends of the "Grail".

* Not to be confused with the concrete male/female relationship, which of course should be equal.

"Our Lady, who was there at the beginning of our religion, in Her,
and in Her Honor shall be, if it pleases God, the end
of our lives and the end of our religion, whenever it
shall please God that they end"

We live in a time in which the world is desperately searching for wholeness. This will only be brought about, if the alienated (masculine) ego, acknowledges its True Home: the Cosmic Womb, from which all life is coming into existence and to which everything is returning. The mission of today is twofold: dying to the old and become reborn, while subsequently fitting in in the web of life - Heaven, earth and the (new) community - once again. Which means, that inevitably, mankind has to turn from a masculine towards a feminine world view, in which everything is interconnected. Hence, humanity is at a crossroad. If it pursues its road of alienation, selfishness and exploitation, the world will soon cease to exist. What we need, are people who went through a transformation process, which eventually brings them to serving the Whole. Hence, reconnecting to our ancestors makes sense. However, while in former days the "quest of the hero" was only the privilege of the "chosen ones", today mankind as a whole has to follow the spiritual path. J.Campbell has called this the process of separation, initiation and return. The first means "dying to the old", the second "to wake up" (illumination) and the third "coming back" in order to share the treasures with the community, e.g. teach the world. The Reborn Order is an initiative to promote exactly that. Its members are serving the Great Mother, obeying Her Law of the universe, while spreading Her message of the Grail*.

The Reborn Order includes people of all backgrounds - culture, religion, race, age and gender - who are dedicated to the Great Mother as the all-embracing Void, the Matrix of life and as the universal Unity in diversity. Through the Mother, all religions - Indigenous peoples, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism, New Age, Hinduism and Judaism - belong to one family. Everyone who acknowledges the Great Mother as the Ultimate Reality from which everything else originates, may find a new home here without the need of leaving the old*. This "interreligious aspect" is something we consciously promote. What practically binds our members is the Vow, through which they commit themselves to "Restoring the unity with your Self, your body(mind) and nature, with your fellow human beings, while surrendering to the Great Mother". As discussed earlier, awakening and selflessness are two sides of the same coin. The latter being the criterion for the former! This is a far from permanent condition though and "setbacks" occur frequently. Hence the necessity of practicing selflessness in our daily lives. Because everything and everybody is intimately connected, you cannot be happy without others being the same. The purpose is sharing A Joyous Life**.

* Almost all great religions revere (aspects of) the Great Mother in some form or another. Generally, they - Kuan Yin, the Madonna, Matri Devi, Taoist Mother, the African MotherGoddess, Amaterasu etc. - are much more "popular" than their male counterparts. By the way, in the Reborn Order it is confirmed that there is only One God, being the Lightbody of the Mother.

** The first concept of the Reborn Order originated in 1999 already. It might be interesting to see the development it had undergone until this very day. See: Het Verlichte Handelen, chapter 2.2. (In Dutch).

"Blest is the happy man, who knows the mysteries the Gods ordain,
and sanctifies his life, joins soul with soul in mystic unity. And,
by due ritual made pure, enters the ecstacy of mountain
solitudes. Who observes the mystic rites, made lawful
by the Great Mother. Who crowns his head with ivy,
and shakes his wand in worship of Dionysos"

The Order unites all mystical traditions of the world. Mysticism - Godrealization - is the common foundation of religion. Mystics of all traditions experience the same Essence, they speak the same language. They include Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, Ruusbroec, Suso, Meera, Kabir, Rumi, Catharina of Siena, Milarepa, Dogen, Shinran Shonin and countless others. Now that we have entrance to the traditions of the world, the existing "contemplational" Orders have to give up their subordinance to their particular religion. In many cases this could be their rescue. Take the Carmel for instance. This is a wonderful mystical Order based on the teachings of e.g. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila. The inspiration of these two mystics is timeless. However, because the Order sticks to its institutional Catholic framework it is decaying together with its Church. It deserves better though. The only way is opening up to the world's universal traditions. Hence, the founding of the Reborn Order as a universal community. The training of a Reborn - Top Training - is including several stages of initiation, all being open and accessible to everyone. There is no such thing like "secret knowledge". Moreover, every potential member is voluntarily joining the Order as a novice ("Greenie"), very much like practices in Buddhism. No persuasion is exercised. Every member is free to leave the Order at any time. There are several initiations. The most fundamental one is the teaching about the Great Mother, Her Law of the Universe and Her Message (The Grail). The second step* includes awakening, personal integration, the unity with Heaven and earth, the breakthrough of the Light , while taking refuge in the Great Mother, while the third step consists of committing yourself.

The founding of a Spiritual Order cannot be seen without understanding the times in which we live. The latter being characterized by (rapid) disintegration on all levels of society. Something few people will deny. It is comparable with the decline of the Roman Empire and the subsequent Dark Ages. At that time the entire classical culture collapsed. It was only through the effort of Irish (Celtic) monks, that European tradition could be saved. During several centuries they enthusiastically translated everything that seemed valuable, especially Greek and Latin works. The current situation is much worse, though. Not only the survival of the culture, but that of the entire planet is at stake. Because the value-system has broken down, we have to go back to the Source in order to become renewed. For that we have to go beyond the inflated patriarchal beginnings. The surprise is, that before those times, people had a totally different orientation to life. To them the Ultimate was a Cosmic Womb, giving birth to all life, while taking it back again. This Consciousness was universal. However, findings of the Original Great Mother have predominantly found in Europe (f.i. "Venus" of Willendorf, 27.000 years ago). The various tumuli or passage tombs symbolize the Dark Womb of rebirth and renewal (Newgrange, Ireland, 5000 years ago, older than the pyramids). Later, the centre of the culture moved to the Middle East. Here the agrarian revolution took place. People got a new understanding of death, rebirth and the interrelationship of all phenomena.

Green Men and Wise Women (comparable to the Bodhisattva's in Buddhism) symbolize the promise of the "Green Man", the archetype of the archaic Vegetation God on the one hand and the Goddess on the other. In order to be in harmony with nature the vegetation god identified himself with the cycle of birth and death, the "Law of the Universe" of the Great Mother. F.i. the Green Man used to be the Son/Lover of the matriarchal Queen, the latter representing the Great Mother. Every autumn the hero sacrificed himself for the sake of prosperity and survival of its people, went into the underworld (winter) in order to be reborn in spring. Subsequently, this theme was the core of the initiation practices of the (pre)Celtic people (taken from the Middle East to Ireland). F.i. the Celtic MotherGodess Cerridwin symbolized the "Cauldron of Ever Flowing Life". Hellenistic mystery religions focussed on "death and rebirth" practices, as well, until Christianity took over. Christ can thus be considered as the Christian version of the Green Man, something repeatedly stressed by Hildegard von Bingen, for instance. The power of this symbol is underlined by the revival of the Green Man in the Middle Ages - as a "foliage face" in countless churches and cathedrals - in particular in England, France and Germany. Nowadays, the archetype of the Green Man and Wise Woman* is emerging at a time, in which restoring the harmony with the earth has become an acute necessity. It is a call from the deepest layers of the collective unconsciousness, addressed to every human being - especially men - to rediscover their original nature. The latter should drop their obsession with the mind and its achievements, in order to start serving the Whole.

* "The Green Man signifies irrepressible life. Once he has come into your awareness, you will find him speaking to you wherever you go. He is an image from the depth of prehistory: he appears and seems to die and then comes again after long forgetting at many periods in the past two thousands years. In his origins he is much older than our Christian era. In all his appearances he is an image of renewal and rebirth, and it is my aim in this book* to show that his reappearance today in art and as a symbol of environmental movements is of the profoundest significance for humanity."

* The revival of Wise Woman as an image of the Original Great Mother is a.o. reflected in Ireland by the "Sheela-Na-Gig", images of a "hag" with exposed vulva, symbol of the destructive aspect of the Cosmic Womb (comparable to Kali in Hinduism).

As mentioned above, a monastic initiative like ours is the logic response to a chaotic age. It reflects the efforts of the Irish monks, 1500 years ago. They were the First Wave (to save the culture). We consider ourselves as their "successors", the Second Wave (to heal the planet), so to speak*. The advantages of an Order may be clear. First of all, it serves the purpose of "kicking the habit". Decades of dependencies/conditioning of all kinds have created a collective self-addiction from which only a few manage to escape. Without a reliable support system, transformation seems to be almost impossible. The advantage of a monastery is manifold. It symbolizes "unity in diversity". Contrary to other community experiments, monasteries have a Centre, to which all members are dedicated. In our case this Centre is the Great Mother. To Her we return, from Her we depart. She is the Source of Insight, Love and Strength. Secondly, through daily life in the Community (and living according to the "rule" or guidelines) our lives will become a reflection of the Law of the Universe, once again. By being in harmony with the "Cosmos", infinite grace will be bestowed upon us. Constant regeneration will be our share. Moreover, our monasteries will be a refuge - Centres of the Cyclone - in which spiritual life will be promoted, protected and extended. Something being in the interest of the entire culture. Last but not least, our initiative serves a global aim. The unique thing about it is, that our monastic life is both inward and outward. The empowerment, that we receive from (continuously) returning to the Source, is translated into compassion with all "living and non-living beings". Our ultimate goal is "Healing the Planet".

All people are children of the Mother. Against the background of this most fundamental relationship, in which all are equal without exception, distinctions can be made with regard to the stage people are in though, once they have joined the spiritual Path. Thus, at the bottom there are the Friends, "common people", who still live in their full potentiality, with lots of inherent promises for the future. Secondly, there are the "Originals". These are people whose longing for the Origin has been ignited, however, not yet experiencing it to the fullest. "Green Men" and "Wise Women" include all those, who have fully restored the "Unity with Heaven and Earth", while committing themselves to "Healing the Planet". Moreover, there are the Teachers of the Reborn Order, followed by the "highest in rank": the Servants (of the Mother), fully Realized Ones. There might be a difference of emphasis between masculinity and femininity. The former may identify itself with the "death and rebirth" aspect of the Law of the Universe, while the latter may feel more attracted to the "web of life", represented by the middle part of the Law of the Universe ("interrelationship"). The relation between the two reflects the "original" role of women and men*. Women represent "life", while men have to serve it. Considering the patriarchal brain-washing of men and women today, many may temporarily need to focus on his/her new orientation in life, before they will actually feel able to commit themselves. That's why many monastic communities have reserved considerable time for the "novice" to accomodate. The Reborn Order will promote any development aimed at restoring the original balance**.

* Obviously, acknowledging the fact, that each woman and each man has her/his own unique "mixture" of gender aspects.

Gerald G.May "Addiction & Grace", 1991 HarperCollins
Christina Grof "The Thirst for Wholeness, Attachment, Addiction, and the Spiritual Path", 1993 HarperCollins

Our Monastic/Educational Initiative
The Original Tradition
Healing the Planet

Guiding principle 1.
To take refuge in the Great Mother as the Ultimate Reality

Guiding principle 2.
To live in harmony with Her Law of the Universe

Guiding principle 3.
To put Her Message: "Strive for Enlightenment, restructure
your life and serve others" into practice
(Vision of the Grail)

Guiding principle 4.
Daily Practice/"Monastic" Rule (including voluntary simplicity) based on The Universal Way

Guiding principle 5.
Our Mission is to Healing the Planet
to begin with yourself

Guiding principle 6.
To embrace all spiritual/religious traditions: Indigenous, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam....

Guiding principle 7.
Top Training aimed at creating excellence
(Universal Training)

Those interested in becoming a novice of the Reborn
Order as well as potential recipients of our
services may contact us: