Reflection N° 42 - Reflection by the Translator of Reflections, or a Text for José...

“José” (1st stanza) – Carlos Drumond de Andrade

Official History

In the beginning of 1965, as I entered as a regular pupil the “Santiago Bovisio College”, in San Ignacio, hills of Cordoba, Argentina, unaware of my situation and future task in my little and short lifetime –in those days I was 14 years old– I even could not imagine a 180º switch in my inner search after living this experience.

Born in a traditional Jewish-Christian family, mixed with ideologies of Syrian Orthodoxy, in the neighborhood of the College, I spend my childhood with catechisms, ecclesiastic choirs, preparation of wafers, and children’s games. In my spirit, the presence of God was reduced to the obligation of praying before going to bed, and to that of going to Sunday Mass, looking at the entrance of the altar the picture of a huge white-haired man, with severe look, floating on white clouds, and announcing Homeric punishments in the event his injunctions were not obeyed.

On the other side, the Masters were represented by many mud or wood statues, properly painted, called Saints, whose history was often narrated in classes of the ecclesiastic school.

The first year in “Leo Bovisio College” was more the result of my parents’ impatience for standing me at home than that of some special merit. So, almost displeased and reluctantly, I entered the new world of Don Santiago’s ideas.

I did not met the Master personally, but certainly I knew his direct disciples; of them, Mr José, the Principal in “Leo Bovisio College”, on that occasion.

What called particularly my attention about these just-known persons was their quality of life, ascetics and way of imparting teachings to their pupils. Everything was different in classes, the way of giving them, of sitting down, of mutual respect, school practice, and so on. Everything was new, and tasks and lessons were seemingly learned by osmosis, by presence, by a direct transfer. None was aware of this being different, and none would imagine what this contact would imply; the sons of the Cafh’s Sons alone would have a clearer notion.

In two years of study in this College I never knew what was the history of the “Gentlemen”, in spite of inner and outer comments, and some manifestations unexpectedly witnessed by some pupils.

As my mother heard certain general comments about “brain washing” with pupils in “Santiago Bovisio College”, her motherly heart could not stand it and decided to move his child from these potential dangers and not to risk an eventual greater chance. So, without other explanations, my contact with the new work that I had known came to an end.

But I never imagined that the destiny might keep new emotions for me. After my secondary course, in Embalse, Río Cuarto, Province of Cordoba, I went to study in the capital. I was often driven by car to Cordoba nothing less than by doctor Marandino, –this lawyer had defended Cafh from its slanderers. He would comment in those trips what was the destiny of communities in the wake of clerical and military intervention.

My university studies and my students’ environment led me to examine social matters in depth and also the world of both spiritual and esoteric books. I visited some philosophical and political schools, which molded my being. Nothing about Cafh; neither its name, and far less about its content. This environment was very closed so as to may get an insight and know something to cast light on the darkness of the soul.

By destiny I had to move to Brazil at the end of my studies. Two reasons determined this: the one existential, and the other essential. The first refers to certain information about a military group that were after me because of my previous political activities. The other –essential– refers to another being that was waiting for my by predestination law. So, in my opinion, the freewill made me make the most right decision for my future life. The Masters say nothing is by chance; by Macktub, the Arabs say; it will happen as it will do… and it was so!

One day, we were coming back to Argentina when casually we met Mr J. in the airport of Sao Paulo. My wife wanted to contact him, for we had hear a great deal of stories about “Leo Bovisio College”, which I had told her in the past; so she went and saw him, along with my mother, and established the first of many of our meetings. Later we met again in the airport with other members of the Community that would travel in the same flight.

Soon we were Sons of Cafh and contributed to the social work of the community in which they would live. Also by destiny, this lasted some few years; as an outcome of sudden change of directions, disorganized functions, lack of practical examples of Renunciation, indiscriminate admittance of members and their quite deficient selection, and so on, we quitted.

It was painful, for many years of convictions and ascetic exercises came to an end, but this led to change our mind, to review attitudes, and mainly to see that Cafh had ceased to exist long ago, –it did not exist as its Founder had established.

How might we accede the Teachings in the future? Who might offer us spiritual guide? The Sons of Cafh, even those of the Community, could not be in touch with us; so we were in the darkest night of the soul, without resources and guidance. Fortunately we found an honorable way-out: looking inside, in the depths of our heart, at the Higher Self inhabiting in the center of our spirit. Comforted by this practice, thenceforward we made our way with less support, without those crutches used by us for all those past years.

One night, on the beach, while talking about those old days, the presence of Mr J. became a need for us, as if we had the hunch that we would need to contact him at once, in spite of the time gone by. We moved heaven and earth, and finally we found him by means of a common friend. From that moment, the official history would begin to change, some things stopped having sense, and another quite important thing acquired life. We heard about abuses and terrible consequences suffered by devoted souls for no other reason that they wanted to be. So, for this reason, we became the lost link of a chain, by building a bridge between a devouring and scaring world, full of dangers and looking for opportunities, and the magical world of a newly-formed community undergoing imposed possibilities of survival, both psychically and physically.

The Near Past

When unexpectedly we heard about Don Santiago’s Teachings in Internet, we run to the computer to ascertain it. What a tremendous joy was to find all these precious things available!

So again we ran to share the good news with other friends, and as we found among them troubles derived from the language, we felt obliged to contribute personally and translate this wonderful work into Portuguese. We asked Mr J. and he agreed; so we sent a message to the Internet site looking forward to receiving an answer, knowing previously that that person concerned had been the Principal in “Santiago Bovisio’s College”, in those days when we were studying there.
What a pleasure to get a positive answer, almost once, from José! What a wonderful happiness we had to contributing in the Great Work! What a luck to find Faithful Disciples elsewhere in the world, compromised with disseminating the Message of Renunciation!

This way I became acquainted with Mr J., –a great and strong soul, compromised with the Work: by him we have the chance of being his friends. Deprived of any personal ambition, with great dedication and determination, and with strong spiritual presence, he showed the innermost vigor of Renunciation men. Here certainly is a Faithful Disciple, like those mentioned by Master Santiago in his Teachings!

From that moment on and by a decision shared by all I became the translator of José’s reflections into Portuguese. Better than anyone else, my privilege has been to meet personally the author, and now his ideas in works, through his Reflections about the world, illuminated by the living thought of Master Santiago Bovisio. I could ascertain and perceive the pressing need of José for disseminating the Work left to humanity by the Master, which otherwise could remain entirely hidden or lost somewhere in the planet.

The translation of a text from a language into another is technical and banal. But the responsibility for translating a Universal Teaching, given by a Master of Wisdom and recovered by Faithful Disciples, is an Herculean task, for the one that faces this work assumes a heavy and holy mission, namely, full dedication to the aim requested, compromise of being faithful to the text and past idea, and mainly, to know that one should not fail.

The Present

Today my work that started on July 18th, 2003, comes to an end. The mission trusted has been fulfilled according to the promise. The translation of Commentaries and Reflections into Portuguese is complete. We need to insert only the last Reflections on the Internet site so that they be useful in countries of the said language.

It is up to me, by an oneiric request, to write my Reflection as the Translator of these Reflections; without literary concerns, or technique as a writer, or personal vanities, or any expectation for this Public Meditation by way of an Open Letter.

As I read carefully all José’s Reflections, for I had to translate them, so far a partially answered question would remain in my mind, “Why did this Work begin to circulate by Internet in 2000? We are told that the Aquarian Age starts this year, but this may have been better if these writing had appeared in the site some years before in order to prepare the arrival of the new sign. We are not questioning anything, it is just a query that remained unanswered.

The publication all over the world of this Work reveals enormous courage, and no doubt marks the beginning of a new way of thinking and living. Here is sufficient material for a man to get his own liberation, and in the event he is sufficiently expert so as to take advantage of studying these Teachings, we have not to wait much time for seeing the first results of change of races.

The main thing is that fortunately one being perceived the significance of divulging this work and, without false scruples or prudery, in spite of prohibitions from those who believe to be exclusive in regard to the Work, decided to carry over his shoulders the burden of a historic trial for his attitude; of course, it is not important the outcome of formed opinions, but in the quake of this fact, the attitude of many souls treading on a void and purposeless way, has already changed.

Many people changed their mind, and many others will do. The living Teaching is alive by its purest merit, without modifications, such as the Master dictated it. Through an objective and temporal analysis on the light of the Teachings, these Reflections lead to travel through a way marked by the esoteric tradition –an inexorable way, with no return–; still it is time to work, for a less painful near future!

The Future

We have not the prophetic gift. We have what the Master left us, with no retouching or subterfuges. What is actually going to occur?, and when? Only the Great Initiates can know. It is up to us to choose the way to travel through, to choose our company, and raise our flag, and how to prepare ourselves to welcome the coming New Man.

Enrique
January, 2004