The Lightning Path Websites
Universe from the Halo/Sharp Tarot
Greetings and welcome to the LP. As you will hopefully know by now, The Lightning Path (LP) aims to be a sophisticated and comprehensive system of spiritual education and, if I haven’t said it yet, planetary emancipation. Obviously, piecing together a comprehensive system of spiritual enlightenment is, as you can imagine, no easy task. The effort here moves beyond a paper back or two (or even twelve) and requires the construction of an integrated, sophisticated, and powerful Web of Light. That web of light is in the process of being constructed and exists in the form of a series of Lightning Path websites where you find everything you need to “make the shift,” from introductory materials to curriculum lists to study guides to fully specified glossaries of LP concepts and ideas and son on. The content is vast, interlinked in a complex manner, and broaches spiritual, political, social, economic, and psychological topics and practice.
If you spend any time on the LP you will find your way to each of these sites however, in anticipation of your exploration, and to help you get your head around what is available, I’d like to spend a few moments introducing you to each of the LP websites. As you are going through this introduction try not to be overwhelmed. While it is true that there is a lot of material, it is well organized, it is support by easy to digest “lessons” like this one, and you are not engaged in a race of any kind. Relax, take your time, and go at your own pace. As long as you stay focused and true, give a little bit of your time every few days to learning stuff, you’ll make solid forward progress and have nothing to worry about at all.
Main Websites
Currently LP website materials are divided into two general categories, the main websites where you will the the main LP ideas and concepts, and secondary websites ancillary content. We will look at the main websites first starting with….
www.thelightningpath.com
www.thelightningpath.com is the basic introduction to The Lightning Path (LP). This site provides basic orientation and some key definitions (i.e. authentic spirituality, awakening, empowerment, etc.). In addition, the site specifies the philosophical and pedagogical parameters of the LP, distinguishes the LP from other spiritual systems, and summarizes goals and techniques. You might say that this main website is the temple door through which the Joyful Master of creation walks as they begin their rapid journey back to full awakening and empowerment. Or you could just say, “introduction” and leave it at that.
curriculum.thelightningpath.com
The second LP website that we can look at is curriculum.thelightningpath.com. This site is the “meat” of The Lightning Path. This site provides basic through advanced LP curriculum and is organized into five levels of study: core, intermediate, advanced, mentor, and post secondary. Each of these levels is accompanied by study guides, books, article lists, audio and (eventually) video all designed to orient you to the material and get you through it as quickly and safely as possible. I’ll speak more about the levels of study in next week’s lesson.
At the current time the LP is self paced and self assessed. Each level of study comes with some guidelines that you can use to decide when you are ready to “graduate” to the next level. Read these guidelines and apply them to decide when you are ready. If you are not sure, feel free to ask on the forums (or an LP mentor if you have one). In the near future we will create a more formal path of study and evaluation, but for now go forward on your own steam, and at a pace that is comfortable for you.
One thing that it is important, be aware that on the LP nobody stands in judgment of your progress, no rewards are offered for speedy work, and no punishment is meted out for “failure.” I, Michael Sharp, believe that everybody can “make it” as long as they are provided quality information, honest guidance, and authentic support when they need it. The LP provides the information, guidance, and support that you need to make it no matter what your educational, class, ethnic, gender, or financial background. All you have to do is be honest with yourself about where you are in your awareness and reach out for guidance and assistance when you feel it necessary. If you can do that, everything else will fall naturally into place.
forums.thelightningpath.com
Speaking of support and guidance, the LP provides authentic and sophisticated spiritual forums where you can go for both formal and informal assistance and discussion. On the forums you will find all sorts of interesting and aware individuals, at various stages of awakening and empowerment, ready and willing to answer your questions, provide support, and offer guidance. In additional to general and informal guidance there is also an Ask Michael Sharp Forum where you can address questions directly to me. The forums are a great place to meet people who share with you a sophisticated and empowering spirituality, and deep understanding of the nature of this world and what needs to be done to fix it. If you need help or guidance, or you just want to add an evolving social element to your Lightning Path study, make sure to check out the LP forums.
tarot.thelightningpath.com
One of the things that you will find as you get to the LP Intermediate level of study is that the LP spends a lot of time talking about ideas and archetypes. It makes sense. One of the basic cosmological truths taught on the LP is that consciousness is the root of all things and if that’s true, then ideas (which are the only things that are that ever contained within consciousness) become extremely important. In fact you could say that if consciousness is the root of all things, then ideas are the formative vehicles through which “all things” emerge. Thus, given the significance of ideas, it makes sense that we take an extremely detailed look at the ideas that make up our consciousness. The Lightning Path does that by looking at key archetypes1 which are implanted in our consciousness as we grow and which contribute directly to the construction of all levels of reality on this planet. The examination of ideas involves two books, The Book of the Triumph of Spirit and The Book of the Triumph of Spirit Master Key, a newly designed set of tarot “archetypes” (the Halo/Sharp Tarot deck), and a website that contains summary information and overviews. The website can be reached at tarot.thelightningpath.com.
The Halo/Sharp archetypal system is a critical component of Intermediate and Advanced levels of study. Information on how to use the tarot is provided at the LP Curriculum site at the appropriate level of study, and at the tarot site. Don’t worry too much about the Halo/Sharp tarot system at the beginning. You will have plenty of time to explore the archetypes as you progress through the various levels of LP study.
www.thespiritwiki.com
As I’ve noted several times in these lessons, there is a lot of information on The Lightning Path. In addition to the wealth of content, a lot of original ideas and original concepts (like “The Fabric of Consciousness”, God with a big “G”, the “Unfolding of creation” and so on) are introduced, and a lot of old ideas and concepts are redefined to reflect the authentic truths buried within. Getting your head around the depth and breadth can be hard enough, remembering what each concept and idea means, and how they are are knitted together, can be even more of a challenge. In order to remove the challenge and make absorption and integration of LP concepts and ideas easier (I know how busy we can be), I have provided The SpiritWiki to help. The SpiritWiki is the canonical glossary of all things Lightning Path. It provides the last word in LP concepts and ideas. If you want to know what a concept means, go to the source and check the SpiritWiki.
Now, in addition to providing the canonical repository of LP thought, the SpiritWiki also, and perhaps more importantly, exposes LP internals to critical scrutiny. Unlike some others who hide their knowledge about all things spiritual (or is that lack of knowledge) behind complicated and convoluted jargon and gobbledygook (otherwise known as EPMO2) I have nothing to hide. I want the LP content open, accessible, and exposed so that everybody who is interested can examine the content and make their own choices with informed and grounded clarity. Therefore if you have ever have any doubt about what I mean by something, if you want to explore how the LP is knitted together, or if you just want to be sure that what you are reading is actually what I’m saying, check with the SpiritWiki. I am the only one with the authority to edit, link, or remove concepts from The SpiritWiki so you be confident in the content and sure that it is free of misconception, doubt, or intentional attempts to misdirect, mislead, or corrupt the LP teachings.
New definitions, and modifications to existing definitions, are sent out as an weekly newsflash so if you want to stay informed of developments sign up for the weekly LP “Newflash” mailing list.
mentor.thelightningpath.com
This final main website that I want to mention is the Mentor Site at mentor.thelightningpath.com. The mentor site provides information on Lightning Path mentor support and training. LP Mentors are trained to provide grounded and spiritually sophisticated guidance and support. There is not a lot of information on the site yet, partly because I haven’t developed the program in great detail, and partly because the curriculum is integrated into the various levels of LP, but it will expand as time passes. Keep an eye out in the regular LP curriculum for pointers on how to begin your mentor level study.
Secondary Websites
In addition to the website noted above the LP has several secondary websites. The content on these websites is either ancillary (for example my own home page where you can learn about me), secondary (as for example my blog at blog.michaelsharp.org where I comment on current events and global happenings), or does not having a specific spiritual focus. I’ll list each of the website below and you have can have a look if you feel moved to do so. Each of these sites is linked to the weekly LP Newflash so you if you want to stay connected and informed sign up for the weekly LP “Newflash” mailing list.
www.michaelsharp.org
www.michaelsharp.org is my personal web page. It contains additional information about me, a run down of the things I’ve written, as well as information on how to access me for personal spiritual guidance (i.e. soul readings) or more involved spiritual/psychological mentoring or counseling. The site is worth checking out if you have nothing better to do with your time.
institute.thelightningpath.com
The Lightning Path Institute is the home of our (my wife and I) home based counseling practice. We offer traditional psychological services but with a spiritually sophisticated twist. We have had success with domestic violence, pharmaceutical dependency, addiction, self esteem issues, eating disorders, anxiety and panic problems, OCD, and other forms of neurosis and psychosis. If you live close by us and need personal or family assistance, contact us. As an online alternative we do offer mentor counseling. See the website for more information.
As a side note, eventually we will use the website to talk about emotional and mental heath issues, and to discuss how a Lightning Path based psychology can heal even the most intractable mental and emotional health problems. We’re not saying much as yet, because we are still focused on the foundation work (like writing these email lessons), but we will. If you want to look into what a spiritually sophisticated psychology will look like, have a look at The Basic Book.3 If you want to be informed of articles and information as it becomes available, sign up for the weekly NewFlash mailing list.
www.sociology.org
www.sociology.org is my Sociology site. I don’t spend any time talking about spiritual things on this site (though I may in the future when the theory of it all is more developed in my mind), but I do say a lot of things relevant to spiritual awakening and empowerment. I’m also not the only person that writes there (other Sociologists and students write as well) but nevertheless there is a lot of useful information and links. If you are interested, new articles that are posted on this site are sent out as a weekly newsflash so sign up for the NewFlash mailing list.
blog.michaelsharp.org
blog.michaelsharp.org is my space for general spiritual and political commentary. There I talk about whatever moves me but that doesn’t fit in one of the other sites. I’ve talked, in a general way, about “The Secret,” The law of attraction, the masonic tarot, some of the more horrible examples of Hollywood propaganda, and so on. The site generally has articles aimed at the general public, but with additional commentary aimed at students of The Lightning Path. I don’t publish there too often at this point but I will in the future. As always, if you want to keep informed, sign up for the weekly NewFlash.
www.crystalchildrenbooks.com
The final site that I want to talk about is www.crystalchildrenbooks.com. As you may or may not know, I write children’s books and this site is where you can learn a bit more about them. It is basically a product marketing site. While I do spend a lot of time talking about the psychology and spirituality of children, I do that during the normal course of the LP curriculum (in The Basic Book, for example). Thus the crystal child site is really just there to give you a heads up on the kids books, and make you aware of the effort. So far I’m published only two kids books, but if you want to send your children a relevant message about who they are, and what they are here for, I highly recommend them.
And that’s all for now. Keep in mind that the LP is still rapidly evolving so there may be more websites in the future. If websites do become available I will announce them so if you are interested in keeping abreast of development, sign up for the Newflash mailing list.
I am Michael Sharp.
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