FULFILLING LIFE’S PURPOSE

A review of THE PRIMORDIAL LAWS OF CREATION (2017) by Stephen M. Lampe Moji Laniyan

Readers of any or all of Stephen Lampe's earlier books,-- The Christian and Reincarnation, Building Future Societies: The Spiritual Principles, and Thinking About God- Reflections on Conceptions and Misconceptions, will not be disappointed in the title of his latest work which is an outright proof of Lampe's special trademark that is a trade-off between analysis of earthly matters and promotion of spirituality. Though the title may involuntarily differentiate between a serious reader and the superficial one, it embodies a topic with a difference. And by dint of the book's sub-title- Keys to Joyous Achievement of Life's Purposes, it is an attempt on a reformation in all features of living.

The quote on the back cover of the 136-page book is an appropriate preview-- “The Primordial Laws of Creation are the eternal principles by which we should always have lived and by which we must live. They constitute both the infallible basis for a comprehensive understanding of the World and the solid and sure foundation for all right reforms, irrespective of sector. Without the right application of these Laws, human civilisation would continue to walk into the embrace of retrogression and perhaps catastrophic collapse.”

In the same vein, the colour of the book's cover- indigo, holds up a mirror to the book's subject- matter and gives the promise that the tone of the book will be full of colour because indigo is a colour that appears between blue and violet in a primary rainbow, and comprising both its neighbours, is seen in colour psychology as the colour of perception and believed to have a lot of spiritual meaning. Attempting a placement for the distinct book The title warrants the book being placed highly, not only for the vastness and importance of the theme, also because it is a rare subject- matter. The author admits the theme's attributes when, for openers, he gives quotations from the same source that pinpoint the theme of discussion and goes on to reveal his appreciation of and complete dependence on the sage opinion of his source: “It is obvious that the Primordial Laws of Creation by their very origin and nature can be comprehensively known only by those who existed at the very beginning. Creatures in Subsequent Creation, such as earthmen, may recognize fragments of the Primordial Laws only if they strive strenuously to observe everything around them in the right way. But they can only be known in their comprehensiveness through revelation. This revelation, along with other spiritual knowledge, came through Abd-ru-shin (whose civil name was Oskar Ernst Bernhardt) in his unique work ‘In the Light of Truth’, The Grail Message. What I present here represents in a sense an oversimplification of the subject – only my own limited understanding of the work whose depth and scope are so stupendous that it would be foolish for anyone to claim complete understanding of it. Therefore, those seriously interested in this subject, and in spiritual knowledge generally, should endeavour to study Abd-ru-shin's work and should not be content with the understanding of another person. I consider the work as the Alpha and Omega of spiritual knowledge.”

Apparently due to the crucial issue, right from its beginning and all through it, the book addresses itself to the main item of the synopsis – our great need for knowledge of the topic. Two examples are hereby given: The preface delivers Lampe's neutral view on the existence of personal responsibility and influences a categorical notion that his book will capture exactly the ethos of mankind in general: “Built into creation is a ‘manual’ to facilitate for all creatures attainment of their individual and collective purposes... As with earthly manufacturers' manuals, the endeavour to study, understand and adjust to the dictates of the ‘manual’ is exclusively for our benefits. We would not thereby be doing the Creator any favour.

“The Primordial Laws of Creation are in a sense the manual that the Creator has branded into Creation and which work automatically. They indicate the paths we must follow on earth as well as in other parts of Creation and provide the foundation for the explanations of all life's mysteries. Recognition of these Primordial Laws is the most urgent need for all of us human beings, especially in these increasingly uncertain and tumultuous times. These Laws transcend religion and they impact everyone automatically regardless of belief or unbelief.”

Secondly, the first page of Chapter One leads us purposely into the purport of the book: “The Primordial Laws of Creation are activated by the Power of God and constitute the Will of God. The development of Creation, including the coming into existence of all the invisible and visible worlds and creatures therein, followed the pattern (or blue print) dictated by the Primordial Laws.” The book's content Understandably, the Primordial Laws seem to be a closed book to many of us, necessitating Lampe's work which promises from starting point to be an open book by virtue of its easily understandable wordings. Frank points are nevertheless expressed as early as the preface when the author throws the book at us: “If we ignore the Primordial Laws of Creation, we arraign all the forces of Creation against us and continually invite disharmony, chaos, and failures in all aspects of human existence.”

The three sub-sections of Chapter One buttress up the author's choice of topic. The following extracts prove this. “‘The desire to understand the world and the desire to reform it are the two great engines of progress, without which human society would stand still or retrogress"- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970 :The Basic Virtues of Bertrand Russell 1903-1959, by Robert E. Egner and Lester E. Denonn.)”

“Knowledge of the spiritual nature of the human being, the purpose of human existence, the eternal principles by which human beings should live, and general commitment to such principles constitute the medicine for humanity's multifarious ailments.”

'The Primordial Laws take fully into account thoughts, motives, and volitions in addition to actions and words of human beings...Unlike earthly judges, the servants of the Creator who uphold His Will in Creation are supremely capable of monitoring and acting on a person's thinking, motives, and volitions and ensuring appropriate consequences.”

Chapters Two to Eight discuss in detail “the following interrelated and mutually complementary Laws: The Law of Movement; The Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species; The Law of Reciprocal Action; The Law of Gravitation and The Law of Balance.” He also mentions “briefly the Law of the Cycle, which is closely similar to the Law of Reciprocal Action.” Chapter Nine contains the author's concluding remarks.

Lampe gives the broad outlines of the subject and his great precision in explaining same is exhibited in these extracts:

*The Law of Movement- “The stationary rock is composed of chemical compounds which are themselves made up of protons, neutrons, electrons, etc., all of which are in constant movement, quite apart from the fact that the rock is being carried along in all the motions of the earth, the solar system, and the galaxy of which the earth is a part. The same can be said of the human body, dead or alive.”

*The Law of Attraction of Homogeneous Species- “The proverb ‘Birds of a feather flock together’ hints at this Law... This Law manifests itself in the relationships among people, among animals, and even in the natural communities of plants.'

*The Law of Reciprocal Action- “Whatever we sow, we are obliged to reap... The interval between sowing and reaping depends on what is sown.”

*The Law of Gravitation- “Whatever is really light rises easily, whereas that which is heavy tends to fall.”

*The Law of Balance- “There is a problem when accounts cannot be balanced. We speak of ‘balanced diets’, referring to the necessity to eat different kinds of food items in appropriate portions to ensure good health. Breathing out is balanced with breathing in.”

*The Law of the Cycle- “In the World of Matter, whatever has a beginning must have an end and the end must always flow back into the beginning.”

According to Lampe, real understanding and proper interpretation of the Primordial Laws is essential to adhering to them. He gives expressive examples by way of assistance:

“There are birds which can no longer fly because their wings have deteriorated on account of failure to use them over thousands of years... The human spirit is subject to this same Law of Adaptation...we have lost most of our spiritual abilities and hardly appreciate a spiritual outlook on life. This condition is responsible for many of the problems confronting the human race, and the problems that await many in the Beyond after physical death.”

“The human being is not a whole species but only a splitting which carries within itself the desire for union...However, the thoughts, deeds, and volitions of human beings are whole species that attract homogeneous species...If people were not evil and did no evil, there would be no gathering of the evil-minded; that is, there would be no hell...God did not create hell.” “It is the inner state of the individual and not the proclaimed faith that determines what is eventually reaped...It is through the operation of the Law of Reciprocal Action that God metes out ‘vengeance’ and ‘recompense’ and not through personal intervention in the lives of individuals.” “Evil doing, bad thoughts, wrong aspirations and attitudes make the spirit heavy. Such heaviness causes it to sink, to fall away in a direction opposite from that of its origin...Noble actions, thoughts, and attitudes make the spirit light, so that, once it has shed the physical body, it rises automatically toward its spiritual origin, its home.” “Human beings are endowed with the intellect so that in every life on earth they have a counterpoise pulling downwards to balance the upward-striving spirituality... Sadly the intellect has become over-cultivated and no longer serves as the tool of the spirit.’ “The human spirit originated from the Spiritual Realm as an unconscious spirit germ (or spirit seed) and journeys to the World of Matter in which through appropriate experiencing it acquires consciousness, self-consciousness, and inner maturity...If a human being were to fail to achieve full maturity by the time the World of Matter is due to disintegrate, it would be caught up in the disintegrating process...That is spiritual death, which is also called eternal damnation.” Principles of Lampe's book Definitely not a catchpenny title, there is no reason in principle why countless principled people won't pick up Lampe's book for it is highly relevant and of lasting value. It is serious literature, far from mere entertainment, and shows the author has a perspicacious analysis of the topic, presented perspicuously. His clear language, a consequence of his simple vocabulary and vivid examples underlies the power to hold our attention beyond the reading. Recognisably due to the vast topic, he treats some issues only briefly; undoubtedly, he fully briefs us on the main subject-matter, the Primordial Laws of Creation -henceforth the correctives to the existing human-made laws that the author reminds us “do not always promote justice...Indeed, quite often, they are exploited by lawyers to set free people who have actually committed crimes.” Lampe's conclusion is appropriate to the subject as it offers conclusive proof of the obligation to embrace the Primordial Laws: “In our era, many cycles are coming to a close for individuals as well as for groups...There is a shortening of the cycle of sowing and reaping...It is for this reason that we are witnessing an astounding multiplicity and convergence of bewildering events in political, economic, social, and other spheres of life, humanmade as well as natural (such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc.)...These events are associated with the World Judgment and are a clarion call to rethink the meaning of life and to pay much greater attention to the Will of God that manifests in the Primordial Laws of Creation.” Existence and Lampe's realistic views Each owes himself or herself, irrespective of earthly position, the duty to make the most of this fascinating and inspiring work that clearly shows the author's lofty goal which beckons us to follow suit. There is a lot of sense in what the thought-provoking book presents. Our most important step is to borrow freely from Lampe, derive further knowledge on this all-important subject through his sole source. There is no better time than the present. For starters, let's reflect on Lampe's final quote:

--Laniyan is the Co-ordinator, Ephesus Literary Bureau, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)