My first encounter with Mark (Belzebuub) was when I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland where he gave an introductory talk for the spiritual teachings I was interested in. I was so enthusiastic to listen to him.
Meeting Mark in the UK
At the time however, there were a few aggressive people in the audience who were quite obnoxious and nasty. Mark really impressed me when this was taking place, because he was so calm and relaxed and these people didn’t seem to affect him in any way at all. However at that time in the intro talk I in turn almost wanted to tell them off, I turned around and almost abused them for being so rude.
Mark was so calm, focused, clear, and poised, and I thought at the time how wonderful it would be to be like him.
So I went along to all his talks and lectures, going to the center listening to all the lectures on the spiritual teachings and doing all the different spiritual practices, and then eventually doing the all-night practices, which were great, and also spending the whole weekend and doing spiritual practices with lots of other students at the center.
Mark was so accommodating and kind to everyone, very hospitable and generous. I can honestly say the teachings and the practices were one of the most fulfilling things I had ever done. It allowed me to learn about myself and other people and to also help other people.
Weekend retreats in Scotland
Eventually, the movement then obtained a country house to rent in a place three hours away from Edinburgh where all the students went every weekend to practice the teachings.
Mark on his way to the weekend retreat would very often pick me up in his car and drive me to this beautiful mansion in the country. So every weekend I would go to this beautiful country house, Mark was so generous to do this. He was also very nice and he had a lovely sense of humor which would often make me laugh and he was always so very courteous.
So every weekend there would be 15 to 30 or more people doing Gnostic practices the whole weekend. We all looked forward to doing the practices with great anticipation as the practices gave great experiences and success for many people.
Mark never bragged about himself and how many experiences he had. You could tell by his behavior that he was very advanced and he was very devoted to the spiritual work. He was a great example to all of us.
Move to Australia
I had come from Australia so when I eventually returned here, I stayed in touch with Mark because I wanted for these teachings to come here to Australia, and I had already discussed this with Mark before I left, so we were in continual communication.
Working with Mark in Australia
When Master Rabolu decided to allow Mark to bring these teachings to Australia, I became very involved in helping to finance and also helping for this to take place. Mark devoted himself to painting the new and first Sydney center which was a mountainous amount of work to do. It was colossal and many tasks needed to be done before the first introductory talk was to take place.
I would go to all the introductory talks to help Mark to set them up.
Profound manner of teaching
When Belzebuub gave a lecture you could often feel he was talking about issues that would affect you individually. It was as if he knew what you may have needed to hear at that time and that may have been related to you at that particular moment, that you may have needed to work on. So you could feel a real help that would benefit you when he gave his talks.
Encouraging spiritual self-reliance
He would always encourage all the students to get our own experiences through our own individual efforts and to not rely on what he or anyone else may have experienced, so to get your own direct experiences. Not to just follow, but to get the tools to explore for yourself.
Complete respect for women and relationships
Mark always treated men and woman in an equal way and was a complete gentleman. He always spoke about the importance of a relationship between a man and a woman. The committed relationship and love is sacred and the importance of not interfering in other people’s relationships. Mark is a strong role model regarding relationships.
Compassionate and caring nature
Mark is very compassionate person. I had been very ill for a long time for many years he was very kind to me during this time, always reminding me of the importance of looking after myself and not to push myself. He always explained that it’s much harder to do the spiritual work when you are sick.
I was so grateful for having known Mark for all his guidance and help, he would often help me directly and sometimes indirectly. He was very heartwarming in his approach, very refreshing, he was also very straightforward, friendly and down-to-earth.
Enduring of hardship without complaint
Mark went through a lot of hardships whilst running the center, with many things taking place. People from overseas arrived at the center and made terrible demands and created havoc upon him. He always stayed very calm and he had the ability to not get identified with all the problems of daily life, which could be massive at times, but he never complained.
He gave his all to helping other people with this work, always giving these teachings completely free. He never complained about anything.
Mark was so inspiring about spiritual matters, also very humble and very normal. He could be lighthearted and would often throw in a lighthearted joke.
Honest and ethical in all ways
The allegations against Mark (Belzebuub) are totally false; he is one of the most honest, stable, ethical, decent human beings. He would often speak about the importance of honesty and acting within the law. He has a very high standard of conduct and is a great role model and has a huge amount of integrity. He shows a great amount of warmth and care.
I am so grateful for having known him for over 20 years and all the help he has given to the world. There is no one I know that is as outstanding as what Mark is, he is a remarkable human being.
Thank you Mark.