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Christ and Jesus
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To understand many of the words and teachings of Jesus Christ, you must use some discernment. There is a difference between Jesus the historical man, and the Christ, the Holy Spirit (God) who still lives in your heart and mine.
Here is one good example: Christ said, "I and the Father are one." (Jn. 10:30) And Jesus also said, "The Father is greater than I." (Jn. 14:28)
Now, logically, both statements cannot be true of the same being. So, they must originate with two beings. And they do. The first statement is from the everlasting Christ-spirit, and the second from the human and historical Jesus.
In many early Christian documents, writers made this careful distinction. That we all are part of the Christ (Holy Spirit; God) is implied, for example, in the gnostic Gospel of Phillip, where the early Christian author writes that, when converted to the faith, we do not become simply "Christians, but Christs." To the unaccustomed ear, it might well sound strange to speak of "Julia Christ," or "Kevin Christ." But, the truth is, we are all called to follow Christ within as the Way. For He said, through Jesus, "I am... the Way." (Jn. 14:6(
We cannot now "follow" Jesus, for he is no longer alive on earth. But Christ still lives, and never died. He is a "model" for us, the Scriptures say. Jesus predicted, "The things I do, you also will do; and you will do even greater things."
No one is as advanced, as complete, a being as Jesus Christ. For he is, in Western culture, the very archetype (symbol) of a completed and enlightened man. But that does not make us less than Jesus, as a species.
For he was truly "man," born of woman, although he was also as truly God. He was, in short, Love in incarnation. It is not blasphemy to declare that Jesus is a model, as the Scriptures say, "for you to follow his footsteps closely." Indeed, the true "blasphemy" would be to ignore this lovely specimen of God.
So, when people teach that "Jesus saves," it is the realization of the deeply interior Love-nature that saves. It becomes conscious (aware) to your conscious mind. And from what does Jesus Christ save? He saves, by grace, from the nightmare of ignorance, with its hatreds, fears, and assorted miseries. He also saves us from terrible slavery to our lower humanimal nature-- slavery to abject cruelty, loveless sexuality, greed, and similar abominations. By grace, we are liberated from a legion of interior "demons," who lose all their power in the Presence of Christ(Love).
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Showing posts with label archetype. Show all posts
Showing posts with label archetype. Show all posts
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Jesus' Transfiguration
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The "Mount of Transfiguration" was not a phrase used by Jesus, but was a later description used by others. This describes an event in the Gospel accounts of the Life of Jesus. This is perhaps a symbolic or representative account of a radical shift in the mind (consciousness) of Jesus.
In a clearly altered state of consciousness, Jesus was granted a vision one night upon a mountain. In the vision, he was apparently glowing, which is a symbol of the interior Light. He apparently encountered several light-phenomena. In the vision, he saw two beings who were later interpreted to be "Moses" and "Elijah," two of the more famous "prophets" in the Jewish tradition. So, he was obviously in touch with the profound area of the Superconscious Mind (Lovemind, Godmind, Coremind) called the
akasha. This contains the spacetime history of our world.
Although, historically, there is usually a clear distinction between the visionary and the mystic-- and mystics generally do not "see visions"-- this is a rare synergic unity of a visionary and mystical experience in one single event.
"Transfiguration" means major transformation, transmogrification, or spiritual rebirth. So, this was likely one of the major mystical experiences, of which Jesus experienced many.
This type of experience occurs in the lives of mystics, although not to this extent, or this powerfully, all throughout the spiritual history of every enlightened being. As is often the case, Jesus here is an "archetype," or universal model, of the mystically illuminated kind or type of human being. But why would the experience include encounters with the famous Jewish sages?
Probably because most of his disciples, and, in fact, most of the first early Christians, who would learn of the story and make use and application of it, were from a Jewish genetic, cultural, and geographic background. So, this event, like so much in Jesus' life, was not prepared for only Jesus, but for his followers as well. The Jewish historical component was included, not because it was necessary to the spirituality of the event, but because the people of the time could easily relate to the event as deeply "spiritual." For in that situation, culture and history were closely interwoven, in their minds, with spirituality.
It is perhaps historically significant, some literalist scholars point out, that Moses had a breath-taking experience similar to that of Jesus, and so did Elijah. These historians are reasoning from the premise that these accounts represent actual, literal experiences with extraordinary power-- not symbolic events or descriptions. They believe that the same power returned to earth and created the transfigurative experience. This also is a real possibility, but, at this late date in human history, we cannot know the whole story. So, all that we have is speculation.
*******
The "Mount of Transfiguration" was not a phrase used by Jesus, but was a later description used by others. This describes an event in the Gospel accounts of the Life of Jesus. This is perhaps a symbolic or representative account of a radical shift in the mind (consciousness) of Jesus.
In a clearly altered state of consciousness, Jesus was granted a vision one night upon a mountain. In the vision, he was apparently glowing, which is a symbol of the interior Light. He apparently encountered several light-phenomena. In the vision, he saw two beings who were later interpreted to be "Moses" and "Elijah," two of the more famous "prophets" in the Jewish tradition. So, he was obviously in touch with the profound area of the Superconscious Mind (Lovemind, Godmind, Coremind) called the
akasha. This contains the spacetime history of our world.
Although, historically, there is usually a clear distinction between the visionary and the mystic-- and mystics generally do not "see visions"-- this is a rare synergic unity of a visionary and mystical experience in one single event.
"Transfiguration" means major transformation, transmogrification, or spiritual rebirth. So, this was likely one of the major mystical experiences, of which Jesus experienced many.
This type of experience occurs in the lives of mystics, although not to this extent, or this powerfully, all throughout the spiritual history of every enlightened being. As is often the case, Jesus here is an "archetype," or universal model, of the mystically illuminated kind or type of human being. But why would the experience include encounters with the famous Jewish sages?
Probably because most of his disciples, and, in fact, most of the first early Christians, who would learn of the story and make use and application of it, were from a Jewish genetic, cultural, and geographic background. So, this event, like so much in Jesus' life, was not prepared for only Jesus, but for his followers as well. The Jewish historical component was included, not because it was necessary to the spirituality of the event, but because the people of the time could easily relate to the event as deeply "spiritual." For in that situation, culture and history were closely interwoven, in their minds, with spirituality.
It is perhaps historically significant, some literalist scholars point out, that Moses had a breath-taking experience similar to that of Jesus, and so did Elijah. These historians are reasoning from the premise that these accounts represent actual, literal experiences with extraordinary power-- not symbolic events or descriptions. They believe that the same power returned to earth and created the transfigurative experience. This also is a real possibility, but, at this late date in human history, we cannot know the whole story. So, all that we have is speculation.
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