Our Journey Home Series

Youtube: Mystery Rocks

Some weeks ago, I mentioned a field of boulders I have observed in the desert area north of Grand Junction. I mentioned them because I couldn’t understand how they could have ended up where they are. Knowing there were a couple of geologists in a Facebook group where I often post photos, I asked if anyone had some ideas. I received many very interesting responses, including this one: “Read your Bible. The great flood of Noah’s time and its resulting runoff is responsible for most of the world’s geological mysteries.” I thanked the author, told him I’ve been a minister for 40+ years, and that I was familiar with the Bible. Then I added, “I won’t argue religion here, only to say that I cannot take Noah and the ark literally. However, the ice age floods could very well have inspired that story, since ocean levels rose 400 feet or so.” His response: “A minister who refuses to believe the word of God. Good luck with that.” In contrast, another reader wrote this: “You’re the first minister I’ve ever witnessed say something like that. I feel like you make me want to study the Bible again. Just wanted you to know.”

I share this story because it illustrates the firm belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible. I did not want to go into the fact that the flood story is a combination of two stories, one saying two of every kind of animal went into the ark, while the other says seven. Both stories appear to be based on a much older Babylonian myth – The Epic of Gilgamesh – written on clay tablets.

An important part of our journey home includes a willingness to open our minds to separate spiritual fact from fiction. As we have seen, the Bible is a rich source of spiritual truth couched in story, poem, and psalm. The writers use history as their framework for conveying their spiritual message, which always takes precedence over historical fact. As one scholar suggested, we should not confuse the writings of the Bible with journalism.

The geologists offered some fascinating explanations of how the boulders may have been placed. None of their explanations lessened my faith or undermined my interest in the Bible.   

Youtube: The Messianic Dilemma

For nearly two thousand years, the mainstream Christian community has awaited the return of Jesus and the day of reckoning that he will trigger. Upon his return, the sheep will be separated from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, the good fish from the bad, or, to put it in concise terms, the saved from the unsaved. The Jewish community has been waiting even longer.

The Christian mystic, on the other hand, has never hung his or her hope on the return of this man. Rooted in principles that predate the advent of Jesus, his appearance and the ensuing movement that followed influenced their vocabulary, not their principles. For them, the omnipresence and accessibility of God is an eternal reality awaiting recognition of the persistent contemplative. A day of judgment may make sense to the judgmental, but it has no place in one who has come to know the changeless nature of God.

Even though the writers of the gospels did so, I do not believe Jesus presented himself as the expected messiah. This designation was developed by the early followers to inspire the hope that not all was lost with the death of their leader. This is one of many instances where Jesus directed attention away from himself: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone” (Mark 10:18).

God alone is the unchanging source of all. There is indeed a need for salvation from the poverty, disease, unrest, and discord that arise from the belief that we are separate from God. But this salvation does not come in the form of a long-haired man with outstretched arms appearing in the clouds with a fanfare of trumpets and an entourage of angels. It comes in quiet moments of inner reflection. Only here, in the sanctuary of our own being, can we discover the inner wholeness that is our spiritual core, our soul, that which is already perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

We can continue to wait for our savior, or we can follow the advice of one who obviously knew what he was talking about: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

Youtube: The Great Revelation

In the previous lesson, we saw that Esau represents the physical aspect of our consciousness, while Jacob represents the mental side that is awakening to the spiritual dimension. In a moment of hunger, Esau swears he will sell his birthright to Jacob. When the time comes to bestow the birthright on his firstborn, father Isaac, now nearly blind, is deceived by his wife, Rebekah, into believing he is giving Esau this important blessing when in fact it is Jacob disguised as Esau.

Metaphysically, we can see Rebekah representing the soul. That she favors Jacob indicates that the soul expresses, not through the physical consciousness (Esau), but through the spiritually awakening mental side (Jacob).

When Esau learns of the deception, he vows to kill Jacob. This illustrates the tension between our body-based identity and our spiritually awakening mentality. Jacob flees in fear for his life. On his way to live with relatives, he has a dream. He sees a ladder reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending and the Lord standing above it. The Lord assures Jacob that he will be with him always, guiding and protecting him and his descendants. Jacob awakens from his sleep and says, “Surely the Lord is in this place; and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16).

The great revelation is the omnipresence of God. The ancient Hebrew believed the Lord, Yahweh, was localized. Jacob thought that by leaving his homeland, he was also leaving the presence of the Lord. But he said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (v17).

Our soul is always aware that it dwells in the presence of God. As Jacob, our spiritually developing consciousness, begins to get glimpses of this profound truth, we see that God, our spiritual source, is not in some remote location but is ever-present and can never leave us even in our moments of uncertainty. In his dream, the great wealth promised to Jacob by the Lord symbolizes the spiritual wealth that is in store for each of us.

Our Journey Home Series

Youtube: An Evolution of Values

The Bible can be read on many levels. The literalist will read it as history. The scholar will read it as the product of the human mind setting forth religious and cultural values. The metaphysician will treat the characters, locations, and actions portrayed as elements of the human consciousness.  

When treated metaphysically, we can see the story of Jacob and Esau as representing our transition from the body-centered consciousness to spirit-centered awareness. The two brothers were twins, with Esau being the firstborn and the rightful inheritor of the lion’s share of the family wealth. Esau was a physical man, a hunter, a “man of the field,” while Jacob is described as “a quiet man dwelling in tents.” Esau represents the body-based aspect of our identity. Jacob displays the characteristics of the spiritually developing consciousness. His name means, supplanter.

One day Esau comes in from the field famished and finds Jacob cooking a pottage of lentils. When he asks for something to eat, Jacob makes him swear that he will sell him his birthright (his inheritance). “I am about to die,” Esau says, “Of what use is a birthright to me?” Hence, we have the origin of selling the soul for a bowl of pottage.

Esau represents that aspect of our consciousness focused only on appeasing the needs of the body. The birthright is symbolic of our spiritual inheritance, our conscious union with God, our source. Spiritual concerns are of little consequence to this aspect of our thinking. Jacob, the supplanter, is that spiritually awakening movement of our consciousness destined to supersede and replace the mere physical level. We are beginning to think of ourselves as something much more than human beings seeking a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

The spiritual awakening is truly an evolution of values. As we begin to grasp the spiritual nature of our being, our interest turns to understanding this finer level, our true inheritance.

Our Journey Home

Youtube: The Holy Breath

In the Old Testament, when we see the terms Lord, Lord God, or Jehovah, the Hebrew word being translated is Yahweh. When we see the word God, the underlying Hebrew word is Elohim. If we turn to the first two chapters of Genesis, we see that chapter 1 uses Elohim and chapter 2 uses Yahweh.

According to Hebrew scholars, the term Yahweh was originally written without vowels: Yhwh. The reason? So, the holy name of God could not be spoken. This week, I came across a fascinating bit of information that was quoted indirectly from an unnamed Jewish physicist and religious scholar. He said the term Yh-wh was originally indicated as the spelling for the sound of the breath, with Yh being the inhalation and wh being the exhalation. Listen to your own breath, and you can get a feel for what he is saying.

That the breath is universal to all living forms is significant to understanding God as the very present source of our being. The book of Job says,  ^“Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom. But it is the spirit in a man,  the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand” (Job 32:7-8). And again, “The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4).

Humankind has struggled with the notion of God as the Creative Life Force that permeates all things, and that in whom we live and move and have our being, as Paul stated. It is easier to simply personify this spiritual abstraction, making God into something that resembles an ancient ancestor.

The Psalmist, who also understood the omnipresent nature of God, left us with this very inspiring bit of truth:

“God is our refuge and strength,  an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalms 46:1-3).

Our Journey Home

Youtube: The Prayer of Knowing

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Matthew 6:7-8

As we read this passage, there are two points that can help with our understanding of prayer. The first point is that prayer does not require many words. Prayer is a mindset, a mental and emotional process of releasing our reaction to negative appearances and affirming that greater good is unfolding.

The second point is a bit more subtle. Jesus does not say that your Father knows what you want. He says your Father knows what you need. There is often a difference between what we want and what may actually provide the greatest advances in our journey home.

We may, for example, be asking God for help in dealing with some obnoxious personality in our life. We want them to just go away. What we need, however, is the insight to rise above our negative reaction to this person. Why am I giving them power to control my thoughts and emotions? Why am I giving them power to make me feel as if I must defend myself?

Jesus would say that your Father knows what you need before you ask because your Father is your spiritual source that knows nothing but freedom. It stands to reason that your Father knows what you are doing to block the free expression of spirit. Its primary interest is freeing you from the consequences of that blockage. It is similar to building a small dam in a stream. You can stop the flow of water for a time, but the blockage will eventually be removed by the natural action of the water.

Carry your prayer throughout your day, not in words but in the attitude that the best and highest is now working through you. Add to your stated desire the understanding that that which you need is now being made clear. You know what to do, and you do it.  

Youtube: A Personal Matter

The question was raised about whether we will always retain our personality, even after we step from the body. NDE research indicates overwhelmingly that we retain our sense of personal identity, and that we recognize others who have gone before us. However, those who have had an NDE are often profoundly affected in the sense that they identify more with the reality of the soul. People who are close to them see a distinct, often drastic change in their personality.  

In my book, Native Soul, I state that the personality “… is actually an important function of the soul. It allows you to personalize and communicate at the material level the universal energy that rises from your depths.”

Unfortunately, much emphasis is placed on developing the winning personality that will help move us up the ladder in life. It is when we identify more with the personality than we do the soul that we run aground in the shallows of earth life.

“For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?” Matthew 16:26

We are told that no two snowflakes are alike. Every daisy in a field of thousands has distinguishing features. You know that your pets have individual personalities. When we speak of spiritual oneness, God as the one source of all, we are not to think that all souls are destined to merge into indistinguishable, universal energy. Individualization is God’s method of expression.

You and I do this also. We have a mind capable of individualizing as ideas that become the manifestations we see on our human scene, from car to computer, to the meal we will prepare this evening. The function of the personality is to bring universal Mind into individual expression. Our journey home is truly a process of bringing our personality into alignment with what is true of the soul.    

Youtube: The Hidden Treasure

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew 13:44

What treasure do you suppose Jesus is referring to? I just read an article from a religious academic that said the treasure is Jesus Christ and the salvation he offers. Such an idea would have been foreign to Jesus. Based on evidence we glean from the mystical thread, the treasure represents a fully active spiritual dimension, the understanding of which would immeasurably enhance the quality of one’s life. Gaining this understanding requires total commitment, but, because the man understands its value, he pursues it in joy.  

We’re told the man, in his joy, sells all that he owns so he can buy the field containing the treasure. Compare this attitude of joy to another instance where Jesus advises a rich young man to sell all his possessions, give the money to the poor, and then follow him. This is a depressing notion to the young man.

The difference in these two cases is that the man who discovered the treasure grasped its value on his own. He saw that the field and the treasure it contained was worth more than all his possessions, so in joy he could release the lesser for the greater. The wealthy young man, on the other hand, was simply responding to the instructions from another. He placed more value on his possessions than on the thing he hoped to acquire. In other words, his quest was conceptual while the other man’s was experiential.

With the theme, our journey home, we emphasize the need to make the spiritual quest our very own. In the beginning we are prompted by a pristine urge to know and experience something deeper than we have been taught, but we can easily slip back into following the advice of respected books and teachers. While these have their place, we should never forget that we are being guided by our own spiritual comforter and advocate. This is what brought us to the treasure-bearing field in the first place.

Youtube: The Religion Factor

There is something to be said for the increased level of morality that religious training inspires in people. For some, however, the motivation to do good is often driven by fear of the consequences for doing otherwise. For centuries, the church has used the fires of hell as a means of keeping their flocks on the straight and narrow. On our journey home, the time comes when we take a deeper look at the ideas we’ve been handed.

It should come as no surprise that Jesus had a different take on God and the notion of sin and punishment. God does not react to human behavior, good or bad.  “… for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). This statement is a clear contradiction to religion’s depiction of a capricious God. Our journey home begins with a healthy understanding of God. As Mark Twain pointed out, “It’s not what we don’t know that gets us in trouble. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”

While our understanding and attitude toward God can change many times, God is changeless. The purpose of meditation is to sensitize the mind to the point where we can observe and experience the subtle presence of God as the living energy from which our being rises.  St. Frances of Assisi suggested this when he wrote, “What you are looking for is what is looking.” Such direct exposure not only clarifies our understanding of God, it also sets us on the highest moral path.

We are under no obligation to settle for depictions of God filtered through religious institutions and professionals. These only pass on ideas that have been handed to them through so many generations that they treat them as truth and probably believe them to be so.

To love the lord your God is to seek direct revelation from within the “inner room” of your own being. It is up to each one of us to separate truth from fiction, to come to know our own indwelling lord as the advocate and comforter that is with us always.

Youtube: The Adventure Begins

“Do not be deceived by dimples and curls. I tell you that babe is a thousand years old.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

We began our life on earth with an innate curiosity toward the world around us. As our senses developed, we found we had a natural attraction to colorful objects and fuzzy things that squeaked when squeezed. Later, we would gaze into the night sky and wonder where, amidst that vast expanse, we fit in. It may have been sometime later that we began to wonder how and why we came to be in this place.

In my own quest for understanding, Emilie Cady’s illustration comparing the soul to a pail of water drawn from the ocean made a lasting impression. She focused on the composition of water, using it to suggest that the soul shares the same elements as the cosmic ocean from which it is drawn. The illustration takes on an even more profound meaning when we consider the age of water. According to science, regardless of when a pail is drawn from the ocean, the age of the water remains 4.6 billion years. The water in the pail does not evolve to become as old and as wise as the water in the ocean. It has never been and will never be anything less.

The implications of this illustration present us with a spiritual model that raises significant new questions. If our soul is as complete as our spiritual source, then what is the objective of our quest? The short answer? Spiritual recovery – conscious recollection of who and what we are at the spiritual level. We are seeking a clearer understanding of how a spiritual being, equipped with a material interface in the form of a body, can best travel through this earthly experience with the deepest sense of meaning.

The best way to start this inquiry is not with an answer, but with a couple of questions. How and why did I come to be in this place? Am I here as the result of forces beyond my control, or am I here by choice? Am I here to simply collect more colorful objects and things that squeak, or did I choose to come, having a specific purpose in mind?

Search the world’s literature and you find affirmative support for both perspectives. However, it is your answer, your understanding that determines the way you approach your journey home.