Good Morning Beloved!

 

Now that they are retired, a longtime married are discussing all aspects of their future.

“What will you do if I die before you do?” The husband asks the wife.  After some thought, she said that she’d probably look for a house-sharing situation with three other single or widowed women who might be a little younger than herself since she is quite active for her age.

Then the wife turned to her husband and asked, “What will you do if I die first?”

He replied, “Probably the same thing.”

 

Holy Week Metaphysics

I thought we’d take a look at the week leading up to Easter from a metaphysical point of view this Sunday.  We all know what the Bible and some histories say about these special days.  But there are underlining meanings to each step our Way-shower takes toward this part of His journey.

And please remember, when we look at anything metaphysically, we appreciate the suggestions given by some of our leaders and founders, and myself, even, but we are to each of us, individually, look at what it means to us.  What something means to me, ultimately, can and probably truly is, different than what it means to you.

So take the word or story and let it sink in.  Where does it take YOU?

 

Holy Week has many messages for us to look at as we get closer to the crucifixion and the resurrection.

LAZARUS SATURDAY:

Let’s start with the Saturday before Palm Sunday.  Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead!  Did you know that? That took place in Bethany which metaphysically means wailing, lamentation and signifies the demonstration over these conditions, and explains what happened during that time of Lazaras’ Illness, death and being ‘awakened’.

Jesus is told of Lazarus’s illness yet waits 2 days before walking to Bethany.  When he arrives. Lazarus has been dead 4 days and has been laid in the tomb.

John 11:14-15: “Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazar is dead; And I am glad I was not there, for your sakes, so that you may believe;”

When he arrives, he meets Martha. John 11:21-27 “Then Martha said to Jesus, My Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, he will give you. 

Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise up.

Martha said to him, I know he will rise up in the resurrection of the last day.

Jesus told her, I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even though he dies, he shall live. And whoever is alive and believes in me shall never die.”

Then Jesus went to the tomb, he was in tears.

John 11: 39-43 “Jesus said, Take away this stone….did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?

So they took away the stone.  And Jesus lifted his eyes upwards and said, O Father; I thank thee for thou hast heard me.  And I know that thou always hearest me; but I say these things just because of this people who stand around, so that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

…he cried out with a loud voice, Lazar, come out.”

So, some thoughts on what this first day on the Holy Week could mean to us:

1. Bring out what is buried in our subconscious: roll the stone from the tomb – remove any blocks to that which we have neglected or allowed to die within us (Some quality or activity we are not allowing to be manifest in our material world.)

 

1. Jesus’ prayer “Arise” “Come out” restoring the idea which is asleep in our subconscious, trapped in the “tomb” of our body. E.g. an old talent (musical instrument, pottery, writing), relationship improvement; health commitment etc.

 

1. When Jesus saw Mary weeping, He too wept: our spiritual self needs to be integrated with our human self with love and compassion.

 

That’s day 1.

 

PALM SUNDAY:

He and His disciples then walk on Sunday from Bethany to Bethphage, just outside Bethany at the Mount of Olives.  Bethphage means a place in consciousness where grace is realized.  That makes sense to me, Grace was certainly realized at the Mount of Olives.

He sends two Apostles to find a colt, a donkey for him to arrive in Jerusalem.  The donkey represents meekness, stubbornness, persistency and endurance. Do these characteristic sound like Jesus’ personality traits?

Of course they do.  He has done as much as possible to fulfill the prophet Zechariah’s declaration, found in the Hebrew Bible.

To ride a donkey and make them obedient represents control over will. Remember, in Genesis and the creation story, we all were given dominion over all the animals, fish and birds, meaning over every kind of thought.

So Jesus is again taking dominion over thoughts by riding the donkey.  Our Christ consciousness ruling our “animal” or physical self.

Laying the Palms on the road signifies unlimited resource of strength.  The road is paved with strength.

One would need strength to move forward to the confrontation ahead.

And the people shouted and praised Him, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Even the praise bestowed onto Jesus means something, hosanna, means ‘save now’.

In today’s metaphysical terms; ‘This is the supreme I AM (Jesus) stating the law of Spirit in the development of life action.’

Or over coming every day troubles and entering Jerusalem, a place of peace by controlling our thoughts.

 

And do you recall that at the other end of the city, Pontius Pilate was entering from the west while Jesus entered from the east.  And Pilate had his armored troops and his fine horse.  Everyone complete with their armor and swords.  A show of force in preparation for Passover celebrations.

Compared to Jesus’ humble entry at the other end, Pilate was like a King of the material world.  Showing force in place of love, wisdom, and compassion.

Metaphysically—what Jesus “acts out” in his own entry to the city—is that great spiritual power does not need tangible physical expression, no fine horses or clothes, no strength in legions of troops.

Like Jesus, our own spiritual power is not of this world. It lies in—and expresses through—a quiet grace, a loving Presence. If we are truly centered in our Christ energy, the world around us will recognize its gentle power, and respond.

 

What do you think the significance is of entering East vs. West?

 

HOLY MONDAY: Jesus and His followers arrive in Jerusalem again, and he goes to the temple.

Then Jesus goes to the Temple:  After Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying there, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  He said to them, “It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of thieves.”  Once the temple was cleared, the blind and the lame came to him, and he cured them.

The cleansing of the temple represents Jesus cleansing the temple of his consciousness and then was free to heal; free to express the power of the divine within.  This Palm Sunday as preparation for expressing our divine nature, I invite you to clean the temple of your mind.  Deny the erroneous thinking.

Rumi said, “God is saying… “Be careful, my servants, and purify, attune, and expand your thoughts about Me, for they are My House.”

One of the questions that my Tuesday group was asked while discussing the book, “Ask Yourself This” is “How safe is it for someone to walk through your mind?”

 

The message here: Stop the cheating and short changing ourselves. Be authentic with ourselves and our core values.

Questioning Jesus’ authority Matthew 21:23 “When Jesus came to the temple, the high priests and the elders came up to him, while he was teaching and said, By what authority do you do these things?  And Who gave you this authority?”

The message: Inner authority is not accountable to anything or anyone outside of us.

Remember, you are one with God.  You are gods, children of the Most High and the story of Jesus is your story; your awakening.   As you grow in your understanding of the way of God, you become ready to show the full depth of your true power.  You become ready to give life to who you really are.

 

HOLY TUESDAY:  On Tuesday, Jesus is again teaching using parables of the Kingdom of Heaven.  He has been teaching in parables for some time now to his disciples and to the masses.  “For those who have eyes, that they may see and those who have ears that they may hear.”

If you look around you at the many ways that the message of love is presented, you can see that it is given in every which way possible so that ALL may hear and see, if they are only ready.

We will be discussing parables throughout the year.

 

SPY WEDNESDAY: Judas Betrayal: On Wednesday, Judas is offering the betrayal of Jesus to the High Priests.  The agreement is made and Judas just waits for the opportunity to turn Jesus over to the authorities.

Judas represents the unredeemed life forces. He also typifies that in humanity which, though it has caught the higher vision of life, still resorts to underhanded methods in order to meet its obligations. Judas carried the money bag, and he betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver.

30 – symbolize dedication to a particular task or calling the age when a person reached both physical and mental maturity and could therefore handle major responsibilities, John the Baptist, Jesus began ministries at age 30, buy potter’s field for same price of a slave, indicating Jesus was for ALL people, silver & 30 associated with redemption

Here we ask ourselves: Are you selling out to the material world? Or settling for less because of lack of faith that Spirit can and will work through you?

And I ask that you keep in mind that all is in Divine Order, for the betrayal and what follows, so do not be so harsh on Judas….

 

MAUNDY THURSDAY: Luke 22:7-23;  The Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane

Maundy means Commandment. This is the commandment I give to you, to love one another as I have loved you.  We need to love all parts of our self in the transformative process – the finished and unfinished parts, the working and the broken parts. It is all part of the whole and we can’t be authentic unless we accept all parts.

There are parts of me that I face and must acknowledge if I wish to be authentic.  So, acknowledge your shadow side as well as the light.  And then we can bring light to shadow and heal, realize our wholeness, our Divine self.

To Charles Fillmore, bread has always represented substance and the wine represents energy of the Divine.

Pontius Pilate,

In the Easter story, Jesus and his experience with Pontius Pilate has a very symbolic meaning for us.

Pontius Pilate symbolizes the external circumstances that at times seem to be overwhelming. Pilate thinks he has power over Jesus and asks him several questions. However, Jesus’ response is essentially that the power does not lie with Pontius Pilate, but with God. It didn’t matter what Pontius Pilate did, and ultimately he decided he didn’t want to be bothered, so washed his hands of the whole deal.

Jesus in that moment was demonstrating that no situation, circumstance, or external authority figures had any power over him.

 

In your own life, you may be facing some kind of Pontius Pilate. There may be someone in your life who thinks they can control or manipulate you. It may even be your own EGO manipulating yourself.  You may have a boss who thinks he or she has the final say-so about your prosperity or happiness. People think that if they are in or out of your life, your joy is dependent upon them. You may have allowed them to think that. There may be all kinds of Pontius Pilates running around thinking that they have the final word on your life.

Pilate is judgement, our inner critic, and the fear of Love, our projections and stories is expressed by the mob calling for crucifixion.

Some questions you might begin asking yourself: “Where and in what ways, do I allow myself or others to judge, ridicule, and kill my own goodness?

What ways do I excuse or rationalize things that I know no longer serve me?

Where and how do I take “the safe road”, point at others as the problem, and stick to justifiable reasons why I can’t do what my heart longs for?

“How are the ways that I betray my heart’s wisdom?

I have more thought provoking questions, and you can look them over and ask yourself when we post this lesson on the webpage.

What do I use or do as distractions to stay in denial, distracted, and disconnected from my heart or “asleep” spiritually?

Where are my intentions good, but my “spiritual muscle” to remain present, weak?

What are “all my good” rational excuses for not being able to enter into this quest right now (i.e. how familiar are you with these reasons, and how do they negate what you say you want in your life?)

What, in your heart of hearts, longs for comfort (and is asking you to stay beside, pray and keep awake with it)?

 

GOOD FRIDAY:     Crucifixion and 2 thieves Luke 23:32-43

To further augment our own resurrection and ascension process, there are things Jesus said on the cross. The two thieves on either side of him represent the past and the future, the relative world and the 2 sides of us – one concerned with human power and one concerned with the spiritual.  One thief is living in the past when he says to Jesus, “I know I deserve what I’m getting because I know I’ve done a lot of negative things. However, you don’t deserve this, Jesus.” He identified with all the negative things he had done in the past. The other thief said to Jesus, “What’s going to happen to us after this experience?” This thief was lost in the future

 

Jesus being between the two thieves represents the vortex of creativity where heaven is revealed on earth. It represents the here and now. Jesus said “Today, thou shalt be with me in paradise.”

Paradise is in our own minds and hearts.

The cross represents to “cross out” error thoughts, we will experience the two viewpoints, but the now moment is what counts.  That is our choice moment.

 

For this purpose, I was born

The King James Version of the Bible quotes Jesus as saying during the crucifixion experience, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” However, the Lamsa Bible translation suggests that the original Aramaic language does not say that. In the Lamsa Bible, Jesus says “It is for this purpose that I was born.” This suggests that Jesus was fully aware that this was his great moment. It was the moment he was waiting and preparing for all his life.

 

It’s like an Olympic champion who has prepared and trained for years to reach the final race and, just before the event, is asked, “How does it feel to be getting ready to perform before thousands of people in the stadium and millions watching on television?” And the athlete responds by saying, “This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I was doing all the things I needed to do to prepare for this moment—waking up and going to bed early, eating nutritious foods, practicing, lifting weights. All of that was for this moment.”

 

This was the case for Jesus and is the case in every moment of our life, when we realize that whatever we’re going through, we are not to shirk from any situation or circumstance that seems to overwhelm us. It is in such moments we are to remember who we are spiritually—we are spiritually made in the image and likeness and out of God. When we see from this vantage point, we will stand and say “For this purpose we were born.”

 

In other words, we can say this situation is an opportunity to go beyond our self-imposed boundaries. This opportunity is calling for the highest and best within us to shine as never before.

 

So we see the seeming betrayals in life from that vantage point and begin to practice a new way of being in the world. We no longer see ourselves as victims but as the vehicles of pure Spirit.

 

 

EASTER SATURDAY – THE EASTER VIGIL

Jesus’ body is laid in the tomb.

The dark night of the soul – a time for introspection. This is a time when you give yourself permission to move from the formed to the un-formed to reform in a transformative experience.  Not unlike a caterpillar transfiguring into a butterfly. At one point in the cocoon, the chrysalis becomes entirely liquid and then breaks through as a beautiful butterfly.

We are prepared for the Resurrection next Sunday.

Charles Fillmore wrote, “The three days Jesus was in the tomb represent the three steps in overcoming error. First, nonresistance; second, the taking on of divine activity, or receiving the will of God; third, the assimilation and fulfillment of the divine will.” I overcome resistance and step forward to claim the Christ in me.

Over this next week, look at yourself.  Ask the questions I’ve asked you today and check out the ones that will be included when this is posted.

They will encourage us to look at ourselves from a different perspective.  Let me know how you make out.

 

 

More Questions for your contemplation:

“Am I riding the ass …or is the ass riding me in my life? (Ass is in case = the instinctive or conditioned beast aspect of the human mind.)

A few following questions to contemplate this week could include these: “Who is reining the conditioned impulse parts of me? Do I have a centered authority …or do my thoughts and feelings run – willy-nilly – leading my experience of life according to each impulse or conditioned response it comes its way?”

Another way of entering Palm Sunday as Metaphor for inner self questioning could be asking one or more of these questions of yourself: “By what authority is my life being lived right now? i.e., What am I making my God, by way of my values? What am I feeding in my life: love or fear? What am I RIDING my life upon? …How and where do I set up bi-polar opposites (i.e. inner confusion or split directions)… And how is this fragmenting, polarizing and paralyzing me between fear and Love?”