We carve an idol out of our fear and call it God.
Ingmar Bergman in The Seventh Seal (1957)
In Current Event #139 we alluded to humanity’s need for direction such as a map to find our way out of our current dilemma. One such valuable source of guidance is the Bible, but just like any map, we have to know how to read it. What do the various symbols mean and how do we filter the wheat (truthful depictions) from the chaff (neurotic scribbling)?
“A mystic reading the Bible would, because of a deeper awareness as to the nature of reality, derive a more profound meaning from it than conventional religious interpretations. Whereas, institutional religion is primarily driven by the energy of fear, a mystic understands the mythology, metaphors and symbolism of the Bible as an expression of an energy flowing from a friendly universe, an energy expressing compassion and grace.” (1)
“When we finally wake up we will realize that the map we have been looking for was within each of us all along. Only a few people can comprehend the deepest level of the teachings of Jesus because they can only be understood from the perspective of P-A. He knew that a paradigm shift was required and spoke of it in a language understood by many of those contained in the culture of the Middle East.” (1)
“The Apostles were very distressed when they learned at the Last Supper that Jesus would not be with them in the near future. He tried to comfort them by pointing out that they had the same wisdom that he had, an inner map if you will. “He referred to the intuitional inner wisdom as ‘The Holy Spirit’ or ‘Counselor.’ ‘I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him, neither knows him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you. John 14: 16-17’” (1)
“The false self whether using religion or psychology likes to conveniently ignore one of the most basic teachings of Jesus, namely that the kingdom of Heaven (the present moment) is here and now. In the language of religion, P-A does not have to be earned (works), it is ever-present or freely given (grace). There is nothing to do—just accept.” (2)
Click on the link below for more map-reading skills.
Insight # 140: Fear of things invisible is the natural seed of that which everyone in himself calleth religion. —Thomas Hobbes in the Leviathan (1651).
Link:
- “Bible,” in this blog and also in the print version, The ABC’s of Simple Reality: The Encyclopedia of Self-Transformation, Vol I (2018), by Roy Charles Henry, pages 39-45.
References:
- Henry, Roy Charles. Why Am I Here? The Third Great Question Concerning the Nature of Reality, Simple Reality, October 2014, pages 77-78.
- Henry, Roy Charles. The ABC’s Of Simple Reality: The Encyclopedia of Self-Transformation, Vol I. Simple Reality, May 2018, page 40.
