Rest in Peace

There is a temple without walls, marble columns or polished halls
Built upon the living stone, made for you, and you alone

It isn't far from where you stand, distracted by this world's demands
Just inside, and up the stair, a friend is sitting, waiting there.

These are the first few lines of a song by Christian artist Don Francisco. In his immortal words, the artist shows how we, the People of God, are the dwelling-place of the Most High & because we are His dwelling-place, we can have peace in the midst of turmoil. While the cares of this world cannot fail but touch us; because we have His Spirit Within, we can weather any storm, overcome any obstacle.

It is a well-established fact that the best way to live is in Community: oh, sure, it's possible to live, for a time, without its many blessings, but sooner or later, we all need that infusion of life-blood: otherwise, like a plant without water, those who try to live apart from Community end up dry & useless. The blessings of Community are still present, but unless one accepts that most basic of needs, they will end up with no root & blown about by the wind!

Covenant is the most important aspect of Life! Without Covenant of some sort, to whatever extent, it is impossible to survive even the smallest of storms. In order to even subsist, one must accept their need for food, water & all that is necessary for biological life. While this acknowledgment may not be considered by most to be a covenant; even though it be unspoken, it is a covenant nonetheless, for unless we acknowledge these most basic needs, we will not long survive the storms that batter us on a daily basis.

Love too, is a most basic need. Without Love, Life itself would cease to exist! One can go out about the day-to-day drudgery of this biological life, but without some sort of manifestation of Love, no matter how faint or shallow,  they will soon tire of this existence & be ushered off this mortal coil, so to speak. Food & water, the most basic needs of biological existence, would not be possible without the Providence of the Creator, for the rain that makes the plants grow, even the bountiful waters that flow, come ultimately from His Almighty Hand!

Scripture speaks of a Temple 'made without hands' (  Mark 14:58 ( Daniel 2:45 );  Further study shows that we, the People of the Creator God, ARE that Temple! The Psalmist wrote, 'in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”' ( Psalm 29:9b ); it is in His Temple, in His people, that the Creator God is glorified! In His Temple, only Love is spoken, for in His Temple is only Love. The Scriptures also say that 'God is love' ( I John 4:8 ); since He is Love, so must we be ( I John 4:17 ( John 9:5 )! That Love is best expressed in Covenant Community!

The Covenant Community can take several different forms: it may consist of a group of people who have signed a written agreement to live together in unity, or it may simply involve living in community, no matter ones geographical location.  The Psalmist, again, as the voice of the Creator God, speaks of 'Those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice' ( Psalm 50:5b ); Living in Love is sacrificial living! In order to truly Love another, one must be willing to give up, or sacrifice, ones own desires for the good of another, or others. Is this not the example that the Christ set for us when He walked this earth?

Food & Water, Light & Love; all these are necessary to the existence of biological life, but is that all there is to Life? Jesus told His disciples, 'I have food to eat of which you do not know' ( John 4:32 ). We know that He was not referring to physical substances, like bread & wine, for example, so more important to Life than its biological counterparts is the spiritual sustenance of which Jesus spoke.

You may have heard that, 'No man is an island'; a truer statement has never been made! History has proven that while some have apparently been able to exist for some time without the constituent elements of Community ( although one can never get away from Covenant ), but, before long, one must be revitalized or this biological life will pass away like a shadow! The need for Love, though often unspoken, is the greatest of necessities; if one does not have Love, in its many varied forms, one has nothing!

In the Temple of the Creator God, otherwise known as the Covenant Community, Love abounds! Only Love is spoken there, for Love is all there is. Love has many different guises, many of which are not recognized as such in today's world, but simply because they are not recognized, or acknowledged as such; the glorious & unchanging fact remains: we ARE Love!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Awareness of Being

Is it possible to DO all the right things, relatively speaking, without BEing aware of ones true nature? Most certainly! Many who view themselves as mere, sinful human beings have done marvelous things in the name of Love. However, when one realizes the fullness that they, themselves, are partakers in the Divine Nature ( II Peter 1:4 ), then, unhindered by the false understanding that they are prone to sin, that one will the more readily exercise ( manifest ) the Christ-Consciousness & exhibit the Christ before the world.

Taken at face value, the Hebrew Scriptures, as we read in our English Bibles anyway, seem to be focused on the physical aspects of life. However, we see Jesus, in the Gospels, turning that understanding on its head when He told His audience that it was the thought that counted. He told them that if they merely hated their brother in their heart ( secretly ), it was as if they had murdered him ( think Cain & Abel ). Jesus had a lot to say about the Kingdom of Heaven as well, especially about its nearness; He told the Pharisees that it was not something they could observe, but that the Reality was something that only manifested from within.

The apostle Paul told his readers that the Kingdom of Heaven did not consist of everyday activities like eating & drinking, nor was it something that would be entered into by physical bodies ( 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God'-I Corinthians 15:50 ), rather, the Kingdom was manifested from within & was made known in their actions, 'righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' ( Romans 14:17 ). Jesus, Paul & the other apostles all made clear that it was the inner, working through the outer, which decided the issues of life.

We are all children of the Creator God; Scripture makes that clear! What is not so clear to some, is whether 'all' means 'all' or just those who, as the Psalmist wrote, 'have made a covenant with Me (YHWH ) by sacrifice'  ( Psalm 50:5b ) We know that 'all' are Creations of the Creator God, but most Christians would have trouble acknowledging that we are thus 'all' Children of our Heavenly Father. As Children of our Heavenly Father, 'all' of us, we must then be aware that 'we' are of the same Essence. Being of the same Essence, the realization that we are, by nature, Divine, should not be far behind. Our Divinity, however, does not mean that we will never fail; though we are perfect ( Hebrews 10:14 ); because of our selfish ego, we, in the flesh, so to speak, often fail to follow the dictates of our heart, or what is called our 'gut instinct'.

The biblical Story of Cain & Abel gives a good example of a bad choice made through the selfish ego. Because his brother made an acceptable sacrifice, as opposed to Cain's, which was not, Cain quickly grew to hate his brother so much that he decided to murder him! He was no less a son, in fact, of Adam's, because of his bad decision, though he was banished from their presence: some might call that a metaphorical or separational death. It was through the exercise of this same selfish thinking that his father, Adam, had sinned in the first place & experienced separation from the Blessed Presence of the Creator God by being banished from the Garden.

The apostle wrote to the Church at Corinth, who were enamored with philosophy, 'what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?' ( I Corinthians 2:11 ) The Truth of this statement should lead us to the realization that it is not through philosophizing with our mind, or ego, that our true nature is manifest, but that our true nature is manifest, or known, only by that same nature; Descarte's famous statement, 'I think, therefore I am', is therefore dis-proven. We are who we are, not because we think, or believe we are such, but because we are of One Essence with the Creator God!

Actions, to a great degree, prove the thoughts of humanity! Though not always the case, it is through our actions that what we really, truly believe comes shining through. One may claim to believe thus & thus, but when it comes right down to it, that one will often act in opposition to their stated belief; on the other hand ( the other side of the coin, so to speak ), another may not claim to believe any certain thing, yet act rightly, in accordance with the Truth, though that one may not claim it to be Truth.

The Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus & the apostles told us, is not something visible, though we manifest it through our righteousness, our justice. Even though the best of us does not always manifest the Kingdom Principle through our actions, the Kingdom of Heaven is present with us. When we become aware of this, when we become aware of our Divinity, our true nature, we are thus freed to pursue our course without all the hang-ups, the burdens that the oppression of centuries of religious teaching has taught us about ourselves & ultimately, the Nature of the Creator God!

We have noted previously that, despite the lack of awareness of their True Nature, many throughout history have been very successful in propagating, or bringing to realization the Kingdom of Heaven. Without understanding the True Nature, maybe, of the Kingdom, they have manifested it through their actions.

The complaint of the majority today when the presence of the Kingdom is mentioned is that 'this can't be the Kingdom, because look at all the evil that goes unchecked, it would seem, around us!'Sometimes this reasoning might seem hard to argue with, but for the fact that, as we saw, it is through our actions that the Kingdom is manifest. If one is unaware of the Kingdom around him or her, it is because the actions of those surrounding him or her are not following the Kingdom Principle!

 The Presence of the Kingdom of Heaven in each one of us is an undeniable fact! It is through the choices we make that it is manifest, however. When we fail to manifest it before the world, it does not mean that the Kingdom is no longer present; it just means that those around us may find it more difficult to realize it, to become aware of it. When we follow the Great, Universal Principle, we find that awareness comes much more easily; awareness, not only of those surrounding us, but our own awareness, or realization, of the Divine Nature of all!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Stars of Heaven

“I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars.”
― Stephenie Meyer, Twilight

Let me first make this disclaimer; I am NOT a fan of the movie series 'Twilight'! Okay, so I've never even seen it, not even in part, but I like this quote, for it seems to be very fitting in today's world. It is not that the stars are not there unless it's dark, but without the dark, we cannot see them. Even our sun, probably one of the smaller stars in our galaxy, though it sheds its light on our world, cannot be seen, except perhaps through a filter, or from a much greater distance than this little rock we call home; it simply gives its light to us!

 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament,
and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:3 

Near the end of Daniel's prophecy, the prophet heard these words, as it were, from the mouth of God. The nation of Israel had descended into Sheol, or captivity & the God of Israel was revealing to His servant what would transpire in the Last Days, when His Hand of Judgment fell in finality on this peculiar nation.  Israel, as the Nation of Priests they were, had, for the most part, shirked their responsibilities & so were slowly being removed from office. There were those in Israel who fulfilled their duties & it was these who would so shine their light before men, that they would see their good works & praise their Father in Heaven.

Fast forward to today: in today's world, we see much that should not be. Lately, the United Kingdom is reeling from the most recent terror attack.Whoever was behind this abominable act of terror, it was not unprovoked, though definitely unconscionable. In my own home-state of Montana, several towns east of where I live, in fact, a police officer lost his life in an altercation with several homegrown terrorists. We like to lay the blame at religion's door & truly, much of it should rest there, but we as Christians ( I'm speaking corporately here, not necessarily of any individual, or individuals ) must shoulder much of the blame as well. 

Going back into ancient history, it should be noted that while many individual Christians have followed in the footsteps of Jesus, the majority have followed the way of the world, taking up the sword & thus dying by the sword. When Jesus told His disciples to arm themselves, He was not instructing them to fight for the Kingdom of Heaven, He was telling them to prepare to defend themselves if necessary. In today's vernacular, it would be like buying a gun for protection.Israel's priestly duty was to spread the knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven, not through conquest & domination, but through sharing & showing the Love of God!

In today's world, we seem to face much the same situation. In this country especially, the majority of Christendom seems almost to be more rabid in their war-like spirit than many who do not even name the name of Christ, or call themselves Christians. Many of those who call themselves Christians seem to be among the loudest supporters of those who would bomb, say the Muslims, out of existence. It is hard to say that many or most with whom the US has warred over the the past hundred years or so do not deserve the treatment that has been heaped like ashes on their heads, but the leaders of this nation, along with many Christians, have most certainly not shown themselves to be very Christ-like when it comes to foreign policy!


Going to the aid of a certain nation or people in distress is laudable & certainly within the purview of a Nation of Priests, but the foreign policy of this nation's leaders seems to have gone far beyond that! It would seem that it is not enough to merely coexist with our neighbor, treating them as we would wish to be treated. We must make sure that they adhere to our religion & follow our rules. If they do neither, it seems, they must die!

Okay, enough with the negativity! What can we do about it? 'Isn't this kinda like closing the gate after the horse gets out?' Like I recently posted ( on FB ) in response to a similar discussion, 'The problem is way older than US!' So, what do we do? What CAN we do? Well, we already have an age-old problem that seems to be only getting worse. The escalation of terror attacks world-wide only hammers the point further home that the horses have already gotten out. It seems almost worthwhile to close the gate, even to try calling the horses back, but you know horses; once they've found freedom...............................

The answer to the problem, of course, is Love! No, we probably won't seem to make much headway at first, but then, 'how far has the policy of 'kill or be killed' gotten the US?' I'm not necessarily advocating flowers in rifle-barrels, but how about no rifles at all? Rather than going to war, why don't we just stay here & defend ourselves? Again, we're faced with the 'it's a bit late' scenario, but really, 'IS it too late?' The Power of Love is a curious thing; it can raise the dead, why not stop war?

When more people, Christians in particular, begin to adopt a 'live & let live' policy rather than a 'kill or be killed' stance, we might see war become less & less popular! In order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, etc, it is often necessary, unfortunately, to bear the sword, or the gun, as the case may be, but never should these weapons be used to gain territory, or to terrorize a population.

As may be noted in the night sky & as many astronomers have observed, stars seem to burn brightest when they are surrounded by darkness. As Christians, we are the Light of the World; no 'ifs', 'ands', or 'buts' about it! Followers of Jesus the Christ are not merely to let the Light shine through us, we ARE that Light! If we would simply remember that as a nation & start ACTING our part, even though we are surrounded by darkness, we will overcome that darkness, just as Jesus overcame the darkness in His world!

Though our situation in this day & age is somewhat different that the one they faced, our job as a Narration of Priests has not changed. No longer is it one certain people that make up that 'nation' though; America, for instance, is not that Nation, nor is any other nation on earth. It is people from all walks of life, Christians only some would say ( that may be a discussion for another day ), who love their neighbor as they love themselves, treating others as they want to be treated, who make up this Nation. 

May we become aware of the Christ Within, 
Charles Haddon Shank

 

Destiny's Choice

It had had been some time since she had been in contact with anyone she could really call family. Destiny had always felt like she was on the outside looking in, but this time, she was done! Her parents had trampled on her last nerve, so without much thought for where she was headed, Destiny set off for parts unknown. Not having done this before, she was totally unprepared for what was to transpire.

All the movies she had watched told her that it was easy as sticking out your thumb & she had noted as well, some of the horrors involved, but as it happened, Destiny did a lot of walking before someone finally slowed down for her signal, pulled off the highway & stooped about fifty yards ahead of her. As she walked toward the waiting vehicle, she found herself hoping against hope that it wasn't someone her parents knew: she was NOT going back there!

As she approached the van ( as it turned out, her salvation turned out to be one of those windowless vans ), she heard a female voice ask, 'where ya headed?' 'As far from here as possible', was her first thought, but it came out as, 'the next big town is fine!' When Destiny had situated herself fairly comfortably in the bare passenger seat & fastened her seat-belt, her savior put the vehicle back in gear & eased onto the freeway. Gaining speed, the van was pretty noisy for a bit & even seemed to vibrate a bit. Finally, they got up to speed, the noise lessened & the vibrations seemed to smooth out.

BethEl ( that was the driver's name ) looked over at Destiny & asked her very bluntly, 'what are you running away from?' Destiny, to say the least, was a bit taken aback by this blatant query. 'Oh, just trying new things, ya know', she replied, as casually & flippantly as she could. She was only 15, after all ( well, okay, almost ), but she felt like she was missing out on something big in the little community she had been born into. As BethEl continued to make light, though careful conversation, Destiny's mind wandered back over the events that had led up to this 'final' decision.

Destiny's parents were Christians in the strictest sense of the word. She was never allowed to do any of the extra-curricular activities offered by the public school she was forced to attend. Of course, this made her a very dull girl, not well liked by the overwhelming majority of her schoolmates. Because she was forbidden to take part in these ( mostly ) harmless events, Destiny got a regular ribbing from many of these mean children, the girls especially. As she developed into her teenage years, it only got worse; more & more hurtful things were said & done to her, till she felt she had no other choice.

Up until the day when Destiny's parents had made the fateful decision to enroll her in the local public, otherwise known as 'government' school, though her parents had always been rather strict, now, Destiny felt suffocated by their rigidity. While she was at school, she tasted, to some degree, the freedom that she knew was available, if only she could break free of her parents stranglehold. She obeyed her parents ( for the most part ), not partaking in the freedom that she saw her classmates enjoying. Destiny resented this & thus begin to form a plan to escape her personal 'hell'.

On the night in question, the night in which this new chapter began to unfold, Destiny's parents had been called away to the big city for a family emergency. Destiny, because of her recent good behavior, had been able to convince them to allow her to remain at home by herself. With instructions to keep the doors & windows locked at all times, her parents left Destiny feeling somewhat of the freedom that she knew was just beyond her grasp.

Half an hour after her parents left, Destiny had pretty much gathered everything she thought she would need ( within reason ), so it was well into the evening hours, just as dusk started to settle in, that she set out on her first venture. It was a fair hike, on several country roads, before Destiny finally reached the lonely highway. Even the highway didn't seem to offer much at first, till finally, her efforts finally paid off & she was able to flag down a passing motorist.

BethEl had met Destiny's parents about a month before the night in question, but, as the meetings were for parents alone, she had never met Destiny before. From the casual description she had gleaned, BethEl was pretty certain well before they crossed the state line that she was aiding & abetting a fugitive. She felt for the young girl, remembering her own struggles growing up in a fundamentalist family, but BethEl knew that she had to do something to keep this one from leaving the nest too early.

While BethEl kept up the conversation, however lightly, she had slowly & almost imperceptibly eased up on the accelerator. As the vehicle slowly lost momentum, the shaking returned until it felt to Destiny as if her world was coming apart at the seams. BethEl apologized for the shakiness as she continued to slow the vehicle's forward motion & finally pulled off to the side of the highway .When the vehicle had come to a complete stop, BethEl moved the gear-lever into 'Park', pulled out her cell-phone & on the pretense of opening the hood, stepped out of the van. As she busied herself at the front of the vehicle, BethEl sent a quick text to Destiny's parents concerning her recent activities. After sending the short missive, she made a fake call to a 'mechanic'.

Destiny's savior got back into the van as she neared the end of her 'fake' conversation, telling Destiny that they might have to look for a motel in the next town, since the van would need repairs before going much further. As the hour was fairly late & she was tired anyway, Destiny agreed to the motel stay. She wasn't looking forward to traveling through the night anyway & the roof over her head, along with a good, clean, though strange, bed, sounded good to her. After an uneventful night, Destiny awoke to find her hopes for escape dashed, as her parents had responded to BethEl's call & driven through the night to retrieve their little girl.

________________________________________________________________________________

Though Destiny was unsuccessful in her first attempt, she determined to persevere. Jacob & Sarah got their little girl back & deducing why she had run, Destiny's parents seemed to ease her heavy load for a time, attempting to show her how much she was loved. It seemed to work for a couple years, but then Destiny tried it again, making it even further away. Again, Fate ( or whatever you want to call It ) seemed to intervene & Destiny was returned, all but kicking & screaming to the fold.

Little did Destiny know that all she was doing was part of a greater plan, a plan that was unfolding with each step she took. Her journey would be fraught with danger, toil, hardship & pain, but she knew that if she stayed where she was, her spirit would quickly be snuffed out.

Charles Haddon Shank

The Revelation of the Glory Principle

“I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. 

But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.''

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭82:6 & 7‬ ‭

First, we must realize that when Yahweh said this, He was speaking to the religious leaders of David's day. This might make the average Christian feel that, at the most, this might apply to someone like Billy Graham, Joseph Prince, or, 'God forbid', Joel Osteen, but in no way could it apply to the average layperson. While the context of the words above speaks directly about the leaders of Israel, not necessarily in a good light either, these words, as many others in Scripture, reveal a universal principle, in Essence, that speaks of every man, woman & child in whom resides the Spirit of the Living God.

Secondly, we must understand that when David was inspired to write these elevational words, which Jesus later repeated in John 10:34, He was not making us equal to or saying that we are the One that created the universe & all it contains. Actually, taking a slight detour here; when Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, the Pharisees became incensed, for one reason, because they ascertained that He was claiming equality with the Creator God, Yahweh, according to Scripture. Whatever the case may be, though we are of the same Essence as the one who set the universe in motion, we are not the Creator of all; as some have said, 'we may be small 'g' gods, but we are not large 'G' Gods'!' ( more on this later )

At the heart of the issue is theSpirit that animates all living things. Biblically speaking, one might argue that the spirit/Spirit that animated Mother Teresa, for instance, was not the same one that animated, say, people like Hitler or Pol Pot. This statement might seem difficult to disagree with, except for the fact that Scripture deals with the History of Israel, not the History of Humanity, though there is most definitely a very pertinent message for humanity within the pages of Scripture.

Unfortunately, many Christians are under the assumption that the 'satan' of Israel, as the arch-enemy of God, or Yahweh, was a spirit-being who had fallen from grace. I say 'unfortunately', because instead of realizing that the 'devil' who accused Israel was the adversarial spirit of their religious leaders, at least those who opposed Jesus as the Christ or Messiah, they suppose, for whatever reason, that this adversarial spirit is with us today, as 'the spirit who works in the sons of disobedience'. Though this is true, in the greatest sense, sadly, most of us have a problem admitting that it is our own selfish choices, which come from the ego, that are adversarial to what is good, right & just. The traditional 'Satan' that the majority of Christians see in the pages of Scripture has nothing to do with us today, because of the New Creation!

The New Creation, of course, refers Scripturally to those who accept Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. However, since the Gospel records 'the Marriage of Heaven & Earth' ( as I like to refer to it ), wherein the Creator God awakened in His Creation the awareness that they could indeed become One with Him, the New Creation might be noted as something for which the possibility exists within all humanity. The possibility for all humanity to become the Son of God, instead of the Son of Man, depends wholly on their own choices. The choices we make spring either from our selfish ego, or from the Spirit of Love.

Men like Hitler & Pol Pot made the decision, for whatever reason, to allow the ego, or adversarial spirit to rule over them, rather than overcoming it. Like the Scriptural Cain, then, they murdered their brother & eventually, themselves. Although they made this choice, however they were driven to it, the Spirit that animated their biological bodies is the same Spirit that animated the body of Mother Teresa. This Spirit is the One who formed the worlds, in whose image man ( kind ) is made & who gave us the free-will to choose who they would obey; their own selfish ego, or the greater good, the oneness of humanity.

According to the apostle Paul, Jesus did not count equality with God as something to be grasped ( Philippians 2:6 )..Alternate research shows, however, that He said something more in keeping with what Jesus Himself had said earlier, such as, 'Before Abraham was, I AM' ( John 8:58 ), thereby using the personal name that they would have attributed to YHWH. Whether one chooses to posit Jesus as the Second Person of the Trinity or as a Man who became ( the Son of ) God, one thing is abundantly clear; He was/is God, for He lives today, in & through His People, His New Creation: like Father, like Son!

The difference between a small 'g' god & a large 'G' God might seem rather petty, but for many, it means skating on the thin ice of blasphemy! One can't really argue with Scripture & right there, plain as day, in black & white, YHWH Himself called us 'gods'. That's just fine, but only the Creator God, or YHWH of the Hebrews can be called 'God' ( with a large 'G' ), for He is the only True
& Living God.............................. Wait a minute, in Jesus' own words, 'If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’' It may be argued that we were not sent into the world the world in the same manner that Jesus was, but then again, 'why not?' We may not have been born of a virgin, but we have, if we can trust the Scriptures, been sanctified!

'It is the Spirit who gives life......' These words in the Gospel of John ( 6:63a ), might be read in another context, but beginning with Genesis, we can see how this is true. It was the Spirit of the Creator God who was/is the Breath of Life that animated Adam, indeed all living beings. 'Yes', we might be reminded, 'but the Life that Scripture speaks of here was Covenant Life'. This is true.

Charles Haddon Shank

Akasha; the Music of the Spheres

'As above, so below'.- Hermes

'Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as [ it is ] in heaven.' - Jesus ( Matthew 6:10 )

Akasha (or Akash, Ākāśa IPA: [aːkaːʃə]) is the Sanskrit word meaning "æther" in both its elemental and metaphysical senses. In theosophy and anthroposophy, the Akashic records are a compendium of all human events, thoughts, words, emotions and intent ever to have occurred, believed by theosophists to be encoded in a non-physical plane of existence known as the etheric plane. There are anecdotal accounts but no scientific evidence for existence of the Akashic records.

'In the beginning.............' : In Christian theology, these words, which are the very first words in our English Bibles, signal the Genesis of Time itself.  But was there a time before Time, so to speak? All religions posit that the Creator God is eternal, do they not? So, since the Creator of all is eternally existent, with no beginning or end, it is then safe to say that He ( I say this as a Christian ) is outside of Time, in essence, that Time itself is a creation?

We theorize/philosophize that there are several/many different planes of existence: many call these 'dimensions'. Whether or not Science has been able to 'prove' their existence, it has been well-known for centuries, even millenia, that they do! The question of 'where' these 'dimensions' are is rendered moot, since in order to map out something, it must have a concrete base, something you can get a handle on, so to speak. Though 'they' have been at it for years, Science has really only begun to explore the reaches of outer space, both metaphysically & elementally. This then turns inward, leading us to explore our inner sanctum, something with which Science is also making inroads. 

Even by employing the most basic Science, one may ascertain much about how things work. For instance, by swinging a bucket of water in a circle ( at arms length ), thus keeping it in motion, not a drop of water will be spilled. Also, by running a wet fingertip lightly around the edge of a crystal vessel, one may make an almost ethereal kind of music ( tone ), a tone which may even change the composition of the surrounding glass. It should not be surprising to learn, then, that our own biology operates on many of the same principles found in Nature. Science tells us that the human body is comprised of 90% water: 'how', one might ask, 'is it held together?' Why, for instance, when we suffer a rupture in our skin, does the blood/water not simply gush out till we are emptied of it? What causes it to clot?

It is not the purpose of this short article to go into in-depth ( scientific ) explanations, so we may suffice to say that the vibrations caused by the Living Energy which lies at our very core are the root Cause, or Principle of Life itself. Without this underlying Principle, just as the bumblebee should not be able to fly based on the size of its wings, Life itself would not be able to persevere! There is much in this world, especially over the past thousand years or so, that Science has been able to affix a purely natural explanation to, although much of what, in Time past, seemed only able to be explained supernaturally, has been found to very natural. There are still things, even in Nature, that can be explained only by supernatural activity!

Intelligent Design is an unquestionable fact! From the heavens above to the earth below, the Life that is manifest wherever one chooses to look is abundant evidence that it did not just happen on its own. At some point, Someone or Something decided to make it happen & that Intelligent Being ( if 'Being' even describes It ) set in motion ( 'motion' being the operative word ) all that can be seen, even by the most powerful microscope or telescope. This Intelligence is all around us, It is the makeup of Life itself! Through this Divine Principle we all 'live, move and have our being' . Only through perpetual Communion with this Life is biological life even possible, whether consciously or unconsciously. When one consciously pursues this Communion, this Knowledge, the blessings flow in accordance, but even when one is unconscious of this relationship, the blessings still abound, it is only the perception which is missing, or is awry!

There are many different traditions throughout the world, both ancient & modern, but all of these traditions emphasize a Higher Power. It is through prayer & meditation that we consciously commune with this Higher Power, no matter the tradition ( religion ). By quieting our own mind, we become aware of this necessary Communion & thus realize, or accept the manifold blessings that come through It.  The same Divine Principle that makes us 'tick' also makes the world go 'round, keeping the universe in motion. This is at the same time very humbling & very freeing!

Apparently, according to certain ( modern ) 'philosophers', we are on the cusp of 'the fifth dimension'. Some may call it 'the Age of Aquarius' & can go into precise ( more or less ) astrological explanations of how & why this is so. The growing awareness, or realization that humanity has experienced over the past number of centuries in particular & continues to experience, have allowed us to enter these 'new' dimensions, whether through simple meditation or astral projection. Again, although Science may not be able to 'prove' that these different 'planes' exist, the evidence is out there, if only one opens their mind, or awareness, to it!

The beginning of Time itself, while arguably not so much in view in those famous first words of Scripture, was a matter of creation. There was a point where the planets, stars & so forth, did not exist, especially as we know them now, a 'time' before Time, if you will, that humanity was nowhere to be found. When the first vibrations were sent forth from the Supreme Intelligence, the worlds were formed, even relatively slowly, over millions & billions of years. Life began to expand until humanity came to light & awareness began to be propagated in & through them. The Song of Life, which had no beginning & has no end, was revealed in its glorious fullness when this happened, for this biology is Its crowning achievement & signifies all that came 'before'!

Charles Haddon Shank

 

The Sharist

It was right there in front of him, like it was begging him to take hold of its rungs & ascend it. Jacob's mind told him 'no', but his heart said 'yes'. Reason gave him all the excuses ( most of them pretty good ) why he shouldn't even endeavor to try; 'you'll hurt yourself', 'it won't go well for you' & 'you will lose friends over this', were several of them. He noticed, though, that most of the excuses included the personal pronoun, something Jacob had begun to notice belonged to the ego & not to the consciousness that It was bigger than he alone; It encompassed all of humanity & what was good for him was ultimately good for all humanity: conversely, what was evil for him was evil for all humanity.

Jacob Allyn was a relatively young man. I say 'relatively young', because while he was younger than some, he was older than others. When it came right down to it, Jacob knew he was an old soul; for whatever reason, he had been forced to live many lifetimes. His first experience, as far as he could remember, was waking up on a barren plain, waste & void of any vegetation. He remembered shivering as he exited that warm cocoon that had enveloped him so gloriously for so long. The Void that he thus entered, those many eons of Time ago soon became filled with Life. The One that had carried him for that relatively short period of time in Her womb, now enfolded his shivering body in her warm embrace, snuggling & suckling him with all the Life She held in Her bounteous bosom.

As Jacob grew accustomed to the hard life he had entered into, he noticed that, along with the barrenness he had noted when first becoming aware, he was surrounded by stark beauty. The lack of vegetation soon was replaced by a lush density that all but overpowered the senses. Life blossomed all around him, but Jacob had but one thought & that was how he could survive in the barrenness he chose to see in this new experience. The animal life that he had begun to take notice of in the beginning years of his journey, now began to take on a life of their own & merely presented themselves to him as substances. The lush vegetation that now surrounded him on all sides promised abundant succor, but Jacob had always fancied himself 'a meat & potatoes man'!

As that Experience drew to a close, Jacob's body was fast becoming old & decrepit; Time had surely taken its toll! While Jacob was enamored with his own individual experience, Life had persisted all around him, almost imperceptibly, it would seem, for Jacob had chosen to remain on his island, though he had taken a wife & fathered several children. The life that he had known thus far, though a hard one, had been a blessed one, but Jacob had chosen not to ascend that ever present ladder & remained in that barren wasteland he now called Home. The next time, Jacob was not so lucky..............

Jacob became aware of his surroundings at an early age. He knew that, even though things seemed strange & new, somehow he had been here before! A new body, a new experience, a new name, but something was familiar; Jacob still wanted those 'meat & potatoes' & though his 'gut' told him to be happy with the bounty that Nature provided, he felt that he needed more. Tearing through the carcasses of dead animals seemed to satisfy his own animal instinct & so Jacob continued his pursuit of mere existence, doing his absolute best, as he had been taught, to fend for himself.

Or so he thought.........

Jacob Allyn is typical of many who have lived, in Time, this experience we call Life. He had many lessons to learn, many lives to live, before he finally learned that to truly live, one must share the blessings One receives; as the old saying goes, 'no man is an island'. Although Jacob was slowly but surely learning his lesson; he still had a long way to go! Through many lives, many different experiences, Jacob would finally realize the Truth of All existence. As he lived & died in numerous different bodies, finding himself in various situations & faced with many life-altering choices, Jacob began to realize this Truth, that All are One!

When he first became aware of the ladder, Jacob would usually avoid it at all cost, not wanting to 'make waves', but through the many & varied experiences of his long Journey, this journey we call Life, Jacob finally came to the realization that we are all in It together, not one of us is alone in our struggles.  The Oneness of our experience, though varied, differs only as we experience it! As we live our separate, individual lives, we will learn, as Jacob did, after his many experiences, that life is nothing if not shared!

Jacob grabbed the ladder with both hands, set his feet to the rungs & began to ascend...................

Charles Haddon Shank

Projection or Reflection?

According to the Scriptures, are we to be affected by our environment ( the 'world' ), or are we rather to have a positive effect on the world around us? The answer to that question is abundantly clear if one is honest in their understanding of the Story. By allowing themselves to be affected by the nations around them, rather than leading them into a worship of the Living God rather than mere idols, Israel according to the flesh unleashed a world of hurt upon themselves. The result of their failure, according to Scripture, was the cataclysmic end of their 'world'!

In today's world, it would seem that we face much the same situation; too many people, rather than being the cause of positive change in their world, are instead playing the part of the victim as they suffer under the negative effects that others have caused.

There is quite a bit of discussion surfacing recently about the fact that, largely through ignorance, history has been forced to repeat itself. 'Ignorance', we say, because it is ( mainly ) through forgetting our own history that the world continues to regress, or at least, so it would seem. Scripturally speaking, much of Israel's problem was a result of their failure to learn from their past history. By not learning from the mistakes of the past, much has occurred in our 'world' that might not have happened if more people had taken positive instruction from those lessons. Admittedly & thankfully, not all have failed the test; the success of the Gospel is a great indication of this.

The Gospel, of course, is the Good News that the Creator came to dwell with ( in ) His Creation. The Greek Scriptures tell the Story of how the Creator God sent of Himself ( His Son ) to earth, to awaken His Creation to the fact that they were His true Temple. In the beginning, according to the Story of Scripture, Israel served simply as a reflector ( the moon ) of the glory of the Creator God. With the lightning advance of the Gospel, through the Revelation of the Son of God, the Creator God now dwells within His Creation, as we are the true Temple of the Holy Spirit.

Near the end of the book of Revelation, in referring to the New Jerusalem, or the Holy City, John saw that 'There shall be no night there' ( Revelation 22:5a ). This is indicative of the fact, we may note, among other things, that the moon ( a reflective light ) is no longer necessary, for rather than reflecting off His Creation, the Light of the Creator God shines from within His Living Temple, His New Creation!

The Glorious Fact of 'the Christ in us' seems to have been lost on the majority of Christendom for the past 2,000 years! For whatever reason, the traditional doctrine of a future 'parousia' of the Christ has so infiltrated the Church that most Christians seem to think that rather than having made His Home with ( in ) us as He promised ( John 14:23 ), Jesus has yet to keep His promise to His people. Blame it on religion if you will ( many do ), the sad fact is that many have placed their hope outside themselves, not realizing that it is Within that our greatest Strength lies.

No longer does the Creation ( if ever it did ) simply reflect the Glory, or Image of the Creator! According to Scripture, the True Light is now projected from within the New Temple, His Creation. Although it may be up for debate as to whether this includes the entire Creation ( which this blogger believes ) or whether it is an exclusive right to those who have consciously entered into Covenant with the Creator God, in essence, become Christian, it is what it is. Though not all realize this Glorious Fact, it only needs to be awakened within them for the Light to shine forth in its true brilliance. Even in those who have not yet awakened from their slumber of ignorance, the Light shines through, despite their own weakness.

As we project the Light of the Christ into the world around us, we cannot fail to note a markedly positive change, for no matter how small it may seem, no matter how long it takes, if we determine within ourselves to be the cause of good, the effect must be that we will see good come of it. The Light shone in the Darkness of Jesus' Day & though many of His own people did not comprehend It, still It shone; through His Light, many who were in Darkness were brought, blinking, into the Light!

Scripture tells the Story of Israel. Their many failures were heart-rending, even maddening, but through their stumbling in the Darkness they created, the Light shone through to reveal a brand new Day! These many years later, that same Light shines in us even brighter. Through the choices we make, we can be the cause, effecting the much-needed change in the world around us!

May we BE the change we wish to see in the world,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Christ-Consciousness: the Will to Serve

But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is [ rightly ] judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?”^[e] But we have the mind of Christ.

I Corinthians 2:15 & 16

A truer statement will never be made than that Jesus was the Christ! Ask ( most ) any Christian & they will tell you, to varying degrees, that Jesus IS the Christ & that He exists still as the Second Person of the Trinity. As the Messiah of Israel, Jesus was Sent of the Father, Scripturally & eschatologically speaking, to 'save His people from their sins' ( Matthew 1:21 ). We in the West, particularly & peculiarly, have traditionally understood this Jesus as being THE Christ, the very Essence of the Creator God; as the Scriptures say, 'God with us' ( Matthew 1:23 ( Isaiah 7:14 ): the apostle Paul wrote that 'God^[c] was manifested in the flesh'. This view is not necessarily wrong, for the Christ that Jesus exalted IS the Christ, the Christ of the Father  ( Luke 9:20 ), that dwells in all of us ( John 14:23 ).

It might be truly said that the Christ dwells within each & every one of us, humanity as a whole. Jesus did say, 'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him', so, to be honest, most if not all Christians would probably have a problem with the universal statement, 'the Christ dwells within each & every one of us, humanity as a whole'. In order to manifest the Christ Within, one must obey the Universal Law which Jesus elucidated, namely that of loving one's neighbor as oneself. To truly love one's neighbor implies a love of the Creator God, or the Divine Principle.The question of whether or not one can truly love another without first loving oneself, or the Divine Principle, may be a matter for another blogpost.

The term 'Christ', meaning 'anointed', might truly be used of anyone; it simply means that one was 'anointed' for a particular purpose & 'sent', if you will, to fulfill that certain purpose. As traditional, orthodox Christians, most would view this 'anointing' wholly in the light of Scripture, as in the baptism of Jesus, recorded in Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11 & Luke 3:21 & 22. The Spirit, of course, was His true Anointing.  Jesus' anointing thereby is not something unfamiliar to any Christian, or at least, it shouldn't be! One might well say that it was at that point that Jesus, in fact, became the Christ, although He had been sent, as the Christ, when He was born, some 3o years earlier.

When Jesus was born, according to Scripture, to the Virgin, He was born of the Spirit. His Father, one might say, was the Holy Spirit. In much the same way, we are born of the Spirit when we are awakened to & made conscious of the Christ Within. As the Scriptures also say ( Christians love to quote this passage ), ' I can do all things through Christ^[b] who strengthens me' ( Philippians 4:13 ). With the Strength of the Christ Within, as the apostle seems to say, there is NOTHING we cannot accomplish! However one wants to rectify or justify his words here, this might be well be viewed as a Universal Truth. Other Scriptures, like Matthew 17:20, seem to bolster this statement, thus intimating that nothing is impossible ( Luke 1:37 ) for the One who is in Communion with the Creator.

Communion with the Creator God, to the orthodox Christian, usually involves bread & wine, the constituent elements of what is most commonly known as 'The Lord's Supper'. Although these elements can certainly be a symbolic reference to that Communion, they are by no means necessary to it. Jesus told His first-century audience, 'unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you' ( John 6:53 ). We understand, of course, that Jesus was speaking metaphorically here & in no way was He referring to the so-called Lord's Supper. He was reminding the Hebrews of their own history, in other words telling them that unless they accepted Him as the Messiah & realized that in Him was their true Salvation, they had no true Life in them.

We have been taught that Jesus was the only true God: this is true enough, but what does it mean? Jesus was 'God with us', but cannot this truly be said of us as well who have realized the gravity of 'Christ in us'? Is not 'God with us': 'God.....in the flesh', so to speak? Since the Creator dwells within us, in a different dimension, even & since we can do all things through Him who gave us Strength, is it really all that much of a stretch to say, along with Jesus, that He is our Father & thus that we are His Son? As surely as Jesus was the Son of the Creator God, so are We!

When Jesus walked this earth those almost two thousand years ago, how did He live? Was it selfishly, following His own vain pursuits, or did He live His relatively short life in this biology in service to others? Scripture pictures a Man who gave His life for others; in fact, as the Story of the Gospel progresses, we see that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice at the end of His inglorious existence. He very literally laid down His life for even those who despised & rejected Him!

About the Divinity of Jesus the Christ, there can be no doubt. Even though, as Scripture records, He lived a life of sinless perfection, He was a Man who, in many respects, was just like us. His biology, as far as we can tell, functioned just as ours does, yet, through His own choices, He never sinned against His Father. Jesus loved as no man before or after Him has loved. He loved with a perfect love, a love which, also according to Scripture, has been perfected in us ( I John 4:12 ). Since this Love has been perfected in us, we too, may be said to live that perfectly sinless life. Don't get me wrong, we still fail, in this biology, as individuals, to love perfectly all the time, but maybe that's our problem, we tend to think of ourselves as individuals rather than parts of a Whole!?

A Life of Service to the Whole would circumvent those failures; as the Scriptures say, 'love covers all sins' ( Proverbs 10:12 ) .If we would but learn that Love is what enabled Jesus to live as He did, to serve as He did, even to the point of denying this biology, then we too could live such a life as He did & through such a life of service, be exalted as He was. As the Messiah of Israel, Jesus was revealed to be 'God.....in the flesh'. As we follow in His footsteps, being the very Temple of the Living God, may we not rightly claim that Title for ourselves?

Charles Haddon Shank

I AM,

The very notion that a mere Man could be God is what put Jesus on the cross! Other claims that He made & things that He did just exacerbated the situation, but when it came down to it, what really twisted their knickers was that He, a mere Man, claimed to be God. Jesus, however, never out & out said, 'I am God', so how did those Pharisees get the idea that Jesus claimed He was God? 'Well', one might say, 'He said that God was His Father, therefore making the claim that He was equal to, or One with God'; He also said things like, 'before Abraham was, I AM' ( remember that YHWH told Moses, 'I am that I am' ). So, was Jesus correct in His claims? Could a mere Man be God? More to the point, maybe, can a man ( or woman ) be a god ( or goddess )?

If we can trust our Bible translations, YHWH Himself said, through the Psalmist, 'you are gods and all of you are children of the Most High'. Now, admittedly, these words were aimed at the spiritual leaders of Israel, but, is this not a Universal Truth? Can we not rightly acknowledge, along with the Author, the Great Progenitor, that we are indeed 'gods'?  'Okay', one might admit, 'we may be small 'g' gods, but we are not big 'G' Gods'! What then, one might ask, is the difference? The difference, biblically speaking, is that One comes from the Other, from the same Source, so to speak. Jesus said, 'My Father is greater than I', making the claim that He was One with Father, just as we, at the very core of our being, are One with The Source.

What is a god/God! Well, there are many gods, but, as the Bible says, 'one God'. We may understand this as saying that we are mighty ones ( for this is basically what the word means ), but that there is One mightier than we, the One who, according to Scripture 'made the worlds' & set the stars in 'their courses'. We are undeniably gods in our own right, both because we are children of the Creator & because we are creators! We judge for ourselves what is right or wrong & if we judge according to the aforementioned Universal Law, or Truth, then we manifest our Unity with the Divine.

The Universal Truth that we are all 'children of the Most High' can be an unnerving, even frightening proposition! If all are Children of God, could we in good conscience kill our brother or sister! The argument has been made that only those who have consciously entered into Covenant with their Creator are Children, or Sons of God. However, if we posit that this must be, are we not saying that one makes his or her own decision of whether not to be a Child of the Father? One might well go back into the Story of Israel, beginning with the so-called Adamic Covenant & ask if Adam ever asked or decided to be a Child of God! Did you ask to be the child of your particular earthly father?

Since 'it is what it is', whether one acknowledges it or not, the fact remains! One can deny it till the cows come home, but we are all Children of our Father. Having originated from the Source of All, the fact that we are gods cannot be denied. That we are One with God only needs realization; the Truth is there whether we realize it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not! The fact that not all realize or acknowledge this glorious fact does not change it. Maybe if we treated others as brothers & sisters, they would be more inclined to act in like manner, joining us on the path of realization.

As Christians, we tend to call the Creator 'God'; other religions have a different name for the Source, but it is all the same God, only the perceptions differ. One might liken it to the tale of the four old blind East Indians who tried to describe an elephant. Each one felt a different part of the animal & each one thought that the part he was touching was an accurate representation of the whole. Each was right in part, but only in unity could they truly describe the elephant. So it is with us; because of our different religions, our different beliefs, we say, 'this is what the Creator God is like, not that',: in doing so, we deny the Unity that IS!

The Scriptures again say, 'He has made from one blood every nation of men' & so, taken at face value, we must realize that there is actually one race, the human race & that, like it or not, agree or not, we are all Children of our Father God! Many are the reasons that separate us & continue to do so, religion being the foremost.& while those differences are unavoidable, they need not divide us, or cause us to fear, hate & kill one another. The Unifying Factor is that we all have one Father, one Source, the Great Progenitor, thus, we are all One in Reality, though not so much in Actuality. Unity is not uniformly; a house, for instance, cannot be rightly called a house until all the different parts come together in unity to form the whole. Biblically speaking, the Body, whether metaphorical or biological, is made up of many different members, though it is one Body.

The claim that 'I am God', therefore, should not be made lightly! There is one Unifying Principle, as we have seen, One Source & while we originate from that Source, being a part of it, indeed One with that Source, we are not that Source; we are not the Great Progenitor. Here in the West, as Christians especially, we like to call this Source 'our Father' & those from the Far East, anything from Krishna to Shiva: different aspects, one God.

To call a human being 'God', for the Western Christian especially, seems blasphemous. Indeed, it rather is, because to most, if not all Western Christians, even many Eastern ones, that name is reserved for the Creator alone, for the Originator of Life itself! Since Scripture has called 'mere mortals' 'gods', then may we not rightly make that claim? Have we not the same necessary makeup as did the biblical Jesus, who was, by all accounts, the Son of God, or Yahweh to the Hebrews? We are imbued with the very same Spirit that Jesus was & are told that, believing in Him, the Source of Light & Life, we will do, not only what He did, but that we will accomplish even 'greater works': furthermore, we are told that nothing will be impossible for us! How much more God-like could we get?!

Those who read these words must judge for themselves, but to this blogger, it is clear that there is more to these claims than meets the eye. No, humans did not create themselves; in fact, the mere thought is rather ridiculous, although we do, to a great extent, create our own existence in this biology, by our own words & deeds. The glorious Fact that we, as Christians, are more than certain of, is that there is One Intelligent Designer who is the Origin of All. That we are His Image is abundantly clear as well. What is not so clear to many, sadly, is what exactly that Image is. Is our humanity, our biology, this Image? Again, the reader must judge for him or herself, because the answer comes from within!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Wheel in the Sky

Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel [ was ] on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their workings [ was ] like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings [ was ], as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims [ were ] full of eyes, all around the four of them. When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up^. Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, [ because ] there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures^[c] [ was ] in the wheels. When those went, [ these ] went; when those stood, [ these ] stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures^[d] [was ] in the wheels.

Ezekiel 1:15-21 

Of all the commentaries on this enigmatic passage, subtitled ( afterward ) 'Ezekiel's Vision of God', Adam Clarke's commentary seems to hit closest to the mark when he wrote,
  

 'most probably the wheel within means merely the nave in which the spokes are inserted, in reference to the ring, rim, or periphery, where these spokes terminate from the center or nave. I do think this is what is meant by the wheel within a wheel; and I am the more inclined to this opinion, by some fine Chinese drawings now before me, where their deities are represented as walking upon wheels, the wheels themselves encompassed with fire. The wheel is simply by itself having a projecting axis; so of these it is said, "their appearance and their work was, as it were, a wheel within a wheel."' 

Being Ancient Near Eastern literature, this imagery from the prophecy of Ezekiel is very likely best illumined from this point of view. In our Western understanding, especially in our haughtiness, most Christians seem to think that the Scriptures were written directly to us. We fail to realize that they were originally written in & about an Eastern, not Western culture: therefore, it only makes the best sense that they must be understood in that context!

As Clarke saw, Ezekiel's vision showed the Creator God as the 'Hub', or 'Source', from which His Spirit, or Energy radiates outward. Not unlike the Sun, which we may use as an analogy, the Light of the Source of All radiates outward from Itself, bringing Life to everything it touches, both metaphorically & literally ( it should be understood that this Light & therefore Life, touches All ). In his record of the Gospel, John wrote, 'In Him was life, and the life was the light of men' ( John 1:4 ). As we may note, this understanding has not been totally lost in the West, but shines ever brighter in the East!

In the popular song from which this post borrows its title, the writer, though focusing on the prospect of seeing his love, seems to view Time itself as the One that keeps him wandering/wondering. He understands, to a certain extent, anyway, that the motion of the Universe is not something we can control, but through which we must pursue our own dreams, whatever dreams may come. We ourselves are not unlike this Great Wheel, as in our own lives, we influence the world around us, in a negative or positive way.

May we not understand Ezekiel's mystical vision as revealing the Glory that we, ourselves, are this 'wheel within a wheel'? As we radiate our own Energy outward from the very center of our Being, we are, in Essence, partaking ( participating ) in the New Creation. When we shine the Light of Love, which we are, into every dark corner, we find that the Glory revealed is yet another 'wheel', which in turn may radiate out from itself the Glory that shines from Within, 'from glory to glory', so to speak.

The Manifestation of Glory comes from Within, that much is clear & incontrovertible! How the Glory manifests, though is our choice; we may choose to selfishly keep that Light to ourselves ( so we see much that is 'wrong' in the world today ), or we may choose to be a 'wheel' & so consciously & purposefully shine our Light for all to see, that they might glorify our Father in 'Heaven' ( Matthew 5:16 ). The Source from which we originate is itself that Light & as we have read, It is 'the light of men'!
'
In Him', wrote John, is that Light, that Light, or Energy, being the Source of all that Is. 'In Him we live and move and have our being', the apostle said to the assembly, for he well understood that it is in this Source that Life consists. We ourselves, as spokes in that Great Wheel, radiate outward from the Hub & so we too become a 'Hub', radiating outwards from our own Source, as 'a wheel in the middle of a wheel'. Thus we become, to use a well-worn analogy, 'like pebbles in a pond'; the circles radiate outward in a resonant & overlapping pattern, creating a never-ending & glorious communion!

Charles Haddon Shank

Accepting Samahdi

'Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior?'

If you grew up anywhere near the East Coast or especially what is known as the Bible Belt, I know you or a loved one has heard this question at least once in your lives. Besides the fact that Jesus was a historical figure, according to Scripture, that lived almost 2,000 years ago & was the Messiah ( Savior ) to the Jews; if you take Scripture at His word, the salvation that He brought was realized ( Matthew 1:21-John 19:30 ( Revelation 21:5 ) & the Purpose for which Jesus was sent forth from the Father, the salvation of His people ( Matthew 1:21 ), was fulfilled ( filled up ) in the first century AD.

According to accepted use, the Greek 'Christos', put simply, means 'sent', or 'anointed', but to most or many Christians today, it seems to serve as little more than the last name of the historical Jesus. Thanks in part to bible translators, maybe especially those who based their translations on the Majority Text, this is not surprising, as they have the apostle, the most prolific writer in the Greek Scriptures calling Him 'Jesus Christ' ( or 'Christ Jesus' ): in fact, the Authorized ( King James ) Version, if memory serves, mistakenly calls the time of Passover, 'Easter'. As the case may be, however, in reference to '( the ) Christ', the Anointed, or 'sent ( One )';cannot it be rightly said that we are ALL Anointed, or Sent? Admittedly, ALL do not realize or even acknowledge this Higher Purpose; in fact, there have been & still are, those rebellious children who have striven to do the exact opposite of the Purpose they were sent for!

'Samadhi', a Sanskrit word meaning 'a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation'. Once this state is 'achieved', according to further definition, this also fulfills our Union with the Divine. It should be noted that this does not disagree with Scripture in the least! Although our bibles never say it in those words exactly, it should not be hard to realize that Jesus referred to this Union numerous times, as well as did the apostle Paul. According to the dictionary definition above, samadhi is something to be achieved, but it should be noted that while we must, in a sense, do something in order to 'get there', it is actually more of a realization than an achievement.

'Be still, and know that I [ am ] God' ( Psalm 46:10a ). This, in context, was directed at Israel in the midst of their troubles & is yet of great comfort to many today in the midst of their own struggles. To know the Peace of God, 'which passes all understanding', much like experiencing samahdi, one must simply 'be still', in other words, enter a meditative state, in order to understand, to realize that 'I [ am ] God'. In fact, the word 'selah', which we note throughout the Psalms in particular, simply means 'rest' ( meditate ). The Peace of God, then, rests in our 'hearts', or inmost being, only in order to 'know' it, to experience it, one must quiet his or her own mind, in other words, 'Be still'.

Samadhi & its Eastern connotations is often almost abhorrent to many Christians, for various reasons: however, it must be understood in the light of the context of Scripture! Although the Scriptures did not originate in an area that we associate with Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism & the like, it must be understood that, like these religions, this sort of literature does come from a place less foreign to the Far East than to our own Western World. As such then, it may be noted that they may be illumined more by an Eastern, rather than Western light. 

Our Western traditions have taught us, for instance, that we must ourselves accept Jesus as our Lord & Savior, in order to enter the gates of 'Heaven'. Though this concept is not altogether wrong, it does show its Western roots, with our misunderstanding of the covenantal aspects of the culture of its origin. The Greek origins, as well, of our ( Western ) concepts of 'Heaven' & 'Hell', as things we achieve or earn, should help us to realize that much of traditional Christianity has failed to interpret Scripture in its True Light!

As traditional Christianity progresses evermore into a truer understanding of Scripture, we cannot fail to realize that, even though we, in our Western world, have been taught to disregard, even to fear the teaching of the Eastern Masters, those who have 'attained' an exalted status, their teachings are not out of accord with our own Scriptures! In order to 'attain' True Enlightenment,  one must accept what the Scriptures actually & plainly tell us about our Unity with the Divine. This is not to say that we should disregard all that our Western traditions have faithfully taught us over the years, 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater', so to speak; however, we should readily & openly examine what they have taught us in the Light of the Eastern origins of Scripture & the Teachings of Jesus.

 'And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all [ peoples ] to Myself.'

Jesus-John 12:32

The Sending Forth of the Son of God, in Jesus the Christ, including His Life, Death, Burial & Resurrection, together with His Ascension, is indicative of Our own Sending Forth. Most Western traditions have viewed the teaching of Jesus in the passage above as relating to anything from an after-death experience where we will join Him in our own concept of 'Heaven', to a merely spiritually partaking in His Death, Burial & Resurrection , also know as 'water baptism'. Our own Ascension is relegated, therefore, to the after-life, according to most if not all of these Western traditions. It should not be surprising, then, that most, if not all, Eastern traditions ( religions, if you will ) teach that we have ascended, that it is in The Attitude of Samadhi that we realize this most glorious fact!

It is difficult, admittedly, in this day & age, to realize that we have 'attained'; there is so much that we note, in our experience, as have gone wrong & continuing to go awry in this world in which we live, that many have given up on it & 'put all their eggs in one basket', so to speak, just waiting for Jesus to come back & rescue us ( again? ) from the mess we've created through our own ignorance. But Jesus said, 'You are the light of the world' ( Matthew 5:14a )!

It is when we truly realize our situation as the Sons of God & the glorious gravity of the words of Jesus, that we truly & most gloriously become 'the light of the world' ( John  8:12a )! Must we accept this most glorious fact in order to shine the Light of His Glory? The answer to that question is manifestly clear. Is is in our own realization & acceptance, though, that we will more readily manifest this exalted Truth.

May we learn to ever recognize & realize,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Meta Charge; the God Within

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; 

and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

John 14:12

 This may be one of the most enigmatic passages in Scripture! How will we do greater things than the Son of God Himself? In context maybe, some may rectify these mysterious words by reasoning that Jesus was referring to the growth of the early Church as indicative of the 'greater works' His Disciples would accomplish. Others may even place the fulfillment of this prophecy into the future, attributing it to our perfected state, after Jesus' supposed 'second coming'. Whatever the case, do not physicians today, at least biologically speaking, have the ability, through Science & Technology, to do many of the things that Jesus did? But He said we would do 'greater works'!

The many different religions of the world, to whatever extent, all have different concepts of & names for the Creator of all life. Some may refer to Him/Her/It as Allah, YHWH, Krishna, or even simply, God.The American Indians, what most in their political correctness call 'Native Americans' refer to this Source of All as 'The Great Spirit'. Whatever word these different religions use to refer to their God, 'it is what it is'; the Creator God is THE Source of all Life, the Energy that makes up the Universe, or multiverse, as the case may be!

It has become clear to this blogger that we are more than what can be seen, even through a microscope. Our humanity is undeniable, but what drives that humanity, what sets & keeps it in motion is beyond the reach of even the most powerful microscope. It is the Source which powers All, the Energy that sustains all Life, through Whom we 'live and move and have our being' ( Acts 17:28 ). Our biological bodies are simply a part of 'us'; they are merely what houses our spirit/Spirit. Notice, I did not say they are 'the prison-house for the soul', as some have accused us! All I mean to say is that we are not mere human beings; first & foremost, our Origin is with the Source, the Originator of All. As Jesus said, 'My Father is greater than I' ( John 14:28); we are not the Source of all Life, though we ARE One with that Source.Using the same Greek word ( meizōn ) in both instances, was Jesus implying that we would do 'greater works'' than the Creator Himself?!

I must say, before I began to open my mind to the possibilities, that when people would approach me with the notion that we, ourselves, are 'God', I would immediately rebut their ridiculous proposal with something like, 'I didn't put that mountain there; did you?!' Approaching the subject with a ready mind, though & using our 'God-given' logic, is it truly that ridiculous to understand that we do create our own existence, biologically speaking? We have created the circumstances of our own lives, to a large extent. Now, there are certainly things that seem to be beyond our control, but are they really? Things do not just happen; it is through the engine of choice that people are motivated to do this or that, one thing or the other. It is by choice that we decide to eat one thing or the other; one may taste better to us or be more convenient, while the other may take a bit longer to prepare & may not be as tantalizing, but on the whole is more nutritional.  Is is through our choices that we create our reality!

Before I go too far down this path, let me just clarify that there are actually some things that ARE beyond our control, at least, biologically speaking. For instance, you might say, 'I did not choose to be born into this body that is wracked with whatever particular disease, or has a genetic predisposition to...............' This may be true enough, biologically speaking, but are we not more than this biology?

If we take Jesus at His word, assuming that His meaning has not been 'lost in the translation', what are we to understand by 'greater works than these he will do'? Are we left with either the early growth of the Church or some future vision? Can we indeed do more? Christians love to quote Philippians 4:13, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' & while there may be some debate over exactly what the apostle meant by 'all', it is safe to assume that 'nothing will be impossible' for those connected to or in Communion with this Source. Here again, of course, we must take into account the context of His words, while at the same time understanding that His true intent might have gotten 'lost in the translation'.

The notion that we could simply call forth from the grave one who has been dead for four days, restore a limb, or the eyesight of one born blind is utterly fantastic to most of us, but Jesus said it would be done! Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus was not dead, but simply sleeping; He knew, as He later told His Disciples, that Lazarus' biological body had ceased to function, but by telling the Disciples that Lazarus was sleeping, Jesus was not lying to them or giving them false hope; He was reassuring them that Lazarus was more than his biology. The Disciples, like many or most Christians today, could not understand this glorious fact & so Jesus stooped to their level, so to speak, telling them 'plainly' that Lazarus had died.

Getting back to the point, it is difficult for us, in our humanity especially, to realize the magnanimity of Jesus' words. Since we are told we will accomplish 'greater works' than Jesus, God Himself, then why is there no historical evidence of it? What is hindering us from realizing our true potential? My contention is that there are those, even biologically speaking, who have done, not only what Jesus did, but have accomplished these 'greater works'. 'Where is the proof?', you may ask: as someone once said, 'the Truth is out there!'

Charles Haddon Shank

Destiny's Dilemma

Sarah's mother, when Sarah was merely a dream, was in the process of growing up in a very rural area. Destiny had always felt, from the Time she became aware, that she didn't quite belong. The area she grew up in offered everything necessary for the rearing of a good, healthy body; fresh air, plenty of sunshine, wholesome, home-grown food & a family that loved her. But Destiny wanted more!

Sarah's grandmother had been married to a farmer at a relatively early age & so Destiny grew up in a house of Love, though it was not as she might have wished. She knew, in her innermost being, that her family loved her, but 'damn', they sure had a strange way of showing it. Her older brother, on the other hand; she was pretty sure that he held no love for her. He was always pestering her to 'try harder', as if whatever she endeavored or accomplished wasn't good enough!

Destiny's parents weren't much better; being the super-strict religious types, they were always on her case to 'do better', 'don't do that', 'stay away from THOSE kind of people'! Suffering under such conditions, as she did, she looked forward to the day when she would be able to leave it all behind. Well before her 18th birthday, Destiny had run away from home, unsuccessfully I might add, numerous times. Because of the stranglehold, as she felt it was, that her overbearing parents had on her, she had never made it further than across state lines. Back she came, dragging her feet, but more determined then ever to 'try harder' & 'do better' next time..........................to escape, that is!

Several years later, the day before her 18th birthday, with little but the clothes on her back & with her thumb perpetually stuck out. Destiny set out on her own for the promise of glory in parts unknown! Through many hardships & trials, she finally reached what she thought was the proper destination, a place more worthy of her exalted status than the little podunk town she had grown up in. The city she decided to rest her travel-weary bones in was by no means the largest, but coming from such a small, rural area, as she did, Destiny believed it to be, with all the entertainment value anyone could ask for & endless opportunity for adventure!

The 'adventure' that Destiny had been waiting for her whole, short life had finally come to fruition, but it proved to be a much different manifestation than the Glory she had envisioned. She was forced to seek shelter right away because, not being a careful planner, Destiny had forgotten that her birthday was during one of the coldest times of the year, dead-winter! Even though the area she had chosen to settle didn't get all that cold, when compared to where she had spent her formative years, during the winter months especially, it rained pretty much every day & was quite chilly; the moisture seemed to eat right into her bones!

Destiny was very attractive ( that was her primary achievement ), so when she got to the big city, it wasn't too difficult to get what she wanted, for a price of course. After such a long time on the road ( it was only about a week or so, truth be told ), Destiny was willing to do just about anything to stop running & settle down for a bit. The problem was that she had to do some things that, in her former life, would have landed her in a world of hurt!

For a time, Destiny felt like she was enjoying her Time in the Big City; she was feeling loved, having the fun she'd always felt she was missing & the doors to ecstasy that she'd always known were waiting for her out there somewhere were opening up all around her! Compared to the life she had known previously, Destiny was living on the edge-a place she'd always suspected existed, but was never allowed to seek out. Up to this point in her bodily existence, Destiny had never experienced such freedom. On the other hand, she had never experienced such pain & with every new one, she was learning how un-prepared she really was to make her way through this world.

Sarah's mother was learning that Life was like a bed of roses, very beautiful under the right circumstances, with the proper care, but full of thorns under all that beauty; if not careful, she would prick herself & things could get ugly very quickly! As she began to learn the ins & outs of Life in the Big City, Destiny found that the rose-colored glasses she had been used to looking at life through tended to hide some of the darker, uglier aspects. Before long, she found herself rather missing the security she had suffered & labored under in her former life. The family she had left behind became an almost fond memory as Destiny was forced to accept the reality she had chosen, ready or not.

In the following years, Destiny found herself face to face with many choices that she didn't feel up to, but they were here choices & make them she must! The 'love' she felt she had missed out on for all of her former life ( especially from her older brother ), she had found in this strange new world, but the price for such 'love' was higher than she'd ever expected; the sacrifices she'd had to make, the things she had to suffer to find & keep that 'love' { the first of many ) took a toll on her body, the like of which she had never known!

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Destiny's Story is all too familiar! Many young women & men have left the comfort & shelter of home to seek their fortunes elsewhere, in search of something more. This story is total fiction, but Destiny's Dilemma is not a strange one; the hardships & trials she suffered are not new to many of my readers, either directly or indirectly. It is my wish, that through her story, others may be able to find their way in this world without suffering as she did. Life, as our 'heroine' began to discover, is more than our experience in mere physicality, in this biology! Life consists, not in what we experience in this world, but, as Destiny would have realized, if only she'd been able to quiet her mind sooner, in how we choose to be, to manifest, in our innermost being.

Charles Haddon Shank