The Glory of the Lord & Lady

 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:26 & 27

Whether one views them as our first parents ( in other words, 'the first human beings' ) or simply the first covenant people the biblical Adam & Eve served as a Divine Example of 'as above, so below'. Their relationship was designed to mirror that within what many call 'the God-head'. As we read the biblical Story, we find that, though they were created good ( some say 'perfect' ), something called 'sin' entered the mix & corrupted 'God's' 'good' ( Genesis 1:31 ) Creation. This in itself brings up some interesting & rather uncomfortable questions, but, as this is not my purpose in writing, I will leave that in the capable hands of my readers ( if they so choose ) & we will explore this route no further! The purpose of this blogpost is to show that, in the words of a good friend of mine, 'God is not a bachelor!' As Man was not made to be alone ( Genesis 2:18, Ecclesiastes 4:8-11 ), neither is 'God' alone. The word 'Trinity' is not to be found in the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures, although most Christians say that the concept clearly is. However one chooses to read or interpret it though, according to the very beginning words of the Hebrew Scriptures, the word translated 'God' is plural in tense, indicating that this ''elohiym' was not alone in 'His' work!

In today's 'world', especially in our Western culture, it would NOT be 'kosher' for a woman, as the biblical Sarah did, to call ones husband 'lord' ( I Peter 3:6 ). According to Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, the primary definition of the term 'lord' is 'one having power and authority over others'. It is really an archaic term, probably most familiar in terms of the Old English titles of 'Lord' & 'Lady'. Even here in America, as lately as the 1950s, the terms 'lord of the manor' & 'lady of the house' were fairly well-used. In fact, the wife of the sitting president of the U.S.A. is still called 'the First Lady'. Being a ( former ) British colony, we here in these United States of America need to understand that these terms came to us from our British heritage, which originated in their understanding & thus translation ( ? ) of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures. In the Ancient Near East, where women ( according to our Western understanding, anyway ) were viewed as little more than 'chattel' ( this tradition continues up to this day in many or most Near Eastern countries ), it would have been 'proper' ( in that context ) for Sarah ( or 'Sarai' ) to call Abraham ( or 'Abram' ) 'lord'. However, even according to Scriptural tradition, the 'New Covenant' brought many 'changes', one being that 'the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband [ does ]. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife [ does ].' ( I Corinthians 7:4 )

Science tells us, using different terminology maybe, that, before a person is born, as the fetus is being formed in the womb, it is neither male nor female, but in some sense both, although closer toward what we know as the female end of the spectrum. As the fetus develops, chromosomes play their part, being probably the deciding factor in whether the baby will be swaddled in blue or pink clothes. Whatever the case may be ( I'm not a scientist OR a biologist ), the point is that, as in the beginning, according to the Hebrew Scripture, 'God' made them 'male and female'! Man, at least, before the chromosomes do their little dance, is not just a male, but is comprised of both male & female! Human beings comprise both male & female, even if one doesn't take the Hebrew Scriptures at face value. Because what occurs on earth mirrors what happens in the heavens, especially in an esoteric & meta-physical sense, it only goes to figure that the so-called 'God-head' is comprised of both male & female aspects as well!

We all know at least one man ( or boy ) that seems to have almost more female than male attributes, especially when it comes to the emotions. On the other hand, although the term 'tomboy' is not as popular as it used to be, some women ( or girls ) seem to act more like men than women ( that in itself would probably be regarded as a 'sexist statement' ). However one chooses to rectify it in his or her own mind, it simply stands to reason that we are all made up of the same impulses ( energy )! Like I said, I'm not a scientist, so I'm only guessing, but I would imagine that we, individually, simply manifest those impulses differently. When it comes to the human biological structure ( anatomy ), though, it is difficult to aver that this wonder we know & love came to be by accident, or by any means other than an Intelligent Designer!

The Psalmist of the Hebrew Scriptures wrote, 'I am fearfully [ and ] wonderfully made' ( Psalm 139:14 ): this should be regarded as one of the many universal truths of the Bible! Cultural differences aside, it cannot be argued that this amazing piece of work, this ancient marvel, one might say, could not have just 'happened', by chance, as it were! As wonderful, though, as is the human anatomy, almost as amazing is how corrupted it can become, even disfigured to whatever extent, through the many & varied stressors that we load upon it. This is not to say simply that we, individually have corrupted these fine pieces of 'machinery' through our own doing; no, it happens as a result of many, many generations of abuse & misuse: outside influences may not be discounted either, although, again, it is always up to us, as to how we face these exterior stressors!

Science has made great leaps towards god-hood in the last number of decades! Men & women, not being satisfied just to change their sexual preference, have, through the wonders of Science, been able to change their sexual designation, at least to some extent! As far as I've seen, though, no man has ever been fitted with a womb & though they've probably figured out how to fit a woman with a penis, with plastic surgery to remove her breasts ( they can probably even remove a man's penis & make it look like a vagina ); I highly doubt that any of these unnaturally assigned parts work like they were designed to!  Biology aside, then, it is easy to change ones sexual preference, though infinitely more difficult to actually BE other than what you were designed to BE, humanly speaking. Emotions change like the weather, however, so there are many factors which may influence how one manifests his or her feelings, in other words, whether one acts like society expects a man or woman, boy or girl to act.

Societal changes & cultural 'norms' aside, we know one thing for sure; whatever sort of biological 'shell' we incarnated, it is that 'shell' in which we were meant to carry out a certain purpose in this world in which we live!  Whether one wants to attribute this to our Higher Self, or a Higher Power ( ? ) such as the God of the Bible, we can be certain that this body that we inhabit was chosen from the beginning to serve a Higher Purpose! Again, though, this is not to say that men are supposed to act in a certain way, while women are designated for a different purpose ( like 'child-bearing' );society & culture have dictated how things 'should be', for time immemorial, but speaking of 'change', people are beginning to see the idiocy of it all & living, not as society or even their own biology dictates, but as Common Sense tells them they should. We are now in an Age where we can, if we so choose, move past the age-old cultural norms & decide to act in whichever way serves both mankind & ourselves best, no matter whether society dictates that men should act this way & women should act that way!

There are numerous resources available today, especially in this technological age, that point to the fact, not just of a plurality ( 'Trinity'? ) in the 'God-head', but that, just as the 'God' of the Bible created them 'male and female', so the One who set the worlds to spinning is also comprised of both male & female aspects! Many people, for many reasons & centuries have endeavored to hide this startling but surprisingly natural & comfortable truth, but for as many centuries, the truth has always been out there, though persecuted to the death.

Adam & Eve were the First Lord & Lady, according to the Hebrew Scriptures! Other cultures may have similar Stories, but for whatever reason, this is the Story that the majority of Westerners have chosen to pattern their lives after, to whatever extent. According to our Bible ( our Western interpretation of an Ancient Near Eastern piece of literature ), Adam was [ 'the son' ] of God ( Luke 3:38 ), so the question could rightly be asked here, 'If we are the natural offspring of the Creator, as the text seems to indicate, then is it outside the realm of possibility to assume, if for that glorious fact alone, that we are Divine by Nature?' Not only is it possible; we as human beings, whether we choose to manifest It for good or evil, DO carry Divinity Within! I encourage my readers today; choose to manifest that Divinity in the way which best serves humanity & that includes YOU!!!!

Blessed Be,
Charles Haddon Shank

The Temple of Creation

 But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

John the Revelator ( Revelation 21:22 )

A Temple without an Image is just a temple, but with an Image of the God or Goddess, it becomes a most Holy Place! So, you might say, according to many Christian, even 'secular' scholars, before the creation of man in 'the Image of God' ( Genesis 1:26 ), 'The earth was without form, and void'. According to this literal interpretation, 'God', or Elohim, 'created' humankind in order to posit 'His' own Image in 'His' Creation. Of course, according to the Story; this Image became corrupted when the Enemy of God ( a former Creation himself ( or 'itself' ) tempted this 'Image' to rebel against their Creator. In this interpretation of the Story, the Temple of the Earth still bore the Image of God, though it had been degraded, in a manner of speaking. It was not until the 'God' of the Hebrews had given the Ultimate Sacrifice, that the Image returned to Its former Glory & the Temple once more shone!

More & more scholars have come to the understanding, however, that the early chapters of Genesis ( in particular ) do not describe the beginning of Life as we know it; on the contrary, according to this view, the Hebrew Scriptures tell us a covenantal Story, a story of the Covenant that the Hebrew 'God' made with 'His' Creation, those He had formed in His own Image. Thus, according to some, the Story has itself been corrupted, most would say, because of the aforementioned 'understanding'; according to others, it has been corrupted by the traditional ( literal ) interpretation. Those who teach that the nature of the Story we read in the pages of the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures is covenantal rather than universal are often termed 'preterists'. Not all who have adopted this moniker, however, believe that Genesis 1 & 2 describe the formation of a Covenant & conversely, neither do all who believe that Adam was simply the progenitor of what the Bible calls 'the sons of God' teach that all has been fulfilled, as the term 'preterist' implies!

To say that the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures hold no truths for humanity today would be a grave mistake! There ARE many universal truths, or principles in Scripture! The words of Jesus, though often sadly misinterpreted, are one example. Quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures, He enforced the notion that we should love our 'neighbor' as we love ourselves. While some interpret the term 'neighbor' differently than others, it is universally accepted, among Christians, anyway, that we should observe this practice. Many who do not call themselves Christians, the more spiritual types, have adopted this Way of Life as well, recognizing the Divinity, or Image of God, in all humanity!

The greeting 'Namaste' is how many make known to 'others' that they recognize this universal truth, that all bear 'the Image of God'. ( Yes, ALL bear this 'Image' within themselves, though sadly, in some it is nearly unrecognizable ) The word is of Sanskrit origin & simply means ( in other words ), 'the Divine in me acknowledges the Divine in you'. Though this phrase is most often used, probably, by Buddhists or those of the Hindu or other Eastern religions, it would also go well with Christianity, though, most likely because of its Eastern origins, it is not employed among most Christians, especially those of the Western Orthodox, or Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church, of course is simply the universal ( religious ) term for 'the Body of Christ'. This phrase comes from the Bible, which is the Western interpretation of the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures. 'The Christ', in turn, simply means 'the Anointed, or Sent One' ( this is where the term 'chrism' comes from ); this was the title given to Jesus, who. according to the Greek Scriptures, was born to 'save His people from their sin' ( Matthew 1:21 ) As the Son of God, or 'God Incarnate' ( 'God with us' ) - Matthew 1:23 ), Jesus WAS the Christ, Anointed of God to free His people from slavery to sin. Because we all bear 'the Image of God', however, we ALL have the potential to become 'the Christ', or rather, to recognize & manifest 'the Christ Within' & free our people, our 'world' ( of influence ) from its slavery!

As my readers may have surmised, 'preterist' or 'preterism' has become a fairly broad term. There are different 'degrees', ranging anywhere from 'it's all fulfilled' to 'it's mostly fulfilled', with some going as far as to say the Scriptures applied to Israel Only, while others say that the Church simply replaced Israel ( both interpretations are faulty, though one might rightly say they both have their points ). As the case may be, though, 'preterism', while it is a closer, though still Western, interpretation of this Ancient Near Eastern piece of literature, fails in that it continues to define 'the People of God' as 'Those who have ^[a]made a covenant with Me  ( Elohim ) by sacrifice' ( Psalm 50:5 ) 'The People of God' cannot be defined as ONLY those who acknowledge the Hebrew 'God', or the 'God' of the Bible, just as 'God' or the Source of All Life cannot be defined by the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Bible, alone!

The fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures can be found in what we call 'the Greek New Testament'! While, from our Western point of view & thus from our human ( personal ) standpoint, it certainly does NOT seem to have been fulfilled in the first century, especially all that stuff about 'a new creation', to truly understand, as most, if not all Christians will readily acknowledge, that we are 'the Temple of the Holy Spirit', we must first realize the gravity of that statement: since the ( Holy ) Spirit dwells within us ( thus WE are the Temple ), yet the Greek New Testament ( Bible ) says that 'the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple', does that mean there are TWO Temples?!

Obviously, there is only ONE Temple & that is where 'the Image of God' resides! ( this is where it gets 'dicey' ) So, since there is only ONE Temple & THAT'S 'God' & US; where does that leave US: are WE 'God'?! Assuredly NOT, you might quickly respond! No, we are NOT the Source of All Life, though we DO bear the Divine Image ( what Christians call 'the Image of God' )! Contrary to what most Christians seem to believe, though, it is not only 'those who accept Jesus into their hearts' that bear this 'Image': all humanity bears the Divine Image; however not all bring that Image to the surface ( manifest ). In fact, one may well note; all Creation bears 'the Divine Image', for everything has in it a 'spirit' of some sort, being made of the same 'building blocks' of the Universe.

In terms that we, as Westerners in particular, are familiar with, a temple is a man-made structure, built as a shrine to a particular God or Goddess. Jesus, in what we call 'the Greek New Testament', spoke of a 'temple..................................................made without hands' ( Mark 14:58 ( II Corinthians 5:1 ); in other words, made, not by human hands, but by 'God'. It is this Temple in which we ALL reside, as the express Image of Divinity, yet again WE are this 'Temple', for we all bear within us that Divine Image!

Charles Haddon Shank

Caddeucus; the Divine Serpent

Thrillled to Healing

Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

Luke 7:50 

Here we go again, getting all mystical, playing with the occult & flirting with blasphemy! As you can plainly see above, though; these are not MY words: they are the words of Jesus, the Son of 'God', according to Luke's version of the Gospel. What if these words were true today, though, in a universal sense & we could actually save ourselves, simply by believing? ( that's a rhetorical question, by the way ) You are encouraged to read the entire story in Luke, of which the quote above is the very last statement, for it brings Jesus' words into much-needed context. The woman in question, presumably a prostitute by profession, is healed, forgiven of her 'sin' because of her faith, bolstered by her love in action. Although this story, like many if not all such, in the four Gospels, may be accounted little more than a parable of Israel, it also bears Universal Truth in that it shows ( if read with an open mind & heart ) that our inner state most often determines our outer!

While many fear to tread the plains of mysticism & esoterica, one does not need to delve very deep to realize the truth of this statement; 'As above, so below'! This is actually a very deep & comprehensive, yet simple statement, ranging from the highest 'heaven' ( sky ) to the earth below & humanity on Earth. This is not to say that every illness that any individual human being has ever experienced can be attributed directly to their spiritual state: much of the illnesses & dis-ease that modern humanity now suffers from is the product, or result of generations of abuse & neglect, 'the sins of our fathers ( ancestors )', if you will. In terms of humanity, though, there is abundant evidence that our ailments very often have a direct link to the thoughts we think. Now, again, this is not to say that every form of dis-ease is curable, simply by improving our thought processes. However, it can be shown that, just by improving our demeanor, we can improve our health, if only our mental health. Improving mental health, in turn, most often leads to improved bodily ( biological ) health!

When Jesus spoke those words of healing & forgiveness to the 'sinner' who dared to present herself to the Son of Man; do you think that she was 'healed' of her affliction ( some scholars teach that this was the same woman  of Mark 16:9 & Luke 8:2 ) because of the Strength & Comfort of His words? We know that words have the power to heal, as well as the power to harm. For example, any parent can bear witness to the power of a word spoken in haste to a little child. Most often, a word spoken in haste, whether it be to a child or an adult, is almost instantly regretted when the speaker sees the harm that has been done, but sadly, those words cannot be withdrawn; the resulting damage can only be healed by carefully chosen words, followed by action, though it usually doesn't hurt if the healing action precedes the words!

The Power of the Mind cannot be denied! Not only does every action we carry out, whether for good or evil, begin in our mind ( consciously or unconsciously ), there have been studies done which seem to prove the power of one's mind over the actions of others! While concepts like this may reside in the realm of science fiction currently, it would not be a stretch, if one approached the subject carefully ( with an open mind & heart ), to say that this concept is not only not a new one; the reality has lingered just beneath the surface of what we call 'reality' for time immemorial!

Most Christians readily proclaim that the 'God' of the Bible simply spoke the Universe into existence, that Jesus simply spoke the words, 'Your sins are forgiven' & it was so; why then, do we find it hard to believe that our words, our thoughts, might have a similar power?! As we have seen & many can attest to, our words DO have a very similar power! When someone transgresses against us personally, though it may not not have have been what we call a 'sin'( against 'God' ); if/when we forgive that person of his or her transgression ( 'sin' ), is not that person forgiven? If by our words we can make another person become physically ill ( at dis-ease ), does it not make sense that we can heal that dis-ease as well? This is not to say either, that like the Jesus of the Bible, we can cast out 'demons' or heal any infirmity, including death, although, with a careful search, one may find evidence to the contrary!

CAN we heal ourselves?! There is much 'evidence' out there to say that, 'yes, we can'! One might find that some of this 'evidence' is greatly exaggerated, while others is down-right 'fairy-tales', but one thing we can be sure of, there is more to it than superstition. Like the Bible itself, or any other example of religious literature, one must read between the lines, so to speak, to ascertain the Universal Truths therein. Jesus, yes, forgave the woman ( Israel ) her sins, but then told her that it was her faith that had saved her: if only we could grasp the true import of His words, 'what dreams may come'?!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Love of God: the Family of God

What does the phrase 'God is Love' mean to you? Two obvious questions might immediately surface in your mind here; 'Who IS God?' & 'What IS Love?' Both of these queries have been confronted in this blog, at least, in a manner of speaking, but, assuming that not everyone has read those posts or garnered those bits of information; let us entertain both questions for a bit. First of all, 'Who is God?' Well, presuming that one is a Christian, the answer should be obvious, especially if one is at all familiar with the Bible, in particular, I John 4:8. The fore-mentioned phrase come directly from this passage. According to the Bible, of course then, 'God' is the God of the Hebrews, the same 'God' ( Elohim ) that created man in His own Image. Now, to one who is not a Christian, the term 'God' may have a slightly different connotation; for instance, our American bank-notes, both paper & coinage, ( still ) sport the phrase, 'In God We Trust'. While the majority of Americans ( 75-80% ? ) may claim to be Christian; by their lifestyles, it is fairly clear that their 'God' looks more like their family, their job, their position, or just plain 'the Almighty Dollar', rather than the God of the Bible. This is not to say that these things are any less important, in the grand scheme of things, than the 'God' of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures; the point is, everyone has at least a slightly different perception of Who, or even What, this Being ( if you can even name It that ) is that we are so used to calling 'God'. Though those of Islamic faith call It 'Allah' & see 'Him' in a slightly different light than the 'God' of the Hebrews; does that make 'Him' any less 'God' ( to the Muslim ) than the 'God' of the Christian faith; the Jewish faith?

Okay, so 'What is Love?' While the term 'God' may cover a wide spectrum, surely 'Love' is an easy one! Sorry, but no; Love, while like 'God', is what IT is, It also has come to mean many different things to many different people. Most popularly, it would seem, 'Love' is no more than a feeling, probably more akin to 'lust'. To others, in particular those of the Christian persuasion, 'Love' is more of an active proposition, wherein one chooses to do this instead of that, treating their fellow human beings as they themselves would like to be treated. Even the Christian Bible, though, seems to divide 'Love' into several ( or so ) different categories: 'agapaō', 'thelō'& 'phileō'.  Love, however, is more than a proposition, an idea that one might formulate in their mind; Love is in fact infinitely more than any ( one ) Being: Love is what we ARE! As human beings, one might be hard-pressed to agree with this statement, but it is not so much as human beings that we manifest this state of Being; it is by transcending our humanity, going Beyond it, so to speak, that we find this glorious Reality. Yes' 'God' IS Love & so are WE!

How do we, as human beings, experience 'the Love of God out-poured'? That, again, should be fairly plain; it is through 'His' People that we experience 'Love'! When we pray (to 'God' ) for this or that, it is usually, if not always through some human intervention that our wishes/needs are met, assuming we ask in the right spirit. This is not to say that 'God' does not not act supernaturally ( on our behalf ), but more often than not, the reason that the 'prayer of a righteous man avails much' is that other righteous men & women hear that prayer, whether directly or indirectly ( through the Spirit Within/Holy Spirit ) & do all within their power to meet that need/wish, out of Love, not just because of an affinity for that individual, but because they are themselves Love!

In order to understand this Glorious Fact, that we are, in Essence, Love, we must transcend our humanity; not that we become something more than human, but by realizing that we already ARE more than just human beings! We are primarily spirit beings inhabiting biological bodies, or 'shells' if you will. 'What you see' is in some sense what you get, for what you see IS what we, in our individuality, manifest, but when we choose to 'let it be', rather than striving with our Higher Self, our True Self, or Nature ( spirit beings ), we manifest Love. Even the Christian Scriptures say, 'everyone who loves is born of God and knows God'!

Yes, 'God is love'; It's that simple! Then again, it can mean different things to different people. Not that this changes the Glorious Fact ( as we've seen ), for both the terms 'God' & 'Love' are what they are, no matter what meaning or identity we strive to attach to them.In fact of the matter, one might well say that 'God' & 'Love' are interchangeable terms, as in, 'God is Love' & 'Love is God'! So, in a manner of speaking, does one have to acknowledge the 'God' ( Elohim ) of the Bible in order to rightly love one's self or their neighbor? You be the judge, but it's pretty clear that, while not all who don't acknowledge the Christian 'God' do not manifest Love, neither do all who acknowledge the Christian God manifest Love! Can a Muslim manifest Love? Again, you be the judge, but if a Muslim DOES manifest Love, does that not mean he or she is born of 'God' ( Child of God )? Whether a person chooses to manifest the Love that he or she IS, or not, does not change the Glorious Fact of what they ARE. Sadly, many in  our sordid past & present have chosen not to manifest that Love & the world has suffered many unnecessary horrors because of it. Only when we understand that we are More than this humanity will we begin to consistently manifest the Love we truly are!

Charles Haddon Shank

'The Truth Will Set You Free'; Universal Truth

According to John 18:38, Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea at the time, asked a soon-to-be-crucified Jesus this bewildering question, 'What is truth?' Jesus never answered him. Why did Jesus not answer  Pilate's question? Was it simply because 'as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth' ( Isaiah 53:7 )? Was Jesus reminding Pilate ( without a word ) that he already knew the truth, that he had no need for Jesus to tell him? Or was it something even deeper? Pilate's profoundly simple question continues to be a thorn in the side for theologians today!Is Truth absolute? Absolutely! Does one person's view, or even the majority's view decide what that Truth is? How about a book? One argument you may have heard is that the Church has taught the Truth for 2,000 years; 'really?! What branch ( denomination? )? That being the case; can we KNOW what Truth is?

To give Jesus' words a bit of context; 'Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”' ( John 8:31 &  32 ). ( interesting that these 'red-letter' words are ONLY recorded in John's Gospel ) Right there it is! Jesus told THEM ( Jews in the first century ) that they would know the Truth, which in turn would make THEM free! Now, I'm by no means saying that we today, in 21st-century cannot know the Truth & be made free; we most certainly can! But Jesus' words to the Jews that day told them that the truth of the Gospel ( about Him ) would make them free, free from the chains of  ( the ) sin & death ( of Adam ). The Ultimate Sacrifice that Jesus made for His People ( the Jews ), not long after He made this statement proved to them that they had in truth been set free from those chains!

In some sense of the word, it IS our knowledge of the Truth ( or, in their case, their knowledge of it ) that sets us free, but in the greatest sense, it is the Truth itself! We are often imprisoned within our own mind ( as they were-'How could a Man be God?' ), but when we allow our Higher Self to overcome our Mind & realize that the Truth, like 'God' Himself, is what It is, not our view, or perception of It, we are thus freed from that prison ( much as they were ). Since one's views ( there are manifold different ones out there ) do not determine what Truth is, we no longer have to defend the Truth! Think of all the wars that we might have bypassed if we had just taken this truth to heart! Some might argue that it is necessary to defend Truth, for as we read in John 17:17 ( b ), 'Your word is truth' Here, Jesus was asking His Father ( 'God' ) to set apart His followers through the Truth. For the Jews, Jesus WAS God's Word ( John 1:1 )! 

This is NOT to say that it was ONLY for the Jews that Jesus was God's Word, though in some sense one might note that Jesus WAS ( primarily ) God's Word to the Jews! As the Jewish Messiah, as we've noted previously in this blog, Jesus came to save HIS people from THEIR sin ( Matthew 1:21 ). The fact that Jesus was, or represented, Truth, which, like 'God', does not change, tells us that even today, in the 21st century, people are still being set free ( 'free your mind' ) by knowledge, or acknowledgement, of the Truth. Was Jesus the ONLY representative of Truth that ever lived on this earth? Like Jesus' response to Pilate, I'll let my readers make up their own mind ( if they so desire ). Whatever one person believes, it's bound to be different from what someone else believes. Who's right? Again, is one view ( of the Truth ) right simply because the Majority believe it to be so? Because a Book says so? Whose interpretation is true? Do we believe what somebody else, even our own mind, says is Truth, or do we calm ( our mind? ) & KNOW that 'God' IS? NOT what we think, or perceive 'God' or Truth to be, but what 'God' or Truth IS!

So, how do we KNOW Truth; as Pilate asked Jesus, 'What is Truth?' Inquiring minds STILL want to know; 'why did Jesus NOT answer Pilate's question?! Common sense tells us that it was NOT simply to fulfill a prophecy ( though it surely did that )! Like 'God', we may KNOW Truth by being still, by calming our minds, by realizing that it is NOT our perception of the Truth that makes it so. It is not even someone else's perception of IT that makes it so, even though they wrote it in a certain book millenia ago. The book in question, of course, is what we know as the Holy Bible, which has been translated, mistranslated & re-translated over the centuries! Which version do we trust? Which version is true? Some say 'This version is the ONLY true one', while others, though they might prefer one version over another, acknowledge that Truth lies within ALL versions. So; who/what do we believe, concerning Truth? Do we believe what our mind tells us is true, or do we trust our gut? Why do we not rather just KNOW ( within ourselves ) that Truth, like 'God', is what It is & stop fighting among ourselves about whose perception of Truth ( 'God' ) is correct?

Charles Haddon Shank

The Witness

Joe was a regular guy, but there was nothing 'average' about him! Joe got along with everybody. When I say 'everybody', I mean EVERYBODY..............no exceptions. Of course, he had his likes & dislikes; there were those he got along with better than others, personally speaking, but when it came to being friendly, Joe certainly had no peers! Now, don't get me wrong; if Joe didn't like someone, he made no 'bones' about it, but even those who didn't quite make the cut received nothing but kindness from his capable hand. There were certain people whose energies jived better with his than others, so there were some that clearly were his preference & so received the majority of his attention, but even those who crossed paths with Joe were blessed with his empathy & loving, sharing attitude!

When everybody else was concerned with being a 'mover & shaker', what most people identified as 'success', Joe was happy to just 'let it be'! Now, again; don't get me wrong, Joe was no 'slouch' when it came to the business world: while he was no billionaire ( not even a millionaire ), by the age of 40, Joe had become a very wealthy man. He didn't have much concern for money, so he didn't have to worry about where his next meal was coming from, but the main body of his great wealth consisted of his plethora of friends. Even those who may not have liked him, for whatever reason, had a healthy respect for him & so, in their business dealings with him ( at least ), treated him in kind, with all fairness & equity.

Joe had been brought up to treat others as he himself would like to be treated, so when he entered the 'real' world at about the age of 18, soon after graduating, he began to put into practice what he had learned. Things didn't always go well for our 'hero' ( for that's really what he was ), especially at first, for many with whom Joe came in contact were not used to such kindness, having been hardened by a cruel, cruel world, where it was usually 'dog eat dog' & 'every man for himself'. 'It's a jungle out there' was a phrase that he heard quite often, particularly as he neared the end of his formal schooling, I say 'formal' because, while Joe had spent the obligatory 6-8 hours a day sitting in front of a chalkboard, his 'schooling' consisted of much more than that; his busy social calendar was the envy of his peers, for Joe believed that while the currency of the day ( money ) was important for such mundane things as keeping a roof over one's head & putting food on the table, the most important 'commodity' of all was friends, those one could count on to hold you up when you were about to fall, that would, if & when neccessary, give you the proverbial shirt off their own back to make sure you were okay!

Things had not always been so rosy for our intrepid hero! Especially toward the beginning of his rather interesting 'career', Joe fell on hard times quite often, but thanks to his truest friends, he had never lacked either a roof over his head or food on the table. Both the roof & the food had sometimes given him an excuse to grumble, for, especially in his early years, Joe was not immune to the human condition & sometimes gave way to the hardships that beset him. Overall, though, he was able to implement the teaching that he knew in his heart of hearts to be true, so Joe was able to take even his deepest, darkest failures & turned them into the greatest, most enlightening successes!

Having already been through several such 'narrow escapes', at age 21, Joe had just embarked on a new business venture, one that promised to bring great success! Like his previous ventures, this one brought him into contact with a slightly different 'breed' of people than he had been used to dealing with.  In his previous ventures, Joe had never encountered such varying levels of unkindness! It was as if these people went out of their way to be nasty! Much as he tried ( never did stop, either ) to treat these people like he would like to be treated himself, these people, for the most part, didn't seem to be phased. Even so, it was not unusual, after Joe had moved on to bigger & better things, for these people to remember his fairness in dealing & to seek his counsel when their own dealings went south.

As an example of 'how to deal', Joe was a prime one! Even those who had treated him unfairly ( to say the least ) were now groveling at his door, begging, like dogs at a holiday feast, for Joe to throw them even the scraps of his great wisdom. Though he did not view himself as possessing this 'great wisdom', Joe happily shared what 'nuggets' he had accrued over his short career. Even though he had accrued much of his 'wisdom' through the unkind practices of the very people who now 'fawned' at his door, he would not turn them away, for Joe knew in his heart of hearts that they had only treated him thus though fear & ignorance, both of which they had inherited through generations upon generations of lies & propaganda!

Joe had been taught, from a very early age, 'the Golden Rule'! Though he did his best to implement this principle throughout his illustrious career, he had always been nagged by the gentle suggestion that there was more to it & indeed there was, infinitely so, in fact! The notion of treating others as we would like to be treated is a noble endeavor, but Joe soon realized in the varied processes of his Journey that this was simply the outward manifestation of an inward reality, or realization: there truly are no others! This is not to say that we are all the same, personally speaking, for we all have different jobs to do while we inhabit these biological shells, but in our inmost beings, we all comprise One Great Spirit. It is this astonishing fact that Joe came to realize & thus enjoyed the greatest success in all his dealings in this 'cruel, cruel world'!

If only we could all learn to live like Joe & just 'let it be'! When we stop trying to make everything go our way, stop judging people as good or bad, right or wrong & just accept them for who they are ( in their heart of hearts ), dealing fairly with all, even when it's not returned in kind & showing kindness even when the general perception is that it's undeserved, even if it seems to be unwanted. Joe learned that it's those who are the most unkind that need kindness the most. Though they may never seem to be affected by our kindness, the seed that we planted will have its effect, sooner or later!

Namaste' & Blessed Be!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Pagan Roots of Christiamity

If an open-minded person were to do a fairly cursory search for 'proof' that the modern version of what we know as 'Christianity' had its genesis in Pagan religious practices, they would find that the way we do 'church', complete with many of its trappings, including such practices as the sermon & even the special garb that some pastors wear, was practiced very similarly by Pagans long before biblical Christianity took form. At least, if you believe half of what you read on the internet! I, personally, tend to take it with a grain of proverbial salt, but still, I wouldn't disregard it entirely. Much of what is available today, at our fingertips, quite literally, reveals the fruit of countless hours of painstaking research, so while I'll readily acknowledge that one must often sift through layers of prejudice & propaganda, the Truth is out there, whatever form it may take!

'Why does it matter?' One may rightly wonder what real good it does to bring up the past, whether or not one finds for him or herself that much, if not most, of what we Christians do every Sunday as a matter of fact has its roots, not in the Greek Scriptures, but in something far more ancient? 'If what we do on Sundays has Pagan origins, does that necessarily mean that we should discontinue those practices?' For example; it's fairly well-accepted, though not well-received in certain circles, that the Christmas celebration has its roots in Paganism. Does that mean we should not join with countless others in celebrating the Coming of the Light? ( For those of my readers who were not aware of this fact, the birth of Jesus is celebrated on the late date it is, in order to coincide with the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, which is the shortest day of the year & signals the Coming of the Light, when the days ( daylight hours ) begin to lengthen ) Just because the Christmas Tree is rooted firmly in the soil of Pagan tradition ( Yule ), are we being un-Christlike because we enjoy its festooned branches around this time of year? Should we ( could we? ) change the date for our celebration of the birth of the Christ-child? Jesus, according to much research, was more rightly born in the Fall, anyway, at the time of harvest, in August or September.

The word 'Pagan' does not inherently denote 'wrong'! Although a 'Pagan' could not ( technically ) be called a 'Christian' & in that sense is perceived by most, if not all Christians, to be 'wrong', even to be equated ( ignorantly ) with a 'heathen'. The word 'Pagan', in its simple meaning, refers to one who dwells in the country. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the etymology would go something like this; Pagans were those, back in the day, who lived far enough away from the bigger cities & towns that they were undisturbed by the influx of Roman Catholicism when it first reared its ugly head ( yes, I said it! ) As such, they retained the faith of their fathers & were thus distinguished from those who accepted this new religion. In modern times, much as in ancient days, just because one adhered to the Old Ways, rather than accepting the new way of doing things, that one, depending on the person, of course. was not necessarily wrong, just different!

The 'God' of Christianity, according to the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures, is 'the One, True God'! In the same sense though, a Muslim would probably tell you that 'Allah' is 'the One, True God' & Mohammad is His prophet ( Jesus was also JUST a prophet ). Is one ( religion ) right while the other is wrong? Or are they both simply perceptions of the One that IS? Not to repeat myself over-much, sounding like a broken record, but why are we basing our faith on the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures rather than the Q'ran? Why not on the Scriptures of the Ancient Far East, as opposed to the Ancient Near East? To explore the manifold reasons 'Why?' would take far more research  & space than I have time ( or patience ) for, although there might need to be a blogpost on that subject in the future, maybe even a book. Suffice it to say, therefore, that the differences are largely cultural!

Again, a 'Pagan', just because he or she does not follow the tenets of 'Christianity', is not necessarily a bad person, or even 'wrong'. When a person, no matter what religion ( if any ) he or she follows, does what is right, how can you rightly say they are wrong? It should be obvious that it is not what one believes that makes the person, but what one does! Beliefs DO matter, insofar as one practices what he or she professes to 'believe', but it should also be clear as day that, what one practices IS what they truly believe, no matter what they profess! Pagan beliefs do not the person make; if however, whether Christian, Pagan, or Muslim ( even one of those Far Eastern religions ), one practices what is wrong, then that person's religion IS wrong. 'What IS 'wrong'?', you ask; well, put simply, 'wrong' is to take away another person's right, whether it's the right to life, right to property, or right to liberty & happiness. Much more could be said on this subject too, but maybe that's for a future post as well!

So, 'why DOES it matter that modern Christianity is rooted in Paganism?' Does it make a difference in how Christians practice their religion? Well, yes & no; as far as how the origins of Christianity have affected how many Christians tend to view 'Paganism' itself ( or really, anyone who is not 'Christian' ), it sure as hell DOES matter, but insofar as Pagans simply have a different ( some might say 'better' ) perception of 'the One that IS', it does not, or should not. Paganism does not worship a different 'God' than Christianity, it simply acknowledges 'the One that IS' in Its myriad forms. For that matter, not unlike the Far Eastern  religions, it also recognizes the 'God Within' each & every one of us!

Is Christianity simply an improvement on Paganism? One might well proffer that suggestion, though that is questionable at the very least! For one thing, as a religion, Paganism does not incorporate 'a' holy book ( as our 'Holy Bible' ): rather, Paganism observes a living 'Holy Book' ( some call Her 'Mother Earth' ) & Paganism, rather than being an institutionalized ( organized? ) religion like Christianity, it is more just a way of life, though, like Christianity, it does have its peculiar rites & liturgies. Another way in which it could be said that Christianity is NOT an improvement on Paganism is the purposeful omission of the Divine Feminine! However, She cannot be totally hidden from sight, but upon careful examination, can be glimpsed in the One the Roman Catholics call 'Mary, the Mother of God'!

Charles Haddon Shank

Why I ( haven't ) Renounced Christianity

I can count on one hand the number of Christians, all ( or most ) well-meaning individuals, who have nevertheless warned me, or told me blatantly that I'm headed for 'Hell'! I won't mention any names or even condemn those people, for I hold no disdain for them, just a great sadness. Most recently, I was called a son, or child ( 'spawn' ) of Satan! Okay; so maybe just a little disdain for that particular individual, though I hold no ill-will. For one thing; I hold no belief in the orthodox version of either 'Satan' or 'Hell': in fact of the matter, I don't know that I believe ANYTHING anymore!

According to certain pundits, Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.' Whether this quote may actually be attributed to the Indian 'peacemaker' or not & whether you agree with his actions or not, there is sadly much truth in this statement! The Gospel, you may note, has made great progress in this 'world' in which we live, but it must be acknowledged that, while great strides have been made in the Name of the Christ, there has also been quite a bit of digression that can be attributed to 'Christians' & Christianity. We've explored this 'avenue' previously, but the Crusades & the Inquisition are probably the most infamous examples. Missions all over the world, in the name of Christianity, have been carried out to varying degrees of success. Many Christian missionaries have lost their lives in the pursuit of cultural change, often because of a stubbornly stalwart belief that theirs was the only way. I acknowledge that such may not have always been the case, but Christians, yes, even well-meaning ones, are often their own worst 'adversary'!

Being brought up in a fairly strict Christian household, as I've said before, as far as that goes, 'I will always be a Christian', personally speaking! I realize that, as of late, especially, it seems that I'm departing more & more from what we accept as Christianity ( what I call 'Orthodoxy' )! While it is true that my personal Journey has taken me far outside the boundaries of what has been generally ( popularly? ) accepted as 'Christianity' I have not departed from the principles taught by Jesus the Christ, the Jewish, or Hebrew, Messiah! Speaking of 'Orthodoxy'' the adherents of this religion would most likely beg to differ with me on even this point, but we must remember that their beliefs are based on a ( fairly ) modern Western interpretation of an Ancient Near Eastern text. I readily acknowledge that, even though our English Bibles have suffered much mishandling ( misinterpretation, etc ) by men & women over the ages, there is much Truth that has been gleaned & still may be from its hallowed pages! Even so, as hinted at above, because of this mishandling, Christianity has been the root cause of much unnecessary suffering in this 'world' we call 'home'!

I will never renounce Christianity, per se, not because it alone bears 'the Way, the Truth, and the Life' & definitely not because it bares this Truth perfectly! No, for reasons already outlined, as well as others; I will never renounce the 'faith of my fathers' because, as much as that 'faith' has been used & abused over the ages, I know that though it is not the only bearer of the Truth, it does bare the Truth & that in the form of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who came to show, among other things, that it is within ourselves that we will find 'God', the Source of All Life. As far as I've departed from 'Orthodoxy', I will never forget the two main tenets of the religion Jesus taught; 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself' ( Luke 10:27 ) & 'just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.' ( Luke 6:31 ) More than this is simply 'icing on the cake'!
 
This may sound like the beginning to a most ominous statement, but 'the problem with the overwhelming majority ( not all, thank 'God' ) Christians is.....................', but seriously, much of the problem ( it IS a problem ) lies in the fact that many not only blame the Devil ( 'Satan' ) for what goes wrong in their lives, thereby basically alleviating responsibility for their own actions, they also, in a round about way, blame 'God' by quoting passages such as John 16:33b, 'In the world you ^[f]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world'. Many Christians have anachronistically applied these words to themselves, fatalistically ( deterministically ) accepting the fact that they MUST endure tribulations, even though much of the time, it was their own damn fault, i.e., they brought the 'world' crashing down on their own head!

I won't deny that it still bothers me, even rustles my feathers sometimes, when people that I hold to be brothers & sisters condemn me to their own version of the 'afterlife', while still claiming to be a follower of Jesus! But that is MY problem: if I judge them for judging me, how am I any different ( I will not say 'better' ) than they? It is only a problem if I allow it to come between us. If I end our relationship, such as it is, because they believe something ( about me ) that I KNOW is not true ( about me ), then how will I ever hope to show THEM that what they believe  ( about me ) is false?! NOT that I'm trying to prove myself to anyone, for 'it is what it is', but simply that relationship is what it's all about & if I give that up for the sake of some silly belief, then we might as well all just go home!

Namaste, for 'God' IS in you!
Charles Haddon Shank

The Magick ( Gravity ) of Love

'Love, like Gravity, brings people together.'

What is Love? Previously in the pages of this blog, it might be noted, we have largely explored what Love is NOT; Love is NOT a feeling, Love is not an emotion! Okay, so in some sense of the word, Love might well be defined in both these manners, but primarily, Love is an action, right? Yes, Love is an action, but really, if not based upon the former or latter, is it actually based on anything but duty, which IS a feeling?! If it's based on a feeling of duty; is it truly Love? On the other hand, if it IS based on feelings & emotions ( which, as we've noted, can change like the weather ), can THAT really be called True Love? Does Love change like the weather; can we fall out of Love? If we base our Love on feelings & emotions, we could sure experience falling out of love, but Love is NOT something we can fall into OR out of; Love is what we are!

Most of my readers are probably more or less familiar with the discovery of gravity, most famously, by Issac Newton. As the story goes, Newton was sitting under an apple tree, ruminating on the forces of Nature, when 'lo and behold', an apple fell from the tree onto his head. ( that's how I remember it, anyway ) Maybe he wondered what made the apple fall the way it did, maybe he wondered what made the apple fall down rather than up, why it landed on his head instead of somewhere next to him ( of course, if it DID hit him on the head, it probably didn't stay there, but rolled off & came to rest next to him ). Whatever the case may be, whether or not the story is true, our understanding of Gravity is largely based on perspective! If an apple falls down to the ground on OUR side of the world, is it actually falling UP in relation to say, Australia, AKA 'The Land Down Under' ( or would that be China? Wait, wouldn't that actually be sideways? )?!

Einstein, many years later, with his theory of General Relativity, figured that gravity, rather than being a Force of Nature, was instead a curvature of space-time! According to this very interesting ( mind-blowing ) article, 'it occurred to Einstein that the sensation of riding in an ascending elevator is similar to the sensation of gravity.' Shortly after, He came to understand that Gravity & acceleration were not just similar; they were the same!

Even today, we talk about objects ( people or things ) that gravitate toward each other. We 'understand' that some things just naturally 'attract others.  Well, while this may be true enough; we should understand as well, that this, as so much else, is based on perception! We know that, in the case of human beings anyway ( ? ), choice is the deciding factor. We must choose to act on any attraction we may feel. There are many factors involved in that choice; we need not go into that here! The point, as this blogger sees it, is that Gravity, rather than being an impersonable Force, like Destiny, for instance, is instead a choice, an acceleration ( movement ) in any given direction. In other words, we may be attracted to another, for whatever reason & to whatever extent, but unless we choose to move ( accelerate ) toward the object we are attracted to, we will never realize the True Gravity of the situation!

Gravity, then, like Love, is often perceived as a fickle mistress! Why does one person 'fall in love' with this person instead of that one? Why did the egg roll down that side of the roof instead of this side? Some may chalk it up to Destiny, as, 'they were destined to be together', but with so many variables involved, both in the case of the person & the egg, is it really that simple? One can profess to believe in 'The Law of Attraction'( ? ), but again, unless one acts positively on that ( feeling of ) attraction, can anything come of it?

Much of the problem here, if problem there be, is a general misunderstanding of what, or Who, Love is! As Christians, we understand that 'God is Love' ( I John 4:8 ); other religions seem to tell us that WE are Love. Being of the same Essence ( speaking as a Christian ), I fully agree! We are Love; therefore, though we tend to show that Love ( actively ) through the filter of our feelings & emotions, it is not those feelings & emotions that ARE Love! Because WE are Love, even though our feelings & emotions try to dictate to whom ( or what ) we show Love, we can override them & just BE who we are!

'Easier said than done', you might say. Well, yes, that's true; according to Genesis 4, Cain found it impossible to overcome his feelings & not murder his brother, but was it truly impossible? Was he destined to kill Abel, or did he make a conscious ( or even unconscious ) decision to allow his jealousy to rule over him to the point of murder? Do we not shape our own destinies by our choices? One might well argue, 'if I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have stubbed my toe & so, fallen & broken my leg'! In response, you might note that, while the other most certainly did not aim to stub their toe or break their leg, neither was the proper care exercised to ensure they did NOT stub their toe & break their leg! In the same vein, then, while Cain might not have set out purposely to hate & murder his brother, he did, not because he was destined for hell, but because he chose to let his emotions rule his actions!

Since we are, in our very Being, Love; why do we find it so difficult or even impossible to overcome our feelings & emotions? Why can't we just 'let it be' & say 'it is what it is'? Well, for most, if not all of us, our Ego has taken control! Many, indeed, have confused their Ego for who they really are! Just like the fact that we HAVE a body, but are not identified BY that body, we HAVE an Ego, but should not be identified by that Ego. One might wonder; 'in this world, this day & age, where everyone else is living by & identifying with the Ego; how CAN we just simply BE Love?' 'Well, my friend; the answer, simple as it may sound, IS ( metaphorically ) blowin' in the wind!' All we have to do is be still & know.....................

Charles Haddon Shank

More Than Stewards

All his life, Christopher had been taught, not only to be grateful for all he had been given, but to make sure that he took care of what he had been given in the best way he knew how. He was extremely grateful & thankful, but Christopher had always experienced this nagging feeling that, somehow, there was more to it, that being grateful for what he had been given & acting the good steward, as he'd always been taught, just didn't quite fit the bill! If he was simply called to be a good steward, could/should he actually call what he'd been given, his own?

As in the past 47 years that Christopher had walked the earth in his present form, the Yuletide season, now known as Christmas to the overwhelming majority, had once again come around. Although it was not very noticeable at first, the days gradually got longer & the nights got shorter as the Creation rested from Her labors & prepared for the return of the Sun which would be instrumental in the Rebirth of Life, both plant & animal, visible & invisible, tangible & intangible. This was the time that roots were established & the Earth enjoyed the bounty of the Harvest. In this season, as with so many other Christ-bearers, Christopher had learned that the reason for the season was to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Although Jesus was historically, according to many scholars, most probably born around harvest time, in August or September more likely, than in December; Christopher found that the powers that be had decided, oh so many years ago, to combine the celebration of Jesus' birth with a greater & much more ancient one the Pagans already observed; Yule, or the Coming of the Light, the Winter Solstice!

From his youth, Christopher had known that his very name signified 'Christ-bearer': as he progressed in his Journey, with all its pitfalls, stumbles & tumbles, as well as its Joys; Christopher began to truly understand the gravity of bearing that exalted name! As One who bore the Christ, much as he'd been taught that we ALL bear the Image of the Creator God, Christopher came to realize that He bore the Christ in Himself ( He remembered that old, old story about how a certain man bore the young Jesus across a river on his back ), that, just like the 'Image of God' He'd been taught we ALL bear, 'the Christ' was an Anointing, a Chrism within Him, indeed within us ALL, that we manifest according to our choices. From His earliest memory, Christopher had chosen to manifest this Image, not as in merely reflecting the Glory, bur rather allowing IT to Shine through Him; BEing that very Image!

Christopher was, in the truest sense of the word, a 'Christian' & so, even though He had advanced beyond what most accepted as 'Orthodox' ( dangerously so, according to some ) He would always consider Himself, if ANY identification was necessary, a 'Christian'!  According to some others ( ? ) who also considered themselves 'Christians', Christopher couldn't BE a Christian because His stated beliefs didn't line up with Orthodoxy. Furthermore, He didn't attach the same importance to gathering in a certain building, at a certain time, on a certain day of the week, as did most of His peers. For this, as well as other reasons, Christopher, though He was loved by most, bore the stigma of being suspect, of not being quite right in the head: he heard 'I'll pray for you' quite a lot!

Christopher's Journey had not been an easy one! From the beginning, He had felt the burden of His very Name; as the Bearer of such an Exalted Title, Christopher knew that He was obliged, more or less, to act in a certain manner. He didn't always make all the right moves or always choose to manifest His destiny in the way everyone seemed to think He should, but He always strove to be true to Himself & the Name He bore ( so UN-gracefully at times )! As He continued on the Path He had chosen, Christopher encountered many hurdles, some greater, some lesser, but knowing, as He did, that they all served a Greater Purpose, that Greater Purpose being His growth & the manifestation of the Christ, He counted it ALL good & learned to accept them as such.

The Time for Introspection has come again ( not that it ever stops ); a Time to observe a period of Rest, wherein Nature carries out Her silent activity underground, so to speak. The Season of Yule, or Christmastide, as it came to be known, is a time in which we all, like Nature Herself, carry our activities within, preparing for a Time of Rebirth. continuing the cycle of Birth, Death & Resurrection.

Christopher was not perfect, at least, not according to the 'accepted' notion of 'perfect'! One should ask though, 'what IS 'perfect'?' There could be a perfect situation, where everything goes as planned; there could be perfect weather, or there could be two people who, with all their imperfections & idiosyncrasies, are perfect for each other! Though, according to Scripture, Jesus was without sin ( in that sense, 'perfect' ), He was the perfect Messiah for Israel; although not necessarily what they wanted, He was exactly what they NEEDED!

We are not mere stewards! A steward manages that which is not his or her own, but we have been given a Gift; a Gift which this Season  ( especially ) serves to remind us of. In the greatest sense, we are ALL 'Christophers'; ALL have received this Gift, though not all have chosen to acknowledge it & to manifest the Christ Within. It IS our choice, as Christopher came to know, not whether we receive this Gift, but on what we DO with it. Actually, we should understand, it's not so much a matter of reception, for we are ALL born with IT ( the 'Image of God' ). How, or if, we manifest that Gift, determines the concept of the Christ to the world around us sees, so make the best of it: Christopher IS!

Charles Haddon Shank

I AM the Way, the Truth & the Life

Personally speaking, I AM a Christian! That may be debatable, especially as I continue on my spiritual Journey, but, no matter how far I stray from accepted orthodoxy, I will always be a Christian at heart, because that's the way I was brought up. ( I must make this disclaimer, though; I AM a spirit  being, so when I say 'personally speaking', know that I am speaking AS Charles Haddon Shank ) As such then, I tend to believe that the words of Jesus, recorded in the Gospel ( Good News ) of John ( 14:6 ) are true & veritable. However, against the accepted orthodoxy ( 2,000+years?), did Jesus really mean what we think he meant? ( The words of Inigo Montoya from 'The Princess Bride' come to mind here! ) Did Jesus mean to say, in a universal way ( to the American Indian, for example, or the Australian Aborigine ), that He, again, personally speaking, was the only way to truly know 'God', to commune with the Divine? Or was He simply, given the context of Scripture, telling His Jewish disciples that He embodied everything that the Law & the Temple had pointed to, the Marriage of Heaven & Earth? Or maybe, just maybe, there's something more there!

For the past 5 years or so, I have toyed with the heretical notion, particularly within this 'blog', that the Scriptures we are most accustomed to, the Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic ones we call 'The Holy Bible' ( in its many iterations ( translations ), are not the only ones that bear 'Good News'! Further ( you might wanna sit down for this ), they are NOT the only Revelation of 'God' to 'His' people! ( GASP! ) There are many rabbit-trails we could explore here & some that we have explored previously, within the 'pages' of this blog; questions like, 'who or what IS 'God'?' 'If 'God' is knowable ( as an entity ), why can we only know 'Him' through perusing the pages of a certain book? 'Is the Source of all Life really a 'Him'? Why not a 'Her' ( if there is a 'Him', there MUST be a 'Her', right? )? Must it be a 'Him' or 'Her' ( even both? ), or is such a designation a merely human conceptualization to help us understand the complex simplicity of what Christians call 'the Godhead', or Divinity?!

In Orthodox ( biblical ) tradition, the 'God' of the Bible, who, interestingly enough shares a Name with a Canaanite deity, is the One True God, the Creator of Heaven & Earth. This was in opposition to the prevailing notion of the 'day' that there were many 'Gods'. These 'many 'Gods' were merely different aspects ( as they saw them ) of that One, True God, though. The Bible, having been translated, transliterated & mistranslated over thousands of years from those original tongues, calls these aspects of the One, True God, 'false gods' or 'idols', even 'demons'. ( it's not hard to imagine that much has been lost in the translation ) According to the Journey that has taken me, personally speaking, on a slightly different Path for the past several years, the 'God' of the Bible is also an aspect ( as we have traditionally understood 'Him', anyway ) of this One, True God ( who is neither 'Him' nor 'Her' )!

The Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic Scriptures portray a 'jealous God' ( ? ); One who will suffer no other gods ( before 'Him' ). This 'God' ( elohim ) is the Creator of Heaven & Earth, though many now understand that, read in covenant context, the creation of heaven & earth refers, not to the creation of the physical, material universe, but to the formation of a Covenant, whereby the One, True God revealed 'Himself' as such to a particular ( peculiar ) People, through whom 'He' would disperse this Gospel among the nations. This Good News, of course, whether one understands it literally or mythically ( metaphorically/allegorically? ) is that the Source of All Life 'came down' from Heaven & incarnated in Man, living & dying as a Man ( according to Hebrew mythology ), rising from the Dead ( reincarnation? ) & living forever in 'His' People. The Israelite nation, or People, had 'died' in their sins & must needs be resurrected; the 'Virgin Birth' of Jesus met this necessity & fulfilled all that had been Promised to the Hebrew People. As a picture of humanity, one might note, this 'Gospel' to the Hebrews became the Gospel to the Greeks & Aramaics ( Gentiles ) & thus to all the 'nations'!

The Myth ( Story? ) of Creation that we read in the Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic Scriptures, then, is simply those people's retelling, their understanding of how the Source of All Life descended from 'On High' & brought Life to the Mundane. We may understand from the pages of the Bible ( an interpretation of those ancient Scriptures ) that Humanity is, in some sense, One with the Divinity, having within it that same Spark ( Energy? ) which formed the 'worlds'. ( There are other Scriptures, maybe, that speak more clearly of this 'Spark' within us all, but, for whatever reason, these are the Scriptures we were blessed with! ) We should understand, as well, though, that ALL Scriptures ( from every nation under heaven ) tell this Story ( with some cultural differences )!

The Creator God, then, of the Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic Scriptures, being simply one aspect of the One, True God, the Source of All Life, though 'He', through 'His' incarnation in Jesus the Christ, was the Author of Salvation ( for those peoples ), is One whereby we ( humanity as a whole ) may understand that it is within ourselves, our Higher Selves ( 'further up.......further in' ) that the Power lies ( to save ourselves ). In that sense then, if only in that sense, WE are 'the Way, the Truth & the Life'! Of course, this is dependent, in the personal sense, on how we choose to live our lives: if we choose to live selfishly, as many have done, we will never manifest that Glorious Truth & rather than showing the Way to Salvation ( Heaven ), we will only show others the Path that leads to Destruction ( Hell ).

As the Christ, the Living Incarnation of the Source of All Life ( 'God' to the typical Christian ), Jesus WAS the Way, the Truth & the Life, especially to the Hebrew nation & through them, to 'the nations' ( around them ) as well! In the most universal sense, then, it could truly be said that Jesus IS the Way, the Truth & the Life for ALL humanity because He showed us ( them, really ) that a Man ( generically-man or woman ) was capable of embodying Divinity & that it IS through our choices that we manifest that Divinity, or not. The Divinity, the Source of All Life, call It 'Energy', 'the Universe', or what you will ( 'God'? ), is what It is, not what humanity conceptualizes & creates in the image of their own choosing. It is the Way, the Truth & the Life; there IS truly no other!

Namaste,
Charles Haddon Shank

Living the Godspell ( Good News ); the Glory of the All

'How DOES one 'live' the Gospel?! To answer this question, one must first ask him or herself this question: 'What IS the Gospel?' Ask any Bible-believing Christian & they'll likely tell you something along the lines of 'get saved, so you can go to Heaven when you die'! 'Been there, done that! In other words, we've been over this piece of ground before & it should be fairly clear to my readers by now that the Gospel is NOT about 'going to Heaven when you die! 'Heaven' is here & now; it is the peace ( in our hearts ) that passeth all understanding. According to the Greek Scriptures, the latter part of what we Westerners call 'the Holy Bible'; the Kingdom of Heaven is within you; not that this world is the Kingdom, but as the Bible says, 'as He is, so are we in this world' ( I John 4:17 ): as He embodied the Kingdom of God, so do we. The universal truth of 'the Kingdom Within/the Spirit Within' is one that might stand reexamination from an Eastern point of view, especially as regards the original audience, but as I have yet to answer the question, 'What IS the Gospel?!'; let us continue with that theme..........

The Good News, as we've explored previously, is that, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, the Creator God invested Himself in ( to ) His own Creation, becoming part of it, that He might redeem it to Himself. In the Marriage of Heaven & Earth, as has been elucidated previously within the 'pages' of this blog, the Creator God showed that Man ( kind ) was indeed One with Him, that it was through their choices ( covenant? ) that they manifested the Spirit Within, for good or evil. Whether or not one believes that the Gospel was for Israel Only, it should be clear that there is a Universal Truth in this God-spell which bears the reckoning of the ages!

On a bit of a side-track, it might well be asked whether the Gospel to the Hebrews & Greeks ( Gentiles? ) is indeed the Gospel for humanity: in short, yes, it is! A long-term answer would reveal that, while the Gospel, or God-spell IS for us ( 21st century Westerners ); it should be noted that it doesn't necessarily sound the same as the one to the Hebrews & Greeks ( Ancient Near Eastern 'world' ). The message is basically the same, but we must understand the cultural differences that make up the Story. Every culture has a Story & though these Stories may vary, to whatever extent, based on these cultural differences, they tell the same basic Story; the One who 'made the worlds' is, in Essence, the Power, or Spirit, that resides within humanity!

The question has been asked before, if in a slightly rhetorical manner; 'Why are we reading the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, here in America, rather than the Buddhist or Hindu ( Sanskrit )?' The Q'ran is actually fairly similar, in some respects, to the Hebrew Scriptures ( 'cultural differences?' ), but in our English Bibles, we have a New Testament, a fulfillment of what the so-called 'Old Testament' prophesied, while Muslims, not unlike the Jews, or Hebrews, are still waiting for fulfillment of 'the heavenly vision'.  Many Christians actually almost ignore the 'Old Testament', likely for this reason. This has actually been detrimental, for it  ( both 'Testaments' ) is really one continuous Story & without this understanding, one cannot interpret either correctly. In essence, one views the Creator God as a petty, vindictive Being ( as in Islam ), or a God who is helpless to save unless we 'enable 'Him. Either way, a false view of the Nature of 'God' is conceptualized!

'What then', one might ask, 'IS the Nature of 'God'?' The Nature of 'God' as we saw earlier, is OUR true nature! No, not our human nature, though that CAN be a manifestation of our true nature. Our true nature, as we've seen previously, is Spirit; in Essence the same as the One we call 'God'! Every culture also has a concept of this One, whether they name It 'YHWH', 'Allah' or 'Krishna'. Employing a visualization I've used before, one might recall the old illustration of the four blind Indians who described an elephant. One grabbed ahold of the tail & thought, 'this is what an elephant is like!' Another grasped the elephant by one of his legs & thought how similar an elephant was to a tree. The others followed suit, with their perceptions being based on the ear & trunk of the elephant. They were all correct, but their different perceptions were just that; perceptions based on THEIR experience!

The 'God' of the Bible, then, while certainly a 'facet' of the One ( True God ) is simply the Hebrew & later, Greek perception of the One who is 'All in all' ( I Corinthians 15:28 ). The Orthodox view of 'God', of course, is that the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures contain the most comprehensive & true perception of this One ( though they most likely wouldn't use the word 'perception' ), but, clearly, there is much more ( not unlike humanity itself ) to the One who fashioned the Universe (s? ) than can be read in the pages of our English Bible & indeed, in the Greek & Hebrew Scriptures!

Since, in this view, the One that Christians call 'God' cannot be fully, or perfectly, described by any given culture; can this One be described? Can one offer any but their own or someone else's perception of 'the One Who is'?! ( that was a rhetorical question, by the way ) Like the Indians in the Story, is one description right while the other is necessarily wrong? No, they're just different perceptions! Some might say that, 'well, the Muslim perception ( 'Allah' ) is just WRONG!' Be that as it may, if  ANY 'God' tells you to murder the infidel just because he or she has a different perception, that perception IS wrong!

The One ( Source, All, etc ) that spread the Stars, the One who has even been named 'the Universe' is certainly much more, infinitely so, in fact, than has ever been or ever will be elucidated by any human being! The fact that every culture has their own Creation Myth should tell us that there is One ( Almighty ) Being that brought all else into being, materialistically speaking. As Creators ourselves, because we are of the same Essence, Humanity has done much to further that work of Creation, though on the other hand, one might note, humanity has done as much to retard the evolution of that same Creation!

The True Gospel of Christianity has more to do do with the Kingdom of God ( on Earth ) than it does with any hope of 'Heaven'! Oh, sure, the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures have much to say about 'Heaven', but even more about the Kingdom thereof.  Jesus ( 'God' in the flesh ) told the Pharisees, 'the kingdom of God is ^[g]within you' ( Luke 17:21 ). If the Kingdom was within them, of whom it was later said, that they were 'Christ-killers', can it truly be said of any other group of humans that the Kingdom is NOT within them?! Then again,we must keep in mind the cultural differences between that age & this.....................

So, since the God-spell, or Good News, IS for all, how DO we live it? Do we go around telling everyone we meet that, if they aren't already, they must be saved ( born again )? Obviously not; salvation, at least in the Biblical sense, was a Hebrew concept. This is not to say that people no longer need salvation, but it ( salvation ) looks a little bit different today. Salvation in today's age doesn't necessarily involve accepting Jesus as ( Israel's ) Messiah. It can involve anything from being saved from a lifetime of addiction to being pulled back from the edge of a cliff, from drowning, or out of the way of oncoming traffic.So, there's your answer; THAT'S what it looks like to live the Gospel, no matter what Gospel, or God-spell, you subscribe to. If you pull others back from the edge, no matter what that edge looks like, you're living the Good News, no matter if you're Christian or Jew, Hindu, Buddhist or Muslim!

Charles Haddon Shank

The Fertile Earth

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb [ that ] yields seed, [ and ] the fruit tree [ that ] yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed [ is ] in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb [ that ] yields seed according to its kind, and the tree [ that ] yields fruit, whose seed [ is ] in itself according to its kind. And God saw that [ it was ] good.

Genesis 1:11 & 12 

To be perfectly blunt, procreation ( normally-there ARE exceptions to this rule ) requires a male & a female, with their complimentary reproductive organs. I'm  no scientist, but I've heard of certain creatures that are not one or the other, but 'both/and', but even in such rare or unusual cases, the creature in question possesses both male & female reproductive organs & thus, impregnates itself. Of course, we also have the famous Birth of Jesus ( Matthew 1:18-25 ), which, according to a literal interpretation of the English Bible, occurred unnaturally, or supernaturally, without the introduction of human male sperm. We've been over this, though, so we'll go no further down that rocky road!


Everybody knows that, under normal conditions, if you plant a seed in the ground ( Earth ) & provide it with plenty of water, after some time, the seed will germinate ( death & resurrection ) & a fresh green sprout will soon appear above the surface of the ground. However, how many of us really think about the process involved? Beyond that, how many of us further ruminate on the mystery of it all & how the miracles here 'below' echo the realities 'above'?! In some way, it might be noted that the concept of 'as above, so below' has been lost on an overwhelming majority. Or at least, so it would seem....................


'As above, so below' is a very spacious term! While it may refer literally to the heavens above ( outer space ) being reflected in Life on Earth, one should understand as well that what is observable is simply a manifestation of truth originating on a higher plane. By 'a higher plane', I mean, of course, that everything begins in the mind, personally speaking, whether the conscious or the unconscious. What/how we then manifest in this limited biology is the product of what first begin in our thoughts, or our head, if you will. 'A higher plane' refers, more correctly, though, to that spiritual plane, or realm, where we grasp our Divinity, where we commune with the Source of All Life. Understanding our own Divinity, it need not be a great stretch to see that the Earth Herself carries that Spark as well, though most would probably disagree as to the extent, if they admit that She does at all!

A popular Christian concept, though based on biblical terminology ( Genesis 1:3 ( John 1:1 ) et al. ) , is that Yahweh simply spoke the Word & Life as we know it came into existence. As arguable as this may be, to this blogger, it remains clear as day that this biology had a beginning. More than that, it had an Intelligent Designer! The Beginning in view here was most likely a lot longer ago than many, especially most Christians, seem to think. Millions, even billions of years are probably not out of the question!  

Biblically speaking, then, when God ( Elohim )  said, 'Let the earth bring forth...........' something ordinary, though quite miraculous, occurred; the Earth Herself was shown to have Life in Her! One might even go so far as to say that this event was significant of the True Union of Heaven & Earth! 'Ordinary', I say, because this event, though nothing short of miraculous, was quite natural. As mentioned previously, when a seed is planted in the ground, or Earth, granted it receives the correct combination of nutrients, water & light, it won't be long till it sprouts & brings forth Life of its own, after its kind. We could even go further to say that the water & light ( from the 'heavens' ), together with the necessary nutrients ( from the 'earth' ) could be likened to the fertilization of the human egg.. Beyond that, even, we find ourselves 'knocking on Heavens door', so to speak, exploring the depths of the human consciousness, even the Mind of God!

It was in the Mind of God, then, we may safely conjecture, that this biology, however old it may be, had its True Genesis. The Divinity visualized the beauty of this material creation those millions or billions of years ago & lo, it, or She rather, came to be. One might even read of this mystery in our English Bible, though it is technically more of a covenant Story than a literal textbook of the material ( biological ) creation. 

Call it 'natural processes', call it 'evolution' or what you will; when the Earth brought forth all this natural beauty that we see & even that which She continues to 'birth', the glorious concept of 'as above, so below' is shouted from the rooftops, or the mountaintops, as the case may be! Even our English Bible echoes this with 'The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament^[a] shows ^[b]His handiwork.' ( Psalm 19:1 ). The prophet Isaiah also recorded an angel ( messenger ) singing, 'Holy, holy, holy [ is ] the Lord of hosts; the whole earth [ is ] full of His glory!' 

Charles Haddon Shank

Meditation; What It Is

I AM a Christian! In other words & better, maybe; I AM a follower of the Christ. Being brought up Christian, religiously speaking, I try to emulate Jesus, to walk in the Way He walked, treading the Path He trod. Most famously, Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father except through Me' ( John 14:6 ): as a Christian, of course, this means Jesus is the ONLY Way to the Father! In some sense, I can agree that Jesus is the only way to the Father, not in the sense  that the Jewish Messiah was/is the only way to know 'God', but in the sense that the Man Jesus, according to the Bible, embodied the Christ, the Son of 'God'. We might ask ourselves at this point, 'who is 'God'; what do we mean/who do we refer to when we use such a title?'Again, as Christians, when we pray to 'God' or otherwise talk about 'God', we are respectfully referring to the One, True God, the God of Creation ( Genesis 1 & 2  ), Yahweh of the Hebrew Scriptures. The question is, 'is the 'God' of the Bible ( or even the original Greek & Hebrew Scriptures ) the only picture of the Creator & Sustainer of Heaven & Earth that we have available? Sadly, many people seem to think so!

One definition of the word 'meditate' is 'to think deeply or focus one's mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.' This definition may not be the most comprehensive available, but for my intents & purposes here, it suits quite well. It could well be said that the practice of meditation, therefore, is experienced differently by everyone: some people, Christians especially, meditate on things like the Psalms of David, or other passages of the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, Philippians 4:8, for instance. Others, who do not believe in the 'God' of the Bible ( Christianity ), may meditate on anything from the good earth to their own connection with Divinity. It could be said that 'the only difference between prayer & meditation is that prayer is focused outwardly, while meditation is focused inwardly. True as this may be, it does not quite cover it. As mentioned previously, some will meditate daily on a certain Psalm or other passage of the Hebrew or Greek Scriptures. Some even meditate on other Scriptures from around the world, while others simply meditate on their own Divinity, or just sit in silence, focusing on proper breathing technique. However one chooses to do it, then, the practice of meditation differs, to whatever extent, from person to person: there IS no One, True Way to meditate!

Prayer has traditionally been made to the 'God' of the Bible, or Christianity, although many who do not acknowledge 'Him' as the Embodiment of Divinity direct their prayers to any one of an assortment of 'Gods', ranging from the Great Spirit, to their own ancestors. Whoever one prays to, it may be well said that their prayer is received ( heard & answered )! If the prayer or concern is voiced, those who hear, generally speaking, will do all in their considerable power to answer that person's prayer. Most often, from a Christian standpoint, prayer is made to 'God' or 'our Heavenly Father', even 'Lord'. Not to say this is wrong, or that there is no 'Lord', 'God', or 'Heavenly Father' that hears & answers prayer, but for the most part, the effectiveness of prayer may be found right here on earth, among fellow human beings. Human beings, of course, some being more in touch with their own spirituality than others, may dwell in both realms at the same time, or ignorantly, in the 'hell' of their own choosing! Praying, thus, is most effective when one voices one's concerns to their fellow human beings, especially those filled with compassion.

This is not to say either, that prayer is ONLY effective when voiced to one's fellow humans, for there IS One Ultimate Source for ALL Good! The question might well be voiced at this point, 'is there Someone/Something out there somewhere Who hears our prayers?' Well, yes, there IS, Virginia, but it would be far more correct to say that that Someone/Something is 'in there'. Many or most Christians profess that 'Heaven' is a place, maybe not necessarily a geographical  ( 'universal'? ) location, but a 'place' nonetheless. It is a 'place', though, in the sense that it is a different realm, not separated from our own, although it is 'hidden', or 'Secret', for example, as witnessed in II Kings 6:17. In that sense, then, this realm is within us as well, or rather, we are in it. It is our choice to acknowledge it or not, just as it is our choice whether or not to manifest the Christ. With all that said, prayer, whether directed inwardly ( in the for form of meditation ), or outwardly, voiced so others can hear & respond, IS effective, for it serves to voice our concerns, all of which our Heavenly Father ( speaking as a Christian ) knows, but which, when voiced, inspires others to tap into their own resources to help alleviate those concerns!

One might note, then, that one, maybe the greatest advantage ( though many or most do not 'see' it thusly ) of meditation over prayer is that meditation, at least that focused inwardly, forces us to acknowledge our own fault, if fault there be, in our current situation. Prayer, on the other hand, focuses on a Power that is outside us & more often than not, One we have been taught is beyond our grasp unless we approach 'Him' with due reverence & humility! Again, this is not to say there IS no Power outside ourselves ( 'out there' ), for 'It is what It is', no matter what we believe, or think It is. C.S. Lewis might have alluded to this in his 'The Last Battle' when he wrote;

“Then I fell at his feet and thought, Surely this is the hour of death, for the Lion (who is worthy of all honour) will know that I have served Tash all my days and not him. Nevertheless, it is better to see the Lion and die than to be Tisroc of the world and live and not to have seen him. But the Glorious One bent down his golden head and touched my forehead with his tongue and said, Son, thou art welcome. But I said, Alas Lord, I am no son of thine but the servant of Tash. He answered, Child, all the service thou hast done to Tash, I account as service done to me. Then by reasons of my great desire for wisdom and understanding, I overcame my fear and questioned the Glorious One and said, Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him. For I and he are of such different kinds that no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan, it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted. Dost thou understand, Child? I said, Lord, though knowest how much I understand. But I said also (for the truth constrained me), Yet I have been seeking Tash all my days. Beloved, said the Glorious One, unless thy desire had been for me thou wouldst not have sought so long and so truly. For all find what they truly seek.”( excuse the lengthy quote )

Back to the subject at hand, meditation, while it DOES have the advantage of almost forcing us to acknowledge & accept our own part in the trials & tribulations we experience on a daily basis, also has the distinct grace of allowing us to connect with Divinity & to realize that It is within us, 'It', of course being the Divine Power to better our own situation! As long as we look outside ourselves ( in prayer ), though we may find relief from our current trial, we will continue to experience tribulation as long as we fail or refuse to acknowledge that the Power lies Within! Prayer, in that sense, then, though it does not ( necessarily ) disallow us from realizing our own potential, or the Power Within, more often than not has the effect of almost blinding us to our own responsibility & using 'God' as a crutch for our own failings!

The Purpose of Meditation, of course, is not to nurture a feeling of guilt within ourselves, but to realize who we really are, to still our ego-driven Mind & focus instead on the Self that is Divine & One with the Divinity! Like prayer, meditation is simply a tool, a tool that we use to commune. or communicate with Divinity. Whether we believe the Power to be Within ( ourselves ) or Without ( 'God' ), most, if not all of us employ one or the other ( sometimes both ) of these tools to improve our situation. Again, meditation; or inward focus, usually has the effect of helping us to realize our own potential, while prayer, even though it often has the effect of alleviating our current symptoms, usually fails to illuminate the true cause of those symptoms!

Meditation, in the sense outlined in the beginning of this relatively short blog, that of focusing one's thoughts on 'whatever things are true, whatever things [ are ] noble, whatever things [ are ] just, whatever things [ are ] pure, whatever things [ are ] lovely, whatever things [ are ] of good report' ( Philippians 4:8 ), has the effect ( much-needed ) of helping us to train our thoughts & thus actions on what is good & right, although it still fails to help us realize our own Strength to better our situation. True Meditation, especially as popularly defined earlier, cannot but lead us to the realization that it is within ourselves that we must look if we would do more than ( temporarily ) alleviate our current symptoms!

As we read in the first part of Psalm 46:10, 'Be still, and know that I ( am ) God'!

Charles Haddon Shank