Was Jesus really born of a virgin? Did Moses actually part the Red Sea? Did God literally form Adam from the dust of the earth and breathe the breath of life into his nostrils, making him a living being? Intuitively, we know that something about these stories is true. We can feel it the way a blind person can sense the spaciousness of the sky. But though we know the stories are real, we falter when asked whether they are true, because we know that what is usually meant by the word true is not the same as what we understand in our heart.
Deep spiritual truths cannot be understood intellectually; they must be experienced. They must dawn upon the human mind the way the sun dawns upon the land. They must arise within us in such a way that we feel them not as ideas but as direct perceptions of our own inner nature. This is why the Bible was written in story form. Rather than attempt to explain the truth, which cannot be done, the writers revealed their innermost thoughts the way the morning light reveals the details of the world before us – through impressions and subtle shadings, gradually filling in with color and vibrance. The wholeness of the Great Creative Being we call God emerges in our awareness as a full-immersion awakening – we breathe it, we sense it, we are in it and it is in us – we are inextricably a part of the oneness of creation.
Such was the vision of those who wrote the Bible, and they communicated it to us by embedding what they saw into the stories of our everyday life.
As we embark upon our study of the Bible, try to set aside what you have read or heard about this great mystical treatise. We will be reading it with new eyes, the eyes of the mystic. There are keys to understanding sacred texts – symbols, which when known will unlock the mysteries of these ancient teachings and prepare you for spiritual initiation.
So, let us begin with a prayer:
Creator, elevate my consciousness now, so that I may know the truth of my being and that I may understand your creation as it really is. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Recommended Reading:
Esoteric Christianity, by Annie Besant
The Virgin Birth and the Phoenix
The Three Temptations of Jesus and Buddha
