\n\u201cI give you the end of the golden thread;<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just roll it into a ball,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He will lead you to the gates of Heaven,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Built within the wall of Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2014 William Blake<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nIn the following essays, I have tried to point out some ways to understand the Bible and fulfill your dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cThat you may not be slothful, but followers of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises\u2026\u201d<\/em> > \u2014 Hebrews 6:12<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nThe Bible as Psychology, Not History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Many who love the old familiar verses of Scripture are disappointed when they try to read the Bible for themselves as they would any other book, for, quite justly, they do not understand that the Bible is written in the language of symbolism. Not knowing that all its characters are personifications of the laws and functions of the mind; that the Bible is psychology, not history, they ponder it for a while, and then give up. It is too mysterious. To understand the meaning of its images, the Bible reader must be imaginatively lively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adam's Dream and Awakening<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
According to Scripture, we sleep with Adam and wake up with Christ. That is, we sleep together and wake up separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAnd the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept.\u201d<\/em> > \u2014 Genesis 2:21<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nIf Adam, or an ordinary man, is in a deep sleep, then his experiences recorded in Scripture must be a dream. Only he who is awake can recognize his dream, and only he who understands the symbolism of dreams can interpret the dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAnd they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened the scriptures unto us?\u201d<\/em> > \u2014 Luke 24:32<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nThe Collective Unconscious and Imagination<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Bible is a revelation of the laws and functions of Mind, expressed in the language of that twilight realm into which we enter when we sleep. Because the symbolic language of this twilight world is similar for all people, recent researchers of this world\u2014the human imagination\u2014have called it the \u00abcollective unconscious.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Purpose and practical application<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
However, the purpose of this book is not to give you a complete definition of biblical symbols or exhaustive interpretations of their stories. All I hope to do is show you how you are most likely to achieve your desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00ab"What you wish for"\u00bb<\/strong> can be obtained only through the conscious, voluntary exercise of the imagination in direct obedience to the laws of reason. Somewhere in this world of imagination there is a mood, a feeling of wish-fulfilment, which, if appropriated, means success for you. This world, this Eden\u2014your imagination\u2014is wider than you know, and deserves to be explored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI give you the end of the golden thread;\u201d<\/strong> You have to roll it into a ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFOUR POWERFUL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cAnd a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was divided, and became into four heads.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Genesis 2:10<\/strong> > \u201cAnd each one had four faces\u2026\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Ezekiel 10:14<\/strong> > \u201cI see four men walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Daniel 3:25<\/strong> > \u201cThe Four Mighty Ones in every person.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 William Blake<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u00abThe "Four Mighty Ones" constitute the "I" of man, or the God in man. They are not four separate beings, but four different aspects of one mind, differing in function and character. They may be identified with Tetragrammaton<\/strong> \u2014 the four-letter name of the Creative Force (I am<\/strong>), which seeks to realize inner qualities in the material world.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Drama of Life: Four Roles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The "Four Mighty Ones" are best understood by comparing them to the main characters in a theatrical production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAll the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely actors\u2026\u201d<\/em> > \u2014 William Shakespeare, "As You Like It"\u00ab<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n- Producer (King of Jehovah):<\/strong> Hints at the theme of the play in the form of a wish (\u00ab"I would like to be successful"\u00bb<\/em>). This is the first impulse, but it is still too vague.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Author (Servant of Jehovah):<\/strong> Dramatizes the theme. He writes only the last scene\u2014the scene of the fulfilled desire\u2014and describes it in every detail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Director (Jehovah's Man):<\/strong> Controls attention. Its task is to ensure that the actor remains faithful to the script, focusing solely on the fact that the wish has already been fulfilled.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Actor (Son of God - Imagination):<\/strong> He actually embodies the drama within himself. He doesn't just observe, he lives the action over and over again until it takes on a tinge of reality.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Psychological structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u00abThe "Mighty Four" are the four quarters of the human soul. Without the dramatized vision (of the Author), the theme remains only a shadow. Without the disciplined attention (of the Director), the vision will not reach objective reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAll that you see, though it appears outside, is inside, in your imagination, this world of mortality is but a shadow.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Blake<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhen a person realizes that life is a play that he writes himself, he stops judging others. All changes in the external "play" must occur through the cooperation of these four functions within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Practical Application: Author's Story (Journey to Barbados)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
In 1946, I found myself in Barbados without a return ticket to New York. I was told there were no seats until September. I used the technique of the "Mighty Four":<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- As a Producer:<\/strong> I decided to return in May.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As Author:<\/strong> I created a script \u2014 a scene of climbing up the ship's ladder.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As Director:<\/strong> Kept my attention on this action.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- As an Actor:<\/strong> I imagined myself climbing the ladder, feeling the sweet sadness of saying goodbye to the island, until I fell asleep in this state.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The next morning, I got a call from the company offering tickets for April due to other people's sudden cancellations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The story of "The Salt of Tears and the Salt of the Sea"\u00ab<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A woman in San Francisco recounted how she unknowingly used this law as a child. On a dreary Christmas Eve, riding a San Diego streetcar, she closed her eyes and imagined:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not the salt of tears I feel, it\u2019s the salt of the sea on the wind. This is not San Diego, this is the South Pacific, and I\u2019m sailing into the Gulf of Samoa.\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nA month later, thanks to an unexpected inheritance from her aunt, she actually found herself on a ship entering Samoa Bay, seeing the Southern Cross exactly as she had imagined on the tram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We are all one, part of humanity. We play these four roles consciously or unconsciously. Only the conscious use of imagination allows us to become true companions of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cA man must not remain a man: his aim must be higher. For God will only accept gods as company.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Angelus Silesius<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cThen the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his clothes and made four parts\u2026\u201d<\/em> \u2014 John 19:23<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nTHE GIFT OF FAITH<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cAnd the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Genesis 4:4, 5<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nIf we examine the Scriptures, we will realize a much deeper meaning in this quote than a literal reading gives. The Lord is none other than your own consciousness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201c\u2026thus you shall say to the children of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Exodus 3:14<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\u00ab"I AM"\u00bb<\/strong> \u2014 this is the Lord's self-definition.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCain and Abel: Two States of the Soul<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cain and Abel are personifications of two different functions of your own consciousness, "two opposite states of the human soul.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Cain:<\/strong> This is a limited perception of the senses. Passive submission to external circumstances and accepting life based on what we see on the outside. This view inevitably leads to unfulfilled longing or disappointment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Abel:<\/strong> It is an imaginary vision of the world, a state of fulfilled desire. It elevates a person above the evidence of the senses to a state of relief.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Ignoring Abel's gaze is a soul in the fire of aspirations. Knowing this gaze is the wing on which a person flies to the Heaven of fulfilled dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sacrifice of faith<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Epistle to the Hebrews says that Abel's sacrifice was faith<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cAnd without faith it is impossible to please God\u2026\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Hebrews 11:6<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cNow faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen\u2026 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which are seen.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Hebrews 11:1, 3<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nCain brings \u00abevidence of the senses.\u00bb Consciousness (the Lord) rejects them, because to accept the present facts as the ultimate truth would mean to fix them forever: the sick would remain sick, and the poor would remain poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Lord delights in Abel's gift\u2014an active, loving display of imagination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cLet the weak say, I am strong!\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Joel 3:10<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nPractical example: Healing a child<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I recently witnessed the results of believing in something unseen. A young woman told me about her three-year-old nephew. At birth, the boy had a large, ugly birthmark on his face. Doctors and experts said there was nothing they could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The child's aunt decided to bring "Abel's gift." Whenever she thought of the boy, she imagined him as an eight-month-old baby with perfectly clear skin. She stubbornly believed in something that was not yet visible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the baby was eight months old, she visited her sister and discovered that the baby's skin had become flawless\u2014without a single trace of a mole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- \u00ab"Luck! Coincidence!"\u00bb<\/strong> \u2014 shouts Cain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- \u00ab"It's a matter of faith"\u00bb<\/strong>, \u2014 Abel knows.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Creating images: Wristwatch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Life on Earth is a training ground for the imagination. If you only use forms that dictate your feelings, there will be no change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here's the story of a couple in Sacramento. The husband had a valuable watch, a gift from his wife. Every night they had a ritual: he would give the watch to her, and she would put it in a box. Every morning she would take it out and give it to her husband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One day the watch was stolen. Instead of accepting the loss (Cain's gift), they decided to exercise faith:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- For two weeks, they performed their ritual in their imagination every night and every morning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- They felt the weight of the watch, its presence, as if nothing had disappeared.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
After 14 days, the man went into a jewelry store. The owner recognized the watch on the hand of another man who had come to appraise the stolen item. The thief was arrested, and the watch was returned to the owners. Walking \u00abby faith, not by sight,\u00bb they got theirs back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The ideal is always waiting to be realized. The Lord needs his \u00abdaily lamb of faith\u00bb to shape the world in harmony with our dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cIf a person moves confidently in the direction of their dreams and tries to live the life they imagine, they will meet unexpected success in ordinary hours.\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Henry David Thoreau<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cFor what is faith, if not to believe in what you do not see?\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Saint Augustine<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nSCALE OF BEING<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\u201cAnd he dreamed: behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it\u2026\u201d<\/em> \u2014 Genesis 28:12, 13<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nIn a dream, in a night vision, as a deep sleep fell upon Jacob, his inner eye opened. He saw the world as a series of levels of consciousness rising and falling. This discovery is the key to understanding the mysteries of the world: life has a vertical scale of states of consciousness, without which the external world would have no meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Levels of perception<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At every moment of time, a person stands on this eternal scale of meaning. The meaning of any object or event is a direct indicator of the level of consciousness of the observer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take, for example, the book:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- At a lower level:<\/strong> It's just a physical object in space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- At the highest level:<\/strong> It is an ordered series of letters on paper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- At the highest level:<\/strong> This is an expression of invisible meaning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The meaning (sense) is always primary. It determines the arrangement of the letters, not the other way around. The meaning is invisible and lies above the level of visible signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lord and Sense<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n