Shining New Light on the Rig Veda (Part 1): What are Vayu and Soma?

Now that we've established what the Hindu god "Agni" actually represents, let's proceed to the second Sukta of the Rig Veda -- a presumed "hymn" addressed to a deity called "Vayu." In Hinduism, "Vayu" (pictured above) is presumed to be the "god" or "deva" of wind and air. He is revered, therefore, as an elemental power of nature, more or less, not unlike "Agni," the presumed "god of fire." In actuality, "Agni" represents the Fire of God present in the Temple as the Spirit of Grace. "Agni" is, therefore, a modified form of the first Red Ray of Agape, which the God Mind sent forth or extended "in the beginning" to bring the Christ Mind and/or Son of God into "being." 

The graphic "fact sheet" above tells us, among other things, that "Vayu" was born from the breath of Vishwapurusha, guards the Northwest direction, fathered the "gods" Bhima and Hanuman, and rides an antelope vahana. Other sources report that "Vayu" also is 1) the divine messenger of the gods; 2) closely associated with Indra, the "king of the gods" in the Hindu pantheon; 3) the first to drink "the Soma"; and 4) the son of Lord Vishnu. When misidentified as a storm deity, "Vayu" also is said to be one of the Maruts. But, as my multi-post retranslation of Rv 8.7 demonstrates, the Sanskrit terms historically translated as "Maruts" do not, in fact, refer in any way to elemental storm gods.

Hanuman and Bhima, whose allegorical story is told in the Mahabharata epic.

With all that backstory out of the way, let's now explore what the Rig Veda actually reveals about "Vayu." We'll start our investigation, as always, by reviewing the second Sukta's original text in transliterated Sanskrit. According to 19th-century Oxford "orientalist" Max Muller, the Rik is composed of eight metered lines reading as follows:

vāyav ā yāhi darśateme somā araṃkṛtāḥ | teṣām pāhi śrudhī havam ||
vāyo tava prapṛñcatī dhenā jigāti dāśuṣe | urūcī somapītaye ||
indravāyū ime sutā upa prayobhir ā gatam | indavo vām uśanti hi ||
vāyav indraś ca cetathaḥ sutānāṃ vājinīvasū | tāv ā yātam upa dravat ||
vāyav indraś ca sunvata ā yātam upa niṣkṛtam | makṣv itthā dhiyā narā ||
mitraṃ huve pūtadakṣaṃ varuṇaṃ ca riśādasam | dhiyaṃ ghṛtācīṃ sādhantā ||
ṛtena mitrāvaruṇāv ṛtāvṛdhāv ṛtaspṛśā | kratum bṛhantam āśāthe ||
kavī no mitrāvaruṇā tuvijātā urukṣayā | dakṣaṃ dadhāte apasam ||

Let's now review how this alleged "hymn" or "poem" was translated by H. H. Wilson and Ralph T. H. Griffith, both of whom held the Boden Sanskrit Professorship at Queen's College, Oxford, during the 19th Century. As explained in my previous post, the Boden Professorship was funded by a former East India Company officer to help convert the native peoples of India to Anglican Christianity. The translation of the Rig Veda Samhita by Professors Wilson and Griffith were, therefore, agenda-driven to some extent. Keep that in mind as we go forward.

Let's start with Wilson's translation of the second Rik, which reads thusly:

Vayu, plural asant to behold, approach; these libations are prepared for you drink of them; hear our invocation.

Vayu, your praisers praise you with holy praises having poured out Soma juice, and knowing the (fit) season.

Vayu, your approving speech comes to the giver (of the libation), and to many (others who invite you) to drink of the Soma juice.

Vayu, these libations are poured out (for you); come hither with food (for us); verily the drops (of the Soma, abiding in the sacrificial rite, you are aware of these libations; come both (then) quickly hither.

Vayu and Indra, come to the rite of the sacrificer, for thus, men, will completion be speedily (attained) by the ceremony.

I invoke Mitra, of pure vigour, and Varuna, the devourer of foes; the joint accomplishers of the act bestowing water (on the earth).

Mitra and Varuna, augmenters of water, dispensers of water, you connect this perfect rite with its true (reward).

Sapient Mitra and Varuna, prosper our sacrifice and increase our strength; you are born for the benefit of many, you are the refuge of multitudes.

Here now is Griffith's liberally stylized translation of the same verses:

BEAUTIFUL Vayu, come, for thee these Soma drops have been prepared:
Drink of them, hearken to our call.
Knowing the days, with Soma juice poured forth, the singers glorify
Thee, Vayu, with their hymns of praise.
Vayu, thy penetrating stream goes forth unto the worshipper,
Far-spreading for the Soma draught.
These, Indra-Vayu, have been shed; come for our offered dainties' sake:
The drops are yearning for you both.
Well do ye mark libations, ye Vayu and Indra, rich in spoil,
So come ye swiftly hitherward.
Vayu and Indra, come to what the Soma presser hath prepared:
Soon, Heroes, thus I make my prayer.
Mitra, of holy strength, I call, and foe-destroying Varuna.
Mitra and Varuna, through Law [of Giving and Receiving], lovers and cherishers of Law,
Have ye obtained your mighty power,
Our Sages, Mitra-Varuna, wide dominion, strong by birth,
Vouchsafe us strength that worketh well.

How accurate are these two translations? Not very, because (for starters) both of these professorial missionaries transcribe "vayu," "vaya," "vayo," and "vayav" as the proper name "Vayu," rather than as the descriptive terms they actually are. Did they commit this faux pas out of ignorance, artfulness, or respect for longstanding religious and cultural traditions in India? Considering their imperialist intentions, I'm guessing it wasn't the latter.

Rightly understood, "Vayu" is the Sanskrit equivalent of Ruach -- a Hebrew word often translated as "wind," but which more particularly describes the "breath," "mind," and/or "spirit" acting in the world on God's behalf to end the perceived separation. In the Hebrew Bible, the word Ruach appears 387 times, compared with (curiously) only twelve occurrences of "Vayu" in the Rig Veda.

Before we embark on today's sure-to-be illuminating main event, let's explore the real meaning of the word "Vayu" and its variations. When the Vedas were revealed to the rishis thousands of years ago, "vayu" was only linked with "wind" or "air" in the figurative sense of being an invisible force with visible effects. Having nothing to do with elemental wind or air, the word can be divided three ways. As "v-ayu," it means "divided Living Being" or "continuous consciousness in separate forms"; as "va-yu," it means "uniter of the divided"; and as "vay-u" the word means the sound, tone, or voice of "U" -- a stand-alone letter used fairly often in the Rig Veda to designate the Holy Name.

As with many Sanskrit words, all three variations of "vayu" communicate the same idea in slightly different ideational forms. Vayu is, in fact, the continuous consciousness of "the Christ" separated into bodies, the power that reunites that divided consciousness, and the sound or "wind" emanating from the Holy Name inside the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

When rendered as vay-a, the word translates slightly differently as "Voice for/of God," and when spelled "vayav" it means relating to or coming from that divine inner-voice.

All of this makes pretty clear that "Vayu" personifies the "wind" or "voice" coming from the Christ Self or Mind governing the Sixth or Ajna Plane of restored Christ-Consciousness, whereas "Agni" represents the "fire," "spirit," or "presence" of the God Self or Mind on the Seventh, Sahasrara, or restored-to-the-state-of-pure-grace plane of consciousness. Vayu is, however, only one of the names the Vedas assign to this ubiquitous "voice" or "wind." And that is probably the reason the name "Vayu" appears so infrequently in the Rig Veda compared to its Hebrew counterpart in the Old Testament.

With all that firmly in mind, let's now interpret afresh this ancient wisdom-teaching about "Vayu." But first, let me state for the record that the Rig Veda contains NOT "the sacred hymns of the Brahmans" (as historically presumed), but elevated teachings for anyone and everyone sincerely seeking Higher Truth. These narrative teachings are, in fact, remarkably similar in both substance, vocabulary, and intended audience to those presented by Jesus Christ in A Course in Miracles.

(As an aside, I'm convinced that the word "Sukta" doesn't actually mean "hymn." The word is a compound of "su" (holy or sacred) and "kta" -- a rather mysterious "suffix" I believe to mean "wisdom," "knowledge," or "thought." The linguists may profess that adding "kta" at the end of a word merely shifts it from present to past tense, but I don't buy it. Why not? Because that rule doesn't work in the cases of "sukta," "bhokta," and "nukta" -- three words appearing in the Rig Veda, but rarely translated correctly (owing partly to this erroneous rule).

Okay, so ... according to Sri Aurobindo's posthumous website, the first line of Rv 1.2 should read: vāyo iti ā yāhi darśata ime somāḥ aram-kṛtāḥ teṣām pāhi śrudhi havam. I'm inclined to agree, since that transliteration works much better than does Muller's "metered" contrivance.

With each hallowed word given its proper due, the first line of the second Rik should translate roughly as follows:

The sound of the answer to the call coming from God extends to impel the vision that dissolves object-form, bringing to an end reverence for the idea of doing. All the Sons (of God) are saved by hearing its utterings.

Individually, the word-definitions work out thusly:

vay-o (the sound of the answer) iti (coming from) a (God) ya-hi (extends to impel) darsa-te-me (the vision that dissolves object-form) so-mah (bringing to an end reverence for) aramb-kratah (the idea of doing). Tesam (All the sons of God) pahi (are saved) srudhi (by hearing) havam (its utterings)

Did I forget to mention that "o" means "the answer to a call" in Vedic Sanskrit shorthand? The stand-alone letter "o" can represent other "ideas" as well, such as the Name of the Creator (Brahman, not Brahma) and the Om vibration, which are, in effect, the SAME idea in different forms. Course-Jesus mentions many times "the Answer" to which this opening verse refers. At one point in the Text, he states point-blank: "The Holy Spirit is God’s Answer to the separation; the means by which the Atonement heals until the whole mind returns to creating."

Okay, so ... when translated correctly, this little verse conveys unadulterated Satya -- the Absolute Truth of Spiritual Reality. As Course-Jesus explains, the Holy Spirit is God's Answer to our call to be saved from the error of trusting the Ego Mind. So, the Holy Spirit can't be the one the rishis call "Vayu," as I've long presumed. As Rv 1.2.2 clearly explains, Vayu is the SOUND emanating from the Answer or Holy Spirit. And, as our graphic fact-sheet further explains, that SOUND was born from the breath of the Vishwapurusha, "the universal Living Being."

As I understand the concept, the Vishwapurusha contains and ensouls all the "I Am" particles under the Ego Mind's evil sleeping-spell of "Vishwa" -- a Sanskrit term meaning "external-orientation," more or less. In the Course and the Bible, Jesus calls this "Living Being" the Body of Christ or simply "the Christ." And it is this "Living Being" or Vishwapurusha he compares to a vine throughout the New Testament.

Bible-Jesus makes his meaning especially clear in John 15:1-5, wherein he says: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me, ye can do nothing."

Stated another way, the Vishwapurusha is the "body" or "host" in which our Souls abide in the dream-universe. The Vishwapurusha also dwells in us, as the True Vine coiled within the "seed" waiting to awaken at the appointed time. But that "host-body" isn't a "body" in the ego's way of thinking. Rather, it's like a "polis" (in Greek) or "pura" (in Sanskrit) -- a walled city or stronghold in which like-minded individuals join together in the shared purpose of restoring the greater whole.

In the Course, Jesus says the following along these same lines:

The Christ in you inhabits not a body. Yet He is in you. And thus it must be that you are not within a body. What is within you cannot be outside. And it is certain that you cannot be apart from what is at the very center of your life. What gives you life cannot be housed in death. No more can you. Christ is within a frame of Holiness whose only purpose is that He may be made manifest to those who know Him not, that He may call to them to come to Him and see Him where they thought their bodies were. Then will their bodies melt away, that they may frame His Holiness in them.

No one who carries Christ in him can fail to recognize Him everywhere. Except in bodies. And as long as he believes he is in a body, where he thinks he is He cannot be. And so he carries Him unknowingly, and does not make Him manifest. And thus he does not recognize Him where He is. The son of man is not the risen Christ. Yet does the Son of God abide exactly where he is, and walks with him within his holiness, as plain to see as is his specialness set forth within his body.

The body needs no healing. But the mind that thinks it is a body is sick indeed! And it is here that Christ sets forth the remedy. His purpose folds the body in His light, and fills it with the Holiness that shines from Him. And nothing that the body says or does but makes Him manifest. To those who know Him not it carries Him in gentleness and love, to heal their minds. Such is the mission that your brother has for you. And such it must be that your mission is for him.

(ACIM, T-25.in.1:1–3:8)

The concept of the Vishwapurusha must be pretty important; otherwise, Jesus wouldn't have tried so hard and so often to explain the idea to his disciples (who still didn't get it). When, for example, at the Last Supper, he broke a loaf of bread into pieces and said, "This is my body; eat it in remembrance of me," he meant: "This loaf represents the whole Living Being, Vishwapurusha, or Christ Self to which you/we all belong. And through the spiritual nourishment I brought into the world, you will one day remember the communion, covenant, or Holy Relationship all of Creation shares in that glorious Wholeness of Being."

And, for the record, the bits of bread Jesus afterward passed around the table probably represented the "epiousion bread" he instructed his followers to request from God in Matthew 6:9-13, wherein he dictates the proper way to pray (via the Lord's Prayer or Our Father). I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but in case I haven't (or you missed it) the Anglicans wrong-mindedly changed the enigmatic Greek word epiousion to "daily" when they translated Matthew's narrative into English. Scholars still scratch their heads over Christ's intended meaning. But the word is, in fact, defined in the Secret Book of John as "that which makes spiritual transcendence desirable, understandable, and attainable."

This tells me, at least, that what Jesus called "epiousion bread" in Matthew's narrative is synonymous with the Living Water he mentions elsewhere in the New Testament gospels. Thus, "epiousion bread" and Living Water are interchangeable terms used by Bible-Jesus to describe the SOUND made by the Spirit of Grace to accomplish God's Will for our return to the Wholeness of Mind required for Perfect Creating.

Am I overexplaining again? Lol. 

Let's return to the Vishwapurusha, because the two images below illustrate the concept quite effectively. What both show is the Vishwapurusha or "Christ Mind of the At-one-ment" enclosed within a golden egg surrounded by a glowing "aura." That "aura" is, I'm reasonably sure, the Golden Circle and/or Circle of the Atonement much-discussed in the Course. That circle is, I further believe, the "gateway" through which we enter the first plane or "kingdom" of the Upper or Real World.

In Christian theology, Jesus Christ symbolizes the Vishwapurusha.

In Hindu theology, Lord Vishnu symbolizes the Vishwapurusha.

What these two images don't show are the "sparks," "seeds," or "soul-fragments" comprising the "corporate body" or Greater Universal Soul represented by the figure at the center of the egg. As particles of that Living Being, our Souls can NOT be tarnished by anything we do in the dream of earthly existence. Hard as that may be to accept, it is nevertheless TRUE. And our complete faith in that unsmirchable holy innocence is what ultimately frees us from the Wheel of Karma.

Our Souls may be as perfect as the Holy Spirit, but they are not eternal as individual beings. As particles of the Vishwapurusha, they are merely "devices" for learning the at-one-ment curriculum. In a very real sense, they are players moving their characters (our serial ego-body incarnations) through a virtual-reality training-simulator. The goal of the training is to make them/us the perfect co-creators the God Mind created the Christ Mind to be. The successful outcome of the training is guaranteed because 1) the dream-universe came and went in the single, miraculous instant Course-Jesus calls "the Holy Instant" and 2) whatever God wills is done to perfection the instant He wills it. Thus, we only seem to be in the world, going through hell, because we haven't yet chosen, of our own free will, to give up the game and go home.

You get that, right? If not, pay careful attention to what Course-Jesus says below:

Hear, then, the one answer of the Holy Spirit to all the questions the ego raises: You are a child of God, a priceless part of His Kingdom, which He created as part of Him. Nothing else exists and only this is real. You have chosen a sleep in which you have had bad dreams, but the sleep is not real and God calls you to awake. There will be nothing left of your dream when you hear Him, because you will awaken. Your dreams contain many of the ego’s symbols and they have confused you. Yet that was only because you were asleep and did not know. When you wake you will see the truth around you and in you, and you will no longer believe in dreams because they will have no reality for you. Yet the Kingdom and all that you have created there will have great reality for you, because they are beautiful and true. (ACIM, T-6.IV.6:1-8)

As explained more clearly in the Course than in the Bible, God created ONE Son, not many. That one Son isn't Jesus, the "son of man" the Romans crucified; that one Son is "the Christ" -- the all-encompassing Divine Being that IS Creation. That one Self in its natural state of spiritual WHOLENESS is the Great Purusha, Spiritual Sun, Greater Light, Shining One, and/or Logos underneath and hidden by the illusion of form. In the dream-simulator (inside the serpent's belly), the Souls belonging to that united Sonship or "Corporate Body of the Christ Self," but perceiving themselves as individuals for at-one-ment purposes, are known collectively in Hinduism as the Vishvedevas. And those Vishvedevas dwell together within the golden egg of the Vishwapurusha.

Or, to quote Course-Jesus again:

It should especially be noted that God has only ONE Son. If all His creations are His Sons, every one must be an integral part of the whole Sonship. The Sonship in its Oneness transcends the sum of its parts. However, this is obscured as long as any of its parts is missing. That is why the conflict cannot ultimately be resolved until all the parts of the Sonship have returned. Only then can the meaning of wholeness in the true sense be understood. Any part of the Sonship can believe in error or incompleteness if he so chooses. However, if he does so, he is believing in the existence of nothingness. The correction of this error is the Atonement. (ACIM, T-2.VII.6:1-9)

The golden egg of which we speak is, btw, the Hiranyagarbha or "golden womb" much discussed in Vedic philosophy. Curiously, Hiranyagarbha isn't mentioned by name until Rv 10.121, which has appropriately come to be known as the Hiranyagarbha Sukta.

Hiranyagarbha, the "golden egg" or "golden womb" of the Vishwapurusha -- the Mind of the Atonement, in Course terms.

Much as I'm tempted, I won't retranslate the whole Sukta at this point in time. I will, however, decipher afresh the eighth verse Griffith translates thusly:

He is the God of gods, and none beside him.

Is this, in fact, what the verse says? Let's see, shall we? In transliterated Sanskrit, the eighth verse reads: yo deveṣv ādhi devā eka āsīt. By my calculations, those words translate more along these lines:

Join all the demigods (the Vishvadevas, our fellow Souls in the golden egg) in the higher divine oneness of God's Holy Instant.

yo = yu (join) devesv = devesu (all the demigods) adhi (in the higher) deva (divine) eka (oneness) a-sit (of God's Holy Instant)

Okay, so ... what does any of this have to do with Soma and/or Sutasoma? The answer is EVERYTHING, because the Vishwapurusha's glowing golden egg represents the Lesser Light of God shining in the darkness of the void of Brahma-manifested nothingness. And in that dark "Vishwa" -- the "Night" in scriptural lingo -- that INWARD Lesser Light is projected OUTWARD as the Moon orbiting Planet Earth. 

What we perceive outwardly as the physical moon is a projection of the "golden egg," "golden womb," or Hiranyagarbha of the Mind of the Atonement. Inwardly, that "moon" or "egg" resembles the image below (sorta-kinda, when we're advanced enough to see it). Some spiritual teachers call this the "spiritual eye" or "third eye," but it's actually the passageway through the three planes of the Upper World.

And that is why, in Hinduism (and the Rig Veda), Soma-Chandra is associated with the Moon, as well as partnered with Agni (the Fire of God or Greater Light occupying the Chariot-Throne of God on the Seventh Plane).

In Hinduism (when right-mindedly understood), Soma-Chandra represents the Vishwapurusha -- the Lesser Light of God and/or Christ Mind of the Atonement. His antelope (or gazelle) vahana, meanwhile, represents the Living Water our yajnas or "right-minded thought-offerings" disperse to all the Souls inhabiting the golden egg with ours. That is why the antelope has a spotted coat in correct depictions of Soma-Chandra. Those spots represent the particles or "sparks" of the Vishwapurusha our Souls actually are.

The two images above show Soma-Chandra, as depicted in Hinduism. Note that, like Lord Vishnu, he holds the instruments of Atonement (the cudgel of Truth, the jug of Living Water, and the lotus representing the Royal Path). His chariot symbolizes the Temple, whose single wheel represents the Dharmachakra. And the twin gazelles or antelopes pulling him through the dark night of time and space are the anointing oils of the Atonement.

But wait, there's more ... because apprehending what Soma genuinely represents explains why this deific force has been wrongly and rather weirdly associated with plants and mind-altering drinks for so many centuries. Being the Vishwapurusha, Soma is both the True Vine and the source of the Living Water -- two metaphors unilluminated translators have taken literally (as per usual).

Makes sense, right?

Let's return to Rv 1.2.1, which contains the first mention of Soma in the Vedic literature. The word is not, however, used at first as a proper noun. Rather, "somah" describes the overarching goal of the Atonement Plan -- our first solid clue that Soma is, in fact, the Mind of the Atonement, Vishwapurusha, and/or Lesser Light of God shining in the "Night" or "Darkness" of ego-manifested material unreality.

The Rik's second line mentions "Sutasoma" -- a word-name both Wilson and Griffith murkily translate as "soma juice." The line that Wilson deciphers -- utterly absurdly -- as "Vayu, your praisers praise you with holy praises having poured out Soma juice, and knowing the (fit) season," actually imparts the following useful wisdom:

The Voice of God sounds the Holy Name that awakens the inner Self veiled by the form. Awaken that shared "sutasoma" to bring nearer transcendental knowledge.

vay-a (The Voice of God) ukth-ebhir (sounds the Holy Name) jarante (that awakens the inner) tvam (Self) accha (veiled by the form). jar-itarah (Awaken that common or shared) suta-soma (Son of Soma? Holy sound of Soma? inspiration of Soma?) ahar-vidah (to bring nearer transcendental knowledge).

As you might imagine, this one took quite a while to work out, mainly because the true definition of "sutasoma" has been buried over the centuries under a pile of ego-generated rubbish. After poking around in the dross for a while, I unearthed seven clues to the real meaning of the word in the Mahabharata epic. In the scriptural allegory, Sutasoma is a prince who sacrifices himself to save a great king. More specifically, Sutasoma agrees to be devoured by a serpent to defeat the demon holding the king hostage.

Let's see if we can solve the mystery of Sutasoma's identity, based on following seven pieces of evidence encapsulated in the Puranic Encyclopedia:

1. Sutasoma is/was the son of Bhīmasena (meaning "the Body of the Supreme Lord or Spirit") and his wife, Draupadī (a female form of Krishna), who came into being "through a portion of the Vishvedevas" (the learned or advanced Souls performing yajnas in the Holy Meeting Place).
   
   
2. Sutasoma was so named because he was born by the blessings of Chandra (another name for Soma, the Vishwapurusha).
   
   
3. In the legends, Sutasoma combats Vikarna on the first day of the battle of Bharata (the struggle against the Ego Mind in the quest for spiritual truth and/or enlightenment). The son of Dhritarashtra (the blind king whose name means "total darkness") and Gandhari (meaning "keeper of the common purpose"), Vikarna was the wisest and most respectable of the Kauravas (the antagonist forces in the epic). Based on these clues, Vikarna probably represents the Buddhi, the part of the human intellect capable of learning (but not experiencing) Higher Truth.
   
   
4. Sutasoma rescues Srutakarma (the Christ Self) from the clutches of Durmukha (an "ugly-faced" demon) in the battle of Bharata.
   
   
5. Sutasoma fights Viviṃśati (the idea of "body" and "family," including "lineage" and "ancestry," which must be overcome in the quest for Satya).
   
   
6. In an even bigger confrontation, Sutasoma fights Śakuni (an antagonist portrayed as crafty and devious), and is defeated.
   
   
7. Sutasoma also fights Aśvatthāmā (a character representing the egoic ideas of anger, attack, vengeance, and war). At one point in the battle, Aśvatthāmā enters the camp of the Pandavas (the good guys) in "the Night" and kills Sutasoma.

When factored together, these seven clues make evident that Sutasoma is indeed the "holy sound of Soma" -- the Living Water, Song of Heaven, and/or Om/Aum vibration, which our attack thoughts and interpersonal conflicts render mute. So, Soma-juice might be technically correct, but it's hardly an elucidating definition.

"Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." -- John 4:14

Let's now check our results. With the correct definition of Sutasoma determined, the Rig Veda verse under discussion should read as follows:

The Voice of God sounds the Holy Name that awakens the inner Self veiled by the form. Awaken that shared holy sound of Soma to bring nearer transcendental knowledge.

The verse now makes perfect sense and also communicates Satya -- because hearing the shared-mind holy sound of Soma does indeed bring nearer transcendental knowledge. That sound is made by the Vishvedevas singing together in the Holy Meeting Place of the Temple. To hear that vibratory sound or song, we must endeavor to bring our True Identity more and more into conscious awareness while pushing the false ego-body persona more and more out of our minds. We have to, in other words, strive to perceive the Soul as the protagonist or "hero" of the dream whose only earthly goal is to leave the waterless desert of earthly existence, once and for all.

Let's proceed to the second Rik's third line, which SHOULD read: vāyo tava prapṛñcatī dhenā jigāti dāśuṣe urūcī (rather than vayo tava pranprncati dhena jigati dasuse uruci somapitaye, as per Max Muller and his Oxford colleagues). In his misguided attempts to preserve the "original poetic meter" or "chanda," Muller broke some of the lines of this Rik in the wrong places. In this case, somapitaye -- the last word in Muller's configuration -- belongs at the beginning of the next line. This is obvious when the teachings are translated and understood more accurately than has generally been the case. With its proper wording restored, Rv 1.2.3 should translate as follows:

The sound of the answer to the call to the atonement advances joining together in the song coming from the state of being pure-hearted.

vay-o (The sound of the answer to the call) tava (to the atonement) pra-prncati (advances joining together) dhena (in the song) jigati (coming from) dasuse (the state of being) uruci (pure-hearted)

Translating this verse proved tricky to a vexing degree, largely because the correct definitions of so many of the Sanskrit words used herein have become lost or distorted over time. "Tava," for example, supposedly means "your" or "yours," but can also allude to 1) heating or cooking, 2) a round griddle used in India, or 3) "tapas" -- one of the key spiritual practices prescribed in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. And, as explained in my post titled "Yoking the Mind to God's," "tapas" means "penance," the original definition of which was wishing to undo a wrong decision or mistake. That "tava," in this instance, does indeed translate as "to the atonement" or "of the atonement" is attested to in the following citation, wherein Course-Jesus uses almost identical terminology:

The inheritance of the Kingdom is the right of God’s Son, given him in his creation. Do not try to steal it from him, or you will ask for guilt and will experience it. Protect his purity from every thought that would steal it away and keep it from his sight. Bring innocence to light, in answer to the call of the Atonement. Never allow purity to remain hidden, but shine away the heavy veils of guilt within which the Son of God has hidden himself from his own sight. (ACIM, T-14.V.4:1-5)

Course-Jesus also talks at length about the "melody" or "song" referenced in this verse, but especially in Chapter 21 of the Text (standard edition), under the heading The Forgotten Song. This section is an absolute must-read, so I've quoted a goodly chunk below:

Listen,—perhaps you catch a hint of an ancient state not quite forgotten; dim, perhaps, and yet not altogether unfamiliar, like a song whose name is long forgotten, and the circumstances in which you heard completely unremembered. Not the whole song has stayed with you, but just a little wisp of melody, attached not to a person or a place or anything particular. But you remember, from just this little part, how lovely was the song, how wonderful the setting where you heard it, and how you loved those who were there and listened with you.

The notes are nothing. Yet you have kept them with you, not for themselves, but as a soft reminder of what would make you weep if you remembered how dear it was to you. You could remember, yet you are afraid, believing you would lose the world you learned since then. And yet you know that nothing in the world you learned is half so dear as this. Listen, and see if you remember an ancient song you knew so long ago and held more dear than any melody you taught yourself to cherish since.

Beyond the body, beyond the sun and stars, past everything you see and yet somehow familiar, is an arc of golden light that stretches as you look into a great and shining circle. And all the circle fills with light before your eyes. The edges of the circle disappear, and what is in it is no longer contained at all. The light expands and covers everything, extending to infinity forever shining and with no break or limit anywhere. Within it everything is joined in perfect continuity. Nor is it possible to imagine that anything could be outside, for there is nowhere that this light is not.

This is the vision of the Son of God, whom you know well. Here is the sight of him who knows his Father. Here is the memory of what you are; a part of this, with all of it within, and joined to all as surely as all is joined in you. Accept the vision that can show you this, and not the body. You know the ancient song, and know it well. Nothing will ever be as dear to you as is this ancient hymn of love the Son of God sings to his Father still.

And now the blind can see, for that same song they sing in honor of their Creator gives praise to them as well. The blindness that they made will not withstand the memory of this song. And they will look upon the vision of the Son of God, remembering who he is they sing of. What is a miracle but this remembering? And who is there in whom this memory lies not? The light in one awakens it in all. And when you see it in your brother, you are remembering for everyone.

Let's move on to the second Sukta's fourth verse. With "somapitaye" restored to its proper place (and "vayav" moved from the start of the fifth line to its rightful place at the end of this one), the Rik's next line now more correctly reads: Somapitaye indra-vāyū iti ime sutāh upa prayobhir ā gatam indavo vām uśanti hi vayav. By my calculations, those words translate along these lines:

Soma's song extends directly from the revelations (the metaphoric "thunderbolts" of Indra) of Vayu (the Voice of the Holy Name) coming from the Holy Instant of the One Son up above advancing knowledge of Heaven's melody, the elixir of immortality proceeding from the dawning reason given by the Voice for God.

Soma-pitaye or Somapi-taye (Soma's radiance extends directly from) indra-vayu (the revelations or metaphoric "thunderbolts" of Vayu) iti (coming from) ime (the Holy Spirit or Holy Instant) sutah (of the One Son) upa (up above) prayobhir = pra-yobhir (advancing knowledge) a (of Heaven's) gatam (melody) indavo (the elixir of immortality) vam (proceeding from) usanti (the dawning) hi (reason) vayav(a) (given by the Voice for God)

This line's restored first word, somapitaye, is generally translated as "soma-drink" or "soma-plant," which can't be right for myriad reasons. Firstly, the translation of "pitaye" as "drink" or "drinking" simply doesn't work in the context of this verse. Secondly, Soma isn't a drink derived from a plant or any other earthly source. Rather, Soma is the unconscious force or "spirit" of God's Will charged with healing the separation. Thirdly, pitaye can be divided three ways, none of which has anything to do with drinking or plants. As pita-ye, the word translates as "the means by which the Father"; as pit-aye, it means "assembles together"; and as pi-taye, it translates as either "the shining or flawless protector or nurturer" or "the brightness streaming or extending from."

So which is it? Or, is "somapitaye," in actuality, a compound of "Somapi" and "taye"? Somapi is, after all, a character mentioned in the Puranic lore. The son of Sahadeva ("with the gods" or "protected by the gods") and father of Srutasravas ("that which is heard in Wholeness"), Somapi reigned at Girivraja ("the royal mountain") for fifty-eight years.

Not sure why his reign lasted only fifty-eight years in the story, but the other definitions make clear that Somapi personifies a divine force or spiritual entity facilitating our transcendence, rather than any sort of drink of earthly origin. He, in fact, has much in common with Lord Shiva, the "transcendent" aspect of Brahman, who spends much of his time meditating atop Mt. Kailash.

Some of the confusion derives from the fact that "pitaye" appears to be a Sanskrit word. I say "appears to be" because I'm skeptical for a couple of solid reasons. The first is that there's no right-minded definition for "pitaye" anywhere to be found -- and that's usually a sign that it's not really a word. That it's generally and erroneously defined as "drink," "drinking," or "plant" -- to support the ignorant notion that Soma is some sort of hallucinagenic beverage enjoyed by the rishis of yore -- only compounds my suspicions.

While investigating possible meanings of "pitaye," I came across a hymn of praise incorporating the word. The hymn reportedly reads: abhi tvā purva pītaye vasat. This seemed to indicate that "pitaye" might indeed be a word, until further digging revealed the hymn is drawn from Rv 1.19.9, which reads: abhi tva purvapitaye sriami somyam madhu marudbhir agna a gahi. While the hymn's wording divides "purvapitaye" as "purva-pitaye" (presumably in the erroneous footsteps of "soma-pitaye") the word makes more sense as a compound of "purvapi" and "taye."

And, yes; I did indeed translate the whole verse to prove my point (despite it being something of a rabbit-hole, as well as a can of worms). By my calculations, Rv 1.19.9 works out roughly as follows:

The first red ray of dawn, the true state of being in the Walled City protecting the Creator's dream-destroying Wine of Truth, produces the sound arising from the fiery baptism of God's family name.

abhi (first red ray of dawn or sunrise) tvā (the True Self or state of being) pūrvapi-taye (in the Walled City protects) sṛjāmi (the Creator's) so-myam (dream-destroying) madhu (wine of truth) ma-rudbh-ir (producing the sound springing or arising from) agna (the fiery baptism, ablution, or lustration) ā (of God's) gahi (family name).

Finding workable definitions for many of these words was challenging, to say the least. But I did my best. I'm not absolutely certain about "agna," which might mean "holiness," "wellspring," "mouth," or "perceiving," among other possibilities. But some words containing "agna" (like "magna") refer to watery immersion. The word is also sometimes rendered as "ajna" -- the name of the sixth, brow, or third-eye chakra representing the Sixth Plane of Christ-Realization or True Perception. The word "ajna" is typically defined as "command" or "authority." So, other possibilities for "agna" include "true perception," "holy vision," or "directives."

"Madhu," meanwhile, is typically defined as "sweet" or "honey," but the etymology tells us that, once upon a time, "madhu" meant "mead," a honey-wine whose name originally meant "wine of truth."

That brings us to "gahi," which most Sanskrit dictionaries define as "family name." This makes sense, actually, if we apprehend that "gahi" is "the family name" discussed at length (but never disclosed) in Workbook lessons 183: I call upon God's Name and on my own and 184: The Name of God is my inheritance.

These back-to-back lessons are, in fact, vitally important. Hence the links. Course-Jesus doesn't tell us the name -- nor does he call it a "family name" in so many words. He does, however, imply as much in the following from Lesson 183:

God’s Name is holy, but no holier than yours. To call upon His Name is but to call upon your own. A father gives his son his name, and thus identifies the son with him. His brothers share his name, and thus are they united in a bond to which they turn for their identity. Your Father’s Name reminds you who you are, even within a world that does not know; even though you have not remembered it.

God’s Name can not be heard without response, nor said without an echo in the mind that calls you to remember. Say His Name, and you invite the angels to surround the ground on which you stand, and sing to you as they spread out their wings to keep you safe, and shelter you from every worldly thought that would intrude upon your holiness.

(ACIM, W-183.1:1–2:2)

The Course and the Rig Veda are, in fact, uncannily simpatico, when both divinely-revealed teachings are right-mindedly read, interpreted, and compared. Something the Rig Veda and the Course both emphasize is that we INCREASE the power of the Atonement by joining together in the Holy Resting Place to give the perception-correcting miracles we have received. And, as I keep saying, that conscious-unconscious giving-and-receiving practice, service, or charity is the yajna presided over by "Agni" -- the Fire of God's presence occupying the chariot-throne on the Seventh Plane. And through the Vishwapurusha and his Vishvedevas -- the miracle-workers performing those yajnas for the benefit of all -- Agni (the One Son higher up) advances knowledge of the Song of Heaven -- the elixir of immortality or "Amrita" that restores the memory of the Truth of our Being.

In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to Sister Faustina, a cloistered Polish nun, with the twin rays of the Atonement streaming from his heart (the Golden Egg of Soma). While praying in the aftermath of her vision, she heard these words in her mind: "The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the water that makes souls righteous (right-minded or spiritually sane). The red ray stands for the blood which is the life of souls."

Knowing Jesus and Soma both represent the Vishwapurusha helps us apprehend all he revealed to and through Sister Faustina, simply by appearing to her as he did. Symbolically speaking, the heart from which the two rays shone forth represents the Temple, Moon, Lesser Light, Golden Egg, and/or Walled City -- the dream-headquarters of the Vishwapurusha. By appearing as Jesus Christ, he also communicated visually that HE -- the Vishwapurusha -- directs the energy of the two Great Rays.

Or, as Course-Jesus explains:

I am in charge of the process of Atonement, which I undertook to begin. When you offer a miracle to any of my brothers, you do it to yourself and me. The reason you come before me is that I do not need miracles for my own Atonement, but I stand at the end in case you fail temporarily. My part in the Atonement is the cancelling out of all errors that you could not otherwise correct. When you have been restored to the recognition of your original state, you naturally become part of the Atonement yourself. As you share my unwillingness to accept error in yourself and others, you must join the great crusade to correct it; listen to my voice, learn to undo error and act to correct it. The power to work miracles belongs to you. I will provide the opportunities to do them, but you must be ready and willing. Doing them will bring conviction in the ability, because conviction comes through accomplishment. The ability is the potential, the achievement is its expression, and the Atonement, which is the natural profession of the children of God, is the purpose. (ACIM, T-1.III.1:1-10)

This beautiful picture illustrates the true yajna "circle," wherein we call upon the Holy Name we share with God to extend the Living Water to everyone.

Okay, so ... what's the difference between Jesus and the Holy Spirit? The more I study the Course and grow in spiritual understanding, the more I find myself asking this question. Is there, in fact, a difference between Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Before we move on to the Sukta's fifth line, let me share two excerpts from the Course providing the answer:

The Holy Spirit is the Christ Mind which is aware of the knowledge that lies beyond perception. He came into being with the separation as a protection, inspiring the Atonement principle at the same time. Before that there was no need for healing, for no one was comfortless. The Voice of the Holy Spirit is the Call to Atonement, or the restoration of the integrity of the mind. ⁵When the Atonement is complete and the whole Sonship is healed there will be no Call to return. But what God creates is eternal. The Holy Spirit will remain with the Sons of God, to bless their creations and keep them in the light of joy. (ACIM, T-5.I.5:1-7)

I am the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and when you see me it will be because you have invited Him. For He will send you His witnesses if you will but look upon them. Remember always that you see what you seek, for what you seek you will find. The ego finds what it seeks, and only that. It does not find love, for that is not what it is seeking. Yet seeking and finding are the same, and if you seek for two goals you will find them, but you will recognize neither. You will think they are the same because you want both of them. The mind always strives for integration, and if it is split and wants to keep the split, it will still believe it has one goal by making it seem to be one. (ACIM, T-12.VII.6:1-8)

So, there we have it, straight from the Messiah's mouth. Jesus is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit of the Christ Mind, Mind of the Atonement, and/or Vishwapurusha, which didn't exist before the separation. He is, therefore, an atonement teaching device, rather than "the Only Begotten Son of God, seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven."

Got it?

Let's move on to the second Rik's fifth line, which now reads: indraś ca cetathaḥ sutānāṃ vājinīvasū tāvā yātanupa dravat vayav. Converted into English, those hallowed words communicate the following:

The Supreme Power of Love works through the awake-consciousness of the sacred Wholeness (or sound of the Holy Name) of the Vajin and Vasu, the Holy Powers of the atonement governing the waters flowing from the Voice for God.

ind-ras = The supreme power of love
ca = works through
cetathah = the awake-consciousness
su-tanam = of the sacred Wholeness (or, perhaps, suta-nam = of sound of the Holy Name)
vajinivasu = of the Vajin (the twin rays) and Vasu (the seven spirits or lamps?), the Holy Powers
tava = of the atonement
yat-anupa = governing the rivers or waters
dravat = streaming or flowing
vayav = from the Voice for God

This teaching is interesting for two reasons. Firstly, it defines Indra(s), the king of the gods in the Hindu pantheon, as the "supreme power of love." This is, in fact, Satya, because Divine Love or Agape is indeed the most powerful force in Creation. Secondly, it tells us that the shakti-force of God's Love works through the awake Christ Mind in Heaven, to wake up its sleeping parts through the Vajin and the Vasu. And these same Great Truths are expressed in the Course.

The Sukta's sixth line reads as follows: indraś ca sunvata ā yātanupa niṣkṛtam makṣv itthā dhiyā narā ||

The Supreme Power of Love works through the holy Lamp of God governing the waters  of the atonement to produce the sound bringing forth the radiance of Nara. 

Ind-ras = the Supreme Power of Love
ca = works through
su-n(i)vata = the holy lamp
a = of God
yatanupa = governing the waters
niskrtam = of the atonement
ma-ksv = to produce the sound (or humming in the ear)
ittha = bringing forth
dhiya = the light or radiance of
nara = Nara, the Red or Blood Ray

This verse actually reveals how the two atonement rays or "Lamps of God" work in partnership to dissolve the ego's delusive and destructive thought-system. In partnership with the Supreme Power of Love, the Water Ray produces the vibratory sound that eradicates the fearful thinking the Ego Mind inspires, thereby increasing the radiant power of Nara, the Blood Ray, underneath the illusion. I speak from experience when I say we feel that power in our heart chakras, while meditating on the Om vibration or Living Water -- as the image below of the light-filled "sacred heart" clearly illustrates.

In the Course, Jesus similarly calls the Great Rays the Lamps of God and/or Lamps of Heaven. In one place, he essentially parrots the Vedic verse under discussion:

No one can escape from illusions unless he looks at them, for not looking is the way they are protected. There is no need to shrink from illusions, for they cannot be dangerous. We are ready to look more closely at the ego’s thought system because together we have the lamp that will dispel it, and since you realize you do not want it, you must be ready. Let us be very calm in doing this, for we are merely looking honestly for truth. The “dynamics” of the ego will be our lesson for a while, for we must look first at this to see beyond it, since you have made it real. We will undo this error quietly together, and then look beyond it to truth. (ACIM, T-11.V.1:1-6)

If I'm not mistaken, this marks the first mention of "Nara" -- the Red Ray -- in the Rig Veda. Nara's partner, who isn't named herein, is indeed "the Holy Lamp of God governing the waters of the atonement." Nara's partner, the Water Ray, is called Narayana or Narayani in the Hindu literature. 

A watercolor painting from the British Museum depicting Nara (Ner) and Narayana (Narayan), who are said to be twin incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu is also sometimes worshipped as Narayana.

Nara and Narayana performing "tapas" -- the Atonement process described in Rv 1.2.6

The final three lines of the Sukta are generally cast as invocations. But are they? Let's find out. By my calculations, the first of the final three lines translates thusly:

To have peace, invoke the pure-minded Water of Joy working through the sound of eternal Wholeness by which the lamp (of the Water Ray) purifies the perception supporting darkness.

Mit-ram = To have peace
huve = invoke
putadaksam = the pure-minded
var-unam = Water of Joy 
ca = working through
ri-sada-sam =  the sound of eternal wholeness
dhiyam = by which the lamp (the Temple Menorah?)
ghrtacim = purifies the perception
sa-d(v)hanta = supporting darkness

What this verse describes is the second lesson of the Holy Spirit: "To have peace, teach peace to learn it." How do we teach peace? One way is by meditating on the Living Water with the right-minded intention of sharing it with everyone.

Or, to quote Course-Jesus:

Since you cannot NOT teach, your salvation lies in teaching the exact opposite of everything the ego believes. This is how you will learn the truth that will set you free, and will keep you free as others learn it of you. The only way to have peace is to teach peace. By teaching peace you must learn it yourself, because you cannot teach what you still dissociate. Only thus can you win back the knowledge that you threw away. An idea that you share you must have. It awakens in your mind through the conviction of teaching it. Everything you teach you are learning. Teach only love, and learn that love is yours and you are love. (ACIM, T-6.III.4:1-9)

While the words mitram and varunam are typically translated as god-names, I don't believe that's the correct interpretation in this case -- mainly because both words end in "m." And that "m" suggests (in my limited experience) either formal singularity (the Mitra) or possessiveness (Mitra's). The verse should also refer back in some way -- and also build on -- the previous teaching. And to suddenly invoke or introduce two gods not previously mentioned makes no sense whatsoever, either structurally or logically.

As used herein, Mitram is almost certainly a compound of "mit" (to have) and "ram" (peace). Although most Sanskrit dictionaries define Mitra as "friend" and Varuna as "water-god" or "Lord of the Waters," those definitions seem to stem from preconceived notions about these two deific forces. I say this because the syllables in the two names don't support those definitions. And Sanskrit is all about linking syllables to form words.

Besides which, as I said, this verse uses "mitram" and "varunum," which most translators gerrymander as "O Mitra" and "O Varuna" -- a total cop-out, in my humble opinion. "Mitram" also is said to mean "covenant," "oath," or "alliance," which makes more sense, but still misses the mark. Varunum, meanwhile, works best in context when divided as "var" and "unam," which means "Water of Joy."

Although Course-Jesus never uses the specific phrase "Water of Joy," he does express parallel ideas in the following excerpt from the Text:

This world of light, this circle of brightness is the real world, where guilt meets with forgiveness. Here the world outside is seen anew, without the shadow of guilt upon it. Here are you forgiven, for here you have forgiven everyone. Here is the new perception, where everything is bright and shining with innocence, washed in the waters of forgiveness, and cleansed of every evil thought you laid upon it. Here there is no attack upon the Son of God, and you are welcome. Here is your innocence, waiting to clothe you and protect you, and make you ready for the final step in the journey inward. Here are the dark and heavy garments of guilt laid by, and gently replaced by purity and love. (ACIM, T-18.IX.9:1-7) 

Marching onward, the Rik's second-to-last line reads: ṛtena mitrāvaruṇāv ṛtāvṛdhāv ṛtaspṛśā kratum bṛhantam āśāthe, which I've painstakingly worked out very differently than is the norm.

Equal in power, Mitra and Varuna are two parts of the holy mind defending the pervading truth given and received in the offering expanding the egg-shaped universe of God's Holy Creation.

rt-ena = equal in power
mi-trava-runav = Mitra and Varuna are two parts of
rtavrdh-av = the holy mind defending
rtasp-rasa = the pervading truth given and received
kratum = in the offering
brh-antam = expanding the egg-shaped universe (or Completion/Wholeness)
a-sathe = of God's Holy Creation

I really struggled with this one, largely because the words "rtavrdhav" and "rtasprasa" are generally believed to refer to "rta" -- a shorthand Vedic designation for Divine Law and Order, basically. To find the true definition of these words, I had to break that old mold. The verse now makes perfect sense, as well as speaks Satya. We can also now ascertain the following pertaining to the nature of the powers the Vedas call Mitra and Varuna. Mitra, the Blood Ray, is the "shakti" by which the Vishwepurusha bestows Peace, while Varuna, the Water Ray, is the "shakti" of Joy.

Ergo, Bible-Jesus (speaking as the manifest Vishwapurusha) is invoking the power of Mitra when he says to his disciples, in John 14:27:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.

And the final line reads kavī iti nah mitrāvaruṇā tuvijātā urukṣayā dakṣaṃ dadhāte apasam, which translates thusly:

Enlightenment (or Spiritual Sight) arises from the bringing together of Mitra (Peace), Varuna (Joy), and Indra (Love) in the Holy Meeting Place to bestow the Holy Instant given and received in brotherhood.

kavi = Enlightenment (or Holy Vision)
iti = arises from
nah =  the coming together or bringing together
mitra-varuna = Mitra and Varuna (the Great Rays of Peace and Joy)  
tuvi-jatau =  to give their light and strength
or, tuvijat-au = "tuvijat" means Lord Indra, the Supreme Power of Love and "au" designates the sacred-syllable, Om/Aum, so ... the sacred sound of the Supreme Power of Love 
uruksaya = in the Holy Meeting or Resting Place
da-ksam = to bestow the miracle, Holy Instant, or gift of forgiveness
dadhate = given and received
apasam = in fellowship, brotherhood, or one to another

Here, very importantly, the rishis identify the TRUE Holy Trinity as Peace (Mitra), Joy (Varuna), and Love (Indra). They also tell us enlightenment occurs when we bring these three together in the Holy Meeting Place. That is, in point of fact, why it's called "the Holy Meeting Place." In the Course, Jesus says a great deal along these same lines, some of which I've shared below:

Guilt feelings are the preservers of time. They induce fears of retaliation or abandonment, and thus ensure that the future will be like the past. This is the ego’s continuity. It gives the ego a false sense of security by believing that you cannot escape from it. But you can and must. God offers you the continuity of eternity in exchange. When you choose to make this exchange, you will simultaneously exchange guilt for joy, viciousness for love, and pain for peace. My role is only to unchain your will and set it free. Your ego cannot accept this freedom, and will oppose it at every possible moment and in every possible way. And as its maker, you recognize what it can do because you gave it the power to do it. (ACIM, T-5.VI.2:1-10)

Herein lies salvation, and nowhere else. Without attack thoughts I could not see a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love to return to my awareness, I will see a world of peace and safety and joy. And it is this I choose to see, in place of what I look on now. (ACIM, W-55.3:2-5) 

We state again the truth about your Self, the holy Son of God Who rests in you, whose mind has been restored to sanity. You are the spirit lovingly endowed with all your Father’s Love and peace and joy. You are the spirit which completes Himself, and shares His function as Creator. He is with you always, as you are with Him. (ACIM, W-97.2:1-4)

To know reality is not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and its beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the cost belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so immense that crucifixion of the Son of God is offered daily at its darkened shrine, and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers prepare to die.

Yet will one lily of forgiveness change the darkness into light; the altar to illusions to the shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy minds which God created as His Son, His dwelling place, His joy, His love, completely His, completely one with Him.

(ACIM, W-pII.12.4:1–5:2) 

What I'm seeing in my mind is an equation: Mitra + Varuna = Indra. What I'm getting with that image is the idea that, to awaken in the Holy Instant, we need to merge or marry the twin rays in the ever-present echo of Perfect Love. I've also been told this very recently in meditation. This marriage of the radiant energy in our hearts with the Water of Joy sounding in our head is, I suspect, "the sacred marriage" (of the spiritual Bridegroom and Bride) depicted in all the SYMBOLIC images below:

And on that auspicious note, I will conclude today's discussion. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments -- or shoot me an email at purushaprasada@gmail.com.

May peace, joy, and love be with you until we meet again. 

The Temple Menorah (Part 2): Jesus, the Golden Circle and the Great Rays

Before we resume our discussion of the Temple Menorah, let's spend a few minutes on the subject of Jesus Christ. As explained to some extent in the Course's Manuel for Teachers (MFT), Jesus Christ is but a symbol because a) all material form represents an underlying idea and b) there is no actual Jesus anymore. That "son of man" or "ego-scripted persona" we identify as "Jesus of Nazareth" burned away when the Soul playing that role in the dream-drama "downloaded" the Primordial Shiva on Mount Tabor (for those who know their scriptures).

What does Jesus symbolize? Many things, as it happens. Not the least of which is EVERYTHING we must BECOME and BELIEVE to see through the ego-projected illusion of earthly existence. As Jesus explains in the aforementioned MFT, he and his name BOTH represent the abstract and incomprehensible Divine Ideas of "agape," "grace," and "salvation" in a symbolic form our tiny human brains can assimilate.

Or, to quote Jesus himself:

There is nothing about me that you cannot attain. I have nothing that does not come from God. The main difference between us as yet is that I have NOTHING ELSE. This leaves me in a state of true holiness, which is only a POTENTIAL in you.

More abstractly conceived, Jesus represents the Primordial Shiva -- the Mind of the Atonement emanating from Param-Shiva, the "Son" or "Creation" aspect of the True Holy Trinity. That "Holy Spirit" (of Param-Shiva) came into the dream to show us the "steps" or "planes of perception" we came down and must now re-ascend to return to our rightful place in the First Holy Trinity. And this is among the ideas Jesus attempts to convey in John 14, wherein he tells his disciples (with a few translation corrections and notes):

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me [the Primordial Christ]. In My Father's house are many restful dwelling places [not mansions!]; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to my Self; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

Rightly interpreted, the Father's House to which he refers isn't Heaven proper; it's the Temple or Spiritual Body -- the House of God being "restored" within each of us through the Atonement process. The Greek word translated as "mansions" in the King James Bible was "monē," whose more accurate meaning is "dwelling place," "peaceful abode," or "resting place."

There are no grand houses in Heaven, my brother, because only the grandiosity-seeking Ego Mind would imagine it has need of a palatial dwelling-place in this world or the next.

Thus, Jesus alludes in John 14 to the "peaceful abode" or "resting place" each of us BECOMES in the Golden Circle, whilst giving and receiving the Living Water. That vibratory "water" is supplied by Param-Shiva through the Primordial Christ. By focusing on this "unstruck sound" in meditation, we "prepare a place" in the Circle of Atonement for everyone (just as Jesus did), including those who haven't yet consciously chosen to answer the Call to Awaken.

Right-mindedly perceived, this "monē" or "resting place" IS the Second Temple, which we "restore" through our willingness to include everyone in that hallowed circle in our minds. As Jesus explains in the Course, that Golden Circle represents the corporate body of Christ, which we restore to wholeness in the dream through inclusiveness, cooperation, giving, and sharing -- at the level of Mind, Heart, and Creative Will. As he also makes clear, that "corporate body" is the CHURCH referenced twice in the Gospel of Matthew and many times in the Book of Revelations.

Or, to quote Jesus directly:

The Church of God is only the sum of the Souls he created, which IS the corporate body of Christ.

He says more about this inner "resting place" in Workbook Lesson 109 (I rest in God), part of which reads:

You rest in God, and while the world is torn by winds of hate, your rest remains completely undisturbed. Yours is the rest of truth. Appearances cannot intrude on you. You call to all to join you in your rest, and they will hear and come to you because you rest in God. They will not hear another voice but yours because you gave your voice to God and now you rest in Him and let Him speak through you.

At the risk of overstating the obvious, the "voice" of which Christ speaks is the vibratory AUM. And that "unstruck sound" is the Living Water, which we drink metaphorically by going to the "resting place" in our minds and LISTENING. And by simply listening attentively, we simultaneously give and receive the Living Water of God's Grace to EVERYONE.

AUM = God's Voice, God's Word, and the Living Water

If you still doubt my interpretation of the "resting place" spoken of in John 14, consider what Jesus says at the end of Lesson 109: 

You rest within the peace of God today and call upon your brothers from your rest, to draw them to their rest along with you. You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest.

Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world and near as well -- your distant brothers and your closest friends -- bid them all enter here and rest with you You rest within the peace of God today, quiet and unafraid. Each brother comes to take his rest and offer it to you.

We rest together here, for thus our rest is made complete, and what we give today we have received already. Time is not the guardian of what we give today. We give to those unborn and those passed by, to every Thought of God, and to the Mind in Which these Thoughts were born and where they rest. And we remind them of their resting place each time we tell ourselves,
I REST IN GOD. 

Later in John 14, Jesus tells his disciples that he and the Father are ONE. He and the Father are ONE because Param-Brahman (the True Father) and Param-Shiva (the True Son) are wholly joined in Mind, Heart, and Will through the First and Second Covenants. And when we join our will with the Father's, as Jesus did, we, too, will become "at-one" with the God Mind.

Stated another way, these two eternally inseparable parts of the God Mind AGREE -- without reservation -- that the singular purpose of Heavenly Being is Perfect Creation (the First Covenant), while the intended purpose of earthly existence is seeking and finding the Way, the Truth, and the Light that leads out of the dream of hell (the Second Covenant). And, as Jesus says still later in John 14, he is -- or rather, symbolizes -- the Way, the Truth, and the Light as the Holy Spirit of Param-Shiva. And he brought that "Holy Spirit" or "Primordial Christ" into the Temple from the True Father to lead us back to Heaven.

If it helps, think of the two "covenants" between Father and Son this way:

Corporate Body of the First Covenant = Perfect Creation, Inc.
Corporate Body of the Second Covenant = Atonement, Inc.

To extend the corporate metaphor, the Golden Circle of Atonement, Inc. is where we go (in our minds) to buy and sell shares and to collect our dividends. To enter that beatific space, we must know the network password. That password is the name we share with God, as discussed (but not revealed) in Workbook Lessons 183 and 184. What is that name? There are several, actually. Some are names and some are more lengthy mantras, but ALL of them summon the Primordial Shiva "dancing" inside the Holy Temple in our minds.

If you're astute, you'll realize I've already given you some of these password, including the one Jesus recommends for Course students in the Manuel for Teachers. As he explains in Lesson 183, we enter the resting place by repeating that name in our minds as a Japa. As explained in my post on Yoga, the purpose of the practice of Japa is to absorb into our minds all that the name or mantra we're repeating represents.

If the Golden Circle could be seen, it might look something like the images below. It is, in fact, a state of mind rather than an actual place; a peaceful-yet-powerful state of heightened awareness in which we lose ourselves (quite literally) in the dulcet vocalizations of the Cosmic Choir.
  

All right, so ... everything I've posted thus far should make clear that the ultimate goal of the Atonement Plan is to realign our Creative Will with God's. To achieve this curricular goal, we must -- as Jesus emphasizes in the Bible AND the Course -- desire what God desires for us -- and nothing else -- at the level of Mind, Heart, and Will. 

Or, to quote Himself:

The soul's true functions are knowing, loving, and creating. The intrusion of the ability to perceive, which is inherently judgmental, was introduced only after the Separation. No one has been sure of anything since then. You will also remember that I made it very clear that the Resurrection was the return to knowledge, which was accomplished by the union of my will with the Father's.

We must, in other words, THINK only as the Father Thinks, LOVE only as the Father Loves, and WILL to create only as the Father would have us create. And, according to Jesus, how the Father would have us create is by joining our WILL with HIS to extend the Creative Force of Agape. Here on earth, we can't ride that big two-wheeler, because we excluded God from the dream. We can, however, ride that bike with training wheels on. And those training wheels are the miracles of grace we exchange when our Souls sing to each other in the Golden Circle.

And, just so we're clear, what God wants us to stop doing is MISCREATING by projecting our fearful thoughts outward as material objects and/or bodies to be feared, despised, exploited, blamed, attacked, eaten, eaten by, horded, and/or coveted.

And this leads us back to the Temple Menorah. Because it is through that at-one-ment mechanism that we realign our Minds, Hearts, and Wills with the True Father's -- backward step by backward step -- with a whole bunch of help from the Three, the Four, the Five, and the Seven.

As I see it, the downward steps we took were roughly these:

1. We forgot we are one with the God Mind (Seventh Plane)
2. We forgot we are one with the Christ-Self (Sixth Plane)
3. We forgot we are Souls rather than separate bodies and egos  (Fifth Plane)
4. We forgot that thought is the only causal forces and that thoughts must be BOTH shared and loving to create anything REAL (Fourth Plane)
5. We forgot to love God and each other more than our creative experiments (Third Plane)
6. We forgot the source and purpose of our Spiritual Being (Second Plane)
7. We forgot our reality as Spiritual Beings (First Plane)

Those seven veils of "forgetfulness" correspond with the "chakras" or "wheels of auspicious vision" running up the central channel of the Temple Menorah. And, like everything else the Great Deceiver gets his grubby mitts on, the function of those seven "chakras" has been distorted over time to keep us in the dark.

Before we move forward, let's step back a few paces to Jesus, the relatable "brand ambassador" for Atonement, Inc. He isn't just the public face of the corporation, however, because he also runs the corporation's earthly operations as the Holy Spirit of Param-Shiva. And yes, the Primordial Christ takes different forms for those unaware of or uncomfortable with the "Jesus" mascot for whatever reasons. BUT, for those of us doing the Course, Jesus is our go-to guy. So offer him a seat inside your mind and heart and get comfortable with your "Appointed Friend."

Or, if Jesus doesn't float your boat, make Shiva your new BFF ...

or Vishnu ...

or Durga, the Divine Mother ...

or the Blessed Virgin.

My point is that it doesn't matter which of these Holy Helpers we befriend or pray to for assistance because they're all the same. They're all manifestations of the SAME Divine Will; the SAME corporate Christ; and the SAME God -- the one and only TRUE Father and Creator of All That Exists. God isn't a shape-shifter. It's we humans who've given the Almighty many names and forms -- or convinced ourselves, through utter head-in-hole lunacy, that there is no Supreme Creator. 

Here this now, my sleepwalking brother: Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, and Sikhs don't worship different Gods; they worship the SAME Higher Power. They simply call that Supreme Being by different names and perceive its parental dynamics through slightly different lenses.

Got it? Good. Because at-one-ment (as the name implies) is the process through which the Primordial Shiva gets all these scattered fragments of its own being back together on the same page.

When Primordial Shiva entered the Temple -- through the "narrow gate" or "eye of the needle" Jesus passed through -- he brought into our dreaming minds the "spirits" or eternally united will and presence of Param-Brahman and Param-Shiva. And, on a foundational level, this is what the Blood and Water Rays represent. The Blood Ray or "Life Blood of Christ" is the part of us that's Param-Brahman -- the inner Light and Life of God, which grows more powerful and radiant (in our awareness) through the ego-undoing process. The Water Ray, meanwhile, is the part of us that's Christ -- the Mind of Param-Shiva in Heaven, whispering the Holy Thoughts it shares with Param-Brahman to its dreaming brothers through the communications portal connecting Heaven to the Temple.

Thus, the apparition Sister Faustina beheld wasn't Jesus, the guy who died on the cross for our sins; it was Jesus, the relatable "brand ambassador" for Atonement, Inc., extending "the bright rays of our Father's Love" into the Holy Resting Place inside our dreaming minds.

Jesus as the Primordial Christ, broadcasting the Great Rays of God's Love into the Temple.

What we see above is a reproduction of the original painting commissioned by Sister Faustina, who described what she saw first-hand to the artist she hired. Notice that the Blood Ray is on the left or west side, while the Water Ray is on the right or east. This order seemed backward to me at first; but now I see that the twin Rays work together as teaching-learning partners on both sides of the Menorah. On the left or west side of the lampstand -- the ego-thought portion -- the Water Ray implores the Soul to choose right. Once the Soul is free of its Ego Mind fetters, it moves to the right, east, or Upper Water side of the Menorah, And on that side of the lampstand, the Blood Ray teaches the Christ in us to peel away the remaining layers of separation-mindedness.

Trust me; this will all make more sense when I illustrate how the Temple Menorah actually operates. But I'm not going to do that in this installment. Instead, I'm going to discuss how these same ideas are presented in the ancient scriptural texts of Hinduism.

In the Rigveda, the oldest of the four Vedas (dating to about 1500 BCE), the Blood and Water Rays are accurately characterized as both substances and devas. As in Zechariah's vision, they are BOTH the trees (devas) and the "oils" (substances) those "Holy Spirits" pour into the Golden Bowl atop the Menorah.

Shakti -- a feminine personification of the Creative Force of Grace -- pours "manna" (Soma and Amrita combined) into, noteworthily, a GOLDEN BOWL held by Lord Shiva, the Primordial Christ figure of Hinduism.

When represented as devas, the Great Rays are the "primordial cosmic consorts" the Rigveda identifies as Agni and Chandra. When represented as substances, the twin rays are Amrita, the elixir of immortality, and Soma, which is widely (and egoically) presumed to be some sort of hallucinogenic plant enlightened sages once consumed in liquid form. Soma's wrong-minded association with plants can be attributed to a mistranslation of the Sanskrit word "virudh," which CAN mean "creeping plant" or "inferior-order vegetation," but is more accurately defined as "that which opposes."

Thus, Soma is the Living Water of Higher Reason that cleanses the Soul of the lower-mind thought-system (prakriti) which opposes Divine Law and Order or Rti. We absorb that split-healing "water" into our world-projecting minds by listening -- with the inner-ears of our Souls -- to the Aum vibration, Voice for God, ever-present echo, or Song of Heaven (chose your preferred nomenclature).

Compare my understanding of what Soma is to the following quotation from Rigveda 8.48.3:

We have drunk the soma; we have become immortal; we have gone to the light; we have found the gods. What can hostility do to us now, and what the malice of a mortal, o immortal one?

 

Lord Chandra, the personified Water Ray, who has NOTHING to do with plants

When personified as a deva, Soma is called Lord Chandra, the moon-god who drives an antelope-drawn chariot across the night sky. At the most basic level, the moon represents the Soul, whose intuitive knowing or "gnosis" lights the darkness or "night sky" of earthly existence, thereby dissolving the illusion of duality. The antelopes pulling Chandra-dev's "vehicle" represent the Saving Grace through which the partnering Holy Spirits of Father and Son bring forward that illuminating awareness in the upside-down Realm of Perception. Note that Chandra-dev, like Lord Vishnu, holds the cudgel of Higher Truth that "stupefies" the lower mind's thought-system, as well as the golden "kamandalu" or "loti" containing the Living Water.

In the Rider-Waite Tarot, the Mem Ray is anthropomorphized in female form as THE HIGH PRIESTESS. Notice the symbolic similarities between the image on the card and the one above of Chandra-dev. Notice also how the hem of her skirts resemble falling water, with a waxing crescent moon propped in the southeast corner.

Like the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol and the sphinxes on THE CHARIOT card, the pillars behind THE HIGH PRIESTESS represent dualistic perception. The letters B and J stand for "Boaz" and "Jachim," the names given the massive pillars that reportedly stood on either side of the entrance to the Temple of Solomon -- the first Temple of Jerusalem or First Covenant, which our projection of duality or "opposites" destroyed.

The seven pomegranates on the screen behind THE HIGH PRIESTESS are also significant, both in meaning and number. Pomegranates symbolize resurrection, as well as the Eternal Light and Life of God within all lifeforms. In the realm of earthly existence, that "ruby-fruit" or Life Blood of the Christ-Self is hidden by the husk of outward appearances. Thus, the pomegranates represent the Water Ray's ever-present twin, consort, or sanity-restoring partner, the Blood Ray. In the Vedas, that "consort" is personified as Agni, who we'll talk more about in my next post and a little further down in this one.

Just as in Hinduism, the Blood and Water Rays are dually depicted in the Rider-Waite Tarot as paired devas and paired healing energies. As devas, they are STRENGTH and THE HIGH PRIESTESS. As energies, they are THE SUN and THE MOON.

In Rigvedic hymn titled "Agni-Soma," we are told in highly symbolic language:

AGNI and Soma, mighty Pair, graciously hearken to my call,

Accept in friendly wise my hymn, and prosper him who offers gifts.

The man who honours you to-day, Agni and Soma, with this hymn,

Bestow on him heroic strength, increase of kine, and noble steeds.

The man who offers holy oil and burnt oblations unto you,

Agni and Soma, shall enjoy great strength, with offspring, all his life.

When the Vedic sages say "heroic strength" or "great strength," they mean the spiritual muscle our burgeoning awareness of our Spiritual Self increasingly supplies. When they say "increase of kine (cattle)," they mean increase in the number of other Souls "singing" the Song of Heaven to us like lowing cattle. When they encourage us to "offer holy oil and burnt oblations" unto Agni and Soma, they mean for us to make these offerings at the level of mind. We offer "holy oil" by inviting others to join us in the Golden Circle. We offer "burnt oblations" by releasing -- to the fires of purification -- our attachment to the wrong-minded ideas and resentments that block God's Light. And finally, when the Rigvedic rishis say those who offer these gifts will enjoy "offspring" for the rest of their lives, they don't mean those faithful Souls will have many children; they mean they will reap the fruits of the thought-gifts they sow in the world through Agni and Soma.

And St. Paul says pretty much the same thing in Galatians 6:8-10, which reads:

The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Paul's use of the phrase "family of believers" echoes something Jesus says in Mark 3:31-35, which I suspect is a serious head-scratcher for Christians who've swallowed the "Family Values" Kool-Aid. Although it's a bit off-topic, let's look at this group of verses, because they're actually exceedingly instructive, as well as highly evocative of Christ's teachings in the Course.

To set the stage, Jesus is in someone's house, surrounded by his disciples and a sizeable group of people who've gathered to hear him speak.

There came then his brethren (brothers) and his mother and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him. And the multitude sat about him, and they said unto him, "Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee."

And he [Jesus] answered them, saying, "Who is my mother, or my brethren?" And he looked round about on them which sat about him, and said, "Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." Then he looked at those seated in the CIRCLE around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother."

Why does Jesus rebuke his relations when they come to see him? For two reasons, mainly. The first, which is less important, is that his mother and brothers have come NOT to hear him speak, but to cart him off to the looney bin. This isn't stated or even implied in Mark's telling of the story, but it IS explained in other versions I've read. Furthermore, what other reason would his relations have to stand outside, calling for him to come out, rather than going inside?

The second and more important reason Jesus says what he says is to let us know that family relationships, being of the body and ego, are SPECIAL, rather than HOLY. That he looks around the CIRCLE is a symbolic gesture. The people in the room in this allegory symbolize the Souls in the Golden Circle of Souls, doing God's Will by joining together to listen to His Holy Word.

So not all that off-topic after all. And while you chew on that little perception-correcting nugget, let's circle back to the Rigvedic tribute to Agni and Soma, which rather abstrusely continues as follows:

Agni and Soma, famed is that your prowess wherewith ye stole the kine, his food, from Pani.

My translation = working as partners, Agni and Soma will one day overpower the Ego Mind and take back the parts of the Christ Mind it stole away with its fear-based "food" or thought-system. 

In the Shatapatha Brahmana, an ancillary text of the Yajur Veda (Verse 24, 1.6.3), we are told:

The sun, indeed, relates to Agni, and the moon to Soma; the day relates to Agni, and the night to Soma; the waxing half-moon relates to Agni and the waning one to Soma.

In my much-earlier post on Genesis, I explained that "day" is scriptural "code" for the Greater Light the Spirit of God shines into the dream to wake us up, while "night" refers to the darkness of inverted perception. In those dark waters of fear, Elohim placed the "lesser light" -- the Divine Spark, Soul, or Atman, thereby restoring our connection to the Greater Light. In more modern terms, Elohim set up the base tower and gave us all iPhones, but the cellular signal couldn't span the distance between Heaven and Earth. To bridge the gap, the Powers That Be needed a satellite station somewhere in the middle that could both send and receive. And that's the mission Jesus fulfilled by ascending -- and STILL fulfills as the Primordial Christ.

In this diagram of the phases of the moon, notice that the waxing half-moon (which relates to Agni), is at the top and lit from the east, while the waning half-moon (which relates to Soma) is on the bottom, and lit from the west.

When the author of the Shatapatha Brahmana says, "The sun, indeed, relates to Agni, and the moon to Soma; the day relates to Agni, and the night to Soma; the waxing half-moon relates to Agni and the waning one to Soma," he means the source of Agni's power is the Greater Light of God, which shines into the Temple from the EAST (as shown in the diagram above). That Soma relates to the night and the waning half-moon tells us his power comes from the lesser light in the WEST -- the Divine Spark in us that grows in power and brightness as we follow the example, study the teachings, and "drink" the Living Water of the Primordial Christ -- our "Appointed Friend," "Savior," and/or "Good Shepherd" in the lower waters of perception. 

Makes sense, right?

This stuff isn't just scriptural rhetoric. It's incredibly important and exceedingly instructive -- but ONLY if it's interpreted correctly. And it seldom is, unfortunately -- even by so-called learned clerics. Or, should I say, ESPECIALLY by so-called learned clerics? 

As the outwardly projected "reflection" of the lesser light, the moon actually maps the "phases" of our descent and eventual deliverance from the "darkness," "ignorance," or "maya" of dualistic perception. As you study the diagram above, remember that, in the Nativity Story, the Wise Men or Three Kings came from the EAST to honor the Christ Child in the WEST, who was born in humble circumstances, but under a brilliant star.

Now compare all I've just explained to what Jesus says below, which concludes the epilogue to the Workbook for Students:

Let us wait here in silence, and kneel down an instant in our gratitude to Him Who called to us and helped us hear His Call. And then let us arise and go in faith along the way to Him. Now we are sure we do not walk alone. For God is here, and with Him all our brothers. Now we know that we will never lose the way again. The song begins again which had been stopped only an instant, though it seems to be unsung forever. What is here begun will grow in life and strength and hope, until the world is still an instant and forgets all that the dream of sin had made of it.

Let us go out and meet the newborn world, knowing that Christ has been reborn in it, and that the holiness of this rebirth will last forever. We had lost our way but He has found it for us. Let us go and bid Him welcome Who returns to us to celebrate salvation and the end of all we thought we made. The morning star of this new day looks on a different world where God is welcomed and His Son with Him. We who complete Him offer thanks to Him, as He gives thanks to us. The Son is still, and in the quiet God has given him enters his home and is at peace at last.

If the map of the lunar phases were a compass, the New Moon (Amavasya in the Vedas) would represent DUE EAST. If it were the face of a clock, the New Moon would occur at 3 o'clock. It's no accident that Jesus died on the cross at 3 o'clock sharp, because nothing happens by chance in God's Plan. The importance the number three played in that world-changing event was reinforced by the number of crosses on Calvary Hill, the age of Jesus at the time of his death (33), and the number of days it took his liberated Christ-Self to "rise from the dead."

When viewed as a packet, these elements send a strong message. That message is that Elohim activated the Atonement Plan on schedule, in accordance with God's Will and Plan. That activation was slated to occur when the Wheel of Earthly Existence was in its darkest phase -- and, like the New Moon in the diagram, also closest to the Greater Light. The implied subtext is that God's Plan will move forward like clock-work, as long as we don't interfere through the misuse of free will.

The Rigveda and Shatapatha Brahmana also say Soma would enter the waters of the world at the New Moon -- when humankind was in its darkest phase. Thereafter, he would remain "ama vas," which means "shared dwelling" or "home." And again, we are talking about the Holy Resting Place where we gather together within the EVERLASTING ARMS of God and Christ to share the Living Water that feeds our Souls and leads them out of the darkness together

Keeping all this in mind, take a look at the image below -- a close-up view of the center of the Buddhist "Bhavacakra" or "Wheel of Earthly Existence." The symbolism should be self-explanatory. If not, don't worry, because we'll discuss the Bhavacakra in more detail later on.

Let's now circle back to Zechariah's vision of the Golden Lampstand, many renderings of which can be found on the Internet. Unfortunately, none I came across accurately replicate what the prophet described. The one below gets closest, but it still isn't completely correct, because it shows the trees flanking the lampstand (instead of just the bowl). The artist also has added a random crucifix at the top, which played no part in Zechariah's vision.

Still, the image will suffice. As in most such illustrative efforts, we see the lampstand as a "menorah" with the seven oil-fueled lamps (not candles) running across the top. This is because the Hebrew word translated into English as "lampstand" throughout the Old Testament was, in fact, "menorah." BUT the menorah Zechariah saw was almost certainly the same one Moses and Solomon were instructed to fashion by Yahweh-Elohim and King David, respectively. And that menorah, whose arms and stem were decorated with golden almond blossoms, was designed to cast its light forward (into the illusion), rather than upward. The image below conveys the general idea.

The instructions given to Moses by Yahweh-Elohim in Exodus 25:31-40 follow. I've highlighted the passages generally ignored or overlooked by scholars, illustrators, and reconstructionists. 

Make a lampstand of pure gold. Hammer out its base and shaft, and make its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms of one piece with them. Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand -- three on one side and three on the other. Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. And on the lampstand are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair -- six branches in all. The buds and branches shall be all of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

As you assimilate these instructions, take another look at the drawing of the bowl atop the lampstand. Does it not resemble a chalice or grail? What the Angel of the Presence showed Zechariah was, in fact, the Chalice of the Atonement spoken of by Jesus in the Course. The cup he passed at the Last Supper also symbolized that inner Grail, Chalice, or Bowl of Redemption. Thus, the legendary quest for the Holy Grail is a purely internal exercise. Much to the chagrin of ego-duped treasure hunters, historians, and archaeologists alike, the TRUE Holy Grail will NEVER be found in the projected illusion of solid matter.

In the Rider-Waite Tarot, what the Holy Grail TRULY represents is depicted on the ACE OF CUPS card. The dove symbolizes the Spirit of Grace, the wafer represents the Blood Ray (depicted as the Transubstantiated Eucharist embodying the body and blood of Jesus Christ) and the steaming water exemplifies the Water Ray. The pool into which the Living Water flows signifies the lower waters of mind, wherein the "lotuses" or "water lilies" of purified perception first begin to bloom. What the "W" on the cup represents is something of a mystery. My best guess, based on what Jesus says in the Course, is that it stands for "Wholeness" -- the perceptual "cure" for separation-mindedness or dualistic perception.

In the following quote from the Course, Jesus affirms some of what I've just explained (the boldfaced emphasis is mine):

For perfect effectiveness, the chalice of the Atonement belongs at the center of the Inner Altar, where it undoes the Separation, and restores the wholeness of the Spirit. Before the Separation, the mind was invulnerable to fear, because fear did not exist. Both the Separation AND the fear were MISCREATIONS of the mind, which have to be undone. This is what the Bible means by the 'Restoration of the Temple.' It DOES NOT mean the restoration of the building, but it DOES mean the opening of the altar to receive the Atonement.

The Inner Altar of which he speaks is the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of Holies within the Temple. Like the Bowl of Redemption shown to Zechariah, that Inner Altar sits atop the Golden Lampstand. And again, that Lampstand, Menorah, or "Lamp of God" represents the Inner Instrument the Primordial Christ employs to turn our upside-down perception right-side-up again. The referenced Holy of Holies forms the "peak" or "capstone" of the upright Purusha Triangle in the Seal of Solomon and/or Star of David. That "capstone" is the same one referenced in Zechariah's vision. As you'll observe in the image below, that capstone extends above the base of the inverted "Prakriti" triangle.

PURUSHA CAPSTONE = Highest Perception

PRAKRITI NADIR = lowest perception

The Perceptual Capstone encompasses the three Upper Water planes representing Soul Consciousness, Christ Consciousness, and Grace Consciousness. Our access to those planes is blocked by the wrong-minded beliefs and misplaced resentments curtaining the three higher chakras (Vishuddha, Ajna, and Sahasrara). Rightly understood, the "chakras" are the "windows" through which we look into the Temple. They are, therefore, the "seven eyes of God" seen and described by the Biblical prophets Zechariah and John the Elder.

An early depiction of the seven-eyed Lamb of God described in the Book of Revelations.

If the capstone could be seen on its own, it might look something like the image below. The eye within the triangle is the "single eye" or "spiritual eye" through which Christ's Vision is restored to us on the Sixth Plane. That plane is aptly represented by the Ajna or Third-Eye Chakra. Through that "single" or "all-seeing" eye, we gaze INWARD, into the Temple or Spiritual Body, rather than OUTWARD, into the Ego Mind's projected illusion of separate bodies and objects. The seven beams radiating outward from the capstone are the seven spirits that light the seven lamps of the Temple Menorah. As witnessed by John the Elder in the Book of Revelations, those seven spirits or lamps sit before the Throne of God's Spirit on the Seventh Plane. By my calculations, that "Chariot Throne" occupies the peak of the Purusha Triangle. That peak is represented by the Sahasrara or Crown Chakra, which is described in Hinduism as a thousand-petaled lotus.

In the cosmogony of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, that same capstone, Inner Altar, or Tabernacle is depicted as a sacred five-peaked mountain known as Mount Meru or Mount Sumeru (among other similar names). A Sanskrit word, "meru" means "spine," while the prefix "su" is generally translated as "wonderful" or "excellent." More accurately, "su" is a root word meaning "to swell," "to make ready," or "to prepare." 

Angkor Wat, the ancient City of Temples in Cambodia, was built to replicate Mount Sumeru in the material world.

Thus, Mount Sumeru represents the capstone atop the "spine" of the Spiritual Body, which we reach only after being prepared through the ego-undoing process. If the Menorah represents that ethereal body's skeletal structure (and it absolutely does), then its trunk or stem is the "spine" of that sanity-restoring mechanism.

Makes sense, right? It also explains why so much ego-inspired "level confusion" exists between this completely invisible spiritual "skeleton" and the physical body and spine.

In the relevant allegories, Mount Sumeru is correctly depicted as the place where Lord Surya sits on his Chariot Throne, surrounded by the Lokapalas or Chaturmaharaja -- the Four Great Kings said to guard the Cardinal Directions. In a future post, we'll talk about those Four Great Kings and what they do. And yes, they're in the Bible, too (as well as the Islamic Qur'an and the Taoist I Ching). So they're actually pretty important.

In the meantime, just know that Mount Sumeru represents the reigning center or "Throne Room" of the Holy Spirit of Param-Brahman within our dreaming minds. That Throne Room is located on the Seventh Plane of Pure Grace, where, according to the Course, we briefly perceive the "Real World" before returning to Heaven proper through the direct revelation of God. 

Surya-dev, the Spirt of God's Greater Light, in his horse-drawn chariot

 

The image above depicts Lord Surya seated upon a "Chariot Throne" drawn by seven white horses. Like the beams emanating from the dove in Christian iconography, Surya-dev's horses represent the Seven Graces or Spirits that "drive" the at-one-ment machine. In Hinduism, interestingly, Surya's chariot has a driver. According to the lore, that driver is Aruna, the elder brother of Garuda, the giant eagle-like bird or "vahana" associated with Lord Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu astride Garuda

The 19th-century Buddhist painting below shows Lord Surya enthroned on Mount Sumeru, surrounded by the Four Heavenly Kings (the four figures in smaller discs occupying the prime compass points around Lord Surya). Note that the peak of Mount Sumeru occupies the space between Heaven proper (where the winged figures sit on clouds) and "earth" (the wheel below Mount Sumeru). Also note that the sacred mountain, Inner Altar, or Capstone of the Purusha Triangle rises out of the CENTER of the earthly "wheel."

The image above of Mount Sumeru bears an uncanny resemblance to the one below illustrating a vision recorded in the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel. Later in the series, we'll explore Ezekiel's vision and the otherworldly symbols and creatures shown to the Hebrew prophet by Elohim.

Elohim, as the Spirit of God appeared to Ezekiel

The Wikipedia article from which I downloaded the Buddhist image of Mount Sumeru erroneously identified the enthroned central figure as Lord Indra, the deity described as "King of the Devas" in Hinduism. Subsequent research revealed a great deal of confusion surrounding Lords Surya and Indra, both in terms of what each represents and their relationship to one another. So let's untangle those two wires before moving on.

In the scriptural texts of Hinduism, Lord Surya is identified as the deva or "god" of the sun AND the sunbeams. The sun and beams he "rules" and/or personifies are not, however, the physical sun and its ultraviolet emissions. Rightly perceived, Surya-dev represents the Spiritual Sun and the healing Rays or Graces that Greater Light emits into the Inner Instrument (from the Seventh Plane). The physical sun is, in fact, a hallow reflection or holographic copy of that inner Greater Light. Brahma/Ego manifested (projected outward) the Greater Light's inferior material replica to give light, warmth, and color to the barren desert of earthly existence. Some Hindu scriptures correctly identify the physical sun as the dwelling place of Brahma, as it is through solar EMR that the Ego Mind maintains the illusion of physicality (as per the Ascended Masters who dictated The Disappearance of the Universe to Gary R. Renard)..

Here's the bottom line:

Surya-dev = the Spirit of the Greater Light of God

working in the dream-realm FROM the Inner Altar, Purusha Capstone, or Mount Sumeru

THEREFORE,

Surya-dev = Elohim

Lord Indra riding Airavata

The image above depicts Lord Indra mounted on his "vahana" -- the white elephant known as Airavata. Dubbed the "king of elephants," Airavata is generally described (but rarely depicted) as having five heads, four tusks, and seven trunks. If I'm not mistaken, those heads, tusks, and trunks represent the five Elohim powers, the four Heavenly Kings, and the Seven Spirits before the throne. Without going into too much detail, Lord Indra's elephant symbolizes God's Atonement Plan and its implementation team, before and after the New Moon. 

In the vertical at-one-ment pecking order, Lord Indra sits below Surya-dev (on the Sixth Plane). Because Indra is the force of Divine Will and Power that drives the Great Plan, he is considered the King of the Devas or the First Holy Power of Surya-dev. He is, however, a "banked" or "background" force of sorts, because he rarely acts directly within the Temple. Thus, it is up to us to strengthen Aleph's power and authority in the dream-realm, by absorbing the Living Water into our minds. And that we do by listening to the Aum vibration or Voice for God in the Holy Meeting Place.

As the force of God's Will and Authority resident in the dream-realm, Indra does exert his quiet and irresistible influence at all times through Airavata. Like the other Second Trinity emanations, Indra also delegates his lower-water operations to his "consort."

In some Hindu myths, Lord Indra's consort is Shachi, the queen of the devas whose name means "grace." In the Rigveda, his chief consort is identified as Agni -- the two-headed, axe-wielding personification of the Seven Spirits of God's Greater Light (not fire!). Agni's two heads and axes tell us he works on both sides of the Temple Menorah to strengthen the Light of God in our dreaming minds. By pairing him with Chandra, the personified Water Ray, the Vedic rishis make known that Agni personifies the Blood Ray.

Agni is NOT the god of fire, as the Great Deceiver and his agents would have us believe

In the Hindu scriptures and lore, Lord Indra's chief weapon is described as a diamond-hard thunderbolt-thrower called Vajra. Typically interpreted as a symbol of the indestructible and irresistible force of God's Will and Authority (which it is, in a sense), Indra's Vajra more directly symbolizes the Atonement itself -- the only defense against the Ego Mind (according to Jesus) the Separated Ones could NOT turn into a two-edged sword.

The Vajra is first mentioned in the following allegory from Rigveda 1:32:
 

Now I describe the glorious deeds of Indra, who holds Vajra. He killed the serpent and made waters flow. He broke the hearts of mountains. He killed the serpent, which was taking refuge in mountain. Tvashta made the Vajra for him. Like the cows making sounds, flowing waters reached the sea. Mighty Indra chose Soma, and drank from three containers. Generous Indra held Vajra in his hand, and killed first born among the serpents.

What the serpent represents should be obvious. The less-evident symbols can be read as follows:

The mountains = the projected illusion of visible matter, in which fearful thought (Ego) takes refuge

The Flowing Waters = the Living Water of God's Grace, which "reached the sea" after Tvashta (the Spirit of Grace) made the Vajra for Indra (i.e., brought the Blood and Water Rays into the lower waters through Jesus)

Like the cows making sounds = the low hum of the Aum vibration

Also know that the mountains referenced herein are the same ones the Angel of the Presence mentions to Zechariah in these words: “What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel [the Primordial Christ] you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone [of the Purusha Triangle] to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’”

The message the Angel attempts to convey is this: When the illusion of form is wholly dissolved through the Blood Ray, which restores Christ's Vision to us, we will be granted the final capstone experience of perceiving the world (through the single eye) as the experiential at-one-ment classroom it really is (the Real World, in Course terms) before returning to God through direct revelation.

Getting back to the Rigvedic account of Indra's triumph over the demons of darkness and drought, the three containers from which he drank the Soma are the bowls belonging to the Second Trinity powers. Those bowls are filled when our Soul joins minds with other Souls through the Aum vibration. "Mighty Indra chose Soma" means, more or less, "not by power and might, but by my Spirit will the destruction of the Ego Mind come about." So, essentially, the Rigveda echoes what the Angel of the Presence told Zechariah AND what Jesus says throughout the Course, which is this: To save ourselves, we must be willing to save everyone else, too.

Jesus especially imparts this idea in Workbook Lesson 137 (When I am healed, I am not healed alone). The first two paragraphs of this critical lesson read as follows (with my added emphasis):

Today’s idea remains the central thought on which salvation rests. For healing is the opposite of all the world’s ideas which dwell on sickness and on separate states. Sickness is a retreat from others, and a shutting off of joining. It becomes a door that closes on a separate self, and keeps it isolated and alone.

Sickness is isolation. For it seems to keep one self apart from all the rest, to suffer what the others do not feel. It gives the body final power to make the separation real, and keep the mind in solitary prison, split apart and held in pieces by a solid wall of sickened flesh, which it can not surmount.

What Jesus says herein seems to contradict his instructions elsewhere to "give up the world," "separate ourselves from every aspect of the illusion," and transform ALL our "special" relationships into holy ones. How do we "give up the world" and our ego-body relationships without isolating ourselves from other people? The answer is simple, actually -- but requires more upright perception than most vocal Course students and teachers possess at present.

That simple answer, which Jesus explains repeatedly, is this: We isolate ourselves whenever we interact with other people at the level of egos and bodies, and JOIN when we communicate at the level of SOULS and/or MINDS. Before we are "healed" -- i.e., reach the Sixth Plane of True Perception -- we join with others at the level of MIND in the Golden Circle or Holy Meeting Place. Only after we are Christ-Realized can we right-mindedly operate in the world as embodied teachers and miracle-workers.

Jesus affirms my interpretation in the two prayers in Lesson 137, which read:

When I am healed, I am not healed alone, and I would share that healing with all the world, that sickness may be banished from the mind of God's One Son, who is my only Self.

And,

When I am healed, I am not healed alone. And I would bless my brothers, for I would be healed with them as they are healed with me.

I often use these prayers to begin my daily Golden Circle exercises, because that's what they're really for -- i.e., expressing our intention to share the Living Water we receive (by listening to the Aum) with all our brothers in Christ.

When we join with others in the Golden Circle, we 1) forge Holy Relationships with other people and 2) share the Chalice of the Atonement with them. This healing exchange of "gullah" chalices between Souls is beautifully depicted on the TWO OF CUPS in the Rider-Waite Tarot.

TWO OF CUPS

Remember that simple Menorah graphic I shared earlier in this post? Well, practicing the Golden Circle exercises in Lessons 109 and 137 (among others) is how we eventually join the two innermost branches of SHARED MIND. And we can practice those exercises even if we don't yet hear the Aum vibration. Practicing them will, in fact, train our inner-ears to detect that ever-present Holy Stream of Sound. You will, however, need a suitable name, word, or mantra to use as a Japa.

If you're doing the Course, the recommended Japa is Jesus Christ (as explained in the Manual for Teachers). If you're uncomfortable with Jesus, you can use "Aum," "Amen," "Hamsa," "Soham," or any other word or name symbolizing the Primordial Christ. You can also use the popular and powerful Hindu mantra, "Om namah Shivaya," which translates, more or less, as "I bow to Shiva." What it means in a broader sense is "I invite the Primordial Shiva in me to come forward and act as my teacher and guide."

Let's get back to the story of Lord Indra's defeat of the Ego Mind. An expanded version of the Rigvedic allegory appeared much later in the Puranas, the recorded myths of ancient India. As the Puranic story is told, two Asuras (demons) -- Namuchi and Vritra -- removed all the light and water from the earth, making it inhospitable to Living Beings (our Souls). In this desert landscape, Indra (God's Will to end the dream) battled these demons and their armies unsuccessfully for some time before calling upon Vishnu for aid. After informing Indra that only a FORMLESS weapon (one made of THOUGHT, rather than liquid or solid) could drive out the Asuras, Vishnu asked Tvashta, the maker of divine implements, to fashion such a weapon for Indra.

The weapon Tvashta created was Vajra, which threw thunderbolts (i.e., light and sound powerful enough to silence the Asuras). Eventually, Indra prevailed against Namuchi and used Vajra to restore light and moisture to the barren earth.

Reproductions of Vajra, like the one above, are often displayed in Hindu and Buddhist temples.

The symbols in the Puranic story should be apparent by now. In case they're not, Namuchi, who brought darkness into the world, represents FEAR, while Vritra symbolizes the fear-inspired idea of "lack," "famine," or "scarcity." That idea, projected outward, turned the dream-world into a waterless desert. Vajra's demon-silencing bolts of light and sound are, of course, the Blood and Water Rays. According to Hindu lore, Tvashta also fashioned the cup containing those healing "elixirs." Tvashta is, therefore, a personified aspect of the Spirit of God in its dream-repurposing role.

The Rigvedic and Puranic allegories, coupled with Indra's vahana and red complexion, strongly support my theory that he is the Hindu equivalent of Aleph -- the Father's Will and Power Aspect of the Atonement Trinity. And this is probably why Indra and Surya-dev are so often mixed up.

That Indra is an aspect, emanation, agent, or emissary of Surya-dev is also confirmed in the Rigveda (when the symbols are read correctly). In Chapter 8 of that scared text, we learn that Indra took a "wheel" or "chakra" from Surya's chariot. He, in fact, took the FIRST "wheel" -- the Muladhara Chakra -- whose cleansing the Aleph Power facilitates by sounding the magnetic Call to Awaken. The relevant Vedic passage reads as follows, in the usual highly allegorical scriptural language:
. 

What time ye came with strong steeds swiftly speeding, O Usana and Indra, to the dwelling, Thou camest thither -- conquering together with Kutsa and the Gods: thou slewest Susna. One chariot-wheel of the Sun thou rolledst forward, and one thou settest free to move for Kutsa. Thou slewest noseless Dasyus with thy weapon, and in their home o'erthrewest hostile speakers.

What does it mean? Not what most unilluminated interpreters suppose. Right-mindedly decoded, the symbols translate as follows:

O'Usana = the Primordial Shiva

Indra = the Aleph Aspect of Elohim -- the power of God's Will and Plan at work in time

The dwelling = the Temple, Spiritual Body, or House of God

Kutsa = the Truth-seeking Jiva or Atman

Susna = the demon of "drought" that makes the dream-world a barren, waterless desert

Chariot-Wheel of the Sun = the double-ringed "chakras" of the four Great Kings

Noseless Dasyus = the bodiless and snake-like "enemy" that is the Great Deceiver

Thy weapon = the Vajra used by Lord Indra to slay Susna/Vritra) and free the "rivers" or "waters" (of God's Thoughts) from imprisonment in the deceptive dream of mortal existence.

The final line of the cited Rigvedic passage -- Thou slewest noseless Dasyus with thy weapon, and in their home o'erthrewest hostile speakers -- basically means that the force of God's Will, acting in the dream through Aleph, the Father of the Second Trinity, will use the anointing oils of atonement to overthrow (o'erthrowest) the Ego Mind.

Vajrayogini, a Buddhist personification of the Great Rays working together as Kundalini

In Tibetan Buddhism, the twin powers emanating from Lord Indra's Vajra are personified as Vajrayogini. Noteworthily, Vajrayogini is said to embody the Kundalini energy that helps us clear the chakras, rather than the Ida and Pingala nadis said to entwine the Sushumna to help Kundalini ascend.

The Ida and Pingala nadis depicted in their serpentine forms

A key figure in Tantric or Esoteric Buddhism, Vajrayogini is described as "the queen of wisdom" and "the essence of all Buddhas." Meditation upon her deific persona reportedly brings escape from physical death, "bardo" (the between-lives state of being), and rebirth or samsara. Rightly understood, death, bardo, and rebirth are all cycles in the at-one-ment learning-unlearning process. According to Jesus, the Spirit of God introduced these cycles into the dream-realm so our Souls could improve their Karmic Records. Thus, to escape death, bardo, and rebirth is to be liberated from the dream-state of earthly existence.

Reflecting her Blood Ray half, Vajrayogini is usually depicted as deep red in color with the auspicious eye of Holy Vision on her forehead. Hair flowing freely, she stands inside the fiery ring of exalted wisdom, drinking blood from the skull-cup in her left hand, whilst using the Vajra-handled blade in her right to cut away the illusion of duality. Her "consort," Cakrasamyara (the personified Wheel of Samsara), rests on her left shoulder (the lower-water side of the Menorah). Under her feet are two vanquished figures -- a Kali-like demon of war and death and a black Bhairava representing the "dreadful enemies" of greed, lust, and anger that prevent us from seeking God within.

Notice how closely the Buddhist depiction of Vajrayogini resembles the image on the Tarot card of THE WORLD. Notice also that the figure on the card holds two wands, representing right-minded and wrong-minded Creative Will. Further note that the same four creatures seen on the WHEEL OF FORTUNE appear on this card, too. 

If the Tantric Buddhists are right about this -- as I suspect they are -- the Blood and Water Rays don't snake around the Sushumna as Ida and Pingala, encouraging Kundalini to rise; rather, they ascend the Sushumna together as Kundalini, meeting at the three points where the Menorah's branches come together. Those meeting points, I believe, correspond with the "granthas" -- the psychic knots we must untie before Kundalini can go higher up the Sushumna. Just below the Sixth Plane (the Ajna or Third-Eye Chakra), the two rays "marry" -- and their union dissolves any remaining illusions of dualistic perception.

As the last veil falls away from the Spiritual Eye, the Soul surrenders its sense of "I-am-ness" to the greater Christ-Self. And this is what the earliest followers of Jesus called "the Sacrament of the Bridal Bedchamber." The early Catholic authorities sexualized this sacrament and its preparatory ritual to make the so-called "gnostics" sound like deviant heretics. BUT Jesus, speaking as the Primordial Christ, describes himself as "the bridegroom" in all four of the canonical gospels. How then, can these teachings and practices be heretical? 

 

A 15th-century illustration of the "sacred marriage" of Christ and his "bride" from Philsophia Reformata by Johann Daniel Mylius (1622) 

With all this in mind, I invite you to read the final chapter of the Book of Revelations, in which John the Elder describes the Living Water, the Throne, the Lamb, and the Bridegroom, among other symbols affirming many things I've shared herein. In the section below, (22:17), Jesus describes to John (in obscure scriptural symbolism) the Golden Circle exercise, which the "gnostics" called the Ritual of the Bridal Bedchamber.

And the Spirit [the Primordial Christ] and the bride [the Soul in us] say, Come. And let him that heareth [the Aum] say, Come. And let him that is athrist [for spiritual nourishment] come. And whosoever will [is willing to change his mind about the world], let him take the water of life [the Living Water] freely.

To clarify, we say "come," simply by listening with the intention of sharing the Living Water with everyone who thirsts for God's Saving Grace. And the Primordial Christ hovers over our inclusive little circle, infusing our tiny gifts of grace with his much greater ones. And that, my somnambulant brother, is how we connect with other people without the body's involvement. It is also, btw, how we perform miracles under Primordial Christ's direction.

Here's the prayer I typically use at the start of my practice sessions:

Let the grace of God extend from the Christ Mind, through my mind, to all the minds at-one with mine around the Golden Circle. And let that grace bless all the world through the power of our joined minds. I offer this gift to the world and my SELF in the name of Jesus Christ -- my Lord and Savior, my Waheguru, and my beloved brother and friend.

Typically, I offer several gifts (such as Love, Peace, Mercy, Joy, and Light) using this prayer. I then repeat my Japa (Jesus Christ) for a prolonged period, whilst focusing as intently as possible on the sound in my head and the energetic "Presence" in my chakras. Most days, I repeat this little ritual two or three times for an hour or more at a stretch. I encourage you to try it, even for a few minutes, and see what happens. And, if you're game, please do share your experience in the comments.

Before I sign off, I should probably mention a couple of things. The first is that I heard the Aum as a small child, but forgot about it after an unremembered point in time. I started hearing it again four or five years ago, while doing the Aum meditation exercises prescribed by Paramhansa Yogananda (through Self-Realization Fellowship's correspondence course). Like Patanjali, SRF recommends using "Aum" as our Japa. And it was while chanting "Aum" that I began hearing the vibration again.

The second thing you should know is that I am an advanced Brahmachari -- and was at the time I started hearing the Aum again. A Brahmachari, for those who don't know, is a yogi who practices the Yama or self-restraint of Brahmacharya: detachment from the desire for sensual pleasures, especially sex. Brahmacharis don't just abstain from sexual behaviors; rather, they release their desire for sex by coming to see sexuality as an ego-body trap and spiritual defilement that blocks the Light of God.

Can you hear the Aum if you still like sex? I can't answer that authoritatively. What I can say is that Yogananda, Patanjali, Buddha, and Jesus all say no. Where does Jesus say this? In the URText, in which he explains that our egoic sexual impulses block the Soul's miracle impulses. And since the Soul's miracle impulses are tied to the Aum vibration, you can draw your own conclusions.

And thus ends my second post about the Temple Menorah. I hope you find it useful.

Until we meet again outside the Holy Meeting Place,

Namaste and God Bless