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