The Lord against the Phariseic church - ceremonies - Nimbus and other divine signs
To demonstrate My might, I had to prove their spiritual ideas false through My words, and I had to eliminate physical diseases by acts. And so you see how I and My disciples often acted contrary to the prescribed religious ceremonies in order to draw people's attention to the fact that the literal observance of the laws of the temple was not yet religion in the sense that Moses, the Prophets and I meant it to be. In this way, I endeavoured to reduce all the misinterpreted ceremonies to their true value so as to make room for My pure spiritual teaching. That is why I said: "They that be whole need not a physician, only they that are sick!" - "I will have mercy and not sacrifices!" - "I am not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance!" - and to the objections regarding fasting: "Can the children of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then they shall fast." - "No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment!" - "Neither do men put new wine in old bottles!" – and so on. From all this you may see how I fought against the old prejudices in various ways, through words and parables, so that My teaching might be recognized as spiritual and people might understand that it cannot be replaced by ceremonies and the running into the temple, and that these words might come true: "Who ever worships Me, must worship Me in spirit and in truth!" (The Lord’s Sermons, chap. 44)
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The kingdom of God in man - importance of the form - the tree and the child as symbols
CHAPTER 124 Every human being carries a different grain-seed for the development of the spiritual world [1] If you read the gospel, you will easily find under which general pictures I Myself represented the kingdom of heaven. Among the parables is the one of the mustard seed. This parable is also the one that is most suitable here. Small is this grain; Who sees the tree-like plant in it? But this mustard seed carries a whole infinity of its kind in itself. Countless identical mustard granules can emerge from one. But sow countless such mustard seeds into the soil, and you will probably get all the same plants from it. But as far as the certain symmetry of the form is concerned, one trunk will not resemble the other, just as little as you are capable of finding two perfectly symmetrical leaves on the same tree. [2] Whoever grasps this example from this point of view will certainly draw the conclusion from it and say: There is nothing in the symmetrical form, which could be called a permanent or constant one; for whether a leaf comes out on this or that point of the trunk, or of a branch and twig, whether it is a little bit larger or smaller, or if the trunk itself grows higher or lower in the ground, more or less branches and twigs shoot, and these always in a different order. It does not matter if only the substance of the plant and its usefulness remain one and the same. [3] See, this is basically nothing other than what I say to you: there is nothing inherent in the form or the appearance of the spirit world, if only all these infinitely different forms and phenomena have one and the same truth and one and the same purpose as foundation. [4] And so each man carries in himself a different grain for the development of the spiritual world, which rises in him and finally becomes a tree, which is the form of the inner world. [5] If you sow different seeds into the earth and into one and the same earth, do you suppose that similar plants would grow, or that even one and the same kind of seed would produce completely identical plants? Oh no, everywhere the same and at least with similar seeds, only a slightly different outer form. [6] But despite all this, does the basic material remains the same; and you can chemically analyze all matter as much as you want and can, and yet at the final result, you will not come to anything but two primordial materials, the well-known very volatile carbon and the binding oxygen. [7] See, that is again equal to the fundamental truth and the primary purpose of all probability of form in the realm of spirits. [8] Everywhere there is only one God, one Father, one Love, one Wisdom, and out of it comes the infinite as the eternal! [9] Behold the clouds that are drifting in the air over your earth every day. Have you ever discovered a consistent form in them? Will you see it the same in the evenings as it is in the morning or the next day or in the next year? [10] Endlessly different are the changing forms of the clouds; You never see the very same ones you have already seen. But is this confusing to you in your existence? Certainly not, for whatever the cloud may float in the air, whatever it may be, there remains only one cloud, as one truth, and its purpose is to give the rain, and that too in one and the same way if all the conditions are right to produce the rain. [11] And so here again is nothing in the form, but only on the rationale and the purpose. [12] In general, as far as the apparent being is concerned, its ever-changing form is there only for the awakening of the spirit, which finds in it its feeling of bliss. For under an eternally perfect monotony everything would sink into eternal sleep. [13] But man must seek his salvation and bliss not in form, but in reality, in truth. As far as form is concerned, I have provided from eternity for its everlasting, ever renewing change of form; and it also applies to the basic text from the gospel: [14] "Above all, seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness; Everything else will be added unto you." [15] So do not ask this or that: What does heaven look like and how the spirit world? Because all that is vain! But seek to make every word of Me alive in you through the works of love; and then you already have heaven alive in you and everything that is in the spirit world. [16] Because no one will ever 'go to' heaven, who will look like he has, in one way or another, taken it into his memory and imagination. Each one carries within himself his own heaven and his own world of spirits, the form of which will always be governed by the kind of love that is in him and by the works that have come out of it. [17] Somebody wants to make the figure of an apple tree perfectly recognisable to a stranger by speaking to him: Behold, there is an apple tree before us; Remember exactly the height and thickness of the trunk, the exact location of its branches and twigs, as well as the leaves and the bark, and you will recognise every apple tree that perfectly corresponds to this shape. The so trained teaches the shape of the tree exactly and thus goes into a large tree garden, which consists of nothing but apple trees. He adapts his recorded form everywhere; but since he does not find them completely the same, there is no apple tree in this tree garden for him. [18] So nobody should justify themselves in any way; because he will always leave empty. But if he takes the matter in the spirit of truth, he will find the truth under every form, and the way and the life! [19] This thing is of great importance; therefore should all this given here be well thought through by everyone, and it should be tested, so that he may find the true foundations of his wisdom. So it is and will be forever true and good. For closer illumination, some more examples will follow! CHAPTER 125 The kingdom of heaven is like the present time [1] As for "the kingdom of heaven," it corresponds to your present time, which is again equal to the sower in the gospel, who scattered good seed, part of it on the way, part in the bushes, part on the rocky ground and only a part fell on good soil. [2] Look at your time, is it not like the sower and the kingdom of heaven? [3] The word is being sowed everywhere; everywhere awakened people still live, who explain the word from the internal perspective. But the needs of mankind in the present time have become equal to the way in which the seed falls, or: they have become purely secular. That's why the word makes such an impression on them as like throwing peas at a wall, as none will get caught and even less take root in the hard, steep and smooth soil. [4] Therefore, I may send down all the angels of heaven and proclaim through them the Word of life everywhere in the most wonderful way - today, tomorrow, and the day after, people will be shocked, they will hear and accept, but afterwards they will begin to look at the miracle indifferently, and will continue to run their world business as before. [5] These are the industrial people and their never-to-be-satisfied needs. They are like bushes and thorns. Even if the word germinates at the beginning, it is soon stifled, and afterwards, these people become more indifferent to the same word than before. Only then will they say: If only we received it in a really wonderful way, then we would believe and do accordingly. But I grant even this wish. I sow it almost everywhere in a wonderful way, like here. But what does it do? It moves at most here and there some to political objections; that is about it. But that someone wants to turn to it - this good soil - where are they? [6] I say: where hundreds of millions of people live, it would be far too much said if a thousand would truly want to come to life. What use then that among ten or hundred thousands, who may well listen believingly, but when it comes to action, they procrastinate from one day to the other; because they say: why should one make an effort to achieve eternal life? If there is an eternal life, as they believe it, then it will probably not be difficult to achieve it; Therefore, let us live happily and in the end, die happily! What else do we need? [7] There we have the stony and sandy soil together. It probably receives the seed, and half of it germinates; but the soil has no moisture, and so, in the end, even what has germinated, perishes! [8] Faith alone therefore never remains unless it is animated by the deed; just as pure theory without actual practice and application of the same, nobody becomes a practical person. [9] So now you can find a legion other talkers upholding opinions about moral and religious issues. But all these talkers do not want to become practical and do not touch a pebble with a finger. Everyone believes that he has done something extraordinarily meritorious, if he has only preached well and, through his moral and religious chatter, at best managed some stupid devotees and enthusiasts. [10] But no one seriously wants to try the paths through which he could directly get to connect with Me Myself and then get from My mouth a living teaching that could firstly transform his earth into good soil. [11] There are a great many theologians and theosophists, but there is barely one, who was really taught by God according to the Gospel of John, which states that all should be taught by God! [12] Truly, if I do not want to shake someone out of my great mercy here and there, just as a diligent master of the house vexes his lazy and sluggish servant, then from the times of the apostles, almost no one knows what "the living word" is and what it means to be "taught by God" [13] The present theologians put Me rather mysteriously above all the stars and let Me sit there in a completely inaccessible light. Why do they do that? They do that for different reasons. The first would for example be: Far away is out of our way. The second would be that no one is thus able to approach God in such a way that he could be taught by Him. Another reason, based on the previous one, is that God has given reason and understanding to man; that is the living Word of God in man. He who turns to it, lives according to the will of God, and whoever develops his understanding and reason, is already taught by God; for no one can be taught directly by God, but only indirectly, because God dwells above all stars in inaccessible light. [14] If, then, I now and then awaken someone in opposition to these mysterious theosophical theses, who then receives a direct, living word from Me, then he is declared by the greater part of present-day humanity to be a fool and a swindler, sometimes even a deceiver and a charlatan, who understands how to profit from the capabilities of his mind. Say if this is not so? [15] It is not unknown to you that different men received the living Word, and even those of this time, from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, as well as some from earlier centuries. But what is its lot? The silent oblivion. It is enough for the learned world to know their names. But what these men have taught out of Me, they do not care for. And though there are some who read a book here and there, they soon come up with sentences that do not agree with their reason. Therefore, they soon reject the whole and let our man, who has been taught by Me, rest. [16] If all goes well, then they will at most grant Me alone some justice; but My messengers are nothing but fools and deceivers. [17] Is not your time like this? I mean, anyone can grab that by hand. [18] But since the kingdom of heaven is not a locality anywhere, but only a complete state of life, the kingdom of heaven is also perfectly equal to your time, namely, this time, namely barren, poor, small, rare. [19] And wherever it still is, it is not pure. But will that be a kingdom of heaven, if it is not completely pure? I tell you, the Kingdom of Heaven is very relative in this respect, and that is because every fool likes his cap best. [20] Everyone finds his kingdom of heaven in his stupidity. Whether it is the truth out of Me, that is another question. It has truly become rare, barren and sparse. Why? Because people have run out of good soil! Therefore I may also now sow the very best and purest seed, as I will, but it nevertheless falls on nothing but ways, between thorns and on stony soils, here and there in a crack on the way. Thus, from among one million grains which fell into a stone chasm, about a thousand germinates and a hundred reach maturity. And that is then the whole harvest and the kingdom of heaven! Surely that is barren, rare and sparse! [21] From this you can again see that all that has been said so far has its good reason, that the superficial appearance of the spiritual has as little to it than the phenomena of the time. They are deaf and hollow, but to the wise they are a Scripture, from the basics of which he easily finds the inner truth; for every apparition is preceded by an effective reason. If the appearance is noble and good, the foundation will be the same; but if the appearance is ignoble, that is, worldly, material, and evil, then its reason will be of the same measure. [22] Whoever wants to see everything spiritual in its true form, does not bind himself to the appearance, but uses it only for the study of the spiritual foundation. If he finds it, then he has the whole essence of all spirit worlds. But how this is to be explored out of the visible, is to be shown below. CHAPTER 126 A tree as an example of the nature of the spirit kingdom [1] In the course of the whole communication about the realm of the spiritual sun-kingdom, every single smallest relation has been shown in this respect; how the spirit-world is connected with the natural; and therefore one could easily say: in order to be able to get by means of these phenomena to the foundation, it would be almost unnecessary to say anything more, as this subject has been adequately illuminated in the course of the whole communication in all its branches. [2] But I say: Man never has too much of the good; but rather of the bad. For much good often does not improve the bad; but a little bad can often spoil much good! [3] And so we also want to illuminate our present subject as clearly as possible through many illustrative examples. [4] Look at a tree. Its essence, as it is there, represents to you as a corresponding appearance, the whole essence of the spirit world in its relation to the natural world. [5] The inmost of this tree, the core, is the heavenly; the trunk, the branches, and the twigs are the real spiritual kingdom, which has its life from the inner nuclei. Over above the wood of the trunk you will see the bark, which is the outer appearance of the tree. The bark in and of itself is dead; but below the outer dead bark is another bark, which you call "the living." This is equal to the state of connection, where the spiritual merges with the material. [6] Consider the effect of this bark. Out of it, the outer dead bark first emerges, and again out of this living bark emerge all the transient foliage, as well as the outer form of the blossom, and finally even the outer shell of the fruit. [7] None of these products are lasting; they fall off after they have rendered their services [8] See, that's how it is with the world and everything you belong to. All this is like the outer bark, the leaves and flowers, but also the fruits of a tree. These fall off. But the tree, in its inner life, consists and bears the infinite, external appearance of the visible and transient. But how can one infer from the apparent to the inner true foundation? I say: the easiest thing in the world. If you would only let yourself imagine what is manifested in you, and at the same time present it in an effective manner, you have the foundation of the spiritual already before you. [9] The main reason, however, is to be found by looking at the whole number of years of the vegetative action of a tree. It consists in nothing other than in the constant expansion and ever-increasing strengthening of life. [10] Quite simply, this is placed in a single small seed in the ground. Which vital force is originally in this seed, like with an acorn nut, every human being can test if he takes such a nut in his hands and can play with it like a feather-down. [11] But when this insignificant acorn nut is laid into the earth, the vegetative life begins to strengthen in it. A young oak tree with at most two leaves is visible first. In this first stage, the vegetative life of the developing oak tree is still weak. It hardly exceeds the weight of the previous smooth oak nut tenfold. But let's just look at it thirty years later. Then it has already acquired such a powerful vegetative life force, that you can tie several horses to its trunk, and they will not be able to wrest it from the ground with their enormous power. But consider it at the age of one hundred years. What a huge, majestic tree, and what a stormy, proud power in him! How many thousandfold has this hundred-year-old oak reproduced its original little vegetative life in the same acorns, and how powerfully has it, through its waste and thus with its excess of its vegetative vitality, fertilized the soil, and animated it for the constant increase of its own vitality! [12] In short, such a tree has become a world full of life. And all this came from a single insignificant acorn nut. [13] See, so originally only a small spark of life force goes out from Me, equipped with the ability to infinitely strengthen and empower itself as a life force. And this is precisely what makes this appearance of the tree serviceable to everyone's clearest insight. [14] We said before: From the living bark, does the apparent foliage, the outer flower and even the shell of the fruit, emerge. In the fruit itself, the germ of the seed receives only a very small spark from the general life of the tree core. The kernel, together with the fruit, ripens and represents the human being in his worldly likelihood. Very simple and plain is the external appearance, and small is his strength. But he is equal to an acorn nut. When he is placed in the good soil of My will, his inner germ will awaken, and the latter will itself become a mighty tree, whose power surpasses the power of countless former acorns. [15] And, behold, every man already has in himself the germ of his spiritual state, which is the true spirit-world. He is in this world a little life, which should strengthen itself to a sun of life. From its atom-sized life germs should develop a huge, powerful tree of life. And so it is. [16] Just as the acorn-nut bears innumerable forests of gigantic trees, all of which can develop from the single seed, so too, man in his seemingly small life in this world carries with him, infinite strength and potential. [17] It says in the Gospel, where it is told about the one who buried his talent, is said: "I know that you are a strict man and you want to reap, where you have not sown. Where you placed one, you want to win a thousand; so I buried the talent so that I may give it to you, as you have given me. [18] But then the master of talents says: "Oh, you miserable servant! Since you know that I am an unrighteous man and I want to reap, where I did not sow, why did not you give the talent for a moneychanger, which would have given me good usury percentages? [19] See, from this passage it seems quite clear that I am spreading out the life in the smallest possible parts out of Me into the endless realms of My kingdom being, in order to get back an excessively increased potentiated weight of life from each of these smallest life-parts. [20] This is the true innermost cause of all spiritual life: But am I really a hard, self-serving, unjust looter? Oh no! For there is nowhere else to live except in Me, and this for the simple reason that there has never been an existence "outside" of Me! I am the eternal Source of all life! [21] What would happen to life in the times upon times, if this original Source would want to dry up all life? See, all life would vanish into the infinite, and nothing would remain in the end but an eternally empty, dark, dead infinity! [22] But if I, as the Primordial Source of all life Myself, would return into Myself every single moment, becoming infinitely more powerful and strong, then all partial life, which is expressed in every created human, yes even in infinity, is nourished and strengthened. [23] The stronger the father, the stronger the children. The ant is likely to produce ephemerides, but not eagles and lions. Everywhere the weak produces the weak and the strong, the strong. But as the weak never produce strong things, so strong does never produce anything weak. An eagle is never the creator of a fearful dove and a hare cannot boast, as if the lion were its creator. [24] But if you are the children of an almighty Father and have the germ of life of the Father in you, strengthen this germ in the good soil of My will, and make strong the Father in you, then you will also be strong in the Father. For the Father does not demand your strength for Himself, but for Himself He demands it, so that you, too, should become perfect, as He Himself is perfect in Himself, or in heaven. [25] See, this is a picture of how you can infer from outer appearance to the inner ground of life. Next, another picture for the same purpose! [26] CHAPTER 127 A son of man as a picture of the kingdom of heaven and the universe [1] In the preceding disclosure we have put a strong image before everyone's eyes, according to which anyone can easily relate the external phenomena to the inner foundation. But since this field is very large, and the phenomena on it innumerable, man never has too much of a right image to seek the right advice in every situation of his apparent existence. And so we will move on to another, though simple, but more meaningful, and more general picture to illuminate our cause. [2] What could be simpler than a harmless, poor human child? This has two moving feet, then a body full of guts; it has two movable arms and above it a movable head on a neck. There are two ears on the head that are always the same, and one hears the same thing as the other. So it also has two eyes that have their fixed point of view in mind and can not be brought closer to each other, though they are capable of movement. With these two eyes every single thing can be looked at for itself. In the middle of the eyes sits the nose with two nostrils. It breathes in the air of life and lets the impurity of the head flow away. So it also has a mouth, the lower part of which is independently mobile. In the same case, it has immobile teeth, but a more mobile tongue. The rest of the body consists of skin, flesh, blood, nerves, fibers, veins and bones, in which marrow is found. - See, that's the picture of our child. [3] Who knows what is behind this very simple appearance? Who sees a whole heaven in it? Who the whole infinite universe? [4] Who seeks in this simple picture the conflict of all creation, both in the spiritual and the natural spheres? [5] Would somebody not want to say, in the child this is hardly obvious; but if we let it become a man, perhaps there will much be found in his thoughts and actions, from which one can consequently see that man is at least an integral part of creation. [6] But I say: This is not necessary; the child alone is enough. His two simple feet testify to my Paternal loving care expressed in the ten simple commandments known to you. The feet are provided with then toes, for this purpose and also for the sake of support and retention. [7] In the natural sphere, however, they present the planetary system, which is also the lowest support of a solar system. Yes, the planetary system, like its feet, through their movement, pushes the great main body of the sun into its great main movement. [8] From this very brief account, you can see that even in the feet of the child the whole caring nature of a spiritual kind, like the whole planetary nature of a natural kind, is present. [9] The body rests on its feet as the main workshop of life. Who does not immediately see in this spiritual sphere the essence of the invigorating love from Me? And who does not soon see in the body, the sun, which is the invigorating body of the whole planetary system? [10] In the body, the heart is the fundamental seat of life and the clearest picture of love. This love is constantly active and nourishes all parts of the body. [11] Right next to this love, is the stomach. This is the hospitable kitchen, in which the heat of the love cooks the food by its fire and then, truly wonderfully prepared, leads it into all parts. [12] The lungs are like a second stomach, a second kitchen, through which essential food is added to the food prepared in the first kitchen, so that the food of the first kitchen comes alive and is suitable for the support of life. [13] How glorious is the image of these two kitchens, in the midst of which the active heart rules, how the spiritual intervenes in the natural, in order to spiritualize it, and thus to bring it to a higher purpose. And all of this happens through the ever-active mediation of the heart, this most faithful image of love! [14] Who can misunderstand My own love-power here, as I also always take the lost, cook it in the great kitchen of natural creation, and then revive it by the breath of My grace and mercy, from the second great kitchen, which is heaven , and is equal to the lungs in man. [15] Every breath can tell every human how I constantly influence life from the heavens, so that life consists therein that through this influx, I always strive to transform death into life. [16] Anyone who is able to think only somewhat clearly for himself, will certainly not find this wonderful analogy without light. - Let's go further. [17] On both sides of the body are two hands. These represent spiritually the working love, which can move freely in wide spaces everywhere and constantly works and creates. [18] The hands are therefore represent My hands of free-acting, unbound power, which, however, does not wave beyond the definite eternal basic order, for every hand also carries the fingers as outermost extensions, whose number equals the extensions of the feet. Only the legs of the feet are bound to the same directed order, while the extensions on the hands signify free activity in this order. [19] So, for example, a human being not born again in the spirit, is equal to the bound order of the feet and a born-again man, equal to the free order of the hands. [20] Whoever is able to think, will here again find the corresponding truth; especially when he is still looking at the natural sun, just as in the outward flow of its rays she visibly reveals her open, freely active hands. [21] Now we still have the head, a fixed part above the body, which in itself in a rounded form, represents a complete man in his spiritual sphere. The ears are the feet on which he goes. The eyes are his arms, with which he can reach far. The nose is the lungs; the mouth is the stomach. In him is like the heart, the tongue, which helps to process both the material and the spiritual food; the material by pushing under the crushing teeth and then by swallowing down. That is their material employment. But the tongue also gives the voice an intelligible, articulated sound, and it is it, that transforms the inner thoughts into intelligible words. [22] The inner marrow of the head represents the whole entrails of man or his refined and spiritualized life. [23] And so man in his totality, in his very simple, contemplative form, leads man through all his three stages: in his feet the bound naturalness, in his body the spiritual sphere which still has to work and fight with various things and in the head, its heavenly sphere, where man stands in and of himself in a fixed, unchangeable condition, but is thus far wider in his sphere of influence, just as the constituents of the head of the natural man extends infinitely beyond the components of the human body. [24] Well, that's a very simple but clear picture. This image of the external appearance contains the whole of heaven, the whole of the spiritual world subordinated to heaven, and thus also the whole of the natural world, which is subordinate to heaven and the spirit world, in all its details. [25] I think that if you look at this picture, especially in the simplicity of a harmless child, you will be able to find each other with ease in this appearance, and be able to just as easily find its foundation. And so we have enough pictures; and there is nothing left for us to do but to add a few "Explanation of Scriptures"* to this whole work, as it is to be usefully read and handled accordingly. * The book “Explanation of Scriptures” has been published as a separate work (translator) The creative capacity of the soul and her spiritual development. True perception and size of things.doc
[4] This characteristic, about which the spirit of your father gave you good information, is also the possession of all pure spirits, and especially My angels who are always ready to serve Me, but in a more perfect degree than the less pure and still imperfect spirits. [5] You cannot understand and perceive this yet because the world still imprisons your soul, but when your soul will be free by My Spirit in him, this now visible world will pass away for you. That means, you always will still be able to see it if you want, but the matter, which is now hard for you everywhere and the powers that abide in it will not be able to resist you in any way. And from your own inner being you will be able to create a world, which will be for you – as long as you want to keep it – an equally perfect foundation to live in as now My Earth forms for your body a foundation to live in and to be active. [6] I can show you a small image, and if you will think about this in the right manner you will better understand what I just said to you now. For instance at night you have a very lively dream. In that dream you are completely self-conscious and you are always completely aware that it is only you who are dreaming and not someone else in your place. But you never had a dream in which you did not see any environment where you were and people with whom you often discussed, and this always according to your insight and manner of thinking. [7] Where is that environment in which you were in your dream, and where and who were the people with whom you spoke or had to do something else? Look, nowhere else than in yourself. [8] If your soul feels for the greatest part free from the bands of your body, and this for a short time during the sleep of your body, he only can see what lies deeply hidden in him, as if outside of himself in the form in which it is in him. No matter what it is, the soul sees it in full reality before him and in his environment he feels as much at home as when he is awake on this Earth. [9] The fact that he also can meet people in a dream, partly still living people and partly people who already died, is because the soul of every human being carries in a way an image on a very small scale in himself of all people who ever lived on Earth, live now and who will still live, as well as of the whole spiritual world, exactly as a mirror absorbs outer images in itself without those images being real. Of course, a mirror is only a very weak comparison because it is dead in itself and can therefore only represent dead forms of things that stand before it. |
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