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March 4, 2006
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![]() The Mystic Way of Radiant Love:
"The inner process of entering the Center Point of the soul is like threading the eye of the needle. Jesus also referred to this as "entering the Kingdom of God." It requires steadiness of attention and acute perception. ... in our discussion of soul anatomy, the Centre Point of the soul is surrounded by a small shell forming what mystics call the "cave of the heart." (Francis, 1998, p. 46)Christian mystic John Francis, author of The Mystic Way of Radiant Love: Alchemy for a New Creation, (Heart Blossom Books, Los Altos, California, 1998) writes, "My mission is to help uncover the forgotten, deep heart teachings of Jesus." Francis explains that "the mystical parables and sayings of Jesus have either been ignored or given superficial intepretations that miss their original deeper, intent." (p. 6) Francis provides a valuable perspective on the anatomy of the soul as suggested by an esoteric interpretation of key Christian scriptures. |
Christ states, "the Kingdom of God is within you," (Luke 17:21)
and further, that
"the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed."
Francis explains that the "mustard seed" is an ancient metaphor for the
Center Point of the soul. He writes:
Even the word meditation
translated from the Latin "mediari," literally means "being returned
to the center."
Francis draws upon other sacred verses to illustrate: "The Kingdom of
Heaven is like a treasure hid in a field," which leads the man to 'sell
all that he had to attain it.' (Matthew 13:44) This is a priceless
thing within a large expanse of space, and Francis suggests that similarly
we "must go beneath the surface of our field of awareness to discover
the soul's buried treasure."
In the next verses of Matthew, the kingdom of heaven is compared
to 'a pearl of great price' and the mechant similarly sells off everything
he has to attain this pearl. Christ then compares the Kingdom of heaven
to 'leaven,'as the living substance, which is 'hid in three measures
of meal,' suggesting that the life principles is mixed into the three
modes of nature- the mental, emotional and physical lives of human
beings, and hidden there.
Francis then quotes Matthew 6:22, Luke 11:34: "The light
of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light." Francis notes that Jesus did not say
the plural "eyes" because this eye is not in the usual mode "as a perceptual
receptor" but rather it is "a point source of light." (p. 16)
St John of the Cross thus wrote: "With no other light or guide, Than
the one which burns in my heart," in the Ascent of Mount Carmel.
Francis notes that other saints have similarly referred to "this interior
star," --as "the star of love," the star "that nourishes
and heals" and "expands."
Francis concludes: "... the mustard seed," the "one pearl," the "single eye," and the "star" in the heart are all metaphors that can be used to represent the Center Point of the soul. Each one reveals a different attribute of this wondrous point." (p. 17) The I-existence originates
from a point source, and then as a seed of the Father within the cave of
the heart. The significance of the esoteric teaching is hidden within
the parables and Church literature.
Even the word meditation refers to finding one' centre, within such a single I, the magical 'star' nature, and being able to experience the light and love of God within oneself. The Kingdom of God is within you, Christ states, so perhaps we might wonder where, and what is the significance of this within our lives.
Christ states in the parables, that "It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom
of God." (Matthew 19, Mark 10, or Luke 18) Francis interpretes
this passage:
Francis explains that
"this
holy sanctuary" of the heart is referred to metaphorically as a "cave,"
and that the mystical path is one of "entering the Cave of the Heart."
Christian mystics describe varied 'shells' or 'layers' which surround the
divine spark, such that
"the inner spark of the soul is trapped in these
concentric shells." Meister Eckhart thus wrote: "A man has
many skins in himself covering the depths of his heart." and Teilhard
de Chardin spoke of the "incandescence of the inward layers of being."
Francis notes:
"The inner process
of entering the Center Point of the soul is like threading the eye of a
needle." (p. 46) It is passing through and transcending
these veils, sheaths, layers or bodies, which serve to bind the soul, like
the rich man, to the external phenomena of life.
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Francis also provides some interesting comments on the "Inner Tree of Life." He writes: In the Book of Genesis ... by eating of the Tree of Life humans can live forever. ... this Tree is a metaphor for an inner structure within the soul. This inner tree is "rooted and grounded in Love" (Ephesians 3:17) this is also expressed by Jesus in the parable of the greatest tree in the garden which grows from the tiniest seed. ...According to esoteric Judaism and Kabbalah, the Tree of Life is indeed a metaphor for the inner structure of the soul. Our roots are from above, or within heaven, and we are embodied below within seven worlds, with a central Point at the heart of being, with a vacated Space surrounded by shells or veils or knots, as described within the mystical literature. Mystical Christianity certainly supports the essential teachings of the heart doctrine. This selection is from the chapter on Mystical Christianity. |
Return home, through a zero point!