Hi de broek,
 
Sincere apologies for taking so long to answer this post. Now I try to answer it, it’s not easy because the points you make are not all quite clear !

I have given strong evidence that the Tree of Life (not really the same as the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) is based on astrology. See the Tree of Life illustration. The Tree is made up of the Planets and the Signs : Revelation (22.2) says the Tree of Life bears twelve manner of fruit. What else can this refer to except the zodiac ?

If the Tree of Life is based on astrology, then the esoteric Tradition behind the Bible, the Kabbalah, is ultimately based on astrology, because the Kabbalah is based on the Tree of Life. This makes a very strong case that the Trinity is based on astrology, especially when we find the characters of the Trinity fit the astrological characters of the major planets. See the articles from the Home Page.

As for the Essenes founding Christianity, again I give some strong reasons for saying this and perhaps you should look at the articles. Of course Christianity has changed over the centuries but there is little doubt it all began in Jerusalem around 40AD. I am trying to see what the original inspiration for that was. Why do we have the story of the Messiah, the Christ ? Why do we have this radical new development in Judaism which then spreads so powerfully over the world ?

If we can recognise the original message, perhaps that will inspire us to find a more relevant meaning in Christianity and in all religions today. So many people think religion is just a lie. We have to find the truth behind the legends and stories so people can believe in a more modern way. Simple plain truth. This may be a shock to traditional thinking but religion should always be a challenge for us.

As for the parables, there are deeper meanings which are sometimes simply spiritual, sometimes Kabbalistic. One day I would like to write about these but it's a big job. The New Testament repeatedly makes it clear there are 'mysteries' behind these simple stories.

Thank you for your interest in the site and your positive comments at the end. I see from your website that you are very interested in the Kabbalah. Perhaps you might like to examine the evidence on Facts Behind Faith and see if it doesn’t make good sense. If these ideas are correct, they will revolutionise the way we understand religion. Can you see that having a positive effect ?

Sid Jefferies

Hi Colin,

Thanks for your post and your comments, they are interesting. I believe modern material science has hoodwinked many of us into abandoning our true, spiritual selves and this makes us often extremely uncomfortable. This distress is a sign to us that our present course is wrong, just as the joys you’ve been experiencing are a strong message that the spiritual path is good for you. Yoga and meditation are particularly strong, practical exercises to accompany all the heady ideas ! I hope you continue to thrive on this path.

I believe scepticism is healthy in all avenues and we need to be equally sceptical about modern science’s dogma that the material reality is all there is, when clearly there is compelling evidence of all kinds that this is not so. There are various higher levels of energy, spiritual energy. As you say, it is unscientific to ignore such evidence. Still, it is important to keep one’s scepticism in spiritual matters too. There are many avenues which are either not good or not ideal for our path. One can too easily be overwhelmed or distracted from a path which is useful. Just as the material world can be dazzling and distracting. One doesn’t just want to go for what is the most fantastic and glittering game but for what is useful for ourselves. The Tibetans dedicate all their spiritual work to ‘the benefit of all sentient beings’ and this gives a healthy, valuable focus. Sometimes one has to be concerned about oneself but if one’s ultimate aim is to benefit others, this is usually the best way to look after oneself. Serving others gives real satisfaction and joy.

As to your specific question about the Mayan calendar and the predictions for 2012, I cannot speak with any authority on this. I haven’t seen anything which clearly shows what these prophecies are or even how the date of 2012 has been recognised. There is a good deal of ‘noise’ as you put it, but not much clarity as far as I can make out. Perhaps I’ve missed something.

I work particularly with our own western Christian tradition which I think has great depths, for all that the Church itself is often at odds with its own teachings, it seems. This has been a problem for many centuries : it is an extremely old faith. Prophecy is particularly strong strand in Christianity, following the prophets of Judaism. I discuss some of the prophecies of Revelation in the Destiny section of Heaven on Earth, which is online. I believe the timing of this is linked strongly to the astrological ages which are 2,162 years long. We seem to be at about the same stage in the new age of Aquarius now as when the historical (Essene) Messiah appeared at the beginning of the last age of Pisces. (See my Dead Sea Scrolls sections, p.13,14, History in Heaven on Earth and elsewhere on the site.) The prophecy is the Messiah will return again at the beginning of the new age and I believe this is the same expectation recognised in Hinduism and Buddhism. Exciting times.

I believe Hell is a state of mind rather than a place and the same can be said for the Kingdom of Heaven. For many of us life on Earth is hell, with all the tortures of the damned, disguised as normal life. You seem to have described something of that in your post ! Most of us wouldn’t wish hell on our worst enemies, we would just want them to learn the error of their ways, and we should expect God, or the Universal Spirit, to be rather more loving. We do suffer so that we learn what is wrong. Similarly we don’t want to protect children too much, they have to learn life’s lessons for themselves, which can be painful but there is no other way to learn. That’s perhaps what life is for, a constant series of challenges, some extremely tough. Not as punishments but as lessons to make us stronger. If we understood life better, from a spiritual perspective, we might manage these challenges better.

An American hypnotherapist, Michael Newton, has published a couple of books on the hundreds of interviews he’s had with clients who, under deep hypnosis, have been able to recall precise details, not just of their past lives, but of their lives between lives. These seem to be quite credible accounts, obtained by quite credible methods (Newton has trained many others to perform these sessions) and they give an extraordinary insight into what we’re here for and especially what awaits us at death. We all go to Heaven and are looked after wonderfully, though we do regret our past mistakes and try to learn to do better next time. The main emphasis seems to be on loving one another better : ‘do as you would be done by.’ The idea that our challenges on Earth are designed to help us grow stronger, is an important theme. Michael Newton’s first book is Journey of Souls, the second, Destiny of Souls.

Sid Jefferies

Hi Colin,

I appreciate your concern. There are various answers to your questions about hell. I think it is important these days to realise all religions, including Christianity, are made by men. But they are designed to convey vital spiritual truths. They are also designed for their times. That world did not, spiritually, change much in the ensuing centuries but now we live in a very different world, with very different minds. We need to reassess our religions now, just as in the progressive new world of the first century, Christianity came as a revolutionary new development from Judaism. The Old Testament was not wrong, just old fashioned in its morality etc.

Perhaps we’re waiting for the Messiah to really initiate that change but meanwhile we can do what people have done to a greater or lesser extent with religion all along. We should take out of it what is meaningful for us. I think it is useful to emphasise Christ’s commandment to love one another, to love our neighbour as ourselves, which is found in all four Gospels. This might suggest to us that the hell fire line is somewhat alien to that loving spirit. But for some preachers and some people, fear is a greater spur to do what is right than love, and this was probably even more true two millennia back. So these references are there partly for them. A different approach.

Still, it is true that we can experience an ‘eternity’ of hell by taking the wrong path, by not believing in spiritual realities. And this can even be perpetuated from life to life, if we seriously reject love and goodness. Many aspects of Scripture should not be taken too literally but can be seen to have a symbolic or psychological truth which is no less important. The references to unbelievers would not necessarily have had the same sense of damning other faiths that we apply to them. The Good Samaritan parable is praising the righteousness of someone who the Jews usually hated because the Samaritans’ faith was different. This is the neighbour we should ‘love as ourselves.’

Now we have much better understanding of these things, perhaps with Michael Newton’s work a better understanding of the afterlife, but we should not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Christianity has a great deal to offer but anything we find negative and unhelpful we should reject. It’s probably just a misunderstanding, or it’s meant for others in different times. Christianity has a miserable history of atrocities in the name of a loving Jesus, as do most religions, so clearly many fall into the snares of misinterpreting its message. Take up the positive challenges. Let love be your chief guide in all things. And know that the divine Spirits of Christ, and the Father and the Holy Spirit are with you always and will guide you if you listen to these quiet promptings, these quiet answers.

Thanks again for your question. These are points we all have to come to terms with in these times when we must question everything.

Sid Jefferies

I think the path of literal insistence feels oppressive and it is. Wonderfully but ironically, there is clear biblical authority for this, never mind Jesus’ pragmatic attitude to the Old Testament. Paul says, ‘the new covenant (or new testament) is not of written letters but of the Spirit; for the written letters kill, but the Spirit gives life.’ II Cor. 3.6 It is fun to quote chapter and verse to express the danger of quoting chapter and verse ! This simply means we should look for the truth in our hearts, the seat of the Spirit, and not in chapters and verses. If it feels bad to condemn non-Christians, this is because it is bad. If it seems unreasonable, it is because it is. When Christians have such a bad record, in so many ways, it is often easier to do good while not being a Christian. This does not mean there are not many good Christians or that Christianity is bad. It just means that religion easily comes under the sway of those who have worldly motives, rather than spiritual. This is again recognised in the Gospels when Christ turns to Peter, who he has just appointed the Rock of the Church, and says, ‘Get thee behind me, Satan ! You are an obstacle in my path, because you are thinking not as God thinks but as human beings do.’ Mt. 16.23 So equally we should not be too hard on the fundamentalists !

As for the Gnostic Gospels, these can be interesting but can also easily become a distraction. If it makes sense to you and answers questions, great. The spiritual world is not really simple, as life is never simple, nor the physical sciences. The Gnostics were concerned with spiritual science, spiritual knowledge, ‘gnosis.’ The Church felt this was too complex and distracted people from a clear path. We have different spiritual needs but we do need to have some clarity, to understand and embrace the basics, before getting immersed in the complexities and subtleties.

I have written an extensive piece on the relationship between Sophia and the Holy Spirit. This link goes to a summary from where the full article is available. It’s interesting to see how religion evolves, telling the spiritual facts of life in ever changing ways.

Sid Jefferies