The Keys of Jeshua
Glenda Green
Smashwords ebook published by Fideli Publishing, Inc.
Copyright © 2003, 2011 by Glenda Green
No part of this eBook may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Fideli Publishing.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover painting: Jeshua © Glenda Green, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-60414-372-0
To the One who saw our goodness … unconditionally.
To
the many years we spent together in view of
This magnificent hill
joining Heaven and Earth
To all humanity, … for whom these messages were given.
Preface
The brilliance was intense. It filled the room so completely that all shadows departed. Glancing upward, I observed the chandelier was off. This was not surprising because I sensed that there was nothing artificial about the soft white radiance engulfing everything like a cloud descended from Heaven. The whole house possessed the wonder and silence of newly fallen snow.
Silvery threads of light streamed through the quiet, reverent space. The air pulsed with energetic ripples, as if a flame was propelling them. The ripples, which flowed in all directions, took their source from a spot of hyper-luminescence that was almost blinding. This resplendence was like a sun, though not fiery. More than likely, it was a concentration of the same quality of light filling the room. Its special glory was in its dazzling brightness and the patterns of silver and gold, which were laced with opalescent white and sparkles of lavender, blue, and rose.
I could look toward the center for only a second before the light caused my eyes to fill with tears. Stunned, I had to look away, and at that moment I heard sounds forming into the pattern and cadence of language, although it was no language I had heard before. As the “words” formed a meaning in my mind, the message was “Greetings Glenda.”
In this Presence, there was unspeakable Holiness. If light could sing, it would have been chanting celestial sounds. If light were fragrant, it would have exuded the innocence of high, mountain air. I turned to look again, but the radiance was simply overwhelming. Closing my eyes, I protected them from the glow and wept at the same time. No sooner had I escaped within myself than The Presence shot a beam of energy from itself to a point between my eyebrows. There was a sensation of pressure, which caused me to open my eyes and verify. What I saw was a stream of energy pouring in. Returning to the comfort of my inner vision, I watched as a picture was being etched into my mind. It took about five seconds for the rendering to be completed. The vision was implanted in my optic nerve — immutable — and available for me to view whenever I chose.
Mesmerized by its beauty, I gazed in rapture upon the vision of Jesus Christ, which was complete, three-dimensional, and holographic. Majestically, he stood on a hilltop overlooking a green river valley, towering above grazing sheep, while a billowing cloud on the horizon was forming the shape of a lion.
I clutched my chest and took a deep breath. Was I still in the realm of ordinary life? If so, was I in my own home or transported to another time and place?
When my awareness finally externalized, I found that the radiant Presence had gone and objective reality conformed to normal expectations. Nevertheless, I knew that something about me would never be the same again. That intuition proved to be true, for everything in my life would change after that Holy Moment.
The splendid light would be forever etched on my soul or perhaps united with my heart in a single, enduring beat. Within me now, a spark of light had been awakened which would become the doorway to greatly expanded awareness and life. I could not imagine how far it would reach, but one thing was certain. I would be painting the portrait that had been foretold in dreams and visions.
Although I was a professional artist and usually welcomed the spirit of creative challenge, the many months of being called to paint a portrait of Jesus had filled me with great reservation rather than excitement. Now, all my objections were laid to rest, for I had seen his face.
Forty days would pass before I would be secure enough about the meaning of this miracle to actually begin painting. Each morning I eagerly rekindled the vision through reverent acknowledgment and meditation. I would study its every nuance, and inhale it into my being like the breath of life. As the days passed, the vision became more complete and the presence of Jesus grew more alive. This alone distinguished it from my experience with visual inspiration and dreams, which usually diminished through repeated recollection.
At first, the sensation was like that of peering through a clear window and greeting a friend looking back from the outside. The beautiful eyes engaging my devotion would eventually dissolve the “glass” boundary between us and magnetically draw me into his world. As that happened, his presence was correspondingly more compelling and dynamic. I perceived that I had entered a world of sensory richness as vivid and complete as an epic dream, but the “dream” was in a state more wakeful than any I had ever known. Suddenly I had taken a quantum leap into a realm of cosmic and infinite possibility!
The days between November 23, 1991 and January 1, 1992 were fertile days of creative preparation, explorations of personal reality, and intellectual contemplation.
I recalled my years of being on university faculties. As a scholar of Medieval Christian art, I was familiar with many recorded, and often illustrated, paranormal visions of Jesus or Mary. Considering the monastic life of extended hardship and duress that usually accompanied those sacred visitations, I felt some concern at first about my own well being. However, my glowing health and confirmation of sanity from others soon dispelled those fears.
Considering the approach of Christmas and holiday activities, I decided that it would be better to start the painting early in January. Besides, this would give me time to make some preliminary decisions and prepare the canvas. The first thing I needed to establish was the scale. So I cast my attention on the vision and asked for guidance from Jesus. This was the first time it ever occurred to me to regard the vision as a means through which to dialogue. The answer was clearly given to me in a telepathic mode, though no words were spoken. The canvas was to be forty-eight inches square.
Reassuring myself frequently with inward glances, the vision remained crystal clear and intimated that a whole new world was being born. It was clearly living, and I beheld it in awe. It was presenting and magnifying so much of his Life Force that what started out as only a visual image gave witness to a feeling that “He was there!”
The days grew long and tense, although the sense of communion between us was bursting with excitement, and the silence that filled the spaces of my anticipation was rich with words yet spoken.
On January 2nd I entered my studio with a peace that made for uneasiness … a peace that my body could only recognize as the bristling and imminent presence of destiny. Although the room smelled of linseed oil and turpentine — not holy incense — it possessed the subtle ambiance of a temple. Perhaps my own feelings were displaying the nature of my expectations. Or perhaps there was a holiness of spirit, which preceded my arrival on that day and had prepared a place for the “opening lines” of the creation to come. Either way, my senses were clear and clean, as if I had been newly born to this world. Everything — from the dust on the windowsill, to my slightly askew arrangement of brushes, to the towering easel in front of me — adorned the moment with details I will never forget. The room was filled with natural sunlight, although it conveyed the sense of another sacred light I had experienced earlier. As I passed through its rays, my body’s motion slowed down to time frames that were seconds long and moving toward stillness. I was overcome by the serene inevitability of the moment—as if everything was suspended in time and space. It felt as though a thousand eyes were upon me, and I searched the space within and without to discover my “watcher.”
The silence was broken only by a chant of “meows” outside the studio door. Gunner, my beautiful Himalayan cat, wanted to join whatever was happening in the studio. I moved with some reservation toward the door, and hesitantly opened it. Somehow, I expected to see more than Gunner, but was quite relieved to see that it was only a pair of little blue eyes twinkling up at me. He darted in quickly, as if to suggest that timing and opportunity were essential to the moment; something was about to happen which was not to be missed. Then he scurried over to one of the two white pillows I used for meditation and prayer.
I turned to face the large pristine canvas mounted on my easel, but I did not yet have the right feeling to begin. So I joined Gunner on the other pillow and began my daily practice of focusing on the spot of light within my mind’s eye until the vision emerged. Today, especially, I wanted to study its details as closely as possible, because once I switched my focus outwardly toward the canvas, my whole attention would be cast into the creative process. Suddenly, another “meow” from Gunner disrupted the intensity of my meditation as a gentle wind swept through the room, brushing my face. The light “within,” which had been illuminating the picture in my mind was now shining through my eyelids from without! With a certainty unparalleled in my life, I opened my eyes to behold Jesus standing in front of me, towering above my seated position at his feet!
With slow and careful reverence, I arose, took my place in the painting chair, and began the preliminary drawing. The problem of how I could behold the vision and paint at the same time had been solved, although by what power of majesty or mystery, I could not say.
No words were spoken that day, but I could not stop smiling as I began to transcribe his aspect onto the pure white surface. Whenever I worked on the painting, Jesus would appear as a presence of three-dimensional reality before me. Day by day, it became more than a vision. He was there, and we were united in our task of creating a painting. As the years have revealed, there was a greater purpose to his visit than I could imagine. Nevertheless, in keeping with his pragmatic spirituality, he first called me to service in the area of my greatest strength.
By profession, I am an artist and educator, having exhibited in many of the nation’s finest museums and taught at two major universities. I was professionally readied for the project at hand, but nothing could have prepared me for the life transformation that was about to occur. This event would change my life forever. While it was seemingly directed toward a more specific purpose of painting his portrait, there was much more occurring than I could ever have known. Not only was there a sacred presence before me, visible to my eyes, but also there was a beautiful voice, and I engaged it in conversation. For sixty days we spoke, all but for Sundays when we both rested. This was a deeply personal experience, yet it was also external to me.
The conversations we shared were not the result of telepathy, automatic writing, or trance channeling. Channeling is a way of directing communication from other realms into this one, and is a very ancient practice currently revived in its popularity. I neither commend nor disparage that practice, but merely distinguish it from my experience — since we are all channels for God. The voice of Jesus was audible, and I responded in full consciousness as a second person in dialogue. As we spoke, I listened and took extensive notes. More importantly, I experienced a transformation of awareness that would manifest more deeply with the passing of time.
The painting, entitled “The Lamb and The Lion”, was completed on March 12, 1992, and the purpose for his original visitation was fulfilled. At that moment, the energy that had created his appearance began to dissolve into pure light. A new vision was ready to be shared with the world, and I immersed my whole life in it. The original painting was exhibited throughout many states for two years, and prints were carried to every country. I did not give a hint to anyone for four years that there had been conversations. Then in the spring of 1996, Jesus appeared again and asked me to give his messages to the world. That began with public lectures over the next six months, which were recorded as audiotapes (Conversations with Jesus), and eventually became my internationally best selling book, Love Without End...Jesus Speaks. The ripples of this new wave, and the voice of his calling, have reached every corner of the planet. In the winter of 1992, when Jesus first spoke the words, “Love is who you are”, I had never before heard or read such a statement, although many of the great and universal teachings would certainly support it. Today that concept—if not those very words—is central to our spiritual awakening.
The impact of this work was growing exponentially, and my own experience would continue expanding into other dimensions of life, transfiguring them with its grace and power. When we first began our relationship, I was timid, formal, and properly restrained toward him, as my religious upbringing had conditioned me to be. As familiarity increased, my formality and timidity slipped away. For the first time, I knew what it was like to be spiritually intimate with one who knew my every thought and anticipated my questions before I asked them. By the time the painting was finished, I had been transformed by the experience in more ways than I could count. Not only was my heart changed, and my consciousness expanded, but also my relationship with Jesus was significantly different from what my religious pre-conditioning had prepared me. I no longer saw him as a distant Lord, but a transcendent Being of unconditional love and infinite grace who was not only approachable, but also intimately accessible from within my own being. Our relationship grew in depth and richness as the days passed, and I came to know him as a personal friend and Divine Light that shone on me from every direction.
This change of relationship actually began much earlier when I was still working on the painting. One day as I painted, I noticed myself relaxed in a rare and peaceful way. Something within me had changed and dispelled my nervousness, allowing me to know him better and with more ease. Suddenly, I wanted to hear him say his name the way it was spoken in his lifetime. I asked, and he granted me that wish. For the first time, I heard the beautiful baritone voice say, “Jeshua”. Phonetically, it sounded more like “Ye shu ha”, [ye·shu·ha \ye-’shü-a\] with the first syllable being soft, the middle syllable being the strongest, and the secondary emphasis on the last syllable. Instantly, it struck a cord in my heart and consciousness, like two prongs of a tuning fork in resonant harmony.
I knew about his Hebrew name from books, but I was shocked at that moment to realize that I had never before heard it spoken. Jesus is the name used in our English translations of the Bible, and I had never questioned the value of reading or hearing it another way. I had blithely assumed that “a rose by any other name would be the same.” Now, I was emotionally jolted to “feel” the name by which his friends, family, and disciples knew him. No one in his lifetime had ever heard or spoken the name “Jesus”.
He noticed my realization and eased me through it with more understanding. The name he was given by his parents was Yehoshua ben Joseph. That would be the closest translation possible, considering there were no vowels in the Hebrew language. There are also Hebrew variations of that name such as Jehoshua, Jeshua, and Joshua. Another important factor he explained is that the Hebrew language in his lifetime was greatly modified by Aramaic, the more common language of the people. In Aramaic, his chosen language for reaching and teaching people, the formal name of Yehoshua would have been shortened to Yeshua or more likely, Jeshua. Today the initial “Y” is preferred by a majority of people in Messianic Israel who feel it is important to stay close to the formal Hebrew name, but actually the use of “J” is more characteristic of the Aramaic language. According to his expressions to me, he has, to this day, a great fondness for Aramaic, the language through which his truth was first spoken. Nevertheless, either spelling would be accurate enough and would mean the same. The sound is what is important.
Today, virtually every Christian scholar agrees that he did not go by the name of Jesus. There is a growing movement to restore his true name, along with typical human disagreements about how to spell it. With so many archeological discoveries available to balance theology, the truth is being revealed. Some things are already known. Jeshua was brought over into Greek as Iesous (Ihsouß); Iesous became Iesus in Latin, and then Iesus in English. In the 16th century, Iesus became Jesus because of a linguistic change in the alphabet. “I” and “J” had been interchangeable in Old and Middle English, but in the sixteenth century, the harder sound of “J” was officially classified as being different from “I”. For some reason, those who were empowered to decide upon his name preferred the harder sound of “J”, and so Jesus replaced Iesus in the modern English language. Up until that time, the name Jesus was never heard. After that time, Jeshua, the beloved name called upon by his first believers and followers, was virtually forgotten in the modern world.
The restoration of his name in my own consciousness had a more profound change than I could have imagined. Not only did it foster a closer, more authentic relationship with him; it also caused his words to elicit knowledge already within me that I did not know existed.
At first, I felt uncomfortable about referring to him in public as Jeshua. Somehow, that name was too precious to become the object of disagreement or even common debates that I did not feel qualified to enter. The English translations of the Bible called him Jesus, and who was I to change that? Agreement is an awesome force, and the printed word has had an incalculable impact on common agreements about what his name really was. I made hundreds of presentations of the painting in churches, and always felt that I needed to respect tradition as well as the truth. For that same reason, I continued to call him Jesus when I spoke in public, as well as in the recorded lecture series, and the book that followed. To do so was true enough, because I, too, had known and loved him by the name of Jesus, and through that name I had engaged in many conversations with him. Therefore, I could relate to those who held him in their hearts as Jesus and hesitated to disturb their dedication of faith with an unfamiliar name. More could be lost than gained, especially considering that his ultimate true name is Love.
Experience has revealed that my early inhibitions on this matter, while driven by thoughtful intent were unnecessary. In the few instances when I ventured to use his true historical name, it had the same impact on others that it did on me. It brought more warmth, clarity, and connection with a sense of Inner Light and greater faith. Under the guise of propriety, I had vainly deferred to tradition against my greater knowing. Then one day I opened my Bible to Matthew 26:34, where Jesus (Jeshua) said to Peter, “Verily I say unto you, that this night, before the cock crows, you shall deny me three times. Then Peter declared, ‘if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.’ And all the other disciples said the same.” Later that evening, Peter fulfilled the promise, by telling ordinary people in the courtyard, “I don’t know the man.” I wept as Peter did, to think that I had held back a witness about Jeshua that could have nurtured the hearts of others. It was time for the discrepancy to work its way out, because in my heart, Jesus was really Jeshua.
In the days and years after our first visitation, I would think about him and say his name. Whatever understanding I needed would come forth into consciousness. I would start my days with “Good Morning, Jeshua”, and he would be there. We would share thoughts and experiences, and he would continue his teachings. When the day was over, I would say “Thank you and Good Night, Jeshua”, and he would often visit me in my dreams. In the years succeeding the original visitation, his appearances have been spontaneous and frequent. Sometimes visual and audio perceptions were available and sometimes not. Often Gunner would see him. They are great friends. Regardless of what my senses revealed, there was always a definite presence unmistakable to my heart and the core of my being. Whenever I pronounced his name, my heart would be filled with his love and wisdom.
Life is more fluid than our perceptions normally suggest. Space adapts to the requirements of a given purpose, and time is simply a loom that weaves the threads of destiny, causing the events of our life to approach and disappear. Daily I was seeing evidence of the promise he made long ago that, “I am with you always.” In addition to our direct visitations and dialogue, I would see him in my prayers and meditations. He would speak through scriptures and other words of wisdom. I would find him teaching me through practical applications of life and truth, and always there would be an expanded message that would unfold through other sources or through my personal readiness to discover examples of his truth.
Soon I began to notice a predominate quality about his teaching: it was holistic, appealing to all my senses and contexts of life. At times, he would be explicit and direct. At other times, he would lead me intuitively into realizations of the heart or perhaps discoveries in nature. This broader scope allowed the information and ideas in Love Without End…Jesus Speaks to be topically explored and more completely developed. Each subject could be approached, examined and expanded through many faculties for learning such as: objective, subjective, contemplative, exploratory, experiential, and pragmatic.
The first words of this current manuscript were written in the winter of 2000. Initially my motive was to summarize and relay to others the continuing lessons in life that I was receiving from Jeshua. In the beginning, I surmised that the purpose of this new manuscript was to elevate and complete the contents of my first conversations with him. Therefore, I released it to many of my students, chapter by chapter, as “A Course in Life.” As the messages came forth they possessed a power and momentum that went beyond my original expectations. This work was standing on its own merit, and it became obvious that, through me, he was writing a new book! Not only did it reach greater heights of inspiration, but it also expanded into topics not touched upon in our earlier conversations … topics that extended well beyond my personal mastery. My predictions of what would come next were always being revised and magnified by further revelations.
In the spring of this year, a new element began to appear recurrently in each chapter. As I brought each chapter to summation, and sought to highlight its central theme, it became apparent that embedded in each one was a “Key to Life.” As the book moved into the “home stretch”, these keys began to surface with greater clarity. The final organization and presentation of a new book was at hand. Each chapter would contain a message from Jeshua, which would then be developed into an explanation of the “Key to Life” within it. There would be applications to life, correlations with the Bible and other words of wisdom. Last, but not least, for subjective realization of the message, there would be a meditation and prayer for each chapter. It is recommended that you enjoy this book with all your faculties of understanding, from objective to subjective, and allow a holistic perception of these revelations to develop in your heart.
To assist your study, I have presented Jeshua’s words in italics. That way, they may be isolated from the larger context and savored independently. At the same time, I have made every effort to remember and to reconstruct the anecdotal aspects of our conversations, revealing the queries, motives, and emotions that I brought to the situation. The book you are about to read is the result of 12 years of journaling his revelations. The only hindrance in relaying them to you is the inadequacy of language to transmit a living experience, rare and unusual, through the windows of existing and familiar reality. Therefore, I would be very happy (and you would be well served) if you suspended all belief and simply entertained the thought that I happened to stumble onto a heightened wave of consciousness, which—like a grand ‘Rosetta Stone’—revealed truths both common and elevating to the human spirit.
As for existential explanations of it all, my perspective is not yet grand enough to encompass the many possibilities. What happened on November 23, 1991 and continues into the present is nothing short of miraculous. It is not necessary that it be explained to the satisfaction of logic, or regarded in any particular way. The purpose of this book is not to solicit, reinforce, or change existing beliefs. I hope that you, the reader, will receive the teachings about to be revealed as a gift to your heart.
Those who struggle over how to mentally explain Jeshua’s appearances to me will be restrained from the full enjoyment and inspiration of these teachings. In this regard, it would be wise to consider two important facts about the nature of spirituality and belief. Truth always transcends any context that presents it—be it real or fiction. Actually, many of the greatest truths and philosophical premises of all time have been advanced into consciousness through fictional or imaginative presentation. Because of this, you need not feel compelled to believe in the events of this, or any, story in order to discover the truths within it. Secondly, the power of personal and subjective belief is far greater than any formal or external belief system. You will form your own beliefs, and they will be according to your individual nature—as they should be.
Mysteries are all around us, and the greatest, most fascinating mysteries of life are to be savored and not resolved. Perhaps the most amazing and humbling discovery of modern science is the fact that ninety-nine per cent of all existence is not only invisible to our senses and instruments, but also without mass or structure. Even the one per cent that comprises our physical universe is solid only because of relatively stable configurations of energy. Among the greatest scientists—including Niels Bohr, Max Planck and Werner Heisenberg—it has been conceded that there is room in a rational universe for incomprehensible wonders.
Most of the time our perceptions are focused upon the one per cent of existence that we can see, hear, and touch. But, what about the remaining 99 percent? How do we engage with that? More than likely that occurs through senses not yet identified or even developed in most individuals. Yet, we all participate of the endless universe in ways that we take for granted. Whenever we disengage the great filter called “self” and lose ourselves in play, service, conversation, sharing, imagination, meditation, prayer, study, or sleep, we shift our focus from survival pursuits into larger patterns of connection with unlimited possibility. Most often, our experience of the infinite is not a mystical ascension into some distant paradise, but a quiet and personal epiphany at moments when we realize that the miraculous and the mundane are one and the same. At such moments, we see clearly that everything is already before our eyes awaiting only a shift of perception. Marcel Proust said that, “The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes.”
There is no question that the exploration of human consciousness is the last great frontier. Well in advance of our understanding, Jeshua stimulated an expansion of awareness two thousand years ago that will see no end. In many ways, he ignited this through demonstrations of what seemed like paranormal mastery of life. Yet, the power behind his miracles and the reason for them was his instruction that they were not paranormal for him, and actually NORMAL for his level of love, perception, and power. Indeed, he promised that through spiritual attainment, love of God and man, and the elevation of consciousness, “All these things and more YOU shall also do.” If Jeshua had been merely dazzling his audiences with mystical abilities to impress them, his miracles would have had no lasting benefit. By that same standard, if you struggle over why this author was chosen for such extraordinary experiences—by what virtues of goodness or strangeness she has been set apart from others—you will miss the value of this book. My value lies in what I share with you, not in what separates us. The principles, clarifications, inspirations, and truths within this book are their own witness to a power existing within the human soul accessible to all.
Regardless of whether you call him Jeshua or Jesus, Friend, Teacher, Master, Lord or God Incarnate, it still remains an historical fact that no single individual has had more influence upon the course of human events in the last two thousand years. Regardless of one’s beliefs, or even disbelief, the impact of his life is a legacy to us all. Well beyond the countless numbers who center their religious convictions on him, there are millions who behold his influence, wisdom, love, and virtue despite their disinterest in the religions built in his name. This reality exceeds all varieties of private or collective faith.
Albert Einstein said: “The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mystical. It is the power of true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. To know that what is impenetrable to us really exists, manifesting itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, which our dull faculties can comprehend only in their most primitive forms—this knowledge, this feeling, is at the center of true religiousness.”
Glenda Green, September 2003
Jeshua
Acknowledgments
There are not enough words to thank the millions of friends and supporters who took the messages of Love Without End to their own hearts and then to the lives and hearts of others. Upon this fertile ground The Keys of Jeshua was brought to life.
In my personal life there is no one to whom I am more grateful than my beloved husband, Dr. Larry Jensen. Larry, a renowned psychologist, has for many years been a world leader in the service of personal enlightenment. His love, clarity, wisdom, and endless encouragement have been the wind in my sails.
Nancy French has my deepest appreciation for her excellent contribution to this work. Her keen sense of detail and compassionate heart provided just the balance needed to synthesize and integrate such a vast amount of information, while allowing it to remain simple, vital, and fresh. Special thanks go to the staff of Spiritis Publishing, Angie Gerber and Carol Flynn, who kept the wheels turning and the days bright with humor as the book evolved into a reality.
Because one of the goals of this book is to position these new teachings of Jeshua in the context of our rich spiritual heritage, I also want to acknowledge all the known and unknown authors and teachers who have left their legacy for us to learn, enjoy, and pass on. Attributions are given wherever possible, but there are now so many inspirational works appearing in the public domain it is often difficult to determine original authorship of some ideas. In addition to that, so many thoughts once regarded as unique are now revealed to be one of many similar ideas that have traveled on the rivers of our history. Yet, it is with a heart of gratitude that I praise every contribution that has moved us closer to our higher state of love and consciousness.
Attributions
Compiling a book of inspiration, which is both focused and varied, is much like creating a painting. Perhaps that is where the delivery of this message most closely relates to the talents and abilities that I developed over the past forty years. The only difference between a painting and a book of inspiration is that the painting is a reflection of nature and the book is a reflection of the rich accumulations within our cultural and spiritual heritage.
A landscape of accumulated truth and inspiration is the platform on which all inspirational books stand. Just as many artists can paint the same scene, consisting of the same rocks, trees, hills and clouds, with each work of art being absolutely original, so too can numerous inspirational writers reflect on the same heritage, ideas, and truth and emerge with completely unique perspectives. This is because inspirational treatises are created, compiled, or integrated first from the inner perspective of personal insight, not to mention all manner of compelling urges from the world of Spirit. In this, they most resemble a painting and the least resemble historical, scientific, or scholarly treatments, which originate with external facts, research, and objective examination.
I am very grateful for the platform on which this book stands, most especially for the contributions of Jeshua. There are also many writers, thinkers, and researchers whom I was able to credit within the body of the text. To those who are unknown, I express my deep appreciation for contributions to our evolution of consciousness and love. This is particularly appropriate in the sections of meditation and prayer. The art of meditation has been developed over thousands of years, and the components of meditation are so common and essential as to make any variations almost irrelevant. The original authors are lost in the sands of time. The same is true with prayer. Many traditional prayers, mostly by unknown authors, gave voice to my heart and what emerged was a new creation with rumblings of the ancient past. It is in this way that I would see this book most as a portrait of our spiritual nature engaging with our inheritance from many cultures and many rivers of thought.
Chapter 1 — Love is Who You Are
The Message
The beautiful words streamed forth from Jeshua: “The waters of life give no more power to the mighty surf than to a mountain brook. It is the joy of water to be itself, and to provide its substance for the nourishment of life. And a soul alone is great who inhales the breath of life, and with exhalation gives it forth in joy and complete release, knowing between breaths, there is nothing but the self and God.”
“Is this what you mean when you say, ‘Love is who we are?’”
“You cannot see yourself as love any more than a light can see itself shining. This is why you have focused your perceptions of love on external deeds. However, to be yourself in the fullness of God’s creation is none other than love being itself. By honoring this truth, you serve God and others. Most of all, understand the power that love has to transmit itself from one soul to another; to bestow the many gifts of life, wisdom, experience and sustenance that abound and exist for all to share. Love is the great medium of exchange, which can penetrate any barrier. Love informs and unites souls in their common destiny, so that the assembly of a few may equal the power of many. When you know this you are beginning to know compassion. And when you know compassion, you may enter all dimensions and know all realities, including death, without fear or judgment. As you surrender to the pathways of love, you will arise to know yourself as the love that you are.
As you move on the pathways of love you will also begin to see the presence of Divine Love leading you to people, places, and situations where your love may be fulfilled. The Ultimate union of your life is between the love that you are and the love of God. This is your true actualization.”
Correlations
1 Corinthians 13:7-13 “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 John 4:16 “God is love; and he that abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”
Romans 13:10 “Love does no wrong to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Galations 5:14 “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Key
Love is who we are, and what one soul feels for another. “Liking” is what we feel for objects, places, events, actions and circumstances. Liking is always conditional no matter how intense, because it is an expression of preferences and evaluations. LOVE IS SIMPLY UNCONDITIONAL! It fits anywhere and supersedes everything. There is no force more powerful than love! Therefore, it has no cause or parallel in the physical realm. It is unattached to circumstances. Love is the divine, mystical, and holy power that creates and sustains life for the simple joy of doing so. In its purest form, love is where creation creates itself. The key to love rests in knowing our own connection to that power.
Love is a force. It is also the pure essence of being. If love has any complementary nature, parallel, or other symmetry, that would be simply the dialogue between love’s own active and passive aspects—doing and being. As Jeshua said to me, “Love has no necessary complements, attachments, or obligations in the world of materiality.” His own life most certainly proved that it is possible to be in the world and not be of it.
Though it is not of the world, Love IS a “world of power” among souls. Not only does love refine and clarify the innate potential of each soul, but also it is the medium of exchange that allows one soul to support and enrich another! Although we would all agree that good deeds most certainly add to the quality of life, we would be underestimating the power of love if we regarded it only as an enhancement to living. Jeshua was very clear with me that the love exchanged between souls resulted in a great deal more good than simply to support external affairs. On one occasion he delved into the subject further saying, “Love is trans-dimensional, knowing no boundaries, not even the boundaries of ‘nothing’ or the more obvious boundaries of hatred, fear and opposition. All manner of consciousness, experience, and knowledge may be transposed from one soul to another through the mastery of love. This is the omnipotence of compassion. Whatever is transmitted from one soul to another by the power of love is forever.”
Love has one relentless challenge in this universe. By its very nature, love is inclusive. On the contrary, physical particles and configurations of energy perpetuate their existence through intervals of space, patterns, and boundaries that separate them. Energy is created by the act of propulsion through space against resistance! Therefore, from the beginning and for all time there are two powers generating creation in this universe: the power of love, which is inclusive, and the power of physical existence, which persists through exclusion and separation. The soul has a fascinating challenge of witnessing both powers, while selecting, integrating, and balancing these options for building a life. Whatever a soul chooses will have a profound effect on its priorities, how it sees itself, and how it relates to others.
When a soul’s sense of self is rooted in love, there is harmony within the self, and that improves the whole of life, allowing purposes to be fulfilled. When the soul is not in harmony with itself, then it seeks for balance within the material realm. This could be creative or destructive. Imbalance is necessary for growth, yet it is imperative that balance be restored in order for cycles of creation to continue. For example, if you did not lose your balance, you could not walk. If you did not restore your balance, you could not stand. Balance and imbalance are both necessary to life. When we do not understand the appropriate place for each function, we may allow material existence to bring imbalance to us, and fail to bring balance to it. Often this requires a skillful exchange of potential.
Fortunately, love is of God! Therefore, it cannot be conquered and knows no boundaries. Regardless of what choices have been made and what conflicts and barriers have accumulated, the greater power of love permeates, resolves, and unites as it moves ever on its way toward the fulfillment of life. It matters not whether we start with being love or doing love, as long as we appreciate the inevitable balance between these two aspects of its power. As we are, so shall we do. As we do, so shall we become. As we are to one another, the circle expands.
Grand as these ideas may sound, they are also the heart and soul of how life revolves even around simple daily problems. An interesting and amusing challenge presented itself to me years ago when I was on the Art School faculty of the University of Oklahoma. At that time, OU was best known for its national championship football team. In the fall of 1975, I had the mixed blessing of seeing the starting line up on the front row of my art appreciation class! Healthy, robust, and immensely bored with this required course, the players knew the cobwebs on the ceiling better than Mona Lisa. However, my problem was that their passing grades were more important to the coaches than the Sistine Chapel. If my integrity as a teacher were to remain intact, I would have to come up with a solution very quickly. With a spirit of ingenuity, colored by frustration, creation, and hope, I dismissed the class and requested that we meet next time on the quadrangle. Privately I asked the team players to bring their footballs. They looked confused, but anything was better than rote memorization of art and artists.
I knew that if I were to reach these boys and the rest of the class, I would have to translate my subject into their language. As it turned out, the next class day was beautiful and the refreshing fall air seemed to lift all our spirits and foster esprit de corps. I directed my first words to one of the players, and asked him to teach me how to throw a pass. As he fumbled on his words, and demonstrated with actions, I refined his instruction until the subject of “quality”, “precise intention”, and the idea of “art” began to apply to something he understood. The enlightenment that gradually occurred was visible in the eyes of every student.
Until then, there had been a chasm between us due to perceived and believed differences of being—I was a sissy art instructor and they were jocks! My sudden shift of classroom environment and teaching techniques put a new twist on that fixed idea. Now all that remained was for me to take their familiar realities and expose the common threads shared with art and principles of quality. Once a transmission of consciousness took place, the rest was easy. In one playful session, I had created a basis for learning from which everyone benefited. The players finished my class with passing grades earned honorably, and I received complimentary tickets to the remaining games. I have to admit that I enjoyed the games with a new pleasure as well.
There is another instance—a very moving and historically true story—where the love transmitted between four souls changed the history of our world. It started with a poor Scottish farmer named Fleming. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself.
Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death. The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Fleming had saved. The nobleman was expecting to repay the farmer for saving his son’s life.
“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied, dismissing the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.
“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.
“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.”
And that he did.
Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools, and eventually graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London. He went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time was Penicillin. The name of the nobleman was Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name — Sir Winston Churchill.
Inspirations
Kahlil
Gibran
(b.1883–d.1931)
Persia:
The
Prophet: “Love gives naught but itself and takes naught
but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed: for
love is sufficient unto love. When you love you should not say, ‘God
is in my heart’, but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God.’ And
think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds
you worthy, directs your course. Love has no other desire but to
fulfill itself.”
Applications
Remember three times in your life when just being WHO you are made a difference for others.
Remember three times in your life when WHO someone else was made a difference for you.
The old adage that “it matters not what you know but who you know”, has been applied toward such exploitative ends, that sincere people often cringe just to hear such a suggestion. What a pity that such a jewel of truth has been so corrupted that its savor has been lost. For purposes of learning, however, let’s just suspend all judgment and selfish applications of that concept, and consider that the “who of a person” is truly important.
Recently, some old friends of mine moved a long distance away. We had not shared life actively for quite some time, and in their absence there is now an unmistakable vacuum. I miss them! In my youth, I grew up knowing a boy who was a lot of trouble to his parents. They tried different approaches to education and discipline, including military school. As a young man in his early 20’s, he was killed in Vietnam. Only then did his grieving parents shift from issues with his behavior to acceptance of his being. Most often we focus on the value of behavior, or its lack of value, and forget the “who” that is behind the behavior! No wonder our relationship struggles are so tenacious.
As you do this, you are simply to look — without judgment, projection, or expectation — at who is in your life and who you are to them.
We will never know where we belong in the lives of others or where they belong in ours until we focus beyond the imperfect behavioral issues and expectations. All of the humor, wit, graciousness, and facility that we see in ideal relationships is there because a greater perspective has been discovered, which honors something more important than behavior—the power of being. If you would lift your relationships above the level of issues, simply acknowledge the greater value of “who”, until love “as being” transcends the need for judgment and control. If you would end conflicting situations with others, or resolve actions that are inappropriate or challenging, simply suspend the issues for a moment and consider who is engaging your attention. You may be surprised to find clarity and resolution on both sides that lie behind the question of “who?”. Often this is the truth that will set you free. No doubt, we would all be shocked to learn how many people have never been respected by considerations or even questions of who they are.
As you proceed to ask “Who?” of yourself and others, be careful to look beyond labels and job descriptions. Too often in advanced industrial nations, we seek first a plan of doing that which will define the self in a desirable way. The most commonly asked question after being introduced to someone is, “What do you do?” Our work identity has replaced our personal identity for the sake of insuring survival of our employment. Lifting the “who” above such capturing fences can bring miracles to life, but more importantly, gaining the ability to know yourself by your love will result in miracles instead of just survival.
What activities in your life truly define and support the love that you are?
How would having similar information about others improve your relationships with them?
Meditation
Jeshua said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.” Dense though our bodies may seem, they are actually mostly space, and the few densities that comprise them are condensations of light. The only other reality or context that defines our physical existence is that our bodies are also part of the genetic-biological cycle of life, with its desires, needs, perils, and pleasures. This extends into the various contexts of social living. For most of our lives, we are focused on these more complex challenges of physical life. Just imagine what might happen if we shifted our emphasis to the first aspect of space and light, which is equally physical from another perspective.
The Divine forces, which have produced your higher immortal body, are literally waiting within each cell to be released. Through deep meditation, you have an opportunity to meet the living Christ existing within and around you. He will accompany you on this journey homeward.
Now, let’s discuss the pathway. From the crown of your head to the end of your spine, there are at least eight cerebrospinal centers. These are the nexus points where organic substance, energy, emotion, thought, consciousness, and spirit are joined. Where they are, what they are called, and their possible functions are probably less important than a simple awareness that they exist. Though their differences may be subtle, the elements joined at these points form the bridge between Heaven and Earth. Their union also results in certain vibrational qualities, which may be opened through visualization, activated through energy, and explored through consciousness. The master vibration is love, and the most basic perceptions are of light, color, and subtle movement.
To begin, find a comfortable chair or mat where your spine may be straight. Steady your gaze as you allow your eyes to gently close. Observe your breath and begin to softly inhale through the nostrils, relaxing the abdomen outward. This permits the diaphragm to move downward and the lungs to expand into the lower chest cavity. Hold a deep, full, inhalation for a moment and then slowly exhale through the nostrils. Repeat this until a calm state of mind and an ample supply of oxygen fill your being.
Now visualize your spinal column as being a hollow pipe. Begin using it as a breathing instrument by mentally transferring the sensation of inhaling and exhaling to it. Perceive that your breath is moving inter-dimensionally through your spine—upwardly as you inhale and downwardly as you exhale. As you inhale from the earth, imagine this gift of energy and love to be the presence of our beloved Mother God, and as you exhale, experience the cleansing release of all things temporal as you are received into the embrace of our Almighty Father God. Allow this process to continue until complete surrender has induced a rhythmic and harmonious flow of energy on all levels of consciousness. After this happens, focus your attention on the area of the heart and visualize a spark of light. See this light grow through the nurturing of God’s love and your acceptance of it until it becomes a womb-like aura containing the presence of a child. Look into the eyes of this child and form a steady gaze until there is a transmission of love, recognition, and wisdom. This child is not the youngster of your human history—but the eternal soul that you are, ever young, tender, and innocent, though compassionate and wise. This is the divine child that is YOU, as seen through the eyes of God. This is the divine child who lives in the Kingdom of Heaven.
In the presence of this child, allow yourself to be accepted for all that you have been and all that you have experienced. On the flow of your soft and rhythmic breath enjoy the sweet and eternal dialogue between your original self, created in the image of God, and yourself that embarked on an adventure. LOVE as pure being is now engaged with love that is having an experience. Enjoy the pleasure of knowing thyself. Remain in the Kingdom as long as it beckons to you.
Prayer
Singing
glory and praise to my Creator,
I see my spirit as one with
eternity
And my life as an endless sea.
I pray that my love may
be extended to all
As Your love has been given to me.
In
our joy we give thanks for Your blessing.
Let us love like we’ve
never known hurt.
Let us live in the spirit of caring.
Let us
act like it’s Heaven on Earth.
Amen
Chapter 2 — Recovering the Authentic Self
The Message
A simple and unassuming question on my part initiated a profound response from Jeshua. One day, as I painted, I wondered how, “in the beginning of all existence, something could be created from nothing.” As usual, His answer was very much to the point:
“Things were not created from nothing. Everything was created from ‘Being’. The ultimate state of pure being is the totality of energy and potential, resting in stillness and peace with itself. In such a state all ideas for creation are formed, and these ideas are merely extensions of the self. Creation is the consequence of I AM moving into action, or life, through multiplying ITSELF. There was no instrument of creation outside of Divine Being. I AM THAT I AM is God. So too with yourself, the truth of who you are will not be found in actions or personal history, but in the simplicity of who you are within the stillness and peace of your inner being. In this universe and for all time, Being is Supreme. All that you do and have is an extension of your being and an outward gesture of the way you consider yourself to be.
“When I walked on the earth, my mission was accomplished not by deeds, miracles or stories, but by one central teaching which I presented in countless ways and my life embodied: In the beginning and forever ‘I Am is the way; I Am is the word.’ I lived the principle and instructed all who would listen to the power of that truth. It is the secret to reconciling compassion, reality, and integrity, and for surmounting the perils of illusion, judgment, and separation. There was only one ritual commonly shared by all congregations of the early church. That was the bonding I shared with my apostles on the eve of my surrender. Unfortunately, much of the original meaning has been lost. I was not warning them of impending bloodshed and martyrdom. I was giving them one last, and meaningful, opportunity to master the central teaching of my life and to seal it in the drama of things to come. I was to conquer death, not by miraculous powers or even by prayer, but by the body and blood of MY BEING. Except that I am one with you and you are one with me, we can do nothing for one another. The same is true for all mankind. Through the joining of love, which is compassion, and the unity of spirit, which is peace, light is brought to the world and all is accomplished.”