The renowned Socratic dictum “ know thy self” arises out of the quest of man to understand his essence. Man is a microcosm of the macrocosm and by knowing his nature he might, therefore, know the essence of the universe. Throughout the long march of time, humanity has struggled to rise above a merely physical existence. God made man in his image which is why there is an insatiable longing in man to optimize his spiritual capacity to live spiritually united with the creator during his lifetime on earth. The wisest men, at the highest striatum, maintain their union with the ultimate reality to ensure synchronicity with the forces that guide evolution and ensure sustained productivity. When the synchronicity with the forces of evolution is lost, the purpose of life morphs into an egocentric quest for survival, acquisition, and recognition. Historically, narcissism has been rebuffed. Yet today, narcissistic behaviors are seemingly acknowledged, encouraged, reinforced, and normalized. In such a case, the old axiom is applicable, “the cart has been placed before the horse”; metaphorically speaking. And of course, no forward progress can be made until the natural order is restored, which allows the horse to pull the cart. Having lost synchronicity with the forces of evolution, society is notably floundering in violence as it insidiously gravitates towards the precipice of annihilation.
Here are some of the issues that society is grappling with, and seemingly, are being overwhelmed. The laudable aspirations of education that once fueled national achievement have withered. Rampant school invasions, shootings, student lockdowns, police presence, and low SAT and Reading scores are evidenced-based indicators of failure. The principle concerns of educators have become maximum school safety, rather than maximum learning, growth, and achievement. The sale of guns has skyrocketed and everyone is “ packing “. The national murder rate is at an all-time high. Inner City citizens remain pinned down in pressure cookers, under duress which thwarts academic achievement, socio-economic progress, psychological well-being, and mental health. Parents are frightened for the safety of their children; this is especially true of the mothers of Black boys. Factory workers in the auto industry are picketing due to low wages and the threat of being replaced by robots and artificial intelligence (AI.) The Young adult population is in an identity crisis. Ignorant of the authentic transcendental Self, increases susceptibility to transgender propaganda and conditioning. Hence, confusion is pervasive owing to identifications with the plethora of biological impulses, proclivities, and sexual urges of the body. The LGBTQ community’s quest for assimilation and normalization into the mainstream challenges the concepts of equal opportunity and inclusion. Perhaps one of the most detrimental blows to society was dealt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide, church attendance and religious rituals were compromised, substantially diminishing long-held beliefs and practices that are faith-based. When the children of Israel were bitten by poisonous snakes and were dying in the wilderness, God instructed Moses to build an image of a serpent, and have the Israelites look up to the serpents. Moses built a copper serpent, and when the children of Israel looked at the serpent they lived ( Numbers 21:6-9). Obviously, it wasn’t the copper serpent, but the Israelite’s faith in the efficacy of the words of the LORD (יהוה). Likewise, the Church teaches that the bread and wine offered in the Mass are transformed into the divinity of Christ; his actual, body and blood! During the pandemic, the fear of COVID-19 was intense and pervasive; it seemingly stultified and overshadowed the Church’s teaching. In many parishes, owing to health concerns, only the consecrated bread; the body, is made available to parishioners. The wine, the blood, is reserved only for the priest. Nevertheless, during the Mass; the Priest, reading from a prepared script, says, “Take this all of you and drink from it” while withholding it. This is a contradiction and doesn’t make sense; it invalidates the “transubstantiation”. The words of the Lord are forthright, “ DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.” Offer bread, my body, and wine, my blood, for the life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:14). If this commandment is modified in any way, it is an egregious disobedience tantamount to sin. A sin that prevents the Lord from working miracles of faith.
Yeshua( Jesus) came to earth to inaugurate the Kingdom of Heaven. In Luke 17: 20-21 Yeshua teaches that the kingdom of heaven does not come with observable signs, the kingdom of heaven is within. In other words, He defines the Kingdom of heaven, as God-consciousness. Secondly, he teaches his disciples a prayer formula that, invokes the kingdom of heaven, while simultaneously surrendering the individual will; “not my will, but thine be done and let your kingdom come”. Finally, on the night that he was betrayed, he bestowed the gift of himself by instituting the Eucharist; בריט כדשה the new and everlasting covenant. This Supernatural food is unlike the manna in the wilderness, it initiates, sustains, and maintains the process of spiritual transformation. The aforementioned acts of Yeshua were a formal inauguration of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. As I see it, heaven on earth is the birthright of every living creature. My rationale is in part based on the sacred scriptures which state, בראשית ברא אלוהים את השמים ואת הארץ. , “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth”. Heaven and Earth were created simultaneously in time and space to be enjoyed during human lifetime. As Yeshua taught his disciples; the kingdom of heaven is within. This concept is the thesis of spirituality; greater happiness is proportional to knowledge of God. The central petition of Yeshua’s prayer is, “ Let your will be done”. The Will of god, when expressed through an individual’s thoughts, speech, and actions, is tantamount to living in the sanctuary of God perpetually; heaven on earth. It is clear from the sacred text that those who are led by the spirit are the sons of God (Romans 4:18). The followers of Yeshua are to live in Heaven on earth in the state of “abundant life” which is, the supernatural life of the Eucharist. Going forward, heaven should be thought of as being your fully developed subjective consciousness that has become synchronized with divine law. There is no monolithic definition of consciousness. However, as I understand it, consciousness is the singular, self-referral existent, the ground source. Consciousness is the knower, the known, and the interactive dynamics within the process of knowing. Knowing is union. To know an object is to become united with it. The aim of education is learning, a word that reflects the successful union between the student’s intelligence and the subject being studied. This link is formed within the student’s inner awareness or consciousness. When the subject and object are linked, unity ensues and knowledge is born. Within education, the student’s inner consciousness is where learning occurs. Learning is an act of the student’s realization, cognition, and grasp of the material studied. Study is the intense focus of one’s subjective consciousness. Study activates the self-referral dynamics of intelligence inherent in consciousness. The inner field of consciousness is capable of knowing itself, which is the essence of the applied sciences; mathematics, chemistry, science, etc. The ultimate knower in the process of learning is consciousness which possesses the ability to know itself. Who am I? I am not the body, not the gender, nor the race, I am not my religion, I am not my desires, nor the multifarious urges that I feel. Everyone’s sense of “I” is an individualized impulse of the eternal consciousness within the space and time continuum. You are incarnated to apprehend the divine and experience, the joy of apprehending which is, Heaven on Earth.
Dr. Yisrael offers individualized instruction in the Hebrew alphabet for basic Hebrew literacy:Contact: babaayshua@gmail.com.