Hidden Meanings — psychological secrets of gospels for New Times — Part II
Let’s say a little about the language of the parables. All mystical writings have both external and internal meaning. Hidden behind the literal, lettered meaning is another meaning, another kind of information and knowledge. According to a very old Tradition, man once had direct contact with this “inner” hidden knowledge.
How correctly one should understand certain terms, such as “esoteric” etc., you will be able to read here soon, as I am preparing certain short stories about it. The stories will be published as independent essays here in next days (I will try to link it then here, too).
In the Old Testament there are many stories carrying this other knowledge,
a meaning quite different from the literal one. The story of the building of the ark and the flood, the building of the tower of Babel, Jacob and Esau and many others contain an inner psychological meaning far removed from the literal meaning. In the New Testament, the Gospels, parables are similarly used.
Many parables appear in the gospels. As they appear in a literal, literal sense, they refer to vineyards, to hosts, to servants, to imprudent sons, to oil, water and wine, to seeds, to the sower and fertile or infertile soil, and many other things.
The language of the parabolas is difficult to understand at first glance, purely grammatically, as is generally the case with the language of all mystical writings. Taken literally, both the Old and New Testaments are full of contradictions, often with cruel and repulsive overtones.
The question arises: Why do these so-called mystical sacred writings use such a deceptive form? Why is the meaning not expressed clearly and literally?
If in the story of Jacob denying Esau, or the tower of Babel, or Noah’s ark three stories high and floating on the waters, when the flood came upon the earth, not necessarily the literal is true, but has quite a different inner meaning, why is it not conveyed in an absolutely obvious way? Why is the New Testament again using a form of parable with a double meaning?
Why is it not stated explicitly what it is supposed to say?
Someone asking such questions might rightly conclude that the so-called revealed, sacred, mystical writings, are nothing more than a deliberate kind
of forgery or deception.
The idea behind all mystical messages is to convey some greater, higher meaning, through literal and can also be read literalistically,
convey a Truth, which must be considered by man inwardly.
This higher, hidden, inner, sometimes called esoteric, meaning, expressed verbally and figuratively, can only be grasped through adequate understanding, and herein lies the difficulty in man’s adequately perceiving the higher meaning.
The literal level of understanding is not best suited for realizing and experiencing psychological meanings. To understand literalistically is one thing. To comprehend psychologically, another.
Let us cite just a few examples at this point.
The commandment states: “Thou shalt not kill.” That’s how it sounds literally. But the psychological meaning is “you shall not kill even in your heart,” such a psychological extension of meaning I find in Leviticus. The literal meaning of the next commandment “You shall not steal” is obvious, but its psychological meaning is much deeper. To steal, to be a thief, is also to think that we make everything of ourselves, by our own strength and power, that something can just naturally belong to us, when in fact we do not know who we really are, how we really think and feel, or how real our actions are, often just an illusion of will. We behave like a thief when we assume that certain things are given to us exclusively, when we attribute everything to ourselves. This is related to our attitude, our inner attitude.
If a person were told this directly, he would not understand.
Therefore, the meaning is hidden under the surface.
“Let him who seeks not cease to seek,
“until he finds it, and when he has found it, he will be amazed,
and when he is astonished, he will reign, and when he has reigned, he will rest.”
If a man were told this directly, he would not understand.
Therefore, the meaning is hidden beneath the surface.
Experiencing a higher level allows us to approach a certain truth, that reveals for us, in my understanding, additional meaning to something that may seem, to anyone else, trivial.
This truth has been known for a long time and it reads:
(alchemical too)
that discovery is so simple,
that astonishing — it is not believed.
I will cite here, for example, the text known as Papyrus Oxyrhynchos 654
(see Thomas 1–6)
These are the secret words spoken by
Jesus the living Jesus, and written down by Judah [called]
also called Thomas. And he said: “Whoever finds
the meaning of these words, death
shall not taste death.”…..
[Jesus says]:
“Let him that seeketh not cease to seek, until he
and when he has found it, he will be amazed,
and when he is amazed he will reign,
and when he has reigned
will rest.
The idea would not be grasped.
And worse — it would be laughed at.
Knowledge of a higher kind, an order, a deeper meaning, if it descends to a literal, ordinary, basic level of understanding, it sounds nonsensical or will be most completely misperceived and misunderstood.
Then it becomes useless and worse (harmful).
One who seeks will find.
And when he finds it,
he will be amazed,
and having been astonished,
he will reign,
and having reigned,
he will rest.
I have been searching for almost 30 years.
You can probably go faster,…but I’ve done a lot of things and explore many misfortunes.
Also, unfortunately, the vast majority of people do not find it until death, and even after.
Mostly because they are not looking.
Also, a lot of them search with the wrong method.
Demanding, for example, does not work; creative asking and own, sometimes crazy, attempts — works much more. That is how it is. And it is true also that it is difficult not to lose hope (and faith, of a sort, closer to curiosity and knowledge, closer to the play of a cat, than the grim or ratty faith so common, than the so common mouse’s fear of God, which not only has no justification whatsoever, is bottomlessly stupid. Most of this hope (and faith)
is lost, either of themselves or by seeing the world around them and comparing. And it is true that there are tests waiting along the way, including
a mortal test. When one survives them, one is on the threshold.
These words can only be understood at the threshold of the Treasury.
Nevertheless, the amazement, it is true, is great.
From the amazement discover, however, one must recover, for there is a way back. It’s not enough to kill the Minotaur, we still have to get out of the labyrinth and find the exit.
Not only for us, mainly for (what is also already our integral goal,
because we value the benefit of others more than ourselves),
to bring what we have, what we have gained, into the World.
This is extremely difficult.
It is a matter of transferring the almost incommunicable.
But I have started to achieve it.
