Chapter 2
{2:1} Now when Jesus was born in You awaken the desire to overcome
Beth-lehem of Judaea in the days of separation from God in the process
Herod the king, behold, there came of disciplined learning (Bethlehem)
wise men from the east to Jerusalem in the state of awareness where you
are seeking to express the will of God (Judea), even though the ego is
still running your conscious life (Herod is king). Three aspects of the
inner self, from the mental level of awareness (east) come to the attention
of your ego as it is in a state of calm (Jerusalem, foundation of peace).
There is a sense here of upsetting the equilibrium of the conscious mind
as it becomes aware of the inner authority represented by Christ.
{2:2} Saying, Where is he that is Where is the true authority of your
born King of the Jews? for we have self, based on awareness of God (Jews)?
seen his star in the east, and are The mental part of your self has become
come to worship him aware of this inner change and has
accepted it.
{2:3} When Herod the king had heard But your outer ego is afraid of this
[these things], he was troubled, change, and it upsets your false
and all Jerusalem with him self-confidence, which is based on
outer things.
{2:4} And when he had gathered all You look to the outer intellect and
the chief priests and scribes of emotions to tell you the nature of
the people together, he demanded of this inner change.
them where Christ should be born
{2:5} And they said unto him, In House of bread (Beth-lehem) is a
Beth-lehem of Judaea: for thus it mind (house) of knowledge (bread)
is written by the prophet centered on praise of the Lord
(Judea), this is an accepted truth
{2:6} And thou Beth-lehem, [in] the (written by the prophet).
land of Juda, art not the least Increase of knowledge through praise
among the princes of Juda: for out leads to control of the aspects of
of thee shall come a Governor, that your self (people) that are striving to
shall rule my people Israel know God (Israel, wrestler with God).
{2:7} Then Herod, when he had Your ego is trying to understand the
privily called the wise men, origins of the change taking place,
enquired of them diligently what which it sees as a threat to its
time the star appeared authority.
{2:8} And he sent them to At this point, your ego is not taking
Beth-lehem, and said, Go and search this seriously, and is trying to
diligently for the young child; and deny that the change exists.
when ye have found [him], bring me
word again, that I may come and
worship him also
{2:9} When they had heard the king, The mental decision has been made to
they departed; and, lo, the star, seek this new authority, and go
which they saw in the east, went through the transformations necessary
before them, till it came and stood to express this new relation to God
over where the young child was represented by Jesus Christ.
{2:10} When they saw the star, The wise men represent the degree of
they rejoiced with exceeding great control over superconscious, sub-
joy conscious, and conscious awareness.
{2:11} And when they were come into And this control is subject to the
the house, they saw the young child new awareness of God, through the
with Mary his mother, and fell non-resistance of the conscious
down, and worshipped him: and when mind (Mary). The gifts are the under-
they had opened their treasures, standings at this point of the three
they presented unto him gifts; parts of mind, gold (superc.), frank-
gold, and frankincense, and myrrh incense (subc.) and myrhh (conscious).
{2:12} And being warned of God in a There is no point in struggling with
dream that they should not return or antagonizing the ego, place your
to Herod, they departed into their attention on God instead. The dream
own country another way represents not being sure, but acting
on faith.
{2:13} And when they were departed, We have created resistance within
behold, the angel of the Lord the self through the birth of this
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, new idea. Don't fight this resistance,
saying, Arise, and take the young but submit to the physical develop-
child and his mother, and flee into ment and time necessary for the
Egypt, and be thou there until I resistance to subside.
bring thee word: for Herod will
seek the young child to destroy him
{2:14} When he arose, he took the Egypt represents physical conscious-
young child and his mother by ness without thought of spiritual
night, and departed into Egypt existance.
{2:15} And was there until the It is by being responsible for the
death of Herod: that it might be physical body and daily life (Egypt)
fulfilled which was spoken of the that we build the discipline necessary
Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of to experience and express spiritual
Egypt have I called my son awareness.
{2:16} Then Herod, when he saw that The ego feels threatened and rejects
he was mocked of the wise men, was all new ideas and every new under-
exceeding wroth, and sent forth, standing, hoping to return to the
and slew all the children that were false sense of peace that previously
in Beth-lehem, and in all the prevailed.
coasts thereof, from two years old
and under, according to the time
which he had diligently enquired of
the wise men
{2:17} Then was fulfilled that The receptive consciousness in the
which was spoken by Jeremy the physical mind thinks that the
prophet, saying birth of Christ has failed once
again, that all the children are
{2:18} In Rama was there a voice not. But one has escaped!
heard, lamentation, and weeping,
and great mourning, Rachel weeping
[for] her children, and would not
be comforted, because they are not
{2:19} But when Herod was dead, The rages of the conscious ego are
behold, an angel of the Lord short-lived. Angels of the Lord are
appeareth in a dream to Joseph in superconscious thoughts penetrating
Egypt into subconscious mind i.e. spiritual
thoughts becoming mental and emotional
{2:20} Saying, Arise, and take the expressions.
young child and his mother, and go It is time to begin the development
into the land of Israel: for they and maturation of the thought that
are dead which sought the young becomes Christ, through applying it
child's life to the awareness of God (land of
Israel).
Israel is best represented by the question, what is God? And how do I best
use my awareness of God in my life? What is my relation to God, and how
can I maintain and use that consciousness in the face of my daily problems
and challenges?
Every man of good faith must constantly expand his understanding and
awareness of the presence of God.
{2:21} And he arose, and took the The shaping imagination is put to use
young child and his mother, and to apply Christ consciousness.
came into the land of Israel
{2:22} But when he heard that Archelaus (ruler of the people)
Archelaus did reign in Judaea in is still of the same mind (room) as
the room of his father Herod, he Herod. It is another manifestation of
was afraid to go thither: the ego.
notwithstanding, being warned of This Joseph is an even greater dreamer
God in a dream, he turned aside than the Old Testament one!
into the parts of Galilee Galilee represents working with the
physical from a perspective of under-
{2:23} And he came and dwelt in a standing the law.
city called Nazareth: that it might Nazareth means separate, in the sense
be fulfilled which was spoken by of separating yourself from temptation.
the prophets, He shall be called a It might also be called self-discipline
Nazarene or self-restraint.
The glimmer of an idea comes to us: I am worth something to God.
Our conscious ego fights this tooth and nail. "You are worthless. Your only
value is in vain repetition of scriptual phrases, and following of forms
and rituals".
Rather than fighting this, the shaping imagination (Joseph) places the
attention on the physical, and gives the idea time to grow through gradually
applying it in the daily life to all sorts of situations. Rather than
explaining it away, the idea is held apart (Nazareth) as a unique and divine
inspiration.
Joseph represents imagination. This Joseph is a carpenter, who takes the
growth (wood or trees) occuring in the subconscious, and shapes and forms
it.
This would be the individual beginning to see order in the "coincidences"
of life, or perhaps beginning to apply symbolism to the interpretation of
dreams and images in meditation or prayer.