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Mysteries of Genesis
Chapter 11
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[Mysteries of Genesis]
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Chapter XI
Joseph a Type of the Christ
Genesis 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41
MAN, AN IDEA in Divine Mind, is manifested in various
states of consciousness. These appear outwardly as
personalities and take form as bodies. In describing states
of consciousness the Bible uses the personality in a
representative sense, with the meaning of the name as a key
to the state of being explained.
The meaning of the name Joseph is "whom Jehovah will add
to." He represents the "increasing" faculty of the mind,
that state of consciousness in which we increase in all
phases of our character. This is especially true of
substance; for Joseph as imagination molds mind substance
in the realm of forms. He had a coat of many colors; his
dreams were always of forms and shapes--the sheaves of
wheat, the stars and moon. An interpreter of dreams, the
phenomenal was his field of action. This formative power is
characteristic of the imagination, and among the twelve
primal faculties of mind we find that this faculty of the
imagination is represented by Joseph.
The Joseph faculty is the dreamer of dreams and the seer of
visions, which are expressed always in forms and symbols.
If you are a vivid dreamer and can correctly interpret your
own dreams, you may know that you are developing your
Joseph faculty. However, it is one thing to dream and quite
another to interpret
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dreams correctly. All people dream more or less, but few
can interpret dreams. Visions come under the same head, for
dreams are not necessarily the sole concomitant of sleep.
Gen. 37:1-8. And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's
sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the
generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old,
was feeding the flock with his brethren; and he was a lad
with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his
father's wives: and Joseph brought the evil report of them
unto his father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his
children, because he was the son of his old age: and he
made him a coat of many colors. And his brethren saw that
their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they
hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.
And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren:
and they hated him yet the more. And he said unto them,
Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: for,
behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my
sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your
sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over
us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they
hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
Joseph represents the faculty of imagination. This faculty
produces the pictures or images that make visible every
idea that the mind can conceive and reveals to the
illumined intellect (Jacob) the activities of the other
faculties (Joseph's brothers; in this case the sons of
Bilhah and Zilpah).
Joseph was the proud owner of a coat of many colors, a gift
from his father. The coat is the symbol
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of the Truth given to us by the Father. Truth in its
entirety is symbolized by the seamless garment that Jesus
wore, for it cannot be separated into divisions or parts.
All truth is one Truth. Joseph's coat being of many colors
indicates that when we open up this new realm of
consciousness and begin to use the imagination, our
conception of Truth is colored by the many previous mental
states that have so long herded our flocks of thoughts. At
this stage we have not yet come into the understanding,
into the pure white light of unqualified Truth, that is
symbolized by the seamless robe of unity.
The home of the imagination is in the realm of ideas, where
another dimension of mind is opened to it, even the kingdom
of the heavens. The imaging faculty gives man the ability
to project himself through time and space and thus rise
above these limitations as well as all other limitations.
Even when the conscious mind is asleep the imagination
continues its activity and we have dreams.
As we have learned, we cannot take our dreams literally but
must interpret them by means of the symbols given us. For
instance, Joseph's dream about the sheaves was a dream
about substance and a prophecy of his attainment of a
superior consciousness of universal substance. That
consciousness of substance afterward brought forth fruit
when he supervised the storage of grain in Egypt, and this
grain furnished needed supply to his father and brothers
and brought them to him. Imagination uses ideas to increase
its store of universal substance and clothes ideas in form;
for it is both a formative and an increasing faculty.
An uncontrolled imagination will often exaggerate
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and increase one's consciousness of trivial or even unreal
things until both mind and body are affected. (Joseph
carried tales about his brothers to his father.) The
imagination is a very powerful faculty, and we must learn
to discipline it if we would make it practical in serving
our highest good. By following the inspiration of the
supermind or Jehovah consciousness we can control the
imagination and direct its work to practical ends.
Gen. 37:9-22. And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it
to his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet a
dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars
made obeisance to me. And he told it to his father, and to
his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto
him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and
thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down
ourselves to thee to the earth? And his brethren envied
him; but his father kept the saying in mind.
And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in
Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, Are not thy brethren
feeding the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee
unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And he said to
him, Go now, see whether it is well with thy brethren, and
well with the flock; and bring me word again. So he sent
him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And
a certain man found him, and behold, he was wandering in
the field: and the man asked him, saying, What seekest
thou? And he said, I am seeking my brethren: tell me, I
pray thee, where they are feeding the flock. And the man
said, They are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us
go to Dothan. And Joseph went after his brethren, and found
them in Dothan.
And they saw him afar off, and before he came
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near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And
they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come
now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one
of the pits, and we will say, An evil beast hath devoured
him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams. And
Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand, and
said, Let us not take his life. And Reuben said unto them,
Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the
wilderness, but lay no hand upon him: that he might deliver
him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
In the foregoing Scripture Joseph's dream is very
significant. Jacob's words "Shall I and thy mother and thy
brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the
earth?" are self-explanatory.
Shechem denotes a thought of burdens, which reveals that
the brothers took to heart Joseph's superior attitude.
Joseph's talebearing propensity and the fact that their
father loved Joseph better than he did his brothers served
to stir up the antagonism of the other sons toward Joseph.
Jacob (the I AM) (functioning in Hebron, which means
"united," "bound by a common bond") sent Joseph (the
imagination) down into Shechem ("bending down," "a burden")
to see how his brothers (the other faculties) fared. Jacob
(the I AM) operating in the consciousness of friendship and
unity did not take seriously the contention that Joseph
(the boasting imagination) had brought about.
The name Dothan means "two wells," "edicts," "customs."
Dothan symbolizes the double standard of thought that man
holds regarding his life and substance, the law of Being on
the one hand, custom on the other. His customary beliefs
lead to limited, warped
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experiences, while an understanding of the true law of
Being increases the activity of the power of God in his
life and also makes him conscious of that activity. (Dothan
is the place where Joseph found his brethren.)
Reuben, symbolizing the faculty of discernment in the
outer, suggested the pit (which represents a pitfall or
trap), intending later to deliver Joseph and thus restore
him to the arms of his father.
Gen. 37:23-28. And it came to pass, when Joseph was come
unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat,
the coat of many colors that was on him; and they took him,
and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty, there was
no water in it.
And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their
eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was
coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and
balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah
said unto his brethren, What profit is it if we slay our
brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to
the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he
is our brother, our flesh. And his brethren hearkened unto
him. And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they
drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph
to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they
brought Joseph into Egypt.
Gilead represents the high place in consciousness where
Spirit discerns and witnesses to what is true and to all
man's thoughts and acts so that an adjustment may be made
throughout mind and body. The Ishmaelites represent the
fruit of the thought of the natural man at work in the
flesh; also the consciousness that recognizes God but that,
because of the seeming opposition of the outer world, does
not find expression
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according to the highest standard.
The Midianites were enemies of the Israelites. The
Midianites represent discrimination or judgment employed
according to human standards. Judging according to outer
appearances produces discordant thoughts and jealousies and
their kin.
The fact that Joseph was sold as a slave into Egypt by his
brothers signifies that at a certain stage of his
unfoldment man will barter away his high ideals of Truth in
order to go on living in sense consciousness. He will even
debase his imagination (Joseph) and send it down into his
body consciousness to stir up his emotions and get the
thrill of sensation. However the faculty of imagination, if
it has been trained and disciplined, will work for the good
of man even in the darkened realm of sense (Egypt). Though
the purpose in selling Joseph into Egypt was error, the
result proved to be good. This shows the outworking of the
law stated in Romans 8:28: "To them that love God all
things work together for good." Even when error seems to be
in the ascendancy there is that in us which remains true to
God and finally brings about our deliverance. "The wrath of
man shall praise thee."
The great point in the story is that Joseph, even when
overcome by error from without and sold into Egyptian
slavery, still remained true to the divine ideas of his
Father. In any department of life the imagination will work
for the development and perfection of the individual or for
the direct opposite of this, depending on how it has been
trained. It is a powerful faculty, for it forms ideas in
substance and brings desire into manifestation. If the
desires are allowed to run riot on the sense plane, the
imagination will proceed directly
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to bring them into manifestation as inharmony or disease.
On the other hand, when the imagination is kept busy with
high ideas, ideas originally inspired in it by the I AM, it
is the most effective of all the faculties for the work of
spiritual development. Faithfulness to high ideas, when
coupled with an unshaken confidence in the I AM, cannot be
wholly overcome by error, nor can anyone who exercises
these faculties be kept for long in the background.
Judah (representing prayer and praise), the fourth son of
Jacob and Leah, suggested the idea of selling Joseph into
Egypt rather than taking his life.
Gen. 37:29-36. And Reuben returned unto the pit; and,
behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The child is
not; and I, whither shall I go? And they took Joseph's
coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the
blood; and they sent the coat of many colors, and they
brought it to their father, and said, This have we found:
know now whether it is thy son's coat or not. And he knew
it, and said, It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath
devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. And
Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins,
and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all
his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be
comforted; and he said, For I will go down to Sheol to my
son mourning. And his father wept for him. And the
Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of
Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard.
Jacob represents intellectual illumination. However
illumination on the intellectual plane often lacks
discernment; it has not attained the power to express the
sure, steady, revealing light of Spirit. Jacob was in the
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dark as regards the fate of his son Joseph (symbolical of
the imagination). Hence Jacob was deceived by blood on the
coat and mourned with the crowd.
Among the twelve faculties the imagination is least
understood in its evolution from sense to soul
consciousness. To this day those who function in sense echo
the brothers of Joseph in their slighting exclamation,
"Here comes that dreamer." Yet in art, science, literature,
religion, and even business the cry is "Give us men of
imagination!" The fact is there is no progress of man or
the race without expansion of the imagination. The history
of Joseph, the attempts of those nearest and dearest to him
to thwart the unfoldment of his innate ability, and his
final victory in attaining the exalted office of prime
minister of Egypt, shows us in symbols how the whole man
will eventually be glorified in Spirit.
However in the early stages of the Joseph quickening all
the other faculties combine to destroy it; they think it
visionary and impractical.
The blood-drenched coat represents the futile attempt of
the outer realm of sense to kill out the inner Spirit life.
Life marches on and the vision of the soul finds new
expression in other states of consciousness.
Pharaoh represents the ego or will that rules the body
under the natural law. Potiphar symbolizes the executive
arm of the will.
Sheol is the abode of the dead conceived by the Hebrews as
a subterranean region clothed in thick darkness. It
represents the mental gloom into which the personal man is
plunged when he gives himself over to thoughts of death and
grief.
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Gen. 38:1-11. And it came to pass at that time, that Judah
went down from his brethren, and turned in to a certain
Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. And Judah saw there a
daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he
took her, and went in unto her. And she conceived, and bare
a son; and he called his name Er. And she conceived again,
and bare a son; and she called his name Onan. And she yet
again bare a son, and called his name Shelah: and he was at
Chezib, when she bare him. And Judah took a wife for Er his
first-born, and her name was Tamar. And Er, Judah's
first-born, was wicked in the sight of Jehovah; and Jehovah
slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy
brother's wife, and perform the duty of a husbands' brother
unto her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew
that the seed would not be his; and it came to pass, when
he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on
the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. And
the thing which he did was evil in the sight of Jehovah:
and he slew him also. Then said Judah to Tamar his
daughter-in-law, Remain a widow in thy father's house, till
Shelah my son be grown up; for he said, Lest he also die,
like his brethren. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's
house.
The predominant thought in the minds of the people at that
time was to produce progeny (seed), and they restored to
every device in order to attain their end.
Hirah was an Adullamite, a friend of Judah. The name Hirah
means "splendid," "noble," "pure," "liberty." An Adullamite
was a native of the city of Addullam, which represents a
state of poise in prayer in which spiritual ideas flow into
consciousness without obstruction. Being in the valley, it
would not refer to a
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high, exalted state of mind in prayer but rather to an
established equilibrium and adjustment in the body
consciousness. But even if at first it seems to be only in
the material consciousness, it imparts a "splendid,"
"noble" quality to the man and leads toward true "liberty."
Such a state of consciousness is represented by Hirah.
Shua ("broad," "ample," "riches") represents the broad,
rich thoughts of abundant substance in the depths of the
subconscious mind. Judah united with a daughter of Shua,
who symbolizes the feminine element in the rich
subconsciousness. Three sons were born to this union:
Er represents observant, vigilant thoughts. It matters a
great deal what one watches or gives attention to. If one
persists in recognizing that which appears to be evil, one
cannot obtain abiding life and good. (Er was wicked in the
sight of Jehovah.)
Onan symbolizes thoughts pertaining to strength and vigor,
yet thoughts that are not spiritual but of the intellect.
They are influenced too by the lower emotions and
tendencies of the carnal soul (Onan's mother was a
Canaanitish woman); therefore they are likely to bring
about inharmony and error because of the misdirection of
energy. Yet in themselves these thoughts are good and if
directed by spiritual understanding yield great blessings.
Shelah represents a sense of peace, harmony, and security
that has come about through prayer, affirmation, and
desire. However Shelah was born in Chezib, which symbolizes
a deceptive state of mind that lies deep within the
elemental life forces of the individual. This deceptive
state of consciousness must be cleansed
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thoroughly of its error, its double-minded, idolatrous
belief in a power of evil as well as a power of good, so
that the truth of the one life and the one God, good, may
be established within its depths.
Gen. 38:12-30. And in process of time Shua's daughter, the
wife of Judah, died; and Judah was comforted, and went up
unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend Hirah
the Adullamite. And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold, thy
father-in-law goeth up to Timnah to shear his sheep. And
she put off from her the garments of her widowhood, and
covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat
in the gate of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for
she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was not given
unto him to wife. When Judah saw her, he thought her to be
a harlot; for she had covered her face. And he turned unto
her by the way, and said, Come, I pray thee, let me come in
unto thee: for he knew not that she was his
daughter-in-law. And she said, What wilt thou give me, that
thou mayest come in unto me? And he said, I will send thee
a kid of the goats from the flock. And she said, Wilt thou
give me a pledge, till thou send it? And he said, What
pledge shall I give thee? And she said, Thy signet and thy
cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand. And he gave them
to her, and came in unto her, and she conceived by him. And
she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her,
and put on the garments of her widowhood. And Judah sent
the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend the
Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's hand:
but he found her not. Then he asked the men of her place,
saying, Where is the prostitute, that was at Enaim by the
wayside? And they said, There hath been no prostitute here.
And he returned to Judah, and said, I have not found her;
and also the men of the place said, There hath
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been no prostitute here. And Judah said, Let her take it to
her, lest we be put to shame: behold, I sent this kid, and
thou hast not found her.
And it came to pass about three months after, that it was
told Judah, saying, Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played
the harlot; and moreover, behold, she is with child by
whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be
burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her
father-in-law, saying, By the man, whose these are, am I
with child: and she said; Discern, I pray thee, whose are
these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff. And Judah
acknowledged them, and said, She is more righteous than I,
forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son. And he knew
her again no more. And it came to pass in the time of her
travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it came
to pass, when she travailed, that one put out a hand: and
the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread,
saying, This came out first. And it came to pass, as he
drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and
she said, Wherefore hast thou made a breach for thyself?
therefore his name was called Perez. And afterward came out
his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and
his name was called Zerah.
The name Judah means "praise Jehovah." Praise is closely
related to prayer; under the law of mind, whatever we
praise we increase. Praise is the key to the increase of
life activity. If you depreciate your life you decrease
your consciousness of life. Thus we find that, besides
symbolizing the place in consciousness where we come in
contact with the highest activities of Divine Mind, Judah
also represents the central faculty of consciousness.
This faculty operates in the body consciousness
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through the spinal cord, as well as in the top head, and
finds its outer expression through the life center, which,
unregenerated, is Judas, who hath a devil. When life is
separated from the inner faculties and endeavors to find
expression without their co-operation, man gives himself
over to his animal nature and inclinations.
The name Tamar means "palm," "erect," "upright." Tamar
represents victory and conquest through uprightness. "And
Judah . . . said, She is more righteous than I, forasmuch
as I gave her not to Shelah my son." This consciousness of
victory or conquest and overcoming power is of the soul in
the individual.
Timnah symbolizes the error race belief that a share of the
life forces in man rightly belongs to the purely animal,
physical, and sense part of his being. Judah kept his sheep
in this Canaanitish city. Sheep represent the pure, natural
life of the organism and Canaanites the elemental life
forces in man.
Enaim, in whose gate Tamar sat, is supposed to be one with
the city of Enam. The name means "two eyes," "double
springs." It signifies the fountain of understanding in
man, which because of his belief in good and evil, in
materiality as well as spirituality, is dedicated to both
generation and regeneration, both sense and Spirit.
Double-mindedness causes instability. Stability is needed
if one is to grow and develop spiritually. One establishes
stability of character by giving oneself up wholly, with
singleness of purpose, to the regenerative law.
The name Perez means "broken through," "torn asunder."
Perez represents victory through praise, or making a way
out of apparent limitation and error and prevailing over
them by means of prayer and praise.
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(Tamar said, "Wherefore hast thou made a breach for
thyself? therefore his name was called Perez.")
Zerah ("sunrise," "birth of a child," "germination of a
seed") represents awakening to new light, new
understanding, in consciousness; the first conscious
awakening to the presence of this new inner light or
understanding. (The sun rises in the east, and the east
denotes the within.)
In the journey from sense to Spirit the soul passes through
many phases, misdirects its faculties, and practices
multitudinous forms of dissipation or waste. (These verses
in Genesis illustrate this fact.) But as man follows the
light as it is given him to see the light, he gradually
learns to understand himself and his soul activities. Then
he begins to conform to spiritual law and to conserve his
energies, forces, and substance, which in turn results in
lifting up the whole man, spirit, soul, and body, out of
the mire of materiality and sense into the new estate of
the regenerate man, the Jesus Christ man.
Gen. 39:1-3. And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and
Potiphar, an Officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the
guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the
Ishmaelites, that had brought him down thither. And Jehovah
was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in
the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw
that Jehovah was with him, and that Jehovah made all that
he did to prosper in his hand.
Joseph's being brought down into Egypt signifies the
imagination's becoming active in the body consciousness and
in the subconsciousness. Imagination usually reaches out
into the unseen world about us
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and forms substance according to the pattern of our
thoughts. But its first duty is to go down into the
Egyptian darkness of our material and sense thoughts and,
under the law, lift the body consciousness to a higher
plane. Body, soul, and spirit are unified as one, and the
Truth student cannot afford to lose sight of the fact that
all three are to be lifted up. Unless he is careful in this
regard, the body consciousness may be left far behind the
soul and spirit and some unfavorable reaction become
manifest in the body or affairs.
The word Pharaoh means "the sun," "the Ra." Joseph was sold
to Potiphar, an executive officer of Pharaoh's court, who
represents one of the ruling ideas in the state of
consciousness symbolized by Pharaoh, "the sun." Egypt
symbolizes the material body consciousness ruled by the
"sun" or solar plexus, which is the center in the
subconsciousness. Pharaoh rules in obscurity or darkness
because the great sun of the body, the solar plexus, is
obscured or unknown to the conscious mind. The light of the
sun of righteousness is veiled by our conscious living on
the low plane of sense.
God prospers us when we give the best that is in us and do
all things unto Him, acknowledging Him in all our affairs.
This is a sure way to success, and when success does come
we should realize that it resulted from the work of Spirit
in us, because we made ourselves channels through which the
Christ Mind could bring its ideas into manifestation. The
true Christian never boasts that he is a self-made man, for
he well knows that all that he is and has, together with
all that he can ever hope to be or to have, is but God
finding expression through him as life.
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/quote
Gen. 39:4-6. And Joseph found favor in his sight, and he
ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his
house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it
came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his
house, and over all that he had, that Jehovah blessed the
Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of
Jehovah was upon all that he had, in the house and in the
field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he
knew not aught that was with him, save the bread which he
did eat. And Joseph was comely, and well favored.
Joseph was a spiritual character and worked from principle,
hence he found favor in Potiphar's house and brought added
blessings to it. This Scripture proves the simple
outworking of the law. "And Joseph was comely, and well
favored."
Gen. 39:7-23. And it came to pass after these things, that
his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said,
Lie with me. But he refused, and said unto his master's
wife, Behold, my master knoweth not what is with me in the
house, and he hath put all that he hath into my hand: he is
not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back
anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife: how
then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?
And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day,
that he hearkened not unto her, to lie with her, or to be
with her. And it came to pass about this time, that he went
into the house to do his work; and there was none of the
men of the house there within. And she caught him by his
garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in
her hand, and fled, and got him out. And it came to pass,
when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and
was fled forth, that she called unto the men of her house,
and spake
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unto them, saying, See, he hath brought in a Hebrew unto us
to mock us: he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried
with a loud voice: and it came to pass, when he heard that
I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by
me, and fled, and got him out. And she laid up his garment
by her, until his master came home. And she spake unto him
according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, whom
thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: and
it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he
left his garment by me, and fled out.
And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his
wife, which she spake unto him, saying, After this manner
did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled. And
Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the
place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was
there in the prison. But Jehovah was with Joseph, and
showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight
of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison
committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in
the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer
of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that
was under his hand, because Jehovah was with him; and that
which he did, Jehovah made it to prosper.
The imagination is liable to get into trouble because it is
so little understood. The sense consciousness of the animal
soul (Potiphar's wife) tempts us through the imagination to
gratify its sense desires. When we refuse it expression
there is a reaction, and we seem for a time to be
imprisoned or limited in making progress. But if we
patiently bide our time, knowing that only good can come to
us, the seemingly imprisoned faculty (Joseph) will prove
its God-given
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power. Although physically imprisoned, Joseph (the
imagination) expresses himself spiritually, for the Lord
(law) is with him, and in due time he will come into his
rightful place as one of the important faculties in the
consciousness. (Jehovah, the law, was with Joseph.)
By faithfully performing the routine duties intrusted to
one, even in a prison, one is certain to be advanced to a
better and more remunerative position. However faithfulness
has an even greater reward than this, for all the while the
faithful one is building a firmer, truer, and more Godlike
character in himself, which is an enduring recompense; for
thus he enters into the possession of the true riches, the
spiritual consciousness. Joseph was made the overseer of
all the prisoners and later was released and given the
highest position in the land as prime minister or adviser
to Pharaoh.
Gen. 40:1-23. And it came to pass after these things, that
the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended
their lord the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against
his two officers, against the chief of the butlers, and
against the chief of the bakers. And he put them in ward in
the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the
place where Joseph was bound. And the captain of the guard
charged Joseph with them, and he ministered unto them: and
they continued a season in ward. And they dreamed a dream
both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man
according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler
and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the
prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and
saw them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked
Pharaoh's officers that were with
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him in ward in his master's house, saying, Wherefore look
ye so sad today? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a
dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph
said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell
it me, I pray you.
And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to
him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; and in the
vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded,
and its blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof
brought forth ripe grapes: and Pharaoh's cup was in my
hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into
Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. And
Joseph said unto him, This is the interpretation of it: the
three branches are three days; within yet three days shall
Pharaoh lift up thy head, and restore thee unto thine
office: and thou shalt give Pharaoh's cup into his hand,
after the former manner when thou wast his butler. But have
me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and
show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me
unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: for indeed I
was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here
also have I done nothing that they should put me into the
dungeon.
When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good,
he said unto Joseph, I also was in my dream, and, behold,
three baskets of white bread were on my head: and in the
uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked food for
Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon
my head. And Joseph answered and said, This is the
interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days;
within yet three days shall Pharaoh life up thy head from
off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds
shall eat thy flesh from off thee. And it came to pass the
third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a
feast unto all his servants:
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and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head
of the chief baker among his servants. And he restored the
chief butler unto his butlership again; and he gave the cup
into Pharaoh's hand: but he hanged the chief baker: as
Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief
butler remember Joseph, but forgat him.
The chief butler and the chief baker were also in prison
(the subconsciousness). This shows how we put the Spirit of
life (the butler's wine) and of substance (the baker's
bread) in bondage to or under the dominion of the sense
man. By this time Joseph had become the warden in charge of
all the prisoners, so that life and substance were under
his control. When imagination controls these it exercises a
powerful influence in the subconsciousness, bringing into
manifestation many things that are so foreign and strange
to us that they seem to come from without.
Joseph's interpretation of the dreams and the coming to
pass of events exactly as he had predicted them gave him
prestige as an interpreter of dreams and later brought him
to the attention of the king.
What is the significance of dreams? The time of dreaming is
either when we are losing consciousness in the process of
going to sleep or when we are regaining it during
awakening. When we are in deep sleep we live in the
subconsciousness, a life of which the conscious mind knows
nothing. This mind catches glimpses of it when we are
making the transition from one state to the other. However
we are in close touch with the superconscious, the mind of
Spirit, when we are in the borderland state between
sleeping and waking. At such times one who is
spiritual-minded and
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who at all times seeks to know what infinite wisdom has to
reveal, receives his message. Spirit speaks in symbols such
as the butler's cup of wine and the baker's loaf of bread,
and the trained faculty of imagination (Joseph) interprets
the symbols to the conscious mind.
Gen. 41:1-44. And it came to pass at the end of two full
years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the
river. And, behold, there came up out of the river seven
kine, well-favored and fat-fleshed: and they fed in the
reed-grass. And, behold, seven other kine came up after
them out of the river, ill-favored and lean-fleshed, and
stood by the other kine upon the brink of the river. And
the ill-favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven
well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh awoke. And he slept
and dreamed a second time: and, behold, seven ears of grain
came up upon one stalk, rank and good. And, behold, seven
ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprang up after
them. And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and
full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.
And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was
troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of
Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them
his dream; but there was none that could interpret them
unto Pharaoh.
Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do
remember my faults this day: Pharaoh was wroth with his
servants, and put me in ward in the house of the captain of
the guard, me and the chief baker: and we dreamed a dream
in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to
the interpretation of his dream. And there was with us
there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the
guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our
dreams; to each man according to his dream he did
interpret. And it came to pass, as he interpreted
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to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him
he hanged.
Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him
hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and
changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh
said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none
that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that
when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it. And
Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God will
give Pharaoh an answer of peace. And Pharaoh spake unto
Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the brink of the
river: and, behold, there came up out of the river seven
kine, fat-fleshed and well-favored; and they fed in the
reed-grass: and, behold, seven other kine came up after
them, poor and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I
never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: and the
lean and ill-favored kine did eat up the first seven fat
kine: and when they had eaten them up, it could not be
known that they had eaten them; but they were still
ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke. And I saw in
my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up upon one stalk,
full and good: and, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and
blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: and the
thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears: and I told it
unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare
it to me.
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one:
what God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh. The
seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears
are seven years: the dream is one. And the seven lean and
ill-favored kine that came up after them are seven years,
and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind;
they shall be seven years of famine. That is the thing
which I spake unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do he hath
showed unto Pharaoh. Behold, there
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come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of
Egypt: and there shall arise after them seven years of
famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land
of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land; and the
plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that
famine which followeth; for it shall be very grievous. And
for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh, it is because
the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring
it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man
discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let
Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the
land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in
the seven plenteous years. And let them gather all the food
of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the
hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep
it. And the food shall be for a store to the land against
the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of
Egypt; and the land perish not through the famine.
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the
eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said unto his
servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the
spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch
as God hath showed thee all this, there is none so discreet
and wise as thou: thou shalt be over my house, and
according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only
in the throne will I be greater than thou. And Pharaoh said
unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of
Egypt. And Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand,
and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in ventures
of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he
made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and
they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he set him over
all the land of Egypt. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am
Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift
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up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.
When a person has developed the Joseph state of
consciousness and can give vivid form of his ideas by using
his imaginative faculty, he does not take his dreams or
visions in a literal sense. He rather unclothes the dream
of its form by using the same power that he has of clothing
ideas with form. Then he clearly sees the idea hidden
behind the forms and symbols of his dream. He knows that
all forms represent ideas and is able to resolve the form
back into the primal idea of Divine Mind. Thus he is taught
by Spirit more directly than is the ordinary individual.
Spiritual Truth comes to him directly through an always
open channel.
One of the surest proofs that you have opened yourself to
Spirit is that you have symbolical dreams and can
spiritually interpret them. Divine ideas are imaged in your
placid soul like shadows on a quiet pool. You see them
mentally and you may catch their import if you meditate
patiently and persistently on the relation that each image
or symbol bears to thought. Things are first ideas, then
thoughts reduced in radiation to the plane of sense
perception. When you still the senses you will begin to
perceive the thoughts that are back of things. This may be
a slow way, but it is a sure way to learn the language of
mind, and in time it will enable you to translate all the
shapes and forms you see on any plane of consciousness,
into their corresponding thoughts. When this is
accomplished you have become a Joseph and stand next to
Jesus.
Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh that
later came to pass. The name Pharaoh means "the sun," "the
king"; he is the king of the subconscious
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realm whose throne is located in the solar plexus. This
brain of the body, plays an important role in directing the
circulation, the digestion and assimilation of food, and so
forth. Students of mind have discovered that the solar
plexus is but the organ through which the ruling ego,
Pharaoh, acts.
The signet ring that Pharaoh placed upon Joseph's hand
represents authority, and the fine raiment with which he
clothed Joseph symbolizes approval; that is, the ruling
power of the body gives to the imagination authority and
approval in both the within and the without.
Gen. 41:45-57. And Pharaoh called Joseph's name
Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the
daughter of Potiphera priest of On. And Joseph went out
over the land of Egypt.
And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before
Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the
presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of
Egypt. And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought
forth by handfuls. And he gathered up all the food of the
seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up
the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was
round about every city, he up in the same. And Joseph laid
up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left
off numbering; for it was without number. And unto Joseph
were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom
Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto
him. And Joseph called the name of the first-born Manasseh:
For, said he, God hath made me forget all my toil, and all
my father's house. And the name of the second called he
Ephraim: For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my
affliction. And the seven years of plenty, that was in the
land of Egypt,
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came to an end. And the seven years of famine began to
come, according as Joseph had said: and there was famine in
all the lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was
bread. And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the
people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto
all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you,
do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and
Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the
Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt.
And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain,
because the famine was sore in all the earth.
In lower Egypt during the time of Joseph was the city of
On, one of the world's oldest cities. Here was located one
of the great temples of Egypt, whose high priest was
Potiphera. The daughter of the high priest was Asenath, who
became Joseph's wife.
Asenath represents the feminine or love side of the natural
man. Two sons were born of this union, Manasseh
(understanding) and Ephraim (will), and they inherited
Joseph's allotment in the Promised Land (regenerated
perfect body). Understanding and will are dominant forces
in the race because they are necessary in the development
of the soul. If the imagination (Joseph) were wholly free
(unmarried or without responsibility), it would indulge in
daydreams and fanciful schemes that could not be worked out
in a practical world governed by inexorable law. If in this
dreamy state the mind is given a definite thought of Truth
(such as monotheism, taught at the school of On) and is
joined with the natural soul (Asenath), it brings forth the
two stabilizing mental qualities will and understanding,
symbolized by Joseph's sons
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Ephraim and Manasseh.
The name Manasseh means "who makes to forget." Manasseh was
the first son born to Joseph, who had a great deal to
forget. Joseph needed to forget the wrong done him by his
brothers, the temptation of Potiphar's wife, and the error
of long imprisonment. Thus Manasseh represents the
understanding of how to use one's ability to forget or deny
that which is no longer profitable to the man.
The name Ephraim means "very fruitful." Ephraim represents
the ability of man to add to his consciousness through the
action of his will whatever he may choose to affirm and to
become fruitful in his thoughts even in the land of
affliction.
The first step for the beginner in Truth is to set up a new
and better state of consciousness based on the absolute. He
must develop the Manasseh quality of forgetting the
not-good by denial and the Ephraim quality of increasing
the good by affirming it to be the real. The understanding
and the will must be especially active in one who would
overcome and master the sensations of the body, which is
one of the first steps in its regeneration.
Joseph was thirty years old when he began his great work in
Egypt. At about that age a man completes a natural cycle in
the evolution of his soul and is ready for an adventure
into the spiritual. When the spiritually awakening man has
reached this stage of development there is an increase of
energy throughout the body. As we have previously noted,
the imagination is the "increasing faculty" as well as the
formative faculty. The Hebrew meaning of the name Joseph is
"Jehovah shall increase." The great increase
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that comes at this period in his unfoldment lasts about
seven years, or passes through seven stages of activity,
symbolized in Pharaoh's dream by the seven fat kine and the
seven full ears of corn.
Those who are wise will conserve this energy in the
storehouse of subconsciousness, because there is certain to
be a reaction proportionate to action. The law holds good
for every form of energy. When this generated force is
properly conserved, the reaction is not felt. When we exalt
the Joseph state of consciousness (as did Pharaoh) and let
it rule in our body, Spirit will show us how to handle the
situation. Then we shall make storage batteries of our
"cities," which are the ganglionic centers of the body
(Egypt). When Pharaoh gave Joseph the power and authority
to do this conserving work, he changed his name to
Zaphenathpaneah, a compound word meaning "savior of the
universe," "sustainer of the life of the world," "governor
of the district or place of stored-up life." This would
clearly indicate that the body should be ruled over by the
spiritualized imaginative faculty working under the
direction and by the power of Spirit.
The word famine implies extreme scarcity of food, reducing
people to an extremity of hunger, of starvation. Here Egypt
(the subconsciousness), the storehouse of plenty, is the
source from which all the surrounding countries (states of
consciousness) come for sustenance when the outer man has
exhausted his resources.
The seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine
show that the unregenerate man lives in a consciousness of
duality, seeing good and evil, heat and cold, plenty and
poverty, feast and famine; the spiritualized
Page 322
imagination (Joseph) sees the whole of life as one. He sees
no lack but recognizes a coming consciousness of lack and
relates it to the present consciousness of plenty, and by
this unifying work he lays up a store of substance for
future use. The imagination should rank high among all the
faculties of man, for without its magic touch life would
become flat, stale, and meaningless; but once imagination
is awakened, man is filled with health, life, substance,
and abundance.
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