" After passing through the Valley of knowledge, which is the last plane of limitation, the wayfarer cometh to The Valley of Unity and drinketh from the cup of the Absolute, and gazeth on the Manifestations of Oneness. In this station he pierceth the veils of plurality, fleeth from the worlds of the flesh, and ascendeth into the heaven of singleness. With the ear of God he heareth, with the eye of God he beholdeth the mysteries of divine creation... He looketh on all things with the eye of oneness, and seeth the brilliant rays of the divine sun shining from the dawning-point of Essence alike on all created things, and the lights of singleness reflected over all creation.
... all the variations which the wayfarer in the stages of his journey beholdeth in the realms of being, proceed from his own vision....
..for that they move on these three differing planes, the understanding and the words of the wayfarers have differed; and hence the sign of conflict doth continually appear on earth. For some there are who dwell upon the plane of oneness and speak of that world, and some inhabit the realms of limitation, and some the grades of self, while others are completely veiled...
A pure heart is as a mirror; cleanse it with the burnish of love and severance from all save God, that the true sun may shine within it and the eternal morning dawn. Then wilt thou clearly see the meaning of “Neither doth My earth nor My heaven contain Me, but the heart of My faithful servant containeth Me.” And thou wilt take up thy life in thine hand, and with infinite longing cast it before the new Beloved One...
However, let none construe these utterances to be anthropomorphism, nor see in them the descent of the worlds of God into the grades of the creatures; nor should they lead thine Eminence to such assumptions. For God is, in His Essence, holy above ascent and descent, entrance and exit; He hath through all eternity been free of the attributes of human creatures, and ever will remain so. No man hath ever known Him; no soul hath ever found the pathway to His Being. Every mystic knower hath wandered far astray in the valley of the knowledge of Him; every saint hath lost his way in seeking to comprehend His Essence. Sanctified is He above the understanding of the wise; exalted is He above the knowledge of the knowing! The way is barred and to seek it is impiety; His proof is His signs; His being is His evidence...
How can utter nothingness gallop its steed in the field of preexistence, or a fleeting shadow reach to the everlasting sun?
...when thou strippest the wrappings of illusion from off thine heart, the lights of oneness will be made manifest...
O My Brother, journey upon these planes in the spirit of search, not in blind imitation. A true wayfarer will not be kept back by the bludgeon of words nor debarred by the warning of allusions...
In this realm, the first is the last itself, and the last is but the first...
O thou dear one! Impoverish thyself, that thou mayest enter the high court of riches; and humble thy body, that thou mayest drink from the river of glory, and attain to the full meaning of the poems whereof thou hadst asked...
these stages depend on the vision of the wayfarer. In every city he will behold a world, in every Valley reach a spring, in every meadow hear a song. But the falcon of the mystic heaven hath many a wondrous carol of the spirit in His breast, and the Persian bird keepeth in His soul many a sweet Arab melody; yet these are hidden, and hidden shall remain..."
God Hates Figs
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A blog I encountered argued that God hates certain groups of people, and
that therefore believers in God—specifically, Christians—should also hate
them. Bi...
3 years ago
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3 comments:
There was an elderly pioneer here who had a copy of this book. I heard that she said that she had read only the first 3 valleys. and when asked why? She said that her whole life thus far was contained in the first 3 valleys. Though she had often thought she would find the words and ideas completely familiar eventually and that spiritual progress could be simply defined by reading about the next valley, she said her world has been defined by what she has truly known and truly seen in others as well as within herself. And that level of awareness is as easily contained by these three valleys as her home is contained within Japan. And now she is within the invisible plane.
I am very perplexed by the first line, which states that the valley of knowledge is the "last plane of limitation", given that knowledge--described in that valley as certitude--hardly seems to me to be a limitation.
Yet my understanding of this valley is that God is both contained within us and yet completely beyond our understanding ("no soul hath ever found the pathway to His Being").
Since you're currently reading the NT, you'll see a parallel in Matthew 20:16, which says "So the last will be the first, and the first will be last" and Matthew 19:30 "But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first." (for which my Bible has a note that says "In the kingdom of Heaven there are many reversals, and the day of judgment will bring many surprises".
i guess its said to be the last plane of limitation because that is the last plane that still pertains mostly to the material world - while once we reach the valley of unity/contentment, we reside mostly on the spiritual plane. of course, reaching there requires one to first attain knowledge about the material world and its nature, so one can transcend it...
the "first shall be last" verse from the bible has always puzzled me a little... i interpreted it to be shorthand for saying "those we traditionally consider first (due to wealth, fame etc) might actually end up being last (due to their actions) and vice versa" - which is probably a metaphorical interpretation of the notes from ur bible.
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