Adam and Eve and the Temptation. A tree and the serpent. Perhaps an image of the medulla spinalis. Partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The fall. Supplanting the instinctive with the rational and logical. The root of the tree is the brain. Marking the rise of the mind which sees us as separate, when in fact we are all one. |
Abram’s
Calling. The Creator’s message. A cryptic foretelling
of what was to come. The voice of the one audible only
in the ear of the first patriarch. Displayed as a
ribbon unwinding. Envisioning the wanderings of Abram
and his family. |
Jacob’s Ladder. A vision in
Jacob’s dream of the connection to our origin with the
Creator. Showing that dreams are a means by which we
gain access to images of our origin. Our dreams are also
visions of the connection to our origin. Stories about
dreams appear throughout the bible. Dreaming is
universal. Regardless, of time period, age, gender,
ethnicity, economic or social status, we all dream.
Dreams are a connecting link showing we are one. |
The Ten Plagues. The text
tells us that Moses warned pharaoh that ten plagues
would befall Egypt if the Israelites were not released
from bondage. The story might be an allegory. Each of
the plagues could be symbolic. The plagues brought on by
Pharaoh’s stubborn resistance to freeing the Hebrews are
our plagues. Exodus is a model for the spiritual journey
itself. A roadmap for our own passage out of bondage and
into freedom. |
Ark of the Covenant. A box
covered in gold containing tablets of the Ten
Commandments, a vessel of manna, and Aaron’s rod. Atop
the box were angelic figures bowing toward the center of
the lid which was called the Mercy Seat. The Creator was
said to dwell in the Ark. In addition to the possibility
of the Ark being an actual, physical object, the ark can
symbolize a mindfulness where one is conscious of the
presence of the Creator within and without. |
Solomon's Wisdom This
symbolic image is based on the idea that the circle
represents the Creator and it is through the Creator
that wisdom is to be gained. Solomon is represented top
center. Below him are seven archetypal images depicting
young and old men and women, boys and girls, and
infants. The lesson here is if one is to know the
Creator, he or she must see the Creator in others.
Likewise, to know people, one must see the Creator in
them. |
The Fiery Furnace. This
story in the Book of Daniel is full of symbolic meaning.
The furnace is symbolic of the trials of life and also
of purification. The three Israelites personify the
number three which in Hebrew symbolism stands for truth,
time, and permanence. The fourth person in the furnace
embodies the creative. The Latin words above are
translated “Altogether One.” |
Job Is Tested. Job is
famous for the tribulation he faced and for his
patience. A unique element in this story is the
description of a debate taking place in Heaven between
the Creator and the one who works evil. The latter is
the accuser. The former is the sustainer. |
Jonah is widely known for
the story of his spending three days in the belly of a
large fish. This is a highly symbolic element. A symbol
of a new life. As a whole, the story of Jonah could well
be a roadmap for the spiritual journey from ignorance to
full consciousness of oneness with the Creator. This is
the big question. |