THE HOLY GHOST

An ancient prayer that GURDJIEFF used is: 'IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND IN THE NAME OF THE SON, AND IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY GHOST' that is on a CD that I recently purchased which is devoted to the hymns and prayers found in his writings, made me think a bit more on this subject, which is usually recited this way in various churches: IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT For many this will not appear to be a 'problem' or will mean the same thing, namely, that THE HOLY GHOST and THE HOLY SPIRIT are ONE and the SAME...but are THEY? Why do some groups prefer to use HOLY GHOST rather than HOLY SPIRIT? AND, what is the NAME of the HOLY GHOST? Or, what is the NAME of the HOLY SPIRIT? We do know the Name of the FATHER.....but I shall not discuss this at the moment because it has many aspects to it that need a wider and broader and more detailed treatment to fully understand certain things, certain notions, and certain 'occult-esoteric' factors. We know the Name of the SON in that most consider the Name to be the familiar JESUS or THE CHRIST or JESUS CHRIST or JESUS THE CHRIST,plus a list of other names and titles that I shall not discuss here for the same reasons stated about the NAME OF THE FATHER...... After the death of JESUS, HIS APPEARANCES were that of a 'GHOST', an apparition, and after HIS ASCENSION as described in the current and accepted HOLY BOOKS of THE NEW TESTAMENT, the descent of the HOLY GHOST or HOLY SPIRIT is described or noted, at least.... Without going into the DOCTRINE(S) OF THE TRINITY, which has been controversial since the very start of CHRISTIANITY as we know it, the NAME OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS CONSIDERED TO BE JESUS...CHRIST...that is, the HOLY GHOST IS ANOTHER ASPECT OF JESUS, THE SON....So we can say that THE HOLY SPIRIT is the SPIRIT OF JESUS or THE HOLY GHOST is the GHOST OF JESUS... UNFORTUNATELY, most present day-contemporary Christians of all denominations consider JESUS and THE HOLY GHOST or HOLY SPIRIT as separate BEINGS....different PERSONS, ASPECTS, BEINGS,etc. In other words if THE HOLY GHOST or HOLY SPIRIT comes to Men/women or appears to them,etc. in whatever way, such as,spiritually, mystically, divinely, etc., it is THE GHOST OF JESUS or THE SPIRIT OF JESUS tha they perceive or sense or realize in some way...whatever it really is this experience that they may claim or undergo.

THE STUDY OF THE BIBLE ON THE SYMBOLIC LEVEL

The BIBLE can be studied on THE SYMBOLIC LEVEL in several ways. The first way is simply to take a list of Biblical Names and 'Characters' and arrange them as found in THE OLD TESTAMENT & THE NEW TESTAMENT and relate them to each other- example: ADAM & CHRIST. Many have done this already in several ways with variations on the theme. This is often A GROUPING OF ARCHETYPES where one person or name represnts or relates to another,different name,-an earlier name or a later name-in some tuyhpe of possible or prophetic or mystical relationship. Example: SAMSON as symbolic of CHRIST. Biblical names in their original languages often translate into special, even specific, meanings that are often completely ignored or overlooked, even disquised and hidden by the more 'popular' and 'familiar' names. Biblical names can refer to special things,such as: ADAM,THE FIRST MAN of THE FIRST ADAM(which implies a second one, usually designated as Jesue or the Christ,etc.). Another way is to examine, if one is capable of such, the symbols in teh BIBLE which are or can be certain objects, certain mumbers, certain animals, plants, nations, cities, and the like and even some people. this is a more difficult task than it seems as some meanings have been lost, have been ignored or hidden, or erroneously explained or described. Since this aspect of the BIBLE is CONTROVERSIAL and COMPLEX, I can only say that some of this pertains to and demands, a METAPHYSICAL LEVEL OF STUDY but as related as both are, tehy are not necessarily the same or will lead to the same conclusions, if any....

SOME THOUGHTS & COMMENTS ON THE BIBLE

If I were a highly religious man, possessing mystical insights and acute spiritual perceptions, I might well conclude that GOD is directing myh attention and focusing my thoughts on the BIBLE and still not discern why only now I am devoting my energies-thoughts and opinions,mostly-to the BIBLE and coming across books and materials I have read on the BIBLE or glanced at,etc. over the years,and undertaking some sort of superficial and intense review of them and also of things I have neglected to read or study, many really 'new' & 'different'. 'THE CALL TO ANCIENT SCRIPTURE' and to ancient scripts and ancient lore,etc. I felt as a child and not at an advanced age(74 as of now), I find that my neglect over the years of such, urges me to concentrate and contemplatge the BIBLE(etc.) in the time I have left-alive, or as is often said,'ON EARTH' as if one or whatver is believed to exist after bodily death, goes to the STARS or HEAVEN,etc. I am not sure this a quest for 'immortality','salvation',etc. but apt to be more of a quest for certain knowledge above and beyond ordinary belief. Whatever it is, those 'left behind' will probably continue to ignore my scribblings. Very few people on earth want any of this KNOWLEDGE and so they rely on ordinary ways of thinking on these subjects, ideas, concepts and topics and they allow others to persuade, direct, control, and explain such for them, rather than making their own efforts, which, of course, require something more that 'wishful thinking' or 'imaginary aspects'.....

WOMEN IN THE BIBLE- PART I

Women are sometimes named in the BIBLE and mentioned in various ways, such as their role in a specific event or in relation to a man,such as, a husband, fat her,etc. Sometimes women are given certain social/cultural positions like mother, sister, widow, prostitute, even queen.. Nevertheless, more attention is given to men than women in the BIBLE, so the notion(s) of MASCULINE vs FEMININE assumes an importance for various groups,scholars, and writers interested in specific ideas and concepts,etc. that sometimes affect the way people read or understand the BIBLE,especially when they are members of a specific church, religion,sect,cult, organization,etc. I shall add more to this discussion at a later time as what I had originally written for this blog was 'censored' by the software in the library where I was composting this.....as apparently some of the words I was using were considered 'inappropriate' and perhaps 'politically incorrect'....all of a sudden all that I had written originally was wiped out and the screen completely clear and I had to sign in again to use the site....such is modern techology....

थे गोल्डेन CALF

THE GOLDEN CALF is a misunderstood symbol found in the OLD TESTAMENT of the CHRISTIAN BIBLE which is essentially different from that of HEBREW OR 'JEWISH' SCRIPTURES in many ways too numerous to detail here now...... The question about this IMAGE, which in some descriptions, was 'gold-lated' rather than 'solid' gold has not been asked too much and also the topic has been ignored in certain ways......Why an image of BULL for many scholars consider it to have been that? The simple answer is that the BULL is a symbol of POWER as well as several other things, such as, fertility or reproduction, or animal instincts,etc. and also that the BULL, the SIGN OF TAURUS, was a common 'idol' or 'beast' in the area, worshiped and looked at my various cultures and tribes and 'nations' of the time..... MOSES, the lawgiver as he is often called, did not create the MOSAIC LAW if the acount is true that GOD gave Moses the COMMANDMENTS, usually grouped as ten and there are several variations and differing lists to be found that need not be taken up here...... Why should the Hebrews, the Israelites, the Jews, the TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, abandon, seemingly, the GOD that had helped them and guided them out of EGYPT to seek the PROMISED LAND and take up with what has been considered a 'PAGAN IDOL"? This intriguing problem has several answers and one of them is that this statue was meant to be representative of THE POWER OF YAWEH OR JEHOVAH and possibly to serve as HIS THRONE IN THE MANNER THAT THE CHERUBIM DID ON THE ARK OF THE COVENANT... Another reference to this topic is that of the 'GOLDEN CALVES' that King Jeroboam had fashioned when he set up the KINGDOM OF ISRAEL and his apparent desire was to make the holy places of Dan and Bethel worthier shrines of Yahweh than that of the TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM.....which may have backfired... The CANAANITES who still were inhabitants of Palestine at the time, used the BULL as a symbol of BAAL the 'fertility' god they worshipped and which may have seemed to the prophets that JEHOVAH was being relegated to the same level in their worship as Baal.

THE TWO IMPORTANT BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

When I first began to look at the Bible and try to read and perhaps understand it, I quickly decided at that early childhood age, of around 8-9-10-11, that the two most important books were, from my limited viewpoint at the time, GENESIS & THE APOCALYPSE or REVELATIONS, and I used to amuse, startle, and probably aggravate-irritate, my school classmates with my expositions and comments on the BOOK OF REVELATIONS, especially the various predictions as I understood them at the time. I became interested in the Bible through some Bible stories, a book that my cousin Becky either read to me or allowed me to read that she had when we lived on the Farm in Cornish. The other influence on this Bible interest came from my Welch Uncle by marriage to my Aunt, Becky's mother, because he left his Masonic Bible around and urged me to read it, and somewhat obliquely made comments on its importance and high regard that Masons had for it, and also I might add he was a Shriner and had gone through nearly all, if not all, the degrees,etc. and always wanted me to joing De Molay and eventually the Masons, which I never did and which I somewhat resisted for various reasons. I have since read a lot about them,etc. and have had friends who were involved in the Masonic activities,etc. but I did not feel drawn to the charitable works and other things of a social nature,etc. that they emphasized.........then I also became aware of the various claims about Masonic groups, the position of the time by Catholicism and the hostilities that existed, not that I really sided with either position, and other extravagant claims such as Masons murder, kill, kidnap, conspire, etc. that are still with us.....and which I shall some late time perhaps examine....... There was nothing 'secret' or 'mysterious' about my Uncle's Bible which had the Masonic Emblem on its front cover.....or at least nothing that revealed the Masonic Secrets....other than what the Bible stated which is/was, as far as I know, the King James Version, which I still prefer over other versions for my own personal reasons that can be discussed another time..... My reading of the first books of the Bible, attributed to Moses, of course, though most scholars doubt he actually wrote any of them,led me to adopt or consider some of the early prohibitions of the Laws expounded, like not eating pork, butter, touching the dead and cutting one's hair as I sort of wanted to emulate the Nazarites, a special sect that needs more study by most than is usually done......I also became more interested in the New Testament in certain respects, and used to think of going around the country-side, walking,carrying a staff, preaching and so forth in the manner of prophets and disciples,etc. all the while riding in the car while my grandparents or others drove, and I kept this notion in my head through High School in varied forms....and, of course, my minister wanted me to become a minister as I was at the time a member of the Methodist Church in Claremont and had also attended Sunday School and Church at Cornish Center when I lived on the Farm. I have since kept somewhat distant from any church activities except for some which I may discuss another time..... I can say that I have studied Catholic Doctrines by Correspondence and with certain priests/missionaries at times, and so forth but then I have done such conversations and discussions with Jehovah Witnesses, Iglesia Ni Cristo (s),Seventh Day Adventists, Mormons,Christian Scientists, and other religious groups and sects and religions,including Bahai,Buddhist(s) of various sects,etc. and a lot more too numerous to mention here in full..... My personal religious 'experiences' are just that, of course, and of little interest to others except that they look to mine as some sort of confirmation of their beliefs, ideas, feelings, and positions on life which I do not encourage them to accept or adopt or the like......but to keep their own....unless....they want a life of peril and uncertainty and ambiguity and other things........and I also step on their toes when they proffer their personal and organized beliefes as being 'truth' and 'the only truth' and place claims on the Bible that are exaggerated and in the long run, unsupported in various ways and which are usually open to a long list of variations and differences when examined in the light of history and other things....and not necessarity from that of science or philosophy...... The Bible can be studied on several levels and the first level done by most persons who attempt to read it is:THE LITERAL LEVEL and this means word- for- word under the guidance of some religious doctrine, tenet, creed, code, belief, or position and not from a mere 'literary'interest which is also perhaps THE SECOND LEVEL where one can appreciate the poetry, history, proverbs, etc. and the biographies or their descriptions of the figures mentioned there, plus other topics and divisions.....like psalms or songs......

THE LOST BIBLE OF THE ANCIENT HEBREWS

Ths ancient Hebrew Bible has many things that are lost in modern translations and interpretations and I hope to discuss such in future topics. For instance, most Bible readers these days always view and consider God as masculine in nature and so follow a patriarchical format and hierarchy. The FEMININE PRINCIPLE is usually ignored except in the cult of saints and worship of MARY as the Mother of God.