Monday, May 12, 2025

Parallel Kingdoms from 'Sacred Steps' is one of the sections on how the Holy Spirit guides us.

 (You can find this and more in "Sacred Steps Ancient Yoga and 'A Course in Miracles, on list on the left side of this page)


             "...The planet Earth is also a body with its chakras too -  Portals of Power, windows to Heaven through which the Holy Spirit works.  There are certain places, towns, mountains and valleys that serve this purpose.  These spots on the planet are vortices that create an inflow and outflow of energy giving forth life and balancing the electromagnetic fields.  Many of the world’s cathedrals, Indian mounds and ancient stone rings are found at these spots.  From the most ancient of times man has felt these power sources and has reverently paid homage.  Pilgrimages are made to these areas since they call to individuals to once more align their energy fields with those of the planet.  

At these places a celebration of life occurs with all the kingdoms - mineral, plant, animal, human and spiritual 

all participating in harmony.


PARALLEL KINGSOMS 

The Kingdoms of Life divide into five.

Each Kingdom evolves and grows and divines

Its purpose and function,

Its pathway to God.

The Mineral Kingdom offers a bedrock of FAITH.

The Plant Kingdom offers

SUSTENANCE and STRENGTH.

The Animal Kingdom offers

AMBASSADORS of Friendship.

The Human Kingdom offers

CHALLENGES and LESSONS.

The Spiritual Kingdom offers the GUIDANCE that leads

each Kingdom to safety and the peace that will heal."

 

Thursday, April 17, 2025

Continuing for Holy Week, 'The Crucifixion', from 'Looking for Jesus, His Life and Times'

 

The Crucifixion

 Josephus, the still highly respected Jewish historian of the first century spent a lifetime documenting Jewish history. He covers this history in fascinating but almost excruciating detail.  And yet, when he made mention of the event fifty years after the crucifixion, his comments were a really short few sentences, and an obvious echo of the standard language in Christian hymns sung at that time. This tells us something of the impact, or lack thereof, Jesus’ crucifixion had on the general Jewish, Greek and Roman populace fifty years after the fact.

Today, the faithful look back two thousand years with a powerful laser beam of emotional and even fanatical interest that leads to a distorted belief that Jesus’ life and death and perhaps resurrection hit the ancient world like an atomic blast: This event just couldn’t have been missed. Unfortunately, that was not the case. (But, we will take a quick snapshot of the impact on the early church later.)

For now, let’s discover what the everyday crucifixion was actually like, since this is what Jesus suffered. Take photos only if you want them in your own album.

After being found guilty, the criminal was given the obligatory whipping. Humiliation followed, and for Jesus this included a thorned crown and sign above him on the cross mockingly saying , “King of the Jews”. This represented his political crime since the only king of the Jews was considered the Roman emperor. The criminal then carried just the cross bar up to the hill outside of the city, since the posts were left in the ground for the daily crucifixions that occurred.

Golgotha was not a tourist attraction. This was a place people avoided. There would be few people to watch this tortuous event, perhaps only family and a few close friends. But, keep in mind. Jesus was a political criminal, and so showing support at his death tarred the supporters with the same crime. Peter understood this and denied knowing Jesus several times. Cowardly, perhaps, and painfully regretted, but understandable.

Nails were driven through the wrists, not hands, and a wedge on the post was placed in the most uncomfortable of spots, between the legs. All engineered to painfully support the weight of the criminal for the longest time possible. Most died from asphyxia as the lungs filled with fluid as did Jesus’, since recorded memories tell us a sword thrust in Jesus side caused fluid to run.

After his death, the body was removed by family and given a resting place in a tomb donated by a faithful follower of the beloved rabbi.

We don’t have to take any photos, we can head back to the present and see what tradition says is the actual tomb still preserved near Jerusalem. Certainly, you can get on the internet and see the photos already taken by others over the years.

What actually happens next in the story of Jesus?

I will research and contemplate this, and then share my discovery in the next section.

 

Questions to Contemplate and Discuss

  Compare how little importance the ancient world placed on this particular crucifixion of a criminal and how the modern day looks at it. What are your thoughts about this difference?

Who actually witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus and why were they there and not others?

 What have you possibly learned about the technical handling of a crucifixion and how do you feel about this information, and about Jesus himself going through this?

Watch for the next section, and for the whole book go to:

                         bettejeancundiff.blogspot.com

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Continuing for Holy Week, 'Pontius Pilate and A Day at the Office, from 'Looking for Jesus, His Life and Times'

 

 

Pontius Pilate and A Day at the Office

 Think back to the worst job you ever had. Remember how each day was enormously depressing. Thank goodness you have moved onto something better. (Oops! Sorry if you are still in it.) Now, this is the state of mind for Pontius Pilate in the first century. He didn’t ask to be a Roman procurator in this hot and volatile section of Israel, but here he is slowly dragging his feet from responsibility to responsibility. And one of the more onerous was overseeing the high Jewish holiday of Passover in the city of Jerusalem.

          Now, let’s snap a quick photo of Pilate’s residence, the place he tries hard not to leave. He lives on the pleasant coast of Israel in the voluptuous city of Ceasarea. His villa has all the comforts of the modern first century – running water, baths, gardens and lots of servants. Yet, once every year he must trudge over to Jerusalem and amass his troops to do crowd control for the Passover holiday.  And to a Roman this ain’t a pleasant assignment.

During the last years, violent revolutionaries, screeching prophets, oppressed lower classes, and roving bandits have reached a crescendo and plagued his tour of duty. Pilate’s form of policing and peacekeeping is swift and final – just grab ‘em and crucify ‘em! The bodies hanging on crosses outside the city are constantly being replenished. Take photos only if you want them in your own album.

Pilate and the High Priest of the Temple meet when necessary, which is often during this holiday week. Together they share the burden of keeping a semblance of peace in the city.

Whether a ripple of revolt or tsunami of insurrection occurs, the Sanhedrin is required to turn over any Jewish troublemaker to Pilate for quick trial and immediate penalty on the old rugged cross. Jesus was a radical and yes, seen as interfering in Temple politics, as well as a possible threat to Roman authority. The rules were the rules so inevitably Jesus had to be found guilty by the priests and given over to the Romans.

Many movies, books and myths have tried to capture the emotional climate of Pilate on the day when the priests of the Temple of Jerusalem turned Jesus over to the Romans.

What did Pilate think?

What guilt and remorse, if any, did Pilate experience?

What we do know from history, is that Pilate was simply trying to keep the peace, giving short shrift to just one more dissident, one more troublemaker. Pilate kept Jesus’ trial short, the penalty just another tedious necessity in a long line of similar incidents. This was such a daily ‘ho hum’ activity that first century historians barely recorded this particular prisoner’s trial, verdict, and inevitable penalty.

          Over the next two thousand years, Jesus followers have layered more and more meaning and glory onto an event that, at the time, was seen as an almost unimportant blip on the screen - though it was crushingly sad and confusing to Jesus’ family and followers. . .

. . .But, we will return, bringing our cameras to record as much depth and insight as possible about this amazingly short event that has none the less impacted the world for millennium.

Questions to Contemplate and Discuss 

1.     How has Pontius Pilate been remembered by Christians over the years?

  How has Christian history commonly seen the relationship between the Temple elders and Pontius Pilate and their culpability in Jesus’ death?

 What differences, if any, do you see now from the commonly held view of Jesus’ trial under Pontius Pilate and what we have now learned?

  

 Watch for the next chapter, The Crucifixion, and for the whole book go to:

                  bettejeancundiff.blogspot.com

 

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Continuing for Holy Week - ''Trial by Senhedrin', from 'Looking for Jesus, His Life and Times'

 

Trial by Senhedrin

          How many times this week did you want to advise a friend or loved one, to direct them away from destructive behavior?  Were you diplomatic and gentle, or did you just have to let them know how really dumb they are? Now, did your friend or loved one accept your advice when offered? Did you need to offer your advice repeatedly? And did you get just a little huffy when your really super advise was refused?

          Well, let’s head back to the first century and take a look at the developing pattern of interactions Jesus had with the priests and elders, and notice the inevitable and tragic results.

          The Old Testament offers this advice in dealing with a wayward acting Jew. First take the errant brother aside and privately redirect him. If that doesn’t work, a group of two or three should then confront the wrong-doer. Now, if that doesn’t work, the desperado should be dragged in front of the Temple elders for something stronger and more persuasive. And if that doesn’t work either, send him away and treat him like a leper.

          Take some quick snapshots as this same pattern plays out with Jesus and the elders. First a priest would approach Jesus and begin a debate. These debates and Jesus’ answers are documented in the New Testament. Later, two or three would confront him and debate with him again.

When all the confrontations and debate shifted Jesus not one iota from his continued radical perspectives and his sermons at the local synagogues and on the hillsides, the next step is taken - sending the Temple guards into the Garden to bring him before the Sanhedrin, the Temple priests and elders, for a really nasty rebuke.

          What happens at this emotionally charged trial is supposition, since nothing was ever recorded and no followers of Jesus attended. We do know that Jesus must have exasperated them completely since they sent him ignominiously off to the next level of authority. . .the only option available to them under the Law.

. . .and so, we will return to take snapshots at the next trial, presided over by Pontius Pilate.

Questions to Contemplate and Discuss

 Does this process of incrementally trying to redirect someone from a ‘dangerous’ direction remind you of your own experiences of being either the advisor or the advisee? And how well did it work?

 What does your imagination suggest happened at the confrontation of Jesus and the Temple elders?

   Do you think there could have been any other outcome? Could the elders have acted differently? Could have Jesus?

  Look for the next section to be posted and for the whole book go to:

             bettejeancundiff.blogspot.com