The Spiritual Connection

2007-1-3 05:48:00

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.  (Revelation 2:7)

JJ: The Spirit gives an important message to the seven churches which are really seven groups of aspiring disciples in different stages of service and influenced by seven differing ray qualities.

The message is one of extreme importance:

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

The first thing to note is that one must "overcome" to partake of the tree of life. So many spiritual teachers are promising shortcuts and an easy path if we just follow them, but there is no shortcut for anything worth having. Instead the seeker must make a strenuous effort to achieve the goal.

It is interesting that Jesus compared himself to a vine connected to a tree, which gives life:

4  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

6  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

7  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

8  Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
John 15:4-8

The idea presented here by the Master is that a branch needs to be connected to a vine to stay alive. If it is not connected it receives not the life-giving fluid and becomes "withered" and dies. Even so, the comparison fits the aspiring disciple. He connects with soul energy and feels spiritually alive more than any other time in his history. The problem is that he will often abuse the feeling of freedom that comes with this new life and, for a period of time, he will sever himself from the vine. When this happens he will be led by the lower desire energies and his spiritual life will wither and die. He must awaken to his terrible situation and reconnect to the spiritual flow so he can continue his journey upon the path.

The tree of life is "in the midst of the paradise of God."

True paradise is found in the center of our own being where the voice of God speaks to us. The seeker must center himself in the light at the core of his being so he can connect to the spiritual flow.

Yes, we can die and go to paradise, but first we must live and go there.

Just as there are many leaves, branches, limbs, and larger limbs in a tree, even so are there many states of consciousness to be attained after a permanent link is established.

Next let us look at the letter to Smyna.

8  And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
Revelation 2:8-11

The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone.
Henrik Ibsen