Meeting Jesus
“The city of Capernaum was by the sea of Galilee, and Peter’s home was there. The homes of Andrew, John and James were near. These men were fishermen, and must return to tend their nets, and they prevailed on Jesus and his mother to accompany them, and soon with Philip and Nathaniel they were resting by the sea in Peter’s home. The news spread through the city and along the shore that Judah’s king had come, and multitudes drew near to press his hand” (Aquarian Gospel 71:1-3).
It is frustrating that we know so little of Levi Dowling and his recording of the akashic impressions that comprise the Aquarian Gospel. Considering that at the age of thirteen he debated a Presbyterian minister on the question of everlasting hell, began preaching at the age of sixteen and was a pastor at eighteen, we can conclude he was an intellectual as well as a spiritual prodigy. Therefore he may have known Aramaic and during his psychic investigations heard the words spoken and simply translated them. On the other hand, he may have only received the impressions of the meaning of the words he heard, and put them into his own words–which would explain the presence of such curious words as “harpsichord” and “photograph” in the text. I say all this because I find it odd that people would want to shake hands with Jesus–a practice originating in northern Europe as a guarantee that someone was not holding a weapon with intent to harm the person they approached, and therefore unknown to the Jews. It seems more logical that they wanted to be touched by Jesus in blessing, something well known and practiced at the time. However that may be, here too, the people considered Jesus to be “Judah’s king.”
Seeing the king
“And Jesus said, I cannot show the king, unless you see with eyes of soul, because the kingdom of the king is in the soul” (Aquarian Gospel 71:4).
There is only one king, God, and one kingdom, spirit. And until we are centered in spirit-consciousness and have activated the “eyes” of spirit, there is no hope of our entering the kingdom and beholding the king. No external factor can effect this entry, it must all be initiated and carried on from within by none other than ourselves.
Many kingdoms, many kings
“And every soul a kingdom is. There is a king for every man” (Aquarian Gospel 71:5).
Our individual spirit is both king and kingdom on the microcosmic level, and our entry and meeting is a preparation for entering the meeting the Cosmic Christ. The entry we must effect is done by us alone, not in a group or “body” made up of many people. In spirit each one of us is totally independent of others–except God. The path to Christhood is truly “the flight of the alone to the Alone.”
Christ the king
“This king is love, and when this love becomes the greatest power in life, it is the Christ; so Christ is king. And every one may have this Christ dwell in his soul, as Christ dwells in my soul” (Aquarian Gospel 71:6, 7).
We must not waste our time talking about love, we must become love–become a Christ of God. What Jesus became, we can–and must–become. This is the Christine gospel.
A king
“The body is the temple of the king, and men may call a holy man a king” (Aquarian Gospel 71:8).
In India monks are addressed as Maharaj–great king. Solomon said: “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city” (Proverbs 16:32). Holiness alone establishes us in our kingdom. Therefore Jesus continues:
“He who will cleanse his mortal form and make it pure, so pure that love and righteousness may dwell unsullied side by side within its walls, is king” (Aquarian Gospel 71:9).
Kings of earth and kings of heaven
“The kings of earth are clothed in royal robes, and sit in state that men may stand in awe of them. A king of heaven may wear a fisher’s garb; may sit in mart of trade; may till the soil, or be a gleaner in the field; may be a slave in mortal chains; may be adjudged a criminal by men; may languish in a prison cell; may die upon a cross” (Aquarian Gospel 71:10-12).
The kings of earth–and the “kings” of earthly religion–have to put on a show to persuade people of their worth. But the kings of heaven–ouranos, the infinite sky of Consciousness–are “all glorious within” as the Psalmist said (Psalms 45:13). They may be thought worthless, fools, drudges, or even criminals by those who are blind in the spirit. But the awakened ones “see” them and recognize them.
My beloved Swami Sivananda was utterly devoid of any show whatsoever. He had no tilak marks on his forehead, no beads around his neck, no long theatrical hair, wore the simplest of clothes and was always unassuming and modest in his manner and guileless in his demeanor. Fools thought him a fool, crooks thought him a crook, the worldly-wise thought him ignorant, fake yogis patronizingly called him a karma yogi, the wealthy and powerful thought him simple and naïve. Those who valued their defects despised him for having none. But those who could see saw all glories in him; they loved him and he loved them in return (he loved the others, too, but they could not know it). Every moment with him was a feast of love and joy. He was light in darkness and rest for the weary. He was a Christ and saw our inner Christ and told us of that wonder and inspired us to seek the treasure he so obviously possessed in abundance. In him I saw every possible virtue present to the maximum degree. He was a god upon earth, and yet was our humble friend.
As Jesus then said: “Men seldom see what others truly are. The human senses sense what seems to be, and that which seems to be and that which is, may be diverse in every way. The carnal man beholds the outer man, which is the temple of the king, and worships at his shrine” (Aquarian Gospel 71:13, 14).
Then he sums it all up in these words that need no comment: “The man of God is pure in heart; he sees the king; he sees with eyes of soul: and when he rises to the plane of Christine consciousness, he knows that he himself is king, is love, is Christ, and so is son of God. You men of Galilee, prepare to meet your king.
“And Jesus taught the people many lessons as he walked with them beside the sea” (Aquarian Gospel 71:15-18).
May we, too, walk with him by the seashore of this life, looking over the sea to the Farther Shore of Divinity.
Read the next section in the Aquarian Gospel for Yogis: The Temple of God