You Are in the Bible: Metaphysical Bible Interpretation for Your Life

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GENERAL INTERPRETATION SKILLS

Let us begin. Do you have a favorite or familiar Bible story? If you can‘t think of one, you might try the story of the woman at the well in John 4:3-42. Of course the first thing we do to enter the text, as we say, is to read through the story. Then look at what comes before the story and what comes after it. Does it stand by itself or is it connected to stories before or after it? This one seems to be a lone episode in the midst of Jesus‘ travels.

The story indicates that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans, so we can conclude that Jesus may have traveling through hostile territory. He chose to stay there alone at the well while his disciples went away to get food. Was he waiting for someone to come along?

The woman must have been wary that a lone man was at the well, and a Jew at that. But in an arid land hospitality is offered to all. So she offered to draw water for him, confronting him with the fact that he had nothing with which to draw water from the well for himself.

It seems that he already knew many things about her. He told her she had five former husbands and the one with whom she now lived was not her husband. In her own mind she looked for an explanation of how he knew all this. He told her those who worship God will worship in spirit. She confronted him again saying he must also know Samaritans are not allowed to cross their border to worship in the temple in Jerusalem.

She began to think he must be a prophet. Then suddenly she became aware that he might be the long awaited Messiah. She ran back to the city to announce his arrival and the people who hated her now inexplicably believed her.

The scene is interrupted by a conversation with the returning disciples that seems to have nothing to do with the story. Sometimes passages are inserted at odd places for no discernable reason. It could be that there was more to the text at one time, but it was lost.

Let’s look at Jesus as representing your spiritual nature, the Christ nature. The woman is the feeling nature that has been misled by five husbands, the five physical senses. She always knew something wasn’t right. Otherwise, why five husbands? The feeling nature always recognizes the truth. Have you experienced those times when you knew you were being lied to, something made your stomach quail and made you feel slightly ill? Did you tend to want to withdraw, escape, or disappear? She came to the well at noon when no one else would be there in order to escape the wrath of the women in the city. The women of the city represent negative feelings such as guilt, resentment, anger, and hatred.

Suddenly this feeling is absent when you meet this spiritual part of you. You try to express your distrust as she did, but it doesn’t work. There is no attack from Spirit, and no deception. Just clear truth being spoken. The spiritual nature doesn’t play games. You can trust it completely.

You gather your whole being into it’s presence. All of the rejecting thoughts, the hurts and anguish, your whole city of thought or state of mind, presents itself to the Christ nature. All is harmonized and lifted up by the spiritual truth revealed.

Without knowing too much about the Bible, the culture, or sophisticated Bible interpretation, you can see something very important. When the Christ, the spiritual level, appears in your awareness, all deception and pain disappears. The people of the city no longer shunned her, but came with her. Harmony manifests in your whole being.

Everything seems to right itself with hardly any effort on your part. She learned that the kingdom was right where she was, and she could worship anytime and anywhere. God is everywhere present and always available to you.

It is up to you now to look around your life and see how these various parts of you are interacting. Are you still lost in the five senses, trusting outer things to fulfill you? Are you avoiding rejection by isolating yourself to one part of your mind, shutting off the unpleasant thoughts and feelings? What can you see might be the way to freedom from all of that?

You can do this same thing with any story in the Bible. With a little skill and practice, you can go deeper than this example. Let me introduce you to some resources to assist you in becoming more familiar with terminology and ideas in interpretation.

My first choice is the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary by Charles Fillmore, available from Unity. This is a definitive work that lists every proper name in the

Bible. Every proper name has a Hebrew or Greek meaning. You will see the meaning of the name, and then the metaphysical interpretation of the story or passage in which it is found.

This is the key. Proper names had meanings in those days. A woman who experienced a tragedy while she was pregnant might name a girl Dolores, which means sorrow. If you look up the proper names in a story, you will see how these aspects of your psychological or spiritual nature interact. Usually there are not more than three main characters in a story, so it isn’t too complicated to figure out.

Many characters, such as the woman at the well, do not have names. They represent a more generalized aspect of the feeling or female aspect of your nature. The intellect is the male aspect of your nature.

Some characters had a name change, such as Jacob who became Israel. The name change indicates Jacob reached a more expanded mental state, but that name didn’t stay with him as the stories continue because he didn’t maintain that higher state of mind. Our state of mind rise and fall until we learn to maintain the higher one with practice.

Another resource is The Dictionary of All Myths and Scriptures by Gaskill. This dictionary goes beyond the Bible to mythologies, but includes the Bible names and significant nouns. In all instances, Gaskill corroborates Fillmore’s work. The interpretations are mostly the same or quite similar. Elizabeth Sand Turner wrote three books on Bible interpretation Your Hope Of Glory, Let There Be Light, and Be Ye Transformed, published by Unity.

Charles Fillmore devoted whole one whole book each for the interpretation of Genesis and John. These seven books will contain more information than you will need as you begin, but they provide wonderful and insightful reference materials as you progress.

The first steps are:

1.   Gather some research reference materials

2.   Read through the text and any connecting verses

3.   Look up the names of characters and locations

4.   Analyze the situations the characters are in. Samaria was a hostile land. Look up that name to learn more about the setting in which feeling nature and spirit meet. Samaria’s population was of mixed race people depicting mixed thoughts.

5. Jews didn’t speak to women in public. Intellect doesn’t deal with feelings. It ignores them as irrelevant. Spirit, Jesus, spoke to women in public. You can begin to see the disconnect between head and heart that has been there for all of human history.

Of course your primary aim is to apply these interpretations and understandings to what is happening to you in your life experiences. Do you often make intellectual decisions without consulting your real feelings? Have you discounted your feelings and discovered they were correct after all? Can you see they are a very important guide in beginning your spiritual growth?

When you look into the Bible it is important to understand there is nothing to judge or threaten you. Granted, there is violence and many threatening situations are described, but they are only mirrors of the violence we are capable of doing to ourselves with error thinking and self criticism. Often we aren’t aware of how much destruction we do to ourselves psychologically and emotionally by harboring negative attitudes about ourselves.

Joshua was instructed to kill men, women, children, and even animals in the promised land. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Noah rode out the flood in an ark with pairs of animals and his own family. What could be the purpose of so much destruction and the nearly ending of human life?

These places represent your subconscious mind. Subconscious mind was intended to be the promised land where divine ideas would take root and manifest in your life. Instead it gets filled with negative thinking, wrong attitudes, and perceptions completely in opposition to God’s good. These have to be cleaned out entirely in order for you to manifest your higher nature completely. The children represent the embryonic error thoughts that will grow up into mature and damaging attitudes. The animals represent the feelings that are created by those thoughts. So it stands to reason that it must all be cleared away to receive the divine ideas that await your attention.

In the book of Nehemiah you will find there are tribes of mixed races whom Nehemiah rejects when they offer to help him rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. They represent mixed thoughts that cannot help us create the spiritual life. We say we trust in God, but we do things without guidance and then pray for God to clean up our mess later. We say we believe in perfect health, but expect we’ll end up in a nursing home for the last few years of our lives. These are mixed thoughts and we all have them. These mixed thoughts keep our life experiences fluctuating between illness and health, poverty and abundance, happiness and despair.

From the time we become self-reflective beings leaving the garden of Eden, until we reach the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation, we grow through psychological stages, progressing toward the development of our spiritual nature. Our goal is to rise up in consciousness, as did John in Revelation, and move on to the New Jerusalem, the city of high or spiritual consciousness. You will notice that he was never lowered into the turmoil that is described in Revelation. As all of those things go on, he is above it as the angel commanded him to be.

We are meant to rise above our physical and psychological nature, to be in our Christ nature as Jesus was. The apostle Paul tells us to grow up into the head of Christ, and Christ in you, your hope of glory. Our life experiences are classrooms in which we develop through the stages of our growth. Some go through classrooms of violence and some do not. The goal is always the same, to grow through it, to find that gift of growth and advancement in consciousness, and continue on.

In the stories of siblings such as Jacob and Esau, the first born always represents the physical nature and the second born, the higher nature. You will see that as you look up their names in the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary. In the Old Testament, the higher nature is higher thought, but not yet spiritual thought. Spiritual thought develops in the gospels. Cain, Esau, Martha, and all other first born siblings represent the physical nature. Cain committed the first physical murder. Esau means red and hairy, Martha was busy in the kitchen taking care of physical things. Their siblings are Abel who represents intellect or the first thinker, Jacob was the one to carry forward the birthright or spiritual journey, and Mary, Martha’s younger sister, represents the love of the soul for God.

Your higher nature must always supplant the physical or lower nature. The lower nature cannot carry you to spiritual development. It is intended to enable you to carry out physical life on planet Earth while you develop spiritually. Even the intellect, the higher nature of the Old Testament, cannot lift you to the spiritual realms. Spirituality is of God, it is your godlikeness, God living as you and through you. It is a gift of the Creator and not an outworking of the human intellect. You reach it through sufficient development and the ability to open to it. No one knows exactly how or when this will happen. That is determined in the realms of the mystery of God within us.

Is the Bible history? We believe some parts of it are, but the writers of that time were not writing to record history. The book of Acts is the first book that was written as recorded history, chronicling the acts of the disciples. Events, teaching, and people’s lives in the Hebrew Testament were intertwined to pro-

duce saga. Hebrew Testament saga is a story told to reveal to the people what God has done for them.

Many of the Hebrew (Old) Testament stories are not original with the Hebrew people, but came from the old Babylonian and Assyrian cultures. Ancient stories were passed down through generations verbally by story tellers. The story tellers were from a family that specialized in memorizing the stories exactly and passed them to their sons who continued the tradition. The tribe entrusted this family to be the keeper of these teachings. Some of these stories were Adam and Eve, Job, and Sampson. Identical stories are found in more ancient cultures. Where the stories came from is not important. Their mystical teaching content is what was valued.

Because this mystical teaching component exists, we are able to metaphysically interpret, or look for the deeper meaning for our own lives. Each one of us will see something different in a story according to what we need to learn. This is the blessing of these teachings and the gospels, or God Spells. It would do us no service to look at these writings as purely historical. They won’t make sense that way and there would be no value in them for us today.

What version of the Bible is best? The most popular and poetic version is the King James, but it is the least accurate translation. Some of the language of the King James version is quite convoluted and the old English a little hard to understand. Much scholarly work has been done over the years, and the Revised Standard Version has benefited from that scholarly research in accuracy and clarity. I prefer the most accurate translation, but whatever version you choose, the meaning of the proper names still holds true and you can still glean good insights.

Didn’t the book of Revelation warn us not to add or take away anything from the scriptures? Yes, it did, because everything is already included therein. It is not possible to add anything because there is nothing else. If we try to add to something that is already complete, we will simply be opening ourselves to errors that derail our progress and bring us pain. If we take away anything, we will leave ourselves short and some part of the tree of life will be missing for us. Interpretation is not adding to the scriptures. It is looking deeply into them for understanding of our own lives.

Does it matter whether Jesus ever really lived, or certain events of his life seem fantastical? Is it too fantastical to believe he arose from a tomb? Or called Lazarus back from the grave after three or four days? What if I can’t make myself believe these things?

Every story, fairytale, and myth is based upon something that happened. We are not an actual witness to exactly what that was, but there is a basis in truth nevertheless. Many of our folk sayings that sound nonsensical now referred to something real for those who coined them. Because of time passage and different uses for some words, we don’t know how some of these sayings came into being, but they have a ring of truth about them. For instance, we know what is meant when someone says, Don’t buy a pig in a poke. It means don’t buy something you can’t see or verify. But what condition that saying actually refered to isn’t clear.

Some of the stories of the Bible fall into categories. One category is the beginning of things. Adam and Eve is a story that tells us something about the beginning of things. Some stories begin and end a cycle of development. There are three cycles, one beginning with Abraham, one with Joseph, and one with Jacob. Again these are stories to tell us something of our own beginning development, the cycles we go through and complete, and the next step we must take.

When we know a little about these things, life doesn’t seem so random. We begin to see a pattern to our experiences and development. We begin to see how a seeming similar event has a different effect upon us at different stages of our development. We can begin to develop a trust in the life process, aware that it does make some sense, and progress is occurring.

Our present society gives us very few guidelines as we grow up. The rites of passage have been diminished or eliminated. The family unit is fragmented or the focus is pulled to outer things. Children grow up on the streets or at home in front of the TV or computers. American society is failing in its purpose to bring order and direction to its members. Children on the streets join gangs in order to belong. Adults join cults that provide structure, and those gangs and cults always abuse their power.

Interpretation of the scriptures is still the unchanging, unfailing direction finder for those who will look for it. Societies come and go, but the ancient handbook still functions anywhere, anytime, and in any situation if you know how to use it.

Is the Bible the word of God? The writers were certainly divinely inspired. God works through humanity, not separate from it, or in spite of it. God inspired those who created the teachings and those who set them down for generations to come. Regardless of their cultural background or personal prejudices, divine inspiration reveals the truth through them. Many redactors tried to alter the words but the truth still shines through for those who truly desire to understand themselves and their lives.

How does interpretation work with divine guidance from God? The Unity co-founder, Myrtle Fillmore, said, go first to God, and then to man as God directs. God’s guidance comes to us through many avenues. We ask for wisdom and discernment, and then we look for a signpost. Where we look is up to us. I prefer to go the most complete and profound signpost I know, and that is the Bible. Some go to oracles, Tarot cards, I Ching, Rune Stones, and human readers. All these are going to give an answer according to the consciousness of the one asking. There is no special power in these objects, only the power given by the asker. For me Bible Scripture has an unending supply of examples using human experiences that I won’t find anywhere else. I can explore from several different perspectives until I get a clear mirror of what I need to see.

Is the Bible a predictor of things to come? The only predictor of things to come is your present consciousness. When you change the content of your consciousness, your future changes accordingly. The Universe lines up experiences for you according to where your mind is, and when your mind changes, the experiences that are not appropriate dissipate and appropriate ones take their place. So your future changes every time you change your mind.

The scriptures will tell us what will happen if we stay on a certain thought track or pattern. If we are wise enough to see that, we can change our thought patterns to reflect the future we desire. For instance King David took great license with his power as a warrior and as a king. He was constantly attacked and his life in danger. His final and fatal misuse of his power was to have Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, killed so he could possess her. Their first child was stillborn. It was then that David finally woke up to the direction his choices were taking his life and he changed. From then on he was revered as the beloved King David, and the restoration of his Kingdom was a goal right up through Jesus’ time.

King Saul never did get it. His choices led to his and his son, Jonathan’s, defeat and death. Sampson’s sexual and egotistical excesses led to his capture, torture, and demise. Haman’s arrogance led to his downfall and death at the hands of Queen Esther. Queen Jezebel’s evil plots led to her death when she was thrown over the city wall and, as Elijah predicted, dogs ate all but her hands and forehead.

It often seems that bad things happen to good people and bad people seem to triumph. We don’t know what anyone else’s path is, so we must not judge others. There is much that is still a mystery to the human mind. We only work on ourselves and we choose our own path as best we know how at any given time. We are learning, which is the point.

We encounter several different images of God throughout the Bible. There are three main ones, Yahweh, Elohim, and Abba. Yahweh walks around the garden and admonishes Adam and Eve like a parent. Elohim is invisible and transcen-

dent. Abba is personal, like a papa. Abba, or papa, was Jesus’ name for God. He brought God into the very personal realm as a loving father.

There were different writers throughout the Hebrew (Old) Testament. One was from the southern kingdom, one from the northern kingdom, one from the priestly tribe (Leviticus), one was a lawyer (Deuteronomy), and there were likely several others. Each had their own take on God. Essentially, mankind evolved in its perception of God. Yahweh was anthropomorphic and participatory with humanity. Elohim was aloof and uninvolved with humanity. Abba was the caring father figure who welcomed the prodigal son home.

Our perception of God changes as we grow up, too. The God of my childhood has not remained the same throughout my life. Our fathers have a lot to do with our perception of the male God because our parents were our gods as we grew through early childhood. I avoided my childhood god as much as possible. I avoided my father as much as possible. My father was threatening and punishing, so my god was that as well. My god became transcendent as I learned the metaphysical interpretation of the scriptures. At first that seemed cold but preferable. Then at last I came to love myself and, therefore, my god became loving as well.

The more I study the Bible stories and research the metaphysical interpretation, the more parallels I find with my own life. The more of those I am aware of, the more clearly I can see the dynamics that brought me to where I am today. My awakening to the spiritual or metaphysical was as sudden as Paul being knocked off his horse on the road to Damascus. I helped a friend find the Religious Science church and when I saw the books and heard the message, my perception in that very moment flipped over like a pancake. I saw darkly from my early religious training, and with the change to spirituality, I began to see face to face. I know what it is like to be blinded by the light of it for a while, to go on a crusade to save the world with it, and then to settle into learning it for my own life.

I’ve have been through crucifixions where everything in my life seemed to crash all at once, so I had to let go and start anew. But each time it happened, I began with a new body, new strength and insight, new goals, and new faith. I’ve been betrayed by people who I thought were my friends, only to see them come to unhappiness and disaster like Judas. Is Jesus my example? Yes, indeed. Did he really live? He lives in me. This is why I entitled this book, You Are In The Bible. We were all there, and they are all within us. Each person in the Bible is an aspect of yourself stepping forward to show itself to you. Jesus said to his disciples, Be glad your name is written in the book of life. I think we can all see our names written in the book of life, transcribed for us in the form of the Bible. We can truly be glad for such a detailed and personal roadmap for our lives.

The stories in the Bible are the stories that were taught down through the ages. They were passed from generation to generation because they were the favorite and most helpful teachings. They have a universal message for all people, all cultures, and all eras of time.

We usually don’t go looking for answers until questions become pressing. Rather than starting at Genesis and simply plowing on through all the stories, begin with some pressing questions or needs in your life. There are over twenty—two versions of the Bible. The Bible version being used throughout this book is The Revised Standard Version, Oxford University Press, New York., with a few references to the American Version for clarity.

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CHANGE

Many are saying the only constant in life is change. Changes in our world are coming faster and faster, and we seem to be facing them at every turn. Let’s begin looking at change as it is mirrored in the Bible.

One of my favorites is the story of Miriam found in Exodus 15. We have almost her whole life story from the time she was a little girl tending her brother among the reeds in the Nile river, her travels across the Red or Reed Sea and Sinai with the Israelites, to her death at Kadesh.

Miriam’s childhood dreams were probably connected to her first impression of Pharaoh’s daughter coming down to the river bank with her servants. Any little girl might want to be just like Pharaoh’s daughter. Did that child’s dream go with her into adulthood? Did it manifest as Miriam danced at the triumph over the Egyptian army, only to have it all dashed by the harshness of Sinai? Sinai looked like a change for the worse and the people changed for the worse as well.

We are told that Miriam became bitter, angry, and carping. The bitterness eating away at her was reflected by the onset of leprosy. She found herself alone on a hill far away from the people. They were all praying for her and would not leave without her. Suddenly she was like Pharaoh’s daughter, the head of her people, aware that she was loved and revered. The bitterness dissolved and she was healed.

Life can be very hard, changes can be daunting, and we can forget the childhood dream. We can even give up on believing that life will get better and fall into a critical state of mind. The critical state of mind makes things worse and worse, until it literally eats us alive. But alone on that hill like Miriam, reflecting on our situation from a higher place in mind, we return our thinking to the dream. The support of God is all around us. The damage is reversed, healed, and life becomes good once again.

In Genesis 27 Jacob wasn’t so lucky. He wrestled with a man, or a powerful idea, all through the dark night