2006-1-23 11:21:00
Now let us look at the meaning as it applies to the disciple and his mission.
The disciple has trod the path of Christ and has overcome all the obstacles in the path. The power of his light, love and vision has drawn to his work many other disciples committed to carrying the work forward. The group is plagued, however, with the presence of the dragon of personal aspiration and desire to serve the interest of self. After much internal conflict and war, the dragon of self is removed from heaven. The mind and spirit then dominate the unstable emotional nature. The group achieves relative peace and accomplishment.
The powers of darkness ever seek to preserve and use the life of the dragon. Even though the group cast out the dragon it still lives on the earth upon which it was cast. This tells us the dragon of personal aspiration finds a home with those more polarized in matter than spirit. If the dragon can no longer destroy the group from within then it will attack from without. The power of fiery emotion will stir up those who substitute raw emotion for spiritual vision and attempt to destroy the work of the initiate.
The workers of light are thus misunderstood and persecuted to the extent that it appears the work will be destroyed. At this point the woman is "given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place..."
Notice that is says the woman was given two wings of an eagle and not the child, which is the creative work.
The child has already ascended to heaven. Does this mean the labor, or the results thereof, are no longer on the earth? Not exactly. The child was caught up to God and to his throne. In other words, the essence of the child are the ideas rather than the form and they are caught up into the minds, hearts and spirits of those who are ready. The ideas have created forms upon the earth, which the dragon attacks and attempts to destroy, but try as he will, he cannot destroy the teachings and ideas. He can destroy the forms but the ideas remain and will come back in other forms.
The dragon faces the sad realization that he cannot destroy the ideas so he does the next best thing. He seeks to suppress and subjugate the power that can give form to the ideas. This power is the creative female side of human nature. By suppressing the "woman in heaven" or the female energy, which gives form to ideas he keeps the child in heaven unable to manifest on earth.
We have seen the work of the dragon as we review our history since the birth of Christ. The female energy and the female species herself has been suppressed and dominated to the extent that she has been nothing more than chattel in most parts of the world. By suppressing the female complement to the male energy the dragon has prevented the kingdom of God from manifesting through form upon the earth.
To preserve the female power which is essential to creating the Kingdom, she is given two wings of a great eagle so she can fly into the wilderness.
In ancient times holy men often fled into the wilderness to escape persecution. But what does it mean that she is given two wings of a great eagle? Verily the wings in this context are symbols of power. Power to do what? Power to fly. To fly where? Through the air to "her place" in the wilderness.
The air is a symbol of the mind and spiritual ideas. The wilderness is a symbol of that place ahead of its time where creative thoughts go and abide until the rest of humanity becomes ready for discovery. When they are ready the wilderness is discovered, settled, irrigated and then blossoms as the rose.
When the dragon persecutes, destroys form and suppresses the female he believes he has won, but he has not. The ideas remain and foment in the wilderness abiding their time. As they wait nothing can hold humanity back from progressing onward until they discover the wilderness along with the ideas, which have been awaiting them.
How long must the ideas remain in the wilderness, beyond the reach of the many? "For a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent." Again we see the three and a half cycles of time that must pass before humanity is ready.
But notice that during this time the woman just does not hibernate, but is "nourished." In other words, there are a few who seek out the ideas of wholeness (holiness) represented by the equality of male and female working as one. The few who do see the higher way nourish the ideas and concepts during this three and a half cycle period, however long that turns out to be.
For example, one of the offspring of the female energy working through the Christ was the principle of spiritual love. The dragon raised its ugly head and suppressed the female energy necessary to manifest this love in its purity. The female energy was driven into the wilderness and all but a few people took the love of Christ and distorted it into a selfish love that drove them to war and to kill their neighbors.
Still the idea of the love of Christ could not be destroyed and was nourished over the centuries by a few who saw the vision of peace on earth good will toward men. This nourishment has kept the vital female energy alive and well and the fact that the females are now gaining their equality is a sign that three and a half cycles are nearing their end.
And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. Revelation 12:15
Again water is a symbol of emotion. Out of the mouths of those possessed of the dragon of fiery desire comes powerful emotional attacks. They try to prevent the manifestation of the new cycle of creative works that are given form through the equal working of the male/female energies.
The emotional attacks are so overwhelming that it seems the new cycle of work will not manifest.
And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. Revelation 12:16
The earth not only stands for matter, as opposed to spirit, but it stands for practicality within the world. Those polarized in lower emotion will oppose the ideas when they manifest in a new cycle but because of the evolution of humanity many have become more practical and grounded. The practical people, though not particularly spiritual, see the value of the ideas, which have been nourished over he centuries and support their manifestation. This practical support swallows up the emotional persecution.
For instance, the emotional people in the church fought against Galileo and his idea that the earth was not the center of the universe. They would have succeeded but for the practical, grounded people who looked at the evidence and concluded he was right. As practical people began defending Galileo the persecution against the idea was swallowed up and now all are free to embrace it.
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17
When one idea permeates society, others are still forming and the dragon gravitates to them in an attempt to suppress them that they do not materialize. He realizes though that his time is short for when enough ideas take form the time will come that the masses will realize how unreliable decision-making by emotion is. Eventually, the people on the earth will rise above the emotional plane and be dominated by mind and spirit.
What does it mean in this context when it refers to those "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ"?
Those who keep the commandments are those who follow the law of spiritual love which fulfills all the laws. Those who have the testimony of Jesus Christ are those who take upon themselves the meaning of his name: to follow the greatest measure of the law of love though helping your brother to see what you see, know what you know and have power to do what you do.
May we all be bearers of the name of the Son of God.
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)
Copyright © 2006 by J J Dewey, All Rights Reserved