Hey everyone! I know I haven’t been on here much lately. But in the past, I know a lot of people around here were reading and enjoying my blog - and I just finished the first part of a project that I have put more work into than anything else I’ve ever written. So I thought I’d share!
In this post, I write about how a paradigm shift is necessary in order to understand mysticism, and I talk about the concept of repentance.
I’ve published the second “chapter” of my new blog series. This post deals with communication theory, biblical interpretation, and how Jews read the Bible.
Judaism and the Mystical Christ, Ch. 2: The Bible and Communication Theory
In this section of the series, I explore the problems with the “paradigm of idea-priority” - I ask what faith really entails, and what place “works” have in the Christian faith. And I frame this within the question of what Mysticism is.
Judaism and the Mystical Christ, Ch. 3: What is Christian Mysticism?
In this post I explore the following: what exactly is fundamentalism? How is mysticism different? What does this have to do with Judaism? And why should we care about Judaism?
Judaism and the Mystical Christ, Ch. 4: Mysticism, Fundamentalism, and Judaism
In this post, I explore Jewish interpretive method:
Judaism and the Mystical Christ, Ch. 5: Pardes, the Garden of Jewish Biblical Interpretation
In this post, I begin to explore the symbolic meaning within the Genesis Creation stories:
In this post, I continue my meditation on the Genesis creation stories by focusing on the nature of God that is revealed within:
Next post is up - here I meditate on the meaning of the Biblical phrase: the image of God. Who is made in God’s image, and what does that mean? What does it mean to be made in the image of God?
In this post, I explore some of the connections between a mystical view of Christianity and modern science - especially in the area of Quantum Physics.
fatherlearningtolove.blogspot.com/2015/06/judaism-and-mystical-christ-ch-9-let.html
I went ahead and published the last two sections of “Book I” of my series: Judaism and the Mystical Christ, for anyone who is following along.
Judaism and the Mystical Christ, Ch. 10: The Tree of Life
Judaism and the Mystical Christ, Ch. 11: Concluding Thoughts for “Book I”
By the way, I’d love to hear feedback…
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I think you may be on the right wave-length, there, Eaglesway. I’d love to hear your thoughts as you read other posts, if you do. 
I will gladly do that, and I intend to read them all 
)…but I would like to know if kabbala is the baseline of your presentation, and what place Jesus has - as the unique Son, in your paradigm. If you prefer to discuss that here or in PM or e-mail, I would like to hear what you have to say. 
Of course that may become apparent to me as I continue to read, but I fgured I would just ask, and engage as I read your pages.
I enjoyed Paradigm Shift. Having started at the end (chpters 9, 10, 11) and now starting from the beginning. I will just share my thoughts as I read further chapters.
The corruption of words in Christianity and the fear of questions and looking outside the locally approved paradigm is definitely the antithesis of true spirituality.
Christians words have been corrupted and then made into “hot buttons” which either shut down conversation and exploration, or enflame negative reactions and threats of damnation, exclusion, etc. This is common in science and religion. Inherent power structure maintenance procedures.
Any discussion can be approprate for someone with nothing to fear, considering however that such a person will have foundations from former paradigms as well, some of which are still valid and part of the new paradigm shift. I am only using those words in keeping with the terminology of the writing.
I see it as simply, “the renewing of the mind”
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
I like the idea that when looking at a tree, fully developed, bearing fruit in season- there is nothing of it that was not fully there in the seed, in the shoot, in the sapling-
At any given point in time it may not look like the same thing, especially if viewed out of context- like your photo analogy of the background versus the context- but everything is there in the seed.
In our case, the seed being Jesus Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God- we may think something is of the seed that is not.This can restrict or mutate growth. Or we may be unwilling to have the chaff broken in order to experience growth at the cost of a form we are comforatble in- but even so all that is needed is in the seed- all the requisite raw material is there.
So when Peter says, “You were begotten from above unto a fervent love of the brethren by the incorruptible seed of the word(logos) of God”- then the seed within us is Jesus, “The radiance of the Father’s glory and exact representation of His nature”. The true self, the light that lights every person who comes into the world. Thats why I also like the concept of “remembering the divine nature”.
If the seed is allowed to reach maturity, we will have been conformed to the image of Christ the image of God, an emanation of YHWH…but to the seed the full grown tree may look like a space alien or a giant monster so we defer to the comforters who tells us, “There is no need to go under the earth, or to the threshing floor, you may remain a seed forever- and WE PREFER IT THAT WAY”.
But when we look at the Son of God in all His awesome wonder, expressed in such simple splendor of human frailty and humility- we ought to recognize that there is going to have to be something major transpire in us if we are to become anything like He was in the earth- which is what the earth needs and why we are enlisted in priestly service, unless just knowing something as become enough for us(shame, shame 
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“Until we all attain to the unity of the faith, unto a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Then we will no longer be as children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but speaking the truth in love, the body will be edified through the proper working of each individual part”(something like that in Eph 4)
But first- Eph 3 "strengthened with might by His Spirit in your inner man, that being rooted and grounded in love you might know whith all saints what is the height and breadth and depth of the love of Christ and be filled up to all the fulness of God.
and before that eph 1 “That He would give you a spirit of wisom and revelation in the knowledge of God, that you may kno what is the hope of your calling, the riches of His inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe”
Whole lotta paradigms gotta fall before we get anywhere near there. Whole lotta principality and power gotta, “Let my people go”!
The hope of our calling is that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus the Son (for all who He foreknew He predestined to be conformed to the image of the son of God.)
The riches of His inheritance in the saints is that all of what Jesus is, is in us, in the incorruptible seed- Christ in you the hope of glory.
The surpassing power towards us who believed is that Spirit within us by which, if we are willing, the seed can become the tree, fully formed in the image of Christ, bearing fruit in season.
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You have some great thoughts in those comments - thank you.
To this:
I am first and foremost a Christian. I cannot get away from this - even if I were to decide to turn my back on Christianity (I tried that once - agnosticism just didn’t work out for me), wherever I went from there, I think it would be obvious to people that I was interpreting their religion through a Christian lens.
As someone who believes that God loves all, intends to save all, can save all, and…and…believes that the Holy Spirit’s communication is not limited to “Christians” (as if God were limited and could not communicate through, say, a Buddhist), I feel that it is helpful to cross borders and to get a look at myself through Kabbalah. I think that Judaism is particularly a good lens look at Christianity through, since Christianity ought to be seen as a Jewish reform movement (Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, etc. were not Christians - they were Jews, and they considered Jesus to be the fulfillment of Jewish values, not someone who had established a new religion).
As to Jesus being the “unique Son” - Jesus is certainly unique. But I think we need to be very careful about how we talk about Jesus. The Evangelical paradigm has far to casually placed a flat equal sign between Jesus and God. But the Bible never equates Jesus with God - rather, it presents Jesus as revelation. Colossians 1:15 says that “[t]he Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” John 6:46 says “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.” And perhaps most fascinating of all, Hebrews 1:3 says “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Note how “flat equal sign” does not work well with these verses - the Hebrews one in particular.
I am not one who believes in the flat = sign. But I do believe God has spoken to us in His son, pre-eminently. While the terminology of kaballah is from early Judaism and the language of the prophets, the schools of the prophets and generations of rabbi’s midrash, and provides some wonderful insights into the processes of truth…“Let there be light”, “Light out of darkness” etc, the conclusions are varied and so they can lead to confusion or delusion even as the scriptures can for be formless and void for those who do not have the Spirit…the veil remains. The veil is taken away in Christ, so the place where all of these early influences diverge from recognizing the pre-eminence of Jesus, not as the flat equal but as the “radiance of the Father’s glory and the exact representation of His nature”, is the place where they begin to slide into deception.
While God can speak through a Buddhist, He is not speaking through Buddhism, per say- because the conclusions reached, even where the processes have truth in them, are not enlightened to the revelation of Jesus Christ. I do agree tho that the revelation of Jesus transcends the religion and biblical miscommunication about “Christianity” that is so rampant today.
I believe the discernment of God towards man, that which divides soul and spirit, bone and marrow, begins with this…
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
and ends with this…
For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
So that individual judgment is by standards to deep for us to comprehend, quantify and codify the way we love to… but the true revelation of Jesus as the “radiance of the father’s glory and the exact representation of His nature” is the light that shines out of darkness to remove all the veils until the “light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” is the only naked truth that remains, all the mists of philosophy, religion, vaporised by the face shining like the sun in its strength- which is knowing Him, which is the universal destiny.
Of course as you have thoroughly and I think correctly pointed out, the current paradigm of Western evangelicalism hasnt entered that, having forsaken most of the mystic reality of Christ in the spirit for a sort of stone tablet 2 dimensional rendering(my opnion). But i think Jesus and Peter and Paul brought much more than a reform movement. They brought a new creation that swallowed up the old and buried it in the one new man, “Behold I am making all things new”.
Of course we take that to mean , “Behold He is making everything like we want to see it” LOLOL, but nevertheless, the roots of the new creation are SO Hebrew because the identity(I AM) of the Messiah transcends all of the former voices, absorbs and fulfills them and reposts them invigorated in a paradigm as new and different as a giant oak tree looks to the acorn that fell to the ground or the three year old sapling that wavered in the wind, so that identity is more in the spirit of the seeking and the direction, as you put it, of the scatter plot of history- seen as a trajectory that begins with subjecting the creation to futility and ends with God becoming all in all, after every veil has been vaporized, and every adversary won by love through the revlation of Christ crucified(Savior) and Christ raised(Lord) and Christ ascended(Messiah).
As do I.
Suggestion: read Jesus and Buddha: The Parallel Sayings. And then, if you enjoy that and want more, check out Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings. It’s really quite amazing - there are these sayings within Christian and Buddhist literature that parallel each other so closely as to almost be a quote. For the longest time, I thought that the theory that Buddhism had influenced Jesus had absolutely no basis in fact, but later on, when I recognized just how closely some of these sayings parallel each other, I wasn’t so sure. And then I read about Buddhist missionary efforts, long before Jesus, and how certain areas of the Roman empire where Christianity seems to have bloomed in the early years were areas where many religious philosophies were present - possibly even Buddhism. So I would have to disagree with you - I think God did speak through Buddhism.