Oahspe Study and Faithism
WHAT'S IN A NAME
In Oahspe it is said that all
knowledge and science are just far-off stepping stones to Jehovih, the All
Person, Everpresent Creator of worlds without end.
For some, the name Jehovih has a certain vibration to it that brings one into
the Holy Living Presence of He Who is ALL LIGHT, ALL PURE, ALL LOVE. We are
told the name of the Person Who encompasses all and is beyond all, is Jehovih.
Even so, some may need to find and use other terms or names to help those they are communicating with to most easily or readily catch a notion of what is being spoken of. Presumably they wish to use words and concepts that are acceptable to their audience in order to facilitate communication and understanding. It makes sense that when among the world's people, one would try to avoid using terminology that would either mean nothing to them or upset them.
Such bridge building is neither objectionable nor something to be censured. However, one would be wise to examine whether one's interactions with others who either reject or cannot understand the higher reality, is leading to compromise or even betrayal of one's own knowledge and inner sentiments.
Oahspe Book of Judgment; 32/3.6 - 13.
First, I charge you that whoever says: GOD, GOD! calls in vain.
I [God] have not come to establish, but to abolish all Gods, Lords and Saviors among mortals. For what is past, is past.
But from this time forward, whoever hears my word and the decree of my commandment, and continues to make an idol of any name, except the Great Spirit, blasphemes against his Creator.
But whoever cries out in fullness of heart, saying: GOD, GOD! meaning by that, the Ever Present, the Creator, is not a blasphemer before me.
And whoever says ORMAZD, ORMAZD! meaning the Ever Present, the Creator, is not a blasphemer before me.
And whoever calls any name in any language that signifies the Ever Present, the Creator, is not a blasphemer before me.
But whoever says: Brahma, Brahma [or Buddah, or Christ, or any man or angel]! signifying a God in the figure and shape of a man, sitting on a throne in heaven, is a blasphemer against Jehovih, the Ever Present, the Creator.
The Origin of Names
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In Oahspe we find that the Creator's name was given to man at the beginning, even as he was learning to speak and understand concepts beyond the concrete. Thus man learned of the Great Spirit as the Great Unseen, and was given His name as the sounds of the wind --- E O I. Yet few mortals could understand, and so there was a long period in which man was provided stepping stones to learn and grow until mature enough to comprehend the concept of the Creator as He truly is. (See Oahspe, Book of Jehovih, Chapter 1).
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There have been those who are wondering how the name Jehovih came about, or more specifically, the use of that name in relationship to the Jewish community and history. As well as asking what advantage is there to one name over another - are all names not equal?
The
vibrations that accompany any name or expression, make it unique. These
vibrations are of two sorts, those inherent in the expression, and those
created by the sentiments of the ones who use the expression.
This latter condition is not unlike the creation of a talisman. Yet underneath
that, receiving all those sentiments, hopes and expectations, and, as well,
emanating uniqueness, are the soul elements connected to the name or term. It
is these latter which distinguish the name Jehovih
from all other names and terms, including variations of His name; E-O-Ih being more interior still. And of the
variations of Eloih, Elohim, and Eolin,
each renders slightly different, although core, vibrations. And these can be
found or seen stationed within the Faithist Lodge (Saphah's M'hak degree,
v.112).
How to explain His unique vibration? This cannot be explained other than to
say, it needs to be experienced. Shall we say, Jehovih is He Who leads from
darkness into light, and that is why He is stationed in the east in the Lodge?
Or shall we say, He is the Person of enlightenment; He bestows enlightenment?
To say, 'As a father is to a
child, so is Jehovih to man. He is our heavenly Father and we are His
children.' can such a statement be understood without experience? How do we
gain such experience? The answer is easy, we turn to Him Who is ALL LOVE, ALL
WISDOM, ALL POWER. And using the name Jehovih,
which is His professed name, opens that door.
Some may say: 'I experience Him; I call Him God; or, I call Him the All
Expanse; or I call Him "it", or whatever else my mind conceives of as
the All Highest. Is this not good?' One response is: 'Yes, it is good.' And
that person hears it. And then, in a light that comes of the soul, there comes
another: 'But you stand at the outer walls of My edifice (Temple). My beloved,
I await your entry.' But this latter goes unheard by those who lack the KEY;
yet within their souls, the seed of His Voice takes root, and they, in their
own time and way, come to Him Who is Everpresent and Ever Praiseworthy.
And what is that Key? Oahspe gives forth many keys; but the key to the highest
resurrections is Jehovih the I Am. Now
this may seem to some to be merely opinion, but, in fact, it is the very last
statement of God, his summation, in his Judgment of humanity: "Into your hands, O man,
I give the key to the heavenly kingdoms. Remember, the password which admits
you to the all highest kingdoms is, JEHOVIH, THE I AM." (Book of Judgment 32/39.24.) But this
password is not merely a password but requires faith along with virtue, selflessness
and high aspirations to activate it.
[For] I
give to all people one principle only, which is to serve Jehovih. This is broad
enough for the redemption and resurrection of all men. And I will have none
other. [Therefore,] Seek, O man, to believe in the All Person, Who is Ever
Present, Whose eye is upon you, Whose ear hears you; for He is the All One, Who
is the password to the highest of heavens (Book of Judgment; 32/3.42-43).
That being said, what then of
other names that signify Him? As stated, they are not valueless. Let us look
then at some of those words. Yod-He-Vau-He,
i.e., YHVH, which is also called the Tetragrammaton (meaning 'the four letters'),
is a word used by the ancient Hebrews to refer to "God", sometimes
translated as JHVH or Jehovah.
Now Oahspe states that the name Jehovih
was given to Abram (Cpenta-armij 5.9) for the Faithists (called Iz-Zerlites) .
As the word was supposed to be kept secret and sacred, presumably at some point
in time it was not spoken aloud. And we are also told that a sacred name (high
password) was E-O-Ih.
Since, after the time of Moses, the Oralite Faithists, who were followers of
the prophets, would not say the password out loud in normal conversation, and
because Jehovih worship was outlawed, and also since the password (E-O-Ih) was contained within the name Jehovih, my guess is that the Tetragrammaton was used by them to indicate
the name of the Creator. Moreover, the first letter Yod
in ancient times meant Iod or God (Good of Saphah, Biene v22), and thus, to
the idolater, even if he understood that the four letters referred to the Great
Spirit, yet the Yod of the Tetragrammaton may have signified to them, God or Lord;
and so, it might have sufficed to buffer the idolater from further
scrutinizing.
For recall that Baal took over the apostate Israelites, teaching them to
worship the names Lord and God; and they were taught to consider the
Great Spirit as only a large man in heaven (Eskra; 28/17.6). And teaching of
Jehovih became outlawed. Then another false God, Looeamong, took over these
apostate Jews, and he also took the names Lord
and God; and he caused the Ezra Bible
to be made (Eskra; 28/41.26-32) in order to have the Israelites fight for him.
At the time of the Christian Bible circa 325 c.e., there were Jews who would
not accept the Christian doctrines; and presumably thus began (or perhaps
increased) a separation from the influence of Looeamong over the Jews. In any
event, with
Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon, late 1100s, the influential great Jewish philosopher
and codifier of the Talmud), we see that the idea of God as a figure in the
form of a man sitting on a throne in heaven was effectively gone. Instead,
Maimonides presented a new framework based partly on Neo-Platonism, and partly
upon his reconciling of Aristotelian philosophy with Jewish thought; and a
wider conception of 'God', as the Ineffable One (beyond description or
utterance), became fixed in Jewish theology.
The Vibration of Names
As things are today, according to some sources, the Jewish people, now simply
refer to the Creator as Ha-Shem,
meaning "the Name". Let us
look at its underlying vibration.
We are told in Oahspe that letters and words are symbols. As well, sounds,
letters and words are signs or signals of that which is of the spirit, spirit
being that which expresses them. This is of the talisman type of vibration; but
also recall there is soul vibration present as well, both discussed earlier.
With that in mind, let us look at the name or word Ha-Shem.
'Ha' could mean either of two things:
spirit brought down to earth; or, spirit everywhere. 'Shem' meant the Light
of the Lord; or rather, that which
comes from Jehovih's Lords in heaven to the souls of men. For that
reason, the land of India was originally called Shem,
because it had the Light of the Lord with them, or said another way, the people
of that land were responsive to the Light of the Lord, adhered to the Light of
the Lord.
Now, Abraham's forebears came from Shem. In essence, he brought the Light of
the Lord (the Light of Shem) to Arabin'ya. Accordingly, we can see a past
vibratory connection of the Jewish people to the term Shem.
Thus, Ha-Shem, interpreted, would be:
the LIGHT OF HOLINESS manifesting on earth.
Thus the Jewish people, in using the sounds Ha-Shem,
as interpreted here, would not only be connecting to the light of the living
present, but be connecting to their past as well. And so, we can see the
marvellous fit of the words Ha-Shem
to the Jewish people.
For comparison, as to the name Jehovih
and its vibration, here are its letters, symbols and sounds, rendered into
words:
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J = Anchored in the incomprehensible depth; so deep within as to be unfathomable by man; yet higher than, and beyond, the farthest reach; and still, at the same time, available in the midst of all, and from outside of all. E = Going forth; the horizontal. H = Spiritual balance; the
going forth balance point; tells you how far to go; horizontal limits; O = Center and Circumference
of All. The ultimate fulcrum point; as well as that which is V = Resurrection; the plan
of salvation; the combined action of d'gani and s'pe'su (Saphah's
I = The Vertical. The
Heights, even to the All Highest; also the result of d'gani and s'pe'su. But H = Spiritual Balance; the
vertical or upward balance point; tells you how far up to go (or to |
Of course, this interpretation of Jehovih is not meant to be the ultimate explanation, but merely a demonstration of possibilities beyond corporea.
His Personal and Impersonal Aspects
In sum, Jehovih is the All Person. As such, He is both a Personal Presence; and through His system and order, an Impersonal Presence (cannot be turned aside from His course). Instead of impersonal, perhaps a better word is 'disinterested' (not influenced by self-considerations of those affected). It is this impersonal aspect that, for a season, makes some think the Creator is not a Person, or Personable.
|| To provide the earth with
life, or to hold it in its place; to build the place of the higher or lower
heavens; to provide corpor or to provide es; these things are by the Ever
PERSONAL PRESENCE, the Creator, and shaped and moulded by His hand through the
Chiefs of the higher heavens (Book of Divinity; 22/6.8). (Our caps for
emphasis.)
Do not quibble over names, said I'hua'Mazda. Nor over places, nor words. All
places are my places; all words, my words; all names, my names. All truth is my
speech. All fact is my voice. By my commandments all the nations of the earth
shall be made to know me and my works (Book of God's Word; 21/1.2). ||
[Tae said:]Why, O God, do you give the matters of heaven and earth in signs and
symbols? Give me the real light, I want no figures. Kosmon said: You are vain,
O man. What, then, have you learned? ... You know three times three are nine;
yet even this you cannot prove except by symbols and images (God's Book of Ben;
36/2.22-23).
Emblems, signs and symbols were the letters of man's alphabet to lead him
upward in wisdom (God's Book of Ben; 36/1.9).
All teaching shall be to make man comprehend the Almighty's dominion upon man.
Symbols and images that do this, are true lights, though false in fact (God's
Book of Ben; 36/5.12-13).
[Seffas:] Be considerate and wise in the Father's sight. You are prone to
overlook all things; you berate idols and graven images, without weighing your
speech. What more are the letters of a written word than graven images? Does
all the wisdom in books not hang on these? Nor can you prove a single problem
in mathematics without graven images, idols and symbols.
How can you convince a man who never saw a hat, that such a thing exists,
except by using a sign, image, symbol, an idol of one, or by one itself? And,
if you have none to show him, then you will have to make something of some
corporeal thing, in order to convey to his mind that which is in your mind.
How, then, could the angels of Jehovih teach man of Jehovih, [in the first
place] except by idols and graven images? Weigh the matter, and you shall
perceive that knowledge is conveyed from man to man by idols and images. Even
the sound of a spoken word, is an idol of an idea; and the idea is carried
within that which is not the real thing itself, but merely wind.
Your corporeal senses can only be reached by corporeal things. Spiritual
things, of which ideas are a part, can be conveyed by es force, and without
idols and images (including spoken words). Understand my words, and you shall
find the way to your Father's kingdom. (Book of Knowledge; 37/2.44-50.
Definition and Extent of Person
There are many deep and profound questions regarding the Person of the Creator. While we ponder upon the matter and share thoughts, we still point everyone to Jehovih Himself:
Ask Jehovih these deep questions. Ask Jehovih to reveal to you His Person so that you can understand.
All understanding comes from His Light, seek to understand things through your soul and things will become clear. And this is said in Love, because it is truly Jehovih who answers our questions.
Words can be misinterpreted and reinterpreted --- Seek for the spirit of what is being said. Many questions are unanswerable by any other than one's own interior journey, because like Asha when I'hua Mazda showed him spirits of the dead, even when he saw with his own eyes and heard with his own ears, he found a way to question and remain unsatisfied, and that was because of his condition, not because I'huan Mazda had not shown him what he had asked proof of. Asha was not deliberately obstinate, but could not help the way he was. When he realized his limitations, he saw that he needed to be delivered from his condition.
Question: If when the corporeal body dies it is no longer a part of the person, does it mean that it never was a part of the person? If that is the case, is the corporeal world really a part of the Creator?
So there are those who believe that the seen is not part of the Person of the Creator, since in man, the essence --- the unseen, intangible part or the soul remains while the mortal body dies and disintegrates.
But, while the person is alive in a corporeal body, the corporeal body IS a part of their person. And just because it no longer exists in the physical after death, why does it then mean that it never was a part of the person?
The person still has a body, a spirit body approximating the one that was manifest in corpor. And the potential for a physical body remains, as is manifest to a degree in sarg'iss and in the materialization of the Ethereans in the latter days of se'mu in Sethantes' cycle.
Yes, all that is part of their Person, even possessions which will bound one in the next world, because they are a part of the Person. Even the friends one makes and the enemies (hopefully none), they are a part of the Person (that is why Jehovih tells us to give all away, to not possess corporeal things because they become part of our Person). Each individual, with all of their attributes and attachments, i.e., body, personality, mind, education, possessions, emotions, spirit and soul, is a Person. And each individual is a part of the Person of their family: mother, father, siblings and their families. And we are also part of the Person of the greater extended family, and so on --- Get the drift?
But that is not all, we are also an individual in a community which is our local neighborhood, which is an individual neighborhood in the region of the state, which is an individual state (of individuals) within this country which is an individual country and so on. Here is also showing where individual (the undivided part) is also pertaining to Person. But Oahspe put the two in a group of four in a way that there is a difference. i.e. I am Life Motion Individual and Person.
Even God's of millions of years experience, still have a body with arms, legs, eyes, etc. All persons have a body whether it is made of etherean material, atmospherean material or corporeal material. The consciousness inhabits that body. The soul is the pure part the most interior part, yet even when one inhabits the soul as the outermost, objective body, there is even more interior still and Jehovih is there. Thus we can say that soul can mean the most interior part, as we say the spirit is the interior part of the person with the physical body.
One could argue along the same lines regarding a woman about to commit an abortion. Since she has been conditioned to think the fetus to be as any other part of her body (instead of an individual in his or her own right), and therefore under her control and will do whatever she wishes to do with him/her. Man's uzian law permits her to take the life of the fetus by removing him/her from her womb. Yet, society will not allow her to take her own life. No doubt, there are many arguments that cover why one is okay while the other isn't. Those who justify abortion also hinge their arguments on whether the fetus is a person in his/her own right or not. Seeing that the unborn child doesn't have his/her own physical body independent of his/her mother, s/he is not considered a person by those who do not look with their soul.
That is just an example to show how an argument using the existence of a physical body to prove something, can be turned to prove a false belief, i.e., No body --- No Person.
All Oahspe references are from the modern language edition: Oahspe Standard Edition 2007
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