And the Truth. . .

. . . "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free" . . . "Truly, truly I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house forever; the son continues forever." John 8:31-32, 34-35

The choice is to know the truth and be free, or to sin and be a slave. It may seem obvious, but what is so good about truth and freedom, and why do we seek it, and what is so bad about sinning and slavery, and why should we avoid it? 

What is the good feels good, right, perhaps soothing? What is bad feels bad, uncomfortable, and/or perhaps . . . prickly. . .

  'Devil's Tongue', Prickly Pear(Opuntia humifusa)

Soothe is from Old English soðian (sothian)"show to be true", from, soð (soth) "true, genuine, real; just, righteous". In this respect, hearing the truth should be comforting, and hearing lies should sting. However, sometimes hearing the truth feels bad in the moment, and hearing lies can feel good as well, but lies are cold comfort, and change (from a state of imperfection to perfection) is what brings about true peace.    

Prickle is from Old English pricel "thing to prick with, goad, point". When things are prickly we tend to stay away from them. But we have to recognize them as being prickly fist. This probably only happens after some experience with being hurt or made to be uncomfortable by something prickly. I like to say that word, "prickly", its fun. Getting a hand full of cactus spines. . . not fun.

  The Torment of St. Anthony, Michaeangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni,c. 1487-1564

Stimulation (n.) is the "act of pricking or stirring to action", from Latin stimulationum (nominative stimulate) "an incitement". When we feel the sting of sin we are stimulated to avoid that sin. But sometimes its hard to stay away from sin, even so, and we pay over and over, choosing momentary pleasure and instant gratification, and we pay the price later. Perhaps we even fool ourselves saying things to ourselves like, "I won't get so stuffed that I feel sick and disgusted with myself after (insert holiday) dinner (or otherwise), or I'm not going to get so drunk that I feel deathly ill and have a massive hangover after my good friend's (or not so good friend's) wedding. . . this time. In any case, we may want to avoid the discomfort caused by the excess, but then cross the line accidentally. Nevertheless, can't this, then, cause one to try to do better the next time and to grow in maturity? 

And what is sin? Is it a particular act, or only an act which causes regret or suffering?

One word for sin in Hebrew is chataah "sin, sin offering".

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin (chataah) is covered. . . When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. Psalm 32:1, 3

Another word for sin is shagag " to go astray, commit sin or error". So to sin in this sense is to err.

Before I was afflicted I went astray (shagag, "I sinned"), but now I obey your word. Psalm 119:67

Sin is the cause of discomfort. When actions do not cause discomfort, are they, then, sin? It seems that it is the consequence of the sin itself that produces discomfort. However, discomfort isn't always a bad thing if it stimulates one toward the good and truth. So how should we view sin? Should we be so ashamed of having sinned that we do not act because we fear sinning and, thus, we fail to learn and truly become free from sin? In the story of the prodigal son, the prodigal son goes astray and his discomfort causes him to return to his father. 

How many of my fathers hired servants have enough bread and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! Luke 15:17

In addition, ones discomfort is not always a sign of his or her own sin, for we say that Jesus was without sin, yet he suffered greatly. So it is possible to suffer the sin of the world, rather than ones own personal sin. But then, how does a person know if their discomfort is caused by their own sin? And, furthermore, can we judge another in this respect? No. It seems to come down to personal conscience. 

For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law are a law unto themselves. In that they show the work of the Law is written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. Romans 2:14-16

    Jesus Cleansing the Leper - Jean-Marie Melchior Doze, 1864

And not everyone seems to learn from his or her own sin. They may feel bad, i.e., the consequence, but also feel helpless to change. They simply cannot ever seem to win a victory over their unhealthy desires which rule their lives. In this case, they are slaves to sin. Some blame the Devil. The Devil made them do it, or perhaps Satan. . . Could it be?

Satan is from Hebew satan "adversary, one who plots against another".
If only there was a way to free oneself from the clutch of this adversary; this supernatural plotter of evil and ruin.

For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do- this I keep on doing Romans. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with we. Romans 7:18-21

    Satan- The Adversary

But it is the truth that makes us free from sin. So, the truth is a cure for sin. If one has the truth he or she is not a slave to sin. Wouldn't it follow that if you are or identify as a sinner, then, you do not have the whole truth? Or, at least, you have not really heard it to the point of intimate understanding. 

In them is fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah: "You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. Mt. 13:14

Maat was the ancient Egyptian concept of truth. She set order out of chaos at the moment of creation. And at death the heart of the deceased was weighed against the lightness of the feather of Maat. Those whose hearts were found to be heavier than the feather of Maat were devoured by the waiting lion / hippopotamus / crocodile demon, Ammit, meaning "devourer", "soul eater"; the "Devourer of the Dead", and "Eater of Hearts", and had to remain in the underworld apart from paradise, the Aaru, i.e., "reed" fields.

[and isn't it interesting that emet, which sounds like Ammit, means "truth" in Hebrew? So is it the truth with is ultimately the devourer of the heart?]

    Maat Wearing Feather of Truth

It would seem that living in the truth should create a certain lightness of being. True is ultimately said to be from root *deru- / *drew- "be firm, solid, steadfast", like a tree. Tree is from PIE root *drew-o-, from deru- "oak". Feathers are not strong and trees are not light. How, then, is the truth solid yet light?

Jesus was no Goliath, some argue that he was, in fact, small in stature, however, Jesus claimed to be THE truth (John 14:6). God often works in this way; showing that his chosen, whom are the greatest, appear to be the least, or the most humble.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his hight, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

So, the strength of the heart is not necessarily shown through outward appearance, or the flesh, not unlike the feather of Maat. The strength of truth has to do with the durability of the heart. The heart of truth is light in weight, but strong, and, maybe, also it is light, as in bright, like the light of dawn. Truth is light like the birds which fly high in the heavens with their lightness (feathers), but the truth is also very strong, like the strength of the strongest tree, in spirit; durable (deru-ble), as the mighty oak. 

And feeling discomfort is not necessarily a sign of weakness, the people of the highest purity are going to be the ones who are most sensitive to discomfort of sin. They are more finely tuned and honed into the vibration of the truth.

    The Princess and The Pea, by Chetkova

Therefore, shouldn't we, who have the truth, take confidence in the truth, having lightness of heart, and let our light shine out of the darkness like we know what we're doing, and know who we are? Own it! Show the strength of your truth, or you prove you are nothing more than a slave and the truth is not in you. . . you are still a slave. . . though Christ has already ransomed you.

For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.  Romans 6:6

Maybe you'll look a little awkward at times until you get really good at it. That's OK.

I don't mind if you don't mind, 'cuz I don't shine if you don't shine.

As it Was in the Beginning

Sicut erat in principio.

How was it in the begining?

I know how I was in my beginning . . . naked.

Nudus Eram.

Eram in Latin is the first person imperfect singular form of the verb "to be," meaning "I was." Arom (aw-romé) in Hebrew means "naked". As in, 

And the man [ha adam] and his issah [woman, female, wife] were both naked [arom] and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25 ESV

Erom (ay-romé) is "naked, nakedness".

And he [Adam] said, "I heard your voice and I was afraid, because I was naked [erom]; and I hid [chaba] myself." Genesis 3:10

Arum (aw-room') or arom (aw-ram'), can also have the meaning of "crafty, shrewd, sensible, prudent, subtle". 

Now the serpent was more crafty [arum] than any other wild creature that the LORD God [YHWH Elohim] had made. Genesis 3:1

Arom, meaning "naked" is said to be from the root ur, " to be exposed, bare." And what is bare, might also be "smooth." A serpent is smooth, but the serpent in the garden was a smooth operator. That crafty devil!

   A Smooth Snake(common name), Coronella Austriaca

Maybe also "bare" and "smooth" as in, being without hair. Reptiles do not have hair and are smooth, the adam (man) is also naked (arom) and smooth compared to the other mammals. 

But what does bareness have to with craftiness? Maybe when something is bare, it is vulnerable and needs to be crafty in order to survive. So, the vulnerable condition, i.e., being naked (arom), is a cause of one becoming aromc (crafty). It is a compensation for the lack of covering.  Just as Esau was hairy, and was a good hunter, so his father, Issac, loved him, but Jacobc (Ya'aqab "holder of the heel") was smoothc (chalaq), and the chosen "portion"(chalaq) of the LORD, so he had to be crafty. Jacob listened to the voice of his mother, and deceived his father to receive his bother's blessing, thus earning the meaning of his name for the second time, "supplanter, a heel holder." Real smooth Jacob!

    Issac and Jacob, by Ribera 'The Little Spaniard', Mardid, Museo National del Prado 1700 A.D.

So, not only was Jacob smooth, like the snake, he also "grabbed at the heel" of his brother with the intention of supplanting him which we could say was a wounding or "bruising" of his (Esau's) heel.  Very snake-y. And in the end, Jacob came "crawling" back to Esau in fear of his life and sought out Esau's mercy for him and his family Genesis 32-33.

In the garden the whispering one, i.e., nachash, the serpent, was smooth and crafty to get the woman to eat the fruit. Part of his punishment was to be cursed to go on his belly, and eat dust, all the days of his life. In other words, he was cursed to be a creeping clawing thing, or a snake/serpent/reptile. Snake is from Old English snaka with the meaning of "creeping thing." From the PIE root *sneg- "to crawl, creeping thing". Also "serpent" in Latin serpens is "snake, creeping thing" from *serp- "to crawl or creep". Latin serpere "to creep". And reptile, in Latin is reptile / reptilis "creeping crawling", from *repere - "to crawl".

It's funny, then, that the word for nude and naked is connected to the word snake. In Old English naeddra is "snake, serpent, viper". Naga is "cobra, snake" in Sanskrit, like our English word "snake"; (s)+naga. In Old English nacod is "nude, bare, empty" from the root nogw- "naked", Sanskrit nagna, Latin nudus "naked, bare, unclothed, stripped", Slavanic nagu-. So, the crawling one(sneg) is also the naked one (nagw). The snake is nakie, or (s)naked. Or we could say the snake was nakal (Hebrew for "crafty, deceitful, knavish"). In the Garden of Eden, the snake was arom, a smooth talker. Adam and Eve were also arom, but they were bare naked. The naga (snake) in the garden was crafty and Adam and Eve were nagna (naked). 

It doesn't seem unlikely that the word for "desire", or "erotic love" would have a connection with this word, ur "bare" as well. (Ur-otic) Erotic love seeks nakedness.

Eromai έρωμαι in Greek is "to love, desire" and eros έρος (pl. erotes),"(sensuous) love", from  eran "to love," erastai "to love, desire," of uncertain origin according to OE.

    Psyche's Doubt, by Patricia Westwood 2004 (Eros and Psyche)

It is curious that the Hebrew word for "(sensuous) love" is agab, and in Greek agape is "sacrificial/spiritual love, goodwill, preference". 

Then again, hugs and kisses can be either a sign of eros, or agape, and sometimes they are a sign of both at the same time.

XOXO

    Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, by Antonio Canova 1787-1793

How was it in the beginning?

It seems that things were quite bare.

The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2

So what revealed the "nakedness" of what was in the darkness? A baby, i.e., the light, was born from the movement of the Spirit over the waters. God said, "Yehi owr! (Let there be light), and there was light. Which could also very well have the meaning of, "Break the Dawn!" if you look at the word meanings. And we all know that the light of dawn is a special light that comes after darkness, it is a completion of a cycle, a wholeness, as in "and there was light. . . and there was evening and there was morning, one day."(Gen 1:3-5) And isn't that wholeness like a word?  A word is not an incomplete sound, nor a never-ending sound, it is something whole, like a day. 

"In the begining was the Word and the word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

"Word" here is translated from the Greek Logos.

                               

So, if God is the Word, the Word is both eternal and self created, and in the beginning it was already whole, perfect, harmonious, and balanced in and of itself.

As it was in the beginning.

The was or uas scepter or staff in ancient Egypt had the meaning "power, dominion" and was also associated with wealth and happiness, 


    Thoth with Was Staff

Maybe it is the happiness that comes from security, and things being kept in order and at peace. The ones who are ruled by the righteous ruler dwell in security and abundance. 

The was-scepter had something like the head of the "set animal" on top. Set was the god of chaos, so the staff may have represented the power of the one holding it over the forces of chaos, either having control over chaos, or working with chaos to bring good out of it, like the morning which only comes after, or because of the night.

Perhaps the was-scepter was derived from something like a fishing spear and the protection such a spear would represent in warding off the forces of darkness and chaos, i.e., Apep (Apophis Gk.), the great serpent whom Ra encounters on his daily journey into the underworld, into the west at sunSet. Set is shown at the prow of the bark of Ra fending off the great serpent. One can live in fear of the enormity and power of the waters, or one can take control (not by conquering, but working with, respecting and understanding) and gain what the waters have to offer, such as fish (IXTHYS), without getting pulled in and sucked down, or torn to pieces by the monsters that dwell within.

     Set Subdues Apep(with staff) on the prow of the Bark of Ra(siting/ holding a was staff)

Behold I am sending for many fishers, says the Lord, and they shall catch them . . . Jeremiah 16:16

A crowbar is also reminiscent of a was-scepter.

    Crowbar, Wrecking Bar, Pry Bar, Prise Bar, Jimmy, Jemmy, Gooseneck, (called Crows, Iron Crows 1400 A.D.)

A crow bar as a "Jimmy"(which is a nickname for James "supplanter, usurper, one who wrongfully or illegally seizes and forcefully holds the place of another") is most often used when the crowbar is used as a break in tool of a robber.

It is interesting that crowbars are named after their animal looking shape, and was-scepters were made with a hooked animal looking head as well. They also both have two pronged bases.

    Faience Was Scepter

It wouldn't be surprising if crowbars, in some way, were evolved from was-scepters. 

    Carrion Crow, European

The staves of Zeus and Hades are sometimes shown in ancient artwork as being headed by a bird.  

    Hades with Bird-Tipped Staff - Apulian Red Figure, Late Classical/Early Hellenistic c.330-310 B.C.

Hades's staff is famous for being a tool of power, used to drive people into the underworld. The staff of Hades is also often depicted in art tipped with a two pronged fork, however, this may be a more modern interpretation.

    Pluto Holding Bident, Woodcut, Hedrick Goltzius 1588-89

Bird headed scepters are also not uncommonly found throughout the world.  Here is a bird headed scepter from South America called a clava.

    Clava or Scepter of power of a chief- depicting Maccaw parrot, Argentina or Chile Mapuche culture  c. 1500

In Hebrew shebet is "staff, rod, club, scepter, tribe". The shebet was used by shepherds to protect their flocks.  For the sheep it meant protection, for the enemy it was meant to "break, shatter, smash, crush, destroy" shebar (Hebrew) 

and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgement with you, says YHWH Elohim.  I will make you pass under the shebet, and I will let you go by number. I will purge out the rebels from among you . . . Ezekiel 20:35-38

This rod has the power to somehow discriminate between, or separate the good from the evil.

…and he shall strike the earth with the rod [shebet ]of his mouth/word, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. Isaiah 11:4

What is this "power" of the word and breath that is like a rod that smites?  What comes from the mouth and what are words, but sounds?  And sounds are vibrations. Could it be a certain vibration, like that of the Word of God (OM) that will force things into alignment, or to conform to its vibration much in the way that salt or sand is forced into different patterns on a vibrating table when the frequency is changed.

Resonance Experiment

Imagine that we are the salt. Each person on earth is one of the grains, and the vibration is the shabet (rod) of the messiah's word herding us, the sheep, into our place.

When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats . . . Matthew 25:31-33

The shabet, then is not too much different in meaning from Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, meaning "that which smashes"(shebar).

     Mjolnir pendant(drawing) from Viking Age, Oland, Sweeden

And look at the Hebrew word for sabbath, shabbat. Shabbat is a rest, a break. But it's not always seen as being all fun and games, no, it is a rule.  Keep holy the sabbath day! You MUST rest. You MUST take a break. BREAK! Not optional! 

The ankh was said to be "Key of the Nile," and does look similar to keys that we use to open locks or doors, however, the was-scepter was made bifurcated, or with a fork shape at its base, in a similar way to what we call a tuning key or tuning fork. Was-scepters weren't always made out of metal. Often they were made out of wood or faience. However, this does not rule out the possibility that these ceremonial was-scepters, symbols of authority, were originally based off or evolved from such an instrument.

    A Tunning Fork

    High C Tunning Fork

And, there is a strong connection with the meaning of the was-scepter "power and dominion", and the power and dominion of the iron rods of the bible that are said to bring about judgment. In ancient Egypt Waser (User) was the land of the weighing of the heart, the place of judgment where the weighing(was-ing?) of the heart took place upon the scales of Ma'at (truth).

There also seems to be a connection between the was-scepter "power, dominion" and other types of scepters in ancient Egypt. The sekhem/shm-scepter had the meaning "powerful, mighty." Sekhem / sḫm, or s-kh-m, is a transliteration the ancient Egyptian word meaning "power, might." Sekhmet was the lion headed goddess.  Her name meaning "the one who is powerful". The sḫm-scepter "power, might" was related to the ḫrp-scepter "controller" and aba-scepter "commander." All three have the same hieroglyphic symbol.  

       Sekhem Scepter

The shekhem-scepter / sḫm was often associated with Osiris (Wesir, Usir, Usiris) who was called "the Great Sekhem" or "the Foremost of the Powers".


Egyptian Sistrum(percussion instrument)

Sḫm(Sekhem) in ancient Egyptian can also mean the sistrum, from Greek seistron, literally "that which is being shaken." The sekhem was often used in religious processions and rituals (you shake 'em) along with the the sesheshet (a larger type of sistrum / rattle) and harp. Not only can rattles be used to create percussion for music, but they can also be used to ward off, intimidate or frighten by the sound, like the rattling of rattlesnake. 

There are many variations of the actual design and shapes of lyres / harps / kinnors (Hebrew). This kinnor harp has a somewhat sekhem looking shape to it.  And it is interesting that one of the other uses of the sḫm hieroglyph was for the ḫrp-scepter (harp scepter?) "the controller".


              Mini Kinnor Harp

When the string on a harp is struck, it can make a shape that is reminiscent of the shape of the shekhem scepter. 
Sometimes Horus and Set appear together as sḫmwy "two shekhems"(Did they "shimmer" or "shimmy" with the power of the scepter?)

Besides being frightening at times, there seems to be a certain power associated with the sound of instruments like the sistrum and harp which has a soothing, clearing, or, you could even say, "tuning" ability for a person. The sound of music can put people into visionary states and even "change" a person, as we see here with Saul after Samuel anoints him as king of Israel.

…and there, as you come to the city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with psaltry, tambourine, flute and kennor before them prophesying.  Then the spirit of the Lord (ruah YHWH) will come mightily upon you, and you shall prophesy with them and be turned into another man (ish "male," not adam "man"). 1 Samuel 10:5-6

And when someone is not feeling well, especially when the illness is not physical, but perhaps mental, music has the power to put the mind at ease or alleviate the suffering for a time. As in the case of King Saul when David played the kinnor for him. The "Spirit of YHWH" had departed from Saul because he had proven to be weak in his faith and had disobeyed God's orders, then David was anointed king in his place. At times, Saul became extremely troubled by an "adverse spirit" from God and only got relief when David played the harp.  

And whenever the spirit of God(ruah Elohim) was upon Saul, David took the kinnor and played it with his hand; so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the adverse spirit(ra'ah ruah) departed from him. 1 Samuel 16:23

Chanting the Om mantra can also have very positive calming, balancing effects for mind and body. 

OM- A-U-M

Om represents the first manifestation of God which came out of the void, abyss, waters, darkness, bareness. The Word has no beginning and no end in time. It is all that was, is, and ever shall be. Like Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the perfect creation, the only son of God.  The Word is the template of creation. Anything created is the Word.  What is not the Word is still in a process of becoming, or being spoken. Once spoken it is the Word. A Word has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Just as the Om is chanted A-U-M. It both springs forth in completion, and yet it is always in a process. Like a wheel is a complete circle, but its turning is a process. Nothing is not the Word.  However, our experience is in time; day, night, morning = one day. 

Don't be an aborted sound, don't remain in darkness, be the Word, become the Word. Move through the darkness to morning. If darkness is vilified and feared in the name of [false] righteousness, then how will the morning ever come? Sometimes “staying in the light” can be a type of darkness. Blinded by the light, but not in a good way. Tune into the vibration of the Word and let the dawn break! Grab it by the heel! If it's not fitting, crowbar it in! 

I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is a friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. Luke 11:8-9

Once a complete creation, the turning of the wheel becomes recreation "re-creation" and is no longer work.  It becomes the Sabbath, the (eternal) Day of rest. This is our hope. This is our promise. Unity with the Word of God. It is who we were made to be. God doesn't make mistakes.

The Jews answered him, "We stone you for no good work, but for blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself a God." Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your law. 'I said, you are gods'? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came (and Scripture cannot be nullified), do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? John 10:33-36

Om Namah Shivaya!
Namaste!