Highlights
We encounter Earth.
Touching a guiding force within.
The four consents are introduced.
The intertwining of birth and death.
Guided Reflection
If possible, use headphones.
Cited Quotations
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
John 1:47-51
Concerning the day or the hour, no one knows—neither the messengers of heaven nor the Son, but only the Source. The arriving presence of The Son will come like in the days of Noah. One minute they were eating, drinking and wedding, and the next minute Noah went into the ark and the flood came and swept everything else away. When the The Son comes, two will be in the field—one will be received and the other sent away; two will be grinding at the mill—and while one will be received the other will be sent away.
Wake up! and keep vigilant, for you don’t know when the Lord will come. If the owner of a house knew a thief was coming, she’d stay awake to keep her house safe. You too must be ready, for The Son will come unexpectedly.
Matthew 24:36-44
So then, I must also tell you this:
If a householder knows for sure
that thieves are coming to steal his goods,
he will keep careful watch before they get there
to prevent them from tunneling in and taking his possessions.You too, from your beginnings,
must keep a watchful eye on the cosmos,
binding great power to yourselves
so that thieves cannot find a way to get to you.
Logion 21b, Gospel of Thomas
Everyone who begins to study and know their own states is well aware that our experience is a constant dying and rebirth. We must not be frightened as we come to see this, although it really is a terrifying thing that we have no power to keep hold of our life; that it has to be renewed or given back to us by something that does not come from ourselves.
But even when we do see the helplessness with which we fall into oblivion, at that moment when we are most trying to hold on to ourselves, we must learn to trust that there is something that calls us back, and will call us back. And if it calls us back from sleep at night, it will call us back from that other sleep into which we shall enter, the sleep of death.
J. G. Bennett
Reflection Questions
True freedom, I asserted, is the capacity to hold our essence no matter what the shape of the container and no matter the external conditions we find ourselves in. This is learning to consent to what is. What are your thoughts about this and how might you apply it to your life?
Can you identify some of the consents in your own life…?
How far would you guess that surrender can take you…? How far has it taken you to this point…?
Can you begin to see that the small daily surrenders and consents are preparing you for a vaster unfolding at death…?
Is there someone or are there some others in particular to whom you would like to dedicate your Advent work? Can you draw them into your heart right now…?
To Go Deeper
If you have the time and the inclination, this week’s work can be both deepened and facilitated by a self-forgiveness practice. You might want to try this once or twice this week. It’s here:
https://www.williamredfield.com/practice/self-forgiveness-meditation