Module 1 of 2023
Participants on this module
|
The first Module of 2023 was held on the weekend of 17 to 19 February 2023. The theme of the weekend and the theme for the year is:
Cultivating a Relationship with the Etheric Christ
Rev. Jonah Evens, a director of the Priest Seminary in Toronto, Canada visited and led this module.
Three articles have been written on the experience of the module, one by Bakang Batshegi from Botswana, one by Manus du Plessis from Johannesburg and one by Bridgette Siepker from Hillcrest.
Cultivating the relationship with the etheric Christ
by Bakang Batshegi
There are three ways that help us to cultivate a relationship with the etheric Christ, namely:
Prayer and meditation or inner being, what we do to connect.
Receiving Communion at the altar. Christ acts through the priest.
Impulses: like learning to receive the grace of God in the Act of Consecration of Man. The first quality of the relationship with the etheric Christ is the encounter with him. We should learn how to recognize the Christ's impulse. Impulses like encountering joy in the midst of the fear, feeling peace even if everything around feels broken, seeing Christ also in the other person. What I personally took with me from the weekend was ‘Impulse and Encounter’ and that the experience of Damascus of Paul where he had an encounter with Christ can still be real for us. Jonah shared experiences where Christ breaks unexpectedly into life and how to cultivate a relationship every day.
- Life
- Prayer and meditation
- Holy Communion
Prayer and meditation or inner being, what we do to connect.
Receiving Communion at the altar. Christ acts through the priest.
Impulses: like learning to receive the grace of God in the Act of Consecration of Man. The first quality of the relationship with the etheric Christ is the encounter with him. We should learn how to recognize the Christ's impulse. Impulses like encountering joy in the midst of the fear, feeling peace even if everything around feels broken, seeing Christ also in the other person. What I personally took with me from the weekend was ‘Impulse and Encounter’ and that the experience of Damascus of Paul where he had an encounter with Christ can still be real for us. Jonah shared experiences where Christ breaks unexpectedly into life and how to cultivate a relationship every day.
Cultivating a Relationship with the Etheric Christ
by Manus du Plessis
If I were to recount the individual points in the Seminary, it would have value, but it would be void of the living impartation that was present in person. It's impossible to go home afterwards unchanged. Much needed light was shone into my heart to reveal my unresponsiveness to the voice of Christ and how much I am acting on good sounding ideas, but which are actually well disguised half-truth impulses from our spiritual adversaries.
Feeling into the pain of such awareness, we learned that this is where sincere prayer of supplication is possible…, the kind that Christ Jesus said the Father will not deny us because we are asking in His Name. Not for relief or a fix - but for the medicine we need to bear through it. The Peace that Christ gives. Peace with this world of pain and darkness. Wholeness of soul amidst brokenness. Life where there seems to be only death. Hope amidst despair. Joy that has the capacity to hold pain. Not shutting ourselves off from or banishing pain. Bearing instead, with awareness, that Christ shares our suffering, just as He shares our hope. And we need not bear our pain with our strength alone, but that which He gives us. What is the experience of this like beyond mere platitudes?
Can one have a relationship with that which has not even been (consciously) encountered before? Concepts are certainly no substitute. An encounter with Christ may take on many different forms, but is typically first experienced as an "other" Being - not of ourselves - although possibly experienced within ourselves, yet distinct from anything else experienced before, with a powerful life-giving essence in the encounter. Wakefulness and self-honesty are required for participation in the encounter to be possible - even if the participation is only to witness it with sincere attention. Christ awakens in us an invitation to accountability in such an encounter, like with St Paul on the road to Damascus. A call to awareness that may be hard for us to bear because we are faced with our fallen nature amidst the grace of Christ during the encounter. …The power that goes beyond what our eyes can see, ears can hear, or hearts can imagine. A resurrection power that doesn't simply reanimate or vitalize us, but completely transforms us more and more into His likeness. Thus, this is not a passive receiving action but requires an openness to be changed, for our decaying nature prefers sinfulness and resists the Spirit. We have to actively engage our will to receive this. This is where the continual knocking on the door of our hearts happens, the continual impulses of Christ, where we may open the door, each time, or deny Him. Discernment to identify and deny the impulses of other spiritual forces requires clarity.
The archetypes of the image of Christ may be used as a lens to manage this clarity. These are what was discussed for most of the weekend and is a journey to internalize in the heart rather than a checklist for the intellect.
The sevenfold archetypes of the Image of Christ that interweave each other –
PRAYER is loving the deed in this context. After first being clear then on how to discern, then secondly, as scripture says, praying always which in this context is opening that door of our hearts to the discerned Christ impulses as they come in each situation or thought or decision; and shutting the door of the heart for the impulses of our adversaries.
Prayer comes in many forms. When we are in despair or pain we may pray for supplication. How does this kind of prayer look in relation with the etheric Christ?
Praying from the I is directly connected to a concrete issue. For example, a pain helps reveal what medicine is needed. Lamenting brings my pain into relationship with God. It is good, unlike complaining. Unlike the spectator, the Witness is vulnerable to the feeling of it.
Name the pain, not judge it.
Name the ‘medicine’, the feeling or inner attitude needed. Ask for the medicine.
Receive the medicine. Lift it up in prayer.
Receiving the answer to the prayer is a process sometimes. It matters not how simple or how involved - when there is sincerity from a place of true felt pain.
Prayer is a way to participate in the gift and process of salvation.
Feeling into the pain of such awareness, we learned that this is where sincere prayer of supplication is possible…, the kind that Christ Jesus said the Father will not deny us because we are asking in His Name. Not for relief or a fix - but for the medicine we need to bear through it. The Peace that Christ gives. Peace with this world of pain and darkness. Wholeness of soul amidst brokenness. Life where there seems to be only death. Hope amidst despair. Joy that has the capacity to hold pain. Not shutting ourselves off from or banishing pain. Bearing instead, with awareness, that Christ shares our suffering, just as He shares our hope. And we need not bear our pain with our strength alone, but that which He gives us. What is the experience of this like beyond mere platitudes?
Can one have a relationship with that which has not even been (consciously) encountered before? Concepts are certainly no substitute. An encounter with Christ may take on many different forms, but is typically first experienced as an "other" Being - not of ourselves - although possibly experienced within ourselves, yet distinct from anything else experienced before, with a powerful life-giving essence in the encounter. Wakefulness and self-honesty are required for participation in the encounter to be possible - even if the participation is only to witness it with sincere attention. Christ awakens in us an invitation to accountability in such an encounter, like with St Paul on the road to Damascus. A call to awareness that may be hard for us to bear because we are faced with our fallen nature amidst the grace of Christ during the encounter. …The power that goes beyond what our eyes can see, ears can hear, or hearts can imagine. A resurrection power that doesn't simply reanimate or vitalize us, but completely transforms us more and more into His likeness. Thus, this is not a passive receiving action but requires an openness to be changed, for our decaying nature prefers sinfulness and resists the Spirit. We have to actively engage our will to receive this. This is where the continual knocking on the door of our hearts happens, the continual impulses of Christ, where we may open the door, each time, or deny Him. Discernment to identify and deny the impulses of other spiritual forces requires clarity.
The archetypes of the image of Christ may be used as a lens to manage this clarity. These are what was discussed for most of the weekend and is a journey to internalize in the heart rather than a checklist for the intellect.
The sevenfold archetypes of the Image of Christ that interweave each other –
- The Witness, that is willing to be sincerely vulnerable in truly looking at another with both intellect and feeling, without accusation and without denial - but for the love of truth, which may be painful for the witness to bear. It is the opposite of the spectator, yet no stranger to healthy boundaries.
- The Becoming One, that carries a self-honesty and humbleness, orienting toward divinely given purpose and destiny with hope and faith, not shying away from taking self-responsibility and action.
- The Wounded Healer, is realistic about the existence of unjust pain in the world. The Lamb has an open wound, pouring out life for us. The wound has a purpose. Healed people heal people. The wound does not go away. The beast has a wound too. Scarred over, closed, festering. It refuses renewal by its unwillingness to die.
- The Disciple, doesn't act out of one's own thinking alone, but seeks guidance from its master. Christ Jesus, the human being, looked to the Father for that. How we are oriented inwardly makes all the difference. There is a dance, a partnership, a movement in harmony with the Spirit with heart and mind. So we look toward Christ as Christ looked toward the Father. We let the Spirit think in us. The "other" thinks, and the "self" receives and harmonizes, being transformed through that. We engage with the Spirit actively using our will, paying attention with our thinking, but we do not drive the thinking. We allow Christ to think in us. He is our guide.
- The Shepherd King, carries the image of both the one that guides the sheep, and the one that is the King of Kings. To be in relationship with the King of Kings implies one has to be walking in one's own Kingship, moving from one's centre, engaging one's will consciously. The Shepherd extends this centre to help others move from their centres. The one part requires the other part. The etheric Christ is a communal Being. His impulse is unlike a mere individual's. He extends Himself communally.
- The Overflowing Chalice, has the image of the empty cup that has space to receive a filling up, but amidst the emptiness there is overflowing abundance. Being the vessel that overflows is also the vessel that is empty. Empty of attachment or expectation that could hinder the vessel from overflowing.
- Love the Deed, means one does not get distracted from the deed, because of the loving of the deed keeping one connected with it. That connection and the love that infused the deed through the connection then allows the etheric Christ to infill the deed as the Christ infills you. The deed transforms into action that is spirit, not mere empty action. The same is relevant to the difference between discipline and discipleship too.
PRAYER is loving the deed in this context. After first being clear then on how to discern, then secondly, as scripture says, praying always which in this context is opening that door of our hearts to the discerned Christ impulses as they come in each situation or thought or decision; and shutting the door of the heart for the impulses of our adversaries.
Prayer comes in many forms. When we are in despair or pain we may pray for supplication. How does this kind of prayer look in relation with the etheric Christ?
Praying from the I is directly connected to a concrete issue. For example, a pain helps reveal what medicine is needed. Lamenting brings my pain into relationship with God. It is good, unlike complaining. Unlike the spectator, the Witness is vulnerable to the feeling of it.
Name the pain, not judge it.
Name the ‘medicine’, the feeling or inner attitude needed. Ask for the medicine.
Receive the medicine. Lift it up in prayer.
Receiving the answer to the prayer is a process sometimes. It matters not how simple or how involved - when there is sincerity from a place of true felt pain.
Prayer is a way to participate in the gift and process of salvation.
Africa Seminary Weekend Module with Rev. Jonah Evans
Cultivating a Relationship with the Etheric Christ.
by Bridgette Siepke
by Bridgette Siepke
It was a privilege to be part of the group that gathered last weekend to work together and learn more about how to recognize and develop a relationship to the Etheric Christ. The weekend module was led by Jonah Evans one of the directors from the Seminary of the Christian Community in North America.
In a community address on Friday evening, Jonah introduced us to some of the key thoughts that we would have a chance to deepen and to explore during our sessions of working together on Saturday.
To begin with Jonah reminded us of who the Etheric Christ is: The one who has risen from the dead and who lives in the realm of the Etheric. He also lives as a seed within each one of us - deep within our unconscious souls sending impulses into our lives that are a sign of this presence and life. Some examples of Christ impulses are love and compassion, forgiveness and fortitude, faith and peace, strength and courage. Human beings are called to awaken to this life within and to become more and more conscious of how Christ works in them and through them.
In a community address on Friday evening, Jonah introduced us to some of the key thoughts that we would have a chance to deepen and to explore during our sessions of working together on Saturday.
To begin with Jonah reminded us of who the Etheric Christ is: The one who has risen from the dead and who lives in the realm of the Etheric. He also lives as a seed within each one of us - deep within our unconscious souls sending impulses into our lives that are a sign of this presence and life. Some examples of Christ impulses are love and compassion, forgiveness and fortitude, faith and peace, strength and courage. Human beings are called to awaken to this life within and to become more and more conscious of how Christ works in them and through them.
|
This was the first way that we can know the Etheric Christ.
The second way that we can know Christ is through a real encounter with him. Christ may appear to us in the form of a being that may be there in a moment of need to confirm something or to encourage you, to give you the little nudge that you need and then be just as quickly gone again. He may also appear in the more archetypal way in an encounter similar to Saul’s encounter on the road to Damascus. A third way to come to know Christ and to experience his presence in our lives is through our prayer life. Through prayer and meditation we can become ever more conscious of Christ working in us, guiding us and working through us. |
We were reminded that we are all called to awaken to the reality of Christ and to join him in his work in the world. He is hidden from our material eyes but we can awaken our spiritual eyes. An encounter with Christ is always a gift of grace and is never achieved with merit or by merit.
On Saturday we were able to explore further, the thoughts from the previous evening.
We experience an image of Christ whenever we attend the Act of Consecration of the Human Being. The priest at the alter is an image of Christ. We are invited to a “face to face” encounter with him as the priest bestows His peace into our hearts.
At the same time as being an image of Christ, the priest is also a representative of everyone. The seed in you, the Christ impulses in you are the priest in you. The more this seed grows within us the more we become the revelation of Christ. We are called to recognise this impulse in others and others will recognise it in us
Leading on from this we were able to explore the 7 Inner Activities of the Archetypal Priest. One could also identify them as 7 Aspects of Christ Working Within Us.
|
The Faithful Witness
The first activity that was discussed was that of the Faithful Witness. This is the ego in us that notices and witnesses what is living in our souls and without judging must sit with “what is." The Witness in us is the part of Christ in us that can be strengthened and helps us to truly know His judgement as something that never condemns or accuses, but rather a voice that rings true in our hearts. The Becoming One We are all on our way to “becoming” - becoming more and more aligned with the true image of the Human Being, the Son of Man, Christ. One of the best ways to do this is to participate in the Act of Consecration. We are called to work at overcoming the “spectator consciousness” that lives in all of us and to open our hearts to the workings and promptings of Christ. We work at “becoming” when we are able to let go and “die” to an aspect of ourselves in order to become new. Then we are able to feel the Christ in us as we are lifted into newness. In constantly becoming, we are encouraged to receive the grace of God that is bestowed on us; reminded that Christ, too, is always becoming. The Wounded Healer Christ himself is the wounded healer. Light shines out of his wounds into the dark world. The wounded healer is the doorway to Christ. We are encouraged to look at the pain we bear and to find the blessing in it. Just as the Lamb of God is always depicted with a wound, we are to notice that this wound flows out for the redemption of the world. We can join Christ in this activity when we work with the wounds and pains of our own life. The Disciple We all have capacities within us to become fruitful disciples. We are called to sit at the feet of Christ and to know him as our helping guide. We can only be good disciples if we truly love the one that teaches us. This kind of love comes from knowing who Christ really is. When we encounter the true being of Christ and recognise him, then in this presence we can feel more of who we truly are. Under this aspect of the “priest within’ we were encouraged to practice praying out of the “I”. This practice begins with truthfully identifying the true pain, discomfort or struggle that we face in the moment. We are then to really build a picture of it in our mind and to get to know the root of it - to feel to the heart of the matter of it. Once we realise this effectively we are then able to discern the “medicine” that we might need from Christ. In using the term “medicine” we mean the soul attitude that we really need to help us overcome what really ails us. Once we have asked for what we need, the last step of the process is in receiving and accepting God’s blessing and grace. The Shepherd King These two ideas are a polarity and Christ encompasses both in Himself. We must strive to do the same. Christ is the Good Shepherd and his sheep know his voice. They are able to discern the voice of the one who leads them. They, in time, also become shepherds. We all have the King that lives inside us. It is this aspect of ourselves that is able to recognise Christ as the King of Kings. The Overflowing Cup Christ continually offers all of himself to the world. The word “overflowing” implies freely flowing. We are challenged to imitate this gesture of Christ. Are we able to pour out love, joy, kindness, blessing and hope to those we meet even in the midst of our pain and suffering? The sower is another picture of this aspect of Christ. He is always abundantly giving. Loving the Deed There is one principal that will help us to grow and develop many of these activities and that is at all times to bring love toward what you do. Or rather to do everything that is asked of you with love. We have to build this capacity within us. We were reminded that our true humanity is woven out of deeds of love. |
We concluded our work together with a lecture from Jonah to the whole community on Sunday morning. In this sharing Jonah reminded us that in order for us to recognise the Christ we must be able to recognise his image and likeness in ourselves, in others and in the world around us.
Before the Fall we were constantly in communion with Christ. We were in his image and likeness always and all was well. All changed as we fell into the realm of death and into the realm of the adversary. This a world of sickness and death. Christ loved us so much that he made the long journey down to the earth to redeem what had happened. In and through this journey his likeness and image was also changed and transformed.
Christ stands at peace with the broken world. He is in the midst of our pain and suffering. We know this because at the Baptism in the Jordan the Holy Spirit comes to rest on the Christ, who was identified by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world. Just after the Baptism, Christ is led into the wilderness where he is tempted by the adversary. In each of the temptations scripture is used to justify the temptation and to lure Christ into the realm of the devil. He is able to discern the true will of God and to use the laws of God to keep the adversary in its place.
During the Transfiguration of Christ his face shone like the sun. The forces of the sun shone out into the broken world as a light in the darkness, as a source of life. We are called to commune with Christ and to also be a light that shines out into the dark world.
In the Mystery of Golgotha, Christ’s image reveals the highest image of the Father God. It is in the hour of his death that he is able to find new life. This new life in the veil of death is a wonderful image to meditate on and is where we will certainly meet Christ.
Thank you to Jonah for this enthusiastic and heartfelt sharing. Thank you also to Reingard and Michael for accompanying us on the weekend and to all the participants who helped to make it so rich.
Before the Fall we were constantly in communion with Christ. We were in his image and likeness always and all was well. All changed as we fell into the realm of death and into the realm of the adversary. This a world of sickness and death. Christ loved us so much that he made the long journey down to the earth to redeem what had happened. In and through this journey his likeness and image was also changed and transformed.
Christ stands at peace with the broken world. He is in the midst of our pain and suffering. We know this because at the Baptism in the Jordan the Holy Spirit comes to rest on the Christ, who was identified by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God who bears the sin of the world. Just after the Baptism, Christ is led into the wilderness where he is tempted by the adversary. In each of the temptations scripture is used to justify the temptation and to lure Christ into the realm of the devil. He is able to discern the true will of God and to use the laws of God to keep the adversary in its place.
During the Transfiguration of Christ his face shone like the sun. The forces of the sun shone out into the broken world as a light in the darkness, as a source of life. We are called to commune with Christ and to also be a light that shines out into the dark world.
In the Mystery of Golgotha, Christ’s image reveals the highest image of the Father God. It is in the hour of his death that he is able to find new life. This new life in the veil of death is a wonderful image to meditate on and is where we will certainly meet Christ.
Thank you to Jonah for this enthusiastic and heartfelt sharing. Thank you also to Reingard and Michael for accompanying us on the weekend and to all the participants who helped to make it so rich.
Copyright © 2012 to 2024. | All rights reserved.
