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Deep down, inside our bodies, lives the soul. No one has ever seen it, but we all know it's there. There is a 'soul bird' who lives inside us all. This special bird opens and closes the drawers of our soul, in which we keep all our feelings. There are drawers for our innermost secrets, but also places where we hide away our happiness, anger, joy, jealousy and sorrows. The soul bird has the keys to these drawers, and can open them when we ask. But sometimes the soul bird seems to disobey our wishes, and tolerance turns to fear, or calm turns to anger. Perhaps we don't listen to our soul bird often enough. Indeed, some of us only hear it once in a lifetime. We should try, maybe late at night, or at another time of peace and quiet, to hear the voice of the soul bird, and listen to what it is telling us. Michal Snunit's "The Soul Bird" has been translated into 25 languages and has been a bestseller around the world for ten years since its first publication. This celebration edition introduces new colour to enhance the beautiful simplicity of Na'ama Golomb's original illustrations. This gentle and poetic book has become a firm favourite with both children and adults. Showing how the consolation and encouragement we need can be found in small, everyday places, it is a lovely resource for those moments when we feel in need of spiritual refreshment. Its deceptive simplicity conceals a deeper philosophical message for us all.Reference: You are not allowed to view links. Register or LoginReference:You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login
The divine Feminine is known in the Judeo-Christian tradition as SophiaSophia is symbolized in many forms and called by many names in diverse cultures throughout human history. She is Isis in Egypt, Ishtar in Babylonia, Inanna in Sumer, Astarte in Canaan, and Kuan-Yin in China. In the Judeo-Christian tradition she is called "Sophia".The Goddess is calling us today in her myriad forms, asking us to hear her voice of loving wisdom in our dreams and visions and to see her image in all of life around us. The great spiritual task for modern human beings is to once again "know" this Divine Feminine presence within all of creation and within our own souls. This is vitally important for both women and men, because only then can we mediate the healing qualities of the Feminine so as to overcome the divisions which separate us from our true selves, from other human beings, and from the Earth.
In order to understand the full meaning of the statement, "Christ and I, Sophia, are one!" it is necessary to trace the changing image of Sophia as she appeared to people living in Biblical times. At first Sophia appeared in Judaism as a personification of an attribute of God - as God's wisdom. She later developed in importance to become virtually a goddess in her own right. In the texts of the Hebrew Bible Sophia is variously described as the first creation of God (Proverbs 8: 22-23), co-creator with God (Proverbs 3:19), and the manifestation of God's power and glory (Wisdom 7: 25-26.) However, under the influence of patriarchal monotheism, Wisdom became identified with the Torah (Law) in orthodox Judaism.In the early Christian Church, the struggle to understand the nature of Christ and the meaning of his purpose in history was intimately connected with the figure of Sophia. The attributes of Sophia, love and wisdom, can be readily seen in the figure of Jesus Christ as presented in the texts of the New Testament and the Apocrypha. The earliest Christians apparently viewed Jesus as a prophet of Sophia, or as her child. But the most startling fact is that Jesus was even seen by some early Christians as Sophia herself! During the first few centuries of Christianity the attributes of Sophia were completely transferred to the figure of Jesus Christ so that Jesus was viewed as the incarnation of Sophia. In this interpretation, "Jesus, as Christ-Sophia, is enthroned as a ruler of the whole cosmos, and this is the foundational myth of the Christian community."However, the dictates of our patriarchal history which caused Sophia (Wisdom) to be subsumed under Christ (Logos) has had disastrous consequences for Christianity and consequently for our entire world. As Sophia lost her unique identity to the figure of Jesus, this powerful symbol of the Divine Feminine subsequently became so hidden as to be lost to most Christians. However, Sophia is proclaiming her message again today that "Christ and I are one!" But oneness does not mean sameness. The unity of Christ and Sophia must be seen as a differentiated wholeness, a dynamic balance between "Logos" and "Wisdom."
In ancient cultures the Divine typically manifested in the polarity of a god and goddess, united in the divine syzygy that integrated both masculine and feminine elements. The Great Goddess and her Son/Lover can be seen in figures that span an immense variety of ages and cultures, such as Isis and Osiris, Ishtar and Tammuz, Inanna and Dumuzi, Asherah and Baal, Cybele and Attis, and Aphrodite and Adonis. In ancient cultures the son/lover of the Goddess often took the form of the Green ManWithin Christian tradition there are many allusions to the Green Man nature of Christ. Christ's archetypal similarity with the ancient vegetation gods is shown by his statements "I am the true vine" (John 15:1) and "I am the bread of life" (John 3:35 ) which are reminiscent of the gods Dionysius and Dumuzi. The central theme of the Christian mythos, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, closely corresponds to the ancient myths which celebrated the death and rebirth of the Green Man. The major event of the Christian liturgy - the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ - symbolizes the sacrifice of the god in images which again remind us of Dumuzi, the god of the grain, and Dionysius, the god of the grape. Within Christianity we can see the archetypal sacrifice of the vegetation god enacted in historical time as the Passion of Christ. The return of the sacrificed god to Earth in the Spring and the corresponding rebirth of the natural world is transposed in Christianity to the resurrection of Christ at Easter which brings the greening of new life to the soul as well as nature.
It is apparent that we live in a world today of chaos and confusion. It is in precisely such times as these that Sophia calls most strongly. Sophia emerged in the Hebrew Wisdom literature during a time of upheaval and complexity to help the people relate to their changing world. This was a time seemingly similar to our own in many respects. It appears that Sophia re-emerges at critical periods of cultural transformation, during those times of "paradigm shift" when new perceptions, values, and world views are needed. She helps reconcile the opposing forces in the psyche and in the world, bringing a much needed balance in a time of disequilibrium. Sophia assures us in our fragmented modern world that she is continuing the process of reconciliation with God. Just as Christ, who was Sophia incarnated, called for "fresh wineskins" to hold his teaching of the primacy of love over the law, so today we need the new containers of symbols, myths, and images to express the wisdom of Sophia. Now Sophia must re-emerge from her hidden place within Christian tradition to manifest her full power and beauty. The Divine Feminine, known in the Judeo-Christian tradition as Sophia, needs to claim her place once again in the consciousness of humanity. And in the possibility that we may finally be open to receiving her wisdom lays the hope for our future.
Thanks TheRunningGirl. There are so many interesting bunny holes to go down and explore with MJ. So incredibly many interconnections. I've believed so long now that this is totally a God-thing for only He could have the knowledge and power on this scale. I always wondered why MJ chose to sing a song like Rockin Robin, which was not like his other songs.
