A Conscious Approach to the Beatitudes
The Sermon on the Mount opens with the Beatitudes—eight statements beginning with the word blessed. This word affirms a state of blessing that already exists. It is already so. Our work is to allow it to unfold within us. To allow the blessing to be received and expressed through our conscious choices and actions in life.
The First Beatitude
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The meaning of the word "poor" in Greek means one who has nothing and is completely empty. Yeshua is literally encouraging us to embrace letting go into a life beyond the trappings of the material. To trust the inner journey.
Metaphorically, to have nothing and to be completely empty speaks to the practice of stillness and grounding in deep quiet. A quiet that opens our arms to receive the gifts of the Soul. To lay a foundation of depth and knowledge of self so as to receive the kingdom of heaven. A heaven that is found in the emptiness within the depths of self. This blessing is a potent affirmation to living a life in which stillness, presence and a willingness to surrender into our most awakened self are key ingredients. In this way we receive the First Beatitude.
The Second Beatitude
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Mourning is the willingness to grieve and let go of the weights of all life experience. Mourning allows us to forgive ourselves the patterns we have learned to cope with the suffering in our lives. To give up all hope for a better yesterday. This is how we let go of the small stories preventing us from living a more vibrant life.
A key practice, inferred within this blessing, is the practice of letting go into the Tears of the Soul. A noble and deeply personal practice intrinsic to the Healing & Growth journey. While largely misunderstood in our hyper-rational world, the Tears of the Soul is a deep and potent experience known to consciousness acolytes for its life-expanding opportunity. An opportunity to let go of old threads constraining our ability to Heal & Grow. In the midst of such phases of emotional release we don't have an explanation for what we grieve yet know its necessity. It is a willingness to grieve and let go of the ghosts we carry within that are expressions of past and future blocking us from the freedom of the present.
The Third Beatitude
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall possess the earth.
To be meek in this context is to be a quiet spirit. To be gentle. So what does it mean to be a gentle Soul? A gnostic translation of meek, in the context of this blessing, can be seen as those who serve the will of the Soul. Freewill exists in relation to a particular yet broad inquiry all humans experience when making any decision: will I honor or answer the call of the Soul or personal wisdom or will I allow fear to override my choice? Will I be gentle and quiet, listening deeply to the wisdom within or will I allow my fear to lead me? Fears that often speak reactively, loudly, drowning out the whispering voice of wisdom within. Yeshua is offering a blessing to those who practice serving the will of the Soul. So what is meant to possess the earth? The earth represents the depths of our being and our wisdom. It also represents the possibility within the blessing to receive what is seen as heavenly into our existence here on earth. In this way being a gentle spirit gives us access to and possession of the wisdom within our depths.
The Fourth Beatitude
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
It has always been a challenging journey for the human being willing to express their truth or righteousness into the world. To live a life that veers from the accepted path as seen by expectation and into an integral journey. Integral, meaning to make whole, as an expression of the hunger and thirst for righteousness.
From childhood forward we are encouraged to share but often our thoughts and feelings are not accepted if they aren’t aligned with those around us. We are often discouraged by the reception we receive when we don’t fit in the box of expectation. So what happens when we have a deep hunger and willingness to meet the call for the truth dwelling deep within? To be willing to let go into truth that may not resonate with those around us. To practice allowing the opinion of others to be heard, to be received, to be a part of the truth. A part of the truth by allowing it to be brought into our depths. In doing so we acknowledge our loved ones, our community, and at the same time listen and act from what is authentic within us.
I offer there is a peace, a calm, that comes with practicing this depth of consideration within this seeking of our inner truth. We become satisfied or in a more contemporary sense, we experience being content. To see this as being contented we can let go of the notion of being satisfied as meeting one’s desires, needs or expectations. A contentedness that comes with surrendering into one’s deepest truth.
The Fifth Beatitude
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
In the simplest of terms, Yeshua is saying we reap what we sow. Compassion and forgiveness beget compassion and forgiveness. Being soft, receptive and truthful in how we interact with the world leads to more of the same.
The Sixth Beatitude
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.
Pure of heart? What does this mean? How do we access it? First we acknowledge that the heart becomes pure by cracking open over and over again. To be willing to fail in practicing to be the best human we can be. Yeshua has told us, through the first five blessings, how to become pure of heart. To be willing to crack open one’s heart for the sake of others while being true to one’s own wisdom. To practice with our hearts vulnerability and kindness so that an authentic articulation of ourselves is expressed with a distinct vibration, potency and beauty. This is a practice, an opportunity of the moment. It is not an aspiration to practice but the choice to give expression to the truth of the heart with immediacy. In this way we know our infinite nature.
The Seventh Beatitude
Blessed are the peacemakers
for they are children of God.
The peacemaker is an expression that speaks to the embodiment of the path Yeshua led in life and in spirit. It has a multitude of expressions but is in fact rarely embodied, both within and in action, in human form. It is offered as a challenge as we may step into our role as peacemaker within the blessing. Are you willing to live fully and authentically by embodying the blessed virtues that are the building blocks of the peacemaker?
The Eight Beatitude
Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This blessing is an affirmation to the truth warriors. In All of Our Many Forms. While many forms of persecution fill our news sources and social media outlets, and are included within the blessing’s intent, a larger picture is worthy of inclusion. Yeshua speaks of persecution for justice sake and it is but a short leap for us to focus on actions that suffer persecution. We give little attention to those who are unjustly persecuted for simply being who they are. Their very existence serves as the reason to be harassed. People like the Roma, the poor, people of color, the neuro divergent… People who the establishment often treats similarly to those who we see as truth warriors such as protestors, spiritual leaders, etc..Often because they are seen as different and by being different they exist for the sake of justice, for shedding light on that we need changed. It is important to remember that in the aftermath of Yeshua’s resurrection, those who had any association with him were persecuted. This included the many who sought healing from him. No action on their part was needed for them to be persecuted. And in turn, they received a blessedness that often comes with being different in this world. For their willingness to be vulnerable and ask for help.
- Excerpt from the forthcoming book Language of the Soul: A Path of Simplicity