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Mystical Reflections on Hebrews 11:1-3

It's been a while since I've written here but I wanted to return to this project.  In these three verses we have a definition of faith, that it is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  We are told that by faith the worlds were prepared by the word of God and that what is seen was made by things that are not visible.  I'm paraphrasing here from the NRSV version of the Bible.

What's worth noting is that the author describes worlds being made.  Literally the Greek refers to Eons, which is translated as worlds.  The question remains why is it in the plural rather than the singular?  Surely someone writing two thousand years ago would view the earth as a singular thing.

I've written before about the four worlds of Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Assiah.  The idea is that the final world, Assiah is the one we live in, while the other three are the plans and the intentions for this world.  Through mystical experiences, it is believed that one can move upward through the worlds.  As you do this, life becomes closer to God's pure intention, yet less actualized.  This is incredibly important for spiritual people because our task is to make corrections to our world, to bring it more in line with the intentions of the other three.

So what is in the other three worlds?  In a sense they are composed of thought.  You cannot see a thought; a person can only express it through words or actions.  The only way to hold on to a thought is to believe in it.  When the thought is of something Godly, and you hold onto it with the utmost conviction, that's faith.  As the chapter progresses he author describes the faith of many Biblical heroes, from Abel through Abraham to Moses and beyond.  These people must have had a sense of God's intentions through the upper worlds and acted accordingly in this world.

What this means for us is that in our own spiritual lives, it does us well to understand God's intentions and principles behind what he does, so that we may act accordingly.  For example, understanding that all life is a gift from God and not ours to do with as we please has a profound impact on how we live our lives.

A good way to approach this understanding is to read scripture with an eye towards the why.  Why did God say that?  What's the essence of this action?  A good teacher can guide you, but ultimately the journey is yours.  But getting to the essence will greatly enhance your faith, because you will know what to hope for, and cling to it with the utmost conviction.

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