Jesus said, “I took my place in the midst of the world, and I appeared to them in flesh. I found all of them intoxicated; I found none of them thirsty. And my soul became afflicted for the sons of men, because they are blind in their hearts and do not have sight; for empty they came into the world, and empty too they seek to leave the world. But for the moment they are intoxicated. When they shake off their wine, then they will repent.“
Entering into the repose and joy of the Holy Spirit and beholding the reality-truth-continuum from a higher order of consciousness, every spiritual adept or master has shared this vision of sorrow in seeing how greatly people suffer on account of fundamental ignorance. Having awakened and realized the way of liberation themselves, knowing the presence of God as near to all beings as their very breath, it is truly an affliction within their soul to see others still in bondage to the powers of ignorance and therefore suffering. Experiencing the peace and joy of enlightenment and liberation, a conscious unity with the Beloved, who would not be so deeply moved by the continuation of other’s suffering? Indeed, when the fullness of spiritual love and compassion dawns, one cannot help but be moved to act and render assistance.
Perhaps one must understand how delighted and on fire with the Holy Spirit the initiate is upon entering into Messianic consciousness and directly experiencing something of the Supernal Light—so wonderful a blessing and so great a wealth that the mystics feel it will swiftly be received by all who hear and all who see the Divine presence that has come into manifestation. Yet bearing forth the Word and Wisdom of the Lord to the people and seeking to impart the Light-transmission, they find few, if any, willing to listen and hear, to look and see, and so receive the transmission of higher consciousness they embody. This is the meaning of the saying that the Word of the Lord is sweet in the prophet’s mouth, but burns when swallowed and is bitter in the belly. Seeking, they find everyone drunk with the illusionary world and intoxicated with self-cherishing, desire, and hatred, unwilling or incapable of entering into the Light. Put bluntly, they find few are really interested!
Outside of such an experience, one can hardly imagine the mental-emotional turmoil and troubling of the soul that transpires on account of the vast contrast between the direct experience of Divine being-consciousness-delight and the dull and dense resistance of ignorance and forgetfulness in ordinary consciousness. It is a painful ordeal that is part of the coming into being of the prophets and apostles of God.
Now the word “intoxication,“ used by the Master, is a perfect analogy. In fact, it is quite wonderful, for he tells you that this ignorance and forgetfulness and the suffering that follows is not a permanent state. Rather, any time you are ready and willing to stop consuming the intoxicant, you can sober up and regain your intelligence and lucidity. He goes further, saying that eventually every soul will shake off the intoxicant and repent—that is to say, every soul will experience a spiritual conversion or radical change in consciousness.
Not only can you sober up—eventually you will—and when you do you will experience a transformation in consciousness! In the midst of great horror and darkness, the Lord offers hope!
Before you can seek sobriety, you must recognize that you are drunk and the negative affect/effect of the intoxication. You must see the sorrow and suffering drunkenness causes and how you become someone or something other than your true self. You must look and see clearly where selfishness, desire, and fear carry you, and realize the unhappiness and unhealthiness caused by it. Until a drunk is able to admit to being a drunk and able to see how it ruins one’s life, he or she will not, actually cannot, attain sobriety. The same is true in terms of the intoxication of ignorance and darkness. Therefore, quite naturally, “confession of ignorance and sin“ naturally precedes the holy baptism.
Without a true and strong awareness of ignorance and the illusory nature of the world, who will actually seek and find the kingdom of heaven or have any real desire for the Beloved? While one is deluded into believing anything in this world more valuable and important than the realization of Messianic consciousness, how could he or she actually desire and attain the awakening of the Christ-self? If things of the world are actually so fulfilling, why bother about God and all that? The only problem is that the joy gained from things of this world is temporary. Life and everything in this world is only a temporary condition. In truth, it is as though we are grabbing at dust and ashes, instead of the holy jewel of the Neshamah or heavenly soul. As the Master has said, “What does it profit you if you gain the whole world, but lose your immortal soul?“ To the intoxicated individual, such words fall on deaf ears!
Now let it be said that the Spirit of the Lord is crying out in the wilderness of the world, saying, “Shake off the bitter dregs of your cheap wine and come to me and I will give you the finest delights of the Beloved. Awaken and set yourself free and you will see the world of Supernal Light within you and all around you! Come, let us entertain sobriety and put an end to sorrow and suffering. Let us rejoice in the indwelling Christ and extend the Light. Listen and hear, look and see. Worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth. Grace will receive you! Vehayah, amen.“