And he said, “The man is like a wise fisherman who cast his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish. Among them the wise fisherman found a fine large fish. He threw all of the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without difficulty. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This person is the one who has consumed the lion, transforming the beast into a human being. Such a person has let go of attachment to all lesser and petty desires in order to fulfill the inmost heart’s desire, all desire energy drawn inward and upward into one holy desire, passion for the Beloved. For one who has transformed and integrated Nefesh Behamit into Nefesh Elokit, this is not a difficult thing; yet when Nefesh Behamit remains strong and dominant in oneself, it is a most difficult thing indeed.
The difficulty and the internal conflict you experience in the form of desire and fear reflects the opposition between the bestial part of Nefesh (the vital soul) and the inward godly part. All sorrow and suffering comes from this duality, which is the product of fundamental ignorance. In ignorance, one cannot discern between lesser desires and the greater desire, and so desire energy remains scattered and consciousness remains fragmented. As desire energy is gathered up and the fragments of consciousness are integrated into an authentic individual center, the power of ignorance and forgetfulness dissolves, along with the internal conflict.
What is the “big fish”? It is your Neshamah, the heavenly soul, and the Christ-self that dwells in it. Indeed, the fundamentalist would say it is Yeshua Messiah, the Son of God and Savior, yet what the fundamentalist would not understand is that the only-begotten Son, the child of the Living God, is that Divine self within each and every person. This, the Master has revealed through himself, though what is revealed is not exclusive to himself; it is the Truth of one and all in attainment.
You must understand that faith in Yeshua Messiah is faith in the Divine potential within yourself and that to follow him is to follow the way of the Spirit of the Messiah within yourself. The path he has revealed is a path to enlightenment, a conscious development and evolution of the soul into Messianic consciousness or Christhood. You are called to shape yourself in imitation of Christ and to embody the Christ-Spirit, thus, ultimately, becoming one anointed with the Supernal Light. Faith in the Spirit of the Messiah is the beginning of salvation, but it is conscious evolution into Messianic consciousness that is salvation itself.
Listen and hear what the perfect Master is saying, for you are called to a Divine labor in Spirit and Truth, and your faith must come to fruition in gnosis. It is not enough to believe, but you must become what you believe in. The Lord himself has shown us the way.
You do not live one life, but many lives. Your soul passes from one life to the next until it fulfills its Divine destiny. You have not come into the world for the sake of the world, but for the development and evolution of your soul. The challenge in entering into the world is to remember why you have come and to remain undistracted so that you might accomplish the purpose for which you have come. The world is a darkness wrapped in glittering lights and the power of ignorance and forgetfulness is strong in it, but the true Light is within you and it is the extension of this Light you must seek in the world and so resurrect yourself and the world.
To suggest that there is an enlightenment or resurrection to eternal life without a labor in Spirit is ignorant. Faith devoid of spiritual practice and spiritual living cannot come to fruition in true Gnosis. In the absence of spiritual practice and spiritual living, it is clear that one’s desire is not for the Beloved, but rather that one’s desire is for the world and the things of the world. Surely this is ignorance, for everyone knows that this world and everything in it will pass away. Knowing this, one must inquire what is most valuable. So it must be said that, while it is the pleasure of the Lord that we live life abundantly and enjoy creation and the life the Lord has bestowed upon us, nevertheless, you must know what the most valuable thing is and not be distracted so that you might attain it. This, in essence, is what the Master is saying.
In closing, I will share the secret teaching associated with this verse so that you might pass beyond the obvious. Here, the Master is speaking of the Hebrew letter Nun, the mystical death and rebirth in the Holy Spirit. He is also speaking of the difference between Nefesh and Neshamah, and of their ultimate union. In so doing, perhaps more, he indicates shifts in consciousness that allow one to enter into other worlds. Thus, while speaking of mystical attainment, the Master is also indicating the development of a knowledge of occult or hidden forces (magical development) and the mastery of those forces necessary in the great work. With regard to Nun, the fish, there is an inner and secret discourse associated with this verse. For one who seeks some knowledge of it, contemplation and meditation upon Nun will reveal many insights.