To God Through Man

“And Jesus said, The Holy Breath cannot be seen with mortal eyes; nor can men see the Spirits of the Holy; but in their image man was made, and he who looks into the face of man, looks at the image of the God who speaks within. And when man honors man he honors God, and what man does for man, he does for God. And you must bear in mind that when man harms in thought, or word or deed another man, he does a wrong to God. If you would serve the God who speaks within the heart, just serve your near of kin, and those that are no kin, the stranger at your gates, the foe who seeks to do you harm; assist the poor, and help the weak; do harm to none, and covet not what is not yours; then, with your tongue the Holy One will speak; and he will smile behind your tears, will light your countenance with joy, and fill your hearts with peace.”1

The image of the Holy

“But in their image man was made, and he who looks into the face of man, looks at the image of the God who speaks within.”

In the ninth chapter of the Aquarian Gospel Jesus describes the manifestation of the “Elohim, creative spirits of the universe. And these are they who said, Let us make man; and in their image man was made.”2 We see from this that it is inaccurate to say that we are made in the image of the invisible God, the Father or the Son. Rather, we are made in the image of the Divine Power, the Holy Spirit, AND the Seven Archons who are the immediate creators of the cosmos. That is, the human status–including the human body–is a reflection of these eight beings, one infinite and seven of them finite though of inconceivable scope and power.

The Father and the Son are pure spirit, invisible and transcendent, whereas the Holy Spirit Mother is visible as all things. Consequently human beings are visible. Further, the Holy Spirit is undifferentiated Power, but the Seven Archons as the great Intelligences that formed that Power into all that “is.” “From God’s own Record Book we read: The Triune God breathed forth, and seven Spirits stood before his face. (The Hebrews call these seven Spirits, Elohim.) And these are they who, in their boundless power, created everything that is, or was.”3

Human beings embody both the power and the intelligence of creation. How awesome we are! And how foolishly we have let our egos–and the egos of others–convince us that we are weak, sinful, and mortal, unworthy of Divine regard.

But the truth of our nature is not for self-congratulation. It is to be turned outward in the realization that “he who looks into the face of man, looks at the image of God” and react accordingly. Jesus had no intention of limiting to himself the meaning of the words: “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”4 This is true of all human beings.

The first time I witnessed the worship of the Eastern Christian Church (Russian Orthodox) many things amazed and delighted me. One was the practice of the celebrant censing everyone present and bowing to them, just as he censed and bowed to the holy icons. In fact, two or three times, the holy Nectary, the Bishop of Seattle who was visiting the church in Los Angeles, came and stood in front of each one of us, censing and bowing to us. He was honoring our inner divinity. And I well remember how after attending the worship conducted by the holy priest John Diakonoff in Chicago, everything “looked holy” to me for hours afterward. Even the people standing at the bus stop seemed worthy of being bowed to–and I used to do so mentally.

It is not easy to do, but we who strive to have “the mind of Christ” must keep in mind that, however buried it may be, the “pearl of great price” of divinity is within every single person upon the earth. It is a high ideal, but if we will not seek to attain high ideals, why are we bothering with spiritual life at all?

The God who speaks within

There is a problem with holy writings and the words of the wise. We can easily miss profound concepts because they are so easily–even casually–and briefly stated. This is demonstrated in the verse we are considering. At the end we find the five words: “the God who speaks within.” They are worth far more than the tons of religious books that are printed every week. Let us sum them up in a few points.

1) God is within each one of us.
2) God is active within each one of us.
3) God is speaking to (guiding) us from within.
4) God can speak out from within us, just as he did through the prophets.
5) If we want to see and hear God we need only turn within.

All this being true, there is a sixth proposition: We are living manifestations of God. Then it only follows that:

Encountering God through man

“When man honors man he honors God, and what man does for man, he does for God.”5 God is unseen and unheard to most of us, so if we want to relate to God we can do so through other human beings.6 It is utterly moronic to speak of serving God or making offerings to God. If he needed anything from us he would be finite and dependent like us. And what is there in the world that is not already his–a manifestation of him? It is only through others that we can serve God or give him/her anything. A place where suffering and needy humanity is relieved and supplied is the only real “house of worship.”7

Saint John the Beloved put it exactly right: “If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”8

Jesus wraps up the whole subject easily.

“And you must bear in mind that when man harms in thought, or word or deed another man, he does a wrong to God. If you would serve the God who speaks within the heart, just serve your near of kin, and those that are no kin, the stranger at your gates, the foe who seeks to do you harm; assist the poor, and help the weak; do harm to none, and covet not what is not yours; then, with your tongue the Holy One will speak; and he will smile behind your tears, will light your countenance with joy, and fill your hearts with peace.”

“And then the people asked, To whom shall we bring gifts? Where shall we offer sacrifice?

“And Jesus said, Our Father-God asks not for needless waste of plant, of grain, of dove, of lamb. That which you burn on any shrine you throw away. No blessings can attend the one who takes the food from hungry mouths to be destroyed by fire. When you would offer sacrifice unto our God, just take your gift of grain, or meat and lay it on the table of the poor. From it an incense will arise to heaven, which will return to you with blessedness. Tear down your idols; they can hear you not; turn all your sacrificial altars into fuel for the flames. Make human hearts your altars, and burn your sacrifices with the fire of love.”9

More Commentary on the Aquarian Gospel:
• The Seven Pillars of Aquarian Christianity • The Silence and the Word 1. Introducing the Aquarian Gospel 2. Revelations in the Temple 3. Revelations in Egypt 4. The Two Selfs 5. Deliverance From Gods and Demons 6. About God the Tao 7. The Wisdom of Buddha  8. God and Prayer 9. The Mission of Jesus and John the Baptist 10. Sin and the Forgiveness of Sin 11. The Universal Law of Man’s Free Will and the Divine Will For Man 12. Understanding Death 13. The True Teacher 14. Vision of the Child Jesus 15. The Law Behind All Laws 16. Opening To The Truth 17. The Twelve-Step Ladder To Perfection 18. What is Truth? 19. What Is Man? 20. What is Power?	21. Understanding 22. Wisdom 23. Faith 24. Healing and Healers 25. The Destiny of All Men 26. God and Man 27. The Voice in the Heart 28. Seeing the Unseeable 29. To God Through Man 30. Who Is Jesus? 31. The Real Versus The Apparent 32. The Brotherhood of Life 33. God…and Man 34. Relating To God 35. The Worthy Host 36. Come to the Light 37. The Kingdom Revealed 38. The King Revealed 39. Perspective On Death 40. Fire and Sword 41. Evolution: The Path of Glory 42. The Real Heaven
Text of The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ by Levi H. Dowling • Sections I and II –Birth and Early Life of Mary, Mother of Jesus, and Birth and Infancy of the Harbinger, and of Jesus • Section III–Education of Mary and Elizabeth • Sections IV and V–Childhood and Early Education of John the Harbinger, and Childhood and Early Education of Jesus • Section VI–Life and Works of Jesus in India • Sections VII through X–Life and Works of Jesus in Western India, Tibet, Persia, Assyria, and Greece • Section XI–Life and Works of Jesus in Egypt • Sections XII and XIII–The Council of the Seven Sages; The Ministry of John the Harbinger • Sections XIV and XV–The Christine Ministry of Jesus–The First Annual Epoch • Section XVI–The Christine Ministry of Jesus–The Second Annual Epoch • Section XVII–The Christine Ministry of Jesus–The Third Annual Epoch • Sections XVIII and XIX–The Betrayal, Arrest, Trial, and Execution of Jesus • Sections XX through XXII–The Resurrection and Appearances of Jesus–Establishment of the Christine Church

2) Aquarian Gospel 9:19,20 [Go back]

3) Aquarian Gospel 32:20,21 [Go back]

4) John 14:9 [Go back]

5) “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40) [Go back]

6) “For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (I John 4:20) [Go back]

7) “The most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?” (Acts 7:48-50) [Go back]

8) I John 4:12 [Go back]

9) Aquarian Gospel 26:16-22 [Go back]