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Epiphany
the MetaWay
by Susan von Reichenbach
Epiphany is marked in the Christian calendar as January 6th. It is the “reported date” on
which the Wise Men arrived at the humble stable where Jesus was born, being led by a
transcendent Light (a “Star” from above), and it is celebrated as an experience of
revelation, of reverence and gratitude. The “wisdom” to uncover the Christ within us is
already in each of us – in the humble “stable” of our consciousness. But, like the Wise Men
in the story, we must be alert to forces that would deceive us, misinform us, attempt to
misuse us, and then try to destroy our purpose, as Herod attempted to do, misusing the
journey of the “wise men” to find the Christ child to serve his own nefarious purpose.
“Herodian thought,” from the Meta perspective, is a metaphor for rivalry/rivalrous thinking,
and is based on the “Four Galloping Horsemen of Metapsychiatry.” (In Meta work: “We live
in a mental Universe.”) “Herodian” thought is that thought-energy that would slay the
“Christ” idea in us – and in others. Thus, the story that involves King Herod’s trickery,
pretending one thing and intending another, is an archetypal story that reveals the anti-
Christ-at-work. (See MT 2:7-23.) However, being divinely guided, the Three Wise Men in
the metaphor were able to circumvent King Herod’s deceitful plans, and were led to choose
another direction, thus protecting the emerging Christ from destruction and possible
annihilation. Take note: there is always a “way” beyond the machinations of Herodian
thought.
It is envy that initially stimulates rivalry; if envy is unchecked, it can and probably will
escalate to jealousy, and, if jealousy is unchecked, it will most likely progress to rivalry, a
very dangerous and destructive energy, that can culminate in malice, harmful to our health
and well-being and very hurtful to others. Herodian thought, or rivalry, revolve around
issues of who’s in control, and who has the power in a “relationship,” whose ideas or ways
or perspective is better, who is smarter, cleverer, or “right” or “wrong,” who has more talent
or potential or understanding, or even who is more enlightened; rivalry centers around who
is better liked, or more successful, who’s “on top,” and, ultimately, this “devil” rivalry is
interested in “winning,” in being right, and in outshining the rival in whatever place of
competition it values as its “good,” at any cost. It competes often unconsciously, and is
interested in the annihilation of what the perceived enemy offers or demonstrates, even to
the act of murder, as it was planned in secret by Herod. Its dynamic is “deadly,” and that’s
why the presence of envy must be checked in all of us before it “gallops” into dangerous
terrain and becomes a pattern of thought of which we are unaware.
Meta teaches us that “Every individual is at a unique point of evolution.” We are all
potentially “other Christs,” and must see the possibility of that perfection in one another.
We do not have to engage or interact with those who are dwelling in destructive ideas, but
we do have to have compassion for them and serve only Truth as It directs us toward a
path out, as It did the Wise Men.
Rivalry exists in families and marriages, in the workplace, among “good” friends, in all
religious communities and well-meaning institutions, and flits around between spiritual
teachings; it is, as Dr. Hora said, “ubiquitous,” and he warned us to be alert to the presence
of envy and jealousy in ourselves and to expunge it as quickly as possible, before it
becomes rivalry. Rivalry is rampant locally and globally – it is the basis of wars and
terrorism, and so-called “natural” calamities, which are the highly charged hostile and
violent thoughts of malice, taking visible form in the world. Rivalry exists in the social
situations of well-educated people and nice neighbors, where “murder” is, of course,
unacceptable; and, in that framework, it can take the form of not acknowledging a rival’s
talents or abilities, or slandering a rival through harmful gossip, denigrating or hiding
another’s contributions or just plain ignoring them, thereby, “annihilating” them and any
good that might be expressed by them. It does not offer sincere appreciation, and can
cause another to wither, which is sad if one doesn’t understand the way out through the
Christ-consciousness. So, we need to know how “Herodian thinking” operates in order to
know how to militate against it – in ourselves and others. Dr. Hora has said that
“Understanding, realizing and cherishing spiritual qualities heals the hidden Herod in us.”
The Epiphany refers to the experience when the star from above lit the way for the Wise
Men through the darkness to find the place where they could realize the Christ, the Light of
the world. Dr. Hora expands the understanding beyond this story to see an “epiphany” as
a moment of divine revelation when a transcendent “light” from above breaks into our
consciousness through the darkness of our human experience and bestows on us a divine
gift, a spiritual truth, an insight that is “enlightening” or transforming. A receptive
consciousness can make that journey to the discovery of the Christ child within, and it can
realize the “treasures” beyond those that the “Three Wise Men” bore – of gold,
frankincense and myrrh – in order to know the invisible treasures of spiritual blessedness:
harmony, joy, beauty, fearlessness, inspiration, creativity, peace, assurance, gratitude, and
LOVE, and to observe them take visible form as blessings in our lives.
May the “new” year bless you with epiphanies that might lead to an “Aha!” moment, or to
receiving one of the invisible “treasures” of the Magi, or to a grateful heart just for the gift of
simply being able to see more and more of the truth-of-our-being as an “other Christ.”
Epiphany is marked in the Christian calendar as January 6th. It is the “reported date” on
which the Wise Men arrived at the humble stable where Jesus was born, being led by a
transcendent Light (a “Star” from above), and it is celebrated as an experience of
revelation, of reverence and gratitude. The “wisdom” to uncover the Christ within us is
already in each of us – in the humble “stable” of our consciousness. But, like the Wise Men
in the story, we must be alert to forces that would deceive us, misinform us, attempt to
misuse us, and then try to destroy our purpose, as Herod attempted to do, misusing the
journey of the “wise men” to find the Christ child to serve his own nefarious purpose.
“Herodian thought,” from the Meta perspective, is a metaphor for rivalry/rivalrous thinking,
and is based on the “Four Galloping Horsemen of Metapsychiatry.” (In Meta work: “We live
in a mental Universe.”) “Herodian” thought is that thought-energy that would slay the
“Christ” idea in us – and in others. Thus, the story that involves King Herod’s trickery,
pretending one thing and intending another, is an archetypal story that reveals the anti-
Christ-at-work. (See MT 2:7-23.) However, being divinely guided, the Three Wise Men in
the metaphor were able to circumvent King Herod’s deceitful plans, and were led to choose
another direction, thus protecting the emerging Christ from destruction and possible
annihilation. Take note: there is always a “way” beyond the machinations of Herodian
thought.
It is envy that initially stimulates rivalry; if envy is unchecked, it can and probably will
escalate to jealousy, and, if jealousy is unchecked, it will most likely progress to rivalry, a
very dangerous and destructive energy, that can culminate in malice, harmful to our health
and well-being and very hurtful to others. Herodian thought, or rivalry, revolve around
issues of who’s in control, and who has the power in a “relationship,” whose ideas or ways
or perspective is better, who is smarter, cleverer, or “right” or “wrong,” who has more talent
or potential or understanding, or even who is more enlightened; rivalry centers around who
is better liked, or more successful, who’s “on top,” and, ultimately, this “devil” rivalry is
interested in “winning,” in being right, and in outshining the rival in whatever place of
competition it values as its “good,” at any cost. It competes often unconsciously, and is
interested in the annihilation of what the perceived enemy offers or demonstrates, even to
the act of murder, as it was planned in secret by Herod. Its dynamic is “deadly,” and that’s
why the presence of envy must be checked in all of us before it “gallops” into dangerous
terrain and becomes a pattern of thought of which we are unaware.
Meta teaches us that “Every individual is at a unique point of evolution.” We are all
potentially “other Christs,” and must see the possibility of that perfection in one another.
We do not have to engage or interact with those who are dwelling in destructive ideas, but
we do have to have compassion for them and serve only Truth as It directs us toward a
path out, as It did the Wise Men.
Rivalry exists in families and marriages, in the workplace, among “good” friends, in all
religious communities and well-meaning institutions, and flits around between spiritual
teachings; it is, as Dr. Hora said, “ubiquitous,” and he warned us to be alert to the presence
of envy and jealousy in ourselves and to expunge it as quickly as possible, before it
becomes rivalry. Rivalry is rampant locally and globally – it is the basis of wars and
terrorism, and so-called “natural” calamities, which are the highly charged hostile and
violent thoughts of malice, taking visible form in the world. Rivalry exists in the social
situations of well-educated people and nice neighbors, where “murder” is, of course,
unacceptable; and, in that framework, it can take the form of not acknowledging a rival’s
talents or abilities, or slandering a rival through harmful gossip, denigrating or hiding
another’s contributions or just plain ignoring them, thereby, “annihilating” them and any
good that might be expressed by them. It does not offer sincere appreciation, and can
cause another to wither, which is sad if one doesn’t understand the way out through the
Christ-consciousness. So, we need to know how “Herodian thinking” operates in order to
know how to militate against it – in ourselves and others. Dr. Hora has said that
“Understanding, realizing and cherishing spiritual qualities heals the hidden Herod in us.”
The Epiphany refers to the experience when the star from above lit the way for the Wise
Men through the darkness to find the place where they could realize the Christ, the Light of
the world. Dr. Hora expands the understanding beyond this story to see an “epiphany” as
a moment of divine revelation when a transcendent “light” from above breaks into our
consciousness through the darkness of our human experience and bestows on us a divine
gift, a spiritual truth, an insight that is “enlightening” or transforming. A receptive
consciousness can make that journey to the discovery of the Christ child within, and it can
realize the “treasures” beyond those that the “Three Wise Men” bore – of gold,
frankincense and myrrh – in order to know the invisible treasures of spiritual blessedness:
harmony, joy, beauty, fearlessness, inspiration, creativity, peace, assurance, gratitude, and
LOVE, and to observe them take visible form as blessings in our lives.
May the “new” year bless you with epiphanies that might lead to an “Aha!” moment, or to
receiving one of the invisible “treasures” of the Magi, or to a grateful heart just for the gift of
simply being able to see more and more of the truth-of-our-being as an “other Christ.”