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As Above So Below
2011, acrylic on canvas, 48' X 72' in.

As Above So Below: This mystical phrase has been with us for thousands of years, widely known throughout the esoteric, occult and magical circles, originating from ancient Hermetic texts. The was described in The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, in the words "That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing". Simply stating we are the microcosm within the macrocosm (universe), concerning all levels of our reality (physical, mental-emotional, spiritual), what happens on the sub-atomic structure, happens on every other. By the attempt to understand ourselves, we in turn start to understand the universe around us. Look within and feel your power, remember your power and become your own perfected version of power, of spirit, of God.

A painting of ancient astronomical, esoteric and occult symbology, wrapped around the magnificent figure of Christ himself. A personal journey with notable authors of influence, ranging from Deepak Chopra to Aleister Crowley.

Here we have Christ, possibly the most mysterious, misunderstood and controversial being of our time. One of our greatest teachers and spiritual guides our antiquity. As time passes on, as centuries add up, the real essence of Jesus has been long lost to religion, illusion, confusion and disconnection of spirit. Now two thousand years into the future, are we any closer to understanding his true essence than we were in the Middle Ages?

Symbolism:
Jesus is standing in one of his more traditional poses, with hand mudras of the right pointing up and the left hand pointing to his heart, representing the ‘As Above, So Below’ concept of a deep internal connection to your own spirit and the Universal spirit around us. And so, Jesus stands in all his glory, with an aura as strong as our own sun, expressing an intricate web of sacred geometry through divine creation. Everything including our fleshy bodies, down to our own sub-atomic molecules is made of cosmic stardust; the same ingredients as suns, galaxies and universes.

Starting on his right shoulder, a set of ancient symbols follow the outer edge his halo, completing a circle. These symbols represent ancient esoteric knowledge and a history long lost to antiquity. They start with the alchemic symbols of earth, fire, water, air and spirit. The alpha and omega (the Book of Revelation), om (Hindu mantra of Spirit), star of David (Jewish symbol of Judaism), the eye of horus (Egyptian symbol of protection), the ankh (Egyptian symbol of eternal life), the twelve sign of the zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces), flower of life (sacred geometry), unicursal hexagram (supernatural esoteric symbol of divine unity & protection), five point pentagram (magical associations), and the following symbols which run down to his left shoulder represent an ancient alphabet yet to be rediscovered. The symbols under his chin are the alchemic symbols for the planets (Sun, Mercury, Venus, Moon, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto).

To the right from his ear, the large symbol is called a small Stellated Dodecahedron made from a Decagon, a circle divided into ten equal sectors of thirty six degrees (with interconnections of all ten points), constructs a two-dimensional semblance of a three-dimensional small stellated dodecahedron. The next symbol up is a variation of the flower of life with an inter-twined Tetrahedron. In the center of the painting is a Star Tetrahedron (actually a tetrahedron and its dual tetrahedron. The vertex arrangement of the two tetrahedra is shared by a cube. The intersection of the two tetrahedra form an inner octahedron, which shares the same face-planes as the compound). The last large symbol to his left ear would be the Great Stellated Dodecahedron (Stellated Icosahedron made from a Decagon). A circle divided into ten equal sectors of thirty six degrees (with interconnections of all ten points), constructs a two-dimensional semblance of a three-dimensional great stellated dodecahedron (stellated Icosahedron).

Moving outwards from his halo, is a web of sacred geometry that includes many different coded variations of divinely created sub-atomic molecules. With the knowledge of these codes, the five specific shapes; you can go deeper into the exact meaning of life at its smallest level of creation. Your own magical creation is an expression of this Sacred Geometry in its purist and universal form, present in everything you see around you, especially that which is hidden from view. Created and continuously monitored by an organizing and evolving plan which manifests itself by being influenced by the Golden Mean Ratio (which is drawn over his right hand). This is in you and me and everything within creation. Galaxies, stars, black holes, suns, planets, us and the rest of creation is fundamentally linked together through geometry in the atomic and sub-atomic levels of genesis. To understand this, is to start to understand your own journey of truth, experience and understanding, manifesting as your own power and freedom.


from Third Jesus -- Deepak Chorpa -- Faith

The Jesus who speaks in the gospels seems obsessed by faith. He makes faith a condition for entering Heaven and escaping Hell. He heals the blind and the lame because they have faith. He declares that a mere speck of faith can work wonders. Moments of faith are among the most moving in the gospels:

Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and, seeing her, he said, “Take heart, daughter, your faith made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. (Matthew 9:20-22)

No other virtue is more important than love. Faith was the requirement of a new religion that wanted to bond its members together. To be a Christian, you had to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and that he rose from the dead.

This is a thorny problem, because enlightenment isn`t about faith. Nor is it about passing a loyalty test to prove that you are a devout follower. When Jesus tells someone whom he has just healed that their faith made the miracle possible, the implications is that God doesn`t send miracles to the unfaithful.

Yet beyond the West the element of faith is usually a small part of hands-on healing. It is peculiarly Christian to put faith at the very center of religious life.

Why is that a difficulty for us? Because every time Jesus declares that faith is needed to achieve miracles, he doesn`t focus on other spiritual techniques that could help a seeker on the path. In some ways faith is like a chimera, ever sought but never captured. Where is a specific, practical discipline akin to what Zen Buddhists or yogis are taught? The Church eventually devised spiritual disciplines of enormous rigor and complexity in the Middle Ages, but these weren`t specified by Jesus.

Practical spiritual matters are shoved aside in the name of faith as the key to miracles and acceptance into the Kingdom of Heaven. The way out of this dilemma is to see that Jesus could be referring to faith as experienced in a higher state of consciousness. In other words, it takes only a speck of faith to move mountains if you are in God consciousness, as Jesus was. Since he was attempting to raise his disciples to his own level, where miracles come naturally, I think this interpretation is correct. Before God-consciousness, faith is needed for many reasons; to keep you on the path, to keep you true to your vision, to confirm that God is on your side, and above all to give you the courage to step into the unknown. But in the end, when miracles dawn, faith in God becomes the same as faith in yourself.

Once we see Jesus as a teacher of enlightenment, faith changes its focus. You don`t need to have faith in the Messiah or his mission. Instead, you have faith in the vision of higher consciousness. There are many times when such faith is needed, sometimes desperately; being on the path is lonely at times. Your experiences belong only to you, and as they ebb and flow, sometimes bringing you close to the soul and sometimes pulling you away, you need to trust that the goal is real. Jesus helps a great deal here, because no one in history was more secure in the reality of God and Kingdom of Heaven to be found within ourselves.

"While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light." (John 12:36) --Deepak Chopra, from: The Third Jesus

photographer Craig