Be Ye Transformed

When viewed through metaphorical and metaphysical lens, the life of Jesus can serve as a guide, showing us what we may experience as we choose to awaken to the Christ of our being and release ourselves from the suffering of our human conditioning. I am not implying that to awaken we must have the same or even similar dramatic physical experiences, but many of the events portrayed in the Jesus narrative symbolize what we may experience in consciousness as we awaken to and embrace our true nature.

Certainly, we are not required to face a physical crucifixion or experience an actual bodily resurrection to awaken. However, Jesus’ experience does depict a process of death and rebirth that occurs in consciousness when we are willing and ready to truly release and let go of any remaining beliefs about ourselves that are not in alignment with our true nature. We must be willing to “die” to the false self that we have created or have allowed others to create for us, and be reborn as new creatures in our ‘Christed’ awareness.

Unity teaches that the crucifixion and resurrection are symbolic of the process that each of us must walk through to fully embody our Christ nature. Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore said, “The word crucifixion means the crossing out in consciousness of certain errors that have become fixed states of mind.”  Jesus’ physical crucifixion symbolizes the “crossing out” of worldly consciousness. Attachment to the things of the world must be allowed to die away for the Christ consciousness to be fully realized or resurrected. For transformation to occur, that which no longer serves must be allowed to fall away so that the new may be born. Something must die before something new can be resurrected, whether it is a belief, a habit or even a body, when the old is surrendered willingly, new life springs forth.

As Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone; the new is here! “(2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)  Paul is saying that when we stay focused on our divine nature, Christ, then we no longer give life to the false self; therefore, it dies, and we realize that there is only the Christ expressing as us.

This process is illustrated beautifully in nature as the caterpillar becomes a butterfly. The caterpillar spins a chrysalis and literally dissolves in it. It is no longer recognizable; the caterpillar dies to its former self. Then, through a process of regeneration, that which was once a furry worm crawling on the earth is transformed into a glorious butterfly flying above Earth. “The old has gone, the new is here!”

The caterpillar experiences the relinquishment of its former self inside the chrysalis, and once the transformation is complete, the butterfly emerges and shares its glorious beauty with the world. Similarly, Jesus through his crucifixion released all remaining attachment to his human condition, and after a time in the tomb, emerged to further model the process of transcendence and transformation. Our transcendence is similar.

When we are willing and ready to surrender every concept of self that we have believed to be true and focus our awareness on Christ, our divine nature, our consciousness is transformed. We are then able to recognize the divine being that we are and allow Christ to be revealed through us. We, like the butterfly, soar above our previously self-imposed limitations as our consciousness is changed and this transformed beauty is shared with the world.

Put another way, the caterpillar follows the Creative Impulse within that urges it to transform. Likewise, the Creative Impulse moves us toward the unfolding of our divine design. It gives itself to us, through us, as us, so that through our transformation it has expression and the world is redeemed. That transformation requires us to surrender all that we have believed we are, and embrace our true nature. In this way, we become new “creatures” in the awareness of Christ as our truth. We can gloriously exclaim, “The old has gone; the new is here!”  We can joyously affirm, “I am a new creature in Christ!”

Join us on Sunday for our 10:00 service as we celebrate Easter with a participatory process that will support you in your own willingness to release the old and be resurrected in a new awareness of yourself. Be ye transformed!