METAPHYSICAL INTERPRETATION: THE HIGHER “BIN”

I really enjoyed teaching the recent class on Metaphysical Interpretation at Unity in the Seven Hills.

Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, cofounders of the Unity movement, often suggested that we look at key parts of the Bible metaphysically and not literally. This way of exploring the Bible and other sacred scriptures was also undertaken by Eric Butterworth, and many great unity teachers who followed the Fillmores.

The key insight of metaphysical interpretation is to ask ourselves the following question: What is the important spiritual principle, or truth, being conveyed by this part of sacred scripture?

In fact, Jesus so often told parables that did not literally take place. I remember bursting the bubble of several friends, who are evangelical Christians, when I pointed out that the parables of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan where fictional tales, and not nonfiction reporting, by our Way Shower.

The great Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, and the legendary American teacher of mythology, Joseph Campbell, also advocated and practiced metaphysical interpretation. In the Unity in the Seven Hills class, we first concentrated on several Old and New Testament biblical passages, such as Joseph meeting his brothers in ancient Egypt (Genesis 50), and Jesus and the fig tree (Mark 11).

But in the class we also branched out from the Judeo-Christian biblical tradition to look at Islam and the Quran. We spent time on doing a metaphysical interpretation of Mohammed’s night ride— on a winged creature— through the Seven Heavens. Ari Yahm then led us through some metaphysical interpretations of the Hindu Upanishads.

But it was really the last class that I loved the best. I had told the class that while it was important to do metaphysical interpretation of sacred scriptures, this type of understanding can be applied to contemporary films, books, TV shows, comic books, skywriting, pop songs over the radio, random comments made to us by people, etc.

I said that I believe it is very important not to limit how Spirit may want to communicate with us. This may happen through a verse in a leather-bound Bible. But it could also happen when reading a quotation on the side of an herbal tea box.

So for the last class I asked folks to pick some contemporary source to undertake metaphysical interpretation. The dishes served up by this homework assignment were so rich and nourishing. For example, one person did a wonderful metaphysical interpretation of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Another person looked at a very interesting French film. Meanwhile, another individual had an interesting take on the new Barbie movie.

One key important point of metaphysical interpretation should not be lost. When doing metaphysical interpretation, there is no one “right and correct” answer! For example, you might write a very interesting and relevant metaphysical interpretation of the Prodigal Son when you are in your 20s. But when you are in your 50s or older you may see things in this parable that you did not notice when you were younger. Different verses may speak very differently to you at different times in your life.

Also, it is fascinating to hear other people’s metaphysical interpretations of the same words/stories/scenes/etc. Their different insights can really have a powerful impact on you. It can raise thoughts and feelings that you did not have before. It can also open new doors in roads for you.

During the PBS series The Power of Myth, Bill Moyers asked Joseph Campbell the following question: “If myths are so important to the human psyche, then how come we aren’t seeing new myths created in the contemporary world?”

Joseph Campbell took a deep breath and responded, “Oh, but we are seeing so many myths being created the modern world.” Campbell pointed to George Lucas and the STAR WARS SERIES of films.

I thought of this Moyers-Campbell dialogue during the last metaphysical interpretation class, and this particularly came up in my mind when one person started to talk about the Avatar movies. They take place on a planet far away from Earth. The resources and environment on the Earth have been depleted, and humans have come to this planet to get badly needed resources.

However, the native peoples on this planet – – avatars— do not want to see their homelands exploited. The avatars are taller than humans and have a blue skin color. In the first movie, they have tamed winged creatures— that are as fantastic as Muhammad’s winged creature. I would love to fly with one of these avatars on a winged creature, and it would be better than even riding a motorcycle.

In the second Avatar movie, the resource that humans want is in the oceans of this planet, and the avatars can ride seahorse like creatures and breathe underwater. Needless to say, I would love to ride these seahorses and live in the avatars’ seaside communities.

The dictionary definition of an avatar is: the incarnation of the deity; the representation of a principle, idea, or concept; or an electronic image that represents something and can be manipulated by a computer.

Ginger Rue

After the class was finished I came across a post by Ginger Rue, whose writings are often in such magazines as Seventeen, Family Circle, Guideposts, etc. She was writing about the trend in social media to create avatars (I.e. “computer artwork to represent what a person looks like.”)

“Many have joked that the avatars represent not so much what people actually look like as what they wish they actually looked like. At first, it amused me that anyone would take so much time on such a trivial pursuit, but I suppose it’s not entirely different from what I do anytime I get ready to go somewhere,” Ginger comments.

“All this attention to avatars makes me remember that our physical bodies are not who we really are. I know that when my physical body parishes, my soul will live on, so I want to spend a little more time cultivating” what is behind the avatar, she notes.

“Nothing wrong with a cute avatar, but after all, it’s just an avatar,” Ginger adds. I guess that for me all this reminds me that we are more than our physical bodies, the Bible is more than some literal non-fiction reporting, and that behind an avatar is something real and of metaphysical beauty—- if we take the time to look for it.

This story might be totally apocryphal, but I love it. Some report that in the great ancient library in Alexandria, there was a bin where scrolls about a physical world were placed. However, there was another bin on top of the physical world bin where scrolls about ideas, speculations, imaginings, and macro concepts were placed. This second – – or higher bin— was called the “Metaphysical” bin  (I.e., “the higher or on top” bin).