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Enjoy another wonderful text by Rev. Phil Smedsted, minister Emeritus of Oasis Rising Center

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Phil Smedstad's texts are one of the ways Oasis Rising Center supports members.

A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

Oasis Rising Center Spiritual Center
Oasis Rising Center 8125 West Sahara Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89125
(702) 804-8189
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“From Egypt to the Promised Land”                   By Rev. Phillip Smedstad

This lesson is based on a wonderful book I just read – Finding Yourself In Transition – by Robert Brumet, one of our faculty members at the Unity Institute (Unity’s ministerial school).

Robert uses the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land as a symbol of transition, even of transformation, in our lives today.  So last Sunday’s lesson was a (very brief) metaphysical interpretation of the book of Exodus.

For the Israelites, living in Egypt began as a solution.  It saved them from starvation when there was a drought in their homeland.  Then, the longer they stayed, the more enslaved they became.

In the story, the Israelites represent our awakening spirituality.  Egypt represents material success and the concept of material causes of happiness.  Pharaoh represents our “ruling ego state” as do all kings in the Jewish Bible (Old Testament).

G. I. Gurdjieff, the Russian mystic used to say that if we want to be successful in personal transformation, we first need to learn to handle survival – to experience at least a certain level of outer success.  So “Egypt” is a necessary stage in our spiritual evolution.

Egypt also represents “learning to protect ourselves.”  This is, of course, a necessary part of “handling survival.”  Then, at some point, we realize that it’s time to stop living defensively, because this way of life keeps us out of the Promised Land.

Robert, in his book, says that every transition has three stages:  First there is an ending.  Then we experience “the void.”  And finally there is a new beginning.

In the beginning of the transition, our mind (represented by Pharaoh) doesn’t want to let go of the old.  When that happens, we experience resistance, and resistance leads to pain.  Sooner or later, the spiritual path calls us all, and the more we resist it, the more painful our lives become.

In the story, this resistance and pain are represented by the plagues sent to Egypt.  If we continue to resist, we can even seem to lose our most precious creation, represented here by the final plague – the death of the first born of each household.  (It’s important to note that God doesn’t kill anyone, and certainly not children.  Spirit doesn’t love Egyptians any less than Israelites.)

In his book, Robert says, “Pain can show us where we may be resisting the breaking of the ‘old shell’ and inhibiting the emergence of the ‘larger reality,’ for indeed, most of our pain arises from resistance.”

At first, material success serves our awakening spirituality (just as it served the Israelites to move to Egypt), and it can continue to do so.  But if we begin to believe that our external success is the cause of our happiness, then our stuff begins to own us.

In the story, Moses represents our awakening sense of “God in us.”  First he had the experience in the wilderness of the “burning bush which will not be consumed.”  This is an Aramaic figure of speech.  It means, “a burning problem which won’t go away.”

For Moses, the problem was that he felt guided to go back to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the Promised Land.  When he asked his guidance, “Who shall I say sent me?” the answer he heard was, “I am that I am.  Tell them I AM has sent you.”

Part of our awakening sense of “God in us” is the realization of God as “the Law of Mind Action.”  This law says, “Whatever we say ‘I am” to becomes our experience.”  (I am prosperous, I am stupid, etc.)

Moses is the self of us beyond our ego mind.  He symbolizes the self which is connected to the Lord of our being.

In the story, the Israelites finally leave Egypt.  Of course, the first thing they come to is the Red Sea.  When we’re letting go of an old way of life, there is always a seeming barrier.

At that point, Spirit said to Moses, “Stand still (get quiet) and see what I will do for you today.”  And then also, “Stretch forth your rod, and the sea will part.”  Of course the sea didn’t part the way Cecil B. deMille portrayed it.  There was a shallow place called the Sea of Reeds, and that is where they crossed.

The next phase of transition is “the void.”  This is represented by the forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness.  All along the way, they were taken care of.  They had manna each morning and quail each evening.  They also had water when they needed it.  This became a huge trust process.  The manna would spoil by the next day if they tried to store what wasn’t eaten.

Then there is the incident of the “golden calf.”  Moses had gone up the mountain to receive the 10 Commandments.  He was gone a long time and people were afraid he was never coming back.  In their fear, they decided to manufacture their own “god” to worship.

In our lives today, the golden calf represents the thought we have when we are in the void, “Maybe I can go back to the old ways and worship material success as I used to do.”  Of course, once we have decided to live a spiritual life, we can never be satisfied with the former way we saw life.

In the story, no one who had lived in Egypt would make it to the Promised Land.  What this represents in us is that the next stage of life requires a whole new consciousness.  The old one won’t work anymore.

Finally, the Israelites get to the Promised Land.  Metaphysically, the Promised Land is “Life on the spiritual path.”

The promises of Spirit on this path include:

• “If you put Me first in your life, I will make sure all of your needs are met.”
• “If you put Me first in your life, you WILL do what you went to earth to do.”
• “If you put Me first in your life, your path will definitely lead you to Christ Consciousness.”
• “If you put Me first in your life, it will turn out that you have had the perfect family, the perfect body, and all the right circumstances to make all the strides you wanted to make in this lifetime.”

The Promised Land is the spiritual path.  It’s the most fun, fulfilling way I know to live life.  It really is “a land flowing with milk and honey” as it says in the Bible.

The spiritual path is a life of constant surrender to Spirit – always letting go and allowing Spirit to be in charge.  If you’re ready to live like this, welcome to the path.