IMAGINE Heaven as a State of Consciousness

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When Jesus talked about The Kingdom of Heaven he was describing

A state of being that we now understand as “nondual consciousness” or “unitive consciousness”

On 18 April 1975, John Lennon performed IMAGINE for the last time…

By Eileen Fleming

In Tuesday’s email the Subject: “The Kingdom of Heaven” from Franciscan friar Richard Rohr caught my attention as I scrolled through hundreds of emails.

What remained with me after reading Rohr was this excerpt:

Author Jim Marion’s wonderfully insightful and contemporary suggestion is that the Kingdom of Heaven is really a metaphor for a state of consciousness; it is not a place you go to, but a place you come from. [“Putting on the Mind of Christ: The Inner Work of Christian Spirituality”]

It is a whole new way of looking at the world, a transformed awareness that literally turns this world into a different place.

Marion suggests specifically that the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus’ way of describing a state we would nowadays call “nondual consciousness” or “unitive consciousness.”

The hallmark of this awareness is that it sees no separation—not between God and humans, not between humans and other humans.

These are indeed Jesus’ two core teachings, underlying everything he says and does…

Nondualism, also called non-duality, means “not two” or “one undivided without a second.”

“Nondual consciousness” is synonymous with “mysticism.”

Ancient Judaism and Christian mysticism share a deeply nondualistic mystical tradition.

Nondual consciousness is understood in a variety of Asian religious traditions and modern western spirituality; but with a variety of meanings and uses.

Duality is based on separation and runs on the power of “either/or.”

Duality is built into the structure of the human brain and is the operating system that makes sense of the world by dividing the field into subject and object, inside and outside.

A system based in duality will not perceive oneness nor appreciate the message of John Lennon’s IMAGINE.

On 18 April 1975, John Lennon sang IMAGINE for the last time in public at a Salute to “Master Showman” Sir Lew Grade at the Hilton in New York City.

John Lennon – singing Imagine for the last time on 18 April 1975:

Imagine there’s no heaven…Imagine all the people sharing all the world…A brotherhood and sisterhood of man. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope some day you’ll join us and the world will live as ONE…

John Lennon also said:

“The struggle is in the mind. We must bury our own monsters and stop condemning people. We are all Christ and Hitler. We want Christ to win. We’re trying to make Christ’s message contemporary. What would he have done if he had advertisements, records, films, TV and newspapers! Christ made miracles to tell his message. Well, the miracle today is communications, so let’s use it.”

For love of Christ and John Lennon, I conclude:

The more I learn, of less I am certain,
Except for the need to remain open to the Mystery we call God

Creator of unfathomable diversity, Artist of intricate details

Who crafted verdant mountains where fragile flowers dwell
Who designed the ocean depths where no human eyes have yet to read their deepest tales.

So it is with us: unknown realities within The Divine indwells;
Thirstily seeking us as we search hungrily for what we desire to possess:
Peace of mind and life to the full.

So many voices in the world striving to convince, when all that really matters is the peace that can be within:

Begins with Detachment from outcome: just do your best.
When one lets go of the need to control and to self-defend
When one has a heart for the poor and oppressed
When one seeks and sees The Divine within all creatures and events
When one trusts The Holy is in control-although the daily news denies it
When one accepts The Other has a plan and desires to find it
When one comes to understand The Eternal Mystery is more than any concept
And welcomes the diversity of men rather than deny them.
When one accepts we will not stand on any accomplishment,
But on our motives and the love that drives it for evil and good cut through every human heart.
When we learn to make friends with silence: The Light is ever present to guide us.

Silent time in nature is as necessary as bread and Prayer becomes poetry when service is her manifestation.

To forgive is divine and necessary to be divinely forgiven:

And therein lies the peace that passes all understanding!

And every drop of dew are but tears from heaven,

Shed each day a new-for me and for you;

For what we did and did not do to help bring in The Kingdom:

And The Kingdom comes from above and it comes from within,