I am the way

By Antonio Figueroa

Born in Mexico in 1925.

In 1943, I joined a metaphysical study group in Mexico City.

I was a member until 1949. In 1949, I immigrated to

the United States. I have had several careers, all quite successful. 1949-1953, a farm worker (ranch foreman after nine months)

1953 -1963, a glazier (constructio

• Language: English
• Publisher: Global Summit House
• Release date: Nov 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781957054179

Book preview

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I am the way

A Symbolic Interpretation of the Life and Works of Jesus

Antonio Figueroa

Copyright © 2021 by Antonio Figueroa

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ISBN:978-1-957054-18-6(Paperback Edition)

ISBN:978-1-957054-19-3(Hardcover Edition)

ISBN:978-1-957054-17-9(E-book Edition)

Book Ordering Information

Phone Number: 315 288-7939 ext. 1000 or 347-901-4920

Email: [e-mail]

Global Summit House

www.globalsummithouse.com

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Introduction

In The Beginning1

The Immaculate Conception,Birth Early

Childhood of Jesus24

The Immaculate Conception26

Birth33

Early Childhood44

The Gospel of John46

The Ministry69

The Lord’s Prayer90

Faith102

The Sermon on the Mount(The Beatitudes)106

Holy Week117

Sunday - Wednesday117

Thursday124

The Last Supper126

Friday139

Resurrection146

Ascension164

Pentecost173

Reincarnation179

Out of Body Experience199

Near Death Experience213

Assumption222

Sayings232

The Kingdom of Heaven235

Action and Reaction240

The I Am Consciousness247

Bibliography259

Introduction

Much has been written about Jesus, His life and works. So, why am I writing this? Well, let me tell you. Without intending this to be another of many stories, this writing is an intent to interpret the symbolic meaning of His life, works and sayings.

Some of the writings reviewed are from those said to have known Him. Others are from those who wrote what was being said. Others, still, are from those who simply copied what was written and presented the writing as their own. Though much of what was written may be considered hearsay, a reasonable conclusion can be reached if a careful analysis is made of what is available.

Early writers wrote in different styles and in different languages. All expressed their thoughts as they understood what they heard and or saw happen. Some writings were copied or translated. Copying and translating presented a particular, problem. Copying had to be made by hand, letter by letter and word by word. Translation had to be done by those who knew the languages. A further problem posed was that there were no copiers who were also translators.

Additional problems resulted from a lack of knowledge, negligence of the translators/copiers, and, what was worse, an intent to correct what was said or written. Researchers tell us that many of the original writings, and early copies, were lost. This means that what we have today may be totally different from what the originals were. Notwithstanding, this writing will deal with the writings we have today.

Eusebius, an early writer, says that as Constantine was preparing for battle, he saw a sign in the sky (clouds?) and heard a voice that said, with this sign you shall conquer. Thinking that the sign he saw was a cross, Constantine had the sign of a cross painted on the shields his army carried. It is not clear if because of the sign painted on the shields or because of his superior army, Constantine won the battle he was fighting.

Several things happened as a result of his victory. One, he consolidated his power and became emperor. Two, though he had ordered freedom of religion within the empire, as emperor, he stopped the persecution of Christians. Three, he became a Christian. Four, he directed that Christianity be the official religion of Rome.

When the apostles went to teach the new belief, each taught the belief according to how he had understood what had been taught. Because of the differences that existed, Constantine directed the bishops to meet, to centralize and define the Christian belief. The bishops met in what is known as the Council of Nicea. Nicea was a town in modern day Turkey.

Council members picked and chose what they liked or was convenient for their purpose and established that as the original belief. Books and writings that did not say what the selectors wanted, were edited, rewritten or disregarded. The compiled books became the canon (law) of what is known today as Christianity.

Many of the rejected books and writings still exist and can be reviewed today. In 1945, a collection of books known as the Nag Hammadi Library was found in a town in Upper Egypt. In 1947, The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in a cave near the Dead Sea. (From that happening, the name was given to both collections.)

The Nag Hammadi Library refers to subjects dealt with in the New Testament. The Dead Sea Scrolls relate to the Old Testament. While biblical scholars consider the books in the library gospels just as those written by the accepted writers, the established Christian Church does not consider them part of its dogma.

Bible scholars tell us that the translators, copiers and rewriters changed much of what was originally written. This is not to say that what they wrote is wrong or bad. It simply means that what we have today, generally accepted by everyone, could very well be something completely different from what was originally said or written.

The Bible is an incorporation of books that were written by different writers, at different times, at different places and in different languages. The Bible, as we know it today, is divided into two parts, The Old Testament and The New Testament. Judaism follows The Old Testament exclusively. Christianity follows what is said in the Old Testament along with what The New Testament says.

Bible students read and accept words as if the words themselves were the truth. They forget that words express ideas and that in-order to understand what the words express, it is necessary to understand the hidden idea behind the word. They read the writings and forget what St. Paul said, and what it means, when he said, The letter killeth, the spirit liveth.

An interpretation of this means, that if you take a word literally, you may miss the idea (spirit) behind the word, and be led to something totally different. In-order to understand what is said, you must go beyond the literal meaning of the word. As the saying says, You must read between the lines.

A concern present in any translation is that languages have words that, in their language, have more than one meaning. For example, the word beginning, in the beginning of Genesis, is one such word. This writing will give a reasonable interpretation of what may have been originally intended by that, and other words.

Those who believe that the Bible is the word of God, try to justify it by saying that what was written came as an inspiration from God directly to the writer. As true as that may be, they forget, or choose not to recognize, the many copies, translations, and revisions those writings have gone through. Currently, there are many versions of The Bible, most of them different, in one respect or another. That being so, one could ask which of the versions is the true word of God?

Another question one could ask is, if there are so many differing versions, (all coming from God), are they all correct? Asking myself these questions is the reason why I chose to see the words as symbols and not as dogmatic truths.

God speaks to us in many ways and through different channels. Writers who wrote what is supposed to have been inspired by God, wrote at a level, (dimension), much higher than the everyday life dimension we live in. It should not be said that rewriters who came later were, in any way, attempting to deceive their followers by writing what was not true.

To properly understand what was written, the reader must go to the level of the writer and, there, be humbly willing to understand what was intended when written. If the reader is not at the level of the writer, the words will be nothing but misunderstood ideas at the level of the reader. The only way to find and understand the meaning of what was written is to elevate one’s self to the level of the original writer. There, the reader will find the light that lights every man that comes into this world. (John 1: 9)

The Bible, as a whole, is the story of MAN (mankind). Places and happenings represent different states of mind MAN can go through, not all by an individual, but states of mind mankind may experience in its way to a higher consciousness.

If you read the Bible intending to understand it literally, you will find that what is written is full of discrepancies and unreasonable statements. Some of the unreasonable statements will be pointed out, not to criticize or correct, but to merely point out and obtain, from them, a symbolic meaning of the subject dealt with.

Those in charge of teaching and clarifying the message have obscured and made it more difficult to understand. Instead of teaching how simple truth is, they cover it with gilded tapestries of complicated rituals. Gilded as they may be, they (the rituals) cover and prevent man from seeing how simple truth is. Many who teach the Christian belief do it more for their own convenience and personal satisfaction than for the understanding of the people.

Amado Nervo, a Mexican poet, says in one of his poems, La verdad va desnuda, mas morirá doncella, Truth goes naked, yet will die a virgin. Yes, people fail to see how simple the naked truth is.

You will note that in this writing, a distinction is made between Jesus and Christ. Never were they the same (Jesus Christ). Jesus is the man. Christ is the consciousness gained and expressed through the man. Jesus is the man who, after going through trials, sufferings, and teachings, attained the Consciousness of Christ.

A parallel to this is found in the following example; Elizabeth was not always queen. When crowned, she became Elizabeth, the Queen. In a like manner, Jesus was not always Christ. When, after his numerous tests, he attained the Christ Consciousness, He became Jesus, the Christ. Jesus made this distinction when he referred to himself as either the son of man or the son of God, (The Christ Consciousness).

St. Augustin says in one of his writings, Christ is not a patronymic (surname) that belongs to anyone. It is a state of consciousness to which we all can aspire. If more than one attains it, they would not be the Christs (many), but the Christ (one). He recognized that the Christ Consciousness is not only one, but that it can be obtained by all.

The Gospel of Phillip, from the Nag Hammadi Library (56: 1 - 15), says: Jesus is a hidden name, Christ is a revealed name. Jesus is not particular to any language: rather he is always called by the name Jesus. In Syriac, Christ is Messiah. In Greek, it is Christ. Jesus is the name of the man. The Christ Consciousness is obtainable by anyone in any language. Those who obtain it will have everything onto themselves, including the union with the Father.

People worship the figure of Jesus, the man, and ignore the Christ spirit that was expressed through the man.

The New Testament, dedicated to the life of Jesus, will be viewed as a symbol and not as a historical account of His life. Many of the inconsistencies come from the fact that few reports were actually written during his lifetime. He may have been news because of what He taught and did, but the reporters of the time did not feel his life worthy of reporting, or perhaps, did not want to antagonize the powers that existed. After all, he was a renegade.

Few of the writers of the records we have today actually knew him. Of the four basic writers, Mark and John’s writings are considered among the first. Matthew and Luke did not know Jesus. They wrote of what they heard and often copied what others had written.

Because their writings were not well known, their writings were rewritten and extended according to the wishes of the Council of Nicea. This means that what is credited to Matthew and Luke was probably not written by either. Those writings, and others, wherever they come from, will be viewed and discussed in the sections that follow.

Rather than getting involved in the validity of the writings, and/or their translation, this exercise will focus on the lessons those writings present. The existing writings will be examined with regard to the symbol they contain and not to the literal interpretation of words.

The thrust of this book is to express a symbolic interpretation of the facts that surround the life of Jesus, from before his birth, to his resurrection and ascension. It is an appreciation of the lessons that He, as Master, left.

As the idea MAN comes and goes, it further develops the idea of mankind as it was planned in the beginning. The chapter on Reincarnation will cover this point. Most important is knowing and understanding that thing called death. Death entered mankind through Adam. At the other end of the scale, through His resurrection, Jesus taught the idea that death can be conquered. The chapters on Out of Body Experiences (OBE) and Near Death Experiences (NDE) will deal with that subject.

The generally recognized Gospel writers wrote stories around what Jesus said as parables. On the other hand, The Book of Thomas, in the Nag Hammadi Library, does not go into story telling. It deals directly with what He said. The chapter on the Sayings is an interpretation of what the Master taught in those sayings.

A point of clarification, you will find the words MAN, and man throughout the book. MAN refers to humanity as a whole. Though man is used in some cases, it does not necessarily refer to the male sector only. Women are part of humanity. As such, women are included in both terms.

Though several versions of the Bible were reviewed, the King James Version was relied upon more often. Not because it is the best, but because it has been the most commonly accepted version.

Before getting to the life and works of Jesus, much of what happened prior to His coming to earth will also be considered.

May you find what you are looking for.

1

In The Beginning

The Judeo/Christian belief follows what is said in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. It opens by saying that in the beginning, certain things happened as a result of an order by God that those things happen, i.. e., Lt there be light. Let there be a firmament, etc. Everything is fine, except that those things could not have happened the way the Bible says they happened in the beginning. Why not? Because things happened in a natural evolutionary way, not how the Bible says. Another reason? It is all a fabrication, a mistranslation and/or a misinterpretation of the symbol behind the words.

To understand what was originally meant, the reader must know that words used then might have a different meaning than the words commonly used today. He must also learn to see the words as having a symbolic meaning instead of giving them a literal translation to what is generally understood, today.

According to Genesis, the first things God created were heaven and earth. Just like that? Impossible! Why? It is not natural or reasonable for heaven and earth, (as commonly understood), to have appeared before anything else. To help explain this, let’s look into what science tells us about the composition of the universe.

Astronomy says that the universe is formed by billions of galaxies, many, much older and larger than our Milky Way Galaxy. Science also says that the Milky Way Galaxy is formed by something more than a 100 billion star system.

The Zodiac is considered the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The sun, along with its cortege of planets, is an arrangement that revolves around the Zodiac. Earth is a planet within the solar system, all following a natural way of evolution. With these facts in mind, is it reasonable to think that Earth was created first, to be suspended out there, somewhere, by itself, in the middle of nothing? No!

Science says that there are billions of Galaxies, and within those galaxies, billions of star systems. Making a comparison, it says that in relation to the universal system, Earth can be considered like a grain of sand, in all the beaches of the world. Think deeply about what this means and reason it for yourself. Can a grain of sand exist before the beach is established? Before all the beaches in the world? To be out there, somewhere, by itself, without a beach? Impossible!

Astronomy further says that the sun, along with its planets, travels around the Milky Way Galaxy, like the earth travels around the sun. The sun’s trip is divided into twelve parts. Each is given a name, depending on where the sun is in relation to the different constellations the sun goes through, i.e., Gemini, Taurus, Aries, Pisces, etc. Where it takes the earth approximately thirty days to go from month to month, astronomers say that it takes the sun something more than 2500 years to go through each of the zodiacal signs.

The period it takes the sun to go from one sign to the next is known as an age, a dispensation, or an era. As the sun travels from one sign to the next, it falls slightly behind in its travel. That is, it does not make it through to the next sign in the 2500 years allotted for each age. This makes it appear as if the sun were moving through the signs in a reverse order. That is, it seems to be going backwards. Astronomers call the backwards travel The Precession of the Equinoxes.

The only importance the sun’s movement through the Zodiacal signs has for this writing is to point out that for each age there has been a messenger that has influenced mankind’s belief and way of life.

At this point, it would be interesting to note what others say that, in one way or another, might affect what Genesis says.

Theosophists talks about five root races. Lemuria and Atlantis are the third and fourth races. Each race developed and took its progress to the next. We are now in the fifth.

Plato says, in his dialogues of Tamaeus and Critias, that Atlantis was a land beyond the Pillars of Hercules, (the Strait of Gibraltar). How far? he didn’t say. All he said was that Atlantis was a land that existed and that it was beyond the Pillars.

Augustus Le Plongeon, in his book, Maya/Atlantis: Queen Móo and the Egyptian Sphinx, says that upon the disappearance of the Island, the Atlanteans went to Yucatán, to the Middle East, to India, and the Far East. Further, that the Atlanteans mixed their civilization, language and culture with the existing people in the different areas.

Edgar Casey says that Atlantis was somewhere near the West Indies. Haiti is part of an island in the Caribbean, not far from the peninsula of Yucatán.

Antonio Médiz Bólio says in his book, La Tierra del Faisán y del Venado, (The Land of the Pheasant and the Deer) that in Maya, the word Mayaab comes from two Maya words, ma, not, and yaab, many. He also says that those not many came from Haiti. Haiti, in Maya, means what was left. Reading between the lines, it is easy to surmise that those few who came from what was left, must have been a few who came from what was left of Atlantis.

Le Plongeon, Casey, and most writers writing about Atlantis say that Atlantis disappeared more than 11,500 years ago.

Le Plongeon further states that the Atlanteans, who were great navigators, took their knowledge and beliefs to Southeast Asia, India, Egypt and Asia Minor. This could explain the similarity in the architecture, (pyramids), culture, languages, myths and religious beliefs found in the different places.

Though astronomers and astrologist may not agree as to when the ages begin or end, by using simple mathematics and applying it to the zodiacal ages, one can infer that 11,500 years ago must have been the age of Leo, the lion. Leo, a fire sign, is traditionally represented by the sun. During that time, the sun was considered and worshiped as the god of the civilizations that existed then. In Egypt, 11,500 years ago, Ra was the solar deity.

Another branch of science says that the end of the ice age occurred about that time. This could explain how the fire of the sun, bearing down on earth, caused the ice to melt, raise the water level that caused the floods talked about in many sources..

Maya legends, written in the Troano Manuscript, say that besides water rising, there were many volcanoes erupting. This could lead the student to the conclusion that the rising of the water, plus the eruption of the volcanoes caused the sinking of Atlantis. (Could this be the end of the age talked about?)

Other than a belief in the sun as god, there is no messenger for this period.

Genesis, the first book in the Bible, supposedly written by Moses, is not only considered a narration of the beginning of the creation in general, it is also considered a historical account of the Hebrew people. Among other things, it says that, before leaving Egypt, the Hebrews spent several centuries as slaves in Egypt. Egypt and its culture, is said to be more than 10,000 years old.

Moses, though of Hebrew descent, was raised as an Egyptian prince. As an Egyptian prince, he was educated in the culture and beliefs of the Egyptians. His Egyptian upbringing could account for the similarity in the biblical stories that relate to Egypt and the cultural myths of other civilizations.

Genesis is said to have been written about 6,000, BCE. 6000, BCE, places Genesis during the age of Taurus, the bull (an earth sign). During that period, the sun, along with Apis, (the bull), were considered sacred symbols in Egypt. Like a bull, tied to earth, man did little more than work from sun up to sun down (you will earn your bread with the sweat of your brow).

Disregarding the natural evolution of mankind, through the ages, Genesis says that Adam was the first man created. Accordingly, Adam represents the messenger for the age of Taurus. (More about Adam and what he symbolizes will be discussed later.)

Twenty-one hundred years later, the sun entered the sign of Aries, the ram (a fire sign). The figure of a ram was held to be godlike. Burning sheep and crops, was the sacrifice people made to God. Men became shepherds during that period. Abraham, the leader of his time, is said to have lived during that age.

Among the stories that refer to where Abraham came from, one says that he came from India. One of India’s gods is Brahma, from there, his name: A brahm, (one who believes in Brahma). As a Hindu belief, Abraham’s belief was in one god. The Old Testament marks Abraham’s time as the beginning of the Hebrew people and their belief in one god, the god of Abraham, (A Braham).

Appropriately, Abraham is considered the messenger for the age of Aries.

Pisces, the fish (a water sign), is the next age. Under Pisces, men took to the water and became fishermen. Everything related to that age is represented by something having to do with water and/or fishes. Men built boats for fishing and to travel away from the land. However, like fishes, men were limited by the body of water that surrounded them.

During the latter part of the age (the twentieth century), men built great ships with which they seemed to dominate the oceans. Though big, fast and powerful, men were, and still are, held to the whims of the water.

Jesus is said to have been born in the beginning of that period. As such, He is the messenger for the age of Pisces.

We are now at the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the water bearer (an air sign). The symbol for this age is depicted by a man carrying a water jug on his shoulder, or by a man pictured pouring water from a jug. In either case, it shows a man controlling the water he carries.

Esoterically, water represents the mind. The message for this age is that through a higher consciousness, and the control of the mind, whoever is able to control his mind and attains a higher level of consciousness, he/she will become a messenger for the new age. As man learns to control his mind and attains a higher level of consciousness, he realizes the symbol of the age. That is, he becomes a water bearer.

The Bible describes many instances in which water has something to do with the passage. Wherever water is mentioned, the symbolic application should be of something having to do with the mind.

Applying the symbol, quiet water means a peaceful mind; rushing water, an active mind; strong water, like the sea or ocean, a strong mind in action. Muddy, or dirty water, represents a dirty mind, not in what, today, we call a dirty mind, but, rather, in terms of thinking in a negative way. The amount and kind of water man carries in his jug reflects the extent to which he controls his mind.

While in Taurus, MAN was tied to the land. During Aries, man learned to cultivate and roam throughout the land. Man left the land to venture onto the waters during the Piscean Age. Now, in the Age of Aquarius, free from the ties of land and water, man is somewhat free to travel through space. I say somewhat, because man’s present travel through space is in man-made machines. So long as man travels in man-made machines, he will be subject to the forces of earth.

When MAN learns how to use and apply the power of the mind, he will become free of earthly ties. In a nutshell,