Twelve Gates to the City

The "Twelve" always are a symbolic expression of the multiplicity of the world, and in that sense the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem are the same as the Twelve signs of the zodiac, the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles. Together they symbolize all of us, as we see ourselves in a world of differences, and on the Journey home we will pass through the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem, to unite with Jesus as the one Son, thus Jesus is always the Thirteenth amongst the Twelve. In that sense, the path of forgiveness is the journey back home, in which, as we forgive and let go of our differences, we are passing through the gates of multiplicity, and we return to unity, there to join with Jesus.

In the last few days my friend Annelies Ekeler wrote a beautiful tribute to Ken Wapnick, who died recently, based on a post on her blog (in Dutch) titled The Gate of Unbelief (De Poort van 'ongeloof' in Dutch). In her blog post she makes the point that the ego's obstacles--the obstacles to Peace, as the Course calls them--eventually all become open gates we can pass through if we just give our emotions to the Holy Spirit, which is the essence of forgiveness. This is always grounded in the realization that we are never upset at a fact or a thing, but at our interpretation of it, which is indicative that we have put the ego in the driver's seat (again), and now we can make another choice.

Perhaps it will be helpful to remember that no one can be angry at a fact. It is always an interpretation that gives rise to negative emotions, regardless of their seeming justification by what [appears] as facts. Regardless, too, of the intensity of the anger that is aroused. It may be merely slight irritation, perhaps too mild to be even clearly recognized. Or it may also take the form of intense rage, accompanied by thoughts of violence, fantasied or apparently acted out. It does not matter. All of these reactions are the same. They obscure the truth, and this can never be a matter of degree. Either truth is apparent, or it is not. It cannot be partially recognized. Who is unaware of truth must look upon illusions.   (ACIM:M-17.4)

And then it all came together, and I began listening to some of my favorite versions of "Twelve Gates to the City," here are some of them:

• by the Reverend Gary Davis, an old blues traditional
• by Pete Seeger, to document the transition in to folk
• by Bob Dylan, in a very recent performance
• by the Davis Sisters, a modern gospel version
• by Dave van Ronk, like Pete Seeger, but more bluesy 

And so it became an inspiring morning on this 13th of January, reflecting on the Twelve going back to One, who but seems like the Thirteenth, but was really the First to awaken, who is leading the Twelve back home through the gates of forgiveness.

Margot Krikhaar, "The Great Liberation," an Overview

As mentioned earlier, this book is Margot's more formal teaching of the Course, and it is meticulously put together in a way that aims both to explain the Course's sometimes arcane metaphysics, and also address and if possible prevent the many ways it is commonly misunderstood.

The book has just seven chapters, though some are more extensive than others... and the first few very carefully lay the ground work for the teaching. Chapter one sets up the basic parable of the nothingness of individuality in the form of one little wavelet in the ocean, which momentarily thinks it is reality. Chapter two deals with the purpose of this book, and addresses some of the more obvious ways in which the Course tends to be misconstrued.

If the book is taxiing on the runway in Chapters 1 and 2, in Chapter 3 it takes off, and Chapter 3 concludes with a series of channeled definitions of major Course terms, which can be very helpful indeed. They are also a sort of final wrap-up for the journey--the book has reached cruising altitude. For the rest, Chapter 3 carefully sorts out the usual confusion about what makes the Course a non-dualistic teaching, and why some other people end up calling the Course's non-dualism, dualism, as long as they are unaware of their own unexamined dualistic premises. All in all, Margot treats these issues in simple, straightforward language, which is a good refresher for anyone studying the Course, but which also means that the book could be an introduction for someone who did not know the Course before. Likewise, the issues around level confusion are clarified in very simple language. Thankfully, Margot says nothing original, she sticks to the Course. What makes the book unique is Margot's very personal and casual way of explaining things, which makes them very accessible, which is her intent exactly.

There are times when I find myself disagreeing with Margot, except it is somehow not material. For example, when she says that the Course is a "fairly recent" spiritual path, I disagree. To me the Course is the same thing Jesus taught then, and now, except it is worded in more modern language. Back two thousand years ago, he did not have the psychologies of Freud, and Rogers to fall back on, but the teaching is unchanged. I guess that boils down to just different ways of looking at it. The Course's form is obviously modern.

By Chapter 4 we hit paydirt, and Margot has a brilliant and clear explanation of the Course's mythology of the ego, and compares the fool's gold of the ego system to the thrills of the rides in an amusement park. Eventually they lose their charm, and we need to outgrow them. She uses very simple but evocative examples to explain the four splits in the mind by which we find ourselves in our human experience in this world. As a whole, Chapter 4 uses simple and straight forward examples and parables that convey the brilliance of the Course's understanding of the dynamics of the ego very concisely. This explanation includes a lucid treatment on the ego experience of linear time as a necessary expression of the mechanism of sin, guilt, and fear, and an equally lucid paraphrasing of the ego's dictum of "seek but do not find."

Chapters 5, 6 and 7 are the meat of the book, and present a very thorough treatment of the Course teachings by contrasting the thought system of the ego and the Holy Spirit and exploring the ways in which we keep ourselves confused between the two.

The book draws on the simple personal style of Margot's first book, Awakening in Love, but extends the material to a formal introduction to the Course, in line with the evolution of Margot's own teaching of the Course in her native Holland. It was not to be long, because Margot passed away within a few years after she started teaching, but this book is part of the permanent legacy she left behind, and it will be a welcome help to many Course students.