(1) Of late, I seem to be coming across a lot of info about the Christ energy and light. In your articles on the return of the masters, one quote stood out for me: Jesus only had one harbinger, but the Christ of the New Age is going to have several million harbingers. Did this mean one harbinger vs. the millions who would welcome Jesus now? Or does this mean that instead of one body, Jesus, the Christ light would be in millions?
(2) Does Ascension mean accepting the Christ in us all? Unification with God, completely?
(3) Will we all then be “Christ” or “Christed”? What are the characteristics of Christ consciousness? Total embodiment of blessings/virtues? Surrender to connection/oneness with God? Light quotient?
Let me walk through your questions one at a time. One of the difficulties in answering them is that terms like “Christed,” “Christ Consciousness,” and even “the Christ in all of us” are used differently by different sages or else interpreted differently by different religious spokespeople.
The problem is compounded by the fact that, if I were to ask another sage for a definitive answer, I might receive what amounts to another interpretation to add to what already exists. And since I haven’t experienced Christ consciousness myself, I have no firsthand knowledge to fall back on.
Keep in mind that Jesus himself told us during an Hour with an Angel interview that, when he said “I am the way,” etc., he was aligning with the Father, the All in all.
“When I have used the term ‘I am,’ I was aligning with All, with Source, with Father/Mother One. That is the alignment. And if you, Steve, or listeners, say, ‘I am the truth,’ then you have aligned with that, and you have become that.” (1)
First of all, the Christ is the soul, what Hindus call the Atman or Self. It’s a fragment of the Father. It’s one with the Father, while the Father is greater than it. It’s in the Father (who is everything) and the Father is in it (that is, in the human body, as the divine spark or soul in the heart).
Second, there are indeed levels of enlightenment but which one is Christ consciousness is not agreed upon by all sages so I don’t use the expression very much myself.
I’ve heard people describe the enlightenment that occurs when the kundalini reaches the fourth chakra as Christ consciousness; when it reaches the sixth chakra; and when it reaches the seventh chakra.
None of these levels of enlightenment corresponds to that which we attain upon being firmly anchored in the Fifth Dimension (see below for a discussion of it). That level sees the kundalini double back on the spiritual heart or hridayam and the heart open permanently. It’s a higher level of enlightenment than the others I’ve named. Shankara may be describing it here:
“[The Self] is realized within one’s own heart as existence, knowledge and bliss absolute. Realize this Atman within the shrine of your own heart.” (2)
I don’t know what the qualities associated with Christ consciousness are because I’ve never been able to nail down the level of enlightenment it is. For the same reason, I cannot say what light quotient “Christ consciousness” corresponds to.
The harbinger of Jesus was John the Baptist. But all returning ascended masters and us newly-ascending masters are the harbingers of the Christ, no doubt.
Does Ascension mean accepting the Christ in us all? That depends what you mean by “the Christ.” Accepting Jesus? No. But I don’t think you mean that. Taking “the Christ” as one’s savior? Not if that were meant in any kind of religious way. Accepting the existence of the soul? Yes. Without that, one simply considers oneself the body and that would not allow the expansion or assimilation of truth needed for Ascension.
The Christ light is not only in millions of bodies. It’s in every body. The light of the soul shines out from us all. Seeing it is enlightenment (one stage of it, that is). Witness these sages of all religions:
Bodhidharma:
“If, while you’re walking, standing, sitting or lying in a quiet grove, you see a light, regardless of whether it’s bright or dim, don’t tell others. And don’t focus on it. It’s the light of your nature.” (3)
“If, as in a dream, you see a light brighter than the sun, your remaining attachments will suddenly come to an end, and the nature of reality will be revealed. Such an occurrence serves as the basis for enlightenment.” (4)
Meister Eckhart:
“When God touches the soul with truth, its light floods the soul’s agents and that man knows more than anyone could ever teach him.” (5)
Jacob Boehme:
“A wonderful light arose within my soul. In it I recognized the nature of God and man.” (6)
Hilarion:
“When you have found the beginning of the way, the star of your soul will show its light.” (7)
Krishnamurti:
“I sat crosslegged in the meditation posture. When I had sat thus for some time, I felt myself going out of my body. I saw myself sitting down with the delicate tender leaves of the tree over me. I was facing the east. In front of me was my body and over my head I saw the Star, bright and clear. … There was such profound calmness both in the air and within myself, the calmness of the bottom of a deep and unfathomable lake. Like the lake, I felt my physical body, with its mind and emotions, could be ruffled on the surface but nothing, nay nothing, could disturb the calmness of my soul. …
“I was supremely happy, for I had seen. Nothing could ever be the same. I have drunk at the clear and pure waters at the source of the fountain of life and my thirst was appeased. Never more could I be thirsty, never more could I be in utter darkness; I have seen the Light. I have touched compassion which heals all sorrow and suffering…. Love in all its glory has intoxicated my heart; my heart can never be closed. I have drunk at the fountain of Joy and eternal Beauty. I am God-intoxicated.” (8)
Here is mystic John Ruusbroec identifying the Christ with that light:
“In the abyss of this darkness in which the loving spirit has died to itself, God’s revelation and eternal life have their origin, for in this darkness an incomprehensible light is born and shines forth; this is the Son of God, in whom a person becomes able to see and to contemplate eternal life.” (9)
“It is Christ, the light of truth, who says, ‘See,’ and it is through him that we are able to see, for he is the light of the Father, without which there is no light in heaven or on earth.” (10)
So, as long as we stay away from narrow religious interpretations, I have no problem with the statement that the Christ light shines out from us all.
Notice the many ways Jesus described the Christ: as a treasure buried in a field (the field is the body); a pearl of great price; a great fish among fish; a mustard seed (the Son) that grew into a great tree (the Father); the Prince of peace, the savior, and so on. All of these descriptions describe something about the divine spark, the fire always burning on the altar of the heart, the firebrand plucked from the burning.
(Continued in Part 2/2.)