Christ Consciousness There is a vital force, which governs the universe. It is the source of all life and truth. It is both female and male, weak and strong, soft and firm, forgiving and demanding, knowable and unknowable. The thread of this force runs through everything in the heavens and on earth. It has been given many names, but I choose to call it God. God rules the universe with both law and compassion. They are two sides of the same coin. The presence of God flows through all of creation. We can find Him in the sun, the moon, the stars, in nature, and in ourselves. We can find Her in the nurturing mother, the forgiving spirit, and the compassionate heart. God is both physical and spiritual. They can not be separated. Since the beginning of understanding, man has seen the evidence of a higher being and has tried to discern what God requires of us. There have been some that have succeeded. Yeshua (the Hebrew word for Jesus) the Christ is one who came to understand the will of God. He became "enlightened", "awakened", or in his words "born into the Kingdom of Heaven". He became a "son of God", the one who is to show us the way. Yeshua saw the path to a harmonious existance with the creator. Unfortunately, his disciples never fully understood his teachings concerning the "kingdom of heaven". They could never put aside the Jewish legend of an earthly 'king/messiah' that would raise an army to drive the Romans from the promise land. His message was threatening and offensive to the religious establishment of the day. He was branded a heretic, and was murdered by those to whom he had proclaimed the good news of the "kingdom of heaven". When his words were finally written down, much had been forgotten and much had been added to. Legends of miracles had grown around the head of this new movement called Christianity so that he would be superior to all that came before him. Sayings were added to his own in order to justify the doctrine of the new church. But the "pearl of great price" was still in the gospel writings, covered by the mud of church legend and doctrine. With diligence, the pearl can still be found. The message is as clear and as different from the false teachings that surround it as night is from day. The 'Beatitudes', the 'Sermon on the Mound', and the 'Lord's Prayer' still point us in the direction of the "kingdom of heaven". So, what is "Christ Consciousness". It may be easier to say what it is not than what it is. It is not a new religion. It is not even new. It is not an attempt at 'New Age' modern mystacism. Simply stated, it is the search for the message of the historical Yeshua, so that we too can find the path that will lead us to the 'kingdom of heaven'. Christ taught that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is in the present. It is something that we have access to right now. It is both inside of us, and outside of us. In the "Lords Prayer" he says that the Kingdom is God's will made manifest (put in action) on earth. What is "The Will of God"? God's will is that all of humanity should be happy and live in peace. The root of our unhappiness are our selfish desires (sin). Selfish desires lead us to make bad choices. Bad choices bring disharmony. The path to happiness is through mastering self and serving others, just the way Yeshua did. wen haissem