Clues from one of Britain’s greatest poets
The poet, artist and visionary, William Blake (1757-1827) has long been regarded as having powers of perception that have rarely been equalled. For a long time, both during and following his death, he was often seen as a madman, but eventually, his works developed a cult following and now many are beginning to reassess his writings in a different light. Throughout his life, he told all who listened, that he regularly conversed with angels and other inhabitants of the heavens. On a theme that would continue throughout his life, his first self-illustrated book was entitled “All Religions Are One” and was dated 1788.
In that time, the 1780s, few people had any concept of how this could be so because they were firmly rooted in Christian belief and practise, so Blake set himself to prove his point with his very first illustrated book. Despite their differences, Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God and follow one book of truth each, respectively, the Torah, the Gospel and the Koran. Thus, one God, one book and one Religion, or “All Religions Are One”. In this book Blake declared that all religions derive from the Poetic Genius which is also called the Spirit of Prophecy, or the True Man, and that the ancient people called it an Angel & Spirit.
Today, there is a simple but deep yoga practice known as Sahaja Yoga, which also unites the essence of all religions in a pure universal religion of inner awakening. Its founder, “Shri Mataji” brought the collective awakening of the Spirit of Prophecy through en-masse inner awakening. Collective inner awakening unites all religions because it brings about a change in every person which expands their awareness and enables them to see and experience the one love that binds all people together. In Sahaja Yoga, Blake’s True Man is the inner-awakened person. With his book, Blake foresaw Sahaja Yoga. At the end of Blake’s hymn Jerusalem, Blake quotes the words of the prophet Moses, “Would to God that all the Lord’s people were prophets”. With en-masse inner awakening, Sahaja Yoga is fulfilling this prophecy.
The psychologist and philosopher, Carl Jung, identified the presence of archetypes in the human psyche. These, he said, are universal primordial symbols which express aspects of the human condition and come from the area of the collective unconscious. The Shepherd/Saviour/Prophet/Patriarch/Guru is an archetype found in all religions. In the Old Testament, we come across this because several patriarchs were shepherds including Adam, Abel, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, King David and others. Islamic tradition also records that the Prophet Mohammed was a goat-herd in his youth, who in adulthood freed millions of slaves. In the Hindu religion, Lord Krishna is not only a deity but also a cowherd, as well as the patron of cowherds and herdsmen.
Moses’ transformation from a shepherd into a prophet started off with his mystic vision of “the bush on fire, that did not burn up”. This bush is a symbol of the Kundalini, which is the female mothering energy that sits in the base of the spine in coiled form, ready to be awakened and confer inner-awakening on the subject. Moses then went on to become a shepherd of human souls and released the Hebrew people from slavery. Afterwards, Moses revealed the ten commandments and many other divine laws.
The Biblical book of “Numbers”, records in chapter 11, a moment when Moses granted prophet-hood or en-masse inner awakening, to seventy people at the same time. That’s when he declared that, “Would to God that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them”.
In his writings, Blake contrasts the severe laws of Moses with the gentle forgiveness and redemption of Christ, the lamb of God. Christ’s resurrection is the eternal symbol of rebirth through inner awakening, which is meant for all the Lord’s people. Sahaja Yoga enables the inner awakened people to become prophets.
In the earthly world, another Shepherd/Patriarch/Saviour figure is Abraham Lincoln. As an enlightened American president, he frequently called on religious imagery to make his point to audiences. Like Moses, he fought against slavery and won. Blake too was a champion of freedom and liberty. He opposed slavery and any type of oppression either of the body, mind or soul. Both Lincoln and Moses were herdsmen at one time in their lives.
Lincoln (1809-1865) in one of his speeches delivered his own Parable of the Shepherd:
“With some, the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labour; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men’s labour.
The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep’s throat, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.”
Abraham Lincoln was forced by his father to work as a farmer and a cowherd, from an early age, until adulthood. However, he still managed to read many books, in secret, whilst on the job. Lincoln was self-taught and achieved his law licence without going to law school, at the age of 24.
In modern times, Shri Mataji established Sahaja Yoga and has been hailed as one of the greatest saints, having helped millions of people find their inner peace.
Shri Mataji’s parents were outstanding, prominent members of the Indian independence movement, and as a consequence, they spent several years in jail. Shri Mataji also spent time in jail and was noted for her courage at a young age, inspiring other students to join India’s liberation movement. She spent time in Gandhi’s ashram from her early years.
Putting an end to the political slavery of India that had lasted several centuries during the dominion by the British Empire was a monumental task that demanded many sacrifices from the Indian people. It also required leadership from noble souls who were prepared to give their lives for the freedom and independence of India and inspire others through their example. From a very young age, one such personality was Shri Mataji.
Once India’s political freedom was achieved, Shri Mataji was able to start working towards spiritual freedom for all spiritual seekers, worldwide. She worked tirelessly towards this end, and gave inner awakening to millions of people worldwide and created a method called Sahaja Yoga by which a realised soul can enlighten another person, just like a candle can enlighten another candle. Shri Mataji has millions of disciples worldwide who follow and share her spiritual ideals. Shri Mataji is a modern example of a guru/shepherd/saviour who fought successfully against political and spiritual slavery.
Photo credit: https://shrimataji.org/
| Shri Mataji’s Father – Shri Prasad Rao Salve Shri Mataji’s Mother – Shri Cornelia Karuna Salve Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi Shri Mataji’s Youngest Brother – H P Salve, a.k.a. Babamama with seven other of Shri Mataji’s siblings |
In “Christ’s Parable of the Lost Sheep” the shepherd represents God Almighty. He went after the sheep that was lost until he found it. Then, rejoicing, he carried the sheep back on his shoulders.
The idea that God is a shepherd watching over his flock can be traced back to the Hebrew tradition, for instance in King David’s psalm no. 23: “The Lord is my shepherd and I lack nothing. He lets me rest in green pastures, he leads me to restful waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths, as he has promised…”
In the Gospel of John, Chapter 10, Christ declares, “I am the Good Shepherd… My sheep listen to my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never die…”
The concept of God as the shepherd is common to the Hebrew, Christian, Hindu and other religious traditions, reminding us that, “All religions are one”.
If you would like to find out more about Sahaja Yoga, please click here.
LuisG