From: Now It Begins
He came to us while we were still in hiding. We always
kept the wicks of the oil lamp low and our conversation quiet. The women
brought him to us. They could come and go. Why do women need to hide?
Those were troubled times. The crucifixion put a scare into everyone. We
fled to safe places and secret dwellings. We did not go out. The women
tended to the gravesite because they could come and go without much
notice. For the men there were Roman guards and temple guards and
betrayers everywhere. It was not safe.
For me, I was staying in the house of a friend. He was sympathetic to
our beliefs and housed a few of us in a room above the street. The room
was comfortable enough though it grew hot during the day. We had woven
fiber mats to sleep on and one window for light. By night we could sit
on the roof to keep cool. By day we had to endure the heat lest we give
away our host. He was not wealthy as you might think, but he was
comfortable enough to keep us in food and drink until our leaders could
determine what we should do. He never asked for payment. We learned
later that some of our number were required to pay for their lodgings. I
was fortunate.
Our leaders were out of the city. In time they would return. But for now
they were living with friends and sympathizers as could be found. Some
who were friends before the crucifixion were not friends afterward, as
you might guess. They were afraid too.
We communicated of course. Usually communication took several days. We
would not come and go in the same day you see. Under disguise or cover
of darkness we would venture forth to one house or another for the
purpose of prayer and discussion. There was much more discussion than
prayer I can assure you. Then we would return in a day or two to pass on
what we had learned.
Peter was as scared as any of us and provided no leadership in those
early days. James was certain that the movement would continue but was
indecisive as to what should be done. Then Son of Sander came to us. He
was now known as Phillip. Why the women guided him to us rather than to
some other members outside of the city in better locations I do not
know. He was not counted among us and had nothing to fear from the
authorities yet he stayed with us in hiding for many days. Here is what
he told us.
The dust clouds that did not settle on animal or human hung in the air
and drifted imperceptibly back to earth. Kicked up by each footfall the
dust clung to clothing, faces, carts, became one with the food, and
mixed with the breathable air giving the air texture and a choking dry
taste. Those on horseback rode above the dust. Those outriders had a job
to do. They were to watch for bandits or otherwise assist in keeping the
caravan moving. Levi out front, always Levi out front.
Yeshua, in the rearmost position with the sheep and goats, plodded on. I
don’t think he could see or hear Levi the dust obscuring vision and
dampening sound. His walk had long since become hypnotic. The sheep and
goats accustomed to following along. Little need to be mindful of them.
His walking meditations reminding him that his ancient ancestors had
been called the “dusty ones.” The dusty ones were not always welcomed in
the places they passed through. But they were following Yahweh to who
knew where. The next watering place? The next revelation? It must have
been like this for them. Walking in the dust. Keeping a lookout for
hostile people who might be lying in wait to plunder the caravan and run
the sheep and goats off. Always the dust. Yeshua wondered if Levi
resembled in any way the leadership and strength that Abraham showed his
people, the dusty ones.
This trek had been profitable. The way home lay ahead to the south and a
bit to the west with hopefully more profit. We were still traveling
north. With good weather and Yahweh’s blessing (Levi would say good
fortune) we would all make it safely home. But that was for the future
to tell. There were many byways that had to be traveled on this
pilgrimage before one could think of home.
Levi was the son of a caravan master who had followed in his father’s
footsteps. Yeshua never believed that Levi was his real name. He had a
vague memory of Levi being called by another name during that first trip
to Egypt. But he was very young on that first trip. This was Yeshua’s
third trip with Levi. That’s where I met Yeshua. I was just a boy then,
not very old really…. But I’m sorry, friends, I am getting ahead of
myself.
I am now called Phillip. My new masters gave me that name. When I first
met Yeshua I was called Son of Sander. I will relate all that I know.
That which Yeshua told me along the way and that which I have come to
know while residing in his mother’s house these past weeks. Recent
events I have just learned. But of course, you already know.
This excerpt is from The Now It Begins
Spiritual Guide Handbook:
THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Why make a spiritual journey?
Life is really all about relationships: relationships with other beings
and a relationship with God. A spiritual journey will bring you to a
place of peaceful countenance where you will know yourself better and
know God better. A spiritual journey is not about rejecting life in
order to become more spiritual but about becoming spiritual in order to
more fully embrace life. As you mature on your journey, you will
experience healing energy, loving energy, and you will experience the
awareness that you must change certain of your thoughts and behaviors in
order to achieve a loving relationship with the Divine. You will get in
touch with your soul. You will begin to discover that you have a purpose
in your life and what actions you should take in order to work toward
your purpose. You will learn that life is wonderful and that you are
worthy of enjoying all the fruits of a fulfilled life.
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