Psalm 23, with commentary by Mary Kretzmann
The Lord
is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside
the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I
will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they
comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Memorizing the
23rd Psalm and using it as both an affirmation and visualization
offers great inspiration. Years ago, I recall Swami Kriyananda
explaining that this psalm is about the astral spine, and the process
of the divine energy awakening within us. He mentioned that
the "rod and staff" symbolize the spine itself, and the "cup runneth
over" is about the kundalini, once re-united with the crown chakra,
spilling abundantly over one's whole being. When that union is permanently
established, we are liberated and "dwell in the house of the Lord
forever."
I
have always found this psalm to be beautiful, and I sensed it held
some hidden power. Indeed, I have heard intriguing stories
of divine protection it has given to people in times of intense
danger. I had a desire to understand it more deeply, for I
sensed I would then be able to draw from its well of strength, and
this would help me in my service through the Healing Prayer Ministry.
In
March of 2000, Swami Kriyananda came back to Ananda Village for
a visit, after having lived at Ananda Europa in Assisi, Italy for
the two previous years. He has a very expansive aura and many of
us felt immediate silent spiritual benefit upon his return. I wanted
to ask Swamiji to explain the psalm more deeply, but I felt that
I must first try to understand it as deeply as possible through
meditation and intuition. The first night that he was back
at Ananda Village, I awoke in the middle of the night thinking of
this psalm, and it struck me that the psalmist starts off by addressing
the Shepherd as "he" and then, midway through the psalm, switches
to the much more personal "thou". I knew I had stumbled upon
a major clue, yet I didn't know what to make of it.
I
went to my altar and repeated the psalm with deep concentration
for about 15 – 20 minutes. Suddenly the veil lifted and I understood
the psalm clearly. I realized that it addresses each of the chakras.
I found great inspiration silently repeating the psalm while thinking
of each energy center in the spine. Previously,
I had to concentrate fully to remember the correct sequence when
saying this psalm, because the pieces didn't seem to flow together
in a sensible way. However, once I had this insight into the
inner meaning of the psalm, I found that suddenly it made perfect
sense, and one line flowed into the next in a natural way.
I
believe the 23rd Psalm has served as a source of strength
for many people for thousands of years because it addresses the
inner process of Self-realization. Below is a visualization
exercise using the psalm in a deep way, moving up the spine chakra
by chakra. This 23rd Psalm visualization has been
immensely powerful in some private healing sessions. It helps
the "patient" to sense the astral spine as a tangible aspect of
his or her personal soul journey. Some may then choose to
continue with this visualization at home.
The
Lord is my shepherd.
See
Him standing before you. Place your trust in Him. Feel His presence
within you and around you.
This
first line opens us to the foundation of devotion in this psalm.
The operative word here is "Lord". This line becomes more deeply
clarified when we consider that there are other "shepherds" one
might be tempted to stray toward in moments of confusion. This line
is about choosing God: to follow Him, and to unite with Him in your
Soul.
I
shall not want.
Feel
Him in your spine. Realize that you want nothing that is outside
of His will for you.
The
aspiring saint casts aside all lesser desires to focus full attention
and willingness on finding God alone. We find this level of commitment
expressed throughout this psalm.
He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
Feel
Him keeping watch over you as you rest on the green, abundant earth.
Absorb the radiant life force. Feel the support of the solid earth.
All is well.
- First chakra
- at the tailbone; the earth element, and issues of survival;
supplies energy to the legs and eliminative organs.
This
passage creates such a wonderful image of being cared for and sustained
by the Lord. The sheep is secure as the shepherd keeps watch over
his needs, keeping him safe. "Except that ye become as little
children, ye cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."
He
leadeth me beside the still waters.
See
the clear water of a beautiful mountain lake, reflective, cool and
still. Rest. Reflect.
- Second chakra;
at the sacrum; the water element; creative impulse, sexual energy;
sexual organs.
This
"still water" is fresh, clear water--not lifeless stagnation. This
image is about transmuting the sexual energy into something exalted,
rare and beautiful.
Remembering
that this psalm is about the inner spine, it is helpful to ask,
"How can I keep myself sensitively aware of this divine energy flowing
in the center of my being?" and, "What would give beautiful, refreshing
beauty to the sexual and creative impulse?"
Everything
is relative. Varying degrees of stillness can be experienced in
how one handles the sex force. When an individual becomes fixated
on sensual desire there enters a great restlessness and loss of
soul quality. For the person who has tended toward shallow and fleeting
love affairs, it would be a huge step toward inner stillness to
simply make a deep commitment to "love, honor and cherish" one beloved
in the name of God.
The physical
expression of love is an important, tender connection for many couples.
It is often best, then, to focus on bringing in greater love, and
lessening any sense of lust in the act, rather than to become radical
and "renounce" it all prematurely, in the name of spiritual zeal.
As a married couple learn the balance between sexual expression
and inner stillness, great love can deepen between them, if they
are mindful also to find other ways to express their purified love
for each other, lest they become too austere. Be deeply kind to
one another, always. Seeing the Divine Beloved enshrined in one
another's forms, the couple can both give and receive deeper love.
In this way, love can, over time, be transmuted from the second
chakra up to the heart center. This process must proceed with self-honesty
and compassionate consideration toward the need of the beloved and
of oneself.
The
soul is felt in deep inner quiet. "Be still and know that I am
God." The most profound example of this "still water"
is seen in the saint who has transmuted the physical longing altogether,
inwardly merging his or her heart's love with the Divine.
At
whatever point a person finds himself on this continuum, he can
move toward that center of stillness and divinity within, thus allowing
the energy to rise to the higher centers and restoring the soul
nature.
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for
his name's sake.
Feel
divine strength at the navel area, radiating all through the abdomen.
Feel that as you use your determination to follow divine will, it
creates a pathway within you to reach the higher realities.
- Third chakra;
at the navel; fire element; "fiery self control" giving the ability
to follow rules for spiritual living; self-discipline; feeds abdominal
organs
The
soul is "restored" as we live in alignment with spiritual truth.
Spiritual guidelines help us to avoid major pitfalls that might
take us away from our soul nature.
Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil: for thou art with me. Visualize
a glowing ball of Light in your heart; with each breath increase
its radiance, and try to feel the warmth emanating from it. Invite
the Divine Presence to dwell in your heart, always. Visualize Divine
Mother, or one of the Masters living in your heart, radiating divine
love, guidance and protection.
- Fourth chakra;
at the heart; Air element; Human and Divine love; feeds
the heart, lungs, arms and hands
Note
that the psalmist has moved from addressing God in the third person
to the more endearing, personal relationship of "I and Thou." It
is a crucial part of spiritual evolution to move beyond merely following
God's laws, to loving Him purely within one's heart. ("Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind,
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength and thy neighbor as
thyself." ) When we feel the indwelling Lord in our hearts,
it gives us true courage and we can face great difficulties with
calmness. Indeed, there is nothing to fear, for even if death comes,
the devotee knows that nothing is lost, for the soul is united with
God through the heart's love. "Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God."
One
of the most important elements in spiritual healing is opening the
heart to God. First a person needs to feel he is a child of
God and can receive His love, casting aside any issues of unworthiness
or fear. ("Perfect love casteth out all fear".) From there
he or she can begin to express gratitude to God for life's myriad
blessings, and most profoundly, for the love of God felt in the
heart.
Thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Feel
the breath moving in the throat; begin to feel that this current
of breath is related to the current in the astral spine.
- Fifth chakra;
at the throat, ether element: Calmness; feeds the throat and voice
The
neck is the narrowest part of the body, consisting only of the spine
and the throat, making it is easier to tune into the spinal currents
there. The breath and spine are pathways to feel God's presence
and calmness.
When
we are living in alignment with higher truth, the flow of energy
in the spine reminds us of our divine nature and is a comfort to
us, no matter if the outward drama is disturbing.
Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
Focus
deeply at the point between the eyebrows (even knit the eyebrows
together if that helps you). Feel your devotion rise to that
point.
- Sixth chakra,
at the spiritual eye (the point between the eyebrows); divine
will and intuition; pathway to enlightenment
In
all of life, there exists a bountiful table set before us, the spiritual
eye. If we focus there deeply, we are invited to dine with the Lord,
in his Light. "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be
full of Light." This light feeds the whole body, and it
is there for us no matter if the "enemies" we face are our own lower
tendencies, or outer difficulties.
This
line can be paraphrased, "Though my enemies of doubt and desire
and delusion still surround me, the light of the third eye instantly
recharges my body when I offer myself there."
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Visualize
the Divine pouring grace upon you, and your being fills with light,
spilling out over the crown chakra.
- Seventh chakra;
at the top of the head; the crown chakra; thousand petaled lotus;
union with the Divine.
The
Lord touches us with His grace ("Thou anointest my head with
oil") bringing the state of samadhi ("my cup runneth over").
As the energy passes through the spiritual eye and unites with the
crown chakra, the energy spills out over one's head and being. It
may stop at this point (samadhi of the body) or it may expand into
the full samadhi of cosmic consciousness.
Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Feel
the grace of divine protection and goodness, and the willingness
to cooperate with that grace.
On
the deepest level this stanza represents the ultimate goal of the
spiritual path. If this union is permanent, we are fully reunited
with God and need "go no more out." We dwell in the house of the
Lord forever, never leaving His presence again. (This is Nirbikalpa
samadhi.) It is helpful to affirm and aspire toward this highest
state, reminding us of our divine birthright; for as we think, so
we become.
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