Know Yourselves….

It has been awhile since I made some text reading vids (per the analytics, they aren’t very popular on the site but I enjoy doing them). Last week I stumbled upon an absolutely great location and decided to take advantage of it. This area is behind an Orthodox church that has a hiking trail on a plot of land that used to be a limestone quarry. It is quite the walk through but this small little oratory area that features the icon of the Inexhaustible Cup just blew me away. I live in a very forested rural area, so I connect with nature quite a bit. I really love this location and will visit it more in the future.

For this video clip, I read the “Know Yourselves” section from the Secret Book of James. If you are unfamiliar with the book, it features sayings from Jesus to Peter and James, of which James had written down (hence the name). There is good stuff in this text and I highly recommend reading it. Here is a transcript of this section:

When we heard this, we became sad. But when he saw that we were sad, he said, “I say this to you that you may know yourselves.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a head of grain that sprouted in a field. And when it was ripe, it scattered its seed, and again it filled the field with heads of grain for another year. So with you, be eager to harvest for yourselves a head of the grain of life that you may be filled with the kingdom.

“And as long as I am with you, pay attention to me and trust in me, but when I am far from you, remember me. And remember me because I was with you and you did not know me.

“Blessings will be on those who have known me.

“Shame on those who have heard and have not believed.

“Blessings will be on those who have not seen but yet have believed.

“And once again I appeal to you. I am disclosed to you as I am building a house useful to you when you find shelter in it, and it will support  your neighbors’ house when theirs threatens to collapse.

“I tell you the truth, shame on those for whom I was sent down here.

“Blessings will be on those who are going up to the father.

“Again I warn you, you who are. Be like those who are not, that you may be with those who are not.

“Do not let the kingdom of heaven become a desert within you. Do not be proud because of the light that enlightens. Rather, act toward yourselves as I myself have toward you. I have put myself under a curse for you to save you.”

Read the full text here: http://gnosis.org/naghamm/jam-meyer.html

-bP