I’m writing a commentary on the Lord’s prayer and will post it in installments here. Here is the first such:
“Our Father, who art in Heaven”
As is the case in all Scripture, every word is of importance, so here let us consider the first word of this prayer from the lips of Our Master: “Our.” This first word serves to remind us that Our Father is Father of All. It should broaden our awareness as we begin this invocation. In saying, “Our Father,” we should bring into our awareness the people passing by on the street, the construction workers laboring nearby, enemies near and far, and those family members closest to us. ALL are children of Our Father and, truly, we draw near to the Divine more for their benefit than for ours, in order that we might be vessels of His Infinite Light, aimed and directed into this finite work of creation.
As to the second word, Father, what is the point of using the male assignation? Is this mere patriarchal chauvinism? Do we truly believe in some mythical grandfather figure sitting in a golden throne far off in space with long white flowing hair and flaming eyes? Certainly not. Then is there any reason to say “Father” here and not “Mother?”
Simply, yes. When we speak of the Father here, we are speaking of the husband and director of Nature. He is unchanging and un-manifest, She is the reflection of His will projected into the realm of the manifest which undergoes ceaseless modifications. The two are, of course, One in essence but different in activity. He, as Father, is unchanging and constant, the Source of All that is, Giver of all Good Gifts, the Mover of the waters of creation, and it is for this reason that it is He we invoke and not His servant, Nature. She can only give what He wills.
Now we come to the abode of Our Father, the uncreated Source of ALL: Heaven. All too often this word is glanced over and misunderstood by newcomers to the Path who push Heaven out as some future reality, too distant or disconnected with current circumstances to be of much present use. However, if we recall Jesus’ admonition to repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, or is here now, then perhaps we can re-examine the idea of heaven more closely.
The Greek word for heaven here is Ouranos, or Uranus, the Greek God of the sky, husband of Gaia, the earth. Esoterically, Uranus is connected with Superconsciousness, boundlessness and timelessness, the numeral Zero, and the first letter in the Hebrew Aleph-Bet, Aleph (א). Also connected with this idea is the ancient statement that God can be likened to a circle with its center everywhere, and circumference nowhere, a simple yet effective definition of Omnipresence.
What this means for us in this prayer and in our lives is to serve as a powerful reminder that “we do not serve a God far off, for in Him we live, move, and have our being.” Our Father in Heaven indwells this entire creation and supports it with the Eternal Flame of His love and attention. So when we say “Heaven” in this prayer, let us turn our attention inward into the core of our being, for He is just as much there in all His power as he ever is, was, or will be at any point in space or time.
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