About Lost Son

 Disclaimer: This post is not meant to offend anyone. It is not meant to offend anybody's feelings either. It is my search for understanding the matters described below.

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Some stories (parables) which I have heard many times since my early childhood never made any sense to me, even when I was little. Especially the three ones, well known to many, seem to be rather nonsensical and made me wonder what their meaning was.  At some point, the understanding of their meaning came to me on its own. 

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The parable about Prodigal Son and its traditional interpretation – the Father in the story celebrated in a big way the return of the son who had been a disappointment for many years, and who did not  appreciate in the same way the “good” son who had always been with the Father.

Once, we heard during a Sunday sermon that we are all stupid as we should quit everything and party only. Just like the prodigal son did. Frankly speaking, that message, coming from a preacher, did not seem very insightful and raised eyebrows, the least to say.

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a parable is “a short, simple story that teaches or explains an idea”. A story that explains an abstract matter by using familiar situations listeners can relate to.

What if the persons mentioned in the story where not people, but

the “Father” meant the Source of everything that is/God/the always present conscience. 

The “good son” was our higher mind, which is in the spirit world and always with the “Father”, and 

the lost son was our physical mind. 

The latter is always filled with various beliefs, feelings, and a constant flow of thoughts. When the thoughts and beliefs are negative and ego centered , the feelings such as self-pity, self-judgment, hatred, criticizing others, sadness, and/ or anger fill out our mind, we move away from the balance and harmony  of the Source  - the “Father”. By dwelling on negative thoughts, egocentric perspective, we amplify low frequency thoughts , and just like the purgatory son,  “tend to swine and eat with swine”. The eating is metaphoric of course.

Whenever we manage to clear our physical mind of all the negative clutter and be in peace with ourselves and the world, we get closer to the Source and its harmony.

On the other hand, the higher mind, although it is “ours” (as it is the other, spiritual, part of our being), it is also part of the “Father” and is similar to the “Father” in nature (which is love and peace).  That is why it would never throw a fit about the Father appreciating the lost son only, just like the “good son”  in the parable did. That reaction is typical to a human behavior and ego-based thinking.  Perhaps, that part of the story was addressed to earthly fathers, to teach them treat their children equally?

When we align with the high frequency of the “Father”, we also align with the “brother” (our higher mind ).

In our everyday life (and at nighttime), we all struggle dealing with low frequency thoughts and feelings mentioned above. When they come to your mind, ask yourself

“Who is experiencing it?”

The answer to it is,

“I am”*, 

meaning not only the physical you but also the Biblical “I am”. It is the Source/God/the omnipresent conscience/the Ultimate Creator of everything that is - experiencing itself through you.

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* I cannot recall where I have heard or read about that question and answer. I remember it as does resonate with me, though.

Photos - from our walks - September 2020