Joyouschee of the Cosmic Lighthouse Metaphysics Magazine (www.cosmiclighthouse.com) wrote me the other day with a question. “Is there a hierarchy in spirit of some sort or is everyone operating on an equal basis? For example, if I meet Jesus in spirit, would I feel that he is just another brother and not superior in any way or form?”

Jesus was part of my “magic kingdom” as a toddler. Along with the trees and animals that could communicate with me telepathically, Jesus awaited me when I would slip out of this reality by tilting my little spectacles on a Venetian blind slat during supposed nap-times and focusing on the point of light which the lens caught from the sunshine.

Jesus did not speak to me. He simply held my hand and gazed into my eyes. As I looked into his golden eyes, I was utterly aware of what love is. His eyes of love have been with me ever since. I felt strongly that he was superior; that he was the perfect Teacher for me. However He related to me as an equal.

I believe he would be appalled at “The Church”, in whatever form we see it today, with its priestly hierarchies and extensive worldly possessions.

In my magic kingdom, Jesus did not resemble the Sunday School pictures of Him which I later encountered. His skin was swarthy. His hair was a sun-streaked, matted brown and it lay tangled on His shoulders. He wore a long robe of some rough material and a pair of sandals. He was disheveled and covered with dust. If this man appeared at the doors of the church to which I go on the Sabbath, I think the congregation would welcome Him, but it would take every ounce of tolerance the ushers possessed to seat Him.

Of course my Beloved would seldom appear at a church, except to throw out the occasional money-lender. As His ministry matured, He hit the road. Jesus had a strong sense of community, but no instinct for organized “religion”. I believe he would be appalled at “The Church”, in whatever form we see it today, with its priestly hierarchies and extensive worldly possessions.

There were priestly hierarchies in Jesus’ day. Jesus shunned them. When Don Elkins questioned Ra concerning Jesus the Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on the Thursday before His crucifixion, Ra told Don, in Session 75 of The Law of One, that

“There were two factions present to greet Jehoshuah, firstly, a small group of those which hoped for an earthly king. However, Jehoshuah rode upon an ass stating by its very demeanor that it was no earthly king and wished no fight with Roman or Sadducee.”

Jesus did not play politics, either within the religious Jewish hierarchies or within the worldly Roman hierarchies, although he could have. He felt that His kingdom was not of this world. To Him, the idea that he was superior in some way to others would be laughable. He was the Son of God. And He taught that we are all Sons and Daughters of the one Creator. To Him, our equality was absolute. We were all heirs of godhood.

The church of my birth, the Christian religion, is hierarchical in its structure. My own Anglican church is built on a hierarchy of bishops, headed by an archbishop. The Catholic church is far more articulated in its hierarchy, with the Pope heading Cardinals and archbishops who govern the bishops. In both sects, parish priests are under the governance of bishops and deacons are assistants to priests. In the heavenly realms, medieval theology suggests a spiritual hierarchy of three hierarchies and nine orders of angels.

Staying carefully within the religion of my birth to avoid making errors of ignorance, I will observe only that within the Christian church hierarchies abound. The Christian church is thoroughly worldly and politicized, and hierarchies are a natural part of worldly communities, whether religious or laic.