19. Understanding who 
Christ really is

Ascended Master Jesus through Kim Michaels.

Before you can begin to understand what it takes to come into oneness with me, you need to have a clearer understanding of who I really am. This will require you to consider what images of Christ you were brought up with—as it is virtually impossible to grow up on this planet without having been affected by one of the many false images of Christ floating around in the turbulent sea of the mass consciousness.

Obviously, you have already started to challenge and leave behind your childhood images of Christ—or you would not have been able to follow the course up until this point. In fact, I have systematically challenged many of these images in previous keys. Yet I still want you to take some time during the next 33 days to consider your images of me as Jesus and your more general images of Christ. What does it mean for you to be the Christ—what images and what limitations are associated with the concept of Christ? Do you see it as something exclusive to me, or do you see that “Christ” is more than Jesus? And thus, there is a potential that other people could attain Christhood and that other people have.

As I am sure you are aware, language has certain limitations. For example, I have said that you are God in the sense that you are an extension of the Creator, an individualization of the Creator’s Being. Yet I have also said that you are not God, meaning that you are not all that God is, you are not the fullness of God. You are an expression of the whole but not the whole.

Now, it would be inaccurate to say that the Creator has no individuality, but the individuality of the Creator is far beyond that of any human being, in fact so far beyond that no human being can fathom the individuality of the Creator. So I propose we say that the Creator has a universal sense of identity and that you have an individual or localized sense of identity.

The important point here is that every being in the world of form has such an individual sense of identity. As I have said, there is a spiritual hierarchy stretching from human beings to the highest spiritual Beings. Yet even these Beings are still individualizations of the Creator. So what happens as you move up into the layers of this hierarchy? You encounter beings who have moved away from a very localized sense of identity and toward the universal identity of the Creator. Yet even the highest Beings in the spiritual hierarchy have not lost their individuality—in fact they have strengthened it, but not in the sense you see on Earth. So we might say that rising in the spiritual hierarchy means moving toward a universal form of identity, and this is actually a strengthening of a being’s identity as an individual. However, this strengthening happens by the Being growing toward a more universal sense of identity—which to a human being sounds contradictory, again, the limitations of human language. So to make this clearer, take another look at my saying:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 16:25)

What I am saying between the lines is that in order to move up to the next level of the spiritual hierarchy and become a Christed being, you must be willing to lose your life for my sake. If you seek to save “it,” you will lose “it.” Yet if you are willing to lose “it,” you will find “it.” The key is to realize that it is not the same “it” I am talking about.

My point here is to show you that even the highest Beings in the spiritual hierarchy have not lost their individuality. They have actually found a more expanded, more universal individuality. Yet what is it you have to lose in order to find this new individuality? You have to lose your present sense of individuality—whatever that is.

The highest Beings in the spiritual hierarchy are Beings known on Earth only as Alpha and Omega. Yet “Alpha and Omega” is actually a spiritual office, much like the president of a country. At any given time, the office is held by an individual, but the office is more than that particular individual. This is also the case with the office of Alpha and Omega. It is currently held by two individual Beings, but there have been other individual beings in that office before and there will be others after.

So in one sense, the image I am painting here is that even spiritual beings have to be willing to let go of their old identity in order to move to a higher level in the spiritual hierarchy. It is possible that even a spiritual being can become attached to a particular sense of identity and refuse to let it die, which explains why spiritual beings – such as angels – can fall. This is all explained in greater detail by Maitreya, so I will not go further into it here. However, I will point out that the way a spiritual being moves to a higher level in the spiritual world is that it makes itself a servant of those below it in hierarchy. For the Creator is the ultimate servant and only those who serve unconditionally can approach the Creator’s level of consciousness.

The big difference between human beings and spiritual beings is that you are living in a sphere that has not yet ascended, meaning there is room for duality. Thus, you have built a sense of identity based on the duality consciousness, which means you see yourself as a separate being. And it is this separate sense of identity that must die, for only when you lose the “it” of the separate identity can you find the “it” of your true, spiritual identity. And only then will you be a whole being instead of a house divided against itself. Only then have you been reborn of fire.

My purpose for bringing this up is to address the only type of fear that has any hold over the conscious self, namely that it could lose its individuality, lose its existence. The conscious self is born as an individual being, and it is charged with the desire to expand and strengthen its individuality, until it reaches the level of the universal where it then becomes a God in its own right—a being who can create its own world of form, if it so desires. Yet because the conscious self has come to identify itself fully or partially based on the separate, dualistic identity, it can come to believe that if the separate self dies, it will die. And this will obviously be a belief that will stop you from going beyond a specific point of the spiritual path. Thus, it is essential – absolutely essential – for your conscious self – for you – to overcome this illusion and realize that the separate self is not you. You are MORE than the separate self.

If you want a metaphor for this, consider the concept of an office, as I just spoke about. The separate self you currently have is like an office on Earth, for example like the headmaster of a school. You may choose to take on that job and even hold it for many years, which means you come to see yourself as “the headmaster.” Yet you know you are more than the job, and even though it will require some adjustment to let go of the office, you know there is life beyond the job—or at least there should be. In other words, you have simply chosen to step into a separate sense of identity, but you are more than that identity and can step outside of it any time. Stepping outside this separate self does not mean that your life comes to an end—it means you find a new life, a new sense of identity, that offers you greater freedom. For, of course, in stepping into the “office” of your separate self, you also have to take on all of the duties of that office, which eats up most of your attention. For while you are “the headmaster” you cannot be someone else.

So do you see my point? It is to help you overcome the fear that “coming into oneness with me” means that you lose your individuality, your identity. You only lose the separate identity but find a new one that is much more than the old one. What I am saying here is that the ego will actually see Christhood as a loss, so it is up to the conscious self to step outside that self-centered viewpoint and gain a less localized perspective. Whereby you will see Christhood as a gain of spiritual freedom that is far more attractive than anything offered by the limited identity of the ego.

***

So let us go over – again – the characteristics of the separate self. The first characteristic we notice about the ego is, of course, that it is focused on itself. We might say that the ego is a localized sense of awareness that has become so localized that it sees itself as the center of the universe with all other beings – from other humans to God – there only to serve itself and fulfill its needs. As people become more egotistical, they become less sensitive to other forms of life and more willing to control others in order to fulfill their own desires—regardless of what consequences that has for others.

Obviously, spiritual seekers have moved beyond these forms of ego-centeredness and would not knowingly hurt other people. Yet there can still be remnants of ego-centeredness left in how people pursue the spiritual path. As I have tried to explain, this can still propel you forward on the path of personal growth, but it will get you nowhere on the path of personal Christhood.

What are some of the more obvious signs of self-centeredness on the path? Here are a few:

  • The desire to raise one’s own consciousness purely for one’s own sake. It may be a desire to escape negative self-esteem, fear or other hurtful feelings. It may be to build one’s pride and sense of being better than others.
  • The desire to acquire special powers to either impress other people and establish superiority, or to control other people, the world and even God. Some people actually come to spiritual teachers hoping to learn magical powers that will allow them to control their environment—the ego’s ultimate dream.
  • The desire to feel like an important person who is doing work to save humanity or the planet or who is doing something for God that will be recognized in heaven. This can also be a desire for fame or celebrity status in human society.
  • The desire to acquire special powers in order to – supposedly – awaken other people to the spiritual path. Nevertheless, the desire is to be the only one who does this, even on a planetary scale.
  • A savior complex, where the person’s ego wants to be seen as the ultimate savior. I have had many people approach me as an ascended master wanting to learn my “secret” so they could set themselves up as being as important as they think I was when I walked the Earth. It might help to consider that in my lifetime I had very few followers and a very localized “fame.”
  • Many variations of the desire to receive something in return for one’s efforts to grow spiritually or to help other people by converting them to one’s beliefs. This can even be an expression of the ego’s desire for ultimate security, which it thinks will come if everyone else is converted to its religion or political belief system.

Behind all of these approaches is the essential mechanism of the ego, based on its self-centered way of thinking: “What’s in it for me?” The ego cannot stop thinking this way, so again it is up to the conscious self to step outside the reality distortion field of the ego. Take a look at this passage:

27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?

28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. (Matthew, Chapter 19)

For 2,000 years this has been a guiding rod for many Christians who have sincerely pursued the path of growth—as they saw it based on the distorted doctrines available to them. They have reasoned that I came to Earth to offer them something that they could not have in this world but only in the next world. In other words, they have thought that if they did the right outer things in this life, they would reap the reward in the future—thus seeing a gap between themselves and the reward. This is not necessarily wrong in that many people have had such karma that they could not manifest their Christhood in the current lifetime. Thus, they had to be willing to work in the now in order to gain an advantage in a distant future, for this was the only way they could make progress. Thus, my teaching was adapted to the state of consciousness that humankind had 2,000 years ago and which many people still have.

Yet we are now moving into the final stages of the spiritual cycle I came to inaugurate, which means there are many people in embodiment who do have the potential to manifest full Christhood in this lifetime, and many more who can manifest a degree of Christhood. And this, of course, relates to the third challenge of Christ, which is that you begin to see yourself as the Christ. In the above quote, you can see that Peter was the archetypical example of a person who has mastered the first challenge of Christ but has become stuck in the second one. Thus, while he is willing to follow me – even give up much to do so – he is still doing this from a self-centered motive of wanting a reward. He is still feeling he has to give up something to follow Christ and that he should be entitled to a compensation for doing so.

But now look even deeper. What is Peter actually doing? He is feeling that he has to discipline his separate self and give up part of his separate self in order to follow me, and he is willing to do so. Yet in following me, he is seeking a reward for the separate self. So even in his willingness to follow me, he is affirming the reality of his separate self—which, of course, means he cannot follow me beyond a certain point as the separate self cannot enter the kingdom. So we now see that you can master the first challenge of Christ – and think you are a real disciple of Christ or in other ways define yourself as a very spiritual person – while still being stuck in the consciousness of seeking to elevate the separate self. This is the consciousness that you need to overcome in order to master the second challenge of Christ and move on to the third challenge.

I know I have said this before, but it is consistently the one thing that trips up sincere spiritual seekers and takes them into a blind alley for lifetimes. It is essential that you uncover, examine and leave behind all desire to walk the path in order to get something in return, even – or especially – the tendency to do good on Earth in order to receive a reward in heaven. You must overcome all tendency to pursue the path for self-gratification, for this can only come from the ego. And as long as you seek to gain anything for the separate self, you will not be able to follow Christ into oneness. Look at this quote:

36 Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

37 Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.

38 Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice. (John, Chapter 13)

Again, Peter represents the consciousness of a person stuck in the second challenge, thus thinking he is ready to follow me even though he has not given up the separate self. The lesson here is that Peter did indeed deny me three times, thus denying his oneness with me. This denial came from his identification with the separate self, which is also why he wanted to follow me—thinking he would gain something for the separate self by following me. This, of course, shows that he had not understood what it means to follow Christ because he had not understood the consciousness of Christ. So let us do what we can to make sure you will not get stuck at the level of Peter. For whereas the Catholic church might be content to follow Peter, I desire my true disciples to go beyond that level of consciousness entirely. I desire them to follow me—not Peter.

NOTE: The rest of this dictation is available in the book: Master Keys to Personal Christhoood.

 

Copyright © 2008 Kim Michaels