Lucifer, Judas and Hitler

Lucifer, Judas, and Hitler are three names associated with three of the most despised, vilified and talked about characters in human lore. Whether taken as actual beings, as legends whose forms have morphed through the trail of oral tradition and through the diverse lenses of a variety of religious and cultural heritages, or as metaphoric vehicles to be used for self-reflection and self awareness, these three beings have served as important models for both conscious and unconscious choice in human behavior. Their 'crimes' may have been "heinous" or "deplorable," but I will argue here that their motives were coming from Love of the highest form, that the effects of their legacies have been far more positive than negative--though whether or not this is even important is arguable. The legacy of each of these three arch-villains has provided the human race with key reference points on the barometer of valued, acceptable or reprehensible behavior choices. Through knowing the stories of Lucifer, Judas and Hitler one can compare one's own choices, or judge those of others. The modern human definition of "evil" as a polar opposite of that of "saint" or "hero" or "good" is given definition thanks to the existence of these three characters. And yet, are Lucifer, Judas and Hitler really deserving of their notoriety? Were the consequences of their choices and legacies as damaging or as negative as you would think? Let's examine each of them separately.
     Lucifer, if you remember, was an angel. Actually, he was an archangel--one of God's most trusted and valued angels. Some argue that he was, in fact, God's most trusted angel. The supposed problem central to the downfall of Lucifer from God's graces revolves around the choice that Lucifer made to exert his own will. In case you were unaware, the angelic kingdom exists solely to do God's bidding, without question, without thought. The angelic kingdom is supposedly the purest expression of God's Will. So, the fact that an angel--any angel, much less an archangel--broke the laws of Heaven--exerted will independent of his Master--and that he was supposedly punished for it is almost laughable. It seems more likely that this story was created to try to brainwash us into thinking that hierarchical, patriarchical systems with masters and slaves is okay. Seriously?! Does anyone really believe that the God of Love and Creation could be this strict--the He would hold grudges and never be able to forgive one such transgression? Does anyone really believe that an all-loving God could be so shallow and controlling as to create such strict rules--and mete out such severe punishments?
     As in so many religious writings and dogmas, there is flaw in anything that imposes limitations or prescribed behaviors to the Divine Consciousness, the Loving Source, the Unified Field that is in and is everything. It'd be like condemning one's self and then cutting off an arm as punishment--for rules that you created (and could change)--rules that come from a game within your own imagination--a game that comes with the participation of 'other' entities that are, in fact, also, coincidentally, part of your Self! Yes, let us not forget that any version of Lucifer, the Devil or Hell must come with the admission that these 'things' are all very much a part of 'God.' Were they not, then we lowly humans would again be placing limitations and constructs on a Divine Form that is, supposedly, Formless, the creator of everything, and 'who' is, in fact, the Source and Inspiration of everything, of all Creation.  
     Silly humans.
     Were we to switch perspectives of what or who God is to that of a formless, unconditionally loving Source, then we would be able to let go of any constructs or concepts of anger, slavery, hierarchy patriarchy, judgement, punishment, revenge or eternal damnation. In a formless, life-giving world of pure Love, there would be no such limitation or pidgeon-holing of the Creative Source.
     I believe that the Lucifer story offers a personified account of God's first individuation and devolution from Unified Field consciousness. Lucifer's act of 'defiance' can only happen if there first exists the gift of the concept of 'free will.' Lucifer's act is the first instance of free will, that is, of an action being performed from within an illusory bubble of Separation; that is, from an imaginary 'place' of separation from God (of which no such place can or actually does exist). This moment in 'history' is allegoric to the first step into Creation, the first step from pure potentiality into that of Kinetic motion. It personifies the creation of the consciousness of duality, of yin and yang, of this and that, here and there, and cause and effect.
     Lucifer's act of exerting his own free will is akin to The Big Bang or the birth of the first star. It is the birth of the Illusion of Separation from God. But remember: God first conceived of Creation in order to satisfy a curiosity, to try to solve a conundrum within Her own Mind, namely, "What if..."
     What if . . . the possibility of experience? the possibility of flow? the possibility of opposites--of relationships--the possibility of cause and effect, of action and reaction, of duality and the infinite possibilities of forms? The myriad spectrum of degrees, aspects and shades of meaning and possibility could not be possible without the creation of the Illusion of Separation. To think that God could or would be angry or disappointed with any part of Creation when He Himself is the Essence of all parts of Creation would mean that He would have to be angry or disappointed with His Self--which is possible, but, then, so is everything possible when coming from God.
     For us to get attached to a certain aspect or facet of the infinite faces of God is to get stuck, to show our own limited mind, our ignorance. It is literally to ignore the other facets of God, the Entirety, the Totality of the Divine Source which is the totality of all possibility. Let's not become so arrogant that we allow ourselves to get righteously trapped in a concept or construct which only serves to diminish and disrespect God and our selves (for we, too, are Part of that same Divine Source).
     Imagine the endless entertainment value that the world of dualities, the Illusion of Separation--Creation--offers God the Creator! How welcome within the God Consciousness such amusement would be! For it is within Creation that God can experience Herself 'objectively,' that is, through the illusion or 'spectacles' of Separation God can 'watch' the infinite variations of Creation unfold. It is amusing! It's entertaining! It's fun!
     So, we should be thanking Lucifer for making such an amazingly courageous sacrifice: He was the first to "go it alone"--the first to venture 'out' 'beyond' the protective identity of God Consciousness. Instead our ancestors chose to demonize him in order to support their own fear-based systems--as propaganda to support their model of patriarchical hierarchy with its inherent system of social control.
     But remember: Lucifer is a fabrication, a creation of our own Minds--just as your body and your world is a fabrication, a creation of your own Mind. Lucifer is the embodied representation of free will, of Ego, and all of the terrible--and wonderful--outcomes that can come through Ego's use of free will. Lucifer's counterpart, on the other hand, the archangel Gabriel, is the embodiment of relegated or subjugated will, of blind submission and obeisance. Metaphorically speaking, the significance of these two polar opposites is to remind you of two extremes of possibility within this new world of duality and the Illusion of Separation. The choice, as always, is yours and yours alone: Do you exert independence, assume your full power (and play the game of separation) by using free will, or do you enslave yourself to the will and power of others by using "blissful" ignorance and blind obedience? It is an interesting conundrum but, again, I must remind you that, truly, in the eyes of an unconditionally loving Creator, there is no right or wrong.
     The Judas story, interestingly, mirrors that of Lucifer quite remarkably. Judas was a trusted apostle--some say the apostle closest to Jesus. He 'betrays' his Lord, his master. He is eternally damned.
     In the film adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis's The Last Temptation of Christ, Martin Scorsese would have us believe that Judas was motivated by anger and frustration--that Judas was not able to agree with much less understand Jesus's behavior choices. This makes sense for the fact that in Judas' world--two thousand years ago--it was very much expected that one would use power and force to assert one's dynastic claims. So if Jesus were truly a "king of kings" or even a king of the Jews, it would seem quite odd that he would be suing such benign, peaceful, loving, trusting, and inclusive tactics. To Judas and his contemporaries, concepts like "love one another," "turn the other cheek," and "the meek shall inherit the Earth" would have been so foreign. It is no wonder that he was frustrated: these were no means to gaining a throne!
     Martin Scorsese's interpretation of Kazantzakis's Judas is a far cry from the interpretation that I took away from the same book. The way I came to understand Judas from reading The Last Temptation of Christ has left me with a deep and untractable respect and love for Judas--feelings that no church or Christain dogma would have you espouse. I found in Kazantzakis' wonderfully insightful, reverent and loving rendering of Judas, a man who was--yes, struggling with lots of internal conflict--a man whose entire belief system and conditioning was being challenged by every word, step, look and touch coming from his beloved friend--but that he was a man who firmly believed with all his heart and soul that Jesus was who he said he was. The Judas I came to know and love was a man who believed but didn't comprehend, a man who showed extraordinary devotion and faith but who craved complete understanding--who hated feeling obtuse, dumb, or ignorant. The Judas I came to know was a man on fire with excitement and love and infinite curiosity. And yet, he was also impatient and prone to get frustrated with his apparent inability to understand his beloved guru.
     An even more powerful insight Kazantzakis gave me with regards to the Jesus-Judas relationship was that Jesus knew that he would need someone to lead the Roman soldiers to him--that he knew that he needed a 'traitor' to come from within his circle of most trusted companions and that he knew this person would be vilified by his fellow man for this seeming act of betrayal--which was in fact only the fulfillment of a necessary task--one that also conveniently served to confirm Old Testament prophesies. As Kazantzakis presents it, Jesus chose Judas. Jesus spent hours trying to convince his beloved friend and confidant to accept this assignment. Finally, against his heart, against his better judgment, Judas acquiesced to perform this task for his beloved friend and teacher. As Kazantzakis presents it, Jesus chose Judas precisely because he was his closest, most loyal, most trusted, best loved follower--because he knew that only Judas would be strong enough to perform this hurtful, hateful task--that only Judas was close enough to understand Jesus' mission, his purpose and reasoning for these steps, this path, these choices--that, even if Judas' comprehension of Jesus' choices was an incomplete or provisional, it is was still better that anyone else in their circle. Who else could perform this task? Jesus' mother, Mary? His wife, Mary Magdalene? His brothers? The ignorant fishermen? Thomas the doubter? Peter, his dense rock? His rich blood relative, Simon Magus? No. This was a task that needed the deepest trust and devotion that an earthling could muster.
      Jesus loved Judas! And he still does! He loved Judas' insatiable curiosity. Judas' incessant barrage of tough questions challenged Jesus to think more deeply, to consider different perspectives, to learn to better defend his words and actions. It also allowed Jesus to practice his speeches before an intelligent, critical audience--which pushed him to be even more intentional with his words and actions.
     The examples set forth by both Judas and Lucifer also help to illustrate the way souls make plans for their excursions into denser realms of experience. Remember: the Earth School experience is a 'place' where one has to learn to deal with and rise above the murkiness of veiled ignorance and emotional cacophony. The plans you make when you decide to use the Earth School aren't usually for the games of fun and dancing. Souls know that it is often through adversity--through dealing with conflict, pain and suffering--that we are often able to shake off the limiting veils of Ego and to awaken the flow of Spirit, that we can experience the remembrance of our Divinity within and without so that we can then start on the Path of Return--that is, the path to expansion, evolution, transcendence and Self-realization.
    In order to experience and learn something like "forgiveness" we need to be confronted with something worth forgiving--something that will require you to wake up enough to forgive--to rise above your pain and victimhood, to recognize the Godhood in the other, in the perpetrator, and to then "turn the other cheek"--embrace and love that person. And who better to ask to perform the "evil" deed than one of your closest members of your Soul Family? I believe that Judas and Jesus made just such an arrangement--a soul contract to play certain key roles in the growth and progress of each other. So, Judas volunteered to play the "bad guy"--or, rather, to perform the "evil deed." And we all should be able to empathize; we all know from vicarious experience that it can be kind of fun and exciting to play the "bad guy"--right? Just ask any stage or film actor.
     So, I would argue that neither Lucifer or Judas ought to be vilified and condemned to "eternal damnation" (whatever that is). If they are in any state of "damnation" it would most likely be a condition of self-imposed isolation within which they would be trying to process and heal from the wounds of any "wrong" that they might feel they have inflicted on others--that is, as tate of limbo or purgatory not unlike the one Journeyman Paul created when faced with the sudden revelation of his "failures" in the life as the Mediterranean Wise Man. But, I will argue, Lucifer and Judas were really only doing jobs--jobs that God Herself had asked them to perform--jobs that were necessary for the evolution of humankind, for the ultimate success and healing of the Divine Attempt at Creation, individuation and the Illusion of Separation.
     I imagine it something like this. "Lucifer, my most trusted and beloved agent, will you help me create a dimension of opposites--an illusory realm in which dualities appear to exist?" And, "Judas, best beloved and devoted brother: Will you perform this task that I need to occur in order to deliver my human vehicle unto my ignorant enemies so that the Prophesies and my destiny can be fulfilled?"
     What loving sacrifices these two supremely trusted and amazingly selfless beings made for their guru and master! Do you see it? Do you get it?
     As for Adolph Hitler, again, I see him as an amazingly giving, loving soul who was willing to make this troubling sacrifice to give cause for the harm, injury, and death to millions upon millions. I can only feel empathy for the karmic debt that his Soul accrued. And yet I also see the incredible gifts he gave to the human race. He gave us examples and evidence of such aberrant and "evil" behaviors that billions have since been able to check their own thoughts, desires, words and actions against those perpetrated, endorsed and adopted by Der Führer and his followers. How do we measure up? Are we more awake to the potentialities of corrupted power and mind? Are we more aware of evil and its many forms? How do we feel about the human lemmings who chose to go "over the cliff" by following Hitler's commands and expectation? Are we complicit as accessories to any such oppressive, life-taking choices? What "evil" or "negative" or life-taking behaviors are we employing or complicit to? How are we choosing to justify, rationalize or deny our complicity or conformity to these behaviors? Who might we have made soul contracts with in order to perform or receive acts of malevolence and how has this served us? Have we been able to see these acts for what they are? Have we been able to learn from and rise above these patterns, these constructs of thinking and behaving? What have we learned from the events initiated, commanded and endorsed by Adolph Hitler and his minions?
     I expect some readers are reeling at the possibility that Adolph Hitler--a "sick and evil megalomaniac" and "mass murderer" might be sympathized with, 'forgiven,' and even loved and thanked! I can only imagine! Yet, if you are able to step back into the perspective of your Spiritual Source, your Higher Mind, you might re-member that the Earth School plane of experience is but a game field, an illusory world co-created by us explicitly for the myriad opportunities that the dense vibratory realm of physical and emotion 'reality' offers the Soul for its own growth and evolution. Death, you might re-member, is but an illusory end to an illusory flow of experiences. Death is simply the departure from one constraining and very limiting vehicle--a vehicle that came with many many rules and restrictions. The Souls who had invested their energies into the many human vehicles that suffered and or died (remember: we all "die") either directly or indirectly because of the policies and decisions of Adolph Hitler did so knowingly, willing, valuing the experiences and opportunities for growth--the opportunities to recognize the eternal Divine within themselves and within all things around them--the opportunities that were offered them through the "Hitler Effect."
     I have been able to recognize what I see as the amazing service that Hitler provided for an extraordinary percentage of multiple generations of humans coming to planet Earth during the past century of exploding population. Truly, I can think of no one single individual in the last 100 years who sacrificed more--and here I wish once again to bring up the alternate definition of the word "sacrifice." Sacrifice can also mean "the act of making sacred or special." And this is most definitely what Adolph Hitler's contribution to humanity has been. His choices, his plans and policies, the events which unfolded--and continue to unfold to this day--because of his active presence and the amazing will and power he exerted upon the human race have allowed many, many humans to find that which is sacred and holy to them.
     So, I challenge you:  Try not to be so quick to choose disdain or condemnation as you judge others. Lucifer, Judas and Hitler were only "evil" and are only "damned" as far as you choose to judge them thusly. I implore you to consider that they were 'only' performing tasks and duties that they and many others had helped to plan "behind the scenes"--that their Soul Families were involved, that they had the wise guidance and support of their Spiritual Guides and Councils of Wise Elders, that, from their great "war rooms" in the Spirit World, all of their "crimes" and deplorable behaviors were planned as gift offerings to the potential for humankind to achieve Self-awareness and Self-realization. As always, the choice is yours to decide for your selves. Once you've made a choice, move on. Then choose again. You are always in choice; you must always choose again. The real choice, however, is in whether or not you decide to choose mindfully or mindlessly, lovingly or fearfully, from a perspective of inclusion or exclusion, unity or separation. But remember also that you can always change your mind, you always get to choose again.
     Good luck! And may the loving sacrifices of Lucifer, Judas, and Hitler find recognition and placement in your hearts.