surah v: the table spread

bismillah hirahma niraheem...

the table spread is the cloth of life, the fabric of the mundane dimension - trees, lakes, rivers, land, forests. the table spread are the fruits from which to choose from, the animals of the chain which graze and provide bodies when necessary - on occasion, to sacrifice (and it is a sacrifice as all beings are sacred and death of any should only be for the utmost purpose of maintenance) - the skies to breathe.

in this reality, in this manifestation of being, as a human, the spread of fruits and vegetables and elements, should be carefully picked from, lovingly tasted, and savored, but with the understanding that there are limits, that life in this frequency is a Gift and should be interacted with as such. this approach to the Gift applies from our bodies, to the body of the earth.

to appreciate this gift of divinity, to partake in the Creation, and at once, to understand the limits, requires surrender (islam). this surrender is only possible if the human moves past his/her lower self, his/her base instincts to just wantonly eat and consume.

"forbidden unto you are carrion and blood and swine flesh, and that which hath been dedicated unto any other than ALLAH, and the strangled and the dead through beating..." (v:3). the limits are code for people of understanding to follow a chain of order, what we understand today as the food chain.

sadly, humans need reminder of our place, or otherwise babylon, otherwise, flesh everyday, which requires a torturous system of factory farming that is devastating the life of the strangulated beings, toxifying the earth, waters, and skies. yet somehow, muslims, among others of rationalizing behavior, justify their consumption, so long as Allah's name is said, and the animal is sliced down the throat. babylon!!!!!!!!!!!

in ayurveda and yoga, the sages term this prophetic prescription as a sattvic vibration. the dimensions according to the yogis are: sattva, raja, and tamas. sattva is the plane of the Most High, of Harmonizing. rajas is the plane of the mundane, of giving into sensory experiences. tamas is the plane of pure lower self, of laziness, of over-consumption, of dominoes, all you can eat, black friday...

the sages of ayurveda tell us that the indriyas (our senses), are 11 in number - the five sense organs, the 5 perceived senses of those sense organs, i.e. ear - hearing... and the manas (the mind).

the mind is the intermediary between worlds - between the gross world of being and the spirit world of being. but if we operate solely from the place of senses, if we give in to and operate from our senses, in how we eat, how we drink, how we sleep, how we interact with others, than we default on dismembering our connection to Atman - Soul.

to help make the table spread that we walk upon visible, to provide guidance to walk and pick from it's fruits, ALLAH prescribes prayer, fasting and other rituals: "ALLAH hath appointed the kabbah...the sacred month and the offerings and the garlands. that is so you may know that ALLAH knows whatsoever is in the heavens and earth...is Knower of All things" (v:97). these rituals, this passage suggests, facilitates ALLAH consciousness, allows us to operate from this surrender and discriminate accordingly.

jesus, as an enlightened being, as one who was fully in the realm of sattva, of surrender (islam), was ordained in his alignment to pave the path for those around him. he provided the light through the darkness. jesus in his surrender, became truth, sent to spread the gospel of possibility, of Higher.

the disciples of jesus, the close companions, 12 in number, asked jesus to provide a dinner from the Divine: "jesus, son of mary, said: o ALLAH, Lord of us! send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. give us sustenance for thou are art the best of Sustainers" (v:114). the Essence responds in the spread of the table-cloth, there is more than ample food, of great diversity.

jesus shows his companions the way, guides them through the table spread of this dimension - the earth.

jesus, like moses, like muhammad, exist solely as guides, to layout the tablecloth, to make the spread that the Essence has provided, visible. yet none are in themselves beyond the ordinary, nor are they the One, as only ALLAH is this - the sum total of All Life. "The duty of the messenger is only to convery" (v:99).

this has been the role of gurus of yore, of ancient masters, elders in the native american tradition - to provide Guidance. in fact, in many indigenous cultures, the rite of passage has been to go into the forest, to spend time there, and come out only after a period of time. the sages of ayurveda sent their disciples into the jungle to collect all the plants there that were of medicinal value. during one such day, all except one came back with something. when the sages asked him why he didn't have anything, he said that everything in the forest was medicine.

learn to live by the laws, surah v tells us, and the spread of opportunity is plentiful. the Essence provides, so enjoy, but avoid going beyond the law, as the earth is occupied by more than just humans. seek guidance from the book and the lives of prophets.