A term found in the Gospel according to Matthew, generally considered to be synonymous with the Kingdom of God described in the other Gospels. However, the Greek "basileon" can mean both kingdom (as in a place or nation) and reign (as in a state of rulership).

A second note--the term "Kingdom of Heaven" is probably used in Matthew because it was written for a Jewish Christian audience that would have been put off by the use of the term "Kingdom of God" that appears in the other Gospels.

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What is heaven? Is it true freedom? Is it liberation? Is it a place with strict laws and tight security, keeping out the bad people and limiting entrance to those who have done what they've been told? Is it some kind of cloud city where you can play table tennis with Jimi Hendrix?

An uncomfortable heaven is no better than a purposely nasty hell.
No matter how nice a bookstore is, you aren't comfortable browsing the shelves if everyone is giving you dirty looks.

"My father's house has many rooms."

If you envision "God" as a personification of the source of the energy that flows through all things, you can envision a different kind of heaven. The source of all energy (SOAE) would not require companionship or have any desires we could comprehend. The energy from SOAE would flow forth through each soul, empowering each with the power of SOAE's energy. We would all be waves on the ocean of energy that calls all things into existence.

Surf the wave, dude.

Creative energy calls new things into existence while the flow of energy maintains a certain kind of order in the continued existence of things. Souls are born from the energy and become generators of energy, a way to keep the energy alive and flowing throughout eternity and infinite frames of existence. Souls take form so that they may identify and interact with each other. Were it not for their need for each other, souls would maintain a meditative state in nothingness for eternity. Instead, they imagine and dream and they are born into places where they may interact, build and grow together. We are all children of the energy.

The wave is born from SOAE and is carried through each of us. As we ride the wave, we go in a direction our soul inately wants to travel. We feel the rush of energy. A person who has a remarkable and deep impact on our life. An event that changes how we see things. A place that gives us a sense of familiarity and purpose. These things are the fabric of our life and our reason for being.

Where is this Kingdom of Heaven place? Is it near Burger King?

The Kingdom of Heaven is built by souls who desire its existence and believe that it can exist. It can be built an infinite number of times in an infinite number of ways. Old Vikings are sitting around in Valhalla drinking. They believed and it was their reality. You are fully capable of joining them if you truly embrace and believe within the core of your soul that Valhalla is real and will accept you. I don't recommend trying it. Your experiences in the modern collective reality have convinced your soul core that the concept is a fantasy of the ancients.

So, if I think about something it becomes real?

Hardly, you frost-bitten, but adorable mitten-wearing girl from a northern climate. You can't just think about something and make it real. You have to believe, and not just believe, but that belief has to become part of the central core of your soul. What exists within that core are your personal reality's absolutes, things that cannot be questioned or denied. This is one place that doubt cannot penetrate.

That is why the core is so well protected
And why so few truly let us in.

In order for any collective reality to ensure its continued existence, it must create the guidelines for the next frame of existence. If enough people truly accept the design module for the next frame, then it will be well populated and become a continuation of the previous frame's collective reality. A nice, wonderful place where you can be reunited with departed loved ones has a pleasant sound to it. At the same time, crimes are committed against individual souls through manipulation of the core beliefs. If you convince the soul core that certain actions and deeds will land that person in "Hell," a place of eternal damnation with no escape, no next frame, then you have done far worse to them than any crime against their person possible in this frame.

Spiritual empowerment

To take control over your spiritual existence, you must be aware that you have control over it. There are many influences and indoctrinations, but in the end the decisions are yours. Where to travel, where to call home, and who and what you will find is up to the accounting department of the soul. The soul judges one's existence as the journey continues, and there may be a need to make amends, to heal wounds and to find peace with other souls before one can pass judgment. You may think you can trick your soul, but you are dealing with yourself, and you can't hide things from the part of yourself that keeps detailed records.

In order to seize spiritual empowerment, the first step is to become at peace with yourself. If you are fighting yourself every step of the way, you don't even have control over your present being, so your spiritual future is a little too far out of reach.

The second step is to filter outside influences and consider what impact they are having on our core reality. Passage from one frame to the next considers only personal reality and not collective reality. The influences of other individuals and of collective realities will change one's interpretation of the self and of frame passage. The collective reality and the reality of other individuals can influence and change your personal reality, but you are not subject to these realities during passage, only to your own. This is why our experience in this frame, and others, is so critical on the road through eternity.

The third step is to believe in yourself and then to develop faith in something beyond the self. This is commonly referred to as enlightenment.

The Kingdom of Heaven is here...

Someone once tried to tell us this little tidbit of information, and we were confused by it. Yet, when you come to evaluate how you would design your version of heaven, you will always find yourself referencing this place you are in now. You'd take some of the people, some of the things, some of the places and many of the memories.

If so much of what you have here would be part of your heaven, why not just build it here? Certainly this place has the capacity for being "heaven." On the other hand, you'll find a lack of cooperation amongst the people who inhabit the rotating ball that is the form this frame takes.

If this place has the ability to become "heaven," why have we screwed it up so badly? We fight with each other, we argue over trivial matters to the point of destroying friendships, we kill for principle and so many of us run around yelling "Mine! Mine! Mine!" in some form or another.

We had the opportunity, and in some remote locations they still make it happen, but now we must reconcile ourselves with this frame being a testing ground. This is where we learn what not to do, if we're paying attention.

Why are we so easily offended? Why are so many angry? Why are so many jealous, spiteful and vengeful? Why do we draw swords and build up our defenses? Why are so many sad, depressed, worn out and defeated? Why do we care so much about people not agreeing with us? Why is it that we destroy and attack to prove ourselves right? Why is it that we learn how to be hard and tough and consider that to be more essential to life than learning how to love?

Poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be kings
And a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything
I wanna go out tonight, I wanna find out what I got
Now I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope and I pray that some day it
Will raise me above these
Badlands...

--Bruce Springsteen, "Badlands"

Humans are flawed creatures inhabited by immortal souls that struggle with the differences between mortal flesh and eternal understanding. We would never look to achieve anything higher than what we are unless the soul was guiding us in that direction. Otherwise we'd be concerned only with buying teak furniture and ten year diamond anniversary bracelets and nothing more. Ice cream would be enough to hold us.

But...
We...
Want...
More...

Wanting "more" could be considered part of the infamous lust of humans for accumulation, but in some circles it sits on the edge of a clear, calm pool and begs for clarity. This desire for more isn't about status, new cars, sex with supermodels or any form of power or goods. This "more" is about the desire for a better world, one that has followed humans from their earliest days.

Convergence ascendent

I struggle daily with my interpretations of many things, but I am beginning to understand the concept of convergence.

It is the quest for the Kingdom of Heaven, which doesn't exist in a place so much as it exists as a concept in the soul. Souls can create frames. Souls created this frame and this frame evolves with the flow of souls. Convergence is the bringing together of souls who believe in a concept and know they can make it a reality.

We can create slices of the Kingdom of Heaven here. It is within our power to love our brothers and sisters unconditionally. It is within us to not judge, but to grant understanding and compassion. It is within us to give rather than take. There is so much within us, so many untapped rivers and untravelled roads. We limit ourselves here. We are taught to protect and defend ourselves rather than opening ourselves, even though those who attack us wound their souls in the process of liberating ours. We turn tyrants into victims, exposing their weaknesses and mocking them, unwittingly liberating them from their deeds in the process. We make mistakes. We are human. We are in this place to learn. How much we learn is up to us.

The clock is ticking, and the Kingdom of Heaven shines like a beacon from within your soul. The caged bird can sing, but it cannot fly.

Give to each other.
Love one another.
Do it more than once a year.

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