MYRTLE & KING TUT


"Your Honor, I promise that King Tut will directly tie into Myrtle Fillmore's views on regeneration and reincarnation, as well as my client's views and future directions for the Unity movement."

The Judge responds: "I will allow this line questioning for now, but be careful counselor."

"Thank you your Honor."
_____

My number on the Dr. Tom Index is a 2.

 First, this week is Myrtle's birthday. Happy Birthday Myrtle!

Second, since we just moved to Lee's Summit, we have been trying to learn more-- and experience-- the Greater Kansas City community. And we have have been having a great time.

Yesterday we went to Kansas City's Union Station to see the exhibition on Tutankhamen. It was fantastic. First, the period of the 1880s to 1920s and Egypt is shown, and it was from this that Howard Carter dreamed that he would find the tomb of the great King Tut. Then you are led into the Egypt of this period and into Carter's fantastic discover of the tomb of Tutankhamen. You are shown chambers that look exactly like what Carter saw. But then in other halls the objects are "unpacked" and you can see them individually and up close. You can read about them and listen to short lectures on various things related to the burial of an Egyptian King. You are taken through the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the key gods and symbols.

I was amazed. I can't tell you how many times the words "resurrection", "regeneration", and "reincarnation" were used. No, this was not modern scholars placing modern usage on ancient Egyptians. This was example after example of ancient Egypt dealing with the same Jungian archetypes that are in our heads today.

For the moment, put aside resurrection, regeneration, and reincarnation. There was King Tut slaying the monster. It looked in so many ways like St. George slaying the dragon. You don't buy that one, then how about the goddess Isis holding here baby Horus-- It was so much like Mary holding Jesus that you have seen a million times!

It then struck me how I view Myrtle and Charles' views on regeneration, resurrection, and reincarnation. Myrtle and Charles are dealing with very important archetypes-- just as Jung did (and I mean this as a great compliment to Myrtle and Charles!) Jung was very interested in alchemy, but not because he wanted to turn base metals into gold. He saw in alchemy very strong metaphysical truths. We are like base metals but we also contain an inner gold. This Philosopher's Stone can change base metals into a "shining city on a hill." Alchemy was a powerful representation of individualization, Jung explained.

In the same way both the Egyptian Book of the Dead (and Tutankhamen's tomb) and Myrtle and Charles were dealing with very powerful archetypes including: eternal life, zeal, being young in spirit, etc.  One of the recorded lectures at the Union Station exhibit talked about how the Egyptians believed that "ba" (i.e., the spiritual life force) has to be recombined with the physical corpse for the King to have eternal life. I see "regeneration" as trying to infuse the material body with "ba." Myrtle was expressing her dreams, images, and faith about several key archetypes that have been active in the human psyche going back to ancient Egypt-- and beyond!

It was interesting, at times the "lectures" on ancient Egypt even talked about a "material realm" and a "spiritual realm." It almost sounded like Heart-Based Metaphysics (and the relative realm and the absolute realm).

Does this mean that what Myrtle was talking about has no actual physical reality. I for one do believe that there is a physical reality to what Myrtle and Charles were saying. Look at Charles: "I sizzle with zeal"--- and he said that in his 90s. Myrtle and Charles were young in heart and active. Or as my former home church minister- Rev. Donna Johnson-- once said, "Could you imagine Charles if he were alive now? He would have been all over the internet!"

My wife-- Debbie-- worked several years in a health clinic. She said to me, "The people who retain a positive attitude show a much higher probability of recovery than the folks in negative thinking."

I think St. Paul had it right: "Now we see through a glass darkly." I love Physics-- and science in general. Currently we believe that over 96 % of the universe is made up of dark matter and dark energy. Only about 4 % is made up of elements-- like gold, helium, carbon, etc.-- that we know on earth. The problem is that we know next to nothing about dark energy and dark matter. If Physics knows so little about 96 % of the universe-- or even if this is the only physical universe-- we should not feel bad that we know so little about regeneration, reincarnation, and resurrection.

One of the best comments I have ever hear about this came from my spiritual mentor Rev EJ Niles (who was the minister of my home church before she came to Unity Institute). She said that the final chapter on all of this has yet to be written-- or understood-- by us. "Charles and Myrtle could prove to be way ahead of their times in their thinking," she added.

That is what I love about Unity-- that it is open to new ideas and not frozen in times. All I know is that I want to be in my 90s and say, "I sizzle with zeal." I would like to know when it is time to make my transition-- like Myrtle-- and go in peace and faith that "I can do more from the other side." So even if we do not hit the mark of perfect regeneration, I want that imperfect regeneration that will give me "life and life abundantly." Don't you?

I think it is foolish to believe that for all times only Jesus will reach the mark of resurrection and regeneration. Like Al Jolson, I believe, "You aint seen nothing yet."