Inner David's Mercy

Neville's Inner Vision

In the inner scripture, the king is your present awareness, and Shimei is a memory or inner voice that cried out in the hour of your fleeing from Jerusalem—the old, self-accusing image. He comes down with Judah, carrying the baggage of beliefs—Ziba, his sons and servants—representing the many thoughts and stories that have stood with the old identity. Crossing Jordan is the mind's passage from one state to another; the ferry boat bearing the king's household is your imagination carrying your sense of self into a new state of being. Shimei falls before the king, and petitions: do not impute iniquity unto me, nor remember what was perversely done the day the king went out. This is the moment you realize that mercy is your own inner law; you may forgive the old script and dare to forget it, not by denying the facts but by reassigning meaning to support a new self-image. When you respond with mercy in the inner courtroom, you restore the balance of your consciousness, and the past loses its grip.