Inner Fire of Isaiah 34

Neville's Inner Vision

In my consciousness I read Isaiah 34:9-11 and hear the streams turn to pitch only when I mistake myself for the body of flesh and its fears. The land that shall burn forever is not a geographical point but a state of mind where attention dwells in separation, where the I AM forgets itself and calls itself by lack. The streams become pitch as water of the heart is inverted by doubt; the brimstone of dust is the stubborn belief in limitation. Yet this same text, when seen through the inner eye, reveals that the fire is not external punishment but a cleansing quality of imagination purifying every thought that clings to lack. The cormorant, bittern, owl and raven dwelling on it are symbols of the thoughts that dwell in ruin—habits, memories, and judgments that pretend to own the land. The line of confusion and stones of emptiness are the inner measure by which I judge and doubt my real self. When I awaken to I AM presence, the land ceases to be a prison; the fire becomes an inner light drawing me home.