Inner Cleansing Rite

Neville's Inner Vision

Think of the scall as a symbol of a false sense of self, a belief that you are defined by a defect. The priest is your inner I AM, the steady observer who judges not the appearance but the state of mind. If the pattern runs deep into the skin and shows yellow hair, you conclude that your consciousness is contaminated and you declare yourself unclean, because you have identified with lack. If, however, the sign is shallow, and there is no black hair, you enter a seven-day period of watching, not struggling; during that time you do not amplify the condition with fear, you simply observe and refrain from dwelling on it. On the seventh day, if the scall has not spread and no yellow hair is visible, you may declare yourself clean and wash your clothes—an inner cleansing confirmed by outward order. If the scall spreads after cleansing, you have not yet shifted your inner state; you remain unclean. When the inner conviction grows—when new hair, the symbol of faith, appears—the wound is healed and the outward form follows as the natural expression of I AM.