Wilderness Baptism Within

Neville's Inner Vision

Observe that the wilderness attire and stark diet symbolize a shift of inner weather. The body’s roughness becomes a sign of disciplined awareness, not merely a costume. The crowd movements—Jerusalem, Judaea, the region around Jordan—mirror the restless thoughts that gather at the banks of your consciousness, seeking cleansing by an outer rite. But the true baptism is inward: the I AM, the eternal 'I' that you are, entering the Jordan of your own thoughts and washing away old identities. Confession is not admission of guilt in a court but a turning of attention—acknowledging thoughts and stories you have believed, then letting them dissolve in the light of awareness. John points beyond himself to the inner teacher, the voice that says, 'I am, therefore you are free.' The locusts and honey symbolize the nourishment you draw from disciplined faith and creative spirit—tiny, even austere sustenance that sustains the turning point. When you align with the feeling of being baptized in your own Jordan, you no longer chase forgiveness; you awaken forgiveness as your native state, a present-tense reality.