THE CAMBRIAN PESHER
THE VOICE OF THE DESPOSYNI TO THE AMERICAN DISPERSION
Day of St. Colman,
February 18, 2000 (vulgar)
Beloved:
With the Year 2000 here, the world suffers malaise from the absence of a cosmic fulfillment of prophecy - anyone's prophecy. The religions of the world have exhausted their symbols. Having failed to find a peaceful synthesis, they only inspire the fanatics. An age of religious wars looms before us in the new millennium, unless we can find those religious symbols which will connect us to the Divine and inspire mankind with goodness.
Why are we in this dilemma? It is because of the "confusion of tongues" which occurred in Genesis 10 - the Tower of Babel. There, the human race was broken into pieces to control its selfish and prideful quest.
The Church is divided, too, because of the language barrier. Rival sects lash out toward one another with reciprocating excommunications because they misunderstand and misjudge each other's theological terms.
Where can we find the unity and healing to unite the world again?
We find a sign of hope in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, who represents the immanence of God. In Acts 2, the first Christians received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and "spoke with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance". Men from many nations heard in their own language the wonderful works of God.
WHY SPEAK IN TONGUES?
I would that ye all spake with tongues . . .
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:5
When God made man in His own image, one of the things that involved was consciousness. Consciousness is the ability to perceive distinctions in oneself and in one's environment. This means an awareness of oneself in relation to one's surroundings.
God has complete awareness, at all times, of His Nature and that of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. He has full consciousness, full knowledge of all of His potentials and Being.
R. J. Rushdoony, in his masterful work on psychology, Revolt Against Maturity, has explained that Adam was made with a conscious and a subconscious mind. Man sleeps and he awakes. Man knows himself, yet has a vast realm of unperceived potentials. Man progresses from immaturity (unconsciousness) to maturity (complete consciousness). He continues to discover his potentials. He is conscious like God, but not fully conscious of his being or of the creation which surrounds him. He is forever on a quest of discovery.
In his sinless state, Adam was not primarily a passive agent (unconscious), but rather an active one (conscious). Adam's conscious mind dominated his subconscious mind.
When Adam sinned, the order was reversed: the subconscious dominated the conscious. This is what the Bible means by the expression, "their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:21). It is also what the Druids meant by Abred. As sinful man deepens in his depravity, he sinks from consciousness into the domination and control of his subconscious mind, which is controlled by the principle of sin. He becomes brutish. This descent the Druids called Annwn.
Salvation places the subconscious under the domination of the Holy Spirit (John 3). "Sanctification" is a theological term which describes the progressive purging, ruling, and the developing of the subconscious potentials.
For this reason, the importance of being "filled with the Spirit" cannot be overstated. Prayer, Bible study, worship, and so on - the building of Christian character - are inseparable from the task of transforming our human natures into God's Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4 - I am speaking ethically here, not metaphysically). These are some of the tools which give the Holy Spirit a grip on our personalities. Our personalities, our subconscious minds are beyond the reach of our human efforts. We need God's grace.
Of course, the New Age movement and related heresies have presented the illusion that man can manipulate and perfect his subconscious mind himself. That is not humanly possible. Their self-help methods are either quackery or the work of demons, as I explained in my book, The Seed of Cain & the Revival of Mystic Humanism (1987). But that is not what we are talking about here.
"Praying in the Spirit" (i.e. speaking in an unknown tongue) is indispensable to the process of sanctification. James, the Lord's brother, and our beloved leader, taught that no man can tame the tongue:
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
- James 3:2-10
Why cannot man control his tongue? It is because the tongue speaks what is in the heart of man, the subconscious realm which cannot be controlled, except by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:33-36). "From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh", said our Lord. If I am "speaking in tongues" (or glossolalia), it is the act which yields my subconscious mind, my spirit, to the Holy Spirit.
Pentecostals and Charismatics are famous for speaking tongues. Unfortunately, the phenomenon is growing increasingly rare.
Tongues used to be a central doctrine for these groups. Rarely could they explain why, however. That is the first step in losing something: not understanding it.
A reason they offer to explain its neglect in Christian worship has been its past abuse in the public assembly. They have become embarrassed by it.
But I say it is also because Christians do not worship at home anymore which is the appropriate setting for praying in tongues. Public worship is not the place for praying in tongues, the private place of worship is. And since most Christians think of worship in terms of the church and not the home, this gift has been neglected to an alarming extent.
The Apostle Paul lists tongues at the bottom of his list of spiritual gifts which are beneficial to the public gathering (1 Corinthians 12-14). And this is true. If no one can understand the heavenly language, it is good to no one. If the message is interpreted (another spiritual gift), it is no different in its effect than prophesying. So tongues are really next to useless in the public setting, except as a miraculous display of God's power (1 Corinthians 14:22-24; Acts 2).
What good is it then? In private worship, it is of primary importance for three reasons:
First, speaking in tongues is the Holy Spirit praying with our spirit (the subconscious mind) according to the will of the Father (Romans 8:27).
Second, we are praying mysteries and emotions which cannot be perceived or understood by our rational minds (Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 14:14-16).
Third, our spirits are being transformed and built up in the faith (1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 20; Romans 12:2).
If this all sounds mystical to you, that is because it is. Can anyone explain it? I can't. But it is true. Before we can submit to the Law, we must transform our natures (Romans 7:14). This happens at regeneration, when we are "born of the Spirit", and it progresses in our daily life of sanctification. If you can explain the conception of life, you can explain how the Spirit regenerates men (John 3). I do know, however, that the life of sanctification strengthened by speaking in tongues, because obedience is predicated by a change in heart (Romans 8:7-10; Ezekiel 36:25-27). And a change in heart begins with a confession of the tongue (Romans 10:10).
Let me use myself as an example to flesh-out all of this theology. I have experienced bad things in my life, as have most people. Like anyone else, I have been tempted with bitterness. Yet, anyone who knows me would not describe me as a bitter person. So why have not the bitter experiences of life made me a bitter person?
One thing I do is try to get God's perspective on things. This comes from reading the Scriptures. But in addition to that, like the Psalmist, I confess my feelings to God. I also pray in tongues, because I do not know from where some of these feelings come. These emotions are released by the Holy Spirit in my prayer times.
You see, our emotions are too deep in our subconscious minds to be pulled up and dealt with by our own intellects and choice. The world attempts this with hypnosis and related techniques. These are unsanctified, unbiblical methods. The method which has been given to us has been the Holy Spirit and the prayer language.
Many Christians grow in their faith without prayer languages. That's fine. There is a difference, however. It is like trying to cross the country on a bicycle instead of an automobile. It can be done, but it is not easy.
Many professing Christians, unfortunately, are not regenerate, but are possessed by religious spirits: unclean spirits which make them appear clean on the outside, but evil on the inside (Matthew 23:25). You can identify such people by their rejection of the laws of the Bible which they do not like. Often, they are fanatical about laws and traditions which make them feel good about themselves. They will promote them to perverse extremes, even to the point of crushing people who think differently.
Why are so many Charismatics in such sorry shape spiritually? One reason is they have gotten lazy and do not pray in the Spirit. Another reason is that they have "quenched the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). The Spirit may have led them to a new truth in God's Word and they have rejected it.
Yet another reason is that they pray in the Spirit, but they do not pray with the understanding also (1 Corinthians 14:15). If the realities of the subconscious mind are never brought up to the conscious realm, then they cannot be recognized and remedied. Some Charismatics treat tongues like a psychedelic trip.
Are tongues for real? I can only speak for myself. I have spoken in tongues since the tender age of twelve, although there have been extended times of my life when I have foolishly neglected this wonderful gift.
Non-Pentecostals will insist that tongues cannot be true languages because they do not stand up to the test of linguistic analysis. How do they know? How can they test a phenomenon which is beyond human capabilities with a fallen and depraved rational mind? The scientific method is not fool-proof. How do you test the analysis?
Others say tongues sound like baby talk. So what! The Four Beasts of Heaven worship God night and day with only thirteen words in their vocabulary (Revelation 4:8). The Twenty-four Elders do not have much more than that. When you are in God's presence, you probably won't have much to say, either.
The gift of tongues is a feminine attribute (see my book, The Mother Heart of God). You have heard of the "mother tongue". The Holy Spirit is the Great Mother and teaches us the language of Heaven. When mankind, one-by-one, is reborn by the Great Mother and learns the language of Heaven, then the divisions can be healed.
In the Desposynic Church, tongues came with Mary Magdalene and other kinsmen of the Lord to the Celtic churches. The persistence of its practice by Celtic Christians, in spite of abuse from Latin clerics, is recognized and documented by the good Father, Thomas Hudson, in his book, The High Age of the Celtic Church (Attic Press, Greenwood, South Carolina, 1992). In my opinion, the rediscovery of Celtic spirituality is a reflection of a maturation in the Charismatic movement. When it adopts postmillennialism and Christian theonomy, to which the Celtic tradition will inevitably lead, then it will be ready to bear good fruit.
How does one obtain the gift of tongues? If you are a Christian, just do it. You have the Holy Spirit, already. Simply yield to Her. Speaking in tongues will come from within. Don't be embarrassed. Just start babbling, and She will take over from there. That is all I can tell you. The mystic rites of the Desposynic Church were designed, in part, to help the believer learn to yield. And they may help you if you are having difficulty in this area. But ultimately, tongues are a synergistic event between the yielding tongue and the power of God.
* * Today marks the Feast of St. Colman, a Celtic leader from the 7th Century. He worked very hard among the Anglo-Saxons but failed to win the argument at the Synod of Whitby. Consequently, the Anglo-Saxons eventually went over to Rome and he was driven out - a curse of the confusion of tongues. Returning to Celtic lands, he went to Ireland to nurture the vision of Irish missions on the Continent. That story can be found in Thomas Cahill's book, How the Irish Saved Civilization. Colman died in 676.
A Servant of Jesus,
James Wesley Stivers
Presiding Overseer