After his explanation of the importance of symbology, Hazrat Inayat Khan now unfolds the symbolic meaning of the tongues of flame described in the Book of Acts in the New Testament.
The symbolic meaning of this legend is that there is a period when the soul of the earnest seeker is still seeking, when it has not yet found the object of its search. During the lifetime of Jesus Christ, the beauty of the Master’s wonderful personality and the great intoxication of his presence, the constant outpouring of the message that he had to give, was so overwhelming for his disciples that it soared beyond what may be called joy or happiness, or anything which can be explained. All the blessing that they received and experienced while his presence was among them was overshadowed by the Master’s personality. The realization of all that they had constantly received only came to them after that great event when the external person of the Master ascended, and their capacity for realization became available.
But, after the fifty days following the Crucifixion, when they had had time to recover from the feeling that had overwhelmed their hearts, the seeming separation from their beloved Lord prepared them, so to speak, at the right moment. It opened the door of their hearts, giving them the capacity to receive the illumination which was constantly pouring out from the Spirit of Guidance, the Alpha and Omega, who always was and is and will be.
The symbolic interpretation of the tongues of flame rising from the foreheads of the disciples is the light of the message, the rays of the Christ Spirit in the form of thoughts which could be expressed in words. There is a stage in the life of a seer when the tongue of flame becomes not only an interpretation of the mystery, but also a reality of his own experience. The head is the center of knowledge, and when this organ opens, the light which was covered becomes manifest, not only as an idea, but even in a form.
The phenomenon which occurred the next day, when the apostles spoke all the different languages, can be rightly interpreted in this sense, that every soul hears its own language. For every soul has its own word, as every soul has its own evolution. This is why one person cannot generally understand another in this world. It is more than a miracle if we find perhaps one person in the world who can understand us fully. This means that in this world, the language of one is not understood by another, and if it happens that someone understands a little, one instantly feels at one with him.
It was the illumination of the Christ Spirit which brought exaltation into the lives of the disciples, so that they began to respond to every soul they met, and they became at one with every soul, inspired by the sympathy and love of Christ. They understood the souls as they saw them, and could speak with souls whose language they had never before understood. They heard the cry of every soul, and they answered every soul’s cry.
To be continued….