In the last post we discussed how Joseph’s life symbolized the spiritual ascension process where he eventually becomes the Old Testament version of the Christ. We have also learned how Joseph’s life is about you, not a literal Hebrew boy that got sold into Egypt as a slave. You can find that post here.

I want to open up part 2 of the life of Joseph with an important New Testament scripture:

2 Peter 1:19 states, “…whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts…”

The day star is the sun and the Christ you raise within you. The story of Joseph can also be summed up in that scripture. Some of you might be wandering what it means to have the day star arise in your hearts?

The Greek word for “heart” in that verse means the thoughts and feelings experienced through the mind. So we raise the day star to the level of the crown chakra where the mind is transformed.

Have you ever wondered why the sun has represented so many savoir figures like Joseph (who saves the world from famine) and Jesus (who is the bread of life)? Besides giving energy for all life, the sun also represents the third chakra, popularly known as the Solar Plexus. You could even say that the solar plexus is your inner sun.

This chakra is yellow. Its energy type is mental-emotional. Diane Stein has stated, “Emotional and psychic balance are located at this center and thought-forms are produced here.” Cyndi Dale, author of the Complete Book of Chakra healing, states that the Solar Plexus is “…most commonly known as the power center” that “…functions as the storage house for judgments, opinions, and beliefs we have gathered about ourselves and the world. These judgments, in turn, affect our self-esteem and self confidence.”

Thus you can see why it is important to let the day star arise in our heart / minds when we experience the dark nights of the soul (trials and tribulations of life). It is our thoughts that need to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. The rising of this “day star” is about kundalini (Holy Spirit) rising up the spine to the crown chakra where the right and left hemispheres of the brain are balanced, therefore bringing the “light” to our mind, body, and soul.

This is one of the reasons ancient painters of Christ placed a halo or the sun above his head; the Christ is the Christ simply because the sun has risen to its most potent and powerful place, just as it does in summer at its highest point above the horizon. Even Christ’s crown of thorns resembles the bright, erratic power of the sun’s corona. Now you may see why the sun is a perfect symbol. Not only for Jesus, but for Joseph as well. And it all can be cultivated within our own bodies.

As I mentioned in the previous article, Joseph’s life is really about the spiritual journey of cultivating this energy. As he enters Egypt, we’re going to see this played out in greater detail. Just like Jesus the man became second in authority to God the Father, so Joseph the favored son becomes second in authority to Pharaoh, the God and father of Egypt. And just as the Father gives all authority and power to the Son, so too does Pharaoh give all power and authority to Joseph.

After Joseph is sold to the Ishmaelites by his brothers, they in turn sell him to Potiphar in Egypt. Potiphar has no meaning in Hebrew. However, in Egyptian Potiphar means “Ra,” the sun-god, which is another clue; Joseph is entering the house of the sun. Then he is blessed.

“And his master saw that the LORD was with him…And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand” (Gen. 39:3-4).

Joseph is now beginning the ascension process just like the sun itself as the seasons move from winter into spring. We make this ascension happen within ourselves by entering the Kingdom “within,” through meditation. However, as we begin the meditation process, the lower mind always tries to take control. By its very nature the lower mind goes through an endless array of mental gymnastics to try and figure it all out. This is the left brain mental-emotional intellect that contains all of our beliefs, conditioning, and thought processes. But it is here we must take heed, for the scripture states:

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways…” (Isaiah 55:9).

Our intellect cannot figure it all out. The Spirit works through us from our higher self and the right hemisphere of the brain. If you’ve ever tried to get still and wait on the Lord during the meditation, you probably remember the enticing nature of the lower nature. We see this same scenario manifested in Joseph’s narrative through Potiphar’s wife.

“And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me” (Gen. 39:7).

Potiphar’s wife is the lower nature / ego in us. The lower nature always tries to entice us. Although the ego serves as a vital protection mechanism, it also keeps us wrapped up in a survivalist’s mentality where the lower nature expresses itself through fear and judgment. It doesn’t understand or know the act of pure light or love. As I tell all my readers, the ego is not evil; far from it. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a handful to deal with, sort of like Potiphar’s wife. We must master it.

Joseph resists Potiphar’s wife, but the ego will never relent its illusory power so easily. The scripture states:

“And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her” (Gen. 39:10).

Joseph is holding strong. What would this look like in the meditation process? It means we would refuse to engage the endless thoughts and emotions that pop in and out of our mental processes. You recognize them, but do not engage them. Engaging them gives the life. Simply observing them and then letting them go crucifies them.

We know how the rest of Joseph’s story goes. Potiphar’s wife lies to her husband that Joseph is the one that tried to entice her. As a result, Joseph is thrown into prison.

Joseph is still going through the dark night of the soul. We all go through these ups and downs during our worst and greatest trials and temptations, just as I discussed in Part 1 of this series. A few meditation sessions isn’t going to free us. Just like us before ascending, the Yin / Yang energy within Joseph has still not been balanced. It’s a process you, I, and Joseph are still journeying towards as we trust the Lord during meditation to allow his spirit to raise the day star in our hearts.

I also want you to notice the imbalance of the Yin / Yang energies through the symbols of Potiphar, the Eunuch who does not fulfill the sexual desires of his wife. Instead the wife turns to Joseph the observer, which also represent the true you and I during meditation. Because there is no intercourse between the divine masculine and feminine energies, Joseph is kept in prison. Potiphar’s house is not the place in Joseph’s life where he will complete the ascension process. But neither Joseph nor we should give up because at some point the baker and the butler will manifest.

The Baker and the Butler

When Joseph ends up in prison, he meets and befriends two interesting characters: Pharaoh’s butler and baker. They each have dreams that they can’t interpret. But Joseph can, so they tell them to Joseph. We’re going to look at them in reverse order. In the events of these two dreams, we have a dichotomy between the descending and ascension process. There is even primitive imagery of the crucifixion, and in order to ascend as the Butler, we must first be crucified like the Baker. Let’s look at the Baker’s dream first. I’ll quote the dream and then Joseph’s response:

“…I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head: And in the uppermost basket there were all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head. And Joseph answered and said…The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift thy head from off thee, and shall hand thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat they flesh from off thee” (Genesis 40: 16-19).

Here we have symbols that represent the thoughts and emotions of the mind that are crucified in the mind. The baker was even crucified on the tree / stake and the birds ate his flesh. Clearly we can see that the thoughts and emotions of the lower mind are of a fleshly desire. This is the ultimate symbol of the death of the ego, just like Jesus on the cross.

In opposition we have the Butler who was set free and ascending to his position as the cupbearer of Pharaoh again. Let’s look at his dream and Joseph’s response below:

“…In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; and in the vine were three branches: and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup…And Joseph said unto him…Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto they place…” (Genesis 40: 9-13).

In the New Testament the Christ is compared to a vine because of the vine’s plentiful nature. Vines and trees can also be compared to the human spinal column. The blossoms represent the opening of the chakras along this region, and the pressed grapes are the fruit that is brought forth after the ascension process.

This is another good place to stop. I had originally planned to end this as a 2-part series, but there’s too much information and this post is getting long as it is. Therefore I’ll do one more post on Joseph before moving on to the next topic.

How can this knowledge help us?

As you have been following along on this blog, hopefully you continue to realize that all the stories in the Bible contain characters, events, and symbols that represent the kingdom within you. If you have studied other ancient religious texts, you may have realized that they too portray the same ideal.

The literalizing of these ancient texts actually caused the division that we see across the world today. This is because when the texts are literalized, the truths contained inside are no longer universal; they become the truths to the individual mind and ego of the people in whatever cultural that believes them so. This is the fuel for individuals to believe they have the right to say they are right and someone else is wrong.

The only true way to enter the temple, part the veil, and move into the Holy of Holies is by going within the self. In the New Testament Christ is portrayed as the bridge between God and man. This is true. But the Christ nature is the potential resurrection within you.  When you have this nature alive within you, you may see the Father. You will experience a death, but you will also experience new life. The process is very sacred and should not be taken lightly.

Remember, the best way to go within is to wait upon the Lord in meditation. These are represented by the “night watches” of the Old Testament.

Blessings!