The Brown Book Commentaries

“Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor‟s
and to God the things that are God‟s”
~ Jesus (Mark 12:17)
While this verse has Jesus specifically speaking of paying taxes to the reigning government
(and is thereby used by many a conservative Christian to champion the same), there are several
deeper meanings at play here that needn‘t be overlooked … First of all, what Jesus is actually
saying here is not that we should focus on paying taxes, but rather that we should actually not
worry about doing so. After all, taxes are clearly not ―of God‖ in this particular scene, and Jesus
makes it oh so clear elsewhere that we can only have one master – either wealth or God (see
Matthew 6:19-24, Matthew 19:24-26, Luke 12:20, Luke 16:13-15, as well as Matthew 17:24-27)
… Secondly, and even more importantly, it is worthwhile to remember that – for Jesus at least –
God was the essence of perfect, unconditional Love (Matthew 5:48) – and as such, that we are to
Love similarly, at least if we are to ever ―give to God the things that are God‘s‖ (see John 13:15-
17, Matthew 7:21-27 et al).
Image 282 (Page 108a - top right) … This is a portion of a U.S. one dollar bill – the
portion which represents Divine Providence, deist style (this, according to Benjamin
Franklin himself – Note as well that none of the final designers of this seal was a Mason, and
that the ―all-seeing eye‖ was adopted as a Masonic symbol some 15 years after this symbol
was accepted for use on the one dollar bill) … Intriguingly, the Latin saying above the
pyramid reads ―annuity coeptis‖, meaning ―God has favored our endeavors‖ – which,
ironically, He always does, but only when Love is involved, and money isn‘t …
―I cannot explain It beyond your capacity to understand It.‖ ~ Thor Evergreen
I don‘t think it is their capacity to understand Truth that hinders folks, but rather solely their
willingness to do so … Indeed, the Truth – at least any Truth that is worth remembering – is
always exceedingly simple. And as such mental capacity almost never plays a role in its
comprehension … And yet where these Truths are simple, so too are they often uncomfortable;
often existing in direct contradiction with the most primal urges and yearnings of the primal egoself.
As such, far more often than not,
folks will seek to adopt excuses against
&/or false rejections of these same
Truths – Truths that are all easily
verifiable if practiced, and yet Truths that
cannot be verified without the same.
Image 283 (Page 108a - main image) … This picture shows the center of the
Feuerbach Wald Labyrinth (see additional images thereof on pages 15b to 18) – a seedpattern
that starts with a cross; and fittingly at that, seeing as how the labyrinth is
representative of the Journey a human being makes on his or her way to
reawakening the True Self, and the cross symbolizes the Truth that a human being‘s
body, conscious mind and conscient ―Soul‖ are unified as a True Self in every
moment of humble reverence encapsulated within every act of selfless service …
―For all my traveling, I have Seen the most within myself.‖ ~ anonymous
The first step to Awakening is Seeing the True
Self within … The second step to Awakening is
choosing to assume that same Self resides in others
… The third and final step to Awakening is
disregarding the second step and setting the first
step into motion to Care for others deeply anyway.
That is when real Clarity is fully attained; that is
when our Sight is finally restored.
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