Jesus: The Anointed

Dream 08.24.1998:

In the still silence of the Brahmamuhurta*, just hours before the first cock’s crow of the morning, Jesus bathes in a roughly hewn tub of warm water. He is much manlier and more ruggedly handsome than one might imagine today. Disciples and a small group of other devotees are gathered in the intimate space of a small room where golden light of a dozen oil lamps illumines the scene. Kneeling on the right side of his tub, I hold a piece of sea sponge in one hand and a shallow vessel of warm oil in the other. I dip the sponge into the oil, then gently daub Jesus' temples. From there, I stroke his cheekbones and nose with the sponge, rubbing the oil in tenderly. His skin is the color of milky amber; it glistens warmly in the soft light of the oil lamps, prominent moles like accents on his right shoulder, brow and cheek. A day’s growth of dark beard softens his jaw line. The black curls on his head, heavy with oil, shine like a starry night, while the smaller ringlets of chest hair swirl around his coppery nipples, dark waves on a rolling, swelling sea. My heart swells also as I daub his his chest with the oil, stroking his neck and his arms with the sea sponge. This beautiful man is my Lord. My Beloved. The Lord of Love. The Friend. Jesus lifts his right hand. I take hold of it and work the oil soaked sponge between his fingers, massaging the webbing, his knuckles, his fingertips.

I get lost in this adoration.

My mind is tangled in his fingers now. I have lost all sense of separation and my lips fall on his cheek, kissing him. It is accomplished. My separate sense of self dissolves in his greater wholeness. He knows I am his, lost as I am in his presence. Now rather abruptly he rises to his feet. Warm, oily water spills from his tall, majestic physicality. Wet, dark curls define his strong carpenter’s stature. Jesus, long legged and soaking wet, steps out of the tub and walks away, taking my love with him, wafting like the fragrance of a flower.

* 4 AM is termed as Brahmamuhurta. Because it is favorable for meditation on God, or Brahman, it is called Brahmamuhurta. At this particular hour, the mind is very calm and serene. It is free from worldly thoughts, worries and anxieties. The mind is like a blank sheet of paper and comparatively free from worldly concerns. It can be very easily molded at this time before worldly distractions enter the mind. The atmosphere also is charged with more sattva, refined energy, at this particular time. There is no bustle or noise inside oneself or outside one’s home.

[Photo Credit: Emilio Morenatti]