Acts 1:9

"And when he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9).

Question:

I have read the metaphysical meaning of ascension, and I have different reasons to ask for an eventual physical ascension: 1. In Rosicrucian writings, they say Jesus created a cloud and went to the headquarters of the Essenes. 2. In mystical literature (yoga and Catholic literature), they talk about levitation. 3. In Masters of the Far East and in the lives of Catholic Saints, they talk about being in one place and in some seconds the physical body is transported to a far destiny based on intention, in the style of Star Trek ( de-energize and energize).

Comment:

I'm not at all familiar with either Rosicrucian or Far East writings, so I'll leave it to you to consider how they do or do not echo this passage and the 'resurrection' of Jesus. There are examples in the Bible, from Elijah all the way to Paul, of people who are lifted up—either temporarily or permanently—into a spiritual realm. It's difficult to believe in a literal, physical ascension given what we now know about our physical universe. As Rev. John Shelby Spong asks, do we suppose he went up past the moon and perhaps turned left at Mars? But, of course, Spirit is more true than science could ever be, and I think that is where we understand this passage. Mark, the earliest gospel, tells us Jesus "was taken up into heaven," and that became the tradition. But, of course, there is really no place to go, once we understand heaven is not a separate kingdom somewhere in the sky, which was the implicit understanding of the gospel writers.

I believe Jesus left his physical self behind at the time of the crucifixion, and out of his infinite love he managed to recreate that physical form just long enough to convince his disciples (well, most of them) that he was still and always eternally alive, just as we were. Having done that, he (probably with a sigh of relief) simply allowed that physical form to dissolve into the wholeness of his Spirit. The disciples would have no way of understanding what happened, so they explained it as best they could. Basically, he was there and then he wasn't.

As to your other references, they are concerned only with the body as it expresses in this dualistic experience. All the 'rules' about life on this planet—including gravity and other 'proven' scientific facts—are of our own collective creation. Is it possible for someone to be so focused on his/her spiritual Truth that they are able to disregard a scientific rule or two along the way? I absolutely believe it is. But it doesn't happen by focusing on the body; it's by focusing on our true Spirit so completely that the body becomes extraneous, at least for a while. Paul writes of his experience that he couldn't really tell if he was in his body or not. That suggests to me that we may all experience spiritual 'ascension' more than we think. We just may not know it's happening.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed