The purchase
by Abraham of the cave of Machpelah as
a grave for Sarah involves this mystical
soul essence. Machpelah means infolded,
winding, spiral, symbolizing a condition
in which great possibilities of expression
are involved. Not only Sarah but Abraham
himself, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob
were buried there. All these were spiritually
quickened and therefore impressed their
soul qualities upon matter more definitely
than the children of Heth; but all are
to undergo judgment, through numerous
incarnations, at the end of the ages,
"some to everlasting life, and some
to shame and everlasting contempt."
"And they that are wise shall shine
as the brightness of the firmament; and
they that turn many to righteousness as
the stars for ever and ever."
Gen.
23:1-2. And the life of Sarah was a hundred
and seven and twenty years: these were
the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah
died in Kiriath-arba (the same is Hebron),
in the land of Canaan: and Abraham came
to mourn for Sarah,
and to weep for her.
The name
Kiriath-arba means "city of Arba,"
"city foursquare." Symbolically
Kiriath-arba denotes the state of consciousness
that attributes to material reason the
perfection belonging to and coming from
spiritual understanding only; that attributes
strength, power, knowledge, and greatness
to the outer formed world instead of knowing
that all power and reality exists in Spirit,
in the unformed ideas of the one Mind.
Sarah (symbolizing
the spiritual soul in a certain degree
of unfoldment) died in Kiriath-arba. In
truth however the higher activities of
the soul cannot die. It may seemingly
become entangled in thoughts on
