The Wheat and the Tares: A Parable of Destiny and Inherent Nature
The parable of the wheat and the tares, found in the Gospel of Matthew, is often interpreted as a straightforward depiction of good versus evil. However, a deeper look reveals a more nuanced understanding when viewed through the lens of mitigated dualism and predestination. This perspective suggests that the parable isn’t just about a battle between morality; it’s a reflection of inherent differences in souls and their ultimate, pre-determined destinies.
The Original State: A Field of Pure Potentiality
The parable begins with a farmer sowing good seed in his field. This resonates with an initial state of perfection, a world, or perhaps even a soul, initially intended to be wholly good. This ‘good seed’ represents souls with an inherent disposition towards light, love, and truth. It symbolises the potential for spiritual growth and connection to the divine source. In this initial state, there’s a sense of unity and harmony, where all potential is aligned with the divine will.
The Intrusion of Darkness: The Sowing of the Tares
The story takes a dark turn when an enemy, traditionally understood to be the devil, secretly sows tares (weeds) amongst the wheat. These tares represent souls with an inherent inclination toward darkness, selfishness, and separation from the divine. This is where the concept of mitigated dualism emerges. Unlike a radical dualism that posits two eternal, equally powerful forces, mitigated dualism suggests the presence of an opposing force, but one that stems from a corruption or perversion of the original good. The tares are not fundamentally equal to the wheat; they are a deviation from the intended purity. Their existence, while a disruption, is ultimately part of a larger cosmic process.
The Inevitable Separation: A Natural Ordering
Crucially, the parable highlights that the wheat and tares grow side-by-side for a period, coexisting within the same field (or world). This can be interpreted as the time of human experience, where both ‘types’ of souls interact and live alongside each other. However, the parable also introduces the eventual separation, the harvest and the act of judgement. In this interpretation, the harvest isn’t about arbitrary punishment or divine favouritism, but rather a separation of souls based on their inherent nature. The incompatibility of the ‘wheat and tares’ makes the separation an inevitable result of that same inner disharmony of nature.
Here, we see the concept of predestination gaining relevance. This is not predestination in a traditional sense where God arbitrarily chooses who is saved and who is damned, but rather a consequence of the intrinsic nature of souls. The ‘wheat’ cannot become ‘tares’, and vice-versa, due to their fundamentally different spiritual compositions. The harvest, therefore, is a sorting procedure according to the internal, pre-disposed nature of the souls, separating like with like.
Not Favouritism But Natural Order
The separation is not an act of unjust favouritism but a process of natural ordering. The ‘wheat’, with its capacity for love and good, is gathered into the barn – a metaphor for union with the divine. The ‘tares’, inherently disposed toward darkness and separation, are bound and burned – symbolic of their final state in the order of things, not a punishment in the traditional sense, but a natural consequence of their inherent nature.
This interpretation acknowledges a complex reality where inherent predispositions exist, making certain spiritual paths more natural for some than for others. It proposes a cosmos where souls, at their deepest level, align with either love and unity or separation and darkness. The separation that occurs at the ‘end’ is not a sudden imposition but a culmination of innate tendencies.
A Deeper Understanding
The parable of the wheat and the tares, when viewed through the lens of mitigated dualism and predestination, offers a profound understanding of the complexities of existence. It suggests that while we inhabit a world where good and darkness coexist, the nature of our souls is not a blank slate. Instead, we possess inherent tendencies that will ultimately lead us toward specific spiritual paths. The final separation is not an act of arbitrary judgement, but the natural consequence of these inherent differences, a sorting process of like with like, based on their fundamental nature.
This interpretation urges us to look beyond a simple dichotomy of good and evil and to consider the deeper reality of inherent nature and its role in our spiritual destiny. It allows for a more nuanced understanding of a seemingly simple parable, shedding light on the complex interplay of choice, destiny, and the inherent nature of the soul.
Worldwide Temple of Aurora 