Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 18, 2001, Page 83
Yet, when God asked Abraham to take his only and beloved son into the wilderness to offer
him in sacrifice to God, Abraham‘s surrender to God was such that he complied. Isaac was
old enough to question his father as to the nature of the sacrifice since they carried no
lamb. Abraham avoided the question, saying only that God would provide one. Once in the
appointed spot for the sacrifice, Abraham bound his son and prepared to kill him with a
knife and set fire to him as an offering. As Abraham raised the knife, the word came from
Heaven that it would not be necessary to sacrifice his son. God made a ram available to use
in his place. The angel of God called again to Abraham to affirm the blessings Abraham
would receive because of his willingness to offer his son (Genesis, 22:15).
In this story, the father of Judeo-Christian religion is blessed for his faith and absolute
surrender to the will of God. With this value deep in our cultural imagery, it is no wonder
that members of USCs may consider suspension of critical thinking and absolute faith in a
teacher, path or doctrine to be a lofty accomplishment. Yet we may also wonder at the
trauma to Isaac, as he was bound and prepared to die at his father‘s hand. I can‘t imagine
any Department of Social Services being quite as impressed with Abraham‘s
accomplishment if he had been referred to them. Clients may use the story to explore
positive and negative aspects of surrender of self and the way surrender of self was used
within their USCs. Is surrender of self part of their lives now? How do they choose someone
or something to surrender to now?
The story holds potential for the positive and negative of surrender to a greater will or
commitment to a spiritual path. In the negative, there is the danger of being unaware of the
damage done to another by our actions. In the positive, such commitment can be essential
for deep transformation, in spirituality as well as psychology. Clients may find positive and
negative ways they have acted in the role of Isaac, and other ways they have acted in the
role of Abraham.
In the context of USCs, it is also interesting to note that Abraham felt the need for
deception in carrying out his plan. He didn‘t tell his son what he had in mind. In this sense,
Abraham is in the role of leader in an USC, and Isaac is the student, trusting in the
authority figure. Also interesting is the lack of the presence of Sarah in this part of the
story. As Marion Woodman has said (Cope, 1999), the feminine (as opposed to the female)
aspects of our selves often carry the paradoxical, the imperfect, the human, and the wisdom
of our bodies. One aspect of the story of Abraham and Isaac that can be discussed (felt) is
whether the lack of Sarah‘s role was essential for the actions to occur as written.
Clients may wish to consider ways in which they have played various characters in the
story, and whether they hold any feelings from the roles they have played in the past.
Shiva and Ganesh
Shiva is one aspect of the Hindu trinity of God. In many versions of this story, it begins
when Shiva would not take seriously the request of his wife, Parvati, to give her privacy
when she bathed. Parvati had also been unable to find anyone who would stand by her door
and resist Shiva‘s entry, since all her assistants considered Shiva to be their master. In
order to have an ally that would be responsive to her, Parvati created a son by molding his
body from the earth and investing him with her own breath. After a time away, Shiva
returned to Parvati. When he attempted to enter her chamber he was restrained by a
handsome young man. In a jealous rage, Shiva cut off the young man‘s head. Parvati was
horrified and told Shiva the young man was her son, Ganesh. Parvati threatened to act
through her aspect as Kali to destroy the world if Shiva did not restore Ganesh to life and
grant him other blessings as well. Shiva restored Ganesh‘s head by replacing it with the
head of the first creature he came upon, an elephant. Shiva then used his own breath to
restore Ganesh to life. In doing so, Ganesh also became Shiva‘s son as well. Images of
Ganesh with the head and trunk of an elephant can be found throughout India to this day.
Yet, when God asked Abraham to take his only and beloved son into the wilderness to offer
him in sacrifice to God, Abraham‘s surrender to God was such that he complied. Isaac was
old enough to question his father as to the nature of the sacrifice since they carried no
lamb. Abraham avoided the question, saying only that God would provide one. Once in the
appointed spot for the sacrifice, Abraham bound his son and prepared to kill him with a
knife and set fire to him as an offering. As Abraham raised the knife, the word came from
Heaven that it would not be necessary to sacrifice his son. God made a ram available to use
in his place. The angel of God called again to Abraham to affirm the blessings Abraham
would receive because of his willingness to offer his son (Genesis, 22:15).
In this story, the father of Judeo-Christian religion is blessed for his faith and absolute
surrender to the will of God. With this value deep in our cultural imagery, it is no wonder
that members of USCs may consider suspension of critical thinking and absolute faith in a
teacher, path or doctrine to be a lofty accomplishment. Yet we may also wonder at the
trauma to Isaac, as he was bound and prepared to die at his father‘s hand. I can‘t imagine
any Department of Social Services being quite as impressed with Abraham‘s
accomplishment if he had been referred to them. Clients may use the story to explore
positive and negative aspects of surrender of self and the way surrender of self was used
within their USCs. Is surrender of self part of their lives now? How do they choose someone
or something to surrender to now?
The story holds potential for the positive and negative of surrender to a greater will or
commitment to a spiritual path. In the negative, there is the danger of being unaware of the
damage done to another by our actions. In the positive, such commitment can be essential
for deep transformation, in spirituality as well as psychology. Clients may find positive and
negative ways they have acted in the role of Isaac, and other ways they have acted in the
role of Abraham.
In the context of USCs, it is also interesting to note that Abraham felt the need for
deception in carrying out his plan. He didn‘t tell his son what he had in mind. In this sense,
Abraham is in the role of leader in an USC, and Isaac is the student, trusting in the
authority figure. Also interesting is the lack of the presence of Sarah in this part of the
story. As Marion Woodman has said (Cope, 1999), the feminine (as opposed to the female)
aspects of our selves often carry the paradoxical, the imperfect, the human, and the wisdom
of our bodies. One aspect of the story of Abraham and Isaac that can be discussed (felt) is
whether the lack of Sarah‘s role was essential for the actions to occur as written.
Clients may wish to consider ways in which they have played various characters in the
story, and whether they hold any feelings from the roles they have played in the past.
Shiva and Ganesh
Shiva is one aspect of the Hindu trinity of God. In many versions of this story, it begins
when Shiva would not take seriously the request of his wife, Parvati, to give her privacy
when she bathed. Parvati had also been unable to find anyone who would stand by her door
and resist Shiva‘s entry, since all her assistants considered Shiva to be their master. In
order to have an ally that would be responsive to her, Parvati created a son by molding his
body from the earth and investing him with her own breath. After a time away, Shiva
returned to Parvati. When he attempted to enter her chamber he was restrained by a
handsome young man. In a jealous rage, Shiva cut off the young man‘s head. Parvati was
horrified and told Shiva the young man was her son, Ganesh. Parvati threatened to act
through her aspect as Kali to destroy the world if Shiva did not restore Ganesh to life and
grant him other blessings as well. Shiva restored Ganesh‘s head by replacing it with the
head of the first creature he came upon, an elephant. Shiva then used his own breath to
restore Ganesh to life. In doing so, Ganesh also became Shiva‘s son as well. Images of
Ganesh with the head and trunk of an elephant can be found throughout India to this day.
