Noah: Afloat, January 4, 2013 9:17 AM

Genesis 8:1–9:17

The meaning of Noah is “rest.” It was the 7th month in which the ark came to rest on the mountain tops. Seven is a number that represents divine perfection, and the heights of a mountain represent a high state of spiritual consciousness. What we have symbolized here is that elevated state of perfect rest that can be attained after passing through a time of terrible trial.

In Mysteries of Genesis, Fillmore suggests that the sending forth of the raven and dove conveys the uncertainty about the high state of consciousness. “Am I truly safe? Can I really rest?” The raven goes out to test the situation. A raven can fly for a long time, and it also can feed on carrion, of which there must have been an abundance. So the raven does not return. Doves, however, cannot remain aloft as long as a raven, nor can they feed on carrion, so the dove would keep returning to the ark until there was dry land for it to land upon. The dove, like the name Noah, symbolizes rest and peace. Coming back with an olive leaf at least showed that some plants were visible and beginning to grow again; new life was appearing, but the land was not yet fully uncovered, just the tree branches. Seven days later, the dove went out and did not return; there was enough land and plants to provide sustenance for her. To me, all this seems to imply that it is okay to “test” our spiritual experiences, to make sure that what seems like deliverance and peace really is, that the trial is really over. There is enough spiritual food and ground on which to stand to sustain our peace.

It is interesting that the covenant God makes is said to be, not only with Noah and his family, but with every living creature. The animals and birds represent our thoughts, and the burnt offerings, to me, represent bringing our thoughts to Spirit and offering them up, opening ourselves to the Presence of God, and allowing our thoughts to be “consumed” by Spirit.

The rainbow represents God’s faithfulness. The covenant, essentially, is a guarantee that the universe is friendly, that there is no vengeful God ready to destroy the world on a whim. I can affirm: I trust the integrity of the universe.