Simple reaction to Jeremiah 1:4-8

Dear diary,

I have to admit it: I like the beginning of the bible-book Jeremiah — I don’t mean its prosaic narration, which was apparently written by a guy named Baruch, who’s sorta like Jeremiah’s editor — I mean the first poems, where Yahweh God breaks the hard news to the prophet that he’s possessed by genius.

I’ll quote the verses that I’m referring to; but that phrase “the word of the LORD” is too blankly familiar and very dusty — it’s supposed to indicate a proclamation of Yahweh, but it’s lost its flavor — therefore I, with no authority to do so, will replace it with substitute wordings like “the god-mind of Yahweh” (etc.), because I prefer to think of prophecy as the act of opening oneself to the divine energy that is waiting to burst from one’s own mind thru one’s own tongue to others, onward and outward — it is the selfsame as poetry:

The god-mind of Yahweh (the Poetic Genius) came to me and said:

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you;
And before you were born, I sanctified you,
And I appointed you a prophet unto the nations.

I’m still pleasantly baffled when I try to comprehend this concept: What was I like before I was born? How did my face appear before I had a face? What was my pre-person personality? The aspect of me that is older than myself. Maybe it’s nonsensical; If so, then I am inspired by nonsensicality. (Why not choose to be vast and to contain multitudes?)

I answered:
Ah, Lord Yahweh!
But I cannot even speak yet:
For I am only a child.

And the god-mind of Yahweh answered:
Do not say, “I am only a child”:
But go wherever I move you to go,
And say whatever I inspire you to say.
Have no fear: for I am with you to deliver you.

I like how relatable this is. This is the secret to making every person a prophet. For who does not say about oneself “I’m not yet prepared; I’m not yet good enough for such a calling”? Yet the answer remains: “Waive off your supposed lack; instead, follow your intuition and act earnestly in accordance with the impulse of love.”

And look again at that last line...

Have no fear: for I am with you to deliver you.

Fear has the aim of preserving your mortal flesh. But the part of you that’s above and beyond mortal flesh does not share this respect for fear. To obey fear might preserve your temporal existence, which is doomed anyway; but to disregard fear for the sake of genius is to merge with divinity: to become the god-mind (LOVE) by reinforcing what is best in yourself.