The word repentance as used in the King James Bible was completely misinterpreted by the original translators. The original Greek word metanoia means much more than simply feeling sorry. In fact, the idea implies a complete reversal of a persons whole outlook on themselves and their relationship with that which greater than themselves. It means seeing oneself not as an ego-bound entity scrabbling for control within a subjective frame of reference of their own creation but rather as a conscious participant within a larger frame of reference with a unique roll to play, no matter how insignificant it may seem to themselves or the world at large.
The original meaning of repentance can be understood using the analogy of the acorn. The acorn is a complete biological entity, containing a small germ part along with a larger part that provides food for the germ when it sprouts. Although an acorn is a complete entity, it contains a potential destiny that completely transcends it’s being and in fact guarantees it’s death.
This destiny is it’s potential to become an oak tree. The seed in all it’s compact complexity and completeness is created with the intention that it should die of itself to become something much greater. The oak tree has completely different needs, priorities, and experiences than an acorn does. Even though every acorn is a potential oak tree, it would never understand anything about an oak tree’s reality due to its inadequate field of experience.
The same sun that can dry out and kill an acorn nurtures and feeds the oak. The same rain that can rot an acorn from within provides the oak tree with the substance that enables it to grow tall and strong. The squirrel that sees an acorn as a meal sees the oak tree as a place that provides it with safety, food and a home where it can raise it’s family.
The final outcome of any acorns that fail to transform into oak trees is unimportant to nature, as only the oak trees will be able to make more acorns to continue the cycle. The acorns that do not sprout are either eaten by animals or decay to become food for the ones that do sprout. Most acorns, no matter how large, beautiful, or healthy will not fulfill their cosmic destiny, although they will have played their required role in natures master plan.
To relate this analogy to human terms, it is necessary to see all of us as acorns. We were born, raised, and matured to the point where we are complete entities. The germ of the acorn relates to the inner essence we were all born with whereas the meat of the acorn can be related to our ego centered personality that we acquire as we grow to maturity.
As complete entities, we can live, love, and die with our fellow entities within a subjective reality defined by our animal instincts of avoiding pain and seeking pleasure, never knowing or understanding that a completely different reality is possible.
In reference to our analogy, the different reality is represented by the oak tree. By using the analogy, it can be seen that this gap between what we are and what we can be is a lot wider than we think. Blind obedience to centuries old dogma will not be enough to achieve this “oak tree” state that manifests itself in human terms as living as a self-actualized entity with a conscious understanding of our relationship to the higher level of integration that governs the universe.