The Book of Revelation - a Commentary

'A great many scholars have given us their interpretation of The Revelation to John, but, to my mind, not one of them has ever understood what it is really and truly about. Why is this? There are several different reasons, but the main reason is that they have failed to recognize its essential message as a description of the elements and processes that are common to our own inner life and the life of the cosmos.
They have been more concerned with trying to identify the historical characters, countries and events portrayed in it. As a result, a lot of nonsense has been written about the four horsemen, the beast with seven heads and ten horns, the woman with the crown of stars, the great whore and the new Jerusalem. 'I too have interpreted some passages from The Revelation for you, but you must realize that what I have told you cannot be of any benefit to you if you have never worked or made an effort to acquire the true foundations of the spiritual life.
For it is not enough to understand all these symbols intellectually; you have to be able to make them come alive within you. As long as this preliminary work of purification, self-control and inner ascent has not been carried out, the marvels of The Revelation will remain a closed book to you.' Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov