GENESIS 1:26

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Inner Meaning

Genesis 1:26 describes the emergence of self-conscious spiritual identity within the evolutionary process. “Man” is not physical humanity but the spiritual Ego, the conscious center capable of reflecting the Divine. The verse marks the point where involution has prepared sufficient vehicles for the Logos to image itself within form.

The phrase “Let us make” indicates the plurality of divine powers—the coordinated action of higher principles operating through differentiated planes of consciousness.

Symbolic Breakdown

• God
  The Absolute expressing itself through the creative Logos.

• Let us make
  The cooperative activity of the higher triad (will, love, and higher mind) acting upon prepared lower vehicles (body, emotions, and lower mind).

• Man
  The individualized spiritual Self, not the physical body.

• Our image
  Consciousness reflecting Divine Intelligence.

• Our likeness
  Potential to realize Divine nature through evolution.

• Have dominion
  Mastery of the lower planes—physical, astral, and desire nature—by awakened consciousness.

This verse signifies the moment when consciousness becomes self-reflective, capable of moral choice and spiritual ascent.

Esoteric Interpretation

In the DOASAM framework, Genesis 1:26 corresponds to the turning point from involution to evolution. The lower quaternary has been sufficiently organized to receive the impress of the Divine Image. Man, as spiritual Ego, is now capable of self-direction, learning to govern the forces of nature within and without.

Dominion is not external control but inner mastery. The verse establishes the spiritual mandate of humanity: to evolve consciousness until the likeness becomes realization.

Comparative Perspective

Jungian Psychology
This verse corresponds to the emergence of the Self archetype, where the ego begins to orient toward wholeness and integration.

Judaism
The Tzelem Elohim (Image of God) is understood as moral and intellectual capacity rather than physical resemblance.

Christianity
This verse prefigures the Christ-principle—the Divine Image fully realized in human consciousness.

Hinduism
Parallels the awakening of Atman recognizing its identity with Brahman through reflective consciousness.

See Also

BIBLE VERSES

GENESIS 1:1
GENESIS 1:2
GENESIS 1:3
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GENESIS 1:5
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GENESIS 1:26
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