1 O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother! When I should find thee without, I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised.
Brothers represent the Active connection in Spiritual Love.
Spirit is related to the Soul, connected through Love. When Spirit is not directly focused through the Soul, the Soul seeks to restore their Union. This is the purpose of the Great Work.
2 I would lead thee, and bring thee into my mother's house, who would instruct me: I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
The Mother of the Soul is the Divine Feminine. She enlightens the Soul. Spiced wine symbolizes everlasting vitality. The juice of the Pomegranate is Righteousness. The Soul leads the Spirit toward their Union through Righteous Guidance. This guidance is called the Intuition.
3 His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me.
The left hand symbolizes the Passive aspect of Spirit. The right hand symbolizes the Active aspect. The head symbolizes the Mind.
This passage is saying that we must maintain a Passive, Meditative State of Consciousness when seeking to unite our Soul with Spirit. We must seek connection with our Soul, through the practice of Meditation.
4 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he please.
The daughters of Jerusalem, symbolizing Exalted Thoughts of Peace, are charged to remain Passive and not try to force Spiritual Awakening. It must be allowed to happen in its own time.
5 Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised thee up under the apple tree: there thy mother brought thee forth: there she brought thee forth that bare thee.
The question in this passage is about applying Introspective Consciousness to the Soul, through Meditation. The Apple Tree symbolizes Knowledge. The Mother of the Soul is the Divine Feminine.
We must meditate regularly, allowing the Soul to surface in Consciousness by clearing our minds of unmanaged thoughts (the wilderness).
6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.
The Soul is a symbol of Love (the Heart) and Power (the Arm). All actions, both Physical and Spiritual, should be performed with Love. This is the meaning of setting the Soul as a Seal upon the Heart and Arm. Spiritual Love can lead Immortality, thus conquering Death. Jealousy, a Selfish emotion born of the lower aspect of Love, can create Death. This is known as the "Evil Eye". It can destroy Love and the Loved One. This is both a fact and a warning. The source of both is the "vehement flame" of Love.
7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
The waters in this passage represent forces of weakness and negativity. These cannot extinguish Love. Floods represent consciousness becoming filled with such negativity and weakness. Love can easily overcome these. If someone tries to buy Love, "giving all the substance of his house", that person would both fail to obtain Love and would also be despised.
8 We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?
Sisters represent a Passive connection in Spiritual Love. Their having no breasts means that the soul's connection to Spirit is not Active at this time. Her being without breasts symbolizes the lack of Vitality. The question about what to do on the day she is spoken for symbolizes developing an Active Interest in Spiritual Development.
9 If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver: and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
A wall symbolizes protecting spiritual substance. A palace of silver represents a receptive state of consciousness. This is a form of Meditation. The door symbolizes Spiritual Consciousness. Boards of Cedar represent high states of Spiritual Consciousness. The Soul must be ready to receive Spirit. This Receptivity can be encouraged through the practice of Passive Meditation.
10 I am a wall, and my breasts like towers: then was I in his eyes as one that found favor.
The Soul protects spiritual substance and is receptive to Spirit at this stage of spiritual development. This State of Mind attracts Spirit to the Soul, through our Consciousness. This is the purpose of Passive Meditation.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-Hamon; he let out the vineyard unto keepers; every one for the fruit thereof was to bring a thousand pieces of silver.
Baal-Hamon, in Hebrew, means possessor of plenty; place of the multitude; lord of the multitude; place of Jupiter Ammon. Vineyards represent manifestations of Spirit. These include our physical world and all life within it. The fruit of the vine symbolizes spiritually conscious people. The number 1000 symbolizes immensity. Silver is Receptivity.
This passage is saying that spiritually minded people, empowered through Meditation, are the protectors of the Manifest Universe.
12 My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.
The vineyard kept by the Soul contains all things in the life of the Spiritually Enlightened Person. Solomon, as an Enlightened Person, had a complete understanding of the universal laws. All Enlightened people are living extensions of YHVH or Spirit. As such, everything in their life is part of their Kingdom or Creation. Other beings within the lives of such people are here symbolized by "those that keep the fruit". 200 Symbolizes Insufficiency. Such people have insufficient spiritual understanding to enable them to live as spiritually empowered beings. They are not yet ready for such power.
13 Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
Solomon dwelling in the gardens means that he experiences and channels the pure forces of Spirit. Such people teach, by example, the proper relationship between Humans and God.
14 Make haste, my beloved, and be thou like to a roe or to a young hart upon the mountains of spices.
Roe and Hart are both names for Deer, symbolizing thoughts of Harmonious, Faithful Contemplation. The mountains of spices symbolize imperishable forces of Spirit. We are being told to maintain our state of Deep, Inner Peace. This is the key to Enlightenment.