Theosophy - The Life of Jehoshua- The Prophet of Nazareth. An Occult Study and a Key to the Bible. Containing the history of an initiate- by Franz Hartmann
THE
LIFE OF JEHOSHUA
THE PROPHET OF NAZARETH
An Occult Study and a Key to the Bible
Containing the History of an Initiate
by Franz Hartmann, M.D.
AWAKEN !
Boston: Occult Publishing House 1888
Part 1 of 2 - Go to part 2
PREFACE
[Page 3] The only object of the following pages is to aid in dispelling the mists which for
many centuries have been gathering around the person of the supposed
founder of Christianity, and
which have prevented mankind from obtaining a clear view of the true Redeemer,
who is not to be found in history nor in external forms, but who can
only be found within the interior temple of the soul by him in whom his
presence becomes manifest.
It
must be left to the intelligent reader to decide whether the accounts given
in this book
may be accepted literally as historical facts, or whether they are intended,
to represent
eternal and ever occurring processes going on within the inner consciousness
of man. The only key to the understanding of the truth is the power to
perceive it; for
the truth teaches itself, - not by the light of argumentation, but by its
own light,
and it teaches nothing else
but itself.
All that the reading of books can possibly accomplish, is to aid us in bringing
the truth which exists within ourselves to our own understanding, and
to drive away the clouds of
erroneous conceptions which may keep us from knowing ourselves.
[Page
4] There is nothing to prevent man from rising into the higher regions of thought
where the light of the truth exists, except his clinging to erroneous opinions;
there is no way of driving away the darkness except by the diffusion
of
Light.
The Author
[Page 7]
DEDICATION
eternal One!
Thou self-existent Cause
Of all existence, source of love and light;
Thou universal uncreated God,
In whom all things exist and have their being,
Who lives in all things and all things in Him;
Infinite art Thou, inconceivable
Beyond the grasp of finite intellect;
Unknowable to all except thyself.
Nothing exists but Thou, and there is nothing
In which no Good exists; Thou art, but we
Appear to be; for forms are empty nothings,
If not inhabited by Thee; they are
Thyself made manifest. Addressing Thee
We sin, because we separate ourselves
In thought from Thee who art our very self;
For we are
nothing if we are not “Thou”,
And
Thou art “we”; we have no life but Thine,
No will or thought, no love or strength but Thine;
Thou art our life, our will, our mind, our all;
We are in Thee and Thou in us; Thou art
The “Father” and Thyself in us the “Son”.
Thy Spirit fills the universe with glory
And impregnates all Nature with thy power,
Enabling her to bring forth living forms
Of plants and trees, of animals and men;
It fructifies the soul of man and gives
Birth
to the “Christ”, the saviour of man,
[Page
8]
Call’d
the divine Atma or the “Lord on high”,
The “Master”, He
who makes immortal all
In whom His presence is made manifest
If He awakens in the heart of man
To the self-consciousness of His existence,
Then will there be no further death, for He
Is perfect and requires no further change.
Thus “Christ” is
God made manifest in Man
As man, and no one can attain to God
Except through Him; for He Himself is God
In Man, and He who strives to find His God
Must seek for Him in His own holy temple
Within himself in Spirit and in Truth.
To Him, the Christ, the God in man we pray.
To Him alone, not to external gods,
Nor to the spirits in the Astral Light;
And praying strongly we fulfil our prayers.
For rising up to Him we are Himself,
And grant that which we ask of Him ourselves.
No man knows God; it is the God in Man
Who knows Himself in him and lifts man up
To the conception of what is divine
In his own nature. Rising up to Him
We come to God through Christ, through God to Man,
And to all nature in His Holy Spirit. [Page 9]
INTRODUCTION
ever since
the beginning of the Christian era a storm of varied opinions in regard
to the supposed founder of what is called “Christianity” has been raging in the world of mind,
finding its expression on the external plane in deeds of violence, in innumerable
cruelties, wars, atrocities, and crimes, such as are almost beyond the power
of human imagination to conceive. From the time of the maniac-emperors, when
the Roman arenas were
reddened by the blood of the Nazarenes, down to the Middle Ages, when Christians had
ceased to be persecuted and became persecutors in their turn; when the scum
of all Europe
pillaged and plundered the inhabitants of the “Holy Land” in the assumed name of Christ;
down to comparatively modern times, when the skies of all European countries
were blackened by the smoke ascending from burning fagots, upon which men,
women, and children,
suspected of heresy, were roasted to death by those who claimed to be the
followers of Him
who had taught the doctrine of universal fraternal love; — and still further down to our present
time, in which the churches struggle to regain their waning powers and wealth,
- the
cause of all [Page 10] religious warfare has always been a difference of opinion in regard to the
nature of “Christ”.
While the most fanatical adherents of orthodox theology, entirely ignoring the
religious
histories of the world, with its Manus, Avatars, Buddhas, and Saviours of mankind, such as
are said to have appeared upon this globe millions of years before the advent
of modern “Christianity”, regard the person of him who is called The Christ as
being the “only begotten
son” of an extra cosmic creator of the world, conceived in some miraculous
manner by a virgin of Palestine, and while they thus apply the most gross
and sensual
exoteric explanation to
a beautiful ancient myth, which hides a sublime and eternal truth; the modern
critic either denies that such a person as the Jesus of Nazareth of the Gospels
ever existed, or he sees in him merely a man of extraordinary talents, a
hero who dared to proclaim what
seemed to him to be the truth; a religious reformer, who died like many others
for the promulgation of a grand but impracticable idea.
Some
of these critics are very profound thinkers; but they have evidently not
looked behind the veil that divides the eternal, ideal, but nevertheless
real world from the
sensual world of illusions, wherein we live. They were unacquainted with
the constitution of the “spiritual” organism of Man, and they could only see the mortal part of
Jehoshua; while their opinions in regard to his spiritual nature were based
upon speculations which may have approached the [Page 11] truth in proportion as they
followed their highest intuitions.
Thus
Kant regarded him as the ideal of human perfection; John Stuart Mill,
as a very
extraordinary man; Lord Amberly, as an “iconoclastic idealist”; Fichte,
as the first teacher who revealed the unity of Man with the Supreme Spirit;
Hegel, as an incarnation
of the Logos; Schelling, as a kind of Avatar, i.e. one of the periodical descents of Divinity; Dr. Keim,
as a mysterious man, whose glorified spirit inspired his disciples to attempt
the reformation of the world; Strauss looks upon him as a moral reformer,
who occasionally stooped to imposture
to secure the confidence of his adherents; Renan, as an effeminate idealist,
an impostor who
performed “bogus phenomena”; Schleiermacher, as a man in whom self-consciousness
was so saturated with the Divine principle, that he really became a god incarnate;
Anatole Bembe, as a modern anarchist and socialist of the most fiery kind;
and Gerald Massey, who bases his
opinions upon historical researches, finds that Jehoshua Ben-Pandira was born some 120
years before the Christian era, and that the typical Christ of the gospels was made up from
the features of various gods.
It appears that those who have attempted to disprove the existence of an historical
personal
savior of mankind, have done no serious harm to the interest of religion;
because the pious mind intuitively feels that the gospel accounts, attributed
to the four Evangelists,
contain after all a great deal of truth, even if the events [Page 12] which are told therein
have never occurred in history; but those who attempt to base the whole foundation
of their religious conviction upon the existence of an historical Jesus and
ask others to do likewise, may be doing serious harm; for the belief in
an historical
Jesus
can after all be merely a matter of opinion, and a faith based merely upon
a possibly fallacious opinion, having no knowledge for its foundation, rests
upon
a very insecure
basis indeed. There are very many well-meaning people upon this earth who
imagine that it is indispensably necessary for one's salvation to believe
that a man called Jesus of Nazareth once lived and died in Palestine; but
it would
be
difficult to give any intelligible reason why the belief in such an historical
person should be necessary for that purpose, or in what way such a belief
should differ in its results from a belief in Julius Caesar, Aristoteles,
or any other person in history; as all opinions in regard to things of which
we have no personal
experience are merely opinions and constitute no real knowledge. To believe
in an event
of which we know nothing is to cling to a superstition, even if the event
is actually true. We can have no self-knowledge about persons that existed
before
we were born; but we may at any time and at every place realize the presence
of
the true savior, the eternal living Christ within ourselves.
All attempts to explain intellectually the miracles and deeds attributed to the
Great
Nazarene, for the purpose of making it more plausible, that they have actually [Page
13] occurred in a literal sense, are therefore degrading to religion, and may be
looked upon as a sacrilege; for they drag spiritual truths down to gross
material life; they force sublime
ideas into narrow material forms, and destroy the beauty of the ideal by
causing it to appear in a vulgar sensual shape. Even the most exalted virtues
with which
a poet may endow a personal savior will never give him that luster which
shines around the head
of the eternal and impersonal Christ, and all attempts to make the beautiful
allegories of the Bible agree with historical facts will be unsuccessful,
and even appear ludicrous to the
unprejudiced and clear-thinking observer. [Gerald Massey says: “The worst foes of the truth
have ever been and still are, the rationalizers of the myths, such as the
Unitarians. They have assumed the human history [of Christ] as the starting-point
and accepted the
existence of a personal founder of Christianity as the one initial and fundamental
fact. They have done their best to harmonize the divinity of the mythos by
discharging the
supernatural and miraculous element, in order that the narrative may be accepted
as history. Thus they have lost the battle from the beginning by fighting
it on the wrong
ground.” — Gerald Massey, The Historical Jesus and Mythical Christ.].
The question, whether or not the doctrines of the Bible are true, cannot be decided
by answering the question, whether or not the events described therein
have actually
occurred in external life; that proof must be sought in the internal evidence
of those doctrines, and this evidence will appear plain enough as soon as they are understood.
The vain attempts to prove rationally the possibility of the occurrence of miracles
such as
are described in [Page 14] the Bible, are equally absurd; for the indisputable proof that one single
miracle had actually occurred, would immediately overthrow the foundation of
all religions and destroy the belief in an eternal and unchanging God. God,
being himself the Law, or the
Cause of the Law, cannot act against himself without committing suicide, and
those who are trying to uphold a belief in the possibility of anti-natural
or absolutely supernatural occurrences,
are denying that God is the ruler of Nature. They degrade him to a fallible
being who changes his mind, and is subject to whims, such as are produced by
external
influences; but
what external influences could possibly act upon God, who is self-existent
and omnipresent and who includes the All? The fact that no miracle has ever
occurred
is the most formidable argument for the existence of a universal God; for it
proves the existence
of universal and unchangeable Law, whose Law-giver must be equally universal
and not
subject to change. Those, however, who attempt to reconcile the miracles of the Bible with
material reason, by seeking to explain them by theories of sleight
of hand, or by the spiritistic theory, are to be pitied most; for they prove
that they have neither faith which
characterizes the Christian, nor sufficient intellect to see where to so-called “realities” end,
and where the realm of the fable representing the true Ideal begins.
From “profane history” we
can gather very little information in regard to the person of the great
reformer. All that we can learn from a few short remarks in Tacitus and Josephus[Page 15] (believed by some to be interpolations) is, that some such person actually existed,
and we are led to infer, that he was regarded by some as a sorcerer, by
others as
one of the would-be reformers and religious fanatics of those times, that
he was
opposed to the prevailing
religious views, and that on account of the attacks he made upon time-honored
institutions, upon which the security of the church and the authority of
the clergy rested, he was finally
put to death.
So-called “sacred history”, as contained in the “four gospels”, is believed to
give a detailed account of his life and his doctrines; but while there
seems to be a vein
of truth in regard to actual historical occurrences underlying the gospel
accounts, the great bulk of the latter
is in contradiction to Common Sense, and merely a repetition of different
allegories,
such as we may find in the ancient books of the Egyptians, Persians,
and Brahmins. These ancient
myths have been most curiously mixed up with the biography of Jesus of Nazareth
and represented as having actually taken place during his life. In
fact, the few probable details in
regard to the life of Jesus are so much loaded with fables and misinterpreted
allegories, that
the “New Testament” deserves to be regarded rather as a poem, describing
psychological processes, than as a book of history, describing external
occurrences.
If we examine that book without any prejudice and without any sectarian bias,
we find therein two currents of thought. The first applies to the
life of a man, who – [Page 16] if he
has not been entirely misrepresented - must have been a great genius, a
hero, and a reformer. The second current refers to sacred truths, such as
were taught in the secret doctrines of the Arians and Egyptians; truths
which we find stated in the books of Hermes Trismegistus, in the Bhagavad-GitĂŁ , and others. In these ancient books we find
reference made to the Christ principle long before the name of “Christianity” was known, and
the myths of the “Immaculate Conception, the “Son of God”, etc., may be clearly
traced to this ancient origin, This discovery, far from throwing discredit
upon the
veracity of the principles upon which primitive Christianity was based, serves
rather
to strengthen the
foundation upon which the original doctrines rest; it does not overthrow
the truths stated in the Bible, but goes to confirm them, by showing that
the processes
thus allegorically described, are not merely events of the past, but that
they are continually occurring, and will
in all probability continue to occur in the future.
It is usually claimed by those who adhere to a belief in a merely personal and
historical Christ, that the gospels were written by the apostles,
who having been disciples of Jesus
and eye-witnesses of the miracles he performed, knew what they were talking
about. Granting -
for argument's sake - that these men had left some written accounts; they
cannot be held responsible for all the additions and interpolations which
were
afterwards made by their
followers and which cannot stand [Page 17] the test of sound reason and logic. It has however
been proved by recent researches, that neither of the four gospels in their
present shape was written by the apostles; but that they were probably collected
long afterwards by some
unknown members of the church, who labeled them with the names of the apostles,
so as to impress upon them the stamp of unquestioned authority; while they
undoubtedly eliminated from
the existing traditions a great deal that may have appeared prejudicial to
the interests of the
church, or contrary to their own views and opinions.
It is not our intention to enter into a discussion in regard to the origin of
the gospels, nor would we expect any great benefit to arise from a controversy
in regard to such matters;
because in matters of religion and where no knowledge exists, sentiment forms
a stronger attraction than reason. No argument is strong enough to force
a person to lose his hold of a favorite opinion to which he has resolved
to cling; while those whose knowledge is the
result of mere argumentation, have usually very little power of spiritually perceiving
the truth. Those who cling to time-honored superstitions as well as those
who love scepticism and
sophistry, will live on the food they have chosen, until they are satiated with
it.
What does it matter to us, after all, to know whether or not our ideal Christ
has ever existed in history? If we were in a position, or if it were
necessary for us to imitate the daily
deeds of the man Jesus of Nazareth in [Page 18] all their details, then would it perhaps be important to know whether or not
the accounts told of these deeds are literally true; but as we are living
in
a different age and under different circumstances,
we cannot imitate
his external life in all its details; but we can look up to him as a high
ideal and imitate his inner life, and we may live up to such an ideal without knowing whether or not it has
ever been embodied upon this earth. To imitate his thoughts is far more important
than
imitating his personal acts.
If we look at the image of Jehoshua, seen through the trembling mists of incense,
mixed with the vapors of human blood and the smoke of burning heretics,
we see merely
an
unnatural and distorted image of the Jewish Jehovah, a ghastly-looking shadow
that seems to be neither a god nor a man. If we look at him from a rational
standpoint, and
apply to him the rule by which mortals are usually measured, we find that our
measure is somewhat too short, for we discover in him a sublimity of
character, an unlimited
love, a
transcendental intelligence, such as is not found combined in one person in the
modern history of the world; but if we look at him as being one of the
full-grown flowers of
humanity, a person whose mind was illuminated by Divine Wisdom, - an Adept, - who
possessed the knowledge of his own Higher Self, all that appears strange and
impossible in his character becomes at once clear and comprehensible; but we
cannot conceive
of
him in that light, without entering to a certain extent within the [Page 19] mystic
realm of occult science, whose key is the power of spiritual perception, called
Intuition. Looked at in that light, he stands before us as an ideal Man and as a
personification of Divine Wisdom.
The
standard of morality and spirituality of a people will always depend on
the quality and attitude of the ideals they follow. If their ideals are
monstrous and unnatural, they will be
vicious and lead unnatural lives; if their ideals are true, they will be
guided
by considerations of truth. The ideal created by the Spanish monks
and which they called their “Christ” was
a devil, and their deeds were the actions of devils. The standard of morality
and spirituality existing among the various Christian churches of
the world, including more than two
hundred Christian sects, may be correctly estimated, according to their higher
or lower
conception of the term “Christ” In many cases we find that conception very narrow, and
therefore the doctrines of these sects differ in such cases widely from the
doctrines of Christ.
“The
Christ” or “Messiah” means the redeeming power of Universal spiritual
consciousness, love, and intelligence, while the limited “Christ” of the
churches is merely a person, whose love manifests itself at best only
inside the church. The
real Christ means Universal Life, while the “Christ” of the sects means separateness and favoritism. True
Christianity means spiritual enlightenment, universal benevolence, charity
and tolerance; Churchianism means mental darkness, stubborn ignorance, selfishness,
intolerance, self-conceit, [Page 20] and hate for all who will not submit to clerical rule. True religion, such as
may perhaps be found in the far-distant golden age, means that entire renunciation and self-sacrifice, such as we find it described
in the Bhagavad-GitĂŁ and in other sacred books of the
East, and which is also represented by the ill-understood symbol of the Christian Cross; but
modern sectarianism, the offspring of the worship of the bloodthirsty Jehovah,
is based upon a concentration of all our hopes and aspirations upon the attainment
of some selfish
personal benefit here or in the hereafter; upon a craving to save that worthless
self, even
if its salvation were to involve the ruin of the rest of the world.
True
religion — the power to know and realize spiritual truths - is attained by those who
can rise above the sphere of their illusive self; sectarianism is kept
alive
and nourished by the love of men for their own animal self and by the fear
to lose that beloved thing. As long as
this love of self - based upon an entire misconception of the true nature
of
Man — is not
eradicated from the heart of mankind and replaced by knowledge, the Upas-tree
of dogmatism will find therein a soil in which to spread its roots
and to reap temporal benefits
for the church at the expense of the eternal welfare of its deluded adherents.
In Jehoshua Ben-Pandira we
behold a divinely inspired man. Inspired, – not by any external
personal deity, – but by the eternal light of Divine Wisdom, that illumined his mind. We
behold in him first a Rabbi, [Page 21] a man of great talents, who sought earnestly after the truth, and who, after
having been initiated into the ancient Egyptian mysteries, became a prophet
and a seer. Having arrived at a knowledge of the truth, he heroically defended
it
against the priests of the temple and sacrificed his life in the attempt
to bring the life of the
true Christ, that existed within himself, to the understanding of the masses.
He attempted
to dispel the clouds of darkness, created by superstition and fear, so that
the light of spiritual knowledge might enter the hearts of mankind. He taught
the
principle of universal
fraternal love, of a Love for the sake of love, — not a love on account of expected rewards, but
his ideas were too grand, too sublime, to be comprehended by the narrow-minded
bigots of
his age. He was murdered by those whom he attempted to save, and He — whose whole
life-effort was directed to overthrow the superstitious belief in a limited
God, separated from
humanity and subject to whims and caprices, - was so little understood by his followers, that,
after his death, those who claimed to believe in his teachings, made of himself
such a limited
god, separated him from humanity, and selected him for an object of their
external worship.
In “Jesus
of Nazareth” we behold a beautiful allegory, representing the spiritual germ of divine
Intelligence in the soul of Man, conceived in the heart by the power of the
spirit of Divine
Wisdom, continually born in the mystic Bethlehem situated in the purest region of the human soul. To speak of Him as an “historical
person" [Page 22] is a blasphemy and
an absurdity. He never was killed by the Jews, although he is continually
crucified by professed Christians. He is alive today and will live forever,
and resides
in the hearts of
those who adore him and obey his commands.
Is mankind nowadays better prepared to receive the gospel of the universal saving
power of Knowledge and Love than when Jehoshua lived? Are men ready
now to do away with the
religion of fear and selfishness and substitute for it the gospel of Freedom
? Will it now be possible for them to comprehend that their beloved self,
to which they cling with the grip of despair, as a drowning man clings
to
a straw, has no permanent existence at all - but is merely
an illusion, a product of a continually changing interaction of correlating
forces; which, acting within the physical plane, produce that sensation
which causes
the illusion of isolated
existence ? Will the pious be ready to believe, that before they can hope
for any immortality of their individual self, they will first have to begin
to live by finding that individual Higher Self,
their Savior, who exists in a life beyond the separation of form ? Will they be ready to
receive the gospel of eternal and universal life in the spirit, or will they
regard a doctrine which denies the immortality of the lower self as being
identical with denying the immortality of the soul? Have men become intelligent and heroic enough to be free, or must they still
be furnished with the crutches of hope and fear to enable them to stand upright
? Are men
now their own Masters, or are priestcraft [Page 23] craft and superstition still necessary evils,
to keep the ignorant in subjection and terror and to make them obey the law
? Is a religion which is based upon the love of men for their animal selves,
and
whose only excuse for existence is its expediency and usefulness for political
and social purposes, really useful in
the end ? Is such a religion calculated to ennoble mankind, or may perhaps
the cause for the growth of selfishness and its resulting evils be found
in that
spirit of egotism upon which that religion rests? Will it be practicable
now to proclaim truths, which have at all times been
carefully hidden from the eyes of the ignorant, and if not, should not the
truth be told for its own sake and irrespective of any consequences that
may result
therefrom ? Can the knowledge of the truth have any other effect in the end
but that of ennobling those who
open their eyes to its light, even if the dawn of today will cause a temporary
disturbance among the dark mists of ignorance which cover the face of the earth
?
These important questions seem to be well worthy of our consideration, especially
at the present day, when the Christian temples all over the world
are seen to totter and shake,
because they are built upon sand; when the monsters of anarchism, socialism,
nihilism, etc., born of ignorance, rear their heads, and tyranny
and monopoly, the offspring of selfishness, are vampirizing humanity; when
the whole of Europe appears to be threatened by
a devastating war, and America is beginning to suffer the ills produced by
causes
transplanted from the old world to the new. [Page
24]
In
regard to so-called science, the age which seems now
to be nearing its end has been one of blind materialism; in regard to
so-called religion, it has been
one of formalism and credulity in supposed historical facts; but
it is said that now has the time arrived when one of
the seals of the “closed book” spoken of in the Bible is to be opened; that is to say, that
the understanding of mankind as a whole will be opened to a comprehension
of eternal
truths, which for ages past have been misunderstood.
The
following allegories describe the processes which are taking place within
the inner or thought-life of all who strive for initiation, and which must
have therefore
also taken place within the inner life of Jehoshua, if that person
was what we may well suppose him to have been, – a man illumined by the spirit of Divine Wisdom. [Page 25]
THE TRUE HISTORY OF CHRIST
(An Allegory)
Forever the Light shineth into darkness, but the darkness comprehendeth it not.
long, long ago in the past, perhaps millions of ages ago, at a time beyond human
calculation, there was a realm of Light, wherein resided the Spirit of Wisdom.
His body was like a Sun, and the living rays emanating from him filled
the universe with glory. Matter
of a fiery and ethereal kind, such as is unknown to man, filled all space, and
the light coming from that Spirit penetrated the realm of Matter and
endowed it with life and
sensation. Gradually this matter began to cool, centers of attractions were formed,
and around these centers still more matter condensed, and they grew into
revolving globes
traveling with lightning velocity through space, being guided by the Spirit of
Wisdom. Upon these globes stones, vegetables, animals, and human beings
grew.
But in proportion as this matter became dense and solid, it became impenetrable
to the light coming from the Spirit of Wisdom, and the men born therein
groped in darkness, until
they discovered a phosphorescent substance in the caves of the earth which
gave forth a [Page 26] light like a diamond after having been exposed to the sun, and they called it
“Ratio” By the light of this stone they were able to see their surroundings. Men and
animals used this stone, but in the hands of men it shone brighter than when
the animals
used it.
But the light which they now possessed threw a false glitter upon the objects
which it
illuminated and caused them to appear distorted and not as they actually were.
The Spirit of Wisdom, pitying mankind on account of their ignorance and
darkness wherein they lived,
resolved to descend to them; but being unable to make himself visible to men,
because their eyes had become petrified and blind, he attempted to manifest
himself by assuming a more
solid shape in their souls.
He entered the Heart of Man and found it to be a stable, filled with animals
of all kinds.
There was an ox called the Will, tied to the yoke of passion, and an ass called Reason, led
about by erroneous speculations. There was a hog called Intemperance, and a goat called
Lechery, and around the door prowled the tiger, the wolf, and the hyena, seeking to gain
admittance, while snakes and poisonous reptiles were wriggling and crawling through
the cracks of the roof. The stable was full of impurities, the windows were covered
with cobwebs, that prevented the light from entering; but in spite of these disgusting
surroundings the
Spirit of Wisdom remained there and attempted to clean it and transform it into
a temple,
fit for him to reside therein.
He attempted to make his presence known to the [Page 27] proprietor of the stable, but
for a long time his calls were not listened to; for besides the noise made
by the animals in the lower part of the building, there was a great noise made in the upper
story, which
was occupied by traders of all kinds, by lecturers and preachers, scientists,
theologians and moralizers, of whom each one tried to make himself heard
above the rest.
By some accident the voice of Wisdom attracted at last the attention of the proprietor,
but he could not understand what it said, for the language seemed foreign to
him. He
therefore sent a commission to examine the claims of that Spirit. Sophistry and
Superstition, the daughters of Ignorance, and a fellow named Logic, an illegitimate son
of a woman called Experience, arrived, accompanied by a dog called Selfishness. They listened to the Spirit and wrote down what he said. They then asked him
for his certificates, to prove who he was, and wanted to dispute with him; and
as he did not
answer their arguments in a manner comprehensible to them, they shook their heads
and did not believe what he said. The animals clamored that the strange visitor
should be ejected, for his presence disturbed them in their comfort and ease.
Moreover, the
angel having begun to assume a material form, needed some nourishment to acquire
substance and strength, and he abstracted blood from the animals in the stable
and nourished himself with it.
Such a state of affairs appeared intolerable to the proprietor of the house,
and he
resolved to kill the [Page 28 ] intruder. He was, however, afraid to attack him openly, because he feared the
light that shone from his body. He had in his employ two servants
in whom he trusted, although they were two thieves, who continually robbed their master
of his most valuable treasures whenever any opportunity offered itself; but
he knew it not, and believed them to be his faithful assistants. The name
of one of these thieves
was Credulity, and the name of the other was Scepticism, and both were the greatest enemies of the Truth.
One evening the Spirit went into the garden that surrounded the house. He had
succeeded in transforming, by his magic power, some of the animals into men,
and they followed him; but the proprietor hearing of his whereabouts,
sent his servants to have
him arrested. But Credulity and Scepticism had never seen the Spirit of Wisdom and did
not know him; they therefore applied to Logic, who by a certain trick of argumentation, which he had learned from a sorceress
in the West, whose name was Curiosity,
managed to come very near to the Truth, and kissed him, and (they) then treacherously
overpowered the Spirit of Wisdom and caused him to be crucified. But the
Spirit, being immortal, could not die; the men who attempted to kill him
merely destroyed
his form,
and thereby rendered themselves incapable of seeing his outward expression,
and the Spirit of Wisdom returned to his eternal home, to descend again and
again
into
the hearts
of men and to repeat the same process forever and ever, by being born, crucified,
and
resurrected every day. [Page 29]
“JEHOVAH”
A beautiful god is the most noble product of Man.
man-created gods are most wonderful beings. They possess all the virtues and vices
of those who made them, and they in return cause their creators to be vicious
or virtuous, foolish or wise. It is known to the student of occult
science, that if a man
consciously and wilfully performs an act, whether it be good or evil, he calls
a living power into existence, which reacts upon him, until the strength
with which it has been endowed by
him who conjured it up, is exhausted, and while it lives, it may be either a
curse or a blessing to its creator. Thus it is even with the creating
of gods, and the law that applies to an
individual man also applies to a people.
From the time of the Babylonian captivity up to the present day a curse seems
to have been attached to the Jewish nation. They have been persecuted
in almost every country; they
have been hated wherever they went. Justly or unjustly, their cowardice, selfishness,
and greed have almost become proverbial; as a nation they have surpassed
all others in grasping
and hoarding wealth; they are as a whole believed to be tyrannical, unrelenting,
and obstinate,
while on the other hand they [Page 30] excel other nations in such virtues as grow from a
state of separateness and isolation, they closely cling to each other, they assist each other
in need, they love their families, and become even heroes in the defense of what they may
legally claim as their own.
If
we attempt to trace the curse which seems to rest upon them to its origin,
we may find it in the fact that they have created that cruel, bloodthirsty,
and selfish god, whom they called “Jehovah”, and the god whom they had created, reflected upon them his own attributes and
became the instrument of their punishment. They materialized a grand idea,
forced it into
a limited form and endowed it with life, and they thereby chained themselves
to that form and became its slaves. In creating a separate god of
their own, isolated from the universal God
of humanity, they became themselves separated and isolated from the rest
of mankind; their god, whose favorites they imagined themselves to
be,
was the outcome
of their own
selfishness, and he became the instrument of their torture: the birth of
Jehovah became the curse which clung to their heels wherever they
went.
For millions of years the eternal Brahm, the great and universal Spiritual Sun of Wisdom,
had sent his beneficent rays into the world of mind. He knew no distinction
of person, but gave the light of wisdom to all who opened their hearts
to
receive it; the water
of Truth
descended like rain upon all, and refreshed those who opened their souls
to drink it in. Life, Light, and Happiness were accessible to all mankind,
without
the [Page 31] interference of
man-ordained priests, the Universal God asked for no other sacrifice but
that which rises
up spontaneously from a pure heart, the adoration of absolute Good, — a sacrifice which,
kindled by the fire of unselfish Love, rises up like a cloud to the throne
of the Eternal and returns again like heavenly dew, showering upon him who
offers
the sacrifice seven times
more of that which he gives.
Thus
in ancient times the heaven — ordained priests — that is to say, all human beings who
were conscious of the existence of a universal divine ideal — fed the gods with sacrifices of pure and exalted thoughts, and were fed in return by the god [Bhagavad-GitĂŁ , III,
12] they
sent their spiritual aspirations from the altar of a pure heart into the highest regions
of thought and called spiritual forces into action, which reacted upon them
endowing them
with knowledge and ennobling their characters. Their “prayers” served to thin the veil of matter
by which they were surrounded and to enable them to look beyond the “gates”
of their prisons. The higher state of consciousness to which they arose created
a new “Jerusalem” in their souls and caused them to realize their
own true manhood and their true condition as living, embodied, spiritual powers,
kings and lords of
creation. They needed no help from external, personal gods; because
they were
aware of the living presence of
the universal Spirit of Wisdom acting within themselves. [Page 32]
But as with the increase of the population the battle for terrestrial existence became
stronger, and men, forced by external circumstances, began to give more attention
to their animal necessities than to the requirements of a life
in the Eternal, as they became strongly
attracted to sensual things, and lost proportionately the power to conceive
of that which transcends sensual perception; they became unconscious of
their own divine nature, they
lost confidence in the divine power within themselves, and clamored for help
from external
sources. They forgot how to pray, and learned how to beg; and as no god appeared to
give them the things which they desired, they invented gods of their own.
They needed gods
who promised to save them from slavery, because having become slaves to Self, they were
now too busy to execute the commands of their master, and to attend to his
affairs, to give much attention to their salvation, and to work themselves
effectively
to recover their freedom. Thus the Unlimited, Eternal, and Infinite disappeared
from their view, and in its place they
created limited, personal, and changeable gods. The god which the Jews created
was called “Jehovah”, — a name whose real meaning was known only to few, — and they endowed him
with all the good and evil qualities which characterized their own selves.
Natural and heaven-ordained priests, such as were conscious of the divinity existing
in man, and who refused to render homage to man-made gods, were persecuted
and slain; divine
worship became a matter of trade and [Page 33] was entrusted to man-ordained clergymen,
who had no higher ideal than their own semi-animal selves, represented by
the gods who were the offspring of their own imagination. The interest of
the church
became paramount
to the acquisition of Wisdom, external ceremonies and material sacrifices
took the place of spiritual aspirations and heart-offerings, hopes of future
rewards
and fears of punishment in
the dread hereafter took the place of that nobility of character which seeks
to do good for the love of Good, irrespective of any consequences that may
accrue to one's self therefrom.
External heavens and hells were invented, and the priests truly possessed
the keys to them; for by acting upon the imagination of the believers, they
could
cause them to believe to be
either in heaven or in hell. Thus the eternal Reality, the Truth, was deposed from its
throne in the hearts of men, and priest-craft, with its illusions, assumed the
sceptre.
When the Jews created their god they lost their own manhood; they lost all confidence
in their own power. Thenceforth they trusted in their creature, and the
god whose fathers they
were, fed them with promises and prophecies, which were never kept nor fulfilled.
While the gods of the Romans inspired the latter to perform deeds of
valor, this Jewish god promised
to accomplish their duties for them. Instead of helping themselves, they now
waited for help from their god, and remained slaves, bound by chains
of their own construction. But in vain
arose to the clouds the odor of burning bullocks [Page 34] and sheep from the altars of
the temples; Jehovah had no power to help his worshippers. He was a monster,
created by selfishness and needed all he had for himself; he could not give life
to the Jews, because his own life depended on the life-energy he received from
them; he could
not fulfil their expectations, for he had no power but that which was lent to
him by his worshippers. Only when men create gods from whom they expect nothing,
will their
expectations be fulfilled. When they realize this truth; then will the creating
of gods become useless, and men will again become able to find the one true and
universal
God,
who fulfils all his promises by acting in and through the organism of Nature
and Man.
As
long as men have different desires, they will have different gods; as long
as they
wander at the base of the mountain with many peaks, each man will believe
the peak which is most prominently before him to be the highest of all.
Only when they
have all arrived at the summit, will they know the highest point; only when
they have arrived
at the highest conception of the truth, will they begin to know the universal
God. They will then see that the gods whom they worshiped before, and who
seemed so grand, were only
the products of illusions, and that standing on the summit, they - on account
of the altitude
they occupy — are, as it were, the summit themselves.
By worshiping the gods whom they create, men worship nothing else but themselves.
They are creating [Page 35] a mental image, which they endow with their own character;
they concentrate upon it their thoughts, their hopes and fears, and as they
themselves become old and toothless and wrinkled, they are horrified to see
the image in
the mirror before them change its features. They discover imperfections about
their god, where they had imagined everything to be perfect. They then attempt
to “doctor” their god; they
apply plasters and salves, they paint him and dress him up, they seek to
prolong his life; but the new generations, having a younger ideal see him
putrefy below
the varnish and
mask: they want a young god, a god that resembles themselves, and they create
a new
one for themselves.
Thus gods are continually subject to change. As the character of a nation changes,
so changes its god. To reform the gods of humanity, humanity must be reformed.
Only
when all men are of one mind, will they all have the same God.
But that universal ideal which causes all men to be of one mind cannot be found
in external creeds, ceremonies, and forms, nor in adjustable opinions
and doctrines; for
external appearances, opinions, and theories are continually subject to change.
Each human being differs from every other in his external appearance
and in the way he
thinks. There is only one thing which all men share and which constitutes
their humanity: it is the consciousness of being human; the knowledge
that they are
superior to stones, vegetables, and animals, and that they belong
to the great family of
mankind. [Page 36] This consciousness does not change as long as men remain human. If they
become brutalized they also become unconscious of their dignity as human beings; they
then cease to be men and remain human merely in external shape. Likewise,
in proportion as men rise up to a realization of what is divine and eternal
in man,
they become conscious
of a higher state of existence; they expand into gods, while they still have
the stamp of
humanity impressed upon their forms. When all men will have become conscious
of this
Divine state of existence, then will they all have one common God.
There can be only one Supreme Cause of life, consciousness, and wisdom, and its dominion
must extend wherever these three factors exist. Men cannot know God as long as
they are not divine themselves; but when in the course of evolution mankind
will have thrown off
the chains which bind them to the attractions of matter, they will again become
able to
know within themselves the character of the true and universal God, whose wisdom
is manifest everywhere in Nature, whose external aspect is visible in
all places, but whose power
can be realized only by him in whom God has awakened to self-consciousness. Then
will men know that God is One and All in All, and that Humanity is spiritually
one without separation
and division.
Then will a wail arise from the gods that have been created by man, for their
end has come. Then will a wail arise from the Pharisees and the scribes
who claim to be the keepers of
wisdom and messengers of the gods [Page 37] which men have invented; for the gods, the
servants of the church, will be useless, and with them their own authority
will be at an end.
Then will the people cease to sacrifice to the golden calf, and the kingdom of the true
Jehovah, who rejoices within the hearts of men when they kill their animal passions and
sacrifice to him their erroneous opinions, will be restored; but those who
refuse to open their eyes to the sunlight of truth will remain in darkness
and suffer
the tortures which they
themselves have created by their own morbid imagination.[PAGE 38]
NAZARETH
From the conjunction of the Intellect and the Intuition, the Son, whose name is Wisdom, is
born.
one of the most beautiful countries in Palestine is Galilee. It appears like an oasis
in the midst of the desolate sunburnt wastes, so frequently seen in the Holy Land, and
in one of its most charming spots is situated the village of Nazareth. Green are the fields
and abundant the forests, and in the orchards around the huts composing the
village the fig and the lemon grow. To the east is the River Jordan, flowing
tranquilly
between the
gardens and villas situated upon its borders and sparkling in the light of
the sun, from the time when that fiery orb rises above towering Mount Tabor
until
he sinks again
below the
horizon, behind the cliffs of the Carmel mountains, that loom up in the distant
west; while towards the north may be seen a small white strip, the Mediterranean
Sea, throwing
its foam upon the sandy beach of Phoenicia.
Thus
in the mind of man, and in the midst of the wilderness of opinions, a place
may be
found, deserving the title of “Holy Land”, where the river of thought tranquilly
flows, illuminated by the Sun of Divine Wisdom, that, ever since the beginning
of
the world, arose [Page 39] from the East; while in the distant West loom the dark mountains of Scepticism. In
that sacred place will the Truth, the true Savior, be known.
At the beginning of the Christian era the village of Nazareth was a collection
of huts, built like
all small oriental houses of sun-dried clay, put up apparently without any pretension
to design. There were none of those broad avenues and streets, comfortable
for walking and
driving, which we are accustomed to see where European civilization exists; but
there was that charming disorder and variety which gives to ancient towns
their peculiar character and
endows each spot with a certain amount of individuality of its own. The houses
were without windows towards the sides of the street, to keep out intruders,
and they received their
light from interior courts, which in this mild climate served as places for sitting or working
during the day and for sleeping apartments at night.
The population of Nazareth, amounting to some four thousand individuals, were
for the most part a modest and unassuming people, differing in that respect
from the inhabitants of
Judea. They were of a mixed kind, consisting of Hebrews, Phoenicians, Arabs,
and Greeks, to which were added a number of Roman officers and guards,
stationed there for the
protection of the interests of the Romans.
As it is usually the case in places where types of various kinds intermingle,
the women of Nazareth were very beautiful. They were celebrated on account
of [Page 40] their charms
all over Palestine; nor could it fail that their beauty attracted the attention of the stately
Roman soldiers, and that the latter won the love of the former. Human nature
was at those
times not fundamentally different from what it is now, and we need therefore
not be surprised to hear, that one of the stalwart Roman warriors, whose
name was Pandira, fell
in love with one of the dark-eyed daughters of Nazareth, and that the fruit
of their “illegitimate” union was a son, whom they called Jehoshua, and who, having inherited from
his father the manly pride of the Roman, and from his Jewish mother his almost
feminine beauty and modesty, became an appropriate vehicle for the unfolding
of that great
and powerful spirit of wisdom that inspired him to overthrow the altars of the
cruel Jehovah
and to teach mankind the gospel of fraternal love.
Let
not the pious ear be shocked at the statement that Jehoshua was of illegitimate
birth; nor need the “historical” fact that he was born out of wedlock lessen our respect
for the great reformer; for it is not often that the truth comes in a manner
which is considered legitimate among men. They consider only that knowledge
legitimate which
has for its parents external observation and logic; but the greatest spiritual
truths come by intuition, without external signs. They are the products of
interior perception and
understanding, and they are rejected as being illegitimate by those who reason
from the plane of external effects. They descend silently from heaven, they
enter the soul during [Page 41] our
dreams; they may be communicated to us in visions and are seen by the spirit,
but they are not accepted by the sceptical intellect, which is spiritually
blind. The way in
which such a knowledge arrives is authorized neither by science nor by the
church, for sciences and churches belong to external things, and such truths
are therefore rejected
by the world.
Only
those whose souls are pure and immaculate, whose minds have formed no legalized
adulterous alliances with pseudo-scientific and erroneous theological dogmas,
only those whose hearts cling to no foreign opinions, but possess
within themselves the spirit of knowledge, will be able to receive such
illegitimate
.truths by the power of
inspiration.
Their souls may become “Mothers of Christ”, their minds illuminated by the Holy Spirit of
Sanctity, their hearts become living temples of God.
Of
Jehoshua's mother little is to be said. Women in oriental countries — then as now — had
but little opportunity for receiving an education or for displaying any other
accomplishments than their natural talents and physical charms. Ignorant,
innocent, and of modest manners,
uneducated but kind, sympathetic and beautiful, Stada, like many others of her sex, was
guided more by the decisions of her heart than by the calculations of her
intellect. Her
heart yearned for love, and she hoped to find in Pandira the realization of her ideal. Her
story is a mere repetition of millions of others of the same kind. As in
the case of her prototype Psyche, [Page 42] her lover departed as soon as she began to find out who he
was, and after a period of grief she married a poor citizen, a carpenter, who
on account of her beauty and sweetness of temper, consented to become her husband and a
father to
her child.
In the family of this carpenter and builder of houses, Jehoshua passed the days of his
childhood, learning to construct toy-houses and cages for animals. He evidently was a very
talented child; for the toy-houses which he constructed were as well adapted
for their purposes as the physical form of man is adapted for his soul. While
the gospel accounts,
whose allegorical language evidently refers to the growth and awakening of
the intelligent principle in man, represent Jesus as a supernaturally wise,
and therefore
unnatural child, the so-called apocryphal gospels speak of him as a wild
and mischievous boy, who naturally
possessed some powers of black magic, by which he injured his playmates whenever
they dared to contradict him or refused to submit to his whims. Considering
the latter accounts
as having been greatly exaggerated, we may well suppose that, having inherited
from his father the temperament of a soldier, he found but little taste in
following the profession of
his foster-father, and preferred roaming about the neighborhood of the village
and a stroll to the mountains, to handling the saw at the carpenter's bench.
The illegitimate and
therefore
unwelcome son of the carpenter's wife was not overestimated or unduly fondled
at home, and many a little storm arose in that [Page 43] peaceful house in the village of Nazareth on account of the roaming habits of that boy who loved
to stroll away from the village at night, to climb among the rocky
recesses of the Carmel
mountains, or to sit on moonlight nights upon a cliff, looking out upon the wide
expanse of the Mediterranean Sea, dreaming of countries which he had
never seen, and wondering
what shores were upon the other side of the water.
A schoolhouse may be a good place to educate the Intellect and to bring it to
an understanding of external phenomena; but for the expansion of the
spiritual Intelligence and the ennobling of character, Nature herself is the best teacher. Great is
the superiority of the educated and learned mind over the uneducated;
but still greater is the light of those who have been taught by Nature
herself, and acquired wisdom independently of the instruction
of mortals. Those who spend their lives in schools often acquire a great
deal of information in regard to external things, which may be very
useful
as far as it goes, while
at the same time they may lose the capacity to perceive internal and fundamental
truths, which are far more important than all they may possibly learn
in regard to phenomenal
existence. Why is it that often shepherds, hunters, and fishermen, and those
who spend their lives in the solitudes of the mountains, the forest,
or the ocean are capable of
conceiving of very exalted ideas, far beyond the intellectual grasp of the
dogmatist? Is it
perhaps that the spirit of man, beholding by means of the senses [Page 44] the
wide expanse of Nature, is attracted towards the Infinite and Eternal, his
legitimate home, and thus loosens the chains that bind him to his terrestrial
prison, and thins the veil which prevents men from looking into the
realm of the Unknown ? Little does our
modern civilization know about that grand school in which the universal spirit
of Divine Wisdom is teacher, where the heart expands and the mind
conceives ideas too grand to
be expressed in the language of mortals; but often, when the physical body
is resting in sleep and the intellectual powers of man cease to watch,
the
spirit, loving his freedom,
may steal away from his labor of building his toy-prison house, and roam
about in the regions of his eternal home, until he is called back by the
awakening
senses, to attend to
his terrestrial labors.
While rambling through the fields and forests of Galilee the mind of Jehoshua
expanded and
began to stretch its feelers towards the realm of the Eternal. Often while
entering into meditation, half-forgotten memories of previous lives passed
upon
this planet, flitted before his soul, and indistinct images of the
future presented themselves to his spiritual
vision.
What is “memory” but a power to recollect and spiritually perceive the images of the past
impressed upon the Astral Light ? and may not our spirit as it expands and increases in power, not only remember
its own previous existences upon this globe, but read in the memory of Nature the whole history of the world? A yearning to know the [Page 45] Unknown filled his soul, and his mind, not being crammed with adopted opinions,
drank
wisdom from the universal fountain of truth.
As he grew up, the political and religious questions of those times began to
attract his attention. Being a Hebrew with Roman blood in his veins,
he shared neither the
intolerance and hate of the Jews against their oppressors, nor the contempt with
which the latter regarded the former, and this fortunate circumstance
helped to a great extent
to develop in his soul the germs of religious and political toleration, and to
cause them, to grow and expand into that love for all humanity without
distinction of race and religious
opinion, whose representative he became later on.
Why do men quarrel about their opinions in regard to religion ? Has not every
one a right to believe what he pleases, as long as he has no knowledge?
When real knowledge, such
as results from a direct perception and understanding, arrives, then there can
be no more quarreling about theories. If a blind man were to deny to
one who sees that the latter is able to see, the seer would hardly care
to argue with the blind, nor would he be likely to
convince him; for real knowledge cannot be taught, it must be gained by experience.
What we learn without experiencing it, is merely a matter of opinion. He who
quarrels with another in regard to opinions is after all merely quarreling
with his own doubts.
Quietly and monotonously passed the days at Nazareth; [Page 46] there was but little trade carried on in that place. Agricultural occupations and the vintage were the things
that took up the attention of the inhabitants; but the great event of
the year was, when at the time
of the festival of the “Tabernacles” and “Passover” the country population went to
Jerusalem, to enjoy the sights of the capital and to attend to the customary
religious observances. On such an occasion the streets of the capital resembled
a fair; the houses
were filled with strangers, and on the outside of the city walls camps were
put up, where, sheltered by tents and straw-covered huts, the pilgrims cooked
their
meals and discussed the events of the day.
On such occasions the great temple was crowded from morning till night. Traders
of all kinds filled the courts, and even into the sanctuary penetrated
the noise of the merchant praising
his goods and disputing about the price with the buyer; while in the interior
of the temple
equally greedy Pharisees sold theological creeds and promises of heavenly rewards
to the believers. Some of the halls were devoted to the distribution
of justice, and in other halls
learned discussions were held. There the letter of the Law was explained with
lengthy arguments and elaborate sophistry, while the spirit of the ancient
doctrines was denied and
driven away. The secret meaning of these doctrines was known to few, and those
who knew it were looked upon as being heretics and persecuted by the
orthodox adherents of the
church.
Thus the temple at Jerusalem resembled the mind of [Page 47] man,
where a continual warfare is going on between the interests of the lower animal
and reasoning self, and the dictates of divine wisdom are not listened to. In
the mind
of man, as in the temple of Jerusalem, there exists a continual struggle
between conflicting opinions, between selfish
desires of different kinds, between doubt and superstition, hope and fear,
and the Scribes and Pharisees appealing to the selfish propensities in the
constitution of man, often assert their borrowed authority and overpower
the truth by means of sophistry and an erroneous
application of logic,
Jehoshua was frequently present during those learned disputations. His natural
common sense revolted at the sophistry of the Pharisees, by which
they perverted the truth, and taking
part in the discussions he disconcerted them by his questions and confounded
their logic. The intrepidity and intelligence he manifested on such
occasions attracted the attention
of Rabbi
Perachia, a former president of the Sanhedrin, who was more intelligent and liberal than
his colleagues. He invited Jehoshua to his house and became his instructor.
A strong friendship grew up between the old man and the boy, and as the former
was about to visit
Egypt for the purpose of prosecuting certain researches in the sciences called occult, he
invited Jehoshua to accompany him on that voyage, and the latter gladly accepted
the offer. [Page 48]
EGYPT
Man,
after having vainly sought for the light of the Truth in externals, and found
nothing but darkness, at last discovers that the land of the sunrise exists
within his own soul.
hail thee, O Egypt, thou sanctuary of ancient mysteries, thou land of magic and
wonders! When the truth was driven away from its birthplace in the East by the
king of all evils, the love of Self, it found a refuge with thee. Thy
indestructible books hold the
records of ancient wisdom, and sectarian bigotry has in vain sought to destroy
them. With thee they will rest safely, until selfishness dies and men
wake up to a
consciousness
of their freedom. Then will the truth return to them, and they may re-enter the
Holy
Land of Knowledge.
In vain the powers of darkness have attempted to silence the voice of the truth
that speaks through thy stony lips. Sectarian Vandals have broken
thy tablets and plastered
up thy hieroglyphics; but, thy stones cry out and proclaim the gospel of
wisdom. Men have carried away thy monuments, and they have become messengers
of light from the East
to the West. No more is thy ancient wisdom taught in subterranean caves to
the
initiated; thy secrets have been profaned by the [Page 49] profane; thy sacred pearls
have been thrown before the swine of superstition and to the dogs of blind
scepticism; but the swine and the dogs turned away from the pearls and devoured
only the dirt
with which the
treasures were covered. Men have robbed thy temples of precious gold, but
the gold which they found turned to ashes in the hands of the selfish, because
they
did not know its true
value. They went to the fountain of truth, to drink of its waters; but their
cups were not purified. They communicated to the water their own impurities,
and it became a poison to them, causing villainous leprosy, which they communicated
to others. They penetrated to
the ark that contained the mystery, but they had no key to unlock it; so
they carried away
the ark and exhibited it in the West, but the mystery remained in Egypt.
To thee, O Egypt, the true Redeemer was known; not as a man made deity, or as
a figure in history; but as the Spirit of Truth, constituting all that
is immortal in man. Thy Knowledge
was too grand to be grasped by the pigmies that invaded thy soil, desecrated
thy temples, profaned thy sanctuaries, travestied the truths which were
taught and made of
a sacred
myth, that teaches an eternal truth an historical falsehood.
Who can enter an Egyptian temple or even look at one of these ancient monuments,
without feeling a sensation of awe and solemnity, which few Christian cathedrals,
with their puppets, manikins, and tinsel, will ever produce? How
far more grand and sublime than our [Page 50] modern misconceptions must have been a religion that expressed itself in such
gigantic forms! Who but an animal can behold these pyramids, the symbols of immensity,
whose bases rest upon the earth, and whose points reach up to heaven, without
feeling the oppression of Matter and the desire of the Spirit for freedom
? Who can behold these
monuments of a forgotten past, without sensing the presence of that consciousness
which fills all space, the Spirit of God still floating over the waters,
without limits, indivisible, all in all,
present everywhere and pervading every atom ?
Is there any soul in so-called inanimate things, and if not, what causes these
stones to speak to our inner consciousness with a voice much louder than
that of the occupant of a pulpit ?
Is it perhaps that the Truth itself is speaking to us through these stones, while
the pulpit orator merely repeats what he has learned, and is therefore
merely an echo of the opinions of
fallible men ?
Have stars souls, or are they merely dead aggregations of matter ? and if they
are without
souls, what is the force that keeps their atoms together and guides their revolutions
in space ? Why is Supreme Wisdom - a wisdom beyond the conception of
Man - everywhere
manifest in Nature, if in Nature no consciousness exists? If Nature is an unconscious
thing, how can Wisdom exist without Consciousness and Intelligence ?
Is Nature, a product of
Life, or Life a product of Nature ? and must there not be a Consciousness of
some kind,
wherever is Life? Is it not reasonable to suppose [Page 51] that what we call “Motion” is a manifestation of Life, and that what we call “Matter” is endowed by the universal Spirit
with a certain amount of Life, and that the life of different forms differs
in its manifestation merely according to the organization of the Matter composing
the forms ? If this is true, then there is no inorganic matter of any kind
to
be found in the forms of nature, but
stones and rocks must have organizations of their own, and each planet its
own peculiar
life, differing from the life of other stars in the treasury vault of heaven.
If this view is seen to be correct, then will the apparently dead universe, with
its
unconscious motion and its causeless mechanical laws, be transformed into a thing
of life, pervaded with invisible but living and conscious powers, guided
by one eternal
unchangeable Law originating in divine Wisdom. Then will those dead globes of
matter, floating in space and obeying mechanical laws for some unexplainable
reason,
be
changed into a living family of children of the universal God, who are all doing
the will of their Father, because it is their Father's will that endows
them with life.
But if the suns and stars and all the so-called inanimate things have life, then
they must have some kind of consciousness and sensation, even if they
are not self-conscious and
have no knowledge of individual separate life. They may be subject to loves
and hates, to desires and passions, to attractions and repulsions. Then
it
would seem that the
ancient Astrologers were [Page 52] right after all in attributing certain virtues and vices to the different planets and stars and in believing in a certain kind of interchange
between their radiations. There is no reason why stars should not be
in possession of Intelligence,
even if they are not conscious that they are existing as separate beings. Is
it not possible that even a high degree of Consciousness and Intelligence
may exist in an organism that
is not aware of the fact of being an entity different from other entities in
the Universe ?
Let us here ask the question, whether a high state of consciousness and intelligence
is not
possible even in Man without any consciousness of Self. Are not men most happy when
they forget their own selves ? Do they not, when they become interested in
reading a book or in witnessing a theatrical performance, listening to music,
etc, forget
for the time being that they are entities existing separately from others
? Do men not even
drink the
intoxicating cup for the purpose of forgetting Self, and are they not miserable
in proportion as they think of themselves ? Men do not cease to live or to
think, to be intelligent, to
know, to love, and to will, when they forget their own Self; but they then
cease to have selfish thoughts, a self-will, and a selfish imagination. If
we could
be free forever from that
sensation of Self, we would not cease to be conscious and intelligent and
happy; but we
would cease to be limited by that self, and we would all do the will of the
universal God and
partake of his thoughts. [Page
53]
Perhaps a glance at the ancient books of Wisdom may throw some light upon this
matter.
If we open the Bible, the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis teaches
us a great truth, taught by the Egyptian Hierophants: “Bereschit bara Elohim, ath ashamain on ath aoris”.
This
is to say: “The First Cause produced the powers which constitute heaven and
earth.”
[The term “heaven” refers
to all states of consciousness; “earth”, to
all forms of matter.]
If
the First Cause produced all beings, even those that have life, it must be
itself the
source of all Life. If it produced the powers which constitute Wisdom, it
must be Wisdom
itself. If the Great First Cause is Spirit, — and what else can we call it? — then by producing
all things it endowed them with its own spirit, and all things must have
a spiritual basis, which enables them to exist. All things must have “souls”, and it is their souls which cause their
material constituents to act upon each other, and produce the divine harmony
which we
observe throughout Nature.
Where
do the material constituents of a being end? Are they all enclosed within
the shell of its visible form, or may there not be invisible radiations
of sensitive “matter”, not
having entered the solid form, but nevertheless belonging to its organization?
Does not the Corona of the sun belong to its substance as much as the fiery globe constituting his
inner
body? Does not the power which a magnet exercises at a distance belong to
the magnet ?
May we not look upon a star as being [Page 54] an organized body, whose periphery
extends as far as its influence reaches, while its visible globe is merely
the visible kernel of the great invisible mass, and may not the same reasoning
be applied to
all living beings,
even to Man ? If this is true, then we are all – like the stars – living within the spheres of each
other, and all beings are substantially one, separated from each other merely by the
illusion of form.
It
is very difficult for man, whose perceptions are subject to the limitation imposed
by form,
to conceive of the invisible and formless; but he will never be able to obtain
the key to
the understanding of the divine mysteries of nature, until he realizes the Unity of the All,
and knows that the so-called invisible and unknowable realm is the real and substantial
world, while the great phantasmagoria of corporeal forms is merely an illusion,
produced
by aggregations of matter and constructed by the souls of things, the carpenters in the
workshop of Nature; the step-fathers of the newly-begotten son of Divine Wisdom.
It is known that the ancient Egyptians were well versed in Astronomy, and recent
discoveries made in regard to the construction of the Great Pyramid go to show
that they knew in many respects more about this science than the moderns
suspect; but to them
the suns and planets were representing invisible realities. To them the visible
corporeal stars were merely external manifestations of invisible internal
powers. Where
the present
civilization beholds nothing else but dead material [Page 55] bodies, obeying the mechanical
law of gravitation, whose cause it cannot explain, the ancient Egyptians beheld a universe
filled with life, following the universal law of order and harmony, whose cause
is the Will of the eternal Creator, who produced these forms within the substance
of his own
Mind.
The visible terrestrial sun was to them a representation of the invisible spiritual Central
Sun of Divine Wisdom, named the Sun-God Osiris (Christ), unknowable to external
sensation, but manifesting itself as Horus (Jesus) in the hearts of mankind; becoming “regenerated” within the souls of the pure by the power
of our eternal
Mother, Isis, the ever
immaculate virgin, the goddess of Nature. “God” to them was not a limited being, but the
Eternal Cause of all manifestations of power within the realm of Matter and
in the kingdom of Spirit, containing within himself everything that exists,
and
yet in consciousness being superior to all beings. While all things are living
and changing in him, he remains always
the same; tranquil in his eternal glory and undisturbed by any external influence.
He does not descend to us, but the gifts which we receive from Him differ
according to the positions
we occupy in regard to Him.
Let those who desire to know whether these doctrines are true look within their
own minds, for Man is an image of his creator. There they will find
a continually changing region of
thoughts. Subjective forms of all kinds throng that interior realm, ever
changing, and [Page 56] without rest. But if they penetrate deeper, even within the
realm of the spirit within, they will find a tranquil place and a principle
whose state of consciousness
is not affected by the changes going on in the mind, and yet these
changes are produced by that principle,
sending its rays into the world of ideas existing within the mind. The divine
spirit in Man does
not descend to the sphere of man's intellectual understanding; but Man may
rise up to it in his thoughts. There are periodical changes taking place
in the mind of man, similar to the astronomical changes in the
universe. There are ebbs and tides of thought, as there are
ebbs and tides of the ocean. There are times when Man involuntarily approaches
nearer to God, and times when he recedes. The Egyptians knew that
all the mental processes
going on in the mind of Man are images on a small scale of the processes
taking place on
a grand scale in the Universal Mind, and that external phenomena are the
shadows of internal realities. Being aware of the unity of the All and
knowing the nature
of the spiritual
forces in the Macrocosm of Nature and their correspondences in the Microcosm
of Man, they studied the position of the stars, to know the time
when Humanity would
again approach nearer to the divine Sun of Wisdom. They were able to tell
the changes occurring in the spiritual condition of mankind by studying
the position
of the visible sun
to the Zodiac.
But we are entering here upon forbidden ground. Even if we were able to expose
the
sacred mysteries [Page 57] of the ancient Egyptians to the scoffer and sceptic, it would be
a sacrilege to attempt it. Moreover, these mysteries cannot be explained; they
are beyond the intellectual conception of mortals. They can only be perceived
intuitively by the spiritual
intelligence of Man after he has become self-conscious of the divinity of his
God.
These sacred mysteries were in the possession of the Holy Brotherhood, and they were
taught only to those select few who were fit to be instructed in them; or,
to express it more correctly, they were not taught at all, but the candidate
was instructed how to act, so that his own spiritual powers of perception
might be developed within him, and he become able
to see and know such things himself. To be admitted within the sacred precincts
of the Crata
Repoa, it was necessary, not only to lead a blameless life, but to be in possession
of extraordinary talents and strength of character, and to devote one's life
entirely
to the
practical application of the truths that were taught in this order.
There were several degrees in that fraternity, and no one was admitted as a member
of a higher degree until he had completely mastered all that was to
be acquired in the lower
degrees, and which sometimes required many years to accomplish. An initiation
in that order or a passing to a higher degree, was a terribly serious
matter, having nothing whatever
in common with the sham-initiations, mummeries, idle ceremonies, and ill-understood,
mysteries of modern secret societies. It was [Page 58] exceedingly difficult to be admitted as a candidate, and still more difficult to pass through the prescribed trials,
which were rather of an internal than of an external character. Many
of those who did not succeed in standing
the tests imposed upon them became insane; others paid with their life the penalty
for their daring, or had to remain prisoners in subterranean caves
until death came to release them.
Jehoshua applied for admission to one of the members, but was refused; he applied
a second time to another member, but was refused again; but after
he had applied for the
third time, to his great joy he was admitted as a candidate for probation,
and he entered
the temple at the day appointed for his preliminary instruction. [Page 59]
THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD
There is nothing more difficult to find than one's own self.
after Jehoshua
had entered the Egyptian temple,he was led into the presence of the assembled
priests. They questioned him in regard to his object in
desiring to enter their order, and admonished him to desist; warning him of the dangers
that he was to incur, if he insisted in pursuing this way to obtain knowledge
of the secret
sciences and to come in possession of the powers which such a knowledge
conveyed. They told him that if he were once admitted, there would be
no possibility to retreat, as he would have to succeed or to lose his freedom
and perhaps even his
life; for powers of
evil which would be aroused would conquer him, unless he were strong enough
to conquer them.
Jehoshua Ben-Pandira was not to be intimidated; he desired to obtain knowledge
and considered wisdom to be more valuable than life. He insisted
upon being admitted. He
received the blessings of the Brothers, and as each of these venerable men
laid his hands upon his head, he felt an electric thrill pass through his
frame, that seemed to
invigorate him and to give him a power sufficient to overcome all dangers.
After
this [Page
60] he was given over to a guide called Thesmophores, who blindfolded him and led
him away.
He
went with his guide through several long corridors, from whose walls the
echoes of
their steps resounded, and they descended a flight of stairs until at last
they arrived at the
place of their destination. When the hood was removed, Jehoshua found himself
in a cave hewn in the solid rock. It was a high arched vault with
massive pillars, cut in a manner to
represent figures of men and fabulous animals. The only light which entered
into the vault came through a round opening far up in the roof, where a
small
part of the clear blue
sky could be seen. Upon the walls of that prison were written proverbs and
mottoes, consisting of extracts from the books of the Egyptian and Indian
sages who may
have lived in the far-distant past, perhaps even in prehistoric times,
when that which we now call
Europe formed the bottom of the sea, and another continent was at the height
of its
civilization at a place where now the ocean rolls its waves.
The
room was furnished in the most primitive fashion, containing merely the
most necessary requisites. The Thesmophores told the candidate - for such
he
had now become — that he
would have to remain here in solitude for an indefinite period of time. He
advised him to occupy himself with thinking of the nature of man and
his destiny
and to meditate about
his own self. He gave him some writing materials and requested him to write
down the
thoughts that would enter his mind [Page 61] and seem important to him, and after taking
leave of the prisoner and wishing him good success, the guide went away.
Thus when the free spirit seeking for knowledge sends its feelers into the tomb
of living clay, blindly following the law of reincarnation, he finds
himself alone without
a guide, left to his own thoughts, and with only a faint light above coming from
his former home, while on the walls of the prison house called the Mind,
he may find dim
recollections of the teachings of wisdom acquired in previous lives.
Jehoshua was now alone. There is nothing more terrible than isolation and solitude
to those who know of no other life but that of external sensation and who
cannot create their own thoughts; especially if there is no change in their
surroundings, to attract
their attention and to stimulate them to think. Thinking is an art, and few
can
think what they wish or hold on to a thought. Men only think what
they must; they feed on
the ideas that enter their minds without asking. Welcome and unwelcome thoughts
enter; they neither come at our bidding nor go away when they are not wanted:
they are like disorderly guests that do not obey the rules which the landlord
prescribes.
The monotony in which Jehoshua lived remained unchanged. There was no sound of
any kind to be heard; he was surrounded by silence; and if it had not been
for the small opening in the vault far above his head, he would not have
known the
changes of day [Page 62] and night, he studied the writings upon the walls, and impressed
them upon his
memory, analyzing their meaning; and the more he thought about them,
the more his mind seemed to expand and new ideas enter. He could not
tell from whence they came, but
he wrote them down upon the tablets with which he had been provided; and
often when in the morning he awoke from his slumber, these tablets had
disappeared from his prison,
and he knew not what had become of them. He saw no one enter the room, and
yet somebody must have taken them away. Likewise the food with which
he
was provided
was supplied by invisible means. It was of the most simple kind,
consisting of bread, milk, fruit,
and water. It was daily brought to him in some inexplicable manner; how or
by what means he could not tell, for it was put into his prison during
his sleep. However, he soon ceased to
be astonished at such strange occurrences and he began seriously the study
of self. As he became accustomed to look within his own soul, a new world
seemed to open before
him; his imagination grew stronger, and the pictures presented before his
inner eye
became as objective and real to him as the objects of the external world,
only more beautiful, more ethereal, and yet far more substantial than
the latter.
Visions
of things which he had formerly seen, but which had apparently been lost
to his memory, appeared again,
vivid and real with all their living details; desires entering his heart
immediately took objective forms in his mind, representing in [Page 63] seemingly living forms the objects
of which he thought, and thus he saw many beautiful things in his visions, but
also many horrible sights, for no man is without evil, and evil thoughts
that came to him were likewise represented in seemingly real but horrible
forms.
What is this plastic power of the imagination, and what do men mean by calling
subjective
images “merely works of imagination ” ? Can we imagine anything that does not exist ? Are
the creations of our thoughts less real to us than the things which the imagination
of others created for us ? Is not the universe a product of the imagination
of God, and are we not gods in our own inner world, able to create forms
from the
substance called the Astral
Light ?
Gradually Jehoshua began to love this inner life, where he found a world as large
as the outer world, with a space as infinite as that of the latter, with
mountains and plains, with oceans
and rivers, and peopled with beings of various kinds that looked up to him as
their god,
their creator, drawing life from his Will, and nourishment from his Thought,
in the same sense as Man receives his will-power and ideas from the God
in the universe, appearing to
him in his dreams while asleep, and in visions while awake. Thus Jehoshua lived
in the world of the Elemental Powers of Nature, and began to know the constituent parts of that
organism called the human soul.
Weeks, perhaps months, thus passed away. Who knows how long he remained in that
tomb? He [Page 64] kept no record of the days and nights since he had entered there, and what is time and space, after all, but merely mental conceptions by which
we attempt to measure the Infinite? But one day steps were heard to
approach; the door which had
been closed so long opened, and the Thesmophores entered, congratulating him
on his
success and inviting him to come to the Portal of Man, to enter as a Neophyte into the first
degree of the holy Brotherhood.
They entered a large park, through which they passed, until they arrived at an
entrance
called the Door of the Profane. There they found a great many people assembled who had
been attracted by curiosity to see the new candidate for initiation, for such
a rare event was not kept secret, as it was desired that the people should know
that there were still men to
be found ready to dare all dangers in search of the truth. They thronged the
place in front of the door through which Jehoshua passed with his guide, on his
way to the Temple of
Wisdom; they shouted and made much noise, obstructing the way; but the Thesmophores
drove them back, and they passed safely through the crowd.
Having entered the vestibule of the temple, the candidate was taken to a Crypt, where he
took a bath, and received new garments, and underwent the prescribed preparation
to be
introduced to the assembly of the Brothers.
The Portal of Man was guarded by the Pastophores, who, as they arrived, inquired about
their purpose [Page 65] and asked Jehoshua various question. Having received satisfactory replies, the door opened, and he entered a large hall, wherein in
a semicircle
were seated the Brothers, and in their midst the Hierophant. Before this assembly
Jehoshua again passed an examination, answering numerous questions in regard
to his
subjective experiences during his isolation. [Plutarch in Laeon. “Apoph verb Lysand”.]
He was then led around the Bisantha, and there the strength of his nerves and his physical
courage, by certain methods which cannot be made intelligible to the modern reader,
because
they involved an employment of certain forces of nature, the secret of which
was in the
possession of the Atlanteans and Egyptians, but whose very existence is as yet unknown
to western civilization. It may be sufficient to say, that if claps of thunder
resounded and
bolts of lightning seemed to strike the candidate, [Eusebius Caesar, Preparat Evangel] they were not produced in the manner employed in theatrical
performances upon the stage, but they were the effects of natural forces, set
into action by the occult powers possessed
by the Egyptian Adepts. The most horrible spectres appeared, but Jehoshua was
not afraid.
Having successfully passed through this trial, he was again taken before the
assembly, and
the Menies read to him the laws of the Crata Repoa, which, after due examination, he
solemnly promised to obey. [Alexander ab Alexandro, Lib V Cap 10] By a certain process [Page 66] process known to the Hierophant, his spiritual vision was
then opened; that is to say, he was endowed for a short time with the powers to see certain
spiritual verities represented in allegorical forms. He found himself standing
between two
square columns, called Betiles, and there was a ladder with seven steps [Eusibius Demonstr. Evang. Lib i] and eight closed doors [Origines cent. Cels. p 341]. As he beheld
that vision, its meaning was at once clear to him, for spiritual visions
differ from mere dreams especially in so far that he who beholds a symbolical
vision
becomes at the same time aware of its meaning, else it would be useless to
show such a vision to him. In that short
moment, during which his inner sight was opened, Jehoshua learned to know
the fundamental principles of the Cosmos, a science which would require many
months
of instruction to be described in words and to be brought to the understanding
of the not self-luminous intellect.
The
Hierophant then spoke as follows: “I am speaking only to you who have the right and
the power to hear me. Firmly close all the doors [The external senses] and
exclude all the profanes, the sophists and scoffers [ Prejudices]; but
you, children of the celestial labor, [Spiritual perception] hear my words:
Beware of passions and evil desires; beware of erroneous opinions
and intellectual prejudices. Keep your mind continually
directed toward
the divine source of all existence, strive after a continual realization
of the presence of [Page 67] the
Supreme; and if you desire to walk upon the Path of Light to eternal
Happiness, do not forget for even one moment, that you are living in
the consciousness
of Him whose power has created the world. He is all things, and
all things are in Him. He is self-existent, pure knowledge, pure wisdom;
and although He is seen by no man, there is
nothing within the Universe that can hide itself from His sight. [Eusebius Preparat Evangel
I, i, 3]
Jehoshua had now become a member of the Egyptian Brotherhood. He was taught the
laws
of Nature, and made to see that there is nothing dead in Nature, but that all forms are
manifestations of the one universal power of Life. He was taught the causes
of the physical phenomena occurring in the world of phenomena, the nature
of Light
and Sound,
of Heat and Electricity, etc. He was also instructed in Astronomy and Medicine
and in the
science of Hieroglyphics [Jamblichus, In Vita Pythagor].
The spiritual nature of Man was explained to him and the laws of Reincarnation.
How the human monad again and again descends to build up a mortal physical
form and to evolve
a new personality at each of its visits upon this globe; that the human forms,
which we know as men, women, and children, are not the real Man, but
merely ever-changing
aggregations of matter, endowed with an ever-changing consciousness, unsubstantial
although living illusions, doomed to perish when the Spirit retires to its home,
to rest from
its labor; [Page 68] while the substantial, indivisible, and incorruptible Spirit is the real Man,
although invisible to the perception of mortals.
He was taught the signification of the sacred syllable AUM [Plutarch, De
Iride et Osiride] and of certain symbolical signs, [Iamblichus, In Vita Pythagor] including the double-interlaced Triangle, the Snake, and the Tau, and his office was to guard the Portal of Man,
so that nothing impure would enter; for no one was ever admitted into the sanctuary
of the inner temple, unless he first proved himself a faithful guardian
of that door by which evil
thoughts and desires attempt to enter the mind.
A year or more may have thus passed away, when the new Pastophores obtained
permission to enter the second degree, called Necoris. As a preparation for this degree
he had to undergo a severe fasting, after which he was introduced into a grotto, called
Endymion.
This
grotto was furnished in a luxuriant manner. It was without windows, but
lamps that were suspended from the ceiling, and fed with perfumed oil,
shed a soft light through the
room. The richest food and the most delicious wines were set before the candidate,
and
he was invited to partake; for now — so they told him — he had won the victory, and he
might now indulge in sensual pleasures without any risk of sin. The most beautiful
maidens waited upon him, and their bewitching smiles told him that he had only
to mention
a wish, to [Page 69] see it fulfilled. It was evident that he was an object of admiration to
them, and that they were willing to be his slaves.
But Jehoshua resisted their tempting wiles. His aspirations were for something
far higher than the gratification of sensual appetites; the beauty of
corporeal form, however
pleasing it may be to the eye, could not enslave him who had learned to know
the beauty of the Spirit, and as the evening approached, the fair tempters,
with looks full of disappointment and unfulfilled desire, disappeared
one after another, and Jehoshua,
after securely locking the door, threw himself upon a couch.
While he was meditating there, a slight noise attracted his attention, and he
saw one of the most beautiful females that mortal eye ever beheld, entering
through a secret door,
whose existence had escaped his observation. She was of most noble appearance
and stately form, clad in loose, flowing garments, and with a sparkling
diadem upon her head. Thus may have looked the chaste goddess Diana,
when she watched the sleeping
Endymion. An expression full of pity and love rested upon her face, as she approached
the couch where Jehoshua rested.
“Fear nothing”, she said; “I
do not come to tempt, but to save thee. I am the daughter of the guardian
of this temple, and I have learned the danger which is threatening
thee. Dost thou not know that these villainous priests have resolved
to kill thee ? for thou [Page 70] hast forfeited thy life by learning some of their mysteries.
Thou, a foreigner, hast learned secrets which no one but the Egyptians
are permitted to know. This evening
they have resolved to kill thee, and the murder is to be executed
even tonight. I have come to
save thee; I have made sure thy escape: rise and follow me, for I admire
thy valor and
I do not wish thee to perish”.
“Beautiful one”, answered Jehoshua, “I
will not dispute thy words; but if the priests have resolved to kill me,
let them do so; for I have promised to obey the laws of
this
brotherhood, and I have no right to escape”.
“Is there not”, answered the temptress, “a
higher law than the laws made by these priests ? Is there not the law of
nature, superior to all other laws ? Does not the law
of thy nature
permit and command thee to save thy life?”
“Spare thy words”, answered Jehoshua. “I
know my duty. I shall remain and await whatever my fate may be”.
“Then”, said the lady, “I must tell thee what my modesty forbids me to say. It is not
the life of a fugitive that I came to offer to thee, but a life of unbounded
love,
a life of happiness and
of luxury. Yes”, she continued after a pause, drawing still nearer to him and putting her soft
white hand upon his shoulder, “ I love thee. Look into my eyes and see whether or not what I am telling is true.
Wilt thou bury thy manhood in [ Page 71] these living tombs, to seek after
things which exist merely in thy imagination ? Come with me, and I will
give thee a substantial happiness far superior to any that thou
mayest find within these gloomy walls.
Can there be any greater happiness for a man than the love of a beautiful
woman? I am rich, I am free, I am beautiful; I love thee with all the
passionate
love of which woman is
capable. Come with me, and thou shalt never repent it”.
“Fair one”, answered Jehoshua, “all
the earthly elements of my material nature are striving to fly to thy embrace;
but they are held by the superior will of the spirit.
I do not seek for
happiness within these walls, nor could I find contentment in the things
which thou offerest to me. I seek for happiness in that which is not subject
to change; that which thou canst
give is subject to decay. I reject thy offer”.
“Dare to reject it!” answered the woman. “Dost thou know what a woman whose love
is spurned can do ? I shall not leave thee, for my soul clings to thee; to
be separated from
thee would be death!” As she spoke these words, she drew a dagger from her
belt and pointed it to her breast. “Spurn my love”, she said, “and this
weapon will enter my heart!
I will not live without thee; but if I die, my death will also cost thee
thy life; for if my dead
body is found in this grotto tomorrow, thou wilt be accused of being my
murderer, and be
executed for it”. Seeing that her threats had no effect upon the Neophyte,
she threw the dagger [Page 72] upon the floor, and sinking down at his feet, implored him for his love. She tore away her veil, and her luxuriant hair dropped over her shoulders;
tears
streamed from her eyes, and her appeals ended in sobs.
“Depart!” sternly
answered Jehoshua, and the fair one arose and retreated; but as she disappeared
from sight, another door opened, and a stream of light entered the
room. The Hierophant and some of the Brothers appeared at the entrance,
and, congratulating
him on the victory which he had gained, they led him to a large hall, where,
after submitting to the ceremony of baptism, he was pronounced to be worthy
to be admitted
to a higher degree.
Thus should he, who is the guardian of the door, beware that no secret entrance is left open,
by which a favorite passion may enter; and if the temptress should enter
unaware, during his slumber, he should call to his aid the superior power
of his
awakened Will,
and repel her.
Then will the door of his soul open, Reason will enter and guide him by the
light of Divine
Wisdom nearer to permanent Peace. [Page 73]
THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD (Continued)
To learn the mysteries of the Spirit,
we
must descend into the subterranean caves where the treasures are hidden.
after a
few days of rest and contemplation, Jehoshua was told that the time had arrived
when his courage and daring would have to undergo a severe trial.
His eyes were again blindfolded, and he was taken to a subterranean
cave, into which he
had to descend by means of a ladder. Having arrived at the bottom, he removed
the bandage from his eyes, according to the directions he had previously
received;
but he could see no light. The cavern was dark, and at first he could not
discern any objects; but he heard hissing sounds close by his side. He made
a few steps in advance, and
stepped upon a living thing that was gliding over the floor, and which immediately
wriggled itself around his leg. Then the fact immediately came to
his
consciousness that he
was in a den of serpents, and that to faint would mean to be lost. Gradually
his eyes became accustomed to the deep darkness, and he discerned
the eyes and forms of the
reptiles that lurked [ Page 74] in all the corners. The cavern seemed to be filled with snakes
of all kinds. Twisted together in disgusting knots, some were lying on the floor, and
others wormed themselves over the rocks. He seated himself upon
a stone, and soon the snakes began to approach, as if to resent his presence.
They crawled over his legs, twisted themselves
around his arms and all over his body.
At
first Jehoshua was horrified; but his horror was only of a moment's duration,
for he
immediately called to his aid his higher consciousness and remembered that
his terrestrial form, subject to the disgusting embraces of the crawling
reptiles, and made of
the same stuff as they, was not his real Self, but merely a form to which
he — the divine Man — was
for the time being attached. This thought enabled him to look upon everything
that might happen to his body as if he were an independent spectator. In
this way he appealed
for aid to his own God, and as he did so, a superior strength, a power unknown
before, seemed to pervade his whole body, and now it seemed as if this power
had invested him with some
property that made him repulsive to the serpents; for soon the reptiles that
were in contact with his body left him and retired into their holes.
Thus if man descends to the innermost depths of his soul, he may find it infested
with poisonous serpents and venomous reptiles, the symbols of the
brood of passions
and evil
desires; but if he calls to his aid the divine spirit of Wisdom, the persecutions
will cease and peace will return. [Page 75]
After
having passed through this severe trial, he was released from his prison
and led again to the temple.
For a second time his spiritual eyes were opened by the magic power of the Hierophant,
and he was made to behold in his vision a Griffin and a turning wheel with four spokes. Then the whole process of Evolution became clear to his understanding, and he
saw how in the course of millions of ages, worlds upon worlds had been evolved
from the
incomprehensible centre. He beheld waves of Life passing from planet to planet, and each
fiery orb, each globe, each solar system, had peculiar forms of its own,
and all these various forms were manifestations of one and the same Supreme
Power,
that men call “God”, and formed out of its own substance.
The air, the earth, and the water were filled with forms of life, having bodies
of a kind of matter too refined to be seen by mortal eyes. Some were
luminous, others dark, and
the regions above the sphere of the Earth were inhabited by beings of a seemingly
supernatural beauty. He saw the Nature-spirits of the four elements. He saw what Man
had been in the distant past and what he would be at a future period of time
far beyond the calculation of mortals. He saw how the gross material elements
of which
the Earth is
now composed, would in the far-distant future be changed into a substance
of a superior
and ethereal kind, so that what we now call “Earth” would be like water,
and what we call “Water” like air, and what we call “Air” like the [Page 76] ether of space, and with the
transformation of all things, Man himself would enter into a superior state
of existence.
The science which deals with these problems is far too grand and extensive to
be more than merely touched upon in these pages, nor would it benefit
the uninitiated reader, if we were
to enter into its details; for as long as the interior perception which enables
men to perceive these things is not opened, such a discussion will be
a mere matter of speculation,
serving more for amusement than for the attainment of knowledge.
In this degree he was taught the great law of Karma; that is to say, the law of Cause and
Effect, not merely upon the physical plane, where the law of Mechanics exists, but in that
higher realm, where divine Justice rules supreme, where Good finds its own reward, and
Evil its own punishment. He saw that whatever man may think or do, would produce a
corresponding reaction upon himself, and that he who benefited others is
thereby benefiting himself, while he who injures others is thereby decreeing
his own
punishment.
He saw that
the acts of men are the external symbols of their interior lives, and that
every thought and act has a tendency to repeat itself. Thoughts seemed to
him like
beings struggling for life,
seeking to become embodied in acts; and if they were once thus embodied,
they clung to their life in the same way as man clings to his, but the power
which
invested these thoughts with life was the Will, and unless man's thoughts
were kept alive by his [Page 77] Will, they died and putrefied like the corporeal things upon the physical plane.
The
password of this degree was Heve, and its understanding conveyed a knowledge of
the bisexual nature of aboriginal Man. [Clem Alexander, In Protept.]
The length of time during which the Necoris had to remain in the second degree, before he
was permitted to enter the third, called Melanephores, depended on his own progress. Many
never attained any higher than the second degree; but those who were permitted
to advance higher had to pass through the Portal of Death; for this was the name of the door
through which they who desired to obtain powers which belong to a higher
than merely
personal existence had to enter, before they could acquire them.
Without
hesitation Jehoshua followed those who were appointed to guide him. They
descended into the tombs, where the mummies were kept and which were to
be a
living tomb to him, if he did not succeed in liberating himself therefrom
by his own magic power.
The room which he entered was filled with corpses of the dead, while in the
midst of the
chamber stood the sarcophagus of Osiris still overflowing with blood. The Paraskites — i.e. the
men who opened the bodies of the dead - and the Heroi — who attended to the embalming — were at their work. From thence he entered into another room, where he was met
by all the Melanephores, dressed in black, They took him before the King, and the latter, [Page 78] addressing him in a very kind manner, advised him to desist from further attempts
to penetrate still deeper into the mysteries, and to remain satisfied
with that which he had
already gained. He praised the Neophyte for his courage and virtues and told
him that it
were better for him now to remain contented and to desist from further research.
He told him that if he would do so, he would be highly honoured
by all on account of the knowledge
he had already gained; and in token of the high esteem in which he held the
Neophyte, the king took his own golden crown from his head and offered it to
him. But Jehoshua,
understanding the meaning of this symbol, threw the crown down upon the floor
and stepped upon it with his foot, saying that it was not his object to be
admired and to gratify
his ambition for fame or to be praised by men; but that he desired wisdom
and desired it for
its own sake alone.
As he did so, a cry of indignation arose from those present and a ceremony took
place which upon the external plane represented the well-known internal
truth, that Ambition is the king
of all passions and that to give up one's Ambition is like giving up one's
own, self; for man's soul being made up to a great extent of desires,
dies
the mystic death, when he kills his
ruling desire. It is then “as if the heart were bleeding and the whole life of man seems
to be utterly dissolved.” [M.C. “Light on the Path”.]
This was the terrible ordeal through which Jehoshua had to pass, and it is the ordeal through
which every one [Page 79] will have to pass, before he can enter the Temple of Wisdom.
Let
not the reader suppose that we are describing a farce, such as may be seen
enacted in some lodge of some modern “secret society” Whether the events described in these pages ever took place on the external or on the internal plane, or on
both, the reader may decide for himself. If such things are enacted merely externally
without taking place internally, then they are mere shams. Every external act
which is not a true representation of internal life is a sham, and our modern
civilization is made
up of such shams. Our secret societies have come into possession of some of the
forms and ceremonies used by the ancient Egyptians; but they have merely the form; the spirit
went away long ago.
The judgment of the departed soul before Pluto,Rhadamantes, and Minos was then
enacted; for when the king of Ambition in the soul of man dies, his daughter Vanity
dies with him, and in its place arises a sense of one's unworthiness. The accusing, judging,
and revenging angels then appear in the soul, until the tortured heart sends its despairing
cries to the Redeemer, the Truth; when the celestial powers awaken within, to comfort the
soul and guide her to the harbour of Peace.
During
this process or ceremony the whole of Jehoshua's past life, with all the
minutest details that ever took place within his mental organization,
appeared before his vision; but
when the initiation was ended, [Page 80] he knew that the lower elements within his soul had died and that he himself had been changed into another being. He then received
the special instructions belonging to this degree, and he was especially
shown the sanctity of all life and
the full meaning of the words: “Thou shalt not 'kill”.
While he remained in this degree, the hierogrammatical art of writing, the history of Egypt,
geography, cosmology, and astronomy were taught him; but his principal occupation,
in this as in all other degrees, was the cultivation of the power
of Intuition, by which
man may know
the truth and attain wisdom, independent of books or external information
and without the
necessity of adopting the opinions of others.
For a long time Jehoshua remained in tombs, attending to the disposal of the
bodies of the dead; nor was any one of the members of this degree ever
permitted to leave them during
the rest of their natural lives, unless they attained that magic power, known
to the Adept, by which the astral body of man may leave at will the prison house of terrestrial
body. Those who were not able to acquire this power had to remain in their tombs,
and their duty was to
attend to the embalming and the burial of the dead.
Thus
the souls of those who are incapable of entering a higher state of consciousness
during their terrestrial lives, will have to remain within their living tombs
of gross matter, overshadowed by the darkness of ignorance, engaged
in ministering to that which is
worthless [Page 81] and without eternal life, and to preserve from decay useless memories of terrestrial things. They will continue to follow their worthless occupations
and be servants of empty forms and illusions until the angel of death
releases them from their prisons, to lead them from the darkness of
matter into the eternal darkness beyond.[Page 82]
THE HIGHER DEGREES
He who thoroughly knows his own self, knows everything.
in attempting to describe some of the mysteries of the higher degrees in the
Egyptian Brotherhood, we are attempting to enter upon a field where only those
can enter who have themselves obtained some experience of practical Occultism;
for how
could the magic processes that took place in the “Battle of the Shadows” be described to
persons whose knowledge consists merely of the information they have received
from an age which denies that magic or spiritual powers exist ? It will require
perhaps
centuries of scientific investigation before our sceptics will understand the
magic power of
the spiritually awakened Will, and before they can be brought to a knowledge that feats
of Magic do not belong to the realm of the fable, and it may require many centuries
more, before such powers will become the property of the many.
Our
age is the age of what is called “Reason”, i.e. semi-animal Reason, not enlightened
by Divine Wisdom, but drawing inferences from merely external things. It
is ruled by
those powers which are allegorically represented in the Bible by the “Pharisees and the
Scribes”, whose knowledge is based upon deductions drawn from [Page 83] the observation
of illusive appearances, which they mistake for the Real, while the real
is unknowable to them. In proportion as this fallible reasoning power has
increased in strength,
have men
become unconscious of true Spirituality; that is to say, of the existence
of a power to
perceive spiritual and fundamental truths. With the loss of spiritual knowledge they have
also lost the spiritual Power necessary to control the invisible spiritual forces. True Gnostic
has become a thing of the past, agnosticism raises its head and boasts of its ignorance, and
Science has become materialized so much that she can deal with nothing but
the most gross
and sensually perceptible things.
And yet the world is still full of Magic. The magic power of Love still exercises its influence
over the hearts; the magic of Imagination still makes men mournful or glad; the Will of the
strong still controls by its magic power the mind of the weak, and the foolish
are still ruled by the superior magic power of the spirit of those who are wise;
but such wonders like that of the growth of a tree, do not surprise us, merely
because we are accustomed to witness
them every day.
The Egyptian Adepts and Magicians may not have been in possession of all that
our modern science knows in regard to the relations which exist between
external phenomena;
but they had a method, known only to few in our present age, to develop the
power to look into that realm called the invisible, but which is a world
far
more real and substantial than
the so-called visible [Page 84] world. Men are prone to jump at conclusions drawn from sensual
observation and to regard the visible side of nature as the actual world
and to reject that which is beyond sensual perception; but even
a superficial reflection will convince man that
the terms “visible” and “invisible” are merely relative; for whether or not a thing may be
seen by us, depends not merely on its own nature, but also on the construction
and quality of the organs of our perception. What may be seen by one, may
be invisible to another
who is devoid of the organ of sight; and what may be invisible to many, may
be visible to
those whose inner powers of perception have become open.
The fourth degree of the mysterious Brotherhood was called “The Battle of the Shadows”. [Tertullian, De
Milits Corona”.] In this degree the Christophores — as he was now called — was taught the nature of Good and Evil and how to conquer Evil by Good. He was taught
how to cut off the head of the beautiful Gorgon [Medusa] without hesitating on account
of her almost supernaturally beautiful form. He was instructed in the art
of Necromancy,
i.e. the art to deal with the astral bodies of the dead and with those dangerous beings, called
Elementals, who inhabit the astral world, and to make them subservient to their will. Woe to
him whom the power of spiritual Will deserted even for one moment during
these trials; the
principles of Evil which he attempted to subject to his Will would [Page 85] then become his
masters, and insanity or death was the results.
There is no relative Good without relative Evil. There is no man so pure, as
not to have some animal elements within his constitution, and were there
such a man, he would not be
able to develop higher; for it is this very animal element from which the soul
of man draws
its nourishment and strength to rise higher and to become more spiritual. Not
to destroy, but to make use of the elements of evil in man for the purpose
of accomplishing good, is the
object of the higher education. When the higher life begins to awaken within
the soul and
the light of the Spirit penetrates into the regions of the Elementals, these animal Egos begin
to revolt and to rise to the surface. They may even appear in objective form
and
persecute their creator. Then the dread Dweller of the Threshold may show his face. He
is nothing else but a product of man's own imagination, but nevertheless living
and as real as any other living thing among the so-called realities of this world,
and if the candidate for
initiation is subject to fear, he may become his victim, for the Dweller of the
Threshold will
then again and with increased power take possession of his mind.
There
is a region in the soul of man in which such Dwellers reside. In very degraded
persons this region swarms with living, semi-developed or full-grown
animal principles and subjective
monstrosities of all kinds and under certain conditions, especially if the physical [Page 86] organism is weakened by disease, they may - so to say - step out of their centre,
and assume an objective form, clothing themselves in the grosser
elements of matter and
becoming visible even to the external senses. [Abundant evidence of such cases
may be
found in the Acta Sanctorum, although the accounts related therein are treated as fables even
by the clergy, who cannot find a rational explanation for them. Modern Spiritualism
furnishes
similar examples].
But
if the candidate in that holy Brotherhood succeeded in overcoming all these
obstacles, he became a partaker of the Demiurgos [The creative power in nature] and
in possession of absolute Truth. [Athenaeus, Lib 9]. The bitter cup which he was made
to drink, caused him to rise above all earthly ills arising from his lower
nature, and he
received his daily food from the King. [ Diodorus Siculus, Lib. i]. His name was then
entered into the Book of Life, and he became one of the judges of the country. His
emblem was an Owl, representing Isis, the goddess of Nature; he was presented with
a palm leaf and an olive branch, the emblems of Peace. The “password” of that
degree was IOA, [Jehovah] and the understanding of its exoteric signification
involved a knowledge of the creative principle in Nature. Henceforth he received
his
instructions from no man, but from the Demiurgic Mind.
He
who had attained the degree of Christophores was entitled to apply to the Demiurgos
for the still higher degree of Balahate.In this degree he was permitted [Page 87] to
see Typhoon [Divinity] in his terrible form; of endless extent, containing
within himself all that exists in the Universe; the All-creator
and All-destroyer,
“With
eyes and faces, infinite in form,
The everlasting Cause, a mass of Light,
In every region hard to look upon;
Bright as the blaze of burning fire and sun,
On
every side, and vast beyond all bounds.”
[
I.Davies, Bhagavad-GitĂŁ , xi, 14]
But
the Balahate had awakened to a full consciousness of the immortal principle within, and
was no longer terrified to see the destruction of all changeable things.
He now knew the
nature of the Secret Fire that regenerates the world and which renders him who comes into
its possession immortal.
In the sixth degree the Adept was instructed by the Demiurgos in all the secrets
of Astrology; that is to say, in the science of the spiritual aspects of the stars; he learned
to
know the directions of the spiritual life-currents, pervading the Soul of the Universe; he
became even a being superior to the Devas and Angels and in possession of all spiritual
powers.
The seventh and highest degree, called Pancah, could not be applied for, but was conferred
by the power of divine grace upon those who were willing to receive it. In this divine degree,
the holiest of holies, the ultimate mystery was revealed to the spiritual
perception of the Adept. He received a Cross, which he had to wear [Page 88] continually during his terrestrial life, [Rufius,
Lib, ii Cap 29] the hair upon his head was cut off, [Pierius, Lib
32] he received the key to the understanding of all the mysteries, [Plutarch, “ De amore
fraterno”.] he obtained the privilege to elect the king of the country, [Synesus, “De
Provindentia”.] or — to speak in plain words and leave off allegorical expressions — his
soul became one with the ruler of All, and he entered into the essence of God. [Page 89]
THE WISDOM RELIGION
The
inner laws of the universe can be known by studying the inner laws of
that little world
called “Man”.
it has not been ascertained how long Jehoshua Ben-Pandira remained in Egypt, nor
what degrees he attained in the Holy Brotherhood; but it is believed that he
underwent many of the severe trials to which those who desired to
be initiated into the
mysteries were
subjected. He was taught many of these sublime secrets, or, to express it more
correctly: As the bud of a Lotus flower gradually opens under the
influence of the sunlight, so his
mind opened to the understanding of the divine mysteries of the Wisdom Religion,
He
perceived that God had a spiritual and a material aspect; that He is all things, and that for
this cause “He hath many names, because he is the One Father, and that He also hath
no name, for He is the Father of All” [ Hermes Trismegistus, V 33] — that this one and
universal Father had created the world in his own Mind, endowed it with His own Life, and
thrown it into objectivity by His own Will.
He perceived and realized that this divine essence which caused the universe
to take form and to grow, is the same that forms the corner-stone
of the living temple [Page 90] of God, called Man, and
that the essence constituting the foundation and the innermost centre
of Man is in no way different from that of the universal God, and that
therefore “earthly man
is a little god in a mortal body, while the God of the Universe is an immortal
self-existent
Man”. [Ibid. IV. 193] He found no death in the universe, but a continual change of form,
while the Life that causes these changes of form remains always the same.
That which is imperfect has to be remodeled and to become perfect; but that
which
is perfect and
therefore eternal requires no further change.
He
saw that the whole of Nature is a thing of Life, subject — like all living beings — to
periods of activity and rest; that after a day of activity, lasting perhaps for millions of
ages, the great phantasmagoria constituting the universe ceases to be manifest,
and is
followed by a night of equal duration, during which all things exist in a subjective
condition in the mind of the creator, until “God” again awakens from his slumber, to
speak once more the divine command:
LET
THERE BE LIGHT
Then ends the night; the mystic Sun appears,
Filling all space with Life and Harmony,
With Consciousness and Sound. Again begins
The Wheel to turn, and the celestial Powers,
The Master-builders of the Universe, [ The Dhyan Chohans].
Whose
work had ceased with the evening tide,
Begin again their labor. Glowing globes
[Page
91]
Of radiant matter, luminous and bright,
Condense and clothe themselves in varied hues,
Evolving shells of rocks and precious stones.
And mother earth puts on her festive dress,
To bid a joyful welcome to her children.
Plants, animals, appear; at last comes Man,
The King, a spirit of ethereal shape,
Form'd of the essence that produces gods,
Surrounded by the paradise which God
Created in his sphere. He is the Lord
Of every living thing, the masterpiece
Of the constructor of the universe;
His substance is the Light, his thoughts divine,
His wisdom great, his happiness supreme.
Thus might he live eternally, in bliss
Unspeakable, communing with himself,
Unconscious of that lower sense of self,
Which causes isolation of the form.
But in the womb of Matter dwells desire,
The ancient tempter. Man averts his eyes
From his celestial source, and he begins
To sink into the darkness. Denser grows
And more compact his form, as he descends
To seek for knowledge in the realm of Matter.
Imprisoned in the form, his senses close
To the perception of celestial things,
And senses of a grosser kind appear,
Fit merely to behold the things of Earth,
For “where
man's treasure is, there is his heart”;
Uniting with the object he desires,
He shares its nature. The immortal soul
Combin'd with mortal clay is rendered mortal,
And mortal things transformed may rise up
Beyond the region of mortality.
[Page
92]
Spirit is Life; but Matter has no life,
Which it may claim its own; the source of Life
Is that celestial Sun, invisible
To mortals, but eternal, self-existent
And glorious, in whose resplendent rays
All beings move and live, by whom we all
Exist, whose altar is the heart of Man.
This
is the “Fall of Man” and the descent
Of the bright Spirit to the realms of darkness,
Occurring now as in those ancient times,
When Man was tempted by the mythic snake
For men are still attracted by desire,
Appearing in the beauteous form of lust,
Or in the shape of gold or love of fame,
Appealing to his sense of selfishness,
And thus degrading him, and many sink
To lower depths, while others rise again
By throwing off desire for earthly things,
And gaining knowledge of celestial truths
By bursting through the misty veil of matter
That hides them from the light.
Desire to live
And to enjoy the pleasures of this life
Produces birth in living mortal forms;
Then follows life with all its sufferings,
Its evanescent joys, old age, and death,
And all the ills that follow those whose souls
Remain attach'd to matter; after this
Comes birth again, and thus the wheel revolves
Unceasingly.
But the celestial Sun
Of happiness continues to shine,
Sending his rays of love, of light, and life
[Page
93]
Into the hearts of men and filling them
With longings for their former state of bliss.
And some perceive the light and hear the voice
Of wisdom speaking in their darkened souls,
Speaking
to them: “O men! Let there be Light!”
And waking from their sleep they start and listen,
Like one awakening from some idle dream.
Some realize the presence of the Truth
Within their hearts and follow the Redeemer,
And throwing off that foolish love of self,
Their minds expand beyond the narrow limits
Of personality. Then can the prison house
Of flesh no longer hold the glorious spirit,
Which gained freedom from the love of self.
This is the history of man's redemption
Without a passport from a man-made priest.
The great Redeemer speaks to every man,
But many hear the voice and sink again
To sleep, preferring darkness to the light.
What is the cause of all our suffering,
But the desires that chain us to the flesh?
No one is free, but he who has outlived
All love of earthly things, all love of self.
What are the forms of life that please the eye,
But evanescent clouds? and what is man
In his corporeal form but air and dust?
He lords the earth today and feeds the worms
Of earth tomorrow. Who but God can claim
To be immortal? Therefore seek the God
Who
speaks within thy heart, and say with him:
“Let
there be Light!”— Seek for the light that shines
Within thy heart and learn to know thyself.
Learn to adore, and thou shalt find the Truth.
[Page
94]
THE TEMPTATION
There is no absolute evil. A house divided against itself would fall: an evil
power, being evil in the absolute, would be evil in regard to itself
and destroy itself. Evil is necessary
to afford experience, and experience leads to ultimate good; but those who employ
evil means to attain good results associate themselves with evil, and
by creating evil will perish
with it.
jehoshua had attained in Egypt some of the lower degrees of Adeptship, when he
was advised by his superiors to return to Palestine for the purpose of teaching
the truth to his countrymen and to lift them up from their state of
degradation and superstition; for
practical occultism does not consist in merely leading a life of contemplation
and virtue and
attending to one's own spiritual culture. To do so would after all be only a
refined state of selfishness. It is equally necessary to do external
work; that is to say,
to work for the
benefit of others, to help to drive back the powers of darkness and ignorance,
to assist in the work of ennobling mankind, and to raise it up to a
higher level in the scale of evolution.
Such
a work for others brings with it its own reward; for as it has been
well said by one of
the greatest thinkers and poets, [Schiller]. “A quiet life in a solitude is useful [Page 95] for
the development of one’s talents; but for the strengthening of the character, and active cooperation
in the battle of Life is required”.
Jehoshua had attained a high degree of that interior power of perception which
enables
man to hear the voice of divine Inspiration speak within the heart without any danger of
misunderstanding. To accomplish this it is necessary not merely to become a
master over one's evil desires, but also to keep the disorderly intellectual
powers
of the mind subject to the control of the Spirit, so that the Intellect may
become our friend and servant, but
cease to assume the place belonging to Divine Wisdom. The Intellect is easily
influenced
by the desires of the lower self, but Wisdom is above all selfish considerations;
she recognizes no personal claims which are not in accordance with eternal
Truth, The Intellect
is changeable and mortal; Wisdom is eternal, unchangeable, and immortal.
The Intellect can only become immortal by amalgamating with Wisdom. If the
decisions
of Wisdom and
those of the Intellect are in harmony and identical with each other, then the
mortal Intellect
rises up to the state of immortal divine Intelligence.
Jehoshua returned to Palestine. His object was to convince his countrymen that
God will only help those who help themselves, and that all external circumstances
are the results
of interior conditions; that if they desired to extricate themselves from their
deplorable
condition, they would have to call to their aid the [ Page 96] divine power existing within themselves, instead of remaining indolent and expecting external help from a
God such
as they had created within their own imagination.
There were at the time of which we are writing a number of people in Galilee
of more
advanced thought than the rest. They were known as the Nazarenes; the majority of
them were living on the east side of the river Jordan and in the vicinity of
the lake
Tiberias, and John the Baptist was their prophet. This man, originally of the priestly
caste of the Levites, was looked upon by the Pharisees as being a renegade to
their order, because his doctrines did not conform to their orthodox views. He
had
resigned his sacerdotal office at the temple, with all its emoluments, and chosen
a life of poverty. Clad in rough skins, his noble face almost hidden by his shaggy
hair and
flowing beard, his appearance was awe-inspiring, and his voice was strong, re-echoing
in the hearts of men like the sound of thunder that reverberates through the
mountains.
“Repent!” he cried; “the
day of judgment is near. Listen no longer to the seductions of sensual life,
but seek the divine life within you. I do not ask you to give up
the pleasures of life for the purpose of becoming misanthropes, but
to realize that there is
something far higher than merely animal pleasures or erroneous speculations;
and if you rise up to the higher regions of thought and learn to know
your own higher nature, [Page 97] sensual things will lose their attraction for you, and you will renounce them as
worthless objects in the same sense as a grown-up man renounces the toys with
which he used to play when a child, and for which he has no further
use. I baptize you with the
water of truth by directing your thoughts to that which is eternal; but the
understanding I
cannot give, for that must come from Wisdom, which is greater than Reason.
First comes
thought, and afterwards comes that interior Illumination by which men are baptized with Fire
from the Holy Spirit of Truth, that descends upon those who are pure in heart,
like a white dove descending from heaven. Man may be led up to the truth by
argumentation, but he can
only be saved by knowledge. Reason is the prophet, but Wisdom is the Redeemer.
Thought must precede knowledge; but without the light of divine Wisdom thought
is like a voice in the wilderness, calling for help; an intellect without Love
becomes easily lost in the
mazes of speculations and misleading opinions. Therefore you, who desire to
be saved, repent of your errors; give up your selfishness, that causes you
to seek
for knowledge merely
on account of the benefits you hope to derive therefrom; open your eyes to
see the true saviour, the light of Wisdom, which you may find below the dark
clouds
of ignorance by which your heart is surrounded”.
The fame of John the Baptist had spread all over the country; even the embodiment
of
selfishness, the great king Herodes, had heard his voice that sounded [Page 98] like the roar of a lion. This man, being a great profligate and entirely attracted by
sensual pleasures, would not listen to the warning voice of Reason,
but at the same time he was
a great coward. He was afraid that what John the Baptist said might be true,
after all. He did what the majority of men do at this day when their reason
comes in conflict with their desires. He refused to listen to John the Baptist;
he had him arrested and put into a
prison, so that he might not be disturbed by his voice, and be left in the
undisturbed
enjoyment of the beautiful Herodias.
For some time Jehoshua remained with this prophet of the desert and his disciples.
He taught them some of the truths he had learned in Egypt from the books
of Hermes
Trismegistus, called in Egypt Meti, [The Gospel according to Mathew] and his
companions wrote down some of the fragments he taught, and these fragments were
afterwards transmitted to their successors.
After
the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jehoshua retired for a while into the
wilderness, to devote himself to meditation and self-examination.
There are moments
in the life of every man when he feels the necessity to retire within himself
and to look into his own interior soul. If he succeeds in locking the
door of the chamber of his mind
against all sensual thoughts that may arise from external influences, to keep
the wandering thoughts steady, “as a lamp sheltered from the wind does not flicker”, to
plunge down into the [Page 99] mysterious depths of his own innermost being, then may
he find the Divinity within his own soul.
Let not this be called fancy. Useless would it be for a man who has not found his own
higher self, to imagine that he found it and to believe himself to be a god. Such an
assumption would be sure to bring on his perdition. If the internal god reveals himself to
man, he does so in a manner which leaves no room for doubt; but which must be
experienced before it can be known, and which can therefore not be revealed to those who
refuse to receive him.
There are vast solitudes in Judea, where the blazing sun sends his rays into the treeless
desert. There nothing is to be seen but bare rocks and loose stones filling the dried-up
beds of the creeks, wherein during the rainy season water collects, but where during the
rest of the year no moisture is found. No life is there, except perhaps a snake gliding over
the sand and an eagle floating high up in the air watching his prey; the heated air scorches
the parched lips, and all around us is desolation and death, while overhead expands the
sky, the emblem of Infinity.
There are solitudes within the human soul, to which man may retire. There are
deserts where nothing is to be seen but a jumble of adopted opinions and
theological doctrines,
and where reason looks in vain for a drop of the water of truth. Sometimes
lakes and rivers appear at a distance; but as we approach, that which appeared
to be true proves to be
merely a mirage, [Page 100] a work of delusion. Things that look in the moonlight of external reason like precious fruits or like jewels and pearls are often found upon examination
in the sunlight of Wisdom to be nothing but worthless rubbish. Over
our head shines the sun
of Truth in the infinite realm, while in the dark caverns of the soul lurk the
snakes of evil
desires.
To some such desert Jehoshua retired, and there he fought once more the great
battle with his own self. He looked within his soul and he found therein
reflected the condition
of mankind; for man is an integral part of Humanity, and in proportion as we
learn to know our own soul we lose all sense of separateness and realize
that we are one with all
mankind; we are in humanity, and humanity is within ourselves. As he looked
in that magic
mirror, — the Soul, — he saw therein reflected the images of all the miseries produced by
ignorance, and the ardent desire arose in his heart to save mankind from error;
to kill the monster of darkness, to destroy once again the golden calf of self-adulation,
and
to restore the worship of the Spirit of Wisdom, whose temple is in the soul.
While he
thought of becoming a saviour to mankind, the sense of the “/” arose in his
consciousness, and the tempter approached him in the shape of Ambition, the king of all
the powers of evil.
“Powerful one”, whispered the tempter, “if
thou wilt save mankind, cause these stones to
become bread, enable men to employ Intelligence for base purposes; [Page 101] for they will
care little for spiritual truths unless they can make them serve some temporal
purpose. Their material necessities are nearer to them than the things
of whose existence they know
nothing, or whether they be at all useful to them. Men do not care for the
truth; they only care for the material benefits which may result from its
knowledge. Go and improve the material condition of mankind. Teach
them how to make gold and to gain easily comfort
and luxury. Then, when their terrestrial wants are provided for, will they
find
time to attend to their spiritual salvation. Go and teach them the
hidden secrets of nature, so that they
may kill their enemies and acquire riches. Feed the hungry and save them the
trouble of
working, liberate those who are slaves and too indolent to help themselves,
and thou wilt
be worshipped by all”.
But
Jehoshua, rising above the plane of selfishness, repulsed the evil one, and
said: “Material wealth and comfort is not all that mankind requires;
their spiritual condition is of far greater importance than temporal benefits
given
to them without their own efforts. The power for good can only grow
by a
constant battle with evil. It is well that man should learn all the
external conditions by which he is surrounded, but every gratification
of his
selfish
desires only calls into existence a legion of other desires and fastens still
stronger the links by which he is chained to Matter. 'Evil' is as much
a necessary element in the process of
evolution as 'good', for the only way to freedom is through suffering [Page 102] only he who has
fought in the battle can come out victorious”.
“But”, answered the evil one, “how
wilt thou convince mankind that this terrestrial world is merely a world
of illusions, and that there is a higher state of existence
? If thou couldst perform wonders and miracles, they would perhaps
be willing to believe. Cast thyself down
from the pinnacle of Jerusalem, degrade thyself by descending to the plane of the
intellectual understanding, and men will believe in thee. Men do not love the
divine truth, because they do not know it; and before they will seek to know
it, they must be made to
believe that it exists. If thou canst make its existence plausible by performing
some
wonderful feats, then will they be willing to make a bargain and to exchange
terrestrial baubles for celestial treasures. Does not the light eternally shine
into darkness, and does the darkness believe that it exists?”
To
this the Higher Self of Jehoshua replied: “Divine Wisdom belongs to the realm of
Light, and cannot descend to the intellectual comprehension of mortals; those
who seek for the truth must themselves rise up to its understanding. [When the truth
was brought before the judgment seat of the intellect, and requested to prove
intellectually his claims, “ he never answered him a word; inasmuch, that the governor (of the mind) marveled
greatly”. — Mathew xxvii. 12]. Men must come up to divine wisdom; it cannot descend to
their level. Moreover, it is not a mere belief in the truth, which will save mankind; [Page 103] they should have their own knowledge. Those who cannot have faith without external
evidence, are not in the possession of knowledge. Let them open their eyes
for the perception of spiritual things and cease to cling to adopted beliefs.
Let
them seek for the
truth with in themselves, and not within the opinions of another.”
“Wilt thou, then”, said the demon of Self, “take
away the crutches with which poor Humanity hobbles along? Wilt thou destroy
her toys and awaken her from the peaceful
slumber in which she finds repose? Dost thou know what will be the consequences
of such a rash act? Men do not wish to be free from creeds and opinions,
for they possess no
knowledge. They hate freedom, and prefer to cling to the slavery of their creeds.
They do not want to be their own masters, but they must have some one
to obey. If thou destroyest
their favourite creed today, they will have another one tomorrow. What should
they do without a creed? They are afraid to think for themselves; they
must have some man to
think for them. Thou wilt make them free, but thou shalt not succeed. Fasten
their chains, and they will be happy. Give them a herdsman to follow
and they will be contented. Give
them somebody to obey. Give them by all means an Authority in which they may believe.
Behold, I am the Devil of Self; my kingdom extends all over the world. Fall down and
sacrifice thy dignity to me, enter my being, appeal to men’s love of self, and you will be the
ruler of the world”.
As he spoke these words, the demon expanded in size, [Page 104] and his body, like an immense cloud of darkness, seemed to extend all over the surface of the earth,
and Jehoshua saw that the thoughts and actions of the vast majority
of men and women upon this globe were all ruled by selfishness. There
were almost none to be found who loved Divine
Wisdom for her own sake, while all the rest merely pretended to love her, because
they expected favours from her. They loved the Truth merely on account
of the benefits that
might be derived from its knowledge here or in the hereafter, and thus they
did not love Divine Wisdom, but merely her gifts. Not being able to know
the Truth, because
they were not attracted to it by an unselfish love for Divine Wisdom, they were satisfied
with anything, however false, which was represented to them as being
the truth, and thus they
worshipped their own idols. But there, were a few who actually loved the truth
for its own sake, and they appeared like luminous stars within that dark
mass of ignorance.
But as Jehoshua looked still deeper into the hearts of men, he found that this
love of self was merely a property of the surface of the shell of which
men are composed, and that
there was, after all, a germ of genuine love of the truth contained within the
depths of every human heart. If this germ could be developed and brought
to the surface, and the
love of self be made to occupy a back-seat, then would the love for absolute Good come to the
front, and men would learn to know the Truth. The love of self is inherent in human
nature, [Page 105] and it cannot be entirely suppressed as long as men live in corporeal forms; but it can be made to appear as a matter of secondary consideration, while
an unselfish attendance to duty should be a matter of the greatest
importance to all.
Therefore
the Divinity of Jehoshua arose to the surface, and said to the Demon of Self: “Get thee behind me, Satan I” and as he spoke these words, the demon shrank into
minute proportions and disappeared from sight, and a flood of light entered
the soul of
Jehoshua. He now became fully conscious that he had entered a new state of
existence; an interior Illumination took place, and he saw that his personality was not his real self, but
merely an instrument which he had created for the purpose of fulfilling a mission
upon this Earth. He had now gained a great victory over his own illusive self
and entered into the
sanctuary of the Temple of Truth. [Page 106]
THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT
The Truth teaches nothing else but its own existence;
it is for Man to rise up
to that height
where he may arrive at its understanding.
jehoshua had now become strong; he had become a prophet and Adept. Before
his interior Illumination took place, he had not known that firm conviction
which he possessed now. He had perceived the power of the spirit like a blind
man, who feels the
heat of the sunshine without being able to see the light; but now he had gained
true
knowledge, he had become acquainted with his Bride, Divine Wisdom; and when during
his sermons, being carried away by his aspirations for Truth, he rose into the
regions of divine thought to embrace her, his human nature was lost to all consciousness
of
personal limited existence; his Bride took form in him, and it was no more the man
Jehoshua who spoke divinely inspired words; but it was Divine Wisdom herself
that
spoke through his lips. His whole being appeared on such occasions to be
permeated by the Light of the Logos; yea, for all we know, it may have been the Logos
itself manifesting through him.
This may explain why, like the Avatars of old, he [Page 107] spoke of himself as being
The Christ, The Truth, and The Son of God. This Spirit of Wisdom, that in ancient times
had spoken through the mouth of Krishna, saying: “I am the way, the supporter, lord,
witness, abode, and friend“ [Bhagavad-GitĂŁ , ix 13] I am the beginning, the middle and
the end of all existing things”, [Ibid, x 20] repeated these words through the lips of
Jehoshua, saying: “I am the way, the truth, and the life [John xiv 6] ... I am the Alpha and Omega;
the beginning and the end”; [Revelation i. 8] and this divine spirit still continues
to speak in the same manner in the heart of every one who is able to rise above
the
Sphere of Self and to become for the time being one with his God.
He taught in many of the towns and villages of Galilee, and gained the hearts
of the people
by his great beauty and eloquence and by that power which always inspires those
who are firmly convinced that they are teaching the truth. From village
to village he
went, preaching anew the old gospel of fraternal love; and many times when
the doors of the synagogues
were closed against him, he may have been seen, standing upon a hill, surrounded
by the
listening crowd, while the evening breeze played with his long flowing locks,
and above him on the distant sky shone that bright constellation of
stars called the Southern Cross, as if it were to reveal the future that was waiting for him - a cross upon this
Earth
and eternal
glory in Heaven. [Page
108]
Those
few and rare persons, the regenerated ones in the spirit, in whom the Word
has become alive, and through whom Divine Wisdom manifests itself, require no
preparation for their speeches, nor any elaborate arrangement for their ideas;
because it is not their own systems and opinions which they present to their
audiences; but it is the
Truth itself, expressing itself through them.“We are not now referring to those who speak
in a trance, or as if controlled by a superior spirit, nor to those who talk
of whatever enters their brain; but to those who travel the road to Adeptship,
who are able to hear the eternal Word in their hearts, speaking to them with no uncertain sound, and who give it external
expression. Thus the bird requires no instructor to know what melody to sing,
and in moments of joy or grief, when Nature pours forth her own sentiments,
without hypocrisy
and without restraint, thoughts rise from the heart to the lips and become
words, as the waters of a well rise to the surface without preparation and
without artifice
- being doubly
powerful from being produced by nature.
His
words coming as they did, — not from the brain, but from the heart, — went to the hearts
of the hearers; being in possession of the truth, “he taught as one having authority, and
not as the scribes“, [Mathew vii 29] who repeat what they have learned in books, without
being themselves convinced of the truth of their doctrines, nor inclined to follow the rules
which they prescribe for others.[Page 109]
Thus we find him one evening upon the Mount, in
the midst of his followers, teaching them ancient truths in beautiful allegorical
forms, which were understood by
his hearers, because the truth was with them; but which are not understood
by our theologians, because the truth is not with them. Having departed
from our modern civilization, having been driven
away by clericalism, priestcraft, and external reasoning, crucified and killed
by our modern “Pharisees and scribes”, the truth has departed
from our religious systems, and the allegories of the Bible are not understood,
but accepted merely in their external literal meaning, thus
degrading Divine Wisdom into mere rubbish. Let us invoke the spirit of Common Sense to
enlighten our mind and to explain to us to a certain extent the esoteric meaning
of a few of
the doctrines taught by Jehoshua upon the Mount. We well know that many words will be
required to bring within the grasp of the intellect truths which can be imparted
by a few allegories to the wise, and we also know that the explanations given
below do
not exclude other
explanations equally true.
MATHEW, CHAPTER V
I. And seeing the multitude, he went up into a mountain, and when he was set,
his disciples
came unto him.
Divine Wisdom being aware of a great multitude of intellectual powers in the
mind, desiring
knowledge, went with [Page 110] them into the mountain of Faith, and when tranquility of the
mind was established, the organs for intuition became opened.
2. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying;
Then the Spirit of Divine Wisdom came to the consciousness
of the mind, and said: -
3. “Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Happy are those, whose heads are not full of idle speculations, opinions, and
theories, but who are able to receive the truth in its purity, as it
comes from the source of all wisdom, being reflected in their minds,
like the image of a ship sailing upon a tranquil lake is
mirrored in the water. Happy are those who listen to the voice of their conscience
and see by the light of their intuition without attempting to pervert
by the sophistry of their external
reasoning the truths which they intuitionally perceive.
4. “Blessed
are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted”.
Blessed are those who do not seek for happiness in terrestrial illusions, but
recognize the reality of the ideal world. Their mortal forms may suffer,
but by rising
mentally
to a higher state of consciousness above personality and limitation,they will
be comforted.
5.“Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.
“Happy
are those who have no personal desires, for they are already in possession
of
all things. What could be offered to [Page 111] increase the happiness of one who is already
perfectly happy and who has no ambition to gratify?
6. “Blessed
are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be
filled”.
Blessed are they who love the truth for its own sake, for by .their aspirations
they will rise up
to its understanding.
7. “Blessed
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”.
Those whose hearts are full of love and benevolence for all, will attract the
love of all others.
8.“Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”.
Only in a pure and tranquil soul can the image of Divine Wisdom be reflected
and be
recognized by the mind without any distortions.
9. “Blessed
are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”.
The peacemakers in the mind of man are those spiritual elements which raise him
above the sphere of limitation and personality and attract him to the
Eternal. Being of a divine nature,
they are properly called the children of God.
10. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.
Power
grows by resistance. Those who overcome temptations and remain true to
their spiritual faith, even if they suffer for it, will become stronger in knowledge and in the
happiness resulting therefrom. [Page 112]
11
and 12 “Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and
shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice
and be exceeding
glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the
prophets which
were before you”.
Such an appeal to the vanity, selfishness, and ambition of men and to their hope
for reward, asking them to rejoice over lies and over the ignorance of
others, cannot
be anything else but a pious interpolation, unless it refers to a certain
occult process, during
which the lower elemental powers in man become rebellious, when they feel the
approach of the truth, and they then begin to revile him.
13. “Ye
are the Salt of the earth, but if the Salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it
be salted ? It is thence good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden
under
foot of man”.
The Will is
the life of the soul; but if the Will becomes evil and loses its sanctity,
the whole constitution of man will become evil and useless for good.
Evil desires
will arise
which must be “trodden under foot” and overcome by virtue.
14. “Ye
are the light of the world. A city that is set on the hill cannot be hid”.
The intelligent powers of men who have acquired wisdom, illumine the mind. Wisdom
is self-evident to those who are wise, and even the inferior powers will
recognize its beauty.
15. “Neither
do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candle-stick, and
it giveth light to all that are in the house”. [Page 113]
The Wisdom should not be
overshadowed by selfish desires.When the mind rises up to the sphere of wisdom, all its powers will become illumined by
it
16.“Let
your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify
your Father which is in heaven”.
Do not merely talk, but act according to wisdom, and all the intelligent powers within and
without you will then recognize the wisdom from which your actions arise, and
rejoice over
it.
17.“Think
not that I am come to destroy the Law or the prophets. I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil”.
A
knowledge of the truth cannot cause men to act against divine law, but
it will enable them
to obey it. It is the misunderstanding and ignoring of the truth and the
misinterpretation of the letter of the law, that causes men to disobey
the law.
18.“For
verily I say unto you: Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled”.
The divine law of Karma will
exist as long as the world exists. It is unchangeable. Prayers without
acts avail nothing, for no favours are granted. The true way to pray is
to rise up to a higher condition and to become ennobled in character
by acting according to the unwritten
law. Miracles are impossibilities. If even the least deviation of the Law
of
Evolution from its course were to occur, its eternal and unchangeable
character would be forever
destroyed. [Page 114]
19.“Whosoever,
therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men
so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but
whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in
the kingdom of heaven”.
He who acts according to his own will and against the universal Will of God,
loses the consciousness of his divine state, and lives in that of his
narrow self; but he who acts according to the universal Law rises to
its level, and his consciousness expands
beyond the
limits of personality, partaking of the nature of the divine mind.
20.“For
I say unto you: that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness
of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven”.
If you act merely according to the dictates of your external reasoning, and not
from a direct spiritual perception of the truth, you are then not in
that state of spiritual consciousness
which constitutes the divine state of man. No one will enter heaven by argumentation.
21.“Ye
have heard it was said by them of olden-time: Thou shalt not kill, and whosoever
shall kill shall be in danger of judgment”.
As long as men are not capable of rising up to a perception of the truth, they
may desist from evil deeds merely on account of the evil consequences
that are believed to follow.
22.“But
I say unto you: that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger
of
judgment” [Page 115]
But when you attain spiritual knowledge, you will know that it is your own state
of mind and your thoughts, on which your future happiness depends; for the inner
life of man is his real life; his external acts are merely the shadows
of his thoughts.
External acts produce effects upon the external plane; but man's thoughts and
his will determine the condition of his inner life, and produce lasting
effects upon that plane where
he will exist when he re-enters the subjective state.
The above examples may be sufficient to show that the allegories of the Bible
may be explained in a manner very different from that given by those
who imagine that they are the
Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World.
The
inherent power of the truths which Jehoshua taught, his noble appearance,
natural dignity, and kindness of manner gained for him the hearts of
the people. On account
of the
mixed population of Galilee, bigotry and orthodoxy were less prevalent there
than in Judea. There were many “heathen” who had no religious prejudices,
and even among the Jews there were not a few who had honest doubts in regard
to the orthodox creed.
The coming of the Redeemer who was to be their king and to drive the foreigners
out of the country
had been often heralded, and as often were they disappointed in their expectations.
Jehoshua made no such claims. He wanted to improve the spiritual condition
of
the people; an improvement of their external condition would then be
the natural consequence. Many
recognized in him a man of advanced ideas, and [Page 116] he gained many followers
among the inhabitants of that country.
There was, moreover, another circumstance which served to increase his popularity.
It is well known to every Occultist that a certain degree of spiritual
development is always
accompanied by the development of certain occult powers, especially the power
to heal diseases by the touch or by a mere exercise of the will, and
also the power of reading
intuitively the thoughts of others. Such things are not due to the action of
any unnatural or supernatural cause; for the power of the Will and the principle of Life are
said to be
fundamentally identical, and he who can control his own Will becomes thereby
able to direct the currents of Life within his own organism, and to
transfer them upon others for the
purpose of giving health and strength to them. It is likewise believed that
those who have obtained the power to control their own thoughts and
to steady
their minds, may thereby
become able to read the thoughts of others, because the mental images created
by the latter become reflected and mirrored in the minds of those whose
souls are tranquil, and
such images may enter their consciousness.
Such powers Jehoshua possessed; he read the thoughts of the people, and knew
their condition; and many a case of illness that was considered incurable
by ordinary means
of treatment was cured by the power of his virtue. As his fame spread, many sick persons
were brought to him; he became a healer of [Page 117] the body as well as of the mind. he
infused life in the bodies of his followers, and, dispelling the clouds of ignorance, he caused them to open their hearts to the influence of the divine light of the
Truth. Thus he traveled through Galilee and Judea, and blessings
followed
in his path. [Page 118]
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