|
The Inner Teachings of the
Master
by YOGI RAMACHARAKA
PUBLISHERS' NOTICE.
The
lessons which compose this volume originally
appeared in monthly form, the first of which was
issued in October, 1907, and the twelfth in
September, 1908. These lessons met with a hearty
and generous response from the public, and the
present volume is issued in response to the demand
for the lessons in a permanent and durable form.
There has been no change in the text.
The
publishers take the liberty to call the attention
of the readers to the great amount of information
condensed within the space of each lesson.
Students have told us that they have found it
necessary to read and study each lesson carefully,
in order to absorb the varied information
contained within its pages. They have also stated
that they have found it advisable to re-read the
lessons several times, allowing an interval
between the readings, and that at each reading
they would discover information that had escaped
them during the course of the previous study. This
has been repeated to us so often that we feel
justified in mentioning it, that others may avail
themselves of the same plan of study.
Following
his usual custom, the writer of this volume has
declined to write a preface for this book,
claiming that the lessons will speak
THE YOGI PUBLICATION
SOCIETY.
September 1,
1908.
Contents
THE FIRST LESSON
|
THE COMING OF THE MASTER |
THE SECOND LESSON
|
THE MYSTERY OF THE VIRGIN
BIRTH |
| THE THIRD LESSON |
THE MYSTIC YOUTH OF JESUS |
THE FOURTH
LESSON
|
THE BEGINNING OF THE
MINISTRY |
| THE FIFTH LESSON |
THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORK |
THE
SIXTH LESSON
|
THE
WORK OF ORGANIZATION |
| THE SEVENTH LESSON |
THE BEGINNING OF THE END |
THE EIGHTH LESSON
|
THE END OF THE LIFE WORK |
| THE NINTH LESSON |
THE INNER TEACHINGS |
THE TENTH LESSON
|
THE SECRET DOCTRINE |
| THE ELEVENTH LESSON |
THE ANCIENT WISDOM |
THE TWELFTH LESSON
|
THE MESSAGE OF THE MASTER |
THE
FIRST LESSON THE COMING OF THE MASTER
THE FORERUNNER.
Strange
rumors reached the ears of the people of
Jerusalem and the surrounding country. It was
reported that a new prophet had appeared in
the valley of the lower Jordan, and in the
wilderness of Northern Judea, preaching
startling doctrines. His teachings resembled
those of the prophets of old, and his cry of
"Repent! Repent ye! for the Kingdom of Heaven
is at hand," awakened strange memories of the
ancient teachers of the race, and caused the
common people to gaze wonderingly at each
other, and the ruling classes to frown and
look serious, when the name of the new prophet
was mentioned.The man whom the common people
called a prophet, and whom the exalted ones
styled an impostor, was known as John the
Baptist, and dwelt in the wilderness away from
the accustomed haunts of men. He was clad in
the rude garments of the roaming ascetics, his
rough robe of camel's skin being held around
his form by a coarse girdle of leather. His
diet was frugal and elemental, consisting of
the edible locust of the region, together with
the wild honey stored by the bees of the
wilderness. In appearance John, whom men
called "the Baptist," was tall, wiry, and
rugged. His skin was tanned a dark brown by
the winds and sun which beat upon it unheeded.
His long black hair hung loosely around his
shoulders, and was tossed like the mane of a
lion when he spoke. His beard was rough and
untrimmed. His eyes gleamed like glowing
coals, and seemed to burn into the very soul
of his hearers. His was the face of the
religious enthusiastic with a Message for the
world. This wild prophet was most strenuous,
and his teachings were couched in the most
vigorous words. There was no tact, policy, or
persuasion in his message. He hurled his
verbal thunderbolts right into his crowd, the
very force and earnestness emanating from him
serving to charge his words with a vitality
and magnetism which dashed itself into the
crowd like a spark of electricity, knocking
men from off their feet, and driving the Truth
into them as if by a charge of a powerful
explosive. He told them that the spiritual
grain was to be gathered into the garners,
while the chaff was to be consumed as if by a
fiery furnace; that the axe was to be laid to
the root of the trees followers.
John soon gathered to himself a following, the
people flocking to him from all parts of the
country, even from Galilee. His followers
began to talk among themselves, asking whether
indeed this man were not the long promised
Master--the Messiah for whom all Israel had
waited for centuries. This talk coming to the
ears of the prophet, caused him to answer the
question in his discourses, saying: "There
cometh one mightier than I, after me, the
latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to
stoop down and unloose; he that cometh after
me is mightier than I."
And thus it became gradually known to his
following, and the strangers attending his
meetings, that this John the Baptist, mighty
preacher though he be, was but the herald of
one much greater than he, who should
follow--that he was the forerunner of the
Master, according to the Oriental imagery
which pictured the forerunner of the great
dignitaries, running ahead of the chariot of
his master, crying aloud to all people
gathered on the road that they must make way
for the approaching great man, shouting
constantly, "Make ye a way! make ye a way for
the Lord!" And accordingly there was a new
wave of excitement among John's
following, which spread rapidly to the
surrounding country, at this promise of the
coming of the Lord--the Master--perhaps even
the Messiah of the Jews. And many more came
unto John, and with him waited for the Coming
of the Master. This John the Baptist was born
in the hill country of Judea, nearly thirty
years before he appeared as a prophet. His
father was of the priestly order, or temple
caste, who had reached an advanced age, and
who lived with his aged wife in retirement,
away from the noise and confusion of the
world, waiting the gradual approach of that
which cometh to all men alike.
Then there came to them a child of their old
age, unexpected and unhoped for--coming as a
mark of especial favor from God--a son, to
whom they gave the name of Johanan, which in
the Hebrew tongue means "Jehovah is gracious."
Reared in the home of his parents--the house
of a priest--John saturated himself with all
the Inner Teachings reserved for the few, and
withheld from the masses. The Secrets of the
Kaballah, that system of Hebrew Occultism and
Mysticism in which the higher priests of Judea
were well versed, were disclosed to him, and
occult tradition has it that he was initiated
into the Inner Circle of the Hebrew Mystics,
composed of only priests of a certain grade,
and their sons. John became an Occultist and a
Mystic.
When the boy reached the age of puberty, he
departed from the home of his parents, and
went into the wilderness, "looking to the
East, from whence cometh all Light." In other
words, he became an Ascetic, living in the
wilderness, just as in India even to-day
youths of the Brahmin or priestly class
sometimes forsake their homes, renouncing
their luxurious life, and fly to the jungle,
where they wander about for years as ascetics,
wearing a single garment, subsisting on the
most elementary food, and developing their
spiritual consciousness. John remained a
recluse until he reached the age of about
thirty years, when he emerged from the
wilderness to preach the "Coming of the Lord,"
in obedience to the movings of the Spirit.
Let us see where he was, and what he did,
during the fifteen years of his life in the
wilderness and hidden places of Judea. The
traditions of the Essenes, preserved among
Occultists, state that while John was an
ascetic he imbibed the teachings of that
strange Occult Brotherhood known as the
Essenes, and after having served his
apprenticeship, was accepted into the order as
an Initiate, and attained their higher degrees
reserved only for those of developed
spirituality and power. It is said that even
when he was a mere boy he claimed and proved
his right to be fully initiated into the
Mysteries of the Order, and was believed to
have been a reincarnation of one of the old
Hebrew prophets. THE ESSENES. The Essenes were
an ancient Hebrew Occult Brotherhood, which
had been in existence many hundred years
before John's time.
They had their headquarters on the Eastern
shores of the Dead Sea, although their
influence extended over all of Palestine, and
their ascetic brothers were to be found in
every wilderness. The requirements of the
Order were very strict, and its rites and
ceremonies were of the highest mystical and
occult degree. The Neophyte was required to
serve a preliminary apprenticeship of one year
before being admitted to even partial
recognition as a member and brother. A further
apprenticeship of two more years was required
before he was admitted to full membership, and
extended the right hand of fellowship.
Additional time was required for further
advancement, and even time alone did not
entitle the member to certain high degrees,
the requirements being that actual knowledge,
power and attainment must first be manifested.
As in all true Occult Orders the candidate
must "work out his own salvation," neither
money nor influence having any weight.Absolute
obedience to the Rules of the Order; absolute
poverty of material possessions; absolute
sexual continence--these were the conditions
of membership to be observed by both Neophyte
and Initiate, as well as High-degree Master.
Understanding this, one may imagine the
disgust inspired in John by the amorous
solicitations of Salome, which caused him to
lose his life rather than to break the vows of
his Order, as is so startlingly pictured in
the stage productions of modern times.
One of the ceremonies of the Essenes was that
of Baptism (literally, "dipping in water")
which was administered to Candidates, with
appropriate solemnity and rites. The mystic
significance of the ceremony which is
understood by all members of Occult Orders,
even unto this day, was a part of the ritual
originated by the Essenes, and the rite itself
was a distinctive feature of their Order. The
performance of this rite by John the Baptist,
in his ministry, and its subsequent acceptance
by the Christian Church as a distinctive
ceremonial, of which the "sprinkling of
infants" of to-day is a reminder and
substitute, forms a clear connecting link
between the Essenes and Modern Christianity,
and impresses the stamp of Mysticism and
Occultism firmly upon the latter, as little as
the general public may wish to admit it in
their ignorant misunderstanding and
materialistic tendencies. The Essenes believed
in, and taught the doctrine of Reincarnation;
the Immanence of God; and many other Occult
Truths, the traces of which appear constantly
in the Christian Teachings, as we shall see as
we progress with these lessons. Through its
Exalted Brother, John the Baptist, the Order
passed on its teaching to the early Christian
Church, thus grafting itself permanently upon
a new religious growth, newly appearing on the
scene. And the transplanted branches are still
there!Of course, the true history of the real
connection between the Essenes and
Christianity is to be found only in the
traditions of the Essenes and other ancient
Mystic Orders, much of which has never been
printed, but which has passed down from
teacher to pupil over the centuries even unto
this day, among Occult Fraternities. But in
order to show the student that we are not
making statements incapable of proof by
evidence available to him, we would refer him
to any standard work of reference on the
subject. For instance, if he will consult the
"New International Encyclopedia" (Vol. VII,
page 217) article on "Essenes," he will read
the following words:
"It is an interesting
question as to how much Christianity owes to
Essenism. It would seem that there was room
for definite contact between John the Baptist
and this Brotherhood. His time of preparation
was spent in the wilderness near the Dead Sea;
his preaching of righteousness toward God, and
justice toward one's fellow men, was in
agreement with Essenism; while his insistence
on Baptism was in accord with the
Essenic emphasis on illustrations."
The same article contains the statement that
the Essenic Brotherhood taught a certain "view
entertained regarding the origin, present
state, and future destiny of the soul, which
was held to be pre-existent, being entrapped
in the body as in a prison," etc. (The above
italics are our own.)John emerged from the
wilderness when he had reached the age of
about thirty years, and began his ministry
work, which extended for several years until
his death at the hands of Herod. He gathered
around him a large and enthusiastic following,
beginning with the humbler classes and
afterward embracing a number of higher social
degree. He formed his more advanced followers
into a band of disciples, with prescribed
rules regarding fasting, worship, ceremonial,
rites, etc., closely modeled upon those
favored by the Essenes.
This organization was continued until the time
of John's death, when it merged with the
followers of Jesus, and exerted a marked
influence upon the early Christian church. As
we have stated, one of his principal
requisites enjoined upon all of his followers,
was that of "Baptism"--the Essenic rite, from
which he derived his familiar appellation,
"The Baptist." But, it must be remembered that
to John this rite was a most sacred, mystic,
symbolic ceremony, possessing a deep occult
meaning unperceived by many of his converts
who submitted themselves to it under the
fervor of religious emotion, and who naïvely
regarded it as some magical rite which "washed
away sin" from their souls, as the dirt was
washed from their bodies, a belief which seems
to be still in favor with the multitude.
(2) the statements and records of the Ancient
Astrologers which may be proven by modern
astronomical calculations; and John worked
diligently at his mission, and the "Baptists"
or "Followers of Johanan," as they were
called, increased rapidly. His meetings were
events of great moment to thousands who had
gathered from all Palestine to see and hear
the prophet of the wilderness--the Essene who
had emerged from his retirement. His meetings
were often attended with startling
occurrences, sudden conversions, visions,
trances, etc., and many developed possession
of unusual powers and faculties. But one day
there was held a meeting destined to gain
world-wide fame. This was the day when there
came to John the Baptist the MASTER, of whose
coming John had frequently foretold and
promised. JESUS THE CHRIST appeared upon the
scene and confronted his Forerunner.
The traditions have it that Jesus came
unannounced to, and unrecognized by John and
the populace. The Forerunner was in ignorance
of the nature and degree of his guest and
applicant for Baptism. Although the two were
cousins, they had not met since childhood, and
John did not at first recognize Jesus. The
traditions of the Mystic Orders further state
that Jesus then gave to John the various signs
of the Occult Fraternities to which they both
belonged, working from the common signs up
until Jesus passed on to degrees to which John
had not attained, although he was an eminent
high-degree Essene. Whereupon John saw that
the man before him was no common applicant for
Baptism, but was, instead, a highest-degree
Mystic Adept, and Occult Master--his superior
in rank and unfoldment. John, perceiving this,
remonstrated with Jesus, saying that it was
not meet and proper, nor in accordance with
the customs of the Brotherhoods, for the
inferior to Baptize the superior. Of this
event the New Testament takes note in these
words: "But John forbade him, saying, I have
need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou
to me?" (Matt. 3:14.) But Jesus insisted that
John perform the rite upon him upon the ground
that He wished to go through the ceremonial in
order to set His stamp of approval upon it,
and to show that he considered himself as a
man among men, come forth to live the life of
men.
In both the occult traditions and the New
Testament narrative, it is stated that a
mystical occurrence ensued at the baptism,
"the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
lighting upon Him," and a voice from Heaven
saying: "This is my beloved Son in whom I am
well pleased."And with these words the mission
of John the Baptist, as "Forerunner of the
Master," was fulfilled. The Master had
appeared to take up his work.
THE
MASTER.
And, now, let us turn back
the pages of the Book of Time, to a
period about thirty years before the
happening of the events above mentioned.
Let us turn our gaze upon the events
surrounding the birth of Jesus, in order
that we may trace the Mystic and Occult
forces at work from the beginning of
Christianity. There are occurrences of
the greatest importance embraced in
these thirty years.
Let us begin
the Mystic Narrative of Jesus the
Christ, as it is told to the Neophyte of
every Occult Order, by the Master
Instructor, by a recital of an event
preceding his birth by over one year.
In Matthew
2:1-2, the following is related
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea, in the days of Herod the king,
behold, there came Wise Men from the
East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he
that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen his star in the East, and are
come to worship him."
In these simple words is stated
an event that, expressed in a much more extended
narrative, forms an important part of the
Esoteric Teachings of the Mystic Brotherhoods,
and Occult Orders of the Orient, and which is
also known to the members of the affiliated
secret orders of the Western world. The story of
THE MAGI is embedded in the traditions of the
Oriental Mystics, and we shall here give you a
brief outline of the story as it is told by
Hierophant to Neophyte--by Guru to Chela.
To understand the story, you must know
just who were these "Wise Men of the East"--The
Magi. And this you shall now be taught.
THE
MAGI, OR WISE MEN.
The translators of the
New Testament have translated the
words naming these visitors from
afar as "the Wise Men from the
East," but in the original Greek,
Matthew used the words "The Magi"
as may be seen by reference to the
original Greek versions, or the
Revised Translation, which gives
the Greek term in a foot-note. Any
leading encyclopedia will
corroborate this statement. The
term "the Magi" was the exact
statement of Matthew in the
original Greek in which the Gospel
was written, the term "the Wise
Men" originating with the English
translators. There is absolutely
no dispute regarding this question
among Biblical scholars, although
the general public is not aware of
the connection, nor do they
identify the Wise Men with the
Oriental Magians.
The
word "Magi" comes to the English
language direct from the Greek,
which in turn acquired it by
gradual steps from the Persian,
Chaldean, Median, and Assyrian
tongues. It means, literally,
"wonder worker," and was applied
to the members of the occult
priestly orders of Persia, Media,
and Chaldea, who were Mystic
Adepts and Occult Masters. Ancient
history is full of references to
this body of men. They were the
custodians of the world's occult
knowledge for centuries, and the
priceless treasures of the Inner
Teachings held by the race to-day
have come through the hands of
these men--the Magi--who tended
the sacred fires of Mysticism and
kept The Flame burning. In
thinking of their task, one is
reminded of the words of Edward
Carpenter, the poet, who sings:
"Oh, let not the flame die out!
Cherished age after age in its
dark caverns, in its holy temples
cherished. Fed by pure ministers
of love--let not the flame die
out."
The
title of "Magi" was highly
esteemed in those ancient days,
but it fell into disrepute in the
latter times owing to its growing
use as an appellation of the
practitioners of "Black Magic," or
"evil wonder-workers" or
sorcerers, of those days. But as a
writer in the New International
Encyclopedia (Vol. XII, page 674)
has truly said:
"The term is employed
in its true sense by Matthew (2:1)
of the wise men who came
from the East to Jerusalem to
worship Christ. The significance
of this event must be observed
because the Messianic doctrine was
an old and established one in
Zoroastrianism."
The
same article says of the Magi:
"... they believed in a
resurrection, a future life, and
the advent of a savior."
To
understand the nature of the Magi
in connection with their occult
"wonder working," we must turn to
the dictionaries, where we will
see that the word "Magic" is
derived from the title "Magi;" the
word "Magician" having been
originally "Magian", which means
"one of the Magi." Webster defines
the word "Magic" as follows: "The
hidden wisdom supposed to be
possessed by the Magi; relating to
the occult powers of nature;
mastery of secret forces in
nature", etc. So you may readily
see that we are right in stating
to you that these Wise Men--the
Magi who came to worship the
Christ-child, were in reality the
representatives of the great
Mystic Brotherhoods and Occult
Orders of the Orient--Adepts,
Masters, Hierophants! And thus do
we find the Occult and Mystic
"wonder workers"--the high-degree
brethren of the Great Eastern
Lodges of Mystic Occultism,
appearing at the very beginning of
the Story of Christianity,
indicating their great interest in
the mortal birth of the greater
Master whose coming they had long
waited--the Master of Masters! And
all Occultists and Mystics find
pleasure and just pride in the
fact that the first recognition of
the Divine Nature of this human
child came from these Magi from
the East--from the very Heart of
the Mystic Inner Circles! To those
so-called Christians to whom all
that is connected with Mysticism
and Occultism savors of the fiery
sulphur and brimstone, we would
call attention to this intimate
early relation between The Musters
and THE MASTER.
THE STAR
IN THE EAST.
But
the Mystic story begins still
further back than the visit of
the Magi to Bethlehem. Did not
the Magi say, "Where is He? We
have seen His star in the East
and have come to worship him."
What is meant by the words,
"We have seen his star in the
East"?
To the majority of
Christians the "Star of
Bethlehem" means a great star
that suddenly appeared in the
heavens, like a great beacon
light, and which miraculously
guided the steps of the Magi,
mile by mile, on their weary
journey, until at last it
rested in the heavens,
stationary over the house in
which the child Jesus lived,
between the ages of one and
two years. In other words,
they believe that this star
had constantly guided these
skilled mystics, occultists
and astrologers, in their
journey from the far East,
which occupied over a year,
until it at last guided them
to Bethlehem and then stopped
stationary over the house of
Joseph and Mary. Alas! that
these vulgar traditions of the
ignorant multitude should have
served so long to obscure a
beautiful mystic occurrence,
and which by their utter
improbability and unscientific
nature should have caused
thousands to sneer at the very
true legend of the "Star of
Bethlehem." It remains for the
Mystic traditions to clear
away the clouds of ignorance
from this beautiful story, and
to re-establish it in the
minds of men as a natural and
scientific occurrence.
This story of the
"traveling star" arose from
the superstitious and ignorant
ideas of many of the
Christians of the first,
second, and third centuries
after Christ's death. These
tales were injected into the
manuscripts left by the
disciples, and soon began to
be regarded as a part and
portion of the authentic
Gospels and Epistles, although
the skilled Biblical critics
and scholars of to-day are
rapidly discarding many of
these additions as wilful
forgeries and interpolations.
It must be remembered that the
oldest manuscripts of the
books of the New Testament are
known to Biblical scholars to
have been written not less
than three hundred years after
the time of the original
writing, and are merely copies
of copies of the originals,
undoubtedly added to, altered,
and adulterated by the writers
through whose hands they had
passed. This is not merely the
statement of an outside
critic--it is a fact that is
clearly stated in the writings
of the scholars in the
Churches engaged in the work
of Biblical study, and the
Higher Criticism, to which
works we refer any who may
have reason to doubt our
statement.
That portion
of the verse (Matt. 2:9.) in which it
is said that "and lo; the star which
they saw in the east went before them,
till it came and stood over where the
young child was," is known to the
Mystic and Occult Orders to be a rank
interpolation into the story of the
Magi. It is contrary to their own
traditions and records, and is also
contrary to reason and to scientific
laws, and this distorted story alone
has been the cause of the development
of thousands of "infidels" who could
not accept the tale.
All intelligent men know that a
"star" is not a mere tiny point of
flame in the dome which shuts us
out from a Heaven on the other
side of the blue shell, although
this view was that of the ancient
people, and many ignorant men and
women to-day. Educated people know
that a "star" is either a planet
of our solar system, similar to
the sister planet which we called
the Earth, or else is a mighty
sun, probably many times larger
than our sun, countless millions
of miles distant from our solar
system. And they know that planets
have their invariable orbits and
courses, over which they travel,
unceasingly, so true to their
course that their movements may be
foretold centuries ahead, or
calculated for centuries back. And
they know that even the great
fixed stars, those distant suns
and centers of great solar systems
akin to our own, have their own
places in the Universe, also their
Universal relations and movements.
All who have studied even the
most elementary school book on
astronomy know these things. And
yet such people are asked to
swallow whole this story of the
"moving star," traveling on a
little ahead of the shepherds for
over a year, and at last standing
right over the home of Jesus, and
thus indicating that the search
was ended. Let us compare this
unscientific tale, with the
traditions and legends of the
Mystics, and then take your
choice.Had there been any such
star in appearance, the historians
of that day would surely have
recorded it, for there were
learned and wise men in the East
in those days, and as astrology
was a science closely studied, it
would have been noted and passed
on to posterity by both writings
and tradition. But no such record
or tradition is to be found among
the Eastern peoples, or the
records of the astrologers. But
another record and tradition
is preserved, as we shall
see in a moment.Yes, there really
was a "Star of Bethlehem" which
led the feet of the Magi to the
home of the infant Jesus. We have
the following proof of this
fact: (1)
the traditions and teachings of
the Mystic Orders which have been
handed down from teacher to
student for
centuries
(2) the statements and records of
the Ancient Astrologers which may
be proven by modern astronomical
calculations; and (3) the
calculations made by modern
astronomers, which shall be stated
a few paragraphs further on.
These three sources of
information give us the same tale, as
we shall see.Before proceeding to a
consideration of this three-fold
evidence, let us pause for a moment
and consider the relation of the Magi
to Astrology. To understand the
narrative of the Magi's Visit to
Jesus, we must remember that they were
the very Masters of Astrological Lore.
Persia and the surrounding Oriental
countries were the fountain-head of
Astrological Teaching. And these Magi
were Masters, and Adepts, and
Hierophants, and consequently knew all
that was known to the greatest schools
of Astrology of that day. Much of
their Ancient Astrological Lore has
been lost to the race of to-day, but
to these ancient learned men it was as
much of a science as chemistry and
astronomy are to the learned ones of
our day.
The Magi
had long waited for the appearance and
incarnation of a Great Master of
Masters, whose appearance had been
predicted centuries before by some of
the great Occult Fathers of the Mystic
Orders, and each generation hoped that
the event would come in his day. They
had been taught that when the event
took place, they would be informed by
means of the planets, according to the
Higher Astrology. All students of even
our modern fragmentary astrology will
understand this. And so they waited
and carefully scanned the heavens for
the sign.
Now the traditions of the Occult
Orders inform us that at last the Magi
witnessed a peculiar conjunction of
planets; first, the conjunction of
Saturn and Jupiter, in the
Constellation of Pisces, the two
planets being afterward joined by the
planet Mars, the three planets in
close relation of position, making a
startling and unusual stellar display,
and having a deep astrological
significance. Now, the Constellation
of Pisces, as all astrologers, ancient
and modern, know, is the constellation
governing the national existence of
Judea. Seeing the predicted
conjunction of the planets, occurring
in the Constellation having to do with
Judea (as well as the relative
positions of the other planets, all of
which played its part in the
observation), the Magi knew two
things, i.e., (1) that the birth of
the Master of Masters had occurred;
and (2) that He had been born in
Judea, as indicated by the
constellation in which the conjunction
occurred. And, so, making the
calculation of the exact moment of the
conjunction, they started on their
long journey toward Judea in search of
the Master of Masters Now, again, the
records of the Astrologers, preserved
in the Oriental Occult Brotherhoods,
in their monasteries, etc., show that
at a period a few years before the
Christian Era such a peculiar
conjunction and combination of the
planets occurred in the Constellation
symbolizing the destinies of Judea,
which was interpreted as indicating
the appearance of an Incarnation or
Avatar of a Great Divine Soul--a
Master of Masters--a Mystic of
Mystics.
It must be remembered that these
Orders are composed of
non-Christians--people that the
average Christian would call
"heathens," and that therefore this
testimony must be regarded as free
from bias toward Christianity or the
corroboration of its legends. And, in
the third place, the calculations of
Modern Astronomy show without
possibility of contradiction that in
the Roman year 747 (or seven years
before the Christian Era)the planets
Saturn and Jupiter formed a
conjunction in the Constellation of
Pisces, and that these two planets,
still in close position to each other,
were joined by the planet Mars in the
Spring of 748. The great astronomer
Kepler first made this calculation in
the year 1604, and it has been since
verified by modern calculations. To
those who would object that all this
occurred seven years before the
commonly accepted date of the birth of
Christ, we would say that any modern
work on New Testament Chronology, or
any encyclopedia or reference work on
the subject, will show that the former
calculations were several years out of
the way, and that the records of other
events mentioned in the Bible, such as
the "enrollment" of the people, which
brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem,
enable modern Biblical scholars to fix
the date of the birth of Christ at
about six or seven years before the
usually accepted time.
So that
modern research fully corroborates the
astrological record and the Mystic
traditions. And so it would appear
that the coming of the Wise Men--the
Magi--was in accordance with the
astrological signs, of the
interpretation of which they were
adepts and masters. When this truth is
known, how puerile and petty seems the
myth of the "traveling star" of the
commonly accepted exoteric version?
And the pictures of the Wise Men being
led by a moving heavenly body,
traveling across the skies and at last
standing still over the cottage of
Joseph, with which the Sunday school
books are filled, must be relegated to
the same waste-paper basket which
contains the Bible illustrations,
formerly so popular, which picture
Jehovah as a bald-headed old man with
a long white beard, clad in flowing
robes designed to hide his body. Is it
any wonder that skeptics, infidels,
and scoffers of the spiritual truths
have arisen in great numbers, when
they have been asked to accept these
things or be damned?
And is not this connection of
Astrology with Early Christianity a
rebuke to the modern Christian Church
which sneers and scoffs at the science
of astrology as a "base superstition"
fit only for fools and ignoramuses?
Does not this picture of the Magi give
a clear view of that which was
formerly regarded as a mere fable, to
be solemnly smiled over and taught to
the children, with whom the story has
always been a favorite owing to their
intuitive perception of an underlying
truth. And now with this Mystic
version, cannot you enjoy the legend
with the children? In this connection
let us once more quote from the New
International Encyclopedia (Vol. II,
170), a standard reference work, as
you know, which says: "Some of the
earlier Christian Fathers argued
against the doctrines of the earlier
astrology, while others received them
in a modified form; and indeed it
formed a part of the basis of their
religion in the Gospel narrative of
the visit to Bethlehem of the Wise Men
of the East, who were Chaldean Magi or
Astrologers." Here is the testimony in
all of the standard reference books,
and yet how many of you have known it?
To understand the importance of the
event which drew the steps of the Magi
to Bethlehem, we must realize that the
Coming of the Master was a favorite
subject of speculation and discussion
among Occultists and Mystic
organizations all over the Oriental
countries.
It had been
foretold, in all tongues, that a Great
Master would be given to the world--a
mighty avatar or appearance of Deity
in human form, who would incarnate in
order to redeem the world from the
materiality which threatened it. The
Sacred Writings of India, Persia,
Chaldea, Egypt, Media, Assyria, and
other lands had foretold this event
for many centuries, and all the
mystics and occultists longed for the
day "when the Master would appear."
The Jews also had many traditions
regarding the coming of a Messiah, who
would be born of the seed of David, at
Bethlehem, but their Messiah was
looked upon as likely to be an earthly
king, destined to free Israel from the
Roman yoke. And so, the tradition of
the Jews was regarded as of inferior
moment to their own predictions, by
the Mystic and Occult Brotherhoods of
the East. To
them it was to be an avatar of
Deity--God in human form come to take
his rightful seat as the Grand Master
of the Universal Grand Lodge of
Mystic--a descent of pure Spirit into
matter.
This conception certainly was very
much higher than that of the Jews. And
so, knowing these things, we may
readily understand why the Magi
pursued their search with such ardor
and enthusiasm. They had many weary
miles of travel to Bethlehem, over a
year being consumed in the journey.
They reached Bethlehem over a year
after the birth of Christ and the
appearance of the Star, the sight of
which had started them on their quest.
They sought not a new-born babe, as
common belief has it--they searched
for a child born over a year before.
(We refer the student to any reference
work, for a verification of this last
statement. The illustrations in the
Sunday school books showing the Wise
Men worshipping a new born babe in the
manger are on a par with the others
mentioned. The Wise Men had nothing to
do with the stable or the manger--for
Joseph, Mary and the Babe were lodged
in a house by that time, as we shall
see as we proceed.) At last after
their long and weary wandering over
hill and plain, mountain and desert,
the Magi found themselves in
Jerusalem, inquiring diligently
as to the whereabouts of the Master of
Masters--the Promised One, whose
coming had been the subject of
prophecy for centuries among the
Eastern peoples.
The Jews of
whom they inquired, although not
familiar with the predictions
regarding a Mystic Master, or avatar
of Deity, were nevertheless thoroughly
familiar with the prophecies of the
coming of the Hebrew Messiah, and
naturally thought that it was of this
expected earthly King of the Jews that
the Magi inquired, and so they
reported it far and wide that these
Great Men from the East had come to
Jerusalem to find the Messiah--the
King of the Jews, who was to deliver
Israel from the Roman yoke. And, as
the Gospel of Matthew (2:3) informs
us: "When Herod the king heard it, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with
him." Naturally so, when it is
remembered that it was an Earthly
Kingdom that they expected the Messiah
would inherit. And so, gathering the
chief priests and scribes of Jerusalem
around him, he bade them tell him the
particulars regarding the prophecies
regarding the Messiah--where he was
expected to be born. And they answered
him, saying: "In Bethlehem of Judea
for so hath the prophets spoken." And
hearing the testimony of the scribes
and priests, the wily Herod, who
feared the realization of this old
Hebrew prophecy which threatened to
cost him his throne if fulfilled,
called the Magi to his palace and in
private consultation inquired of them
the reason of their search.
And when they told him of the
astrological indications--of the
"Star"--he was still more wrought up,
and wished to locate the dangerous
child. And so he inquired of them the
exact date at which the star had
appeared, that he might be better able
to find the infant, knowing its date
of birth in Bethlehem. (See Matthew
2:7.) And learning this he bade them
go to Bethlehem and find the child
they sought, and cunningly added, "And
when ye have found him, bring me word,
that I also may come and worship him."
Thus craftily concealing his
intentions to seize and kill the
child, he endeavored to press the Magi
into his service as detectives, by
pretending to join in their desire to
locate the Divine Child. The Magi
traveled on to Bethlehem, and arriving
there made diligent inquiry regarding
infants that had been born about the
time that the star appeared. There
were many infants born in Bethlehem
during the same month, of course, and
the search was difficult. But they
soon heard strange rumors about a babe
that had been born to travelers in
Bethlehem about that time, the birth
of whom had been attended by a strange
occurrence.
This
peculiar happening is related in Luke
2:8-20, in which it is stated that at
the time of the birth of Jesus in the
manger, certain shepherds keeping the
night-watch over their flocks saw an
angel standing by them, and "the glory
of the Lord" shining around about
them. And the angel bade them be not
afraid, for to them was to be given
tidings of great joy, for there was
born that very day, in Bethlehem, one
who was to be the Anointed Lord of the
world. And the angel further directed
them that the babe would be found
lying in a manger in a stable, wrapped
in swaddling clothes which was to be
their sign. And then suddenly the
place was filled with a multitude of
supernatural beings, praising God,
singing, "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace and good-will among
men." And the shepherds flocked to the
town, and there found the child in the
manger. And they spread abroad the
report of the wonderful event
accompanying the birth of the child.
And consequently the child and its
parents became objects of more or less
public interest.
And so when the Magi instituted their
search they were in due time informed
of this strange occurrence. And they
visited the house of Joseph and Mary
and saw the Babe. Making close inquiry
of the parents, they found that the
time of the child's birth tallied
precisely with the moment of the
astrological signs. Then they cast the
Child's horoscope and they knew that
their shepherd's vision coincided with
their own science, and that here
indeed was He for whom the Eastern
Occultists and Mystics had waited for
centuries. They had found the Master!
The Star Child was before them!
Then these Great Men of their own
lands--these Adepts, Masters and
Hierophants--prostrated themselves on
the ground before the child and gave
him the salutation due only to the
great Occult Master of Masters who was
come to take his seat upon the Throne
of the Grand Master of the Great
Lodge. But the child knew naught of
this, and merely smiled sweetly at
these strange men in gorgeous foreign
robes, and reached out his little hand
toward them. But Occult tradition has
it that the tiny fingers and thumb of
his right hand, outstretched toward
the Magi, unconsciously assumed the
mystic symbol of the Occult
Benediction, used by the Masters and
Hierophants (and now used by the Pope
in Papal Benediction) and gave to the
worshippers that Master's benediction.
The tiny Master of Masters thus gave
his first blessing to his followers,
and exalted worshippers. But His
Throne was not that of the Great
Lodge, but a still higher place--the
knees of a Mother!
And the
Magi then made mystic and symbolic
offerings to the child--Gold,
Frankincense and Myrrh offered they
Him. Gold, signifying the tribute
offered to a Ruler, was the first
symbol. Then came Frankincense, the
purest and rarest incense used by the
Occult and Mystic Brotherhoods and
Orders, in their ceremonies and rites,
when they were contemplating the
sacred symbol of the Absolute Master
of the Universe--this Frankincense was
their symbol of worship. Then, last
symbol of all, was the Myrrh, which in
the occult and mystic symbolism
indicated the bitterness of mortal
life, bitter though pungent,
preserving though stinging--this was
the meaning of the Myrrh, that this
child, though Divine in his inner
nature, was still mortal in body and
brain, and must accept and experience
the bitter tang of life. Myrrh, the
strength of which preserves, and
prevents decay, and yet which smarts,
and tangs, and stings ever and ever--a
worthy symbol of Mortal Life, surely.
Wise Men, indeed, ye Magi! Gold,
Frankincense, and Myrrh--a prophecy,
symbol, and revelation of the Life of
the Son of Man, with His indwelling
Pure Spirit. And the Magi, having
performed their rites and ceremonies,
departed from Bethlehem. But they did
not forget the Child--they preserved a
careful watch over his movements,
until they saw him again. Saw Him
again? you ask? Yes, saw him again!
Though the Gospels say naught of this,
and are silent for a period of many
years in the Life of Jesus, yet the
records and traditions of the Mystics
of the East are filled with this
esoteric knowledge of these missing
years, as we shall see as we proceed.
Left behind by the Magi, but still
under their loving care, the Child
waxed strong and grew in mind and
body. But the Magi, being warned by
higher intelligences in a vision, did
not return to the wily and crafty
Herod, but "departed unto their own
country another way." (Matt. 2:12.)
And Herod
waited in vain for their return, and
finally discovering their escape
wrathfully ordered the massacre of all
male children that had been born in
Bethlehem and its suburbs of two years
of age and under. He calculated the
two years from the witnessing of the
"star" by the Magi. Matthew 2:16
states the story of the fixing of the
time as follows: "And slew all the
male children that were in Bethlehem,
and all the borders thereof, from two
years old and under, according to the
time which he exactly learned of the
wise men." Herod sought to kill the
feared Messiah--the King of the Jews,
who threatened to drive him from his
earthly throne--by killing all the
male infants in Bethlehem that had
been born since the astrological
indication as stated by the Magi. But
this plot failed, for Joseph had been
warned by "an angel in a dream" (which
mystics teach was the Astral Form of
one of the Magi) and was told to take
the mother and child and flee into
Egypt, and to stay there until the
death of Herod. And so Joseph, Mary,
and Jesus then fled from the wrath of
Herod, and stole silently away to
Egypt. And the Occult traditions have
it that the expenses of the journey of
this poor carpenter and his
family--that journey into strange
lands, hurried, and without the chance
to earn money along the way--was
accomplished by the means of the Gold
that the Magi had offered to Jesus,
and which they had insisted upon his
parents storing away for His use. And
so the gold of these Occult Mystics
saved the founder of Christianity from
massacre.
And how poorly has Christianity repaid
the debt, when one thinks of the
persecutions of the Oriental "heathen"
by the so-called Christians of all
times! And note this--they carried the
child to Egypt, the home of Mystery
and Occultism--the land of Isis! A
worthy resting place for the Great
Occult Master that was to be! And
Occult tradition also has it that one
night, wearied with their long
journey, the family halted and passed
the night in the place of the Sphinx
and Pyramids. And that the Mother and
Babe rested between the outstretched
forepaws of the mighty Sphinx, which
held them safe and secure, while
Joseph threw himself on the base
before them, and slept on guard. What
a scene--the Master as an infant
protected by the Sphinx, that ancient
Occult emblem and symbol, while close
by, reared like mighty watchful
sentinels, stood the Great Pyramids of
Egypt, the master work of Egypt's
Mystics, every line and inch of which
symbolizes an Occult Teaching. Verily,
indeed is Christianity cradled in the
lap of Mysticism.
Thus endeth our First Lesson. The
Second Lesson will take up the
Mystic Teachings regarding the
Divine Incarnation of the Spirit
in the mortal body of Jesus--a
subject of the greatest importance
to all who are troubled with this
difficult point. We hope to be
able to shed the Mystic light of
Truth upon this corner which so
many have found dark,
non-understandable, and contrary
to reason, natural law and
science.
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