{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_13143/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_13143","id":"gutenberg_13143","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13143","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Philosophy & Ethics","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Jesus Christ -- Miscellanea","Mysticism","Yoga"],"text":"MYSTIC CHRISTIANITY\n\nOr, The Inner Teachings of the Master\n\nby\n\nYOGI RAMACHARAKA\n\nAuthor of \"Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental\nOccultism,\" \"Hatha Yoga,\" \"Science of Breath,\" \"Advanced Course in\nYogi Philosophy,\" \"Raja Yoga,\" \"Psychic Healing,\" \"Gnani Yogi,\" etc.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPUBLISHERS' NOTICE.\n\n\nThe lessons which compose this volume originally appeared in monthly\nform, the first of which was issued in October, 1907, and the twelfth\nin September, 1908. These lessons met with a hearty and generous\nresponse from the public, and the present volume is issued in response\nto the demand for the lessons in a permanent and durable form. There\nhas been no change in the text.\n\nThe publishers take the liberty to call the attention of the readers\nto the great amount of information condensed within the space of each\nlesson. Students have told us that they have found it necessary to\nread and study each lesson carefully, in order to absorb the varied\ninformation contained within its pages. They have also stated that\nthey have found it advisable to re-read the lessons several times,\nallowing an interval between the readings, and that at each reading\nthey would discover information that had escaped them during the\ncourse of the previous study. This has been repeated to us so often\nthat we feel justified in mentioning it, that others may avail\nthemselves of the same plan of study.\n\nFollowing his usual custom, the writer of this volume has declined to\nwrite a preface for this book, claiming that the lessons will speak\nfor themselves, and that those for whom they are intended will receive\nthe message contained within them without any prefatory talk.\n\n\nTHE YOGI PUBLICATION SOCIETY.\nSeptember 1, 1908.\n\nINDEX\n\n\nLESSON\n\n 1. The Coming of the Master\n\n 2. The Mystery of the Virgin Birth\n\n 3. The Mystic Youth of Jesus\n\n 4. The Beginning of the Ministry\n\n 5. The Foundation of the Work\n\n 6. The Work of Organization\n\n 7. The Beginning of the End\n\n 8. The End of the Life Work\n\n 9. The Inner Teachings\n\n10. The Secret Doctrine\n\n11. The Ancient Wisdom\n\n12. The Message of the Master\n\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIRST LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE COMING OF THE MASTER.\n\n\n\nTHE FORERUNNER.\n\nStrange rumors reached the ears of the people of Jerusalem and the\nsurrounding country. It was reported that a new prophet had appeared\nin the valley of the lower Jordan, and in the wilderness of Northern\nJudea, preaching startling doctrines. His teachings resembled those of\nthe prophets of old, and his cry of \"Repent! Repent ye! for the\nKingdom of Heaven is at hand,\" awakened strange memories of the\nancient teachers of the race, and caused the common people to gaze\nwonderingly at each other, and the ruling classes to frown and look\nserious, when the name of the new prophet was mentioned.\n\nThe man whom the common people called a prophet, and whom the exalted\nones styled an impostor, was known as John the Baptist, and dwelt in\nthe wilderness away from the accustomed haunts of men. He was clad in\nthe rude garments of the roaming ascetics, his rough robe of camel's\nskin being held around his form by a coarse girdle of leather. His\ndiet was frugal and elemental, consisting of the edible locust of the\nregion, together with the wild honey stored by the bees of the\nwilderness.\n\nIn appearance John, whom men called \"the Baptist,\" was tall, wiry, and\nrugged. His skin was tanned a dark brown by the winds and sun which\nbeat upon it unheeded. His long black hair hung loosely around his\nshoulders, and was tossed like the mane of a lion when he spoke. His\nbeard was rough and untrimmed. His eyes gleamed like glowing coals,\nand seemed to burn into the very soul of his hearers. His was the face\nof the religious enthusiastic with a Message for the world.\n\nThis wild prophet was most strenuous, and his teachings were couched\nin the most vigorous words. There was no tact, policy, or persuasion\nin his message. He hurled his verbal thunderbolts right into his\ncrowd, the very force and earnestness emanating from him serving to\ncharge his words with a vitality and magnetism which dashed itself\ninto the crowd like a spark of electricity, knocking men from off\ntheir feet, and driving the Truth into them as if by a charge of a\npowerful explosive. He told them that the spiritual grain was to be\ngathered into the garners, while the chaff was to be consumed as if by\na fiery furnace; that the axe was to be laid to the root of the trees\nwhich brought not forth good fruit. Verily, the \"Day of Jehovah,\" long\npromised by the prophets, was near to hand to his hearers and\nfollowers.\n\nJohn soon gathered to himself a following, the people flocking to him\nfrom all parts of the country, even from Galilee. His followers began\nto talk among themselves, asking whether indeed this man were not the\nlong promised Master--the Messiah for whom all Israel had waited for\ncenturies. This talk coming to the ears of the prophet, caused him to\nanswer the question in his discourses, saying: \"There cometh one\nmightier than I, after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy\nto stoop down and unloose; he that cometh after me is mightier than\nI.\" And thus it became gradually known to his following, and the\nstrangers attending his meetings, that this John the Baptist, mighty\npreacher though he be, was but the herald of one much greater than he,\nwho should follow--that he was the forerunner of the Master, according\nto the Oriental imagery which pictured the forerunner of the great\ndignitaries, running ahead of the chariot of his master, crying aloud\nto all people gathered on the road that they must make way for the\napproaching great man, shouting constantly, \"Make ye a way! make ye a\nway for the Lord!\" And accordingly there was a new wave of excitement\namong John's following, which spread rapidly to the surrounding\ncountry, at this promise of the coming of the Lord--the\nMaster--perhaps even the Messiah of the Jews. And many more came unto\nJohn, and with him waited for the Coming of the Master.\n\nThis John the Baptist was born in the hill country of Judea, nearly\nthirty years before he appeared as a prophet. His father was of the\npriestly order, or temple caste, who had reached an advanced age, and\nwho lived with his aged wife in retirement, away from the noise and\nconfusion of the world, waiting the gradual approach of that which\ncometh to all men alike. Then there came to them a child of their old\nage, unexpected and unhoped for--coming as a mark of especial favor\nfrom God--a son, to whom they gave the name of _Johanan_, which in the\nHebrew tongue means \"Jehovah is gracious.\"\n\nReared in the home of his parents--the house of a priest--John\nsaturated himself with all the Inner Teachings reserved for the few,\nand withheld from the masses. The Secrets of the Kaballah, that system\nof Hebrew Occultism and Mysticism in which the higher priests of Judea\nwere well versed, were disclosed to him, and occult tradition has it\nthat he was initiated into the Inner Circle of the Hebrew Mystics,\ncomposed of only priests of a certain grade, and their sons. John\nbecame an Occultist and a Mystic. When the boy reached the age of\npuberty, he departed from the home of his parents, and went into the\nwilderness, \"looking to the East, from whence cometh all Light.\" In\nother words, he became an Ascetic, living in the wilderness, just as\nin India even to-day youths of the Brahmin or priestly class sometimes\nforsake their homes, renouncing their luxurious life, and fly to the\njungle, where they wander about for years as ascetics, wearing a\nsingle garment, subsisting on the most elementary food, and developing\ntheir spiritual consciousness. John remained a recluse until he\nreached the age of about thirty years, when he emerged from the\nwilderness to preach the \"Coming of the Lord,\" in obedience to the\nmovings of the Spirit. Let us see where he was, and what he did,\nduring the fifteen years of his life in the wilderness and hidden\nplaces of Judea.\n\nThe traditions of the Essenes, preserved among Occultists, state that\nwhile John was an ascetic he imbibed the teachings of that strange\nOccult Brotherhood known as the Essenes, and after having served his\napprenticeship, was accepted into the order as an Initiate, and\nattained their higher degrees reserved only for those of developed\nspirituality and power. It is said that even when he was a mere boy he\nclaimed and proved his right to be fully initiated into the Mysteries\nof the Order, and was believed to have been a reincarnation of one of\nthe old Hebrew prophets.\n\n\nTHE ESSENES.\n\n\nThe Essenes were an ancient Hebrew Occult Brotherhood, which had been\nin existence many hundred years before John's time. They had their\nheadquarters on the Eastern shores of the Dead Sea, although their\ninfluence extended over all of Palestine, and their ascetic brothers\nwere to be found in every wilderness. The requirements of the Order\nwere very strict, and its rites and ceremonies were of the highest\nmystical and occult degree. The Neophyte was required to serve a\npreliminary apprenticeship of one year before being admitted to even\npartial recognition as a member and brother. A further apprenticeship\nof two more years was required before he was admitted to full\nmembership, and extended the right hand of fellowship. Additional time\nwas required for further advancement, and even time alone did not\nentitle the member to certain high degrees, the requirements being\nthat actual knowledge, power and attainment must first be manifested.\nAs in all true Occult Orders the candidate must \"work out his own\nsalvation,\" neither money nor influence having any weight.\n\nAbsolute obedience to the Rules of the Order; absolute poverty of\nmaterial possessions; absolute sexual continence--these were the\nconditions of membership to be observed by both Neophyte and Initiate,\nas well as High-degree Master. Understanding this, one may imagine the\ndisgust inspired in John by the amorous solicitations of Salome, which\ncaused him to lose his life rather than to break the vows of his\nOrder, as is so startlingly pictured in the stage productions of\nmodern times.\n\nOne of the ceremonies of the Essenes was that of Baptism (literally,\n\"dipping in water\") which was administered to Candidates, with\nappropriate solemnity and rites. The mystic significance of the\nceremony which is understood by all members of Occult Orders, even\nunto this day, was a part of the ritual originated by the Essenes, and\nthe rite itself was a distinctive feature of their Order. The\nperformance of this rite by John the Baptist, in his ministry, and its\nsubsequent acceptance by the Christian Church as a distinctive\nceremonial, of which the \"sprinkling of infants\" of to-day is a\nreminder and substitute, forms a clear connecting link between the\nEssenes and Modern Christianity, and impresses the stamp of Mysticism\nand Occultism firmly upon the latter, as little as the general public\nmay wish to admit it in their ignorant misunderstanding and\nmaterialistic tendencies.\n\nThe Essenes believed in, and taught the doctrine of Reincarnation; the\nImmanence of God; and many other Occult Truths, the traces of which\nappear constantly in the Christian Teachings, as we shall see as we\nprogress with these lessons. Through its Exalted Brother, John the\nBaptist, the Order passed on its teaching to the early Christian\nChurch, thus grafting itself permanently upon a new religious growth,\nnewly appearing on the scene. And the transplanted branches are still\nthere!\n\nOf course, the true history of the real connection between the Essenes\nand Christianity is to be found only in the traditions of the Essenes\nand other ancient Mystic Orders, much of which has never been printed,\nbut which has passed down from teacher to pupil over the centuries\neven unto this day, among Occult Fraternities. But in order to show\nthe student that we are not making statements incapable of proof by\nevidence available to him, we would refer him to any standard work of\nreference on the subject. For instance, if he will consult the \"New\nInternational Encyclopedia\" (Vol. VII, page 217) article on \"Essenes,\"\nhe will read the following words:\n\n     \"It is an interesting question as to how much Christianity\n     owes to Essenism. It would seem that there was room for\n     definite contact between John the Baptist and this\n     Brotherhood. His time of preparation was spent in the\n     wilderness near the Dead Sea; his preaching of righteousness\n     toward God, and justice toward one's fellow men, was in\n     agreement with Essenism; while his insistence on Baptism was\n     in accord with the Essenic emphasis on lustrations.\"\n\nThe same article contains the statement that the Essenic Brotherhood\ntaught a certain \"view entertained regarding the origin, present\nstate, and future destiny of the soul, _which was held to be\npre-existent, being entrapped in the body as in a prison_,\" etc. (The\nabove italics are our own.)\n\nJohn emerged from the wilderness when he had reached the age of about\nthirty years, and began his ministry work, which extended for several\nyears until his death at the hands of Herod. He gathered around him a\nlarge and enthusiastic following, beginning with the humbler classes\nand afterward embracing a number of higher social degree. He formed\nhis more advanced followers into a band of disciples, with prescribed\nrules regarding fasting, worship, ceremonial, rites, etc., closely\nmodeled upon those favored by the Essenes. This organization was\ncontinued until the time of John's death, when it merged with the\nfollowers of Jesus, and exerted a marked influence upon the early\nChristian church.\n\nAs we have stated, one of his principal requisites enjoined upon all\nof his followers, was that of \"Baptism\"--the Essenic rite, from which\nhe derived his familiar appellation, \"The Baptist.\" But, it must be\nremembered that to John this rite was a most sacred, mystic, symbolic\nceremony, possessing a deep occult meaning unperceived by many of his\nconverts who submitted themselves to it under the fervor of religious\nemotion, and who _na\u00efvely_ regarded it as some magical rite which\n\"washed away sin\" from their souls, as the dirt was washed from their\nbodies, a belief which seems to be still in favor with the multitude.\n\nJohn worked diligently at his mission, and the \"Baptists\" or\n\"Followers of Johanan,\" as they were called, increased rapidly. His\nmeetings were events of great moment to thousands who had gathered\nfrom all Palestine to see and hear the prophet of the wilderness--the\nEssene who had emerged from his retirement. His meetings were often\nattended with startling occurrences, sudden conversions, visions,\ntrances, etc., and many developed possession of unusual powers and\nfaculties. But one day there was held a meeting destined to gain\nworld-wide fame. This was the day when there came to John the Baptist\nthe MASTER, of whose coming John had frequently foretold and promised.\nJESUS THE CHRIST appeared upon the scene and confronted his\nForerunner.\n\nThe traditions have it that Jesus came unannounced to, and\nunrecognized by John and the populace. The Forerunner was in ignorance\nof the nature and degree of his guest and applicant for Baptism.\nAlthough the two were cousins, they had not met since childhood, and\nJohn did not at first recognize Jesus. The traditions of the Mystic\nOrders further state that Jesus then gave to John the various signs of\nthe Occult Fraternities to which they both belonged, working from the\ncommon signs up until Jesus passed on to degrees to which John had not\nattained, although he was an eminent high-degree Essene. Whereupon\nJohn saw that the man before him was no common applicant for Baptism,\nbut was, instead, a highest-degree Mystic Adept, and Occult\nMaster--his superior in rank and unfoldment. John, perceiving this,\nremonstrated with Jesus, saying that it was not meet and proper, nor\nin accordance with the customs of the Brotherhoods, for the inferior\nto Baptize the superior. Of this event the New Testament takes note in\nthese words: \"But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized\nof thee, and comest thou to me?\" (_Matt. 3:14._) But Jesus insisted\nthat John perform the rite upon him upon the ground that He wished to\ngo through the ceremonial in order to set His stamp of approval upon\nit, and to show that he considered himself as a man among men, come\nforth to live the life of men.\n\nIn both the occult traditions and the New Testament narrative, it is\nstated that a mystical occurrence ensued at the baptism, \"the Spirit\nof God descending like a dove and lighting upon Him,\" and a voice from\nHeaven saying: \"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.\"\n\nAnd with these words the mission of John the Baptist, as \"Forerunner\nof the Master,\" was fulfilled. _The Master_ had appeared to take up\nhis work.\n\n\nTHE MASTER.\n\n\nAnd, now, let us turn back the pages of the Book of Time, to a period\nabout thirty years before the happening of the events above mentioned.\nLet us turn our gaze upon the events surrounding the birth of Jesus,\nin order that we may trace the Mystic and Occult forces at work from\nthe beginning of Christianity. There are occurrences of the greatest\nimportance embraced in these thirty years.\n\nLet us begin the Mystic Narrative of Jesus the Christ, as it is told\nto the Neophyte of every Occult Order, by the Master Instructor, by a\nrecital of an event preceding his birth by over one year.\n\nIn Matthew 2:1-2, the following is related:\n\n     \"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days\n     of Herod the king, behold, there came Wise Men from the East\n     to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the\n     Jews? for we have seen his star in the East, and are come to\n     worship him.\"\n\nIn these simple words is stated an event that, expressed in a much\nmore extended narrative, forms an important part of the Esoteric\nTeachings of the Mystic Brotherhoods, and Occult Orders of the Orient,\nand which is also known to the members of the affiliated secret orders\nof the Western world. The story of THE MAGI is embedded in the\ntraditions of the Oriental Mystics, and we shall here give you a brief\noutline of the story as it is told by Hierophant to Neophyte--by Guru\nto Chela.\n\nTo understand the story, you must know just who were these \"Wise Men\nof the East\"--The Magi. And this you shall now be taught.\n\n\nTHE MAGI, OR WISE MEN.\n\n\nThe translators of the New Testament have translated the words naming\nthese visitors from afar as \"the Wise Men from the East,\" but in the\noriginal Greek, Matthew used the words \"_The Magi_\" as may be seen by\nreference to the original Greek versions, or the Revised Translation,\nwhich gives the Greek term in a foot-note. Any leading encyclopedia\nwill corroborate this statement. The term \"the Magi\" was the exact\nstatement of Matthew in the original Greek in which the Gospel was\nwritten, the term \"the Wise Men\" originating with the English\ntranslators. There is absolutely no dispute regarding this question\namong Biblical scholars, although the general public is not aware of\nthe connection, nor do they identify the Wise Men with the Oriental\nMagians.\n\nThe word \"Magi\" comes to the English language direct from the Greek,\nwhich in turn acquired it by gradual steps from the Persian, Chaldean,\nMedian, and Assyrian tongues. It means, literally, \"wonder worker,\"\nand was applied to the members of the occult priestly orders of\nPersia, Media, and Chaldea, who were Mystic Adepts and Occult Masters.\nAncient history is full of references to this body of men. They were\nthe custodians of the world's occult knowledge for centuries, and the\npriceless treasures of the Inner Teachings held by the race to-day\nhave come through the hands of these men--the Magi--who tended the\nsacred fires of Mysticism and kept The Flame burning. In thinking of\ntheir task, one is reminded of the words of Edward Carpenter, the\npoet, who sings: \"Oh, let not the flame die out! Cherished age after\nage in its dark caverns, in its holy temples cherished. Fed by pure\nministers of love--let not the flame die out.\"\n\nThe title of \"Magi\" was highly esteemed in those ancient days, but it\nfell into disrepute in the latter times owing to its growing use as an\nappellation of the practitioners of \"Black Magic,\" or \"evil\nwonder-workers\" or sorcerers, of those days. But as a writer in the\nNew International Encyclopedia (Vol. XII, page 674) has truly said:\n\n     \"The term is employed in its true sense by Matthew (2:1) of\n     the wise men who came from the East to Jerusalem to worship\n     Christ. The significance of this event must be observed\n     because the Messianic doctrine was an old and established\n     one in Zoroastrianism.\"\n\nThe same article says of the Magi: \"... they believed in a\nresurrection, a future life, and the advent of a savior.\"\n\nTo understand the nature of the Magi in connection with their occult\n\"wonder working,\" we must turn to the dictionaries, where we will see\nthat the word \"Magic\" is derived from the title \"Magi;\" the word\n\"Magician\" having been originally \"Magian\", which means \"one of the\nMagi.\" Webster defines the word \"Magic\" as follows: \"The hidden wisdom\nsupposed to be possessed by the Magi; relating to the occult powers of\nnature; mastery of secret forces in nature\", etc. So you may readily\nsee that we are right in stating to you that these Wise Men--the Magi\nwho came to worship the Christ-child, were in reality the\nrepresentatives of the great Mystic Brotherhoods and Occult Orders of\nthe Orient--Adepts, Masters, Hierophants! And thus do we find the\nOccult and Mystic \"wonder workers\"--the high-degree brethren of the\nGreat Eastern Lodges of Mystic Occultism, appearing at the very\nbeginning of the Story of Christianity, indicating their great\ninterest in the mortal birth of the greater Master whose coming they\nhad long waited--the Master of Masters! And all Occultists and Mystics\nfind pleasure and just pride in the fact that the first recognition of\nthe Divine Nature of this human child came from these Magi from the\nEast--from the very Heart of the Mystic Inner Circles! To those\nso-called Christians to whom all that is connected with Mysticism and\nOccultism savors of the fiery sulphur and brimstone, we would call\nattention to this intimate early relation between The Musters and THE\nMASTER.\n\n\nTHE STAR IN THE EAST.\n\n\nBut the Mystic story begins still further back than the visit of the\nMagi to Bethlehem. Did not the Magi say, \"Where is He? We have seen\nHis star in the East and have come to worship him.\" What is meant by\nthe words, \"We have seen his star in the East\"?\n\nTo the majority of Christians the \"Star of Bethlehem\" means a great\nstar that suddenly appeared in the heavens, like a great beacon light,\nand which miraculously guided the steps of the Magi, mile by mile, on\ntheir weary journey, until at last it rested in the heavens,\nstationary over the house in which the child Jesus lived, between the\nages of one and two years. In other words, they believe that this star\nhad constantly guided these skilled mystics, occultists and\nastrologers, in their journey from the far East, which occupied over a\nyear, until it at last guided them to Bethlehem and then stopped\nstationary over the house of Joseph and Mary. Alas! that these vulgar\ntraditions of the ignorant multitude should have served so long to\nobscure a beautiful mystic occurrence, and which by their utter\nimprobability and unscientific nature should have caused thousands to\nsneer at the very true legend of the \"Star of Bethlehem.\" It remains\nfor the Mystic traditions to clear away the clouds of ignorance from\nthis beautiful story, and to re-establish it in the minds of men as a\nnatural and scientific occurrence.\n\nThis story of the \"traveling star\" arose from the superstitious and\nignorant ideas of many of the Christians of the first, second, and\nthird centuries after Christ's death. These tales were injected into\nthe manuscripts left by the disciples, and soon began to be regarded\nas a part and portion of the authentic Gospels and Epistles, although\nthe skilled Biblical critics and scholars of to-day are rapidly\ndiscarding many of these additions as wilful forgeries and\ninterpolations. It must be remembered that the oldest manuscripts of\nthe books of the New Testament are known to Biblical scholars to have\nbeen written _not less than three hundred years after the time of the\noriginal writing_, and are merely _copies of copies_ of the originals,\nundoubtedly added to, altered, and adulterated by the writers through\nwhose hands they had passed. This is not merely the statement of an\noutside critic--it is a fact that is clearly stated in the writings of\nthe scholars in the Churches engaged in the work of Biblical study,\nand the Higher Criticism, to which works we refer any who may have\nreason to doubt our statement.\n\nThat portion of the verse (_Matt. 2:9._) in which it is said that \"and\nlo; the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came\nand stood over where the young child was,\" is known to the Mystic and\nOccult Orders to be a rank interpolation into the story of the Magi.\nIt is contrary to their own traditions and records, and is also\ncontrary to reason and to scientific laws, and this distorted story\nalone has been the cause of the development of thousands of \"infidels\"\nwho could not accept the tale.\n\nAll intelligent men know that a \"star\" is not a mere tiny point of\nflame in the dome which shuts us out from a Heaven on the other side\nof the blue shell, although this view was that of the ancient people,\nand many ignorant men and women to-day. Educated people know that a\n\"star\" is either a planet of our solar system, similar to the sister\nplanet which we called the Earth, or else is a mighty sun, probably\nmany times larger than our sun, countless millions of miles distant\nfrom our solar system. And they know that planets have their\ninvariable orbits and courses, over which they travel, unceasingly, so\ntrue to their course that their movements may be foretold centuries\nahead, or calculated for centuries back. And they know that even the\ngreat fixed stars, those distant suns and centers of great solar\nsystems akin to our own, have their own places in the Universe, also\ntheir Universal relations and movements. All who have studied even the\nmost elementary school book on astronomy know these things. And yet\nsuch people are asked to swallow whole this story of the \"moving\nstar,\" traveling on a little ahead of the shepherds for over a year,\nand at last standing right over the home of Jesus, and thus indicating\nthat the search was ended. Let us compare this unscientific tale, with\nthe traditions and legends of the Mystics, and then take your choice.\n\nHad there been any such star in appearance, the historians of that day\nwould surely have recorded it, for there were learned and wise men in\nthe East in those days, and as astrology was a science closely\nstudied, it would have been noted and passed on to posterity by both\nwritings and tradition. But no such record or tradition is to be found\namong the Eastern peoples, or the records of the astrologers. But\nanother record and tradition _is_ preserved, as we shall see in a\nmoment.\n\nYes, there really _was_ a \"Star of Bethlehem\" which led the feet of\nthe Magi to the home of the infant Jesus. We have the following proof\nof this fact:\n\n     (1) the traditions and teachings of the Mystic Orders which\n     have been handed down from teacher to student for centuries;\n\n     (2) the statements and records of the Ancient Astrologers,\n     which may be proven by modern astronomical calculations; and\n\n     (3) the calculations made by modern astronomers, which shall\n     be stated a few paragraphs further on. These three sources\n     of information give us the same tale, as we shall see.\n\nBefore proceeding to a consideration of this three-fold evidence, let\nus pause for a moment and consider the relation of the Magi to\nAstrology. To understand the narrative of the Magi's Visit to Jesus,\nwe must remember that they were the very Masters of Astrological Lore.\nPersia and the surrounding Oriental countries were the fountain-head\nof Astrological Teaching. And these Magi were Masters, and Adepts, and\nHierophants, and consequently knew all that was known to the greatest\nschools of Astrology of that day. Much of their Ancient Astrological\nLore has been lost to the race of to-day, but to these ancient learned\nmen it was as much of a science as chemistry and astronomy are to the\nlearned ones of our day.\n\nThe Magi had long waited for the appearance and incarnation of a Great\nMaster of Masters, whose appearance had been predicted centuries\nbefore by some of the great Occult Fathers of the Mystic Orders, and\neach generation hoped that the event would come in his day. They had\nbeen taught that when the event took place, they would be informed by\nmeans of the planets, according to the Higher Astrology. All students\nof even our modern fragmentary astrology will understand this. And so\nthey waited and carefully scanned the heavens for the sign.\n\nNow the traditions of the Occult Orders inform us that at last the\nMagi witnessed a peculiar conjunction of planets; first, the\nconjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, in the Constellation of Pisces, the\ntwo planets being afterward joined by the planet Mars, the three\nplanets in close relation of position, making a startling and unusual\nstellar display, and having a deep astrological significance. Now, the\nConstellation of Pisces, as all astrologers, ancient and modern, know,\nis the constellation governing the national existence of Judea. Seeing\nthe predicted conjunction of the planets, occurring in the\nConstellation having to do with Judea (as well as the relative\npositions of the other planets, all of which played its part in the\nobservation), the Magi knew two things, _i.e._, (1) that the birth of\nthe Master of Masters had occurred; and (2) that He had been born in\nJudea, as indicated by the constellation in which the conjunction\noccurred. And, so, making the calculation of the exact moment of the\nconjunction, they started on their long journey toward Judea in search\nof the Master of Masters.\n\nNow, again, the records of the Astrologers, preserved in the Oriental\nOccult Brotherhoods, in their monasteries, etc., show that at a period\na few years before the Christian Era such a peculiar conjunction and\ncombination of the planets occurred in the Constellation symbolizing\nthe destinies of Judea, which was interpreted as indicating the\nappearance of an Incarnation or Avatar of a Great Divine Soul--a\nMaster of Masters--a Mystic of Mystics. It must be remembered that\nthese Orders are composed of non-Christians--people that the average\nChristian would call \"heathens,\" and that therefore this testimony\nmust be regarded as free from bias toward Christianity or the\ncorroboration of its legends.\n\nAnd, in the third place, the calculations of Modern Astronomy show\nwithout possibility of contradiction that in the Roman year 747 (or\nseven years before the Christian Era) _the planets Saturn and Jupiter\nfarmed a conjunction in the Constellation of Pisces_, and that these\ntwo planets, still in close position to each other, were joined by the\nplanet Mars in the Spring of 748. The great astronomer Kepler first\nmade this calculation in the year 1604, and it has been since verified\nby modern calculations. To those who would object that all this\noccurred seven years before the commonly accepted date of the birth of\nChrist, we would say that any modern work on New Testament Chronology,\nor any encyclopedia or reference work on the subject, will show that\nthe former calculations were several years out of the way, and that\nthe records of other events mentioned in the Bible, such as the\n\"enrollment\" of the people, which brought Joseph and Mary to\nBethlehem, enable modern Biblical scholars to fix the date of the\nbirth of Christ at about six or seven years before the usually\naccepted time. So that modern research fully corroborates the\nastrological record and the Mystic traditions.\n\nAnd so it would appear that the coming of the Wise Men--the Magi--was\nin accordance with the astrological signs, of the interpretation of\nwhich they were adepts and masters. When this truth is known, how\npuerile and petty seems the myth of the \"traveling star\" of the\ncommonly accepted exoteric version? And the pictures of the Wise Men\nbeing led by a moving heavenly body, traveling across the skies and at\nlast standing still over the cottage of Joseph, with which the Sunday\nschool books are filled, must be relegated to the same waste-paper\nbasket which contains the Bible illustrations, formerly so popular,\nwhich picture Jehovah as a bald-headed old man with a long white\nbeard, clad in flowing robes designed to hide his body. Is it any\nwonder that skeptics, infidels, and scoffers of the spiritual truths\nhave arisen in great numbers, when they have been asked to accept\nthese things or be damned?\n\nAnd is not this connection of Astrology with Early Christianity a\nrebuke to the modern Christian Church which sneers and scoffs at the\nscience of astrology as a \"base superstition\" fit only for fools and\nignoramuses? Does not this picture of the Magi give a clear view of\nthat which was formerly regarded as a mere fable, to be solemnly\nsmiled over and taught to the children, with whom the story has always\nbeen a favorite owing to their intuitive perception of an underlying\ntruth. And now with this Mystic version, cannot _you_ enjoy the legend\nwith the children? In this connection let us once more quote from the\nNew International Encyclopedia (Vol. II, 170), a standard reference\nwork, as you know, which says:\n\n     \"Some of the earlier Christian Fathers argued against the\n     doctrines of the earlier astrology, while others received\n     them in a modified form; and indeed it formed a part of the\n     basis of their religion in the Gospel narrative of the visit\n     to Bethlehem of the Wise Men of the East, who were Chaldean\n     Magi or Astrologers.\"\n\nHere is the testimony in all of the standard reference books, and yet\nhow many of you have known it?\n\nTo understand the importance of the event which drew the steps of the\nMagi to Bethlehem, we must realize that the Coming of the Master was a\nfavorite subject of speculation and discussion among Occultists and\nMystic organizations all over the Oriental countries. It had been\nforetold, in all tongues, that a Great Master would be given to the\nworld--a mighty _avatar_ or appearance of Deity in human form, who\nwould incarnate in order to redeem the world from the materiality\nwhich threatened it. The Sacred Writings of India, Persia, Chaldea,\nEgypt, Media, Assyria, and other lands had foretold this event for\nmany centuries, and all the mystics and occultists longed for the day\n\"when the Master would appear.\" The Jews also had many traditions\nregarding the coming of a Messiah, who would be born of the seed of\nDavid, at Bethlehem, but their Messiah was looked upon as likely to be\nan earthly king, destined to free Israel from the Roman yoke. And so,\nthe tradition of the Jews was regarded as of inferior moment to their\nown predictions, by the Mystic and Occult Brotherhoods of the East. To\nthem it was to be an _avatar_ of Deity--God in human form come to take\nhis rightful seat as the Grand Master of the Universal Grand Lodge of\nMystic--a descent of pure Spirit into matter. This conception\ncertainly was very much higher than that of the Jews.\n\nAnd so, knowing these things, we may readily understand why the Magi\npursued their search with such ardor and enthusiasm. They had many\nweary miles of travel to Bethlehem, over a year being consumed in the\njourney. They reached Bethlehem over a year after the birth of Christ\nand the appearance of the Star, the sight of which had started them on\ntheir quest. They sought not a new-born babe, as common belief has\nit--they searched for a child born over a year before. (We refer the\nstudent to any reference work, for a verification of this last\nstatement. The illustrations in the Sunday school books showing the\nWise Men worshipping a new born babe in the manger are on a par with\nthe others mentioned. The Wise Men had nothing to do with the stable\nor the manger--for Joseph, Mary and the Babe were lodged in a house by\nthat time, as we shall see as we proceed.)\n\nAt last after their long and weary wandering over hill and plain,\nmountain and desert, the Magi found themselves in Jerusalem, inquiring\ndiligently as to the whereabouts of the Master of Masters--the\nPromised One, whose coming had been the subject of prophecy for\ncenturies among the Eastern peoples. The Jews of whom they inquired,\nalthough not familiar with the predictions regarding a Mystic Master,\nor _avatar_ of Deity, were nevertheless thoroughly familiar with the\nprophecies of the coming of the Hebrew Messiah, and naturally thought\nthat it was of this expected earthly King of the Jews that the Magi\ninquired, and so they reported it far and wide that these Great Men\nfrom the East had come to Jerusalem to find the Messiah--the King of\nthe Jews, who was to deliver Israel from the Roman yoke. And, as the\nGospel of Matthew (2:3) informs us: \"When Herod the king heard it, he\nwas troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.\" Naturally so, when it is\nremembered that it was an Earthly Kingdom that they expected the\nMessiah would inherit. And so, gathering the chief priests and scribes\nof Jerusalem around him, he bade them tell him the particulars\nregarding the prophecies regarding the Messiah--where he was expected\nto be born. And they answered him, saying: \"In Bethlehem of Judea for\nso hath the prophets spoken.\"\n\nAnd hearing the testimony of the scribes and priests, the wily Herod,\nwho feared the realization of this old Hebrew prophecy which\nthreatened to cost him his throne if fulfilled, called the Magi to his\npalace and in private consultation inquired of them the reason of\ntheir search. And when they told him of the astrological\nindications--of the \"Star\"--he was still more wrought up, and wished\nto locate the dangerous child. And so he inquired of them the exact\ndate at which the star had appeared, that he might be better able to\nfind the infant, knowing its date of birth in Bethlehem. (See Matthew\n2:7.) And learning this he bade them go to Bethlehem and find the\nchild they sought, and cunningly added, \"And when ye have found him,\nbring me word, that I also may come and worship him.\" Thus craftily\nconcealing his intentions to seize and kill the child, he endeavored\nto press the Magi into his service as detectives, by pretending to\njoin in their desire to locate the Divine Child.\n\nThe Magi traveled on to Bethlehem, and arriving there made diligent\ninquiry regarding infants that had been born about the time that the\nstar appeared. There were many infants born in Bethlehem during the\nsame month, of course, and the search was difficult. But they soon\nheard strange rumors about a babe that had been born to travelers in\nBethlehem about that time, the birth of whom had been attended by a\nstrange occurrence. This peculiar happening is related in Luke 2:8-20,\nin which it is stated that at the time of the birth of Jesus in the\nmanger, certain shepherds keeping the night-watch over their flocks\nsaw an angel standing by them, and \"the glory of the Lord\" shining\naround about them. And the angel bade them be not afraid, for to them\nwas to be given tidings of great joy, for there was born that very\nday, in Bethlehem, one who was to be the Anointed Lord of the world.\nAnd the angel further directed them that the babe would be found lying\nin a manger in a stable, wrapped in swaddling clothes which was to be\ntheir sign. And then suddenly the place was filled with a multitude of\nsupernatural beings, praising God, singing, \"Glory to God in the\nhighest, and on earth peace and good-will among men.\" And the\nshepherds flocked to the town, and there found the child in the\nmanger. And they spread abroad the report of the wonderful event\naccompanying the birth of the child. And consequently the child and\nits parents became objects of more or less public interest.\n\nAnd so when the Magi instituted their search they were in due time\ninformed of this strange occurrence. And they visited the house of\nJoseph and Mary and saw the Babe. Making close inquiry of the parents,\nthey found that the time of the child's birth tallied precisely with\nthe moment of the astrological signs. Then they cast the Child's\nhoroscope and they knew that their shepherd's vision coincided with\ntheir own science, and that here indeed was He for whom the Eastern\nOccultists and Mystics had waited for centuries. They had found the\nMaster! The Star Child was before them!\n\nThen these Great Men of their own lands--these Adepts, Masters and\nHierophants--prostrated themselves on the ground before the child and\ngave him the salutation due only to the great Occult Master of Masters\nwho was come to take his seat upon the Throne of the Grand Master of\nthe Great Lodge. But the child knew naught of this, and merely smiled\nsweetly at these strange men in gorgeous foreign robes, and reached\nout his little hand toward them. But Occult tradition has it that the\ntiny fingers and thumb of his right hand, outstretched toward the\nMagi, unconsciously assumed the mystic symbol of the Occult\nBenediction, used by the Masters and Hierophants (and now used by the\nPope in Papal Benediction) and gave to the worshippers that Master's\nbenediction. The tiny Master of Masters thus gave his first blessing\nto his followers, and exalted worshippers. But His Throne was not that\nof the Great Lodge, but a still higher place--the knees of a Mother!\n\nAnd the Magi then made mystic and symbolic offerings to the\nchild--Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh offered they Him. Gold, signifying\nthe tribute offered to a Ruler, was the first symbol. Then came\nFrankincense, the purest and rarest incense used by the Occult and\nMystic Brotherhoods and Orders, in their ceremonies and rites, when\nthey were contemplating the sacred symbol of the Absolute Master of\nthe Universe--this Frankincense was their symbol of worship. Then,\nlast symbol of all, was the Myrrh, which in the occult and mystic\nsymbolism indicated the bitterness of mortal life, bitter though\npungent, preserving though stinging--this was the meaning of the\nMyrrh, that this child, though Divine in his inner nature, was still\nmortal in body and brain, and must accept and experience the bitter\ntang of life. Myrrh, the strength of which preserves, and prevents\ndecay, and yet which smarts, and tangs, and stings ever and ever--a\nworthy symbol of Mortal Life, surely. Wise Men, indeed, ye Magi! Gold,\nFrankincense, and Myrrh--a prophecy, symbol, and revelation of the\nLife of the Son of Man, with His indwelling Pure Spirit.\n\nAnd the Magi, having performed their rites and ceremonies, departed\nfrom Bethlehem. But they did not forget the Child--they preserved a\ncareful watch over his movements, until they saw him again. Saw Him\nagain? you ask? _Yes, saw him again!_ Though the Gospels say naught of\nthis, and are silent for a period of many years in the Life of Jesus,\nyet the records and traditions of the Mystics of the East are filled\nwith this esoteric knowledge of these missing years, as we shall see\nas we proceed. Left behind by the Magi, but still under their loving\ncare, the Child waxed strong and grew in mind and body.\n\nBut the Magi, being warned by higher intelligences in a vision, did\nnot return to the wily and crafty Herod, but \"departed unto their own\ncountry another way.\" (_Matt. 2:12._) And Herod waited in vain for\ntheir return, and finally discovering their escape wrathfully ordered\nthe massacre of all male children that had been born in Bethlehem and\nits suburbs of two years of age and under. He calculated the two years\nfrom the witnessing of the \"star\" by the Magi. Matthew 2:16 states the\nstory of the fixing of the time as follows:\n\n     \"And slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and\n     all the borders thereof, from two years old and under,\n     _according to the time which he exactly learned of the wise\n     men_.\"\n\nHerod sought to kill the feared Messiah--the King of the Jews, who\nthreatened to drive him from his earthly throne--by killing all the\nmale infants in Bethlehem that had been born since the astrological\nindication as stated by the Magi.\n\nBut this plot failed, for Joseph had been warned by \"an angel in a\ndream\" (which mystics teach was the Astral Form of one of the Magi)\nand was told to take the mother and child and flee into Egypt, and to\nstay there until the death of Herod. And so Joseph, Mary, and Jesus\nthen fled from the wrath of Herod, and stole silently away to Egypt.\nAnd the Occult traditions have it that the expenses of the journey of\nthis poor carpenter and his family--that journey into strange lands,\nhurried, and without the chance to earn money along the way--was\naccomplished by the means of the Gold that the Magi had offered to\nJesus, and which they had insisted upon his parents storing away for\nHis use. And so the gold of these Occult Mystics saved the founder of\nChristianity from massacre. And how poorly has Christianity repaid the\ndebt, when one thinks of the persecutions of the Oriental \"heathen\" by\nthe so-called Christians of all times!\n\nAnd note this--they carried the child to Egypt, the home of Mystery\nand Occultism--the land of Isis! A worthy resting place for the Great\nOccult Master that was to be! And Occult tradition also has it that\none night, wearied with their long journey, the family halted and\npassed the night in the place of the Sphinx and Pyramids. And that the\nMother and Babe rested between the outstretched forepaws of the mighty\nSphinx, which held them safe and secure, while Joseph threw himself on\nthe base before them, and slept on guard. What a scene--the Master as\nan infant protected by the Sphinx, that ancient Occult emblem and\nsymbol, while close by, reared like mighty watchful sentinels, stood\nthe Great Pyramids of Egypt, the master work of Egypt's Mystics, every\nline and inch of which symbolizes an Occult Teaching. Verily, indeed\nis Christianity cradled in the lap of Mysticism.\n\nThus endeth our First Lesson. The Second Lesson will take up the\nMystic Teachings regarding the Divine Incarnation of the Spirit in the\nmortal body of Jesus--a subject of the greatest importance to all who\nare troubled with this difficult point. We hope to be able to shed the\nMystic light of Truth upon this corner which so many have found dark,\nnon-understandable, and contrary to reason, natural law and science.\nThe Mystic Teachings are the great Reconciler of Faith and Reason.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SECOND LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE MYSTERY OF THE VIRGIN BIRTH.\n\nOne of the points of conflict between Established Theology on the one\nhand and what is known as Rationalism, the Higher Criticism, and\nComparative Mythology, on the other hand, is what is known as \"the\nVirgin Birth\" of Jesus. Perhaps we may show the points of difference\nmore clearly by simply stating the opposing views and, afterwards,\ngiving the traditions of the Occult Brotherhoods and Societies on the\nsubject. We are enabled to state the opposing views without prejudice,\nbecause we rest upon the Occult Teachings with a feeling of being\nabove and outside of the theological strife raging between the two\nschools of Christian theologians. We trust that the reader will\nreserve his decision until the consideration of the matter in this\nlesson is completed. We think that it will be found that the Occult\nTeachings give the Key to the Mystery and furnish the Reconciliation\nbetween the opposing theological views which threaten to divide the\nchurches into two camps, i.e., (1) the adherents of the established\northodox theology, and (2) the adherents of the views of the\nRationalists and the Higher Critics.\n\nThe school of theology which clings to the old orthodox teachings\nregarding the Virgin Birth and which teachings are commonly accepted\nwithout question by the mass of church-goers, hold as follows:\n\n     Mary, a young Jewish maiden, or virgin, was betrothed to\n     Joseph, a carpenter of Nazareth in Galilee. Before her\n     marriage, she was informed by an angelic vision that she\n     would miraculously conceive a son, to whom she would give\n     birth, and who would reign on the Throne of David and be\n     called the Son of the Highest. This teaching is based solely\n     upon certain statements contained in the Gospels of Matthew\n     and Luke. Matthew's account is as follows:\n\n     \"Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as\n     his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came\n     together, she was found with the child of the Holy Ghost.\n     Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing\n     to make her a public example was minded to put her away\n     privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the\n     angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying,\n     Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary\n     thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy\n     Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call\n     his name JESUS, for he shall save his people from their\n     sins. And now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled\n     which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold\n     a virgin shall be with a child and shall bring forth a son,\n     and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being\n     interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from\n     sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took\n     unto him his wife: And knew her not until she had brought\n     forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.\"\n     (_Matt. 1:18-25._)\n\nLuke's account is as follows:\n\n     \"And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God\n     unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused\n     to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and\n     the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her\n     and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is\n     with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw\n     him she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind\n     what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said\n     unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with\n     God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring\n     forth a son and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be\n     great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the\n     Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.\n     And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of\n     his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the\n     angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the\n     angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come\n     upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow\n     thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of\n     thee shall be called the Son of God.\" (_Luke 1:26-33._)\n\nAnd so, this then is the commonly accepted, orthodox teachings of\nChristian theology. It is embodied in the two best-known creeds of the\nchurch and is made an essential article of belief by the majority of\nthe orthodox churches.\n\nIn the Apostle's Creed, which has been traced back to about the year\nA.D. 500, and which is claimed to have been based on an older creed,\nthe doctrine is stated thusly: \"... and in Jesus Christ, his only Son,\nour Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin\nMary,\" etc. In the Nicene Creed, which dates from A.D. 325, the\ndoctrine is stated thusly: \"... and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only\nbegotten Son of God, begotten of his Father ... and was incarnate by\nthe Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,\" etc.\n\nAnd so, the doctrine is plainly stated and firmly insisted upon by the\northodox churches of today, although such was not always the case for\nthe matter was one which gave rise to much conflict and difference of\nopinion in the early centuries of the Church, the present view,\nhowever, overcoming those who opposed it, and finally becoming\naccepted as beyond doubt or question by the orthodox, believing\nChristian.\n\nBut the present time finds many leading minds in the churches, who\nrefuse to accept the doctrine as usually taught, and the voice of the\nHigher Criticism is heard in the land in increasing volume and many\ndoctrines unquestioningly held by the pews are being abandoned by the\npulpits, usually in the way of \"discreet silence\" being maintained.\nBut here and there courageous voices are heard stating plainly that\nwhich their reason and conscience impels. We shall now consider these\ndissenting opinions.\n\nWe have to say here, at this point, that we have no sympathy for the\nso-called \"infidel\" opinion, which holds that the whole tale of the\nVirgin Birth was invented to conceal the illegitimate birth of Jesus.\nSuch a view is based neither on intelligent investigation or\ncriticism, or upon the occult teachings. It was merely \"invented\"\nitself, by those who were unable to accept current theology and who,\nwhen driven from the churches, built up a crude system of\nreconstructed Biblical History of their own. And so we shall not stop\nto even consider this view of the matter, but shall pass on to the\nscholarly objectors and their views and thence to the Occult\nTeachings.\n\nIn the first place, the theologians who favor the views of the Higher\nCriticism object to the idea of the Virgin Birth upon several general\ngrounds, among which the following are the principal ones:\n\n     (1) That the story of the Divine Conception, that is the\n     conception by a woman of a child without a human father, and\n     by means of a miraculous act on the part of Deity, is one\n     found among the traditions, legends and beliefs of many\n     heathen and pagan nations. Nearly all of the old Oriental\n     religions, antedating Christianity by many centuries,\n     contain stories of this kind concerning their gods, prophets\n     and great leaders. The critics hold that the story of the\n     Virgin Birth and Divine Conception were borrowed outright\n     from these pagan legends and incorporated into the Christian\n     Writings after the death of Christ;\n\n     (2) that the idea of the Virgin Birth was not an original\n     Christian Doctrine, but was injected into the Teachings at a\n     date about one hundred years, or nearly so, after the\n     beginning of the Christian Era; this view being corroborated\n     by the fact that the New Testament Writings themselves\n     contain very little mention of the idea, the only mention of\n     it being in two of the Gospels, those of St. Matthew and St.\n     Luke--St. Mark and St. John containing no mention of the\n     matter, which would not likely be the case had it been an\n     accepted belief in the early days of Christianity--and no\n     mention being made of it in the Epistles, even Paul being\n     utterly silent on the question. They claim that the Virgin\n     Birth was unknown to the primitive Christians and was not\n     heard of until its \"borrowing\" from pagan beliefs many years\n     after. In support of their idea, as above stated, they call\n     attention to the fact that the New Testament writings, known\n     to Biblical students as the oldest and earliest, make no\n     mention of the idea; and that Paul ignores it completely, as\n     well as the other writers;\n\n     (3) that the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke bear\n     internal evidences of the introduction of the story at a\n     later date. This matter we shall now consider, from the\n     point of view of the Higher Criticism within the body of the\n     Church.\n\nIn the first place, let us consider the Gospel of St. Matthew. The\nmajority of people accept this as having been written by St. Matthew,\nwith his own hand, during his ministry; and that the Gospel, word for\nword, is the work of this great apostle. This idea, however, is not\nheld for a moment by the educated clergy, as may be seen by a\nreference to any prominent theological work of late years, or even in\nthe pages of a good encyclopedia. The investigators have made diligent\nresearches concerning the probable authorship of the New Testament\nbooks and their reports would surprise many faithful church-goers who\nare not acquainted with the facts of the case. There is no warrant,\noutside of tradition and custom, for the belief that Matthew wrote the\nGospel accredited to him, at least in its present shape. Without going\ndeeply into the argument of the investigators (which may be found in\nany recent work on the History of the Gospels) we would say that the\ngenerally accepted conclusion now held by the authorities is that the\nGospel commonly accredited to St. Matthew is the work of some unknown\nhand or hands, which was produced during the latter part of the first\ncentury A.D., written in Greek, and most likely an enlargement or\nelaboration of certain Aramaic writings entitled, \"Sayings of Jesus,\"\nwhich are thought to have been written by Matthew himself. In other\nwords, even the most conservative of the critics do not claim that the\nGospel of St. Matthew is anything more than an enlargement,\nelaboration or development of Matthew's earlier writings, written many\nyears before the elaboration of the present \"Gospel.\" The more radical\ncritics take an even less respectful view. This being the fact, it may\nbe readily seen how easy it would have been for the latter-day\n\"elaborator\" to introduce the then current legend of the Virgin Birth,\nborrowed from pagan sources.\n\nAs a further internal evidence of such interpolation of outside\nmatter, the critics point to the fact that while the Gospel of Matthew\nis made to claim that Joseph was merely the _reputed father_ of the\nchild of Mary, the same Gospel, in its very first chapter (_Matt. 1_)\n_gives the genealogy of Jesus from David to Joseph_ the husband of\nMary, _in order to prove that Jesus came from the \"House of David_,\"\nin accordance with the Messianic tradition. The chapter begins with\nthe words, \"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of\nDavid, the son of Abraham\" (_Matt. 1_), and then goes on to name\nfourteen generations from Abraham to David; fourteen generations from\nDavid to the days of the carrying away into Babylon; and fourteen\ngenerations from the Babylonian days until the birth of Jesus. The\ncritics call attention to this _recital of Jesus's descent, through\nJoseph, from the House of David_, which is but one of the many\nindications that the original Matthew inclined quite strongly to the\nview that Jesus was the Hebrew Messiah, come to reign upon the throne\nof David, rather than a Divine Avatar or Incarnation.\n\nThe critics point to the fact that _if Joseph were not the real father\nof Jesus, where would be the sense and purpose of proving his descent\nfrom David through Joseph?_ It is pertinently asked, _\"Why the\nnecessity or purpose of the recital of Joseph's genealogy, as applied\nto Jesus, if indeed Jesus were not truly the son of Joseph_?\" The\nexplanation of the critics is that the earlier writings of Matthew\ncontained nothing regarding the Virgin Birth, Matthew having heard\nnothing of this pagan legend, and that naturally he gave the genealogy\nof Jesus from David and Abraham. If one omits the verses 18-25 from\nMatthew's Gospel, he will see the logical relation of the genealogy to\nthe rest of the account--otherwise it is paradoxical, contradictory\nand ridiculous, and shows the joints and seams where it has been\nfitted into the older account.\n\n\"But,\" you may ask, \"what of the Messianic Prophecy mentioned by\nMatthew (1:23)? Surely this is a direct reference to the prophecy of\nIsaiah 7:14.\" Let us examine this so-called \"prophecy,\" of which so\nmuch has been said and see just what reference it has to the birth of\nJesus.\n\nTurning back to Isaiah 7, we find these words, just a little before\nthe \"prophecy\":\n\n     \"Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a\n     sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in\n     the height above. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither\n     will I tempt the Lord. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of\n     David; is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye\n     weary my God also?\" (_Isaiah 6:13._)\n\nThen comes the \"prophecy\": \"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you\na sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call\nhis name Immanuel.\" This is the \"prophecy\" quoted by the writer of the\nGospel of Matthew, and which has been quoted for centuries in\nChristian churches, as a foretelling of the miraculous birth of Jesus.\nAs a matter of fact, intelligent theologians know that it has no\nreference to Jesus at all, in any way, but belongs to another\noccurrence, as we shall see presently, and was injected into the\nGospel narrative merely to support the views of the writer thereof.\n\nIt may be well to add here that many of the best authorities hold that\nthe Greek translation of the Hebrew word \"_almah_\" into the equivalent\nof \"virgin\" in the usual sense of the word is incorrect. The Hebrew\nword \"_almah_\" used in the original Hebrew text of Isaiah, does not\nmean \"virgin\" as the term is usually employed, but rather \"a young\nwoman of marriageable age--a maiden,\" the Hebrews having an entirely\ndifferent word for the idea of \"virginity,\" as the term is generally\nused. The word \"_almah_\" is used in other parts of the Old Testament\nto indicate a \"young woman--a maiden,\" notably in Proverbs 30:19, in\nthe reference to \"the way of a man with a maid.\"\n\nBut we need not enter into discussions of this kind, say the Higher\nCritics, for the so-called \"prophecy\" refers to an entirely different\nmatter. It appears, say they, that Ahaz, a weakling king of Judea, was\nin sore distress because Rezin the Syrian king, and Pekah the ruler of\nNorthern Israel, had formed an offensive alliance against him and were\nmoving their combined forces toward Jerusalem. In his fear he sought\nan alliance with Assyria, which alliance was disapproved of by Isaiah\nwho remonstrated with Ahaz about the proposed move. The king was too\nmuch unnerved by fear to listen to Isaiah's arguments and so the\nlatter dropped into prophecy. He prophesied, after the manner of the\nOriental seer, that the land would be laid waste and misery entailed\nupon Israel, should the suicidal policy be adopted. But he held out a\nhope for a brighter future after the clouds of adversity had rolled\nby. A new and wise prince would arise who would bring Israel to her\nformer glory. That prince would be born of a young mother and his name\nwould be Immanuel, which means \"God with us.\" All this had reference\nto things of a reasonably near future and had no reference to the\nbirth of Jesus _some seven hundred years after_, who _was not a\nprince_ sitting upon the throne of Israel, and who did not bring\nnational glory and renown to Israel, for such was not his mission.\nHebrew scholars and churchmen have often claimed that Isaiah's\nprophecy was fulfilled by the birth of Hezekiah.\n\nThere is no evidence whatever in the Jewish history of the seven\nhundred years between Isaiah and Jesus, that the Hebrews regarded\nIsaiah's prophecy as relating to the expected Messiah, but on the\ncontrary it was thought to relate to a minor event in their history.\nAs a Jewish writer has truly said, \"Throughout the wide extent of\nJewish literature there is not a single passage which can bear the\nconstruction that the Messiah should be miraculously conceived.\" Other\nwriters along this line have stated the same thing, showing that the\nidea of a Virgin Birth was foreign to the Jewish mind, the Hebrews\nhaving always respected and highly honored married life and human\nparentage, regarding their children as blessings and gifts from God.\n\nAnother writer in the Church has said, \"Such a fable as the birth of\nthe Messiah from a _virgin_ could have arisen anywhere else easier\nthan among the Jews; their doctrine of the divine unity placed an\nimpassable gulf between God and the world; their high regard for the\nmarriage relation,\" etc., would have rendered the idea obnoxious.\nOther authorities agree with this idea, and insist that the idea of\nthe Virgin Birth never originated in Hebrew prophecy, but was injected\ninto the Christian Doctrine from pagan sources, toward the end of the\nfirst century, and received credence owing to the influx of converts\nfrom the \"heathen\" peoples who found in the idea a correspondence with\ntheir former beliefs. As Rev. R.J. Campbell, minister of the City\nTemple, London, says in his \"New Theology,\" \"No New Testament passage\nwhatever is directly or indirectly a prophecy of the virgin birth of\nJesus. To insist upon this may seem to many like beating a man of\nstraw, but if so, the man of straw still retains a good deal of\nvitality.\"\n\nLet us now turn to the second account of the Virgin Birth, in the\nGospels--the only other place that it is mentioned, outside of the\nstory in Matthew, above considered. We find this second mention in\nLuke 1:26-35, the verses having been quoted in the first part of this\nlesson.\n\nThere has been much dispute regarding the real authorship of the\nGospel commonly accredited to Luke, but it is generally agreed upon by\nBiblical scholars that it was the latest of the first three Gospels\n(generally known as \"the Synoptic Gospels\"). It is also generally\nagreed upon, by such scholars, that the author, whoever he may have\nbeen, was not an eye witness of the events in the Life of Christ. Some\nof the best authorities hold that he was a Gentile (non-Hebrew),\nprobably a Greek, for his Greek literary style is far above the\naverage, his vocabulary being very rich and his diction admirable. It\nis also generally believed that the same hand wrote the Book of Acts.\nTradition holds that the author was one Luke, a Christian convert\nafter the death of Jesus, who was one of Paul's missionary band which\ntraveled from Troas to Macedonia, and who shared Paul's imprisonment\nin Caesarea; and who shared Paul's shipwreck experiences on the voyage\nto Rome. He is thought to have written his Gospel long after the death\nof Paul, for the benefit and instruction of one Theophilus, a man of\nrank residing in Antioch.\n\nIt is held by writers of the Higher Criticism that the account of the\nVirgin Birth was either injected in Luke's narrative, by some later\nwriter, or else that Luke in his old age adopted this view which was\nbeginning to gain credence among the converted Christians of pagan\norigin, Luke himself being of this class. It is pointed out that as\nPaul, who was Luke's close friend and teacher, made no mention of the\nVirgin Birth, and taught nothing of the kind, Luke must have acquired\nthe legend later, if, indeed, the narrative was written by him at all\nin his Gospel.\n\nIt is likewise noted that Luke also gives a genealogy of Jesus, from\nAdam, through Abraham, and David, and Joseph. The words in parenthesis\n\"as was supposed,\" in Luke 3:23, are supposed to have been inserted in\nthe text by a later writer, as there would be no sense or reason in\ntracing the genealogy of Jesus through a \"supposed\" father. The verse\nin question reads thusly: \"And Jesus himself began to be about thirty\nyears of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the\nson of Heli,\" etc. Students, of course, notice that the line of\ndescent given by Luke differs very materially from that given by\nMatthew, showing a lack of knowledge on the part of one or the other\nwriter.\n\nOn the whole, scholars consider it most remarkable that this account\nof the Virgin Birth should be given by Luke, who was a most ardent\nPauline student and follower, in view of the fact that Paul ignored\nthe whole legend, if, indeed, he had ever heard of it. Surely a man\nlike Paul would have laid great stress upon this wonderful event had\nhe believed in it, or had it formed a part of the Christian Doctrine\nof his time. That Luke should have written this account is a great\nmystery--and many feel that it is much easier to accept the theory of\nthe later interpolation of the story into Luke's Gospel, particularly\nin view of the corroborative indications.\n\nSumming up the views of the Higher Criticism, we may say that the\ngeneral position taken by the opponents and deniers of the Virgin\nBirth of Jesus is about as follows:\n\n     1. The story of the Virgin Birth is found only in the\n     introductory portion of two of the four Gospels--Matthew and\n     Luke--and even in these the story bears the appearance of\n     having been \"fitted in\" by later writers.\n\n     2. Even Matthew and Luke are silent about the matter after\n     the statements in the introductory part of their Gospels,\n     which could scarcely occur had the story been written by and\n     believed in by the writers, such action on their part being\n     contrary to human custom and probability.\n\n     3. The Gospels of Mark and John are absolutely silent on the\n     subject; the oldest of the Gospels--that of Mark--bears no\n     trace of the legend; and the latest Gospel--that of\n     John--being equally free from its mention.\n\n     4. The rest of the New Testament breathes not a word of the\n     story or doctrine. _The Book of Acts, generally accepted as\n     having also been written by Luke, ignores the subject\n     completely_. Paul, the teacher of Luke, and the great writer\n     of the Early Church, seems to know nothing whatever about\n     the Virgin Birth, or else purposely ignores it entirely, the\n     latter being unbelievable in such a man. Peter, the First\n     Apostle, makes no mention of the story or doctrine in his\n     great Epistles, which fact is inconceivable if he knew of\n     and believed in the legend. The Book of Revelation is\n     likewise silent upon this doctrine which played so important\n     a part in the later history of the Church. The great\n     writings of the New Testament contain no mention of the\n     story, outside of the brief mention in Matthew and Luke,\n     alluded to above.\n\n     5. There are many verses in the Gospels and Epistles which\n     go to prove, either that the story was unknown to the\n     writers, or else not accepted by them. _The genealogies of\n     Joseph are cited to prove the descent of Jesus from David,\n     which depends entirely upon the fact of Joseph's actual\n     parentage. Jesus is repeatedly and freely mentioned as the\n     son of Joseph._ Paul and the other Apostles hold firmly to\n     the doctrine of the necessity of the Death of Jesus; his\n     Rising from the Dead; and his Ascension into Heaven, etc.\n     But they had nothing to say regarding any necessity for his\n     Virgin Birth, or the necessity for the acceptance of any\n     such doctrine--they are absolutely silent on this point,\n     although they were careful men, omitting no important detail\n     of doctrine. Paul even speaks of Jesus as \"of the seed of\n     David.\" (_Rom. 1:3._)\n\n     6. The Virgin Birth was not a part of the early traditions\n     or doctrine of the Church, but was unknown to it. And it is\n     not referred to in the preaching and teaching of the\n     Apostles, as may have been seen by reference to the Book of\n     Acts. This book, which relates the Acts and Teachings of the\n     Apostles, could not have inadvertently omitted such an\n     important doctrine or point of teaching. It is urged by\n     careful and conscientious Christian scholars that the\n     multitudes converted to Christianity in the early days must\n     have been ignorant of, or uninformed on, this miraculous\n     event, which would seem inexcusable on the part of the\n     Apostles had they known of it and believed in its truth.\n     This condition of affairs must have lasted until nearly the\n     second century, when the pagan beliefs began to filter in by\n     reason of the great influx of pagan converts.\n\n     7. There is every reason for believing that the legend arose\n     from other pagan legends, the religions of other peoples\n     being filled with accounts of miraculous births of heroes,\n     gods, and prophets, kings and sages.\n\n     8. That acceptance of the legend is not, nor should it be, a\n     proof of belief in Christ and Christianity. This view is\n     well voiced by Rev. Dr. Campbell, in his \"New Theology,\"\n     when he says \"The credibility and significance of\n     Christianity are in no way affected by the doctrine of the\n     Virgin Birth, otherwise than that the belief tends to put a\n     barrier between Jesus and the race, and to make him\n     something that cannot properly be called human.... Like many\n     others, I used to take the position that acceptance or\n     non-acceptance of the doctrine of the Virgin Birth was\n     immaterial because Christianity was quite independent of it;\n     but later reflection has convinced me that in point of fact\n     it operates as a hindrance to spiritual religion and a real\n     living faith in Jesus. The simple and natural conclusion is\n     that Jesus was the child of Joseph and Mary, and had an\n     uneventful childhood.\" The German theologian, Soltau, says,\n     \"Whoever makes the further demand that an evangelical\n     Christian shall believe in the words 'conceived by the Holy\n     Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,' wittingly constitutes\n     himself a sharer in a sin against the Holy Spirit and the\n     true Gospel as transmitted to us by the Apostles and their\n     school in the Apostolic Age.\"\n\nAnd this then is the summing up of the contention between the\nconservative school of Christian theologians on the one side and the\nliberal and radical schools on the other side. We have given you a\nstatement of the positions, merely that you may understand the\nproblem. But, before we pass to the consideration of the Occult\nTeachings, let us ask one question: _How do the Higher Critics account\nfor the undoubted doctrine of the Divine Fatherhood, as clearly stated\nall through the New Testament_, in view of the proofs against the\nVirgin Birth? Why the frequent and repeated mention of Jesus as \"the\nSon of God?\" What was the Secret Doctrine underlying the Divine\nParentage of Jesus, which the pagan legends corrupted into the story\nof the Virgin Birth of theology? We fear that the answer is not to be\nfound in the books and preachments of the Higher Criticism, nor yet in\nthose of the Conservative Theologians. Let us now see what light the\nOccult Teachings can throw on this dark subject! There is an Inner\nDoctrine which explains the mystery.\n\nNow, in the first place, there is no reference in the Occult Teaching\nto any miraculous features connected with the physical birth of Jesus.\nIt is not expressly denied, it is true, but the Teachings contain no\nreference to the matter, and all the references to the subject of\nJesus' parentage speak of Joseph as being His father, and Mary His\nmother. In other words, the family is treated as being composed of\nfather, mother and child just as is the case with any family. The\nOccult Teachings go into great detail concerning the _Spiritual\nSonship_ of Jesus, as we shall see presently, but there is no mention\nof any miraculous _physical_ conception and birth.\n\nWe can readily understand why the Virgin Birth legend would not appeal\nto the Occultists, if we will but consider the doctrines of the\nlatter. The Occultists pay but little attention to the physical body,\nexcept as a Temple of the Spirit, and a habitation of the soul. The\nphysical body, to the Occultist, is a mere material shell, constantly\nchanging its constituent cells, serving to house the soul of the\nindividual, and which when cast off and discarded is no more than any\nother bit of disintegrating material. They know of the existence of\nthe soul separate from the body, both after the death of the latter\nand even during its life, in the case of Astral Travel, etc. And in\nmany other ways it becomes natural for the Occultist to regard his\nbody, and the bodies of others, as mere \"shells,\" to be treated well,\nused properly, and then willingly discarded or exchanged for another.\n\nIn view of the above facts, you may readily see that any theory or\ndoctrine which made the Absolute--God--overshadow a human woman's body\nand cause her to physically conceive a child, would appear crude,\nbarbarous, unnecessary and in defiance of the natural laws established\nby the Cause of Causes. The Occultist sees in the conception _of every\nchild_, the work of the Divine Will--_every conception and birth a\nmiracle_. But he sees Natural Law underlying each, and he believes\nthat the Divine Will always operates under Natural Laws--the seeming\nmiracles and exceptions thereto, resulting from the mastery and\noperation of some law not generally known. But the Occultist knows of\nno law that will operate to produce conception by other than the\nphysiological process.\n\nIn short, _the Occultist does not regard the physical body of Jesus as\nJesus Himself_--he knows that the Real Jesus is something much greater\nthan His body, and, consequently, he sees no more necessity for a\nmiraculous conception of His body than he would for a miraculous\ncreation of His robe. The body of Jesus was only material\nsubstance--the Real Jesus was Spirit. The Occultists do not regard\nJoseph as the father of the Real Jesus--_no human being can produce or\ncreate a soul_. And so, the Occultist sees no reason for accepting the\nold pagan doctrine of the physical Virgin Birth which has crept into\nChristianity from outside sources. To the Occultist, there is a real\nVirgin Birth of an entirely different nature, as we shall see\npresently.\n\nBut, not so with the people who flocked to the ranks of Christianity\ntoward the close of the first century--coming from pagan people, and\nbringing with them their pagan legends and doctrines. These people\n_believed that the Body was the Real Man_, and consequently attached\nthe greatest importance to it. These people were almost materialists\nas the result of their pagan views of life. They began to exert an\ninfluence on the small body of original Christians, and soon the\noriginal teachings were smothered by the weight of the pagan\ndoctrines. For instance, they failed to grasp the beautiful ideas of\nImmortality held by the original Christians, which held that _the\nsoul_ survived the death and disintegration of the body. They could\nnot grasp this transcendental truth--they did not know what was meant\nby the term \"_the soul_,\" and so they substituted their pagan doctrine\nof the resurrection of the physical body. They believed that at some\nfuture time there would come a great Day, in which the Dead would\narise from their graves, and become again alive. The crudeness of this\nidea, when compared to the beautiful doctrine of the Immortality of\nthe Soul of the original Christians, and by the advanced Christians\nto-day, is quite painful. And yet these pagan converts actually\nsmothered out the true teachings by their crude doctrine of\nresurrection of _the body_.\n\nThese people could not understand how a man could live without his\nphysical body, and to them future life meant a resurrection of their\ndead bodies which would again become alive. To them the dead bodies\nwould remain dead, until the Great Day, when they would be made alive\nagain. There is no teaching among these people regarding the soul\nwhich passes out of the body and lives again on higher planes. No,\nnothing of this kind was known to these people--they were incapable of\nsuch high ideas and ideals--they were materialists and were wedded to\ntheir beloved animal bodies, and believed that their dead bodies would\nin some miraculous way be made alive again at some time in the future,\nwhen they would again live on earth.\n\nIn view of modern knowledge regarding the nature of matter, and the\nfact that what is one person's body to-day, may be a part of another's\nto-morrow--that matter is constantly being converted and\nreconverted--that the universal material is used to form bodies of\nanimals, plants, men, or else dwell in chemical gases, or combinations\nin inorganic things--in view of these accepted truths the\n\"resurrection of the body\" seems a pitiful invention of the minds of a\nprimitive and ignorant people, and not a high spiritual teaching. In\nfact, there may be many of you who would doubt that the Christians of\nthat day so taught, were it not for the undisputed historical records,\nand the remnant of the doctrine itself embalmed in the \"Apostle's\nCreed,\" in the passage _\"I believe in the resurrection of the body_\"\nwhich is read in the Churches daily, but which doctrine is scarcely\never taught in these days, and is believed in by but few\nChristians--in fact, is ignored or even denied by the majority.\n\nDr. James Beattie has written, \"Though mankind have at all times had a\npersuasion of the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the\nbody was a doctrine peculiar to early Christianity.\" S.T. Coleridge\nhas written, \"Some of the most influential of the early Christian\nwriters were materialists, holding the soul to be material--corporeal.\nIt appears that in those days some few held the soul to be\nincorporeal, according to the views of Plato and others, but that the\northodox Christian divines looked upon this as an impious,\nunscriptural opinion. Justin Martyr argued against the Platonic nature\nof the soul. And even some latter-day writers have not hesitated to\nexpress their views on the subject, agreeing with the earlier orthodox\nbrethren. For instance, Dr. R.S. Candlish has said,\n\n     \"You live again in the body,--in the very body, as to all\n     essential properties, and to all practical intents and\n     purposes, in which you live now. _I am not to live as a\n     ghost, a spectre, a spirit, I am to live then as I live now,\n     in the body_.\"\n\nThe reason that the early Church laid so much stress on this doctrine\nof the Resurrection of the Body, was because an inner sect, the\nGnostics, held to the contrary, and the partisan spirit of the\nmajority swung them to the other extreme, until they utterly denied\nany other idea, and insisted upon the resurrection and re-vitalizing\nof the physical body. But, in spite of the official fostering of this\ncrude theory, it gradually sank into actual insignificance, although\nits shadow still persists in creed and word. Its spirit has retreated\nand passed away before the advancing idea of the Immortality of the\nSoul which returned again and again to Christianity until it won the\nvictory. And as Prof. Nathaniel Schmidt has said, in his article on\nthe subject in a leading encyclopaedia, \"... The doctrine of the\nnatural immortality of the human soul became so important a part of\nChristian thought that the resurrection naturally lost its vital\nsignificance, and it has practically held no place in the great\nsystems of philosophy elaborated by the Christian thinkers in modern\ntimes.\" And, yet, the Church continues to repeat the now meaningless\nwords, \"I believe in the Resurrection of the Body.\" And while\npractically no one now believes it, still the recital of the words,\nand the statement of one's belief in them, forms a necessary requisite\nfor admission into the Christian Church to-day. Such is the persistent\nhold of dead forms, and thoughts, upon living people.\n\nAnd, so you can readily see from what has been said, why the early\nChristians, about the close of the first century A.D., attached so\nmuch importance to _the physical conception and birth_ of Jesus. To\nthem the physical body of Jesus was Jesus Himself. The rest follows\nnaturally, including the Virgin Birth and the Physical Resurrection.\nWe trust that you now understand this part of the subject.\n\nWe have heard devout Christians shocked at the idea that Jesus was\nborn of a human father and mother, in the natural way of the race.\nThey seemed to think that it savored of impurity. Such a notion is the\nresult of a perverted idea of the sacredness of natural functions--a\nseeing of impurity--where all is pure. What a perversion, this\nregarding the sacredness of human Fatherhood, and Motherhood, as\nimpure! The man of true spirituality sees in the Divine Trinity of\nFather, Mother and Child, something most pure and sacred--something\nthat brings man very close indeed to God. Is the beautiful babe, held\nclose in its mother's fond embrace, a symbol and type of impurity? Is\nthe watchful care and love of the Father of the babe, an impure result\nof an impure cause? Does not one's own heart tell him the contrary?\nLook at the well known picture of the Journey to Egypt, with Mary\ncarrying the babe, and both guarded and protected by the husband and\nfather--Joseph--is this not a beautiful symbol of the sacredness of\nParenthood? We trust that the majority of those who read these pages\nhave advanced spiritually beyond the point where The Family is a thing\nof impure suggestion and relationship.\n\nAnd, now, what are the Occult Teachings--the Secret Doctrine--regarding\nthe Real Virgin Birth of Jesus? Just this: that the Spirit of Jesus\nwas fresh from the bosom of the Absolute--Spirit of SPIRIT--a Virgin\nBirth of Spirit. His Spirit had not traveled the weary upward path of\nReincarnation and repeated Rebirth, but was Virgin Spirit fresh from\nthe SPIRIT--a very Son of the Father--begotten not created. This Virgin\nSpirit was incarnated in His body, and there began the life of Man, not\nfully aware of His own nature, but gradually awakening into knowledge\njust as does every human soul, until at last the true nature of His\nBeing burst upon him, and he saw that he indeed was God incarnate. In\nhis short life of thirty-three years--thirty years of preparation, and\nthree years of ministry, Jesus typified and symbolized the Life of the\nRace. Just as he awakened into a perception of his Divine Nature, so\nshall the race awaken in time. Every act in the Life of Jesus typified\nand symbolized the life of every individual soul, and of the race. We\nall have our Garden of Gethsemane--each is Crucified, and Ascends to\nHigher Planes. This is the Occult Doctrine of the Virgin Birth of\nChrist. Is it not a worthy one--is it not at least a higher conception\nof the human mind, than the physical Virgin Birth legend?\n\nAs we proceed with our lessons, we shall bring out the details of the\nOccult Teachings concerning the Divine Nature of Christ--the Spirit\nwithin the Human Form. And, in these references and instruction, you\nwill see even more clearly that nature of the Spiritual Virgin Birth\nof Jesus.\n\nThe original Christians were instructed in the Truth concerning the\nVirgin Birth, that is, those who were sufficiently intelligent to\ngrasp it. But after the great Teachers passed away, and their\nsuccessors became overzealous in their desire to convert the outside\npeoples, the influx of the latter gradually overcame the original\nteachings, and the physical Virgin Birth and the Resurrection of the\nBody, became Doctrines and Articles of Faith, held of vital importance\nby the new orthodox leaders. It has taken centuries of mental\nstruggle, and spiritual unfoldment to bring the Light of the Truth to\nbear upon this dark corner of the Faith, but the work is now fairly\nunder way, and the great minds in the Church, as well as those out of\nthe Church, are beginning to lay the old legend aside as a worn out\nrelic of primitive days when the cloud of Ignorance overshadowed the\nLight of Truth.\n\nIn concluding this lesson, let us glance once more at the words of the\neminent divine, Dr. Campbell, in his _New Theology_, in which he\nstates:\n\n     \"But why hesitate about the question? The greatness of Jesus\n     and the value of his revelation to mankind are in no way\n     either assisted or diminished by the manner of his entry\n     into the world. Every birth is just as wonderful as a virgin\n     birth could possibly be, and just as much a direct act of\n     God. A supernatural conception bears no relation whatever to\n     the moral and spiritual worth of the person who is supposed\n     to enter the world in this abnormal way.... Those who insist\n     on the doctrine will find themselves in danger of proving\n     too much, for pressed to its logical conclusion, it removes\n     Jesus altogether from the category of humanity in any real\n     sense.\"\n\nLet us trust that these Higher Critics may become informed upon the\ntruths of the Occult Teachings, which supply the Missing Key, and\nafford the Reconciliation, and which show how and why Jesus is, in all\nand very truth, THE SON OF GOD, begotten and not created, of one\nsubstance from the Father--a particle of Purest Spirit fresh from the\nOcean of Spirit, and free from the Karma of past Incarnations--how He\nwas human and yet more than human.\n\nIn our next lesson we shall take up the narrative of the secret life\nof Jesus from the time of his appearance, as a child at the Temple,\namong the Elders, until when at the age of thirty years he appeared at\nthe scene of the ministry of John the Baptist, and began his own brief\nministry of three years which was closed by the Crucifixion and\nAscension. This is a phase of the subject of intense interest, and\nstartling nature, because of the lack of knowledge of the occult\ntraditions on the part of the general public.\n\n\n\n\nTHE THIRD LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE MYSTIC YOUTH OF JESUS.\n\nIn our last lesson we promised to tell you the esoteric story of the\nyouth of Jesus. And there is such a story to tell, although the\nchurches know little or nothing about it. The churches have nothing\nbut the husks that have always been the property of the masses. The\nreal kernels of truth have been possessed by but the few elect ones.\nThe legends of the mystic brotherhoods and occult orders have\npreserved the story intact, and you shall now be given the essence of\nthe mystic legends and traditions.\n\nAt the end of our first lesson we left Joseph, Mary and the infant\nJesus in Egypt, the land to which they had flown to escape the wrath\nof the tyrant Herod. They dwelt in Egypt for a few years, until the\ndeath of Herod. Then Joseph retraced his steps, and returned toward\nhis own country, bringing with him his wife and the babe. For some\nreasons unknown to those familiar with the legends and traditions,\nJoseph decided not to locate in Judea, but instead, bent his way\ntoward the coast and returned to Nazareth where Mary and he had\noriginally met and become betrothed. And, so, in Nazareth, the humble\nlittle mountain town the boyhood days of Jesus were spent, the\ngrinding poverty of the family being relieved (according to the occult\nlegends) by the yearly presents of gold from the hands of disguised\nmessengers of the Magi.\n\nThe traditions relate that Jesus began His study of the Hebrew Law\nwhen He was but five years of age. It is related that He displayed an\nunusual ability and talent in the direction of mastering not only the\ntext, but also the spirit of the Hebrew Scripture, and far outstripped\nHis fellow students. It is also related that He displayed an early\nimpatience at the dreary formalism of His Hebrew teachers, and a\ndisposition to go right to the heart of the text before Him, that He\nmight discern the spirit animating it. So much was this the case that\nHe frequently brought down upon His head the censure of His\ninstructors who overlooked the spirit of the teachings in their\ndevotion to the forms and words.\n\nNazareth was an old-fashioned place and it and its inhabitants were\nmade the target for the jests and witticisms of the people of Judea.\nThe word \"Nazarene\" was synonymous with \"lout\"; \"boor\"; \"peasant\";\netc., to the residents of the more fashionable regions. The very\nremoteness of the town served to separate it in spirit from the rest\nof the country. But this very remoteness played an important part in\nthe early life of Jesus. Nazareth, by reason of its peculiar location,\nwas on the line of several caravan routes. Travelers from many lands\ntraveled through the town, and rested there overnight, or sometimes\nfor several days. Travelers from Samaria, Jerusalem, Damascus, Greece,\nRome, Arabia, Syria, Persia, Phoenicia, and other lands mingled with\nthe Nazarenes. And the traditions relate that Jesus, the child, would\nsteal away and talk with such of these travelers as were versed in\noccult and mystic lore, and would imbibe from their varied founts of\nlearning, until He was as thoroughly informed on these subjects as\nmany a mystic of middle age. The traditions have it that the boy would\noften delight and astonish these traveling occultists with His\nwonderful insight into their secret doctrines and knowledge. And it is\nalso told that some of the wisest of these, seeing the nature of the\nchild, would overstay their allotted time of sojourn, that they might\nadd here and there to the various parts of general occult lore\npossessed by the child. It is also taught that the Magi informed some\nof these travelers regarding the boy, that they might impart to him\nsome truth or teaching for which He was ready.\n\nAnd so the boy grew in knowledge and wisdom, day by day, year by year,\nuntil, finally, there occurred an event in His life, which has since\nbeen the subject of greatest interest to all Christians and students\nof the New Testament, but which without the above explanation is not\nreadily understood.\n\nThe Feast of the Passover occurred in its allotted time of the\nyear--April--when Jesus was in his thirteenth year. This feast was one\nof the most important in the Jewish calendar, and its observance was\nheld as a most sacred duty by all Hebrews. It was the feast set down\nfor the remembrance and perpetuation of that most important event in\nthe history of the Jewish people when the Angel of Death swept over\nall of Egypt's land smiting the first-born child of every house of the\nnatives, high and low, but sparing all the houses of the captive\nHebrews who marked their door-sills with the sacrificial blood as a\ntoken of their faith. This is no place to give the explanation of this\napparently miraculous event, which students now know to be due to\nnatural causes. We merely mention it in passing.\n\nThe Law-givers of Israel had appointed the Feast of the Passover as a\nperpetual symbol of this event so important by the nation, and every\nself-respecting Jew felt obligated to take part in the observance and\nsacrament. Every pious Jew made it a point to perform a pilgrimage to\nJerusalem at the time of the Feast of the Passover, if he could in any\nway manage to do so.\n\nAt the time of the Passover celebration of which we are speaking,\nJesus had just entered into His thirteenth year, which age entitled\nHim, under the ecclesiastical law, to the privilege of sitting with\nthe adult men of His race at the Passover supper, and also to publicly\njoin with the male congregation in the thanksgiving service in the\nsynagogues.\n\nAnd so, on this year, He accompanied His father and mother to\nJerusalem and made His _second_ visit to the Holy City. It will be\nremembered that His _first_ visit there was made when as an infant He\nwas carried thither from Bethlehem in His mother's arms in accordance\nwith the Jewish law, and at which time an aged priest and an old\nprophetess had publicly acknowledged the divine nature of the child.\n\nThe father, mother and child--the divine trinity of Human\nrelationship--traveled slowly over the highway that led from Nazareth\nto Jerusalem. The father and mother were concerned with the details of\nthe journey, mingled with pious thoughts concerning the sacred feast\nin which they were to take part. But the boy's mind was far away from\nthe things that were occupying his parent's thoughts. He was thinking\nover the deep mystic truths which He had so readily absorbed during\nthe past few years, and He was looking forward in delightful\nanticipation to His expected meeting with the older mystics in the\ntemples and public places of Jerusalem.\n\nIt must be remembered that underlying the Jewish ecclesiastical\nteachings and formalism, which were all that the mass of the people\nknew, there was a great store of Jewish occultism and Mysticism known\nto the few elect. The Kaballah or Jewish occult writings were closely\nstudied by the learned Jews, and this work with other similar\nteachings were transmitted verbally from teacher to student, and\nconstituted the Secret Doctrine of the Hebrew religion. And it was\ntoward the learned teachers of this Secret Doctrine that Jesus\ndirected His mind and steps, although His parents knew it not.\n\nFour or five days were consumed in the journey, and at last the Holy\nCity--Jerusalem--came into full view, the wonderful Temple of Israel\nshowing plainly above the other buildings. The bands of pilgrims, of\nwhich the family of Joseph formed a part, formed into orderly array\nand led by flute-players they solemnly marched into the streets of the\nHoly City, singing and chanting the Sacred Songs used by the faithful\nupon this solemn occasion. And the boy walked with the rest, with\nbowed head, and eyes that seemed to see things far removed from the\nscene around them.\n\nThe Passover rites were carried out--the duties were performed--the\nceremonies were observed. The Passover Feast extended over a full\nweek, of which the first two days were the most important, and during\nwhich two days the obligatory ceremonies were performed. Each family\nmade the offering of the sacrificial lamb--each family baked and ate\nthe unleavened bread. The beautiful idea of the Passover had\ndegenerated into a horrible feast of blood, for it is related that\nupon these occasions over a quarter-million of poor innocent lambs\nwere slaughtered and offered up as a sacrifice pleasing to Jehovah,\nwho was supposed to delight in this flood of the blood of innocents.\nIn pursuance of this barbarous idea, the altars and courts of the\nTemple of the Living God ran red with the life-blood of these poor\ncreatures, and the hands and garments of the anointed priests of\nJehovah were stained like those of butchers, that the vanity of a\nbarbarous conception of Deity might be fed.\n\nAll this for \"the Glory of God!\" Think of it! And think of the feeling\nthat must have been aroused in the mystic mind of Jesus at this\nhorrible sight. How His soul must have been outraged at this\nprostitution of the sacred rite! And what would have been His thoughts\nhad He known that centuries after, a great religion would stand,\nbearing His name, the followers of which would be carried away with\nthis same false idea of sacrificial blood, which would be voiced in\nhymns about \"A fountain filled with blood, flowing from Immanuel's\nveins,\" and about \"sinners plunged beneath that bloody flood losing\nall their guilty stains?\" Alas, for the prostitution of sacred truths\nand teachings. No wonder that a people so saturated with the\nabominable ideas of a Deity delighting in this flow of blood should\nhave afterward put to death the greatest man of their race--a Being\nwho came to bring them the highest mystic and occult truths. And their\nprototypes have survived through the centuries, even unto today,\ninsisting upon this idea of blood sacrifice and death atonement,\nunworthy of any people except the worshipers of some heathen devil-god\nin the remote sections of darkest Africa.\n\nDisgusted and outraged by this barbarous sight, Jesus, the boy, stole\naway from the side of His parents, and sought the remote chambers and\ncorridors of the Temple where were to be found the great teachers of\nthe Law and of the Kaballah, surrounded by their students. Here the\nboy sat and listened to the teachings and disputations of the teachers\nand exponents of the doctrines. From one group to another He wandered,\nand listened, and pondered, and thought. He compared the teachings,\nand submitted the various ideas to the touchstone of the truth as He\nfound it within His own mind. The hours rapidly passed by unnoticed by\nthe boy, who found Himself amidst such congenial environments for the\nfirst time. The talks with the travelers of the caravans paled into\ninsignificance when compared with these of the great occult teachers\nof Israel. For be it remembered that it was the custom of the great\nteachers of that day to so instruct those who were attracted to their\ncompany. And Jerusalem being the centre of the culture and learning of\nIsrael, the great teachers dwelt there. And so it will be seen that\nJesus now found Himself at the very fountain-head of the Hebrew Secret\nDoctrines, and in the actual presence of the great teachers.\n\nOn the third day, there began a breaking-up of the vast gathering of\nthe two million of people who had made the pilgrimage to the Holy\nCity. Those poorer in purse were the first to leave, after the\nobligatory rites of the first two days had been performed. And Joseph\nand Mary were among those preparing to retrace their steps to their\ndistant homes. Their friends and neighbors gathered together, and the\npreparations for the return were completed. But at the last moment,\nthe parents discovered that the boy, Jesus, was missing. They were\nalarmed, but friends told them that their boy had been seen in the\ncompany of kinsmen and neighbors traveling along the same road, who\nhad preceded them but a few hours. Somewhat reassured, the parents\nleft with their company, hoping that they would overtake the boy\nbefore nightfall. But when they reached the first station on the\ncaravan route--a village called Beroth--and the night descended upon\nthem, and the boy failed to appear among the neighbors and kinsmen,\nthe parents were sorely distressed. They slept but little that night,\nand when the first rays of dawn appeared, they parted from the\ncompany, and retraced their way back to Jerusalem, in search of the\nboy apparently lost in the great capital amid the hundreds of\nthousands of pilgrims.\n\nEvery mother and father will enter into the feelings of Joseph and\nMary in their frantic return to the city, and in their subsequent\nsearch for the lost child. They inquired here and there for the boy,\nbut not a trace of him was found. And night came without a ray of\nhope. And the next day was likewise barren of results. And the next\nday after. For three days the devoted parents searched high and low\nfor their beloved child--but no word of encouragement came to them.\nThe boy had seemingly dropped out of sight in the vast crowds and\nwinding streets. The parents reproached themselves for their lack of\ncare and caution. None but a parent can imagine their anguish and\nterror.\n\nThey visited the many courts of the Temple many times, but no sight or\nword of the boy rewarded their search. The bloody altars, the showy\ncostumes of the priests; the chants; the readings; seemed like mockery\nto them. They wished themselves back in their humble village, with\ntheir boy by their side. They prayed and besought Jehovah to grant\ntheir hopes and desire, but no answer came.\n\nThen, on the last day, a strange event occurred. The weary and heart\nbroken parents wandered once more into the Temple--this time visiting\none of the less frequented courts. They saw a crowd gathered--something\nof importance was occurring. Almost instinctively they drew near to the\ncrowd. And then amidst the unusual silence of the people they heard a\nboyish voice raised to a pitch adapted to a large circle of hearers,\nand speaking in the tones of authority. It was the voice of the boy,\nJesus!\n\nWith eager feet the couple pushed forward, unto the very inner row of\nthe circle. And there, wonder of wonders, they saw their child in the\ncentre of the most celebrated teachers and doctors of the Law in all\nIsrael. With a rapt expression in his eyes, as if He were gazing upon\nthings not of this world, the boy Jesus was standing in a position and\nattitude of authority, and around him were grouped the greatest minds\nof the day and land, in respectful attention, while at a further\ndistance stood the great circle of the common people.\n\nWhen one remembers the Jewish racial trait of reverence for age, and\nthe consequent submission of Youth, one will better understand the\nunusual spectacle that burst upon the gaze of Joseph and Mary. A mere\nboy--a child--daring to even speak boldly in the presence of the aged\nteachers was unheard of, and the thought of such a one actually\npresuming to dispute, argue and teach, in such an assembly, was like\nunto a miracle. And such it was!\n\nThe boy spoke with the air and in the tones of a Master. He met the\nmost subtle arguments and objections of the Elders with the power of\nthe keenest intellect and spiritual insight. He brushed aside the\nsophistries with a contemptuous phrase, and brought back the argument\nto the vital point.\n\nThe crowd gathered in greater volume, the gray heads and beards grew\nmore and more respectful. It was evident to all that a Master had\narisen in Israel in the form of a boy of thirteen. The MASTER was\napparent in tone, gesture, and thought. The Mystic had found his first\naudience, and his congregation was composed of the leading thinkers\nand teachers of the land. The insight of the Magi was verified!\n\nThen in a momentary pause in the argument, the stifled cry of a woman\nwas heard--the voice of the Mother. The crowd turned impatient,\nreproachful glances upon Mary, who had been unable to restrain her\nemotion. But the boy, looking sadly but affectionately at his lost\nparents, gave her a reassuring glance, which at the same time bade her\nremain still until he had finished his discourse. And the parents\nobeyed the newly awakened will of their child.\n\nThe teaching ended, the boy stepped from his position with the air of\none of the Elders, and rejoined his parents, who passed as rapidly as\npossible from the wondering crowd. Then his mother reproached him,\ntelling him of their distress and wearisome search. The boy listened\ncalmly and patiently until she had finished. Then he asked, with his\nnewly acquired air of authority, \"Why sought ye me?\" And when they\nanswered him in the customary manner of parents, the boy took on still\na greater air of authority, and in tones that though kindly, were full\nof power, he replied, \"Knew ye not, that I must be in my Father's\nHouse? I must be about the things of my Father.\" And the parents,\nfeeling themselves in the presence of the Mystery that had ever been\nabout the child, followed Him silently from the Temple grounds.\n\nAnd here closes the New Testament story of the boy Jesus at the age of\nthirteen, which story is not resumed until His appearance at the place\nof the preaching of John the Baptist, _over seventeen years later_,\nwhen the boy had reached the age of a man of thirty years. When and\nhow did he spend those seventeen years? The New Testament is totally\nsilent on this score. Can anyone who has read the above imagine that\nJesus spent these years as a growing youth and young man, working at\nHis father's carpenter bench in the village of Nazareth? Would not the\nMaster, having found his strength and power, have insisted upon\ndeveloping the same? Could the Divine Genius once self-recognized be\ncontent to be obscured amid material pursuits? The New Testament is\nsilent, but the Occult Traditions and Mystic Legends tell us the story\nof the missing seventeen years, and these we shall now give to you.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe legends and traditions of the mystic and occult organizations and\nbrotherhoods tell us that after the occurrence of Jesus and the Elders\nin the Temple, and his recovery by his parents, the latter were\napproached by members of the secret organization to which the Magi\nbelonged, who pointed out to the parents the injustice of the plan of\nkeeping the lad at the carpenter's bench when He had shown evidences\nof such a marvelous spiritual development and such a wonderful\nintellectual grasp of weighty subjects. It is told that after a long\nand serious consideration of the matter the parents finally consented\nto the plan advanced by the Magi, and allowed them to take the lad\nwith them into their own land and retreats that He might there receive\nthe instructions for which His soul craved, and for which His mind was\nfitted.\n\nIt is true that the New Testament does not corroborate these occult\nlegends, but it is likewise true that it says nothing to the contrary.\nIt is silent regarding this important period of between seventeen and\neighteen years. It is to be remembered that when He appeared upon the\nscene of John's ministration, the latter did not recognize Him,\nwhereas had Jesus remained about His home, John, his cousin, would\nhave been acquainted with his features and personal appearance.\n\nThe occult teachings inform us that the seventeen or eighteen years of\nJesus' life regarding which the Gospels are silent, were filled with\ntravels in far and distant lands, where the youth and young man was\ninstructed in the occult lore and wisdom of the different schools. It\nis taught that He was taken into India, and Egypt, and Persia, and\nother far regions, living for several years at each important center,\nand being initiated into the various brotherhoods, orders, and bodies\nhaving their headquarters there. Some of the Egyptians' orders have\ntraditions of a young Master who sojourned among them, and such is\nlikewise the case in Persia and in India. Even among the lamasaries\nhidden in Thibet and in the Himalayan Mountains are to be found\nlegends and stories regarding the marvelous young Master who once\nvisited there and absorbed their wisdom and secret knowledge.\n\nMore than this, there are traditions among the Brahmans, Buddhists and\nZoroastrians, telling of a strange young teacher who appeared among\nthem, who taught marvelous truths and who aroused great opposition\namong the priests of the various religions of India and Persia, owing\nto his preaching against priestcraft and formalism, and also by his\nbitter opposition to all forms of caste distinctions and restrictions.\nAnd this, too, is in accord with the occult legends which teach that\nfrom about the age of twenty-one until the age of nearly thirty years\nJesus pursued a ministry among the people of India and Persia and\nneighboring countries, returning at last to his native land where He\nconducted a ministry extending over the last three years of His life.\n\nThe occult legends inform us that He aroused great interest among the\npeople of each land visited by Him, and that He also aroused the most\nbitter opposition among the priests, for He always opposed formalism\nand priestcraft, and sought to lead the people back to the Spirit of\nthe Truth, and away from the ceremonies and forms which have always\nserved to dim and becloud the Light of the Spirit. He taught always\nthe Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. He sought to bring\nthe great Occult Truths down to the comprehension of the masses of\npeople who had lost the Spirit of the Truth in their observance of\noutward forms and pretentious ceremonies.\n\nIt is related that in India He brought down upon His head the wrath of\nthe Brahmin upholders of the caste distinctions, that curse of India.\nHe dwelt in the huts of the Sudras, the lowest of all of the Hindu\ncastes, and was therefore regarded as a pariah by the higher classes.\nEverywhere He was regarded as a firebrand and a disturber of\nestablished social order by the priests and high-caste people. He was\nan agitator, a rebel, a religious renegade, a socialist, a dangerous\nman, an \"undesirable citizen,\" to those in authority in those lands.\n\nBut the seeds of His wisdom were sown right and left, and in the Hindu\nreligions of today, and in the teachings of other Oriental countries,\nmay be found traces of Truth, the resemblance of which to the recorded\nteachings of Jesus, show that they came from the same source, and have\nsorely disturbed the Christian missionaries that have since visited\nthese lands.\n\nAnd so, slowly and patiently, Jesus wended his way homeward toward\nIsrael, where He was to complete His ministry by three years' work\namong His own race, and where He was to again raise up against Himself\nthe opposition of the priests and the upper classes which would\nfinally result in His death. He was a rebel against the established\norder of things, and He met the fate reserved for those who live ahead\nof their time.\n\nAnd, as from the first days of His ministry to His last, so it is\ntoday, the real teachings of the Man of Sorrows reach more readily the\nheart of the plain people, while they are reviled and combatted by\nthose in ecclesiastical and temporal authority, even though these\npeople claim allegiance to Him and wear His livery. He was ever the\nfriend of the poor and oppressed, and hated by those in authority.\n\nAnd so, you see the Occult teachings show Jesus to have been a\nworld-wide teacher, instead of a mere Jewish prophet. The world was\nhis audience, and all races His hearers.\n\nHe planted His seeds of Truth in the bosom of many religions instead\nof but one, and these seeds are beginning to bear their best fruit\neven now at this late day, when the truth of the Fatherhood of God and\nthe Brotherhood of Man is beginning to be felt by all nations alike,\nand is growing strong enough to break down the old which have divided\nbrother from brother, and creed from creed. Christianity--true\nChristianity--is not a mere creed, but a great human and divine Truth\nthat will rise above all petty distinctions of race and creed and will\nat last shine on all men alike, gathering them into one fold of\nUniversal Brotherhood.\n\nMay the Great Day be hastened!\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAnd so we leave Jesus, wending his way slowly homeward toward Judea,\nthe land of His father and the place of His birth. Dropping a word\nhere--planting a seed there--onward He pursued His way. Visiting this\nmystic brotherhood, and resting a while in another occult retreat, He\nslowly retraced the journey of His youth. But while His outward\njourney was that of a student traveling forth to complete His\neducation, He returned as a Master and Teacher, bearing and sowing the\nseeds of a great Truth, which was to grow and bring forth great fruit,\nand which, in time, would spread over all the world in its primitive\npurity, notwithstanding its betrayal and corruption at the hands of\nthose in whose keeping He left it when he passed away from the scene\nof His labors.\n\nJesus came as a World Prophet, not as a mere Jewish holy-man, and\nstill less as a Hebrew Messiah destined to sit upon the throne of His\nfather David. And He left His mark upon all of the great peoples of\nearth by His journey among them. Throughout Persia are found many\ntraditions of Issa, the young Master who appeared in that land\ncenturies ago, and who taught the Fatherhood of God and the\nBrotherhood of Man. Among the Hindus are found strange traditions of\nJesoph or Josa, a young ascetic, who passed through the Hind long\nsince, denouncing the established laws of caste, and consorting with\nthe common people, who, as in Israel, \"heard him gladly.\" Even in\nChina are found similar tales of the young religious firebrand,\npreaching ever the Brotherhood of Man--ever known as the Friend of the\nPoor. On and on He went, sowing the seeds of human freedom and the\ncasting off of the yoke of ecclesiastical tyranny and formalism, which\nseeds are springing unto growth even at this late day. Yea, the Spirit\nof His real teachings are even now bearing fruit in the hearts of men,\nand though nearly two thousand years have passed by the \"soul\" of His\nsocial teachings still \"goes marching on\" round and round the world.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOURTH LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY.\n\nWhen Jesus reached his native land, after the years of travel in\nIndia, Persia and Egypt, he is believed by the occultists to have\nspent at least one year among the various lodges and retreats of the\nEssenes. By reference to the first lesson of this series you will see\nwho and what was this great mystic organization--the Essenic\nBrotherhood. While resting and studying in their retreats His\nattention was diverted to the work of Johannen--John the Baptist--and\nHe saw there an opening wedge for the great work that He felt called\nupon to do among His own people. Dreams of converting His own\nrace--the Jews--to His conception of Truth and Life, crept over Him,\nand he determined to make this work His great life task.\n\nThe feeling of race is hard to overcome and eradicate, and Jesus felt\nthat, after all, here He was at last, at home, among His own people,\nand the ties of blood and race reasserted themselves. He put aside His\nprevious thoughts of a world-wandering life, and decided to plant the\nstandard of the Truth in Israel, so that from the capital of the\nChosen People the Light of the Spirit might shine forth to all the\nworld. It was Jesus the man--Jesus the Jew--that made this choice.\nFrom the broader, higher point of view He had no race; no country; no\npeople;--but His man nature was too strong, and in yielding to it he\nsowed the seeds for His final undoing.\n\nHad he merely passed through Judea as a traveling missionary, as had\ndone many others before Him, he would have escaped the punishment of\nthe government. Although He would have aroused the hatred and\nopposition of the priests, He would have not laid Himself open to the\ncharge of wishing to become the King of the Jews, or the Jewish\nMessiah, come to resume the throne of David, His forefather. But it\navails us nought to indulge in speculations of this kind, for who\nknows what part Destiny or Fate plays in the Great Universal plan--who\nknows where Free-Will terminates and Destiny moves the pieces on the\nboard, that the Great Game of Universal Life be played according to\nthe plan?\n\nWhile among the Essenes, as we have said, Jesus first heard of John,\nand determined to use the ministry of the latter as an opening wedge\nfor His own great work. He communicated to the Essenic Fathers His\ndetermination to travel to John's field of work later on, and the\nFathers sent word of this to John. The legends have it that John did\nnot know who was coming, being merely informed that a great Master\nfrom foreign parts would join him later on, and that he, John, should\nprepare the people for his coming.\n\nAnd John followed these instructions from his superiors in the Essenic\nBrotherhood to the letter, as you will see by reference to our first\nlesson, and to the New Testament. He preached repentance;\nrighteousness; the Essenic rite of Baptism; and above all the Coming\nof the Master. He bade his hearers repent--\"repent ye! for the Kingdom\nof Heaven is at hand\"!--\"repent ye! for the Master cometh!\" cried he\nin forceful tones.\n\nAnd when his people gathered around him and asked whether he, John,\nwere not indeed the Master, he answered them, saying, \"Nay, I am not\nHe whom thou seekest. After me there cometh one whose sandals I am not\nworthy to unloose. I baptize thee with water, but He shall baptize\nthee with the Fire of the Spirit that is within Him!\" It was ever and\nalways this exhortation toward fitness for the coming of the Master.\nJohn was a true Mystic, who sank his personality in the Work he was\ncalled on to do, and who was proud to be but the Forerunner of the\nMaster, of whose coming he had been informed by the Brotherhood.\n\nAnd, as we have told you in the first lesson, one day there came\nbefore him, a young man, of a dignified, calm appearance, gazing upon\nhim with the expressive eyes of the true Mystic. The stranger asked to\nbe baptized, but John, having perceived the occult rank of the\nstranger by means of the signs and symbols of the Brotherhood,\nrebelled at the Master receiving baptism at the hands of himself, one\nfar below the occult rank of the stranger. But Jesus, the stranger,\nsaid to John, \"Suffer it to be,\" and stepped into the water to receive\nthe mystic rite again, as a token to the people that He had come as\none of them.\n\nAnd then occurred that strange event, with which you are familiar,\nwhen a dove descended as if from Heaven and rested over the head of\nthe stranger, and a soft voice, even as the sighing of the wind\nthrough the trees, was heard, whispering, \"This is my beloved son, in\nwhom I am well pleased.\" And then the stranger, evidently awed by the\nstrange message from the Beyond, passed away from the multitude, and\nbent his way toward the wilderness, as if in need of a retreat in\nwhich he could meditate over the events of the day, and regarding the\nwork which He could now dimly see stretching its way before Him.\n\nThe average student of the New Testament passes over the event of\nJesus in the Wilderness, with little or no emotion, regarding it as a\nmere incident in His early career. Not so with the mystic or\noccultist, who knows, from the teachings of his order, that in the\nWilderness Jesus was subjected to a severe occult test, designed to\ndevelop His power, and test His endurance. In fact, as every advanced\nmember of any of the great occult orders knows, the occult degree\nknown as \"The Ordeal of the Wilderness\" is based upon this mystic\nexperience of Jesus, and is intended to symbolize the tests to which\nHe was subjected. Let us consider this event so fraught with meaning\nand importance to all true occultists.\n\nThe Wilderness toward which Jesus diverted His steps, lay afar off\nfrom the river in which the rites of Baptism had been performed.\nLeaving behind him the fertile banks, and acres, of cultivated land,\nHe approached the terrible Wilderness which even the natives of that\npart of the country regarded with superstitious horror. It was one of\nthe weirdest and dreariest spots in even that weird and dreary portion\nof the country. The Jews called it \"The Abode of Horror\"; \"The\nDesolate Place of Terror\"; \"The Appalling Region\"; and other names\nsuggestive of the superstitious dread which it inspired in their\nhearts. The Mystery of the Desert Places hung heavy over this place,\nand none but the stoutest hearts ventured within its precincts. Though\nakin to the desert, the place abounded in dreary and forbidding hills,\ncrags, ridges and canyons. Those of our readers who have ever traveled\nacross the American continent and have seen some of the desolate\nplaces of the American Desert, and who have read of the terrors of\nDeath Valley, or the Alkali Lands, may form an idea of the nature of\nthis Wilderness toward which the Master was traveling.\n\nAll normal vegetation gradually disappeared as He pressed further and\nfurther into this terrible place, until naught remained but the\nscraggy vegetation peculiar to these waste places--those forms of\nplant life that in their struggle for existence had managed to survive\nunder such adverse conditions as to give the naturalist the impression\nthat the very laws of natural plant life have been defied and\novercome.\n\nLittle by little the teeming animal life of the lower lands\ndisappeared, until at last no signs of such life remained, other than\nthe soaring vultures overhead and the occasional serpent and crawling\nthings under foot. The silence of the waste places was upon the\ntraveler, brooding heavily over Him and all around the places upon\nwhich He set His foot, descending more heavily upon Him each moment of\nHis advance.\n\nThen came a momentary break in the frightful scene. He passed through\nthe last inhabited spot in the approach to the heart of the\nWilderness--the tiny village of Engedi, where were located the ancient\nlimestone reservoirs of water which supplied the lower regions of the\nterritory. The few inhabitants of this remote outpost of primitive\ncivilization gazed in wonder and awe at the lonely figure passing them\nwith unseeing eyes and with gaze seemingly able to pierce the\nforbidding hills which loomed up in the distance hiding lonely\nrecesses into which the foot of man had never trodden, even the\nboldest of the desert people being deterred from a visit thereto by\nthe weird tales of unholy creatures and unhallowed things, which made\nthese places the scene of their uncanny meetings and diabolical\norgies.\n\nOn, and on, pressed the Master, giving but slight heed to the desolate\nscene which now showed naught but gloomy hills, dark canyons, and bare\nrocks, relieved only by the occasional bunches of stringy desert grass\nand weird forms of cacti bristling with the protective spines which is\ntheir armor against their enemies.\n\nAt last the wanderer reached the summit of one of the higher\nfoot-hills and gazed at the scene spreading itself before Him. And\nthat scene was one that would have affrighted the heart of an ordinary\nman. Behind Him was the country through which He had passed, which\nthough black and discouraging was as a paradise to the country which\nlay ahead of Him. There below and behind Him were the caves and rude\ndwellings of the outlaws and fugitives from justice who had sought the\ndoubtful advantage of security from the laws of man. And far away in\nthe distance were the scenes of John the Baptist's ministry, where He\ncould see in imagination the multitude discussing the advent of the\nstrange Master, who had been vouched for by the Voice, but who had\nstolen swiftly away from the scene, and had fled the crowds who would\nhave gladly worshipped Him as a Master and have obeyed His slightest\ncommand.\n\nThen as the darkness of the succeeding nights fell upon Him, He would\nsleep on some wild mountain cliff, on the edge of some mighty\nprecipice, the sides of which dropped down a thousand feet or more.\nBut these things disturbed Him not. On and on He pressed at the\nappearance of each dawn. Without food He boldly moved forward to the\nHeart of the Hills, where the Spirit guided Him to the scene of some\ngreat spiritual struggle which he intuitively knew lay before Him.\n\nThe Words of the Voice haunted Him still, though He lacked a full\nunderstanding of them, for He had not yet unfolded the utmost recesses\nof His Spiritual Mind. \"This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well\npleased\"--what meant these words? And still, no answer came to that\ncry of His soul which sought in vain for a freeing of that riddle.\n\nAnd still on and on He pressed, until at last He mounted the steep\nsides of the barren forbidding mountain of Quarantana, beyond which He\nfelt that His struggle was to begin. No food was to be found--He must\nfight the battle unaided by the material sustenance that ordinary men\nfind necessary for life and strength. And still He had not received\nthe answer to the cry of His soul. The rocks beneath His feet--the\nblue sky above His head--the lofty peaks of Moab and Gilead in the\ndistance--gave no answer to the fierce insistent desire for the answer\nto the Riddle of the Voice. The answer must come from Within, and from\nHimself only. And in the Heart of the Wilderness He must remain,\nwithout food, without shelter, without human companionship, until the\nAnswer came. And as it was with the Master, so is it with the\nfollower--all who attain the point of unfoldment at which the Answer\nis alone possible, must experience that awful feeling of \"aloneness\"\nand spiritual hunger, and frightful remoteness from all that the world\nvalues, before the Answer comes from Within--from the Holy of Holies\nof the Spirit.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nTo realize the nature of the spiritual struggle that awaited Jesus in\nthe Wilderness--that struggle that would bring Him face to face with\nHis own soul, we must understand the Jewish longing and expectation of\nthe Messiah. The Messianic traditions had taken a strong hold upon the\nminds of the Jewish people, and it needed but the spark of a strong\npersonality to set all Israel into a blaze which would burn fiercely\nand destroy the foreign influences which have smothered the national\nspirit. The idea of a Messiah springing from the loins of David, and\ncoming to take His rightful place as the King of the Jews, was\nimbedded in the heart of every Jew worthy of the name. Israel was\noppressed by its conquerors, and made subject to a foreign yoke, but\nwhen the Messiah would come to deliver Israel, every Jew would arise\nto drive out the foreign invaders and conquerors--the yoke of Rome\nwould be thrown off, and Israel would once more take its place among\nthe nations of the earth.\n\nJesus knew full well the fact of this national hope. It had been\ninstalled into His mind from childhood. He had pondered over it often\nduring the time of His wanderings and sojourn in foreign lands. The\noccult legends, however, make no mention of His having ever thought of\nHimself as the Messiah until he was about to re-enter His own land\nafter His years of foreign study and ministry. It is thought that the\nidea of His being the long expected Messiah was first suggested by\nsome of the Essenic teachers, when He rested with them for awhile\nbefore appearing before John the Baptist. It was pointed out to Him\nthat the marvelous events surrounding His birth indicated that He was\na marked individual destined to play an important part in the history\nof the World. Then why was it not reasonable to believe that that role\nwas to be that of the Messiah come to sit on the throne of His father\nDavid, and destined to bring Israel from her now obscure position to\nonce more shine as a bright star in the firmament of nations? Why was\nit not reasonable that He was to lead the Chosen People to their own?\n\nJesus began to ponder over these things. He had absolutely no material\nambitions for Himself and all His impulses and inclinations were for\nthe life of an occult ascetic. But the idea of a redeemed and\nregenerated Israel was one calculated to fire the blood of any Jew,\neven though the element of personal ambition might be lacking in him.\n\nHe had always realized that in some way He was different from other\nmen, and that some great work lay ahead of Him, but He had never\nunderstood His own nature, nor the work He was to do. And it is not to\nbe wondered that the talk among the Essenes caused Him to ponder\ncarefully over the idea expressed by them. And then the wonderful\nevent of the dove, and the Voice, upon the occasion of His baptism,\nseemed almost to verify the idea of the Essenes. Was He indeed the\nlong-expected Deliverer of Israel? Surely He must find this out--He\nmust wring the answer from the inmost recesses of His soul. And so, He\nsought refuge in the Wilderness, intuitively feeling that there amidst\nthe solitude and desolation, He would fight His fight and receive His\nanswer.\n\nHe felt that He had come to a most important phase of His life's work,\nand the question of \"What Am I?\" must be settled, once and for\nall,--then and there. And so He left behind Him the admiring and\nworshipful crowds of John's following, and sought the solitude of the\nwaste places of the Wilderness, in which He felt He would come face to\nface with His own soul, and demand and receive its answer.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAnd up in the inmost recesses of the Heart of the Wilderness,\nJesus wrestled in spirit with Himself for many days, without\nfood or nourishment, and without shelter. And the struggle was\nterrific--worthy of such a great soul. First the body's insistent\nneeds were to be fought and mastered. It is related that the climax of\nthe physical struggle came one day when the Instinctive Mind, which\nattends to the physical functions, made a desperate and final demand\nupon Him. It cried aloud for bread with all the force of its nature.\nIt tempted Him with the fact that by His own occult powers He was able\nto convert the very stones into bread, and it demanded that He work\nthe miracle for His own physical needs--a practice deemed most\nunworthy by all true occultists and mystics. \"Turn this stone into\nbread, and eat\" cried the voice of the Tempter. But Jesus resisted the\ntemptation although He knew that by the power of His concentrated\nthought He had but first to mentally picture the stone as bread and\nthen _will_ that it be so materialized. The miraculous power which\nafterward turned water into wine, and which was again used to feed the\nmultitude with the loaves and the fishes, was available to Him at that\nmoment in order to satisfy the cravings of His body, and to break His\nfast.\n\nNone but the advanced occultist who has known what it was to be\ntempted to use his mysterious powers to satisfy his personal wants,\ncan appreciate the nature of the struggle through which Jesus passed,\nand from which He emerged victorious. And like the occult Master that\nHe was, He summoned His Inner Forces and beat off the Tempter.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nBut a still greater temptation than this arose to try Him to the\nutmost. He found Himself brought face to face with the idea of\nMessiahship, and Kingship of the Jews, of which we spoke. Was He the\nMessiah? And if so, what must be His course of life and action? Was He\ndestined to throw aside the robe and staff of the ascetic, and to don\nthe royal purple and the sceptre? Was He to forsake the role of the\nspiritual guide and teacher, and to become the King and Ruler over the\npeople of Israel? These were the questions He asked His soul, and for\nwhich He demanded an answer.\n\nAnd the mystic legends tell us that His Spirit answered by showing Him\ntwo sets of mental pictures, with the assurance that _He could choose\neither, at will, and cause it to become realized_.\n\nThe first picture showed Him true to His spiritual instincts, and\nloyal to His mission, but which rendered Him indeed the \"Man of\nSorrows.\" He saw himself continuing to sow the seeds of Truth, which\nwould, centuries after, spring up, blossom and bear fruit to nourish\nthe world, but which would now bring down upon His head the hatred and\npersecution of those in power and authority. And He saw each\nsuccessive step, each showing the approach of the end, until at last\nHe saw Himself crowned with thorns and meeting the death of a criminal\non the cross, between two base criminals of the lowest classes of men.\nAll this He saw and even His brave heart felt a deadly sickness at the\nignominious end of it all--the apparent failure of His earthly\nmission. But it is related that some of the mighty intelligences which\ndwell upon the higher planes of existence, gathered around Him, and\ngave Him words of encouragement and hope and resolve. He found Himself\nliterally in the midst of the Heavenly Host, and receiving the\ninspiration of its presence.\n\nThen this picture--and the Host of Invisible Helpers--faded away, and\nthe second picture began to appear before the vision of the lonely\ndweller of the Wilderness. He saw the picture of Himself descending\nthe mountain, and announcing Himself as the Messiah--the King of the\nJews--who had come to lead His Chosen People to victory and\ndeliverance. He saw Himself acclaimed as the Promised One of Israel,\nand the multitude flocking to His banners. He saw Himself at the head\nof a great conquering army, marching toward Jerusalem. He saw Himself\nmaking use of His highly developed occult powers to read the minds of\nthe enemy and thus know their every movement and intention, and the\nmeans to overcome them. He saw Himself miraculously arming and feeding\nHis hosts of battle. He saw Himself smiting the enemy with His occult\npowers and forces. He saw the yoke of Rome being cast off, and its\nphalanxes fleeing across the borders in terror and disgraceful defeat.\nHe saw Himself mounting the throne of David, His forefather. He saw\nHimself instituting a reign of the highest type, which would make of\nIsrael the leading nation of the world. He saw Israel's sphere of\ninfluence extending in all directions, until Persia, Egypt, Greece and\neven the once-feared Rome, become tributary nations. He saw Himself in\nthe triumphant chariot on some great feast day of victory, with Caesar\nhimself tied to the tail of His chariot--a slave to Israel's King. He\nsaw His royal court outrivaling that of Solomon, and becoming the\ncenter of the world. He saw Jerusalem as the capital of the world, and\nHe, Jesus of Nazareth, son of David the King, as its Ruler, its hero,\nits demi-god. The very apotheosis of human success showed in the\npicture of Himself and His Beloved Israel in the picture.\n\nAnd then the Temple was seen to be the Center of the Religious thought\nof the World. The Religion of the Jews, as modified by His own\nadvanced views, would be the religion of all men. And he would be the\nfavored mouthpiece of the God of Israel. All the dreams of the Hebrew\nFathers would be realized in Him, the Messiah of the New Israel whose\ncapital would be Jerusalem, the Queen of the World.\n\nAnd all this by simply the exercise of his occult powers under the\ndirection of HIS WILL. It is related that accompanying this second\npicture and attracted by its mighty power, came all the great\nthought-waves of the world which had been thought by men of all times\nwho thought and acted out the Dreams of Power. These clouds settled\ndown upon Him like a heavy fog, and their vibrations were almost\noverpowering. And also came the hosts of the disembodied souls of\nthose who while living had sought or gained power. And each strove to\nbeat into His brain the Desire of Power. Never in the history of man\nhave the Powers of Darkness so gathered together for attack upon the\nmind of a mortal man. Would it have been any wonder had even such a\nman as Jesus succumbed?\n\nBut He did not succumb. Rallying His Inner Force to His rescue He beat\nback the attacking horde, and by an effort of His Will, He swept both\npicture and tempters away into oblivion, crying indignantly \"Thou\ndarest to tempt even me, thy Lord and Master. Get thee behind me thou\nFiends of Darkness\"!\n\nAnd so the Temptation of the Wilderness failed, and Jesus received His\nanswer from His soul, and He descended the mountains, back to the\nhaunts of men--back to the scene of His three years' labors and\nsuffering, and back to His Death. And He knew full well all that\nawaited Him there, for had He not seen the First Picture?\n\nJesus had chosen His career.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Master descended from the mountains and forsook the Wilderness for\nthe place in which John and his followers were gathered. Resting for a\ntime, and refreshing Himself with food and drink, He gathered together\nHis energies for His great work.\n\nThe followers of John gathered around Him, filled with the idea that\nHe was the Messiah come to lead them to victory and triumph. But He\ndisappointed them by His calm, simple manner, and His disavowal of\nroyal claims. \"What seek ye of me?\" he asked them, and many, abashed,\nleft His circle and returned to the crowd. But a few humble souls\nremained and around these few gathered a few more, until at last a\nlittle band of faithful students was formed--the first band of\nChristian disciples. This band was composed almost entirely of\nfishermen and men of similar humble occupations. There was an absence\nof people of rank or social position. His people were of the \"plain\npeople\" which have furnished the recruits for every great religion.\n\nAnd after a time, Jesus moved away from the place, followed by His\nband of disciples, which drew new members from each place of\ngathering. Some stayed but for a short time, while others replaced the\nfaint hearted ones of little faith. But the band steadily grew, until\nit began to attract the attention of the authorities and the public.\nJesus constantly disclaimed being the Messiah, but the report that\nsuch indeed He was, began to spread and the authorities began that\nsystem of spying and watching which followed His footsteps for three\nyears, and which finally resulted in His death on the Cross. And this\nsuspicion was encouraged by the Jewish priesthood which began to hate\nthe young teacher whose opposition to their tyranny and formalism was\nquite marked.\n\nThe band one day came to a small village in Galilee, and Jesus began\nHis usual meetings and teaching. Near where they gathered was a house\nat which preparations were being made for a wedding feast. The wedding\nceremony has always been an important occasion among the Jews. The\nmost elaborate preparations consistent with the size of the purse of\nthe girl's parents are indulged in. Relatives from far and near gather\nto the feast. Jesus happened to be a distant kinsman of the bride, and\naccording to custom He was bidden to the feast.\n\nThe guests began to gather, each depositing his sandals in the outer\ncourt, and entering the guest chamber barefooted, after carefully\nbathing his feet and ankles after the custom still prevailing in\nOriental countries. Jesus was accompanied by a few of His faithful\nfollowers. His mother, and His several brothers were also among the\nblood-relations present at the feast.\n\nHis appearance caused much interest and comment among the other\nguests. To some He was simply a traveling religious teacher, not\nuncommon in that land, to others He was an inspired prophet, bringing\na wonderful Message to the Jewish people, as He had to the Persians,\nEgyptians and Hindus; to others he was more than this, and whispers of\n\"He is the Messiah\"; \"The King of Israel,\" etc., began to circulate\namong those present, causing interest, uneasiness or disgust,\naccording to the views of the hearers. But whenever He moved, He\nattracted attention by His manner, attitude and expression. All felt\nthat here indeed was an Individual. Strange stories of His wanderings\nin strange lands added additional interest to His presence.\n\nA feeling that something unusual was about to happen began to creep\nover the crowd, as is the case often preceding such events. Mary, His\nmother, watched her son with longing eyes, for she saw that some\nstrange change had come over Him, that was beyond her comprehension.\n\nToward the end of the feast, it began to be whispered around among the\nnear relatives that the supply of wine was about exhausted, the\nattendance having been much greater than had been expected. This, to a\nJewish family, was akin to a family disgrace, and anxious looks began\nto be exchanged among the members of the immediate family.\n\nTradition has it that Jesus was besought for aid by His mother and\nother female kinswoman. Just what they expected Him to do is not\nclear, but it is probable that they unconsciously recognized His\ngreatness, and accorded Him the place of the natural Head of the\nFamily, as being the most prominent member. At any rate, they asked\nHis aid. What arguments they used, or what reasons they urged, we do\nnot know, but whatever they were, they succeeded in winning Him to\ntheir side, and gaining from Him a promise of aid and assistance. But\nnot until after He had remonstrated that these things were of no\nconcern of His--that His powers were not to be trifled away in this\nmanner. But His love for His mother, and His desire to reward her\ndevotion and faith in Him, prevailed over the natural disinclination\nof the mystic to be a \"wonder worker\" and to exhibit his occult powers\nto grace a wedding-feast. He had long since learned the necessary but\ncomparatively simple occult feat from His old Masters in far off\nIndia, that land of wonder-working. He knew that even the humbler\nYogis of that land would smile at the working of such a simple\nmiracle. And so the matter seemed to Him to be of but slight moment,\nand not as a prostitution of some of the higher occult powers. And\nfeeling thus, He yielded to their requests for aid.\n\nThen moving toward the court in which were stored a number of great\njars of water, he fixed a keen, burning glance upon them, one by one,\npassing His hand rapidly over them, in a quick succession, He made the\nMental Image that precedes all such manifestations of occult power,\nand then manifesting His power by using His Will in the manner known\nto all advanced occultists, He rapidly materialized the elements of\nthe wine in the water, within the jars, and lo! the \"miracle\" had been\nwrought.\n\nA wave of excitement passed over the crowded house. The guests flocked\naround the jars to taste of the wine that had been produced by occult\npower. The priests frowned their displeasure, and the authorities\nsneered and whispered \"charlatan\"; \"fraud\"; \"shameful imposture\"; and\nother expressions that always follow an occurrence of this kind.\n\nJesus turned away, in grief and sorrow. Among the Hindus such a simple\noccult occurrence would have caused but little comment, while here\namong His own people it was considered to be a wonderful miracle by\nsome, while others regarded it as a trick of a traveling conjurer and\ncharlatan.\n\nWhat manner of people were these to whom He had decided to deliver the\nMessage of Life? And, sighing deeply, He passed from the house, and\nreturned to His camp.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIFTH LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE FOUNDATION OF THE WORK.\n\nThere is but an imperfect record in the Gospels of the first year of\nJesus' ministry among the Jews. Theologians have spoken of it as the\n\"Year of Obscurity,\" but the Occult traditions speak of it as a most\nimportant year of His ministry, for in it He laid firm foundations for\nHis future work.\n\nHe travelled all over the country, establishing little circles of\ndisciples and centres of interest. In cities, towns, villages and\nhamlets, He left behind Him little bands of faithful students who kept\nalive the flame of Truth, which steadily kindled the lamps of others\nwho were attracted by the light. Always among the humblest He labored,\nseemingly impressed with the idea that the work must be begun on the\nlowest rounds of society's ladder. But after a while a few of the more\npretentious people began to attend the meetings, often brought there\nby curiosity. They came to smile and be amused, but many were\nimpressed and remained to pray. The leaven had been well mixed in the\nloaf of Jewish society and it was beginning to work.\n\nOnce more the season of the Feast of the Passover arrived and found\nJesus with His followers in Jerusalem and in the Temple. What memories\nthe scene awakened in His mind. He could see the same scenes in which\nHe had participated seventeen years before. Once more He saw the\npitiful slaughter of the innocent lambs, and witnessed the flow of the\nsacrificed blood over the altars and the stones of the floor of the\ncourts. Once more He saw the senseless mummery of the priestly\nceremonies, which seemed more pitiful than ever to His developed mind.\nHe knew that His vision had shown that He was to be slaughtered even\nas the sacrificial lambs, and there arose in His mind that comparison\nwhich stayed with Him ever after--that picture of Himself as the Lamb\nsacrificed on the Altar of Humanity. As pure as was this figure in His\nmind, it seems pitiful that in the centuries to come His followers\nwould fall into the error (as equally cruel as that of the Hebrews) of\nimagining that His death was a sacrifice demanded by a cruel Deity to\nsatisfy the Divine Wrath which had been kindled by the sight of Man's\nshortcomings and sins. The barbarous conception of a wrathful God\nwhose anger against His people could be appeased only by the bloody\nslaughter of innocent creatures, is fully equalled by the theological\ndogmas that the same Divine Wrath could be, and was, appeased by the\nblood of Jesus, the Master who had come to deliver the Message of\nTruth. Such a conception is worthy of only the most barbarous and\nprimitive minds. And yet it has been preached and taught for\ncenturies--in the very name of Jesus Himself--and men have been\npersecuted and put to death because they refused to believe that the\nSupreme Creator of the Universe could be such a malignant, cruel,\nrevengeful Being, or that the One Mind of All could be flattered and\ncajoled into forgiveness by the sight of the death of the Man of\nSorrows. It seems almost incredible that such a teaching could have\narisen from the pure teachings of Jesus, and that such has been Man's\nincapacity to grasp the Inner Teachings, that the Church built upon\nJesus' ministry has adopted and insisted upon the acceptance of such\ndogmas. But this baneful cloud of ignorance and barbaric thought is\ngradually lifting, until even now the intelligent minds in the Church\nrefuse to accept or teach the doctrine in its original crudity, they\neither passing it over in silence, or else dressing it in a more\nattractive garb.\n\nJesus taught no such barbarous things. His conception of Deity was of\nthe highest, for He had received the most advanced teachings of the\nMystics, who had instructed Him in the Mystery of the Immanent God,\nabiding everywhere and in all things. He had advanced far beyond the\nconception of Deity which pictured the One as a savage, bloodthirsty,\nvengeful, hating, tribal deity, ever crying for sacrifices and\nburnt-offerings, and capable of the meanest of human emotions. He saw\nthis conception as He saw the conception of other races and peoples,\nall of which had their tribal or national gods, which loved that\nparticular tribe or people, and which hated all other races or\nnationalities. He saw that back of, and behind, all these barbarous\nand primitive conceptions of Deity there dwelt an ever calm and serene\nBeing, the Creator and Ruler of countless Universes--millions and\nmillions of worlds--filling all space, and above all of the petty\nattributes that had been bestowed upon the petty gods of human\ncreation. He knew that the God of each nation, of each person in fact,\nwas but a magnified idea of the characteristics of the nation or\nindividual in question. And he knew that Hebrew conception was no\nexception to this rule.\n\nTo anyone having grown to an appreciation of the grandeur and\ngreatness of the idea of an Immanent Universal Being, the dogma of a\nDeity demanding a blood sacrifice to appease its wrath is too pitiful\nand degrading to be worth even a moment's serious consideration. And\nto such a one the prostitution of the high teachings of Jesus by the\nintroduction of such a base conception is a source of righteous\nindignation and earnest protest. The Mystics in the Christian Church\nthroughout the centuries have never accepted any such teachings,\nalthough the persecution of the church authorities have prevented\ntheir protests being made openly until of late years. The Mystics\nalone have kept alive the Light of the Truth through the Dark Ages of\nthe Christian Church. But now has come the dawn of a new day, and the\nChurch itself is seeing the Light, and the pulpits are beginning to\nresound with the truth of Mystic Christianity. And in the years to\ncome the Teachings of Jesus, the Master, will flow pure and clear,\nonce more freed from the corrupting dogmas which so long polluted the\nFount.\n\nAs Jesus wandered silently through the courts and chambers of the\nTemple, His indignation was aroused by a sight which seemed to Him to\nportray more forcibly than aught else the degradation which had fallen\nupon the Temple by reason of the corruption of the priesthood. Grouped\naround the steps and outer courts of the Temple He saw the groups of\nbrokers, money-changers and merchants who were doing a thriving\nbusiness with the thousands of strangers attending the Feast. The\nmoney-changers were exchanging the coins of the realm for the inferior\ncoins of the outlying regions, charging a large commission for the\nexchange. The brokers were buying articles, or loaning money on them,\nfrom the poor pilgrims, who were sacrificing their personal belongings\nfor cash with which they might purchase the animals for the sacrifice.\nThe merchants had droves of cattle, flocks of sheep and cages of doves\nwithin the sacred precincts of the Temple, which they were selling to\nthe pilgrims who wished to offer sacrifices. Tradition has it that the\ncorrupt priesthood profited by the sale of these \"privileges\" granted\nto this horde of traffickers in the Temple precincts. The vile\npractice had gradually crept in and established a firm foothold in the\nTemple, although contrary to the ancient practice.\n\nTo Jesus the horrible scenes of the Temple sacrificial rites seemed to\nfocus in this final exhibition of greed, materialism and lack of\nspirituality. It seemed to be blasphemy and sacrilege of the most\nglaring type. And His very soul felt nauseated and outraged by the\nsight. His fingers twitched, and laying hold of a bundle of knotted\ncords which had been used by some cattle-driver to urge forward his\nherd, He rushed forward upon the horde of traffickers, whirling His\ninstrument of chastisement over the shoulders and backs of the\noffenders, driving them out in a frantic rout, upsetting their benches\nand paraphernalia, crying in a voice of authority, \"Out, ye wretches!\nThis is the House of the Lord, and ye have made it a den of thieves.\"\nThe \"Meek and lowly Nazarene\" became an avenger of the prostitution of\nthe Temple.\n\nThe brokers, money-changers and merchants fled before His mighty\ncharge, leaving their scattered money over the floors of the Temple.\nThey dared not return, for Jesus had aroused the wrath of the people\nagainst them, and a cry arose for the old practice of protecting the\nsacred place against such invasion. But the traffickers sought out the\nHigh-priests and complained bitterly of this annulment of their\n\"privileges\" and \"franchises,\" for which they had paid so highly. And\nthe High-priests, being compelled to refund the price paid for the\nconcessions, were much wrought up over the matter, and then and there\nswore vengeance against the Master who had dared interfere with their\nsystem of what the world now calls by the suggestive name of \"graft.\"\nAnd this vengeance and hatred waxed stronger each moment, and was to a\ngreat extent the moving factor in the schemes and intrigues which two\nyears later resulted in the frightful scene on Calvary.\n\nThe succeeding months were filled with wanderings up and down the\nland, spreading the work and making new converts and followers. Jesus\ndid not take the position of a great preacher at this time, but seemed\nto be rather a teacher of the few whom He gathered around Him at each\npoint and place. He observed but few ceremonies, that of Baptism being\nthe principal one, and which, as we have shown, was an Essenic rite\nhaving an occult and mystical significance. The students of the New\nTestament may read between its leaves the history of the ministry of\nJesus at this time, noting the working of the leaven in the mass of\nthe Jewish mind.\n\nAbout this time Jesus was sorely distressed at the terrible news which\nreached Him regarding the fate of his cousin, John the Baptist, who\nhad been His Forerunner. The Baptist had dared to thrust his\npreachings and rebukes into the very precincts of a corrupt court, and\nhad brought down upon his head the natural consequences of his\nrashness. Herod had thrust him into a gloomy dungeon and there were\nrumors of a worse fate yet in store for him. And that fate soon\novertook him. Refusing the chance of life and liberty that was\npromised him if he would but break his vows of asceticism and indulge\nthe passionate desires of a royal princess,--turning away from the\nbase proposal with the horror of the true mystic,--he met his fate\nlike a man knowing the Truth, and the head which graced the royal\nplatter bore upon its face no expression of fear or regret. John had\nconquered even in Death.\n\nJesus retired once more into the Desert upon the news of John's death\nreaching him. Added to His sorrow came the conviction that there was a\nnew work set before Him to do. John's death necessitated a combining\nof the work of the Baptist with that of Jesus' own ministry. The\nfollowers of the two teachers must be combined into one great body,\nunder the supervision of the Master Himself, aided by the most worthy\nand capable of His disciples. The tragic death of John played a most\nimportant part in the future ministry of the Master, and He sought the\nsolace and inspiration of the Desert in His consideration of the plans\nand details of His new work. Students will note that from the time He\nemerged from the Desert He threw off the cloak of reserve and\nretirement and stepped boldly before the people as an ardent preacher\nto multitudes and an impassioned orator and public speaker. No more\nthe little circle of appreciative students--the rostrum with the great\ncrowds of hearers were His from that time.\n\nReturning from His work in Samaria and Judea, He once more made\nGalilee the scene of His principal work. The new spirit which He now\nthrew into His preaching attracted the attention of the public, and\nenormous crowds attended His meetings. He spoke now with a new air of\nauthority, differing greatly from His former mild tones as a teacher\nof the few. Parables and allegories and other rich Oriental figures of\nspeech fell from His lips, and many of the educated classes flocked to\nhear the wonderful young orator and preacher. He seemed to have an\nintuitive insight into the minds of His hearers, and His appeals\nreached their hearts as personal calls to righteousness, right\nthinking and right living. From this time on His ministry assumed the\ncharacter of an active propaganda, instead of the usual quiet mission\nof the Mystic.\n\nAnd here began that remarkable series of wonder workings or \"miracles\"\nwhich He evidently employed to attract the attention of the public and\nat the same time to perform kindly and worthy acts. Not that He used\nthese wonder-workings as a bid for sensational interest or\nself-glory--the character of Jesus rendered such a course\nimpossible--but He knew that nothing would so attract the interest of\nan Oriental race as occurrences of this kind, and He hoped to then\nawaken in them a real spiritual interest and fervor, which would rise\nfar above the demand for \"miracles.\" In adopting this course Jesus\nfollowed the example of the holy men in India, with whose works He was\npersonally familiar, owing to His sojourn in that land.\n\nAnd, then let us say, that advanced occultists see nothing\n\"supernatural\" nor incredible in these \"miracles\" of Jesus. On the\ncontrary, they know them to be the result of the application of\ncertain well established natural laws, which, while almost unknown to\nthe masses of people, are still known and occasionally made use of by\nthe advanced occultists of all lands. Skeptics and unbelievers may\nsneer at these things, and many faint-faith Christians may wish to\napologize or \"explain\" these wonderful happenings, but the advanced\noccultist needs no \"explanations\" nor apologies. He has more faith\nthan the church-goer, for he knows of the existence and use of these\noccult powers latent in Man. There is no material effect or phenomenon\nthat is \"supernatural\"--the Laws of Nature are in full operation on\nthe material plane and cannot be overcome. But there are among such\nNatural Laws certain phases and principles that are so little known to\nthe average mind that when they are manifested Nature's Laws seemed to\nbe transcended, and the result is called \"a miracle.\" The occult\ntradition tells us that Jesus was a past-master in the knowledge and\napplication of the occult forces of nature, and that even the wonders\nthat He wrought during His Jewish ministry were but as child's play\nwhen compared with those that He might have manifested had He seen fit\nto do so. In fact, it is believed that some of His greatest\nwonder-workings have never been recorded, for He always impressed upon\nHis chosen followers the advisability of refraining from laying too\nmuch stress on these things. The \"miracles\" recorded in the Gospels\nwere only those which were most widely known among the people. The\ngreater-wonders were deemed too sacred for common gossip.\n\nWhen the Master and His followers reached Cana, which, by the way, had\nbeen the scene of his first \"miracle\"--the changing of the water into\nwine at the wedding feast--one of the most striking of His earlier\nmanifestations of occult power occurred. An influential citizen of\nCapernaum, a town a score of miles distant, who met Him and besought\nHis aid and power in the interest of his young son, who lay dying at\nhis home. The man besought Jesus to hasten to Capernaum to heal the\nyouth ere he die. Jesus smiled kindly upon him and bade him return to\nhis son, for the youth was even now restored to health and strength\nand life. His hearers were astounded at the reply and the doubters\nsmiled knowingly, foreseeing a defeat for the young Master when the\nnews of the youth's death should become known. Those of His followers\nwho were faint of heart and weak of faith felt most uncomfortable and\nbegan to whisper the \"if\" of doubt. But Jesus continued His working\nwith a calm air of certainty, without further remarks. It was _the\nseventh hour_ of the day when the words were spoken.\n\nThe father hastened homeward to see whether the Master had succeeded\nor failed. A day or two passed with no word from Capernaum. The\nscoffers of the wedding feast repeated their sneers and revilings--the\nword \"charlatan\" was again heard passing from lip to lip. Then came\nnews from the distant village, and upon its arrival the voice of scorn\nwas stilled, and the hearts of the faint again beat freely. The word\ncame that when the father had reached his house he was greeted by the\nhousehold with cries of joy and news that _at the seventh hour_ the\nfever had abated and the crisis had been passed.\n\nAnd yet the \"miracle\" above recorded was no greater than many\noccultists have performed in all times--no greater than the many\nsimilar cures that have been performed by the modern healers of the\nmany metaphysical cults. It was simply an application of the subtle\nforces of nature called into operation by mental concentration. It was\nan instance of what in modern phrase is called \"absent treatment\"\nalong metaphysical lines. In saying this we wish in no way to detract\nfrom the wonder that Jesus had wrought, but merely to let the student\nknow that the power is still possessed by others and is not a\n\"supernatural\" thing but the operation of purely natural laws.\n\nAbout this time there occurred another event in His life, and a\nmanifestation of His power which is noted in the New Testament and\nwhich is told in the occult tradition with somewhat more detail. It\noccurred when Jesus visited his home town of Nazareth on the eve of\nthe Jewish Sabbath. He rested over night and then the following\nmorning betook Himself to the regular services in the local synagogue.\nHe took the seat which He had occupied as a young boy with Joseph. No\ndoubt the familiar scene awakened memories of His strange youthful\nhistory in His mind. Then, much to His surprise, He heard Himself\ncalled to the platform to conduct the service. It must be remembered\nthat Jesus was a regular rabbi, or priest, by birth, education and\ntraining, and was entitled to Conduct the Jewish service. No doubt His\ntownspeople wished to hear their young townsman address and exhort\nthem. He took the place of authority in the synagogue and proceeded to\nread the regular service in the accustomed manner, as prescribed by\nthe custom and laws of the church. The prayers, chantings and readings\nsucceeded each other in their regular order. Then came the preaching\nof the sermon. Taking the sacred roll from its receptacle, He read the\ntext from Isaiah, \"The spirit of the Lord is upon me because He hath\nanointed me to preach the good tidings,\" etc. Then He began his\nexposition of the text He had just read.\n\nBut instead of the expected customary words and\nillustrations--technical theological hair-splitting and dreary\nplatitudes--He began to preach in a manner unknown to the Nazarenes.\nHis opening sentence broke the silence and greatly startled and\ndisturbed the congregation. \"This day is this Scripture fulfilled in\nyour ears,\" were his opening words. And then He began a statement of\nHis conception of His ministry and His Message. Thrusting aside all\nprecedent and musty authority, He boldly proclaimed that He had come\nto establish a new conception of the Truth--a conception that would\noverturn the priestly policy of formalism and lack of spirituality--a\nconception that would ignore forms and ceremonies, and cleave close to\nthe spirit of the Sacred Teachings. And then He began a scathing\ndenunciation of the lack of spiritual advancement among the Jewish\npeople--their materialism and desire for physical enjoyments and their\ndrifting away from the highest ideals of the race. He preached the\nmystic doctrine, and insisted that they be applied to the problems of\nevery-day life and conduct. He brought down the teachings of the\nKaballah from the cloudy heights, and set them before the people in\nplain, practical form. He bade them aspire to great spiritual heights,\nforsaking the base ideals to which they had clung. He ran counter to\nevery custom and prejudice of the people before Him, and showed a lack\nof reverence for all of their petty forms and traditions. He bade them\nleave the illusions of material life and follow the Light of the\nSpirit wherever it might lead them. These and many other things told\nHe them.\n\nAnd then arose a disturbance among the congregation. They began to\ninterrupt and question Him, and many were the contradictions and\ndenials hurled at Him from the benches. Some began to sneer at His\npretensions as the Bearer of the Message, and demanded that He work a\nwonder or \"miracle\" and give them a sign. This demand He flatly\nrefused to grant, not deeming the same proper, or in accordance with\nthe occult custom which always frowned upon wonder-working in response\nto such a demand. Then they began to abuse Him and cries of\n\"charlatan\" and \"fraud\" began to resound from the walls of the\nsynagogue. They reminded Him of His humble birth and condition of His\nparents, and refused to believe that any such person as He had any\nright to claim extraordinary powers or privileges. Then came from His\nlips the famous saying, \"A prophet is not without honor, save in his\nown country.\"\n\nThen He began a fresh assault upon their prejudices and narrow\nviews--their pet superstitions and bigotry. He stripped from them\ntheir garb of hypocrisy and assumed piety, and showed them their naked\nsouls in all their ugliness and moral uncleanliness. He poured burning\ninvective and vitriolic denunciations into their midst, and spared no\nterms that could properly be applied to them. In a short time the\ncongregation was beside itself with rage, and the pretended righteous\nindignation of a flock of hypocrites and formalists who had heard\nthemselves described in disrespectful terms by one they regarded as an\nupstart young man from the lower classes of their virtuous community.\nThey felt that they had bestowed a flattering honor upon Him, as a\nmark of consideration for a young townsman upon His return from a\nforeign and domestic missionary tour. And now to think that He had\nthus basely betrayed their courtesy and showed in how little esteem He\nreally held them--surely this was beyond human endurance. And then the\nstorm broke upon Him.\n\nLeaving their seats in the synagogue, the congregation rushed upon the\nyoung preacher, and tearing Him from the platform, they pushed Him out\nof the building. And then the jostling, hustling, pushing crowd\ncarried Him before them along the village streets and out into the\nsuburbs. He resisted not, deeming it unworthy to struggle with them.\nAt last, however, He was compelled to defend Himself. He perceived\nthat it was the intention of the mob to push Him over a precipice that\nhad been formed on the side of a hill just beyond the town limits. He\nwaited patiently until they had urged Him to the very brink of the\ndecline, and until it needed but one strong push to press Him over its\nedge and into the gorge below. And then He exerted His occult forces\nin a proper self-defense. Not a blow struck He--not a man did He smite\nwith the wondrous occult power at His command, which would have\nparalyzed their muscles or even have stretched them lifeless at His\nfeet. No, he controlled Himself with a firm hand, and _merely bent\nupon them a look_. But such a look!\n\nA glance in which was concentrated the mighty Will developed by mystic\nknowledge and occult practice. It was the Gaze of the Occult Master,\nthe power of which ordinary men may not withstand. And the mob,\nfeeling its mighty force, experienced the sensation of abject fear and\nterror. Their hair arose, their eyes started from their sockets, their\nknees shook under them, and then, with a wild shout of horror they\nbegan to scatter and fly, making a wide pathway for the Man of Mystery\nwho now strode through their ranks with that awful gaze which seemed\nto pierce the veil of mortality and to peer at things ineffable and\nbeyond human ken. And with His eyes refusing to look again upon the\nfamiliar scenes of His youth, He departed from Nazareth, forsaking it\nforever as His home place. Verily, indeed, the Prophet hath no honor\nin His own land. Those who should have been His staunchest supporters\nwere the first in His own land to threaten Him with violence. The\nattempt of Nazareth was the prophecy of Calvary, and Jesus so knew it.\nBut He had set his feet upon The Path, and drew not back from it.\n\nTurning His back upon Nazareth, Jesus established a new centre or home\nin Capernaum, which place remained the nearest approach to home to Him\nduring the remainder of His Ministry and until His death. The\ntraditions have it that His mother came to live also at Capernaum,\ntogether with some of His brothers. It is also related that his\nsisters and brothers, both those remaining at Nazareth and those\nremoving to Capernaum, were sorely vexed with Him at His conduct at\nthe synagogue, which they deemed not \"respectable\" nor proper, and\nthey accordingly looked upon Him as an eccentric relative whose\nvagaries had brought disrepute upon the family. He was regarded much\nin the light of a \"black-sheep\" and \"undesirable relation\" by all of\nHis family except His mother, who still clung to her beloved\nfirst-born. The mother made her home with some of the brothers and\nsisters of Jesus, but He was not made welcome there, but was looked\nupon as an outcast and wanderer. He once spoke of this, saying that\nwhile the birds and beasts had nests and homes, He, the Son of Man,\nhad nowhere to lay his head. And so He wandered around in His own\nland, as He had in foreign countries, an ascetic, living upon the alms\nof the people who loved Him and listened to His words. And in so doing\nHe followed the plans and life of the Hindu ascetics, who even unto\nthis day so live, \"with yellow-robe and begging bowl,\" and \"without\nmoney or scrip in their purses.\" The Jewish ascetic--for such was\nJesus--has His counterparts in the wandering holy-men of India and\nPersia today.\n\nBut it must be remembered that even in Jesus' time, the spectacle of a\nrabbi living this ascetic life, forsaking the emoluments of His\npriestly rank and deliberately taking up the roll of a poverty-stricken\nmendicant, was a rare one. It ran contrary to all the thrifty and\nprudent customs and ideals of the race. It was an importation from\nthe Essenes, or from the strange people of far-off lands, and it was\nnot relished by the Jewish authorities, or people who preferred the\nsynagogues and Temple, with their sleek, well-fed priests, with fancy\nrobes and attractive ceremonies.\n\nMaking His base at Capernaum, Jesus began to form His band of\ndisciples with more show of a working organization. To some He\ndelegated certain authority, and bade them perform certain dues of the\nministry. For some reason He selected some of His leading lieutenants\nfrom the ranks of the fishermen who plied their vocation along the\nwaters of that port of the country. The fishers of fish became the\nfishers of men. Jesus became very popular among the fishing\nfraternity, and the legends, as well as the New Testament narratives,\ntell of instances in which He bade His poor fishermen friends (who had\nbeen unfortunate in their day's haul) to let down their nets at some\npoint indicated by Him, when to their surprise and joy their nets\nwould be filled to overflowing.\n\nLittle acts of kindness bestowed here and there among the humbler\nclasses tended to have Jesus looked upon and spoken of as a friend of\nthe people, but which reputation excited the jealousy of the\nauthorities who held that such acts could be prompted by none other\nthan a selfish motive, and that motive the incitement of the masses to\nrebellion in the interest of Himself as a Messiah. And so, we see His\nvery acts of kindness and compassion served to increase the suspicion\nand hatred which the authorities, both ecclesiastical and temporal,\nhad always felt toward Him.\n\nHis desire to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and wretched took\nHim much among these people and away from the so-called higher\nclasses. The \"plain people\" were regarded by Him as the salt of the\nearth, and they, in turn, regarded Him as their champion and advisor.\nAnd especially to the sick did He devote His time and powers. He made\nmany marvellous cures, a few only of which were recorded in the New\nTestament narratives. The occult legends state that these cures were\nof daily occurrence and that wherever He went He left behind Him a\ntrail of people healed of all kinds of disorders, and that people\nflocked for miles to be healed of their infirmities. The Gospels\nrelate that He cured great numbers of people by the simple process of\nlaying on of hands (a favorite method of occult healers) \"he laid his\nhands on every one of them and healed them.\"\n\nIt is related that at Capernaum his attention was directed toward a\nmadman, who suddenly cried out, \"I know Thee, Thou Holy One of God,\"\nwhereupon Jesus spoke a few authoritative words and cured him of his\nmalady, by methods that will describe the nature of the man's psychic\ndisturbance to any advanced student of occultism. Demoniac possession\nis not believed in by orthodox Christians of today, but Jesus\nevidently shared the belief in obsession held by students of Psychism\nand similar subjects, judging from the words He used in relieving this\nman from his malady. We advise our students to read the Gospel records\nin connection with these lessons, in order to follow the subject along\nthe old familiar paths, but with the additional light of the\ninterpretation of Mystic Christianity.\n\nThe growing reputation of Jesus as a healer of the sick soon taxed His\nphysical powers to the utmost. He felt Himself called upon to do the\nwork of a dozen men, and His nature rebelled at the unequal task\nimposed upon it. It seemed as if all Capernaum were sick. Her streets\nwere crowded by seekers after health and strength. At last He\nperceived that His work as a Teacher was being submerged in His work\nas a Healer. And, after a period of prayer and meditation, He put\naside from Him the claims of humanity for the healing of physical\nills, and turning His back upon the waiting patients at Capernaum, He\nonce more started forward on His pilgrimage as a Preacher of the\nMessage, and thereafter would heal physical ills only occasionally,\nand, instead, devote the main portion of His time to preaching the\nTruth to those who were ready to hear it. It was a hard thing for a\nman with the tender heart of Jesus to leave behind Him the crowd of\npatients at Capernaum, but it was necessary for Him to do so, else He\nwould have remained merely an occult healer of physical ailments\ninstead of the Messenger of the Truth whose work it was to kindle in\nmany places the Flame of the Spirit, that would serve as the true\nLight of the World long after the physical bodies of all then living\nhad been again resolved to dust.\n\nAnd so, leaving behind Him Capernaum and its wailing multitudes, He,\nfollowed by His disciples, moved out toward the open country, to\nspread the glad tidings and to bring to the hearts of many \"that peace\nwhich passeth all understanding.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE SIXTH LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE WORK OF ORGANIZATION.\n\nLeaving Capernaum behind Him, with its crowds of invalids seeking\nhealing, and fighting off the demands that would have rendered Him a\nprofessional healer instead of a Teacher and preacher of the Message\nof Truth, Jesus passed on to other parts of the land, taking with Him\nthe band of disciples and faithful followers who now traveled with\nHim.\n\nBut He did not altogether relinquish His healing work. He merely made\nit an incident of His ministry, and did not allow it to interfere with\nHis preaching and teaching. The Gospel narratives show a number of\nremarkable cures made by Him at this time, and the few recorded cases\nare, of course, merely occasional incidents that stand out in the\nminds of the people among hundreds of less noticeable cases.\n\nThe cure of the leper is one of such remarkable cases. Leprosy was a\nfoul disease much dreaded by the people of Oriental countries. And the\nunfortunate person afflicted by it became an outcast and pariah from\nwhom all others fled as from an unclean and impure thing.\n\nThere was a leper in the part of the country in which Jesus was\ntraveling and teaching. He heard of the wonderful gift of healing\naccredited to the young preacher, and he determined to get into His\npresence and beg His aid. How the leper managed to get through the\ncrowds and into the presence of Jesus is not known, but it must have\nrequired great strategy on his part, for such people were not\npermitted to pass in and among crowds of other people. But in some way\nthe leper contrived to come face to face with Jesus as the latter\nwalked alone in meditation, away from his followers.\n\nThe loathsome creature raised its repulsive form, the picture of human\nmisery and woe, and confronting the Master, demanded from Him the\nexercise of the Gift of Healing. No doubt of His power was in the\nleper's mind--his face shone with faith and expectation. Jesus gazed\nearnestly into the distorted features that shone with the fire of a\nfervent faith such as is rarely seen on the face of man, and touched\nwith this testimony to His power and motives, He moved toward the\nleper, defying the laws of the country, which forbade the same. Not\nonly this, but He even laid His hands upon the unclean flesh, defying\nall the laws of reason in so doing, and fearlessly passed His hand\nover the leper's face, crying aloud, \"Be thou clean!\"\n\nThe leper felt a strange thrill running through his veins and over his\nnerves, and every atom of his body seemed to be tingling with a\npeculiar burning and smarting sensation. Even as he looked he saw the\ncolor of his flesh changing and taking on the hue of the flesh of the\nhealthy person. The numbness departed from the affected portion of his\nbody, and he could actually feel the thrill and tingle of the life\ncurrents that were at work with incredible speed building up new\ncells, tissue and muscle. And still Jesus held His hands against the\nflesh of the leper, allowing the life current of highly vitalized\n_prana_ to pour from His organism into that of the leper, just as a\nstorage battery of great power replenishes and recharges an electrical\nappliance. And back of it all was the most potent, trained Will of the\nMaster Occultist directing the work.\n\nAnd then He bade the healed man depart and comply with the laws\nregarding purification and change of garments, including the\nappearance before the priests to receive a certificate of cleanliness.\nAnd He also bade him that nothing should be said regarding the nature\nor particulars of the cure. For some good reason He wished to escape\nthe notoriety or fame that the report of such a wonderful cure would\nbe sure to excite.\n\nBut alas! this was asking too much of human nature, and the healed\nleper, running with great leaps and bounds, began shouting and crying\naloud the glad tidings of his marvelous cure, that all men might know\nwhat a great blessing had come to him. In spite of the injunction laid\nupon him, he began to sing aloud the praises of the Master who had\nmanifested such an unheard-of power over the foul disease that had\nheld him in its grasp until a few hours before. With wild gestures and\ngleaming eyes he told the story again and again, and it was taken up\nand repeated from person to person, until the whole town and\ncountryside were familiar with the great news. Imagine such an event\noccurring in a small country town in our own land today, and you will\nrealize what an excitement must have been occasioned in that home\nplace of the leper.\n\nAnd then occurred that which Jesus had doubtless seen when He\nforbade the leper to repeat the news of the cure. The whole region\nbecame excited and immense crowds gathered around Him and His\ndisciples, crying aloud for new wonders and miracles. The curious\nsensation-seekers were there in full force, crowding out those whom He\nwished to reach by His teachings. And more than this, great numbers of\nsick and crippled people crowded around Him crying for aid and cure.\nThe scenes of Capernaum were repeated. Even the lepers began flocking\nin, in defiance of law and custom, and the authorities were beside\nthemselves with anger and annoyance. Not only the temporal authorities\nand the priests were arrayed against Him, as of old, but now He\nmanaged to arouse the opposition of the physicians of those days, who\nsaw their practice ruined by this man whom they called a charlatan and\ndeceiver threatening and destroying the health of the people, whose\nphysical welfare was safe only in their (the physicians') hands and\nkeeping.\n\nAnd so Jesus was compelled to close His ministry at this place and\nmove on to another village.\n\nAnother case which attracted much attention was that which occurred in\nGalilee when He was preaching in a house. In the midst of His\ndiscourse both He and His audience were startled by the sight of a\nfigure on a bed being lowered down among the crowd of listeners from\nthe roof surrounding the open court in the center of the house. It was\na poor paralyzed man whom friends had contrived to hoist up and then\nlower down before Jesus in such a manner as could not escape the\nattention of the Master. It is related that the piteous appeal of the\nsufferer, and the faith which had inspired such great energy on the\npart of his friends, attracted the interest and sympathy of Jesus, and\nHe paused in His discourse and made another of those instantaneous\ncures which are possible only to the most advanced adepts in the\nscience of spiritual healing.\n\nThen came the scene of the Wells of Bethesda--a region abounding in\n\"healing waters\" to which the sick and afflicted came to regain their\nhealth. The crowds of sick were being carried to the springs by\nfriends or paid attendants, who pushed aside the weaker ones and\nfought their way to the wells. Jesus walked among the crowds, and at\nlast His attention was attracted toward a poor fellow who lay upon his\ncot away off from the waters. He had no friends to carry him nearer,\nnor money for paid attendants. And he had not strength enough to crawl\nthere himself. He filled the air with his moans and cries and\nbewailings of his unfortunate lot. Jesus walked up to him, and holding\nhis attention by a firm look of authority and power, cried to him\nsuddenly in a voice that demanded obedience, \"Take up thy bed and\nwalk!\" The man, startled into obedience, did as directed, and much to\nhis surprise, and that of the crowd gathered around, found that he was\nable to move about freely--a well man.\n\nThis cure also aroused not only the greatest interest but also the\nantagonism of the ecclesiastical authorities. It appears that the cure\nhad been made on the Sabbath day, and that it was against the\necclesiastical law to heal the sick in any way upon that day; and also\nthat the patient had performed manual work on the Sabbath in carrying\nhis bed upon the orders of the Healer. And the good pious folk, urged\non by the priests, began to abuse and condemn the Healer and patient,\nafter the manner of the formal pietists of all lands and times, even\nof our own. Clinging to the letter of the law, these people overlook\nits spirit--bound by the forms, they fail to see the meaning lying\nback of all forms and ceremonies.\n\nBraving the storm that was arising around Him, Jesus boldly walked to\nthe Temple. He was plunged in a sea of conflicting opinions and\nvoices. On the one hand was the healed man and those who sympathized\nwith him, in earnest argument concerning the righteousness of the\ndeed. But arrayed against these few were the good folk of the place\nwho loudly denounced the Sabbath-breaker and demanded His punishment.\nWere the ancient laws of Moses to be thus defied by this presumptuous\nNazarene, whose religious ideas were sadly lacking in orthodoxy?\nSurely not! Punish the upstart! And again Jesus was in actual peril of\nbodily hurt, or perhaps even death, owing to the religious bigotry of\nthe orthodox people.\n\nJesus was ever a foe to the stupid formalism and ignorant fanaticism\nregarding \"holy days,\" which is ever a characteristic of certain\nclasses of mind among people. On the above occasion, as well as upon\nother occasions, and notably upon the occasion of the Sabbath when He\ndirected His hungry disciples to pick corn to satisfy their hunger,\nJesus opposed the strict, ironclad law of Sabbath observance. He was\never filled with the idea that the \"Sabbath was made for man, and not\nman for the Sabbath.\" There was nothing Puritanical about the Master,\nand in view of His attitude regarding this matter it is surprising to\nwitness the attitude of some in our own time who, wearing His livery,\noppose these teachings of His in theory and practice.\n\nAnd so, driven out once more by the intolerance and bigotry of the\npublic, Jesus returned again to Galilee, His land of retreat and rest,\nand the scene of much of His best work. Galilee was filled with His\nmany followers and admirers, and He was less in danger of disturbance\nand persecution there than in the neighborhood of Jerusalem. Large\ncongregations attended His ministry there, and His converts were\nnumbered by the thousand. The village contained many persons healed by\nHis power, and His name was a household word.\n\nAnd upon His return He entered into a new stage of His work. He had\ndecided to divide His ministry among His twelve most advanced\ndisciples, as it had now reached proportions beyond His ability to\npersonally control. And, as was customary to Him upon all great\noccasions, He sought the solitudes for meditation and spiritual\nstrength before finally investing His twelve Apostles with the high\nauthority of their mission. He spent the night on one of the hills\nnear Capernaum, from which He descended the following morning, wearied\nin body from want of rest, but strong in soul and spirit.\n\nThen He gathered the Twelve around Him, and in a secret meeting\ndivulged to them certain deep truths and secrets, adding certain\ninstructions regarding healing work, and calling upon them for the\nhighest allegiance to Him and His work.\n\nThe Gospel narratives have but very little to say regarding Jesus'\nwork in the instruction of the Twelve for their future mission. And\nthe average student of the narratives goes on without thinking of the\nmarvelous mental and spiritual development that must have been\nmanifested by the Apostles during their transition from humble\nfishermen, and men of similar vocations, to highly developed teachers\nof advanced spiritual truths. To the occultist especially this\nordinary view seems astounding, for he realizes the many arduous steps\nnecessary to be trodden by the feet of the Neophyte before he becomes\nan Initiate, and the higher steps awaiting the Initiate before he may\nbecome a Master. And such a one realizes the mighty task that Jesus\nperformed in developing and unfolding the spiritual natures of such a\nbody of men until they become worthy to be His chosen representatives\nand teachers. The occult traditions have it that Jesus had pursued a\nsystematic course of instruction of His chosen disciples, bringing\nthem up rapidly through degree after degree of mystic attainment and\noccult knowledge, until finally they were ready for the finishing\ntouches at His hands. And the occasion that we are now considering was\nthe time when the final degrees were imparted to them.\n\nIt must be remembered that the Apostles were endowed with the mastery\nof the occult forces of nature which enabled them to perform the\n\"miracles\" of healing similar to those of Jesus. And it must not be\nsupposed for a moment that an occult Master of so high a degree of\nattainment as that reached by Jesus would have allowed His disciples\nto use such mighty power without also instructing them fully in the\nnature of the forces they were using, and of the best methods of\nemploying the same. And such knowledge could not be imparted without\nthe fundamental truths of nature being understood by them, which\nunderstanding was possible only to those who had grasped the great\nBasic Truths of the Science of Being.\n\nIn short, the traditions are that the Twelve Apostles were gradually\ninitiated into the great degrees of the Occult Brotherhoods of which\nand in which Jesus was a Master. He gathered together a great store of\noccult information and mystic lore, and condensing the same into a\nplain, practical, simple system, He imparted it fully and thoroughly\nto those whom He had elected to be His chief co-workers and His\nsuccessors after His death, which He knew full well was not far off.\n\nThese facts must be fully understood by the student of Mystic\nChristianity who wishes to grasp the secret of the early Christian\nChurch after the death of Christ. The wonderful headway manifested by\nthe movement could not have been given by mere followers and believers\nin the Master. It usually follows that when the great head of an\norganization dies the movement disintegrates or loses power unless he\nhas been able to \"communicate his spirit\" to some chosen followers.\nAnd this Jesus did. And it was only to men who thoroughly grasped the\nfundamental truths and principles of His teachings that such \"spirit\"\ncould have been imparted.\n\nThere was an exoteric teaching for the multitude, and an esoteric\nteaching for the Twelve. There are many Scriptural passages which go\nto show this fact, which was well known to the early Fathers of the\nChurch. And upon the occasion which we have mentioned the last great\nBasic Truths were explained to the Twelve, and from that time\nhenceforward they were regarded and treated as Masters by Jesus, and\nnot as mere students, as had been the case before that time. And\narising from that final instruction came the Sermon of the Mount.\n\nThe Sermon of the Mount, that most wonderful and complete of any of\nthe public utterances of Jesus, was delivered almost immediately after\nthe Choosing of the Twelve Apostles. And it was intended even more for\nthem than for the multitudes gathered around to hear His preaching. He\nknew that the Twelve could interpret it by reason of the Inner\nTeachings that they had received from Him. And almost forgetting the\ncongregation gathered around and about Him, He elucidated the Inner\nteachings for the benefit of the Chosen Few.\n\nThe Sermon of the Mount can be understood only by means of the Master\nKey of the Inner Teachings, which opens the door of the mind to an\nunderstanding of the hard sayings and veiled mystic import of many of\nHis precepts. We shall devote considerable space in one of our later\nlessons of this series to a consideration of the Inner Meaning of this\ngreat sermon and teaching, and therefore shall not go into details\nregarding it in the present lesson, deeming it better to proceed with\nthe story of the Master's Work.\n\nA few days after the delivery of the Sermon of the Mount, the Master\nleft Capernaum and traveled from town to town visiting His various\ncenters of teaching, as was His custom. On the journey Jesus performed\na feat of occult power that proved Him to be one of the Highest Adepts\nof the Occult Brotherhoods, for to none other would such a\nmanifestation have been possible. Even some of the highest Oriental\nMasters would have refused to undertake the task that He set before\nHimself to do.\n\nThe company was leisurely proceeding on its way, when nearing a small\ntown they met a funeral procession coming in their direction. Preceded\nby the band of women chanting the mournful dirges according to the\nGalileean custom, the cortege slowly wended its way. The etiquette of\nthe land required strangers to join in the mourning when they came in\ncontact with a funeral procession, and the company assumed a mournful\nand respectful demeanor, and many joined in the dirge which was being\nchanted by the procession.\n\nBut Jesus invaded the privacy of the procession in a manner shocking\nto those who held closely to the familiar forms and customs. Stepping\nup to the bier, He stood in front of it and bade the carriers halt and\nset it down. A murmur of indignation ran through the ranks of the\nmourners, and some strode forward to rebuke the presumptuous stranger\nwho dared to violate the dignity of the funeral in this way. But\nsomething in His face held them back. Then a strange feeling passed\nover the crowd. Jesus was known to a number of the mourners, and some\nof those who had witnessed some of His wonder-workings began to\nwhisper that strange things were about to happen, and the ranks were\nbroken as the people flocked around the Master at the bier.\n\nThe corpse was that of a young man, and his widowed mother stood\nbeside the pale figure stretched upon the bier, and spreading her arms\nin front of it, she seemed to ward off the profaning touch of the\nstrange man who confronted it. But the stranger looked upon her with a\nlook of transcendent love, and in a voice vibrant with the tenderest\nfeeling said unto her, \"Mother, weep not--cease thy mourning.\" Amazed,\nbut impressed, she turned an appealing gaze to Him who had thus bidden\nher. Her mother love and instinct caught a new expression in His eyes,\nand her heart bounded with a wonderful hope of something, she knew not\nwhat. What did the Nazarene mean? Her boy was dead, and even God\nHimself never disturbed the slumber of the body from which the spirit\nhad flown. But still what meant that expression--why that leap and\nthrobbing of her heart?\n\nThen with a gesture of authority the Master caused the crowd to draw\nback from the bier, until at last there remained only the corpse, the\nmother and Himself in a cleared space in the center. Then a strange\nand wonderful scene began. With His gaze fixed upon the face of the\ncorpse, and in an attitude that indicated a supreme effort of His\nwill, the Master was seen to be making some mighty effort which called\ninto play the highest forces at His command. The Apostles, having been\ninstructed by Him in Occult power, recognized the nature of the\nmanifestation, and their faces paled, for they knew that He was not\nonly pouring out His vital force into the body in order to recharge it\nwith _prana_, but that He was also essaying one of the highest and\nmost difficult of occult feats--that of summoning back from the Astral\nPlane the higher vehicles and the Astral Body--the very soul of the\nyouth--and forcing it once more into its mortal frame, which He had\nrecharged with vital energy and strength. They knew that He, by the\nmightiest effort of His will, was reversing the process of death. And\nwith a full appreciation of the real nature of the wonder that was\nbeing worked before them, their limbs trembled beneath them and their\nbreath came from them in gasps.\n\nThen cried the people, \"What saith this man to the corpse?\" \"Arise,\nyouth! Open thine eyes! Breathe freely! Arise, I say unto\nthee--arise!\" Did this stranger dare to defy God's own decree?\n\nThe corpse opened its eyes and stared around in wild amaze, the glare\nnot fully faded away! Its chest heaved in great agonizing gasps as if\nfighting again for life! Then its arms were lifted up--then its legs\nbegan to move--now it raised itself upright and began to babble\nmeaningless words--now the look of recognition came into its eyes, and\nits arms clasped themselves around the mother's neck, while sob after\nsob broke from its lips! The dead lived--the corpse had come to life.\n\nThe people fell back overcome with the awful terror of the sight, and\nthe funeral procession scattered in all directions, until only the\nsobbing mother and the youth remained, weeping in their mutual love\nand joy, and forgetting even the Master and His followers in their\ngreat flood of affection.\n\nAnd, leaving them thus, Jesus and His followers passed away on their\npilgrimage. But the fame of the miracle spread from town to town, even\nup to the great capital, Jerusalem. And men wondered or doubted,\naccording to their natures, while the temporal and ecclesiastical\nauthorities began to again ask themselves and each other whether this\nman were not a dangerous person and an enemy to established custom and\norder.\n\nIn one of His journeys Jesus found Himself invited to the house of a\nleading citizen of the town in which He was preaching. This citizen\nwas one of the class known as Pharisees, whose characteristics were an\nextreme devotion and adherence to forms and ceremonies and a bigoted\ninsistence upon the observance of the letter of the law. The Pharisees\nwere the ultra-orthodox center of an orthodox people. They were the\nstraight-laced brethren who walked so erect that they leaned backward.\nThey were the people who thanked God that they were not like unto\nother men. They were the \"uncommonly good\" members of church and\nsociety. The very name stands even unto this day as a synonym for\n\"pious sham.\"\n\nJust why this Pharisee had invited the Master to dine with him is not\neasily understood. It is likely that it was a combination of curiosity\nand a desire to entrap his guest into statements and admissions that\nmight be used against him. At any rate, the invitation was given and\naccepted.\n\nThe Master noted that certain little ceremonies usually extended by\nthe Hebrews to a guest of equal standing were omitted by His host. His\nhead was not anointed with the ceremonial oil, as was the custom in\nhouses of this character when the guest was honored as an equal or\ndesirable addition to the family gathering. Clearly He was regarded as\na curiosity or \"freak\" rather than as a friend, and had been invited\nin such a spirit. But He said nothing, and passed over the slight. And\nthe meal passed along smoothly up to a certain point.\n\nThe host and his guests were reclining easily, after the Oriental\nfashion, discussing various topics, when a woman pressed her way into\nthe banquet hall. Her dress proclaimed her to be one of the women of\neasy virtue abounding in all Oriental towns. She was clad in showy\napparel and her hair fell loosely over her shoulders after the custom\nof the women of her kind in that land. She fixed her eyes upon the\nMaster and moved slowly toward him, much to the annoyance of the host,\nwho feared a scene, for the Master would most likely administer a\nrebuke to the woman for presuming to intrude upon the presence of Him,\na spiritual teacher.\n\nBut the woman still pressed forward toward Him, and at last, bending\ndown low, her head touching His feet, she burst into tears. She had\nheard the Master preach some time before, and the seeds of His\nteaching had taken root and had now blossomed within her heart; and\nshe had come to acknowledge her allegiance and to render an offering\nto Him whom she revered. The coming into His presence was her token of\na spiritual regeneration and a desire to begin a new life. Her tears\nflowed over His feet, and she dried them off with her long hair. Then\nshe kissed His feet, as a token of her allegiance and worship.\n\nFrom her neck hung a chain holding a little box filled with precious\nperfumed oil, which she esteemed highly, as did all the people of her\nrace. The oil was of the nature of attar of roses and was the\nessential oil extracted from fragrant blossoms. She broke the seal and\npoured the fragrant oil over the hands and feet of the Master, who\nrebuked her not, but who accepted the tribute even from such a source.\nThe host began to indulge in thoughts not flattering to the\nintelligence of his guest, and a scarcely concealed sneer appeared on\nhis lips.\n\nThen Jesus turned to His host and with a smile said to him: \"Simon, in\nthy mind thou thinkest these words: 'If this man be indeed a prophet,\nwould he not know what manner of woman this be who toucheth him, and\nwould he not rebuke her and drive her from him?'\" And the Pharisee was\nsorely confused, for the Master had read his thought word for word by\nthe method known to occultists as telepathy. And then in gentle\nraillery the Master called his host's attention to the fact that the\nwoman had performed the service which he, the host, had neglected to\nobserve. Had she not bathed and dried His feet, as the Pharisee would\nhave done had his guest been deemed worthy of honor? Had she not\nanointed Him with precious oil, as the host would have anointed an\nhonored guest? Had she not impressed upon even His feet the kiss that\netiquette required the host to impress upon the cheek of the esteemed\nvisitor to his house? And as for the character of the woman, it had\nbeen fully recognized and forgiven. \"Much hath been forgiven her, for\nshe hath loved greatly.\" And, turning to the woman, He added, \"Go in\npeace, for thy sins are forgiven thee.\" And the woman departed with a\nnew expression on her face and a firm resolve in her heart, for the\nMaster had forgiven and blessed her.\n\nBut by this act Jesus brought upon His head the hatred of the Pharisee\nand his friends. He had dared rebuke the host in his own palace, and\nhad moreover arrogated to Himself the sacred rite to pronounce\nremission of sins, a right vested solely in the high-priest of the\nTemple, upon the performance of certain ceremonies and sacrifices upon\nthe altar. He had flung defiance at vested ecclesiastical right and\nfunctions, even in the house of one of the stanchest adherents of\nformalism and authority--a Pharisee.\n\nIn this incident was shown not only the broadness of Jesus' views and\nthe universality of His love, as well as His courage in defying the\nhated formalism, even in the palace of its stanchest advocates, but\nalso His attitude toward women. The Jews as a race held women in but\nscant esteem. They were not deemed worthy to sit with the men in the\nsynagogue. It was deemed unworthy of a man to mention his female\nrelations in general company. They were regarded as inferior in every\nway to men, and were treated as almost unclean in their most sacred\nnatural functions.\n\nToward fallen women especially Jesus was ever considerate. He saw\ntheir temptation and the social cruelty of their position. He resented\n\"the double standard\" of virtue which allowed a man to commit certain\noffenses and still be respected, while the woman who committed the\nsame offense was damned socially, reviled and treated as a shameful\noutcast. He was ever ready to voice a defense for women of this kind,\nand seemed to be ever actuated by the sense of injustice in the\nattitude of men toward them, which finally voiced itself on a notable\noccasion when called upon to pass judgment upon the woman taken in\nadultery: \"Let him among ye who is without sin cast the first stone.\"\nNo wonder that the outcast woman kissed His feet and poured out the\nprecious ointment upon Him. He was the Friend to such as she.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SEVENTH LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE BEGINNING OF THE END.\n\nThe ministry of Jesus went on in about the same channels. Wandering\nhere and there throughout the country, preaching and teaching in this\ntown and that village, gathering around Him new followers, Jesus\ncontinued His work. He adapted Himself to His audience, giving to each\nwhat it needed, and not making the mistake of speaking over the heads\nof the people. He gave the general public the broad general teachings\nthat they required, but He reserved the Inner Teachings for the Inner\nCircle of His followers whom He knew to be fit to receive the same. In\nthis He showed a deep knowledge of men, and a strict accordance with\nthe established custom of the mystics, who never make the mistake of\ngiving the higher spiritual mathematics to the students who are\nlearning the addition, subtraction and division rules of the occult.\nHe cautioned His apostles regarding this point of teaching, even going\nso far as warning them positively and strongly against \"casting pearls\nbefore swine.\"\n\nOne night He was in a boat crossing the lake of Gennesaret, in company\nwith some of His fisherman followers. Tired out by the strenuous work\nof the day, He wrapped Himself up in His robe and fell into a deep\nsleep, from which He was later awakened by a noise and commotion among\nthe crew and passengers. A terrible lake storm had sprung up, and the\nlittle vessel was tossing and pitching about among the waves in a\nmanner which gave concern to even the experienced fishermen who manned\nher. The sails had been torn off, carrying away with them a portion of\nthe mast, and the boat refused to respond to her rudder, the steering\ngear being rendered useless. The crew became panic-stricken and\nrushing to Jesus besought Him to save them from death in the storm.\n\"Master! Master! Help ere we perish. The boat is foundering! Save us,\nMaster!\"\n\nThe Master arose and, using His occult power, caused the winds to\ncease their tempestuous activity, and the waves to become calm. He\nfollowed the Oriental occultists' custom of voicing His commands in\nwords, not that the words had any virtue in themselves, but because\nthey served a vehicle for His concentrated thought and focused will\nwhich He was using in his manifestation of occult power. With this\nknowledge of the process, occultists smile when they read the _na\u00efve_\naccount of the occurrence in the Gospels, where Jesus is described as\naddressing and rebuking the rebellious winds and then gently and\nkindly soothing the waters with words of \"Peace, be still!\" The\nfishermen who witnessed the occurrence, and from whom the reports\nthereof spread among the people, not understanding the nature of\noccult manifestations, thought that He was addressing the winds as\nactual entities, rebuking them and bidding them cease their vicious\nwork, and soothing the sea in the same manner.\n\nThey did not comprehend the mental processes back of the words, and in\ntheir simplicity thought that He was actually rebuking the wind and\nsoothing the waters. All occultists know that in \"treating\" material\nconditions the process is rendered much easier and simpler if we will\nbut think of and \"speak to\" the condition as if it had intelligence\nand actual being, thus more easily directing the forces.\n\nObeying the thought and will of the Master, the winds abated their\nfury and the waters ceased their troubling. Gradually the boat rested\neasily upon the bosom of the lake, and the crew breathed freely once\nmore, and then began their work of righting the mast and steering\ngear. And they wondered as they worked and asked each other \"What\nmanner of man is this, whom even the winds and the waters obey?\" And\nJesus, looking sadly at them, voiced that cry of the mystic who knows\nof the inherent and latent powers of man over material conditions,\nawaiting the exercise of the Will that may be exercised only in\nresponse to a great Faith. He answered them, saying, \"Oh, ye of little\nFaith. What had you to fear?\"\n\nTo the mystic it seems strange that people are able to read the Gospel\naccounts of the above and similar events and yet see no more in them\nthan a mere recital of miracles wrought by some supernatural power. To\nthe reader who has learned the fundamental truths, the New Testament\nrecord of the wonder-working of Jesus, even as imperfect as that\nrecord is, is full of advanced occult instructions stated so plainly\nthat it seems as if even the casual reader must recognize it. But no,\nthe old rule is still in force--each reads only that for which he is\nready--each must bring something to a book, before he may expect to\ntake anything away from it--to him that hath shall be given. Ever the\nsame old mystic truth, manifest ever and ever, at all times and in all\nplaces. It is a fundamental law of the mind.\n\nThe journey across the lake was attended by another manifestation of\noccult power which is often passed over by the church teachers without\ncomment, or at least with a labored endeavor to \"explain\" the evident\nmeaning of the narrative. The modern materialistic trend of thought\nhas invaded even the churches and has caused the preachers and\nteachers to endeavor to escape the accusation of \"believing in\nspirits\" and similar phenomena of the Astral World.\n\nWhen the company reached the coast of Gergesa, on the opposite side of\nthe lake, it disembarked and Jesus and His disciples pressed in toward\nthe coast towns. As they passed among the cliffs lining the shore,\nthey perceived two uncanny wandering figures which, gibbering,\nfollowed them along. The two maniacs, for such they were, approached\nthe party, and one of them began to address the Master in a strange\nmanner, beseeching Him to relieve the two of the devils possessing\nthem. He called aloud, \"O Master, thou Son of the Living God, have\nmercy upon us, and drive away the unclean things that we have allowed\nto enter into us.\"\n\nThe Gospels say nothing regarding the cause of this demoniac\nobsession, and the preachers prefer to pass over it rapidly, or else\nto treat it as a delusion of the insane, notwithstanding the direct\nstatement of the New Testament narrative and its sequel or concluding\nstatement. But the occult traditions have it that these two men were\nvictims of their dabbling into certain phases of psychic phenomena,\ni.e., the \"raising up of spirits\" by the arts of Black Magic. In other\nwords, these men had been experimenting along the lines of Jewish\nNecromancy, or Invocation and Evocation of Disembodied Astral\nIntelligences by means of Conjuration. They had raised up Astral\nIntelligences that had then refused to retire to their own plane, but\nwhich had taken possession of the physical organisms of their invokers\nand had remained in possession, causing the men to be regarded as\nmaniacs, which resulted in their becoming outcasts among the caves\nwith which the cliffs abounded, the same places being also the tombs\nof the dead. We do not wish to go into details here regarding this\nmatter, but we wish to give the occult explanation of this little\nunderstood \"miracle\" of Jesus, which, however, is clearly understood\nby all occultists.\n\nJesus fully understood the nature of the trouble, and began at once to\ndrive out these invading Astral Intelligences by means of his occult\npower. In a few moments, a cry was heard from the hills near by, and a\ngreat herd of swine were seen rushing down the hill, and in a moment\nwere over the precipice and were soon drowned. The Gospel narrative is\nperfectly plain on this subject--it states that the legions of devils\nhad passed from the men into the swine and the latter had plunged in\nterror into the water and were drowned. Jesus had distinctly and\npositively spoken to the demons, calling them \"unclean spirits,\" and\nbidding them \"come out\" of the men. And all advanced students of\nOccultism understand why the pigs were used as intermediate\ninstruments of the driving back of the Astral Intelligences to their\nown plane of life, which reason, however, is not in place or keeping\nin this work intended for general public reading.\n\nThe maniacs were restored to their normal condition, and the\ntraditions say that the Master instructed them regarding the evil\ncourses which they had been pursuing, and bade them desist from their\nnefarious practices which had wrought such evil consequences upon\nthem.\n\nThe church and its preachers, with but few exceptions, have seen fit\nto ignore the frequent Biblical allusions to \"devils,\" \"demons,\" etc.;\ntheir position being practically that the writers of the events of\nJesus' ministry (whom they otherwise consider to have been \"inspired\")\nmust have been superstitious, credulous people believing in \"the\nabsurd demonology of their times.\" They ignore the fact that Jesus\nHimself repeatedly spoke to these intelligences, bidding them depart\nfrom the people whom they had been obsessing. Does the church wish to\nhold that the Master was also an ignorant, credulous peasant, sharing\npopular superstitions? It would seem so. We must except the Catholic\nChurch from this criticism, for its authorities have recognized the\ntrue state of affairs and have warned its followers against indulging\nin the dark practices of Necromancy or Invocation of Astral\nIntelligences.\n\nOccult science informs its students of the various planes of life,\neach of which contains its inhabitants. It teaches that on the Astral\nPlane there are disembodied entities which should not be transplanted\nto our plane. And it warns all against the dark practices, so common\nin ancient times and in the Middle Ages, of invoking and evoking these\nundesirable denizens of that plane. It is to be regretted that some of\nthe modern Psychic Researchers ignore these plain warnings, for some\nof them are laying themselves open to grave consequences by reason of\ntheir wilful folly. We urge upon our readers to refrain from this\ndabbling in the phenomena of the Astral Plane. Some writer has well\ncompared \"Psychism\" to a great machine, in the cog-wheels of which\npersons may become entangled only to be afterward drawn into the\nmachine itself. Keep away from the wheels!\n\nThis \"miracle\" of Jesus aroused great excitement, and it was urged\nagainst Him that He was going about the country driving devils into\npeople's flocks and herds, causing their destruction. The priests\nfomented the popular feeling, and encouraged the distrust, hatred and\nfear which the orthodox portion of the community was beginning to\nentertain toward the Master. The seeds of Calvary were being sown\namong the people. And their awful fruit was latent in them. Hate and\nbigotry were the essence of both seed and fruit.\n\nJesus returned to Capernaum, and once more the little town was crowded\nwith people seeking instruction and crying to be healed. The news of\nhis wonderful healing power spread far and near, and people were\ncarried on litters for many miles in order that they might be touched\nby the hands of the Master.\n\nAbout this time there came to Him one Jairus, a man of eminence in the\ncommunity and in the church. Jairus had a little daughter about twelve\nyears of age, who was taken seriously ill, and who had been given up\nas incurable by the physicians.\n\nWith his daughter lying at death's door, Jairus hastened to the scene\nof the Master's meetings, and, throwing himself at His feet, besought\nHim to heal his beloved child ere she passed beyond the dark portals\nof the unknown. The Master, feeling compassion for the father's great\ngrief, paused in His teaching and started toward Jairus' home. His\nmind charged with the concentration of healing thought, and His\norganism filled with the vital forces aroused to perform the task, He\nfelt some one touch the hem of His garment in search of healing power,\nand He at once recognized the occurrence, saying, \"The power hath been\ndrawn from me. Who touched my garment?\" As they approached the house\nof Jairus, the servants came running out with wild cries and\nlamentations, announcing that the child had died while awaiting the\ncoming of the Healer. The father broke down at this terrible news,\ncoming at the very moment of his greatest hope. But Jesus bade him to\nhave faith and still believe. Then, accompanied by three of His\ndisciples--John, Peter and James--He entered the chamber of death.\nWaving back the weeping family and the neighbors who had gathered,\n\"Stand back,\" He cried, \"the child is not dead--she but sleepeth.\"\n\nAn indignant cry went up from the orthodox relatives and friends at\nthese words of the Master. How dared He so mock the very presence of\nthe dead, whom the physicians had left, and over whom the priests had\nalready begun the last sacred rites? But, heeding them not, the Master\npassed His hands over the child's head, and took her little cold palms\nwithin his own. Then began a strange happening. The little chest began\nto heave, and the white wan cheeks began to show traces of color. Then\nthe arms and hands began to move, and the wasted limbs drew slightly\nup. Then, opening her eyes with a wondering look, the child gazed at\nthe Healer and smiled gently at Him. Then the Master, with a look of\ngentle tenderness, withdrew from the room, after ordering that\nnourishing food be brought for the child.\n\nThen began the usual dispute. Some declared that another had been\nraised from the dead, while others declared that the child had but\nbeen in a trance and would have awakened anyway. Had not even the\nHealer declared that she only slept? But Jesus heeded not the\ndisputants, but returned to the scene of His work.\n\nThe work went on in its accustomed way. He began to send His apostles\naway on longer and more extended tours, having fully instructed them\nin the occult methods of healing. Great success attended their efforts\nand the best reports came in from all sides. The authorities\nrecognized to a still greater extent the growing influence of the\nyoung Master, and His actions were still more closely watched by the\nspies. Reports of His teachings and work were carried to Herod, who,\nrecognizing in them the same note that had been struck by John the\nBaptist, who had been put to death, perceived that though men might\ndie, the spirit of their teachings would still live on. No wonder the\nguilty ruler should cry in terror, \"This verily is the spirit of John,\nwhom I put to death, risen from the grave to wreak vengeance upon me!\"\nAnd the authorities reported to Rome that here was a young fanatic,\nwhom many believed to be the Messiah and coming King of the Jews, who\nhad thousands of followers all over the land. And word came back from\nRome, in due time, to watch carefully over the man, who was\nundoubtedly striving to incite an insurrection, and to imprison Him or\nput Him to death as soon as the evidence was sufficient to convict\nHim.\n\nJesus about this time was near a small fishing town called Bethseda,\non the lake about seven miles from Capernaum. Near this place His boat\nlanded at a place on the beach where He had hoped to take a few days'\nrest. But, alas, a great crowd had hastened to the place of\ndisembarkation, and now gathered around Him, demanding teaching and\nhealing. Putting aside His mental and physical fatigue, He attended to\nthe wants of the crowd. Healing now, and then teaching, He threw\nHimself into His work with fervor and zeal. There were over five\nthousand people gathered together around Him, and toward evening the\ncry went up that there was not sufficient food in the camp to begin to\nfeed the multitude. A great tumult arose among the crowd, and\ncomplaints and even curses began to be heard. The spiritual wants were\nforgotten, and the physical began to manifest itself in a most\ninsistent manner. What was to be done?\n\nHe called together those of His company who had been entrusted with\nthe care of the food which the little company carried with it. And, to\nHis sorrow, He learned that the entire stock of food consisted of five\nloaves of bread and two fishes. And the little band carried\npractically no money with it, for they depended upon the hospitality\nof the country and the offerings by the faithful. The disciples\nadvised that the Master order the crowd to disperse and return to\nBethseda for food. But Jesus felt loath to do this, particularly when\nthere were so many invalids in the gathering who had traveled so many\nmiles to see Him, and who had not yet been healed. And so He decided\nto give the company its food by means of His power.\n\nHe bade His people divide the multitude into little groups of fifty\npeople, who were then instructed to be seated for a meal. Then He\nordered the scanty supply of available food to be brought before Him,\nand, placing His hands over it, He offered a blessing, then ordered\nHis people to serve the throng. They began to serve out the food with\nlooks of wonder and amazement. Had the Master lost His senses? But in\nsome way the food seemed miraculously to increase and multiply, until\nat last all of the five thousand had been fully supplied and their\nhunger appeased. And then, after all had been served and had eaten,\nthe scraps and fragments which were gathered up filled many wicker\nbaskets and were distributed to the poorer people in the company for\ntomorrow's use.\n\nBut trouble arose. The people, with well filled stomachs, feeling that\nhere indeed was royal bounty and the power with which to feed them\nforever free of charge, began to wax enthusiastic and shouts ascended.\n\"The Messiah! King of the Jews! Provider of the People! Son of David!\nRuler over Israel!\" were the words which soon swept the crowd off of\nits feet. And then some of the bolder ones, or else the hired spies\nwho wished to place Him in a compromising position, began to suggest\nthat the crowd form itself into an army and march from city to city\nwith Jesus at its head, until at last they would place Him upon the\nthrone of Israel at Jerusalem. Jesus, recognizing the peril to His\nmission, managed to dissuade the hot-heads from their plans, but still\nfearing that the authorities might come down upon the assemblage,\nordered that the Twelve take the boat and put out for the other side\nof the lake. He sent them off as a precaution, but He, Himself,\nremained with the crowd and faced the threatened danger.\n\nHe retired to the hills near by and spent the night in meditation.\nThen early in the morning, He noticed that a storm was rising over the\nlake and that the tiny boat containing His disciples would be in great\ndanger. In a few moments they might be overwhelmed. He wished to be\nwith them to comfort and re-assure them. No boat being handy, he\nstepped boldly out upon the water and walked rapidly toward the\ndirection in which He knew the boat must be. Scarcely conscious of the\noccult power of levitation that He was using to overcome the power of\ngravitation, He moved rapidly toward His followers. Soon He overtook\nthem, and they, seeing a white figure moving swiftly over the water\ntoward them, were affrighted, believing it to be a spirit or ghost.\n\"It is I, be not afraid!\" called out the Master to them. Then Peter\ncried out, \"Lord, if Thou it be, direct me to walk to Thee also on the\nwaves!\" And the Master, smiling, so directed him. And Peter, whose\nlatent occult power was aroused by his great faith in the Master,\nsprang over the side and took several steps toward Him. But, suddenly\nlosing his faith and courage, his power also left him, and he began to\nsink beneath the waves. But the Master grasped his hand and led him in\nsafety to the boat and both entered it. Then the crew fell to and with\ngreat enthusiasm righted the boat and proceeded to the shore near\nCapernaum.\n\nIn the case of Peter and his experience in walking on the water, we\nhave a striking instance of the well known power of the mental\nattitude of Faith in the manifestation of occult power. All occultists\nknow this, and without feeling an implicit faith in the Power with\nthem, they do not attempt certain forms of manifestation. They know\nthat with Faith miracles may be performed which are impossible\notherwise. So long as Peter held his Faith he was able to counteract\ncertain laws of nature by means of other laws not so well known. But\nas soon as Fear took the place of Faith his power left him. This is an\ninvariable occult principle, and in the recital of this story of Peter\non the water is to be found a whole volume of occult instruction--to\nthose who are able to read it.\n\nArriving safely on the shores of the lake, Jesus resumed His work\nwhile the ever-present gathering of people went on in its accustomed\nway. But on the opposite shore of the lake the crowd who had been fed\non the loaves and fishes were in an angry mood. They cried out that\nthey had been deserted by their leader, and that the expected loaves\nand fishes--the free meals that they had expected would continue--had\nbeen denied them. They also complained bitterly that the reign of\nmiracles had not continued. And they began to revile the Master that\nthey had acclaimed the night before. And so Jesus experienced the\ningratitude and the unreasonable words of the public just as all great\nteachers have done. The seekers after the loaves and the fishes,\ndemanding to be fed and clothed without their own work--the seekers\nafter miracles, demanding fresh wonder-workings--have ever been the\nbane of the great Teachers of the Truth. It is a hard and bitter\ntruth, but all teachers and true lovers of the Truth must learn to\nmeet and understand it. The mob which reveres a spiritual Master today\nis equally ready to rend him to pieces tomorrow.\n\nAnd still more trouble arose from this mistaken kindness which led\nJesus to feed the crowd by His occult powers, which, by the way, He\nknew to be in opposition to the well-established custom of the Occult\nBrotherhoods. The formalists, Pharisees and Scribes, having heard of\nthe occurrence, gathered about the Master and accused Him of violating\none of the forms and ceremonies prescribed by the ecclesiastical\nauthorities--the rite which required the faithful to wash their hands\nbefore beginning a meal. They accused Him of heresy and false\nteaching, which tended to lead the people away from their accustomed\nceremonies and observances. Jesus waxed indignant and, turning on His\ncritics, hurled burning replies upon them. \"Ye hypocrites!\" He cried,\n\"You cling to the commandments of men and neglect the commandments of\nGod! You cleanse your hands but not your souls! You are the blind\nleaders of the blind, and both yourselves and your followers fall in\nthe mire and ditches! Away with you and your hypocrisy!\" But the\nadverse comment aroused by His actions would not down, and,\ndiscouraged and disheartened by the evidences of the barrenness of the\nsoil in which He had been sowing the precious seeds of the Truth, He\ngathered together His followers and departed into Tyre and Sidon, a\nquieter region, that He might rest and meditate over new plans and\nwork. He could see the beginning of the end.\n\nTo understand the nature of the position of the Master at this time,\nit must be remembered that His strong hold had ever been with the\nmasses of the people, who were His enthusiastic admirers. So long as\nHe remained entrenched in the heart of the populace, the temporal and\necclesiastical authorities dared not attack Him without a popular\nuprising of no mean proportions. But now that they had managed to wean\naway His public from Him they pressed Him harder and harder with their\npersecutions and complaints. And so at last they had managed to render\nHim almost an unpopular outcast. They forced Him away from the larger\ntowns, and now He was wandering among the less populous regions of the\ncountry, and even there the spies and agents of the authorities hunted\nHim down, seeking to further entrap and compromise Him.\n\nAbout this time Jesus revealed to His apostles the facts of His Divine\norigin which was now plain to Him. He also told them of the fate which\nawaited Him, and which He had willingly chosen. He told them not to\nexpect the fruits of His work at this time, for He was but sowing the\nseeds of the fruit which would not grow and bear fruit for many\ncenturies. He gave them the Mystic secret of the nature of His work,\nwhich is taught to the Initiates of the Occult Brotherhoods even unto\nthis day. But even these chosen men scarcely grasped the true import\nof His teachings, and once He was rendered almost broken hearted at\nover-hearing a discussion among them regarding high offices which they\nhoped to acquire.\n\nJesus now felt that the time had come for Him to move on to Jerusalem\nto meet there the crowning act of His strange career. And, knowing\nfull well that such a course would be virtually thrusting His head\ninto the very jaws of the lion of ecclesiastical and temporal\nauthority, He set His feet firmly on the road which led to Jerusalem,\nthe capital city, and the center of ecclesiastical influence. And that\nroad was a hard one to travel, for, as He neared the capital, His\nenemies increased in number and the opposition to Him grew stronger.\nAt one village He had been denied the right of shelter, an indignity\nalmost unknown in Oriental lands. In another place a large rock was\nhurled at Him and wounded Him severely. The mob had turned against Him\nand was repaying His kind services with abuse and personal violence.\nAnd this is ever the lot of the teacher of the Truth who scatters the\nsacred pearls of Truth before the swine of the unworthy multitude of\npeople. Over and over again has this fact been brought home to those\nwho would labor for the good of the world. And still we hear the\nquerulous complaint that the Inner Teaching is reserved for the\nFew--why not scatter it broadcast among the people? The stake, the\nrack, the stones, the prison cell, the cross and their modern\nprototypes--these are the silent answers to the question.\n\nMoving on toward Jerusalem the little company reached Perea, a number\nof miles from Bethany, at which latter place dwelt a family of His\nfriends--the two sisters, Martha and Mary, and their brother Lazarus.\nAt this place He was met by a messenger from Bethany, who bore the sad\nnews that His friend Lazarus was sick unto death, and who also begged\nthe Master to return to Bethany and cure the man. But this Jesus\nrefused to do, and allowed several days to pass without answering the\nsummons. At the end of the several days He started toward Bethany,\ntelling His disciples that Lazarus was dead. And reaching Bethany they\nfound that it was indeed so--Lazarus was dead and in the tomb.\n\nJesus was received with scowling antagonism. The people seemed to say,\n\"Here is this heretical imposter again. He feared to come even to the\naid of His dying friend. His power has failed Him and He now stands\ndiscredited and exposed!\" Then came Martha, who reproached the Master\nwith His indifference and delay. He answered her that Lazarus should\nrise again, but she doubted His word. Then came Mary, whose grief\nbrought tears even from the Master, who had seen so much of human\nsuffering as to have found his eyes refuse to weep.\n\nThen asked the Master, \"Where have you laid him away?\" and they took\nHim to the tomb, followed by the curious mob hungering for the sight\nof more wonders from the man whom they feared even while hating and\nreviling Him. Jesus stood before the dreary tomb and bade the men roll\naway the stone that closed the mouth of the tomb. The men hesitated,\nfor they knew that a corpse lay within, and they even perceived the\ncharacteristic odor of the tomb issuing therefrom. But the Master\ninsisting upon it, they rolled away the stone and Jesus stood full in\nfront of the dark opening to the cavern.\n\nHe stood there for a few moments wrapt in meditation and showing\nevidences of strong mental concentration. His eyes took on a strange\nlook, and in every muscle He showed that He was summoning to the task\nevery particle of the power at His command. He was throwing off the\nmatters that had been occupying His mind during the past weeks, that\nHe might hold his mind \"one-pointed,\" as the Oriental occultists term\nit--that He might concentrate clearly and forcibly upon the task\nbefore Him.\n\nThen, arousing His reserve force, in a mighty effort, He cried loudly,\nin a voice of authority and power, \"Lazarus! Lazarus! Come forth!\"\n\nThe people gasped with horror at this calling forth a corpse which was\nin the process of disintegration and decay, and a cry of remonstrance\nwent up, but Jesus heeded it not. \"Lazarus! Lazarus! Come forth, I\ncommand thee!\" he cried again.\n\nAnd then at the mouth of the cavern could be seen something startling.\nIt was a ghastly figure, bound and clad in the grave-clothes of that\ncountry, which was struggling to free itself and to move toward the\nlight. It was indeed Lazarus! And, after tearing off the stained\ngrave-clothes which still retained the horrid stench of decaying\nmatter, his body was found to be sweet and clean and pure as that of\nthe infant. Jesus had performed a wonder-work far beyond any\nmanifestation He had heretofore shown to the world.\n\nThe excitement occasioned by this crowning wonder, coming to Jerusalem\nafter a lull in which it had thought that the Master had retired into\ninsignificant seclusion, aroused again into activity the authorities,\nwho now determined to make an end to the matter and to suppress this\npestilent charlatan once and for all. Raising a decaying corpse from\nthe tomb, indeed! What new fraudulent marvels would He not work next\nin order to delude the credulous people and to bring them once more\naround his rebellious standard? The man was dangerous without doubt,\nand must be put where He could do no harm--and that at once.\n\nWithin a few hours after the receipt of news that Lazarus had walked\nfrom the tomb, the Sanhedrin, the great Jewish ecclesiastical council,\nwas in session, called hastily by its officers to take vigorous action\nconcerning this impious, heretical imposter who had been allowed to\nmock at established order and religion for too long a time. He must be\nquieted ere he arouse the people once more. The Roman authorities were\nwarned by the Jewish ecclesiastics that this dangerous man now\napproaching the capital claimed to be the Jewish Messiah, and that His\naims were to overturn the Temple authorities first, and then establish\nHimself as King of the Jews, and place Himself at the head of a\nrevolutionary army which would attempt to defy and defeat the rule of\nmighty Rome herself.\n\nAnd so all the machinery was set in motion, and the officers of the\nlaw were all on the alert to take advantage of the first overt act of\nJesus and His followers, and to throw them into prison as enemies of\nsociety, religion and of the state. The Roman authorities were\nagitated at the reports coming to them from the highest Jewish\nauthorities, and were prepared to crush the rebellion at the first\nsign. The Jewish priests were in solemn convocation and at the\ninstigation of Caiaphas, the high priest of the Jews, they determined\nthat nothing but the death of this false Messiah would put an end to\nthe agitation which threatened to drive them from power and authority.\nAnd so the die was cast.\n\nAnd meanwhile Jesus was resting in Bethany, surrounded by great\nthrongs who were pouring into the place to see Lazarus, and to renew\ntheir allegiance to the Master whom they had so basely forsaken.\nTime-servers ever, the latest miracles had revived their fading\ninterest and waning faith, and they flocked around the Master as\nnoisy, enthusiastic and as full of fulsome praise as ever. And\nyesterday they had damned Him, and tomorrow they would cry \"Crucify\nHim!\" For such is the nature of the multitude of men. Of the\nmultitudes of Jesus' followers, none remained to acknowledge\nallegiance in His hour of arrest--even among the chosen twelve, one\nbetrayed Him, one denied Him, and _all_ fled away when He was taken\ncaptive. And for _such_ the Son of Man lived and taught and suffered.\nSurely His _life_ was the greatest miracle of all.\n\n\n\n\nTHE EIGHTH LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE END OF THE LIFE WORK.\n\nResting for a short time before His formal entry into Jerusalem, the\nMaster sought the seclusion of the sparsely settled districts near the\nwilderness. In and around the village of Ephraim, in Perea, in parts\nof Galilee, He wandered with the Twelve. But even there He continued\nHis work of healing and teaching.\n\nBut even this temporary respite from the inevitable lasted but a short\ntime. Jesus determined to march direct to the seat of the\necclesiastical and temporal authority which was arrayed against Him.\nAnd so, just before the coming of the Passover time, He gathered\ntogether the Twelve and set out on the final stage of the journey. The\npilgrims journeying to the capital were burning with curiosity and\nexcitement concerning this journey of the Master to the home of His\nfoes. Rumors were circulated that He intended to gather His forces\ntogether and sweep the enemy from its seats of power. It was known\nthat the Sanhedrin intended to attempt to punish Him, and the people\nasked why should He move on to face His foes unless He contemplated a\nfight to the finish?\n\nThis belief in His determination caused a revulsion of feeling of the\npeople in His favor, and many who had deserted Him now again gathered\naround Him. They dreamt again of victory, and scented again an\nunfailing supply of loaves and fishes. They crowded around Him wishing\nto be among the victorious host. But He encouraged them not--neither\nspoke He a word to them. He knew them for the time-servers that they\nwere.\n\nThe crowds of Jerusalem hearing of His approach, and moved by\ncuriosity to witness His triumphant entry into the City, flocked\naround the suburbs through which He would approach. At last the cry\nwent up, \"Here He comes!\" and to their amazement and disgust the crowd\nsaw Him riding quietly info the City mounted on an ass, without\ndisplay, pretense or pose. The crowd scattered, sneering and reviling\nHim. But the pilgrims were becoming more and more enthusiastic, and\nthey strewed His way with palms, shouting, \"Blessed be our Messiah!\nThe King of Israel approacheth.\"\n\nThe Master proceeded directly to the Temple and performed the\ncustomary rites. So amazed were the authorities by His fearless\ndemeanor, that they deferred laying violent hands upon Him. They\nfeared a trap, and moved cautiously. They even allowed Him to retire\nto Bethany and spend the night. The next morning He returned to the\ncity and dwelt among His friends there. He attended the Temple\nregularly, and pursued His work of teaching and healing in its very\nshadows.\n\nMeanwhile the clouds of the persecuting forces gathered closely around\nHis head. One of the Twelve, Judas Iscariot, who was sorely\ndisappointed at the Master having refused to take advantage of the\nsupport of the crowd to assist His claim as the Messiah and King of\nthe Jews, and also fearing that he would become involved in His\ninevitable downfall, began a series of bargainings and dickerings with\nthe authorities, which had for their object the betrayal of the Master\ninto the hands of the authorities, the reward to be immunity from\npersecution for himself and a few pieces of silver for his pocket in\naddition.\n\nAnd so the time passed on, the nights being spent at Bethany and the\ndays at the Temple in the capital. Finally the priests made an\nimportant move. They confronted Him in their official capacity and\ndemanded that He prove His ordination as a Jewish Rabbi and consequent\nright to preach to the orthodox members of the church. Jesus answered\nthem by asking questions that they feared to answer. Then they began\nto question Him, hoping to involve Him in ecclesiastical heresies\nwhich would give them their excuse to arrest Him. But He evaded them\nskilfully. They sought also to compel Him to state opinions contrary\nto the Roman authority, but He likewise escaped this net.\n\nFinally, however, they drew from Him a savage attack upon authority,\nand He cried out in indignation:\n\n     \"Woe unto you, ye generation of vipers! Ye serpents! Ye\n     hypocrites! Ye oppressors of the poor! Ye professed\n     shepherds, who are but as wolves in disguise, seeking but to\n     devour the sheep whom ye have in charge! Woe unto you, ye\n     Scribes, Hypocrites, Pharisees!\"\n\nThen He left the Temple and returned to Bethany to spend the night,\nafter foretelling the destruction of the Temple, when there should not\nbe left one of its stones upon another.\n\nThat night he had a heart-to-heart talk with the Twelve. He told them\nthat the end was in sight--that He was to die before many hours had\npassed--that they, the Twelve, were to become wanderers on the face of\nthe earth--hunted and persecuted in His name and for His sake. A\nterrible revelation to some among them who had dreamt of earthly\ngrandeur and high positions for themselves! And then Judas felt that\nthe time to act had come, and he stole away to meet the High-priest\nand to close the frightful bargain with him which was to make his name\nthe synonym for treachery throughout the ages.\n\nThe next day, Wednesday, He rested in Bethany the whole twenty-four\nhours, evidently gathering together his reserve forces to meet the\nordeal which He now knew was before Him. He kept apart from even His\ndisciples and spent the time in meditation. And likewise was passed\nthe early part of the following day, Thursday. But when the even time\nhad come, He sent for the Twelve and gathered them around Him for the\nPaschal Supper, one of the rites of the Passover time.\n\nEven this last solemn occasion was marred by a petty squabble among\nthe disciples regarding the order of precedence to be observed in\ntheir seats at the table. Judas succeeded in gaining the seat of honor\nnext to the Master. Jesus startled the company by insisting upon\nwashing the feet of the Twelve, an act which placed them on a pedestal\nabove Him. This occult ceremony, which was not comprehended by the\nTwelve, apparently was one which the Hierophants of the Occult\nBrotherhoods performed for their associates when the latter had been\nchosen to carry out some important office or mission, or when a\nsuccessor was about to take the place of one of them. And Jesus\nevidently so intended it. Then He bade them wash one another's feet,\nin token of the recognition of each of the high mission of the others.\n\nThen Jesus, overcome by the knowledge of the morrow, burst out in\nanguished tones, saying: \"And even one of you, my chosen ones, shall\nbetray me!\" And several asked Him in turn, in a tone of reproach, \"Is\nit I?\" And Jesus shook His head at each question. But Judas asked not,\nbut overcome with confusion he reached over and took a portion of\nbread from the plate before the Master. Then Jesus took a bit of bread\nand, moistening it from His plate, handed it to Judas, saying to him\nfirmly, \"Judas, do thy work without loss of time.\" And Judas, abashed,\nslunk away from the table.\n\nThen began that remarkable conversation of the Last Supper, as\nrecorded in the Gospels. Then also was performed that first\ncelebration of the Holy Communion, the Mystic significance of which\nshall be explained in a later lesson. Then Jesus chanted the Passover\nhymn.\n\nThen shortly after, the company left the room and walked into the\nstreets, and over the meadows near by. Then under the trees of the\nGarden of Gethsemane, apart from His disciples, now reduced to Eleven,\nHe gave Himself up to prayer and meditation. He called aloud to The\nFather to give Him strength for the final ordeal. Struggling with His\ndoubts and fears and misgivings--conquering His physical inclination\nand impulses--He gave utterance to that supreme cry: \"O Father, Thy\nwill, not mine, be done!\" and in so saying He cast behind Him forever\nHis right of choice to stay the awful course of events which was\npressing upon Him. Resigning His mighty occult power of defense, He\nlaid Himself upon the altar of sacrifice even as the Paschal Lamb.\n\nLeaving behind Him the Garden in which He had just performed this\ngreatest miracle of all--the miracle of Renunciation--He stepped out\namong His disciples, saying, \"The hour has come--the betrayer is here\nto do his work.\"\n\nThen were heard sounds of clanking arms, and martial tread, and in a\nmoment the military guard appeared on the scene, accompanied by a\ndelegation of ecclesiastics, and with them, walking in advance, was\nJudas Iscariot. Judas, walking as one in a trance, approached the\nMaster and, saluting Him with a kiss, cried, \"Hail, Master,\" which was\nthe signal to the guard, arranged between Judas and the High Priest.\nThen cried Jesus, \"Ah, with a kiss--thou, Judas, betrayeth the Son of\nMan with a kiss! Oh!\" And in that moment it seemed that the Master's\ngrief had reached its utmost limit. Then the guard closed around Him\nand carried Him away.\n\nBut He resisted them not. As they approached Him He called out, \"Whom\nseek ye?\" And the leader answered, \"We seek him whom men call Jesus of\nNazareth.\" Then answered the Master, \"I am He whom thou seeketh!\" But\nthe disciples resisted the arrest, and Peter cut off the ear of one of\nthe party, a servant of the High-priest. But Jesus bade His followers\ndesist, and, approaching the wounded man, placed his severed ear in\nplace and healed it instantly. Then He rebuked His disciples, telling\nthem that, had He so desired, the whole of the legions of heaven would\nhave come to His assistance. Then He bade the leader conduct Him from\nthe place. But alas! as He left, He turned to bid farewell to His\ndisciples, and lo! to a man they had fled and deserted Him, leaving\nHim alone in His hour of trial--yea! as every humble soul must be\nalone in its moments of supreme struggle--alone with its Creator.\n\nThen down toward the city they led Him--the Master of All Power, an\nhumble captive, non-resistant and awaiting the course of The Will.\nThey took Him to the palace of the Jewish High-priest, where the\nSanhedrin was assembled in secret session awaiting His coming. And\nthere He stood erect before these ecclesiastical tyrants to be\njudged--bound with the cord as a common criminal. He, whose single\neffort of His will would have shattered the whole palace to pieces and\nhave destroyed every human being within its walls!\n\nAnd this was but the beginning. During the next eight hours He was\nsubjected to six separate trials, if indeed such mock proceedings\nmight be so designated. Subjected to blows, and all manner of low\ninsults, the Master remained a Master. Perjured witnesses testified,\nand all manner of crimes and heresies were charged against Him. Then\nCaiaphas asked Him the all-important question, \"Art thou the Christ?\"\nand Jesus broke His silence to answer positively, \"I am!\" Then the\nHigh-priest cried out vehemently, rending His sacred robes in his\npious indignation, \"He has blasphemed!\"\n\nFrom that moment there was no possible chance of escape for the\nMaster. He had virtually condemned Himself by His own words. There was\nno retreat or reprieve. He was roughly pushed from the hall and like a\ncommon criminal was turned over to the taunts and revilings of the\nmob, which availed itself of its privileges to the full in this case.\nInsults, curses, revilings, taunts, and even blows, came fast and\nfuriously upon Him. But He stood it all without a murmur. Already His\nthoughts had left earthly things behind, and dwelt on planes of being\nfar above the wildest dreams of men. With His mind firmly fixed on the\nReal, the Unreal vanished from His consciousness.\n\nIn the early part of the day following the night of His arrest, Jesus\nwas taken before Pontius Pilate, the Roman official, for His trial by\nthe civil authorities. Pilate, in his heart, was not disposed to\ncondemn Jesus, for he believed that the whole trouble consisted in\ntheological and ecclesiastical differences with which the civil law\nshould not concern itself. His wife had warned him against becoming\ninvolved in the dispute, for she had a secret sympathy for the Master,\nfor some reason. But he found arrayed against him the solid influence\nof the Jewish priesthood, whose power must not be opposed lightly,\naccording to the policy of Rome. Then the priests had made out a civil\ncase against Jesus, claiming that He had sought to incite a rebellion\nand proclaim Himself King of the Jews; that He had created public\ndisorder; that He had urged the people to refuse to pay taxes to Rome.\nThe case against Him was weak, and Pilate was at a loss what to do.\nThen some one of the priests suggested that as Jesus was a Galilean,\nHe be turned over for trial to Herod, in whose territory the principal\ncrimes were committed, and Pilate gladly availed himself of this\ntechnical excuse to rid himself of responsibility in the matter. And\nso the case was transferred to Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem\nat that time on a visit. To Herod's palace the captive was taken, and\nafter suffering indignities and humiliation at the hand of the tyrant,\nHe was remanded back to Pilate for trial, under Herod's orders.\n\nBack to Pilate's court, followed by the crowd, went Jesus. Pilate was\ngreatly annoyed that Herod should have shifted the responsibility once\nmore upon his (Pilate's) court. Then he bethought himself of an\nexpedient. He took advantage of the Jewish custom, observed by the\nRoman rulers, which led to the pardoning of a notorious criminal on\nthe occasion of the Passover. And so he announced that he would pardon\nJesus according to custom. But from the Jewish authorities came back\nthe answer that they would not accept Jesus as the subject of the\npardon, but demanded that Barabbas, a celebrated criminal, be pardoned\ninstead of the Nazarene. Pilate found himself unable to escape the\ndesigns of the Jewish priesthood, and so, yielding in disgust, he\npardoned Barabbas, and condemned Jesus to death. The cries of the mob,\nincited by the priests, sounded around the court. \"Crucify him!\nCrucify him!\" Pilate appeared before the priests and the populace,\nand, washing his hands in a basin, according to the Oriental custom,\nhe cried to the Jews, \"I wash my hands of this man's blood--upon you\nbe it!\" And the crowd responded with a great shout, \"Upon us and our\nchildren be his blood!\"\n\nJesus, in the meantime, had been cruelly scourged by the barbarous\ninstruments of torture of the time. His body was lacerated and\nbleeding, and He was faint from the torture and loss of blood. Upon\nHis head had been thrust, in ghastly mockery, a crown of thorns which\npressed deep into His flesh. He was refused the usual respite of\nseveral days before sentence and execution--He was to die that very\nday.\n\nHis cross was tied to His back and He was compelled to carry it,\nfainting though He was from fatigue and torture. He staggered along\nand fell, unable to bear His heavy burden. Finally Golgotha, the place\nof the crucifixion, was reached, and the Man of Sorrows was nailed to\nthe cross and raised aloft to die a lingering and painful death. On\neither side was a criminal--two thieves--His companions in suffering.\n\nHe refused to partake of the drug which was granted to criminals to\nrelieve their intense suffering. He preferred to die in full\npossession of His faculties. Above His head was a tablet bearing the\ninscription, \"The King of the Jews,\" which had been placed there by\nPilate in a spirit of ironical mockery of the Jews who had forced him\nto place this man on the cross.\n\nAs the cross was raised into position the Master cried aloud, \"O\nFather, forgive them--they know not what they do.\"\n\nTaunted by the crowds, He hung and suffered the terrible agonies of\nthe cross. Even one of the crucified criminals reviled Him, asking Him\nwhy He did not save Himself and them? The crowd asked Him why He who\nsaved others could not save Himself? But He, who could have brought\nforces to bear which would have wrought the miracle they demanded,\nanswered not, but awaited the end.\n\nThen set in the delirium of death in which He cried aloud to the\nFather, asking if He had been forsaken in His misery. But the end was\nnear.\n\nThere arose a strange storm--darkness fell over the place--weird\nelectrical disturbances manifested themselves. The winds abated and a\nstrange quiet fell over all the scene, which was lighted by a ghastly\nglow. And then came the earthquake, with strange groanings and\nmoanings of the earth; with frightful stenches of sulphur and gas. And\nthe very foundations of Jerusalem quaked and shivered. The rocks\nbefore the tombs flew off, and the dead bodies were exposed to view.\nIn the Temple, the veil before the Holy of Holies was rent in twain.\n\nThe cries of the people as they rushed to and fro in mortal terror\ntook the attention of all from the cross. Then the Roman officer in\ncharge of the execution, glancing upward, saw that all was over, and,\nfalling before the cross, he cried out, \"Verily, this man was a god!\"\n\nJesus the Master had passed out from the body which had served as His\ntenement for thirty-three years. His body was borne away for burial,\nin a secret place. Embalmed by loving friends, it was carried to a\nplace of last earthly rest.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nAnd now we come to a portion of the narrative in which the occult\ntraditions and teachings diverge from the account stated in the\nGospels. We should have said _apparently_ diverge, for the two\naccounts vary only because of the varying points of view and different\ndegrees of understanding of the teachers.\n\nWe allude to the events of the Resurrection.\n\nIt must be remembered that Jesus had informed His disciples that in\nthree days He would \"rise from the dead\" and appear once more among\nthem. To the ordinary understanding these events seem to indicate that\nthe Master would once more occupy His physical body, and that His\nreappearance was to be so understood. And the Gospel narrative\ncertainly seems to verify this idea, and was undoubtedly so stated\nthat it might be more readily understood by the popular mind.\n\nBut the occult traditions hold otherwise. They hold that Jesus really\nappeared to His disciples three days after His death, and abode with\nthem for a time teaching and instructing them in the deeper mysteries\nand secret doctrines. But the mystics have always held and taught that\nHis reappearance _was in the Astral Body_, and not in the discarded\nphysical form.\n\nTo the popular mind the physical body was almost everything, as we\nhave shown in one of the earlier lessons of this series. So much was\nthis so that the mass of the people expected that all mankind would\narise from the dead at the Last Day clad in their former physical\nforms. And so, any other teaching would have been unintelligible to\nthem.\n\nBut to the occultists and mystics who understood the truth about the\nmore ethereal vehicles of the soul, such an idea appeared crude and\nunscientific, and they readily grasped the Inner Teachings regarding\nthe Resurrection, and understood the reason why Jesus would use the\nAstral Body as the vehicle of His reappearance.\n\nThe Gospel narrative informs us that a guard was placed around the\ntomb to prevent the body being stolen and a consequent assertion of\nthe Resurrection which the priests well knew to be expected. It\nfurther states that the tomb was sealed and guarded by a squad of\nRoman soldiers, but that notwithstanding these precautions the body of\nthe Master actually came to life and emerged from the tomb, and that\nHis followers were disturbed by the evidences that His body had been\nstolen.\n\nThe occult traditions, however, state that the close friends of Jesus,\naided by a prominent Jew who was a secret believer, obtained from the\nwilling Pilate a secret order which enabled them to deposit the body\nin a safe and secret resting place where it gradually resolved itself\ninto the dust to which all that is mortal must return. These men knew\nthat the Resurrection of the Master had naught to do with mortal\nfleshly form or body. They knew that the immaterial soul of the Master\nstill lived and would reappear to them clad in the more ethereal body\nmade manifest to their mortal senses. Every occultist will understand\nthis without further comment. To others we advise that they read the\noccult teachings concerning the Astral Body and its characteristics.\nThis is no place in which to again describe at length the phenomena of\nthe Astral Body of Man.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe first to see the Master in His Astral Form was Mary of Magdala, a\nwoman admirer and follower of her Lord. She was weeping beside the\nempty tomb, when looking up she saw a form approaching. The Astral\nForm was indistinct and unfamiliar, and at first she did not recognize\nit. Then a voice called her name, and looking up she saw the form\ngrowing more distinct and familiar, and she recognized the features of\nher Master.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nMore than this, the occult legends assert the truth of some of the\ntraditions of the early Christian Church, namely, that in the three\ndays succeeding the scene of Calvary there appeared in and around\nJerusalem the disembodied forms of many persons who had died a short\ntime previously. It is said that the Astral Bodies of many dead Jews\nrevisited the scenes of their former life, and were witnessed by\nfriends and relatives.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThen Jesus appeared in His Astral Body to the disciples. The\ntraditions have it that two of the eleven met Him on the afternoon of\nthe day when He first appeared to Mary--Easter Sunday. Strange to say,\nthey did not at first recognize Him, although they walked the road\nwith Him and afterward ate at the same table. This failure to\nrecognize the Master is wholly beyond ordinary explanation and the\nchurches make no real attempt to make it understandable. But the\noccult traditions say that Jesus had not wholly materialized His\nAstral Body at first, for reason of prudence, and that consequently\nHis features were not distinctly and clearly marked; then at the meal\nHe caused His features to be fully materialized so that the disciples\nmight readily recognize Him. All occultists who have witnessed the\nmaterialization of an Astral Body will readily understand this\nstatement. The orthodox theory of Jesus having reappeared in His\nphysical body wholly fails to explain this nonrecognition by His\ndisciples, who had been His everyday companions before His death. The\nslightest consideration should show which statement is nearer the\nbounds of reasonable probability.\n\nJesus remained visible to the chosen few for forty days. The testimony\nof several hundred people attested the fact. There are a number of\nmystic legends about some of His appearances, which are not mentioned\nin the Gospel narratives. One of these states that He appeared before\nPontius Pilate and forgave him for the part he had played in the\ntragedy. Another that Herod witnessed His form in his bedchamber.\nAnother that He confronted the High-priests in the Temple and brought\nthem to their knees in terror. Another that He came one night to the\nEleven, who sat behind bolted doors in hiding, and saying to them,\n\"Peace be unto you, my beloved,\" vanished from sight.\n\nThe Gospels record another appearance before the Eleven, upon which\noccasion Thomas, the doubter, satisfied himself of the identity of the\nAstral Body by placing his fingers in the wounds, which, of course,\nwere reproduced in the Astral Form according to the well known laws\nregarding the same.\n\nThis coming and going of Jesus--these sudden appearances and\ndisappearances--these manifestations of His form only to those whom He\nwished to see Him, and His concealment from those whom He desired to\nremain in ignorance of His return, all show conclusively to every\noccultist the nature of the vehicle which He used for manifestation\nupon His return. It would seem incredible that there could be any\ngeneral doubt on the subject were the public informed on the laws\nconcerning the Astral World phenomena.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe Gospel narrative shows that the disciples recognized that Jesus\nwas not a \"spirit\" in the sense of being an airy, unsubstantial form.\nThey felt His body, and saw Him eat--but what of that? The laws of\nmaterialization of Astral forms make it possible, under certain\nconditions, that the Astral Form become so thoroughly materialized\nthat it may not only be seen but actually felt. Even the records of\nthe English Society for Psychical Research prove this fact, leaving\nout of account the phenomena with which all advanced occultists are\nfamiliar.\n\nThen, one day He appeared to the disciples, and they accompanied Him\nto the hills, Jesus talking to them regarding their future work on\nearth. He then bade them farewell, and began to fade away from their\nsight. The common account pictures Him as ascending into the air until\nout of sight, but the mystic account informs us that His astral form\nbegan to slowly dematerialize and He gradually faded away from the\nsight of His beloved followers, who stood gazing in wistful longing at\nHis form which, each moment, grew more and more ethereal in structure,\nuntil finally the dematerialization was complete and His soul had cast\noff all material form, shape and substance, and so passed on to the\nhigher planes of being.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIn view of this explanation, does not the commonly accepted version\nseem childish and crude? Can any one at all familiar with the laws and\nphenomena of the land Behind the Veil, suppose that _a physical body_\ncould or would pass on to the planes in which the ordinary forms of\nmatter do not exist? Such ideas are fit only for minds which find it\nnecessary to think of the \"resurrection of the body\" of all departed\nsouls, in order to conceive of Immortality. To the occultist, the\nphysical body is merely a temporary vehicle for the soul which the\nlatter discards at the proper time. It has nothing to do with the real\nbeing of the soul. It is merely the shell which is discarded by the\nsoul, as the chrysalis shell is discarded by the butterfly when it\nspreads its wings for its aerial flight into a new world.\n\nAll these ideas about the immortality of the mortal body are the\nproduct of materialistic minds unused to thinking of the higher planes\nof life, and unable to grasp even the mental concept regarding the\nsame. Of the earth, earthly, are these conceptions and ideas. And the\nsooner that Christianity sheds them as discarded shells the sooner\nwill the church experience that revival of true spirituality that\ndevout souls see the need of, and for which they are so earnestly\npraying.\n\nThe churches are so wedded to materialistic thought that a preacher\ndoes not even hint at the existence of phases of life above the\nphysical lest he be termed \"a spiritualist\" or accused of being\n\"spooky.\" In the name of Truth, is the teaching, that _man is a\nspiritual being_, inconsistent with the teachings of Christ and the\nrecords of the Scripture? Must one forego all such beliefs, in favor\nof a heathenish creed of \"physical body\" resurrection of the dead--an\nimmortality in the worn-out mortal body long since discarded? Which is\nthe true spiritual teaching? Can there be any doubt regarding the same\nin a mind willing to think for itself? It seems sad that the orthodox\nchurches do not see this, and cease forcing out of their congregations\nall thinkers who dare assert the existence of a soul independent of\nthe physical body.\n\nWhat is the use of a soul, if the physical bodies of the dead are to\nbe resurrected in order that their owners may enjoy immortality? And\nwhere are the souls of these dead bodies now residing and abiding\npending the coming of the Last Day? Are the souls of the dead with\ntheir bodies? If not, then they must be living a life independent of\nthe physical body--and if such be the case, why should they afterward\nbe required to take on their worn-out physical bodies which they have\nmanaged so well without during their disembodied life? What becomes of\nthose who had diseased, deformed or frail bodies during their mortal\nlife--will they be compelled to inhabit these bodies through all\neternity? Will the owners of aged, worn out bodies be compelled to\nre-assume them at the Last Day? If not, why the necessity of a\nphysical body at all, in the future life? Do the angels have physical\nbodies? If not, why should souls require them on higher planes? Think\nover these questions and then realize how materialistic is the current\nChristian conception, when compared with that of Mystic Christianity,\nwhich teaches spiritual evolution from lower to higher planes of\nbeing, and on to planes of being beyond even the faintest conception\nof men of the present day.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe occult traditions teach that during the forty days of Jesus'\nappearance in the Astral Body, He imparted many of the Higher Truths\nto His disciples. They state that He even took some of them out of\ntheir bodies and showed them the higher Astral Planes of Being. He\nalso informed them regarding the real nature of His mission which He\nnow clearly saw with His spiritual mind, the cloud of His mortal mind\nbeing now removed.\n\nHe told them that the real work of His followers was the sowing of the\nseed of the Truth, without regard to immediate results. He told them\nthat the real fruition would not come for many centuries--yea, not\nuntil the passing of over two thousand years or more. He told them\nthat the passage of the centuries would be like the preparing of the\nsoil for the great work of the Truth, and that afar in the distance\nwould be the real fruit season.\n\nHe taught them regarding the Second Coming of Christ, when the real\nTruth of His teachings should become apparent to mankind and the true\nLife of the Spirit should be lived by the race. He taught them that\ntheir work was to keep alight the Flame of the Spirit and to pass it\non to worthy followers.\n\nThis and many other things He told them, before He passed on.\n\nAnd the mystics teach that He still lives in the world, diffused among\nall the living souls on earth, striving ever to lead them to a\nrecognition of the Real Self--the Spirit Within. He is with us ever as\nan Abiding Spirit, a Comforter, a Helper, an Elder Brother.\n\nHe is not gone from us! He is here with us now and forever, in Actual\nSpirit Communion!\n\nThe Lord hath indeed Risen--Risen from Mortal Form to Immortal\nSpiritual Existence!\n\n\n\n\nTHE NINTH LESSON.\n\n\nTHE INNER TEACHINGS.\n\nThe first and main phase of the Inner Teachings of Mystic Christianity\nis that connected with the Mystery of the Life of Jesus. The outer\nteachings give but an imperfect view of the real life and nature of\nthe Master, and theologians have built up an edifice of dogmatic\ntheory around the same. The Mystery of the Life of Jesus forms the\nsubject of some important Inner Teachings of the Mystic Fraternities\nand Occult Brotherhoods, and is considered by them to be the\nfoundation of the other teachings. And so we shall consider this phase\nof the subject at this point.\n\nIn the first place we must remember that the soul of Jesus was\ndifferent from the souls of other men. His was a \"virgin birth\"--not\nin the commonly accepted sense of the term, but in the occult sense as\nexplained in the second lesson of this series. His soul was fresh from\nthe hand of the Creator--His spirit had not been compelled to work\nthrough repeated incarnations, pressing forward for expression through\nhumble and ignoble forms. It was free from taint, and as pure as the\nFountain from which is flowed. It was a virgin soul in every sense of\nthe term.\n\nThis being so, it follows that it was not bound by the Karma of\nprevious incarnations--as is the case with the ordinary soul. It had\nno entangling ties--it had no seeds of desire and action planted in\nprevious lives, which were pressing forward toward expression in His\nlife. He was a Free Spirit--an Unbound Soul. And therefore He was not\nonly unbound by any Karma of His own, but was also free (by nature)\nfrom the Karma of the race or of the world.\n\nThe absence of personal Karma left Him free from the selfish personal\nDesire which binds men to the wheel of action and personal ambition.\nHe had no desire or thought for personal aggrandizement or glory, and\nwas perfectly free (by nature) to work for the good of the race as an\noutside observer and helper, without suffering the pains and sorrows\nof race-life, had He so wished. But He chose otherwise, as we shall\nsee in a moment.\n\nThe absence of Race-Karma, or World-Karma, freed Him from the\nnecessity of the pains of humanity, which are a part of its collective\nKarma. He would have been perfectly able to live a life absolutely\nfree from the pains, trials and troubles that are the common lot of\nMan, owing to the Race-Karma. He would have escaped persecution,\nphysical and mental pains, and even death, had He so elected. But He\nchose these things of His own free will, in order to accomplish the\ngreat work that He saw before Him as a World-Savior.\n\nIn order for Jesus to enact His part as the Redeemer and Savior of the\nrace, it was necessary for Him to take upon Himself His share of the\nKarma of the race--virtually taking upon Himself the \"sins of the\nworld.\" Before He could lift the burden from the race of men, He must\nbecome a man among men.\n\nTo understand this more clearly we must remember that to a being such\nas Jesus--a soul free from Karma--there would be no such thing as\ntemptation, longings, desires, or any of the mental states of the\nordinary man with the Karma of successive past incarnations resting\nwithin him as seeds of action pressing forward ever for unfoldment and\nexpression.\n\nJesus, the free soul, would have been practically an outside observer\nof the world's affairs, and not influenced by any of its ordinary\nincentives to action. In this state He could have aided the world as a\nteacher and instructor, but He would not have been able to accomplish\nHis great task of Redeeming the world, in its highest spiritual\nsignificance, as we shall see as we proceed. It was necessary for Him\nto take upon Himself the burden of the earth-life in order to become\nthe Savior of the people of the earth.\n\nThe occult teachings inform us that during His sojourn abroad, Jesus\nwas simply a teacher, with but a dim perception of His real mission.\nBut gradually He began to experience periods of Illumination in which\nHe recognized His real nature and the difference between Himself and\nother men. Then came to Him the conviction of the mighty work that lay\nbefore Him in the redemption of the race, and He began to see the\nnecessity of entering into the Karmic circle of the race in order to\ncarry out the plan. This came gradually, by slow degrees, and the\nfinal sacrifice was made only in the Wilderness after His Baptism by\nJohn.\n\nIn the Wilderness, after His long fast and His days of meditation, the\nway opened up for Him to take upon Himself the burden of the Karma of\nthe earth people. In that scene of the most tremendous spiritual\nstruggle that the earth has ever witnessed, Jesus deliberately bent\nHis shoulders that the weight be placed upon His back. From that\nmoment the earth-souls received a blessing far beyond the\ncomprehension of the mind of the ordinary man. Into the Karma-bound\ncircle came this mighty soul, animated by Pure Spirit, for the purpose\nof lifting a great portion of the burden, and of joining in the work\nof the actual unfoldment and redemption of the race.\n\nFor be it remembered that, being a free soul animated by Pure Spirit,\nJesus was A GOD--not a man, although inhabiting the fleshly garments\nof humanity. His power was superior to that of many of the high\nintelligences scattered throughout the universe, and playing important\nparts in the cosmic processes. Jesus was Pure Spirit incarnate in\nhuman form, with all the powers of a God. Although of course\n_subordinate in expression_ to the Absolute--the Great Spirit of\nSpirit--He was in His essential nature the same in substance. Verily,\nas He Himself said, \"I and the Father are One.\"\n\nHis youthful mind was not able to grasp the truth of His real nature,\nbut as that human instrument became perfected by age and training, He\nrealized the Truth and perceived His own Divinity.\n\nBut even a God, such as he, could not raise up the world from its\nburden of Karma, by acting _from the outside_. Under the Cosmic Laws,\nestablished by the Absolute, such work could be performed only _from\nwithin_ the circle of earth-life. And so Jesus saw that to raise up\nMan, He must become a Man. That is, to help lift the earth's Karma, He\nmust enter into it, and place Himself within its Circle of Influence.\n_And this He did_.\n\nWe wonder if our readers can realize, even faintly, just what this\nsacrifice meant? Think of a Pure Spirit--a Free Soul--so filled with\nthe love for the race of men as to renounce deliberately, for aeons of\ntime, total immunity from all mortal existence, and willingly to place\nitself under the burden of pain, woe, misery and sin which formed the\nearth-people's Karma. It was a thousand-fold greater sacrifice than\nwould be that of a Man of the Highest spiritual and mental\ndevelopment--an Emerson, for example--who, in order to raise up the\nrace of earth-worms, would deliberately place himself within the being\nand nature of the Group-Soul animating the race of earthworms, and\nthen stay within its influence, striving ever upward and onward until\nfinally, after aeons and aeons of time, he was able to bring up the\nearthworm Group Soul to the level of Man. Think of this, and then\nrealize what a sacrifice Jesus made of Himself.\n\nIn the Wilderness, when Jesus took the final steps of renunciation and\nsacrifice, He at once passed within the circle of the Race Karma and\nlaid Himself open to all the pain, misery, temptations and limitations\nof a Man. His power, of course, remained with Him, but He was no\nlonger a God outside of the world-life, but an imprisoned God working\nfrom within the race, using His mighty power, but bound by the Karmic\nLaw. He became open to influences from which previously He had been\nimmune. For instance when He was \"tempted\" by the Devil of Personal\nAttainment, and urged to seek worldly glory and renown, He was tempted\nonly because He had taken on the world's Karma and was subject to its\nlaws. As a God, He would not have felt the temptation any more than a\nman would feel the temptation of the earthworm. But as a man He was\nsubject to the desires and ambitions that perplex and \"devil\" the\nrace. And according to the rule that the greater the mental\ndevelopment the greater the power of such temptation toward\nself-aggrandizement (because of the mind being able to see more\nclearly the opportunities), Jesus was subjected to a test that would\nhave been impossible to an ordinary man.\n\nJesus, knowing full well that He had in His possession the power to\nmanifest the things with which He was tempted, was compelled to fight\noff the temptation to place Himself at the head of the race as its\nruler--as the King of the World. He was shown this picture to compare\nwith the other whose last scene was Calvary--and He was called upon to\nfeel the desire of the race for such things, even unto its highest\ndegree. Imagine the desire for personal aggrandizement of all the\nworld thought beating upon His mind demanding the expression which\ncould be had through Him alone. And then imagine the struggle\nrequired to defeat this opposing power. Think of what the ordinary\nman has to meet and overcome to conquer the desire for Personal\nAggrandizement--and then think of what the Master had to fight, with\nthe focussed desire of the entire Race-Thought striving to express\nitself through Him! Truly the Sins of the World bore down upon Him\nwith their mighty weight. And yet He knew that He had taken upon\nHimself this affliction by entering upon the Life of Man. And He met\nit like a Man of Men.\n\nIt was only by fixing His mind fully and firmly upon what He knew to\nbe His Real Self--the Spirit Within His soul, and holding His mind\n\"one-pointed\" upon the fact--that He was able to fight the fight and\nconquer. Seeing the Truth, He could see the folly and illusion of all\nthat the world had to offer, and He could put forth His mighty Will\nbidding the Tempter retire from the scene and from His mind. It was in\nthis full knowledge of His Spirit--His Real Self--that He was able to\nrebuke the Tempter, saying, \"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord, thy God!\"\nHe held fast to His realization of the God Within--the Spirit that was\nwithin Him and all men--and thus denied out of existence the power of\nthe earth-things--the illusions of mortality--the _maya_ of the race.\n\nBut not alone this and other weaknesses of man's mortal nature were\nconstantly besieging the mind of the Master after He had taken upon\nHimself the Karma of the Earth. He had also taken upon Himself the\nmortal life consequent of the human frame which He inhabited. He must\nlive, suffer and die--even as all men--and according to the law of\nmortality. And so He moved forward toward the end, knowing fully what\nlay before Him. He, a God, had taken upon Himself all these attributes\nof mortality, in order to be able to perform His work as the Redeemer\nand Savior of the race.\n\nAnd so, He lived, and suffered and died--even as you and I. He drank\nthe cup to the dregs, suffering as only such a finely organized mental\nnature could suffer. And, men, poor creatures, speak of His sufferings\nas terminating with the last breath upon the cross. Why, they only\n_began_ there!\n\nFor know ye, that Jesus the Christ is still within the race of men,\nsuffering their woes, paying with them their penalty, every day, every\nhour--yea, and must remain so throughout the ages, until finally the\nsoul of every man, yea, even that of the last man; the most degraded\nman in the world, is fully cleansed of the Karmic taint, and thus\nfully \"redeemed\" and \"saved.\" And within the soul of every man is\nfound the Christ Principle, striving ever to elevate and lift up the\nindividual toward that realization of the Real Self--and this is what\n\"redemption\" and \"salvation\" really means. Not a saving from\nhell-fire, but a saving from the fire of carnality, and mortality. Not\na redemption from imaginary sins, but a redemption from the muck and\nmire of earth-life. The God within you is like the fabled Hindu god\nwho descended into the body of a pig and then forgot Himself. It is to\nbring you to a realization that you are a god and not a pig, that\nJesus, the Master, is working within your soul as the Christ\nPrinciple. Have you never heard His voice, crying from within your\nsoul, \"Come out--come out of your pig-nature and realize the god that\nyou verily are!\" It is this \"recognition, realization and\nmanifestation of the god within you\" that constitutes \"salvation\" and\n\"redemption.\"\n\nThe Occult Teachings tell us that Jesus, after His final disappearance\nfrom before the eyes of His apostles, passed on to the higher planes\nof the Astral World where He rapidly discarded all of His astral and\nmental vehicles which the soul had used in its manifestation. The\nAstral Body and its corresponding higher sheaths were cast off and\ndiscarded. That is, all except the very highest of all. Had He\ndiscarded every vestige of individual soul-existence His spirit would\nhave immediately merged itself with the One Spirit--the Absolute--from\nwhich it had originally proceeded and Jesus, as an entity, would have\ndisappeared entirely within the Ocean of the One Spirit. _This highest\nstate of all He had deliberately resigned until the passage of ages,\nin order that He might accomplish His work as the World-Savior_.\n\nHe retained the highest vehicle--the Spiritual Mind in its highest\nshade of expression--in order that as an entity He might labor for the\nrace. And so, He exists at this time--one in substance with the\nFather, but yet maintaining an apparently separate entity-existence.\nBut this must be remembered, that Jesus, _as Jesus the son of Mary and\nJoseph_, no longer exists. When He cast off the lower vehicles of His\npersonality, His personality disappeared. But His _individuality_\npersisted--that is, He is still HE, although His personality has\ndisappeared, leaving Him--the real Him--existing as the CHRIST\nPRINCIPLE.\n\nBy the above statement, we mean that when a soul reaches the highest\nspiritual stage short of absolute absorption into the One Spirit, _it\nis no longer a person_, but exists as _a principle_. But that\nprinciple is not an inanimate mechanical force--it is a living,\nknowing, acting principle of life. This occult fact cannot be\nexplained in the words of men, for no terms have been coined by which\nmen can speak of it. It is only indirectly that we can hope to have\neven the advanced student grasp the fact.\n\nJesus exists today, as the Christ Principle which _actually lives_ and\nacts, but which is not confined in a body of any kind, using the word\n\"body\" in its accustomed sense. As the Christ Principle or \"The\nChrist\" He is mingled with the life of the human race, and may be\nfound immanent in the mind of every man, woman and child that has ever\nexisted, does now exist, or will exist _so long as Man is Man_. Not\nonly is this true of those who have lived since His passage from the\nphysical body, but it is equally true of those who lived before His\nbirth. This apparently paradoxical statement may be understood when we\nremember that these souls did not \"die,\" but only \"passed on\" to the\nAstral Plane, from whence they re-incarnated in due time. The Christ\n(for so we shall speak of the present-state of Jesus) even entered\ninto, and still abides in, the Astral Plane, as well as upon the\nMaterial Plane, for wherever the souls of men abide--or whatever place\ntheir residence may be--there is found The Christ, ever working for\nthe salvation and redemption of the race.\n\nOn the Astral Plane He is working in the minds of the souls abiding\nthere, urging them to cast off the dross of earth-desires and to fix\nthe aim upon higher things, to the end that their re-incarnations may\nbe under improved conditions. On the Physical Plane He is working in\nthe hearts and minds of the earth-people, striving ever to uplift to\nhigher things. His aim is ever toward the liberation of the Spirit\nfrom its material bonds--the Realization of the Real Self. And so, in\nthe hearts of all men, Christ is living, suffering, and being\ncrucified every day, and this must continue until Man is redeemed and\nsaved, even the last man.\n\nThis wonderful sacrifice of Christ far surpasses the physical\nsacrifice of Jesus, the man. Try to imagine, if you can, even the\nfaintest pangs of a being so exalted compelled to dwell in the world\nof the hearts and minds of a humanity so steeped in materiality as our\nrace, knowing always the possibilities of the souls if they would but\nreach upward to higher things, and yet constantly suffering the\nknowledge of the base, carnal, material thoughts and acts flowing from\nthese souls. Is not this the extreme refinement of torture? Does not\nthe agony of the cross sink into insignificance beside such spiritual\nagony? You rail at the cruelty of the Jews who crucified their Savior,\nand yet you crucify _your_ Savior, with a thousandfold degree of\ntorture, every day of your life, by your persistence in the\ncarnalities and foolishness of mortal thought and action.\n\nThe mighty uplift of the world since the death of Jesus, of which the\npresent is but a faint prophecy of the future, has been due largely to\nthe energizing influence of The Christ in the hearts and minds of the\nrace. The sense of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man,\nwhich is now manifesting so powerfully in the world of Men, is but an\ninstance of the work of the Christ--the Savior and Redeemer. And the\nhighest dreams of the exalted souls of this generation are but\ninadequate visions of what the future will hold for the race. The work\nis just beginning to bud--the blossom and the fruit will render this\nearth a far more glorious place than even the highest ideals of heaven\nentertained by the faithful in the past. But even these things of the\nfuture will be poor things, when compared with the life of the higher\nplanes which await the race when it has demonstrated its fitness to\npass on and on and on to these greater glories. And ever and ever The\nChrist is working, and toiling and striving and suffering, in His\nefforts to raise humanity even one petty degree in the spiritual scale\nof being.\n\nThe Christ is always with us, and if we but recognize His presence we\nshall be able to feel that warm, loving response to our soul-hunger\nand spiritual thirst which will result in our being given that we are\nso longingly craving. Here within us dwells The Christ, ever\nresponding to the cry of Faith, \"Believe in Me and ye shall be saved.\"\nWhat a promise this is seen to be when properly understood! What a\nsource of power and comfort is opened up to every human soul when the\nInner Truth underlying the teachings is understood! Mystic\nChristianity brings this Message of Truth to each and all of you who\nread these lines. Will you accept it?\n\nWe would ask our students to pause at this point and contrast the\nteachings of Mystic Christianity regarding the doctrine of Christ, the\nSavior, with the corresponding teachings of the current Orthodox\nTheology.\n\nOn the one hand we have Jesus the God-Man deliberately choosing the\nwork of the World Redemption and Salvation, and descending into the\ncircle of the World-Karma, relinquishing the privilege of His Godhood\nand taking upon Himself the penalties of Manhood; not only undergoing\nthe sufferings of the physical man, but also binding Himself upon the\nCross of Humanity for ages, that by His spiritual presence in and of\nthe race He might lift up humanity to godhood.\n\nOn the other hand, we have a picture of an angry Deity, manifesting\npurely human emotion and temper, bent on revenging himself upon the\nrace which he had created, and demanding its eternal punishment in\nhell-fire; then the same Deity creating a Son whom he sent into the\nworld, that this Son might be the victim of a blood-atonement and\ndeath upon the cross, that the Deity's wrath might be appeased and the\nblood of this Divine Lamb be accepted to wash out the sins of the\nworld.\n\nCan you not see which is The Truth and which is the perversion? The\none is from the pure fountain of Spiritual knowledge--the other\noriginated in the minds of ignorant theologians who were unable to\ngrasp and understand the Mystic teachings, but who built up a system\nof theology in accordance with their own undeveloped minds; making a\nGod who was but a reflection of their own cruel animal natures,\ndemanding, as did they themselves, blood and pain--physical torture\nand death--in order to appease a most un-Divine wrath and vengeance.\nWhich of the two conceptions seems most in accord with the intuitive\npromptings of the Something Within? Which brings the greater approval\nfrom The Christ within your heart?\n\n\nTHE CHRISTIAN CREED.\n\nThere are three creeds recognized by the Christian Church--the\nApostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Of these,\nthe first two are commonly used, the third being not so well known and\nbeing seldom used.\n\nThe Apostles' Creed, which is the most commonly used, is believed (in\nits present form) to be of later origin than the Nicene Creed, and\nmany authorities believe it to be a corrupted rendering of the\noriginal declaration of faith of the Early Christians. It is as\nfollows:\n\n     \"I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and\n     earth; and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was\n     conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,\n     suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and\n     buried; he descended into hell; the third day he arose again\n     from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the\n     right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall\n     come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy\n     Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints,\n     the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and\n     the life everlasting.\"\n\nThe Nicene Creed was drawn up and adopted by the Council of Nice in\nthe year A.D. 325. As originally adopted it ended with the words \"I\nbelieve in the Holy Ghost,\" the present concluding clauses being added\nby the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381, excepting the words \"and\nthe Son,\" which were inserted by the Council of Toledo, A.D. 589. It\nis as follows:\n\n     \"I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Maker of Heaven\n     and earth, and all things visible and invisible; and in one\n     Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of\n     his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light,\n     very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one\n     substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who\n     for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and\n     was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was\n     made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius\n     Pilate; he suffered and was buried and the third day he rose\n     again according to the scriptures and ascended into heaven,\n     and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall\n     come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead,\n     whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy\n     Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the\n     Father and the Son, who with the Father and Son is\n     worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets; and I\n     believe in one catholic and apostolic church; I acknowledge\n     one baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the\n     resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.\"\n\nLet us now briefly examine the principal statements of these creeds,\nwhich were compiled centuries after Jesus' death, viewing them by the\nlight of Mystic Christianity.\n\n\"I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and\nearth, and all things visible and invisible.\"--(_Nicene Creed_.)\n\nThe form of the above fundamental principle of Christian belief is\ntaken from the Nicene Creed, which is somewhat fuller than the similar\ndeclaration in the Apostles' Creed. It requires no comment. It is a\nstatement of belief in a One Creative Power, from which all things\nhave proceeded. There is no attempt made to \"explain\" the nature of\nthe Absolute, or to endow it with any of the human attributes which\ntheologians have delighted in bestowing upon the One. It merely\nasserts a belief in the existence of One Supreme Being--which is all\nthat is possible to man--all else is ignorant impertinence.\n\n\"And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the\nHoly Ghost.\"--(_Apostles' Creed_.)\n\n\"And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten\nof his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God\nof very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the\nFather.\"--(_Nicene Creed_.)\n\nIn this declaration, the belief in the Divinity of Jesus is made. The\nApostles' Creed shows the cruder conception, rather inclining toward\nthe perverted idea of the conception of the Virgin by the aid of the\nHoly Ghost, similar to the origin of the hero-gods of the different\nreligions in which the father was one of the gods and the mother a\nwoman. But the Nicene creed gives at least a strong hint of the mystic\nteachings. It speaks of Him as \"begotten of his Father\"--\"begotten,\nnot made.\" The expressions, \"God of God; Light of Light; very God of\nvery God,\" show the idea of identical spiritual substance in the\nSpirit. And then the remarkable expression, \"being of one substance\nwith the Father,\" shows a wonderful understanding of the Mystery of\nThe Christ. For, as the mystic teachings show, Jesus was a pure\nSpirit, free from the entangling desires and clogging Karma of the\nworld. Identical in substance with the Father. \"The Father and I are\none,\" as He said. Is there anything in the Orthodox Theology that\nthrows such light on this subject as is shed by Mystic Christianity's\nteaching regarding the nature of the soul of Jesus?\n\n\"Born of the Virgin Mary.\"--(_Apostles' Creed_.)\n\n\"Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was\nincarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made\nman.\"--(_Nicene Creed_.)\n\nThe Nicene Creed here gives a surprisingly clear statement of the\nMystic teachings. \"Who for us men and our salvation came down from\nheaven\" shows the purpose of the incarnation. \"Came down from heaven\"\nshows pre-existence in the bosom of the Absolute. \"And was incarnate\"\nshows the descent of the Spirit into the flesh in the womb of Mary.\n\"And was made man\" shows the taking on of the physical body of the\ninfant in the womb. Does not the Mystic teaching give a clearer light\non this statement of the Creed?\n\n\"Was crucified, dead and buried; he descended into hell; the third\nday he rose again from the dead.\"--(_Apostles' Creed_.)\n\n\"He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again\naccording to the scriptures, and sitteth on the right hand of the\nFather.\"--(_Nicene Creed_.)\n\nThe \"descent into hell\" of the Apostles' Creed of course meant the\npassing to the place of disembodied souls--the lower Astral Plane.\nEven the orthodox teachers do not now pretend that the term \"hell\"\nmeant the place of torture presided over by the Devil, which theology\nhas invented to frighten people into the churches. \"The third day he\narose from the dead\" (and the corresponding passage in the Nicene\nCreed) refers to the appearance in the Astral Body--the return from\nthe Astral Plane in which He had sojourned for the three days\nfollowing the crucifixion. \"And ascended into heaven\"--this passage\nshows the belief that He returned to the place from which He came, for\nthe Nicene Creed has stated that he \"_came down from heaven_ and was\nincarnate ... and was made man.\"\n\nThe passage in both creeds stating that He then took his place \"on the\nright hand of the Father\" is intended to show that He took the place\nof the highest honor in the gift of the Father. The mystic teachings\nexplain this by showing that The Christ is separated from The Father\nby but the most ethereal intervening of spiritual substance, and that\nHe is a Cosmic Principle second in importance only to the Father.\nTruly this is the place of honor on \"the right hand of the Father.\"\n\n\"He shall come to fudge the quick and the dead.\"\n\nIn this passage we see the intimation that not only with the \"quick\"\nor living people is The Christ concerned, but also with the \"dead,\"\nthat is, with those who \"passed out\" before and after His time and who\nhave passed on to the Astral World, as we have explained in this\nlesson. Whether or not the framers of the Creed so understood\nit--whether or not they were deluded by the tradition of the \"Day of\nJudgment\"--certainly the Early Christians, or rather, the mystics\namong them, understood the teachings as we have given them and spoke\nof Him as \"living in the dead as well as in the living,\" as one of the\noccult records expresses it.\n\n\"The communion of saints\" is the spiritual understanding of the\nMysteries by the Illumined Ones. \"The forgiveness of sins\" is the\novercoming of the carnal mind and desires. \"The resurrection of the\ndead and the life of the world to come\" is the promise of life beyond\nthe grave, and not the crude idea of the physical resurrection of the\nbody, which has crept into the Apostles' Creed, evidently having been\ninserted at a later date in order to bolster up the pet theories of a\nschool of theologians. Note that the Nicene Creed says merely \"the\ndead\" and not \"the body.\" The version of the teachings preserved by\nthe Mystics has a corresponding passage, \"And we know the _truth_ of\nthe _deathlessness of the soul_.\" (The italics are ours.)\n\nThe consideration of remaining passages in the creeds, relating to the\nexistence of the \"Holy Ghost,\" must be deferred until our next lesson.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TENTH LESSON\n\n\n\nTHE SECRET DOCTRINE.\n\nThe concluding statement of the Creeds (brought over from the\npreceding lesson) refers to the Holy Ghost.\n\n\"I believe in the Holy Ghost.\" (_Apostles' Creed_.)\n\n\"And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life.\"\n(_Nicene Creed_.)\n\nTo the average Christian the nature of the Holy Ghost--one of the\nbeings of the Trinity--is veiled in obscurity, and is generally\npronounced \"not to be understood.\" A careful examination of the\northodox Christian writings will show the student that the Church is\nvery much at sea regarding this subject, which should be of the\ngreatest importance to its priests and congregations. Ask the average\nintelligent churchman regarding the nature of the Holy Ghost, and see\nfor yourself the vague, contradictory and unsatisfactory concepts held\nby the person questioned. Then turn to the encyclopaedias and other\nbooks of reference, and see how little is known or taught regarding\nthis important subject.\n\nIt is only when the teachings of Mystic Christianity are consulted\nthat one receives any light on the subject. The Occult Teachings are\nquite explicit on this subject so fraught with difficulty and lack of\ncomprehension on the part of the orthodox teachers and students.\n\nThe teaching of Mystic Christianity, regarding the Holy Ghost, may be\nsummed up by the great general statement that: _The Holy Ghost is the\nAbsolute in its phase of Manifestation, as compared to its phase of\nUnmanifestation_--_Manifest Being as compared with Unmanifest\nBeing_--_God Create as compared with God Uncreate_--_God acting as the\nCreative Principle as compared to God as The Absolute Being_.\n\nThe student is asked to read over the above general statement a number\nof times and to concentrate his or her attention carefully upon it,\nbefore proceeding further with the lesson.\n\nTo understand the above statement it is necessary for the student to\nremember that the Absolute may be thought of as existing in _two\nphases. Not as two persons or beings_, remember, but as in _two\nphases_. There is but One Being--there can be but One--but we may\nthink of that One as existing in two phases. One of these phases is\nBeing Unmanifest; the other, Being Manifest.\n\n_Being Unmanifest_ is the One in its phase of Absolute Being,\nundifferentiated, unmanifested, uncreated; without attributes,\nqualities, or natures.\n\nIt is impossible for the human mind to grasp the above concept of\nBeing Manifest in the sense of being able to think of it as a \"Thing,\nor Something.\" This because of the essential being of it. If it were\nlike anything that we can think of, it would not be the Absolute, nor\nwould it be Unmanifest. Everything that we can think of as a \"thing\"\nis a relative thing--a manifestation into objective being.\n\nBut we are compelled by the very laws of our reason to admit that the\nAbsolute Being Unmanifest exists, for the Manifest and Relative\nUniverse and Life _must have_ proceeded and emanated from a\nFundamental Reality, which must be Absolute and Unmanifest. And this\nBeing which our highest reason causes us to assume to exist is Being\nUnmanifest--God the Father--who cannot be known through the\nsenses--whose existence is made known to us only through Pure Reason,\nor through the workings of the Spirit within us. In the material sense\n\"God is Unknowable\"--but in the higher sense He may be known to the\nSpirit of Man, and His existence may be _known_ and proven by the\nexercise of the highest faculties of the reason.\n\nBeing Unmanifest is the One in its _actual_ existence and being. If\nall the world of objective life and manifestation, even to its highest\nforms, were withdrawn from manifestation, then there would be\nleft--what? Simply and solely, Being Unmanifest--God the Father,\nalone. Into His Being all else would be withdrawn. Outside of Him\nthere would be _nothing_. He would be Himself--One--existing in the\nphase of Being Unmanifest.\n\nWe are aware that this idea may seem to be \"too abstruse\" for the\nminds of some of our students at first reading--it may appear like an\nassertion of a Being who is Non-Being. But, be not too hasty--take\ntime--and your mind will assimilate the concept, and will find that it\nhas a corresponding Truth imbedded in its inmost recesses, and then it\nwill know this to be the Truth. And then will it recognize the\nexistence of God the Father, as compared with God, the Holy Ghost.\n\nThe Holy Ghost, as we have said, is the Absolute in its phase of\nManifest Being. That is, it is God as manifest in the Spirit of Life,\nwhich is immanent in, and manifest in, all objective life and\nphenomena in the Cosmos or Universe.\n\nIn previous series of lessons in the Yogi Philosophy, we have shown\nyou that there was a Spirit of Life immanent in, and manifesting\nthrough, all forms of life. We have also shown you that everything in\nthe Universe is alive--down to even the minerals, and the atoms\ncomposing matter. We have shown you that inasmuch as the Spirit of\nLife is the source of all Manifestations in the universe, and the \"God\nin the machine\" of all phenomena of force, matter and life, then it\nnaturally follows that there can be nothing dead in the world--that\nthere is LIFE manifesting in every object, varying only in the degree\nof manifestation. In our \"Advanced Lessons\" and in \"Gnani Yoga\" this\nsubject is considered in detail. Then what is this Spirit of Life? If\nGod is All, then it cannot be Something other than God. But it cannot\nwell be God the Uncreate--the Absolute in its Absolute phase--the\nBeing Unmanifest. Then what can it be?\n\nThe student will see that the natural and logical answer to the\nquestion with which we have closed the preceding paragraph must be:\nBeing Manifest--God in Creation--the Holy Ghost! And this is the\nOccult Teaching concerning this great mystery of Christianity. And see\nhow well the framers of the Nicene Creed grasped the traditions of the\nEarly Church, when it said: \"And I believe in the Holy Ghost, _the\nLord and Giver of Life_.\"\n\nThe teaching regarding the Immanent God lies at the foundation of all\nof the Mystic teachings of all peoples, races, and times. No matter\nunder what names the teaching is promulgated--no matter what the name\nof the creed or religion in which it is found imbedded--it is still\nthe Truth regarding the God Immanent in all forms of life, force, and\nmatter. And it always is found forming the Secret Doctrine of the\nphilosophy, creed or religion. The Outer Teaching generally confines\nitself to the instruction of the undeveloped minds of the people, and\ncloaks the real Truth behind some conception of a Personal Deity, or\nDeities--gods and demi-gods, who are supposed to dwell afar off in\nsome heavenly realm--some great Being who created the world and then\nleft it to run itself, giving it but occasional attention, and\nreserving his consideration principally for the purpose of rewarding\nthose who gave him homage, worship and sacrifices and punishing those\nwho failed to conform with the said requirements. These personal\ndeities are believed generally to favor the particular people who give\nthem their names and temples, and accordingly to hate the enemies of\nthe said tribe or nation.\n\nBut the Secret Doctrine or Esoteric Teaching of all religions has\nbrushed aside these primitive conceptions of undeveloped minds, and\nteach the Truth of the Immanent God--the Power inherent in and abiding\nin all life and manifestations. And Christianity is no exception to\nthe rule, and in its declaration of faith in the Holy Ghost its\nesoteric principle is stated.\n\nWhile the tendency of the orthodox churches today is to say very\nlittle about God the Holy Ghost, for the reason that it cannot explain\nthe meaning of the term, Mystic Christianity boldly declares its\nallegiance to this principle of the earlier teachings and reverently\nrepeats the words of the Nicene Creed, \"I believe in the Holy Ghost,\nTHE LORD AND GIVER OF LIFE.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThat there is a Secret Doctrine of Christianity is not generally known\nto the majority who claim the name of \"Christian.\" But it has always\nbeen known to the mystics in and out of the church, and its flame has\nbeen kept steadily alight by a few devoted souls who were chosen for\nthis sacred task.\n\nThe Secret Doctrine of Christianity did not originate with Jesus, for\nHe, Himself, was an Initiate of Mysteries which had been known and\ntaught for centuries before His birth. As St. Augustine has said:\n\n     \"That which is called the Christian Religion existed among\n     the ancients _and never did not exist_, from the beginning\n     of the human race until Christ came in the flesh, at which\n     time the true religion which already existed began to be\n     called Christianity.\"\n\nWe would like to quote here a few paragraphs from the writings of a\nwell known writer on religious subjects, with which statement we\nheartily agree, although our views on certain other points of teaching\ndo not agree with those of this writer. He says:\n\n     \"It may be said that in the present day these doctrines are\n     simply not taught in the churches; how is that? It is\n     because Christianity has forgotten much of its original\n     teachings, because it is now satisfied with only part, and a\n     very small part, of what it originally knew. 'They still\n     have the same scriptures,' you will say. Yes, but those very\n     scriptures tell you often of something more, which is now\n     lost. What is meant by Christ's constant references to the\n     'Mysteries of the Kingdom of God'--by His frequent statement\n     to His disciples that the full and true interpretation could\n     be given only to them, and that to others He must speak in\n     parables? Why does He perpetually use the technical terms\n     connected with the well known mystery-teaching of antiquity?\n     What does St. Paul mean when he says, 'We speak wisdom among\n     them which are perfect'--a well known technical term for the\n     men at a certain stage of initiation? Again and again he\n     uses terms of the same sort; he speaks of 'the wisdom of God\n     in mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the\n     world began, and which none even of the princes of this\n     world know'--a statement which could not by any possibility\n     have been truthfully made if he had been referring merely to\n     ordinary Christian teaching which is openly preached before\n     all men. His immediate followers, the Fathers of the Church,\n     knew perfectly well what he meant, for they all use\n     precisely the same phraseology. Clement of Alexandria, one\n     of the earliest and greatest of all, tells us that 'It is\n     not lawful to reveal to the profane persons the Mysteries of\n     the Word.'\"\n\n     \"Another consideration shows us clearly how much of this\n     early teaching has been lost. The church now devotes herself\n     solely to producing good men, and points to the _saint_ as\n     her crowning glory and achievement. But in older days she\n     claimed to be able to do much more than that. When she had\n     made a man a saint, her work with him was only just\n     beginning, for then only was he fit for the training and\n     teaching which she _could_ give him then, but cannot now,\n     because she has forgotten her ancient knowledge. Then she\n     had three definite stages in her course of\n     training--Purification, Illumination and Perfection. Now she\n     contents herself with the preliminary Purification, and has\n     no Illumination to give.\"\n\n     \"Read what Clement says: 'Purity is only a negative state,\n     valuable chiefly as the condition of insight. He who has\n     been purified in Baptism and then initiated into the Little\n     Mysteries (has acquired, that is to say, the habits of\n     self-control and reflection) becomes rife for the Greater\n     Mysteries for the Gnosis, the scientific knowledge of God.'\n     In another place he says: 'Knowledge is more than faith.\n     Faith is a summary knowledge of urgent truths, suitable for\n     people who are in a hurry; but knowledge is scientific\n     faith.' And his pupil Origen writes of 'the popular,\n     irrational faith' which leads to what he calls physical\n     Christianity, based upon the gospel history, as opposed to\n     the spiritual Christianity conferred by the Gnosis of\n     Wisdom. Speaking of teaching founded upon historical\n     narrative, he says, 'What better method could be devised to\n     assist the masses?' But for those who are wise he has always\n     the higher teachings, which are given only to those who have\n     proved themselves worthy of it. This teaching is not lost;\n     the church cast it out when she expelled the great Gnostic\n     Doctors, but it has nevertheless been preserved, and it is\n     precisely that Wisdom which we are studying--precisely that\n     which we find to answer all the problems of life, to give us\n     a rational rule by which to live, to be to us a veritable\n     gospel of good news from on high.\"\n\nSt. Paul indicates the existence of the Secret Doctrine of\nChristianity, when he says to the Corinthians:\n\n     \"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto\n     spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I\n     fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able\n     to bear it; nay, not even now are ye able, for ye are yet\n     carnal.\" (_I Cor. 3:1._)\n\nJesus said: \"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast\nyour pearls before the swine, lest haply they trample them under their\nfeet, and turn and rend you.\" (_Matt. 7:6._)\n\nSt. Clement of Alexandria has said regarding the above saying of\nJesus:\n\n     \"Even now I fear, as it is said, 'to cast the pearls before\n     swine, lest they tread them underfoot, and turn and rend\n     us.' For it is difficult to exhibit the really pure and\n     transparent words respecting the true Light to swinish and\n     untrained hearers.\"\n\nIn the first century after Christ, the term \"The Mysteries of Jesus\"\nwas frequently used by the Christian teachers, and the Inner Circle of\nChristians was recognized as a body of advanced souls who had\ndeveloped so far as to be able to comprehend these mysteries.\n\nThe following passage from St. Mark (4:10-12) is interesting in this\nconnection:\n\n     \"And when He was alone, they that were about Him with the\n     twelve asked of Him the parables. And He said unto them,\n     'Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but\n     unto them that are without, all things are done in parables:\n     that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they\n     may hear, and not understand.'\"\n\nThe same writer says (4:33-34):\n\n     \"And with many such parables spake He the word unto them, as\n     they were able to hear it; and without a parable spake He\n     not unto them; but privately to His own disciples He\n     expounded all things.\"\n\nJesus said to His disciples (_John 16:12._): \"I have yet many things\nto say to you, but ye cannot bear them now.\" The Occult Teachings\nstate that when He returned in His astral form, after the crucifixion,\nHe taught them many important and advanced mystic truths, \"speaking of\nthe things pertaining to the kingdom of God.\" (_Acts 1:3._)\n\nThe early Christian Fathers spake and wrote openly regarding the\nChristian Mysteries, as all students of Church History well know.\nPolycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, writes to certain others hoping that they\nare \"well versed in the sacred Scriptures and that nothing is hidden\nfrom you; but to me this privilege is not yet granted.\" (_The Epistle\nof Polycarp, chapter 7._) Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, says that he is\n\"not yet perfect in Jesus Christ. For I now begin to be a disciple,\nand I speak to you as my fellow disciple.\" He also addresses them as\nbeing \"initiated into the Mysteries of the Gospel, with St. Paul, the\nholy, the martyred.\" Again:\n\n     \"Might I not write to you things more full of mystery? But I\n     fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are\n     but babes. Pardon me in this respect, lest, as not being\n     able to receive their weighty import, ye should be strangled\n     by them. For even I, though I am bound and am able to\n     understand heavenly things, the angelic orders, and the\n     different sorts of angels and hosts, the distinction between\n     powers and dominions, and the diversities between thrones\n     and authorities, the mightiness of the aeons, and the\n     pre\u00ebminence of the cherubim and seraphim, the sublimity of\n     the Spirit, the kingdom of the Lord, and above all the\n     incomparable majesty of Almighty God--though I am acquainted\n     with these things, yet am I not therefore by any means\n     perfect, nor am I such a disciple as Paul or Peter.\"\n\nIgnatius also speaks of the High Priest or Hierophant, of whom he\nasserts that he was the one \"to whom the holy of holies has been\ncommitted, and who alone has been entrusted with the secrets of God.\"\n(_Epistles of Ignatius._)\n\nSt. Clement of Alexandria was a mystic of high rank in the Inner\nCircle of the Church. His writings are full of allusions to the\nChristian Mysteries. He says among other things that his writings were\n\"a miscellany of Gnostic notes, according to the time philosophy,\"\nwhich teachings he had received from Pontaemus, his instructor or\nspiritual teacher. He says of these teachings:\n\n     \"The Lord allowed us to communicate of those divine\n     Mysteries and of that holy light, to those who are able to\n     receive them. He did not certainly disclose to the many what\n     did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom He knew\n     that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being\n     moulded according to them. But secret things are intrusted\n     to speech, not to writing, as is the case with God. And if\n     one say that it is written, 'There is nothing secret which\n     shall not be revealed, nor hidden, which shall not be\n     disclosed,' let him also hear from us, that to him who hears\n     secretly, even what is secret shall be manifested. This is\n     what was predicted by this oracle. And to him who is able\n     secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is\n     veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to\n     the many shall appear manifest to the few. The mysteries are\n     delivered mystically, that what is spoken may be in the\n     mouth of the speaker; rather not in his voice, but in his\n     understanding. The writing of these memoranda of mine, I\n     well know, is weak when compared with that spirit full of\n     grace, which I was privileged to hear. But it will be an\n     image to recall the archetype to him who was struck with the\n     Thyrsus.\"\n\n(We may state here that the Thyrsus was the mystic-wand carried by the\nInitiates in the Mystic Brotherhoods--the Initiate being first tapped\nwith it, and then receiving it from the Hierophant, at the ceremony of\nformal Initiation.) Clement adds:\n\n     \"We profess not to explain secret things sufficiently--far\n     from it--but only to recall them to memory, whether we have\n     forgot aught, or whether for the purpose of not forgetting.\n     Many things, well I know, have escaped us, through length of\n     time, that have dropped away unwritten. There are then some\n     things of which we have no recollection; for the power that\n     was in the blessed men was great.\"\n\n\"There are also some things which remain unnoted long, which have now\nescaped; and others which are effaced, having faded away in the mind\nitself, since such a task is not easy to those not experienced; these\nI revive in my commentaries. Some things I purposely omit, in the\nexercise of a wise selection, afraid to write what I guarded against\nspeaking; not grudging--for that were wrong--but fearing for my\nreaders lest they should stumble by taking them in a wrong sense; and,\nas the proverb says, we should be found 'reaching a sword to a child.'\nFor it is impossible that what has been written should not escape,\nalthough remaining published by me. But being always revolved, using\nthe one only voice, that of writing, they answer nothing to him that\nmakes inquiries beyond what is written; for they require of necessity\nthe aid of someone, either of him who wrote or of someone else, who\nwalked in his footsteps. Some things my treatise will hint; on some it\nwill linger; some it will merely mention. It will try to speak\nimperceptibly, to exhibit secretly, and to demonstrate silently.\"\n(_The Stromata of St. Clement._)\n\nSt. Clement, in the same work from which the above quotation was\ntaken, has a chapter entitled \"The Mysteries of the Faith, not to be\nDivulged to all.\" In it he states that inasmuch as his writings might\nbe seen by all men, the unwise as well as the wise, \"it is requisite,\ntherefore, to hide in a Mystery the wisdom spoken, in which the Son of\nGod is taught.\" He then adds, \"For it is difficult to exhibit the\nreally pure and transparent words to swinish and untrained hearers.\nFor scarcely could anything which they could bear be more ludicrous\nthan these to the multitude; nor any subjects on the other hand more\nadmirable or more inspiring to those of noble nature. But the wise do\nnot utter with their mouths what they reason in council. 'But what ye\nhear in the ear,' said the Lord, 'proclaim upon the houses; bidding\nthem receive the _secret traditions of the true knowledge_, and\nexpound them aloft and conspicuously; and as we have said in the ear,\nso to deliver them to whom it is requisite; but _not enjoining us to\ncommunicate to all without distinction_ what is said to them in\nparables. But there is only a delineation in the memoranda, which have\nthe truth sown sparse and broadcast, that it may escape the notice of\nthose who pick up seeds like jackdaws; but when they find a good\nhusbandman, each of them will germinate and will produce corn.\"\n\n\"Those who are still blind and dumb, not having understanding, or the\nundazzled and keen vision of the contemplative soul, must stand\noutside of the divine choir. Wherefore, in accordance with the method\nof concealment, the truly sacred Word, truly divine and most necessary\nfor us, deposited in the shrine of truth, was by the Egyptians\nindicated by what were called among them _adyta_, and by the Hebrews\n'the veil.' Only the consecrated were allowed access to them. For\nPlato also thought it not lawful for 'the impure to touch the pure.'\nThence the prophecies and oracles are spoken in enigmas, and to the\nuntrained and uninstructed people. Now, then, it is not wished that\nall things should be exposed indiscriminately to all and sundry, or\nthe benefits of wisdom communicated to those who have not even in a\ndream been purified in soul, for it is not allowable to hand to every\nchance comer what has been procured with such laborious efforts. Nor\nare the Mysteries of the Word to be expounded to the profane. The\nMysteries were established for the reason that it was more beneficial\nthat the holy and the blessed contemplation of realities be conceded.\nSo that, on the other hand, then, there are the Mysteries which were\nhid till the time of the apostles, and were delivered by them as they\nreceived from the Lord, and, concealed in the Old Testament, were\nmanifested to the saints. And on the other hand, there is the riches\nof the glory of the mysteries of the Gentiles, which is faith and hope\nin Christ. Instruction, which reveals hidden things, is called\nIllumination, as it is the teacher only who uncovers the lid of the\nark.\" (_The Stromata of St. Clement_.)\n\nSt. Clement also quotes approvingly the saying of Plato, that: \"We\nmust speak in enigmas; that should the tablet come by any mischance on\nits leaves either by sea or land he who reads may remain ignorant.\" He\nalso says, concerning certain Gnostic writings:\n\n     \"Let the specimen suffice to those who have ears. For it is\n     not required to unfold the mystery, but only to indicate\n     what is sufficient for those who are partakers in knowledge\n     to bring it to mind.\"\n\nWe have quoted freely from St. Clement, for the purpose of showing\nthat he, a man in a very exalted position in the Early Christian\nChurch, recognized, and actually taught, the Inner Teachings, or\nSecret Doctrine of Mystic Christianity--that the Early Christian\nChurch was an organization having a Mystic Centre for the few, and\nCommon Outer for the multitude. Can there be any doubt of this after\nreading the above words from his pen?\n\nBut not only St. Clement so wrote and taught, but many others in\nauthority in the Early Christian Church likewise voiced their\nknowledge of, and approval in, the Inner Teachings. For example,\nOrigen, the pupil of St. Clement, a man whose influence was felt on\nall sides in the early days of the Church. Origen defended\nChristianity from the attacks of Celsus, who charged the Church with\nbeing a secret organization which taught the Truth only to a few,\nwhile it satisfied the multitude with popular teachings and\nhalf-truths. Origen replied that, while it was true that there were\nInner Teachings in the Church which were not revealed to the general\npublic, still the Church, in that respect, was but following the\nexample of all teachers of Truth, who always maintained an esoteric\nside of their teachings for those fitted to participate in them, while\ngiving the exoteric side to the general body of followers. He writes:\n\n     \"And yet the Mystery of the Resurrection, not being\n     understood, is made a subject of ridicule among unbelievers.\n     In these circumstances, to speak of the Christian doctrine\n     as a _secret system_ is altogether absurd. But that there\n     should be certain doctrines, not made known to the\n     multitude, which are divulged after the exoteric ones have\n     been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but\n     also of philosophic systems in which certain truths are\n     exoteric and others esoteric. Some of the hearers of\n     Pythagoras were content with his _ipse dixit;_ while others\n     were taught in secret those doctrines which were not deemed\n     fit to be communicated to profane and insufficiently\n     prepared ears. Moreover, all the Mysteries that are\n     celebrated everywhere throughout Greece and barbarous\n     countries, although held in secret, have no discredit thrown\n     upon them, so that it is in vain he endeavors to calumniate\n     the secret doctrines of Christianity, seeing that he does\n     not correctly understand its nature.\"\n\n     \"I have not yet spoken of the observance of all that is\n     written in the Gospels, each one of which contains much\n     doctrine difficult to be understood, not merely by the\n     multitude, but even by certain of the more intelligent,\n     including a very profound explanation of the parables, which\n     Jesus delivered to 'those without' while reserving the\n     exhibition of their full meaning for those who had passed\n     beyond the stage of exoteric teaching, and who came to Him\n     privately in the house. And when he comes to understand it,\n     he will admire the reason why some are said to be 'without'\n     and others 'in the house.'\" (_Origen against Celsus_.)\n\nIn the same work Origen considers the story of the Syria-Phoenician\nwoman (_Matt. Chap. 15_) and says concerning it:\n\n     \"And perhaps, also, of the words of Jesus there are some\n     loaves which it is possible to give to the more rational, as\n     to the children, only; and others as it were crumbs from the\n     great house and table of the well-born, which may be used by\n     some souls like dogs.\"\n\nAnd, again,\n\n     \"He whose soul has, for a long time, been conscious of no\n     evil, especially since he yielded himself to the healing of\n     the Word, let such a one hear _the doctrines which were\n     spoken in private by Jesus to His genuine disciples_.\"\n\nAnd, again,\n\n     \"But on these subjects much, and that of a mystical kind,\n     might be said: in keeping with which is the following: 'It\n     is good to keep close to the secret of a king,' in order\n     that _the doctrine of the entrance of souls into bodies_ may\n     not be thrown before the common understanding, nor what is\n     holy given to the dogs, nor pearls be cast before swine. For\n     such a procedure would be impious, being equivalent to a\n     betrayal of the mysterious declaration of God's wisdom. It\n     is sufficient, however, to represent in the style of a\n     historic narrative what is intended to convey a secret\n     meaning in the garb of history, that those who have the\n     capacity may work out for themselves all that relates to the\n     subject.\"\n\nHe also says, in the same work:\n\n     \"If you come to the books written after the time of Jesus,\n     you will find that those multitudes of believers who hear\n     the parables are, as it were, 'without,' and worthy only of\n     exoteric doctrines, while the disciples learn in private the\n     explanation of the parables. _For, privately, to His own\n     disciples did Jesus open up all things, esteeming above the\n     multitudes those who desired to know His wisdom._ And He\n     promises to those who believe on Him to send them wise men\n     and scribes.\"\n\nIn another work, Origen states that:\n\n     \"The Scriptures have a meaning, not only such as is apparent\n     at first sight, but also another, which escapes the notice\n     of most men. For such is written in the forms of certain\n     Mysteries, and the image of divine things. Respecting which\n     there is one opinion throughout the whole Church, that the\n     whole law is indeed spiritual; _but that the spiritual\n     meaning which the law conveys is not known to all_, but to\n     those only on whom the grace of the Holy Spirit is bestowed\n     in the word of wisdom and knowledge.\" (_De Principiis_.)\n\nWe could fill page after page with live quotations from the writings\nof the Early Christian Fathers, and their successors, showing the\nexistence of the Inner Teachings. But we must rest content with those\nwhich we have given you, which are clear and to the point, and which\n_come from undoubted authority_.\n\nThe departure of the Church from these Inner Teachings was a great\ncalamity, from which the Church is still suffering. As that well-known\noccultist, Eliphias Levi, has said:\n\n     \"A great misfortune befell Christianity. The betrayal of the\n     Mysteries by the false Gnostics--for the Gnostics, that is,\n     _those who know_, were the Initiates of primitive\n     Christianity--caused the Gnosis to be rejected, and\n     alienated the Church from the supreme truths of the Kabbala,\n     which contains all the secrets of transcendental\n     theology.... Let the most absolute science, let the highest\n     reason become once more the patrimony of the leaders of the\n     people; let the sarcerdotal art and the royal art take the\n     double sceptre of antique initiations and the social world\n     will once more issue from its chaos. Burn the holy images no\n     longer; demolish the temples no more; temples and images are\n     necessary for men; but drive the hirelings from the house of\n     prayer; let the blind be no longer leaders of the blind;\n     reconstruct the hierarchy of intelligence and holiness, and\n     recognize only _those who know_ as the teachers of _those\n     who believe_.\" (_The Mysteries of Magic, Waite\n     translation_.)\n\nAnd now, you ask, what were taught in these Christian Mysteries--what\nis the Inner Teaching--what the Secret Doctrine? Simply this, good\nstudents--the Occult Philosophy and Mystic Lore which has been taught\nto the Elect in all times and ages, and which is embodied in our\nseveral series of lessons on THE YOGI PHILOSOPHY AND ORIENTAL\nOCCULTISM, _plus the special teaching regarding the nature, mission,\nand sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, as we have tried to explain in the\npresent series of lessons_. The Truth is the same no matter under what\nname it is taught, or who teaches it. Strip it of the personal\ncoloring of the teacher and it is seen to be the same--THE TRUTH.\n\nIn these lessons we have tried to give you the Key to the Mysteries,\nbut unless you have studied the other lessons in which the Occult\nTeachings have been set forth, you will not be able to see their\napplication in Mystic Christianity. You must bring Knowledge to these\nlessons, in order to take away knowledge.\n\n\n\n\nTHE ELEVENTH LESSON\n\n\n\nTHE ANCIENT WISDOM.\n\nThe doctrine of Metempsychosis or Re-incarnation has its roots deeply\nimbedded in the soil of all religions--that is, in the Inner Teachings\nor Esoteric phase of all religious systems. And this is true of the\nInner Teachings of the Christian Church as well as of the other\nsystems. The Christian Mysteries comprised this as well as the other\nfundamental occult doctrines, and the Early Church held such teachings\nin its Inner Circle.\n\nAnd, in its essence, the doctrine of Re-birth is the only one that is\nin full accord with the Christian conception of ultimate justice and\n\"fairness.\" As a well known writer has said concerning this subject:\n\n     \"It relieves us of many and great difficulties. It is\n     impossible for any one who looks around him and sees the\n     sorrow and suffering in the world, and the horrible\n     inequality in the lives of men--not inequality in wealth\n     merely, but inequality in opportunity of progress--to\n     harmonize these facts with the love and justice of God,\n     unless he is willing to accept this theory that this one\n     life is not all, but that it is only a day in the real life\n     of the soul, and that each soul therefore has made its place\n     for itself, and is receiving just such training as is best\n     for its evolution. Surely the only theory which enables a\n     man rationally to believe in Divine justice, without\n     shutting his eyes to obvious facts, is a theory worthy of\n     study.\n\n     \"Modern theology concerns itself principally with a plan for\n     evading divine justice, which it elects to call 'Salvation,'\n     and it makes this plan depend entirely upon what a man\n     believes, or rather upon what he says that he believes. This\n     whole theory of 'salvation,' and indeed the theory that\n     there is anything to be 'saved' from, seems to be based upon\n     a misunderstanding of a few texts of scripture. We do not\n     believe in this idea of a so-called divine wrath; we think\n     that to attribute to God our own vices of anger and cruelty\n     is a terrible blasphemy. We hold to the theory of steady\n     evolution and final attainment for all; and we think that\n     the man's progress depends not upon what he believes, but\n     upon what he does. And there is surely very much in the\n     bible to support this idea. Do you remember St. Paul's\n     remark, 'Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a\n     man soweth, that shall he also reap'? And again, Christ said\n     that 'They that _have done good_ shall go unto the\n     resurrection of life'--not they that have believed some\n     particular doctrine. And when He describes the day of\n     judgment, you will notice that no question is raised as to\n     what anybody has believed, but only as to the works which he\n     has done.\"\n\nIn this connection, we think that it is advisable to quote from the\naddress of a well known English churchman upon this important subject.\nThe gentleman in question is The Ven. Archdeacon Colley, Rector of\nStockton, Warwickshire, England, who said:\n\n     \"In the realm of the occult and transcendental, moved to its\n     exploration from the Sadducean bias of my early days, I have\n     for the best part of half a century had experiences rarely\n     equaled by any, and I am sure, surpassed by none; yet have\n     they led me up till now, I admit, to no very definite\n     conclusions. With suspension of judgment, therefore, not\n     being given to dogmatize on anything, and with open mind I\n     trust, in equipoise of thought desiring to hold an even\n     balance of opinion 'twixt this and that, I am studious still\n     of being receptive of light from every source--rejecting\n     nothing that in the least degree makes for righteousness,\n     hence my taking the chair here tonight, hoping to learn what\n     may help to resolve a few of the many perplexities of life,\n     to wit: Why some live to the ripe old age of my dear father\n     while others live but for a moment, to be born, gasp and\n     die. Why some are born rich and others poor; some having\n     wealth only to corrupt, defile, deprave others therewith,\n     while meritorious poverty struggles and toils for human\n     betterment all unaided. Some gifted with mentality; others\n     pitiably lacking capacity. Some royal-souled from the first\n     naturally, others with brutal, criminal propensities from\n     beginning to end.\n\n     \"The sins of the fathers visited upon the children unto the\n     third and fourth generation may in heredity account for\n     much, but I want to see through the mystery of a good father\n     at times having a bad son, as also of one showing genius and\n     splendid faculties--the offspring of parentage the reverse\n     of anything suggesting qualities contributive thereto. Then\n     as a clergyman, I have in my reading noted texts of Holy\n     Scripture, and come across passages in the writings of the\n     Fathers of the Early Church which seem to be root-thoughts,\n     or survivals of the old classic idea of re-incarnation.\n\n     \"The prophet Jeremiah (1:5) writes, 'The word of the Lord\n     came unto me saying, before I formed thee, I knew thee, and\n     before thou wast born I sanctified thee and ordained thee a\n     prophet.'\n\n\"Does this mean that the Eternal-Uncreate chose, from foreknowledge of\nwhat Jeremiah would be, the created Ego of His immaterialized servant\nin heaven ere he clothed his soul with the mortal integument of flesh\nin human birth--schooling him above for the part he had to play here\nbelow as a prophet to dramatize in his life and teaching the will of\nthe Unseen? To the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda, whose\ninfirmity was the cruel experience of eight and thirty years, the\nFounder of our religion said (_John 5:14._), 'Behold, thou art made\nwhole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.' Was it\n(fitting the punishment to the crime proportionately) some outrageous\nsin as a boy, in the spring of years and days of his inexperienced\nyouth of bodily life, that brought on him such physical sorrow, which\nyouthful sin in its repetition would necessitate an even worse ill\nthan this nearly forty years of sore affliction? 'Who did sin, this\nman or his parents, that he was born blind?' (_John 9:2._), was the\nquestion of the disciples to Jesus. And our query is--Sinned _before_\nhe was born to deserve the penalty of being born blind?\n\n\"Then of John the Baptist--was he a reincarnation of Elijah, the\nprophet, who was to come again? (_Malachi 4:5._). Jesus said he _was_\nElijah, who indeed had come, and the evil-minded Jews had done unto\nhim whatsoever they listed. Herod had beheaded him (_Matt. 11:14_ and\n_17:12._).\n\n\"Elijah and John the Baptist appear from our reference Bibles and\nCruden's Concordance to concur and commingle in one. The eighth verse\nof the first chapter of the second Book of Kings and the fourth verse\nof the third chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel note similarities in them\nand peculiarities of dress. Elijah, as we read, was a 'hairy man and\ngirt a leathern girdle about his loins,' while John the Baptist had\n'his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins.'\nTheir home was the solitude of the desert. Elijah journeyed forty days\nand forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God in the Wilderness of\nSinai. John the Baptist was in the wilderness of Judea beyond Jordan\nbaptizing. And their life in exile--a self-renunciating and voluntary\nwithdrawal from the haunts of men--was sustained in a parallel\nremarkable way by food (bird--brought on wing--borne). 'I have\ncommanded the ravens to feed thee,' said the voice of Divinity to the\nprophet; while locusts and wild honey were the food of the Baptist.\n\n\"'And above all,' said our Lord of John the Baptist to the disciples,\n'if ye _will_ receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.'\n\n\"Origen, in the second century, one of the most learned of the Fathers\nof the early Church, says that this declares the pre-existence of John\nthe Baptist as Elijah before his decreed later existence as Christ's\nforerunner.\n\n\"Origen also says on the text, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have\nhated,' that if our course be not marked out according to our works\nbefore this present life that now is, how would it not be untrue and\nunjust in God that the elder brother should serve the younger and be\nhated by God (though blessed of righteous Abraham's son, of Isaac)\nbefore Esau had done anything deserving of servitude or given any\noccasion for the merciful Almighty's hatred?\n\n\"Further, on the text (_Ephesians 1:4._), 'God who hath chosen us\nbefore the foundation of the world,' Origen says that this suggests\nour pre-existence ere the world was.\n\n\"While Jerome, agreeing with Origen, speaks of our rest above, where\nrational creatures dwell before their descent to this lower world, and\nprior to their removal from the invisible life of the spiritual sphere\nto the visible life here on earth, teaching, as he says, the necessity\nof their again having material bodies ere, as saints and men made\n'perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect,' they once more\nenjoy in the angel-world their _former_ blessedness.\n\n\"Justin Martyr also speaks of the soul inhabiting the human body more\nthan once, but thinks as a rule (instanced in the case of John the\nBaptist forgetting that he had been Elijah) it is not permitted us to\nremember our former experiences of this life while yet again we are in\nexile here as strangers and pilgrims in an uncongenial clime away from\nour heavenly home.\n\n\"Clemens Alexandrinus, and others of the Fathers, refer to\nre-incarnation (or transmigration or metempsychosis, as it is called\nin the years that are passed of classic times and later now as\n_re-birth_) to remind us of the vital truth taught by our Lord in the\nwords, '_Ye must be born again_.'\"\n\nThese words, falling from the lips of a man so eminent in the staid\nconservative ranks of the Church of England, must attract the\nattention of every earnest seeker after the Truth of Christian\nDoctrine. If such a man, reared in such an environment, could find\nhimself able to bear such eloquent testimony to the truth of a\nphilosophy usually deemed foreign to his accepted creed, what might we\nnot expect from a Church liberated from the narrow formal bounds of\northodoxy, and once more free to consider, learn and teach those noble\ndoctrines originally held and taught by the Early Fathers of the\nChurch of Christ?\n\nWhile the majority of modern Christians bitterly oppose the idea that\nthe doctrine of Metempsychosis ever formed any part of the Christian\nDoctrine, and prefer to regard it as a \"heathenish\" teaching, still\nthe fact remains that the careful and unprejudiced student will find\nindisputable evidence in the writings of the Early Christian Fathers\npointing surely to the conclusion that the doctrine of Metempsychosis\nwas believed and taught in the Inner Circle of the Early Church.\n\nThe doctrine unquestionably formed a part of the Christian Mysteries,\nand has faded into comparative obscurity with the decay of\nspirituality in the Church, until now the average churchman no longer\nholds to it, and in fact regards as barbarous and heathenish that part\nof the teachings originally imparted and taught by the Early Fathers\nof the Church--the Saints and Leaders.\n\nThe Early Christians were somewhat divided in their beliefs concerning\nthe details of Re-birth. One sect or body held to the idea that the\nsoul of man was eternal, coming from the Father. Also that there were\nmany degrees and kinds of souls, some of which have never incarnated\nin human bodies but which are living on many planes of life unknown to\nus, passing from plane to plane, world to world. This sect held that\nsome of these souls had chosen to experiment with life on the physical\nplane, and were now passing through the various stages of the\nphysical-plane life, with all of its pains and sorrows, being held by\nthe Law of Re-birth until a full experience had been gained, when they\nwould pass out of the circle of influence of the physical plane, and\nreturn to their original freedom.\n\nAnother sect held to the more scientific occult form of the gradual\nevolution of the soul, by repeated rebirth, on the physical plane,\nfrom Lower to Higher, as we have set forth in our lessons on \"Gnani\nYoga.\" The difference in the teachings arose from the different\nconceptions of the great leaders, some being influenced by the Jewish\nOccult Teachings which held to the first above mentioned doctrine,\nwhile the second school held to the doctrine taught by the Greek\nMystics and the Hindu Occultists. And each interpreted the Inner\nTeachings by the light of his previous affiliations.\n\nAnd so, some of the early writings speak of \"pre-existence,\" while\nothers speak of repeated \"rebirth.\" But the underlying principle is\nthe same, and in a sense they were both right, as the advanced\noccultists know full well. The fundamental principle of both\nconceptions is that the soul comes forth as an emanation from the\nFather in the shape of Spirit; that the Spirit becomes plunged in the\nconfining sheaths of Matter, and is then known as \"a soul,\" losing for\na time its pristine purity; that the soul passes on through rebirth,\nfrom lower to higher, gaining fresh experiences at each incarnation;\nthat the advancing soul passes from world to world, returning at last\nto its home laden with the varied experiences of life and becomes once\nmore pure Spirit.\n\nThe early Christian Fathers became involved in a bitter controversy\nwith the Greek and Roman philosophers, over the conception held by\nsome of the latter concerning the absurd doctrine of the\ntransmigration of the human soul into the body of an animal. The\nFathers of the Church fought this erroneous teaching with great\nenergy, their arguments bringing out forcibly the distinction between\nthe true occult teachings and this erroneous and degenerate perversion\nin the doctrines of transmigration into animal bodies. This conflict\ncaused a vigorous denunciation of the teachings of the Pythagorean and\nPlatonic schools, which held to the perverted doctrine that a human\nsoul could degenerate into the state of the animal.\n\nAmong other passages quoted by Origen and Jerome to prove the\npre-existence of the soul was that from Jeremiah (1:5): \"Before thou\ncomest from the womb I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet.\"\nThe early writers held that this passage confirmed their particular\nviews regarding the pre-existence of the soul and the possession of\ncertain characteristics and qualities acquired during previous birth,\nfor, they argued, it would be injustice that a man, before birth, be\nendowed with uncarnal qualities; and that such qualities and ability\ncould justly be the result only of best work and action. They also\ndwelt upon the prophecy of the return of Elijah, in Malachi 4:5. And\nalso upon the (uncanonical) book \"The Wisdom of Solomon,\" in which\nSolomon says: \"I was a witty child, and had a good Spirit. Yea,\nrather, being good, I came into a body undefiled.\"\n\nThey also quoted from Josephus, in his book styled \"De Bello Judico,\"\nin which the eminent Jewish writer says: \"They say that all souls are\nincorruptible; but that the souls of good men are only removed into\nother bodies--but that the souls of bad men are subject to eternal\npunishment.\" They also quoted from Josephus, regarding the Jewish\nbelief in Rebirth as evidenced by the recital of the instance in\nwhich, at the siege of the fortress of Jotapota, he sought the shelter\nof a cave in which were a number of soldiers, who discussed the\nadvisability of committing suicide for the purpose of avoiding being\ntaken prisoners by the Romans. Josephus remonstrated with them as\nfollows:\n\n     \"Do ye not remember that all pure spirits who are in\n     conformity with the divine dispensation live on in the\n     loveliest of heavenly places, and in the course of time they\n     are sent down to inhabit sinless bodies; but the souls of\n     those who have committed self-destruction are doomed to a\n     region in the darkness of the underworld?\"\n\nRecent writers hold that this shows that he accepted the doctrine of\nRe-birth himself, and also as showing that it must have been familiar\nto the Jewish soldiery.\n\nThere seems to be no doubt regarding the familiarity of the Jewish\npeople of that time with the general teachings regarding\nMetempsychosis. Philo positively states the doctrine as forming part\nof the teachings of the Jewish Alexandrian school. And again the\nquestion asked Jesus regarding the \"sin of the man born blind\" shows\nhow familiar the people were with the general doctrine.\n\nAnd so, the teachings of Jesus on that point did not need to be\nparticularly emphasized to the common people, He reserving this\ninstruction on the inner teachings regarding the details of Re-birth\nfor his chosen disciples. But still the subject is mentioned in a\nnumber of places in the New Testament, as we shall see.\n\nJesus stated positively that John the Baptist was \"Elias,\" whose\nreturn had been predicted by Malachi (4:5). Jesus stated this twice,\npositively, i.e., \"This is Elijah that is to come\" (_Matt. 11:14_);\nand again, \"But I say unto you that Elijah is come already, but they\nknew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would.... Then\nunderstood the disciples that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist.\"\n(_Matt. 17:12-13._) The Mystics point out that Jesus saw clearly the\nfact that John was Elijah re-incarnated, although John had denied this\nfact, owing to his lack of memory of his past incarnation. Jesus the\nMaster saw clearly that which John the Forerunner had failed to\nperceive concerning himself. The plainly perceptible characteristics\nof Elijah reappearing in John bear out the twice-repeated, positive\nassertion of the Master that John the Baptist was the re-incarnated\nElijah.\n\nAnd this surely is sufficient authority for Christians to accept the\ndoctrine of Re-birth as having a place in the Church Teachings. But\nstill, the orthodox churchmen murmur \"He meant _something else_!\"\nThere are none so blind as those who refuse to see.\n\nAnother notable instance of the recognition of the doctrine by Jesus\nand His disciples occurs in the case of \"the man born blind.\" It may\nbe well to quote the story.\n\n     \"And as he passed by he saw a man blind from his birth. And\n     his disciples asked him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this\n     man or his parents, that he should be born blind?' Jesus\n     answered, 'Neither did this man sin nor his parents.'\"\n     (_John 9:1-3._)\n\nSurely there can be no mistake about the meaning of this question,\n\"Who did sin, this man or his parents?\"--for how could a man sin\nbefore his birth, unless he had lived in a previous incarnation? And\nthe answer of Jesus simply states that the man was born blind neither\nfrom the sins of a past life, nor from those of his parents, but from\na third cause. Had the idea of re-incarnation been repugnant to the\nteachings, would not He have denounced it to His disciples? Does not\nthe fact that His disciples asked Him the question show that they were\nin the habit of discoursing the problems of Re-birth and Karma with\nHim, and receiving instructions and answers to questions propounded to\nHim along these lines?\n\nThere are many other passages of the New Testament which go to prove\nthe familiarity of the disciples and followers of Jesus with the\ndoctrine of Re-birth, but we prefer to pass on to a consideration of\nthe writings of the Early Christian Fathers in order to show what they\nthought and taught regarding the matter of Re-birth and Karma.\n\nAmong the great authorities and writers in the Early Church, Origen\nstands out pre-eminently as a great light. Let us quote from a leading\nwriter, regarding this man and his teachings:\n\n     \"In Origen's writings we have a mine of information as to\n     the teachings of the early Christians. Origen held a\n     splendid and grandiose view of the whole of the evolution of\n     our system. I put it to you briefly. You can read it in all\n     its carefully, logically-worked-out arguments, if you will\n     have the patience to read his treatise for yourselves. His\n     view, then, was the evolutionary view. He taught that forth\n     from God came all Spirits that exist, all being dowered with\n     free-will; that some of these refused to turn aside from the\n     path of righteousness, and, as a reward, took the place\n     which we speak of as that of the angels; that then there\n     came others who, in the exercise of their free-will, turned\n     aside from the path of deity, and then passed into the human\n     race to recover, by righteous and noble living, the angel\n     condition which they had not been able to preserve; that\n     others, still in the exercise of their free-will, descended\n     still deeper into evil and became evil spirits or devils. So\n     that all these Spirits were originally good; but good by\n     innocence, not by knowledge. And he points out also that\n     angels may become men, and even the evil ones themselves may\n     climb up once more, and become men and angels again. Some of\n     you will remember that one of the doctrines condemned in\n     Origen in later days was that glorious doctrine that, even\n     for the worst of men, redemption and restoration were\n     possible, and that there was no such thing as an eternity of\n     evil in a universe that came from the Eternal Goodness, and\n     would return whence it came.\"\n\nAnd from the writings of this great man we shall now quote.\n\nIn his great work \"De Principiis,\" Origen begins with the statement\nthat only God Himself is fundamentally and by virtue of His essential\nnature, Good. God is the only Good--the absolute perfect Good. When we\nconsider the lesser stages of Good, we find that the Goodness is\nderived and acquired, instead of being fundamental and essential.\nOrigen then says that God bestows free-will upon all spirits alike,\nand that if they do not use the same in the direction of\nrighteousness, then they fall to lower estates \"one more rapidly,\nanother more slowly, one in a greater, another in a less degree, each\nbeing the cause of his own downfall.\"\n\nHe refers to John the Baptist being filled with the Holy Ghost in his\nmother's womb and says that it is a false notion to imagine \"that God\nfills individuals with His Holy Spirit, and bestows upon them\nsanctification, not on the grounds of justice and according to their\ndeserts, but undeservedly. And how shall we escape the declaration,\n'Is there respect of persons with God?' God forbid. Or this, 'Is there\nunrighteousness with God?' God forbid this also. For such is the\ndefense of those who maintain that souls come into existence with\nbodies.\" He then shows his belief in re-birth by arguing that John had\nearned the Divine favor by reason of right-living in a previous\nincarnation.\n\nThen he considers the important question of the apparent injustice\ndisplayed in the matter of the inequalities existing among men. He\nsays, \"Some are barbarians, others Greeks, and of the barbarians some\nare savage and fierce and others of a milder disposition, and certain\nof them live under laws that have been thoroughly approved, others,\nagain, under laws of a more common or severe kind; while, some, again,\npossess customs of an inhumane and savage character rather than laws;\nand certain of them, from the hour of their birth, are reduced to\nhumiliation and subjection, and brought up as slaves, being placed\nunder the dominion either of masters, or princes, or tyrants. Some\nwith sound bodies, some with bodies diseased from their early years,\nsome defective in vision, others in bearing and speech; some born in\nthat condition, others deprived of the use of their senses immediately\nafter birth. But why should I repeat and enumerate all the horrors of\nhuman misery? Why should this be?\"\n\nOrigen then goes on to combat the ideas advanced by some thinkers of\nhis times, that the differences were caused by some essential\ndifference in the nature and quality of the souls of individuals. He\nstates emphatically that all souls are essentially equal in nature and\nquality and that the differences arise from the various exercise of\ntheir power of free-will. He says of his opponents:\n\n     \"Their argument accordingly is this: If there be this great\n     diversity of circumstances, and this diverse and varying\n     condition by birth, in which the faculty of free-will has no\n     scope (for no one chooses for himself either where, or with\n     whom, or in what condition he is born); if, then, this is\n     not caused by the difference in the nature of souls, i.e.,\n     that a soul of an evil nature is destined for a wicked\n     nation and a good soul for a righteous nation, what other\n     conclusion remains than that these things must be supposed\n     to be regulated by accident or chance? And, if that be\n     admitted, then it will be no longer believed that the world\n     was made by God, or administered by His providence.\"\n\nOrigen continues:\n\n     \"God who deemed it just to arrange His creatures according\n     to their merit, brought down these different understandings\n     into the harmony of one world, that He might adorn, as it\n     were, one dwelling, in which there ought to be not only\n     vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay (and\n     some, indeed, to honor, and others to dishonor) with their\n     different vessels, or souls, or understandings. On which\n     account the Creator will neither appear to be unjust in\n     distributing (for the causes already mentioned) to every one\n     according to his wants, nor will the happiness or\n     unhappiness of each one's birth, or whatever be the\n     condition that falls to his lot, be accidental.\"\n\nHe then asserts that the condition of each man is the result of his\nown deeds.\n\nHe then considers the case of Jacob and Esau, which a certain set of\nthinkers had used to illustrate the unjust and cruel discrimination of\nthe Creator toward His creatures. Origen contended that in this case\nit would be most unjust for God to love Jacob and hate Esau before the\nchildren were born, and that the only true interpretation of the\nmatter was the theory that Jacob was being rewarded for the good deeds\nof past lives, while Esau was being punished for his misdeeds in past\nincarnations.\n\nAnd not only Origen takes this stand, but Jerome also, for the latter\nsays: \"If we examine the case of Esau we may find he was condemned\nbecause of his ancient sins in a worse course of life.\" (_Jerome's\nletter to Avitus_.) Origen says:\n\n     \"It is found not to be unrighteous that even in womb Jacob\n     supplanted his brother, if we feel that he was worthily\n     beloved by God, according to the deserts of his previous\n     life, so as to deserve to be preferred before his brother.\"\n\nOrigen adds, \"This must be carefully applied to the case of all other\ncreatures, because, as we formerly remarked, the righteousness of the\nCreator ought to appear in everything.\" And again, \"The inequality of\ncircumstances preserves the justice of a retribution according to\nmerit.\"\n\nAnnie Besant (to whom we are indebted for a number of these\nquotations), says, concerning this position of Origen:\n\n     \"Thus we find this doctrine made the defense of the justice\n     of God. If a soul can be made good, then to make a soul evil\n     is to a God of justice and love impossible. It cannot be\n     done. There is no justification for it, and the moment you\n     recognize that men are born criminal, you are either forced\n     into the blasphemous position that a perfect and loving God\n     creates a ruined soul and then punishes it for being what He\n     has made it, or else that He is dealing with growing,\n     developing creatures whom He is training for ultimate\n     blessedness, and if in any life a man is born wicked and\n     evil, it is because he has done amiss and must reap in\n     sorrow the results of evil in order that he may learn wisdom\n     and turn to good.\"\n\nOrigen also considers the story of Pharaoh, of whom the Biblical\nwriters say that \"his heart was hardened by God.\" Origen declares that\nthe hardening of the heart was caused by God so that Pharaoh would\nmore readily learn the effect of evil, so that in his future\nincarnations he might profit by his bitter experience. He says:\n\n     \"Sometimes it does not lead to good results for a man to be\n     cured too quickly, especially if the disease, being shut up\n     in the inner parts of the body, rage with greater\n     fierceness. The growth of the soul must be understood as\n     being brought about not suddenly, but slowly and gradually,\n     seeing that the process of amendment and correction will\n     take place imperceptibly in the individual instances, during\n     the lapse of countless and unmeasured ages, some\n     outstripping others, and tending by a swifter course towards\n     perfection, while others, again, follow close at hand, and\n     some, again, a long way behind.\"\n\nHe also says: \"Those who, departing this life in virtue of that death\nwhich is common to all, are arranged in conformity with their actions\nand deserts--according as they shall be deemed worthy--some in the\nplace called the 'infernus,' others in the bosom of Abraham, and in\ndifferent localities or mansions. So also from these places, as if\ndying there, if the expression can be used, they come down from the\n'upper world' to this 'hell.' For that 'hell' to which the souls of\nthe dead are conducted from this world is, I believe, on account of\nthis destruction, called 'the lower hell.' Everyone accordingly of\nthose who descend to the earth is, according to his deserts, or\nagreeably to the position that he occupied there, ordained to be born\nin this world in a different country, or among a different nation, or\nin a different mode of life, or surrounded by infirmities of a\ndifferent kind, or to be descended from religious parents, or parents\nwho are not religious; so that it may sometimes happen that an\nIsraelite descends among the Scythians, and a poor Egyptian is brought\ndown to Judea.\" (_Origen against Celsus_.)\n\nCan you doubt, after reading the above quotation that Metempsychosis,\nRe-incarnation or Re-birth and Karma was held and taught as a true\ndoctrine by the Fathers of the Early Christian Church? Can you not see\nthat imbedded in the very bosom of the Early Church were the\ntwin-doctrine of Re-incarnation and Karma. Then why persist in\ntreating it as a thing imported from India, Egypt or Persia to disturb\nthe peaceful slumber of the Christian Church? It is but the return\nhome of a part of the original Inner Doctrine--so long an outcast from\nthe home of its childhood.\n\nThe Teaching was rendered an outlaw by certain influences in the\nChurch in the Sixth Century. The Second Council of Constantinople\n(A.D. 553) condemned it as a heresy, and from that time official\nChristianity frowned upon it, and drove it out by sword, stake and\nprison cell. The light was kept burning for many years, however, by\nthat sect so persecuted by the Church--the Albigenses--who furnished\nhundreds of martyrs to the tyranny of the Church authorities, by\nreason of their clinging faith to the Inner Teachings of the Church\nconcerning Reincarnation and Karma.\n\nSmothered by the pall of superstition that descended like a dense\ncloud over Europe in the Middle Ages, the Truth has nevertheless\nsurvived, and, after many fitful attempts to again burst out into\nflame, has at last, in this glorious Twentieth Century, managed to\nagain show forth its light and heat to the world, bringing back\nChristianity to the original conceptions of those glorious minds of\nthe Early Church. Once more returned to its own, the Truth will move\nforward, brushing from its path all the petty objections and obstacles\nthat held it captive for so many centuries.\n\nLet us conclude this lesson with those inspiring words of the poet\nWordsworth, whose soul rose to a perception of the Truth, in spite of\nthe conventional restrictions placed upon him by his age and land.\n\n     \"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting,\n        The soul that rises with us, our life's star,\n      Hath elsewhere had its setting,\n        And cometh from afar.\n      Not in entire forgetfulness,\n      And not in utter nakedness,\n      But trailing clouds of glory do we come\n      From God, who is our home.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE TWELFTH LESSON.\n\n\n\nTHE MESSAGE OF THE MASTER.\n\nRunning throughout nearly all of the teachings and messages of Jesus,\nis to be found the constant Mystic Message regarding the existence of\nthe Spirit within the soul of each individual--that Something Within\nto which all can turn in time of pain and trouble--that Guide and\nMonitor which stands ever ready to counsel, advise and direct if one\nopens himself to the Voice.\n\n\"Seek ye first the Kingdom, and all things shall be added unto you.\"\nAnd, again, as if to explain: \"The Kingdom of Heaven is within you.\"\nThis is the Mystic Message which gives one a key to the Mysteries of\nthe Inner Teachings.\n\nLet us take up a few of His sayings and endeavor to interpret them by\nthe light of these teachings. But before doing so we must call the\nattention of the student to the fact that, in order to understand\nintelligently what we are saying, he must carefully re-read the\n\"Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy\" wherein the details of the\nteachings are set forth--that is the fundamental truths are explained.\nIn the \"Advanced Course\" and in \"Gnani Yoga\" the higher phases of the\nteachings are presented. And, although in the said works there is\nlittle or no reference made to Christianity, yet the teachings are so\nfundamental that the Inner Teachings of all religions--including\nChristianity--may be understood by one who has acquainted himself with\nthese fundamental truths.\n\nThere is but one real Occult Philosophy, and we find it in evidence\neverywhere--once the Truth is grasped, it is found to be the Master\nKey with which to unlock the various doors leading to the esoteric\nphase of any and all religions or philosophies. The Yogi Fathers,\ncenturies and centuries ago, solved the Riddle of the Universe, and\nthe highest efforts of the human mind since that time have but\ncorroborated, proven and exemplified the original Truth as voiced by\nthese Venerable Sages.\n\nLet us read the words of Jesus in the light of this Ancient Wisdom.\n\nLet us consider the Sermon on the Mount as given in Matthew (_Chapters\n5; 6; 7_).\n\n\"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of\nHeaven.\" (_Matt. 5:3._)\n\nBy these words Jesus indicated the occult teachings that those who\nrenounced the vain glory and petty ambitions of this world would be on\nthe road to the realization of the Real Self--the Something\nWithin--the Spirit. For is it not written that \"the Kingdom of Heaven\nis within you\"?\n\n\"Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted.\" (_Matt.\n5:4._)\n\nBy these words Jesus pointed out the occult teachings that those who\nhad so far advanced that they could see the folly of human ambition,\nand who consequently felt the pain that comes to all who stand above\nthe crowd, and who mourned by reason of their realization of the folly\nand uselessness of all for which men strive so hard? would, in the\nend, be comforted by that \"peace which passeth all understanding\"\nwhich comes only to those who enter into a realization of the Kingdom\nof Heaven which is within them.\n\n\"Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth.\" (_Matt.\n5:5._)\n\nBy these words Jesus sought to teach that those who had acquired the\nattitude of obedience to the Power of the Spirit Within them would\nbecome as Masters of the things of earth. This message is frequently\nmisunderstood by reason of the lack of perception of the Mystic\nmeaning contained in the words. The word \"meek\" does not mean that\n\"I'm so meek and humble\" attitude and expression of the hypocritical\nfollowers of form. Jesus never taught this--and never acted it. He was\nalways the Master, and never sought to make of his followers cringing\ncreatures and whining and sniveling supplicants. He asserted His\nMastery in many ways and accepted the respect due him--as for instance\nwhen the vial of precious ointment was poured upon Him. His use of the\nword, which has been poorly translated as \"meek,\" was in the sense of\na calm, dignified bearing toward the Power of the Spirit, and a\nreverent submission to its guidance--not a hypocritical and cowardly\n\"meekness\" toward other men. The assurance that such should \"inherit\nthe earth\" means that they should become masters of things\ntemporal--that is, that they should be able to rise above them--should\nbecome lords of the earth by reason of their \"entering into the\nKingdom of Heaven\" within them.\n\n\"Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness; for\nthey shall be filled.\" (_Matt. 5:6._)\n\nThis is the promise of the Master that they who sought the Kingdom of\nHeaven (within them) should find it--that their spiritual hunger and\nthirst should be satisfied in the only way possible.\n\n\"Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.\" (_Matt.\n5:7._)\n\nHere is taught the blessing for forbearance, kindness, tolerance and\nabsence of bigotry, and the reward that comes as a natural consequence\nof such a mental attitude.\n\n\"Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God.\" (_Matt.\n5:8._)\n\nHere is the assurance that \"to those who are pure all things are\npure\"--that the purity of one's own heart, and the recognition of the\nGod Within, leads to a perception of the God within everything. \"He\nwho sees God within himself, sees Him in everything,\" says an old\nPersian writer. And verily such a one \"sees God\" where He abides--and\nthat is _Everywhere_.\n\n\"Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called sons of God.\"\n(_Matt. 5:9._)\n\nHere is the call to the disciple to use his wisdom and power in the\ndirection of remedying the strife that arises from the differing\nconceptions of Deity and Truth prevailing among men. He who is able to\npoint out the Truth underlying all religions and beliefs indeed\nbecomes as a beloved son of God. He who is able to show that under all\nforms and ceremonies, under various names and titles, behind various\ncreeds and dogmas, there is but one God, to whom all worship\nascends--he is a Peacemaker and a Son of God.\n\n     \"Blessed are they that have been persecuted for\n     righteousness' sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.\n     Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute\n     you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my\n     sake. Rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great is your\n     reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets that\n     were before you.\" (_Matt. 5:10-12._)\n\nIn these words Jesus sought to comfort and encourage those who would\nbe called upon to carry the Message in the centuries to follow. And\none has but to look over the list of names of the courageous souls who\nhave sought to keep the flame alight--to preserve the teachings in\ntheir original purity--to protect them from the cant, hypocrisy,\nself-seeking and formalism of those who sought and obtained places of\npower in the Church. The gibbet; the stake; the dungeon;--was their\nreward. But the Faith that was called into manifestation during the\npersecutions served to bring them to the realization of the Spirit,\nand thus indeed \"theirs is the kingdom of heaven.\"\n\n\"But ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have lost its\nsavor wherewith shall it be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing,\nbut to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.\" (_Matt. 5:13._)\n\nHere Jesus warned against the failure of the Illumined to serve as the\nyeast which should leaven the mass of men by their thoughts and\nactions. The use of the term \"salt\" in this connection is familiar to\nall students of ancient mysticism. Food without salt was deemed\nunpalatable and undesirable. The Few were the salt of the earth,\ndesigned to render it worthy and perfect as a whole. But where a grain\nof salt had parted with its savor, there was naught else that could\nimpart saltiness to it, and it became worthless and fit only for the\nrefuse heap. The duty of the \"salt\" is to impart savor--the duty of\nthe Elect is to impart savor to the race of men.\n\n     \"Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot\n     be hid. Neither do men light a lamp and put it under a\n     bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are\n     in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that\n     they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is\n     in heaven.\" (_Matt. 5:14-16._)\n\nThese words, like those preceding it, teach the Elect to shed abroad\nthe light which has come to them. They are warned against concealing\nit beneath the cover of conventional conduct, but are urged to live\nand act so that men may perceive the light that is within them--the\nLight of the Spirit--and may see the right road by means of its rays.\nA man having the Light of the Spirit shining bright within him is able\nto rouse the lamps of understanding in the minds of other men, to\nbecome kindled and alight. That is the experience of the majority of\nthose who read these words--they have had their lamps of knowledge\nkindled by the rays of the Spirit emanating from some soul, either by\nword of mouth, writings, or by personal contact. Spirituality is\ncontagious! Therefore spread it! This is the meaning of this passage.\n\n     \"Think not that I came to destroy the law of the prophets:\n     I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto\n     you, Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle\n     shall in no wise pass away from the law till all things be\n     accomplished.\" (_Matt. 5:17-18._)\n\nIn this passage Jesus asserted positively the fact that He was not\nteaching a new doctrine, but had come simply to carry on the work of\nthose who had preceded Him. He asserted the validity of the Ancient\nWisdom, and told that the Law that had been in force would so continue\nuntil heaven and earth should pass away--that is, until the end of\nthis great World Cycle. In these words Jesus proclaimed His allegiance\nto the Occult Teachings. To those who would claim that He referred to\nthe current Jewish teachings we would point out the fact that these he\n_did_ come to destroy, for Christianity is opposed to the Jewish\nformalism and outer teachings. Jesus referred to the Inner Teachings,\nnot to the outer religious creeds or forms. He came not to destroy the\nold Teachings, but merely to \"fulfill,\" that is, to give a new impetus\nto the Ancient Wisdom.\n\n     \"Whoever therefore shall break one of these least\n     commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least\n     in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach\n     them, he shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. For\n     I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed\n     the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in\n     no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.\" (_Matt.\n     5:19-20._)\n\nHere Jesus cautions against violating the fundamental occult\nteachings, or of teaching false doctrines. He also again bids men to\ndo and preach the truth. Note the reference to the \"kingdom of\nheaven.\" Again He points out that the \"righteousness\" required to gain\nthe \"kingdom of heaven\" is a far different thing from the formalism,\nceremonialism and \"churchism\" of the scribes and pharisees--people\nwho, in that day, stood for that which the \"churchy\" preachers and\ntheir bigoted, narrow flock of sheep-like parishioners stand for\ntoday. It requires more than \"faithful performance of church duties\"\nto enter into the real \"kingdom of heaven.\" Jesus was ever a foe of\nthe narrow formalism which clings close to the empty forms and words,\nand which ignores the Spirit. Were He to return today, He would drive\nfrom the temples the horde of money-making preachers and hypocritical\nfollowers who make a mock of sacred things.\n\n     \"Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou\n     shall not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger\n     of the judgment: but I say unto you that every one who is\n     angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment;\n     and whosoever shall say to his brother 'Raca,' shall be in\n     danger of the council; and whosoever shall say 'Thou fool'\n     shall be in danger of the hell of fire. If therefore thou\n     art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest\n     that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy\n     gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled\n     to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with\n     thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him; lest haply\n     thine adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge\n     deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.\n     Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out\n     thence till thou hast paid the last farthing.\" (_Matt.\n     5:21-26._)\n\nThese verses emphasize the teachings that sin consists not only of\ndeeds and actions performed, but equally of _thoughts and desires\nentertained and encouraged in the mind_. The desire and thought, made\nwelcome in the mind of a person, is the seed and germ of the sin or\ncrime, even though they may never be manifested in action. To wish to\nkill is a sin, just as is the deed of killing. This is an old occult\nteaching, imparted to all candidates for Initiation.\n\n     \"Ye have heard that it was said Thou shalt not commit\n     adultery, but I say unto you that every one that looketh on\n     a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her\n     already in his heart. And if thy right eye causeth thee to\n     stumble pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is\n     profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish\n     and not thy whole body be cast into hell. And if thy right\n     hand causeth thee to offend, cut it off and cast it from\n     thee, for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members\n     should perish and not thy whole body go into hell. It was\n     said also, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give\n     her a writing of divorcement, but I say unto you that every\n     one that putteth away his wife, saving for the cause of\n     fornication, maketh her an adulteress, and whosoever shall\n     marry her when she is put away committeth adultery.\"\n     (_Matt. 5:27-32._)\n\nIn this passage, Jesus expressed the abhorrence of all advanced\noccultists for the abuse of the functions of sex. Not only the act,\nbut the thought behind the act was condemned by him. The advanced\noccult teaching is that the function of the sex organization is\nentirely that of procreation--aught else is a perversion of nature.\nJesus speaks in strong words to men and women, in this passage,\nregarding this great question. The concluding portion of the passage\nis a condemnation of the abuse of the marriage relation, and the\nprivilege of divorce, which was being strongly agitated in His time.\nHe aimed a blow at the careless contracting of marriages, and the\nconsequent careless dissolution of the tie. Jesus believed in the\nsacredness of the home life, and the welfare of the family. His\nutterance on this subject is unmistakably clear and forcible.\n\n     \"Again, ye have heard that it was said to them of old time,\n     Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the\n     Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, Swear not at all;\n     neither by the heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by\n     the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; nor by\n     Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King; neither\n     shall thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one\n     hair white or black. But let your speech be Yea, yea, Nay,\n     nay: for whatever is more than these is of the evil one.\"\n     (_Matt. 5:33-37._)\n\nHere Jesus attacks the custom of swearing, which was so prevalent in\nHis time among the Jews and other Oriental peoples. He urges\nsimplicity and moderation of speech. In this He is true to the Occult\ntraditions, which teach the value of simple thought and simple speech\nto all the Initiates and the Neophytes.\n\n     \"Ye have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a\n     tooth for a tooth, but I say unto you, Resist not him that\n     is evil, but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn\n     to him the other also, and if any man would go to law with\n     thee and take away thy coat, let him have. And whosoever\n     shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. Give to\n     him that asketh thee and from him that would borrow of thee\n     turn not away.\" (_Matt. 5:38-42._)\n\nIn this passage Jesus alludes to the Law of Non-Resistance, which in\nits esoteric aspect is fully understood by all Initiates. This law is\nfor application on the Mental Plane, and those who understand it, know\nthat the precepts refer to the Mental Attitude of the Initiates toward\nothers, which attitude is in itself a defense against imposition. Love\nturneth away Hate and Anger. The high thought neutralizes the evil\ndesigns of others.\n\n     \"Ye have heard that it was said Thou shall love thy\n     neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your\n     enemies and pray for them that persecute you, that ye may be\n     sons of your Father who is in heaven, for he maketh his sun\n     to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the\n     just and the unjust. For if ye love them that love you, what\n     reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same? And if\n     ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?\n     Do not even the Gentiles the same? Ye therefore shall be\n     perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.\" (_Matt.\n     5:43-48._)\n\nHere is taught that broad tolerance, charity and love that form such\nan important part of all of the mystic teachings. It is a doctrine\nentirely at variance with the orthodox idea of tolerance only to those\nwho agree with one, or who may live in accordance with one's own views\nof life and conduct. It is the great broad doctrine of Human\nBrotherhood. Jesus teaches that God's love is bestowed upon all--the\njust and the unjust--and that this perfect love is the aim and goal of\nall who desire to attain to \"the kingdom\" of Spirit.\n\n     \"Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to\n     be seen of them; else ye have no reward with your Father who\n     is in heaven. When, therefore, thou doest alms sound not a\n     trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues\n     and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily\n     I say unto you They have received their reward. But when\n     thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right\n     hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret and thy Father,\n     who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.\" (_Matt.\n     6:1-4._)\n\nThis is another denunciation of ostentatious \"churchiness\" and\n\"goodness,\" and religious posing. It is a lesson needed as much today\nas in the time of Jesus.\n\n     \"And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites, for\n     they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the\n     corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily\n     I say unto you, They have received their reward. But thou,\n     when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and\n     having shut thy door, pray to thy Father, who is in secret,\n     and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.\n     And in praying use not vain repetitions as the Gentiles do,\n     for they think that they shall be heard for their much\n     speaking. Be not therefore like unto them, for your Father\n     knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. After\n     this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven,\n     Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as\n     in heaven, so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread,\n     And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our\n     debtors; And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us\n     from the evil one. For if ye forgive men their trespasses,\n     your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye\n     forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father\n     forgive your trespasses.\" (_Matt. 6:5-15._)\n\nHere are the words of Jesus regarding the subject of Prayer. He\ncautions against the ostentatious exhibition of \"piety,\" so prevalent\nin all churches, in all lands, in all times. He bids one approach the\nFather in a reverent spirit, devoid of all public notice. Then He\ngives to his disciples the famous \"Lord's Prayer,\" in which is\ncondensed a wealth of true religious instruction and precept. This\nglorious prayer needs no special interpretation. _Let all students\nread the words themselves, filled with the realisation of the Spirit;\nand each will receive a message fitted to his requirements and\ndevelopment. The Lord's Prayer is a very Arcanum of the Mystic\nMessage_.\n\n     \"Moreover, when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a\n     sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they\n     may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have\n     received their reward. But, thou, when thou fastest, anoint\n     thy head and wash thy face, that thou be not seen of men to\n     fast, but of thy Father, who is in secret, and thy Father,\n     who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.\" (_Matt.\n     6:16-18._)\n\nThis is a caution against the \"sanctimonious\" attitude and pose\nassumed by certain \"good\" people of the churches, who would make a\ndisplay of their adherence to and observance of forms. Jesus, as a\ntrue mystic, detested all religious posing and neglected no\nopportunities to condemn the same.\n\n     \"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where\n     moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and\n     steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where\n     neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not\n     break through and steal: for where thy treasure is there\n     will thy heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if\n     therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full\n     of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be\n     full of darkness! No man can serve two masters; for either\n     he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will\n     hold to one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and\n     Mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your\n     life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for\n     your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than\n     the food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of\n     the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor\n     gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them.\n     Are not ye of much more value than they? And which of you by\n     being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his\n     life? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider\n     the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not,\n     neither do they spin, yet I say unto you that even Solomon\n     in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if\n     God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and\n     tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more\n     clothe you, ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious,\n     saying, What shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or\n     wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things\n     do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that\n     ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first then his\n     kingdom, and his righteousness, and all these things shall\n     be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow;\n     for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto\n     the day is the evil thereof.\" (_Matt. 6:19-34._)\n\nThis is the most remarkable passage in the New Testament. It is the\nmost remarkable saying of Jesus of Nazareth. In it is condensed the\nwhole of the occult teachings regarding the Conduct of Life. It\ncondenses, in a few lines the entire doctrine of Karma Yoga--that\nbranch of the Yogi Philosophy. It forms a veritable epitome of that\nwhich has been styled \"The New Thought\" as taught and expounded by its\nvarious cults and schools. There is no need of one reading and\nstudying the various Metaphysical \"Sciences\" which have sprung into\nsuch favor of late years, if one will but read, ponder, study and\npractice the precepts of this wonderful passage of the Sermon on the\nMount. Every sentence is a gem--a crystal of the highest mystic and\noccult philosophy. Book after book could be written on this one\npassage, and even then the subject would be but merely approached. The\ndoctrine of single-mindedness toward the Spirit and the things of the\nSpirit, is taught. The folly of being tied to material things is\npointed out. The lesson of non-attachment is forcibly put. But the\ngreat Truth expounded in this passage is the Power of FAITH. Faith is\nthe Great Secret of all Occult Teachings and is the Key to its Inner\nMysteries. Faith is the Master-Key that unlocks the doors of the\nCastle of Attainment. We trust that all students of these lessons will\ntake this single passage from the Sermon on the Mount and memorize it.\nMake it a part of yourself--make it a part of your life--make it your\nrule of action and living. The life taught by this passage is the true\nlife of the Spirit. Here is the true Light on the Path, for the\nguidance of the feet of all Mystics and Occultists!\n\n     \"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment\n     ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete\n     it shall be measured unto you. And why beholdest thou the\n     mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the\n     beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy\n     brother, Let me cast out the mote out of thine eye, and lo,\n     the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first\n     the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see\n     clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.\"\n     (_Matt. 7:1-5._)\n\nHere Jesus deals another powerful blow to the self-righteousness of\nthe Pharisaical \"good\" people of the sects, creeds and cults of all\nlands, time and religions. He warns against that \"Thank God! I am\nholier than thou\" attitude that so many vain formalists affect in\ntheir dealings with other men. In these immortal words Jesus has sent\nringing down the aeons of time a scathing rebuke to the hypocritical\njudges of other men--those men who wish to \"reform\" others to conform\nto their own standards. Out of the mouth of their Master are many\nso-called followers rebuked.\n\n\"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls\nbefore the swine, lest haply they trample them under their feet and\nturn and rend you.\" (_Matt. 7:6._)\n\nHere is the warning to Initiates not to spread out a feast of their\nhighest teachings to the mob, who with swinish instincts would defile\nthe Divine Feast, and tear to pieces those who had spread it for them.\nThe truth of this warning has been attested by the fate of those\nglorious souls who, disregarding it, attempted to give the Truth to\nthe animal minds of the mob and were done to death for their folly.\nEven Jesus Himself met His fate from neglecting this very rule,--for\nallowing His sympathy to overcome His judgment.\n\n     \"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find;\n     knock and it shall be opened unto you: for everyone that\n     asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him\n     that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of\n     you who if his son ask him for a loaf will give him a stone,\n     or if he shall ask for a fish will give him a serpent? If ye\n     then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your\n     children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven\n     give good things to them that ask him? All things therefore\n     whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do\n     ye also unto them, for this is the law and the prophecy.\"\n     (_Matt. 7:7-12._)\n\nHere is another burning message to men to live by the light of Faith\nin the Spirit. And a warning that unless one would act toward other\nmen rightly, he could not expect to be dealt with rightly. It is the\nlesson of sowing and reaping--the lesson of the Law of Karma. Jesus is\nmost emphatic in these statements. He does not alone say \"Do this! Do\nthat!\" He states emphatically: \"This is _the Law_!\" And so it is--men\nare punished by their wrong deeds, not _for_ them.\n\n     \"Enter ye in by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and\n     broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many are\n     they that enter in thereby. For narrow is the gate and\n     straitened the way that leadeth unto life, and few are they\n     that find it.\" (_Matt. 7:13-14._)\n\nThis is the highest occult teaching. How few are they who find their\nway to the Realization of their own Divinity? Narrow indeed is the\ngate and straitened the way that leadeth to the goal. The masses\nfollow the broad path, like fools--but few even see the narrow\nentrance to The Path.\n\n     \"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's\n     clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. By their fruits\n     ye shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs\n     of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good\n     fruit; but the corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A\n     good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a\n     corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that\n     bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the\n     fire. Therefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not\n     every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into\n     the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of the\n     Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day,\n     Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name\n     cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And\n     then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from\n     me, ye that work iniquity.\" (_Matt. 7:15-23._)\n\nHere is the notable warning against the perverted use of the occult\npowers--the prostitution of the Gifts of the Spirit--Black Magic, in\nshort. For, as all well know, the occult forces may be applied to base\nas well as worthy uses. By their fruits shall ye know the good from\nthe evil. He whose teachings render men weak, sheeplike and cringing,\ncredulous leaners upon leaders, is a tree that bringeth forth evil\nfruit. Such are wolves in sheep's clothing, who fatten upon the\nbodies, substance and souls of their dupes. But those who lead men to\nbe Men--yea, Super-Men--bring forth the good fruit of the Spirit. Be\nye not deceived by names, words, creeds nor claims--nay, not even by\nmiracles. Look always at the effect produced--the fruits of the\ntree--and govern yourself accordingly.\n\n     \"Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine and\n     doeth them shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his\n     house upon the rock, and the rain descended and the floods\n     came and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it\n     fell not, for it was founded upon the rock. And every one\n     that heareth these words of mine and doeth them not shall be\n     likened unto a foolish man who built his house upon the\n     sand, and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the\n     winds blew and smote upon that house and it fell, and great\n     was the fall thereof.\" (_Matt. 7:24-27._)\n\nIn these parting words of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave a Message\nto all who would hear, or read His words, and profess to be His\nfollowers. He bade such build upon the eternal rock of the Truth--the\nrock of ages, that had its foundations in the very basic principles of\nBeing. He warned them against building upon the shifting sands of\ntheology and dogmatism, which would be surely swept away by the storms\nof Time. Upon the eternal Mystic Truths is Mystic Christianity\nfounded. And it is still standing untouched by the storms of\ncriticism, opposition and knowledge that have swept away many\ntheological edifices in the past, and which are now beating with\nrenewed vigor upon the remaining frail structures, which are even this\nday quivering under the strain. Mystic Christianity invites the \"New\nTheology,\" the \"Higher Criticism,\" the \"Criticism of Science\"; for\nthese will only tend to prove the truths of its fundamental\nprinciples. In Mystic Christianity, Religion, Philosophy and Science\nare known to be one and the same thing. There is no conflict between\nScience and Religion; Philosophy and Religion; or Philosophy and\nScience. They are all but names for the One Truth. There be but one\nTruth--there cannot be more than one. And so call it by the name of\nReligion--the name of Science, the name of Philosophy--it matters not,\nfor the same thing is meant. There is naught but Truth--nothing else\nreally exists. All that is not Truth is Illusion, _Maya_, Nothing. And\nMystic Christianity is based upon the Rock of Truth, fearing not the\nwinds nor the storms that try out the stability of all structures of\nthought. Like its founder, it has always existed--always will\nexist--from the Beginningless Beginning to the Endless Ending. The\nsame yesterday, today, and tomorrow.\n\n\n\n\nA SERIES OF LESSONS IN GNANI YOGA (THE YOGA OF WISDOM)\n\n\nBy YOGI RAMACHARAKA\n\nThis course gives the highest Yogi teachings regarding the Absolute\nand its Manifestations--the relations between the One and the\nMany--the Secret of the One Life--the Mystery of the Evolution of the\nSoul--the Law of Spiritual Cause and Effect--the Group-Soul--the Birth\nof the Ego--the Unfoldment of the Self--the Cycles of the Race--the\nChain of Worlds--the Truth about Nirvana--the Divine Paradox--the\nProblem of Consciousness--the Reality and the Illusory--the offices of\nWill and Desire--the Future of the Race--the Past History of Man and\nthe Races--the Adepts and Masters--the Brotherhoods--the Problems of\nLife--the Riddle of Existence. These and many other subjects of equal\nimportance are taken up, explained and the dark corners illuminated.\nSome of the teachings to be given are entirely new to the general\nWestern public, and partake of the nature of the Inner Teachings of\nthe occultists.\n\nBound in Blue Silk Cloth, 302 Pages.\n\nPRICE $1.10 POSTPAID.\n\nE.B., North Side, Pittsburgh, Pa., writes she has just finished\nreading your book \"Science of Breath,\" and considers it priceless.\n\nI have studied many Occult and Mental Science works, but none Of which\never developed Spiritual Illumination or produced that Tranquil state\nof mind that I derived by studying the Yogi Philosophy.---N.R.B. New\nZealand.\n\n\n\n\nJESUS THE LAST GREAT INITIATE\n\n\nBy EDOUARD SCHURE\n\nMr. Schure in this volume, has done much to strengthen the belief that\nJesus was an Essene, in whom a Messianic consciousness was awakened by\nspecial initiation.\n\nA remarkable full account is given of his experiences among the\nEssenes and how his early life, (about which the Bible is so reticent)\nwas spent studying with the advanced Occult masters.\n\nThe problem of how Jesus became the Messiah, he holds to be not\ncapable of solution without the aid of intuition and esoteric\ntradition.\n\nThe life of the great Teacher as pictured by the writer is one to be\ndreamed over and capable of imparting both knowledge and stimulus to\nthat inner life which is in so many undeveloped and even unsuspected.\n\nBound Silk Cloth.\n\nPRICE $0.80 POSTPAID.\n\n\n\n\nKRISHNA AND ORPHEUS\n\n\nTHE GREAT INITIATES OF THE EAST AND WEST\n\n\nBy EDOUARD SCHURE\n\nThe lives and teachings of these two great Masters who preceded Jesus\nare very much like the latter's. You cannot help noting the remarkable\nresemblance they bear to each other.\n\nKrishna's Virgin Birth, His Youth, Initiation, The Doctrine of the\nInitiates, Triumph and Death, are all told in a fashion that shows\nthat Mr. Schure has devoted much time to thought and research work.\nThe mighty religious of India, Egypt and Greece are passed in rapid\nreview and the author declares that while from the outside they\npresent nothing but chaos, the root idea of their founders and\nprophets presents a key to them all.\n\nBound in Silk Cloth.\n\nPRICE $0.80 POSTPAID.\n\n\n\n\nTHIS IS OUR COMPLETE LIST OF PUBLICATIONS\n\n                                                            PRICE\n                                                            POSTPAID\n\nHatha Yoga. By Ramacharaka. Cloth                              $1.10\n\nScience of Breath. By Ramacharaka. Bound in paper .53; Cloth     .75\n\nFourteen Lessons in Yogi-Philosophy, and Oriental Occultism.\n  By Ramacharaka.                                               1.10\n\nAdvanced Course in Yogi Philosophy, and Oriental Occultism.\n  By Ramacharaka.                                               1.10\n\nRaja Yoga. By Ramacharaka.                                      1.10\n\nGnani Yoga. By Ramacharaka.                                     1.10\n\nPhilosophies and Religions of India. By Ramacharaka.            1.12\n\nPsychic Healing. By Ramacharaka.                                1.10\n\nThe Hindu-Yogi Practical Water Cure. By Ramacharaka.             .55\n\nMystic Christianity. By Ramacharaka.                            1.10\n\nBhavagad Gita. By Ramacharaka.                                   .80\n\nKybalion. By Three Initiates.                                   1.08\n\nReincarnation and Law of Karma. By Wm. W. Atkinson.             1.10\n\nSecret of Success. By Wm. W. Atkinson.                           .50\n\nInner Consciousness. By William Walter Atkinson.                 .50\n\nPractical Mental Influence. By W.W. Atkinson.                    .50\n\nPractical Mind Reading. By W.W. Atkinson.                        .50\n\nPractical Psychomacy and Crystal Gazing. By W.W. Atkinson.       .50\n\nLight on the Path and Illumined Way. By M.C. Cloth.              .44\n\nLight on the Path. By M.C. Paper.                                .10\n\nA Visit to Gnani. By Edward Carpenter. Paper.                    .28\n\nJesus: The Last Great Initiate. By Edouard Schure.               .80\n\nKrishna and Orpheus. By Edouard Schure.                          .80\n\nKarma. By A.P. Sinnett. Occult Novel. Cloth.                     .60\n\nThe Spirit of the Upanishads.                                    .55\n\nMystery of Being. Heeralal Dhole.                                .50\n\n\n\nDIRECTIONS FOR ORDERING\n\nWrite name of Books desired, plainly and fully.\n\nWrite plainly your name, street address (if in city); town or city;\nand state. Don't forget the state, as there are many towns of the same\nname in the country--yours is only one of many.\n\nSend money by Post Office Money Order, or Express Money Order, or\nRegistered Letter. This is the only Safe Way. If Personal Checks are\nsent add l0c extra for exchange.\n\nWrite your own name and address on the upper left hand corner of the\nenvelope (this saves many lost letters).","title":"Mystic Christianity; Or, The Inner Teachings of the Master","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":68559}