Franz Hartmann - The Life of Jehoshua, the Prophet of Nazareth, 1888 by gnosisclassics

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THE

LIFE OF JEHOSHUA, THE PROPHET OF NAZARETH.

Occult Study and a Key

to the Bible,

CONTAINING THE HISTORY OF AN INITIATE.

FRANZ HARTMANN,

M.D.,

Author of " Magic," " Paracelsus," " Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians," Etc.

Stoaftot

BOSTON: OCCULT PUBLISHING COMPANY, 120

Tremont Street. 1888.

/fos-

By FRANZ

Typography by

J. S.

HARTMANN.

Cushing

Co., Boston.

PREFACE. The

only object of the following pages

to aid in

which for many centuries have been

dispelling the mists

gathering around the person of the supposed founder of Christianity,

and which have prevented mankind from

obtaining a clear view of the true Redeemer,

who

not

who

to be found in history nor in external forms, but

can only be found within the interior temple of the soul

by him It

whom

must be

his presence

left

to the intelligent reader to decide

whether the accounts given cepted

becomes manifest.

in this

literally as historical facts, or

book may be

ac-

whether they are

intended to represent eternal and ever-occurring processes going on within the inner consciousness of man.

The

only key to the understanding of the truth

power by the and

to perceive

;

for the truth teaches itself,

light of argumentation,

teaches nothing else but

— but

its

own

the

— not light,

itself.

All that the reading of books can possibly accomplish, is to aid

us in bringing the truth which exists

within ourselves to our

away the clouds

own

understanding, and to drive

erroneous conceptions which may'

keep us from knowing ourselves.

;

PREFACE.

There

nothing to prevent

man from

rising into

the higher regions of thought where the light of the truth exists, except his clinging to erroneous opinions

there

no way of driving away the darkness except by

the diffusion of light.

THE AUTHOR.

CONTENTS PAGE

Dedication

Introduction

The True History of Christ (An

Allegory)

Jehovah

Nazareth Egypt The Mysterious Brotherhood The Mysterious Brotherhood, The Higher Degrees

48 59 continued

73 82

The Wisdom-Religion

The Temptation The Sermon upon the Mount The Doctrines of The Christ

94 106

Spirit

118

Herodias

125

Jerusalem

135

The The The The The

Great Renunciation Temple

Hero

145 .

157

166

Final Initiation

180

Church

186

Conclusion

197

DEDICATION.

Thou

Eternal One! Of

all

Thou In

Beyond Nothing

to be

Good for

;

Thou, and there

Thou

exists;

but

they are

;

Addressing Thee

because we separate ourselves

In thought from Thee

who

For we are nothing

And Thou No will or

art

art our very self;

"we"; we

have no

life

but Thine,

thought, no love or strength but Thine;

Thee and Thou

The "Father" and Thyself Spirit

"Thou,"

are not

art our life, our will, our

are in

Thy And

nothing

art,

forms are empty nothings,

by Thee

If not inhabited

Thou

Him;

to all except thyself.

exists but

Thyself made manifest. sin,

things in

all

Thou, inconceivable

In which no

Appear

and

the grasp of finite intellect;

Unknowable

light

things exist and have their being,

all

lives in all things

Infinite art

and

universal uncreated God,

whom

Who

Cause

self-existent

existence, source of love

fills

mind, our

in us

;

Thou

in us the

all;

art

"Son."

the universe with glory

impregnates

all

Nature with thy power,

Enabling her to bring forth living forms

plants and trees, of animals

It fructifies

the soul of

and men

man and

gives

Birth to the "Christ," the saviour of man,

DEDICA TION. CalTd the divine Atma or the "Lord on high," The " Master, He who makes immortal all 1

whom His presence is made manifest. He awakens in the heart of man To the self-consciousness of His existence, Then will there be no further death, for He In

Is perfect

Thus "

and requires no further change.

Christ "

God made

As man, and no one can

manifest in

attain to

Man

God

Him for He Himself is God He who strives to find His God for Him in His own holy temple

Except through

;

In Man, and

Must seek

Within himself

in Spirit

and

in Truth.

To Him, the Christ, the God in man we To Him alone, not to external gods, Nor

And For

pray;

to the spirits in the Astral Light;

praying strongly we rising

Him we

our prayers.

fulfil

are Himself,

Him ourselves. God in Man No man knows God it is Who knows Himself in him and lifts man up To the conception of what is divine In his own nature. Rising up to Him We come to God through Christ, through God to Man, And to all nature in His Holy Spirit. And

grant that which ;

we ask

the

INTRODUCTION. Ever

since the beginning of the Christian era a storm

of varied opinions in regard to of

what

the

called " Christianity " has

world of mind, finding

its

supposed founder

been raging

in the

expression on the external

plane in deeds of violence, in innumerable cruelties, wars, atrocities, and crimes, such as are almost beyond

the power of

human

imagination to conceive.

the time of the maniac-emperors,

From

when the Roman

arenas were reddened by the blood of the Nazarenes,

down

to the

Middle Ages, when Christians had ceased

to be persecuted

when

the

scum

and became persecutors of all

the inhabitants of the " Holy

name when

of Christ

;

in their turn

;

Europe pillaged and plundered

Land

" in the

assumed

— down to comparatively modern times,

the skies of

European countries were black-

all

ened by the smoke ascending from burning fagots, upon

which men, women, and children, suspected of heresy, were roasted to death by those who claimed to be the followers of

Him who

versal fraternal love

;

had taught the doctrine

— and

still

further

down

of uni-

to our

present time, in which the churches struggle to regain their

waning powers and wealth,

— the

cause of

all

INTRODUCTION.

religious warfare has always

been a difference of opinion

in regard to the nature of " Christ."

While the most

fanatical adherents of orthodox the-

entirely ignoring the religious histories of

ology,

world, with

its

the

Manus, Avatars, Buddhas, and Saviours upon

of mankind, such as are said to have appeared

this globe millions of years before the advent of modern

" Christianity," regard the person of him

The

who

called

Christ as being the " only begotten son " of an

extracosmic creator of the world, conceived in some

miraculous manner by a virgin of Palestine, and while

they thus apply the most gross and sensual exoteric explanation to a beautiful ancient myth, which hides

a sublime and eternal truth

;

the modern critic either

denies that such a person as the Jesus of Nazareth of the Gospels ever existed, or

man

he sees in him merely

of extraordinary talents, a hero

who dared

proclaim what seemed to him to be the truth gious

reformer,

who

many

died like

others

promulgation of a grand but impracticable

Some

;

reli-

for the

idea.

these critics are very profound thinkers

;

but they have evidently not looked behind the veil that

divides

the eternal, ideal, but nevertheless real

world from the sensual world of live.

illusions,

They were unacquainted with

wherein we

the constitution

the " spiritual " organism of Man, and they could

only see the mortal part

Jehoshua; while their

opinions in regard to his spiritual nature were based

upon speculations which may have approached the

INTR OD UCTION. truth

proportion

they followed

their

highest

intuitions.

Thus Kant regarded him fection

John Stuart

;

Lord Amberly, as the

first

;

Mill, as a

as an " iconoclastic idealist "

teacher

who

the Supreme Spirit

Logos

human pervery extraordinary man

as the ideal of

;

revealed the unity of

Schelling, as a kind of Avatar,

man, whose

;

with

i.e.

one of the

Dr. Keim, as a myste-

glorified spirit inspired his disciples

to attempt the reformation of the world

upon him

Fichte,

Hegel, as an incarnation of the

periodical descents of Divinity rious

;

Man

as a moral reformer,

who

;

Strauss looks

occasionally stooped

to imposture to secure the confidence of his adherents

Renan, as an effeminate

idealist,

formed " bogus phenomena in

whom

" ;

;

an impostor who per-

Schleiermacher, as a

man

self-consciousness was so saturated with the

Divine principle, that he really became a god incarnate

Anatole Bembe, as a modern anarchist and the most fiery kind

;

socialist of

and Gerald Massey, who bases

his

opinions upon historical researches, finds that yehoshua

Ben-Pandira

was

born some

120 years

before

the

Christian era, and that the typical Christ of the gospels

was made up from the features of various gods. It

appears that those

who have attempted

to disprove

the existence of an historical personal saviour of mankind, have religion

;

done no serious harm to the interest of

because the pious mind intuitively feels that

the gospel accounts, attributed to the four Evangelists, contain after

all

a great deal of truth, even

the events

;

INTR OD UCTION.

which are told therein have never occurred but those

who attempt

to base the

their religious conviction

upon the existence

Jesus and ask others to do likewise,

ical

serious

harm

after all be

;

in history

whole foundation of of

an histor-

may be doing

an historical Jesus can

for the belief in

merely a matter of opinion, and a faith based

merely upon a possibly fallacious opinion, having no

knowledge for

There are very many well-meaning people

basis indeed.

upon

foundation, rests upon a very insecure

its

this earth

who imagine

that

indispensably

necessary for one's salvation to believe that a called Jesus of Nazareth

tine

;

but

reason

would be

why

once lived and died in Pales-

difficult to

the belief

man

give any intelligible

such an historical person

should be necessary for that purpose, or in what

such a belief should differ in

its

results

from a

way

belief in

Julius Caesar, Aristoteles, or any other person in history as all opinions in regard to things of

;

which we have no

personal experience are merely opinions and constitute

real

knowledge.

we know nothing the event

believe in an event of which

to cling to a superstition,

actually true.

even

can have no self-knowl-

edge about persons that existed before we were born but

we may

any time and

;

at every place realize the

presence of the true saviour, the eternal living Christ within ourselves.

All attempts to explain intellectually the miracles and

deeds attributed to the great Nazarene, for the purpose of

making

plausible,

that they have actually

INTR OD UC TION. occurred in a religion,

therefore degrading to

literal sense, are

and may be looked upon as a sacrilege

for

;

they drag spiritual truths down to gross material

life

;

they force sublime ideas into narrow material forms,

and destroy the beauty of the

by causing

ideal

sonal saviour will never

give

Even the most

appear in a vulgar sensual shape. exalted virtues with which a poet

may endow

him

that

a per-

which

lustre

shines around the head of the eternal and impersonal

and

Christ,

all

attempts to

make

the beautiful allegories

of the Bible agree with historical facts will cessful,

and even appear ludicrous

be unsuc-

to the unprejudiced

and clear-thinking observer. 1

The

question, whether or not the

Bible are true, cannot be

doctrines

the

decided by answering the

question, whether or not the events described therein

have actually occurred

in external life

;

that proof

must

be sought in the internal evidence of those doctrines,

and

this evidence will

appear plain enough as soon as

they are understood.

The

vain attempts to prove rationally the possibility

of the occurrence of miracles

1 .

and

Gerald Massey says still

The worst

are, the rationalizers of the

have assumed the

human

such as are described in foes of the truth have ever been,

myths, such as the Unitarians.

They and

history [of Christ] as the starting-point

accepted the existence of a personal founder of Christianity as the one fact. They have done their best to harmonize the mythos by discharging the supernatural and miraculous element, in order that the narrative may be accepted as history. Thus they have lost the battle from the beginning by fighting it on the wrong

initial

and fundamental

divinity of the

ground."

— Gerald

Massey, The Historical Jesus and Mythical

Christ.

;

INTR OD UCTION.

the Bible, are equally absurd

;

for the indisputable proof

miracle had actually occurred, would

that one single

immediately overthrow the foundation of

and destroy the God.

belief

all

religions

an eternal and unchanging

God, being himself the Law, or the Cause of the

Law, cannot suicide,

act

committing

himself without

against

and those who are trying to uphold a

belief in

the possibility of anti-natural or absolutely supernatural

God

occurrences, are denying that ture.

They degrade him

his mind,

and

who changes

subject to whims, such as are produced

by external influences

but what external influences

;

who

could possibly act upon God,

omnipresent and who includes the All

no miracle has ever occurred

argument

the ruler of Na-

to a fallible being

self-existent ?

The

universal

Law, whose Law-giver must not subject to change.

fact that

the most formidable

for the existence of a universal

proves the existence of

and

God

;

for

and unchangeable

be equally universal and

Those, however,

who attempt

reconcile the miracles of the Bible with material reason,

by seeking

to explain

hand, or by the

them by

theories of

spiritistic theory, are to

for they prove that they

sleight of

be pitied most

have neither the faith which

characterizes the Christian, nor sufficient

intellect to

see where the so-called " realities" end, and where the

realm of the fable representing the true Ideal begins.

From

" profane history"

we can

gather very

little in-

formation in regard to the person of the great reformer. All that

we can

learn from a few short remarks in Tact-

INTRODUCTION.

and Josephus (believed by some to be interpolations)

tus is,

some such person

that

led to infer, that he

by others

was regarded by some as a

sorcerer,

and

religious

as one of the would-be reformers

fanatics of those times, that he vailing religious views,

tacks

and we are

actually existed,

was opposed

to the pre-

and that on account

made upon time-honored

of the at-

upon

institutions,

which the security of the church and the authority of the clergy rested, he was finally put to death. So-called " sacred history," as contained in the "four

gospels,"

and

life

believed to give a detailed account of his

his doctrines; but while there

seems to be a

vein of truth in regard to actual historical occurrences

underlying the gospel accounts, the great bulk of the latter is in contradiction to

Common

Sense, and merely

a repetition of different allegories, such as

we may

find in

the ancient books of the Egyptians, Persians, and Brah-

These ancient myths have been most curiously

mins.

mixed up with the biography of Jesus

Nazareth and rep-

resented as having actually taken place during his

fact,

the few probable details in regard to the

Jesus are so

much

life.

life

loaded with fables and misinterpreted

allegories, that the

"New

Testament" deserves

regarded rather as a poem, describing psychological processes, than as a

book

of history, describing external

occurrences. If

we examine

that book without any prejudice and

without any sectarian bias, of thought.

The

first

find therein

two currents

applies to the life of a

man, who

INTR OD UCTION.

—

he has not been entirely misrepresented

— must

have been a great genius, a hero, and a reformer.

The

second current refers to sacred truths, such as were taught in the secret doctrines of the Arians and Egyptians

truths which

;

find stated in the

books of Hermes

Bhagavad Gita, and others. In we find reference made to the Christ

TrismegistuSy in the

these ancient books

name

principle long before the

known, and the myths

"Son

the

ancient discredit

God,"

origin.

of the

etc.,

This

of " Christianity "

was

"Immaculate Conception,"

may be discovery,

upon the veracity

clearly traced to this

far

the

from

throwing

principles

upon

which primitive Christianity was based, serves rather to strengthen the foundation upon which the original doctrines rest

;

does not overthrow the truths stated in

the Bible, but goes to confirm them, by showing that the processes thus allegorically described, are not merely events of the past, but that they are continually occurring,

and

will in all probability

continue to occur in the

future. It is usually

claimed by those

who adhere

to a belief

in a

merely personal and historical Christ, that the gos-

pels

were written by the apostles, who having been

disciples of Jesus

and eye-witnesses

of the miracles

knew what they were talking about. Granting argument's sake that these men had left some

performed,

—

for

—

written accounts; they cannot be held responsible for all

the additions and interpolations which were after-

wards made by their followers and which cannot stand

7 ;

INTRODUCTION, the test of sound reason and logic.

has however been

proved by recent researches, that neither of the four gospels in their present shape was written by the apostles

but that they were probably collected long after-

;

wards by some unknown members of the church, who

them with the names

labelled

of the apostles, so as to

impress upon them the stamp of unquestioned authority while they undoubtedly eliminated from the existing

may have appeared

traditions a great deal that

own views and It is

preju-

the interests of the church, or contrary to their

dicial to

opinions.

not our intention to enter into a discussion in re-

gard to the origin of the gospels, nor would

any great benefit to to such matters;

arise

from a controversy

expect

in regard

because in matters of religion and

where no knowledge

exists,

attraction than reason.

sentiment forms a stronger

/No argument

strong enough

to force a person to lose his hold of a favorite opinion to

which he has resolved to cling; while those whose

knowledge

usually very truth.

the result of mere argumentation, little

Those who

as well as those live

with

power

who

spiritually perceiving the

cling to time-honored superstitions

love scepticism and sophistry, will

on the food they have chosen, it.

What

have

until they are satiated

does

matter to

us, after all, to

know whether

or not pur ideal Christ has ever existed in history

we were

in a position, or

imitate the daily deeds of the

were necessary for us to

man

Jesus of Nazareth in

INTRODUCTION.

would

their details, then

all

know whether

perhaps be important to

or not the accounts told of these deeds

are literally true

;

but as

are living in a different age

and under different circumstances, we cannot imitate external

life in all its details

and imitate his inner

as a high ideal

live

not

;

we can

but

his

look up to him

life,

and we may-

such an ideal without knowing whether or

has ever been embodied upon this earth.

tate his thoughts is far

imi-

more important than imitating

his personal acts.

look at the image of Jehoshua, seen through the

trembling mists of incense, mixed with the vapors of

human

blood and the smoke of burning heretics,

see

merely an unnatural and distorted image of the Jewish Jehovah, a ghastly-looking shadow that seems to be neither a god nor a man. rational standpoint,

and apply

mortals are usually measured, is

somewhat too

short, for

character,

ity

intelligence,

look at him from a

him the

him

ity,

love,

his

Adept,

own Higher

impossible in

his.

comprehensible light,

him a sublim-

not found combined in one per;

but

;

look

human-

mind was illuminated by Divine

a person whose

— an

measure

a transcendental

as being one of the full-grown flowers of

Wisdom, of

by which

find that our

son in the modern history of the world at

rule

discover in

an unlimited

such as

— who

possessed the knowledge

Self, all that

appears strange and

character becomes at once clear and

but

we cannot

conceive of him in that

without entering to a certain extent within the

IN TR OD UC TION.

mystic realm of occult science, whose key

personification of Divine

The standard will

the power

Looked

at in

Man and

as a

of spiritual perception, called Intuition.

that light, he stands before us as an ideal

Wisdom.

of morality

and

spirituality of a people

always depend on the quality and attitude of the

ideals they follow.

their ideals are

monstrous and

unnatural, they will be vicious and lead unnatural lives if

their ideals are true, they will be guided

The

tions of truth.

ideal created

by the Spanish monks

and which they called their " Christ their deeds

were the actions

morality and

spirituality

was a

devil,

and

The standard of among the various

of devils.

existing

Christian churches of the world, including

two hundred Christian

;

by considera-

sects,

may be

more than

correctly estimated,

according to their higher or lower conception of the

term " Christ."

many

cases

find that conception

very narrow, and therefore the doctrines of these sects differ in

such cases widely from the doctrines of Christ.

"The

Christ" or "Messiah" means the redeeming

power

Universal spiritual consciousness, love, and

intelligence, while the limited " Christ " of the churches is

merely a person, whose love manifests

only inside the church.

The

real Christ

itself at

best

means Univerj

sal Life, while the " Christ " of the sects

rateness

and

favoritism.

True

spiritual enlightenment, universal

and tolerance

;

means

Christianity

sepa-

means

benevolence, charity

Churchianism means mental darkness,

stubborn ignorance, selfishness, intolerance, self-conceit,

INTRODUCTION.

who

and hate for

all

True

such as

religion,

distant golden age, self-sacrifice,

clerical rule.

may perhaps be found

means that

such as we find

vad Gita and which

submit to

will not

in the far-

entire renunciation and

described in the Bhaga-

in other sacred

books of the East, and

by the ill-understood symbol

also represented

of the Christian Cross

but modern sectarianism, the

;

offspring of the worship of the bloodthirsty Jehovah,

based upon a concentration of rations

upon the attainment

benefit here or in the hereafter

that worthless

even

self,

some

its

;

our hopes and aspi-

all

selfish personal

upon a craving

to save

salvation were to involve

the ruin of the rest of the world.

True

religion

ual truths

—

— the power attained

sphere of their illusive

know and

by those who can self

realize spiritrise

above the

kept alive

sectarianism

;

and nourished by the love of men for their own animal self

and by the fear

as this love of self

to lose that beloved thing.

— based

tion of the true nature of

upon an

Man —

long

entire misconcep-

not eradicated from

the heart of mankind and replaced by knowledge, the

Upas-tree of dogmatism will find therein a to spread its roots

soil in

which

and to reap temporal benefits for the

church at the expense of the eternal welfare of

its

de-

a divinely

in-

luded adherents.

In Jehoshua Ben-Pandira spired man. deity,

Inspired,

— not

— but by the eternal

illumined his mind.

we behold

by any external personal

light of

Divine Wisdom, that

behold in him

first

a Rabbi,

INTR OD UC TION. a

man

truth,

who sought

of great talents,

and who,

earnestly after the

having been initiated into the

after

ancient Egyptian mysteries, became a prophet and a

Having arrived

seer.

heroically defended

and

at a

knowledge

of the truth,

against the priests of the temple

sacrificed his life in the attempt to bring the life of

the true Christ, that existed within himself, to the under-

standing of the masses.

attempted to dispel the

clouds of darkness, created by superstition and fear, so that the light of spiritual knowledge might enter the

hearts of mankind.

taught the principle of univer-

sal fraternal love, of a love for

the sake of love,

love on account of expected rewards

;

— not a

but his ideas were

too grand, too sublime, to be comprehended by the nar-

row-minded bigots of those

whom

whole

life-effort

tious belief in

and subject

his age.

was murdered by

he attempted to save, and

was

He — whose

directed to overthrow the supersti-

a limited God, separated from humanity

whims and caprices,

— was so

little

under-

stood by his followers, that, after his death, those

claimed

to believe in his teachings,

who

made of himself such

a limited god, separated him from humanity, and selected

him for an

object of their external worship.

In uJesus of Nazareth" representing the spiritual

we behold germ

a beautiful allegory,

of divine Intelligence in

the soul of Man, conceived in the heart by the power of the spirit of Divine

Wisdom, continually born

in the

mystic Bethlehem situated in the purest region of the

human

soul.

To speak

Him

as an "historical per-

INTRODUCTION.

22 son " killed

by the Jews, although he

by professed Christians. and resides

forever,

and obey Is

a blasphemy and an absurdity.

alive to-day

never was

continually crucified

in the hearts of those

and

will live

who adore him

commands.

his

mankind nowadays better prepared

to receive the

gospel of the universal saving power of Knowledge and

Love than when Jehoshua

lived

Are men ready now

do away with the religion of fear and selfishness and substitute for possible for to

the gospel of Freedom

them

comprehend that

which they cling with the grip

ing all

man

— but

clings to a straw, has is

merely an

illusion,

Will

now be

their beloved self,

of despair, as a

drown-

no permanent existence

a product of a continually

changing interaction of correlating forces

;

which, acting

within the physical plane, produce that sensation which causes the illusion of isolated existence

Will the pious

be ready to believe, that before they can hope for any immortality of their individual live

Saviour,

who

nal

they will

first

have to

by finding that individual Higher Self,

begin to

form

self,

exists in a life

their

beyond the separation

Will they be ready to receive the gospel of eter-

and universal

life

in the spirit, or will they regard a

doctrine which denies the immortality of the lower self as being identical with denying the immortality of the

Have men become

soul? to

free,

intelligent

must they

still

and heroic enough

be furnished with the

crutches of hope and fear to enable them to stand upright

Are men now

their

own

Masters, or are priest-

INTRODUCTION. and superstition

craft

men

for their animal selves,

existence

and

which

Is a religion

its

based upon the love of

and whose only excuse for

expediency and usefulness for

social purposes, really useful in the

end

religion calculated to ennoble mankind, or

the cause for the growth of selfishness and evils

be found in that

religion rests? truths,

keep the

evils, to

subjection and terror and to make them obey

ignorant in the law

necessary

still

Will

which have

from the eyes

spirit of

political

such a

may perhaps its

resulting

egotism upon which that

be practicable now to proclaim

been carefully hidden

at all times

of the ignorant,

and

not, should not

any consequences that

own sake and irrespective of may result therefrom ? Can the

knowledge

have any other effect in the end

the truth be told for

its

of the truth

but that of ennobling those

even

light,

disturbance

who open

their eyes to its

the dawn of to-day will cause a temporary among the dark mists of ignorance which

cover the face of the earth

These important questions seem

to be well

worthy

the Christian temples totter

over the world are seen to

and shake, because they are

when the monsters etc.,

all

when

our consideration, especially at the present day,

built

upon sand;

anarchism, socialism, nihilism,

born of ignorance, rear their heads, and tyranny

and monopoly, the offspring ing humanity

;

of selfishness, are vampiriz-

when the whole

Europe appears

threatened by a devastating war, and America

ning to suffer the

ills

to be

begin-

produced by causes transplanted

from the old world to the new.

INTRODUCTION.

In regard to so-called science, the age which seems

now

to be nearing its

alism

;

end has been one

in regard to so-called religion,

of blind materi-

has been one of

formalism and credulity in supposed historical facts it is

now

said that

has the time arrived

seals of the " closed

be opened;

mankind

that

as a

whole

of eternal truths,

book" spoken

when one

;

but

of the

of in the Bible is to

to say, that the understanding of will

be opened to a comprehension

which for ages past have been mis-

understood.

The

following allegories describe the processes which

are taking place within the inner or thought-life of

who

strive for initiation,

and which must have therefore

also taken place within the inner life of Jehoshua,

that

person was what

have been,

Wisdom.

—a

man

all

we may

well

suppose him to

illumined by the spirit of Divine

THE TRUE HISTORY OF CHRIST. {AN ALLEGORY.) Forever the Light shine th into darkness, but the darkness com-

prehendeth

not.

Long, long ago

perhaps millions of ages

in the past,

beyond human

ago, at a time

was a

calculation, there

realm of Light, wherein resided the Spirit of Wisdom.

His body was

from him fiery

Sun, and the living rays emanating

like a

filled

and ethereal kind, such as

filled all space,

Matter of a

the universe with glory.

and the

unknown

coming from that

light

penetrated the realm of Matter and endowed life

and sensation.

centres of

centres

Spirit it

with

Gradually this matter began to cool,

attractions

still

man,

were formed, and around these

more matter condensed, and they grew

into revolving globes travelling with lightning velocity

through space, being guided by the Spirit of Wisdom.

Upon these globes human beings grew. But

in proportion as this

solid, it

became impenetrable

darkness,

until

and

matter became dense and to the light

the Spirit of Wisdom, and the in

animals,

vegetables,

stones,

men born

coming from

therein groped

they discovered a phosphorescent

substance in the caves of the earth which gave forth a

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

26 light like a

sun,

diamond

been exposed to the

after having

and they called

"Ratio."

the light of this

stone they were able to see their surroundings.

and animals used this stone, but in the hands of shone brighter than when the animals used

But the glitter

them

The

light

it.

which they now possessed threw a

upon the objects which

to appear distorted

Spirit of

Men men it

false

illuminated and caused

and not as they actually were.

Wisdom, pitying mankind on account

their ignorance and darkness wherein they

solved to descend to

them

;

lived,

but being unable to

of re-

make

himself visible to men, because their eyes had become petrified

and

blind,

assuming a more

he attempted to manifest himself by

solid

shape in their

entered the Heart of

stable, filled

souls.

Man and

with animals of

all

found

be a

There was an

kinds.

ox called the Will, tied to the yoke of passion, and an ass called Reason, led about by erroneous speculations.

There was a hog

called Intemperance,

Lechery, and around the wolf,

and a goat called

door prowled the

tiger,

the

and the hyena, seeking to gain admittance, while

snakes and poisonous reptiles were wriggling and crawling through the cracks of the roof. of impurities, the

The

stable

;

but in spite of

these disgusting surroundings the Spirit of

remained there and attempted to clean into a temple,

full

windows were covered with cobwebs,

that prevented the light from entering

was

fit

for

him

Wisdom

and transform

to reside therein.

attempted to make his presence known to the

THE TRUE HISTORY OF

CHRIST.

2*J

proprietor of the stable, but for a long time his calls

were not listened to

for besides the noise

;

made by the

animals in the lower part of the building, there was a great noise

made

pied by traders of scientists,

in the all

upper

kinds,

which was occu-

story,

and preachers,

lecturers

and moralizers,

theologians

whom

one tried to make himself heard above the

By some

accident the voice of

last the attention of

understand what eign to him.

attracted at

said, for

the language seemed for-

therefore sent a commission to exam-

Sophistry and Supersti-

the daughters of Ignorance, and a fellow

Logic, an illegitimate son of a

woman

accompanied by a dog called

arrived,

listened to the

Selfishness.

for his certificates, to prove

who

not answer their arguments in a

said.

;

and as he did

manner comprehensible

to them, they shook their heads

visitor

They said.

he was, and wanted to dispute with him

what he

named

called Experience,

and wrote down what he

Spirit

They then asked him

them

rest.

the proprietor, but he could not

ine the claims of that Spirit. tion,

Wisdom

each

and did not believe

The animals clamored. that

the strange

should be ejected, for his presence disturbed in their comfort

and

ease.

Moreover, the angel

having begun to assume a material form, needed some

nourishment to acquire substance and strength, and he abstracted blood from the animals in the

nourished himself with

Such a

stable

and

it.

state of affairs appeared intolerable to the

proprietor of the house, and he resolved to

kill

the

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

intruder.

was, however, afraid to attack him openly,

because he feared the

had

light that

shone from his body.

employ two servants

in his

although they were two thieves,

whom

who

he trusted,

continually robbed

their master of his most valuable treasures whenever

any opportunity offered

them

believed

itself

;

knew

but he

not,

and

The name

to be his faithful assistants.

of one of these thieves was Credulity, and the name of

the other was Scepticism, and both were the greatest

enemies of the Truth.

One evening

the Spirit went into the garden that

surrounded the house. ing,

his

had succeeded

magic power, some

and they followed him

;

in transform-

his whereabouts, sent his servants to

have him arrested.

But Credulity and Scepticism had never seen the

Wisdom and did not know him plied to Logic, who by a certain trick of

;

to the

Curiosity,

of argumentation,

in the

West,

come very near

Truth, and kissed him, and (they) then treach-

erously overpowered the

him

managed

Spirit

they therefore ap-

which he had learned from a sorceress

whose name was

men,

of the animals into

but the proprietor hearing of

could not

crucified.

die

;

the

Spirit^, of

But th^

Wisdom and

Spirit,

caused

being immortal,

men who attempted

kill

him

merely destroyed his form, and thereby rendered themselves incapable of seeing his outward expression,

the Spirit of

Wisdom

and

returned to his eternal home, to

descend again and again into the hearts of

men and

repeat the same process forever and ever, by being born, crucified,

and resurrected every day.

"JEHOVAH." A

beautiful

god

Man-created gods possess i

;

all

the most noble product of

Man.

are most wonderful beings.

They

who made

the virtues and vices of those

them, and they in return cause their creators to be vicious or virtuous, foolish or wise.

the student of occult science, that

and wilfully performs an evil,

calls a living

act,

man

whether

lives, it

may be

Thus

consciously

power into existence, which reacts

endowed by him who conjured

its creator.

be good or

upon him, until the strength with which

while

known

it is

up,

has been

exhausted, and

either a curse or a blessing to

even with the creating of gods,

and the law that applies to an individual man also applies to a people.

From

the time of the Babylonian captivity up to the

present day a curse seems to have been attached to the

Jewish nation.

They have been persecuted

in almost

every country; they have been hated wherever they went.

Justly or unjustly, their cowardice, selfishness,

and greed have almost become proverbial they have surpassed

wealth

;

all

;

as a nation

others in grasping and hoarding

they are as a whole believed to be tyrannical,

unrelenting, and obstinate, while on the other

hand they

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

grow from a

excel other nations in such virtues as of separateness

and

isolation

;

state

they closely cling to each

other, they assist each other in need; they love their families,

and become even heroes

what

in the defence of

may legally claim as their own. If we attempt to trace the curse which seems to upon them to its origin, we may find it in the fact they

they have created that cruel, bloodthirsty, and god,

whom

selfish

whom

they called "Jehovah," and the god

own

they had created, reflected upon them his

and became the instrument and endowed

with

selves to that form

life,

attributes

They

of their punishment.

materialized a grand idea, forced

into a limited

rest

that

form

and they thereby chained them-

and became

its

In creating

slaves.

a separate god of their own, isolated from the universal

God

humanity, they became themselves

and isolated from the

rest of

mankind

;

their god,

favorites they imagined themselves to be,

own

come

of their

ment

of their torture

selfishness, :

separated

whose

was the

and he became the

out-

instru-

the birth of Jehovah became the

curse which clung to their heels wherever they went.

For millions

of years the eternal

Brahm, the great

and universal Spiritual Sun of Wisdom, had sent

his

He knew

beneficent rays into the world of mind.

distinction of person, but gave the light of all

who opened

their hearts to receive

Truth descended

who opened

like rain

upon

their souls to drink

Happiness were accessible to

all, it

all

;

wisdom

the water of

and refreshed those in.

Life, Light,

and

mankind, without the

;

JEHO VAH.

interference of man-ordained priests

asked for no other

sacrifice

;

the Universal

God

but that which rises up

spontaneously from a pure heart, the adoration of absolute Good,

—a

sacrifice which, kindled

by the

fire of

un-

Love, rises up like a cloud to the throne of the

selfish

Eternal and returns again like heavenly dew, showering

upon him who that which he

Thus that

offers the sacrifice

seven times more of

gives.

in ancient times the heaven-ordained priests

to say,

human

all

beings

who were

the existence of a universal divine ideal

—

conscious of

— fed

the gods

with sacrifices of pure and exalted thoughts, and were fed in return by the gods aspirations from

they sent their spiritual

the altar of a pure heart

into

the

highest regions of thought and called spiritual forces into action,

which reacted upon them, endowing them

with knowledge and ennobling their characters.

"prayers" served to thin the

veil of

matter by which

they were surrounded and to enable

beyond the "gates of

" of their prisons.

Their

them

look

The higher

state

consciousness to which they arose created a

"Jerusalem"

own

their living,

;

true

and caused them to

manhood and

realize

their true condition as

embodied, spiritual powers, kings and lords of

creation.

gods

in their souls

new

They needed no

help from external, personal

because they were aware of the living presence

of the universal Spirit of

Wisdom

acting within them-

selves. 1

Bhagavad

Gita, III. 12.

;

THE LIFE OF JEHO SHUA.

But as with the increase for terrestrial existence

of the population the battle

became stronger, and men, forced more attention

by external circumstances, began to give

to their animal necessities than to the requirements of a life

in the Eternal, as they

sensual things, and

became strongly attracted

proportionately the power to

lost

conceive of that which transcends sensual perception

they became unconscious of their

selves,

They

own

divine nature,

power within them-

they lost confidence in the divine

and clamored for help from external sources.

how

forgot

to pray,

and learned how to beg ; and

as no god appeared to give

them the things which they

gods of their own.

desired, they invented

They needed

gods who promised to save them from slavery, because having become slaves to execute the

commands

his affairs, to give

much

work themselves

Self,

they were

of their master,

now too busy to and

to attend to

attention to their salvation, and

effectively to recover their freedom.

Thus the Unlimited,

Eternal, and Infinite disappeared

from their view, and

in its place they created limited,

personal,

and changeable gods.

created was

called

"Jehovah,"

meaning was known only

him with

all

—

to few,

— and they endowed

the good and evil qualities which character-

own

ized their

The god which the Jews a name whose real

selves.

Natural and heaven-ordained priests, such as were conscious of the divinity existing in man, and

homage

to render

and

slain

;

man-made

divine worship

who

refused

gods, were persecuted

became a matter

of trade

and

JEHOVAH. was intrusted

sented by the gods

amount

own semi-animal

The

who were

interest of the church

monies and material aspirations and of

selves, repre-

the offspring of their

became

Wisdom, external

to the acquisition of

and fears

who had no

to man-ordained clergymen,

higher ideal than their

imagination.

own parcere-

took the place of spiritual

sacrifices

heart-offerings, hopes of future rewards

punishment

in the dread hereafter

took the

place of that nobility of character which seeks to do

good for the love of Good, irrespective quences that

may

any conse-

accrue to one's self therefrom.

nal heavens and hells

Exter-

were invented, and the priests truly

possessed the keys to them

;

for

by acting upon the

imagination of the believers, they could cause them to

Thus the

believe to be either in heaven or in hell. eternal Reality, the Truth, in the hearts of

assumed the

When

men, and

was deposed from priest-craft,

with

its

throne

its illusions,

sceptre.

the Jews created their god they lost their

manhood

;

they lost

all

confidence in their

own

own power.

Thenceforth they trusted in their creature, and the god

whose fathers they were, fed them with promises and prophecies, which were never kept nor

the gods of the

Romans

fulfilled.

While

inspired the latter to perform

deeds of valor, this Jewish god promised to accomplish their duties for them.

they

now

slaves,

Instead of helping themselves,

waited for help from their god, and remained

bound by chains

of their

own

construction.

in vain arose to the clouds the odor of

But

burning bullocks

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

and sheep from the

altars

the temples

monster, created by selfishness and needed for himself his

own

them

he could not give

;

life

all

to the Jews, because

When

Only when men create gods from

nothing,

expect

will

had

their expectations, for he

fulfil

no power but that which was lent to him by shippers.

he had

depended on the life-energy he received from

he could not

;

life

Jehovah

;

He was

had no power to help his worshippers.

their

expectations

his wor-

whom

they

fulfilled.

they realize this truth, then will the creating of

men

gods become useless, and find the

will again

become able

one true and universal God, who

fulfils

all

to his

promises by acting in and through the organism of

Nature and Man.

men have

long as

different

gods

;

different desires, they will

as long as they

wander

at the

mountain with many peaks, each man peak which

all.

summit,

will

at the

when they have

they

know

the

will believe

Only when they have

all

arrived

the highest point

;

only

arrived at the highest conception of the

truth, will they begin to will

base of the

most prominently before him

the highest of

have

know

then see that the gods

the universal God.

They

whom they worshipped before,

and who seemed so grand, were only the products of illusions,

and that standing on the summit, they

account of the altitude they

occupy —

— on

are, as it were,

the summit themselves.

By worshipping

the gods

whom

worship nothing else but themselves.

they create,

They

men

are creat-

JEHOVAH. ing a mental image, which they character

endow with

they concentrate upon

;

and

their hopes

their

own

their thoughts,

and as they themselves become

fears,

old and toothless and wrinkled, they are horrified to see

the image in the mirror before them change

They

about their god,

discover imperfections

attempt to " doctor " their god

they apply plasters and

;

they paint him and dress him up, they seek to

salves,

prolong his

younger

life

ideal,

;

see

but the

new

generations, having a

him putrefy below the varnish and

they want a young god, a god that resembles

themselves, and they create a

Thus gods

new one

for themselves.

change.

are continually subject to

the character of a nation changes, so changes

To reform

the gods

reformed.

Only when

they

its

As god.

humanity, humanity must be all

men

are of one mind, will

have the same God.

all

•But that universal ideal which causes of

where

They then

they had imagined everything to be perfect.

mask

features.

its

one mind cannot be found

men

all

to be

in external creeds, cere-

monies, and forms, nor in adjustable opinions and doctrines

for external appearances, opinions,

;

are continually subject to change.

Each human being

differs

from every other

in his external

in the

way he

There

all it is

men

thinks.

and theories

appearance and

only one thing which

share and which constitutes their humanity

the consciousness of being

human

;

the knowledge

that they are superior to stones, vegetables, and animals,

and that they belong to the great family

mankind.

;

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

men

This consciousness does not change as long as remain human.

they become brutalized they also

human beings men and remain human merely in Likewise, in proportion as men rise

become unconscious

of their dignity as

;

they then cease to be external shape.

what

to a realization of

divine and eternal in man,

they become conscious of a higher state of existence they expand into gods, while they of

humanity impressed upon

men

still

have the stamp

When

their forms.

all

have become conscious of this Divine state of

will

existence, then will they

all

have one

common

There can be only one Supreme Cause sciousness,

and wisdom, and

its

wherever these three factors

God. con-

life,

dominion must extend

exist.

Men

cannot

know

God as long as they are not divine themselves but when in the course of evolution mankind will have thrown off the chains which bind them to the attrac;

tions of matter, they will again

become

able to

know

within themselves the character of the true and universal

God, whose wisdom

whose external aspect power can be

awakened that

God

spiritually

Then

manifest everywhere in Nature,

is visible

realized only

in all places, but

by him

to self-consciousness. is

One and

Then

will

All in All, and that

one without separation and

will a wail arise

whose

whom God

has

men know

Humanity

division.

from the gods that have been

created by man, for their end has come.

Then who

will a

wail arise from the Pharisees and the scribes

claim

wisdom and messengers

of the gods

to be the keepers of

JEHOVAH. which men have invented

;

for the gods, the servants

of the church, will be useless,

authority will be at an end.

and with them their own

Then

will the

to sacrifice to the golden calf, and the

true yehovah,

when they him those

their

who

kill

people cease

kingdom

of the

men

rejoices within the hearts of

their animal passions

and

sacrifice

erroneous opinions, will be restored

;

but

refuse to open their eyes to the sunlight of

truth will remain in darkness and suffer the tortures

which they themselves have created by their own morbid imagination.

NAZARETH. From the whose name

One

conjunction of the Intellect and the Intuition, the Son, is

Wisdom,

born.

most beautiful countries

of the

in Palestine is

appears like an oasis in the midst of the

Galilee.

desolate

sunburnt wastes, so frequently seen in the

Holy Land, and

one of

its

most charming spots

Green are the

situated the village of Nazareth.

and abundant the

forests,

and

in the orchards

the huts composing the village the

grow.

the east

around

and the lemon

the River Jordan, flowing tran-

between the gardens and

quilly

fig

fields

villas situated

upon

its

borders and sparkling in the light of the sun, from the

time when that fiery orb rises above towering Mount

Tabor the

until

he sinks again below the horizon, behind

cliffs of

the Carmel mountains, that loom up in the

distant west

;

while towards the north

may be

seen a

small white strip, the Mediterranean Sea, throwing

foam upon

Thus

in the

mind

man, and

wilderness of opinions, a place

the

title

of "

in the midst of the

may be

Holy Land," where the

tranquilly flows, illuminated

dom,

its

the sandy beach of Phoenicia.

that, ever since the

found, deserving river of thought

by the Sun of Divine Wis-

beginning of the world, arose

NAZARETH. from the East mountains

;

while in the distant

West loom the dark

In that sacred place will the

of Scepticism.

Truth, the true Saviour, be known.

the beginning of the Christian era the village of

Nazareth was a collection of huts, built houses of sun-dried

oriental

clay,

like all small

put up apparently

There were none

without any pretension to design.

those broad avenues and streets, comfortable for walk-

ing and driving, which

European

civilization exists

are accustomed to see where ;

but there was that charm-

ing disorder and variety which gives to ancient towns their peculiar character

certain

amount

and endows each spot with a

of individuality of its

own.

The houses

were without windows towards the sides of the to

street,

keep out intruders, and they received their light

from interior

courts,

which

mild climate served

in this

as places for sitting or working during the day

and

for

sleeping apartments at night.

The

population of Nazareth, amounting to some four

thousand individuals, were for the most part a modest

and unassuming people, differing the inhabitants of Judea.

in that respect

They were

of a

from

mixed kind,

consisting of Hebrews, Phoenicians, Arabs, and Greeks, to

which were added a number

Roman

officers

and

guards, stationed there for the protection of the interests of the

Romans. usually the case in places where types of

various kinds intermingle, the

very beautiful.

They were

women

of Nazareth

were

celebrated on account of

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

40 their

charms

over Palestine; nor could

all

fail

their beauty attracted the attention of the stately

won

that

Roman

soldiers,

and that the

Human

nature was at those times not fundamentally

different

from what

latter

it is

the love of the former.

now, and

we need

therefore not

Roman

be surprised to hear, that one of the stalwart warriors,

whose name was Pandira,

fell

in love with

of the dark-eyed daughters of Nazareth, fruit of their "illegitimate"

called Jekoskua,

the manly pride

and that the

union was a son,

whom

and who, having inherited from of the

his almost feminine

one

they

his father

Roman, and from his Jewish mother beauty

and modesty, became an

appropriate vehicle for the unfolding of that great and

powerful

throw the

spirit

wisdom that inspired him

to over-

Jehovah and to teach man-

altars of the cruel

kind the gospel of fraternal love.

Let not the pious ear be shocked at the statement that Jehoshua

was

of illegitimate birth; nor

need the

"historical" fact that he was born out of wedlock les-

sen our respect for the great reformer; often that the truth comes in a sidered legitimate

among men.

They

that knowledge legitimate which has for ternal observation and logic

truths

come by

intuition,

;

for

manner which

is is

not con-

consider only its

parents ex-

but the greatest spiritual

without external signs.

They

are the products of interior perception and understanding,

and they are rejected as being illegitimate by those

who reason from

the plane of external effects.

They

descend silently from heaven, they enter the soul during

NAZARETH. our dreams

;

they

may be communicated

and are seen by the

spirit,

to us in visions

but they are not accepted by

the sceptical intellect, which

way

The

spiritually blind.

which such a knowledge arrives

authorized

neither by science nor by the church, for sciences and

churches belong to external things, and such truths are therefore rejected

by the world.

Only those whose souls are pure and immaculate, whose minds have formed no

legalized adulterous

alli-

ances with pseudo-scientific and erroneous theological

dogmas, only those whose hearts cling to no foreign but possess within themselves the

opinions,

knowledge,

truths by the power of inspiration.

become

Mothers

by the Holy

spirit

be able to receive such illegitimate

will

Their souls

of Christ," their

Spirit

may

minds illuminated

Sanctity, their hearts

become

living temples of God.

Of Jehoshua's mother oriental countries

little is to

said.

— then as now — had but

Women little

oppor-

tunity for receiving an education or for displaying any

other accomplishments than their natural talents and Ignorant, innocent, and of modest

physical charms.

manners, uneducated but kind, sympathetic and beautiful,

many

Stada, like

by the decisions

others of her sex, was guided more

of her heart than

of her intellect.

Her

hoped

Pandira the

Her

to find in

by the calculations

heart yearned for love, and she realization of her ideal.

mere

repetition of millions of others of

the same kind.

in the case of her prototype PsycJie,

story

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

her lover departed as soon as she began to find out

who he poor

was, and after a period of grief she married a

citizen, a carpenter,

who, on account of her beauty

and sweetness of temper, consented

band and a father

become her hus-

to her child.

In the family of this carpenter and builder of houses,

Jehoshua passed the days of

his childhood, learning to

construct toy-houses and cages for animals.

was a very talented

child

;

He evidently

for the toy-houses

which he

constructed were as well adapted for their purposes as the physical form of

man

adapted for his

soul.

While

the gospel accounts, whose allegorical language evidently refers to the

principle in wise,

growth and awakening

of the intelligent

man, represent Jesus as a supernaturally

and therefore unnatural

child, the so-called apocry-

phal gospels speak of him as a wild and mischievous boy,

who

naturally possessed

some powers

black

magic, by which he injured his playmates whenever

they dared to contradict him or refused to submit to his

whims.

Considering the latter accounts as having

been greatly exaggerated, we

may

well suppose that,

having inherited from his father the temperament of a soldier,

he found but

taste in following the pro-

little

fession of his foster-father,

and preferred roaming about

the neighborhood of the village and a stroll to the

mountains, to handling the saw at the carpenter's bench.

The

illegitimate

carpenter's wife

and therefore unwelcome son of the

was not overestimated or unduly

dled at home, and

many

little

fon-

storm arose in that

NAZARETH.

peaceful house in the village of Nazareth on account of

the roaming habits of that boy

from the village

at night,

who

loved to stroll away

to climb

among

recesses of the Carmel mountains, or to

upon a

light nights

cliff,

the rocky

sit

on moon-

looking out upon the wide ex-

panse of the Mediterranean Sea, dreaming of countries

which he had never seen, and wondering what shores

were upon the other side

Intellect

nal

and to bring

phenomena; but

the best teacher.

greater

by Nature

to an understanding of exter-

for the expansion of the spiritual

educated and learned still

a good place to educate the

and the ennobling of character, Nature her-

Intelligence self is

of the water.

may be

schoolhouse

Great

the light of those

herself,

the superiority of the

mind over the uneducated; but

who have been taught

and acquired wisdom independently

Those who spend

of the instruction of mortals.

their

lives in schools often acquire a great deal of informa-

tion in regard to external things,

useful as far as

may

which may be very

goes, while at the

same time they

lose the capacity to perceive internal

and funda-

mental truths, which are far more important than they ence.

may 1

all

possibly learn in regard to phenomenal exist-

Why

that

fishermen, and those

often

shepherds, hunters, and

who spend

their lives in the soli-

tudes of the mountains, the forest, or the ocean are

capable of conceiving of very exalted ideas, far beyond the intellectual grasp of the dogmatist? that the spirit of man, beholding

by means

perhaps

of the senses

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

the wide expanse of Nature, finite

and Eternal,

attracted towards the In-

his legitimate

home, and thus loosens

the chains that bind him to his terrestrial prison, and

men from

thins the veil which prevents

Unknown

realm of the ization

know about

universal

the

spirit

that

modern

Wisdom

teacher,

where

the mind conceives ideas too

grand to be expressed in the language of mortals

when

often,

the physical body

man may

the intellectual powers of loving his freedom,

spirit,

civil-

grand school in which the

Divine

heart expands and

looking into the

Little does our

resting in sleep and

the

away from

his

steal

home,

back by the awakening senses,

but

cease to watch,

roam about

labor of building his toy-prison house, and in the regions of his eternal

;

until

called

to attend to his terres-

trial labors.

While rambling through the lee the

mind

its feelers

fields

and forests

of Gali-

Jehoshua expanded and began to stretch

towards the realm of the Eternal.

Often

while entering into meditation, half-forgotten memories of previous lives passed his soul,

upon

this planet, flitted before

and indistinct images of the future presented

themselves to his spiritual vision.

What

"memory"

but a power to recollect and spiritually perceive the

images of the past impressed upon the Astral Light?

and may not our

power, not only remember

upon

this globe,

whole history

expands and increases in

spirit as it

own previous existences the memory of Nature the

its

but read in

of the world?

yearning to

know

the

;

NAZARETH.

Unknown

filled

his

soul,

crammed with adopted

and

45 mind,

his

opinions, drank

not

being

wisdom from

the universal fountain of truth.

As he grew

and religious questions

up, the political

times began to attract his attention.

those

Hebrew with Roman blood

Being a he shared

his veins,

neither the intolerance and hate of the Jews against their oppressors, nor the

ter

contempt with which the

lat-

regarded the former, and this fortunate circum-

stance helped to a great extent to develop in his soul the germs of religious and political toleration, and to

cause them to grow and expand into that love for

humanity without distinction ion,

of race

whose representative he became

Why do men quarrel religion

all

and religious opinlater on.

about their opinions in regard to

Has not every one

pleases, as long as he has

a right to believe what he

no knowledge?

When

real

knowledge, such as results from a direct perception

and understanding, quarrelling

arrives,

then there can be no more

about theories.

deny to one who sees that the seer would

latter is able to see, the

likely to convince

edge cannot be taught, !

man were

hardly care to argue with the blind, nor

would he be

ence.

a blind

What we

learn

without

another in regard to opinions

own

;

for real knowl-

must be gained by

merely a matter of opinion.

relling with his

him

experiencing

He who is

after all

experiit,

quarrels with

merely quar-

doubts.

Quietly and monotonously passed the days at Nazareth

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

46 there was but

little

trade carried on in that place.

Agri-

and the vintage were the things

cultural occupations

that took up the attention of the inhabitants

great event of the year was,

when

but the

;

time of the

at the

festival of the

"Tabernacles" and " Passover" the coun-

try population

went

to Jerusalem, to enjoy the sights of

the capital and to attend to the customary religious

observances. capital

such an occasion the streets of the

resembled a

strangers, and

fair;

the houses were

on the outside

filled

of the city walls

with

camps

were put up, where, sheltered by tents and straw-covered huts, the pilgrims cooked their meals and discussed the events of the day.

such occasions the great temple was crowded from

morning

till

night.

Traders of

kinds

all

filled

the courts,

and even into the sanctuary penetrated the noise merchant praising

his

of the

goods and disputing about the

price with the buyer; while in the interior of the temple equally greedy Pharisees sold theological creeds and

Some

promises of heavenly rewards to the believers.

the halls were devoted to the distribution of justice, and in other halls learned discussions letter of the

Law was

were

explained with lengthy arguments

and elaborate sophistry, while the doctrines was

meaning those

spirit of

denied and driven away.

these doctrines was

who knew

known

the ancient

The to

secret

few,

and

were looked upon as being heretics

and persecuted by the orthodox adherents

Thus the temple

There the

held.

of the church.

at Jerusalem resembled the

mind

NAZARETH. man, where a continual warfare interests of the lower animal

dictates

divine

wisdom

47 going on between the

and reasoning not

are

and the

self,

listened

to.

the mind of man, as in the temple of Jerusalem, there exists a continual struggle

between and

between conflicting opinions,

selfish desires of different kinds,

superstition,

hope and

fear,

between doubt

and the Scribes and

Pharisees appealing to the selfish propensities in the constitution of man, often assert their borrowed authority

and overpower the truth by means

of sophistry

and an

erroneous application of logic.

Jehoshua was frequently present during those learned disputations.

His natural common sense revolted

at the

sophistry of the Pharisees, by which they perverted the truth,

and taking part

them by

his questions

intrepidity

in the discussions

president of the Sanhedrin,

his

liberal

The

Rabbi Perachia, a former

who was more

than his colleagues.

house and became

ship

logic.

and intelligence he manifested on such occa-

sions attracted the attention of

and

he disconcerted

and confounded their

invited Jehoshua to

his instructor.

grew up between the

old

intelligent

man and

strong friend-

the boy, and as

the former was about to visit Egypt for the purpose of

prosecuting certain researches in the sciences occult,

called

he invited Jehoshua to accompany him on that

voyage, and the latter gladly accepted the

offer.

EGYPT. Man,

after

externals,

having vainly sought for the light of the Truth in

and found nothing but darkness,

land of the sunrise exists within his

Hail teries,

thee,

own

at last discovers that the

soul.

Egypt, thou sanctuary of ancient mys-

thou land of magic and wonders

truth was driven

the king of

away from

all evils,

with thee.

Thy

When

the

birthplace in the East

the love of Self,

found a refuge

indestructible books hold the records

of ancient wisdom,

and sectarian bigotry has

sought to destroy them. until selfishness dies

and

ness of their freedom.

them, and they

its

may

in vain

With thee they

will rest safely,

men wake up

to a conscious-

Then

will the truth return to

re-enter the

Holy Land

Knowl-

edge.

In vain the powers of darkness have attempted to silence the voice of the truth that speaks through thy

stony

lips.

Sectarian Vandals have broken thy tablets

and plastered up thy hieroglyphics

;

but thy stones cry

out and proclaim the gospel of wisdom. ried

Men

sengers of light from the East to the West. is

have

car-

away thy monuments, and they have become mes-

No more

thy ancient wisdom taught in subterranean caves to

the initiated

;

thy secrets have been profaned by the

;

EGYPT. profane

thy sacred pearls have been thrown before the

;

swine of superstition and to the dogs of blind scepti-

cism

;

but the swine and the dogs turned away from the

pearls and devoured only the dirt with which the treas-

Men

ures were covered.

have robbed thy temples of

precious gold, but the gold which they found turned to

ashes in the hands of the

know

truth, to drink of its waters

impurities,

lanous

;

and

They penetrated

became a poison

but they had no key to unlock

thee,

not as a

to them, causing vil-

in the

;

Egypt.

Egypt, the true Redeemer was known

man made

deity, or as a figure in history

Thy Knowledge was

man.

away

so they carried

West, but the mystery

as the Spirit of Truth, constituting all that in

others.

to the ark that contained the mystery,

the ark and exhibited in

own

to the water their

which they communicated to

leprosy,

remained

to the fountain of

but their cups were not

They communicated

purified.

because they did not

They went

true value.

its

selfish,

;

but

immortal

too grand to be grasped

by the pigmies that invaded thy

soil,

desecrated thy

temples, profaned thy sanctuaries, travestied the truths

which were taught and made of a sacred myth, that teaches an eternal truth an historical falsehood.

Who

can enter an Egyptian temple or even look at

one of these ancient monuments, without feeling a sensation of drals,

awe and solemnity, which few Christian

with their puppets, manikins, and

produce

How

far

cathe-

tinsel, will

ever

more grand and sublime than our

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

modern misconceptions must have been a expressed

such gigantic forms

itself in

religion that

Who

but an

animal can behold these pyramids, the symbols of immensity, whose bases rest upon the earth, and whose points reach up to heaven, without feeling the oppression of Matter and the desire of the Spirit for freedom

Who

can behold these monuments of a forgotten past, presence of

without sensing the

which

fills all

space, the Spirit of

God

still

all

everywhere and pervading every atom

Is there

any soul

floating over

all,

present

in so-called inanimate things,

what causes these stones

much

occupant of a pulpit

and

to speak to our inner con-

sciousness with a voice

consciousness

that

the waters, without limits, indivisible,

not,

louder than that of the

perhaps that the Truth

itself

speaking to us through these stones, while the pul-

pit orator

merely repeats what he has learned, and

therefore merely an echo of the opinions of fallible

Have

stars souls, or are they

tions of matter

and

men ?

merely dead aggrega-

they are without souls, what

the force that keeps their atoms together and guides their revolutions in space

—a

where manifest exists

Wisdom Is

Why

wisdom beyond the conception in Nature,

Nature

exist without

Nature a product

Nature

Supreme Wisdom of

Man

— every-

Nature no consciousness

an unconscious thing, how can Consciousness and Intelligence of

Life,

Life

a product of

and must there not be a Consciousness

kind, wherever

Life

some

not reasonable to sup-

EGYPT. pose that what Life,

call "

and that what we

Motion

call "

amount

endowed by the

of Life,

different forms differs in its

life

" is a manifestation of

Matter"

universal Spirit with a certain

the

and that

manifestation

merely according to the organization of the Matter composing the forms

? )

If this is true,

then there

inor-

ganic matter of any kind to be found in the forms of nature, but stones

and rocks must have organizations

their own,

and each planet

from the

life

its

own

peculiar

life,

differing

of other stars in the treasury vault of

heaven.

view

If this

seen to be correct, then will the appar-

ently dead universe, with

its

unconscious motion and

its

causeless mechanical laws, be transformed into a thing of

life,

pervaded with invisible but living and conscious

powers, guided by one eternal unchangeable

Then

nating in divine Wisdom. of matter, floating in space for

some unexplainable

will those

reason, be changed into a living

doing the will of their Father, because

But

endows them with

who

life,

arate

life.

all

their Father's

all

the so-called inani-

then they must have some kind

of consciousness and sensation,

self-conscious

it is

are

life.

the suns and stars and

mate things have

origi-

and obeying mechanical laws

family of children of the universal God,

will that

Law

dead globes

even

and have no knowledge

They may be

they are not

of individual sep-

subject to loves and hates, to

and

desires

and

Then

would seem that the ancient Astrologers were

passions,

attractions

repulsions.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

52 right after

all

and vices to

in attributing certain virtues

the different planets and stars and in believing in a certain kind of interchange

There

no reason why

between their

stars should not

sion of Intelligence, even

radiations.

be in posses-

they are not conscious that

they are existing as separate beings.

not possible

that even a high degree of Consciousness and Intelli-

gence

may

exist in

fact of being

the Universe

an organism that

not aware of the

an entity different from other entities

Let us here ask the question, whether a high state of consciousness and intelligence

Man

not possible even in

Are not men

without any consciousness of Self.

most happy when they forget

their

own

selves

they not, when they become interested in reading a

book or

in witnessing a theatrical performance, listening

to music, etc., forget for the time being that they are

from others

entities existing separately

Do men

even drink the intoxicating cup for the purpose of getting Self,

and are they not miserable

as they think of themselves ?y

Men

not for-,

in proportion

do not cease to

live

or to think, to be intelligent, to know, to love, and to will,

when they

forget their

own

cease to have selfish thoughts, a imagination.

Self;

but they then

self-will,

intelligent

limited by that

universal

selfish

we could be free forever from that we would not cease to be conscious and happy but we would cease to be self, and we would all do the will of the

sensation of Self,

and

and a

God and

;

partake of his thoughts.

EGYPT. Perhaps a glance

throw some

light

we open

books of

at the ancient

upon

Wisdom may

this matter.

the Bible, the

first

verse of the

first

ter of Genesis teaches us a great truth, taught

Egyptian Hierophants

ashamain on ath

" Bereschit

This

aoris."

chap-

by the

bara Elohim,

to say:

"The

ath First

Cause produced the powers which constitute heaven and 1

earth."

the First Cause produced

those that have Life.

dom, Cause

Spirit,

and

all

ents to act

all

things

the Great First

else can

call it

endowed them with

— then its

own

things must have a spiritual basis, which exist.

their souls

it is

the source of

itself

itself.

— and what

enables them to

and

beings, even

produced the powers which constitute Wis-

must be Wisdom

by producing spirit,

must be

life, it

all

All things must have "souls,"

which cause their material constitu-

upon each

other,

and produce the divine har-

mony which we observe throughout Nature. Where do the material constituents of a being end Are they

may

all

enclosed within the shell of

its visible

form,

there not be invisible radiations of sensitive

"matter," not having entered the solid form, but nevertheless belonging to its organization

Corona of the sun belong to

its

Does not the

substance as

the fiery globe constituting his inner body

much

Does not

the power which a magnet exercises at a distance belong to the 1

all

magnet

May we

The term "heaven"

forms of matter.

not look upon a star as being

refers to all states of consciousness; "earth," to

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

an organized body, whose periphery extends as far as influence reaches, while

globe

its visible

visible kernel of the great invisible mass,

the same reasoning be applied to to

Man

If this is true,

then

its

merely the

and may not

living beings, even

all

are

all

— like the stars

— living within the spheres of each other, and

all

beings

are substantially one, separated from each other merely

by the

illusion of form.

very

It is

ject to the limitation

imposed by form, to conceive of the

and formless

invisible

man, whose perceptions are sub-

difficult for

;

but he will never be able to

obtain the key to the understanding of the divine mysteries of nature, until

and knows that the realm

he realizes the Unity of the All,

and unknowable

so-called invisible

the real and substantial world, while the great

phantasmagoria of corporeal forms

merely an

illusion,

produced by aggregations of matter and constructed by the souls of things, the carpenters in the workshop of

Nature

the step-fathers of the newly-begotten son of

;

Divine Wisdom. It

known

that the ancient Egyptians were well

versed in Astronomy, and recent discoveries

made

regard to the construction of the Great Pyramid go to

show that they knew

many

respects

science than the moderns suspect

;

more about

suns and planets were representing invisible

To them

this

but to them the realities.

the visible corporeal stars were merely external

manifestations of invisible internal powers.

Where

the

present civilization beholds nothing else but dead mate-

EGYPT. rial bodies,

obeying the mechanical law of gravitation^

whose cause

cannot

the

explain,

ancient

tians beheld a universe filled with

life,

universal law of order and harmony,

whose cause

within the substance of his

The

the

these forms

sun was to them a representa-

visible terrestrial

of the invisible

tion

following the

who produced own Mind.

Will of the eternal Creator,

Egyp-

spiritual

Wisdom, named the Sun-God

Central

Sun

ble to external sensation, but manifesting itself as

(Jesus) in the hearts of

Divine

unknowa-

Osiris (Christ),

Horus

mankind; becoming "regener-

ated " within the souls of the pure by the power of our eternal Mother, Isis, the ever immaculate virgin, the

goddess of Nature.

God

" to

being, but the Eternal Cause

power within the realm of

Spirit,

them was not a limited of all manifestations of

Matter and

in the

kingdom

containing within himself everything that

exists,

and yet

ings.

While

in consciousness

all

being superior to

all

be-

things are living and changing in him,

he remains always the same; tranquil in his eternal

glory and undisturbed by any external influence.

does not descend to us, but the gifts which

from

Him

differ

in regard to

according to the positions

Him.

Let those who desire

know whether own minds,

are true look within their

image

we receive we occupy

of his creator.

There they

changing region of thoughts.

these doctrines for

Man

will find a continually

Subjective forms of

all

kinds throng that interior realm, ever changing, and

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

56 without

But

rest.

they penetrate deeper, even within

the realm of the spirit within, they will find a tranquil

whose

place and a principle

state of consciousness

not affected by the changes going on in the mind, and yet these changes are produced by that principle, send-

ing

rays into the world of ideas existing within the

its

mind.

(

The

divine spirit in

Man

does not descend to the

sphere of man's intellectual understanding; but

may

up to

rise

in his

Man

thoughts^ There are periodical

changes taking place in the mind of man, similar to the astronomical changes in the universe.

There are ebbs

and

and tides

tides of thought, as there are ebbs

There are times when

ocean.

Man

of the

involuntarily ap-

proaches nearer to God, and times when he recedes.

The Egyptians knew that on

in the

mind

Man

all

the mental processes going

are images on a small scale of

the processes taking place on a grand scale in the Universal Mind, and that external

ows

of internal realities.

phenomena

Being aware

are the shad-

of the unity of

the All and knowing the nature of the spiritual forces in the

Macrocosm

Nature and their correspondences

in the

Microcosm

Man, they studied the position

the stars, to

know

the time

when Humanity would again Sun of Wisdom. They

approach nearer to the divine

were able to

tell

condition of

mankind by studying the

visible

the changes occurring in the spiritual position of the

sun to the Zodiac.

But we are entering here upon forbidden ground.

Even

we were

able to expose the sacred mysteries

EGYPT. of the ancient

Egyptians to the scoffer and sceptic,

would be a sacrilege to attempt mysteries cannot be explained

Moreover, these

it.

they are beyond the

;

They can only be

tellectual conception of mortals.

ceived intuitively by the spiritual intelligence of after

in-

per-

Man

he has become self-conscious of the divinity of

his God.

These sacred mysteries were

in the possession of the

Holy Brotherhood, and they were taught only to those select

few who were

to express

fit

be instructed in them;

were not taught

correctly, they

all,

but the candidate was instructed

his

own

spiritual

powers

or,

how

to act, so that

might be devel-

of perception

oped within him, and he become able to see and know such things himself.

To be admitted

precincts of the Crata Repoa, to lead a blameless

life,

within the sacred

was necessary, not only

but to be in possession of ex-

traordinary talents and strength of character, and to

devote one's

life

entirely to the practical application of

the truths that were taught in this order.

There were several degrees

in that fraternity,

and no

one was admitted as a member of a higher degree until he had completely mastered in

the lower degrees,

many

all

that

to be acquired

and which sometimes required

years to accomplish.

initiation in that order

or a passing to a higher degree,

was a

matter, having nothing whatever in sham-initiations,

was

mummeries,

idle

terribly serious

common

with the

ceremonies, and

understood mysteries of modern secret

societies.

ill-

was

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

exceedingly still

difficult to

which were rather

Many

character.

be admitted as a candidate, and

difficult to

pass through the prescribed of

of those

ing the tests imposed upon paid with their

life

trials,

an internal than of an external

who

did not succeed in stand-

them became insane

;

others

the penalty for their daring, or had

to remain prisoners in subterranean caves until death

came

to release them.

Jehoshua applied for admission to one of the members, but

was refused

;

he applied a second time to

another member, but was refused again

had applied

;

but after he

for the third time, to his great joy

he was

admitted as a candidate for probation, and he entered the temple at the day appointed for his preliminary instruction.

;

THE

MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. There

nothing more

difficult to find

After Jehoshua had

own

than one's

entered the Egyptian temple,

he was led into the presence of the assembled

They questioned him of the

him

to desist

dangers that he was to incur,

insisted in pursuing this

way

the secret sciences and to

to obtain

come

lose

his

powers of

in possession of the

They

told

he were once admitted, there would be no

possibility to retreat, as

knowledge of

powers which such a knowledge conveyed.

him that

priests.

in regard to his object in desiring

to enter their order, and admonished

warning him

self.

he would have to succeed or

freedom and perhaps even

evil

his

life

for

;

which would be aroused would conquer

him, unless he were strong enough to conquer them.

Jehoshua Ben-Pandira was not to be intimidated desired to to

and as each his

considered wisdom

obtain knowledge and

be more valuable than

admitted.

life.

;

insisted

upon being

received the blessings of the Brothers,

of these venerable

head, he felt an

men

laid his

electric thrill pass

frame, that seemed to invigorate

him and

a power sufficient to overcome

dangers.

all

hands upon through his to give

him

After this

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

he was given over to a guide called Thesmophores, who blindfolded

He went

him and

led

him away.

with his guide through several long cor-

from whose walls the echoes of their steps

ridors,

resounded, and they descended a flight of stairs until at last

they arrived at the place of their destination.

When

the hood was removed, Jehoshua found himself

in a cave

hewn

in the solid rock.

vault with massive pillars, cut in a figures of

men and

was a high arched

manner

to represent

The

fabulous animals.

only light

which entered into the vault came through a round opening

far

in the roof,

where a small part

Upon

clear blue sky could be seen.

of the

the walls of that

prison were written proverbs and mottoes, consisting of extracts

sages

from the books of the Egyptian and Indian

who may have

lived in the far-distant past, per-

haps even in prehistoric times, when that which call

Europe formed the bottom

continent was at the height of

of the sea,

its civilization at

where now the ocean rolls its waves. The room was furnished in the most

we now

and another a place

primitive fashion,

The such he had now

containing merely the most necessary requisites.

Thesmophores

become

— that

told the candidate

—

for

he would have to remain here in

tude for an indefinite period of time. to

soli-

advised him

occupy himself with thinking of the nature of

man

own

self.

and his destiny and to meditate about

his

gave him some writing materials and requested him

to write

down the thoughts

that would enter his

mind

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD.

and seem important to him, and after taking leave

the prisoner and wishing him good success, the guide

went away.

Thus when the sends

free

feelers into the

its

the law

following

seeking for knowledge

spirit

tomb

of living clay, blindly

reincarnation, he

himself

finds

own

thoughts, and

alone without a guide,

left to

with only a faint light

above coming from his former

home, while on the walls Mind, he

may

find

wisdom acquired

of the prison

dim recollections

life

There

no change

their

who know who

to those

them

there

attract

their

especially

;

surroundings, to

attention and to stimulate

nothing more

but that of external sensation and

cannot create their own thoughts is

of the teachings of

and solitude

terrible than isolation

no other

house called the

in previous lives.

Jehoshua was now alone.

his

Thinking

to think.

and few can think what they wish or hold on

art,

a thought.

Men

only think what they must

;

they feed

on the ideas that enter their minds without asking.

Welcome and unwelcome thoughts come

wanted

our bidding nor go away

enter

;

they neither

when they

are not

they are like disorderly guests that do not obey

the rules which the landlord prescribes.

The monotony unchanged. heard

;

which Jehoshua

There was no sound

he was surrounded by silence

been for the small opening head, he would not have

;

lived

remained

any kind to be and

if it

in the vault far

had not

above his

known the changes

day

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

and night.

studied the writings upon the walls,

and impressed them upon

meaning

;

mind seemed

his

memory, analyzing

their

and the more he thought about them, the expand and new ideas

enter.

tell

from whence they came, but he wrote

them down upon

the tablets with which he had been

could not

provided

;

and often when

the morning he awoke

from his slumber, these tablets had disappeared from his prison,

He saw

and he knew not what had become

of them.

no one enter the room, and yet somebody must

have taken them away.

Likewise the food with which

he was provided was supplied by

invisible

means.

was of the most simple kind, consisting of bread, milk, fruit,

and water.

inexplicable

not

tell,

for

manner it

was

;

how

daily brought to

him

some

by what means he could

put into his prison during his sleep.

However, he soon ceased to be astonished

such

strange occurrences and he began seriou^Ty the study

As he became accustomed to look within his own soul, a new world seemed to open before him of self.

;

his imagination

grew stronger, and the pictures

pre-

sented before his inner eye became as objective and real to

more tial

him

as the objects of the external world, only

beautiful,

than the

latter.

ethereal,

and yet

far

Visions of things

more substanwhich he had

formerly seen, but which had apparently been lost to his

memory, appeared

their living details

;

again,

vivid

and

real with

all

desires entering his heart immedi-

ately took objective forms in his mind, representing in

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD.

seemingly living forms the objects of which he thought,

and thus he saw many beautiful things but also evil,

and

many evil

horrible sights, for no

in his visions,

man

without

thoughts that came to him were likewise

represented in seemingly real but horrible forms.

What

this

what do men mean by works of imagination" does not exist real

to us

power

plastic

of the imagination,

calling subjective images

"merely

Can we imagine anything

Are the

and

that

creations of our thoughts less

than the things which the imagination of

others created for us

product of

Is not the universe a

the imagination of God, and are

not gods in our

own

inner world, able to create forms from the substance called the Astral

Light f

Gradually Jehoshua began to love this inner

where

life,

he found a world as large as the outer world, with a space as infinite as that of the

and

plains,

latter,

with mountains

with oceans and rivers, and peopled with

beings of various kinds that looked up to him as their god, their creator, drawing

life

from

his Will,

and nour-

ishment from his Thought, in the same sense as

universe, appearing to

and

him

in visions while awake.

world of

know

in his

God

dreams while

asleep,

Thus Jehoshua

the Elemental Powers

Man

in the

receives his will-power and ideas from the

of Nature,

lived in the

and began to

the constituent parts of that organism called the

human

soul.

Weeks, perhaps months, thus passed away. knows how long he remained in that tomb?

Who He

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

kept no record of the days and nights since he had entered there, and what

merely mental

measure the to approach

Infinite ;

time and space, after

but

all,

we attempt

conceptions by which

But one day steps were heard

the door which had been closed so long

opened, and the Thesmophores entered, congratulating

him on

and inviting him to come to the Portal

his success

of Man, to enter as a Neophyte into the

first

degree of

the holy Brotherhood.

They entered a

large park, through

until they arrived at

Profane. bled

which they passed,

an entrance called the Door of the

There they found a great many people assem-

who had been

attracted by curiosity to see the

new

candidate for initiation, for such a rare event was not

kept secret, as

know all

was desired that the people should

that there were

still

men

be found ready to dare

dangers in search of the truth.

They thronged the

place in front of the door through which Jehoshua passed

way to the Temple of Wisdom they shouted and made much noise, obstructing the way but the Thesmophores drove them back, and they passed with his guide, on his

safely

through the crowd.

Having entered the vestibule didate

was taken

received

to a Crypt,

of the temple, the can-

where he took a bath, and

new garments, and underwent

the prescribed

preparation to be introduced to the assembly of the Brothers.

The Portal of Man was guarded by who, as

they arrived, inquired

the Pastophores,

about their purpose

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD.

and asked Jehoshua various questions.

Having received

satisfactory replies, the door opened,

and he entered

a large hall, wherein in a semicircle were seated the Brothers, and in their midst the Hierophant. this

Before

assembly Jehoshua again passed an examination,

answering numerous questions in regard to his subjective experiences during his isolation. 1

He was

then led around the Bisantha, and there the

strength of his nerves and his physical courage, by certain

methods which cannot be made

modern

intelligible to the

employment

reader, because they involved an

of certain forces of nature, the secret of

which was

the possession of the Atlanteans and Egyptians, but

whose very existence civilization.

as yet

may be

unknown

to western

sufficient to say, that

claps

thunder resounded and bolts of lightning seemed to

strike the candidate, 2 they

manner employed stage, but they

into action

were not produced

in theatrical

were the

in the

performances upon the

effects of natural forces, set

by the occult powers possessed by the Egyp-

tian Adepts.

The most

Jehoshua was not

horrible spectres appeared, but

afraid.

Having successfully passed through

this trial,

he was

again taken before the assembly, and the Menies read to

him the laws

of the Crata Repoa, which, after

amination, he solemnly promised to obey. 1

Plutarch in Lseon. " Apoph. verb. Lysand."

Eusebius Caesar, Preparat. Evangel.

Alexander ab Alexandre), Lib. V. Cap.

10.

due

ex-

a certain

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

66 process

known

was then opened

to the Hierophant, his spiritual vision ;

that

was endowed

to say, he

for a

short time with the powers to see certain spiritual veri-

ties

represented in allegorical forms.

self

standing between two square columns, called Be-

found him-

and there was a ladder with seven

tiles,

As he

eight closed doors?

steps

beheld that vision,

its

and

mean-

ing was at once clear to him, for spiritual visions differ in so far that

he who be-

holds a symbolical vision becomes at the

same time

from mere dreams especially

aware of

its

meaning, else

would be useless to show

In that short moment, during

such a vision to him.

was opened> Jehoshua learned

which

his inner sight

know

the fundamental

science which would require

the

Cosmos, a

many months

of instruc-

principles

tion to be described in words and to be brought to the

understanding of the not self-luminous

intellect.

The Hierophant then spoke as follows ing only to you who have the right and :

hear me.

Firmly close

all

the doors

the profanes, the sophists and scoffers

dren of the celestial labor, passions and evil desires

and

;

hear

" I

speak-

the power to

and exclude 4

but you,

;

words

all

chil-

Beware

beware of erroneous opinions

intellectual prejudices.

Keep your mind

ally directed toward the divine source of

all

continu-

existence,

strive after a continual realization of the presence of 1

Eusebius* Demonstr. Evang. Lib.

Origines cent. Cels. 8

p. 341.

Spiritual perception.

The

Prejudices.

external senses.

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. Supreme

the

;

and

you desire to walk upon the Path

of Light to eternal Happiness, do not forget for

one moment, that you are living

Him whose power and

things,

all

hide

itself

things are in Him.

by no man, there

has created the world.

pure knowledge, pure wisdom

;

even

in the consciousness of is

all

self-existent,

and although

seen

nothing within the Universe that can

from His sight."

Jehoshua had now become a member of the Egyptian

He was

Brotherhood.

made that

all

power cal

taught the laws of Nature, and

to see that there

nothing dead in Nature, but

forms are manifestations of the one universal

He was

of Life.

taught the causes of the physi-

phenomena occurring

world of phenomena,

in the

the nature of Light and Sound, of Heat and Electricity, etc.

He was

Astronomy and Medi-

also instructed in

cine and in the science of Hieroglyphics. 2

The

spiritual nature

and the laws

Man was

of Reincarnation.

How

explained to him

human monad

the

again and again descends to build up a mortal physical

form and to evolve a new personality visits

upon

we know

this globe

that the

;

human

each of

its

forms, which

men, women, and children, are not the

Man, but merely ever-changing aggregations

real

of matter,

endowed with an ever-changing consciousness, unsubstantial

although living

the Spirit retires to

illusions,

its

home,

doomed to rest

Eusebius* Preparat. Evangel.

Jamblithus, In Vita Pythagor.

to perish

from i.

its

when labor;

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

while the substantial, indivisible, and incorruptible Spirit is

the real Man, although invisible to the perception of

mortals.

He ble

was taught the

aum and 1

signification of the sacred sylla-

of certain symbolical signs, 2 including the

double-interlaced Triangle, the Snake, and the Tau, and his

was

office

guard the Portal of Man, so that

nothing impure would enter

;

no one was ever ad-

for

mitted into the sanctuary of the inner temple, unless he

proved himself a faithful guardian of that door by

first

which

evil

thoughts and desires attempt to enter the

mind.

A the

year or more

may have

new Pastophores

thus passed away,

when

obtained permission to enter the

second degree, called Necoris.

a preparation for this

degree he had to undergo a severe fasting, after which

he was introduced into a grotto, called Endymion. This grotto was furnished in a luxuriant manner.

was without windows, but lamps that were suspended from the light

ceiling,

The

through the room.

delicious wines

was

and fed with perfumed

oil,

richest food

shed a

soft

and the most

were set before the candidate, and he

invited to partake

;

for

now

— so they

told

him

—

he had won the victory, and he might now indulge in sensual pleasures without any risk of beautiful

sin.

The most

maidens waited upon him, and their bewitching

smiles told

him that he had only De

mention a wish, to

Plutarch,

yamblichus, In Vita Pythagor.

Iride et Osiride.

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. see

was evident that he was an object

it fulfilled.

69 of

admiration to them, and that they were willing to be his slaves.

But Jehoshua resisted their tempting were for something

aspirations gratification

poreal

of sensual

Spirit,

to the eye,

know

the

and as the evening approached,

the fair tempters, with looks unfulfilled

the beauty of cor-

may be

him who had learned

could not enslave

beauty of the

;

His

higher than the

far

appetites

form, however pleasing

wiles.

full of

desire, disappeared

disappointment and

one after another, and

Jehoshua, after securely locking the door, threw himself

upon a couch.

While he was meditating tracted his attention, and he tiful

there,

a slight

saw one

of the

females that mortal eye ever

noise at-

most beau-

beheld,

entering

through a secret door, whose existence had escaped his observation.

She was

most noble appearance and

stately form, clad in loose, flowing garments,

a sparkling diadem upon her head.

looked the chaste goddess Diana,

sleeping Endymion. love rested

upon her

where Jehoshua

Thus may have

when she watched

expression

face, as

and with

full

pity

the

and

she approached the couch

rested.

"Fear nothing," she but to save thee. this temple,

and

threatening

thee.

I I

said

;

"I do not come

to tempt,

the daughter of the guardian of

have learned the danger which

Dost

thou not know that these

villanous priests have resolved to kill thee

for thou

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

hast forfeited thy

life

by learning some

of their

mys-

Thou, a foreigner, hast learned secrets which

teries.

no one but the Egyptians are permitted to know. evening they have resolved to is

kill thee,

to be executed even to-night.

thee

me, for

have come to save

have made sure thy escape

;

admire thy valor and

This

and the murder

and follow

rise

do not wish thee to

perish."

"Beautiful one," answered Jehoshua, "I will not

dis-

the priests have resolved to

kill

pute thy words

me,

but

;

them do

let

laws of

this

;

have promised to obey the

for I

brotherhood,

and

have no

right

escape."

"Is there not," answered the temptress, "a higher law than the laws made by these priests the law of nature, superior to

all

the law of thy nature permit and

Is there

other laws

command

not

Does not

thee to save

thy life?"

"Spare thy words," answered Jehoshua.

duty.

may

shall

"I know

fate

thee what

remain and await whatever

be."

"Then,"

said the lady,

modesty forbids tive that I

came

love, a life of

to say.

"I must It is

tell

not the

to offer to thee, but a

happiness and of luxury.

tinued after a pause, drawing

still

life

of a fugi-

unbounded

Yes," she con-

nearer to him and

putting her soft white hand upon his shoulder, " thee. I

love

eyes and see whether or not what

telling is true.

Wilt thou bury thy manhood in

Look

into

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD.

these living tombs, to seek after things which

merely in thy imagination

Come

with me, and

exist I will

give thee a substantial happiness far superior to any

gloomy

that thou mayest find within these

there be any greater happiness for a

woman

of a beautiful

beautiful

;

love thee with

woman

which

all

man than the love I am free, I am

rich,

the passionate love of

Come

capable.

Can

walls.

with me, and thou

shalt never repent it."

"Fair one," answered Jehoshua, "all the earthly

ments

embrace spirit.

material nature are striving to

ele-

thy

but they are held by the superior will of the

;

do not seek for happiness within these walls,

nor could

find

contentment

offerest to me.

that which thou canst give

subject to decay.

"Dare

;

reject thy offer."

to reject it!"

thou

know what

I shall

answered the woman.

woman whose

not leave thee, for

to be separated

which thou

in the things

seek for happiness in that which

not subject to change

fly to

love

"Dost

spurned can

soul clings to thee

from thee would be death

;

she

spoke these words, she drew a dagger from her belt and pointed "

and

this

to her breast.

weapon

without thee

thy

life

;

for

;

but if

"Spurn my

my heart my death will

will enter if

I die,

love," she said,

dead body

effect

it."

not live

found in this grotto

to-morrow, thou wilt be accused of being

and be executed for

I will

also cost thee

murderer,

Seeing that her threats had

upon the Neophyte, she threw the dagger

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

upon the

him

floor,

and, sinking

She

for his love.

riant hair

tore

down

implored

at his feet,

away her

veil,

dropped over her shoulders

;

and her luxu-

tears streamed

from her eyes, and her appeals ended in sobs.

"Depart!" sternly answered Jehoshua, and the one arose and retreated sight,

fair

but as she disappeared from

;

another door opened, and a stream of light en-

tered the

room.

The Hierophant and some

the

Brothers appeared at the entrance, and, congratulating

him on the victory which he had gained, they to a large hall, where, after submitting to the of

led

him

ceremony

baptism, he was pronounced to be worthy to be

admitted to a higher degree.

Thus should beware that no favorite passion

he,

who

the guardian of the door,

secret entrance is left open,

may

enter

;

and

by which a

the temptress should

enter unaware, during his slumber, he should call to his aid the superior her.

Then

power

will the

of his

awakened

Will,

and repel

door of his soul open, Reason will

enter and guide him by the light of Divine

nearer to permanent Peace.

Wisdom

THE

MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. {Continued.)

we must descend

learn the mysteries of the Spirit,

into the

subterranean caves where the treasures are hidden.

After

a few days

and contemplation, Je-

rest

hoshua was told that the time had arrived when his courage and daring would have to undergo a severe trial.

His eyes were again blindfolded, and he was

taken to a subterranean cave, into which he had to de-

scend by means of a ladder.

Having arrived

the

bottom, he removed the bandage from his eyes, according to the directions he had previously received

could see no light.

The cavern was

he could not discern any objects sounds close by his

side.

;

but he

dark, and at first

but he heard hissing

He made

a few steps

advance, and stepped upon a living thing that was gliding over the floor, and which immediately wriggled itself

around his

leg.

Then

his consciousness that

that to faint

the fact immediately came to

he was in a den of serpents, and

would mean to be

became accustomed

lost.

Gradually his eyes

to the deep darkness,

and he

dis-

cerned the eyes and forms of the reptiles that lurked

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

The cavern seemed

in all the corners.

snakes of knots,

Twisted together

kinds.

all

some were lying on the

stone,

disgusting

They crawled over

themselves around his arms and first

with

seated himself upon a

and soon the snakes began to approach, as

resent his presence.

filled

and others wormed

floor,

themselves over the rocks.

over his body.

all

Jehoshua was horrified

his legs, twisted

but his horror was

;

only of a moment's duration, for he immediately called to his aid his higher consciousness

and remembered

that his terrestrial form, subject to the disgusting em-

braces of the crawling reptiles, and stuff as they,

which he

was not

of the

him

everything that might happen to his body as

an independent spectator.

own God, and

aid to his

a power

unknown

body, and

now

he were

way he appealed

In this

with his body

Thus soul,

left

seemed

seemed as

whole

to pervade his

this

power had invested

that were in

him and retired into their

to the

contact

holes.

man descends to the innermost depths of his may find it infested with poisonous serpents

and venomous

reptiles, the

passions and evil desires divine spirit of

peace

for

as he did so, a superior strength,

before,

for soon the reptiles

;

upon

look

him with some property that made him repulsive serpents

same

merely a form

— the divine Man — was for the time being This thought enabled

attached.

made

his real Self, but

;

symbols of the brood of

but

calls to his aid

Wisdom, the persecutions

will return.

will cease

the

and

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. After having passed through this severe

trial,

he was

released from his prison and led again to the temple.

For a second time

his spiritual eyes

were opened by

the magic power of the Hierophant, and he was

and a turning wheel

to behold in his vision a Griffin

with four

became

spokes.

Then

made

the whole process of Evolution

clear to his understanding,

and he saw how

the course of millions of ages, worlds upon worlds had

been evolved from the incomprehensible

centre.

beheld waves of Life passing from planet to planet, and

each fiery orb, each globe, each solar system, had pecu-

forms of

liar

its

own, and

all

these various forms were

manifestations of one and the same that

men

call "

Supreme Power,

God," and formed out of

own

its

sub-

stance.

The

air,

forms of

the earth, and the water were

life,

filled

with

having bodies of a kind of matter too

fined to be seen

by mortal

eyes.

Some were

re-

luminous,

others dark, and the regions above the sphere of the

Earth were inhabited by beings of a seemingly supernatural beauty.

elements.

He saw

the Natitre-spirits of the four

saw what Man had been

in the distant

past and what he would be at a future period of time far

beyond the calculation

of mortals.

gross material elements of which the Earth

saw how the is

now com-

posed, would in the far-distant future be changed into a

substance of a superior and ethereal kind, so that what

we now call " Earth " would be like call "Water" like air, and what we

water, and call

"Air"

what we like the

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

ether of space, and with the transformation of

Man

all

things,

himself would enter into a superior state of exist-

ence.

The

science which deals with these problems

far too

grand and extensive to be more than merely touched

upon

in these pages,

reader,

we were

nor would

be a mere matter

amusement than

benefit the uninitiated

to enter into its details

as the interior perception

ceive these things

;

for as long

which enables men to per-

not opened, such a discussion will of

serving

speculation,

In this degree he was taught the great law of that

to say, the

upon the physical exists,

Cause and

law of plane,

merely

Effect, not

but in that higher realm, where divine Justice

its

own punishment.

its

He saw

own

reward, and

that whatever

man

may

think or do, would produce a corresponding reac-

tion

upon

himself,

and that he who benefited others

thereby benefiting himself, while he is

thereby decreeing his

the acts of rior lives,

men

struggling for

and their

who

injures others

own punishment.

saw that

are the external symbols of their inte-

Thoughts seemed

life,

him

like beings

seeking to become embodied

in acts

;

they were once thus embodied, they clung to

life in

the same

way

man

clings to his, but the

power which invested these thoughts with Will,

and that every thought and act has a tendency

to repeat itself.

Karma;

where the law of Mechanics

rules supreme, where Good finds

Evil

for

for the attainment of knowledge.

and unless man's thoughts were kept

life

was the

alive

his

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. and putrefied

Will, they died

*]>]

like the corporeal things

upon the physical plane.

The password

of this

degree was Heve, and

its

under-

standing conveyed a knowledge of the bisexual nature

Man. 1

of aboriginal

The

length of time during which the Necoris had to

remain

the second degree, before he was permitted

to enter the third, called Melanephores,

own

Many

progress.

the second degree

;

depended on

his

never attained any higher than

but those

who were permitted

advance higher had to pass through the Portal of Death; for this

who

was the name

of the door

through which they

desired to obtain powers which belong to a higher

than merely personal existence had to enter, before they could acquire them.

Without hesitation Jehoshua followed those who were

They descended into the mummies were kept and which were

appointed to guide him. tombs, where the to be a living

tomb

to him,

erating himself therefrom

he did not succeed in

his

lib-

own magic power. The

room which he entered was

filled

dead, while in the midst of the

chamber stood the sarcoph-

agus of Osiris

still

with corpses of the

overflowing with blood.

The Par-

men who opened the bodies of the dead

—

and the Heroi — who attended to the embalming — were

askites

—

i.e.

their work.

the

From thence he

where he was met by black.

They took him 1

all

entered into another room,

the Melanephores, dressed in

before the King, and the

Clem. Alexander, In Protept.

latter,

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

addressing him in a very kind manner, advised him to

from further attempts to penetrate

desist

into the mysteries,

and to remain

which he had already gained.

him now

so,

praised the Neophyte it

were

remain contented and to desist

from further research. do

deeper

with that

satisfied

and virtues and told him that

for his courage

better for

still

told

him

he would be highly honored by

the knowledge he had already gained

that all ;

he would

on account

and

token of

the high esteem in which he held the Neophyte, the

king took his own golden crown from his head and offered

to him.

meaning

But Jehoshua, understanding the threw the crown down upon

of this symbol,

the floor and stepped upon it

was not

his object to

with his foot, saying that

be admired and to gratify his

men but that own sake alone.

ambition for fame or to be praised by desired

wisdom and desired

As he

for its

;

did so, a cry of indignation arose from those

present and a ceremony took place which upon the external plane represented the well-known internal truth,

that 'Ambition

the king of

give up one's Ambition for

all

passions and that to

like giving

up one's own

self;

man's soul being made up to a great extent of de-

sires,

dies the mystic death,

desire.A

It is

the whole

then "as

life of

when he

kills

his

ruling

the heart were bleeding and

man seems

be utterly dissolved."

This was the terrible ordeal through which Jehoshua

had to

pass,

and

it is

the ordeal C.

through which every one

" Light on the Path."

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. will

have to pass, before he can enter the Temple of

Wisdom. Let not the reader suppose that farce,

may be

such as

some modern "secret

are describing a

seen enacted in some lodge of

Whether the events

society."

described in these pages ever took place on the exter

nal or on the internal plane, or on both, the reader decide for himself.

may

such things are enacted merely

externally without taking place internally, then they art

Every external act which

mere shams.

representation of internal civilization is eties

made up

life is

not a true

a sham, and our

Our

such shams.

modern

secret soci-

have come into possession of some of the forms

and ceremonies used by the ancient Egyptians; but they have merely the form; the

spirit

went away long

ago.

The judgment

departed

the

soul

before Pluto,

Rhadamantes, and Minos was then enacted; for when the king

Ambition

the

soul

daughter Vanity dies with him, and in sense of one's unworthiness.

The

its

man

dies,

his

place arises a

accusing, judging,

and

revenging angels then appear in the soul, until the tortured heart sends the Truth;

its

when the

despairing cries to the Redeemer, celestial

powers awaken within, to

comfort the soul and guide her to the harbor of Peace.

During

this

hoshua's past

process or ceremony the whole of Je-

life,

with

took place within

his

before his vision;

but

all

the minutest details that ever

mental organization, appeared

when

the initiation was ended,

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

he knew that the lower elements within his soul had died and that he himself had been changed into another

being.

then received the special instructions be-

longing to this degree, and he was especially shown the sanctity of "

life

all

Thou shalt not

and the

full

meaning

of the

words

kill!'

While he remained

this

degree, the hierogram-

matical art of writing, the history of Egypt, geography,

cosmology, and astronomy were taught him; principal occupation, in this as in

all

but his

other degrees, was

the cultivation of the power of Intuition, by which

may know

man

the truth and attain wisdom, independent of

books or external information and without the necessity of adopting the opinions of others.

For a long time Jehoshua remained

in tombs, attend-

ing to the disposal of the bodies of the dead

any one leave

of the

members

them during the

;

nor was

of this degree ever permitted to

rest of their natural lives, unless

they attained that magic power, known to the Adept, by

which the house of

astral

body of man may leave

terrestrial body.

at will the prison

Those who were not able

acquire this power had to remain in their tombs, and

was

their duty

to attend to the

embalming and the

burial of the dead.

Thus the

souls of those

who

are incapable of entering

a higher state of consciousness during their terrestrial lives, will

have to remain within their living tombs of

gross matter, overshadowed by the darkness of ignorance,

engaged

in ministering to that

which

worthless

THE MYSTERIOUS BROTHERHOOD. and without eternal less

memories

tinue to

servants of

and to preserve from decay usethings.

terrestrial

their

worthless

empty forms and

of death releases

them from

from the darkness beyond.

life,

They

will

con-

occupations and

illusions until the angel

their prisons, to lead

them

matter into the eternal darkness

THE HIGHER DEGREES. He who

thoroughly knows his

own

self,

knows everything.

In attempting to describe some of the mysteries the higher degrees in the Egyptian Brotherhood,

attempting to enter upon a

field

are

where only those can

who have themselves obtained some experience of practical Occultism for how could the magic processes enter

;

that took place in the "Battle of the

scribed to persons

whose knowledge

Shadows" be

de-

consists merely of

the information they have received from an age which denies that magic or spiritual powers exist

It will re-

quire perhaps centuries of scientific investigation before

our sceptics will understand the magic power of the spiritually

awakened

Will,

and before they can be brought

a knowledge that feats of

realm of the

fable,

and

Magic do not belong

may

require

many

to the

centuries

more, before such powers will become the property of the many.

Our age

the age of what

called

"Reason,"

i.e.

semi-animal Reason, not enlightened by Divine Wisdom,

but drawing inferences from merely external things. is

ruled by those powers which are allegorically repre-

sented in the Bible by the " Pharisees and the Scribes,"

whose knowledge

based upon deductions drawn from

THE HIGHER DEGREES.

the observation of illusive appearances, which they mis-

take for the Real, while the real

unknowable

to them.

In proportion as this fallible reasoning power has creased in strength, have true Spirituality; that

power

men become

With the

loss of

and fundamental truths.

knowledge they have also

spiritual

Power necessary

lost the spiritual

unconscious of

to say, of the existence of a

perceive spiritual

to control the invisi-

True Gnostic has become a thing

ble spiritual forces.

in-

the past, agnosticism raises ignorance, and Science has

head and boasts of

its

become

materialized so

that she can deal with nothing but the

of its

much

most gross and

sensually perceptible things.

And power

yet the world of

Love

mournful or glad

its

;

those

growth

who

makes men

still

the Will of the strong

are wise

;

over the

influence

its

Imagination

still

controls

of the weak, and the fool-

power

ruled by the superior magic

still

spirit of

The magic

of Magic.

exercises

magic power the mind

ish are

of the

still

magic of

the

hearts;

is still full

of the

but such wonders like that

of a tree, do not surprise us,

merely be-

we are accustomed to witness them every day. The Egyptian Adepts and Magicians may not have

cause

been

in possession of all that our

in regard to the relations

phenomena

;

which

modern science knows

in our present age, to develop the

that realm called the invisible, but

real

between external

exist

but they had a method,

known power

which

and substantial than the

only to few

to look into

a world far

so-called

visible

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

Men

world.

are prone to

jump

drawn

at conclusions

from sensual observation and to regard the visible side of nature as the actual world

Beyond sensual perception tion will convince " invisible" are

thing

own

may be

man

;

and

to reject that

which

but even a superficial reflec-

terms "visible" and

that the

merely relative; for whether or not a

seen by

us,

depends not merely on

nature, but also on the construction

and quality

its

What may be seen by one, may be invisible to another who is devoid of the organ of sight and what may be invisible to many, may

the organs of our perception.

;

visible to those

whose inner powers

perception

have become open.

The

fourth degree of the mysterious Brotherhood was

called "

The Battle of

the Christophores the nature of

by Good.

— as

the

Shadows!'

In this degree

he was now called

Good and Evil and how

He was

taught

how

— was

taught

conquer Evil

to cut off the

head of

the beautiful Gorgon? without hesitating on account of

her almost supernaturally beautiful form. structed in the art of Necromancy,

i.e.

He was

in-

the art to deal

with the astral bodies of the dead and with those dangerous beings, called Elementals, world, and to to for

make them

him whom the power

who

inhabit the astral

subservient to their

will.

of spiritual Will deserted

one moment during these

trials

;

Woe even

the principles of

Evil which he attempted to subject to his Will would 1

Tertullian, "

Medusa.

Militis

Corona."

THE HIGHER DEGREES.

then become his masters, and insanity or death was the result. /

(There

There .

relative

Good without

relative

Evil.

no man so pure, as not to have some animal

elements within his constitution, and were there such a

man, he would not be able to develop higher this very animal

draws to

element from which the soul of

nourishment and strength to

its

become more

spiritual.

Not

use of the elements of evil in

accomplishing good,

When

tion.

for

;

man

higher and

rise

to destroy, but to

man

make

for the purpose of

the object of the higher educa-

the higher

life

begins to awaken within

the soul and the light of the Spirit penetrates into the

regions of the Elementals, these animal Egos begin to

and

revolt

to rise to the surface.

in objective

They may even appear

form and persecute their

the dread Dweller of the Threshold I

among

the so-called realities of this world,

the candidate for initiation

may become will

his face.

but nevertheless living and as real as any other

living thing

and

may show

nothing else but a product of man's own imagina-

tion,

Then

creator.

his victim, for the

subject to fear, he

Dweller of the Threshold

then again and with increased power take posses-

sion of his mind.

There

a region in the soul of

Dwellers reside.

swarms with principles

man

which such

In very degraded persons this region

living,

semi-developed or full-grown animal

and subjective

monstrosities of

and under certain conditions, especially

all

kinds

the physical

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

organism

— step

weakened by

clothing

form,

senses.

But

— so to

say

and assume an objective

themselves

and becoming

of matter

may

disease, they

out of their centre,

the

visible

grosser

elements

even to the external

the candidate in that holy Brotherhood suc-

ceeded in overcoming

these obstacles, he became a

all

partaker of the Demiurgos 2 and in possession of abso-

The

lute Truth. 3

caused him to rise above lower nature, and he King.^ Life,

which he was made

bitter cup all

earthly

ills

arising

received his daily food

to drink,

from his from the

His name was then entered into the Book of

and he became one of the judges of the country.

His emblem was an Owl, representing his, the goddess Nature

;

he was presented with a palm leaf and an

olive branch, the

emblems

of Peace.

The "password"

was 10 A, 5 and the understanding of its exoteric signification involved a knowledge of the crea-

of that degree

tive principle in Nature.

instructions from

Henceforth he received his

no man, but from

the Demiurgic

Mind.

He who

had attained the degree

entitled to apply to the

degree of Balahate.

of Christophores

Demiurgos

for the

still

was

higher

In this degree he was permitted

1 Abundant evidence of such cases may be found in the Acta Sanctorum, although the accounts related therein are treated as fables even by the clergy, who cannot find a rational explanation for them. Modern

Spiritualism furnishes similar examples. 2

The

Athenceus, Lib. 9.

creative

power

in nature.

Diodorus Siculus, Lib.

Jehovah.

THE HIGHER DEGREES. Typhoon

to see

in his terrible

containing within himself verse

;

all

form

of endless extent,

;

that exists in the Uni-

the All-creator and All-destroyer,

" With eyes and

The

faces, infinite in form,

everlasting Cause, a

mass of Light,

In every region hard to look upon Bright as the blaze of burning

every side, and vast beyond

fire

all

But the Balahate had awakened to a of

the immortal

principle within,

and sun, bounds."

full

consciousness

and was no longer changeable things.

terrified to see

the destruction of

He now knew

the nature of the Secret Fire that regen-

erates the world its

all

and which renders him who comes into

possession immortal.

In the sixth degree the Adept was instructed by the

Demiurgos

in all the secrets of

Astrology ; that

say, in the science of the spiritual aspects of

he learned to know the directions of the spiritual currents, pervading the

the stars

;

life-

Soul of the Universe ; he became

even a being superior to the Devas and Angels and in possession of

The

all spiritual

powers.

seventh and highest degree, called Pancah, could

not be applied

for,

but was conferred by the power of

divine grace upon those

who were

willing to receive

it.

In this divine degree, the holiest of holies, the ultimate

mystery was revealed to the Adept. 1

Divinity.

received a

spiritual perception of the

Cross, 2 /.

which he had to wear

Davies, Bhagavad Gita,

xi. 14.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

continually during his terrestrial 2

life,

the hair upon his

he received the key to the under-

head was cut

off,

standing of

all

the mysteries, 3 he obtained the privilege

to elect the

king of the country, 4 or

words and leave

off

became one with the

allegorical

— to speak in plain expressions — his soul

ruler of All,

and he entered into

the essence of God. 1

Fufius, Lib.

ii.

Cap. 29.

Fierius, Lib. 32. 8 Plutarch, " De amore fraterno." 4

Synesus, "

Providentia."

THE WISDOM RELIGION. The

inner laws of the universe can be

inner laws of that

little

known by studying

the

world called " Man."

how long Jehoshua Ben-

It has not been ascertained

Pandira remained in Egypt, nor what degrees he attained

Holy Brotherhood

in the

underwent many desired to be

believed that he

which those who

of the severe trials to

initiated into the mysteries

was taught many

express

but

;

were subjected.

of these sublime secrets, or, to

more correctly

the bud of a

Lotus

flower gradually opens under the influence of the sunlight, so his

mind opened

divine mysteries of the that is

God had

all

things,

and that for

hath no name, for

his it

Wisdom

He perceived that He " He hath many and that He also

Religion.

a spiritual and a material aspect

names, because he

this

to the understanding of the

the

this cause

One

Father,

;

the Father of All"; 1

— that

one and universal Father had created the world in

own Mind, endowed

into objectivity

with His

by His own

own

Life,

and thrown

Will.

perceived and realized that this divine essence

which caused the universe

to take

form and to grow,

the same that forms the corner-stone of the living tem1

Hermes Trismegistus, V.

33.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

pie of God, called

Man, and

that the essence constituting

the foundation and the innermost centre of

way

different

God

ent Man."

man

of the

is in

from that of the universal God, and that

therefore " earthly

while the

Man

little

Universe

god

in a mortal body,

an immortal

self-exist-

found no death in the universe, but a

continual change of form, while the Life that causes

these changes of form remains always the same.

which

imperfect has to be remodelled and to become

perfect

;

That

but that which

perfect and therefore eternal

requires no further change.

saw that the whole

Nature

a thing of Life,

subject —

and

that after a day of activity, lasting perhaps

rest

;

all

living beings

for millions of ages, the great

— to periods of

phantasmagoria constitut-

ing the universe ceases to be manifest, and

by a night

of equal duration, during

exist in a subjective condition in the

until "

God

activity

which

mind

followed

all

of the creator,

again awakens from his slumber, to speak

once more the divine

command

LET THERE BE LIGHT! Then ends

the night; the mystic

Filling all space with Life

The Wheel

to turn,

Sun

appears,

and Harmony,

With Consciousness and Sound. and the

Again begins

celestial

Powers,

Master-builders of the Universe, 2

The Whose work had

ceased with the evening tide,

Glowing globes

Begin again their labor. 1

things

Ibid. IV. 193.

The Dhyan Chohans.

THE WISDOM RELIGION. Of

radiant matter, luminous and bright,

Condense and clothe themselves Evolving

shells of rocks

in varied hues,

and precious stones.

And mother earth puts on her festive dress, To bid a joyful welcome to her children. Plants, animals, appear

The

;

Man

comes

at last

king, a spirit of ethereal shape,

Form'd of the essence

that produces gods,

Surrounded by the paradise which God Created in his sphere.

Of every Of

the

Lord

living thing, the masterpiece

the constructor of the universe

His substance His wisdom

the Light, his thoughts divine,

great, his happiness supreme.

Thus might he

live eternally,

in bliss

Unspeakable, communing with himself,

Unconscious of that lower sense of

Which But

in the

The

womb

of Matter dwells desire,

ancient tempter.

From

self,

causes isolation of the form.

Man

his celestial source,

averts his eyes

and he begins

To sink into the darkness. Denser grows And more compact his form, as he descends To seek for knowledge in the realm of Matter. Imprisoned in the form, his senses close

To the perception of celestial And senses of a grosser kind

things,

appear,

Fit merely to behold the things of Earth,

For "where man's treasure

there

is,

his heart";

Uniting with the object he desires,

its

nature.

The immortal

Combin'd with mortal clay

And

rendered mortal,

mortal things transformed

Beyond

soul

the region of mortality.

may

rise

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

92 Spirit

Life

Which

but Matter has no

;

may

claim

its

own

life,

the source of Life

;

Is that celestial Sun, invisible

To mortals, but eternal, self-existent And glorious, in whose resplendent rays All beings move and live, by whom we all whose

Exist,

This

altar is the heart of

the "Fall of

Man" and

Man.

the descent

the bright Spirit to the realms of darkness,

Occurring now as in those ancient times,

When Man For men

Appearing

was tempted by the mythic snake

are

in the

still

attracted by desire,

in the beauteous

form of

lust,

shape of gold or love of fame,

Appealing to his sense of selfishness,

And thus To lower

degrading him, and

many

sink

depths, while others rise again

By throwing

off desire for earthly things,

And gaining knowledge of celestial By bursting through the misty veil That hides them from the

truths

of matter

light.

Desire to live

And

to enjoy the pleasures of this life

Produces birth in living mortal forms

Then Its

follows

life

with

all

its

sufferings,

evanescent joys, old age, and death,

And

the

all

Remain

Comes

ills

that follow those

whose souls

attached to matter; after this birth again,

and thus the wheel revolves

Unceasingly.

But the

Of happiness continues Sending

celestial

Sun

to shine,

his rays of love, of light,

and

life

THE WISDOM RELIGION. Into the hearts of

With longings

And some

men and

for their

them

filling

former state of

bliss.

perceive the light and hear the voice

Of wisdom speaking

Speaking to them:

And waking

darkened souls,

in their

men! Let

from their sleep they

there be Light!" start

and

listen,

Like one awakening from some idle dream.

Some

realize the presence of the

Within

And

throwing

Truth

and follow the Redeemer,

their hearts

off that foolish love of self,

Their minds expand beyond the narrow limits

personality.

flesh

Then can

the prison house

no longer hold the glorious

Which gained freedom from This

spirit,

the love of

the history of man's redemption

Without a passport from a man-made

The

self.

great

Redeemer speaks

priest.

man,

to every

But many hear the voice and sink again

sleep, preferring darkness to the light.

What

the cause of

all

our suffering,

But the desires that chain us to the flesh?

one

free,

but he

who

All love of earthly things,

What

are the forms of

has outlived

all

life

love of

But evanescent clouds? and what In his corporeal form but

He Of

air

To be immortal?

Who "Let

Who

but

God can claim God

Therefore seek the

speaks within thy heart, and say with him there be Light!"

— Seek

for the light that shines

Within thy heart and learn to know Learn

man

and dust?

and feeds the worms

lords the earth to-day

earth to-morrow.

self.

that please the eye,

to adore,

and thou

thyself.

shalt find the Truth.

THE TEMPTATION. There fall:

regard to rience, evil

no absolute

evil

itself

and destroy

by creating

to attain

good

itself.

Evil

to ultimate

with

would be

good

but those

;

who employ and

Egypt some

of the lower

when he was

advised by his

Palestine for

the purpose of

teaching the truth to his countrymen and to

up from

evil

necessary to afford expe-

it.

attained in

degrees of Adeptship, superiors to return

results associate themselves with evil,

evil will perish

Jehoshua had

divided against itself would

evil in the absolute,

and experience leads

means

A house

evil.

power, being

lift

them

and superstition

degradation

their state of

for practical occultism does not consist in merely lead-

ing a

life of

one's

own

contemplation and virtue and attending to

spiritual culture.

To do

so would after

be only a refined state of selfishness. necessary to do external work for the benefit

that

;

others, to help to

equally

to say, to

drive

work

back the

powers of darkness and ignorance, to

assist in the

of ennobling mankind, and to raise

all

work

to a higher

level in the scale of evolution.

Such a work for as

for others brings with

has been well

said

quiet

thinkers and poets, 1

it its

by one life in

Schiller.

own reward

;

the greatest

a solitude

use-

THE TEMPTATION.

the development of one's talents

ful for

;

but for the

strengthening of the characte7% an active co-operation in the battle of Life

required."

Jehoshua had attained a high degree of that interior

power

perception which enables

man

hear the

voice of divine Inspiration speak within the heart with-

To accomplish

out any danger of misunderstanding. this

it is

necessary not merely to become a master over

one's evil desires, but also to keep the disorderly intellectual

powers of the mind subject to the control of the

Spirit, so that

servant,

the Intellect

our friend and

but cease to assume the place belonging to

The

Divine Wisdom.

Intellect

the desires of the lower selfish considerations

which are not Intellect

may become

;

Wisdom

but

self,

easily influenced

above

changeable and mortal

Wisdom

;

The

unchangeable, and immortal.

The

eternal,

Intellect can only

become immortal by amalgamating with Wisdom. the decisions of in

Wisdom and

harmony and

all

she recognizes no personal claims

accordance with eternal Truth.

those of the Intellect are

identical with

each

other,

then the

mortal Intellect rises up to the state of immortal divine Intelligence.

His object was

Jehoshua returned to Palestine. convince his countrymen that

who help themselves, and

God

that

will only help those all

circum-

external

stances are the results of interior conditions

;

that

they desired to extricate themselves from their deplorable condition, they

would have to

call to

their aid the

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

power existing within themselves, instead

divine

of re-

maining indolent and expecting external help from a

God such

as they

had created within their own imagi-

nation.

There were

number

time of which

at the

They were known

rest.

are writing a

more advanced thought

of people in Galilee of

than the

as the Nazarenes

the majority of them were living on the east side of the river Jordan and in the vicinity of the lake Tiberias, andy<?/z;z the

originally

Baptist was their prophet.

the priestly caste of the

This man,

was

Levites,

looked upon by the Pharisees as being a renegade to their

because his doctrines did

order,

to their orthodox views.

had resigned his sacer-

dotal office at the temple, with

chosen a face

emoluments, and

shaggy hair and flowing

almost hidden by his

beard, his appearance

its

all

Clad in rough skins, his noble

of poverty.

life

conform

not

was awe-inspiring, and

was strong, re-echoing

in the hearts

his voice

men

like the

sound of thunder that reverberates through the mountains.

"Repent!" he

cried; "the day of

judgment

Listen no longer to the seductions of sensual

seek the divine

life

within you.

give up the pleasures of

life

near.

life,

but

do not ask you to

for the purpose of

ing misanthropes, but to realize that there

becom-

something

far higher than merely animal pleasures or erroneous

speculations of thought

;

andjjf

you

rise

to the higher regions

and learn to know your own higher nature,

THE TEMPTATION.

things will lose their attraction for you, and

sensual

you

renounce them as worthless objects in the

will

same sense

grown-up

as a

man

renounces the toys with

which he used to play when a has no further truth nal

use,;

and

for

which he

by directing your thoughts to that which

greater than

Reason.

comes thought, and afterwards comes that

Illumination by which

men

eter-

cannot give, for that must

come from Wisdom, which First

child,

baptize you with the water of

but the understanding

;

interior

are baptized with Fire from

the

Holy

who

are pure in heart, like a white dove descending from

Man may

heaven. tation, is

of Truth, that descends

Spirit

be led up to the truth by argumen-

but he can only be saved by knowledge.

Wisdom

the prophet, but

must precede knowledge divine

upon those

Wisdom thought

ness, calling for help easily lost in the

;

Reason

Thought

the Redeemer.

but without the light of like a voice in

the wilder-

an intellect without Love becomes

mazes

of speculations

and misleading

Therefore you, who desire to be saved,

opinions.

pent of your errors

;

re-

give up your selfishness, that causes

you to seek for knowledge merely on account of the benefits

you hope

to derive therefrom

to see the true saviour, the light of

may

find

;

open your eyes

Wisdom, which you

below the dark clouds of ignorance by which

your heart

The fame the country

surrounded." of

;

John the Baptist had spread

all

over

even the embodiment of selfishness, the

great king Herodes, had heard his voice that sounded

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

This man, being a great

like the roar of a lion.

profli-

gate and entirely attracted by sensual pleasures, would

not listen to the warning voice of Reason, but at the

same time he was a great coward. what John the Baptist

said

did what the majority of

might be

men do

was

true, after

at this

John the Baptist

;

all.

day when their

reason comes in conflict with their desires. to listen to

afraid that

refused

he had him arrested and

put into a prison, so that he might not be disturbed by

and be

his voice,

in the undisturbed

left

enjoyment

of the beautiful Herodias.

For some time Jehoshua remained with of the desert of the truths

Hermes

of his

and

his disciples.

this prophet

taught them some

he had learned in Egypt from the books

Trismegistus, called in

Egypt Meti, 1 and

companions wrote down some of the fragments

he taught, and these fragments were afterwards transmitted to their successors.

After the imprisonment of John the Baptist, Jehoshua retired for a while into the wilderness, to devote himself

meditation and self-examination.

moments

in the life of

every

There are

man when he

feels the

necessity to retire within himself and to look into his

own

interior soul.

of the

chamber

of his

he succeeds in locking the door

mind against

all

sensual thoughts

that may arise from external influences, to keep the wandering thoughts steady, " as a lamp sheltered from

the wind does not flicker," to plunge down into the 1

The Gospel according

Matthew.

THE TEMPTATION. mysterious depths of his

may

own innermost being, then own soul.

he find the Divinity within his

Let not this be called a fancy.

man who

for a

Useless would

has not found his

imagine that he found

and

own higher

his perdition.

doubt

in a

manner which

leaves no

room

but which must be experienced before

;

be a

to bring

the internal god reveals himself to

man, he does so

self,

to believe himself to

Such an assumption would be sure

god.

for

can

be known, and which can therefore not be revealed to those

who

refuse to receive him.

There are vast solitudes

in Judea,

where the blazing

sun sends his rays into the treeless desert. nothing filling

to be seen but bare rocks

There

and loose stones

the dried-up beds of the creeks, wherein during

the rainy season water collects, but where during the rest of the

year no moisture

found.

there,

life is

except perhaps a snake gliding over the sand and an eagle floating high

in the air

heated air scorches the parched

watching his prey lips,

and

all

;

the

around

desolation and death, while overhead expands the sky,

the

emblem

of Infinity.

There are solitudes within the human

man may to

retire.

soul, to

which

There are deserts where nothing

be seen but a jumble of adopted opinions and theo-

logical doctrines,

and where reason looks

a drop of the water of truth. rivers

appear at a distance

;

in vain for

Sometimes lakes and

but as

approach, that

which appeared to be true proves to be merely a mirage,

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA

IOO

Things that look

a work of delusion.

in the

moonlight

and

of external reason like precious fruits or like jewels

upon examination

pearls are often found

Wisdom

in the sunlight

to be nothing but worthless rubbish.

Over

our head shines the sun of Truth in the infinite realm, while in the dark caverns of the soul lurk the snakes of evil desires.

To some

such desert Jehoshua

retired,

and there he

fought once more the great battle with his

Humanity, and

own that

self.

looked within his soul and he found therein reflected

the condition of mankind of

own

soul

lose

all

are one with

and humanity

— the

the images of

all

;

an integral part learn to

know our

sense of separateness and realize all

mankind

Soul,

— he

we are in humanity, As he looked in that

;

saw therein

reflected

the miseries produced by ignorance,

and the ardent desire arose kind from error

within ourselves.

magic mirror,

for(man

;

in proportion as

to kill

in his heart to save

man-

the monster of darkness, to

destroy once again the golden calf of self-adulation,

and

restore the worship of the Spirit of

whose temple

becoming a saviour

the soul. to

Wisdom,

While he thought

mankind, the sense of the

"/"

arose in his consciousness, and the tempter approached

him

in the

shape of Ambition, the king of

all

the powers

of eviL

" Powerful wilt save

enable

one," whispered

the tempter,

mankind, cause these stones

men

employ Intelligence

thou

become bread,

for base purposes

THE TEMPTATION.

IOI

they

for they will care little for spiritual truths unless

can make them serve some temporal purpose. material necessities are nearer to of

Their

them than the things

whose existence they know nothing, or whether they

be at truth

may

;

do not care for the

they only care for the material benefits which

from

result

knowledge.

its

mankind.

material condition of

make gold and Then, when will

Men

useful to them.

all

gain

their

easily

terrestrial

Go and improve

the

Teach them how and

comfort

luxury.

wants are provided

for,

they find time to attend to their spiritual salvation.

Go and

teach them the hidden secrets of nature, so

that they

may

kill

enemies and acquire

their

Feed the hungry and save them the trouble ing, liberate

those

who

are slaves and too indolent to

But Jehoshua, rising above the plane of repulsed the

comfort

condition

not is

all

that

and said

all."

selfishness,

" Material wealth

mankind requires

and

their spiritual

;

importance than temporal

of far greater

benefits given to

work-

help themselves, and thou wilt be worshipped by

evil one,

riches.

them without

their

own

The

efforts.

power for good can only grow by a constant battle with evil.

It is well that

man

conditions by which he

should learn

all

the external

surrounded, but every

gratifi-

cation of his selfish desires only calls into existence a

legion of other desires and fastens links

much

by which he

still

chained to Matter.

stronger the '

Evil

a necessary element in the process of evolution

as 'good,' for the only

way

freedom

through

suffer-

THE LIFE OF JEHO SHUA.

102 ing

;

only he

who has fought

come out

in the battle can

victorious."

"But," answered the vince

mankind that

world of

illusions,

existence

cles,

"how

evil one,

wilt thou con-

this terrestrial world is

and that there

merely a

a higher state of

thou couldst perform wonders and mira-

they would perhaps be willing to believe.

thyself

down from

thyself

by descending

understanding, and

the pinnacle of Jerusalem, degrade to the plane of the intellectual

men

Men

will believe in thee.

know

not love the divine truth, because they do not

and before they to believe that

will it

seek to

exists.

know

it,

will

exchange

do it

they must be made

thou canst make

its exist-

ence plausible by performing some wonderful then

Cast

feats,

they be willing to make a bargain and to terrestrial

Does not the

baubles

for

celestial

treasures.

light eternally shine into darkness,

does the darkness believe that

To this the Higher Wisdom belongs to

exists

Self of Jehoshua replied

the realm of

and

" Divine

Light, and cannot

descend to the intellectual comprehension of mortals those its

who seek

for the truth

understanding. 1

dom;

must themselves

Men must come up

cannot descend to their

level.

rise

;

up to

to divine wis-

Moreover,

not a mere belief in the truth, which will save mankind

;

1 When the truth was brought before the judgment seat of the intellect, and requested to prove intellectually his claims, " he never answered him a word; inasmuch that the governor (of the mind) marvelled greatly." Matthew xxvii. 12.

—

THE TEMPTATION.

IO3

own knowledge.

they should have their

Those who

cannot have faith without external evidence, are not in the possession of knowledge.

Let them open their eyes for

•

the perception of spiritual things and cease to cling to

adopted

Let them seek for the truth within

beliefs.

themselves, and not within the opinions of another."

"Wilt thou, then,"

said the

demon

of Self,

"take

away the crutches with which poor Humanity hobbles along

Wilt thou destroy her toys and awaken her

from the peaceful slumber

Dost thou know what a rash act

Men

which she

finds repose

be the consequences of such

will

do not wish to be free from creeds

They hate

and opinions, for they possess no knowledge.

freedom, and prefer to cling to the slavery of their creeds.

They do not want

be their own masters, but they

must have some one

obey.

thou destroyest

their favorite creed to-day, they will have another

What

to-morrow.

They

are afraid to think for themselves

some man free,

should they do without a

to think for them.

Thou

but thou shalt not succeed.

and they

will

they

may

Give them by believe.

kingdom extends

all

As he

self,

make them

Fasten their chains,

means an Authority I

me, enter

and you

will

fol-

Give them somebody in

which

the Devil of Self;

over the world.

sacrifice thy dignity to

men's love of

all

Behold,

they must have wilt

Give them a herdsman to

be happy.

low, and they will be contented. to obey.

;

one

creed

Fall

down and

being, appeal to

be the ruler of the world."

spoke these words, the demon expanded in

size,

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

104

and

an immense cloud of darkness, seemed

his body, like

and Jehoshua

to extend all over the surface of the earth,

saw that the thoughts and actions of

men and women upon

this globe

were

There were almost none

selfishness.

Wisdom

loved Divine rest

of the vast majority

for her

own

all

ruled by

be found who

sake, while

the

all

merely pretended to love her, because they expected

from

favors

They

her.

loved the Truth merely on

account of the benefits that might be derived from

knowledge here or in the

hereafter,

and thus they did

not love Divine Wisdom, but merely her

being able to

know

attracted to

by an unselfish love

they were

satisfied

was represented

for Divine

with anything, however

them

Not

idols.

Wisdom,

false,

as being the truth,

actually loved the truth for

appeared

gifts.

the Truth, because they were not

they worshipped their own

who

its

which

and thus

But there were a few its

own

sake,

and they

luminous stars within that dark mass of

ignorance.

But as Jehoshua looked men, he found that

still

deeper into the hearts of

this love of self

was merely a prop-

erty of the surface of the shell of which

posed, and that there was, after

all,

men

a germ

are com-

of genuine

love of the truth contained within the depths of every

human

heart.

If this

germ could be developed and

brought to the surface, and the love of

occupy a

come Truth.

self

be made to

back-seat,

then would the love for absolute Good

the front,

and men would learn to know the

The

love of self

inherent in

human

nature,

THE TEMPTATION. and

I05

cannot be entirely suppressed as long as

in corporeal

forms

;

but

men

live

can be made to appear as a

matter of secondary consideration, while an unselfish attendance to duty should be a matter of the greatest

importance to

all.

Therefore the Divinity of Jehoshua arose to the sur-

and said

face,

to the

Demon

of Self

" Get thee behind

me, Satan!''' and as he spoke these words, the

demon

shrank into minute proportions and disappeared from sight,

and a flood of light entered the soul of Jehoshua.

He now became new

state of existence

place, self,

self

;

he had entered a

an interior Illumination took

and he saw that his personality was not his

real

but merely an instrument which he had created

for the

fully conscious that

purpose of

fulfilling a

mission upon this Earth.

had now gained a great victory over his own

and entered into the sanctuary

Truth.

of the

illusive

Temple

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT. The Truth

Man

to rise

teaches nothing else but

to that height

its

own

existence

where he may arrive

;

for

at its under-

standing.

Jehoshua had now become strong

he had become a

;

prophet and Adept.

Before his interior Illumination

took place, he had not

known

he possessed now. spirit like

a blind man,

that firm conviction which

had perceived the power of the

who

feels the heat of the sun-

shine without being able to see the light

;

but

now he

had gained true knowledge, he had become acquainted with his Bride, Divine Wisdom sermons,

and when during

;

being carried away by

his

aspirations

his for

Truth, he rose into the regions of divine thought to

embrace

her, his

human

nature was lost to

ness of personal limited existence in him,

and

;

his

all

conscious-

Bride took form

was no more the man Jehoshua who spoke

divinely inspired words

;

but

was Divine Wisdom

herself that spoke through his lips.

His whole being

appeared on such occasions to be permeated by the

Light of the Logos ; yea, for

been the Logos This

may

itself

all

we know,

may have

manifesting through him.

explain why, like the Avatars of old, he

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT.

\0J

spoke of himself as being The Christ, The Truth, and

This Spirit of Wisdom, that in an-

The Son of God.

had spoken through the mouth

cient times |

saying

Krishna,

the way, the supporter, lord, witness,

abode, and friend " ;

and the end of

all

words through the

" I

the beginning, the middle

existing

lips of

things,"

repeated these

Jehoshua, saying

the

... I am the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end" 4 and this divine spirit still continues to speak in the same manner in the

way, the truth, and the

life.

;

heart of every one

and

of Self

who

become

able to rise above the Sphere

for the time being

one with his

God.

He lee,

taught in

many

of the

and gained the hearts

towns and villages of Gali-

of the people

his great

beauty and eloquence and by that power which always inspires those

who

teaching the truth.

are firmly convinced that they are

From

he went,

village to village

preaching anew the old gospel of fraternal love

many

times

when the doors

closed against him, he

upon a

hill,

of the

;

and

synagogues were

may have been

seen, standing

surrounded by the listening crowd, while

the evening breeze played with his long flowing locks,

and above him on the distant sky shone that bright constellation of stars called the Southern Cross, as

were to reveal the future that was waiting for him

—a

cross

upon 1

this

Bhagavad

Earth and eternal glory in Heaven. Gita,

2 Ibid, x. 20.

be. 13.

John

Revelation

xiv. 6. i.

THE LIFE OF JEH SHUA.

108

Those few and the

spirit,

through

rare persons, the regenerated ones in

whom

Word has become alive, and Wisdom manifests itself, require

the

Divine

no preparation for their speeches, nor any elaborate arrangement for their ideas

because

;

it is

not their

own

systems and opinions which they present to their audiences

;

but

through them.

the Truth

are not

speak in a trance, or as

expressing

itself,

now

itself

referring to those

controlled

by a superior

who

spirit,

nor to those who talk of whatever enters their brain but to those

who

travel the road to Adeptship,

able to hear the eternal to

Word

them with no uncertain sound, and who give

nal expression.

Thus the

who

are

in their hearts, speaking it

exter-

bird requires no instructor to

know what melody to sing, and in moments of joy or grief, when Nature pours forth her own sentiments, without hypocrisy and without restraint, thoughts

from the heart to the

lips

rise

and become words, as the

waters of a well rise to the surface without preparation

and without

— being doubly powerful from being

artifice

produced by nature.

— not from the brain, — went to the hearts the hearers

His words coming as they but from the heart,

did,

;

being in possession of the truth, " he taught as one having authority, and not as the scribes,"

who

repeat what

they have learned in books, without being themselves

convinced of the truth of their doctrines, nor inclined to follow the rules

which they prescribe 6

Matthew

vii.

29.

for others.

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT. Thus we

IO9

him one evening upon the Mount,

find

in the

midst of his followers, teaching them ancient truths in beautiful allegorical forms,

his hearers,

because the truth was with them

which are not understood by the truth

modern

not with them.

civilization,

calism, priestcraft, killed

which were understood but

;

our theologians, because

Having departed from our

having been driven away by

and external reasoning,

cleri-

and

crucified

by our modern " Pharisees and scribes," the truth

has departed from our religious systems, and the

alle-

gories of the Bible are not understood, but accepted

merely

in their external literal

meaning, thus degrading

Wisdom into mere rubbish. Let us invoke the of Common Sense to enlighten our mind and to

Divine spirit

explain to us to a certain extent the esoteric of a

meaning

few of the doctrines taught by Jehoshua upon the

Mount.

well

know

that

many words

will

re-

quired to bring within the grasp of the intellect truths

which can be imparted by a few allegories to the wise,

and we also know that the explanations given below do not exclude other explanations equally true.

Matthew, Chapter V. 1.

And

seeing the multitude, he went up into a moun-

tain,

and when he was

set, his disciples

came unto

him. Divine lectual

Wisdom

powers

being aware of a great multitude of

in the

intel-

mind, desiring knowledge, went with

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

IO them

into the

mind was 2.

And

mountain of Faith, and when

became opened.

he opened his mouth and taught them, say-

Then

Wisdom came

the Spirit of Divine

ness of the mind, and said

tranquillity of the

established, the organs for intuition

to the conscious-

—

" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs

kingdom Happy

of heaven." are those,

tions, opinions,

truth in

its

and

whose heads are not

upon a

those

who

theories, but

purity, as

tranquil lake

full

of idle specula-

are able to receive the

comes from the source of

being reflected in their minds, ing

the

like the

all

wisdom,

image of a ship

mirrored in the water.

listen to the voice of their conscience

sail-

Happy

are

and see by the

light of their intuition without attempting to pervert

by the

sophistry of their external reasoning the truths which they intuitionally perceive.

" Blessed are they that

mourn, for they

shall

comforted." Blessed are those trial

illusions,

who do

not seek for happiness in terres-

but recognize the reality of the ideal world.

Their mortal forms may

suffer,

but by rising mentally to a

higher state of consciousness above personality and limitation,

they will be comforted.

" Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the

Earth."

Happy

are those

who have no

already in possession of

all

personal desires, for they are

things.

What

could be offered to

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT. increase the happiness of one

and who has no ambition 6.

who

\\\

already perfectly happy

to gratify?

" Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

who

Blessed are they

love the truth for

their aspirations they will rise

its

own

sake, for by

to its understanding.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Those whose hearts will attract the love of

are all

full

of love and benevolence for

all,

others.

" Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see

God." Only

in a pure

Wisdom be any 9.

and

reflected

tranquil soul can the

image of Divine

and be recognized by the mind without

distortions.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of

The peacemakers

God."

in the

mind of man are those

spiritual

elements which raise him above the sphere of limitation and personality

and

attract

him

to the Eternal.

Being of a divine

nature, they are properly called the children of God.

10.

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs

Power grows by tions for

it,

and remain will

resistance.

the

kingdom

of heaven."

Those who overcome tempta-

true to their spiritual faith, even if they suffer

become stronger

resulting therefrom.

knowledge and

in the happiness

THE LIFE OF JEHO SHUA.

112 1 1

and

when men

" Blessed are ye,

1 2.

and persecute you, and

my sake.

against you falsely, for

ceeding glad, for great

manner

of evil

Rejoice and be ex-

your reward in heaven

persecuted they the prophets which were

for

shall revile you,

shall say all

before you." Such an appeal

men and

to their

to the vanity, selfishness,

hope

for reward, asking

and over the ignorance of

lies

process, during which

become

and they then begin 13.

"Ye

feel the

man

approach of the truth,

to revile him.

are the Salt of the earth, but

lost its savor,

else

to a certain occult

refers

to rejoice over

be anything

lower elemental powers in

the

when they

rebellious,

them

others, cannot

but a pious interpolation, unless

and ambition of

wherewith

shall

the Salt have

be salted

It is

thence good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of man." The Will evil

and

become

loses evil

the its

life

of the soul

sanctity, the

and useless

for

;

but

the Will becomes

whole constitution of

good.

must be " trodden under foot" and overcome by 14.

The

hill

15.

intelligent

virtue.

city that is set

and even the

powers of men who have acquired wisdom,

Wisdom

"Neither do men

self-evident to those

powers

will

recognize

its

light a candle

and put

inferior

bushel, but on a candle-stick, and all

will

cannot be hid."

illumine the mind. wise,

are the light of the world.

on the

man

Evil desires will arise which

that are in the house."

who

are

beauty.

under a

giveth light to

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT. The Wisdom should not be overshadowed by

When

mind

rises

become illumined by

will

16.

the

to the sphere of

selfish desires.

wisdom,

all its

powers

it.

" Let your light so shine before men, that they

may

see your good works and glorify your Father which is

in heaven."

not merely

talk,

but act according to wisdom, and

all

the intelligent powers within and without you will then recog-

wisdom from which your

nize the

over

17.

and

actions arise,

rejoice

it.

"Think not

that

or the prophets.

I I

am come to am not come

destroy^tn"e

Law

to destroy, but to

fulfil."

A knowledge divine law, but

men

of the truth cannot cause

will

enable them to obey

to act against

It is

it.

the misun-

derstanding and ignoring of the truth and the misinterpreta tion of the letter of the law, that causes

men

to disobey the

law.

18.

"For

verily I say unto

you

Till

pass, one jot or one tittle shall in

the law,

The

divine law of

exists.

ing, for

till all

It is

Karma

unchangeable.

will exist as

and

The to

its

true

way

law.

its

eternal

character would be forever destroyed.

to rise

in character

Miracles are impos-

even the least deviation of the

course were to occur,

to pray

become ennobled

by acting according to the unwritten

from

long as the world

Prayers without acts avail noth-

no favors are granted.

no wise pass from

fulfilled."

to a higher condition

sibilities.

heaven and earth

Law

of Evolution

and unchangeable

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

Ii 4

19.

"Whosoever,

therefore, shall break

least

commandments, and

shall

be called the

one of these

shall teach

least in the

men

kingdom

so,

heaven

but whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall

be called great

He who and

own

acts according to his

versal Will of state,

kingdom

in the

God,

the

loses

lives in that

of heaven." will

and against the uni-

consciousness of his divine

who

of his narrow self; but he

Law

according to the universal

rises to its level,

and

acts

his con-

sciousness expands beyond the limits of personality, partaking of the nature of the divine mind.

20.

For

say unto you

that except your righteous-

ness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes

and Pharisees, ye

shall in

no case enter the kingdom

of heaven." If

you act merely according

reasoning, and not from a truth,

you are then not

to the dictates of

your external

direct spiritual perception of the

in that state of spiritual consciousness

which constitutes the divine state of man.

one

will enter

heaven by argumentation. 21.

"Ye

have heard

Thou

shalt not

was

kill,

said

by them

and whosoever

of olden time shall kill shall

danger of judgment."

As long

men are not capable of rising up to a perception may desist from evil deeds merely on account

of the truth, they

of the evil consequences that are believed to follow. 22.

" But I say unto you his brother, shall

that whosoever

angry with

be in danger of judgment."

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT. But when you attain your

own

spiritual

state of

life

;

thoughts.

plane

;

his

external

know

that

acts

;

for the inner life of

are

man

his

merely the shadows of his

External acts produce effects upon the external

but man's thoughts and his

of his inner

where he

will

mind and your thoughts, on which

your future happiness depends real

knowledge, you

life,

and produce

when he

will exist

will

determine the condition

lasting effects

upon

that plane

re-enters the subjective state.

The above examples may be sufficient to show that the allegories of the Bible may be explained in a manner very different from that given by those who imagine that they are the Salt of the Earth

and the Light of

the World.

The

inherent power of the truths which Jehoshua

taught, his noble appearance, natural dignity, and kind-

ness of

manner gained

him the hearts

for

of the people.

account of the mixed population of Galilee, bigotry

and othodoxy were

prejudices,

there than in Judea.

less prevalent

There were many

heathen" who had no

religious

and even among the Jews there were not a

few who had honest doubts in regard to the orthodox creed. their

try

The coming

of the

Redeemer who was

king and to drive the foreigners out of the coun-

had been often heralded, and as often were they

disappointed in their expectations.

such claims.

He wanted

dition of the people

condition would

Many

;

Jehoshua made no

to improve the spiritual con-

an improvement of their external

then

recognized in him a

the

man

natural of

consequence.

advanced

ideas,

and

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

he gained many followers among the inhabitants of that country.

There was, moreover, another circumstance which It is well

served to increase his popularity.

known

every Occultist that a certain degree of spiritual devel-

opment

always accompanied by the development of

power

to heal dis-

mere exercise

of the will,

certain occult powers, especially the

eases by the touch or by a

and

also the

power

of reading intuitively the thoughts

Such things

of others.

are not due to the action of

any unnatural or supernatural cause

;

for the

power

the Will and the principle of Life are said to be funda-

mentally identical, and he

becomes thereby able within his

own

who can

control his

own Will

to direct the currents of Life

organism, and to transfer them upon

others for the purpose of giving health and strength to

them.

It is

likewise believed that those

tained the power to control their

steady their minds,

may

who have

ob-

own thoughts and

thereby become able to read

the thoughts of others, because the mental images created by the latter become reflected and mirrored in

the minds of those whose souls are tranquil, and such

images may enter their consciousness.

Such

powers

Jehoshua

thoughts of the people, and

many

knew

read

their condition

the ;

and

a case of illness that was considered incurable

by ordinary means power

possessed;

of his virtue.

treatment was cured by the

fame spread, many

his

persons were brought to him

;

sick

he became a healer of

THE SERMON UPON THE MOUNT. the body as well as of the

mind

bodies of his followers, and, ignorance, he caused

them

;

he infused

in the

open their hearts to the

through Galilee and

followed in his path.

life

dispelling the clouds of

influence of the divine light of the Truth. travelled

llj

Judea,

and

Thus he blessings

THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHRIST SPIRIT. There

alike

only one absolute Truth.

who

all

Ever

are able to perceive

Being universal,

seen

it.

since the most ancient times Divine

Wisdom

has taught the same doctrines through the mouths of the

Hermes

wise.

Trismegistus, Confucius and Zoroaster,

Buddha and Jehoshua, tin

Plato and Socrates, Saint Mar-

and Jacob Boehmen, Theophrastus Paracelsus and

Cornelius Agrippa, Shakespeare and Shopenhauer, and

innumerable others have taught the same truths more or less complete, and each of these teachers clothed

them

in a

form most suitable to his own understanding

or adapted to the comprehension of his disciples.

For the sake

of illustration,

will

take a few ex-

amples from ancient books that existed before Christian era of

Hermes

dhists,

Trismegistus, the

show the

Dhammapada

of the

Christian

" The wise man, ever devout, who worships the One,

man, and he

" Embrace

Bud-

similarity of these doctrines.

most excellent

the

namely, the Bhagavad Gita, the books

and add corresponding verses

Bible, to I.

;

for

dear above

dear to me."

the

things to the wise

— Bhagavad Gita, VII.

17.

with thy whole heart and mind, and what-

soever thou wouldst learn, Trismegistus,

all

II. 3.

will teach thee."

— Hermes

THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHRIST 3.

"He who reflects and Dhammapada

XXII. 1.

thy mind, and with

all

—

thy heart,

all

thy soul."

— Matthew,

37.

"I (Brahm) was never rulers of

men, nor

Bh. Gita, 2.

meditates receives ample joy."

" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with with

II.

SPIRIT.

"I am

shall

non-existent, nor thou, nor those

any of us hereafter cease

to be."

—

II. 12.

that Light, the Mind, thy God,

who am

before the

moist nature that appeared out of darkness, and that

Word is

bright lightful 3.

He who

and

vanity,

its

shore,

Son

the

of God."

— Hermes,

II. 8.

has traversed this hazy and imperious world

who

through and has reached the other

thoughtful, guileless, free from doubts, free from

— him

and content,

attachment,

call

indeed a Brah-

mana." — Dhainm. 4. III.

" Before Abraham was,

"He is

Hermes,

of which

Man

God?

all

pain."

"Heaven and (power)

one

— Bh.

Immutable and unalterable Good."

"God

22.

made.

and the Father If,

— Hermes, earth

and know

therefore, thou learn

shalt again pass

II. 50.

(eternal)

Law

delivered

shall

pass

away."

away, but

my Word

— Luke, XXI. 33.

having cast off his old garments, takes others

that are new, so the

embodied

soul,

having cast off the

old bodies, enters into others that are new." II. 22.

—

Light and Life

— Dhamm.

shall not pass

"Asa man,

and Light, thou

" He who takes refuge with the from

IV,

II. 17.

"What

into the Life."

58.

that spread out this All can never perish.

thyself to be of the Life

— John, VIII.

able to cause the destruction of the Eternal."

Gita, 2.

am."

— Bh.

Gita,

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

120 2.

"That which always

made

"He who

unchangeable

knoweth that

learned that

it is

" That which born of the

Mara and

born of the

Spirit

"This embodied of Bharata

and has

like froth

II. 22, 23.

never see the king

— Dhamm.

of death."

body

this

which

that

— Hermes,

as unsubstantial as a mirage, will break

the flower-pointed arrow of

eternal,

always corrupted."

and

flesh is flesh,

— John,

Spirit."

(soul) in the

body of every one, oh son

ever indestructible, wherefore thou oughtest

not to mourn for any living thing."

— Bh.

"Of

sensible

the soul that part which

that part which

Hermes,

that which

III. 6.

37.

governed by reason

Man

Gita,

II. 30.

mortal, but

immortal."

—

mortal because of his body,

and immortal because of the substantial Man."

— Hermes,

II. 26.

" Happy

the arising of the

Even

Awakened.

the gods

envy those who are awakened." — Dhamm. 4.

live,

but not

but Christ lived in me."

that hath the Christ (in

hath not the Son of VI.

God

him) hath

hath no

flowery kind of language

who

pride

themselves in

life."

—

— Gal.

life, 1

John, V.

(in

false

reason-

full

of lust,

who

regard (a sensual) heaven as the highest good.

The

doctrines

II.

" Terrestrial things do

Hermes,

are not formed for meditation."

—

42. profit

but celestial things profit I.

of these men, whose minds are carried

away by mere words, Bh. Gita,

that 22.

spoken by the unwise,

Veda words

ing and superficial logic), whose souls are

II. 20.

and he

72.

"To

nothing the things of heaven

all

vicious, covetous, murderous,

giving place to

things

upon the

earth."

—

the foolish and evil, wicked and

and profane,

the avenging demons." — Hermes,

far off, II. 56.

THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHRIST 3.

"Men and

safe refuge.

it,

The

thoughtless man, even

has no part in the priesthood, but

counting the cows of others." 4.

"Not

from me."

people honoreth

lips,

but their heart

"He

There

no peace

Gita,

" Fools of

self-

happi-

little

II. 40.

understanding have themselves for their

must bear

bitter

— Dhamm.

" Except a of God."

not

Love loveth the body, abideth

greatest enemies, for they do deeds which fruits."

there be

in darkness, sensible, suffering the things of

— Hermes,

death."

him who

for

how can

II. 66.

that through error of

wandering

VIII.

is far

"Neither intelligence nor self-possession belongs to the

ness?"— Bh.

"This

Matt. VII. 21.

with their

possessed, and without peace

that doeth the will of

heaven."

— Mark, VII.

undevout man.

a cowherd,

every one that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter the

Father which

he can

not a doer

is like

not a

— Dhamm.

kingdom of heaven, but he

VII.

121

a refuge, to mountains

groves and sacred trees, but that

long portion of the law (prayer), but

recite a

many

driven by fear go to

forests, to

SPIRIT.

man be born

— John,

" Brahma

Brahma

will

the oblation,

the

work."

— Bh.

"The

fire,

kingdom

again, he cannot see the

III. 13.

Brahma

the burnt offering

he enter

who

the sacrificial butter, is

by Brahma.

meditates on

Brahma

Into in his

Gita, IV. 62.

always takes to

itself that

which

the unlike never agrees with the unlike."

like;

— Hermes,

but 84.

" That which in thee seeth and heareth, the

Word

Lord and the Mind, the Father God,

not from one

another and the union of these

is life."

differ

— Hermes,

of the

II. 19.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

122 3.

"Without

(spiritual)

meditation and knowledge

"He

that abideth in

forth

much

me and

power) dwelleth in 1.

"Let

in him, the

—

same bringeth

ye can do nothing."

eateth (aspires)

and drinketh (absorbeth)

flesh (substance)

He who has Dhamm.

near to Nirvana."

me and

"Whoso

no meditation;

no knowledge.

for without

fruit,

John, XV.

IX.

knowledge there

without meditation there

in him."

my my

blood (my

— yohn, VI.

56.

the Yogin constantly practise devotion, fixed in a

secluded spot alone, having thought and self subdued

— Bh.

thinking on Me, intent on Me." 2.

—

(spiritual)

" Depart from that dark

Gita, VI. 10.

be partakers of immortality,

light,

and leave or forsake corruption."

— Hermes,

II. 78.

" Why

have you delivered yourselves over unto death, having

power

to partake of immortality?"

ye people,

men

born and made of the earth, which have given yourselves

drunkenness and sleep and to the ignorance of

Good, be sober and cease your and

allured

visited

— Hermes, 3.

"The

II.

surfeit,

whereunto you are

by brutish and unreasonable

75.

Gautama

disciples

are always well awake,

day and night are always

their thoughts

sleep."

and

on Buddha.

set

Like a well-guarded fortress with defences within and without,

let

man guard himself. who allow the Dhamm.

should escape, for they pass suffer pain." 4.

"When

Math. VI.

"He who

sees

forsake not,

which

in secret."

"Watch and pray, that you may Math. XXVI. 41.

into temptation."

moment

and when thou hast shut the door (of the

ternal senses), pray to the Father,

moment

thou prayest (meditatest), enter into thy closet

(thy soul),

Not right

ex-

—

not enter

—

everywhere and everything in Me, him

and he forsakes not Me."

— Bh.

Gita, VI. 30.

THE DOCTRINES OF THE CHRIST 2.

the soul, and loosing

all

senses and motions,

changed

draweth

Hermes,

IV. 18.

"Self

the lord of self;

With

(the lower) self well subdued, a

such as few can find."

" That they I

in thee,

all

21.

"lam

the source of

all

nature, worship

Me."

man

finds a lord

— Bh.

John,

us."

the whole (universe) pro-

;

who

thus, the wise,

Gita,

God, and that which

things,

all

be the Lord?

else could

may be one

things

Thinking

glory of

—

one, as thou, Father, art in me, and

ceed from Me.

The

who

they also

XVII.

— Dhamm.

may be

that

For

lodgeth in the

contemplate the beauty of Good."

if it

from the body and

wholly into the essence of God.

body of man,

from the bodily

possible, o Son, to be deified while yet

" Shining steadfastly upon and around the whole mind, enlightened

SPIRIT.

divine,

and the divine Nature, the beginning of things that are."

— Hermes, 3.

it is

III. 1.

"All that we are

(is) the light

the result of what

thoughts."

we have thought;

— Dhamm.

" All things were made by Him, and without anything made.

XII.

made up of our

"He who

Him was

of men." the

same

{is) the

— John, ;

life

not

was

I. 3.

to friend or foe

pain and blame are equal

Him was

and the

life,

who

silent,

whom

content with

every fortune, steadfast in mind, and worships Me, that

man is "The

dear to Me." strife

Man, and

— Bh.

of piety

in this

way

being pious and religious, is

Gita.

know God and

becomes Mind. is

angelic

departed from the body, having

becomes the Mind or God."

and

to injure

Such a

divine.

After

striven for piety,

— Hermes, IV.

64.

soul, it it

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

124 3.

" Let us

live happily,

not hating those

dwell free from hatred

man overcome

anger by love,

liberality, the liar

them

you."

The above

them

bless

;

that hate you,

— Math. V.

evil

hate us

;

let

Let a

hate us.

by good, the greedy by

by truth." — Dhanwt.

" Love your enemies to

who

among men who

that curse you,

and pray

for

them

do good

that persecute

40.

examples, if their esoteric meaning

com-

pared, will be sufficient to show the great resemblance

between the doctrines

of the

New

Testament

and

But the circumstance that

those of the Eastern sages.

they refer to the same fundamental truths

means an

by no

indication that the writers have plagiarized

each other.

The

truth exists

are able to grasp

;

as free as the air to

;

can neither be invented nor

Men may

monopolized by man. ideas,

;

all

grasp and remodel

in new forms but the truth is may be seen and described in one

and express them

one and universal

;

part of this globe as well as in another

and does not change

;

and the doctrines

is it

eternal

teaches

through the mouths of those whose minds are

mined by wisdom, a

same which

him

;

for

immortal power whose name Word."

illu-

million of years hence, will be the

taught a million of years ago.

doctrines The Spirit of Christ will listen to

who

still

These

teaches to those

who

not dead, but lives as an is

Divine Wisdom,

The

HERODIAS. _.

That which

taking place to-day.

said to have taken place in the history of the

Continually does Desire, to which

Jews

Man

wedded, seek to alienate him from Reason, and by appealing to Passion she often succeeds in his destruction.

Gay was fortress of

the throng which crowded the halls at the

Makur, where the birthday

Great was to be celebrated.

and helmets, beautiful

tering armors

Herodes the

Stately soldiers with

glit-

ladies clad in rich

garments and adorned with their most precious jewels, the rooms

filled

;

Nubian and Arabian servants were seen

hastening through the corridors

;

the walls were adorned

with costly hangings and with an abundance of garlands

and flowers, to prepare for the banquet, for a great orgy

was king

to take place in that castle, to please the great ;

while in

its

subterranean dungeons languished

the prophet John the Baptist. at the

Let us throw a glance

supposed history of those times.

Herodes Antipas, the king of Judea, was an object of hate and fear to the Jews, who, in their turn, were to

him an object

of ridicule

power

Roman

of the

and contempt.

Trusting in the

army, by which he was supported,

and in the favor of the Emperor, he laughed

at the

mutterings of the discontented people, as long as they did not disturb his comfort.

Only when one or the

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

126

other of those rebellious

ambitious than the

spirits,

more daring or more

became too obnoxious

rest,

to him,

he nodded his head, and the noise-maker paid the penalty for his rashness by a slow death of starvation

upon a cross or by the more merciful punishment

execution by the sword.

He was

a great profligate; but his profligacy would

not have been an object of serious reprobation by the Jews,

who were themselves an

people,

by treating them and disdain

;

indolent and profligate

he had not continually offended their vanity

their religion with

mockery and

but under the existing circumstances, his licen-

tiousness formed one more welcome pretext for the dis-

contented people to denounce him in private and to point at

him

scornfully and hatefully

whenever

could

be done without any risk to themselves.

He was

married to an Arabian princess, the daughter

of a neighboring king.

His wife was a

and unpretending woman

;

beautiful, modest,

but having become satiated

with her charms, he became subject to an animal passion

for

Herodias, the daughter of his half-brother.

This proud and ambitious

woman

accepted his proposals,

and to remove the most important impediment

in the

way for the accomplishment of his incestuous design, the king

made up

his

mind

murder

his wife.

The

plan failed, because the queen, having discovered the plot

through the information received by a faithful

vant, fled with a

ser-

few trustworthy friends across the

frontier to Arabia, to seek refuge in the house of her

HERODIAS.

This incident and the circumstances connected

parents.

with

127

created a great scandal

H erodes,

all

over the country

infuriated at thus having the

his face, considered

necessary, and

mask

any further attempt

resolved

;

at secrecy un-

defy public opinion.

but

torn from

therefore took Herodias to his court, and lived with her in

open disregard of

/Thus we "in

Man

all

decency and propriety.

often see that the great king of selfishness

more enamoured

the reasoning

intellect,

some Vice generated by

the half-brother of Wisdom,

than of his legitimate wife, Knowledge, the daughter of Intuition

;

and when the

whose name his infidelity,

latter sends

her faithful servant,

Conscience, to him, to reproach him for

he attempts to

kill

her and drive her away

But when Conscience has once departed,

from his heart.

Vice begins to show herself openly in defiance of

all

restraint.

Among

those

who most denounced

was John the Baptist. his voice

desert,

trarch.

thundered

and

its

his immorality

Fearless and uncompromising,

like the roar of a lion

through the

echo was heard at the palace of the Te-

Death and destruction and a day

judgment

were foretold by the prophet, and repentance enjoined. Tyranny, vanity, and cowardice always go hand in hand;

and for a while Herodes became seriously frightened.

Thinking that

at all events

might be well to make an

attempt to escape the penalty due for his to

sins,

he sent

John to inquire by what means the angry God could

be pacified.

John, however, was inexorable.

He replied

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

128

that divine justice could not be bribed or bargained

with.

would

prayer, no sacrifice, no ceremony, he said,

He demanded

avail.

cessation of the incestuous

Knowledge, and a separation

intercourse, a return to

from the ambitious woman.

Reproaches and accusations always smart when they are based

upon

Such language Herodes was not

truth.

accustomed to hear, nor would he submit to be made to appear to himself a

villain.

Still

beautiful Herodias, because she

more angry was the

saw her plans

for the

and her position threatened by the fanatical

future

reformer.

required but

little

persuasion on her part

to induce her lover to give the order for the arrest of

John the

Baptist,

and

to imprison

him

in the fortress of

Makur.

More than

this

did not want to voice

Herodes was not willing to

kill

whenever

do.

Reason, but he wanted to silence

was unwelcome

its

In vain

him.

Herodias wept and represented to him that John deserved to be punished

by death, and that she could not be con-

tented as long as the prophet was permitted to

because his very presence was a reproach to her. odes

many

knew

who was

that John,

influential friends,

;

Her-

of a noble family,

and that to

to court an open rebellion

live,

kill

had

him would be

but there was

still

another

cause which prevented him from consenting to the quest of Herodias and to murder the prophet

pected that perhaps, after

all,

John might come true and ;

;

for

re-

he sus-

the prophecies foretold by so,

what better means

HERODIAS. protection against the find

129

that were to come, could he

ills

than the prophet himself, who might act as his

counsellor.

Moreover, John, imprisoned in the subterranean dun-

geons below the castle of Makur, was there as capable of annoying the king, as

little

he had been already

There he might preach and denounce as much as

dead.

he pleased; there was no one to

listen to

him.

therefore treated the requests of Herodias for the death-

punishment

John the

womanish whim, and he

Baptist, as the results of a

at last forbade

her to mention

this subject again.

But who can

baffle the designs of a

has been offended

ity

reason

vice, if

knew the weak

—

trick,

pride, to

Who

— and

can silence the voice of

permitted to speak

points in

sensuality

his

and

not

woman whose van-

and love

Herodias

the

character of

Herodes,

pleasure, his

lewdness

she resolved to have recourse to a

extort from

him that which she no longer

dared to ask. Herodias, as

woman. ures.

may

well be imagined,

was a beautiful

Stately was her form, and faultless her feat-

From

her large dark eyes, overshadowed by long,

drooping lashes, seemed to flash a supernatural

which made

men

played around her

lips,

she were rejoicing over the

victories she so easily gained over the senses of

Her bearing was

fire,

her slaves, while a bewitching smile

full of

men.

haughtiness and pride: thus

must Judith have looked as she entered the tent

of Hoi-

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

130

may have upon Roman patrician

ofernes to cut off the head of the king

looked Messalina

when she feasted

thus

;

But while she might have been regarded

blood.

incarnation of pride, and a personification of lust, she

These

appeared nevertheless very modest.

seemed

to scorn the world, could flatter

bow down

graceful form could

at the

lips

which

and plead,

this

approach of the

royal voluptuary, and submit to the embraces of one

whom

she despised at heart.

What

did she care for

H erodes

His person was

nothing to her but an instrument by which she hoped to attain that

which she

desired,

— the crown.

he had not

been a king, she would have spurned him and detested his touch

woman

;

but she well

to render a

man

knew

that the surest

her slave,

way

to appear to

for a

be sub-

missive to him, and to obey his wishes even before they are uttered.

Thus she

ruled over Herodes, while Her-

odes dreamed of ruling over her.

She had committed a mistake by asking life

of John the Baptist

careful,

;

and induced Herodes

spontaneously,

and

him the

to offer that life to her

apparently

This mistake had to be remedied the Baptist had to

she ought to have been more

fall, if

without ;

for the

her

she did not want to

constant dread of his influence.

Who

request.

head of John

live in

this John,"

we should hesitate to put him to death? A beggar, like so many others that we have silenced when they became too noisy, and she said to herself, "that

no one dared to reproach us for

it.

He, a worm, has

HERODIAS.

dared to crawl into will

not recede

let his

I will

;

path,

I31

and to oppose

crush him under

will.

foot

and go

blood come upon himself."

She had asked

for a clandestine interview with Kai-

pkas, the high-priest of the temple at Jerusalem, and

one night he came to her in disguise.

John the

to annihilate

for his aid

She asked him

Baptist, or to find

a pretext to have the prophet accused

by law as a heretic and

infidel

;

and condemned

but while Kaiphas

offered no serious objection to the imprisonment of the

prophet,

whose

violent speeches

were

liable to

produce a

schism in the church and to lessen the authority of the clergy,

his

he would not

murder

renegade,

for

;

listen to

John was

any proposals

of his caste,

in regard to

— even

— and he harbored a certain amount

he was a

of admira-

tion for him.

Thus the resources.

some

beautiful

Herodias was

She once attempted sorcery, in

practices of

little avail,

John the Baptist filled

But

her

own

which she had received

affect

the pure

they reverted to her

soul

evil

own bosom

her heart with despair.

the powers of darkness were not able to do her

bidding, there

was a being, ever ready

her wishes, namely, her of a

because the powers of

which she invoked could not

and

left

have recourse to

an Egyptian woman; but her cere-

instruction from

monies were of

comply with

own daughter Salome,

the fruit

former marriage of Herodias; a charming

about fifteen years,

who was

girl of

universally acknowledged

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

132

be the most beautiful young lady at the court of

Herodes, and a most graceful dancer; and

had not

escaped the attention of Herodias, that the eyes of the lascivious king often rested with a passionate glare

upon the unripe charms

of her daughter.

One day Salome had found after

her mother in tears, and

begging her to confess the cause of her sorrow,

Herodias took her daughter into her confidence and confided her secret to her.

Then

the two

women

a plan which was to cost John the Baptist his

lome was not a malicious

girl

and

frivolous, inconsiderate,

concocted life.

Sa-

but she was exceedingly

;

and

vain,

flattered herself

she was able to accomplish a thing in which even her

mother had

As if

failed to succeed,

John the

and

Baptist, she cared

he had been a

to outwit the king.

no more for him than

slave.

In pursuance of the plot into which they had entered,

Herodias made arrangements for a great

festival to

held at Makur, to celebrate the birthday of the king.

that place the court resorted with a gathering of

selected guests.

Herodes was

magnificence of the

The banquet was opened

three sides of the

arranged

be surprised by the

in a large hall of the castle.

room

tables

horse-shoe form,

entrance, which was

feast.

and couches were

opening

hung with heavy

towards

curtains.

the

In the

midst of the half-circle upon a somewhat elevated plat-

form there was a throne

for the king

and Herodias,

while at both sides the courtiers and the ladies were

HERODIAS.

133

Costly wines and rich viands were served,

seated.

music and songs and various plays increased the of those present, but the best of all the

ity

ances was

come

that time a

off at

number

of selected beauties of Jerusa-

manner

in a

charms than

their

perform-

midnight.

They were dressed and

lem, expert dancers, entered.

ornamented

hilar-

calculated

to hide them.

rather to expose

They performed an

Arabian dance, that excited the senses of the

But now

drunken king to the utmost degree. midst of

made room,

the dancers

the heavy cur-

and Salome the beautiful whirled into

opened,

tain

half-

in the

the room, nude, excepting a transparent film-like texture,

thin as a spider's web,

during her dance.

queen

beauty

of the night, surpasses the stars, so the

Salome

serving as an ornament

the beauty of the moon, the

outshone

the

rest

the

dancers,

she went through the most graceful gyrations.

magnetic

gaze

were the

rest of the

was sole

directed

object

room,

she

stood

ingly at him, her

before

her

the

and

desires ;

the

and when

of applause filled the

king,

looking

implor-

hands folded over her palpitating

She was the

bosom.

upon the king, as

assembly did not exist for her

the dance ended and a storm

Her

personification

vanity and

desire.

kingly entertainment, indeed " stuttered the

toxicated Tetrarch, prise.

who had

in-

not recovered from his sur-

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

134

" And worthy of a kingly reward " said Herodias, in a !

loud voice, so that

present could hear

all

it.

"Yes!"

This remark excited the pride of Herodes. he said; "ask whatever thou receive

"Then laid

desirest,

and thou

shalt

from me."

give

upon a golden

once the head of John the Baptist,

plate,"

answered Salome.

For a moment the king stared surprise.

was too proud

to retract his promise, and, as

of his hesitation,

and

at her in terror

saw that he had been outwitted if

;

but he

ashamed

he answered with a forced laugh and

sent one of the most stalwart servants immediately to

execute the command.

The above

an account of events supposed by

to have taken place in

the Christian era, although there for

;

but what every one

examination

animal odes

;

man

is,

that in the

selfishness

historical evidence

may know by

kingdom

his

own

self-

of the soul of semi-

the king, represented as Her-

and the voice of reason, represented as John the

Baptist, cries like a voice in the wilderness.

cases

many

Palestine at the beginning of

man

many

does not wish to listen to that voice, nor does

he wish to destroy

it,

unless, reduced

by Passion, the

daughter of Desire, he complies with her request, destroys his

own

reason,

and thereby himself.

JERUSALEM. -

The Truth

men.

require

self-existent

any

logical

argument

are willing to receive

A foul

cry

when

to support it

head, nor does

its

known

It is

it.

and the

this

poor alike denounced,

many

an open rebellion was threatened

seemed

merely a general favorite with

parts of the country ;

Levitic

caste,

Now

;

the

he was also of

whose members were considered

was the time

iour to come.

John was not

for

the people and

accepted prophet of the Nazarenes

sacred.

unmeasured

had been the straw that broke the long-

enduring camel's back, and in

the

The

John the Baptist became known.

who

Judea when the

terms, that act of tyranny and cowardice. as

to all

enters their heart.

of indignation arose all over

murder

rich

and independent of the opinions of

has not a stone upon which to rest

for the long-expected Sav-

he had appeared

that time and

proved his authority by a few miracles, he would have

had no end of admirers

;

but the redeemer did not

come.

The Romans,

full of

security in their superior strength,

remained quiet and looked upon the existing confusion as disinterested spectators.

They knew

that there

no hero among the Jews who could act as a

and the few persons who were inclined

was

leader,

to act as such,

counteracted each other's efforts by their

own

petty

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

I36

The Jews claimed

envies and jealousies.

that some-

thing must be done, but there was no one to do all

;

they

waited for Jehovah to perform some miracle, but the

miracle was not performed

nor would an open rebellion

;

without a great and heroic leader have been successful,

Romans were

for the

well prepared for such an event

and although they seemed

be inactive, they silently

took measures to suppress an insurrection.

They acted

wisely in not irritating the excited populace, for soon

the sensation caused by the murder ceased to be a novelty

bread-and-butter affairs

;

important in their eyes than

became again more

politics,

who had fought

noisiest braggarts

and even the

great battles with

their tongues, quieted down.

the beginning of the excitement Jehoshua was

travelling in

John the

Judea

Baptist,

;

but

ing,

well

knew

murder

them what measures were

to a people

to be

that while the passions were rag-

would be useless

wisdom

of the

he returned to his friends, the Naza-

renes, to consult with

taken.

when he heard

for

him

to preach the gospel of

whose reason was dead, and any

attempt on his part to occupy the position of a leader

would have immediately caused him to be suspected being a political agitator.

was not

his desire.

To occupy such

was not

a position

his intention to interfere

with the political institutions of the country; but to raise

humanity up

to a higher region of thought,

bring them nearer to a realization of the nature of true

manhood, and

to elevate their character

and their sense

JERUSALEM. of

i^y

upon which a change

morality,

the

for

better in

their external condition would follow as a natural con-

sequence. All external conditions are the outcome of internal

This

conditions. is

true in regard to a man, a society, an animal, a plant,

or a rock.

trimming of

as true in regard to a people as

cannot change the nature of a tree by

branches

its

;

we cannot change

an animal by depriving

the character

of its limbs

we cannot

;

change the character and the natural conditions of a people by forcing upon

conditions which

un-

are

natural, because they are not the outcome of interior

growth.

The law

acts within

tems,

Karma

an universal law which

communities, yea, even within solar sys-

acts

regard

forcibly repressed, unless displaced

by a

cumulate strength until the pent-up force an explosion.)

Man

his thoughts.

many

personalities,

virtue, will acis

followed by

individual,

may be

made up

and yet being one entity

the same law applies.

A vicious

into vice to-morrow,

his sins

vice

whatever he makes himself by

people on the whole

upon as a compound

individuals.

man would

looked

a great to

which

drop back

were forgiven to-day

;

people that cannot bear freedom would soon return to slavery,

even

they were liberated by some miracle-

worker. Individuals, as well as communities,

grow

in proportion as

they rise up to a higher

ideal is lowered,

they sink

;

ideal.

becomes

spiritually If their

exalted, they

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

138

be elevated accordingly

will

freedom

only

external reforms

reformed dress

him

made

for the free.

amount

Does a

slavery

;

an unnatural

men, but a natural condition

condition for

to,

villain

in beautiful

What

for slaves

as long as the heart

become

garments

will

not

less of a villain

What

;

merely

will

serve to

cut the branches of evil as long as the roots and the

trunk remain of ideas.

ripe

Heroes are the product

growth

of the

Reformers come when the time for reform

they appear and bloom prematurely, they will

;

produce no

Luther and Napoleon were the prod-

fruits.

ucts of their times

;

they did not create reforms before

the necessity for reform had created them ters that appear

upon the stage

of previously existing ideas

;

the charac-

of life are the products

external

life

merely a

shadow-picture, representing upon the wall of matter

the picture contained within the magic lantern of the Ideas are everything

mind.

with ideas, are nothing.

;

personalities,

compared

Persons are only useful

they

are instruments for the execution of ideas; a person

who

not a vehicle for an idea

merely a corpse.

Long-continued and abject fear of Jehovah had made the Jews a nation of cowards. help

themselves,

grace of

because

God from

They had no power

they excluded

their hearts.

the saving

They needed an

ternal saviour, an outward redeemer, one that

come

riding

upon

ex-

would

the clouds, presenting credentials to

secure an undisputed belief in his authority to save god, invested with thunder and

lightning to

;

destroy

JER USALEM. They were

their oppressors.

no true patriotism was to

who were

love of

amongst

whom

There was

be found.

no Marctis Curtius among them, willing to

sacrifice his personal self for

those

a people

had become so concentrated, that

individual selfishness

that time

the benefit of his country

and of vanity; they expected

self

;

were inspired by the

called patriots,

receive

some reward from almighty Jehovah.

The more came in

their self-confidence failed, the louder be-

their appeals to the

their imagination.

bodies

god which they had created

The odor

went

animals

the nostrils

clouds, to tickle

arising from burning

uninterruptedly of

wake him up and induce him

the

sleepy deity, to his

fulfil

and to send the long-expected redeemer

promises

but Jehovah

would not awaken.

Such times were propitious to increase the authority of the priest

Not

and

to allow

any

fill

the money-bags of the church.

profit to

escape the clutches of the

church, the temples were partly turned into stables and bazaars,

where animals

of various kinds, such as

used for sacrifice, were kept for

sale.

were

Cattle and sheep,

goats and pigeons, were waiting for the priestly butcher knife, to

have their throats cut after a bargain was made.

Helpless beasts were killed to please the bloodthirsty

god

;

while those

who

killed

them

Those who speculate easily

accomplish their

suffered ferocious

own souls. upon human vanity and greed, At those times the purpose.

monsters to grow up within their

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

140

ignorant believed

was necessary those

who were

that

make

obtain gifts from

church

gifts to the

God,

then as

;

now

able to pay for expensive ceremonies

and church-service were considered the most pious and

Well may the better-informed

worthy to be respected. Pharisee then as

now have laughed in his sleeve at the who emptied his savings into

foolishness of the pilgrim

the treasury of the church, to buy with material wealth things which could exist nowhere but in his ination

;

own imag-

but deception was considered to be unavoid-

able and necessary, to secure a firm footing for the

church in the hearts of the people and to keep them in subjection to the laws of order.

Clad in long-flowing robes, upon which were embroidered in gold, sentences from the

sacred scrolls,

the Pharisees went about public places, praying in loud voices and

making

lost their

power

No men had

a public display of their piety.

more did God speak

the hearts of men, for

to hear

God they heard the

;

but instead of the voice of

voice of the priests,

They

to be the keepers of the truth.

words were the words of authority pointed to

God, and

the books

who claimed

said that their to

prove

their

the law and the

prophets and explained them in a manner most suitable to the interests of the church.

what they were

told, for

their

But the people believed

John the Baptist was

dead, having been killed by their

own Herodes, and

could not enlighten them in regard to this matter.

Owing

to the ignorance

and selfishness

of the scribes,

JERUSALEM, external worship had internal one,

{All will

more importance than knowledge.

became a servant

of clerical interests,

became mixed up with

of theology

from the

entirely divorced

and empty forms and ceremonies were con-

sidered of far ligion

become

I4I

and matters

political affairs.

attempts to unite the interests of church and state

always degrade religion and weaken the state by

creating a rival

power within the

latter.'

True Religion

has no other interest but the ennobling of the soul is

Re-

above

all

;

she

temporal and egoistic considerations; she

does nothing for the purpose of gaining material wealth or to gratify personal

ambition

;

such things are done by

the church, but not by religion.

government that

needs the assistance of priestcraft to frighten the peo-

government

ple into submission is a

a slave to the church.

weaker by dividing ligion

its

;

true religion has for

Man

upon a knowledge

existing

Re-

This selfishness it is

pur-

Man is

but the foundation

;

the self-love of

man and

rewards which he does not deserve. inherent in the animal nature of

the rock upon which sectarianism rests, and

as everlasting as the

exist in

its

with the universal God, and

between God and

his desire to obtain

;

still

of the nature of the relations

upon which priestcraft rests

Man

weak, and becomes

itself

ought never to be used as a means to accomplish

pose the final union of

it is

and

power with the Pharisees.

an unreligious purpose

rests

of slaves,

mountains

;

for as long as

men

semi-animal forms, their higher aspirations will

be mixed with selfish desires.

long as they possess

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

142

no knowledge

of self, they will be helpless

and ignorant

as long as they cannot protect themselves against their

own

selves,

they will look to the state for the protec-

and to the church

tion of their bodies, of their souls.

for the salvation

They may do away with

superstition and abolish

some creed

certain forms of

they

;

may

for a time

imagine themselves to be free but as long as they are not ;

free

from their own

free

for the devil

own

their

selves

selfish desires,

who keeps them

will

in chains is within

he goes with them to the church and

;

wherever they go. tion,

they cannot be really

they do away with one supersti-

be merely to replace

by another

break the chains of one master, they

will

;

they

soon crave for

another to protect them against their own selves.

long as

sires, as

men

are not able to govern their

and require a master

free,

them; but they have a right

their master should selves,

demand

may be

knowledge,

that

know more than they know them-

and that he should

assist

them

in gaining

edge and not force them to remain ignorant.

much

de-

long as they possess merely opinions but not

knowledge, they cannot be to lead

own

in the interest of

mankind

knowl-

However to attain

not in the interests of their masters

that they should attain

;

for

men were

to attain

knowledge, they would become free and need no other

master but their own priestcraft are in

selves.

Thus the

interests

continual conflict with religion, and

will

remain so until mankind comes a step nearer to

God

in spite of the resistance offered

by the church.

JERUSALEM.

Woe of

Woe

be a power of

will

;

pleasant and useful, but the

retire at

and perish

evil

in dark-

to the state that cannot stand without being

propped up by the church.

spirits that

upon the ignorance

to the church that speculates

mankind

ness.

may find the support time may come when the It

have been evoked grow strong and

will not

our bidding, and they then become a curse to

the country and overpower the state that called

them

to its aid.

the time of which

are writing, the alliance be-

tween the state and the church

Jerusalem was not

Romans

very strong; for the views of the

in regard to

theology were different from those of the Jews. the

Roman government

But

recognized the rights of the San-

own, and

hedrin to have laws of

its

to enforce these laws

and thus while the want of energy

among made

;

even lent

its

aid

the Jews, originating in their religious beliefs,

easy for the

Romans

jection, the recognition of the

church created the

Roman

— so

to say

to keep the

Jews

in sub-

temporal authority of the

— a Jewish government within

government, weakening the

latter

and pro-

ducing conflicts between the two, besides nourishing a rebellious spirit

among the Jews, which had

down by the overwhelming power

of the

to be kept

Romans.

may be found to exist even at this " Jerusalem " known as the Mind of Man.

Similar conditions

day in that

In a well-governed

Mind the king

by Wisdom ought

to rule

alliance with

Selfishness,

supreme

Reason

;

Reason enlightened but will

he forms an

lose its power,

144

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

and a kingdom

Ignorance

the kingdom of Reason.

will

be established within

Then

will the edicts of the

" church" enter in conflict with the laws given

legitimate ruler, and

comes

Reason

will

lost unless

Wisdom

to its aid.

Thus the processes within the

Mind

that

of individual

as the thoughts of individual sion in his features

Humanity

and

continually going on

are

cesses taking place within the

by the

men resemble

Mind

man

the pro-

Humanity; and

find

outward expres-

in his acts, likewise the thoughts

find expression in personalities

cal events; for/the visible

world

stage upon which the inner

life

and

histori-

nothing else but a\

humanity

enacted,

a place where man's subjective and real existence finds

an external representation in that sphere of called the physical world.

illusions

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION. We The

can attain the High only by rising above that which

life

God

of the

Man

low.

necessitates the sacrifice of his attrac-

tion to the animal elements existing in his constitution.

Great was

the joy with which the Nazarenes wel-

comed him whom they now recognized His mind had expanded, strong,

and

his

as their Master.

spirituality

had become

seemed awe-inspiring and

his very presence

There was no wavering or uncertainty

holy.

decisions

;

he had grown to that

full stature in

his

which

man's thoughts become his words, and words become acts

and

;

he had gained the power to control his own mind,

doing so he controlled the minds of others.

superiority

was

now became him

much

so self-evident, that his former friends

his disciples,

his followers looked

a belief unjustifiable

united to his

divinity of the latter tal

and

he were something more than mortal,

Nor was such

His

own

seemed

frame and to attract to

;

for

upon

— a god.

he had become

divine inner Self, that the to

permeate even

itself

his

other spiritual

morinflu-

ences of the same kind, whose presence was manifested

on several occasions.

Thus once he went with some

of his disciples

upon

the top of a high mountain, and as he stood there, he

became deeply immersed

in meditation, while his

com-

THE LIFE OF JEH SHUA.

146

not wishing to disturb

panions,

the

Then

watched him from the distance.

them

sacred silence,

appeared to

a light of a supernatural kind were emanating

from him, and

two Adepts,

in that light they beheld the presence of

whom

they supposed to be Moses and Elias

of old.

Such an occurrence need not be regarded by the

ble or incredible

A donai,

divine

as impossi-

The Higher

sceptic.

the " Spirit" of Man,

fancy or a metaphysical hypothesis to those risen

to his sphere.

who have

was

felt

and there

near,

the

who have

There are perhaps few persons

not at least once in their

the days of their childhood, spirit "

Self,

not a poetical

lives,

perhaps during

that such a " guardian

abundant evidence

in the

biographies of heroes and saints, in ancient and modern

may may

going to show that man's Higher Self

history,

manifest

the lower

itself visibly to

have spiritual intercourse with

same sense

and that

self,

its

own

equals, in

man may communicate

as a mortal

the

with

other mortals upon this earth.

to the nature of man's divine Self

by the ancient Bhagavad

that

Gita,

are informed

" In

this world

there are two existences, the perishable and the imper-

The

ishable.

Perishable consists of

(the Senses, etc.)

the Imperishable

But there

on high. called the

(Iswara)

;

Supreme

all

living things,

called the

Lord

another, the highest existence,

Spirit,

who

the eternal

Lord

pervades the three worlds and sustains them" 1

The Logos

(Christ),

John

x. 9.

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION.

and we are furthermore informed by the same source, that

Some by

meditation perceive the soul within

themselves by themselves it

not, hear of

while others,

who know

from others, and worship, and these

too,

devoted to the sacred doctrine, pass over death."

These views are amply corroborated by the teachings of Jehoshua,

who speaks

on many occasions,

of himself

he had become one with that divine

Self,

while

the apostle Paul and others repeat the same doctrine in

regard to the corruptible and incorruptible body. 1

Again he began

to teach in the

towns of Galilee and

Judea, and more than ever his fame spread over the

country and penetrated even within the walls of Jerusalem.

The members

to see

him acquire such a renown, went

him as one

which

ties of

with his soul, and that soul

;

woman.

of a mortal

and the Universal

to him, to claim

blood form any attraction to

man he had become one was not the son

astonished

But Jehoshua had outgrown

of their own.

that stage in

who were

of his family,

Father

Spirit his

;

was a genius,

he was above

terrestrial considerations, living entirely in the

Our parents

the Ideal.

forms which

ical

earthly

life

;

man who

temporarily inhabits during his

are

Colossians

brethren i.

27.

II.

not the real self of the

existed from

all

Who

Jehoshua therefore said

who

realm of

are the progenitors of the phys-

but that form

regenerated man,

all

He who

Corinthians 2

John

mother, and

does the will of our

iv. 16.

v. 26.

eternity. 2

Corinthians xv. 53.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

148 eternal Father

brother,

sister,

and mother."

was so taken up and absorbed by the one grand

idea of universal fraternal Love, that he lost sight of

the earthly ties that bind personalities to each other.

In his superior state he ceased to be an individual in all

but external form

become unconscious existence,

;

was as

soul

his

man had

of inhabiting a separate state of

and had mixed with the universal

indivisible

divine Spirit.

How who

can such a superior state be realized by those

cling to the illusion of Self

How

can

be un-

derstood by an age whose fundamental principle upon

which

its

religion

tercourse are

and science,

based,

politics

and

social in-

the illusion of Self, and to

which a renunciation of personal existence appears be

identical

with

annihilation

And

yet

tians claim to believe such things in theory

;

Chrisfor the

fundamental doctrine upon which original Christianity

was founded

the sacrifice of personal existence, which

leads to a resurrection in a

life

beyond personality and

mortality.

What it

the signification of the Christian Cross ?

merely a memento of an historical event, to remind

the

present

generation that some

eighteen hundred

man was executed as a criminal by cross ? Then if that man or God had

years ago, an honest

being nailed to a

been executed by means

of a gallows, a gallows

have become the emblem of the Christian 1

Matthew

xii.

50.

would

faith,

and

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION.

149

now be

gallows in the place of crosses would

seen in

churches and houses and upon the tops of the spires of

Christian places of worship.

deeper signification

far

;

it is

The

Cross has a

a symbol that was

known

thousands of years before the advent of modern Christianity

upon

may be found

;

cave-temples and

dating from antediluvian times.

relics

mean

in Indian

cannot

the death of a god, for gods are immortal and

cannot be killed thoughts of

self

;

—

means the

entire cessation of

of all self-love, self-will

;

all

means the

mystic death, the renunciation of everything belonging to personality in the

and

Infinite,

ciation of Self

the

way

limitation,

and the entering

Unlimited, and

in a life

This renun-

the great " stone of contention " in

of those

Eternal.

who

desire to

become immortal while

they yet cling to their personal

self.

This superior

state is one of spiritual consciousness above all sense of

personality

;

it is

a happy, and therefore a " heavenly,"

It requires

state.

no keys of bishop or pope, nor any

permission to be obtained by a clergyman, to enter portals

;

its

merely requires the power and the ability to

give up one's love for the lower self and to join the

consciousness of the Higher Self, which already exists in

"heaven."

How

could the prohibition of a priest or the maledic-

/ tion of a

pope ever prevent a

man from

rising

up to a

higher region of thought or entering a higher state of consciousness

man's soul 1

Matthew

is viii.

able to wing itself up to 35.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

150

those celestial heights, no interdict will be able to pre-

vent itN

man

How

could the permission of a church enable

which he

to enter into a region of thought

not

able to enter, because he clings with the grasp of despair

lower perishing self?

his

claiming such a power

whom

Jehoshua said

Verily a church

like the Pharisees of old, of

Woe

to you, hypocrites

who"

devour the widows' houses, pretending to give spiritual gifts,

while you do not possess them yourselves."

This doctrine of the entire renunciation of Self

the great mystery which the Spirit of Christ has taught at all

times through the mouths of the sages

;

the

great secret which Jehoshua vainly attempted to bring to the understanding of a selfish nation

Wisdom

truth which Divine

;

continues to teach.

still

Jehoshua' s disciples did not grasp this idea

he explained to them that

was necessary

personal existence, to gain that

"they refused

dreamed rise

life

which

go any further with him."

of a sensual

heaven

;

the great

it is

;

for

when

to give is

eternal,

They,

too,

their aspirations did not

higher than to gain an everlasting terrestrial

life in

a material heaven, where, unburdened from gross matter,

one upon latter

;

this planet, life

amusements

;

and

life in

life

resembling the

but without the sufferings of the

where there are

dislikes, attractions

full

might enjoy a

their astral egos

still

personal likes and

desires, social intercourse

and

a limited, although ethereal form,

of change, and therefore not self-existent and not

eternal. 1

Matthew

xxiii. 14.

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION. But Jehoshua spoke of a heavenly is

married nor given in marriage

state,

where no one

where there

;

tinction of sex or race or of religious opinion

each individual soul

symphony

great ;

are

now

dis-

where

;

harmony

will all

the

be one in Divinity, as

one in Hitmanity ; an existence where

all

cemented together by the universal principle

Love, where individual consciousness

in the inconceivable happiness of eternal

swallowed up

and universal

which men cannot conceive intellectually

existence, of

as long as they cling to form,

and which

therefore

nothing to them.

kingdom

after this

mankind by the power injustice, superstition,

vidual

Jehoshua wanted to

pattern

establish even on this earth.

wanted

of fraternal love, to

and

men

priestcraft, to bring

each indi-

own

divine

to cultivate their spiritual talents

to develop the spiritual

powers which slumber in

He well knew that

every soul.

to unite all

do away with

to a conscious realization of his

nature, to induce

and

a spiritual power, a note in the

that constitutes the

a state in which

All

all

men

are not alike, and

that there can be no external equality upon the mate(

rial

plane as long as the process of evolution

manent progress

equality would ;

mean

lasts.

permanent cessation

that

all

would be characterized by an absence of

that necessary stimulus which causes activity

knew

Per-

men had and

but he

the same natural rights for the

attainment of knowledge, and that they to see the truth

;

to strive after

all

were entitled

supreme and

eternal

THE LIFE OF JEHO SHUA.

152

He wanted

happiness.

which would

Ideal,

to give

them a

them up

raise

higher, a true

the

into

highest

regions of thought to a nobler conception of Man, and

thus by ennobling them save them even from their

own

material degradation, by and through their

Great those

who

are not able to see

wilfully repel its light

The

soul feels the

cannot grasp

power

The

it.

when

as the promised saviour,

all

;

captivates even

seeks to enter the heart.

wisdom, even

who had come

the intellect

to destroy their

equals of the rich, and to

Some

with comfort and happiness.

believed

to be an incarnation of John the Baptist; others

imagined they beheld in him the Avatar. at

provided they do not

they began to look upon him

make the poor

enemies, to

him

it,

efforts.

doctrines of Jehoshua captivated

the minds of the people

supply

Wisdom

the power of

The

power

spiritual

Pharisees and the scribes of the temple

Jerusalem searched their sacred

scrolls

;

but they

could find no prophecy of any star that was to arise

from Nazareth

;

they would not believe that any good

could come out of that place.

His language sounded

insulting to them, because

exposed their failings

his doctrines

were undermining the foundation upon

which their church and death, and

its

dogmas

was necessary by

all

rested.

means

deserved

to secure his

person, to prevent further mischief to the interests of

the church.

In Galilee he was secure as long as he

created no political trouble with the

Romans; the

au-

thority of the temple of Jerusalem did not extend be-

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION. yond certain

limits.

about means

to coax

They consulted with each him to come to Jerusalem

tried to bribe his family to induce his brothers advised

The

153

him

they

to go. 1

idea of going to Jerusalem, to give the finishing

Jehoshua.

well

such an attempt

;

knew

mind

;

strong and

personal considerations.

all

His personal safety seemed

moment's thought

the dangers connected with

now he had grown

but

powerful and risen above

son

;

go there, and

stroke to his work, had already entered the

him not worthy

was the truth

— that he desired to defend;

were

other

and

— not

his

his mortal

of a per-

body

to die in his attempt at defending the truth, the

cause which he advocated could only gain by such a sacrifice.

In vain his friends pleaded that he should not thus risk his

life.

Dark clouds

his clairvoyant vision light, as

of the future rose

;

a thousand suns were bursting forth in the

sky, filling infinite space with its glory.

human

beheld his

personality like a hardly perceptible

dust in the boundless ocean of matter.

while to thing,

up before

but above these clouds he saw a

consider what became

when

worth

such an insignificant

the whole of humanity was to be saved

from ignorance

Let the would-be wise of the world

mind a product tion," or

Was

speck of

of a "

call

such a state of

morbid imagination," "hallucina-

whatever they please. 1

John

vii. 3.

the vulgar every-

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

thing

vulgar,

and the worm crawling under the ground

can realize nothing else but the presence of earth. the coward, courage would be an abnormal state stingy, generosity

a pathological condition

ish,

knowledge belongs to the unknowable

ish,

unselfishness

When

an absurdity.

;

to the

to the fool-

;

to the self-

our philoso-

phers will be able to answer intelligently the ques-

What

tion,

to study

what

Matter? then

will

be time for them

When

Consciousness or Spirit.

our

anthropologists will have learned something more about

the constitution of aspect,

mere

when our

superficial

Man

than merely his phenomenal

naturalists will

know more than

the

laws of nature, and our "Divines"

are divine in truth and not merely in name, then will

be time to argue the questions tality

and immor-

Until that time arrives, " the wisdom

with them.

be foolishness in the eyes of

of the worldly wise will

Divine Wisdom."

of eternity

In our utilitarian age the most useless things are looked upon as Real and Useful, and that which the highest use in the end

Matter

Spirit

But

said to be

and

all,

how

could

no Intellect to employ

it,

said to be nothing.

what use would Matter be without

out thought

regarded as an Illusion.

life

utilize Matter,

and what

and withif

we had

the Intellect but

an activity of matter produced by the stimulus coming

from what

The time

called " Spirit " or

God?

of the festival of the 1

John

vii. 3.

Tabernacles was ap-

THE GREAT RENUNCIATION.

155

proaching, and this was considered by Jehoshua as the

most appropriate time Judea.

for his visit to the capital of

that time the city

would be

filled

with great

crowds from the country, upon whose good natural com-

mon

sense he might rely to a certain extent, because they

were

less sophisticated

than the inhabitants of the

whose opinions and sentiments change where a hero may be

city,

like the wind,

to-day and stoned to

glorified

death to-morrow.

The

followers of Jehoshua

approaching.

Some

of the

saw that the storm was

more timid ones began

regard him as a fanatic, whose rashness was about to

bring on his destruction, and they silently retired to their homes.

Others believed that the long-expected

day of judgment was about to appear and that some

They went with him,

great miracle was to take place.

because they hoped to get some celestial reward, and they already began to dispute which one of them would

be the greatest in heaven.

to be

believed that he would

alive, that

the priests would cause

murdered on the way,

to avoid the sensation

never reach Jerusalem

him

Many

which was certain to be created by

his

open

arrest.

Perhaps on account of these considerations Jehoshua kept his plan secret and did not start for the capital

with the usual caravan, but

soon afterwards by a

left

different route, going

by the way

the country

Samaritans,

where works

of charity are performed.

It is said that

the

Sichem and through

known

as the place

when he entered Jerusalem, he rode

156

upon an ass

LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

nor could

have been otherwise

;

for the

man unless sitting upon and those who attempt to enter

truth cannot enter the soul of

the ass of self-conceit,

the temple of knowledge carrying that ass on their

backs will be

left outside.

THE TEMPLE. There divinity

only one

it is

;

Temple

that living

which the Truth can manifest

its

and conscious organism which constitutes

body of Man.

the soul and

The unexpected

arrival of

to the Pharisees of the

ing from a clear sky.

Jehoshua

temple

Jerusalem was

like a thunderbolt

They had given up

com-

hopes of

all

drawing him into their net, and believed that he would not dare to come to Jerusalem, and voluntarily

now

and without any coaxing.

the bird arrived

But the bird was

an eagle, and was likely to tear the meshes with his claws and punish his assailants with his beak.

The first information they received of the arrival of enemy came through the triumphal shouts of the

their

multitude at the temple, to which Jehoshua had immediately

gone and where he inspired

the living

fire of

They went

truth that

to the place

came from

his hearers with his heart.

where he spoke and they

asked him by what authority he was teaching, and he

answered them that he taught by the authority of that omnipotent power which inspired the ancient prophets but that only those

who were

;

true themselves would be

able to perceive the truth speaking in

him

;

and when

they asked him to prove that his doctrines were true,

he said

The

doctrines which

teach are not

own,

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

158

but

the Truth which teaches them through me.

He that

teaches his

of himself

;

own

doctrines and theories speaketh

acting under the impulse of earthly

ambition and seeketh his

God; but he

own

glory and not the glory of

that seeks to glorify,

— not

himself,

— but

God, by giving expression to the truth of which he conscious,

and no

may know

that you

ances and power.

true,

but

and you

will

true,

soul.

its

;

Man,"

capital is the

its

there

so,

know he

own inherent

are

the truth."

said,

Mind, and

"resembles a its

In that capital and temple there are

prophets, as

Live

the truth, not by external appear-

argumentation,

"The organism kingdom

can be in him.

evil

Jerusalem.

temple the

many

false

There are the

Pharisees of sophistry and false logic, credulity, and scepticism;

and the 'scribes' are the prejudices and

erroneous opinions engrafted upon the memory.

not listen to what these false prophets say, but listen to the voice of wisdom that speaks in your heart

;

for

verily I say unto you, the temple, built of speculations

which the scribes have erected,

be destroyed, and

will

not one of the dogmas and theories of which

been constructed

will

remain,

when

has

the day of sound

judgment appears. 4 " See the truth enters your heart, bearing the leaf, the symbol of peace.

Let

abide yourself in the truth.

There

John

vii.

16.

John

vii.

24.

palm

abide in you, and is

no other worship

John viii. 47. Matthew xxiv.

THE TEMPLE.

acceptable to the universal God, but to keep his com-

mandments, which he reveals

Wisdom, whose voice speaks

of Divine

Love one another

consciousness.

unselfish love, so will

will not find

God

for

;

and not

in external things is

merely a world

reside in you,

comprehend the

and you

God come

that hates the

divine and comes from

Wisdom

you

let

will

guide you into the light of knowledge

the spirit of

rejoice, for

abide in your

departs from your heart, then will you abide

and lament, but the animal

and your soul instincts

weep

will

within you will

they love darkness and are sorely grieved

light of the truth.

Open your

and churches

this church, or

seek for

God

is ;

not to be found in

and

any one

in that one,

within your

own

Intuition,

tells

man-made temyou, Christ

do not believe

heart.

and the scribes and the

your mind

God

hearts and see the image of the true

within them.

isees

di-

in the darkness of ignorance,

ples

Seek for

but when

Spirit

neither can the

;

Infinite.

will find him.

truth hates God, for the Truth

by the

The

of absolute truth.

vine wisdom within yourself; then will

God.

pervading the universe, but the physical

intellect

hearts,

your higher

and as you grow

Truth

senses are not constituted to see finite

wisdom.

for the external world

it,

of appearances, of

you grow

Those who are seeking

you through the power

it,

but

Let not the Phar-

intellectual

powers of

mislead you, but listen to the divine voice of

which speaks

at the centre of

your own soul."

THE LIFE OF JEHO SHUA.

l6o It

may

be imagined that such language exas-

easily

perated the Pharisees and the sceptics tolerated

by them

nor would

They attempted

to-day.

Jehoshua arrested upon the

;

eternal battle going on in the

mind

have

they did not suc-

spot, but

ceed, because the populace took his

part/There

man and on

an the

external plane between error and truth, between specu-

and

lation craft,

between true

intuition,

religion

and

priest-

and the two combatants are often so intermingled

with each other, that

it is

exceedingly

guish them from each other and to

ends and where falsehood begins.

where the truth

Every attack made

upon the erroneous opinions and the church autocrats

difficult to distin-

tell

selfishness of the

misrepresented by the latter as an

attack upon religion;

not upon their religious views,

but as an attack upon religion

itself.

Their church

their

God, and the interests of the church are their religion it is all

the

God and

the religion they

form no conception of a a religion without lives

;

they can

priestcraft,

Having

all

nor of their

kept their minds within the narrow grooves pre-

scribed for

tomed

them by

to worship

helpless God,

;

become accus-

the assistance of the clergy to

the universal, omnipotent, omnipresent

Divinity, the Christ,

men

their creeds, having

an unnatural, limited, impossible, and

who needs

teach mankind

God without

church-benefits.

know

whose

non-existent to

light shines into the hearts

them

;

and although they preach

such Christ with their mouths, repeating the sayings of the ancient books

wisdom, without understanding

THE TEMPLE. deny him

their meaning, nevertheless they

and

him on every

reject

and act hate love

;

l6l in practice

They preach

occasion.

fashioned after their

own

fancies,

and by loving Their God

him, they love nothing else but themselves. is

love

God they

they claim to love God, but the

a limited, personal, circumscribed and narrow-minded

God, and their love

equally narrow-minded and intol-

erant.

Such and

Jehoshua attempted to bring

similar truths

to the understanding of the people in the temple of

Jerusalem.

speaks in

The

me and

spirit

through

said, " that

Wisdom," he

lips,

and whose voice

every one of you might hear within his heart,

how is

to listen to

it,

he knew

the way, the truth, and the

life.

the light of the world, and he that followeth

shall

it,

not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of

He who

light lives in him. 2

and the

to believe for

life.

has become conscious of the existence of that

light within his soul will not die, for

light

what Jehoshua

the truth within

may know the truth

he then

lives in the

not asking you

you to seek

says, but I ask

your own selves, so that you

that the truth

speaking through

and

self-evident to those that are true,

quires no other certificate but

its

own

self.

3 ;

for re-

not

here to do the will of the terrestrial elements composing

Supreme

that frame, but to do the will of the

whom

gence, from 1

John

viii.

all

12.

John

spirits are born.

v. 36.

John

vi.

You

57. 6

John

vi.

38.

Intelli-

are

v. 30.

now

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

worshipping something of which you know nothing but the time will come

when men

understanding of that God

who

will rise

not a product of

the imagination of man, and must be worshipped in spirit

and

yourself

;

in truth. 1 it

Salvation must

come from within

does not come from without.

cannot be

bought with sacrifices nor be conferred upon you by a clergyman, but If

it is

God does

the spirit of

you expect to

attained by the sacrifice of yourself.

live

immortal in Man. are the servants of

not live within you,

how can

for the spirit of God is Life and is The gods which men have created but the true God is their churches

;

greater than the church.

There

no temple worthy to

be the residence of the God of Humanity, but the living

who

souls of those

are pure in their hearts. 3

Such unorthodox language was Pharisees as if it

as intolerable to the

would be to their modern successors,

were publicly repeated

tolerated,

There

salvation without sanctification."

to-day.

Such language,

would overthrow the authority of the church

and of that god who

What would

believed to belong to the church.

be the use for

men

to hire a priest to inter-

God accepted no

cede with God,

would become

of the doctrine

intercession

What

which taught that the

Jews were the favorite people of Jehovah,

Jehovah

had no favorites and was no respecter of persons, but a universal 1

John

Romans

iv.

Spirit,

dispensing

life

22.

viii. 8.

and

light to all

Luke xvii. 21. Hebrews xii. 14.

THE TEMPLE. without partiality? surely be

"This

man,"

possessed of a devil "

each other

how they might

;

they

said,

"must

and they consulted with

him

kill

;

but they dared

not to attack him openly, because he was very popular, for there

were many among the crowd who had been

mentally blind to

their

all

life,

and who now became able

open their eyes and to see the

The

light of the truth.

people always admire courage and intrepidity

;

they well knew the dangers by which Jehoshua was surrounded, and the fact that he remained within the walls of

Jerusalem and continued to teach in the temple, in

spite of the threatening danger, gained for

him

their

hearts.

There was an tempted

old law,

to create

which said that whoever

at-

contempt for the prevailing methods

of worship, or to cause disrespect in regard to the es-

tablished forms of religion, should be stoned to death

without the privilege of a hearing, without judgment,

and without defence.

According

to this law,

Jehoshua

had many times incurred the penalty of death, but the Pharisees did not dare to arrest him, on account of his great popularity.

But an event occurred which brought on the end.

the mind of man, the temple of the living God,

becomes converted selfishness of

into a stable

and trading shop,

permitted to enter; likewise the temple

Jerusalem had become converted into a stable and

market-hall by the selfishness of the Pharisees.

The

courts of the temple and even the interior halls were

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

filled

with

the noise

stalls,

where merchants sold

made by the

the buyer

seller

who attempted

who

their goods,

and

praised his goods, and

to cheapen the price, pene-

trated into the innermost sanctuary.

Grieved at this desecration, and while carried away

his ardor,

he overthrew one of the

stalls

where

trin-

kets were sold, and his enthusiastic listeners followed his

Immediately the

example.

ence were aroused

;

their

selfish passions of the audi-

them

instincts told

that an

opportunity had arrived for plunder, and a fight ensued,

during which the merchants lost their goods and were driven from the temple, while thieves enriched themselves with their stores.

This unfortunate occurrence broke the

spell

Jehoshua ruled the hearts of the people.

[

by which

Brute force

can never be an ally for the promulgation of the truth. ]

Wisdom

useless for

a spiritual power, and external measures are its

purpose unless they are guided by wis-

dom.

For one moment only the great reformer had

lost the

mastery over himself, and now a crime had been

committed.

that

moment he had ceased

representative of the truth and

to be a

become an offender

—

not merely against the laws of the church, but against the divine law of justice. self

long as he contented him-

with denouncing the selfishness of the Pharisees,

he merely appealed to the power of reason, but by his perhaps involuntary and unpremeditated

act,

he had

appealed to the unreasoning instincts of the populace

and entered into relation with the elements

of evil.

THE TEMPLE. By

this act

he had ceased

165

be a reformer, and become

a disturber of the peace.

The

Pharisees were not slow to recognize the advan-

They now appealed

tage they had gained by this event. to the sense of justice

the

leave

city to

and reason, and Jehoshua had

avoid arrest.

went

Ephraim and remained there with

village of

to the his dis-

ciples.

History

said to be always repeating

Even

itself.

the Pharisees of the world and the reasoning powers in

Man

are willing to listen to the voice of the truth

as long as interests.

does not come in conflict with their selfish

All

men admire

the truth, as long as he

remains in his cage and does not threaten their interest will

;

but

when he overthrows

they drive him away from the

spirit

Wisdom have

city.

to retire to

Then

some

will the

quiet place,

to wait until the storm of the passion has ceased, it

may

self-

a favorite creed, then

again attempt to enter the heart.

when

THE HERO. That which

impermanent and

on external conditions.

That which

the necessary conditions within

depends

illusive

real

for its existence

and permanent

finds

itself.

not often that an error committed does not cause

another.

Jehoshua, in overthrowing the

temple, had committed a mistake

salem was another one

and necessary

;

his flight

;

personal considerations

the

from Jeru-

was dictated by prudence

save his person from

stall

danger, but

any kind should never be

allowed to enter the mind of the true Adept,

He who

are in conflict with justice.

they

has risen entirely

above the sphere of selfishness, to that plane to which

few are able to

—a

rise,

acts only in accordance with justice,

Such

justice blind to all personal claims.

demanded

justice

that he should have remained and faced the

consequences of the act for which he was morally responsible.

well

knew

himself to his enemies, that would await

wrong

for

him

;

that

he were to deliver

was not

justice but revenge

but he perceived that

to have left Jerusalem,

have been his duty to remain at his

and that post.

was

would

Moreover,

the row at the temple had caused a misunderstanding in regard to the doctrines

sary to correct this mistake.

he taught, and

was neces-

THE HERO. His

imprudence could not be remedied

act of

first

167

the stolen goods would not be restored

—

but to remedy

;

the second mistake was in his power, and the fact that it

was

Jerusalem was strongly

his duty to return to

impressed upon his mind.

In spite of the entreaties

of his friends, he therefore resolved to return,

selected for that purpose

and he

the approaching festival of

the Passover.

From

a worldly and personal point of view such a

resolution of

the

right.

absurd

appears

higher

self

but from the standpoint

;

was reasonable, because

His reason and

logic told

him

would expose himself to a great danger to Jerusalem, he

tunity to

his position

;

him that by returning he would

The

justice.

intellect argues

what may be

true, but

out any argumentation.

His

to go without fear

undue advantage

for

him and

person, that was their ;

even

own

he returned

find

an oppor-

act in accordance with

and speculates

to find out

the truth with-

intellect told ;

was

but his intuition told

Wisdom knows

expose his person to danger

consider

would probably not even

explain

that, while

him not

but intuition told him

the Pharisees would take act unjustly towards his

affair,

which he had not to

no man can be made responsible for any

other acts than those which he performs himself or wilfully causes others to perform.

him that

would be

escape, for he

far

Logic came and told

more reasonable

for

him

would be able to do a great deal more

good for humanity by continuing to

live,

than

THE LIFE OF JEHO SHUA.

were to go to the

enemies

his

Jerusalem, and

The

;

capital

and permit himself

but Divine

be killed

Wisdom bade him

go to

to leave the consequences to God.

preparations for the Passover festival had begun

the city became

Jehoshua and salem.

filled

his disciples

were on their way to Jeru-

was publicly known that the Sanhedrin had

issued an order to have

him arrested

should enter the gates of the city

known

;

with strangers, and once more

;

as soon as he

and when

became

at Jerusalem, that in spite of the threatening

danger he was on his way to return, his friends rejoiced at his courage,

and they went to the suburb to meet him.

They

him with exclamations

him and

received

ride in their midst. baffled

of joy

and made

Thus they entered the gates

the vigilance of the priests,

who

did

dare to arrest him while he was surrounded by so

not

many

adherents.

Thus does the

soul of

of darkness during

and

sin

and

selfishness

man

rejoice

when, after a period

which the truth had departed, and

assumed the

rule,

wisdom, the king

saviour, appears again at the gates.

solemn moment the passions stitions retire to their corners.

At such

flee to their dens, super-

Peace accompanies the

king and enters with him, and the whole interior world is

filled

with light and resounds with solemn harmo-

nies, while

from

all

the intelligent powers arises a glad

Hosanna.

But the priests and Pharisees well knew that their

doom was

approaching, unless they acted without fur-

THE HERO. ther delay.

they permitted him to remain at Jerusa-

lem, he would indeed

gained that

become a king

much by

hearts, not so

all

169

power by which a superior

of the

his

Jews

;

for

arguments as by

spirit obtains

the mas-

tery over the masses.

The arguments which Jehoshua used in the

temple were indeed unanswerable and his doc-

trines were «sublime

but his ideas were too grand to be

;

understood by the people

they could not grasp them

;

but they intuitively knew that he was

intellectually, right,

while teaching

and they believed not merely

in his words, but

Him.

The

Pharisees consulted with each other, and they

agreed that

was not advisable

him during that day

to attempt to arrest

they resolved to wait until the

;

following night, and they bribed one of his followers

them about the place where Jehoshua was

to inform

going to spend the night, so that they might secure his person without difficulty.

Thus,

the truth has once entered the soul and the

inhabitants of the

presence,

supreme

all

rule

mind have become conscious

selfish desires will ;

nor will

become subject

his

to his

be possible for doubts to

obtain mastery over the truth as long as the light of

knowledge again

exists

appears,

;

but

and

when the

night of ignorance

the intelligent

which accompany the king

fall

spiritual

powers

asleep, then will doubts

again appear, and by bribing Logic, one of the disciples of

Wisdom, they

will

induce him to use his sophistry

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

170

and

influenced

easily

Master

to traduce his

illusions

;

the truth

selfish

and

desires

external

but

allows itself to be thus employed,

if it

had never been born

;

for

sound judgment appears and wisdom returns,

its

when the

then will this false logic be forced to destroy

"Judas Ischarioth

for this

can easily be made to traduce and pervert

would be better day

;

own power, and by

its

own deductions

itself

annihilate

itself.

The

nearer this fallacious logic approaches the truth,

the more dangerous will

which to

false

become

and touches the

;

truth,

for an

argument

becomes a

traitor

Only when Logic embraces the Truth and

it.

mains one with

The

it,

can

chief priests

re-

be trusted.

and the elders

of the temple arrived

and as they dared not capture him

;

in the midst of the

crowd, they attempted to mislead him with their argu-

They tempted him, and asked whether

ments. it

was

just that they should

or not

pay taxes to the Emperor,

whether they should give up their whole

life

And

the contemplation of the things of the Spirit.

Jehoshua answered them long as

man

in parables,

teaching that as

inhabiting a corporeal form,

duty to provide for that form

;

his

but that he should not

give to Matter that which belongs to the Spirit. said that while the labor of the

be employed for

body and

terrestrial purposes,

intellect

may

they themselves,

being of a terrestrial nature, man's higher intelligent

powers and aspirations should always be directed

to-

THE HERO. The body and

wards the Eternal. his servant,

and

Man

Intellect of

the duty of the Master to provide

it is

for the needs of the latter

become the

171

but the Master must not

;

by making

slave of his servant

his

wisdom

subservient to the intellect or by employing his reason for the gratification of the animal

Then spake Jehoshua " The ciples, and said :

intellectual reasoning

self.

to the multitude

and to

his dis-

Scribes and the Pharisees (the

powers of man) have occupied the

chair belonging to Divine

observe what they say

;

Wisdom.

men

speak wisely,

but very often they speak wise

The

words and do not act wisely.

priests put

heavy

burdens upon the people, grievous to be borne, but they themselves

will

move them.

— nor

not

can they

—

purpose of being seen and admired by

ment

gogues

They

;

Rabbi

;

The

love the uppermost in the

syna-

ye are brethren.

Call

adopting his opinion)

your Father, the consciousness of the Truth.

Intellect

seems now to you to be the greatest of

man

illuminated by

Woe

all

(spiritual) father (by

the powers of it is

they orna-

but be not ye called Rabbi, for one

your Master, the Truth, and

one

;

they want to be greeted in the markets and be

no man your for

men

and the chief seats

at the feast,

called Rabbi, is

a finger to

and make big arguments, and broad

their clothing

borders to their garments.

rooms

lift

All the works they do, are done for the

;

but

can only be the greatest,

Wisdom.

to you, Scribes

and Pharisees, for ye shut up

the kingdom of heaven against men, by preventing

them

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

1/2

from attaining

spiritual

yourselves, neither will ye suffer to

You

in.

and land

knowledge.

them

neither go in

that are entering

send your missionaries to encompass sea

make one

proselyte

;

and when he

ye make him twofold more the child of

evil

made,

than your-

because you teach him to argue and use sophistry,

self,

and to cling

Woe

to external illusions.

unto you, who

are blind to the spiritual perception of the truth, while

you pretend

be the keepers of

strain at a gnat

it,

ye blind guides

and swallow a camel.

You

who

are like

whited sepulchres, which appear beautiful outward, but

which are within

Wisdom

tion.

full of

dead men's bones and corrup-

has departed from you, and will not

return until you give up your hypocrisy and selfishness,

and learn "

to worship the truth.

He who

is filled

with the

ing spiritual knowledge,

the true shepherd, and those his

voice

;

spirit of

wisdom, possess-

the heaven-ordained priest,

who

love the truth

know

but the merely man-ordained and selfish

priests, full of vanity

and having no truth

in their hearts,

are like thieves that enter the sheepfold, not through

the legitimate door of direct perception, but by climbing in through the

window

Such language was

of argumentation."

sufficient to

wound the

the Pharisees and their followers, and painful because

which are not spirit

;

was

true.

just cause

vanity of

was the more

Accusations or

vilifications

no pain to the self-conscious

they drop like blunt arrows from the armor of

him who

rises

above them

;

but the more an accusation

THE HERO.

173

approaches the truth, the more will

heart and cause a painful wound.

If the

penetrate to the

death of Je-

hoshua had not been already resolved upon by the priesthood, this public exposition of their hypocrisy

and

untrustworthiness would have been sufficient to draw

venomous hate upon him

their

now

moreover, his death was

a matter of political necessity, for as long as the

truth

permitted to remain, there

had aroused the powers

ligent

no security for

and erroneous opinions.

priestcraft, sectarianism

spirit of

inquiry

among

the intel-

he had dared to tear the masks from

;

conceit and hypocrisy, and to hold up the nakedness of

time-honored superstitions to public contempt, and he

was hated and feared by the orthodox Jews. desired to

enemy

kill

They

him, because Logic easily becomes the

of the truth

Selfishness whispers in his ear.

a matter of course,

was not

to be supposed that

the crowds which listened to his language understood his ideas

fold in

;

grow up and un-

for ideas, like trees, do not

one day

like a

product of Magic

;

they require

time to take root in the mind, to bring forth branches

and

leaves, to bear flowers

had been to think

laid in the soil, ;

some

mind had begun

Some remained

and

fruits

;

the intuitional powers within the

wake up and become

receptive.

in that condition, while others

sleep again, like a drunken

man who opens

the thunder rolls in the sky, and then into his stupor.

but some seeds

and some persons commenced

falls

went to

his eyes as

back again

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

174

may be asked

Why

should mankind

turbed in their happy dreams

Why

dis-

should they be

enlightened in regard to things which they do not care

know, being happy in their ignorance

object of

life

not the

the attainment of happiness, and

we convey

could

how

upon mankind,

a greater happiness

than by saving them the trouble of thinking, by taking the labor for their salvation upon our shoulders, so that

they

may spend

their time for pleasure

all

acquisition of luxury

which

all

peace could

men are of one opinion, and what greater we convey upon men than to cause them all

embrace one belief?

and for the

golden age one

Is not the ideal

they would

all

believe as

they would be happy and bless us as their

do,

re-

deemers."

Such

fallacious arguments, full of sophistry, are often

used by the followers of dogmatic theology.

If all

men

could be supplied with an equal share of wisdom, they

would

all

be equally happy

edge, ignorance

the object of

but opinion

not wisdom, animal

life,

;

knowledge

not knowl-

comfort

not

of external things is not

the aim of existence, a merely imaginary salvation does

not convey immortality.

formed into stones, were

all

men

would cease

enclosed in one

be equally

The

all

could be trans-

to suffer;

common tomb,

they

they would

all

at peace.

object of

life is

not

life itself,

but the attainment

of a higher degree of perfection in the ladder of evolu-

tion

;

the attainment of a higher state of consciousness,

THE HERO.

175

which can be reached only through that

spiritual

What would

edge which ennobles the soulA

transferred into the spiritual realm do,

if it

knowl-

a being

possessed

merely a knowledge of externals, but no consciousness for

and consequently no power

things,

spiritual

perceive

surroundings

its

What would

realm of Divine Wisdom,

Surrounded by darkness,

Christ ?

the hell created by of its being

own

its

would permit

chooses

main will

has before him

in darkness

would

in the

exist within

come back again

new

life

to this

expression in form.

and death

be given to him."

will

imagination, until the laws

earth, to seek for light in a

Man

merely possessed the

Logic, but not the light of the living

artificial light of

whatever he

;

he chooses to

re-

and ignorance, trusting that another

do his own work, his choice will be death in the

spirit

when spirit

;

it ;

he wants to

he must work

once enters the heart, but to the soul

which to combat It is

live

will

for the truth,

bring peace to the

bring the sword with

will

selfish desires

;

and

conquer

Self. 2

we attempt to preach, but the man to a realization of his own

not "Morals" that

awakening

of the inner

true manhood.

It is

not a scheme of salvation by which

may be cheated, or a certain rule of conwe wish to establish, but the attainment of The external conduct of a man, however knowledge. good it may be, amounts to little as far as he himself is divine justice

duct that

concerned, unless 1

John

it is iii.

a true expression of the internal

13.

Sirach xv. 17.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

1^6

•

state of his mind.

^Good conduct accompanied with

thoughts and desires hypocrisy.

evil

often a result of cowardice and

the evening approached, Jehoshua, with his disthe house of a friend, to partake of the

ciples, retired to

supper that had been prepared for them.

them

essence contained in every soul, and

which

this principle

would become

spoke to

and universal

of the immortality of that divine

how

all

souls in

self-conscious,

would

spoke

thereby be rendered consciously immortal.

of that divine life of Intelligence that renders the soul

which

permeates luminous,

like a ray of sunlight per-

who

vading a crystal globe, while the souls of those only with the love of self become dark,

when

the mortal intellect whose illusive light illuminated

them

were

filled

during

terrestrial life

"He who

had become dissolved.

clings to his lower self," he said, "will die

with the latter

but he who, even during his

;

this earth, rises

above

all selfish

upon

life

thoughts, and becomes

conscious of being an integral part of the divine Spirit that pervades

all

having during his

when

creation, will live. terrestrial life

Man,

soul of

the physical body dies, returns with the spirit to

the divine Centre to which its

The

become united with God,

constitution,

and

will

it is

attracted

bring

its

own

by the laws of light with

thereby increasing the light of that Centre. glorify God,

Thus

and an increased radiance of Light

place and bless the hearts of mankind. 1 1

John

will

it,

take

Partake ye

all

xxiv. 17.

THE HERO. of that Light of the soul,

body

which gives

life,

iyy

for

the nourishment

it is

form the substance

will

but the wine of spiritual love

stimulus, that causes the souls of

men

of the celestial

the great fiery

expand beyond

the narrow spheres of self-adulation and personal exist-

may become

ence, so that they •

one to

demn

condemn you

Those who are unable

yourself.

you con-

to see the truth,

be punished for their ignorance

will not

There

like gods.

for your mistakes, unless

but they will

;

remain in darkness until they learn to open their eyes

and to see the

light

the truth and reject therefore sin,

commit

who

but those

;

it,

are conscious of

prefer death to

spiritual

suicide,

life,

and they

that unpardonable

which causes their own destruction." 2

They complained

him how

difficult

was

keep

the thoughts continually directed towards the Eternal

and to exclude

selfish desires,

and he told them that

proportion as they would love forget their love of

desires.

Egypt from the book

Kadish" and which they might repeat

keeping

their

thoughts

region of minds.

rendered as follows Matthew

fastened

them from sinking

therein, to prevent

spheres of

Moreover, he taught them a prayer,

which he had learned "

own

Infinite, their

would expand beyond the region

of consciousness

mankind they would

and that as their thoughts

self,

would reach up towards the

selfish

all

its

the

sentiments

—

xxv. 26.

John

silence,

into the lower

meaning

esoteric

xii.

47.

may be

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

" Let us glorify the universal Spirit of Divine

dom, from whose Light the consciousness originates

;

all

thoughts of

rising

May

tions.

Him by

us worship

let

and

self

in daily

His sphere

and

May

in our thoughts

power cause

knowledge and

were

and

aspira-

rules

things

all

by His unchange-

mankind

all

expand

Love, and

a realization of their true

as spiritual powers, temporarily

forms

who

invisible universe

his

men awaken

all

Him

no earthly wish ever cause us to act against

in the visible

able

of all beings

sacrificing to

individual self-interests,

all

the universal Will of the Supreme,

Law

Wis-

grow

may state

connected with mortal

Let no thoughts of our past deeds, when we

in a state of darkness,

supreme happiness, and have ever been strive to

become

all

upon us by

inflicted

free

mar our present

us forget

let

from

all

state of

the evils that

Let us

others.

the attractions of matter

and sensuality, and submerging our consciousness into that of the Universal and Supreme,

from the

illusion of self, the source of all evil

mortal self of

man

and

for the

;

merely an unsubstantial shadow,

while the Real and Substantial nal,

become redeemed

the Indivisible, Eter-

Infinite Spirit."

While discussing such matters, the evening passed

away and the sun sank down below the western

when

they arose to take

breathe the balmy in the

air of

horizon,

a walk in the suburbs, to

spring and to pass the night

garden of Gethsemane. long as the soul of

man

chained to

its

material

THE HERO. form, there will always be

iyg

moments when

that which

mortal in

man

of life

an inherent property of the animal element

in nature,

attempts to assert

and the mortal parts

Jehoshua seemed to volted.

feel the

its

The

claims.

in the constitution of

impending doom and

therefore left his disciples and went a

higher up on the

hill,

love

re-

little

seek consolation from the

Divinity in his soul and to gather courage and strength,

and while he sunk

his thoughts

down

to the utmost

depths of his soul and seriously prayed to the Godhead within, he

became

lost to all his surroundings.

Again

that divine Light which at the time of his Initiation

and upon the Mount soul, illumined

of Transfiguration

his mind, filling

and joy, so that he forgot that he and realized

his

had

filled his

him with consolation was an

isolated being

Unity with the Eternal Father

of All.

THE FINAL The

light of

Divine

Wisdom

INITIATION. not be seen in

will

its

the clouds of matter that obscure the sight are dispersed tuary of the temple cannot be seen until the curtain

The

purity until ;

the sanc-

is lifted.

torches appeared in the distance, the

light of

clang of arms resounded through the garden of Geth-

semane, and the guardians of the temple accompanied by a crowd of fanatical Jews approached the grove where

Jehoshua was absorbed disciples slept.

deep meditation while

The approach

roughly back from the sions of Earth,

of the soldiers called

him

the Ideal to the

illu-

realities of

and the

disciples fled in

dismay

would the guard have permitted them to escape had remained

;

still

less

his

;

nor they

would they have suffered them

They knew Jehoshua very well, for they had seen him many times in the temple but the Truth they did not know face to face they only knew it from hearsay and from the revelations made by to offer any resistance.

;

Logic, the traitor.

They bound him and took him through the now almost deserted streets to the house of the High Priest,

where he was kept a prisoner

until the

dawn, and then they led him out

and threw stones their law.

him

until

day began to

of the city

upon a

hill

he was dead, according to

THE FINAL INITIATION. Thus the body

l8l

Jehoshua Ben-Pandira died

;

and as

his great soul left its earthly

tenement, the latter grew

dark, having been deserted

by the

and

its

tombs opened

veil of Matter,

which during

den the sanctuary Spirit

bosom

into

Initiation

the

had

hid-

Universal

was now rent asunder,

Father, to receive his final

eternal

Mystery which

that

who have

only to those

Temple

of his soul,

the

;

Jehoshua went rejoicing back to

his

light of the spirit,

powers escape

his terrestrial life

the

from the sight

and the genius the

to let the vital

can

known

attained a state beyond

all

imaginable isolated existence, but which consists in

becoming one with that which taking of ness.

its

his

and

par-

divine nature and universal self-conscious-

his

great

became resurrected from

Soul

the grave of Matter, wherein

during

really is

mind arose from

had been imprisoned

the intellectual powers of

its terrestrial life, all

their prisons

and walked again

the bright daylight of Divine Wisdom.

After he had expired, they nailed his body upon a

wooden all

cross

and

left it

there exposed, as a warning to

who might henceforth

dare to defend the truth

against superstition and scepticism, and the hate with

which they regarded him has descended upon their successors, so that even now,

when

the latter refer to

Jehoshua Ben-Pandira, they speak of him merely as the

man whose name ought

not to be uttered.

His followers took the corpse down from the cross and buried

secretly, so that

should be no more dese-

;

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

upon

crated, for they looked

their Master with great

reverence and almost worshipped him as a god. fact,

the belief that the person of Jehoshua had actually

been a god gained more and more credence among the and there was especially one man, named

ignorant,

been an ignorant fisherman, had

Peter, who, having

become one

of the disciples of Jehoshua,

comprehend, and who now began

ings he could not to teach

erroneous doctrine.

this

man

opposed by Paul, a

who taught

man

mortal that

"He 1

exist "

;

that ;

before

and that

He was

God

the Christ is likewise first

seriously

understanding,

could not be a

eternal and omnipresent

things and by

all

present principle, the itual

He was

superior

the universal

but that

whose teach-

Him an

all

things

omni-

eternal,

born and greatest of

all

spir-

Powers, constituting Himself the head of that

universal spiritual Temple, wherein the Spirit of Divine

Wisdom embraces

in his fulness all

with

all

High

Priest

its

ternal Love,

and which not merely

mankind, but the whole of the Universe inhabited worlds

;

the Truth, whose

that " church "

dogma

to receive

But Peter, whose

it.

all

who

spiritual perception

like that of Paul,

whose

universal fra-

and whose knowledge comes to

open their hearts

opened

dwells,

had never been

and who was, moreover, a vain

and ambitious person, wanting to rule and to occupy himself, the place of Jehoshua, taught that

men

could

not be saved by the attainment of Divine Wisdom, but 1

Colossians

17.

2 Ibid.

iii.

II.

3 Ibid.

27.

THE FINAL INITIATION.

only through the authority of the church are always

more people

and submit

to be saved

and as there

;

willing to take the

easy road

by somebody, than such

willing to use strong efforts for

as are

themselves, the

doc-

trines of Peter found more adherents than those of Je-

hoshua and Paul, and thus Peter, by teaching a doctrine contrary to that of Jehoshua, became a traitor to his

Master and denied him thrice even before the cock had

crowed to announce the dawn

ment

new day of

Thus the darkness

to mankind.

re-established

of a

enlighten-

of ignorance

upon the Earth, and

the

was

sacrifice

Jehoshua was, to a great extent rendered useless by

who claimed to be his successors. But the God that gave Jehoshua

those

through his

not dead.

lips is

still

life

and spoke

enters the heart

without asking permission of the Pharisees and the If his

Scribes.

then

soul,

will

presence

man

and bow down before changers,

The

once realized within the

know the King of the Jews, Him. Then will the money-

the sophists, and

scribes

be driven away.

three Sages from the East, the principal powers of

Man, of

begin to

his Will, Thought,

Wisdom,

will

the new-born

and Action, guided by the star

come and

God

;

offer a continual sacrifice to

the soul of

Man

will

become

trans-

formed from a stable into a temple, wherein Herodes, the king of selfishness, has no jurisdiction.

growing strong within

man

The

Christ

will select those of his intel-

lectual

powers which are suitable to become His

ciples ;

will cure

dis-

man's mental blindness, purify his

;

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

mind

of its leprosy, drive out the evil spirits of envy,

and

malice,

which have

begun

from the

lust

soul,

New

bad odor.

to acquire a

and make

even

died, alive again,

powers

within, but their development involves

and death

when spirit

form

of all that

selfishness has died

become

Listen

understand,

Then

Man.

the free

will

tomb, and

its glorified

visible to the eyes of the soul.

well-known voice, which no one can miscalling within your heart.

now

Saviour, speaking

heart of Jehoshua

It is

the true

when he spoke in the Way, the Truth, and the

as he did

the

no one cometh unto the Father but by me." This

;

Christ has never died, but

its

awaken

will

the crucifixion

selfish in

and been buried,

within resurrect from will

Life

and

is evil

.the virtues

they have already

men have

when they became unconscious

spiritually died

of his existence.

has been always with you, but you did not

know

because your attention was attracted to your semianimal

self.

men.

your own God, the divine

isolation exists

;

but where

all

self of all

where no separation and

lives in that sphere

are as one.

requires

no substitute to speak to your heart, no deputy to enter into communication with you,

here Himself.

you

will

no " successor,"

yourself,

and you

for

will

He He

is if

merely open your eyes and become conscious

of his Divinity within yourself

living in accordance

with his divine Will. / f

Not even

to depend

upon the promises

another man,

they are said to emanate from a god

;

but to

THE FINAL INITIATION. own

exert your

which

efforts

and to put your trust

divine within yourself;

of the existence

God by

to the highest

regions of thought and to remain therein

the religion of the future of

— the

an enlightened humanity.

be restored

works

the

;

Scribes

this will

;

Then

will

the true faith

will

priestcraft,

and

our

Then

will

disappear,

correspond with our thoughts.

will

only religion worthy

and Pharisees,

and scepticism

superstition

in that

become conscious

rising

our knowledge not be based upon the opinion of any other man, but upon our

own power

to see

and perceive

the truth, and upon an understanding of the laws of

Nature and the corresponding nature of Man.

long as

men

crucify the truth,

and keep

hanging

between superstition and doubt, the two thieves that steal the reason of

become

of the Truth,

into

man

which

only to

region

the

Eternal Truth

mortal

man must

obtain

be one with

by exalting himself above the sphere

dulity

away, they will not be able to

self-conscious of its divinity.

knowledge exalt

man

;

is it

and

of cre-

pure spiritual knowledge.

immortal, and cannot be grasped by

can only be known to that principle

immortal in man. itself.

it,

self-

The Truth can be known

THE CHURCH. Woe

him who pretends

being a god.

who

Let those

be a co-operator of God without

desire to reform the world begin

reforming themselves.

Soon

after the death of

Jehoshua a spook

said to

have appeared to Peter and his associates, and assuming the shape of Jehoshua, to have said to those present " Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted to him;

and

Whether

whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained."

this self-evident falsehood, contrary to all the doctrines

was uttered by an Elemental, parading

of Christ,

astral remnant of Jehoshua, or

whether it was

other sayings contained in the Bible tion,

made

but to the memory of

Man

;

doctrine completely neutralized

taught

;

— not

did

whether

to the "aposthis

that Jehoshua ever

all

caused divine wisdom, justice, and truth to

away with the

established in

its

eternal

appear to

God

all

who

little

importance

of the universe,

place the rule of a

Absurd and monstrous sarily

many

— the acceptation of

be henceforth regarded as matters of it

— a pious interpola-

in the interest of the church, or

has an esoteric meaning, referring tles,"

—

in the

and

man-made church.

as such a doctrine will neces-

are able to use the

power

enlightened reason with which they have been endowed

by God,

was nevertheless greedily grasped by the igno-

THE CHURCH. who worshipped

rant and by those for

at the altar of Self

place of the invisible and intangible

the

God

Humanity, whose presence can only be perceived

spiritually

whose

by those who are pure

eternal laws cannot be

in their hearts,

changed by men,

who

fur-

human

nished them with visible and tangible gods in shapes,

and

could be bribed and bargained with; with

a church that had the power to permit mankind to

sin,

and nevertheless to admit them to heaven after their death.

The words spoken by Jehoshua, when he said unto me, all who are suffering sorrow, and I you peace. den

me my

light,"

;

yoke

were now travestied by the

ternal sense, entirely opposed to that

intended to convey

;

for

would open their hearts

will give

easy and

church, and misapplied by interpreting

Come

bur-

rulers of the

them

an ex-

which Jehoshua

he meant to say that those who to Divine

Wisdom and

the dictates of the Truth, would easily rise above the sufferings

caused by the illusions of

false prophets

made

join their church

appear, as

those

and submit to their

while the

self;

who would

rules,

would be

saved from the labor which the acquisition of self-knowl-

edge

entails.

In vain the apostle Paul denounced such

an erroneous doctrine and said that he was preaching not a belief in a person, but a faith in the universal

power

of Christ}

and that those who preached any other

Christ but the Logos were teaching errors and belonged iGalatians

12, 16.

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

powers of darkness

to the

Jehoshua,

his doctrine, like that of

was comprehended by few.

nounced by Peter as being a were forged and

epistles

visionary,

He was

de-

and even

his

the purpose of de-

falsified for

luding the seekers after the truth. 1

Thus while the

true and eternal, invisible and spiritual

church of The Christ

based upon the Truth, the

" Christian" churches

sectarian

ible

upon a falsehood

are based

;

upon

vis-

this globe

and while the former

exist eternally, the latter will exist as long as the

will

powers

of evil prevail.

The

doctrine of a personal extracosmic deity

be bribed with sacrifices, was too

much

who can

engrafted into

the minds of the Jews to be easily eradicated by the teachings of Jehoshua and Paul

wards great misfortunes

;

and when soon

befell that nation,

after-

they were

still

need of a saviour to accomplish a work which

they were too indolent to accomplish themselves.

Jeho-

and the claims

of the

vah did not

fulfil

his promises,

newly made Christian god were taken into consideration.

"What

shall

and oppressed

;

we do

to be saved?" asked the poor and the glad response was, " Join the

church of the Nazarenes

any

relief

;

and even

during terrestrial

life,

you

fail

to obtain

will obtain untold

pleasures in heaven."

"But what must we such a

do,"

heaven?" — "Nothing

they asked, "to obtain at all,"

was the answer,

"but allow yourself to be baptized with water and believe 1

G. Massey, " Paul the Gnostic Opponent of Peter."

THE CHURCH. God

that for

will save

you through the power

of the

church

;

he has resigned his authority and authorized the

priests to bind or to loose

the keys to heaven and tates of those people in his place,

you may

he has intrusted them with

hell,

and

whom God

you follow the

dic-

has appointed to rule

believe yourself to be free of

all

danger."

Such an advice was easy enough of the tic

Nazarenes grew

members

from sight

;

increased,

to follow.

and as the number of gnostic

its

The its

sect

agnos-

members disappeared

superstition took the place of knowledge,

mere opinions the place

of the true faith.

The

ancient

doctrines of the sages contained in the books of Hermes,

and the prophets which had heretofore been guarded with jealous care from the eyes of the ignorant, became

common

the

property of those

understand their meaning

;

who were unable

they misinterpreted them in

various ways, divisions of opinions took place, and sects

arose like

mushrooms

after a rainy night,

cration of the sacred mysteries soon its

and the dese-

began to claim

penalty in rivers of blood.

the huts of the poor and into the palaces of the

rich penetrated the gospel of joy easy.

The

religious systems of the

and salvation made

Romans were

decay-

ing rapidly, because they, too, had lost the keys of their mysteries, and the divine and intelligent powers pervad-

ing the Universal Mind, which had been allegorically

represented by their deities, had begun to be looked

upon

as being the personal gods

and goddesses,

whom

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

190

own

The

images represented.

their

religious opinions to

people believed their

be threatened by the new

sect,

These persecutions merely

and persecutions began.

served to strengthen the Christians and to give rise to a heroism almost unparalleled in history.

The living

Rome

arenas in

martyrs

Nubian

;

resounded with the cries of the

tigers

and African

men and women, and

lions

were fed with

the bodies of the Christians,

enveloped in combustible substances and set on

fire,

served as living torches for the orgies of an insane

emperor

new

but for every victim that died, hundreds of

While the

converts joined the ranks.

Christians had attained eternal

tic

by which the lower

death,

;

all

self

life

original gnos-

by that mystic

becomes as

were dead

attractions of matter, while the spirit rises above

the plane of

self,

the

new

converts, misunderstanding

that doctrine, imagined to gain heaven by sacrificing their physical forms.

and

for the benefit of the

lege,

followed

" die " for the sake of Christ

church was considered a

privi-

by an eternal reward, and thousands

rushed voluntarily into the jaws of death

;

thus imitat-

ing the Indian religious fanatics, who, likewise in conse-

quence

of a similar misunderstanding,

threw themselves

down

before the car of the Juggernath, to be crushed

wheels, and to bargain

its

away a short

earth for an eternal enjoyment in heaven. 1

The

Dwarf

doctrine of the

Hindus

hidden within the Car of

The " Dwarf " means

is,

the

that

life

upon

this

he who succeeds in seeing the

Juggernath, will attain eternal

the spiritual principle in the soul of man,

life.

and the

THE CHURCH The church of blood,

and

grew, being continually watered by rivers it

became a power,

rivalling the

power

Kings and emperors watched

the governments.

of its

growth with jealous eyes; and as they saw that they could not suppress to

make

plied

this

it,

they asked

power useful

Lend

What

shall

we do

us?" and the church

re-

us the power of your arm, by which you

enslave the bodies of men, and

power by which we enslave cepted the

offer,

their

will

lend you the

minds."

They

ac-

and made the pact with the church,

and the Evil One, whose

offer

Jehoshua had rejected

while in the wilderness, signed the contract, putting the

name of " Christ " to the document. The Christians ceased to be persecuted, and the church now became a persecutor in the name of Christ, being assisted in her work by the powers of the state. Europe was

at that

time overrun with idlers and vaga-

bonds, and the " Holy

Land "

in the East,

which they

could not find in their souls, looked inviting for lage

and plunder.

Religious fanatics

populace, and soon Europe emptied

"heathen," and " Car "

the body, and

its

pil-

inflamed

the

dregs upon the

murder and rape were committed it is

perfectly true that those

who

learn to

know

the Divinity in their souls, while living in the body, thereby attain spiritual

But the ignorant, misunderstanding this doctrine, applied They had a wagon constructed, and called it the Juggernath, and as it was drawn through the streets, they crowded around Many were it, to see a dwarf, whom they believed to be hidden therein. consciousness.

in a literal sense.

crushed by the wheels in their vain attempts to see that dwarf, and as such a death was said to be meritorious, and to open the portals of heaven,

became gradually fashionable

commit

suicide in this manner.

THE LIFE OF JEH SHUA.

I92

name

the

Him who

taught the religion of universal

fraternal love to humanity.

The God

of the Christian

that of the Jews.

church was as impotent as

had no power to save

shippers from the fate they deserved

" holy inquisition "

The

priests.

fagots kindled by well-fed

and

human

monks depopulated the counMillions of

beings expired upon the rack or stake, in dun-

paraded

in the

last

mask

God

of the

church that

of Christ.

a reaction began, for the age had become

The

a change.

for

and the most horrible

battle-field,

crimes were committed by the

ripe

his

was inaugurated, and

the treasury of the church.

filled

geons or upon the

but as he grew

;

he increased the fanaticism and the greed of

in size

try

his wor-

the monster

Rome

spirit

Luther overthrew

but while he succeeded to a

;

certain extent in driving back the powers of darkness

that ruled the country, he could not remove the clouds that prevent side

mankind from seeing the

the gloomy

cathedrals

entered therein, an

His temples are

light

;

but

as that

;

namely, upon a belief in salvaof that perishing thing called

the personal divisions,

are

self.

Both churches, with

based upon the

selfish

herent in the semi-animal nature in to

devils followed him.

upon the same foundation

Rome

the

by external means

of the church of

tion

built

army of

Rome, he erected

churches, whose windows admitted

when he

light.

his selfish

desire

for

reward

all

their sub-

propensities in-

man

;

and to

both appeal his

fear

THE CHURCH. punishment

upon

resting

are

the

problematical

Both

hereafter.

the erroneous belief

Divine

that

authority can be conferred upon man-ordained priests by a

man-made church

but while the

;

Roman

church

—

once the fundamental falsehood upon which she bases her

claims

most powerful

accepted devil in

mankind are not

authority to save is

crave to prolong ? self-existence

the

so supported.

which these people desire

that thing

whose existence they desire no

appeal to Logic,

man, to prove her other preten-

the Protestant church for Divine

sions, the claims of

What

— may

What

to preserve,

whose

this personal self

and possesses no

life

to save, life

of its own.

they has It is

a continually changing conglomeration of principles,

endowed with a continually changing consciousness. If

were not for the power of memory, which connects

these continually changing states of mind with each other,

and which

itself

would ever know that he an hour ago.

his

that he

a person,

he forgets

These are

only conscious of being in the facts,

which require no argu-

which every one may know by

and self-examination

they are self-evident.

this consciousness of the eternal

not

of the iso-

Infinite Spirit.

reflection

state,

and

for proof, but

man which

consciousness of the Eter-

becomes unconscious

lation of form,

ments

man

the same person he was

and whenever he enters that

nal,

The only thing

subject to change

But

subject to change, no

already safe, for

needs no salvation

;

the consciousness of the

;

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

194 Christ

because

not subject to change.

it is

himself.

Eternal

enter that

long as

men

clamor for a belief

there-

can produce

possess no self-knowledge, they will as long as they possess insufficient

;

they will crave to be the slaves of a master

priestcraft,

Come

assuming the garb

to me, all of

of Religion, takes her

—

ye who are troubled with

take the load from your shoulders.

I will

;

man

consciousness in the

state of

harp and sings the sweet lullaby

row

Salvation

the only possible salvation for man.

self-control,

can be immortal,

which each one must accomplish within

for another, but

and

an internal process which no

fore !

man

the only state in which

;

sor-

I will

save you the trouble of thinking and of mastering your passions.

I will

you by thinking I will

make for

you and assuming control over you.

take care of your thoughts while you live

give you bladders to

and you lull

swim and crutches

I will

;

walk with,

warm on my maternal bosom. sleep when you die, and take care

will rest

you to

after

the battle for self-control easy for

will

you

your death."

Thus the

song

siren

heard, while the ship glides

along upon the storm-tossed waves of the river of

and the helmsman in a

listens,

and dropping the oar he

drowsy sleep and indulges

life,

falls

in fanciful dreams, trust-

ing the guidance of the ship to a form without substance or power, until

Great

founders upon the rocks.

the imaginary power by which

Aided, and which

men

are de-

called the authority of the church.

THE CHURCH. It

has become a dangerous rival of the governments,

and the day may arrive when the

latter will curse the

day when they signed the compact.

The

unreality

the

pretensions

modern

the

church has come to the understanding of the more

They have begun

enlightened masses.

to laugh at her

She

claims, but the church laughs at them.

clings for

protection to the skirts of the goddess of fashion

goddess gives her bright ornaments of brass and ing tinsel

;

she furnishes her with

ceremonies, and in

need

men

pomp and

the

;

glitter-

elaborate

are used to imagine that they are

of these things

they borrow them from the

church, and the latter again takes hold of the leadingstrings.

And Christ

while this farce is

deserted.

its

played, the true church of the

Clear and strong shines the bright

sunshine of Divine roof of

dome, as

Wisdom through it

the transparent

did in ancient times

;

but the

crowds of worshippers that used to crowd the have deserted the temple.

The

sacrificial

the altars have gone out for want of fuel

used to worship in the temple of at the altar of Self.

The temple

humanity unknowingly

live

in spite of is

now

all

of Truth,

human

where the divine Redeemer

fires

for those

Wisdom now

and whose

the innermost centre of every ple,

;

still

halls

upon

who

worship

wherein

all

exist

altars

heart, is the tem-

continues to teach,

the Pharisees and scribes by which he

surrounded.

External churches decay, unless

they are upheld and supported by

man

;

but this eter-

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

I96

nal temple needs no support from mortals

cease

to exist.

condition to be admitted to of

It requires

self.

no one

the truth becomes clear to able to see

and

it,

all will

soon as they draw the tion of that temple

all

as soon as they

from

its

knowledge,

face.

— not

which arises from a realization of the doubt do not enter that temple, nor

absolute, I

and

all

because the truth

who know

its

The

men

there

founda-

that illusive refers

truth.

become

beauty as

merely

knowledge Fear and

there any differ-

only one in the

have the same knowledge.

There are no inducements held out cause

but the

;

to explain its doctrines, for

to the illusions of sense, but that spiritual

;

never

an entire renunciation

recognize

veil is

it is

knowledge taught by mortal man, which

ence of opinion

will

asks for no favors and fees

in that temple to

to be virtuous but the beauty of virtue;

no other penalty for the wicked but that which

naturally follows the disobedience of the law.

There

only one supreme Law, the Love of absolute Good.

When men become and

of living

to the

Truth.

Temple

satiated with the worship of

salt sea fruit,

Wisdom

self

they will again return

to partake of the water of

CONCLUSION. There can be no higher wisdom than a

realization of Divine

Truth.

In the preceding pages

we have attempted

whom

a picture of Jehoshua Ben-Pandira, in Christ

became manifest,

the mind nearer

for the purpose

of the presence of the

real,

living, eternal,

of the

are not new.

in all

and moreover they are

also taught

in the pulpits of those

pleased to

— but

whom

the " heathen."

call

readily seen

and only

Wisdom, that may

who are receptive for it. doctrines we have attempted to explain They are taught in Christian pulpits,

become manifest

forms —

bringing

soul nearer to a realization

true Christ, the Spirit of Divine

Many

draw

an intellectual understanding of the

Man, and the

real nature of

the eternal

different

the Christians are will

therefore

by the unprejudiced observer, that

— while

denouncing the abuses made of religion by priestcraft

— neither

Jehoshua nor ourselves have been attempt-

ing to overthrow the truth of Christianity, nor of any other religious system. that, while the

preaching

redemption

by the

Christ

have attempted to show

whom

the Christian sects are

merely a human being, whose work of a thing of the past, the Christ taught

spiritual perception of

Man

an eternal, ever-

THE LIFE OF JEH SHUA.

I98

whose work

present, infinite Power, still

redemption

and continually going on within the hearts

who worship the truth. It may be left to those who

of all

are able to think, to

decide for themselves, whether or not a belief in the existence of an historical personal Christ

with their own intuition and necessary, useful for their salvation is

justified

sity for those

facts, or

who

an historical belief

and

compatible

sufficient,

but whether such a belief

merely insisted upon as a neces-

are not yet able to grasp the deeper

mysteries of religion,

tian faith,

;

seems self-evident that

made

such

the main pillar of the Chris-

Christians are satisfied with such an

external belief, they will not gain any real knowledge of the truth

;

he who rests

for

satisfied

with an adopted

creed or opinion will seek no further, and remaining idle, his

progress will

come

to a stop.

have attempted to show that the events so beau-

tifully

described in the Bible are allegories, representing

occurrences which have not only taken place in the past,

but which are continually taking place within the

psychic organization of man, and which will continue to for God, Nature,

and

Man

are one

occur in the future

;

undivided whole

the processes going on within the

;

Universal Mind are continually mirrored forth within the mind of man, and the internally acting powers of Universal

Nature

find their expression

forms, as the thoughts of

man find

sion in his physical form

and

external

their external expres-

in his external actions.

CONCLUSION.

Whether a not,

man

shape of a

in the

justifiable or

can only be useful to induce mankind to look up

him

an " historical " Christ walking

belief in

upon the earth

I99

as an

whose example they may

ideal

enable us to live up to a high

imitate.

not neces-

ideal, it is

sary that the latter should have been incorporated in a

gross material form ideal should take It

more necessary

far

that our

form within ourselves.

one of the fundamental doctrines of occult

science, that

man

that which

own thoughts

the product of his

he makes himself by the way he

thinks and acts, for his external form

nothing else

but an outward symbol of his internal character, modified

by the want

of plasticity of the gross matter

posing his body, for gross matter plastic to

change

not

form as rapidly as

The matter composing

the soul

thoughts are continually low and vulgar, correspondingly degraded

;

but

thoughts.

his

plastic.

will

are

com-

sufficiently

our

become

continually

thinking of a high Ideal, our Ideal will take form within ourselves. ical

are satisfied with a belief in an histor-

Christ without seeking to cause or enable a Christ

grow within

ourselves,

merely useless, but

will

such a belief

not be

be an impediment in our

way to The

object of true religion

and

awaken men

will

perfection. is

to ennoble

mankind

to a realization of the divinity of

the Spirit within themselves.

Religion in

its theoretical

aspect means a real knowledge of the relations which

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

200

between man and the eternal Source from which

exist

emanated

his Spirit

practical aspect

in the

beginning; religion in

means the union

man

its

with God,

—

a union that cannot be effected through the external interference or permission of a clergyman, but which

must be effected by the power There

knowledge to be attained by merely

real

learning a theory

the theory

the internal Will.

;

there

knowledge unless

real

confirmed by practice.

would not abolish the external forms

of religious

worship, because forms are necessary for those in a

who

live

form to lead them up to higher conceptions of the

truth by

means

arrive at a state in of that

which

language

;

but

which they may

realize the existence

above form and above expression in

is if

an idealization of forms, until they

the practice of a religion

in accordance with its theory

assume the prerogatives edge of the truth

;

the form

of the living spirit

made

upon a

to rest

not at

;

made

is if

all

a knowl-

belief in

improbable tale of an external historical event, while the truth of

itself is

denied admittance

being used to ennoble mankind,

temporal purposes of the churches spirit

;

is ;

religion, instead

made

then

to serve the

will

the living

depart from the forms, and the forms themselves

will decay.

Such a decay those

who

almost universally observed.

Even

must be aware

of the

cling to the church

fact that in visiting the

churches they receive nothing |

but what they bring with them to the church, and that

CONCLUSION. I

a sermon

only effective upon the audience

expression to the sentiments

but the

the latter;

gives

masses of the people are beginning to look upon the promises made by the churches as being drafts upon a bank which does not exist, and upon the "places of

worship resort

as serving rather for houses of fashionable

and

religious

anything useful

amusement, than as places where

They

taught.

instinctively feel that

there can be no salvation by merely external means,

and having been misled by the of our

superficial

arguments

modern beer-house philosophers and inoculated

with the poison of scepticism, they have begun to doubt the possibility of a therefore they

life

make

and

after the death of the body,

no efforts to save themselves and

develop that internal power by which they might

become conscious

of a higher state of existence.

They have come and

to regard life as being its

own

object

any conscious existence

to ridicule the idea of

the death of the mortal form.

They

after

look upon material

man and

comforts as being of supreme importance to

New

the only means for the attainment of happiness. luxuries are invented every day, and they

morrow indispensable there

become

necessities for existence

The

no contentment.

;

but

tostill

gratification of desires

merely begets new desires as long as the power to enjoy that gratification

which bind

man

exists,

to matter are

by day, while the claims laughed at and neglected.

and thus the

chains

growing stronger day

the imprisoned spirit are Christ, being looked

upon

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

202

as being merely an historical person, a thing of the past, is

away

sent

and that higher state

to the garret,

of con-

Man

sciousness which constitutes the true Christ in is

a thing equally

unknown

to the

layman

it is

to the

priest.

The world swarms with

reformers.

They

are shaking

the foundations of the Church and the State, and the

temples are tottering flying

around a

;

tree,

they resemble a swarm of birds seeking to change the nature of

the tree by picking at the leaves

;

they seek to trim the

means

branches, while they have no

changing the

nature of the sap, and therefore their efforts are of avail

;

build up.

Men

have become unnatural and crave for

unnatural things

;

external

life,

instead of being a true

expression of the internal thought-life, of

little

they can merely produce ruin, but they cannot

harmony with the

latter

;

entirely out

words are no more the

expression of thoughts, and acts are not in

harmony

with the words. It

seems that the only way to restore mankind to

natural condition tion of

the truth;

to assist

to rise

up to a

not to establish a

system, based upon some

new

its

realiza-

religious

theory, but a religion

based upon self-knowledge and knowledge of

self.

we need not present humanity with some new dogma, but we may submit to them some thoughts for their own consideration. do

this,

According to the Wisdom-Religion aboriginal

Man was

of the ancients,

a spiritual power, emanating from

CONCLUSION. the

Great First Cause of

"gradually into

203

descending

existence,

all

Matter, and becoming more

and more

material during that descent, which lasted for millions of ages, until he

became

gross material forms of two different sexes. corruptible

principle,

spiritual

and

differentiated in corporeal

the foundation

His

in-

his

existence, became, so to say, concentrated within the

innermost centre of his being and veiled by matter of In consequence of this "Fall," his

a corruptible kind.

communication with the world

Light was cut

off,

his

"inner eye" closed to the perception of things of the spirit,

while his external senses developed for the per-

From

ception of corporeal and external things. state of degradation

nor would any

man

this

no mortal man can save himself,

ever

to his former state of

make

the attempt to rise again

spirituality, not

such a state exists or

knowing that

possible to attain

;

were

not for that divine Light of the Logos, called the Christy continually acting through the veil of Matter upon the

spark of Divinity

still

and stimulating the same into powers of

Intuition

man

existing within the soul of activity

through the

and Conscience, attempting

Man to seek for that higher state of which mortal man does not know, but of which the Soul feels, If man conquers the living elements the existence. induce

acting within his material nature, and which are appeal-

ing to his love for animal if

life

he follows the voice of

elements of his " Soul "

and animal pleasure

Wisdom

;

and

within, the gross

become gradually

refined

;

the

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

204

which hides the

veil of Matter,

becomes thinner, and

sight,

arrive at a

This freedom from the

reborn in the spirit.

may

which he "dies" to the attractions of sense

state in

and

world from his

spiritual

at last

attraction of Matter to strive

it is

;

man ought

that liberty for which

symbolized by the Eagle rising above the

clouds of matter and enjoying the light of the Spirit.

The sists,

true building of the

Temple

therefore, in the tearing

down

Sol-Om-On conof the miserable

hut built up of erroneous opinions and perverted

— a hovel which we have erected ourselves thoughts, and wherein

opening of

its

and

walls

dwell.

roof, so that

consists

Truth may interior

consists in the regaining of the

the Spirit over Matter,

—a

the

the Light of the

enter and drive

;

tastes,

by our own

away the darkness power which

of its

power

the natural

birthright of immortal Man.

There are three stages by which is

this herculean task

The

accomplished and spiritual knowledge attained.

first is

known to men. know the good from

It consists of

all

intuitively

the bad, the just from

the unjust, the pure from the impure,

"Conscience,"

or,

The second degree

the power to

etc.

;

called

properly, spiritual Inspiration.

receptivity consists in the ca-

pacity, not only to feel, but to understand intellectually, spiritual truths.

have attained

The

it,

third degree

majority of

It is a state

and is

known only

to those

who

called interior Illumination.

only attained by few, and the great

mankind

in the

West do not

believe that

CONCLUSION. It consists in

exists.

senses,

by which

205

an entire opening of the

become

spiritual realities

perceptible to the soul of man, and

Contemplation.

spiritual

objectively

called divine

the highest kind of worship and

It is

true adoration.

These three modes of perception are as easily

as natural

comprehended by those who know by

and

experi-

ence the higher nature of Man, as are the sensual perceptive powers of man's semi-animal body to those

who have studied his perishable form but to those who know nothing about the higher nature of man and who ;

do not believe in his

spiritual powers,

than the semi-animal existence of sible

and

exist

for them.

incredible,

and man's

There have, however, even up

to the present day, existed

of divine contemplation has

man

anything higher is

spiritual

in the

men

incomprehen-

powers do not

most ancient times, in

whom

this

power

been developed, and who

are therefore in possession of superior knowledge, and if

desire to receive information in regard to spiritual

things before

them tion.

we have attained we may look to

Not

the power to perceive

men

for instruc-

that a belief in their doctrines

should be

ourselves,

those

the final end of our aspirations for knowledge

;

but as a

who has gone through a wilderness may indicate way to those who follow after him, so may the teach-

traveller

the

ings of the Adepts serve as

those

who wander about

man was Jehoshua

landmarks and guides to

in search of the truth.

the Adept.

Such

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

206

Such men are not churches of to-day

be found within the

easily to

for ever since the representatives of

;

the churches have lost the key to the understanding of the mysteries of religion, and begun to mistake the

forms for the

churchianism has become identical

spirit,

They

with narrow-mindedness and dogmatism. beliefs accepted is

from each other

free of foreign opinions

and

;

cling to

while true Knowledge

lives in

own

her

realiza-

tion of the truth.

The attainment

of this

knowledge

that glorious

resurrection from the darkness of ignorance,

by which

the Spirit of Man, bursting the shell of matter, arises

from the tomb in which he was imprisoned and regains his previous freedom.

It is

not a state to be expected

when the

in the problematical hereafter,

has returned to

its

elements

;

physical body

for death of the

body

can merely relieve us of things which have become useless to us

possess rise

cannot give us anything which

when we

up higher

living

upon

The

die.

in the

this earth

scale ;

his contact with matter

knowledge during his

;

state

to develop

new powers during

to acquire

more strength and

count of the latter; so that he

knowledge

not

life is

of evolution, while

terrestrial

of consciousness

we do

object of man's

existence,

may

and on

live in

ac-

a higher

and enjoy the possession of

of spiritual truths,

which he has acquired

during his earthly career, unimpeded by the sensations arising

from the sphere

of illusions,

the subjective state, the state of

rest.

when he

re-enters

CONCLUSION.

All the boasted knowledge of the science learned in

schools contains no real knowledge whatever.

knows nothing

of absolute truth.

merely relative

It is

knowledge, and refers to the relations which external bear to each other

objects

however useful

may be

;

and

world of external illusions and tions," will

this

knowledge,

live in this

" objective hallucina-

be entirely useless to us when we enter

that state in

which those

only true science, which

and

all

as long as

illusions

do not

exist.

The

really useful to us in time

eternity, in our present condition, not less than in

the hereafter, eration of

the practical knowledge of the Regen-

Man.

This knowledge

acquired neither by the study of

theology and philosophy, nor by moralizing.

does

not depend on any theoretical information in regard to terrestrial or celestial things,

tion be attained

nor can spiritual regenera-

by leading a virtuous

life

the consequences that are likely to follow in evil

;

we indulge

can only be acquired by a realization of the

truth within our

vent any

for fear of

own

man from

selves.

There

nothing to pre-

arriving at such a realization, except

the lower tendencies of his mortal nature.

The

process

of spiritual regeneration therefore involves a continual

battle with this lower self spiritual aspirations

Spirit

;

an unceasing fight between

and earthly

desires, in

which the

must gain the victory over Matter.

Spirit is Substance, Reality, Unity. indestructible,

indivisible,

impenetrable,

It is therefore

incorruptible,

;

THE LIFE OF JEHOSHUA.

208

Matter

eternal. it

an Aggregate,

Multiplicity, Illusion

;

therefore unsubstantial, divisible, corruptible, and

subject to continuaf change.

man

gains complete

mastery over the " Matter" composing his own constithen

tution,

will

the realm of spiritual knowledge open

become conscious

before him, and he will

Then

ence of Christ.

of the pres-

will the curtain that hides the

sanctuary of the spiritual Temple of Divine

Wisdom be

rent asunder, the Great Mystery will be revealed, and

Man

know

his

from the tomb

will

own

saviour.

Then

will

he arise

Ignorance and walk again in the

bright daylight of immortal Truth, that existed in the

beginning and

As he

will

will exist at the end.

man

long as

does not

his

own

divine

self,

continue to seek in externals that which can

only be found interiorly his ideal in his

but

know

own

when he awakens

power within

as long as he has not found

;

soul,

will cling to external ideals

to the realization of the divine

himself, he will cease to look for salvation

in external persons

and things, and instead

for a Christ in history

will find the true

himself.

of seeking

Jesus within

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