THE BIBLE:
WONDER BOOK OF THE AGES
BY
CORINNE HELINE
PART III: THE CHRIST MYSTERY IN THE COSMOS
FOREWARD
The Baptism heralded the beginning of the Lord Christ's earthly ministry
and the Crucifixion, the high point of His sacrificial mission. At the
Crucifixion, he who came as a mediator between God and man, and heaven and
earth, entered into the heart of the planet and became its indwelling Spirit.
Since then His ministry has continued both from within and without our
planetary body.
The heart of the earth is His planetary center. Each year His Spirit enters
therein with ever-increasing intensity and volume, thus making it easier for
this spiritual impulse to enter into and find a dwelling place in the heart of
man. This was the wonderful revelation that came to Saint Paul on the road to
Damascus, and that he later incorporated into instruction given to his
disciples.
Those who hold that the Christ as a personality never lived and that the
story of His life is but a symbolic rendering of the initiatory Path miss the
very crux of esoteric or mystic Christianity.
A thousand years with the Lord are but as a day. In the Second Creative
Day, as recorded in Genesis, and known in occultism as the Sun Period,
Archangels were passing through a stage of development corresponding to our
present human evolution. However, their vehicles or bodies were not like ours
but were formed of no denser substance than that of the desire or astral
plane. (The next denser vehicle, the etheric body, did not come into being
until the next Creative Day, or Moon Period, nor the physical body until the
succeeding Day, our present Earth Period.) The Christ was and is at the very
head of the archangelic life wave, and it was in that aeonic past above
referred to as the Sun Period that He dedicated Himself to serve and to guide
the earth and all its progeny in their evolutionary development. Then aeons
more passed before our earth was ready to receive Him in its innermost center.
CHAPTER IX: THE TWELVEFOLD PATH THROUGH THE ZODIAC
When the Sun was passing by precession through Aries, the sign of the Lamb,
the Christ came as the Good Shepherd to the sheep that had lost their way.
Preparaions for His coming were begun when the Sun passed by precession
through Libra, the sign opposite Aries, approximately ten thousand years
earlier. Initiate Teachers were sent to different parts of the world, each
with a similar message, to make ready an inner circle of disciples for that
glorious event: the coming of the embodied Light of the Sun who was to be the
Light of the World.
When the Sun enters Libra at the time of the autumn equinox the Christ
glory touches the outer aura of the planet earth, and a cosmic quickening
occurs. Little by little during November and December the Christ Spirit
penetrates the planet's interior, layer by layer, until it reaches its very
heart at Christmas time. To higher vision the Christ Ray is golden like the
spiritual Sun whence it emanates, and it is truly this light that illumines
the Path of Holiness for the disciple who has sincerely and earnestly entered
upon the Quest at the period of the autumn equinox. At some future winter
solstice he will greet the Divine Light, new-born in the heart of the earth,
for the winter solstice is the time for the soul's dedication to the Christ
Way. Before he can achieve this goal the aspirant must learn the cosmic lesson
of Libra: "Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity;
yea, every good path." (Proverbs 2:9) Knowing the real from the unreal, the
true from the false, is the lesson taught by Libra at the autumn equinox.
The disciple on the Christ Path is given the one most important lesson of
all, a lesson which is basic to all subsequent endeavors: He learns that he
himself is a god in the making, made in his Father's image and likeness in his
true, essential selfhood; and he seeks to see himself, to know himself, as God
sees him and knows him. This is called establishing contact with the God
within. In this work the Hierarchy of Libra, the Lords of Individuality, are
divinely qualified to assist. They are more than teachers. They test and try
the soul, and the testings of the disciple at this point are for the purpose
of developing his powers of discrimination, a most important attribute to one
on the Path of Discipleship, when temptations take on the nature of the most
decptive subtlety.
Treading the Path of Holiness as he follows the golden Christ Ray to the
heart of the earth the disciple uses the Scorpio period as a time of
transmutation. He then endeavors to sublimate evil into good, darkness into
light, negatives into positives, in every phase of his daily living. He
consecrates himself to the task of transmuting the base metal of his lower
nature into the pure gold of spirit. The physical laboratory wherein he
performs this "Great Work" is the central nervous system, especially the
spinal cord and the brain, which, automatically, are therefore sometimes
referred to as the Path of Discipleship.
When the fire of the spirit is first awakened in the disciple, it is felf
first at the base of the spine. As the spirit fire ascends it unites with a
corresponding downpouring fire from above, the two gradually increasing in
volume and strength until the entire body is filled with light. he thus
attains to an illumination that is visible to those possessing inner vision.
It is then, for the first time, that his lower nature is literally consumed in
celestial fire and he himself becomes a torch, so that he is able to walk in
his own light upon thr Path of Light laid down by the Christ to the interior
of the the earth, where the Christ Splendor abides in fullness. The greater
his sincerity, the more ardent his devotion, the more intense his application,
the farther along the Path he will be with each return of the Holy Season,
until at last he will be declared worthy to partake of the Feast of Light
consummated on Holy Night.
Biblically, as well as astrologically, Scorpio, the sign which the Sun
enters about the 2oth of October, is dsaid to have for the neophyte two
keynotes, the first being for the neophyte as follows: "Blessed are the pure
in heart for they shall see God." and second, for the illumined disciple, "I
will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the
world."
As the Sun passes through Sagittarius in the month of December the Christ
illumines the inner realms and forms a veritable spiritual garment for our
planet. Viewed with spiritual vision from outer space the earth then appears
like a ball of molten gold. The disciple who views this radiance from the
planet's surface walks in an ocean of golden light. All of the brightness and
color of Christmas observances are but a dim reflection of the light and glory
of the inner planetary realms when the Christ Glory is functioning therein. if
a disciple on the Path of Holiness has worked faithfully and effectively with
the forces of transmutation under the influence of Scorpio, he will now find
himself drawn into that great and glorious radiance.
Each event of the sacred Christmas celebrations symbolizes the development
of a specific spiritual power within the disciple himself. As he awakens these
powers, he experiences an increasing measure of at-one-ment with the cosmic
activities of the winter solstice time.
Sagittarius has been symbolized by a series of lighted lamps, and the
disciple who has been persistent in his spiritual labors now finds that these
lamps have been lighted within his own aura, and even within his very body-
temple. These are the lamps which light his pathway to the center of the
earth. There he stands in the presence of the Lord Christ, the Light of the
World. There he receives His blessing and hears Him intone the mantram which
has been used in every Temple of Initiation, ancient or modern: "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant...enter thou in to the joy of thy Lord."
The golden Christ Force, descending out of the fount of the Sun, touching
the outer atmosphere of the planet at the autumn equinox, as previously
observed, passes through the desire realm during November (Scorpio), the
etheric realm during December (Sagittarius), and into the earth's center at
the winter solstice (Capricorn).
In the hour that the Christ force penetrates the core of the earth, a deep
calm and stillness pervades nature. This is the Holy Night of all the year.
There follows a mighty upsurge of the life forces of the planet. This new
infusion of life into Nature has been beautifully described in the legends of
Holy Night in which it is said that even the animals and the plants make
obeisance to the Christ Child at the holy mystic midnight hour.
Year by year the Christ Glory penetrates the earth with its harmonizing,
healing powers. Year by year the earth is quickened with cosmic life. Little
by little hatred, enmity and conflict are being overcome, and little by little
the spirit of brotherhood makes headway. Eventually the ideal pictured by
Isaiah so long ago will become a reality: "man shall turn his sabers into
plowshares, and his swords into pruning hooks, and there shall be war no more,
and peace shall cover the earth as waters cover the sea."
The constellation Aquarius is the home of the Hierarchy of ministering
Angels, beloved of all holy legends of every faith. Their field of action is
the etheric realm, and since the angelic body is fashioned of ether, they
become visible even to persons who have only a little extended vision. Many
children had first-hand knowledge of angelic beings and nature spirits who,
like the Angels, inhabit the surrounding realms.
Angels are experts in working with etheric substance and life forces. Many
and varied are the beautiful flower patterns which they fashion iun the blue
and gold of the higher ethers; and it is these patterns which the fairies
transmit to earth as blossoms to adorn the earth.
When the Sun is in Aquarius, the Christ Force centers His activities in the
etheric realm. He pours His love and blessings upon both Angels and the
disembodied souls of earth's humanity who are living and serving in these
realms. Here also is a portion of the heavenly homeland of children who have
died in childhood; and here they are taught and accompanied by Angels. Such
child-spirits do not live in the etheric realms at all times, for their real
place is in the higher regions of the Soul World, or astral realm, but at
special times they are brought by their angelic instructors down into the
higher ethers where they can learn the joys of nature and the fairy folk.
Also in the etheric realm are found the initiatory Temples which, in
ancient times, also existed in physical form. As humanity lost the inner light
they were removed from our plane of manifestation and continued to exist
solely at the etheric level. Hence they have become today generally the
subject of legend and poetry. Now, however, the time is approaching for their
re-externalization. In the meantime, to the illumined disciple the etheric
Temples are accessible, and appear as substantial in their realm as physical
structures are on this plane.
One such Temple, the most beautiful of all to Christians, is located above
the city of Jerusalem. Closely associated with the work there conducted, and
in all similar inner-plane Temples, are the Angels. They are free to enter
such sanctuaries at will, and it is their joy to serve in the holy places
belonging to the children of earth.
It is said that a Guardian Angel hovers above the chair of each Knight who
sits at the Round Table in King Arthur's Temple. This is a legend, but
profound spiritual truths are concealed in legends, and especially in the
Grail legends of the Middle Ages. The Grail Temple is really a part of the
Christian Mystery School. The deeper meaning of spiritual legends is veiled by
poets and artists, who relate them to the manners and customs of the period in
which they first appear. There is no mystery in Christianity more profound
than that of the Holy Grail, for it belongs to the story of the Last Supper
and has reference to deep cosmic truths that Christ imparted to His disciples
at that time, and especially to John, the Beloved Disciple, who "rested upon
His bosom."
Through the ministry of the Hierarchies of Capricorn, the disciple learns
to minister as an Invisible Helper to persons still living in the physical
world. As the Path of Holiness passes through Aquarius the work is enlarged.
Here the disciple learns, under the guidance of Angels, to work with beings
who inhabit the inner realms.
The qualified disciple who has followed the Christ thus far is able now to
enter CONSCIOUSLY into the etheric realms. There he observes the varied and
beautiful ministries performed by Angels for the benefit not only of humanity
but of all the kingdoms of earth. Many of Nature's secrets are revealed to him
then through the activities of the nature spirits or fairy folk. Thus he finds
himself in an enchanted world, a tenuous world, wherein fairy lore has its
origin; for the realm of the higher ethers is veritably fairyland. Many an
inspired writer or mystic has woven fantasies about the wonders of this
region. Adelightful example is Maeterlink's BLUE BIRD, which, though a child's
fantasy depicts truly the nature and characteristics of the etheric realm.
When the Sun passes through Aquarius, the Christ Glory is already rising up
out of the earth, preparatory to His Easter Liberation. During March, with the
Sun passing through Pisces, which is the sign of sorrow and suffering, the
Christian Church enters upon the Lenten sacrifices, and participation in the
Christ suffering on Golgotha. Pisces is the sign of Crucifixion, the sign of
the Messiah. The Crucifixion of the Cosmic Christ begins when the Sun is in
Libra at the autumn equinox, when the Glory descends into the "hades" of the
planet earth. The commemorative observances of the Christian world at Easter,
when the Sun turns upward toward the summer solstice, is not His Crucifixion
but His cosmic Resurrection. The earth planet is then aware of a certain void,
a spiritual emptiness, as the Cosmic Glory departs. This is the source of the
mingling of sadness and joy in the Eastertide of the spring equinox.
CHAPTER X: THE CHRIST MYSTERY IN THE HEAVENS
As a disciple travels THE PATH OF HOLINESS that leads into the spiritual
realms, the experiences encountered become ever more wonderful and
transformed. At these supernal levels of existence there is no veil separating
those living on earth from those inhabiting the inner planes of light. From
the superphysical world here too may be witnessed and understood the actions
of human souls during the period between death on the physical plane and
rebirth into incarnation, together with those of Angels and the yet higher
kingdoms of light. Here too, it is that one cane observe the workings of
nature spirits and note how their activities underlie what science refers to
as the laws of nature. Here on every Easter morning, amid triumphant hosannas
of Angels and Archangles, the Christ, following His release from the annual
incarnation in the earth, appears in radiant glory. In the Temple of the
Christian Mysteries the glorious Easter processional is formed around His
luminous presence, not as a mere spectacle but as a medium by which to
transmit a transcendent power upon all of those who have been found worthy to
be numbered among His sanctified company.
The mystic Christian commemorates Easter not only as an historical event
but as an annual spiritual occurrence. In the course of the solar year after
His descent into the heart of the earth at Christmas time He arises again with
ever recurring Eastertide to reascend to the throne of the Father into the
high heavens for restoration of His powers before again returning to the
physical sphere at the time of the Autumn Equinox.
It was at the time of His crucifixion that the Christ left the body of
Jesus, in which He had functioned for a three-year ministry among men, and
transferred His Spirit into the planetary body itself to henceforth be its
Regent. There is a profound significance in the words He spoke to His
Disciples after the Resurrection: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth."
When the human race succumbed to the seduction of Lucifer spirits the
atomic rhythm of man's physical body was changed so the spinal spirit fire was
attuned to the Luciferic forces and received the impress of these fiery
Beings. It is the mission of the Christ to counteract this condition by
substituting His rhythm and impress for that of the Lucifers--for the Christ
also, as an Archangel is a Fire Being. When this has been accomplished, the
atomic vibration of man's body will make it immune to disease and death.
Individuals of the New Age bear within themselves the glorious image of the
Christ.
The Hierarchy of Aries contains an archetypal pattern of man as he was
created "in the image and likeness of God." This pattern will be increasingly
manifested in the New Age. The six constellations above the equator contain
these patterns in miniature, so to speak, and the Hierarchies of these
southern constellations work with mankind to bring these patterns to
fulfillment here on earth. For example, the Hierarchy of Aries holds this
perfect pattern of the new Christed man. Libra, the sign opposite Aries and
the home of the Lords of Individuality, steps down this cosmic pattern of
Aries and is aiding man in bringing about its manifestations.
Such is the knowledge which has motivated the great teachers of the world
to help mankind bring the divine pattern into manifestation on this plane. The
work is arduous. But down through the ages those brave souls who have been
strong enough to follow the Path of Holiness into spiritual realms have
returned aflame with what they beheld of a "new heaven and a new earth"
inhabited by a Christed humanity. They know, as the Christ knew, that "the
Word was God" indeed.
As the Sun passes through Taurus during the month of May, the Christ force
ascends higher and higher into earth's spiritual aura. The disciple who is
walking the Path of Holiness follows in the wake of the ascending Christ Light
and enters a sphere where he finds himself inwardly harmonized and
strengthened by the creative power of music. Celestial Beings who inhabit this
realm speak a musical language. Their every motion emanates music. They mold
and fashion all manner of forms through the medium of musical tones. In this
realm all growing things are nurtured by the power of music, while the various
flower colors are produced by variations in tone. Music is assuredly the
supreme creative power of this lofty realm.
The constellation of Taurus is the home of cosmic patterns for all that
exists on earth. These patterns are shadowed forth by its opposite sign,
Scorpio, home of the Lords of From. This Hierarchy teaches form building
throughout the physical plane; and from the constellation Taurus sounds forth
the mystery tone God used in creation, that creative Word by which "all things
were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." This
is the biblical keynote of Taurus.
The Lords of Taurus hold the cosmic pattern of a most wonderful organ
destined to become a part of the future human body. This new organ, resembling
a golden rose, will be located in the throat, and will be the center through
which the creative word will be projected by the New Age man. By its power
generation will become regeneration, and man will be able to mold a substance
into whatever he desires. In the realm where Taurean powers are most active an
illumined one can behold a vision of this perfection and meditate upon it. He
perceives the glorious development awaiting him in the future and realizes
literally the meaning of the Psalmist's words: "Thou hast made him a little
lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."
When the Sun ascends toward its northernmost point in the sky in June it
transits the sign Gemini, the constellation that sets a dual impress upon the
human body-temple. It governs the dualities of the body: lungs, shoulders,
arms and hands in particular. It also holds the cosmic pattern of the
perfected androgyne in whom the masculine and feminine potencies are in
equilibrium. Such is the attainment of Initiates of the Greater Christ
Mysteries. This attainment brings immunity from disease and old age. And since
consciousness remains unbroken whether such be in or out of the flesh, death
as we know it is never experienced by them because their consciousness is
centered in immortality without interruption.
The archangelic life has reached the status where it functions in perfectly
polarized bodies. This is not true of the less evolved angelic and human
kingdoms. It is, therefore, possible for members of these kingdoms to descend
from their high estate into lower forms of expression. The fall of Angels is
recorded biblically in the account of the war in heaven, when Lucifer and his
followers were expelled therefrom, and the Fall of man occurred, according to
the Genesis account, when Adam and Eve (infant humanity) lost the Garden of
Eden. Redemption from these falls required a higher power than was available
to either of these life waves. It had to come from the archangelic level. And
so it did. The Lord Christ, the most highly evolved of the Archangels, became
the teacher and redeemer of both the fallen Angels and humanity. This is one
of the most profound truths associated with the mystery of the Christos.
The pattern of the perfect androgyne was projected by the Hierarchy of
Gemini into its opposite sign, Sagittarius. The Hierarchy of Sagittarius
(Lords of Mind) gives this enlightening teaching to earth's most advanced
pioneers. After the coming of the Christ, further development of the human
mind passed from the guidance of Scorpio to that of Sagittarius. Considering
the wonders of the mind, its creative powers and its ability to encircle the
globe in an instant of time and to contemplate the vastness of cosmic space--
even though at present only a fraction of it is active, we get a faint glimpse
of the transcendent glory of the Sagittarian Hierarchy whose lowest vehicle,
corresponding to man's physical body, is composed of mental substance. It also
indicates the sublime powers awaiting man when he attains like development.
For an awakened soul, the supreme purpose of cultivating the mind is that
it shall become Christed. As yet this is the attainment of but few only. The
majority are steeped in the materialism of the concrete mind, which is focused
mainly on worldly pursuits and interests of the separate self. So long as such
concerns claim man's attention there will be a lack of spiritual perception
and scant realization of the realities pertaining to the inner world and
universal mind. Nor will there be any continuity of consciousness and but
little, if any, intimation of the experiences encountered in the spiritual
world during intervals between earthly lives. The result of consciousness so
veiled from spiritual realities is the materialism that conditions the world
today. This, however, is but a temporary phase of mankind's evolution. As
added light falls on the path of those who strive for holiness, realization of
spiritual realities will become clearer and stronger. The insistent impulse of
such aspirants to make themselves worthy to walk in the Way of Holiness will
bring more and more light.
The Sun in its annual transit through Cancer reaches the highest point of
its northern ascension at the time of the Summer Solstice. Its physical
radiation then attains to maximum in the northern hemisphere, so the days are
longest and nights shortest. It is the high noon of the year, and its keynote
is LIGHT.
Cancer is the foremost feminine sign of the heavens. In harmony with this
fact, the sign contains a small cluster of stars arranged to as to resemble a
manger. From the heart of Cancer well up the waters of eternal life, in which
are germinated seed-forms that animate all the kingdoms of earth. The Summer
solstice occurs when the Sun enters Cancer (June 21st) and is also attuned to
the principle of fecundity. It is in obedience to this active principle in
nature that seeds burst forth into a cycle of manifestation. Light, freedom,
joyousness are dominant qualities of the midsummer season. Accordingly many
people particularly in Europe, observe this time of year with music, dancing
and exuberant festivities.
The Hierarchy of Cancer is known biblically as the Cherubim. It is the
ministry of this Hierarchy to guard sacred places. They hover above the Holy
of Holies. Through initiatory processes an aspirant is taught to build this
Holy of Holies within Himself. The pot of golden manna within the Ark of the
Covenant is a symbol of man's own individual Grail Cup and his own sacred life
force. Humanity lost the Garden of Eden through misuse of this life force,
since which the Cherubim have guarded the gates of Eden lest unregenerate
humanity should find its way back prematurely. The Blessed Virgin Mary and the
Disciples are alleged to have communed with the Cherubim after Pentecost,
meaning that they had learned these sacred truths from this divine Hierarchy.
As the Sun reaches its highest ascension the Christ Spirit ascends to the
very throne of the Father. His activity is then focused at the very highest
level of earth's planetary aura, where He brings added illumination and
renewed blessings to the celestial Beings who inhabit this realm; also to
souls who, in their spiritual progression between physical embodiments, have
risen to this high plane. In harmony with this, it is also at the summer
season that an illumined one who is following the Christ on the Path of
Holiness rises in consciousness to this realm to commune with its celestial
denizens and learn further about the nature forces. Here it is perceived how
the elementals of air and earth, the sylphs and gnomes, work in autumn and
winter with disintegrating and dying plant life. On this exalted plane one who
pursues the Path of Holiness stands before the actual mystery of life itself.
Only the pure in heart attain to this plane. Those whose hands are stained
with blood can never lift the veil of this holy place. He who seeks to
discover the secret of life will never find it until his hands and heart are
chaste and clean. Only to such will come the realization of the oneness of all
life.
These are truths that belong particularly to the Heirarchy of Cancer, and
they are not possible of direct transmission to the earthly plane. Therefore
they are passed by the Cherubim to the Hierarchy of Capricorn, the sign
opposite Cancer and home of the Archangels who, being of a lower hierarchial
rank than the Cherubim and thus closer in consciousness to humanity,
disseminate them to those of earth who are ready and willing to receive them.
Hence, it was at a time when the forces of Capricorn permeated the earth that
there descended into embodiment the Master Jesus, of the seed of David, who
became the bearer of the Christ.
It has been said that as the Sun transits the sign Cancer and Leo during
July and August the Christ ascends to the throne of the Father where He bathes
in the Father's transcendent glory. It is here that He renews and revitalizes
Himself, attracting higher and more spiritual forces for continuing His
earthly ministry when He returns to the realm of humanity at the Autumn
Equinox. During His sojourn in the high heavens the earth planet,
clairvoyantly observed, appears luminous with His radiations; and the observer
comes into a profound realization of the meaning of His statement that "All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
When the Sun is thus transiting Cancer and Leo, an illumined one who treads
the Path of Holiness ascends to the highest spiritual realms of this planet
and enters into a deeper consciousness of transcendent power. He begins to
understand that love in its highest aspect is not passion or sentiment, but a
phase of divinity itself. It was with such power of love that Peter was
imbued. He himself referred to this power of love when he said to the lame man
beside the gate of the Temple Beautiful: "Silver and gold have I none, but
such as I have give I thee...arise and walk." Again, it was this same power
which so animated Paul that, despite all persecutions and imprisonment, he was
able to utter those sublime words: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and
angels and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling
cymbal."
When an aspirant reaches this degree of spiritual attainment the Christ is
all in all to him. To serve as He served, and to love as He loved, becomes his
highest aspiration. The biblical keynote of Leo is sounded in the words "Love
is the fulfilling of the law."
While the Sun is in Leo the Christ spirit is refreshed and renewed by the
glories of the Father's kingdom. As the Lord Christ's highest attribute is
sacrificial in nature, when the Sun passes into Virgo, sign of service, a
cosmic urge moves Him to leave the realm of the Father and descend again to
Earth, which He contacts as the Sun passes into Libra.
THE PATH OF HOLINESS, following the Christ Ray, also leaves the spiritual
region of Earth while the Sun passes through Virgo. Love being the keynote of
Leo and service through purity that of Virgo, one who walks that part of the
Path which traverses the higher vibratory planes of this sphere must have
evolved purity as a power within himself. The quality of such power is not
generally recognized, yet the Christ declared that only the pure in heart
shall see God. In this connection the lines of Tennyson in SIR GALAHAD are
descriptive. "My strength is as the strength of ten, because my heart is
pure."
This is the attribute that rendered Parsifal immune to the attack upon him
by the evil Klingsor. The spear of hate which the black knight hurled at
Parsifal was deflected from its course. In that same moment, and by the virtue
of this power, Parsifal made the sign of the cross and brought complete
collapse to Klingsor's castle of evil.
While Virgo holds the secret of the Immaculate Conception, it is through
its opposite sign, Pisces, that this gift was brought to earth and
demonstrated by the supreme feminine Master, Mary of Bethlehem. It was under
the Hierarchy of Sagittarius (Archangels) that Mary herself was immaculately
conceived; and it was under the spiritual guardianship of the Hierarchy of
Virgo that she was born into the physical world.
A candidate who is worthy to touch the supernal realm of Virgo finds
himself before the mystery of the Immaculate Conception and learns that this
divine gift was not bestowed upon one individual only, but that Mary and Jesus
were type patterns which humanity as a shole is destined to emulate. In this
celestial abode those who are spiritually enlightened hear Angels chanting of
the day when, in a new heaven and a new earth, the Immaculate Conception will
be the heritage of the entire race.
As previously stated, the Hierarchy of Taurus holds the cosmic pattern of
form; the Hierarchy of Cancer, that of life; the Hierarchy of Virgo, the power
by which life ensouls form. These three constellations, the Feminine Triangle
of the heavens, minister to all kingdoms of life on earth.
It should be noted that one who follows the PATH OF HOLINESS through the
six zodiacal signs above the equator has reached that high place of
illumination where he is found worthy to stand before the sublime mysteries of
the four Greater Initiations. The disciple who tread this Path as it is
outlined in the six signs below the equator is being prepared to receive the
work of the nine Lesser Mysteries.
CHAPTER XI: THE COSMIC CHRIST AND THE PLANETARY CHRIST
The Bible is one of the great mystery books of all times. Few there are who
realize its infinite depths. Christ said of the imperceptive multitudes:
"Seeing, they may see and not perceive; hearing, they may hear, and not
understand." (Mark 4:12)
Of the mahy thousands of books that have been written about the life of
Christ there are not more than two or three which mention the profoundest
mystery concerning Him, namely, the Christ Mystery in the cosmos. Until our
own time it was not, perhaps, essential that this Mystery be taught openly.
Today we enter a Space Age, and it is the Cosmic Christ who will be the
central figure of the religion of the incoming Aquarian Age. We who are
privileged to begin here and now the study of those profound cosmic truths,
preparing ourselves to be the pioneers of the Age so soon to dawn, must accept
special responsibilities. These are the responsibilities of the New Age
Disciple who is taught by the Risen Christ, or His emissaries.
Therefore in tracing the Christ Path through the stars we shall endeavor at
the same time to trace the pattern of New Age discipleship, the "Awakened One"
who learns to walk in the same Path of Light in which the Christ walked,
showing the Way to those who shall come after Him.
The Christ Mystery is so sublime and so far-reaching in its import that it
transcends any human definition. So profound are its meanings that they can
never be plumbed nor expressed by mere words; they can be sensed only in th4e
silence of spiritual contemplation.
In the ROSICRUCIAN COSMO-CONCEPTION, Max Heindel states that: "In the first
chapter of John this Great Being is called God. From the Supreme Being
emanates the Word, the Creative Fiat 'without whom was not anything made,' and
this Word is the alone-begotten Son, born of His Father (the Supreme Being)
before all worlds--but positively NOT Christ." Here Max Heindel is making a
distinction between the Cosmic Christ Jesus in His planetary and historical
aspects. "Grand and glorious as is Christ," he continues, "towering high above
mere human nature, He is not this Exalted Being. Truly, 'the Word was made
flesh,' but not in the limited sense of the flesh of one body, but the flesh
of all that is, in this and millions of other solar systems."
The Father channels the will principle; the Christ, the love-wisdom
principle; the Holy Spirit, the activity principle. The last literally infuses
forms with life. The Holy Spirit works with the life principle which is
present in all creation; and is the guardian of the sacred force, the creative
principle of God. Therefore, every living thing is under his guardianship. God
creates and Christ formulates, while Holy Spirit activates form. The
difference between the Christ of the Earth and the Cosmic Christ is best seen
by an illustration. Imagine a lamp in the center of a large hollow sphere of
polished metal. The lamp will send rays from itself to all points of the
sphere, and will refelct lamps in all different places. So the Cosmic Christ--
the highest initiate of the Sun period--sends out rays.
The sun of our planetary solar system is threefold. We can see the outside,
the physical sun. Behind that, or hiding in that, is the spiritual sun whence
comes the impulse of the Cosmic Christ Spirit. Outside the other two is
something we call Vulcan, not a planet, that can be seen only as a half globe.
In occultism we say that is the body of the Father. When we had developed so
far that the Christ came here and incarnated on earth, then a ray of the
cosmic Christ came here and incarnated in the body of our Elder Brother Jesus.
After the sacrifice on Golgotha He drew Himself into the earth, and became its
Indwelling Planetary Spirit.
THE PLANETARY CHRIST
The planetary Christ is a glorious Archangel, supreme among the archangelic
Host. The Hierarchy of Capricorn is the home of the Archangels; but during the
period of His mission to this planet, Christ and His ministering Hosts make
their home in the spiritual sheath of the Sun--for each heavenly body has a
spiritual sheath extending far into space beyond its visible form. In the same
way every human being has a spiritual extension beyond his physical vehicle.
From the very beginning of civilization the most primitive religions paid
homage to this Great Being Who dwells in the Sun. High priests of Mystery
Temples taught their most advanced disciples the truth relative to this
glorious Sun Being, and they looked forward to a time when He would descend to
earth and become the world's Redeemer. Those who were clairvoyant could see
the Solar Lord to whom they paid homage to this great Being Who dwells in the
Sun, and then they knew that His human embodiment was imminent. From country
to country, from prophet to master, from master to teacher, from teacher to
disciple passed the glad tidings that the Blessed Lord, He who was to be the
Saviour of the world, was close to earth.
When we speak of a spiritual rising in inner space it is to be understood
that "upward" and "inward" are virtually synonymous; yet at the same time, to
the clairvoyant vision the Christ Glory does really have the appearance of
"rising" upward to the Sun from the surface of the earth; for as the Divine
Hermes of ancient Egypt said, "As it is above, so it is below."
The Path of Discipleship also follows from the outward to the inward, which
is also upward. Max Heindel likened this Path to a church steeple which
becomes narrower and steeper until there is nothing left to cling to but the
cross; a very apt analogy. The Christ said: "If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me."
The cross of renunciation, symbolized in the Lenten and Eastertide, must be
accepted by every true disciple who endeavors to walk the Path of Holiness.
His soul body can nenevr be built until he acquires mastery over himself, and
is willing to forego the so-called pleasures of the sense world. The soul-
powers attained by self-conquest enable the illumined one to exchange the
cross for a crown.
It is said that the constellation Pisces will be the home of the human race
when all of its units have been perfected. Pisces is called the constellation
of the human race, as Aquarius is that of the Angels. Those who follow the
Christ to the ultimate high goal finish their cycles of mortal incarnation;
they are free from the wheel of birth and death. They "go no more out," and it
is then that they as spiritual beings, cluster among the stars of the
constellation Pisces, in a manner of speaking.
Their karmic debts are paid and all their earthly bonds are severed. Such
are known as the Compassionate Ones, the Elder Brothers of the race who no
longer need earth's lessons. They are free to pass into a glorious existence
within the constellation Pisces. However, these great ones may return at will,
and in obedience to the precept that he who loves most serves best, often they
give up the blissful opportunities of that divine plane in order to serve the
less advanced members of the human race who are still struggling in the toils
of their self-made karma. Humility, obedience and service are the keynotes of
their lives.
Such renunciation is illustrated in the life of Mary of Bethlehem who,
having learned all of earth's lessons and having been caught up to reign with
the Angels, returned to this planet to teach humanity one of heaven's supreme
mysteries, that of the Immaculate Conception. Knowing that she would be
misunderstood, persecuted and reviled, yet she persisted, so that she might be
to mankind an Exemplar so nearly divine that today, almost two thousand years
later, it is still barely comprehended by a few and remains entirely unknown
to the masses. Working under the law of service, she descended into mortality,
saying, "Let it be according to thy word." Such a high state of spiritual
attainment, builded upon sacrifice, humility of spirit, and perfect at-one-
ment with the law of obedience, awaits perfected man.
The aspirant who reflects seriously upon the meaning of the twelve zodiacal
signs which comprise our immediate cosmos do well to correlate the Piscean
meditation with the experiences of the immortal Twelve during the season just
preceding Christ's annual "crucifixion." As Golgotha's pain and sorrow are
swallowed up in the golden glory of Easter morn, the disciple who has overcome
the personal self and who walks the Path of Holiness through Pisces to its
very end, will find that he has exchanged his cross for the golden glory of a
"wedding garment" in which to function, free and triumphant, with the Risen
Christ.
The history of mankind since Christ's Sacrifice on Golgotha may seem to
have improved little; but this age is the age of Pisces, which as we have said
is the sign of the balancing of the ledgers of karma. The debts which man owes
to man and nation owes to nation are now being liquidated, and as this Old Age
of Pisces disappears in time and the New Age of Aquarius takes its place,
world-wide harmony will be achieved, with a world government of nations,
dwelling in brotherhood and peace, for Aquarius is the sign of the Son of Man.
The physical drops of blood which fell upon the Mount at the Crucifixion
were not the true agents of earth's slavation. The fiery wings of light and
power, which are the Christ's Glory, striking in and through the planet are
the earth's forever Redeemer. The archangelic Light is truly His blood, and it
is this which saves.
Now each year as the radiant Christ Ray ascends once more from the earth's
core, its passage upward is felt as a drawing force in Nature; and when it has
reached a certain height its forces are focused anew in the desire world of
the planet. The raging emotions of mankind are now the special field of His
ministration and at Eastertide mankind senses that a great tranquility is
pouring into his soul from some unknown source. By means of this power
intensifying year by year, mankind is slowly but surely becoming a Christ in
the manking.
CHAPTER XII: THE CYCLE OF THE YEAR WITH CHRIST
THE FIRST QUARTER
JANUARY--FEBRUARY--MARCH
The cosmic resurrection occurs in March, when the Christ Spirit is
liberated from the Earthly sphere and reenters the heavenly spheres. The
Hierarchies of both Aries and Pisces then join with the Angels and Archangels
in triumphant jubilation over this event. The rhythm of their comic hymn found
earthly transcription in Handel's HALLELUJAH CHORUS. Pre-Christian ceremonials
celebrating the return of spring and the victory of light over darkness were
attuned to these same rhythms.
The Spring Equinox is one of the high points of the year for a disciple.
Its keynotes are the freedom and emancipation that leads to a larger life. Iyt
is also the time when the cosmic Christ is freed from the terrestrial fetters
that held Him in bondage during the winter months. Hence, it is the most
propitious time for an advanced disciple to break the bonds that bind him and
to enter the joyous freedom of the spirit.
The Church observes the ecclesiastical Feast of the Annunciation in March
when nature commemorates the cosmic Feast of the Annunciation, for there is an
intimate relationship between man and nature. Nature is God in manifestation.
Man is a god in the making. Therefore one reflects the other. The most sacred
rituals observed by man are in attunement with the seasonal transitions. Poets
sing in praise of the joyous spirit of spring, while nature's green-and-gold
splendor gives evidence that returning life forces are responding in triumph
to nature's resurrection impulse.
An advanced follower of the Path understands that the time has come to
merge the sorrow and tears of the personal life (Pisces) with the transforming
fires of Aries. As he accomplishes this he joins the mighty chorusing which is
echoed and re-echoed by Angels and Archangels: "The Christ is risen, for
Christ has now risen within me."
APRIL--MAY--JUNE
The ancient Persians termed the month of April as the month of Paradise,
and the early Christian fathers declared that it was during this season of
enchantment when the Sun entered Aries that God fashioned the planet Earth,
and all that dwells therein. April is generally considered a resurrection
month.
When the Lord Christ makes His ascension the inner realms take on the
appearance of a molten mass of shining gold. In the holy Grail legend, the
Knights are told that on Good Friday a dove descends from heaven to replenish
the water of life in the sacred Cup, and that they will be able to draw
spiritual nourishment therefrom throughout the following year. So it is that
the Risen Lord pours out His love and very Spirit to nourish every living
thing upon this earth plane. Were it not for this annual replenishment, fields
would be barren and the trees and vines would bear no fruit. In the light of
this fact it can be seen that the Lord Christ uttered a profound and literal
truth when He said to His Disciples at the Last Supper, "This (bread) is my
body which is given for you:...This cup is the new testament in my blood,
which is shed for you."
One of the most beautiful feasts of the year is that of the Ascension,
occurring about the time the Sun passes from Taurus (May) into Gemini (June).
It is then that phalanx after phalanx of Celestial Beings kneel in adoration
in the Christ's exalted presence, and the very stars unite in a symphony
proclaiming His majesty and glory. During this holy feast His radiation
permeates the earth with an effulgence past all describing, making bright both
the physical and spiritual realms. As nature is in perfect accord with the up-
winging Christ currents during the forty days between the resurrection and the
ascension, the period is of such spiritual significance that it is an
auspicious time for a disciple to awaken within himself the powers of
clairvoyance, clairaudience and other gifts of the spirit belonging to true
discipleship.
During the month of June the Christ becomes a channel for radiations sent
forth by the Seraphim, the Hierarchy of Gemini. There the Christ contacts by
means of the Holy Spirit, the third aspect of the Trinity. One of the keynotes
of Gemini is ACTIVITY; it is also a keynote of the Holy Spirit. By means of
this activity the Seraphim step down the mysteries of Holy Spirit to Gemini's
opposite sign, Sagittarius, the Lords of Mind. Here they await man's
develolment and illumination to the point where he is able to understand and
apply the powers iof Holy Spirit in his daily life. As yet humanity in general
is able to grasp but faintly the mysteries connected with the principle and
powers of this third aspect of the Trinity.
JULY--AUGUST--SEPTEMBER
As the Sun enters Cancer in the month of July, the Lord Christ ascends to
His own home world, the World of Life Spirit, also designated as the Buddhic
Plane. This is the realm where unity and harmony reign supreme; also, the
sphere of consciousness that the early Christian disciples contacted on the
Day of Pentecost. This is to be the attainment of advanced humanity at the end
of the present Earth Period. Through the operation of the Cosmic Christ, it is
here that the Son or Word principle and the second aspect of the Trinity, our
Blessed Lord, contacts the Hierarchy of Cancer, the Cehrubim. These celestial
Beings are guardians of all Holy places of heaven and earth; they hold the
great mystery of life itself. Under the guidance of the Lord Christ tjhis
sacred mystery is stepped down from Cancer to its opposite sign, Capricorn,
and given in charge to the Archangels. For this reason World Saviours who come
to earth proclaiming the mystery of the Holy Spirit are born under the sign of
Capricorn. The observance known ecclesiastically as the Feast of St. John, the
forerunner of the Christ, occurs during the Summer Solstice season.
In July the soul of earth is steeped in sheer ecstasy. Heaven bends low
while earth is lifted up. In the divine interchange of spiritual forces the
Mystic Marriage between heaven and earth is consummated. For a four-day
interval desire currents are stilled so the spiritual forces can become
increasingly operative. The earth is then being literally flooded with the
pure white light of spirit. The disciple that learns how to tune in with this
mighty inflow will receive an undreamed of accession of spiritual awareness.
As the Sun reaches the highest point in its northernmost ascension the
Christ likewise ascends into the spiritual realm described biblically as the
throne of the Father. This is known in Rosicrucian terminology as the World of
Divine Spirit, the abode of the God of this solar system. God is Love and God
is Light. LOVE and LIGHT are keynotes of the Hierarchy of Leo, the Lords of
flame (Love). Under the supervision of the Lords of Flame, and united with the
powers of the Father, the first aspect of the Trinity, the Lord Christ, works
with the supreme power of love, the stabilizing force of the earth. Here He
becomes the channel for that power whereby He rottates the earth on its axis
and revolves it in its orbit around the Sun. This love power is stepped down
by the Hierarchy of Leo to its opposite sign, Aquarius; hence, it will be the
power animating the new Aquarian Age.
In this season cosmic influences give greatest aid to the aspiring disicple
to make love the dominant motivating force of his life. It is the time for
embellishing his every word, thought and deed with this magic of the heart.
The thirteenth chapter of II Corinthians, one of the soul's greatest love
songs, is the perfect mantram for both meditation and emulation during the
period that the Sun is transiting the royal sign of Leo.
In September the Lord Christ turns from the glory of the highest heavens
and begins His descent toward physical realms. Throughout this month the
tender, yearning beauty of nature is like that of no other season, for the
Christ is brooding over the earth with the gentle sorrow He flet as He wept
over Jerusalem long ago. His tears were shed because He knew the long ages of
pain and suffering through which humanity must pass, in having chosen darkness
rather than light. His great heart grieved over the dark clouds that would
encompass Jerusalem, the very heart of the planet to which He had dedicated
Himself in service and upon which He was pouring out his great love.
September is another month of preparation for a disciple. One of the
keywords of Virgo is SACRIFICE. An earnest disciple, preparing himself by
means of sacrifice and self-renunciation to take part in the coming winter
feasts, meditates often upon the spiritual keynote of Virgo: "If any man
desires to be first, the same shall be last of all, and the servant of all."
OCTOBER--NOVEMBER--DECEMBER
When the Sun enteres Libra, which heralds the coming of October, the golden
Christ force passes into earthly realms as this sublime Being begins anew His
annual sacrifice, an event termed THE COSMIC CRUCIFIXION. To it St. Paul
referred in Romans 8:22 "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth together until now." As this season of the Autumn Equinox is a time
for the disciple to renew his dedication to walk in the way of the Lord
despite any vicissitudes and hindrances that may beset his path.
During November the Christ spirit permeates the desire realm of earth. This
is a propitious time for the disciple to work on the purification of his lower
nature and thereby be more able to aid the Great Ones in their work of
cleansing earth's astral envelope. A special effort is then to be made to
become a more efficient conscious server on both the outer and the inner
planes of life.
In the early stages of human development the Hierarchy of Scorpio, which
presides over the zodiacal month of November, assisted in awakening man's
indwelling ego, and in so doing launching him on the road of
individualization. During the present stage of human evolution a disciple
working under the jurisdiction of the Lords of Individuality (Libra) and the
Lords of From (Scorpio), is learning to translate assertiveness into humility
and to sacrifice the personal "I" for the impersonal "we"; in other words, to
actually lives the ideal of THE GREATEST GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER.
Advent Season extends through the month of December and is heralded as a
Feast of Light. The spiritual impulses of the season prepare mankind for the
downpouring of the heavenly forces accompanying the rebirth of the Cosmic
Christ into our earthly sphere. This period is followed by the Winter Solstice
season which extends from December 21st to the 24th andculminating on the day
following, the 25th, in Christmas, the day most deeply revered in all
Christendom. The festive observance of this holy season will never cease for
aspirants until the Christ shall have been born within our own souls. To the
degree that a disciple attains to this state will be the spiritual ecstasy
experienced at this time, and the joy of ever increasing participation in the
seasonal mingling of the earthly and the heavenly is felt at no other time of
the year.
END OF "THE BIBLE: WONDER BOOK OF THE AGES"
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Quarterly Rosicrucian Online Magazine
