Today is a day of significance for each and every one of us, whether we choose to view this significance through a Christian, Judaic, paganistic, humanistic, or New Age lens; or indeed whether we choose not to acknowledge it in any special way at all. From time immemorial we have celebrated new beginnings; the dawn of Spring through anthropomorphic beings, abstract entities, spirit animals, sky fathers, as well as the death and rebirth of pantheons and god-men. Each and everyone of these stories infers the nature of reality based on the reality of observable nature, at least insomuch as our understanding of nature permits at this present time.
In such a way do we make way for exoteric and esoteric truths regarding the nature of reality, using such stories and legends. Our rituals, whatever they may be only serve to strengthen the bonds, be they prohibitive or expansive; it is all a matter of perspective.
Once upon a time, I observed the season of spring through the lens of Easter, dictated to me through a dying a resurrecting ‘Christ’, who took away my sins, exposing my own perceived powerlessness, worthlessness and evil nature.
I no longer prostate myself towards a God or higher being; for me fear is no longer synonymous with love or respect. However, if you are willing to use discernment then you will see that this belief at a more intuitive level is contrary to what our true, higher consciousness is trying telling us about ourselves and the nature of reality, outside of any historical, religious or cultural bias.
The narrative of death and resurrection throughout known history has always centred around order, turmoil, violence, chaos and redemption. For example,
- The decapitation and ‘death’ of Osiris, the Egyptian God of fertility and the afterlife at the hands of Set, the God of the desert, storm and war who was jealous. Only to be returned to life by the Goddess Isis, and avenged by Horus the sky god the ‘sun’ of Osiris, restoring order to the land.
- Tammuz the Mesopotamian God of shepherds and fertility predicting his own death through a dream at the hands of demons, who is brought back from the underworld during the spring and summer, by the goddess Ishtar; thereby bringing the Earth back to life.
- The Passover story, where Yahweh (also known as the Lord of Armies) frees the Israelites from the Egyptians; leading them through the desert to the promised land of ‘milk and honey’. During which countless Israelites are killed by Yahweh for being disobeying his laws, given to them on the way.
Although there are stronger literal parallels between the Easter narrative, and those of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, compared with the Passover narrative, there are clearly more profound universal truths across all four stories, truths devoid of moral absolutes, or notions of good and evil.
Rather than focus on the literal actions and sayings of both gods and men, the most purest gem of wisdom lies in how each story mirrors the struggle and narrative that we all play out within ourselves. Namely, the overcoming of our attachments, illusions and limitations to come into the realisation of our true nature and virtues. This can be observed in two ways:
- The process of ‘remembering’ once we enter the material world, and our subsequent ‘departure’ from ignorance, or darkness into the light (enlightenment).
- The battle between our inherent ‘higher’ qualities and those we have merely adopted due to the expectations of our communities, friends, and religious systems; amongst other external forces.
In essence these stories may not, and were not always expressed or understood verbatim, although a significant proportion of the Judeo-Christian population does interpret their own biblical stories as such.
Consider the Jesus narrative; if we apply the two points above then we can see that the passion of the Christ refers to our own dedication to finding our own authentic voice, in spite of our own conflicting personalities, ideas, teachings, fears and prejudices, as symbolised by many of the central characters across the synoptic gospels. Indeed, no one is our saviour except for ourselves, hence the title ‘Christ’ meaning saviour or anointed, and we are all anointed with divinity.
Additionally, throughout the gospels the interactions of the ‘Christ’ or our ‘higher’ self, with both disciple and adversary serve as both virtues, self hatred and doubt that both obscure and light our true path; demonstrating that consciousness has no judge apart from oneself, be that in the body or out of the body. Similarly the only ‘sin’ that is committed is against oneself, against love not the law, and that the intention behind one’s actions holds as much, if not more weight than the actions themselves. Other concepts such as the emulation of another’s standards and beliefs, whilst forsaking one’s own truth and desires can be seen in the eventual destruction of the Temple within the gospel, or in this case the destruction of one’s own inner foundations as a karmic principle, consequences that create the necessary environment for us to rebuild our honest sense of self and discard that which holds us back.
Perhaps the need to hold oneself accountable began through the need to create a sort of order through fear, obedience and self-degradation but just like nature, consciousness is constantly evolving and growing, like an ever-expanding spiral. Just as it is written that a little leaven will leaven the whole loaf, it is also written that the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ is also like leaven. It just depends on whether such leaven is born of fear and control, or love and truth. For illustrative purposes I have provided a diagram below to help express and expand my thoughts.
To conclude, I wish to unite us all in a higher form of celebration this season, to remind us of who we truly are, and not who we are told we should be. One that mirrors the splendour of the newly clothed trees, and various flowers of the fields that bloom. And also reminds us of the ever-present cycle of our own rebirth and reinvention, one that comes with great labour and pain, but inevitably aligns us with a ‘Holy Spirit’ if this word resonates with you – or in other words allows us to be one with ourselves and each other, as the very fabric of universal consciousness, being both the creation, and the creator of our own reality, ad infinitum.
The Philosopher's Poet 