In the last presentation, we began to look at the Gnostic tradition by outlining when it was founded, why it was founded and the reason that Christ/Maitreya ended up being the main actor in its stories and symbolism. This led to the formation of a new religion. Laurency was wary of using the word “religion”. He suggested a long-winded alternative “the science of the relationship between the 4th and the 5th kingdoms of nature”. What this phrase is saying makes perfect sense and this is precisely what religion tried to achieve, but the ratio of words between the two alternatives is 14 to one! If, however, we understand that we were trying to get somewhere and this was but one step on an ascending ladder, Humanity would not have become so fraught about life and especially death.
What is the significance of this division between these two kingdoms? The 4th/5th kingdom boundary is what separates Humanity from the Hierarchy. To the latter falls the hapless task of supervising the evolution of the 4th Kingdom. This is not an easy task considering how mired we all are in our emotional illusions and mental fictions. Our independent thought leads us to become self-important, conceited and pre-possessed with our own take on reality. We are liable to accept things without any corroborating evidence. Socrates was considered the wisest man in Greece because he said he knew nothing. What he was specifically talking about was the knowledge of the reality of life.
Enter Gnosticism; along comes Christ and talks about the “love of God”, the “Kingdom of God” and the “Kingdom of Heaven”. What was he going on about? He was referring to the 5th Kingdom, not some absolute statement of place or being. Only his disciples got this message correctly. The gospels were written for a different audience. Even then, these texts got reworked by Eusebius, so their esoteric meaning was either further diluted or completely lost.
An Avatar, such as Christ, is a messenger from the Hierarchy. He has to get permission from our planetary ruler, Sanat Kumara, to incarnate. As far as we are concerned, when the gospels talk about god, they are talking about the current head of the hierarchy. Sanat Kumar is, in fact, the third holder of this office during our evolution through this planetary chain. So much for there only being one god. Christ hoped to help us develop our common sense and enable our emotionality; so we can take that as a fail. However, the hierarchy knows that evolution is a slow, step by step, process.
What was Christ’s main objective? It was to teach us to find common cause with all life. This could be termed higher emotionality, 48:2 and 48:3. It was a step in the right direction, towards the togetherness found in the love of unity (46) and the divine love found on Plane-44. This divine love is the love that Christ knows, a love beyond even Unity (46). This love is free from sentimentality, emotion and personal egoism. This love sacrifices and understands. Its focus is on the group, not the individual. The best we can hope for at present, in our interactions with each other, is ‘good will’.
The Planetary Hierarchy wish nothing more than to teach Humanity about the reality of life and the laws of life. One is objective, the things we see around us and how they function. The other is subjective and relates to the seven laws we have discussed in previous presentations. Both are what govern and guide us as we evolve. Alas, we are naturally repulsive creatures and when we are given the slightest bit of knowledge that can lead to true power being exercised, we have abused it. This means that the Hierarchy tests us, now, thoroughly before sharing what is currently still esoteric (hidden) knowledge. Prior to the sinking of Atlantis, we were led by the Hierarchy. They wish to return and continue to guide us. Firstly, they need a sufficient minority to develop, so that their welcome would be assured. Until then, there will be no “peace on Earth”.
Religions today tell us we are all sinful. This is correct but our redemption is in our own hands. This they omit to tell us because it lessens their power over us. They either tell us to submit to the “will of God” or believe that some supreme sacrifice by God himself has saved us all. All we have to do is believe this story and continue contributing to the coffers of religious institutions. The Hierarchy wishes to change the narrative and teach us how we must change our lives and focus our intent to enter the 5th Kingdom of Nature. We know the attributes we must develop within ourselves, the most important being love, which is unity with all and service to all.
Now for a little bit of esoteric history as recounted by Laurency. When you read the Old Testament, you are led to believe that the Jews were a magnificent race of people, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The reality was that at the time of the Babylonian captivity, the Jewish people numbered around 40,000 individuals, the majority being shepherds and robbers, who plundered caravans going between Asia and Africa. The Babylonians, whose empire encompassed the area where the Jews lived, decided to put an end to this mischief, while at the same time civilising these barbarians. The elite of this tribe was deported to Babylon and their children were educated in the temple schools. Esoteric tells us that there was no Jewish nation before the Second Century BCE. It is commonly accepted that the books of the Bible started when Moses wrote the first five books, the Pentateuch, sometime in the late Bronze age, over 1,200 BCE. Most biblical scholars do not accept this chronology, especially since Moses did not exist, let alone write anything. However, most adherents to Judaism and Christianity do believe this tale. The Old Testament is a retelling of ancient Babylonian and Sumerian myths, learnt by Jews students, whilst in exile. They distorted these myths and put the Jewish people squarely at the centre of these stories, attempting to glorify their existence in the process. Their objective was to create a national culture. As an example, the tale do Solomon’s temple was a distortion of an esoteric legend that describes the growth of the causal envelope through successive incarnations. A temple was built in Jerusalem but not by Solomon, who never existed.
The sanctity of the Bible is further enhanced by the writings of historians, such as Josephus. He wrote nothing but fables and as they are accepted as being mostly true, it confuses current researchers. As an example, Josephus lied when we said that 70 scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek. There was nothing to translate. The Bible was written in Alexandria, maybe by 70 scholars but they did not translate anything. The Hebrew language is a constructed literary language, an Arabic-Ethiopic dialect, with an admixture of Chaldean and Greek. Jehovah is a translation of Yodhewau, which means Adam and Eve. This is hardly god but that is what became accepted as holy writ. The prophet Ezekiel was supposed to have written in 605 BCE about Daniel and his brush with the lion etc, when Daniel had not even been born yet. How could Ezra have written 40 books and 40 days? Go figure.
In the study of Gnosticism, it is useful to see the context from which it emerges. This is why there has been a diversion into the origins of the Jewish people. This theme will continue in the next presentation when we will look at who Jeshu was, as opposed to who we think Jesus is. If you are looking at Jeshu, the next obvious character in this narrative is Christ/Maitreya, who will also be examined further before going on to the appearance of Christianity as we know it.