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Return Path to Eden
(Aquarian Gospel Text)

The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus,
the Christ of the Piscean Age
transcribed by Levi H. Dowling
The complete, uncensored, unabridged story of The Life of Christ

skip the Foreword - go to Chapter 1

Aquarian Gospel FAQs

Foreword
 by Michael F. O'Keeffe


An Announcement

God has given us a new book of scripture.  The full title is “The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean Age.”  This precious new book reveals God to the world, and it reveals the mystery of our relationship to Him.  Now we can know why we are called His Children – during these important times (the times of Revelations).

 

In Chapter 129 we read,  “The veil that separates the worlds is but an ether veil.  For those who purify their hearts by faith, the veil is rolled aside, and they can see and know that death is an illusive thing.”  This truth (and much more) is revealed in the Aquarian Gospel – during these times of Revelations.

 

A Three-paragraph Review of The Aquarian Gospel

In this marvelous book of Christ, Jesus reveals that every living thing is a deity manifest, and each has a soul, which is on a very long trek – from total unawareness of its own divinity, to full consciousness.  Every creature, after many incarnations, eventually becomes fully aware of its own divine lineage; and later, during subsequent incarnations, each one learns more and more about developing and exercising divine Strength, Wisdom and Love; until eventually, every one (plant, animal and human) achieves pure perfection – oneness with God (our Father).  He said that he, Jesus, is our example of a man who achieved oneness.  He also proclaimed that he is simply our elder brother, come to teach us; and that he is our example of that which we all will eventually become.

 

Jesus, the first person of Earth’s History to conquer death, said, “You may follow me,” and thus, he leads the way.  He became immortal.  He is always with us.  He and those who followed him continually labor for us (beyond the veil), so that we too may learn, and become wise and strong enough to follow him.  As they constantly labor for us, they also patiently wait for us.

 

By reading and studying the Aquarian Gospel, we never lose sight of our destiny, because Jesus’ life-story (including the story of his partner, Miriam) is our beacon-light in the night.  All who see and comprehend this compelling brilliance can voyage toward the Light.  We know the Way.

An in depth review

Additional comments about the Aquarian Gospel

Regarding Levi, the transcriber

As stated (in the FAQ’s page), The Book of God’s Remembrance is a recording – imprinted on disc-like plates smaller than atoms.  Every event that ever occurs leaves an imprint on these elemental particles, which continuously emit extremely fine energy waves.  Anyone who knows how to fine-tune certain mind-receptors to the frequencies to these tiny transmissions can witness all events that have ever occurred; and this sacred recording can never be revised or edited.  (Thank God!)

It was only a matter of time before someone would become strong enough to open our Father’s Record Book.  As God’s Children, our souls grow stronger and wiser with each incarnation.  (Much of the human race has now reached adolescence of soul.)  Levi H. Dowling (1844 - 1911), an American who lived in Ohio, attained enough strength and knowledge to open The Book of God’s Remembrance.

Levi became strong enough (and worthy enough) sometime after his fiftieth year on Earth.  He gained the strength and know-how through many years of practicing all-night sessions of meditation, combined with fasting.  After reaching his goal, he was able to focus his mind on particular persons, places and times, and clearly view ancient events – as if happening “here and now.”

Levi concentrated on just a small portion of God’s History Book; he focused on “the little book” – that tiny part of World History that is the record of Jesus’ life.  Therefore, there is no longer any reason to wonder who was Jesus, or to speculate or debate what he said or did.  His entire life-story is now available in the Aquarian Gospel, and anyone who wishes may read.

During meditation, Levi was able to re-play events (as many times as necessary) in order to provide us with a perfect transcript.  He spent many months transcribing the events he directly witnessed in “The Book of God’s Remembrance” (also called The Akashic Records).  His original manuscript, entitled “The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean Age,” is widely published under the title, “The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ,” and is commonly referred to as simply, “The Aquarian Gospel.”

Have other people verified the existence of the Akashic Records?  Yes; people who are (authentic) psychics and remote viewers perform their remarkable feats because they are able to catch fleeting glimpses (or impressions) of our Father’s sacred recording.  Prophets and seers have been more successful – sometimes able to clearly view past events (and foresee future incidents); but Levi gained complete access to Nature’s hidden portico.  He is the first person in Earth’s History to be granted full access to the Mystic Records of Time, with permission to write down what he witnessed.

How can one know the Aquarian Gospel is genuine?

The answer to this question is remarkably simple.  Just read, and you will know. 

Anyone who reads the Aquarian Gospel carefully, sincerely and comprehensively will recognize its authenticity; and indeed, only those who read this book carefully, sincerely and comprehensively can recognize its authenticity, and know it is genuine.  And I dare say, anyone who discredits this book, or questions its authenticity, merely displays an unwillingness (or inability) to perform a careful, sincere, comprehensive reading.  “None but the pure in heart can recognize the King.”

Thus, I can say with confidence: Just read, and you will know.  “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

Levi’s sacred transcription far outshines all previous books of divine origin.  It is not filled with enigmas, secret codes and riddles; nor does it contain long, arduous passages that offer little insight.  This sacred book is succinct.  Levi did not mince words – each chapter gets right to the point.  The parables are comprehensible, and the text is superbly plain and clear and easy to understand. 

The careful reader will know that the return of Messiah is very near (as well as Judgment Day) and he or she can know how to prepare.  Furthermore, the Aquarian Gospel contains the mystery, which only the wise can understand. 

One may wonder, who are “the wise?”  Answer: the wise are they who sincerely strive to live by the golden rule, and earnestly practice honesty, humility, kindness and forgiveness, and they are willing to carefully open their minds to concepts not yet learned.  Thus, the wise are willing to read; they cannot fail to comprehend. 

The Author

Levi is the transcriber, but who is the author of the Aquarian Gospel?  None other than Jesus, Christ Himself, wrote this book!  How can this be?  Jesus knew that every word He spoke and every act He performed was being recorded in The Book of God's Remembrance; and He knew that 1,800 years after His lifetime, (in preparation for Christ’s return) a man would be born into the world who would gain enough strength to open our Father’s sacred Recording, and thereby become a direct eyewitness to all the events of Jesus’ life; and he would transcribe a totally accurate and detailed account of his life and teachings.

Therefore, except for the introductory chapters and some of the narrative, Jesus is the true author of the Aquarian Gospel.  He wrote the book by living it.  “His-story” is inscribed on nature’s tiny discs (smaller than atoms), which form “the walls of time,” and Levi, through years of practicing meditation and fasting, discovered the “password,” and he has viewed the mystic walls, and he has transcribed.  Levi has given us the most precious book ever written.

 Why a new Book of Scripture now?

Just as John prepared the way for Christ by baptizing and teaching at the Jordan Ford, so too, Levi’s transcription is given to us at this time to help us prepare for Christ’s return and Judgment Day.  Like John, Levi is a harbinger.  His publication paves the way for Christ again. 

Our Father knew Levi’s soul was poised to develop enough strength to open His sacred Book of Records, and so He sent Levi to Earth at the proper time – as the Age of Pisces draws to a close (during these “end times”), and as The Age of Aquarius (the “new age”) commences.  Levi is a messenger sent from God.

Furthermore, Jesus was well aware that, during His life on Earth, few people were prepared to comprehend and accept His precious message, and so He shared much of His profound wisdom and understanding with only a few; but now, vast multitudes of human souls on Earth are finally mature enough to comprehend and assimilate the deep truths He conveyed – concerning the nature of God, the nature of Man, and our relationship. 

Thus, by the hand of Levi, God has given us this new book of scripture, which contains the life and teachings of Jesus; and anyone who wishes, may now read and comprehend the deep, precious knowledge and wisdom (which our Lord shared with only a few 2,000 years ago). 

Thus, God, our Father, has given us

The Aquarian Gospel.

I suggest that anyone who doubts this is true is well advised to read this book (carefully and comprehensively) before he would suggest it is anything less than God’s most recent Scriptural Gift to Mankind.  It is a mistake to assume that God would never send us a new book of scripture.

Preparation

It is recommended that you prepare yourself before you read the Aquarian Gospel – through deep prayer and meditation, because, through Jesus, God spoke.  Indeed, through Jesus, God revealed Himself.  Thus, the book you are about to read is nothing less than “God-Revealed.” 

 

One needs to approach God-Revealed with care, reverence and trepidation.  Furthermore, when one decides to read any book that claims to be “Revelation,” it only makes sense to ask God for protection from false claims, and for help in recognizing Truth.  The reader needs to ask for the power of discernment. 

 

There are many “false prophets” in the world today, and many have published.  During these “end times” of the Age, we especially need our Father’s aid (to help us distinguish between true and false prophets – and their publications).  Our Father-God never turns down an earnest, sincere request for the ability to discern the Truth.

 

The entire text of The Aquarian Gospel appears below (all 262 pages). You are welcome to read,
 or Go to Links Page to see where you can purchase paperback and hardbound copies on line.

(The following text was downloaded from Jim Birke’s website, and reformatted.)

Jesus’ words are in red, John’s are violet; most of the other dialogue is blue.

Scroll down to view Aquarian Gospel Text
or visit one of these links:

Aquarian Gospel FAQs                                           Website Table of Contents

Homepage                                                                    The Foreword – Part II

 

Authenticity of the Aquarian Gospel             About Levi, and his other transcripts

 

A comprehensive book review

 

German, French and Spanish paperback editions

 

The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus
the Christ

The Greatest Book Ever Written

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Transcribed from The Book of God’s Remembrance (Akashic Records)
by Levi H. Dowling (1844-1911)

The Aquarian Gospel was originally published in 1908 in Los Angeles, California.  In the title page of the 1996 edition, published by Adventures Unlimited Press, it is stated:   “This book is in the public domain and no permission is necessary for any reproduction of materials contained within.  ISBN 0-932813-41-0”

________________________

 

SECTION .I

ALEPH

Birth and Early Life of Mary, Mother of Jesus

 

CHAPTER 1

Palestine.  Birth of Mary, Joachim's feast.  Mary is blessed by the priests.
A priest’s prophecy.   Mary abides in the temple.  Is betrothed to Joseph.

AUGUSTUS Caesar reigned and Herod Antipas was ruler of Jerusalem.
2) Three provinces comprised the land of Palestine: Judea, Samaria and Galilee.
3) Joachim was a master of the Jewish law, a man of wealth; he lived in Nazareth of Galilee; and Anna, of the tribe of Judah, was his wife.
4) To them was born a child, a goodly female child, and they were glad; and Mary was the name they gave the child.
5) Joachim made a feast in honor of the child; but he invited not the rich, the honored and the great; he called the poor, the halt, the lame, the blind, and to each one he gave a gift of raiment, food or other needful thing.
6) He said,
The Lord has given me this wealth; I am his steward by his grace, and if I give not to his children when in need, then he will make this wealth a curse.
7) Now, when the child was three years old her parents took her to Jerusalem, and in the temple she received the blessings of the priests.
8) The high priest was a prophet and a seer, and when he saw the child he said,
9) Behold, this child will be the mother of an honored prophet and a master of the law; she shall abide within this holy temple of the Lord.
10) And Mary did abide within the temple of the Lord; and Hillel, chief of the Sanhedrin, taught her all the precepts of the Jews, and she delighted in the law of God.
11) When Mary reached the age of womanhood she was betrothed to Joseph, son of Jacob, and a carpenter of Nazareth.
12) And Joseph was an upright man, and a devoted Essene.

SECTION II

BETH

Birth and Infancy of John, the Harbinger, and of Jesus

 

CHAPTER 2

Zacharias and Elizabeth.  Prophetic messages of Gabriel to Zacharias,
Elizabeth and Mary.   Birth of John.  Prophecy of Zacharias.

NEAR Hebron in the hills of Judah, Zacharias and Elizabeth abode.
2) They were devout and just, and every day they read the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms which told of one to come, strong to redeem; and they were waiting for the king.
3) Now, Zacharias was a priest, and in his turn he led the temple service in Jerusalem.
4) It came to pass as Zacharias stood before the Lord and burned the incense in the Holy Place, that Gabriel came and stood before his face.
5) And Zacharias was afraid; he thought that some great evil was about to come upon the Jews.
6) But Gabriel said,
O man of God, fear not; I bring to you and all the world, a message of good will, and peace on earth.
7) Behold, the Prince of Peace, the king you seek, will quickly come.
8) Your wife will bear to you a son, a holy son, of whom the prophet wrote,
9) Behold, I send Elijah unto you again before the coming of the Lord; and he will level down the hills and fill the valleys up, and pave the way for him who shall redeem.
10) From the beginning of the age your son has borne the name of John, the mercy of the Lord; his name is John.
11) He will be honored in the sight of God, and he will drink no wine, and from his birth he will be filled with Holy Breath.
12) And Gabriel stood before Elizabeth as she was in the silence of her home, and told her all the words that he had said to Zacharias in Jerusalem.
13) When he had done the service of his course, the priest went home, and with Elizabeth rejoiced.
14) Five months passed by and Gabriel came to Mary in her home in Nazareth and said,
15) Hail Mary, hail! Once blessed in the name of God; twice blessed in the name of Holy Breath; thrice blessed in the name of Christ; for you are worthy, and will bear a son who shall be called Immanuel.
16) His name is Jesus, for he saves his people from their sins.
17) When Joseph's daily task was done he came, and Mary told him all the words that Gabriel spoke to her, and they rejoiced; for they believed that he, the man of God, had spoken words of truth.
18) And Mary went with haste to tell Elizabeth about the promises of Gabriel; together they rejoiced.
19) And in the home of Zacharias and Elizabeth did Mary tarry ninety days; then she returned to Nazareth.
20) To Zacharias and Elizabeth a son was born, and Zacharias said,
21) Most blessed be the name of God, for he has opened up the fount of blessings for his people, Israel.
22) His promises are verified; for he has brought to pass the words which holy prophets spoke in olden times.
23) And Zacharias looked upon infant John, and said,
24) You will be called the prophet of the Holy One; and you will go before his face, and will prepare his way.
25) And you will give a knowledge of salvation unto Israel; and you will preach the gospel of repentance and the blotting out of sins.
26) Behold, for soon the Day Star from on high will visit us, to light the way for those who sit within the darkness of the shadow-land, and guide our feet unto the ways of peace.

A Publisher’s note:  You may wonder: if Jesus came to guide us to peace, how is it that now, over 2,000 years later, we have anything but peace in the world?  After you have read the entire book, you will fully understand why the Prince of Peace cannot bring peace to the world until his return and Judgment Day – very near.

 

CHAPTER 3

Birth of Jesus.  Masters honor the child.  The shepherds rejoice.
Zacharias and Elizabeth visit Mary.  Jesus is circumcised.

THE time was nearly due for Jesus to be born, and Mary longed to see Elizabeth, and she and Joseph turned their faces toward the Judean hills.
2) And when, upon their way, they came to Bethlehem, the day was done, and they must tarry for the night.
3) But Bethlehem was thronged with people going to Jerusalem; the inns and homes were filled with guests, and Joseph and his wife could find no place to rest but in a cave where animals were kept; and there they slept.
4) At midnight came a cry,
A child is born in yonder cave among the beasts.
And lo, the promised son of man was born.
5) And strangers took the little one and wrapped him in the dainty robes that Mary had prepared and laid him in a trough from which the beasts of burden fed.
6) Three persons clad in snow-white robes came in and stood before the child and said,
7) All strength, all wisdom and all love be yours, Immanuel.
8) Now, on the hills of Bethlehem were many flocks of sheep with shepherds guarding them.
9) The shepherds were devout, were men of prayer, and they were waiting for a strong deliverer to come.
10) And when the child of promise came, a man in snow-white robe appeared to them, and they fell back in fear. The man stood forth and said,
11) Fear not! behold I bring you joyful news. At midnight in a cave in Bethlehem was born the prophet and the king that you have long been waiting for.
12) And then the shepherds all were glad; they felt that all the hills were filled with messengers of light, who said,
13) All glory be to God on high; peace, peace on earth, good will to men.
14) And then the shepherds came with haste to Bethlehem and to the cave, that they might see and honor him whom men had called Immanuel.
15) Now, when the morning came, a shepherdess whose home was near, prepared a room for Mary, Joseph and the child; and here they tarried many days.
16) And Joseph sent a messenger in haste to Zacharias and Elizabeth to say,
The child is born in Bethlehem.
17) And Zacharias and Elizabeth took John and came to Bethlehem with words of cheer.
18) And Mary and Elizabeth recounted all the wondrous things that had transpired. The people joined with them in praising God.
19) According to the custom of the Jews, the child was circumcised; and when they asked,
What will you call the child?
the mother said,
His name is Jesus, as the man of God declared.

 

CHAPTER 4

Consecration of Jesus.  Mary offers sacrifices.  Simeon and Anna prophesy.
Anna is rebuked for worshipping the child.  The family returns to Bethlehem.

NOW, Mary took her son, when he was forty days of age, up to the temple in Jerusalem, and he was consecrated by the priest.
2) And then she offered purifying sacrifices for herself, according to the custom of the Jews; a lamb and two young turtle doves.
3) A pious Jew named Simeon was in the temple serving God.
4) From early youth he had been looking for Immanuel to come, and he had prayed to God that he might not depart until his eyes had seen Messiah in the flesh.
5) And when he saw the infant Jesus he rejoiced and said,
I now am ready to depart in peace, for I have seen the king.
6) And then he took the infant in his arms and said,
Behold, this child will bring a sword upon my people, Israel, and all the world; but he will break the sword and then the nations will learn war no more.
7) The master's cross I see upon the forehead of this child, and he will conquer by this sign.
8) And in the temple was a widow, four and eighty years of age, and she departed not, but night and day she worshipped God.
9) And when she saw the infant Jesus she exclaimed,
Behold Immanuel! Behold the signet cross of the Messiah on his brow!
10) And then the woman knelt to worship him, as God with us, Immanuel; but one, a master, clothed in white, appeared and said,
11) Good woman, stay; take heed to what you do; you may not worship man; this is idolatry.
12) This child is man, the son of man, and worthy of all praise. You shall adore and worship God; him only shall you serve.
13) The woman rose and bowed her head in thankfulness and worshipped God.
14) And Mary took the infant Jesus and returned to Bethlehem.

 

CHAPTER 5

Three magian priests honor Jesus.  Herod is alarmed.  Calls a council of the Jews.
Is told that prophets had foretold the coming of a king.  Herod resolves to kill the child.
Mary and Joseph take Jesus and flee into Egypt.

BEYOND the river Euphrates the magians lived; and they were wise, could read the language of the stars, and they divined that one, a master soul, was born; they saw his star above Jerusalem.
2) And there were three among the magian priests who longed to see the master of the coming age; and they took costly gifts and hastened to the West in search of him, the newborn king, that they might honor him.
3) And one took gold, the symbol of nobility; another myrrh, the symbol of dominion and of power; gum-thus the other took, the symbol of the wisdom of the sage.
4) Now when the magians reached Jerusalem the people were amazed, and wondered who they were and why they came.
5) And when they asked,
Where is the child that has been born a king?
the very throne of Herod seemed to shake.
6) And Herod sent a courtier forth to bring the magians to his court.
7) And when they came they asked again,
Where is the newborn king?
And then they said,
While yet beyond the Euphrates we saw his star arise, and we have come to honor him.
8) And Herod blanched with fear. He thought,
perhaps, the priests were plotting to restore the kingdom of the Jews,
and so he said within himself,
I will know more about this child that has been born a king.
9) And so he told the magian priests to tarry in the city for a while and he would tell them all about the king.
10) He called in council all the Jewish masters of the law and asked,
What have the Jewish prophets said concerning such a one?
11) The Jewish masters answered him and said,
The prophets long ago foretold that one would come to rule the tribes of Israel; that this Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
12) They said,
The prophet Micah wrote,
O Bethlehem Judea, a little place among the Judean hills, yet out of you will one come forth to rule my people, Israel; yea, one who lived in olden times, in very ancient days.
13) Then Herod called the magian priests again and told them what the masters of the Jewish law had said; and then he sent them on the way to Bethlehem.
14) He said,
Go search, and if you find the child that has been born a king, return and tell me all, that I may go and honor him.
15) The magians went their way and found the child with Mary in the shepherd's home.
16) They honored him; bestowed upon him precious gifts and gave him gold, gum-thus and myrrh.
17) These magian priests could read the hearts of men; they read the wickedness of Herod's heart, and knew that he had sworn to kill the new born king.
18) And so they told the secret to the parents of the child, and bid them flee beyond the reach of harm.
19) And then the priests went on their homeward way; they went not through Jerusalem.
20) And Joseph took the infant Jesus and his mother in the night and fled to Egypt land, and with Elihu and Salome in ancient Zoan they abode.

 

CHAPTER 6

Herod learns of the mission of John.  The infants of Bethlehem are massacred by Herod's order.  Elizabeth escapes with John.  Because Zacharias cannot tell where his son is hidden, he is murdered.  Herod dies.

NOW, when the magian priests did not return to tell him of the child that had been born a king, King Herod was enraged.
2) And then his courtiers told him of another child in Bethlehem, one born to go before and to prepare the people to receive the king.
3) This angered more and more the king; he called his guards and bid them go to Bethlehem and slay the infant John, as well as Jesus who was born to be a king.
4) He said,
Let no mistake be made, and that you may be sure to slay these claimants to my throne, slay all the male children in the town not yet two years of age.
5) The guards went forth and did as Herod bade them do.
6) Elizabeth knew not that Herod sought to slay her son, and she and John were yet in Bethlehem; but when she knew, she took the infant John and hastened to the hills.
7) The murderous guards were near; they pressed upon her hard; but then she knew the secret caves in all the hills, and into one she ran and hid herself and John until the guards were gone.
8) Their cruel task was done; the guards returned and told the story to the king.
9) They said,
We know that we have slain the infant king; but John his harbinger, we could not find.
10) The king was angry with his guards because they failed to slay the infant John; He sent them to the tower in chains.
11) And other guards were sent to Zacharias, father of the harbinger, while he was serving in the Holy Place, to say,
The king demands that you shall tell where is your son.
12) But Zacharias did not know, and he replied,
I am a minister of God, a servant in the Holy Place; how could I know where they have taken him?
13) And when the guards returned and told the king what Zacharias said, he was enraged and said,
14) My guards, go back and tell that wily priest that he is in my hands; that if he does not tell the truth, does not reveal the hiding place of John, his son, then he shall die.
15) The guards went back and told the priest just what the king had said.
16) And Zacharias said,
I can but give my life for truth; and if the king does shed my blood the Lord will save my soul.
17) The guards again returned and told the king what Zacharias said.
18) Now, Zacharias stood before the altar in the Holy Place engaged in prayer.
19) A guard approached and with a dagger thrust him through; he fell and died before the curtain of the sanctuary of the Lord.
20) And when the hour of salutation came, for Zacharias daily blessed the priests, he did not come.
21) And after waiting long the priests went to the Holy Place and found the body of the dead.
22) And there was grief, deep grief, in all the land.
23) Now Herod sat upon his throne; he did not seem to move; his courtiers came; the king was dead. His sons reigned in his stead.

SECTION III

GIMEL

Education of Mary and Elizabeth in Zoan

 

CHAPTER 7

Archelaus reigns. Mary and Elizabeth with their sons are in Zoan and are
taught by Elihu and Salome.  Elihu's introductory lesson.  Tells of a transcriber.

THE son of Herod, Archelaus, reigned in Jerusalem. He was a selfish, cruel king; he put to death all those who did not honor him.
2) He called in council all the wisest men and asked about the infant claimant to his throne.
3) The council said that John and Jesus both were dead; then he was satisfied.
4) Now Joseph, Mary and their son were down in Egypt in Zoan, and John was with his mother in the Judean Hills.
5) Elihu and Salome sent messengers in haste to find Elizabeth and John. They found them and they brought them to Zoan.
6) Now, Mary and Elizabeth were marveling much because of their deliverance.
7) Elihu said,
It is not strange; there are no (random) happenings; law governs all events.
8) From olden times it was ordained that you should be with us, and in this sacred school be taught.
9) Elihu and Salome took Mary and Elizabeth out to the sacred grove nearby where they were wont to teach.
10) Elihu said to Mary and Elizabeth,
You may esteem yourselves thrice blest, for you are chosen mothers of long promised sons,
11) Who are ordained to lay in solid rock a sure foundation stone on which the temple of the perfect man shall rest – a temple that shall never be destroyed.
12) We measure time by cycle ages, and the gate to every age we deem a milestone in the journey of the (human) race.
13) An age has passed; the gate unto another age flies open at the touch of time. This is the preparation age of soul, the kingdom of Immanuel, of God in man;
14) And these, your sons, will be the first to tell the news, and preach the gospel of good will to men, and peace on earth.
15) A mighty work is theirs; for carnal men want not the light, they love the dark, and when the light shines in the dark they comprehend it not.
16) We call these sons Revealers of the Light; but they must have the light before they can reveal the light.
17) And you must teach your sons, and set their souls on fire with love and holy zeal, and make them conscious of their missions to the sons of men.
18) Teach them that God and man were one; but that through carnal thoughts and words and deeds, man tore himself away from God; debased himself.
19) Teach that the Holy Breath would make them one again, restoring harmony and peace;
20) That naught can make them one but Love; that God so loved the world that he has clothed his son in flesh that man may comprehend.
21) The only Savior of the world is love, and Jesus, son of Mary, comes to manifest that love to men.
22) Now, love cannot manifest until its way has been prepared, and naught can rend the rocks and bring down lofty hills and fill the valleys up, and thus prepare the way, but purity.
23) But purity in life, men do not comprehend; and so, it too, must come in flesh.
24) And you, Elizabeth, are blest because your son is purity made flesh, and he shall pave the way for love.
25) This age will comprehend but little of the works of Purity and Love; but not a word is lost, for in the Book of God's Remembrance a registry is made of every thought, and word, and deed;
26) And when the world is ready to receive, lo, God will send a messenger to open up the book, and copy from its sacred pages all the messages of Purity and Love.
27) Then every man of earth will read the words of life in language of his native land, and men will see the light, walk in the light and be the light.
28) And man again will be at one with God.

CHAPTER 8

Elihu's lessons.  The unity of life.  The two selfs.  The devil.  Love - the savior of men.
The David of the light.  Goliath of the dark.

AGAIN Elihu met his pupils in the sacred grove and said,
2) No man lives unto himself; for every living thing is bound by cords to every other living thing.
3) Blest are the pure in heart; for they will love and not demand love in return.
4) They will not do to other men what they would not have other men do unto them.
5) There are two selfs; the higher and the lower self.
6) The higher self is human spirit clothed with soul, made in the form of God.
7) The lower self, the carnal self, the body of desires, is a reflection of the higher self, distorted by the murky ethers of the flesh.
8) The lower self is an illusion, and will pass away; the higher self is God in man, and will not pass away.
9) The higher self is the embodiment of truth; the lower self is truth reversed, and so is falsehood manifest.
10) The higher self is justice, mercy, love and right; the lower self is what the higher self is not.
11) The lower self breeds hatred, slander, lewdness, murders, theft, and everything that harms; the higher self is mother of the virtues and the harmonies of life.
12) The lower self is rich in promises, but poor in blessedness and peace; it offers pleasure, joy and satisfying gains; but gives unrest and misery and death.
13) It gives men apples that are lovely to the eye and pleasant to the smell; their cores are full of bitterness and gall.
14) If you would ask me what to study I would say, your selfs; and when you well had studied them, and then would ask me what to study next, I would reply, your selfs.
15) He who knows well his lower self, knows the illusions of the world, knows of the things that pass away; and he who knows his higher self, knows God; knows well the things that cannot pass away.
16) Thrice blessed is the man who has made purity and love his very own; he has been ransomed from the perils of the lower self and is himself his higher self.
17) Men seek salvation from an evil that they deem a living monster of the nether world; and they have gods that are but demons in disguise; all powerful, yet full of jealousy and hate and lust;
18) Whose favors must be bought with costly sacrifice of fruits, and of the lives of birds, and animals, and human kind.
19) And yet these gods possess no ears to hear, no eyes to see, no heart to sympathize, no power to save.
20) This evil is myth; these gods are made of air, and clothed with shadows of a thought.
21) The only devil from which men must be redeemed is self, the lower self. If man would find his devil he must look within; his name is self.
22) If man would find his savior he must look within; and when the demon self has been dethroned the savior, Love, will be exulted to the throne of power.
23) The David of the light is Purity, who slays the strong Goliath of the dark, and seats the savior, Love, upon the throne.

CHAPTER 9

Salome's lessons.  The man and the woman.  Philosophy of human moods.
The triune God.  The Septonate.  The God Tao.

SALOME taught the lesson of the day. She said,
All times are not alike. Today the words of man may have the greatest power; tomorrow woman teaches best.
2) In all the ways of life the man and woman should walk hand in hand; the one without the other is but half; each has a work to do.
3) But all things teach; each has a time and a season for its own. The sun, the moon have lessons of their own for men; but each one teaches at the appointed time.
4) The lessons of the sun fall down on human hearts like withered leaves upon a stream, if given in the season of the moon; and so with lessons of the moon and all the stars.
5) Today one walks in gloom, downhearted and oppressed; tomorrow that same one is filled with joy.
6) Today the heavens seem full of blessedness and hope; tomorrow hope has fled, and every plan and purpose comes to naught.
7) Today one wants to curse the very ground on which he treads; tomorrow he is full of love and praise.
8) Today one hates and scorns and envies and is jealous of the child he loves; tomorrow he has risen above his carnal self, and breathes forth gladness and good will.
9) A thousand times men wonder why these heights and depths, these light hearts and these sad, are found in every life.
10) They do not know that there are teachers everywhere, each busy with a God-appointed task, and driving home to human hearts the truth.
11) But this is true, and every one receives the lessons that he needs.
12) And Mary said,
Today I am in exaltation great; my thoughts and all my life seem lifted up; why am I thus inspired?
13) Salome replied,
This is a day of exaltation; day of worship and of praise; a day when, in a measure, we may comprehend our Father-God.
14) Then let us study God, the One, the Three, the Seven.
15) Before the worlds were formed all things were One; just Spirit, Universal Breath.
16) And Spirit breathed, and that which was not manifest became the Fire and Thought of Heaven, the Father-God, the Mother-God.
17) And when the Fire and Thought of heaven in union breathed, their son, their only son, was born. This son is Love whom men have called the Christ.
18) Men call the Thought of heaven the Holy Breath.
19) And when the Triune God breathed forth, lo, seven Spirits stood before the throne. These are the Elohim, creative spirits of the universe.
20) And these are they who said, Let us make man; and in their image man was made.
21) In early ages of the world the dwellers in the farther East said, Tao is the name of Universal Breath; and in the ancient books we read,
22) No manifesting form has Tao Great, and yet he made and keeps the heavens and earth.
23) No passion has our Tao Great, and yet he causes sun and moon and all the stars to rise and set.
24) No name has Tao Great, and yet he makes all things to grow; he brings in season both the seed time and the harvest time.
25) And Tao Great was One; the One became the Two; the Two became the Three, the Three evolved the Seven, which filled the universe with manifests.
26) And Tao Great gives unto all, the evil and the good, the rain, the dew, the sunshine and the flowers; from his rich stores he feeds them all.
27) And in the same old book we read of man: He has a spirit knit to Tao Great; a soul which lives within the seven Breaths of Tao Great; a body of desires that springs up from the soil of flesh.
28) Now spirit loves the pure, the good, the true; the body of desires extols the selfish self; the soul becomes the battle ground between the two.
29) And blessed is the man whose spirit is triumphant and whose lower self is purified; whose soul is cleansed, becoming fit to be the council chamber of the manifests of Tao Great.
30) Thus closed the lesson of Salome.

 

CHAPTER 10

Elihu's lessons.  The Brahmic religion.  Life of Abram.  Jewish sacred books.
The Persian religion.

ELIHU taught; he said,
In ancient times a people in the East were worshippers of God, the One, whom they called Brahm.
2) Their laws were just; they lived in peace; they saw the light within; they walked in wisdom's ways.
3) But priests with carnal aims arose, who changed the laws to suit the carnal mind; bound heavy burdens on the poor, and scorned the rules of right; and so the Brahms became corrupt.
4) But in the darkness of the age a few great masters stood unmoved; they loved the name of Brahm; they were great beacon lights before the world.
5) And they preserved inviolate the wisdom of their holy Brahm, and you may read this wisdom in their sacred books.
6) And in Chaldea, Brahm was known. A pious Brahm named Terah lived in Ur; his son was so devoted to the Brahmic faith that he was called A-Brahm; and he was set apart to be the father of the Hebrew race.
7) Now, Terah took his wife and sons and all his flocks and herds to Haran in the West; here Terah died.
8) And Abram took the flocks and herds, and with his kindred journeyed farther west;
9) And when he reached the Oaks of Morah in the land of Canaan, he pitched his tents and there abode.
10) A famine swept the land and Abram took his kindred and his flocks and herds and came to Egypt, and in these fertile plains of Zoan pitched his tent, and here abode.
11) And men still mark the place where Abram lived – across the plain.
12) You ask why Abram came to Egypt land? This is the cradle-land of the initiate; all secret things belong to Egypt land; and this is why the masters come.
13) In Zoan Abram taught his science of the stars, and in that sacred temple over there he learned the wisdom of the wise.
14) And when his lessons all were learned, he took his kindred and his flocks and herds and journeyed back to Canaan, and in the plains of Mamre pitched his tent, and there he lived, and there he died.
15) And records of his life and works and of his sons, and of the tribes of Israel, are well preserved in Jewish sacred books.
16) In Persia Brahm was known, and feared. Men saw him as the One, the causeless Cause of all that is, and he was sacred unto them, as Tao to the dwellers of the farther East.
17) The people lived in peace, and justice ruled.
18) But, as in other lands, in Persia priests arose imbued with self and self desires, who outraged Force, Intelligence and Love;
19) Religion grew corrupt, and birds and beasts and creeping things were set apart as gods.
20) In course of time a lofty soul, whom men called Zarathustra, came in flesh.
21) He saw the causeless Spirit, high and lifted up; he saw the weakness of all man-appointed gods.
22) He spoke and all of Persia heard; and when he said, One God, one people and one shrine, the altars of the idols fell, and Persia was redeemed.
23) But men must see their Gods with human eyes, and Zarathustra said,
24) The greatest of the Spirits standing near the throne is the Ahura Mazda, who manifests in brightness of the sun.
25) And all the people saw Ahura Mazda in the sun, and they fell down and worshipped him in temples of the sun.
26) And Persia is the magian land where live the priests who saw the star arise to mark the place where Mary's son was born, and were the first to greet him as the Prince of Peace.
27) The precepts and the laws of Zarathustra are preserved in the Avesta which you can read and make your own.
28) But you must know that words are naught till they are made alive; until the lessons they contain become a part of head and heart.
29) Now truth is one; but no one knows the truth until he is the truth. It is recorded in an ancient book.
30) Truth is the leavening power of God; it can transmute the all of life into itself; and when the all of life is truth, then man is truth.

 

CHAPTER 11

Elihu's lessons.  Buddhism and the precepts of Buddha.  The mysteries of Egypt.

AGAIN Elihu taught; he said,
The Indian priests became corrupt; Brahm was forgotten in the streets; the rights of men were trampled in the dust.
2) And then a mighty master came, a Buddha of enlightenment, who turned away from wealth and all the honors of the world, and found the Silence in the quiet groves and caves; and he was blest.
3) He preached a gospel of the higher life, and taught man how to honor man.
4) He had no doctrine of the gods to teach; he just knew man, and so his creed was justice, love and righteousness.
5) I quote for you a few of many of the helpful words which Buddha spoke:
6) Hate is a cruel word. If men hate you regard it not; and you can turn the hate of men to love and mercy and goodwill, and mercy is as large as all the heavens.
7) And there is good enough for all. With good destroy the bad; with generous deeds make avarice ashamed; with truth make straight the crooked lines that error draws, for error is but truth distorted, gone astray.
8) And pain will follow him who speaks or acts with evil thoughts, as does the wheel the foot of him who draws the cart.
9) He is a greater man who conquers self than he who kills a thousand men in war.
10) He is the noble man who is himself what he believes what other men should be.
11) Return to him who does you wrong your purest love, and he will cease from doing wrong; for love will purify the heart of him who is beloved as truly as it purifies the heart of him who loves.
12) The words of Buddha are recorded in the Indian sacred books; attend to them, for they are part of the instructions of the Holy Breath.
13) The land of Egypt is the land of secret things.
14) The mysteries of the ages lie lock-bound in our temples and our shines.
15) The masters of all times and climes come here to learn; and when your sons have grown to manhood they will finish all their studies in Egyptian schools.
16) But I have said enough. Tomorrow at the rising of the sun we meet again.

 

CHAPTER 12

Salome's lessons.  Prayer .  Elihu's concluding lessons.
Sums up the three years' course of study.
The pupils return to their homes.

NOW, when the morning sun arose the masters and their pupils all were in the sacred grove.
2) Salome was the first to speak; she said,
Behold the sun! It manifests the power of God who speaks to us through sun and moon and stars;
3) Through mountain, hill and vale; through flower, and plant and tree.
4) God sings for us through bird, and harpsichord, and human voice; he speaks to us through wind and rain and thunder roll; why should we not bow down and worship at his feet?
5) God speaks to hearts apart; and hearts apart must speak to him; and this is prayer.
6) It is not prayer to shout at God, to stand, or sit, or kneel and tell him all about the sins of men.
7) It is not prayer to tell the Holy One how great he is, how good he is, how strong and how compassionate.
8) God is not man to be bought up by praise of man.
9) Prayer is the ardent wish that every way of life be light; that every act be crowned with good; that every living thing be prospered by our ministry.
10) A noble deed, a helpful word is prayer; a fervent, an effectual prayer.
11) The fount of prayer is in the heart; by thought, not words, the heart is carried up to God, where it is blest, Then let us pray.
12) They prayed, but not a word was said; but in that holy Silence every heart was blest.
13) And then Elihu spoke. He said to Mary and Elizabeth,
Our words are said; you need not tarry longer here; the call has come; the way is clear, you may return unto your native land.
14) A mighty work is given you to do; you shall direct the minds that will direct the world.
15) Your sons are set apart to lead men up to righteous thoughts, and words, and deeds;
16) To make men know the sinfulness of sin; to lead them from the adoration of the lower self, and all illusive things, and make them conscious of the self that lives with Christ in God.
17) In preparation for their work your sons must walk in many thorny paths.
18) Fierce trials and temptations they will meet, like other men; their loads will not be light, and they will weary be, and faint.
19) And they will know the pangs of hunger and of thirst; and without cause they will be mocked, imprisoned, scourged.
20) To many countries they will go, and at the feet of many masters they will sit, for they must learn like other men.
21) But we have said enough. The blessings of the Three and of the Seven, who stand before the throne, will surely rest upon you evermore.
22) Thus closed the lessons of Elihu and Salome. Three years they taught their pupils in the sacred grove, and if their lessons all were written in a book, lo, it would be a mighty book; of what they said we have the sum.
23) Now, Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth with Jesus and his harbinger, set forth upon their homeward way. They went not by Jerusalem, for Archelaus reigned.
24) They journeyed by the Bitter Sea, and when they reached Engedi hills they rested in the home of Joshua, a near of kin; and here Elizabeth and John abode.
25) But Joseph, Mary and their son went by the Jordan way, and after certain days they reached their home in Nazareth.

 

SECTION IV

DALETH

Childhood and Early Education of John, the Harbinger

 

CHAPTER 13

Elizabeth in Engedi.  Teaches her son.  John becomes the pupil of Matheno,
who reveals to him the meaning of sin and the law of forgiveness.

ELIZABETH was blest; she spent her time with John, and gave to him the lessons that Elihu and Salome had given her.
2) And John delighted in the wildness of his home and in the lessons that he learned.
3) Now in the hills were many caves. The cave of David was a-near in which the Hermit of Engedi lived.
4) This hermit was Matheno, priest of Egypt, master from the temple of Sakara.
5) When John was seven years of age Matheno took him to the wilderness and in the cave of David they abode.
6) Matheno taught, and John was thrilled with what the master said, and day by day Matheno opened up to him the mysteries of life.
7) John loved the wilderness; he loved his master and his simple fare. Their food was fruits, and nuts, wild honey and the carob bread.
8) Matheno was an Israelite, and he attended all the Jewish feasts.
9) When John was nine years old Matheno took him to a great feast in Jerusalem.
10) The wicked Archelaus had been deposed and exiled to a distant land because of selfishness and cruelty, and John was not afraid.
11) John was delighted with his visit to Jerusalem. Matheno told him all about the service of the Jews; the meaning of their sacrifices and their rites.
12) John could not understand how sin could be forgiven by killing animals and birds and burning them before the Lord.
13) Matheno said,
The God of heaven and earth does not require sacrifice. This custom, with its cruel rites, was borrowed from the idol worshippers of other lands.
14) No sin was ever blotted out by sacrifice of animal, of bird, or man.
15) Sin is the rushing forth of man into fens of wickedness. If one would get away from sin he must retrace his steps, and find his way out of the fens of wickedness.
16) Return and purify your hearts by love and righteousness and you shall be forgiven.
17) This is the burden of the message that the harbinger shall bring to men.
18) What is forgiveness? John inquired.
19) Matheno said,
It is the paying up of debts. A man who wrongs another man can never be forgiven until he rights the wrong.
20) The Vedas says that none can right the wrong but him who does the wrong.
21) John said,
If this be true where is the power to forgive except the power that rests in man himself? Can man forgive himself?
22) Matheno said,
The door is wide ajar; you see the way of man's return to right, and the forgiveness of his sins.

 

CHAPTER 14

Matheno's lessons.  The doctrine of universal law.
The power of man to choose and to attain.
The benefits of antagonisms.  Ancient sacred books.
The place of John and Jesus in the world's history.

MATHENO and his pupil, John, were talking of the sacred books of olden times, and of the golden precepts they contained, and John exclaimed,
2) These golden precepts are sublime; what need have we of other sacred books?
3) Matheno said,
The Spirits of the Holy One cause every thing to come and go in proper time.
4) The sun has his own time to set, the moon to rise, to wax and wane, the stars to come and go, the rain to fall, the winds to blow;
5) The seed times and the harvest times to come; man to be born and man to die.
6) These mighty Spirits cause the nations to be born; they rock them in their cradles, nurture them to greatest power, and when their tasks are done they wrap them in their winding sheets and lay them in their tombs.
7) Events are many in a nation's life, and in the life of man, that are not pleasant for the time; but in the end the truth appears: whatever comes is for the best.
8) Man was created for a noble part; but he could not be made a free man filled with wisdom, truth and might,
9) If he were hedged about, confined in straits from which he could not pass, then he would be a toy, a mere machine.
10) Creative spirits gave to man a will; and so he has the power to choose.
11) He may attain the greatest heights, or sink to deepest depths; for what he wills to gain he has the power to gain.
12) If he desires strength he has the power to gain that strength; but he must overcome resistances to reach the goal; no strength is ever gained in idleness.
13) So, in the whirl of many-sided conflicts man is placed where he must strive to extricate himself.
14) In every conflict man gains strength; with every conquest he attains to greater heights. With every day he finds new duties and new cares.
15) Man is not carried over dangerous pits, nor helped to overcome his foes. He is himself his army, and his sword and shield; and he is captain of his hosts.
16) The Holy Ones just light his way. Man never has been left without a beacon light to guide.
17) And he has ever had a lighted lamp in hand that he may see the dangerous rocks, the turbid streams and treacherous pits.
18) And so the Holy Ones have judged; when men have needed added light a master soul has come to earth to give the light.
19) Before the Vedic days the world had many sacred books to light the way; and when man needed greater light the Vedas, the Avesta and the books of Tao Great appeared to show the way to greater heights.
20) And in the proper place the Hebrew Bible, with its Law, its Prophets and its Psalms, appeared for man's enlightenment.
21) But years have passed and men have need of greater light.
22) And now the Day Star from on high begins to shine; and Jesus is the flesh-made messenger to show that light to men.
23) And you, my pupil, you have been ordained to harbinger the coming day.
24) But you must keep that purity of heart you now possess; and you must light your lamp directly from the coals that burn upon the altar of the Holy Ones.
25) And then your lamp will be transmuted to a boundless flame, and you will be a living torch whose light will shine wherever man abides.
26) But in the ages yet to come, man will attain to greater heights, and lights still more intense will come.
27 And then, at last, a mighty master soul will come to earth to light the way up to the throne of perfect man.

 

CHAPTER 15

Death and burial of Elizabeth.  Matheno's lessons.  The ministry of death.
The mission of John.   Institution of the rite of baptism.
Matheno takes John to Egypt, and places him in the temple at Sakara,
where he remains eighteen years.

WHEN John was twelve years old his mother died, and neighbors laid her body in a tomb among her kindred in the Hebron burying ground, and near to Zacharias' tomb.
2) And John was deeply grieved; he wept. Matheno said,
It is not well to weep because of death.
3) Death is no enemy of man; it is a friend who, when the work of life is done, just cuts the cord that binds the human boat to earth, that it may sail on smoother seas.
4) No language can describe a mother's worth, and yours was tried and true. But she was not called hence until her tasks were done.
5) The calls of death are always for the best, for we are solving problems there as well as here; and one is sure to find himself where he can solve his problems best.
6) It is but selfishness that makes one wish to call again to earth departed souls.
7) Then let your mother rest in peace. Just let her noble life be strength and inspiration unto you.
8) A crisis in your life has come, and you must have a clear conception of the work that you are called to do.
9) The sages of the ages call you harbinger. The prophets look to you and say, He is Elijah come again.
10) Your mission here is that of harbinger; for you will go before Messiah's face to pave his way, and make the people ready to receive their king.
11) This readiness is purity of heart; none but the pure in heart can recognize the king.
12) To teach men to be pure in heart, you must yourself be pure in heart, and word, and deed.
13) In infancy the vow for you was made and you became a Nazarite. The razor shall not touch your face nor head, and you shall taste not wine nor fiery drinks.
14) Men need a pattern for their lives; they love to follow, not to lead.
15) The man who stands upon the corners of the paths and points the way, but does not go, is just a pointer; and a block of wood can do the same.
16) The teacher treads the way; on every span of ground he leaves his footprints clearly cut, which all can see and be assured that he, their master went that way.
17) Men comprehend the inner life by what they see and do. They come to God through ceremonies and forms.
18) And so when you would make men know that sins are washed away by purity in life, a rite symbolic may be introduced.
19) In water wash the bodies of the people who would turn away from sin and strive for purity in life.
20) This rite of cleansing is a preparation rite and they who thus are cleansed comprise the Church of Purity.
21) And you shall say, You men of Israel, hear; Reform and wash; become the sons of purity, and you shall be forgiven
22) This rite of cleansing and this church are but symbolic of the cleansing of the soul by purity in life, and of the kingdom of the soul, which does not come with outward show, but is the church within.
23) Now, you may never point the way and tell the multitudes to do what you have never done; but you must go before and show the way.
24) You are to teach that men must wash; so you must lead the way, your body must be washed, symbolic of the cleansing of the soul.
25) John said,
Why need I wait? May I not go at once and wash?
26) Matheno said,
'Tis well,
and then they went down to the Jordan ford, and east of Jericho, just where the hosts of Israel crossed when first they entered Canaan, they tarried for a time.
27) Matheno taught the harbinger, and he explained to him the inner meaning of the cleansing rite and how to wash himself and how to wash the multitude.
28) And in the river Jordan John was washed; then they returned unto the wilderness.
29) Now in Engedi's hills Matheno's work was done and he and John went down to Egypt. They rested not until they reached the temple of Sakara in the valley of the Nile.
30) For many years Matheno was a master in this temple of the Brotherhood, and when he told about the life of John and of his mission to the sons of men, the hierophant with joy received the harbinger and he was called the Brother Nazarite.
31) For eighteen years John lived and wrought within these temple gates; and here he conquered self, became a master mind and learned the duties of the harbinger.

SECTION V

HE

Childhood and Early Education of Jesus

 

CHAPTER 16

The home of Joseph.  Mary teaches her son.  Jesus' seventh birthday.
Jesus tells about his dream; his grandmother's interpretation.  His birthday gift.

THE home of Joseph was on Marmion Way in Nazareth; here Mary taught her son the lessons of Elihu and Salome.
2) And Jesus greatly loved the Vedic hymns and the Avesta; but more than all he loved to read the Psalms of David and the pungent words of Solomon.
3) The Jewish books of prophecy were his delight; and when he reached his seventh year he needed not the books to read, for he had fixed in memory every word.
4) Joachim and his wife, grandparents of child Jesus, made a feast in honor of the child, and all their near of kin were guests.
5) And Jesus stood before the guests and said,
I had a dream, and in my dream I stood before a sea, upon a sandy beach.
6) The waves upon the sea were high; a storm was raging on the deep.
7) Someone above gave me a wand. I took the wand and touched the sand, and every grain of sand became a living thing; the beach was all a mass of beauty and of song.
8) I touched the waters at my feet, and they were changed to trees, and flowers, and singing birds, and every thing was praising God.
9) And someone spoke, I did not see the one who spoke, I heard the voice, which said,
There is no death.
10) Grandmother Anna loved the child; she laid her hand on Jesus' head and said,
I saw you stand beside the sea; I saw you touch the sand and waves; I saw them turn to living things and then I knew the meaning of the dream.
11) The sea of life rolls high; the storms are great. The multitude of men are idle, listless, waiting, like dead sand upon the beach.
12) Your wand is truth. With this you touch the multitudes, and every man becomes a messenger of holy light and life.
13) You touch the waves upon the sea of life; their turmoils cease; the very winds become a song of praise.
14) There is no death, because the wand of truth can change the driest bones to living things, and bring the loveliest flowers from stagnant ponds, and turn the most discordant notes to harmony and praise.
15) Joachim said,
My son, today you pass the seventh milestone of your way of life, for you are seven years of age, and we will give to you, as a remembrance of this day, whatever you desire; choose that which will afford you most delight.
16) And Jesus said,
I do not want a gift, for I am satisfied. If I could make a multitude of children glad upon this day I would be greatly pleased.
17) Now, there are many hungry boys and girls in Nazareth who would be pleased to eat with us this feast and share with us the pleasures of this day.
18) The richest gift that you can give to me is your permission to go out and find these needy ones and bring them here that they may feast with us.
19) Joachim said,
'Tis well; go out and find the needy boys and girls and bring them here; we will prepare enough for all.
20) And Jesus did not wait; he ran; he entered every dingy hut and cabin of the town; he did not waste his words; he told his mission everywhere.
21) And in a little time one hundred and three-score of happy, ragged boys and girls were following him up Marmion Way.
22) The guests made way; the banquet hall was filled with Jesus' guests, and Jesus and his mother helped to serve.
23) And there was food enough for all, and all were glad; and so the birthday gift of Jesus was a crown of righteousness.

 

CHAPTER 17

Jesus talks with the rabbi of the synagogue of Nazareth.
He criticizes the narrowness of Jewish thought.

NOW, Rabbi Barachia of the synagogue of Nazareth, was aid to Mary in the teaching of her son.
2) One morning after service in the synagogue the rabbi said to Jesus as he sat in silent thought,
Which is the greatest of the Ten Commands?
3) And Jesus said,
I do not see a greatest of the Ten Commands. I see a golden cord that runs through all the Ten Commands that binds them fast and makes them one.
4) This cord is love, and it belongs to every word of all the Ten Commands.
5) If one is full of love he can do nothing else than worship God; for God is love.
6) If one is full of love, he cannot kill; he cannot falsely testify; he cannot covet; can do naught but honor God and man.
7) If one is full of love he does not need commands of any kind.
8) And Rabbi Barachia said,
Your words are seasoned with the salt of wisdom that is from above. Who is the teacher who has opened up this truth to you?
9) And Jesus said,
I do not know that any teacher opened up this truth for me. It seems to me that truth was never shut; that it was always opened up, for truth is one and it is everywhere.
10) And if we open up the windows of our minds the truth will enter in and make herself at home; for truth can find her way through any crevice, any window, any open door.
11) The rabbi said,
What hand is strong enough to open up the windows and the doors of mind so truth can enter in?
12) And Jesus said,
It seems to me that love, the golden cord that binds the Ten Commands in one, is strong enough to open any human door so that the truth can enter in and cause the heart to understand.
13) Now, in the evening Jesus and his mother sat alone, and Jesus said,
14) The rabbi seems to think that God is partial in his treatment of the sons of men; that Jews are favored and are blest above all other men.
15) I do not see how God can have his favorites and be just.
16) Are not Samaritans and Greeks and Romans just as much the children of the Holy One as are the Jews?
17) I think the Jews have built a wall about themselves, and they see nothing on the other side of it.
18) They do not know that flowers are blooming over there; that sowing times and reaping times belong to anybody (and the Jews).
19) It surely would be well if we could break these barriers down so that the Jews might see that God has other children that are just as greatly blest.
20) I want to go from Jewry land and meet my kin in other countries of my Fatherland.

 

CHAPTER 18

Jesus at a feast in Jerusalem.  Is grieved by the cruelties of the sacrificers.
Appeals to Hillel, who sympathizes with him.  He remains in the temple a year.

THE great feast of the Jews was on, and Joseph, Mary and their son, and many of their kin, went to Jerusalem. The child was ten years old.
2) And Jesus watched the butchers kill the lambs and birds and burn them on the altar in the name of God.
3) His tender heart was shocked at this display of cruelty; he asked the serving priests,
What is the purpose of this slaughter of the beasts and birds? Why do you burn their flesh before the Lord?
4) The priest replied,
This is our sacrifice for sin. God has commanded us to do these things, and said that in these sacrifices all our sins are blotted out.
5) And Jesus said,
Will you be kind enough to tell when God proclaimed that sins are blotted out by sacrifice of any kind?
6) Did not David say that God requires not a sacrifice for sin? that it is a sin itself to bring before his face burnt offerings, as offerings for sin? Did not Isaiah say the same?
7) The priest replied,
My child you are beside yourself. Do you know more about the laws of God than all the priests of Israel? This is no place for boys to show their wit.
8) But Jesus heeded not his taunts; he went to Hillel, chief of the Sanhedrin, and he said to him,
9) Rabboni, I would like to talk with you; I am disturbed about this service of the pascal feast. I thought the temple was the house of God where love and kindness dwell.
10) Do you not hear the bleating of those lambs, the pleading of those doves that men are killing over there? Do you not smell that awful stench that comes from burning flesh?
11) Can man be kind and just, and still be filled with cruelty?
12) A God that takes delight in sacrifice, in blood and burning flesh, is not my Father-God.
13) I want to find a God of love, and you, my master, you are wise, and surely you can tell me where to find the God of love.
14) But Hillel could not give an answer to the child. His heart was stirred with sympathy. He called the child to him; he laid his hand upon his head and wept.
15) He said,
There is a God of love, and you shall come with me; and hand in hand we will go forth and find the God of love.
16) And Jesus said,
Why need we go? I thought that God is everywhere. Can we not purify our hearts and drive out cruelty, and every wicked thought, and make within, a temple where the God of love can dwell?
17) The master of the great Sanhedrin felt as though he was himself the child, and that before him stood Rabboni, master of the higher law.
18) He said within himself,
This child is surely a prophet sent from God.
19) Then Hillel sought the parents of the child, and asked that Jesus might abide with them, and learn the precepts of the law, and all the lessons of the temple priests.
20) His parents gave consent, and Jesus did abide within the holy temple in Jerusalem, and Hillel taught him every day.
21) And every day the master learned from Jesus many lessons of the higher life.
22) The child remained with Hillel in the temple for a year, and then returned unto his home in Nazareth; and there he wrought with Joseph as a carpenter.

 

CHAPTER 19

Jesus at the age of twelve in the temple.  Disputes with the doctors of the law.
Reads from a book of prophecy.  By request of Hillel he interprets the prophecies.

AGAIN the great feast in Jerusalem was on, and Joseph, Mary and their son were there. The child was twelve years old.
2) And there were Jews and proselytes from many countries in Jerusalem.
3) And Jesus sat among the priests and doctors in the temple hall.
4) And Jesus opened up a book of prophecy and read:
5) Woe, woe to Ariel, the town where David dwelt! I will dismantle Ariel, and she shall groan and weep:
6) And I will camp against her round about with hostile posts;
7) And I will bring her low and she shall speak out of the earth; with muffled voice like a familiar spirit shall she speak; yea she shall only whisper forth her speech;
8) And foes unnumbered, like the grains of dust, shall come upon her suddenly.
9) The Lord of Hosts will visit her with thunder and with tempest, and with storm; with earthquake, and with devouring flames.
10) Lo, all these people have deserted me. They draw to me with speech, and with their lips they honor me; their hearts are far removed from me; their fear for me is that inspired by man.
11) And I will breathe an adverse breath upon my people, Israel; the wisdom of their wise men shall be lost; the understanding of their prudent men shall not be found.
12) My people seek to hide their counsel from the Lord, so that their works may not be seen. They fain would cover up their works with darkness of the night, and say, Who sees us now? Who knows us now?
13) Poor, foolish men! shall that which has been made say of its maker, He is naught, I made myself?
14) Or shall the pot speak out and say to him who made the pot, You have no skill; you do not know?
15) But this will not forever be; the time will come when Lebanon will be a fruitful field, and fruitful fields will be transformed to groves.
16) And on that day the deaf will hear the words of God; the blind will read the Book of God's Remembrance.
17) And suffering ones will be relieved, and they will have abundant joy; and every one that needs will be supplied; and it will come to pass that all the foolish will be wise.
18) The people will return and sanctify the Holy One, and in their heart of hearts, lo, they will reverence him.
19) When Jesus had thus read he put aside the book and said,
You masters of the law, will you make plain for us the prophet's words?
20) Now, Hillel sat among the masters of the law, and he stood forth and said,
Perhaps our young rabboni who has read the word will be interpreter.
21) And Jesus said,
The Ariel of the prophet is our own Jerusalem.
22) By selfishness and cruelty this people has become a stench unto the Elohim.
23) The prophet saw these days from far, and of these times he wrote.
24) Our doctors, lawyers, priests and scribes oppress the poor, while they themselves in luxury live.
25) The sacrifices and the offerings of Israel are but abomination unto God. They only sacrifice that God requires is self.
26) Because of this injustice and this cruelty of man to man, the Holy One has spoken of this commonwealth:
27) Lo, I will overturn, yes, I will overturn, it shall be overturned, and it shall be no more until he comes whose right it is and I will give it unto him.
28) In all the world there is one law of right, and he who breaks that law will suffer grief; for God is just.
29) And Israel has gone far astray; has not regarded justice, nor the rights of man, and God demands that Israel shall reform, and turn again to ways of holiness.
30) And if our people will not hear the voice of God, lo, nations from afar will come and sack Jerusalem, and tear our temple down, and take our people captive into foreign lands.
31) But this will not forever be; though they be scattered far and wide, and wander here and there among the nations of the earth, like sheep that have no shepherd guide.
32) The time will come when God will bring again the captive hosts; for Israel shall return and dwell in peace.
33) And after many years our temple shall be built again, and one whom God will honor, one in whom the pure in heart delights will come and glorify the house of God, and reign in righteousness.
34) When Jesus had thus said, he stepped aside, and all the people were amazed and said,
This surely is the Christ.

CHAPTER 20

After the feast.  The homeward journey. The missing Jesus.  The search for him.
His parents find him in the temple.  He goes with them to Nazareth.
Symbolic meaning of carpenter's tools.

THE great feast of the pasch was ended and the Nazarenes were journeying towards their homes.
2) And they were in Samaria, and Mary said,
Where is my son?
No one had seen the boy.
3) And Joseph sought among their kindred who were on their way to Galilee; but they had seen him not.
4) Then Joseph, Mary, and a son of Zebedee returned and sought through all Jerusalem, but they could find him not.
5) And then they went up to the temple courts and asked the guards,
Have you seen Jesus, a fair-haired boy, with deep blue eyes, twelve years of age, about these courts?
6) The guards replied,
Yes, he is in the temple now disputing with the doctors of the law.
7) And they went in, and found him as the guards had said.
8) And Mary said,
Why Jesus, why do you treat your parents thus? Lo, we have sought two days for you. We feared that some great harm had overtaken you.
9) And Jesus said,
Do you not know that I must be about my Father's work?
10) But he went round and pressed the hand of every doctor of the law and said,
I trust that we may meet again.
11) And then he went forth with his parents on their way to Nazareth; and when they reached their home he wrought with Joseph as a carpenter.
12) One day as he was bringing forth the tools for work he said,
13) These tools remind me of the ones we handle in the workshop of the mind where things are made of thought and where we build up character.
14) We use the square to measure all our lines, to straighten out the crooked places of the way, and make the corners of our conduct square.
15) We use the compass to draw circles round our passions and desires to keep them in the bounds of righteousness.
16) We use the axe to cut away the knotty, useless and ungainly parts and make the character symmetrical.
17) We use the hammer to drive home the truth, and pound it in until it is a part of every part.
18) We use the plane to smooth the rough, uneven surfaces of joint, and block, and board that go to build the temple for the truth.
19) The chisel, line, the plummet and the saw all have their uses in the workshop of the mind.
20) And then this ladder with its trinity of steps, faith, hope and love; on it we climb up to the dome of purity in life.
21) And on the twelve-step ladder we ascend until we reach the pinnacle of that which life is spent to build – the Temple of Perfected Man.

SECTION VI

VAU

Life and Works of Jesus in India

 

CHAPTER 21

 Ravanna sees Jesus in the temple and is captivated.  Hillel tells him about the boy.
Ravanna finds Jesus in Nazareth and gives a feast in his honor.
Ravanna becomes patron of Jesus,
and takes him to India to study the Brahmic religion.

A ROYAL prince of India, Ravanna of Orissa in the south, was at the Jewish feast.
2) Ravanna was a man of wealth; and he was just, and with a band of Brahmic priests, sought wisdom in the West.
3) When Jesus stood among the Jewish priests and read and spoke, Ravanna heard and was amazed.
4) And when he asked who Jesus was, from whence he came and what he was, chief Hillel said,
5) We call this child the Day Star from on high, for he has come to bring to men a light, the light of life; to lighten up the way of men and to redeem his people, Israel.
6) And Hillel told Ravanna all about the child; about the prophecies concerning him; about the wonders of the night when he was born; about the visit of the magian priests;
7) About the way in which he was protected from the wrath of evil men; about his flight to Egypt-land, and how he then was serving with his father as a carpenter in Nazareth.
8) Ravanna was entranced, and asked to know the way to Nazareth, that he might go and honor such a one as son of God.
9) And with his gorgeous train he journeyed on the way and came to Nazareth of Galilee.
10) He found the object of his search engaged in building dwellings for the sons of men.
11) And when he first saw Jesus he was climbing up a twelve-step ladder, and he carried in his hands a compass, square and axe.
12) Ravanna said,
All hail, most favored son of heaven!
13) And at the inn Ravanna made a feast for all the people of the town; and Jesus and his parents were the honored guests.
14) For certain days Ravanna was a guest in Joseph's home on Marmion Way; he sought to learn the secret of the wisdom of the son; but it was all to great for him.
15) And then he asked that he might be the patron of the child; might take him to the East where he could learn the wisdom of the Brahms.
16) And Jesus longed to go that he might learn; and after many days his parents gave consent.
17) Then, with proud heart, Ravanna with his train, began the journey towards the rising sun; and after many days they crossed the Sind, and reached the province of Orissa, and the palace of the prince.
18) The Brahmic priests were glad to welcome home the prince; with favor they received the Jewish boy.
19) And Jesus was accepted as a pupil in the temple Jagannath; and here learned the Vedas and the Manic laws.
20) The Brahmic masters wondered at the clear conceptions of the child, and often were amazed when he explained to them the meaning of the laws.

 

CHAPTER 22

The friendship of Jesus and Lamaas.  Jesus explains to Lamaas the meaning of
truth, man, power, understanding, wisdom, salvation and faith.

AMONG the priests of Jagannath was one who loved the Jewish boy. Lamaas Bramas was the name by which the priest was known.
2) One day as Jesus and Lamaas walked alone in plaza Jagannath, Lamaas said,
My Jewish master, what is truth?
3) And Jesus said,
Truth is the only thing that changes not.
4) In all the world there are two things; the one is truth; the other falsehood is; and truth is that which is, and falsehood that which seems to be.
5) Now truth is aught, and has no cause, and yet it is the cause of everything.
6) Falsehood is naught, and yet it is the manifest of aught.
7) Whatever has been made will be unmade; that which begins must end.
8) All things that can be seen by human eyes are manifests of aught, are naught, and so must pass away.
9) The things we see are but reflexes just appearing, while the ethers vibrate so and so, and when conditions change they disappear.
10) The Holy Breath is truth; is that which was, and is, and evermore shall be; it cannot change nor pass away.
11) Lamaas said,
You answer well; now, what is man?
12) And Jesus said,
Man is the truth and falsehood strangely mixed.
13) Man is the Breath made flesh; so truth and falsehood are conjoined in him; and they strive, and naught goes down and man as truth abides.
14) Again Lamaas asked,
What do you say of power?
15) And Jesus said,
It is a manifest; is the result of force; it is but naught; it is illusion, nothing more. Force changes not, but power changes as the ethers change.
16) Force is the will of God and is omnipotent, and power is that will in manifest, directed by the Breath.
17) There is power in the winds, a power in the waves, a power in the lightning's stroke, a power in the human arm, a power in the eye.
18) The ethers cause these powers to be, and thought of Elohim, of angel, man, or other thinking thing, directs the force; when it has done its work the power is no more.
19) Again Lamaas asked,
Of understanding what have you to say?
20) And Jesus said,
It is the rock on which man builds himself; it is the gnosis of the aught and of the naught, of falsehood and of truth.
21) It is the knowledge of the lower self; the sensing of the powers of man himself.
22) Again Lamaas asked,
Of wisdom what have you to say?
23) And Jesus said,
It is the consciousness that man is aught; that God and man are one;
24) That naught is naught; that power is but illusion; that heaven and earth and hell are not above, around, below, but in; which in the light of aught becomes the naught, and God is all.
25) Lamaas asked,
Pray, what is faith?
26) A