THE SAINT AND HIS VIRGIN
Sacred Sexuality in Early Christianity
and the Inner Teachings of Jesus
by
Walter Last
The Gnostic Gospels as well as other writings point to a central role of
sacred sexuality in early Christianity. No details of these practices seem to
have survived as the Church later tried to erase all records. In the following
I will show that, according to my understanding, these sacred sexual practices
are central to the teachings of Jesus about the “
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The Unique and
Authentic Image of the From http://www.gnosticteachings.org/content/category/5/108/114 Taken
from an emerald cutting said to be engraved by order of the Roman Emperor
Tiberius. It comes from the Treasure of Constantinople and was
surrendered by the Sultan of Turkey to Pope Innocent VIII as ransom payment
for his brother, held captive by the Christians. This image has been
taken directly from the priceless emerald, belonging to the Vatican Treasury. |
Early Christianity had a strong oral tradition of what Jesus had said
and done, and this was only gradually written down. After the crucifixion the
inner teachings of Jesus seem to have been the basis of Jewish Christianity
under the leadership of James the Just, the first bishop of Jerusalem and the
brother of Jesus. The innermost teachings were always kept secret and never
written down, but even more general teachings went underground with the
destruction of
At this time gentile Christians became the
dominant group with their power base in
The apostle Paul did not know Jesus personally and seems to have had a
different agenda than Jewish Christianity under the leadership of James. Only
one of the letters of James is in the New Testament. Most of his writings were
apparently destroyed by the church and survived only as part of the Gnostic
Gospels. In contrast most of the New Testament writings are by Paul and his
followers. Many of the Jewish Christian leaders rejected the writings of Paul
in preference to oral transmissions from reliable sources.
Paul was subordinate to James, but after the scattering of Jewish
Christianity the writings of Paul became the basis of Western Christianity.
After the New Testament scripts had been selected based on Paul’s doctrines,
writings with differing viewpoints, such as now found in the Gnostic Gospels,
were declared as being heretical, and they and their owners were destroyed.
Only some of them surfaced again in the last century; see www.gnosis.org.
While this greatly reduced the number of Gnostic Gospels that did
survive, it also protected them from being creatively rearranged to correspond
to changing church doctrines as apparently happened to Canonical Gospels in the
New Testament [1]. Furthermore, the Canonical Gospels are basically stories of
happenings and parables, while the Gnostic Gospels are mainly collections of
sayings and teachings of Jesus, and therefore more instructive.
The
For instance in the Gospel of Thomas Jesus said 16): "Men think,
perhaps, that it is peace which I have come to cast upon the world. They do not
know that it is dissension which I have come to cast upon the earth: fire,
sword, and war. For there will be five in a house: three will be against two,
and two against three, the father against the son, and the son against the
father. And they will stand solitary." Or in 10) Jesus said, "I have
cast fire upon the world, and see, I am guarding it until it blazes."
According to this more hidden understanding Jesus was not greatly
concerned with this world and did not try to improve it (e.g. “give Caesar what
is Caesar’s”). Instead his teaching was centered on the kingdom of heaven, and
the quickest way to get there.
It is clear that this kingdom is not just the afterlife but a special
condition that actually is the goal of human existence, similar to the Nirvana
of Buddhism or the highest goal of yoga. Jesus, Krishna and Buddha all taught
special ways to overcome the human condition. In present New Age terminology
these teachings are about ascending, and becoming an ascended master.
In order to enter the kingdom, we must first build a new and higher
energy body that is superior to the normal human soul. This is the goal of many
religious and spiritual traditions, such as Yoga, Tantra, Tao, Buddhism,
Alchemy, Rosicrucians, Theosophy, New Age, and it can also be found in the
Gnostic teachings of Jesus.
There is general agreement that this higher energy body is an “immortal
light body”. Lao Tzu explained the light body thus: “It is self-aware yet
without ego, capable of inhabiting a biological body yet not attached to it,
and guided by wisdom rather than emotion. Whole and virtuous, it can never die”
[2]. In the last paragraph of the Gospel of Philip we read: “He who will receive
that light will not be seen, nor can he be detained. And none shall be able to
torment a person like this, even while he dwells in the world. And again when
he leaves the world, he has already received the truth in the images.”
The interesting part is that all these different traditions agree that
to build this immortal light body it is necessary to balance our male and
female energies. In this light we can understand the widespread practice during
the early stages of Christianity of devout Christian males living with their
“virgins”.
The Agapetae
Agape is Greek and defined as spiritual, selfless or universal love - in
contrast to Eros being romantic or sexual love. Agapetae may be translated as
the beloveds or holy virgins and described as holy virgins who personify and
radiate universal love.
A further definition that needs to be cleared up is the term “virgin”.
As I understand it, in biblical times a virgin simply was an unmarried young
woman who was not a widow or a prostitute. Physical virginity was not the
issue, although it may have been assumed.
There is very little known about the spiritual sexual practices of these
Christian males (agapeti) with their holy virgins (agapetae) because most of
the writings that survived were polemics against this practice. It seems to
have been widespread for several centuries until it was outlawed by the synod
of Elvira (305 CE) and the Council of Nicea in 325 CE, and replaced with
asceticism and monasticism, except for the clergy who could live with their
subintroductae or housekeepers. This was the beginning of the suppression of
sexuality in Christian societies, the consequences of which are still with us
at present.
However, the practice seems to have survived in some form for several
centuries longer. When looking for AGAPETI and AGAPETAE I found the following
entry in the Dictionary of Religion
& Ethics: “Monks and
nuns of the early Middle Ages, who, while professing celibacy, dwelt together
in what they called holy love. The practice was suppressed by the Lateran
Council, 1139.”
The Cathars with their strong links to the Gnostics also encouraged
chastity and avoidance of procreative sex. They became prominent in Southern
France and neighboring countries from about 1000 CE to the middle of the 13th
century when they were massacred by the papal army. Afterwards the Inquisition
was established to eliminate any survivors and their teachings. There are also
suggestions that the Cathars have been the protectors of the Holy
Grail of Christian mythology. From the 15th century the gnostic
tradition of sacred sexuality was cautiously carried on by the Rosicrucians who
celebrated a mystical marriage, and later by the Alchemists in their search for
the elexir of life.
Marnia Robinson in Spiritual
Brides of Early Christianity and Andrew Moore at http://members.ozemail.com.au/~moorea/agapetae.html
give many referenced examples of the polemic against the agapetae custom, which
I do not want to repeat here but give just a few general descriptions.
"Our fathers," Chrysostom begins, "only knew two forms of
sexual intimacy, marriage and fornication. Now a third form has appeared: men
introduce young girls into their houses and keep them there permanently,
respecting their virginity." And later he continues: “The virgin is free
from these burdens (of a married woman). She retains her vigor and her
youthfulness, and even at the age of forty may rival the young nubile girl (=
teenager).”
Desert ascetic St. Jerome wrote: “I blush to speak of it, it is so
shocking; yet though sad, it is true. How comes this plague of the agapetae to
be in the church? Whence come these unwedded wives, these novel concubines,
these harlots, so I will call them, though they cling to a single partner? One
house holds them and one chamber. They often occupy the same bed…”
Even St. Paul alludes to the agapetae in his first letter to the
Corinthians:
7:36 - But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his
virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what
he will, he sinneth not: let them marry. 37 Nevertheless he that standeth
steadfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will,
and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well.
Here Paul clearly states that it was accepted practice for a Christian
man to live with his virgin. If she got on in years and now wanted a
conventional family or if she became pregnant, it was not a sin, and it was
fine to marry. However, his preferred way was for them not to marry but just
live together as a holy couple.
While Paul states in the first Corinthian that he is single, he seems to
have acquired his own virgin some time later. The ACTS OF PAUL AND THECLA is a second Century apocryphal of
Another reference to the agapetae may be a saying of Jesus according to
the New Testament in Luke 23:29: “Blessed are the barren and the wombs that
never bore and the breasts that never nursed.” A similar saying is in 79) of
the Gospel of Thomas. Here Jesus seems to say that remaining a virgin or
practicing undefiled sex is preferable to reproductive sex.
Mary Magdalene
There must have been a powerful reason that caused this agapetae
phenomenon to erupt so suddenly and widely in our first century, and I believe
that it was the teaching of Jesus of the Sacrament of the Bridal Chamber and
his relationship with Mary Magdalene.
According to the Gnostic Gospels Mary Magdalene seems to have been the
consort of Jesus and the first of the agapetae. In paragraph 59 of the Gospel
of Philip [3] it says: “And the Consort of the Christ is Mariam the Magdalene.
The Lord loved Mariam more than all the other Disciples, and he kissed her
often on her mouth."
In Chapter 9 of the Gospel of Mary Levi said to Peter: 8) “But if the
Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior
knows her very well. 9) That is why He loved her more than us.”
If Jesus and Mary Magdalene had been married it is unlikely that the
disciples would have been upset about his affection for her. Therefore it is
much more likely that this was a loving spiritual relationship.
The other aspect that concerned Peter and other disciples was Mary
Magdalene’s role as a disciple because women had a rather low standing in their
society. Even worse, after the crucifixion Jesus gave teachings to Mary
Magdalene, which she passed on to the male disciples, so that she became the
teacher or apostle to the apostles.
However, Mary Magdalene was not the only female in that group. There
were also other women following Jesus and the disciples [4]. In those times
such women would either be wives or prostitutes. No further details are given,
but these women do not seem to have been disciples in the way that Mary
Magdalene was, and Peter did not voice any recorded objections against them.
Uniting Male and Female
According to all mystical and most religious traditions, in the
beginning was the undivided Whole which split into its opposite parts, and
their interaction created the multitude of manifestations. In regard to
sexuality we see this when the androgynic Shiva-Shakti splits into the male
Shiva and the female Shakti, or when the androgynic Adam-Eve splits into the
separated Adam and Eve.
The idea is that a non-sexual or androgynic spiritual being manifests on
a denser plane of existence by splitting into dualistic male and female parts.
Conversely, to permanently ascend from a denser to a less dense plane, male and
female need to permanently unite to become again whole or androgynic.
The commonly used term ‘androgynous’ may lead some to think of
hermaphrodites with male and female sexual traits, or bisexual plants. However,
the spiritual condition of androgyny (andro = male, gyny or gynic = female) is
rather different and I prefer to refer to it as ‘androgynic’ rather than
‘androgynous’.
The androgynic condition, required to transcend the density level of
three-dimensional humanity, commonly involves a body with normal male or female
characteristics but with an additional higher energy body that is neither male
nor female. We all have several energy bodies, such as the etheric and the
astral bodies which are part of what we call the soul, and which may be visible
to some psychics. But all of these bodies are polarized which then become
manifest as our sexual characteristics.
The Gospel of Thomas speaks of the mystery of entering the kingdom of
heaven when male and female become one: 22) "When you make the two into
one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner,
and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single
one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, ….. then you
will enter (the kingdom).” This theme is also found in the Gospel of Philip and
in other Gnostic texts.
In 114) Simon Peter said: “Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy
of (eternal) life." Jesus replied: "I myself shall lead her in order
to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you
males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of
heaven." This, too, refers to androgyny.
According to Lao Tzu: ”For those who aspire to the higher realms of
living, there is angelic dual cultivation. Because every portion of the body,
mind, and spirit yearns for the integration of yin and yang, angelic
intercourse is led by the spirit rather than the sexual organs. Where ordinary
intercourse is effortful, angelic cultivation is calm, relaxed, quiet, and
natural. Where ordinary intercourse unites sex organs with sex organs, angelic
cultivation unites spirit with spirit, mind with mind, and every cell of one
body with every cell of the other body; culminating not in dissolution but in
integration, it is an opportunity for a man and woman to mutually transform and
uplift each other into the realm of bliss and wholeness” [2a].
The saying of the Buddha “Enlightenment is in the vagina" (in
Sanscrit “Buddhatvam Yosityonisamasritam”) points to the necessity of uniting
male and female energies for ultimate success. The same approach is used in the
higher tantric methods to reunite their Shiva and Shakti natures.
For alchemists, carrying on the tradition of the Gnostics, the
'completed work' has recreated the Divine Androgyne. A 20-picture series of the
alchemical and Rosicrucian tradition has been discovered that shows an ethereal
spirit being emerging from a long and largely motionless male-female union [5].
Thelema Press promotes the teachings of the late Samael Aun Weor. It has
released a 75-minute documentary DVD on the mysteries of sacred sexuality. This
shows the symbols and parallels in the traditions of the Kabala, Alchemists, Tantra,
Mayan carvings, Tibetan Buddhism, Christian Gospels, and many others (http://www.gnosticteachings.org/).
We see that the central aspect of all these teachings is the original
male-female split that needs to be reversed in order to return to our ultimate
spiritual condition.
Nakedness
Early Christian leaders have written about the symbolism of nakedness as
a sign of innocence and perfection. This comes from the central teaching of
Jesus that we must become again sexually innocent like little children to
recreate the conditions between the sexes as they were between Adam and Eve
before the “fall”.
In 36) of the Gospel of
Thomas Jesus said, "Do not be concerned …. about
what you will wear." And in 37: "When you disrobe without
being ashamed and take up your garments and place them under your feet like
little children and tread on them, then will you see the son of the living one,
and you will not be afraid."
For the early Christians, nakedness and holy men living together in
lust-free purity with their virgins was a recreation of the condition of Adam
and Eve in paradise before the “fall”. The fall consisted of eating from the
tree of knowledge. “Knowledge” referred to procreative sexuality. In biblical
terms to know a woman meant to know her sexually. There are countless
references to this in the bible. Therefore, the fall means that the descending
spirit entities became aware of duality and with this of good and evil when
they started to have orgasmic and procreative sex. Accordingly, the aim of
Jesus was to reverse duality by encouraging men and women to live together in
holy innocence as before the fall. This then created the right condition for
ascending back into the kingdom.
Here are some of the sayings in the Gospel of Philip to show this point:
76) “In the days when Eve was within Adam, there had been no death. When
she was separated from him, death came to be. If she again enters and he
receives her to him, death shall no longer be.”
86) “If the woman had not separated from the man, she should not
die with the man. His separation became the beginning of death. Because of
this, Christ came to repair the separation, which was from the beginning, and
again unite the two, and to give life to those who died as a result of the
separation, and unite them.”
90) “Adam came into being from two virgins— from the Spirit and from the
virgin earth. Therefore Christ was begotten from a virgin, so that the
fall which occurred in the beginning shall be rectified.” This saying
also illustrates the importance of symbolism in early religious thoughts.
Accordingly, reuniting the sexes in order to return to
immortality was the central task of Jesus, and nakedness was a symbol of
innocence and purity of spirit. Following this understanding of the teachings
of Jesus many holy men have been living more or less naked in the desert either
alone or with their holy virgins. Accordingly, the agapetae were sometimes derisively
called ‘unclad virtues’ or having ‘sun-clad power of chastity’.
The Sacrament of the Bridal Chamber
Because the Church was so vigilant in destroying all dissident views and
heretical documents, we can only infer the details of the sacrament of the bridal
chamber and its relationship to the phenomenon of the agapetae. Our problem is
to piece together the original teachings to come to an understanding of how
Jesus may have taught this ritual. In this I regard the Gnostic Gospels as the
most persuasive sources, and of these the Gospel of Philip [3] has by far the
most detailed information. For relevant sayings
from this gospel see the Appendix at the end of this article.
The sacrament of the bridal chamber is obviously meant to reverse the
male-female split and make us energetically and emotionally whole again. From
the Gospel of Philip we can see some important elements in this sacrament.
Associated with it is anointing. Commonly the oil used for anointing is
called the chrism. This consists of consecrated olive oil prepared with various
fragrances, such as balsam or myrrh. During anointing the oil may be applied to
the forehead and other parts of the body. However, in this gospel chrism is
equated with “receiving the light”.
We see this in saying 101. The chain of anointing from Jesus to the
apostles and their disciples is clearly meant as transmitting “the light”. Also
in 81) it says: ”The light is the chrism” (therefore it is not the oil that is
used as the chrism). The crucial explanation is in saying 71: “The fire is the
Chrism, the light is the fire. I do not speak of this fire that has no form,
but rather the other one— whose form is white and which is made of beautiful
light and which bestows splendor.”
This indicates to me that the beautiful white light is the halo of the
saint, or in other words the opened crown chakra which may more easily be seen
in dim light. The chakras are vortices in our energy bodies; for details see www.health-science-sprit.com/bioenergies.html.
Emotional imperfections or imbalances show up as colors in our aura
while white light indicates perfection. Each chakra has a different rainbow
color from red at the base to violet at the top. A clairvoyant may see these
different colors. However, when all the chakras are fully opened and vibrating
in harmony with each other, then they appear as a unified field of white light.
Therefore the sacrament is intended to focus our emotions on our highest ideals
and so clothe us in white light.
Saying 72 tells us on which image we need to focus in the bridal chamber
to become clothed in white light: “It is certainly necessary to be born again
through the image. Which one? Resurrection.” We need to focus on the image of
the resurrection. What is this image? It is the image of our perfected spirit
body clothed in white light. We may imagine this as a sphere of brilliant white
light which makes it difficult to discern the features of the figure inside
from which this white light originates.
Continued practice of this image was then associated with the
development of a higher energy body, an immortal white light body that was able
to ascend into the kingdom of heaven without being seen. This is indicated by
saying 112. Those who are not able to see and seize him (or his body) are the
rulers of the different levels of the astral world through which the ascending
soul must pass on its way to the kingdom.
Saying 113 indicates that those who are not completely perfected when
leaving their human body will get stuck in the astral world. Several of the
Gnostic Gospels give detailed instructions by Jesus on how to deal with the
ascent through the astral world. The simplest way is not to be seen by
developing a perfected light body. Jesus obviously regarded the sacrament of
the bridal chamber as the fastest way to prepare for ascension.
Central to it is guided imagery leading towards the resurrection or
rebirth of an immortal light body (72).
There may also be a rational explanation for the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception that also gives us a better understanding of the Sacrament of the
Bridal Chamber. The key to this is the Essene ritual of ‘
There are many indications that Joseph and
Mary and later Jesus were associated with the Essenes. Also James the Just (or
the Righteous) is assumed to have been the Just (or the Righteous) Teacher
frequently mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Essenes believed that the
time had come for the Messiah to incarnate. Edgar Cayce has given many readings
on the way Mary was selected from a group of twelve virgins as the purest and
most suitable vessel for this purpose, and trained in the Essene temple for her
role. The priests also selected Joseph as her husband to ensure a direct line
of descent from King David [6].
Edward Smith in his book The Burning Bush about Anthroposophical interpretations of the
Bible outlines the position of Rudolf Steiner on this subject based on his
clairvoyant observations. According to Steiner it was literally a Virgin Birth
and an Immaculate Conception, not because there was no physical contact but
because of how the union came about and how the unspoiled soul of Mary remained
unspoiled.
In the same book we read about the visions of the illiterate nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824).
Her visions showed Mary as a temple virgin, and the high priesthood finding
Joseph as a husband for her. According to Emmerich, Joseph was later puzzled
that the betrothed couple had gone through the temple sleep under the guidance
of the priesthood and conception had occurred during that time [7].
Jesus would have been aware of the temple
sleep and other ancient mystery rituals. There were also such rituals for couples. The Nazorean Essenes still
have an extensive list of rites such as a Marriage Espousal Rite, a Marriage
Nuptial Rite and a Marriage
Fruitful Rite (http://essenes.net/subindex6.htm).
I believe that Jesus developed the Sacrament
of the Bridal Chamber out of the temple sleep and relevant couple rituals.
For this ritual to work the initiates need to
develop a strong energy stream from the base of the spine to the top of the
head, similar to what is attempted in Kundalini Yoga. Virgins have by far the
highest amount of energy stored in the sexual energy center, and by
appropriately connecting male and female poles a powerful stream of energy can
now flow, similar to the attracting force between two strong magnets.
For this purpose it is sufficient for the
outer genitals to touch, while for continued high energy production into the
future it is preferable that virginity remains intact. All the Gnostic and
biblical references seem to show that this is how Jesus taught this sacrament,
and that he preferred it to starting a family.
Other Sacraments
However, it is clear that candidates for this sacrament need to be
suitably prepared so that they have the right state of mind. This was the
function of the other sacraments. Baptism was a ceremony of spiritual
cleansing, of washing away past sins at the start of the spiritual path. Being
a symbolic act, it was successful only if it succeeded in uniting the conscious
with the subconscious mind in a firm resolve from now on to live a spiritual
life.
In various traditions a five-fold process of rituals is practiced, some
of them performed only once, while others are frequently repeated for
reinforcement. In the Gospel of Philip we see five mysteries or sacraments:
1.
baptism
2.
anointing
3.
Eucharist
4.
redemption
5.
bridal chamber
These are like five stages of initiation. Also the mystical path in
general is commonly divided into five stages, with the first being spiritual
awakening and the last forming the immortal light body suitable for ascension.
It is known that oil or water and other liquids can be energized by a
healer or during a spiritual ceremony. This energized agent can then be used as
the Eucharist or as chrism oil to transmit uplifting energy to the recipient in
a ceremony. However, the strength of this transmitted energy is generally weak
compared to the energy that can be directly transmitted through laying-on of
hands. To activate the crown chakra a high initiate placed his or her radiating
hands at the top of the head of the neophyte. This was a ritual commonly
practiced in early Christianity, and has been described, for instance as part
of the Valentinian sacraments and those of Marcus, two prominent early
Christian leaders with Gnostic tendencies. These practices closely resembled
those of other Christian communities of the second and third centuries, and
included some forms of the sacrament of the bridal chamber [6].
Looking at it from a practical point of view we may assume that the
sacrament of the bridal chamber consisted of a public and a private aspect. The
public ceremony was performed only once for each neophyte while the pure
embrace was from then on practiced in private by the couple at set intervals.
During the public ceremony, which included prayers, chants, sometimes dance,
and invocations, there was the laying on of hands to transmit the chrism, and
presumably the practice of the pure embrace was explained in detail, including
the image or images on which one had to focus. The public ceremony may also
have been combined with a wedding feast, the Eucharist, in which bread and wine
was used to signify the body and blood of the Christ, and included a redemption
ceremony with specific prayers and invocations to symbolically guide the soul
back to its creator. Valentinus and Marcus seem to have performed this
combination of sacraments in weekly meetings [6].
Actually Valentinus almost became the Pope or Bishop of Rome in 143 CE.
He claimed to have been personally initiated by a disciple of the apostle Paul
who taught him secret wisdom that Paul had taught privately to his inner circle
[7]. This line of initiation through Paul could be the reason why the
Valentinian sacrament of the bridal chamber seems to be more symbolic and less
physical than that portrayed in the Gospel of Philip. But in all cases the
imposition of hands on the head was used to activate the crown chakra as an
essential part of the sacrament of the bridal chamber, in addition to the
sacrament of redemption which involves the liberation of the mind from the
‘clutches of the world’. In later years similar rites were used by the
followers of the prophet Mani and the Cathars [8].
Preconditions and Conditions
In 1) of the Gospel of Thomas Jesus said, "Whoever finds the
interpretation of these sayings will not experience death", meaning that
he or she will enter the kingdom of heaven. It is instructive that Jesus did
not require ‘belief in his teachings’ as the essential ingredient for reaching
the kingdom; rather ‘understanding’ was the key.
This is also apparent from Matthew 13:10 -11ff: And the disciples came, and said unto
him: “Why speakest thou unto them in parables?” He answered and said unto them:
“Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given.” Jesus did not
simply tell people what to believe or do, but rather adjusted his teachings so
that everyone could follow them according to the level of their individual
understanding.
In light of the presently growing interest in spiritual matters and
ascension teachings it will be interesting to reconstruct the sacrament of the
bridal chamber in a modern interpretation. It is clear that this sacrament was
not meant to be practiced by everyone but rather by those with a serious
commitment to the spiritual path. This interpretation is made easier by being
able to draw on other traditions with similar goals, such as Tantra, Tao and
Yoga, and on the knowledge of the chakra system and the higher energy bodies.
A restriction on who may successfully use this method is contained in
75) of the Gospel of Thomas where Jesus said, "Many are standing at the
door, but it is the solitary who will enter the bridal chamber." In 42) of
the same gospel Jesus may give a clue of what ‘solitary’ means: "Become
passers-by", and in 49) Jesus said:
"Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom. For
you are from it, and to it you will return." From these and other passages
of the Canonical and Gnostic Gospels it appears that Jesus regarded as solitary
those who heeded his call to leave family and possessions to follow him and his
teachings.
In our modern context I interpret ‘solitary’ to mean spiritual seekers
who are no longer pursuing worldly goals, or those who are in the world but not
of the world. It could also mean ‘independent’- having found their own (divine)
way and not being dependent on other people’s or society’s rules or guidance
for living, no longer dependent on others for survival and security [4a].
131) indicates that this sacrament is performed in the light of day with
an attitude of pure love and exchange of holy kisses (35). However, “day” may
not be meant literally but rather symbolic as ‘spiritual light”. An essential
precondition for the success of this sacrament is purity. This relates to our
mind, emotions and body or lifestyle (114). To achieve and maintain purity the
conscious mind needs to obtain the full cooperation of the subconscious mind or
inner child. Traditionally this was achieved with ceremonies and rituals which
greatly impress the subconscious mind.
Presently we have no ritualized initiation system complete with
competent teachers and supportive community to transform the subconscious minds
of spiritual seekers. Therefore those following the spiritual path need to do
their own homework for inner purification. For guidance in this process see The
Spiritual Path (www.health-science-spirit.com/spiritualpath.html).
The importance of natural, clean and spiritual living for the early
followers of Jewish Christianity can be understood from their connection with
the Essenes. These had desert communities with very strict rules in this
regard. The Nazorean Essenes, who are
still practicing today, try to live according to these rules. They claim that
Jesus was one of them, and that they represented Jewish Christianity until 135
CE when the Roman Christians gained the upper hand
(http://essenes.net/new/subnazoreans.html).
Further, in regard to clean living, early Christians lived on organic
food and clean drinking water, without any exposure to drugs, chemicals,
electromagnetic or air pollution. We have to make great efforts to purify our
bodies to come to a condition where early Christians started.
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer supposedly is the only prayer that Jesus taught. Its
origin is from the 'Kadish' in
the Talmud and contains key words and meanings that relate to specific chakras
or energy centers. While saying each line, one needs to focus the meaning on
the relevant chakra. It is very likely that Jesus also used it at the beginning
of the ceremony to activate the chakra system. However, the original Aramaic
has different layers of meaning, and while the commonly used translation from
Aramaic to Greek to Latin, old English and finally to modern English seems to
have been distorted to focus on the lower or material aspects, it is likely
that Jesus, especially as part of this sacrament, focused on the highest
spiritual meaning.
For instance the line “Give us this day our daily bread”
in Aramaic is: “Give us nourishment for our daily activities.” This could mean
bread in its lower aspects, or it could mean love or wisdom and loving guidance
if one is spiritually focused. “Man lives not by bread alone!” For information
on its origin and various direct translations of this prayer from Aramaic into
modern English see www.thenazareneway.com/lords_prayer.htm.
Considering the Aramaic text, the meaning that Jesus would have given it
as part of the sacrament may be as follows, starting with the 7th or
crown chakra and going down to the 1st or base chakra:
Divine Parent in
Heaven, holy is your
name,
Fill my whole being with Light, your kingdom come,
Your Will be done on earth as it is
in heaven.
Fill my Heart with Love,
Forgive my mistakes as I forgive others,
Guide me in the right use
of sexual energy,
And in my relationship with
the forces of nature.
Amen (to seal and confirm).
If you use the common English version, you may focus on certain key
words and give them these meanings for the appropriate chakras. These key words
are HEAVEN for the 7th chakra, followed by NAME, then WILL, BREAD,
DEBTS, TEMPTATION, and finally EVIL [9]. The often used ending “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, for ever and ever. Amen” was not present in the original version but
there is no harm in using it.
It is also possible that there was a
short chant of AUM from which the present ‘Amen’ is derived at the end of the
prayer. This activates especially the throat center, and sound energy can be
used instead of sexual energy to empower images. This was supposedly the means
by which our spirit ancestors created (Philip 35) before they used guided
imagery to genetically modify and inhabit bipedal apes for their own sexual
experiences, thereby causing the ‘fall’. This was the 'original sin'. When the spirits started using the second
chakra for procreation instead of the fifth chakra, they became more deeply
enmeshed in matter and lost the connection with their home, the mental
density level or kingdom of heaven.
A Modern Interpretation
In addition to general purity of participants, also each individual
performance of the sacrament of the bridal chamber needs to be approached with
an attitude of purity. Commonly dedication, invocation, prayer and anointing
were used to uplift and focus the mind on the holy mission. This may have been
followed by a light massage of key parts of the body with olive oil, and by
some holy kisses. “Holy” in this case means gently loving and uplifting rather
than passionate. Holy kisses were called ‘the kiss of peace’ by the early
Christians.
Our main disadvantage is that we do not have a transmission of light for
opening our crown chakra during the initiation ceremony of this sacrament. This
means that we need to concentrate more on the crown chakra during each session,
and it may take longer until we are successful. In a group setting the crown
chakra may be activated by several individuals placing their energized hands
together on top of the head of the one to be initiated.
Several bible passages (Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:34-35) contain this
saying: ”When your eyes are single your whole body is full of light.” This
shows that Jesus taught chakra meditation. It is common in chakra meditation to
turn the closed eyes up and inward as if looking behind the middle of the
forehead, focusing on the third eye. In this way you can keep this chakra
activated without having to pay any attention to it. With some practice you not
only see an image like a spiritual eye (your eyes being single), but also your
whole body appears to be filled with light. I have no doubt that this is what
Jesus really meant and that he also taught to focus on the third eye during
meditation, thereby making the eyes single. Another common meditation practice
is to rest the tip of the tongue against the roof of the mouth to facilitate
the downward flow of energy.
The goal is the formation of an immortal light body. The purpose of the
male-female union is to balance each others polarized energies in the various
soul bodies, and in addition to generate a flow of kundalini or sexual energy
up the spine to activate the whole chakra system.
With very high energy and a new partner the sexual organs may not even
need to touch. Otherwise they may just be in loose contact, or they may be
quietly connected without movement. The choice or decision on what is
appropriate depends on previous sexual activities of each participant,
separately and in their relationship as a couple. For those coming together for
the first time it is definitely better not to connect sexually, especially if
they have not practiced ejaculation control.
The stronger the sexual energy of the participants, the less closely
they need to be sexually connected, but skin contact is always required. A
young, healthy and spiritual virgin usually has extremely strong sexual energy,
which will make it easy for both participants to become uplifted. An old or
elderly couple, on the other hand, may require preparatory work to revitalize
their sexual energies, and need stronger stimulation for activation during the
sacrament.
Couples in a long-term relationship, especially with orgasmic sex, may
initially not have the necessary charge of sexual energy that is required for
the sacrament of the bridal chamber. Therefore, they would be advised to avoid
intimate contact for a sufficiently long period until their love and sexual
desire for each other have been fully restored. Then they can enter the bridal
chamber like singles. Alternatively they may approach it gradually by initially
adopting a period of Karezza. Also elderly individuals may need first to
improve their overall vitality.
The normal resting position would be a frontal embrace lying side by
side with legs intertwined. The initial connection of the bodies or the sexual
organs should produce a heightened awareness of feeling energy in the pelvic
area and at the base of the spine. With part of the mind this feeling may be
maintained or reinforced, possibly leading it upward with the mind and breath
to the heart area.
The other part of the mental focus is on the top of the head, the crown
chakra. Here you imagine sending out a loving feeling towards your High Self of
God-Self. In response you feel a strong inflow of love energy in the form of
white light into your crown chakra and also engulfing the rest of your body.
For a suitable visualization see The Magic Presence at www.health-science-spirit.com/spirituality.html.
When you can strongly feel the inflowing energy and preferably also the
energy in the sexual area, then switch the main focus of your attention to the
heart center. Feel the energies coming through the top and from the bottom
condensing at the center of your chest or in the heart, and now radiate it out
onto your partner, surrounding both of you with a cloud of love and white
light. Become more and more submersed in the feelings that these flows of
energy generate.
This first part of the ceremony is designed to activate our chakras and
energy flows in a way that the transmission of the chrism of light by laying-on
of hands and allied sacraments may have achieved. After some time you can
forget the energy flows and just focus on the image of your perfected spirit
body arising out of you as a sphere of brilliant white light.
Eventually the participants may just remain still for an indefinite
period, melting into each other. Couples will need to experiment to find the
best intervals at which to repeat the sacrament for experiencing the strongest
flows of energy and feelings of love.
On Using Sexual
Energy
Sexual energy is our most concentrated form of life-force energy.
Life-force energy is what maintains our body and what we need to live, heal and
create. The basic act of creating involves forming an image and then filling it
with our energy. The image can be anything from winning a race, to healing a
diseased organ, to creating a white light body. The energy source may commonly
be breath energy, sound energy or sexual energy. Of these, sexual energy is by
far the strongest and may be used just by believing in something, or more
specifically by using guided imagery or meditation. If properly done, this
results in what is called a rise of ‘kundalini’ energy up the spine, which can
now be used to activate a chakra or energize an image.
Stronger energy flows can be generated by combining male and female
sexual energies. Intimate contact with an opposite sex partner causes a much
stronger activation of sexual energy than meditating alone. For some
possibilities see Spiritual Sex.
If this energy is allowed to dissipate in a conventional orgasm it is simply
lost while the resulting neurochemical changes may lead to a greater sense of
emotional separation between partners [10]. However, if one or both of the
partners hold a specific image during orgasm, then this image can be energized
and helped to manifest. This is a commonly used method in what is called sex
magic and black or left-handed Tantra. It has often been abused in unequal
power relationships and used for lower or selfish goals. Also much of the
energy is lost in an explosive discharge.
A more economic use is a gradual release of sexual energy flowing
between male and female like an electric battery. This may be just with skin
contact, or resting with the sexual organs connected, or slowly moving as with
Karezza. Again, this energy flow may be used to create only pleasurable
feelings, or it may in addition be used to energize an image. In 64) of the
Gospel of Philip it says:” Therefore contemplate the Pure Embrace (or undefiled
intercourse), for it has great power!” This saying points to the
enhanced creative potential of sexual energy when it is used to manifest a high
ideal.
The Embrace of Peace
I believe the early Christians with their holy agape relationships had
something that we have lost and deep within us long for ever since: The Embrace
of Peace. This is how I imagine the saint and his virgin exchanged their sexual
energies – they were lying together naked in a frontal embrace, legs
intertwined, but without much movement, perhaps with some occasional touches of
endearment, and they were just melting into each others feelings of love and
deep peace. There was no striving for anything, nothing to achieve or to perform,
just being and feeling.
I regard this embrace of peace as one of our best tools for healing. It
counters the greatest scourge of our time: stress. Presently we are stressed at
all levels of our existence, from pollution in our air, food and water, from
food allergies and nutrient deficiencies, from medical drugs, microbial
infestations and parasites, expectations to perform at school, workplace and
marriage, suppressed and misdirected sexual energies, and many other emotional
shocks and disappointments. All these stresses combine to make us feel unhappy
or unfulfilled, separate from each other, and susceptible to depression,
diseases and premature aging.
Antidotes to this are relaxing hobbies, and especially meditation, but
the embrace of peace has the added dimension of healing our bruised male–female
relationships. Touch is a great healing tool, and with this kind of prolonged
touch our emotional and muscular tensions can just melt away. This has been
shown with hypertension and other stress-related conditions [12], and I am
confident that also muscle tensions like those associated with hip and back
problems or arthritis will be relieved, and it will be beneficial for all kinds
of sexual problems or dysfunctions. It will be great for those who prefer to
live in chastity. But the greatest benefit will be emotional improvements,
greater emotional stability and enjoyment of life, and above all a previously
unknown emotional closeness in our male-female relationships.
The embrace of peace may be enjoyed once a week instead of conventional
sex, while at other times couples may just continue with their usual sexual
practices. However, even greater health and relationship benefits can be gained
by combining the embrace of peace with regular periods of meditation and more advanced sexual practices such as
Karezza.
Afterthought
Going by the Gnostic Gospels I believe that the sacrament described
above is close to how Jesus may have taught it. I do not claim or believe that
this is the only method to reach ascension or will be best for everyone. While
it may be difficult at present to find a suitable saint or virgin to team up
with, nevertheless this method should be worth investigating for those who are
seriously interested in the spiritual path and especially in ascension.
Those coming from a tradition of conventional sex may gradually draw
closer to this ultimate sacrament by first experimenting with the Embrace of
Peace on its own or combined with Perfect Sex and Karezza [10]. An advanced
form of Karezza was described by Alice Bunker Stockham, MD in Karezza: Ethics of Marriage:
“At the appointed time and after joint meditation the couple calmly engages in physical
contact and expressions of endearment and affection, followed by the complete,
quiet union of the sexual organs.”
The premise of this article that Jesus had inner teachings for his
disciples, and that the central part of these teachings was sacred sexuality,
will be completely unacceptable to doctrine-committed Christians, but it will
give hope to those who are trying to understand the fragments of secret
teachings that have survived the millennia.
However, the very nature of these inner teachings of Jesus makes it
clear that they have as little mass appeal now as they had two thousand years
ago. This makes it understandable why Paul found it necessary to promote a
version of outer teachings that appealed to the masses while keeping the inner
teachings for a small circle of those who were ready to receive them. The aim
of the outer teachings was to lead individuals towards the solitary life, while
the inner teachings guided the solitary individuals back to their heavenly
home.
The tragedy of our history is that the newly established church decided
to completely eliminate the inner teachings of Jesus instead of providing a
guided path from the outer to the inner teachings. Nevertheless, belatedly it
is still possible in our time to build a bridge from the religious aspirations
of the wider community to the understanding of the inner teachings of Jesus as
presented in the Gnostic Gospels.
Summary of the Inner
Teachings
A summary of the inner teachings of Jesus as revealed in the Gnostic
Gospels and other writings may read as follows:
1. Our ancestral spirits became trapped in matter and duality when they
were tempted to experience procreative sex.
2. After physical death they became stuck in the astral world and this
prevented them from returning to their heavenly home.
3. Jesus came to show a way for advanced or “solitary” individuals to
return to heaven by creating a white light body.
4. This can be done by reuniting males and females in a pure embrace while
using specific imagery.
5. The result is a return to the condition of sexual innocence that
prevailed before the fall into matter and duality.
Appendix
Here I have assembled several relevant excerpts from the Gospel of
Philip [3] as used in this article.
28. There is water in a Baptism of water; there is fire in a Chrism.
35. Grace comes forth by him from the mouth, the place where the Logos
came forth; one was to be nourished from the mouth to become perfect. The
perfect are conceived thru a kiss and they are born. Therefore we also are
motivated to kiss one another— to receive conception from within our mutual
grace.
71. The soul and the spirit have come forth in water and fire with
light, which pertain to the Son of the Bridal-Chamber. The fire is the Chrism,
the light is the fire. I do not speak of this fire that has no form, but rather
the other one— whose form is white and which is made of beautiful light and
which bestows splendor.
72. The truth did not come unto the world naked, but rather it has come
in symbolic imagery. The world will not receive it in any other fashion. There
is a rebirth and an image of rebirth. It is certainly necessary to be born
again through the image. Which one? Resurrection. The image must rise again
through the imagery. The bridal chamber and the image must enter through the
image into the truth: this is the restoration….. For this-one is no longer a
Christian but rather a Christ.
73. The Lord did everything in a sacrament: with a Baptism, a Chrism, a
Eucharist, an Atonement and with a Holy Bridal-Chamber.
74. a) He says: ‘I came to make the inner as the outer and the outer as
the inner.’ He spoke of everything in the place above this place by means of
the symbolic images. [...]
79. Let the Bridal-Chamber not be for the animals nor for the slaves nor
the impure women, but rather for free men and virgins.
82. …The Baptism is the holy vestibule, the Atonement is the holy of the
holies but the holiest of the holies is the Bridal-Chamber. The Baptism has the
resurrection with the Atonement entering into the Bridal-Chamber. Yet the Bridal-Chamber
is more exalted than those. [...] Thou will find nothing that compares with it.
85. The powers do not see those who are clothed in the perfect light,
and are not able to detain them. One will be clothed in this light
sacramentally in the union.
86. If the woman had not
separated from the man, she should not die with the man. His separation became
the beginning of death. Because of this, Christ came to repair the separation,
which was from the beginning, and again unite the two, and to give life to
those who died as a result of the separation, and unite them. But the woman is
united to her husband in the bridal chamber. Indeed, those who have united in
the bridal chamber will no longer be separated. Thus Eve separated from Adam
because it was not in the bridal chamber that she united with him.
89….. It left the bridal chamber as one who came into being from the
bridegroom and the bride. So Jesus established everything in it through these.
It is fitting for each of the disciples to enter into his rest (or peace).
101. The Chrism is made lord over the Baptism. For from the Chrism we
are called Christians, and not because of the Baptism. And he was called the
Christ because of the Chrism. For the Father anointed the Son, yet the Son
anointed the Apostles, yet the Apostles anointed us. He who has been anointed
has the totality— he has the resurrection, the light, the cross, the Holy
Spirit. The Father bestowed this upon him in the Bridal-Chamber and he received.
112. Not only shall they be unable to seize the perfected person, but
they shall be unable even to see him. For if they see him, they will seize him.
In no other manner will one be able to be begotten of this grace, unless he is
clothed in the Perfect Light and Perfect Light is within him. Thus clad, he
shall go forth from the World. This is the perfected.
113. It is appropriate that we are made to become perfected persons
before we come forth from the world. Whoever has received everything without
mastering these places, will not be able to master that place; but rather he
shall go to the transition as imperfect. Only Jesus knows the destiny of this
one.
114. The sainted person is entirely holy, including his body. For if he
received the bread he will sanctify it, or the chalice, or everything else he
receives he purifies. And how will he not purify the body also.
131. If the marriage of impurity is hidden, how much more is the
Immaculate Marriage a true sacrament! It is not carnal but rather pure, it is
not lustful but rather loving, it is not of the darkness or the night but
rather of the day and the light.
References
[1] Tony
Bushby: The Forged Origins of the New
Testament. Nexus 14-04 (2007).
[2] Hua Hu Ching by Lao Tzu (Translated by
Brian Walker) www.abuddhistlibrary.com
(use Search facility), also Hua Hu Ching:
Unknown Teachings of Lao Tzu, trans. Brian Walker, Harper SanFrancisco
(1995), section 66.
[2a] Ibid.
section 69
[3] Generally
the version of The Gospel of Philip
that was used was downloaded from http://www.gnosticweb.com/index.php?PageID=114
because paragraphs in this version are numbered, while the more popular version
from www.gnosis.org is not numbered.
However, on a few occasions I used the gnosis.org version to clarify the
meaning of a saying.
[4] Mary
Sharpe: Sexuality and the Sacred in
Gnostic Literature.
[4a] Mary
Sharpe personal communication
[5] http://www.istanbul-yes-istanbul.co.uk/alchemy/images-rpn/index.htm shows
the 20 drawings only. The Hierosgamos
Theme in the Images of the Rosarium Philosophorum at http://www.istanbul-yes-istanbul.co.uk/alchemy/Rosariumfinal.htm
gives some explanations for the drawings.
[6] Glenn D.
Kittler: Edgar Cayce on the
[7] http://www.bibleandanthroposophy.com/Smith/main/burning_bush/burning_bush.html
and specifically http://www.bibleandanthroposophy.com/Smith/main/burning_bush/chapters/Nativity/nativity12.htm
[8] David Brons: Valentinian Sacramental Practice. http://www.gnosis.org/library/valentinus/Valentinian_Sacramental.htm.
[9] David
Brons: Valentinus. http://www.gnosis.org/library/valentinus/Valentinus.htm.
[10] Stephan
A. Hoeller: VALENTINUS A Gnostic for All
Seasons. www.gnosis.org/valentinus.htm.
[11] Further interesting information on this and related
subjects is in the book Edgar Cayce on
the Revelation by John Van Auken, A.R.E.
Press, Virginia Beach 2000, http://www.near-death.com/experiences/cayce10.html.
[12] Walter Last: Sexual Energy in Health and Spirituality: Nexus 14-03 (2007); also at www.health-science-spirit.com/heal-sex.html.