Author Topic: Essenes  (Read 546 times)

Offline Jennifer-

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Essenes
« on: December 28, 2007, 02:28:56 AM »
I was recently directed in vision to "Understand the way of the Essenes"

I had no idea what that meant until I started searching on the internet and found the connection with the Dead Sea Scrolls ect..  This may be old news to some of you.. but for me, being a 'woods girl' my studies have been greatly limited.

I still dont know what the study has for me in relation to the vision.. that will more then likely come in the dead of night in a whisper of clarity, like most things do.

I felt drawn to this site which is The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies

http://www.thenazareneway.com

Not sure what the Nazarene curve to it is either.. but fwiw Ive felt a deep understanding of this site so far, so Ill stick it out for a bit and then search else where.

Thought Id share some of that here in Soma....

~*~


http://www.thenazareneway.com/from_enoch_to_the_dead_sea_scrolls.htm

 Edmond Bordeaux Szekely (pronounced Say-Kay)
The Teachings of the Essenes
From Enoch to the Dead Sea Scrolls

To all those who perceive that peace for the whole depends upon the effort of the individual.

The several chapters of this book are compiled from material antedating the findings of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. During the twenty preceding years, 1927 to 1947, I wrote and published a number of books on the Essenes based on certain historical sources such as the works of Josephus Flavius, Philo and Plinius, and on manuscripts in the Library of the Vatican, the Library of the Habsburgs in Vienna and the Library of the British Museum. In these books I concentrated on the Essene traditions which I consider of great practical value for modern man.

When the first discoveries at Qumrum became public and many persons urged me to publish an interpretation of these new findings, I decided to do so in two volumes. This first volume condenses the quintessence of the Essene traditions from pre-Qumrum sources. The second volume will deal exclusively with the new discoveries.

The present work is concerned with the meaning of the Essene traditions in relation to their values for mankind today and the actual practices which result in an expansion of consciousness. These values may be considered from four standpoints.

    * The Essene traditions represent a synthesis of the great contributions to humanity of the different cultures of antiquity.

    * They represent for us a path leading away from the one-sided utilitarian technology of contemporary civilization, a valid and practical teaching utilizing all the sources of energy, harmony and knowledge everywhere surrounding us.

    * They give us permanent standards in an age where truth seems to dissolve in a continual shifting of concepts.

    * This resulting neurosis and insecurity is given a complete balance and harmony through the Essene teachings.

It is noteworthy that in his book, "The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls," A. Powell Davies says of the Essenes, "The Christian Church in its organization, its sacraments, its teaching and its literature is related to-and in its early stages may have been identical with-the New Covenanters, who were known as Essenes, some of whom wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls."

Likewise significant in the pre-Qumrum traditions of the Essenes is the existence of certain Zoroastrian elements, a fact which I have previously maintained and which Arnold Toynbee has also pointed out in a recent writing. They bear a similar correlation to later teachings like those of the Kabala and Freemasonry. Their most unique element, which has apparently been developed independently, is their science of Angelology.

The quotations appearing on the page preceding each chapter are from two of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the "Manual of Disciplines" and the "Thanksgiving Psalms," or "Book of Hymns," which I have translated from photo static copies of the original texts found in the caves of Qumrum.

    Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

San Diego, California, 1957

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not; for God took him.
Genesis 5:24

CONTENTS

Chapter

1. The Essenes and Their Teaching

2. The One Law...............

3. The Essene Tree of Life.........

4. The Essene Communions

    I --Their Purpose and Meaning .

5. The Essene Communions

    II. Their Actual Practice

6. The Sevenfold Peace

7. Essene Psychology

8. Individual Inventory

"The Law was planted in the Garden of the Brotherhood to enlighten the heart of man and to make straight before him all the ways of true righteousness, a humble spirit, an even temper, a freely compassionate nature, and eternal goodness and understanding and insight, and mighty wisdom which believes in all God's works and a confident trust in His many blessings and a spirit of knowledge in all things of the Great Order, loyal feelings toward all the Children of truth, a radiant purity which loathes everything impure, a discretion regarding all the hidden things of truth and secrets of inner knowledge."

From "The Manual of Discipline" of the Dead Sea Scrolls

« Last Edit: December 28, 2007, 02:32:52 AM by Raven »
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #1 on: December 28, 2007, 02:31:35 AM »
Chapter 1

    The Essenes And Their Teaching

From the remote ages of antiquity a remarkable teaching has existed which is universal in its application and ageless in its wisdom. Fragments of it are found in Sumerian hieroglyphs and on tiles and stones dating back some eight or ten thousand years. Some of the symbols, such as for the sun, moon, air, water and other natural forces, are from an even earlier age preceding the cataclysm that ended the Pleistocene period. How many thousands of years previous to that the teaching existed is unknown.

To study and practice this teaching is to reawaken within the heart of every man an intuitive knowledge that can solve his individual problems and the problems of the world.

Traces of the teaching have appeared in almost every country and religion. Its fundamental principles were taught in ancient Persia, Egypt, India, Tibet, China, Palestine, Greece and many other countries. But it has been transmitted in its most pure form by the Essenes, that mysterious brotherhood which lived during the last two or three centuries B. C. and the first century of the Christian era at the Dead Sea in Palestine and at Lake Mareotis in Egypt. In Palestine and Syria the members of the brotherhood were known as Essenes and in Egypt as Therapeutae, or healers.

The esoteric part of their teaching is given in The Tree of Life, The Communions, and the Sevenfold Peace. The exoteric or outer teaching appears in "The Essene Gospel of Peace,' "Genesis, An Essene Interpretation," "Moses, the Prophet of the Law," and "The Sermon on the Mount."

The origin of the brotherhood is said to be unknown, and the derivation of the name is uncertain. Some believe it comes from Esnoch, or Enoch, and claim him to be their founder, their Communion with the angelic world having first been given to him.

Others consider the name comes from Esrael, the elects of the people to whom Moses brought forth the Communions at Mount Sinai where they were revealed to him by the angelic world.

But whatever their origin, it is certain the Essenes existed for a very long time as a brotherhood, perhaps under other names in other lands.

The teaching appears in the Zend Avesta of Zoroaster, who translated it into a way of life that was followed for thousands of years. It contains the fundamental concepts of Brahmanism, the Vedas and the Upanishads; and the Yoga systems of India sprang from the same source. Buddha later gave forth essentially the same basic ideas and his sacred Bodhi tree is correlated with the Essene Tree of Life. In Tibet the teaching once more found expression in the Tibetan Wheel of Life.

The Pythagoreans and Stoics in ancient Greece also followed the Essene principles and much of their way of life. The same teaching was an element of the Adonic culture of the Phoenicians, of the Alexandrian School of Philosophy in Egypt, and contributed greatly to many branches of Western culture, Freemasonry, Gnosticism, the Kabala and Christianity. Jesus interpreted it in its most sublime and beautiful form in the seven Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount.

The Essenes lived on the shores of lakes and rivers, away from cities and towns, and practiced a communal way of life, sharing equally in everything. They were mainly agriculturists and arboriculturists, having a vast knowledge of crops, soil and climatic conditions which enabled them to grow a great variety of fruits and vegetables in comparatively desert areas and with a minimum of labor.

They had no servants or slaves and were said to have been the first people to condemn slavery both in theory and practice. There were no rich and no poor amongst them, both conditions being considered by them as deviations from the Law. They established their own economic system, based wholly on the Law, and showed that all man's food and material needs can be attained without struggle, through knowledge of the Law.

They spent much time in study both of ancient writings and special branches of learning, such as education, healing and astronomy. They were said to be the heirs of Chaldean and Persian astronomy and Egyptian arts of healing. They were adept in prophecy for which they prepared by prolonged fasting. In the use of plants and herbs for healing man and beast they were likewise proficient.

They lived a simple regular life, rising each day before sunrise to study and commune with the forces of nature, bathing in cold water as a ritual and donning white garments. After their daily labor in the fields and vineyards they partook of their meals in silence, preceding and ending it with prayer. They were entirely vegetarian in their eating and never touched flesh foods nor fermented liquids. Their evenings were devoted to study and communion with the heavenly forces.

Evening was the beginning of their day and their Sabbath or holy day began on Friday evening, the first day of their week. This day was given to study, discussion, the entertaining of visitors and playing certain musical instruments, replicas of which have been found.

Their way of life enabled them to live to advanced ages of 120 years or more and they were said to have marvelous strength and endurance. In all their activities they expressed creative love.

They sent out healers and teachers from the brotherhoods, amongst whom were Elijah, John the Baptist, John the Beloved and the great Essene Master, Jesus.

Membership in the brotherhood was attainable only after a probationary period of a year and three years of initiatory work, followed by seven more years before being given the full inner teaching.

Records of the Essene way of life have come down to us from writings of their contemporaries. Pliny, the Roman naturalist, Philo the Alexandrian philosopher, Josephus the Jewish historian and soldier, Solanius and others spoke of them variously as "a race by themselves, more remarkable than any other in the world," "the oldest of the initiates, receiving their teaching from Central Asia," "teaching perpetuated through an immense space of ages," "constant and unalterable holiness."

Some of the outer teaching is preserved in Aramaic text in the Vatican in Rome. Some in Slavic text was found in the possession of the Habsburgs in Austria and said to have been brought out of Asia in the thirteenth century by Nestorian priests fleeing the hordes of Genghis Khan.

Echoes of the teaching exist today in many forms, in rituals of the Masons, in the seven-branched candlestick, in the greeting "Peace be with you," used from the time of Moses.

From its antiquity, its persistence through the ages, it is evident the teaching could not have been the concept of any individual or any people, but is the interpretation, by a succession of great Teachers, of the Law of the universe, the basic Law, eternal and unchanging as the stars in their courses, the same now as two or ten thousand years ago, and as applicable today as then.

The teaching explains the Law, shows how man's deviations from it are the cause of all his troubles, and gives the method by which he can find his way out of his dilemma.

Thou hast made known unto me Thy deep, mysterious things. All things exist by Thee and there is none beside Thee. By Thy Law Thou hast directed my heart that I set my steps straight forward upon right paths and walk where Thy presence is.

    From the Book of Hyms VII
    of the Dead Sea Scrolls

The Law was planted to reward the children of Light with healing and abundant peace, with long life, with fruitful seed of everlasting blessings, with eternal joy in immortality of eternal Light.

    "The Manual Of Discipline"
    of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #2 on: December 28, 2007, 02:38:21 AM »
<From Chapter 8>


THE EARTHLY FORCES



The following are the meanings and uses of the earthly forces.

   1.

      The sun is a very important source of energy and its solar power is to be contacted and utilized to the utmost every day in the form that is best for the health and well being of the individual.
   2.

      Water is an essential element of life. It is to be used in the proper way in diet and a bath in water is to be taken every morning throughout the year.
   3.

      Air has a tremendous role in the health of the body and as much time as possible is to be spent outdoors breathing pure fresh air and utilizing the energies of the atmosphere for health.
   4.

      Food is to be of the right kind and taken in the right amount to supply another vital force to the organism.
   5.

      Man was considered to be a force representing each one's right and responsibility toward his own evolution. Each individual is to use every moment to further his progress in life and it is a job which no one can do for him. He is to know, and understand, his own potentialities and find the most practical way of developing and utilizing them in the service of mankind.
   6.

      Earth represents the two aspects of the generative force which creates more abundant life on the planet. The one creates life from the soil, producing the trees and all vegetation. The other manifests in the sexual energies in man. The individual is to understand and utilize the most optimal ways of growing plants and food, and of a harmonious sexual life.
   7.

      Health is dependent upon man's harmonious relationship with all the forces of earth, with the sun, water, air, food, man, earth and joy. The individual is to realize the importance of good health for his own sake and for the sake of others; and he is to practice all ways of improving his health, in thinking, feeling and acting.

    * Joy is man's essential right and he is to perform all his daily activities with a deep feeling of joy surging within him and radiating around him, understanding its great importance for himself and others.

These are the forces of nature which man is to learn to understand and utilize. The following eight powers of the cosmos are even more important in man's life, for he cannot live in complete harmony with the earthly forces unless he is also in harmony with the heavenly powers.

    THE COSMIC FORCES

   1.

      Power is manifested continually through man's actions and deeds, both of which are the result of his cooperation or lack of cooperation with all other powers and forces, in accord with the iron law of cause and effect. The individual is to understand the importance of good deeds; and he is to realize that his personality, position and environment in life are the result of his past deeds, even as his future will be exactly what his present deeds make it. He is therefore to strive at all times to perform good deeds that express harmony with the laws of both nature and the cosmos.
   2.

      Love is expressed in the form of gentle and kind words to others, which affect the individual's own health and happiness as well as that of others. Sincere love toward all beings is to be manifested by harmonious feelings and words.
   3.

      Wisdom is manifested in the form of good thoughts and it is man's privilege and right to increase his knowledge and understanding in every way possible so that he may think only good thoughts. He is to seek to grow in wisdom so as to understand more and more the cosmic order and his own role in it. Only by attaining a degree of wisdom can an individual learn to hold only good thoughts in his consciousness and to refuse to entertain negative, destructive thoughts about any person, place, condition or thing.
   4.

      Preservation of values concerns the power to preserve all that is useful and of true value, whether a tree, plant, house, relationship between people or harmony in any form. When anyone destroys, or lets any good thing go to waste, deteriorate or be damaged, whether material or immaterial, he is cooperating with the negative destructive forces of the world. Every opportunity is to be used to prevent damage to whatever has value.
   5.

      Creation signifies the necessity for man to use his creative powers, since his role on the planet is to continue the work of the Creator. He is therefore to try to do something original and creative, something new and different, as often as he can, whether it is an invention of some kind, a work of art, or anything which will benefit others.
   6.

      Eternal Life concerns man's sincerity with himself and others in all he does and with all those whom he meets. He is to be deeply sincere in analyzing his relationship, his understanding and utilization of all the forces of nature and the cosmos; and he is to make every effort to evaluate himself honestly as he actually is without rationalizing or justifying the things he does or says or thinks.
   7.

      Work is the precondition of many other values. It means the performance of one's daily tasks with care and efficiency. It is an individual's contribution to society and a precondition of happiness for all concerned, for when one person does not perform his work properly, others have to do it. Man is to learn to have a deep feeling of satisfaction in his work so that he may return to society all he receives from it.
   8.

      Peace is to be created and maintained by every individual within and around himself that he may be an instrument in helping to prevent inharmony, enmity and wars, since the condition of the whole of humanity depends upon the condition of its atoms, the individuals who compose it. The individual is to feel deeply the need for this inner peace and to do all he can to establish and maintain it wherever he is.

The person who evaluates himself according to these sixteen elements of life will know clearly wherein his personal development may be improved, and in what ways he can help more fully in the evolution of humanity.

"I have reached the inner vision

and through Thy spirit in me

I have heard Thy wondrous secret.

Through Thy mystic insight

Thou hast caused a spring

Of knowledge to well up within me,

a fountain of power, pouring forth living waters,

a flood of love and Of all-embracing wisdom

like the splendor of eternal Light."

From "The Book of Hymns"
of the Dead Sea scrolls.
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #3 on: December 28, 2007, 02:47:22 AM »
 The Sevenfold Peace of the Essenes was the summation of their inner teaching.
From: The Teachings of the Essenes, by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely

    Their Tree of Life and the Communions taught man his relationship with the fourteen forces of the visible and invisible worlds. The Sevenfold Peace explains his relationship to the parts of his own being and to his fellow men, showing how to create peace and harmony in the seven categories of his life.

        Harmony to the Essenes meant peace.

They considered that human life can be divided into seven departments, physical, mental, emotional, social, cultural, its relationship with nature and its relationship with the entire cosmos.

Man, it was held, has three bodies that function in each of these departments, an acting body, a feeling body and a thinking body. The thinking body's highest power is wisdom. The feeling body's highest power is love. The acting body's function is to translate the wisdom of the thinking body and the love of the feeling body into action in an individual's social and cultural worlds and in his utilization of the terrestrial and heavenly forces.

The Sevenfold Peace explains the utilization of these powers and forces with the utmost clarity. Every noon a Peace Contemplation was held with one aspect of Peace; and every Sabbath was collectively dedicated to one, the entire cycle covering all phases of man's life being completed in seven weeks' time.

http://www.thenazareneway.com/sevenfold_peace.htm
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #4 on: December 28, 2007, 02:49:32 AM »


    The Essene Tree Of Life

Man has appeared to realize, as far back as records exist, that he was surrounded by invisible forces. In culture after culture of the past he has used a certain symbolism to express his relationship to these forces in the midst of which he moves. This mystical symbol which has been imbedded in almost all religions and occult teachings is called the Tree of Life. In outer legend and inner wisdom man's deepest intuitions have focused about it.

It was considered by Zoroaster as the law itself and was the center of his philosophy and way of thinking. In the hidden teachings of Moses, the Essene Book of Genesis, it was the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden guarded by angels. The Essenes called it the Tree of Life.

To the earlier concepts of the Tree the Essenes added what the ancient writers called Angelology. This Science of the Angels was brought forth by the Essenes at their brotherhood in Palestine. Their angels were the forces in the universe.

It was known by many of the ancient peoples that these invisible forces were a source of energy and power, and that man's life was sustained by contact with them. They knew that to the degree man was able to utilize these forces, he would move forward in his individual evolution in body and spirit, and as he put himself in harmony with them, his life would prosper. Certain of the people not only knew of these forces but had specific methods of contacting and utilizing them.

In many lands these forces were considered to be of two kinds, good and evil, and eternally opposed to each other. Zoroaster in his Zend Avesta described the Ahuras and Fravashis as the good forces forever battling with the evil Khrafstras and Devas. The Toltecs in Mexico and Central America held a world picture in which the good forces were called the Army of Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent, and the evil forces were the Army of Tezcatlipoca, the Jaguar. These two armies were shown in the Toltec pictographs as being in continual conflict with each other. In the Zoroastrian and Toltec concepts destructive forces were always fighting the constructive ones.

The concept of the Essenes differed from these and other world pictures in that it recognized only the positive and constructive forces in the universe. The Essene angels correspond to the good forces of Zoroaster, the Ahuras and Fravashis, and to the good forces of the Toltecs, the Army of Quetzalcoatl. It was held to be man's role in the universe to so strengthen the good, positive forces that the evil negative ones would be overcome and disappear from the earth.

The Essene Tree of Life represented fourteen positive forces, seven of them heavenly or cosmic forces and seven earthly or terrestrial forces. The Tree was pictured as having seven roots reaching down into the earth and seven branches extending up toward the heavens, thus symbolizing man's relationship to both earth and heaven.

Man was pictured in the center of the tree half-way between heaven and earth.

The use of the number seven is an integral part of the Essene tradition which has been transmitted to Western cultures in various outer ways, such as the seven days of the week.

Each root and branch of the tree represented a different force or power. The roots represented earthly forces and powers, the Earthly Mother, the Angel of Earth, the Angel of Life, the Angel of joy, the Angel of the Sun, the Angel of Water and the Angel of Air. The seven branches represented cosmic powers, The Heavenly Father, and his Angels of Eternal Life, Creative Work, Peace, Power, Love and Wisdom. These were the Essene angels of the visible and invisible worlds.

In ancient Hebrew and Medieval literature these heavenly and earthly forces or angels were given names, Michael, Gabriel and so on; and they were pictured in religious art as human figures with wings and clad in flowing robes, such as in the frescoes of Michael Angelo.

Man, in the center of the Tree, was seen to be surrounded as in a magnetic field, by all the forces, or angels, of heaven and earth. He was pictured as in the meditation posture, the upper half of his body above the ground and the lower half in the earth. This indicated that part of man is allied to the forces of heaven and part to the forces of earth. This concept closely parallels that of Zoroaster who represented the universe as a framework of realms with man in its center and the various forces above and below him. It also corresponds to the Toltec ritual performed on the steps of their pyramids with man in the midst of all the forces.

This position of man in the center of the Tree, with the earthly forces below him and the heavenly forces above, also corresponds to the position of the organs in the physical body. The gastric and generative tracts in the lower half of the body, being instruments of self-preservation and self-perpetuation, belong to the earthly forces. Whereas the lungs and brain, in the upper half of the body, are the instruments of breathing and thinking and thus connect man with the finer forces of the universe.

Contact with the angelic forces represented by the Tree of Life was the very essence of the daily life of the Essenes. They knew that to be in harmony with these forces they must make conscious effort to contact them. The Essenes were spoken of by the ancient writers as an extremely practical people. Their concepts were not just theories; they knew exactly how to be continually aware of the forces about them and how to absorb their power and put them into action in their daily lives.

They had the deep wisdom to understand that these forces were sources of energy, knowledge and harmony by which man can transform his organism into a more and more sensitive instrument to receive and consciously utilize the forces. Furthermore, they considered that to put himself into harmony with the forces of the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother was man's most important activity in life.

The characteristics of each one of the different forces was very clear to them and they knew what the force meant in each individual's life and how it should be utilized.

They also understood the relationship between the forces. They considered that each heavenly force has an earthly force corresponding to it and each earthly force a corresponding heavenly power. These corresponding heavenly and earthly forces were placed on the Essene Tree of Life diagonally across from each other, one above and one below man. A line drawn between any two corresponding forces consequently passed directly through man in the center of the Tree.

The forces which correspond with each other, above and below, are as follows:

The Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother

The Angel of Eternal Life and the Angel of Earth

The Angel of Creative Work and the Angel of Life

The Angel of Peace and the Angel of joy

The Angel of Power and the Angel of the Sun

The Angel of Love and the Angel of Water

The Angel of Wisdom and the Angel of Air

These correlations showed the Essenes that when an individual contacts any earthly force he is also in touch with a certain heavenly power. This enabled them to understand how necessary it is to be in perfect harmony with each and every one of the forces and angels, both in the visible and invisible worlds.

The symbolical Tree of Life made it clear to the people how inseparably they are linked to all the forces, cosmic and terrestrial, and it showed them what their relationship is to each.

The Teachings of the Essenes
From Enoch to the Dead Sea Scrolls
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes Image search Tree of Life
« Reply #5 on: December 28, 2007, 03:03:06 AM »


Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

erik

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #6 on: December 28, 2007, 03:12:25 AM »


http://essenes.net/new/subintro.html

Essene Book of Revelation (much more coherent and consistent than that of John):

http://reluctant-messenger.com/essene/revelation.htm

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes More images
« Reply #7 on: December 28, 2007, 03:13:38 AM »










« Last Edit: December 28, 2007, 12:08:13 PM by Raven »
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #8 on: December 28, 2007, 03:15:38 AM »


http://essenes.net/new/subintro.html

Essene Book of Revelation (much more coherent and consistent than that of John):

http://reluctant-messenger.com/essene/revelation.htm

Thank you Juhani!  :-*


Essene Book of Revelation
The Essene Book of Revelations
Translated by E B Szekely

Behold, the Angel of the Air shall bring him,
And every eye shall see him,
And the brotherhood,
All the vast brotherhood of the Earth
Shall raise their voice as one and sing,
Because of him.
Amen.

"I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End;
What is, what was, and what is to come."

And the voice spoke, and I turned to see
The voice that spoke to me,
And being turned, I saw seven golden candles;
And in the midst of their blazing light
I saw someone like a son of man,
Clothed in white, white as the snow.
And his voice filled the air with the sound of rushing water;
And in his hands were seven stars,
And when he spoke, his face was streaming light,
Blazing and golden like a thousand suns.
And he said, "Fear not, I am the first and the last;
I am the beginning and the end.
Write the things that you have seen,
And the things that are, and the things that will come after;
The mystery of the seven stars which fill my hands,
And the seven golden candles, blazing with eternal light.
The seven stars are the Angels of the Heavenly Father,
And the seven stars are the Angels of the Earthly Mother.
And the spirit of man is the flame
That streams between the starlight and the glowing candle;
A bridge of holy light between Heaven and Earth."

These things said he who held the seven stars in his hands,
Who walked within the flames of the seven golden candles.
He that has an ear, let him hear what the spirit said:
"To him that overcomes I will allow to eat from the tree of life,
That stands in the midst of the shining paradise of God."

And then I looked, and behold,
A door was opened in heaven:
And a voice which sounded from all sides, like a trumpet,
Spoke to me: "Come up here,
And I will show you the things which must be hereafter."

And immediately I was there, in spirit,
At the threshold of the open door.
And I entered through the open door
Into a sea of blazing light.
And in the midst of the blinding ocean of radiance was a throne:
And on the throne sat one whose face was hidden.
And there was a rainbow around about the throne,
Which looked like emerald.
And round about the throne were thirteen seats:
And upon the seats I saw thirteen elders sitting,
Clothed in white raiment;
And there faces were hidden by swirling clouds of light.
And seven lamps of fire burned before the throne,
The fire of the Earthly Mother.
And seven stars of heaven shone before the throne,
The fire of the Heavenly Father.
And before the throne
There was a sea of glass like crystal:
And reflected within it
Were all the mountains and valleys of the Earth,
And all the creatures abiding therein.
And the thirteen elders bowed down before the splendour of him
Who sat upon the throne, whose face was hidden,
And rivers of light streamed from their hands, one to the other,
And they cried, "Holy, Holy, Holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Which was, and is, and is to come.
Thou art worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honour and power:
For thou hast created all things."
And then I saw in the right hand
Of him that sat on the throne,
A book written within and on the back,
Sealed with seven seals.
And I wept, because the book could not be opened,
Nor was I able to read what there was written.
And one of the elders said to me, 'Weep not.
Reach out your hand and take the book.'
And I reached out my hand and touched the book.
And behold, the cover lifted,
And my hands touched the golden pages,
And my eyes beheld the mystery of the seven seals.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
Round about the throne,
And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
And thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
"All glory, and wisdom, and strength,
and power forever and ever,
To him who shall reveal the Mystery of Mysteries."
And I saw the swirling clouds of golden light
Stretching like a fiery bridge between my hands,
And the hands of the thirteen elders,
And the feet of him who sat on the throne,
Whose face was hidden.

And I opened the first seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of the Air,
And between her lips flowed the breath of life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the winds of wisdom,
And man breathed in.
And when he breathed out, the sky darkened,
And the sweet air became fetid,
And clouds of evil smoke hung low over all the earth.
And I turned my face away in shame.

And I opened the second seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of the Water.
And between her lips flowed the water of life,
And she knelt over the Earth
And gave to man an ocean of love.
And man entered the clear and shining waters.
And when he touched the water, the clear streams darkened,
And the crystal waters became thick with slime,
And the fish lay gasping in the foul blackness,
And all the creatures died of thirst.
And I turned my face away in shame.

And I opened the third seal.
And I saw and beheld the Angel of the Sun.
And between her lips flowed the light of life,
And she knelt over the earth
And gave to man the Fires of Power.
And the strength of the Sun entered the heart of man,
And he took the power, and made with it a false sun,
And he spread the fires of destruction,
Burning the forests,
Laying waste the green valleys,
Leaving only charred bones of his brothers.
And I turned away in shame.

And I opened the fourth seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Joy.
And between her lips flowed the music of life,
And she knelt over the Earth
And gave to man the song of peace.
And peace and joy like music
Flowed through the soul of man.
But he heard only the harsh discord of sadness and discontent,
And he lifted up his sword
And cut off the heads of the singers.
And I turned my face away in shame.

And I opened the fifth seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of Life.
And between her lips
Flowed the holy alliance between God and Man,
And she knelt over the Earth
And gave to man the gift of Creation.
And man created a sickle of iron in the shape of a serpent,
And the harvest he reaped was of hunger and death.
And I turned my face away in shame.

And I opened the sixth seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of the Earth.
And between her lips flowed the river of eternal life,
And she knelt over the Earth
And gave to man the secret of eternity,
And told him to open his eyes
And behold the mysterious Tree of Life in the Endless Sea.
But man lifted up his hand and put out his own eyes,
And said there is no eternity.
And I turned my face away in shame.

And I opened the seventh seal.
And I saw, and beheld the Angel of the Earthly Mother.
And she brought with her a message of blazing light
From the throne of the Heavenly Father.
And this message was for the ears of Man alone,
He who walks between the Earth and Heaven,
And into the ear of man was whispered the message.
And he did not hear.
But I did not turn away my face in shame.
Lo, I reached out my hand to the wings of the angel,
And turned my voice to heaven saying,
"Tell me the message. For I would eat of the fruit
Of the Tree of Life that grows in the Sea of Eternity."

And the angel looked upon me with great sadness,
And there was silence in Heaven.

And then I heard a voice,
Which was like the voice that sounded like a trumpet,
Saying, "O Man, would you look upon the evil you have done
When you turned your face away from the throne of God?
When you did not make use of the gifts
Of the seven Angels of the Earthly Mother,
And the seven angels of the Heavenly Father?"

And a terrible pain seized me
As I felt within me the souls of all those
Who had blinded themselves,
So as to see only their own desires of the flesh.
And I saw the seven angels who stood before God;
And to them were given seven trumpets
And another angel came and stood at the alter,
Having a golden censer;
And there was given to him much incense,
That he should offer it with the prayers of all the angels
Upon the golden alter that was before the throne.

And the smoke of the incense ascended up before God
Out of the angels hand.
And the angel took the censer,
And filled it with fire of the alter,
And cast it onto the Earth,
And there were voices and thunderings,
And lightnings, and earthquakes.
And the seven angels that had the seven trumpets
Prepared themselves to sound.

The first angel sounded,
And there followed hail and fire mixed with blood,
And they were cast upon the Earth.
And the green forests and trees were burnt up,
And all the green grass shrivelled to cinders.

The second angel sounded,
And a great mountain burning with fire
Was cast into the sea
And blood rose from the earth as a vapour.

And the fourth angel sounded,
And there was a great earthquake;
And the sun became as black as sackcloth of hair,
And the moon became as blood.

And the fifth angel sounded
And the stars of heaven fell onto the earth
Like figs from fig tree
Shaken by a mighty wind.

And the sixth angel sounded
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together.
And over the whole earth there was not one tree,
Nor one flower, nor one blade of grass.
And I stood on the earth,
And my feet sank into the soil,
soft and thick with blood,
Stretching as far as the eye could see.
And all over the earth was silence.

And the seventh angel sounded.
And I saw a mighty being come down from Heaven,
Clothed with a cloud;
And a rainbow on his head,
And his face was as is it were the Sun,
And his feet were pillars of fire.
And he had in his hand a book open:
And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
And he cried with aloud voice, which was wondrous to hear:
'O Man, would you have this vision come to pass?'
And I answered, 'You know I would do anything
So that these terrible things might not come to pass.'

And he spoke: "Man has created these powers of destruction.
He has made them from his own mind.
He has turned his face away
From the angels of the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother,
And he has fashioned his own destruction."

And I spoke: "Then is there no hope, bright angel?"
And a blazing light streamed like a river from his hands
As he answered, "There is always hope,
O thou for whom Heaven and Earth were created."

And then the angel,
He who stood upon the sea and upon the earth,
Lifted up his hand to heaven,
And swore by him who lives for ever and ever,
Who created heaven and the things that therein are,
And the Earth, and the things that therein are,
And the sea, and the things that are therein,
That there should be time no longer:
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel,
When he shall begin to sound,
The mystery of God should be revealed to those
Who have eaten from the Tree of Life
Which stands forever in the Eternal Sea.

And the voice spoke again saying:
"Go take the book that is in the hand of the angel,
who stands upon the sea and upon the earth."
And I went to the angel, and said to him,
"Give me the book,
For I would eat from the Tree of Life
Which stands in the middle of the Eternal Sea."
And the angel gave to me the book,
And I opened the book, and I read therein
What had always been, what was now, and what would come to pass.

I saw the holocaust that would engulf the Earth,
And the great destruction
That would drown all her people in oceans of blood.
And I saw too the eternity of man
And the endless forgiveness of the Almighty.
The souls of men were as blank pages in the book,
Always ready for a new song to be there inscribed.

And I lifted up my face
To the seven Angels of the Earthly Mother
And the seven Angels of the Heavenly Father,
And I felt my feet touching the holy brow of the Earthly Mother,
And my fingers touching the holy feet of the Heavenly Father,
And I uttered a hymn of thanksgiving:
"I thank thee, heavenly father,
Because thou hast put me at a source of running streams,
At a living spring in a land of drought,
Watering an eternal garden of wonders,
The Tree of Life, Mystery of mysteries,
Growing everlasting branches for eternal planting,
To sink their roots into the stream of life from an eternal source.
And thou, Heavenly Father,
Protect their fruits
With the angels of day and night,
And with flames of Eternal Light lighting every way.

But again the voice spoke,
And again my eyes were drawn away
From the splendours of the realm of light,
"Heed thou, O man!
You may walk on the right path
And walk in the presence of the angels,
You may sing of the Earthly Mother by day
And of the Heavenly Father by night,
And through your being course the golden stream of the Law,
But would you leave your brothers
To plunge through the gaping chasm of blood,
As the pain-wracked Earth shudders and groans
Under her chains of stone?
Can you drink from the cup of eternal life
While your brothers die of thirst?"

And my heart was heavy with compassion.
And I looked, and lo,
There appeared a great wonder in heaven:
A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet,
And upon her head a crown of seven stars.
And I knew she was the source of running streams
And the mother of the forests.

And I stood upon the sand of the sea,
And saw a beast rise up out of the sea,
And from his nostrils wafted foul and loathsome air,
And where he rose from the sea, the clear waters turned to slime,
And his body was covered with black and steaming stone.

And the woman clothed with the sun
Reached out her arms to the beast,
And the beast drew near and embraced her.
And lo, her skin of pearl withered beneath his foul breath,
And her back was broken by his arms of crushing rock,
And with tears of blood she sank into the pool of slime.

And from the mouth of this beast there poured armies of men,
Brandishing swords and fighting, one with the other.
And they fought with a terrible anger,
And they cut off their own limbs and clawed out their own eyes,
Until they fell into the pit of slime,
Screaming in agony and pain.

And I stepped to the edge of the pool and reached down my hand,
And I could see the swirling maelstrom of blood,
And the men therein, trapped like flies in a web.
And I spoke in a loud voice, saying,
"Brothers, drop your swords and take hold of my hand.
Leave off this defiling and desecration
Of she who has given thee birth,
And he who has given thee thy inheritance.
For you the days of buying and selling are over
And over, too, the days of hunting and killing.
For he that leadeth into captivity will go into captivity,
And he who kills with the sword must be killed by the sword.
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn
Because no man buys their merchandise any more.
The merchants of gold, and silver, and precious stones,
And of pearls, and fine linen, and purple dyes, and silk, and scarlet,
And marble, and beasts, and sheep, and horses,
And chariots, and slaves, and souls of men,
All these things you cannot buy and sell,
For all is buried in a sea of blood
Because you have turned your back on your father and mother,
And worshipped the beast who would build a paradise of stone.
Drop thy swords, my brothers, and take hold of my hand!"

And as our fingers clasped,
I saw in the distance a great city,
White and shining on the far horizon, glowing alabaster,
And there were voices and thunders, and lightnings,
And there was a great earthquake,
Such as was not since men were on the Earth,
So mighty an earthquake, and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts,
And the cities of the nations fell.
And the great city came in remembrance before God
To give unto her the cup of the wine
Of the fierceness of his wrath,

And every island fled away,
And the mountains were not found,
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven,
Every stone about the weight of a talent.
And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone,
And threw it into the sea, saying,
"Thus, with violence shall the great city be thrown down,
And shall be found no more at all.'

And the voice of harpists, and musicians, and of pipers,
And of singers, and trumpeters,
Shall be heard no more in thee;
And no craftsmen, of whatever craft he be,
Shall be found anymore in thee;
And the sound of the millstone shall be heard no more in thee.
And the light of the candle will shine no more in thee
And the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride
Shall be heard no more in thee
For your merchants were great men of the Earth;
By there sorceries all nations were deceived.
And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints,
And all those who were slain upon Earth.

And my brothers laid hold of my hand,
And they struggled out of the pool of slime
And stood bewildered on the sea of sand,
And the skies opened and washed their naked bodies with rain.
And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters,
And as the voice of great thunder:
And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps,
And they sang a new song before the throne.

And I saw another angel fly in the midst of Heaven,
Having the songs of day and night
And the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the Earth,
Unto them that have climbed from the pit of slime,
And stand naked and washed by rain before the throne.
And the angel cried out, "Fear God, and give glory to him;
For the hour of his judgement has come:
And worship him that made Heaven and Earth,
And the sea, and the fountains of waters."

And I saw Heaven open, and beheld a white horse;
And he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
And in righteousness he does judge.
His eyes were like a flame of fire,
And on his head were many crowns,
And he was cloaked in blazing light
And his feet were bare.
And his name is called the Word of God.
And the holy brotherhood followed him upon white horses,
Clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And they entered the eternal Infinite Garden,
In whose midst stood the Tree of Life.

And the rain washed naked throngs came before them,
Trembling to receive their judgement.
For their sins were many, and they had defiled the Earth,
Yea, they had destroyed the creatures of the land and sea,
Poisoned the ground, fouled the air,
And buried alive the mother who had given them birth.

But, I saw not what befell them, for my vision changed,
And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth;
For the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away;
And there was no more sea.
And I saw the holy city of the brotherhood
Coming down from God out of Heaven,
Prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying:
"Lo, the mountain of the Lord's house
Is established in the top of the mountains
And is exalted above the hills;
And all people shall flow to it.
Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of God;
And he will teach us of his ways,
And we will walk in his paths:
For out of the Holy Brotherhood shall go forth the Law.
Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men,
And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
And God himself will be with them, and be their God.'
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
And there shall be no more death,
Neither sorrow, nor crying,
Neither shall there be any more pain:
For the former things have all passed away.
Those who made war shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks:
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore:
For the former things have passed away.

And he spoke again: "Behold I make all things new.
I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
I will give to him that thirsts at the Fountain of the Water of Life freely.
He who overcomes shall inherit all things,
And I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
But the fearful, and the unbelieving,
And the abominable, and murderers, and all liars,
Shall dig their own pit which burns with fire and brimstone."

And again my vision changed,
And I heard the voices of the holy brotherhood raised in song,
Saying, "Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Law."
And I saw the Holy City,
And the brothers were streaming to it.
And the city had no need of the sun,
Neither of the moon to shine on it:
For the glory of God did lighten it.

And I saw the pure river of the Water of Life,
Clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God.
And in the middle of the river stood the Tree of Life,
Which bore fourteen kinds of fruits,
And yielded her fruit to those who would eat of it,
And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

And there shall be no night there;
And they need no candle, neither light of the sun,
For the Lord gives them light:
And they shall reign for ever and ever.

I have reached the inner vision
And through thy spirit in me
I have heard thy wondrous secret.
Through thy mystic insight
Thou hast caused a spring of knowledge
To well up within me,
A fountain of power pouring forth living waters;
A flood of love and all embracing wisdom
Like the splendour of eternal light.
« Last Edit: December 28, 2007, 03:22:21 AM by Raven »
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Jahn

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #9 on: December 28, 2007, 03:31:10 AM »
Man, in the center of the Tree, was seen to be surrounded as in a magnetic field, by all the forces, or angels, of heaven and earth. He was pictured as in the meditation posture, the upper half of his body above the ground and the lower half in the earth. This indicated that part of man is allied to the forces of heaven and part to the forces of earth. This concept closely parallels that of Zoroaster who represented the universe as a framework of realms with man in its center and the various forces above and below him. It also corresponds to the Toltec ritual performed on the steps of their pyramids with man in the midst of all the forces.
 

Interesting reading. The Essenes had a school of direct knowledge, and so had the Toltecs. However both these original school deterioated into religion and knowledge instead of knowingness and alignment to Nagual.

 

Offline Angela

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #10 on: December 28, 2007, 05:32:24 AM »

Essene Book of Revelation
The Essene Book of Revelations
Translated by E B Szekely

I've always loved reading this...great thread, Jen  :-*
"If you stop seeing the world in terms of what you like and dislike, and saw things for what they truly are, in themselves, you would have a great deal more peace in your life..."

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #11 on: December 28, 2007, 05:42:21 AM »
Interesting reading. The Essenes had a school of direct knowledge, and so had the Toltecs. However both these original school deterioated into religion and knowledge instead of knowingness and alignment to Nagual.

 

Yes!

I've always loved reading this...great thread, Jen  :-*

I too am enjoying the study.. your encouragement could indeed spark a wild woman mass posting frenzy.

Bare with me folks.. I like to go back and look at threads for reference.. I know they get a bit wordy sometimes.. 8)

Good stuff..
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

erik

  • Guest
Re: Essenes
« Reply #12 on: December 28, 2007, 05:51:24 AM »
I too am enjoying the study.. your encouragement could indeed spark a wild woman mass posting frenzy.

What triggered your interest in Essenes?

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #13 on: December 28, 2007, 05:54:32 AM »
"Blessed are they who suffer many experiences, for they shall be made perfect: They shall be as the angels in Heaven and shall die no more, and neither shall they be reborn, for death and birth will no longer have dominion over them." Jesus, Gospel of the Holy Twelve


Understanding The Essenic Theorem
Incarnation and Reincarnation
Perspectives on the Processes of Existence on the Physical Plane

    An incarnation is the process whereby the non-physical essence of a fragment-spirit is invested with bodily nature and form. It is a union of the physical plane of existence with the non-physical plane. It is an atomic-molecular, mineral, plant, animal, or human form embodying a spirit, and the giving of actuality and reality to the thought image of a fragment of the Source. It is a translation of the potential of spirit into the dynamics of the material realm.

    Reincarnation is the re-cycling of the essence of the fragment-spirit into different physical forms, in different time periods, in different roles, as an experiencing arm of the Source, for the purpose of gaining understanding which will teach the fragment-entity how to create, maintain, and manipulate matter at will and in balance, as a co-creator with the Source.

    The spirit essence which animates physical forms never dies, and is what is recycled. It was a part of the Original until the Original fragmented. It has existed from the beginning and is an eternal being. It exists on the non-physical astral plane whenever the physical body it has been occupying ceases functioning, or it is not incarnated in a physical form on earth plane.

    The Source evolves and experiences through Its creations. The purpose of material existence is to grow through experiences in all forms of materiality. A fragment cannot become a co-creator without understanding all of the materials, tools, techniques and processes of creation.

    We reincarnate into multiple forms and situations because one lifetime is in no way sufficient time, nor does it offer sufficient exposures to enough diverse situations, to give the fragment-spirit the understandings necessary to become an effective experiencing and co-creating arm of the Source.

    When fragment-entities elected to manifest in the physical-material System, they agreed to experience all of the forms in the atomic-molecular, mineral, plant, animal, and human kingdoms, in order to become aware of the consciousness level, make-up, functioning, and part that each form plays in the overall scheme of the physical universe. Higher level entities help plan, program, and schedule incarnations in these forms.   


Incarnation and Reincarnation

http://www.thenazareneway.com/index_reincarnation.htm
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

Offline Jennifer-

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Re: Essenes
« Reply #14 on: December 28, 2007, 05:57:53 AM »
Quote
What triggered your interest in Essenes?

I was recently directed in vision to "Understand the way of the Essenes"

I had no idea what that meant until I started searching on the internet and found the connection with the Dead Sea Scrolls ect..  This may be old news to some of you.. but for me, being a 'woods girl' my studies have been greatly limited.

I still dont know what the study has for me in relation to the vision.. that will more then likely come in the dead of night in a whisper of clarity, like most things do.

I went into a short retreat/solitude/ceremony and met with the holy one who told me to "Understand the ways of the Essene."

I wouldnt dare guess the reason, I may never fully understand it myself.

Any thoughts?
Without constant complete silence meditation - samadi - we lose ourselves in the game.  MM

 

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