PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM

PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN SYMBOLISM 

Early mankind's first "Saviour" was the sun. This glowing orb in the sky above was clearly the "Giver of Life." As belief systems grew, mankind eventually established the early stages of what would later become Christianity, or teachings of the Krestiani. Among early Gnostic and Essene traditions, these teachings were originally about something much deeper than they are today ... something that lay beyond, and beneath the surface stories. By taking these stories as only literal, modern day Christianity has renamed, revised, and re-written these ancient symbols and metaphors to suit their an entirely different agenda. Stay with me. There is much to explain. 

In the outward and literal Biblical story, Jesus has taken the place of a sun god of old, and literally became the "Light of the World." Biblical references to light and darkness now make perfect sense, when we look within the layers for the deeper message. “Jesus walking on water,” for example, symbolizes when the sun light is reflecting off the surface of water. We are not dismissing the Jesus narrative, just looking deeper into the symbolism and the allegorical interpretations ... the place where much Truth and symbolism can be found. 

From an an ancient Astrotheology view, the literal/outward story of Jesus mimics the story of the sun’s travels across the sky and through the Zodiac. The twelve disciples represent the 12 signs of the zodiac, or 12 months of the year. His story is the story of this annual precessional. Jesus is the Sun (in the center of the Zodiac circle) and the 12 houses/signs/disciples accompany him everywhere he goes. 

The actual word “Jesus” comes from the Greek "Iēsous," the Ancient Greek form of the Hebrew and Aramaic name Yeshua or Y'shua (Hebrew: ישוע) (Joshua in English). “Iesous” is adapted from the name of the Greek goddess of recuperation from illness - healing. Iesos/Iaso, was the daughter of Apollo, the Sun-deity. It is important to note that the English letter "J" was not in use until after 1600CE. Before that, a "Y" and an "I" were used in its stead. The original King James Bible refers to Jesus as “Iesus” and his father as “Ioseph.” No letter "J" to be found until later re-prints. 

Moving on symbolically, "Sunday" was set aside in the Mithra (Roman) cult as its official day to worship its Sun-deity. Instead of Saturday (Saturn-day), the sabbath or day of rest ... Roman Emperor Constantine legislated Sun-day to now be the day of rest and dedicated it to the Greek and Roman Sun-god, Helios. Constantine worshipped Christos Helios as well as Mithra. ”Christos Helios" in the Greek (Χρήστος ήλιος) means “Christ-The-True-Sun.” Ultimately, the Roman Catholic Church (Holy Roman Universal Church) chose Sun-day as its sabbath, and Protestantism then adopted it. The Greek word for "Universal" is "katholikos." 

More symbolism can be found here: Obelisks, spires, steeples, and church towers; all come from the pagan worship practices of Babylon and Egypt called sun-pillars. An obelisk or sun-pillar still stands at the entrance of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. These objects represent the masculine (Father/God) symbol penetrating the feminine (Mother/Goddess) to bring forth the child from the womb of the universe. So it is with the Egyptian Ankh (a cross symbol) ... representing the intersection of Spirit/Matter, and the masculine penetrating the female womb of the universe as a means of creation. Symbolism can be found everywhere in Vatican City, if you know where to look and how to identify it. 

The Winter Solstice (Christmas-time) is the actual "reason for the season." The solstice is a metaphor for the sun’s birth, death, and resurrection. The sun appears to die as it reaches its lowest point in the winter sky, remaining motionless for three days. The sun is then resurrected, or born again, as it begins to slowly rise. And then the annual cycle begins once again. Bringing renewal, and a soon to be life-giving harvest of food once again. 

Everything in modern day Christianity has it's roots in the Ancient Wisdom of the Pagan world. These beliefs were brought into the formation of Christianity in Rome in order to bring more of the pagan believers into Constantine's new universal religion of Rome, officially launched at the First Council of Nicea in 325CE. Further, many ancient religions had also a triune god. Solar triune gods represented the three stages of the Life of the Sun, and lunar triune goddesses represented the three phases or Life of the moon. The Sun is the masculine energy, the moon is the receptive feminine energy receiving her light from the sun.

The Christian Trinity is as a solar triune: one, the young son at sunrise (God the son); two, adult at noon (God the Father, the most high); and three, dying when the sun sets at day’s end (The Holy Ghost/Spirit). Three different aspects, but one god - the SUN. The reason that only four gospels were chosen in the official canon is because they represent the four seasons. Remember also, there are deep esoteric symbols to be found. The mythology goes far back in time. 

As another example of symbolism, and in the realm of the metaphysical, the Kingdom of God represents the right hemisphere of your brain. You can activate it by doing what Jesus said in John 21:6 by “casting your net to the right side”. Our right brain is where our limitless potentiality, creativity, and imagination are found. It is also EAST. The Sun of God rises in the east (East-er). Most churches and temples among the ancients faced east. When early Christians prayed, they prayed to the east. The sun “sets” in the west. It figuratively dies each nightfall. Among other ancient figures was “Set” the evil twin. Every night, he would kill the sun … hence SUNSET. Horus represented the sky during the daytime, while Set represented the night-time sky. Set was also the basis for the development of Satan later in Hebrew lore, and ultimately Christianity's Devil. 

When talking about myth, symbols, and ancient philosophy, there is always one question that people will always ask: Who designed the designer? Who created God? Since all gods and holy books are man-made, it is man who is this designer. God is Spirit, and writes no books here in a physical world of form. "Sun Worship" was more about an esoteric understanding that there was a higher power behind and beyond (meta) the sun and all it's glory and Life giving energy. Very early man believed that the night sky was a veil, and that the stars were piercings in the veil that let the light of God shine through even in the darkness. The unreachable God far beyond any manifestation here in this world. 

Today, there are billions of people who believe in Jesus as God, so the Christian populous says he must be God. However, belief doesn’t make something true. Many believed the earth was flat. It is clearly not. Modern science and reason have been able to explain what would have been unexplainable to primitive man. If you were able to travel back in time with a cigarette lighter, mankind would've made you a some type of god as well. There were nature gods, weather gods, gods for everything. Jesus represents something far more esoteric and symbolic. In many ways, HIStory, is also OURstory. But in a spiritual way.

There is plenty to be found in ancient scripture to confirm my words. When we take this collective document as merely literal and historical content, it holds much less value than it does when you read between the lines ... the stories beneath and beyond the ink and paper. Many of the events didn't happened in the way that we've been told. They are meant to be collective metaphors and allegories of a much more spiritual nature. These stories were never intended by their writers to be only taken literally. Symbolism was used to conceal the inner Truths contained within the stories. 

What about the Ten Commandments you say? I say which ones? The Protestant, Catholic or Hebrew? They'll all different. Check and you'll see this to be true. In fact, they were all extracted from King Hammurabi's Laws (the negative commandments) during the times that the Hebrews lived among Babylonian rule. There are also two different sets of commandments. The Roman Catholic Church deleted the second Commandment and changed God's Sabbath to Sunday, and then split the tenth Commandment into two to get back to Ten Commandments in total. 

The wandering in the desert for 40 years, the crossing of the Red (Reed) Sea, the floating Ark of Noah, the walking on water, stilling the seas, resurrecting from the dead, etc. These stories are all spiritual allegories explained using surface stories and parables to deliver a deeper message for those with eyes to see, and ears to hear. There were Outer Mysteries (assumed literal events) presented to the masses of followers, and there were Inner Mysteries (Truth behind the spiritual nature of the stories) revealed to those who were inspired to go deeper into the text. 

Only a few initiates were privy to the Inner Mysteries. Even still today, the Vatican holds many mysteries that the general public will never be told. Rather than releasing the Truth to the people and possibly recovering the ancient spiritual pre-Roman Christian/Krestian teachings to the people, and empowering them through the spiritual strength that they teach, they choose to hide the Inner Mysteries and continue the secrecy that has taken thousands of years to build. Reveal the Truth, and the world would be empowered immediately. Positive change would be the result, and mankind's Saviour, would be the Truth of who and what they really are. "You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free." 

Just a thought ... 

~Justin Taylor, ORDM.

REAL ROOTS OF EASTER

THE REAL ROOTS OF EASTER

Easter is an annual celebration observed throughout the Christian world. However, there are absolutely no verses in the Christian Bible that authorize or endorse the keeping of this tradition. 

Furthermore … the Bible does not mention anything about Easter eggs, Easter baskets, Easter bunnies, or even Lent. These very items were used in the pagan rituals of the Mystery Religion of ancient Babylon. Stay with me.

So then, where did the tradition of celebrating Easter originate? The hidden accounts of the original Easter festival - which was 

initiated several thousand years ago - many years before the belief in a birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Nazarene. 

The “Easter” celebration has its origins in the ancient Pagan world. It must be noted that the pagan and occult calendar is comprised of four periods of 13 weeks each. Through the symbolism of Gematria and Numerology, it is believed that numbers contain inherent power, and countless ancients based their lives on numerology and/or gematria. Many still do. Numerology is also a key component of astrology. Thus the occult calendar is divided into 4 parts of 13 weeks each. Note that 13 x 4 = 52 weeks – our year.

Numerology assigns “6” to represent the number of man, and the number “7” to represent the number of Divine perfection. Thus, as a person climbs the “Jacob's Ladder” toward self-perfection … the number “13” represents the state of Divine perfection, self-achieved perfection, and Illumination (6+7 = 13).

Historically, the word “Easter” is derived from the Scandinavian “Ostra” and the Teutonic “Ostern” or “Eastre” - both of whom were goddesses of ancient mythology and were identified with spring and fertility. Festivals for these goddesses were celebrated on the first day of the vernal equinox - March 21. Important parts of these pagan celebrations included the rabbit, colored eggs, and gifts - all of which represented fertility.

Easter is steeped in the Mysteries of ancient Babylon. “Ishtar” - the Babylonian goddess - is the one for whom Easter is named. Ishtar is but another name for Semiramis – the wife of Nimrod. Semiramis and Nimrod were responsible for instituting the building of the tower of Babel.

This “Easter” festival was part of the Babylonian Mysteries started by Nimrod and Semiramis. They also established themselves as god and goddess, to be worshipped by the people of Babylon. As most all ancient royalty and/or rulers they were considered to be elevated to the stature of gods. This was true in ancient Egypt as well. 

Nimrod was worshipped as the Sun God. He was worshipped in numerous cultures and countries under a variety of names: Samas, Attis, Uti, Merodach/Marduk, Ninus, Bel/Baal, Moloch, Tammuz - the list is virtually endless. Some of these names have also been reference in Biblical scriptures. 

Ishtar / Easter was worshipped as the moon goddess, the goddess of spring and fertility, and the Queen of Heaven. She is known by so many other names in other countries and cultures that she is often referred to as the goddess of one thousand names. 

The Babylonians celebrated the day of Ishtar / Easter as the return of the goddess of Spring – the re-birth or reincarnation of Nature, and the goddess of Nature. Babylonian legend tells us that each year a huge egg would fall from heaven and would land in the area around the Euphrates River. 

In her yearly re-birth, Ishtar would break out of this egg and if any of those celebrating this occasion happened to find her egg, Ishtar would bestow a special blessing on that person. In other words. an Ishtar/Easter Egg Hunt. 

From Babylon, this mystery religion spread to Egypt, Asia, Europe, North and South America, all over the world, and eventually was incorporated into mainstream Christian religion in an effort to entice, and/or expand the Constantinian version of Christianity created at the Council of Nicea in 325 CE. Constantine had plans to unite his Kingdom under one common and universal religion. This is where the “Holy Roman Catholic Church” was derived. The word “catholic” means “universal” in Greek. 

So what about the timing of Easter tradition? It is said that Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that when He died, He would be in the “heart of the earth” for three days and three nights (72 hours) before He arose. The traditional Christian Good Friday to Sunday celebration however only accounts for Jesus’ being in the heart of the earth for two nights and one day. It differs slightly in Orthodoxy. Remember also, that the ancient Lunar Calendar began each new day at sunset. This differs from the current Solar Calendar. The reasoning was fairly simple, from the darkness comes the light. Night, into day. 

There are absolutely no verses anywhere in the Bible that authorize or endorse the keeping of an Easter celebration. Further, the Bible says nothing about the practice of observing Lent, dying Easter eggs, having Easter egg hunts, baskets of candy, bonnets – and so on. Easter has long been known to be an important Pagan festival, and has been blended into the Christian traditions.

This festive celebration is clearly an ancient event, adopted by Christianity to align with Pascha/Paskha (Greek), or passover from the OT Hebrew scriptures. There is a great library of gnosis and information available to all of us, if we just take the time to research what we believe, and why. 

Just a thought ... 

Justin Taylor, ORDM.