An esoteric reading of biblical symbolism

Foreword

I send this little book out into the world as an humble tribute to the cause of truth, with heartfelt gratitude to the Master Jesus for the patient guidance and illuminations that have been given me during the years that I have been pondering over the pages of the Scriptures of the Aryan race, realizing fully that I have sensed but a very small part of the wonders that lie hidden beneath the wonderful symbolic utterances of that marvelous Mystic Book, but full of joy that I have found enough to reveal to me something of the wondrous beauty of God's plan for the evolution of man.

Mistakes, there are many, no doubt, that better scholarship, or greater spiritual perceptions may reveal, as time goes on, but I have tried to give it exactly as it was presented to my mind, and what mistakes there are, are the result of undeveloped faculties trying to grasp ideas too great for them to comprehend. These facts, however, came to me with such illuminative force, that I cannot but hope that they may prove equally helpful to others who are struggling in the bonds of mistaken conceptions of what the Bible really teaches.

We' are standing upon but the threshold of the Temple of Truth, and can but glimpse the glories lying within, but each step we take forward brings us nearer to the vision celestial; and no effort made with the right motive will be lost. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of special interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but man spake from God being moved by the Holy Spirit." II Peter, i, 20 and 21. Here we are justified in searching out the hidden inner meaning, as, indeed, we are in many passages that refer to the "Mysteries of Jesus."

Occultists tell us that all Scripture has seven different meanings intended to assist man at each of the seven different planes of his evolution, and this seems to be true. At each step that we take, we find that the tale told is just what we most need to direct us along the path. To the writer they have ever spoken in no uncertain tone.

These illuminations have brought to me such unspeakable joy, and peace, such conviction and strength of inspiration, that to those at the same stage of progress I feel sure that they must of necessity come as a blessing. To those farther along upon the path, they will perhaps seem crude, while to those not so far advanced they may in some cases be unintelligible. They are sent out to those who need them, to those to whom they appeal. May the Master bless them as they start upon their long journey to hunt the hearts that need them; may they in some small way, help to make straight the way of the Great Master Christ, when He again comes to this sin-sick old world; and may they help, at least a few earnest souls to gain the token by which they may know Him when He appears.

Harriet Tuttle Bartlett.

Introduction

It may be well to explain in a few words, something of the method by which these conclusions have been arrived at.

The Bible read in the literal way that is customary with the purely orthodox, fails to stand the test of historic and scientific research, because of the erroneous assumptions of the translators, who were misled by lack of the information that is now coming in such abundance to us. It is gratifying to see that the recent translators have discarded the foolish chronology which has caused so much trouble, and while it is somewhat disconcerting to think of the many reckonings that are thrown into confusion as to time by this step, yet it was positively necessary to understand things as they are.

Scientific investigation has done much in giving us data upon which to calculate, in a general way, but to Oriental research, especially through philological lines, do we owe much of the information that is proving a golden key by which we may unlock the storehouses of ancient wisdom that throw light upon the obscure portions of our Sacred Book. To state it briefly, these investigations have brought out the fact that the most ancient Sacred MSS. gave out the same great fundamental truths upon which our own religion is based. Many great natural laws are explained and about the same ethical standard is upheld as we have been accustomed to connect with the teachings of our own faith; the difference being, if any, rather in favor of the superiority of the standard upheld by the ancients as being attainable. "Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect" was to them an attainable ideal, while to us it seems a monstrous assumption.

As we study, we see that the weakness in our own system lies in the fact that the Christian Mysteries have been temporarily lost, due to the political aspirations of the church from the fourth century, but abundant evidence exists that they were a part of the Apostolic Church, and that the early Church Fathers owed their unusual spiritual strength to the influence of this special training.

We find there are certain symbols that are universal, to which the hidden truths have been confided during the ages, and that these symbols tell the same tale, no matter where they may be found, no matter what the language of the people may be. Then we look and find these same symbols telling the same story in our own Bible. The Hebrew language lent itself with unusual felicity to the veiled work of the Mysteries, as it was a purely consonantal language, each letter having a numerical value, and each number having an esoteric significance. It is not surprising that the message has remained hidden under the circumstances. It was perfectly safe until the time was ripe for its disclosure. Evidently the Master's will controlled the situation. Not until man's intuition develops will the secrets of the ages be revealed to him.

The translation of the personal nouns and geographical names, often gives the key to an allegory, but, in this line of work, one is often hindered by the fact that the meaning of the word has been lost in the course of the ages. By taking the root, however, tracing it back as nearly as possible to its mother tongue, one may often get a meaning that clearly dovetails with the obvious meaning of the text in such a way as to justify the inference that the right one has been found, or at least something very near to it.

In studying the allegorical meaning of the Bible the writer finds that it is wise to stick to the spiritual meaning consistently all the way through, not read one passage allegorically and the next literally which causes the garbled result so often obtained by Biblical scholars.

This line of study, however, demonstrates that the lower mind alone cannot give satisfactory results. To the intuition must we turn if the higher truths are to become ours. For that reason Scripture should always be studied in a prayerful spirit. Personally, the writer has always called directly upon the Master Jesus for guidance, and all that has been given at such times, when the flash of illumination has been accompanied by a sense of "The Presence" has withstood the test of the most careful investigation that she has been able to make from information available. The first glimpse has not always been complete, and

INTRODUCTION

additional information given later has made the matter clearer, but she has never yet been obliged to admit one of these glimpses of truth to be erroneous; invariably they have proven true, though perhaps in a much larger way than was at first perceived. Gradually she has learned that in the consciousness of at-one-ment of Spirit it is but necessary to touch the hem of His Spiritual garments, or His Spiritual vibrations, that virtue may flow from Him. He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man open the door I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with Me."

"Remember that everyone who meditates upon the Master makes a definite link with him which shows to clairvoyant vision as a kind of line of light. The Master always subconsciously feels the impinging of such a line, and sends out along it in response a steady stream of magnetism which continues to play long after the meditation is over. The regular practice of such meditation and concentration is of the utmost help to the aspirant, and the regularity is one of the most important factors in producing results." Vol. I, "Inner Life," by C. W. Leadbeater, page 34.

This experience is one that has often been found in Christian Mystics, it has not originated with the writer, but the influx of Oriental Information has rendered what has been received much more intelligible than it would otherwise have been.

The writer makes no pretense of being able to read the akasic records, and in some instances may have taken what was meant for merely a type for a real incarnation of a Great One, but such matters will be straightened out by more expert investigators, and need not detract from the value of the truths revealed. Errors there must be, of course, in a work bringing out ideas so new to the mind trained in the orthodox school, and dealing with things so far transcending what that mind is accustomed to handling; but to the spiritually minded these pages may open up an unexplored mine of riches, and they may get far more than the writer has, having better trained inner perceptions that will need but the hint to make them able to penetrate to the Inner Sanctuary, To the materialistic mind there will be nothing to appeal in this book. Spiritual truths may be apprehended by Spirit alone.

The writer has found that of necessity there must be more repetitions in a work like this, than is considered permissible in good composition. The newness of the ideas makes it necessary to connect the mind with what has gone before to make each stage clear. So far as possible she has tried to avoid this. However, she realizes that there are still far too many such cases to suit good taste but can see no way to avoid it if the points are made clear without too great a demand upon the reader 's memory.

INVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION OF THE SPIRIT OF MAN.

Black Land Cush- Egypt Wilderness Great Battle Of

Cain

Abel J Mssl Moses 345J Spirit and Matter

HARRIET TUTTLEBARTLETT

EXPLANATION OF PLATE.

The Great V shows Spirit descending into matter until it becomes immeshed in bodies of each of the planes, then it turns its face toward the Father again, and by conquering the planes one by one mounts on its way back to the Father from whom it came.

The horizontal lines divide the planes but simply for the sake of clearness in study. The matter really interpenetrates and the matter of all planes is to be found in any given spot at any time. These planes simply refer to matter in different degrees of density.

On the highest plane we have the Three Great Outpourings of the Solar Logos (God) as they are directed toward the seven planes directly concerning us. There are still higher and higher Great Ones, but the Bible does not dwell upon that except to recognize the Hierarchies in a general way.

Yod, I, is a masculine potency and is the Will aspect of the Logos.

H, Hevah, translated Eve, is the Love Wisdom aspect of the creative form producing power of the Universe, spoken of by the Christian as the "Son. "

V H, We He, is the great creative activity of the Logos spoken of by the Christian as the Holy Spirit. This outpouring brought into being the perfected atom of each plane making possible the form producing work.

The seven Sephiroth are the seven attributes of God, or the seven great creative Agents of the Logos manifesting those attributes. The seven Planetary Logoi.

The Archetypal Man lies upon the Buddhic or Christ Plane and the evolving man rises to that plane when he conquers matter and becomes the Master of Compassion.

On this Buddhic Plane the descending Ego lay till provided with a body by Lord Jehovah, who gave him a mental body.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE

The symbolism makes the Mental Plane the Dust Land, and Adam was given a body of dust, so he is the Dust Adam of H. P. B.

On the Astral, or Emotional and Desire Plane, the Sand Land of the allegory, we find H. P. B.'s "Shadow Adam." Matter has become so dense that it hampers the Spirit and its vibration begin to control. "The Woman" (body) "Thou gavest me she did it."

The Physical Plane is the Black Land, the Land of Cush, Egypt, the Wilderness of Ignorance. Here is fought the great battle of Spirit and matter. At last the day comes when the Spirit turns its face toward the Father who sent it out, and then begins to mount by conquering each plane.

Moses is symbol of the perfected Physical as well as the great Manu of the fifth root race. His number is 345, the number of God's back.

543 is the number of God's face.

543 plus 345 makes 888, the number of the Christ. Perfect Man and perfect God make the Christ Man.

The Soul or Causal Body is built by man's efforts to get back to God, and can be lost, but the Spirit must return to God who sent it out.

I H T, the symbol of Jesus, may be read God the Father and God the Son working on the Desire Plane. 318, his number, means purity.

M S S, symbol of Moses, may be read Matter with double amount of Wisdom.

Maia means Matter or Mother.

Chapter I. The Key Note Of The Bible

What is the key note of the Bible? Is it possible to find a key note in these sixty-five books that we call our Bible ? These books supposed to be written by all sorts and conditions of men, during many different periods in the world's history, written by men who, in many instances, could have no way of knowing anything about their predecessors, nor could they have foreseen the destiny of their work, unless they were unusually gifted seers; can it be possible that there is a unifying chord running through such a tangled mass of strings, as many have considered these stories to be? To the writer there is a chord that sounds clear and true from cover to cover of the "Dear Old Book." If summed up in one word, perhaps no word can be used, that will so aptly convey the idea, as the simple word "Christ," if by the word Christ we mean man made God.

In the first chapter of Genesis we see the perfect thought form of Elohim manifesting. They are the architypes, or patterns, of the seven great kingdoms of nature, as they will ultimately become in the long course of evolution.

In the second chapter, beginning with the fourth verse, we see the Lord Jehovah beginning his work of starting the great evolutionary march by which these kingdoms are to gain perfection, which is the destiny shown to be theirs upon the higher planes. The egos of humanity have already advanced up to the human stage upon another chain of planets, and are now lying upon the Buddhic Plane ready for their start upon this earth. Lord Jehovah forms for them bodies of mental matter, and breathes into them the breath of life and they become "Living Souls," not Physical bodies. By desire they bring themselves down upon the Astral Plane, and the Lord Jehovah gives them an astral body to help them manifest there. Then as they gratify desire they drop into Physical bodies that are waiting for them, having evolved up from the lower kingdoms. Lord Jehovah then wraps about them the skins of animals, or their own physical skins. All is in the plural, and is the story of the descent of Spirit into matter in order to manifest.

In the experiences of the Hebrews, we see the typical stages by which man must mount on his way back to the God from whom he came. In their struggles against the bondage of Egypt (bondage of the lower nature) through the wilderness of ignorance, they slowly learn the law by experience, and from the teachings of the great Moses (Lord Jehovah) they learn that the gratification of the desires brings only disgust. At the same time they develop intellect, and at last they find themselves upon the bank of the Jordan or the descending flood of their own degenerative tendencies. Here it is that Moses lays his hands upon the shoulders of Joshua (Jesus) and that compassionate brother takes charge of the race to teach them that by purification alone can they attain the higher planes of consciousness that it is their destiny to reach. Jesus seems to be used as a type of the Masters, many of whom are shown as remaining with us and sharing in this great work for humanity. Here and there sporadic instances occur, where we see one of the people transcending the natural development of the race, and to these we see the great Initiations given, and the Initiate at once enters the work of helping the Great Ones in their effort to teach and assist humanity. In fact the whole of the book that we call Bible is the story of the typical stages in the life of humanity, not anywhere is personality accentuated. 'Tis all the story of you and of me, in the day that we attain the place that these experiences naturally develop. It is the story of the fall of spirit into matter, and its struggle to get back to God. The story of your life and my life, just as truly as it is the story of the lives of the Great Ones who preceded us upon the path.

All of the stories are in a sense historical, but when they happened is not at present revealed to us. They are used to convey a spiritual truth that is greater than any mere historic occurrence could possibly be. The Great Initiations of the Great Ones who have been the guides of humanity during the ages, are clearly shown, and the trials and victories by which

THE KEY NOTE OF THE BIBLE

they attained their present height. We are given the view of the Great Brother, whom the Jews called Lord Jehovah, guiding the race upon the physical plane; Joshua (Jesus) and the other Masters with Him, teaching them to purify themselves, and the Great Christ teaching them how to attain the "Glory I had with the Father before the world was." How to become the perfect, the God-Man.

The four letters IHVH translated Jehovah indicating the Trinity of manifestations of the Supreme is used in three senses in the Old Testament. El Jehovah, El Shadai (God Almighty) refers to the higher Trinity; while the Lord Jehovah refers to the great loving brother whom the Hindoo calls the Manu; and the "Jehovah of Hosts," or the "Lord God of Hosts," refers to the God in the heart of every man. "The light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John i). This latter is what we have been taught to call the Soul, but this is inaccurate, for the Soul is the body of the Spirit, and this inner Jehovah is the Spirit, making of ourselves the body, Soul, and Spirit, of St. Paul. This "Jehovah of Hosts," or "Lord God of Hosts," the God in the heart, is the one that is always so rebelliously chiding the race in the places that have been erroneously translated "cursed." This is the God who is jealous. He wants to rule instead of the personality. This is the struggle of the Spirit with flesh, and its cry ever is, ' ' The Soul that sinneth it shall die. ' ' It is our higher selves struggling with our lower selves, to reduce the personality to obedience to Spirit. No curse from the "ALL WISE," no curse from the Great Loving Elder Brother "Lord Jehovah," only our higher selves chiding our lower selves because we do not please ourselves.

So there is One God. "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." There are three Great Elder Brothers (who are types of many others who have attained now), Lord Jehovah, Jesus, and Christ, and we too are the sons of the Living God making the completed Trinity. Thus does "Jehovah of Hosts" of the Old Testament become the "Christ in the heart" in the New Testament, or the new dispensation, when the race shall have attained the divine destiny so gloriously shown us by our Great Elder Brother, the first born among many brethren to attain the Goal, "Our Bright and Morning Star."

Surely Christ is the key note of the Bible. Not Christ the Jewish man only, whom we all love to honor and whom we all know to be the great teacher of Gods and of Men, but the Great Universal Christ, Humanity, that great Son of God who shall return from the far country, and be to the Father a Son worthy to reign with Him, when He shall have attained to "the fullness of the stature of the Christ." May the magnitude of the conception fill the minds and hearts of all who read, and may they strive to emulate Him who stands with hands outspread in blessing as His glorified body is revealed to John in Revelations.

Chapter II. The Mysteries

To the average reader the thought of the Mysteries has been associated with some kind of a heathen religion that nourished in ancient days. Not many have taken time even to read the article in the "Encyclopaedia Britannica", much less to study the subject at length. This is largely because western ideas have been unduly distorted by lack of accurate information in regard to Oriental manners, customs, history, and ideals. [We have occupied the unique position of accepting for our spiritual guidance a purely oriental book, full of the quaint imagery and beautiful figures of speech of a very poetic people, but have utterly scorned all things else Oriental, absolutely refusing to recognize the inhabitants of those countries as really civilized, dubbing them heathen, and assuming an air of great superiority over them."/ We have taken their book but have utterly ignored their ideas as to how it should be read, and have persisted in reading all those exquisite figures of speech as literal historic facts. Truly it is a strong argument for the inspiration of the book, that we have not gotten into more trouble than we have. Being inspired, however, and intended to guide man at every stage of his development, it has given us nourishing food for our spiritual natures in spite of all of our clumsy attempts to distort the real meaning of the passages.

The natural result of such a course of action, however, has been to cut us off from much information that might have been ours. It has closed Oriental libraries against our scholars, and has hindered their getting the instruction needed to study intelligently the great truths they found; it has prevented their penetrating to the secret archives of the wisdom of the east, through causing them to scorn the necessary preparation; and it has given to the traveler the patronizing air which has been resented, and from which he has, all unconsciously, suffered, not getting the information that otherwise would have been handed him gladly. In all these and many other ways have we suffered, simply because of our own intolerance and conceit.

Such intolerance has no justification today in the light of the flood of information that is now coming to our country, in regard to such matters. ' To hold to the old conservative ideas that have been so long regarded orthodox, one must close both eyes and ears, and utterly refuse the evidence of the senses. It would be a foolish waste of space and time for the writer to quote the long list of authorities that she has studied during the last thirty years, that have each contributed something to the light that has been shed upon her studies, but to get much information in little space I know of no more satisfactory works than those of Mrs. Annie Besant, and her co-worker Mr. C. L. Leadbeater, Mr. A. P. Sinnett, and Mr. Gr. R. S. Mead. These books bring a large amount of information into small readable volumes that are very convenient for the busy person.

However, from the article in the " Encyclopa&dia Britannica" upon Mysteries may be gleaned many suggestive facts. Of necessity it deals almost exclusively with the Greek Eleusinian Semi- Mysteries, in the days of their degeneration; still, in spite of this fact, many little testimonies of the original excellence of the teachings of the ancient mysteries crop out here and there, as, for instance, "The saving and healthy effect of the Eleusinian Mysteries are believed in not only by the mass of the people but by many of the most thoughtful and educated intellects, Pindar, Sophocles, Isocrates, Plutarch, etc. Plato, who finds no language too strong to stigmatize the demoralizing effect of the Orphic Mysteries (then degenerate echoes of a once pure teaching), speaks of the Eleusinian Mysteries with great respect. He compares the contemplation of 'ideas' by disembodied souls to the contemplation of the 'phasmata' revealed in the Mysteries. This saving power is expressly connected with future life; he that has been initiated has learned what will ensure his happiness hereafter. The words of Pindar, Sophocles, Isocrates agree with the words of the Homeric Hymn, that the initiated have peculiar advantages in the future world, and many other passages are equally clear and distinct." "These quotations prove a general belief that the aim of the Eleusinian Mysteries was high, and that a lasting effect was produced upon the initiated by them. This implies a high stage of religious thought such as no other ancient faith, except that of the Hebrews, attained; but a passage in a Rhodian inscription of the fifth century B. C. shows that this idea was not wholly unfamiliar in the Greek religion. The first and most important condition required of those who entered the Temple at Lindus is, that they be pure in heart, and not conscious of any crime; conditions of ceremonial purity are enumerated as those of secondary importance." — E. B., pg. 127, Vol. M.

We must remember that the things written as to the ritual of the Mysteries are only such things as were given out to the public, not the true Mysteries, for the greater Mysteries have never been written, but are matters of the extension of the consciousness of the individual. The lessons learned bear fruit in the life lived, but are not transmitted by writing. The teaching has ever been secret, and is transmitted from mouth to ear. As Moses taught Joshua the "spoken law" he received upon the Mount, who in turn taught it to the forty receivers, who were to instruct the initiates orally; so was it in every age, so is it now, so must it ever be, if the child man is to be protected from the danger that comes from defiling things that are holy before he is able to understand the significance of his acts.

Philo Judaeus, in speaking of the Essenes says: "But the Therapeutic sect of mankind, being continually taught to see without interruption" (they functioned upon higher planes), "may well aim at obtaining a sight of the living God, and may pass by the sun" (the symbol of divinity), "which is visible to the outward sense, and never leave this order which conducts to perfect happiness. But they apply themselves to this kind of worship not because they are influenced to do so by custom, nor by advice or recommendation of any particular persons, but because they are carried away by a certain Heavenly Love." Then he goes on at length to show how they gave away their earthly possessions, caring nothing for anything that will interfere with the teaching they get in these communities where they have a plain room, no luxuries, and live most abstemiously.

He goes on to say: "And in every house there is a sacred shrine which is called the Holy Place, and the Monastery in which they retire by themselves and perform all the mysteries of a holy life."

"Therefore they always retain an imperishable recollection of God, so that, not even in their dreams, is any other subject presented to their eyes except the beauty of divine virtues, and divine powers. They also have writings of ancient men, who having been founders of one sect or another, have left behind them many memorials of an allegorical system of writing and explanations whom they take as a kind of model, and imitate the general fashion of their sect, so that they do not occupy themselves solely with contemplation."

Women also belonged to these orders, living by themselves and never mingling with the men, but getting the same teachings by assembling on the other side of a high wall where they could hear the voice of the speaker without being seen by men. We can but outline the idea in a work of this kind, and it is unnecessary to reprint what is already put out in better shape than the writer could hope to be able to do it, by Mrs. Annie Besant in her "Esoteric Christianity." No student of the Bible, no matter what his denomination may be, can afford to do without that book.