Christ & Kundalini

Contrary to popular Christian dogma, Christ did teach about Karma, reincarnation, self-realisation and the Divine Feminine as Holy Ghost -- God the Mother. Christ's teachings are more Eastern than the Churches would have us believe or would like to admit.

The two centuries after Christ, saw the Christian Gnostic teachings of spiritual awareness disseminated alongside the blind faith doctrines of Paul's formulation. In the third Century, the Roman Church's council of Nicaea acted to stamp out the Gnostics and their anti-dogmatic approch to spirituality.

The Gnostic's were declared heretical, their texts destroyed and the Gnostics themselves persecuted into extinction. However, a small amount of Gnostic teachings survived, hidden in caves or in watered-down form in other "heretical" texts (broadly labelled as "Apocrypha").

The Christian Gnostics practiced a spirituality more similar to Eastern traditions than to the Western Christianity we know today. "Gnostic" is Greek for "knower" and it is "Gnosis" or "Knowledge" that they were seeking. Unlike the blind faith demanded by today's Churches, 'Gnosis' meant direct, mystical experience of the divine, which was to be found by individual spiritual evolution to Self-Realisation, and not within the confines of intellectual dogma. The experience of Gnosis was trans-rational and non-intellectual.

From the Nag Hammadi Library, the Book of Thomas, Christ tells us "For whoever does not know self, does not know anything, but whoever knows self, already has acquired knowledge about the depth of the universe". Compare this with a tract from the Upanishads, the Indian metaphysical treatise on Self Realisation: "It is not by argument that the self is known... Distinguish the self from the body and mind. The self, the atman, the highest refuge of all, pervades the Universe and dwells in the hearts of all. Those who are instructed in the self and who practice constant meditation attain that changeless and self effulgent atman ( spirit/ self). Do Thou Likewise, for bliss eternal lies before you..."

In another gnostic text, the Secret Gospel of Thomas, Christ promises us spiritual fulfilment "I shall give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched and what has never arisen in the human mind." This description is not unlike the Upanishadic experience "the Self is devoid of birth and death, it neither grows old nor decays and the accidents of life do not affect it. The Self transcends space and time; what is great is not too great for it to comprehend and what is small is not too small to escape its attention. It is the Self of All".

Just as Christ warned us against sin and encourages moral perfection in the pursuit of spiritual fulfilment, so too do the Eastern texts "No intellectual acumen can help one realise it, it can be realised only by those who surrender to it and who make themselves worthy by grace, by desisting from all that is sinful, who engage in the practice of perfection by constant meditation"( Upanishads).

The most ancient Eastern spiritual texts, the Vedas,of India, tell us that the process of spiritual awakening by which one attains truth -awareness is called 'Self-Realisation'. The Self Realised person lives in direct experience of reality -- this is called "Jnana" ( a traditional sanskrit word meaning 'knowledge' or 'Gnosis'). Such a person is called a "Jnani" ('knower ' or 'gnostic' ) or "dwijaha" ('twice born'; first from a human mother to the earthly plane then secondly as a child of the Goddess, or Divine Mother, who gives the seeker their second, spiritual birth, Self Realisation, into the plane of mystic awareness- gnosis! ). The traditional Indian texts extol the 'Divine Mother' as the Cosmic Matriarch, bestower of the highest treasure of Self Realisation upon Her deserving children. Many Indian mystic traditions say this same goddess is represented within the human being as the divine feminine power called Kundalini.

What of Western tradition? In the Secret Book of John Christ explains that human redemption before the Heavenly Father occurs by the mediation of a Divine Feminine principle, which he calls the Earthly Mother. It is the Earthly Mother who removes the sins of the children that they can become worthy of their divine heritage; "when all sins and all uncleanesses are gone from your body, your blood shall become as pure as our Earthly Mother's blood and as pure as the river's foam sporting in the sunlight. And your breath shall become as pure as the breath of odorous flowers; your flesh as pure as the flesh of fresh fruits reddening upon the leaves of trees; the light of your eye as clear and bright as the brightness of the sun shining upon the blue sky. And now shall all the angels of the Earthly Mother serve you and your breath, your blood, your flesh shall be one with the breath, the blood and the flesh of the Earthly Mother, that your spirit also become one with the Spirit of your Heavenly Father. For truly no-one can reach the Heavenly Father unless through the Heavenly Mother. Even as the newborn babe cannot understand the teaching of his father until his mother has suckled him, bathed him, nursed him, put him to sleep and nurtured him". The Earthly Mother is a divine mediator through which the seekers, the Sons of Man, are raised to the Heavenly Father. Another part of the same text says "Honour your Earthly Mother and keep her laws that your days may be long on this earth and honour your Heavenly Father, that eternal life may be yours in the Heavens. For the Heavenly Father is a hundred times greater than all the fathers by seed and by blood, and greater is the Earthly Mother than all mothers by the body". The Holy Trinity, then is God the Father, God the Son (ie. Christ) and, it seems, God the Mother. The Divine Mother particularly is the means and power of spiritual evolution.

The Secret Book of John relates Christ's description of the Divine Feminine as the power of God Almighty. "She is the first power. She preceded everything, and came forth from the Father's mind as forethought of all. Her light resembles the Father's light; as the perfect power She is the image of the perfect and invisible Virgin Spirit. She is the first power, the glory, Barbello, the perfect glory among the worlds, the emerging glory, She glorified and praised the Virgin Spirit for she had come forth through the Spirit. She is the first thought, image of the Spirit. She became the universal womb, for She precedes everything, the common parent, the first humanity, the Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit is here described as the Divine Power of God Himself. This power is maternal in its character (universal womb, She, the common parent) and all powerful as the 'first emanation of God'. More so, She is pure (Virgin) and She glorifies purity. So ancient christian tradition seems to tell us that the holy spirit is actually the Divine Mother!

One cannot overlook the Eastern parallels. God Almighty in Indian mythology is represented as Sada-Shiva. His state is eternal perfection (Sat Chit Ananda). His power is the Adi Shakti (primordial power) who is His feminine counterpart or spouse. It is She who does all things. She created the universe and the gods who attend over it (for example, the triune Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu). The Adi Shakti is the Mother of all things. She gave birth to the universe and is the feminine power of every deity and celestial being (usually represented as their spouse). The Secret Book of John parallels this "She became the universal womb, for She precedes everything, the common parent, the first humanity, the Holy Spirit, the triple male (Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu?) the triple power (Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi, who are spouses of the triple males-or the triple Goddess of Western mythological tradition?)". Thus the Christian mystics understood that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Feminine, the Goddess, the Universal Mother herself. The Syriac Christians worshiped the Holy Ghost as the Great Mother. Phillip suggests that Mary Herself is the Holy Spirit (for who else but God the Mother can give birth to God the Son?). Other Apocryphal Scriptures describe Mary as the focus of Temple activities. Her early life was punctuated by auspicious portents all implying her own Divinity.

The Early Life of The Virgin Mary

The most comprehensive stories about the early childhood of Mary are attributed to the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of James. This has been documented by historians as being written prior to the year 200AD.

In a document called God the Father of Mercy there is an entire chapter devoted to Mary, the Holy Trinity’s Sign of Mercy. Mary is the object of God’s mercy. This document states:

“Mary becomes the prophet of God’s mercy, as well as it’s icon. She,more than anyone else knows the mystery of mercy that reaches its climax on Calvary. The Virgin who became the Mother of Jesus at Christmas, enabling God’s mercy to become incarnate.”

The qualities of mercy, compassion, comforting and counselling have long since been seen as feminine qualities, all of which Mary emanated. They are also the qualities of the future incarnation promised by Christ, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, shall teach you all things” (John 14:26) Could it be that he was telling then of the age of the Mother, when the feminine power of God would grace this earth.

Why then has the significance of the Virgin Mary been slowly eroded away by the church? If God Almighty deemed Her pure enough to bear his Son, then it could be suggested that She has a special place in the Holy Trinity. We talk much of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. We have this trinity in the birth of Christ – God the Father, Christ the Son and Mary the Mother. This begs the question: “Is the Holy Ghost a feminine power, a mothering power that came on this earth to bear the Son of God and teach mankind of the mercy and love of God?”.

According to tradition Mary has been called upon as the Mother of Mercy since the 3rd century.

Churches built in honour of the Virgin Mary have been well documented; for example the Emperor Justinian built a splendid church dedicated to Mary in the Temple area in Jerusalem. It was dedicated on November 21, 543AD but was destroyed by the Persians within a century. Mary was also held in the highest regard by early church Fathers praising her – “ She was planted in the House of God, nourished by the Holy Spirit and kept her body and soul spotless to receive God in her bosom. He Who is all-holy rests among the holy.”

The Search for the Divine Mother

The Search for the Divine Mother
(Gwenaël Verez)

This book looks at our religion and spirituality from a historical viewpoint.

Many traditions attach great importance to the feminine dimension of the Divine. It is She who is said to give liberation, spiritual rebirth, that is to say Union with the Self. The most significant example is the knowledge of the Kundalini in India.

We may wonder why the Western religions have attributed an exclusively masculine, patriarchal character to the Divine. Several thousand years ago, was not the only form of Divinity, the object of veneration, feminine and maternal?

What is responsible for this neglect, this confiscation? Has the original message of these religions been distorted to the point that we are today unaware of the Mother-Goddess?

And could the Age of Aquarius, which is said to mark a change of consciousness on a spiritual level, perhaps be the moment where humanity is able to re-discover this awareness of the Universal Mother?

This book offers answers to these topical questions.

To collectively order the book, please contact the author at: gwendoris@aol.com


Sample chapter:

Introduction

The search for the Divine is an eternal quest. Man is constantly seeking. Today, perhaps more than ever before, millions search tirelessly in bookshops and libraries, and travel the pilgrim routes hoping to find the "Way".

This growth in the number of seekers of Truth coincides with a growing doubt about the fate of humankind.

At the dawn of the third millennium, this planet of ours is at its lowest ebb. Economies are in irreversible decline, leaving millions of people, both in the developed countries and in those described as "developing", without work or means of subsistence. The ecosystem is our kilter, with global warming and pollution increasing at an incredible rate. Most countries have reached a political stalemate. The ageing and corrupt democracies are no longer viewed as models, their citizens being no happier than people elsewhere. The use of illicit substances, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants and hypnotics bear witness to a deep and widespread distress in the "advanced" societies. The general disintegration of moral values is such that younger generations have little awareness of any such thing as morality. New diseases have appeared.

The West is mainly responsible for these evils, since it is the unbridled desires of the West that have led to the unrestrained plundering of the planet's resources, resulting in terrible imbalances. Materialism, and rationalism based entirely on money, have justified world-wide disasters of every ilk.

Throughout history there have been, of course, high points and low points. Civilizations have declined into decadence, others have risen. But today the situation has changed, for now problems are suffered on a planetary scale: cultures have become world-wide. The chances of escape are slender, for there is no strong international authority. Selfishness and pressure groups of every complexion prevent collective solutions to problems. No worthwhile ideology has emerged to transform society. Democracies are incapable of producing men with the moral status of a Lincoln, a Martin Luther King or a Gandhi, men who could become models. The ideological and social changes taking place whenever elected political parties replace one another compound difficulties rather than solve them.

We are caught up in a maelstrom of events, which is carrying us out of our depth.

But seekers of Truth see a different future. They mirror the heavenly light, which restores balance, and establishes, at last, a Golden Age. Would the Divine allow Creation to founder?

The only thing that matters is to change mankind, to bring about our inner transformation, so that we no longer fall back into our habitual failings. Everything suggests that we are on the threshold of a profound upheaval. The Age of Aquarius is at hand. It has been said that the 21st century will be spiritual or will not be, at all. It is obvious that only a spiritual power can bring about the transformation of those who seek progress.

This spiritual power is not as it is generally imagined to be. It comes from no pope, no mullah, or rabbi, or Brahmin. For centuries such figures have failed to improve human nature. If this power does exist, it must be available to everyone equally. I t must be universal.

Spiritual traditions, particularly those of the East, seek to demonstrate that this spiritual power is motherly by nature, and that is exists as energy, present within each of us. In India it is known as the "Inner Goddess".

The word "Goddess" tends to take us back to the schoolroom, to evoke the ancient Graeco-Roman Goddesses: Venus, Minerva, Athena - those Divine figures who seem all too human. God is transcendent, the prophets tell us; He has no human form. And yet we are also told that God created man in His own image!

The manifold representations of the Virgin Mary in churches around the world reflect a longing for the eternal feminine. The Mother of Jesus, on whom the devotion of millions is focused, was never, of course, officially considered to be a Goddess. The canons of the faith are categorical about this. And yet, She ascended into heaven, like Her Son, who was Divine. Where then was the distinction between them? Especially since the praises addressed to Her were to the Queen of Salvation, Regina Salutis, She who sets us free.

This idea of redemption, of spiritual liberation, is shared with the most ancient traditions of the East. In India, it is She, the Goddess, who grants this liberation. The Guru, or spiritual master, is only the intermediary, the person who passes on this spiritual experience. In China, it is the Goddess of compassion, Kuan Yin, who grants salvation.

Why, then, have people in our part of the planet attributed exclusively patriarchal characteristics to the Divine for the past three thousand years? Ten thousand years ago the sole form of Divinity, the sole object of veneration, here as elsewhere, was feminine and maternal.

What has caused us to forget? Why was the original message of Christianity distorted, leaving us ignorant of the Divine Mother? Can we not detect in the Juadeo-Christian sacred texts - and in the countless works of art they inspire - the veiled and covert presence of the Universal Mother, hidden in symbols, but readily decoded? Did not the Gnostics and the early Christians, about whom so much has come to light through the recent discovery of the "apocryphal" texts, venerate the Goddess, and did they not also identify Her with an inner power able to grant liberation?

Those who seek the Truth are rediscovering this hidden reality. Through it the West is once more "returning" to the way of the Goddess and, through Her, gaining access to the wonders of the New Age. Could this age of ours, following the Age of the Father (Yahweh) and the Age of the Son (Christ), be the Age of the Mother?

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