Chapter Six–The Infancy of the Savior

Chapter Six of The Unknown Lives of Jesus and Mary

This gospel is found in Arabic, but is also in some Latin translations. The text we will be using is translated from the original Arabic.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God.

With the help and favor of the Most High we begin to write a book of the miracles of our Lord and Master and Savior Jesus Christ, which is called the Gospel of the Infancy: in the peace of the Lord. Amen.

We find [or: have found] what follows in the book of Joseph the high priest, who lived in the time of Christ. Some say that he is Caiaphas.

According to Josephus, the high priest at the time of Jesus was named Joseph Caiaphas. Just what the nature of his book was, is not known as it has been lost. Chances are it was a collection of testimony concerning Jesus compiled before His arrest. It is known, however, that at one time Caiaphas did become convinced that Jesus had been truly the Messiah and that he petitioned for admittance to the Christian community, but later under the influence of others withdrew his request and never became a Christian.

He has said that Jesus spoke, and, indeed, when He was lying in His cradle said to Mary His mother: I am Jesus, the Son of God, the Logos, whom thou hast brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to thee; and my Father has sent me for the salvation of the world.

In the three hundred and ninth year of the era of Alexander, Augustus put forth an edict, that every man should be enrolled in his native place.

Joseph therefore arose, and taking Mary his spouse, went away to Jerusalem and came to Bethlehem, to be enrolled along with his family in his native city.

“To Jerusalem” means to the vicinity of Jerusalem. Bethlehem is only a few miles from Jerusalem.

And having come to a cave, Mary told Joseph that the time of the birth was at hand, and that she could not go into the city; but, said she, let us go into this cave. This took place at sunset.

And Joseph went out in haste to go for a woman to be near her. When, therefore, he was busy about that, he saw an old Hebrew woman belonging to Jerusalem, and said: Come hither, my good woman, and go into this cave, in which there is a woman near her time.

Wherefore, after sunset, the old woman, and Joseph with her, came to the cave, and they both went in.

And behold, it was filled with lights more beautiful than the gleaming of lamps and candles, and more splendid than the light of the sun.

The child, enwrapped in swaddling clothes, was sucking the breast of the Lady Mary His mother, being placed in a stall.

And when both were wondering at this light, the old woman asks the Lady Mary: Art thou the mother of this child?

And when the Lady Mary gave her assent, she says: Thou art not at all like the daughters of Eve.

The Lady Mary said: As my son has no equal among children, so his mother has no equal among women.

Both the Son and the Mother are God, and no one can get more unique than that.

The old woman replied: My mistress, I came to get payment; I have been for a long time affected with palsy.

Our mistress the Lady Mary said to her: Place thy hands upon the child. And the old woman did so, and was immediately cured.

Then she went forth, saying: Henceforth I will be the attendant and servant of this child all the days of my life.

Then came shepherds; and when they had lighted a fire, and were rejoicing greatly, there appeared to them the hosts of heaven praising and celebrating God Most High. And while the shepherds were doing the same, the cave was at that time made like a temple of the upper world, since both heavenly and earthly voices glorified and magnified God on account of the birth of the Lord Christ.

Note the expression: “like a temple of the upper world.” The temples of the Eastern Christians are said to be patterned after the astral temples seen in mystic vision by the Christians of long ago.

And when that old Hebrew woman saw the manifestation of those miracles, she thanked God, saying: I give Thee thanks, O God, the God of Israel, because mine eyes have seen the birth of the Savior of the world.

And the time of circumcision, that is, the eighth day, being at hand, the child was to be circumcised according to the law. Wherefore they circumcised Him in the cave.

Ten days after, they took Him to Jerusalem; and on the fortieth day after His birth they carried Him into the temple, and set Him before the Lord, and offered sacrifices for Him, according to the commandment of the law of Moses, which is: Every male that openeth the womb shall be called the holy of God.

Then old Simeon saw Him shining like a pillar of light, when the Lady Mary, His virgin mother, rejoicing over Him, was carrying Him in her arms.

And angels, praising Him, stood round Him in a circle, like life guards standing by a king.

Simeon therefore went up in haste to the Lady Mary, and, with hands stretched out before her, said to the Lord Christ: Now, O my Lord, let Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy compassion, which Thou hast prepared for the salvation of all peoples, a light to all nations, and glory to Thy people Israel.

Hanna also, a prophetess, was present, and came up, giving thanks to God, and calling the Lady Mary blessed.

Those who “see” Christ in His true nature and honor Him also “see” and honor His Mother, the Co-redemptress of the World.

And it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem of Judaea, in the time of King Herod, behold, wise men came from the east to Jerusalem as Zeraduscht had predicted; and there were with them gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Some speculate that “Zeraduscht” refers to Zarathustra (Zoroaster) –another reason why the wise men might be thought to have come from Persia– for there is a prophecy attributed to him which can be applied to this event.

And they adored him, and presented to Him their gifts.

Then the Lady Mary took one of the swaddling-bands, and, on account of the smallness of her means, gave it to them; and they received it from her with the greatest marks of honor.

And in the same hour there appeared to them an angel in the form of that star which had before guided them on their journey; and they went away, following the guidance of its light, until they arrived in their own country.

As we see from this, the “star of Bethlehem” was actually an angel, as Saint John Chrysostom has stated in his sermons. What about the “scientific” discovery of the star of Bethlehem that we occasionally hear about? Like most “scientific” explanations of Biblical phenomena, it is mistaken speculation.

And their kings and chief men came together to them, asking what they had seen or done, how they had gone and come back, what they had brought with them.

And they showed them that swathing-cloth which the Lady Mary had given them.

Wherefore they celebrated a feast, and according to their custom, lighted a fire and worshipped it, and threw that swathing-cloth into it; and the fire laid hold of it and enveloped it.

Here we see evidence that the wise men were not Zoroastrians but Hindus. The Zoroastrians keep a perpetual fire in their temples. The Hindus, however, have a special ritual for lighting the sacred fire each time there is a sacrifice.

Why would they put the swathing-cloth into the fire? Because they considered that by burning it its sacred power would be released into the atmosphere for blessing and purification.

And when the fire had gone out, they took out the swathing-cloth exactly as it had been before, just as if the fire had not touched it.

This is not uncommon in relation to sacred things. In the monastery where I was a novice we had a relic of Saint Sergius of Radonez in a small wooden reliquary. Five times the church where it was originally kept had burned to ashes. Yet each time it was found in the rubble not even scorched. We also had a miracle-working icon of Saint Nicholas that had been in a church when it burned completely. As the fire inspectors were sifting through the ashes they found the icon perfectly untouched except for some soot which was easily wiped off.

Wherefore they began to kiss it, and to put it on their heads and their eyes, saying: This verily is the truth without doubt. Assuredly it is a great thing that the fire was not able to burn or destroy it.

Then they took it, and with the greatest honor laid it up among their treasures.

Here we find the first instance of venerating Christian relics. Touching sacred objects to the head and eyes is a common practice among Hindus.

This account need not be doubted. In Eastern Christianity it is known that pieces of the Holy Cross will not burn when put in fire, and any alleged particles of the Cross are tested by putting them in the fire. (In the Middle Ages in the West all relics were subjected to the same test.) I have seen pieces of the Cross put in fire for twenty minutes without the slightest alteration. When they were taken out and placed on paper, the paper burst into flame from the heat of their contact.

And when Herod saw that the magi had left him, and not come back to him, he summoned the priests and the wise men, and said to them: Show me where Christ is to be born.

And when they answered, In Bethlehem of Judaea, he began to think of putting the Lord Jesus Christ to death.

Then appeared an angel of the Lord to Joseph in his sleep, and said: Rise, take the boy and His mother, and go away into Egypt.

He rose, therefore, toward cockcrow, and set out.

Saint Joseph is certainly an example to us of promptness in spiritual life. How many have weakened and eventually fallen simply because they wanted, like Felix,1 to wait for a convenient time, when they would consider themselves “ready”–a policy that even Machiavelli warned against.

While he is reflecting how he is to set about his journey, morning came upon him after he had gone a very little way.

And now he was approaching a great city, in which there was an idol, to which the other idols and gods of the Egyptians offered gifts and vows.

There is an implication here of the miraculous approach to Egypt after only journeying a small way, but the details are omitted.

And there stood before this idol a priest ministering to him, who, as often as Satan spoke from that idol, reported it to the inhabitants of Egypt and its territories.

This priest had a son, three years old, beset by several demons; and he made many speeches and utterances; and when the demons seized him, he tore his clothes, and remained naked, and threw stones at the people.

This passage must not be passed off as Christian prejudice. It is sadly true that at the time of Christ’s birth many places of worship had become degraded into haunts of wandering spirits (daimons) that masqueraded as “gods,” just as today these astral tramps frequently pretend to be the spirits of the departed in spiritualistic seances. (I am not denying the possibility of communicating with the dead, only referring to the counterfeit that is so common.)

To better understand the situation that is spoken of here, read The Idyll of the White Lotus by Mabel Collins, which is her memory of a previous life in which as a child she was forced to become a medium for the evil entity that had usurped the place of Isis in a temple of Egypt. Also, a perusal of the life of Apollonius of Tyana will reveal how low the worship of the Mediterranean world had sunk before the advent of Jesus. Thus we can see that Christians were not being narrow-minded when they eschewed much–but not all–of the religion and worship around them.

There are many ancient accounts of Christians exorcising the tramp souls that were infesting temples and deceiving the people. The error made today by many Christians is the assumption that all temples were so infested and that such a sorry state proves the illegitimacy of those religions. This was not the attitude of the original Christians–far from it. In fact, if Saint Joseph and the Virgin had held such an attitude they would not have stayed in a pilgrims’ rest house provided by a temple–as will be seen in the following passage.

Also we see that the ancients did not believe that a depiction of a deity was the deity itself, but rather that a depiction was a means of communication, a gateway between the earth and the astral worlds. This is of course the position of Eastern Christians today regarding the holy icons.

And there was a hospital [hospice for travellers, not a place for sick persons] in that city dedicated to that idol.

And when Joseph and the Lady Mary had come to the city, and had turned aside into that hospital, the citizens were very much afraid; and all the chief men and the priests of the idols came together to that idol, and said to it: What agitation and commotion is this that has arisen in our land?

The idol answered them: A God has come here in secret, who is God indeed; nor is any god besides Him worthy of divine worship, because He is truly the Son of God.

And when this land became aware of His presence, it trembled at His arrival, and was moved and shaken; and we are exceedingly afraid from the greatness of His power.

And in the same hour that idol fell down, and at its fall all, inhabitants of Egypt and others, ran together.

The earth itself is a conscious entity, as the words from the image demonstrate. A country is also a mighty thought-form presided over by an angel.

And the son of the priest, his usual disease having come upon him, entered the hospital, and there came upon Joseph and the Lady Mary, from whom all others had fled.

The Lady Mary had washed the cloths of the Lord Christ, and had spread them over some wood.

That demoniac boy, therefore, came and took one of the cloths, and put it on his head.

Then the demons, fleeing in the shape of ravens and serpents, began to go forth out of his mouth.

The boy, being immediately healed at the command of the Lord Christ, began to praise God, and then to give thanks to the Lord who had healed him.

If we realize that all things are vibrating energy it is not at all unreasonable to consider that when objects of a high vibration come in contact with those of a lesser vibration it will result either in the raising of the lower vibrations or in their mutual repulsion-expulsion as in the case of two magnets. We know that rubbing a magnet on a metal object can temporarily turn it into a weak magnet. And of course we know that glasses will resonate to certain frequencies, and on occasion shatter from their force. All this is the rationale behind the use of relics and blessed objects.

And when his father saw him restored to health, My son, said he, what has happened to thee? and by what means hast thou been healed?

The son answered: When the demons had thrown me on the ground, I went into the hospital, and there I found an august woman with a boy, whose newly-washed cloths she had thrown upon some wood: one of these I took up and put upon my head, and the demons left me, and fled.

At this the father rejoiced greatly, and said: My son, it is possible that this boy is the Son of the living God who created the heavens and the earth: for when he came over to us, the idol was broken, and all the gods fell, and perished by the power of his magnificence.

How different this was from later times when Christians, armed with Imperial edicts but without spiritual power, would destroy the temples around them.

Here was fulfilled the prophecy which says, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Joseph indeed, and Mary, when they heard that that idol had fallen down and perished, trembled, and were afraid.

Then they said: When we were in the land of Israel, Herod thought to put Jesus to death, and on that account slew all the children of Bethlehem and its confines; and there is no doubt that the Egyptians, as soon as they have heard that this idol has been broken, will burn us with fire.

The Egyptians burned to death those convicted of sacrilege and the practice of black magic.

From this we can see that being the constant companions of God Incarnate is not the easiest of life’s roles. I can personally testify to that fact, as well as to the fact that living with true masters is no easy thing.

The fear of Joseph and Mary will have a salutary effect on many, as will now be seen:

Going out thence, they came to a place where there were robbers who had plundered several men of their baggage and clothes, and had bound them.

Then the robbers heard a great noise, like the noise of a magnificent king going out of his city with his army, and his chariots and his drums; and at this the robbers were terrified, and left all their plunder.

And their captives rose up, loosed each other’s bonds, recovered their baggage, and went away.

And when they saw Joseph and Mary coming up to the place, they said to them: Where is that king, at the hearing of the magnificent sound of whose approach the robbers have left us, so that we have escaped safe?

Joseph answered them: He will come behind us.

A similar incident took place in Jesus’ former incarnation as Elisha, as recorded in the sixth and seventh chapters of Second Kings. The quotation is long but apt, especially as it gives a glimpse of the modus operandi of Him Who is now Jesus the Christ.

Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp.

And the man of God [Elisha] sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?

And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

And he said, Go and spy where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan.

Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the Lord, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.

And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Lord, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.

And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?

And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.

And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master’s feet behind him?

And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?

Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the Lord; Thus saith the Lord, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria.

Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the Lord would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life.

And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

Then they said one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king’s household.

So they came and called unto the porter of the city: and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied, and the tents as they were.

And he called the porters; and they told it to the king’s house within.

And the king arose in the night, and said unto his servants, I will now shew you what the Syrians have done to us. They know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall catch them alive, and get into the city.

And one of his servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us send and see.

They took therefore two chariot horses; and the king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see.

And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.

And the people went out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word of the Lord.

And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him.

And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel, shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria:

And that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died.

Before going on to the next incident, let us look back at this sentence of the Gospel we have already cited: “Joseph answered them: He will come behind us.” That is, Saint Joseph did not want the men to know that the Lord Jesus was the cause of the astral sound that frightened away the robbers.

The lesson here is a basic one: true spiritual life and holiness do not flaunt themselves. Those who talk and make a hullabaloo about “spirituality” will upon examination prove to be nothing but sound. In India they say that the bee buzzes only when it has not found a flower, but when it is drawing out the nectar for honey it is completely silent. Our American foreparents used to say that it is an empty wagon that rattles the most.

Spiritual life being an internal matter, our spiritual endeavors must also be internalized. Our spiritual experiences should usually not be discussed with others, unless we need advice about them, nor should we try to “sell” our ideas on spiritual life to others. Observation will also show that those who have a “sales pitch” or hype about their religion or spiritual practices have neither a valid religion or practice. In the field of religion, just as in everything else, talk is cheap and cheapness talks.

It was the original practice of Christianity to simply be visible and available. The initiative must come from each individual. Moreover, a person must qualify himself for the Christian Mysteries. It is not free for the mere asking.

Thereafter they came into another city, where there was a demoniac woman whom Satan, accursed and rebellious, had beset, when on one occasion she had gone out by night for water.

This is a most important subject. Possession by negative entities is absolutely possible, although obsession is much more common. Let us look at both phenomena.

Possession occurs when an entity actually enters into the body of a physically living being (it need not be a human being–evil magicians often use animals as “mediums” for the vile spirits they traffic with) and dwells within it as the controller of its life. That is, the entity is virtually incarnated in that body. What happens to the rightful owner of that body? Usually he is expelled from the physical body–that is, his astral and causal bodies are pushed out of integration with the physical body–but remains within its aura. On occasion, though, the invading entity snaps the connection the person has with his body, and he “dies.” This can be detected by physical means: such a possessed body will have no pulse, but rather a kind of heavy vibration or current that moves the blood through the body since the heart has become deactivated. (A living possessed person can also be diagnosed through the pulse. The heart will be found to beat for a few strokes and then be suspended for several strokes, then beat a few times more, then be suspended again. This pattern will continue until the possession is ended.) If the rightful owner is astrally powerful, he may be able to push the invading entity out, at least for some time. Thus in some cases the possession seems to come and go. This is often mistaken for multiple personality, just as multiple personality is often mistaken for possession. The purpose of possession is to live in a physical body, usually for sensual experience of some kind, though some very evil entities take over bodies to work for evil and the corruption of the world.

For true possession to take place, an entity’s astral and causal bodies have to be very like the body of the victim. Since this is rare, the phenomenon of obsession is more common.

Obsession occurs when an entity attaches itself intimately to the aura or body of an individual, sometimes even invading the body and lodging within it–usually within some organ. From its hold it attempts to control the behavior, and often the physical condition, of its host. Its desire is complete possession, but it takes what it can get. Often it works to weaken the physical health of its victim so it may become possible to accomplish a possession. Obsessing entities are often human beings that were addicted to sex, violence (including murder), drugs, nicotine, or alcohol. Rather than going on and getting another body in a legitimate manner by being born again, they are earthbound because of their cravings. They incite those they obsess to engage in sex, violence, drugs, nicotine, or alcohol so they can get an indirect form of experience. Sometimes they are able to momentarily possess the victim at the height of those activities. For example, if the host gets so drunk he passes out, they momentarily possess him until he begins to sober up and come to. They may possess a host when he is at the peak of a drug “high,” or at the moment of orgasm. The kind of entities that are addicted to sexual energies usually incite their victims to commit acts of violence as well as (usually perverted) sexuality so they can get a high off of those distorted energies as well. This is also why many (truly) very gentle people become violent when they are drunk.

Those who ingest meat, alcohol, drugs, or nicotine are extremely susceptible to obsession. The sad truth is that nearly every person in the modern world is obsessed to come degree.

How can we guard against obsession? By abstaining absolutely from those elements whose low, deranged, or toxic vibrations make us susceptible (and this includes meat, alcohol, drugs, or nicotine); by eating food that is both pure and blessed; by wearing objects of sacred power; by keeping objects of sacred power in our environment. And most of all by regularly meditating

One of the major purposes of spiritual discipline is to regain control of our physical and mental bodies and powers. Those who do not follow legitimate spiritual disciplines cannot possibly be in charge of their lives or their thoughts. Certainly they think they are in charge, but most of the thoughts and feelings they experience are being fed into them by obsessing entities. This is why many people after years “discover” that they are much different than they had supposed. It is becoming a cliche for people to “discover” that they are homosexual, for example. Although this may be true for some, most of the time they have become obsessed by entities that desire to absorb the aberrated energies released by homosexual activity. It is a simple matter of polarities.

But was this woman actually possessed by Satan? Only in a loose sense, for Satan is actually the force of cosmic negativity. Nor is it likely that she was possessed by the fallen Archangel Lucifer, the chief of the demons. Rather she was no doubt possessed by a fallen angel or an earthbound entity of some kind. “Demon” comes from the Greek daimon, which simply means a disembodied spirit–neither good nor evil. Socrates, for example, said that he was often spoken to by a daimon, and some mistakenly consider that an admission of evil.

The woman had become possessed at night, when human beings are more susceptible to negative forces and intelligences. The sun is not a body of exploding gasses, but is a literal hole in the barrier between this world and the astral regions. The mighty energies that flow through the sun are the basic astral energies of life. This is why growing things seek for the light of the sun. Sunlight has a spiritual character as well as being physical and psychic in nature. Many negative forces–and entities– are dissolved, weakened, or driven back by sunlight. On the other hand, positive forces and entities are strengthened and evoked by sunlight. Human beings in earlier ages also feared the dark because wild beasts roamed then, but that is not why throughout the ages the night has been looked upon as threatening. The reason is psychic, for we are more susceptible to psychic attack during the night. We are solar beings–that is, we are destined to be drawn up and through the sun into the higher worlds–and Christianity is a solar religion.

The woman went at night for water. Chances are she went to a well. Many entities are attracted to water, which is the element most sensitive to psychic influence–which is why we have holy water. Wells are particularly likely to become gateways for entities that normally dwell within the earth. (This is not superstition.) Rivers, too, are habitats for many astral beings that also manifest more at night, though they are not necessarily negative. (They are undeveloped, though.) The woman was for some reason in a psychically vulnerable state, and putting the two elements together–night and water–she became possessed.

John Blofeld tells in one of his books of visiting a monastery in China where a woman had been brought for exorcism. She had gone at night to a stream for water and had become possessed by a water spirit (called in the West an undine.) Blofeld was quite skeptical, but one of the monks demonstrated the possession by lighting a match. The woman, who until then was calm, became terrified and struggled to run away. When he extinguished the match she was normal again. Blofeld was intrigued to note that her symptoms were like those of hydrophobia, which means “fear of water”–though in relation to fire. (It makes a person wonder if sometimes hydrophobia might not be a form of possession or obsession, perhaps passed on from the dog who bit the victim.) Anyhow, after the exorcism the woman no longer feared fire, so the monks knew she was freed.

The Hindus and the Eastern Christians consider that it is risky to dig into the earth without performing some type of ritual to “lay” the spirits that dwell therein, moving through it as easily as birds fly through the air. The Taoists do the same, for they say that “dragons lie cold within the earth.” Some of this feeling may be attributed to the lines of magnetism (ley lines) that form a grid both within and upon the surface of the earth. To dig within such a line (what to speak of doing so at a juncture of lines) could certainly cause a magnetic disturbance in the area and even in the bodies of the excavators. A well is both a hole into the earth and a reservoir of water, so it is doubly susceptible to psychic disturbance or manifestation. The Eastern Christians always bless wells and natural springs.

She could neither bear clothes, nor live in a house; and as often as they tied her up with chains and thongs, she broke them, and fled naked into waste places; and, standing in cross-roads and cemeteries, she kept throwing stones at people, and brought very heavy calamities upon her friends.

A possessed person who cannot endure clothes or any “civilized” environment is usually possessed by a true fallen angel or by some type of nature spirit–which naturally cannot tolerate human type confinements.

The unnatural strength of both the insane and the possessed is well known. This is because in the case of the insane the unconscious has been opened and the tremendous reserve of power usually sealed therein is exploding all over the place as are the subconscious impulses that are usually restrained and hidden from the conscious mind.

The throwing of the stones by this possessed woman may have been a manifestation of malice on the part of the possessing spirit, but it also may have been a way of entreating help. Hostile and aggressive behavior often is an appeal for help and understanding, and should not always be taken at face value. Often the person who denounces us as fools, quacks, or worse will soon be asking for our assistance in some way. For this reason we must be very careful as to how we react to obnoxious overtures on the part of others. At the same time we must not be too noble–some people are just plain cussed and ornery, to put it colloquially.

And when the Lady Mary saw her, she pitied her; and upon this Satan immediately left her, and fled away in the form of a young man, saying: Woe to me from thee, Mary, and from thy son.

Now this incident is very important, for the serious aspirant may in time have to engage in various forms of exorcism. We are used to the more dramatic forms of “driving out the devil” by demands and threats, but this exorcism by our Mother, Mary, demonstrates the highest form. Simply by radiating compassion at the woman the demon was expelled. Whenever we think of a person or “feel” something about them, a current of energy goes from us to them. When the source is someone of spiritual development, that current is manifoldly more powerful than that which comes from the undeveloped. If the spirit had been so disposed, the mercy of Mary would have healed him also and freed him from his earthbound condition. But unhappily he preferred to evade its salvific effect.

Of course we must not overlook the secondary aspect–that thedivinely-attuned will of Mary, Who was desiring the woman’s release from possession, also played a part. Saint Anthony the Great said that simply telling an evil spirit to get out can be sufficient. Such is the power of the Christian’s awakened will.

On thing is definite: when dealing with negative human beings or spirits, love and compassion is the best response. But it is not easy.

So that woman was cured of her torment, and being restored to her senses, she blushed on account of her nakedness; and shunning the sight of men, went home to her friends.

And after she put on her clothes, she gave an account of the matter to her father and her friends; and as they were the chief men of the city, they received the Lady Mary and Joseph with the greatest honor and hospitality.

On the day after, being supplied by them with provision for their journey, they went away, and on the evening of that day arrived at another town, in which they were celebrating a marriage; but, by the arts of accursed Satan and the work of enchanters, the bride had become dumb, and could not speak a word.

This is not an idle tale. Many infirmities come from evil energies either consciously or unconsciously projected at people. For example, a few miles outside Oklahoma City there is a farm that has been owned by the same family since the “run.” In every generation the owner has hanged himself in the barn. This is the result of magical cursing, but being exoteric Christians they receive no help.

Supposed hereditary physical infirmities or defects are sometimes the passing on of harmful entities rather than actual genes.

And after the Lady Mary entered the town, carrying her son the Lord Christ, that dumb bride saw her, and stretched out her hands towards the Lord Christ, and drew Him to her, and took Him into her arms, and held Him close and kissed Him, and leaned over Him, moving His body back and forwards.

Immediately the knot of her tongue was loosened, and her ears were opened; and she gave thanks and praise to God, because He had restored her to health.

Love–and, when needed, forgiveness–on our part can be extremely healing to us on all levels. I knew one woman who cured herself of extensive and untreatable brain damage by consciously applying herself to these positive energies. The top of her head had been crushed by a steel girder. Splinters of bone were in her brain, making it too dangerous to attempt surgery to relieve the pressure. She was blind from the injury, as well. As she lay in the hospital she faced the fact that her “accident” had come from her own negative karmas, especially on the level of attitudes and thoughts. So she set herself to reverse her attitudes and thinking. It took weeks, but one day a mighty current of power shot up from the base of her spine to her head, and the bone fragments were lifted up and the pressure relieved! Later she had a remarkable psychic experience in which it was revealed that she had turned around the whole current of her life. No evil can lodge in us if we continually invoke the inner Light.

And that night the inhabitants of that town exulted with joy, and thought that God and His angels had come down to them.

This is what the world truly needs: earthly angels and heavenly men whose very presence upon the earth heals and uplifts all around them. As Saint Seraphim of Sarov used to say: “Acquire the Spirit of God and thousands around you will be saved.” In our time Yogananda used to say a similar thing: “Save yourself and you will save thousands.” As Alexander Solzhenitsyn asked in his Harvard address: “Where are your saints?”

There they remained three days, being held in great honor, and living splendidly.

Thereafter, being supplied by them with provision for their journey, they went away and came to another city, in which, because it was very populous, they thought of passing the night.

And there was in that city an excellent woman: and once, when she had gone to the river to bathe, lo, accursed Satan in the form of a serpent had leapt upon her, and twisted himself round her belly; and as often as night came on, he tyrannically tormented her.

The “DT’s” (delirium tremens) of alcoholics are not hallucinations but the seeing of astral hells. The entities seen may not actually be snakes, rats, or whatever, but the minds of the addicts interpret them that way. Any person who uses alcohol to any degree opens himself to those worlds and is invaded by those entities, even though it is only the “far along” who perceive and realize it.

Also, these forms are often the thoughtforms of disease. We find it said in the Gospel that Jesus “rebuked” the illness which he cured.2 That is, He spoke to it as an entity. Sri Ma Anandamayi often worked miraculous healings by saying: “You have done enough. Now leave from here.” She would tell bystanders that to her the disease was visible as a form. She had once developed liver cancer by taking on the evil karmas of a disciple. A doctor, who was skeptical of these things, was staying in a pilgrims’ rest house across the Ganges. One day as he was looking at the house where Ma was staying, he was pondering the possibility of a cure. To his astonishment he saw what appeared to be a human-sized black ape emerge from the window of Mother’s room, passing right through the iron bars, and leap into the Ganges. He hastened over and found that the cancer was gone. Mother told him that he had truly seen the disease form.

Here again we find night as the time when such evil things are most powerful.

This woman, seeing the Lady Mary, and the child, the Lord Christ, in her bosom, was struck with a longing for Him, and said to the mistress the Lady Mary: O mistress, give me this child, that I may carry him, and kiss him.

She therefore gave Him to the woman; and when He was brought to her, Satan let her go, and fled and left her, nor did the woman ever see him after that day.

Because her feeling was unselfish love, her tormentor was expelled. She had no idea that Jesus or Mary could help her, but her heart opened in love for the Child. Many people continually seek out psychic healers and metaphysical treatments, but get no better. This is because the root of their problem is selfishness. If they would forget themselves and begin thinking of others, and giving instead of taking, they would find in time that they were cured.

Wherefore all who were present praised God Most High, and that woman bestowed on them liberal gifts.

On the day after, the same woman took scented water to wash the Lord Jesus; and after she had washed Him, she took the water with which she had done it, and poured part of it upon a girl who was living there, whose body was white with leprosy, and washed her with it.

And as soon as this was done, the girl was cleansed from her leprosy.

This is not uncommon with the saints. One very advanced American yogi that I knew in California was a disciple of Swami Akhandananda, a disciple of the Avatar, Sri Ramakrishna. He told me that his guru never used soap when he bathed, but poured ordinary water over himself. His disciples would collect the water as it came out the drainage openings in the bathroom wall. It would have the fragrance of exquisite perfume and could heal the sick when touched to them.

And the townspeople said: There is no doubt that Joseph and Mary and that boy are gods, not men.

They were right.

And when they were getting ready to go away from them, the girl who had labored under the leprosy came up to them, and asked them to let her go with them.

Those who have received must be prepared to give.

When they had given her permission, she went with them.

And afterwards they came to a city, in which was the castle of a most illustrious prince, who kept a house for the entertainment of strangers.

It was the positive force of this man’s charitable deeds that drew the Holy Family there and brought about the subsequent miracles now recounted.

They turned into this place; and the girl went away to the prince’s wife; and she found her weeping and sorrowful, and she asked why she was weeping.

Do not be surprised, said she, at my tears; for I am overwhelmed by a great affliction, which as yet I have not endured to tell to any one.

Perhaps, said the girl, if you reveal it and disclose it to me, I may have a remedy for it.

Hide this secret, then, replied the princess, and tell it to no one.

I was married to this prince, who is a king and a ruler over many cities, and I lived long with him, but by me he had no son.

And when at length I produced him a son, he was leprous; and as soon as he saw him, he turned away with loathing, and said to me: Either kill him, or give him to the nurse to be brought up in some place from which we shall never hear of him more.

After this I can have nothing to do with thee, and I will never see thee more.

“Leprosy” was the term used for a number of diseases including some forms of syphilis, of which this sounds like a congenital (i.e., hereditary) form. This being so, the reaction of the prince is more understandable.

On this account I know not what to do, and I am overwhelmed with grief.

Alas! my son. Alas! my husband.

Did I not say so? said the girl. I have found a cure for thy disease, and I shall tell it thee.

For I too was a leper; but I was cleansed by God, who is Jesus, the son of the Lady Mary.

And the woman asking her where this God was whom she had spoken of, Here, with thee, said the girl; He is living in the same house.

But how is this possible? said she. Where is he?

There, said the girl, are Joseph and Mary; and the child who is with them is called Jesus; and He it is who cured me of my disease and my torment.

But by what means, said she, wast thou cured of thy leprosy?

Wilt thou not tell me that?

Why not? said the girl. I got from His mother the water in which He had been washed, and poured it over myself; and so I was cleansed from my leprosy.

Then the princess rose up, and invited them to avail themselves of her hospitality.

And she prepared a splendid banquet for Joseph in a great assembly of the men of the place.

And on the following day she took scented water with which to wash the Lord Jesus, and thereafter poured the same water over her son, whom she had taken with her; and immediately her son was cleansed from his leprosy.

Therefore, singing thanks and praises to God, she said: Blessed is the mother who bore thee, O Jesus; dost thou so cleanse those who share the same nature with thee with the water in which thy body has been washed?

Besides, she bestowed great gifts upon the mistress the Lady Mary, and sent her away with great honor.

Those who truly honor the Son honor the Mother also. The honoring of the Mother is by implication the honoring of the Son. The Protestant “reformers” started out refusing to honor Mary as “Mother of God,” and today a great number of their descendants either doubt or outright deny the divinity of Her Son, Jesus, Whom at that time they vociferously claimed was their “only mediator.” This is a logical consequence, for if the mother is nothing special, then neither is the son. But if the Son is divine, by her very childbearing the mother is worthy of tremendous honors, having brought God into the world. Wishing to find Jesus, the wise men sought out His Mother. And as He sat on Her lap they bowed down to worship Him, by implication worshipping Her as well.3 Without Mary there is no Christ, just as without a mother there can be no son.

Coming thereafter to another city, they wished to spend the night in it.

They turned aside, therefore, to the house of a man newly married, but who, under the influence of witchcraft, was not able to enjoy his wife; and when they had spent that night with him, his bond was loosed.

The producing of impotence by occult means has always been common among peoples of low, “earth magnetism,” and continues to be so today. Sex being a potent occult force, it is by that very nature susceptible to psychic influence. (The ancient Hindus knew a form of birth control through the recitation of mantras.) In the human being sex is far more psychological than physical. This renders it vulnerable to psychic attack. Sterility can also be a result of occult intervention.

And at daybreak, when they were girding themselves for their journey, the bridegroom would not let them go, and prepared for them a great banquet.

They set out, therefore, on the following day; and as they came near another city, they saw three women weeping as they came out of a cemetery.

And when the Lady Mary beheld them, she said to the girl who accompanied her: Ask them what is the matter with them, or what calamity has befallen them.

And to the girl’s questions they made no reply, but asked in their turn: Whence are you, and whither are you going? for the day is already past, and night is coming on apace.

We are travellers, said the girl, and are seeking a house of entertainment in which we may pass the night.

They said: Go with us, and spend the night with us.

Again we are going to see that charitable and unselfish caring for others is the path to deliverance from troubles. It is a principle, rarely grasped in any age, that those who wish to receive must first give.

They followed them, therefore, and were brought into a new house with splendid decorations and furniture.

Now it was winter; and the girl, going into the chamber of these women, found them again weeping and lamenting.

There stood beside them a mule, covered with housings of cloth of gold, and sesame was put before him; and the women were kissing him, and giving him food.

And the girl said: What is all the ado, my ladies, about this mule?

They answered her with tears, and said: This mule, which thou seest, was our brother, born of the same mother with ourselves.

And when our father died, and left us great wealth, and this only brother, we did our best to get him married, and were preparing his nuptials for him, after the manner of men.

But some women, moved by mutual jealousy, bewitched him unknown to us; and one night, a little before daybreak, when the door of our house was shut, we saw that this our brother had been turned into a mule, as thou now beholdest him.

And we are sorrowful, as there is no wise man, or magician, or enchanter in the world that we have omitted to send for; but nothing has done us any good.

You are not obligated to believe this story! However, there are quite a few records of this kind of thing occurring. The most illuminating is found in the life of Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt. One morning a man in Alexandria awoke to find himself in bed with a donkey instead of his wife. His neighbors advised him to take his donkey-wife to Saint Macarius who was living south of Alexandria in the desert. So he put a rope around the donkey’s neck and led it into the desert. When he was coming near Saint Macarius’ dwelling, the saint saw him and went out to meet him, asking: “Why do you have a rope around your wife’s neck as though she were an animal?” When the man and his friends explained that the woman had been turned into a donkey, the saint was amazed. “I don’t see any donkey,” he told them. “I see a woman.” Then he realized that the magical curse was causing them to see the illusion of a donkey. Being in a high state of consciousness, Saint Macarius could not be affected by the spell.

This gives us a clue to the phenomenon of “shape changing” that is to be found in all cultures. Throughout the world we find accounts of people changing into bears, wolves, tigers, etc. I know of an incident in which several Navajo Indians assumed the shape of coyotes though retaining human faces.

These “shape changers” do not really turn into animals, but produce such a strong force in their auras that they and others see animal shapes. They usually do go on all fours when in that state. They are as much under the spell as those who see them. In Africa the “leopard men” wear leopard skins with steel claws and kill their enemies. Usually wearing the skin of the animal is part of the process of “changing.”

Why do these things happen among “primitive” cultures and not among “us”? Because those who work evil magic now engage in a more sophisticated type of illusion. They work to create an unfavorable image of their victim in the minds of others. Those who meet them are struck with a completely false impression–usually that they are fools or nonentities. As can be imagined, this can completely ruin a person’s business and social life. I have met three people who had this type of “spell” on them. Two of them were made to appear as ignorant hillbillies, and the third gave the impression of being illiterate and without intellectual development–though not stupid, as in the case of the other two. The purpose in the case of all three was to cause people to disregard them. All three had serious economic problems and were forced to labor at the most menial jobs, although they were extremely intelligent and capable people. This creating of false and detrimental impressions is a very real and vicious form of psychic attack.

And as often as our hearts are overwhelmed with grief, we rise and go away with our mother here, and weep at our father’s grave, and come back again.

And when the girl heard these things, Be of good courage, said she, and weep not: for the cure of your calamity is near; yea, it is beside you, and in the middle of your own house.

For I also was a leper; but when I saw that woman, and along with her that young child, whose name is Jesus, I sprinkled my body with the water with which His mother had washed Him, and I was cured.

And I know that He can cure your affliction also. But rise, go to Mary my mistress; bring her into your house, and tell her your secret; and entreat and supplicate her to have pity upon you.

After the woman had heard the girl’s words, they went in haste to the Lady Mary, and brought her into their chamber, and sat down before her weeping, and saying: O our mistress, Lady Mary, have pity on thy handmaidens; for no one older than ourselves, and no head of the family, is left–neither father nor brother–to live with us; but this mule which thou seest was our brother, and women have made him such as thou seest by witchcraft. We beseech thee, therefore, to have pity upon us.

Then, grieving at their lot, the Lady Mary took up the Lord Jesus, and put Him on the mule’s back; and she wept as well as the women, and said to Jesus Christ: Alas! my son heal this mule by Thy mighty power, and make him a man endowed with reason as he was before.

And when these words were uttered by the Lady Mary, his form was changed, and the mule became a young man, free from every defect.

The illusion was an overlay of psychic energy in the young man’s aura. When the body of Christ touched him, the energy field was dissolved and he was “changed back” into human form.

We, too, experience the illusion of ignorance, thinking that we are far less than what we truly are. This is a continual phenomenon. The only cure is the inner consciousness and strength produced by meditation, at the touch of which the spell will be dis-spelled!

Then he and his mother and his sisters adored the Lady Mary, and lifted the boy above their heads, and began to kiss Him, saying: Blessed is she that bore Thee, O Jesus, O Savior of the world; blessed are the eyes which enjoy the felicity of seeing Thee.

Lifting a child up and turning around with him in a circle is an Oriental custom of both reverence and blessing. It is still done in India.

Moreover, both the sisters said to their mother: Our brother indeed by the aid of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the salutary intervention of this girl, who pointed out to us Mary and her son, has been raised to human form.

Now, indeed, since our brother is unmarried, it would do very well for us to give him as his wife this girl, their servant.

And having asked the Lady Mary, and obtained her consent, they made a splendid wedding for the girl; and their sorrow being changed into joy, and the beating of their breasts into dancing, they began to be glad, to rejoice, to exult, and sing–adorned on account of their great joy, in most splendid and gorgeous attire.

Then they began to recite songs and praises, and to say: O Jesus, son of David, who turnest sorrow into gladness, and lamentations into joy!

The improvising of praises–as well as of lamentations for the dead–was an established custom in the Mediterranean world of that time, giving us an insight into the creative level of the “ordinary” people. This is still the practice among the Orthodox Christians of Greece.

And Joseph and Mary remained there ten days.

Thereafter they set out, treated with great honors by these people, who bade them farewell, and from bidding them farewell returned, weeping, especially the girl.

And turning away from this place, they came to a desert; and hearing that it was infested by robbers, Joseph and the Lady Mary resolved to cross this region by night.

But as they go along, behold, they see two robbers lying in the way, and along with them a great number of robbers, who were their associates, sleeping.

Now those two robbers, into whose hands they had fallen, were Titus and Dumachus.

Titus therefore said to Dumachus: I beseech thee to let these persons go freely, and so that our comrades may not see them.

And as Dumachus refused, Titus said to him again: Take to thyself forty drachmas from me, and hold this as a pledge.

At the same time he held out to him the belt which he had had about his waist, to keep him from opening his mouth or speaking.

And the Lady Mary, seeing that the robber had done them a kindness, said to him: The Lord God will sustain thee by His right hand, and will grant thee remission of thy sins.

And the Lord Jesus answered, and said to His mother: Thirty years hence, O my mother, the Jews will crucify me at Jerusalem, and these two robbers will be raised upon the cross along with me, Titus on my right hand and Dumachus on my left; and after that day Titus shall go before me into Paradise.

And she said: God keep this from thee, my son.

Titus had been an Essene, and knew the Virgin well by sight. Though he had betrayed his spiritual trust, he yet had some conscience still operative. His karma demanded that he die by crucifixion, yet this meritorious act–backed up by immense good karma from previous lives as a spiritual seeker–obtained his release from the earth plane. Although a lapsed Essene, Titus knew, at least to some degree, the supernatural character of Jesus, and therefore addressed Him as “Lord” on the cross,4 and knew that Jesus would indeed come into the possession of the heavenly kingdom as its King.

And they went thence toward a city of idols, which, as they came near it, was changed into sand hills.

Hence they turned aside to that sycamore which is now called Matarea, and the Lord Jesus brought forth in Matarea a fountain in which the Lady Mary washed His shirt.

And from the sweat of the Lord Jesus which she sprinkled there, balsam was produced in that region.

Materea (or Matariyeh) was in Heliopolis, of which we have read previously. It is in the northeast part of modern Cairo, and is a shrine of the Coptic Orthodox Church. There the tree which bowed down for Mary and the Child to sleep in is still alive and growing. I visited it when in Egypt some years ago. The spiritual radiance of the place is truly remarkable.

Near the shrine of the tree is a street which at the time of the Holy Family was known as the Street of the Bakers, for many bake shops were there. Because of their poverty, the Virgin went through the Street of the Bakers begging for some bread for Jesus. Everyone refused Her, and as a consequence their bread immediately spoiled, and so did all bread made or brought there. The bakers had to move to other quarters. Right now, at this day, no bread can be brought there that will not spoil within a very short time, therefore bread is never to be found there. This is attested to by the Moslems who now inhabit the street, and is looked upon by the Coptic Orthodox as a continuing miracle that evidences the visit of Jesus to that place. As can be expected, “scientists” have investigated this phenomenon in vain.

Thence they came down to Memphis, and saw Pharaoh, and remained three years in Egypt; and the Lord Jesus did in Egypt very many miracles which are recorded neither in the Gospel of the Infancy nor in the perfect Gospel.

By “perfect Gospel” is meant the Four Gospels of the New Testament. They are called perfect because of their esoteric character. These gospels we are considering now are “imperfect” because they portray the external, historical life of Jesus, whereas the Four are delineations of His inner life and are symbolic portrayals of our inner life as well.

And at the end of the three years He came back out of Egypt, and returned.

And when they had arrived a Judaea, Joseph was afraid to enter it; but hearing that Herod was dead, and that Archelaus his son had succeeded him, he was afraid indeed, but he went into Judaea.

And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said: O Joseph, go into the city of Nazareth, and there abide.

Wonderful indeed, that the Lord of the world should be thus borne and carried about through the world!

Thereafter, going into the city of Bethlehem, they saw there many and grievous diseases infesting the eyes of the children, who were dying in consequence.

And a woman was there with a sick son, whom, now very near death, she brought to the Lady Mary, who saw him as she was washing Jesus Christ.

Then said the woman to her: O my Lady Mary, look upon this son of mine, who is laboring under a grievous disease.

And the Lady Mary listened to her, and said: Take a little of that water in which I have washed my son, and sprinkle him with it.

She therefore took a little of the water, as the Lady Mary had told her, and sprinkled it over her son.

And when this was done his illness abated; and after sleeping a little, he rose up from sleep safe and sound.

His mother rejoicing at this, again took him to the Lady Mary.

And she said to her: Give thanks to God, because He hath healed this thy son.

There was in the same place another woman, a neighbor of her whose son had lately been restored to health.

And as her son was laboring under the same disease, and his eyes were now almost blinded, she wept night and day.

And the mother of the child that had been cured said to her: Why dost thou not take thy son to the Lady Mary, as I did with mine when he was nearly dead? And he got well with that water with which the body of her son Jesus had been washed.

And when the woman heard this from her, she too went and got some of the same water, and washed her son with it, and his body and his eyes were instantly made well.

Her also, when she had brought her son to her, and disclosed to her all that had happened, the Lady Mary ordered to give thanks to God for her son’s restoration to health, and to tell nobody of this matter.

One of the drawbacks of possessing healing powers is that the healer will be besieged on all sides by entreaties for cures–many of them simple things that can be treated easily by physical means. Eventually the healer’s time is consumed in healing and there is no time left for spiritual work. Very little spiritual benefit is ever gained on the part of those who are healed. Loving their bodies they want health but have no use for knowledge of the true Healer: God. Thus the wise heal in secrecy and from a distance those whom they intuit as worthy. For this reason the Virgin is not wanting news of these cures spread abroad. When they were travelling it was not a problem, but now that the Holy Family is going to stay in one place they could become overwhelmed with the demands for healings.

There were in the same city two women, wives of one man, each having a son ill with fever.

The one was called Mary, and her son’s name was Cleopas.

She rose and took up her son, and went to the Lady Mary, the mother of Jesus, and offering her a beautiful mantle, said: O my Lady Mary, accept this mantle, and for it give me one small bandage [swaddling cloth].

Mary did so, and the mother of Cleopas went away, and made a shirt of it, and put in on her son.

So he was cured of his disease; but the son of her rival died.

Hence there sprung up hatred between them; and as they did the house-work week about, and as it was the turn of Mary the mother of Cleopas, she heated the oven to bake bread; and going away to bring the lump that she had kneaded, she left her son Cleopas beside the oven.

Her rival seeing him alone–and the oven was very hot with the fire blazing under it–seized him and threw him into the oven, and took herself off.

Mary coming back, and seeing her son Cleophas lying in the oven laughing, and the oven quite cold, as if no fire had ever come near it, knew that her rival had thrown him into the fire.

She drew him out, therefore, and took him to the Lady Mary, and told her of what had happened to him.

And she said: Keep silence and tell nobody of the affair; for I am afraid for you if you divulge it.

After this her rival went to the well to draw water; and seeing Cleopas playing beside the well, and nobody near, she seized him and threw him into the well, and went home herself.

And some men who had gone to the well for water saw the boy sitting on the surface of the water; and so they went down and drew him out.

And they were seized with a great admiration of that boy, and praised God.

Then came his mother, and took him up, and went weeping to the Lady Mary, and said: O my lady, see what my rival has done to my son, and how she has thrown him into the well; she will be sure to destroy him some day or other.

The Lady Mary said to her: God will avenge thee upon her.

Thereafter, when her rival went to the well to draw water, her feet got entangled in the rope, and she fell into the well.

Some men came to draw her out, but they found her skull fractured and her bones broken.

Thus she died a miserable death, and in her came to pass that saying: They have digged a well deep, but have fallen into the pit which they had prepared.

Karma being a divine force, it can be said that God avenged the mother of Cleophas, but it should not be taken to mean that God killed her–in anger or even for punishment. Rather, having sown the will of the death of another, she reaped that force herself as it turned back on her. Those who wish ill of others will in time find themselves drinking the poison they have offered to others.

Another woman there had twin sons who had fallen into disease, and one of them died, and the other was at his last breath.

And his mother, weeping, lifted him up, and took him to the Lady Mary, and said: O my lady, aid me and succour me.

For I had two sons, and I have just buried the one, and the other is at the point of death.

See how I am going to entreat and pray to God.

And she began to say: O Lord, Thou art compassionate, and merciful, and full of affection.

Thou gavest me two sons, of whom Thou hast taken away the one: this one at least leave to me.

Wherefore the Lady Mary, seeing the fervor of her weeping, had compassion on her, and said: Put thy son in my son’s bed, and cover him with his clothes.

And when she had put him in the bed in which Christ was lying, he had already closed his eyes in death; but as soon as the smell of the clothes of the Lord Jesus Christ reached the boy, he opened his eyes, and, calling upon his mother with a loud voice, he asked for bread, and took it and sucked it.

The first miracle worked by Saint Nectarios of Aegina after his death is very much like this. When they began to prepare the saint’s body, they took off his sweater and laid it on the bed next to him in which there was a completely paralyzed man. Instantly the man was cured, got out of the bed, and began walking.

Then his mother said: O Lady Mary, now I know that the power of God dwelleth in thee, so that thy son heals those that partake of the same nature with himself, as soon as they have touched his clothes.

Such a statement evinces truly remarkable insight into the nature of the Virgin. Being a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin was in actuality the Power by which Jesus worked His wonders. The Two are inseparable. Wherever Jesus “works,” there is the operation of the Holy Spirit Mother. Conversely, the Holy Spirit Mother “works” only at the command of the Christ Father. This must be understood by the aspirant for effective spiritual, psychic, and physical life.

This boy that was healed is he who in the Gospel is called Bartholomew.

Moreover, there was there a leprous woman, and she went to the Lady Mary, the mother of Jesus, and said: My lady, help me.

And the Lady Mary answered: What help dost thou seek? Is it gold or silver? or is it that thy body be made clean from the leprosy?

And that woman asked: Who can grant me this?

As is the mother, so are the sons. Thus we read a similar incident in the book of Acts:

Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.

And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;

Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.

And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.

And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.

And all the people saw him walking and praising God:

And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.

And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.

To continue:

And the Lady Mary said to her: Wait a little, until I shall have washed my son Jesus, and put him to bed.

The woman waited, as Mary had told her; and when she had put Jesus to bed, she held out to the woman the water in which she had washed His body, and said: Take a little of this water, and pour it over thy body.

And as soon as she had done so, she was cleansed, and gave praise and thanks to God.

Therefore, after staying with her three days, she went away; and coming to a city, saw there one of the chief men, who had married the daughter of another of the chief men.

But when he saw the woman, he beheld between her eyes the mark of leprosy in the shape of a star; and so the marriage was dissolved, and became null and void.

And when that woman saw them in this condition, weeping and overwhelmed with sorrow, she asked the cause of their grief.

But they said: inquire not into our condition, for to no one living can we tell our grief, and to none but ourselves can we disclose it.

She urged them, however, and entreated them to entrust it to her, saying that she would perhaps be able to tell them of a remedy.

And when they showed her the girl, and the sign of leprosy which appeared between her eyes, as soon as she saw it, the woman said: I also, whom you see here, labored under the same disease, when, upon some business which happened to come in my way, I went to Bethlehem.

There going into a cave, I saw a woman named Mary, whose son was he who was named Jesus; and when she saw that I was a leper, she took pity on me, and handed me the water with which she had washed her son’s body.

With it I sprinkled my body, and came out clean.

Then the woman said to her: Wilt thou not, O lady, rise and go with us, and show us the Lady Mary?

And she assented; and they rose and went to the Lady Mary, carrying with them splendid gifts.

And when they had gone in, and presented to her the gifts, they showed her the leprous girl whom they had brought.

The Lady Mary therefore said: May the compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ descend upon you; and handing to them also a little of the water in which she had washed the body of Jesus Christ, she ordered the wretched woman to be bathed in it.

And when this had been done, she was immediately cured; and they, and all standing by, praised God.

Joyfully therefore they returned to their own city, praising the Lord for what He had done.

And when the chief heard that his wife had been cured, he took her home, and made a second marriage, and gave thanks to God for the recovery of his wife’s health.

There was there also a young woman afflicted by Satan; for that accursed wretch repeatedly appeared to her in the form of a huge dragon [draconta: serpent], and prepared to swallow her.

He also sucked out all her blood, so that she was left like a corpse.

Vampiristic entities do exist and do prey on human beings. They do not really suck out the person’s blood, but rather the life force (“the life”) that is in the blood.

As often as he came near her, she, with her hands clasped over her head, cried out, and said: Woe, woe’s me, for nobody is near to free me from that accursed dragon.

And her father and mother, and all who were about her or saw her, bewailed her lot; and men stood round her in a crowd, and all wept and lamented, especially when she wept, and said: Oh, my brethren and friends, is there no one to free me from that murderer?

And the daughter of the chief who had been healed of her leprosy, hearing the girl’s voice, went up to the roof of her castle, and saw her with her hands clasped over her head weeping, and all the crowds standing round her weeping as well.

She therefore asked the demoniac’s husband whether his wife’s mother were alive.

And when he answered that both her parents were living, she said: Send for her mother to come to me.

And when she saw that he had sent for her, and she had come, she said: Is that distracted girl thy daughter?

Yes, O lady, said that sorrowful and weeping woman, she is my daughter.

The chief’s daughter answered: Keep my secret, for I confess to thee that I was formerly a leper; but now the Lady Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ has healed me.

But if thou wishest thy daughter to be healed, take her to Bethlehem, and seek Mary the mother of Jesus, and believe that thy daughter will be healed; I indeed believe that thou wilt come back with joy, with thy daughter healed.

As soon as the woman heard the words of the chief’s daughter, she led away her daughter in haste; and going to the place indicated, she went to the Lady Mary, and revealed to her the state of her daughters.

And the Lady Mary hearing her words, gave her a little of the water in which she had washed the body of her son Jesus, and ordered her to pour it on the body of her daughter.

She gave her also from the clothes of the Lord Jesus a swathing-cloth, saying: Take this cloth and show it to thine enemy as often as thou shalt see him.

And she saluted them, and sent them away.

When, therefore, they had gone away from her, and returned to their own district, and the time was at hand at which Satan was wont to attack her, at this very time that accursed one appeared to her in the shape of a huge dragon, and the girl was afraid at the sight of him.

And her mother said to her: Fear not, my daughter; allow him to come hear thee, and then show him the cloth which the Lady Mary hath given us, and let us see what will happen.

When things are real there is no need for “faith.” We need only put them to the test and find out the truth of the matter for ourselves.

Satan, therefore, having come near in the likeness of a terrible dragon, the body of the girl shuddered for fear of him; but as soon as she took out the cloth, and placed it on her head, and covered her eyes with it, flames and live coals began to dart forth from it, and to be cast upon the dragon.

O the great miracle which was done as soon as the dragon saw the cloth of the Lord Jesus, from which the fire darted, and was cast upon his head and eyes!

He cried out with a loud voice: What have I to do with thee, O Jesus, son of Mary? Whither shall I fly from thee?

And with great fear he turned his back and departed from the girl, and never afterwards appeared to her.

And the girl now had rest from him, and gave praise and thanks to God, and along with her all who were present at that miracle.

From this we can see how important it is to always keep a blessed cross or other holy object of power on us at all times–never removing it unless it is absolutely necessary. Not only will it protect us from consciously negative entities (and human beings), it will guard us from the currents of negative energy that continually flow around us.

Another woman was living in the same place, whose son was tormented by Satan.

He, Judas by name, as often as Satan seized him, used to bite all who came near him; and if he found no one near him, he used to bite his own hands and other limbs.

The mother of this wretched creature, then, hearing the fame of the Lady Mary and her son Jesus, rose up and brought her son Judas with her to the Lady Mary.

In the meantime, James and Joses had taken the child the Lord Jesus with them to play with the other children; and they had gone out of the house and sat down, and the Lord Jesus with them.

And the demoniac Judas came up, and sat down at Jesus right hand: then, being attacked by Satan in the same manner as usual, he wished to bite the Lord Jesus, but was not able; nevertheless he struck Jesus on the right side, whereupon He began to weep.

And immediately Satan went forth out of that boy, fleeing like a mad dog.

And this boy who struck Jesus, and out of whom Satan went forth in the shape of a dog, was Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Him to the Jews; and that same side on which Judas struck Him, the Jews transfixed with a lance.

It can legitimately be wondered if Jesus was thinking of Judas when He told the disciples: “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”5

This incident also shows that the seeds of later life are certainly present in childhood.

Of course it was the Roman soldier, Longinus, who pierced Jesus with the lance, not the Judeans, though in one sense it was, since the Sanhedrin had engineered His death.

Now, when the Lord Jesus had completed seven years from His birth, on a certain day He was occupied with boys of his own age. For they were playing among clay, from which they were making images of asses, oxen, birds, and other animals; each one boasting of his skill, was praising his own work.

Then the Lord Jesus said to the boys: The images that I have made I will order to walk.

The boys asked Him whether then he were the son of the Creator; and the Lord Jesus bade them walk.

And they immediately began to leap; and then, when He had given them leave, they again stood still.

And He had made figures of birds and sparrows, which flew when He told them to fly, and stood still when He told them to stand, and ate and drank when He handed them food and drink.

After the boys had gone away and told this to their parents, their fathers said to them: My sons, take care not to keep company with him again, for he is a wizard: flee from him, therefore, and avoid him, and do not play with him again after this.

I can think of no equivalent to this incident in the lives of Christian saints (although Saint Spyridon did turn a garden snake into gold and then back into a snake after some time). But reliable records tell us that in medieval Prague the holy Rabbi Loew did make the Golem from clay and imbued it with life. So this was (is?) part of esoteric knowledge in Judaism.

On a certain day the Lord Jesus, running about and playing with the boys, passed the shop of a dyer, whose name was Salem; and he had in his shop many pieces of cloth which he was to dye.

The Lord Jesus, then, going into his shop, took up all the pieces of cloth, and threw them into a tub full of indigo.

And when Salem came and saw his cloths destroyed, he began to cry out with a loud voice, and to reproach Jesus, saying: Why hast thou done this to me, O son of Mary?

It is significant that the man addresses Jesus as “son of Mary,” not “son of Joseph” as was traditional. This title was also applied to Jesus by the Indian Emperor Ashoka on one of his pillars.

Thou hast disgraced me before all my townsmen: for, seeing that every one wished the color that suited himself, thou indeed hast come and destroyed them all.

The Lord Jesus answered: I shall change for thee the color of any piece of cloth which thou shalt wish to be changed.

And immediately He began to take the pieces of cloth out of the tub, each of them of that color which the dyer wished, until He had taken them all out.

When the Jews saw this miracle and prodigy, they praised God.

This miracle–of making many colors from one container of dye–was spoken of in a parable by Sri Ramakrishna. And this mischievous way of teaching through seeming naughtiness and even destruction was a common phenomenon in the life of the Avatar Krishna.

And Joseph used to go about through the whole city, and take the Lord Jesus with him, when people sent for him in the way of his trade to make for them doors, and milk-pails, and beds, and chests; and the Lord Jesus was with him wherever he went.

As often, therefore, as Joseph had to make anything a cubit or a span longer or shorter, wider or narrower, the Lord Jesus stretched His hand towards it; and as soon as He did so, it became such as Joseph wished–for Joseph was not very skilful in carpentry.

Now, on a certain day, the king of Jerusalem sent for him, and said: I wish thee, Joseph, to make for me a throne to fit that place in which I usually sit.

Joseph obeyed, and began to work immediately, and remained in the palace until he finished the work on that throne.

And when he had it carried to its place, he perceived that each side lacked two spans of the prescribed measure.

And the king, seeing this, was angry with Joseph; and Joseph, being in great fear of the king, spent the night without supper, nor did he taste anything at all.

Then, being asked by the Lord Jesus why he was afraid, Joseph said: Because I have spoiled the work.

And the Lord Jesus said to him: Fear not, and do not lose heart; but do thou take hold of one side of the throne; I shall take the other; and we shall put that to rights.

And Joseph, having done as the Lord Jesus had said and each having drawn by his own side, the throne was put to rights, and brought to the exact measure of the place.

And those that stood by and saw this miracle were struck with astonishment, and praised God.

And the woods used in that throne were of those which were celebrated in the time of Solomon the son of David; that is, woods of many and various kinds.

On another day the Lord Jesus went out into the road, and saw the boys that had come together to play, and followed them; but the boys hid themselves from Him.

The Lord Jesus, therefore, having come to the door of a certain house, and seen some women standing there, asked them where the boys had gone; and when they answered that there was no one there, He said again: Who are these whom you see in the furnace?

They replied that they were young goats of three years old.

And the Lord Jesus cried out, and said: Come out hither, O goats, to your Shepherd.

Then the boys, in the form of goats, came out and began to dance around Him; and the women, seeing this, were very much astonished, and were seized with trembling, and speedily supplicated and adored the Lord Jesus, saying: O our Lord Jesus, son of Mary, Thou art of a truth that good Shepherd of Israel; have mercy on Thy handmaidens who stand before Thee, and who have never doubted: for Thou hast come, O our Lord, to heal, and not to destroy.

Have you ever noticed how noble and philosophical transgressors get when the chickens begin coming home to roost? Or how pious and wise they are when informing you why you should give them what they want? Nor have they any scruples about lying–such as here when they claim they never doubted Jesus.

There is an oral tradition that when Jesus was an adult the same type of people decided to test Him and prove Him a fool. So they hid a woman under a large basket. When Jesus came by they asked Him to show His prophetic powers by saying what was under the basket. Jesus said it was a pig. Right away they began to mock Him. But when they lifted the basket to prove Him wrong, a pig ran out and down the street. And that was that.

Of course it is not likely that Jesus turned either the boys or the woman into animals, but simply worked the same type of illusion that we have already considered.

And when the Lord Jesus answered that the sons of Israel were like the Ethiopians among the nations, the women said: Thou, O Lord, knowest all things, nor is anything hid from Thee; now, indeed, we beseech Thee, and ask Thee of Thy affection to restore these boys Thy servants to their former condition.

At that time Ethiopians were considered wild people, as in the early part of this century people talked about “the wild men of Borneo.”

The Lord Jesus therefore said: Come, boys, let us go and play.

And immediately, while these women were standing by, the goats were changed into boys.

Now in the month Adar, Jesus, after the manner of a king, assembled the boys together.

They spread their clothes on the ground, and He sat down upon them.

Then they put on His head a crown made of flowers, and, like chamber-servants, stood in His presence, on the right and on the left, as if He were a king.

And whoever passed by that way was forcibly dragged by the boys, saying: Come hither, and adore the king; then go thy way.

In the meantime, while these things were going on, some men came up carrying a boy.

For this boy had gone into the mountain with those of his own age to seek wood, and there he found a partridge’s nest; and when he stretched out his hand to take the eggs from it, a venomous serpent bit him from the middle of the nest, so that he called out for help.

His comrades accordingly went to him with haste, and found him lying on the ground like one dead.

Then his relations came and took him up to carry him back to the city.

And after they had come to that place where the Lord Jesus was sitting like a king, and the rest of the boys standing round Him like His servants, the boys went hastily forward to meet him who had been bitten by the serpent, and said to his relations: Come and salute the king.

But when they were unwilling to go, on account of the sorrow in which they were, the boys dragged them by force against their will.

And when they had come up to the Lord Jesus, He asked them why they were carrying the boy.

And when they answered that a serpent had bitten him, the Lord Jesus said to the boys: Let us go and kill that serpent.

And the parents of the boy asked leave to go away, because their son was in the agony of death; but the boys answered them, saying: Did you not hear the king saying: Let us go kill the serpent? And will you not obey him?

And so, against their will, the couch was carried back.

And when they came to the nest, the Lord Jesus said to the boys: Is this the serpent’s place?

They said that it was; and the serpent, at the call of the Lord, came forth without delay, and submitted itself to Him.

And He said to it: Go away, and suck out all the poison which thou hast infused into this boy.

And so the serpent crawled to the boy, and sucked out all its poison.

Then the Lord Jesus cursed it, and immediately on this being done it burst asunder; and the Lord Jesus stroked the boy with his hand, and he was healed.

Long before yoga and Hindu philosophy became as common (and as cheapened and distorted) in America as it has become since the mid ’sixties, the most authoritative books on the subject were a series of excellently written and illustrated books by “Arthur Avalon.” None of them has yet been superseded for the serious student, The Serpent Power being perhaps the only worthwhile book in any language on the subject of Kundalini. “Arthur Avalon” was the pen name of Sir John Woodroffe, who could not identify himself openly because of the prejudice of his fellow-countrymen against anyone who would associate at all with Indians, much less dare to “go native” and adopt their religion. But that is exactly what he had done, and how it came about is pertinent to this incident, for it is attested to by many witnesses.

Sir John was a high court judge in Bombay. Like the rest of his compatriots he dealt as little as possible with “the natives,” assuring himself–as did they all–that the Indians were hopelessly backward “children” who had to be “cared for” by the British. (Considering that at that time under the influence of the Industrial Revolution and the evil practice of Child Labor many English men and women rented their children into slavery at the mighty factories, themselves remaining at home and receiving the revenue, it may be supposed that the British really were treating the Indians as though they were their own children!)

One day Sir John was summoned into the street where his son lay unconscious, having been bitten by a cobra. Desperate, he agreed when a “native” servant begged him to send for a yogi who could save the boy. In a short time the yogi came. To Woodroffe’s astonishment the yogi called the cobra, which came. The yogi then commanded the cobra to take the poison out of the young man. Crawling up to the prostrate form, the cobra carefully inserted its fangs into the punctures on the skin. After a short while it withdrew and crawled away, and the boy was perfectly all right. The effect of this incident resulted in the conversion of Sir John to Hinduism.

We must remember that occultists of all ages and climes have asserted that serpents have tremendous powers, including the power to fascinate their prospective victims. (I have never seen this, but have met several truthful persons who described witnessing or experiencing this power themselves.) Since the cobra venom had obviously spread into the boy’s system, how could it be withdrawn? Perhaps only by realizing that everything is energy and that the deadly field of energy that was the cobra venom could be taken back into the cobra’s body from whence it came. I knew a disciple of Yogananda who once neutralized the effect of methedrine (that had been “mainlined”) with a glance and a word. Perhaps cobras have the same capability. In North India I once met a well-known yogi whose specialty was the control of cobras. He had been called to the home village of one of my closest Indian friends to catch and take away a cobra that had been biting people in the area. We spent a few hours together, and through a translator he told me many remarkable things which were attested to by those who were also present. He assured me that cobras could withdraw their venom from a victim, though he had the power to neutralize it himself. But he would then call the cobra and take it far away where it would harm no one. So from contemporary witnesses we can accept that this prodigy is possible and does occur.

And he began to weep; but Jesus said: Do not weep, for by and by thou shalt be my disciple.

And this is Simon the Canaanites [the Zealot], of whom mention is made in the Gospel.

The boy wept because he had experienced that death was the gateway to greater (and better) life, from which he had then been called back to the confinements of earth. A soul destined to become one of the Twelve would have been highly evolved, so it would have ascended into the highest of worlds. An involuntary return to this world would not be seen as any favor, but the Lord Jesus reminded him of his destiny and he was reconciled.

On another day, Joseph sent his son James to gather wood, and the Lord Jesus went with him as his companion.

And when they had come to the place where the wood was, and James had begun to gather it, behold, a venomous viper bit his hand, so that he began to cry out and weep.

The Lord Jesus then, seeing him in this condition, went up to him, and blew upon the place where the viper had bitten him; and this being done, he was healed immediately.

It is interesting that in Hinduism God is often addressed as Destroyer of Poison, and sometimes a play on words is made in which “world” and “poison” are made synonyms. This power of Jesus over poison was emblematic of His delivering power from the venom of Lucifer, the Ancient Serpent.

One day, when the Lord Jesus was again with the boys playing on the roof of a house, one of the boys fell down from above, and immediately expired.

And the rest of the boys fled in all directions, and the Lord Jesus was left alone on the roof.

And the relations of the boy came up and said to the Lord Jesus: It was thou who didst throw our son headlong from the roof.

And when He denied it, they cried out, saying: Our son is dead, and here is he who has killed him.

And the Lord Jesus said to them: Do not bring an evil report against me; but if you do not believe me, come and let us ask the boy himself, that he may bring the truth to light.

Then the Lord Jesus went down, and standing over the dead body, said, with a loud voice: Zeno, Zeno, who threw thee down from the roof?

Then the dead boy answered and said: My lord, it was not thou who didst throw me down, but such a one cast me down from it.

And when the Lord commanded those who were standing by to attend to His words, all who were present praised God for this miracle.

Once upon a time the Lady Mary had ordered the Lord Jesus to go and bring her water from the well. And when He had gone to get the water, the pitcher already full was knocked against something, and broken.

And the Lord Jesus stretched out His handkerchief, and collected the water, and carried it to His mother; and she was astonished at it.

And she hid and preserved in her heart all that she saw.

Again, on another day, the Lord Jesus was with the boys at a stream of water, and they had again made little fish-ponds.

And the Lord Jesus had made twelve sparrows, and had arranged them round His fish-pond, three on each side.

And it was the Sabbath day.

Wherefore a Jew, the son of Hanan, coming up, and seeing them thus engaged, said in anger and great indignation: Do you make figures of clay on the Sabbath-day?

And he ran quickly, and destroyed their fish-ponds.

But when the Lord Jesus clapped His hands over the sparrows which He had made, they flew away chirping.

Then the son of Hanan came up to the fish-pond of Jesus also, and kicked it with his shoes, and the water of it drained away.

And the Lord Jesus said to him: As that water has drained away, so thy life shall likewise drain away.

And immediately the boy dried up.

At another time, when the Lord Jesus was returning home with Joseph in the evening, He met a boy, who ran up against Him with so much force that He fell.

And the Lord Jesus said to him: As thou hast thrown me down, so thou shalt fall, and not rise again.

And the same hour the boy fell down, and expired.

There was, moreover, at Jerusalem, a certain man named Zacchaeus, who taught boys.

He said to Joseph: Why, O Joseph, dost thou not bring Jesus to me to learn his letters?

Joseph agreed to do so, and reported the matter to the Lady Mary.

They therefore took Him to the master; and he, as soon as he saw Him, wrote out the alphabet for Him, and told Him to say Aleph.

And when He had said Aleph, the master ordered Him to pronounce Beth.

And the Lord Jesus said to him: Tell me first the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I shall pronounce Beth.

And when the master threatened to flog Him, the Lord Jesus explained to him the meanings of the letters Aleph and Beth; also which figures of the letter were straight, which crooked, which drawn round into a spiral, which marked with points, which without them, why one letter went before another; and many other things He began to recount and to elucidate which the master himself had never either heard or read in any book.

The Lord Jesus moreover said to the master: Listen, and I shall say them to thee.

And He began clearly and distinctly to repeat Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, on to Tau.

And the master was astonished, and said: I think that this boy was born before Noah.

And turning to Joseph, he said: Thou hast brought to me to be taught a boy more learned than all the masters.

To the Lady Mary also he said: This son of Thine has no need of instruction.

Thereafter they took Him to another and a more learned master, who, when he saw Him, said: Say Aleph.

And when He had said Aleph, the master ordered Him to pronounce Beth.

And the Lord Jesus answered him, and said: First tell me the meaning of the letter Aleph, and then I shall pronounce Beth.

And when the master hereupon raised his hand and flogged Him, immediately his hand dried up, and he died.

Then said Joseph, to the Lady Mary: From this time we shall not let him go out of the house, since every one who opposes him is struck dead.

Again, I hope you do not find these repetitious accounts tedious, but you can see that several sources bear witness to the same miracles of Christ. And it can now be understood how it was, when Jesus taught in the Temple, that the people “marveled, saying, how knoweth this man letters, having never learned?”6

And when He was twelve years old, they took Him to Jerusalem to the feast.

And when the feast was finished, they indeed returned; but the Lord Jesus remained in the temple among the teachers and elders and learned men of the sons of Israel, to whom He put various questions upon the sciences, and gave answers in His turn.

For He said to them: Whose son is the Messiah?

They answered Him: The son of David.

Wherefore then, said He, does he in the Spirit call him his lord, when he says, The Lord said to my lord, Sit at my right hand, that I may put thine enemies under thy footsteps?

Again the chief of the teachers said to Him: Hast thou read the books?

Both the books, said the Lord Jesus, and the things contained in the books.

The words of Scripture are but vessels. Knowing only them is to be ignorant. We must come to know what is behind those words. That is the true gnosis.

And He explained the books, and the law, and the precepts, and the statutes, and the mysteries, which are contained in the books of the prophets–things which the understanding of no creature attains to.

That teacher therefore said: I hitherto have neither attained to nor heard of such knowledge: Who, pray, do you think that boy will be?

And a philosopher who was there present, a skilful astronomer, asked the Lord Jesus whether He had studied astronomy.

And the Lord Jesus answered him, and explained the number of the spheres, and of the heavenly bodies, their natures and operations; their opposition; their aspect, triangular, square and sextile; their course, direct and retrograde; the twenty fourths, and sixtieths of twenty-fourths; and other things beyond the reach of reason.

Here the translator, an exoteric Christian, is deliberately mistranslating “astrologer” and “astrology” as “astronomer” and “astronomy.” It is an absolutely incontestable fact of history that there was no study of the stars apart from astrology among the ancients–nor was there in Europe until after the Middle Ages.

The “spheres” were the astral force fields produced by the planetary movements. These were perceived by clairaudients as psychic sounds, hence the expression “music of the spheres.” It was an exclusively astrological term. Only astrologers find meaning in the aspects of the planets and the division of the zodiacal degrees. As I have written in An Eagle’s Flight, our Lord Jesus was an expert astrologer, and much of the spiritual customs of the Church are related to astrology.

Good sense would also tell anyone upon reflection that astronomy would not be part of a philosopher’s stock of knowledge.

There was also among those philosophers one very skilled in treating of natural science, and he asked the Lord Jesus whether He had studied medicine.

And He, in reply, explained to him physics, and metaphysics, hyperphysics, and hypophysics, the powers likewise and humors of the body, and the effects of the same; also the number of members and bones, of veins, arteries, and nerves; also the effect of heat and dryness, of cold and moisture, and what these give rise to; what was the operation of the soul upon the body, and its perceptions and powers; what was the operation of the faculty of speech, of anger, of desire; lastly their conjunction and disjunction, and other things beyond the reach of any created intellect.

Then that philosopher rose up, and adored the Lord Jesus, and said: O Lord, from this time I will be thy disciple and servant.

While they were speaking to each other of these and other things, the Lady Mary came, after having gone about seeking Him for three days along with Joseph.

She therefore, seeing Him sitting among the teachers asking them questions, and answering in His turn, said to Him: My son, why hast thou treated us thus?

Behold, thy father and I have sought thee with great trouble.

But He said: Why do you seek me?

Do you not know that I ought to occupy myself in my Father’s house?

But they did not understand the words that He spoke to them.

The inner ferment that would ultimately send Him on the long pilgrimage to the sages of India was brewing within the young Jesus. His questionings of the teachers of Israel had conclusively proven that there was no one in Israel to whom He could go for the knowledge He was to bring to the world, as I have discussed in the fifteenth chapter of An Eagle’s Flight.

Then those teachers asked Mary whether He were her son; and when she signified that He was, they said: Blessed art Thou, O Mary, who hast brought forth such a son.

And returning with them to Nazareth, He obeyed them in all things.

And His mother kept all these words of His in her heart.

And the Lord Jesus advanced in stature, and in wisdom, and in favor with God and man.

And from this day He began to hide His miracles and mysteries and secrets, and to give attention to the law, until He completed His thirtieth year, when His Father publicly declared Him at the Jordan by this voice sent down from heaven: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; the Holy Spirit being present in the form of a white dove.

This is He whom we adore with supplications, who hath given us being and life, and who hath brought us from our mother’s wombs; who for our sakes assumed a human body, and redeemed us, that He might embrace us in eternal compassion, and show to us His mercy according to His liberality, and beneficence.

To Him is glory, and beneficence, and power, and dominion from this time forth for evermore. Amen.

Here endeth the whole Gospel of the Infancy, with the aid of God Most High, according to what we have found in the original.

How different is the tone of this ending in its reference to the loving mercy of Christ in contrast with modern “Churchianity” that declares that Christ has come among us to damn the sinners for their sins and give pardon for the same sins to those who “accept” and flatter Him. “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”7 We see from this how strong was the consciousness in original Christianity that Christ had come for the deification of humanity, not a mere rectification of behavior or belief. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification.”8 Although this is still the stated theological position of the Eastern Christian Churches, they have absorbed so much of the mistaken attitudes of the West that practically speaking they, too, present the advent of Christ as a legalistic intervention rather than the manifestation of divine love and healing.

It is appropriate that this, the last of the Gospels dealing with the early life of Christ, should end with a eulogy of Jesus’ compassion, for the next document we will be considering is a Buddhist record of His years in India.

Next: Chapter Seven, part 1–The Ladakh Manuscript

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1) “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee” (Acts 24:24,25). But he never did. [Go back]

2) “[Jesus] entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.” (Luke 4:38,39) [Go back]

3) “And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him.” (Matthew 2:11) [Go back]

4) “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42,43) [Go back]

5) Matthew 12:43-45 [Go back]

6) John 7:15 [Go back]

7) John 3:17 [Go back]

8) I Thessalonians 4:3 [Go back]