Daily Meditation: Sunday, April 8, 2007

To die and resurrect, that is to say, to die in order to …

04/08/2007

To die and resurrect, that is to say, to die in order to resurrect – these two experiences are the goal of initiation and in the past were accompanied by a precise ritual. For example, the disciple who had successfully passed through the preliminary stages was placed in a sarcophagus where he remained entombed for three days and three nights. After administering certain potions and pronouncing certain magic formulas over him, his masters kept him in a kind of cataleptic state. They detached his etheric and astral bodies from his physical body, enabling him to travel in space and visit all the regions of the world above and the world below. He observed, and he was astonished, frightened and filled with wonder. On his return, the cords that reconnected his etheric and astral bodies to his physical body were completely different in nature, and he knew reality. This is why he is said to have resurrected. And what Christianity teaches of Jesus – that he died, was buried, descended into hell and on the third day rose again – describes a similar experience.