Enforced religious dogmas programs in us a state of being where we no longer have any personal desire to commit theological “sin,” of which consequence is the rise of a sense of morbid guilt and fear in their violation or non-obedience; this unnatural psychological condition prevents the Christ photonic-energies from penetrating the lower aspects of the microcosm. It is to the voice of the Spirit and the scripture of the Heart that one should pay heed, not to the confused interpretations of the minds of men.
“Behold, I (the Christ-force) stand at the christian mysticism door (“Sahasrara” chakra, or crown psychic-center), and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev:3:20)”
Essentially, the purpose of exoteric religion is to prepare us psychologically for the pursuit of the greater metaphysical mysteries where we are taught to transcend our mortal state of being in mind, body, and soul, and to acknowledge and identify ourselves with the Truth of our inner nature.
Purification is the first step in the Mystery Schools of the GWB, and essential religion is the portal leading toward the atrium of the GWB. Only when an individual is perfected in the embodiment of the cardinal virtues as taught by religion, will he be ready for the next phase of esotericism. Bypassing any step along the way only entails returning to the point of embarkation. People may claim to be illumined, to have witnessed Heaven in all its splendor, to have experienced the highest bliss, to know and socialize with the Ascended Masters, to have risen the kundalini and anchored the higher chakras into their physical form, or to have “seen” God; however, if the sense of duality and the sense of the false ego with its negative expressions still exist strongly within them, and their inner light shines but dully, all of their claims are false. They have entrapped themselves in a world of glamour and illusion and misinterpreted esoteric precepts. Students of spiritual paths may assert that their methodology takes them quickly to the mountain-top via the helicopter route; however, they often land on the holy mountain still with their feet shod, back loaded, and hands empty–with nothing to offer their Source but earthly garbage. Alternatively, while flying in their helicopter, they sometimes do not land at all, preferring to enjoy the ride and view. This is unfortunate–as they end up in a cloud of spiritual smugness.
Esotericism is the “meat” of the Spirit in contrast to the “milk” of exoteric religious precepts meant for infants aspiring to the spiritual path. In Islam, the heavier nourishment symbolised by meat is referred to as “Hakikat” and “Marifat” or in Christianity as “Gnosis.” Judaism knows it as the “Kaballah” while in Hinduism it is the “Gupta Vidya.” “Vajrayana” and its teachings is the Buddhist equivalent to the esoteric side of the Semitic religions.
Christianity, like so many other traditions, was influenced by various foreign elements–not only Judaism, and Buddhism, but also by the various Mystery Schools existing in the several centuries prior to and after its establishment. One of these Mystery Schools were the Essenes, a mystical Order of some prominence and existing in the region of the Holy Land when the Piscean Master walked the earth. They are unrecorded in the gospel stories except for the few references regarding their members–the men in white robes who were mistaken and interpreted to be angels. The Essenes were a semi-monastic Order that was formed for the purpose of preparing the conditions necessary for the incarnation of the Christ Spirit macrocosmically and microcosmically. The parents of Jesus were members of the Essenes as were the parents of John the Baptist. Naturally, the future avatar and his way-shower were raised under the tutelage of the Essene Brotherhood in preparation for their holy missions. According to esoteric tradition, while in his teens and early manhood, Jesus traveled to Egypt, India, Tibet, Persia, and Greece to study in the Mystery Schools. This was Jesus’ so-called “lost-years”–18 long years that the canonical scriptures enshroud in mystery and are mute.