What is Virgin Birth?

The most common theme found within the life story of the world’s Messiahs is that of an immaculate birth to a virgin mother.

Plato wrote about the universal archetype of a second God (the second sephira of the Kabbalah, Chokmah, The Christ) who impressed himself on the universe in the form of a cross, and his divine man (the virgin-born Bodhisattva) who would be scourged, tormented, fettered, and have his eyes burnt out; and lastly having suffered all manner of evils, would be crucified. According to the Greek philosopher Speusippus (4th cent. bce) "the divine" Plato was the "son of Apollo" and was himself the product of an immaculate conception.

But the tradition of recognizing the immaculate conception of a Son of God was hardly an unprecedented practice in the ancient Greco-Roman world as Hesiod indicated of Hephaistos’ (Vulcan to the Romans) birth. Hesiod’s “Theogeny” clearly states that Hera “…without love’s union bore famous Hephaistos.”

The Greek hero Perseus was the immaculately born son of princess Danae, whose father, King Acrisius (king of Argos), locked her away from the world in an underground bronze chamber. Zeus penetrated into the bronze chamber of Danae through a hole in the ceiling (symbol of the pineal gland) and descended upon her as a shower of gold. Thus Perseus was conceived.

But why was the chamber bronze? Bronze is an amalgam of the metals tin and copper. These two metals are esoteric symbols of the polarities - positive (tin, related to Jupiter) and negative (copper, related to Venus). Bronze is created when the two polarities are brought together and bonded in purity. This is the great secret knowledge of Alchemy by which Danae was able to conceive a divine child. It is the very same secret behind the fiery bronze serpent that Moses raised in the desert to heal the Israelites (Numbers 21:9).

"And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole..." - Numbers 21

"The sexual fire of the Third Logos (Binah, the Holy Spirit) in the Hindustan is known under the name of Kundalini and is symbolized by a serpent of burning fire." - Samael Aun Weor, Esoteric Treatise of Hermetic Astrology: Virgo

The tyrant King Amulius compelled the chaste Rhea Silvia to become a Vestal Virgin so that she would not bear a son and legitimate heir to the throne. Much to his dismay she bore two sons, the legendary forbears of the Roman civilization. Romulus and Remus were celebrated as the sons of the god Mars, whom favored Rhea Silvia as she drew water from his sacred spring (Yesod, the waters of life).

The Greek Dionysus (Bacchus to Romans), titled “twice-born” by his followers, was born to the virgin Semele.

"And the Kadmeid Semele bore an illustrious son, much-cheering Dionysus, after joining Zeus in love, mortal with immortal; now they both are gods."

By giving birth to the “Golden Child” the mortal mother Semele incarnated her Divine Father (the superior aspect of every Monad) and gave birth to her own immortal soul. Soon after her conception Semele was consumed by Zeus’ divine fire and the Father of the Gods snatched the fire-born Dionysus from the ashes and thrust him into his thigh for protection.

Zeus (Jupiter of the Romans) is the sacred symbol of the Inner Being, and as Father of the gods He is the Christ. In esoteric wisdom, the planet Jupiter rules the femoral arteries and the thighs of the physical body. Dionysus’ subsequent birth from the thigh of Zeus was symbolic of being born again from his Divine Father. This means that he fabricated the vehicles of the soul and incarnated the superior aspect of his Monad, the Being. Thus he became Plato’s divine man. Dionysus was said to have invented the art of making wine (symbol of Alchemy). He traveled extensively to introduce wine (the Great Arcanum) to the world and eventually descended into Hades (Hell) to rescue his mother. This is symbolic of the work of the bodhisattva in the Second Mountain, descending into his own Abyss in order to die (in all of his/her ego) and go to the sepulcher of the eighth Venustic Initiation (Binah). This is related to the drama of resurrection.

Promised by the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to “the Son of the Highest”, the virgin (Mary), espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, replied “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” And the angel answered, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” And thus the Blessed Virgin Mary immaculately conceived Jesus.

Mary was herself believed in early Christian times to have been born of a virgin. One source of Mary's immaculate conception was John of Damascus, who asserted that Mary's parents were filled and purified by the Holy Ghost, and freed from sexual concupiscence. Likewise, the Catholic Encyclopedia confirms (Immaculate Conception), that even the human element (of Mary's origin), the material of which she was formed, was pure and holy. In other words, the Roman Catholic doctrine dictates that the virgin birth of Jesus was unoriginal as, like Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without sin.

It is interesting to see that St. Paul, recorded the first known reference to Jesus' birth (Between 49 and 55 CE) in Galatians 4:4, as:

"But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law."

The law, of course, is the law of the Human Soul, the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not fornicate.” The sixth commandment is the first commandment of the Human Soul. One born under this law is lawfully born. A Master can only be born to one who fulfills the law of the sixth commandment.

Krishna, the Hindu Christ, was lawfully born to his virgin mother Devaki. The newborn Krishna even addresses her in the “Bhagavad Purana” as “chaste lady” in accounts of his birth. It is written that Vishnu, “Lord of all things”, entered the mind of Vasudeva (Krishna’s physical father) and in due time Devaki bore the manifestation of the infallible Lord…deposited in her womb by Vasudeva… by mental transmission.

It is interesting to note that the immaculate conception is performed through Vasudeva instead of directly through Devaki. This is a reminder that in the Alchemical act the husband essentially becomes the wife’s Divine Father as the wife becomes the husband’s Divine Mother. This was done so that it would come to pass that God himself, the supreme person, will accept birth in the house of Vasudeva and “the burden of the earthly realm (will be) removed by your Lordship’s birth.” In another version of the immaculate conception (from the “Vishnu Purana”) Lord Vishnu plucked a black and a white hair from his head and said, "Both these hairs of mine shall take incarnation on earth and remove the miseries that the people face there… This black hair of mine shall take birth as the eighth son of Devaki (Krishna; the white hair became his powerful brother Balarama)." And as foretold the Lord Himself appeared as the eighth issue of Devaki.

Possibly the oldest account on record (before 2000 BCE) of this ageless tradition of immaculately born Saviors is the birth of Gilgamesh:

"Child of Lugal banda's wife and some great force,
Gilgamesh is a fate alive, the
finest babe of Ninsun, she who never
let a man touch her, indeed
so sure and heavenly, so without sin."

Referred to by the faithful as “the Light of the World,” Mithra is recorded over 2500 years ago as a Persian savior born of the virgin Anahita, "the Immaculate One." He is also Mitra son of the virgin Aditi entitled “Mother of the Gods” in an Indian Vedic tradition over 3500 years old. Mithra had a following that spread from Europe to Asia and was worshipped by Roman emperors for over three hundred years. Mithra worship was very widespread. Thus, as with many other Messiah traditions that survived centuries of cultural adaptation and change, there exists more than one version of Mithra’s birth and death.  The most common version of Mithra’s immaculate birth is referred to by his epithet the "rock-born." Mithra was called "Theos ek Petras," or the "God from the Rock" as he was born immaculately from a rock. The immaculately born child, Qi (of the Chinese hero of the flood, Yu) was born from a stone as were the earliest Norse gods and the hero Enkidu from the ancient Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh:

"Aruru thought of Anu. Then she
wet her creative fingers, fashioned a rock, and tossed it
as far as she could into the woods.
Thus she fathered Enkidu"

Those who understand the sacred science of Alchemy, will immediately recognize the meaning of this symbolism. One is aptly reminded of the doctrine of Simon Peter, Cephas Patar, “the Rock”: “I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on it shall not be confounded.” One born from the philosophic stone, “the (corner)stone the builders rejected,” the liquid stone of Mercury which is Yesod (Hebrew: Foundation), has built his house on a foundation of stone. He is twice-born. This also brings to bear the words of the wise King Drupada, from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, who states “among all men those who are twice-born are the best.”

"All the principle tools of (Free)Masonry serve in order to work with the stone. Every Master Mason must chisel well his Philosophical Stone. This stone is the sex. We must build the temple of the Eternal One upon the Living Stone (and not build on sand)." – The Perfect Matrimony (p.305)

Masonic lodges were keepers of this knowledge of The Great Arcanum before degenerating into elitist social clubs that lost the meanings of their own symbols and rituals.

The alchemical symbol of the rock is reinforced by Mithra’s demonstration of shooting arrows into a rock in order to bring forth water. This is the same lesson exhibited by the Jewish savior Moses when he strikes a rock with his staff to bring forth water. For it is within the “stone” of Yesod, the sex, that the waters of life are found.

This is the key to the mysterious black stone of the Qa’abah (dedicated to the Arabian Divine Mother Al-Uzza, particularly revered by the tribe to which Mohammed belonged). This is the secret of the sacred stone from which the sword (of the Kundalini) is drawn by the one true King (Arthur, the Innermost). This is the meaning of the rock of Delos that floated on water and gave Leto safe haven to birth the divine twins Apollo and Artemis, after nine days of torment from the serpent Python (which was eventually slain by Apollo). It is the meaning of the great stone that Perseus lifted in order to attain his birthright - his father’s sword (of the kundalini) and sandals (symbol of walking the Path of his Inner Father) and eventually the Athenian throne (where he is crowned King, a Maleck, Tiphereth). It is the brilliant blue rock that protects Apache culture hero Child-of-the-Water from his enemies.

Within these symbols it is seen that in addition to uniting in sexual alchemy to engender a physical, yet divine child, the immaculate birth is also a symbol of the Second Birth explained by Jesus to Nicodemus,

"Except a man be born of water (of Yesod, the sexual force) and (the fire) of the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

This second birth occurs internally. The man born of fire and water is the true man, the Superior Manas. Thus the astute reader will recognize the symbols of water and fire as being prolific in the birth stories of world Messiahs. But one must know how to look. For instance, the name Moses in Hebrew is written (in roman letters) as ‘Moshe’. Moshe is comprised of the Hebrew letters Mem, Shin, and He. Mem signifies water. Shin is fire and He is the womb. Therefore the name Moses literally means ‘born of water and fire’. It is only through the worshipful uniting of husband and wife in the sacred science of Alchemy that one may be born of water and fire and incarnate the Human Soul. And when the Human Soul (the Solar Causal Body) is born then the Christ can also be born into the stable of the bodhisattva.

In depictions of Mithra emerging fully formed from a rock, he is only wearing a Phrygian cap (symbol of the pineal gland), raising aloft a lighted torch in each hand (sometimes wielding a sword in one hand), with red flames shooting out all around him from the petra genetrix (the generative power of the Holy Spirit). The lighted torches are “the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth” (as stated in “Revelations” of the Christian Bible). They are symbols of the raised serpents of the Kundalini, Ida and Pingala, that indicate the mastery of one born fully formed (the complete human with the fully created solar vehicles) and standing (united with God, the Tetragrammaton).

Similarly, the Aztec hero Huitzilopochtli is said to have sprung from the womb fully formed to immediately engage his mother’s enemies in combat wielding his ‘flaming fire-serpent’ (sword of the kundalini), or xiucoatl. His mother’s enemies are his own sister (the moon goddess = the lunar forces) and 400 brothers (4 + 0 + 0 = 4 = the inferior quaternary, or the four bodies of sin). Huitzilopochtli was immaculately born of his virgin mother Coatlicue, who was impregnated by a ball of down (from the Quetzal bird / Dove of the Holy Spirit) descended from heaven. Coatlicue (“Serpent-skirt”) is herself represented in the image of a human caduceus with two serpents for a head.

In the Codex Vaticanus the virgin Chimalman was visited by an ambassador of heaven who proclaimed God’s will that she should give birth to a divine son.  As soon as he left her house Chimalman conceived a son, the Aztec Christ Quetzalcoatl. In some versions of his birth Quetzalcoatl was born (like Mithra and Qi) from a stone, a precious stone of either jade or emerald. Similarly, Ehecatl (whose love with the chaste Mayahuel was symbolized by a beautiful tree) was born from a stone sacrificial knife, indicating a further characteristic of the Twice-born, sacrifice. The three fundamental requirements to be born again are Alchemical Birth, Mystical Death, and Sacrifice. Sacrifice is the primary characteristic of the Christ and is the Third Mountain of the bodhisattva. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. The Christ is the crux of all creation, source of all life and light in the universe, that sacrifices Itself moment to moment in order to give birth to the multiple realms and forms upon the eternal Tree of Life. As The Tree of Life is a map of both the organization of the universe and of man, this same sacrifice of the Christ occurs in the internal creation of the vehicles of the soul within any initiate. As above so below.

Thus the virgin maiden Xquic (“Blood Moon”) conceived the Mayan hero-twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque, when the sacrificed head of Hun Hunahpu (which rested in the Calabash Tree) spat in her extended hand and said, “It is just a sign I have given you, my saliva.” When asked by her father who was responsible for her pregnancy Xquic replied, “There is no man whose face I’ve known…What’s in my belly generated all by itself when I went to marvel at the head of Hun Hunahpu…”

It is written that the birth of Zarathustra (Zoroaster) of the Persians was miraculous. His virgin mother Dughdova was impregnated when the glory of Ahura Mazda (“the Supreme Lord of the Universe”) descended from heaven and entered her house. His soul was placed by Ahura Mazda in the sacred Haoma plant and he was conceived through the essence of Haoma in milk. In another tradition Zarathustra was conceived when his mother was visited by a shaft of light (ala Perseus, Samonocodom, Dung Ming, Nayenezgani, etc.). In yet another account Zarathustra was the son of the great salamander Oromasis. Salamanders are elementals of fire, referencing Zoroaster as one born of fire. It is believed that his future re-incarnation will also be virgin-born.

The cultures of Great Britain (Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England) share longstanding traditions of Saviors born of immaculate conceptions:

The incomparable hero Chuchulainn was born of the solar god Lugh (his physical father was the prophet Sualtimh, also said to be of virgin birth) and the maiden Dechtire. By the divine grace of Lugh (solar fire), Dechtire was impregnated in a dream while laying by the river Boyne (water). One version of his birth claims that he was born three times (1, physically, 2, as a Twice-born, or Solar Birth, and 3, through Resurrection) and was thus sometimes depicted with three heads (i.e. Brahma, Karttikeya, etc.). A description of him details that his hair stood on end and at the tip of each strand was a spark of fire (Pentecostal fire of the Holy Spirit).

The renowned yet mysterious magician Merlin (from Welsh ‘Myrrdin’ = Hawk or British ‘Moridunon’= sea fortress) was recorded to be of an immaculate birth between a parent from the Otherworld and a virgin maiden of royal lineage.

The great sage and magician Taliesin was the immaculate progeny of the sorceress Ceridwyn. Ceridwyn prepared a potent brew that would reveal all the mysteries of the universe to the one who drank it. It was intended for her son Afaggdu (“Utter Darkness”). But three drops spat out of the bubbling brew onto the finger of a small boy named Gwion (“White, Shining”), who licked them off and immediately received the wisdom intended for Afaggdu. Ceridwyn pursued the boy. He turned into a hare and she became a hound, he turned into a fish, and she became an otter…and so forth until he became a grain of wheat and she transformed into a hen and ate him. Ceridwyn soon found she was pregnant and in due course gave birth to the reborn Gwion. He was so beautiful that she couldn’t bring herself to kill him. Instead she trussed him up in a leather bag and threw him into the sea (ala Perseus, Karttikeya, Romulus and Remus, Moses, Maui, etc.). He was found and adopted by the nephew of the king of Dyfed, who named him Taliesin (“Shining Brow”). With the innocence of a child, Gwion (the Buddhata, the Essence) utilized the three drops (three solar atoms of the Logos) of bubbling brew (bubbling from the heat of the Alchemical forge) to become the grain of wheat (the seed) that fecundated (the three lunar atoms of…) Ceridwyn (…Mother Nature) and resulted in his rebirth (second birth) as a beautiful child (the “Golden Child” or Human Soul; Tiphereth = “Beauty”).

There was also a briefly elaborated upon, but highly revered Celtic hero named Mabon ap Modron who was the progeny of a solar deity (fire) and a river goddess (water) of whom little is known despite his abduction three days after his birth and eventual release from imprisonment in the Otherworld by his rescuers to accomplish a great deed. It is the quest of another hero named Culhwych to find and rescue Mabon, with the help of his uncle King Arthur (by most accounts). To find Mabon required consulting four consecutively older creatures as to his whereabouts until being led to the very ancient Salmon of Llyn Llyw. Only the salmon possessed the answer to the question of Mabon’s whereabouts before carrying the rescuers to a great wall saying “Mabon son of Modron is here, and no one was ever so harshly imprisoned.” It required the full force of Arthur’s warriors to break through the wall and rescue Mabon.

It becomes clear that Mabon is the consciousness imprisoned by Ego. The four ancient animals that lead Culhwych (the Human Soul) to the salmon (the Christ) are the vehicles of the soul (Ousel of Kilgrwri – Physical Body; Stag of Rhendevre – Vital Body; Owl of Cwn Cawlwyd – Astral Body; Eagle of Gwernabwy – Mental Body). They each lead the warrior (Human Soul) to the next wisest creation until he finds the Salmon of Llyn Llyw (the Christ), the only one with the Wisdom he seeks to find and release Mabon (the consciousness and representation of the Solar Causal Body). Culhwych is empowered by his uncle, King Arthur (the Being), and his warriors (freed consciousness) to accomplish this task. Once released Mabon (Solar Causal body of Culhwych) does the will of King Arthur (the Being) and leads the hunt for the powerful boar of Twrch Trwyth and its fierce brood of seven piglets (the Seven Capital Sins/Egos), the death of which results in the betrothal of Culhwych (the Human Soul) to the beautiful Olwen (the Divine Soul).

This entire story is an allegory for the path of an initiate to be born again. The Initiate is born again with the creation of the solar bodies and symbolic marriage to the Divine Soul. But the task of the Bodhisattva is to self-realize and create the Body of Perfection. This is a higher form of rebirth that requires the Human Soul to descend into his own abyss and die in all of his ego.  This is represented as Culhwych’s final task in which he must descend into Hell and bring back the blood of the Black Witch (related to the drama of resurrection, which will be the subject of further discourse in a later segment of this work).

The name Mabon ap Modron means “Son of the Mother”. By walking in the path of Mabon ap Modron, Culhwych was also a “Son of the (Divine) Mother”, as was the Celtic hero Lleu (“Bright One”) Llaw Gyffes, the immaculately born twin brother of Dylan (“the Sea”) to the maiden Arianrod when she stepped over the wand of Math, magical ruler of Gwynedd.  Such “Sons of the Mother” of Celtic tradition were always related with the Celtic Sun-god, were always products of mysterious or virgin births, were always carried or cast away soon after birth, and were heirs to kingship upon the completion of seemingly impossible tasks. They also inevitably married the most beautiful woman in the world (the Kabbalistic Geburah, the Divine Soul).

The many ancient cultures of Asia boast an impressive representation of virgin, immaculate births. To only name a few:

A nymph bathing in a river in China was touched by a lotus plant, and the divine Fohi (called ‘him who is one and three’), founder of the Chinese empire, was conceived. In another version Fohi’s virgin mother, Moyë, was walking along a river bank, when she became suddenly encircled by a rainbow and conceived a divine son. During her twelve years gestation period she dreamed that she was pregnant with a white elephant (i.e. the conception of Shakyamuni Buddha;see below). Chang Ti’/ Huang Di's mother became pregnant after witnessing a great flash of lightning around the star Dubhe (in Ursa Major). Similarly, the mother of the Chinese hero of the flood, Yu, became pregnant after seeing a falling star pass through the Pleiades. It is also said that Chinese philosopher and teacher Lao-Jun (Lao Tsu) was said to have been conceived by means of a falling star and emerged from his virgin mother’s side (ala Shakyamuni, Indra, etc.; the Human Soul unfolding from the Divine Soul) after a gestation of 80 years (80 = 8 + 0 = 8, see Padmasambhava below) and was reported to be born with white hair (pure, chaste) and the power of speech (the Verb).

In Siam, a wandering sunbeam caressed a young virgin girl, referred to as “the Praying Lady”, and the great and wonderful deliverer, Samonocodom, was conceived.

In the Korean tradition the heroic Dung Ming was conceived when a girl in the harem of the first king of Korai saw a cloud or ray of light enter her bosom. The pregnancy was suspect (implying her chastity) and the king ordered that she be put to death. But upon hearing her story he let her give birth to the child. Dung Ming was born and despite several attempts on his life by the king, he grew up to be king of Fuyu and founder of the Korean race.

Alan-ko of the early Mongols was said to have four immaculate conceptions (including the birth of Bodunchar, progenitor of Ghengis Khan) upon being visited by a 'golden glittering man' who would enter the domicile by way of the smoke hole (i.e. Zeus with Danae) and stroke her belly, his light penetrating into her womb.

In China 后稷 Hou Ji was immaculately conceived when his mother stepped into the footprint of the god of thunder, or the Great Man. Covered by a marvelous brilliance her belly felt suddenly warmed and she later discovered that she was pregnant.

The heroic grandsons of the Japanese sun goddess, Hikohohodemi (“Prince-Fire-Shade”) and Hosuseri (“Prince-Fire-Shine”) were the immaculately born sons of Kono-Hana-Sakuya-Hime (“Blossoms-of-the-Trees-Blooming-Princess”). Because she miraculously conceived on the night of her wedding, her doubtful husband accused her of infidelity. Thus she built a muro, a small dwelling, and at the moment of birth set fire to it exclaiming, "If that which is in my womb is not the offspring of the Heavenly Grandchild, it will certainly be destroyed by fire, but if it is really the offspring of the Heavenly Grandchild, fire can not harm it." Needless to say, she and her fire-born sons (three by some accounts) emerged unharmed from the inferno.

An account of the Buddha Shakyamuni’s immaculate birth is found in the Buddhacarita:

"These two (the mother and father of Shakyamuni) tasted of love's delights, and one day she conceived the fruit of her womb, but without any defilement, in the same way in which knowledge joined to trance bears fruit."

It is further written that “Great Maya”, mother of Shakyamuni Buddha, conceived when she had a vision of a white elephant. She dreamt that a beautiful white elephant (an Eastern symbol of the Holy Spirit / The Logos) approached her carrying a lotus blossom and entered her womb. Maya gave birth standing, grasping onto the branch of a tree. This is a clear indication to those whom understand the symbols that she was chaste and having an alchemical (immaculate) birth. Standing = Mastery = having achieved the To Soma Heliakon, the Solar Bodies.

Grasping the branch of a Tree (the Tree of Life within, the Being) she gave birth to the Buddha Shakyamuni (the “Golden Child”) through the grace of the Holy Spirit. It is also written that Shakyamuni Buddha was born standing and that he immediately took seven steps to declare that this would be his last birth.

The seven steps reflect the triumphant creation of the seven serpents (i.e. the seven days of creation in Genesis) and subsequent mastery over nature, the second birth, the standing man. Shakyamuni incarnated his Being (Chesed) and thus transcended the Wheel of Samsara and the Law of Return. Within this symbol is the key to understanding the septenary nature of the real man revealed by Samael Aun Weor upon quoting the Buddha: “Listen to me properly, for in each human Buddha there are seven Buddhas!”

The astonishing Padmasambhava of Buddhist tradition was immaculately born without a mother or a father. According to the prevailing versions of his birth, and based on his own dictations, Padmasambhava was born from a lotus blossom (and that is the meaning of his name). A ray of red light (fire of the Holy Spirit) pierced the center of a lake (sexual waters of Yesod) of exceptionally pure qualities (due to transmutation) named Ocean of Milk or The Dazzling Immaculate Lake. A large, immaculate lotus blossom appeared “and from the heart of the Great Compassionate One, I, Padma, the Lotus Born Guru was emanated as the syllable “HRI” (the Verb).

The syllable dissolved into light and instantly there arose a beautiful eight-year-old boy perfectly adorned with the characteristic major and minor marks of a buddha. Holding a vajra, trident, and a lotus in his hands, he immediately began giving teachings to the devas and dakinis of the area. The eight year old Padmasambhava explained his heritage as: “My father is the self-arisen Samantabhadra, My Mother is the sphere of reality, Samantabhadri. My caste is the union of primordial wisdom and Dharmadhatu.”

Regarded as the originator of the Dzogchen school of Buddhism, Garab Dorje was miraculously born to a virgin and daughter of King Dharmasoka of India. He was placed in a burning pit for seven days. Remembering a dream foretelling his divine birth, the princess drew him from the pit unscathed and named him Rolang Dewa.

The Indian Savior and demon slayer Karttikeya was born from a seed of Shiva (Third Aspect of Hindu Trinity, Holy Spirit), via Agni (God of Fire), who dropped it into the Ganges (waters of life, Yesod). Hence he was sometimes called Agnibhuva (Agni’s son) and Ganga-putra (Son of Ganges), a boy bright as the sun and beautiful as the moon. Karttikeya was (as recommended by Jesus to Nicodemus) born of water (of Yesod, the sexual force) and (the fire) of the Holy Spirit. In another version of Karttikeya’s birth it was written that he was born from fire that fell from the third eye of the god Siva (Holy Spirit) into a lake (waters of Yesod) near Madras. Yet another account made Karttikeya the combined result of the immaculate impregnation of seven different chaste wives of seven sages (it is recorded that seven chaste wombs were necessary for the immaculate birth of Agni as well). This metaphor again accomplishes the aforementioned teaching of Buddha Shakyamuni: “for in each human Buddha there are seven Buddhas!” For it is urgent that every human soul be “born” in each of the seven bodies that comprise the true Human Being. This is only possible through the wise use of ‘fire’ and ‘water’ within the forge of Alchemy.

The Pandava brothers, the central heroes of the ancient Indian spiritual epic The Mahabharata, were each born of a virgin mother (despite several pregnancies) and God(s). It is even clarified for the reader when Surya, the Sun god, offers Kunti the boon “of a powerful child like myself” and she bashfully replies, “Please instruct me how it may be done without my losing my chastity”, the god reassures her, “How could I, who desires the welfare of all beings, cause anyone to commit a sinful act, which leads only to suffering? Do not fear. Even after uniting with me, you will remain a virgin.”

This statement is understood by those who understand the principles of Alchemy. And is equivalent to the reason the Greek father of the gods, Zeus, is referred to as The Eternal Virgin despite fathering many heroes through his famous dalliances with mortal women. One who practices Alchemy (White Tantra) is chaste and remains a virgin despite sexual connection, conception, and birth. Chastity is not abstention from sexual connection; it is abstention from the orgasm. As the Golden Child can only be born within one who practices chastity, He is always born of a virgin. And it is the Divine Mother who creates the To Soma Heliakon of the twice-born through the fire of the Holy Spirit, conserved and sealed by the chaste. The Divine Mother, who never falls (unlike the Human Soul), is like Zeus (the Divine Father) The Eternal Virgin and Mother of the Golden Child (the Solar Causal Body of the Human Soul).

It is further evident to students of Kabbalah that the five sons of Pandu (the Pandavas) represent the creation of his five solar bodies. It must be remembered that Pandu was cursed to lose his immortality and god-like powers when he succumbed to lustful fornication (breaking the 6th Commandment, which is the 1st Commandment of the Human Soul). It is only through the great sacrifices and battle waged by his sons Bhima (Malkuth - physical body); Yudhisthira (Yesod – the Essence, the part of the Monad that never falls and is shaped in the waters of Yesod to one day be crowned king, and make great sacrifices to attain the highest reaches of Heaven); the twins Nakula (Netzach - mental body) and Sahadeva (Hod - emotional body), and Arjuna (Tiphereth - the human soul and warrior) that he is redeemed. The Pandavas are guided by the wisdom of Krishna (the Christ) against their wicked and mislead relatives (the legions of Egos led by the three traitors Duryodhana, Shakuni, and Dushashana and encouraged by the power of Karna, Lucifer). (stay tuned for a study of the world traditions of Lucifer)

The heroic works of the Pandavas are only accomplished by leaving the mundane pleasures of the world (identification with Ego) behind and descending into the ninth sphere of alchemy (the crossing of the Lingam-Yoni). As Jesus the Christ said unto his disciples,

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself (dissolve the Ego), and take up his cross (practice Alchemy), and follow me (sacrifice the self for humanity).”

Likewise, the Dhyani Boddhisattva Vajrasattva predicted of Padmasambhava from the arc of a rainbow (the Logoii, the Christ) while accompanied by seventy-two thousand gods (72 = 7 + 2 = 9, the waters of Yesod):

" …He will reject the kingdom (the material and sensual plane of Malkuth, which literally means “kingdom”) as rotten."

And eventually through acts of asceticism (sacrifice) and meditation, Padmasambhava learned many practices such as the arts of extracting elixir from sand (sublimation of sexual force) and transmuting the filth and flesh from corpses into pure food (releasing the life-giving consciousness from the putrid ego). But in order to accomplish the goal of transcending life and death to attain perfect Wisdom (Chokmah) Padmasambhava had to “take up his cross”, which required a spiritual consort to descend into the ninth sphere. Thus he united with Mandarava in a cave, an act for which he was burned on a mountain of oil and wood for seven days (Mandarava was sentenced to a pit of thorns for 25 days, 2 + 5 = 7) by Mandarava’s (Internal) father, the king. Padmasambhava transformed the fire (Holy Spirit) into a lake of pure water (purified waters of Yesod) and appeared on the seventh day in the same form as his immaculate birth – an eight year old child (the consciousness reborn free of ego, The Second Mountain of the bodhisattva) sitting on a lotus. Padmasambhava and Mandarava were offered the nectar of long life as a couple, and attained the vajrasattva (Diamond Soul).

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world the same stories of immaculately born Saviors were being told amidst the Native American tribes. One such story, widespread among the Plains tribes, was that of Star Boy. Star Boy, was immaculately born to a virgin whom fell in love with a star (the inner star of her Being). He was adopted and eventually grew up to be a monster-slayer. At the climax of his adventures he died when a snake (of the Kundalini) entered his body resulting in his resurrection to immortality as the Morning Star. According to the Kiowa Nation Star Boy split into two boys (the phenomenon of twins is a common theme in the Savior tradition which will be a subject of further discussion in the next chapter) early in life, one who eventually disappeared into a lake while the other became tsaidetali medicine. In the Blackfoot version Star Boy’s mother Feather Woman dug up a forbidden turnip plant (ala Eve and the forbidden fruit) for which she was condemned to live a life of suffering in the world that was also condemned (ala Pandora) for her misguided curiosity. She died of sorrow leaving her orphaned son to be raised by Grandmother-Old-Woman-Night. He was frequently maltreated and ridiculed for a very noticeable scar that he wore on his face (the blemish of ego after the fall) and was thus called Poia (Scar-face). Poia went on a great journey to find the Sky-Country and be healed of his scar. For three days, Poia fasted and prayed. On the third day, he saw rays reflecting on “the Great Water”, forming a path to the Sun. He followed the path and arrived at the home of his true grandparents (he was the son of the Morning Star, Venus), the Sun and the Moon. At the request of his grandson, the Sun removed the scar. The Sun also taught Poia great magic and the truths of the world, which he brought back to his people to relieve their suffering. His grandparents also gave him a magic flute to charm women into falling in love with him (ala Krishna). But because of his mother's disobedience, Poia had to return to earth.  However, once he married the chief's daughter (Divine Soul), who had once rejected him (as one scarred with ego), the Sun and Moon (alchemy) allowed him to bring his new wife, to the Sky-Country, where they remained forever.

The legendary Posayamo of the Pueblo was born to a virgin while she ate pine nuts. Changing Woman of the Navajo immaculately conceived the twins Nayenezgani (“Monster-Slayer”) and Tobadjishtchini (“Child-of-the-Water”) when she stepped dripping with water into the light of the sun. Like Poia the twins went on a dangerous journey to reach the house of their father the sun god. White-Painted-Woman was tormented by cruel monsters, and prayed for help. Thus the spirit known as Life Giver came to her in the form of rain (water) and lightning (fire). Life Giver told her she would have a child, who would be called Child-of-the-Water (born from the waters of Yesod). Thus the Apache culture hero Child-of-the-Water was immaculately born to White-Painted-Woman and proceeded to slay the demons that tormented her.  Deganawida of the Seneca was born to a Huron virgin and possessed a white (philosophic) stone canoe by which he navigated Lake Ontario (sexual waters) to reform the warring Iroquois (consciousness trapped in Ego). He planted the Great Tree of Peace (Tree of Life), a symbol of the resulting reconciliation. After only seven months a virgin who lived with her mother became pregnant even though she had never been with a man. She gave birth to the boy, Wacdjîgéga (“Hare”). The woman soon died, and the child was raised by his grandmother. Earthmaker (God) had created Wacdjîgéga as the fifth and last of a line of special sons (Trickster, Turtle, Bladder, and Redhorn) for the purpose of rescuing the human race from all evildoers. In the end, he alone succeeded. As the fifth creation of Earthmaker, Wacdjîgéga represents the Human Soul, the Son who does the will of the Father.

According to an Iroquois and Huron story Woman-Who-Fell-From-the-Sky (or Ataentsic, “Eternal One”) received her name when she plummeted through a hole made by an uprooted life-giving Tree (the Tree of Life). The tree, which provided food for the celestial beings, was uprooted when she committed adultery. In another version she desired to taste of The Great Tree, which it was forbidden to touch (ala the Tree of Knowledge), and sent her reluctant husband to retrieve the delicacies for her. Her cravings led her to peer into the hole dug by her husband at the base of the tree and she fell. She plummeted from the Sky World to the primordial waters that covered the earth. She eventually gave birth to the culture hero twins Little Sprout (or Yoskeha/ Djuskaha) and Flint (or Taweskare/ Othagwenda). In other versions her virgin daughter is said to have immaculately conceived the twins when the breath of the West Wind entered her person. The trickster Flint (stone that gives fire, Lucifer) was always seeking to thwart Little Sprout’s efforts to create a perfect world, saying that people would live too easily and be too happy. The story of their conflicts and compromises crafted the earth.

One of the most ancient and longest enduring traditions on record is that of the Ancient Egyptians. Despite the loss of many texts containing the historical and theological past of this very old civilization numerous accounts of virgin, immaculate births have yet remained preserved. To name a few:

Thoth, like Padmasambhava, was regarded in certain Egyptian texts as self-created or “who came forth from the god himself”, created from the heart of Ra (the Logos). It is revealing to note that Thoth, the symbol of wisdom (the Christ-Mind), was represented by Egyptian priests with virile member erect under which was written "Giver of reasoning." This was a clear key to those “who hath ears to hear” and eyes to see that real intelligence is born within the Forge of Vulcan, sexual alchemy. And it is perfected through mystical death and the incarnation of the Christ-Mind. Thoth was even considered the inventor of the Caduceus, originally expressed by the simple figure of a cross (both, of course, are symbols of Alchemy).

Nut, the mother of the Egyptian Savior Osiris, was worshipped as the Great Mother, yet an Immaculate Virgin. This is an indirect reference to the immaculate birth of Osiris, whom eventually became identified as the Divine Father aspect of the Logos and as Brother, and Husband of Isis who was also born of the Immaculate Virgin Nut and her brother-husband Geb. Isis is the Divine Mother of the Egyptian pantheon and the virgin mother of the Egyptian Christ, Horus. Isis conceived her divine child as she fluttered around the murdered body of Osiris in the form of a bird. In addition to being the son of Isis it is established in many accounts that Horus is also her brother, born of Nut. One account that attempts to clarify this relationship depicts his birth as the result of the love between Osiris and Isis while they were yet in the womb of Nut. Thus he is born from Nut as the brother and son of Isis. This apparent ‘jumble’ of interfamilial relationships is an important theme throughout all world traditions.

To cite only a famous few examples: Fu-Xi and Nu-Kua of China, Viracocha and Mama Cocha of the Inca, Shamash and Ishtar of Babylon, Zeus and Hera of Greece, Baal and Anat of Assyria, Freyr and Freyja of the Norse, the Celtic Dagda and Brigit, Okikurumi and Turesh of the Ainu, the Hindu Vishnu and Aditi, Aganju and Yemoja of the Yoruba, etc. To begin to grasp the meaning of such a relationship is to remember that there are 3 Aspects of the Divine Mother in the man: Mary the Wife, Mary the Sister, and Mary the Mother (whom all adore the Christ at the cross).

As explained in The Perfect Matrimony -

"Mary Magdalene, as well as Salambo, Matres, Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite and Venus all represent the priestess-wife with whom we must practice sexual magic in order to awaken the Fire (of the Holy Spirit; the Kundalini)."

When a man unites alchemically with his wife in order to do the Great Work, the Golden Child (Human Soul) is immaculately conceived and born internally within the womb of his own particular (eternally virginal) Divine Mother. Within the Perfect Matrimony the man’s wife is also his sister (priestess and priest) on the Path of Liberation and essentially becomes his Divine Mother (and he Divine Father to her) through the alchemical act. Thus she is mother, sister, and wife to him and he is father, brother, and husband to her.

Once immaculately born then the Human Soul incarnates the Divine Father. The Father and the Son become one as affirmed by Jesus of Nazareth,

"The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone." - John 8:29

"Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." - John 14:9

Subsequently, there comes a time when the Golden Child (Human Soul) joins, or “marries”, his Mother (Divine Soul). This process is analogized in such traditions as the famous Greek story of Oedipus, and will be the subject of further elaboration in a later section (regarding the universal theme of twins within the Messiah tradition).

When a calf was discovered to possess certain auspicious marks (is black, and has on his forehead a three-cornered white spot, and the likeness of an eagle on his back; the hairs of the tail are double, and a knot under the tongue) then it was paraded through the city with great ceremony as an incarnation of the god Apis. Herodotus writes “By what the Egyptians say, the cow is made pregnant by a light from heaven, and thereafter gives birth to Apis.” This immaculate conception was revered as the god himself. Plutarch concurs that the “Apis was a fair and beautiful image of the soul of Osiris.” A most ancient and powerful symbol of the Divine Mother is the Sacred Cow (Hathor-Isis). The Twice-Born (i.e. Horus) are children of the Sacred Cow. And, as Plutarch asserts, the Divine Father of these Kabirs, or Divine Calves, is the Sacred Bull (Apis-Osiris) called “the lord of life forever.” One who does not understand the esoteric symbols of this exoteric practice would likely pass it off as absurd and not recognize that it contains the very same drama of immaculate conception as the births of many world Messiahs. The Divine Mother is immaculately fecundated by the Sacred Fire of the Holy Spirit and conceives a Divine Child. It is of interest to note that during his twenty-fifth year (2+5=7) the Apis Bull was drowned in a holy spring after which he was associated with Osiris, the dying and resurrecting god. One is reminded that the drama of the Bodhisattva is to be born again (by incarnating the Father, Chesed = 7 Triumph) via the same (sexual) waters by which he must die (egotistically) in order to resurrect in perfection. In the words of the Great Kabir,

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." - Matthew 5:48

In ancient Egypt it was common understanding that Pharaohs born to the throne were incarnations of the sun god. Like the Dalai Lama tradition of Tibet (and the oldest traditions of sovereignty in Britain, China, Japan, Mexico, South America, etc.) the ancient Pharaohs were Masters that were both secular rulers of the kingdom and religious leaders of the priesthood.

It is written that Queen (and Pharaoh) Hatshepsut was an example of this tradition. The sun god, Amun, is even said to have described his immaculately born daughter of the virgin queen Ahmose Nefertari in his own words: "Her perfume blends with the perfume of the Land of Pont. Gold covers all her skin; she glitters like a star in the hall of Egypt's celebrations; she will rule Egypt and lead all humans."

Within the great temple of Luxor is illustrated the drama of the annunciation, conception and birth of Amenhotep (Amenophis in Greek) III the magnificent, a Pharaoh credited with bringing Egypt to its highest power in ancient times through great diplomatic and economic achievements. The first scene depicts the god Thoth in the act of hailing the virgin queen Mut-em-ua, announcing to her that she is to give birth to a son. In the second scene the god Kneph (assisted by Hathor, the Sacred Cow) mystically impregnates the queen by holding an Ankh cross (a symbol of Alchemy) to her mouth.

As explained in an academic text, "This is the Holy Ghost, or Spirit that causes conception" (Natural Geneses. Massey, Vol. II). In the final scene the child is enthroned, receiving homage from the gods and gifts from men.

Conclusion

"The religious forms may change; however, the principles do not change… We need to progressively comprehend that all religions are only one religion." - Samael Aun Weor, The Perfect Matrimony

The drama of immaculate conception is not the exclusive domain of any one religion or world ideology. It is both a real (sexual alchemy) and metaphorical (internal birth of the Human Soul) objective truth in the process of any Savior tradition. When husband and wife unite in chastity, the Holy Spirit provides the fire that fecundates the immaculate waters of the Divine Mother aspect of the Monad. The Divine Mother always conceives her son through the Work and Grace of the Holy Spirit. And she is always virginal, before the birth, during the birth and after the birth. Through this transcendental Maithuna the heat and pressure of the hermetically sealed creative force of the Holy Spirit awakens the fiery serpent of the Kundalini. And it is only through virtue, the wise use of this “fiery sword,” that the vehicles of the soul are created. The child who is then immaculately born is always a Savior. It is this Golden Child that saves the sincere from the darkness of ego and the fate of those garbed in lunar rags instead of the wedding garments of the soul.

In truth the Savior is the Christ (by other names: Quetzalcoatl, Osiris, Baldur, Vishnu, etc.) that incarnates within the Human Soul that walks the Direct Path. It is important at this point to make a distinction between a Master of the Spiral Path (Nirvani-Buddha) and a Master of the Direct Path (Bodhisattva). Both are born again within the forge of alchemy (raising the seven serpents of fire) and incarnate the Being, both die in ego, and both sacrifice for humanity. However, only the Human Soul that chooses the Direct Path, the path of the Bodhisattva, the path of ultimate sacrifice, incarnates the Christ. Within the pages of the Baghavad Gita (ch. 7, verse 3) the Hindu incarnation of Christ (Vishnu) Krishna clarifies for Arjuna (the Human Soul)

"Among thousands of men, perhaps one will strive for perfection; among those strivers, one possibly achieves perfection, and among the perfect, perhaps one knows Me perfectly."

The Christ is thus born within the stable of the Bodhisattva. And it is then that the drama of the World Messiah truly begins.

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