Jesus said, “I have cast fire upon the world, and behold I guard it until it is ablaze.”
Gospel of Thomas (10)
At Spirit of the Rainbow we seek to be both intellectuality rigorous and open to our intuitive senses. These can complement each other in bringing a light to our spiritual exploration as we delve into ancient mysteries.
Spiritual Insights at Qumran
Qumran, an archaeological site near the border between Israel and Jordan, is best known for the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. These contained ancient Jewish texts that covered the period of Jesus’ life and are therefore of interest to scholars of both Jewish and Christian history. The scrolls were found in caves but there are also the remains of a settlement nearby, which I visited many years ago.
The Caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Photo: Joseph Calev.
As an archaeological site, there is little of interest for most tourists, so I had the good fortune to spend a few hours on my own among the ruins. Sitting in their silence, I received one of my most valuable life lessons. I sensed a group of people working spiritually over many years to prepare something, the fruits of which would not be seen for millennia. Their names are lost in the sands of the desert but their work will last for all time. In a world where so many seek instant gratification and believe their achievements can only be validated by fame, this revelation at Qumran carries a message for the wider world as well as for me.
Archaeological Site at Qumran. Photo: Joseph Calev.
My second insight gave me a clue about what this work was. It came in a heightened state of consciousness in which I could see Qumran as part of a vast cosmic network, a focal point on earth along which spiritual information and energy flowed in continuous exchanges. Qumran was at the end of a “spoke” of a universal wheel, (see illustrative picture) at the centre of which was a radiant source, as a Library of Light where spiritual wisdom was stored, added to and distributed at different times and places in humanity’s evolution according to need.
Echoes of the Cosmic Wheel: design on the ceiling of a Mosque. Photo: Ryunosuke Kikuno.
Who then, was doing this work of cosmic significance at Qumran?
Who were the Essenes?
At first, it was thought that the people who lived at Qumran and wrote the scrolls were a Jewish religious group called the Essenes. Some recent scholarship has questioned that connection, though this is contested. The Essenes themselves have had traditional Christian and later New Age historical interpretations imposed upon them, to fit into pre-conceived ideas of what they should be: either an isolated ascetic monastic community or vegetarian pacifists, respectively, contrary to any records we have.
Fortunately we have two contemporary sources we can use, though not uncritically. Philo of Alexandria, a well-educated non-Essene Jew; and Josephus, a Jew living through great revolt of 66-70 CE against the Romans, first as a rebel leader and later a collaborator. The picture that emerges is of a large and diverse movement, living in towns and villages as well as in more isolated communities like the one at Qumran. They were respected as holy people, living simple, pure lives, holding property in common, rejecting slavery, and known for their gift of prophecy and healing. Some groups were single sex male, others married. There seems to have been an inner core of deeply committed practitioners as well as a wider circle of followers. Philo provided an overview of the Essenes:
“They are educated in piety, holiness, righteousness...they have for landmarks also these three: love of God, love of virtue, and love of humanity.”
There is a further twist to the story of the Essenes: their connection with Jesus.
The Mystery of Jesus and the Essenes
There are two striking omissions in the Christian Bible. First, we do not know what happened to Jesus between the ages of about 12 to 29, when he began his teaching. And secondly, there is no mention of the Essenes anywhere in the Gospels, though there are frequent references to other Jewish groups like the Pharisees and Sadducees. Are these strange gaps connected?
A clue is given by Josephus when he writes of the Essenes in Jewish Antiquities Volume II, “They adopt other men’s children, while yet pliable and docile, and regard them as kin and mould them in accordance with their own principles.” A child such as the spiritually precocious Jesus, who we last hear of engaging with the Elders in a synagogue (Luke 2:41-52)?
As it stands, the evidence is circumstantial. But we can also use our intuition. My powerful soul memory is that it was the Essenes who taught the teenage Jesus in preparation for his work in the world.
It may also explain why the Essenes were airbrushed out of the Gospels by a Christian movement anxious to distance themselves from their Jewish roots, as explored in The Community of Christ. However another theory, explored in The Essenes, the Scrolls and the Dead Sea by Joan E. Taylor, is that a few references to “Herodians” in two of the Gospels are really Essenes by another name.
Jesus, the Cosmic Network and Us
This now brings us full circle back to the Cosmic Network and we can look at Jesus’ mission anew. We can see that bringing the Christ energy to earth via the portal of the Essene community at Qumran was part of an ongoing process that has continued over millennia. Jesus came at a time of great need for humanity and became, as it says in Scripture, “the Light of the World” (John 8:12). More can be discovered about his actual mission in our blog Getting Christ off the Cross.
Where are we in all this? We too can align ourselves with this vast spiritual network. A stream of light stretches back through humanity’s history and into our future, across this planet and outwards to the entire universe. It is coloured with the light of countless souls who are following this high ideal of working for the spiritual evolution and wellbeing of all life. And it is open to each one of us to join in this glorious work. Never underestimate the importance of our own lives. Millions of people living what may appear quite ordinary lives are of immense spiritual significance. Why? Because whatever we do with love, with thought and care, with honesty and integrity creates a spiritual energy that benefits all humankind and beyond.
In becoming part of this beautiful cosmic network, we may not be recognised for what we do. And it’s understood, the applause of our fellow humans is wonderful to have. But the applause of heaven, that is something else.
By Simenon Honoré
The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views
of Spirit of the Rainbow.
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