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The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 2, Verses 13-23

13 And when they [that is, the magi] were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

The Holy Innocents

The story told in these verses is the tale of the Massacre of the Innocents. King Herod has learned from the Astrologers where the new king will be born, claiming that he wants to go and worship him. But he's lying: Feeling his own power threatened, Herod wants to destroy the child. Failing to do so, he settles for killing every child under the age of 2 in his kingdom.

Historically, the Feast of the Holy Innocents was celebrated on the 28th of December, as part of the Christmas Cycle, and many interesting customs were attached to it. In many countries, whatever day of the week the feast fell upon was considered unlucky, and so for the rest of the year, no work at all could be done on that day. In other places, whipping customs were attached to it-- these were odd traditions whereby parents beat their children, or children beat their parents, or servants beat their masters, or boys beat girls or girls beat boys. In most cases, the beating was returned with sweets, wine or some other sort of treat, and whoever was doing the whipping often had a song to go with it-- "Fresh green, fair and fine, gingerbread and brandy-wine!" and the like. In most cases that I've read about, it was important to use branches from a particular tree or bush to do the whipping-- fir in some cases, rosemary in others, birches in a third. (All of these have magical properties, by the way. I've found that rosemary sprigs in particular are excellent for cleansing the aura; use one to trace a line a few inches out from your skin, covering your whole body, and discard it afterwards. See how you feel.)

These are among the many barbarous customs from which the Protestant Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, and the reforms of Vatican II have saved us.

Myths and Dreams

It is said that, in a dream, every character is you, in a sense. Now, this is only said by those psychologists who don't realize that spirits can appear to people in dreams. But it's worth considering-- most of the time, the contents of your dreams are from your own unconscious mind, and so the characters in a dream are indeed aspects of your own personality. Even when other minds intrude into your dreams, the image which they inhabit in the dream is drawn from your own imagination.

A myth is like a dream shared by an entire culture. We saw yesterday that myths are stories that "never happened, but always are." Leave aside teh question of whether the events recounted in the Gospels ever happened; whether they did or not, they always are. This means that myths describe processes in the worlds of nature or human culture that are ongoing and always active. Thus, in the same way that every character in a dream is a part of you, every character in a myth is relevant to you. Including the bad guys.

So let's talk about the Gospel's first Bad Guy, King Herod. Other than the fact that he's a jerk and we shouldn't be like him, what can we learn from his story?

Two Kinds of Kings

Herod is a king--a political leader. He is threatened by Jesus, because he wants to maintain his power, and you can't do that if there's another king running around your country. So he tries to kill him. He fails, but succeeds in killing all the children in his country-- the future of his own kingdom.

Herod's mistake is that he does not understand the difference between political power and the true power of God. If he had, in fact, gone with the magi to worship Jesus, would Jesus have overthrown him? Of course not; instead we'd now be talking about Saint Herod, the good king who tried but failed to protect the messiah from the Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers.

In Chapter 1 of the Doctrine and Ritual of High Magic, Eliphas Levi tells us that:

Magic, which the ancients called sanctum regnum, the holy kingdom, or the kingdom of God, regnum Dei, is only appropriate for kings and for priests: are you priests, are you kings?

So a magician must be a king. But does that mean that he must be a political leader, like Herod? Emphatically no:

The calling of magic is not a vulgar calling, and its royalty has nothing to do with the princes of this world. The kings of science are the priests of truth, and their reign is hidden from the multitude, as are their sacrifices and their prayers.

Magical kingship is divine: it is power which comes from God and which shares in the Power of God. The sort of political power that Herod has is a lesser thing. It is the same type of power that silverback gorillas and alpha baboons have; the same power that the queen of the beehive has. It's mere human power, which is another way of saying animal power.

Most of us will not ever have the political power of a king or a president; most of us won't even be mayors or city councilmen. But all of us participate in social groups of various kinds-- groups of friends, professional associations, social "scenes," sports clubs, families, internet forums. All of us will, at one time or another, be given the chance to attain power in those kinds of groups. What will that look like?

Human beings are social primates, and the social structures that we form naturally and informally are identical to those of our cousins, the chimpanzees. Every group of chimpanzees is led by one or two alpha chimps surrounded by a small circle of beta chimps. the rest of chimps are gamma chimps, with no particular power. The way you become an alpha chimp is by overthrowing the previous alpha chimp. The way you get into the circle of beta chimps is by overthrowing one of the other beta chimps, or by proving your toughness by brutalizing one of the gammas. No one wants to be a gamma chimp, but if you want out of it, you have to have to play the chimpanzee game. You have to be willing to turn on your fellow gammas, to find another gamma chimp weaker than you and hurt or even kill them.

To attain power in a group of humans you have to become Herod, and murder the innocent.

But who are the Innocents? In the story, they are the children of Judea; in human social dynamics, they are people who are weaker than you. But insofar as all of these characters live within you, the children are you too-- they are your past, the innocence you slay; and they are your future, the salvation you abandon.

These things always are. At times, we have all been Herod.

When worldly power and popularity tempt you, always remember: The top dog in any dog pack is still just a dog.

Right Use of Power

Notice that Saint Joseph, the great wizard, once again receives a warning in a precognitive dream, and so flees with his family to Egypt. Joseph is the head of the holy family, the guardian of the Blessed Virgin and foster-father of Jesus Christ. As Head of the Holy Family, he is an icon of God the Father, and the model of Christian leadership and Christian fatherhood.

(Please remember that this is a discussion of the Bible as a magical text, and the word "Christian" should be understood to refer to magical initiates in the lineage of Jesus Christ.)

Joseph protects his family, but he does not seek power for his own sake. His is a servant leadership. His wife will be exalted above him, as Queen of Heaven and Earth; his foster-son is the Living God, infinitely above both of them. And yet his reward, too, is great. St. Alphonsus Liguori writes, "Who is not aware that, after the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph is, of all the saints, the one who is the dearest to God?"

Holy Ones

We should talk about what that word, "saint," means. Officially, these are people who are in Heaven with God. In order to be officially added to the list of saints, a dead person needed to have performed 2 confirmed miracles. How are their miracles achieved? By the power of God. Consider the meaning of this in light of the definition of God we discussed two entries ago.

The Land of Magic

Notice, too, where Joseph takes his family: To Egypt. Again, nothing is done at random. The Scripture tells us that this was done in order to fulfill prophecy may be fulfilled. But why Egypt?

In ancient times, it was said that of the 10 parts of magic, the Gods had given 9 to the Egyptians and divided the last 1 among all the other nations of the world. "Out of Egypt I have called my Son."

Why Nazareth?

The meaning of "Nazareth," the name of the town where the Holy Family settle upon their return from Egypt, is debated by scholars. This is another area where we can apply a bit of Cabalistic letter-symbolism. Nazareth is נצרת in Hebrew:

Netzach
Tzaddi
Resh
Tav

In the Tarot, this is:

Death
The Star
The Sun
The World

Now the Death card refers to Herod, the massacre of the innocents, and the remaining threat to the life of the Christ Child. The woman in the Star card is the Virgin Mary, carrying her child, the Sun, to safety in Nazareth, from which he comes forth to enlighten the World.

The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 2, Verses 1-12

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Got it? Let's dive right in.

The House of Bread

Remember what we said last time. Meaning is always present, and names are not arbitrary. Jesus wasn't just a great guy, and his name isn't just a popular name. His parents also aren't just a couple of people chosen at random-- and neither is his home town.

Jesus-- Yah-shuah, "God saves"-- is born in Bethlehem, a city whose name means "House of Bread." Later, of course, he will share a meal of bread with his disciples, telling them "This is my body."

Nothing is random. Jesus wasn't just born in Bethlehem because Pittsburgh hadn't been built yet, and they didn't have bread at the Last Supper because they were out of pizza. There is something about bread which is points to Jesus, and something about Jesus which is manifested in the world as bread.

How I Spent My Covid Vacation

During the course of the Covid lockdowns, I learned to bake bread. If you've never done it, I recommend it. First of all, it's the easiest thing you can possibly cook. Bread requires just four ingredients. Mix 1 cup of water, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of yeast, and 3 cups of wheat flour together in a bowl, and then leave it alone overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put your bread in the oven. 35 minutes later, you will have the best loaf of bread you have ever eaten.

Baking bread always feels like a religious act. From the moment you pour your flour in a bowl you are connected to your ancestors going back to the dawn of human civilization. Indeed, it's grain agriculture which allows civilization to exist at all.

The Power of Myth

Whether or not the Gospels are history, they are also myth, and it's worth taking a moment to discuss what a "myth" is. The clearest and simplest discussion of the nature of myth that I know of comes from the ancient Platonic philosopher Sallustius, in his treatise "On the Gods and the World." Let's quote it at length:

There is this first benefit from myths, that we have to search and do not have our minds idle.

That the myths are divine can be seen from those who have used them. Myths have been used by inspired poets, by the best of philosophers, by those who established the mysteries, and by the Gods themselves in oracles. But why the myths are divine it is the duty of philosophy to inquire. Since all existing things rejoice in that which is like them and reject that which is unlike, the stories about the Gods ought to be like the Gods, so that they may both be worthy of the divine essence and make the Gods well disposed to those who speak of them: which could only be done by means of myths.

Now the myths represent the Gods themselves and the goodness of the Gods -- subject always to the distinction of the speakable and the unspeakable, the revealed and the unrevealed, that which is clear and that which is hidden: since, just as the Gods have made the goods of sense common to all, but those of intellect only to the wise, so the myths state the existence of Gods to all, but who and what they are only to those who can understand.

They also represent the activities of the Gods. For one may call the world a myth, in which bodies and things are visible, but souls and minds hidden. Besides, to wish to teach the whole truth about the Gods to all produces contempt in the foolish, because they cannot understand, and lack of zeal in the good, whereas to conceal the truth by myths prevents the contempt of the foolish, and compels the good to practice philosophy.

Later, after discussing several ancient myths and their meanings, he tells us:

Now, these things never happened, but always are.

Bear all these things in mind as we continue.

Jesus's nature and purpose are summarized first in his name, and second in all the details of his story-- that is, his myth. Much is hidden in these, so that we will be forced to use our minds to search out the meanings, and in that way rise above the mind and above the stories, to the Power behind them.

Whenever you discuss the Bible, you have to deal with the fact that we already have 2,000 years of commentary on it, and the established churches and their followers tend to be very jealous of their specific interpretations. If we take the perspective of Sallust, this is both wrong and destructive, as it keeps people from being able to exercise their own minds and souls in the exploration of the Gospels, and so prevents people from being able to use the Gospels to reach the One who is discussed in them.

To return to the discussion of bread-- For now, let's simply bear in mind the connection between Jesus and bread, and see where it leads us.

Three Wise Guys

The next thing that happens is that "three wise men" turn up.

Except, of course, that that isn't what happens.

The word used to describe the three guys who come from the East is "magoi." In English, we would say "magi" or simply "magicians." This word refers to the priestly cast of the Zoroastrian faith, who were known for the practice of, er, magic, and also astrology. "Wise men" is a misleading translation at best. The three guys who turned up because they learned from observing a star that a great king would be born and are from a tradition known for practicing astrology are astrologers.

What is the star they were following? We will never for sure, as much of the astrological lore of the ancient world is lost to us. It seems reasonable to suggest that it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign of Pisces in 7 BC. Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are said to herald the birth of great religious figures, and Christianity is the most thoroughly Piscean of all religions. On the other hand, it may have been the conjunction of Jupiter (planet of the Father of the Gods) and the star Regulus (most important star in Leo, the sign of kingship) in 3 BC. Or something else. We'll never know.

The important thing here is that, just as we saw that in the first chapter, we are already in a world of spirits, symbolic numbers, and psychic powers, by the first few verses of the second chapter we're in a world of magicians and astrologers.

Notice that the three astrologers are never once condemned in the text. Instead, they accurately predict Christ's birth, and come to do him homage. The periodic, hysterical condemnations of astrology you find in later Christian thought are quite simply absent here.

We can interpret the passage as teaching us that magic and astrology must always be practiced in the service of the Most High God.

Birthday Presents

Notice that the gifts they bring to Christ are Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. Now Gold is the primary metal of the Sun, and represents the Sun in the world of minerals. However, it also has a connection to Saturn, the planet of Death, and is described in certain medieval and Renaissance texts as being ruled by both the Sun and Saturn. Frankincense is a solar incense. In magical use, its primary purpose is to elevate the soul to the level of divinity. As Charles Leadbeater put it, frankincense "vibrates at the frequency of devotion." Myrrh is also a devotional incense, but its associations are different from frankincense. Myrrh is an incense of Saturn. It is used in rituals of purification and exorcism, especially in funerals and other contexts in which the spirits of the dead are helped to transition to the next life. In ancient times, it was used to anoint the bodies of the dead.

The Son of God and the God of Death

And so we have, in the gifts of the Magi, the symbols of Saturn and the Sun. So let's talk about these planets a little more.

Until modern times, Saturn was the most distant planet known. In ancient cosmology, every planet, including the Sun and Moon, governs one of the seven heavenly spheres which revolve around the Earth. Saturn is the highest of the planetary spheres. The planet Saturn signifies time, limitation, sorrow, and death. Despite these very difficult associations, Saturn's feast at Rome was a very joyful time. Not a time of mourning at all, Saturnalia was a weeklong holiday in which all the ordinary social customs were suspended, masters served their slaves at their table, lords dined with peasants and so on. These ideas seem contradictory, and contemplation of this apparent contradiction will yield much to the understanding.

It's worth bearing in mind that Saturnalia was a weeklong feast held in late December; that Christmas was traditionally a 12 day feast preceded by a rigorous fast, not a one month shopping season ending with a morning-long orgy of consumption; and that the early Christians held all their possessions in common and believed that there was neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male or female, but all were one in Christ Jesus.

It's also worth noting that Sallust says that the sphere of Saturn is ruled not by Saturn, a fallen titan, but by Demeter, the goddess of grain agriculture.

The Sun is far more obvious as a symbol both of Christ and divinity generally, and not much needs to be said about it. For now, I want to point out that Plato tells us that all things in the visible world are reflections of things in the spiritual world. The Sun in the visible world is an analogous to the Eternal Sun of the Spiritual World. That Sun is called the Idea of the Good: The closest our minds can come to grasping the Good Itself, which is identical to the One that we discussed in the last two entries, which is a definition of God.

You could call the Eternal Spiritual Sun the son of the Good.