The Essene Brotherhood!

As I have mentioned in the last chapter, the Essene brotherhood really had its inception at the time of the Great Spiritual Master, Melchizdek, who lived on this planet in 1973 BC.. This, again, was an incarnation of Jesus Christ. So very few people realize that Jesus really began the Essene movement, as well as facilitating the origin of the Jewish religion through Abraham and beginning the Christian religion Himself with the help of the Lord Maitreya.

The development of the Essene brotherhood over the next almost 2000 years can be seen in the development of the Jewish religion. First it must be understood that the Essenes were a Jewish sect. They represented however, more of what might be called "Jewish mysticism". The Jewish mystics studied the Kabbalah, which taught belief in reincarnation, astrology, the tree of life, channeling, prophecy, soul travel, psychic development, angels and all the things that the people reading this book are so interested in.

The development of the Essenes, from the time of Melchizadek and the Order of Melchizadek, began with Abraham (El Morya) and continued onward through Jacob and the story of Jacob’s ladder, and how Jacob wrestled with the Angel. It continued on through the biblical story of Joseph (incarnation of Jesus) and His coat of many colors. He was thrown into the ditch by his jealous brothers, and eventually became the dream interpreter of the Pharaoh.

Then the development continues on to the great spiritual Master Moses, who led the Jewish people out of bondage in Israel. It was Moses who spoke to God in the burning bush on Mount Sinai. Gold told him that his name was "I Am That I Am". Moses was given the Ten Commandments which are very similar to the original teachings that Melchizadek (Jesus) gave to Abraham. (You can read about this in my chapter on Melchizadek and the Order of Melchizadek in this book.) One other super interesting piece of information that Djwhal Khul told me about Moses is that when he spoke to the burning bush on top of Mount Sinai, he was actually having a ’revelation from God." When I say God, I don’t mean his soul, and I don’t mean his monad or spirit. I mean was having a direct revelation of the Godhead. Djwhal Khul also told me that Moses ascended at the end of his incarnation as Moses.

Moses was the great spiritual Master who brought forward God’s laws. Moses and the Jewish people wandered in the desert for forty years, and upon Moses death (ascension), Joshua (incarnation of Jesus) took over and led the Jewish people into the promised land.

This whole period of history, of which I have been speaking, continued on to the incarnation of the Messiah (Jesus) when the great Jewish prophets lived and carried forth this mystical lineage. Some of these prophets were Samuel, Isiah, Jeremiah, Ezekial, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadian, Johan, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai Zechariah, Malachi. Carrying forth this lineage were the writings of Elisha, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Then we had the great Jewish kings, King David, and King Solomon. We also had Enoch (another incarnation of Jesus), who wrote "The Book of Enoch", as well as the modern book I have mentioned called, "The Keys of Enoch".

Then there was Elijah (John the Baptist) who began the school of the prophets on Mount Carmel. This Jewish lineage, in truth, was also the Christian lineage. Essene lineage, and lineage of the Order of Melchizadek set the stage for next dispensation of spiritual teachings for mankind.

Moses brought forth the law. Buddha, five hundred years previous, brought forth the wisdom of God to mankind. Jesus and the Lord Maitreya would carry forth the law of Moses, the wisdom of the Buddha, but also bring forth the love principle of God.

It must be understood that Jesus was a Jewish rabbi, and purposely incarnated into a Jewish family that was involved in the Jewish sect called the Essenes. The problem was that the Jewish rabbis who controlled the Jewish religion as a whole, didn’t recognize Jesus as the Messiah He truly was. Jesus was not trying to discount the Jewish religion, but was rather building upon it. The Jewish rabbis who ran things were trying to hold on to the past Jewish dispensation that focused upon the law.

This same conflict still holds true 2000 years after Jesus’ life. In our culture today we have the people involved in "traditional religion", and then the people involved in the ’new age movement of spirituality". We have traditional Christianity and then esoteric or mystical Christianity.

In Judaism, we have the traditional Judaism, and then we have the Kabbalah which is Jewish mysticism. (See chapter on Kabbalah and the Tree of Life.) I was raised Jewish, however, with no criticism intended, I personally found traditional Judaism very boring. I never related to it and considered myself more of a universalist.

In more recent years I have found a new found interest and appreciation for Judaism in my intensive study of the Kabbalah, and "The Keys of Enoch" (See chapter on Kabbalah and the Tree of Life). The Essenes have actually given me a new found appreciation of Jewish mysticism also, as I am sure you will appreciate also upon reading this chapter.

Jesus was the Messiah that the Jewish people were waiting for, however it was only the Jewish sect known as the Essenes who recognized it. Moses had established monotheism which really began from Melchizadek who taught Abraham this principle and truth 2000 years previous.

The actual recorded written history of the Essenes originated around 200 BC., and ended around 100 AD.. The Edgar Cayce readings of the Universal Mind tell us that Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, the innkeeper at Bethlehem, and Jesus, himself, were all Essenes. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 have given absolute proof of the Essenes existence.

Edgar Cayce also suggests that Zebedee, John, James, and Andrew all had close ties with the Essenes. Edgar Cayce was correct about the location of the Essene community eleven years before the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in Qumran, at the north west coast of the Dead Sea. Excavations began in the Qumran ruins in 1949 and continued for five years. What was uncovered was an Essene establishment. A monastery, a house of studies, a school, and it was right where Edgar Cayce said it would be. According to Edgar Cayce only a fraction of the Essenes lived in the monastery. Thousands of them lived throughout the Middle East, living normal lives. They were bound with the conviction that the Messiah would be born within their ranks.

Philo, the Jewish philosopher, wrote about the Essenes in 20 AD. He said that the Essenes were a Jewish sect that numbered around 4000. He called them Essaie because of their "saintliness". He said they were worshippers of God, who did not do animal sacrifice. They regarded a reverent mind as the only true sacrifice. No slaves were found among them because they saw all men free and as brothers. Moral, philosophy and ethic was their chief preoccupation. The seventh day they especially studied for this was their Sabbath. They were taught piety, holiness, justice, and the art of regulating home and city. The essence of what they taught was love of God, virtue, and love of mankind. They were indifferent to money, worldly possessions, and pleasure. Their love of man, kindliness, equality, and fellowship passing beyond all description. All money was placed within a common fund, out of which the sick were supported when they could not work.

Josephus wrote that the Essenes were Jews by birth but seemed to have a greater affection for one another than the Pharisees, and Sadducees. They rejected pleasure as evil, but greatly valued self control and discipline over the passions.

They clothed themselves in white garments. Their piety towards God was quit extraordinary. Before the sun would rise they would not speak of profane matters. They began their days with prayer and ritual bathing and baptism. The priest would always say grace before eating, and the praise to God after the meal. They are adamant for fidelity and are the ministers of peace. What ever they say in normal conversation is firmer than an oath. They never swear. They spend a great deal of time in studying the writings of the ancients. Each candidate, to become an Essene, passed through a period of preparation and purification which extended over three years.

The first year he or she was required to turn over all property to the common treasury. The candidate was then given the ordinances and rules, a spade, an apron and a white robe. After the first year of probation the candidate was allowed to enter the second stage. In this second stage the candidate enjoyed a closer relation and fellowship with the other candidates and was involved in more of the ceremonies and closed rites. At this second stage the candidate could not hold office or sit at the common table.

The candidate entering the third rank was required to take a solemn oath to never reveal the secrets of the Essene order and to practice piety towards God and charity to his fellowman. Also required is a vow that he will do no harm to his fellow man, either of his own accord, or by command of others. He can, at no time, abuse his authority or put himself above others. Any Essene caught in committing a crime would be cast out of the society.