The Aquarian Christ and the Redeemer Myth
This is my personal exploration into why the Christian story continues to exert such a magnetic pull on so many modern hearts and minds, including my own. Christianity, like all other religions can be seen as nothing more than a myth created by our yearning to bring meaning to an infinitely mysterious universe. There’s no such thing as objective truth – all so-called truths are essentially constructs of our limited minds. But myth contains a kind of poetical truth, and this is mine.
The ancient Chinese Book of Changes, the I Ching, describes the world as comprising of two great cosmic forces eternally swirling in and out of existence, one giving way to the other. Another way of describing this exchange is to imagine two opposing poles, between which energy flows like an alternating current. Another analogy is of the universe breathing in and out, like some sentient being. The Buddha peered into the heart of the continuing flux, saw that nothing is permanent, and found enlightenment. This is a beautiful image, but for me it is the myth of Christ the Redeemer that holds centre stage in my psyche.
One of the features which attracts me to the Christian story is its humanity. The symbolism of Christ’s birth, in a stable surrounded by animals, touches our hearts; we connect human to human, the awesome mystery of life recedes and we are comforted.
As a child I was deeply affected by Christ’s message of love and forgiveness. “The greatest law is love,” he said. He also told us to refrain from judgement: “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” And importantly – to believe in our own power: “The kingdom of God lies within.” When performing his miracles he assured us that we also had the same powers inherent within us: “This that I do now you also will do.” For reasons I will give later, I believe that the meaning of Christ’s message is only now beginning to be understood.
The glaring fault of Christianity (as it is taught by the church) is the absence of the balancing presence of the dark pole of nature. This creates a split between spirit and matter, which is expressed in many damaging ways. This being so, why haven’t I purged this one-sided expression of patriarchy as thoroughly as I have the absurdities of my childhood Catholicism? Why does the numinous figure of Christ the Redeemer continue to haunt my imagination?
It has been my long-held belief, that the biblical accounts of the life and teachings of Jesus are heavily censored and altered to protect the interests of various power elites. To find the real Christian message we need to go to the alternative Gnostic Gospels, where Jesus refers to Mother/Father God; where the dark Goddess is represented by Mary Magdalene; and where he praises the indwelling spirit of the natural world.
What is meant by ‘Redeemer’ anyway? What exactly are we meant to be redeemed from? To my mind the answer is obvious. We live in a fallen world groaning with sadness and suffering. Redemption is the promise that this is not part of the plan. There is another way.
There are those who have adapted to our fallen world, and by so doing achieved a kind of freedom. I envy them, but cannot be like them. I utterly reject the notion that we can release ourselves from the burden of the world’s suffering through detachment. However I do admit that a measure of detachment is necessary – otherwise we lose our equilibrium and go mad. There is a fine line to be walked. We cannot allow the knowledge of suffering to stop us singing, dancing and enjoying life – but neither must we forget about it.
I’m aware of the disputes concerning the historical veracity of Jesus. A brief trawl through Frazer’s Golden Bough informs us of the numerous similar myths pre-dating the time of Christ’s ministry. The figure of Jesus can be interpreted as just one of the many patriarchal Sun Gods which emerged in theMiddle Eastat the start of the megalithic era. But someone spoke the powerful words that reverberate through time. Someone thought them worthy of recording. So from where did the personality and teachings of Jesus emerge?
If there was a teacher and healer called Jesus who existed in history and who somehow became intertwined with pre-existing mythological traditions, yet whose teachings recorded in the gospels are clearly of an advanced level of consciousness (the Sermon on the Mount is pure Zen), we have to ask whether a spiritual master of this level could hold himself separate from nature’s duality. Eastern spiritual traditions had long known of the dark/light yin/yang, positive/negative polarity of nature – the most obvious example being the visible and invisible wave frequencies which combine during the process of photosynthesis.
Although Christianity is accused of being anti-nature, Jesus conducted his ministry out of doors among the elements. Even in the orthodox gospels he reveals his closeness to nature by the beautiful evocation:
“Observe the flowers of the field. They toil not, neither do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.”
He does not teach separation from the natural world but to open our inner eye to recognise the immanent spirit dwelling within it. ”Those who have eyes let them see.” It is not the world that is at fault, but only our limited perception of it. Suffering is the result of our blindness, or in modern terms, of our limited consciousness.
Now, more than two thousand years after the birth of Christ we enter the scientific age of Aquarius. In the last hundred years we have learnt about the atom, the basic building block of matter, and now we are journeying into the atom’s mysterious inner dimensions. As we do so, we begin to realise that there are many ways of perceiving nature – the kingdom of god does indeed lie within. Solid particle reality is giving way to the fluid and flexible wave dimensions where mind and matter seem to be interfused. This gives rise to infinite possibilities regarding the role of human of consciousness in shaping reality. For the first time in history we are beginning to recognise that everything is part of a united field of energy.
I have come to believe that Christ’s message of love is the key to negotiating the weird and wonderful realms of the rapidly expanding human psyche. But first we have to ask what exactly we mean by love. I was a teenager during the sixties when society was rocked by an explosion of creative energy which tore through the stultifying conventions of the time. For a brief moment a critical mass of young people were lifted into a cosmic wave-stream and infused by the realisation that they could change the course of history. They were known as the Love Generation. Although the purity of this energy could not sustain, it triggered forces needed for the next stage of our journey.
Today’s generation freed from the guilt and repressions of the past are kinder, more tolerant and inclusive. The sexual revolution has released erotic energy from the exclusivity of biological reproduction into other channels of creativity. Now technology is accelerating the rate of progress. The internet is rapidly breaking down barriers between races and cultures leading to a genuine realisation of our common humanity. So to answer my question – I interpret Love as being the connective force in creation. In scientific terms it is the united field.
However, I’m only too aware of the yawning chasm between understanding and action. Transformation of earthly conditions requires first the transformation of the mind – and this requires not only belief but dedication and discipline. Only an awakening to the reality of unity by a critical mass of the world’s population can overcome the challenges facing us. Then the power of our collective vision will overcome all obstacles and the promise of Christ the Redeemer can be fulfilled.