DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?
- part 2 -
by Dennis Gaumond
In Part 1 of this article we saw that, in the Old Testament,
there are many references to the concept of 'magic' - the capacity to perform miracles - the idea that consciousness
has creative power. In the New Testament, such references are usually
associated only with Jesus. However the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hamadi
scrolls and may other sources are leading modern historians and scholars to
differ greatly with the Bible's presentation of the way things were at the time
of Jesus. In those days there were many leaders and preachers, often referred
to as 'messiahs' or 'anointed ones', who went about 'performing miracles'. They
were magicians or magi. One such leader, who gets very little press in the
Bible, was Simon Magus. Scholars contend that he was a friend and ally to Jesus
and that he had a following easily as large as Jesus'.
We've
been led to believe that the title 'Jesus the Nazarene' comes from the idea
that Jesus was born and raised in the town of Nazareth. Modern archeologists,
however, claim that this town didn't exist before the 3rd century
A.D. This title actually comes from a different source. Jesus was a purveyor of
the Nazarene tradition, a sub-sect of the Essene tradition, as was his brother
James. In the Old Testament the word was 'Nazirite', defined as "one that is
separated or consecrated". (Numbers 6: 2-22) Samson was a Nazirite,
characterized by the long hair and beard that is common to both Samson and
Jesus. Although the Hollywood version of Samson depicts him as a muscleman,
there is no reference to his physical strength in the Bible, but rather to his
incredible 'power'. He was a magician. (Judges 13 - 17)
The
words 'nazarene' and 'nazirite' are derived from the Hebrew word, 'notsrim',
which means 'preservers of truth'. The Nazarenes were concerned with preserving
the essence of the ancient teachings, much of which had to do with magic and
the effective use of the will. After Jesus, James continued to carry on these teachings
until he was executed in 64 A.D. The Merovingian Kings of France, sometimes
referred to as the 'sorcerer kings' sporting long hair and beards, are said to
have also carried on these traditions.
Recently,
in the wake of the Da Vinci Code, there has been an increasing awareness that
the Church has been hiding some very significant information from us for many
centuries. Along with hidden information about Jesus, such as his marriage to
Mary Magdalene, these secrets contain much information about magic and bodies
of knowledge that have the ability to empower mankind. Secret societies
throughout the ages, such as the Freemasons, the Knights Templar, the
Rosicrucians and many others, have been very much interested in Hermetic magic
and alchemy.
The
awareness of magic was much more widespread in the past. The Roman Church,
other religions and a variety of groups who seek power by their ability to
control the masses have been very successful at suppressing this knowledge over
the past two millennia. The last thing they need is for people to be truly
empowered by the knowledge that we can perform miracles with the force of our
consciousness. Despite these efforts, this awareness is returning in a big way.
(In subsequent newsletters we'll be
presenting more segments of this article. We'll be exploring more info about
magic, including tips on how to become a skilled and effective magician. Stay
tuned.)
