Sacred Journey. M.K. Welsch
suggest the reason it was called forth was for the “ … manifestation in the earth of the holy influence necessary for the sustaining of a backsliding world … ” (5749-3), because “flesh is the activity of the mental being (or spiritual self and mental being) pushing itself into matter, and as spirit—as He {Jesus} gave—is neither male nor female, they are then both—or one.” (5749-7) Thus “ … the immaculate conception is the physical and mental so attuned to spirit as to be quickened by same.” (5749-7) This is how the spirit or soul of the Master was brought into being: “ … through the accord of the Mother in materiality that ye know in the earth as conception.” (5749-7) Elsewhere Cayce refers to the virgin birth as “ … the living influence of the Spirit through the body that became the child Jesus …,” adding that “ … the manifestation of the spirit of the oneness of the Father became a manifestation of the Christ Spirit in material surroundings.” (5749-3)
Cayce’s account also adds new details to the generally accepted historical record, stating that several years before the conception of the holy child, the Essenes had chosen from the sect a man named Joseph to become Mary’s husband. Yet when informed by the leaders of the sect that he was to be espoused to her, Joseph was not very happy about the plan. He was twenty years older than his prospective partner and Mary’s unconventional background put her at odds with a normal betrothal. Because her mother was unmarried, she was not considered a member of a credible Jewish family. But a dream and direct celestial voice finally convinced Joseph that these plans were the will of the divine, which allows him to accept the situation. New doubts and concerns arise, however, when after three or four years he goes to claim his bride only to find her already with child. Although his brethren assure him the unborn baby is of a divine origin, it was only the appearance of Gabriel—an experience recorded in the Gospel of Matthew—which ultimately reconciles Joseph to the idea of Mary’s pregnancy and convinces him to accept her as his wife.5
When their wedding finally occurs, it was pulled together somewhat hastily due to the Essenes’ wariness about the political turmoil then embroiling various sectors of the Jewish community. Part of the uproar was a byproduct of the issues surrounding the birth of Jesus’ cousin John (later called the Baptist) to Mary’s cousin Elizabeth who was also an Essene. Since Elizabeth’s husband, Zacharias, was an orthodox priest, he had kept his pregnant wife in the hills of Galilee for her own safety. But following an announcement in the orthodox temple about the birth of his son, Zacharias related experiences and visions he had had prior to the birth of baby John and subsequently proclaimed his own newfound belief in and adherence to the teachings of the Essene community. Sometime later, according to the biblical narrative, Zacharias was slain in the holy temple with his hands upon the horns of the altar. The Cayce readings explain that “ … those of his own school … ” (5749-8) had instigated his murder, which likely was carried out at the behest of the Pharisees. Jesus will call out this same group during his ministry for shedding “the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.” (Matt. 23:35)
Understandably, the horrific death of Zacharias in the temple causes the Essenes to fear for the life of Mary and other members of their community, especially if word got out that the child she carried was deemed to be of divine origin. Cayce states that Mary also spent a portion of her pregnancy in the hill country of Judea, and based on the record in Luke, it was likely with Elizabeth. (5749-8; Luke 1:39-40) When all was said and done, concerns about the safety of the Holy Family during those turbulent times would end up coloring the way the history of the nativity unfolded.
The Birth of Jesus
… He gave up heaven and entered physical being that ye might have access to the Father …
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From the biblical accounts of the nativity story, it appears Mary was living with Joseph in Nazareth after their marriage as the couple left from that town to go register in their ancestral city for the polling Rome had decreed necessary for tax purposes. Thus Joseph and Mary, who by that time was heavy with child, began the long journey to the city of David or Bethlehem—the cradle of their lineage and a critical element in the prophetic record about the coming Messiah. Any number of prophecies had identified Bethlehem with the arrival of the savior centuries before the couple began their journey south.
Crowds of other travelers also heading back to their ancestral environs jammed the small city, which was only a “Sabbath-day’s journey” from Jerusalem. It is easy to imagine the apprehension filtering through the Essene community considering the dangers inherent in such explosive circumstances: a young woman in a weakened state almost ready to give birth, hordes of strangers, and the possibility that this vulnerable couple—like everyone who belonged to the Essene sect—would be questioned not only by government officials but also by the religious authorities in the area. Luckily, Joseph and Mary were not alone on the road. Members of Joseph’s household along with many of his carpenters’ helpers accompanied them as did workers from the fields around Nazareth, shepherds, husbandmen, and others. Locally based Essenes no doubt also kept their eyes out for this special group of travelers as it approached the city. Delayed somewhat by Mary’s condition, husband and wife appear at the inn where they had hoped to stay at twilight long after the place must have already been filled for the evening. Met with more than a little laughter and the jeers of the rabble at the sight of a much older man and his very pregnant younger wife, the answer they received according to Edgar Cayce was, “ … ‘No room at the inn,’ especially for such an occasion … ” (5749-15)
The biblical account of the innkeeper turning Mary and Joseph away in spite of their desperate need deviates considerably from what the Cayce readings report actually happened. The innkeeper, Apsafar, was either a member of the Essene community or at least sympathetic to them, but kept his religious convictions secret in order to act as a go-between among those with authority in the “ … religious influences in the Roman and Jewish faith … ”(1196-2) He also happened to be serving as a counselor for people hoping to overcome political and religious oppression. The intolerance of the Pharisees and Sadducees toward any religious teachings other than their own was widely known and feared. These powerful religious leaders vehemently opposed sects such as the Essenes as well as all the other beliefs gradually being introduced by outside groups such as the Greeks, who were Apsafar’s own people. The fact that he was so closely associated with such “revolutionaries” placed Apsafar in a very dangerous position. He could not afford to become involved in any situation that might call any attention to himself and his unorthodox activities. (1196-2)
Yet because he held to the basic Essene beliefs, had experienced a vision, and had seen the star in the East, Apsafar had made every provision possible in keeping with what was foretold in order to care for the chosen ones when they finally arrived. In addition, his daughter named Sarapha, who herself was an Essene, had been keeping him apprised of everything that was supposed to occur. She had gone to great lengths to ready the quarters the new parents would be using with whatever they might need. Cayce commented that “ … the entity aided, so that all was in readiness … ” (1152-3) In the end, however, for Mary and Joseph’s safety and especially to shield them from the prying eyes of the authorities, Apsafar turns them away from his inn. “Disappointment was written on the face of Joseph,” states Cayce as well as on the face of Sarapha and the others who understood who they were. (5749-15) The Essenes who had heard the stories whispered among their community about Mary’s selection by the angel and what had happened during the visit to her cousin Elizabeth were gravely concerned the couple did not have a room and began looking for a place to shelter the family. Necessity demanded a site be found quickly and it was—“ … under the hill, in the stable above which the shepherds were gathering their flocks into the fold.” (5749-15)
The readings paint a picture of the glorious scene that day: “ … When in the evening—just before the sun in all its glory of the Palestine hills gave forth almost into the voice of nature, proclaiming the heralding of a new hope, a new birth to the earth, and the glorifying of man’s hope in God—the spectre of His Star in the evening sky brought awe and wonder to all that beheld.”