Sacred Journey. M.K. Welsch
an emotional storm was brewing, which would soon alter their original plans. The problem started with a decision made months prior to Jesus’ birth. According to Edgar Cayce, psychic forces had set the three Wise Men on their original course and directed them to “ … the place ‘where the child was … ’” (5749-7) The readings also parallel the biblical account in mentioning that the trio had stopped along the way to tell Herod the Great, the regional Jewish tetrarch under the jurisdiction of Rome, about their search for the long-awaited child. (Matt. 2:1-2)
Apparently prior to their journey, the Essene leader Judy had discussed with the Magi the possibility of informing Herod about the baby’s impending birth and together the group had decided it was worth doing for a number of reasons. Judy realized that the announcement “ … would arouse in the heart and mind of this debased ruler—that only sought for the aggrandizement of self—such reactions as to bring to him, this despot, turmoils with those then in authority.” (1472-3) Herod was only second or third in authority in the region, and Cayce clarifies the fact that there was no “ … proclamation by the Wise Men, neither by Judy nor the Essenes that this new king was to replace Rome! It was to replace the Jewish authority in the land!” (1472-3) Following the Magi’s visit the damage was done. Herod’s fear of a new ruler supplanting his sovereignty set in motion a tragic turn of events.
The slaughter of the innocents reported in the Gospel of Matthew is a heart-wrenching moment in the saga of the infant Jesus. Enraged by the duplicity of the Magi who never returned to tell him where the newborn king resided, Herod proceeds to order the death of every child from six months to two years old living in Bethlehem and the surrounding environs. (Matt. 2:16) Cayce describes this as the period “ … when many in the land about Nazareth and Bethany and Capernaum suffered from the edict of the ruler that only ruled with a reflected power or Herod, the Great.” (578-2) Fortunately before the hated ruler’s edict was officially announced, Joseph’s inner guidance had warned him in a dream that he needed to take Mary and the baby and flee into Egypt to protect the child from certain death. The couple was of one mind about the necessity of leaving their home and promptly fled.
The Cayce readings note that the Essene Brotherhood already had begun making preparations in anticipation of the need for a possible flight and had selected individuals to act as handmaids for Mary, Jesus, and Joseph during transit. In addition, small supportive groups preceded and followed the family to provide extra protection. The readings suggest that their journey into Egypt did not go unnoticed by the locals living along the route and in fact later became part of the oral traditions of those communities. “Through that period there were many of the stories that have come down as legends, even of those people in some portions of Egypt and of Arabia, as to the happenings along the way, as to how there were the unusual happenings—indicating not only the divinity of the Child but that purpose later recorded, ‘And she kept all of these and pondered them in her heart.’” (5749-16)
Surrendered Innocence
To this day Herod’s treachery after the birth of Jesus endures in the collective psyche as one of the most horrifying episodes recorded in the New Testament. Ironically after the entrance into the earth of a holy child destined to deliver freedom to the people of God, their deliverer barely escapes death at the hands of one of his own—a Jewish monarch determined to sacrifice guiltless babies at the shrine of his anger and vanity.
The story of Herod’s twisted claim to power, which resulted in the massacre of the innocents, holds profound significance as an allegory. It presents a warning about the dangers posed by sinister forces vehemently arrayed against the coming of the light and describes what can happen when a single unrestrained ego aligned with these energies unleashes them in the earth. The blind opposition of a Herod, self-absorbed and fearful of the establishment of a more spiritually advanced order, is both deep-seated and raw. Intent on destroying what they cannot understand, the legions of darkness will stop at nothing in their quest to blot out the Christ spirit newborn into the earth. But hope cannot die when highly developed souls such as Joseph stay alert to the still small voice of wisdom within and follow its guidance. These are the guardians of the light who will keep the holy child, the Christ in man, safe and alive, allowing it to develop until it gains enough strength to illuminate the world.
Seen from a more conventional angle, biblical scholars have interpreted Herod’s callous bout of infanticide as a preordained event designed to ensure that ancient prophecy was fulfilled. Old Testament references to Rachel mourning for her children and the statement “out of Egypt have I called my son” (Matt. 2:15) are cited as part of a body of evidence predicting the coming of a savior, Herod’s murderous decision following his birth, and the flight of the Holy Family. The recurring theme and deeper metaphorical meaning of the death of the sinless child takes on added significance when viewed not merely as an isolated incident from the first century AD but against the sweeping backdrop of the entire Bible. The story’s roots lie deep in the remote past, extending as far back as some of the first books of the Old Testament. In many ways the dramatic image of the infant Jesus whisked away to elude the jaws of death bears a striking resemblance to a moment much earlier in Jewish history when another deliverer comes out of Egypt to liberate the people of God.
Moses
The series of events surrounding the birth of Moses depicted in vivid detail in the book of Exodus most closely foreshadows the catastrophic events that will transpire in the area around the tiny town of Bethlehem during the reign of Herod the Great. Here, too, a miraculous chain of circumstances occurs after Pharaoh orders the death of all the newborn sons of the Hebrew slaves. Determined to save her baby, Moses’ mother, Jochebed, places him in a tiny ark made of bulrushes which she floats on the Nile River. Then something unexpected happens. The child is plucked from the water by Pharaoh’s sister and ends up not only eluding death but also becoming a member of the monarch’s own family. Little Moses grows up in the rarified atmosphere of the royal household and eventually is elevated to great heights of temporal glory.
But like Jesus many centuries later, Moses’ destiny is not to wear the crown of an earthly king. Forced by extreme circumstances, including a murder, to leave behind his wealth and material-minded ways, this former son of a Pharaoh ends up enslaved for a short period of time and then is thrown out of Egypt to wander alone in the wilderness. Amazingly, the destitute outcast stumbling through the desert is able to preternaturally evade death a second time and eventually comes to embrace a new way of life as a shepherd—a job which induces him to turn within. After spending months in quiet contemplation, Moses raises his consciousness to such a high level that he is able to experience direct awareness of the divine and recognizes God as the spirit within him, present right where he stands—on holy ground. “I am that I am” are the words he hears. Moses’ conscious realization of this divinity—his enlightenment—is what will support him throughout the rest of his lifetime and, against all odds, will allow a lowly shepherd to rescue the Hebrews from their captivity.
Once Moses returns to Egypt following his religious experience, he pushes Pharaoh hard to release the Jewish slaves. But Pharaoh taunts him, asking “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?” (Exod. 5:2) A series of devastating plagues ensues until the Egyptian ruler leads Moses to believe he has relented and finally will allow the Israelites to leave. Yet before they are permitted to depart, the sacrifice of the guiltless child enters the picture again. The Old Testament account states that after many false promises Pharaoh hardened his heart one last time causing a tenth and final plague to settle on the land. On the eve of what will turn out to be the exodus of the Israelites from their bondage, the firstborn of every household dies—except for the sons and daughters in homes where the blood of the innocent lamb is painted on the lintels and door posts as a sacred sign that death should pass over. The surrender of the firstborn is the event that precipitates freedom for the people of God.
Beloved Son