CHAPTER X.

CAN JESUS BE IDENTIFIED IN OTHER
LIVES?

The thought of reincarnation is so new to the western world, that to the average mind it will require a distinct struggle to readjust the ideas that have controlled the thought for years; and this is not an easy thing to face. But do not be frightened, friends; nothing that you or I can do will in any way disturb the Eternal Verities, but we may by patient endeavour obtain a better and truer understanding, and thus gain unspeakably.

In considering the incarnations of Jesus, the first that the writer identifies with the Blessed Elder Brother, is that of Isaac, the spiritual son of Abraham (Master Morya, the understudy of the great Manu, (Race Builder).

Abram has become Abraham, or has taken the Second Great Initiation, before this child of the Spirit is born. "For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the handmaid, and one by the free woman. Howbeit, the son by the handmaid is born of the flesh; but the son of the free woman is born through promise, which things contain an allegory; for these women are two covenants; one from Mount Sinai, bearing children unto bondage, which is Hagar." Gal. IV, 23 and 24. Then in the 28th verse Paul says: "Now we brethren, as Isaac was, are children of the promise."

29: "But as then he that was born after the flesh, persecuted him that was born after the Spirit; so now," etc.

In this passage Paul supports me in the assumption that physical women and physical children are not figuring in the allegories, but are used as symbols of spiritual things.

The spiritual child, Isaac, is dedicated to the service of God from the first, and willingly goes with his father up into the mount (of Initiation), carrying the fuel for his own sacrifice, or the spirit of love and devotion, although he was as yet ignorant of the full significance of the act, as is shown by his questions. He makes no resistance when Abraham places him upon the altar, although the idea seems to be that he thought that death was the necessary outcome of the service. But God shows him that his work will consist in living all through the ages to help man, not in dropping the body, but in retaining it: The peculiarly gentle, devoted, loving nature of Isaac has often been spoken of by Bible students.

When he is forty (the perfected quaternary, symbolic of the perfected physical), his father causes to be brought to him especial teaching in the Mystery work of Laban the Great White Brother, which is symbolized by Rebecca. As soon as he sees the beautiful higher Wisdom he loves it, and is at once married to it, or makes it one with him. It is significant that Isaac first sees Rebecca when in the field, meditating.

There are those who claim that this is one of the incarnations of the one whom we call the Christ, but as Christ Himself speaks of Jacob and Isaac as two distinct entities in the words "God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God is the God of the living,

not of the dead," and as we feel sure that Jacob was an incarnation of the Christ, and as Jesus seems to have ever worked in the degree between the Lord Jehovah, and the Christ, making a Trinity of Great Ones, that we distinguish at every turn in the affairs of humanity, it looks probable that we are right.

In the next incarnation of this Great Soul, however, it is easier to see the distinguishing characteristics by which we know Him. We will first look at the meanings of the names, and see what we find:

In the Smith and Peloubet "Bible Dictionary" we find the meaning of Jesus given as "The Greek form of the name 'Joshua,' or 'Jeshua,' a contraction of 'Jehoshua'; that is, help of Jehovah, or Saviour." Right here is stated that he is the "help of the Lord Jehovah," as we have pointed out. At the mention of Joshua the mind at once reverts to the minister of Moses. Now we are told by those who have the ability to judge correctly, that Moses was a manifestation of the Great Law Giver, or the "Manu" (Race Builder) of the fifth root race. It must have meant much to be in such close touch with the Great Manu. It rather startles one to note that Joshua is called the son of "Nun," when we find that "Nun" means "Fish," and we are reminded that the astrological sign of Jesus was Pisces, and that the early Christians used this sign as a kind of token to distinguish each other when among enemies.

We must remember that Moses is the leader of all of the Aryan race, not of the Jews only. "Judah" refers to the Jews, "Israel" to the whole Aryan race, in symbolic language, with its twelve or perfect number of nations. And Moses turns the guidance of the race over to Joshua, when they reach the Jordan, symbol

of the degenerative tendencies of the strongly developed desire nature. His the work of teaching this people the lessons of self control and purity.

In Numbers XI:28, we find Joshua spoken of as minister of Moses from his youth up; this may, of course, mean for only that life, but "youth" may mean his Isaaic incarnation.

Joshua is one of Moses "chosen men." In Numbers XIII, we find he is one of twelve, chosen by Moses to go to spy out the Promised Land (or the planes of extended consciousness). In another chapter the reader will see a description of the Garden of Eden, where the Promised Land is shown to be the planes of consciousness, from the land of Cush, or the Physical Plane, to the full and abounding River of Wisdom (Euphrates) on the Buddhic, Universal Love Plane. So Moses chooses twelve of his best men, to start esoteric work, to learn under his direction how to develop the powers latent in man that would enable them to function consciously upon the higher planes of consciousness, the "Promised Land," the ultimate destiny of the race.

Up to this time the young man had been called "Hoshea," in that incarnation, but now Moses gives him the name of "Joshua," or gives him the Second. Great Initiation. As Isaac, he had shown his willingness to place himself upon the altar at the call of Abraham, and had gone up into the Mount of Initiation, carrying the fuel of the sacrifice in his own hands, or having in himself the consecration to feed the flame of the spirit. There, he took the First Great Initiation, here he takes the second, and receives his new name. In Ex. XXIV, 13, we find that Joshua, alone, went up into the mount (of Initiation) "with Moses." Ten

of the men who had been chosen became discouraged, or died metaphorically; it was too big an undertaking to conquer the desire nature sufficiently to enter the land of the higher planes, and the spiritual impulse dies. Only Joshua and Caleb are left alive upon the higher altitudes, and only Joshua goes up into the mount with Moses (is initiated).

Mr. Leadbeater says, that a man may be called at any time by sounding the name of the Augoeides for that is the chord of the three principles of the Ego, and the Monad behind, so no matter where the man may be, when that chord is sounded his causal body (his soul) lights up, and leaps upward like a great flame, plainly visible to the seer. Page 140, "Inner Life," Vol. II. This is evidently the "new name" given in the Bible at the Second Great Initiation, and I think I am right in saying, that this name or one of the same rhythmic value, will be found identifying the Ego in succeeding incarnations. In the case of Jesus, the name of Joshua, the Hebrew for Jesus, is consistently used throughout the allegories where he is mentioned. This makes it easier than it proves to be with the Christ, who has such a number of names. But we will handle that later.

Let us see where we find Joshua figuring in the Old Testament:

In I Sam. VI, 14, we find Joshua a high priest in the temple of the Sun God, at Beth-Shemish, or the ancient Heliopolis, of Egypt. The Philistines, the descendants of Esau, the fourth and a half root race, strongly Physical Plane people, had taken the Ark of the Covenant from Israel in battle, but did not know what to do with it.