Contents
In this article, I discuss the spiritual meanings of the following Biblical symbols:
- Son of man and Son of God
- The life events of Jesus
- The bull, ram, and fish
- 12 (tribes, disciples)
- 40 (days in the desert, days of the flood)
- Rainbow, serpent, and how they are related
- Tree of Knowledge and Tree of Life
Introduction
For thousands of years, secret spiritual knowledge has been taught in so-called “mystery schools.” These schools were not open to the general public; instead, the instructors were highly selective regarding who was admitted. Originally, these mystery schools did not restrict their teachings for selfish or manipulative purposes. Instead, the students were limited to those who were capable of comprehending the deeper spiritual mysteries that could easily be misinterpreted and used inappropriately.
As an example, young children can be taught about “the final judgement” at an early age. However, this knowledge could easily misinterpreted by young minds who become terrified of eternal damnation for being “bad” and spend much of their time feeling guilty and shame for their “sins.”
As an alternative, many young children around the world are taught to believe in a person known as Santa Claus. This Santa Claus always watches what children are doing, and will give them presents if they behave well, or coal if they behave poorly. When presented in this manner, there is less of a chance of children feeling guilty about their behavior or judging and shaming others. Although Santa Claus is not real, this myth is an age-appropriate technique for explaining the necessity of behaving appropriately. Through symbology, the Santa Claus myth explains that there are positive outcomes for good behavior in life, and negative consequences for bad behavior.
Note that the purpose of teaching children about Santa Claus is not because children are less worthy than adults. Instead, children are simply at a different stage of development than adults and therefore need explanations that they can comprehend in a healthy manner. Likewise, In the past the spiritual mysteries have not been taught to most people simply because the “soul age” or spiritual development of the population in general was not ready for such knowledge. However, at this particular point in human history (as we are approaching the age of Aquarius), it is now appropriate for the previously unknown mysteries to become more widely disseminated.
In this article, I will be examining a variety of symbols found in the Bible and how they correspond with deeper spiritual truths. This includes the life events of Jesus and what they mean from a spiritual perspective. Note that the idea that the life events of Jesus are symbolic does not mean that Jesus did not exist, and the belief or non-belief in a real-life Jesus does not exclude someone from being able to comprehend the deeper mysteries which the life of Jesus symbolizes.
What is important to realize is that our beliefs are still true regardless of how the stories and myths about them have been presented. For example, many people are now questioning whether their concept of God as an invisible man who lives in heaven is accurate. But even if we change our concept of who or what God is, this doesn’t change the fact that God does exist in some form. Note that although the myths regarding Santa Claus are not true, this mythology is based on a real person, and the purpose of these myths is to symbolize deeper truths about reality itself.
While exploring symbolism, it is important to keep in mind that rigid belief systems will limit our ability to explore the deeper mysteries. For example, we cannot fully appreciated the greater truths about the “spirit of Christmas” (which include kindness, giving, and compassion) if we never let go of our belief that Santa Claus actually exists.
Likewise, we will have a hard time grasping the true nature of God if we are unwilling to let go of our rigid concept of God in human form and embrace the Divine Being as a something bigger than what the human mind can comprehend (and is thus sometimes referred to as the “Great Mystery”). The ancient mythologies (including the Bible) were always written as stories to be easily understood at a superficial level, and which could later to be reinterpreted by the more perceiving mind once an individual was ready to explore the deeper truths.
The Son of God and Son of Man
In ancient times, the physical sun was often worshipped as the “giver of life” and the “light of the world.” Many ancient civilizations worshipped an anthropomorphic sun god, such as Ra in ancient Egypt, Helios and Appollo in ancient Greece, and Sol/Sunne in Germanic mythology. Note that for any belief system that included a creator God (i.e. a God who created the heavens and Earth), the sun would have been considered to be “God’s sun (son)” or the “sun (son) of God.”
In Greco-Roman mythology alone, there are many examples of the “son of God.” Apollo, an actual god of the sun, was also the son of the supreme God Zeus. Meanwhile, Hercules, who rescued the crucified Prometheus, was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman. Dionysus, who was born on December 25th and could turn water into wine, was (like Hercules) both the “son of god” and “son of man.”
Currently, the most famous son of God is Jesus Christ, whose parents were God and the virgin Mary. Interestingly, the Gospel of Thomas (which is not in the Bible) claims that Jesus had a twin (and fully mortal) brother, while Hercules in Greco-Roman mythology also had a fully mortal twin.
Spiritual Meaning
One way to make sense out of mythology and religious stories is to claim that they were the method that the ancients used to explain astronomical events. Yet if we put the Hermetic phrase “As above, so below” into practice, we must conclude that the meanings of these ancient myths are ultimately about humanity. In this case, we can conclude that we are all “sons of God” (i.e., divine in nature) while also being born of the sacred virgin Mary (i.e. we have physical bodies as a result of being born on Mother Earth). Furthermore, we have a dual (twin) nature: the “son of God” (our divine aspect or soul) that exists alongside the “son of man” (our ego selves).
In human anatomy, a “plexus” is a network of vessels or nerves that branches out in various directions. In the human body, the solar plexus (located below the heart) is given its name due to nerve clusters that branch in a manner which resembles the sun’s rays. Spirituality suggests that the element of the solar plexus chakra is fire, and that this chakra concerns self-will (free choice). One of the goals of the spiritual path is to align self-will with “God’s” will (i.e. divine will or love).
The Story of Jesus
In the Bible, Jesus was born the son of God and the virgin Mary in a town called Bethlehem. At the time of his birth, 3 magi (also known as the 3 kings) followed a star in the east to find the baby Jesus. When Jesus was 30 years old, he was baptized by John the Baptist and then set out on his ministry of preaching the “word of God” and healing the sick. At the age of 33, Jesus was crucified, but returned to life 3 days later. Jesus’ birth is traditionally celebrated on 25 December, and his death and resurrection are celebrated on Good Friday and Easter.
Astrological Significance
The star in the east that announced the birth of Christ was Sirius, which is the brightest star in the sky. Before Christianity, Sirius was associated with the Egyptian god Osiris, who also died and was resurrected. On December 24, Sirius aligns with the 3 stars in Orien’s belt known as the 3 kings, and together they point directly at the sun as it rises on the morning of the 25th of December. Thus, the 3 kings follow the star in the east to find the sun (of God) at his birth.
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the Greek goddess of the harvest. Because the harvest occurs around August and September, Demeter is associated with the constellation Virgo, which means “virgin.” Virgo is depicted as a maiden holding a shaft of wheat. In Hebrew, Bethlehem means “house of bread” and thus relates to the constellation of Virgo. Therefore, the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem is a symbolic way of claiming that Jesus was born of a virgin.
In the northern hemisphere, December 22nd marks the lowest point that the sun descends in the sky before starting to rise again on December 25th. During these three days, the sun can be found near the constellation known as the southern cross (which can be seen in the northern hemisphere up to 26 degrees north). As a result, the sun was said to “die on the cross” on 22nd December and be resurrected 3 days later on December 25th. This explains why the birth of the sun gods throughout history is usually celebrated on 25 December. It also explains why Jesus was resurrected three days after being crucified.
The reason why Jesus’ death and resurrection are traditionally celebrated in the spring is because Good Friday and Easter were originally pagan holidays that celebrated the spring equinox. At this time of the year, the sun (i.e. light) would triumph over the dark as daylight is now longer than the darkness of night. The word “Easter” is derived from the goddess Ostara, also known as the fertility goddess Ishtar. (Note: Ishtar was the mother of Baal).
Spiritual Symbolism
Esoteric writers (such as Earlyne Chaney and Max Heindel) have suggested that Jesus did come to Earth to sacrifice himself for the sake of humanity (more about this will be discussed in Part 2). However, it appears that the nature of the sacrifice was not to absolve the sins of humanity directly, but rather to temporarily postpone the effects of humanity’s karma in order to give the inhabitants of Earth a chance of obtaining spiritual salvation. Without this sacrifice, humanity’s karma would have prevented anyone from ever being able to achieve Christ consciousness (5D consciousness).
At the deeper level, it is necessary to appreciate that the story of Jesus is the story of the “spiritual warrior” who sacrifices him or herself for the sake of humanity. All of us on the spiritual path are such spiritual heroes who constantly crucify the desires of the flesh on the cross in order to serve our fellow human beings.
There are multiple symbols in Jesus’ life related to numbers, with the number three being one more the more common ones. In addition to being resurrected after 3 days, there were the three wise men who come to celebrate Jesus’ birth by bearing the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. According to Alice Bailey in her book “From Bethlehem to Calvary” these gifts represent the 3-fold nature of humankind. Gold is the symbol of the physical/material self, frankincense represents the emotional nature, and myrrh symbolizes the mind.
When we offer up the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of self to our Christ-self, we dedicate ourselves to our individual spiritual journeys. At age 30, Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist to signify the start of his ministry. Age 30 represents the purification of the 3-fold human self, which occurs prior to Jesus beginning his life of service to others. Previously, I have written about the stages of the spiritual journey that are sometimes referred to as initiations. The first three involve gaining a mastery over the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of self before moving on to other initiations that will involve service to others.
The Bull, the Ram, and the Fish
According to astrology, the Earth enters into a new “age” every 2000 years as part of a sequence known as the precession of the equinoxes. When Moses discovered that the Israelites were worshipping a bull, he became angry with them (supposedly because they were worshipping a false god). In fact, Moses was the Avatar for the age of Aries, which is symbolized by a ram. His predecessor was Baal, who was symbolized by Taurus the bull. The reason that Moses was upset is because the Israelites were practicing religious traditions which had become outdated in the age of Aries.
In other words, the worship of Baal was not wrong or evil. Instead, the religious practices of the previous age were no longer relevant for further spiritual development. 2000 years later, the birth of Jesus occurred right at the beginning of the Age of Pisces. Note that at least four of Jesus’ 12 disciples were fishermen. This seems like an important detail because of the remaining 8 disciples, the Bible only specifies the professions of two of them.
In Matthew 28:20, Jesus tells his disciples that “I will be with you until the end of the age.” In Luke 22:10, Jesus says: “when you enter into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house.” The water bearer is a clear reference to Aquarius, which is symbolized by a man pouring water out of a pitcher.
The connections with fish and the statements of Jesus’ himself make it clear that he was the avatar for the Piscean age, and that his teachings should be followed until the end of the that age. He also explains that a new avatar should be followed once the age of Aquarius begins.
Spiritual Meaning
At the beginning of the age of Aquarius, the Christians find themselves in the same position as the followers of Baal at the dawn of the age of Aries and the Israelites at the dawn of the age of Pisces. The New Age in no way invalidates the teachings of Jesus, the Piscean Avatar. Instead, the Age of Aquarius is a graduation from the religion of Christianity, which played a large role in assisting a significant number of souls with passing the 3rd initiation. The next step is to progress towards Christ Consciousness, which cannot be done by following outdated religious rules. To reach Christ Consciousness, an individual must learn to make contact with and follow their own indwelling Christ selves and use this guidance to express and share their true selves with the rest of humanity.
The Significance of 12 (Tribes, Disciples, etc.)
The number twelve is repeated often in the Bible, including the 12 tribes of Israel, the 12 sons of Jacob, the 12 governors of King Solomon, the 12 oxen of Elisha, and so on. In addition to the Bible, we also famously have the 12 knights of King Arther’s “round table” that go searching for the holy grail (i.e. eternal life).
From an astrological perspective, the twelve tribes of Israel and the 12 disciples or Jesus are the signs of the zodiac. There is a lot of information on the Internet that connects each tribe or disciple with its respective zodiac sign. One of the more obvious examples in the New Testament is the disciple Thomas, who is called the “twin.” This clue tells us that Thomas corresponds to the zodiac sign Gemini, which is represented by a set of twins.
Some of the other clues regarding the disciples are not as obvious. For example, the clue for Phillip is that he is fond of horses. In general, this would be a strange detail to add about someone when practically nothing else is said about the person. It turns out that Phillip is represented by Capricorn, a constellation which is surrounded by the constellations of Equuleus (meaning horse), Pegasus (winged horse), and Sagittarius (who is half horse).
Bartholomew is said to have been the son of a farmer. In the night sky, Libra is located under the constellation Bootes (a plowman/farmer), thus making Libra the figurative “son” of a farmer. Lebbaeus Thaddaus is one of the lesser-known disciples, and basically nothing is known about him except for his name. However, the name Lebbaeus itself is translated as “a man of heart” or a “young lion.” Knowing this, it is obvious that this disciple represented Leo, which is symbolized by a lion.
Spiritual Meaning
Astrology is a spiritual topic that is well-known even in mainstream society, and there is no need to go into any details regarding astrological signs and their meanings in this article. Instead, I wish to specifically address why the 12 signs of the zodiac – masquerading as disciples – show up in the story about Jesus.
In a previous article, I talked about how the 12 labors of Hercules match up with the 12 signs of the zodiac. We therefore know that the 12 zodiac signs correspond with particular spiritual lessons (AKA initiations) that a soul must successfully complete on its journey of spiritual development.
According to the writings of Dr. Joshua David Stone, 12 is the number of pieces that a soul is divided into. When we talk about the Higher Self, what we mean is the consciousness of the soul that has been made whole: the soul that is “at one” with itself or has “atoned” itself.
We often think of atonement (within the context of spirituality) as being at one with God. But before we can reach atonement at that level, we must first become one with ourselves. The zodiac would thus represent the different personalities or qualities that we need to reintegrate in order to become whole again. In my book, Sacred Journey, I discuss how the past trauma can be healed in order to reintegrate the fragments of self that have become separated.
The Significance of 40
In Greek mythology, Zeus decided to use a flood to destroy humanity due to their repugnant behavior. The mortal Deucalion was warned about the impending flood by the god Prometheus (the creator of humankind) and built a small vessel to save himself and his wife from drowning. In the biblical variant, Noah builds a giant boat to save not only himself and his family, but many animal species as well. In this version, God decided to destroy mankind for their wickedness while sparing Noah due to his righteous behavior. Once everyone was safely on board the vessel, God caused rain to pour down on the Earth for a period of 40 days.
Later in the Bible, Moses discovers that the Israelites are worshipping Baal, even though this group of people had very recently escaped slavery as a direct result of God’s actions on their behalf. Due to their misbehavior, the Israelites were forced to wander in the desert for 40 years before being allowed to enter the promised land.
In the New Testament, Jesus goes off into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray. According to the gospel of Matthew, he is actually led into the desert by the Holy Spirit in order to be tempted by Satan. A similar story is found in the First Book of Adam and Eve, which was not included in the Bible. In this account, Adam and Eve spend 40 days and nights in a cave praying to God to forgive them for the actions that resulted in them being cast out of the Garden or Eden. In this story, Satan comes to the cave to harass Adam and Eve during their time of fasting and praying.
Spiritual Meaning
The various stories that include the 40 day period display a pattern that indicates the symbolism of 40 is that of a process of purification. For instance, God “purified” the Earth of its wicked inhabitants via a flood, and the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the desert was a purification process to atone for their behavior.
The pattern of wandering in the desert and fasting are clues about this purification process. Both of these symbolize the fact that this period was spent denying the desires/senses of the physical body in order to purify the spiritual self. The “promised land” is also symbolic as it represents salvation or spiritual enlightenment. In other words, the stories explain that spiritual enlightenment is obtained by sacrificing the selfish desires of the ego self.
In some modern mystery schools, there is a 4-day fasting period as part of an initiation. For example, one school incorporates a 4-day fast – which must occur at a specific time based on one’s astrological chart – as a prerequisite for enlightenment. Another school incorporates a 4-day fast into an initiation for becoming a breatharian. (A breatharian is a person who is not dependent on the consumption of physical food for survival.) Note that in spirituality (and more specifically numerology), the numbers 40 and 4 are the same (40 = 4+0 = 4).
Usually, symbols have meaning on more than one level, and I suspect that this is the case with the number 40 as well. Potentially, 40/4 corresponds to what Rosicrucian author Max Heindel calls the 4th world. In Heindel’s most famous book, Cosmo-Conception, he explains that human beings are spirits who are evolving through a series of 7 revolutions through 7 worlds. From the 1st world through the 4th, human beings have been descending deeper and deeper in vibrational realities, but past the mid-point of the 4th world humans will start to ascend through the revolutions of the remaining 3 and a half worlds. At this moment in history, we are at the lower point of evolution: the midpoint of the 4th world.
From this midpoint of evolution, human souls are destined to continue the extremely slow process of evolving through the remaining worlds, which now involves ascending rather than descending. Yet at this midpoint of the 4th world, humans have another choice. Those that choose to consciously ascend can do so by taking the “straight and narrow” path back to God. This would involve consciously relinquishing the desires of the ego, but it would skip the necessity of reincarnating numerous more times within the remaining 3.5 worlds.
The Serpent and the Rainbow
Although it is not obvious at first, the serpent from the Garden of Eden and the rainbow from the story of Noah are intricately connected. Let’s start with the serpent: in the garden of Eden, a winged serpent convinces Eve to disobey God and eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As a result of tempting Eve, God punishes the serpent by removing his wings, forcing him to crawl on the ground.
A few generations later, God sends a flood to destroy all of humankind (with the exception of Noah and his family). At this point, God resolves never to flood the Earth again. In order to commemorate this oath, God gifts humans with the rainbow.
Spiritual Meaning
To understand the significance of these two symbols, it is important to add together several clues:
- The 7 major chakras from the root to the crown are usually depicted as the same colors that are used for the rainbow.
- The central channel of energy that runs from the root chakra to the crown chakra, which is called “Sushumna” in Sanskrit, also has the nickname “the rainbow bridge.” Notice that a rainbow appears in the shape of a bridge.
- The rainbow snake is a creature that can be found in ancient mythologies around the world, including the mythology of the Australian Aboriginals.
- In popular culture, there is a legend of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow (which is derived from Irish folklore).
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow has the same significance as the meaning of the holy grail: it signifies spiritual enlightenment (or Christ consciousness). Thus, we know that in order to gain enlightenment, something must traverse the rainbow bridge. And that something is our kundalini (creative) energy, which the serpent symbol is known to symbolize.
Before the fall of humanity, our kundalini energy was raised, which is symbolized as the dragon symbol (AKA the winged serpent). In spirituality, the dragon is a symbol of personal power, and the state of our kundalini energy (raised versus lowered) affects whether we are the conscious versus unconscious creators of our world/reality.
After the fall of humanity, our kundalini energy descended from our crown to our root chakras, where it now “crawls on the earth” (symbolized by snake). The lower expression of kundalini energy is sexuality, while the higher expression is creativity. Because sexual energy is a lower form of creative energy, some religions have made claims that sexual intercourse and sexual behavior (pleasures of the flesh) are sinful or dirty. But this idea is simply a misinterpretation of spiritual knowledge.
In fact, the proper use of sexual energy is an important lesson/initiation that each person must master as part of their respective spiritual journeys. The key is learning to use sexual energy for loving and selfless purposes rather than abusing it for selfish purposes. By learning to handle sexual energy appropriately, individuals will be in a much better position to make proper use of their higher creative energies.
This brings us to the full restoration of our kundalini/creative energies. A major prerequisite for permanently raising the kundalini (and thus reversing the consequences of the fall of humanity) is “rebuilding” the rainbow bridge from the root chakra to the crown chakra. During the fall of humanity, this energy channel was severed. Until this energy channel is fully restored, the kundalini energy cannot fully or permanently ascend to the higher chakras. The rainbow bridge is slowly restored through our positive intentions and loving actions. Note that the rainbow bridge runs along the path of the 33 vertebrae of the spinal column. The 33 vertebrae correspond to the 33 years of Jesus’ life (at which point Jesus ascended into heaven).
Tree of Knowledge and Tree of Life
Two of the most important esoteric symbols in the Bible are the Tree of Knowledge (of Good and Evil) and the Tree of Life. Like other symbols, these two have important meanings on multiple levels. In the book of Genesis, both trees were located in the Garden or Eden that Adam and Eve inhabited before the fall of man. God told Adam and Eve that they could eat of any of the trees in the garden except for the Tree of Knowledge. However, Adam and Eve later disobeyed God as a result of Eve being tempted by the snake to do so. As a result, Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden (where all their needs were provided for them) and forced to live an existence of physical toil in order to provide for their physical needs. After being cast out of the Garden of Eden, God made “coats of skin” for both of them.
From a logical perspective, if God did not want Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, He would never have planted it in the Garden of Eden to begin with. Thus, we can make a safe assumption that this story is entirely symbolic. The Tree of Life in the story (at a superficial level) represents life of the Garden of Eden. There were no physical bodies, and thus no physical death. Instead, there was only life.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represents the physical world, which includes physical bodies and physical death, and is dualistic in nature (i.e. good versus evil). The coats of skin that were presented to Adam and Eve represent the physical bodies that Adam and Eve transitioned to following the fall. Additionally, Adam and Eve themselves symbolize humanity as a whole at the moment that they collectively descended to physical reality.
At the microcosmic level, each of us has a Tree of Knowledge and Tree of Life in our physical bodies. The Tree of Life represents the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for many vital processes including breathing, digestion, and blood circulation. The system works automatically without any conscious effort. In contrast, the Tree of Knowledge represents the somatic nervous system, which is responsible for muscle movements that are fully controlled by our conscious minds. The branches of the autonomic nervous system (Tree of Life) are represented by the cerebellum, and the roots are represented by the nerve network. The roots of the somatic nervous system (Tree of Knowledge) are represented by the cerebrum (the large part of the brain) and the branches are the related network of nerves in the body. Note that the Tree of Knowledge is inverted.
If we make a simplified drawing of a tree with its root system, it appears in the shape of a triangle (with the roots at the base). The roots of the Tree of Life are in the brain, while the roots of the Tree of Knowledge are in the abdomen. When these two triangles intersect, they form a 6-pointed star.
From a spiritual perspective, the 6-pointed star represents the connection of the spiritual with the physical. At the individual level, this star symbolizes the process of connecting to our spiritual selves via our physical selves. We don’t do this by denying our physical bodies and their needs, but by using the physical in service of the spiritual.
At the level of humanity, the 6-pointed star represents humanity’s efforts in establishing “heaven on earth,” which is another way of describing the process of the ascension of Earth as it moves into to 5D (Christ consciousness). Note that the Earth is also a consciousness and is in its own ascension process which is connected with the collective ascension processes of all the beings who inhabit it.
To Be Continued
This is the end of Part 1. In Part 2 of this article (to be published soon), we will explore the meanings of more symbols in the Bible, including:
- David and Goliath
- The Story of Job
- Passover
- Parting of the Red Sea
- Animal Sacrifices
- King Solomon’s Temple and the Holy of Holies
Sources:
Bailey, Alice. From Bethlehem to Calvary: The Initiations of Jesus. Lucis Publishing Company, 1989.
Chaney, Earlyne C. Astara’s Book of Life First Degree: The Journey of Becoming – Traveling the Sea of Forces.
—Astara’s Book of Life Second Degree: Roots of the Tree of Knowledge – Treasure of the Tree of Life.
Gnostic Academy. The 12 Disciples of the Zodiac. 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=11XCOFE5Y5k
Heindel, Max. The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception: Mystic Christianity. Fellowship Press, 1992.
Joseph, Peter. Zeitgeist The Movie. Gentle Machine Productions, 2007. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJSpujHhaGQ
Lumpkin, Joseph B. The Lost Books of the Bible: The Great Rejected Texts. 5th Estate Publishers, 2009.
Stone, Dr. Joshua David. Cosmic Ascension: Your Cosmic Map Home. Light Technology Publishing, 1997.