Theophany and Initiation

“...the Forerunner was seized with trembling and cried aloud, saying: “How shall the lamp illuminate the Light? How shall the servant set his hand upon the Master? O Saviour who takest away the sin of the world, sanctify both me and the water.”

“For Thou by Thine own will hast brought all things out of nothingness into being, by Thy power Thou dost hold together the creation, and by Thy providence Thou dost govern the world. Of four elements hast Thou compounded the creation: with four seasons hast Thou crowned the cycle of the year. All the spiritual powers tremble before Thee. The sun sings Thy praises; the moon glorifies Thee; the stars supplicate before Thee; the light obeys Thee; the deeps are afraid at Thy presence; the fountains are Thy servants. Thou hast stretched out the heavens like a curtain; Thou hast established the earth upon the waters; Thou hast poured forth the air that living things may breathe. The angelic powers minister to thee; the Choir of Archangels worship Thee; the many-eyed Cherubim and the six-winged Seraphim, standing round Thee and flying about Thee, hide their faces in fear of Thine unapproachable glory...For Thou, our God, hast appeared on earth and dwelt among men, Thou hast sanctified the streams of Jordan, sending down from on high the Most Holy Spirit, and Thou hast broken the heads of the dragons hidden therein.”

-From the Orthodox liturgy of the Blessing of the Waters

The above quotes are taken directly from the service of the Theophany in the Eastern Orthodox Church. This celebration is known alternately as the Epiphany in most western Christian rites. Theophany is a very appropriate term for how this understanding of Christ's baptism relates to us as Magi in the modern world.

Theophany literally means “appearance of God.” The nature of the story makes this meaning self- evident, as the Logos appeared in the form of a man, the Christos. Yet for the initiate, Christian and otherwise, this story has profound significance. It is the formula and guide for the unveiling of the image of the Creator, the face of the Divine within us.

The first part of the quote referencing the “Forerunner” is alluding to John the Baptist. For those unfamiliar with the story, John the Baptist was a close relative of Christ who was born before him, and who cried out for spiritual purification in the desert outside of Galilee. At the beginning of Christ's public ministry, it is this individual that becomes the vessel for the enlightenment of the world.

The inner nature of John the Baptist is the aspect of the self that calls out for purification, and for a higher life. It is the voice of Plotinus when he tells us to elevate the higher and denigrate the lower. It is the alchemist who is slowly applying the heat, so that his material may turn black and face necessary corrosion.

And so the initiate, when approaching this work, is the Forerunner of his own awakened nature. The water into which Christ is baptized is an allusion to the tomb of resurrection found later in the canonical Gospels, and seen in so many of the regenerative stories of the Near-East. It is the womb of spirit to which Christ will point Nicodemus, the wise pharisee.

So what, according to the prayers of the Theophany, should be the attitude of the initiate wishing to undergo the birth of the Spirit? What should one say as Forerunner to their own awakening?

It is the gratitude, wonder, and awe that is born out of the black work. The throne-room of God has been prepared in the Noetic soul, and the steward will soon be replaced by the King. “How can the Lamp illuminate the Light?” This is a clear acknowledgment of our own place in the celestial hierarchy, neither being a denigration of our material selves, nor an exalting to the place of our Progenitor. We request that our physical life might become the lamp which holds the Sacred Fire, and emits the Light ineffable into the world.

Following this there is a profound shift in the Gospel narrative. Where as the black work of John the Baptist has been the focus, the White work must now follow in Christ's baptism and retreat into the desert to undergo temptation. This is the shift in the initiate from the work of external purification, bringing our thoughts, desires, and emotions into proper balance through Divine aid- to complete and utter identification with our God.

There was a belief in the early Church that an entire culture could be baptized. They speak of a culture being changed spiritually, but not in character or value. That is, the personality and uniqueness of the culture is not lost through its spiritual transformation. And so it is with the initiate that has come out of solar regeneration. The human aspect is still alive and well, with its range of feelings and everyday concerns, yet the path to becoming God, our Theosis, has opened.

There is a reversal of imagery that takes place as Christ emerges from the water. He goes from being baptized in the water by the unworthy Forerunner, to baptizing the waters and all of creation as he emerges. The initiate's work changes at this point as well, and all that proceeds from His work is blessed, holy, and exalted.

This is the good news given by the second quote. That all the four elements that make up our foundation have been sanctified, the angels and heavenly powers see the Divine image within us, are moved to love, aid, and help us, while the infernal and Cthonic powers are naturally inclined to obey. Should we as humble seekers of the Holy Mysteries survive the “crushing of the dragons” beneath the waters of our initiation, our baptism, we will come out of the river bearing the Light of the Source to everything we touch, transmuting it into Gold.

The following mental exercise can be used to cultivate this idea of who we have become, or are striving to become, depending on where we are in our respective journey.

1. Calm yourself mentally with several deep breaths until you are able to adequately focus.
2. Say a short prayer requesting Divine aid in seeing the image of the Co-Creator within you.
3. Read over the second quote slowly, allowing yourself to mentally absorb its concepts.
4. Take a moment to remember where you are from and who is your Source.
5. Now read the second quote again, this time identifying yourself with the Divine in each verse indicating creation, renewal, and authority. In other words, chant these words as if you're reminding yourself of your Divine nature, the aspect of yourself that has always been with God from the beginning. Use it as an invocation, a canticle to your higher self.

All who persist in the Great Work will eventually undergo their own Theophany. This experience is what allows us to work with Angels and to command Demons, and to know God as he is revealed to us and seen in us by all the beings in heaven, on and under the earth.

And through each person who is illuminated to their Divine fate, God again dwells and works among men.

-HS