Artwork: The Apparation by Gustave Moreau
“In the Summer Solstice the celebration of Saint John the Baptist takes place, the Precursor, precisely because he baptizes, in a certain way because he initiates, the obligatory passage to obtain the fullness of the Christic Mystery.
Saint John the Baptist, or of summer, is denominated the Precursor and he says of Christ, ‘It suits for him to grow; but for me to wane.’”
E. Durán, About Christian Esotericism
“In presence of the Christus John I could feel in the entire presence of my Cosmic Being, the deep significance of baptism.”
Baptism
John the Baptist was calling for repentance and offering a path to rebirth for all the repentant. He baptised all who came to him in the Jordan river; Jordan is from the Hebrew word meaning to go down or to descend.
In order to repent we must face ourselves, the painful process of descending into our own unconsciousness in order to see the reality of the ego and dedicate ourselves to changing from within.
Baptism is a tremendous symbol of rebirth through the power of the sexual waters. Baptism is to be initiated into something new, to be renewed, reborn. That is why it is intimately related with the sacrament of marriage. Only with sex and transmutation is it possible to be reborn in the spirit.
“It is necessary to understand what baptism represents. Obviously, baptism represents a pact of sexual magic. If the child that will be solemnity baptized will later in life fulfill the covenant of sexual magic, the baptism will then serve its purpose. Yet, if he does not comply with the pact of sexual magic, then what is the point of this? [ ]
I illustrate all of this to you so that you will understand the esoteric transcendence of baptism.
For example, in the Christian churches the baptismal font represents precisely the philosophical stone, the creative organs.
As for the magnetized waters or lustral waters contained in the stone, they undoubtedly represent the sacred sperm.
In other words, we would say that water represents the mercury of secret philosophy and the fire of candles represent the sulfur of alchemy. Only through mercury- that is, the entity of semen- and sulfur -that is, the entity of fire- is it possible to achieve the second birth.”
Samael Aun Weor, Lecture: Baptism and the Philosophical Stone
Prophet Elijah
The great prophet of the Old Testament Elijah returns to usher in the new era of the Christ. Fulfilling the prophesies of the messiah by initiating the Christ Jesus with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
“Truly I say unto you that among those who are born of women there has never risen one greater than John the Baptist; …for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you wish to accept it, he is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Matthew 11:11-15
Avatar of Pisces
John the Baptist is the Avatar of Pisces. With the waters of life he iniates Christ and the era of Pisces.
“There is the need to distinguish between what the avatars are and what the saviour is.
John the Baptist was the Avatar of Pisces and I am the Avatar of Aquarius. The Saviour of the world is not an Avatar. He is more than all of the Avatars. He is the Saviour.
We, the Avatars are simply the instructors and the founders of a new era. Christ is more than all the instructors. He is the Saviour.”
-Samael Aun Weor, Igneous Rose
Decapitation
John the Baptist lived a tremendous esoteric process throughout his life. His martyrdom at the hands of the King in the form of decapitation is an unforgetabble teaching of mystical death and the sacrifice of the self.
“…the music of dulcimers swelled louder and the excited spectators roared their applause.
“The tetrarch called again, louder than before: ‘Come to me! Come! Thou shalt have Capernaum, the plains of Tiberias! my citadels! yea, the half of my kingdom!’
“Again the dancer paused; then, like a flash, she threw herself upon the palms of her hands, while her feet rose straight up into the air. In this bizarre pose she moved about upon the floor like a gigantic beetle; then stood motionless.
“The nape of her neck formed a right angle with her vertebrae. The full silken skirts of pale hues that enveloped her limbs when she stood erect, now fell to her shoulders and surrounded her face like a rainbow. Her lips were tinted a deep crimson, her arched eyebrows were black as jet, her glowing eyes had an almost terrible radiance; and the tiny drops of perspiration on her forehead looked like dew upon white marble.
“She made no sound; and the burning gaze of that multitude of men was concentrated upon her.
“A sound like the snapping of fingers came from the gallery over the pavilion. Instantly, with one of her movements of bird-like swiftness, Salome stood erect. The next moment she rapidly passed up a flight of steps leading to the gallery, and coming to the front of it she leaned over, smiled upon the tetrarch, and, with an air of almost childlike naivete, pronounced these words:
“‘I ask my lord to give me, placed upon a charger, the head of—’ She hesitated, as if not certain of the name; then said: ‘The head of John!’”
-Gustave Flaubert, Herodias
Night of Saint John the Baptist
Saint John’s Eve, starting at sunset on June 23rd, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on June 24th, six months before Christmas according to the old Roman calculation [source].
This celebration usually includes a bonfire or lantern near a body of water, and plunging into the water at midnight in honor of the baptism.