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T H E S A N C T U A R Y O F T H E H O L Y G R A I L by Bishop John Cole Today we have no shortage of literature and commentary on the Grail l legends, and certainly no lack of diversity of meaning. In our work, however, we have as a primary concern, the story of the Grail as a mystic quest of the soul. We recognize the Grail legends of which we are concerned as an initiatic stream of esoteric Christendom, a particular branch of the Tree of Gnosis. The major consensus has for the most part told us that the Grail legends were Christianized by way of older Celtic legends, however upon closer examination a purely Christian Grail derivation apart from pagan sources may be demonstrated. As noted above, this particular Grail mythos is a continuation of the Gnostic Mysteries of the first centuries of our era. When considering how the Grail legends came about from the Gnostics, we must realize that as initiates and mystery schools are suppressed and driven underground in certain areas in history, their work will tend to emerge in another place and time, however be certain that the Great Work itself can never be subdued. We will always have potential access to the universal symbols of truth. We will have our point of entry to these symbols through the Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious spoken of so often by Dr. C.G. Jung. The trick however seems to be that these archetypes tend to be closer to the surface in some people than others. A point of similarity between Gnosticism and the Grail Myths may be found in the figure of Lucifer. Lucifer is often shown as the Prince of Light, actually seen as a hero of a cosmic struggle, fighting to bring light into the darkness of the demiurge's creation. In a sense he plays the part of the Gnostic Christ who fuses together the opposites of creation. It is interesting to note that the Zoroastrians have a similar view of Lucifer, whom they worshipped as a Sun God who battled against the legions of darkness. To quote a somewhat Gnostic text with Zoroastrian influence (The Substance of Adam, by S.G. Ancorna): "With his green wings wide open, transported by his own inner fire, followed by a host of faithful angels, he makes for the center of the world, his sword of light straight in front of him, is in the grip of his powerful hand."
Lucifer's destiny would appear to be that of destroying the beast or the embodiment of evil, however, all that he succeeds in doing is to drive his adversary deeper into the world of matter. As Lucifer remains in the invisible realms of our universe the sword of green fire falls from his grasp. It fell from space and lost its power and light, growing denser and denser. At last it became a stone, a magnificent emerald shaped like a cup. So as the sword of light fell it became a vessel. In other legends, the Grail was a piece of Lucifer's brow, yet the brow was cut with a sword and also fell and became a vessel. We are here almost reminded of another cosmic battle, that of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker dueling with their Light Sabres. Young Skywalker also greatly resembles the figure of Parsifal. He is hidden away by his aunt and uncle on a desolate planet to keep him from knowing not only of his Father, but more importantly from his destiny of becoming a Jedi (Grail) Knight. From our particular tradition we are taught that the Grail, whether a sword of light or a piece of Lucifer's brow, is to be seen in a sense as a talisman for the guardians of the hidden Temple. This of course is not a solitary relic that resides in a physical Temple reserved for a privileged few, it is a state of being that is accessible to all who are willing to endure the quest. As Arthur Edward Waite so aptly put it, "The presence of the secret traditions of the Grail is similar to that of angels unaware." As the initiates linger in the outer courts preparing for regeneration, the adepts reside in the inner court having succeeded in the Quest. The inner court of the Holy Assembly is the place of Eden or Paradise and is also the place from which man came and to whither he returns. The gates of hell cannot prevail against those who rise to the Holy Assembly, for they are beyond reach of the archons of temptation. The chief mystery of the Holy Grail is communication with the divine where the Grail itself is the method of communication between God and man. It may also be seen The Holy Grail may also be found hidden within the realms of the western mystery schools. In the legends and symbolism from the rituals of Masonry, Rosicrucianism, Templarism, etc., set forth the widowhood of the house of doctrine, and they looked for the return of that which, for the time, had been taken away. In other words, it is the suggestion of the Secret Schools that somewhere in time and the world there is that which can confer upon the candidate a real as well as a symbolical experience. The Grail literature gives us an identical message, it speaks of the Christian Doctrine concerning that, which once inhered therein and is now in the state of withdrawal or profound latency. It is from the Secret Schools however that we receive the keys that will unlock the sealed doors, these keys though are given in the form of reflections, rumors, replica, mystery ritual, initiation, and morgantic descents from older mysteries. The work therefore is given to us from many masters and from them we may recognize the same high intentions. Those masters watch haply over the quests of humanity, shaping them at proper seasons, to the true ends.
The Grail mysteries as the Christian mystery teachings consist of a series of initiations into the life of Christ himself. We have only to look at the course of Parsifal's life within the earlier Grail texts, especially that of Chrétien, to see the existing parallels. Parsifal, like all Christians is in a state of sin; his ignorance, his innocence, does not preclude his share in the collective sin of mankind. The fall according to Origen, occurred because the beginning of creation was unstable, and unstable because it was innocent. The beginning is dependent upon redemption through the action of the Restoration of all things. Just as Christ had to live through the sacred drama of incarnation, nativity, initiation in the desert (an image of the wasteland), active ministry, and crucifixion, so the Grail Knight has to acquire experience on his quest to abrogate the seeds of his own innocence. Christ thus becomes the Divine Archetype (or the Supreme Commander as He is termed in the OTG) of the Grail initiate. In fact, he is conceived in the womb of the Grail Virgin, He transmutes the water in the vessel of Cana; He descends into the waters of the Jordan, taking on himself the sins of those whom John had previously baptized; He offers His own flesh and blood in the Passover meal to His disciples in order that they might literally 'Pass--Over' into the promised land of the Redeemer; He begs that the Chalice of suffering be taken from Him, yet he succumbs to the inner voice and drinks it to dregs; He is buried in a hollow tomb after His essential moisture (blood and sweat) have been collected by Joseph of Arimathea; He is resurrected, going first to harrow hell in an action which is paralleled by the freeing of the waters of the wasteland. Parsifal in his youth was innocent much in the same way that Adam was before the temptation. When he failed to ask the important question, he also suffered the same consequences as Adam after eating of the tree of knowledge, being the awakening to the awareness of suffering and its both evil and redemptive qualities. Although he retains somewhat of the fool archetype; he is smeared with the same blood as Adam and shares in his sin. In the Arthurian Romances of Chrétien de Troyes, Parsifal is ignorant of the Trinity, yet he eventually succeeds in his quest precisely because of his innocence and ignorance. He travels through all of the levels of initiation in unknowing imitation of Christ; being led through necessary suffering in order to reach the object of his search -- the Grail itself. Another point that should not be overlooked is that the element of predestination runs throughout most of the Grail texts. It is evident that Parsifal, and after him Galahad, had partaken far more into the mysteries than the common man. Parsifal was unusually ignorant of the basic tenets of faith and this set him apart from the common Christian in search of redemption. Lancelot and Gawain were schooled in the ways of Christianity, but turned away and rejected the inner life for worldly rewards.
The Grail mythos also demonstrated a thread of independence and individuality and this seemed to be enough to introduce whispers of heresy. It was quickly seen as a dangerous alternative of Christian 'fulfillment'. It was later to become associated with both the Knights Templar and the Cathars. Both movements were to suffer genocide in bloody purges. We are also told that the Grail was housed in the castle of Corbenic, which can be translated as 'blessed or transfigured body'. So perhaps the greatest threat to the established Church is that here we have a blueprint for a quest for redemption where worshipping at the altar was not a requirement. The Grail legends demonstrated man's personal search for perfection, not a narrowing of sights or a cramping of style, but a system of self-knowledge that could not be contained in the orthodox belief. During this historic era, the church had generally lost interest in the spiritual needs of man and had become immersed in political power. So in essence, as the church established itself as the exoteric mode of western religious expression, the time was ripe for an esoteric tradition to arise where by which the great truths may not perish, but rather become revivified and consequently transmitted to further generations. When the established hierarchy fails in its duty, it is as though the angelic powers inspire mankind to produce those who will. These are people who stand in direct communication with the will of God: the mystics, who realize the truths in popular manner; and the heretics who delve into forgotten or perhaps half-forgotten lore, who formulate alternatives to established ways of belief. The external splendor told of the Grail Temple and its hallows are only symbols of the grandiose adornment of the soul, and its ultimate Robe of Glory, which is attained It should be obvious that the mythos of the Holy Grail is not much different from Other articles by Bishop John Cole: , THE SONS OF ZADOK AND THE CHRISTIAN GNOSIS, DHARMA OF DEVEKUT, INTRODUCTION |
as the philosopher's stone or leavening agent of this process. The place of this communication as Waite describes it is the Secret Church of the Holy Grail. The Secret Church is not entered by doors, because it was not built by human hands, it is the manifest Church glorified in the Spiritual kingdom, as it was first set over the kingdom of the visible world. This Church has no ambassadors at court, no healers or prophets; it has no conventional offices either in the interests of things above or of those below. The Secret Church draws rather than leads, and in a sense it is the synthesis of believers in the higher consciousness.
upon our liberation. Some would ask, liberation from what? The legends tell us that we seek liberation from the 'enchantment', which is the result of an evil which has fallen (temporarily) on the keeper of the Grail. Obviously, we must attempt to identify this evil if we are to be liberated from it. One account leads us to believe that the lowly flesh of this world has smitten itself deeply into the life of the keeper, who, has been a victim of earthly passion. Another account claims that the keeper cannot die until he has seen the last of his posterity, and the keeper must suffer through the eons of time, wit