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[Tau Malachi]

Holy Feast of St. Lazarus
(The Feast of the Blessed Dead)

The Feast of St. Lazarus (or Eleazar) is celebrated on the first of November, in between the Feast of the Apocalypse and the Feast of the Mother and Child. The more common name of this Holy Feast is the Feast of the Blessed Dead, and as this name implies this sacred ceremony assumes the forum of spiritual assistance for the dying and the dead, as well as our honoring those who have gone before us in the world, honoring our ancestors.

*On an esoteric level this may include the honoring of our “ancestor’s ancestors,” or the “elder races.”

In Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ, in the chapter discussing Yesod, the basic Sophian teachings on the mysteries of dying, death and the afterlife are discussed; likewise, there is further discussion of these mysteries in the forum for the Order of St. Lazarus, along with practices for the spiritual assistance of the dying and the dead – these are the mysteries celebrated in the Feast of St. Lazarus, as we remember the wonder of the resurrection of St. Lazarus and the promise of eternal life in our Lord and Savior, the Gnostic Revealer, Yeshua Messiah.

Here we shall say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

*See the teachings given on this Beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount in Living Gnosis.

On the one hand, in this Holy Feast we seek to clearly look and see the truth of impermanence in this life and the Entirety, seeking to accept and embrace it; likewise, we seek to look and see the sorrow and suffering that pervades the whole of this life and the Entirety, and remember our salvation in the Risen Messiah, the cessation of all sorrow and suffering in the enlightenment and liberation of the soul – hence, to remember our motivation on the Path to Enlightenment. On the other hand, we seek to generate the Sacred Heart, the desire to active love and compassion, and to reach out with spiritual assistance to all who are in need – the dying and the dead representing the plight of all sentient beings in the unenlightened condition.

In spiritual work for the dying and the dead we may come to the acceptance and embrace of our own impermanence – and it is an empowerment to life and conscious living when we do; yet we may also recognize the illusory quality of that which we call “death,” recognizing that it is, in truth, a transition in the continuum of life or consciousness, a time of transformation and great possibility as the mind or soul-stream passes from one mode of existence to another, from one life to another – and perchance this may invoke the remembrance of our bornless nature, the eternal life of the Divine I Shall Be.

The various dimensions all occupy the same space at the same time, and so, in truth, the dead do not “go” anywhere – only the appearance of the soul in this world ceases, but the soul or spirit of the dead remains in the subtle dimensions of space-time-consciousness, and therefore may receive the blessings and light-power offered in spiritual assistance. Thus, it is our aim in this Holy Feast to assist souls to move on in their journey, as well as to uplift souls in the Great Resurrection and Ascension; following the Feast of the Apocalypse this is a natural response of theurgic action inspired by the Sacred Heart.

This rite may assume the form of a Gnostic Mass for the Dead, akin to the example given in the Order of St. Lazarus; likewise, it may be based upon any of the spiritual practices for the dying and the dead, or any combination of them – but always, at some point there is the celebration of the Wedding Feast, which is followed by an essential Transference of Consciousness practice on behalf of the dead.

There is also a secret or esoteric form of this Holy Feast – an inner and secret empowerment that may occasionally be given to initiates of the Order of St. Lazarus who draw near to their tzaddik. Essentially, an initiate of the Holy Order assumes the role of a person on their deathbed, the environment of the rite being created to reflect this, and if an adept or master of the tradition has the gift and realization to send souls into an experience of death and the afterlife, the soul of the initiate is sent into this near-death experience; the entire rite is one of spiritual assistance at the bedside of the dying, and the guidance of the soul through the afterlife states – the initiate undergoing the journey and receiving guidance doing so in proxy for the dead. The capacity of realization to actual send souls into this experience is uncommon – only here or there is there a Gnostic adept or master who knows this art in the Holy Spirit; likewise, there are relatively few aspirants who draw so close to a tzaddik, or who are ready and willing to such a journey, or who have a capacity to receive this inner and secret empowerment. Therefore this form of the Feast of the Blessed Dead is very rare, especially in these modern times; nevertheless, however, in previous generations this inner and secret initiation of the Order of St. Lazarus was the primary method for the celebration of the Feast of St. Lazarus – hence, the sending of a soul on something of the same journey as St. Lazarus, though as a near-death experience rather than actual death. In other words, this Holy Feast was based upon a wonder, for to send a soul on such a journey is, indeed, a feat of wonderworking.

In any case, this holy rite assumes the form of active spiritual assistance for the dying and the dead – all in the grace of the Risen Messiah.

This Holy Feast opens the way to the Feast of the Mother and Child on winter solstice – and we walk as among the blessed dead seeking our rebirth in her as her Holy Child; it is a time of shedding and letting go, seeking our renewal in the Mother Spirit with the emergence of the new solar year that begins the day after winter solstice.

*Winter solstice is also our New Year’s Eve.

The Feast of the Blessed Dead completes our journey through the solar year, just as death is the culmination or completion of this life; hence, the Solar High Rites are a walking of the Sacred Circle, the Circle of the Divine Life.

May all souls be blessed and uplifted in the Risen Messiah – may the inmost heart’s desire of all be fulfilled; amen.

Blessings & shalom!
_________________
Tau Malachi
Sophia Fellowship
Ecclesia Pistis Sophia