SACRIFICE
In the earliest time of man, the cycles of weather and seasons were of vast importance to humans. Often the difference between prosperity and starvation was learning how to hunt and later plant, sow and reap in harmony with the elements. Thus early man learned to listen to the rhythms of life. Because so much depended on the benevolence of the elements, man attempted to curry favor by sacrificing to the Gods. The concept of Sacrifice became incorporated in almost every religion from that time on. To this day Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and was sacrificed to "pay" for the sins of mankind. This in fact is no different from Paleolithic man slaughtering a lamb and spilling the blood on the ground in order that the hunt should be successful. In fact, Jesus is also called the "Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world". He is also said to have been born in a cave on December 25th, close to the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, this is also the birthdate of Mithras. The birth of Jesus was celebrated by Priests and wisemen who brought candles, frankincense, and gold.
Early tribes had tribal leaders, usually the strongest and the wisest of the tribe, who would lead and protect his people. As he reached the age when his powers were waning, he was replaced by a younger, stronger "king". This myth is repeated time and again throughout literature and history. The wonderful story of King Arthur is a similar myth, a sacrifice for the welfare of his people. The common thread here is the willingness of the sacrifice to act in that role. Jesus went to the cross willingly.
The ancient tribal Kings were performing their last great deed for their people. Human sacrifice is still celebrated in the Roman Catholic church by the "sacrifice" of the Mass. Today a Witch's sacrifice is a libation of water or wine poured to the ground or the finest of fruits, vegetables or flowers brought to the altar. Many years before the birth of Christ, the Gnostics and the Essenes both had a doctrine of atonement where a heirophant or priest could offer up his sinless life as sacrifice to the Gods he hoped to appease. This was likely the basis of the myth of the sacrificial Jesus.
REINCARNATION:
The concept of reincarnation often follows the idea of sacrifice. Great heroes throughout history usually live on in myth. Their followers like to think that they survive and will "come again" to save their people. King Arthur was said to have been taken to the Isle of Avalon, to return again when his country needs him. The earliest indication of the belief in reincarnation is 4000 years old in northern Syria where the remains at HALAF clearly show that the Pagan folk believed that the horned moon "died" and was resurrected in three days. Later, civilizations in the Taurus Mountains incorporated that belief into the worship of the Bull God. Jesus, of course is said to be coming again (the second coming) to save humankind. Reincarnation was accepted by all early Christians. It was not until the religion had gone from a simple faith of a devoted people to an organization with a hierarchy of priests and leaders. References to reincarnation were removed from the writings that became the bible. They missed a few, and these form the basis of the current argument Born Again Christians use to "prove" their point. They assume however, a spiritual rebirth rather than a physical one.
VIRGIN/MAGICAL BIRTH
First of all, the original Hebrew word in the Bible which has been translated to mean virgin was "almah" which really means "young girl". When the early Hebrew texts were translated into Greek the word was mistranslated from "almah" to "parthenas" which does mean virgin. The error was corrected in later Greek translations and "parthenas" was changed to "neanis", which means young woman. The first error stayed in the King James Version of the Bible. Having said that, there remains the myth of the virgin, or mother of fatherless sons who saved their race in one way or another. The Babylonian Ishtar, Neith in Libya, Ate in Celisia, Anaites in Armenia, Ataigates in Assyria, Ariadne in Crete, Cybele in Phrygia, Astarte in Phoenicia, Kwanyin in China, Kwannon in Japan, Aphrodite in Greece and Isis in Egypt. Note that Isis (like the Virgin Mary) was called the Queen of Heaven and Immaculate Lady many centuries before the birth of Christ...another common myth. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were said to have been brought to the Christ Child, in 469 BC they also attended the birth of Socrates, and in 1200 BC angels and shepherds were said to have brought the same gifts to Krishna. They also were at the birth of Confucius in 598 BC and at the births of Zoroaster, Mithra, and Osiris.
MOTHERS IN COMMON:
The mother of Christ was called Mary, Buddha's mother was Maia, as was the mother of Hermes. Bacchus and Adonis both had mothers named Myrrha, and even Krishnas mother was called Marima. The mother of a Siamese "savior" was Maya Maria. It appears that the same root word applied to all of these mothers. I suspect that root word was from Mare...often translated as water or sea, and a symbol of the earth mother from whence we all sprang. Water is also a purifier, and the myth of baptism to purify is a common one. Christians have John the Baptist, but the gods of India, Greece and Egypt also urged baptism. In Egypt the god Anup was called "the baptiser".
CAVES AND CRIBS:
Many of the deities claimed cribs or caves as their birthplace. Apollo, Bacchus, Jupiter, Hermes, Mithra and Krishna all were born in caves or cribs. The word creche originally meant cave, not crib. Crib meant stable, creche meant cave. Jesus was thus born in a cave, not a stable. But it does seem that the unifying myth is that a savior or avatar born in lowly circumstances, who led his people and became their spiritual "savior".
TRINITY:
The Christian Trinity is attributable to Plato's philosophy. He viewed the Divine will as three-fold. The reason, and the soul and spirit of the Universe...thus the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There were many other trinities. The Brahmin Brahma, Vishnu and Sitva; the Persian Ormazd, Mithra and Ahriman; the Chaldean Bel-Saturn, Jupiter-Bel, and Baal-Chom. These correspond to spirit, matter and time, and to power, wisdom and justice. Yet another common thread unifying different mythologies.
MAGIC:
Since earliest times people believed in magic. Paleolithic man thought he could influence the Gods through chant, dance and sacrifice. Later folks revered Magi or Wisemen who used astrology to predict the future. Some cultures believed in oracles, some in casting sticks or water scrying, but most had a deep respect for magic. Although the Christian church condemns "sorcery" and magic as the work of the devil, the Catholic clergy practiced it widely until the Reformation. Albertus Magnus was a Bishop and conjuror, and Thomas Aquinas was his pupil. Roger Bacon, a well known sorcerer, was a monk, and Pico Mirandala was a Kabbalist. St. Augustine practiced divination by lots. Hildebrand was a Magician, Pope Sylvester II was a proven sorcerer and Cardinal Wolsey was an alchemist. Catherine de Medici even employed the services of a Jacobean Priest who murdered for her by means of incantations, effigies and necromancy. Interestingly enough, the Catholic church had a service of exorcism in its prayer book until fairly recently. It was an important source of revenue for the Church for centuries.
COMMON TRAPPINGS:
The Pope has taken as symbols of his office the pagan wand or scepter, the keys of Janus and Cybele, and the Tiara of Brahmitma, the supreme leader of the initiates of Old India. The Bible claims that Christ said of Peter "on this rock (Petra) I will build my church." The root word translated as Peter is the same root word as the Egyptian Ptah, and also the names of some of the cities where the oracles were located. Even Buddha has a similar root. The term Peter Roma once was Petroma, the pagan High Priest of the city of Rome.
These are only a few of the common myths of mankind. Should you be interested in reading more about these things, I recommend any of the Joseph Campbell books on myth; Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism by Franz Cumont; Hebrew Myths by Graves and Patai; Deceptions and Myths of the Bible by Graham; and the King James version of the Bible. (by Lady Ardane)
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