---by Julianne
Based on: "The Teachings Of the Essenes From Enoch To the Dead Sea Scrolls" by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely
The Sevenfold Peace was the Essene's explanation of man's relationship with his own being and with others, demonstrating how to maintain peace and harmony in his life. To the Essenes, the harmony in life meant peace within one's self, and with all of one's fellow man, nature, and the universe.
They viewed human beings as having seven different relationships with themselves and others: physical, the relationship one had with one's body, one's mind, one's emotional make-up, one's social circle, one's cultural relationship, one's relationship with nature, and with the entire cosmos. They also viewed man as having 3 bodies, not separate, but existing together in harmony, these 3 were recognized as the "acting", "feeling", and "thinking" bodies. The greatest power of man's "thinking body" was wisdom, and that of the "feeling body" was love,thusly, it was the acting body's job to transform the wisdom and love into appropriate actions in one's individual, social, cultural, natural, and cosmic roles. This was what the Sevenfold Peace explained, so man could follow it's wisdom and find the peace within with all of his various roles and aspects in his daily life. During every noon time communion, as is part of the practice of the Tree of Life, the Essenes contemplated one aspect of the Sevenfold Peace. They also dedicated one aspect of every sabbath, thus completing an entire cycle of the whole Sevenfold Peace in seven week's time.
Peace with the body was the first relationship man had to understand. The Essenes studied man's role in the universe and surmised that man had 3 roles: 1 was his own evolutionary role, 2 was his role on the planet, 3 was the role he had in the cosmos. The acting body had a great importance in these 3 roles. These acting bodies of humans were all connected spiritualy to one another and affect one another. One's wellness and energy was significant not just to the individual, but to all beings on the planet, and in the cosmos.
The Essenes learned how to perfect their acting bodies in all 3 roles man plays, and adapted their lives to the seen and unseen forces of the earth and cosmos. They learned the effects of these forces: the Earthly Mother: the sun, the air, the water, the soil, the life-force of all vegitation-- it's purpose as food and sometimes, medicine. Starting each day with cold water ablution, going outside and absorbing the important sunlight, and communing with the Earthly Mother's forces, they lived their lives working for the good of their brotherhood, perhaps in communal farming, or the making of necessary goods, or maybe healing the sick or caring for the infirm, but in some way that was a service to others--giving of one's self in a helpful and lovng way. Living in accord with the "One Law" would bring about the evolution of one's soul through all 3 of one's roles. Disease, the Essenes learned, was caused by departure from the Law; learning how to cure the disease by returning to living in harmony with the Law. They used and taught proper breathing techniques, daily sun exposure, daily bathing, the healing properties of plants and herbs, lots of raw, natural fruits, vegetables, and grains, the benefits of fasting to rejuvinate the body and strengthen the spirit.
All things were done in moderation, and thoughts were to be kept within the accord with the Law. They knew the thinking body could be the strongest of the 3 bodies, having the most influence over the feeling and acting bodies.
So they taught man to train his thinking body to take control over his feeling and acting bodies... and all the harmonious actions of their acting bodies would bring them much peace, and promote the further evolution of the person in his individual, social, cultural, planetary, and cosmic relationships. The evolution must begin with one's peace with himself and end with one's ascension to the peace with the Heavenly Father
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