That is the physical and historical description of what happened when Jesus was crucified. Sir Gardner mentions briefly that �Golgotha� in Hebrew means�the place of a skull.� Let us explore this further. We know that God always works on more than one level, and here is a spiritual accounting of the event based on the Jewish Kabbalah (mysticism) which was in existence long before Jesus was born.

The Gulgalta (skull) is the keter (crown) of the partzuf (being, embodiment) Arich Anpin (the Long Countenance, the Infinitely Patient One). In Chassidut it is referred to as "the origin of will." It is "the will to will." Within the Gulgalta in "enclothed" the chesed (mercy) of Atik Yomin. This is the initial "meeting point" and bond of "pleasure" to "will." The union of pleasure and will (two apparent opposites, for "pleasure" is "satisfied," while "will" is not) is referred to as "desire" (chefetz), implying both will towards an objective to be obtained as well as the sense of pleasure and fulfillment in having obtained the objective. The sense of desire is aroused in the soul when one's objective is an "end" in its own right and not merely a "means" to an end other than itself.

In reference to the creation of the world, it is said: "All that G-d desired He made." This is explained in Kabbalah and Chassidut to that dimension of creation which derives directly from the Gulgalta, the origin of will to create.

At the level of the Gulgalta, "there is no reason for will." Here, the innate desire to create is a purely existential "passion" of the soul, possessing no rational whatsoever.

Author�s Note: Some of the above explanation makes perfect sense, since Jesus� work on the cross has been called his passion, ergo the Passion Plays. However, as a Jew, I can only speak for myself and the time in which I am living, and I can tell you that I have never seen a sign of a skull placed at a Jewish cemetery�s gates, or anywhere else in or around a Jewish cemetery. Such a marker would be unnecessary since as Jews, we are all familiar with what is and what is not clean, or kosher, within modern-day Rabbinical Judaism. According to the Old Testament, the only people who were forbidden to deal with the dead were the priests, whose function as spiritual leaders of the Jewish community has been superceded by the rabbis, who most definitely appear at the graveside nowadays at Jewish funerals to officiate in the same manner as the Church�s pastors and priests at Gentile funerals.

It is altogether possible that Jesus� family were forbidden from touching the dead because of their high standing, but then this exclusion would have extended to his brother, James, the Joseph of Arimathea. I personally do not think that anyone in Qumran needed a physical marker to tell him or her where the royal burial ground was, and in this instance (which I do rarely), I have to disagree with Sir Gardner�s conclusion about what Golgotha means.

If what Sir Gardner is saying is true about the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised, then I believe it was named Golgotha after the fact due to the Kabbalah�s definition of the word. We must remember first and foremost that Jesus was a Jew. I can see how Jesus was crucified in the royal cemetery, since another place would be desecrated by such an act according to Jewish law, but the rest of it, especially since Sir Gardner always errs on the side of spiritualy, bears further inspection. I am wondering now if the Garden of Gethsemane was not this sacred and royal burial ground, since Sir Gardner stated that Jesus was crucified in a garden amid the royal tombs, and the more I think about it, and the more I read the Hebrew definition of the word �Golgotha,� the more I think this is where Jesus prayed, in the company of his ancestors. It is not unclean to pray in a cemetery according to any Jewish law, and what better place to try to find peace and quiet the night before you know you are going to be martyred?

We must remember that Jesus had every opportunity to flee. He did not have to be crucified. He chose to be crucified. He chose to suffer, to be humiliated, beaten and then nailed to two pieces of wood. The night before he was arrested, he prayed in the Garden at Gethsemane (regardless of where it was) and asked the Lord three times to take the cup from his hand, as any mortal man would do, knowing what suffering lay ahead. For even if Jesus had made arrangements to survive the crucifixion, there would certainly be excruciating pain, injuries, and being put into a deathlike sleep. There was no guarantee that he would survive, and if he survived, what condition he would be in. Jesus knew that suicide was a sin. Jesus said he did not desire sacrifice, but mercy, and this is why he made other arrangements. And still, with all of this in place, he still made that ultimate sacrifice. Jesus finally said to God, �Thy will be done� and faced his destiny. We have to ask ourselves now: What did Jesus want to create through his crucifixion? Why would anyone willingly go to the cross? Golgotha is therefore not the name of a physical place...it is the name of a state of being, of a man�s relationship with God, where God�s will supercedes anything of the flesh. This is existing in a state of pure selfless spirit.

Let us examine this sentence: �The Gulgalta (skull) is the keter (crown) of the partzuf (being, embodiment) Arich Anpin (the Long Countenance, the Infinitely Patient One). �

Arich Anpin is the external partzuf of keter, corresponding to the super-conscious power of will in the soul. Arich Anpin is generally identified with the concept of "infinity" or "infinite power," for Arich, "long," implies infinite extension.

As explained above, Arich Anpin, relative to the entire world of Atzilut to come, is referred to as "the higher of the lower." Every state of being or world begins with the power of will to emanate or create a "world" or "environment" conducive to propagate and "home" a specific state of consciousness. The inherent "patience" of Arich Anpin is the patience necessary to allow for a totally new realm of reality to develop and mature into being.

The term Arich Anpin, "the Long Face," derives from the Biblical phrase Erech Apaim, literally "long nose," implying "long breath." While the idiom "short breath" implies a state of anger due to impatience, "long breath" implies a state of infinite patience and mercy. In fact, the thirteen principles of Divine mercy are symbolized in Kabbalah by the thirteen parts of the "beard" of Arich Anpin, as will be explained.

More from the Kabbalah:

"Ratzon" is the spiritual state associated with the lowest of the three heads of keter (the Crown), the Reisha d'Arich ("the extended head". (Author's Note: So we see this is where perhaps Jesus was miscontrued as being part of the original Godhead. If the Essenes were consistent, there would have been a trinity on earth as well, and by passing the ritual of Golgotha, or achieving Golgotha, perhaps Jesus then became part of the representative Godhead on Earth.)

With regard to the power of will, it is said "nothing stands before (the force of one's) will," and "there is nothing as forceful as will."

In the partzuf of Arich Anpin (the outer partzuf of keter representing the general power of will in the soul), the "origin of will" is associated with its "crown" or its "skull" referred to as the gulgalta. At this level, "there is no reason (rationale) for will." However, in the intrinsic wisdom of Arich Anpin, referred to as mocha stima'ah ("concealed brain"), there exists "a hidden (unexpressible) reason for will."

The higher level of will, totally superrational in nature, serves to control and direct (from above and without) all of the conscious and rational powers of the soul, beginning with the intellect, the soul's base of rationality itself. The lower level of will, possessing a hidden rationale, is the origin of the soul's power to willfully pursue those objectives rationally chosen by the mind. The first is referred to as "ratzon lma'alah mita'am vda'at" and the second as "ratzon al pi ta'am vda'at".

The Divine ratzon finds its essential expression in the commandments given to Israel in the Torah. In our own Divine service, when we devotedly perform G-d's commandments purely because they are the expression of His essential will (lma'alah mta'am vda'at), we connect ourselves to the first level of G-d's will. In our conscious intentions, based upon the secrets and mysteries revealed to us in Kabbalah with regard to the spiritual effects of each commandment in particular, we connect ourselves to the second level of G-d's will.

Here is Jesus in Gethsemane again...so after reading all of this in the Kabbalah, I asked myself, what if Jesus was never physically crucified? What if all of this happened on a spiritual level only? Could it be possible that this whole thing was totally misinterpreted instead of just partly?

I did a web-search for sites on Golgotha, just to see what was out there and I came across a very interesting gnostic explanation of Golgotha. While I do not understand all of it (it is extremely esoteric), there are some points which quickly became clear that I would like to share with you, my readers.

The Gnostics see the entire Crucifixion experience as a spiritual journey, and everything, even the crosses, are symbols of a higher purpose to it all. I find it fascinating. There is a lot of alchemical imagery in their explanation, of which I should explain. Basically, on the surface, alchemy was the impossible science on trying to turn base metals into gold, but it was mainly a front during the Inquisition and other times of religious persecution, and the Church was stupid enough to believe that.

Alchemy is really a spiritual process whereby a person learns to see the light of God, thus turning himself into gold. It is called the Hermetic process, named after Hermes, who is the same as Mercury. Mercury is quicksilver, the process of the mind, the god of science, among other things. Alchemy's emphasis is on Mercury, which in astrology, is the planet of the mind, of intelligence and knowledge, and the Hermetic process is the gaining of wisdom.

The Gnostics believe that the three crosses of Calvary represent XXX or the Universal Mind. I do not know how they arrived at that representation, but genetics comes immediately to my own mind when I look at that. I could be speaking out of ignorance here, but a female human is represented by XX and a male is represented by XY. Every egg is X, and a sperm is either X or Y, which is why males determine the sex of the child. The egg is always female. Sometimes a sperm carries XX, and when it combines with the egg, the female is an XXX, or what is known as a "super female." Now, Wisdom is traditionally female. Something to think about, since we know God operates on several levels at once.

To continue...the Gnostics see the following quote from the New Testament as follows: Matthew 27:38: "Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, (the left-side of the brain), and another on the left, (the right-side of the brain." The two thieves on either side symbolize two aspects of Hermes.

Let us consider the following section from the Gnostic account of Golgotha:

"Now if you follow the direction east of the 3 stars of Orion's belt, which also travel across the heavens from the East, they will guide you directly to the brightest star in the heavens, i.e. Sirius, the Dog-Star.

"The three stars of Orion's belt are that which symbolize the Three Kings of the Hermetic process, with Christ symbolized by the star Sirius, which in ancient Egypt was known as Anubis', the three-headed Egyptian counterpart to Hermes.

"Like Hermes, he was the Guide of Souls through the realms of the underworld, preparing the traveller for renewed life.

"In Egypt, when Sirius was seen to rise just before the Sun, (The Morning Star), it was a sign that the Nile was about to begin its yearly flood for forty days and nights, Death and Resurrection."

(Author's Note: And what is the whole point to the Crucifixion if not the Resurrection? But are we talking about a physical resurrection, a spiritual resurrection, or both?)

Let us continue on with the Gnostic account:

"The whole purpose of the Gospel Story was therefore not to portray literal events, but to express a particular version of the Hermetic theme. Peter, for instance, is carefully characterised to portray the conscious mind attempting to undergo the Hermetic process, whilst consistently failing to do so. This is aptly expressed when he attempts to emulate Jesus by walking on water, but fails. In fact, throughout the Gospel texts, Peter is portrayed as the active conscious mind, the first to speak in any situation, impulsive in nature, and generally impetuous. Often he is rebuked by Jesus, as can be seen in Matthew 16:23:

'But he turned and said to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offence unto me; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.'

"To understand why Peter was called Satan, you need to see the word play between Peter and Rock, in a previous verse of Matthew 16:18-19:

'And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'

"The conscious mind is the rock (redhead), whereas the subconscious mind is the water (whitehead). The Christ is the anointed, and represents the waters of the purified subconscious. Jesus completed the Hermetic process, He was a Hermetic initiate, given the title of Jesus the Christ.

"In the beginning of the Gospel story, we are informed that Jesus was born at night in a lowly manger, a place where sheep are normally kept. Present at this birth are three kings, bearing gifts, a trio who represent the three phases of the Hermetic process, (Hermes Tri-Magestus). These three kings followed a star, and it is pointed out that the star is in the east, yet also the three kings came from the east. This contradiction like many others found in the bible, when it is read literally, openly suggests that the literal way is not going to serve you very well. Yet this simple message is ignored, not just by the literal believers, but by the literal unbelievers. They in fact represent two sides of the same coin, and can be as bad as each other, when using the literal sense of the texts to form an opinion about the message in the bible.

"The mysterious star, which the three wise men followed, has been the subject of many a preconceived notion, purely to justify the fundamentalist approach to the word of God. In truth the Hermetic message is often passed down through history using actual events in history itself as a vehicle to pass down another message, i.e. a hidden revelation.

"It is not a difficult task to understand the star as an Hermetic symbol, since the Hermetic schools predate the Christian era by many centuries. The Greek philosopher, Plutarch whilst relating the allegory of Isis and Osiris, informs us that the ancient Egyptians considered the star as a symbol of immortality. And Balaam, the man whose Ass/Donkey miraculously spoke to him after he had beaten it three times, refers to the Hermetic tradition depicted in Genesis with the words "a Star out of Jacob" (Numbers 24:17).

"In the New Testament, the resurrected Jesus proclaims himself as the 'bright morning star' (seen at sunrise, in the east). So illogical is the fundamentalist literal approach to this that reason alone should suggest that an altogether different message has been occulted from the attention-seeking conscious mind.

"This symbolic star is found elsewhere, as in nursery rhymes, where it manifests at the tip of the wand wielded by the fairy godmother, and with which she performs her miracles. Quite often it is a five-pointed star, but the true Star of the Magi has six points and is the same as Solomon's Seal, the Star of David, the Hermetic symbol employed in later times by orthodox Hebrew priests. A further clue is offered in the tradition of placing a star at the top of a Christmas tree. Like the Egyptian persea, or the Druids' oak, the Christmas tree represents physical man, and thus the star's position at its top signifies the mind, which is in the head.

"In alchemy, the 'star mucus' is the uncorrupted substance in the work of illumination, a fitting guide if we take into consideration the fact that a nebulous star is but the birth of a new distant sun and therefore symbolic of the purified Subconscious mind. It is also one of the major Arcana cards in the Tarot, and can be seen at the top of the ladder of the scala philosophorum.

"The Star of Bethlehem therefore denotes the completed Hermetic process, the immortal illumination to be found in the distant depths of Man's mind. It is at the beginning of the story, yet is also the result of the completed process, an eternal story. It symbolizes the great subconscious powers which lie dormant. Thus it is of no surprise that a star should come to a halt over a place where the Christ child is born, since this is when the subconscious is at its purest and as white as snow.

"The birth of Christ is celebrated all over the Western world on December 25th, but this date has no basis in Scripture. In fact Christmas Day was originally the date on which pagan Mithraic rites commemorated the birth of the sun, a festival which existed a long time before the Gospels were written.

"Commentators who question the December date remark that it is unlikely because the New Testament texts indicate that at the very hour of birth, shepherds were in the fields tending their flocks by night. They point out that in the colder months, it was common practise to keep sheep inside during the night. This is all very well, but it still misses the point. The minor mystery can be solved when the Hermetic key is applied.

Luke 2: 8-9 - 'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them...'

"Compare this to the ancient cure for insomnia and the counting of sheep. The 'sheep' are the attention seeking thoughts of the conscious mind and the shepherd is keeping watch, (meditating), by night, (in the mind). The angel of the Lord comes upon him, when the transmutation of consciousness takes place. This counting of sheep, basically carries the same purpose as the counting of the beads on the Rosary.

"Certain carols are also vehicles for the 'initiates' message, such as the one about 'watching shepherds' and 'Silent Night'.

"Perhaps the most revealing bit of information about the identity of this 'star', comes from the work of John Allegro, who points out that the Greek name for the 'Christ' mushroom symbol, (Korkoron), is phonetically similar to the Hebrew word for 'star', (Kohkhav) - and that our own word for 'star' is derived from the Greek 'aster', which itself is descended from a Sumerian root word for 'knobbed bolt' - i.e. the mushroom key.

"Scholars have been frustrated for centuries in attempting to detail accurately the chronology leading up to the Crucifixion, but their preconceptions would carry biases and agendas, which could never lead them to the truth. It would have been more rewarding for them, had they given more consideration to the number 'Three' being used so often throughout the texts.

"So let's look at the New Testament again, bearing in mind that the basic rule of the Hermetic writers was to take a literal event, modify the story line so as to incorporate the hermetic science, then add a known or fictitious character or place to play the 'starring' role.

"Using the Gospel according to Matthew, (which in the Greek tongue means 'Son of Science' and in the Hebrew tongue 'Gift of God'), the texts begin to burn a light that does not burn in a manner to which the literal word would have the conscious senses believe in vain.

"Mary: originating from the same root word as 'Mare' the Hebrew 'Miriam'(Bitter/Rebelious), hence why Mary is said to come from the 'Sea of Galilee', as much bitter and rebellious as the salt of the 'Great Subterranean Ocean' (which is) the same substance as the subconscious.

"Joseph: Original meaning *he shall add*, hence in 'Addition' to.

"Jesus: Originating from 'Joshua' meaning the 'Lord is my salvation', hence the reason why Joseph submits to his humble nature, i.e. 'Joshua' (Jesus).

"Lord: The Lord is my Shepherd, who leads his sheep away into the wilderness, hence the 40 days and nights spent in the wilderness is related to the counting of sheep to help you fall asleep, i.e. to help you kill the attention-seeking thoughts of the conscious senses. The expression of taking '40 winks', is directly related to this, which confirms why 'Shepherds would watch their flocks by night' before the angel of the Lord could come down.

"Christ: Originating from 'Khristos' the 'Annointed One', confirming that 'Christ' was a 'Title' for those who were initiated. True baptism is that which becomes immersed in the pure Waters of the Subconscious, (Holy Water), and when Jesus was baptised by John, the heavens suddenly opened, revealing its true significance, the hermetic process, after which, Jesus becomes anointed by 'Mary', his subconscious.'

"Jerusalem: Originating from 'Salem' meaning 'Peace', hence Jerusalem refers to the 'Inner Place of Peace', (see Judae), not the outward place symbolized by the conscious senses.

"Bethlehem: Like 'Bethel' meaning 'House of Bread/Food', the temple, where the Creator delivers (gives birth to) divine inspiration.

"Judae: Deriving from the word 'Jew', of which the meaning in context to the true testimony of the word is mentioned in Romans 2:28-29:

'For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the 'Spirit' and 'Not' in the letter; (the literal), whose praise is 'Not' of men but God.'

"In other words, those who perceive the context of the written word in its literal sense, worship man's word, not God's word.

"Herod: the meaning of the name was derived from the worship of ancient *heroes*.

Matthew: 1:18 - "Now the birth of Jesus the Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary, (the waters of the *Subconscious Mind*), was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost, (*the Spirit*)."

Comment: The Vessel for the Christ is Mary, (the salt of the Sea), i.e. the Waters of the Subconscious. Ordinary baptism by holy water, was merely the symbol of the task that a would be initiate must face. It should now be recognised that the water used in the ritual of Christening, is not the Holy Water that was refered to in the Bible.

Matthew: 1:19 "Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was *minded* to put her away privily."

Comment: The name Joseph represents the conscious mind, which is the mask or veil that conceals the Subconscious mind from public view. In other words, the identity of Joseph is in *Addition* to the humble spirit, or the extra that conceals the Truth, which the ego cannot bear to face through fear of revealing his true identity.

Matthew: 1:20 - But while he, *thought* on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, (*the subconscious Mind), thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost, (*the Spirit)."

Comment: That which the conscious mind *thought* on, was reflected back toward the *Subconscious Mind*, which of itself inspires ideas, or solutions, (that Eureka! moment). The source of this *inspiration* comes not from *earth* (the conscious mind), but from heaven, (the Spirit), via the *Subconscious Mind*. This is why the *Subconscious Mind* is the Virgin, since the birth of Christ was not conceived by any physical route taken by the conscious senses.

Matthew: 1:21 - "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins."

Comment: In Spirit, Joseph was reborn as Jesus, *the Lord is my salvation*, hence his task was to save those from worshiping the light & matter of the conscious senses, i.e. Satan's kingdom.

Matthew: 1:22 - 23 - "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a *Virgin* (the Subconscious Mind), shall be with child, (the seed of *Inspiration* is planted and then generated as a *Thought*), and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, *God with us*.

Comment: The name *Emmanuel* means precisely that. *God with us*, i.e. the joining together of the Subconscious Mind with the Conscious Mind, the Androgyne, the union of heaven and earth, the Great Work, the *Red* man and his *White* woman, paradise regained, *God with us*.

Matthew: 1:24 - Then Joseph being raised from *sleep* did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

Comment: Joseph once raised from his sleep, took with him his true identity, i.e. the humble spirit that resides within his humble *Subconscious*

Matthew: 1:25 - "And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son; and he called his name Jesus."

Comment: This speaks not of a physical birth, because the whole process takes place in the mind. Joseph himself is reborn and becomes Jesus the Christ, born of a virgin.

Matthew: 2:1 - "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judae in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Comment: Born in the *House of Bread/Food* in the *Spirit* in the days when *Heroes* were worshiped as kings, there came Seers from the east to the *Inner Place of Peace*.

Matthew: 2:2 - "Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Comment: Born Kindred in Spirit, (not in blood), his *Star*, is the Star of David, which came from the east, (i.e. that which rises in the east is reborn). What this is saying, is that the hidden process can be revealed by the myths and legends that are associated with the constellations in the sky. In this instance, the star in the sky is specifically *Sirius*, because ancient Astrologers would follow the *Three* stars of Orion's belt, which guides them directly to it. A myth that again emphasizes 'death & ressurection', forty days and nights in the wilderness, etc...

Matthew: 2:3"When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."

Comment: When those who *worshiped Heroes as kings*, (the conscious senses), heard of this, they were troubled, and so was Jerusalem (the *Inner Place of Peace*). In other words, those who worshiped kings as heroes, were troubled by war within themselves, for they were unwilling to sacrifice their conscious idols as kings.

So you see, applied to the Gospel story, the results are clear: the presentation of Jesus by the hermetic writers, was never meant to be read in the literal sense, for that is Man's word, not God's word. For how could God's word be read in the same sense as that which was invented by Man, lest Man is tempted by Satan, (the conscious senses), to create God in his image.

Like the resurrection of Lazarus, the crucifixion and resurection story represents a Hermetic ritual that occurs in the Place of the Skull, (Golgotha/Calvary), ref: St. Matthew 27:33.

In fact the entire Bible is based on this simple message.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, but alas for the literal conscious senses, for his great power and authority is doomed to be cast into the bottomless pit, ref: Revelations 20:3.

St. Matthew 19:9 - And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Readers, each one of us has to decide based upon our own frames of reference and God's perceived will for our lives which version to believe, which one rings true in our individual spirits. However, there must be a universal truth which should also ring true throughout the Body of Christ. This is God's "magic," His way of having us all working together as one, as He is One (Echad).

Having said that, this is what I believe. The longer I live and the longer I study, I can honestly say that I do not believe that Jesus even bled on the cross. Blood sacrifices are unholy and from the pit.

If you believe that Jesus is part of the Godhead, then what follows should make perfect sense, for then Jesus would have to be holy as God is holy, would he not? Why would God/Jesus want us to be washed by His/Their blood? How would that make us sinless, to believe that Jesus died on the cross for us? No, the whole concept of Golgotha is one of the mind and the spirit overcoming the flesh, and giving up one's will to the Higher Will, that of God ("Thy will be done.")

So then what did Jesus really mean that night when he prayed alone in the Garden of Gethsemane, if it was not for permission not to die on the cross? What did he mean when he asked God to take "this cup" from his hand? What did he mean when he finally said, "Thy will be done" and then went and woke the disciples who were supposed to have been keeping watch? Was he really betrayed by Judas and turned into the Roman authorities, and nailed to a cross for all to see?

To review, the Essenes believed in keeping the balance of dark and light within their own community, full well understanding that without the ying-yang of it all, things would spin wildly out of control and the universe would collapse in upon itself. The Essenes lived and breathed the dualistic concept of God's creation. For whatever reason, it has been documented that Judas was actually assigned the role of Demon No. 7. It was actually his job to play the devil's advocate in whatever rituals the Essenes felt necessary in order to keep things pure.

So how close to the fire did Judas really dance? Did he betray Jesus with a kiss FOR REAL, or was the entire drama part of the ritual of the Melchizedek priesthood? Perhaps the whole episode of Gethsemane was the source of the night-long vigils of medieval knighthood. They too stayed awake and prayed the night before they appeared for their rites of passage into the service of the Crown. Perhaps Gethsemane was the place where the ritual tomb was, for the ritual resurrection. There would be no reason, then, for this place to actually be outside the camp, since there were no actual deaths, no real graves to deal with, and thus no reason to mark the area with a skull. Spiritual or physical, everyone would know the purpose for this location.

So then, why would Judas betray the Master? Well, it has been said that Judas was a Zealot and Jesus was a peacelover (I don't believe he was meek and mild). It has been said, based on these political differences, that Judas was angry with Jesus for not declaring all-out war on Rome. However, it has also been said that Jesus tried to unite all of the natives in the Holy Land against the common enemy, Rome. Therefore, was Jesus really rejecting resistance against Rome, or was he himself trying to gear the populace up for a war of independence, and was met by apathy?

I cannot fault anyone, based on my own experiences, for trying to teach people something and seeing it fall on deaf ears, and then leaving them where they are and getting on with his/her own life. Trying to teach right from wrong is very often wasted effort. People hear what they want to hear, even if it is from the source's own lips standing right before them. In spite of his calling as the Messiah, and especially because, Jesus had his own career to take care of. Part of that was becoming part of the highly coveted Melchizedek priesthood. Who would not want to be an initiate of such a calling?

Even according to the Kabbalah (which is perpetuated by the Chassidic Jews, who reject Jesus as their Messiah), Golgotha is an enlightened and spiritually mature state of mind, where the spirit finally wins over the flesh and all will (ratzon) is given up to the Lord. The people who were in the know said that Paul was a false prophet and a self-proclaimed apostle of Christ -- those closest to Jesus rejected Pauline Christianity at its inception, but most of the world has come to accept it and believe that if you don't agree, you are condemned to hellfire for all eternity. How sad! And yet, the hypocrisy is here...we are supposed to learn from Jesus' so-called "work" and "nail" our fleshly desires to the cross every day, to resist temptations and so forth. Why can't people just admit that this is what Jesus did and call it a day? Why does it have to be so gory and disgusting, so horribly painful and terrifying? Why do we have to be reminded of how one dies on the cross, by suffocation, in order to behave the way we're supposed to? Why is mankind like this, that the only way a message can get through is by bloodshed? What would be so difficult to understand if it is taught that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice OF Golgotha, not ON or AT Golgotha? Why would that cleaner, more kosher version, have less appeal and less effect?

These are questions that each one of us must ask ourselves, why are we such a violent society? Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves and create Golgotha within our own minds and hearts, thereby freeing ourselves from bondage and allowing mankind to evolve or do we continually need to be scared and guilt-tripped into submission by the image of Jesus dead on the cross (which, by the way, violates the Ten Commandments...God clearly states there will be NO graven images...Pauline Christianity again, which teaches that God's law caused Paul to sin, and that Jesus is better than the Law).

I know one answer. If we allow ourselves as a society and a world to truly believe that Jesus did this one thing for himself, then he would no longer be a martyr. Martyrs are not supposed to have desires of their own, but rather are completely altruistic. Jesus would no longer be perfect according to the world's definition. It would seem that Jesus would therefore be liable to the temptation of selfishness, because he wanted to be a Melchizedek priest-king as others before him. Ambition does not become the Son of God in the worldview. He was supposed to be God-incarnate, to die so that we may live. I suppose that if Jesus surrended his will to God and didn't die, then he really didn't come to save us, right? If you want to learn how to live, learn from the LIVING example of Jesus, not the dead one.

If we look at Golgotha from another standpoint, as the David, the Messiah of his generation, what better way to continue to serve his people according to God's will than to become part of the priesthood? Should we not continue to learn and grow so that we may serve God and His children better? Is that not the Essenes' very definition of perfection, after all? Of course it is, it is written for all to see in the Community Rule of the Dead Sea Scrolls. So, again, according to the times and the beliefs of Jesus, he was perfect. He did what he was supposed to do, not what the world thinks he did.

And so we see, from this simple hint from modern-day Kabbalah, that according to the Essenes and their priesthood of Melchizedek, one of the steps along the way to perfection was called Golgotha. Maybe one day we will find out the names of the other stages, but in the meantime we have to deal with those who believe that anything having to do with skulls is automatically satanic. It IS satanic to drink from a skull, to worship dead bones, or to use bones (and any other body parts) in religious rituals. The spiritual Golgotha may perhaps be where these practices originated, taking the spiritual into the physical realm in an unholy way as is so common among satanists, but that should not cloud nor shadow the original, true symbolism of the skull, which is the surrender of the flesh to the Divine Will.