Jesus and the Essenes

by Dolores Cannon  (a summary by Pat Evert)

Dolores Cannon is a hypnotherapist specializing in past life regressions of about 50 years.  She came upon this one extraordinary patient who in a previous life was in contact with Jesus.  Here she relates the patient’s perspective and experience.

Section 1 – the Mysterious Essenes

This is the way I look upon past lives. We know we lived them, just as we know we lived our childhood. They could be called the childhood of the soul.  The doctrine of reincarnation is a philosophy, and as such it does not detract from any established form of religion. Rather it enhances, makes it fuller.  You change bodies as easily as you change a suit of clothes. A suit is discarded when it becomes too old and worn-out or too torn and damaged to be repaired.  People are in a hypnotic state many times during the day and do not even realize it.  In sleep, or we watch television and become absorbed in the story, we have entered an altered state of consciousness. It also happens many times as we drive down a monotonous stretch of highway or listen to a boring sermon.  Thus the regression is similar to the dredging up of childhood memories.

This was the full extent of the client’s formal education, two years of high school.  She went deep quickly, showed sensory sensations such as taste and smell, experienced emotion and remembered nothing upon awakening.  The many lives seemed to be almost equally divided between male and female, rich and poor, intelligent and uneducated. Each one was filled with a wealth of detail about the religious dogma and cultural customs of the time period.  The Essenes were a mysterious group shrouded in secrecy. I assumed, as others had, that they were a religious group similar to monks, living in isolation in a monastery-type environment.  The Scrolls were pushed quietly back into the woodwork and quite a few of them have disappeared again.  If there were ever an attempt to wipe an entire group of people off the face of the map, that was what happened with the Essenes. There is no mention of them in the Bible. It has been inferred that all references of them have been deliberately deleted, because of the similarity between their doctrine and Christianity.  The men who had devoted their lives to the accumulation and preservation of knowledge seemed to have completely disappeared beneath the relentless sun and the shifting sands of the desert.  The ruins were ignored completely until the discovery of the first Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. The caves in the salt cliffs had held tightly to their secrets for two thousand years.  Qumran was the home of the secretive, communistic Essenes.

The only people who lived within the community itself were the priests of Yahweh who took care of the temple, the scrolls and kept the fires lit.  Nothing was mandatory; it was left up to the individual. For the most part any religious observances were on the Sabbath.  No food was passed at this time (I was thinking about the bread or wafer in Communion) only the cup was passed around among the people.  It is the cup of life blood. It is the sharing of life between all. The wine represents the blood of all and the sharing together.  To the Essenes this ceremony symbolized that they were all of one blood and the sharing of life between all.  Sandalwood was burned in the incense burner, because “It is said that it can help open some of the centers (chakras) within us. Again, I am not familiar with the teachings of all of the mysteries and the ceremonies.”  When John was baptizing people in the Jordan River, it was nothing new. He was merely following an existing custom of the Essenes.  This directly ties John the Baptist to the Essenes.  It must be remembered that the Essenes were in danger when they were outside the walls.  These colored headbands were also worn by women since they were considered equal to the men and were also taught.  This would explain some of Jesus’ attitudes towards women. They had not been treated any differently in Qumran during his time there.  Also, when the Romans destroyed the community, it is known that they ruined the water system. Maybe they, through ignorance, closed off the source of the water.

From my understanding of this, these practices were borrowed from other ‘religions’, as you would call them. They were not something that were in the original teachings. But we do not sacrifice. We would place and burn incense on the altars, and such things as this, in a form of sacrifice. But this would be the only thing.  We’re not a morose people. We have a joy of life!  But for the most part the husband and wife are chosen for each other by the elders.  They can refuse to marry but then they would never have a mate. They are also allowed the choice to stay single. Women had much more freedom in Qumran than elsewhere in Israel. They could decide to remain single if they wished and could become teachers in the community.  If there is need, it is there. The things that are worth it are the things that are earned. The things that are needed are given.  To treat another as they would not wish to be treated, to speak down upon them would be a sin. For it is not your right to judge. You are not placed here to judge another, but to only judge yourself.  It seemed rather a shame that someday the time would come when he would be disillusioned by the way others lived outside the community. I wonder if Jesus felt the same way when his time came.  Many people would like to have a community like yours.  But it is possible for everyone! It is just based upon love.  My research disclosed that frankincense and myrrh were used chiefly for the reasons he stated, to overcome the smell of the decaying body.  Herodias has been married three times. Her first husband she killed to marry Philip. And then she left Philip to marry Antipas.

Qumran was not an ordinary school. There were much deeper subjects taught there than anyone could imagine.  We are taught to spread knowledge among the uninformed in hopes to bring about the age of enlightenment again.  I wondered if they might have had some connection with the lost continent of Atlantis.

There are those of us here who are of Hebrew descent. There are those of us who are Syrian. And there are those who are Egyptian. There are many here. We are all different people, but we are all of one thought and one belief. We believe in God Abba and are gathering here to bring forth light into the world where there is nothing but darkness.  As a boy, Suddi said there was meditation time set aside during each day.  It is one ability that needs to be nurtured and developed.  So that its intensity does not frighten you and does not cause you to close it off.  The energy is supposed to enter through the crown chakra and energize each of the chakras in turn as it passes through the body. Finally the excess is released through the feet.  Some of them you would just utilize the inner focus surrounded with light and feel the energy from outside drawing into you.  You draw the energy through the top of the head directly to that part.  A child is more open to the feelings. If it starts to feel like it is too much, the child is willing to pass it on. They are more receptive to this. The control is easier to learn as a child.

His disappointment was very evident. He thought he was embarking on a great adventure, and Nazareth seemed to be a let-down. I suppose he expected something with more grandeur. As he said, “I try to bring myself in touch with the universe. I meditate upon myself and study upon what I am.”  If they were to become a member, to remain here, yes, it would be then shared among all of the people, so that all would get what is deemed needful. Otherwise it is still theirs. Since he did not intend to stay, he was not required to give up what was his. He did not become a member.  The needs are filled with what belongs to all.  Women were allowed to teach and hold any office they were eligible for.

It speaks of the feeling of great peace that descends upon one. When you look down upon yourself and realize that you have passed over the threshold.  When you are no longer one with the physical and are a being that which is totally what you would call a soul again, or a spirit.  A child is very close to what they were in the beginning, which is the soul. For they have not totally lost the memories of before. And therefore they are very accepting of this.  There are no such things as evil spirits. There is nothing that is totally evil. There is always good in everything.  A lot of these are misshapen… how can I say this… spirits who have been, through their experiences, changed. So that with love and guidance they may still follow the right pathways again. But with fear and intolerance, they are lost forever.  You surround yourself with good thoughts and energy. And request that only high-minded individuals surround you.  Rebirth? It has been known for all. They must decide which lessons that they wish to deal with and proceed in erasing the debts that they have incurred. Then they go to school (on the other side). Then sometimes they decide to come back very soon.  If you remember, a lot of times you become overcome with great guilt. It is not perhaps necessary for that time. If it were necessary, you would remember.  It is not for everyone.  Usually Yahweh decides if He would grant this remembrance and then the pathway is started upon.

But his followers, they reasoned with their minds and not their hearts, and changed the teachings to what they wished to hear.  They were far from being a single isolated small group of people, nor would they even once flatter their tormentors or shed a tear, but, smiling through their torments and mocking their tormentors, they cheerfully yielded up their souls, as those who would soon receive them back again.”

Upon these shores Gomorrah and Sodom were brought to destruction. They told him they were not worth saving, that they must start over and start again from anew. So he took his two daughters and his wife and they left.  The surface of the Dead Sea is 1,292 feet below sea level, lower than any known place on earth. The sea then drops to a maximum depth of 1,309 feet and is six times saltier than sea water, making it also the saltiest place on earth. This is a unique geological phenomenon. No other part of the globe, which is not under water, lies deeper than 300 feet below sea level. Absolutely nothing will live in the water.  It is believed that the cities sank beneath the water in this area and this would explain why it is shallower there.

Moses was sent into the wilderness for daring to love princess Neferteri, who was to be the wife of Pharaoh. For this he was sent into the wilderness. This was after he decided to become a slave.  ‘Twas said in some tellings that the sea was parted, but this was not true. The truth of it was they just crossed. They had the ability to… how do I say? That through the thoughts and efforts of all, that the energy just uplifted them. So that it is said that even their feet did not get wet.  No, never. It is only by an act or a will of God that it may be destroyed. It is protected by the Levi.  It is said that the staff of Moses, upon it had a great crystal that would glow. And this would tell the direction to go.  It is said that during part of the journey, when they wandered about for so long, that the wandering was caused because Moses had lost faith and started to go in the direction that the people wished him to, instead of the way that he was being guided. It was that he had doubts. That he had lost the great faith that enabled him to do what had been done. And the dissenters were saying, “No, no, you are leading us wrong. You will do as we wish. We will go here.” And this time is when they lost the way. Then it is said that he no longer could stand the fact that he knew they were lost, and his people were dying and suffering. And he prayed to Yahweh that he would again follow Him if He would just save the people. And it is said that He again would guide him.  There are bushes in the wilderness that have the seeds. When they break open they have something that is… how do I explain this? It is very good to eat, it will sustain life. It is said that it was on these that they would live. I have never seen the bushes, so I do not know. And where these bushes were, they were able to strike the ground with the staff and water would come, so that they would have drink.  It is said that the crystal was something that was handed down many generations.  Pharaoh was his brother. They were raised together. He was able to convince him through different methods and, some say, witchery. He cast the plagues upon them.

D : You said he used witchery, too? S: This is what some people would call it, yes. Being able to see what will happen before it is occurred.  S: It is very possible. It is said that his father was a priest of the faith and of course his mother was the Princess of Egypt. He was taught by not only the Hebrew priests, but also the priests of Egypt. He was half Egyptian, why should he not be taught in this manner?  Could this have been caused by the volcano spewing sulphur into the river? Any country dweller can tell you this natural chemical will make well water undrinkable. And sulphur water can certainly stink. The frogs left the river and overran the land. That could also have been caused by the changes taking place. Animals are very sensitive to nature. When all the frogs died, the Egyptians heaped them into stinking piles. Thus the plague of flies could have occurred naturally by their attraction to the dead frogs. He said the darkness was a result of the volcano, and this could also explain the hail mixed with fire. This phenomenon has been known to occur during volcanic eruptions.  It is strange how it all falls into place and must be considered as possible, yet it never even occurred to us until Suddi introduced the idea.  Moses is said to have been known for his temper, so it was probably true.  S: Flying machines, they used them in war. They were utilized for travel also. But the greatest ability that they considered of them was the ability to overcome an enemy from great distances, utilizing these. They had weapons that were placed upon these machines.  D : Does your story say what happened to take the knowledge away? S: The world was destroyed. A cataclysm. I do not know of exactly what type. It was as if the forces of nature just rebelled and the earth exploded.

Therefore it was out of Himself that all of this came. The forming of these things, what would later be, yes, the stars and the planets. It was part of God. There were definite bodies being formed, of planets and stars and different things.  It is Elohim, they are all. In essence, everything, everyone together.  S: How not? Because every time that you left your body it recharged and more energy was able to be entered into it, therefore they only left the body when it was their choice. (Died?)  They spoke to one as one, to think was for the other to know. And this was lost, this ability, because of their doing.  Then he learned to speak with the mouth with words. Before this, there was no need, the loss of telepathic powers through misuse.  He was subverting the law of nature. And therefore he caused great destruction. And this was lost because of this. It is said that the very earth exploded, as if to spew man off its surface.  Yes, the people no longer speak of one tongue. This is because of the great harm that man did.  K : Yes, the Watchers are those from outside, from other worlds, who have been for as long as there is memory here on this earth. They have been studying mankind as a whole and hopefully… They wish us to succeed. They wish us to find the right path. But they are there, perhaps, just in case it is not found.  But the Watchers are our own protection, and more or less, safety valve. If we were to completely destroy ourselves, they would try to avert this, by whatever means that they could. Because, for us to destroy this earth, would it not have repercussions upon the whole universe?  K : There have been spirits of Watchers who were born into bodies, but then they are as human as you, with a more high-minded soul perhaps. D : You mentioned beings of energy, are they different? K : Yes, they have passed the need for a physical body.  Some of them are souls that never left the side of God at the Formation. Some of them are those who have again attained that perfection. Some are from other worlds that are beyond the capability of human understanding. They are so far advanced that they look on us as a human looks on an amoeba.  All revere Yahweh! God is all and all are God!  In this manner they are helping to keep the peace. Helping to… how do I say that… keep the balance, as it were, intact.  The secreting of knowledge was begun many generations ago. Much of the knowledge has gone into hiding. The knowledge that shall not fall into the hands of others, until it is time to be unearthed at a later date. Then it shall be uncovered when it is time for that knowledge.  Great destruction occurred because they did not follow the laws of nature. But those who are wise in the ways knew that it would come about, and sought to save knowledge so that the spark that was mankind would not be snuffed out.

Section 2 – the Life of Jesus

Some of the Christian beliefs and rituals have come directly from the Essenes, notably the rite of baptism and the passing of the cup.  Were they afraid the Christian world would be shocked by the findings that Christianity was not created with the ministry of Jesus, but was born out of the teachings of these apparently self-denying men and women who devoted their lives to loving all mankind and preserving knowledge for future generations?  In 1863, Graetz wrote in his second edition of the third volume of his History of the Jews, that Jesus simply appropriated to himself the essential features of Essenism, and that primitive Christianity was nothing but an offshoot from Essenism.  It is said that the first ones were not even Jews, but were known as the men of Ur. It was far in the past. They brought the knowledge of some of the prophecies and the symbol of the cross.

When the star of Bethlehem appeared, it is like the heavens themselves have opened up and all of the light is just shining down upon us.  They are all joyous. That is… everyone is beside themselves. They are filled with joy and… the energy that is coursing around us. It is as if the whole world holds its breath in expectation.  That John the Baptist was the reincarnation of Elias.  Can anyone imagine how confusing it would be in your normal waking life to carry around the conscious memories of so many different lives? I think it would be extremely difficult to get on with the business of everyday living.

No, for when the Magi came to the Messiah, he was still at the place of his birth. He had not left.  There were three. They were men of Ur.  It was just that the planets/stars grew together. Their paths in the heavens crossed, as it were.  All I know is that when it came together, that the light was great enough to cast shadows. And it was strong enough that you could not sit and stare at it for any length of time. It was something that had never in the known memory of man ever occurred before. Who am I to judge God’s ways of doing things? The wise men – it is said that there was possibly a fourth. It is said that each of the wise men followed one of the stars, and at this point they met.  It is said that one of them never made it, for there was one for each star.  It could be said that they came from very distant lands, yes, four different points of origin.  When that the star became one, it was seen… everywhere.  It was only a focus for one night. It was… how do I explain this? The light was not quite the same. It was as if after they had initially come together, they were again separating and going their ways, so it grew less and less bright. It was perhaps a month for the light to be gone totally, yes.  But the Essenes thought he should remain anonymous until the time to reveal his identity arrived.  Jesus parents, they had been together many times in other lives.  His beautiful eyes, and the fact that he was the calmest child – He would look at you and it is like he knew all of the secrets of the universe and just gloried in them.  It was as if he watched everything… to learn of it, to experience all at once.  The Bible is the most complete record we have of the life of Christ.  Elizabeth had taken the baby and fled to the hills.  She was headed for the Essene community in the hills, where she knew she would be safe.  We shall be saved from what? S. From ourselves, to attain heaven.  There is no Hell other than that that you create yourself. It is the image that you project, that you foresee. This was always to have been known, that the suffering that occurs, for the most part, is here. So that when you die, what you suffer it is through your own need or desire to suffer. Why would God, who creates all things perfect, create something that was so horrid to him? This to me does not make sense.  No one punishes you but yourself!

Man is a more advanced creature, he could know more advanced things out of thin air, and use these things for guiding his life and actions.  “There is young Ben-Joseph and then there is Ben-Zacharias.”  Since perhaps they were eight years old.  Perhaps they did not agree with each other’s interpretations.  Ben-Joseph, he never had to argue. He just looked at you. If he felt that you didn’t understand, perhaps, his point of view on a certain thing, and he had gone over it several times, he would just look at you with those soulful eyes. And it was just like he was saying that, “Even though I know you do not understand, I forgive you.” And that would be the end of anything. Who would think of arguing then?  His attitude is of a “Let’s wait and see” and just living each day as it comes.  He is broad in his interpretation in that he feels that love is the only law that one must abide by solely. And after that all the others pale into insignificance.

This is why they would meditate first. The person would say they wanted to be healed, and they would get into a meditative state of mind so that they would be receptive to the energy. If they resisted, then it would not take place. I cannot explain it any better.  S: He is, as we all are, sons of man and God. I cannot explain this very well. He is God’s son as I am God’s son, but his destiny is to bring light in a greater way than I could. He is closer to his final destiny than I am. I am so far off, but he is almost to the point where we all strive. He is the next closest thing to perfection.  S: It was his choice to come once again in order to give this light to people. He did not have to come back.  S: He was born wise, but he was not born with all of the knowledge that was amassed in his lifetime. His father, Joseph, had been much older than Mary, and had died when Yeshua was in his twenties.  In his knowledge of these laws he was able to do things that others considered miraculous, but which all men have the power to do.  Then there was one who was his cousin, Lazarus. He was the only son of his widowed mother.  Mary as a virgin, but this is not true. His mother was a woman like others, just like his father, he was a man.  At times slightly more women than men, because the female develops better. They are more receptive to things of this nature than the male.  Iscariot… He tends to be very moody and is not popular with the other disciples.  He shall betray Yeshua. He hopes to force him to let others know who he is.  He will then take his life. This is known with great sadness, for this is a great wrong.  S: He shall be treated as though he is a felon. And in their eyes he is, for he dares to make them question. He dares to make them look inside themselves, and to them this is a great crime. Because how many men can look at their souls and face what is there?  They are hoping that if he is pressed so hard, that he shall come out and say, “I am the Son of God and therefore you cannot do this.” But they do not see that this has been told and retold for all of time, that this shall be his destiny. They cannot see this.  In being someone who is without sin, who is without jealousy or hatred, who is just filled with love, this shall bring home to them that there are many that this happens to.  He was what we all can be.

D : Whose tomb is it put in? S: It is Joseph’s. He was having it prepared. D : Was it for himself? S: No, it was for Yeshua. D : He knew then that this would happen? Do you think Yeshua ever told him? S: It was not needed to be told, for they all knew.  S: It is the masters on my side. D : Why would they do this? Why would the body have to disappear? S: Because it was foretold in the prophecies that he would rise upon the third day. And in order to rise, they must show that the place where he was laid is empty. And he cannot be taken away by normal means. That the body cannot be… they (his friends) cannot get to it to do anything. Therefore it must be done from this side. D : Yeshua did not do it himself’? At the time that the body is no more, where is he? S: He is there with them, aiding them in doing this.  Even the physical body can be made to transcend time and space.  The soldiers helped open the seal.  In my opinion, this miracle was the disintegration of the physical body and the appearance of the spiritual body.  The masters apparently were also trying to show the unimportance of the physical body.  That he was and is not as perfect as others would possibly want to assume. That he was willing to pay the penalties and show that we should not be afraid of them also. And, in paying for what we have done, then we can rise above that, this is part of the reasoning behind that. It is to show that it can be done by man, that man can do such things. D: Then when they say that he died for the sins of all the people in the world, does that make sense? S: How can he die for someone else’s sins? You must all pay for your own, if not this time around, then perhaps the next, or even the next. But ultimately, you must endure what you have made others endure because of you. D: Then his life, his dying will not wipe out the other people’s sins? S: There is a law of grace that will exist. But it is not because he paid for your sins, but because you would accept him as being worthy and perhaps a messenger of God. And the law of grace deals with God’s love for you, not because he died for the sins.  But this does not necessarily mean that we have to follow him in such a way that we worship him. It is the way that he has shown us that we need to emulate. Is this correct? S: This is correct. He is a point of almost worship, because he could do it. And he showed that it could be done. Therefore he is to be marvelled at, but not to be worshiped. Not to be deified, because we all are part of God.  S: We are all part of God. Some of us are more aware of this than others. I would say that he is one of these people. But to consider him and deify him in his own right, and separately, this is wrong.  It just takes much struggle to attain.  S: Never to follow blindly! Always to question. To think things out for oneself is to make the decision all the greater. It was made rather than just handed to him. If one does not question, one does not have faith. You cannot be thinking about somethings if you do not question them and look at them from all angles. And then when one has done this, if you believe, if you find it good, then it is worth believing in.  There is no devil!  D: Your people were different, weren’t they? The Essenes, they liked to question.  S: Yes, he shall return. D: Will people be aware of his coming beforehand, as you were aware the first time, or will he come suddenly? S: There will be those who will know.  We should not quibble over differences, but be thankful that we have the story.

He had to learn meditation so he could remain close to the source from which he came.  The greatest lesson to be learned was to love their fellow creatures on earth.  Jesus was the perfect example of what each person had within them and what they were capable of attaining.  I believe the purpose of the crucifixion was to show by vivid contrast what humanity had become, the depths to which it had sunk. I believe God was offering people a choice: stay on your present course and become like these vile and debased creatures with no consciences, who think only of their worldly, mundane existences; or try to pattern your lives after his beautiful example and you can rise above the chaos of the world and attain perfection.  If he had not lived, Man would still be groping in the dark without the shining example of his perfect life.  Later, when the figure of Christ was seen by so many people, they had to know that this was the part of man that survived everything and was eternal. That the spirit was the true nature of man and there was something beyond the mere earthly existence man clung to so fiercely.  The story of Jesus’ life is so beautiful in itself as an example of perfect love that he left with us. I cannot understand the need for the supernatural trappings that have been heaped upon it. Why the story that he was born of a virgin? Larson says in his book, the Essene Heritage, that this comes from the ancient Egyptian beliefs that a god must always have unnatural beginnings. There are many learned theologians that do not believe in the concept of the virgin birth. Why was it necessary? He was transformed into a god by people who did not understand the reasons behind his coming. He did not want to be a god, he never intended to be worshiped. That was Man’s doing. What better way to honor and remember him than by trying to live like him?

Joseph of Arimathea was indeed Jesus’ uncle, related to Mary. He was the younger brother of her father. He was one of the wealthiest men in the world, not just in Jerusalem.  Joseph was also an influential member of the Sanhedrin, and a legislative member of the provincial Roman senate.  After Joseph, Jesus’ father, died when Jesus was quite young, Joseph of Arimathea was appointed legal guardian of the family as next of kin. This explains Jesus’ association with his uncle from an early age, and his ability to travel with him on his voyages.  By the time he returned to Jerusalem to begin his ministry, he had already been taught by all the wise teachers in all the mystery schools in the world.  Joseph was the protector of the small band of disciples during the perilous years following the Crucifixion, the head of the Christian underground in Judea, and the guardian of Christ’s mother, Mary.  Joseph was too rich and powerful to be killed outright, so a unique method of disposal was devised for him and his accomplices. He and his group were put in an open ship without sails, oars or rudder, and set adrift in the Mediterranean. A sure sentence of death, under normal circumstances, but nothing in the story of Jesus was ever considered normal.  A current caught the boat and brought them safely ashore on the coast of France.  Their descendants even established the first church in Rome hundreds of years before the Vatican even existed. Another remarkable fact: all of the royal line of British kings and queens, down to the present Queen Elizabeth II, have descended directly from Joseph of Arimathea. Thus they are all related through a long unbroken line of ancestry to Jesus. There is much, much more to this story, but it is too long for this addendum. At that period in history Britain was the only free country in the world. The Romans never conquered England.