Mystical Death in the Three Mountains

The aim of this article is to provide an understanding of the process of mystical death undertaken by the initiate in the path of the three mountains.

Misconceptions

In our study of Gnosis, we typically think that the person who makes it to the top or end of the first is very much dead and the person who makes it to the top or the very end of the second mountain is completely dead. We may even for a while think, that our process of mystical death depends entirely on our own efforts and is a process that takes place independent of the path. However, when we have the very rare opportunity (one that we must sincerely be grateful for) to observe one well advanced in the process of mystical death, we see that our concepts of the way the process of mystical death advances is not exactly the same way that it happens in reality.

Mystical Death is Processed by the Path

Mystical death is processed on the path, it is a part of the path. The path didactically takes the initiate through an ever deepening process of mystical death that culminates with the complete death of the ‘myself’ or all the egos or psychic aggregates.

Mystical Death in the First Mountain

There is the death that takes place in the first mountain and there is the death that takes place in the second mountain. The first mountain has been called the mountain of birth, it can also be called the mountain of definition. From these synthetic names of the first and second mountains we can see that the major emphasis of the work in the first mountain is birth or definition. The first mountain is about defining and establishing one’s position in relation to: one’s self-realization, one’s intimate Christ and one’s inner Being. In the first mountain the bodies are created, the human soul is incarnated and through the process of the initiations one learns in a relative degree how to control the physical and vital bodies (movement, action), the astral body (emotions, feelings), the mental body (the mind) and the causal body (the will) all culminating in the submission of one’s will to the father.

There is death in the first mountain and there is death in every initiation, just as master Samael said, in every initiation something dies and something is born. However, at the end of the first mountain the person is still very much alive in relation to both faces of the psychological moon, that it is the visible and invisible face of the psychological moon. There most likely would have been some death of the aggregates of the invisible face of the psychological moon, however a large part of it will remain intact. The visible face will have definitely been extensively touched by the process of mystical death, however it is also possible that some egos of the visible side of the psychological moon may well remain with the initiate/master well into the labours of Hercules in the second mountain.

Mystical Death is Important in the First Mountain

We must stress that the most important thing in the work or in the path is mystical death. Even if the mystical death is not the major or predominating factor of the first mountain it must be applied at every point of the path so as not to fail. Mystical death is perhaps most needed when one is a ‘man’ in the esoteric sense of the word. That is when one has the power of the bodies and feels that he/she can act independently on their own despite the will of the Being. That is where the danger lies, so mystical death is needed to radically reduce the personal egotistical will so to be able to do and obey the will of the father.

Mystical Death in the Second Mountain

In the second mountain, there are nine plus seven plus eight, totalling twenty four stages of death. These stages are the nine labours of Hercules, the 7 terraces of Purgatory and the 8 individual years of Job. During the nine labours of Hercules many egos die, mainly those egos of the invisible or hidden side of the psychological moon. Some of the egos of the visible side of the psychological moon may die as well or be weakened to the point of being very close to death.

In the labours of the seven terraces of purgatory where the seeds of the egos are fried, even then these egos continue to exist during the labours of the eight years of Job. For example in the labours of purgatory the seeds of pride are fried and then pride continues to exist in the physical body and has to be worked upon and dissolved in the eight years of Job. Actually in the first year of Job is where all the egos of the physical body are dissolved.

We even know that for only reasons the Being of the individual knows the order in which the egos of the bodies are worked can vary from the classical order, which is physical, vital, astral, mental, causual, Buddhic and Atmic. For example the egos of the astral body could be worked upon in the first year and the other egos of the other bodies in later years.

Death in the Third Mountain

In the case of Master Samael, he had finished here the second mountain and was completely dead, he did not have one ego alive in his interior. So when we passed onto the work of the third mountain he was completely dead. However, everyone’s path is different. It can well be the case that at the end of the second mountain the Being (Intimate Christ) of the master or person resurrects and the person or master may not be 100% dead in the ego yet. Though the person will be very close to being so. At the culmination of the third mountain the master or person will be completely dead. This can only be that way to be able to incarnate Kether, the Elder of the Days.