The Mystery of the Essenes Lost Science of a Forgotten People

Copyright 2000 Gregg Braden

Five hundred years before the birth of Christ, a mysterious group of scholars formed communities to honor an ancient teaching that began before history as we know it. Collectively known as the Essenes, Roman and Jewish historians referred to the members of this spiritual tradition as "a race by themselves, more remarkable than any other in the world." The underlying wisdom of many Essene traditions pre-dates the dominant traditions of their day and is traced through ancient writings to at least 4,000 years BC. Key elements of nearly every major belief system existing in the world today, including those of China, Tibet, Egypt, India, Palestine, Greece, even those of the American Desert Southwest, appear to have common roots in this ancient lineage of wisdom. Additionally, many of the great spiritual traditions of the western world, as different as they appear from one another today, appear to have originated from this lineage of wisdom, including the Free Masons, Gnostics, Christians, and the Kabalists. Also known as the "Elect" and the "Chosen Ones", the Essenes were the first people to openly condemn slavery, the use of servants, and the killing of animals for food. Viewing physical labor as a healing communion with the Earth, they were agriculturists, living close to the land that gave them life. The Essenes viewed prayer as the language through which to honor nature and the creative intelligence of the cosmos--they made no distinction between the two.

Their prayers were practiced on a regular basis. The first prayer of the day was offered upon arising in the pre-dawn darkness to work in the fields. These were followed by prayers before and after each meal, and again upon retiring at the end of the day. The Essenes viewed their practice of prayer as an opportunity to participate in the creative process of their lives, rather than a structured ritual required of them throughout the day. Strict vegetarians by today's standards, members of the Essene communities abstained from animal flesh, blood foods, and fermented liquids. Perhaps one of the clearest explanations of their diet may be found in the following passage from the Dead Sea Scrolls: "Kill not the food which goes into your mouth. For if you eat living food, the same will quicken you, but if you kill your food, the dead food will kill you also. For life comes only from life, and death comes always from death. For everything which kills your foods, kills your bodies also." Their lifestyle permitted them to enjoy advanced ages,attaining 120 years or more with vitality and great endurance.

During their time, the Essenes proved themselves

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the fall/winter issue of Translations, the newsletter of Sacred Spaces/ Ancient Wisdom. During the last months of 1999, some of the best minds of our time were asked what they foresaw in the first decades of our new century. In addition to

the anticipated surge of information and communication through the world-wide-web, an increase in the average life expectancy attributed to new technology and changes in lifestyles, there was another category of change that wove its way throughout the future visions. Ranging from unprecedented extremes in weather, new diseases that we have no cure for, and the possibility of a third global war, the scientists, religious and spiritual leaders believed that the next few years may very well hold the greatest challenges ever to face humankind! At the same time, many of the leaders shared a sense that the technology of our world will fail us in the presence of such challenges.

While such scenarios are not necessarily new, the suggestion that our outer technology may fail us brings even greater relevance to understanding the role of prayer in our lives. Twentieth-century science has now measured, validated, and replicated the effects of another technology, the inner technology of a non-denominational, non-mystical, feeling-based prayer available to each woman, child and man that walks our earth. At the dawn of our new century, we find ourselves at a time when the impact of feeling-based prayer upon the conditions of our lives can no longer be discounted. Ancient traditions remind us that prayer is the single-most empowering force ever to grace our world. The Isaiah Effect and this issue of Translations is dedicated to exploring precisely such technology. Please accept my thanks for creating the time to enjoy our newsletter.

Gregg BradenNorthern New Mexico September, 2000

The Great Isaiah Scroll

One of the most controversial of the Essene libraries was discovered hidden among forgotten caves in an area known as Qumran, a mountainous area adjacent to the shores of the Dead Sea, between Israel and Jordan. Known collectively as the Dead