Holy Week is deeply significant for those who walk the esoteric path. More than just a historical celebration, it represents a cosmic drama that must be lived internally by anyone who seeks Christification.
As Samael Aun Weor teaches, Christ must first burn in the human body, then in the depths of the soul, and finally in the spirit. These are the Three Steps through the Seven Spheres, marking the ascent of the initiate in the hidden regions of the Universe.
The hidden basis of Holy Week involves conscious work with the forces of the seven classical planets: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Each stage of the spiritual journey corresponds to the awakening of the divine flame in one of our inner bodies: physical, vital, astral, mental, causal (or the world of Venus), buddhic, and finally, atmic. It is on the seventh day that the initiate, after their journey, receives the Baptism of Fire, which radically transforms them, as revealed by Samael Aun Weor.
All this drama, described in the Four Gospels, is an inner, present, and deeply symbolic event. The Three Traitors — Judas, Pilate, and Caiaphas — are entities within us. Judas represents desire, Pilate represents the rational mind that justifies everything, and Caiaphas represents ill will. They are the ones who sell the inner Christ for "30 pieces of silver," meaning for worldly pleasures, sensuality, and selfish interests.
The crowds that call for the crucifixion of Christ do not belong to the past. They are within us: they are our psychic aggregates, the "red demons of Seth," as Samael Aun Weor explains, who cry out against the inner Christ. These internal elements mock, attack, crown with thorns, and lead Christ to death within us.
However, the true initiate must live this drama, not as an ancient tale, but as a present reality. The crucifixion is followed by the resurrection: on the third day, Christ rises within the initiate, who becomes a divine creature, beyond good and evil.
Christ, the Spirit of Fire, wants to descend upon each of us to burn the psychic aggregates, dissolve the ego, and transform us into Luminary Beings. Christ is INRI — Ignis Natura Renovatur Integram — the Fire that renews nature.
The Twelve Apostles should also not be seen merely as historical figures. According to Samael Aun Weor, they represent the Twelve Fundamental Parts of our own Being. Within each of us, there is a Peter, who masters the mysteries of sex; a John, who represents the Word; a Thomas, who teaches us to handle the mind; and so on. Even Judas — another Judas — is the one who deeply understands the Ego and guides us in the dissolution of the "self."
Each Apostle is a living power within us, and they teach us higher sciences, astral travel, transmutation, wisdom, and sacrifice for humanity. As Samael Aun Weor rightly states, true Christianity must be internal, esoteric, based on direct experience, not just external traditions.
The Cross of Calvary, the central symbol of the Passion, is also profoundly symbolic: the Lingam-Yoni, the masculine and feminine principle of creation united, forms the cross. With this mystical cross, the initiate travels the path to Golgotha, where the old personality dies and is reborn in spirit.
Christ is always rejected by three types of people, as Samael Aun Weor explains: the elders (those who cling to the past), the scribes (the dogmatic intellectuals), and the priests (those tied to institutionalized religious power). These are forces that oppose the true inner revolution proposed by the Inner Christ.
We must burn all prejudices, false beliefs, desires, and vices with the fire of Fohat — the Sacred Fire. No theory, no belief can save us. Only the death of the ego sets us free. The "Inner Babylon," the psychic city full of vices and demons, must be destroyed so we can build the Heavenly Jerusalem, whose twelve foundations bear the name of the Twelve Apostles — the Twelve Powers of Being.
Each of the twelve gates of this city represents an aspect of our Divine Being. They are portals of light, splendor, and freedom, built with spiritual gold, forged in the "forge of the Cyclopes" — a symbol of the inner alchemical work.
The Heavenly Jerusalem does not need an external sun or moon, for the Lord — the Inner Christ — is its light. And this Christ dwells within us, here and now.
