Historically, the message of Jeremiah is the same as that of other prophets. He predicted the fall of the kingdom; lamented the loss of the House of Israel and of Judah; pointed to a future age when, under Messianic leadership, the captives would return to their Holy Land and a new kingdom, united as in Solomon's day, would be set up, all evil having been purged from the land and the people.

   To prophetic utterances there is also an esoteric interpretation which may be termed alchemical. It runs through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, without interruption. Jeremiah was one of those great Initiates who produced the Scriptures and embodied in them a Mystery that flows a hidden current submerged beneath the main stream of historical annals. To uncover such esoteric Wisdom it is often necessary to make use of the allegorical method of translation.

   Astrologically, Jeremiah signifies the Autumn Equinox, the Gate of Libra, sign of the Scales. This is the point where judgment is meted out and choice must be made between the opposing forces of good and evil. His theme is that of strange, cold waters and of the darkness that comes from the north. These figures of speech are representative of the "fan" of the earth from the warmth and light of summer into the darkness and cold of winter. Jeremiah reiterates, "The summer is past."

Jeremiah 4:6
Set up the standard toward Zion: retire, stay not: for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.

   Each year the earth reenacts the great cosmic drama of this "fall," when nature is wrapped in winter darkness — as is man's soul when he chooses the way of flesh instead of the way of spirit. Such seasonal changes will continue until man chooses the path of soul redemption and changes his mode of living. Then will he find the new City of Zion. But until he has effected an alchemical blending of the four primary forces within himself there can be no reconciliation of the elements. "As above, so below;" also, as below so above! The macrocosm and the microcosm are one.

Jeremiah 10:13
When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

   In man's earthly vehicle the element Earth denotes the physical vehicle; Air, the mind; Water, the emotions; Fire, the passions.

Jeremiah 10:22
Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

   The north country symbolizes materialism; Judah is the heart or love principle, the den of dragons is the power of lust.

Jeremiah 14:1-3
The word of the Lord that cometh to Jeremiah concerning the dearth.
Judah mourneth, and the gates thereof languish; they are black unto the ground; and the cry of Jerusalem is gone up.
And their nobles have sent their little ones to the waters: they came to the pits, and found no water; they returned with their vessels empty; they were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads.

   The dearth refers to the prevailing ignorance concerning misuse of the life force within the body.

Jeremiah 13:17
But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock is carried away captive.

   Jeremiah points out to the neophyte the great testing place where he must choose between good and evil. In the Garden of Eden collectively man chose the path of evil; individually he must choose good before he finds the New Zion.

Jeremiah 21:8
And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the Lord; Behold I set before you the way of life, and the way of death.

Jeremiah 18:14,15
Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shalt the cold flowing waters that came from another place be forsaken?
Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up.

   The Bible declares throughout that the ultimate victory of Good and Light over evil and darkness is fully assured. Every one who has ever touched the illumined heights of spiritual consciousness is inspired to proclaim the supreme message of the all-encompassing power of God's love and the ultimate redemption of the whole human race.

Jeremiah 12:14,15
Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbors, that touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit;
Behold, I will pluck them out of their land, and pluck out the house of Judah from among them.
And it shalt come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again; every man in his heritage, and every man to his land.

   Physiologically, the temple of man's body is made up of organs Which are either masculine or feminine in potency. With the fall into generation a gradual change occurred in the archetypal body of man. Abuse of generative force particularly affected the negative, or feminine, bodily organs. Many of these are now either dormant or in the process of revivification that in future races they may serve as channels for tremendous spiritual power. This fact is mystically expressed in esoteric Masonry by the tomb of Hiram Abiff, on which appears the figure of Time bestowing a blessing upon the figure of a woman who sits weeping beside a fallen and broken column, the Boaz column of Solomon's Temple.

   Among the organs of feminine potency that are now undergoing special development are the pituitary body and the heart, both of which are centers for expressing the Christ Consciousness in man. Also, a second spinal cord — to be formed from the sympathetic segment of man's present cord — and the right cerebral hemisphere of the brain are destined for great development. The bipolar creative force manifesting as Will and Imagination will cooperate through this double spinal cord. The two columns within the body will then be in equilibrium. The Book of Jeremiah contains many references to the fallen feminine column, the main theme of his Lamentations. Note the following:

Jeremiah 8:11,21,22
For they have heated the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt; I am black; astonishment hath taken hold on me.
Is there no balm in Gilead; is there no physician there? why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered?

   The balm for which the Mount of Gilead was famous was spiritual as well as physical. Elijah came from Gilead and Gilead's balm is the ancient prophetic Wisdom. The true prophets were also healers.

Jeremiah 11:15,16
What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy flesh is passed from thee? when thou doest evil, then thou rejoiceth.
The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.

   The olive symbolizes regeneration in the present Fifth Root Race, of which Jeremiah is here writing. Its branches are broken and the fire of disease and disintegration is kindled upon it.

Jeremiah 14:17
Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a grievous blow.

Jeremiah 4:31
For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.

   Seven sub-races are born, reach their zenith, and then gradually disintegrate within the bosom of each Great Root Race. Jeremiah laments the failure of the present Fifth Root Race.

Jeremiah 15:9
She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it is yet day: she hath been ashamed and confounded: and the residue of them will I deliver to the sword before their enemies, saith the Lord.

Jeremiah 6:30
Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.

   Again the prophet outlines the preparatory steps of conservation and purity that must precede true spiritual development. In the following verses the loins symbolize desire; the linen girdle, purity; rock, the new body builded through conservation of the life force. The densest ethers belonging to sense life are eliminated from the spiritualized body; the higher, more delicate ethers take their place. By wrong living, however, the girdle is marred and profitable for nothing. This condition is true of the majority of mankind who live only for gratification of the senses.

Jeremiah 13:1-7
Thus saith the Lord unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
So I get a girdle according to the word of the Lord, and put it on my loins.
And the word of the Lord came unto me a second time, saying, Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
So I went, and hid it by Euphrates, as the Lord commanded me.
And it came to pass after many days, that the Lord said unto me, Arise, go to Euphrates, and take the girdle from thence, which I commanded thee to hide there.
Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

   Throughout the Bible are found references to certain Mysteries which immediately suggest an origin for Grail legends of the Middle Ages. Thus, in Jeremiah 16:16 it is said: "Behold, I will send for my fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for my hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks." Fishers symbolize earthly agents of God's justice. Evil-doers shall be fished out from the ocean of humanity. The King of the Grail is called the Fisher-King; he is king of an Order wholly dedicated to eradicating evil from the world and to righting injustice wherever it occurs. Thus, after the massacre of the Manicheans in the South of France and, later, after the destruction of the Order of Templars, a secret army arose in Europe having as its purpose the avenging of great wrongs done to humanity by a decadent ecclesiasticism. These men were the fighting arm of Middle Age Mysteries, men who laid down their lives to defend the human right to freedom of thought and conscience.

   As the Divine judge, the Messiah also was a great fisher of men (souls). His Disciples were called to be Fishers of Men in preparation for the Piscean cycle, represented astrologically by two fishes bound together. The process of fishing, or separating the good from the evil, is the work of the Piscean Age. The completion of the process belongs to the Aquarian Age.

Jeremiah 23:3-6
And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.
And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

   The Piscean Age is a kind of cosmic purgatory, the alchemical crucible, for purifying the race and thus preparing it for the Aquarian Age.

Jeremiah 17:1
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars.

   Situated within the left ventricle of the heart is the seed atom of the physical body. This atom is indestructible and contains a record of the ego's every experience in a body. After death of the dense body, from this atom is taken the life record for purgatorial and heaven-world experiences.

Jeremiah 46:6
Let not the swift flee away, nor the mighty man escape; they shall stumble, and fall toward the north by the river Euphrates.

   The river Euphrates in the Garden of Eden symbolizes the densest (Chemical) ether, the ether of sense life. Jeremiah states the law governing those whose life attracts an excess of this dense ether.

   Both Babylon and Egypt represent material and sense life: "Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord. As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth." (Jeremiah 51:48,49) "So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt, to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them." (Jeremiah 42:17)

Jeremiah 24:6
For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.

Jeremiah 24:2, 3
One basket had very good figs, even like the figs that are first ripe; and the other basket had very naughty figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
Then said the Lord unto me, What seest thou, Joremiah? And I said, Figs, the good figs, very good; and the evil, very evil, that cannot be eaten, they are so evil.

   This vision of the good and bad figs refers to a future condition when, through the full manifestation of Uranus, the ruler of Aquarius, it will no longer be possible to conceal evil. All things done will be shouted from the housetops. This will be due to the greatly increased density and reflective powers of the ethers. There will then be no secrets; every dealing will be open. There will be the wholly evil; also the very good, those who have overcome. Through the power of Uranus and the unleashed electric and magnetic currents belonging to the coming Aquarian Age, the love that now expresses itself as passion will be lifted up to manifest as compassion, the pure love of soul for soul.

Jeremiah 33:13-15
In the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the vale, and in the cities of the south, and in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, shall the flocks pass again under the hands of him that telleth them, saith the Lord.
Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform good things which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.
In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.

   Astrologically, this is a promise of the Great White Work that is prepared for the eartheach year as the Sun passes through the signs of Cancer and Leo, and is the chief glory of the Summer Solstice. The reference to the Houses of Israel and Judah, from which shall grow the Branch of Righteousness (Christ), refers to the blended In masculine and feminine polarities in men, who have thus become pioneers or Christed Ones that meet and work with the blessed Lord Christ Jesus.

   Initiates function at a level of consciousness that enables them to envisage rare developments that the race is destined to attain in the far future, whereby all men may become prophets by virtue of their ability to proclaim their exalted vision to the world. The great ideal toward which pioneers of the race are striving was revealed by the Initiate Teacher, Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 31:32,33
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the days that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

   He emphasized the promise of the restoration of Israel as well as of Judah:

Jeremiah 31:4-9
Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tablets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry.
Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things.
For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.
For thus saith the Lord, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.
Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither.
They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Jeremiah 46:20; 49:23; 51:48
Egypt Is like a very fair heifer, but destruction cometh; it cometh out of the north.
Concerning Damascus: Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil tidings; they are faint-hearted: there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.
Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord.

   The Book of Jeremiah closes with the destruction of the Temple and the removal of the gold and silver vessels. Esoterically, this refers to the lack of equilibrium between the forces of the Sun (gold) and the Moon (silver), an imbalance destined to last so long as the earth is subject to cycles of alternation — day and night, winter and summer, heat and cold. As earth's evolution proceeds under the Law of Opposites, lamentations for the fall of the virgin daughters (man's higher nature) and for the destruction of the Temple (the physical temple of man's own body ana the present physical strata of the earth) will continue. In Lemuria the earth was destroyed by the forces of fire; in Atlantis, by the power of water. Already subterranean fire forges of our globe are beginning to resound for the next great disintegration. The "vessels of gold and silver" cannot yet remain permanently in the Temple of earth or of man. Attainment necessary for that privilege belongs to a future age.

 — Corinne Heline