(i) Gold Frankincense and Myrrh A Traditional Analysis

Gold Frankincense and Myrrh Allegory : In the story of the first Christmas, the Magi, or three wise men, are said to have offered the newborn Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold is always a welcome gift, but the resins from the Boswellia and Commiphora trees don’t have such an obvious purpose.

Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. The gift of frankincense to the Christ child was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering.

Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. The baby Jesus would grow to suffer greatly as a man and would pay the ultimate price when He gave His life on the cross for all who would believe in Him.

(ref: here)

(ii) Gold Frankincense and Myrrh Allegory Mystical Analysis

Matthew 2: 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

In ancient times, Frankincense and Myrrh were often considered to be more valuable than Gold; with Myrrh being the most valuable of the three.

Three is the number which Symbolizes CREATION. Here we find the number Three represented by the Three Wise Men, or Magi (Magicians), along with their Three Gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. 

The Three Wise Men represent Three Gunas (tamas, sattva, and rajas) . They are Symbolic of the creative processes, and energies, which permeate all realms of creation.

These are represented in the Tarot Card 3 of Disks or ‘Works’ in the Thoth Deck which will be covered my YouTube Tarot tutorial here.The 3 gunas are represented by the three wheels at the corners of the pyramid.
But, who were these Wise Men, or Magi and why did they specifically offer Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh as these were not random gifts?In order to discover the answers these questions we must first examine the mysticism and and esoteric meanings behind them.

The Three Wise Men or Magi (Magi is the plural of Magician) in ancient times  were people who  understood herbs, potions, elixirs, healing, divination, and astrology .They were the Initiates who received  sacred teachings regarding  spiritual truths, or the “magic”, which lies behind all things.

(i) Gold:

Gold is Symbolic of the incorruptible, the non-tarnishable and the infinite of creation. Therefore Gold is the colour used to represent the “Son”, or ATMAN the divine spiritual essence which burns within each one of us.  It Symbolizes the eternal Source, the eternal Unity, from which everything in the material realm originates. It represents Tiphareth on the Tree of Life.

(ii)  Frankincense

Frankincense  is an aromatic resin which is obtained from an extremely hardy tree called Bosaellia Sacra which has the ability to grow in the most hostile, rugged and unforgiving environments. It has the ability to grow where there is no soil; it can even growout of solid rock. Therefore this tree is a symbol for resilience, strength, endurance. It is obtained by cutting or slashing the tree so that its sap can bleed out. The sap bleeds out in the form of “tears”;and this may be the same “tears” referred to in religious lore as the “tears of the Madonna”.

Its pleasant aroma, which was associated with the masculine  energy of the heavens and of life, was mixed with other oils to  anoint newborn babies. Frankincense was also used (and still is) during Initiation Ceremonies to anoint those worthy who were entering  into the newer, higher, and more subtle phases of their spiritual life.

Frankincense is the fragrance used in the Symbolic anointing oil which was used to welcome the newborn Christ, and thereby all newborn infants, into the physical world. This is symbolic of THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST  within the initiate when the Light of God is revealed through the vision of the 1000 petalled Lotus. This is the light revealed in the light & sound groups given in the listings on the website. It is the same initiation that is talked about on this website here.

(iii) Myrrh 

Myrrh is a resin obtained from a thorny tree which grows in dry and arid desert regions. When the bark of this tree is cut open, its resin seeps out as a gum.

Myrrh was valued for its medicinal values and was used to disinfect and cleanse wounds. It also has the ability to mask odours and was therefore used in embalming rituals.

Myrrh Symbolizes a feminine and nurturing essence, or energy, which is linked with the earth.

The thorns of the Myrrh tree represent the “Crown of Thorns” placed upon the head of Jesus at the end of his life. Furthermore,  because Myrrh was used in embalming Rituals, and is linked to the Earth, it Symbolizes the end of our physical life; the time when our spiritually vacated bodies are Ceremoniously prepared for entrance into their final resting place within the earth. This is the time when our physical bodies are no longer required as our spirit has already left it to return back to  the Golden Unity from which it originally came. It could also represent the end of our earthly life symbolically, as we die to who we were once the light of god has been revealed for us to meditate upon.

Gold Frankincense & Myrrh Conclusion

Therefore, as Gold Symbolizes the One eternal Source of all creation, Frankincense and Myrrh, on the other hand, represent the dual result of all creation: life and death; beginning and end both:

(i) within a human lifetime (describing rebirth into spirit through initiation into the Light and Sound) and the death of our previous earthly perspective and also

(ii) more literally, the birth of a human form (Frankincense) and its death (Myrrh) and return to the earth with the spirit experiencing neither birth or death (Gold).

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