The Grail and the Alpha-Omega Part I
by Gary Osborn
Copyright © Gary Osborn 2006. All Rights Reserved
What is the Grail? For many the Grail or ‘Holy Grail’ symbolises ‘perfection’ or a ‘state of excellence’ and primarily in the spiritual and mystical sense. The symbol for the Grail is often a cup, chalice or vessel that one drinks from. The meaning is simple and clear; the cup symbolises one’s own sustenance or nourishment and this means in the spiritual context. Taking things to the highest level, the Grail really symbolises ’enlightenment’ and inner spiritual illumination – and there really is such an experience – an experience that has been behind the religious impulse of man throughout history.
In all the stories that feature the Grail, it is this experience that is always being alluded to along with the physical and internal psychical processes associated with it. One’s own realization of this is the ‘highest level’ one can reach in regard to the knowledge and wisdom being imparted via this symbol of the Grail – again, traditionally a cup, chalice or vessel containing ‘All that is’. However, the Grail works on several levels of initiation, and there’s one level I would like to bring attention to here and which has never been ‘overtly’ presented before.
The ‘sudden appearance’ of the Grail in the stories dedicated to it, is really associated with bringing attention to cyclical phenomenaand for good reason, because knowledge of cycles and their three phases is paramount in understanding the dynamic processes underlying reality as linked to human consciousness and more importantly the attainment of enlightenment and gnosis of the spiritual source to which we are all connected.
In-depth analysis of these stories reveal that in many different ways, the ancients were really conveying knowledge about cycles and more importantly, the crucial point in the cycle – known esoterically as the ‘Alpha and the Omega’ ‘the beginning and the end’.
The Grail, actually symbolised this crucial point in the cycle through which it was believed a regular ‘pulse’ of energy (life force) from the ’source-centre of creation’ (which many of us would identify with ’God’) is delivered. It was believed that it is through this same point or 'portal' that we receive our intelligence and guidance through our intuitive senses, and that through it one’s consciousness; one's soul, can ultimately ascend back to the source.
In searching for the origin of this ancient understanding, it would appear that at sometime in the deepest reaches of our past, certain people understood that reality is a ‘re-creative’ process intimately related to our own consciousness and that like a beating heart, the source of this pulse is within everything; every cell, every molecule, every atom and subatomic body, and is what sustains our very existence. So, following is a brand new interpretation of the Grail – and one which has been completely overlooked. We have to approach the clues we are given ‘laterally’ to see exactly what is being alluded to in many of these stories.
Some of this was mentioned in the book I co-authored with Philip Gardiner, The Serpent Grail (2005) which was based largely on Philip’s insights into the global serpent worship and his own unique theory, that the mix of the venom and blood of the snake was the original ‘elixir of life’. The material I am presenting here, and which I first touched on in my own contributions to our first book, are elaborated on further in the new revised version of The Shining Ones (2006).
The Cauldron, the Grail and the Void
Firstly, we are told that the Celtic cauldron, which has been compared to the Grail, is associated with healing, renewal and fertility.
1) The cauldron would spew forth copious amounts of ‘wondrous food and drink’ for the victors of battle and would also ‘resurrect’ the dead soldiers.
2) The Grail is similarly said to produce an abundance of food and drink.
Again, the Grail, like the Celtic cauldron, is associated with fertility, regeneration, replenishment and sustenance, and it appears suddenly, as if from nowhere . . .
We find that by all accounts and descriptions the Cauldron which contains ‘everything’, corresponds with the philosophical and mystical descriptions concerning the ’Transcendental Void’ of Eastern tradition – the “nothing”, the ‘infinite’ - the source-center of creation. Today, our physicists speculate on an ultimate ground-state of reality they call the ‘aether’, the ‘vacuum’, the 'quantum potential’, the ‘non-local’, the ‘zero-point field’ - all of which correspond with 'the Void' of mystical tradition. In psychology this would be the ‘collective unconscious’ - again, the ‘source-center’ from which ‘everything’ in the universe originates and manifests – hence the power of the cauldron to heal, regenerate and grant new life.
The Void is ‘nothing’ and ‘everything’ at the same time and so here we can see that both the Cauldron and the Grail symbolise the Void from which everything in creation manifests and comes into being. However, as said, we are being told that the Grail is also associated with cycles - and that point in the cycle which is believed to signify a ‘doorway’, ‘portal’ . . . “stargate”, into the ‘otherworld’ (other dimensions) and ultimately back to the source-center of creation to which we are all linked.
The Grail and the Two Crucial Points in the Cycle
I would ask the reader to consult the diagrams I have created via this page as they are important in understanding what is being conveyed here:
http://garyosborn.moonfruit.com/revelations2 (Please click on the alchemical image of the Ouroborus entitled ‘Cycle Diagrams’).
As many of us will know, a fixed pendulum will only start swinging if we give it a gentle push, and it will only keep swinging if we keep ‘tapping’ it at regular intervals.
In this analogy, and in the context of both ‘consciousness' and 'physical processes’, the Grail symbolises the moments in the cycle ‘where’ and ‘when’ the pendulum is being ‘tapped’ to keep it swinging – moving. Similarly, we could say that everything in the universe – from the microcosm of spinning subatomic particles to the macrocosm of swirling galaxies – is being "pushed" or ‘tapped’ by a ‘pulse’ of energy sent out from the source-centre at regular intervals to keep everything oscillating, vibrating, moving, revolving, active, and in existence.
These pulses of energy are represented by the ‘transliminal phases’ in travelling waves, ‘the nodes’ in standing wave phenomena and all periodic systems, oscillations and frequencies. And close examination of the religious and mystical symbolism and also what is being alluded to in many textual sources, reveals that it was/is believed that whatever this 'transliminal phase' is, it represents whatever is actually driving these waves and cycles onward and keeps them in motion.
From their observation of cyclical phenomena, our ancient ancestors understood this dynamic in the cycle and this dynamic came to be symbolised in later times by the Cauldron and its religio-mystical counterpart, the Grail – its limitless "source of nourishment" symbolising the pulse of ‘infinite energy’ that keeps everything in motion. We can see that being associated with the resurrection of the dead, that the Cauldron/Grail is also associated with the cycle of ‘life-death-rebirth’ as expressed in the never-ending cycle of the seasons, and we see this with the appearance of the ‘Resurrection god’ every year.
Within the yearly cycle, followers of religions from around the world celebrate the Spring or Vernal Equinox which now falls on or around 21 March. This is one of only two days in the year when day and night are equal in length – the other being the Autumnal Equinox which falls on or around Sept 21st – exactly six months later. These celebrations are said to be pagan in essence, but are more likely to have a shamanic origin.
The zero-node in the cycle therefore represents the ‘Eternal Now’ and the ‘Eternal Return’ of esoteric tradition – and is the Alpha-Omega spoken of by Christ – the ‘resurrection god’ in one of his many incarnations. Again, like the Grail this individual (“son of god” – “son of the sun” – meaning the ‘inner sun’) personifies this ‘pulse of creation’ sent by the source-centre (the Father and Heavenly Kingdom) at crucial times in history – traditionally at the end-beginning point of each of the 12 zodiac ages in the larger Precessional Cycle consisting of 25,920 years according to tradition. So we can conclude that this crucial ‘pulse-point’ in each and every cycle was also symbolised in various cultures by the resurrection or rebirth of a ‘slain god’ or ‘vegetation god’ (e.g. the Green Man) and at the precise moment ‘where’ and ‘when’ it was believed that a pulse of energy was delivered by the source-centre of creation to replenish the earth in abundance – continual rebirth.
As said, the Cauldron also represents ‘the Void’ and we find that these pulses of energy (zero-point energy) are delivered from the Void. If we go back to our analogy of the pendulum which is swinging between two extremes (opposites), the pulse that keeps the pendulum moving would be delivered everytime the pendulum crosses the neutral mid-point or ‘balance point’ and where these opposites are fused or cancelled out altogether. Again, this ‘center-point’ or ‘balance point’, crossed over twice in every cycle or swing, would represent the ‘portal’ or ‘gateway’ into the void at the center, and in this analogy, the void or center would be where the pendulum is being held above.
The swing of the pendulum creates a triangular pattern, and we see here a correspondence between the point where the pendulum is being held, with the white, snowy apex of the mountain and the capstone of the pyramid – both of which represent zero-point. It should be noted that we also use a pendulum for dowsing – i.e., picking up those vibrations and frequencies that resonate with our thoughts and what we already know at a subconscious or unconscious level.
Figure 3: The cycle in balance indicated by the balance scales, and the ’All-Seeing Eye’ in the center symbolizing the Void and source. The reef, which is associated with death, took the place of the Ouroborus serpent, and again we see the two neutral points of the cycle represented by the two ties around the reef - top and bottom. (Photograph by Philip Gardiner.)
