Christ

The term "Christ" derives from the Greek word "Christos" (Χριστός), meaning "anointed one." This is a translation of the Hebrew "Mashiach" (מָשִׁיחַ), also signifying "anointed." The concept of anointing with oil as a symbol of consecration and divine empowerment appears in ancient Near Eastern traditions.

See Rev. xxi, 6., where John adopts "Alpha and Omega" as the symbol of a Divine Comforter who "'will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely". The word Azot or Azoth is a media!val glyph of this idea, for the word consists of the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, A and Q. of the Latin alphabet, A and Z. and the Hebrew alphabet, A and T, or alcph and tan. (See also ''Azoth"). [w.w.w.] 44 TUKOSOPIIICAL B. B The st'coiul IcttiT ill almost all the alphabets, also the second in tilt' llt'bri'W. Its symbol is a house, the form of Btth, the letter itself indicating: a dwellinpr, a shed or a shelter. "As a comi)ound of a root, it is constantly used for the purpose of showing that it had to do with stone ; when stones at Beth-el are set up, for instance. The Hebrew value as a numeral is two. Joined witli its predeet'ssor. it forms the word Ah, the root of 'father'. Master, one in autliority, and it has tlie Ka])alistical distinction of being: tiie first letter in the Sacred Volume of the

Helena Blavatsky, in her expansive and often provocative interpretations, positions "Christ" not solely within the confines of Christian dogma but as a universal symbol, a perennial archetype resonating across spiritual traditions. Her reference to the "Alpha and Omega" and the concept of a "Divine Comforter" draws from the Book of Revelation, but her linkage to "Azot" or "Azoth"—the alchemical symbol of the prima materia, the universal solvent, and the ultimate goal of transformation—broadens the meaning considerably. Azoth, comprising the first and last letters of various alphabets, signifies totality, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega of existence itself.

This alchemical parallel suggests that the Christ principle is not merely an external mediator but an internal process of spiritual alchemy, a transmutation of the base elements of the human psyche into the gold of divine consciousness. It speaks to the Gnostic idea of the Pleroma, the fullness of divine being, and the spark of the divine within the human soul, the pneuma, that can be ignited. The "water of life freely" offered to the thirsty is not a miraculous elixir dispensed from without, but the wellspring of spiritual awakening that arises from within when the individual is prepared to receive it.

The term "Christ" then becomes synonymous with the awakened self, the perfected human being who has realized their unity with the divine. This resonates deeply with the concept of the Buddha-nature in Mahayana Buddhism, the inherent potential for enlightenment present in all sentient beings, or the Hindu ideal of moksha, liberation through the realization of the identity of Atman and Brahman. As Mircea Eliade observed in his studies of shamanism and archaic religions, the sacred is often experienced as an immanent force, a divine presence that can be contacted and embodied through specific practices and initiations. The Christ, in this expanded view, is the ultimate initiate, the embodiment of the sacred made manifest, offering a blueprint for the spiritual journey. The ancient notion of the anointed king or priest, set apart and empowered by the divine, finds its ultimate spiritual signification in the Christ as the one who has fully embodied the divine will and consciousness, making this realization attainable for all who embark on the path of inner transformation. It is a call to recognize the divine potential within, the latent "Christ" waiting to be born in the heart.