"Easter is a sacred day which symbolizes the culmination of the process of initiation. This sacred day is universal and is not limited to the Christian dogma; it is a day for all human beings who march on the path of the Self-realization of the Being." - Samael Aun Weor

On the Easter holiday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ from the dead, yet most Christians do not realize that the name Easter is derived from Ostara, a Pagan goddess of spring, fertility, and the rising sun, whose name comes from the even older name Ishtar, a Babylonian / Assyrian goddess of fertility, love, and sex. These goddesses represent fertility, love, and sex at the divine, angelic level, not the animal level that humanity is trapped within. The sacred mysteries symbolized by these goddesses are the gateway to the birth of Christ. Without the pure, chaste sexuality taught by the virginal Divine Mother, the Sun-Christ cannot be born within us to save us.

Easter symbolizes the return of the Sun-Christ (Apollo), who during winter descended into the underworld (our mind) to liberate us from the darkness, and upon his return restores light and life to the world, freeing us from the grip of the cold, dark winter (Saturn, death). In synthesis, Easter symbolizes real initiation: how the soul is born inside of us.

The mysteries of Easter are profound and beautiful, and are touched upon in lectures like these:

• Anastasis
• Mysteries of the Gnostic Easter
• Gnosis of Easter