The Sacrament of Holy Communion has been central in most public acts of worship in the western world over the past millennia. From weekly and daily masses, to marriages and funerals, part of the formula for performing these duties includes holding a complete Eucharistic feast. Traditionally, it is believed that bread and wine are transformed into the flesh and blood of Christ, thus bringing into present the sacrifice of Christ, in a physical form that allows people to consume the Divine and achieve mystical union. In the contemporary occult tradition of Thelema, the Eucharist is seen as a magical act of transforming common material into the Divine for the purpose of consumption. In spite of this rite’s centrality, even adherents of the Roman Church have overlooked the significance of this act, with 43% of Roman Catholics believing that Communion is only a symbolic act, rather than an actual transformation.
The Body is a Temple
If we think back to the ancient religions of the world, one common theme includes the building and maintenance of homes for Gods. Devotees keep temples in clean and acceptable conditions for the God that resides in the temple, presenting offerings to them as sacrifices to obtain favors and to demonstrate faith and commitment. Both Gnostics and orthodox Christians would agree that the body itself is a temple, with Paul explicitly calling it a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Knowing this, it makes sense for us to take care of our physical bodies, as they are houses of the Divine, and the longer we keep them in working order, the longer we can continue the great work on this plane, without interruptions. One part of taking care of ourselves is feeding ourselves correctly. By receiving the Eucharist, one is receiving Divinity into their temple, helping one to receive and be aware of the presence of Divinity, and feeding their Spirit while literally feeding themselves in the material world, representing the union of the Divine with the self.
Sacrificial Offerings
Many traditions have practices that involve sacrifices, ranging from the offering of incense and praise, foods and drinks, and in some cases, living animals. However, according to Christian theology, given that Christ is the human incarnation of the Son of God, his offering of his own Divine being provides a higher sacrificial value than anything else that is possible to offer from the material world. The traditional reason for this offering is in exchange for the sins of humanity, so that humans can be redeemed from death. However, in the Occult, practitioners have found the transformational power of the Eucharist to be a very effective force, as can be seen in many medieval grimoires, which often involve performing Mass as part of various rituals.
Ideas About the Eucharistic Mechanism
The transformation of bread and wine into flesh and blood is often misunderstood as being merely symbolic. However, Christian theology states that this is an actual change, using the Aristotelian idea of substance to explain that the substance of the bread and wine are changed into Christ while they retain the attributes of their appearance as bread and wine.
In Christian Eucharistic theology, as long as a priest follows the prescribed form with the correct matter and intention, the Eucharistic transformation of bread and wine into flesh and blood is said to have taken place. In Thelema, some may hold similar views to this, while others believe that because Thelemic mass is a magical operation, the performance of the celebrants are what determines whether the transformation takes place or not.
Conclusion
Taking into account the various factors that explain the power of the Eucharist, it makes sense that its use is so prevalent in various ceremonies. The power to make the Divine present and evoke God’s transformational power is one that has been used repeatedly with great effect. Spiritual practitioners should try to receive the Eucharist as often as possible, in order to fill themselves with the physical presence of the Divine and to share in the transformational power that this sacrament possesses.