January 7:"Old Christmas" or the Death of Magic?
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On this day, January 7th—historically called “Old Christmas” and more widely known as the Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day—Christians around the world celebrate the moment when the infant Jesus was manifested to the nations in the person of the Magi: the three wise kings who followed a star across the world in welcoming a new king. But was this also the death of high magic's mainstream influence?
The Jouney of the Wise Men — A Universal Allegory
The Gospel of Matthew claims that only that “Magi from the East” arrived in Jerusalem, following a mysterious star to find a newborn king, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These Magi are not described as "kings" in scripture, nor is their number fixed at three—the number we know today simply because three gifts are mentioned.
However, over
centuries of tradition, three figures came to be named:
- Melchior, traditionally a king of Persia,
often portrayed as the eldest and the giver of gold — symbolizing royalty
and worldly power.
- Caspar (or Gaspar), often portrayed as
a king of India, associated with the gift of frankincense — symbolizing
divine worship and spiritual devotion.
- Balthazar, traditionally a king of Arabia
or Africa, pictured as the giver of myrrh — a precious resin associated
both with healing and with embalming, symbolizing mortality and the
sacrificial dimension of life.
To many, this trio—drawn from the East, representing Persia, India, and Arabia/Africa—became a cosmic map of human spirituality, bringing together diverse traditions under the guiding light of a single revelation; to others, however, this was also an unspoken moment to bring previous faiths and belief systems into the "occult" veil of hidden beliefs, predicting that Christianity would soon dominate civilization's historical and theological horizon.
Epiphany as a Symbol of Spiritual Convergence
In the ancient world, those who studied stars—astrologers, sages, and Magi—were often seen as seekers of hidden knowledge, interpreters of celestial signs, and custodians of wisdom from multiple traditions. Their journey toward the light is most often portrayed as a universal motif: the seeker following the guiding star to a place of rebirth and revelation. That these figures are often depicted as coming from different realms of the known world has long held symbolic significance: the recognition that the divine—the mystery at the heart of the cosmos—transcends cultural boundaries.
However, it is crucial to remember the power and influence of those kings who have been so portrayed as subservient to the new king: Melchior as a gatekeeper of hitherto unknown alchemic knowledge; Casper, as the direct throughline to the ancient meditative systems of inner-knowledge; and Balthazar, an African king devoted to the ultimate divine Spirit.
Epiphany thus stands at a threshold: the end of the "Twelve Days of Christmas"—a liminal time when the veil between old and new, between heaven and earth, is thought to be thin and receptive to revelation and transformation; a time when all systems merge for knowledge and light.
Old Christmas and Cultural Remains
Across cultures, January 7th remains a
day of ritual echoes—from chalk blessings drawn upon homes to processions of
stars and carols led by “star singers” symbolizing light leading the way.
In many Latin American traditions, Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) features parades, pastries, and gifts, reinforcing the idea that illumination comes not only to the wise but to ordinary life as well.
Why This Matters
For historians and modern occultists, the Epiphany is a time to acknowledge the many ancient cultures long buried or cast aside by mainstream doctrine; with the set narrative in Christianity that the "three kings" bowed to Christ, centuries of scholars looked upon the cultural contributions of those countries represented by those "kings" as "occult" in nature: In Melchior, the incredible innovations to mathematics and spirituality of his homelands were not emphasized—nor so those of Caspar and Balthazar, whose own respective nations held centuries of spiritual beliefs that, too, would be deemed "esoteric" by most western society.
In an age of increasing division, the symbolic resonance of Epiphany—three paths converging toward a common road—still holds power. It reminds us that truth is not owned by any one tradition, and that revelation often appears in visits from unexpected directions.
(Every day, Modern Occultist News will present "This Day in Occult History" and will dive into the birthdays, rituals, breakthroughs, and crucial moments that shaped today's many esoteric traditions. From the Hermetic revival to Witchcraft, from Crowley to cyberspace, we'll bring the best stories and latest trends to today's own modern occultists everywhere.)
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