“Yet there is a vision possible to man, which pierces the universal veil, a vision free from all obscurity, a vision uncontaminated by the dark shadows of base desires or fear, by unstable emotions or unworthy motives. It is the vision seen when man develops a new faculty, a new sense. It is an inward vision of splendour. A wave of spiritual light will engulf him, a mysterious power indescribable in mere words sweeps like a shooting star over the expanse of his spirit, giving a sudden illuminating flash which floods his whole inner being, his soul, with a glorious light. In its brilliance he is granted, for a brief moment in time, a glimpse of the vision splendid. He is then united with the living heart of the universe by a bond reaching out to infinity. Nothing known to man, no symbols of his conception can express the joyousness which floods his whole being. It can be experienced in quiet tranquillity of spirit. It can burst all the bounds of restraint, expressing itself in an all embracing, overwhelming feeling of love. Lost in an unfathomable sea of silent contemplation, the body will shine with radiance from the inner light, and all about will be bathed in a luminous spiritual glow. Having once been in divine communication, these awakened spirits know a joy supreme, and never again do they walk through the veil of mortal sorrows. The truly awakened soul is beyond carnal lust and mortal grief, his love is alike for all My creation and thus he shows supreme love for Me. By this love alone he knows Me in Truth, Who and What I am, and knowing Me in Truth he participates in My Whole Being. Those who seek union with Me must first prepare a dwelling place for Me in their hearts; but those who are not pure, those who do not fight for Me, those who have not suffered under the discipline of love and those without wisdom cannot attain union, no matter how much they strive. I am the God of Illumination, I am the God of Enlightenment”.
“Would you know the ultimate state of man when he has finally reached his goal, when he has entered into his inheritance of divinity? It is a state of glory transcending anything conceivable by him during an earthbound existence. His consciousness expands to embrace everything, all that ever was or will be. He sees all. He knows all. He is in all and he contains all. These things come to him through infinite powers of perception, yet he is above all such powers. He is beyond all yet within all. He is beyond the realm of matter, freed from all restrictions, yet he is not denied its joys and may, if he so desires, manifest again in matter. His thoughts have the power of creation. He is one with the Light of Lights, the Light transcending vision. He is the partaker of My Substance, My son in eternity, the inheritor of everlasting life. I am your God, the Father of Man”.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN THE SPIRIT OF GOD
“I am the immortality latent in all things mortal. The light filling all things with radiance, the power holding all things to their form. I am the pure, invulnerable stream untouchable by evil, the supreme fountainhead of thoughts, the unfailing well of consciousness, the light of eternity. I am that to which the soul of man is related. I am its power, its life, its strength. I am that to which it responds”.
“I am the sweet coolness in refreshing waters and the comforting warmth in the sun. I am the calmness of peace in the radiance of the moon and the delicacy in the moonbeam. I am the sound heard in the stillness, the companionship felt in the solitude and the stirring in the hearts of men. I am the cheerfulness in the laugh of a youth and the gentleness in the sigh of a maiden. I am the joy in the life of all living things and the content in the hearts of awakened souls. I am the beauty in the beautiful and the fragrance in the fragrant. I am the sweetness in honey and the scent in perfume. I am the power in the strong arm and the wistfulness in a smile. I am the urge in good and moderate desires. I am the gaiety in gladness, the restlessness in life, the refreshment in sleep. Yet though I am in all these, I am not contained in them and they are in me rather than I am in them. How pitiful are the words of men to depict sublime things! With the souls of men asleep, enwrapped in clouds of delusion, how can I be known to them?”
“I am of the Supreme, the Eternal, of God and from God, yet not God. As heat to fire, as fragrance to flowers, as light to a lamp, so am I to God. I am the power of God operating in matter. I am the first created of creation, I am the eternal thread upon which all creation is strung. I am the effective thought of God. I am that brought forth by His creating command, wherein all things share life. I am the Lord of forms holding all things together”.
“I am the power giving form, I am the comforting companion of the way. I am that which gives substance to the hopes and desires of men. Think of me therefore in any way you will. I am the companionable one, the comforter. I am the waters of inspiration springing from the Eternal Fount. I am the glory of love shining forth from the Central Sun. I am in all things”.
“I am the root of the tree of life, the words written in the Book of God. I am the guardian of knowledge, the wisdom of the soul. I am the harmoniser of sound, the controller of power, the keeper of matter and the sustainer of shapes. I unroll the scroll of time and record its changes. I am the reader of past and present, the scribe of change, the chooser of chance”.
“I am victory and the struggle for victory, but I am more, I am that which defeats defeat, for I am the victory in defeat. I am the goodness of those who are good, but I am more, for I am the success that arises out of failure. I am the achievement remaining when all else has gone”.
“I am the sublime veiling secret mysteries. I am the guardian who jealously discloses hidden things. I am the knowledge of the knower. I am the seed within the seed from which all things spring. I am the bricks of which all things are built. I am more, I am the clay and water within the bricks. I am the motion in all things that move, without me there is no movement. I am the stability in all things stable, without me no thing holds to its shape”. “I am the craftsman with innumerable shapes, the artist with countless colours. My labours are outside the knowledge of men, my works beyond their sight. My masterpieces will never be seen by mortal eyes”.
“That which abides in breath and yet is other than breath, which breath itself cannot know or influence, which controls it from within itself, that am I. That which is behind the voice, which voice itself cannot know or influence, which controls it from behind itself, that am I. That which is in the eye yet is other than the eye, which the eye itself cannot know or influence, which controls it from within, that am I. That which is behind the touch and yet is other than touch, which touch itself cannot know or influence, which manipulates it from behind itself, that am I. Yet this you must know: I am not you, nor are you me, though I abide in you as you abide in me. Let wisdom disentangle these feeble words set down through the hands of mortal men”.
“The glory that shines from the Lord of the Day, the gentle gleam radiating from the Mistress of the Night, the comforting glow from the hearth fire, all these are of my substance. I penetrate Earth with love. I raise up the seed. I am the breath within the breath of all living things. 1 am the sweet scent of flowers and the bitter tang of vinegar. I am the differentiating essence in all things”.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN THE SONG OF THE SOUL
” I am the sleeper awakened from slumber. I am the seed of life eternal. I am the everlasting hope of man. I am a shoot of the Spirit Divine. I am the soul”.
“I have been since the beginning of time and shall be forever. I am the design interwoven in the warp and weft of creation. I am the indestructible essence of life. I am the treasure chest of man’s hopes and aspirations, the storehouse of lost loves and fulfilled dreams”.
“Before time I was an unconscious spirit potential united with the Supreme All. Ever since time began I was in the slumbering sea of spirit, waiting to be drawn forth into separate mortal incarnation. Now, though the mortal body enwrapping me fall apart and decay, I remain everlasting and immortal. Through all the ebb and flow of life, whatever destiny decrees, I remain the everlasting jewel of ages, invisible to mortal eyes and untouchable by mortal hands”
“I am the eternal bride of mortal men, ever awaiting the awakening kiss, the whisper of recognition. O being of flesh, deny me not; let me not dwell in forgotten solitude, left alone, unwanted and unheeded. Hold me to you as a lover holds the beloved, reach out beyond earthly things and kiss the lips that are yours eternally. Look out beyond the sphere of earthly opposites, out beyond the pettiness of gains and possessions. Grasp and possess me, your own everlasting and responsive soul”.
“You will not find me where emotional tempests rage, or while sensual storms bring turmoil and disquiet. First subdue these, for I await beyond, in the quietness of calm waters. I must be sought as a lover seeks the loved one, in solitude, amid quietness and tranquillity, only there will I respond to the awakening kiss of recognition”.
“Do not neglect me, O my beloved, or tarnish me; for I come to you as an inestimable treasure. I bring beauty and innocence, gaiety and wholesomeness, decency and consideration, a jewel of potential perfection. Do not drag me down with you into the demon-haunted regions of darkness and terror. I am yours, closer to you than any loved one of Earth. If you spurn me, I go down to a terrible doom in darkness, there to be purged and purified from the corruption of your touch. The best I can then hope for is to be bestowed upon another”.
“I am the sublime vehicle awaiting the command to bear your trueself to its destiny of glory. Could anyone be so foolhardy as not to cherish me? Without moving I am swifter than thought, on celestial wings I far outstrip the range of mortal senses. I drink at the fountain of life and feed on the fruits of eternal energy”.
“What are you, my beloved, but a passing thing fashioned of clay? A handful of dust given life by a spark from the everlasting flame. I, myself, am no more than potential. Yet together we are so great that Earth of itself alone cannot contain us, we transcend it to reach out into the spheres of divinity. Take me, awaken me, acknowledge me, cherish me, and I will carry you to realms of glory unimaginable on Earth”.
“I am the imprisoned captive longing for return to the freedom of the infinite. Yet, because of my mortal love I feel heartpangs of sorrow for things that pass away. But I know that beyond the pains inseparable from a sojourn in the vale of tears, there shines a glorious rainbow of hope and joy. There is a place of abiding love centred on the infinite; there, if you will but cherish me, we shall not be denied expression”.
“I am drawn, by the law of spiritual gravitation, towards union with the Universal Soul and can no more escape return there than the mortal elements of man can escape their return to dust. Man sees glory by the reflected light of glory within him, he knows love by the love within himself. The sun is seen by the light of the sun and not by any light within man. Man sees the spirit by the light of the spirit, and not by any light within his mortal self. Only by the light of the spirit can the spirit of man be lit”.
“I am at peace when awakened to communion with my God. I am joyful when enthroned in consciousness and when endowed with wisdom and vision transcending that of Earth. I delight in communion with the great sphere with which I am akin. I rejoice in union with the Divine Spirit from whence I came. I am your own trueself which should be forever cherished. By listening to my whispers, by letting your thoughts dwell on me and by knowing me, the whole glory of the greater spheres is opened unto you”.
“I am that which reads what the eye sees, understands what the ear hears, knows what the hand feels, tastes whatever enters the mouth and smells whatever is borne on the nose. I am the indwelling consciousness which knows and enjoys all the good things of Earth. Those who dwell in the darkness of delusion cannot know me, and to them is lost the greatest glory of life. All conceptions of beauty, love and kindness are due to the consciousness residing in me. When I depart from my earthly abode I will carry with me the knowledge of the senses, as the wind carries perfume from the flower”.
“I am not born, nor will I ever die. Once awakened to an existence in consciousness I can never become nothingness. I am the everlasting one who dies not when life departs from the body. O call me forth, awaken me from sleep with the kiss bestowing conscious life. Let me not lie unnoticed, wrapped in the heavy mantle of perpetual slumber, dreamless, unknowing”.
“I am the indestructible one. Fire cannot burn me, swords cannot maim me or water smother me. When a drum is beaten, the sound it gives forth cannot be grasped or held. As that sound, so am I. When a shell is blown, the note it gives forth cannot be grasped or held. As that note, so am I. When a pipe is played, the music it gives forth cannot be grasped or held. As that music, so am I. I am the immaterial in the material awaiting recognition, but in my own sphere I am the substantial one. There, man-known matter is no more substantial than the dawn mists are here”.
“I am the fire of life in all things that breathe, and in union with the breath I consume the nourishing substance
within the food which feeds the body. I am the kernel within the seed in the heart of all. 1 am the guardian of memory and the arbiter of wisdom”.
‘These things are mine and ever with me. They are to me what the bones and muscles are to the mortal body. The waking and sleeping consciousness. The awareness of self. The five powers of feeling and the five of activity. The controlling spirit, which is the sensitive being”.
“I am the living consciousness within you, I am the knower. The things seen by the eye and the things smelt by the nose are received by me. The things heard and the things felt are registered by me. I am the inner being causing all decisions to be made, though the tongue report back outside the things that I, the soul and the spirit, hold recorded. Everything done and undertaken, such as the working of the hands and movement of the legs, all are done in accordance with my command”.
“When I depart, the body without me is as useless as a worn-out garment which is discarded and cast aside. Do we go together, my beloved, hand in hand as lovers? Do I return home radiant in the pride of blooming consciousness, or, spurned and humiliated, return without sensitivity, memory or knowledge? Do I return to be welcomed with joy in the light of glory, or must I shamefully seek refuge in the darkness? I am yours, my beloved, do with me as you will. I am yours everlastingly”.
THE BOOK OF SCROLLS
formerly called
THE BOOK OF BOOKS
or
THE LESSER BOOK OF THE SONS OF FIRE this being
THE THIRD BOOK OF THE BRONZEBOOK
Compiled from remaining portions of a much damaged part of The Bronzebook and rewritten in our tongue and retold to our understanding according to present usage.
Chapter 1 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 1 Chapter 2 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 2 Chapter 3 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 3 Chapter 4 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 4 Chapter 5 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 5 Chapter 6 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 6 Chapter 7 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 7 Chapter 8 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 8 Chapter 9 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 9 Chapter 10 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 10 Chapter 11 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 11 Chapter 12 - THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 12 Chapter 13 - THE SCROLL OF RAMKAT Chapter 14 - THE SCROLL OF YONUA Chapter 15 - A SCROLL FRAGMENT - ONE
Chapter 16 - THE THIRD OF THE EGYPTIAN SCROLLS (A Fragment)
Chapter 17 - THE SIXTH OF THE EGYPTIAN SCROLLS
Chapter 18 - A SCROLL FRAGMENT -TWO
Chapter 19 - A HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 1
Chapter 20 - A HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 2
Chapter 21 - THE SUNSETTING HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS
Chapter 22 - A HYMN OR PRAYER FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 3
Chapter 23 - A HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 4 Marked: The Hymn of Rewn
Chapter 24 - A HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 5
Chapter 25 - Some Fragments from a Much Damaged Section Most of Which has Been Destroyed
Chapter 26 - FROM THE SCROLL OF SENMUT
Chapter 27 - THE SONGS OF NEFATARI One
Chapter 28 - THE SONGS OF NEFATARI Two
Chapter 29 - THE SONGS OF TANTALIP One
Chapter 30 - THE SONGS OF TANTALIP Two
Chapter 31 - THE MARRIAGE SONG
Chapter 32 - THE LAMENT OF NEFATARI
Chapter 33 - THE SCROLL OF HERAKAT
CHAPTER ONE
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 1
Herein are recorded sacred things which should never be written, but the memory of man is like a storehouse made of straw, or like a storepit dug in sand. Even less enduring is his body, for it. is a frail thing of fleeting substance which passes away like the dew in the morning. And what of the mortal chain which links the generations in knowledge? Behold, it is a thing prone to distortion, a transmuter of tradition and Truth. Therefore, when the command went forth from the Great One Illuminated With Wisdom, and came to your servant, he saw fit to quell the doubts engendered by fear and undertook to do the thing which had not been done before, placing his trust fully in the protecting wings which are spread by the words issuing from the Royal Residence.
These are the words spoken by the Great Interpreter, who, through the powers inherited by him from above and by the powers now in his keeping, all freely bestowed upon him by the grateful hearts of his people below, will lead us into the Fields Of Everlasting Glory.
O Exalted One, intermediate between gods and men, what we now do for you do you for us. Let your deeds and your words become our words. Thus it ever was and thus it will ever be, while mortal beings make pilgrimage through this valley of tears.
Speak thus in your hour. The High Born One has not blasphemed the Divine Powers, nor has he paid undue homage to earthly desires. He has not been loudmouthed in the Sacred Places, nor laughed when he should have been grave. His tongue is pure, for when fed with the words of men he absorbs Truth and excretes falsehood. His mouth has never spewed forth words of malice or envy, words of oppression or injustice never passed his lips.
Look now at the great dark water mirror and see what is reflected there from the mists swirling along the corridor of time. Seeing your place, make ready, so that when the summons comes from the Dark One you are not caught unprepared.
These are the words to be spoken to those who peer from beyond the Dark Portal: His arm was ever ready to help those who did good for others, and he lent his power to those who ordered what was good. He stood for those who could no longer stand and commanded for those who could no longer command. He carried the weary and succoured the helpless. He never oppressed the weak, nor did he permit injustices to go unpunished and unrectified.
He stood by the side of the Great Potter, and because of his plea the clay was shaped to a more pleasing form. He erased disfiguring faults and smoothed the roughness. He added stiffness to the mixture. He has done no evil, his words have always been true. He stands unashamed and fearless before the twin shrines. Even as it was in the Land of the Great River, so let it be here. Let him not be cut off by distance. Let not his power be cut off, for he stands between the worlds. Let it flow out like living waters unto the living and be as shining rays to the Radiant Ones. For here we see the power darkly, while beyond the horizon it shines brightly.
He is everlastingly faithful in heart, for he has admitted no other who would defile him. He has remained loyal to the sacred words and has diligently perused the great writings. He has navigated the shallows of the winding waters. Now he draws near.
He has left his kingdom of trial, he has overcome the challenges of life, he has done all things written on the tablets of Truth, and he has sojourned in the Chamber of Profound Silence. He has done all things which are proper and been reassured that he has followed the right path. He does not fear judgement.
Let him reunite with The Supreme One who sent him forth, so that he will not be separated from the waters of life. Let the Holy Heat enwrap him when he passes through the Place of Coldness. Let his nostrils inhale the breath of nourishment, that he may live and that we may partake of his existence.
Do not repudiate him, but make him welcome. Do you not recognise the one you endowed with power? Has he become too radiant? Is his form too glorious? Read what is written in the books of his heart. You set him in darkness and he saw. You set him in silence and he heard. You set him in emptiness and he felt. You established him in nothingness and he gathered substance. Therefore, he returns with manifold powers. He is well fitted to be presented to those who stand before The Supreme One.
When the bright sun shines with splendour in the dayskies above, the gentle morning star hides her face in modesty and becomes unseen. All the great Company of the radiant nightlights withdraw before the majesty of the greater light. Yet when darkness eats the shining disk we know again the comforting presence of the eternal stars, so let it be with your servant.
The Dark Ones who dwell in their compatible gloom cannot claim him as one of their own, he cannot be numbered among their dreadful company. His heart is pure, his deeds were good, no creature spawned in murkiness has gained control of his thoughts. His desires have not been generated by denizens of the darkness. He who was afflicted here is not afflicted forever, he is made whole, he is freed from pain, his sickness has departed. He rejoices in the light, therefore let him be drawn towards the greater light where you are. Let him not see the place of darkness, let him not behold the Hideous Ones fashioned by wickedness, the Dwellers in the Dark Recesses, who shrink before the light, or the Twisted Ones moulded by lewd desires. He brings with him a lamp lit from the flame of Truth, he bears the rod of righteousness which rewards those who have overcome tribulations. O let him pass to the right side of the dividing flame! He has left us, he is coming to you, he approaches, he throws off the earthly wrappings, he stands free, he stands glorious. Does he not glow with splendour? Behold him, your worthy companion in brightness. Is he not wholly compatible with those of your company? See, he is a Shining One, a Hero of the Horizon. Is he not one destined to abide everlastingly? Take him, lead him to the Realm of Glory, show him his place in the Spheres of Splendour. The eyes that were deceived on Earth now see clearly, O what splendours are revealed! The music unheard by earthly ears now sounds sweet melodious music. O what joyous rapture it brings! The nostrils inhale perfumes too delicate for the earthly nose, O how the heart sings! All drabness, all dullness and all sordidness, which are of the Earth, are left behind. Turn him from the place where these can regather about him. The unmoving, empty body remains here before our eyes; it is nothing, it sees not, it hears not, it speaks not, it smells not, its breath is stilled, it begins to fall apart. There is no life and the overseer has departed. Nothing remains here with us but this unresponsive thing. The greatness, the feeling, the sensitivity have departed from the body and are now beyond our ken. These are with the real surviving being. O receive him into the life of splendour! We, who are here, stand blinded behind the veil of flesh, we cannot see beyond ourselves, we hope, we believe and we trust. Thus it has ever been with men, for they pass their lives behind a wall of limitations, there is a barrier shutting them in. They are imprisoned within a mortal body. O grant us fulfilment, grant us that which is that which is the ultimate desire and aspiration of men!
We speak for this man. He is one who came with us from afar. He is one who has travelled a long weary road. No taint of meanness stained the purity of his spirit, no corruption of deceit discoloured the garments of his soulself. He has gone over shining in radiant splendour, so even the doomed in their darkness can hope when they sight his distant glow. May it shed some small warmth into their grim coldness!
O Great Welcomer, who greets the newcomers, help our departed one. He served well in this place of trial and tribulation, let him not go unrewarded. He is the son of hope. Like us, like those who went before, he hoped as men have always hoped, for this is not a place of certainties. If it were, our heritage of glory would be badly earned.
He lives because it is ordained that he live; he lives, for all men live everlastingly. They die not, they perish not, they endure through ages. His Kohar awaits him and needs hide no awful aspect in shame. Let his face shine in greeting, welcome home the wanderer.
This tombed structure is not a place of finality. The grave is not the goal of earthly life, anymore than the soil is the goal of the seed. Does seed die within the ground? Is it planted intending that it be mingled with the soil and lost?
O Great Welcomer, let your face shine with gladness when you greet the homecoming wanderer. Lead him to the Kohar which is his inheritance, that he may enter into it and enjoy its embrace. Let him find completion and fulfilment by absorption into his Kohar.
Our departed one was the whole part which came forth from the whole, and he returns to the whole. Nothing is lost, nothing is gone. He lives over there, lives more fully than he ever lived. He lives in splendour, he lives in beauty, he lives in knowledge and in the waters of life. He is everlasting.
O departed one risen to glory, you are now a released spirit united with your spirit whole, the companionable Kohar, the everlasting one. Arise alive in the Land Beyond the Horizon and journey to the Land of Dawning; the stars accompanying you will sing for joy, while the heavenly signs voice hymns of praise and gladness. You are not far removed from us, it is as if we were in one room divided by a curtain, therefore we are not sorrowful. If we weep it is because we cannot share your joys and because we no longer know your touch. O everlasting Kohar, take this man of goodness into your eternal embrace, let your life become his life and your breath his breath. He is your own, he is the drop returning to the filled pitcher, the leaf returning to the tree, you are the repository of his incarnations. As you grew there, so he grew here; you are everlastingly whole and he lives in you. If he is not even as you in face, let him enter, hide his faults, for they are not many. For this you were fashioned, for this you came into being, you are the overbody awaiting the returning spirit, and the spirit now comes. You are that which will clothe the newly arrived spirit in heavenly flesh. You are that in which our departed one will express himself.
O Kohar, hear us. Here is your vitalising essence; before you were incomplete, now you are whole. Draw your own, your compatible one, to you and observe the many likenesses. We send fragrances, that they may spread around you. Now take the eye which will perfect your face, it is the perfecting eye, the eye which sees things as they are. See the fluctuating wraith, is it not beautiful? Does it not come with an aura of fragrance, sweetness filling the air? It has been purged of all impurities, all about it is fragrant. Therefore, grant it your substance, that it may become solid and firm.
O Kohar, long have you awaited the day of fulfilment, the day of your destiny. That day is here, it is now; therefore, take the spirit which is your own and enfold it with your wings. Each to his own and to his own each goes. You and he are bound together with unseverable bonds, each without the other is nothing. Now bear him up, for in that place you are greater than he, for you are the generator. While he rested in the womb you were active, as he grew you grew before him. If he has done wrong, and who among men is guiltless, then in you let the wrong be adjusted. You are his hope, you are his shield and you are his refuge.
This we say to the Brilliant One, the Guardian of Goodness: The departed one has not walked with ignorance, he has not been slothful in carrying the burden of his duty. He has not been swayed by passions of the body, he has not despoiled the house of another, he has not caused undue sorrow, nor has he maltreated a child for pleasure. He has succoured the poor and weak, he has done all that is good; therefore, let none of Those Who Lurk in Darkness seize him. His radiant light is strong, those who would seize him are repulsed by the light and slink away. He lives, he lives forever.
He has lived worthily, he has been purified by the fires of earthly life, he has been refined in the furnace of tribulation, he has overcome all earthly temptations. He has lived the life which enhances goodness, he has prepared himself for life in the light. Receive him, O Brilliant One!
O Kohar, absorb into yourself the lifeforce, it was meant for you, it is yours. It is the enlivening spirit which spans the two worlds. He, the departed one, was you and even more so were you he. Come to him as the Beauteous One came to Belusis, a great king, and gathered him in compassion and love. Come, that he may awaken to new life in your arms.
This man, the departed one, who in unity with you becomes the Glorious One, was born of a god and is the child of two gods, after the nature of greater men. Now you are impregnated with the living spirit of he who was prepared by trial on Earth for you. Behold, in unity your twain are now throbbing with life and your brightness bedazzles the eyes. You are now a Star of Life, a Living Star, and to a star you shall ascend to rule its life. The departed one is now freed, he is loosed from the bonds of illusion, he is saved from the dark waters of unreality and is one with the Eternal Light. These things we declare, so let them be. Our thoughts mould a new reality beyond the present real, and this becomes the reality of tomorrow.
0 great substantial Kohar, protect this departed one, your own, from the accusations of false-fronted beings, remembering the faithful heart ever prevailing before the balances of our forefathers from far away. Put into his mouth those words which open doors. Let the goodness in him prevail, but you, yourself, stand up and bear witness for him. He suffered from the frailties of men. He was wrathful when provoked and surly when enduring great burdens. His temper flashed quickly when his words were not accepted or his ways followed, and at times he lacked consideration. However, these are small things inseparable from the frailties of mortal men, and in all greater things he was good. Let not the false-fronted one disguised in his brother’s form possess him, guard him from the beings lurking in the shadows this side of the darkness.
I see this, my brothers. Behold, the departed one goes to meet his own image. It is his own self reflected in his image. It is his own self that comes to greet him. It is his Kohar which embraces him. It welcomes him as though he were one ransomed from captivity. I see them blend and he becomes a new seed in the heart of his Kohar.
I hear the Kohar speak, it names itself Nevakohar, it says, “O man of pure thoughts, of kindly words, of quiet speech, of good deeds, come to me. I am your being, yet I am not you; as you have loved and cherished me, so I now love and cherish you. I am your reward, as I would have been your affliction”. They are now united and this is the place of the first threshold, from whence the Completed Beings depart.
The departed one now stands in his own form and likeness. He becomes the Great ShipBorne Voyager and passes over the waters to the Place of Reeds, but his weaknesses do not bear him down and he goes through. Great Ones, lift him up, let him not fall into the fetid waters of decay. He is a worthy son of Lewth. Then the lesser is carried by the greater, while Dark Ones gaze up from their misery and wait silently to see if he is borne up. The Glorious One goes past in peace, for he is not compatible with their dark company. He remains unmolested, for flame confounds the hands of slime.
An unloosed Dark One comes up saying it will take this man, but is repulsed by brightness. It is a thing of maimed rottenness, for on Earth it was clothed in lust-saturated flesh, though contained in a form of beauty. The heart of this man is not faint; see him now, is he not sure of his welcome among Beings of Glory? He is as the wild bull, the prince of herds, he is a Great One among the Everlasting Spirits.
He reaches the firm ground where a Bright Being welcomes him, and he is named ‘The Newcomer’. He has landed on the shore and climbed the Steps of Splendour. He is in the company of Shining Spirits and his earthlife companions greet him, they welcome him, saying, “All this beauty and splendour is yours to enjoy”. They bring garments of beauty, bright clothes of radiance.
He has passed through the Hall of Judgement. The Twin Truths have heard his plea, and those who bore witness have departed. He has crossed the waters and ascended the steps, now he has attained the threshold of immortality and stands in rapture. He has passed by the regions of darkness and gloom and is with glory. He comes to everlasting hfe in a true form of splendour, to dwell evermore as a living spirit within his Kohar. How wonderful it is to be united and one with the Kohar!
The Newcomer looks back across the waters to the Place of Decision, then he turns and ascends the steps to the threshold of immortality. He is in his true form, yet he is a spirit within his Kohar. He speaks, but it is not the speech of men and all understand him. His hearing is all-embracing. He sees both the powers of Light and the powers of Darkness, but the powers of Darkness no longer affect him.
The Newcomer has reached his compatible abode. He has fought the battle which is mortal life and risen supreme to victory. He has not been vanquished by the Raging Ones which are the bodily passions. At each step forward he has left a lifeless form, at each step he has fought a shadow, at each step he has won the clash of arms.
The Newcomer has sought out and discovered the One Hidden Behind the Two, and the Three which stand before them. He knows the secrets of the Nine which veil the others from the eyes of men. He has unravelled the skein of life’s mysteries, even as those enlightened ones yet living on Earth must do.
There is no suffering or pain in the Newcomer, he cannot feel hurt, neither can he be sorrowful. If a companion of his Earth journey be numbered among the Dark Ones, then his heart is soothed with forgetfulness; but later he will remember, and because of his efforts the Dark One will be returned to the crucible.
CHAPTER TWO
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 2
The writings of Garmi were brought by the hands of Nadayeth The Enlightener, of the twin cities whence come the Sons of Fire, when he fled the wrath of kings. He spread out before the Learned Ones beauteous things of many colours and spoke to them after this fashion, and I, Lavos, recorded it in the tongue of the Sons of Fire: Behold this, it is the Land of the Dawning. It stands between the Land of Light ever splendid and the Land of Darkness ever gloomy. They are the lands beyond the veil, before the veil is the Land of the Living.
The Aspiring One has embarked on the waters of illusion, his craft is afloat but it has not yet reached the shores where the promise of new life is fulfilled. Now he is guided by two beings, one a lovely maiden and the other an ill-visaged man. These two strive one with the other, each grasping one side of the craft, now it overturns. The maiden seeks to drag the Aspiring One down, while the ill-favoured man seeks to keep him afloat. But the Aspiring One struggles against him. They come to the sands of the shining shore where the Light of Truth turns the maiden into a vile-faced hag and the man into a handsome youth. The Aspiring One lies on the sands of Shodew as one dead, for he had fought against the man who sought to save him.
The Beauteous One comes attended by handmaidens, and with them are the companions of the Aspiring One’s earthly life. There, too, is his soulself, awaiting his embrace. The Aspiring One lies as dead, for he did not know his saviour. They who stand about, who are The Welcomers, wait in uncertainty. The Beauteous One bends over the prostrate man and says, “Revive, this is not a place where death rules”. He moves and she says, “Raise yourself and cast away the residue of your mortality”.
The Aspiring One opens his eyes, he sits up, he shields his eyes before the vision of beauty, he is blinded by it and she gives him his heart. The handmaidens weep and their tears are the blood of the Aspiring One’s life. The Beauteous One says, “I have come that you who were dead might live, that you who were blinded might see, that you who were deceived might know Truth”. The soulself says, “I have come to embrace you, I have come to protect you, I have come to shield you, I am your refuge”.
That which is the Kohar says, “I have come to brighten up your face, I am you as you are me. I have waited for you, I have wept for you and rejoiced when you rejoiced. I have never forgotten you while we have been apart. I have heard every word spoken and these are recorded for you. I have recorded every sight. I have recorded every sound. I have recorded every smell and every taste. Every memory is secure for you. Here I give you form and substantiality”.
This is The Herald, he stands between this man and his Kohar, and they, together with The Adjuster and The Welcomers, go to the Hall of Judgement and stand before The Lord of Life, The Master of Destinies. Now come The Lords of Eternity who are The Lesser Gods, and they enter the Gates of Splendour. The Balancer comes from his secret place. The Greeter to Darkness stands at his door and The Greeter to Splendour stands at his door, they face each other. The Welcomers, compatible companions of this man’s earthly life, stand about, they are there, in the Hall of Judgement.
The Balancer causes two fluid-like, fluctuating columns which stand on either side of the Kohar and one takes the form of the Aspiring One, but it is horribly malformed because it mirrors all his wickednesses and weaknesses. The other shines brightly, for it mirrors all his goodness and spiritual qualities. Then the two columns merge back into the Kohar and The Adjuster adjusts with justice and mercy. Then the Aspiring One stands forth in his Kohar and in his true likeness, whicn is a blending together of all his incarnational likenesses. The Aspiring One is drawn towards the right hand door, he passes through and sets foot on the rainbow road. He is accompanied by The Welcomers, the companions of his earthly life who are now revealed to him in their true likeness. They sing, they dance, they rejoice, and there is much gladness in the reunion. The word of Truth is established, it is fulfilled. The ancient promises are fulfilled. He who departs shall return, he who sleeps shall awaken, he who dies shall live. The Aspiring One has passed into the Regions of Glory.
Now, behold the body vacated by the vehicle of life. It slumbers in its death wrappings, for the enlivening spirit has flown. The earthly body alone stays and cannot hold itself together. It prepares to fall apart and decay. The Companions of the Dead take it into their company, it will be made incorruptible and become a communicating door. It is given the things which rightly belong to the dead.
Those who remain on Earth fear the Life Shadow of the One who has gone on before them. The body is bandaged in its death wrappings. It is purified, it is made clean, it is provided with the necessities. Thus, the Life Shadow shall dwell at peace within the empty body, it believes it to be its abode. It shall not wander. O Shadow, do not wander, remain within the tomb, seize any who come to steal, seize any who would break the body, seize any who would open that which is closed. Seize and haunt, seize and haunt!
The Companions of the Dead speak thus, “The Life Shadow of this man who was is never restless, it never wanders, it is ever protecting, it is ever watchful. It remains, for it is bound to the empty corpse by the restraining throngs”.
They say, “The spirit of this man has awakened in the Land of Immortality, it rejoices in the Land Beyond the Horizon. He is a Hero of the Horizon. Offend him not by thinking that he is dead, he cannot die, for he is with the Ever Living. He has not gone away to die, he has departed to live elsewhere. Let the moisture of his body return to the waters of the Earth from whence it came. Let the things of hardness in his body return to the dust from whence they came. Let his bones rejoin the stones which once they were”.
“Weep not, for your tears and lamentations restrain his eager spirit. Sing the death dirge, that its echoes may sound the toscin in the Region of Light and The Splendid Ones and The Welcomers come to the place of appointment. It is unfitting to force gladness on a sorrowful heart, but be sad only for a temporary parting”. “Let not the earthly body of this man who was, become destitute, surround it with care and affection, so that it may transmit the substance of life. Sustain it, so the Life Shadow remain within”.
“What see you now? Gaze upon it, the frail mortal remains enwrapped and silent, unresponsive. Ponder, this you see with the eyes of the body, which cannot perceive things of the spirit. Were the eyes of your spirit opened but a brief moment, you would perceive something entirely different and then you would know that his shining, immortal spirit walks in the company of those risen to glory.” ” It is the time for parting, the time for farewell, for the closing of the door.”
“O departed one risen to glory,who has left us to sorrow. As we have helped you and surrounded you with the protection of our love and our offerings, so now help us in the days of life left to us on Earth.”
CHAPTER THREE
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 3
Behold, one comes wearing white sandals and clad in fine linen. Arise, stand up to greet him. He bears the staff of righteousness. He brings a pearl of priceless value, take it and become perfect.
Others come, fair women and young children. His father’s heir has come and the four great ones who bear sweet waters, who spread the feast and rejoice under the strong arm of their protector. He who has gone is not forgotten, but this is the day of the living.
He who has inherited ceases from weeping and begins to smile, the protecting one comes in peace. The heart in the sky is no longer small, it expands, it grows large. Thus it is also with the heart of he who lives, his days of lamentations are over and his heart swells and grows large.
The good son never ceases from faithful service on behalf of the absent one who has escaped from the confinement of the body. The dutiful son now calls upon the absent one for protection from wandering shadows and from the molestations of life Shadows.
O Bountiful, Ever Considerate One, hear the words of your faithful and dutiful son, as they ascend with the blue, penetrating smoke of fragrant incense. Let no shadow wander from your safe abode to haunt our habitations, for they who dwell therein have done you no dishonour. Safeguard the Dark Doorway, that things in vile forms come not near us to pollute our bodies with sickness and disease.
You left, and before the waters rose again the man of Shodu, he who dealt harshly with the widow dwelling beside the channel of black stones, departed for his judgement. Is not he whom you judged, and did you not deal rightly with him when the scales went down against him? Therefore, might he not return from the Region of Darkness with others of his kind and cause misfortune to fall upon us? You he cannot harm, you are now in the Place of Glory, in the land beyond theWestera waters. Therefore, send us guardians from among the Glorious Company, that they may spread protecting wings over our habitations.
Many come, bearing cakes of fine meal and barley cakes, large, fat-bodied fish and meats of many kinds, honeywine in jars and fruits in plenty. He who is absent from the feast is joyful.his arm is strong and he issues his commands to the guardians. Cast off all gloom and be joyful, for this is not the time of sorrow, and tears have no place in your eyes.
If there be benevolent Life Shadows beyond the protective pale, they may enter. Join with us in our rejoicing. Let us all enjoy what we have and what we share, for life is irrepressible.
These are things from a foreign place said for our brother Gwelm, according to the rites of the Sons of Fire, and thus it shall be for those who enter the chambers of stone.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 4
No longer can the man who was speak with men on Earth, for he now lives in splendour among The Eternal Ones. He was weighed before the Assessors, and though his faults were not few he was not outweighed in
goodness. He has become a Shining One and journeys on into the spaces of Heavenland, accompanied only by his compatible companions.
He has ascended into the Place of Glory, the Place of Fulfilment. The years have fallen off his shoulders, like a cast off cloak, and he is young again. He is vigorous, he lives. Time cannot touch him with change, nor sorrow enter his heart. He rests, awaiting a new call to duty.
He has passed through the Wide Hall and through the Narrow Portal. He has entered the Land of a New Dawning and he is welcomed, his Earth companions greet him, he lives. He is beyond harm, he sees the sublime visions which fulfil his yearnings. He who has served is now served. As he has sown and husbanded, so now he reaps.
He continues past the Place of Waiting Souls and sees the awaiting Kohars who will unite with the ascending spirits of men. He bears in his hand the Book of Life and glides over the pure pastures, past the bright dividing flame. He turns the face of compassion towards the darkness, but sees nought but fleeting shadows against the red glare. The Lost Ones shrink back in shame and the man who was passes the entrance to their foul abode. Those who are left to mourn for the Glorious One have dried their tears, for all is well with him. He delights in the good life in a place of glory. He is safe in the embrace of his Kohar, he is the Adoring One whose eyes are opened to splendour, he sees the sublime visions.
The man who was seeks the Illuminator who will direct him in his duties, he cleanses himself in the Lake of Beauty and refreshes himself at the Fountain of Life. He sees spirits of the twilight who are purged of all their wickedness and lusts yet remain captive to The Lords of Destinies, for they are still unproven. The Lord of Life will direct their passage back for trial and testing. For these there is always hope.
The man who was has navigated the winding waters of life and crossed the dark waters of death, and is now strengthened in wisdom. He takes a seat on high, that he may become an instructor and guide on the path. He becomes a brazier in the distance, a homing light to guide those who seek Truth. He is purified and comes forth wearing the White Mantle of Greatness.
Behold the splendour of his raiment and the purity of his adornments, as he sits awaiting calls from those in the Heavy Kingdom, who seek his counsel. The seers in dark waters will amaze the people with the clarity of their visions and revelations, for the power goes forth from the man who was, with manifold strength. A great being has joined the Splendid Company in the Land of Dawnlight. Over there they will say, “Earth is worthily fulfilling its purpose when it produces men such as this”.
You may wonder what are the occupations of the man who was. Does he illuminate the dark waters alone? May he not be among those who seek to enter the hearts of those who close the doors of their spirit to the instructors of wisdom? Alas, they who are heavily enshrouded in earthly wrappings are ever set of face before the instructors of wisdom, they say, “What have we to do with this babble?”, yet they, most of all, require enlightenment, for they are men of small minds.
May he not have become a pathfinder in the night, a guide through the darkness, the star illuminating the night at its darkest hour as the herald of The Great Illuminator? May he not have become a Director of Rays that dance on the waters, or a Controller of the Winds which caress the cheek? Suffice that he rejoices in a life of splendour, so let it remain with him and his Kohar until the day when all is known, the day of full knowing.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 5
These are the instructions for those who journey the outer track of the twinway, for those who have been laid in the chambered tombs, who followed the ways of Kemwelith. The words are those from the distant past, first spoken in a far land beyond the rolling billows:
The Risen One has become the Newcomer, and having passed through the clearing house his departure is not delayed. No toll is required on the ferry, for the Newcomer has with him the words of entrance which have become known to him according to his deeds. He has not deviated from the path and all is well.
The ferryman comes to the Place of Waiting, he of the winding river which is the tortuous channel of purification. The Newcomer stands at the mooring place and proclaims, “O ferryman, away to the Region of the Blessed Ones. I am purified, purged of polluting evils; make haste, do not delay. I am a wanderer anxious to reach my destination”. The ferryman says, “From whence come you?” The Newcomer says, “I am from Restaw and am weary. Take me to my compatible place of abode, let us not delay, I wish to join those united with their soulselves. Let us not dally. Do not tarry, for I am anxious to depart from this sombre shore. Have no fear, cautious one, for no evil dogs my footsteps. Come, let us away, bear me over the waters to the appointed place. Carry me swiftly to where spirits are regenerated and made young again. Carry me to the foot of the Great Stairway that ascends to the Place of the Immortals, to the Courtyard of The Great God”. The ferryman hesitates, he says, “Show me your token, that I may know you have truly passed the tests, that I may know your true destination. For it is the way with men that they think one thing but Truth lies elsewhere”. The Newcomer says, “My token is the brightness, which, if you be no imposter, you may see shining above my head, and my introduction is the writing concerning me, written in the Book of Sacred Mysteries. Come, bear me over the waters, so that I may tread the Field of Peace. See, have I not four attendants, two on either side? Let them speak for me, for they are witnesses walking in the light of Truth”.
The ferryman says, “Who stands to the pole?” and the Risen One answers, “I will stand to the pole with my attendants, two on either side. You stand by to bear at the steering oar, so that our course remains straight”. The ferryman says, “It is well, for the current is sullen and changeful”.
The Newcomer says, “O ferryman of the boatless ones, I am truly a man justified before all on both sides of the horizon, before Heaven and Earth. I have passed the tests of the examiners and am free to proceed. I am one who can claim passage by virtue of my deeds. Have not men spoken well of me after I departed from their midst, is this not enough? It is the way with Earth, that if men speak of the goodness of an absent one, then he is good indeed. Truly I am a Bright One”.
The ferryman says, “Draw aside your mantle, that I may see your likeness, for this is a good boat which may not be polluted. The path henceforth is hard for those who cannot be faced without revulsion. O Great One, draw your mantle over again, for you are indeed among the brightest of those who pass this way, great will be the rejoicing when you appear among your own kind, the pure of heart”.
“Delay no longer, ferryman. Quickly over the waters to the other side. If you delay further I will name the names of gods to men, that their unreality be exposed. I am not one to be trifled with, I am one who can dispel the clouds of illusion. I am a man of no mean qualities, therefore tarry no more, let us depart”.
CHAPTER SIX
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 6
The man who was becomes the Pilgrim. He has crossed the waters, he has passed the Grim Guardian, he waits without the Place of Union and stands firmly. He is not afraid and stands resolute. The Cool Gracious One approaches with three jars of water and refreshes him.
The Pilgrim says, “Behold, O Watcher at the Gate, I have laid up treasure enough in the storehouse of love, therefore allow me to pass. The love of those who have gone before, see is it not a large quantity and sufficient to draw me upward? See the love of those who remain behind, is it not a large quantity and sufficient to draw me upward?” The Watcher hears his words.
The Grim Guardian counts and weighs and says, “Pass”. Then this man passes and goes beyond the Lake of Wisdom, past the Winding Channel of Experiences, over the flooded Field of Reeds, to the Eastern side of the Region of Light where he will be renewed in birth into the Higher Spheres.
The Pilgrim now stands before the Womb of Heaven where those who enter as pure seed are brought forth into union with God. This man passes by to where the attendants help him to assume the Robe of Glory. They welcome him.
“Behold”, they say, “His Kohar has brought this man powers to make him complete. The powers he gave into the keeping of his Kohar during the prayer times on Earth have returned greatly magnified. This man has joined the Joyful Company, he has left his old, discarded body in the Region of Heaviness, to assume another more glorified one in the Region of Light.
The Kohar greets the Pilgrim and says, “I welcome you, my own”. The Kohar says to those about, “This is my own, he has washed in the Lake of Wisdom and passed by the Caverns of Distrust and Doubt. Let us, therefore, enter in peace when the Great Door is opened for the United Being in the East, the door leading to the Place of The One True God above all gods, whose manifestations are secret mysteries”.
Before going further they pass by a side entrance to the Region of Darkness where vile and sorrowful things lurk, the Lost Ones, those who served in the ranks of evil on Earth. O Great Kohar, stop the ears of your own; that he may not hear the mournful waitings of the doomed ones left behind!
They who are the companions of the Pilgrim cry out, “O Kohar, guide your own right, guide him up the Ladder of Life which he must traverse again; strengthen its rungs, support him, so he bears lightly upon them, let not the rungs break beneath his weight. This is the test of deeds long since done, where evil bears down heavily”. “O Kohar, your ownis weak andfalters, yet your arms are strong, therefore lift them to support him, that he may surmount to the heights above. Do this, that he may sit with those who have understanding and perception, that his feet may be welcomed in the Fields of Peace and that he may take his place among the Glorious Ones”. Blessed is the Kohar who safeguards all memories, storing them as men store corn; who retains these for the use of the Reborn Ones; who can recall all that men forget and can draw forth a memory as men draw water from a well. The Kohar is the eternal recorder, Pilgrims become Risen Ones and enter their Kohars as a soul enters a body, and in unity they become Glorious Ones.
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 7
This is the manner whereby the Aspiring Ones of Earth may cross the dread horizon through residence within the Cavern of Stone. It is thus that men come to know the Truth concerning the Realms of Glory beyond the Western Horizon, but it is a path beset by great dangers and manifold terrors, and many return witless. The Aspiring One is of Earth, he is earthbound. He sits within the cavern before the Cauldron of Rebirth and Regeneration, and inhales the smoke from the brew of release. He rises above himself, flying on wings of five feathers, the names of which are recorded in the Book of Secret Mysteries, wherein are the awful recipes. There it is written that he may ascend like a falcon and cannot go otherwise than as a falcon. He may not go in the manner of any other bird.
He escapes the call of Earth, its fetters fall from him. The Aspiring One leaves his attendants behind, he is not with them, he is not of Earth, neither is he of Heaven. He is at the place where the two meet and intermingle. His body moves without the spirit and partakes of the sour yellow bread of wide vision. The Aspiring One drinks the brew of grey barley and sips long at the wine of harish, eating the cakes of green brown horris. He eats the fruit of the releasing tree and drinks the brew of black fungus, which is in the smoke goblet. Thus, he sleeps and the attendants lay him down in the receptacle called the Womb of Rebirth. He is in the Place of Visions but remains like the masthead bird.
He shall be covered and made so that in his struggles he rise not. His voice is heard speaking in a strange tongue, as he calls on his fathers who have gone before and now preside over affairs beyond the Wide Lake. His body becomes still, as he enters the dazzling chamber which is the doorway to twin vision. Now he must penetrate the Walls of Dry Air which bar his passage, and rise into the rainbow-coloured Clouds of Radiance which are above. High up he looks below him and sees the waters of the Winding Canal of Experience and understands the meaning of all that had befallen him. Now he has four eyes, these being the inner and outer eyes, and rising higher he attains the heights of wide consciousness.
Here he meets the Pathfinder and follows him swiftly. He speaks rightly to the Guardian. He shields bis eyes when passing the Lurker on the Threshold, and goes on until he comes to the abode of the Opener of the Ways. Now the body of the Aspiring One becomes restless and those who attend him place the power of Hori over his face. He hears the voice of The Sungod, which says, “I know the necessary names, I am The Knower of Names. I know the name of The Limitless One, above The Lords of the East and West, I am One Most Powerful”. The Aspiring One becomes covered with moisture, he writhes, he shouts, he struggles. The Companionable Watchers know he has left the protection of The Sungod, that he has been seized by the Fiends of Darkness, but he struggles and prevails over them, and all is well. Then the Aspiring One returns.
A hundred shining suns whirl above, a whisper rolls around like thunder, lights of manifold hues sway above, like the river reeds in the wind. All things appear to dance in a shimmering haze, then turn over and fold back into themselves, and such beauty is produced that the human tongue cannot describe it. All things take upon themselves shimmering forms through which other forms can be seen. Great melodic music throbs all around, while everything pulsates a soft rhythm. The air is filled with voices of unearthly sweetness, glory and splendour are everywhere. Then the Aspiring One awakes.
He is raised, behold he comes forth and walks as one bemused by a vision of glory. He staggers, he cannot walk unsupported. His throat burns and his mouth is overgrown with dryness. His head resounds with drumbeats. He
is given the sweet waters in the cup of forgetfulness and drinks deeply, all is well. He is a Reborn One, he is an Enlightened One. He is one resurrected from the Cavern of Stone.
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 8
These are the supplications of Dkeb, the Stranger, who came from the Land of Rising Waters and was known to us as the Opener of the Ways, he came under the wings of the Firehawk. He was the first of the Scarlet Robed Ones, the right hand of Glanvanis. That was in the time of our fathers’ fathers, and the tongue of the seafarers is no longer in the mouth of men.
0 Great Being of Beauty, Brilliant One who greets the Newcomers arriving in the Place Beyond the Western Horizon, this woman is your daughter, your daughter is she. See, she is pure in spirit and clean in heart. She is modest and womanlike, so let her pass to live in the Pastures of Life, in the Land of New Dawning where all is wholesome.
Let her be purified by the maidens of Orshafa, let them purify her, let her be washed and dried by the attendants at the clean, sweet waters of life. Let the nine Delicate Ones minister to her, let her be clothed in garments of decency, for she is a womanly woman. O Great and Glorious One, give this woman your hand, clasp her hand with womanly tenderness. Spread out your falcon wings over her, spread protecting wings around her. She has followed the tedious ways of womankind and has glorified life with her presence. She has endured affliction with patience and made her home hearth a place of peace and content. Let her roam the pastures of the Blessed Ones and penetrate into the farthest regions of light.
1 raise my hands in supplication. The flame is lit, it burns brightly, fragrant incense is placed in the bowl and it becomes aglow. Its sweet perfume rises into the recesses above. O Happy Risen One, O Beautiful Being glowing with womanly goodness, treasurer of all the virtues, purify yourself for admittance into the Higher Regions. The incense we offer here is your indrawn breath of renewed life. It fills your lungs, you breathe and because you breathe you live. This is the best incense from the Land of Gwemi, differing not from that which our fathers knew when they travelled the water road. O Beautified One, my heart lingers at the place where you rest, my heart is with you, entwined with yours. How sweet your breath, how pleasant your perfume, how gentle your whispers, how delicate the rustle of your attire. O newly become Beauteous One, you are not alone.
Rise blue perfumed smoke, rise cleaning fragrance, rise sweet wholesome offerings, rise like fluttering birds on wings of purified air to the glorious regions of light which he away beyond our poor perception. Accept our sweet fragrance, O Beautified One, inhale our sweet smoke, O Ever Delicate One, may you enjoy the due reward of your labours and privations, of your selfless sacrifices. Be ever contented and peaceful, O dutiful wife and loving mother, hear our words, as they rise to you in the softly smouldering incense which comes shipborne to these shores.
Hear the voices of the waiting Welcomers greeting the Beauteous One who now joins them. They say, “Cast off the old worn garment and array yourself in garments of radiant light, in the clothes of splendour which have awaited you. Bedeck yourself in the well earned jewels of spiritual reward.
“Henceforth you shall dwell here, walking about freely, to be honoured and loved. Here you will be renewed, be alert, vigorous and far reaching. The power of your spirit shall stretch out to every place. You take thought and fly on hawks wings. Your desire becomes a chariot with wings of light”.
“Beyond the place of your first destination is the kingdom of the Lord of the Distant Sky. There he will permit manifestations in glory. There, henceforth, you shall walk in strength and beauty, being ever filled with life and power, garmented in loveliness for all eternity”.
“There floodwaters of a glorious fluid light unknown here rise and fall in moderation, and therein you may bathe daily and taste the revitalising rests. Here your thirst may be slaked at the well of Divine Essence and your appetite appeased by the strange bread of everlasting life”.
“This is your destiny, in the Land Beyond the Veil, therefore lift up your face in joy. Rise, lovely liveliness. You are one destined to be numbered among the Shining Ones and are warmly welcomed into the company of the Fragrant Ones. O happy one who enhanced earthly life with your presence, this is your reward. Many have done mighty things, but you have served with constancy and diligence, adding the small grains of goodness to the pile of merits until it exceeded in weight the great things done by others. We hail you, O victorious one!”
The Welcomers say among themselves, “How fair and bright the face of this Newcomer. How fine must have been her life in the Region of Heaviness. Behold, here she is, renewed and made young again but with a loveliness unkown in the life left behind”.
When she goes forward from here she is within her Kohar, they are one. Her vision is through the Kohar, her smell is through the Kohar. All she senses is through the Kohar. All she does and knows is through the Kohar.
Behold, she is among the Chosen. Henceforth, she becomes an Opener of the Way for those of her blood. Glorious is she and blessed are they!
Those are the supplications made for Milven, daughter of Mailon, son of Market the Stranger, according to the rites of the Sons of Fire. Ardwith kept it and it was done into this form at the place called Korinamba.
CHAPTER NINE
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 9
This concerns the mystery of the Twice Born. It relates to those born again, to those who have endured the awfulness of the false death which many do not survive; who have drunk deeply from Koriladwen, the smooth bitter brew which releases the spirit; who have entered Ogofnaum through the thundering doors. This is their path.
The door of Heaven stands ajar, the doors of vision have been opened and now the Cavern of Vision is revealed. The spirit-bearing waves from the abyss have been freed, the rays of the Great light have been set free and the Guides and Watchers have been placed in their positions by the Constant One.
The Welcomers stand back, for this is not their stage. The Brilliant One is there and another who is the Reciter, and he explains the visions: “O Brave stouthearted one, Syoltash to be, the things you behold are the things seen by the Great Ones of Earth when they came this way in their hour and were returned back to life. They were truly men of wisdom, well versed in the mystic procedures, men who knew their position and parts.”
“Behold the twin stars. These embody the midwifery powers drawing the Twice Born back to their places of origin. They who are with them are the champions of light and darkness. One you must choose as your companion, but the choice must be made according to the law of affinity, otherwise you are lost.”
“The pool wherein you gaze is earthlife. The brilliant light above, far greater than the sun, is the manifestation of The One God, but it is not He. The rays dancing about are the gods, distorted reflections of what is, distorted reflections of Truth, shadows of reality. The sparkling motes are souls, they descend from the light to manifest in darkness.”
“The clouds obscuring the lesser lights are the clouds of misconception, which darken the face of wisdom. The dark twins standing by the pillar are Delusion and Illusion, the constant beguilers of men. The stream of clear water is Truth and the waters of Truth constantly sheer away the clay pedestal of falsehood.”
“The brightness you see before you and to the right is the naked spirit displaying itself in isolation. It is neither in a mortal body nor within the Kohar. Beyond it is a much greater brightness reflected from afar, which is the Kohar of Kohars, which men cannot yet understand.”
“The repulsive shapes which are behind the flame on your left are doomed spirits which once were the enlivening forces within men. Now they grovel in slime and filth, denizens of the mire, but their fate is just, for they themselves were the judges. The darkness beyond the murk will not become greater. Darkness cannot change to light, for when light comes into darkness there is no darkness, it ceases to exist.”
“The gloominess and shadow scene you see, forward on your left hand side, is the Region of Heaviness where mortals sojourn. The flickering lights which appear here and there are the joys of Earth, while the darker spots
are where there are sorrows and suffering. The redness is anger and strife. The blue whiteness is love and compassion.”
“The brightness above and ahead is the Region of Lightness where the Risen Ones rejoice, for there they welcome their Earth companions and are happy in reunion. Behold, here is a Rising One newly arrived, see, she flies upward on the wide wings of spirit and loving arms reach out to welcome her. The star-girt roadway you see rising before you is that trodden by the countless Risen Ones who have gone before. Now, advance towards the left.”
“The abyss now before you is the mouth of Earth, and see, it opens and speaks to you, bidding you farewell. Listen carefully, for it will retell your deeds, your accomplishments and your omissions. If they weigh against you, then cast yourself into the abyss, for you are unworthy to survive this trial; go no further, nor can you turn back, lest you become prey to the Foul Lurker in Darkness.”
“If you have not been found wanting in the weighing, then step forward boldly and without fear, for the mouth will close to let you pass. If you are not numbered among the triumphant ones, then better by far that you be swallowed forthwith than that you survive to meet the Dread Lurker, the Devouring Horror, and be returned to Earth a witless, empty shell.”
“Beyond the abyss lies a stretch of blue water which contains the Pool of Wisdom and the Pool of Purification. Therein you must bathe and refresh yourself. The trees growing to your right bear the fruits of spiritual nourishment, eat and become strong. Know, as doing so, that the things done, thought and visualised on Earth become qualities which are here transmuted into the things and experiences of this nature.” “Pass between the waters and the trees and you will see a cliff against which is a ladder, the rungs of which are bound in leathern throngs made from the hide of the Bull of the Nightsky. This ladder, which rises before you, is the Ladder of Experience. Its two supports are experience in the body and experience in the spirit. The rungs are your daily deeds and thoughts and fantasies of your earthly life. Now is the test. Will your daily deeds and secret thoughts support your ascent, or are they incapable of bearing you upward? See, above is your Kohar, call upon it for help, for therein you may have stored a reserve of spiritual strength. Or, perchance, it may be barren and empty, only you know. Those who uphold the ladder are the Lords of the Ladder, and they greet you as the Ascending One.”
“The ladder leads onto a plateau, and beside you appears the strangely garbed Reciter who sweeps his arms about and says, “All wherein things manifest is the firmament, which was before the beginning and still is. In the beginning its darkness was pierced by just a single ray from The Sun of God, but later, when the first spirits entered, the firmament was brightened and it was divided by heaviness and lightness. Then, when it was set apart, it was divided by the entry of dark spirits whose need was for a place with which they had a sombre affinity.
Therefore, the firmament of lightness is divided, there is a Place of Light for the Victorious Ones and a Place of Darkness for those who could not rise to victory. There are regions of gloom and shadow, regions of twilight and shade. There are regions of light in many hues, regions ranging from dazzling lights to dim light. There is a veil across the firmament, dividing Heaven from Earth, and each spirit departing from Earth penetrates through this veil, going to its appointed place, carried by the winds of affinity. Arriving there, the spirit, good or bad, strengthens and extends its compatible territory.”
“The Kohar is the Knower and the spirit is the known. All knowledge is with the Knower, but the known can tap it so it flows out into the known. The Kohar receives the spirit seed in Heaven, for there it is as the body is on Earth. Even as the earthly body is made of things from the Region of Heaviness, so is the Kohar made of things from the Region of Lightness.”
“These things are said by the Reciter before he leads you to the place where sleeps a serpent, and pointing to it he says, “Behold the serpent it sleeps at the bole of a tree from which hangs the body of man, the tree of his backbone. It is on guard, safeguarding the precious gem of spiritual powers, which lies enwrapped in the threefold covering. To obtain the gem the serpent must be aroused and then overcome. To rouse this serpent is a thing not to be lightly undertaken, for it causes a fire to mount into the heart, which may destroy the brain with delusions and madness. Only the Twice Born can really obtain the gem.”
“You pass on with the Reciter who will say: “These are the things you must establish in your heart, the knowledge of the eight roads along which you must travel to reach the Land of the Westerners. These will bring you to the twelve first portals leading to the Land of Shadows. Here I will recite for you the twenty-two deeds of wickedness you have not done. You will then pass through the Land of Shadows as if it were your hour, and, beyond it, come to the Great Portal where it must be established, before the Great Guardian, that you have ever
done all within your power to live according to the twelve virtues. Then you pass through the portal to the Hall of Judgement. Here, for the first time, your light is revealed and it is made known whether your tongue has spoken in accordance with the things within your heart.”
“Many are they who know the words of the tongue but sever these from what is written in the heart. If the words of the tongue are copied from the writings of the heart and are a true copy, then cross to the Place of Assessment where your true form and likeness will be displayed for all to see.”
A curtain of darkness descends, there is a heavy dark mist, then the muffled crash of Thundering Doors. The aching body reclines within the tomb of stone. The questing pilgrim has returned to his homehaven. He has learned truths he could never learn on Earth and now knows the Grand Secret. Faith is replaced with certainty and he is now an Initiated One.
CHAPTER TEN
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 10
My God and Father, my Creator and Governor, Supreme and Immortal Spirit, I come to you as a wayward son comes to his father. I come as the world-weary wanderer comes home. I come as the victorious battle-bludgeoned warrior comes to the place of his rest. I am one who has passed the trials. I am one who has survived the challenges.
I have returned full of wisdom and knowledge, the fruits of long years in Your earthly place of instruction. There I was diligent, I was not a waster of time, I was not a man of idleness. I am proved worthy. I, Your son, have come home.
The virtues I developed on Earth are the messengers that sped before me, my qualities hastened to announce my coming. They sped on invisible wings, so that only those sensitive to that which emanated from me knew of their coming. They came as perfume carried on the wind. They announced me, they heralded me. They gave salutations to the Spirits in the Bright Abodes. Yet I have not forgotten the Dwellers in Terror, and a small dark spirit of the Twilight has gone forth to make known to them my departure from Earth. This, that should any there know of me they may be made aware that I am not of their dismal company. Will there be weeping there in the dank, dreary darkness?
I surmounted the trials of existence in heaviness. Now my spirit can speed like the lightning flash. I am one who has accomplished what had to be done. I have governed my affairs, not wholly by earthly standards but by the greater ordinances of Heaven. I have carefully read the books of instruction and listened to the interpreting words of the wise.
He who tests hearts and reads thoughts has weighed me and I was not found wauting in the balances. I am a Cool One, for my thoughts rest in peace. I am not numbered among the Hot Ones whose thoughts consume them as fire consumes wood.
I have passed the Nameless Ones, to come into the presence of The Great One whom no man names, whose name is not knowable to men. I have reached the destination of ages, I have achieved the ultimate goal. I have put on the mantle of immortality and the robe of light which the Heavenly Weavers prepared for Me. I am a Little One, one who comes in littleness and not greatness. I am a Humble One and come not in pomp and grandeur, for these are things of the four quartered Earth having no place here. I have done things which have been wrong, but these were done in ignorance and not wilfully or with malice.
O Watchers, announce to the Lords of Light and to the Lords of Darkness that I am one who has penetrated the Mystic Veil but is destined to return to the Realm of Heaviness. O Watchers, announce that I am now a self-knowing everlasting spirit. O Father of the Gods, who is above all, issue the decrees of fate which ensure that henceforth I live a life of service, that I may live purposefully when I return to fulfil my destiny.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 11
My Heart, my Spirit, my Kohar, guardian of my memories, cast not your words in the balances against me. My faults and failings are not few, for no mortal man is perfect, yet they weigh hghtly against my qualities and good deeds. Say not that I have wrought evil to any man wilfully or with malice, say not that I am a man of
wickedness. Let me not suffer sorrowful remorse in the gloom and darkness, but let me live forever within the Region of Light.
I have done deeds of goodness and led a goodly life. I have overcome the wiles of wickedness and avoided the snares of temptation. I have lived in peace with my neighbours. I have dealt justly and fairly with them and have not uttered words of malice to stir up strife. I have not gossiped about my neighbours, nor engaged in idle chatter concerning their affairs. These things are not easy, and as no man is perfect I have at times been bad tempered under provocation. Therefore, speak words that will weigh in the balances against my failings.
I have not slandered any man, nor have I wilfully caused pain and suffering. I have not caused the widow to weep, nor the child to cry without cause. I have dealt justly with my servants and with the servants of others, and I have been loyal to my masters. I have not slain unlawfully, nor wounded any man wilfully. Yet no man is perfect and when my burdens have weighed heavily upon me I have spoken harshly. Therefore, speak words that will weigh in the balances against my failings.
I have never oppressed a poor man or taken from him what is his by virtue of my position. I have never oppressed the weak or cheated in the substance of metals. I have never said to a hungry woman, “Lay with me and you shall eat”, for this is a vile thing. I have not lain with the wife of another man or seduced a child, for these are abominations. Yet no man is perfect and few are commanders of their thoughts, Therefore, speak words that will lighten these things in the balances.
I have not turned the water of another so that he is deprived of his full measure. I have not stopped flowing waters in their course. I have not kept fodder from cattle, nor allowed the pastures to be neglected. I have not caused any child to know fear without reason, nor have I beaten one in bad temper. I have not transgressed the statutes of the king. Yet no man is perfect and sometimes that which is right in its day becomes wrong in another. Therefore, speak words that will weigh in the balances against my wrongdoings.
I have not stolen, neither have I taken the possessions of any man by deceit. I have not divided the household of any man, nor separated him from his wife or children. I have not quarrelled with any man because of ignorance. I have not turned from my duties or failed in my obligations. I have not hidden my errors or buried my failings. Yet no man is perfect, therefore speak words that will weigh in the balances for me.
I have never behaved boisterously in a sacred place, nor have I ever defiled one. My hand has not been demanding because of my office, nor have I dealt haughtily with those who came to me with a plea. I have not increased my position by false words or writings. Yet my burden has been increased because of the perversity and wilfulness of men, and no man is perfect. Therefore, speak words that will weigh in the balances against my weaknesses.
I have not permitted envy to eat my heart, nor malice to corrupt it. I have not been loud of mouth, nor spoken words of boastfulness. I have never slandered another or uttered words of falsehood. My tongue has never escaped from the control of my heart. I have never derided the words of another because they passed my understanding, nor have I stopped my ears to words of enlightenment. I have never hidden myself to observe others, nor have I ever disclosed the secret designs or doings of others, unless they be of evil intent. Yet no man is perfect, therefore speak words that will weigh in the balances for me. When I have done wrong I have adjusted the scales that weighed down heavily against me. I have not hidden my weaknesses and failings in dark places, but washed them clean in the sunlight of honest compensation.
I have not succumbed to the lures of lewdness, nor has my tongue spoken slyly of things which should be kept private. I have not peeped at nakedness or pryed into another’s privacy. I have respected the modesty of womankind and the innocent delicacy of childhood. Yet men are as they are and imperfect, while thoughts stray wilfully and are not easily restrained. Therefore, speak words that will weigh in the balances for me.
O Great One, protect me. O Kohar, save me. Hear the words of my heart. I was one who was ever mindful of what was right and what was wrong. I did what I thought was right and shunned that which I thought was wrong. I listened to those who were wiser than I and helped those who were less privileged. Can man do more?
CHAPTER TWELVE
THE SACRED REGISTERS - PART 12
Know me and understand my ways. I am one who sees the past and the future, I look into hidden places, I am one who wanders freely. I am one who can be reborn, I am one who knows the speech of the released. I am an Uplifter. The Climbers come to me and I support them, I lift them up, I strengthen. Therefore, bring me the sustenance of smoke.
I hear and I hear not, for what I hear is heard by others. I speak and I speak not, for what I speak is in the mouths of others. I weep and I weep not, for my weeping is the weeping of others. I am an Uplifter. The Climbers come to me and I console them. I enlighten them with words of hidden wisdom. Thus they find the way.
I am one who comes forth when the circle is formed, when the twin lamps have been lit and the incantations made. I come forth from the consecrated place and bear the staff of power. I know the secrets of the dark waters and the secrets of blood. I am a wanderer in strange places. I am one who does not fear to tread the forbidden paths. I am an Uplifter. The Climbers come to me and I reveal the way.
I am the Opener of Tombs. I am the Dweller in the Stone Caverns. I am the one who precedes the Herald of the Companions. I am the Swimmer in the Waters of Wisdom. I am the Discoverer of Hidden Places. I am the one who hovers above the Still Waters. I am the Wanderer with the Winds. I am an Uplifter. The Climbers come to me and are comforted. They thirst and I refresh them, they hunger and I fill them with food.
I am the Sitter Beneath the Sycamore. I am the Eater of the Rowan. I am the heart within the heat of the fire and the eye within the candle flame. I am the uprising hawk and the contented dove. I am one who has tamed the serpent and drawn forth its secrets. I am one who has many eyes and sees what is written in the nightskies; whose ears hear the whispers at the edge of the Great Waters. I am one whose right foot rests on the Earth and whose left foot rests oh the firmament. I am one who faces all spirits alike and knows their true nature. I am an Uplifter. The Climbers come to me and I give them peace.
I am one who gazes into the deep dark pool, reading the things hidden therein. I am the Caller Forth of the Deformed Ones and the Tongue of the Bright Ones. I am he of the Everlasting Form. I am he who provides stability to falterings forms and the interpreter who spans the veil. I am an Uplifter. The Climbers come to me and I provide their Guide and their Guardian.
Know me and understand my ways. Invoke me through the rite of smoke and wine. Call me forth into the circle of stone, but beware, for lest you hold the seven keys and understand the nature of the three rays, you are lost.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE SCROLL OF RAMKAT
Awful is the great day of judgement at its dawning in the Netherworld. The soul stands naked in the Hall of Judgement, nothing can now be hidden. Hypocrisy is no avail; to maintain goodness when the soul reveals its own repulsiveness is futile. To mumble empty ritual is foolishness. To call upon gods who have no existence is a waste of time.
In the Hall of Judgement the wrongdoer is judged. On that day and henceforth his qualities shall form his food. His soul, soft as clay upon Earth, is hardened and set into shape according to its moulding. The balances are adjusted.
One arrives. The Forty-Two Virtues are his assessors. Shall he dwell among beauty as a godling, or be given captive to the Keeper of Horrors, to dwell among vile things under a merciful mantle of darkness? One arrives. The twisted body, tormented on Earth, and the ugly face have gone, discarded at the portal. He strides through the Hall in radiance, to pass into the Place of Everlasting Beauty.
One arrives. Now no earthly body sheilds the horror which is the true likeness of the evildoer upon Earth. He runs from the light which he cannot tolerate, and hides himself in the shadows near the Place of Terror. Soon he will be drawn to his compatible place among the Dismal Company.
One arrives. He has been upright and a just one. His failings and weaknesses were of little account. This upright man fears nothing, for he is welcomed among the Bright Ones and shall go unhampered among the Everlasting Lords.
One arrives. He trembles before the Unseen Judges, he is lost, he knows nothing, earthly knowledge and confidence are left behind. The balance drops, he sees his soul and recognises his true self, he rushes into the merciful darkness. It enfolds him and dark arms embrace him, drawing him into the terrible gloom, into the Place of Dark Secret Horrors.
One arrives. She graced the court with beauty, men sang of her loveliness and grace. Now, as when a mantle is removed, all is discarded, it is the time of unveiling. Who can describe the lustful thoughts and secret unclean deeds which fashioned the horror coming through the portal? There is a hush among the compassionate. One arrives. On Earth she was pitied by the compassionate and scorned by the hardhearted. There her lot was degradation and servitude, privation and sacrifice, few and meagre were the gifts from life. Yet she triumphed. Now she comes forward surrounded by brilliance, even the Shining Ones are dazzled by her beauty. One arrives. The twisted face and pain-wracked body of the cripple have been left behind. A kind and loving soul dwelt imprisoned within its confines. Now the relieved spirit steps forward into the great Hall, unencumbered and free, glorious to behold.
One arrives. The splendid body which graced Earth remains there, an empty, decaying thing. The naked soul enters the Everlasting Halls. It is a deformed, mis-shapen thing fit only to dwell in the merciful gloom of the place with which it has compatible affinity.
One arrives. Neither goodness nor wickedness bears down upon the scales. The balances remain straight. The soul departs to the twilight borderland between the Region of Light and the Region of Darkness.
0 Great Lords of Eternity, who once were in the flesh, even as I, hear not the outpourings of an overburdened and sorrowful heart. For who am I to presume to call upon The Great God of All? Who am not without wickedness and weak in spirit. I have filled my heart with knowledge of the Secret Writings but still I fear the judgement. Therefore, Great Lords of Eternity, I call upon you who once walked the Earth, even as I, and who, therefore, understand the failings and weaknesses of men.
1 am not weak in my standing with earthly things, but I am weak beside the Greater Beings. Will I, too, ever be worthy of the grandeur of the Eternal Mansions ? O Great Beings whose nature is beyond understanding, grant me just a spark of the Eternal Wisdom, that it might light my soul and kindle the flame of immortal life. What is the destined fate of a man who knows the existence of things beyond his understanding? I see but I do not know, therefore I am afraid. Man can swim against the current towards the bank, but he needs a helping hand to pull him ashore when he is exhausted from the struggle.
This is the fate of man. He must strive for that which he cannot attain. He must believe in that which he cannot prove. He must seek that which he cannot find. He must travel a road without knowing his destination. Only thus can the purpose of life be fulfilled.
Man may believe he knows his destiny, but he cannot be assured with certainty; in no other way can he fulfil it. In this way alone can his soul be properly awakened to flower with its full potential. This alone he may know: The purpose of all human life is a goal so glorious it surpasses all earthly understanding.
We may visualise our individual goals as we will, it is ordained that we have this freedom. How close or how far we are from reality is of little consequence, what is, is. He who seeks a nonexistent destination will, nevertheless, get somewhere. He who seeks not at all will get nowhere. Earthly life fulfils itself without attainment.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN THE SCROLL OF YONUA
Away from my eyes, O Hideous One. Slink back into the dark shadows about the black sunless abode where dwell the self-distorted souls of the Fearsomely Formed Ones. Back to your murky haven of sombre compatibility.
Away, out of sight, for your repulsiveness brings back into my heart the thoughts of evils and temptations I have encountered and overcome, thoughts which I now so gladly forget. You poor, doomed fiend, mis-shapen, horny-headed, slit-snouted, stunted in arms and legs, horrible to behold. What dreadful thoughts and unclean deeds must have been yours, to fashion you in this manner!
Away, back to your own kind, back from the twilit border where you lurk furtively, afraid, pitifully seeking a glimpse of the bright joys denied to your own folly. Back to the place with which you have pitiful affinity, back to your own dark, compatible companions.
The Guardians of the Hidden Gates repel you, lest you befoul the pathways of the Glorious Ones who once struggled to find beauty and cleanliness. The light of this place is ever spreading, and soon a Glorious One may walk where you now slink in the gloom. Back, back from the dividing flame, back into the sad comfort of enveloping darkness. Back to your foul companions in misery, back into the mercifully enshrouding gloom. Your fate saddens my heart. Can you find consolation there, hidden in the comforting darkness? Does a kind word ever lighten the burden of your days? Is there a place of rest among the slime and excreta? O Fallen One, who once walked Earth so proudly in self-esteem, selfishness and arrogance, go back, torment yourself no more with the sights of beauty and joy which lie beyond your reach. O Wriggler in the Slime, back from the purifying flame, what can it avail you now?
O Repellent One, who by wrongdoing and non-good doing thus cursed yourself and were delivered into the comfortless arms of decay and filth; who on Earth appeared arrayed in such deceptive softness and complacency; who dwelt amid pleasure and luxury, away, back into the shadows, hide yourself from the pure gaze of the Glorious Ones.
O Squirming One, turned back are you, the shameful flesh is unworthy even of the flame. The unshapely mass, unchiselled by the forming blows of self -discipline and selfless service, unmoulded by the touch of compassion and love, unpolished by conformity to the burnishing blows of sincere goodness, has no place near the region of revealing light. See, are you not seared with pain when the pure light falls upon you? Miserable indeed is your lot in that dread, dreary abode!
See, your slimy hide shrinks from the pure glare, it splits, it cracks, back, back into your dark cavern with its floor of slime. Back out of sight, out of hearing, back from the pure gaze of righteousness. How miserable the lot of one who finds unconsoling comfort in the depths of dread darkness lit only by shadowy gloom! How awful to dwell in companionship with distorted shades!
What became of the loveliness which once clothed you on Earth? Whose fault that you brought it not with you? Did you ever pause, even for one moment, to gaze into the self-revealing mirror within you and see the awful creature you were forming? Amid your pleasures and luxury, did you not think of the wellbeing of your inner self? Did you not care?
O if I could but help you now, but the hideousness was set firm in the furaacefire of death. Then the enveloping flesh was stripped away and the hidden horror within the mould revealed. As the butterfly emerges from the chrysalis, so should the soul emerge from its earthly body. An unnatural thing like this was never intended, yet you freely made the choice. Not a single disfiguring line was made by another.
What words are those which rasp forth from the unlipped, fish-shaped mouth? O ears, say you deceive me! O heart, cease this pounding clamour! O hand of horror, release your awful grip! Would that I could swoon, that I could find relief in unconsciousness, but facts have to be faced here as on Earth. I must look in trembling terror. Yes, I loved on Earth, nothing there was more precious to me than my sister in love. I forgave her wilfulness and was not stirred up when her words were unkind. I ever remained a man of cool temper. I clothed her well and good food she never lacked. My heart sang in her presence, I rejoiced in her loveliness, she was my life, my wife. Yet she was unfaithful, she was cruel, she found pleasure in deceit and perversion. As the years passed they became heavy, clouded and bitter because of her wayward ways.
O horror, O terror, O cringing fear, keep away from me! O my eyes, O my heart, it is true. It is the one I loved. O let me die once more, that consciousness may pass from me! It is her whom I loved, she for whom I waited in joyful anticipation, hoping to find the light of my youth, hoping the overlay of later evils would be sloughed away by death, hoping to find the warm, throbbing liveliness I once held. I would gladly have forgiven the pain she caused in her maturity. O what has become of the smooth flesh, the warm touch? Where is the beauty of face, the grace of form? O raise not the crocodile-skinned arms to shield the awful snout, the green-rimmed, red-veined eyes!
O racing heart! I hear the misformed words amidst the hiss and gurgle issuing forth from the oozing aperture. O say not that I was so blind, so greatly deceived, that you cared for nought but the earthly things we shared; that your affection was the false front of hypocrisy, your love a lie. Did I not always forgive? Was I not always patient? With whom did you share the terrible thoughts and desires that fashioned you thus ? Surely this cannot be the work of your own nature alone. Fickle you were and pleasure loving, selfish, cruel and deceitful, but all this I forgave because of the plea of my heart. Was this not enough? O where is the companion I awaited? Lost, and worse than lost.
O compassion, O mercy, come to my aid! My heart fails me, I cannot face what I thought to greet so joyously. O powers of solicitude, strengthen me. What can I do to mitigate the Law? Is there hope? Is there a way? A whisper of comfort, O gratefully I hear it, “There is hope and there is a way, but between this self-shaped horror and the Glorious Ones there is an uncrossable chasm. In sorrow and anguish it must seek a road, it must go its own dark way as you must go yours in the light. Turn back, turn again towards the light, the compassion in your own heart does nought to bridge the gulf between, unless it strikes a responsive spark within the other heart”.
“Let the memory be erased, this is not the companion of your path. The trials and sorrows borne so well, the uncomplaining unselfishness fashioned you in glory. Nor would you have reached the present degree of perfection had she not been as she was, and is now revealed to be. This fearful fate was wrought by the lost one alone, for each is the sole keeper of his spirit. Each soul is fashioned by every thought, desire and deed, every emotion that touched it during its sojourn in an earthly body”. “Each is the maker of his own future, the fashioner of his own being”.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A SCROLL FRAGMENT - ONE
Salvaged from the Great Book of The Sons of Fire this is all that remains of some sixteen damaged pages
relating to an initiation ceremony.
Who will reward or punish me? I will.
Who besets my path with sorrow? I do.
Who can grant me a life of everlasting glory? I can.
Who must save me from the horror of malformation? I must.
Who will guide my footsteps through life? I will.
Who brings joy into my life and gladdens my heart? I do.
Who brings peace and contentment to my spirit? I do.
Who lightens the burdens of my labour? None but myself.
Whose courage will protect me from the workers of evil? My courage.
Whose wisdom will guide me and enlighten my heart? My wisdom.
Whose will rules my destiny? My will.
Whose duty is it to attend to my wants? My duty.
Who is responsible for my future state of being? I alone am responsible.
Who shields me from temptation? No one.
Who shields me from sorrow and suffering? No one.
Who shields me from pain and affliction? No one.
Who benefits from my toil and tribulation, my sorrow and suffering? Myself, if wise.
Who benefits from my temptations and afflictions, my sacrifices and austerities? Myself, if wise.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE THIRD OF THE EGYPTIAN SCROLLS
(A Fragment)
If a man would know Heaven, he must first know Earth. Man cannot understand Heaven until he understands Earth. He cannot understand God until he understands himself, and he cannot know love unless he has been loveless.
God is unknown but not unknowable. He is unseen but not unseeable. God is unheard but not unhearable. He is not understood but He is understandable.
The goal of life is upstream, not downstream. Man must struggle against the current, not drift with the flow. A child is born knowing all God intended it to know, the rest it must discover for itself. Man does not live to increase the glory of God, this cannot be done, but to increase the glory of man.
He who worships with empty rituals wastes his time and displays the shallowness of his thought. That which man does to benefit man is good, but if he seeks to gratify God it is a labour of ignorance showing disrespect for God whose nature is above that of earthly princes. A lifting hand is worth ten wagging tongues. Be a man of fortitude and courage. Prepare to fight, for Earth gives man but two choices: to struggle or perish. There is work to be done in the Garden of God, therefore cease useless performances and word-wasting discussions, go, pick up the hoe and tackle the task to hand.
This is the secret of life: Man lives in God and God lives in man. This answers all questions.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE SIXTH OF THE EGYPTIAN SCROLLS
God is in all and He encompasses all.
There is no God but The True God, and His existence is our assurance of life everlasting. He was before the beginning and will be after the end.
He is mighty and all powerful. In His magnificence and majesty no man can conceive Him. His divine nature is beyond the understanding of man. His creation is awesome. His ways unfathomable.
His creative thought brought all things forth and the power which flows from Him is life. He holds life within His mind and the universe within His body.
If a man, in ignorance and foolishness, conceives a more understandable god in his own image or builds gods of wood and stone, that will not take anything away from the stature of God. The Supreme One is ever God, The Creator of man, and if man makes earthly gods to worship, then it is man who loses thereby and not God. Among earthly things man shall find nothing greater than himself.
Man worships, not to make God greater, for this he cannot do, but to make himself greater. Nothing man can do can add to what God already has. Men conceive God as a Being having greatly magnified human qualities, as a kinglike Being greater than any king. Thus man falls into error.
As the sun surrounds man with light, though it be hidden behind the stormclouds, so is man in the thoughts of God, though God Himself be hidden from him.
Such is our God who, though Himself eternal, lives with each man and with him passes through the Dark Portal of Death into the light of the Glorious Region beyond.
God rules over all earths and all spheres. He is in them and they are in Him. All things are in God and He is in all things. What is was to be, all things begin and end in God. This alone is wisdom, understand and live forever.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A SCROLL FRAGMENT - TWO
The Book of Initiation and Rites says of God, “All our hopes rest in God who created all things, sustaining them with His breath, whatever their state, wherever they may be, in this place on Earth, or in any other place visible or invisible”.
“He alone causes herbs to blossom in beauty and causes all things to come forth in their proper order and time, all flow from His directing thoughts. The peaceful beauty enfolding the face of the land at eventide, the melody of song and speech, the fragrance of flowers, the soft delicacy of petal and wing. All beauty and charm that delight the hearts of men flow from God”.
“His wisdom is unbounded and in His goodness He has provided all things in which He has created a need in man. The daylight and wind, food and water, heat and coolness, the materials of his dwelling and the substance of his garments, all things for his daily use and enjoyment. Man lacks nothing which would increase his skill and knowledge, to all useful things guideposts have been planted along the way. What need can man know for which God has not already made provision, even before man was born?”
“He has established the nature of all things, so they remain stable and come forth in their proper order without change. When a man sows barley he knows what will come up out of the ground, the rewards of his toil are not confusion”.
“A man lights a fire knowing it will cook his food, it is not sometimes hot and at other times cold. He knows that day will follow night and that the hours of darkness are prescribed, it is not a matter of chance. The hours of darkness are not one day long and the next day short. Oil is ordained for lamps and water to drink, man knows that never can he light a wick in water. Man looks about him and sees order, not confusion, and he knows that where there is organisation there must be an organiser”.
“The ordinances of God are established for the benefit of man, were they not set in stability man would be nothing but the plaything of chance and the victim of chaos. Therefore, on the days of feast and fasting, each following in their due season, I will ever remember the obligations due to my God”.
“I will rejoice and sing songs of praise with a full heart, I will shun the hypocrisy of moving lips. I will be joyful in the fullness of spirit at the beginning and at the end of the appointed seasons”.
‘The decrees of God are fulfilled at the appointed times and the days of labour pass one into the other. The season of first gathering to the full time of harvest, the season of sowing to the season of fruitfulness, all pass away as the kiss of the wind on the waters”.
“I will raise my voice, and my hands will move with the music. I will pluck strings and send sweet musical sounds rising to my God, and my breath will fill pipes with tunes to His Glory. When the sky blushes in the dawning I will lift up my voice in gladness, and when it reddens in the evening I will not remain silent”. “O how I rejoice that God has made me as I am! Truly He is in all and encompasses all. In His magnificence and majesty no man can conceive Him, for His divine nature is beyond the understanding of man. His creation is awesome, His ways unfathomable”.
“The love of God for His wayward children has been limitless and abounding. It has remained changeless throughout the ages, filled with His noble purpose. He created so that He might express and share that love, which is the very essence of His nature, with beings created in His likeness, beings which could absorb and reflect that love. Yet, that his love might be wholly free man was endowed with freewill, the freewill he has used perversely”.
CHAPTER NINETEEN A HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 1
Bring forth the instruments of music, let all voices be raised in thanksgiving to The Lord of Our Lives. Be happy in heart and let joyfulness flow from your lips, but remain in stillness while the hands move.
Peace and honour be Yours, O Great One, Shadow of Our Days, Comforter of Our Nights, to whom alone we pay homage. Long ago the skydoor opened and You appeared over the land in the days of our forefathers, shaking it with Your wrath, but now You are hidden, Your awesome glory is seen no more. We, Your children, rejoice, for You bring peace and spread contentment and security over the whole face of the Earth. Heaven and Earth and all the spheres of the infinite spaces are filled with Your Spirit. The demons of darkness tremble before You. Yet to us You are truly The Mysterious Hidden One, The Guide of our fathers in the sad days of darkness when the face of the sun was veiled in gloom from the eyes of men.
You pour out goodness, bringing fresh water to the green pasturelands, bestowing life upon all beasts and living creatures therein. Through the blessing of Your bounty, even the parched lands drink unceasingly in then-season. You are The Bestower of Bread, for you cause the corn to increase and the harvest to be plentiful. You are The Supplier of Reeds and The Provider of Fish. Every craftsman is prosperous and deft when under the guidance of Your hand.
Your eye directs the hammers of the smith and Your hand covers the fingers of the potter. Your creating breath is inhaled by the craftsman, so he is inspired to create an object of beauty. You whisper on the breeze and the hearts of men are filled with a gladness which issues from their mouths as joyous song. You move the brush of the painter and direct the pen of the writer.
You are The Warden of Fishes within the waters and direct them into the nets of the fishermen. You are The Watchman who keeps the waterfowl away from the field sown at the rising of the bountiful waters. You are The
Lookoutman at the eye of the barge moving safely over the flowing waters. You are The Director of the energy-giving breezes which press against the sails.
Your hand rolled the coRN grains and Your life-giving breath sucks up the green growing shoots. Your fingers unfold the awakening buds. Your firm will holds stone in stability, so the great buildings endure through the ages. Nothing can escape Your Vigilance, and rest is unknown to You. Eternal activity is the essence of Your nature.
You are The Ever Watchful One, The Great Bearer of the Scales, The Unchanging Guardian of the Helpless and The Protector of the Poor. Those who fill these roles on Earth do them in You name, for You are the motivation and power behind their deeds. Were You nonexistent men would devour one another like crocodiles, while justice and mercy would be things unknown. Something intangible and unseeable flows out from You and rules the lives of men, causing men to deal justly with one another. For though injustice is part of the fabric of life, it is not dominant and Your power mitigates its effects.
You caress the face of the land and at Your touch the womb of Earth is opened, green growth springs through the soil and reaches up towards the sun. All creatures move about according to Your design, and by Your decree their lives are directed. You paint the patterns of life and design its destinies.
Though the prince lay his head on a pillow of down and the beggar lay his on an unyielding stone, both sleep alike on Your bosom. The sleep of the rich man is no better than that of a poor man, while the sleep of a labourer is better than that of an idler. The Nightfrightener does not haunt the dreams of those who have paid their debts to the taskmaster of the day. Those who spend their days in idleness sleep in a restless bed. Thus, You have ordained that the scales of life be adjusted. All is balanced in Your hands.
Your spirit moves over the Earth, instructing the bee in the gathering of its honey and the hornet in the making of its nest. It directs the ant in the complex design of its cavern and the swallow in its mudgathering. It guides the birds in their season and calls the locusts at the appointed times. All creatures have their unlearned wisdom, which is an outpouring force emanating from Your Spirit.
When You fill the Earth with the shining light which rules the day under Your command, all men rejoice, for by this all things are increased and food comes forth in abundance. When the Lady of the Night rules the darkness and all is hushed in mellow coolness, hearts are filled with tranquillity and content. You fulfil all the needs of men, for You are The Great Provider.
Men labour in the fields and fill the storehouses with grain, but You provide the increase. You are The Ever Bountiful One, yet with all You give never is Your substance lessened. You remain everlastingly the same. Man has nought but what originates with You. It is Your waters of life, everlastingly flowing, that sustain him. Eternal glory be Yours, my God and my Life.
I sought You in many temples, only to discover that there was One God hidden behind all other gods. That You are indeed The Father of Gods, yet The Maker of none of them. You have illuminated the widespread universe with beauty and filled it with awesome, imperishable grandeur beyond description. So great are Your works above that they must be veiled, so we can comprehend them only dimly, lest we be overcome. Beforetimes many great men have praised You in error; not knowing what was good for them they sought to attain the things which fed the flesh alone. O Great One, show such as these the error of their ways, giving them not the good things of life but making all better men, that they may be worthy of these. You have loved us with an exceedingly great love, having compassion on our many failings and weaknesses, knowing that men are but frail creatures prone to go astray. O God of Gods, for the sake of our fathers who placed their trust in You, to whom You gave the ordinances of life, be merciful to us. Instruct and guide us along the paths we should follow. Lead us through the many entanglements of earthly life, so we may finally come to rest in Your safekeeping.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 2
O Great and Bountiful One who is the fountainhead of glory and the eternal spring of power; who sits enthroned in wisdom; whose counsel is the Law, great are the manifestations of Your wrath when it purges the land, even
as it was done in the days of our fathers. Yet we, weak, wayward and wilful men, know in the depth of our hearts that whatever You do is done in justice and to our ultimate benefit.
With inscrutable wisdom You prepared a compatible place for the spirits of men, a place encompassing the domain of man, a place wherein man rules under the decrees of Your everlasting and unchanging Law. You have set the boundaries and they are held back, neither troubling nor oppressing us beyond our endurance. The spirits of men rule in the mysterious domains governing the sun and the moon, the stars and the nightwatchers, the mistmen and the hidden caves of power. They undertake their appointed tasks there and are wave wanderers of the watery wastes, guardians of the deep.
You have created man in the likeness of an original conceived in Your mysterious abode, and the manner of his life is fixed according to Your plan. Great and wonderful is the ultimate destiny of man who, as yet, has progressed but a few steps along the road towards the goal of life. Yet You have opened his ear to mysterious and wonderful things.
You have revealed strange mysteries to his eye, he knows things unbelievable in olden times. . This being on whom You have conferred so much is a thing of weakness and frailty. He was shaped from moistened clay and moulded in water, then set upon a mound in the midst of the great chaos. His eyes were shown the glory above but he wearied of looking, for such splendour was beyond his comprehension. Therefore, he sought his pleasures among the things from whence he came, and therein he now finds his delight. So he sits on a pedestal of shame down by the polluted spring. His repast comes from the pot of fornication and he is clad in the garments of wickedness.
Great One. You who are all wise know the words which come forth from his lips. You know the fruit of his mouth, the pollen of his tongue. Be merciful to man and overlook his weaknesses, for he is as he was made and, perchance, so he was meant to be. Who can question the mystery? May Your will prevail!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THE SUNSETTING HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS
O Great God, unbounded by earthly limitations, Your Will is an eternal mystery and Your deeds confound the minds of men. Men worship You, the lesser gods pay due homage, while they who are between gods and men devote themselves to Your service. Highest of Gods, Lord of Men, Ancient Lord of Life and Light, Creator of the Tree of Life, who made the herb and fruit to nourish men and grass to feed the cattle; who perfumed the flowers and gave birds their gay plumage, Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!.
Maker of all that exists in all the spheres above and below, the essence of whose Spirit is in all things. Ruler of all the regions of light and Master of the nether regions. Great Fountainhead of Wisdom whose abode is in Truth, who fashioned men so they accord with Your own nature; who gave rare abilities to animals and instilled cunning knowledge into insects; who chose the colours of the flowers and the songs of the birds. O Veiled One whose sanctuary is hidden in the breasts of men, whose temple is open to the Heavens and hung about with the stars. O Mighty One, hear the cry of my spirit as it seeks nourishment from the divine source Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!
Great Fashioner of Earthly Things, who came into being before all else, whose sacred name none can know, whose likeness is not displayed in writings and whose image is not carved in wood or stone; whose eyes were the pattern for the sight of men and whose sensitivity generated their touch; whose tongue gave speech to the little gods; who made the herbage for cattle and the waterweed for fish; who feeds even the worms and insects and quickens the life within the egg; who fashioned wild fruits for the birds and wild seed for the mice; who sustains the lifeforce within every living thing, up to the heights of Heaven, across the wide breadth of Earth, down to the very depths of the sea. O save me from that which is beneath the Earth and from those upon the Earth who would work wickedness against me. Hear me, and, my God, I shall praise You, my voice will rise up to Heaven and roll right across the Earth. All those who ply the great mothering river shall hear its echoes. I will tell of Your goodness and greatness to my children and to their children. My words will resound down through the generations as yet unborn. Respond to me, O Great One, as I seek to commune in the silence. My desire is to learn, but You are too mysterious for men to understand. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit! O help my soul to rectify its evil deed and balance them with good. Destroy every form of evil which clings to me, and let there be nothing in my soul to cause malformation and thus estrange me from my friends who have departed to dwell in the happy Land of Dawn. Let brightness be my new life’s birthright and let my spirit be ever light. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!
The great dome of Heaven rises above and no man knows its limitations. The broad Earth is spread wide and no man knows its boundaries. Man cannot fathom it all, O God who is great, have compassion on my littleness. Bear Patiently with my blunderings and overlook my ignorance. Your reach is so great and mine is so small, help me to know You for myself. I am helpless and lost. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit! O Great God, who brings comfort to the prisoner, peace to the tormented; who strengthens the fearful and adjust the scales between the weak and the strong. Strengthen my desire to understand Your great purpose. O Sole God whose tears vitalize the hearts of men, in reverence and humility my spirit awaits Your command, my Creator and my Light. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!
O Great Craftsman, who fashioned man so wonderfully; who brought together the elements of the Earth and transmuted them so mysteriously; who created with such diversity that no two things are exactly alike, give your servant some task, that he may accomplish it to Your glory. O Provident Benefactor, who provides sustenance for the beasts of the wilderness and fills the storehouses of men; who placed the great metals in the bosom of the Earth, that man might draw them forth, let not my body go naked, nor my sleeping place be destroyed. Accept my homage, O God of Truth, who lives down through the ages of time which make up the everlasting Circle of Eternity. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!
O Powerful God, whose wrath lit up the vaults of Heaven and whose fire devoured the wicked in olden times; whose whirlwind swept clean the Earth; who lifted the seas and dashed them against the mountains. O let not the great forces of Earth afflict me. Hold them fast in Your hand, that they may not crush me as the chariot crushes the ant. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!
Having an affinity with You, my soul knows You and rejoices in the knowledge. It hears You and is at peace. It opens in response to Your warmth as the lotus, and awakens softly as the day opens its eye to the night. My soul knows what I know not. It sees into hidden places and understands deep mysteries. Let me know its nature better, that it may instruct me in wisdom. My soul swells with gratitude towards The Bounteous Being who causes all things to be which fulfil all desires. My God is not graven in marble or stone. He is not shaped in wood or cast in copper. He has neither offerings nor ministrations. My God is a god of quiet places and silences. He is found where the wild winds blow and the gay flowers blossom, away from the habitations of men. He is not worshipped in temples and His praises are not sung by the unthinking multitude. My God is a constant companion, He lives quietly in the homes and hearts of men. His true abode is unknown. He has no painted shrine, no building fashioned by the hands of men could contain Him. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit! O Ever Watchful God, The All Seeing One, if aught be done or concealed in the darkness of the night it shall be known to You. O Supreme Power, who alone can deflect the Awesome Ones of Heaven from their path of destruction; who alone can turn aside the sky boulders and break the winds of the hurricane, I acknowledge You as my Sole God, The Guide of my ways and The Guardian of my Life. I will call upon You by Your names of Power. I give You Your degrees, O Lord Over the Thrones of Earth, Director of the Destinies of Nations, Ancient Dweller in the Heavens, Lord of Existence, Lord of Terrors, Master of the Hidden Spheres, Commander of the Universal Hosts, Lord of The Law wherein Your will is manifested. Victor in the Skyfight, Creator of Hidden Desires of the Soul, Great One who mysteriously fashions His body as men fashion their souls. Giver of Life to souls, by whose breath they awaken. Selector of the Generative Substances, Transformer of Matter, Keeper of the Eternal Essences, Ruler of the Spirits in their Spheres. He who hears the prayer of the prisoner; who stands between the weak and the strong. Lord of Fertility for whom the great mothering river flows and the waters rise. Lord of the Tree of Life, Emperor of the Sacred Spheres, who dispenses the Celestial Substance, who directs the Thunderbolts; who pilots the stars in the skyways; who overlooks the Watchers in the Night, Great Guardian of Hidden Things and Master of the Divine Secrets, whose domain is shrouded in mystery; who makes tender the hearts of women and makes stern the faces of men. Dweller in Deep Obscurity whose sanctuary is infinite; who died in the effort of creation and was reborn in the soul of man. Great God, whose face shall be revealed in the future, when all men are wise, grant me Your Truth and Peace Divine. Hail to The Supreme Power of Spirit!
Though I falter on the way and fail at the task, despise me not. I try but success eludes me. I seek but cannot find. I am so small and You are so great that I cannot span the gulf between, unless You incline towards me. O Great Spirit, how near men are to You in reality! Through the darkness of ignorance greater than night they have groped a way to You. You alone are addressed in the prayers of men. To whatever men pray You alone hear their petitions, You alone can answer them. Only for You are their words of praise fitting. O Great One, enter into the hearts of men and renew the bond with their souls. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit! O Mysterious God hidden in time, Great Ruler of the Ages, we who cannot know more than the smallest part of Your creation turn to You for help and enlightenment. If it be Your will that man should struggle towards understanding and strive for knowledge, then so be it. Man will do whatever he must do, but, O Great God, be patient with him in his failures and failings. Hail to The Supreme Power and Spirit!
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE HYMN OR PRAYER FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 3
O Great One in Heaven, whose thoughts probe the hearts of men, cast forth a small ray of illumination to light my way in the darkness of man’s ignorance. Strengthen me by Your revelation, that for even a brief moment I may see Truth and know the mysteries of life. I ask not to see as the Great Ones have seen, but just for something within my understanding.
O Great God, send me one bright shaft of light, that I may see silhouetted as in a flash of lightning the forces that wage war for the possession of my soul. For what mortal unaided can understand or visualise the dark things that lurk to lure the soul along the path of horror, such as the demons waiting to twist the weak soul into coils of frightfulness before casting it into the abyss of terror?
Lord of the Universe, take pity on me. Everything hes in Your Great Hand except the fate of each man, and men are frail and weak. Many who have seen Truth revealed have quailed before the awful responsibilities of man and consoled themselves by fashioning unnatural gods before whom they quelled the fears in their hearts. I am not one worthy to gaze upon Truth, nor do I desire to do so lest I be overwhelmed, perhaps I ask too much from One who reads the hearts of men.
0 Great Luminated One, keep me from the final horror which hes in wait to devour the souls of men. Help me in the dread hour when I come face to face with my own soul. O save it from the abode of the Dark Warden of Terrors!
What are the great mysteries of man’s destiny so dimly perceived even by the Illuminated Ones? Have mercy on my dismal ignorance, or I am delivered into the toils of my own repulsiveness.
What is the Great Secret whispered so fearfully among the great columns? What are the substances wherewith men may pass through the Great Portal and return to life? Is it true that the destiny of man is determined by man? O what fearful responsibility, my heart is overwhelmed and my spirit becomes weak with dread. Is it for this that men shun the Truth and cast themselves at Your feet for mercy?
1 fear, for my soul is heavy with evil and the scales will bear down against me. Will it be stamped with the dread impress of condemnation by the forty-two seals? Place Your hand in mercy upon the balances and let my soul be. made light.
0 Great One, hidden within the eternal silence, who shines forth as a beacon of light to few men. O lighten our darkness and our fear-shadowed hearts! Lift the veil just slightly, that we may understand something of Your greatness.
We are not uninstructed and know we can be granted no more than a glimpse of Your greatness, for to receive more would be too awesome for the frail constitution of man. This is why the ignorant doubt, for their very ignorance spawns the frailty which inhibits their enlightenment.
We hardly dare murmur these fervent words. O Great One, grant that the spirit within us may be helped to cleanse itself of the besmirching foulness spawned by our thoughts. Remove from us every trace of that which may pollute, and let us know timeless splendour in glory.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
THE HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 4 The Hymn of Rewa
1 am here, I am Yours, I sing Your praises. Join the dance, O priests and priestesses. Join the dance, O Skytravellers, who cover the Earth with your rays of power. Join the dance, O strangers. Accept our offerings and salutations, accept our devotions and make them successfully beneficial.
Move around moonwise, O priests and priestesses. Stamp on wickedness. Stamp on hypocrisy. Stamp your feet on malice and hatred. Sound the flutes, blow the pipes, shake the bells. Come, stamp on the head of pride, stamp on the Foul Fiend of Lust. Melody and music ring me about in a protecting wall. I am one who rises over the fallen.
Hail, O Overlooking, All seeing Power! I am Yours, I am a Chosen One. I am gifted with strength, I am thrice gifted with strength. I am filled with The Sacred Essence. I have partaken of the cup of joy. I am pure, I am pure, I am pure.
I see the light of the East, the arrow of All Embracing Love. I see the light of the South, the arrow of All Comforting Benevolence. I see the light of the West, the arrow of Everlasting Hope. I see the light of the North, the arrow of All Consoling Comfort. Let the golden bow speed the arrows of my desire. I am still, I worship the Hallowed Limbs.
The Heavenly Hosts gather, as swallows for the flight, as stormclouds for the downpour. Before the Sacred Shrine I renew my strength. I free myself from all earthly desires, from all bodily passions, of all soul-eating lusts, of all soul-destroying vices.
Now I see the rainbow-hued radiance of the real within the unreal. Now I see true where before I saw what was not and heard what was not. I was deceived by my body, I was deluded by my feelings. Now I see things not seeable by unaided mortal eyes. I hear things beyond mortal hearing.
O Great One, O Radiant One, O Timeless Knower, O Limitless Viewer, O Majestic One with a form of indescribable beauty! I have seen You through the veil, I have glimpsed the reflection of eternity. I am free. I, Your son, bow humbly before You. Lord, my heart is pure. I proclaim my loyalty to my neighbour on my right and my neighbour on my left. I see the meat. I see the tripod. I see the knife. All is ready. Come, benevolent spirits, gather about the flame. Hover over the bowl.
To you in whom resides the power to appear in any form or shape desired, come, come as welcome guests. Before the Place of Awe I stand unafraid, for those who are damned to sorrow and horror cannot approach within the barrier. They await in jealous hate without, they who come up from the dismal depths. Away foul spirits of the damned! Away O self-destroyed ones!
0 Great Representative, the court is purified, I now see the flame-like radiance. Brothers and sisters, do you see it too? I see the Radiant Risen Ones who have torn aside the veil for one brief moment. I see things of overwhelming splendour. Bring incense, bring water, bring salt and bring the offering flame.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
THE HYMN FROM THE BOOK OF SONGS - 5
The following paragraphs come from fragments and may originally have formed parts of more than one hymn.
1 believe in You, Great God of Life, Lord of the Kingdom of Light, Dweller in the Eternal Silences. From the centre of Your domain there is an outflowing which sustains all life, and in You rest the hopes of all men.
You are The Ruler of All Spheres and Your dominion is unchallengeable. Under Your benevolent guidance Earth continues to exist and hold together, changing for nought but the benefit of man. We are Your children and You are our Father.
I believe in the Sacred Spirit of Inspiration which enters the hearts of men, flowing out from You and joined with You and yet separate, the Spirit to whom our fathers of old gave the greatest reverence, the Beautiful One, the Gentle One, the Inspirational One who first taught men to love and who drew aside the veil to show them beauty.
I believe in the Great Kingdom Beyond Earth, where, in the Place of Light the souls of men, if worthy, find a perfection not known here. The light which is in the Region Beyond the Veil is not as earthly light, it has a sustaining quality, it is a vitalising light indescribable in earthly words.
O Great Dweller in the vast silences which are not as the silence known on Earth, who attends this sacred place where men gather in devotion. We who are here see You revealed as a beacon light for those whose hearts dwell in the darkness of ignorance. We rejoice in the strengthening emanation which flows out towards those with the wisdom to attract and absorb it.
Here, in the Hidden Place, we Your servants are gathered, and we bow before You, O Great One. We bow in humility, not in servility; we bow in recognition of our earthly limitations. We are overcome with awe and can but stand in worshipful silence before the vision of Your glory. It shines before our eyes, and our mouths cannot open.
Here, on this Sacred Ground, we hardly dare to utter the words of prayer, for the sentences formed by men are so unworthy of their purpose, when used and spoken before You. Man is limited in knowledge, in understanding and in ability, it is the recognition of this which makes him humble.
O Great One, who understands even the speech of the dumb man, help us to expand our knowledge and understanding. We, for our part, will not remain inactive but will ever sincerely struggle to reach out towards You, striving even to extend beyond our limitations. Were it otherwise we would be dishonest in seeking Your help.
Help us to remove the disfiguring stains upon our everlasting spirit, and when earthly life is renewed in us let us not be too disadvantaged. Teach us to pray without prayerfulness, so that the taint of self-seeking is eliminated. When we petition, let this not be in the spirit of selfishness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Some Fragments from a Much Damaged Section Most of Which Has Been Destroyed
Fragment 1
O enfolded, sleeping soul, unaware of the life fountain within from which you may drink, unfeeling of the throbbing life all about us, now is your hour. Prepare yourself for the great awakening. The bright light of wisdom awaits to encircle you, as you stand before the awful door within the Sacred Temple of Mystery. That the light of Truth may be a sure guide amidst the dark gloom of earthly life, a certain aid enabling you to find the way of your eternal spirit, you are not unknowing of your inner wisdom. It is the key to everlasting life in the glorious place beyond the Western veil.
0 live my soul, awaken, hear me. Let not my love and my sacrifice be in vain, let not all my hopes turn to dust within the tomb. Can love become soil and hope become sand? Never, for the grave is not the destination of the sublime attributes which ennoble the nature of man.
Man is as a flame burning in water, as it is written on the pillars without. His soul is as the rosebud awaiting the kiss of the sun to awaken it to bloom. His nature is as the day which is ever accompanied by the night.
Fragment 2
1 will praise The Nameless God who is The True God and The Knower of Every Name. Hail Great Overseer of Earth!
The high Heavens will hear the sound of my voice and its loudness shall ring across the widespread land. It shall resound throughout the Red Land. My song shall ride on the wings of the wind and my gladness shall whisper into the ear of the air. Hail Great Overseer of Earth!
I shall seek diligently for enlightenment and knowledge, that I may proclaim the ways of The True God among people, for they are mysterious ways not easily understood. Man wallows in a quicksand of ignorance, and only by extreme effort can he extricate himself. Great Overseer, grant me the ability to understand. Hail Great Overseer of Earth!
I say to the people, “Declare The Great One to your children, to the high born and to the lowly ones who dwell together under the same sun, to the generations as yet unborn. Sing songs that will echo down the corridors of time”. Hail Great Overseer of Earth!
“Sing His praises with the birds of the air, tell of Him to the fishes in the waters, to the creatures which hide in the ground and to the things which walk and crawl above it”. Hail Great Overseer of Earth! “Declare Him unto all, for He is The God of All, He is The Great Compassionate One whose wrath declines with the setting sun and in the morning departs with the dawnlight mists”. Hail Great Overseer of Earth! Sometimes, in the lonely nightwatches, I wonder, have You turned Your face from me? What have I done that You are unresponsive? Have I ever lived otherwise than in accordance with Your word? O Great Overseer of Earth, what is Your will for me?
Fragment 3
O Great One, everlastingly considerate of our needs, Overseer and Taskmaster of mankind, look down upon us with compassion and lay not too great a burden upon us, your dutiful servants. Labour we must, for thus we prepare for a higher state of being, but bear with us, for sometimes we grow weary and falter at the task.
Here we have fallen victims of our own wiles, we have hopelessly snarled up the threads of our existence, so we know not how to loosen the knots we ourselves have tied and so free ourselves. We are entangled in a net of our own weaving. Let us, Your servants, look to You, The Great One, for aid. Our destinies are held in the hollow of your hands, while the future is visible to you as is writing upon an open scroll.
The Glorious Ones worship You with service and serve through following the words of guidance. Thus, the earthbound spirits worship You, the shades of the departed worship You and the whole of creation worships You. We, Your servants, offer our continual and everlasting devotion to Your service. We are not as others, O Great One, for we know well that worship and devotion mean service and expended effort, not mere words and ritual. Your spirit governs the breezes that comfort mankind. You send the fertilising rains, Your Spirit quickens the seed within the womb of Earth. The songs of the birds are inspired by the knowledge of You and the wild beasts rejoice in the sustenance provided.
You are The Universal Being, The Raincloud Overshadowing the Earth, The One Dwelling in the Cave of the Heart within all breathing creatures. You are The Weaver of the Warp and Woof of Life.
Fragment 4
I praise The One Who Eats Evil, The Disposer of Earthly Residue. He who sustains the devoted followers of The Deathless One in whom all merge on leaving the body. For the day comes when we discard all that is of Earth, when we recognise and realise that all remaining is the pure and sacred spirit, boundless and free as the winds.
I praise The One Who Eats Evil, The Disposer of Earthly Residue. He who sustains the devoted followers of The Deathless One; who is with us everywhere and in all things; in whom is all, though not Himself the all; who sees and hears all, who knows and understands all, but whom none tied to Earth can know; who projects His word of power, so that it is within all and holds all things together in stability.
I praise The One Who Eats Evil, The Disposer of Earthly Residue. He who sustains the devoted followers of The Deathless One; who created all things and thus became His Own Greater Self; who clothed Himself in the universe as with a garment.
Fragment 5
0 Great Spirit, I would see the vast face of the Earth as You behold it. I would know how the seed is quickened, so that it grows into the plant, and how the fowl comes forth from the egg. What is added to the egg to give it the power to reproduce life?
1 would touch Your Great Body born of the breath from The Eternal Source and watch Your thoughts creating and moulding all things to shape step by step.
I would see the links of Heaven and Earth and rest one hand in each. I would see the thread that binds yesterday, today and tomorrow, so all are one and parts of the whole.
I would see the appointed place of every living man and understand why. I would see the purpose of every beast and every plant, every tree and every thing that flies and crawls.
I would know gladness with the children, as they play and go singing on the way to their places of instruction. I would watch birth and death and solve their mysteries. I would know the depths of hatred and the heights of love.
I would journey the adventurous path of love hand in hand with another. I would know its secret, its delights and their shadows, and the secrets of its silences.
I would know the beginning and the end, and understand what links them. I would see the chain of the years and the necklace of the days. I would know the purpose of it all. Then, knowing all these, I would know You at last, O Great Spirit!
Fragment 6
O True God, by whom the worthy are guided in all they undertake; who rises as a beacon in the darkness for the lowly. Grant us, Your servants who put their trust in You, strength to overcome all the doubts and uncertainties which rise in our hearts, as frightening shadows arise in the night. Let us sip the waters from the inexhaustible well of wisdom, that we may not move along false paths to encompass our own destruction. For we cannot see the way in the enveloping darkness, and confusing voices shout this way or that way. We are bewildered, for we know not which one is right. Can there be so many ways?
We are not men of great learning or high position. We do not sit among princes, being among the lowliest in the
land. Yet it is we who carry the burdens of the people, we feed the hungry and provide for the widow and
orphan. Ours are the aching backs and weary feet, ours the naked body and empty bowl.
Those who are concerned with higher things sit at tables of plenty, those seemingly unworthy rejoice amid
prosperity and plenty. Those who take are given more, while those who give are mocked.
We see these things and doubt enters our thoughts, we ask one another, “Why is this the order of things? Is it the
will of our God? Then we seek for an answer in all sincerity and with productive effort, and The Great God
Above All does not remain mute.
Fragment 7
O God, hear my prayer, for I have gone into the great recess within me and await a response from out of the enveloping silence and tranquillity. The restlessness and discontent of life I have left at the portal. I have closed the door to the outer things of life.
Give ear, O my soul, to the whispers from the silence. Close out the clamour of Earth and harken to the soft voice which echoes from the far reaches of eternity. Hear without ears the wordless voice of Truth. Close the eyes of the flesh, that the greater eye may see in the inner darkness.
Enter into the inner temple and await the revelation of heavenly secrets. Shut out the clamouring senses that demand expression in sensual pleasures. Then, when all outer doors are closed and all inner doors open, speak to me and I will hear your voice. Tell me the secrets of the ages, and my spirit will dwell in contentment for ever. This alone I ask and no more, it is sufficient for one lifetime.
Fragment 8
O Great One on High, have pity on us, for we are hopelessly ensnared by our complete lack of things needed to sustain the body. Without sustenance our spirits are restless, our hearts cannot find peace. We do not desire foolish things, or pleasurable or vain things, but just the things without which we cannot live. Though we lack all things we do not turn our faces from You, for we know well that in Your bounty all men are provided for and the Earth is full of richness. It is not You who take away the things needed to sustain our lives, but those made in our own likeness, our own brother men.
They deny meat to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, though they themselves are gorged to fullness and bloated with good things. Be merciful to them, instruct and enlighten them with Your chastising afflictions. Thus they may come to know that man needs man and each man is brother to all others.
Others have reaped where we have sown and others sleep where we have built, because of the statutes of men. Therefore, mete out nought but justice, that we may be fed and clothed and have a place to rest our heads.
Fragment 9
O God, who teaches us in so many strange ways in this great place of instruction called Earth; who set us tasks to an end which we cannot foresee, and who tests us to measure our abilities and to try our courage and fidelity. Instruct us, so we may better understand the bitter lessons which purge from our natures all which is unwholesome to the spirit. Strengthen us, so we may bear all things without complaint and conduct ourselves manfully under the strict discipline of this unique place of instruction. Open the-eyes of understanding within us, that we may benefit by every experience and not waste time bewailing our lot.
Tell us, so we may know. Instruct us in our duties in the battleline, so that when we are called upon to take our appointed place we shall not shirk the clash. Toughen us on the training ground of adversity, so that we may be stronger for the fray. When the day of battle comes upon us and cowards flee before the strength of our adversary, when the valiant ones kiss the dust at the portals of glory, let our place be where the battle rages most fiercely and the blows fall the thickest.
If we faint, may we still remain faithful. If we are exhausted, may we remain dauntless. If our hour come and we fall before the onslaught, may it be with weapons in hand and face to the foe. We fight the fight where the victor can be the vanquished and the vanquished the victor, for here the fight is the end and not the victory. He who serves the end well justly claims the fruits of victory.
We cannot ask to win, but we can ask to* be made strong if we struggle for strength. We cannot ask to remain unhurt, but we do ask for courage. We cannot ask to be supported in weakness, but we can ask for the fortitude
to endure. We stand firm-footed, grim-faced to the foe. The ranks of wickedness encompass us about, but we will surge forward with closed ranks, carrying all before us until we come to rest in the presence of victory. O God, Supreme Among Spirits, watch over us in the struggle, for we are Your children.
Fragment 10
This is my prayer, O Great Spirit, accept my prayer. O Dweller in the Pure Region of Truth, hear me. O Great Fountain of Wisdom, hear me.
O Comforter and Companion of the Soul Silences, hear me. I, Your son, come into your presence with faith and humility.
Grant that my spirit be admitted into the Glorious Audience Chamber between the two regions. I, Your son, come into Your presence with faith and humility. O Supreme Source of the form-holding rays, grant me a hearing. O Great One seated on The Celestial Throne behind The Great Solar Disk, hear me. All homage to you Great God, Master of the bodies of men. I, Your son, come into Your presence with faith and humility. My every thought and deed are dedicated to Your service. These things are written clearly in my heart and are not mere puffs of wind from my mouth.
Fragment 11
Lord of my heart, hear me now as I stand in communicating silence before the listening shrine. You are The Great One who existed before the upheaval of the mountains; who tore apart the land and waters in the infant years of man.
For in Your sight a thousand great years are as an hour in the heat of the day, or as a watch in the coolness of the night. You are The Timekeeper in Eternity and Warden of the Ages.
You reap men as corn is reaped at the harvest and sweep them away as floodwaters cleanse the land. For man is like unto the grass of the field, in the morning it grows full of vigour, gaily bedecked with the gems of morning dew; in the eventide it is cut down, to wither in the night.
The day is not important if men live by the hour, fulfilling in each its appointed task. Fragment 12
When the Dread Messenger calls for you, let him not find you ill-equipped and unprepared. In the final hour, which must surely come, there will be no opportunity for fine speech and nought can delay his imperious command. Then all the possessions you have cherished and stored will be as nought, and all you will be able to take with you will be that which you have fashioned within.
Do not be numbered among the foolish who say, ‘Time enough, for I am yet young”. Death claims the breast-child as well as the aged, and on this you should ponder. Consider well your future estate. Here you are the architect of your future abode, the plans prepared here are carried out in another place. Earth is the place of sowing, Heaven is the place of reaping.
Here you are the sculptor who chisels the statue, the potter who fashions the pot, the woodworker who carves the pillar. What is there on Earth more deserving of your care and attention than your own future form and appearance?
Do you recklessly hew or wilfully cut? Do you heedlessly pound the pliable clay and carelessly fashion the unfired pot? Do you mix the colours with proper thought?
What manner of thing are you fashioning in this great workshop? A beauteous being arrayed in radiant splendour, or a hideously foul fiend which can do nought but squirm in the slime of its fitting abode? Whom will you praise for your prudence or curse for your lack of foresight? Who can force you to deal tenderly and responsibly with the slumbering child of your own self? Or prevent you from carelessly and wilfully shattering all hopes for its future wellbeing?
Fragment 13
Rejoice all cities beside the waters, be joyful all people in the land, for great things have come to pass. Behold, the foe is scattered in confusion, they are no more, they are eaten up, victory is with us.
All praise to our Commanding Lord. Hail The Great Leader, hail The Source of Power in the land, live for ever in glory. O Mighty Fighter, let us rest in the shade of Your greatness, let us dwell under Your shadow, under the protection of Your right arm.
You have given us that which we never thought to know again. Men sit in peace, speaking freely one with another. They walk abroad with light steps and their heads are held high. Men look their fellowmen in the eye and there is none to josde them. They are delivered from the shadow of fear, and confidence is renewed in them. The fortresses are no longer overflowing with fighting men and all throughout the land no well is forbidden to the thirsty, all may drink freely where there is water. Men come and go across the wilderness, carrying the burdens of trade and none falls upon them to plunder. Men journey peacefully along the lonely roads and none waylays them to rob. Traders cross the barren places and are unmolested, none rises against them. The bearers of messages no longer hasten about, pale of face and frightened, they no longer carry doleful tidings, they no longer bear words of fear. Their coming no longer causes the knees to tremble and the stomachs to fall. Now the messengers loiter in shady places, remaining there until the nightwatch calls, for there is no urgency in the words they carry. The fighting men rest, their hazardous days have gone; the bow, the sword, the spear and the shield have been laid away in the weapon stores. Women walk freely, they talk gaily, for they are not overshadowed with fear, neither do they tremble for fear of molestation. The faces of the border guardians are no longer haggard with sleeplessness, nor are their eyes tired and strained with watchfulness. Throughout the whole land there is content and tranquillity.
The herds are large and sleek, they are no longer tense and restless. The flocks graze contentedly in their green pastures. The fowls are no longer alert and noisy but squabble playfully, chasing one another through the dust. The voices of men are no longer hoarsened with war cries, instead they can be heard singing as each goes about his appointed task. The doleful wailing of women who mourn their dead is no longer heard and widows no longer proclaim themselves. The husbandman sows contentedly, knowing that where he sows he shall also reap. He no longer doubts that he will enjoy his own harvest.
The face of God is once more inclined favourably towards us, even the lesser gods look again upon the land with favour. The reign of Saku is over, he no longer overshadows the lives of men, all is well in the two lands.
Fragment 14
We praise our own God with joyous and grateful hearts. He has shown Himself among us. He will come again in His season, all is well with us. His desire brings forth the green growing things and the land is clothed in its gay mantle. His hand guides the stars, His mind contains all things that fly above the Earth and all things that walk and crawl upon its face.
We praise You, Great Eternal One whose forms are so many. We kiss the ground before You. All the sacred beings and sacred things men worship are but manifestations of their groping through the clouds of ignorance to understand You. Have pity on them, for they were born into darkness and mysteries, but their hearts are good. Each day You bring some new thing to the attention of men and place before them problems to unravel. The nature of men ever inclines them towards the path of ease and passiveness, therefore they tend to shun the things which are truly profitable. Therefore, deal with men in a manner best fitting for their progress towards Truth.
Fragment 15
Neither life nor love ends at the Grim Portal. The strength of the invisible bond between two souls binds them even after death. That which binds strongest of all is the love which is sincere, true and constant. Such love endures through tribulations and trials.
If one you love has departed through the Western Gates into the Great Halls of Eternity, then be comforted by the words of Truth. This you will then know: that the Guardian at the Grim Portal is no fearsome being but a compassionate attendant who tends you gently while asleep, until the morning of a more glorious day. Then you will be awakened to journey through a greater adventure with the companions of former times.
Fragment 16
In death you are greater than ever you were on Earth, for now the companionable spirits lament for your sake. They strike their bare flesh for you and smite upon their forearms. They tear at their hair and cast dust on their heads.
Yet if they be true to themselves, they are not cast down, they are not distressed. There is a voice speaking out of the silence, saying, “If he goes he shall come, if he sleeps he shall awaken, and if he dies he shall live”. Can you be gone from us forever? No, you are not dead or lost unto us, unless by our own deeds we depart to dwell in different regions.
I am not cast down. You are now in the Great Place beyond the everlasting stars. You have passed over the horizon of immortality and now walk erect along the path of glory. May we meet there in days yet to come. Hail O Glorious One!
Fragment 17
my side when I come before the Assessors, that when I hear the verdict I may not be alone. If my eyes cannot see, then tell me of the balances, do they bear down in my favour?
0 Guardian God, lighten the darkness for me and deliver me from the meshes of the net woven by my own deeds of wickedness and weakness. You are my strength and support, to You have I given my offerings, You I have honoured above all.
There I may be in distress and have none to abide with me. I may have no comforter and may be alone, therefore desert me not in my time of trial. Stand by my side, O Guardian God. If I am numbered among the distressed ones, look upon me with compassion and mercy, and if I am deserted, then sustain me with water, bread and oil.
Fragment 18
1 sing words of glory unto my God who is the Great God Above All Gods, and the words which issue from my mouth shall be exalted above all things. With them I will praise Him in the Sacred Place, in the silence of His Hidden Sanctuary. They will glorify my God, so that His Majesty is not dishonoured and He is not deserted, until the day when He shall be declared before all men.
With the ever loving thoughts of a devoted heart I praise Him. Even as the sun rises joyfully into the daysky, so does my heart rise towards He who gives me life and renews it day by day.
He is Great, He is Mighty, He is Glorious. He made the great river to flow, that all men in the two lands might be fed. It never wearies, it never ceases its onward flowing. It is everlastingly renewed.
Even as the great river flows steadily and strongly through the barren wilderness and bestows verdant life on its way, so let the river of my life flow through the Earth and eat away the sands of wickedness. Release me from my mortal fetters. Loosen the heavy covering of flesh which imprisons me, which restrains me. Let me rise free into the glory above, as the falcon floats freely on the wing. Let not the melody of my song be cut off while I sing, nor the story end before its completion.
Keep me, O my God, from the ways of darkness and let my spirit rejoice in the light of righteousness.
Glory to You, Great God, Lord of Truth, whose eternal throne is concealed behind man’s limitations; who issued
the command that brought things into being; who made man so wonderfully that man himself cannot understand
his own nature; who hears with compassion the cry of the distressed and the moan of the captive.
All hail the everlasting spirit within, the real self, the seat of all thought inseparable from me. I am one who can
truly call bis soul everlasting, for I am one of the Awakened Ones, one of the few who have at long last attained
the Splendid Vision. I have seen the bright flash of Truth in the darkness of earthly existence, I am free, I am
illuminated.
I will sing, that you may be glorified in the solitudes of Your Hidden Places, where the eyes of the profane can never penetrate, where few men come as Chosen Ones. There we will sing songs of yore. We will sing of Your ways and of Your laws, which remain everlastingly unchangeable.
Fragment 19
Heaven and the many Heavens beyond Heaven, Earth and the many Earths beyond Earth are held in the thoughts and power of God. They are as a monument to His everlasting glory. All things living that move and breathe have their place in the abode of life. Man finds the greatest joy in the Eternal Halls, therefore set not your heart on earthly possessions.
Here a man may desire life for a hundred years and may even attain it, but what benefit are the extended years to him if they do not exalt the soul? There is a horror-haunted region of darkness, and whosoever rejects the godward life on Earth will surely dwell therein. They will go down to partake of the nature of demons, down into the darkness of delusion and doom.
The soul, without moving flies on wings swifter than thought. It stands behind and beyond the senses. It is the Knower working within the things mat are known. The spirit of man is carried down the stream of action into the ocean of life. The spirit is everlasting, it is near and it is far, it is in all and it contains all. He who sees his own self in all things and all things in his own self is awakened. He is beyond delusion and outside the reach of futile sorrow.
Fragment 20
I am Hahrew the Enlightened One, Hahrew the Twice Bom. Having crossed the dark waters myself, I carry the others across. Being free from fear, I free others from fear. Being unrestricted, I ease the restriction of others. Knowing the way, I show it to others. Having trodden the road, I now guide others along it. I am an Illuminated One, the open of ear, the keen of eye. I am one who knows the Law, I am a keeper of ordinances. I shall refresh all those whose bodies are bent with toil or sorrow. I shall come to the aid of those whose souls are withered and distorted, and give them strengthening sustenance. I shall open the eyes of many who are deluded in the heavy mists of threefold existence.
Hear me, all who toil under the yoke of ignorance, who labour under the clouds of despair. I am the Forthcoming One, the Future One Turned Back. I am the Spirit Within The Law.
I am the Voice of Enlightenment, one who proclaims the brotherhood of all men. I am to one as to another. I am Hahrew.
Fragment 21
0 life-giving Sun, handwork of God, projection of divine fire, heat of Heaven, light of the day, solitary glory of the daytime, let me behold the hidden form behind your brightness, for the spirit within you is even as my spirit. Thus, I may come to understand the nature of my God who commands you and to whom I pray. The fair face of the daughter of Truth remains hidden behind its mask of gold. O spirit of light, draw aside the veil even slightly, that I may see.
Who among men is wise enough to know his own wrongdoing, or to see clearly his own errors and follies? The eyes of men are dim and the road narrow, therefore it is not hard to wander from the way. Therefore, O my God, keep me from all hidden wrongdoing and errors, and keep me from the power of temptations to which I so readily succumb.
1 know the rebellions of my heart, and my wickedness is ever before my eyes, yet how much more do I not see! I have chafed against the restrictions of Your decrees and the Law. I am a foolish one who does himself an injury.
I am ashamed and blush for my folly. I am as a man who, when his arm does wrong, cuts off a finger. Help to make clean my heart and strengthen my spirit, that it may resist my own inflictions upon it. I believe I do right and do wrong, for I have not listened carefully and diligently to Your words written on the sacred scrolls. O my God, whom I have long worshipped with devotion, incline from the great heights of Your splendour and stretch a helping hand down towards Your weary servant. Trusting in You I will depart from the pastures of sweet grass and the calm waters of restful repose, and go into the presence of the Everlasting Lords. I will pass out of the dark tomb, I will arise refreshed with the outpouring of Your Spirit. I will clasp Your mighty hand and be guided along the path of Truth. Thus, I cannot stray and the lonely places will not claim me. In confidence and trust I will take my place before the Court of Assessors. Guided by Your light I shall pass safely by the Place of Darkness, and those who lurk shall do me no harm. My trust is in You and I will come safely past the lurking ones. I shall be freed of all earthly weariness and my spirit shall shine forth in glory. I will stand in the Place of Brightness, and the Glorious Ones will come bringing refreshing waters. I will not lack sweet sustenance, and delicacies shall be poured forth for me in abundance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
FROM THE SCROLL OF SENMUT
The stonebearer measures the stone and it is trimmed and pushed into place. It is fitted and the overseer looks upon it and says, “This stone is well laid. It remains in its appointed place”.
Beside it other stones are fitted and set, each according to its own shape and design, each has its own place and position. Then upon it are placed other stones and so it becomes concealed from sight in the foundations of the structure. The building rises, firm and strong, to become the dwelling place of a prince. I am one of whom men say, “He establishes buildings which stand forever”. I remember that stone deep below the ground in the base of the structure where no eye ever sees it. Men know it is there, it just remains in its place, fulfilling its appointed duty, a necessity for the upholding of the building.
What difference whether that stone be set upon the pinnacle, shining in the sun, ever before the eyes of men, or hidden in the ground, unseen at the base? It does its duty by standing solidly in its rightful place and seeking not to change it.
I, who establish great buildings which will stand forever, remember that stone. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN THE SONGS OF NEFATARI One
I sing my song because the Earth sings; though the wind is hushed among the groves it still plays with soft melodic gaiety. The benevolent sky looks gently down, its breath stilled as it listens to the melody of the leaves. The dew smiles in the morning, for it has captured the light of love from the stars. My song is beautiful because my heart dances gladly in my bosom, its joyfulness conveys gay music to my thoughts and places endearing words on my lips.
Because I am dedicated to love I have but one love, the beautiful container of my life. My heart is a lonely thing ever seeking companionship with yours. It is lost to you, so let it beat in your breast nestled against your heart, for there it surely belongs. My love is wholesome, not tainted by any residue of past affections; it is gentle and pure, therefore treat it with manly tenderness, for it is a precious treasure. I give it gladly and can give no more. That which I give to you I can give to no other man. For you the lovely pearl, for others the empty shell. Let me live just for you, let me serve as your housewife. Let me hold your child to my breast, let my eyes be gladdened by your presence each night and in the morning. Let me bask continuously in the wonderful radiance of your presence. Never part me from the source of my joyfulness and gaiety, but let us go down the corridor of life together, your arm laid on my arm and my hand in your hand.
My heart is desolation, it is like a wilted flower. You are away, my love, and my eyes search the road for your coming. The caress of sleep eludes me, for your image is ever there beside me and I cannot find consolation with even the most comforting shadow. Come to me, my living love, that I may feel the warmth of your flesh and be at peace.
While you are absent I concern myself no more with things which give pleasure to a woman’s heart. I neglect my hair arrangement and my diadem hangs disregarded. My curls are laid aside, for I await your coming to put them on and greet you in my gaiety. The song is silent on my lips, for my heart is without joy. While you are away my heart slumbers, my bosom is empty. Come quickly, my love, that my heart may awaken and beat gladly with the pulse of life. I await your coming as the dawn awaits the sun, as the parched lands await the rising waters.
My eyes search the nightskies and see the mating dance of the stars, the Earth about me throbs with the pulse beat of love. The dark waters reflect the mystery of life, but I sit beside them desolate. Come to me my love, for none but you can awaken my response. I stand alone on the shore of the sea of love, Come, O come, that we may enter the enchanted waters together.
Does the night long for the day as I long for you? Does the thirsty wayfarer long for water as I yearn for you? If so, then truly they are to be pitied. O come, my living love, and fill my days with the sunshine of your love. It seems the ages of man have never been loveless.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT THE SONGS OF NEFATARI Two
Life is the bearer of the most wonderful gifts. You are a man and my man. Maker of my heart’s butterfly flutter when my breath becomes a necklace of sighs. In your strong arms I melt as honey in the warm night waters.
0 man and my man, great one in my maidenly eyes. The light of my life, the sun of my days and the moon of my nights; the rock against which I confidently nestle, for to feel your protecting strength is my everlasting delight. My body yearns for you as the parched fields cry out for the caress of the fertilising waters.
How delightful the gentle hour of love with you. O that it might become an eternity wherein I might sleep with you as your wife, your lifelong companion in love. In this life always yours, to serve your pleasure and be ever with you; to stand at last, my hand in your hand, together before the dream goddess in the Halls of Eternal Joy. There, those who have loved wholesomely, such as we, find everlasting pleasures.
1 am yours, both here and there, escapable never, yours forever. Yours pure, untouched and unsullied. I am with you first, sister in love. If at times my tongue speaks with unmaidenly boldness, then let this be forgiven me, for I am pure of heart. The words pour forth from a heart overflowing with love and not from a tongue dipped into the shame of impure experience.
I come to you with maidenly pride, as a dew-bedecked garden of herbs, fair flowering, sweet smelling and refreshing. Peace and contentment are mine to gladly give. Upon you I gladly bestow all that is precious to a maiden. You share me with no other, I honour love by bestowing what is exclusively yours. Your brow becomes hot with the body passion of man burning within, and I cool it with my womanly hand as the cooling north wind tempers the heat of the burning sands. The strength of an ox and the gentleness of a kitten are united in love.
We walk together in a land of beauty, a garden of loveliness fashioned thus by the dreams we share. Hand in hand in the kingdom of men, heart in heart in the kingdom of spirit. When hearts are bound together in a love exceeding all bounds, then bodies may unite with purity and peace. We wander heedlessly about and my heart sings with joy, for we are together.
Your voice is the food of my heart, your touch the life of my body. I see you and I am gay, you depart and I am sad. Your glance pierces me like an arrow of fire, your words carry me away like the surge of bitter waters over the beach.
For the lovers’ hour we sit beneath the wild fig tree, beneath its fruits of lovers’ blood and its leaves of lovers’ eyes. Hear it whisper to our hearts. I am a maiden reserved to you in love, you are my lord, the commander of my heart. I dwell beneath your shadow and within your shadow. O never leave me unshielded! My nights are restless and hot, shall I give my love the apple of his desire, the first fruits of womanly love? Am I the wild bird snare awaiting the wild goose? O my heart, how have women beyond number decided before me which answer is the true one?
0 take me not in my weakness, lest you despise me after the manner of men and bring low the head of my father. Have manly compassion on the weaknesses made by my love. Degrade me not before my mother and let not the shadow of shame fall over my father’s house. Let me ever keep faith with the Mother Guardian of Love, that when I am called before her I shall stand in unsullied radiance. Make me not a woman of the hedgerow.
Let our love bear us up in glory, up into the revealing light where we may stand together, proud and unashamed. Let ours be a love that fulfils its appointed function in the great chain of life, something honoured by men and an inspiration to our children. Let it not become a flower of the field corner which withers in shame when the sunlight falls upon it.
1 wait, the day comes, its hours are long and extended, but with its declining you hasten to me, my man and my life. Sweet mistress of love, speed the fulfilling hour.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE THE SONGS OF TANTALIP One
The night rolls back to reveal the promise of another day. The great sun comes up in the morning time and the
lotus opens to reveal its shining heart displayed in devotion. You come and my heart leaps up from my breast to meet you.
The wind blows and shakes the wild fig tree, you come and your delicate perfume enwraps my spirit, and my body is shaken. I become weak within the shadow of your presence. I feel a radiance about you which calls to something within me and I am awed by the wonder of a love which can subdue all base feelings. I have seen you. In the cool dewtime of the morning I passed on my way and you were bathing in the freshening waters. I saw your pure loveliness and all else faded and passed from me, the beauty of the morning was dimmed before the vision I had of you. Modest maiden of mine, clad in a white garment which clutched your supple limbs, I saw you and my heart swelled up in joy. The breath was stopped within my throat. You looked up and smiled a chaste greeting, covering yourself in a garment expressing your maidenly modesty. Your delicate hand plucked a lily, and my heart left its cradle when you came up out of the waters and drew near. You embraced me with cool, glistening arms and open wet lips. I savoured the joys of the gods, with a greater promise of unutterable joys to come, before I continued on my way. Would that I were the fishes in the pool, that I might be so near to you twice daily.
Yet I am a man and consumed in the fires of manhood in my need for you. Still you remain veiled in reserve and I pray to the great god for the assurance that some day my sister in love will be truly mine. Her reserve and modesty, treasured as gifts to be surrendered in love, mean more to me than gold and pearls or the treasures of kings. What is mine no king, no matter how great, can claim. It is love’s mantle bestowed on manliness. The night comes and I dream it is our wedding night and you are beside me. My spirit rises on wings ofjoy, singing, “O let my love find its ultimate expression in this night of beauty!” Your breath caresses me with the fragrance of Heaven, your lips dispense the heavy wine of love. Our bodies meet in ecstasy and part, but our spirits remain mingled in the greater bond that knows no severance. Our united souls share together the destiny of eternity. I sleep at last in the gentle arms of contentment.
0 Great Readers of the Souls of Men, see the strength of my love. Is it not untainted with base feelings? Is it not wholesome and undemanding? Is it not protective of womanly secrets? Let it endure on Earth, that it may blossom in glorious fullness throughout the great ages in everlasting splendour. May it shine forever in the unwalled Halls of Eternity. O grant me my heart’s desire!
CHAPTER THIRTY
THE SONGS OF TANTALIP
Two
1 am one on whom the fates smile. My sister in love is the light of my life. She is the promise of love enduring, the brazier of a love undying, the hope ofjoy throughout eternity. The night becomes silent, for its fragrance is as nothing to her sweetness. The brightness of the dawn fades before her loveliness and the dove hangs its head before her virtue.
She breathes gently and caresses with her glance. Her skin exudes a sweet perfume and her hair is proud and confident, as becomes the guardian of secret mysteries of charm and delight.
She is graceful, her robes are not stiffened, they are not of royal or white linen and caress her softly. Her sandals are daintily bedecked with beads and her lovely curls are clasped in a circlet of blue and red stones. Her bosom is covered with cloth of Ithika and held by a clasp of silver.
She flutters her fan with delicacy and grace. Her speech is gentle as the cool breeze. Her eyes sparkle as the moonlit waters, their deep pools enhanced with tinges of green and purple delicately applied. Men say, “Who is she who walks with graceful steps and lively air? The blush of the blood rose is on her cheeks, the perfume of morning sweetness breathes from her parted lips. High-spirited joy tempered with innocence and modesty sparkles in her eyes. Her voice tinkles like sweetly rippling waters, and from the gay cheerfulness of her tender heart she gladdens all nature with her gentle singing”.
I say, “She is mine, my wife in waiting”, and confidently know all her secret charms are for me alone. I shall be lifted in joy above all men or cast into the abyss of despair. I wonder about her in the manner of men and rebuke myself for my thoughts. Could such beauty ever betray love?
I inhale the sweet breezes which once filled her mouth, and each day my thoughts recall her beauty. My heart longs for the sweetness of her lovely voice, fresh as the cool north wind. Her love strengthens my limbs, my heart rises from its place. Let me clasp once more the delicate hands that hold my heart. Let me feel her once again in warm embrace. I hear her name whispered on the cool nightwind, and never do I hear it without my spirit responding.
0 my Lord God, who led me in the conquest, who directed my right arm in battle and chastened my pride in victory, help me now in the time of peace. Help me when the turmoil is over. I am well skilled in the ways of war, but am a ready victim for the snares and wiles of peaceful life.
Give to me my heart’s desire, to be the mother of my children and the companion of my life. I am burnt with passion and need the cool quenching waters of true love. My body cries out in the night towards one so distant from me. You made me as men are made, you gave me the craving, now grant me relief.
1 am alone and one when I should be two. I speak and none answers, I eat and my food lacks flavour, I thirst and none brings water. I am a sword unused, let the sword not rust in the sheath.
I await my other self, my right side desires union with my left, I wait and know that the waiting is not in vain. I await her coming, she is on her way, as she was from me beginning of time. She draws near and my spirit leaps from its seat and dances from the body to meet her. I see her, she is mine, fashioned for me by the ages, her body is made for mine and mine for hers. We are betrothed by eternity.
I will keep her always for myself, I will never let her go hungry or let her live to lament her fate. We will share seven lives together and in each I will seek her anew.
Man is two, the life force and the life material. Love holds all things together and no man can know the joys of love who shares the secret charms of his beloved with another.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
THE MARRIAGE SONG
O devotee of a love that rises above the mire of matter and flowers in realms where romantic love is glorified! O daughter of love and sweet mistress of life, now is the hour of your fulfilment. Prepare to accept the sceptre of womanhood as becomes a true maiden, prepare to accept the burdens and pleasures of motherhood as becomes a true woman. Verily you are a disciple of love.
Earth knows no greater joy than that of contented wedded love. Such love is a beaconlight to all mankind, it guides the caravan of its journeying with a pure and sacred flame. Sweet, hallowed love has a temple in the heart of every chaste maiden, and all men worship the mystery enshrined within. O resolute priestess and guardian, you are now worthy of the white crown of love.
Great has been your inspiration to man. Well have you fulfilled the duty of maidenhood, now step forward to accept the joyful burden of womanhood, the crown that proclaims you a wife. Marriage is sanctified by ancient tradition, for it has survived the tests of time and turmoil. It has ever been the anchor of society and the shield of the family.
Loveliness belongs to all women, for it is the heritage of womanhood. Beauty of face and form is carried away by the passing years, but the beauty of heart and thought grows as the waters rise and fall. The glorious channs of modesty and purity can be possessed by any woman.
Weave a mantle of contentment around your chosen mate, O gentle bearer of womanly charms. Remember that you are the mother of generations yet unborn. Maidenhood, wifehood and motherhood, these are the phases of a woman’s life. A chaste maiden becomes a good wife and a good wife becomes a good mother. Thus it is written. May The Great God whom you now worship spread His protecting wings over you, and may you enjoy the companionship of many children. May your life be enwrapped in peace and contentment, and may it be attended by the four bearers of prosperity.
O son of strength and goodness, remember always your obligations and duties as a husband and father. Love belongs nowhere but beside your own hearth, for what foolishness it would be for a man to expend it on one other than his wife! That which a man gives to his wife is his also, a love truly shared is joy multiplied. He who sows beside his own hearth reaps a manifold harvest.
Be not harsh with your wife or impatient because of her weaknesses, for her ways are those of all women. Be gentle with her, remembering that the dart of love cannot penetrate a hard and inconsiderate heart. Love is a treasure unearthed by few. It is found by less than one in a thousand. Yet, where it is let it be held sacred, for it is the decree of a divine destiny uniting one to the other in ever increasing glory and beauty, as they rise from life to life.
Is not every part of the Earth paired with its mate? Even Heaven and Earth are mated, for does not Earth cherish and nourish whatever Heaven lets fall? When Earth lacks heat Heaven bestows it bountifully upon her, and when she loses her freshness and withers. Heaven restores her freshness with gentle soothing waters.
Heaven daily goes about the task of sustaining Earth, she is never neglected. Therefore, take an example from the greater sphere of life, sustain and cherish your wife, that she never be neglected. He who sows seeds of discontent before his hearth reaps a full harvest of misery. Thus it is written by the Wise One in olden times, even so it is now and will always be.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
THE LAMENT OF NEFATARI
They have placed my dear lord in the engulfing tomb, they have laid him to rest in eternal secure silence. We depart, we journey home but home is no more, it is rent apart and a place of dull shadows. Some with me are silent and solemn, some are weeping, some make show of weeping. Some suffer silently, some talk idly, some mask their sorrow with false mirth. It is a time of solitary heart pain.
Some say it is finished and others that he sails the sky, but I ask my soul and it says this is not the end. It is not finished, this is the beginning, which all loving things must know as they awake to a new dawn. The years of earthly instruction are left behind, the last lesson is read, the pupil has departed to take up his appointed task. He has been bom to life, and death has been left behind. There are no dead, just the departed living, death alone occupies the silent tomb. Death is a pause at the beginning of hfe, a hesitation before the light of a greater day.
Death is a deceiver, a nonexistent thing of the shadows. From the creeping caterpillar comes the light-loving butterfly, and from the hard grain the full blooming barley. Who, looking at the date stone, can see therein the tree to be? Search the seed and the plant is nowhere to be found. Even so is it with the spirit. I trust in He who gave us life and love, but I suffer because of my loss. I am alone. Where is my lord, the one I loved, the sharer in my cup ofjoyfulness? Where is the caressing hand, the touch that soothed, the voice that strengthened my heart in times of distress, the consoling counsel, the quiet laugh that dispelled God-given hurt? Though he has gone to glory, yet my heart shrinks, aching with solitary grief.
I will keep him, that he wander not in the darkness; for he has been loved and cannot be alone for evermore. I will keep him, that he be not despaired and condemned to walk with himself; for he is a man who has loved beyond himself.
He has stepped from his body as one steps from a mantle. He has left it as one leaves a discarded garment. His future is in my hands and I shall live in such wise that none can deny our reunion. There is a subtle something, I know that, that ties us together still. May I be given strength never to break the loving link which comforts me through the long night and sorrowful days.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
THE SCROLL OF HERAKAT
Great God of Wisdom, help me in my transcription of these writings, that they may be a true record; for I am not learned in letters, as was Sopher. I am unskilled even as a scribe.
Man is a battleground, he is torn apart in the struggle between his two selves. He dwells in the dark night of ignorance.
From Ramakui of the seven cities, Land of Copper, came the People of the Light and they brought with them, out of their transparent temples, the light that shines, when darkness falls, without being lit. Led by the Old Bald-Headed One, he whose name is not spoken, they came out of the West at the sunsetting. They came from the place where now the sun goes down; in the days when the Western wilderness was green and sand had not replaced the waters; when the outlands nourished cattle and sheep fed where now there is nought but rock and stone. The Tirdinians welcomed them not, but they passed safely through the westward places to the land of Ansibyah, and were succoured and fed. They brought to the people many things, for wise they were and learned. They were men of wisdom.
Truth is not for the multitude, dirty hands despoil fine linen. The high born have their estates and the lowly ones have their appointed places. Truth is not sold in the marketplace, nor can riches alone obtain it. Few entered the great chambers to die and to live. The temples were fine shells, but the kernel was dead inside. Men lacked the foods of life.
The True God was guarded and hidden by the false gods. He spoke in the hearts of the wise, but the people heard the voice in the stone. Their ears were closed to all but the voices of men. Small places there were in olden times for all gods, the pillars were not yet stood up. The stones were not yet in their places and the House of Hidden Secrets was not yet in the land.
Then temples were built in splendour and priests were comforted in mansions. Great gardens and fields were the property of the gods of men. They had great herds of cattle in their pastures. Within the worship and ritual, amid the pomp enshrining the little gods, shone the light of Truth which was the revelation of The True God. It was known to few and fewer understood it.
Seven years men being chosen waited and were called. Seven years they served and seven years they ministered at the feet of their Masters of Instruction. They were passed into bleak caverns to die and know God, and called forth with the sure knowledge of Truth. Thus, men were made servants of The One True God. Thus, they knew the Truth which may not be written, for many read who are not with us in God.
There were writings which speak truly, but they are no longer with us. The Arisen Ones know the secrets of the lesser gods who are no more than these. The Great Scales weigh the soul by its appearance in the Netherworld, and this its place is appointed. Its virtues from its food, but no man eats the filth that is his. He who devours souls is but the dark cave of horror which opens to receive dark souls into affinitive darkness. The Rakima watches in silence; patiently it sits, waiting for the day of the Destroyer. It will come in a hundred generations, as is written in the Great Vault.
All men are not equal in heart and spirit. Is the Southern Man learned, or the Ambric Man brave? The Land of Incense bestows all good things upon its inhabitants, yet they are not great. The Land of Bright Waters raises nothing but trees and grass, yet its people are strong and the lion does not equal them in courage. Above are the waters of Heaven and below are the waters of the Dark Region, yet there are not two waters but one. There is the fire above and the fire below, yet there are not two fires but one. The Lady of Ladies is arrayed in a radiant garment, when it dims the great trial begins. Her footsteps do not waver, her path is straight, but beware when she wavers and is inconsistent.
Great Mistress of the Stars, let us abide in peace, for we fear the revelation of your horns. Remain ever constant as a good wife to the Lord of the Day. When women are as men and inconsistent as women, the hour approaches when the Great Lady will wander. When man and woman meet as one in likeness, the Fiery Heralds will appear in the darkness of the sky vault.
Man twirls the drill in his hand; he is the master of fire, but the day comes when fire will leap forth from the heart of the stone and consume him. Men read the Great Book of the Master of the Hidden Temple. They die and take it with them, but there is no power in their words, and who but we, the Enlightened Ones, know the hidden meanings? It is not for those dead to the Earth, who step forth in the Netherworld, but for those who died and remain with us.
Men make offerings for their fathers after the custom of their fathers. The motions are those of their fathers’ fathers’ fathers, but their hearts remain locked. It is foolishness.
In the First Book it is written: “Words that do not produce deeds are as thistledown on the wind. They were better never uttered”.
The soul of man is as a bird that knows of a place to which it must journey, but which it has never seen yet it departs on the appointed day. Men have gods in Heaven and gods on Earth, but Heaven is for gods and earth for men. Thus did we write our own doom.
In the Secrets of the Soul it is written: “The soul of man is not a small thing inside him, but wraps him about. It is greater than the boundaries of the Lands of the Reed and the Lily, and reaches out beyond the stars”. To live, man must believe in his soul. Belief comes not from outside teaching but from listening to its whispers, unbelief comes from stopping the ears to its murmurs. Read the Sacred Writings diligently and hear the voice of the Instructing Master with receptive heart, so you may furnish your soul with nourishment, and it shall not wither from any lack of sustenance.
The seed of Truth came to the black fertile land in olden times and was planted in well watered soil. Pontas was not yet born. It grew not in the light of the sun, for ignorant men would cut it down. In the dark places it flourished. Earth is a strange place and stranger the creature who rules it. Then came the dawn of a brighter day. The tree was goodly and its leaves filled both the Land of the White Crown and the Land of the Red Crown. In a day of darkness men came who exposed it, and the king said, “Cut it down, lest it choke us with wisdom”. The tree died, but its seeds falling into the red soil lived and from them saplings grew. They were sheltered under the strong arm of the East. Then came one who was Lord of the Sweet Breeze, one who had sat beneath the Tree of Life, and he raised up a city to the Veiled Truth. Over the great road it was, by way of Lados it lay. He revealed the Light of Truth darkly to the people, but they were people of the night and even its dim flame consumed them. The child of good intentions may be fair or dark.
The Guardians of Truth covered the bright flame and even its glow was seen no more by the people. No unlearned man again saw the light.
A treasure in the hands of a few is great to each. Shared among many it has little value for one. We had been told the ways of men from olden times, but we heeded not the warning.
Now the Truth is scattered to the four quarters of the Earth. Thus it was foretold it should be, therefore it is appointed. A tree scatters its seeds by the thousand, yet but one may spring to life, and that may lay long in the soil.
These writings have been rewritten with diligent care. They have been transcribed exactly as they are and no thought or belief of mine has gone into them. May those to whom they come as a heritage be no less circumspect in dealing with them.
THE BOOK OF THE SONS OF FIRE this being
THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE BRONZEBOOK
Being all that remains of the Sacred Writings formerly contained in the Great Book of the Sons of Fire
Chapter 1 - THE RECONSTRUCTED CHAPTER
Chapter 2 - THE HIBSATHY
Chapter 3 - THE BROTHERHOOD
Chapter 4 - AMOS
Chapter 5 - THE LAWS OF AMOS
Chapter 6 - THE TALE OF HIRAM
Chapter 7 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 1
Chapter 8 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 2
Chapter 9 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 3
Chapter 10 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 4
Chapter 11 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 5
Chapter 12 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 6 (Incomplete and Fragmentary)
Chapter 13 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 7
Chapter 14 - THE ROLLS OF RECORD - 8
Chapter 15 - THE BOOK OF KADMIS
Chapter 16 - THE RECONSTRUCTION BY KADAIRATH
Chapter 17 - PART OF A MARRIAGE PLEDGE
Chapter 18 - THE MASIBA AMENDMENTS
Chapter 19 - THE LETTER OF MATA A SON OF AGNER
Chapter 20 - THE TEACHINGS OF SADEK
Chapter 21 - THE LAWS OF MALFIN
Chapter 22 - SALVAGED FRAGMENTS RECONSTRUCTED - 1 Chapter 23 - SALVAGED FRAGMENTS RECONSTRUCTED - 2 Chapter 24 - THE LAST OF THE METAL PLATES
CHAPTER 1
THE RECONSTRUCTED CHAPTER
We took refuge with the sons of Uteno whose fathers had been in the land many generations, for they had come out of Egypt in the days of Pharaoh Nafohia. There on the borderland, we dwelt in caves above Kathelim. We
were without books or possessions, but we were diligent and laboured to make the land fruitful. We knew ourselves as The Brothers in Light, but others called us The Children of Light, even as we are called to this day. This is a good and fertile land, it is a wide land of flowing streams where wheat and barley increase a hundredfold. Figs and pomegranates flourish here and it is a land of olive groves and vineyards. All the needs of life are supplied with an overflowing bounty. It is a land where sheep and cattle multiply without fear and a land where the sickle of famine never reaps. It is a land where even an effortless search is rewarded with the materials of copper, but it is not a manless land.
We are not alone in this land and must live among people whose ways are not our ways. They have gods with many names and even now those beside the sea strive among themselves, for some say God is called Mamrah, while others say he is called Aneh. All about us men are in dispute and the strife among them arises out of the bounty of the land. Gaining their livelihood with little effort they have much time for argument and strife. We must build, for these people, a court of peace, the four pillars whereof shall be Love, Consideration, Justice and Truth.
The land of our fathers and our inheritance has been lost to us forever. Their homes have been returned to the sands and their altars where they worshipped cast down. Their temples have been destroyed and the forms of worship practiced there are no longer known. The songs once sung are now mingled with the winds and the voices of the singers are silent. The wisdom once revered has departed, the illuminating flame no longer burns and the lamps lie broken in the dust. The honoured writings have been used for kindling and the sacred vessels turned into vain ornaments. The very names held sacred by our fathers are now defiled and held to represent wickedness. Those who would have been our brothers are sold and their leaders slain. Those who would have been our wives are violated and degraded in servitude. Therefore, brothers, it is time the memory of these things was put aside and forgotten.
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