Anna Bonus Kingsford - Clothed With the Sun, 1912 by gnosisclassics

CLOTHED WITH THE SUN" BEING

book Of THE ILLUMINATIONS

the:

AXNA

KINGSFORD.

(BO^'T'.S•.

KDITED BY

RDWARD MAITLAND

'OPUr. A R

PRICK Edited

K DITION.

TWO SHILLINGS

NET.

SAMUEL HOPCiOOD HART.

" Illuniinatton is the Light of Wisdoin,

whereby

man

perceiveth heavenly

spcrt'ts."

"Whicli Light

the Spirit of (^od within the man, showing unto Ir.T.r^rixATTON-.

thinas of God,''

Part

V-

LONDON

JOHN 21

WATKINS,

CKCIL COURT, CHARING CRCSS ROAD. igi2.

••,

him the "

10.

WORKS BY

Anna Kingsford & Edward Maitland A.)j«a Kiugsford and Edward Maitland are rapidly coming iioman, Greek, and Anglican communions as the text-books wliich represent the prophesied restoration of the Ancient Esoteric doctrine which, by interpreting the mysteries of religion, should reconcile faith and reason, religion and science, and accomplish the downfall of that sacerdotal system which " making the word of God of none effect by its traditions " has hitherto usurped the name and- perverted the truth of Christianity. Tlieir standpoint ia that Christian doctrines, when rightly understood, are necessary and self-evident truths, recognisable as founded in and representing the actual nature of existence, incapable of being conceived of as otherwise, and constituting a system of thought at once scientific, philosophic, and religious, absolutely inexpugnable, and satisfactory to rpan's highest aspirations, intellectual, moral, and spiritual. ...\.^,

u. „.,^

—

The

Perfect

Way

with additions.

;

or the Finding of Christ. Fourth 8vo., illus. pp. Ixxw ,^76. Price

—

Cloth,

i'opular Edition, oipcr

or,v:;r

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Edition,

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'V;

nations of Annti (BctJiii ICorDoratio

of the lllumiby Er)WARD

Edited

Mmtland.

Second Edition, edited by Samuel tToPGOon Hart," complete, with Appendix, .396 pp. Cloth covers. Price SI- net. Popular edition, paper covers. Price net post free, SI4

;

of Anna Kingsford and Edward Maitland, and of the New Gospel of Interpretation. By Edward Maitland. Edited by S. H. Haut. CJoth, 8vo, pp. xxii— 204. Price 3IS net. Popular edition. Paper covers, tIG net post free, 1/3

The Story

;

The

Own

Bible's Account of Itself. By Edward Maitland. Second Edition, edited by Samckl Hopgood Hart. Complete with Appendix. Crown 8vo, 96 pp., stiff Paper covers. Price 6d. or in Cloth covers, gilt, IjS net ;

" Liicid and instructive. Will be welcomed by many who desire to apprelienrl Miore fully the signi'i'-nnr.-w.f «,,> uiw^ f.v,.,-, fi,„ pt..,fp,.;,,. ,,f„„.:if,^;„t/'_'ri,„ >/,„.... i.t f Ihfi Golden Age. .

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Cft<

SiA p://www.archive.org/details/clothedwithsunOOkingiala

JOHN M. WATKINS,

21,

Cecil

Court,

Cbarlng Cross Road, LONDON,

S.W.

"CLOTHED WITH THE SUN."

List of other is

Works by the same Writers end of the book.

at the

CLOTHED WITH THE SUN" BEING THE BOOK OF THE ILLUMINATIONS OF

ANNA

(BONUS) KINGSFORD.

Edite;d by

EDWARD MAITLAND (B.

CANTAB.)

POPULAR EDITION. PRICE Edited " IHumination

TWO SHILLINGS

NET.

SAMUEL HOPGOOD HART.

the Light of Wisdom, whereby a

the Spirit of

man

perceiveth heavenly

secrets." "

Which Light

God within

the man, showing unto him the Illumination, Part I. No. ii. 9. 10.

things of God."

LONDON

JOHN 21,

WATKINS,

CECIL COURT, CHARING CROSS ROAD. I9I2.

Dedication. To

the

dents

numerous and world-wide of

Divine

things,

who

circle of

genuine stu-

recognised

Anna

Kingsford a Seer, an Interpreter, and a Prophet of the rarest lucidity and inspiration, and a foremost herald of and especially to the Friend the dawning better age ;

whose

instant and enthusiastic appreciation proved an

invaluable support in a position of peculiar difficulty,

and beneath whose roof some of the Illuminations herein contained were received, but

who

desires to re-

and also to the " friend, disciple, and literary heir of the renowned magian, the late Abbe Constant (" Eliphas Levi ")" namely, to the Baron Guiseppe Spedalieri, for manifold tokens of high approbation and devoted friendship, this book is affection-

main unnamed

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

ately inscribed.

"And saw another ang-el I

flying in mid-heaven,

having

an eternal gospel to proclaim unto them that dwell on the earth, and unto every nation, and tribe, and tongue,

and people

;

and he saith with a great voice, Fear God,

and give him glory

come

;

for the

hour of his judgment

and worship him that made the heaven and

the earth,

and sea and fountains of waters." Apoc.

xiv. 6, 7 (R.V.).

TABLE OF CONTENTS. ERRATA. Page

"the due" read ''are due.'" "of" read "or." Page 136, after the word "Shades" in line 5 of the note at end of No. XXXII. for "of" read "or," and in line 9 lo,

Page

note

line 7, for

49, note 4, for

for "lift" read

''life.'''

196, note 4, for

"No.

" read "note i."

of continuation of note 5 for " of Function read ''and Function."

199, in line

S.H.H.

v^oncerning

VI. VII. VIII. IX.

X. XI. XII.

Do. Concerning the Concerning the Concerning the Concerning the Concerning the nezzar Concerning the Concerning the ties

....

tures

inreipieid.iiuu ui

iviysiicai

Do,

acnp-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Part â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Part

16-19

20-22

22-25

..... ...... ...... ...... Mosaic Cosmogony

Fall

26-29

prophecy of the Deluge 30-31 prophecy of the Book of Esther 31-33 prophecy of the vision of Nebuchad.

prophecy of the time of the End

Soul

its

origin, nature,

and

34-36 36-42

potentiali-

42-54

XIII. Concerning Persephone, or the Soul's descent into

matter

54-57

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

....... ....

Dedication

PAGES V

Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the First Edition

PART THE

xi-xviii.

xix-xxxix.

FIRST.

Illumination No. I.

II.

Concerning the three Veils between Man and God I. Concerning Inspiration and Prophesying Part 2. A prophecy of the Kingdom of the Soul, mystically called the

III.

1-5

Part

Day

of the

Woman

5-8

...... ....

8-10

Concerning the prophecy of the Immaculate Conception

10-13

IV. Concerning Revelation

....

13-16

V. Concerning the Interpretation of the Mystical Scriptures

VI. VII. VIII.

IX.

XL XII.

Do. Concerning the Concerning the Concerning the Concerning the Concerning the nezzar Concerning the Concerning the ties

Do,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Part â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Part

16-19

20-22

22-25

..... ...... ...... ...... Mosaic Cosmogony

Fall

prophecy of the Deluge prophecy of the Book of Esther prophecy of the vision of Nebuchad.

prophecy of the time of the End

Soul

its

origin, nature,

and

26-29

30-31

31-33

34-36 36-42

potentiali-

42-54

XIII. Concerning Persephone, or the Soul's descent into

matter

54.57

Contents

Illumination

PACKS

—

XIV. Concerning: the Genius or Daimon Part i Do. Do. —Part 2 XV. Concerning- the " Powers of the Air " Part

57-63

64-68

— — Part 2

Do. Do. XVI. Concerning the Devil and devils XVII. Concerning: the Gods XVIII. Concerning: the Greek Mysteries

....

XIX. Concerning' the

orig:in

76-77

77-85

— Part

85-86

Do. Do. —Part 2 XX. Concerning the Great Pyramid, and the Initia.

....

XXI. Concerning- the " Man of Power " XXII. Concerning- the " Work of Power " XXIII. Concerning Regeneration

XXV.

89-93

93-98 98-102

103-106

106-111

111-113

the perfectionment of the Christ

114-115

Christian Pantheism

115-116

the

Man

Reg-enerate

Concerning- the Christ and the Log:os

XXVI. Concerning: XXVII. Concerning

86-89

XXIV. Concerning:

73-74 74-75

of Evil, and the Tree as

the type of Creatfon

tions therein.

69-72

XXVIII. Concerning: the " Blood of Christ " XXIX. Concerning: " Vicarious Atonement " XXX. Concerning Paul and the Disciples of Jesus XXXI. Concerning: the Manichaeanism of Paul XXXII. Concerning- the Gospels their orig:in and com.

117-120

120-127

127-130

..... .

131-132

position

XXXIII. Concerning: the actual Jesus

XXXIV.

XXXV.

Concerning- the previous lives of Jesus Concerning: the Holy Family

XXXVI. Concerning: the Metempsychosis or Avatar XXXVII. Concerning the ^on of the Christ XXXVIII. Concerning

Grace XXXIX. Concerning the " Four Atmospheres XL. Concerning the Hereafter the doctrine of

132-136

136-141

142-144

144-146

146-149

150-152

152-153

153-155

156-161

" .

Contents

Illumination

.....

PAGBS

XLI. Concerning: the true Ego 162-164 XLII. Concerning' God 165-169 XLIII. Concerning Psyche, or the Superior Human Soul 170-176 XLIV. Concerning the Poet, as type of the heavenl}personaHty .177-180 XLV. Concerning Psyche (continued from No. XLIII.) 1S1-184 XLVI. Concerning Consciousness and Memory in relation .

....

to Personality

XLVII. Concerning the Substantial Ego as the ject

—Part

—

Do. Part 2 Do. XLVIII. Concerning the Christian Mysteries Part i Do. Do. Part 2 XLIX. Concerning Dying L. Concerning the One Life, being a recapitulation

— —

184-189

true Sub-

190-194

194-196

196-198

198-200

201-204 204-213

PART THE SECOND. THE BOOK OF THE MYSTERIES OF GOD. I.

being a summary of the spiritual hisand the mysteries of the kingdoms of the Seven Spheres 218 The " Lord's Prayer " being a prayer of the Elect for interior perfectionment 219 220-221 Concerning Holy Writ

The Credo

;

tory of the Sons of God,

II.

;

.... .... .

III.

IV. Concerning Sin

and Death

221-223

V. Concerning the " Great Work," the Redemption,

and the share of Christ Jesus therein VI. Concerning Original

Beginning

Being,

233-234

234-237

VIII. Beta, or Adonai, the Manifestor

Gamma,

224-230

" Before

VII. Alpha, or " In the Beginning" IX.

or the Mystery of Redemption

the

230-232 232-233

—— X

Contents.

Illuminatioh No.

XI.

PAGES

Delta, or the Mystery of Generation Epsilon, or the First of the

Hymn XII.

XIII.

Phoibos

— Proem

Gods

— Part

Proem,

Part

An exhortation of Hermes to his Neophytes

Hermes

Eta, or (mystically) the Third of the .

Gods— Part .

Hymn

to the Planet-God

Part

— Hymns to the Elemental Divinities

{p) (y) (8)

Theta, or (mystically) the Fourth of the Gods Part I. The Hymn of Aphrodite .

Part

248-250

250-251

251-260

260-262

263 264-265 265-266

266

266-269

Discourse of the Communion of Soules, and of the Usesof Love between Creature and Creature being part of the Goldene Booke of 2.

;

Venus

..... ..... ..... .....

270-274

Lambda, or the Last of the Gods being the Secret ;

of Satan

The Seven

Spirits of

ences,

XVII.

243-245

..... .

240-241

241-243 245-247

.... .... ....

To Hephaistos To Demeter To Poseidon To Pallas Athena

Epode

XVI.

..... •

Zeta, or the Second of the

(a)

XV.

237-240

Hymn

Proem

XIV.

Gods

The Mysteries Spheres

God and

their

Kingdoms of

of the

275-281

Correspond282

the Seven

283-284

PART THE THIRD. Concerning the Divine Image

;

or the Vision of Adonai

.......

287-298

APPENDIX.

Notes Definitions

and Explanations of Terms and Phrases

i-xxvi

XXVI-XLII

PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. ''Unto the godly there ariseth up light in the darkness." Ps.

In his preface to the

first

cxii.

edition of this book,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Edward

Maitland has dealt so fully and so ably with the subjects of (2)

and method of these Illuminations and

(i) the source

the nature and import of the revelation contained in

them,

there

that

little,

anything,

several matters, connected with these

Avere

the

account

which

can

that

advantage be added here under these heads

;

with

but there

Illuminations,

reserved for later publication.

These he related (shortly) in "The Story of the New Gospel of Interpretation," which was pub(') lished in 1893, and (fully) in his great and " final work The Life of Anna Kingsford," which was published 1896. not

fail

ticularly

these

two

interest

those

(and

to all

they

Illuminations which

only, but for the

volumes

large

refer

shall

many;

Anna

Kingsford's,

of His light for us

pages,

matters, for they

who

read

this

book,

par-

many)

who

love

will

were given,

not

for the

can-

few

yea, for the spiritual enlighten-

ment and salvation of the whole world such as

880

these

God

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for through

souls

stooping shows suflScient

the dark to rise by."

1. A third and enlarged edition was published in 1905, under the title of " The Story of Anna King-sford and Edward Maitland and of The New Gospel of Inter-

pretation,"

XII

Clothed with the

In the two books

has also given given

—of

" the

furtlier

Suny Edward Maitland

above-mentioned,

—and probably

store of

that ever will be similar treasures " to these Illuall

(*> minations, which were left by Anna Kingsford. I must refer those who would acquaint themselves with this

to these books, as I have not thought

the character of this book

advisable to alter

or additional matter, although of a nature entitling

be classed with these Illuminations. to leave this book,

cerned, as

so far as

Edward Maitland added

Nothing has been

object has been

the Illuminations are con-

left

it,

and

to,

and

have done.

this I

nothing has been ab-

from the Illuminations as recorded With the Sun."

stracted

new

by incorporating herein

in the original

edition of " Clothed "

The Life of Anna Kingsford," Edward Maitland

says that they had manufactured for them expressly "

volume, large, handsome, of superfine paper,

with lock

and key, and bearing on the cover a solid brass penta" gram (3) symbol of man perfected" for containing and, he a record of " the Scriptures " imparted to them

—

adds "

—

when

" I

secretly indulged

in anticipation of

the time

the book would form one of the most precious pos-

" sessions " seeress

of the Church of the future, as a

New

relic

of the

Gospel of Interpretation,

and and one to look on which the faithful of the ages to " come would make pilgrimage from afar, regarding it " with the veneration that now would be accorded to the " originals of their own scriptures written by the hands of scribe of the

" the revelators themselves " 2.

^'•^

See preface to the first edition, p. xx. Probably a printer's error for "hexagram," which

perfected Life of A.K., Vol. 4.

I., p.

s^S-

the symbol of

man

Preface

The

the Second Edition.

xiii

and order of those Illuminations contain-

selection

ing the lesser mysteries, appears to have been left to their

and

judgment,

Anna Kingsford

work

this

fell

upon Edward Maitland,

desiring rather to reserve herself for fresh

Illuminations which might be in store as they proceeded but, with regard to the order of the Illuminations contain-

they

ing the greater mysteries,

from

tion

their Illuminators,

" that relates to the Seventh "

Sphere

Write the Apostles' Creed the

" all

received

who

told

first

the spiritual history

mysteries of the

low

the

kingdom of

with the Lord's prayer.

" single page, I

The book

AM." and

all

in the book, putting

The Creed God,

Sons

the Seven

contains

and

the

Spheres.

But before

all put,

was commenced, but the

leisure not

was never completed

put

Fol-

on a

(s)

in question

health, strength,

end of the book.

at the

the past tenses in the present.

instruc-

special

them to

'^s)-

requisite

having been vouchsafed,

But, except in the cases below

mentioned, they were careful to keep a written record (which they regarded as of priceless value) of

all

that they re-

and Edward Maitland committed many of the

ceived;

Illuminations to

Knowing,

memory

(^)-

as they did, the value of their Illuminations,

they were well aware of the devices likely to be contrived

their

foes

invisible

great

care

that

—the

a.strals

—

to bring about the

of their written records.

loss or destruction

To show

took of these, I mention

they

— In

the

the fol-

the latter part of 1878, when they were from Paris to London, and when duplicate copies of some only and that a minority of the Illu-

lowing:

travelling

—

Life of A.K., Vol.

Life of A.K., Vol. IL, p. 12.

I., p.

325, 326.

—

xlv

Clothed with the Sun. "

Edward Maitland, to take the utmost care of them, carried the unduplicated copies in a wallet which he would not on any account unstrap from minations had been made,

shoulders while en route

off his

and

tinued to be practised to the end

Anna Kingsford,

Inter,

was

" con-

years

being lucid, said that her Genius

and that he considered

present,

was

Some two

this plan

(")•

advisable for them

to have in their keeping " a duplicate copy of

munications

know

received

that

tained

^^)-

although this was

understood as implying that none of Illuminations were ever

several

who have what

the ocMn-

interesting to

occasions,

lost,

so,

must not be

Anna Kingsford's

for the contrary

when she was not

the fact.

well (and those

" The Life of Anna Kingsford " will know and frequent sufferings she endured through she knitted to commit Illuminations received by

read

terrible

ill-health),

her to writing, death-bed.

too,

" so

she

describeil as lieing "

fying

of any of their records was ever sus-

loss

But,

('*•

by them

all

that she

some were

that

received

lost "

Illuminations

(9)-

which

her she

most glorious," confirming and ampli-

had been taught, and disclosing "vista and beauty beyond," but

after vista of the divinest truth

she was too weak then to retain particulars to

Maitland or to write them down

Anna Kingsford afterwards,

communication

with

her,

Life of A.K., Vol.

Life of A.K., Vol. L, p. 413. LifeofA.K., Voi. L, p. 374.

I.,

1888.

Edward

iQ.

Edward

passed away in her forty-second year,

on the 22nd February,

months

tell

(")•

asked

p. 305.

Life of A.K., Vol. IL, p. 337. 365.

more than seven

little

Maitland, her

being

whether

then

she

ap-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Preface proved

intention

his

minations," and the

answer

" all

publish

was

with

affirmative,

Second Edition.

to the

instruction

her

Illu-

emphatically

given

add

ex-

planatory notes stating their source and significance " ''^The outcome of this communication was the publication

With the Sun." of

The

Anna Kingsford

book, says "

subjoined passage, from "

Clothed

The

Life

relating to the publication of this

^^^'

of considerable

following year of

the next

interest.

Edward

Maitland

The book of

" the first "

without

;

her Illuminations was

sheet of the final

and

revise

having been able to

in default

all

in type,

had been a

find

sent to

title

and

to please

the printer had begiin to

set

up a portion of the sub-title at the top of the left-hand " page. I was in despair. Titles had always been a "strong point with me, and now I found myself at a loss " with the book I esteemed above all others. Meanwhile I felt " absolutely convinced that there was in the world a title to " suit it, and one only, yeti I could rK)t hit on it, and the " printer was waiting I must have it I exclaimed to " myself. Where and what is it ? Another instant and " it was flashed upon me, and proved to be one of the most " familiar of Bible phrases, and so absolutely appropriate '

" that I marvelled greatly " It

was

failure to see

Clothed With the Sun,'

before.

Apocalyptic

ex-

" pression

which we had recognised as denoting the soul under full illumination of the Spirit and having- full <-^)'

" perception

of divine truth.

Another instant and there

Life of A.K., Vol.

Vol.

See, further as to this, preface to the first edition.

11., p. 391, 392.

II., p. 402, 403.

" Clothed roith the Sun."

XVI "

were similarly flashed

" binding

and

cover.

The

" central part of the design " for

The

full

instructions for the

was

front

to have

which Mary

Perfect Way,' the figure of the

the

had drawn

(*>

woman

stand-

and the back cover to have a monogram of the initials of her mundane name, also invented and drawn by herself. This was a butterfly feeding on a

" ing in the sun,

" "

make

"twig, so disposed as to

" senting occultly the soul

the letters A.K., and repne-

life, and was to be that of the blood-red ray of the innermost sphere, where Wisdom and Love are One' So absolute and supreme was my satisfaction that I gave no

thought to the possible source of the suggestion, but only

wondered

feeding on the tree of

" the colour "

Three days lady friend

failure to think of

visited

by a

kne\v nothing whatever of his book or

of his design to publish one. voyant, on

sooner."

Edward Maitland was

later,

who

The

lady,

who was a

clair-

taking her seat, became lucid, and began to

smile as at some pleasant circumstance, and, before

Edward

Maitland had time to question her as to the cause of her

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

she exclaimed: "This is most curious, to see how you two think the same thing so exactly at the same moment that it is impossible to say who thought it first. I have to tell you that your friend who calls herself Mary is here, and she bids me tell you that she sees you are very much pleased with the title of your But it new book, and that you think it is your own.

hilarity, " "

" " " "

it,

not.

She gave

she claims

to you.

The arrangement observed 4.

She not only acquiesces

it."

Mary " was

the initiation

name given

recording the Illuminar to

A.K

Preface

the Second Edition.

tions contained in this book,

which

tion, to

was sought

xvii

in accord with the instruc-

have referred, that was given when advice

as to the order to be observed in recording the

Illuminations in the special book which was procured to write

them

in.

Speaking of those wondrous chapters of this book, headed each by a bet,

Anna Kingsford

verba of the Gods,"

letter

second part

affirmed them to be the " some of them being the

rituals in the sacred mysteries

ipsissitna

original

of antiquity which were used

the composition of the Bible

•in

in the

of the Greek alpha-

Edward Maitland,

^5).

also referring to these chapters, said that " they were the

sources doctrine

from which the Bible writers drew both their and their diction," and he recognised in them

" the destined "

and

" tures

so long promised

Scriptures of the future,

at length

vouchsafed in interpretation of the Scrip-

of the past

(^)

they were chapters which no one

'•

having the smallest perception of the Divine could read " without at

once recognising both a doctrine and a diction

which

which evidently and avowedly proceed directly from the

" high

transcend "

mortal

And

and

knowledge

skill,

and

" God has a One of these perhaps the foremost was for some time known as Anna Kingsford. The day will come, and may be not far distant, when the Church, no longer fallen, and ignorant

heavens

few of us

whom

^v)-

he whispers

even

so.

the ear."

—

of the source and signification of

its

dogmas, but risen

and rejoicing in the light of the spiritual consciousness, will thank God for and bless the Divine Soul who, in days 5.

E.M., Art. in •' Light" March 4th, 189.^, p. 104. Life of A.K., Vol. L, p. 293, 294. E.M., Letter in *' Light, March 28th, 1896, p. "

154.

XVIII

Clothed loith the Sun."

of impiety, unbelief, and idolatry,

came on a mission mankind the Divine Gnosis that had been so long lost. What of this part (for it was part only) of her mission she accomplished, this book is a witness, and how

to restore

she accomplished

One

relate.

thing

it,

the books to which certain

have referred

Wheresoever the

New

Gospel

of Interpretation shall be preached, throughout the whole world, " that also which this

woman

(soul) hath

done

shall

be spoken of for a memorial of her."

Edward Maitland, whose loving help and assistance Anna Kingsford to recover so much, and but for whose influence she would have kept all she knew locked up in her soul ^^^' passed away at the end of his seventyenabled

third year,

corrected I trust

on the 2nd October, 1897.

have been and I have added one or two foot notes which will be found helpful.

few

clerical errors in the previous edition

;

Saml. Hopgood Hart. Croydon, December,

Life ot A.K., Vol.

II., p.

1906.

389

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

the preface t»

Dreams and Dream-Stories " priceless insights

Kingsford speaks of the

Mrs.

and

illu-

means of dreams, which had elucidated for her many difficulties and enigmas of life, and even of religion, by throwing on them a light which penetrated to their very springs and causes." By far the' greater number of the insights and illuminations thus re ferred to were received during the period of some fourteen years, in which it was my high privilege to collaborate with her in the work principally represented by our joint

minations, acquired by

book,

The

Perfect

Way

the Finding of

or,

;

having been expressly vouchsafed, association' in that

plishment. in

whole or

Many

first,

Christ,"

to bring about our

work, and, next, to aid us in

its

accom-

of them were accordingly used, either

in part, in

our book,

—those that

used being reserved either as not coming within

were not so its

assigned

scope, or because their publication at that time would,

The present volume comwere instructed, be premature. were so used such of them those which prises both

—

as were there given in part being here given in full,

those also which were withheld,

—the

—and

motive for their

re-

no longer operative; together with others, some of which have appeared elsewhere, and some were servation being

received subsequently.

fulfilment of

the

And

twofold

the publication

purpose of

Kingsford''s illuminations alike

made

separating

Mrs.

from her ordinary writings

— " Clothed with

the Sun."

and from mine as her collaborator; and in accordance with her express injunctions, emphatically renewed on finding her departure

The

imminent.

present volume, however,

does not exhaust the store of similar treasures left by her,

but only such portion as comports with the form of publi-

There still remain sundry lectures and occasional papers, and the majority of her conversations with her Genius; for, as is shown in this book, she was privileged in this respect far in excess of any in-

cation here adopted.

stance

known

— history; —conversations

which, while also

constituting illuminations, were of too personal a character

for inclusion in

these pages, comprising as

culty, but also intimations

—

they did not

circumstances of

only instructions for guidance in

fully borne out

diffi-

by evidence

own previous existences. For in this respect Anna Kingsford was a demonstration of the great

respecting her also

doctrine, the rehabilitation of

of her mission,

—the

which was an important part

doctrine of the pre^xistence of the

Ego; of its persistence through all changes of form and conditions, and of its power while still in the body, to recover and communicate to its exterior selfhood, its soul or

recollections of

to the

its

past existences.

category

the

Belonging, however,

biographical rather than of the

exegetical, all precise references in this relation

are with-

held from these pages, such allusions only being retained

by the context. Although the questions of the derivation and significance

as are necessitated

of the matter herein contained, have been treated with considerable fulness in "

The

Perfect

Way,"

—

particularly in

the preface to the revised and enlarged edition, I.

was

That

the second edition, published in

published in

8go.

S.H.H.

fSS?.

^^^

— some

third edition,

rerised,

Preface

to the

xxi

First Edition.

and

this,

not only

who may not have

prior ac-

accoixnt is not the less called for here;

for the sake of those readers

quaintance with that book but also because the remover ;

of the personality concerned has with greater explicitness than

comparatively

made it possible

was

fitting in

brief statement,

however, will

since the questions to be satisfied are but

and the answers

them

speak

her lifetime.

two

suffice,

number,

will be addressed to such persons

only as are already sufficiently developed in respect of the consciousness of things

spiritual,

the least

to be

capable of entertaining propositions involving the reality

of the region and experiences concerned.

For

this

which obviates the necessity of arguments and explanations, which could not be other than protracted, restriction

conceived in deference to those who, being totally devoid of the spiritual consciousness, are wont to make their own defect of sensibility an argument against such reality,

and upon non-experience as effectually disposing of affirmations based upon experience. The two questions to be elucidated are (i) The source and method of these Illuminations; and (2) the nature and to regard denials based

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

import of the revelation contained in them, supposing be, as confidently regarded

revelation.

And

this,

communication, or by less

whether judged by the method of its intrinsic

than the testimony,

As respects the first way due to artificial means of drugs, or by

by ourselves, a new and divine nature.

For the

test,

its

twofold.

head.

These illuminations are

stimulation of faculty, whether by "

animal magnetism,"

mesmerism,"

or " hypnotism," or to the induction of any abnormal state

through the act of the recipient herself or of some other person; all that was or could be done on this behalf being

* Clothed with

XXII

Sun.''

tJie

the promotion of the interior conditions favourable to the reception of them. And these conditions consisted, not

—

the search for phenomenal experiences though these would sometimes occur but in the intense direction of the will and desire towards the highest, and an unchanging in

—

resolve to be satisfied with nothing less than the highest,

namely, the inmost and central idea of the fact or doctrine to be interpreted

namely,

own and

of souls, our

from

motive

the

;

the emancipation,

being

also

those of others.

this book, the majority

her

the

and

satisfaction,

highest,

benediction

be seen

will

illuminations were

some in satisfaction of their and some in immediate respKMise to needs and mental requests of mine, of which she had no cognisance and surpassing her ability to have satisfied. received during natural sleep,

own

recipient's

And

difficulties,

not unfrequently the responses surpassed the ability

of either of us to comprehend them invariably

coming

through

the

on our subsequent advance disclose their significance,

dence of our

and

own

later, to

sooner or

—^though —and only

at the time,

consciousness,

in perceptivity

did they fully

thereby proving their indepen-

limitations.

They never •

failed, however,

demonstrate themselves to us as necessary

self-evident truths,

founded indefeasibly

nature of existence; and never did

in the

finally accept

very

and

use them until thus demonstrated to and recognised by us both. is

And

made on

institution

even

such, precisely, their behalf,

—

however

the

and

sacred,

manner of

the authority to which appeal

no way

exalted,

their

to book, person or

venerable

communication,

miraculous though this was, as the term miracle

be understood.

Way," we held

For, to cite the preface to " it

—or

veritably is

The

wont

Perfect

to be " contrary to the nature of truth

— Preface

to the

First Edition.

by force of authority, or of aught other than

to prevail

the understanding;

how transcendent

since truth,

be, has its witness in the mind,

can avail

made

xxiii

it.

What

to the whole mind,

soever

and no other testimony

indispensable

is,

that appeal

and not to one department of

it only." Now, that mind only we had learnt to account a whole mind which comprises the two modes of the mind,

the intellect and the intuition, and these duly trained and

developed.

Having such

derivation

and character, these illuminations

simply and purely, of the process which has ever, by those versed in Divine things, been recognised are the product,

whereby

as that

Divine communication occurs,

the spontaneous operation of the Spirit

— namely, soul

duly

luminous and responsive.

Through such operation the perceptive point of the mind is indrawn and uplifted to a sphere transcending both the physical and the astral or magnetic, and one altogether superior because interior to those accessible to the mere lucid, sensitive, or clair-

—

voyant

;

in that

manifold

it is

the inmost and highest sphere of man's

the

nature,

celestial,

kingdom

Attaining to this degree of inwardness, the soul with

the

sun

<2)

fuH

intelligence,

within." " clothed

recovering

all

3. The " woman " of the Apocalypse and all other mystical scriptures is never a person, but always the soul. Hence the siy^nificauce of the present title. Any such exaltation of a person would be an act of idolatry. E.M. To a certain writer who gave a personal application to the expression *' Clothed with the Sun," and charged Edward Maitland with setting up a cultus

—

of Anna Kingsford, Edward Maitland replied " Our teaching throughout is ao emphatic protest against precisely such a substitution of persons for principles as that would involve, and an emphatic affirmation of the duty to " Worship God :

we declare the mystic woman of Holy Writ, of Revelation, the expression " Clothed with the Sun" is applied, to be no person at all in the ordinary sense of that term, but to be the Soul and her Intuition, these constituting the feminine factor in man's spiritual And whom, in

only."

following this rule

the

Book

" Clothed with

XXIV

memories and discerning in

measure according to

experiences gained in

and

tervals between,

its

tJie

capacity

many

and

by the

in the

in-

enabled also to communicate of

to its superficial personality.

one to enter which

qualified to

significations,

as developed

earth-lives

over,

" spirits

and

principles

all its

them

with the

Sun:'

of the

The hold

made

condition direct

is,

morfr-

communion

and to be become the mouthpiece of the Church invisible

and triumphant.

Just

perfect,"

So many and of such kind were the

ex-

periences received by Mrs. Kingsford that when, after con-

had been exhausted

jecture

the endeavour to franae a

satisfactory hypothesis concerning them^ assurance at length

came from her own this revelation to

was a self

angel-genius, declaring the

be entirely

soul of vast experience,

and needing not

method of

" interior, in that his " client

knowing

to be told;

all

who was

things of her-

being divinely

enabled to recover in this incarnation the memory of that

was

in the past, expressly in order to give the

the benefit of the holy

the depositary

;

—so

and inner truth of which she was

of credence,

— —being found

far from the statement

nary and remote from anticipation as difficult

all

world

was

extraordi-

once recognised as affording

and mental system. And it is in that sense that the expression is fitly made the title of a book which represents, in a measure transcending any other known to literature, the soul "

Clothed with the Sun

full

Illumination by the Divina

undimnied by the intrusion of lower elements, and constituting a full revelation from the spheres celestial, at once for the interpretation of the Scriptures of the past, and for the preservation of the world from errors arising from the delusive experiences of the present, such as those which, pretending to be spiritual, are spiritualistic only, and are not of the soul and the celestial, but of the phantom and the astral, and such as, were it possible, would deceive the very elect." (Letter ot E.M. in '• Light " of September i, 1894, p. 419. See also letter of E-M. in " Light " of November 16, 1889, p. 553, 554.) S.H.H. Spirit

—

Preface

to the

the only solution

which reconciled

accounted for

the facts.

And

so far,

all it

may be

ocxnirring in the

all

and

the difficulties

(3>

from these experiences

well to add,

instance to persons predisposed

first

—both of us—

we were

accept them,

xxv

First Edition.

at their

commencement

utterly sceptical as to their possibility, or as to there being

any basis of

Not

that

reality for

we were

tion ever been at that

but idealists

and

any

who had

prenomena whatsoever.

spiritual

In neither of us had percep-

materialists.

Rather were we

low ebb.

yet to learn that the ideal

that the ideal world is a spiritual

They came, too— as already

said

not for phenomena, but for truth

—

;

idealists,

the real,

and personal world. course of a quest,

and were possible only

because the veil of matter interposed between the worlds

of sense and of reality had already, by dint of persistent earnest seeking inwards, and by the adoption of the

life

which has always, by

been insisted

mode

proficients in spiritual science,

essential to the higher perceptions,

become for us so rare and tenuous as to be readily pene-

The

trable.

period, moreover,

was

anterior to that of the

In a letter dated March 11, 1884, written to the late Lady Caithness, Kingsford, referring to what a friend had described as her " K'fts," said " I have no occult powers whatever, and have never laid claim to them. Neither am I, in the ordinary sense of the word, a clairvoyante. I am simply a "prophetess " one who sees and knows intuitively, and not by any exercise of any trained faculty. All that I receive comes to me by " illumination," as to Proclus, 3.

Anna

—

to lamblichus, to all those who follow the Platonic method. And this "gift" was bom with me, and has been developed by a special course and rule of life. It

am told, the result of a former initiation in a past birth, and the reason that am enabled to profit by it is, that I am an "old spirit," having, by " thirst of

is, I

pushed myself on to a point of spiritual evolution somewhat in advance of my race, to which all can attain in time ivho have really been once initiated. My initiation was Greco-Egyptian, and therefore I recall the truth primarily in the language and after the method of the Bacchic mysteries, which are indeed, as you know, the immediate source and pattern of the mysteries of the Catholic Christian Church." (Life of A.K. Vol. II. p. 152, 153.) S.H.H. life,"

the rest of

XXVI

'•

Clothed with the Sun."

recent impulse given to such studies by the importation of kindred knowledges from the East. And from first to last our work was carried on in complete independence of extraneous sources and influences, such recourse as was

had

books or to persons being on behalf of parallels,

correspondences, and confirmations in regard to our

own

experiences and results.

The

search for such parallels and confirmations in the

records of the remote past, proved satisfactory in a measure far surpassing aught that

we had ventured

to anticipate.

For, over and above the full recognition of our methods, facts,

and doctrines

discovered

Biblical

and

in quarters

and

clear

worthy the highest respect,

positive

announcements, both

extra-Biblical, of precisely such

to take place

exact time of

at the

its

an illumination

occurrence to us,

and possessing exactly the features by which acterised for us,

—the event new

as constituting a

itself

illumination, the return of the Gods,

and opening

the reign of Michael, the breaking of the seals

of the book, the Second Advent, the "niunber

—of the

Beast

;

was char-

being variously described

—or period —each

and the end of the World,

alike

implying the downfall of the world's materialistic system, both in philosophy and in religion,

through the

demon-

The

stration of the falsity of the materialistic hypothesis.

period assigned was that from 1878 to 1882, and

was

precisely the period of our reception of the chief part of our

doctrine and of

—which

its first

consists

promulgation, " lectures

The

Perfect

delivered in iSSi

been published in the winter of 1881-2.

Way

— having

that whether

judged by the dates, or by the world's condition, nothing was wanting to the accomplishment of the predictions.

And

of these we knew only after the event.

;

Preface

To come

to ihe

hirst Edition.

to our second head

that which was thus received.

made

clear to us

intimation

—and

and

perception,

—

^that

xxvii

—the nature and It

import of

was from the very outset

every fresh accession of experience,

knowledge served

but

confirm

the

the event constituted nothing less than the

from the source and by the method to which it was originally due, of the ancient revelation which, under

re-delivery,

the

name of

the

Sacred

the Hermetic or Kabalistic Gnosis, constituted Mysteries, and

expression of antiquity,

all

and formed

and rule of

life,

underlay

and controlled

the

the sacred religions and Scriptures,

in that

once a perfect system of thought

was founded

in the very nature

of existence as uniformly discerned under Divine illumina-

From tion by the advanced souls of all times and places. which it will be seen that the claim to be a new revelation does not imply a claim to be a

P'or the position

not because its official

new

gospel, but a gospel only of

and therein of restoration and

interpretation,

maintained

but because

false,

reconciliation.

that Christianity has failed, it

has been falsified;

guardians having, after the wont of their order,

"taken away the key of knowledge {Gnosis), zx\d. not only who would

not entered in themselves, but hindered those

have entered

The

in."

following remarks on the chief points in this indict-

ment of the Church

visible

sible, will serve to facilitate

Christianity

— which

—

early fell into

crucified

types

rightly

definable

between two its

invi-

as a symbolic

of the fundamental truths contained in

synthesis ligions

on behalf of the Church

the comprehension of this book.

bad hands. Like

its

Founder,

all it

re-

was

who were no other than the These were, on the one hand,

thieves,

crucifiers.

Superstition, which is the distortion of spiritual perception

— " Clothed

XXVIII

Sun."

•with the

and on the other hand, Materialism, which is the privation These are the " two beasts " of

of spiritual perception.

mystical Scripture, which cc«ne up, respectively, from the "

sea

And

and the

" earth," to

ravage the hopes of humanity.

name of

the two are one under the

being

but

varied

modes of

Sacerdotalism,

manifestation.

its

was

Sacerdotalism that crucified both Christ and the doctrine of Christ with

its

two hands, Superstition and Materialism.

For, operating as Superstition,

Sacerdotalism perverted

and rendered not merely unintelligible but irrational, a gospel which in itself was absolutely simple, obvious, and reasonable This is the doctrine that the true life and substance of Humanity are not material and into mystery,

and divine ; and that it is possible for man, by cooperating with the spirit within him, and suborcreated, but spiritual

dinating his lower nature to his higher, to rise wholly into

and

higher,

reconstituted

and become thereby

power of

life eternal.

namely,

inward

Christs.

— which And

accomplishment,

}ias

and

regenerated

—of

his

divine, having in himself the

that whereby this

purification

Wherefore he in

—

the

whom Christ,

sole

is effected

this process

and

the

finds

full

secret

attains the

summit

human e\olution, the point of junction between Humanity and Divinity. Thus demonstrating to men in his own person their divine potentialities, and the manner of

of the realisation thereof, and by his loving self-devotion

on he

and winning them

their behalf softening their hearts

follow in his steps, he beccMnes their is

said to save

is tlie life,"

them by

Saviour."

And

that

his blood, is because " the blood

and the true life-blood of the Christ is a spirit and by the ^the inward God in the man,

absolutely pure,

—

attainment of this pure spirit

—

man

redeemed.

And

that

Preface the Christ

xxix

the First Edition.

said to suffer and

for others,

'die

because

through his abounding sympathy he suffers even to death in

them;— not

and with

instead of

—

them—"

for " does not

for that would be to deprive here mean " instead of " them of their means of redemption, sinoe only through his own suffering can anyone repent and become p>erfected.

This doctrine, so reasonable and obvious, and satisfying alike to

head and heart, Sacerdotalism, operating as Super-

stition,

superseded by shifting the whole edifice of Chris-

tianity

from

proper

its

—because

its

only intelligible and

consistent basis in Pantheism, or the doctrine that

and

in all

—

to that of

God

an impxDssible Manichseanism

is all

—or

the

two eternal, self-subsistent opposing principles of good and evil, a doctrine which by making evil a positive thing, and thus exalting it to an equal rank with God, doctrine of

—

God and eternises evil. It deprives God supreme quality of Justice, by representing

once dethrones

also of His

Him

as accepting physical suffering as an equivalent for

moral

and the punishment of the innocent in lieu of While by removing Christ from the category of the highest human to that of the superhuman, guilt,

that of the guilty.

robs

all

of their potential divinity in favour of the excluone ; and thereby effectually neutralises the

sive divinity of

significance and value of his mission, the express purpose of which was to show his fellow-men, not what could be

achieved by some great supernatural personage, with

whom

they could have nothing in common, but what they them-

have

them

due time to become, simply by best, namely, the ideal of perfection disclosed to them by their own intuition. For the fulfilment of the intuition is the realisation of the ideal ; and selves

giving fair play to their

own

the realisation of the ideal

the " Finding of Christ."

— XXX

Clothed ivith the Snn."

OjDerating as Materialism, and preferring the letter to the spirit,

the symbol to the verity, the form to the substance,

Sacerdotalism ignored and suppressed the

real,

because the

mystical and spiritual, import of Christianity, by

means of

the idolatrous exaltation, as the agents of salvation, of persons, events, forms,

its

spiritual realities,

implied by these and of which they were the symbolic

The obvious

presentatives.

its

and other things physical, in place the principles, processes, and states truth that religion, as

and appealing,

relating not to the senses but to the soul,

therefore, only to the soul,

must consist

re-

a thing

in thing's cog'nate

of like nature with the soul, and physical, was altogether

to the soul, in that they are

and not set

in things material

aside,

all

—

logical proprieties

being

violated,

just

shown, by positing physical bloodshed and suffering as the compensation for moral than the guilty to

— instead

guilt,

and

these,

which they are ordained to minister.

pression in Scriptures avowedly mystical

was enforced

too,

of another

of the repentance and amendment

While every exand parabolical,

in its literal sense, in defiance

And

of repeated

in-

which was really " an eternal gospel " by virtue of its being founded in the unchanging nature of things, and everlastingly demonstrable to the mind and verifiable by inward ex-

junctions in Scripture to the contrary.

perience,

physical

that

was made dependent on the perishable records of events in themselves exceptional, and liable

whatever the testimony

—sooner

or later to be called into

question.

was further mutilated, dwarfed, and disby the exclusion from recognition and worship due,

Christianity torted

of those Divine Principles or modes of Deity, variously designated the Gods and the Spirits of God, by whose imme-

Preface

to the

diate operation in the soul the fect is built

xxxi

First Edition.

man

regenerate and ma'de per-

up,the spiritual chaos

transformed into a

The

kosmos, and Christ becomes Christ.

very process of

Regeneration, moreover, although emphatically declared by

Jesus to be

the

— a process —came be

sole condition of Salvation,

wholly spiritual and interior to the individual,

either altogether ignored or thrust into the background, in

favour of that of atonement by vicarious physical blood-

knowledge of the meaning atonement, and the consequent failure to recognise those terms as denoting one and the same process, and this a process, as just said, wholly spiritual and interior to the individual. shed, through the loss of the alike

regeneration

and of

While, as presented by Sacerdiotalism, or

modem rest

—

to adopt the

equivalent of this term as more appropriate for the

of these remarks

—

Ecclesiasticism, Christianity is thus

but a congeries of arbitrary and unintelligible propositions, bearing no discernible relation to the needs, aspirations, or perceptions, whether of the

mind or of the

sented in the recovered Gnosis,

it is

soul

;

as pre-

once intelligible and

and demands of the keenest mind, the longings of the tenderest heart, and the aspirations of the most ardent soul. These are characteristics irrefragable,

rule of life,

constituting a perfect system of thought

and satisfying

which not the

alike the

most hardy champions of Ecclesiasticism

venture to claim for the orthodox presentation contrary they freely acknowledge soluble by reason,

to be

;

but on the

a problem

and one to be accepted on

in-

authority of

Church or Book, even at the cost of intellectual suicide. Said one of them recently a dignitary of the Anglican Church speaking, apparently, not alone for his order, but for mankind at large, " We weary ourselves vainly in en-

—

XXXII

Clothed -with the Sun."

We have enough for us to Such is the frank

'deavouring to shape these truths into a system. n(^ faculties

in the

rest

for such speculation.

language of the Apostles."

admission of the

(')

guardians of the faith according

official

to Ecclesiasticism, and the admission

which

courage its

is is

the most conspicuous.

one in respect of

hard to determine whether

its

candour or

its

candour, because of

Its

complete indifference to the consequences to their order

which can hardly fail to follow the confession that it does not understand its own teaching ; and its courage, because of

palpable disregard of the emphatic injunctions where-

its

such " resting in

in Scripture expressly reprobates

guage,"

affirming that the " letter kills,"

all

who have

lan-

its

as indeed

has

of the perception of things spiritual

killed the very faculty in

—

" rested

in "

it,

—and

repuh

strenuously

diating meanwhile the notion of the incomprehensibility of its

doctrines, as

and

when

calls

on men to

to render a " reasonable service,"

necessity of " hearing ears " spirit

of understanding

prove

and

things

on the

insists

and seeing eyes," that

is,

of a

in respect of divine things, as

But to

the indispensable basis of the faith that saves. it

all

this

has come, that after having rendered the doctrine of Scrip-

ture unintelligible by insisting, against the express injvmctions of Scripture,

on the

Scripture. Ecclesiasticism limitations of

human

rest in the letter

literal

meaning of the words of

now complains

faculty, there is

of Scripture

that

Obviously

siasticism that is entitled to resent the advent

pretation which, It

by restoring the

Canon Westcott on

the

Spirit

owing

to the

alternative but to is

not Eccle-

of an

intei-

to the letter of

Atonement.— //ii/ortc Faith

(p. 133).'

— ;

Preface Scripture,

First Edition.

to the

and

restore the doctrine

shall

xxxiii the

rehabilitate

credit of Scripture.

But whatever may be the towards the neiw

—

that of the world at large it is

true,

has followed the Church in

Church's

—a

its fall

interpretation,

The

world,

into materiality

which,

fall

the world had

initiative,

Ecclesiasticism

—

scarcely doubtful.

respect of things spiritual

attitude

or rather the recovered

but for the

But

undergone.

not

there are tokens manifold and indisputable to prove that

the heart of the world

nevertheless, in the

is,

main

right

— the Prodigal of the parable —whether having once'eaten of the husks of mere them, and or — has learned and, consequently, that

materiality

religious

scientific

already coming to

its

to loathe

And

ing wistful thoughts homewards. those

the

who

in virtue

riddle "

of their

good time;

are

heart

right

;

world

the

hence

that for

ploughing with the heifer

of the age, the epoch

—God's is

consciousness,

spiritual

proper, because better, self, and turn-

" Kirjath-sepher "

able

"Caleb"

—the

city

—

"expound the

no other than is

Othniel

—one

of the

whose

letter

Achsah " the rending of the veil (that hid the Spirit), is about to become the bride of the victor, bringing to him as her dowry the " upper and nether springs " of those blessed results in soul and mind and heart and life which ever flow fromi the full underhas already surrendered

and

;

standing of Divine things.

^^^

From which

may be

inferred that unless Ecclesiasticism also accept the

which also

surely

new

in-

the old, and like a living garment participate in the growth of its wearer, it will find

terpretation,

itself

discarded as obsolete; while the Judges xir, Joshua XV

12-18 i6-iq

new humanity

—

^to

XXXIV which

•'

will thus

Clothed with the Sun." have served but

foi

matrix

—

will consti-

and more than ever a true, Church, and one that can never fail and fall, inasmuch as it will have tute itself a ncM',

for foimdation, not the incohesive sands of authority and the

letter,

but the indefeasible Rock of the Spirit and the

Understanding.

The

chief

means proposed

book

in this

in furtherance

—

may be summarised as follows The re-establishment of the Understanding

ends,

its

of the

basis of Faith. 2.

The

restoration

true place as the object

its

veneration, of the thing signified substance,

verity,

—

^that

instead

is,

the

symbol or

spirit,

and therein the abolition of idolatry be a religion and science, whether the object or form, the letter, the book, an institution, or a to the end that God only may l>e or matter itself,

appearance of both in p>erson,

the

or reality

—

;

—

rite,

worshipped. 3.

The

restoration of the doctrine

Divine Unity, or Original

Being.;

of the Duality of the and) therein the recog-

nition of the essential divinity of both constituents of exist-

ence,

its life,

or force, and

removing matter from

its

substance

;

with the result of

wrongful position as an inde-

pendent, self-subsistent entity, to

its

proper rank as a mode

by the power of the Divine Will projected into conditions and limitations, and made exteriorly cognisable. of the Divine Being, wherein

The

represents Spirit,

restoration of this doctrine involves the deposition

alike of Materialism,

and the no

also widely in vogue, in favour

less atheistic

of that

Manichaeanism

true

Pantheism

—

;

•

Preface which, while not regard

Being as

xxxv

First Edition.

regards Gocl as the

all

to the

all in all

in the condition

of Being, does

of God.

4. The restoration of the true doctrine of Creation and Redemption by means of Evolution, (i) by re-establishing the doctrine of the permanence of the true Ego of the individual, and its persistence through all changes of exterior form and condition, thus positing as the subject of Evolution, an entity competent to retain the impressions, and to progress by means, of its experiences; and (2) by exhibiting one and the same method as that both of Creation and of Redemption, the difference being only of medium or " vehicle " and of direction ; inasmuch as the former occurs by a centrifugal operation in matter and the latter by a centripetal operation in substance (or spirit), a process which constitutes z«volutional evolution, Herein both processes occurring in the same individual. consists the reconciliation of science and religion, inasmuch as Redemption is thus the logical complement of Creation

—

and outcome of Evolution, occurs

— which

system, the Soul and Spirit, and

—

means of the experiences acquired

exigencies

number of which

—

accomplished by

a multiplicity

determined

of the

of the individual case, their purpose being to

afford the requisite opportunities

which

consists

of the individual by and of the higher

own

instead of dispensing with experience

earth-lives, the

whereby

—

in the reconstitution

elements of his

in that the process

mystically called Regeneration

felt experience

—through

for

the

" suffering "

which alone perfection,

and thereby salvation, are attainable.

The

restoration of the doctrine of a multiplicity of earth-

lives involves

its

corollary that of the doctrine of ac-

xxxvi

Clothed 'with the

Suny

quired destiny, called by the Hindus " Karma. " 5.

The

interpretation

^^^

and of

of Christianity

religion

generally, in such nianner as to exhibit the identity of the

needs and perceptions of the soul in

all

ages

;

as well also

as the identity of the theological doctrine of salvation " vicarious scientific,

atonement

with the mystical, but none the less

doctrine of redemption by regeneration as defined

in the foregoing 6.

The

paragraph.

solution of the problems of inspiration, prophecy,

and miracles, and the practical demonstration of the soman, in that it appertains, not to the superhuman, but to the higher human. called supernatural as na.tural to

The

disclosure of the Christian origines as regards both

the person of Jesus and the composition of the Gospels. 8.

The enlargement

means of the

of Christian faith and practice by

restoration of the

Gods to their due place in and the combination of

man's recognition and veneration

;

the Greek and Buddhist with the Christian ideals, thereby restoring to

man

the sense of beauty, joy, and hopefulness

which comes of the recognition of the universal indwelling Divinity

and rule

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (which in respect

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; (which

Greek)

;

and providing a perfect system

of things physical, intellectual, and moral

Buddhist), as the foundation for the higher,

because more interior, spirituality (which

Christian).

Going so far as do the illuminations in of Esoteric Christianity, or philosophy, unity,"

and

'7J

this

most sanguine anticipations of that

realise the

religion,

and

new and higher poetry

shall

to the full satisfaction of

book to

new

religion in

birth

which

be fused into a

man's highest needs

aspirations, their lamented recipient,

See Appendix, " Definitions and Explanations."

Scheliingi

Anna Kingsford, p>

XXVI.

Preface must, sooner or

the First Edition.

be recognised by

later,

made

as having

all

xxxvii

competent judges,

once to sciaice, philosophy, morality,

religion, and literature at large, and especially to that of our own country and language, a contribution of an order unique, unsurpassed, and in certain respects of supreme

moment, unequalled and even unapproached. In the arrangement of the contents of this volume, the

method followed is that of subordinating the chronological to the logical, and regulating the sequence in accordance with the mutual dependence of the subjects treated.

this principle that

precedence

tions

which may best serve as the

tials

respect

her

It is

given to those illuminawriter's personal creden-

The second

mission.

place

assigned to those which, in virtue of their being derived from

and prophetic of

Scripture,

precisely such an event in the

world's spiritual history as to occur at this time, serve least for the faithful

—

to relieve the idea of a

of any a priori improbability. ception of Part II., which

— follow

instructions

be obvious to the

The

others

new

—

revelation

— with

the ex-

arranged according to express

an order the rationale of which

intelligent reader.

(8)

And

will

of them are

all

down either by their recipient by myself acting as amanuensis, a function her sole associate in the spiritual task with which

given as originally written or

herself,

which

—

we were

—

jointly

be added

that,

charged

—

alone exercised.

regarding as

we did

need hardly

that task as a sacred

and the highest that could devolve upon mortals, no pains were spared either to observe the conditions necessary one,

for

it,

or to secure absolute accuracy in our relation of the

" things seen

and heard

" in

See Preface to Second Edition.

The

the prosecution of

Illuminations, as given in this book, are one

and

it.

all

(')

For

given in the

— " Clothed with

XXXVIII

the annotations and explanations

with the teaching received restricting the

term " alone

Concerning the hiatus Part

—

Hymns

of the Gods

August

23,

illness,

and the sixth before

wish

1887, being the eleventh

knew whether

month of her

termination

its

;

last

to recover or not.

seems, judging from physical signs, as if

long

is,

(IW

ordinary acceptation.

its

in the "

in accordance

responsible, that

Mrs. Kingsford wrote in her diary under date

II.,

" I

—which are

alone

the Sun."

could not live

but then strange things hap where prophetesses are

concerned

ami so sure that the prophecy

not finished,

and that a vast amount of work remains to do which must be done by me or not at all, that I cannot but think the Gods will restore me in time.' " Why do not the Gods give me the three hymns which .

are yet wanting to their series?

have the

hymns of

Phoibos, of Hermes, of Aphrodite, of Dionysos, of Saturn. I

yet

want the hymns of Ares, of Zeus, and of Artemis.

If these

hymns be

to any other.

not given to me, they will never be given .

" I

had hoped to have been one of the pioneers of the new awakening of the world. I had thought to have helped in the overthrow of the idolatrous altars and the purging of the Temple; and now I must die just as the day of battle

dawns and the sound of the

perhaps,

it,

exact form,

without

September 10.

the i,

The

all

chariot wheels

Have we thought

premature?

heard.

the time

which they were received by Anna Kingrsford during: her life time change of a sing^le word (Letter of E.M. in "Light" of 1894, p.

419)

S.H.H.

notes and appendices by E.M.

some of which

the utmost profundity, were prepared by E.M.

deal with matters of

with the consciousness ot assis-

tance from A. K., " not verbally and audibly, but by means of enhancement of perception and judgment."

(Life of A.K., Vol. II. p. 397.)

S.H.H.

Preface nearer than

to the

really is?

Must

again before the hour sounds

xxxix

First Edition. I

? "

go and

and come

sleep,

(i)

It remains only to add in regard to Part III. and the Appendix, that the references to my own experiences are admitted with great reluctance, and in spite of every effort

to deprive the book, not merely

of a biographical character,

but far more so of an autobiographical character.

was

only on finding that the omission of such references would operate disadvantageously by mutilating or weakening the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

by leaving it to appear as knowledge to testify to the own

record

(as

exf)eriences)

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

if I

were unable of

possibility

that I consented to renounce

of such

design and

strong preference in the matter.

Edward Maitland. London, Whitsuntide, 1889. I.

I cite

paragraph as showing how small in her own view appeared to that which remained, and which her to accomplish were only time and strength allowed and

this last

the

work whieh she accomplished as compared

she

felt

also as

she had it in showing the intensity of her realisation of

;

its

importance, as well as her

conviction of the truth of the doctrine of a multiplicity of earth-lives.

E.M.

ILLUMINATIONS.

PART THE

No.

FIRST.

CONCERNING THE THREE VEH.S

AND GOD.

A in

GOLDEN

r,ET\W,EN

chalice, like those

used in Catholic

rites,

but having three linings, was given to

sleep

by an Angel. These

he told

linings,

signified the three degrees of the heavens, life,

MAN

(1)

purity of heart,

and purity of

me me

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; purity of

doctrine.

Im-

mediately afterwards there appeared to

dome-covered temple, Moslem

and on the

threshold of

with an

air

tall

in style,

angel clad in white linen,

command was

directing a party of

great^

who men

engaged in destroying and throwing into the street numerous crucifixes, bibles, prayer-books, altarAs I stood utensils, and other sacred emblems. watching, somewhat scandalised at the apparent sacrilege, a voice at a great height in the air, cried I,

Lcndon, March,

i8ÂŁi.

Clothed ivith the Sun

'''

with startling distinctness, destroy

utterly

to ascend

still

Then

[part

All the idols

the

same

higher, cried to me,

voice,

"Come

shall

seeming

hither

and

Immediately it appeared to me that I was lifted up by my hair and carried above the earth. And suddenly there arose in mid-air the apparition of a man of majestic aspect, in an antique garb, and surrounded by a throng of prostrate worshippers. At first the appearance of this figure was strange to me but while I looked intently at it, a change came over the face and dress, and I thought I recognised Buddha, the Messiah of India. But scarcely had I convinced myself of this, when a great voice, like a thousand voices shouting in unison, " Stand upright on your cried to the worshippers feet: W'^orship God only! " And again the figure changed, as though a cloud had passed before it, and now it seemed to assume the shape of Jesus. Again I saw the kneeling adorers, and again the mighty voice cried, " Arise Worship God only " The sound of this voice was like thunder, and I noted that it had seven echoes. Seven times the cry reverberated, ascending with each utterance as though mounting from sphere to sphere. Then suddenly I fell through the air, as though a hand had been withdrawn from sustaining me and again touching the earth, I stood within the temple I had seen in the first part of my vision. At its east end was a great altar, from above and behind which came faintly a white and beautiful light, the radiance of which was see

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

NO.

I.]

The Three

Man and

Veils between

and obscured by a dark from the dome before the altar.

arrested

God.

suspended

cu-rtain

And

the temple, which, but for the curtain,

body of would have

the

been fully illumined, was plunged in gloom, broken only by the fitful gleams of a few half -expiring oillamps, hanging here and there from the vast cupola. At the right of the altar stood the same tall angel I had before seen on the temple threshold, holding in his hand a smoking censer. Then, observing that he was looking earnestly at me, I said to him " Tell me, what curtain is this before the light, and why is the :

temple in darkness is

not One, but Three

Idolatry,

And

he answered,

and the Three

;

and the Curse of Eve.

given to withdraw them

;

And

This

veil

Blood,

are

you

be faithful and courageous

Now the first curtain was red, and very heavy and with a great effort I drew it aside, and said, " I have put away the veil of blood from before Thy Face. Shine, O Lord God " But a voice from behind the folds of the two remaining the time has come." ;

coverings answered me, the idols."

And

lo,

" I

before

cannot shine, because of

curtain of

many

woven about with all manner of madonnas, Old and New Testaments, and other religious symbols, some prayer-books strange and hideous like the idols of China and Japan, some beautiful like those of the Greeks and Christians. And the weight of the curtain was like lead, for it But was thick with gold and silver embroideries. with both hands I tore it away, and cried, " I have colours^

crucifixes,

images,

" Clothed ivHh

4 put away

Lord God

idols

tlie

the Sim."

part

from before Thy Face. Shine, O the lighj^ was clearer and

And now

" !

But yet before me hung a third veil, all of and upon it was traced in outline the figure of four lilies on a single stem inverted, their cups opening downwards. And from behind this veil the

brighter.

black

;

voice answered

the curse of Eve."

again,

Then

" I I

cannot shine, because of

put forth

all

strength,

away

the curtain, crying.

filled

with trees of palm,

and with a great will rent " I have put away her curse from before Thee. Shine. O Lord God " And there was no more a veil, but a landscape, more glorious and perfect than words can paint, a !

garden of absolute beauty,

and lawns of and distant groves and forests framed about by mountains crowned with snow and on the brow of their shining peaks a rising sun, whose light it v.^as I had seen behind the veils. And about the sun, in mid-air hung white misty shapes of great angels, as clouds at morning float above the place of dav.'n. And beneath, under a mighty tree of cedar, stood a white elephant, bearing in his golden houdah a beautiful woman robed as a queen, and wearing a crown. But while I looked, entranced, and longing to look for ever, the garden, the altar, and the temple were carried up from me into Heaven. Then as I stood gazing upwards, came again the voice, at first

and

olive,

and

tender green

fig,

rivers of clear water

;

high

in the air, but falling

And

behold, before

earthwards as I listened. appeared the white pinnacle

(i)

II.

—

Concerning Inspiration and Prophesying.

of a minaret, and around and beneath

it the sky was gold and red with the glory of the rising sun.

all

And

now

perceived that

the voice

was

Muezzin standing on the minaret lifted hands and crying: " Put away Blood from among you Destroy your Idols Restore your Queen

solitary

—

that

of a up-

witli

And

straightway a voice, like that of an infinite multi-

coming as though from above and around and beneath my feet, a voice like a wind rising upwards from caverns under the hills to their loftiest far-off tude,

—

heights

among

the stars,

Worship God alone

— responded "

No.

11.

Part

concerning inspiration and prophesying.

HEARD to me,

last

night in

(2)

sleep a voice speaking

and saying

ask the method and nature of Inspiration, and the means whereby God revealeth the Truth. 2. Know that tlicrc is no enlightenment from with-

You

out

the secret of things

revealed from within.

no Divine 3. From without cometh but the Spirit within beareth witness. i.

Paris,

February

ibSj.

Revelation

" Clothed ivith

tJie

Sun.''

[

part

Think not I tell you that which you know not for except you know it, it cannot be given to you. 5. To him that hath it is given, and he hath the more abundantly. the 6. None is a prophet save he who knoweth 4.

instructor of the people

man

many

lives.

Inborn knowledge and the perception of things,

these are the sources of revelation

the soul of the

man

by experience. that which the

instructeth him, having already learned

Intuition

inborn experience

knoweth of old and of former

soul

And

whereby

Illumination

man

the

;

years.

Light

Wisdom,

perceiveth heavenly secrets.

10. Which Light is the Spirit of God within the man, showing unto him the things of God. 1. Do not think that I tell you anything you know not all cometh from within the Spirit that informeth is the Spirit of God in the prophet. 12. What, then, you ask, is the Medium and how are to be regarded the utterances of one speaking in 1

;

trance

God

13.

supix)se

speaketh through no

man

in the

way you God

for the Spirit of the Prophet beholdeth

;

with open eyes.

and

are open,

If he fall into a trance,

his eyes

man knoweth what

his interior

spoken by him. man speaketh that which he 14. But when a knoweth not, he is obsessed an impure spirit, or one that is bound, hath entered into him. <2) :

bound

in this

connection

is.

meant the sou!

prison of the antral,

NO.

II.

(

Coticerning Inspiration

)

and

Prophesyitig.

There are many such, but their words arc as words of men who know not these are not

15.

the

prophets nor inspired. 16.

he to

God

obsesseth no

whom God

man

God

;

revealed

and

revealed speaketh that which he

knoweth. 17.

Christ

Jesus

("^

understandeth

God

knoweth that of which he beareth witness. 18. But they who, being mediums, utter in trance things of which they have no knowledge, and of which their own spirit is uninformed these are obsessed :

with a spirit of divination, a strange

spirit,

not their

own. 19.

such beware, for they speak

many

lies,

and

are deceivers, working often for gain or for pleasure

sake: and they are a grief and a snare to the faithful. 20. is

may indeed be mediumship, but it and the knowledge of the prophet in-

Inspu'ation

conscious

;

structeth him. 21.

Even though he speak

nothing that he knoweth not. 22. Thou who art a prophet yea, thou hast taught

many

in ecstasy,

'5)

hast had

nations,

he uttereth

many

lives

and hast stood

before kings. 23.

And God

are past

;

and

hath instructed thee in the years that

in the

former times of the earth.

and unable to transceml that level." (letter of E. INI. in "Light" October 6, 1894, s.n.H. 4 Here implyinj^ the Christ Jesus within, or the regenerated human nature, in whomsoever occuring. E.M This utterance must be regarded as " an apostrophe to the prophet in 5. general." (See Life of .V.K. Vol. I. p. 346.) S.H.H. p. 478)

" Clothed with the Stcn.'^

24.

prayer,

fasting,

[

part

by meditation, by painful

thou attained that thou knowest. there 25. There is no knowledge but by labour no intuition but by experience. seeking^, hast

;

I 26. I have seen thee on the hills of the East I have have followed thy siteps in the wilderness I have marked tliy night seen thee adore at sunrise mountains. watches in the caves of the 27. Thou hast attained with patience, O prophet :

God

hath revealed the truth to thee Irom

Part

v/ithin.

Prophecy of the Kingdom of the Soul, niysiically called the

And now

thing,

which

Day

of the

Woman.

'^)

show you a mystery and a

part of the mystery of the fourth

ncv/

day

of creation. 2.

The word which shall come by a woman.

to save the world,

shall be uttered 3.

woman

shall conceive,

and

shall bring forth

the tidings of salvation.

For the reign of Adam is at its last hour and crown all things by the creation of Eve. hath been alone, and hath 5. Hitherto the man had dominion over the earth. 6. But 'when the woman shall be created, God shall 4.

God

This Illuinination refers not to persons, but to principles. The man and of the mind are the intellect and intuition (Lecture by E.M. on "The Gospel ot" Interpretation") S.H.U.

woman

New

;

shall

NO.

II.

(2)

give unto her the rule

and highest

kingdom

;

and she

shall be first in

in dignity.

Yea, the last

Prophecy,

s-hall

first

;

and the elder

shall

serve the younger.

women shall no more lament lor tiicir but men shall rather say, " O that wc " liad been born women 9. For the strong shall be put down from their So

that

womanhood

and the meek shall be exalted to their ]))ace. The days of the covenant of manifestation are passing away interpretation the gospel of

seat

;

10.

Cometh.

There

11.

which

nothing new be

told;

but

that

So that man the manifestor shall resign his and woman the interpreter shall give light to

12.

ohice

shall

ancient shall be interpreted.

;

the world.

Hers

13.

the fourth office:

she revealeth

tha.t

which the Lord hath manifested. the 14. Hers is the light of the heavens, and brightest of the planets of the holy seven. 15. She is the fourth dimension; the eyes which enlighten the power which draweth inward to God. the day of the 16. And her kingdom cometh ;

;

woman.

exaltation of 17.

of the place 18.

;

And her reign shall be man for Adam shall :

and she

And

she

greater than the reign

be put

down from

shall

have dominion for

who

alone shall bring

children to God, than she

his

ever.

forth

who hath an husband.

" Clothed with the Sun.*

There

19.

women

shall

no more be a reproach against

men

but against

For the woman

20.

[part

shall be the reproach.

the crown of man,

and the

manifestation of humanity.

final

She

21.

the nearest to the throne of God,

when

she shall be revealed.

woman is not yet complete be complete in the time which is at

But the creation of

22.

but

shall

hand. 23.

All things are thine,

things are thine,

and Thou

Thou who

shalt have

Mother of God all risest from the sea :

dominion over

No.

all

the worlds.

III.

CONCERNING THE PROPHECY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.

ST AND upon the I

at the full.

the

summer wind, blows

it is

salt

warm

with the breath of the

from you

I shall

The moon overhead

sea-shore.

A soft and

gather what

breath, like that of

The aroma of

face.

sea. I

(7)

seek

Sea

O Moon

You

shall re-

This " supreme product ot the souKs perception of its own nature and "a redelivery (accompanied by the interpretation) of the doj>:ma of the Immaculate Conception ot Maria." was received, and written down under trance, at Paris in the ni^ht of July 25, 1877, the sceress being transported in spirit to the sea-side, but maintaining with the body a connection sufficient to enable her to write. The changes of person from singular to plural the due to the overshadowing influence speaking at one time as a unity, and at another as a plurality "the US denoting the Hierarchy of the Church invisible and celestial" The Life of A.K.Vol. I. p. 201.) S.H.H. 7.

destiny" which proved to be

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

NO.

III.

The Immaculate Conception.

]

count to

Immaculate Conception

the story of the

of Maria, whose symbols ye are

Allegory of stupendous significance with which Church of God has so long been familiar, but which yet never penetrated its understanding, like the holy fire which enveloped the sacred Bush, but which !

the

nevertheless, the

Bush withstood and

Yet has there been one who

who

resisted.

comprehended,

and

interpreted aright the parable of the Immaculate

Conception

and he found

;

through US, by the light disciple of love,

own intense love, for he was the and his name is still the Beloved; of his

—

of the Apocalypse.

woman

—John,

For

he,

the Seer

the vision of the

clothed with the sun, set forth the true signifi-

cance of the Immaculate Conception. For the Immaculate Conception is none other than the prophecy of the means whereby the universe shall at last be

redeemed.

IMaria

— the sea of limitless space— Maria

the Virgin, born herself immaculate

and without

spot,

of the

womb

not one man, but ten thousand times ten thou-

of the ages, shall in the fulness of time bring forth the perfect man, who. shall redeem the race. is

sand, the

Son of Man, who

tions of matter,

and the

the materialisation of spirit. his Father

how

is spirit,

yet he

to the condition of spirit?

then shall he overcome

love which

overcome the limitawhich is the result of His Mother is spirit, and himself incarnate

shall

evil

;

evil,

and

restore matter

force of love.

It is

the centripetal power of the universe

by love that

all creation returns to the

;

bosom of

;

" Clothed with the Sun."

The

God.

and

[part

force which projected all things

will,

power of the universe. Will alone could not overcome the evil v/hich results from the limitations of matter but it shall be overcome in the end by sympathy, which is the knowledge will

the centrifugal

;

God

self.

the

in others,

This

spirit,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the recognition of the omnipresent

love.

And

the servants of

love,

with the children of that the

dragon of

matter makes war.

Now, whether to bear this yet,

time

we have

or not the world be strong

we know

not.

This

enough

not the

revealed these things to men.

first

ancient heresy, cursed by the Church, arose out of a true inspiration

than the

for the disciples are ever weaker

;

master,

discernment.

and they have not speak

Master of the Gnostics

of the

him

told

God-Man

nianuel should be the

spiritual

the

revealed the truth of the

Immaculate Conception.

his

Gnostics.

that

Im-

who, transcending

the limitations of matter, should efface the evil of

and should sec and hear and speak and feel as though he were pure spirit, and had annihilated the boundaries of matter.

materialisation by the force of love,

This,

then,

taught

;

but

they

who heard

his

words only to the individual jesus, affirmed that Jesus had had no material body, but that he was an emanation of a spiritual nature an ^on who, without substance or true being in the flesh, had borne a phantom part in the world of men. Beware lest in like manner ye also are misled. It teaching, applying his

Concerning Revelation.

NO. IV.]

men

so hard for

to be spiritual.

knows not the source of

its

The Church

who have

not eyes to

dogmas.

at the blindness of the hearers,

discern not spiritual things.

cannot

tell

All that is

ye hear the sound of

;

whither

true

The its

No dogma

comes

Spirit :

but ye

cometh.

voice

of the Church

For

true that seems to bear a physical meaning.

matter shall cease, and

all that is

of the Lord shall remain for ever.

remain except

be purely

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;ye

are so materialised

goeth nor whence

spiritual.

hear, but

speak in vain,

that ye perceive only the material.

and goes

marvel also

who indeed

?ee.

hard for

It is as

us to declare ourselves without mystery.

but the

it,

And how

spiritual

;

Word

shall

when

since,

would then be no longer compreyou again, and of a truth, no dogma is real that is not spiritual. If it be true, and yet seem to you to have a material signification, know seek It is a mystery that you have not solved it. its interpretation. That which is true, is for spirit matter ceases,

hensible?

tell

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

alone.

No. IV.

CONCERNING REVELATION.

ALL

and worthy illuminations are reveilaMark the meaning of re-veilings. There can be no true or worthy illumina-

true

tions, or

this 8

word.

(8)

Home, November

27, 1885.

Received

in sleep.

" Clothed toith the Sun.^'

14 tion

[

part

which destroys distances and exposes the details

of things.

Look

at this landscape. Behold how its mounand forests are suffused with soft and delicate mist, which half conceals and half discloses their shapes and tints. See how this mist like a tender veil enwraps the distances, and merges the reaches of

tains

the land with the clouds of heaven

How

beautiful it is, how orderly and wholesome its and the delicacy of its appeal to the eye and heart And how false would be that sense which should desiire to tear away this clinging veil, to bring far objects near, and to reduce everything to foreground in which details only should be apparent, and fitness, !

all outlines

sharply defined

Distance and mist make the beauty of Nature and no poet would desire to behold her otherwise than through this lovely and modest veil.

And

The human soul are sacred and known The ego is inviolable, and its person-

as with exoteric, so with esoteric nature.

secrets of every

only to herself. ality is its

own

right for ever.

Therefore mathematical rules and algebraic formulae human lives nor

cannot be forced into the study of

can

human

;

personalities be dealt with as

though they

were mere ciphers or arithmetical quantities.

The

soul

too subtle, too instinct with life and

will for treatment such as this.

One may

dissect a corpse

;

one

may

analyse and

Concerning Revelation.

NO, IV.]

classify chemical constituents dissect or analyse

The moment

any

impossible to

living thing.

so treated

it is

but

;

Life

escapes.

not

subject to dissection.

The opening of empty

A her it

always

the shrine will

God is gone. may know her own

find

the

soul

own

light

and may

past,

but none can see

see in

for her if she see

not.

Herein

beauty

the

and

sanctity

person-

ality.

The ego

is sel f -centered

tendency of

all

evolution

and not diffused

;

for the

towards centralisation

and individualism.

And

life is

and so beautifully diverse no hard and fast mathematical law-

so various,

in its unity, that

making can imprison All

order

its

manifoldness.

but the elements of this order har-

monise by means of their

infinite

diversities

and

gradations.

The

true mysteries remained always content with

nature's

into

harmony

foregrounds

nebula, in

they sought not to drag distances

;

dissipate

whose bosom the sun

the

mountain

reflected.

For these sacred mists are the media of

light,

and

the glorifiers of nature.

Therefore the doctrine of the mysteries is truly a veiling and a re-veiling of that which is not possible for eye to behold without violating

reveilation, it

all the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

order and sanctities of nature.

'\Clo/hed with the

For distance and visual

Sun"

[parti.

rays, causing the diversities

of far and near, of perspective and mergent

tints,

horizon and foreground, are part of natural order and

sequence

and the law expressed

in their properties

cannot be violated.

For no law

ever broken.

The hues and aspectsi of distance and may vary and dissolve according to the quantity of the light which

falls

they are there always, and no

mist indeed quality

upon them

human

and but

eye can annul

or annihilate them.

Even words, even Truth

pictures are

itself is unutterable,

save by

symbols and to God.

veils.

God

No. V.

CONCERNING THE INTERPRETATION OF THE MYSTICAL SCRIPTURES.

Part

F, therefore, they be Mystic Books, they ought also to have a Mystic Consideration. But the Fault of most Writers lieth in this, that they distinguish not between the Books of Moses the Prophet, I

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Paris, June fi, 187S. Re.id, in the e.irly hours of the morning', in sleep, o. a library purporting to lie that of Emmanuel Swedenborg-, in the spiritual world. Swedenborg- himself bcinfj present, and written down immediately on waking. As we subsequently ascertained, it represents the dix-trine of that famous seer, but without his limitations. Like most of the writings thus beheld by the seeress, it was in German text and archaic spelling-, and also, like several others, was given in immediate response to a mental request for light on the subjects treated, made by me without her knowledge either of my request or ot in

x\o. V.

The Mystical Scriptures.

(i)

and those Books which are of an historical Nature. this is the more surprising because not a few

And

of such Critics have rightly Character,

the Story of

discerned

the

esoteric

not indeed the true Interpretation, of

Eden

;

yet have they not applied to the

Remainder of the Allegory the same Method which they found to fit the Beginning but so soon as they are over the earlier Stanzas of the Poem, they would ;

have the Rest of " It is,

be of another Nature.

and accepted of most Authors, that the Legend of Adam and Eve, and of the Miraculous Tree and the Fruit which was the Occasion of Death, is, like the story of Eros and Psyche, and so many others of all Religions, a Parable

Meaning.

then, pretty well established

with

hidden,

But so also

that the

is,

with

Mystic

Legend which follows

concerning the Sons of these Mystical Parents, the Story of Cain and Abel his Brother, the Story of the Flood, of the x^.rk, of the saving of the clean and unclean Beasts, of the Rainbow, of the twelve Sons of Jacob, and, not sitopping there, of the whole Relation concerning the Flight out of Egypt. For it is not to be supposed that the two Sacrifices offered to God by the

than

Sons of Adam, were real Sacrifices, any more it is to be supposed that the Apple which caused

my need, or beingf able of herself to have supplied the want. On seeking—also from transcendental sources— to know more respecting- this experience, we received for answer that "a portion of Swedenborg is still in this sphere, through which he can communicate with those with whom he is in affinity;" and that under his magnetism, the seeress had been enabled as stated in the preface to

—

recover these recollections. spelling

modernised.

The

E.M.

—

capitals of the original are retained, but the

ÂŤ

the

Clothed with the Sun. "

[

part

Doom

of Mankind, was a real Apple. It ought known, indeed, for the right Understanding of

to be

the Mystical Books, that in their esoteric Sense they

with material Things, but

deal, not

Realities

Adam

and that as

;

Woman,

with spiritual

not a Man, nor

nor the Tree a Plant in

its

Eve

true Significa-

not the Beasts named in the same Books real Beasts, but that the Mystic Intention of them is implied. When, therefore, it is written that Abel took of the Firstlings of his Flock to offer unto tion, so also are

the Lord,

Lamb

signified that he offered that

which a

and which is the holiest and highest of spiritual Gifts. Nor is Abel himself a real Person, but the Type and spiritual Presentation of the Race of whom, also, Moses was a of the Prophets Were the Member, together with the Patriarchs. Prophets, then, Shedders of Blood ? God forbid they dealt not with Things material, but with implies,

;

spiritual Significations.

Their

Lambs without

Spot,

Rams, and other sacred Creatures, are so many Signs and Symbols of the various Graces and Gifts which a Mystic People Without such Sacrifices is should offer to Heaven. no Remission of Sin. But when the Mystic Sense

their white Dovess their Goats, their

was

lost,

then Carnage followed, the Prophets ceased

out of the Land, and the Priests bore rule over the People.

Then, when again the Voice of the Pro-

phets arose, they were constrained to speak plainly,

and declared

in a

Tongue

that the Sacrifices of

God

foreign to their Method,

sure

not the Flesh of Bulls

The Mystical Scriptures.

NO. V. (2)

or the Blood of Goats, but holy Vows and sacred Thanksgivings, their Mystical Counterparts. As God is

a Spirit, so also are His Sacrifices Spiritual.

What

what Ignorance, to offer material Flesh and Surely in Drink to pure Power and essential Being vain have the Prophets spoken, and in vain have the Folly,

Christs been manifested

Why

Adam to be Spirit and Eve Books deal only with spiritual Entities? The Tempter himself even is not Matter, hut that which gives Matter the Precedence. Adam "

will

you have

Matter, since the Mystic

is,

rather, intellectual

the moral Conscience

Force :

she

female Principle.

And

of Earth.

Eve

the ^lother of the Liv-

and Intuition the

the Sons of Intuition, herself

fallen, shall at last recover

Things.

the male,

Intellect, then, is

ing.

Truth and redeem all the moral Conis

her Fault, indeed,

Humanity made subject to the intellectual and thereby all Manner of Evil and Confusion abounds, since her Desire is unto him, and he rules over her until now. But the End foretold by the science of

Force,

Seer

not far

off.

Then

shall the

Woman

be exalted,

clothed with the Sun, and carried to the Throne of

God. And her Sons shall make War with the Dragon, and have Victory over him. Intuition, therefore, pure and a Virgin, shall be the Mother and Redemptress of her fallen Sons, whom she bore under Bondage to her

Husband

the intellectual Force."

Clothed with the Sun."

Part

[part

^1Â°)

Moses, therefore, knowing the Mysteries of the Religion of the Egyptians, and having learned of their

Value and Signification of all sacred Birds and Beasts, delivered like Mysteries to his own Occultists the

People. But certain of the sacred Animals of Egypt he retained not in Honour, for Motives which were equally of Mystic Origin. And he taught his Initiated

of the heavenly Hieroglyphs, and bade when they made Festival before God, to carry with them in Procession, with Music and with Dancthe Spirit

them, ing,

such

of the

sacred Animals as were, by their

interior Significance, related to the Occasion.

Now,

of these Beasts, he chiefly selected Males of the

first

Year, without Spot or Blemish, to signify that

Things needful that Man should dedicate to the Lord his Intellect and his Reason, and this from the Beginning, and without the least Reserve. And that he was very wise in teaching this, is evident from the History of the World in all Ages, For what is it and particularly in these last days.

beyond

all

that has led Spirit,

and

Men

renounce the Realities of the

to propagate false Theories

and corrupt

This portion, which was received, also in sleep, two nights after the fore10. going, is a part remembered of a lecture delivered by a man in priestly garb, in an amphitheatre of white stone, to a class of students (of whom the seeress was one), who took notes of it. A.K's notes, of course, " disappeared with her dream,

and she had to reproduce it from memory ;" but this was abnormally enhanced, words presented themsdves again to her as she wrote, and stood out luminously to view," (Life of A. K. Vol. I. p. 269.) S.H.H.

for " the

The Mystical

NO. V. (2)

Scriptures,

Sciences, denying all Things save the Appearance which can be apprehended by the outer Senses, and making themselves one with the Dust of the Ground?

which, being unsanctified, has led

It is their Intellect

them astray

;

the Force of the

which, being corrupt,

and of that of is is

Mind in them, own Ruin,

the Cause of their

As, then, the Intellect

their Disciples.

apt to be the great Traitor against Heaven, so also it

the Force by which Men, following their pure

may

Intuition,

also grasp

For which Reason

subject to their Mothers.

the Intellect

all

Things,

to be if

and apprehend the Truth.

written that the Christs are

Not

that

dishonoured

only

;

by any means

for

is the

Heir

be truly begotten and be

no Bastard. "

And

besides all these Symbols, Moses taught the

People to have beyond

What,

Idolatry.

all

Things an Abhorrence of and what are False

then, is Idolatry,

Gods? "

To make

an Idol

to materialise spiritual

Mys-

were Idolaters, who coming after Moses, and, committing to Writing those Things which he by Word of Mouth had delivered unto teries.

Israel,

The

Friests, then,

Things signified, by their innocent Blood on the and shed Symbols,

replaced the true

material

pure Altars of the Lord. "

They

also

are

Idolaters

who understand

the

Things of Sense where the Things of the Spirit are alone implied, and who conceal the true Features of the Gods with material and spurious Presentations.

" Clothed

'voith

the

Sun.''''

[part

is Materialism, the common and original Sin of Men, which replaces Spirit by Appearance, Substance by Illusion, and leads both the moral and intel-

Idolatry

Being into Error, so that they substitute the

lectual

Nether for the Upper, and the Depth for the Height. It is that false Fruit which attracts the outer Senses, the Bait of the Serpent in the Beginning of the

World.

Until

Man and Woman had

Mystic

the

knew only

the Things of the and found them suffice. But after their Fall, they began to apprehend Matter also, and gave it the Preference, making themselves Idolaters. And their Sin, and the Taint begotten of that false Fruit, have corrupted the Blood of the whole Race of Men, from which Corruption the Sons of God would have redeemed them."

eaten of this Fruit, they Spirit,

No. VI.

CONCERNING THE MOSAIC COSMOGONY.

THE opening

chapters of Genesis have, in some of

their applications, a reference to the Mysteries.

The following

some of

are

their

manifold mean-

ings.

In the is

first

chapter (and beginning of the second)

related the creation of

divisions, I

intellect

Boulogne, August

and

i8So.

human intuition,

Received

in sleep.

nature in

its

body and E,M.

two soul,

Concerning the Mosaic Cosmogony.

NO. VI.]

man and woman,

each creation occurring by development or evolution out of lower forms, through the successive incarnations of the individual.

In the second chapter (beginning

verse

described humanity (or Adam), male and female, in a state of mere intellectualism or external reason, and

before the advent of revelation or religious perception.

Here the allegory

refers to the race

individual alike, and treats of priest

man

and to the and soul,

as sense

and prophet, world and church.

The Tree of Life

the Central Will or Divine whether of the universe or of the individual. And the Tree of Knowledge is experience which comes of trespass, or a descent from the region of spirit to that of matter. It is thus Life, the

God, that

Maya, or

illusion

;

is,

and the

servient,

or tempter,

the

impulse by yielding to which the inward reality of Being is abandoned for the outward appearance, and idolatry is committed through the preference of the

symbol to the verity, of the form to the substance. 1 he phrase " coats of skin " implies a deeper descent into materiality, and the consequent need of multiplied penanceg and transmigrations.

The Tree

of Life signifies also the secret

generation, or

final

transmutation into pure

re-

spirit,

and the consequent attainment of eternal life, which can come only when all the necessary processes have been performed, and the soulâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Eve is once more pure and free, when she becomes " Mary."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

In the

3ÂťIysteries the

Adam

of the second chapter

" Clothed with the Sun."

the

signifies

also

spiritual

perception

ordinary or

[part

earth-man,

consciousness,

devoid

and unable,

comprehend the mysteries. And and prophet, who, being illuminated in soul and taught of the Spirit, has in his keeping the knowledge of things sacred, but is on no account to divulge that knowledge to the outer world of mankind at large. Springing from the heart of humanity, when its outer sense and reason and pastherefore, at all to

Eve

signifies the seer

sions are laid in sleep, or mystic trance, Eve is the Sibyl, or " Mother," who has the sacred tree in charge,

may not communicate of it. But being tempted by the prospect of sensuous reward, she yields to the serpent of matter or astral impulses and communicates the Mysteries to the vulgar, and thereby loses her supremacy over men, and from being their mistress and luier, becomes their slave, while the prophets, her offspring, are persecuted and slain, so that all her revelations and proper ministrations are made in pain and sorrow and labour. For it is but

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

characteristic of the vulgar, that they reverence only

what

unfamiliar and mysterious to them.

The Four Rivers springing from one

source are the

which enter into the composition alike of the whole and the part, the universe, the planet, the individual, and the single (physiological) cell. Together they constitute the fourfold being. Pison, which surrounds and encloses the earth or mineral zone, and contains the materials of wealth four elements

and fame,

the body, or material region.

Gihon,

Concerning the Mosaic Cosmogony.

NO. VI.]

the river vvhicli runs through the land of burning, denotes the Vale of Gehenna or purgatorial region,

and

the

hery body," the magnetic belt between

body and

the soul. Hiddekel, the river with the double symbol of Two Languages, is that which leads back to the ancient time and place of the soul's " innocence." For, being representative of the soul, it occupies the soul's place between the material and the spiritual part. The last is called the Euphrates,

the

and implies the innermost and highest, the Spirit, or Will. These four " rivers " go forth into and constitute the whole universe, and all therein that is of a fourfold nature.

portion of each

necessary to

monad, of the substance of whether a planet, a man, or a cell. For the

constitute a molecule, or creation,

cell is the

type of the kosmos.

Now the

signification of the Rivers of

Eden

fold, denoting, First, the four generations

evolution, individually

Secondly,

The

and

four-

of the soul's

collectively.

four stages of the soul's initiation

and perfectionment. Thirdly,

The four interpretations of Scripture. The four elemental siphercs of nature

Fourthly,

which the soul has

its

generation and education.

Clothed with the

Sun^

[part

No. VII.

CONCERNING THE

THEasked mc

whom

friend with

in her house this subject, I

(2)

was staying having

to obtain for her, if possible, while

a precise and practical instruction on found myself surrounded in my sleep

by a group of is

FALL.

spirits,

evidently for

that all the mistakes

who

conversed together upon

They began by saying made about the Bible arise out benefit.

of the mystic books being referred to times, places,

and persons

material, instead of being regarded as

containing only eternal verities about things spiritual.

The opening

chapters of the sacred books, they said,

meaning and object of religion, and the method of salvation. They are an epitome of the whole Bible, a kind of argument prefixed to the divine drama of the spiritual history of man. The key to their interpretation is to be found in There is no past in the Divine the word ]>! ow. To each Mind, no future in the Divine Economy.

e-xhibit the

one thing forbidden under penalty of death. This thing is disobedience to the Divine Will.

one

Death

the natural

and

inevitable result of rebellion

against the Central Will, which

is the Tree of Life. Death ensues in the body when the central will of the system no longer binds in harmony the com-

ponent elements of the body. in the soul a.

when

it is

Paris, July ag, 1880.

And

death ensues

no longer desirous of union with

NO.

Concealing the Fall.

vir.]

the Divine Will.

Wherefore disobedience and rebelBut to desire ardently that which God

lion are death. wills,

and

to give oneself even to the death to fulfil

God's Will, shall lose

" ;

For " he who will find which means that he who seeks life.

in opposition to the

who loses his who giveth

he he

Divine Will, shall perish.

life,

shall find

haveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; nay,

own

And

which means that

;

himself to the death to

Divine Will, shall

his life his

the

fulfil

already hath

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; eternal

life.

Now, the injunction

laid

on eveiy human soul

is,

not to disobey the Divine Will. For, in the day that the soul wilfully opposes itself to God, she shall

This means that the natural death or

surely die.

body shall, in such and dispersion of the

dissolution of the

case, entail the

dissolution

soul.

Divine Breath,

human

Spirit, is the central

man

For the

life

of the

and if the elements of this personality be no longer bound in obedience to the Divine Fire, they will become dissolved and dispersed in the void, and so the individual perish. "

soul, or true

Dying, thou shalt

not eternal

life.

in the soul.

The

die."

Death

The

;

soul

in the is

rebellious

body

a purer

Adam

for

and

hath

him death

finer essence

But when she is than the mere matter of the body. rebellious, and her elements are no longer bound to their central fire, they continue, after the death of the body, to disunite the

Holy

and

disintegrate, until, at length,

Spirit being withdrawn, the soul dissolves

into the void

and

no more.

This

eternal death.

28.

Clothed with the Sun.'*

[part

the other hand, the soul redeemed by obedience

withdraws itself, and aspires ever more and more to its centre, until absorbed therein it becomes like unto God, wholly spiritual. This to the Divine Will,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is

eternal

Now,

life.

the

God

Gift of

Christ Jesus our Lord." rebellious

made

Adam we

die

;

alive for evermore."

eternal

life

through

For, as in the earthly and so

That

the Christ is,

are

that inasmuch as

by disobsdience to the Divine Will the soul brings on itself dissolution and eternal death so, when it is regenerate and strives continually to attain the Christ nature, it obtains thereby eternal life. For it arises ;

necessarily out of the law of the universe that nothing

can continue to exist which is out of harmony with the Divine Central Will. Now, the nature which is in most perfect harmony with the Divine Will is the Wherefore, of the redeemed universe

Christ-nature.

the perfect chord

But had fallen

is.

Thy Will

be done.

been permitted to

Adam,

after

his

act

the

and

rebellious

disobedience

put

plucking and eating of the forbidden fruit, to forth his hand and take also of llie Tree of Life, and to live for ever," the result would have been an eternal hell. For then the soul would have continued to exist for ever while in a state of separation

dis-

obedience from God, and while insulting and defying

Such division of the universe against itself God. would have involved its destruction, a catastrophe which can by no possibility occur. And the condition

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Concerning the Fall.

NO. VII.]

would have involved the soul misery

in a perpetual hell of

wherefore, in merciful arrest of such a doom,

;

God drove

soul from the reach of But even while doing so, God pronounced the words of hope and redemption. For with the curse comes the promise, " Adam falling, eternal

out the fallen

life.

Christ redeems."

For the soul having accomplished the C'bedienoe,

has

its

eyes

act of dis-

And

opened."

now

and divorced from the Divine Will it is " wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," as said of the Church of Laodicea in the Apocalypse and Adam, knowing he is fallen, "hides" himself. For apart from God, Who is its And this knowledge of her life, the soul is nothing. shameful condition is all the soul gains by rebellion. perceives that alone

;

And

so tha lesson

disunite

thyself

the soul

from God and

this:

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

make thy

thou desire

earthwards, thou art as the dust of the ground, and

must die the death of the body.

But

thou desire

only God, and make God's law thy will, and its accomplishment thy delight, thou becomest as God,

and hast

eternal

life.

" Clothed with

the

Sun J"

[part

No. VIII.

CONCERNING THE PROPHECY OF THE DELUGE.

\Y/ HEN :

work of Eliphas came upon the followinpf

readinfT this mornine: the

Levi on r>entence

<3)

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Magic,"

In the Zohar, one of the chief books of

the holy Kabbala.

written,

The Magic

Serpent,

son of the Sun, was about to devour the World, when the Sea. daughter of the Moon, put her foot on his

head and crushed him.' " At this instant a writing was presented to my spiritual eyes, in which I read the following explanation of the Deluge of Noah " " The Flood came," said the Scripture, " and swept :

away

The Flood,

the wicked."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

therefore,

not the

some have supposed, but that which destroyed wickedness, and bore the righteous unharmed on its bosom. The Flood is Aphrodite the Sea-queen and Maria the Star of the Sea or, as the name signifies. Sea-salt, or Bitterness of the Deep. wickedness

itself,

;

The Woman

shall crush the

head of the Serpent."

Maria, the God-woman, or feminine presentation of the supreme power

and destroys eration says,

;

the Sea through which, as Paul the Mystic

we must

because she 3.

and goodness, delivers mankind She is the Water of Regen-

evildoers.

all pass.

God, and

Paris, September, 28, 1878.

She was

the beginning,

the Spirit of

God, or Divine

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The Book of Esther.

NO. IX.]

We all passed through the Sea and through the Cloud." Jesus the Saviour went down into her, and received in her His chrism, while at the same time the Divine Hermes overshadowed Him. Maria the Sea is the water mystically appointed for the washing away of Sin. Therefore as the Flood she purifies the world, and bears on her immaculate breast the Ark of the Divine Covenant which conCloud, dwelt upon

tains the Elect."

And when mind

her.

had read

this, it

was impressed on

as a prophecy having special significance for

the present age.

No. IX.

CONCERNING THE PROPHECY OF THE BOOK OF ESTHER.

THE to fulfilled,

^5)

most important book

in the Bible for

you

study now, and that most nearly about to be is one of the most mystic books in the Old

Testament, the book of Esther. This book is a mystic prophecy, written in the form of an actual history.

give )^ou the key, the clue

Like Eve, Maria and the Sea are mystical synonyms for the Soul, which Deep "because consisting,' of the universal substance he attains her perfection through painful experience. Concerning- Hermes, see Part II., Nos. XII. and XIII., (6). E.M. Paris, Easter Simday, March 28, i88o. Repeated from dictation heard S4.

called " Bitterness of the

interiorly while in trance.

E.M.

" Clothed

of the thread of

world

it,

"with the

part

Sim."

will be the easiest thing in the

to unravel the whole.

The great King Assuerus, who had all the world under his dominion, and p>ossessed the wealth of all the nations,

the genius of the age.

Queen Vasthi, who for her disobedience to the king was deposed from her royal seat, is the orthodox Catholic Church.

The Jews, scattered among the nations under the dominion of the king, are the true Israel of God. Mardochi the Jew represents the spirit of intuitive reason and understanding. His enemy Aman,

the

spirit

of materialism,

taken into the favour and protection of the genius of the age. and exalted to the highest place in the world's councils after the deposition of the orthodox religion.

Now Aman has a

wife and ten sons. under the care and tuition of Maris that spirit dochi, is brought up pure and virgin interpretation love and sympathetic which shall of redeem the world. I have told you that it shall be redeemed by a " woman." Esther

Now

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

by which age propose to replace the dethroned Church, are one by one submitted to the judgment of the age and Esther, coming last, shall the

several philosophical systems

the councillors of the

;

find favour.

Six years shall she be anointed with

oil

of myrrh,

The Book of Esther.

NO. IX.]

that

with study and training severe and bitter, may be proficient in intellectual knowledge,

is,

that she

as must all systems which seek the favour of the age.

And

six years with sweet perfumes, that is

with

the gracious loveliness of the imagery and poetry

of the faiths of the past, that religion

may

not be

lacking in sweetness and beauty.

But she shall not seek to put on any of those adornments of dogma, or of mere sense, which, by trick of priestcraft, former systems have used to gain power or favour with the world and the age, and for which they have been found wanting.

Now which

there

come out of the darkness and the storm upon the earth, two dragons.

shall arise

And

they fight and tear each other, until there

arises

star,

a fountain of

light,

a queen,

who

Esther. I

have given you the key. Unlock the meaning of

all that is written. I

do not tell you if in the history of the past these had part in the world of men.

voices

if they had, guess

now who were Mardochi and

Esther.

But

1 tell

to come. 6.

you that which

shall be in the

days about

The name Estherâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; which is one with Easterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;denotes a star, or fountain dawn or rising'. The feast of Purim, instituted in token of the deliver-

of ligrht, a

In the Protestant ance wrought through Esther, coinsides in date with Easter Bible the later portion of the Book of Esther is placed in the Apocrypha. The spelling' followed is that of the Douay version. The penultimate sentence

" Clothed with the Sun."

[part

No. X.

CONCERNING THE PROPHECY OF THE VISION OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR.

TtlE King Nebuchadnezzar

<7)

mystically identical

with King Assuerus, in that each alike denotes the spirit of the latter age, that, namely, of mere Intellectualism, as distinguished

from and opposed

And

both narratives; as well also as that of the Deluge and of the book of Esther, are prophecies which now are beginning to have Intuitionalism.

accomplishment on a scale greater than ever For, the image shown to the king in his dream represents the various systems of thought and belief which find favour with the world. Of these the intellectual philosophy which rests upon the basis of a science merely physical, is the head, and is symbolised by the gold. And this rightly, so for it is indeed king of far as concerns the intellect kings, and all the children of men, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air, are given into its hands. This is to say, all the activities of society, their

before.

;

learning,

its

industry,

subordinate to the

and

intellect.

its

The

art

breast

are

made

and arms

obviously refers to the work in which we were engaged, but not necessarily to the workers themselves. The two dragons are materialism and superstition (See

Preface to 7.

first edition).

London, February

22, 1881.

Received

in sleep.

E.M

;

The

NO. X.]

Vision of Nehuchadnez-zar.

of the image are of

silver.

This

the

domain

of morality and sentiment, which under the reign

of the mere

intellect hold a subordinate place. Belonging to the region of the heart, it is feminine and implying the intuition, which is of the woman,

and her assigned

inferiority,

said

meant

to rule over the

the

universality

The kingdom

silver.

thighs and the belly are of brass, and this

whole world. By this is a regime wholly

under

animal and non-moral, of falsehood, cruelty, impurity, blasphemy, and all these deprivations of the true humanity, which characterise an age of materialism. The iron of which the legs are made, represents

and denotes the negation of

force,

love,

and the

consequent prevalence of might over right, and the universal rule of selfishness.

the mingling of

implied the weakness and instability of the whole structure, the clay representing matter, which is made the foundation iron

and clay

in the feet

of the system instead of

spirit,

which alone

stable

and enduring.

The Stone this image,

whole

cut out without hands, which destroys and becomes a great mountain filling the

earth, is that "

Stone of the Philosophers," a

and the true gospel of the inner This it is knowledge which appertains thereto. which smites the age upon its feet, or fundamental

perfected

spirit,

basis,

materialistic

its

hypothesis.

And

with the

demonstration of the falseness of its doctrine, now being made to the world, shall fall the whole fabric

[part

Clothed Toith the Sun."

of society, with the

its empire of force, its exaltation of mascuhne* mode of the mind, its subjection

of women, its torture of animals, and its oppression of the poor. With its clay, its iron, its brass, its silver,

and

its

gold, all

swept away

the wind, the true knowledge

which are of

standing in the

and

fi.ll

of underthe intuition, shall usher the " stone,"

kingdom of God, and

a mountain shall

chaff

spirit

become

the whole earth.

No.

CONCERNING THE PROPHECY OF THE TIME OF THE END.

there

(8)

was a return of the

spirit,

or angel of

Elias in the person of John the Baptist before the advent of Jesus, so there will be a return of the

angel of Daniel, before the next manifestation of the Daniel's angel

Christ.

who

specially foretold

the culmination and the hour of overthrow of the

world's materialistic system.

And when

he had comDaniel

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

pleted his prediction he told Daniel that he

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;should

rest for the present,

but

when

the time

was

accomplished and the end was at hand, he should return and stand again in his place, and prophesy before the world. And the token whereby the ap8.

See note on next page but one

NO. XI.

The Time of the End.

]

proach of the end should be known would be the spectacle of the " abomination of desolation standing in the holy place."

Now,

to John.

like assurance

the holy place

was given

always

also

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whether

macrocosm or the microcosm the place of God and the Soul and the abomination of desolation, or which maketh the universal or the individual, in the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

desolate,

that

;

system of thought which, putting

matter in the chief place, and making

the source,

and object of existence, abolishes God out of the universe, and the soul out of man, and thus, depriving existence of its light and life, makes it empty, desolate and barren, a very abomination of substance,

desolation. Jesus, recalling this prophecy,

and

citing the

words

of Daniel's angel, also foretold the same event as marking the end of that " adulterous " generation [a

term identical with idolatrous as denoting the worship of and illicit association with matter], and the coming of the kingdom of God and warned the elect in mystic phrase, thus to be interpreted " When, therefore, ye shall see matter exalted to the holy place of God and the soul, and made the all and in all of existence ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

Then

let

the spiritual Israel betake themselves to

the hills where alone salvation

to be found, even the

heights and fastnesses of the divine

"And lest

let

life.

him who has overcome

he return to the love of the

of the world.

flesh,

the body, beware or seek the things

" Clothed with

3^ "

Neither

him who

let

become again

[part

the Sun.'"

from the body,

freed

re-incarnate.

And woe to the soul whose travail is yet unaccomplished, and which has not yet become weaned from the body. "

And

God

that these things find you not of spiritual depression and feebleness, or of spiritual repose and unwatch fulness.

beseech

at a season either

For the tribulation

And

shall be without parallel

;

such that except those days shall be few in

number, escape from the body would be impossible. " But for the elect's salce they shall be few. " And if any shall then declare that here, or there, the Christ has appeared as a person, believe

For there

shall arise delusive apparitions

festations, together with great signs

as might well deceive even the

not.

and mani-

and marvels, such Remember. I

elect.

Wherefore, if they shall have told you beforehand. say unto you, Behold he is in the desert, whether of Or, Behold the East or of the West, join him not. he is in darkened rooms and secret assemblies, pay no regard. " For, like lightning coming out of the East and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

illuminating the West, so shall be the world's spiritual

awakening to the recognition of the Divine in Humanity. " But wheresoever the dead carcase of error remains, around it, like vultures, will gather both deceivers and deceived. 9,

(^^

The foregoing

part of this utterance

was

received at Paris,

December 6

The Time

NO. XI.]

And upon

ness

the

;

extinct

;

and

And

ing.

End.

them, the profane, there shall be darkshall

Spirit

liQaven, or in

of the

quenched and the soul

be no more any light

there shall

heavenly science any

the

and mean-

triath

power of heaven upon men

shall be

shaken.

Than shall appear the new sign, the Man in Heaven, upon the rain-clouds of the last chrism and mystery, with great power and glory. "

And

his missioners shall gather the elect with a

great voice, from the four winds

and from the

farthest

bounds of heaven. Behold the FiG-Tree, and learn her parable. the branch thereof shall become tender, and her buds appear, know that the day of God is upon "

When you."

Lord that the budding of the fig-tree shall foretell the end ? Because the fig-tree is the symbol of the divine Wherefore, then,

woman,

The

saitli

the

as the vine of the divine man. fig is the similitude

of the matrix, containing

inward buds, bearing blossoms on

its

bringing forth fruit in darkness.

life,

and

its flesh is

The stems of 1879, in sleep,

the seed-ground of

the

fig-tree

placenta, is

new

run with

and

the cup of births.

milk

her

the inspiring iiiHucnce impressing itself upon the seeress as being-

—a

some perplexity — her usual was remembered that Gabriel was the inspiring ang<tl of Daniel, whose return had boen foretold. The remaindar was received under waking illumination in July 1886, while preparing the second edition of " The Perfect Way," in which it appeared. E.M. the angel Gabriel,

instructor being

circ«mst;ince which caused

Hermes (= Raphael) — until

40 leaves are as

Clothed with the Sun."

human

[part

hands, like the leaves of hei

brother the vine.

And when the fig-tree shall bear figs, then sliall be the second advent, the new sign of the man bearing water, and the manifestation of the virginmother crowned. For when the Lord would enter the holy city, to Supper with his disciples, he sent before him the fisherman Peter to meet the man of the coming sign. celebrate his Last

There

shall

meet you a

man

bearing a pitcher of

water."

Because, as the in

feast

work

Lord was first manifest at a winemust he consummate his

the morning, so

at a wine- feast in the evening.

It is his

new

into a

Pass-Over

;

for thereafter the sun

must pass

sign.

After the Fish, the Water-Carricr but the God remains always in the place of victory, ;

slain

Lamb bcin;^j

from the foundation of the world.

For

his place is the place of the sun's triumph.

After the vine the

fig

;

for

Adam

first

formed,

then Eve.

And Lord

because our

Lady

not yet manifest, our

crucified.

Therefore came he vainly seeking fruit upon the the time of figs was not yet." And from that day forth, because of the curse

fig-tree, " for

of Eve, no

man

has eaten fruit of the

fig-tree.

For the inward understanding has withered away,

The Time of the End.

NO. XI,]

there

no discernment any more

men.

They

have crucified the Lord because of their ignorance, not knowing what they did.

our Lord to our

\\']icrCiOre, indeed, said "

Woman, what

hour

between

me and

thee

Lady

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

For even

not yet come."

Because until the hour of the man is accomplished fuliilled, the hour of the woman must be

and

deferred.

Mary is the fig-tree. And tVie Jesus is the vine vintage must be completed and the wine trodden out, ;

or ever the harvest of the figs be gathered.

But when the hour of our Lord

Lady

ing on his Cross, he gives our

The

chalice

drained, the

then says he to his elect

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

lees

achieved, hang-

to the faithful.

aie

wrung out

Behold thy Mother

" !

But so long as the grapes remain unplucked, the vine has nought to do with the fig-tree,

with

nor Jesus

]\Iary. is first

revealed, for he

shall come the hour of

And

vine and orient,

that

the

;

Word

;

afterwards

interpretation.

day every man

the fig-tree

and the

its

shall sit

under the

the dayspring shall arise in the

fig-tree shall bear her fruit,

'i")

For, from the beginning, the fig-lCnf covered the shame of incarnation, because the riddle of existence can be expounded only by him who has the woman's 10.

Zeeh.

iii.

;

Mic.

iv. 4

;

Cant,

ii.

13.

Look

Sun"

[parti

the riddle of the Sphinx.

It is

secret.

Clothed with the

for that tree which alone of all trees bears a

fruit blossomin<^ interiorly, in concealment,

shalt discover the

Look

and thou

fig.

for the sufficient

universe and of the written

meaning of the manifest Word, and thou shalt find

only their mystical sense.

Cover the nakedness of matter and of nature with and thou hast hidden all their shame. For the fig is the interpreter. So when the hour of interpretation comes, and the

the fig-leaf

;

know that new day

fig-tree puts forth her buds,

and

the end

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

even

the

dawning of

the

the time of are at hand,

at the doors."

No. XII.

CONCERNING THE SOUL: its

Origin^ 'Nature,

THEadded

Soul, in

its first

and

Futzntialilies.

beginning,

to the body,

but

^^^

is not something generated in the

body by the polarisation of the astral elements. Once generated, it enters and passes through many bodies, until finally perfected. I.

London.

Spoken

in trance at different times in 1880

and

1S81

Concerfdng the Soul.

NO. XII.]

As there are two of the outer, so also of the inner. The two of the inner are spirit and soul. In the translation of the Scriptures the word spirit is often is meant. For only the man created God's own image is a living soul, that is, a soul which has the Spirit superadded to it. ^2) The clearest understanding may be obtained of the soul by defining it as the divine idea. Before anything can exist outwardly and materially, the

used where soul in

idea of

must

soul, therefore,

subsist

may

the

Divine

Mind.

The

be understood to be divine and

But the soul does not act put forth by the Divine Mind but the body is put forth by the sideral or fiery body. As the spirit on the celestial plane is the parent of the soul, so the fire on the material

everlasting in directly

upon

its

nature.

matter.

It is

;

plane begets the body.

The soul, being in its nature eternal, passes from one form to another until, in its highest stage, it polarises sufficiently to

organised things.

all

exists without a soul.

perishes if

receive the spirit.

Nothing of an organic nature It is the individual, and 't

abandoned of the

already said, at

the

spirit.

moment when

the soul

it is by means of the convergence of the magnetic poles of the

appears in

any hitherto

inorganic

constituent molecules of that entity.

entity,

The focusing

Spirit, being- the substance of all thinjfs, is in all things, but does not bethe Spirit until, from being- diffuse and abstract, it becomes, by polarisation concentrate and formulate,â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from heat becoming flame. EM. 2

come

" Clothed with the Sun."

44 of

The

poles

these

and an

current,

spark

gives

rise

electric

circular

combustion

organic

[part

magnetic the

result.

This spontaneous combustion, or generation, is not a new creation for nothing can be either added to or withdrawn from the universe. It is but a new condition of the one substance. The soul is to the material organ what the tune is to the musical instrument. The tune subsists in the mind of the vital

life,

or the soul.

;

composer (God), before the keys or strings of the instrument can give it expression. But unless for this expression it could not become manifest to sense. This tune can be played on many instruments, and transferred from one to another. We are thus brought to the great facts, the immortality of the soul, its transmigrations, and the metempsychosis.

The process of incarnation, and the method by which the soul takes new forms, are in this wise. Vvhen two persons ally themselves in the flesh and beget a child, the moment of impregnation is usually though not invariably the moment which attaches Hence, much a soul to the newly conceived body. depends upon the influences, astral and magnetic, under which impregnation and conception take place. The pregnant woman is the centre of a whirl of magnetic forces, and she attracts within her sphere a soul whose previous conduct and odic condition correspond either to her own or to the magnetic influences under which she conceives. This soul, if the prognancy continues and progresses, remains attached to her

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

NO. XII.]

Concerning the Soul.

embryo

until the time

sphere, but does not enter the

of quickening, when

usually takes possession of the

body, and continues to inhabit delivery.

own

pregnant

woman

until the time of

swayed not by her

by the will of the soul and the opposition and two wills often occasion

will alone, but as often

newly attached

to her sphere

cross-magnetisms of these

many

strange and

;

seemingly unaccountable whims,

and longings, on the part of Sometimes, however, the moment of impregnation or conception passes without attracting

alternations of character,,

the

woman.

and the woman may even carry a false which cases abortion occurs. There are innumerable accidents which may happen in this regard. Or, the soul, which has been attracted to her, may, under new influences, be withdrawn from her sphere, and from the embryo which, having quickened, may consume away or, the soul originally drawn to her orbit may be replaced later Some clairvoyant women b)' another, and so forth. have been conscious of the soul attached to them, and have seen it, at times as a beautiful infant, at Children begotten by ardent times in other shapes. and mutual love are usually the best and healthiest, spiritually and physically, because the radical moment is seized by love, when the astral and magnetic influences are strongest and most ardent, and they attract the strongest and noblest souls. any

soul,

conception for some time, in

;

For you the origin

understand yet more clearly and fully

and nature of the

soul,

whence

comes,

" Clothed with the Sun:''

and how it know that

[part

body to another, you must on which the celestials and the

passes from one the plane

creatures touch each other,

substance of

all

the astral plane.

created things

The

the begetter alike

of body and soul.

The soul, as I have said, is formed by polarisation of the elements of the astral body, and it is a gradual process but when once formed it is an entity capable of passing from one body to another. Imagine the magnetic forces of innumerable elements directed and focused to one centre, and streams of electric power passing along all their convergent poles to that centre. Imagine ;

these streams so

focused as to create a fire in that kind of crystallisation of magnetic force. This is the soul. This is the sacred fire of Hestia or Vesta, which burns continually. The body and person may fall away and disappear but the soul, once begotten, is immortal until its perverse will extinguish it. For the fire of the soul, or central hearth, must be kept alive by the higher air or Divine Breath, if it is to endure for ever. It must converge, not diverge. If it diverge it will be dissipated. The end of progress is unity the end of degradation is division. The soul, therefore, which ascends, tends more and more to union with the central part,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

;

Divine.

And

manner thereof. Conceive of God spiritual body constituted of many

this is the

as of a vast

individual elements, but all these elements as having

one

will,

and therefore being

one.

This condition

Concerning the Soul.

NO. XII.]

of oneness with the Divine Will and Being constitwtes the celestial Nirvana. Again, conceive of the de-

graded soul as dividing more and more until at length it is scattered into many, and ceases to be as an individual, being, as it were, split and broken up, and dispersed into many pieces. This is the Nirvana of the Amen, or annihilation of the individual. ^^^ " And whence," you inquire, " is the supply of new souls for the continual increase of the world's popula-

you know, work up from animals in the lowest forms of organic life that the soul is first engendered. Formerly the way of escape for human souls was more open and

tion?"

Souls, as

and plants

;

for

it is

the path clearer, because, although ignorance of intellectual things

abounded among the poorer

sort,

yet

the knowledge of divine things and the light of faith

Wherefore the souls of were stronger and purer. those ages of the world, not being enchained to earth as they now are, were enabled to pass more quickly their avatars, and but few incarnations sufficed where now many are necessary. For in these days the ignorance of the mind is weighted by materialism instead of being lightened It is sunk to earth by love of the body by faith.

through

and by atheism, and excessive care sense.

in the

And

for the things of

being crushed thereby,

atmosphere of earth, seeking

many

lingers long

fresh lodg-

ments, and so multiplies bodies.

And, furthermore, you must not conceive of Crea3.

See Appendix,

note A.

" Clothed

48 tion, or the

Suny

and then ended.

Olympus

coming.

God

For

circle

and

The

into one perfect

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

body, perisoul, soul, and entities

for God's

celestial substance is

How,

spirit,

which are not

may

individual.

of life accomplished, and thus

You have asked me it

celestial

the mystery of the divine

oblation.

one with the other.

the

God

never ceases giving of

This also

incarnation

continually creating and continually be-

continually individualising itself that itself

[part

putting-forth of things, as an act once

accomplished

creatures.

the

iioith

its

Thus

build is

the

ends meet the

the planet consist of

can there be

born

fourfold,

but

threefold or even twofold, as are minerals and severed parts of bodies, things

answer you

made by

art,

that your error lies in

planet as a thing apart from

its

and the

like."

looking on the

offspring.

Certainly,

fourfold, and certainly also its offspring But of its offspring some lie in the astral and some in the region only, and are but twofold watery region, and are but threefold and some lie The body in the human region, and are fourfold. and perisoul are the metallic and gaseous envelope of The organic region composes its soul, the jjlanet. and the human region its spirit, or divine part. For when it was but metallic, it had no soul. When But when man it was but organic, it had no spirit. was made in the image of God, then was its spirit Now, the metals have no breathed into its soul. the planet is

fourfold.

;

soul

;

therefore they arf

aot individuals.

And

not

NO. XII.

Concerning the Soul.

]

cannot transmigrate. But the and animals have souls. They are individuals, and do transmigrate and progress. And man has also a spirit and so long as he is man that is, truly human he cannot re-descend into the body of an animal, or of any creature in the sphere beneath him, since that would be an indignity to the spirit. But if he lose his spirit, and become again animal, he may descend, yea, he may become altogether gross and horrible, and a creeping and detestable thing, begotten of filth and corruption. This is the end of persistently evil men. For God is not the God of creeping things, but Baal Zebub e*) is their God. And there were none of these in the Age of Gold neither shall there be any when the earth is fully purged.

beinr^ individuals, they

planets

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

O Men

your exceeding wickedness is the creator of yea, your filthy torments are your own sons and abominable progenitors Remember that there is but one substance. Body, sideral body, soul, and spirit, all these are one in

your

evil beasts

;

And

their essence.

of polarisation.

Gods put with

its

three

stantial light

three are differentialities is

God's

Self.

potentialities,

odic

light.

but

all

or the

When

three

have called

the

sub-

sometimes the sideral body, sometimes

and this because it is both. which makes, that which becomes.

the perisoul

first

fourth

forth the world, they put forth substance

condition of

that

the

The

;

human

spirit (not the divine),

For It

fire,

out of which

Impurity, of the active principle in putrefaction and corruption.

5ÂŠ

[part

Clothed "with the Sun."

and by which earth and water

are generated.

It is

the fiery manifestation of soul, the magnetic factor of the body.

tion.

It is

space

that

from

minerals, which are

;

is substance it is foundaproceed the gases and the ;

and also the organic But man it could not fourfold and of the divine ether soulless,

world, which hath a soul.

For man is air, which of Gods and men. make.

or upper

The cosm

the province of Zeus, Father

outer envelope of the alike,

which

isi

macrocosm and micro-

represented by Demeter,

reality not elemental at all, but is a

compound of

the

Her fertility is due to the and her transmuting or chemical power to

other three elements. " water,"

the

fire.

This water

the

soul

or protoplasma,

put forth by Deity and constitutes the inNor are you to look on fire as a true dividual.

which

element.

For

the soul.

until vivified

fire is

to the

the soul

without physical

the life

spirit,

body what

spirit is to

without the divine

life

so the body, or matter,

in the absence of

fire.

dead matter," for the fire-element But matter would be " dead " (that if motion were is, would cease to exist as matter) suspended, which is, if there were no fire. For, as wherever there is motion there is heat, and consequently fire, and motion is the condition of matter, so without fire would be no matter.

matter

is really

is in all

matter.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The

soul is not astral

means of the

astral fluid

fluid, ;

but

manifest by

for the soul itself

is,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Concerning

xo. XII.]

tJie

Send.

and intangible. You will see the by following out the genesis of any particular action. The stroke of the pen on paper is the phenomenon that is the outer body. The action the idea, invisible

meaning

best

;

-vhich produces the stroke

the astral body, and,

though physical, is not a thing, but a transition or medium between the result (the stroke) and its cause

The

(the idea).

idea manifested in the act

and

physical, but mental,

even this forth

by the

not the will,

an idea as

will

God

not

But

For the idea

first cause.

and

the soul of the act.

is put Thus, you

this is the spirit.

wills the macrocosm.

The

real

body (or immediate result) is the astral body while the phenomenal body (or ultimate form) is the effect of motion and heat. If you could arrest motion, you would have as the result fire, and thereby would But fire itself convert Demeter into Hephaistos. ;

also as

material, since

subtlety.

The

visible to the outer sense,

But

the earth-body.

has

many

degrees of

astral or odic substance, therefore, is

itself, but is the medium or manifestor If, however, of the soul, as the act is of the idea. the phrase misleads you, it is l^etter to modify it, as

not the soul

thus

The act is the condition of way as fire or incandescence is given object. Light

Water

Mother,

hydrogen.

the idea, in the

spirit,

heat

the result of the operation of or

oxygen,

Air

and

the

Justice

result

same any

the condition of

the

of matter.

Wisdom Father,

the mixture,

the

not

;

combination, of wisdom and force.

They

properly elements.

Earth

[part

Clothed ivith the Sun.'"

are soul

These two are and spirit. But

not, properly speaking,

an element at all. fire, and her rocks and strata are either watery or igneous. She is

She

the result of the water

and the

water and

air fused and crystallised. Fire also, the maker of the body, is a mode and condition, and not a true element. See, then, that the only real and true and permanent elements are air and water, spirit and soul, will and idea, divine and substantial, father and mother and out of these all the elements of earth are made by the aid of the condition of matter, which is, interchangeably, heat and

real

;

motion.

Wisdom, Justice, and Force, or oxygen, hydrogen, and azoth, are the three out of which the two true elements are produced. But water is a combination, air is a mixture. Wherefore the only two real entities, water and air, are unreal to the phenomenal while the untrue elements, earth and fire, or body and electric fluid, are real in the phenomenal. Souls are re-incarnated hundreds and thousands of but not the person (which implies the body),

times

;

for the

body

These things were known to and to Jesus and

perishes.

the Gnostics, Therapeutae, Essenes, the doctrine

embodied

as thus explained

in the parable

;

of the Talents,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Into the soul of the individual

ÂŤs

breathed the Spirit of God, divine, pure, and without blemish.

It is

God.

And

the individual has, in his

earth-life, to nourish that Spirit,

and feed

as a flame

Concerning the Soul.

NO. XII.]

with

oil.

When you

put

oil into

passes into and becomes flame.

who

of him pure,

nourishes the Spirit.

and becomes the

a lamp, the essence it is with the soul It grows gradually

Spirit.

this

means the

becomes the richer. And, as in the parable of the Talents, where God has given five talents, man pays back ten or he returns nothing, and perishes. When a soul has once become regenerate, it returns to the body only by its own free will, and as a Redeemer or Messenger. Such a one regains in the flesh the memory of his past. Regeneration or in transmutation may take place an instant but it is rarely a sudden thing, and it is best that it come gradually, so that the " Marriage " of the Spirit be only after a prolonged engagement. Spirit

;

The

doctrine of

Counterparts," so familiar to cer-

tain classes of " Spiritualists,"

delusive

spirits,

of the

is a travesty, due to Marriage of Regeneration."

Regeneration does not affect the interior man only. regenerate person may have his body such that no

wounds

will cause death.

When spirit.

soul a person dicsv a portion of the unconsumed, untransmuted, that is, into The soul is fluid, and between it and vapour

is this

analogy.

remains

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

When

there

a large quantity of

vapour in a small space it becomes condensed, and is thick and gross. But when a portion is removed, the So it is rest becomes refined, and is rarer and purer. with the soul.

the rest

its

material

the transmutation of a portion

becomes

finer,

rarer,

and

Clothed toith the Sun."

and continues

purer,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;after

many

[part

do so more and more made good use of

incarnations,

until

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

whole of the soul is absorbed into the Divine Spirit, and becomes one with God, making God so much the This is the celestial Nirvana. <5) richei' for the usury. But, though becoming pure Spirit, or God, the individual retains his individuality

;

so that instead of all

being merged in the One, the

One becomes Many.

Thus has God become

millions.

We,

too, are legion,

God. God is multitudes and and kingdoms, and tongues. And the sound of God is as the sound of many waters.

and

therein resemble

nations,

No. XIII.

CONCERNING PERSEPHONE, OR THE SOUL'S DESCENT INTO MATIER.

SEE God God is

under two modes, one

the other dynamic or

the

original Life, Will,

Holy

stance of

Spirit.

God

are one.

static or passive,

As the former, As the latter, God Power.

And At

Then comes a movement of 6.

^^>

See Appendix, p. I. note A. London, March 23, 1881. Spoken

active.

the Spirit first

there

and the Subis

perfect

rotation round

in trance.

itself,

rest.

and

NO.

xm.

Concerning Persephone.

(i).

first ether, and at length matter. Every ultimate particle of matter moves in ether, as do the planets, and has two poles, that is in the

Substance becomes

Their rotation

intercellular ether.

intensely rapid

;

makes me ^{iddy to look and by this movement comes creation This is accomplished in six periods, and then there is Rest, and the whole is re-absorbed. Wherefore there is an incessant Putting-Forth for six " days," and a recurring Sabbath of Rest. it

;

The more

movement of the more material is the man.

rapid the

his body, the

object of the saint

Hence the and

to attain perfect quiescence,

thereby union with the Divine One. pher's Stone

particles of

" signifies in

The

Philoso-

one aspect perfect quiescence'

or the re-absorption of matter into spirit through the

absence of motion.

Thus the

trutfi,

who

the rigidity

incessant,

for

is all

we know as matter is caused by movement of spirit. This

intense

the Greeks, that

represented

motion and

solid.

Holy Spirit parents are Rhea and Saturn. Rhea is " of the Gods, and is the same as Nox, motion

begotten of the

by Demeter,

And

whereas

in time,

her

the mother

tke original

Darkness or Invisible Light of Divinity prior to manifestation in creation. And Persephone or Proserpine, is the daughter of Demeter or Motionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or that which makes visible by Ether. Persephone is the liquid or psychic part of man, which consists both of his true And the soul and his " fiery "or magnetic perisoul.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

story of the stealing of Persephone, or rape of Proser-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 56

*^''

Clothed -mth the Sun. '"

pine, relates to the " fixing

[parti.

of the volatile," whereby

the astral part becomes coagulated into the material.

Belonging

thus, half to the body, or lower world,

and

half to the heavens and upper world, and thus linking the two together, she

said to spend six

months of the

Hades and six on Olympus. And she would be updrawn altogether to the latter, but that as the year in

consequence of her eating a pomegranate, which like the apple of Eve is the symbol of illusion or

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

matter, she

fixed

the

lower world

whence her mother, Demeter, seeks

withdraw

body, her.

You are to understand, further, that this descent of Persephone into Hades comes about not only through the continued motion of the particles of the soul, but also through their depolarisation from the central

Divine Will. that the

man

The body ought

can indraw and re-absorb

phone, through following her

and

to "be in such a state

own

poles of her constituent substance,

it.

But Perse-

will, reversed the

and caused

this to

Whenever, as was the case with Jesus, the man is in union with the central will of his system, he has power to indraw and re-absorb his body. And one of the purposes of the Gospel story of the water being changed into wine, was to typify this transmutation. Animals never have this power, as they have no divine spirit, and, therefore, no central will, to polarise. Man has it only by the Spirit's The eating of the pomegranate descent into him. implies the reversal of the poles, and the illusion whereby the outer becomes the inner, and the in-

become

fixed.

NO. XIV.

(i).

Concerning the Genius or Daimon.

dividual polarises outwardly instead of centrally, and, so,

becomes Hxcd and material.

No. XIV.

CONCERNING THE GENIUS OR DAIMON.

EVERY human

spirit-soul has attached to

genius or daimon, as with Socrates tering spirit, as with the apostles

with Jesus.

same

(7)

an angel, as

;

him a

a minis-

;

All these are but different names for the

thing.

genius says that he does not care

for the term angel because

minister, as their

office

misinterpreted.

and

to be called to guide, admonish, and

prefers the Christian nomenclature, is

illumine.

genius

looks

always in red. which he .says is

Dante,

And he has my emblem.

and

him

a cactus in his hand,

(Speaking of Dante,

She

see that Beatrice represents the soul.

him

what the woman should be to the man.) He tells me to say that the best weapon against the astral s is prayer. Prayer means the intense direction of the an unchanging will and desire towards the Highest intent to know nothing but the Highest. So long as Moses held up his hands towards heaven, the Israel;

London, N'ovcmber

iSSo.

Spoken

in trance,

'^'

When

prevailed.

ites

Clothed with the

The

Amalekites.

cannot prevent

Sun y

he dropped them, then the

genii arc not fighting spirits,

They were allowed

evils.

to Jesus only after his exhaustion in

lower

Only they

spirits.

[parti.

and

to minister

combat with the

are attacked by these,

who

are worth attacking. I

inform you that the genius never

his client, never suffers the soul to step aside

body

controls

from the

to allow the entrance of another spirit.

The

person controlled by an astral or elemental, on the contrary, speaks not in his

intonation,

sing

spirit.

the

first

person, but in that of

;

person prophesying speaks always in

and says, either, " Thus saith the So says some one else," never losing his

person,

Lord," or

own

and the gestures^ expression, and pitch of voice, change with the obses-

the spirit controlling

personality.

This

one sign of difference where-

to distinguish between the various orders of spirits.

says, whereby to distinguish from one's genius, is this, the genius is never absent. Provided the mind is in a condition to see, he is always present. Other spirits need times to be appointed and engagements to be

Another

extraneous

made

sign,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

spirits

for certain hours, because they

may

be else-

where at ciny moment. These spirits, moreover, know nothing of the Gods. Their very names are secrets from them, and if they have heard them they are but names to them. '8) They are unable to grasp or One of their commonest

names

;

motles of deception

by the assumption E.M.

but their utterance are always pretentious and inane.

ot divine

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; NO. XIV.

(i).

Concerning the Genius or Daimon.

conceive of anything beyond the atmosphere of their

own

circle. It is true that they speak of God, but it without understanding the meaning of the word. The more negative the mind of the individual, the more ready and apt he is to receive these spirits.

And, on the contrary, the more positive and pronounced the will of the individual, the more open he is

divine communication. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;to To labour to pray "

To knock

The command always "

;

ask

have the door open."

to receive "

" I

;

have often

Think for yourself. When you think inwardly, pray intensely, and imagine centrally, then you converse with God." said," says

knows,

genius,

says,

future, but will not

tell.

concerning

our

All he will say

immediate is

this,

Be sure there is trouble. No man ever got to the Land of Promise without going through the desert." Again he holds up to me tiie cactus, and he sa)'s "Do not fret yourself about trying to get into the lucid "

state.

In a short time

become somnolent

at all."

v/ill

be unnecessary to

tells

that to-night

what has been said, I and so on until my mind is and the next time more, It subject. is a weakness and an quite clear on the imperfection when the mind does not retain what has At night, when my brain is free from been said. disturbing influences, I recollect more perfectly all And this, he says, should I have seen and heard. always be the case, because my place is not taken by any other entity. No other spirit steps in to disshall recollect a great part of

possess me. speak,

But

Clothed with the Sun." it is I

— my spiritual

The

genius

[part

myself who see and hear and

self, that

is.

bond of weakens this

linked to his client by a

soul-substance.

Persistent

ill-living

—

bond, and after several incarnations even to " seventy times seven " thus ill-spent, the genius is freed and

—

the

soul definitively

lost.

not isolated crime,

It is

as murder, adultery, or incest, or even a repetition of these,

which breaks

this

bond

;

but a continued con-

dition of the heart in which the will of the individual

Divine Will. For which repentence is impossible. The condition most favourable to salvation and speedy emancipation from successive incarnations, is the attitude of willing obedience, freedom and submission. The great object to be attained is emancipation from the body, from the power and need of is

in persistent opposition to the

this is a state

—

the body, that

is.

In order the better to comprehend the procession

of Spirit,

must be understood that Life may be

represented by a triangle, at the apex of which

God. Of this triangle the two sides are formed by two streams, the one flowing outwards, the other upwards. The base may be taken to represent the material plane. Thus, from God proceed the Gods.

From

the

with the

Gods proceed various

orders

all the

hierarchy of heaven,

from the highest to the

And the lowest is the order of the genii, guardian angels. These rest on the material plane, but do not enter it. The other side of the lowest

NO. xrv.

Concerning the Genius or Daiynon.

(2).

is a continuation of the base. The initiatory forms of the base of the triangle are the lowest expressions of life. These are the first expressions of incarnation, and of the stream which, unlike the first, flows inwards and upwards. The side of the

triangle

triangle represented

and empties

Christ,

God.

There

this stream, culminates in the

itself into

there

through

are

who You

others

incarnation.

and

spirit,

and never can be

nature, never have been

And

pure

which

consequently, spirits who, by their

are,

reach

their

incarnate.

perfection

will see, then, that the

nothing in common. For the space contained in the triangle, and separating on the one hand the apex from the base, and on the other hand the two opposing sides, is a space occupied by the planetary fluid. genii

the

astrals

have

There are but two eternal generations,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that

who begin from the Spirit and are and that of the created entities who a body exteriorly. The astrals are between

the celestials "

begotten

accrete

;

these two.

They

are as planes which cannot focus

the Divine Spirit, since their rays are reflected in all

and do not converge to a central point. They cannot know God. They are not microcosms. Man alone of the created entities is a microcosm, and directions,

this

contains celestial

because the Divine Spirit, the nucleolus,

necessarily the cell.

and the nucleolus

God in

potentiality of

are all the

the whole

Gods included

the perfected created cell

;

is,

Clothed with the Sun:'

Every man

therefore, multiple. sun,

moon, and

The

[parti.

a planet,

having

stars.

man is his satellite. Man is a God â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the God of the man â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is his sun. and the moon of this planet is Isis, its initiator, or genius. The genius is made to minister to the man, and to genius of a

planet.

give him light.

But the

and

light he gives is

(and not of himself.

his function is to light

from God.

not a planet but a moon,

the dark places of his

planet.

The day and positive

and

night of the microcosm, man, are

passive, or projective

and

its

reflective states.

we communion with the God without In the reflective state we look inwards, we commune with our own heart we indraw and concentrate ourselves secretly and interiorly. In the projective state

aspire

and

will forcibly

seek actively outwards

we hold

;

active

;

During this condition the " Moon " enlightens our hidden chamber with her torch, and shows us ourselves in our interior recess.

Who

or what, then,

ourselves, affinity,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

this

moon?

and revolves with us. of whose order is it said,

It "

It is

part of

our celestial

Their angels do

always behold the face of My Father." Every human soul has a celestial affinity, which is part of his system and a type of his spiritual nature. This angelic counterpart is the bond of union between the

man and God

;

and

nature that this angel

in virtue

of his spiritual

Rudimenbut from the

attached to him.

tary creatures have no celestial affinity

;

NO. XIV.

moment

Concerning' ihe Genius or Daimon.

(2)

that the soul quickens, the cord of union

established.

of man's being a planet that he has

It is in virtue

a moon. If he were not fourfold, as

could not have one. Rudimentary

the planet, he

men

are not four-

They have not the Spirit. The genius is the moon to the planet man, reflecting to him the sun, or God, within him. For the divine Spirit which animates and eternises the man, fold.

the

And

God

this

of the man, the sun that enlightens him.

sun

and not the outer and planetary

is,

man, that his genius, as

Thus attached plement of the of

converse riot

man

;

and

the planet's.

his

sex

And

The

but the God, his light

reflects

man

him.

the com-

always the

because he

the planet, but the sun, not the

astrals),

the

satellite,

to the planet, the genius

(as

reflects,

do the

always to be trusted.

genius knows well only the things relating to

]:)erson to

whom

About other things

he ministers.

he has opinions only. spirit to his client, is

The

relation of the ministering

very well represented by that of

the Catholic confessor to his penitent. to keep

towards every penitent

regards the affairs of other souls. the case, there

would be no

would be

The

safe.

bound

order,

If this were not

and no secret knows about

genius of each one

another person only so chooses to reveal

profound secrecy as

much

as that other's genius

" Clothed loith the Sun. "

Part

[

part

(')

Now, there are two kinds of memory, the memory of the organism and the memory of the soul. The first is possessed by all creatures. The second, which is

obtained by Recovery, belongs to the fully regene-

man. For the Divine Spirit of a man isi not one with his soul until regeneration, which is the intimate union constituting what, mystically, is called the " marriage of the hierophant." When this union takes place, there is no longer need of an initiator for then the office of the genius is ended. For, as the moon, Isis, or " Mother," of the planet man, the genius reflects to the soul the Divine Spirit, with which she is not yet fully united. In all things is order. Wherefore, as with the planets, so with the microcosm. Thefy who are nearest Divinity, need no moon. But so long as they have night, so long, that is, as any part of the soul remains unilluminated, and her memory or perception obscure, so long the mirror of the angel continues to reflect the sun to the soul. rate

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

For the memory of the soul three-fold operation,

moon, and of the spirit.

she receives

can

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that

sun. tell

The

recovered

by a

of the soul herself, of the genius is not an informing

nothing to the soul.

All

But

that

already within in the darkness of the night, it would remain there undis9.

London,

herself.

May

28, 1881.

Received in sleep.

NO. XIV.

Concerning the Genius or Daimon.

(2)

covered, but for the torch of the angel

who

enlightens.

his

client,

Yea,"

says

angel

the

illuminate thee, but

treasure

attend, but

within thyself.

light

" I

warn

lead not.

Thy

thee not.

instruct

thee, but I fight not.

genius

showeth where

lieth."

When Spirit

regeneration

alone

instructs

fully attained,

the

the divine "

hierophant.

For the

of his city shall never be shut there shall be no night there the night shall be no more. And they shall not need the light of the lamp, because gatesi

;

Lord God

the is

man

The prophet The Christ is a

shall enlighten them."

illumined by his angel.

married to the Spirit. And he returns out of redeem, needing no more to return

man

pure love to

own sake. Wherefore he is said come down from heaven. For he hath attained, and is a medium for the Highest. He baptiseth with the Holy Ghost, and with the Divine Fire itself. to the flesh for his

it is

always

l:)ecause

in heaven."

And

in that

he ascendeth,

the Spirit uplifteth him, even the Spirit

who descendeth upon

And

in that he ascended beyond For he that all Sipheres into the highest Presence. ascendeth, ascendeth because he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth. He that descended is the same also who ascendeth above all the heavens,

descendeth,

it is

him.

because he has

first

Such an one returns, therefore, fill all things." from a higher world he belongs no more to the " domain of Dionysos. But he comes from the " sun

;

" Clothed

-with the Sun.''

part

[

or from some nearer sphere to the sun than having passed from the lowest upwards. And what of the genius himself? I asked. Is he sorry when his client attains perfection, and needs him no more ? And he said, " He that hath the bride is the bridegroom. And he that standeth by rejoiceth greatly itself,

ours

;

because

therefore, to

and

bridegroom's

the

source, for

Sabbath

come.

voice."

my mission And I am

return,

ended,

one with

the twain.

Here he led me into a large chamber where I saw four bullocks lying slaughtered upon altars, and a number of persons standing round in the

And

act of adoration.

from the

spirits

above, in

fumes arising

the

of the blood, were misty

colossal

from the waist upwards, and resembling the Gods. And he said " These are Astrals. And thus will they do until the end of shapes, half- formed,

the world."

After this instruction concerning the degradation of religion through the materialisation of the spiritual doctrine of sacrifice, he resumed

The

genius, then, remains with his client so long as

man

the

fourfold.

Christ has none. is

one.

and that

And

For

this

astral body. is,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

no genius.

beast has

latent light.

one becomes two

And

these

;

that

is,

That body

two become three

is born in the midst of the This rational soul is the true Person.

a rational soul

astral body.

first, all is

Coticeming the Genius or Datmoii.

NO. XIV. (2)

From

moment,

that

an an animal. These three become four that is, human. And the fourth is the Nous, not yet one with the soul, but overshadowing it, and transmitting light as it were through a glass, that is, through the initiator. But when the four become three that is, when the " marriage " takes place, and the soul and spirit are individual

therefore, this personality is

as a plant or as

existence,

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

indissolubly united,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; there

of migration or of genius.

no longer need either For the Nous has become

and the cord of union is dissolved. become twain at the dissolution of the body and again, the twain become one with the

And

soul,

yet again, the three ;

one, that

and the is

celestial

;

identical.

that

is,

nature with the Divine light.

the soul

Spirit

genius, therefore, are not to be regarded as

diverse, nor yet as

and

The Divine

the Christ-spirit-soul.

is,

;

The is

genius

spirit,

for his light

as a glass, as a cord, as a

and her divine

part.

flame,

and one is

the divine

bond between the

clear

at-

mosphere through which the divine ray passes, making a path for it in the astral medium. In the celestial plane,

all

things are personal.

And

bond between the soul and spirit is a But when a man is "bom again," he no person. longer needs the bond which unites him to his divine

therefore the

source.

The

that source the genius the genius

genius, or flame, therefore, returns

and

;

also is

this being itself united to the soul,

becomes one with the twain.

For

the divine light in the sense that he

" Clothed with the Stm.'

[

part

but a divided tongue of it, having no isolating vehicle. But the tincture of this flame differs according to the celestial atmosphere of the particular soul. The divine light, indeed,

is white, being seven in one. a flame of a single colour only.

But the genius

And

he takes from the

this colour

soul,

and by that

ray transmits to her the light of the Nous, her divine spouse.

The

angel-genii are of all the tinctures of

the colours.

all I

have said that

in the celestial plane all things are

personal, but in the astral

The

genius

plane they are

a person because he

reflects.

a celestial, and

But the

astrals

are of fluidic nature, having no personal part.

In the

of soul-spirit, or substantial nature. celestial plane, spirit

unity

;

and thus are

and substance are

one, dual in

all celestials constituted.

But in

plane they have no individual, and no divine part. They are protoplasmia only, without the

astral

either nucleus or nucleolus.

The

God

voice of the genius

speaks through him as a

the voice of

man

God

;

for

through the horn of a trumpet. Thou mayest not adore him, for he is the instrument of God, and thy minister. But thou must obey him, for he hath no voice of his own, but sheweth thee the will of the Spirit.

NO.

Concerning the

(i)

Po'voers

of the

Air.''''

No. XV.

concerning the "powers of the

Part

air." do)

SAW I

last night in my sleep my genius clothed with a red flame and standing in a dark place. held in his hand a cup, into which he bade me

did

and

looked a mist gathered in I saw in the cloud spirits wrestling with each other. Then the cup seemed to look.

so,

the cup like a cloud

;

and

it became a great table upon which words and were written. And I saw the

widen, until scenes

vapour hlled with

astral spirits, ephemeral, flame-like,

and upon the mist which enveloped and swept around them was written, " The Powers of the chimerical

;

Air."

And

said to

genius,

which control mediums ? that

word Medium

the powers

which

They do not

;

smoke. lo. I.

control,

said, "

misleading.

and influence for they have no

See

spirits

not use

These are

Sensitives.

^^^

force. They Then he breathed on

and they were dispersed on all sides like I said, "Whence do these spirits come.

And

London, November

That

Are these the

affect

are light as vapour.

the table,

for

And

17, 1S80.

this is not intended to be

of Sensitives will be seen from Nos.

an exhaustive account of the experiences

XXXIX., XL., and

XLVL

7ÂŠ

and what answered,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

is "

Clotfied with the Sun.*^

origin

their

They

[

and nature ?

part

And

They have no

are Reflects.

he real

They resemble mists which from the damp earth of low-lying lands, and which the heat of the sun dispersesi Again, they are like vapours in high altitudes, upon which if a man's shadow falls he beholds himself as a giant. For these spirits invariably flatter and magnify a man to himself. And this is a sign whereby you may know them. They tell one that he is a king another, that he is a Christ another, that he is the wisest of mortals, and the like. For, being born of the fluids of the body, they are unspiritual and live of the body." " Do they, then," I asked, " come from within the

entity in themselves. rise

;

man ?

" All things," he replied, " come from within. A man's foes are they of his own household." " And how," I asked, " may we discern the astrals " from the higher s<pirits ?

" I

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

they are flattering have told you of one sign Now I will tell you of another. They always ;

spirits.

woman.

depreciate deadliest

foe

their signs. it

weak.

foolish.

And

the

Is there

they do this because their

Intuition.

And,

anything strong

these, too, are

Is there anything wise? they will Is there

anything sublime

And

make make it

they will

they will distort

do because they are exhalations of matter, and have no spiritual nature. Hence they pursue and persecute the Woman continu-

and travesty

ally,

it.

this they

sending after her a flood of eloquence like a

tor-

— NO. XV. (i) Concerning the

Powers of the Air. ^^

But it shall be in vain. For His throne, and she shall tread

rent to sweep her away.

God

shall carry her to

on the necks of them. "

Therefore the high Gods will give through a the interpretation which alone can save the

woman

A woman shall open the gates of the kingmankind, because intuition only can redeem. Between the woman and the astrals there is always enmity for they seek to destroy her and her office, world.

dom

and

to put themselves in her place.

;

delusive shapes

who tempted

They

are the

the saints of old with

exceeding beauty and wiles of love, and great show of affection flatter,

Am I,

and

Oh, beware of them when they

flattery.

for they spread a net for thy soul." I,

too,

then," I asked, " in

a Sensitive

danger

from them ?

And he said, And in that is your

strength No, you are a Poet. and your salvation. Poets are the children of the No poet can be Sun, and the Sun illumines them. vain or self -exalted for he knows that he speaks only because I must.' I sing,' he says, the words of God. Learn a truth which is known only to the Sons of God. The Spirit within you is divine. It is God. When you prophesy and when you sing, it is the Spirit within you which gives you utterance. It is the New Wine of Dionysos.' By this Spirit your body is enlightened, as a lamp by the flame within it. Now, ;

the flame

without the into

not the light.

which the

oil,

oil is

may

be there

bod*y, then, is the

lamp-case

for

Your

poured.

the

oil

And

this

— the

oil

—

your

soul,

flame

Clothed laith the

[part

Sun.'''

a fine and combustible fluid. And the is not bom of the oil,

the Divine Spirit, which

is conveyed to it by the hand of God. You may quench this Spirit utterly, and thenceforward you will have no immortality but when the lamp-case breal<s, the oil will be spilt on the earth, and a few fumes will for a time arise from it, and then it will expend itself and leave at last no trace. Some oilsi are finer and more spontaneous than others. The finest is that of the soul of the poet. And in such a medium the flame of God's spirit burns more clearly and powerfully, and brightly, so that sometimes mortal eyes can hardly endure its brightness. Of such an one the soul is filled with holy raptures. He sees as no other man sees, and the atmosphere about him is enkindled. His soul becomes transmuted into flame and when the lamp of his body is shattered, his flame mounts Can and soars, and is united to the Divine Fire. such an one, think you, be vain-glorious, or selfexalted, and lifted up? Oh, no, he is one with God, and knows that without God he is nothing. I tell no man that he is a reincarnation of Moses, of Elias, or But I tell him that he may have the of Christ Spirit of these if, like them, he be humble and selfabased, and obedient to the Divine Word."

but

;

Keep your controls.' and turn out temple for the Lord God of Hosts of it the mon^y-changers, the dove-sellers, and the dealers in curious arts, yea, with a scourge of cords if "

not,

then, seek after

;

need

be."

NO. XV. {2)

Concerning

i/ie

" Powers of tlie

Part "

Air.''

7;;

Tlic astral existences, although they are not in-

frequently the media of and operate as means of communi-

telligent personalities, are intelligent ideas,

cation between intelligent personalities.

Ideas, words,

whole systems of philosophy, may be borne in on the consciousness by means of the currents of magnetic force, as solid bodies are conveyed on a stream, though water is no intelligent agent. The minutest cell is an entity, for it has the power of selfpropagation, which the astral has not. It is an imprint only, a shadow, a reflect, an echo." " The atmosphere with which a man surrounds sentences,

himself

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;his soul's respiration â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Reverberations of his

His

-affects the astral fluid.

own

soul's breath colours

come back and savours what a ideas

to him.

sensitive

conveys to him. But he may also meet with contradictions, with a systematic presentation of doctrine or of counsels at variance with his own personal views,

through his mind not being

sufficiently positive to

control all the manifestations of the electric agent.

The

influence of the medium, moreover, through Or, as is often which the words come, interposes. the case, a magnetic battery of thought has overcharged the element and imparted to it a certain

Thus, new doctrines are in the air,' and spread like wildfire. One or two strongly positive current.

— Clolfied with the

''^

74«

minds give the initiative through the whole mass of "

man

the

who

[parti.

and the impulse

;

ingly influencing all

Suny

are in relation with

as(tral fluid

flies

latent light, correspondit."

becomes transformed into

human life at the moment of conception. It is the envelope of the soul, and constitutes the sideral body, which, in

its turn, is

The

body.

immortal

— consists

the generator

man

internal

—he

of soul and

who

the

external

ultimately

The

spirit.

sideral

phantom and the outer body are perishable, save when they undergo transmutation during the tenancy of the soul and spirit. Hence the sideral body, being the

inclining

over

generator to

spirit.

— gives

matter

intuitive part of

represent,

sense,

Tempter,' which

matter

man.

In this

givest

way

good and

precedence

the

time and of sense,

respectively,

day that thou

the

beguiles the

spirit evil.

and matter For, in the

thyself over to matter, thou

becomest liable to extinction."

No. XVI.

CONCERNING THE DEVIL AND DEVILS.

BEING

^2)

unable to reconcile the statement that there is no personal Devil, but that what is called the Devil is simply the negation of God, with the evidences of the possession of individuals by i.

Paris, October 26, 1877.

Concerning the Devil aud Devils.

NO. XVI ] devils or

evil

spirits, I

received

75 sleep

this

positive

evil

explanation. "

There

supreme

personal

existence such as the Devil to be. to

There

God what the

system.

bad men on

extinction.

ordinarily supposed

only the negation of God, which

darkness

solar

souls of

And

But there are their

these are

partly

order

evil

spirits,

downward road wont

selves with persons in the flesh for aiTinity,

is>

to light, the outermost void

gratify

the

final

associate them-

whom their

they have evil

pro-

by inciting them to wickedness and mischief, and partly to obtain from them the vitality necessary to prolong their own existence Sometimes they are so low in vitality that a sentence of expulsion from the person in whom they have taken refuge, involves their immediate extinction, unless they can find other location, though it be only in an animal And this was the case with the devils whom Jesus, on expelling them, suffered to enter into the herd of swine. For it is the fact that the disorders of men do in some cases result from their possession by distinct personal entities as foreign and evil spirits, and are not merely disorders of their own physical Evil spirits have no chief, no organisaconstitution. tion, or solidarity, nothing that corresponds to God. The worse they are the lower they are, and the The conditions which attract nearer to extinction. them are due to men themselves."

pensities

" Clothed

"txith

[part

the Sun.'"

No. XVII.

CONCERNING THE GODS.

TRUE It is

(3)

Idea is the reflect of a true Substance. because religious ideas are true ideas that

common to all ages and peoples the differbeing of expression merely, and due to the variation of density and character of the magnetic atmosphere through which the image passes. The they are

;

ences

fact that every nation in every age has conceived, in

some shape, of the Gods,

Gods

constitutes of itself a proof

For Nothing projects no and where an image is universally perceived, there is certainly an object which projects it. An Idea, inborn, ineradicable, constant, which sophism, ridicule, or false science has power to break only, but not to dispel an image which, however disturbed, invariably returns on itself and reforms, as does the image of the sky or the stars in a lake, however the reflecting water may be momentarily shaken by a stone or a passing vessel such an image as this is necessarily the reflection of a real and true thing, and no illusion iDcgotten of that the

really are.

image upon the magnetic

light

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the water itself. .V

London, Uecenilier

20, 1880.

Spoken

in trance.

E.M-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

NO. XVIII.]

Concerning the Greek Mysteries.

In the same manner the constant idea of the Gods, persistent in all

for

is verily,

minds in all ages, is a true image and in no metaphoric sense, the pro;

upon the human perception of the Eidoln of The Eidolon is the reflection of a true object in the magnetic atmosphere and the magnetic atmosphere is a transparent medium, through which the soul receives sensations. For sensation is the only means of knowledge, whether for the body or for the reason. The body perceives by means of the five avenues of touch. The soul perceives in like manner by the same sense, but of a finer sort, and put into action by subtler agents. The soul can know nothing not perceptible and nothing For that which is not can not perceptible is real. give no image. Only that which is can be reflected. jection

the

Divine persons.

;

No. XVIII.

CONCERNING THE GREEK MYSTERIES.

the celebration of the mysteries of Phoibos IN Apollo, was forbidden to eat anything upon it

which terrestrial fire had passed. Wherefore all the food of his votaries was sun-bal<ed, and his chief sacrifice consisted in fruits from high trees ripened by the sun's rays.

(J.

London, March

27, 1881.

Received

in sleepÂť

E.M.

Clothed

'''

With

â&#x20AC;˘voith

the Sun."'

these mysteries of Apollo

those of Zeus and Hera, the

both

cause

[parti.

were associated

King and Queen,

man and woman

be-

are admitted to the

and also because Eve and Adam, being thus initiated, were eaters only of fruits uncooked

highest

;

and, in one of the historical senses of the allegory.

Eve and Adam were

the first Messengers. It was an offence against Phoibos and Zeus for their votaries to eat anything on which fire had Their wine was the passed, or any fermented wine. pure juice of the grape drunken new, and their bread was unleavened and sun-baked The last Messengers must be initiated, as were Eve and Adam, into these inmost and highest mysteries of the perfect humanity, which constitute the highest of all castes, and entitle those who attain to them to sit on the golden seats. (5) These mysteries have also an inward significance which is not hard to find. In the mysteries of Phoibos and Zeus, the initiated attained to the condition of a grand Hierophant. (" See I tell you all things.") He was enlightened by the " sun," and was in the fourth interior circle of spirits, which is that of the Christs of God. ^5) To this interior circle Jesus of Nazareth aimed to pass after his resuscitation as was implied when he said, " I will drink no more of the grape until I drink its blood therefore,

;

new

in the

kingdom of God."

See No. XXIV.

Comp.

Hymn

;

also " Dreanus and Dreaiii-Stories," No. IX.

tq Phqibos, Part

II.,

No. XI,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; NO. XVIII.

In the the

Concerning the Greek Mysteries.

]

of Hermes, the second

mysteries

God who guards

the Soul,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

circle,

was forbidden

any creature which had life, or, seeing eyes. C^) For Hermes is the

to eat

which had Seer. His votaries partook only of vegetable food, which might be cooked with terrestrial fire, and of wine, which might rather,

be fermented.

Next the sea

and

are truly fire,

were the orgies of Her who rose from might eat fish which having fins and scales, but baked with

in order ;

in these the initiates

fish,

not raw.

Wherefore as that Goddess

the Angel

of Harmony, or of the Sweet Song, the eating of fish became a symbol of brotherly love and union and two small fishes together was the mystical type of ;

little

children dwelling together in unity or charity.

(8)

For fishes swim in pairs and He who fished for men drew them unto him by love. And all fishers were under the protection of the Sea-Queen. There are two mystical truths belonging to the mysteries of and they are, in their interior Maria the Sea-Star two fishes which sense, the Jesus imparted to the multitude. Of this I shall tell you more afterwards when I speak to you of the twelve baskets of bread. For these are the baskets which the twelve virgins ;

;

carried in the divine orgies.

In the mysteries of Bacchos outer circle to eat,

save of the unclean. 7.

Comp. Comp.

Hermes

Hymq

was permitted

indeed they would, of

This

they might eat of

is>

II., No. XII. No. XIV. (2.)

to his Neophytes, Part

of Aphrodite, Part

II.,

to the

all flesh

(2.)

all

" Clothed

toith the

Sunr

[part

clean beas>ts of the field and birds of the air. This was the fourth and lowest caste. But the votaries of

lacchos (the mystic Bacchos), having higher

rites,

known

all

the

abstained from these things, though they

allowed thsm to the multitude who are in the body For none of those who worshipped Dionysos (or lacchos) were uninitiated in the rites of Demeter only.

And

and Aphrodite.

for this reason there were sub-

Dionysos those of Ceres, in which the use of flesh was entirely prohibited. For this reason also one hears not of the mysteries of Bacchos save in connection with wine, whether fermented or not for the interior significance of his rites had reference to the truth and meaning of things. The orgies of Ceres and Bacchos were therefore united, the Goddess being honoured in her bread, and the God in his chalice of truth. For stituted for the mysteries of

the Earth-Mother,

;

in that

these are

body and

spirit,

solid

and

fluid,

outer andf inner, they comprise all things in earth aÂŤd in heaven.

And beyond

the circle of Dionysos lay yet another

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that of a God who also had

indeed his orgies, but

these were forbidden save in certain fierce nations

barbarous times.

Man

For

in the mysteries

and

of Ares, the

human flesh and war together with man. outside the kingdom of the fourfold

of War, they sacrificed and ate

the flesh of horses, which also

For

this circle is

circles,

and belongeth

star is red, as

to the beasts of prey. with the blood of the slain.

orgies of Ares the

And

his

But the

Ram-headed no man celebrated

NO. XVIII.]

Coitcerning the Greek Mysteries.

save in war

;

and he who knew the God spared not For it was an

his life, but freel'y sacrificed himself.

abomination to eat at the altar of Ares in time of peace.

—

Yet hath Ares also his interior meaning Knowledge, thou are hard of access The Horse (which is the symbol of the intellect) dieth for thee, and the Warrior is pierced. Thou art the Man of War, and of iron are the wheels of thy chariot :

The Hebrew

Scriptures- describe the

Lord Jehovah,

or Logos, as operating as the Spirit of the fifth

when they speak of God

as a

Man

of War.

circle,

And

the

book of Wisdom (xviii. 15) thus represents Him. For the Divine Word takes many forms, appearing sometimes as one, sometimes as another, of His Seven Angels, or Elohim. These are only Seven, because this number comprises all the Spirits of God. So that when the seventh is passed, the octave l^eginsi again, and the same series of processes is repeated without, as reflects becoming by distance weaker and weaker of the same Seven Lights.

—

See that above

The

Caste.

all

things you teach the doctrine of

Christians

same as ladders whereby requiring the

They

made

serious mistake

rule of all persons.

Castes are

to ascend

from the lower

properly,

spiritual

to the

grades,

and

bear no relation to the outward condition of

life.

higher.

are,

has been number, and correspond to the fourfold nature of man. all

other

materialised.

doctrines,

The

castes

that

are

four

caste

''^

[parti.

Clothed with the Sun:'

The Daimons, Guardian Angels,

or Genii belong to

the order of Seraphs, or Serpents

Light,

which

surround and spring from the supreme orb. Hence the idea of the serpent as a fallen angel, the astrals being serpents of fire, springing from Hades, or the lower the material and astral world, which is the

—

obverse of the upper.

Venus, or Aphrodite,

celestial

binding power of sympathy which

The Apple

Harmony,

—that

purifies, enlightens,

hand is the Kosmos (denoting the world sustained and redeemed by Love). The Owl, sacred to Pallas, and the Cat to Hermes, are types, of the Seer. For Wisdom and Underand

beautifies.

in her

standing can behold things in dark places.

The

Spoiling of the Egyptians has a secondary

their sacred mysby the Hebrews The primary reference is to the enrichment and edification of the soul by means

reference to the appropriation of teries

of the lessons obtained through the experiences of the body, symbolised as Egypt. Air, Pallas, is the offspring of Ether, Jupiter, or

original Substance in is

universally

its

masculine aspect.

impossible to be excluded

rather,

The whirling atoms of ether, as

Ether

penetrating everywhere,

diffused,

or,

from anywhere.

the densest solids revolve in

do the planets

in space.

In a sense Ether

is space.

The

Soul, Persephone,

the daughter of Earth,

Demeter or Motion, and of Ether, Zeus or Rest, respectively the visible and invisible. To him who

Concerning the Greek Mysteries.

NO. xviii.]

knows the mysteries of Demeter of flesh

or Ceres, the eating

an abomination.

These mysteries contained, among other things, the to the elements by which on either side it is beset, namely, to motion and matter on the outer side, and to rest and spirit on the inner. Hence Demeter and her mysteries are of profound import, and relate to secrets the most interior. As the force which causes spirit to become relation of the soul

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

manifest

matter

earth,

she

the

Earth-

Mother and the power whereby germination occurs. Constituting all that is fixed and solid, she is creation, or manifestation

through action or motion,

And to her is due the by which her daughter Persephone or the soul is drawn outwards and downwards. Illusion, the " fiery " or electric body generated of motion, and operating as a veil to hide the the invisible

made

phenomenal or

visible.

illusive

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

inner reality,

following

Pluto

(the

Maya and Glamour

this

God

carried off to especially

and the soul Hades by its ruler ;

riches,

themselves,

products of the earth). Eating of the Pomegranate (the " Apple " of Eve), the is volatile becomes alchemically fixed, the soul incorporated with the body, and in part, at least, materialised, and is no longer " virgin " or pure, illusive as

Mystic

because

wedded

to flesh

who

and

sense.

the entreaty

immersion in matter, and consequent final loss, Zeus grants that she may divide her existence between the two worlds

of her mother

fears her total

— * Clothed -with

in the

and the heavenly, being of the Shades or those

or conditions, the earthly

—while

[part

the Sun."

— Queen

lower

who sleep, being unconscious of things spiritual. Thus the volatile or astral body, which is the

im-

mediate manifestation of the soul, is the daughter or product of Motion and Motion is the daughter of Time (Kronos or Saturn), and of Substance, which is Rhea, or the Holy Spirit in its feminine aspect. This last is the Great Mother, the original

—

Panthea.

;

The production of

body by body comes

the material

the fixing of the particles of the volatile

of the reversal of the poles of those particles through the outward tendency of the will of the individual,

and

its

separation or divergence from the divine or

central will.

The

force whereby Zeus, the central spirit, produces

and which also the soul same force whereby the system is transmuted and indrawn again to its divine centre and made volatile. The force is one, it is the will and direction that are various. the soul or ethereal body,

uses to project itself

still

further, is the

one application Persephone

the

grain

wheat, Ceres the soil, and Hades the darkness which hides the seed, until under solar influence it emerges

was through a misunderstanding of the mysteries of Ceres, and of the true meaning of the resurrection of the body, that the custom of burning the dead was given up for that of and returns

to the light.

burying them.

The Gods

of the elements, Athena

(air),

Poseidon

Concerning the Origin of Evil.

NO. XIX, (i)

Hephaistos

(water),

among hawng

the

(fire),

and

greatest,

and Demeter are

close to

(earth), are

the

throne,

universal sway, inasmuch as their empire

universal.

<5)

No. XIX.

CONCERNING THE ORIGIN OF

EVIL,

AND THE TREE

AS THE TYPE OF CREATION.

Part

do)

SPEAK of the the

represent

Tree and of its meaning. Of this Hindus understand more than you, for they their gods with many arms. This is be-

cause they recognise the fact that the type of all existence

a Tree, and that God's universal symbol

that of the vegetable kingdom.

for this

reason that the Tree was planted in the midst of the it was and is the type of all from which radiates the whole

garden, forasimuch as existence, the centre

of creation.

you on " is

Let the insight of the Hindus instruct

this matter."

You have demanded

a great subject, and 9. 10.

See Part n.. No. Xni.

wards.

E.M.

Part

This

we would have withheld

(2) and Appendix, p. XVI, note R. This part was written down by the seeress herself was spoken in the same condition immediately after-

Paris, July 21, 1877.

while in trance.

also the origin of Evil.

*â&#x20AC;˘

Clothed with the Sun."

[part

from you longer, but that it seems to us now that you are in need of it. Understand, then, that evil is tiK: result of creation. For creation is the projection of spirit into matter and with this projection came the first germ of evil. We would have you know that there is no such thing as purely spiritual evil, but ;

that evil If

the result of the materialisation of

you examine carefully

all

we have

cerning the various forms of

every one

Falsehood tion

will see that

the result of the limitations of matter.

the limitation of the faculty of percep-

selfishness

;

you

evil,

the result of the limitation of the

power to perceive that the whole universe larger Self and so of all the rest. It

isi,

;

God

that

created evil

and being purely and

;

but yet

Spirit,

Spirit, is incapable

then,

solely, the result

tion of God.

indicate

This

but the

then, true

true that

God

Evil

evil.

of the materialisa-

a great mystery.

can but

and deep and

see a lake, vast

whether

can perceive.

lake or sea.

it is

bright.

waters are so clear that

Its

overspread by a flood of nebulous

diffused in all parts

;

and now, as

not

has no borders that

see the pebbles shining at the bottom, if It is

to-night."

Part

certain

spirit.

said to you con-

could

had

light,

one.

evenly

look, the light has

bicome concentrated into flowers, and between them

Concerning the Origin of Evil.

NO. XIX. (2)

are spaces of darkness caused

by the withdrawal of

the Hght into the flowers.

a vast floating garden

It is

of flowers, and in the midst of the garden

The

a Tree.

arms everywhere. The garden is creation, the tree is God. And the tree seems in some weiy to be the flowers, and the flowers belong tree spreads out its

to the tree. tree

;

evades

cannot discern the material of the

look.

not light, but that of which light itself

manifestation.

of God's

Matter

made

will.

is it.

the

;

the intensification of Idea.

;

God willed it to be. Light is the result God said, " Let light be " and it was.

see

God

are the centrifugal

All things are

Spirit,

and the sub-

two forces ever

in operation.

of God's thought.

stance of things.

They

not matter

the divinity underlying

the substance of matter,

God

It is

and the

centripetal.

And

they

one and the same, for I see the force rebound back to God. Creation is ever being projected from God as. from a luminous centre it is always being drawn back again also. Some parts refuse to return they go into outer space they are lost. Let me see, can it be that they pass beyond the sphere Yes; I see that it is so, of the Divine attraction? and oh they are lost. The Spirit is withdrawn it is as if it were sucked out of them, and they wander are one

;

yes,

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

away rest,

into

darkness, and expend themselves.

who approach God, develop

becoming more and more for them.

They continue

do not become

lost in

God.

The

the Spirit in them,

God.

to exist.

God

They

the richer

return, but

" Clothed imth the Sun.''

[

part

was describing orbs in space, projected but, around which they circled looking closer, I see them as individuals. They have become persons. It must be that the method of creation is the same for all. God subsisted prior to creation there was a time when God did not create it was God's Sabbath of rest. Such Sabbaths recur, when there is no material universe. This is when the Divine mind ceases from thinking. For God to think is to create. Matter itit was first proself is a result of the Divine thought duced by the intensification of Idea. It appears to me fluidic. Spirit is that its first form was like water Divinity itself. God is dual. I see, on lookng closer, thought

from a

central sun

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

God

that through this duality is

produces creation. Evil

caused by creation, or the projection of

matter far

;

that

is spirit

is, it

enough from the Divine

Perception

one

;

versal percipience.

that

which

centre,

(i)

becomes matter.

perception

God is If we

itself.

God

modes is

uni-

both that which sees and all

could see

all,

hear

all,

and so forth, there would be no evil, for comes of the limitation of perception. Such

touch evil

is seen.

which, by being projected

the senses are specialised

God

of perception.

spirit in-to

all,

limitation

was

necessary, if

Aught

other than God.

than God.

Without

God was

produce aught

God must be less therefore, God would have

other than

evil,

remained alone. All things are God, according to the I

The

centre, that

is,

of the Divine operation, not of the Divine Bcinj^.

E.M.

NO. XX.

Concerning the Great Pyramid.

]

measure of the

And now

them.

spirit in

the nearest of all to

God

a woman.

89 I see

that

(2)

No. XX.

CONCERNING THE GREAT PYRAMID, AND THE INITIATIONS THEREIN.

SEE I

and can

you all about number of Ej^ypt corresponds to the number of

the Great Pyramid,

genius informs

the pyramids in

<3)

the mysteries of the Gods.

tell

that the

one has yet rightly

found out the purpose of the great

one.

was

built simply in order to serve in initiations.

see a

candidate and seven or eight hierophants going in procession with torches through the passiages.

Each

passage represents a m'ystery, the ciiief one leading to the " king's chamber." This represents tht greater mysteries. lesser

The

queen's chamber

The

mysteries.

represents

coffer in the king's

the

chamber

a measure representing the standard of the perfect Humanity. And in this the candidate was laid on is

his final initiation. It

appears to

that

sensations about

was once there myself. memory. It was

are like a

not built to be a prophecy, but 2. ,5

As type of tlie feminine or London, March

22, 1881.

may

serve as a

love aspect of the Divine Nature.

Spoken

in trance.

E.M.

90 prophecy.

the Desert,

Clot/wd with it is

symbolised

— the history, that

wilderness of the body. the individual,

and thus the

Wanderings

all the is,

of the soul in

the

In representing the soul of

represents the soul also of the race,

really a prophecy.

The new It

[parti.

Sun.''

i/ie

birth takes place in the king's chamber.

last

stage.

person

may

several times in various incarnations

The

be initiated

but he

;

re-

baptism " took place in It belonged to the lesser the queen's chamber. mysteries. It is neither initiation nor regeneration, but purification. There are four stages to be passed generated once for

all.

They correspond

before final initiation. elements, earth,

fire,

water,

and

air

to the four

and they

;

relate

respectively to the four corresponding divisions of

man's nature,

—the

body, the phantom

perisoul,

which are the four rivers of Eden. And the candidate has to be tested and proved in each of them by the " tempter." the soul,

The "

and the

spirit,

was accompanied by

initiate

mother," a priestess or Sibyl.

the Mysteries

garden or

;

was the

his sponsor or

central secret of

tree of life in the

midst of the

Immortality, the secret of Transmutation,

changing

The

water

Issa

alone able to do.

(spirit).

Thiss

(substance)

— the son of

Isis

incomprehensible

into

wine

— or Jesus, secret,

who

understand thee A soul, as has already been be initiated more than once, in several lives, but only once regenerated. For she the soul can only once be born of the spirit, or " wisdom."

shall said,

—

may

—

;

NO. XX.

To to

Concerning the Great Pyramid.

]

be regenerate is to be born into spirtiual life, and have united the individual will with the Divine

Will.

This union of the two wills constitutes the spiritual which is in the Gospels represented under the parable of the marriage at Cana of Galilee. This divine marriage, or union of the human and Divine Wills, is indissoluble whence the idea of the indissolubility of human marriage. And inasmuch as it is a marriage of the spirit of man to that of God, and of the Spirit of God to that of man, it is a double marriage. marriage, the accomplishment of

see

the ceremony

actually

taking place.

hierophant represents the Divine Spirit the

The

and he and

;

candidate face each other, and crossing their

arms grasp each with each hand a hand of the other. A soul may be partially and transiently illuminated by the Spirit the Spirit may even descend upon an individual and make him a prophet, and pass away ;

leaving him unregenerate, and out of the

God,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;as occurred to John the Baptist.

kingdom of But

it is

the

divine marriage only which constitutes regeneration, the sacrament of eternal marriage.

union the soul

divinely illuminated.

Patriarchs were ignorant. Spirit

was

fitful

and

this intimate

inmost recesses such marriage as this the

itself is reborn,

its

Their connection with the and they were there-

transient,

fore represented as living in concubinage.

have herein the reason why the Cup

to the laity.

"Of

every

tree," it is

denied

said to the unin-

" Clothed

92 itiate

â&#x20AC;˘with the

Sun."

[

part

Adam,

of the

tree

" thou mayest freely communicate. But of knowledge thou mayest not communi-

The wine is the spirit of interior truth, the understanding of which gives eternal life and to this the people cannot yet attain. They may receive only cate."

;

the

bread,

substance.

which represents only

the

This, however, contains

element

also the

spirit,

although unmanifested and unrecognised.

now

entirely

see the

pyramid

distinctly.

for initiations, so far as

concerned.

important

its

was

built

builders were

In these ceremonials the Reed played an part,

and

sacred

mythos

generally.

Thus, Moses was placed in a basket of reeds. The Hindu divinity Kartikya was sheltered in infancy

reeds.

The

mysteries of Ceres, or Demeter, were

carried in baskets of reeds, called canephora final stage in the initiation

of Jesus

reed also was placed in his

tion.

And

hand

;

and the

placed at Carta.

at his

condemna-

the virgin in the sacred marriage initia-

on it. This is growing in and out of the water, which denotes the soul, and being a straight rod, the reed denotes the spirit. In India the Lotus has the same significance. I perceive that Jesus had been initated in the mysteries of India and Egypt long before he was incarnated as Jesus^ and he appears to me as having been a Brahmin. tion also bore a reed with a cup

because,

The Egyptians and Hindus appear to be of the same race, having their mysteries in common. For I am shown one of each people riding together on an

— Concerning the

NO. XXI. ]

' '

Man

of Poimr.

Both countries were colonised

elephant.

time from Thibet, and from thence

all

93 at the

same

the mysteries

<^> In Egypt the initiations were generally pyramids and temples. In India and Palestine they were underground, in caves. In Cana of Galilee there is a large cave, which was used for the purpose, with a " banqueting " room.

proceeded. in

counting the pyramids.

see thirty-six, but

(s)

think there are more,

No. XXI.

CONCERNING THE

IHAVE

MAN OF POWER."

said that everything

the planet, so also

(6)

fourfold,

the man.

The

and as

perfect

—

man

has a fourfold outer body, gaseous, mineral, vegetable, and animal a fourfold sideral body, magnetic, odic, sympathetic, elemental a four fold soul,

—

;

suggested yet another application of the parable of the Deluge. Ark and if, as long supposed, it was once the sole home of spiritual knowledge in the world and centre whence it was diffused, it may be said of the ancient Thibetan mysteries as of the dwellers in the Ark, " Of them was the whole earth overspread." The facts are noteworthy that Thibet is the highest table-land on the globe, and that the word Ararat is identical with 4.

Herein

Thibet, like Thebes, signifies

;

E.M. the word Arhat, the Hindfl term for the summit of spiritual attainment. Concerning the method of recovery of these recollections, see note at end 5. of No. 6.

XXXII. London, December

in the speaker's

own

1880.

Sixiken in trance, but not, as in the foregoing, and so also ;

person, but under dictation heard interiorly

with the three utterances which follow.

E.M.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; " Clothed 'with the Sun.''

part

partaking of the sou lie elements of all grades through which he has passed, being elemental, instinctive, vital, rational and a triune Spirit, because there is no external to Spirit, desirous, willing, obedient. There nothing in is the universe save Man and the Perfect

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

Man "

is "

Christ Jesus."

Mercury

fecundated by

master and regenerator of

sulphur

" salt."

becomes the is

azoth, or

the universal magnesia (of the Alchemists), the great

magical agent, the light of light fecundated by animating force, or intellectual energy, which is the sulphur. As to salt, it is simple matter. Everything which is matter contains salt and all salt may be converted into pure gold by the combined action of sulphur and mercury. These sometimes act so rapidly that the transmutation may be made in an hour, an instant, almost without labour and without cost. At other times, owing to the contrary dispositions of the atmospheric medium, the opera;

tion

may

fixed

;

necessitate days, months, or years.

mercury

volatile.

The

fixation

Salt

of the

the volatilisation of the applying to the fixed the sulphuretted mercury, or the astral fluid rendered powerful by the secret operation of the soul, the mastery over nature is obtained. The two terms of

the synthesis

volatile

fixed

the analysis.

isi

;

are materialisation and transmutation. These two terms are those of the " Great Work," the redemption of spirit from matter.

the process

Miracles are natural effects of exceptional causes.

NO. xxr.

Concerning the

The man who has fearing nothing,

The

Man

of Power

and

arrived at wishing for nothing

master of

all.

Initiate of the highest

grade

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

who has

power to command the elemental spirits, and thereby can, through to hush the storm and still the waves the same agency, heal the disorders and regenerate the functions of the body. And this he does by an exercise of his will which sets in motion the magnetic fluid.

Such a person, an Adept or Hierarch of magnetic science,

And

necessarily, a person of

is,

it is

For

found.

it is

to congregate. first

arose

many

incarnations.

principally in the East that these are to be

;

there that the oldest souls are

It is in

and the

the East that

soil

and

human

wont

science

there are

astral fluid

charged with power as a vast battery of many piles. So that the Hierarch of the Orient both is himself an older soul and has the magnetic support of a chain of older souls, and the earth beneath his feet and the medium around him are charged with electric force in a degree not to be found elsewhere.

Now, odic

body The phenomenal body

the odic or sideral

the man.

body

is is

the real

the

The

not necessarily of the same shape or

appearance as the outward body, but nature of

body of

secondary.

soul.

The

creation of

man

of the in

the

image of God " before the transgression," is the picture that is, having an odic of the man having power body in which the elements were not fixed, a body such as that of the " risen Christ." What I have ;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

" Clothed

-with tlw

Sun."

said concerning the volatilisation of

the understanding of

this.

part

[

help to

salt, will

But when the

" sin

had been committed, then man ceased to have power over his^ own body, and thus became a " pillar of salt," fixed and material. He was " naked." The man thus referred to attained power over his body by evolution from rudimentary l^eing and at last, becoming polarised, received the Divine Flame of Deity, and thereby the power over " salt." But by reason of perverse will to the outer, he depolarised, and thereby fixed the volatile. Then he knew that he was " naked," and so lost " Paradise." idolatry

;

Can Paradise be

Cross "

Adam "

all die,

And

alive.

celestial its

regained?

and Resurrection of

lives.

so in

forasjnuch

Christ

through the

the

shall

For, all

earthly

made

dies,

the

The body can be transmuted

into

prototype, the magnetic body.

of the adept.

Yes,

" Christ."

This

the worlc

The magnetic body can be abandoned

and the soul set free. This is the work of post mortem evolution. But to transmute phenomenal body, magnetic body, and soul alike into spirit, this is the work of " Christ." " I have power," said Jesus, " over my l3ody, to lay it down and to take it up again." to the odic fluid,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

You have said to me, " 1/ the odic or sideral body be the maker of the physical bady, how can this differ in form from it ? How can a man be outwardly human, and really a wolf, a hare, or a dog? " When you become an adept you will know that

Concerning the

NO. XXI.]

''^

Man

of Power.

The

such fact involves no contradiction.

of the sideral

body are not sudden.

97 transitions It

becomes

gradually, and does not undergo changes by cataclysm.

human

already partly

before

ceased to wear the form of a rudimentary man, is, of an animal. You have seen you beheld the human shape

torture

the

laboratory.

this in visions

And

(')

has

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that when

creatures

under

is still

partly

rudimentary when it puts on the human. in its lower propensities may strengthen

Indulgence

it in its old former propensities. On the other hand, aspiration towards the divine, will

likeness,

and accentuate

accelerate the change,

lower attributes.

its

and cause it That which

to lose altogether is

bom

of flesh

image of the flesh but that which cometh from the beyond is of the beyond. The womb can

in the

;

bring forth only

its

own

kind,

the

semblance

and as soon as the human is attained, even in the least degree, the soul has power to put on the body of humanity. Hence the odic body always possesses some attribute of humanity. and in such case it But it may lose this by sin returns, by a fresh incarnation, to the form of the beast. Of such returns to the lower form, some are but most are retributory. The purely penitential adept can see the human in the beast, and can of the generators

;

tell

whether the soul therein

can

an ascending

the soul

see

See " Dreams and Dream-Stories." No. XIV.,

"The

a descending 7.

also

ground,"

soul.

L.iboratory Under-

;

[part

Clothed with the Sun."

man and all men are not to him of the same If your eyes were opened, shape or appearance. you would be astonished at the number of animals you meet in the streets, and the scarcity of men. The parable of the enchanted City, in the eastern a

;

fablesi, is

descriptive of this mystery.

No. XXII.

CONCERNING THE "WORK OF POWER."

YOU have

asked

difficult one,

and

the

if it is

Work

(8)

of Power

open to

all.

open to all potentially and eventually, but not and in the present. In order to regain power and the resurrection, a man must be a Hierarch that is to say, he must have attained the magical age This age is attained by having acof thirty-three. complished the Twelve Labours, passed the Twelve Gates, overcome the Five Senses, and obtained dominion over the Four Spirits of the elements. He must have been born Immaculate, baptised with Water and with Fire, tempted in the Wilderness, crucified and buried. He must have borne Five Wounds on the Cross, and he must have answered It is

actually

the riddle of the Sphinx. 8.

London, December

1880.

When

this

Received in sleep.

accomplished

This chapter " refers to

souls so far advanced as to have well-nigh done with materiality and to no longer

need the lessons or the earth to Mrs. T.) S.H.H.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

life " (

Letter dated, August 8th, 1890; from E.M.

Concerning the

NO. XXII.]

free

matter,

and

Work of Power.''

have a

will never again

phenomenal body.

Who who

shall

attain to this

perfection?

The Man who

without fear and without concupiscence

;

has courage to be absolutely poor and absolutely chaste. When it is all one to you whether you have gold or whether you have none, whether you have a house and lands or whether you have them not,

whether you have worldly reputation or whether you are an outcast,â&#x20AC;&#x201D; then you are voluntarily poor. It is not necessary to have nothing, but it is necessary to care for nothing. When it is all one to you whether

you have a wife or husband, or whether you celibate,

then you are free from concupiscence.

not necessary to be a virgin

;

value on the

There

flesh.

attain as this equilibrium.

it is

necessary to set no

nothing so

Who

with his goods without regret?

are It is

difficult to

he who can part

Who

who

never consumed by the desires of the flesh?

But

when you have ceased both to wish to retain and to burn, then you have the remedy in your own hands, and the remedy

one,

and a

terrible ordeal.

Nevertheless, be not afraid.

Deny

a hard

and a sharp

and above all the taste and the touch. The power is within you if you will to attain it. The Two Seats are vacant at the Celestial Table (^\ if you will put on Christ. Eat no dead thing.

the five senses,

See No. XVIII., " Concerning the Greek Mysteries.' 9. and Dream-Stories," No, IX., The Banquet of the GoÂŤU." '

Also, "

Dreams

;

[parti.

Clothed with the Sun."

loo

Drink no fermented drink. Make living elements of the elements of your body. Mortify the members of earth. Take your food full of life, and let not the touch of death pass upon it. You understand me, Remember that without self-imbut you shrink. Deny the molation, there is no power over death. touch. Seek no bodily pleasure in sexual comIf you munion let desire be magnetic and soulic. indulge the body, you perpetuate the body, and the end of the body is corruption. You understand me

all

;

again, but

Remember

you shrink.

that without self-

no power over death. Deny the taste first, and it will become easier to deny the touch. For to be a virgin is the crown of discipline. I have shown you the excellent way. and it is the Via Dolorosa. Judge whether the

denial and restraint there

resurrection

worth

kingdom be worth

the

passion

obedience

the

;

whether

the

whether

the

power be worth the suffering. When the time of your calling comes, you will no longer hesitate.

When

man

has attained power over his body, the

process of ordeal is

under a vow

;

no longer necessary.

the Hierarch

is free.

The

Initiate

Jesus, therefore,

came eating and drinking for all things were lawful to him. He had undergone, and had freed his will. For the object of the trial and the vow is polarisation. When the fixed is volatilised, the Magian is But before Christ was Christ he was subject free. ;

and

his initiation lasted thirty years.

All things are

Concerning the

so. XXII.]

lawful to the Hierarch value of

When

;

Work of Power.''

for he

loi

knows the nature and

all.

the elements of the

body

endowed with spirits, and

are

power, they are masters of the elemental

can overcome them. But while they are yet under bondage, they are the slaves of the elementals, and the elementals have power over them. Now, Hephaistos is a destroyer, and the breath of fire is a touch of death. The fire that passes on the elements of your food, deprives them of their vital spirit, and gives you a corpse instead of living substance. And not only so, but the spirit of the fire enters into the elements of your body, and sets up in all its molecules a consuming and a burning, impelling to concupiscence, and to the desire

of the

The

flesh.

spirit

of the

fire is

a subtle

spirit,

a penetrative and diffusive spirit, and it enters into the substance of all matter upon which it actst When, therefore, you take such substance into your organism,

you take with late

the spirit of the

fire,

and you assimiit has become

together with the matter of which

a part. If you would I sijeak to you of excellent things. become a man of power, you must be master of the fire. The man who seeks to be a hierophant, must

He may begin his initiation in a it there. complete For he must city, but he cannot not breathe dead and burnt air. In a city you respire you breathe air upon which the flame has passed not dwell in

cities.

;

fire,

all

and it consumes your blood. The man who seeks power must be a wanderer, a dweller in the plain

102

*'^

Clothed loith the

Sun"

[parti.

and the garden and the mountains. He must seek the sun, and the breath of night. He must commune with the moon and stars, and maintain direct contact with the great electric currents of the unbumt air, and with the grass and unpaved soil of the planet. It is in

unfrequented places, or in lands such as those of

the East, in parts where the abominations of Babylon

unknown, and where the magnetic chain between and heaven is strong, that the man who seeks power, and who would achieve the Great Work must accomplish his initiation. The number of the human microcosm is thirteen four for the outward body, four for the sideral body, four for the soul, and one for the Divine Spirit. For, although the Spirit is Triune it is One, and can be but One because it is God, and God is One. At the Last Supper, therefore, in which the Magians symbolise the Banquet of the Microcosm, there are twelve apostolic elements and one Christ. But if one of the elements be disobedient and a traitor, the Spirit is quenched and death ensues. are

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

earth

;

Concerning Regeneration.

NO. xxiii.]

103

No. XXIII.

CONCERNING REGENERATION,

THE

difference between the "

the mere prophet

d"^

Son of God

the former

and

born born of a

that

and is therefore said to be " virgin." But regeneration is a union of the soul and spirit, and is not a process in which the body bears a In the " Baptism " Jesus received the .^on, or part. " Dove," and was filled with the Holy Ghost, becomregenerate, (i)

ing a

Medium

for the Highest.

The

Christ

in-

formed from within, and " needeth not that any man should tell him for he knows what is in man." But the adept receives from without, and is instructed by ;

others.

The

" occultist,"

is at best a religious If occultism were he is not a " saint." all, and held the key of heaven, there would be no need of " Christ." But occultism, although it holds the " power," holds neither the " kingdom " nor the " glory." For these are of Christ. The adept knows

adept, or

scientist

10.

;

London, June

i88i.

Received in sleep,

the advisability of studying occult science. I.

I.e., his

own

always the " motlier endix, p. x.xvi.

answer to an inquiry

soul purified from taint of materiality, "

E.M

respecting:

E.M.

of the mystic or interior man.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

soul being

See " Definitions

Ap-

â&#x20AC;˘

104

Suny

ClotJied uoith the

[part

not the kingdom of heaven, and " the least in this kingdom are greater than he." " Desire first the kingdom of God and God's righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." As Jesus said of Prometheus, <2) " Take no thought for to-morrow. Behold the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, and trust God as these." For the saint has faith ;

;

the adept

has knowledge.

the adepts

oc-

cultism or in physical science could suffice to man, I would have committed no message to you. But the two are not in oppositioiL All things are yours, even the kingdom and the power, but the glory is to God. Do not be ignorant of their teaching, for I would have you know all. Take, therefore, every means to know. This knowledge is of man, and cometh from the mind.

you

Go, therefore, to

man

learn

will be perfect, learn also of these."

wisdom which

man may

from above,

above

begin from within, that

all."

it.

"If

"Yet the For one

with wisdom, one with love. Blessed is the man who chooseth wisdom, for she leaveneth all things. And another man may begin from without, and that which is without is power. To such there shall be a thorn in the flesh. For it is hard in such case to But if a man be first wise attain to the within. inwardly, he shall the more easily have this also For he is born again and is free. added unto him.

and wisdom

is,

(-'^

A term

which

si);iufies

forethought.

The remonstrance

anxiety and alarm on the soul's behalf while in distrust of the divine sufficiency. 3.

/,e.,

the Hesh itself

See Appendix,

their thorn,

E.M.

tlie

ag'ainst

undue

path of duty, as implying ix. note J. E.M.

Concerning Regeneration.

NO. XXIII.]

Whereas

freedom.

Nevertheless,

also

you

excellent

great

way than

Wisdom you led

are

justified.

astray.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and

in this

have shown you a more Yet both Ishmael and

theirs.

and of

Isaac are sons of one father, is

;

buy

adept

the

bid you seek

But

shall find.

must

price

105

all

her children

neither are they wrong, nor

The

goal

same

the

;

but their

way

They take the kingdom is harder than yours. by violence, if thdy take it, and by much toil and But from the time of Christ agony of the flesk within you, the kingdom is open to the sons of I would have God. Receive what you can receive And if you have served you know all things. ;

seven years for wisdom, count

best beloved, fruitful.

Leah hath many

But her eye

you Rachel

beauty better to

not single

given

first,

may suffice. I say know all things, for

she looketh two

;

above only. But and perchance her is

not, if

Rachel bear the

sons, eind is exceeding

ways, and seeketh not that which to

not loss to serve

For

seven years for power also.

let

suffice

;

it is

all,

how

you know not

can you judge all ? For as a man heareth. so must he judge. Will you therefore be regenerate in the without, as well as in the within

newed

in the body,

but you

be baptised into John's baptism, the

For they are

in die soul. if

man

It is

re-

well to

receive also

But some know not so much as any Holy Ghost. Yet Jesus also, being

Holy Ghost.

that there is

himself regenerate in the

spirit,

baptism of John,

for thus

sought unto the

became him

fulfil

''^

io6

himself in "

the

Dove

perfect, seek is

without

And

all things. "

wheel of

having

descended on him. both that which

life,"

fulfilled, behold,

If then

you

v^ill

within and that which

of being, which shall be complete in you. ^"^

and the

;

[part

Clothed "with the Sun.''

circle

the

No. XXIV.

CONCERNING THE MAN REGENERATE.

(5)

YOUhimhavecame

been told that Jesus and those like back voluntarily and were born

under conditions different from the ordinary, in that they had accomplished

some degrees of These degrees are twelve in

generation. constitute

twelve

labours,

their all,

gates,

re-

and

twelve

pearls, all of which are of equal value. Jesus was born regenerate in certain degrees, and the whole were completed only after his " resurrection," during the retirement which ended in his " ascensiori" The last

degrees are the most

difficult.

There are four

for the soul, four for the perisoul (or astral),

for the body, this being the that Paul

With some

this

does not hinder the The above

ly ascertained, is 5,

And

and four was this

was so anxious to accomplish, but failed to the body is never redeemed but

do.

last.

;

divine marriage

interpretation concerning Rachel and Leah, as

on the

London, July

Kabala. E.M Received in sleep. See also No.

of the

we subsequent-

lines of the

9, 1881.

XXXIH. E.M

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

NO. XXIV.]

Coitcerning the

Man

Regenerate.

107

and spirit. This marriage facilitates the redemption of the body, but may take place without soul

it.

There are four zones or divisions

and

the reflect of Jesus

in the astral light,

in the highest only,

and

cannot be seen by those who have access only to the lower and not being strengthened by the shadow of ;

Jesus, it has become fainter, until now it hardly perceptible. This is because his body was

the is

body of

indrawn.

<^^

Jesus had a great advantage partly to his

own

his

regenerate condition,

Owing

that of his parents.

mother's blood, she

said to have

the

birth, owing and partly to

purity of his

come of a

priestly

For the same reason his father is said to have come of a royal descent, for the terms " Tribe of Levi " and " House of David " have a mystic family.

meaning.

(')

The sanctity of any particular Christ is dependent upon the aldvance made by him previously to his birth. Jesus had in this respect an advantage over Buddha. He was regenerate in more degrees, and he had no sexual relations as had Buddha. The Twelve Labours xefer each to some concupiscence, which is depicted under the figure of a ravenous bird, horse, or some other animal which requires to be 6.

Some

occultists

have made

their

own failure to discern

a failure here accounted forâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; a frround for denying his

the reHect of Jesus

e.xistence.

E.M.

For another and more profound meaning- of the derivation from David, see note to No. XXXVHI. E.M. 7.

— • Clothed with

io8

Sun."

the

[part

And Jesus had previously accomplished Labour denoting that particular kind of con-

subdued. the

cupiscence.

Now, of men some must needs be

satisfied

first

The£€ are regenerate first in the mind and afterwards they attain to the kingdom. But some begin from within and these are the most blessed. For they seek the kingdom first, and the rest is added to them afterwards. intellectually.

;

These last begin the Great Work in the heart, by means of the affection. And the grace of love attracts the Holy Spirit, and transmutes them from glory to glory, so that the reason, or* mind, is suddenly enlightened by the inner reason and with such the work of regeneration is instantaneous, " in the twinkling of an eye." These are of the type of

—

;

woman. But others— and these are of the masculine type must perform their work more laboriously for in them the mind is first illuminated. They pass from without inwards; from the circumference to the

the

;

centre.

And

of ultimates

With

;

this is but a difference of

for the

Reason

these the Great

Work

method, not

the heir of

all things.

a slow process

but kind with that of the first. For when at last the divine marriage consummates their labours, the mind and the body are already redeemed, and beyond the power of death, because they haxe already the power. But with those who eire regenerate first within, their

gold

one

;

NO. XXIV.]

Concerning the

Man

Regenerate.

109

For is suffering of the body, and often death. two opposing currents meet with violence, and the result may be the rending apart of body and spirit. But yet their death is not as the death of the unthere

regenerate.

Because in the very shock of

trans-

mutation takes place matter, that is, is sublimated, and the man needs no further incarnation He is Wherefore the free, for he has conquered matter. bond is severed between him and the earthly, and he :

will return to the earthly

He who

regenerate

no more. first

in the

body and mind,

usually lives long, even beyond the limit of mortal life, and absorbs in that period his entire astral being, and often even his body. Thus did Enoch, thus Elias, and some others. I do not name them. And Jesus remained to do this also. For he would leave nothing undone, being in the end Lord of the kingdom, the power, and the glory.

But when he arose from the dead, not having seen nor fallen under the dominion of death, there remained to him one degree of regeneration to be accomplished, he was not yet " ascended." For there were then but the eleven because the twelfthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;" Judas " was imperfect. And because of tliis Judas, Jesus fell under the power of the cross. [For Judas was the type of his own weakness since the flesh, not being wholly regenerate, was, in that

corruption,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

unfulfilled degree, weak.

And

the regeneration of his

body not being com-

plete before his crucifixion, his flesh-will still

warred

Clothed with

ttie

Stiny

against his spirit-will, and he could to say, "

Not

will,

[parti. find

still

room

but Thine be done."

The Martyrs who followed

his teaching were braver

of death than Jesus, though their pains were, for the most part of them, sharper. in the face

Tender women, maidens, and youths went fearless and smiling to the stake or the rack, without tear or sigh but Jesus shrank and wept piteously at the ;

foot of his cross.

Yet a

man may

be victor in the

spirit

though his

body remain unredeemed. For this redemption of the body ^when fully accomplished is transmutation, and its beginning is the At-one-ment of the will

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

of the flesh with the will of the

spirit].

But when Jesus completed his regeneration, then there were again twelve. But until Jesus, no man ever attained these twelve degrees and the divine marriage from within. Hitherto the taking of the kingdom had been from without, by violence and labour, after the manner of the Patriarchs.

Now

these twelve degrees are fourfold for almost

every part of

man

;

being four for the body, four for

the astral, four for the soul, but one for the

And

until Jesus there

the twelve in this order,

spirit.

had been no regeneration of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; from within.

Buddha

at his

death had attained to the ten only. For of some the regeneration is fourfold being one degree for each kingdom, and the last for the marriage ;

of the spirit

NO. XXV.]

And

Concerning the Christ and the Logos.

with some

sevenfold

it is

;

in.

being two for each

kingdom, and the seventh for the marriage. Such was the regeneration of the mother and father of Jesus. But Jesus himself has more than the four, the seven, or the ten for he had the thirteen. And first he had four of the soul. With these, two of the astral, and one of the body, he was bom. Afterwards, at the " ninth hour," when he had completed the fourth degree of the astral, he consummated the divine marriage. Afterwards he achieved three degrees for his body, ;

but the last only after his

ascension

to the

mount

of the Lord.

No man

ever attained thtis before.

And

since the

of the Spirit, or divine part, it is said (^^ that Jesus by his marriage feast manifested forth his glory. And the celebration of this marriage was in Jordan but the manifestation was in Cana. For Jesus had received the Double Portion and glory

;

hence his double glory.

(^)

No.

XXV.

CONCERNINCx THE CHRIST AND THE LOGOS. Christ Jesus-— the perfected NOW, physical, man — the culmination

spiritual,

not

the

human stream which 8.

9. JO.

flows upwards into the

the Mysteries, on which the Gospels are hased. Concerning the Double Portion, see No. XXXVII. London, July la, 1881. Received in Sleep. E.M. I.e., in

(1°)

E.M.

bosom

" Clothed with the Sun.'"

112

[parti.

Man, arising by evolution from the

of God.

lowest,

finds his highest development, as man, in the Christ.

Having reached this point, he is the perfect Son of Man, in that he is produced in and of Humanity and being such, and because he is such, he receives the baptism of the Logos. Now, the Lx)gos is the Adonai, <i) a word with implies Duality. And the Adonai is the Son of God, the Only-Begotten, the Two-in-One, whose manifestation is possible only through the Christ. The Celestial Trinity is composed of Subs-tance, Force, and Law. Force is Original ;

Life,

Being, or

God God

the

Substance

Father.

the Mother.

Original

Indissolubly conjoined,

together they are Living Substance, the

En-Soph

Boundless One of the Kabala. In themselves incapable of manifestation, they become manifest in and through Law, their Expression, Word, Logos, or Son. But the Logos is celestial, and the human could not

know him in his divine may touch and know the " is

Christ Jesus."

human

divine,

This

the two natures to meet.

That the human

nature.

necessary for

accomplished

Christ signifies the Anointed.

in pedigree

;

and

his

Christhood

only when he receives into his own

attained

Logos. accomplished the union of the two natures, the divine and the human. The two streams meet and mingle, and thenceforth man knows and understands God through the Christ. For the Christ, hav-

Then

spirit the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The name

See Part

II.,

invariably substituted by the

No. VHI.. also Part

III.

E.M.

Hebrews

for

Jehovah in speaking-

Concerning the Christ and the Logos.

NO. XXV.]

in^ received the Logos,

113

Son of God, as well as Son

Man and the Son of God in him reveals to him the Father. Man as human only could not say, asi the of

;

Christ says,

—

in-dwelling

Word who enables him

He who He

even

" I

and the Father are One."

dwelleth in the bosom of

Law, or Word, the Christ the

Wisdom

cause Adonai'

God

Having

hath revealed God."

It is

to say this, (the

—

Logos)

received the

receives also the Father

God through

the

Word

the

For

and

or Son, be-

—being the Duality—manifests both of

Hence Stephen, dying, Heavens open, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God." these to

and

exclaimed,

—

in the Christ.

Behold,

I see

the

In this utterance he declares the union of the

Human

and the Divine. He declares that in Christ, Adonai is manifest and that in consequence of thisi union, humanity is exalted into Heaven. For humanity ;

can attain to the celestial only through " Christ." When man penetrates into this sphere he is " in Christ Jesus." And, as Paul says^ "being in Christ for Christ is God's." is in God, and God in him God, so to speak, lays hold of man in Christ, and draws him into Heaven. For at this moment both rivers meet, and flow one into the other in indissoluble union, the Logos in the Christ, the Divine in the Human, the God in Man.

;

[part

Clothed with the Sun."

114

No. XXVI.

CONCERNING THE PERFECTIONMENT OF THE CHRIST.

JUST

had been speaking of the mistake

after I

made by

(2)

Christians in

regarding Jesus

ready-made perfection, I received a momentary For it vision confirming what I had been saying.

represented to

the gradual perfectionment of the

Christ through suffering, or experience uttered aloud the words, " suffered these things,

And

glory

mind.

Soon

Ought not

;

and a voice

Christ to have

and so to have entered

into his

other like passages, also were suggested

(')

after this I

found myself

my sleep sitting on

a hill-side and carving a Cross out of wood.

And

young man came to me and said, " I alone know how to make crosses, and I will show you if you will come with me." And I took him for Jesus, W and I followed him, and in our converse, which was long, but of which I remember but a small part, he spoke much of the difficulty that lies in the way of any one who wishes to attain a full revelation, owing to the deteria.

Paris, October

Luke

But afterwards believed him

xxiv. 26

wont, a character in

1879,

Received in sleep.

(Douay Version)

;

Heb.

v. 7, 8, 9,

;

Pet.

iv.

have been Hermes, assuming, as accordance with his message. E.M, to

his

Concerning Christian Pantheism.

NO. XXVII.]

115

oration of man's system through impure habits of life

and

especially in respect of food, through

blood

tainted

and the

which the

tissues rendered incapable

the sensitiveness necessary for perfect interior vision.

Even with

all his

advantages of as pure a paternity

and maternity as the earth afforded, he said, he himself had been unable to attain to perfect knowledge, and now, after nearly two thousand years of further degeneration, it is hopeless to attain all. That will come only when the world has for many generations lived purely, and the human system has recovered in a great degree the perfection which properly belongs to it, and which it once had. It is to man frugivorous, and to him alone, that the Intuition reveals herself, and of her comes all revelation. For between him and his spirit there is no barrier of blood and in him alone can the spirit and the man be at one. ;

No. XXVII.

CONCERNING CHRISTIAN PANTHEISM.

THEhad

crucifixion of Jesus

was an

actual fact, but

and

also a spiritual signification

;

it is

meaning, and not to the physical fact, whole of the mystical writings of the

this spiritual

that

the

Christians refer.

The fundamental I.

Received

in sleep,

truth

Paris,

June

embodied 23, 1879.

E.M.

in the crucifixion

Clothed wtih the

1 1 6.

Pantheism.

God

in all creatures

;

[part

and the stage

through which all being is now the crucifixion of God. Jesus, as the most

of purification by passing,

perfect

fire

initiates,

selected

mystics as the representative them, as

Sun"

Buddha

manifest in the

for

flesh.

the

by the

of God.

Christian

for

Buddhist mystics,

God

In his crucifixion, therefore,

and type of the continual crucifixion of God in his suffering creatures, which crucifixion is the means and cause of their purification, and thus " These," says God, " are the of their redemption. wounds wherewith I was wounded in the house of is

the symbol

My friends." <5) Which means, " I am wounded in the body or person of all creatures who are Mine who " are sealed unto Me." For " the house of my friends for the is nothing more than the mystical phrase temple of the body of others. " Enter thou into my house, O Lord " cries the holy soul who desires to be visited while in the body by the Divine Presence. And the Man-God, showing His five mystical wounds to the Angels, thus declares, " These are the wounds of My crucifixion wherewith I am wounded continually in the persons of those who are Mine. For I and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

brethren are one, as

citation

God

One

in Me."

xi!i. 6. Judged by the context, either the passage trom some Scripture not now extant. E.M.

Zech.

corrupt or the

Concerning the

NO. XXVIII. ]

* '

Blood of Christ. "

117

No. XXVIII.

CONCERNING THE

BEING asleep

library, for filled

with books

whom

BLOOD OF CHRIST."

(6)

saw myself in a large room like a had in it a great many shelves and there were several persons in

it ;

was speaking of the Christs, their origin and mission, and part in the history of mankind. it

And

spoke much of Jesus, representing that the his immaculate conception was to be understood only in a mystic sense, and that all the story we have of his birth refers solely to his initiation, ') which is the true birth of the Son of God. And I proved this by many texts and passages from the gospels themselves and other writings. And I spoke also of the origin of Jesus, and how he had been made perfect through suffering. Of this suffering we hear, I said, but little in the one life of his which is I

doctrine of

recorded in the gospels.

The

suffering referred to

and upward progress

a long course of enced in former incarnations. trial

Received

And

Paris, October

Initiation does not necessarily involve the

tion.

E.M.

The

17, 1879.

true initiator

is in

experi-

named some of

in sleep.

agency of any human

institu-

evei y case the divine spirit in the aspirant himseli

1 1

Clothed â&#x20AC;˘with the Sun."

[

art

the more recent ones, but have not been enabled to retain them.

Coming

to his pcission

and death,

explained that

no atonement in the sense ordinarily For that God does not take the mere shedding of innocent blood as any satisfaction for the But that the mystical Blood moral guilt of others. of Christ by which we are saved, is no other than the secret of the Christs whereby they transmute themselves from the material to the spiritual plane, the And I showed secret, namely, of inward purificatioiL that throughout all the sacred writings the word blood ia used as a synonym for life and that life in its highest, perfectest, and intensest sense, is not the mere physical life understood by materialists, but the these

were

understood.

;

essence

And when

that it

life,

inward

the

God

the man.

written that those in the highest

courts of heaven are they

who have made

whiie in the blood of the Lamb,

their robes

signified that

they have attained redemption through their perfect

attainment of the secret of the Christs. also

it is

And when

said that the blood of Christ cleanseth

from

impossible to him who and has been baptised with

all sin, it is signified that sin is is

perfectly spiritualised,

the spiritual baptism. is

The blood of

It is

the secret and process

Christ, therefore,

man

whatsoever.

spiritual

perfection-

not the material blood of any

and that whereby all who, following his method, know God and are initiated, become redeemed and attain the gift of eternal ment attained by the

Christ,

Concerning the

NO. XXVIII.]

And many

life.

'^^

other things

seemed to me, taught of some beforehand what things I was

Now

Blood of Christ.^'' I

being, as

said,

spirit,

119 it

and not knowing

to say.

perceived behind meÂť a

little to

right,

beautiful marble image of Pallas Athena, which stood in a small recess in the wall,

and there

fell

upon

bright golden light like sunshine, which varied from

time to time to

all

the seven colours, but more fre-

quently to the violet than to the others.

And

the

was chiefly on the head and bosom of the figure, which was clad as a warrior with helmet, shield, and light

spear. it

And

whether

was

could hardly determine as I looked at were a living or a marble form, so life-

it.

little while later all the people to whom I had been speaking were gone away, and I was in the room alone with my mother. She was in great

distress

and

agitation, regarding

apostate from Christianity

;

as lost

and as an

nor would she listen to

any explanation I could make on the matter. She wept bitterly, declaring I had broken her heart, and made her old age a sorrow and a burden to her by my apostacy, and that I should be utterly cast away unless I repented and returned to the orthodox belief and she besought me on her knees to recant what I had said. No words can convey the intensity of my pain, arid the trouble of spirit caused me by this conduct of hers. My mother seemed to swoon at my and I was on feet with the excess of her emotion the point of yielding to her entreaties when I saw the ;

;

120.

Clothed with the Sun."

[part

door of the room open and a Spirit enter. He came and stood beside me, and said these words, " Whoso putteth his hand to the plough and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of God. And whoso loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of

—

Me."

Then more

mind

the

dream passed away and

remember no

but a deep feeling remained impressed on

was but the rehearsal and foreshadowing of something that would actually occur in

that the scene

future

•»* It

life.

satisfaction,

state that, by taking the

which the sympathetic reader

will share, to

dream as a warning rather than as a

be able to

positive prediction,

and observing caution accordingly, opposition of the kind described was reduced to a minimum, and no breach of affection or serious unhappiness ensued. Pallas illumined by the seven rays denotes the Divine Wisdom and manifesting all the " Seven Spirits of God." As beheld on this occasion, it was an emphatic intimation that the doctrine enunciated was uttered under the inspiration of them all, and especially of those represented by the two dominant rays, Love and Reverence. £.M.

The image of

in its plenitude,

No.

XXIX.

CONCERNING VICARIOUS ATONEMENT.

(STOOD

<8)

on the balcony of a house. and so dense and dark and impenetrable that neither earth nor star, nor any object, Nevertheless, though not could be distinguished. It

was

Paris,

sleep

night,

January

31, 1880.

Co7icerning Vicarious Atonement.

NO. XXIX.]

knowing where very near to a

was,

was conscious of being

121 in or

city.

And I beheld floating about in the darkness, small tongues of flame exactly resembling in appearance the flame of a candle. They moved of themselves as if they were living creatures who directed their motions with intelligence and will. They sank and rose and passed through the air in all directions, and nothing but them was visible, so intense was the darkness.

And

watched the flames, two of them came and entering the house, glided round the room, and then returned to me on the balcony, and stopped and alighted, one on each of my hands, and there remained awhile. And then the whole scene passed away and the following as

floating towards me,

succeeded. I

saw a

child, a

boy

at school,

unjustly treated by the

who thought himself

woman who

kept the school,

and persecuted. And he went into the room where she sat, and in a fury broke and destroyed everything upon which he could lay his hands. And the paroxysm of his anger made him appear as one possessed. He dashed beautiful vases to the floor, and trampled flowers under his feet, and tore to pieces rich draperies, for the room was furnished and decorated in a very costly and splendid fashion. And then he suddenly turned on the woman, and seizing her by the hair, beat her and tore her garments, and scratched her hands and face. And

and

sorely oppressed

*â&#x20AC;˘

122

Clothed 'mith the Stm."

[part

made was a few words of remonwas shocked and terrified, thinking she was dead, and wondered what would become of the child who had the fury of a wild beast and the all

the defence she

And

strance.

strength of a man.

Then, after an interval, I saw a young girl, the daughter of the woman who had been thus assaulted.

She was kneeling before a furnace and watching something in the flames. And she turned and looked at me and said, " The punishment due to the child is a terrible one, and cannot be escaped. He is condemned to be branded with a red-hot iron on the palm of each hand, and then to be expelled from the school.

The brands

Saying

now

are

heating in the furnace."

she turned again to the furnace, and

this,

the iron and

then with a rod drew out

And

branded

saw the flesh shrivel up with the heat. Then she held up her palms towards me, and said, " See and read what is written on them." And I read on each hand the word, herself

on each hand.

burnt

into

added, I

" I

flesh,

Guilt y''

And

going to quit this house,

now,"

she

home, as

" You " I cried. " You are not the What have you done to deserve this ?

banished."

guilty one I

the

do not understand."

And

told you the punishment And I have due to the child cannot be escaped. taken it upon myself of my own free will, although I am innocent and the beloved daughter of her who has been so grievously offended and injured. As he

she answered,

" I

NO. XXIX.]

Concerning

Atonement.

Victirious

123

would have been branded, I am branded. And as he would have been expelled, I am expelled. Thus redeemed him. I suffer for him. Justice is and he is pardoned. This is Vicarious Atonement." have

satisfied,

Then, as she spoke these words, a wind blew in my and I breathed it in, and being inspired, spoke thus, with a loud voice face,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

fool, to imagine that justice can be satisfied by punishment of the innocent for the guilty Rather is it doubly outraged. How can your being branded on the hands save the child ? Hath not the

the

Word

God

declared,

No man

of another, nor shall any brother's trespass sin,

;

shall take the sin

make atonement

for his

but everyone shall bear his

and be purified by

his

own

chastisement?'

own

And

again, is it not written, Be ye perfect ? And as no one can become perfect save through suffering, how can any become perfect if another bear his suffering "'

for his

him ? To take away his suffering is to take away means of redemption, and rob him of his crown of

The child cannot be pardoned through perfection. your assumption of his chastisement Only if through suffering himself he repent, can he receive forgiveness. And so with the man who sins against the Creator by outraging his intuition and defiling the temple of God. The suffering of the Creator Himself for him, so far from redeeming him, would but rob him of his means of redemption. And if any declare that the Lord God hath thus ordained, the answer is,

124 '

Justice

first,

Clothed -with the Sun."

[

and the Lord God afterwards

part '

But

only through the perversion of ignorance can such doctrine be believed. The Mystery of Redemption has yet to be understood. "

This

that Mystery.

Vicarious Atonement

;

There

no such thing as redeem another

for none can

by shedding innocent blood. The Crucifix is the emblem and symbol of the Son of God, not because Jesus shed his blood upon the cross for the sins of man, but because the Christ is crucified perpetually

The

so long as sin remains. to

know nothing

and For

Him

saying,

resolved

save this one mystery, Christ Jesus

crucified,"

the doctrine of

Pantheism.

means that God is in all creatures, and they are of God, and God as Adonai suffers in them. (^) " Who then, is Adonai ? Adonai is the Dual Word, it

the manifestation of

God

in Substance,

who

manifests

himself as incarnated Spirit, and so manifesting himself, by love redeems the world. He is the Lord who,

from the beginning, finds his full manifestaSon of God. And therefore is it written that the Son of God, who is Christ, is Only where Love is perfect is Sympathy crucified. perfect, and only where sympathy is perfect can one Wherefore the Son of God says, die for another. " The wrongs of others wound me, and the stripes of others fall on my flesh. I am smitten with the pains of all creatures, and my heart is pierced with their hearts. There is no offence done and I suffer not, crucified

tion in the true

See note on

p. 11 3.

;

Concerning Vicarious Atonement.

NO. XXIX.]

nor any wrong and heart is

hand

for man,

and

right

flesh.

and

The

because

with man. theism that

God

the

It is

and

then,

emblem of

;

am wounded

left

hand

and

blood in

woman

for

left feet for the beasts

Crucifix, it is

and the creatures of the deep "

For

not hurt thereby.

in the breast of every creature,

in the veins of all

right in

125

;

of the earth

my heart

for

all.'

the divinest of symbols Christ

and token of God

the allegory of the doctrine of Pan-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

man becomes perfect suffering. He who is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; through

wise,

soul becomes understands

and he who understands is initiated and he who is initiated loves and he who loves knows and he who knows is purified. And the pure behold God and comprehend the Divine, with the mystery of pain and of death. And because the Son of God loves, he is powerful, and the power of love redeems. He ;

;

being lifted up, draws

;

all

men unto

him.

This

the mystery of the Seven Steps of the Throne of the

Lord. And the Throne dazzling to look upon.

of white, a glory the midst of that Light is one whose appearance is that of a lamb that hath been slain. And he is Christ our Lord, the manifestation of Adonai, whose love hath thrust him through and through. And to him is given all power to redeem in heaven and on earth. For he opened his heart to all creatures, and gave himself freely for them. And because he loved, he laboured and grudged not, even to death. And because he laboured he was strong, for love laboured in him. itself

And

Sun"

Clothed with the

136

[part

being strong he conquered, and redeemed them They were not forgiven because Christ

from death.

died they were changed because he loved. For he washeth their soula white with his doctrine, and ;

them with

purifieth

his

deeds.

And

these are his

word of God and the pure life. This is the atonement of Christ and perpetual sacrifice of the Son of God. Believe and thou shalt heart's blood, even the

be saved for he that believeth is changed from the image of death to life. And he that believeth sinneth no more, and oppresseth no more. For he loveth as :

Christ hath loved,

The blood of

and

God and God

in him.

not by pardon with another's gold, but because the love of God hath changed the life of the sinner. The penitent saves himself by suffering, sorrow, and amendment. By these he rises and his life is redeemed. And it is the Christ that redeems him by giving his heart's blood for him. It is Christ in him who takes his infirmities and bears his sorrows in his own body on the tree. And the same which Christ of true was true old, is to-day, and for ever. until the Jesus is crucified continually in each one kingdom of God come. For wherever is sin, are and where these are suffering, death, and oppression the Christ shall be manifest, and by love shall labour, and die, and redeem." Christ cleanseth from all

sin,

the purchase of

;

Here the sound of my voice woke me, and the But presently I slept again, and beheld an infinite expanse of sky, open and clear and vision ended.

NO.

Concerning Paul and the Disciples ofJesus. 127

â&#x20AC;˘!iiyiyi.'\

blue and sunlit, all in the most intense degree. And acrossi it and upwards flew an eagle like a flcLsh of lightning before me, and

knew

that

was intended

to signify that with the reproach of innocent blood

removed from God, and the Divine character vindicated, there is nought to check the soul's aspiration.

No.

XXX.

CONCERNING PAUL AND THE DISCIPLES OF a vision which was IN was represented to

given to

Paul's character

that the

JESUS.

me last common

and position with regard

primitive Church

dO)

night,

view of to

the

a totally false one and the persons who made the communication which I am about to relate, appeared to me to have been personally acquainted with Paul, and to be thoroughly familiar with the events ocaxrring at the time of his is

They

apostleship.

that the Chrisitian

;

told me, with evident indignation,

Church of to-day entirely misunder-

stands the relationship really existing between the apostles

whom

had instructed and elected as and the converted Hebrew sacerdotalamazing," they said, " that your Church Christ

his missionaries, ist.

" It

can

read

the

Paris, July 17, 1877,

writings

extant

concerning

our

128 relations suspicion,

with

and

Clothed with the Sun."

[part

Paul the account of the mistrust, disfavour with which we always

regarded him, and not see that he was never one us. The very leader and chief of our circle

with

withstood him to the face again and again, as though he had been an enemy of the Church and on one ;

occasion he was forced to fly from the brethren by

night and by strategem, so great and so bitter was the indignation his view of the faith aroused

who had been

the Lord's friends,

the truth as Paul never saw

among

and who knew

For he imported into mass of Levitical and Rabbinical usages and beliefs' which we had shaken from us as the dust from our feet. He sunk the realities of the Gospel of Jesus under an overwhelming weight of hard sayings and sacerdotal misirepresentations. He, who had never known the that pure

and simple

it.

rule of life a

Master as he was, took upon himself to distort his image into that of a strange God whom we had not known. Nor could we recognise in his garbled version of the beautiful and willing martyrdom of the man whom we had so dearly loved, a single trait of his character, or the least resemblance to the doctrine he had taught us. What we had seen and known as the pure and perfect love of a ready death, bravely borne for conscience' sake, Paul presented to us in a new and unlovely guise as the sacrifice of a victim to appease the anger of the God whom Jesus called his Father and ours. Out of that which had been for us a simple rule of life, a simple purging of the old faith,

NO. XXX.

]

Concerning Paul and the Disciples of Jesus.

Paul erected the strange and elaborate system which the scheme of the Atonement'

For us and scheme God was reconciled to man by love, and not by sacrifice. But Paul would have a " new religion," (i) and a creed hard to understand and he left to the world a Christianity of his own which we knew not, but which is yours today. And in this he did us greater evil and detriment than if he had persecuted and slain us all physically. For by his false conversion he deceived the world and drowned the truth by a flood of strange doctrines. For this we were all against him, and never acknowledged his apostleship, being persuaded that he knew not Christ nor the faith which Christ taught. Had he been content with the truth, we would never have set our faces against him for he had many gifts, among which his eloquence was not the least. But through his fatal perversion of the faith, and through his fatal love of metaphysical doctrines and of Rabbinical subtleties, he falsified that which was the glory of the Church, and brought into the world the monwhich is Christianity strous doctrines of the called

our Master there had been no

;

preached in your churches to-day. I

was further

on the night before Paul's down from the wall of altercation had taken place

told, that

escape in the basket

let

Damascus, a violent between him and the brethren, in the course of which Paul had maintained that the only chance for implies "the departure made by Paul from the I. This â&#x20AC;˘' new religion teaching of the original Disciples " (Letter of E.M. to "Light" of 19, October, 89. p. 507)

S.H.H.

" Clothed with the Sun."

130

[part

the final triumph of the Gospel lay in

its

erection

and one that must of necessity be sacrificial. They then challenged him upon the point, but he insisted that he saw further into the matter than they did, and that his special mission lay in the elaboration of the plan he had conceived with regard to Christ's position as a mediator between God and man. into a system,

[The vision was entirely spontaneous and unexI had not previously given any attention to the subject nor was I aware that a similar instruction had sometime previously been given to my colleague. pected.

;

The personages I beheld in my vision bore no resemblance to any of the numerous representations of the apostles

being

made by

painters

;

but

was far from

a sufficiently lucid condition to obtain an

impression of their appearance so vivid and distinct as to enable me, as usual ty

the case, to

make a

drawing of them. Neither have I been able, with anything like my accustomed accuracy, to reproduce The tone and substance, however, are their words. faithfully rendered. The tone throughout was that of strong indignation, mingled with regret, against Paul and of scorn at the folly of Christendom in accepting so gross and palpable a perversion of the teaching of Jesus and nature of God as that involved ;

in the sacerdotal doctrine of vicarious atonement.] 2.

2 Peter

iii.

15, 16

(2)

(an epistle of exceedingly doubtful authoritj), evident!}-

represents a desire either to

ence as more apparent than

compose or to ignore real. E.M.

this feud

by treating the

differ-

Coticermng the Mainchceanism. of Paul. 131

NO. XXXI.]

No. XXXI.

CONCERNING THE MANICH^ANISM OF PAUL.

this

moment

the midst of

me.

This

Many

what

hear a surge of waters.

them a voice seems says

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

(3)

Out of

to speak to

years before Paul wrote there arose a sect

The founder of that sect, founder of the Epicureans, was inspired by US but they, like the Epicureansi, understood not the nature of sin. The founder of the Manichaeans,

called

the Manichasans.

like the ;

whom we result of all

matter

call Felix,

creation is evil.

;

saw

this,

that

evil

the

but his disciples understood that

And

In this alone they erred.

Paul, following his reason, but uninspired, perceived

only the doctrine of the disciples.

It is true, then, as

the founder of the Manichaeans saw, that evil result

of creation, but not that matter

who among you

evil.

the

possesses the most vivid imagination,

can project upon the retina palpable rings of his thought. Thus it is with Deity. I have said already that matter is the intensificaion of Idea, and that You have asked evil is the result of materialisation. create? I perceive that did God me, Why, then, will that, of and willing, God force God created by ('')

;

3. 4.

Spoken Comp. No. XIX. Part 2. Paris, July 23, 1877.

in trance.

E.M

132

[parti,

Clothed wtth the Sun."

imparted to every thought the power of will which, God, therefore, is so much the richer by the will of the but for the limitation, could not have existed.

thought which

projects."

No. XXXII.

CONCERNING THE GOSPELS

THEIR ORIGIN AND

;

COMPOSITION. looking IAM Alexandria. library which, as

inside of the

the

The temple I

see

(5)

it,

Serapeum

connected with a

still

there, neither dis-

—

mostly a council of many men sitting at a table in the room of the library and I see a number of names, as Cleopatra, Marcus Antonius, and others. This is called the second library of Alexandria, the former having been destroyed under Julius Caesar. The nucleus of this one was the gift of Antony to Cleopatra, who added to it and improved persed nor burnt, but filled with manuscripts,

rolls

upon

sticks.

see

immensely,

till it

contained

all

the existing litera-

London, November 6. 1881. Spoken in trance. It was wholly inde5. pendent of any knowledge or prepossession of either of us, the subject being: quite new to us, and proved on subsequent research, while going far beyond history, to be in full accordance with history so far as history goes, and also with the results of independent and candid criticism. By *' history " is not meant ecclesiastical tradition or inventioa. E.M.

—

— Concerning the Gospels.

NO. XXXII.]

ture of the world

and

;

—why,

133

they are deliberately

concocting Christianity out of the books there so far as

can

see,

the

Gospels

are

little

and,

better

than Ovid's Metamorphoses (historically, I mean), so deliberately are they making up the new religion

<^)

by replanting the old on the Jewish system.

down

these names and the dates which are shown me. Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, and Ambrosius. A.D. 390, B.C. 286. This last is the date at which the library was first of all got

Write

specially

together. A.D. 390

<'')

the date of the chief destruction

of the documents out of which the new religion was made. If they could be recovered we should have absolute proof of

and other

its

originals

;

concoction from Hindu, Persian,

—the interpolations,

alterations proving this.

name

first

They show,

adopted for the typical

extracts,

and

too, that the

man was more

Krishna, and that Jesus was a later choice, adopted at Jewish suggestion, in order to suit a Jewish hero.

The system all that

(^>

was long underformation, and it took ^^) Every detail of the Gospel

time to perfect.

This " new religrion " implies " the systematic endeavour of the Alex6. to andrian Mystics who are credited with the authorship of the Gospels construct on the basis of the history of Jesus a religion which should represent a symbolical symthesis of the fundamental truths underlying all previous religions. (Letter of E.M. to " Light" of October 19, 1889, p. 507.) S.H.H. The temple was destroyed A.D. 389, The library had never ceased to 7. xist, the Bruchium, at the time of its destruction, having overflowed into the erapeum. The remnant was far exceeded by Antony's additions from Pergamos

which thus became the virtual nucleus. E.M. 8. Not the Gospels (Letter of E.M. to " Light " of November

1889, p. 527)

S.H.H. There is an ambiguity here, owing to the date of the completion of the 9. " concoction " not being specified. E.M,

" Clothed with

134 history

invented, the

the

all

Sun."

number of the

Nothing

rest

the

historical

[part aix)stles,

the

and

sense

supposed.

Serapeum destroyed

see the

—

not only the library were they of leaving It was destroyed by Christians at the instigation especially of Theodosius, Ambrosius, and Theophilus. (^o) Their motive was a mixed one, each of the leaders having a different aim. The object of the concoctors themselves was to I

;

but the

temple, so fearful any trace of the concoction.

and continue the ancient faith by transplantnew soil, and engrafting it on Judaism. The object of Theophilus was to make the new religion the enemy and successor of the old, by making it appear to have an independent basis and origin. Ambrose destroyed the library in order to confute the Arians by leaving it to appear that Christianity had an origin altogether supernatural. sustain

ing

The

to a

concoctors

regarded

And

highest human.

and

others,

not intend

but as

all

— Mithras,

that

had been told of Buddha,

Osiris, Krishna,

— the original draft containing the doctrine

of the transmigration of souls most explicitly distinctly.

<i)

The

The reason

nor) death for those

man

are in Christ.'

unrcgenerateonly, the Gospels

—

Roman Empire

There is no more (birth Transmigration being the condition of which have for their purpose the exhibitioa

for the exclusion is not far to seek.

who

and

concoction was undertaken in order

Theodosius was Emperor of the eastern division of the 10. Ambrosius was Archbishop of Milan. E.M. I.

to be

representing the

they accordingly fixed and

accumulated upon Jesus previous Christs,

did

themselves

supernatural,

Concerning the Gospels.

NO. XXXII.]

to save religion itself

prevalence

sponded

135

from extinction through the

materialism,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; for

the

times

corre-

in this respect exactly to the present.

was

And

compose out of all the existing systems one new and complete, representing the highest possibilities and satisfying the highest aspirathe plan

tions of humanity.

The

great

that

loss,

the

then, is not that of the first but

second

The of Alexandria. in order to

library

Serapeum was destroyed by Christians

human origin of their religion from being ascertained. The object was to have it believed that prevent the

all

actual person, and and compiled from a multiplicity of

centered in one particular

was not

collected

sources.

All the conversations in the Gospels were fabricated

by the aid of various books

in order to illustrate

enforce particular doctrines.

and

cannot recognise the

language of many of the ancient manuscripts used. The Latin ones which I see are all in capitals, and without any division between the words, so that they look like one long word. I

am shown

the library

the actual scene of the destruction of

and dispersion of the books.

The

There

of Alexandria are filled with mobs of i^eople shouting and hastening to the spot. They do not know the real object. They have

dreadful tumult.

streets

been told that the library contains the devil's books, Man is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Regenerate had no call to refer to the previous stages of his evolution. It implied in the account of his birth of a virgin, as see Nos. XXIII., XXIV.

E.M.

;

" Clothed with the Sim/'

136

which,

allowed to remain,

dreadful.

so.

(2)

cannot bear

It is

extraordinary

;

noise

pray

how

recall me,

hurts

exactly alike the two

times are both politically and religiously. established

be the means of and tumult are

will

The

destroying Christianity.

[part

breaking up in both

;

and

Everything that which

comes out of each is the fuller revelation of the divine Idea of Humanity. All works for us and the new revelation. But the world suffers terribly in the birth. Afterwards things gradually become much better. *»• In explanation of the

method of

this recovery

may

be stated that, ac-

cording: to occult science, every event or circumstance which has taken place

the planet, has an astral counterpart, or picture, in the magnetic light.

upon that

These magnetic exShades of Mattes of past times, circumstances, acts, and thoughts, of which the planet has been the scene, and they can be conjured and evoked. The appearances left on such occasions are but shadows left on the protoplasmic mirror. " This magnetic atmosphere, or astral soul, is called the Anima Miindi, and in it are stored up all the memories of the planet, its past lift, its history, its affections and recollections of physical things. The adept may interrogate this phantom-world, and it shall speak for him. It is the cast-off vestment ot the planet yet it is living and palpitating, for its very fabric is spun of psychic substance, and its entire Parenchyma is magnetic." See No. XLV. also '"The Perfect Way," Lecture V. par 39 (second and third editions). Concerning the recovery of the individual memory, see No. XL. E.M. there are actually ghosts of events as well as of persons.

istences are the

;

—

;

No. XXXIII.

CONCERNING THE ACTUAL JESUS.

shown the Descent from the Cross. of Arimathea

Jesus carried, by Joseph

house. 3.

E.M. 3.

(3)

The house communicates with a

see

his

sepulchre

A.K. suffered for several days from the effect of the vision. (Letter ot •' Light" of November 2, 1889, p. 528) S.H.H. London, March 33, 1881. Spoken in trance. See also No. XXIV. E.M

Concerning the Actual Jesus.

NO. XXXIII.]

and Jesus

died.

The

do someswooned rather than

carried to the house where they

thing to revive him not Jesus.

137

for he has

;

clothes are placed in the sepulchre, but I

see a rupture of the pericardium, but

I see plainly that he is no organic lesion and the wound heals like a simple wound, without suppuration, and What a lovely by incessant bathing with water. climate it is there and how curious that there should have been a Joseph at both birth and crucifixion

fatal injury to the heart.

There

not dead.

;

am now shown

Jesus.

the truth respecting the birth of

was most

certainly an ordinary birth.

The names

see that quite distinctly.

The birth-name of

Jesus

are all altered.

not Jesus, or anything like

Nothing is real as I have thought it. Very little happens as related. The losing and finding in the temple, and the feeding of the five thousand are allegories of which the signification is spiritual. The miracles of the raising of the ruler's daughter and widow's son are real facts. Jesus saw clairvoyantly that the former was not dead, and that the body was uninjured by disease, so that the soul could return to it. For disease is gradual death, and when death occurs through it the soul is set free altogether. In violent or sudden death the soul is slow to get away and the separation is a long process. it.

In his

own

case Jesus instructed his friends before-

hand what to do. Joseph of Arimathea was a friend and she procured for him the of Mary Magdalen requisite balms. I see her running with them through ;

" Cloihed laiih the Siin.^'

138

Jesus was not

the sepulchre to the house.

dead at foreknew

cally

all,

[part

organi-

for the heart never ceased to beat.

all

and

the particulars of the event,

provided accordingly.

Nor least

Jesus well again on the third day.

ten days under treatment

Three days to actual

one,

The

house.

a mystical period, having no relation All a1x>ut him are women except

time.

old man.

tlie

do not

Joseph's

name begins with M.

Jesus'

see the rest of

it.

perfected adept

who

has

attained

himself the Philosopher's Stone of a spirit absolutely

and is in union with the Divine Will. Being without ardour, sympathy and compassion are quiescent,

for

him but other names

for Justice

of anger, his temperament I I

and, incapable

;

always cool and equable. now see faults in Jesusi which I did not see before. mean Jesus as he actually was, and not as he is

They

depicted in the Gospelsi. adept's point of view. as the

emblem of

his

are faults

self for others, but

would have been able

had he been more

careful,

his

diet.

His

indignation higher.

liability

pity

from the

am shown a passion-flower character. He sacrificed himI

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially give

prevented

allowed himself to

way

do more

in respect

continually

him from getting be drawn too much

out of himself to reach the highest possible.

him bidding his followers good-bye. It is on which he ascends, and he disappears from their view, lost in cloud or mist. He now becomes a I

see

hill

Concerning the Acitial Jesus.

NO, XXXIII.]

hermit.

see

him

139

the wilderness alone

there he attains the higher life

and

;

which constituted his

true ascension.

Jesus was able to influence persons at a distance by means of an emanation which he projected from himself so that it was not necessary for him to be dead when supposed to be seen by Paul. I now see some one with him on his mountain. It is John, writing down tlie Apocalypse at the dictation ;

of Jesus. Jesus recollects all his past incarnations, and epitomises them in the Apocalypse, which is the history of his, and of every perfected soul. He is quite an old

And now

man

at this time.

and whence Jesusi got the name which has been given hiin of " Rabbi Ben Panther," and why he was said to be the son of one Panther. It is a play on Pan and theos and means all the gods. The panther's skin I

see the panther's skin of Bacchos,

represented the raiment, or attributes, of all the gods,

with which endowed. I

Jesus, as a "

am shown

Son of God," was held

that there

They

the Scriptures.

but

little

of real value in

are a mass of clay, comparatively

modern, with here and there a

whom

to be

bit

gold.

The

and who told us to burn the Bible, now puts it in the fire, and there comes out a few pages only of matter which is original and divine.

angel

saw

before,

('')

All the rest

interpolation or alteration.

the case with both 4

This

Old Testament and New,

In a vision received sometime previously.

E.M.

Isaiah

140

Clothed with the Sun."

[part

and the Prophets. Isaiah is a great mixture. It is all fragments from various sources, just thrown together. The book of Genesis is one large parable and so are all the legends of the wanderings and wars of Israel. All is mixed up with fiction. Moses wrote none of it. And similarly with all the books of the Law and the Prophets. All are made up in this manner. Here and there is an original piece of ;

the ancient Revelation, but these are largely inter-

commenand applications to the times by copyists and interpreters. And when the angel told us to put the Bible in the fire, he meant separate the gold from the dross and clay. spersed with additions and embellishments, taries,

for the Gospels, they are almost entirely para-

Religion is not historical, and in no wise depends upon past events. For, faith and redemption do not depend upon what any man did, but on what God has revealed. Jesus was not the historical name of the initiate and adept whose story is related. It is the name given him in initiation. ^^^ His birth, the manner of it, his being lost and found by his parents in the temple, his lying three days in bolical.

the tomb,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

all

the AscensioiL

are parabolic, as also

The

the story of

Scriptures axe addressed to the

and make no appeal to the outer senses. The whole story of Jesus is a^ mass of parables, the things Thus, that occurred to him being used as symbols^ soul,

the Crucifixion represents the soul's sufferings 5.

See

Hymn

to Pboibos. Part

II.,

No. XL,

v. 9.

;

the

Concerning the Actual Jesus.

NO. XXXIII.]

Resurrection its transmutation and Ascension are a prophecy of what man.

141

the

;

life

and

possible to

of John. The were written long after the time of Jesus. Jesus largely wrote the Apocalypse by the hand of John, as he sat with him on the mountain. This was many years after the " Ascension," as his disappearance on the hill was

The

real

gospel

original

that

came long afterwards, and

others

all

The Apocalypse was rather a recovery than an original composition of Jesus. The gospel life of Jesus, is made up of the lives of all the divine teachers before him, and represents the best the world had then, and the best it has in it to be. And it is termed.

The

therefore a prophecy.

recorded life of Jesus before him, and the

epitomised

all

possibilities

of mankind some day to be realised. feet of the messengers on the

The

are the

salvation,

spiritual heights, flocks,"

They

teachers

beautiful

mountains

coming

the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;even

it is

who

first

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

their

see

rays of the rising sun of the

by the watchers from the

seen "

shepherds

own pure from the

hearts

" hills "

who tend

the demonstration of the divinity that

while the world below

wrapped

their

and thoughts. the coming God, is

in humanity,

in darkness.

" Clothed with

142

No.

the Sun."

XXXIV.

CONCERNING THE PREVIOUS LIVES OF

THIS

[part

JESUS.

(ÂŤ

morning between sleeping and waking

saw myself, together with many other persons, walking with Jesus in the fields round about Jerusalem, and while he was speaking to us, a man approached, who looked very earnestly upon him. And Jesus) turned to us and said, " This man whom you see approaching is a seer. He can behold the past lives of a man by looking into his face." Then, the man being come up to us, Jesus took him by the hand and said, " What readest thou ? " And the man answered, " I see thy past, Lord Jesus, and the ways by which thou hast come." And Jesus said to him, " Say on." So the man told Jesus that he could see him in the past for many long ages back. But of all that he named, I remember but one incarnation, or, perhaps, one only struck me, and that was Isaac. And as the man went on speaking, and enumerating the incarnations he saw, Jesus waved his right hand twice or thrice before hia eyes, and said, " It is enough," as though he wished him not to reveal further. Then I stepped forward from the rest and said, "Lord, 6.

if,

Paris February

as thou hast taught us, the 7, 1880.

woman

NO. XXXIV.] Concerning the Previous Lives ofJesus.

143

the highest form of humajiity, and the last to be

assumed,

how comes

that thou, the Christ, art

still

form of man ? Why comest thou not to lead the perfect life, and to save the world as woman ? For surely, thou hast attained to womanhood." And Jesus answered, " I have attained to womanhood, as thou sayest and already have I taken the form of woman. But there are three conditions under which the soul returns to the man's form and they are these in the lower

;

" 1st.

When

accomplish

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the work which the Spirit proposes to

of a nature unsuitable to the female

form.

When the Spirit has failed to acquire, in the degree necessary to perfection, certain special attributes of the male character. " 2nd.

" 3rd.

back

When

womanhood "

In the

had

and gone by degrading the

the Spirit has transgressed,

the path of perfection,

first

attained.

of these cases the return to the male

This is my But had my body been a woman's, I could not have led the life necessary to the work I have to perform. I could not have trod the rough ways of the earth, nor have gone about from city to city preaching, nor have fasted on the mountains, nor have fulfilled my mission Therefore am I a woman of poverty and labour. clothed in a man's body that I may be enabled to

form

case.

outward and superficial only.

woman

in all save the body.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

do the work "

set before

The second

case

me.

that of a soul who, having

144

been a

woman

Clothed with the Sun."

perhaps

many

times,

[part

has acquired

more aptly and readily the higher qualities of womanhood than the lower qualities of manhood. Such a soul

ticular

lacking in energy, in resoluteness, in that parattribute

ascribes to the

Man

of war.'

of the Spirit which

Lord when he

says,

Therefore the soul

the

prophet

The Lord

put back into a

man's form to acquire the qualities yet lacking. " The third case is that of the backslider, who, having nearly attained perfection, perhaps even touched it, degrades and soils his white robe, and These are is put back into the lower form again.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the common cases for there are few women who worthy to be women." I was distinctly and positively assured that incident thus shown me was one that actually curred, and that I had borne part in it, though ;

record of

the oc-

survives.

No.

XXXV.

CONCERNING THE HOLY FAMILY.

THERE

are

were two subjects, on which I was dewhich came to

siring light, the explanation of

me 7.

in curious manner. Paris, October 27, 1878,

They were

(i)

The

real sig-

NO. XXXV.]

Concerning the Holy Family

145

nification of the gospel account of the parentage and childhood of Jesus, which we have seen reason to regard as mystical and unliteral and (2) The faculty of divination by means of the crystal or cup. I had ;

and was on the point of drinking my when I was astonished by seeing in the liquid some words, while at the same instant there was flashed upon my mind a full view and explanation of the meaning of the Holy Family and this is what I received. just awoke,

usual cup of coffee,

;

This

(8)

the divining cup of Joseph,

Egypt of

sented the spiritual

was the

spiritual father

Mary, being daughter of into

Egypt

Israel's

Sion.'

who

of Jesus, his spiritual mother,

pure intuition of God, and

(9)

repre-

Egypt

Israel's infancy.

Being of Jewish

virgin

birth, Jesus

went

to be initiated in the sacred mysteries of

the country from which, through Moses, the Israelites originally obtained their religion.

that religion

and those mysteries, Jesus, as a Christ, was the product. For their object was the production of a man so perfected through the development of his mind and spirit,

as to realise the divine idea of humanity.

a full initiate and adept, a hierarch or "master" of the mysteries, Jesus returned to Judaea to fulfil his mission, receiving at the Meaning-, of course, answers

hands of John

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a prophet of

io the effect of a bright surface, as that of a magnetise the sensitive as to render objective any images or ideas previously subjective whether in his own or in another's magnetic atmosphere, or in that of the planet, this last being' the anhna Tnundi. See note at end of No. XXXII. E.M. 8.

;

crystal, disc, or fluid, being so to

In this aspect

Mary

thesoul collective instead of individual only.

E.M.

146 the Essenes,

who were

—his baptism of the "

[parti.

Clothed with the Sun.''

followers of the

same mysteries

Spirit."

— however, but the mind, — and an old

Joseph, therefore, represents Egypt,

as denoting the body,

man

(i°)

not,

because Egypt was the senior of

Israel,

because, in the evolution of man, the

And

and also

mind precedes

having him for his foster-father, Jesus is set forth as adopting the wisdom and elder religion of Egypt, to incorporate them with the Jewish. Joseph, moreover, in being elderly and a widower, (^) represents Egypt in respect of its past youth and lost prime. That he is not shown as the true spouse of Mary, or real father of her son, is because, though the mind may aid these by its knowledge and wisdom, the true spouse of the soul is the Divine Spirit, who is thus the true father of the the soul in manifestation.

man

regenerate."

No.

XXXVI.

CONCERNING THE METEMPSYCHOSIS OR AVATAR.

METEMPSYCHOSIS

means, in

not transmigration which

its

(2)

chief aspect,

of souls, but the

vivification or illumination of a soul already incarnate

by the 10. I. '

spirit

of a preceding

angel."

See Hymn to the Planet-God Part H., No. XHI., According to Christian tradition. E.M. London, March 1881, Spoken in trance. E.M.

(6).

Thus,

the

— NO. XXXVI.] Concerning the Metempsychosis or Avatdr 147

soul of Jesua

was overshadowed by the angel of

Moses.

The Word, Logos,

—speaks

Adonai

— for they are the same

in the spirit of one or the other of the

of the Seven Spheres.

Gods

spoke through the Spirit, or God, of the Fourth Sphere Dionysos or lacchos to Noah, Moses, and Jesus. Nevertheless Jesus was not an incarnation of either of these, and when he

—

said, "

Your

father

he spoke, in one Isaac.

Abraham

sense,

(3)

rejoiced to see

of his

own former

day,"

birth as

For Jesus was a transmigration or re-incarnaand the two names are

tion of the soul of Isaac,

occultly related.

The metempsychosis constitutes a planetary Avatar. The number of these is variously stated to be ten and twelve. Both are, in a sense, right. There are ten such Avatars and twelve angels, or messengers, for the first

and

last are

dual or "twins."

The

pair at the

—

Avatar were " Eve " and "Adam," for this also is one sense of the allegory. The Avatars and their angels have their corresponding signs in the Zodiac, the double ones being represented by the double signs Gemini and Pisces. The latter Avatar, now at hand, first

will introduce Aquarius, " the sign of the

in Heaven."

Heracles

Son of Man

an epitome of the

twelve

—

Each of his labours the Avatars of the Lord." represents a divine labours, that is, of the soul

—

Another sense was Abraham's recogfnition of the doctrine implied by the In their protoundest and most interior meaning the Patriarchs represent the component elements of the planetary divinity. E.M. 3.

term "Christ."

148

[part

Clothed with the Sun'*

and constitutes an Avatar, while its sign Zodiac corresponds to the nature of the Labour. These signs represent the twelve gates of the Holy City, or perfected kosmos, and the operation, in

the

twelve mysteries of the greater initiation gates

spoken

are

;

and the

of as pearls, because pearls are

and in oysters, which are and hard to op)en and the sea represents the Holy Spirit and the Soul. In order to obtain these twelve mysteries, one must be at great labour and trouble, risking one's life in diving for them, going down into the sea naked and stripped of all things, finding them in obscurity and darkness, and when they are brought up, requiring a keen blade to open them. found

at the sea-bottom,

difficult

The and

get

;

twelve apostles

are types of these angels

John represents the dual messenger tr come. And by a metempsychosis corresponding tc that by which the spirit of Moses instructed Jesus, mysteries.

the spirit of John will instruct the angel of the

Avatar.

This

spirit is dual.

For John

new

represents

the "mother" John comprises the feminine as well as the masculine element. His inspiring spirit is the same as that of Daniel. The

both the Virgin and himself. referred to

by Jesus

This

at his crucifixion.

spirit that informed Noah, Moses, and Jesus is Dionysos (Jehovah Nissi), the God of the planet.

And

the spirit which informed Daniel

will inform the angel of

iliis

and John, and

century,

Michael,

NO. xxxvi.] Concerning the Metempsychosh or Avatar. 149

who

Zeus

represents

Jupiter.

and

Hera,

the

planet

That which comes back as a messenger or not

the

employed

personal

Nor does

angel,

of the individual

man

has become transmuted into

that

for

;

soul

was in that That which comes is the overshadowing, informing spinit who influenced and spoke through the man in his lifetime, and the man himself also, "who has become an angel, or pure spirit, and who no longer needs the body. So that his return is voluntary, and his coming an Avatir. The new Avatar will be of the double or overshadowing spirit of Daniel and John, as well as the spirit which was in those men. For, owing to the union between them, the two the man's spirit and spirit.

soul

become

the divine spirit

distinguishable

man's

spirit.

the spirit itself which

re-incarnate.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are so much one as to be

;

scarcely

and the God speaks through the as a tube within a tube.

speaks through the

God

Logos, the Logos through an

Elohe, and the Elohe through the perfected spirit of

a former prophet

But of

this last

it is

a metempsy-

That

chosis, not a transmigration or re-incarnation.

the spirit returning informs the

is,

spirit

one

already incarnate, and who, like John the Baptist, may be thus used without being himself regenerate

and

" in

the

kingdom of God."

That Michael is by many xii. 7. probably from their taking him to be the '' angel standing in the sun" of Apoc. xix. 17. But even so, the position would not imply more than a temporary presidency* E.M. 4.

See Daniel

x. 21

and

xii. i,

regparded as the angel of the sun,

and Apoc.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ^^

150

[parti.

Clothed with the Sun.

No. XXXVII.

CONCERNING THE /EON OF THE CHRIST.

T.HE

Christs are above all things media,

(5)

and the

various descriptions the^ gave of their office

such as

" I

the door,"

the way, the truth,

and the

life," " I

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; referred not to themselves

who spoke through them. when questioned on this very subject, said plainly, " The words which I speak unto you I speak at all, but

the Spirit

JesuSi

not of myself

but the Father which dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." Jesus, then, spoke as he was moved by the Holy Ghost, and was no other than a clear glass through which the divine glory shone. [As it is written, "And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." Now, the Only Begotten is not mortal man, but he who has been in the bosom of the Father from all eternity, even the Word, the Maker, the Speaker, the Manifestos] It was this Holy Spirit which descended upon Jesus at his baptism, and dwelt in him for the time of his sojourn upon earth, speaking through him and controlling him while he, on his part, so lived as to bring all his personal will into oneness with that Spirit. ;

;

1881.

Paris, October 12, 1878. Received in (LifeofA.K. Vol. I. p. 291) 3.H.H.

sleep, except

a paragraph added

Concerning the jiEon of the Christ.

NO. XXXVII.]

The

spirits, or

second

^on

and

Spirit answers to the Essence, the Father,

Word.

the

151

the

these,

one of the seven

The

divine flames, of universal Divinity.

The

Christ.,

are respectively " the

be said to be one

and

;

—in

third

for

the

and

the Christ.

the water,

spirit,

(^)

the

They

ajid

the

Word may therefore by the Word the Father is microcosm — the Word is the

The Father and

manifest,

the angel, or God, of the planet,

of the

blood."

first

the

Father manifested.

The

greatest hierarch

—

that

he,

—

is,

who has

the

man of many incarnations, but has obtained from God the greatest and rarest of gifts, that of being a medium most perfect control over Nature

not only a

—

Such an one

is the iEon, (^^ and has what is called the " double portion." Elisha craved and received this grace. " Where now is the God of Elijah ? " he cried, when endeavouring to work his first miracle and he besought Elijah that a portion of his double (^) might rest upon him. For Elijah had so transmuted his soul into spirit that it was doubled, and a portion of this he bestowed on Elisha. Such

for the Highest.

C^)

;

A term

which, as here used, implies also the "mother," " water " denoting-

especially the substance or feminine principle, as distinguished

masculine principle.

from the energy or

E.M.

" The very fact that the Christ is describable as "a medium for the 7. Highest," must imply and involve the perfectiodment of His own indwelling spirit, since it is only through the identity in condition of the God within Him and the God without Him that the two would unite and blend " ( E.M. in " Life of A.K." Vol.

who

p. 291)

S.H.H.

The person who

receives the ^^Son being called

manifests the Christ

This

called

Christ.

an ^on, as the person

E.M.

not the magnectic phantom ordinarily so-called,

E.M.

;

152

an iEon

him "

was

Clothed wiih the Sun.'"

[part

upon Jesus ,to quit moment. Hence, the exclamation, " God, why hast thou forsaken me ? that descended

at the final

God,

No,

xxxvni.

CONCERNING THE DOCTRINE OF GRACE.

ONE hands most dangerous of the

the

of the vulgar

<10)

mysteries to place in

that of the doctrine of

When once union has been accomplished between the human and the divine wills, there is grace.

grace.

And

the man under grace cannot sin mortally. Conformity between the human and the divine wills is the condition of salvation, and salvation is not forfeited through ciny specific act, unless such act be wilful and indicate a condition of rebellion. Of a man under grace, David is a type. His heart was right with God his intuition was un fallen. So that even his many and grievous sins did not, and could not, alienate him from God. The man who is ;

deliberately in opposition to the divine will

in far

man

who, having a true intuition, sins more flagrantly. It is not by a specific act, or many specific acts, that the soul is destroyed greater danger than the

but by a state of heart in constant opposition to the divine will. Hence the axiom of the Calvinist, 10.

London, December

1880.

Spoken

in trance.

E.M.

— ;

NO. XXXIX.]

Concerning the

Four Atmospheres."

"If you axe under grace you cannot

sin,"

—that

153 is,

mortally. Whence one reason for the appellation "Son of David" applied to the The man must first be " under grace " before he can become regenerate.

.",

Christ. It is

an indispensable step

in his soul's progress.

Wherefore the

latter is said to

be the son of the former.

No.

XXXIX.

CONCERNING THE "FOUR ATMOSPHERES."

THEman

earthly

abilities,

mind {anima

which

contains

affections,

cares,

brutd) his

that part of

material

acquirements,

memory, and the

images bred of his associations in each particular incarnation. This mind is shed with the bod.y and shade, and is as it were an individual in itself. It inhabits the astral sphere and cannot get beyond it nor does it ever return to earth (embodied), but dwells perhaps for many centuries, in the magnetic light,

—

which it takes for heaven, seeking its own affinities and frequenting the places and persons familiar to it. But the soul or anima divina, which is the true man has another destiny than this. It leaves its body on earth, its shade and its earthly mind in the astral sphere, and mounts to its own proper higher region,

—

Vol. n.

London, August S.H.H. p. 36)

32,

18S1.

Written under illumination.

(Life of

A.K

;

" Clotlied with the Sun.^*

154 until the time

comes for

[part.i.

either to pass into Nirvana,

The

or to become again incarnate.

soul retains the

—that memory only such of past as worthy to and ephemeral nature, — knowledges, The only therefore, eternally are those of the —those celestial

memory

;

its

live,

affections,

soul,

struck deep into the

most being.

The

lives

not of an

and true which live which have

virtues,

its

loves.

which is

man and made

loves of the mere

part of his in-

body or earthly

mind

die with these, and form no part of the permanent man. True it is that some souls are retained in their phantoms for a time more or less long, not being pure or, rather, not strong enough to mount higher. But being in the astral sphere they cannot see beyond it, and believe like the astral phantom

—

they are at their journey is

The

end.

larva, or shade,

eis the phantom seen by the ordinary For the two are separable, and the shade

not the same

lucid.

occupies a yet lower atmosphere.

moreover, the shade consumes

After a

little while,

away and disappears

but the phantom with which the lucid converses, remains as strong and individual as ever, it may be for

For not only the recently dead, but some who lived and died before the Christian era, have been evoked and conversed with, and these are not mere reflects (like the purely astral entities which are emanations from the living), since they reason and remember, and give proofs of their identity. The ordinai'y lucid obtains access to them only because he centuries.

himself in the astral

when

in the lucid condition,

NO. XXXIX.] Concerning the

Four Atmospheres.^'

155

and sees, therefore, only what is there. To enter the heavenly sphere, and to come into communion with souls,

a regenerated

state

Now, the

necessary.

sphere entered dependsi, not alone on the lucid, but

on the magnetiser (2) and the circle present at the There cire four atmospheres surrounding and only in the highest of these do we find the

also

experience. us,

freed soul.

Each sphere

the counterpart of each

portion of man, and each has

its

system and

its sun.

and purity of thought and life, are the keys by which alone can be opened the gates of the inmost and highest sphere. The lowest is enlightened by the material sun. It is Interior knowledge, earnest aspiration,

that of the present life of the body.

The next

enlightened by the astral or magnetic light that of the sideral that of the soul, sun.

And

and

it is

the highest

Lord God, where the company of the the

body

or perisoul.

;

The

and

it is

enlightened by the spiritual

the immediate presence of the " great white throne " and

" virgins."

Now,

the " virgins

are souls which, being perfectly spiritualised, retain

taint of materiality.

<2)

This is not necessarily a corporeal, or even an extraneous, being:, but be the spirit of the lucid himself. E.M. See Apoc. xiv. 4, where they are called virgins in virtue of their having3. overcome the need of sexual relations prior to their final incarnations, as in No. XXIV., par. 4. The term " women " was sometimes used as a genera term tor things material. See also " Dreams and Dream-Stories," No. IX. E.M. 2.

may

* Clothed with

156

the Sun.''

[

part

No. XL.

CONCERNING THE HEREAFTER.

WHEN

man

<*)

parts at death with his material

body, that of him which survives

divisible

anima divina, or as in the Hebrew, Neshamah the anima bruta^ or Ruach, which is the persona of the man and the shade, or Nephesh, which is the lowest mode of soul subinto

three

parts,

the ;

;

In the great majority of persons the con-

stance.

sciousness

anima

gathered up and centered in the amina

in the

;

Now,

divina.

through, called

Ruach

bruta,ox

few wise

transmigrates,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the

process whereof

by the Hebrews Gilgal Neshamoth,

antma divina, which

And

the dei&c Spirit.

Neshamah

whereas there actual

a mere spark,

their

finally escapes life.

that part of

in the

the

world

or potential,

subsists also in animals,

rudimentary and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the immediate receptacle of

nothing save the human,

eternal

polarised in the

it is

that part of mcin which passes

the

though only as

consciousness

being therefore

the

Neshamah which

diffuse.

It is

from the world and

The anima

man which

bruta, or

redeemed into

earthly mind,

retains all earthly

and

local

memories, reminiscent affections, cares and personaliLondon, July 1881. Received in sleep, in timely and satisfactory solution 4. of sundry perplexing experiences ; and subsequently found to be a concise statement of the doctrine of the Kabala. E M.

Concerning the Hereafter.

NO. XL.]

157

of the world or planetary sphere, and bears his family or earth-name. After death this anima bruta, or Ruach, remains in the " lower Eden," within sight ties

But the and call of the magnetic earth-sphere. anima divina, or Neshamah, the name of which is known only to God passes upwards and con-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

tinues

evolutions, bearing with

its

portion,

and that the

purest, of

only a small

the outer

soul,

This anima divina is the true man. It is not within hail of the magnetic atmosphere and only on the rarest and most solemn occasions does it return to mind.

;

The

the planet unclothed. is

dumb

astral shade, the-Nephesh,

the earthly soul, the anima bruta, or Ruach,

;

speaks and remembers

;

the divine soul, the Neshamah,

which contains the divine communicates, that

light, neither returns

in the ordinary way.

is,

which the anima bruta remembers,

nor

That

the history of

one incarnation only, because it is part of the astral man, and the astral man is renewed at every incarnation of the Neshamah. But very advanced men become re-incarnate, not on this planet, but on some other nearer the sun. The anima bruta has lived but once, and will never be re-incarnate. It continues in the " lower Eden," a personality in relation to the earth, and retaining the memories, both good and bad, of

its

one past

life.

suffers indeed, but is not

well,

thought

its

have done evil, it if it have done

condemned

;

happy, but not beatified.

itself housesi,

gardens, flowers,

continues in

and creates for books, and so forth,

favourite pursuits of earth,

158

out of the astral

more or

less

sonality

light.

remains in this condition

strongly defined, according to the per-

had acquired,

of whose temples

anima

until the

divina, one

was, has accomplished

Then, with

avatars.

[parti.

Clothed linth the Sun:*

all

its

the other earthly souls be-

all

longing to that divine soul, it is drawn up into the Eden, or upper heaven, and returns into the essence of the Neshamah. But all of it does not celestial

return

only the good

;

the

lowest

they disintegrate. permanently,

memories of

all

its

memories

stratum of the For,

its

earthly griefs,

be perfectly happy.

its

evil

state,

doings,

earthly

light,

divine

the

perfected

its

bad sink where

the

;

astral

retain

were the

misfortunes,

its

loves,

soul

would not

Therefore, only those loves and

memories return to the Neshamah, which have penetrated the earthly soul sufficiently to reach the divine

make part of the man. It is said that made in Heaven. This means that all true love unions a!re made in the celestial within the man. The mere affections of the anima bnita are soul, all

and

marriages are

evanescent,

Ruach, for

and belong only

interrogated,

has lived but one.

memories and strong, it

loved,

can

sipeal<

all the affections.

and overshadows them. as

this,

the

only of one

life,

that one

retains all the

If these have been

remains near those persons

may have

When

it.

whom single

especially

Neshamah

many of these former selves in the man may have changes of raiment.

astral light, as a

But when the divine soul

is perfected,

and about to

Concerning the Hereafter.

NO. XL.]

159

be received into " the Sun," or Nirvana, she indraws

;

their

but only of the worthy parts of these,

and such as In

and possesses herself of

these past selves,

all

memories

her of

will not deprive

" the planets," the soul forgets

;

eternal calm. in " the suns," she

For, in memorid ceternd erit Justus, (s) Not until a man has accomplished his regeneration, and become a son of God, a Christ, can he have these memories of his past lives. Such memories as a man, on the upward path, can have of his past incarnations, are by reflection only and the memories are not of events usually, but of principles and truths, and habits

remembers.

;

If these memories relate to vague and fitful, because they are reflections from the overshadowing of his former selves in the astral light. For the former selves the deserted temples of the anima divina frequent her sphere and are attracted towards her, especially under certain conditions. From them she learns through the intermediary of the genius, or " moon," who lights up the camera obscura of the mind, and reflects on its tablet the memories cast by the overshadowing past. The anima bruta, or Ruach, seems to itself to progress, because it has a vague sense that sooner or later it will be lifted to higher spheres. But of the method

formerly

acquired.

events, they are

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

of this celestial it

it is

seem to

soul-rays 5

Ps.

ignorant, because

by union with itself to

coming

cxii, 6.

it.

The

progress

from the

can only

know

learning which

the

makes

acquired by reflected

terrestrial.

Advanced

;

" Clothed vtith the Sun.''

i6o

[

part

men on

the earth assist and teach the astral soul, and hence its fondness for their spheres. It learns by reflected intellectual images, or thoughts. The Ruach is right when it says it is immortal. For the better part of it will in the end be absorbed into the Neshamah. But if one interrogate a Ruach of even two or three centuries old, it seldom knows more than it knew in its earth-life, unless, indeed, it gain fresh knowledge from its interrogator. The reason why some communications are astral, and others celestial, is simply that some persons the greater number communicate b'y means of the anima bruta in themselves and others the few purified by means of their anima dii)ina. For, like attracts like. The earthly souls of animals are rarely met with they come into communion with animals rather than with man, unless an affection between a man and an animal have been very strong. If a man would meet and recognise hisi beloved in Nirvana, he must make his affection one of the Neshamah, not of the Ruach. There are many degrees of love. True love is stronger than a thousand deaths for, though one die a thousand times, a single love may yet perpetuate itself past every death from birth to birth, growing and culminating in intensity and might.

—

;

—

;

Now, all these three, Nephesh, Ruach, and Neshamah, are discrete modes of one and the same universal being, which is at once life and substance, and is instinct with consciousness, inasmuch as it is, under whatever mode, Holy Spirit. Wherefore, there

Concerning the Hereafter.

NO. XL.]

inheres

which is

them

in is

all

divine potency.

the manifestation of that which

the manifestation of this potency.

of this inherency, above

lation

material,

i6i

The

the

Evolution, is

inherent,

first

formu-

plane of the

the Nephesh, this being the soul by which

lower and earlier forms of life. moving " soul that breathes and kindles. The next the Ruach is the " wind " that rushes Higher, because more forth to vivify the mind. inward and central, is the Neshamah, which, borne on the bosom of the Ruach, is the immediate receptacle of the Divine particle, and without which this cannot be individualised and become an indiffusible personality. Both the " wind " and the " flame " are spirit but the wind is general, the flame particular. The wind fills the house the flame designates the person. The wind is the Divine Voice resounding in the ear of the Apostle and passing away where it listeth the flame is the Divine Tongue uttering itself in the word of the Apostle. Thus, then, in the impersonal are perceived the breath soul and afflatus of God but in the soul personal is the formulate and express utterance of God. Now, both of Nephesh and Ruach, that which is gathered up and endures is Neshamah. are impelled the It is

the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

;

" Clothed

i62

toith the

No.

[part

Sun."

XLL

CONCERNING THE TRUE EGO.

<6)

iThis Illumination followed upon a meditation on the following: passagfe from " The evolution of organisms, like the evolution of crystals, or : ot islands and continents, is determined, first, by laws inherent in the substance

G. H. Lewes evolved

;

secondly, by relations to the

medium

which the evolution takes

placfc"]

THERE

law inherent in the primordial substance of all matter which obliges all things The to evolve after the same mode and manner. worlds in the infinite abyss of heaven are in all respects similar to the cells in vegetable or animal tissue. Their evolution is similar, their distribution similar, and their mutual relations are similar. Wherefore, by the study of the natural sciences, the truth may be learnt, not only in regard to these, but in is

regard also to the occult sciences first

just

God

;

for the facts of the

are as a mirror to the facts of the

what the

spiritual

Ego

to the manifest universe,

and pervading

And

;

no more, no

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

its spirit,

And is

dwelling in

less.

as for the souls of the planets, let us enquire

awhile what, as an individual, thou 6.

last.

to the physical man,

Paris,

December

6, 1882.

art.

Thy

soul

Having: previously studied materialistic science

Paris, Mrs. Kingsford returned thither to study materialistic philosophy,

when

and the following Illuminations, to No. XLVII.' inclusive, were received by her in elucidation of the subjects studied, and in correction of the doctrine enunciated by her professor. The Illuminations were received chiefly in sleep. E.M. this

Concerning the True Ego.

NO. XLi.]

constituted of

163

the agglomerate essences of all the

individual consciousnesses composing thy system. has,

then,

grown,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;evolving

gradually

from

rudi-

mentary entities, themselves evolved by polarisation from mineral and gaseous; matter. And these entities combine and coalesce to form higher entities, the combined forces of their manifold consciousnesses polarising and centralising so as to form the human soul. In the same way, the souls of the planets are formed by the agglomeration and combination of the myriad souls composing them, these souls ranging from the mineral to the human group, and thus composing the four principles of each planet's kingdom.

Each planetary God

is,

therefore, not a supernatural,

extraneous personage, but

the

sum

total

of the

composing the planet. His physical body is the visible planet and its phenomena. His astral body and mind are the plant and animal intelligences. His soul is man's superior reason and his spirit is divine, being the 'Nous of the man. And as when we speak souls

;

of the planet-god,

specially

mean

said with truth that our divine part

the planet-god,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;in

our case

that Nous, is

no other than

Dio-Nysos, the god of

the emerald.

And

again, such as are all creatures

composing the

planet to the planet, such also are the planets to the universe, and, in consequence, such are the

Gods

God The piimordial God is the sum total of all the The Spirit of God is the agglomerate essences

Gods.

" Clothed with the

164

all the deities.

To pray

Suny

God

[parti. to address all

the Celestial Host, and, by inclusion, all the spirits of just men.

But the Gods are not

limited

For

number.

human

convenience they are called seven, or twelve, or twenty- four, or seventy but these are names of ;

orders only. Beyond number are the orbs in infinite

and each of these

is a God. Phoibos is legion, Hermes, so also Aphrodite, so also Dionysos, so also Ares, Zeus, Hera, Kronos, and the rest. Phoibos is the spirit of all the suns Poseidon, of all the seas and each divinity has his quality, corresponding to the conditions of the elements which compose his kingdom.

space,

so also

;

every planet belongs a different spectrum, and

the physical

the measure of the spiritual.

every physical world of causes has

its spiritual

And world

effects.

Now, the world of causes is the material and the and the world of effects is the psychic. There-

astral,

fore

may

be said that the soul

body, for organism before man. effect

And

the effect of the

before function, and the mineral

yet

of idea, and that mind

true that organism is

the

the cause of evolution.

that spirit is before matter in its abstract, but not

its

concrete conception.

fission or section

protoplast,

tion

All things are begotten

a universal blastoderm or

and the power which causes

centrifugal.

this genera-

Concerning God.

NO. xLii.]

165

No. XLII.

CONCERNING GOD.

why should we be BUTthan phenomenal

(?)

at the pains to seek further

the

Why

this

incessant

craving to prove themselves immortal, and to argue a God into the universe?

The answer

nature, to reason,

as revealed

manifold, because the appeal

and

by the

First, evolution,

to principle.

facts of physical

science, is in-

explicable on the material hypothesis

;

equally

and experience. Secondly, it has been proved that mind in man anticipates the demonstration of natural laws, and argues by mathematical and logical induction that what is also are the facts of occult science

ought to It

be,

while yet the actual fact

undiscovered.

thus evident that mind, greater than and yet

identical with man's intelligence, has preceded pheno-

menon. Thirdly, the primary principle in the sane mind, justice, demands satisfaction, and insists that rectitude of intelligence infers also rectitude of spirit.

And then,

if this

be conceded,

all

the rest follows.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; positing

must we conceive

this

What,

indefeasible

principle of justice as the central sun of our philo-

sophical system

Equity on

correspondence and 7,

Paris,

December

all planes,

and a perfect and

balance between physical

8, 9, 1883,

" Clothed wiih the Sun:'

i66

[part

between the world of causes and the world of effects. Justice is represented by the dual balance, of which one scale is spirit and the other matter one male and the other female without which dual principle the system of the balance itself would be imposThe balance is unity the scales are the duad. sible. spiritual

;

What, then, is God ? Is God, then, impersonal persona be taken in in the highest

its

and

Spirit

;

essential

substance.

Impersonal if the word radical meaning, but personal ?

truest sense of that

conception be of essential

word

consciousness.

the

For God

has no limitations. God is a pure and naked fire burning in infinity, whereof a flame subsists in all creatures. The Kosmos is a tree having innumerable branches, each connected with and springing out of various boughs, and these again originating in one stem, and

And God

nourished by one root. in

this

" I

AM."

being.

as a

fire

burning

and yet consuming it not. God 's Such is the nature of infinite and essential

tree,

And

such

God

in the beginning before the

worlds.

What,

purpose of evolution and separa-

then, is the

many forms ?

Life is the elaboraiioti of soul through the varied transformations of matter. Spirit is essential and perfect in itself, having neither end nor beginning. Spirit is abstract. Soul is secondajy and perfected, being begotten of spirit. Soul is concrete. And the whole object of creation tion into

or manifestation the primary

Adam

the evolution of souls. ;

soul

Spirit is

Eve, the woman, taken

NO. X LI I.]

Concerning God.

out of the side of the man. ciple

167

Spirit is the first prin-

soul is the derivative.

;

Now, the

essential principle

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

sciousness

of personality or con-

higher personality

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

spirit.

And

God. Wherefore the higher and interior personality, of every monad is God. But this primary principle, being naked essence, could' not be this personality is

separated

off into

individuals unless contained and

by a secondary being derived and not limited

Spirit, therefore, is projected into

soul

may be

Soul

And

This principle, must be evolved.

principle. essential,

matter in order that

begotten thereby.

begotten in matter by means of polarisation.

spirit,

of which

all

matter consists, returns to

essential nature in soul.

Soul

the

its

medium by

and in which it becomes by means of creation, God the One becomes God the Many. And the object set before

which

spirit is individuated,

concrete.

the saint

that

so to live as to render the soul luminous

and consolidate with the spirit

may

spirit,

that

thereby

be perpetually one with the

thus eternise

its

soul,

the

and

individuality.

For personality

of and in the

spirit

;

but in-

But for creation there would be one vast diffused and unindividuated consciousness, contained in one vast diffused substance. Of this substance all things consist by means of this force or spirit and the soul grows up out of matter by means of evolution that is, by the inherent force acting on the manifest substance. And

dividuality appertains to the soul.

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

" Clothed with

i68 thus the soul

her

bom

in the

conceived

the

womb

Sunr

[part

of matter, and withelement which,

personal

divided from God, is yet God, and man. For God is not multiplied neither diminished but God is separated into many. The matter is the wax, the soul ;

the wick,

and God

the flame which illumines. If

they ask thee the reason of creation, thou shalt answer,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; The evolution and elaboration of the Anna

Maria the

the rolling year, the Time, of which is soul, the

God

mother of God.

of the ten categories of Aristotle,

one

soul.

the root of all numbers.

(S)

Thou

as the

Therefore this unity

first

number

canst not begin

the tables with the duad, because the unity

primal idea.

bom

the

positive

the

and

essential in necessity.

To God evil

everything

appears positive.

good

;

it is

only to

written,

men am

" I

that

the

form the light and I the I make peace and create evil create darkness Lord do all these things." For that which differentiates evil from good is the plane of the action, and the medium in which the thought is conceived. If thou love from the plane of the spirit through the medium of the soul, thou lovest as Christ loveth. But if thou love from the plane of the astral man, through the medium of the body, thou hast lust. And, again, if spirit desire aught, it desires that which is like itself, Lord, and there

none else;

;

spiritual, 8

E.M

and

its

treasure

Qinla., original substance or simple being

;

heaven: the

this

Ensoph of the Kabala.

Concerning God.

NO. XLii.]

But

aspiration.

the

medium of

the plane of desire be the astral,

desire

desireth matter, that

And

avarice.

i6g

and the material upon earth. This is

material, riches

is,

again, the passion of the spirit

upward burning towards spirit a force bursting forth and leaping into life a vehement taking of But heaven by heavenly violence. This is zeal. the passion of the astral is a fierce burning downward through the body; a force translating itself in material action a furious and blind collision of fierce

;

matter See,

with

that

then,

medium, so

truly evil in

This eventuates

matter.

according

an act good or

its

(In

answer

the

;

for,

that

nothing is

is spirit.

Any

questions.)

necessary

the

primarily, all

desire or act of the

that does not profit the mind, that

and

plane

There

evil.

essential idea

good, because the primary

body

murder.

certain

sensuality.

interior

mysteries

belonging to the Celestial be kept secret, because if they should be given to the people the mysteries

would all speedily become materialised, and so lost. But if they be confided to a few Wise, and transmitted only to the

Initiate,

true meaning.

And

they will be preserved in their again, if these wise

would lay

men

betray

hands on them, and so they and the secret would perish together. But when the majority are wise, then may

their secret, the uninitiated

the mysteries be told openly. 9.

The

that they

fact that the mysteries

may

made

(^^

have been

generally known,

violent

disclosed

anew

expressly in order

by no means to be interpreted as an

;

170

Clothed with the Sun

[

part

No. XLIIL

CONCERNING PSYCHE, OR THE SUPERIOR HUMAN SOUL.

<10)

is truly said that God the primordial IT and that the kosmic universe and its

mind,

manifesta-

tions are the ideas of that mind.

passive it

;

function.

Mind

Idea

function.

soon, therefore, as

and these

forth ideas,

act, it brings,

ence.

organ, not

Mind

abstract

thou thinkest, thou

in itself is is

active

mind begins

When

ideas are concrete.

;

createst.

constitute exist-

Every thought

substantial action.

Thoth,

The

(1)

therefore, is the creator of the

of the mysteries

science

only by one

who

has:

can

Kosmos.

understood

studied the physical sciences

;

and crown of all these, and must be learned last, and not first. Unless thou

but

the climax

come when the That the concealment ot" the mysteries has already led to their materialisation and loss at the hands of the priesthoods, and only by their publication can they be restored and (2) that the majority are sufficiently wise, at least in the land of the present promulgation, to refrain from murderous persecution either for the sake of opinion or in the interests of an Order. E.M. 10. Paris, December 13, 1882. I. Also spelt Thaut, in which form it is identical in both sound and meaning with our word Thought. Thoth or Thaut was the Egyptian equivalent for both Hermes and the Logos. E.M. indication that in the view of their guardians the time has '*

majority are wise."

But

this

only

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

(i)

;

Concerning Psyche.

No7 XLiii.]

understand

the

physical

sciences,

comprehend the doctrine of basic doctrine of

171

occult

thou

Vehicles,

not

canst

which

the

"If thou under-

science.

stand not earthly things how shall I make thee understand heavenly things ? " Wherefore, get knowledge, get knowledge, and be greedy of knowledge,

more and more.

ever

the inner chamber the

This, also,

outer.

until

for

idle

thee to seek

thou hast passed through another reason

why

science cannot be unveiled to the horde.

occult

the un-

no truth can be demonstrated. Theosophy (2) If thou wouldst reach the king's is the royal science. presence chamber, there is no way save through the outer rooms and galleries of the palace. learned,

In every powers.

globule there are four inherent

living

speak not

now of

the component parts

of a cell, but of forces. The first and lowest mode of power is mechanical the second is chemical the ;

third

is electric,

three belong to

;

and the fourth is psychic. The first the domain of physiological science

the last to that of occult science.

power which belongs

essential.

inherent in

It is this last

the

mode

immaculate and

and

the substantial,

therefore permanent as an indefeasible quantity. is

in the Arche,

life.

Now This term

a:ll

See " Definitions

wherever there

organic

from the beginning latent matter and forasmuch as Pysche is

;

used here

and without reference 3.

and

the Psyche

and diffused a.

^'^

in its

ancient sense, the science of divine things,

any modern or

special application of

" in

Appendix,

XXVI.

it.

E.M,

;

172 also

Clothed with the Sun."

not of herself, but of

[

therefore

spirit,

part

is spirit

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the motionless by by motion converted into the solid â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the energy made So that herein are two â&#x20AC;&#x201D; that also the basic quality of all things;

invisible

;

visible.

which is made visible, and that which makes and of these again is a third, that which is visible.

visible

And

of this energy, or primordial force, there are

two modes (because everything fugal or accelerating force

dual),

and the

;

the centri-

centripetal or

moderating force. (Yet, as I have already said, this second mode of energ'y is feminine, and therefore derivative, being reflex and complimentary to its primary).

By means

(Psyche) becomes matter. substance resumes her

matter there

and hence

fugal

first

condition.

first

tendency to

And

this,

the second,

But

in all

revert to substance,

by means of evolution.

to revert to substance

mode begins

force, substance

By means of

to polaJrise soul

The tendency evolution.

the

the cause of

because the instant the centri-

to act, that instant

its

derivative, the

centripetal, begins also to exercise its influence.

And

no sooner has the primordial Arche assumed the condition of matter, than matter itself begins to differentiate, actuated by the inherent force of psychic energy, and by differentiation begets individuals without number.

Then Psyche, once impersonal because essential, becomes individuated and personal, and through the new life. A tiny spark Psyche becomes a refulgent blaze in the

gate of matter issues forth into in the globule.

Concerning Psyche.

NO. XLiii.]

And

globe.

this

173

by continual accretion and

As along

centralisa-

a chain of nerve-cells the current of magnetic energy flows to its central point being contion.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

veyed, as a mechanical shock, along a series of units with ever culminating impetus, so is in contiguity the psychic energy throughout nature developed. is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Hence the

of associations^ of

necessity of centres,

Thus, by the systematisation of congeries which in each is little becomes the whole. For the quality of Psyche is ever

organisms.

of living great in

entities, that

and her

the same, I

invariable.

have spoken of an outer personality and of an

inner

personality

differing like

potentiality

from a

manner,

;

consciousness

of a material

spiritual consciousness.

from Psyche polarises and

accretes, is not

dependent on the

undulations of ether, as are material energies.

Psyche

the essence of the ether

fested life

stance

But Psyche is

of matter corresponds a

rotatory, the centrifugal

Necessity

It is

which

first

and

will

of God.

the will

spiritual force.

medium

the sub-

within and before the ether.

But before and within force

the

Psyche

medium by which the burning is The first state of matter is ether.

she rightly termed immaculate.

first state

For

All mani-

itself.

a process of burning.

of the

conditioned.

that

speak of a spiritual energy as differa material energy. The energy whereby

ing

fore

So now,

;

operates.

to the

mode of

force,

centripetal in one.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that Now

inherent in Psyche, it

There-

And

Necessity. will

and she

this

Such, therefore, as

74.

the primordial will substance, such

in relation

the primordial

the individual will in relation to And when the current of spiritual

the derived soul. energy (or will)

{part

Clothed with the Sun.^*

strong enough

complex

the

organism to polarise and kindle centrally, then the individual Psyche conceives divinity in her womb, and In the rudimentai^ stages becomes God-conscious. of matter this current

not strong enough, or con-

tinuous enough, thus to polarise.

Psyche, to

bum

when once she has gathered

centrally,

of the physical elements.

tion

enough

force

not quenched by the disintegra-

These, indeed, fall

asunder and desquamate many times during life, whether it be the life of an individual or the life of a system yet the consciousness and memory remain ;

Thou

same.

the

hast not in thy physical

body

single particle that thou hadst fifteen years since, yet

thou art the same Ego, and thy thought

Thy

continuous.

grown up out of many thine Ego their interior Egos are

Psyche, therefore, has

elements

;

and

perpetuated, because their psychic force in thine individuality.

forth

And when

from the disintegrating

body, these shall build up

particles of

new

thy physical

material entities,

the reversion of matter to substance shall tinue.

And

centralised

thy Psyche passes

still

and con-

thy substantial part shall go forth to new

affinities.

But," thou sayest, " if soul

comes she

The

link

be immaculate,

by material between her and earth

to be attracted

affinities ? is

Karma.

how

Not

Concerning Psyche.

No. XLiii.] until

she

spirit, is

175

permeated throughout her essence by

she able to rise above the a&tral influences.

Remember of vehicles.

that the science of theosophy

Soul

a science

the highest of these vehicles.

But the spirit is the first and last term. Immaculate though she be in her virginal essence, she is not the espoused bride until the bond between her and earth be severed. And this can only be when every molecule of her essence is pervaded by spirit, and indissolubly married therewith, as God with Arche in the Principle " But,"

forms

;

thou

" there are

sayesit,

foul

and horrible

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;have these also an immaculate Psyche

" ?

These have a Psyche overwhelmed by her Karma, because of her feeblenessi. Either increase or decrease is

the portion of the soul.

weak and divided, the " But,"

thou sayest,

that gathereth not

Then, when the

with me, scattereth."

astral " if

celestial

and material are

strong.

soul be thus a resultant of

polarisation occurring in the organism she animates,

how can

from one body to another by soul is formed anew in " every body and cannot undergo transmigration ? Do not confuse between substance and force. Substance is Psyche, the medium. Force isi Spirit, the energy. That which bums in a flame is gas soul pass

re-incamation.

Surely

;

the process of burning

mode

condition

the gas. That which is burnt is fuel, or matter, in which the gas is generated. And when thou askest, " How can the Pysche, which is generated in one

176

Sun"

Clothed with the

[

body, pass by transmigration to another ?

part

though thou askedst, " How can the flame generated in one log of wood pass to another? " The dispensation of physical series may be compared to a furnace into which are cast in succession many faggots. In each faggot is a certain amount of unburnt gas and of latent energy because there is no medium withThis latent or inherent force out inherent force. is capacity. (A living medium need not always be active, but it must retain the capacity of action. God need not always be creating, but God must always retain the capacity of creating.) As by the burning the gas of each faggot is consumed, the elements of the faggot (in each of which is stored a certain proportion of this gas) disintegrate and fall into ash. Then another faggot catches the flame and continues it without solution, supplying in the same way the necessary medium. But observe that Psyche is not " generated in a body," neither is flame generated in a faggot. But for fuel there could be no flame, and but for matter there could be no Psyche. That which really ;

is "

generated

which really

flame is

the gas

generated in the body,

means of which concrete.

the fuel,

And

becomes manifest. is

by means, of that

which

the condition

Psyche abstract becomes

Psyche

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

NO. xLiv.]

Concerning^ jthe Poet.

177

No. XLIV.

CONCERNING THE POET, AS TYPE OF THE HEAVENLY PERSONALITY. lExtract from A.K's Diary, Paris, Christmas Day, 1882. " It is strange how \ forget ! This evening I have re-read several passages

and chapters written by my own hand, and conceived in my own mind, of The PerWay," and they filled me with as great wonder and admiration as though I had read them for the first time in some stranger's work. Ought this not to set me a-thinking how little this outward and mundane memory has to do with the true and interior consciousness ? For, indeed, in my true self I know well all these things, and an hundredfold more than there lie written yet my exterior self forgetteth them right readily, and, once they are written, scarce remembereth them more And this sets me wondering whether, perchance, we are not altogether out of the reckoning when we talk of memory as a necessary part of selfhood for memory, in the sense in which we use the word, signifies a thinking back into the past, and an act by which past experience in time is recalled. But how shall the true, essential self, which is without end or beginning, have menory in any such sort, since the " eternal remembrance " of the soul seeth all things at a glance, both past and to come ? To that which is in its nature Divine and of God, memory is no longer recollection, but knowledge. Shall we say that God remembers ? Nay, God knoweth. I thank thee, O my Divine Genius ; Thou thine aura encompasseth me art here I feel thee I burn under the glow of thy wonderful presence. Yes, it is thus indeed " Here meditation passes into illumination, and the diary thus continues '

fect

;

THIS faculty which we call Memory reflex

and image

function which, in all

but the faint

in the material brain of that

its celestial

plenitude, can belong

That which is of time and of matter must needs think by means of an organ and material cells, and these Ccin only work mechanically, and by slow processes. But that which is of eternity and spirit needeth neither orgcin nor process, only to the heavenly man.

178.

Clothed with the Sun."

since organism

sultant

Thou

related only to time,

process.

and

its

re-

Yea, thou shalt see face to face

know even

shalt

[parti.

as thou art

known

And

just

as widely

and essentially as the heavenly memory differs from the earthly, so doth the heavenly personality differ from that of the material creature. Thou mayest the more easily gather somewhat of the character of the heavenly personality by considering the quality of that of the highest type of mankind on earth, the Poet.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The

poet hath no self apart from his larger

men

self.

and the world, because the self-hood of earth and heaven is a thing apart from them, and toucheth them not. The wealth of beauty in earth and sky and sea lieth outside their being, and speaketh not to their heart. Their interests are individual and limited their home is by one hearth four walls are the boundjiry of their kingdom, so small is it But the personality of the poet is divine and being divine, it hath no limits. He is supreme and ubiquitous in consciousness Other

pass indifferent

through

life

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

his heart beats in every element.

The

pulses

and

their

all

own

the

infinite

deep of heaven

and responding to their strength plenitude, he feels more intensely than

vibrate in his

other men.

Not merely he trees:

peaks.

sees

and examines these rocks and and these glittering

these variable waters,

—

Concerning the Poet.

NO. XLiv. ]

Not merely he hears

plaintive wind,

this

these

rolling peals.

But he

is all

;

rejoices

sighs

and thunders.

And when voice

he sings,

heard

Nature

—

these and with them nay, in them and weeps, he shines and aspires, he

—he

it is

not he

—the man—whose

the voice of all the manifold

herself.

In his verse the sunshine laughs give forth their sonorous echoes

the mountains

the swift lightnings

;

flash.

The

great continual cadence of universal life

and becomes

articulate in

O joy profound God-like personality

human

The

;

sea

thine

;

the pillars of

and the purple vault of immensity is

and

distance,

selfhood

boundless

All the gold of the sunset chrysolite

moves

language.

thine with its

its

solemn speech,

its

misty

radiant shallows

The daughters of earth love thee the waternymphs tell thee their secrets thou knowest the :

;

spirit

all silent

things

Sunbeams are thy laughter, and the rain-drops of in the wrath of the storm thine heaven thy tearsi heart is shaken and thy prayer goeth up with the wind unto God. ;

Thou 4.

contcience

are multiplied in the conscience

archaism for consciousness.

— for the two things.

E.M.

^"^

In the French there ia

still

all living

but one word

;

" Clothed

i8o creatures

Toith the

Sun"

[part

thou art young with the youth of Nature

;

thou art all-seeing as the starry skies

Like unto the beloved

yea,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Gods, therefore art thou their thou wilt, they shall tell thee all

things

Because thou only understandest, among

Concerning memory

;

why

be a difficulty in respect of ing,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

are

men

Man

all

the

men

sons of

sees as

should there any more

it?

Reflect

he knows."

this say-

thee the deeps

visible than the surfaces of things

generally the surfaces only

but to

;

The

are visible.

material can perceive only the material, the astral the astral,

and the

spiritual the spiritual.

itself, therefore,

quality.

organic

Thy

hold on matter

memory

It all resolves

into a question of condition

feeble

and

and of

but slight, and thine

treacherous.

hard

It is

for thee to perceive the surfaces of things

and

member

perception

their aspect.

But thy

spiritual

to re-

the stronger for this weakness, and the profound

most readily. It is hard for thee to understand and to retain the memory of material facts but their meaning thou knowest instantly and by intuition, which is the memory of the soul. For the soul takes no pains to remember she knows divinely. Is it not said that the immaculate woman brings forth without a pang? The sorrow and travail of conception belong to her whose desire that which thou seest the

;

unto " Adam." 5.

I.e,,

The

(s)

outer sense and lower reason.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Concerning Psyche.

NO. xLV.]

No.

i8i

XLV.

CONCERNING PSYCHE.

(6)

(Continued from No. XLIII.)

BUT

may make

the subject clearer to thee

may

of those things which only

Thou knowest

together.

Psyche

these thou

man

;

the

compared

fitly

already the nature of the

planet and the divisions of regions.

if,

we speak

leaving such material comparisons,

its

Ego

into four parts or

knowest that the soul or

human

superior reason.

Now

there appertains to the planet besides all these four

an atmosphere of a magnetic nature. <'^ This atmosphere is well known to thee. It is the astral or regions,

anima miindi or pictureworld. Therein are stored up all the memories of the world its past life, its history, its affections, and resideral soul of the planet, the

;

collections of physical things.

The adept may

rogate this phantom world, and

vestment of the planet yet it is its very fabric is spun of

the

cast-off

and

palpitating, for

living

psychic substance, 6.

Paris,

January

inter-

shall speak for him. ;

and

its

entire

parenchyma

(s>

6. 1883,

mode of the astral ; that in which past as distinguished from its present condition, which co-exist, the latter continually passing into the former. E.M. Anatomically, the mass of a glandular or similar organ. Botanically, 8. 7.

Not another

represents

element, but another

its

the soft cellular tissue of plants.

E.M.

And forasmuch as the bom and ever dying, so

magnetic. ever being

[part

Clothed wiih the Sun.''

planet

an entity

this astral counter-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

part of itself

is ever in process of increase, the mirror of the globe, a world encompassing a world. But the Divine Spirit, Dio-Nysos, is not in this magnetic

God the Nous

circle.

thereof

Such as is

in the celestial,

and the temple

in the heart of humanity. is

the astral world to the planet, the

And

man.

in truth the great

Ruach

magnetic sphere

of the planet is itself composed and woven out of the magnetic Egos of its offspring, precisely as these in their turn are woven out of the infinitely lesser atoms which compose the individual man. So that, by a figure, one may represent the whole astral atmosphere of the planet as a system of so many tiny spheres, each reflecting and transmitting special rays. But if

in this astral sphere thou shouldst seek the true soul

and Divine

Spirit,

thou shalt not find them

;

for they

each world its Ruach, and but one. But the world's true soul migrates and " interchanges. And this is the secret of the " creation

are of the higher altitudes.

of worlds.

Worlds, like men, have their keirma, and arise out of the ruins of former

n;w kosmic globes

As the soul of the individual human unit transmigrates and passes on, so likewise does the Psyche of the planet From world to world, in ceasestates.

less

intercourse

pursues her

and impetus, the

variable way.

And

tincture of her divinity changes.

living

Neshamah

as she passes, the

Here her

spirit is

derived through lacchos, there through Aphrodite,

;

Concerning Psyche.

NO. XLv.]

183

anon through Hermes or another God Here, again, she is weak, and there strong. Your planet did not begin this avatar in strength an evil karma overwhelmed its soul, and evil lives predominated in its first ages. Monstrous reptiles, creeping things, and many fierce natures tore and devoured each other in the great deeps. For the world-soul was weak, and brought forth with pain and trouble. But Adonai reigns, and shall reign. ;

Now many

the physical molecules of the planet are

its

generated bodies, whether of plants, of animals,

men and these are continually dropping into decay and being shed. But the living germs of all these organisms die not they revert continually to

or of

;

their

proper place,

and the soul of each gathers

strength by progression.

And

the ghost of each living

thing goes into the astral sphere,

its

proper place

and the dust of each creature to the earth and the Psyche departs to fulfil her karma. For Psyche is as ;

a flame within a flame, whereof the highest aind most

luminous part mounts and wanders, while the heavier and the less pure remains burning above the surface of the earth.

And

as with the man, so with the planet

;

for small

and great there is one law. And one star differeth from another star in glory. And so throughout the infinite vistas and systems of heaven. From star to star, from sun to sun, from galaxy to galaxy, the kosmic souls migrate and interchange. But every

" Clothed with

184

God

[part

the Sun."

keeps his tincture and maintains his indefeasible

personality.

There is no evil. There are only weak and strong, and the differentiation of substance. Compare like with like, and preserve the affinity of similara

All things are explicable and comprehensible the key of their explanation

Order

the

first

word of

;

but

order.

analysis,

and the alphabet

of synthesis.

No. XLVI.

CONCERNING CONSCIOUSNESS AND MEMORY IN RELATION TO PERSONALITY.

CONSCIOUSNESS

(9)

not so much a thing as a thou wouldst have a clear condition. Now, if conception of that condition by means of analogy,

take

cis

globe,

illustration the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a ball of

fire,

fluid

image of an incandescent and igneous throughout its

whole mass. (10) Divide this globe in thought into several successive zones, each containing

its

precedent.

Thou

wilt find that the central interior zone only contains

the radiant point, or heart of the fiery mass, 9.

le.

Paris,

January 15, 1883. is of a globe self-luminous and heated from within.

The idea

E.M.

and

;;

Concerning Consciousness and Memory.

NO. XLVi. ]

that each successive zone constitutes a circumferential

halo more or less intense, according to

its

nearness to

the radiant point, but secondary and derived only,

and not

the macrocosm,

human kingdom.

the

and

interior zone,

luminous radiation.

in itself a source of

thus with

It is

and thus also with

In the latter the soul

the

alone contains the radiant point.

one indivisible effulgence, the successive zones in unbroken continuity but the source of this effulgence is not in them. I call this this

illuminated

are

;

effulgence consciousness, spiritual

ego or divine one law. God

there

Man,

therefore,

plurality.

God

and

God

being one,

personalities.

This

And

Yet

consciousness. is

one.

spirit

And

so consciousness is manifold.

not is

for in one

;

not only three that

all

spirit is

and wherever all

unity

is.

many comprehended

because

man

this

yet three

divine unity are

essence consciousness,

for all things

But within

one.

beyond number, being

that in this

consciousness

Now,

nothing that

personality are three persons. for

this radiant point the

spark.

very

Wherefore

one.

spirit

And

its

spirit is there is

manifold,

spirit, like light,

Were

otherwise there could be no it one point spreading no rays, and instead, thick darkness and unconsciousness throughout eternity. But this is absurd and against reason because it is the very nature of light to be radiant and radiance is itself light so that wherever light is is

diffusive.

universe, but only

;

there

radiance or sihining

;

and God

the Shining

â&#x20AC;˘*

[part

Clothed with the Sun.''

God

One, or radiant point, of the universe.

the

supreme consciousness, and the divine radiance is also consciousness. And man's interior ego is conscient only because the radiant point in

But mits

first

it,

the anima brutu,

But the more

body.

physical

consciousness, the brighter central spark.

ness

It is

and

trans-

to the

last

concentrated

and more

the the

effulgent

erroneous to think of conscious-

non-diffusive,

think of light as

and

divine.

this consciousness emits consciousness,

precisely as

non-radiant.

would be

But

true that

consciousness hath a centre of diffusion, as light hath a radiant point.

Now, fire

from the midst of

thou take the central

this

imagined globe of

incandescent spark, the

whole globe does not immediately become dark, but the effulgence lingers in each zone according to

degree of nearness to the centre of the sphere. thus also

when

dissolution occurs in the process of

Everything

death.

proper degree.

its

It is

conscious

according

its

In somnambulism either the anima

bruta and the physical body are conscious while the consciousness of the soul occurs, according to the

suspended

;

or the reverse

kind of somnolence induced.

But that part which remains conscious is capable of reflection, of thought, of memory, and even of intelligent invention

and

its

and acumen, according to

endowments.

Consciousness

is,

diffusive and, in a certain sense, divisible.

its

kind

therefore,

best

;

NO. XLVi.]

Concerning Consciousness and MeJtwry.

187

comprehends this truth who is nearest and most like God and such cin one is the poet. Thou knowest that in the end, when Nirvana is attained, the soul shall gather up all that it hath left within the astral of holy memories and worthy experience, and to this end the Ruach rises in the astral sphere, by the gradual decay and loss of its more material affinities, until these have so disintegrated and perished, that its substance is thereby lightened and purified. But continual commerce and

;

intercourse with earth add, as

earthly

affinities,

recall

its

spiritual

ego

its

shall not

were, fresh fuel to

Thus, therefore, the

For the Ruach anything worthy of its purging chamber.

therewith.

there be in

The a^ral sphere is For Saturn, who is Time, is the

recall.

he devoureth

all

its

and hindering

detained from perfect absorption

and union

all die, if

alive,

ego.

spiritual

itself is

into the divine,

keeping these

the dross

in its nature is ethereal

;

trier

all

things

only that escapeth which

and destined

to reign.

And

death of the Ruach is gradual and natural. It a process of elimination and disintegration, often over many as men measure time extending

this is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

decades, or even centuries.

And

those Ruachs which

appertain to wicked and evil persons, having strong wills inclined earthwards,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;these

persist longest

and

manifest most frequently and vividly, because they rise not, but,

being destined to perish

utterly, are

not

withdrawn from immediate contact with the earth. They are all dross there is in them no redeemable ;

i88

Clothed with the Sun.^^

[part

But the Ruach of the righteous complaineth thou disturb his evolution. " Why callest thou me?

element. if

disturb

chains

about

The memories of my

not.

neck

earth-life are

of the past towards my rest, and hinder me not with evocations. But let thy love go after me and encompass me so shalt thou rise with me through sphere after sphere." detaineth

me.

Suffer

;

the

desire

rise

;

For the good man upon earth can love nothing than the divine. Wherefore that which he loveth in his friend is the divine, that is, the true and radiant self. And if he love it eis differentiated from God, it is only on account of its separate tincture. For less

in the perfect light there are innumerable tinctures.

And

according to

this

or that

when

its celestial affinity,

the righteous friend of the

the love of the living

of the dead

man

good man

And dieth,

goeth after the true soul

and the strength and divinity of

;

love helpeth

one soul loveth

splendour more than the rest

the purgation

psychic ghost.

It is

of the astral

to this astral soul,

this

soul, the

which ever

remaineth near the living friend, an indication of the

way

must also

go,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a light shining uf>on the upward

path that leads from the astral to the celestial and For love, being divine, is towards the everlasting. " Love exalteth, love purifieth, love updivine. lifteth."

and in God are compreand powers, and dominions, and all thrones, in the cherubim archangels, and principalities, and There hended

but one

God

;

Concerning Consciousness and Memory.

NO. XLVi.]

celestial world.

begotten in

Now,

sphere.

And

189

through these are all the worlds each with its astral

time and space, all these,

both terrene and heavenly, are

conscient entities, yet all subsist in one consciousness,

which

God

one God. Because

is spirit,

and

all

of the physical brain

own

spirit,

The

and

material

constituted of countless cells

and innumerable connecting its

things are of

spirit is consciousness.

fibres,

and each

cell

consciousness, according to its degree.

the resultant of all these concordant functions

There

perception and one consciousness.

hath

Yet one

also a

consciousness of the nerves, and another of the blood,

and another of the tissues. There is a consciousness of the eye, and another of the ear, and another of the There is a consciousness appropriate, and touch. appertaining specially and distinctively, to every bodily organ. And all these work night and day within the body, each according to its kind and its order. Yet the intellect of the man knoweth nothing thereof. Interrogate one of these living organs, and answer thee after

its kind. If man, then, can dominate and direct the divers parts of his own physical body, why should he find it strange

will

little

that his ethereal self be

The anima

bruta

likewise similarly multiple?

as an organ of the spiritual

man

;

and though it be part of him, its acts, its functions, and its consciousness are not identical with those of the spiritual soul. fore,

and

Consciousness

diffusible in

as in the universe

;

man, as

and one law

God is

divisible, ;

there-

in the planet,

throughout

all.

'^''

Clothed with the

Sun"

[part

No. XLVII.

CONCERNING THE SUBSTANTIAL EGO AS THE TRUE SUBJECT.

(1)

hath been said, " All life is a burning:," a^^d thou sayest, " Let the cells of the brain be likened to these burning logs, and their ash to waste tissue, and the flame to consciousness. Then is consciousness nothing more than an unstable product, which, when the logs are all consumed, dieth away with their ash. How then shall we think of Psyche, if she be this flame? Is not all consciousness phenomenon merely, depending for its existence on an organic process a consens7is of vital action in the nervous cells? And the Psyche, what is she but the sum of conscious

;

states,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a

complexity,

making and unmaking the flame ?

unstable

and

automatic,

herself at each instant, even as

What, then, doth cognise these unstable states? These successive and ephemeral objective conditions, to what Subject do they manifest themselves, and how are they recognised? If consciousness be phenomenon, to what noumenon is it related? Perceivest thou not that the flame, which is phenoI.

whUe

Paris,

February

in trance.

27, 1883.

The word

Received during the

nig:ht,

Subject, spelt with a capital,

and written down used herein in

metaphysical sense, to denote the thinking: and perceiving' agent.

E.M.

its

NO. XLVii. (i) Concerning the Substantial Ego.

191

menon, appeareth not to itself, and dependeth for its objectivity on the subjectivity of the observer? The physiologist who telleth thee that memory is a biological -processus,

and that consciousness

a state

dependent on the duration and intensity of molecular nervous vibration, toucheth not the Psyche. For this molecular phenomenon is incapable of cognising itself

;

it is

Seest thou not that unless

objective only.

there be an inner, subjective ego to perceive flect in itself this

and

succession of phenomenal states, the

condition of personality would be impossible? thinkest

thou

universe

the

to re-

that

unless

the

ideal

flame

subsisted,

true

Or,

and inner

thou

couldst

Knowest thou not that eternally and substantially

cognise the material flame? in the all

Divine Mind subsist

those things of which thou beholdest the images

and phenomena? noumenon which is

this

irmer

And

the Psyche.

substantial

as in nature

there are infinite gradations from simple to complex,

and from coarse

to fine,

Psyche reached by

who have

innumerable degrees, and they

not pene-

secondary consciousness, which is objective only, and imagine that the subjective, which alone explains all, is undemonstrable. But only Psyche can apprehend the psychical .only reason can reach the ultimate. trated

the

inner,

stop

short

the

;

what, or by whom," say the biologists,

ephemeral

and

consciousness,

unstable

are these

which they name Dependent for their

states

apprehentied

production upon duration and intensity of vibration,

they pass

away

they appear,

duction and

[part

Clothed "with the Sun."

192

as quckly as they appear."

appvarition,

If, then,

something, otherwise their pro-

is to

not be cognised.

automatic in

itself,

could

thing or a state doth not appear

to itself, but to the observer.

For apparition and

production are processes affecting a Subject, and this Subject

Psyche.

But the vice of your biologists

lieth in their pursuit

of the unity in the simple rather than in the complex. By this method they reverse and invert the divine

method of

evolution, and nullify its end. They refuse unity to the man, in order to claim it for the molecule.

For the ultimate element, indivisible and indestructible by thought, for the simplest and lowest monad only, thdy claim unity, and thereby individuality. Thus they divinise the lowest, and in their method evolution hath no motive or reasonable end. truth. Psyche is the most complex of and of this complexity is bom responsibility. Pure and naked simplicity of being is the And outermost and lowermost, touching negation. lieth soul human the dignity and excellence of the is She complexity. not in her simplicity, but in her in works the summit of evolution, and all generation order to produce her. The philosophy, then, which

But,

essences,

deifies the lowest in place

true sense of its

own

of the highest, ignores the

doctrine of evolution.

For the

occult law which governs evolution brings together, in

increasingly complex

and manifold

entities,

innumer-

able unities, in order that these units may, of their

NO. XLVii. (i) Concerning the Substantial Ego.

substantial essence, polarise one

193

complex essence

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

complex, because evolved from, and by the concurrence of, many simple monads essence, because in ;

its

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

The problem God in nature.

nature indivisible and indestructible.

of the E^^o in

the

first

man

the problem of

same method which expounds the last, shall be expounded likewise. The human ego is,

therefore, the synthesis, sonified.

And

the divine

impersonal per-

the higher and more excellent

this

personality, the profounder the consciousness of the

impersonal.

The

divine personality

not concrete,

and the divine consciousness is not objective, but subjective. The phenomenal personality and consciousnes are to the noumenal as but

abstract,

water reflecting the heavens, the nether completing

and returning to the upper

its

own

concrete reflex.

comprehend, and must learn that interior a!nd subjective method by which only heavenly things are apprehended. Thou must shift the ground of thine observation from the exterior to' the interior and this can be accomplished only by means of re" I tell thee that unless thou be born generation. If thou desirest really to study, to

to master the heavenly science, thou

;

again, thou shalt not see the

kingdom of God." And

meaneth that unlessi a man be regenerate he shall not be able to see the inner and essential, The which are the only true and divine things. unregenerate man works always from the exterior, this saying

and hath experience only of that which is without. But thou, if thou wouldst behold the kingdom of God,

" Clothed loUh

194

[part

the Sun."

and fix the polaric point and substantial.

learn to live in the essential,

of thy

mind

in the central

Part It is

2.(2)

on the study of the apprehend what between the abstract and the con-

necessary, before entering

substantial, that thou shouldst clearly

difference there

Now

crete.

the study of the material

the objective

and that of the

of the subjective.

term the subjective

the study of

substantial is the study

That, then, which the biologists is

not truly

so,

but only the last

phaises and conditions of phenomena. Thus, for example, the unstable states which con-

interior

are in their view subjective But they axe objective to the true subject, which is Psyche, because they are perceived by this latter, and whatever is perceived is objective There are in the microcosm two functions, that of the revealer, and that of the entity to which revelation is made. The unstable states of the biologist, which accompany certain operations of organic force, are so many modes whereby exterior things ajre revealed to stitute

consciousness,

states.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

the interior subject.

They

are not in themselves the

subject to which the revelation

made

not

think that thou canst attain the subjective by the

same method of study which discovers a.

written

to thee

the

Received at the same time and in the same manner as the foregoing, but the following day. E.M,

dowa on

NO. XLVii. (2) Concerning the Substantial Ego.

The

objective.

without

;

the

last is

first

found by observation from from within. The

intuition

human kosmos

each having

own mode of

its

195

many

a complexity of

principles,

And

operation.

is,

on the rank and order of the principle affected by any special operation that dependeth the therefore,

When,

nature of the effect produced.

example,

the

speaketh

biologist

cerebration," he should

what such operation

therefore, for "

unsconcious,

unconscious

whom

ask himself to

or to

knowing that

tions of duration affect the

mind

;

Ques-

all vital processes there is infinite gradation.

questions of inten-

All processes which occur in the objective are relative to something ; there is but sity affect the Psyche.

one thing absolute, and that scious cerebration

is,

scious in regard to that

mode

of perception which

conditioned in and by duration.

any such process of cerebration

intensity,

unconscious.

but

intense,

then,

The

interior

man knoweth

distinct

not

all processes,

not

of the

mundane ego and

and

per-

apprehended by the This truth ought in itself to demonare

their separablity even

the

conditioned

in relation to that centre

strate to thee the distinction

and

mciny processes

mental man.

But inasmuch as

ceived by that perceptive centre which

Uncon-

the Subject.

therefore, only relatively uncon-

separable, even

this

human

principles,

plane of

life.

If,

the heavenly ego be so

when

vitally connected,

that a nervous process conscious to the latter shall be

unconscious to the former,

how much more

shall

" Clothed

196

separability

broken? single

'with the

when

possible

If the polarites

and

identical

Sun"

all

the

[part vital

thy kosmos were

direction, thou

bond

wouldst be

conscious of all processes, and nothng would be to thee unknown, because thy central point of perception

would be precisely the focus of all convergent radii. But no unregenerate man is in such case. For most, the perceptive point lies in the relative and objective man, and by no means in the absolute and subjective. Thus the convergent radii pass unheeded of their consciousness, because, as yet,

own

They

spirit.

they

know

are asleep while they

not

their

live,

and

incapable of absolute cognition.

No. XLVIII.

concerning the christian mysteries. Part

THE two

(3)

terms of the history of creation or evolu-

by the Catholic Church in two precious and all-important dogmas. These arefirst, the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, secondly, the Assumption of the tion are formulated

;

Blessed Virgin Mary. 3.

Paris,

The

E.M.

December

the doctrine of the

first

12, 1882.

latter is not yet promulg-ated.

Ste 71te Perfect Way, V.

44,

No.

— ;

NO. XLViii. (i) Concerning the Christian Mysteries.

197

are secretly enlightened concerning the generation of the soul,

who

yet from the

begotten in the

first

womb

of matter, and

instant of her being is pure

Sin comes through the material and lectual element, because these belong to matter.

incorrupt.

the soul, which

heavenly conditions,

of the is

celestial,

and

intel-

But and belongs to

free of original sin.

Salem,

which is from above, is free, which is the mother of us all. But Agar " the intellectual and astral part " is a bond slave, both she and her son." The soul born of time (Anna), is yet conceived without taint

—

of corruption or decay, because her essence

is divine.

Contained in matter, and brought into the world by means of it, she is yet not of it, else she could not be In her bosom is conceived that mother of God. bright and holy light the Nucleolus which dwells in her from the beginning, and which, without intercourse with matter, germinates in her and manifests itself as the express image of the eternal and ineffable She gives this image individuality. personality.

—

Through and

in her

it is

focused and polarised into a

perpetual and self-subsistent person, at once

man.

God and

— did any admixintegral substance, — no

But were she not immaculate,

ture of matter enter into her

such polarisation of the Divine could occur. The is conceived must be immaculate

womb in which God

;

the mother of Deity must be " ever-virgin." She grows up from infancy to childhood at the knee of Anna from a child she becomes a maiden, true type of the

—

soul, unfolding, learning, increasing,

and elaborating

•*

igS

Clothed with the Sun.''

[part

by experience.

But in all this she remains in and uncontaminated, at once daughter, spouse, and mother of God. As the Immaculate Conception is the foundation of the mysteries, so is the Assumption their crown. For the entire object and end of kosmic evolution is precisely this triumph and apotheosis of the soul. In the mystery presented by this dogma, we behold the consummation of the whole scheme of creation the perpetuation and glorification of the individual human ego. The grave the material and astral consciousness cannot retain the immaculate Mother of God. She rises into the heavens she assumes divinity. In her own proper person she is taken up into the King's chamber. From end to end the mystery of the soul's evolution the history, that is, of humanity and of the kosmic drama isi contained and enacted in the cultus of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The acts and the glories of Mary are the one supreme subject of the itself

her

essence

divine

—

;

—

holy mysteries.

Part

(s)

It is necessary, in relation to

the Mysteries, to dis-

and the manifest, and and the microcosm. macrocosm These between the tinguish between the unmanifest

Home, August

her diary

19. 1883.

Mrs. Kingsford thus prefaces this exposition

How

wonderfully the Church helps one in matters ot Theosophy

When

doubtful about Divine Order, or about Function in the human kingdom, appeal instinctively to Catholic doctrine, and am at once set in the rig:ht path.

— I

NO. xlViii. (2) Concerning the Christian Mysteries. last,

199

however, are identical, in that the process of the

and the process of the individual are one. the soul, and as such the matrix of the Divine Principle God made man by individualisation, through descent into the " Virgin's womb." But the seven principles of universal spirit are conuniversal

Mary

—

cerned in

this

conception

;

since

it is

through their

operation in the soul that she becomes capable of polarising divinity.

week of day of which week denotes the operaof one of the Seven creative Elohim or Divine

[This

the secret aspect of the Mosaic

Creation, each tion

Potencies concerned in the elaboration of the spiritual

microcosm.] It is

said that

the

Blesed Virgin

daughter, spouse, and mother of God.

Mary

the

But, inasmuch

energy has two conditions, one of passivity and one of activity, which latter is styled the as spiritual

Holy

Spirit,

—

it is

Father, but the respectively the

said that Mary's spouse

not the

Holy Ghost, these terms implying static and the dynamic modes of

For the Father denotes the motionless, the and potential, in whom all things are But the Holy Ghost represents will in subjectively.

Deity.

—

force passive

I should never have clearly understood the Order of Function of the Soul but for the Catholic teaching concerning the Mother of God ; nor should I have comprehended the method of salvation by the merits of our Divine Principle, save for the doctrine of the Incarnation and the Atonement." Between Catholic doctrine in its inner and true meaning, however, and that doctrine as set before the world, she rocognised an absolute distinction, holding firmly to the dictum that " The Church has all the truth, but the priests have

think

materialised

it,

making themselves and

their followers idolaters."

E.M.

— 200

[part

Clothed vaith the Sun.^^

— creative energy, motion and generative funcOf union of the Divine will in action the Holy Ghost—with the human the product action, tion.

this

soul,

Christ, the

God-Man and

Christ, the

Divine

Spirit,

And by whom He is our Lord.

through begotten,

flows and operates. In the trinity of the unmanifest, the great deep, or ocean of infinitude Sophia (Wisdom) corresponds

—

to Mary,

whom

and has for spouse the

creativ>j energy,

begotten the Manifestor, Adonai, the Lord.

This " Mother " is co-equal with the Father, being " primary and eternal. In manifestation the " Mother is derived, being born of Time (Anna), and hcis for Father the Planet-God, for our planet, lacchos Joachim, or Jacob (6) so that the paternity of the first person of the Trinity is vicarious only. The Church, therefore, being a Church of the manifest, deals with Mary (substance), under this aspect alone, and hence

—

;

does not specify her as co-equal with the first principle. In the unmanifest, being underived, she has no relation to time.

See Appendix, "Definitions." Every 2. 5. &c. whether a system, a planet, or a person, is constituted of a certain portion of Divinity, segregated aud assigned to be its life and substance. These names designate that particular individuation of the universal deity of which we 6.

kosmic

Ps.

xxiv. 6; cxxxii.

entity,

and our planet consist. Wherefore Mary, as the perfected human soul, is " daughter" ot the planet-god, precisely as her " son " Christ, the perfected human spirit, is " son of the planet-god. The soul is at once " daughter, mother, and spouse of God," as woman is at once daughter, mother, and spouse of man. '

E.M.

Concerning Dying.

NO. XLix.]

201

No. XLIX.

CONCERNING DYING.

WHEN it

man

or an animal dies a violent death,

not an immediate separation that takes

between body and

place

<7)

There are many

soul.

principles to be considered, each, as

outer, like a nest

were, incased

of Chinese boxes, or the spiral

of a cone. And the lower consciousness can be reanimated in the physical body by physical means. This is the consciousness related to nerve-stimulation

and

reflex

action,

involuntary

gesture

and

all

animal functions. It is only by degrees that the soul disengages itself, and its skirts linger long in the physical System, and can be detained artificially. All the component elements of the body polarise to form a unity, which is as a sun to the system. But this polcirsation is fourfold,

and the

non-molecular.

That, therefore, subjective.

Force, is

When

infinite gradation,

Home, August

and

in-

;

spirit,

that which shines is

non-molecular.

alone one and indivisible, and it is Psyche is one with the spirit, she

too becomes subjective. are

central

not objective but subjective.

most point of radiance That which reflects is molecular is

a3, 1883.

has been said,

and Psyche

All things

reached by

;

202

•'

Clothed

innumerable degrees

•voith

so that

;

[part

the Sun.''

who have

they

not

penetrated to the inner, stop short at the secondary consciousnesss and imagine that to be the subjective." Psyche, so long as existence spirit

she

;

she

and

reflects,

*^^

gradually in process of

and the

at-one-ment

But

—she

mutually attract and permeate each

spirit

She

a mirror to the

lasts, is

therefore molecular.

become non-molecular Therefore the higher the entity undergoing death, the easier the detachment of other.

and

will, then, finally

entirely subjective.

Psyche from the lower consciousnesses which enshrine her. For the nearer she is to being herself a radiant point, the nearer she is to unity

The

tivity.

saint does

consciousness

her spouse.

and

spiritual subjec-

not feax death because his

gathered up into Psyche, and she into

—that the —cannot retain the

The grave

The whole spiritual

object of incarnation

counterpart,

Now, when once

holy Virgin."

to build

and

subjective

and

physical

astral consciousness

up a

substantial.

the radii of the physical

and

astral

molecules have polarised a radiant point interior and superior to themselves,

no injury or mutilation of the

physical ego will affect the subjective ego.

As a

matter of fact, physical bodies are constantly changing and interchanging their particles

;

portions of

other bodies are engrafted continually within them

but there

no change

the higher consciousness. 8.

The

;

in the unity or continuity of

This

state of manifested as distingruished

because the true

from unmanifested

being'.

E.M.

Concerning Dying.

NO. XLix.]

unity

203

The

not objective, but subjective.

true "

Son

His body and anviia heaven," and of man bruta only which are on earth. Most of the mistakes of the materialists arise from understanding localities and things when they should understand conditions and principles. Of course a subjective entity cannot " is " in

it is

be localised in space or duration. Potentially the soul is always eternal, although brought into relation

with the

through

objective

time.

a mistake to suppose that the soul in

the

body. in

same sense

The

tively,

is in

in the

the watery humours

soul is in the

which Arche

interior to

therefore

body only

the universe

;

body

of the

in the sense

that

she

is,

in the fourth dimension, of which, objec-

no idea can be formed.

consciousness inherent in

ousness of the

cells,

man

If there

there could be

ness, or unity of thought.

were no other

than the lower consci-

The

self -conscious-

cerebral sense

would

knowledge, and man would not be cognisant of his apprehensions and perceptions, Continuity of memory and will must belong to one, not be reflected in

and must be

positive

and

absolute, that

is,

when they

relate to higher selfhood.

As regards the lower consciousness, it is easy to understand that in the case of violent death, death is not instantaneous. The stroke of the sword which divides the physical head from the physical trunk

may

indeed

instantaneous,

but

this

physical

separation does not constitute death, and this process is

not really complete imtil the

phantom

wholly

" Clothed

204

So long as

disengaged. aid

physical

•with the

given to

it is

the

[part

Sun.

present, of course,

any

permits

the

nerve-cells

But when it has wholly abandoned the body such aid would be furnished in vain. The fluidic body is so tenuous and elastic that no mere separation of the physical frame would suffice manifestation of

its forces.

to destroy its integrity.

No. L. .

CONCERNING THE ONE LIFE

;

(»)

being a recapitulation. (I.)

absorbed THEnot exhaust spirit

man

or in the planet does

Deity.

Nor does the

soul evolved

upward through matter

exhaust substance.

There remain,

— the

principium

God and The

then, ever in the fourth

— above

the

manifest,

dimension unmanifest

soul.

perfection of

man and

of the planet

attained

8. Written at home, the first five sections on December 9, 18S3, and the rest on Januars' 21, 1884, and regarded by the writer as an exercise or meditation, based on previous illuminations, rather than as a fresh illumination. It is unfinished. E.M.

NO.

Concerning the One

L. ]

when

the soul of the one

out illuminate

But

spirit

always

205

Life.

and of the other

through-

spirit

never the same thing as soul.

celestial energy,

and soul

It is

always substance.

That which creates is Spirit (God). The immanent consciousnesses (spirits) of all the cells of a man's entity, cause by their pyolarisation a central unity of consciousness, which is more than the

sum

total of all their consciousnesses, because

on a higher round or plane. For in spiritual science everything depends upon levels and the man's evolution works round spirally, is

;

as does the planetary evolution.

In this relation consider the worlds of form and

Hindu theosophy.

formless worlds of

Similarly the soul of the planet also

soul

Similarly,

system

on a higher plane than too,

the

upon

associated essences of the souls

more than the

;

because this

they.

consciousness

the

solar

more than that of the associated world-

consciousnesses.

And

the consciousness of the manifest universe

greater than that of

its

But that of the unmanifest still

as,

except in

greater than

God

corporate systems. is

substance,

higher and greater

God

the Father

the Son.

(2.)

The

elemental kingdoms represent spirit on

its

2o6

downward There

[parti.

Clothed with the Sun."

i>ath into matter.

Eire

three

of these before the mineral

reached.

These are the formless worlds before the worlds of form.

They

are in the planet,

and also

man.

All the planets inhabited by manifest forms are

themselves manifest.

After the form-worlds come other formless worlds, caused by the upward arc of ascending

spirit

but

these also are in the planet.

They

are also in the

man

and are the

states

pure thought.

The is

who is son of Hermes, is medium who is controlled and who

thinker, therefore,

as far beyond the

not self -conscious, as the formless worlds of the

ascending arc are beyond the formless worlds of the elemental, or descending, arc.

In the planet and in the

tiguous because each round

man

they only seem con-

is spiral.

But each round takes the One Life higher

in the

spiral.

Neither the planet-soul nor the man-soul goes over exactly the same ground again.

But perverse and disobedient will may reverse the direction of the spiral.

Individuals in

whom

abandoned by the planet

the will so

acts, are finally

to the outer sphere.

NO.

Concerning the One Life.

L. ]

207

(3)

The One Life is the point of consciousness. The will is the impulse which moves it. In the celestial the One Life is the Elohim the Will

;

and

the Father.

The One Life

manifest by effulgence (the Son).

So, then, the Will begets in substance the effulgence,

which In

diffuse until is

One

the manifestation of the

man and it

Life.

is dim and Then only Christ

the planet the effulgence

moves into the

soul.

bom.

The One Life Christ in

invisible until Christ manifests

it.

man

has for counterpart Adonai in the

the

One Life

heavens. So, then^

latently, until

in the

Father-Mother

manifest by the Son (effulgence).

And the procession of the Holy Spirit is from the Father-Mother through the Son. Herein is the difference reconciled between the Greek and Latin Churches. The point of consciousness shineth more and more unto the perfect day of brightness (" Nativity of Christ" within man).

The

object

"Ancients."

They 9.

creation

the

production

(ÂŤ)

are the first-fruits of the souls of the planets

A.V., " Elders," Apoc.

iv.

;

2o8

Clothed

'voith

or " First Resurrection."

[parti.

the Sun:'

(First

dignity, not

time.)

They

are not themselves creators

rators of that

which

created

;

but are regene-

;

Being vehicles for the Holy Spirit, who is the regenerator, through Christ. Because will can create only when it is in the the derived does not create. abstract The Father- Mother creates through Adonai by ;

means of the Holy

The

Spirit.

man

will of the perfect

renovates through the

effulgence of his

One

His Karma mankind.

poured out over the world to save

Life.

He is the Saviour through his precious life. There are twenty- four Ancients, because there are twelve Avatars of the Lord, and every one is dual. (5.)

Will,

when

derived through existence, begets

Karma.

God has no Karma. God does not ex-ist : God IS. Karma is the chaiinel of initiation. God is not initiated.

The

perfect

man

saves himself and saves others by

his righteousness.

The two

termsi of existence are creation

and

re-

demption.

The Christ,

first is

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;God

God's work in

maa

;

the second

the work of

Concerning the One Life.

NO. L.]

The he

reason

not

why

209

the Ancient cannot create

because

infinite.

immortal, not eternal

;

derived, not self-

subsistent.

His

The

the point of grace, not the point of projection.

thrones of the Ancients are round about the

Throne of God and below

it.

(6.)

The lower self is the cause of the difference between man and nature. This lower self is the unreal self, the magnetic states.

These magnetic folds all nature It is

How It is

are the serpent, in

states

whose

involved (to man).

the serpent that tempts Eve, the soul.

does this magnetic self arise? reflect, the pole of which is antithetic to the

pole of the true

The

perfect

self.

balance

be in the centre or

equator, between the two.

Nature has no lower

self

self-conscious (does not

The

;

know

centre of the true self

consequently she that she is " is in

eternity

are in time.

The

soul's

When

she

proper seat is there,

the

in the centre,

man

naked ;

not

").

the poles

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

eternity.

in eternal life.

This centre is the tree of life. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil condition of the cognisance of the two poles.

the

" Clothed

2IO

Eating the

fruit

of this tree

two While she remained

soul beholds these

nature

is,

knowing

-with the

Sun''

[part

the act by which the

poles.

was as and not

in her first state, she

seeing only one pole,

the good,

herself.

(7)

There are two modes of God,

—the

manifest and

the unmanifest.

God

manifest

gradually through nature to

rises

meet God unmanifest Every level in nature every other

When

rises out

itself to

merge

level.

the mind-plane

God emerges

reached,

thence as the soul, and looks upon himself.

That

into

her journey,

which the soul looks back

That into which she looks forward and eternity.

The in the

The

—time and nature.

point she has reached midst of paradise. false self is the

eternal

the past of

God,

life,

—

spirit

—the

tree

mirage in time.

the planes evolved, their laws were the laws of

God. But backwards they are the laws of the Devil. " A pra!yer said backwards is an evocation of the Evil One." (8.)

The God manifest

the true self.

NO.

Concerning the One

L. ]

The God unmanifest

211

Life,

the Divine overshadowing,

the true spouse of the soul.

To know one's self is no sin. God planted the tree of the knowledge

of good and

evil.

The

sin is in the retrogression

towards the

It is

the giving of the apple to

Adam.

Adam

From

the

commanded Adam is moment of the fall, ;

astral.

rebuked.

new

takes place, similar to that of God's

projection

first

projection

into time.

The wheel

turns again, and

all is

done over again

in the microcosm.

For

the

(Adam)

retrogression

towards!

the

intellectual

a displacement of the centre. It is a transference of the tree of life from the place of Eve (the soul) to the place of AdcinL The centre can be nowhere save in the meeting place of the two lines which intersect at right angles the two triangles of the

Seal of Solomon." There can be but one point of centre, therefore the two trees represent two lines crossed.

When

the

One Life

has

reached

the

seventh

kingdom, then is the Sabbath. That is the point of return from Nature God Action to God in God Rest. Seven for the outgoing, seven for the incoming.

—

10.

II.,

The

No.

common E.M.

—

<i°)

and that in The Great Work, Part only apparent, the point which the two series have in over, making: the total in both cases thirteen. being here reckoned twice difference between this reckoning

III., V. 60, 6i, is

" Clothed -with the Sun.''

212

[

part

(9.)

Thought Thought is

in nature is the

man

law of God.

the law of

the offspring of nature,

God

and there

;

because

man

but one law.

All the planes in nature express this thought in unison.

Law

another

one plane does not conflict with law in Therefore God is invariable in

plane.

nature.

But

man

there

How

appears to be conflict of two

and whence comes the which conflicts with the law of God in man? Man, like the world, is constituted of many plcines. Each plane has its consciousness, and the medium of one plane is more responsive and powerful in expressing the will of God than that of another plane. The same is true of nature's plane. It is a question of subtlety and rarefaction of media. The cause of evolution is the constant convergence diverse

wills.

is this,

will

of radii.

That

is,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;the

consciousness of the mineral plane

has a tendency to express as

itself in

a higher plane,

i.e.,

and the vegetable as human and the human the animal as and

vegetable consciousness

;

animal as divine But when the human is reached, the whole process begins over again, in petto. And in man unregenerate, the tendency is not from ;

;

Concerning the One

NO. L.]

213

Life.

behind forwards, in upward order, but in downwards, or retrogressive

For all

their

man

series.

planes are consubstantiate, and

all the

modes of law

obtain.

Some media

are

weaker or denser than others, and these are the lowermost and outermost, " touching negation."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

(10).

As throws It is

the

earth

off its

through

Karma

its

Karma, so

Karma

whirling, it

individuation,

with man.

that initiation occurs.

But only the evil. good face reflects on us the divine light. Diana is the moon so also is Hecate. The "moon" is good or evil, according to the is

two-faced, good and

;

condition of the postulant.

PART THE SECOND. THE BOOK OF THE MYSTERIES OF

GOD,

ANCIENTLY CALLED

THE GREATER MYSTERIES, AS CONTAINING

KNOWLEDGES WHICH FOR THEIR

INTERIORNESS WERE RESERVED FOR INITIATES OF HIGH GRADE.

AM."

;

" Clothed with

2i8

No.

summary of of God, and the

Sun"

[part h.

THE CREDO being a

the

<10) ;

the spiritual history of the Sons

mysteries of the

kingdoms of the

Seven Spheres.

BELIEVE

in one God the Father and Mother Almighty of whose substance are the generations of Heaven and of earth And in Christ Jesus the Son of God, our Lord who is conceived of the Holy Ghost bom of the Virgin Mary suffereth under the world-rulers is crucified, dead, and buried who descendeth into hell who riseth again from the dead who aacendeth into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God by whose law the quick and the dead are judged. I believe in the Seven Spirits of God the Kingdom of Heaven the communion I

;

of the elect

;

the passing-through

redemption of the body

;

souls

the life everlasting

;

the

and the

Amen.

that believeth

and

initiated shall be saved

and he that believeth not shall consume away. lo. I.

This and the next were received in Paris, July 1879. See Appendix, p. I. and II., notes A. and B,

<i)

NO.

The

II.]

'â&#x20AC;˘'â&#x20AC;˘

219

Lord's Prayer.''

No.

THE

II.

LORD'S PRAYER

" ;

being a prayer of the Elect for interior perfectiownent.

OUR

Father- Mother

who

art in the

upper and the

within

Hallowed be thy name

Thy kingdom come Thy will be done, in

the

body

as in the spirit

Give us every day the communion of the mystical bread And perfect us in the power of Thy Sons, according as

give ourselves to perfect others

And

in the

hour of temptation deliver us from the

hand of SataiL For Thine are the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

In the life eternal, and in the

See Appendix,

p. I.,

note A.

Amen.

(2)

220

Cloihed with the

No.

Suny

ii.

(3)

are the true

Scriptures

part

III.

CONCERNING HOLY WRIT.

ALLhave a dual which

[

Word

of God,

interpretation, the intellectual

and

and the hidden. For nothing can come forth from God save that

the intuitional, the apparent 2.

which 3.

is fruitful.

the nature of God, so

Word

of God's

the spirit

and the

the

mouth. 4.

The give

letter

alone

barren

;

life.

5. But that Scripture is the more excellent which is exceeding fruitful and brings forth abtmdant signifi-

cation. 6.

For God

many things in one, as many seeds in its chalice.

able to say

the perfect ovary contains

Therefore there are in the Scriptures of God's

Word

certain writings which, as richly yielding trees,

bear more abundantly than others in the self -same

holy garden. 8.

And

one of the most excellent

the generation of the heavens 9.

For therein

Recovered October

19, 1878.

and the

the history of earth.

contained in order a genealogy,

Concerning Sin and Death.

NO. IV.]

221

which has four heads, as a stream divided into four branches, a

And

10.

word exceeding the

first

rich.

of these generations

that of the

Gods. 12.

The second is that of the kingdom of heaven. The third is that of the visible world.

13.

And

1 1.

the fourth

that of the

Church of

Christ.

No. IV.

CONCERNING SIN AND DEATH.

the outer so

One.

the inner

(4)

that worketh

the small is, so is the great there is one law. Nothing is small and nothing is great in the Divine Economy. 4. If thou wouldst understand the method of the world's corruption, and the condition to which sin hath reduced the work of God, and aspect of a corpse 5. Meditate upon the consider the method of the putrefaction of its tissues and humours. 6. For the secret of death is the same, whether of 2.

;

the outer or of the inner. 7.

The body

dieth

Paris, October 3, 1878.

when

the central

Received in Sleep

will

its

222

[part

Clothed with the Sun.''

ii.

system no longer bindeth in obedience the elements

substance.

its 8.

Every

cell

a living entity, whether of vege-

table or of animal potency.

In the healthy body every

the

subjection to

central

cell

the

will,

polarised in

Adonai of the

physical system.

Health,

10.

therefore,

order,

and

obedience,

government.

But wherever disease is, and insubordination.

11.

there

disunion,

rebellion, 12.

And

more quell 13.

the deeper the seat of the confusion, the

and the harder

dangerous the malady,

it.

That which

healed

;

or, if

need

superficial

be, the

may

be more easily

disorderly elements

may

be rooted out, and the body shall be whole and at unity again. 14.

other

But

the disobedient molecules corrupt each

and the perversity spread, and

continually,

the rebellious tracts multiply

whole body shall

fall

into

their

elements

dissolution,

;

which

the is

death.

For the central will kingdom of the body,

15.

the

every element

divergent will of 16.

directions

the body,

become its

that should dominate all is

its

no longer obeyed and own ruler, and hath a ;

own.

that the poles of the cells incline in divers ;

and the binding power which dissolved and destroyed.

the life of

Concerning Sin and Death.

NO. IV.]

17.

And when

dissolution

223

complete, then follow

corruption and putrefaction. 18.

Now,

likewise of 19.

that which

true of the physical,

true

prototype.

its

The whole world

full

of revolt

and every

;

element hath a will divergent from God. 20. Whereas there ought to be but

one

will,

and ruling the whole man. But there is no longer brotherhood among you

attracting 21.

;

nor order, nor mutual sustenance.

Every cell become a sect.

22. is

23.

own

arbiter

;

and every member

not bound one to another

are

confounded

is its

your

offices,

and

ye have

abandoned

your

functions.

Ye have

reversed the direction of your magnetic ye are fallen into confusion, and have given place to the spirit of misrule. 24.

currents

25.

;

Your

wills are

many and

diverse

;

and every

one of you is an anarchy. 26. A house that is divided against itself, falleth. who shall deliver you from 27. O wretched man this body of death ? (S) ;

See Appendix,

p. Ill

note

" Clothed with

224

the

Sun."

[part

i i.

No. V.

CONCERNING THE "GREAT WORK," THE REDEMPTION,

AND THE SHARE OF CHRIST JESUS THEREIN.

(ÂŤ

Christ manifest, that He may P ORdestroycause the works of the

this

devil."

In this text of the holy writings

contained

the explanation of the mission of the Christ,

and the

nature of the Great Work.

Now

God, 4.

the devil, or old serpent, the

enemy of

that which gives pre-eminence to matter.

He is disorder, confusion, distortion, falsification, He is not personal, he is not positive, he is formulated. Whatever God is, that the devil is

error.

not

and 5. God is light, truth, order, harmony, reason God's works are illumination, knowledge, understand:

ing, love,

and

sanity.

Therefore the devil is darkness, falsehood, disorder, discord, ignorance and his works are con6.

;

fusion, folly, division, hatred 7.

The

Positive.

devil

God

is I

and delirium.

therefore the negation of God's

the devil

no individuality and no existence 6.

Commenced

July, 13, 1881,

in Paris,

September

Received chiefly

in sleep.

;

30, 1878, to v. 20.

E.M.

NOT. He

has

for he represents Completed

London,

Concerning the

NO. v.]

the not-being.

Great World."

God's kingdom

\\'^herever

225

not the

devil reigns.

Now

Great

the

from matter kingdom of God. spirit

;

Work

that

the

redemption

the establishment of the

when

Jesus being asked

is,

the

kingdom of God

When Two

should come, answered,

One, and that which

Without as that which

Within."

this,

as is

he expressed the nature of the

The Two

Great Work. within

shall

(7)

In saying

10.

the real invisible

are spirit ;

and matter

the without

the

the illusory

visible. 11. The kingdom of God shall come when spirit and matter shall be one substance, and the phenomenal shall be absorbed into the real. 12. His design was therefore to destroy the dominion of matter, and to dissipate the devil and

his works. 13.

And

this

he intended to accomplish by pro-

claiming the knowledge of the Universal Dissolvent,

and giving

men

the

keys of the kingdom of

God. 14.

Now,

is, it is

15.

may

kingdom of God

within us

;

that

There

a power by means of which the outer

be absorbed into the inner.

16.

may

the

interior, invisible, mystic, spiritual.

There

a power by means of which matter

be ingested into II.

Ep. Clement,

its

original substance.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

" Clothed

226

He who

17.

toith the

Sun"

possesses this power

[part

is Christ,

ii.

and he

has the devil under foot.

For he reduces chaos to

18.

order,

and indraws the

external to the centre.

19.

spirit

20.

has learnt that matter

alone

has

power

all

earth.

and

that

found

his

own

given unto him

and heaven and on point

central in

(Âť)

Now, the central point is the number thirteen number of the marriage of the Son of God. And all the members of the microcosm are

21 it is

illusion,

is real.

the

22.

bidden to the banquet of the marriage. 23. But if there chance to be even one among them which has not on a wedding garment, 24. Such an one is a traitor, and the microcosm is found divided against itself. 25. And that it may be wholly regenerate, it is necessiary that Judas be cast out. 26. Now the members of the microcosm are twelve of the senses three, of the mind three, of the heart three, 27. 8.

and of the conscience three. For of the body there are four elements

The

instalment g-iven on September

30,

1878,

;

and

contained certain verses

which, in the second and completing draft, were replaced

bj-

others.

Thus,

was origfinally followed bj' the two following verses "Jesus had attained this secret, and by means of it He made Himself invisible at Will, and was able to pass through plenomenal appearances." " Nevertheless He failed to teach others His secret and whereas He had inverse 20

;

men. He, through a single weakness, slipped for an hour and could not withdraw His body from death." These verses throw considerable light on verse 48 of the Illumination. (Life

tended to redeem

rom

all

his centre-pivot,

of A.K., Vol.

p. 290)

S.H.H

;

Concerning the " Great Work.''

NO. v.]

the sign of the four

is sense,

in the

227

which are three

gates

The

28.

gate of the eye, the gate of the ear, and

the gate of the touch.

<9)

Renounce vanity, and be poor renounce praise, and be humble renounce luxury, and be chaste. 29.

Offer unto

30.

God

a pure oblation

let

the

fire

the altar search thee, and prove thy fortitude.

Cleanse thy sight, thine hands, and thy feet:

31.

carry the censer of thy worship into the courts of the

Lord 32.

and

;

And

elements

let

thy vows be unto the Most High.

for the magnetic

the which are three gates 33.

The

man

(1Â°)

there are four

cind the covering of the four is

mind, in

;

gate of desire, the gate of labour, and

the gate of illumination. 34.

Renounce the world, and aspire heaven-ward

labour not for the meat which perishes, but ask of

God and

beware of wandering doctrines, of the Lord be thy light. Also of the soul there are four elements: and

thy daily bread let

35.

the

Word

the seat of the four there are three gates 36.

The

the heart, whereof likewise

;

gate of obedience, the gate of prayer, and

the gate of discernment. 37.

Renounce thine own

God only be 9.

system

within thee

will, :

and

Taste and smell being modes of touch. E.M. I.e., the magnetic or astral part of Man, which in itself.

E.M.

let

the law of

renounce doubt

pray

accounted a jjerson or

;

228

And

38.

[part

be pure of heart

within the soul

One, yet has

And

39.

which

Clothed viith the Sun."

always and faint not thou shalt see God. Spirit

and

also,

the Spirit

ii.

and the

likewise three elements.

these are the gates of the oracle of God,

the ark of the covenant

The The

and the law which solves, and transmutes, and divines: the bread of heaven which is the substance of all things and the food of angels the table of the law, which is the will of God, written with the 40.

41.

rod, the host,

(i)

force

;

finger of the Lord. 42. If these three

the Spirit of

be within thy

God be within

then shall

spirit,

thee.

And

the glory shall be upon the propitiatory, holy place of thy prayer. 44. These are the twelve gates of regeneration through which if a man enter he shall have right to 43.

in the

the tree of 45.

46. It

another 47.

life.

For the number of that

may happen five,

But

tree is thirteen.

man

to have

three,

to another seven, to another ten.

until a

man have

twelve, he

not master

over the last enemy. 48.

Judcis

Therefore was Jesus betrayed to because he was not yet perfected.

death

49. But he was perfected through suffering by the passion, the cross, and the burial.

TbÂť Sacramental bread

called

by the Hebrews " Sbowbread.

yea,

E.M.

Concerning the

NO. v.]

Great Work.""

For he could not wholly die

50.

body

229

neither could his

see corruption,

So he revived

51.

not in his flesh

for the elements of death were

and

;

molecules retained

his

the

polarity of life eternal. 52. He therefore was raised and became perfect: having the power of the dissolvent and of trans-

mutation.

And God

Son of Man: yea, he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high. in 54. Thenoe also the Christ shall come again power like unto the power of his ascension. 53.

glorified the

For as yet the devil

55.

indeed has crushed his head

undissipated ;

but

still

the Virgin

wait

lies in

for her heel. 56.

Therefore the Great

Work

be ac-

yet to

complished. 57.

When

whole lump tree

into

when

;

leaven

the ;

when

the

shall

have

leavened

the

seed shall have become a

the net shall have gathered all things

it.

58.

For

ascension,

in the

same power and glory he had

at his

shall

Christ

be manifested

from

Jesus

heaven before angels and men. 59.

For when the cycle of the creation

com-

whether of the macrocosm, or of the microcosm, the Great Work is accomplished.

pleted,

60. Six

for the

interpretation:

six

manifestation, for

the

and

outgoing,

six

for

the

and

six

for

230

Clothed

the ingathering

six

'soith

Sun."

the

for the

[part

man, and

ii.

six for the

woman. 61.

Then

shall be the

Sabbath of the Lord God.

<2)

No. VI.

CONCERNING ORIGINAL BEING BEGINNING."

BEFORE

OR, "

;

BEFORE THE

(3)

the beginning of

things,

before th

generation of the heavens, the great and in-

God alone subsisted. Even the God whose name

visible 2.

Whom no eye hath ever

unspeakable, upon

looked, whose nature

no mind

create can fathom. 3.

In the

bosom of the Eternal were

comprehended, as the seven

spirits

all

the

Gods

of the prism, con-

tained in the Invisible Light. 4. The Elohim filled and comprised the universe, and the universe Wcis at rest. nor darkness, nor space, 5. There was no motion,

nor matter. 6. 7.

There was no L)ther than God. For there was One only, the Uncreate and Self-

subsistent. 8.

But forasmuch as motion was conceived

See note to Part

Paris, October 34th, 1878.

I.,

No. L.

(8)

;

also Appendix,

Second Coming.

in the

" Before the Beginning.'"

NO. VI.]

bosom of itself

the Elohim, the Invisible Light

231

moved on

;

And

gathering itself inward toward its cixis, left beyond and without it another self. 10. So that where God was not, there was darkness and the abyss. 11. Yat had the darkness of itself no existence, for before the beginning God was all in all. 9.

And

12.

that which

had been God became dark-

ness by the withdrawal of God.

13.

that the darkness

entity,

for

the negation of being. It is

14. is

no presence, for where a presence

is,

there

God.

it produce, neither can it be manican it be annihilated. 16. Yet, forasmuch as the darkness doth not comprehend God, it is as another self. 17. Not having power in itself, for all power is

Neither can

15.

fested, neither

God's. 18. is

Neither having personality, for

all personality

of God.

But unless there were again to be cessation of motion, there can be no extinction of negation. 20. It may be bounded, but never annihilated. but God only is 21. Whatever is, is of God; absolute and perfect being. 22. All things visible and invisible were potential in God before the beginning, and of God's fulness we 19.

have

all received.

•*

232

Clothed "with the Sun."

[part

11.

Inasmuch as anything is absolute, strong, perinsomuch it resembles God and is God. Inasmuch as anything is out of reason, weak, 24. divided, false, insomuch it approaches negation, and 23.

fect, true,

of negation. 25.

Now

the Absolute, which

God,

is Spirit.

No. VII. ALPHA, OR "IN THE BEGINNING."

IN 2.

the

beginning, the potentialities of all things

were in Elohim.

And Elohim was

Water,

—that

isi,

twain,

the

Spirit

3. Now the spirit of Elohim is original heavenly waters are space and dimension. 4. 5.

life,

and the

He is the line, and She is the circle. And without them is void and darkness. Now the Divine twain were from the beginning

contained in the bosom of the t

and the

the heavenly deep.

One who was

before

he beginning 7.

Even God

the nameless, invisible, unfathomable,

unspeakable, motionless 8.

From whom proceeded

duality,

spirit

spiritually, the

and deep beyond.

the heavens

— and

the

—that —that

earth

is,

the is,

vm.]

NO.

Adonat, the Manifestor.

233

g. Now the beyond was without form and void, and darkness covered the face of it. 10. But the heavenly waters were covered by the Spirit of God.

No. VIII. BETA,

OR ADONAI, THE MANIFESTOR.

THEN from 2.

(4)

the midst of the Divine Duality, the

Only Begotten of God came forth Adonai, the Word, the Voice invisible. He was in the beginning, and by Him were

all

things discovered. 4.

Without

Him was

not anything

made which

visible. 5.

life 6.

For

the Maiiifestor,

and

Him was

the

of the world.

God

the nameless hath not revealed God,

but

Adonai hath revealed God from the beginning. 7. He is the presentation of Elohim, and by Him the Gods are made manifest.

is the third aspect of the Divine Triad Co-equal with the Spirit and the Heavenly Deep. 10. For except by three in one, the Spirits of the

A.K. and E.M. recognised

in this

utterance " the original from which the (Life of A.K. Vol, I. p.

opening sentences of the Fourth Gospel were derived." 199)

S.H.H,

234

Clothed with the Sun.''

Invisible Light could not have been 1

But now

the prism perfect,

[part

made

and

ii.

manifest.

the generation

Gods discovered in their order. Adonai dissolves and resumes in His two hands

of the 12.

;

are the dual powers of all things. 13. He is of His Father the Spirit, and of His Mother the Great Deep. 14. Having the potency of both in Himself, and the power of things material. 15. Yet being Himself invisible, for He is the cause and not the effect. 16. He is the Manifestor, and not that which is

manifest. 17.

That which

manifest

the Divine Substance.

No. IX.

GAMMA, OR THE MYSTERY OF REDEMPTION. things ALLwhich is

Therefore

And

axe formed of the Divine Substance,

the Divine idea. all

things are one, as

God

one.

monad

of the Divine Substance hath in itself the potency of twain, as God is twain in one. 4. And every monad which is manifest, is manifest 3.

every

by the evolution of its Trinity. 5. For thus only can it bear record of become cognisable as an entity.

itself,

and

The Mystery of Redemption.

NO. IX.] 6.

235

There are three which bear record in the Holy of and the Spirit, the Water, and the Word,

Holies,

—

these three are one.

And

there are three which bear record

outer world,

—the

and the body,

the soul,

life,

in the

—and

these three agree in one. 8.

As is God, so is all which From the imponderable

light, to

particles

of physical

the molecules of the lead of the outermost

(^^

circle, 10.

goes forth from God.

All things in heaven and in earth are of God,

both the invisible and the

Such as is the there is no boundary 11.

visible.

invisible, is the visible also, for

line betwixt spirit

and

matter.

Matter is spirit made exteriorly cognisable by the force of the Divine Word. 13. And when God shall resume all things by love, 12.

the material shall be resolved into the spiritual, there shall be a 14.

forth

new heaven and a new

Not that matter from God, and

shall be destroyed, for is

God

and

eajrth. it

indestructible

came and

eternal. 15.

But

shall be

indrawn and resolved into

its

true self. It shall

put

off corruption,

and remain incorrup-

17.

It shall

put

off mortality,

and remain immortal.

18.

16. tible.

that nothing be lost

stance. 5.

See Appendix,

p. V.,

note

of the Divine sub-

Clothed with the Sun''

236

was material

19.

entity:

[part

shall

ii.

be spiritual

entity.

For there

20.

nothing which can go out from the

presence of God.

This

21.

dead 22.

the transfiguration of the bod'y.

of spirit:

transmute

matter,

but the mani-

and the Word of God

God

will of

which

And

(^)

shall

into its inner being.

The

the dross 24.

is,

For the body, which

festation

23.

the doctrine of the resurrection of the

that

the alchemic crucible

and

cast therein is matter.

the dross shall become pure gold, seven

times refined

;

25. It shall

even perfect

spirit.

leave behind

nothing

but shall be

transformed into the Divine image. 26.

For

polarity 27.

it is

not a

new substance

changed, and

But except

it is

but

its

alchemic

converted.

were gold in

its

true nature,

could not be resumed into the aspect of gold. 28.

And

except matter

were

spirit, it

could not

revert to spirit. 29.

30.

To make gold, the alchemist must have gold. But he knows that to be gold which others

take to be dross. 31.

shalt 32.

Cast thyself into the will of God, and thou

become as God. For thou art God,

will. 6,

See Appendix,

XV., note O.

thy will be the Divine

The Mystery of Generation.

NO. X.]

This

33.

the great secret

237

the mystery of

redemption.

No. X. DELTA,

OR THE MYSTERY OF GENERATION.

word of Elohim were the seven Elohim

the

manifest

2. Even the seven Spirits of God, in the order of their precedence 3.

The

Spirit of

ing, the Spirit

Wisdom, the

Spirit of

Understand-

of Counsel, the Spirit of Power, the

Knowledge, the Spirit of Righteousness, and

Spirit of

the Spirit of Divine Awfulness. 4.

All these are coequal and

Each has the nature of

each 6.

a perfect

And

coeternail.

the whole in itself

and

entity.

the brightness of their manifestation shineth

from the midst of each, as wheel within wheel, encircling the White Throne of the Invisible Trinity forth

in Unity.

These are the Divine fires which burn before the God which proceed from the Spirit, and are one with the Spirit. 7.

presence of

and 9.

He He

divided, yet not diminished

One.

For the

Spirit of

God

a flame of

He fire

All,

which

" Clothed with

238

Word of God

the

flame

[part

the Sun.'

divideth into

many

ii,

yet the original

not decreased, nor the power thereof nor the

brightness thereof lessened. 10.

Thou mayest

of one

;

light

many lamps from

the flame

yet thou dost in nothing diminish that

first

flame. 11.

Word

the Spirit of God of God, which is Adonai.

expressed by the

For without the Word the Will could have had

12.

Now

utterance. 13.

Thus

Divine

the

and

God,

bosom of God,

the

Will

seven

the

and

divided

the

Spirit

went forth from became seven spiritual

fires

entities. 14.

which 15.

They went is

forth into the Divine Substance,

the substance of all that

Now

that is the

is.

the Divine Substance is first

great deep:

protoplasma.

and embraces all things, and of and form, and appearance. Her veil is the astral fluid She is the soul 17. of individuals and the receptacle of the Divine 16.

Her

She

encircles

are dimension,

;

nucleus. 18.

She

19.

Now

the Divine Substance

matter in

She

its

not matter, but

potential essence.

the manifestation of personality, enclos-

ing the Divine nucleus.

There are some entities which remain for ever and intangible, being constituted only of two elements, that is of spirit and of soul. 20.

invisible

The Mystery of Generation.

NO. X.]

These

21.

are

beings,

fluid ic

changing

external forms according to the will

which they have

They

22.

are

239 their

of the Spirit

received.

because the

persons,

plasmic sub-

stance which envelops the spirit of each, hinders the intima.te

union of that

23. Spirit

alone

spirit

is diffuse,

with other

spirit.

and the naked flame

liable to fuse with other flames.

But the flame which

24.

enclosed in substance

has become an indiffusible personality.

Other

25.

entities there are

which are

and

visible

tangible to material sense. 26. spirit

For the Divine Substance which encloses the of each, coagulates exteriorly and becomes

matter in the outermost. 27. So that the entity is composed of spirit, and corporeal appearance. 28. The outermost has become coagulate

inner content

substance

fluid

;

its

soul,

;

innermost

its is

spirit.

The innermost

29. first

the

generation

Word The

30.

;

intangible light, which

manifest by the Will of

the

God through

of God. fluid

medium

the firmament, which the

God divided from out of the great deep. 31. And the outermost is the dry earth, which is matter which the Will of God causeth to appear by

Will of

;

the gathering together of the waters, that first

protoplasma.

32.

As of

the greater, so also of the lesser.

of the

240 33.

This

[part

Clothed with the Sun."

the great secret

;

ii.

the mystefy of

generation.

Now

of these two kinds of entities, invisible there are innumerable varieties and orders, having different functions, consistence, form, 34.

and

visible,

and

tinctures,

and dimension. There are thrones, and dominions, and principalities, and powers. 36. There are Christs, and prophets, and saints, and congregations of the elect. <') 37. And concerning these the Spirit shall give you 35.

discernment hereafter.

No. XI. EPSILON, OR THE FIRST OF THE GODS.

<8)

Proem. thrones which MANY Elohim hath are the

the

Holy

Spirit of

vivified.

They

are centres of

trees of life, suns of 3.

And

the

colour

ruby and of the 7.

" Election

many

fire

of ;

systems, bonds of graces,

worlds.

them is the colour of the and their name is, in the

by no arbitrary appointment.

The

elect are all

love their rule, conscience their guide, and a pure ideal their aim. seekers after the perfection which is God." (Lecture by E.M. on

and History of the Ego.") S.H.H. See Appendix, p. V., note E. 8.

who make

Thus are they

"The Nature

The First

NO. XI.]

Hebrew, Uriel, and One of God. 4.

To whom

of the Gods.

241

in the Greek, Phoibos, the Bright

are committed the

dominion of the

highest sphere, and the demonstration of the reason of

things which are manifest.

all

The

Spirit

whose being

the

Spirit

Wisdom, which is the first of the holy Seven. the angel of the sun is not the 6. Now, He Spirit of Wisdom, but the brightness of the glory

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

and the express image of the selfsame spirit. of the Gods, and his praise is is the first and his works are wonderful, and his throne is

thereof, 7.

great,

in the midst of heaven. 8.

first 9.

that light which

Adonai created on the

day.

And

before his face Python the mighty serpent

make

fell

from heaven,

and

in the secret places of earth.

Hymn

his dwelling in the caverns

to Phoibos.

Strong art thou and adorable, Phoibos Apollo, bearest life and healing on thy wings, who crownest the year with thy bounty, and givest -the spirit of thy divinity to the fruits and precious things of all the worlds. 2. Where were the bread of the initiation of the Sons of God, except thou bring the corn to ear or the wine of their mystical chalice, except thou bless 1.

who

;

the vintage?

242 3.

Many

Clothed with the Sun."

are the angels

spheres of heaven

the

and of 4.

;

[part

ji.

who

serve in the courts of but thou, Master of Light

by the Christs of God. the sign of the Son of Man

Life, art followed

And

thy sign

heaven, and of the Just

made

perfect

5. Whose path is as a shining light, shining more and more unto the innermost glory of the day of the Lord God. 6. Thy banner is blood-red, and thy symbol is a milk-white lamb, and thy crown is of pure

gold.

They who

reign with thee are the Hierophants of the celestial mysteries for their will is the will of 7.

;

God, and they know as they are known. 8. These are the sons of the innermost sphere Savioursi of men, the Anointed of God. 9.

And

their

name

Christ Jesus, in the

;

the

day of

their initiatioiL 10.

And

before them every knee

shall

bow, of

things in heaven and of things on earth.

They are come down for ever at

11.

set

12.

And

out of great tribulation, and are

the right hand of God. Lamb, which is in the midst of the shall give them to drink of the river of

the

seven spheres, living water.

And

life, which is garden of the kingdom of God. 14. These are thine, O Mighty Master of Light; and this is the dominion which the Word of God appointed thee in the beginning

13.

they shall eat of the tree of

in the centre of the

Hymn

NO. XI. ]

Phoihos.

243

15. In the day when God created the light of all the worlds, and divided the light from the darkness. 16.

And God called the God called Python.

light

Phoibos, and the

darkness

17. Now the darkness was before the light, as the night forerunneth the dawn. 18. first

These are the evening and the morning of the

cycle of the Mysteries.

ig.

And

seven days

the glory of that cycle

20.

Who

as the glory of

and they who dwell therein are seven

;

times refined

;

have purged the garment of the

the living waters

flesh in

;

And

have transmuted both body and soul into and are become pure virgins. 22. For they were constrained by love to abandon the outer elements, amd to seek the innermost which is undivided, even the Wisdom of God. 23. And Wisdom and Love are One. 21.

spirit,

No. XII. zeta,

or the second of the gods. Part

Froem.

AND

the

Spirit of

angel

Wisdom gave the

brightest of the sons of heaven

counsel,

innermost .

whose

sphere,

the

;

244

' *

Lord Adonai, who

beneath Thine 3.

Clothed with the Sun''

And

Greatest,

[part

i i .

remember the souls

altar.

put a firmament between them and Thee, from the nether, and the inner

to divide the upper

from the without. 4. And whereas there hath been but one, let there henceforth be twain, the form and the substance, the apparent and the real 5.

That they who are bound may remain

in the

outer element. 6.

who 7.

And God made

being, 8.

me Thou

But to

committest thine only begotten,

shall enter within the veil.

a firmament in the midst of

and divided the

And

spirit

the firmament

all

from the body.

the gate of the

kingdom

of heaven. 9.

And God

gave the keys thereof to the angel of is the Spirit of Under-

the second sphere, whose spirit standing. 10.

Hermes, the mediator, for he mediates

between the outer and the inner. 11. He is the transmuter and the healer, Raphael the physician of souls.

There is no riddle he shall not solve for nor any solid he shall not melt, nor any wall he 12.

thee,

shall

not pass through. 1

is as.

Many lead,

are his states

and

his aspects

;

his weight

light as the

as a rock between eartii

and heaven,

he runneth like water, he

mist of dawn. 14.

Yet he

;

NO.

The Second

XII. (i)

of the Gods.

245

and the Lord God shall build his Church thereon <') of stone, whose 15. As a city upon a mountain windows look forth on either side. 16. And upon the left are the kingdoms of the world and the shapes of illusion and upon the right are the heights of heaven and the kingdom of ;

;

spirit.

And

17.

invisible,

to him are committed the keys of the and of the Holy of Holies within the

veil.

Whatsoever soul he shall bind, shall be bound and the nether.

18.

in the outer

And

19.

whatsoever soul he shall loose, shall be

loosed in the inner and the upper.

20.

free

shutteth

ard none

And

21.

shall

and no man openeth

number

his

the

And

he setteth

number of twain; he

*he angel of the twofold states. 22.

;

bind again.

the waters below

<iÂ°)

and above the firma-

ment, are the evening and the morning of the second day.

(1)

Hymn I.

As a moving

light between

as a white cloud assuming 9.

10.

See Appendix,

The

tions")

many

(2)

heaven and earth shapes

;

note F. wherein spirit and soul are all, and there is no admix(Lecture by E.M. on " The Creative Week and Its Four Generap. V.,

state, that

ture of matter.

Hermes.

is,

S.H.H.

See Appendix, p. VIII., note G. Received under illumination occuring in sleep, in the night of Sep. 35, 1878. at Paris, and written down on waking. Representing knowledges long lost, by no amount of mere scholarship could this hymn have been reproduced. (Lifeof A.K. Vol. I., p. 286) S.H.H. I.

246

^''

Clothed with the Sun."

[part n.

2. He descends and rises, he guides and illumines, he transmutes himself from small to great, from bright to shadowy, from the opaque image to the diaphanous mist.

cloud 3. Star of the East conducting the Magi from whose midst the holy voice speaketh: by day a pillar of vapour, by night a shining flame. :

behold

Argusv

<'')

Hermes, Son of God, slayer of bearest the rod of knowledge, things in heaven or on earth are

thee,

archangel,

by which

all

who

measured.

Double serpents entwine it, because as serpents they must be wise who desire God. 5.

<'')

And upon

thy feet are living wings, bearing

thee fearless through space

darkness

and over the abyss of

because they must be without dread to

;

dare the void and the deep,

who

desire to attain

and

to achieve. 7.

Upon

thy side thou wearest a sword of a single whose temper resisteth all things.

stone, two-edged, 8.

For they who would slay or save must be armed

with a strong and perfect will, defying and penetrating with no uncertain force. 9.

This

demons

;

is Herpe, the sword which destroyeth by whose aid the hero overcometh, and

the saviour is able to deliver. 10.

3. 4.

Except thou bind See Appendix, See Appendix,

VIII. note H.

IXâ&#x20AC;&#x17E; note

upon thy thigh thou

shalt

)

NO. XII.

(

;

Hymn

Hermes.

247

be overborne, and blades of mortal making shall prevail against thee.

Nor

11.

is this all

Son of God upon thine head, and none

thine equipment,

the covering of darkness

;

able to strike thee.

This

12.

the region

the magic hat, brought from Hades,

where they are who

silence,

speak

not.

He who

13.

give

bears

tlie

to thee, lest the

world on his shoulders shall world fall on thee, and thou

be ground into powder.

^^)

14. For he who has perfect wisdom and knowledge, he whose steps are without fe?j:, and whose will is

single

and all-pervading

Even he must

15.

also

know how

keep the

divine secret, and not to expose the holy mysteries

God 16.

in the

to the senses of the wicked.

Keep a day of

bridle

upon thy

lips,

and cover thy head

battle.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

These are the four excellent things, the rod, and the hat. 18. Knowledge, which thou must gain with labour: the spirit of holy boldness, which cometh by faith in God a mighty will, and a complete discretion. 17.

the wings, the sword,

;

19.

20.

He who discovers the holy Go thy way in silence, and <^^

mysteries see

man. 5.

See Appendix,

I.e.,

p. IX.,

note

uncovers, cr discloses, to profane eyes.

E.M.

thou

is lost.

tell

248

Clothed -with the

Part

[part

Sun.''''

ii.

An Exhortation of Hermes to his Neophytes. 1. He whose adversaries fight with weapons

must himself be armed in like manner, if he would not be ignominiously slain or save himself by flight 2. And not only so, but forasmuch as his adversaries may be many, while he is onfy one it is even steel,

;

necessary that the steel he carries be of purer temper

and of more subtle point and contrivance than theirs. 3. I, Hermes, would arm you with such, that bearing a blade with a double edge, ye withstand in the evil hour.

may

be able to

4. For it is written that the tree of life is guarded by a sword which turneth every way. 5. Therefore I would have you armed both with a perfect philosophy and with the power of the divine

life.

And

who is

first

hear you

the knowledge

may know

;

that

you and they

the rccison of the faith which

in you. 7.

But knowledge cannot prevail

alone,

and ye are

not yet perfected, 8.

When

the fulness of the time shall come,

add unto you 9.

obedience, 10.

glory.

And

the power of the divine

will

life.

the life of contemplation, of fasting, of

and of

resistance.

afterwards the chrism, the power, and the

But these are not

yet.

Exhortation of Hermes.

NO. XII. (2)

Meanwhile remain

11.

249

together and perfect your

philosophy.

Boast not, and be not lifted up

12.

are God's, and ye are in God, and

But when the word shall come

13.

for all things

;

God

in you.

to you, be

ready

to obey.

There

14.

way

but one

of obedience. Call no

15.

earth,

and

to power,

the

your master or king upon the spirit

for the

form and

idolaters.

He who

16.

man

ye forsaice the

lest

become

way

('')

indeed spiritual, and transformed

into the divine image, desires a spiritual king.

Purify your bodies, and eat no dead thing that

17.

has looked with living eyes upon the light of Heaven.

For the eye

18.

among 19.

you.

Sight

Let no

man

is is

symbol

the

of brotherhood

the mystical sense.

take the

life

of his brother to feed

withal his own.

But slay only such as are

20.

evil

;

in the

name of

the Lord.

They

21. life,

and

are miserably deceived

restrain not their

who

expect eternal

hands from blood and

death. 22.

They

are miserably deceived

who

look for wives

from on high, and have not yet attained

their

man-

hood. At this point the seeress was show n a garland of fig-leaves, the symbol of 7. Hermes. For its meaning see pp. 39-42, and 252, 353. E.M.

" Clothed

250

"veith

the Sun.'"

[part

23. Despise not the gift of knowledge not spiritual eunuchs of yourselves.

24.

For

25.

Adam was

first

are twain, the

she with

him, neither

;

11,

and make

formed, then Eve.

man with the woman, and man nor woman, but one (s>

creature. 26.

And

the

kingdom of God

within you.

<')

No. XIII. eta,

or (mystically) the third of the gods Part

<io>

Proem.

THE

mystery of thine orbit, O Earth, and the work of the third day

secret of the 2.

God 3.

ing,

Which

;

^he wise of old

knew

not, for the

Lord

withheld them.

The

light

as wisdom, the water as understand-

and the dry earth as the force and power of

things. I.e., The intellect and the intuition. See Appendix, p. XH. XIH. See Appendix, p. IX., note K. 10. See Appendix, p. V., note E. and p. XHI., note L. The theme of" this hymn is the Mystic Exodus, or flight of the Soul from tlie power of the body. Egypt stands for the body; Israel for the soul; the corn in Egypt for the nourishment, experiences, discipline, and so forth requisite for the soul's sustenance and education Hermes is the understanding of divine things; and lacchos, whose other name Dionysos, identifies him with the Jehovah Nissi of the Hebrews, is the Divine Spirit of the planet, and "Father" of the man regenerate. (Lifeof A.K. Vol. I. p. 457, 459) S.H.H.

;

NO.

Hymn

XIII. (i)

to lacchos.

4. Phoibos first, and Hermes kingdom of Dionysos.

Hymn

to the

251

next,

and

the

last

Planet-God.

(I-)

God

Father lacchos; thou art Lord of the Body,

manifest in the flesh Twice born, baptised with ;

spirit,

Who

fire,

quickened by the

instructed in secret things beneath the earth

who

wearest the horns of the raim,

ridest

upon an ass, whose symbol is the vine, and the new wine thy blood whose 4. Whose Father is the Lord God of Hosts Mother is the daughter of the King, (i) ;

;

Evoi, lacchos, Lord of initiation

of the body

birth,

by marriage, by

waking, and by death 7.

joy, 8.

;

virginity,

Thine

man

sleep,

penaiice,

therein

By fasting and vigil, by dreams and and by weariness of the llesh. The body is the chamber of ordeal

the soul of

by means

for

the soul initiated

tried.

initiates,

Master, are they

who come

out of great tribulation, whose robes are washed

the blood of the vine. I

may 1.

Give

live for

to drink of the

evermore:

See Appendix,

XIV., note M.

wine of thy cup, that

;

" Clothed

252 1 1.

from

And

to eat

tlie earth,

uoith the

Sun."

[

part

ii.

of the bread whose grain cometh up

as the corn in the ear.

in which man is redeemed, broken upon the cross cut down by the sickle crushed between grindstones. 13. For by the suffering of the outer, is the inner 1 2.

Yea

;

body

for the

of the earth

;

it is

;

set free. 14.

Therefore the body which thou givest

meat

and the word of thy blood is drink indeed. 15. For man shall live by the word of God. 16. Evoi, Father lacchos bind thy Church to the vine, and her elect to the choice vine. ly. And let them wash their garments in wine, and

indeed,

their vesture in the

blood of grapes.

(2.)

18.

Evoi, lacchos

house whose symbol 19.

Lord of the body, and of

the fig

Whereof the image

the

;

the figure of the matrix,

whose stems bring and the leaf as a man's hand forth milk 20. For the Woman is the mother of the living and the crown and perfection of humanity. 21. Her body is the highest step in the ladder of :

incarnation, 22.

Which

which the

leadeth from earth to Heaven

spirits

23. Thou art not known womanhood.

God ascend and perfected,

;

upon

descend.

soul, that hast not

NO.

Hymn

XIII. (i)

24. Evoi, lacchos

to lacchos.

for the

253

day cometh wherein thy

sons shall eat of the fruit of the fig

new grapes

shall yield

and the

;

yea, the vine

be no

fig-tree shall

barren.

For the interpretation of hidden things is at hand and men shall eat of the precious fruits of God. 26. They shall eat manna from heaven and shall 25.

;

drink of the river of Salem. 27.

away 28.

The Lord maketh Then

things

And

new

taketh

spirit.

spakest thou with veiled face, in parable

and dark saying 29.

all

the letter to establish the

they

for the time of figs

who came unto

was not

yet.

the tree of life sought

and found it not. from thenceforth until now hath no man

fruit thereon 30.

And

eaten of the fruit of that 31.

But now

tree.

the gospel of interpretation come,

and the kingdom of the Mother of God. who art 32. Evoi, lacchos. Lord of the body crowned with the vine and with the fig. 33. For as the fig containeth many perfect fruits in ;

itself,

34.

so the house of

Within

thee,

thrones of all the

man

Gods

containeth

man,

many

stand himself. 37.

God

;

the

are in thy temple.

have said unto men, Ye are Gods in the image of the Most High. 36. No man can know God unless he 35.

spirits.

the universe

nothing that

man

not.

;

ye are

first

all

under-

" Clothed imth

254

the Sun."

[part

i i

What man is, that Gcxi is likewise. As God is at the heart of the outer world, so also is God at the heart of the world within thee. 40. When the God within thee shall be whollyunited to the God without, then shalt thou be one 38.

39.

with the Most High.

Thy

41.

will shall be God's will,

and the Son

shall

be as the Father.

Thou

42. is

legion

art ruler

thou hast

;

Thou

of a ivorld,

many under

O man

;

thy name

thee.

and he goeth and Come, and he cometh and to another, Do this, and he doeth it. 44. What thou knowest is told thee from within what thou workest is worked from within. 43.

sayest to this one. Go,

to another,

;

When

45.

thou

prayest

thou

invokest the

God

and from the God within thee thou receivest thy good things. inward and the are 46. Thy manifestations within thee

;

which kingdom. spirits

47.

And

apeak unto thee are

the spirit which

of thine

greatest in thy

own

kingdom,

thy Master and thy Lord. 48. Let thy Master be the Christ of God, whose Father is the Lord lacchos. <2) 49. And Christ shall be thy lover and the saviour of thy body (3) yea, He shall be thy Lord God, and the same

;

thou shalt adore Him. 50. But if thou wilt not, then a stronger than thou a.

See Appendix, Sec Appendix,

XV., note N, XV., note O.

NO.

Hymn

xiii, (i)

bind

art shall

thee,

and

to lacchos.

255

spoil thine house

and thy

goods.

51.

uncleanly temple shalt thou be; the hold

manner of strife and evil beasts. For a man's foes are of his own household.

all 52.

53. But scourge thou thence the money-changers and the merchants, lest the house of thy prayer become unto thee a den of thieves.

(3.)

Evoi, Father lacchos

54.

Lord of the thyrsos and

of the pine-cone.

55.

cone, so

are the involutions

of the

leaves

the

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the progress and

the spiral of generation,^

passing-through of the soul,

From

from the coarse apex yea, from the 57. From the outer to the inner dust of the ground to the throne of the Most High. 56.

to the fine

the lower to the higher

from the base

;

to the

;

(4.)

Evoi, lo Nysiee

58.

tree

bearing

The dry land

59.

earth

God

of the garden and of the

fruit. is

thine,

and

the vineyard, the garland,

;

all

the beauty of

and the valleys of

corn. 60.

The

hidden 61.

forests.,

wells,

The

the

and the

secrets treasiures

harvest, the dance,

of the springs of the caverns.

and the

festival

;

the

;

the

;

" Clothed with the Sun."

256

[

part

11.

snows of winter, and the icy winds of death.

Lord lacchos who girdest destruction with promise and graftest comeliness upon ruin. 63. As the green iVy covereth the blasted tree, and the waste places of earth where no grass groweth 64. So thy touch giveth life and hope and meaning 62. Yea,

;

to decay.

65.

Whoso

understandeth thy mysteries,

Lord

of the Ivy, hath overcome Death and the fear thereof.

(50 66. Evoi,

initiate

67.

Father lacchos, Lord

Upon whose

creature

God

of Egypt

thy servants in the halls of thy Temple

fowl of the air

The

walls

are

the

forms of every

of every beast of the earth, and of every ;

and the lion, and the bull the ibis the scorpion and every flying and the serpent 68.

lynx,

thing. 69. And the columns thereof are human shapes having the heads of eagles and the hoofs of the ox. they are the 70. All these are of thy kingdom chambers of ordeal, and the houses of the initiation of the soul. and 71. For the soul passeth from form to form the mansions of her pilgrimage are manifold. 72. Thou callest her from the deep, and from the from the dust of the secret places of the earth ;

;

ground, and from the herb of the

field

NO.

Hymn

XIII. (i)

to lacchos.

257

Thou

coverest her nakedness with an apron of thou clothest her with the skins of beasts. yea, 7^. Thou art from of old, O soul of man thou art from the everlasting. and as 75. Thou puttest off thy bodies as raiment 73.

fig-leaves

;

vesture dost thou fold them up.

They

76.

perish,

but thou

rendeth and scattereth them shall yy.

no more be known. For the wind is the

;

remainest the wind and the place of them

Spirit of

God

man, which

thereof,

and thou hearest the sound but canst not tell whence it cometh, nor

whither

bloweth where

78.

shall go.

Even

from afar

it listeth,

off

and

which cometh

the spirit of man,

tarrieth not, but passeth

away

to a

place thou knowest not.

(6.)

79. Evoi,

linkest

lacchos,

Lord of the Sphinx

the lowest to the highest

;

who

the loins of the

wild beast to the head and breast of the woman. 80.

Thou

boldest the chalice of divination

forms of nature are reflected 81.

all

the

therein.

Thou turnest man to destruction: then thou Come again, ye children of my hand.

sayest, 82.

Earth

Yea, blessed and holy art thou, :

Lord of the

cross

and the

Master

of salva-

tree

tion.

83.

Vine of God, whose blood redeemeth

heaven, broken on the altar of death.

;

bread of

;

' Clothed

258 84.

There

corn in

[part

toith the Stin."

Egypt

go thou down into

;

ii.

her,

O my soul, with joy. 85.

For

in the

kingdom of the body thou

shalt eat

the bread of thine initiation. 86. flesh,

87.

But beware lest thou become subject to the and a bond-slave in the land of thy sojourn. Serve not the idols of Egypt and let not the ;

senses be thy taskmasters. 88.

For they

bow thy neck

will

to their

8g.

Lord 90.

evil

yoke

time shall come upon thee

shall smite

Thy body

Egypt with plagues shall be

;

they

God.

will bitterly oppress the Israel of

;

and the

for thy sake.

broken on the wheel of

God

;

thy flesh shall see trouble and the worm. 91.

Thy

plagues

fire shall

house

devour thy goods

to the locust 92.

shall

smitten

with

grievous

blood, and pestilence, and great darkness

;

Thy

and creeping

;

and thou

shalt be a prey

thing.

glory shall be brought

down

to the dust

and storm shall smite thine harvest yea, thy beloved and thy first-bom shall the hand of the Lord hail

;

destroy 93.

may

Until the body serve the

let

94. Arise in the night,

consumed 95.

the soul go free

;

that she

Lord God.

soul,

and

fly, lest

thou be

in Egypt.

The angel of

the understanding shall

for his elect, if thou offer unto 96. Savour thy reason with and with obedience.

God

know

thee

a reasonable faith.

learning, with labour,

;;

NO.

Hymyi

XIII. (i)

lacchos.

259

97. Let the rod of thy desire be in thy right hand ; put the sandals of Hermes on thy feet and gird thy loins with strength. ;

Then

shalt thou pass

through the waters of death in the body. 99. The waters shall be a wall unto thee on thy rig^ht hand and on thy left. 100. And Hermes the redeemer shall go before 98.

cleansing, which is the

thee

;

for he

thy cloud of darkness by day, and thy

pillar of fire

first

night.

Egypt and the

10 1. All the horsemen of

thereof

;

chariots

her princes, her counsellors, and her mighty

men: 102.

and

These

shall pursue thee,

soul, that fliest

back into bondage. fear not the deep stretch 103. Fly for thy life out thy rod over the sea and lift thy desire unto God. thou hast 104. Thou hast learnt wisdom in Egypt spoiled the Egyptians thou hast carried away their fine gold and their precious things. shall seek to bring thee ;

;

Thou hast enriched thyself in the body but body shall not hold thee neither shall the waters

105.

the

;

of the deep swallow thee up. 106.

Thou

generation to

;

shalt

wash thy robes

in the sea of re-

the blood of atonement shall redeem thee

God. 107.

this

Lord,

This the

thy chrism and anointing,

first

death

;

soul

thou art the Israel of the

;

" Clothed

26o 1

08.

Who

â&#x20AC;˘with the

[part

Sun."

ii.

hath redeemed thee from the dominion

of the body, and hath called thee from the grave, and

from the house of bondage, log.

Unto

the

way of

the Cross,

the midst of the wilderness

and

to the path in

;

no. Where are the adder and the serpent, the mirage and the burning sand. 111. For the feet of the saint are set in the way of the desert. 112. But be thou of good courage, and fail thou not then shall thy raiment endure, and thy sandals shall

wax old upon

not

113.

And

thee.

thy desire shall heal thy diseases;

shall bring strecims for thee out of the stony rock

;

shall lead thee to Paradise.

Father lacchos, Jehovah-Nissi Lord of the garden and of the vineyard God of the cloud and 115. Initiator and lawgiver 114. Evoi,

;

of the mount. 1

16.

Evoi, Father lacchos

;

out of

Egypt hast thou

called thy Son.

Part

Hymns

to the

Elemental Divinities. (a.)

The

Hephaistos.

of the elements bear thee company, whose wheels encompass thy planet, who hold the four comers thereof. I.

Lord

spirits

lacchos,

NO.

Hymn

XIII. {2)

261

Hephaislos.

Hephaistos the Fire-King, whose symbol is the Lord of the serpent, the flame, and of the

red

lion,

secret parts of the earth

Whose

destruction

are

;

full

fire,

and burning, whose

whose breath is maketh the

finger

smoke.

hills to

veins

devoureth

beware how thou invoke him as a lion he he rendeth and swalloweth as a furious ;

;

beast of prey. 5.

the

He purifieth and layeth waste the land is as Garden of Eden before him, and behind him a ;

desolate wilderness. 6.

his

He commandeth the inmost zone of things; hammer is the lightning, and his anvil the load-

stone.

He maketh

deviseth

all

bodies therewith, he fuseth and

whether in the small

;

the

great,

whether in the outer or in the inner, before Demeter is

Hephaistos.

He endoweth all

eth all

The gold of

cury,

metals with power, and fashion-

manner of precious amulets. the

womb

of earth

is his,

the mer-

and the iron of the mine, the sulphur, the onyx,

and the

crystal.

All his galleries are luminous with mirrors of wherein are manifold and wondrous images the

10. fire,

glory of princes, the wealth of nations, yea, the splen-

dour of 11.

all

the

kingdoms of the world.

blindeth and deludeth the eyes of

men

;

262

Clothed with the Sun.^'

encompasscth the foolish with the feeble with madness.

Even

12.

power

Lucifer,

to bind the

imprisoned the

Lord of

[part

illusions,

ii.

and smiteth

the Crystal, which hath

children of earth, for therein are

spirits

of the

fire.

crystal, and be not undone by their sorcery. 14. For the spirits of lust and illusaon obey the crystal, and they who love the light of it shall fall under the dominion of Lucifer. 15. Be thou master of the fire, and command it;

Serve not the

13.

let

fire

nor the

not the cloven tongue of the serpent beguile thee

;

neither barter thy liberty for the fruit of enchant-

ment 16. For the fire shall be quenched by the water, and the water shall be resolved into spirit. 17. But if the fire consume thy soul, it shall be scattered abroad as ashes^ and return to the dust of

the earth.

For

18.

it is fire

that tries every man's work,

and

purifies the substance of all soulsi 19.

tion

fire is

salted

;

the initiate baptised, by

and the

flcime shall

fire

the obla-

devour the dross

of the crucible. 20.

That which endureth unto the end, the same

shall be saved. 21.

wheel

Therefore be praised, Hephaistos, thou and thy be praised, O searching and purgatorial Fire ;

NO.

Hymn

XIII. (2)

Hymn

Demeter.

263

Demeter.

1. And thou, Demeter, fair Earth-Mother, whose bosom the patient ox treadeth, whose hands are full of plenty and blessing. 2. Angel of the crucible, guardian of the dead, who makest and unmakest, who combinest and dissolvest, who bringest forth life out of death, and

transformest 3.

They

all bodies.

are

sown as seed

in thy furrows

;

they are

buried therein, as the droppings of the ripened ear

womb

from thy

O Mother of birth and Who makest the volatile

return, 4.

real to

;

they come forth, and to thee they

of sleep

to be fixed, and the be appaxent, whether in the great or the small,

whetlier in the outer or the inner. 5.

Who yokest

for thy dominion

the cattle of the field to thy plough, is

of the

field,

daughter of Time

thou bindest not the sons of the air and the 6.

But to the

gross"

;

sea.

thou art gross, and to the subtle

thou art subtle. 7.

Demeter, cunning and multiform be praised, thou and thy wheel, O fruit-

praised,

alchemist

;

ful Spirit of

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

Earth!

;

Sun

"^Clothed with the

264

" [

part

ii.

(y.)

Hymn 1.

And

to Poseidon.

Poseidon, Lord of the Deep, Master of the

substance of

all

creatures,

who weareth

the face of

an angel, for he is the Father of Souls, (2) 2. His brow is dark with storms, his voice is as the thunder of cataracts in the mountains; he is subtle, and swift, and strong he is mightier than ;

the children of earth.

all

All things are of the sea-salt, for without salt

is not, whether of the outer or of the inner, whether of the small or of the great 4. Behold the manifold waves of the sea, which rise and sink, which break and are lost, and follow each other continually even as these are the transmuta-

matter

;

tions of the soul. 5.

For the soul is one substance, as is the water of whose waves thou canst not number, neither their shapes^ for the form of them passeth away

the deep, tell

even as these are the incarnations of the soul. 6. And the secret of Thetis is the mystery of the Metamorphosis. 7.

Out of

the sea the horse ariseth

;

and

strength

intelligence are begotten of the deep. 8.

She

the mother of Avatars, and her cup

chalice of bitterness a.

See Appendix,

XV. note ,

whoso drinketh thereof P.

the

shall

NO.

XIII. (i)

Hymn

Pallas Athena.

265

power and knowledge, and of tears of salt. Be thou praised, O Poseidon, thou and thy 9. wheel be praised, O chrism of the soul, mighty and variable Spirit of the Sea

taste of

;

(8.)

Hymn 1.

And

to Pallas

Athena.

thou, Athena, blue-eyed virgin, Mistress of

the Air, eagle-headed,

who

givest to all bodies the

breath of life 2. Immaculate mother of the word of prophecy, symbol of the holy essence, goddess of the asgis and

of the spear 3.

Spirit of the whirlwind, secret breather of wis-

dom,

fortifier of the soul, inspirer of armies Shining maid, by whose spear we vanquish, for by interior wisdom thrusteth all things through 4.

;

whose shield we are covered, for serveth from all contagion. 5.

thine aid,

interior purity pre-

Athena, strong and undefiled, by

thine aid the hero overcometh in the battle. 6.

thine aid,

armed and winged wisdom, thy

servant shall smite the lust of the world. 7.

Upon whose beauty, whoso looketh, who feedeth upon the souls of

into stone 8.

;

praised,

See Appendix,

changed

men. Athena, thou and thy wheel

XVI., note Q.

^-'^

;

[part

^^Cloihed'jeiihtheSun"

266

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; ii.

praised in the great and the small, in the outer and the inner, invisible

and immaculate

Spirit of Life

(0 Epode. I.

These are the four great

Genii,

which are the

angels of the Earth, the spirits of the elements of the

macrocosm and the microcosm. These are the fourfold Sphinx of the four states, of the flesh, of the intermediary, of the human, and of the divine. Of the house of bondage in the land of Egypt

Of the ark of the covenant in the Wilderness. Of the gate and the tree of Eden Of the celestial chariot and the throne of Adonai. And the wheels of their fourfold kingdom encircle ;

the whole earth the eyes of

life.

and are

;

full within

and without of

('')

No. XIV. THETA, OR (MYSTICALLY) THE FOURTH OF

THE GODS. Part i.

The

Hymn

<5)

of Aphrodite.

<^>

(I)

IAM

the dawn, daughter of heaven and of the deep the sea-mist covers my beauty with a veil of tremulous light. :

See Appendix, p. XVI., note R. See Appendix p. XHI., note L.

Home,

received in sleep during the night of September

19,

1884

Hymn

XIV. (i)

of Aphrodite.

267

Aphrodite, the sister of Phoibos, opener of

heaven's gates, the beginning of wisdom, the herald of the perfect day.

Long had darkness

things slumbered

all

the soul

the valleys were filled with

only the mountains and the stars held

shadows:

commune

covered the deep

together.

There was no light on the ways of the earth moved outward on her axe: gloom and mystery shrouded the faces of the Gods. I arose, dispel Icr of 5. Then from out the deep night the firmament of heaven kindled with joy beholding me. 4.

the rolling world

The

secrets

of the waters were revealed

eyes of Zeus looked

Ruddy

;

as one arising

arose, full of favour

the

into the heart thereof.

as wine were the depths

was transfigured

earth

She

down

and

the raiment of

from the dead

grace.

(2.)

Of God and

in the silence is love born mystery of sleep. in the womb 9. In the fourth dimension of space of the heavenly principle in the heart of the man of 8.

of twilight

;

the soul

in the

;

God

;

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;there

love enshrined.

before all things: desire is born of impel the springs of life inward unto God by the earth and heavens are drawn together. 11. But I am hidden until the time of the day's Yea,

10.

me me

; :

268

appearing

[part

Clothed toith the Sun."

ii.

I lie beneath the waters of the sea, in the deeps of the soul the bird of night seeth me not, the herds in the valleys, nor the wild goat in the cleft :

of the

hill.

12.

secret

the Eshes' of the sea

and

covered:

from sight as the children of the

veiled

deep. 13.

That which

for the fish

knoweth the

occult hath the fish for a symbol in

secret places

of the hollow 14.

hidden

darkness and silence

of the earth, and the springs

sea.

Even so

love reacheth to the uttermost

so find

having my beginning and my end in the Wisdom of God. 1 5. The Spirit of Counsel is begotten in the soul even as the fish in the bosom of the waters. 16. From the sanctuary of the deep love ariseth I

the secrets of all things

salvation

of the

;

sea.

(3-)

17. I

the crown of manifold births

the interpreter of mysteries

and deaths and the enlightener :

of souls. 18.

In the elements of the body

love imprisoned

lying asleep in the caves of lacchos the oxen of Demeter. 19.

in the crib of

<')

But when the day-star of the soul ariseth over is the epiphany of love.

the earth, then 7.

;

See Appendix,

XVI., note S.

)

NO. XIV. 20.

(

;

Hymn

269

Therefore until the labour of the third day be of love

fulfilled, the light 21.

of Aphrodite.

Then

unmanifest.

of dawn; and shall ascend before the eyes of men.

shall I unlock the gates

God

the glory of

(4-)

22.

The

of the angel Anael

secret

of the world

the "

Song of God

" is

at the heart

the sound of

the stars in their courses. 23.

love,

thou art the latent heat of the earth the joy of the orchard and ;

the strength of the wine the cornfield

and of the 24.

thou art the

desire of

thee,

sun and the

;

spirit

of song and laughter,

life.

goddess, pure-eyed and golden, the

moon

are revealed

love

the counsellor

of heaven. 25.

Cloud and vapour melt before thee: thou un-

veilest to earth the rulers 26.

Thou makest

of the immeasurable things luminous

all

skies.

thou dis-

coverest all deeps 27. From the womb of the sea to the heights of heaven from the shadowy abyss to the throne of the Lord. 28. Thy beloved is as a ring-dove, wearing the ensign of the spirit, and knowing the secrets thereof. Dove the time of spring cometh 29. Fly, fly, ;

in the far east the

;

dawn

;

ariseth

;

she hath a message

for thee to bear from earth to heaven 8.

See Appendix,

XVII., note T.

(^^

270

Clothed with the Sun."

Part

Discourse of the

[part

11.

and of

the

Communion

of Soules,

Uses of Love between Creature and Creature being Part of the Goldene Booke of Venus. W

1. Herein is Love's Secret, and the Mysterie of the Comminiion of Saintes. 2. Love redeemeth, Love lifteth up, Love enlighteneth, Love advanceth Soules. for she 3. Love dissolveth not, neither forgetteth is of the Soule and hath everlasting Remembrance. for She enricheth 4. Verilie Love is doubly blessed both Giver and Receiver. ;

;

Thou who

and he

lovest givest of thyself to thy Beloved,

dowered withal. 6. And if any Creature whom thou lovest suffereth Death and departeth from thee 7. Fain wouldst thou give of thine Heartes Blood to sweeten the Changes to have him live always before him, or to lift him to some happie Place. 8. Thou droppest teares on the broken Body of thy Beloved thy Desire goeth after him, and thou criest is

;

unto his Ghoste,

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

March 15, 1881, in a book in a chamber purporting to be the laboratory ot William Lilly, the astrologer (17th century), to which the seeress had in the previous month been introduced by her genius in sleep for the purpose of having her horoscope told. Failing to recover the whole of the poem on the first attempt to write it down in the morning, she sought and obtained access to the book again on the following night, and thus she was enabled to complete the transcript. (Life of A.K. Vol IL, p. 1.2.3) S.H.H. 9.

German

Printed as read in sleep on the night of text,

found

Hymn

NO. XIV. (2) "

Dearest

thee where

oj Love.

271

would God that I might be with art, and know what now thou

now thou

doest ID.

Would God thee

protect

that

;

I might still guard and might defend thee from all

that I

and Wrong, and Affliction 11. "But what Manner of Change is before thee I know not neither can mine Eyes follow thy Steppes. 1 2. " Many are the lives set before thee, and the Yeares, O Beloved, are long and weary that shall Pain,

;

part us! 13.

Shall

knowe

will the Spirit of

God

thee again

when

see thee,

say to thee in that day,

and This

thy Beloved ? would God I were one 14. " O Soule of my Soule with thee, even though it were in death " Thou hasit all of my Love, my Desire, and my 1 5. Sorrowe yea, my Life is mingled with thine, and is gone forth with thee

;

16. "Visit me in Dream es comfort me in the Night-watches let my Ghoste meet thine in the Land of Shadows and of Sleep ;

;

17.

thee

;

Every nighte with fervent Longing will I seek Persephone and Slumber shall give me back the

Past.

"Yea, Death shall not take thee wholly from me is in thee, and where thou goest, " Dearest, there my Hearte followeth ig. So weepest thou and lamentest, because the Soul thou lovest is taken from thy Sight. 18.

;

for Part of

" Clothed with

272 20.

And

[part

Life seemeth to thee a Bitter Thing-

thou cursest the Destiny of 21.

the Sun."

;

ii.

yea,

all living Creatures.

thou deemest thy Love of no Avail, and

thy Teares as idle Droppes. 22.

Behold, Love

a Ransome, and the Teares

thereof are Pra!yeres. 23.

And

thou have lived purely, thy fervent Grace to the Soule of thy

shall be counted

Desire

Dead. 24.

For the burning and continual Prayere of the

Juste availeth much. 25. Yea, thy Love shall enfold the Soule which thou lovest it shall be unto him a wedding Garment and a Vesture of Blessing. 26. The Baptisme of thy Sorrowe shall baptize thy Dead, and he shall rise because of it ;

27.

Thy

Prayers

shall

lift

him

up,

and

thy

encompasse his Steppes thy Love shall be to him a Light shining upon the upward

Teares

shall

;

Waye.

And the Angels of God shall say unto him, happie Soule, that art so well beloved that art made so strong with all these Teares and Sighs. 28.

;

29. " Praise the

great

Love

Father of Spirits therefor, for this

shall save thee

Thou

many

Incarnations.

advanced thereby thou art drawn aloft and carried upward by Cordes of Grace." 30. "

art

;

31. For in such wise do Soules profit one another and have Communion, and receive and give Blessing,

Hvmn

NO. XIV. (2)

the Departed

of Love.

273

of the Living, and the Living of the

Departed.

And

much

the more as the Hearte within and the Waye of their Intention innocent in the Sight of God. the 33. Yea, the Saint is a strong Redeemer 32.

them

clean,

;

God striveth within And God withstandeth

Spirit of 34.

God

him.

not

God

;

for

Love and

are One.

35.

the

Elect, so hath

Love of Christ hath Power with the Power in its degree the Love of a Man

for his Friend.

Yea, though the Soule beloved

36.

mean,

made

Creature not

the

little

and

Likenesse of

Men.

For

37.

in the eyes of

Love

there

nothing

little

nor poor, nor unworthy of Prayere.

38.

God

little

love thee

mighty if a Child of and simple Soule, thou art

Soule, thou art ;

yea, f)Oor

possessed of great Riches. 39. Better is

whom

thy Portion than the Portion of Kings

the Curse of the Oppressed pursueth.

40. For as Love advance a Soule, so

strong to redeem and to Hatred strong to torment and

is is

to detain. is the Soule whom the Juste commemoGod for whom the Poor and the Orphan and the dumb Creature weep. 42. And thou, O Righteous Man, that with burning

41.

Blessed

rate before

;

Love bewailest the Death of the Innocent,

whom

;

[part

Clothed with the Sun."

274

ii.

thou canst not save from the Hands of the Unjuste 43. Thou who wouldst freely give of thine own Blood to redeem thy Brother and to loosen the Bonds of his Paine ;

Know

44.

God

Hour of thy supreme

that in the

Desire,

accepteth thine Oblation

45.

empty

And ;

Love

thy

not

shall

return

unto

thee

according to the Greatnesse of her Degree,

she shall accomplish thy Will. 46. And thy Sorrowe and Teares, and the Travaile of thy Spirit, shall be Grace and Blessing to the Soule thou wouldst redeem. 47.

Count not as

other Soules

Prayere 48. is

;

lost

thy Suffering on behalf of

for every

Cry

a Prayere, and

all

Power.

That thou

wiliest to

done

;

thine Intention

united to the Will of Divine Love.

Nothing is lost of that which thou layest out for God and for thy Brother. 50. And it is Love alone who redeemeth, and Love 49.

bath nothing of her own.

The Last

NO. XV.]

of the Gods.

275

No. XV. LAMBDA, OR THE LAST OF THE GODS

;

<!Âť)

being the Secret of Satan. (I)

on the seventh day there went forth from the presence of God a mighty angel, full of wrath and consuming, and God gave unto him the dominion of the outermost sphere. the boundless gave 2. Eternity brought forth time

AT'ID

;

birth to limit

;

being descended into generation.

3. As lightning I beheld Satan fall from heaven, splendid in strength and fury.

4. Among the Gods is none like unto Him, into whose hand are committed the kingdoms, the power and the glory of the worlds 5. Thrones and empires, the dynasties of kings, the :

of nations, the birth of churches, the triumphs of

fall

time. 6.

sea

They arise and pass, they were and are not the and the dust and the immense mystei'y of space ;

devour them. 10.

A first

See Appendix,

XVIII., note U.

portion of this Illumination, viz

28 verses of the

verses as they stand) were received at Paris, on

first

part (but not the 28

November

12, 1878.

The

and completion of this Illumination was received, " without quitting(Life of A.K. Vol. I. p. 299. the waking state," at Paris, on October 21, 1886. Vol. II., p. 359. 260) S.H.H,

redelivery

;

" Clothed tmth the Sun."

276

The tramp of

[part

armies, the voices of joy

new-bom

pain, the cry of the

ii.

and of

babe, the shout of the

warrior mortally smitten.

Marriage,

divorce,

division,

violent

deaths,

martyrdoms, tyraimous ignorances, the impotence of passionate protest, and the mad longing for oblivion 9. The eyes of the tiger in the jungle, the fang of the snake, the foetor of slaughter-houses, the wail of innocent beasts in pain 10. The innumerable incarnations of spirit, the strife towards manhood, the ceaseless pulse and cur:

rent of desire 11.

shoulders

and

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

These are (i) ;

who

his

who

beareth all the

Gods on

his

establisheth the pillars of necessity

fate.

12.

Mciny names hath

God

given him, names of

mystery, secret and terrible. 13.

God

called

him Satan the Adversary, because

matter opposeth spirit and time accuseth even the saints of the Lord. 14.

And

the Destroyer, for his

f^rindeth to pieces

;

of him are upon all flesh. 1 5. And the Avenger, for he his breath shall 16.

And

through his

bum

the Sifter, sieve,

arm breaketh and

wherefore the fear and the dread

all

for

the anger of

purifying the spirit of man. See Appendix,

;

he straineth

all

things

dividing the husk from the grain

discovering the thoughts of the heart

God

the souls of the wicked.

XXIII, note V.

;

proving and

The Secret of Satan.

NO. XV.]

17.

And

appear of

the

Deceiver,

for he

and concealeth the

true,

277

maketh the

real

false

under the mask

illusion. 18.

And

the Tempter, for he setteth snares before

the feet of the elect

he beguileth with vain shows,

and seduceth with enchantments. 19.

Blessed are they

who withstand

his subtlety:

they shall be called the Sons of God, and shall enter in at the beautiful gates.

For Satan is the doorkeeper of the temple of King he standeth in Solomon's porch he holdeth

20.

the

;

the keys of the sanctuary

;

21. That no man may enter therein save the Anointed, having the arcanum of Hermes. 22. For Satan is the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. 23.

24.

the devourer of the unwise

and the

evil

be meat and drink to him. Whatsoever he devoureth, that shall never more

they shall

all

return into being. 25. Fear him, for after he hath killed, he hath power to cast into hell. 26. But he is the servant of the Sons of God, and of

the children of light. 27.

They

shall

go before him, and he

shall follow

the steps of the wise. 28.

Stand in awe of him and sin not speaJc and beseech God daily ;

name with trembling

;

his to

deliver thee. 29.

For Satan

the magistrate of the justice of

278

[part

Clothed -with the Sun.'"

God he beareth the balance and the sword, 30. To execute judgment and vengeance upon who come short of the commandments of God

11.

;

all

weigh their works, to measure their desire, and to number their days. 31. For to him are committed weight and measure and number. 32. And all things must pass under the rod and through the balance, and be fathomed by the sounding-lead. 33. Therefore Satan is the minister of God, Lord of the seven mansions of Hades, the angel of the

manifest worlds. 34.

And God

hath put a girdle about his loins,

and the name of the girdle

Death.

35. Threefold are its coilsi, for threefold is the power of Death, dissolving the body, the ghost, and

the soul. 36.

And

that

Phoibos strikes 37.

None of

him only 38.

the

girdle

black within, but where

it is silver.

Gods is girt save Satan, for upon shame of generation.

the

hath

lost

his

virginal estate:

uncovering

he hath entered into bondage. with bonds and limits all encompasseth He 39. he putteth chains round tiiin^rs which are made

heavenly

secrets,

about the worlds, and determineth their orbits. by him 40. By him are creation and appearance ;

birth

and transformation

the night of death.

;

the

day of begetting and

: ;

The Secret of Satan.

NO. XV.]

41.

The glory of Satan

the throne of Satan 42.

Twain

;

45.

God

in heaven the

abyss the legions of Satan.

both are the ministers of the Father, ful-

word

The

divine.

legions of Satan are the creative emana-

having the shapes of dragons, of Titans, and of ;

Forsaking the intelligible

manifestation, 47.

Lord

;

And

elemental gods 46.

the

These are the unmanifest and the manifest and the bound the virginal and the fallen.

filling the

tions,

shadow of

the

armies of

in the

the free 44.

the footstool of Adonai.

are the

hosts of Michael 43.

279

renoundng

Which were

their first estate

cast out

found any more

their place

ÂŽ

world,

seeking

;

into chaos, neither

was

in heaven.

(2.)

48.

Evil

Lord of 49.

and Satan

the result of limitation,

the

limit.

the father of

lies,

because matter

cause of illusion. 50. To understand the secret of the kingdom of God, and to read the riddle of Maya, this is to have Satan under foot. 51. He only can put Satan under foot who is released by thought from the bonds of desire. 52. 3.

Nature Of which

the allegory of spirit

the sensible world

the antithesis.

all that

E.M.

appear-

;

28o

;

[part

Clothed with the Sun."

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

is deceit to know the truth, this make men free. For the kingdom of Satan is the house of

eth to the sense

alone shall 53.

yea, his mansion is the sepulchre of Golgotha, wherein on the seventh day the Lord lay sleeping, keeping the Sabbath of the unmanifest. the 54. For the day of Satan is the night of spirit manifestation of the worlds of form is the rest of the

matter

worlds informulate.

Holy and venerable

55.

blessed

and

sanctified

the

the Sabbath of

name of

God

the angel of

Hades

Whom

56.

Anointed

the

shall overcome,

rising

again from the dead on the first day of the week. 57. For the place of Satan is the bourne of divine impulsion there 'is the arrest of the outgoing force :

;

Luza, the station of pause and slumber

Where Jacob

58.

lay

down and dreamed, beholding

the ladder which reached from earth to heaven. 59. For Jacob Lord of the body

Who

60.

hath

the planetary angel lacchos, the

left his father's house,

and

gone

out into a far country.

Yet

61.

dom His

Luza none other than Bethel the kingis become the kingdom of God and of ;

of Satan Christ.

62. sleep, 63.

secret

For there the Anointed awakeneth, arising from and goeth his way rejoicing Having seen the vision of God, and beheld the ;

of Satan

The Secret of Satan.

NO. XV.]

281

64. Even as the Lord arose from the dead and brake the seal of the sepulchre 65. Which is the portal of heaven, Luza, the house of separation, the place of stony sleep 6^. Where is born the centripetal force, drawing the soul upward and inward to God ^j. Recalling Existence into Being, resuming the kingdoms of matter in spirit (^' 68. Until Satan return unto his first estate, and enter again into the heavenly obedience ;

;

69.

Having

fulfilled

the

will

of the Father, and

accomplished his holy ministry 70. Which was ordained of God before the worlds, for the splendour of the manifest, and for the generation of Christ our I-ord (*> 71. Who shall judge the quick and the dead, putting all things under his feet whose are the dominion, the power, the glory, and the Amen. ^^^ ;

;

3. 4.

See Appendix, See Appendix, See Appendix,

p. p. p.

XXIII., note W. XXIII., note X. I, note A. and p. XXV., note Y.

282

Clothed with the Sun.

No.

[part

II.

XVI.

THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD AND THEIR CORRESPONDENCES. Elohint or ArchSignification.

angels. 1.

Uriel

Raphael

Anael

Salamiel

Zacchariel

Michael

Orifiel (or

Satan)

Gabriel.

Gods.

Office.

= Fire of God. = Physician of God. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sweet Song: of God. = Acquired of God. = Man of God. = Like unto God. = Hour of God.

Zeus and Hera.

Angel of Jupiter.

Kronos.

Angel of Saturn.

Artemis or

Streng-th of God.

Phoibos Apollo.

Ange

Hermes.

Angfcl of Mercurj-.

Aphrodite.

Angel of Venus.

of the Sun.

Dionysos.

Angel of the Earth

Ares.

Angel of Mars.

Angel

Isis.

the

Moon.

Tincture of Ray. 1.

The Spirit of

Red.

Wisdom.

Orange.

Understanding.

Yellow.

Counsel.

Green.

Power.

Blue.

Knowledge.

Tincture of Ray.

The

Spirit of

Purple.

Righteousness.

Violet.

Divine Awe.

(Hence Reverence

and Humility.)

White, being the combination of all the rays, implies full illumination and intuition of God, is the full moon, and is the symbol of initiation. Attaining to this state, the soul is the mystical " Woman clothed with the Sun," of Apoc. xii, i. Gabriel, the angel of this state, represents the reflective principle of the soul. He is not one of the seven Elohim, but is the complement of them all, being the spirit of all the moons. the symbol of which

;

The Mysteries of the Seven Spheres.

NO. XVII.]

283

XVII.

No.

THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOMS OF THE SEVEN SPHERES. (6) I

believe in the

The

Holy

Nous, or Sun, of the

cosm,

Ghost,

the

Whose

seven spirits are as the seven rays of light

The

Holy

Catholic

The

man

sphere.

Hermes,

and

the

guardian holy

Spirit

and

wherebuilt,

interpreter

mysteries.

Venus,

Aphrodite,

inner-

rock

Church

true

Phoi-

the

Peter,

the

;

angel,

red

most

heaven

Communion

Saints,

the

Understanding,

kingdom within

whose

micro-

Wisdom,

Spirit

ray

bos,

Church, Or,

the

Counsel,

the

love,

Spirit

sym-

principle

(?)

harmony, and

pathy,

Or, the elect

heaven each

light,

where-

and earth are revealed and

drawn

initiator.

Lord

other

to-

gether.

(7)

Or, passing-through of souls

the

lacchos,

The Forgiveness of Sins,

whereby

transmigration,

Karma

;

and

satisfied

alone sins

wiped out by expiation and repentance.

the

creation

and

Home, Received September

See Appendix,

i8, iÂŁ

XIII., note

reversed.

the

Power,

force

redemption

accomplished,

being

Spirit

the

represents

whereby alike

direction

are

only

;

" Clothed with the Sun."

284

The Resurrection

Ares,

(which

Mars,

of the

comes

body,

material

limitations

learns

Life Everlasting

;

Zeus

Amen,

<*>

Saturn, the

Or,

final

the

consummation.

boundary

regenerate needs no

drawn, and does not appear "

See Appendix,

p. I.,

fulfil

these mysteries.

Concerning the Genius."]

"moon" to

note A.

justice,

and

the

and

se-

Spirit

being outer-

without

keeper

the divine

which

and

the

within

negation

fully

heaven,

Righteousness

generation.

sphere,

dom,

[The man

con-

spirit.

Lord, angelâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;unfallen â&#x20AC;&#x201D; of the

fection,

Wherefore Gabriel, having no function

which

Satan,

most the

eternal

Fear

transmuta-

rulers

balance,

perfect

Spirit

godliness,

cret

the

Hera,

the

man

crowning

the

matter

dual

the

And

secret

cost

for

and

the

quest

at death,

whereby

and

whom

knowledge

which

tion,

The

and

II.

war-god,

contention,

suffering

divine

From

the

Knowledge,

Spirit

the redemption)

[part

the

kingper-

which,

the

being.

to reflect to him the "sun'

the perfected kosmos,

See Part

I.,

is in-

No. XIV. part

PART THE THIRD. CONCERNING THE DIVINE IMAGE OR

THE VISION OF ADONAI.

CONCERNING THE DIVINE IMAGE, OR THE VISION OF ADONAI. [Owing

at onoe to the sanctity

bility of the

T etragrammaton,

and the unpronounoeaor word of four letters

which in the Hebrew constitutes the name Jehovah, the Hebrews invariably substitute for it in speaking the name Adonai, which in the A. V. is rendered " the Lord." These

names

are, however, substantially identical, in that they

imply a duality corresponding to that of the sexes,— a duality which arises, necessarily, from the nature of the function fulfilled by their bearer, which is alike

that of the expression, word, or manifestor of Deity in

expounded in from which it follows " that this Person of the Trinity is, properly, not " Son " merely, but Son-Daughter." As thus exhibited, the Trinity consists of Father, Mother, and Child,— (respectively energy, substance, and phenomenon),— and represents a mode of the godhead which, logically (not chronologically, time having no relation to the eternal), the dual character of Father-Mother, as

Nos. VII. and VIII. of Part II.

;

antecedent to that of the ecclesiastical Trinity, where-

in the "

Son " appears

Spirit as the third. (substance)

merged

as the second person,

and the Holy "

in this aspect, the " Mother in the " Father " (energy or will),

For

—the first, and Son appears as the second, while the third is the Holy Spirit, or divinity in its dynamic or active mode as distinguished from its static or passive mode. Proceed-

the two together constituting one person, the

288

'ÂŤ

Clothed wtih the

Sunr

[part hi.

ing from the Father-Mother through the Son, and idennature with them, the Holy Spirit is, like them, dual, and consists of both energy and substance. For tical in

which reason the names and symbols denoting the Holy Spirit are masculine or feminine, according to the aspect or function concerned. On its procession through the Son the Holy Spirit differentiates into the seven modes or potencies called the Seven Spirits of God (as described in Nos. VI., VIII.,

and X. of Part II.) dividing, like from the prism, into seven rays.

light on its emergence

These are the Seven Spirits of God, the creative Elohim, which, with the three persons of the Trinity, constitute the ten Sephiroth of

Supreme and

the

Kabala.

Functions

the

essential principles in the Divine nature,

they are styled, on entering into manifestation, Gods and

Archangels

and inasmuch as they are manifold and ; various as the spheres and kingdoms of nature, in all of which they are operative, and comprise grades and distinctions innumerable, repeating themselves like the notes

of the musical scale in

many

keys and tones, their names

are rather titles of orders than designations of indivi-

In no case can they be apprehended of the outer mature and sensitive they manifest themselves under forms personal and symduals.

senses, but to souls sufl&ciently

bolical of their offices, being both seen

interior

selfhood.

And

just as the

and heard of the Rainbow is one,

though rainbows are legion,â&#x20AC;&#x201D; inasmuch as all these are manifestations of one and the same principle inhering in the nature of light,â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so is each divinity one, however multiplied his personality, inasmuch as every appearance is but a fresh manifestation of one and the same principle subsisting in the divine nature,

and for that

Concerning the Divine Image. »eason subsisting also in every

soul

that

289 is

able

Thus is the soul " Mother of Gtod " and also of the Gods, and " Man is a universe in himself, having the thrones of all the Gods in his temple." And of their oo-operation is the edification of the world into the kingdom of God, and of man in the Divine polarise divinity.

image, that of Adonai.

has and

Attaining to this image,

man

Christ, Christ being the correspondent, equi-

valent, or counterpart in

man, of Adonai in substance. And, saving Adonai himself, they are the highest objects

That Adonai is is the image beheld in the point of the focus formed by the convergenoB of a,ll the consciousnesses of the system and their of the sensible perception of the soul.

the highest of

all

such objects

because he

polarisation to the highest plane. " Invisible

Beyond him

the

Divine Dark " of the early Christian mystics, (9)— the boundless sea of infinite wisdom, love, and power, informulate and unmanifest, the

Light,"— the

universally-diffused divinity

;

impersonal in the radical

sense of the word, but personal in the highest degree in

and in its true sense, that of essential consciousness Adonai taking form and personality in both senses. The Jehovah or Adonai of the Hebrews is thus no mere " tribal " god, as supposed by writers more learned and ingenious than experienced or percipient, on the ;

strength of the defective presentations of

Him

in the

Hebrew Scriptures nor is He but a partial aspect only of deity, or a being unreal and imaginary. He is actually the one and supreme divinity, the central, radiant, and pivotal point of the universe— its spiritual ;

E.g., St Dionysius " the Areopagite."

" Clothed with the Sun."

290

sun— the God

from whom

of Gods,

and of whom

all

[

part

others proceed,

all

And

others are modes and aspects.

and indefeasibly,

this absolutely

hi.

how

defective

and misleading soever the human conceptions and preHim. And being recognised as such, He is

sentations of fitly

described as a " jealous " God,

ini

that he reprobates

the ascription to the low or to a part, of the honour

due only to the highest and to the whole and He is not for his own sake,— He cannot suffer loss— but for the sake of those His creatures who, by limiting their ideal of the Divine perfection, withhold themselves from the realisation of their own perfection, and thereby from being made in the Divine image. For what man thinks, that he is. The vision about to be described of Adonaij was received without any previous knowledge on the part of its recipient, either of its possibility, or of its having always been claimed as a recognised fact of mystical ex;

this,

the allusions to it in the Bible, dO) although

perience,

no means

recognition

<i)

sciousness.

warned

obviously

The

Ex. xxiv.

The

this

acoees 9-11

;

occasion she

escaped in

the

fore-

about

make certain ceremonial

calculated

her con-

had been

of unusual solemnity

and prompted

parations

10.

of something

to occur,

nation.

having altogether having any real basis

rare,

pre-

impress the imagi-

came upon her while standing by the

Is. vi.

;

Ezek.

viii.

Dan,

vii. 9,

10;

Apoc.

iv.

;

xx. 11.

by myself a few months previously had been similarly independent of knowledg^e or anticipation, and I had been constrained to maintain an absolute reserve in regard to it. The account in TTte Perfect Way, (IX. v.) was written from our joint experiences. Many of our experiences were thus duplicated, hers, kowever, far exceeding: mine both in number and in fulness of detail. The latter, probably, because I always made a point of retaining possesI.

reception oi

Concerning the Divine Image.

open window, gazing at the moon, then close upon (2) The first effect of the afflatus was to cause her to kneel and pray in a rapt attitude, with her arms extended towards the sky. It of appeared afterwards, that under an access spiritual exaltation, she had yielded to a sudden and uncontrollable impulse to pray that she might be taken to the stars, and shown all the glory of the universe. Presently she rose, and after gazing upwards in ecstaay for a few moments, lowered her eyes, and, clasping her arms around her head as if to shut out the view, uttered in tones of wonder, mingled with moans and cries of the full.

anguisih, the following tokens of the intolerable splen-

dour of the vision she had unwittingly invited.]

—

It makes me Oh, I see masses, masses of stars giddy to look at them. O my God, what masses Wheels of planets (^) O my Millions and millions God, my God, why didst thou create? It was by Will, all Will, that Thou didst it. Oh what might, what might of Will Oh, what gulfs what gulfs Millions and millions of miles broad and deep Hold me hold me up I shall sink I shall sink into the gulfs. I am sick and giddy, as on a billowy sea. I am on a sea, an ocean the ocean of infinite "

—

sion of the external consciousness, in order to observe time,

and not knowing- the

was

was as

result of letting

and record at the same E.M.

myself go altogether.

at Paris, July 23, 1877. if

there had been suddenly opened to her view a universe of

; and while dazzlingly bright to the spiritual eyes, of a consistency too tenuous to intercept or refract the solar rays. like effect would also be produced by entering the fourth dimension of

inter-planetary systems, invisible to the bodily sight

space, where

ing medium.

all

things would be beheld unmodified by distance or any interven-

E.M.

— I!

" Clothed

292

[part hi.

toith the Sun.**

—

Oh, what dq^ths what depths I sink cannot, cannot bear it 1 " I shall never come back. I have left my body for ever. I am dying I believe I am dead. Impossible to return from such a distance Oh, what colossal forms: They are the angels of the planets. Every planet has its angel standing erect above it. And what beauty what marvellous beauty I see Raphael. I see the angel of the earth. He has six wings. He is a god the god of our planet. I see

space. fail

;

—

who

genius,

is Salathiel.

genius

Caro,

<5)

called himself A.Z.

but his

;

name

Oh, how surpassingly beautiful he is a male, and his colour is ruby. Yours

("*)

a female, and sapphire.

—

They

are friends

and for that thdy are the same not two, but one reason they have associated us together, and speak of ;

is It themselves sometimes as /, sometimes as We. the angel of the earth himself that is your genius and

He it was who inspired you, who And they call me Bitterness. And

mine, Caro. to you.

<^)

spoke I

see

—

sorrow oh, what unending sorrow do I behold Sorrow, always sorrow, but never without love. 4.

"Lent of God."

Every divinity has a separate name

for each office fuU-

Salathiel thus denotes the angel of the earth in his capacity as head of the order or Genii, in the sense of being- the supreme spirit (of the planet) of whom each g-enius is a manifestation, and into whom they return on the acfilted

by him.

complishment of their mission. As the first and last letters of the alphabet, A and Z, correspond to the " Alpha and Omega," in the sens* of implying- comprehension of the genii of all orders or grades, and consequently all the rays of the E.M. spiritual prism. A spiritual or " initiation " name that had been g^iven to me, as Mary to 5. her. The latter, however, was also one ot her own names. E.M. 6. The reference here is to an experience of my own, the relation of which does not fall wtthia the scope of this book, E.M,

Concerning the Divine Image. shall always

Oh, save

have It

now of beautiful

Now

— Paris

and dark he

serene,

entering

glorious form of

—a

Oh, he has goat's Save me, save me from

forgot

brighter

womanhood

and endowed with

Athena,

turns his face towards me.

Ah, he sees me not. have passed him. C')

" I

once of

himself,

the city that bears his name.

—he has goat's horns

horns

him

It is

Paris

floating recumbent.

How

How dim is this sphere! my demon that I am

love.

— save me!

approaching.

Troy,

293

all

invisible.

What

now.

region

is that,

so queenly, so

wisdom?

It is

Pallas

personage in the spiritual world And yonder is one of whom I have no need to ask. I am passing through the circle of the Olympians. It

real

Aphrodite, mother of love and

beauty.

how now deem

Aphrodite, spirit of the waters, firstborn of God,

And men on earth and goddesses of Greece mere fables And I behold them living and moving in strength and beauty could

adore thee

the gods

before