BOOK THE
FIRST.
CHAPTER
I. ATLANTIS, QUEEN OF THE WAVE.
Why
not? I
asked
myself,
pausing
amidst
the
snow
on
the
mountain,
there
so
far
above
the
sea
that
the
Storm
King was ever supreme, even while summer reigned below. Am I not an
Atlan, a Poseid, and is not that name synonymous with freedom, honor,
power? Is not this, my native land, the most glorious beneath the
sun? Beneath Incal? Again
I queried: Why not, aye, why not strive to become one amongst the
foremost in my proud country?
Poseid
is the Queen of the Sea, yea, and of the world also, since all
nations pay tribute of praise and commerce to us all emulate us. To
rule in Poseid, then, is not that virtually to rule over all the
earth? Therefore will I strive to grasp thc prize, and I will do it,
too! And thou, O pale, cold moon, bear witness of my resolve I
cried
aloud,
raising my hands to heaven And ye also, ye glittering diamonds of the
sky.
If
resolute
effort
could
insure
success,
I
usually
achieved
whatever
end
I
determined
to
attain.
So
there
I
made
my
vows at a great height above the ocean, and above the plain which
stretched away westward two thousand miles
to
Caiphul,
the
Royal
City.
So
high
was
it,
that
all
about
and
below
me
lay
peaks
and
mountain
ranges,
vast
in
themselves, but dwarfed beside the apex whereon I stood.
All
around me lay the eternal snows; but what cared I? So filled with the
new resolve was my mind the
resolve
to
become a power in the land of my nativity that I heeded not the cold.
Indeed, I scarce knew that the air about me was cold, was chill as
that of the Arctic fields of the remote north.
Many
obstacles would have to be surmounted in the accomplishment of this
design for truly, what was I at that moment? Only a mountaineer's
son, poor, fatherless; but, the Fates be praised! not motherless! At
thought of her, my mother, miles away, down where the perennial
forests waved, where snow seldom fell; while I stood on the
storm−kissed summit, alone with the night and my thoughts at
the
thought
of
my
mother
my
eyes
grew
moist,
for
I was only a boy, and often a sad enough one, when the hardships
which she endured arose to mind. Such reflections were but added
incentives to my ambition to do and to be.
Once
more my thoughts dwelt on the difficulties I must encounter in my
struggle for success, fame and power.
Atlantis,
or
Poseid,
was
an
empire
whose
subjects
enjoyed
the
freedom
allowed
by
the
most
limited
monarchical
rule, The general law of official succession presented to every male
subject a chance for preferment to office.
Even the
emperor held an elective position, as also did his ministers, the
Council of Ninety, or Princes of the Realm
offices
analagous to those of the Secretarial Portfolios of the American
Republic its
veritable
successor.
If death claimed the occupant of the throne, or any of the
councillors, the elective franchise came into activity, but not
otherwise, barring dismissal for rnalfeasance in office, a penalty
which, if incurred by him, not even the emperor was exempt from
suffering.
The
possession of the elective power was vested in the two great social
divisions, which embraced all classes of people, of either sex. The
great underlying principle of the Poseid political fabric might be
said to have been an
educational
measuring−rod for every ballot−holder, but the sex of the holder,
no one's business.
The two
major social branches were known by the distinctive names
of Incala and Xioqua, or,
respectively,
the priesthood and scientists.
Do my
readers ask where that open opportunity for every subject could be in
a system which excluded the
artisans,
tradespeople, and military, if they happened not to be of the
enfranchised classes? Every person had the option of entering either
the College of Sciences, or that of Incal, or both. Nor was race,
color or sex considered, the only prerequisite being that the
candidate for admission must be sixteen years of age, and the
possessor of a good education obtained in the common schools, or at
some of the lesser seats of collegiate learning, as the Xioquithlon
in the capital city of some one of the Poseid States, as at Numea,
Terna, Idosa, Corosa, or even at Marzeus'
lower
college,
Marzeus
being
the
principal
art−manufacturing
center
of
Atl.
Seven
years
was
the
allotted
term of study at the Great Xioquithlon, ten months in each year,
divided into two sub−terms of five months each, devoted to active
work, and one month allowed for recreation, half of it between each
session. Any student might compete
in
the
annual
examination
exercises,
held
at
the
end
of
the
year
or
just
preceding
the
vernal
equinox.
That
we recognized the natural law of mental limitation will be obvious
from the fact that the course of study was purely optional, the
aspirant being at liberty to select as many, or as few topics as were
agreeable, with this necessary proviso: that only possessors of
diplomas of the first class could be candidates for even the humblest
official position. These certificates were evidence of a grade of
acquirement which embraced a range of topical knowledge too great to
be mentioned, otherwise than inferentially, as the reader proceeds.
The second−grade diploma did mot confer political prestige, except
in the matter of carrying with it the voting privilege, although if
a
person neither cared to be an office holder, nor to vote, the right
to instruction in any educational branch was none the less a
gratuitous privilege. Those, however, who only aspired to a limited
education, with the purpose of more successfully pursuing a given
business, as tuition in mineralogy by an intending miner, agriculture
by a farmer, or botany by an ambitious gardener had no voice in the
government. While the number of those
unambitious
ones was not small, none the less the stimulus of obtaining political
prestige was so great that not above
one
in
a
dozen
of
the
adult
population
was
without
at
least
a
secondary
diploma,
while
fully
one−third
had
first−grade certificates. It was owing to this, that the electors
found no scarcity of material for filling all elective positions
under the government.
Some
uncertainty is possibly left in the mind of the reader as to what
constituted the difference between priestly and scientific
suffragists. The only essential difference was that the curriculum at
the Incalithlon, or College of Priests, embraced, in addition to
every high−grade feature taught at the Xioquithlon, also the study
of a wide range of occult phenomena, anthropological and sociological
themes, to the end that graduates in the sciences might have the
opportunity of fitting themselves to minister to any want, which men
of less erudition and less comprehension of the great underlying laws
of life might experience, in any phase or condition. The Incalithlon
was in fact the very highest, most complete institution of learning
which the world knew then, or pardon what may seem to be, but is not,
Atlan conceit has known since; and for that matter, will know for
centuries to come. As such an exalted educational institution,
students within its halls must needs possess extra zeal and
determined willpower in order to pursue, and secure graduation
certificates from its board of examiners. Few indeed had found life
extended enough to enable them to acquire such a diploma; possibly
not one in five hundred of those who made honorable exit from the
Xioquithlon itself
an
institution
not
second
to
the
modern
Cornell
University.
As
I
pondered,
there
amidst
those
mountain
snows,
I
decided
not
to
attempt
too
much,
but
a
Xioqua
I
determined
to be, if any possible chance existed; although I scarcely hoped for
the possession of the eminence conferred by the title of Incala, I
vowed that I would make an opportunity to compete for the other, if
no occasion presented otherwise. To obtain the proud distinction
would require, in addition to arduous study, the possession of ample
pecuniary means to furnish the expense of living, and the
maintenance, at its highest, of an unfaltering energy of purpose.
Whence could I hope to obtain all this? The gods were believed to
help the needy. If I, a lad of not yet seventeen summers, who had a
mother looking to me for support and the necesaries of life, with
nothing that could aid me to attain my aspirations except native
energy and will, might not be placed in that category, then who were
the needy? Methinks there should be no more evidence of dependence
necessary, and it were indeed proper in the gods to extend aid.
Filled
with such reflections as these, I climbed yet higher towards the top
of the sky−piercing peak, near the apex of which I stood, for the
dawn was not far distant, and I must be. on the highest stone to
greet Incal (the sun) when He conquered Navaz, else He chief
of
all
the
manifest
signs
of
the
great
and
only
true
God,
whose
name
He
bore,
whose shield He was might not favorably regard my prayer. No, He must
see that the supplicating youth spared no pains to do Him honor,
because it was for this purpose only that I had climbed alone, amidst
these solitudes, up that trackless steep of snow, beneath the starry
dome of the skies.
Is
there, I asked myself, a more glorious belief than this which my
country−folk hold? Are not all Poseidi worshipers of the Great
God the one true Deity who
is
typified
by
the
blazing
sun?
There
can
be
nothing
more
sacred and holy. So spake the boy whose maturing mind had grasped the
really inspiring exoteric religion, but who knew of none other,
deeper and more sublime, nor was he to learn of it in the days of
Atla.
As the
first glance of light from behind His shield stole through the dark
abyss of night, I threw myself prone in the summit snows, where I
must remain until the God of Light was entirely victorious over
Navaz. Triumphant at last I Then I arose, and making a final profound
obeisance, retraced my steps down that fearful declivity of ice, and
snow,
and
barren
rock,
the
latter
black
and
cruelly
sharp,
thrusting
its
ridges
through
the
icy
coat,
showing
the
ribs of the mountain which stood, one of the peerless peaks of the
globe, thirteen thousand feet above the level of the sea.
For two
days all my efforts had been to reach that frigid summit and cast
myself, a living offering, on its lofty altar, thus to honor my God.
I wondered if He had heard and noted me. If He had, did He care? Did
He care enough
to
direct
His
vice−regent,
God
of
the
mountain,
to
aid
me?
To
the
latter,
without
knowing
why,
I
looked,
hoping
in what may seem a blind fatuity, for him to reveal a treasure of
some sort, or
What
is
that
dull
metallic
glint
in
the
rock
whose
heart
my.
iron−shod
alpenstock
had
lain
bare
to
the
rays
of
the
morning sun? Gold! O Incal! It is so! Yellow, precious gold!
O
Incal, I cried, repeating His name, be
thou
praised
for
returning
answer
so
quickly
to
Thy
humble
petitioner!
Down in
the snow I knelt, uncovering my head out of gratitude to the God of
All Being, the Most High, whose shield,
the
sun
poured
forth
his
glorious
rays.
Then
I
looked
again
on
the
treasure.
Ah,
what
a
store
of
wealth
was
there!
As
the
quartz
rock
splintered
beneath
my
excited
strokes,
the
precious
metal
held
it
together,
so
thickly
did
it
vein
its
matrix.
Sharp
edges
of
the
flinty
stone
cut
my
hands,
so
that
the
blood
flowed
from
half
a
dozen
places,
and
as
I grasped the icy quartz which did the deed, my bleeding hands froze
fast upon it−a union of blood and treasure! No matter! and I tore
them loose, unheeding the pain, so much was I excited.
O
Incal, I exclaimed, Thou
are
good
to
Thy
child
in
so
liberally
bestowing
the
treasure
which
shall
enable
a
realization of his resolution, ere the heart hath opportunity to grow
faint through long−deferred hope.
I
loaded
into
my
capacious
pockets
all
that
I
could
stagger
under,
selecting
the
richest
and
most
valuable
pieces
of
the gold quartz. How should I mark the spot, how find it again? To a
born mountaineer this was no hard task, and was soon accomplished.
Then onward, downward, homeward, joyfully I swung, with light heart,
if heavy load.
Over
these
mountains,
indeed
not
two
miles
from
the
base
of
my
treasure
peak,
wound
the
emperor's
highway
to
the
great
ocean,
hundreds,
of
miles
away
on
the
other
side
of
the
Caiphalian
plains.
This
causeway
once
reached,
the most fatiguing part of the trip would be over, although but
one−fifth of the entire route would yet have been traversed.
To
give
some
idea
of
the
difficulties
encountered
in
scaling
or
descending
this
giant
mountain,
I
must
remark
that
the final five−thousand feet of the ascent could be made by only
one tortuous route. A narrow gorge, a mere volcanic fissure, afforded
foothold of the most precarious character, all other parts of the
peak being insurmountable cliffs. This meager support existed for the
first one thousand feet. Above this point the cleft ceased.
Near
its
upper
end
a
small
cave
existed,
rather
higher
than
a
man's
stature,
and
capable
of
holding
perhaps
twenty people. In the farther end of this rocky room was a hole a
crack wider horizontally than in the perpendicular. Entering this
crevice by crawling, serpent−fashion, the venturesome explorer
would find that for several hundred paces he must needs descend a
rather sharp incline, albeit the crevice in the first dozen steps so
widened, or heightened, that a more or less upright posture could be
assumed. From the end of its descending course it twisted and again
increased in size so as to form a tunnel, ascending by tortuous
windings, its walls affording sufficient support to make the climbing
safe, although pursued upward at an angle of about forty degrees,
while in some parts an even greater degree of perpendicularity marked
the passage. In this way an upward climb of thirty odd hundreds of
feet was accomplished, the sinuosities of the route greatly
increasing the distance covered in a vertical rise. This, reader, was
the sole method of reaching the summit of the highest mountain of
Poseid, or Atlantis, as thou callest the island−continent.
Arduous
as was its passage, there was more than enough room in this dry old
chimney, or water−course, whichever it was, Chimney it certainly
had been, originally, though now water−worn to such an extent as to
render
the
idea
of
its
igneous
formation,
de
novo,
merely
conjectural.
At
one
part
of
its
course
this
long
hole
widened into a vast cavern. This led away at right angles from the
chimney, and down, down, until far in the
bowels
of
the
mountain
thousands
of
feet
it
seemed
in
the
dread
darkness
he
who
ventured
so
far
found
himself
on the brink of a vast abyss, which had no visible side except that
on which he stood; beyond this, further progress was impossible
except for winged things, as bats, and bats were there none in that
awful depth.
No sound
came back from its frightful chasm, no brightness of torches had ever
revealed its other shore nought
was
there but a sea of eternal inky blackness. Yet here were no terrors
for me; rather a fascination. While others may have known of the
place, I had never found a companion with enough temerity to brave
the unknown, and stand by my side on the horrid brink, where I had
stood, not once only but several times in days gone by. Three times I
had been there, impelled by curiosity. On the third occasion I had
leaned over the edge to seek a possible further descent, when the
stone upon which I was a huge basaltic block loosened from its place,
fell, and I barely escaped with my life. I fell, and for several
minutes sounds of its descent came echoing back to where I stood; my
torch went with it, and far adown the depths its sparks gleamed like
fire−flies as it struck projecting points of the rock, ere it
finally disappeared. I was left in that deep darkness, weak from my
great peril, to make my way up and out−if I could. If not, then to
fail and die. But I succeeded. Thenceforth I had no curiosity to
explore that unknown gulf. Through the chimney which led past the
upper end of this abyssmal cavern between
the
upper
end
of
the
outer
fissure
in
the
cliff
and
the
summit's
side,
five,
or
six
hundred
feet
below
the
apex
of
the
mountain I
had been many times; often had I been over the spot where a chance
blow of my staff revealed the golden treasure, yet never found the
precious store until I had asked Incal for it, urged by the pressing
burden of my necessities. Is it strange that I felt absolute faith in
the religious belief of my people?
It was
into the dark chimney that I had to go when I left the snowy
summit out
of
the
sunlight
and
fresh
air,
into
dense blackness, and a slightly sulphurous atmosphere, but if I left
the morning brightness, I also left the fearful cold of the external
air, for inside the tunnel, if dark, it was warm.
At last,
I came into the small room at the head of the thousand−foot crevice
which would take me to the easier slopes of the lower and middle
third of the mountain. In that room I paused. Should I return for
another load of auriferous rock? Or should I go directly on my
homeward way? At length I turned and retraced my steps. With the noon
hour I stood once more beside my treasure spot. Then down again with
my second load, till the weary toil ceased almost for
I
was
standing
then
at
the
entrance
to
the
great
cavern,
four
hundred
feet
from
the
little
room
at
the head of the outer crevice four hundred feet of pretty steep
climbing. After a moment's pause I resumed the short but sharp
ascent, and was soon in the little room, with only a dozen feet at
most between myself and the free air. Sinuous, the long tunnel was,
considered as a whole, yet it had some passages as straight, as if
cut by tools along a line. The four hundred feet, more or less, which
separated the room where I stayed my steps, from the entrance proper
of the cavern, was such a straight stretch, and perhaps on that
account as difficult to traverse as
any
part of the whole tunnel. Indeed it would have been impossible,
except for its rough sides affording some slight foothold. Had the
place been light, instead of filled with the blackness of darkness, I
could have seen
directly
into the cavern from the apartment in which I was resting. The warm
air induced me to sit or rather lie down at this point, even though I
could not see, and so, as I rested there, I ate a handful of dates
and sipped a little of the melted snow−water which my water−skin
contained. Then I stretched myself out to sleep in the warm air.
flow
long I slept I did not know, but the awakening ah! the terror of it!
Blasts of air so hot as to almost scorch, swept over and past me,
laden with stifling fumes, and sending back a hoarse murmur as they
rushed up the passage to the summit. Howling, groaning noises came up
on the fervid breath from the abyss, mingled with the sound of
tremendous explosions and deafening reports. Above all other causes
for terror was a glow of red light reflected from the walk of the
cavern, into which I found I could look with unobstructed freedom,
and through whose depths shone flashes of red and green and blue, and
every other color and tint, gases on fire, For a time, fright held me
fast, so that without power to move I remained gazing into the awful
hell of the blazing elements, I knew that the light and heat, both
momentarily increasing, and the stifling vapors, the noise and the
quivering of the mountain, all pointed but one and the same
meaning active
volcanic
eruption.
At
last,
the
spell
which
numbed
my senses was broken by my catching sight of a spurt of molten lava
which dashed up the intervening passage, projected a number of feet
therein by an explosion within the cavern behind, Then I rose up and
fled fled across the floor of the little room and crawled with insane
energy of haste through the horizontal entrance, which seemed never
so low as that moment! I had forgotten that I carried gold in my
pockets, and the fact only came back when
I
felt
the
retarding
weight
of
the
precious
rock.
But
with
the
exertion
to
escape
came
a
certain
degree
of
calmness,
and the restored presence of mind bade me not throw away the
treasure. Reflection convinced me that the danger,
although
impending, was probably not immediate. So that I again crawled back
into the little room and taking a sack which I had left there, filled
it with all the ore I could carry. I undid a leather thong from my
waist a cord forty feet long and looping one end to a point of rock,
at the upper end of the crevice, I lowered the sack to the other
extremity of the small cord, and then climbed down after it. Shaking
the loop from the rock above, I repeated
the
performance
again
and
again
as
I
descended.
In
this
way
I
reached
the
bottom
of
the
crevice
with
the
larger portion of my two loads of ore. From this point onwards my
route my along the crest of a rocky ridge, not very wide, but
sufficiently so to form an easy path.
I had
just started along this ridge when I looked back over the way I had
come. At that instant, a shock of earthquake occurred that almost
sufficed to throw me to the ground, and out of the little cave, where
I had slept, shot a puff of smoke, followed by a red gleam lava.
Downwards
it
splashed,
a
fiery
cascade,
and
a
most
glorious
sight in the gathering darkness, for the sun was not yet set. The
entire mountain was west of the ridge on which I stood, and it being
near night, my position was in deep shadow.
Out
along the ridge I fled, leaving my sack of gold and much that was in
my pockets in the safest place that I could
choose,
high
above
the
bottom
of
the
gorge,
along
which
the.
lava
must
flow.
At
a
safe
distance
I
paused
for
rest arid scanned the fiery torrent leaping down the gorge, now some
distance away On my right, but in plain
sight. At
least, thought I, I have as much gold−rock more metal than rock, it
appears left
in
my
pockets
yet,
as I shall find myself well able to carry, now that the strength,
born of excitement, is fled. So that even if I get not
that I
left behind, I have a great store of wealth. Therefore, Incal be
praised! How
entirely
inadequate
to
meet
the
expenses of seven years at college and that college at the capital of
the nation, where expenses were higher than elsewhere were
the twenty pounds, approximately, of gold−quartz, my inexperience
could not tell me. That it
was
a greater treasure than I had ever possessed in my life, or even seen
at one time, was an undeniable fact; therefore I was content.
A belief
in an overruling Providence is necessary to most, indeed to all men,
the sole difference being that men of widest knowledge require a
Deity of power more nearly approaching infinity than do those of
lesser experience;
so
those
who
realize
the
boundlessness
of
life,
recognize
a
God
of
whom
their
conceptions
are
projected
almost
to
omnipotence, compared to the conceptions which satisfy the ordinary
human mind. Whether, then, the deity worshipped be a stone or a
wooden idol, some inanimate form, or a Supreme Spirit of androgynous
nature, it matters little. Those Beings who
order
the
course
of
events,
executing
the
karmic
law
of
the
Eternal
God,
see
the
faith in mortal hearts, and suffer not that that law shall ever take
its course in sternness, untempered by mercy. If trust in the idol,
or the animate god, or
in the Supreme Spirit of God, should be allowed to perish because of
the
withering
forces
of
sorrow
and
despair,
then
would
human
goodness
tremble
for
safety
and
for
continuation
of
its being. Such a catastrophe could not harmonize with God, hence,
under the law, can never be allowed.
So with
my belief in Incal, a belief shared by my country−people. Incal was
a purely spiritual conception, and aside from the Eternal Cause,
which no mind of any age of the world can sanely doubt, was existent
only in the minds
of
his
worshippers.
And
the
faith
was
a
noble
one,
one
that
tended
to
high
morality,
nourishing
faith,
hope
and charity. What then though the personal Incal, symbolized by the
shield of the blazing sun, was inexistent except
in
the
brains
of
men?
Our
Poseid
concept
stood
for
us
in
the
place
of
the
Spirit
of
Life,
Parent
of
all.
That
was enough to insure observance of the principles which it was
supposed pleased Him best.
Surely
the
angels
of
the
Most
High
Uncreated
God,
ministering
then,
as
now,
to
the
children
of
the
Father,
looked
on the belief as it lay enshrined in my heart, and in the hearts of
my fellowmen and women, and said, as they ministered: Be
it unto thee according to thy faith. The angels, beholding the hope
that was in me too excel among men, had chastened me with fear as I
fled from the burning mountain, but there came no disaster.
Onward
I
ran,
as
speedily
as
the
nature
of
the
path
would
permit.
I
had
life
and
gold;
wherefore
I
praised
Incal
as
I
went. And the Spirit of Life was merciful, for I was not to know how
insufficient for my needs was my treasure until the sting of
disappointment was removed because of having found a more abundant
provision. For several
miles
my
course
lay
along
the
knife−edged
back
of
the
ridge.
In
many
places
awful
gulfs
yawned
beside
the
path,
so near that I had need of my hands to aid my feet. Sometimes these
cliffs extended along both sides of the trail, forming it into a
narrow parapet. I was grateful for small mercies and thanked Incal
that the god of the mountain bestirred himself not in the form of
earth−throes while I was in those perilous situations. At a
distance of three miles from the starting place my, path led me along
the brink of a frightful precipice, while above reared the wall of a
second cliff. Only the light of the burning mountain now illumined my
steps. Here it, was that, as I climbed cautiously
downward
towards
the
basaltic
brink,
a
heavy
shock
threw
me
upon
my
knees
and
almost
sent
me
into
the gulf. An instant later a dull boom filled the air with an
insistent intensity of sound, and I looked back in affright. A huge
spout of fiery smoke was rushing skywards, mingled with stones large
enough to be seen at the distance I was from the spot. Below the
brink where I clung, an awful grinding and crashing was going on; the
earth
trembled
fearfully,
and
repeated
shocks
caused
me
to
grasp
the
rock.,
in
desperate
fear
of
being
thrown
over
the edge. Off there in front, the gorge which lay at my feet once
skirted other ridges and spurs of the peak. Once, for a while, these
ridge., and spurs had been; now they were not! I gazed upon a scene
of awful and confusing turmoil, lit by the volcanic glare just
sufficiently to be perceptible. The solid hills and rocks seemed
tossing and unstable as the waters of the ocean and they rose and
fell in a horrid swell, grinding and crashing in genuine pandemonium.
Over all, volcanic ashes sifted in a thick, ceaseless shower, while
dust and volcanic vapors filled the air and hung like a funeral pall
over a seemingly perishing world.
Finally
the mad uproar and sickening motion ceased; only the steady glow from
the still−flowing lava and an occasional throe of earthquake
telling the Plutonic tale. But I remained lying on the ledge, faint
and ill. Gradually the lava stopped running, and the light went out;
the shocks came only at long intervals, and a peace as of death
filled
all
the
region,
while
the
silent
gray
ashes
sifted
down,
covering
the
stricken
land.
Darkness
reigned.
I
think
I
must,
for
a
time,
have
been
unconscious,
for
when
I
stirred
I
was
aware
of
a
sharp
pain
in
my
head;
putting
up
my
hand I felt a warm, wet oozing from a place which smarted at the
touch. I felt about and found a jagged stone which had fallen from
the cliff above and struck me. Further motion proved the wound was
not serious, and I sat up. Already the dawn was coming and, faint
with pain, hunger and cold, I again lay down to await broad day.
What
a
different
scene
rising
Incal
shone
upon,
in
place
of
that
of
the
previous
morn!
When
I
looked
at
the,
proud
peak, the red light of the sun showed that one full half of it had
been riven away and swallowed up in some
mysterious
cavern. Aye, truly,
Mountains
rear
to
heaven
their
head
in
their
bald
and
blackened
cliffs,
And bow their tall heads to the plain.
Nearer
by, where other ridges had been, and where the awful reeling of the
cliffs had occurred, right at my feet, indeed,
no
more
was
any
rocky
spire,
nor
peak,
nor
cliff
there
forever!
Instead
was
a
great
lake
of
steaming
water,
whose thither shores were veiled by the softly settling ashes and
clouds of steam condensed by the cold air a fine misty rain, the
weeping of the stricken globe over its recent agony! Hushed, was all
the noise; quieted, the trembling; ceased, the fervid streaming of
the lava.
That
part of the ridge where I had lain had escaped, for the most part,
the general rending. But even it had suffered, so that the path ahead
of me, which I had been accustomed to travel in my trips to the peak,
was gone, a huge
block
of
probably
thousands
of
tons
weight
having
slidden
into
the
pit
below,
making
absolute
erasure
of
the
path,
which
had
crossed
that
very
place.
I
sought
another
and,
in
climbing
about
in
the
dull
light,
came
to
a
part
of
the ridge which lay on the far side from the sun, which, as yet, was
not more than two perilously narrow ledges, lakes of hot water below,
impassable steeps overhead, suddenly a dull red bar of light shone
athwart my course!
Looking
for
its
source,
I
saw
that
the
light
streamed
through
a
wide
crack
in
the
beetling
cliff
above.
The
bottom
of
this
crack
was
not
far
below
me
and,
instead
of
becoming
narrowed
out,
had
a
floor
as
wide
as
any
part
of
the
fissure, as if all above that point had been forcibly slidden,
or faulted, to
one side undoubtedly the real explanation. I lowered myself to the
level of this floor and, finding the crevice sufficiently wide,
stepped into it, heedless of the fact that at any moment fresh
convulsions of the volcano might close the cleft and crush me as
between
the
faces
of
a
vise.
I
did
think
of
this
possibility
but,
Poseid−like,
put
aside
fear
by
reflecting
that
I
was
trusting in Incal, who would do whatever was good for me.
The
stricken cliff showed, here and there, veins of quartz with
porphyritic sheaves, forming ledges running
through
the granite masses. Clear to the top, this narrow cleft extended, and
though really some two or three feet wide, its height made it appear
very narrow. As I paused, filled with delight at the idea that on
both sides of me
my
eyes rested on virgin rock never exposed to the gaze of any man since
earth began, I noticed that which set my pulses bounding with wild
joy right
by
my
side,
but
a
little
in
front,
was
a
vein
of
yellow,
ocherous−looking
rock
in which I saw many maculations of whitish, harder rock, which
appearance was due to quartz bodies torn apart
by
the same shock which formed the cleft. These maculae were thickly
dotted with nuggets of native gold and
with
argent mineral. The ductility of the precious metals was exhibited in
curious effects, the gold and silver
being
drawn out from the smoothly fractured surface into wires, which in
some cases were a number of inches long.
Again
the
faintness
of
hunger
left
me,
and
the
pain
of
my
aching
head−wound
was
temporarily
forgotten,
as
I chanted a hymn of gratitude to my God. Gone was the towering peak;
destroyed was the sole route of access to the lofty summit which
man's foot might traverse; but here, after the war of the
subterranean fires was over, here was a greater treasure, nearer
home, easier to reach the excitement of joy was too great a strain on
my nerves, already so weak, and I fainted! But youth is elastic and
the health of those who are without vices wonderfully buoyant. I soon
recovered consciousness and was wise enough to make my way home
without stopping to waste further strength, knowing that my
mountaineering instinct would be an infallible guide to my subsequent
return.
I
felt,
in
taking
counsel
of
my
mother,
that
her
belief
that
I
could
not
work
the
mine
alone
was
based
on
actuality.
But whom should I trust to aid me and take an honest share of the
wealth so obtained as, recompense?
Enough,
is it not, that I found the necessary help? Certain professed friends
entered into a co−partnership with me and, for the privilege of
retaining the remainder of the proceeds, allowed me one−third of
the profits, agreeing to do this without requiring any labor from me;
and, with some demur, also agreeing to my demand that no part of the
ownership should be vested in anybody but myself. I caused them to
sign a paper to that effect and to seal it with the most inviolable
sign possible in Poseid, namely, to make their signatures with their
own blood. We all three did thus. So much formality I insisted upon
for the reason that the suspicion was irrepressible that these men
proposed to claim that they themselves were the discoverers of the
treasure, and that I had, per consequence, no right to any of it.
To−day I know that this was the case. I know that the proviso in
the contract declaring that the whole mine which they, my partners,
worked in the then current year was the inalienable property of Zailm
Numinos, was all that prevented the intended robbery. This
stipulation made no reference to the discoverer, as such,
but
did
state
in
incontrovertible
terms
that
in
the
possessor
of
that
name
was
vested
the
title
to
the
property.
I
would have had, in the event of a difference arising between us, no
necessity to prove how I became owner of the mine; no claim that some
person other than myself was the discoverer would avail the would−be
defrauders, for whosoever was the first to find the lode, the fact
remained that I was the owner, and possession in this event
meant
every advantage through the law. At least, so it seemed to my
ignorance. My associates were not so ignorant.
They
knew
that
the
contract
was
worthless
because
executed
in
violation
of
the
law.
The
day
came
when
I knew all. I knew in later times that the laws of Poseid made every
mine a tithepayer to the empire, and that a mine worked without
acknowledgment of this legal lien was liable to confiscation. It was
apparent, also, that if
my
partners had not allowed themselves to be swayed by avariciousness
into keeping secret the whole agreement, and also by working in the
mine, thus rendering themselves participators in an infraction of the
law, that they would have become the legally recognized owners,
simply through furnishing information concerning my acts to the
nearest governmental agent. But I did not know these things at the
time and the other two thought it discretion to keep silence, for the
reason that they were not aware of anything excepting the fact that
they were violation statutory enactments of no seeming importance.
Thus was the secret kept for a later revealment.
The
means
having
been
forthcoming,
the
removal
of
my
residence
from
the
country
to
the
city
of
the
Rai
was
next
in
order.
Our
farewell
to
the
old
mountain
home
and
our
installment
in
the
new
one
in
Caiphul
will
be
passed
over
in silence.
CHAPTER
II. CAIPHUL
The
Atlantean people lived under a government having the character of a
limited monarchy. Its official system recognized an emperor (whose
position was an elective one, and not in any sense hereditary) and
his ministers, known by a name signifying The Council of Ninety, and
also known as Princes of the Realm. All
of
these
officers had a life−tenure in office, except in cases of
malfeasance, which term was strictly defined and its provisions
severely enforced; and from the operation of the law relating
thereto, no exaltation of position was sufficient to secure exemption
for offenders. No governmental positions were made elective, with the
exception of one ecclesiastical office, and lesser positions in the
public service were made appointive in all cases, the
appointees
being
held
to
strict
account
by
the
appointing
power,
emperor
or
prince,
who,
for
the
use
of
this
power
was responsible to the people for the conduct of his placeholders.
However, it is not the scheme of this chapter to discuss
Poseid
politics,
but
to
describe
the
ministerial
and
monarchical
palaces
with
which
the
nation
furnished
its
elected officers, one for each prince, but for the emperor, three. In
the main, the description of one of these buildings, both within and
without, typifies that of any or all of the others, just as in the
United States of America and other modern lands a governmental
edifice is easily known to be such, by its general architectural
features. A description therefore of one palace will serve a double
purpose, that of presenting an idea of the most notable residence in
the great Atlantean empire, since I will describe the main palace of
the emperor; and, secondly, that of illustrating the prevailing style
of governmental architecture in the period during which I resided in
Poseid.
Imagine,
if
it
please
thee,
an
elevation
approximating
fifteen
feet
in
height,,
ten
times
that
figure
in
width,
and
that
fifty times its height represents its length. External to the plane
dimensions, on each of the four sides of the platform, which was of
hewn blocks of porphyry, an easy flight of steps led from the lawns
up to the top of the elevation. On the sides, these steps were
divided into fifteen sections, while on the ends the divisions were
only three, each being divided into lengths of fifty feet. Between
the two sections nearest the corners each division consisted of a
deep quadrangular recess, into and around which the stairs ran in
uninterrupted continuity. The
next,
or
third
section,
was
separated
from
those
on
either
side
by
a
sculptured
serpent
of
huge
size,
fashioned
from
sandstone and as faithful to life as art could make it. The heads of
these immobile reptiles rested on the green sward in front of the
stairs, while the bodies lay in full relief upon the staircases and
reaching the top of the platform, wound about the massive columns
which supported the pediments of the verandas of the superstructural
palace erected upon the platform described, columns which formed a
most imposing peristyle between the broad verandas and the steps. The
succeeding division was a quadrangle in the steps, and the next,
another serpent, and so around the building. It is hoped that this
description is sufficiently perspicuous to give an idea of the
tremendous parallelogram, encompassed with steps, guarded by
monstrous ornamental, as well as useful, serpent forms, religious
emblems, signifying not alone wisdom but also the appearance of a
fiery serpent in the skies of the ancient earth, initiating the event
of the separation of Man from God. Alternating with these forms were
the recesses, relieving what would otherwise have been severely
straight and wearisome lines. Surmounting this was the first story of
the palace proper, its reptile−entwined peristyle holding aloft
great veranda roofs, whereon were enormous vases holding earth to
nourish all kinds of tropical plants, shrubs and many small varieties
of trees, a luxuriant garden which perfumed the air, already cooled
by numerous fountains playing in the midst. Above the first story,
with its flower−filled porticos, arose another tier of apartments,
surrounded by open galleries, the
floors
of which were formed by the roofs of those beneath. The third and
highest tier of apartments had no verandas, although on all sides it
had promenades, formed by the roof of the portico beneath. The same
wild luxuriance of flowers and foliage rendered the stories of equal
attractiveness. In all, song birds and birds of plumage were welcome
guests, uncaged, but tame because they never received harm.
Attendants, with blowguns to project noiseless darts, quietly
destroyed all predatory species, as also they did−those which,
having neither song powers, vivid coloring of plumage, nor the useful
habits of insectivora to commend them, were therefore undesirable.
Springing from the main roof of the palace arose graceful spires and
towers, while the many jutting apartments, angles and groined arches,
flying buttresses, cornices and multifarious architectural effects
prevented any apparent heaviness in the design. Around the largest of
the towers there extended from bottom to top a winding staircase,
conducting to the rail−enclosed space on its summit, one hundred
feet above the aluminum sheathing
or
roofing−plates
of
the
palace.
Agacoe
palace
was
unique
in
the
possession
of
this
tower,
differing
thus
from all
other ministerial edifices. It may be explained that the tower had
been erected as a memorial of the departure of a fair princess from
the loving care of her imperial husband into Navazzamin, the shadowy
land of departed souls, some centuries before my day. Such was the
Agacoe palace. Its uppermost floor was in use as a great governmental
museum; the middle was devoted to offices of the chief government
officials, while the first flat was magnificently arranged and
furnished for occupancy as the emperor's private residence. As not
uninteresting, it may be noted that the yawning mouths of the stone
serpents recently described served as doorways (of the usual size) to
certain apartments in the basement, a fact which gives an accurate
idea of the enormous size of these lithic saurians. The monsters were
made with an eye to artistic proportion; their bodies were
of
carved
gray,
red
or
yellow
sandstone,
their
eyes
of
sard,
carnelian,
jasper
or
other
colored
silicious
stone,
while fangs for their yawning mouths were made from gleaming white
quartz, set on each side of the entranceway.
So
much
sawed
and
hewn
stone
forces
the
modern
mind
to
wonder
if
the
Atlanteans
obtained
the
finished
product
through the unremitting toil of slaves, in which case we must have
been a barbarous people, whose political autonomy
was
ever
menaced
by
the
uplifting
forces
of
the
social
volcano
which
slavery
always
creates,
or
else
we
possessed peculiarly efficient stone−cutting machinery. This latter
is the correct assumption, for our machinery for that purpose, like
an almost infinite variety of other implements for every sort of
service, was our pride amongst the nations. Let me here make an
assertion, not for argument but to be understood in the light of
subsequent chapters, namely, that if we as Atlanteans had not
possessed this wide range of mechanical inventions and the inventive
talent which gave us these triumphs, then neither would ye of this
modern day have possession of a like creative ability, nor of any of
the results of such genius. It may be that thou canst not understand
the connection between the two ages and races whilst conning this
statement; but as thou shalt draw nearer to the close of this history
thy mind will recur to it with the fullness of comprehension.
Trusting
that
the
effort
has
been
successful
to
depict
by
words
the
appearance
of
Atlantean
governmental
edifices,
let us next obtain an idea of the Caiphalian promontory, whereon was
enthroned Caiphul, the Royal City, the greatest of that ancient day,
within the limits of which resided a population of two million souls,
unencompassed by walled fortifications. Indeed, none of the cities of
that age were girt about with walls, and in this respect they
differed from the cities and towns known to later historical epochs.
To call my records of this Poseidic age history, is not exceeding
fact, since what I relate in these pages is history derived from the
astral−light records.
Nevertheless,
it precedes the histories handed down in manuscript, papyrus rolls
and rock−inscriptions by many centuries, seeing that Poseid was no
longer known in the earth when history's first pages were chronicled
by the earliest historian using papyrus; nay, nor even yet earlier,
when the sculptors of the obelisks of Egypt and the rock−inscribers
of the temples cut pictorial histories in enduring granite. No longer
known was Poseid, for it is to−day
approaching
nine
thousand
years
since
the
waters
of
the
ocean
engulfed
our
fair
land
and
left
no
sign,
not
even so much as was left of those two cities hidden away beneath lava
and ashes and for sixteen centuries of the Christian era thought
never to have had existence. Excavators dug away the scoriae from
Pompeii, but from Caiphul no man can turn aside the floods of the
Atlantic and reveal what no more exists, for were every day a century
it
were
even
so
nearly
three
months
of
such
lengthy
days
since
the
dread
fiat
of
GOD
went
forth
unto
the
waters:
Cover
the land, so that the all−beholding sun shall see it no more in all
his course.
And it
was so. In preceding pages the promontory of Caiphul was described as
reaching out into the ocean from the
Caiphalian
plain
and
as
visible
from
a
great
distance
at
night
because
of
the
glow
of
light
from
the
capital.
For
three hundred miles westward from Numea the peninsula projected
outwards from the plain, averaging almost to its
extreme
cape.
a
breadth
of
fifty
Miles
and
rising
much
like
the
chalk−cliffs
of
England
directly
from
the
ocean
to a height of nearly one hundred feet to reach a plain almost
floor−like in its evenness. On the point of this great peninsula
was Caiphul or Atlan, Queen of the Wave. Beautiful, peaceful, with
its wide spreading gardens of tropical loveliness,
Where
a
leaf
never
fades
in
the
still,
blooming
bowers,
And the bee banquets on thro' a whole year of flowers,
its
broad avenues shaded by great trees, its artificial hills, the
largest surmounted by governmental palaces, and pierced and terraced
by, the avenues which radiated from the city−center like spokes in
a wheel. Fifty miles these ran
in
one
direction,
while
at
right
angles
from
them,
traversing
the
breadth
of
the
peninsula,
forty
miles
in
length,
were the shortest avenues. Thus lay, like a splendid dream, this, the
proudest city of that ancient world.
At no
point did Caiphul approach the ocean nearer than five miles. Though
it had no walls, around the whole city extended a huge moat,
three−quarters of a mile broad by an average of sixty feet in depth
and supplied by the waters
of
the
Atlantic.
On
the
north
side,
a
great
canal
entered
the
moat−a
canal
in
which
the
outflowing
waters
of
a
large
river,
the
Nomis,
created
an
outgoing
current
of
considerable
swiftness.
A
current
was
thus
naturally
made
to
cause
suction
through
the
entire
circle
of
the
moat,
of
which
the
ocean
supply
entered
at
an
ingress
on
the
south
side. In this manner efflux into the sea of all the drainage of the
artificial circular island on which stood the city was allowed.
Immense pumping engines forced fresh ocean water through large stone
pipes and conduits all over the city, flushing the drains, furnishing
motive power for all requisite purposes, for electric fighting and
electric services of vast variety but enough. Electric service?
Electric power? Indeed we had deepest knowledge of this motor−force
of
the
universe;
we
used
it
in
countless
ways
which
have
yet
to
be
rediscovered
in
this
modern
world
of ours, and ways, too, which are every day coming more and more into
recollection as men and women of that past age reincarnate in this.
It
is
not
strange
that
thou
art
incredulous,
my
friend,
when
I
speak
of
these
inventions
which
thou
hast
considered
the
special
property
of
to−day;
but
I
speak
from
a
knowledge
born
of
experience,
seeing
that
I
lived
then,
and
live
now; lived not only in Poseid twelve thousand years ago, but also in
the United States of America, before, during and after the War of the
Secession.
We
drew
our
electrical
energies
partly
from
the
waves
beating
the
ocean
shores,
more
largely
from
the
rise
and
fall of the tides; from mountain torrents and from chemicals; but
chiefly from what might aptly be termed the
Night−Side
of Nature. High−grade explosives were known to us, but our
employment of them was of much wider range than thine. If thou
couldst cause them substances gradually to yield up their vast
imprisoned force without fear of an explosion, thinkest thou that thy
machinery would long be propelled by clumsy, because ponderous, steam
or electric engines? If a great steamship could dispense with its
coal−bins and boilers and, instead
have
dynamite
in
an
absolutely
safe
compound
form
yielding,
from
what
a
man
could
carry
in
a
handbag,
force sufficient to drive the ship from England to America, or to
send a train six thousand miles, how long wouldst thou see steam
enginery? Yet this was a power, and a least valued, one at that,
which we possibly
you;
certainly I knew in the, Atlantean life. It will be again with thee,
because Our Race in coming again from devachan to earth.
But not
alone this resource of power was ours; indeed, it was our forces of
the Night−Side as an alcohol−vapor motor is to thy steam−engine.
The Night−Side forces what are they? At this place I will answer
only by a counter−question, namely: The force of Nature, of
gravitation, of the sun, of light, whence is it? If thou wilt answer
me, It is of God, so then will I make answer that, likewise, Man is
the Heir of the Father, and whatsoever
is
His,
is
also
the
Son's.
If
Incal
is
impelled
by
God,
the
Son
shall
find
how
his
Father
doeth
this
thing,
and shall presently do likewise again, even as Man so once in Poseid.
But greater things than these which we did might ye do; ye are now,
ye were then; ye are Poseid returned, and on a higher plane!
The
original
object
for
which
the
great
moat
encircling
the
capital
was
excavated,
had,
since
long
centuries,
been
fulfilled. That purpose was purely maritime, in the days when ships
had been used as carriers, before the later general use of aerial
vessels; and it had served this purpose in such stead as to win for
Caiphul its proud title
Sovereign
of the Seas, a
name
retained
even
when
the
original
uses
of
its
moat
had
become
a
matter
of
history.
When the better means of transportation had supplanted the old, then
the ships, which for ten centuries bad graced
all
the
seas
and
waterways
of
the
globe,
had
been
suffered
to
decay
or
had
been
converted
to
other
uses.
Only,
a
few sails now roved the waters, and those were merely pleasure craft
belonging to novelty−loving people of leisure, who thus indulged
their taste for sport.
This
radical
change
was,
however,
no
reason
why
the
masonry
quays
of
the
one
hundred
and
forty
miles,
more
or
less, of the moat should be allowed to go to destruction. This would
have entailed the loss of valuable property through the encroachment
of the unchecked waters, as well as the deterioration of the sanitary
system of the city, besides which such a course would have destroyed
the beauty of the moat and its environments. Therefore, in all of
the
seven
centuries
since
we
ceased
to
employ
marine
transportation,
no
sign
of
weakness
had
been
suffered
to
menace this great length of masonry.
A
marked
feature
of
Caiphul
was
the
wealth
and
rare
beauty
of
its
trees
and
tropical
shrubbery,
lining
the
avenues,
covering the multitudinous palace−crowned hills, many of which had
been constructed to rise two or even three hundred feet above the
level of the plain. Trees and shrubs and plants, vines and flowers,
annuals and perennials, filled the mimic canyons, gorges, defiles and
levels which it had delighted the art−loving Poseidi to create.
They covered the slopes, twined the miniature cliffs, the walls of
buildings, and hid even the greater part of the steps which led a
wide−sweeping banks to the edges of the moat, overlaying everything
like a glorious verdant
garment.
Perhaps
the
reader
is
beginning
to
wonder
where
all
the
people
lived.
Truly
the
query
is
well
timed,
and
the
answer will, I trust, prove interesting.
In the
work of altering the configuration of the surface of the great
promontory from that of a plain to the more beautiful variations of
hills and their intervening depressions, the scheme pursued had been
to make keyed−shells of rock, of enormous strength, in the form of
terraces, and leaving arched passages wherever the avenues
intersected such elevations, to fill in the interiors then remaining
with a concrete of clay, rubble and cement carefully
tamped.
The
exteriors
were
thereafter
covered
with
rich
soil
on
the
levels
and.
terraced
for
the
support
of
vegetable life of all kinds. These elevations covered many square
miles of the level once existent, leaving little that remained as
plane surface except the avenues, and not all of these, inasmuch an
quite a number of the thoroughfares ascended the rise between the
hills or followed the ascending bed of some canyon until they reached
the ridge at the head of the latter. They then penetrated the divide
and debouched upon the opposite side through
an
arched
way,
wherein
tubes
of
crystal,
absolutely
exhausted
of
air,
gave
a
continuous
light
derived
from
the Night−Side forces.
The vertical faces and inclinations of the terraces, as well as the
sides of the canyons, were made into rooms of varied and ample size.
The entrances to these, and to the windows, were concealed
under
mimic hedges of rock, over which clambered vines and rock−loving
plants, thus removing from view the stiff ugliness of the metallic
casings underneath. These apartments were arranged in artistic suites
for the accommodation of families. The metal sheathing with which
they were lined prevented moisture within, while their position under
the surface insured an even degree of temperature at all at seasons
of the year. As these residences were designed and built by the
government, the ownership was vested in the same power and the
tenants acquired leasehold from the Minister of Public Buildings. The
rental was merely nominal and only sufficient to keep the property in
repair, furnish the expenses of the incandescent lighting and heating
service, the water supply, and the salaries of the necessary
officials to attend to these duties. All of this cost not above ten
or fifteen per cent of an ordinarily skilled mechanic's wages. The
mention of so much detail may be pardoned. for, were it omitted, only
& vague and unsatisfactory conception of life in this
antediluvian age would be acquired by the reader.
The
great charm of thew residences lay in the fact of their retired
situations, which prevented the dismal appearance
of
masses
of
angular
houses,
an
effect
of
extreme
ugliness
seen
in
our
modern
days,
but
seldom,
or
never, in our Atlantean, cities. The result of this arrangement was
that, to a beholder, looking from any high elevation, the city would
have been conspicuous, to one accustomed to the modern atrocities of
stone, brick or wood,. chiefly, for the absence of sky−piercing
piles separated by narrow, dark, treeless and too often filthy
tunnels,
miscalled streets.. Here a hill, and there another and yet another
until the eye counted them by
score there
were,
one
hundred,
and
nineteen
in
all;
here
a
lake,
or
there
a.
cliff
with
a
lake,
or
wooded
park
at
its
foot; gorges of mimic grandeur, little forests, so regularly
irregular; cascades and tumbling torrents, fed from the inexhaustible
supply of fresh water belonging to the city, their banks and shores
covered with those plants, trees, and shrubs that love contiguity to
abundant water. Such, dear friends, would have been the scene
presented to thine eyes, couldst thou have gazed on Caiphul with me;
perchance thou didst. And yet, Caiphul was not devoid of houses built
much after the modern fashion, for the city franchise to build neat
mansions here and there in situations
and
styles
calculated
to
add
to
the
beauty
of
the
scene
was
a
privilege
of
which
any
one
of
means
might
avail himself, under official approval. Many did so. Museums of art,
edifices for histrionic entertainment and other structures not
designed for habitation were also in tasteful numbers.
I
found,
in
going
about
the
city,
that
the
avenues,
in
certain
instances,
seemed
to
come
to
an
abrupt
termination
in
some grotto, whose interior was usually hung with stalactites pendent
from the roof. Perhaps a slight turn occurred
from
the
straight
course,
and
thus
prevented
one
from
seeing
through
the
grotto.
In
these
places,
shaded,
high−tension, airless cylinder lamps cast a soft glow throughout
the interior, making a moonlight effect very pleasing to one who came
in from the brightness of the sunlight.
While,
in the majority of cases, our people were accomplished equestrians,
this mode of travel was not used except for physical culture and
grace, electric transit being provided by the government. Indeed, the
social reformers of these days of the Christian nineteenth century
would have been in their ideal land had they been Caiphalians, and
this because the government pursued the paternalistic principle so
systematically as to have vested in itself the ownership of all the
land, methods of public transit, and communications, in a word, all
property,
The
system
was
a
most
beneficent
one,
which
no
Poseida
wanted
to
see
disused
or
supplemented
by
any
other. Did a citizen desire, a vailx (airship) for any use, he
applied to the proper officials, who were on duty at numerous
vailx−yards throughout the city. Or, to cultivate the land, he
applied to the department of Soils and Tillage. Perhaps it was
desired to manufacture some product; the machinery was for lease at
the nominal rate necessary to meet working expenses and the salary of
the officers overseeing that portion of the public property. Let
these samples suffice. Enough, that no political harmony exists in
this modern time of the world like that which sprang from this
paternalism on the part of our elected officials. Governmental
paternalism is a thing regarded with jealousy and semi−alarm by
modem republics. But it is to−day a different quality from what it
was then. Ours was a paternalism closely watched and duly checked by
the suffragists of the nation, and its life was essentially exponent
of true socialistic principles.
I have
not even now been so precise in details as to explain many of the
most peculiar adjustments maintained between the political parent and
its children, nor between labor and capital. But neither can I do so
in these pages with any degree of propriety, because this is not a
plea for readoption, in this age of the world, of methods
pursued
in that remote period. Yet, this much I can say, not inappropriately
at this juncture, that Poseid had not in my
day,
the
modem,
yet
also
very
ancient,
annoyance
of
labor
strikes,
blocking
capital
and
enterprise,
starving
the
artisan,
and
causing
more
suffering
on
the
part
of
the
poor
than
such
annoyances
can
ever
bring
to
the
doors
of
the
rich. The secret of this immunity was not far to seek in a nation
whose government was the voice of those people who possessed
sufficient education to wield the power of franchise, and this, too,
regardless of sex, because inborn in our national life was this
principle: An educational measuring−rod for every voter; the sex of
the suffragist in immaterial. In such a nation, and under such a
government, it were strange indeed if industrial inharmonies could
long disturb social polity. The broad principle of equity between
employer and employee governed in Poseid; it mattered not what a
person did for another person, but the whole equation hinged on this
question: Was some service performed by one person for another? If
so, the fact that the service was or was not accomplished by physical
labor counted for nothing. It might be equally a service deserving
compensation whether it was a physical or a purely intellectual
service; nor was it held to be important whether the employer
represented (me or more individuals or the employee one or more
people.
Our
local enactments on the subject of industrial equity were complete
and rather voluminous. While I care not to give in detail a
reproduction of what may be termed labor law, a few excerpts are
worthy of place. It will be well to
preface
these
with
a
short
history
of
their
enactment,
and
thus
show
how,
in
that
olden
time,
labor
troubles
quite
similar, and fully as menacing to peace and order as any modern
industrial upheaval, were finally and equitably settled.
On
the Maxin−Stone, to
which
legal
code
reference
in
full
is
made
in
the
proper
place,
was
found
this
vital
seed of settlement of the fearful menace embroiling labor and
capital, to wit:
What
time those who work for hire shall be oppressed, and shall rise in
wrath to destroy their oppressor lo!
let
their hand be stayed, that they shall obey Me. I say unto them: Harm
not the person or the property of any man, not even though by that
man they be oppressed. For are not all brothers and sisters? Are not
all children of one Father,
even
the
nameless
Creator?
But
this
I
command:
That
they
destroy
oppression.
Shall
things,
which
are
less
than man, rule over and oppress their masters? Seek diligently my
meaning.
The
students of ethics interpreted this command to mean that the
oppressed industrial classes should not harm the oppressing
capitalists nor their property. The rich classes were perhaps as much
victims of circumstances as the poorer people; the remedy lay, not in
blind anarchy, but in eradicating conditions. This was easy, if
properly attempted. The oppressed were as a thousand to one of the
oppressor. The majority of them held the elective franchise, and it
was determined that, as the government was the people's servant, the
proper method was to deal with the question at the polls, and not to
employ violence against the rich. Therefore the call went forth
amongst all the people to vote on the adoption of a code of
industrial regulations and to vote its respectful submission to the
Rai.
Of
the
many
articles
and
sections,
I
shall
insert
only
those
that
are
pertinent
to
modem
times
and
troubles,
so that if these selections are not articled and sectioned in
consecution the reason is obvious.
EXCERPTS
FROM THE POSEID LABOR LAWS.
No
employer
shall
demand
of
any
employee
any
service
outside
of
legal
hours
of
work
without
extra
remuneration.
Sec. 4.
These hours shall not be less nor more than nine in number for
physical labor in any period of twenty−four
hours;
nor
less
nor
more
than
eight
hours
for
sedentary
employments
chiefly
requiring
intellectual
exertion.
This
statute allowed the two parties to a labor contract to arrange to
suit themselves when the working hours were to begin or end, with
reference to the first hour of the day, namely, the modern noon hour.
In regard to wage matters, the law was very clear. It held that as
mankind was. selfish by nature, that is, the lower nature, that he
would operate on a basis of self−aggrandizement, the modern
doctrine of laissez−nous faire. Hence if be should not be actuated
by the sense of duty to his fellowman to treat that man right, when
right was not dictated
by
might, then the law must compel him to be. fair. It is in this that
the modern Anglo−Saxon world, which is Poseid (and Suern)
reincarnating, shows one mark of the slow but sure upward progress
begotten of time; proves that although man moves, as does all else,
sensate and insensate, in a circle, yet that circle is like a
screw−thread, ever progressing around and around, but each time
moving on a higher plane. Poseid must be compelled by its advanced
minds
to
do
what
is
fair
towards
the
weak.
America
and
Europe
are
growing
willing
to
do
rightly,
fairly,
because it is the part of duty. Thus we behold modern employers often
doing of free will what the ancient Poseid did because of law,
namely, sharing profits with their employees.
The law
then having gone to the lawmakers, the suffragists decreed that the
government should establish a Department
of
Commissary,
the
duties
of
which
should
be
to
collect
all
statistics
concerning
the
food
products
of
commerce, also concerning all textile fabrics necessary for clothing
and, in brief, all articles necessary for the proper
social
maintenance
of
individuals.
On
these
statistical
reports
was
to
be
founded
an
estimate
of
the
cost
of
all such
necessaries, amongst which books were reckoned as mental food, and
the cost of these things for a year was calculated. Upon this
calculation, day's wages were estimated by dividing the annual cost
into the number of days. This rate was decided anew every ninety
days, as the cost of the chief staples was found to fluctuate, hence
the
rate
was
not
wholly
stable,
and
the
wages
of
any
given
three
months'
term
might
probably
differ
from
those
of
any previous quarter.
Let
me quote:
See.
VII, Art. V. Employers shall divide the gross profits of business
operations upon the following plan: The wage, salary or emolument of
each employee shall be paid in the sum directed by the quarterly
estimate of living cost determined by the Department of Commissary.
From the remainder, the amount of six parts in each hundred on the
capital invested shall be set aside. This increment shall be and
represent the employer's net profits. From the remaining income the
running expenses shall be deducted, and of any sum thereafter
remaining, one−half shall
be
invested
to
provide
annuities
for
sick
or
disabled,
or
assurance
for
the
dependents
of
deceased
employees.
The remaining half shall be periodically distributed amongst the
employees on. the basis of their various compensations.
See.
VIII, Art. V. The whole of a body of employees is only equal to the
Superintendent thereof. The Superintendent
is
equal
to
all
the
underlings.
Hence,
employers,
when
not
themselves
managers
of
the
business,
shall pay to managers a salary equal to the combined wages of the
subordinates.
Truly,
these labor laws and other matters have a modern sound. But
civilization in all ages, among all nations, is wont to express
itself in ways which, if modern language be used to describe them,
will seem almost identical; so that in ancient Atl and in modem
America the term strike may
be
properly
used
to
designate
a
labor
revolt;
the
same principle characterizes all other phases; for from age to age
the world makes but slow progress, and is
to−day
not
as
far
advanced
in
its
present
sub−cycle,
nor
as
civilized,
as
it
was
in
olden
Poseid.
This
may
seem
a
hard saying, but it will presently be understood.
Such, in
the main, were the chief features of the industrial world in Poseid.
The old−time strikes and riots out of which these laws were born
disappeared and peace took its sway. The change was beneficent,
indeed, yet always the strong looked to see how they might evade the
law, and though they did not succeed to a harmful extent, still the
wish on their part entered the sum of karma. So when the modem world
of the Christian epoch came to the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, particularly the last named, then began the reincarnation
of this Poseid era, and for a time the tendency to oppression again
came uppermost. But overriding this tendency now faintly
appears
the willingness to do right for the sake of right, which, as applied
to industrial matters, has of very, very recent years been
manifested a sign of the evening afterglow of the last day, now near
striking its last hour, telling
of
a
spent
age.
I
particularly
refer
to
the
greater
willingness
of
man
to
treat
his
fellow
rightly,
without
being
forced thereto by legal enactments. Truly, it is, as yet, only done
because it is found to pay; but it would never have been found to pay
if the reincarnated rightwardness had not induced experiments in
profit−sharing to be made, in hopes of exterminating the strike
iniquity and with the idea of harmonizing society to be active in
doing as it would be done by. Finally, strange and paradoxical as it
may appear, this betterment is the direct child of the old−time
rights extorted by might in Poseid, and to−day, reincarnated
offspring of reincarnated oppression, as in Atlantis oppression
sprang reincarnate from the grave of other ages gone before, previous
to the wondrous memorial of Gizeh. But to more than mention this here
would be to trench upon work given unto another by the Messiah;
therefore only a hint can I give now, but more later. Suffice it
then, that those were ages when man was struggling, with scarcely
perceptible upward motion, from our fallen ancestry. Glory be to our
Father that His children
surely,
if
slowly,
are
by
devious
ways
climbing
His
heights;
many
are
their
falls,
but
they
shall
rise
again,
not suffering the enemy to triumph.
It may
be a seemingly inopportune intrusion, but I must here briefly
describe the electro−odic transit system of Caiphul,
and
the
other
cities,
towns
and
villages
scattered
throughout
the
empire
and
its
colonies.
The
description
is of
the local transit−carriages only. On each side of every avenue was
a broad tessellated pavement for pedestrians.
A
line
of
massive,
bottomless
stone
vases
in
which
throve
ornamental
shrubs
and
foliage
plants
stood
upon the curb, and on either side of these was a metal rail, placed
at a height of about nine feet, and supported upon
davits
similar
to
those
from
which
ship−boats
are
swung.
At
regular
distances
other
rails
crossed
these
main
runners, rails capable of being raised or lowered to form a
switch−junction, a simple lever effecting this process. These rails
served as cross streets, there being in comparatively few instances
any paved street underneath the rails on any but the great radiate
avenues. On the maps of the City Department of Transit these main and
cross rails looked like the web of a garden spider. For each
transit−district there were multitudes of carriages, having
aut−odic mechanism, whereby they were made to speed at tremendous
swiftness with their passengers; but collisions could not occur, as
the conveying rods formed a double−track system.
CHAPTER
III.
FAITH
IS
KNOWLEDGE
ALSO,
AND
IT
GIVETH
TO
REMOVING
MOUNTAINS
There is
a saying, whose origin is dim through lapse of time, to the effect
that Knowledge is power. Within
well−defined
limits this is a verity. If behind the knowledge lies the requisite
energy to realize its benefits, then only is it a true saying. In
order to exercise command over nature and her forces, the would−be
operator must have perfect comprehension of the natural laws
involved. It is the degree of attainment in this knowledge which
marks the less or greater ability of the performer, and those who
have acquired the profoundest understanding of the Law (Lex Magnum)
are masters whose powers seem so marvelous as to be magical.
Uninitiated minds are absolutely alarmed by their incomprehensible
manifestations. On every side of me when I came from my mountain home
to my metropolitan abode I found inexplicable wonders, but natural
dignity saved me from appearing ignorant. Little by little was I to
acquire familiarity with my environment, and thereby gain a knowledge
of
the
things
which
have
been
referred
to
since
I
first
mentioned
the
exchange
of
country
life
for
urban
surroundings. But these attainments of pleasing authority over nature
demanded a special course. That course of study had not yet been
determined upon by me, prior to my introduction to the city, for it
seemed that the part of wisdom was to concentrate my energies upon
specialties and not to scatter force by attempting generalities. To
this
end
I
determined
to
live
for
a
more
or
less
extended
period
without
seeking
admission
to
the
Xioquithlon,
and
resolved to devote the interim to observation. I had been an
extensive reader of books, which I obtained from the public library
in the district where my mountain home had been. From these I had
gained no inconsiderable understanding of social polity. The fact
that there were but ninety−one elective offices in the gift of the
people, while there were almost three hundred millions of Poseidi in
Atl and her colonies, and according to a late census which I had
seen, thirty−seven, nearly thirty−eight, millions of electors
held First Degree diplomas, thus entitling them to hold elective
offices, disposed me to think it extremely improbable that such a
high preferment would ever fall to my lot. But if I could scarcely
expect a ministerial office, I yet felt that I might, if I fitted
myself therefor by gaining a prime diploma, attain to a high
political level and hold an appointive position, and some of these
were almost equally as honorable as a councilorship. What special
subjects should I concentrate Upon?
Geological
research
was
very
attractive
to
me,
and
by
its
numerous
branches
offered
wide
and
alluring
fields
of
opportunity. Then again, philology was almost as much so; my ability
to acquire foreign languages was not inconsiderable, as I had found
from studying a little volume descriptive of a land known as Suernis,
a strange country, and of the language of which many examples were
given; these I had without effort learned perfectly from once
reading.
Several
months of city residence at length found me determined to acquire all
the geological knowledge that I could, for it was a study which I
believed Incal had directed me to make, as also a knowledge of mines
and of practical mineralogy. As co−efficients I purposed thoroughly
to ground myself in synthetic and analytical literature,
not
alone
of
my
native
Poseid,
but
also
that
of
the
Suerni
and
Necropanic
languages.
Thus
have
I
named
the
three
greatest
nations
of
pre−Noachian
(pre−Nepthian)
times.
One
of
these
nations
was
effaced
from
the
earth,
but the other two have, after terrible vicissitudes, survived till
today; of them I will speak later.
The
reasons which induced me to choose the curriculum which I have
mentioned were, that as a geologist and coordinate
scientist
I
hoped
to
make
new
discoveries
of
value,
and
to
place
them
in
book
form
before
the
world,
at
least before the Poseid peoples, who esteemed themselves most of the
world, and end scarcely to be attained otherwise than by this course
of study. The influence which I hoped to gain through such
publications might lead to my becoming Superintendent−General of
Mines, a political place not second to any other appointive office.
There
certainly would be other studies required of me if I entered the race
for a prime diploma, but the ones cited were the most agreeable and
would constitute my chief aspiration. As an aside, I may remark that
those studies then
selected,
and
afterwards
mastered,
led
my
nature
to
assume
a
bent
which
resulted,
not
many
yews
ago,
in
my
becoming a mine−owner in the State of California−and a successful
one, too. It so much more firmly fixed my linguistic leanings that,
while a citizen of the United States of America, I was a master not
alone of my native tongue, but also of thirteen other modern
languages, such as French, German and Spanish, Chinese, several
dialectal
varieties
of
Hindustanie,
and
Sanskrit
as
a
sort,
of
mental
relaxation.
Please
not
to
regard
this
confession
as due to boastfulness; it is not. I but make it in order to show
thee, my friend, that thine own powers are not matters of heritage
only, but recollected acquirements from some one, or it may be of all
of thy past lives; also to give thee a hint of profit, to wit: that
studies to−day undertaken, no matter how near to the evening of thy
days, will surely bear fruit, not alone in thy present earth life,
but in the experiences of subsequent incarnations also.
We
see
with
all
we
have
seen,
we
do
with
all
we
have
done,
and
we
think
with
all
we
have
thought.
Verbum
sat
sapienti.
In the
next chapter I purpose devoting some pages to a consideration of
physical science, as understood by the Poseidi; more especially will
I refer to the prime principles upon which it was based, inasmuch as
neglect, to do this
would
necessitate
the
taking
of
many
statements
ex
cathedra
which
otherwise
might
be
clearly
understood
at
the moment.
CHAPTER
IV. AXTE
INCAL, AXTUCE MUN
In their
consideration of natural laws, the philosophers of Poseid had come to
the conclusive hypothesis and working theory that the material
universe was not a complex entity but in its primality extremely
simple. The glorious truth, Incal malixetho, was clear to them, that
is, that Incal (God) is immanent in Nature. To
this
they appended, Axte Incal, axtuce mun, To know God is to know all
worlds whatever. After centuries of experimentations, recording of
phenomena, deductions, analyzing and synthetizing, these students had
arrived at the final proposition that the universe not here dwelling
on their wondrous astronomical knowledge was, with all its varied
phenomena, created and continuously kept in operation by two primal
force−principles. Briefly stated, these basic facts were that
matter and dynamic energy (which were Incal made externally manifest)
could readily account for all things else. This conception held that
only One Substance existed and but One Energy, the one being Incal
externalized and the other His Life in action in His Body.
1
This
One Substance assumed many forms under the action of variant degrees
of dynamic force. Because it was the basic principle of all natural
and a psychic, but not of spiritual, phenomena, allow here a
postulate with which not a few of my friends will find themselves at
least partially familiar, perhaps wholly so. Commencing with dynamic
energy as first sensibly manifest
in
the
example
furnished
by
simple
vibration,
the
Poseid
position
may
be
outlined
as
follows:
A
very
low
rate of vibration may be felt; an increase of rate heard. For
example, first we feel the pulsing of a harp−string, and then if
the rate of vibration be increased we hear its sound. But substances
of other sorts, able to endure greater vibratory impulses, manifest
under more intense action, following sound, first heat, then light.
Now again, light varies in color. The first color produced is red,
and thence, by a constantly augmenting vibratile energy, orange,
yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, each spectrum−band being due
to an exact and definite increase in the number of the vibrations.
Succeeding the violet, further augmentation gives pure white, more
gives a gray, then more extinguishes light, replacing it with
electricity, and so on through an ever−increasing voltage until the
realm of vital or psychic force is attained. This may truly be
regarded as going inward from those manifestations of nature, of
Incal or God, or the Creator, which are external; as going toward the
internal from externality. A very brief study will show thee that the
laws of the physical world continue inward to their spiritual source;
that they are,
truly,
but prolongations the one of the other. But, ere entering into the
realm of vibration, whose doorkeeper is sound,
we
find
that
the
One
Substance
vibrates
in
variant,
but
definite,
dynamic
degree,
and
that
thence
arise
each
and all of the diverse forms of matter; in short, the difference
between any given substances, as gold and silver, iron and lead,
sugar and sand, is not one of matter, but of dynamic degree solely.
Do I weary thee, my friend?
Bear yet
a little longer, I pray thee, for it is an important matter. In this
dynamic affection the degree is no loose limitation, for if the
vibratile rate be a shade variant, lower or higher than in any
special material which may be under notice, the variation will be
different in appearance and in its chemical nature; thus to proper
substantial entities definite if enormous vibrations per second may
be imparted, and the resulting substance (for light is substantial)
is, say, red light,
1
but
if one−eighth greater it will be orange, and if more or less, then
the resultant must inevitably be a reddish orange, or a yellowish,
respectively. It thus appears that certain definite degrees exist as
plainly as mileposts, and that these major degrees are absolute. In
other words, the One Substance is not as readily kept between these
greater definitions as upon them, a fact which explains the tendency
of composites, or intermediate affections, to decompose into the
definite or simple elements; chemical compounds are not as stable
as
chemical primaries. The modern wave theory, that
sound,
heat,
light
and
correlatives
are
but
forms
of
force,
is only half correct; they are this, but they are more also. They
are, in brief, affections of the One Substance by specific degrees of
the One Energy, and except that the rate of this affection is vastly
greater in the case of electricity than in that of lead or gold,
there is no difference between these widely diverse appearing things.
This
is the
energy by the Rosicrucians named Fire, that
which gives entrance to that. mysterious realm of nature penetrated
only by the adept thaumaturgist, magician. Call these students it
whose will all nature bends obedient, by
whatever
name
best,
please,
thee,
only
bearing
ever
in
mind
that
the
real
Magian
never
speaks
of
self
or
works,
and is not known by his fellows to be what he is, save an accident
hath revealed the secret. To this membership belonged He at whose
command the winds and the waves were stayed on tempestuous Galilee.
But He spoke not of Himself. Of that sublime brotherhood I will
relate much ere long. No better proof is needed that all the variant
manifestations are but variants of the odic force, the
Rosicrucian Fire, than
this:
offer
resistance
to
an
electric
current, thereby reducing or diverting it against an opposing force,
and thou hast light; oppose to this (are) light a combustible
obstruction, and flame results. So mightest thou go on to the
discovery soon to be made by the world of science, that light, all
light, of the sun, or from any source, can he made to yield sound;
upon this discovery hinge some of the most astounding inventions that
thine age hath even dreamed of in its visions. But the primal
discovery in this wonderful link, first of the sequence, will be the
greatest of all, and so heralded. And this will be warranted, for the
fact that it will be but a reincarnate unfoldment will not diminish
its importance to mankind,
nor
the
credit
of
its
rediscoverer.
In
brief,
the
truths
of
our
Father's
Kingdom
are
eternal;
have
ever
been,
will
ever
be
existent,
and
only
the
discoverers
themselves
will
be
new
to
the
fact.
The
fact
not
being
a
new
one
in
itself,
nor
new
even
to
the
world,
but
only
to
this
age
of
it.
Poseid
knew
that
light
gives
out
sound
when
correctly
resisted.
It
knew that magnetism gives rise to electricity in the same manner and
for the same reason. Thus, the loadstone exhibits magnetism; revolve
it in the field of a dynamo and so cut the current and pile it upon
itself, so to speak, and electricity develops. So, resist this and
light appears; this, and heat comes; again resisted properly, and
sound
results,
then next energy appears as pulsing motion. But these various
processes may be short−circuited and
all
of the intermediate phenomena cut out.
Have
I been wearisome in this discourse? If so, and I suspect that I have,
the reward is at hand.
The
Poseidi found that in the realm beyond magnetism were yet other
forces, superior and more intense of pulsation, forces operated by
the mind. And Mind is of our Father, and is the constantly creating
source of all things
whatsoever.
Were
the
perpetual
vis
a
tergo
of
divine
creation
to
cease
for
one
instant,
in
that
instant
the
Universe would cease to exist. Now wilt thou see the sublime beauty
of the Atlan postulate not long since repeated: Incal
malixetho. Axte Incal, axtuce mun. For down from His heights, marking
the descent by
forcefalls as
a
river
marks
declivities
fin
its
bed
by
cataracts,
comes
this
supreme
power;
comes
far,
oh!
very
far, adown its course to the cascades of magnetism, electricity,
light, heat, sound, motion and far off where the bed of this Divine
stream becomes nearly level, exhibits those little ripples of
material differentiation which thou termest chemical elements,
insisting on there being sixty−three, when there is but One. From
this knowledge came all the wondrous triumphs of that old age, and
one by one they are emerging to−day after their long
oblivion,
till to−morrow they shall awake in crowds, and press to rediscovery
by threes and fours, and then by platoons and companies and legions,
till all the treasures of Poseid shall be again on earth, in air, and
sea. O, bright
to−morrow
of
time,
and
fortunate
thou
who
shalt
open
thine
eyes
upon
it
and
its
marvels.
And
yet,
although
so fortunate, still shalt thou find it well behooves thee to temper
all things by the spirit, and not to let the match of physical
discovery outstrip the advance of the soul. O, sad shall be found any
day wherein man approacheth the arcane
treasury
of
his
Father
from
the
side
of
the
blind
physical
eye;
for
if
by
this
the
whole
world
shall
be
gained,
what shall it profit if it lose the soul?
Having
thus acquired insight into a new realm, if it be new to thee, let me
ask, and answer thou me: How explainest
thou
these
two
great
phenomena,
heat
and
light?
They
are
not
easy
to
explain;
cold
and
darkness
are
not merely the absence of heat and light.
Having
given the basis thereof, now will I show a new philosophy:
I have
said that the Atlans recognized Nature in its entirety to be Deity
externalized. Their philosophy asserted that force moved, not in
straight fines but in circles, that is, so as always to return into
itself. If the dynamism operating the universe acts in circular
progression, it follows that an infinity of increase in vibration
possible to One Substance would be an untenable concept. There must
be a point in the circle where extremes meet and run the round again,
and this we find between cathodicity and magnetism. As vibration
brought substance into the realm of light, it must carry it out. It
does so. It conveys it into what the Poseidi termed Navaz,
the
Night−Side
of Nature, where duality becomes manifest, cold opposing heat,
darkness light, and where positive polarity opposes
negative,
all
things
antipodal.
Cold
is
as
much
a
substantial
entity
as
heat,
and
darkness
as
light.
There
is
a prism of seven colors in each white ray of light; there is also a
septuple prism of black entities in the blackest gloom the
night is as pregnant as the day.
The
Poseid investigator thus became cognizant of wondrous forces of
nature which he might bend to the uses of mankind. The secret was
out, the discovery being that attraction of gravitation, the law of
weight, had set over against it the repulsion by levitation ; that
the first belonged to the Light−Side of Nature, and the second to
Navaz, the Night−Side; that vibration governed the darkness and the
cold. Thus Poseid, like Job of old, knew the path to the. house of
darkness, and the treasures of the hail (cold). Through this wisdom
Atlantis found it possible
to
adjust weight (positiveness) to lack of weight (negativeness) so
evenly that no tug of war was
manifest.
This
achievement meant much. It meant aerial navigation without wings or
unwieldy gas−reservoirs, through taking advantage of repulsion by
levitation opposed in overmatching strength to the attraction of
gravitation. That
vibration
of the One Substance governed and composed all realms was a discovery
which solved the problem of
the
conveyance of images of light, pictures of forms, as well as of sound
and heat, just as the telephone thou knowest so well conveys images
of sound, only In Poseid no wires or other sensible material
connection was required
in
the
use,
at
whatever
distance,
of
either
telephones
or
telephotes,
nor
even
in
caloriveyance,
that
is,
heat−conduction.
To
digress
a
little,
it
is
to
the
employment
of
these
and
the
higher
forces
of
the
night−side
that
seemingly
magic
feats of occult adepts, from the Man of Nazareth down to the least
Yogi, are indebted for their possibility.
And
now,
let
me
close
this
chapter
by
saying
that
when
modern
science
shall
have
seen
its
way
to
the
acceptance
of the Poseidonic knowledge herein outlined, physical nature will no
longer posses any hidden recess, any penetralia, for the scientific
investigator. Not earth, air, the depth of the seas nor those of
interstellar space will hold
secrets
from
that
man
who
approaches
from
the
Godward
side,
as
did
Poseid.
I
do
not
say
that
Atl
knew
the
very all; it knew more than this day has yet uncovered, but not all.
Yet, the search commenced then by them might be continued now by
thee, for America, my people, thou wert of Atlantis. Of either, I can
sing, My
country,
'tis of thee.
Footnotes
61:1
NOTE As,
in
its
outgoing
impulse
the
Created
draws
away
from
the
Creator
it
looks
back
to
its
origin
and
notes its progression−marks, that is, its multiplied realizations
of its increasing separation from its Source. The greater
this
separateness,
the
greater
the
field
(Matter)
wherein
these
points
appear,
because
the
divine
element
in
the Created has noted more points, or in other things, more material
objects as being between it and its source.
Only
when
we
look
back
at
these
things
we
have
sensed
these
thought−forms
of
God,
do
we
perceive
matter,
for
when we look forward to reunion with Him, matter disappears, giving
place to Spirit.
62:1
NOTE Redlight is stated to occur at 395,000,000,000,000 vibrations of
that ether which
by Phylos is termed
the
last
form
of
matter
below
where
matter
ceases
and
mind
begins.
And
the
highest
visible
light
vibration
is placed at 790,000,000,000,000. So says science. But Phylos
says: Vastly higher than the high purple range where light ceases
ordinarily to be visible, the One Substance again vibrates visibly.
As a synchronous harp−string
that
responds
to
key
of
low
C,
for
example,
struck
on
another
harp,
will
also
respond
to
every
C
in
the
whole register, be it low, or middle or high, so the One Substance
responds at 831,000,000,000,000; at, again, the next octave of
vibration, and again at the next, where it becomes visible as the
fatal Unfed Light, called in Atla
the Maxin, and
again, by the Tchin as the Vis Mortuus.
CHAPTER
V. LIFE IN CAIPHUL
The
new
life
presented
very
many
novelties
to
my
mother
and
myself,
coming
into
the
midst
of
urban
environments from the mountains, as we had so recently done.
After
learning
more
about
its
conveniences,
I
very
readily
harmonized
myself
with
the
new
requirements.
My
attire I altered to suit the city styles, while my bearing being
reserved, I was enabled to appear at case, an appearance supported in
continually increasing degree by the fact that I steadily gained in
self command.
The
indoor
life
of
a
student,
when
I
had
enrolled
myself
for
attendance
at
the
Xioquithlon,
proved
so
enervating
to
one accustomed to unhampered freedom, that I found myself obliged to
follow some scheme which would afford me needed exercise.
After
some
thought,
together
with
fortuitous
information
which
I
gained,
I
went
to
the
District
Superintendent
of
the Department of Soils and Tillage, and requested that official to
show me some piece of land which I might cultivate, not necessarily
for profit, but for exercise, telling him that I was a student.
The
Superintendent, with official indifference, laid before me a platted
map of the lands adjacent to Caiphul.
In
speaking
of
distances
I
have
consulted
the
probable
convenience
of
my
readers,
and
used
feet,
yards,
miles,
and
so on, as nominal quantities. I refer to this now, remembering that
our system of measurements was founded on a principle similar to the
modem Gallic or metric system. But its unit was not the ten−millionth
part of the
terrestrial
quadrant. Instead, it originated from the great Rai of the Maxin
Laws. As previously remarked, this monarch had introduced all
conceivable reforms, and among others was this of replacing with a
uniform system
of
measurements the clumsier, though not wholly unscientific, method
previously in use. The circumference of
the
earth at the equator, as determined by astronomers, had served as a
basis, just as the modern metric system of
a
fraction of the quadrature of the earth's north and south polar
division does to−day. But this standard was not regarded with
unfailing confidence; it was feared some error had crept into the
original calculation, and while if it had the rod of gold used as a
register would have served all purposes, being unchangeable, still
such is the human wish to be as perfect as possible, that, as I have
said, the fear of an error annihilated confidence. Every man who
chose to do so set up a private standard, based on any scheme which
suited himself, a condition of things which led to deplorable fraud
throughout the empire.
The
Rai
of
the
Maxin
instituted
a
system
so
admirable
that
it
was
immediately
accepted
as
absolute
authority,
more especially as no man doubted that it came from Incal.
The
Rai
had
a
vessel
constructed
of
material
which
underwent
the
smallest
known
contraction
or
expansion
under
the influence of cold or heat. This vessel was interiorly a perfect
hollow cube, of the exact size of the Maxin−Stone. A massive tube
was also made of the same substance, some four inches in interior
diameter. Into the
cubic
vessel
was
poured
precisely
enough
distilled
water,
of
a
temperature
of
398
Fahr.,
to
fill
it,
and
leave
no
bubble of air within the hollow. This water was then drawn off
through a faucet into the tubular vessel, the same low temperature
being carefully maintained. The exact height of the water was then
graven on a rod of the same metal of which the vessels were made. The
next step was to heat the water to 211.95° Fahr., both this and the
other process being performed at the sea level on a uniform summer
day. Under the heat, the water expanded in an appreciable degree, and
the almost boiling point was marked as in the other instance, and the
difference on the rod between the two graven lines was made the unit
of lineal measurement, from which all other measures were derived,
that of weight being the weight of the hollow cube full of water at
398 Fahr. I use the Fahrenheit thermometrical scale because to thee
our Poseid scale would be Pardon this digression, since it reveals
another of the phases of life in that long−past age.
To
return to the Superintendent's office. This person, having laid
before me a map of unrented areas it will be remembered that there
was no owner of land except the government turned
to
other
business,
leaving
me
to
study
the plat at pleasure. Running my eye over the printed descriptions, I
found that a tract of about five acres, on a
part of
which was an old orchard of various kinds of fruit trees, was to be
had at a distance of some eight vens",
(nearly
the same number of miles) from the city, but farther up the
peninsula. Its former tenant had leased it for a period of fifty
years, but by reason of his death the property was left vacant, and
was consequently again for disposition.
The fact
that students were often hard pressed for means on which to live was
taken into account by the government,
which
in
all
of
its
dealings
with
this
class
allowed
better
terms
than
were
accorded
to
any
other
social division.
The
property under consideration attracted me from its description,
viz., An area of approximately eight ven−nines (five acres) with a
dwelling of four rooms, spring water piped over the house; one
ven−nine devoted to garden flowers, and six to fruit trees fifteen
years of age. Terms (with all conveniences) to students−one half of
the
fruit crop, and all perfume flowers grown, delivered to the Agent of
Soils and Tillage Department. To other persons than students, four
tekas per month (ten dollars and twenty−three cents). Not leased
for less than one year.
I
concluded to lease the place, for I learned that all
conveniences"
meant
vailx
transportation,
telephotic
(naim)
service,
and
a
caloriveyant
instrument,
which
latter
would
save
fuel,
energy
to
be
converted
into
heat
for
cooking
and other purposes being transmitted by the Navaza, a
range of material forces denominated in these thy modem
days earth−currents, but
also including those of the higher ether, a range which ye shall yet
find and utilize as did Atl, for are ye not Poseid returned? I have
said it. Ye lived then; ye live now. Ye used all these forces then;
ye shall ere long use them all again.
Having
decided
to
take
the
property
shown
me,
I
so
stated
to
the
official,
whereupon
he
furnished
me
with
a
blank
contract, helping me to fill it out properly. As a glimpse into that
long−fled epoch, I give a copy of this leasehold:
I,
............................. year., of age, of the ........... sex,
and by occupation a ,
do covenant with the
Department
of Soils to lease block ............ in district ............
described as follows: And
I do agree
to
take ..................... this for years,
the same being smiled upon by the Most High Incal.
I
took
the
place
for
a
term
of
eight
years,
expecting
to
he
a
resident
of
Caiphul
during
at
least
that
period
of
time
as a student of the Xioquithlon.
It
seemed
no
small
thing
that
I
could
have
conveyance
by
vailx
from
my
leasehold
to
the
Xioquithlon,
and
thus
enjoy a daily trip through the air. Vailx, like the modern cab, might
be sent (or by telephone, and respond for service in a short time
after the call.
It was
customary with all newcomers in the city to make a visit to the
Agacoe palace and gardens m early as might be convenient after their
arrival. Two hours in each week the Rai (emperor) sat in the
reception hall, and during these two hours visitors thronged the
corridors and passed in double ranks before the throne. After this
ceremony,
all
who
chore
were
free
to
wander
unrestricted
through
the
gardens,
visit
the
menagerie,
where
every
known species of animal was kept, or to go through the grand museum
or the royal library. With many it was a pleasurable
custom
frequently
to
spend
the
day
at
Agacoe,
on
which
occasions
lunches
were
brought
and
a
quiet
picnic held under the great trees beside fountain, lake or cataract.
I must
now return to that time when my mother and myself were wholly
unfamiliar with city usages, in order that the reader may accompany
us through scenes of novelty. Let us begin with the visit to Agacoe.
An acquaintance, at that moment gained, guided us to the palace,
taking us with himself in a car into which he ushered us. At this
time
these
cars
were
a
novelty
to
me,
and
consequently
their
manipulation
became
a
subject
upon
which
to
inform
myself.
Our
friend took a small coin from his purse and dropped it into an
aperture in a glass−fronted box at one end of the car, The coin
could not miss falling in such a way as to rest in the bottom of a
glass cylinder, a very little greater
in
diameter
than
the
money
itself.
Two
metal
points
which
projected
into
the
lower
end
of
the
cylinder,
but
did not approach each other nearer than a quarter of an inch, were in
the bottom of the tube. When the coin fell upon these a little bell
rang, and our friend then raised a lever in the carriage, which lever
had a lock−bar over it until the bell rang. This bar had, With the
closing of the circuit by the coin, automatically slipped back, at
the same time ringing a bell as above noted, thus releasing the
lever. When the latter was raised the car moved suddenly but easily
out of the station. It swung from its over head rail, only the
peripheries of its large suspensory wheels being visible, for
together with their axles they were mostly hidden by a long metal
case which extended from one wheel to the other, and within which, a
low, humming whirr could be beard, a sound produced by the mechanism
of the motory apparatus. The plan of making the passenger do duty as
engineer and conductor also was a good one, seeing that the processes
required so little knowledge or trouble. As we left the car at the
main entrance depot below Agacoe terrace, our friend replaced the
lever, the bell rang again, the coin dropped from sight into a strong
box underneath, and the vehicle was ready for other passengers. At
the grand entrance, a gate which was a marvel of architectural
beauty, our friend bade us adieu, entered a car which hung from
another
track,
and was soon disappearing at lightning speed to some yet more distant
destination. Glancing at the directory. which hung above that
particular line, I saw that it bore the legend in Poseid
characters, Aagak
mnoiinc
sus, that is City Front and Grand Canal, to make a free translation.
Wishing to inform myself concerning our friendly guide, I asked some
one who had interestedly watched the arrival of our little party, who
the gentleman was. The reply given was:
A, great
preacher, who foretells the destruction of this continent, and bids
all men so to live that they will not fear
to
meet
One
who,
he
says,
is
the
Son
of
Incal,
who
shall
come
upon
the
earth
in
days
yet
very
far
off.
He
says
that this Son of God shall be the Savior of mankind, but that many
shall not know Him until He shall have been put to death. Twelve
shall know Him, but one of them will deny Him in the hour of His last
peril. Indeed, it is a subject of very exceeding interest, albeit one
I do not very well understand; yet as Rai Gwauxln, In−be good to
him! showeth this preacher all favor, and saith of him, 'He speaketh
verities,' therefore is he attentively received by every one.
Reader,
even
in
that
far
past
age
of
the
world
truth
was
dawning,
and
this,
in
the
morning
of
the
cycle,
was
a
first
ray of the bright sun of Christianity, the orb which even yet is not
arisen in the fullness of its glory. I had that morning ridden in the
same car with the first prophet who announced the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ, exhorting
all
of
his
hearers
so
to
live
that
their
souls
might
be
turned
as
virgin
soil
to
the
rising
Sun
of
Truth,
and
thereby
be made ready to receive the Master when, after the death of their
then possessed corporeal bodies, they had
returned
to
earth
from
Devachan
as
reincarnated
souls.
Sowing
the
seed
by
the
wayside!
It
fell
on
me
when
at
a
somewhat
later
period
I
heard
the
prophet
speak
in
impassioned
eloquence
to
the
specially
assembled
Xioquithli
(students).
I
know
it
fell
on
fallow
soil,
when
I
compare
my
life
now
with
the
lives
past;
yet,
for
long,
the
seed
lay
dormant, and while it did so the bitter experiences of sin and error
arose and swept my life outward on a wave of scorching fire, which
required another incarnation to heal the scars it left.
As we
stood beneath the portal at the grand entrance to Agacoe, we,
unsophisticated mountaineers! could not know,
when
a
uniformed
guide
accosted
us,
that
the
emperor,
on
his
throne
half
a
mile
distant,
was
in
that
same
moment perfectly aware of our personal appearance and also of the
very words we used and our tones.
To
me the soldier said:
And
thou, whence comest, and what is thy name?
I am
called Zailm Numinos, and come from Querdno Aru. This visit is
it
thy
first,
or
hast
thou
previously
been
here?
Not ere this; neither I, nor my parent here by my side.
So!
I
will
provide
thee
a
conductor.
Thou
wilt
find
him
at
yonder
gateway.
One
more
question,
an'
it
please
thee;
thy mission in Caiphul?
I
am
come
to
study
xioq
in
the
Inithlon;
my
mother
doth
purpose
to
keep
our
house.
'Tis well. Thou mayest go.
This
colloquy occurred at the great portal giving entrance to the terrace
above. The sentry sat behind a richly wrought gate. of bronze metal
and gold, very slight, but all sufficient to bar unwelcomed progress.
At his back was a large mirror in the heavy arch of the portal. This
reflector was suspended by two burnished copper rods in such a manner
as to prevent it from touching the side of the niche at any point.
Could I have looked behind it, I would have seen an arrangement of
metallic cords much resembling those of a piano, together with much
other mechanism which at the time would have meant nothing to my
untutored mind. How was I to suspect that this brightly polished
metal sheet in which, as in a calm lake, the whole interior of the
archway was reflected, was an ingenious automatic messenger? That
some one of the myriad wires behind it was vibrant to every possible
inflection of the voice, or to any sound whatever, and that when I
spoke every briefest sound I uttered was sped along the natural
earth−currents which sprang from nature's Night−Side responsive
to the control of man, and heard by the Rai on his throne. No more
did I dream that, simultaneously with this telltale, our imaged
reflection was likewise conveyed to the same august presence. But
such were the facts. A few steps brought us to an inner gate made of
fenestrated iron plates which, upon the pressing of a button at the
side, arose between standards to give
beneath.
At
this
point
we
found
the
guide
whom
the
guard
had
provided.
I
deemed
his
silence
in
indication
of
gruffness, not knowing that he had received orders, ere we came unto
him, which directed him to conduct us to
the
royal presence, and needed from us no repetition of our wishes. His
quiet remark, I understand, when I began to tell him what we desired,
prevented more words on my part, for I felt a sense of injured pride
at his reserve, so different from the freedom of my mountain
associates; and there were so many of these haughty city people! I
determined to give this man a lesson, and considered how I might best
let him know that I thought his manner overbearingly out of place for
one in his station. That he already possessed all necessary
information concerning us I did not imagine, since, if the distance
from his post to the other gate was not great, it was obviously too
far for our low−spoken tones to have been heard. The unsuspected
mirror had done its work here also, although we knew it not.
Come, said
this haughty fellow, I
will
conduct thyself and mother.
Mother! I
thought. How does the fellow know that, one so fair and so young
looking is my mother? She might be my sister, or even my wife, for
might he knows to the contrary. The
supposed
presumption
of
the
man
nettled me, for I was proud not only of my mother's youthful
appearance, but also of my own fondly fancied mature looks; I had not
infrequently been told that I looked seven or eight years older than
I really was. Bad the foolishness of such a pride in my personal
appearance been fairly presented to me, instead of feeling an
ill−defined resentment at a seeming presumption, I would have
laughed at its absurdity, and put it aside as unworthy of one having
such high−aimed ambition. As it was, it merely resulted in
stiffness of demeanor as a retaliation for the imagined
over−bearance, and, mostly to my own detriment, caused somewhat of
an obliviousness to sights and surroundings I had better have noted
at the time. Though I did not laugh then, by reason of the obtuse
view caused by my ignorance, I have laughed, since, as I looked back
over the record of the
past. So
many thousand years as have since elapsed may make it seem laughter
at long range, but, 'Tis
better
late
than never, fitly applies here!
We
seated ourselves as directed, in a car of lighter build than those
used on the public avenues, and also of a different shape. It was not
until we were fairly in motion that I realized how absolutely
different was its construction and propulsive method. Well used as I
wished to appear to all these novel things, I gave a telltale start
when the conductor touched a lever and the vehicle rose into the air
like a soap−bubble, steadied itself, and then darted up the incline
to the edge of the level ground surrounding the palace. Here we left
the cigar−shaped vehicle and entered a car which ran upon rails.
When we were again in motion, we made a half circuit of the building,
and
then
shot
across
the
plateau
directly
into
the
dark,
yawning
mouth
of
one
of
the
great
stone
serpents.
Instead of ascending at the same angle as did the body of the
reptile, our car glided along on a horizontal plane.
As
we
entered,
a
sudden
illumination
lit
up
the
gloom
where
an
instant
previous
all
had
been
darkness.
From
this
pleasant surprise my attention was attracted to the brilliancy of the
walls about us, which seemed to flame with red, blue, green, yellow
and all other tinted flashes of fire, so that I can find no simile
more fitting than comparison to the sunlit dews on the myriad webs of
morning lawn−spiders. I forgot my own haughtiness, and asked
concerning the cause of this dazzling effect, and was answered that
the mansions had finished the walls with a mortar in which colored
grains of glass had been incorporated.
In the
midst of our admiration our horizontal progress ceased, and I saw
that we were at the bottom of a sort of well, around the sides of
which the track coiled in upward spirals until it seemed to cease
just beneath a ceiling vaguely visible from the light cast upward by
ourselves as we swiftly circled the incline. As we came directly
beneath the ceiling a sweet toned bell rang twice, and immediately
afterward the entire ceiling slid noiselessly aside, allowing our
carriage to pass through. Behind us the well again closed
automatically and we found ourselves in a splendid apartment, of
which the size was not apparent, owing to the many swinging screens
of carmine
silk,
the
royal
color,
as
well
as
to
the
foliage
plants,
which
made
miniature
sylvan
vistas.
The
flowers
and
song−birds, the fountains and perfumed air, with the cool shade
after its heat outside, for we had not been long enough in the
elevator−well to become cool, all made what seemed here a paradise.
The ceiling of this great room was visible only here and there, being
in most places hidden by petulant vines. Through all this harmony of
vision,
trembling in the air. over, under, around about were sounding
entrancing musical cadences, to which, as to an
inspiration,
the
birds
replied
in
rivaling
chorus.
In
and
out,
amongst
this
edenic
scene
of
color,
sound
and
scent,
past choice statues and fairy, graceful fountains, our car glided
with a noiseless speed which front its even motion aided the illusion
that we remained still, and all the vision of delight shifted about
us as about a center. And this was a marriage of art and of science;
from their union sprang the fair dream, a triumph of human skill and
knowledge!
In every
direction cars were coming, going, or at rest, containing people
dressed as for a gala day, the various distinguishing
colors
of
their
turbans
denoting
their
social
rank.
Poseid,
like
other
countries
then
and
since,
had
its
social castes, as the governmental, the literati and ecclesiastics,
the artisans, a limited military, which served it as
a
police and sanitary corps, and so on through the usual familiar list.
The apparel of all classes was fashioned in
the same
general style, until it came to the headdress all of the people wore
turbans which article of raiment differed in color according to
caste. Thus, the turban of the Sovereign was of pure carmine−hued
silk; of the councilors, a wine red, and of lesser officials, a pale
pink. The turbans of the soldiery were deep orange for the ranks, and
lemon chrome for the officers. Pure white marked the priesthood, and
gray the scientific, the literary and
artistic
classes.
Blue
distinguished
the
artisans,
mechanics
and
laborers,
while,
green
denoted
all
who,
for
any
reason, either immaturity or educational lack, did not enjoy the
right of suffrage. Notwithstanding that these caste indices were
strictly adhered to, they resulted in good, rather than otherwise,
for caste conceits did not find place among those who wore any color
but green, since dignity of labor was a feeling of such vigor that
there was no envy of one class by another. As for those who perforce
wore the green, those who did so because of not. having come
to
their
years
of
majority
would
grow
out
of
the
color,
while
those
who
lacked
sufficient
education
to
entitle
them to another hue, felt the stigma attaching to their grade to be a
reason for extra efforts to attain a more honorable station in life.
While I
hid been studying the various topics presented for thought, our ear
was deftly made to avoid collision with
that
of
a
lady
who
came
swiftly
onwards,
apparently
heedless
of
her
course.
while
she
was
putting
in
place
a
loose end of her gray turban, showing as she did so the flashing rays
from it ruby, a gem that only royalty might wear. Our car wheeled
into an augmenting procession of carriages and presently carried its
into it second apartment. But, the royal maiden of the gray turban
and ruby my thoughts were still with her! How radiant was her beauty!
'Twas my first sight of the Princess Anzimee but I must not
anticipate!
Th,
apartment
into
which
we
were
now
come
was
smaller
than
the
one
we
had
just
left,
but
yet
of
no
mean
extent.
Everything here was of brilliant, flashing carmine, except an
elevation in the center of the room. This was of circular black
marble steps, or small terraces, the top, which was twelve feet
across, being surmounted by a dais of some dark wood, upholstered in
black velvet.
It
should
here
be
remarked
that
black
was
a
representative
hue
and
included
the
symbolism
of
all
colors,
thus
denoting,
as
used
on
the
throne,
that
he
who
sat
there
belonged
to
every
class;
and
this
was
the
fact,
since
Rai
Gwauxln was not only sovereign and chief of the army, one of the high
priests, a literate, scientist, artist and musician, but was also
well acquainted with the duties of artisans and machinists.
In front
of the silver railing which surrounded the throne our carriage
stopped out to one side of the moving line, obedient to a gesture of
the emperor. The guide bade us alight and, opening a little gate
directed us to ascend the steps
of
the
dais
to
the
feet
of
the
Rai.
My
heart
beat
fast
as
I
obeyed,
and
though
pale
with
causeless
trepidation,
I
had myself well enough under control to offer the support of my arm
to my mother, and I think I never walked more proudly erect in my
life. At the top of the steps we knelt and waited the command to rise
again, nor had we long to wait.
As
we arose Rai Gwauxln said quietly:
Zailm,
thou
art
young
for
a
student
so
ambitious
as
I
know
thee
to
be.
If it please thee to have me so, I am happy, I made reply.
Hast
thou
learned
what
the
primary
schools
for
the
young
have
to
teach?
For
this
must
be
ere
thou
couldst
gain
admission to the Inithlon.
I
have done even so, Rai.
May
it please thee, Zailm, to confide to me what studies thou dost
chiefly prefer?
Zo Rai,
I count it an high honor to speak. Of my own fancy I have not chosen
any studies. Yet, I do not doubt that
Incal
hath
Himself
ordered
my
preference,
indicating
geology
above
all
else.
Also
He
hath
given
me
a
natural
disposition,
which,
if
I
consult,
points
that
I
study
languages
and
literature.
I
am
not
yet
decided,
but
think
well
of
these branches of xioq. But geology He directed through a wild
experience.
Thou
dost
interest
me,
lad.
Yet
this
is
an
hour
of
state
duties,
and
I
must
not
neglect
my
people
who
come
before
me to pay respects to their monarch. Take, therefore, this pass, and
at the fourth hour come again to the portal at which thou didst enter
into Agacoe. I bid thee welcome.
I took
the present and on my way down the steps of the marble terrace saw
that It bore the inscription, Rai's
presence.
Permit bearer.
We had
with us a packet of dates and pastries and were therefore under no
necessity of leaving the gardens for luncheon. Our guide took us
again in charge, and after learning that we desired to remain within
the grounds
about
the palace, threaded our conveyance through the mazes of the building
once more, letting us out of the carriage
beside
one
of
the
pillars
of
the
peristyle.
From
the
point
where
we
alighted,
and
where
we
parted
from
the
guide, I looked about to ascertain the direction of the grand
entrance, and seeing that it was in the east, I escorted my mother to
a seat under the side of a giant deodar, or, as they were called in
after centuries, Cedars of
Lebanon. On
a bough over head sat a mockingbird, or, as we call them,
a nossuri, signifying songster
of
the
moonlight, in
reference to the habit of these lovely, gray−coated birds to fill
all the still, moonlit air of night with their wondrous melody. Not
that they do not sing by day; indeed, the bird was even then singing,
but the naming
these nossuri, from nosses (the
moon) and surada (I
sing),
was
a
distinctive
Poseid
ornithological
term.
At the
appointed hour we went to the place designated and, presenting the
passport, were shown into a conveyance, and after again ascending the
eminence the guide ushered us, into a small apartment of most
luxurious
appointments.
By
a
table
almost
hidden
by
books
sat
the
Rai,
listening
to
a
well−modulated
voice
which
was relating the latest news of the day, but the owner of which was
not visible. The Rai turned as the usher announced us, dismissed the
servitor, and bade us a fair eventide. Then he turned to a case
shaped something like that
pleasing
instrument,
the
modern
music
box,
and
turned
a
key
in
it
with
a
soft
snap.
On
the
instant
the
voice
of
the unseen speaker ceased in the middle of a word, and I knew as we
complied with our sovereign's request to be seated that I had for the
first time heard one of the vocal news−records of which I had so
frequently read. During the ensuing hour I related the story of my
life, its hopes, sorrows, triumphs and ambitions, in answer to the
questions of the genial yet not seemingly old man to whom any living
person might pay homage and suffer no
loss
of dignity, because his regal courtesy showed how very manly a king
or how kingly a man might be.
I told
how each new fact had but added to my appetite for yet greater
knowledge. Then I recounted the experiences
of
my
trip
to
the
summit
of
Rhok,
a
recital
interrupted
as
I
made
mention
of
the
name
of
the
mountain. Rhok! exclaimed
the imperial listener, dost
thou
mean
to
tell
me
that
thou
didst
ascend
that
awful
height, in the night, alone, a mountain which all our maps assert to
be inaccessible except to vailx? Perchance, Zo Rai, that the only
route was known to but a few of us mountaineers; I have read that it
was thought inaccessible;
but I
hesitated, whereat the Rai said, quickly:
Yea,
speak−! 'Twas to judge. of thee that I have listened to thy
recital, for well do I know all thou hast told me. I could have told
it ere thou didst, and can tell all the rest thou wilt say; I have
desired to hear thee to judge of thee; thy story I have known ever
since I saw thee first. I am a Son of the Solitude, he added. I was
silent, for the thought abashed me that he already knew all. Seeing
this, he said: Go
on,
my
son.
Tell
me
all;
I
wish
it
from
thy
lips, for I am interested in thee for thyself.
Thereupon
I resumed the interrupted narration, and described my rendition of
homage to Incal, and the petition for His aid; His quick granting of
my prayer; then of the eruption of the volcano and the peril in which
it had placed me. At this the Rai remarked: Then
thou
wert
eye−witness
to
that
outburst
of
the
terrene
forces?
I
have
been
told
that
it
wrought
great
local
changes,
and
that
there
is
now
a
lake
of
extensive
size
where
before
none
was, at the foot of Rhok; it is nine vens across.
I was
still unsophisticated enough not only to be curious as to whether the
Rai had seen the eruption, for I did not understand the significance
of his being a Son of the Solitude, and as to his knowing about all
my adventures, though
I
did
not
doubt
that
to
be
a
fact,
I
took
it
to
be
due
to,
a
keen
judgment
of
possibilities
that,
this
knowledge
was his, but as an addition to my unsophistication I asked the Rai if
he had seen these things.
Artless
youth! said the Monarch, smiling, I
do
not
often
find
so
frank
a
person!
Thou
art
indeed
a
son
of
the
mountains! But thou wilt not long remain thus, I fear me, in this thy
present environment! I will answer thy question even as thou askest.
Know, then, that no large convulsion of nature can occur that is not
immediately automatically recorded, both as to its approximate
extent, and its location, and a photic exhibition of every portion of
the affected locality shown forth afresh from instant to instant. All
I had in this case to do to see this depiction was to go into the
proper office, which is in this building, and there the whole scene
was before me quite as
vividly
as it could have been to thee, for I was able to see the outburst,
and also to hear it, by means of the naim. Truly,
what
I
saw
lacked
one
element
which
doubtless
made
it
a
little
more
vivid
to
thee
than
to
me,
that
of
bodily
peril; but as to me this element was nil thou wilt some day know
why therefore the scene lacked for me no element that mere presence
could have added.
I
marvelled greatly to learn of such instrumentalities concerning which
Rai Gwauxln had informed me, and pondered
with
delight
the
prospect
that
I
also
might
some
day
personally
know
and
have
access
to
them.
The
Rai
resumed:
Thou
saidst that thou didst find treasure of native gold in two separate
places. Didst thou ever seek to recover that
which
thou
didst
obtain
before
the
eruption
occurred?
No?
It
matters
little.
Zailm,
it
is
said
that
ignorance
of
the law is not valid excuse for its infraction.
The
demeanor of the Rai had become one of great gravity, and I felt a
foreboding not at all agreeable.
Still,
I
Pan
convinced
that
thou
didst
know
nothing
of
the
involved
violation
of
the
statutes
when
thou
didst
fail
to report the finding of the. treasure. I shall not, therefore,
punish thee. But, here the emperor paused, lost in thought, while I,
not till then aware that I had done anything wrong in the view of the
law, paled so visibly with apprehension that Gwauxln smiled a little,
and said:
But
they
who
now
work
this
mine,
and
they
who
receive
the
gold−dust
and
ore
shall
not
so
escape.
With
them
it
is conscious crime, made worse in that they not only ignore the
statute but do also defraud thee. Of thee I will require only so much
expiation as may be in demanding their names of thee.
This
command
I
perforce
obeyed,
yet
thought
with
regret
of
the
wives
and
children
of
the
culprits.
Innocent
these;
must they suffer likewise with the real transgressors? The Rai seemed
to know my thought; or if he did not, he at least spoke in accord,
asking:
Have
then, these men wives, families?
Yes, it
is true! I
replied,
so
earnestly
that
once
again
the
monarch
smiled
and,
encouraged,
I
begged
him
to
be
lenient for the sake of the innocent.
Knowest
thou aught of our punitive system, Zailm?
Very
little,
Zo
Rai;
I
have
heard
that
no
malefactor
ever
comes
from
the
hand
of
justice
without
being
better,
but
I imagine the treatment to he very severe.
As
to
severity,
no.
And
as
to
the
other,
if
men
are
made
better
who
have
erred,
so
they
will
not
be
apt
to
again
err, would not that redound to the advantage of the families of the
criminals? Behold I will have these men brought before the proper
tribunal, and thou shalt see the process of reformation. Methinks
thou wilt thereafter desire to learn anatomy and the science of
reformatory punishment, as an addition to thine other studies in Xio.
Furthermore, I assure thee that thou shalt in no case suffer
confiscation of that mine, but shalt possess it; and if thou wilt
give it to the national treasury, while thou art a student thou shalt
in no wise feel a lack of money.
Afterward,
when
the
years
of
study
have
passed
over
thy
head,
if
thou
art
successful
as
a
student,
lo!
then
will
I
make thee superintendent of that mine. And if thou dost so use as to
prove thyself faithful over its few things, I will make thee master
over many things. I have spoken.
Rai
Gwauxln
touched
a
service−button,
whereupon
an
attendant
entered,
to
the
guidance
of
whom
he
entrusted
myself and mother, bidding us:
Incal's
peace be with you both.
So
ended
an
audience
which
influenced
the
course
of
the
years
and
bent
life's
great
twig,
making
me
feel
a
proud
consciousness of being a repository of the trust of a revered friend,
a consciousness which has ever proven most patent in this world of
trials and temptations.
CHAPTER
VI. NO GOOD THING CAN EVER PERISH
As
antedating the reign of Rai Gwauxln, attention is called to a period
of time embracing four thousand three hundred and forty years,
inclusive of the main events of Poseid history. This interval,
notwithstanding its long duration,
had
been
singularly
free
from
internecine
wars,
and,
while
not
wholly
unmarked
by
martial
events,
was
certainly more peaceful than any subsequent world−epoch of equal
length occurring within the one hundred and twenty centuries whose
lapse furnishes the incidents of this history.
At the
initial date of the period referred to, the Poseidi, a powerful,
numerous race of mountaineers, semi−civilized at best, but of
splendid physique, had swept down like the wolf and had, in many
sanguinary contests, finally conquered the pastoral people of the
plains, the Atlantides. The war was long and fierce, consuming years
in its duration. The admirable valor of the hill−tribes found
almost its equal in the desperate courage
of
their
primitive
foe;
one
body
of
combatants
fought
for
fife
and,
like
the
Sabines,
for
the
preservation
of
their women against capture by mate−seeking tribes, while the other
warred for conquest and, like the Romans, for wives. It was superior
strategy which finally gave victory to the Poseid hosts.
As
time
went
on,
racial
coalition
obliterated
all
distinctions,
so
that
the
union
resulted
in
producing
earth's
greatest
nation. Inconsequential civil wars had several times made a change of
political complexion, so that Poseid had seen itself governed by
absolute autocrats, by oligarchic and by the theocratic rule, by
masculine and by feminine rulers, and at last by a republican
monarchial system, of which Rai Gwauxln was the head, when I lived as
Zailm, in Atlantis.
Gwauxln
was of a long line of honorable ancestors, and his house had several
times furnished successful candidates
whom
the
people
had
placed
on
the
throne,
during
the
seven
centuries
that
the
present
political
system
had ruled.
Such is
the synopsis of the history of Poseid which I gathered from a volume
drawn from the Agacoe library. I might relate other scenes, other
features, of that long historic period, and show how Poseid came to
found great colonies
in
North
and
South
America,
and
in
those
three
great
remnants
of
Lemuria,
of
which
Australia
is
but
the
one−third
left
to
the
world
by
that
cataclysm
which
sunk
Atlantis;
also
of
how
Atl
founded
certain
large
colonies
in eastern Europe at an age when there was no western Europe, and in
parts of Asia and Africa. But I will not do so here, although by and
by reference will be made to our Umauran possessions, when such
reference is relevant to the subject−matter of this history.
Fatigued
with late reading in the absorbing history, I arose and went out into
the quiet ravine in which our abode was
situated,
and my tired eyes rested upon a scene which in the glorious moonlight
was one of fairy−like beauty.
In the
bed of the ravine, quite near, was a miniature lake, but none the
less a lake in seeming, because it was in fact
only
a
good−sized
pond.
Bits
of
shore,
then
steep
banks,
flower−hidden;
the
song
of
the
nossuri,
and
the
calls
of
various
other
birds
and
furry−folk
of
the
night−time,
intermingled
with
the
soft
plash
of
falling
water,
the
voice
of the cascade which fed this lacustrine gem. Somewhere out of the
night came the sound of flutes and harps and viols in harmony, rising
in swelling cadence or lulling with dreamy languor, as the light
breeze rose or fell. Over all shimmered the silvery rays of Nosses,
round as a shield in her soft brilliancy, and oh! so beautiful!
Presently, I turned from the lake, and looked down the ravine along
which a few people were yet moving, despite the lateness of the hour,
the fourteenth since the beginning of the day at meridian. Here and
there the gleaming white rays of householders' lamps were observable,
shining from underneath some seeming ledge, revealing the presence of
quaint windows or doorways. But not on these did I gaze over long. I
could not, with the wonderful Maxt, the greatest tower of human
construction in the world, rising in the perspective. In the very
mouth of the canon it seemed
to
ascend,
with
nothing
between
itself
and
me
to
interfere
with
the
view.
Although
apparently
near,
it
was
in truth over a mile away from my dwelling.
In this
year A. D., 1886, chemists count the process costly which produces
the metal, aluminum. In that day, forces arising from the Night−Side
rendered inexpensive the production of any metal which might be found
in nature, either native, or as an ore. As it might be done to−day
didst thou but know how, and that day is not far off when
thou
wilt
again
uncover
the
knowledge,
so,
in
that
time,
we
transmuted
clay,
first
raising
its
atomic
speed
so
that it became white light of a pale illuminating power and then
reducing it to the, so to speak, chemical
mile−post of
aluminum,
and
this
at
a
cost
not
nearly
so
great
as
in
this
modern
day
it
takes
to
get
iron
from
its
ores. The mines of native metals, as gold, silver, copper, and so on,
were valuable then, as now, requiring no processing save smelting.
But a metal which might be obtained from any ledge of slate rock, or
a bed of clay, was so inexpensive as to be the chief base metal in
use. Of aluminum was the giant tower of the Maxt constructed. I could
see its base from where I stood, an enormous cube of masonry, then
the superstructural round shaft of solid metal of the tower proper, a
dully white, tapering column, lit by lunar rays. From base upward, my
gaze traveled until it rested on the top, an apical point nearly
three thousand feet in height. Entranced by this crowning triumph of
the scene, I gazed at the heaven−piercing shaft; sentinel over the
garden city, warding off the lightnings, when the lord of thunder was
abroad; and all my thought was of its grandeur, and its majestic
beauty.
How
often, oh, how often, In
the
days
that
have
gone
by−
I have
stood and gazed on some scene of loveliness, or of
sublimity handiwork of God, or possibly of man God
in
man! And, as I have looked, my soul sang with praise, and my breath
was the breath of inspiration. Always in such an experience, the
soul, be it that of man or beast, takes an advance step. However much
a soul may be steeped in sin or misery, synonymous terms, an
inspiration breaks over it, and bears away a little of its
sordidness, a little of its pain and fever.
So,
therefore, the glories and marvels of Atlantis the Great were not in
vain. Thou and I, reader, lived then, and before then. The glories of
those long−dead centuries seen by us have lived enshrined in our
souls, and made us much,
aye,
most,
of
what
we
are,
influenced
our
acts,
soothed
us
with
their
beauty.
What,
then,
though
the
forms
of the dim, mysterious past are effaced from all existence save in
the record of the great book of life, the soul?
Their
influence lives, and forever. Shall we not, then, strive that our
labors may ennoble, may live in soul and in spirit, and be looked
back upon by ourselves and others, even as I, here, look back upon
the record of my dead,
but
ever−living,
past?
It
is
a
great
joy
thus
to
have
attained
the
eminences
of
the
spirit
which
enable
me
to
scan
the
history of lives from which I passed through the portal of the grave;
lives which now I am returned to gaze upon through the eyes of a
different personality, a personality strung, greatest one of a chain,
like pearls upon a thread, teaching me I AM I! Smoky, some of these
pearls; black, others, or white or pink, aye, some are even red!
Could
tears
add to their number, I would have more.; oh! so many more, for the
white ones are so few, and the smoky, the black and the red, so many.
But my pearl of great price is my last life. Of white is it, and by
my Master was it cut cruciform. When He gave it me, He said, It is
done. Verily
so!
It
marks
the
junction
of
finity
with
infinity.
So is it the period set to all time, for me, save I elect.
CHAPTER
VII. CONTAIN THYSELF
It
was
in
the
time
of
the
annual
respite
from
study
that
I
made
my
advent
to
the
capital
city.
In
this
vacation
the,
Xioqua and the Incala participated, the majority seeking their homes
first, for a season, but generally soon returning
to
the
capital,
in
order
to
enjoy
the
special
pleasures
of
the
resting
time.
But
some
went
over
the
ocean
to Umaur, or to Incalia, that is, South or North America,
respectively; others went only to the more distant provinces in Atl
itself.
Thus
far
the
reader
has
had
to
guess
what
sort
of
religion
the
worship
of
Incal
was;
it
may
even
have
been
inferred
that Poseidi were polytheists, from my reference to the various gods
of this and that title, class or grade. Truly, I have said that we
believed in Incal, and symbolized him as the Sun−God. But the sun
itself was an emblem. To assert that we, despite our enlightenment,
adored the orb of day, would he as absurd as to say that the
Christians adore the cross of the crucifixion for itself; in both
cases it is the attached significance that caused the sun, and causes
the cross, to be held in any sort of regard.
The
Atlantides were given to personification of the principles of nature
and of the objects of the earth, seas and skies; but this was purely
a result of the national love of poetry, and could be mainly traced
to the favor which popular fancy had accorded to a chronological epic
history of Poseid, wherein the chief men and women figured as heroes
and heroines. The powers of nature, such as wind, rain, lightning,
heat and cold, and all kindred phenomena were gods of various degree,
while the germinal principal of life, the destroying one of death,
and other
of
life's
greater
mysteries,
were
characterized
as
the
greater
gods;
but
each
and
all
were
but
offspring
of
the
Most High Incal. It was an epic related in metrical measure and
rhyme, constituting a poem whose every line exhibited the master
touch of genius. Its authorship was lost in the night of time. It was
supposedly the work, however, of a Son of the Solitude. There was an
addendum embracing later events and epochs, but it was a markedly
inferior work, and was not valued as highly as the body of the poem.
As a
fact, the worship of Incal never included anything other than the
adoration of God as a spiritual entity, and the gods had
no portion in the religious services held on the two Sundays of each
week, that is, the eleventh and the first days, for with the Poseidi
a week consisted of eleven days, just as a month comprised three
weeks, and a year eleven months, with one or more leap−year days
at
its
end,
as
the
exigencies
of
the
solar
calendar
might require, these days being a regularly recurring holiday season,
as New Year's Day is now. That so many gods and goddesses seem to
have been venerated was due to the national influence of the epic
history spoken of, and it was but a habit of mind to speak of them at
all.
In our
monotheism we differed little from the religion dominating the
Hebraic civilization; we recognized no divine trinity, nor any
Christ−spirit, neither any savior except the endeavor to do the
best we knew in the sight of Incal. We considered all mankind as the
sons of God, not any one mysteriously conceived person as solely His
son. Miracle was an impossible thing, for all things we deemed
rationally referable to uncontravenable law. But the
Poseidi
did
believe
that
Incal
had
once
lived
in
human
form
upon
the
earth,
and
had
cast
off
the
gross
body
of
the world to assume that of unfettered spirit. He had in that time
created mankind and, as the Poseidi were evolutionists, that
word, mankind, embraced
all
the
lower
animals
too.
In
course
of
time
beings
of
the
genus
homo were evolved, one man and one woman, and then Incal had placed
woman spiritually highest and above man, a position which she had
lost through an attempt to enjoy a fruit which grew on the Tree of
Life in the Garden of Heaven. But in doing this she had, according to
the legend, disobeyed Incal, who had said that His highest, most
progressed children should not enjoy this fruit, for whosoever did
should surely die, because no
mortal
being could have immortal life and also reproduce its kind. The
legend read: I have said unto my creatures,
attain
perfection
and
study
it
evermore,
and
such
is
endless
life.
But
whoso
enjoyeth
this
tree,
can
not
contain self.
The form
of punishment meted out was the rationalistic, as the woman's attempt
was to attain forbidden pleasures and she did not, uninstructed, know
how. Her hand slipped from its grasp on the fruit and its side was
torn out, so that its seed dropped on the earth and became
flint−stones, while the fruit, still adhered to the tree, and
became of the likeness of a great fiery serpent, whereof the breath
scorched the hands of the culprit. Feeling the pain, she let go
her
hold
on
the
Tree
of
Life,
falling
prone
upon
the
earth
and
never
fully
recovering
from
the
injury.
Thus
man
became the superior being through the development of his nature by
the necessity he was under of preserving his mate and himself from
the cold and kindred conditions which came along with the
flint−stones. (The last Glacial or
Ice−age).
Having
fallen
back
into
these
material
conditions,
reproduction
of
species
was
a
necessity
once
more,
and so the law of continence supposedly commanded by Incal was
broken. Death thus entered again into the sum of human reckoning and,
until the Word be observed, no man could know a deathless condition.
CONTAIN THYSELF! On this dependeth all knowledge; no occult law is so
great as this. Use all things of this world as abusing none. (I. Cor.
vii., 31).
Such was
the popular belief regarding the creation of human kind by Incal. The
higher priests held to a religion which
was
virtually
Essenianism,
although
for
obvious
reasons
the
populace
were
not
aware
of
this
fact.
The
date
of this fabled occurrence was theologically supposed to have been
preceded at least 9 thousand centuries, and some semi−authorities
set it at even a more extended period than that.
Incal,
the Father of Life, was not supposed to punish His children except
that He made the laws of nature self−executive,
His
immanent,
will,
and
if
any
one
transgressed
these
the
guilt
was
inexorably
punished
by
nature,
it being impossible to set in motion a cause without a consequent
effect; if the cause was good, so also was the consequence. And in
this they were undeviatingly correct; no mediator can avert for us
the results of our misdeeds.
1
The
Poseid nation believed in a heaven of good effects for those who put
good causes into operation, and there was a region filled with bad
effects for the wicked; the two places were adjacent, and those who
were neither wholly good, nor wholly had, were supposed to live on a
middle territory, so to speak. But, both of these
post−vital
conditions were included in the Shadow Land, as the
word Navazzamin may
be
translated,
literally,
A country of departed souls.
Though
the
religion
of
Incal
was
one
based
on
cause.
and
effect,
nevertheless
a
slight
inconsistency
appeared
in
the more or less prevalent belief that He was supposed to reward the
very good.
To−day,
my friend, thou standest on the threshold of a new unfoldment. The
religion of to−day is even yet tinctured
by
this
concept
of
an
omnipotent,
but
man−like,
Creator,
heritage
of
a
dead
antiquity.
But
thou
art
living
in the final years of am old Human Cycle, the Sixth. While I choose
not at present to explain what this means, I will do so ere I bid
thee God's peace. But I will say that humanity's new conception of
the Eternal Cause will be more lofty, more sublime, purer, wider and
more of an approach to boundlessness, than anything of which the long
gone aeons of time have ever dreamed. Christ is indeed risen and
cometh unto His own, who ere long shall know
Him
as
no
exoteric
man
hath
ever
known
Him.
And,
knowing
Him,
they
shall
know
the
things
of
the
Father
and do them, because it is written, I go unto my Father.
GLORIA
IN EXCELSIS!
Faith
shall
soon
be
knowledge.
Belief
shall
be
twin
with
science,
and
the
Word
shall
blaze
as
a
sun
of
glorious
new meaning, for true religion means I bind together.
RESURGAM
CHRISTOS
Close
Not the Ends of My Cross.
The
Exoteric
Church
hath
closed
the
ends
of
His
Cross.
Wherefore
they
are
exoteric,
and
shall
not
ever
be
esoteric until they open the ends of that Four−Way Path. Open thine
eyes and thine ears.
Footnotes
90:1
NOTE. Do
not
confuse undoing with atonement. Christ
atoned;
we must undo, see note,
page
236.
CHAPTER
VIII. A GRAVE PROPHECY
It was
about the first hour of the first day in the fifth month which had
passed since. I began attendance at the Xioquithlon,
and
as
it
was
the
week
of
Bazix,
it
was
consequently
the
thirtieth
week
of
the
year,
and
near
its
close,
there being but three weeks left in B. C. 11,160.
With
the
Poseidi,
the.
day,
as
the
reader
has
seen,
commenced
at
meridian,
making
twelve
o'clock
till
one,
the
first
hour. From this hour in the last day of each week until the end of
the twenty−fourth hour in the following, or first day in the next
week, all business was suspended, and the time devoted to religious
worship, such observances being enforced by the most rigid of all
laws, custom. To−day, A. D. 1886, there are those who argue that if
a man is engaged all the week at sedentary labor, on Sunday he is
obtaining natural recreation by going zealously into athletic sports,
or upon a fatiguing excursion. But I submit, that as the body is the
externality of the soul,
therefore,
as the soul is, so will be the body also. Ergo: if the soul is of
God, then to return to the Father as often
as
possible is to he re−created, or rested, or refreshed. Perhaps not
indoors.; no, rather amidst His works, but ever with unartificial,
natural thoughts of Him uppermost. Hence, I am today not less in
favor of Sabbath observance, whether it be the seventh day or any
other of the seven days of the week, as now constituted, or the
eleventh and first, as in Atla. Still, I shall not argue my
preferences, and will only make a restatement of the well−known
physiological law that a periodic day of rest is necessary to health,
happiness and spirituality. In Atla any person was free to employ the
morning hours even of the eleventh day in any manner most agreeable,
whether at work or playful relaxation. With the first hour, however,
an enormous and very sweet−toned bell pealed forth with an intense,
reverberant boom, two strokes, paused a moment, then rang four tunes
more. Thereupon all occupations
ceased,
and religious worship commenced. On the following day the great bell
struck again, and throughout the length and breadth of a great
continent other bells pealed synchronously. It was even so in the
populous colonies of Umaur and Incalia, the difference in time being
calculated, and one man in the great temple of Incal in Caiphul
attended to this sweetly solemn duty. Then the season of worship was
over, and the rest of the Inclut (first day) was devoted to
recreations of every sort. This is not to be construed that the
worship was of a gloomy nature, or severe;
not
so,
nor
was
it
continued
through
the
night,
any
further
than
that
every
light
allowed
during
that
interval
was rendered carmine red by blending the atomic speed of the odic
force, so that it was the element of light and that of strontium
combined, this being done at the odic depots.
About
the
third
hour
after
the
Sun−day
had
ceased,
a
peculiar
event
occurred
in
my
Poseid
existence.
As
I
walked
leisurely homeward, not yet having summoned a vailx, but proceeding
under the dreamy calmness of the influence
produced
by
the
music
of
a
choice
concert
given
to
the
public
in
the
Agacoe
gardens,
I
met
a
stately
old
man, also on foot. I had often met him on former occasions and, by
his wine−colored turban, knew him for a prince. Upon meeting him
now, the current of my thought was altered, and I determined not to
go home at once, but to remain in the city for a time, perhaps all
night. Just as I came to this determination., the older man smiled,
but without stopping went on his way. I then noticed that much as he
resembled the prince I had in mind, he was not that person, and it
must have been an illusion, for the turban of this man was pure
white, not tinted. And somehow I felt that he had wished to speak to
me, but for some reason had not. If I should happen there later in
the day, I might meet him again and learn what he had to say.
Pondering
these
thoughts
I
went
into
a
cafe
in
one
of
the
grotto−tunnels,
where
an
avenue
pierced
a
hill,
and
after
ordering a luncheon, waited for it to be served. During the dispatch
of the refection, a xioqene, or student with whom I had become
friendly, strolled in, bent on the same errand. The repast over, we
proceeded to the moat, where we took a water−sailer held for hire
by a poor man who made his living from the rental of these craft to
those
who
liked
this
seldom−indulged
pleasure;
the
common
mode
of
conveyance
was
by
vailx.
The
breeze
being
fresh, we sailed out into the ocean through the exit−flow of the
Nomis river, the great river which made a complete circuit of the
city, traversing the moat and then emptying into the ocean. On
account of this extended trip I was unable to be again on the avenue
until after nightfall. When I neared the spot where my meeting had
occurred with the white−turbaned stranger, this time in a car,
which I checked from running overfast, I saw his commanding figure
standing in full view in the bright light of the tropic moon. It was
quite a part of my expectations thus to see him, and this time I
inclined my head in courteous recognition. As I did so the stranger
said:
Stop!
I would speak with thee, lad, with thee alone.
Almost
mechanically I nearly stopped the car, in obedience to his gesture to
descend, and setting its lever so that the
vehicle
would
move
at
about
the
pace
of
a
slow
walk,
I
let
it
go,
knowing
that
if
no
one
took
advantage
of
the
paid carriage, it soon would reach some station, and there be stopped
automatically. When I stood before the priest, as I judged him to be,
he said:
Thy
name,
I
understand,
is
Zailm
Numinos?
truly it is.
I have
seen thee ofttimes, and am informed concerning thee. Thou hast a
laudable, will to excel and to attain high honors among men. Thou art
yet a boy, but in a fair way to succeed as a man, as success is
commonly counted.
A
boy
thou,
conscientious
at
present,
regarded
with
favor
by
thy
sovereign.
Thou
shalt
succeed,
and
shalt
come into places of high honor and profit, and continue well thought
of by all thy fellowmen. Yet thou shalt not live
the
full
term
allotted
to
man
on
earth.
In
thy
shorter
period
shall
come
to
thee
a
knowledge
of
love.
Thou
shalt
experience the purest affection man is capable of feeling for woman.
Yet, notwithstanding this, thy love shall not be a love crowned in
this life period. And thou shalt love again, wherefore thou shalt
weep because of it. Thou
shalt
work some good in the world but, alas, much evil also. And because of
an overshadowing destiny, unto thee shall come much sorrow. By thee
unto another shall deep misery of anguish come, and unto the
uttermost shalt thou pay therefor, nor come out thence until thou
hast done so. Yet, behold not in this life shall much be required of
thee. When thou thinkest least to do sin, then shall thy foot
stumble, and thou shalt commit a sin which shall be unto
thee
a
pursuing
fate,
inexorable.
Even
now,
in
the
days
of
thine
innocence,
thou
art
treading
upon
the
steps
of
thy destiny. Alas! that it is so. Once thou earnest near to the
realization of thy death, and death is but the least portion which
shall overtake thee; but thou didst awake and flee out of the caverns
of the burning mountain unto safety. Yet at last thou shalt pass into
Navazzamin, the world of departed souls, and lo! I say unto thee thou
shalt perish in a cavern. Me, even me, shalt thou behold as the last
living being upon whom thy Poseid eyes shall ever rest. But I shall
not seem then as now, and thou wilt not know me for the one who shall
smite the evildoer who will then have enticed thee to thy doom. I
have said. May peace be with thee.
Much I
marveled at first to hear these words, thinking that perhaps the
speaker was one escaped from the Nossinithlon (literally the Home for
Moonstruck or crazy persons), and this despite the introductory
circumstances under which we had met. But as he continued speaking I
knew that this was an erroneous judgment. Finally, amazed, I gazed on
the ground, knowing not what to think and filled with an indefinable
fearsomeness. As he ceased utterance, and bade me peace, I raised my
eyes to look him in the face, to find to my bewilderment that not a
soul was in sight, but that I stood alone in the great plaza
surrounding a fountain whose jet seemed like molten silver in the
moonlight. Dumbfounded, I looked about on every side. Had I been
dreaming?
Certainly
not.
Were
the
words
of
the
mysterious
stranger
true,
or
false?
Time
will
satisfy
thy
curiosity,
my reader, as it did mine.
CHAPTER
IX. CURING CRIME
During
the
subsequent
four
years
after
my
strange
meeting
with
the
tall
and
straight,
white−haired
old
man
who
had
prophesied
concerning
me,
events,
one
after
another
shaped
themselves
in
harmony
with
his
forecast.
In
all
that time we never met, indeed I met him but once more before my
death.
Before
going
further
I
must
recall
and
finally
dismiss
from
the
scene
the
partners
in
my
gold
mine
and
also
the
one who bought the gold, knowing the act to be unlawful.
Several
months had elapsed since the interview with Rai Gwauxln in his
private apartments, when a youth wearing an orange−hued turban and
upon its front a gold−mounted garnet pin, denoting him to be a
guard in the imperial
service,
entered
the
geology
room
in
the
Xioquithlon
and
going
to
the
instructor−in−chief,
spoke
in
a
low
tone. Rapping on his desk for attention from the ninety or more
students in session in the minerals class, the chief asked if a
Xioqene named Zailm Numinos was present.
I
arose in my place in response to the question.
Come
forward. The
other
Xioqeni
looked
interestedly
on,
as
I
went
up,
not
without
some
trepidation,
for
I
well
knew what service was represented by the messenger, and there seemed
to be a sternness in the tones of the instructor not at all pleasant.
This
courier
desires
that
thou
wilt
go
with
him
before
the
Rai,
who
has
so
commanded.
He
is
at
the
Tribune,
of
the Criminal Court, and thou art needed as a witness.
Remembering
what the Rai had said, I was considerably reassured by the import of
the words addressed to me, and no longer specially apprehensive, went
as required. Arrived at the Court of the Tribunes, I saw my mining
partners there in custody, along with the incriminated purchaser of
the gold. The judge of the court sat on the judicial
divan
on
its
raised
platform,
and
by
his
side
sat,
in
simple
dignity,
Gwauxln,
Rai
of
the
greatest
nation
of
the
earth;
but
he
was
nevertheless
studiously
observant
of
the
fact
that
the
judge
was,
as
such,
entitled
to
the
place
of first rank while in the hall. Several spectators were in the seats
provided for the public in the auditorium.
There
could be but one verdict concerning the malefactors, Guilty as
charged, This
opinion
was
reached
very
quickly, and by the culprits admitted to be a just one. Immediately,
an officer took the prisoners into another part of the building,
where was a well−lighted apartment, fitted with various portable
and stationary instruments. He was accompanied by all persons
present.
A
chair with a head−clasp rest, and with other rests, clasps and
straps for the limbs and body of the occupant, stood in the center of
the room. A guardsman seated and firmly strapped one of the prisoners
in the chair. This preliminary attended to, a Xioqa approached
bearing in his hands a small instrument of which, from its general
appearance,
I
knew
the
nature
to
be
magnetic.
He
placed
the
two
poles
of
this
in
the
hands
of
the
condemned
man,
and after a brief manipulation a slight, purring sound was heard from
the instrument. Immediately the prisoner's eyes closed and his every
appearance indicated profound stupor; he was in fact magnetically
anesthetized. Then the operator carefully felt all over the head of
the unconscious man, and this examination concluded, ordered the
attendant to shave the entire cranium. When this order had been
obeyed, he made a blue mark upon the shaven surface in front and
above the ears. Feeling further, he made the Poseid numeral (or 2)
above and a
very
little
back
of
each
ear.
These
operations
done,
he
gave
his
attention
to
the
spectators,
but,
on
being
spoken
to
by Rai Gwauxln, he paused long enough from making his proposed
address to the audience to call me to his side from where I stood
outside the railing. Then he spoke:
In the
prisoner I find that the predominant, most positive faculties are
those which I have marked one and two; these
are,
number
one,
a
grasping
desire
to
acquire
property,
and
his
disposition
is
to
do
all
things
secretly,
as
may
be seen from the exceeding prominence of the organs of secretivness.
While the skull does not extend upwards very high, but at number two
is very wide between the ears, I should infer that here we have a
very acquisitive individual, lacking conscientiousness and
spirituality, and therefore the moral nature, almost wholly. As he
has also a very destructive temperament, we have withal a very
dangerous character, one which I marvel has so managed as not ere
this to have exposed himself to this office for correction. Why any
one should hesitate, even voluntarily,
to
undergo
corrective
treatment
causes
me
much
wonder.
It
is
something,
I
suppose,
explicable
on
the
theory that one on the low moral plane of this poor fellow is unable
to see the advantage of being on any higher plane, but is able to see
the immediate advantages due to the pursuit of nefarious methods. He
is, in short, a man who would not hesitate at the commission of
murder, could he see any immediate gain in it, and be wholly
oblivious of after consequences. Is this true, Zo Rai?
It
is, replied
the emperor.
My
diagnosis of the case, continued the Xioqa, having
been
confirmed
by
so
high
an
authority,
I
will
now
apply the cure. He summoned an attendant, who wheeled out another
magnetic apparatus contained in a heavy metal case. Having placed
this in a satisfactory condition of activity, the Xioqa next applied
its positive pole to that place on the head of the patient marked by
the figure one, and the other pole he placed at the back of the neck.
He then took out his timepiece and laid it on the metal case of the
instrument, near a dial the pointer of which he adjusted. All was
then still, except the low−toned conversation in various parts of
the room, during the ensuing
half
hour.
At
the
end
of
this
time
the
Xioqa
arose
from
his
seat
and
changed
the
positive
pole
to
the
other
side of the head, where the duplicate figure was marked. Then again a
half−hour's quiet, broken only by the exit of some of the
spectators and the entrance of others. When the half hour had again
elapsed, the operator changed the pole to the place marked
two. This
time
only
half
an
hour
was
given
to
both
sides
of
the
head.
I
had
been
told
by
the
emperor
to
remain.
He
bad
only
stayed
a
few
moments
after
the
beginning
of
the
operation
which
was
not new to him. At the end of the work on the first man be was taken
from under the influence of the magnetic
anesthetizer
by merely reversing the poles of the instrument at a second
application. The Xioqa lectured upon the theme
afforded
by
the
operation
while
the
first
patient
was
being
removed.
To
the
considerable
audience
that
had,
by this time, assembled, he said:
You have
seen the treatment of those mental qualities which tended through
their predominance to warp his moral nature, something but partially
developed. The process has been partially to atrophy the vascular
channels supplying that portion of the brain where are located the
organs of greed and of destruction. But mark well this point, after
all is said, the soul is superior to the physical brain, and it is in
the soul, the nature of the man, in which these criminal tendencies
inhere−the brain and other organs being the seat of psychic
expression the
business
office, so to speak. Hence, merely to have mechanically hypnotized
this subject would not accomplish our purpose. Hypnotizing is an
indrawing, and the cerebral blood−vessels contract and become
partially bloodless; indeed, they may become fatally empty; this art
is a very dangerous one. But the opposite effect is produced in
aphaism (Poseid equivalent for the modern word mesmerism"). The
brain is filled with blood, and the reversion of the instrument
cessated the hypnotic and initiated the aphaic process. It is at this
moment that the mind of the operator may assume control of the mind
of the subject, and suggest to the erring soul a permanent cessation
of the error. This man has been so treated, doubly treated, since not
only has the blood supply been partially cut off which went to those
organs where was the seat of his weakness, but with my will I have
impressed
his
soul
to
cease
its
sin,
and
I
have
supplied
it
with
a
work
to
execute
which
will
have
a
counter
action.
He
may
be
slightly
ill
for
a
few
days,
but
his
tendencies
to
sin
will
be
gone.
It
requires
a
superior
mind,
which
has
gone wrong in several directions. to make a successful evil−doer,
and where the lower nature, chiefly a perverted sex−nature
predominates, there will be found the criminal. Atla has no
debauchees, for if a person show such disposition, the State takes
the wayward one in hand and operates upon the proper organs. But I
need not dilate upon these subjects any further.
The
first man having been taken away to receive careful nursing, the next
of my whilom partners was placed in the chair. Examination of the
cerebral development revealed that he was more weak than wicked; an
habitual prevaricator,
and
of
libertine
tendencies:
one
whose
skull
was
mostly
behind
and
above
the
ears.
I
need
not
pause
to describe his treatment; it was on the lines of the other; mesmeric
suggestion was the chief cure.
As I
went to my home that evening, I resolved to add the science of
prophylactic penology to my chosen curriculum. I did so. By practice
of the knowledge of men then acquired I interfered with the karma of
not a few individuals but, as the result has proven, the interference
was in no case injurious, so that I have not to−day to answer
for
any
harm
done.
I
have
sometimes
wished
that
I
had
submitted
myself
for
treatment
at
the
hands
of
the
State,
for
it
would
at
least
have
prevented
the
commission
of
errors
which
have
wrought
much
misery,
to
me,
and
to others by me. That I did not, is as well, not only on the
principle that in our Father's kingdom whatever is, is best, but also
because no one can in any way whatever, shirk the responsibilities
inbound in character by the karma of all preceding incarnations. To
have so submitted myself for correction would have been an evasion of
the ordeal, a sort of cowardly attempt similar to the act of the
self−murderer who seeks to avoid trouble on earth by suicide, and
who in every ease escapes nothing, not one jot nor tittle of the law
of God. Instead, he piles his miseries and penalties mountains higher
and prolongs through inexorable karma, and other earthly
incarnations, his anguish. Thus it is with those who die by
self−destruction; but those who die by unavoidable causes
involuntarily, are not visited by such penalties. So the Poseid
culprits who could in no wise avoid the treatment were
benefited,
whereas
for
me
voluntary
submission
would
have
sown
dragon's
teeth
for
my
pathway.
Penalties,
observe, concern not those who know and, knowing, do God's will.
CHAPTER
X. REALIZATION
The
government
was
accustomed
to
keep
systematic
track
of
the
more
prominent
Xioqeni
to
whom
it
gave
free
tuition but the supervision was never irksome, indeed, was scarcely
felt to be maintained by those under this paternal surveillance.
Those who, besides being bright and studious, were approaching the
last years of the
collegiate
sep−term were admitted to those sessions of the Council of Ninety
not of an executive or secret character. There were some especial
favorites who, being bound by strict vows, were not excluded from any
meetings
of
the.
councilors.
Not
one
of
the
many
thousand
students
but
esteemed
even
the
lesser
privilege
most
valuable, for beside the honor conferred the lessons in statecraft
were of incalculable advantage.
In
the
latter
half
of
my
fourth
year
of
attendance
there
came
to
me
one
Prince
Menax,
who
desired
to
know
whether I would accept the position of Secretary of Records, a
position which gave opportunity to become familiar with every detail
of Poseid government. He spoke:
It
is
a
very
important
trust
indeed,
but
one
which
I
am
happy
to
offer
thee,
because
that
thou
art
capable
of
filling
it to the satisfaction of the council. It will bring thee into close
contact with the Rai and all the princes; also it will clothe thee
with some degree of authority. What sayest thou?
Prince
Menax,
I
am
aware
that,
this
is
a
very
great
honor.
But
may
I
ask
why
thou
hast
given
so
great
opportunity to one who supposes himself almost a stranger to thee?
Because,
Zailm
Numinos,
I
have
thought
thee
worthy;
now
do
I
give
thee
all
chance
to
prove
it
true.
Thou
art
no
stranger to me, if I be much of one to thee; I feel a trust in thee;
wilt thou not prove it well founded?
I
will.
Then
hold
up
thy
right
hand
to
the
blazing
Incal,
and
by
that
sublime
symbol
declare
that
in
no
case
wilt
thou
reveal aught that taketh place in secret session; nothing of the
doings in the Hall of Laws.
This
vow
I
took
and,
in
taking
it,
was
bound
by
an
oath
inviolable
in
the
eyes
of
all
Poseidi.
Thus
I
became
one
of
the seven non−official, unenfranchised secretaries, who were
entrusted with the writing of special reports and the care of many
important state documents. Surely this was no small distinction to
confer on one out of nine thousand
Xioqeni
and
a
man,
as
yet,
unenfranchised
in
a
nation
of
three
hundred
million
people.
If,
in
some
sort,
I
owed it to merit, yet I was not more worthy than a hundred other of
my fellow−students. It was due fully as much to personal popularity
with the powers that were, a popularity, however, which had not been
mine had I not in all things shown the same solid determination which
had governed my actions on the lone pitach of Rhok, the great
mountain.
Prince
Menax continued, saying:
I would
have thee attend at my palace this night, it being convenient, as I
have somewhat to say unto thee. I would prove to thee thine error in
believing thyself unknown to me, merely because thou art one of a
large concourse of Xioqeni, each in pursuit of knowledge. I do know
thee. From me, and not, as thou hast always imagined, from thy Xioql
(chief preceptor) did the invitation issue to thee to attend the
sessions of the councils−in−ordinary.
The
Astiki
(princes
of
the
realm)
are
always
much
interested
in
deserving
Xioqeni;
hence
the reason of many little duties falling to thee for execution. But I
will not say more at present, as I hinder thy studies. Remember then,
the appointed eighth hour.
Menax
held
the
highest
ministerial
office
of
all
the
Astiki,
being
premier
and,
in
short,
the
Rai's
chief
adviser.
My
opinion
of
myself
rose
in
degree
when
I
felt
that
I
was
held
in
such
high
favor;
but
it
rendered
me
full
of
gratitude
and not self−conceit; it was true self−esteem, not vanity.
Although
this
was
not
my
first
visit
to
the
palace
of
this
prince,
I
could
by
no
means
claim
familiarity
with
the
interior of his astikithlon.
Winding
my best green silk turban about my head and sticking in it a pin set
with gray quartz, through which ran veins of green copper, thus
denoting my social rank, I stepped to the naim and called for a city
vailx as thou wouldst call for a cab. The vessel soon came, and
though small in size was ample for the conveyance of two, or even
four,
passengers.
Bidding
my
mother
good
night,
I
was
soon
speeding
on
my
way,
and
the
conductor
leaving
me to my own company I sat listening to the furious patter of the
torrents of rain which rendered the night inclement in the extreme.
The palace of Menax was not far distant from the inner quay of the
moat where that great canal nearest approached my suburban home, not
indeed, ten miles away, and therefore the aerial trip consumed
only
about
the
same
number
of
minutes
ere
the
bottom
of
the
vailx
grated
a
little
upon
the
broad
marble
floor of the vailx−court, announcing arrival at my destination.
A
sentry
came
up
to
demand
my
business
and,
having
learned
it,
a
servitor
was
summoned
to
escort
me
into
the
presence of Menax.
A number
of officers of the prince's suite were in the great apartment,
sedulously engaged in doing nothing in particular,
an
occupation
in
which
they
were
aided
by
several
ladies
resident
at
the
palace.
Prince
Menax
himself
was lying at length on a divan drawn up in front of a grate full of
pieces of some refractory substance heated by the universal force.
As the
attendant conducted me before the prince and prior to my presence
being announced, I had time sufficient to
enable
me
to
notice
a
group
of
officers
and
ladies,
gathered
about
a
woman
of
such
exceeding
grace
and
beauty
that even her evident sorrow and distress, together with the distance
of the corner where she sat, could not wholly conceal
it.
Her
attire,
her
features
and
complexion
denoted
that
she
was
other
than
a
daughter
of
Poseid,
inasmuch
as she had not their dark eyes, dark hair and clear, but distinctly
reddish complexion. She who sorrowed, and was in distress, was the
reverse of all this, as nearly as my hasty glance could discern, at
the distance between us.
Menax
said, in salutation:
Thou'rt
welcome.
'Tis
well.
Be
seated.
The
night
is
tempestuous,
but
I
know
thee
well;
having
promised,
thou
art
come.
He was
silent for several moments, and gazed steadily into the glowing
grate; then said: Zailm,
wilt
thou
attend
and take part in the competition in Xio in the nine days given to the
annual examination of Xioqeni?
I have
so intended, my Astika. Thou
art
privileged
to
waive
examination
until
the
last
year
of
the
sep−term.
Verily that is so in all Xioqeni?
I
approve
most
emphatically
of
thy
determination.
i
did
after
that
way
myself,
when
I
was
a
student.
I
hope
that
thou wilt pass, that thou mayest be joyful at thy success, though it
shall not shorten thy years of study. But after the examination, then
what? Thou wilt have a month wherein to do as thou shalt fancy. Would
that I had thirty−three days' respite from my duties! Menax paused
in meditation, and resumed:
Zailm,
hast
thou
any
preferred
plan
for
the
occupation
of
that
vacation?
None, my prince.
None?
'Tis
well.
Would
it
please
thee
to
do
me
a
service,
and
go
into
a
far
country
in
fulfilling
the
kindness?
The
brief duty completed, thou mayest remain there such time as thou
desirest, or go whither fancy may beckon.
I
was
not
averse
to
doing
as
he
desired,
and
as
the
duty
took
me
to
a
land
barely
mentioned
hitherto,
the
account
of my long−ago vacation trip may be prefaced by a description of
Suernis, now called Hindustan, and Necropan
or
Egypt, the most civilized nations not under Poseid supremacy.
When
nations seek to make religion absolutely dominant in their affairs,
the result is sure to be fraught with disaster. The theocratic policy
of the Israelites was a case in point and, as the reader will ere
long perceive, Suernis and Necropan were examples yet earlier in the
history of the world. And the reason is, not that religion is a
failure; the force of this record of my life must convey the truth
that I think nothing is better than pure religion undefiled. No, the
reason why a successful theocracy can not permanently thrive is that
the attention of the promoters
must
be
given
to
things
spiritual
to
render
the
spiritual
successful,
and
the
things
of
God's
Kingdom
can
never be the things of earth. Not, at least, until man is fully
developed in his sixth or psychic principle, has become purified, by
the fire of the Spirit, from all taint of animality. Suernis and
Necropan were possessed of a civilization which I now perceive to
have been peer with our own, though so different. But because it
possessed scarcely
a
salient
point
in
common
with
that
of
Poseid,
therefore
the
people
of
the
latter
country
regarded
it
with
a
sort of scorn 1
when
discussing it amongst themselves. But they were very respectful in
their demeanor towards these people, for reasons that shall presently
appear.
The
differences in the two coeval civilizations lay in the fact, that
while Poseidi tended to the cultivation of the mechanical arts, to
sciences having to do with material things, and were content to
accept without question the religion of their ancestors, the Suerni
and Necropani paid but little heed to anything not mainly occult and
of religious significance practical. principles truly, occult laws
having a bearing on materiality but none the less were they careless
of material objects except in so far as the proper maintenance of
life was concerned. Their rule of
life
was
summed
in
the
principle
of
taking
no
heed
of
the
life
about
them,
but
neglecting
the
present
they
strove
after the future. The vital principle of Poseid was to extend her
dominion over natural things. There were those who philosophized over
the spirit of the times, Poseid theorists, and these drew a
prognostic picture of Atlantean destiny. They pointed out the fact
that our splendid physical triumphs, our arts, sciences and progress,
absolutely depended on the utilization of occult power drawn from the
Night−Side of nature. Then this fact was put side by side
with
the
fact
that
the
mysterious
powers
of
the
Suerni
and
Necropani
owed
their
existence
to
this
same
occult
realm, and the conclusion was that in time we also would grow
careless of material progress and devote our energy to occult
studies. Their forebodings were extremely gloomy in consequence; yet,
while the people listened respectfully, the failure of these prophets
to suggest a remedy rendered them in some degree objects of secret
contempt. Any one who shall find fault with an existing state of
affairs and be confessedly unable to substitute a better, is sure to
meet with public ridicule.
We, as
Poseidi, knew that the mysterious nations across the waters were
possessed of abilities which virtually dwarfed
our
attainments,
such
as
our
power
to
traverse
the
aerial
or
marine
depths,
our
swift
cars,
our
sub−surface
sea ships. No, they did not boast such conveniences, but they had no
need of them to carry on the course of their lives and, therefore, as
we supposed, no desire for such apparatus. Perhaps our scorn was more
affected than real. for in our more sober thought we acknowledged,
with no small admiration, their supremacy.
What
though we could speak with, and see, and hear., and be seen by those
with whom we wished to communicate, and this at any distance and
without, wires, but over the magnetic currents of the globe? Truly,
we never knew the pangs of separation from our friends; we could
attend to the demands of commerce, and transport our armies in war
times with a dispatch which could pass around the world in a day; all
this as long is our mechanical and electrical contrivances were at
hand. But what availed all this splendid ability? Shut one of the
most learned Xioqui in a dungeon, and all his knowledge would be as
naught; he could not, deprived in such a way of implements or
agencies, hope to see, to hear or to escape without external aid. His
marvelous capabilities were, dependent upon the creation of his
intellect. Not so with Suern or with Necropan. How to hinder one of
these
people,
no
Poseida
knew.
Shut
in
a
dungeon,
he
would
arise
and
go
forth
like
Saul
of
Tarsus;
he
could
see
to
any distance, and this without a naim; hear equally without a naim;
go through the midst of foes, and be seen by none of them. What,
then, availed our attainments if opposed to those of Suernis and
Necropan? Of what use our instruments of war even against such a
people, a single man of whom, looking with eyes wherein glittered the
terrible light of a will power exerted to hurl in retribution the
unseen forces of the Night−Side, could cause our
foemen
to wither as green leaves before the hot breath of fire? Were
missiles of value here? Of use, when the person at whom they were
aimed could arrest them in their lightning path, and make them fall
as thistle−down at his
feet?
What,
even,
was
the
value
of
explosives,
more
awful
than
nitroglycerin,
dropped
from
vailx
poised
miles
above in the blue vault of heaven? None whatever; for the enemy, with
prescient gaze and perfect control of Night−Side forces we knew not
of, could arrest the falling destroyer, and instead of suffering harm
could annihilate that high ship and its living load. A burned child
fears the fire, and in times past we bad sought to conquer these
nations, and failed disastrously. Repulse was all they sought to
effect, and successful over us in this, we had been left to go in
peace.
As
the
years
stretched
into
centuries,
our
ways
likewise
became
those
of
defense
only,
never
offensive
any
more,
and owing to this change on the part of Poseid, friendly relations
arose between the three nations.
Atla had
learned at last so much of the secret as to wield magnetic forces for
the destruction of its foes, and had dispensed with missiles,
projectiles, and explosives as agents of defense. But the knowledge
of the Suerni was still
greater.
Greater
because
our
magnetic
destroyers
spread
death
only
over
restricted
areas
circumjacent
to
the
operator; theirs operated at any desired point, however distant. Ours
struck indiscriminately at all things in the
fated
district; at things inanimate, as well as animate; at men, whether
foes or friends; at animals, at trees all
were
doomed. Their agencies went out under control, and struck at the
heart of the opposing force, not destroying life unnecessarily; nor
even molesting any of the enemy except the generals and directors of
their forces.
Of all
these facts concerning the Suerni, I had long before learned. Prince
Menax asked me that I oblige him by going on a mission to that
people. I had never seen the land of Suern and, having a desire to do
so, felt well pleased
that
it
was
to
be
gratified.
After
consenting
to
do
as
requested,
I
asked
the
prince
concerning
the
proposed
duty, saying If Zo Astika will tell his son what is required, he will
satisfy a growing curiosity.
Even so
will I do, answered the prince. It is desired to send unto the Rai
of Suern a present in acknowledgment of certain gifts sent by him to
Rai Gwauxln. While there can be but small doubt that these gifts were
sent to induce our acceptance of seven score women, prisoners of war,
who seem to be much in the way of Rai
Ernon
of
Suern,
nevertheless
we
cannot
regard
it
as
necessary
to
throw
us
a
sop,
and
while
the
women
will
be
allowed to remain, or go whither they will so that they go not where
forbidden by Suern, we choose to regard the gift of gems and of gold
as a gift, and make due return for it. So saith the council in quorum
assembled. It seems that these women are members of certain strong
forces of foolish invaders whose country lies far to the west of
Suern. These people very unwisely made war upon the terrible Suerni.
They had never experienced, nor beheld exerted,
the
wrath
wherewith
Incal
arms
His
children
of
Suern,
a
wrath
which
moweth
its
foes
as
the
scythe
of
the
reaper layeth the grass. Now, Ernon hath a fertile country, and these
ignorant savages longed to possess it, wherefore they sent unto the
Rai of Suern a challenge of war. To this Ernon replied that he would
not make fight; that those who sought him with spears and with bows,
and came arrayed in armor, would find him, and therefor be sorrowful,
inasmuch as Yeovah, as the Suerni are pleased to name Him whom we
called Incal, would protect him and his people of Suern, and this
without strife and bloodshed. Thereupon the barbarians returned
derisive language, and declared that they would come upon his land
and destroy his people with the sword. So they gathered a numerous
army, even ten score thousand fighting men, and many camp followers,
and these, led by a dauntless Astiki, swept east by South to
devastate the realm of Suern. But wait; there is in this room one who
can doubtless tell more than I, and tell it
better. Mailzis! addressing
his body servant, conduct hither yon fair stranger.'
Mailzis
obeying, the foreign woman whom I had seen as I entered the apartment
of the prince arose in an easy, graceful manner which commanded my
admiration. Arranging her attire in a not at all hasty way quite, in
fact, the reverse of one obeying a superior approached Menax. Arising
deferentially, the prince said, Lady
art
thou
minded to recount to me that which thou hast told to my sovereign? I
know that thy narration is vastly
interesting.
During
these
remarks
the
stranger
had
looked
not
at
the
prince,
but
at
me.
Her
eyes
had
been
riveted
on
my
face,
not
boldly,
but
intently,
though
obviously
quite
unaware
of
the
fixity
of
her
gaze.
None
the
less
there
was
such
a
magnetic power in it that I was compelled to look away, strangely
abashed by the glance, but feeling that yet it followed
me,
although
I
saw
it
not.
It
occurred
to
me
that
the
fact
of
the
lady's
reply
being
couched
in
the
Poseid
language was indicative of her possession of a good education.
If,
Astika, said she, it
be
a
pleasure
to
thee
that
I
do
this
that
thou
askest,
it
is
also
one
to
me.
It
is
also
much
of a pleasure to me to repeat it to the youth thou favorest. I would,
however, that the maid, thy daughter, were not here, she
added, sotto voce, with a glance of antagonism toward Anzimee, who
sat near us, engaged in perusing a book, apparently, but, as I
fancied, not in reality. This jealous undertone was not heard by
Menax, though Anzimee heard it, and presently arose and left the
apartment in. consequence. This action I regretted, and the
cause
of it I resented, as the Saldu quickly saw, and because of it bit her
lip with vexation.
It
cannot
be
agreeable
to
stand;
wilt
thou
seat
thyself
at
my
right
hand,
and
thou,
Zailm,
change
thy
seat,
also,
and be at my left? said Menax, reseating himself on the divan.
When
this arrangement had been made, we were ready to listen to the
recital. At this moment the valet, Mailzis, respectfully approached
and, being asked his wish, said: It
is
the
desire
of
thine
officers
and
of
the
ladies
of
the
astikithlon to be also present at the narration.
Their
wish
is
granted;
bring
also
the
naim,
and
place
it
near
us,
that
the
editor
of
the
Records
may
take
account,
too.
Availing
themselves of his permission, the petitioners were soon grouped about
us, some on low seats, others, higher
officers,
more
familiar
with
their
prince,
stretched
themselves
on
side
and
elbow
in
front
of
Menax
upon
the rich velvet rugs on the marble floor.
Footnotes
106:1
It
hath
been
ever
thus;
the
seed
sown
in
the
Acre
whereof
the
corners
am
marked
by
posts
of
which
the
first
hath but one side, the second five sides, the third six sides, but
the fourth again only five, hath ever been scorned by man. That seed
groweth a tree seventeen−branched. So was Suern. In another day it
would be watered by Poseid; later it must be in Poseid. Yet again
this would be after it was pruned by its Sower. Then it must grow
till the day's end, and become great in the next day. But greatest at
the end of that day. I have spoken a riddle that whoso unfoldeth it
proveth him of the Tree I have spoken, and filled with deathlessness.
Hear, O Israel! Seek, O Manasseh, and Ephraim, seek! Land of the
Starry Flag, open thine eyes, and thou, too, O Mother land!
CHAPTER
XI. THE RECITAL
Mailzis, said
the prince, some
spiced wine for us.
In
the
enjoyment
of
this
truly
refreshing,
because
unfermented
beverage,
we
listened
to
the
following
thrilling
narrative:
Thou
art,
I
think,
acquainted
with
my
native
country,
since
thou
hast
had
commercial
intercourse
with
the
Sald
nation. All here have likewise heard of how our ruler sent a great
army against the terrible Suerni. Ah! how little we knew of those
people! she exclaimed, clasping her small, patrician hands in an
agony of terrified retrospection.
Eight
score thousand warriors had my father, the chief, under his command.
One−half as many more were followers
of
the
camp.
Our
cavalry
was
our
pride,
veterans
tried
and
true,
and
ah!
so
lustful
after
blood!
Such
splendid armament had we, glittering spears and lances
oh!
a wondrous array of valiant men!
At
this
eulogy
of
such
primitive
weapons
her
listeners
were
unable
to
repress
a
shadowy
smile.
For
a
moment
this
seemed to disconcert the princess, but not for long, for she
continued:
In this
splendid, powerful fashion, ah! how I love power! we cam, taking loot
as we proceeded towards the Suern city. When we arrived near it,
after many days, we could not see it, as it was in a lowland. But we
felt assured of an easy victory, since captives whom we took informed
us that no walls or like defenses existed and that no army was
gathered to meet us. Indeed, we nowhere found walled towns in all
Suern, nor met with resistance,
hence
had
spilled
no
blood,
but
contented
ourselves
with
torture
of
the
captives,
by
way
of
amusement,
ere we set them free.
Horrible! muttered
Menax under his breath. Heartless
barbarians!
What saidst thou, my lord? asked the girl, quickly.
Nothing,
my lady, nothing! I but thought of the splendid march of the Saldan
host.
Though
seemingly
somewhat
doubtful
of
the
accuracy
of
this
statement,
the
Saldu
nevertheless
continued
her
recital.
Arrived,
as I have said, we stayed our march on the brink of a shallow, but
wide defile, wherein the Rai was so unwarlike
and
unwise
as
to
have
his
capital,
and
sent
a
messenger
to
announce
our
errand
and
offer
him
favorable
terms of war. In answer there came with our flagbearer a solitary,
unarmed old man. Elderly is a better word. He was tall, erect as
soldier, and had dignity of mien that made him splendid to look upon.
Aye, he looked as power incarnate! I ought to hate him, but he is
powerful and I cannot choose but love him! If he were younger I would
woo him to be my mate.
At
this
unexpected
remark
we
looked
at,
the
fair
speaker
in
amazement,
not
unmingled
with
other
emotions,
while
Prince Menax asked:
Astiku,
hear I aright? Woo a man? Is it customary amongst thy people to give
unto woman the lovemaking? I had thought myself versed in the customs
of every nation, ancient and modern, yet knew not this fact. However,
strange things are to be expected of well,
a
race
which
has
but
numbers
to
entitle
it
to
recognition
at
the
hands
of
people like the Poseid.
Why
not
be
frank,
Zo
Astika?
Why
not
say
what
thou
thinkest,
that
civilized
nations
like
thine
consider
such
a
race as the Saldi beneath them so far that even their customs are
well nigh unknown to thee?
Prince
Menax
flushed
deeply
in
ashamed
confusion,
for
he
was
unaccustomed
to
prevarication,
and
replied:
Candor is best, I admit; but I desired to avoid wounding thy
feelings, Astika.
With
a ringing laugh, full of amusement, the Astiki said:
Zo
Astika, allow me to tell thee that in Sald, either sex is free to woo
its chosen one. Why not? It is sensible, methinks. I shall follow our
custom in this respect, if chance ever presents. My chosen one must
be pleasing to look
upon,
and
must
be
courageous
like
unto
the
lion
of
the
desert,
yea!
even
the
deserts
whence
he
came
unto
the
continent of Suernota. Ah, me; yes, if chance offers, she reiterated,
with a little sigh.
At
length she resumed wearily, sadly:
The
Astika, my father, chief of our armies, said to this grand old man:
'What
saith thy ruler?'
'He
saith: Bid
this
stranger
depart
lest
my
wrath
awake,
for
lo,
I
shall
smite
him
if
he
obey
me
not!
Terrible
is
mine anger.
'What
ho!
And
his
army;
I
have
seen
none,'
said
my
father
with
the
laugh
of
a
veteran
to
whom
despised
resistance is offered.
'Chief,'
said
the
envoy,
in
a
low,
earnest
tone,
'Thou
hadst
best
depart.
I
am
that
Rai,
and
his
army
also.
Leave
this land now; soon thou canst not. Go, I implore thee!'
'Thou
the Rai? Rash man! I tell thee that when the sun hath moved one other
sign, thy courage shall not save thee,
unless
thou
wilt
now
return
and
collect
thine
army.
Else
will
I
then
send
thy
head
to
thy
people.
There
is
but
this option. After that length of time I will strike and sack thy
city. Nay, fear not now for thy personal safety; I cannot hurt an
unarmed foeman! Go in peace, and by the morning I will attack thee
and thy army. I must have a worthy foe.'
'In
myself is a worthy foe. Hast thou never heard of the Suerni? Yes? And
thou hast not believed! Oh, it is true!
Go,
I entreat thee, while yet thou canst do so in safety!'
'Foolish
man!'
said
the
chief.
'This
thine
ultimatum?
Then
be
it
so!
Stand
aside!
I
go
not
away,
but
forward.'
Then he called unto the captains of the legions and commanded:
'Forward!
March to conquer!'
'Withhold
that order one moment; I would ask a question,' said the Rai.
Agreeably
to this request our men, who had sprung to place at the word, were
now halted with arms at rest. In the very front ranks of the Saldan
army as it stood on the little eminence overlooking the Suern
capital, and the great
river
flowing
near,
was
the
prime
flower
of
our
host.
Veterans
they
were,
tried
and
true,
men
of
giant
stature,
two
thousand
strong,
leaders
of
the
men
less
seasoned.
I
shall
never
forget
how
grand
looked
that
array,
no,
never.
So strong; the very mane of our lion−power, every man able to carry
an ox on his back. The sun was caught on their spears in a glorious
blaze of light. Looking upon these men the Suerna said:
'Astika,
are
not
these
thy
best
men?'
'Aye.'
'They
are
the
ones
of
whom
it
hath
been
told
me
that
they
tortured
my
people,
merely
for
amusement?
And
they
called them cowards, saying that men who would not resist, to them
should they serve death, and they did murder a few of my subjects?'
'I
deny it not,' said my father
'Thinkest
thou, Astika, that this was right? Are not men who glory in shedding
blood worthy of death?'
'Possibly;
if
so,
what
matter?
Perchance
thou
wouldst
have
me
punish
them
for
such
action?'
said
my
father,
scornfully.
'Even
so, Astika. And thereafter depart hence?'
'Aye,
that will I! 'Tis a good jest; yet have I not humor for jesting!'
'And
thou wilt not go, though I say to remain is death?' 'Nay!
Cease thy drivel! I weary of it.'
'Astika,
I
am
sorrowful!
But
be
it
as
thou
wilt.
Thou
hast
been
warned
to
leave.
Thou
hast
heard
of
the
power
of
the Suern, and believed not. But now, feel it!'
With
these words the Rai swept his outpointing index−finger over the
place where stood our pride the
splendid
two thousand. His lips moved and I barely heard the low−spoken
words:
'Yeovah,
strengthen my weakness. So dieth stubborn guilt.'
What
then
befell
so
filled
all
spectators
with
horror,
so
wrought
upon
their
superstition,
that
for
full
five
minutes
after, scarce a sound was heard. Of all those veteran warriors not
one was left alive. At the gesture of the Suernis their heads fell
forward, their grasp was loosed on their spears, and they fell as
drunken men to the earth. Not a sound, save that of their
precipitation; not a struggle; death had come to them as it comes to
those whose hearts stop pulsing. Ah! what frightful power hast thou,
Suernis!
For
the
Angel
of
Death
spread
his
wings
on
the
blast,
And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed.
Sennacherib
was
unknown
then;
the
Salda
princess
knew
not
of
the
poem;
but
we
do,
my
reader,
thou
and
I;
that
is enough.
While
describing
the
action
of
the
Rai
of
Suern,
the
princess
had
risen
to
her
feet
from
her
place
by
the
side
of
Menax, simulating at the same time the fatal gesture of Ernon of
Suern. So apt had been this mimicry that the group of listeners on
our left had involuntarily cowered as her arm swept over their heads.
The Saldu noticed them shrink, and her lip curled with scorn.
Cowards! she
muttered. A Poseida overheard the words, and his cheek flushed, as he
said:
Nay,
Astiku, not cowards! Consider our involuntary shrinking as a
compliment to thy descriptive powers.
She
smiled, and said: Perhaps so. Then,
overcome
by
her
apostrophe
to
the
dread
strength
of
Yeovah
as
invoked by Ernon, a strength which even proud Atla feared, she sank
back in her seat weeping.
A
little wine revived her, and the narration was resumed.
After
the
horrible
silence
that
fell
on
all
who
had
witnessed
the
awful
sight,
the
women,
wives
and
daughters
of
the higher officers, began shrieking in affright. Many of our men, as
soon as they could realize that the stories they had heard and
discredited were no idle tales, fell to the earth in an agony of
pulling terror. Ah! then, then could ye have heard supplications to
all the gods, great and small, in whom our people place trust. Ha!
ha! laughed the princess, bitterly, contemptuously, appealing
to
gods
of
wood
and
metal
for
protection
against
such
awful power! Faugh! Since I may not live in Suern, being banished, I
would not live again in the land of my nativity! I want no more of
people who idolize insentient objects and defy them. No, Astika, she
said
in
answer
to a question from Menax, I never worshipped idols; most of our
people do, but not all. I have not proved an
apostate.
But
I
do
worship
power.
I
ought
to
hate
Ernon
of
Suern;
but
I
do
not.
Indeed,
I
would,
if
permitted,
live
in his presence and idolize his wondrous strength, which works death
to his enemies. Not so permitted, I would rather remain with thy
people, who are a goodly race, and, if not equal to the Suerni, are
yet better and more powerful than mine own, ah! far more so.
My
father knew better than to imagine this some trick of a wily people,
knew now, after this bitter lesson, that the reputation accorded them
by travelers was no idle fabrication of wonder−mongers. But he did
not cringe before the Rai, he was too proud−spirited for that.
While we gazed, stupefied, on the awful scene of death, another and
not less frightful, but more ghastly thing happened. We that were
alive, all our host except the two thousand stood between our dead
and the river west of the city. Rai Ernon bowed his bead and
prayed what
dire
alarm that action caused our people! and I heard him say:
'Lord,
do this thing for thy servant, I beseech thee!' Then,
as
I
gazed
on
the
victims,
I
saw
them
arise
one
by
one,
and gather up each his spear and shield and helmet. Thereafter, in
little irregular squads they marched towards us, towards me, O! My
God! and passed on to the river! As they passed I saw that their eyes
were half−closed and glazed in death; the movement of their limbs
was mechanical; they walked as if hung on wires, and their armor
clanked and clanged in a horrid, mocking ring. As, one by one, the
squads came to the river, they walked in,
deeper
and deeper, till the waters closed over their heads, and they were
gone forever, gone to feed the crocodiles which already roared and
snarled over their prey adown the stream of Gunja. No one to lead,
none to carry; each going as if alive, and yet somehow dead, this
ghastly procession to the river, a thousand paces distant, so
completed the horrible sense of fear that desperate terror possessed
the great army, and they fled, leaving behind all things, and soon
only a few faithful soldiers were left in sight; these remained with
their commander and his officers of staff, ready to share with him
the death which they expected would be meted out to all who remained.
The
women also did not all flee. Then spoke Rai Ernon, saying:
'Did I
not tell thee to depart, ere I punished thee? Wilt thou now go?
Behold thine army in flight! Its rout shall not
cease,
for
thousands
shall
never
more
see
Saldee,
because
they
will
perish
by
the
wayside,
yet
not
a
few
shall
reach their homes. But thou shalt never more go home; neither thee
nor thy women. But they will not stay in my land nor their own, but
in a strange country.'
That
haughty, but now humbled soldier, my father, bent on one knee before
the Rai, and said:
'Mighty
Rai, what wouldst thou with innocent women? Thou saidst my warriors
were guilty; I admit it, nor except myself. But these, my women, they
have harmed no man. Thy words lead me to believe that justice is thy
ruling
principle;
thine
acts
do
likewise,
for
when
thou
mightest
have
struck
us
every
one,
thou
didst
no
more
than
make example of a few guilty ones. I implore thee, then, have mercy
on my women; perchance. on my officers also.'
'On thy
officers, yes; they are faithful unto thee, though they expect but
death as their reward. Bid them depart with what still bides of thine
army. They are unused to caring for the needs of the body, wherefore
they will of a surety
all
perish,
except
I
save
them.
Having
power,
I
will
use
it
mercifully.
None
shall
perish
by
the
wayside;
not
one shall hunger, neither thirst, nor suffer any sickness, O Yeovah!
all the way home, nor lose his way, though none shall have to eat any
food all the way. And about them shall wild beasts rave, and though
not one have a weapon, no animal shall harm him, for the spirit of
Yeovah shall go with them and be their shelter and their safeguard.
Yea, more also, shall He do, for he will enter into their souls, so
that they that are warriors shall be henceforth His prophets, and
shall uplift their people and make of their name one which shall go
down unto all ages; a famous race of educated men shall they be, and
astrologers, telling of God by his works of heaven. Yet shall a
further day come some six thousand years hence when the men of
Chaldea shall again try to prevail over my people, and again shall
fail, even as now, but thou shalt long have been with thy fathers
asleep from a second life, and safe in the Name 1
whereby
I work, ere this second attempt. Callest thou innocent, women who
voluntarily came in all the insolence of supposed power and
invincibility to murder my people? Innocent! they
who came
to see the rapine of my cities and to revel in the sufferings of my
people' Innocent! Nay, not so! Wherefore
I
shall
retain
with
thee
these
wives
and
these
maidens.
Behold!
I
have
said
thou
shalt
not
go
hence;
neither these women yet awhile, but thou−thou shalt never go again
from this land. I will put thee in a prison which has neither bars
nor gratings nor any wall; yet thou canst not hope to leave it.'
'Dost
thou mean that we are all to die, Zo Rai?' asked my father in a low,
sad voice.
'Not so;
Zo Astika, thinkest. thou I condemn murder, yet would myself do it
needlessly? No. Having said that thou
canst
not
leave
Suern,
neither
is
it
possible
for
thee
thereafter,
though
neither
bolt
nor
bar
hindereth,
nor
any
man watcheth or keepeth thee.'
It
was
piteous
to
see
the
partings
between
those
who
were
to
go
and
those
who
must
stay.
But
then,
such
are
the
fortunes of war, and the weak must obey the strong. I had rejoiced in
our fancied strength, nor cared who fell by
it.
Power, aye, power! I think, after all, that I felt a grim
satisfaction in beholding thee, Power, my god, work so swift
destruction!
The
princess said these last words musingly, apparently lost to her
surroundings as she sat with clenched hands, admiration depicted on
her beautiful face and her glorious blue eyes with their far−away
look, but oh! so
heartless,
so cruel, after all. Queenly in figure, commanding in personality,
beautiful, wonderfully beautiful, the world now, as then, would call
the Princess Lolix; indeed she bore a most startling likeness to
thine own fair American women. But these are not like her, really.
She, lioness−like, sided ever with the triumph−power. But the
real
American maiden, sympathetic, true as steel, graceful as a bird,
sweet as a rose just blown like
Lolix
in
these
three last traits, but ceasing to parallel her further, for she of
to−day clings to her father, her brother, her lover, come sunshine,
come storm, success or adversity faithful unto death. Such have their
reward.
There
came
a
day
when
Lolix:
was
altered
to
be
all
that
the
fair
modem
maidens
are.
But
it
was
not
till
after
years.
There are some kinds of roses which, while in tender bud, seem all
thorns; but what marvels of beauty are they when they have at length
opened their hearts to the sun and the dew!
It
appeared
that
Prince
Menax
had
not
heretofore
heard
Lolix:
speak
at
length,
but
had
for
some
reason
waited
this
experience until I might listen. Consequently it was a revelation to
him to hear one so fair, and even so sweet, reveal so heartless a
nature an she exhibited in her speech, which was quite as much
retrospective meditation, on her part, as recital. After some
moments, Menax said:
Astiku,
thou
hast
related
that
his
Majesty
of
Suern
did
not
by
thee
and
thy
companions
as
thou
didst
anticipate,
reasoning from the national custom of thy people to devote female
prisoners of war to lust and ministrations to man's base passions.
Astika
Menax,
thou'lt
not
esteem
me
disrespectful
if
I
shall
henceforth
call
thee
friend?
I
will
confess
it
to
have.
been very much of a surprise that Rai Ernon did not so do. I could
not have complained, for such are the vicissitudes of war. Instead,
however, he declared that neither he nor the Suerni had any use for
us; wherefore he sent us into a foreign land. Is that our destiny
here−such a hard fate?
No!
never so! replied Menax, his lip curling with disgust at the bare
imputation. Here
thou
shalt
be
supported
by the government until perchance Poseid citizens shall choose wives
of thy number; ours is a people of strange tastes, sometimes!
Thou
art sarcastic, Astika!
Save
that the prince slightly raised his eyebrows, he vouchsafed no reply
to her remark; even this notice was so faint
that
if
I
had
not
been
closely
watching
his
face,
I
should
not
have
perceived
it.
After
a
more
or
less
extended
silence, Menax said that they were hindered from evermore returning
home to Salda, because
No
longer my home! quickly
interrupted the lady.
Then
the land of thy birth! said
Menax with some asperity, as he again lapsed into silence.
Lolix
then arose and, clasping her hands, vehemently exclaimed:
I
have no wish evermore to see my native land. Henceforth I choose my
lot in Poseid to
call it home!
As thou
wilt, said Menax. Thou
art
certainly
a
most
strange
woman.
For
love
of
power
thou
forsakest
gods
and home and native land. Are the others, thy captive friends nay,
hold! perchance not friends, seeing that they are fallen under
misfortune! are these as thyself, these women, forgetful of their
country?
Bending
her
lovely
head,
the
princess
fixed
the
gaze
of
her
glorious
blue
eyes
upon
the
upturned
face
of
her
critic.
Two drops, tear−drops, fell from beneath the long sweeping lashes,
her lips quivered, and she clasped her little hands together with the
words:
Ah!
Astika, thou art cruel, then
turned away and walked sobbing to the seat where first I had seen
her.
Thus
was the unblown rosebud mistaken for a thistle blossom.
As
for
me,
a
strange
mixture
of
feelings
possessed
me,
a
commingling
of
wonder
and
approval.
I
wondered
what
sort of a nature it was that could be so heartless and thirst so
greatly after power as to leave every natural tie for the sake of
following it, and yet was so essentially feminine as to be pained at
the expression of a very natural reprobation of such conduct. I
pitied her because she was so ingenuous, and was so sincerely honest
in and through all her soullessness, and had so artlessly narrated
her later history, evidently expectant of approbation, and felt so
hurt at the contrary effect produced. Finally, approval divided my
emotions, because the prince had given a really merited rebuke, and
one which, though its smart was keen, could not fail of a salutary
effect. My reflections were interrupted at this point by Menax,
saying:
Zailm,
let
us
go
into
the
Xanatithlon
1
where
all
is
quiet
and
beautiful
among
the
flowers.
We
shall
be
alone
there, thou and I. I would dismiss these people of my palace, but
prefer not to disturb yon Saldee maiden.
Footnotes
118:1
Yeovah or Jehovah. Ed.
121:1
Building for flowers.
CHAPTER
XII. THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS
A
very
few
steps
took
us
into
the
great
conservatory,
or
Xanatithlon,
where
bloomed
all
manner
and
species
of
flowers, In the midst was a fountain whose three lofty jets sprang
into the arch of the great dome and sparkled during the day in the
sun−rays as they filtered through the thousands of panes of
many−colored glass. Now, however, when the dull roar of the rain
falling on all without mingled its tones with the dulcet plash of the
fountain, that object of beauty was flashing in the rays of numerous
electric images of the Day King.
Intermingled
with the myriads of natural flowers were many hundreds wrought in
glass so perfectly that only close examination by sense of touch
might say which were produced by Flora and which by the artist. These
illuminants
were
suited
in
kind
to
the
natural
flowers
of,
the
plant,
tree
or
vine
on
which
they
hung;
on
the
plants
there
were
but
few,
on
the
trees,
higher
above
the
floor,
the
number
increased,
while
on
the
vines
that
clambered
over arches and pillars, or swung pendent between high points
overhead were a great multitude, casting throughout this floral
paradise a soft, steady glow which was most delightful. '
In the
midst of these pleasant environments we seated ourselves on what to
the eye seemed a pile of moss−covered
rocks
with
cosy
depressions
amongst
them,
very
comfortable,
since
in
reality
they
were
easy
springs, whereon grew moss originally furnished by silk−worms.
Sit
here, closer to me, my son, said
the
benign
old
prince,
drawing
me
down
into
a
hollow
beside
that
occupied
by himself.
Zailm, he
began, I
hardly
know
why
I
called
thee
this
night;
why
I
waited
not
for
a
time.
And
yet
I
do
know,
too; I had a mission to confer upon some one fitted to perform it.
There are others more experienced, yet I choose
to
give it to thee; thou knowest what it is.
Very
evident
to
me
was
it
that
this
was
not
what
actuated
the
Astika
in
his
choice,
and
that
it
was
not
for
this
that
he had asked me into the conservatory. He had relapsed into silence,
which he presently broke by asking:
Hast
thou ever heard that my wife gave me a son, and that both wife and
son are taken by death? Aye, one son, and
a
daughter.
Praise
unto
Incal,
I
have
her
yet!
But
my
son,
the
pride
of
my
life,
is
gone
unto
Navazzamin,
the
destiny of all mortality. My son, oh, my son! he sobbed.
When
his emotion had somewhat subsided, he resumed:
Zailm,
when I saw thee, at thy first speech with our beloved Rai four years
ago, was it not? I
was
astonished
at
thy likeness to my dead boy, and I loved thee then, Zailm! Many a
time have I gone to the Xioquithlon to note
thee at
work in thy studies. Always have the summonses thou hast received at
divers times to attend at this astikithlon had for their prompting
motive sight of thee! Yes, sight of thee, lad, sight of thee! he
murmured
softly, gently stroking my, curls the while.
Few days
have passed that I have not at some time seen thee, either personally
or by naim; yes, I have gone at night and stood by thy window, that I
might gladden my heart with the sound of thy voice as thou hast sat
reading to thy mother. I have watched thee and been proud of thee,
Zailm, for in every way thou hast seemed as my own; thy triumphs in
study have made joyful my days, as has also the skill with which thou
hast performed governmental commissions, for thou wert as my son!
Then come and live here, lad, for I want thee near me, in
this
mine old age. Together will we float down the stream of life, thou
and I! Perchance I go first out across the great
ocean
of
eternity;
then
will
I
await
thee
in
the
dim
land
of
dreams,
where
is
no
more
parting,
neither
pain
nor
sorrow. Come, Zailm, come!
To
this tender appeal I replied:
Menax, I
have often wondered, during the years of my abode in Caiphul, what
meant thy favors to me. Thou hast
ever
been
more
kind
to
me
than
any
other,
yet
have
ever
been
reserved
and
distant,
yea,
more
so
than
others
who could not care overmuch what befell me. Now all is plain. I have
looked on thee with affection and loving reverence, and treasured thy
kindnesses, and acted according to thy few words of advice. Yea,
Menax, we will together go hand in hand to the shadowy land of
departed souls, thou for me or I for thee, waiting the other's
coming, whichsoever the Harvester of Souls shall first garner.
We arose
and tenderly embraced each other. As we parted our clasp, I beheld
the only child of the prince, enframed in clustering vines that
twined caressingly around her lovely form. As I looked upon her I
thought of that
other
girl,
the
Saldu
to
whose
story
I
had
so
recently
listened.
Nearly
the
.same
age,
neither
of
them
more
than
a year my junior, but so widely different from each other as types of
womanly beauty. It is difficult to describe a person in whom the
deepest interest of the heart is centered, and the greater this
feeling the more difficult will be the portraiture. At least, it is
so in my case.
The
reader is aware how the brown−haired, blue−eyed, queenly girl of
far away Sald appeared, how delicate her fair complexion, how
high−strung and sensitive her nature, yet withal, how cruel! But
how can I picture her
whom
I
loved,
her
with
whom
the
hope
of
a
chance
meeting,
even
at
a
distance,
made
a
great
part
of
the
pleasure
I
felt in going to the palace of Menax. She whom I had loved and
enshrined within my heart nearly as many years as I had resided in
Caiphul how can I describe her?
If the
Princess Lolix was on the threshold of womanhood, so was this fair
one, the Princess Anzimee. Slight, delicate,
womanly,
the
daughter
of
a
long
line
of
patrician
ancestry;
my
senior
and
superior
in
the
ranks
of
study
at the Xioquithlon, if my junior in years; I loved her, yet carefully
concealed the fact. Each of my friends who reads this will know what
I feel when I avow unwillingness to describe Anzimee, and bid each to
place in this Poseid life−frame the picture of his own best−loved
one.
Each
heart
recalled
a
different
name,
But all sang 'Annie Laurie.'
Prince
Menax caught sight of his daughter at nearly the same moment as I
did, and a look of mild surprise overspread
his
face
at
her
presence,
when
he
had
supposed
the
Xanatithlon
deserted.
Seeing
this
expression,
the
Rainu came forward and, kissing her father, said:
My
father, have I intruded I heard thee and this this
youth
enter,
but
knew
not
that
thou
didst
desire
privacy,
so kept my seat and continued my reading.
Nay,
my
pet,
thou
hast
no
need
of
excuse.
I
am,
indeed,
rather
glad
that
thou
art
here.
But
what,
may
I
ask,
wert
thou reading? It will not be well for thee to study too hard, and
this, I suspect, was, or is, thy meaning when thy word is 'reading.'
With a
sweet smile dancing over her face and lighting her gray eyes, she
replied: Thou wouldst make an excellent reader of the hidden mind! I
was indeed studying, but the end justifies the labor. Whosoever shall
acquire a deep knowledge of the science of medicine shall be in a
position to relieve even, those in the agonies of mortal
pain,
and
to
cure
those
less
gravely
afflicted.
Is
it
not
a
work
for
Incal
then,
as
well
as
for
His
children,
and
is not such an act done for the least of these, something done also
for Him?
Two
girls Lolix
of
Sald,
and
Anzimee
of
Poseid!
A
wide
continent
separated
their
two
countries,
but
a
yet
greater
distance was between the daughters of the two lands. Lolix, with no
sympathy for those in pain, no sorrow for those in mortal agony;
Anzimee, at the very antipodes of such traits of character.
For
a
full
minute
there
was
silence,
while
Menax
looked
at
the
noble−hearted,
dainty
speaker.
Then,
clasping
my
hands with his right and those of Anzimee with his left, he said:
My
child,
unto
thee
I
give
a
brother,
one
whom
I
deem
worthy
to
be
such;
Zailm,
unto
thee
I
give
a
sister
more
precious
than
rubies;
and
unto
Thee,
Incal,
my
God!
all
the
song
of
praise
which
fills
my
breast
for
Thy
blessings
to me.
Here
he dropped the hands that had touched, together for the first time,
and lifted his own to heaven.
How the
touch of that little hand thrilled me ere it was withdrawn. Was I
worthy of all this love? No sin yet stained my fair fame, and I felt
at that moment entirely deserving. If ever it blotted my record, sin
was yet to come;
but
with
disquiet
I
thought
of
the
strange
prophecy
on
that
night
of
long
ago;
for
an
instant
only
this
feeling
possessed me and then it fled.
I was
much given to the habit of analyzing men and motives; it was a second
nature, so to speak, to consider
every
question in every possible aspect. So, even now, I was querying
myself as to the meaning of this latest experience.
I
knew
that
for
Menax,
who
had
so
winningly
asked
me
to
be
his
son,
I
entertained
the
most
profound
respect and affection. My life would not have appeared to me too
great a price to pay, if for it I could have bestowed commensurate
benefit on him; and I loved life, too; there was nothing morbid about
my nature, unless exceeding love for ray friends be a sign of
morbidness. I dwelt a little upon what my adoption meant socially and
politically.
Thou
needest
not
be
told
what
it
must
have
been
to
my
ambition
thus
to
be
placed
in
so
high
a
niche
as
I would thenceforth occupy in Atlan estimation as the legal son of a
high councilor, who by marriage was the brother
of
the
Rai.
All
this
time,
while
considering
the
situation,
I
was
reserving
as
a
choice
sensation
the
pleasure
of examining what was the kind of love I felt for her who was my
sister, by adoption only, it is true, but who, herself the pet of
inner circles, and the adored of the people of Caiphul, would appear
before the world as my sister the moment Rai Gwauxln should
officially approve his brother's course.
Ought I
to feel pleasure or vexation? I looked at her whom I had dreamed of
as my wife in case Incal in His goodness should see fit to grant me
exaltation to high places. Could I hope to realize the dream, after
this unexpected
turn
of
fortune?
If
I
had
come
to
my
high
place
by
a
different
manner,
then
I
could
have
hoped
for
the
hand of Anzimee. But now! My great fortune seemed like an apple of
Sodom, bitterness to my mouth. For I was her brother, legally, if not
by consanguineous ties. There was a chance that things were not so
dark as they seemed,
since
such
adoptions
among
the
lower
classes
were
frequent,
yet
did
not
act
as
a
bar
to
marriage.
So,
thus
again, the sun came from behind the clouds.
The
characteristic most marked in the appearance of the girl before me
was the simplicity of her attire. That evening, her glory of brown
tresses was caught in a loose, unbraided fall at the back of her
shapely head by a plain
golden
clasp,
A
long,
flowing
robe
clothed
her
slender,
girlish
form.
No
costume
could
be
more
artistically,
tastefully simple than this colorless, diaphanous fabric, tinged just
enough with blue to seem pearly white, Shoulder−tips of pure
carmine indicated the wearer's royalty. Her dress was gathered at her
throat by a pill made of a golden bar whereon flashed large rubies,
grouped about a center of pearls and emeralds, the whole heightening
the
color
of
her
checks
so
as
to
make
her
seem
some
lovely
human
rosebud.
Rich
as
it
was
quiet,
the
attire added nothing to the girl's own sweetly dignified loveliness.
The pearls, emblem of her rank as a Xioqenu; the emeralds, mark of
her not yet having attained political voice; the rubies, gems of
royalty, worn only by the Rai, or one of his near relatives.
Gwauxln's own sister was Anzimee's mother and the wife of Menax.
Poseid
derived her greatness from her educational superiority, a greatness
which recognized no sex in its learned ballot−holders. But if
Atlantis owed all things to knowledge, it was none the less true that
Atl's people of ability would not have been what they were had it not
been for their wives, the sisters and the daughters, and more than
all, the mothers of our proud land. Our grand social fabric was
founded on and built by the efforts of sons and daughters who, for
centuries, had respected the lessons inculcated by fond, true,
patriotic mothers. Next to that paid to his Creator was the homage
which a Poseida accorded to woman. We loved our Rai, and the Astiki;
we respected them as much as ever rulers in this world have been
respected; but we honored our women more, and Rai and prince,
sovereign and subject, were proud to acknowledge the holy influence
which made all our glorious land
of
freedom
one
great
home.
America,
thou
art
beloved
by
me
even
as
was
Poseid.
Foremost
amongst
nations,
art thou so because of woman and Christ. Thou wilt keep in the van
because of them, and eclipse all the world beside when the happy
karmic day shall have arrived which places woman not below, not
above, but by the side of man on the rock of esoteric Christian
education, the granite of knowledge and faith, which withstands the
winds
and storms of ignorance. Built on such foundation, the National house
shall not fall; built on other, great shall be the fall of it. Here
is wisdom: myriad serpents are in a man; in thee; keep them. Now ye
are slaves. Be ye
masters
instead. But, alas! this Way is narrow; few will
to
find it.
CHAPTER
XIII. THE LANGUAGE OF THE SOUL
Zailm,
my
son,
thou
heardst
the
narration
of
the
Saldu,
Lolix.
As
thou
knowest,
it
is
from
things
arisen
out
of
the
occurrences by her related that thou goest on a mission to Suern. It
is not a hard task, merely to make return of acknowledgment for the
gifts presented and disavowal of our intent to keep as prisoners the
people whom Rai Ernon sent hither. We will give them asylum, but Rai
Ernon must not think that we permit their presence for any purpose
except to do him a favor. Concerning other business, on the morrow it
is Rai Gwauxln's pleasure that
thou
attendest at Agacoe. But wilt thou not remain here this night?
My
father,
I
fain
would
stay;
but
is
it
not
duteous
that
I
go
unto
my
mother
this
night
and
set
her
at
ease?
She
hath an infirmity of nervousness that can not well withstand my
absence at night.
Thou art
right, Zailm. Yet soon it must be arranged that thy mother be
domiciled in some pleasant part of this astikithlon, so that thou
shalt be under thy father's roof at night. I then departed from the
prince and from the sweet girl who had been with us during a part of
the evening, and went forth into the night. The rain had ceased, and
the
clouds,
rolling
across
the
sky
in
sullen
blackness,
had
but
one
rift
in
their
gloomy
mass.
In
this
single
rent
shone a great white star, which at times flashed red. As I looked at
it, down close to the horizon, seeming that moment
risen
from
old
ocean's
phosphorescent
waters,
visible
from
Menax
Heights,
I
thought
of
the
past;
for
this
star
had
flashed
brightly
upon
me
while
I
awaited
the
sunrise
on
Pitach
Rhok.
So
many
years
it
seemed
since
that
morn! To−day this star is called Sirius, we
named it Corietos. As
I looked upon it, it seemed an omen auspicious of success, past,
present and to come. Raising my hands toward it, I murmured:
Phyris,
Phyrisooa Pertos! which
is: Star,
O star of my life.
It seems
a little singular that the language which is translated thus should
have a similar sound and import as to−day used by the people of my
home planet. At that old day I raised my hands aloft and
exclaimed: Star, O star of my life! To−day I turn awhile from
precipitating this history in astral word−things, turn to my Alter
Ego, and say: Phyris, Phyrisa. This is her own dear name, and
signifies Star of my soul. Peculiar,
is
it
not,
that
twelve thousand years should pass, and I, member of another race of
human beings, in another mansion, find so little change in the
language of the soul?
CHAPTER
XIV. THE ADOPTION OF ZAILM
When,
according to request, I arrived at the Agacoe palace on the next
morning, I proceeded directly to the private
office
there
occupied
by
Prince
Menax,
expecting
to
find
my
father
alone.
But
in
this
I
was
disappointed,
as Rai Gwauxln was there with him. The two were in conversation when
I entered, and did not cease, evidently not regarding me as an
intruder. At last I heard the Rai ask:
Should
we not now go to the Incalithlon?
If
it please thee. And thou, Zailm, accompany us.
A palace
car was summoned by the Rai, and came rolling along into our presence
without any person to operate
it;
came in at the door of the office, which opened to allow its passage
precisely as if some court page had opened it.
It
wheeled
into
the
room
and
came
to
a
stop
in
front
of
us.
All
this
was
done
exactly
as
if
under
a
guiding
hand.
But
no
visible
hand
was
there.
This
was
the
first
time
I
had
ever
seen
any
exhibition
of
occult
power
on
the
part
of
Gwauxln; indeed I never saw many examples of his power,
notwithstanding his high adeptship. Like all true adepts he was
exceedingly chary of such object lessons, disliking to show his
knowledge before those not
possessed
of
sufficient
common
sense
to
know
that
any
acts
of
the
sort
were
but
examples
of
the
control
of
nature
through an understanding of higher laws than the ordinary mind
perceives in its natural surroundings; but I was not one who saw
anything miraculous in the occult; if I understood not the process, I
did understand that it was but the operation of some unfamiliar law.
Hence Gwauxln was not averse to allowing me to witness his power at
times.
The
car
conveyed
us
to
the
vailx−landing
outside,
where
we
found
a
vailx
of
small
size,
into
which
Rai
Gwauxln
courteously assisted first Menax, then myself, and himself entered
last. Here was a spectacle worthy of note, the ruler of a mighty
nation without the display of a single attendant, not more
deferential to rank than to those of inferior
station.
True,
as
a
Xio−Incali,
Gwauxln
had
command
over
mechanical
service
which
was
more
regal
far
than a retinue of menials could be.
Like
father,
like
son.
Gwauxln,
who
was
as
a
father
to
his
people,
was
copied
by
them
in
his
demeanor.
They,
too,
were simple in habits, courteous in manner, and, though in many cases
wealthy and luxurious in their habits in life, were entirely
unostentatious, as their Rai set them example.
The
great temple of Incal was distant several miles, but a few minutes
sufficed to bring us to its huge structure. Outwardly the Incalithlon
was shaped like the Egyptian pyramid of Cheops, not quite so high,
but covering an area of twice as great extent. No windows pierced its
sides, and sunlight or that of day never entered its interior.
Besides
a
number
of
small
apartments,
the
building
contained
one
vast
hall
where
was
space
for
several
thousand
worshipers. The Poseid habit of copying nature was followed in this
sanctuary with extraordinary faithfulness.
Instead
of straight walls, or alcoves, or the ordinary arrangement of
interiors, the enormous auditorium was in faithful semblance of a
cave of stalactites and stalagmites. In placing all this calcite,
utility was consulted with regard to the stalagmites so that too much
floor space should not be occupied by them. But the stalactites,
being pendent from the marble ceiling, had been placed as thickly as
space allowed and sparkled like stars in the light from the
incandescent lamps swung midway between them and the floor below.
From the latter point of view these lamps were concealed by broad
concave shades so that their glow was wholly invisible from beneath,
but shining
upwards
was
reflected
from
myriads
of
sparkling
white
needles,
filling
the
temple
with
a
steady
and.
soft,
but powerful, light that seemed to emanate from no special point, but
from the air itself, a light well adapted to religious meditation.
We
left
the
vailx
and
entered
the
unimposing
but
ample
portal,
and
proceeded
across
the
hall
to
the
Holy
Seat,
in
the back of the sanctuary. Within it we found Mainin, the Incaliz, or
high priest, a man of wondrous attainments of knowledge, second to
none in fact. To him we all made courteous obeisance, and then Prince
Menax said:
Most
holy
Incaliz,
thou
knowest,
in
thy
great
wisdom,
upon
what
errand
thy
sons
have
come
before
thee.
Wilt
thou fulfill our prayer by granting us thy blessing?
The
Incaliz arose and bade us to follow him into the triangle of the
Maxin, or Divine Light, in front of the Holy Seat. Deferring the
relation of our subsequent action, I will describe this especially
sacred part of the temple. It was a raised, triangular platform of
red granite, several inches higher than the floor of the auditorium,
thirty−six feet
between
its
points.
In
the
very
center
of
it
was
a
large
block
of
crystal
quartz,
upon
the
perfect
cube
of
which
rose the Maxin. This seemed aflame, in shape like a giant spearhead,
and it cast a light of intense power over all things around, yet one
could look at its steady, unwavering white glow without desiring
shade for the eyes, even though these were not strong. Over three
times the height of a tall man it stood, a mysterious manifestation
of Incal, as all spectators believed. In reality it was an occult
odic light, and had stood in that one spot for centuries. It had
witnessed the grander development of Poseid and its capital city, and
had seen the original temple of Incal (a
small
architectural
structure,
unworthy
of
a
great
people)
torn
down,
and
the
present
Incalithlon
built
around
it.
It
made
no
heat,
did
not
even
warm
the
quartz
pedestal;
yet
for
any
living
being
to
touch
it
was
fatal
in
the
instant
of the rash act. No oil, no fuel, no electric currents fed it; no man
tended it. Its history was peculiar, and can not fail to interest
thee, my friends.
Many
hundred
years
previously
there
had
been
for
four
hundred
and
thirty−four
days
a
ruler
over
the
Poseidi
who
possessed wonderful knowledge. This wisdom was like that of Ernon of
Suern. No one knew whence he came, and not a few were disposed to
question his statement, while all were in doubt, as to whether his
meaning was figurative or literal when he said:
I
am
from
Incal.
Lo,
I
am
a
child
of
the
Sun
and
am
come
to
reform
the
religion
and
life
of
this
people.
Behold
Incal is the Father and I am the Son, and He is in Me and I am in
Him.
He was
asked to prove this claim, whereupon be laid his hand upon a man born
blind, and the man received his sight and saw with the doubters that
his deliverer stooped to the pavement of the triangular platform, and
with his finger
drew
a
square
five
and
a
half
feet
either
way.
Then
he
stepped
outside
of
the
lines
indicated,
and
at
once
the
great block of quartz appeared, a perfect cube, in the place.
Standing by its side he placed his finger upon the
rock,
and blew thereon with his breath, As he withdrew the finger the
Maxin, or Fire of Incal, sprang up, and thus had cube and Unfed Fire
remained during all the centuries since.
It is
needless to say the proof was satisfactory, and thereafter the
mysterious stranger revised the laws and provided
then
the
code
which
had
ever
since
governed
the
land.
He
had
said
that
whosoever
should
add
to
or
take
from his laws, that person should not come into the Kingdom of Incal
until I am come on earth for the final judgment.
No
one
had
ever
desired
to
disobey,
it
would
seem,
or
at
least
no
change
had
ever
been
made.
The
laws
which
this
Rai had given were written by him with his finger upon the
Maxin−Stone, and no work of sculptor's chisel were better done.
They were also written upon a book of parchment leaves, and this he
placed under the Unfed Light itself, which thereafter sprang from the
surface of the Book; this had remained ever since, unharmed,
unscorched. The wonderful writer had placed it there in sight of all
the people who could enter the new Temple built in place of the old
one. As he did so, he said:
Hearken
unto me. This is my law. Behold it also written on the Maxin−Stone.
No man shall remove it, lest he die. Yet after centuries have flown,
behold! the Book shall disappear in sight of a multitude, and no man
shall know
its
place.
Then
shall
the
Unfed
Light
go
out,
and
no
man
be
able
to
rekindle
it.
And
when
these
things
have
come to pass, lo! the day is not far off when the land shall no more
be. It shall perish because of its iniquity, and the waters of Atl
shall roll above it! I have spoken.
Once, in
the history of Poseid, a Rai had come to doubt whether a man would
surely die if he tried to withdraw the Book of the Unfed Light. He
conceived the idea that as the Maxin sprang from the top of the Book
alone, and not
from
its
sides,
that
removal
might
be
possible.
So
therefore
he
forced
a
malefactor
to
attempt
the
deed,
fearing
after all to try it himself, although in the tyrannous policy which
he followed, he cared not whether the man died or not. That was a day
of growing darkness and wickedness, when men had somewhat forgotten
the Great Rai, Son of Incal. The unhappy wretch was made to grasp the
Book, and withdraw it if he could. He found it impossible to move it,
but yet was not destroyed by the Maxin. Grown bolder, and urged by
the Rai, he tried harder. He pulled, and then his grasp gave way, and
one hand passed through the Maxin. The member was instantly
destroyed,
cut
off,
gone,
while
the
monarch,
standing
many
feet
distant,
fearful
of
approaching
near,
was
stricken in that same instant by an outleaping flash of the Maxin,
and no one ever saw him more!
That one
example was sufficient! The error of their ways suddenly became very
apparent to the evil−doers, and administration of the laws was
again in accord with their spirit, as with their letter. The day of
the Dismal
Prophecy had
been looked for as the decades passed into centuries, but its time
was not yet come, and though many
alarmists
set
days
when
it
would
surely
come,
it
came
not,
and
the
Unfed
Light
continued.
According
to
the
law, bodies of all souls which had passed into Navazzamin were
cremated. This even included some animals.
Those
dying at a distance from Caiphul were incinerated in some one of the
multitude of Navamaxa (furnaces especially
for
dead
bodies)
which
the
government
provided
all
through
the
provinces,
and
if
the
incinerated
body
was that
of a human being the ashes were taken to Caiphul and cast into the
Maxin, as a ceremonial act. Those of the departed from Caiphul were
taken as they lay in death to the Incalithlon, and being raised to
the top of the Cube, were let fall face forward into the Unfed Light.
In either case, whether as incinerated ashes or unaltered forms, the
result was the same; that is, while there was no flaming, no smoke,
no tremor of the Maxin,
nevertheless
the instantaneous disappearance of the object occurred at the second
of contact with the marvelous Unfed Fire. Hence it had been sung by
poets as the Gateway to
the
country
which
each
soul
must
discover
for
itself. To die, with out in some manner passing into the Maxin,
either in corpus personae or by the ashes from
prior
incineration, was thought to be the most frightful calamity by the
greater number of the people.
It might
appear that people of such scientific erudition would not be so
seemingly childish in religious conceptions
as
this.
As
a
verity
it
was
not
childishness.
Instead,
it
was
an
insistence
upon
such
entire
destruction
of the earthly casket of the soul, as to render certain the freedom
of the real person from all earthly restraint in entering into,
Navazzamin.
Not
that
many
people
understood
the
esoteric
significance
of
the
rite;
no,
they
but
understood
so
much
of
the
real
meaning as the Incali had given them through comparing the
earth−leaving soul to the seed which, sprouting, leaves behind it
every fragment of the shell.
To
return to the Incalithlon and the ceremonial of my adoption by Prince
Menax.
As
we
stood
beside
the
Maxin−Stone,
Gwauxln
bade
me
kneel,
and
then,
placing
his
hand
upon
my
head,
spoke,
saying:
In
harmony
with
the
laws
of
the
land,
made
and
provided
in
such
cases,
Astika
Menax,
a
Councilor
of
the
land
of
Poseid,
hath
a
wish
to
adopt
thee,
Zailm
Numinos,
for
a
son
unto
his
name,
in
place
of
one
departed
hence
into
Navazzamin.
Wherefore,
as
thy
Sovereign
and
his,
I,
Gwauxln,
Rai
of
Poseid,
do
declare
it
to
be
as
prayed
for
by
Astika Menax.
The
Incaliz
completed
the
ceremonies
by
placing
his
right
hand
upon
my
head
and
his
left
upon
that
of
Menax
as
we
knelt
before
him,
and
invoking
the
blessing
of
Incal
upon
us
both.
As
he
removed
his
hands,
he
addressed
me
thus:
Be
thou erect in the sight of Incal, that no man may accuse thee
truthfully. This do, and thy days shall be long.
But even
as thou shalt fail, so then shall thy time be shortened. May the
peace of Incal be with thee.
Not one
of the three hearers, of the Incaliz understood him to mean that my
days would be short because I would fail in rectitude, but only as a
warning were the words taken. Yet I knew afterwards, all too late,
what prescience guided
Mainin
in
his
words.
Knew
in
a
flood
of
bitter
memory,
which
recalled
how
recreant
I
had
been
to
the
high
resolve on Pitach Rhok to be successful, a, a result of being true to
my divine. God−considering selfhood. But, all this came, as I
thought, too late. Too late was it, when I lay in a dungeon awaiting
death, from which no mortal could save me, and dreamed that my soul
sat on a verdureless shore looking across a limitless ocean. and
crying,
Ah!
where is the hope of my years! Bitter and fiery was the remorseful
agony, but my name was still on the Book of Life; still there, and
not erased as I feared. Karma is inexorable and severe, my brother,
my sister; but our Savior hath said: Follow Me. He that hath an ear
to hear, let him hear. Be
ye
doers
of
the
word,
and
not
hearers only.
As
we
turned
away,
an
Incala,
who
had
been
present,
began
playing
on
the
great
organ
of
the
temple;
then
the
silences of the vast auditorium responded as no human voice could
make them do.
On
the winds the bells' deep tones are swelling
The
echoes
rang
again
and
again
as
the
thundering
voices
of
the
great
organ
pealed
forth,
thrilling
the
soul
with
its
mighty
harmony.
Rays
of
many−hued
lights,
some
brilliant,
some
soft−tinted
as
those
of
a
spectroscopic
image
of
the moon, played from point to point in exhausted air−tubes, and as
the colors changed, so did the notes of music, for every ray of
light, whatsoever its source, is a pulsing choral note, if developed
rightly. Thus the stars sing.
The Rai
did not go with Menax and myself, when the conclusion of our business
was reached, but remained with the
Incaliz
Mainin.
With
him
Gwauxln
was
more
familiar,
his
friendship
more
deeply
intimate
than
with
any
other
human being. And the reason was that both be and Mainin were Sons of
the Solitude and had been youths
together
in the days ere public favor had marked the one for Rai, the other
for Incaliz, these both being elective positions, the office of High
Priest being the only ecclesiastical office which could be filled by
popular vote. And this exception was because it was considered true
justice to allow the people to consult their own desires in this
matter of choosing one whom all believed to be the most eminently
good and perfect example of moral life, to be over them in this
highest spiritual office.
But in
the days of their youth neither had seemed to expect the preferment
which the years had in store, and after the long course required of
Xio Incali at the Xioquithlon, both had hidden the world of men adieu
and had gone forth into the solitudes of the vast mountains, where
only the Sons of Incal had abode, of all mankind. These men were
the
Theochristic
or
Occult
Adepts
of
that
olden
age,
the
Yog−Vidya
of
their
time.
They
were
indeed
chary
of
their wisdom, then as now; but to Gwauxln and Mainin they imparted it
without stint. They had no families then, nor do these students of
God, of Nature, deviate now from the same celibate principles. None
who hope to
achieve
their deep knowledge will mate. 1
After
years had flown, so many that men had almost forgotten them, Gwauxln
and Mainin did what few had ever been known to do returned to the
haunts of ordinary humanity. My father, Menax, had been but a babe
when Gwauxln went away, and the latter's sister was not then born.
Yet when Gwauxln came back, the silvery threads of
age
already
gleamed
in
the
hair
of
the
Prince
Menax,
while
as
for
the
Rai
that
was
to
be,
he
looked
a
little
more
mature, but otherwise unchanged from the youthful semblance of the
days of yore. In the interim, his sister had come to the world, grown
to womanhood, wedded Menax, and after bringing into life their son,
Soris, and their daughter, Anzimee, had gone into the undiscovered
country through the Maxin gateway. Mainin, too, was of a similarly
youthful appearance.
Both of
these Sons of the Solitude came
back,
giving
as
their
reason
for
return
that
their
presence
was
needed,
and both were eventually chosen by the people to fill the respective
positions which we have seen them
occupying,
positions rendered vacant by the death of the incumbents. It is only
now, after twelve thousand years have slipped into eternity through
the back door of time that I have come to know how much Mainin had to
do with
those
events,
and
how
wholly
in
the
dark
concerning
his
real
character
was
Gwauxln
and
every
other
Son
of
the Solitude. Not to anticipate, is it strange that Rai−Gwauxln
felt more pleasurable intimacy possible in his intercourse with
Mainin than with any other person connected with his daily life? Or
that he felt his finally exposed treachery more keenly than any one
else could? I think not.
Footnotes
137:1
I, Cor. vii., 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 29, 31, 32.
CHAPTER
XV. A MATERNAL DESERTION
On
leaving
my
farm
home
that
morning,
I
had
told
my
mother
all
that
had
transpired,
and
said
that
she
should
have an escort to the palace, whither, after my recent change of
fortune, I expected her to go and live, in accordance with the
instructions of Menax.
What
an
anomalous
position
was
this.
Here
was
I,
son
by
adoption
of
one
of
the
Imperial
Princes,
and
by
virtue
of
being recognized brother of his daughter, Anzimee, I was a nephew of
my sister's uncle, Rai Gwauxln. Yet my mother. was not related to any
of these royalties, and had seen none of them, except the Rai, often
enough to enable her to be sure of recognition should she meet them
again. But I rejoiced when I thought of the opportunities she would
presently have of more intimate acquaintanceship.
Having
sent
the
promised
excort
for
her,
what
was
my
surprise
on
returning
to
the
palace,
at
learning
from
my
father that instead of coming she had sent a message in writing. I
hastily broke the seal and read, in her fine Poseidic chirography,
the simple command:
Zailm,
come to me.
PREZZA
NUMINOS.
I
went.
Somehow
an
icy
feeling
of
apprehension
was
about
my
heart,
a
presentiment
of
something
harrowing.
When I arrived at the house, my mother, looking, as I thought, rather
pale, said:
My son,
I cannot go to the palace. I have no desire to do so. I am overjoyed
at thy success in life; live then, in thy high place. I may not go
with thee. Thou art easy in the midst of noble society, I could never
be so. Perhaps thou wilt say that for me thou wilt give it up and
remain with me. Do not do so. Lest thou feel thus, it is best that
thou shouldst endure the pain of knowledge now rather than hereafter.
Listen: I have cared for thee during the years
of
infancy
and
boyhood,
and
seen
thee
arrive
at
man's
estate.
Thou
needest
not
this
care
now.
I
will
go
back
to the home of the mountains.
Mother,
talk not so! I
interrupted.
Hear me
through, Zailm! I will go back to the mountains with my husband, he
whom thou knowest not, a good man, a lover ere I married thy father,
and whom, having wedded this morning, the notice of it hath doubtless
by this
time
been
published
abroad.
An
Incala
who
came
past
very
opportunely,
performed
the
simple
ceremony.
My
other husband, thy father, I loved not, but did detest, for it was a
marriage arranged by my parents against my will, but alas! with my
consent, fool that I was to give it! Thou art the fruit of that
union, and to me came unwished. For thy father was disliked,
abhorred, but dying, left you heritor, not of my dislike, that were
too unjust, but, must I say it? an object of indifference. I have not
been a lacking mother, for, as a matter of pride, I concealed my
feelings. In a way I even love thee; I love my friends; 'tis nothing
deeper. I have now to bid thee good−bye, having said which it is
necessary to
I heard
no more, for I had fallen unconscious upon the floor. Was this the
mother I had idolized? For whom I had striven so hard in the earlier
years and later, in Caiphul, ere a new object to work for arose and
led me thenceforth with
greater
determination
in
the
form
of
a
double
ideal,
love
of
mother
and
love
of
Anzimee
O
Incal!
My
God!
O my God!
At
last
I
came
out
of
the
horrid
dream
into
which,
without
regaining
consciousness
after
my
swoon,
I
had
passed,
a heated nightmare of brain fever.
Mother!
As
I uttered the loved word, Astika Menax, who sat by my bedside, turned
away, his eyes brimming with tears.
Nay,
Zailm,
be
not
troubled!
Thou
hast
been
ill
near
unto
death
with
brain
fever
these
two
weeks.
I
will
tell
thee
all, to−morrow, perhaps. Thou camest very close to going to await
me in the Shadowy Land; but not long wouldst thou have had to wait,
my light, for it would have been but a little while ere I rejoined
thee, lad!
The
story is not long. My mother, being told that good care should aid
her in nursing me, said that she would not remain at all, as she
doubted not that the skilled care of Menax's private physician could
do as well, or better, for me than she. Wherefore she had gone with
her husband to their mountain home. From the hour in which Menax told
me
this,
at
the
cost
of
much
pain
to
himself,
the
subject
was
dropped,
and
never
again
referred
to
by
any
one.
Once,
when I went near to the place of my birth, and sent a messenger to
ask if I was welcome, he came back to my vailx and said that a man
met him at the door. To him the message was given, and he said: Say
to
thy
master
that my wife bids him come. I went, but could see that she would
rather I had not come. She gave me her hand, but did not offer to
kiss me, as a mother is wont to do. Her manner but spare me details
of this last meeting and last time I ever saw my Poseid mother. She
acted wisely in not going to the palace, constituted as she was; it
is a painful subject; let it be dropped.
−
As soon
as my health permitted me to go on my mission to Suernis, which was
not until the new year had begun at
the
Xioquithlon,
from
attendance
at
which
the
Xiorain
forbade
me
until
the
next
year,
Prince
Menax
took
me
to
his private office.
The
Xiorain has ordered wisely, said Menax. Oh!
these
younger
minds,
they
are
full
of
promise
for
the
future! No scheme was ever better than this in which the students
govern themselves, and on all questions concerning educational
matters, even to the distribution and use of the educational funds
provided by the government and the selection of tutors, their word is
law.
On the
table in Menax's office stood a lovely vase of malleable glass, into
which, while fused, powder of gold, silver and other colored metals
were mixed, together with certain chemicals which rendered the whole
of various degrees
of
translucency,
from
nearly
opaque
to
perfect
transparency,
the
various
range
affecting
the
metals
as
well
as the glass, and appearing in different parts of the same object.
The beauty was not second to the value of the costly product. Menax
pointed to the tall vase, and I read upon it this inscription, formed
with rubies:
To
Ernon, Rai of Suern, I, Gwauxln, Rai of Poseid, return this in token
of thy appreciation of the Poseidi.
If
any
reader
desires
to
see
a
facsimile
of
the
original
legend
in
Poseid
chirography,
the
desire
is
here
granted:
Turning
from the vase, I asked:
When
shall I go upon this mission, my father?
As
early
as
health
and
convenience
permit,
Zailm.
Then be it the day after the morrow.
'Tis
well. Take any company thou mayst choose. There are none who cannot
get leave of absence from the Xiorain, I think, shouldst thou wish
fellow students for companions; at least they can probably obtain a
vacation of
a
month,
and
thou
wilt
scarcely
care
to
stay
longer
than
thirty−three
days.
Take
also
this
signet
ring,
whereby
I
delegate thee my deputy, being confident of thy discretion in its
use; its powers are those of Minister of Foreign Business. And take
escort of courtiers, also.
To
this
I
replied
that
I
would
not
take
a
retinue,
such
as
a
staff
of
officers,
since
from
the
story
of
Astiku
Lolix,
I
judged Rai Ernon to be one who would look with scorn upon such a
useless appanage. This pleased Menax greatly, and he proudly said:
Zailm,
thy
language
pleases
me!
I
see
thou
art
wisely
politic,
and
dost
consider
well
the
probable
idiosyncrasies
of those with whom thou hast dealings.
During
my illness Anzimee had shown much solicitude, and as I learned from
the regular nurses, all the while I was
outside
the
realm
of
consciousness,
she
had
permitted
no
one
else
to
care
for
me
except
when
she
was
utterly
fatigued, and not long then. As I convalesced, her presence was not
bestowed upon me except at intervals. I took advantage
of
one
of
these
visits
to
let
her
know
that
I
was
aware
of
her
kindness
during
my
delirium.
She
flushed,
then said:
Thou
knowest
that
I
am
studying
the
science
of
therapy;
what
better
chance
to
experiment
could
an
eager
student
have than thou didst furnish me?
Yea,
verily, I
answered,
but
felt
that
there
was
a
deeper
reason
than
the
experimental
proclivity,
and
that
the
indulgence in the latter was extremely, lovingly cautious!
To
Anzimee I outlined a plan for getting the greatest possible amount of
pleasure from my trip, after the state business at Ganje, the capital
city of Suernis, should have been attended to. It was three years
since I had been away from Caiphul to any greater distance than going
to Marzeus involved. I showed her the route I purposed to take;
together we scanned the map, and I pointed out that from Caiphul on
the extreme western cape of Poseid,
my
course would be east by north across the continent, the intervening
ocean beyond it and between that point
and
further land. Then still on east across the country of Necropan,
which country, now called Egypt, Abyssinia, etc.,
then
embraced
the
entire
continent
of
Africa,
one
government
similar
to
that
of
Suern,
and
was
inhabited
by
a
people of kindred powers, but not nearly so far advanced.
Africa
was then not more than half its present size, while Suernis, which
also embraced all of Asia, was much different from what it is to−day,
but was a name more distinctive of the peninsula of Hindustan.
Leaving
Necropan,
the route would be across the sea to India, or, as we knew the names,
across the Waters of Light (in
reference
to their phosphorescence) to Suernis. From Ganje, capital of Suernis,
our course was still eastward
across
the Pacific ocean, as it is now named, to our colonies in America,
called Incalia by
us,
because
in
that
far antipodal land, the Sun, Incal, was fabled as making his bed by
that epic heretofore mentioned as the basis of Atlan folklore.
From
Southern
Incalia,
(modern
Sonora)
I
intended
to
go
northwards
and
skim
hastily
over
the
desolate
ice−fields
of the arctic regions. What is now Idaho and Montana, Dakota,
Minnesota, and the Dominion of Canada were then covered with vast
glaciers, the rear−guard of the glacial epoch, which was slowly
retreating, very slowly, even
in
so
late
a
day,
geologically
speaking,
as
the
days
of
Atl,
reluctant
to
end
its
frigid
reign.
The
trip
could
thus
be made to afford novel and pleasing contrasts−tropical,
semi−tropical, temperate and frigid.
Would
our father object to my going also, Zailm? asked Anzimee,
wistfully. I
have
not
been
away
from
Caiphul in five years.
Indeed,
no,
little
girl.
He
bade
me
invite
whomsoever
should
please
me,
and
I
know
of
no
person
who
doth
please me more than thou. I have already asked a goodly company of
our common friends.
So
Anzimee went also. When everything was arranged, our party consisted
of nearly a score of young people congenial to, each other, a couple
of officers of the staff of Menax, with the necessary servitors and
conveniences for a month's absence. Our vailx was of the middle
traffic−size, these vessels being made in four standard lengths:
number
one, about twenty−five feet; number two, eighty feet; number three,
something like one hundred and fifty−five feet, while the largest
was yet two hundred feet longer than the third size. These long
spindles were in fact round, hollow needles of aluminum, formed of an
outer and an inner shell between which were many thousands
of
double
T
braces,
an
arrangement
productive
of
intense
rigidity
and
strength.
All
the
partitions
made
other braces of additional resistant force. From amidships the
vessels tapered toward either end to sharp points. Most vailxi were
provided with an arrangement allowing, when desired, an open
promenade deck at one end.
Windows
of
crystal,
of
enormous
resistant
strength,
were
in
rows
like
portholes
along
the
sides,
a
few
on
top,
and
others set in the floor, thus affording a view in all directions. I
might mention that the vailx which I had selected for our vacation
trip was fifteen feet and seven inches in its greatest diameter.
At
the
appointed
time
(the
first
hour
of
the
third
day,
as
agreed
with
Menax)
my
invited
guests
assembled
at
the
palace, from the roof of which we were to take our departure. How
careful I was of my lovely sister, and how proud of her beauty.
The
princess Lolix, whom we had ever treated as a guest at Menaxithlon,
came up to the platform where the ship lay, curious to see our
preparations for departure. It seemed ever new to her to behold an
aerial vessel leave terra firma.
Not
that
anything
of
her
wonder
was
expressed;
she
made
it
a
point
of
pride
to
appear
surprised
at
nothing,
however
novel
or
marvelous
it
might
really
be
to
her
experience.
Indeed,
hers
was
a
calm,
even
temperament,
not
easily aroused. I had not, in the five or six weeks since hearing her
story, again seen her exhibit so much of any sort of emotion as she
had that evening when I had observed that my attentions to Anzimee
disturbed the Saldu, and
I
knew
that
the
effect
must
be
deep
because
of
her
inability
to
keep
its
appearance
wholly
secret.
Considering
that we were bound for Suernis, Lolix was not invited to go, as she
otherwise might have been. But I did not forget to bid her a cordial
and respectful farewell.
The
current keys were set, and, just as the vailx trembled slightly ere
leaving the roof, Menax sprang upon the deck,
thereby
considerably
astonishing
me,
for
I
had
no
idea
that
he
intended
accompanying
us.
In
reality
he
did
not, but to. all questions he preserved a smiling silence.
Long as
was our silver−white spindle, we had soon risen so high as to make
us seem a mere speck to people on the earth beneath. Then for half an
hour we flew at moderate speed through the high abyss, when a young
lady called
attention
to
an
approaching
vailx,
following
in
our
wake.
Prince
Menax,
seated
in
a
deck
chair
by
my
side,
looked over the rail at the surface, more than two miles beneath,
then he drew his heavy fur cape more closely about his shoulders,
looked back over the hundred miles, more or less, of our course
already covered in the half hour, and remarked that the other vailx
was rapidly gaming on us.
Shall I
give orders to the vailx−man to increase speed, that we may enjoy a
race? I
asked
of
the
company,
which clad in arctic clothing, was occupying the passing time in
sightseeing round about us on the open deck.
Nay,
not so, my son, said
Menax.
I
said no more, for it at that moment dawned upon me that the pursuer
followed us by the prince's order.
Menax
now arose, bade the company good−bye and a pleasant trip, and then,
Anzimee having arisen also, he put his
arm
about
her
and
came
back
to
me.
As
I
stood
up
he
passed
his
disengaged
arm
around
me
and
thus
we
stood
for some moments. Then releasing us, he ordered the two deckmen to
throw grapples across to the other vessel, which at that moment
grated alongside. The next instant he stepped on board the other
vailx and signed to loose grapples. Thus we parted, high above the
green earth, two miles beneath, he to return, we to go onwards.
CHAPTER
XVI. THE VOYAGE TO SUERN
Before
us
lay
a
pleasure
trip
during
which
we
should
travel
many
thousands
of
miles.
We
proceeded
slowly
when
we came above the base of the huge bulk of Pitach Rhok, the mighty
mountain, and ascended somewhat, so that we should be on a level with
its high point. When at the place, nothing would suit the company
except a stop on the summit, and together we all placed foot in the
snows on the pitach, which thing was done chiefly to please Anzimee,
who said that the place was very interesting on account of what had
there happened to me.
Then,
again,
we
were
under
way,
descending
from
the
higher
altitudes
in
order
to
better
view
the
thickly
inhabited, though mountainous, country beneath us, between Pitach
Rhok and east Poseid.
At
the
approach
of
sunset
a
dull
roar
arose
to
the
ear,
and
soon
the
long
white
shore
of
old
ocean
flashed
beneath
a
moment, and in a little time was fax behind, with the waters, lead
color in the twilight, beneath, behind, before
and
on both sides, no land in sight, and over one thousand miles east the
country of Necropan. Without going at a full rate of speed, we could
not expect to be above that land in less than two or three hours. But
as it would be dark ere reaching it, we slackened speed to an hundred
and fifty miles per hour, closed the deck and went into the salon,
where incandescent lamps lit up the darkening night−glooms.
A trip
by vailx could never prove so monotonous as a journey in even the
fastest of ocean steamships so often is to−day. The variety of
scenery, the wide views possible, for altitude was dependent wholly
on pleasure, the external cold being unheeded by people who sat in a
parlor warmed by means from Navaz and furnished with air of the
proper density by the same Night−Side forces all this tended to
prevent ennui. Then too, the rapid transit changed
the
aspect
of
things
beneath
so
fast
that
the
spectator
looking
back−wards
gazed
upon
a
dissolving
view.
As an aside, the currents derived from the Night−Side of Nature
permitted the attainment of the same speed as that of the diurnal
rotation of the earth, e.
g.:
supposing we were at an altitude of ten miles, and the time the
instant of the sun's meridian; at that meridian moment we could
remain indefinitely, bows on, while the earth revolved
beneath,
at
approximately
seventeen
miles
every
minute.
Or,
the
reverse
direction
keys
could
be
set,
and
our vailx would speed away from where it was meridian on the surface
beneath, at the same almost frightful rate, frightful to one unused
to it, as my reader is now, but one day will not be, if, as I hope,
he or she will live to see vailxi rediscovered. Nor need the life be
a very long one ere then.
While
we
had
such
preventives
of
ennui,
we
lacked
not
commoner
means
of
enjoyment.
We
had
our
naima,
in
the
mirrors and vibrators of which our friends, however distant, could
appear in image of form and of voice, lifesized and with undiminished
vocal volume. The salons of the great passenger vailxa had libraries,
musical instruments, and potted plants, amongst the flowers of which
birds similar to the modern domestic canary darted about.
At about
the tenth hour it was reported that Necropan was beneath, and at this
surprising information, because at the speed I had ordered, we should
have been at least six hours longer in coming to that country, I
enquired of the vailxman his reason for increasing speed without
orders. No good reason being given, I severely reprimanded the
conductor,
and
ordered
that
a
descent
be
made
to
terra
firma,
in
order
that
we
might
travel
by
day
over
the
Wasted
Land, as our word Sattamund may be translated, which is the Sahara
desert of to−day. This great wade some of our
party
had
never
seen,
and
to
allow
them
the
privilege
we
settled
down
to
spend
the
night
on
an
elevated
ridge,
high enough to be above malarious influences, for we were near where
modern Liberia lies.
The
proud bird The Condor of the Andes, That
can
sail
thro'
heaven's
unfathomable
depths,
Or brave the fury of the northern hurricane
And
bathe his plumage in the Thunder's home, Furls
his
broad
wings
at
nightfall,
and
sinks
down
To rest upon his mountain crag.
Though
we called it Sattamund, or the Wasted Land, yet it was not such an
and region then as it is now. Water, if not as abundant as it was in
Poseid, was abundant enough to give a wealth of tropical trees of the
hardier sorts, sufficient at least to hide the nakedness of the
slopes and hills of that old seabed. There were even a few saline
lakes there, broad and blue, and it was around these that the
population was centered. But the same dread catastrophe
that
overtook
fair
Poseid
laid
its
terrible
hand
upon
Necropan,
and
its
beauty
of
verdure
went
out
from
the land, because the geological changes withdrew all the water from
the surface, and hid it so that only artesian augers could find it.
The same mighty throe rent the rocks through and through in Southwest
Incalia, and to−day there
is
in
that
arid
region
scenery
most
fantastic,
weird
past
the
power
of
my
pen
to
describe,
where
flows
the
Rio
Gila, the Colorado, and Colorado Chiquita. But I will reserve the
description, and when it is given it shall be in other words than
mine, so that thou and I, my friend, shall together have the pleasure
of enjoying a fine word−painting.
In
Poseid and Suern, and wherever civilization extended its scepter, it
was the universal law, and mankind's pleasure to obey the heavenly
mandate which the general accordance with the solar life spirit
taught us required the planting, instead of careless rejection, of O
seeds of goodly flower or fruit, for shade, for beauty, for utility,
wherever it chanced that a favorable spot offered, either in the
habitats of man or in the untrodden wilderness. Indeed, in such trips
as our party was then taking, it was a matter of religious
significance to take great quantities of seeds and to scatter them
from the vailx−decks at nightfall, both as an offering to Incal, as
His sublime symbol set
in
the
west,
and
also
that
the
dews
of
night
might
insure
germination,
and
this
ceremony
was
also
held
to
be
an
acknowledgment of the Goddess of Increase, Zania. Thus the wilds came
to bloom as the rose; and to−day the world is heritor of that
sowing of seed; the indigenous cereals, the wheat, for the origin of
which many ingenious but insufficient theories have been put forth,
and the varieties of palms that make the tropics famed for the grace
of their cocoas and dates, and every genera of the Chamaerops. And
these things are because man, woman and
child
found pleasure in that olden time in planting seed by the wayside. Go
thou
and
do
likewise,
that
the
waste
places may become full of beauty and be a joy forever. All hail to
Arbor Days, which fulfill the injunction of
Christ;
they will surely make a return, and some an hundred fold. A small
pocket now and then will hold many a seed for planting, and though
thou heedest not its sort, so that it be goodly, yet the Father hath
said, It
shall
bring
forth after its kind.
THE
STORM
The
morning dawned clear and cloudless and was altogether so delightful
that we essayed scarcely any forward progress,
moving
slowly
in
order
that
the
deck
might
be
uncovered
and
the
company
allowed
to
sit
out
in
the
fresh
air and warm sunshine.
Down
below, a couple of thousand feet at most, we saw, through good
glasses, various forms of . human, animal, bird and plant life; and
sounds came up to us in drowsy, musical monotone, as our vailx
hovered above. Towards evening the winds began to blow, rendering it
unpleasant to remain so near the ground. The repulse−keys were set,
and presently we were so high in the air that all about our now
closed ship were cirrus clouds, clouds of hail held aloft by the
uprushing of the winds, severe enough to have been dangerous had our
vessel been propelled by wings
or
fans
or
gas
reservoirs.
But
as
we
derived
from
Nature's
Night−Side
or,
in
Poseid
phrase,
from
Navaz,
our
forces for propulsion as well m for repulsion, or levitation,
therefore our long, white, aerial spindles feared no storm, however
severe.
As the
windows, being frosted over, obscured our view, and as the night
promised furious weather, we had recourse
to
books,
music
and
to
conversation
with
one
another,
and,
through
the
naim,
with
our
friends
at
home
in
faraway Poseid. No authority had Murus (Boreas) over the currents
from Navaz. The evening had not far advanced
when
it
was
suggested
that
the
storm
would
most
likely
be
heavier,
and
the
wind
wilder
nearer
the
earth,
and so the repulse−keys were set to a fixed degree, making nearer
approach to the ground than was desirable impossible as an accidental
occurrence. We might, if it were generally agreeable, take advantage
of our privilege
and
enjoy
the
sensation
of
being
in
the
midst
of
the
storm,
ourselves
safe
and
under
full
speed,
And brave the fury of the Northern hurricane.
The
partial
novelty
might
make
us
sleep
better,
when,
the
evening
passed,
we
should
have
gone
to
our
staterooms.
I, therefore, approved the plan, and gave orders to the conductor to
descend to a height of about twenty−five hundred
feet.
Down
we
dropped.
Our
lights
were
made
low
in
order
to
produce
a
partial
gloom,
the
better
to
enjoy
the
full
fierceness
of
the
tempest,
and
we
sat
near
the
windows
where
we
could
hear,
if
not
see.
To
the
eye,
naught
would have appeared outside save entire blackness; to the ear, the
loud beating of the rain upon the metal shutters was plainly,
delightfully apparent. Against the sharp points of prow and stem the
wind howled and shrieked like an army of demons. At times when the
vailx was struck, broadside by some counterblast, it would careen and
tremble, but it kept on its way, determined as a thing of life. The
experience was enjoyable, if not entirely novel, for it spoke to us
of the power of man over matter, and taught us of the things of God,
Incal to us, Master of all things and of ourselves, who by Him had
this authority over the elements. When the sensation had become
monotonous the lights were increased to proper brightness; again we
turned to books and games and music, as we once more sought the upper
regions of the atmosphere, which were quieter compared with those of
the half−mile plane.
Anzimee
and a girl companion sat apart from the rest of the company in a
retreat formed of flowering vines draped
across
one
corner
of
the
main
salon.
In
a
short
time
she
came
from
her
nook
to
where
I
sat,
wrapped
in
meditative obliviousness. Touching my shoulder as she came close, she
said:
Zailm,
thou
dost
sing;
it
would
please
me
if
thou
wouldst
take
thy
lute
and
come
to
where
Thirtil
and
myself
have chosen seats, and sing to us.
She
bent
over
my
shoulder,
blushing
slightly,
looking
so
altogether
lovely
that
I
simply
sat
and
gazed
in
silent
appreciation of her beauty.
Come,
Zailm, wilt thou?
I
arose
promptly
enough
when
I
saw
a
shade
of
disappointment
cross
her
face,
as
she
interpreted
my
silence
to
mean unwillingness, and I said:
Lo,
Anzimee, I am but too pleased to comply, but how could I move?
Unsuspiciously,
she asked:
Move?
and why not?
Hast
thou ever seen a bright bumming bird, I replied, which,
poised
at
a
flower
beside
thee,
kept
thee
still,
almost afraid to breathe, lest it be alarmed to flight? Even so I
could not move, lest
There,
there
now!
If
I
were
not
used
to
reading
one's
earnestness
or
other
emotions
in
the
eyes,
I
would
say
thou
art a sad flatterer. But, come.
What
shall I sing, little friend? I
asked
of
Thirtil,
a
demure,
sweet
little
maiden,
an
art
student,
half−serious,
half−frivolous in temperament.
Oh, dost
ask me? Well, something, something, with a mischievous glance at
Anzimee, from thy heart! she
laughingly
replied. Anzimee blushed, but made no other sign, merely dropping her
long lashes as I looked at her, while I said, Truly! Then from my
heart−this (a popular favorite, by the way):
Ere
the
heart
can
know
its
own,
Ere the doubts of life are o'er,
Love
in
our
hearts
must
have
grown
To the heights of heaven's shore. Truly, love is sought in vain
In
other
place
than
in
the
heart;
True love always hath its pain, When from purity we part.
May we
cease from every strife, While in lovely verse enshrining Incal's
blessing in our life;
With
His
peace
it
e'er
entwining.
So is melody divine,
When the
music of the soul; 'Tis
betrothing
thine
and
mine,
While the centuries unroll.
Yet
our
hearts
are
young
and
gay,
Seeking ever fairest bowers
Where
shall
bloom
from
day
to
day,
All the beauty of the flowers.
There
is one of all the rest,
That
alone
for
me
is
blooming;
Deep the tendrils in my breast, Find forever their entombing. Shall I
pluck it while in bloom,
Ready
for
the
gardener's
gleaning?
Could I take forever home
What,
unto
me,
is
no
dreaming?
Yea, beloved, we shall rejoice
In His
blessing evermore; List'ning
to
the
gentle
voice,
That as One we do adore.
Thus it
was within the vailx, song and pleasure; without was the storm, risen
up after us. Into the teeth of the furious gale plunged our long
spindle, giving no sign exteriorly, even had any one been there to
see, of the light and
warmth,
laughter
and
song,
of
the
human
freight
and
songbirds
within
its
staunch
shell,
amidst
the
flowers,
a
drifting
bit
of the tropics, safe from boreal blasts. No sign, save only the gleam
of the crimson fore and aft lights.
While
the others retired for the night to their various state
rooms,
I remained in the vacated salon
until
the
announcement
was
made
to
me
that
we
were
above
Suernis.
No
landing
could
be
made,
however,
in
the
face of a gale blowing eighty miles an hour, such an attempt would
have resulted in being dashed to pieces the instant we reached the
ground.
In order
that we might be wholly out of the range of the influence of the
storm, I gave directions to rise above the level of the disturbance,
if such a region of calm existed within reach, and there set the keys
so as to stop all propulsion. Receiving this order, the conductor
augmented the repulsion force by means of the levers of degree, and
we rose steadily up, up, up above the clouds, above the rush of the
hurricane, into a clear, calm atmosphere, intensely cold, almost
thirteen miles from the earth's surface. Could we have had a view
unobstructed by stormclouds, we were just about high enough to afford
us a horizon of three hundred and fifty miles. Soon after this
order
I
went
to
my
room
to
bed.
With
the
morning
the
storm
had
not
decreased
in
fury;
and
occasional
flurries
in the air above us proved that the storm−area on the surface must
be of vast extent. The cold outside was too intense to consider, even
for an instant, the opening of the deck; the sky was almost black in
the depth of its blueness; the sun, shorn of much of its dazzling
brightness, appeared strangely dim, and the stars were visible.
The
steady
motion
of
the
air−dispensers
as
their
wheels
and
pistons
worked
to
maintain
the
interior
air
at
a
normal
pressure was painfully apparent in the awful stillness, while the
fizz of the air escaping through the fine crevices around the windows
and edges of the deck made such a noise that I ordered the setscrews
tightened and the ventilator pipes opened. Had the frost not hindered
vision through the windows and, with the clouds, prevented a view of
the earth's surface, a sight most peculiar would have been presented.
The view toward the extended horizon would have made the apparent
union of earth and sky seem almost on a level with us; but directly
beneath, the fun separation from the solid globe would have seemed,
not like a ball but like a huge bowl, ornamented with landscape
scenes in its interior. As, however, we could not see, our songs, our
reading, and our conversation went on, whilst the very faint beams of
Incal, coming through the frosted glass, were supplemented by the
some knowledge which gave us heat and air and position, to defy the
cold and the rarefaction and gravitation knowledge
of Navaz.
At
home
in
Poseid
there
was
no
storm,
but
Menax,
at
the
naim,
told
us
that
the
weather
office
anticipated
one,
the
one
of
which
we
at
that
moment
awaited
the
abatement.
We
waited
until
the
sun
set
in
the
west
and
came
in
sight
in the east twice.
Several
times the Saldu appeared at the end of the salon, seeming in the
mirror of the naim as real and present as if,
in
verity,
a
third
of
the
globe
did
not
separate
us.
Once,
only,
she
spoke,
and
then
in
a
whisper
to
me,
as,
I
stood
near the naim:
When,
my lord, wilt thou be at home? A month? 'Tis long, 'tis long!
A report
of even the smallest events of our trip was furnished the news
office, and was printed upon the discs of the public vocaligraphs, to
use a word of modem sound, and long before any landing was effected
by us on the soil
of
Suernis
our
fellow
countrymen
were
acquainted
with
the
story
of
our
enforced
suspension
between
heaven
and
earth
while
biding
the
abatement
of
the
storm.
Speaking
of
the
vocaligraph
leads
me
to
remark
that
the
social
superstructure of Poseid was maintained upon the broad basis of
equitable laws laid down by the great Rai of the Maxin−time through
the influence of free speech as made and molded by church and school,
and expressed through the millions of vocaligraphs the three
rendering secure the integral homes which, aggregated, formed the
nation.
At last
the storm king withdrew his forces and the time had come for our
descent. Down we swept from the vault of heaven, into Ganje, capital
city of Suern. Hast thou ever been in the ancient and long−deserted
city of Petra of Seir? That very peculiar city at the foot of Mount
Hor, a city hollowed from the living rock? Quite likely not, for the
followers
of
Mahomet
make
it
hard
to
visit
the
place.
But
if
thou
hast
read
thereof,
then
thou
hast
some
idea
of
Ganje, in old Suerna, built in the cliffs of the river banks.
Such
details
as
embrace
the
manner
of
our
reception
are
too
trivial
to
fill
this
record.
Suffice
it
that
it
was
suited
to
the friendly international relations of Suern and Poseid, and to my
station and rank as a high deputy. Rai Ernon was far less interested
in the vase and in the other gifts of gold and gems, than in the
captive Saldani whom the tokens commemorated, particularly in the
Saldu, Lolix the Rainu. I was startled at the monarch's close
knowledge of the whole affair in all its details, and of my sickness
and other incidents which were not matters of public note; but I
betrayed no such feeling, since it was but momentary and passed as
soon as recollection of Ernon's wonderful occult powers came to me.
Speaking
of the Saldui, but especially of Lolix, he said:
I
did
not
send
the
Chaldeans
unto
Gwauxln
as
objects
of
lust,
neither
as
a
retributive
punishment,
that
by
exile
from their native Chaldea they might atone to Suern for their
fathers, sons, brothers, or husbands who worked harm to Suernis. No,
doubtless they were not more blameable than is a tiger which hath a
similarly destructive nature, but by the laws of Yeovah we find that
ignorance of the law never exempts a wrongdoer from penalty.
Law
says
in
regard
to
sin:
'Thou
shalt
not.'
And
the
penalty
lies
alongside,
inexorably,
and
is
dealt
out
unsparingly
for disobedience. Law, therefore, appears not to be retributive, but
educational. Having felt the punishment, no one, either man or
animal, is apt to try the error twice out of curiosity. Nature makes
no penalty easy, saying: 'When thou hast learned, then the punishment
shall be more severe.' If a babe fell over a cliff, its death would
be the result, though its innocence knew nothing of sin, just as
surely as a knowing man might meet the same fate deliberately. Now
the Chaldean women needed to learn that conquest, bloodshed and
pillage is a sin. The Chaldean nation needed a lesson also. It
received it, in the death of its prize soldiery. But such examples
need finish;
a
diamond
in
the
rough
is
surely
a
diamond,
but
how
much
doth
the
lapidary
increase
its
beauty
and
value!
Not to release unto them those women was to that nation what the
faceting is to a gem. Thinkest thou not that I
am
right?
Even
so, Rai, I
responded.
For
several
days
we
remained
in
the
capital,
and
during
this
time
were
escorted
over
it
by
no
less
a
person
than
Rai Ernon himself.
It
was
a
strange
people,
the
Suerni.
The
elder
people
seemed
never
to
smile,
not
because
they
were
engaged
in
occult study, but because they were filled with wrath.
On every
countenance seemed to rest a perpetual expression of anger. Why, I
pondered, should this thing be? Is it a result of the magical
abilities they possess? By what seems to us of Poseid mere fiat of
will these people appear to transcend human powers and set at naught
the immutable laws of nature, though it can not be said that Incal
has
not
limited them as surely as He has limited our chemists and physicists.
The Suerni never lift their hands in manual
labor,
they
sit
at
the
breakfast
or
the
supper
table
without
having
previously
put
upon
it
anything
to
eat,
or
elsewhere prepared a repast; they bow their heads in apparent prayer,
and then, lifting up their eyes, begin to eat of what has
mysteriously come before them of
wholesome
viands,
of
nuts,
of
all
manner
of
fruits,
and
of
tender,
succulent vegetables! But meat they eat not, nor much that is not the
finished product of its source, containing in itself the germ for
future life. Hath Incal exempted them from His fiat as Creator of the
world, which all men
suffer, In
the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread? It
is
less
onerous,
certainly,
on
those
who
walk
His
paths,
or even those who partly do so, and whose rule of life is continence.
Such are more powerful, have occult powers that no eater of meats can
ever hope to attain, but surely they are not wholly exempt; it must
be somewhat
toilsome
to perform such magic feats as these. None ever got something for
nothing. These people gaze upon the foes who come to menace them in
their homes and they are not!
It
passed o'er
The
battle
plain,
where
sword
and
spear
and
shield
Flashed in the light of midday and the strength Of serried hosts is
shivered, and the grass,
Green
from
the
soil
of
carnage,
waves
above
The crushed and moldering skeleton.
What
Poseida
could
do
these
things?
Rai
Gwauxln,
Incaliz
Mainin,
but
no
more,
at
least
none
known
to
the
public
even by repute. But no man of all Atl had ever witnessed much display
of such power on the part of either, and with the masses it was mere
repute. I was favored beyond most Atlanteans in this respect.
I
noticed in our visits in and about the capital a thing which cast a
shadow over me,, that his people did not love Ernon,
however
much
they
respected
him
and
feared
his
power.
That
the
Rai
was
aware
of
my
knowledge
of
this
dislike was obvious from his conversation.
Ours is
a peculiar people, prince, he said to me. During
many
years,
centuries
even,
it
hath
had
to
reign
over
it rulers come from the Sons of the Solitude. Each and every one hath
striven to train his subjects so as to fit some future generation for
initiation, as an entire people, into the mysteries of the Night−Side
of Nature, deeper than
thy
people of Poseid have ever dreamed of going. To this end moral codes
have been insisted upon as a coefficient of tuition in operative
magic. But the endeavor hath never produced the end sought; only here
and there hath an individual arisen and progressed; soon every one of
these hath fled away from the less energetic people and gone to the
solitudes, to become one of the 'Sons' of whom thou mayst have heard;
generically we term
these
students'
'sons;
specifically
we
would
have
to
refer
to
them
as
'sons'
or
'daughters,'
for
sex
is
no
bar
to
occult study.
It had
long been a matter of interest to me to learn all I could of this
band of Nature students, Incalenes, as they were sometimes called,
from Incal, God, and ene, to
study. Thousands of years later, in the time of Jesus of Nazareth,
these were called Essenes. But
Atla,
which
possessed
such
a
wealth
of
literature,
had,
with
a
single
exception, no books on the subject. In that exception, a little
volume printed in ancient Poseidonic, the details were
very
meager;
yet
its
perusal
had
been
of
great
interest
to
me.
As
I
now
listened
to
Rai
Ernon,
my
interest
was
reawakened,
and I thought I might one day become a candidate for admission to the
order, if but that if was
of
a large size. If the study renders the student so wrathful in soul as
I see the Suerni are, then I will have nothing to
do with
it. The seed was planted, however, and grew a little when I learned
that the angry gloom was not due to occult
study,
except
in
the
sense
that
the
lower
nature
was
rebellious
against
the
purity
of
the
study
and
cast
up
the
mud of anger, rendering turbid the clear waters of the soul. It grew
still more when the Rai remarked later on that
the girl
Anzimee would one day be an Incalenu. But
the
growth
was
not
great
in
that
olden
time;
it
was
reserved for a life to come, when: decades upon decades of centuries
had flown, till now!
The Rai
continued: Ye of Poseid dip a little into the Night−Side, and
behold! out of it ye gather forces which open the penetralia of the
sea, and of the air, and subject the earth. 'Tis well. But ye require
physical apparatus; without it ye are nothing powerful. Those, versed
in occult wisdom need no apparatus. That is the difference between
Poseid and Suernis. The human mind is a link between the soul and the
physical. Every higher force controls
all
those
lower.
The
mind
operates
through
odic
force,
which
is
higher
than
any
speed
of
physical
nature;
hence controls all nature, nor needeth apparatus.
Now
I,
and
my
brother
'Sons'
before
me,
have
striven
to
teach
the
Suerni
the
laws
which
govern
the
operation
of
this force. Through this knowledge Yeovah leadeth His children,
strength. Hand in hand with this knowledge are physical acts, powers
that come early in the study. So far have they gone, hut will no
farther go.
Morality
aids serenity of soul; hence it is profitable to the Incalene, above
all things, to be moral. But man is an animal in his corporeal self,
and the passions thereof are pleasant. Love is of twofold nature:
love of God and of the Spirit, pure and undefiled, and love of sex,
which may likewise be pure, though if the dominion of the animal in
man be over it, and so not so that of the human, it shall cause the
man to sin, for then it is lust. I have sought that the Suerni may
know the law,, that they maybe the masters, not the creatures, of
circumstance. But because they
know
a
few
things
of
magic,
and
in
the
greater
feats
were
aided
by
the
'Sons'
dwelling
amongst
them,
lo,
they
are
content.
And
behold!
they
rebel
against
punishment
on
account
of
the
lustful
nature
they
do
indulge,
and
curse
me mightily because I exact obedience to the law, and penalty for the
infraction thereof; and they curse my
brother
'Sons' who do aid me, therefore is their wrath which it hath so
troubled thee to witness. My people do things strange in thy sight, O
Poseida, yet have no wisdom why it is so, and work their wonders
heedless of Yeovah. Wherefore they are a brood of sorcerers, and do
not work white magic, which is beneficent, but black magic, which is
sorcery. It shall work them exceeding woe. I would, O Zailm of
Poseid, have taught these my people faith, hope, knowledge and
charity, which same make pure religion undefiled. Have I not done
well?
Gwauxln,
my brother, have I not done well?
Rai
Ernon
was
sitting
in
the
salon
of
the
vailx,
and
now
addressed
Gwauxln
of
Poseid,
whom
I
saw
in
the
naim
as
I looked around.
Verily
thou hast even so, my brother, said
Gwauxln.
For some
moments the noble ruler was silent, and I could see teardrops falling
occasionally from beneath his closed
eyelids.
Then
he
opened
his
eyes
and
began
a
most
touching
apostrophe
to,
and
in
some
sort
against,
his
people.
Oh,
Suernis, Suernis! I have given up my life for thee! I have striven to
lead thee into Espeid (Eden) to teach thee
of
its
beauties,
and
thou
wouldst
not!
I
have
tried
to
make
thee
van
of
all
nations
and
thy
name
synonym
with
justice and mercy and love of God, and how hast thou requited me? I
would be as a father to thee, and thou didst curse me in thy heart!
Keener than knives is ingratitude! I would have led thee to the
heights of glory, but thou wouldst rather lie in wallow of ignorance,
like swine, content to do what are marvels to other people, but
thyself all ignorant of their import. Thou art an infidel, ingrate
race, believing not in Yeovah, content to live by the little thou
knowest, too slothful to learn, more ungrateful to Yeovah than to thy
Rai! O, Suernis, Suernis, thou hast cast me
off
and
made
my
heart
to
bleed!
I
go.
From
thy
midst
the
'Sons'
go
also,
a
mournful
band
of
disappointed
men.
And thou shalt become few where thou art many, a derision before men
and a prey to the Chaldeans; yea, thou shalt dwindle and shalt wait
until the centuries even ninety centuries, are fled into eternity.
And in that day thou shalt suffer until the time of him who shall be
called Moses. And of them it shall be said, 'They are the seed of
Abraham.' And behold, even as now the Spirit of God is abroad in the
land, immanent in the Sons of the Solitude, and ye do mock It, so in
a remote day shall His spirit become manifest and shall incarnate as
the Christ, and so shall the perfect human glow with the Spirit, and
become First of the Sons of God. Yet shalt thou even then know Him
not, but shalt crucify Him; and thy punishment shall go down the ages
until that Spirit comes again in the hearts of those who do follow
Him, and finds thee scattered to the four winds! Thus shalt thou be
punished! From
now
until then shalt thou earn thy bread by the sweat of thy face. Thou
shalt no more have the regal power of defense,
lest
thou
use
it
for
offense.
I
will
no
more
restrain
thee.
My
people,
oh,
my
people!
Ungrateful!
I
forgive
thee, for thou canst not know how I love thee! I go. Oh! Suernis,
Suernis, Suernis!
At
the
last
word
the
noble
ruler's
voice
lowered
to
a
murmur,
and
he
buried
his
tearful
face
in
his
hands
and
sat
bowed in silent grief, except for a sigh of sorrow which once or
twice he uttered. Several Suerni had heard his words, and these now
left the vailx very quietly and went to the city.
Rai
ni Incal.
I
turned
to
the
naim
as
these
words
were
uttered,
and
noted
that
a
great
shade
of
sadness
rested
upon
the
face
of
our own Rai, Gwauxln, as he looked upon Ernon like himself, an Adept
Son.
Rai ni
Incal, mo navazzamindi su, which being translated, is, To
Incal
the
Rai;
to
the
country
of
departed
spirits he is gone!
Startled
I
looked
around
at
the
Suern
Rai,
who
still
sat
silent
as
before,
in
the
same
position.
I
spoke
to
him,
yet
he
gave no sign. Then I bent and gazed through his fingers into his fine
gray eyes. They were set, indeed, and the breath of life was fled.
Yea, verily, he had gone, even when he said I go.
Come
unto me, Zailm, commanded
Gwauxln.
I went
to the naim and stood waiting. Are
thy
friends
all
within
the
vailx?
Even so, Zo Rai.
Take
then
thy
guards
and
seek
the
palace
of
Rai
Ernon.
Call
upon
his
ministers
to
come
before
thee
and
tell
them
that their Rai is deceased. Tell them that thou wilt take his body in
charge and carry it unto Poseid. Amongst the ministers are two
elderly men and sedate; these are Sons. They are of that body of
disappointed men who go forth from Suernis according to the words of
Ernon. These two will know that thou speakest truth when thou sayest
that Ernon of Suern hath left his Raina in my hands to govern as I
shall decide is most wise. But the others will not know and the Sons
will leave to thee the telling of the facts. Great shall be the anger
of them that are not Sons, so that they shall try to destroy thee by
their terrible power, disliking to be told that they are deposed from
authority. Nevertheless, this do and fear not; be of good cheer, for
how shall a serpent bite if it hath lost its fangs? When,
according
to these orders, I had the court before me, I spoke as directed by
the Rai. It was received with a
courteous
smile by the two who by their demeanor I recognized as the Sons of
the Solitude. But by the others
great
anger was shown.
What!
and thou, Poseida, offerest us such indignity? Our Rai is dead? We
are pleased! But we, not thou, will attend
to
the
funeral
rites.
As
to
the
government
of
Suern,
we
laugh
with
scorn!
Begone!
We
are
our
own
masters.
Leave us our ruler, and thou, dog, leave this country!
For
reply
I
repeated
with
emphasis
the
assertion
of
my
authority.
I
confess
to
having
felt
an
inward
fear
when
the
brow of one of these never−smiling men clouded with intense anger,
as he pointed his finger at me, and said:
Then
die!
I
did
not
outwardly
shrink,
though
half
expecting
to
perish
on
the
spot.
Neither
did
I
feel
any
death
tremor,
though
the menace, ever before fatal, was not withdrawn. Gradually the
minister's fury gave place to surprise, and he
dropped
his
arm,
gazing
at
me
in
amazement.
I
ordered
my
guards
to
manacle
and
take
him
to
the
vailx.
Then
I
said:
Suern,
thy
power
is
fled.
Thus
said
Ernon.
He
hath
said
that
henceforth
thou
shalt
earn
thy
bread
by
the
sweat
of
thy face. Over this country Poseid shall rule. I, special envoy of
Gwauxln VII, Rai of Poseid, do depose all ye that are here from
rulership, except those two who offered not scorn but courtesy. While
they remain, which will not
be
long, I will make them governors over Suern. I have spoken.
Indeed,
I had spoken, and that, to so great an extent, unauthorizedly. I was
in an agony of doubt lest Rai Gwauxln should rebuke me. But I would
not reveal my real weakness to these ingrates. Instead, I took a roll
of parchment and
wrote
from
memory
the
form
of
commission
of
governors
of
provinces
in
Atla,
appointing
one
of
the
Incaleni
to
the
office.
This
I
sealed
with
my
name
as
envoy
extraordinary,
following
that
of
Gwauxln
as
Rai,
using
red
ink,
for which I sent a messenger to Anzimee at the vailx. My reason for
appointing one of the Sons as Governor was that only one would serve.
The other chose to ask passage to Caiphul in my vailx. Then, giving
the Governor his
commission,
a document which he received with the remark, Thou art a man, indeed,
not longer a boy; words
which,
though so kindly meant, fell on heedless ears at the time, for as I
made my return to the vailx I felt actually heartsick at what I
feared had been the acme of indiscretion on my part. I called for Rai
Gwauxln, and when he responded I told him what I had done. He looked
grave, and said merely the words:
Come
home.
Imagine
now my distress. Not reprimanded, nor commended, but without any
explanatory clue whatever, I was ordered
home.
Then
it
was
that
I
sought
Anzimee,
and
having
found
her
in
her
stateroom
I
told
her
all
the
story.
Our
Rai
was
known
to
be
one
who
could
be
severe
in
his
punishments,
although
these
took
the
form
of
disgrace
meted
out,
as
public
dismissal
from
office
for
being
unworthy
of
trust.
Anzimee
was
very
pale,
but
said
hopeful
words:
Zailm,
I
see
not
but
that
thou
didst
right
well.
And
yet,
why
was
our
uncle
so
gravely
reticent?
Let
me
give
thee
a potion; lie here on this couch, and take what I give thee.
She
poured
a
few
drops
of
some
bitter
drug,
put
in
a
little
water,
and
handed
the
cup
to
me
to
drink
from.
Ten
minutes later I was asleep.
Then she
left the room and, as I afterwards learned, called her royal uncle to
the instrument, where she laid the case before him. He was troubled
at the effect of his words upon me, an effect. not intended, as he
told her, and one
which
would
never
have
occurred
if
he
had
not
at
that
time
been
engaged
in
solving
the
very
abstruse
political
problem presented by the new aspect of affairs through the decease of
Rai Ernon. What further he said was: Be
not
worried because Zailm is called home for no purpose of punishment,
since I am well satisfied and called him for quite another reason.
I slept
for hours, and when I at last awakened, Anzimee, sitting beside me,
told me all that Gwauxln had said. As
it
was then nearly night, I concluded to go to my own room and prepare
for the evening repast. On the way I met the
Son
who
was
going
to
Caiphul
with
us.
To
this
person
it
seemed
a
great
novelty
to
travel
as
he
was
then
doing,
although his remarks on the subject were few.
It was,
as I reflected upon it, something of a novelty to be piercing the air
at the rate of seventeen miles each minute, a mile above the earth. I
tried to fancy how it would seem to one like my passenger to be doing
this thing; but
after
five
years
of
familiarity
with
it
as
a
means
of
travel,
I
had
poor
success
in
attaining
a
sense
of
his
feelings
concerning the experience.
As
we
traveled
westward
the
sun
seemed
to
remain
as
it
was
when
we
left
Ganje,
for
its
speed,
or
that
of
the
earth,
rather, was the same as our own. We had been on the way for five
hours and had covered considerably over half
of
the distance home, the whole journey being something like seven
thousand miles. The remaining two thousand miles would occupy some
three hours for transit, a length of time which seemed to my
impatient desire so long, that I paced the floor of the salon in very
fretfulness. I have seen, since the days of Poseid, a time when a
vastly slower progress would have seemed swift, but then the past had
a veil obscuring it so that comparison was impossible
Man
never is, but always to be blest.
CHAPTER
XVII. RAI NI INCAL ASHES
TO ASHES
On a
bier in front of the Holy Seat, by the eastern face of the
Maxin−Stone in the Incalithlon, lay all that was of the earth,
earthy of Ernon of Suernis. In the triangle were gathered a few
witnesses asked by Rai Gwauxln to be present, and over all shone the
mysterious light which required no fuel, nor for its tall taper any
human keeper. High
above,
hung
the
white
stalactite
ceiling,
casting
down
from
its
many
points
the
radiance
of
the
lights
which
no one could see from below.
Close
his eyes, his work is done.
Beside
the
restful
form
stood
Mainin,
the
Incaliz,
his
hand
on
the
shoulder
of
the
dead
Rai.
After
the
mighty
organ
had sounded a mournful requiem, Mainin made the funeral speech,
saying:
Once
more has a most noble soul known earth. How hath it treated him who
gave his life to the service of its children?
Verily,
Suerna,
thou
hast
done
a
deed
which
shall
clothe
thee
in
sackcloth
and
ashes
for
aye!
Ernon,
my
brother,
Son
of
the
Solitude,
we
bid
thee
adieu
in
great
sorrow
of
soul;
sorrow
not
for
thee,
for
thou
art
at
rest;
but
for
us
left
behind.
It
shall
be
until
many
years
ere
we
know
thee
again
incarnate.
As
for
this,
thy
poor
clay,
over
it
we will say final words, for it hath done its work and is committed
to Navazzamin. Ernon, brother, peace be with thee evermore.
Again
the
mighty
organ
played
in
solemn
sadness,
and
while
attendants
raised
the
bier
upon
the
cube
of
the
Maxin, the Incaliz raised his hands to heaven and said:
Unto
Incal this soul, unto earth this clay.
The
body,
bound
with
light
bands
to
the
bier,
was
raised
with
it
to
an
erect
posture,
trembled
a
moment
in
that
position, and fell forward into the Maxin. There was no flame, no
smoke, not even ash left behind the instantaneous disappearance of
body and bed.
The
funeral was over. As we who abode in Caiphul turned to depart, we.
saw that which no man then living had ever before beheld in the
Incalithlon. Back of us, in the auditorium, stood groups of
grey−habited men, cowled like monks of Rome. There seemed great
numbers of them, collected in groups of seven or eight amongst the
maze of stalagmite pillars which supported the roof. As we gazed,
these men faded slowly from sight, until over four
score
of
Caiphalians
seemed
indeed
small
in
number
in
the
vast
hall
where
so
recently
had
been
hundreds
of
Incaleni, Sons of the Solitude in astral form, gathered at the
funeral of their brother. Yea, verily, had the Sons come to witness
the impressive ceremony where all that was mortal of their dead
fellow was restored to the keeping of the elements of nature.
But
no
man
knows
that
sepulcher,
And no man saw it e'er,
For
the
angels
of
God
upturned
the
sod
And laid the dead man there.
CHAPTER
XVIII. LE GRAND VOYAGE
Rai
Gwauxln
directed
me
to
attend
at
Agacoe
ere
resuming
my
vacation
trip,
although
it
was
all
arranged
previously to the funeral of Ernon that my action in Suern was to his
satisfaction.
When
I
obeyed
the
Rai,
which
was
almost
immediately,
for
we
were
all
ready
to
resume
our
journey,
Gwauxln,
in
the presence of his ministers of state affairs, tendered me the
position of Suzerain over the land of Suern. I was vastly surprised,
yet felt that I might accept and in conducting the affairs of that
country render good service. But the fact that I was yet an
undergraduate at the Xioquithlon made me hesitate. At last I spoke,
saying:
Zo
Rai,
I
am
sensible
thou
hast
done
thy
servant
a
great
honor.
Nevertheless,
my
liege,
feeling
that
I
have
not
thus far acquired the full knowledge I desire, being yet but a
Xioqene, I ask thy permission to refuse the office.
Gwauxln
smiled, and said:
Even so.
But the governor thou didst appoint shall execute thy duties for the
three years intervening the
four
years, I would say, since I would not that thou shouldst study at all
this year and thereafter thou shalt legally assume active duties. I
have an object in this besides mere form; I believe that that man who
hath an object, a direct goal, in view, is more likely to win success
than one without. It is a good stimulus. I do therefore appoint thee
Suzerain
over
Suernis,
and
dismiss
thee
to
thy
journey
of
pleasureable
recreation
with
thy
friends
as
soon
as
thou shalt sign thy name to this document. That is well written,
though thy hand shakes a little because of thy nervousness. Be
calm. This last he said as, trembling slightly, I wrote the desired
signature.
Once
more we were on our travels.
Anzimee,
the elf, persisted in calling me My Lord Zailm when
she
had
learned
the
story
of
my
imminent
suzerain duties.
Our
course
was
again
eastward,
although
now
farther
south,
for
we
did
not
propose
to
visit
Suernis
this
time,
but
intended
to
proceed
instead
to
our
American
colonies,
as
in
the
original
route
we
had
planned
to
do
after
leaving
Suernis.
We
crossed
equatorial
Necropan
(Africa),
then
the
Indian
Ocean
and
the
present
East
Indies,
but
then
colonies
of
Suern called Uz, then onward above the wide Pacific, still eastward.
Umaur!
the coast of Umaur! was
the
cry
that
called
our
little
company
to
the
windows
to
look
at
a
dark,
serrate
line that bounded the eastern horizon. It was the distant range of
the Andes, appearing almost on a level with our vailx, which, two
miles high above the ocean, shot towards the hazy, black line. Below
was the broad mirror of
the
blue Pacific, apparently waveless because so far beneath us.
Umaur,
land of the Incas in a far later day. Umaur, where in eight centuries
more they must find a refuge who
should
be
so
fortunately
fated
as
to
escape
from
Poseid,
ere,
Queen
of
the
World
no
more,
she
sank
beneath
the
waves of the, Atlantic. Eight centuries, whose lapse would see the
proud Atlantean become so corrupt that his
soul
no
more
reflected
the
wisdom
of
the
Night−Side
because,
the
calmness
of
morality
being
fled,
the
key
to
nature's
Penetralia
would
have
been
lost,
and
with
it
his
dominion
over
the
air
and
the
depths
of
the
sea.
Alas,
poor Atl!
But
Umaur lay ahead of us, and ignorant of the misdeeds−to−be of our
national posterity, we in our vailx stood gazing on the coast we were
so rapidly approaching, and commented upon its majestic mountain
ranges as seen through
the
telescopes.
1
Here
we
beheld
a
land
where,
after
thousands
of
years,
the
conquering
Castilians
would
come, led by Pizarro, and find a race under the rule of Incas, a name
preserved through the many centuries from the day when their remotest
ancestors fled from sunken Poseid, calling themselves Children of the
Sun.
Umaur
was the region of the quarries of Poseid and of many of its rich
mines of mineral wealth. Here, too, were vast
plantations,
and
east
of
the
mountains
were
regularly
planted
groves
of
the
rubber
tree,
the
genuine
Siphonia
Elastica of botany. Here also flourished the Cinchonas, as well as
many other trees now indigenous to South America, colonized plants
from Poseid. Until planted abroad by Atlanteans these vegetable
treasures never grew outside of Poseid, and to−day the wild forests
of peculiar South American trees and shrubs are the direct
descendents of our regularly cultivated farm and plantation products
in Umaur. In that olden time the Amazon river ran within dykes across
the continent, and the trackless
AERIAL−SUBMARINE
VESSEL, ENTERING THE WATER
sylvas
of Brazil were then drained areas of tilled soil, such as the
adjacent territory of the Mississippi is to−day. Some day this
river, Father of Waters, in
the
north,
will
sweep
unresisted,
undyked,
across
the
lowland,
which,
even now, its surface is above in altitude. It will do this, because
these things are certain to be in the mutations of the coming
centuries. It will do this, also, because history repeats itself;
think not that thou shalt inherit,
reincarnate
the glories of Atl, and escape its shadows. All things move in
cycles, but the circle is that of the screw−thread,
ever
around
and
around
on
a
higher
plane
each
time.
But
that
time
when
these
things
shall
come
to
pass, and no man be able to say nay, is yet far away on the horizon
of time future, as far as is the grand recession of the Amazon on the
horizon of the past.
From
the
great
orchards
and
plantations
and
homes
of
Umaur,
in
the
north
of
that
continent,
to
the
desert
wilds
of
its southern parts, where one day trouble was to overwhelm me and
thence north along the eastern coasts, we took our way, leaving the
doings of the millions of our colonists, the Umauri, to the
imagination of the reader.
Successively
we came to the Isthmus of Panama, then over four hundred miles in
breadth; to Mexico (South Incalia) and to the immense plains of the
Mississippi. These latter formed the great cattle lands whence Poseid
drew most of its supplies of flesh−foods, and where, when the modem
world discovered it, enormous herds of wild
progeny
of
our
ancient
stock
roamed
at
will.
Buffalo,
elk,
bear,
deer
and
mountain
sheep,
all
offspring
of
the
remotest ages. I regret to see them so wantonly slaughtered as they
are; surely so old a stock might be spared.
To these
broad valleys were to come, in later centuries, invading hordes in
boats, and over the far northern
isthmus
where now are only vestiges of its former existence, the Aleutian
Islands. They came from Asia, then, as now, to a large extent the
home of semi−barbarians, except where the sway of Suernis had
extended a civilizing influence
by
sending
out
the
tribes
which,
in
a
later
day,
were
to
occupy
so
large
a
niche
in
history
under
the
name
of the Semitic ram. But the barbarians who went into Incalia,
occupying the North American plains and lake regions a
future age should come which would find these hordes gone from the
earth forever; and, later still, curious people digging from
archaeological remains would say: Here lived the moundbuilders.
Still
farther north than this, in the present lake region, were
large
copper
mines,
whence
we
obtained
much
of
our copper, and some silver and other metals. A cold region was this,
far colder than it is to−day, for it lay in the edge
of
the
retreating
forces
of
the
glacial
epoch,
an
epoch
not
over
until
much
more
recently
than
geologists
have
hitherto thought and even still think.
To the
west lay what in early American days were called the great
plains. But
in
the
days
of
Poseid
they
had
a
far different appearance from that which they bear to−day. Not then
arid, nor very sparsely inhabited, though vastly colder in winter,
owing to the nearness of the vast glaciers of the north. The Nevada
lakes were not then mere dried up beds of borax and soda, nor
the Great Salt Lake of Utah a bitter, brackish body of water of its
present comparatively small size. All takes were large bodies of
fresh water and the Great Salt Lake was an inland sea of fresh
floods, bearing icebergs from the glaciers on its northern shores.
Arizona, that treasure−house
of the
geologist, had its now marvelous desert covered with the waters
of Miti, as
we
called
the
great
inland
sea
of that region. Verdure was on all the slopes of all the hundreds of
square miles not covered with lovely bodies of water. On the shores
of Miti was a considerable population, and one city of no small size,
colonists all, from Atl.
Reader,
dost thou remember a promise given in previous pages, wherein I
looked forward to a treat in scenic depiction, saying it was from
another pen than mine? I redeem it now, for already the geologist is
after me for having declared Arizona the scene of a lake or inland
sea so vast as Miti, and so recently as twelve thousand years ago. I
am reminded that he has decided from evidence afforded by erosion and
weathering of the rocks in that amazing region, that while the
Arizona desert was undoubtedly a lake or a seabed since the paleozoic
time when it was the site of a shallow ocean, nevertheless that lake
was certainly of an age older than the Pliocene, being probably in
the Cretaceous epoch. My friend, no. Those gorges and stupendous
canons are not merely the gradual product of time and water and
weather. Per contra, they are of sudden formation, the rending and
cracking apart of the strata in a similar, but on a far more vast
scale than the volcanic outburst at Pitach Rhok, described in the
first chapter of this history. The Arizona wonders and the gorge of
the 'Grand Canon of the Colorado were
the
result of an awful dance of the solid crust of the globe. Even now
the lava beds of the rectangle between the parallels 32 deg. and 34
deg. north latitude and 107 deg. to 110 deg. longitude west from
Greenwich, in the Mt.
Taylor
and Mt. San Francisco region, have few parallels on earth as regards
size. All over this hideous work of destruction, when the sea Miti
had fled away into Ixla (Gulf of California) the rains and torrents
of eleven thousand winter seasons, and the desiccating, powdering
influences of as, many torrid summers have smoothed and chiseled and
wrought the ruptured, ragged surfaces into yet more fantastic shapes,
and claimed the whole work as its own, denying the hand of Pluto as
the major worker. And the geologist seems to have admitted the claim,
and
placed
the
lake
time
far
back,
in
order
to
allow
a
sufficient
term
for
the
execution
of
the
gigantic
work.
And
it
is
not
so,
for
I
saw
that
lake,
only
twelve
thousand
years
ago.
But
now
for
the
literary
treat;
it
is
taken
from
a very modern pen, but it is so faithfully descriptive of the
appearance of the region to−day that I desire to enjoy its perusal
with my readers. The words are those of Major J. W. Powell, U. S.
Army:
The
canon walls are buttressed on a grand scale, and deep alcoves are
excavated; rocky crags crown the cliffs, and the river rolls below. *
* * The sun shone in splendor on the vermilion walls, shading into
green and gray where the rocks were lichened over; the river filled
the channel from wall to wall. and the canon opened like a beautiful
gateway to glory. But at evening, when the sun was going down and the
shadows were settling in the canon, the vermilion gleams and roseate
hues, blended with tints of green and gray, slowly changed to brown
above, and black shadows crept over below−then it seemed the
shadowy portal to a region of gloom. Lying down we looked straight
aloft through the canon cleft and saw that only a little of the blue
heaven appeared overhead a
crescent
of
dark
blue
sky
with
but
two
or
three
constellations
peering
down
upon
us.
I
did
not
sleep
for
some
time,
as the excitement of the day had not worn off. Soon I saw a bright
star that seemed to rest on the very verge of the cliffs overhead.
Slowly it seemed to float from its resting place on the rocks, out
over the canon. At first it appeared like a jewel set in the brink of
the cliff, but as it moved out I almost wondered that it did not
fall. In fact, it did seem to descend in a gentle curve, as though
the sky, in which the stars were set, was spread across the canon,
resting on either wall, and swayed down by its own weight. The star
appeared to be really in the canon, so high were the battlemented
walls. The morning sun was shining in splendor on their painted
faces. The salient angles were as if on fire, and the retreating
angles buried in shade; the rocks, red and brown, blazed from their
setting of deep gloom below, but above all was vermilion fire. The
light above, made more brilliant by the bright−tinted rocks, and
the shadows below, made more gloomy by the somber shades of
sunlessness, increased the apparent depth of the awful canons, and it
seemed a long, long way up to the world of sunshine and was a mile!
Even
the
wide
waters
of
the
Miti,
set
about
with
towering
peaks
in
the
olden
days,
beautiful
as
a
dream,
were
not
more grand and glorious than these awful gorges come to take their
place.
From the
city of Tolta, on the shores of Miti, our vailx arose and sped away
north, across the lake Ui (Great Salt) to
its
northwestern
shore,
hundreds
of
miles
distant.
On
this
far
shore
arose
three
lofty
peaks,
covered
with
snow,
the Pitachi Ui, from which the lake at their feet took its name. On
the tallest of these had stood, perhaps for five centuries, a
building made of heavy slabs of granite. It had originally been
erected for the double purpose of worship
of
Incal
and
astronomical
calculations,
but
was
used
in
my
day
as
a
monastery.
There
was
no
path
up
the
peak, and the sole means of access was by vailx.
In the
neighborhood of twenty years ago, more or less, counting from this
Anno Domini 1886, an intrepid American
explorer
discovered
the
famous
Yellowstone
region,
and
while
on
the
same
expedition
went
as
far
west
as the Three Tetons, in Idaho. 1
These
mountain triplets were the Pitachi Ui, of Atl. Professor Hayden,
having arrived at the base of these lofty peaks, succeeded, after
indefatigable toil, in reaching the top of the greater peak, and made
the first ascent known to modern times. On its top he found a
roofless structure of granite slabs, within which, he said, the
granite detritus, was of a depth indicating that for eleven thousand
years it had been undisturbed. His
inference
was
that
this
period
had
elapsed
since
the
construction
of
the
granite
walls.
Well,
the
professor was right, as I happen to know. He was examining a
structure made by Poseid hands one hundred and twenty−seven and a
half centuries ago, and it was because Professor Hayden was once a
Poseida and held a position under the Atlan Government, as an attache
of the government body of scientists stationed at Pitachi Ui, that he
was karmically attracted to return to the scene of his labors long
ago. Perhaps knowledge of this fact would have increased the interest
he felt in the Three Tetons.
Our
vailx
alighted
upon
the
ledge
without
the
temple
of
Ui
just
as
nightfall
came
on.
It
was
very
cold
there,
so
far
north, and at such an altitude. But the priests within the heavy,
well−built edifice never suffered cold, for Atla, drawing upon
Navaz, had Night−Side forces at its call. The primary cause of our
visit was our desire to pay devotion to Incal as He arose next
morning. All night the brilliant beams of light from our ruby−colored
lanterns flashed
the
tidings,
to
such
Poseidi
as
might
look
our
way,
that
a
royal
vailx
was
in
the
region.
Next
morning
after
sunrise our vessel lifted and departed for the east, that we might
visit our copper mines in the present Lake
Superior
region. We were conducted in electric trams through the labyrinths of
galleries and tunnels. When we were
about
to
leave,
the
government
overseer
of
the
mines
presented
each
of
our
company
with
various
articles
of
tempered
copper.
To
me
he
gave
an
instrument,
similar
to
the
modern
pocket−knife,
which
I
retained
to
the
day
of
my death, and always valued highly on account of its extra fine
temper, which kept a keen edge, good enough to shave with, and rarely
required to be sharpened. The Poseidi were adepts in this now lost
art of copper tempering. In return I gave the overseer a nugget of
native gold. He asked me whence it came, and when I told him,
remarked:
Any
specimen
from
the
famous
mine
at
Pitach
Rhok
will
be
highly
prized
by
an
old
miner
like
thy
servant,
more
especially as it is presented by the discoverer of the mine himself.
Thus
had
the
mine,
found
by
me
when
an
obscure
lad,
returned
riches
to
the
pick
and
shovel
which
had
rendered
it famed throughout the civilized world.
After
taking counsel among ourselves, we decided not to make the farther
northern trip, for every one of us had seen the Arctic icefields at
least once, while some of us had been there several times. Instead,
we concluded to remain in Incalia for a week longer, and spend the
eleven days thereof in visiting, more at our leisure, the great
territory where, although of course we did not know it, the
Anglo−Saxon was one day to found the glorious American
Union.
History
is
said
to
repeat
itself;
I
believe
it
does.
Certainly
races
follow
in
the
track
of
preceding
races, and as the most important and populous part of all the North
American colonies of Poseid had its habitat west of the great chain
now known as the Rocky Mountains, so also the grandeur of America
will be upheld by the western and southwestern States of the American
Union.
Man
likes pleasant places to live in; he likes those lands where Mother
Nature is amiable and laughs with abundant harvests upon slight
provocation; man likes to live in a fruit−land, and where shall he
find anything more
to
his
mind
than
this
same
southwest
and
west
of
the
Incalia
of
yore?
Along
the
ocean
shore
and
back
to
the
Sierra Nevada mountains is the region where, under Poseid dominion,
lay a province not second in beauty to the lake region along the
shores of Miti. And it bar, retained its fair charm, while that of
the other has given place to drifting sands and cactus and the
mesquite, and has tenantry of the Moloch lizards, rattlesnakes and
prairie dogs. It is no more the
Union
of
lakes
and
union
of
lands
that it was in that olden time.
When
we
finally
left
Incalia,
that
we
might
return
home
to
Caiphul,
the
last
of
our
colonial
lands
visible
was
the
coast of Maine, for we journeyed eastward, then south.
For
change
we
decided
to
forsake
the
realms
of
the
air
for
those
of
the
deep
where
the
shark
is
king.
Like
all
vailx
of the class to which it belonged, ours was constructed for both
aerial and submarine service, the plates of the sliding deck and the
other movable parts of the hull being capable of very close
approximation by means of setscrews and rubber washers.
To
settle straight down into the ocean would be too much like a landing
on terra firma. But being at a height of two miles, more or less, the
conductor was directed to gradually reduce the repulsion current,
thus diminishing our buoyancy so as to bring us into the water ten
miles distant from where the slant commenced. He was further ordered
to
do
this
while
maintaining
a
speed
which
would,
though
very
slow
for
a
vailx,
be
really
swift,
that
is,
he
was to cover ten miles in as many minutes.
When
we
struck
the
water
at
this
rate
of
progress
the
shock
which
the
entering
needle
experienced
was
sufficiently great to cause its inmates to stagger, and little
exclamations were made by the ladies.
As soon
as we entered the water the repulsion was made nil, and its opposite,
a degree of attraction greater than that of water to the terrestrial
center of gravity, was set up, whereby we were enabled to sink to a
considerable depth, despite the air contained in the vessel. The
lights outside the windows were started, our speed modified to suit
the
element,
and
then
we
all
gathered
in
the
salon
by
the
windows,
darkness
within
and
the
waters
lit
without,
enabling us to see curious tribes of Neptune which crowded about the
strange illumination in their midst.
While
thus engaged and while listening to the delighted words of an
enthusiastic ichthyologist, I heard a familiar voice in the darkness.
I knew it for that of my father Menax, and accordingly went to the
naim. He could not see me because I stood in darkness, but I could
see him in the great mirror, for at home he was in the light and his
image
was
so
transmitted,
so
that
I
saw
not
only
himself,
but
his
immediate
surroundings,
just
as
a
person
outside
a lighted window at night beholds everybody and thing in the
interior, himself unseen.
My
son, said the prince, thou
shouldst
not
have
allowed
thy
love
of
novelty
to
cause
thee
to
act
so
unwisely
as thou didst in entering the ocean at even the slow rate of a ven
(mile) per minute. I fear that thou hast a vein of reckless daring in
thy nature which will some day bring thee misfortune. Incal punishes
the reckless by allowing His broken laws to exact their own penalty.
Be cautious, Zailm, be cautious!
After
the submarine experiences had become tedious, the opposite course of
a rapid but graduated augmentation
of
repulsion was imparted to our vailx a procedure not dangerous, as the
other had really been and
soon
our
long
spindle shot out of the water like some great bubble, then rose to
where the raz, or repulse indicator, was set for its government, only
a few hundred feet above the surface of the ocean. There, putting
aside the closed deck, we sat
in the
bright sunshine and enjoyed the pleasant ocean breeze, which blew in
the same southern direction in which we were going. Desiring to reach
home by the next day, when the afternoon grew cool we closed the
deck, arose high in the heavens so as to lessen atmospheric
resistance and made the quickest speed we could towards the south.
This, I should remark, was not nearly so great as
either
an
eastern
or
western
course
would
have
allowed.
Thus, traveling either due east or due west, we could proceed at the
rate of a degree of longitude every four minutes.
But
north
or
south
we
cut
the
earth's
currents,
and
just
in
proportion
as
a
vailx−course
deviated
from
east
to west, in that proportion was its speed lessened, until going due
north or south we could only travel at the comparatively slow rate of
some hundred miles each hour.
We
saw
that
if
we
traveled
home
by
the
straight
course,
we
would
not
reach
Caiphul
under
two
days,
and,
having
set our desires on reaching it by the next morning, the prospective
delay was so tedious that we decided to run in on an angle. That is,
we would head our vailx: southeast for the Necropan coast, thence
southwest for Caiphul, and though the extra distance would be several
thousand miles, the increased speed attained would allow us to reach
our destination in time to take our breakfast at home.
Beautiful
Caiphul,
There's
no
place
like
thee;
Queen of Atlantis
And
Queen of the Sea.
Footnotes
168:1
NOTE When thy science shall, like Poseid, approach Nature from its
Godward side; when, instead of ascending to that key−force of all
Nature, the Odic force, from a synthesizing of environing phenomena,
thou shalt look from Odicity adown all the river of Energy, then wilt
thou have all that Poseid had (being thyself Poseid returned), even
its vailx, its naim, and its telescopes. Not such crude instruments
as thine are, were the telescopes of Atl. Not the most remote star
which sends a beam of faintest light across the depths of space, but
that
star could be brought so near to us in seeming, that had so minute an
organism as a leaf been lying on the ground of
the
star,
it
were
visible
to
our
eyes.
Dost
thou
refuse
credence?
Con
this
proposition:
that
light
in
not
alone a
reflection or refraction of force from a substance, but is a
prolongation of every substantial form, for as much as only One
Substance exists, though many are the dynamic variations thereof,
these are mistaken by thee for different substances. There is but ONE
SUBSTANCE: Light from Arcturus, let us say, is the prolonged
substance
of
that
star.
Machine−made
electricity
is,
per
contra,
unimpressed,
formless
force.
One
can
be
made
to
reinforce the other the
Formless
to
acquire
the
image
of
the
Formed.
Dost
now
see
principle
of
our
telescopes?
Thy mind jumps far to the van, and I hear thee ask, 'Is Mars
inhabited? Is Jupiter? Is Saturn, Venus? Ah! my friend, I will not
answer yea or nay, for when the Poseid view of Nature reappears on
earth, thou wilt KNOW. Seek and ye shall find; but seek correctly.
Walk the cruciform Way.
173:1
The
Three
Tetons
we
situated
in
northwestern
Wyoming,
but
Wyoming
as
a
territory
was
not
in
existence
at
the time referred to, haying been formed in 1868 from parts of Idaho,
Dakota and Utah. A small part of Yellowstone Park is in Idaho. Kings
Hand−book of United States.
CHAPTER
XIX. A WELL−MET PROBLEM
Work
awaited me upon my return to Caiphul, work to which I might attend
without harm to my delicate health, in fact
rather
tending
to
its
improvement,
furnishing
a
proper
degree
of
mental
stimulus,
without
involving
any
of
the
severe tension of study.
On
the day of my arrival home, Menax said to me in a way which set me to
thinking:
I
understand
that
the
people
of
Suern
have
lost
the
power
which
they
have
hitherto
had
of
providing
themselves
with food by seeming magic. It must be a terrible problem to them how
to meet the cravings of hunger.
Whether
Menax designed these words for the purpose of arousing me to a sense
of my duties in the premises or not, I had at the time no idea. But I
pondered the situation very earnestly. It occurred to me that these
people had few if any cultivated fields like our own; that they
probably had no adequate knowledge of the arts of husbandry, tillage
and like requirements, and, finally, that they were not possessed of
muscles trained to effort. In fact they must be, in all matters of
this sort, a kind of overgrown children. The more I dwelt on the
problem, the more startling the situation seemed. I saw that they
would, for at least a year, require to have provision made for them.
They would also have to be taught the methods of agriculture,
horticulture, and care of cattle, sheep and other useful
domestic
animals.
Later,
it
would
be
necessary
to
teach
them
such
other
arts
as
mining,
spinning
and
metal
working.
In
fact,
here
was
an
entire
nation
of
eighty−five
millions
of
people
coming
to
school
to
me
for
tuition
in
the arts of life. As the full force of the position came to my
realization, it staggered me. Ah, poor me! I fell upon my
knees
on
the
greensward
of
the
gardens
and
prayed
to
Incal.
As
I
arose
I
turned
and
found
Gwauxln
regarding
me with a most peculiar glance. His face was as grave as possible,
but his splendid eyes were full of laughter.
Dost
thou feel equal to the task? he
queried.
Zo
Rai, I
replied bravely, thy
son is hard pressed. Equal? Yea; if Incal will give me guidance.
Well
said, Zailm. Thou shalt call upon the resources of Poseid to aid
thee, and they shall be at thy service.
Not
to
be
prolix,
the
schools
were
established,
the
food
and
raiment
stations
were
placed
in
given
districts,
and
the
people of Suern, the great peninsula of modern Hindustan, with parts
of Arabia, were taught the means of comfortable self−preservation
and dependence upon their knowledge. Not all of this was done, that
is to say, supervised by me, but the initiation of it, and during
three and a half years the practical work of it was conducted by me
and my vice−suzerains. Perhaps I was not grateful to Incal; perhaps
I never thought a second time, in these
days
of
prosperity,
of
the
prayer
of
the
moneyless
and
unknown
youth
upon
Pitach
Rhok.
But
perhaps
I
did,
too.
I
rather think that I was never for one moment forgetful of that
morning and its vows. Yet, it is a strange fact that human nature may
swerve aside from what it knows to be the undeviating line of right;
may be keenly conscious of every infraction and still be able to feel
that it has been true to its vows. Moral lapses are the most
frequent, those sins which are not strictly direct infractions of
communal equities but rather of the Magdalen type. Strange, also, is
it that mankind is seldom lenient to the victims, though generally
quite sparing of censure for the real criminal. There can be no true
justice in a decision on any subject in the world until, in crimes of
this sort, equal penalty is meted regardless of sex. Does my
proposition seem too sweeping? Consider then this: human justice is a
system; if it be faulty in only one particular it is faulty in all
things, since justice means perfection, and that is not perfection
which hath a blemish.
In the
history of the Judaic race the later records of the deserving portion
of the people of Suernis may be found. Verily, my people, we have
seen glory together and long suffering. We have stood together since
before the age that
is,
and
that
which
passeth,
was!
My
seed
of
strong,
effort
was
sown
in
fallow
soil,
and
it
returned
more
than
a
hundred
fold.
The
end
is
not
yet;
the
harvest
is
not
garnered,
nor
the
Chosen
People
come
yet
into
their
reward
for
the Great Tribulation since Ernon of Suern ceased to strive for them.
The way was long, but, they shall come at last from out the desert
they entered so long ago, and Yeovah will give His children rest! As
Rai Ernon had said, the Saldee general never returned to his native
land. He wandered about the city, little noticed by the people, and
made his chief abiding place at the vailx of a certain Poseid
commissary stationed with others at Ganje.
One day,
having become quite friendly with the latter, the Salda asked that
his friend give him the pleasure of an ascent into the air; he had
never experienced a ride on a vailx and was desirous of so doing. At
the time the commissary was busy, and promised to do as requested on
the morrow. Accordingly, after dinner next day, which meal was served
on the open promenade deck of the vailx, the ascension was made. The
general had taken too much
strong
wine
and
was
rather
unsteady
in
his
motions.
One
of
the
party
was
a
Suerna
who
had
been
one
of
Rai
Ernon's counsellors. The general stalked to the taffrail of the vailx
to look down into the nether air. Standing near was
the
Suerna.
Neither
liked
the
other,
and
the
Salda,
also
excited
by
wine,
became
quarrelsome.
The
Suerna,
the
same, by the way, who had been so amazed by the failure of his occult
powers when he made his attempt to kill me, gave the general a sly
push, and he fell against the rail. Being heavy, his weight bent it
so as to cause a still further loss of balance and he fell over the
side, catching the rail with both hands in a very agile manner. Here,
unable to raise himself, he hung, calling for help in an agony of
terror. The Poseid captain was not a bad man, but he was somewhat
stupid, as a result of a fall on his head, and while able to give
satisfaction as a commissary, he was not able to rise higher than
some such subordinate position. He had, previous to his injury, been
a talented man,
and
was
even
yet
an
inventor
of
some
small
note.
This
was
a
talent
that
did
him
small
service
now,
however,
because so many others outranked him in the same direction. He had
finally come to be a lunatic on the subject, and was ever seeking to
utilize force or to economize power. While the captain was standing
in stupid indecision, the Suerna stepped in and pushed him aside,
himself grasping the terrified Salda by the arm. The next instant the
ex−counselor and the Salda general were swinging, whirling towards
the earth, over a mile below. Then the Poseida looked over at them as
they fell and, his mind all occupied with his favorite mania for
invention, exclaimed.
What a
waste of force! If only they could fall on some mechanism adjusted to
raise a weight! How
it
happened,
the commissary never knew, he averred, and for lack of witnesses,
together with his obvious stupidity, the court excused him.
When
I
learned
of
the
event
it
was
through
the
governor,
whom
I
had
appointed,
who
reported
having
relieved
the
captain from command of his vailx and commissarial office, and the
placing of another Poseida in his place. The Salda was the father of
Lolix, and I thought it well to break the news as gently as possible
to her. How was I astounded, after having done, so, to hear her
calmly say:
Prithee,
how doth this concern me?
Why, thy
father I
began, when she interrupted me with:
My
father!
I
am
glad.
Shall
I,
who
love
courage,
feel
aught
but
displeasure
at
his
cowardice
in
the
face
of
death,
wherefore he was moved to cry out in terror like a child? Faugh! I
call no coward father!
I
turned
away
entirely
horrified,
silent
for
lack
of
words
to
express
my
feelings.
Perceiving
my
action,
Lolix
came
to
me,
and
resting
her
small,
white
hand
on
my
arm,
looked
up
into
my
face,
so
that
my
gaze
was
directly
into
her
glorious blue eyes.
My
Lord Zailm, thou seemst offended! Is it so? Have I said aught to
cause thee offense?
Gracious
gods! I
exclaimed.
Then
remembering
a
former
estimate
of
mine,
that
the
Saldu
was
only
a
child
in
certain respects, I said:
Offended
me? Not so, Astiku.
Then she
slipped her hand through the bend of my arm and walked beside me.
This little experience was the beginning
of
a
longer
one
which,
while
very
sweet
for
a
length
of
time,
yet
culminated
in
anguish
there
in
Atlantis
and, phoenix−like, arose from the ashes of the dead centuries, only
a few short years ago. Verily, the evil that men do lives after them.
Because
it was so very obvious that her heartlessness was only that of
undevelopment, I was not disgusted with Lolix.
I
reproved
her,
indeed,
but
instead
of
turning
away
in
unreasoning
wrath
at
its
existence,
I
sought
to
induce
a perception of the enormity of such an offense as cruelty of heart.
According
to the custom of her people, Lolix wooed me to wed her. Of course I
could not accede, pleasant though it was
to
have
this
beautiful
girl
doing
her
best
to
win
my
regard.
I
could
not,
while
I
loved
Anzimee.
Of
this
love
for my sweet, womanly little sister, I never told Lolix, disliking
possible contingencies. But I did worse I
told
her
an untruth, for I said that the Poseid law forbade marriage with
those of alien birth.
Never an
exception? queried
Lolix.
Never one. Death is the penalty.
This
was
another
falsehood,
for
in
Poseid
the
death
penalty
was
never
inflicted,
it
being
forbidden
by
the
law
of
the Maxin book.
Well,
then,
it
matters
nothing.
Thou
art
young
and
strong,
and
of
good
courage
and
handsome.
Wherefore
I
love
thee. If the law forbid, it is all the same. None but ourselves need
know.
The last
barrier was fallen. Conscience slumbered. Thoughts of Anzimee were
put aside as one would shun an accusing
angel.
Did
I
think
of
Pitach
Rhok
and
my
days
of
sinlessness?
Or
of
the
mysterious
stranger
whom
I
had
heard in awe in the first of my life at Caiphul? Yea, I thought of
these things. I thought of Incal, and I said:
Incal,
my
God,
if
I
am
about
to
do
wrong
in
thy
sight,
in
disregarding
the
laws
of
society
and
marriage,
smite
me
dead ere I sin.
But
Incal
smote,
not
then,
but
afterwards
through
the
ages.
He
smote
not
then;
conscience
slept
the
sounder,
but
passion awoke.
CHAPTER
XX. DUPLICITY
The year
during which I was not permitted to study passed quickly and
uneventfully, except that complications deepened on account of Lolix.
My affection for Menax became almost reciprocally as great as his
love for me, which
was
limitless.
But
I
did
not
tell
him
that
which,
heavier
and
yet
heavier,
weighed
upon
me
as
time
lapsed,
the
secret
affair
with
Lolix.
To
have
done
so
would
have
been
best,
yet
I
dared
not,
for
it
would
have
lost
me
all
that I most prized. At least I so feared then.
As time
went on I began to query my position. Did I love this beautiful girl?
Not as I loved Anzimee. O,
Incal,
my God, my God! I moaned in anguish of soul. Conscience slept yet,
but stirred restlessly. The fact that Anzimee was my adopted sister
did not prevent her becoming my wife, for the law of consanguinity
was not violated. But my own acts barred the way.
My
scheme
to
domicile
Lolix
in
a
palace
on
the
far
side
of
Caiphul
from
Menaxithlon
was
successfully
carried
out without exciting the suspicion of any one, not even arousing the
jealousy of Lolix. Duplicity, duplicity!
Then
I
wooed
Anzimee
unrestrained
by
the
presence
of
her
who
would
have
been
a
dangerous
factor
had
she
even
suspected that the daughter of Menax was not my sister by the ties of
consanguinity. But my days began to be filled
with
fear,
for
I
had
sown
dragon's
teeth;
the
denouement
of
such
affairs
as
have
evil
for
a
guide
is
invariably
sorrow and bitterness. Suppose Lolix did not tire of me, and I had
neither the heart nor the will to do anything to cause her to do so,
nature−laws were ever liable to cause a revealment of the facts
which would be fatal to my hopes; and though I often cried in agony
of soul that I was an unhappy wretch, conscience still slept. But
mine was not a character to be deterred from my resolves by danger.
If I was engaged in a game of skill with the Evil One for opponent, I
would play to the best of my ability. So I determined to be rid of
Lolix, a determination that was late, for the fruit of our sin was
come and a home secretly provided, for I would do no murder. These
plans were carried out, all fortunately, as I thought, without any
man being the wiser. But how to be rid of the really lovable woman,
Lolix. Only a year remained ere I would enter examination for my
diploma at the Xioquithlon. If successful, I meant to ask Anzimee,
whom I knew loved me in return, to be to me all that the honored name
of wife conveyed.
At
evening, or of an afternoon, nothing pleased Anzimee better than to
walk alone, or with Menax or myself through the palace gardens, under
the spreading palms and festoons of flowering vines which canopied
all the walks, forming long, cool tunnels of green, gemmed with
Flora's most radiant hues. From the breaks in these verdant walls we
could see the mimic lakes, hills, cliffs and streams, and beyond
these could look out over palace−capped,
vine−draped
Caiphul
and
its
half
thousand
hills,
large
and
small.
Walking
amidst
such
scenes
by
the side of her who was so dear, is it strange that my soul was at
such times eased of something of its burden of sin and woe?
So
long
did
I
defer
action
in
the
case
of
Lolix
that
I
came
to
fear
to
take
any
course
except
to
let
events
order
their
own settlement. Yea, I lost confidence in my ability to solve the
dangerous problem, fearful lest I should make a bad
matter
worse.
Thus
the
days
slipped
by
and
the
examination
ordeal
was
close
at
hand.
Neglect
Lolix
I
did
not,
could not, nor had I desire to do so. Very often I was with her;
indeed, with a strange blindness to the wrong involved, I divided my
leisure between Lolix and Anzimee. I sometimes feared that Mainin,
Gwauxln, or perhaps both, knew of my secret. They did, too, for their
occult vision was too keen to allow them not to know the facts. But
neither made any sign, not Mainin, for he cared not how much secret
evil went on, as we shall see ere long.
Nor
Gwauxln, not because he, like Mainin, did not care, hut because he
was merciful and knew that karma had more dreadful punishment in
store than any man could possibly inflict, and his mercy forebore to
add to my penalty.
So
the
cancer
remained
hidden
from
public
gaze,
and
I
knew
not
that
the
noble
ruler
was
a
sad
spectator
of my misdeeds. I do not wonder at his sad demeanor when with me as
manifested in the last year of my studies.
Anzimee
had
postponed
the
time
of
her
examination
in
Xio
until
the
year
in
which
I
was
to
graduate,
and
hence
the festivities which always followed the examination as a mark of
rejoicing over the success of those who received diplomas, included
her in the honorable list, for she had passed with high credits.
A
dinner
was
given
by
the
Rai
to
the
successful
contestants,
and
this
feast
inaugurated
an
extended
season
of
high
social dinners, balls, parties, concerts and theatrical performances,
all in the same honor., Anzimee, arrayed in a robe of grayish silk,
with her heavy coils of dark hair fastened apparently by a lovely
rose, and upon her shoulder a pin of sapphires and rubies, was
presented by Gwauxln at the state dinner to the new Xioqi as
the Ystranavu,
or Star
of the Evening. This was a social distinction akin to the modem Queen
of the Ball.
Knowing
that Rai Gwauxln would lead his niece to the table and be her escort,
I took Lolix, as I had a right to do, for I was a graduate and the
possessor of a diploma, and all such might choose a companion, who
might or might not
be
a
graduate.
Lolix,
for
my
sake,
had
studied
hard
during
the
last
three
years,
and
was
now
in
her
second
year
at the Xioquithlon, to which she went from the lower schools. I was
growing proud of the girl, and felt most tenderly towards her;
indeed, I would have been a most despicable person had I not, after
her sacrifice for me.
Several
times I found Gwauxln looking intently at me I sat not far from
him and
once,
as
he
passed
me
after
the
feast, he murmured sadly:
Oh,
Zailm, Zailm.
As
may
be
imagined,
this
address
did
not
increase
my
peace
of
mind.
But
that
night
passed
without
any
further
disquiet, as so many others had done.
As
I
walked
with
Lolix
in
the
great
hall
of
Agacoe,
I
remarked
the
many
glances
of
admiration
bestowed
upon
her
beauty by the many gentlemen we met, nobles of high degree. She had
indeed grown to have a loveliness of face and
figure,
and
best
of
all,
of
character,
which
was
no
longer
heartless,
but
very
gentle
since
her
sad
experience
of
secret motherhood and consequent disbarment from its innocent joys,
since the child might not be known as hers. She had had offers of
honorable marriage find refused them, knowing even as she did so that
the fact of their proffer
was
a
proof
of
my
having
spoken
falsely
when
I
told
her
that
the
laws
of
Poseid
forbade
our
marriage.
But
her love for me, if it suffered, was faithful and knew no lessening.
And she kept the secret well and the more closely for my sake, wretch
that I was! As I looked upon her, I felt that she was very dear to
me. But Anzimee
was
more so, and therefore the hideous tragedy went on. I knew that from
love of me Lolix had first repressed heartless remarks, then taken an
interest in relieving suffering for its own sake, and so had become
transformed from a beautiful thorn tree to a glorious rose of womanly
loveliness, with few thorns indeed. Had I really any conscience
deserving the name, that I did not come out before the world and take
Lolix as my wife after all this boundless love for me? No, not in
Poseid. Conscience had not slept; it had never been existent; it was
yet to be born, and grow in a later time. Thus did the nemesis of
judgment still withhold her stroke.
CHAPTER
XXI. THE MISTAKE OF A LIFE
Comparison
is
good
mental
exercise.
It
is
due
to
the
reader
and
to
myself,
as
well
as
to
Anzimee
and
Lolix,
to
indulge a present mood prompting me to make an analytical comparison
of these two women.
What
was
it
that
fixed
so
unalterably
my
desire
to
wed
Anzimee
and
not
Lolix?
Both
were
gentlewomen,
the
first
by nature, the second by yes, by nature also. I was, however, about
to ascribe the sweet charity of Lolix to the perception on her part
of the misery she would feel, placed in like situation with those who
suffered in very fact. But the ability to so perceive could arise
only from its existence in her nature. No, it was her nature finally
developed. Both women were refined, intelligent, and both were
beautiful, though of types m widely variant as a blush rose and a
white lily. Anzimee was a born daughter of Atl; Lolix was one by
adoption. A small difference, surely,
since
both
were
in
full
accord
and
equally
sensitive
to,
the
good,
the
beautiful
and
the
true,
in
the
polished
refinement
of erudite Poseid. Truly, the relations between Lolix and myself were
wrong, but she was not on that account less dear to me, nor was my
regard for her less tender and loving. Her companionship had become a
part of my life. If I had a sorrow or was despondent, she interposed
her sympathy and cheered me. My anxieties were also hers; my joys her
joys. In everything but name she was my wife. Then why did not I
acknowledge the fact before mankind? Because karma ordered otherwise.
I loved Anzimee also. Through this love, karma operated to annul its
own tendencies to espouse Lolix. And the mode of this operation was
exhibited in my recognition of Lolix as possessed of every requisite
to make me happy except in her one lack, that of psychic perception
of the relation of the finite to the infinite. Absurd? No. That my
soul craved such an ability on her part, and found it not, but did
find it in Anzimee, was evidence of the growth of the frail seedling
of interest in. the occult life of the Sons
of
the
Solitude,
which
had
been
somewhat
matured
by
the
words
of
Rai
Ernon
of
Suern,
years
before.
Sayest
thou that if a little such interest worked such error in life that
deep interest would make for the losing of the soul, wherefore thou
wilt have none of it? Not so. It was the not being true to the ideal
at that time gained, true with all my soul, that did the mischief,
just as in the myth of Lot's wife, she had never been turned to salt
had she obeyed, not curiosity, but the higher injunction.
Lolix
had
no
dimmest
perception
of
this
psychic
link
between
the
things
of
earth
and
the
things
of
infinity.
I
had;
I
knew Anzimee had; wherefore I ordered my life so as to include her
and exclude Lolix, whereby I did both them, myself and my conception
of God (which is but a redundant expression, for no one finite can
injure Infinity) a fearful injustice. But karma lay in wait for the
evil of my life, demanded payment and
got
it,
every
jot;
no
words
can
paint
the
suffering
of
the
expiation.
I
scarcely
propose
to
try
and
shall
rest
content
if
a
realization
of
some
part
of it shall deter others from sin through the certitude that there is
no vicarious expiation for evil done, and no escape from its penalty.
The Law
of the ONE reads: Except a man overcometh, he shall not inherit of
My life; I will not be his God, neither shall he be My son. There can
be but one way to such overcoming, the ever−recurrent plungings
into material
incarnation,
until
the
errors
of
the
personal
will
are
at−oned
to
the
Divine
Will.
There
can
be
no
vicarious
undoing,
1
and
soon
will
I
show
why.
Another
can
not
do
thy
breathing
for
thee.
Reincarnation,
the
ever−recurrent
prisoning of the soul in fleshly bodies, is but expiatory, is but
penalty. If in His Name ye are become free, if in
that
Way ye have overcome, and in place of being slaves to are masters
over desire, ye have undone sin. Then is there no more incarnation
for you in the prison of this death, miscalled life. There is no
other Way; the Great Master pointed none.
In
expiation of my dark past I must needs return into the world, thy
world of sin, sorrow, sickness and pain, and disappointed longings
for the peace that passeth understanding. Is not my twelve thousand
and more years of further wanderings in the far land of this world,
far from my Father's house, and feeding on the husks called joy,
suffering
the
fevers,
pains
and
disappointment
of
hopes,
enough
of
expiation?
Yet
for
a
little
while
longer
I
must
and, impelled by love, willingly do serve Him. Some souls shall have
even more than I, if they turn not. Which will
ye?
Will
is
the
sole
Way
to
esoteric,
or
occult
Christian
knowledge.
Whosoever
will,
shall
have
Eternal
Life.
But the will
to
overcome must replace our will of desire, as the fresh air replaces
the exhalations of our lung. As the atmosphere is around about us,
and, inhaled, becomes our breath, so the Will of the Spirit is around
us and, entering
into
the
heart
that
hath
determined
to
strangle
into
submission
the
serpent,
suffers
us
not
to
know
defeat.
But
I,
and
Lolix,
refused
this
Breath,
and
unwilling,
turned
away.
Oh!
the
horror,
the
pain,
of
those
lost
ages,
lost
with her! But refound by us both, in overcoming.
I
am
sorry
to
admit
that
such
moral
obliquity
could
ever
have
warped my character, even twelve thousand years ago! Will
is the only Way to Christ.
Is it
not an appalling contemplation, to think that, having determined to
put Lolix away and to install Anzimee in her place by honorably
wedding her before mankind, I was able to calculate upon my knowledge
of Lolix and to depend
upon
her
acquiescence
in
keeping
my
secret
because
of
her
unselfish
love
for
me?
Monstrous!
I
knew
that
Lolix did nothing by halves. Having given herself to me, she would
not expose my iniquity, even though I rejected her for another;
society had no reproach for a woman betrayed.
In
pursuance of my plan, I proposed to obtain the spoken affirmation of
the love that had long been confessed by the demeanor of Anzimee.
Then I would tell Lolix all, reserving nothing, and throw myself on
her mercy. Even after these many, many centuries, when Laus
Deo! reparation
is
at
last
complete,
I
look
at
the
record
of
this
part
of my life when I was Zailm, and wonder that the very confession does
not scorch holes in the paper upon which
it is
written. Moral turpitude is a fearful thing, for, though conscious of
its being sinful, I was but dimly aware of the hideous blackness of
my action. Canst thou dissociate, reader, thy horror at the one
action sufficiently to take interest
in
the
recital
of
my
profession
of
love
made
to
Anzimee,
after
I
had
hidden
from
my
own
sight
the
evil
of
my life? It may be almost futile to try; yet it is possible to forget
anything out of sight, at least to such a degree.
That
one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.
More
especially is it easy to smile when the evil is in such a fax, far
past tense, is atoned, and the villain is one no longer. Thou wilt
pardon me if I hint the Way of at−onement. Of all my thousands of
years of my many lives, to which in this history I can but briefly
allude, I draw for thee one lesson that the weary pilgrimage hath
taught me, and
in
my
soul
I
pray
thee
heed
it.
For
I
am
longing
for
my
release,
when
I
may
go
out
into
the
blessed
realms
that
mine eyes have seen, mine ears heard, and myself been amidst, with
Him who openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth.
So this know, and these things; so long as any that read my words
turn aside, and will not to know and do His Way, so long do ye keep
me out of my part in the Great Peace, until His spirit shall cease to
strive with thee, or hinder thee. I am working and sacrificing that
ye may know that Way; and tread it.
Yet
some of you will, even at the finality, be of them that, denying Him,
are by Him denied. Out of all the
glorious
systems of worlds, only Earth denieth, for acknowledging Him by words
and crying, Lord, Lord, they
yet
hate one another in their serpent−dominated hearts. Think not that
I use any figure of speech when I say
serpent ;
microscopists know better. He
that
soweth
to
the
flesh
shall
of
the
flesh
reap
corruption;
but
he
that
soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit have Life everlasting. They
that are alive
have
crucified the flesh with its affections. Some will close the eye and
the ear to my message I have of Him. By that shall the seed of
Eternal Life be closed out of their souls, and they shall die. 1
But
so many as in all things turn unto the Way shall in no wise be cast
out. He said it who is true. Keep thy lamps trimmed and be wise, not
foolish virgins.
Footnotes
188:1
NOTE.
See foot note on page
236
190:1
NOTE
in
this
connection
read
the
last
age
of
this
book,
which
closes
the
history
given
of
a
Life
redeemed
upon His Cross.
Ed.
CHAPTER
XXII. ZAILM PROPOSES
My mind
was filled with the question which I made paramount, how to phrase my
proposal of marriage to Anzimee.
Such
occupation
of
thought
is
common
to
all
lovers,
of
every
race
and
nation,
where
matchmaking
is
not conducted by the parents.
Having
set
my
time
for
the
momentous
inquiry,
I
sought
Anzimee.
The
information
that
she
was
absent
at
Roxoi
palace one of the three set apart for the Rai, but seldom used by
him, was rather perturbing. Lolix resided at Roxoi, and had done so
ever since the time when I secured her transference from Menaxithlon.
But I was not altered in my purpose of seeing Anzimee; so, while
journeying across the city, forty miles to Roxoi, I pondered the new
situation. I knew that the two girls were friends, and this fact
seemed likely to complicate matters.
Arrived
at
Roxoi,
I
found
Anzimee
in
the
gardens,
seated
near
a
cascade
that
tumbled
over
a
fairy−like
cliff
into
a
mammoth dewdrop of a lake. She was alone. As I came near she
inquired, in a surprised tone:
Where
is Lolix?
Where? I
repeated. I
know not. I was told that she was with thee.
And
'twas
truth.
But
she
took
my
vailx
and
went
away,
saying
that
she
would
go
and
get
thee,
that
we
three
might have a little outing together.
I
thought
rapidly.
To
Menaxithlon
was
forty
miles
across
the
city
due
south.
The
vailx
must
therefore
take
nearly
or quite as many minutes going in that direction, and the same
returning. Eighty minutes. That would be long enough.
Seating
myself beside Anzimee, I took her hand in mine. I had often done the
same before, and even clasped her about with my arm, but in a
distinctly brotherly way. Now the simple touch of the fingers was
electric in effect, and
she
could
at
once
detect
the
intensity
of
excitement
which
possessed
me.
The
fine
language
I
had
intended
to
use was lost, and instead of trying to regain it I said merely:
Anzimee,
would
words
deepen
thy
certainty
of
my
love
for
thee?
I
can
not
command
them;
but
I
ask
thee,
little
girl, to be my wife!
And
for
reply
she
answered
in
phrase
as
brief:
Zailm, be it so!
What
followed
the
reader
may
imagine;
thine
own
fancy
will
please
thee
best,
for
surely
the
picture
is
not
hard
to
draw.
When
Lolix
returned,
I
had
departed,
nor
this
hastily,
for
she
had
been
delayed
in
coming
back,
so
that
three
hours
had elapsed since her departure.
I knew
that few things were more certain than that Anzimee would confide her
joy to Lolix. But I had no misgivings, for I felt every confidence
that Lolix would not betray our secret, however terrible the blow
might be for her to bear. As I anticipated, Anzimee told the story of
my avowal, and of her acceptance of me. When the whole was related,
Anzimee said that her friend looked at her a moment, then fell
fainting to the floor. When she had been revived, she seemed so calm
that even Anzimee did not question her statement that the swoon was
due
to
nervousness.
This
was
at
the
eventide.
Anzimee,
filled
with
happy
feelings,
saw
her
friend
in
bed,
dismissed
the
attendants, soothed her to sleep, and came home. These facts I did
not learn until next day. I thought it best to
have
an
interview
with
Lolix
at
once,
and
so
experience
all
the
pain
and
have
done
with
the
anguish
of
it.
Deluded
mortal!
I
went
to
Roxoi,
and
going
into
the
Xanatithlon,
awaited
Lolix,
to
whom
I
had
sent
word
that
I
desired
to
see
her
there. She came. Fully ten years seemed to have passed over her since
I saw her last. Worn. and pale, with great dark
rings
under
her
glorious
blue
eyes,
into
which
the
tears
flooded
as
she
caught
my
quick
gaze.
Poor
girl!
But
what could I do? that was my thought. I was even a little conscience
smitten but very little, for the scales of sin were thick and very
numbing to the soul.
She
spoke first:
Oh, my
love, my love! Why hast thou done this? Thinkest thou I shall live? I
have for long known that no law existed to bar our union, and have
waited for thee to do what was right, confident that the day would
soon come when thou wouldst ask me to share thy proud name. But O
Incal! my God! my God! she exclaimed, bursting into a flood of tears,
that were as quickly repressed. Then in a calmer voice, full of
piteous heartache, she went on:
Zailm, I
love thee too well, even now, to chide thee! I am thine to do with as
thou wilt. I gave thee my life long ago. I gave thee my babe, and
thou didst place it in a home where no man might suspect its
parentage. Zailm, I have done more also there was another that that O
Incal,
forgive
me!
I
sent
it
in
to
Navazzamin,
that
it
might
not accuse thee, Zailm! And now, I, whom thou hast called thy
'blue−eyed darling,' I, who love thee more than I do life, am by
thee put aside! O God! Why am I made to suffer thus? Why thus
stricken?
She
broke
into
a
storm
of
agonized
weeping,
and
I
sought
not
to
stay
the
flood,
knowing
that
sometimes
tears
are
a blessed relief. Had she loved me thus? Fool! not to have known it
from her actions, which spoke louder than words
possibly
could.
My
heart
smote
me
now
indeed,
and
I
prayed,
prayed
to
God
for
forgiveness,
and
I
prayed
to her. Too late! Conscience came forth at last, born to smite,
sprung like Minerva, full−armed for the combat.
When
Lolix had recovered calmness, she said, in such heartbroken tones as
had never fallen on my ears before: Zailm,
I
forgive
thee.
Not
even
now
will
I
betray
thee,
since
whom
I
once
love
I
will
love
till
death;
afterwards,
also,
if love survive the grave. If thou art come to say the parting word,
so be it! But leave me now, for I am
almost
crazed! Yet remember, my darling, that if thy new life be not happy,
though I pray Incal it may be, that there once beat a heart for thee
warmer, more loving, perchance truer, than I fancy thou'lt find that
of thy new love.
I
shall
not
live
long
to
be
a
shadow
over
thy
peace.
Kiss
me
once
as
thou
wouldst
if
I
were
thine
own
wife
in
the sight of the world, as I am in that of Incal, and having died,
thou wert about to confide my clay to the Unfed Light.
With
these words she stopped, arisen and come before where I sat, and
placed her arms around me, drawing me into
a
embrace.
A
moment
thus,
then
her
lips,
chill
as
those
of
one
who
keepeth
company
with
Death,
met
mine
in
one long, sobbing kiss! She released her clasp, stood an instant, and
was gone. So she left me. Long I sat in the midst of the flowers in
the great conservatory at Roxoi.
The
blossoms blushed bright but
a
worm
was
below,
The moonlight shone fair there
was
blight
in
the
beam;
Sweet whispered the breeze but it whispered of woe, And bitterness
flowed in the soft−flowing strewn.
KARMA
DISPOSES
That
night the banns of my coming marriage with Anzimee would be announced
by the Incaliz Mainin in the great temple, for in cases of high
social rank it was customary thus to add extra formality to the
publication. If, during
the
ceremony,
a
death
was
to
occur
within
the
Incalithlon,
custom
decreed
that
one
entire
year
must
elapse
before consummation of the marriage rites. In any event one month
must pass after the banns, which were in consequence declared
immediately following the engagement. For reasons of his own, Mainin
the Incaliz desired that
Anzimee
should
not
wed
any
one;
but
as
he
had
no
authority
over
and
but
little
acquaintance
with
her
he
kept
silent respecting his wishes.
At the
proper hour, Anzimee and myself stood before Mainin the Incaliz,
within the Holy Seat. By our side was Rai Gwauxln and Menax, the five
of us being the cynosure of the eyes of a great audience. In a clear,
slow voice, the Incaliz began an invocation to Incal. But in the
midst of this service, a woman glided quickly across the triangle
of
the
Place
of
Life,
in
the
center
of
which
was
the
Maxin.
It
was
Lolix.
She
was
as
faultlessly
attired
as
it
was her pride always to be. Apart from the awful blaze in her eyes I
saw nothing extraordinary in her appearance. But to have stepped into
the Place of Life was an impermissible thing, and the act centered
all eyes upon her. It meant an appeal to the authority of the Rai.
What
wouldst thou? asked Gwauxln. Zo
Rai,
in
Salda,
my
native
land,
it
was
the
custom
to
allow
either
sex
to woo the other in marriage. I wooed this man, the Astika Zailm,
ignorant that he loved my friend how could I
know?
And now, I pray thee, deny the banns, is thou hast a right to do.
Woman,
I am sorry for thee! But the customs of Salda are not those of
Poseid. I grant not thy prayer,
I had
felt a numbing terror lest at fast my crime was to be revealed. But
the fear faded as the slender, graceful figure
of
Lolix
turned
and
was
swallowed
up
in
the
audience.
Then
the
interrupted
banns
were
renewed.
When
Mainin said to Anzimee:
Thou
dost declare it thy wish to wed this man? she
replied:
I
do.
And
thou, dost thou declare it to be thy wish to wed this woman? To which
I said: Even so, Incal not preventing. As
I
made
answer
the
proceedings
were
the
second
time
interrupted
by
Lolix,
who
again
came
into
the Place of Life, but this time as hurriedly as if pursued. Opposite
the Unfed Light she stopped, and said:
Incal
will
prevent!
See,
I
come
to
wed
thee
now,
Zailm,
and
here!
The
God
of
departed
souls
shall
be
our
Incaliz, this dagger our wedding proclamation, banns and all!
I ought
to have prefaced the narration of the questions put to Anzimee and
myself by explaining that after the invocation by Mainin, that
person, Anzimee and myself, and the Rai with Menax, had left the Holy
Seat and had gone into the Place of Life, so that Lolix now stood
close beside me. As she spoke of the dagger her words were calm, but
rapidly uttered it
was
the
calmness
of
insanity!
Crazed
by
the
course
I
had
followed,
Lolix
stood
there,
her glorious blue eyes filled with the light of madness. With her
last words still upon her lips, she struck at my breast with the keen
weapon. I warded the blow with my arm, which was pierced through by
the forceful stroke. As she drew it out with a wrench, blood spurted
over the granite floor. At sight of this she uttered a frightful
shriek, saying:
Mad!
Mad! MAD!!! and
with
one
bound
sprang
to
the
center
of
the
Place
of
Life,
where
she
stood
by
the
cube
of the Maxin.
Anzimee
swooned;
Menax
stood
as
if
petrified,
gazing
at
my
flowing
blood,
while
Gwauxln,
pale
but
calm,
spoke
to a guardsman near:
Arrest
the maniac!
The
order of the Rai attracted the attention of Lolix, who said to the
approaching soldier:
No,
no,
arrest
not
me.
I
was
mad,
but
I
am
not.
Whosoever
shall
touch
me,
him
will
I
curse,
and
then
die
in
the
Maxin.
Being
superstitious,
the
guardsman
paused,
for
he
dared
not
touch
her,
neither
disobey
the
Rai.
In
his
terror
he
turned to the latter and began to make excuse.
Silence! thundered
Gwauxln. Then in gentle tones he said to Lolix: Woman,
come to me.
Not
so, Zo Rai! At this place beside the Maxin no one under the law may
offer me violence. Here, then, I stay!
Speaking
thus,
Lolix
rearranged
her
slightly
disordered
turban,
folded
her
arms,
and
then
leaning
back
against
the
Maxin−cube, gazed calmly at the Rai. He made no motion, but looked
first at her, then at me. Lolix, though still near to the Maxin, had
assumed an erect position, no longer touching the cube.
Incaliz
Mainin had stood quietly by during the excitement. He now said: Aye,
Astiku
from
Salda,
there
thou
shalt stay, indeed, even longer than thou thinkest!
He
had
spoken
very
calmly,
even
softly,
gazing
the
while
at
the
unhappy
girl.
When
he
turned
towards
the
Rai,
he
saw a look of horror on his face, and hurriedly looked away again,
finishing the reading of the banns. I scarcely heard him, being
engaged partly with my bleeding arm, and partly with Anzimee, who,
but partially recovered, and still half fainting, leaned against me
for support. When the ceremony was completed, Rai Gwauxln, placing a
hand on each of our heads, said: Not only a year must elapse ere ye
may wed, but much longer! Zailm, I do forgive thee thy sins so far as
it is mine to forgive, the human laws thou hast broken. As for thy
partner in wrong, never mind.
Then
turning to Mainin, the Incaliz, he sternly said:
Because
of
thine
accursed
deed,
thou
and
I
are
forevermore
strangers!
Now
I
know
thee
for
what,
alas.
thou
art.
Having
spoken in this, to his hearers, enigmatical and startling language,
Gwauxln left the Incalithlon. Mainin also
left.
Menax,
become
curious
regarding
the
unhappy
cause
of
all
this
trouble,
spoke
to
her
as
she
stood
by
the
Unfed Light. She neither answered nor moved. I approached near to her
and said gently:
Lolix?
Still no
answer nor movement. I touched her silken bodice, but received a
shock which startled me like an unexpected blow! Her corsage was as
rigid as stone. I touched her hand; it, too, was cold and stiff. Her
face, even her wavy brown tresses, were alike rigid. Not only was she
dead, but actual rock! Like one in a dream, too much stunned to be
horrified, but still possessed of a strange curiosity, I rapped with
my knuckles on the various thin edges presented by folds in her robe,
and heard them sound with a metallic clink. I grasped a finger; it
broke off, and then in a sudden wave of awful living horror I dropped
it upon the stone floor; it broke into fragments like
any
fragile bit of rock. Still were the golden tresses, with which I had
so often caressingly played, of the old
lovely
color. Her complexion, her blue eyes, even, were of the same natural
hue they had been in life, but for all that
her
body
was
stone
and
her
soul
was
forever
fled!
Her
pretty
foot,
showing
from
beneath
the
hem
of
tier
robe,
was
not
only
as
the
rest,
stone,
but
it
was
petrified
fast
to
the
stone
pavement
on
which
she
stood.
At
last
I
realized
all. This hideous deed was the work of 'Mainin in that instant he
looked at Lolix in speaking to her. He had prostituted
his
occult
wisdom,
and
for
this
had
Gwauxln
cursed
him.
Lolix's
flesh
and
blood
and
raiment
had
been
transmuted into solid stone. This petrification was all that remained
of poor, wronged, forsaken Lolix, a perfect statue which, if suffered
by man to remain, might stand during the many centuries, till even
stone at last crumbled to dust.
The
awful
meaning
of
it
all
came
home
to
me
at
last.
Was
I
primarily
responsible
for
it?
In
that
moment
I
knew
that I was, knew that the murder was on my soul, as well as on that
of Mainin, who had never found that opportunity, at least except by
me.
Even in
her temporary insanity Lolix had been true to me. Not one word had
she spoken to involve me. If Gwauxln
knew,
and
I
was
aware
that
he
did,
he
gave
me
free
pardon
so
far
as
human
law
was
concerned.
For
the
broken laws of Incal he could not extend pardon, that was become
karma, and lay a weary width of desert sands of sin to scorch my feet
in the passage I must make across them ere ever I could tread the
narrow way of attainment. The long atonement was before me. I gazed
on the mute form of the girl I had so fondly loved, and loved
yet,
until
Menax,
who
had
become
aware
of
the
awful
occurrence
while
I
stood
stupefied,
but
on
whom
the
main effect was a desire to leave as soon as possible, pulled me by
the sleeve:
Come,
Zailm; let us go home.
Giving
one last remorseful look, I obeyed. Lovely Lolix. Her voice was still
in death, and that through me! As remorse
surged
over
my
soul,
I
thought
that
I
would
now
be
glad
to
ask
Anzimee
to
release
me,
confess
all
to
her,
and
with
her
consent
make
Lolix
my
honored
wife;
but
it
wag
forever
too
late
in
that
life
thus
to
make
reparation.
No more could the tender glance of love flash on me from those starry
eyes of blue! No more would my weary head nestle down on tier
shoulder, while with gentle caress she chased away my darker musings
with a mild and gentle sympathy. Ah, ye gods! what had I lost? My
life, that had seemed complete, and as a sphere like unto the full
moon, was come, like that orb when it rises late at night, to seem
torn and but half of itself, wrecked and ragged, careening through
the night−time of existence.
Anzimee
knew nothing of the awful reality; she had been too much stunned by
the sudden knowledge of her friend's
insanity.
She
must
not
know,
if
it
were
possible
to
prevent
her
learning
of
it.
We
went
to
our
carriage
and,
solemn the one, stunned the other, and wildly remorseful the third,
got in and went home to Menaxithlon. Home? I felt that the peace of
hone was no more mine! Life had become a desert over which stalked
the skeletons of despair,
regret
and
sorrow;
overhead
a
moonless
sky,
underfoot
in
the
night
a
howling
waste
of
sand,
blown
hither
and thither by curbless winds. Lolix was gone, Anzimee would never be
mine, as I felt in prophetic forecast of soul, and so, with bowed
head, I sat in the midst of the desert of my days and let the
phantoms dance about and mock me, unheeded.
CHAPTER
XXIII. A WITNESS BEFORE THE CRIMINAL
States
of
mind,
of
feeling
and
of
intuition
are
the
only
real
things
that
exist.
Jesus,
although
the
Son
of
God,
and
John and Paul were all Sons of the Solitude; Hegel, Berkeley,
Sterling, Evans; all real theosophists and all real Christians, are
becoming Sons, and are in accord with those peerless nature−students
of old when they say,
Spirit
alone is real; all else is illusion.
If a man
think himself ill, he will become so; if, per contra, he is cheerful
under even the most adverse circumstances,
he
will
not
see
that
the
world
about
is
full
of
gloom;
nor
is
it.
'Tis
only
in
himself,
and
he
can
change the world all into gall and bitterness for himself, although
it be all a song for others.
For
weary weeks I wandered about, stupidly, a leaden load of grief
weighing on my soul, a feeling of dull despair which
would
have
crazed
a
less
well−balanced
temperament.
Had
Lolix
felt
thus
for
even
a
little
while?
If
so,
and
I knew she felt worse, if that were possible, God pity the bright,
sweet and beautiful girl who had so suffered through me! I was
tempted to suicide, tempted to sneak out of the back door of life,
and I often felt of the edge of the razor−keen knife given me by
the Incalian mining superintendent how long before? Four years,
really; four years? Four centuries, for aught I knew by my feelings.
I stood by the Maxin in the long afternoons when I was alone in the
temple. Or did I but dream that I did this? Aye, it was a dream of
tortured sleep, for no one had admittance to the Incalithlon (except
the Incala) on any other occasion than on days of worship or of
special ceremonies,
and
then
the
edifice
was
always
thronged.
Anzimee
crossed
my
desert
at
times,
but
though
she
spoke,
and caressed me, and strove to arouse me, it was in vain; all her
efforts fell like a ray of sunlight on the inky lusterless pools
sometimes seen in deep forests. Left all alone with my remorse, for
their unavailing efforts seemed to my friends more productive of harm
than of good, and therefore they ceased them, I took my private
vailx, and, to shut off all possible communication with the world,
removed from it the naim. Then, no one witting my intentions, I
slipped away in the night−time. I wandered then through the realms
of the air, sometimes so high above the earth as to be in almost
entire darkness, where the Nepthian Ring was visible and where even
the air generators and heat furnishing apparatus were scarcely able
to keep the air in the vailx dense and warm
enough
to support my miserable life. Or, equally alone, equally in
darkness,
I made my vailx seek the depths of the sea where phosphorescent fish
would have mistaken my craft for a
larger
brother,
had
I
ever
cared
to
light
up.
But
my
soul
was
dark,
and
of
what
avail
was
it
to
illuminate
the
vailx
when, with eyes to see, I saw not? So bitterly keen was my horrible
anguish of soul that at last the body of clay lost its power to hold
Me, and I arose above time and earth, and remained in that state for
what seemed an endless period. No light appeared to be in the awful
blackness, neither any warmth, but a darkness as of death, a coldness
as
of
the
grave.
No
person
crossed
my
path;
no
sound
was
heard,
save
dull,
muttering
groans.
But
at
length
flashes
of red flame leaped athwart my vision, then went out, leaving the
gloom more wholly black than before. Horrid hisses, as of giant
serpents, assailed my ears now; awful pain seemed dissolving my very
soul. At last my nerves failed to respond to the racking agony, and
sensation failed. Numbness seized upon me, and I exclaimed: Is this
death? But
only echo answered. The hisses had ceased; all was silent. Suddenly I
felt a deep dread of the horrible solitude, so dark and cold, vet in
which, somewhere, I could see a little light, that but seemed to
render
the
intense darkness more smothering. I called aloud; reverberating
echoes alone answered. I shouted and
shrieked
in wild terror. But in all the vast glooms around no sound save my
own replying, reflected tones came again. The knowledge that my
confines were limited came to me from the fact that my voice was
sounded back to me after what seemed ages between utterance and
return. With this knowledge came the sense that I was free to go,
and
I
arose
from
the
place
where(in
I
stood
as
if
I
was
endowed
with
wings,
and
I
fled
faster
than
thought.
Tall
cliffs I found in the glooms, and ever and anon peaks shone out in
the glare from some flaming pit, that no creature was anywhere to be
found; I was in a very universe of solitude. Alone, oh, alone! The
awful, horrible despair that then seized upon me caused me to wail in
more than mortal pain. My eyes were dry and my soul as if crushed.
Despair so frightful held me for its own that I longed to perish.
Vain wish. Then I remembered that I had an earthly body; to find even
that would he some solace. On lightning lines I sped to it, to find
it cold and lifeless save
for
a
small
glow
of
magnetic
light
in
the
plexus
of
the
heart
nerves
and
another
in
the
medulla
oblongata.
But
beside
it I found, O, Incal! I found Lolix, weeping, praying to our God to
restore me.
She
did
not
seem
aware
that
I had come, but sought me in the cold body of earth. Then I knew that
I had been reminded of my corporeal self
by
that fond woman's soul pleadings. Such pleading, such anguish, I
could no longer endure. I stood beside her, I touched her. Then she
looked up and saw me. She looked long at me; then at my body. And
then: Zailm, is it
thou?
My love, my love. Oh, clasp me, ere I fall!
She
fell
forward
upon
my
breast,
and
in
that
time
the
body
of
me
disappeared,
and
also
all
things,
save
the
sandy
waste where we then found ourselves together. Then, before our
horror−stricken gaze came a little babe, so
tender
in age it seemed just born. It was able to come to us, however, and
it could utter wailing speech, which smote
our
ears
like
cries
of
mortal
agony!
It
was
dripping
with
blood,
and
its
eyes
were
as
those
of
a
dead
infant.
With an awful shriek of anguish Lolix cried:
O
Incal,
my
God,
my
God!
Have
I
not
suffered
enough
but
that
my
dead,
my
murdered
babe
should
come
to
smite my soul! Zailm! Zailm! See! See! See our baby girl, murdered by
me, for thy sake!
My heart
seemed to stop beating in its fearful woe, and I stood paralyzed,
gazing at the little one as it stretched its hands gory with the
blood of untimely birth, and raised its glazed, eyes to
me!
Then
I
stooped
and
took
it
into
my
arm, holding it close, trying to warm its poor, cold little body, and
I wept, aye, at last I wept great tears of real value, because shed
for another. With a voice choked with anguish, I said: Lolix, thy sin
is on my head, because done for me! Let Incal have mercy on me, if He
will!
Then
a glorious radiance broke over the scene, and the Cross Bearer
was
beside
us
as
we
stood,
clasping
each
other
and
our
child.
He
whom
I
had
seen
by
the
moonlit
fountain,
years
before, stood by us again. On His breast shone a Cross of Fire, which
leapt or fell again in waves of undulating, living Light. He spoke:
Lo! Thou
hast called upon the Most High for mercy. Because unto that little
child thou hast shewn mercy, thou shalt
receive
it.
Thou
hast
come
unto
Me,
and
I
will
give
thee
rest.
Yet,
it
shall
not
abide
with
thee
until
the
day
of
the Great Peace entereth into thy overcoming heart. Therefore, in a
far day, thou shalt garner e sorrowful harvest of woe, and repay all
thou art indebted. When thou art come again, also she with thee, and
again are ready to go into Navazzamin, ye will find yourselves free
of earth forever. Then, having received, thou shalt give. He that
causeth another to sin causeth that other's and his own feet to slip
and to turn from My way. He must at−one his heart to Me first, then
go again into the field of woe, yet not in a body of flesh but of
spirit. And he must find his
victims
and struggle with them till he turn them back from whence he led
them. Thus taketh he on his own back their
burden
he
made
them
to
place
there.
Then
shall
he
carry
it
for
them
until
they,
following
his
spirit−counsels
to their souls, are come unto Me. And I will take that burden, that
shadow, and it shall cease, for I am the Sun of Truth. Can a shade
exist in sunlight? Can any pile shadows on the sun? Neither can any
pile sins upon Me, and burden Me. That little one I will take unto
Me; thou hast offended it, and it shall be as a millstone on thy
neck, casting
thee
into
the
sea
of
earthly
woe;
yet
ye
shall
escape,
for
thou
hast
thy
name
in
the
Book
of
Life.
But
now,
rest! And My daughter, rest!
I found
myself in my body, unable to recall anything I had passed through.
But I was aweary and I slept. Nature came
to
the
rescue
of
my
tired
soul,
and
for
days
I
was
in
fever,
which
passed
into
a
coma,
and
from
that
I
awoke,
weak but well. Still, I was in a waking dream. And I dreamed that I
was in the Incalithlon at Caiphul.
O,
the agony! O, sin's bitter cost!
But at
last I went back to Caiphul, after weary weeks in which I was lost to
my people, aye, months, three of them. Back to my home. As I passed
through the palace I met officers and ladies of the court, and
attendants, to all of whom I had been a friend and who so regarded
me. They now gazed blankly at me, but spoke no word of greeting. Was
my life known at last to a horrified world? No. This was not the
reason of the strange demeanor of the people. I was unexpected, was
supposed to be dead. During the hundred days of my absence, Menax,
with Anzimee,
had
concluded
that
I
was
dead,
had
perhaps
taken
my
own
life.
It
were
happier
for
me
had
they
thought
aright as to the first part of the matter.
Now I
was come home, resolved to be open and frank in my relations with
those whom I loved best on earth. I would confess my evil ways to
them, and implore forgiveness. Once again too
late!
Menax,
long
a
sufferer
from
an affection of the heart, thinking me dead because I had not come to
him nor to Anzimee, had not survived the shock which this belief
caused him. I was told that for some weeks he was gone to Navazzamin.
I dreaded to ask after Anzimee lest here, too, some terrible news
awaited me.
In my
misery I wandered about the city, and ere long found myself by the
great temple. A little door stood open and no one was near, so I
entered by it, careless that admittance was denied all but Incali. I
hoped to find in this sacred shade some relief. No one seemed to be
within, and I wandered about until I stood in the triangle of the
Place
of
Life.
There,
forgetful
for
the
moment,
I
gazed
reverently
on
the
Unfed
Light.
Then
I
passed
around
to
the
other side of the quartz cube and O God! there stood Lolix, still and
cold! My very brain reeled. I went to her, and found her the same as
when I looked last on her dear form, stone, only stone! How many
years was it since then? A whole life may crowd into a day's length
and centuries pass in a few weeks. O Lolix, Lolix, my accuser! In
blank numbness of mind I laid my hand on her cold form, and shuddered
at the chill, yet bent and looked into the eyes which saw me not, and
kissed the dumb lips which made no response.
Yet
she would not speak, though he kissed in the old place the quiet
cheek.
In
her
hand
was
a
roll
of
red
parchment;
I
ventured
to
remove
it
and
look
at
its
contents,
if
indeed
it
had
any
writing upon it. It had, and I read:
Because
this
statue
is
record
of
a
despicable
crime,
I,
Gwauxln,
Rai
of
Poseid,
do
forbid
its
removal
until
I
grant
permission. Let it stand a silent witness before the criminal.
With
a
shudder
I
replaced
the
roll
in
the
stony
grasp,
and
almost
fainted
at
the
hollow
rattle
which
it
made
as
I
did
so.
Was
I
that
criminal?
Not
The
one.
But
I
felt
as
if
I
was.
I
would
go
to
Agacoe
and
ask
permission
of
the
Rai
to
remove her of whom he knew I was fondest, but had lacked the courage
or decision to say so to the world. Aye, circumstances made her more
precious to Zailm than Anzimee was. I turned to leave that I might go
to Agacoe.
But
I was startled when, on turning, I found myself facing Rai Gwauxln,
gazing sorrowfully upon me. Startled
only,
for nothing surprised me any more nor ever gave me real terror. Ere I
had spoken he said: Yes,
thou
hast
my consent to remove her.
I
felt
no
wonder
at
his
anticipation
of
my
request,
although
I
noted
the
fact;
indeed,
it
was
deep
gratitude
which
I
experienced instead. I was muscular, and at once acted upon the
permit. I took one long, last look into the deep blue eyes, and at
the face, which seemed almost to smile as I bestowed a sobbing kiss
upon the calm lips. Then I lifted her from the granite floor. The one
foot that was exposed to view beneath the hem of her stony robe broke
off
at
the
ankle,
just
above
the
straps
of
her
dainty
sandal,
as
I
lifted
the
slight
but
now
heavy
body.
Then
I
raised
her higher, and yet higher, to the top of the cube of the Maxin, and
let her drop forward against the Quenchless Light.
Kiss her
and leave her; thy love is clay. As
she
touched
the
Maxin−Light
site
instantaneously
disappeared,
with
no more disturbance of the tall taper than comes from the flight of
darkness when the morning sun lights up the valleys. Calmly the
Quenchless Light stood, unchanged as ever. As I turned away, I saw
the little foot, whereon sparkled the sapphires and diamonds of the
sandal strap−buckle, my gift! I succeeded in detaching the little
remnant
unbroken,
but
instead
of
putting
it
also
in
the
Maxin−Light,
I
wrapped
it
in
my
mantle,
glad
that
I
had
a
token, even if it was only a stone foot.
I could
not bring my courage to the point of asking my sovereign about
Anzimee. No, I feared his possible and not
unreasonable
scorn.
I
would
seek
her
and
find
if
she
also
were
dead,
like
Menax.
If
so,
I
resolved
to
take
the
first opportunity the morrow might favor me, as it was the beginning
of an Incalon or Sun−day of general worship and
return to the temple, where I would bathe away my physical self in
the unwavering flame of the Unfed Light.
Anzimee
was not dead, however, but had not yet learned of my return. I found
her, the sign of her great sorrow in her
fine
gray
eyes,
which,
as
we
met,
rested
on
me
in
a
bewildered
stare.
Then,
with
one
long
sob,
she
fell
into
my
outstretched arms in an unconscious condition. Poor little girl! I
held her, I clasped her close to my heart, and while I kissed her
pale lips, her black−ringed eyes, her sunken cheeks, my tears fell
on her face like rain, the first tears my fevered physical eyes had
shed through all my agony of soul. At last she awoke from her
faintness only to experience a long sickness, in which her pure
spirit came near bursting its earthly casket and, after several weary
weeks, finally left her to consciousness. When she was again moving
about in her old quiet way, and although frail was able to endure the
recital, I sat down in the Xanatithlon in the seat where Menax and I
had sat so long before. Then I drew the slight form down upon my
knees and, with my arm about her, told her all the sad story of Lolix
and the miserable flight from Caiphul which I had made to escape the
memory of it−alas! how unsuccessfully. No one can run away from
self. The after the unrestrained confession, I asked her to forgive
me. For some time she said nothing, but her arm stole around me, so
that we clasped each other. At last she spoke:
Zailm, I
do forgive thee from
the
depths
of
my
soul
I
do!
Thou
art
but
mortal.
If
thou
hast
sinned,
do
so
no
more. I do not wonder that thou shouldst have loved that sweet woman.
At
this
I
drew
forth
the
memento
of
Lolix,
which
I
had
carried
with
me,
despite
its
weight,
and
without
a
word
handed it to her.
This
is her foot? O Lolix! I loved thee, also! Zailm, give me this. I
would keep it in memory of my friend.
Then I
spoke: Anzimee, my wife, for thou art to be mine, the world knoweth
it, thou hast forgiven me. So hath thine
uncle,
our
Rai.
But
it
is
yet
some
months
ere
we
may
wed
till
death.
Hence
I
will
go
forth
into
Umaur,
in
the
region where men are not, even in the south part, for in Aixa are
certainly mines, and in the sandy deserts there will I find gold. Not
that I want gold, for I, have millions, aye, three million teki, and
much other wealth; but all that the earth will yield it is good for
Poseid to have. I go, because I fear I cannot he in Caiphul and
refrain from being always with thee. In Umaur I can see thee, and
bear thee, and love thee, dear, for I shall not this time
remove
the
naim,
so
that
it
will
be
much
as
if
I
were
here.
Therefore,
kiss
me,
sweet
one,
a
fond
farewell,
and
I
will be gone when the evening falls. Incal be with thee, and His
peace overshadow thee!
It was
two thousand miles from Caiphul to that part of the Umaur coast
nearest which I desired to go inland. But, thinking
of
Anzimee,
the
distance
was
passed
unheeded
until
we
lay
above
the
region
where
now
the
geographies
mark the great niter−bearing desert of Atacama. It was desert then
as now. We found on prospecting its deepest sands, near to the base
of the Andes, that these were rich enough in gold to justify myself
and men in setting up the electric generator of water. This was an
instrument containing several hundred square yards of metal plate
surface
arranged
in
banks
like
the
gills
of
a
fish,
the
whole
encased
in
a
tight
metal
box.
An
air
current
entering
at
one end of the case had to traverse every inch on both sides of the
plate ere it touched the farther end. As each plate was made and
maintained very cool by Navaz forces, the result was rapid deposition
of moisture from the atmosphere. In the example cited the generator
was of the largest portable size, and the flow of water condensed by
it was about a quart every minute, quite enough with which to do a
considerable amount of mining in the economical way in which our
mining machinery used water.
I had
brought a horse from Poseid, and after mining arrangements were
attended to, and the men placed at work, I had the animal made ready,
and taking a case of mineral locators light
instruments
operated
by
something
similar
to what would nowadays be called a pile la clanche hence not
Night−Side electricity instruments used for determining the
location of mineral deposits on the principle of the electrometer and
with food enough for
several
days, I set out to prospect for valuable minerals. I also took a
small, easily portable naim, so as to maintain communication with the
rest of the world. I soon left this latter instrument in a cache,
intending to get it when I came back, for I had not gone above five
miles ere discovering that the instrument had been rendered useless
by the loss of its vibrator. Where I had lost this essential I did
not know, but I concluded not to go back after it. The loss, though
no small annoyance, was a relief to my horse, for it reduced his
burden by a number of pounds, no small matter, considering that I had
a rifle, which I will not now describe, different though its
principle from any modern weapon, in that its propulsive force was
electricity, my mining tools, my packages of dates and nuts for food,
my polar compass, pocket photographic apparatus, and a small
generator, with, lastly, my bedding and my own weight.
That
night I was far away, and the next evening found me over a hundred
miles from the camp. As the sun sank low I found myself riding along
the bottom of a deep arroyo.
1
At
a little distance I saw the mouth of what appeared
to
be
a
small
cavern.
This
might
do
nicely
to
camp
in
over
night
and
provide
shelter.
My
horse
was
well
trained and would stay for hours within whistling distance of the
place where I left him. So I dismounted and bidding him remain near,
went into the cavern. It seemed like a long tunnel, and without going
further, I returned to my steed and took off his saddle. Then I laid
under it the food I had brought for myself; for the animal there was
abundance of grass growing about. The tools I also put under the
saddle and, taking my electric rifle, was about to return to the
investigation of the cave, when my horse pleaded for water, and as
the ravine was a dry creek
I
proceeded
to
give
him
drink
and
take
some
myself.
The.
creek
bed
was
of
smooth,
cement−like
rock,
with
numerous depressions shaped much like buckets. Beside one of these I
set the generator, and soon the hole was full
of
water,
cool
and
refreshing.
I
watered
my
grateful
animal
at
this,
and
drank
from
the
spout
of
the
instrument
myself. How good the fluid seemed! As I placed the generator, still
running, back beside the hole, I little thought how I would need it
soon, and be unable to get it.
I found
the bottom of the cavern to be of the same rocky character as the bed
of the arroyo. I knew it was not mineral
bearing,
but
my
curiosity
was
aroused
and
I
concluded
to
go
to
the
end
of
the
tunnel.
In
my
pocket
I
had
a
small
lighting
battery
and
incandescent
bulb,
and
when
it
grew
dark
in
the
cave
by
reason
of
my
distance
from
the
entrance, I used this to illumine my pathway. For fully half a mile I
found the cave to open on before me. At that point I stopped,
overcome by surprise. In all that region I had not seen a sign of
human presence, recent or ancient, until now. But before me, only
partially exposed, stood a house, presenting its comer and part of
two heavy walls of basalt. I dropped my lumen in my surprise, and it
broke on the rocky floor, extinguishing the light. But it was not
altogether dark about me, for daylight filtered in from some source.
Long I
stood there in that gloomy cavern, gazing upon the ruined house.
Whence had come its builders, and in what forgotten age? Where had
they gone? Was this but a solitary building, or were there others
hidden in the sands of the plain near by, but not uncovered?
Conjecture had here full play, for in all the annals of Poseid,
covering decades of centuries with concisely written records, no
mention was made of any people, civilized, or even savage, having had
inhabitants in this No Man's Land. The
only
tenable
conclusion
was
that
I
now
gazed
upon the relic of some people so ancient as to antedate even Poseid's
forty centuries. At length I crossed the cave's short width in order
more closely to examine this remnant of the dim past, a past
forgotten even when Poseid was young. In the side of the building
nearest to me was a doorway through the smooth, finely chiseled
basalt blocks forming the wall. Partly ajar swung a door, apparently
formed of a single slab of basalt about six inches thick by the
proper proportions otherwise. Impelled by curiosity, I stepped into
the room, which was easily done without disturbing the door from the
position it had so long occupied. My reason greatly disliked the
admission that even
a
stone
structure
should
so
long
have
withstood
the
effects
of
time;
but
it
was
only
thus
explainable,
so
I
dismissed conjecture for the time.
I
found
the
three
dimensions
of
the
interior
apparently
equal,
and
about
sixteen
feet
every
way.
There
was
but
the
single
door
to
give
entrance.
Excepting
two
parallel
openings
in
the
roof,
formed
by
placing
a
stone
of
less
width
by a span on either side of the opening it would otherwise have
filled, there was no break in the solid masonry.
The
floor,
which
was
thinly
covered,
by
I
found
to
be
made
of
granite,
the
jointure
of
which
was
as
perfect
as
that
of the walls not a sheet of paper could have been slipped between any
two blocks. After exploring thus far, I leaned against the wall, near
enough to the door to touch it without change of place, and letting
my gaze rest on the barred grating in the ceiling, gave myself to
reflection. How cold and gloomy it seemed in that lonely room, relic
of a bygone age, forgotten by even so old a race as ours. The solid
construction, the simple severity of its plan, all forcibly brought
to mind the descriptions given of prisons in Poseid in ante−Maxin
days. Was it the solitary example of building skill of its
constructors in which I now stood, or was it one of a collection
forming a buried city? How this particular building came to be clear
of sand in its interior was easy to see. The rain waters had
percolated through the shallow soil above, and had run through the
crack which I have mentioned as giving light to the cavern. A part of
the flow had gone outside, thus exposing two sides of the corner of
the house; the rest
of
the
water,
running
on
the
flat
roof,
had
entered
through
the
grating.
Seeping
thence
through
the
sand
in
the
room it had carried it out of the door standing open at the side.
Satisfied
with my reflective study, I began to think of returning to the open
air, and to my horse. As I turned to pass out, curiosity impelled me
to swing the ponderous door on its hinges, if I had strength.
Expecting that much effort would he required, I gave force to the
action. Alas, for my superficial examination of the slab. I had
observed
no
sign
of
a
lock
of
any
sort,
and
did
not
imagine
any
existed.
Hardly
any
effort
was
needed
to
swing
the
deceitful
door,
and
it
went
to
with
such
quickness
that
I
lost
my
balance
and
fell
against
the
wall,
striking
my
head
so severely as to render me unconscious. When I recovered I found the
door shut and securely locked. In my cursory notice of it I had not
seen that instead of a simple slab it was made of the plates of
stone, separated at the edges by a segment of a third plate, forming
thus a hollow space between the outer surfaces. In that space there
was concealed an arrangement of bolts and bare of stone, working on
the gravity−drop principle and releasing the locking−bolts when
the door shut tight to place. The ends of these, four in number, then
shot into recesses in the wall, and the door was securely locked.
Being
of
a
calm
disposition,
given
to
reliance
on
my
scientific
knowledge,
the
discovery
that
I
was
imprisoned
did
not discompose me in any great degree. Instead, I sought for some
means of withdrawing the bolts. But none existed. I now thought in
dismay that I had, not a single tool with me with which to dig out of
this gloomy prison. I then sat down to reflect on the situation. The
longer I pondered, the more terrifying the aspect of things became.
First,
not
a
soul
knew
of
my
whereabouts.
As
I
had
no
naim,
my
place
could
not
be
determined
except
by
tracking
me; this would prove impossible, because I had followed the beds of
watercourses, long stretches of which were bare rock. I would not be
missed for three days yet, as I had said that I expected to be gone
for a period twice as long, and three days more than I had already
been absent, ere I proposed to return. No; there was no hope of
escape, and now I realized how true were the words of Rai Ernon of
Suern when he told me that a Poseida
depended
for
his
very
life
on
his
being
surrounded
by
the
creations
of
his
knowledge
in
the
realm
of
natural
physics.
The
food
which
I
had
brought
with
me
was
with
my
horse
and
outfit,
as
far
beyond
my
reach
as
the
stars.
It
might
be that they would finally search for me and find my horse. But no,
he would not be apt to remain three or four days
alone
in
that
awful
wilderness;
he
would
wander,
perhaps
go
back
to
the
vailx.
But
he
would
leave
no
trail
to
give a clue to my prison, for he would go as he came, over an
unyielding, rocky stream bed. Hunger pangs again suggested that I had
no food; not even had I any water. Hope still remained, for was not
Incal my protecting Father? How futile this, my hope! God, Incal,
Brahm,
call the Eternal Spirit what thou wilt verily doth heed the needs
of
His
children,
but
those
needs
which
to
the
child
seem
to
be
uppermost,
are
not
always
so
adjudged
by
the
Eternal One. He operates through His children, whether human or
angelic ones, making each one interdependent with all others, and
thus men or angels may have for helpers each other, or perhaps only
some animal brother.
God
noteth a drowning mariner, but unless some brother be there to
rescue, he may physically perish. He tempereth the wind to the shorn
lamb, but generally only through the fact that self interest, or it
may be some higher emotion, as pity, is aroused in the mind of
beholding man. Nay, it is only through the mainsprings of character,
by
our
Heavenly
Father
implanted
in
the
souls
of
His
children,
that
He
ever
helps
or
saves.
And
this
is
mostly true: that the physical body must pray with muscular action if
it would get an answer to its needs in physical form; the mind must
pray through mental processes, and its answer, will be in mental
results, while the Spirit shall pray through its spiritual nature,
and receive those values which are not perceptible to the natural
mind. All this; but although the mind prayeth forever, and the body
doeth no work, the results, save a brother acteth, shall not be for
the body. And though the Spirit pray, yet if the mind pray not also,
knowledge will not come to the brain. How shall the mind pray? By
being in harmony with the Spirit. And how shall it have this harmony?
By
control
through
the
will
of
the
animal
body,
that
it
infringe
not
the
laws
of
that
wholeness
which
is
health.
When I
sat in the cave house and prayed to Incal with my whole mind, yet, as
I could not pray with my muscles, no release would come for the body,
neither food nor drink. I might on the mental plane, have influenced
Rai Gwauxln
to
understand
my
predicament;
this,
to
him,
would
have
been
clairvoyance;
but
this
I
could
not
while
the
enemy who had aroused my curiosity to work my ruin intercepted all
such clairvoyant messages; more especially
I
could not, being ignorant of the proper method. It would have been
mere chance that Gwauxln would have been influenced by my mental
tension of distress undirected by my knowledge. Meanwhile, unaware of
how to use such powers, I dismissed thoughts of any possibility of
escape in that direction. But I would pray to Incal. So I knelt
on
the
cold,
cruel
floor,
and
prepared
to
invoke
His
aid.
As
I
uttered
His
name
I
heard
a
musical
laugh,
albeit
mocking, a sound which thrilled me with that dread terror which every
man and woman has sometime felt, either in childhood days of in later
life, that chill which shivers the senses when listening to some
weird tale of horror, told by the fire's open grate, while the Storm
King rocks the very foundations of the ground. Turning, and arising
from my knees, I beheld the Incaliz of the Great Temple in Caiphul.
Wherefore
didst thou start at beholding me, as if thou hadst looked on a demon?
To this
question I could vouchsafe but one reply, that my sudden fright must
have been from beholding him in that
manner,
since
I
was
not
accustomed
to
seeing
men
go
about
like
ghosts,
disembodied,
yet
not
seeming
to
be
so.
I felt a
great joy at his coming, for I then believed that Incal had answered
my yet unspoken petition for mercy by sending Mainin to my aid. And
yet, why should I still be possessed by that unaccountable fear, the
fear which overcame me upon first seeing him? I knew in the moment
after its utterance that it did not arise from the cause attributed,
his
method
of
advent
to
my
prison,
because
I
knew
that
as
a
Son
of
the
Solitude
he
possessed
the
power
to lay aside the gross body of earth as one would an overcoat and
project himself to any desired place. I knew as I looked upon him
that his corporeal self was in a trance sleep, thousands of miles
away in Poseid. I had no such power to project myself, else it had
been easy for me to let Rai Gwauxln know of my danger; at least,
unknowing
of
Mainin's interference, I thought so. But as Incal had sent the
Incaliz to me all was surely well.
The
priest doubtless read my thoughts, for he said that he had become
aware of my unpleasant predicament through Incal, and had come to
assist me to escape. He must, however, leave me until he could get
aid to me by dispatching a vailx from Caiphul. It would not take
long, and meanwhile I must be of good cheer. And then he disappeared
as
he
had
come,
and
I
was
again
alone,
awaiting
his
promised
return
with
a
feverish
anxiety
not
to
be
expressed
in
words.
Hours
passed,
and
he
came
not,
nor
any
other.
Hours
grew
into
days,
three
days,
and
he
came
not, neither came any succor. The pangs of hunger, terrible as they
had become, were as nothing compared to my thirst. Once more the
daylight ceased to filter through the grating overhead and the
crevice leading to the upper ground. I had worn the ends of my
fingers to rawness trying to release the bolts of the door; had
sounded every inch to see if it did not contain a secret spring that
would let loose some part of the prison wall. But fate had no such
kindness in store for me. Seven times the light had gone out above
me, marking seven nights since Mainin's visit.
Several
times my torture of hunger and thirst had rendered me wildly
delirious, with lucid intervals. In one of these lucid moments of
comparative calm, as I lay moaning on the sandy floor, feebly calling
on Incal for help, I heard the same low laugh that had heralded
Mainin's first appearance. The sound fired me with temporary
strength, and I sat up. I would have cursed the Incaliz for his long
absence, which had meant so much suffering
for
me,
had
I
not
feared
that
in
his
anger
he
would
leave
me
there
to
die.
I
no
more
felt
for
him
the
reverence
I
had
ever felt, for I was certain now that he was not what men thought
him. And I would have therefore cursed him, because of my inward
sense that great as was his esoteric knowledge, and the fact of his
being recognized as a Son, that none the less he was black hearted
and an abomination in the sight of Incal, and that in him the Sons of
the Solitude were deceived as the very elect. That I did not denounce
him to his face was due to the
fast−vanishing
hope that he might still be induced to help me escape.
This
time
he
came
with
changed
manner.
Now
when
he
spoke,
his
first
words
were
in
mockery
of
my
appeals
to
the great Father of Life.
Hal
Much
good
may
it
do
thee
to
cry
unto
Incal
or
any
helper.
God!
There
is
no
God.1
Bah!
how
blind
men
are
to pray to such empty ideals as their fancies name 'God!' Men of
Poseid say Incal is God; men of Suernis say Yeovah, and they of
Necropan say Osiris. What madness and idiocy!
Here
I
sat
more
erectly,
and
regarded
him
a
moment
before
asking
if
he
were
not
afraid
so
to
blaspheme
Incal
and
to deny his Maker.
Thinkest
thou, Zailm, son of Menax, that I should do as I have if I thought
any God existed? Is it news, aye,
it
is
news to thee that I should desire to achieve the ruin of her called
Anzimee that I came from a former life on
earth,
aye! many of them, filled with hatred of her who always heretofore
hath caused me to be exposed to the laws of man? She can not now, for
in the Book of Fate I do not find it so written, so that either it is
not there, or else I have lost my power to read fate, a thing I think
not likely. But I will, through thee, wring her heart to the depths,
so that she shall cry out in anguish of soul! What hath Anzimee done
to me? Not as Anzimee, but as a powerful woman and seeress, ere she
was born in the earth as Anzimee. I follow her in vengeance. To wring
her soul in agony I compassed the death of Menax, against whom
personally I had no cause; I have almost done the same
for
thee,
yet
have
I
naught
against
thee.
I
it
was
that
did
work
upon
thy
curiosity
that
thou
here
mightest
find
thy
death.
I
had
hoped
to
hinder
thy
confession
of
thy
life−sin
with
Lolix
unto
Anzimee.
Then,
after
thou
shouldst
have
met
thy
death,
and
then
been
found
by
me,
I
would
have
gotten
so
much
the
greater
misery
for
her
out
of
the
public exposure of thine iniquity, for I had all the proofs well in
hand. But that scheme is foiled; I care not overmuch; thy death will
occasion her much torture. For that purpose also was Lolix: led to do
as she did, and thou also with her, so long ago, for I lay My plans
long ahead, being gifted with vast power of forpiercing the future.
For that same end shall the Rai be brought low, and at the last she
who is the object of my chiefest wrath shall not know good from evil,
so that her name shall be a scorn in the mouths of the people.
Revenge is sweet,
Zailm,
sweet!
My
horror
and
my
weakness
together
made
it
impossible
for
me
to
do
aught
but
sit
and
stare
in.
silent
helplessness, even had any corporeal body been before me upon which
to act.
Thou
art
aghast
at
my
iniquity?
I
am
too
old
to
fear
failure,
and
am
beyond
the
reach
of
the
laws
of
men,
at
last.
No man, nor all the men on earth, could deprive me of life or
liberty. I have long known a secret which prolongs life many times
the common length; 'tis a secret won from the deeper Night−Side of
Nature. One day shall come when
a
Poseid
shall
know
these
secrets.
'Twill
be
a
sad
day
for
it,
I
rejoice
to
think!
I
was
old,
old,
when
Gwauxln
of Poseid thought me a boy with himself; so also thought the Sons of
Solitude, for I was cunning in concealment. So think they yet. I yes,
I will tell thee, for thou art even now as one who is dead. I have
worked for three centuries in this present body. Said I not that I am
old? I have counteracted the good done by Ernon of Suern, so that he
died of a despairing heart. I do thus that I may, if possible, wither
all the hopes of humankind, turn them down from the infinite path,
down to demonhood, death and destruction. Ernon worked to the
exaltation of mankind; I to its depression; so we came in conflict,
and I won. And why knew he not my hand? Because I have ever worked in
the dark, kept my own counsel, and obtained mastery over the evil
hosts which are not human, never were, and never will be. And against
Workers in the dark can no Son of Light prevail, for both work on the
animal nature of man, which, having no light of guidance, taketh the
first offered support, thus favoring Workers in the Dark. But enough.
So much would I not tell thee were it not that thou wouldst not have
much power
thereby
over me ME, understand wert
thou
alive
instead
of
practically
dead.
Thinkest
thou
now
I
can
have
belief
in a God? Bah! If God exists, I fear not; yet let Him punish!
1
And now
a fearful, glorious and wonderful sight appeared. The night had come
while Mainin thus confessed to me and gloried in his apical crimes,
and called upon Incal to punish if He existed. In the total darkness
of the prison,
which,
being
physical
gloom,
could
not
veil
the
form
of
Mainin,
there
appeared
that
which
struck
terror
to
both our hearts, albeit terror of different sorts. A human form,
which yet was not of earth, surrounded by a blinding white light,
stood before us. Was this Incal? Had He of a verity accepted the rash
challenge of the criminal priest? Upon His countenance rested a calm
but awful expression, though not of anger or any human emotion. For
an instant the wondrous eyes gazed upon me, then turned to Mainin. He
then spoke, calmly, musically, and while I listened all my pain left
me, though the words were of fearful import:
To feel
The
perfect calm o'er the agony steal.
The
voice was like my conception of the tones of Incal, as He said:
I shall
not, O Mainin, enumerate thy crimes thou
knowest
them
every
one.
Thou
hast
been
fellow
with
the
Sons,
and they taught thee all they knew, and of Me thou learnedst more
than they could teach, aye, centuries agone. I knew thy way; I knew
its evil, yet interfered not, for thou art thine own master, even as
all men are self−masters; few, alas, are faithful! But thine
altitude of wisdom, prostituted to selfishness, to sin, to crime,
more utterly than
any
other man hath dared, is thy destruction. Thy name meaneth 'Light,'
and great hath thy brilliancy been; but thou hast been as a light
adrift on the seas, a lure to death of all them that follow thee, and
these have been
myriad.
Thou
hast
blasphemed
God,
and
jeered
in
thy
soul,
saying,
'Punish!'
but
thy
day
was
not
come.
Wherefore
thou wert let go unrebuked. It made thee bold, and thou wouldst go
on, even now. But lo! Anzimee thou shalt not harm, for she is
handmaiden of Christ, even mine own daughter in service. Thou hast
well merited the penalty, and because thou hast knowingly dared it,
lo! now shall it be dealt out to thee. I would it were avertible. But
thine is one out of a myriad of cases, more heinous because thou art
wise, not ignorant. But as thou art an ego, a ray from my Father, and
now give out no more light, but darkness only, I will cut thee off
for a season, for thou shalt neither destroy more of my sheep, nor be
let to leave unexpiated the evil thou hast done. It were better for
thee couldst thou cease to exist. But this may not be of an ego. I
can but suspend thee as a human entity and cast thee into the outer
darkness to serve as one of the powers of nature. Get thee behind
me! The High Priest had stood
the
picture
of
an
awful
terror,
numbed
beyond
thought
of
escape,
which
indeed
was
not
possible,
for
the
Judge
was Man, and more than Man finite was MAN INFINITE, even CHRIST.
Now,
however,
as
the
Son
of
Light
ceased
to
speak,
Mainin
uttered
a
howl
of
mingled
terror
and
defiance.
At
this
dread sound the Christ stretched forth His hand, and instantly Mainin
was surrounded with a glowing flame which, on disappearing, revealed
also the disappearance of the Demon Priest.
Thus
had
Mainin
sinned,
perverting
his
noble
wisdom
to
evil
and
to
sowing
the
seeds
of
sin,
on
and
in
the
hearts
of unsuspecting weaklings of humanity. He had sown and Suern was to
reap, and through Suern, the world. But for this moving he himself
was blasted from the Book of Life by a curse from the Son of Man.
Even
those unfamiliar with any but the material aspect of nature, can find
no difficulty in comprehending the destruction of the life of a man
whose corporeal body was in far away Caiphul, when they consider that
the earthly
frame
is
no
mom
an
essential
of
the
real
man
than
the
cocoon
is
a
part
of
the
butterfly,
although
in
either
case these things are essential to physical life.
Terrified
by
the
awful
sight
of
the
blasting,
I
sank
on
my
face
on
the
floor.
From
this
position
I
was
bidden
to
arise by the Christ, who said:
Such
is
the
fate
of
the
wholly
selfish
man.
Fear
not
for
thine
own
safety,
for
I
blast
not
thee;
neither
worship
me,
but my Father who sendeth me. I am reached unto the perfection of the
Seventh Principle and am Man, also the Son of Man, yet more than any
man, for I am in the Father and the Father is in me. But all men who
will
may
follow me and be by me in the Kingdom, for are we not all children of
One, our Father? I am He, Christ;
that which I am, the Spirit of every man is. The penalty visited upon
Mainin was not annihilation, which can not be; neither was it the
death which is transition, but the death which liveth no more as
human life, but is out for a season into the outer darkness of
devildom. . Behold, I speak, yet having ears, thou hearest not,
neither comprehend. But thy hearing shall come to thee, and thou
shalt know, and shalt lead my people. And lo! thou
shalt
lead them in a day to thee yet afar off. But now thou shalt go no
more to Atl to live there, neither be seen of Anzimee any more, until
she hath gone from Earth twice and come again, and shall be called
Phyris. Lo! I have said
that
these
things
should
come
to
pass,
and
did
prophesy
unto
thee
in
that
city
called
Caiphul,
and
thou
heardst
me, yet heeded not. But now thou wilt heed me, for I speak great
words of GOD, and the world is His. Yet now no
man
knoweth
me;
but
in
a
far
day
I
will
come
again,
yea!
I
will
enter
in
and
dwell
as
a
perfect
human
soul,
and
make that Man first fruit of them that sleep the sleep which is
change, so that by me he shall be exalted above Death. Then shall men
get them up, and mock me, being unbelievers, and shall crucify me,
yet shall I, that am become
Jesus
the
Christ,
not
be
harmed,
but
mine
earthly
house
only.
And
they
shall
be
forgiven,
for
they
will
not
know what they do. 1
Peace
I give unto thee. Sleep!
Footnotes
208:1
NOTE. A
deep,
narrow
ravine.
215:1
Psalms lxiii, 1
217:1
NOTE. The
fool
hath
said
in
his
heart,
'There
is
no
God.'
220:1
St. Matthew, xii, 23.
CHAPTER
XXIV. DEVACHAN
Obedient
to this command I slept. When I awakened I was yet in the prison, but
all the suffering, all the tortures of hunger and thirst that I had
endured were gone. Nothing seemed strange to me, not even when I
arose and found that behind me, as a shell, remained the poor clay
casket which had suffered so keenly under the pangs of starvation.
All was as natural in seeming as are things in vivid dreams. I
thought of Anzimee, and wondered if she, too, felt as happy as I did
at that moment. I prayed that she might. Then I thought of the words
of Him who called
Himself
the
Son
of
Man,
and
wondered
what
manner
of
being
He
was.
His
talk
had,
for
the
most
part,
been
unmeaning to me; yet from it I understood that I was dead; that
Anzimee would see me no more until after what dimly seemed an
eternity, and not then as Anzimee, nor would I then be Zailm; yet I
felt no regret over this long prospective separation. And in that
time this Son of Man would have come again to the world, and left
work for His brethren, the children of our FATHER, who in doing this
work would be following after Him, and would become as Himself, in so
far as to be disenthralled from time and from earth, and have all
things, life and death. Yet, dimly understanding all this, I
comprehended not its perfect fullness, for my natural mind was not
able to grasp its spiritual meaning.
This,
then,
was
Navazzamin,
and
I
was
what
men
call
dead.
It
was
much
different
from
my
concepts,
as
taught
me
by the priests of Incal, because it apparently differed not at all
from earth−life, so far as I had as yet experienced. Perhaps it
would if I were now to go and pass through the Maxin−Light. To do
this would not be suicide, because I was already dead. No, it would
purge away the earthiness which possibly prevented my finding the
real Navazzamin which had been taught me. Would Anzimee and all
others of my loved ones come hither some day, and, should we meet and
know each other here? Oh! it must be so, it must be so!
Filled
with these reflections I stepped to the door, forgetting that its
lock had previously prevented my exit. Only when
it
opened
at
my
touch
did
I
remember
that
it
had
defied
every
previous
effort.
Lightly
I
stepped
away
down
the tunnel until I came to the daylight and to my saddle and tools,
and yes, my horse, faithful animal! He was eating of the grasses, and
evidently made the overflowing waters at the generator his
headquarters. Leave him?
Not if I
could avoid it! I was free at last! I looked around at the dry washes
lying under the open sky, with their eroded monuments of clay, capped
with wild pampas plumes. How gracefully these nodded in the light
breeze, seeming to say, Free now, free! Then I went to my horse, to
take him, forgetful that being dead I could not need such
transportation. But he seemed not to see me, or to know my presence.
This was a difficulty. I was used to conquering difficulties, but
this was one where I was at a low what to do. I sat down and looked
at the hand. some animal. The longer I looked, the more perplexed I
became. At last I got up in a sort of exasperation and talked very
earnestly to the animal. No effect! Of course not! The more I talked,
the more contented the horse became,
as
if
he
felt
that
I
was
near,
and
was
satisfied.
Finally
I
started
away
intending
to
leave
him,
since
I
could
in
no
way
influence
him.
This
had
great
effect!
The
farther
I
got
the
more
uneasy
he
became,
as
I
was
able
to
see,
until at last he lifted up his head and neighed loudly. Once, twice,
thrice, and then he started after me in a wild gallop! When he
reached me he grew easy; but as I went rapidly onwards he followed.
He was awake to a sense of my presence, though he could not see, feel
or hear me. My mind was wholly occupied in getting this faithful
servant to the camp. So, feeling no fatigue, nor hunger nor thirst,
nor any sensation of the physical life, I walked clear
into
camp,
all
those
miles,
with
that
horse
following
contentedly
after!
When
we
reached
the
camp
the
vailx
was there, but only two of the men, the others having gone in search
of me, since I was now overdue in my arrival, thank to Mainin. These
men, like the horse could not see me, but unlike him, neither could
they sense my nearness. My utmost efforts were entirely unsuccessful,
and although I stayed for two days, until the search was over and the
men had returned to the vailx, to obtain further orders from Caiphul,
I was unsuccessful still. One of the hunters was still out, and when
he came back I spoke to him. He could not see me, but my presence
affected him strangely. So I spoke again and again, till at last he
sat down trembling by my desk in the salon of the vailx. A paper and
a pen and ink were on this, and I said to the man:
Use
that pen.
To
my
partial
surprise,
he
use
it,
but seemed in a deep sleep the while and mechanically wrote: Use that
pen. An idea occurred to me, and uttered words which had no
connection of meaning, every one of which he wrote just as I spoke
it. This was
encouraging,
so I next said: It is I, even Zailm, who say these things; I am dead.
Go home to Caiphul. Of my body and its where about I said nothing,
feeling that it was properly entombed. But what I spoke in dictation
was all written, not that the medium heard, but for the time I was
the controlling intelligence of his body. The others took the message
and hid it, and when the writer had come out of trance they asked him
what he had written. But he denied having written anything. This
seemed to satisfy them, the man was so obviously honest in his
denial. So they went and gathered the equipage and animals into the
vailx, and prepared to leave for Caiphul. Their action satisfied me,
so. that I thought no more of them, but began to wish I was at home.
I reflected that I had left the disability of the flesh in the
cave−house, hence I ought to be able to go here or there, as had
Mainin. I would try it. So I said to myself: I
would
be
at
home,
at
Agacoe,
where
is
the
Rai,
and
he
will
be
able
to
see
me,
and
know
all
things of this matter.
With
this utterance all things changed, and I found myself in the palace
of Agacoe. But neither Gwauxln nor Anzimee,
who
was
there
also,
were
seemingly
able
to
see
me,
more
than
the
man
in
the
vailx
had
been.
What
was
this thing called death, this barrier? Was death indeed the threshold
between two conditions, communication to and fro being impossible, as
futile to attempt from my side as from the other? I had thought
Gwauxln able to penetrate this barrier. But alas! I found myself not
more able to obtain his recognition then that of the others. I knew
he
could
see
those
who
put
off
their
fleshly
shells
in
order
to
travel
as
Mainin
had
done,
and
resume
them
at
will; why then not see me? Death perhaps meant more even than putting
aside the body. Long I stood there, wondering at this thing called
death. As I stood by Gwauxln's side, having abandoned the attempt to
impress him with
a
knowledge
of
my
presence,
a
human
shape
came
into
the
apartment.
Shape?
It
seemed
as
real
as
any
of
the
courtiers sitting by the arch of the doorway. None of these latter
appeared aware of the new arrival; except the Rai,
no
one
beside
myself
saw
him,
but
continued
their
talk
regarding
the
sudden
death
of
the
Incaliz
Mainin,
and
disposal of his body in the Maxin−Light on the previous afternoon.
I had been dumfounded at the strange resemblance of the new arrival
to myself, but I was immeasurably amazed to hear the Rai exclaim:
What!
Zailm dead! Dead?
An
attendant,
hearing
this
exclamation,
but
seeing
only
the
sovereign,
hastily
went
to
him
enquiring
his
pleasure.
As he approached he passed directly through the form which Gwauxln
had addressed by my name! Neither the human shape nor the attendant
seemed aware of the remarkable occurrence, but the Form, smiling, in
reply said:
Aye,
Zo Rai; I am Zailm, but not dead, except in that I am free of earthly
restraint.
Confused,
almost
stupefied
by
these
happenings,
I
sank
on
a
divan
near
me.
Gwauxln
could
see
what
purported
to
be me was indeed a very image of me in looks, speech, memory of
events, in fact really was the psychic counterpart of my life and
self, but he could not see me. Mystery, aye mystery! How many had
death to reveal to me? I had left in the Umaur prison a material
image of myself; was it possible that there also existed an
intermediate counterpart of both my material body and myself, which
yet retained certain gross forms of life lost by me, making it
visible while I was invisible? But as Gwauxln was a Son of the
Solitude, why was he unable to perceive both my astral and myself? He
was not unable, but would not allow me to know his ability. The
reason, plain to me now, but not then, briefly is: That
a
person
in
dying
is
separated
into
psychic
elements
which,
not
to
be too detailed in the statement, are threefold, earthly, psychic and
spiritual. Of these the highest is the I Am, the ego.
The
others
are
those
above
mentioned
as
spoken
to
by
Gwauxln,
and
as
left
in
the
prison.
Now,
the
ego
seeks
an
exalted level; the shell' stays in the earthly conditions until the
body, finally dissolved, is dust to dust. The
exalted
or egoic state is one of isolation. As spoken in Biblical records,
1
a
medium can go to it, but the ego, after
a
little
while,
cannot
return
to
earth,
nor
know
anything
earthly
save
those
extremely
tense
mental−spiritual
states
of one or many individuals who reach out for the things of God. And
these things are not earthly. This is real mediumship. The genuine
medium rises to the necessary height, but the ego can not descend to
earth, can not deny the law of progress, except during a limited
period after the transition called death, and then it is not
retrogression.
A
medium
is
like
an
aneroid
barometer,
able
to
indicate
the
degree
of
ascension
above
the
ocean
of
water, or of spirit. But he must be present on the level; the level
cannot descend to him. Hence it is that one in
dying is
a traveler to that bourne whence none return. There is no return of
the departed, except through physical rebirth and reincarnation. I
leave thee to find out that this is not transmigration of souls, for
the latter postulates rebirth
in
lower
animal
form
as
a
punishment
for
sin;
such
a
thing
can
not
be.
Retrogression
is
impossible,
and
the
whole
notion
is
but
a
corrupt
falsity
of
conception,
founded
upon
the
misunderstood
truth
of
reincarnation,
whose
successive rebirths are invariably progressive.
To
return to the Rai and his determination not to see me. Gwauxln knew
that I was not yet come into the proper state, and feared to
interrupt my progress. Hence he would not allow my shell to
influence him, so far as I could
determine.
Having,
however,
by
the
contact
of
his
supersensitive
nature
perceived
the
fact
of
my
demise,
he
sought
further,
and
though
his
actions
denied
to
me
that
he
saw
me,
yet
he
put
into
operation
forces
to
the
end
that
I should presently be ready for him to come to me. But not until my
mundane life was faded would he do so; not until I was gone forth
into the undiscovered country of
Navazzamin.
Then
he
came,
and
the
meeting
was
one
of simple joy, of unaffected grace, between two souls equal before
God, not in status of acquired wisdom, for in that Gwauxln was vastly
above me, but in that equal brotherhood of the Spirit which I wish
now reigned an earth. It shall yet do so, for the Cross Bearer
said, Ye are all Children of one Father!
Behold,
it is so!
When
Gwauxln was come unto me, the sphere of earth was in nowise brought
with him. To have carried earthly conditions with him would have been
to remand me to earth, and have rendered me palpable injustice. No
ego ever is permitted, by the very laws of its being, to go back to
earth except a wrong thing is thereby suffered. The selfhood of an
initiate may project itself into devachan, but the dweller in
devachan (heaven) can not go again to earth
till
it
be
born
again
therein.
Indeed!
why
does
the
soul
leave
earth
after
the
grave?
It
is
because
in
devachan
it assimilates the fruits of active earth−life. Right here is the
explanation of the written Word of God:
Whatsoever
thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work,
no device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest.
1
True
it is that in the grave is nothing done. In the following pages much
will seem to indicate my doings between
the grave and the cradle. But observe that the whole of earth was
become a perfect blank to me. The soul can not return save it
re−embody in rebirth. To call it back is to came revulsion of this
process, and reassociation with the astral−shell which the ego left
behind at the decease of the body. Such reassociation revives the
astral whereupon action and reaction take place between it and the
ego, much to the detriment of the latter. All I experienced was
only
the
fruits
of
what
I
had
done;
I
could
do
no
new
thing,
think no new thought, experience nothing not in itself the expression
of something done ere I came through the grave. And in this
rearrangement and crystallizing of my past earth life, time cut no
figure. The realness of it was; but the reality of vivid dreaming;
time had no part in that which was already done.
It
lay
in
the
power
of
the
Rai
to
recognize
me,
but
he
would
not,
that
I
might
not
suffer
ham.
It
similarly
lies
in
the
power of all forceful mediumistic natures (generally) belonging lug
to the sect called Spiritualists to
do likewise. These media can recall the departed, but at what dread
cost to the departed ego, and reacting upon the medium to the latter!
I say no process of Nature as ordered by our Heavenly Father may be
lightly interrupted; every such act carries penalty proportionate to
the understanding of the culprit; never light, and often of fearful
weight. Had I remained to see, I would have seen Gwauxln, Son of the
Solitude, go forth in his own astral shape, after retiring his
corporeal to his secret chamber, that no harm might come to the body
while he was away. And the shell−Zailm would I have seen go with
him to the Incalithlon, and there should I have seen the Rai cause it
to pass into the Unfed Light. But of all men on earth only the
trained eyes of a Son could have seen what then happened. The shell"
would not have emerged from the Maxin nevermore. What was this? Why
destroy it? So that it might not go forth in the earth and impress
sensitives such as the vailx−man whom I had impressed in Umaur, and
whom my shell might
otherwise
continue
to
impress.
Thus
might
have
resulted
much
trouble,
for
this astral of mine was but faithfully repeating my final words ere I
parted company with it, when it said to Gwauxln, there in Agacoe, I
am not dead. It was even then like all other shells, its double
composite nature only holding together during the limited period it
could draw sustaining magnetism from my recently closed earthly
correspondence.
In some
cases such sustenance in sufficient for ages, in others, centuries,
years, days, or even minutes, according to the earthward−turning,
or the spirit−turning sympathies of the decedent. The astral is
only vivified force, bearing the image in all respects of its ego,
the I AM. Even prophecies made by returned spirits, prophecies
which
come true after years, perhaps are but the impressed foresight of the
ego at the moment of departure. It for an
instant
sees
into
vast
future
depths
of
time.
And
this
glimpse
in
imprinted
on
its
astral−shell.
It
is
psychic
form.
If the phenomena set in motion by man are of that intensely vital
created by Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, then just as long as a believer
of any one of these religious systems adheres, that long, but no
longer the shells of
these
prophets will continue their derived existence. It is psychic force
which is their controlling lever, formed force. It is this same force
which holds the stars to their orbits, and the atoms to theirs. It is
vital, and dual, being positive and negative. To separate the force
or fire element of the ancients (ancients to thee, not to me), was to
cause the focus for such an Unfed Fire as the Maxin, and in later
ages, in Israel the power in the Ark of the Covenant, alike
with
the
Maxin,
fatal
to
life.
These
focus
points
are
portals
whereinto
the
entire
concourse
of
lesser
forces
of
nature are absorbed upon contact. These foci are also the sole
residence of the much sought universal solvent
of
the
alchemists;
needless
to
say
that
as
some
of
these
alchemists
have
been
Sons
of
the
Solitude,
that
therefore
they have had the wonderful solvent to
serve them.
Equally
apparent must it be why the secret has remained carefully concealed.
These foci are very auricles of the heart of the Universe, hence any
sort of formed force meets here its Omega. Consequently when Gwauxln
caused my astral to pass into the Maxin, he returned to the
sum−undivided of cosmic force a quantity no longer of use to the
formed
world.
On
a
very
small
scale
indeed
the
medulla
oblongata
of
the
brain
is
such
a
focus,
a
maxin−point,
where positive and negative meet. Were it not so, life would be
impossible; destroy this maxin of the body, even by a needle thrust,
and vitality instantly ceases. But enough. Gwauxln came to me, who
could not go to him.
Those
not
initiates
do
often
thus
rise
in
their
sleep
to
their
friends,
but
they
fail
at
the
point
of
not
knowing
how
to
do so voluntarily.
As
one
great
point
of
my
work
is
to
explain
these
mysteries,
I
may
spare
yet
a
little
space
in
rendering
clear,
past
all mistake, how it is that those on earth can acquire the power of
going to their friends beyond the Divide, but never these last come
back to earth.
The
barometer on a calm day registers at sea level a definite degree of
air pressure, and at one mile above the sea, on the side of a
mountain, let us say, the mercury in the tube has fallen to
another
definite
but
less
degree.
This
is in both cases due to air pressure. If now one desire to have the
pressure existing at a mile's height, will he go up to it, or will
he. bring that altitude down to himself? In storm weather the
barometer falls also,
the air is less dense, meteorological changes have taken place which
in effect have brought the high aerial altitudes, i.
e.,
the conditions prevailing in high altitudes, down to the lower level.
But thus has a storm been created; superior conditions have forced
one. So it is that by the exercise of superior force a medium at
a spiritualistic seance
can
bring back or down a soul which had gone on through the grave; but it
will give rise to a psychic storm, and these
are
exceedingly
costly
occurrences.
The
Witch
of
Endor
created
such
a
storm
when
she
forced
Samuel
down
to earth again. Beware, O ye mediums! If thou art, friend, a
human spirit barometer, thou mayest rise to thy friends, but never,
as thou valuest soul's peace for thee, or for them, seek to bring
them down to thy circles.
Those
who
seek
only
the
exciting
part
of
this
history
will
do
well
to
omit
perusal
of
the
greater
part
of
Book
I,
and
leave it to the reader who seeks the reason and lemon of my life
record, and how I am able to depict scenes past
by
more than twelve thousand years ago.
Through
the
crime
of
Mainin
the
Incaliz,
I
had
been
forced
to
seek
my
psychic
plane,
and
because
I
was
I,
and
am
I, that plane is more or less one of isolation. That is to say, it
was peopled with the children of my fancy, my experiences, my hopes,
longings, aspirations, and my conceptions of persons, places and
things. No two people see
in
the
same
way
the
same
world.
To
Anzimee,
with
her
knowledge,
the
world
could
not
have
seemed
the
same
as to Lolix, who saw from another, and in some ways lower,
standpoint, while to neither was it the same as to the wise minister,
Menax; and with all three the view of life was different from that
held by Gwauxln. So also the
heaven,
the devachan, of one person is filled with his concepts of life,
while that of his neighbor on either side so
to
speak,
is
peopled
with
other
peculiar
mental
properties.
Now
the
state
after
the
grave,
and
his
or
her
knowledge, aspirations and trusts of life is the condition of
harvest, where no one acts, but where the rewards of action in the
preceding life axe paid; it is the land of Lethe, where is no pain,
sorrow, sickness or agony, for these earthly conditions begun on
earth, and they perforce must be finished on earth. So karma decrees.
Heaven is passive, not active, and results of knowledge are there
assimilated by the soul; that is, made so that the new birth is like
the succeeding page of a business ledger all of the old lives, with
the last added in. I hope I have not been prolix. I have not, if I
have given a clear comprehension of what the relation really is
between earth and heaven, and that the latter is to the former as the
resting time of night is to the activity of the day. Let none suppose
that the devachan of one that hath committed earth−binding errors,
and must by these bonds again reincarnate, is anything like the great
Life wherewith are crowned those who are faithful unto the death of
that serpent in the heart, animal lusts. The words can well portray
mere devachan, they are powerless to depict that Life. Finite can
never compass Infinite. Then let the Infinite into thy hearts.
Even
so
I
pondered,
in
the
presence
of
Gwauxln,
Anzimee,
and
the
others,
who
either
would
not
or
could
not
see
me, my earthly powers were departing. The power which I had a moment
before possessed of seeing persons, places and things of the world
seemed fast escaping me, while glorious sights and sounds replaced
them, sights and sounds akin to the day dream of the life just left,
except that these were real to my senses, tangible and mutually
reactive.
Ah,
well!
if
those
left
on
Death's
first
shore
could
not
see
me
nor
know
my
presence,
nor
I
see
them nor their presence, why not unresistingly glide into enjoyment
of the peace and the new sights and things which were come in place
of the old? Yea! I would. Goodbye, old life; hail to the new.
As
peacefully as a dream the sight of the palace and of familiar things
faded from view, and I seemed to have come into a beautiful valley,
hemmed in by azure hued mountains. Before me stood a building of
unpretentious exterior.
Irregular
in
its
outlines,
it
seemed
to
have
been
built
in
sections,
added
as
more
rooms
became
necessary.
What an altogether excellent idea that was, I thought. It was formed
of slabs of rock, not quarried, but naturally scaled from the ledge.
In places it was three stories high, in others only two, but mainly
all the rooms were on the ground floor. What sort of people lived
here? Certainly people whose architectural abandon was after my own
heart. I felt, ere seeing them, already friendly. Assuredly they
lacked not the love of beauty, for covering the quaintly
picturesque
dwelling
ran
perennial
vines,
while
all
about
lay
tasteful
gardens.
Should
I
venture
to
intrude
my presence? As I considered, a man opened a door near me and came
forward. He had a very familiar appearance; where had I seen him? I
had forgotten as completely as if I had never known the life which I
had experienced as Zailm, the son of Menax. My senses were dominated
by the feelings of boyhood, and the thoughts and ideas and simple
knowledge of boyhood in the mountain home by Pitach . Rhok. As the
familiar looking stranger drew close he said:
Knowest
thou me, thy father, Merin Numinos?
While
this settled the apprehension that dimly arose in my consciousness
that I was alone, and therefore invisible to
people,
it
only
quenched
the
idea
that
had
rapidly
faded
an
I
looked
on
the
house
of
slabrock,
the
idea
that
I
was
dead. I no longer knew any such experience, and the knowledge of
death had passed away so far as it applied to my own decease. I was
filled with pleasure at the question of the man before me, and I now
perceived that he was the father of my childhood's ideal, but not him
whom my mother had always presented in disparaging light: she, thou
knowest, did not like him. But this thought did not present itself
then; I only knew that I looked on him
whom I
recognized as my father. I was overjoyed at finding him, and I
replied: Verily, I know thee well! Then
he
asked: Wilt thou rest?
Being
fatigued, I will do so, and no doubt be much benefited.
Thereupon
Merin Numinos led me within the great rambling house to what I must
call a den, even though the name may seem inelegant. Den it was,
cleanly, but so charmingly, delightfully confused and disorderly;
books
and
specimens
of
rocks,
and
all
things
which
a
boy
loves
were
scattered
about
in
that
inextricable
litter
which
fills
the
trim
housekeeper
with
despair.
My
pleasure
was
unbounded,
for
I
felt
that
I
was
a
boy,
only
a
boy,
and
had
yet
to reach maturity, the unknown possibilities of which seemed to fill
my whole being with pleasant anticipation of the
future;
I
was
a
lad
of
exuberant
spirits
let
loose
in
his
own
realm,
and
in
this
room
free
from
fear
of
the
orderly
mother who had elsewhere always restrained me. On a bed, roughly
smoothed up in one comer of the shaded room, lay a pack of books from
the district library, each marked, Pitach Rhok District 5, in
Poseid
characters.
These were in my way, and I laid them carefully, for books were ever
almost sacred objects in my eyes, on the floor, in order that I might
rest on the bed. Then I laid me down to sleep upon the rude couch
which had always seemed softer and easier to fond memory than any
downy cushion in the Caiphalian life. Not that I knew this as I lay
down, I only knew that I experienced a state of things just suited to
my desires. I had no clear idea of any
event
of the old life in Poseid; no memory of death, nothing. All had gone
like the events of some dream which
we
strive in vain to recall at breakfast next morning. And yet, when I
came across things in the new state similar
to
those known and loved in the old, when I found things here such as I
had been wont to dream of some day carrying to realization, then the
new realities, which, after all were not new, seemed wholly
satisfactory, with the added charm of achievement, though I could not
recall the old.
The
whole
scene
which
greets
mine
eyes,
In some strange mode I recognize
As
one
whose
ev'ry
mystic
part
I feel prefigured in my heart.
Nature
here, though presenting some novelties, was not different enough to
excite special attention.
One day
I arose and departed from the scenes of this reproduced boyhood's
life. The curtain rose on things
derived
from
the
later
life
after
leaving
Pitach
Rhok
for
Caiphul,
and
I
found
myself
now
in
the
midst
of
acquiring
knowledge even to the great degree of a Xio−Incala, a degree
greater than even any scientist of the modem world has achieved. But
this phase of devachan soon passed, because, not having reached such
a degree on earth, nor having even tried to do so, I had no real
basis from which to draw devachanic scenes. Thus passed the time
around
me, sometimes with real egoii of deceased earthly persons who had
worked with me intimately on earth, and so had with me to reap the
results of the collaboration. At other times I was alone with my
concepts, which, however,
seemed
as
real
as
actual
persons,
for
all
seemed
absolutely
real.
Lolix
was
here
in
her
better
aspects;
but
the sin of our day was held against our return to earth.
It
seemed
perfectly
natural
to
meet
Anzimee
one
night
as
I
wandered
by
the
shore
of
a
sea
adjacent
to
an
artificial
wilderness,
where
all
things
were
arranged
in
harmony
with
my
ideal
solitude
to
which,
in
Caiphul's
busy
whirl,
I
had one day dreamed of taking her when we should be wed. It was sweet
when we met to hear her call me
husband,
and
the peace after action was all delightful as I had imagined it would
be.
But my
pen is in advance of its proper place. To return to the den:
Without
disrobing, for the air was warm, I lay down and slept. When I awoke I
passed down the hallway into the garden. A change had come over. I
was older; the landscape was different, and the houses were more like
that which my maturer needs had painted as a necessity while I still
lived near Pitach Rhok. No longer was a river in the foreground, but
a broad sea with only the near shore visible. The change was
correspondent with the later desires of my youth. These alterations,
though startling as considered from an earthly, physical standpoint,
were not startling nor even remarkable to me. What sort of life or
condition was this which permitted such changes, yet did
not
present
itself
as
anything
extraordinary
to
me,
the
beholder?
Even
truth
should
not
be
told
in
prolix
phrase,
and all that can be replied now is that it wag the life after death,
to be slightly paradoxical. But this is not the
Great
Life with God.
Was time
consumed in effecting these changes, or was this an Aladdin's lamp
sort of land where a rubbing out of one and an installation of
another set of appearances took place instantaneously? I did not even
pause to consider, for no such conjecture occurred to me. To me
things were real. Is earth real? Spirit, God, is real, and the earth
and universe are the fiat, or externalized ideas of God. The things
of earth are words of God's great Word, speaking to us. So, too, are
the things of devachan or heaven. Both are real, oppositely so, but
only real within us, not without us. I sought my father, Merin
Numinos, and asked: How long have I slept? It
was
no
more
anything
but
a
habit
of thought to ask this, for I had no other motive. That, in the
process of death, habits of mind do not suffer extinction together
with life's memories of events, was proven by my action on hearing my
father's reply:
Even
several years hast thou slept.
Years! dost
thou exclaim? It, was no remarkable thing to me to hear this account
of a Rip Van Winklian nap.
No, but
my habit of mind which took pride in neatness of personal attire
caused me unwittingly to glance at my raiment to see if it were not,
the worse for such long wear. The allusion to several years attracted
my attention, so that having found my attire presentable, though I
still gazed at my clothes, it was is an absent−minded way. I said:
Thou
sayest
years;
also
another
thing,
'thou
has
slept,
ever
since;
thou
camest
into
this
country.'
Now,
I
pray
thee,. have I ever been elsewhere?
Receiving
no
reply,
I
looked
up,
only
to
meet
a
stare
like
that
of
a
statue
from
my
father.
He
evidently
knew
nothing, of any previous state, nor, by the very form of my question,
did I know more than he.
Death
was
another
thing,
never
referred
to,
because
in
the
instant
when
promoted
souls
find
it
no
more
possible
to
impress their existence upon those left behind on earth, they
recognize that they are in the midst of the change called death, of
which they were perhaps apprehensive all their earthly days. As the
exoteric religion then, aye, and now, also, taught but one death, the
devachanee knew or conjectured no other. Hence, death to the
disembodied soul was and is an unknown conception. Well, there is no
such thing as death for a fact. Likewise pain and sorrow. Devachan
the minor is like devachan the major (Nirvana), a state particularly
referred to in Revelation xxi: 4. Now, my friend, I am not
postulating an argument; I must refuse to argue, and though it savor
of medieval methods, yet must I also refuse to reason with thee. It
is the purpose of this history to state what I know
by
experience;
I
state
no
theoretical
ideas.
If
thou
wilt
take
any
small
matters
left
unexplained
into
the
inner
sanctuary
of
thy
soul
and
there
meditate
over
them,
then
will
they
become
clear
to
thee,
and
be
as
the
water
which
quencheth all thirst, if so gained. hast thou ears to hear? Then heed
that counsel. I address only those who follow these pages for profit.
Am the
devachanee knows of but one change, and, an that is so different,
from what he was religiously taught to fear, therefore many souls
entering heaven conceive at the moment of death that no death exists,
and that the teachings received on earth from priests were but
ecclesiastical fictions. Nor are they so far wrong, for there is no
other death than the mere change from objective to subjective states
of being, save the second death, spoken of in my final page. To be
paradoxical, death is different because not different, so far as they
can perceive, from the swift
view
of
the
life
just
closed,
a
view
all
souls
have,
however
brief
it
be.
Hence
it
was
that
I
was
unaware
of
the
fiction called death when I asked the father I found there if I had
not always been there.
Religion
taught in that old age as it now teaches, that with death came the
cessation of all earthly sorrow. This is true
for
a
time
limited
by
the
length
of
the
soul's
sojourn
in
devachan.
These
earth−born
mists
do
not
intrude
there
for the reason that being earth born they must of necessity have
abiding places on earth and influence only those on earth.
The
evil that men do lives after them.
Verily;
and in the form of crystallized disposition to do wrong, lies in wait
for their return to earth life; it is the wrongly
so−called Adamic tendency
to
sin,
and
while
the
sinner
is
free
of
its
power
in
devachan,
the
seed,
like
tares with the wheat, is ready to grow a harvest of sorrow along with
the growing life of the new incarnated one; and until some good
action shall atone for evil done, this evil will continue to grow.
Fortunately, man hath an eternity in which to make repayment, 1
and
though following God's laws and being true to right, whatever its
source, the tares are little by little uprooted. A good act is the
erasure of a bad, and once performed is oft
interred
with the bones, thus completing the philosophy of Hamlet.
All
about me were those I loved. As time seemed to lapse, I became
conscious of the presence of one and another of my friends. Anzimee,
Menax, Gwauxln, Ernon, Lolix without the shadow, all those and
thousands more who have
no
name
to
the
reader
were
there.
They
did
not
come;
no,
they
were
with
me,
each
as
I
had
conceived.
These
were my concepts, for they were subjective, not objective; they were
my ideals, not real people; and they formed my world. It occurred not
to me that they were not real. Did it ever occur to thee, reader,
that the world of thy senses is the only world thou hast? That, if
thou hadst no sight, smell, hearing, taste or touch, that thou
wouldst have no world even though thy soul were imprisoned in a body
thus dead, yet alive in a vegetative way? As the soul of each living
man, woman or child, is different from every other soul, so also the
world is different to every person not
the same precisely in any two cases. Now it is the record of the
soul, made on imperishable mental substance, which constitutes much
of the life after the grave; the record merges into a reality, and
all seems equally real, just as real as when the combined senses
first perceived it; in verity this after life is a reconstituted and
inverted earth life, subjective now, instead of objective. My
supposed friend may be a real enemy, yet if I die thinking him or her
my friend, that concept is the one carried into the after life, and
vice versa.
Thus,
all about me were my friends. The things of my sense records, and the
places, were the scenes where all these friends moved. But while I
had thus my world about me, a concept of me existed in the imaged
world of every friend I had. Not that I was with them, but their
concept of me was with them. Thus regarding the reality of all those
concepts that were non−involute, simple and easily assimilable upon
being remembered from the astral record, or, so to say, memory plates
of the Soul, of every incident, Small or great, simple or complex,
impulse or even unconscious cerebrations. But now mark a feature of
vast interest, inasmuch as it affirms what I have
seemed
to deny, any real association of the soul in devachan with other
individual souls. Devachan would indeed be a drear heaven if the
friends of mundane life were never aught but dream faces. Dreams they
are, if the incidents created in our hopes on earth, and in devachan
set forth as real to all seeming, were a simple fact. But if, per
contra, it were so complex that to solve its equation required the
joint efforts of two souls working in harmony, then also in devachan
the results of this complex act affected both these souls, and during
the assimilation of its results, that is, during the crystallization
of such results into traits of character, both these souls would as
actually be together as ever they were on earth. If more than two
people were involved on earth, so all these souls would congregate in
devachan. When the process was complete, the separation came. So it
happened that in one moment of assimilative experience all my
concepts were only phantasms, m the persons of one's nightly dreams;
the next moment wore complex, as my associates were real egoii like
myself. To me all this was unknown; all seemed real, and so, perhaps,
was so. But it is pleasant to feel that one works with a loved son,
lather,
daughter, mother, wife or other friend; that the consequences of the
more serious events of our daily lives here
will
bring
us
again
together
in
the
heaven
of
our
hopes;
that
the
wife
thou
takest
to
thy
heart,
and
to
whom
on
thy confident loving plans for the weal of thy loved ones, to realize
which both thou and she must work nobly, earnestly, will come across
the chasm which death spreads for thy bodies, and be with thee or
thou with her, there in Navazzamin. Pleasant, that thy mother, father
or other dear friend shall sometimes really be with thee there;
and
that together thou shalt garner thy various records, and enjoy in a
seeming real that which was not on earth aught but a hope never;
materialized.
In
meeting Anzimee, who yet lived on earth, I met sometimes my
conception of her, sometimes her own higher self. How was the latter
possible? Because she so longed from me that it developed and enabled
her to project her pure
soul
into
my
plane.
This
was
not
only
pleasant
and
beneficial
to
her,
giving
her
a
hold
upon
things
unseen,
of
which the apostle Paul speaks, but it was a holy joy to me to meet
her thus; she could come to me, but I could not
go back
to her. There is no retrogression.
In
communion with these ideals I had my reward, for nothing occurred
contrary to my wish. But in experiencing this reward, I also
unconsciously assimilated the value of the previous life on earth.
Thus my connection with politics in Poseid had brought me in contact
with men and manners, and from this contact were born schemes in
which I was to have had a leading part. These schemes were now
brought into the subjective state, and as such appeared
to
me
to
be
in
process.
From
these
apparent
actions
my
capacities
were
developed,
and
tests
of
the
worth
of my conceptions made. All of this resulted in making a concrete
deduction which became a part of my mental being; hence in a new
incarnation I would come forth to mankind possessed of phrenological
organs of increased power in the handling of political and social
questions. Perhaps this power would not be actively employed,
owing
to other tendencies being stronger; none the less the power would be
augmented and ready for use upon demand.
The
same
thing
would
prove
true
of
all
these
souls
really
associated
with
me,
both
in
previous−earth−and
after−heaven, the results, values and summings−up of our
contemporary devachan would give them new mental traits, or increase
the force of their old ones, and reincarnation would reassociate us
again on earth. And it has done so, else would I never have written
this history for thy profit, dear reader. My education as a geologist
at Xioquithlon was tested in this same subjective heaven, and from
this came added ability as a geologist; in short,
an
intuitive knowledge of geology and desire for that study after
reincarnation. Books would then serve to educe the geological bent I
might manifest. I might go on with other instances of the summing−up,
and arranging
process
experienced by those who have both the grave and the cradle between
them and earth. But this will
suffice
to hint to the reader that truths lie here and sweeten the
Thoughts
of
the
last
bitter
hour
.
.
.
Of stern agony, and shroud and pall.
I
hope,
my
friend,
that
this
effort
to
render
death
less
terrifying,
by
relating
my
own
experiences
of
it,
will
be
fraught with success, and that these words may so sustain thee that
thou shalt
Approach
thy grave
Like one
who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to
pleasant dream .
Zerah
Colburn, the marvelous boy mathematician, did not acquire his
knowledge in the schools of this modern age, but brought it, a legacy
from the dead centuries, his past lives, his latent power was educed.
I will not argue with thee, friend, that if thou hadst had a past
life on earth, thou couldst not have forgotten it, but would have
brought memory of it with thee. No,
I
argue
not.
I
only
leave
it
with
thine
own
intelligence
to
decide
if
I
be
not
right, when thou rememberest that habits of life grow from repeated
actions of boyhood, the details and every recollection
of
which
are
gone.
And
knowing
that
this
is
so,
decide,
if
thou
thinkest
it
not
absurd,
that
actions
of
a
life experienced century times centuries agone would be possibly
recollected, more especially when all the intervals
was
spent
on
a
different
plane
of
life,
whereon
no
single
memory
ever
intruded,
could
not
by
the
laws
of
God. I know whereof I speak.
−
At
length there came a time when I cared no more for the appearance of
action, nor for those concepts of persons, places, or things
connected with seeming activity. Chiefly now I cared to remain in
some quiet spot and listen to Anzimee, the real, not the concept, as
she read to or talked with me. I slept much also. One morning I did
not arise; I did not care to. I was not ill; no one ever knew illness
in devachan. But I had lost all desire to see or hear more
of
anything.
I
did
indeed
feel
languor,
but
not
weariness.
So
I
turned
over
again,
facing
the
wall,
and
slept.
It
was the last occurrence in the last chapter of a life's long rest,
which, though I knew it not, had covered twelve thousand years of the
actions of men of earth. Death had never appeared in that home of the
soul, for my concepts did not die, they only disappeared from the
view of their creator. Even the real souls of men or women did not
die.
No.
But
when
they
came,
one
after
another,
to
the
retributive
awakening
at
the
cradle,
if
their
lives
in
heaven
were
still associated with mine, if they had not gone elsewhere in
devachan, as neighbors on earth separate and put the world between
them, then they disappeared, just as my concepts disappeared when I
had assimilated their value. They
disappeared,
because
all
the
deeds
of
previous
earth
life
had
crystallized
as
traits
of
character,
and
they
were
ready for earth life again. Only myself could be conscious of my own
change; I could not be conscious of theirs. I was ready for activity
once more. I slept, and in this sleeping died out of that life of
passivity into the waking of earth, a babe in a cradle. Born to see
my Master in this life, and enter the Great Rest with him!
NOTE. But
one
will
come
after
me
who
shall
tell
thee
more
of
the
Great
Deep
of
Life
than
I.
Await
her
words. Author
.
End of
Book First
Footnotes
225:1
II Samuel, xii, 28.
226:1
Eccl. ix, 10.
236:1
Do not confuse repayment with atonement. Jesus
makes
atonement
for
us
with
God.
We
can
only
begin to repay, when, having obtained forgiveness through Jesus, we
try to Live Him. Until we consecrate ourselves to Christ, we can not
have recognized that we are HIS because HE owns us. When we recognize
this, then we recognize that HE owns us, and we own HIM. Then, but
not until then, can we even begin to repay our karma. And if we Go
and sin no more, then HE will equalize our to karma, and we be
released unto HIM, released or leased again! Karma closes for one who
thus is atoned for, and his opportunity for reparation begins. For
such an one no more incarnation is necessary, for hath he not the
SON? And that is Eternal life. What mean I by having the Son? And by
being consecrated to Christ? In this, then, only the church
postulate? Nay, more, friends. The Divine is eternal, infinite. The
Human is finite. When the awakened man comes to know himself, he
chooses which way he shall go. The choice is the crossing of the
Divine by the Human; it is ownership by the Son. which in within.
SEVEN
SHASTA SCENES. INTERLUDE
I
If there
are sermons in stones and books in the running brooks, then
is Tchastel's craggy
pile
a
noble
library
in veritas. In it the vastness, the grandeur and the solemnity of,
nature are expressed in mystic numbers carved in
the
eternal granite. On those stony, stratified pages Nature's students
may read the doings of the gnomes, Mother Earth's treasurers. Here,
too, in characters of lava, is writ Pluto's kingly record. Aye! 'tis
indeed Nature's own volume, bound between covers of snow and ice; and
marking the treasures thereof is a silvery ribbon whose ends hang out
of the vast tome, at the north one end, at the south the other, the
name of the one
McCloud river,
and of the other the Sacramento.
Again,
two lesser markers are in this sublime epic, viz.: Pitt and
'Shasta rivers. A volume of poems should bear poetic title; so shall
this. Can we bestow one more appropriate than the aboriginal
appellation, Ieka, a
name
retained
and
used
by
the
earliest
white
mer
whose
eyes
gazed
on
that
land,
far northern California, land of romance, of gold and of adventure;
retained through that intuitive recognition of
eternal
fitness which pioneer and trapper have ever, in all lands, exhibited
toward existent nomenclature. For
years
the
noble
mountain
bore,
for
white
as
for
aborigine,
the
name
it
had
fetched
from
out
the
night
of
time,
as
its
sister peak far to the north, Mt. Rainier, retained its primal
christening of Tacoma. But,
alas, for human conceit! Alas, for man's vain discontent, unable to
let well enough alone! To the one snowy mount came a
Russian
trapper, and thereafter Ieka was
no more on the tongues of men, unless, indeed, it was still lovingly
murmured by the dusky Modoc and his savage bride. To the other
glittering peak went an egotistic Englishman.
His
lordship found Tacoma so
beastly savage, doncher know, and
so
over
its
Indian
appellate
he
tacked
his
own patronymic. Time evens
all
things and ever
is justice
done. The
patriotic Americanism of the Northern Pacific Railroad topographers
reinstated on the company maps musical Tacoma, tossed
to rubbish the imported name, and rebuked one egotist's vanity.
That Shasta Buttes will ever know a parallel experience is
problematical; if not, 'tis perhaps as well, for American gratitude
willingly concedes the privilege of nomination of this proud peak to
its friend, and, in the '60s, champion of our national
autonomy Russia.
So
much
for
a
kind
of
mental
view,
past
and
present,
of
this
pride
of
the
crags
and
peaks.
II
On the
old wagon road which existed ere ever iron rails linked Oregon's
greatest city to the metropolis of the Golden
West,
there
still
stands,
as
for
thirty
years,
not
many
miles
from
the
State
line,
a
station
established
for
stage
line uses, and run by Daddy
Dollarhyde. A
lonely
place,
hidden
amongst
towering
pines,
which
make
regal raiment for the great Siskiyou Ridge of the Coast Range
extending in gloomy grandeur not miles, but hundreds of miles,
Dollarhyde's appeals to the heart of the traveler' as Saharan oasis,
to the weary caravan. 'Tis a lodge in some vast wilderness, and in
the days of this second Shasta Scene (A. D. 1884) was the only
footprint of civilization for many a long mile.
Leaving
Dollarhyde's, the road wound as directly as possible up a two−mile
stretch of exceedingly steep mountain.
Up
this
steep,
long
before
aught
but
hinted
dawn
lit
those
grand
ridges,
a
youth,
on
foot
and
alone,
was
climbing. A tramp? Temporarily; down below, at Dollarhyde's, the rest
of his party yet slept. Up, up he toiled, stopping when the love of
nature prompted him to bold communion with her visible forms, and
listen to her
various
language ;
pausing,
the
better
to
enjoy
the
exhilarating
freedom,
the
beauty
of
the
piny
slopes,
the
whirr
of the early grouse, and the chattering of squirrel and chipmunk.
Once, enchanted by the exquisite charm of a crystal spring that leapt
into and across the road, he stayed his step; and again, he stood
gazing afar down into the gloom of a great canyon, which became lost
to view in the dawn's early light. The summit at last! But still no
sun in the sky. All beneath was yet quietly resting 'neath the sway
of Morpheus. Ah! what is that? Away in the south is a huge, dim mass,
dull gray below, but, where its peak holds aloft the sky, 'tis rosy,
glowing pink. As the youth gazes, spellbound, Old Sol dispels the
valley glooms, thrusts aside the night, and the new day is born. The
rose
tints are gone, but also the gray, and in their place appears a
giant, pointed cone of purest white, albeit streaked at its base with
black lines, each some awful gorge. It rises not like other mountain
piles, from ranges rivalling its own height; no, all alone it stands
forth from its high plateau, piercing heaven's blue, from base to
summit, eleven thousand feet, from ocean's plane to apical peak
thirty−five hundred more Shasta,
O,
Mt.
Shasta.
III
Of the
youth, what? A year later we find him suffering a violent fever,
the gold−fever, which
yet
lingers
in
that
region of once famed mines; lingers, though it be now A. D. 1890.
Away up on a mountain's side with pick, pan
and
shovel he has camped where a little gold may always be found; where
hope whispers he may find a pile
some
time and fortune.
All
through that region forest fires have raged many weeks; all the
valleys lie hidden under a pile of smoke. But the miner on the
mountain is above it all, and as he labors looks out over the
undulating surface of the silvery, smoky.
ocean,
down
below.
He
sees
a
strange
sight.
No
waves
disturb
this
sea,
which,
nearly
a
mile
deep,
extends
away beyond scope of vision. Two or three islands dot its expanse;
these are all that is left to see of lofty mountain peaks whose bases
are hidden. Perchance the words smoke−ocean seem
figurative. Look heavenward from its bottom down in the valleys; the
sun, appearing like a globe of blood, needs no colored glass to
shield too sensitive eyes. Now go aloft to the miner on the mountain,
looking down on, but seeing not, Yreka (town). With him again gaze at
the islands ;
one only of them is not black in hue. It is the largest;
sharp−summited, white, shrouded in eternal snows, Mt. Shasta rises,
a noble island in the murky ocean about it, nine thousand feet.
IV
Night.
Otherwise the same scene. Our miner sits in his tent door, meditating
on the novel beauty of the scene before, below him. A north breeze
has rolled the smoky sea silently away and left no sign. Beneath the
tent outspreads a vast abyss, dark, silent, the night's Plutonian
shore. Our miner's fancy fills it with golden phantoms. Only the
stars, night's tall tapers, lighten the gloom. But far away east,
over ranges of lesser mountains, dim shapes couched in the darkness,
far away, miles real as well as seeming, familiar shadowy shape of
vast, uncertain size appears to shut from sight vision of some awful
conflagration. Look! It grows, it brightens, till on the charmed eyes
bursts a sudden, intense spark, then a full flame in Ieka's side 'tis
the moon at its roundest!
And
now
Ieka's
snows
glow
in
its
ray
like
molten
silver,
the
dark
abyss
before,
beneath
the
tent
lightens,
the phantoms flee, while over all, sublime, glorious, supreme, rises
Shasta's argent image.
V
Traveling,
southward, miner no more, the youth bends his course. A year agone
the golden phantoms died, the mine caved in, and no man knows that
sepulcher in the wilds of Siskiyou. Winter wet had extinguished the
flames and laid the smoky sea. But the succeeding summer saw all
aglow again, matched by the lightnings of heaven. Our traveler is at
the very base of Ieka Butte, and he and his steed crawl along the
slopes and vales in the bed of the fireborn ocean of smoke as do
crustacea on the bottoms of aqueous seas. A flaw of wind decreases
the denseness of the clouds, and above his head he sees an indistinct
shape, lit feebly by the smoke−smothered moon, at its full now, as
on that other night, a year ago. Beautiful through the murky air it
is not; but when told that the point dimly seen overhead is the
smoke−free, gleaming crest of Shasta, fifteen miles away as the
crow flies, e'en though we gaze at it from its own base, we feel an
indescribable sense of awe. And we liken the mount, with the flaming
forests glowing at its feet and its own muffled form rising in
obscured grandeur, to a silent sentinel by his watchfire,
wrapped
around
with
his
cloak,
and
meditating
on
the
trust
he
has
kept,
lo!
these
many
ages,
still
keeps,
and forever!
VI
Returned
from
the
far
south,
and
in
camp.
In
camp
at
the
timber
line
on
Tchastel's
side,
awaiting
the
nightfall,
and
through the long afternoon gazing out over a wealth of scenery not in
word power to paint. To the north Goose
Nest mountain,
its crater ever full of fleecy snow, rears itself aloft eleven
thousand feet. Down yonder in that gemlike valley is the lovely town
of Sissons; down, to our traveler, albeit on a plane seven thousand
feet above the ocean. Night. But not in a tent door. No, on muleback,
he and a companion are toiling upwards. There is no moon, no wind, no
sound, save a few strange noises arising from the nether regions. No
moon, yet plenty of light, since the snow seems self luminous, so
that objects appear against it in sharp silhouette. How black the
bleak rocks and ledges! And those glimmerings of light afar in the
night, what are they? Lamps; lamps miles away, thousands of feet
lower, yet in seeming not so far off. It is cold; oh, so frightfully
cold, numbing the mind! And still−as
the
grave.
No
sounds
now
arise
to
the
ear;
'tis
too
high
for
aught
save
silence.
So
cold;
and
yet
midday
sun
heats reflect from the snows as from a mirror, and then the
temperature if fearful to feel, yet the snow melts not.
Here is
a hot, sulphur spring, one−thousand feet below the apex. Warm your
chilled hands in the hot mud, wipe them quickly, lest they freeze,
and climb on. Your eyes, could you see them, congested as they are in
the rarefied atmosphere, the color of liver, would horrify you. Your
breathing pains you; your heartbeats sound like the thuds of a
piledriver; your throat is afire from thirst. No matter; here is the
top! Two o'clock a. m. in July, 188−. As yet no light, but faint
dawn. But ere long the soul is awestricken by a weird glow in the
cut, which lights nothing. The beholders are filled with a strange
disquiet; see the waxing light, and in a fearful wonder, almost
terror −see
the
great sun, scarce heralded by the aerial rarity, spring from. beneath
the horizon. Yet all below is in the darkest hour before the dawn. No
ridges, no hills appear, no valleys, nothing but night's deep
darkness. We
seem
to
have lost the world, and, for the nonce, are free of time! The planet
is swallowed up, leaving the mountain top's half acre sole visible
spot of all the Universe, save only the fearful splendor of Helios.
Understand now, for you may, the sensations of Campbell's last
man. The
world
all
gone,
and
self
and
comrade
alone
on
a
small
spot
in
midair, whereon the almost rayless sun casts cold beams of strange,
weird brightness. Look north. Afar in the
night
axe
four
cones
of
light,
Mt.
Hood,
Mt.
Adams,
Mt.
Tacoma,
and
St.
Helen's
tall
torch,
all
peers
of
our
Ieka.
As the Day King soars higher lesser peaks appear, then long black
ridges, ranges of vast extent, begin near by, only to lose themselves
in distant darkness.
Now the
void of night vanishes, hills stand forth, silvery spots and streaks
appear as the dawn lights lakes and rivers, and at last, no fog
obscuring, in the distant west, seventy miles away, is seen a great
gray plain, the Pacific's broad expanse. To the south, interrupted
streaks of silver show where flow Pitt and Sacramento rivers, while
over
two
hundred
miles
away
behold
an
indentation
of
California's
central
coast,
marking
the
Golden
Gate,
and San Francisco's world−famed bay.
VII
Beside
a
roaring,
dashing
mountain
torrent,
failing
in
myriad
cascades
of
foam
white
as
drifted
snow,
interspersed
with pools of quiet water, deep, trout−filled, blue, reflecting
flowery banks and towering pine−crested ridges,
ribs of
the planet, we pause. The day is hot, but the waters of this branch
of McCloud river axe cold as
the
pristine snows of Shasta from which they flow to our feet and thence
away.
We
recline on the brink of a deep blue crystal pool, idly casting
pebbles into and shivering the image of a tall basalt cliff reflected
from the mirror−calm surface. What secrets perchance are about us?
We do not know as we lie there, our bodies resting, our souls filled
with peace, nor do we know until many years are passed out through
the back door of time that that tall basalt cliff conceals a doorway.
We do not suspect this, nor that a long tunnel stretches away, far
into the interior of majestic Shasta. Wholly unthought is it that
there lie at the tunnel's far end vast apartments, the home of a
mystic brotherhood, whose occult arts hollowed that tunnel and
mysterious dwelling: Sach"
the
name
is.
Are
you
incredulous
as
to
these
things?
Go
there,
or
suffer
yourself
to
be
taken
as
I
was, once! See, as I saw, not with the vision of flesh, the walls,
polished as by jewelers, though excavated as by
giants;
floors carpeted with long, fleecy gray fabric that looked like fur,
but was a mineral product; ledges intersected
by
the
builders,
and
in
their
wonderful
polish
exhibiting
veinings
of
gold,
of
silver,
of
green
copper
ores,
and
maculations
of
precious
stones.
Verily,
a
mystic
temple,
made
afar
from
the
madding
crowd,
a
refuge
whereof those who, Seeing, see not, can truly say:
And
no
man
knows
.
.
.
And no man saw it e'er.
Once I
was there, friend, casting pebbles in the stream's deep pools; yet it
was then hid, for only a few are privileged. And departing, the spot
was forgotten, and to−day, unable as any one who reads this, I
cannot tell its place. Curiosity will never unlock that secret. Does
it truly exist? Seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened
unto
you.
Shasta
is
a
true
guardian
and
silently
towers,
giving
no
sign
of
that
within
his
breast.
But
there
is
a key. The one who first conquers self, Shasta will not deny.
This is
the last scene. You have viewed the proud peak both near and far; by
day, by night; in the smoke, and in the
clear
mountain
air;
seen
its
interior,
and
from
its
apex
gazed
upon
it
and
the
globe
stretched
away
'neath
your
feet. 'Tis a sight of God's handiwork, sublime, awful, never to be
forgotten; and as thy soul hath rated itself with admiration thereof,
in that measure be now filled with His Peace.
BOOK
SECOND
CHAPTER
I
I
have called you friends, for all things that
I
have of the FATHER I have made known unto you
.
With
Chapter Twenty−four of Book First closed the last devachanic
experience of a personal life history, a history enacted over one
hundred and twenty centuries ago. It has its good and its bad phases.
Under the social rules and customs of a people whom the modern world
regarded as pure myth until after the cruise of the Challenger and
the Dolphin, there
existed
a
personality
whom
those
who
have
followed
this
history
thus
far
know
by
the
name
of Zailm, an
Atlantean cognomen not less euphonious than its significance is
interesting, viz: I live to love.
According
to his narration, Zailm's youth was that of an obscure mountaineer.
He was possessed of an overmastering
ambition
to
make
his
name
blaze
among
those
of
the
noble
of
earth.
He
succeeded
in
his
ambition,
for his name, his wealth, his social and political position became of
the highest of the aristocracy of a proud and, in
myriad
ways,
marvelous
people.
If
he
failed
in
one
particular,
if
his
moral
life
became
awry,
his
record
in
other
respects
was
most
commendable.
For
the
one
failure
he
paid
dearly,
and,
if
you
credit
his
own
apprehensions,
the
payment would not be complete for many along, long year after you
would have lain
Down
with the patriarchs of the infant world
With
kings, the powerful of the earth the
wise,
the
good,
Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past
You
have
a
view
of
Zailm,
that
boy
so
obscure,
that
man
so
celebrated
throughout
a
land
not
paralleled
to−day,
nor ever matched since old ocean rolled over it and the sun saw it no
more in all his proud course.
From the
perusal of that record I ask you to turn to the history of another
personality, that of Walter Pierson, my own humble self. If the
Poseida Zailm was proud to declare himself a Poseida, I am equally
proud to say, I
am
an
American citizen!
−
While
I
was
still
so
young
as
to
be
unable
to
understand
anything
concerning
my
parents'
death,
except
the
agony
of
being
left
alone,
I
was
orphaned
by
the
fell
stroke
of
an
epidemic.
I
cried
in
my
childishness,
and
begged
to
be
allowed to see my papa and mamma, nor could I comprehend the
statement,
They
are dead and gone.
My
orphaned boyhood was passed under circumstances of such sharp
contrast to those years of my babyhood which knew parental kindness,
that my inherent tendency to rove grew stronger, until at twelve
years of age I became a cabin−boy on board ship, running away to
accomplish my ambition. For many years thereafter I
realized
that
actual
hardship
was
an
unforeseen
part
of
the
dream
of
travel
and
of
sailor
life;
but
its
toil
and
trouble
had to be endured.
My
ability, willingness and honesty in service told in my favor so well,
that at eighteen years of age I found myself first mate on a splendid
British merchantman. With this advantageous position, intervals in
which to study such books as tie captain, an educated man, had on
shipboard, were mine, and I used the opportunity to excellent
advantage, reciting my lessons to the captain, who took much interest
in me. An invention for which many a seafarer has been grateful, and
to which many a man whose life has, been spent on the ocean wave has
owed continuation of that life, paid me such a handsome sum, in
royalties, that ere I was of age I had no small fortune, which
by
wise
investment
soon
gave
me
a
sum
to
put
in
the
bank
with
the
assurance
of
a
fair
support
for
life.
I
did
not long continue in marine service after my money began to
accumulate, but left sea life to enjoy travel on terra firma. I had
seen the chief ports of every land, and now was bent upon wing the
interior of my own country.
In
the
gold
placers
of
California,
I
added
immense
sums
to
my
fortune
during
the
years
1865−6,
where
I
drifted
after
my
discharge
from
the
Army
of
the
Cumberland,
having
served
two
years
in
that,
famous
corps
during
the
War of the secession.
I
gloried
in
the
absence
of
two
fingers,
lost
by
a
vicious
fragment
of
shell
at
the
battle
of
Missionary
Ridge.
I
wonder if any reader remembers the morning of the 25th of November,
1863?
All
night
the
flash
of
rifles
from
the
outposts
had
gleamed
through
the
fog;
and
when
day
dawned
it
had
not
yet
been determined whether the enemy had been forced from his almost
unassailable position on the mountain. The morning was clear. All
eyes in the Union bivouacs were strained towards the summit.
Gradually the east purpled with strengthening light, and just as the
sun rose, a squad of men walked out on the rock overhanging the
precipice. Then, in full view of the watching tens of thousands, they
unfurled 'Old Glory.' Amid thunderous cheers an army of veterans
looked long through its tears at the Stars and Stripes, mute
announcement of victory.
At
the
close
of
this
saddest
of
wan,
because
the
hands
of
fathers
against
sons
and
of
brothers
against
brothers
were
raised, I presently found myself in the city of my birth, Washington,
D. C.
Two
months, later I was in faraway California, in one of its most
beautiful mountain countries, and formed one of a company of gold
miners. So rich were the returns of labor that we soon began to feel
the work onerous, and employed men to do it for us. Amongst these was
a man from China. I say a man from China because he certainly
appeared, from the very first, to be not one of the class sneeringly
called coolies, but
a real man. Coolies
were
numerous in the town, some two or three miles from our mine, but
Quong had nothing in common and did not associate with them; neither
was he privately addicted to their habits of gluttony, gin−drinking
or opium−smoking.
His
dress
was
that
which
always
distinguishes
the
Tchin
from
other
nationalities,
but
his
features
were not thus significant. Indeed, his high, prominent forehead,
well−developed sinciput, bold eyebrows and
delicate
neck marked him as a man of high character, spiritual cast, splendid
perceptive abilities and nervous temperament. His eyes such eyes!
calm, clear, light gray, resting upon one with so kindly,
unprejudiced and dispassionate a gaze, charitable, forgiving and
strictly upright and conscientious himself, but always ready to
overlook faults in others. Such was the appearance of a remarkable
man. His speech was intelligible to every one with whom he had
dealings, yet it always seemed to me that his broken English, a
commingled Chinese and Anglo−Saxon idiom, would have been wholly
unintelligible gibberish in the mouth of any other Chinese. I am no
Don Quixote, and do not propose to contend that it is not an evil of
serious import to the white man of America, Australia and the people
of the Spanish−American republics to be forced to compete with
Chinese laborers or the commercial products of that nation. I think
it a very real evil, and I sympathize with the Caucasian race. But in
all frankness I would ask if the hordes of unskilled, uneducated,
almost unassimilable laboring poor of Europe are
not
an even greater menace? The immigration of either is fraught with
fearful peril to the free institutions which I believe in, to the
extent of having at the point of the bayonet risked my life for their
preservation. But far be it from me to urge a spirit of strife;
rather I counsel you to follow Him whose life meant Peace on
earth, and
the
true brotherhood of man. In deference to a correct sentiment, these
pages will henceforth refer to my one Chinese employee as
the Tchin, or
Quong (his given name), instead of the Chinese.
After
the change of policy which gave the hard work to hired men, my
partners and myself resided in town, although. one or more of us were
always at the mine in the capacity of overseers. We employed two
gangs of workers
that
worked
on
alternate
days,
each
thus
giving
but
half
of
the
time
to
labor,
although
the
wages
were
not
reduced in consequence. These easy arrangements made the men extra
faithful, for they saw that our object was not to get all the work
out of them which they were able to accomplish, irrespective of their
comfort or the fact that they were men not beasts of burden. That
white men treated thus considerately will do more in the way of
results than those who are made to work at their highest power every
week−day hour has been my uniform experience. Treat your fellowman
as you would like to be treated were you in his place.
None
of
the
men
felt
the
least
objection
to
Quong
as
a
fellow−worker;
most
of
them
were
ready
to
admit,
indeed,
that
he
did
not
seem
like
a
heathen.
They
were
right,
for
he
was
not
one.
His
demeanor
towards
all
was
respectful
and manly, rather reticent, very quiet, but always so full of
benevolent feeling that he won the affection of his fellow workers.
They felt that he was a true man. On one occasion a new man was hired
by the company, and he
didn't
like pigtails. But in less than a week he fell W, and, unasked, the
despised coolie not
only
worked
all
day, but nursed the sick man through the brief but severe fever,
sitting up all night, and only taking a few hours
rest
next day, his off day.
No
more
was
heard
from
the
shamed
objector
to
coolies,
for
he
was
completely
won
over, so far as Quong was concerned. Thus he, too, was proved a real
Man, when the canker of intolerance was healed.
More
than once were the Tchin and I companions on his leisure days.
Sometimes we went to the town, but more often we turned our horses'
heads away into the wilderness of the mountains. Without his guidance
I had surely been lost there, amid the vast gorges, with their shade
of giant pines lying between the almost interminable ridges, those
stem ribs of the planet. But Quong was never lost, never hesitated,
though the night was upon us so dark on more than one occasion that I
could not see my hand before my face, a fact I never quite
comprehended at the
time,
though it is clear to me now. Once at such a time as this I felt the
need of a light, so greatly, it was in a
cavern
which we had found, that he said: Here, I give you light. I
heard
him
break
off
a
fragment
of
rock
from
the side of the wall of the cavern; next he put it into my hand,
saying: Have
care
now,
it
must
not
touch
you;
like
lightning; would kill you. As may be imagined, I touched so little of
the rock that Quong directed me to hold it tighter. Then up sprung a
brilliant light from the tip of that rock, illuminating all the cave
like sunlight! Had this amazing thing occurred a few years later, I
should have first pronounced it an electric light, then, bethinking
me that no battery was there, nor any dynamo−electric machine, I
would have done as I did do, sat down and gazed at the marvelous
light, forgetful of where I was. As Quong would give no other
explanation than he had already given, I was, perforce, content; only
I was not! But his power of keeping his course where not even the
track of an animal was to be discerned, was sufficiently astonishing,
and I was often amazed at the man for not losing his
way
amongst ranges of sierra which stretched away to where the vast snowy
peaks defined the horizon and kept
the blue
of the sky from blending insensibly with the blue of the mountains.
When
we
took
such
trips
as
these
we
were
accustomed
to
leave
the
mine
as
early
after
supper
as
possible,
that
is,
at half past five in the afternoon. If the other men were fatigued,
Quong never seemed to share their weariness, although there was not a
fellow worker but admitted that he accomplished more than any of
them.
If
the
night
was
one
of
Luna's
own,,
it
was
our
habit
to
ride
for
several
hours,
frequently
not
halting
before
midnight, when we might be thirty or more miles from the mine.
On one
of these occasions, when we and our horses were alone with nature and
the night, we stopped in a remote solitude
to
wait
for
morning,
to
sleep
or
not
as
we
felt
most
agreeable.
Quong
sat
down
on
a
rock
by
the
edge
of
a
roaring crystal torrent, and gazed in silent enjoyment upon the
solitary grandeur of the sombre pines and moonlit peaks. I left him
there and wandered up the stream, till, on looking back, I saw that
my friend was hidden from view by a sharp turn in the canon. But
heedless of this I wandered on, musing at the scene, rockribbed;
ancient as the sun.
It is
not possible for a person alive to the beauties of nature, long to
remain insensible to the more serious thoughts
evolved
by
meditation
pursued
amidst
the
wilds,
untroubled
by
man's
sordid
methods.
Gradually
my
thoughts assumed a reflective cast, which, almost unperceived, became
tinged with the dead black shadow of materialism. Many a time and oft
had grim despair seized upon me while pursuing to philosophical end
the
mysterious
questions of the soul; Whence and Whither? Unreasoning
faith
had
never
held
any
place
in
my
nature, and yet mine was a deeply religious disposition. To reason is
to be lost, thundered the church of those days, and even yet does it
maintain this attitude concerning reason as applied to faith. The
queries which haunted others pursued me; but I lacked the
Ingersollian desire to propound the question, which maddened me, to a
world
I
doubted not had misery enough already. But the despair which arose
from the hidden questioning was not less keen because hidden. Eagerly
I read scientific works; studied anatomy, physiology, mechanics, the
structure of cells and the essays of Darwin and Huxley, and I came to
the same conclusions that have troubled the world so mercilessly in
all ages. The gray matter of the brain, and the white cerebral
substance, the medulla oblongata and vital magnetism, and the
blood −these
became
so
much
phosphorized
fat,
haematin,
and
magnetic
vibration;
that
same unconscious
cerebration theory in fact, which even yet disturbs certain
philosophers. Thus joy and sorrow, and every other emotion, became a
form of vibration, akin to sound waves, heat waves, light waves and
undulation in general. I saw, in brief, my joy become a mere
vibratory thrill of nerve tissue, similar, but more complex, to the
throb of a violin string. My grief became a similar pulsation or
wave. But neither were less keen; if my delight were mere pulsation
of bundles of fibers proceeding from a cell or nucleus, principally
composed of phosphorized fatty substance; if in passing, this delight
but gave rise to a magnetic thrill, and a minute quantity of
phosphoric acid, while any chance muscular exertion produced,
ultimately, only relatively small amounts of carbonic acid and other
excretory chemicals, nevertheless, it was keen joy. And my grief over
a deceased friend,
if
it produced exactly the same chemics, having their formulas reducible
to the symbols PO4
and CO2,
etc., etc., was this emotion less agonizing, less painful? None the
less, when all queries were finished, when all were reduced
to
their
ultimates,
ever
and
forever
faced
me
a
blank
wall,
insurmountable,
and
everything
ceased
short
of
God. In my despair I cried: There is no God, no immortality, and man
differs from the oyster only in having a more complex organization.
Only because I, believing thus, lack incentive to crime, am I
prevented from lust, from murder; what reek if I kill a man and no
witness be there? When I, too, die, the clock of life is either worn
out, or broken; both are irreparable, and there will be never more
resuscitation, nor punishment, for death levels all, equalizes all.
Perhaps I myself am only a complex vibration of atoms, not dyads, but
mult−atomic arrangements of matter acted upon by what? Force, wave
force, moving ether. We are but puppets, creatures of uncontrollable
circumstances. 'Kismet,' says the Arab, and I must say so, too!
Do
hideous, natural causes of fright seek those moments to appal poor,
despairing man when he is already a prey to
shapes
of
awful
oppressiveness
to
his
very
soul's
life?
I
have
thought
no,
and
even
the
next
moment
thought
so;
soul in peril, and body also, for then in my path arose a terror, a
huge grizzly bear, Ursus
horribilis. Surely
horrible
enough, I thought, as the animal raised himself in frightful posture.
I had no weapon except a clasp knife,
and
the
remembrance
emphasized
the
reality
of
my
peril.
Wildly
I
looked
about
for
a
tree,
into
the
branches
of which to climb for safety. None except giant pines were near; down
the stream towards Quong were cottonwoods,
but
to
go
there
was
to
put
my
friend,
unwitting
his
peril,
into
extreme
danger.
Yet
bruin
was
rapidly
forcing me to decide on the courses of flight, or remaining to be
eaten, so I turned to run and stood face to face with the Tchin! Calm
and cool himself, he bade me have no fear.
Stock
still
I
stood,
amazed
to
see
him
walk
slowly
up
to
the
grizzly
which,
from
its
fierce−eyed
aspect,
changed
to
docility of looks, got down on all fours, and awaited the man's
approach! Was Quong insane? I expected to see him rent in pieces;
instead, he placed his hand on the head of the animal and said:
Lie
down!
The
order was obeyed at once, and then Quong sat down on the prostrate
animal and fondled its great, stiff ears! Very gently, the bear
licked the human hand, as gently indeed as if caressing its own cubs.
What occult power
was
here? Was the Tchin a worker of miracles? Never before had any action
betrayed to me this ability of his. True, the example of producing
the light in the cave was one, but it had not then so occurred to me
because I
knew
enough,
and
at
the
same
time,
not
enough,
to
know
that
the
production
of
electric
light
was
a
possibility,
but
not possible to any electrician or chemist in the way the Tchin
performed it. It was not possible to ordinary
science
then, nor is it now any more so. But it would be possible to them if
they would but take the proper occult method; it is one of the
earliest learned and easiest feats performed by the novitiate. But I
was not then a novitiate.
After a
few moments Quong got up and, speaking to the conquered ursine,
said: Go! As
obediently
as
before
the shaggy beast lumbered heavily off up the canon and was soon lost
to view amongst the rocks and shadows of the night.
Once
more the granite boulders shone silvery in the glorious summer
moonlight; the dark pines swayed in the gentle breeze which,
descending from its play with the whispering boughs, blew the spray
of the rushing torrent over
the
grateful
wild
flowers
nodding
on
the
banks.
And
beside
the
rocks,
the
crags
and
peaks,
the
torrent
and
the
pines,
the
moon
shone
down
on
two
figures,
two
men.
One
stood
wrapped
in
meditation;
the
other,
not
thinking
at
all, simply regarded the first with eyes where amazement yet
lingered. Neither moved, neither spoke. But one, at least, though he
thought not, yet felt. I felt how little difference existed between
men, so that they were worthy men. I would have acknowledged the
Tehin as my equal before the world; perhaps, indeed, as my superior.
In the clearest nights some mists come over and obscure the face of
things. So with the soul; in its clearest moments it knows Truth,
only to forget in later moments how Truth seemed. Them, anon, the
fogs clear away again.
Sometimes,
alas,
it
is
after
the
obscured
orb
has
set.
So
also
the
soul:
death
may
get
its
darkness
over
it
ere
the
clouds of prejudice have melted, or it may not.
But
there in the moonlight, the sky of my soul was also clear. But
neither man moved, neither spoke.
CHAPTER
II. A SOUL IN PERIL
Many
days
I
pondered
that
scene
in
the
mountains,
marveling
over
the
wonderful
power
possessed
by
Quong
over
wild animals. Did he know how he exerted this control, or was it
simply a feature of his nature, sufficiently astonishing, truly, but
still not understood by its owner? At Bombay, I had seen snake
charmers exercise the same dominion over serpents, but it was an
inherited ability, unexplained even by the operator. To querists they
would reply:
So did
my father, and my father's father, and his father. I know not, except
he got it from Brahm.
But
perhaps Quong knew the law which governed his phenomena; if he did,
and knew one occult law, did he not know two, or more than two? I
determined to ask him when opportunity presented. While in Hindustan
I heard that
there
were
certain
men
there,
not
fakirs,
but
learned
men
who
lived
in
the
Himalayan
solitudes,
who
wrought
magical feats of wonderful variety and power. Had Quong come from
these; learned of them? Was he an occult adept, such as I had heard
of? These were called, so I had been told, Ragi−Yogees, and to the
curious person trying to learn more about them than the meager
statement of their vast occult or theosophic wisdom, the native laity
proved dumb as the Sphinx of Egypt.
I
had
an
early
chance
presented
to
question
my
friend,
who,
well
as
I
knew
him,
still
proved
more
communicative
than I had hoped.
It
pleased me greatly to learn that not one in a hundred thousand
Chinese had any occult wisdom whatever; pleased
me,
because
I
felt
that
if
the
degraded,
groveling
Mongol
had
such
knowledge,
then
because
it
did
not
lift
that benighted race it could not be of an elevating character. But
all through the Orient, here and there, the magicians were to be
found; the reasons for such secrecy, as they maintained, arose from
the fact that ere such knowledge as they were custodians of could be
gained, the soul must be calm with that calmness which comes best
from life amidst the wilds of nature. Now this may seem strange, but
it is a calm which can hardly be maintained in the habitats of those
addicted to meat eating, or of persons engrossed in the selfishness
of common life. You may imagine that these students could seclude
themselves from disturbance; men who wish to study do so seclude
themselves, even in cities. Not so the occultist. For, from the
social order and communal life of the world emanates an aura, or
atmosphere of its own disturbed muddiness, an aura fatal to the
absolute peace required by the theosopher. I am impelled to remark at
this point that what goes under the name of theosophy
in
the
world
to−day
is
an
article
so
far
removed
from
the
genuine
that
the
name
has
even
thus
early
been
laid
aside
by the silent nature student, who, now as ever, is a Son of the
Solitude.
But
to return to Quong and the question which I asked him. I append his
answer verbatim:
Yes,
in
this
land
of
the
Starry
Flag
there
are
students
known
as
the
'Lothinian
Brotherhood.'
Their
lodges,
called
'Saches,' are habited throughout the western hemisphere; there is one
Sach near here. No one not privileged could hope to learn where it
is, or who are its members. Yet as I have led you, Mr. Pierson, to
ask the question you
have;
as I have done this with consent of the brethren, to every one of
whom you, who, however, know none of them, are yourself well known,
to what do you ascribe my action?
I
could
construe
it
in
only
one
way;
so
I
told
the
Tchin
that
doubtless
they
knew
and
favored
my
deep
desire
for
occult fraternization, a desire ever baffled until that hour; I felt
my Sonship; I did not know it.
It is
so; thou art to be taken as a Brother Son by a class of men who
seldom allow fraternity even to new affiliates, and never to any
other persons whatsoever. But be this clear to thee forever; there is
no order of mystic students
anywhere,
never
was
and
never
will
be.
The
Lothins
of
America,
the
Yogis
of
Hindustan,
do
not
combine
for study of occult lore. It is not possible so to study. He who
attains, grows; he doe's not study as collegiates study. It is not in
books. Each student of God is in himself the plane he dwells on, a
radiating center of God−wiseness. The very vows asked of initiates
are but tests to determine if in themselves they are that which they
seek to affiliate with. The Theo−Christian indeed does live with
others as to body, but because similars are mutually attractive only.
The Kingdom of God is within thee, or else (for thee) nonexistent
elsewhere. Be that
thou
knowest, and then Christos will give it to thee to know and become
more, which also do thou become, and thus grow, as the lilies of the
field, which toil not, nor spin, but are God thoughts externalized.
'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life,' said our Great One. Thou art,
Walter Pierson, of right by growth one of the Sach. And this right is
because thy life for ages is known to them.
My
what? My life for ages? Am I so old? I
asked, laughing at the supposed joke.
You will
learn in time, Mr. Pierson, in time, gravely said Quong, in
meditative tones. I
am
not
speaking
humorously.
The
reason assigned for the interest taken in me made nothing clearer, so
I fell to studying the question.
No,
you can not guess why, sir, said
Quong. Look
at me; you say I seem about thirty years of age. I am more.
Multiply
that figure by three and add its half, and you will be correct within
one year. I have watched over you since your birth, using my psychic
powers for the purpose, since until a year ago your present eyes have
not beheld me. You are born with powers which you can educe so as to
become wiser than I. If it please you we will go
to
the
Sach
to−night.
You
are
surprised
that
I,
whom
you
have
heretofore
heard
speak
only
in
pidgin−English,
as it is called, now use such fluent language. I have my reasons,
believe me; perchance you find them obvious.
In
the
afternoon
I
went
to
town,
telling
Quong
that
I
would
meet
him
there
if
access
to
the
Sach
was
as
convenient
from there as from the mine.
On my
way into town I met an acquaintance at whose very popular liquor
saloon I had more than once taken refreshment, thinking it no harm,
for I drank moderately. When we came near his place, on the main
street, he insisted on my tying my horse and coming in to have a
social glass with him. But the idea of acceptance jarred, and I felt
that it disturbed the calm reflections which had filled my thoughts
on parting with the Tchin. Quong never drank liquor, smoked, or was
aught but abstemious in his habits. But I entered, resolved not to
take any form of spirituous liquor. The scene presented was familiar:
men stupid, foolish, or excited from their potations, and public
women mingling with the crowd in the place. Previoussly to the week
just passed these sights were viewed by me with indifference. But now
they seemed revolting in the extreme. One exemplification of the
satanic influence of liquor I saw with different emotions now from
those of other days: a fair, beautiful girl, a moderate user of
liquor, not reached to the depths as yet, but a wanton, for all her
education, culture and refinement;
beginning
life
in
the
midst
of
the
influences
of
school,
church
and
home,
in
the
far
Eastern
States,
but
fallen through a man's heartless treachery, and that cruel and
equally heartless judgment of society that whited sepulcher,
outwardly stainless, but secretly worse than the victims it stones
with its merciless opinions. All the worse is this pharisaical spirit
in that it lets the betrayer go free.
Let him
that is without sin cast the first stone. She was already passing her
days in the midst of hell. And the original cause was liquor. Liquor?
Yes, I knew her history. Her parents saw no harm in the moderate use
of wine, and with the taste created in the girl's nature for the use,
came that for fast society and
then ruin! Only eighteen years old, yet her feet had stepped on the
embers of Hades. Was she lost, entirely lost? I hardly thought so. I
believed her story, that all the glitter of erroneous ways, wine and
fast society had been embraced in her eastern home because not
discouraged by her parents. She said she had no care for those wild
ways, but rather a disgust. I felt that she spoke the truth, for
tears of genuine sorrow stood in the bright brown eyes, and I knew
the possessor of such eyes had trod the path of sin, not through
preference, but, as she said, Through it seeming that at home no one
cared what she did, until her disgrace, and then they had put her out
and locked the doors of house and hearts against her. All this she
told me while she sat in her own home, the finest in the little city,
known as the Retreat. She
was occupying the day in painting, for her skill as an artist was
only equalled by that which she had as a pianist. Her walls were
covered with pictures of her own execution such
paintings!
so
sad
and
full
of
pathos. One was an ideal picture representing a fair maiden, with a
feverish light in her eyes and a look of
defiance
on her face, sitting under a great tree on a lawn. Beside her was a
young man, and before them was a serving
woman
with
a
tray
on
which
were
four
glasses,
two
full
of
milk,
two
of
red
wine.
With
a
smile
of
ridicule
the young man placed his hand on the wine, and the girl, with flushed
cheeks and defiant eyes, was reaching for the other glass of liquor,
although it was evident that she preferred the milk. Behind her,
unperceived by any of the
three,
stood
a
shadowy
form,
a
man
with
a
face
of
divine
purity,
who
was
gently
weeping
over
the
girl's
error.
Behind her companion was another shadowy form, black, and with a
satanic countenance, his hand on the young man's shoulder and a smile
of triumph on his evil features. Below the picture was the title: The
Defeat of Purity.
After
I
had
studied
long
over
the
picture,
I
turned
to
its
painter
and
said:
That represents your life and its woe, does it not, Lizzie?
She
made
no
reply
other
than
to
break
into
a
storm
of
tears.
I
waited
for
the
cessation
of
her
anguish,
and
as
I
sat,
she dried her tears and replied:
Yes, my
woe. Oh, God! that I have fallen so low, and there is no hope! No
hope! If I could, I would leave this sort
of
life
and
go
away
to
begin
anew
where
no
one
knew
anything
of
me
or
my
past.
But
I
can
not,
for
I
can
not
get away; I have no means of support if I could.
Your
art, Lizzie, I
suggested,
gently.
Yes,
my art, I know; but I fear not, for I have no means adequate to a
beginning.
It was
from that girl's parlor I had, gone forth when, in the evening of the
same day, Quong and I went into the mountains,
and
the
grizzly
bear
episode
occurred.
That
was
a
week
ago
now,
and
to−day
I
stood
in
the
saloon
of
Charles Prevost and saw, engaged in conversation with the barkeeper,
over a glass of sherry, Lizzie.
The
barkeeper
turned
away
to
wait
upon
another
customer,
and
at
the
same
time
I
went
up
behind
the
girl
and
bending my head close to her ear, said, almost in a whisper:
Would
you not rather that sherry was milk?
The
hard
look
died
out
of
the
mournfully
sweet
face
and
a
tear
leaped
to
each
eye
and
trembled
there
like
a
dewdrop, as she said, oh, so wearily: Yes.
Then
come with me; let us go to your house.
We
went,
followed
by
the
curious,
misjudging
eyes
of
the
saloon
idlers.
Having
arrived
and
having
entered
the
parlor, I offered her a chair and took another myself. Then I said,
as she looked at me wonderingly:
Lizzie,
let me rather say Elizabeth, for it is more stately, dignified, and
so suits you better, you said you would rather it were milk; now, I
know what you meant, that your soul yearned for the better life of
which we were speaking
last
Monday.
Well,
I
am
rich;
no
one
in
the
West
dreams
how
rich.
To
me
the
loss
or
mere
absence
from
my control of twenty thousand, or even more than twenty thousand
dollars, would be unfelt; the income of a couple of months would
replace it. Since we talked here last week I have thought of you many
times; to−day I come prepared to−to, well, smother your pride,
and accept this check on the First National Bank of Washington,
D. C.
Will
you,
Elizabeth, will
you
take it
and
go there;
flee
from the
misery
of to−day
and
begin life
there
anew?
But,
but−how
can
I
repay
it,
if
I
do;
or
how
will
you
know
that
I
do
not
waste
it
and
abuse
your
confidence?
My
girl,
I
do
not
want
you
to
repay
it
ever,
in
any
way,
to
me.
Use
it
as
I
ask;
as
for
me
the
Savior
has
said:
'He
that
giveth
even
a
cup
of
cold
water
shall
in
no
wise
lose
his
reward';
and
again
He
said:
'He
that
loseth
his
life
for
my sake shall find it again.' If life, Elizabeth, what of money,
which is so much less? I trust you. Will you take it from me as a
'cup of cold water' to save you from perishing?
Yes,
if you give it in that way, I will, and as God shall help me I will
be true to promise!
How she
kept her faith, dear reader, you will find by and by. But City
knew
her
no
more,
nor
was
a
trace
of her destination known to any one there except myself. All that was
known was that her finer pictures were
boxed
and consigned to a firm of picture dealers in New York City, via San
Francisco and the Horn. This was a blind, for while the impression
was sought to be conveyed that they were sold to the consignees, such
was not the case, for nothing could have induced her to part with
them except dire necessity. The less valued pictures were sold
at
an
auction,
along
with
her
house
and
furniture,
bringing
quite
a
sum
of
money.
Her
own
ticket,
I
was
told
a
month or so later by a mutual acquaintance, a Catholic Sister of
charity, may God bless those sisters! who went to San Francisco with
her, was purchased for the city of Melbourne, Australia. The
information surprised even me, and
I
thought
her
plans
were
deep
laid,
indeed.
The
Catholic
Sisters
gave
me
a
small
painting
which
Elizabeth
had
left for me. It was a picture of the Capitol at Washington, and under
it the words in quotation marks, Home,
sweet
home. The
sister
had
never
been
in
Washington
and
did
not
know
what
the
subject
of
the
picture
was,
nor
had any other person seen it, so that not a soul but myself knew
through the picture or in any way else where the fair, frail, but
newly born to a high purpose, artist had gone.
Dismissing
further
special
thought
about
her
whom
I
believed
to
be
saved,
I
began
to
reflect
on
my
next
actions.
I
felt, in thinking of my proposed visit to the Sach, as if I were
about to leave the world; joining their order was, according
to
Quong,
virtually,
and
perhaps
in
fact,
leaving
the
world
of
ordinary
humanity.
As
I
walked
along
the
streets after writing out the check for Lizzie, a wind−blown sheet
of paper fell on my arm and remained until I picked it off. As I was
about to let it flutter away, my own name on the paper caught my eye
and aroused my curiosity. Then I read the entire note, and will
repeat its words for your sake:
Give not
the rest of thy fortune away; so far thou hast given well, but do not
rashly throw away the rest of it. Yet, as thy mining days are
practically over, as well as thy life in this community, therefore
sell thy share in the mine.
It
is
a
good
mine,
and
will
bring
a
high
figure;
yet
be
not
discouraged
if
thou
find
not
a
taker
for
it
now,
but
wait. Offer it now, for time is an essential.
M −.
Whence
came this message? I could not tell, and, strange to say, my usual
abundance of natural cautiousness never suggested that the whole
thing was an artfully planned scheme to defraud me. So far from such
an idea occurring
to
me,
I
sought
my
partners
and
asked
what
they
would
give
me
for
my
third
share
of
our
joint
property.
The reply was not immediate. At last, one cautiously asked:
Pierson,
wily do you sell? Do you fear the 'pay' is petering out?
I
replied
that
I
did
not,
but
had
reasons
of
a
private
nature.
Then,
too,
I
wanted
to
go
home.
They
did
not
know
that I meant by the word home, a
figurative
rendition;
that
home
was
not
Washington,
the
city
which
they
knew I had come from, and that instead, I meant affiliation with an
occult brotherhood. They promised me an answer upon the next day. To
this I agreed, but next
day came
not for more than a month; when it did, the
interim
had seen a strike at
our
mine,
uncovering
what
was,
in
the
belief
of
the
company,
millions
of
dollars.
In
the pay
dirt, lying on the bedrock, a
lode of gold quartz was found which, according to the assay, ran into
the thousands of dollars per ton. Unconscious of this coming good
fortune, I left my partners engaged in debate
and went
out upon the street. At the appointed place and hour of seven o'clock
in the evening, now come, I met the Tchin. Our meeting place was
beyond the town limits, and night had fallen when I arrived. He sat
by a tall pine tree, and I did not see him until I had been there.,
supposing myself first arrived, some five minutes. It was the night
of the full moon of that lunar period, and I sat musing on a rock by
the roadside, thinking of the myth of Morpheus, who with leaden
scepter wafts the many into the dim land of dreams, the only respite
from woe that weary millions of sufferers ever find on earth. But
Quong was not to usher me into peaceful slumber; he was not come as
Morpheus, but he was to introduce me into a realm which, new to me,
was old in the earth since the first flight of years began back in
the aeons of dead time, a realm that has existed from the time of the
creation, the spiritual,
far−away
land
of
the
soul,
where
the
vagaries
of
dreamland
are
supplanted
by
verities
stranger
yet.
I
was
about to enter on the path of Kabala, wherein travel those whose
researches into the occult penetralia come from an
antiquity
of
hoary
seers
of
ages
past.
Would
I
prove
worthy?
Then
the
Tchin
broke
in
upon
my
reverie
with
the
bidding,
Let
us go.
Strange
as
it
may
seem,
I
was
in
no
wise
startled
at
his
sudden
appearance.
Soon
we
were
among
the
rock−ribbed
hills, and the pine forests waved above us, around us, and adown the
slopes beneath our feet. Deer roamed here, despite the comparative
nearness to the habitations of men, and many a bright flower was
faintly visible in the moonlight, peeping from its shy retreat, wood
lilies, tiger lilies, violets. My thoughts dwelt musingly on these
natural beauties and seemed to say, How fitting that they who, in
love of nature, hold communion with her visible forms should go, from
listening to the tongues of the visible, to take note of the various
language wherewith she tells of things unseen. To the thrill of
feeling which swept over me at the meditation, my very soul
responded.
By the
time we were fairly amongst the enforested mountains and the silences
of nature, the night was well advanced.
The
moon's
round
shield
now
shone
broadly
upon
us,
or
again
peeped
forth
between
swaying
pines.
Scarce a cloud floated in the heavens, the air was warm and still,
the entire scene seemed a most appropriate introduction to greater
beauties which I felt were about to be presented.
Then, as
I beheld Quong ahead with his blue Mongolian blouse, and in the act
of uncoiling his queue to cool his head, the sight acted upon my
deep−seated prejudice against the Chinese race and, like a ruffling
breeze, swept over
my
placid
soul
and
marred
my
enjoyment,
my
serenity.
For
a
moment
I
forgot
the
superiority
of
manhood
in
Quong, and there arose within me a repugnance to investigating, in
the company of a Chinese, things which impressed me as sacred. My
vanity whispered that, because he was a Chinese, he was my inferior;
yet for the world I would not have breathed a word of it to him. I
almost felt inclined to return to town, nevertheless.
Quong's
voice interrupted this disagreeable train of thought, and his words
became a mirror to reflect my conceited egotism so faithfully that I
was aghast, and wondered that my own sense of justice had allowed
such vain ascendance of meanness. Swept away at last was every
vestige of the notion that nationality was of the smallest
consequence
where
real
manhood
was
under
consideration.
Replacing
the
narrowness
was
the
conviction
that, while one race may have more numerous exemplifications of
nobility than another, none the less the individuals of every race
may leap the highest social barrier and stand equal at last, because
it is the soul, not the casket, which springs aloft to God.
What
said the Tchin? do
you ask? This:
Alas
for
human
vanity!
It
is
more
prolific
of
evil
than
any
other
emotion,
makes
men
weak
when
they
should
be
strong,
p.
269
cringe
to
prejudice
when
bravery
is
meet,
and
sows
the
seed
of
Injustice,
which
hath
the
flower
Intolerance
and
the ripe fruit Iniquity.
He
then turned to me direct, saying:
Brother,
ought
the
penalty
earned
by
the
depravity
of
the
Chinese
race
to
be
visited
upon
me,
who
have
no
part
in their iniquity? Shall the good stone in the pile rejected by the
masons of society be also cast aside? Perchance, it might become the
head of the comer. Oppression of tyranny is rejection, for it denies
a man's rights. Behold, then, what a pillar of strength is built of
the rejected stones of the nations upon the rock of the American
Declaration of Independence! Yet, let it not be built too high, and
never of any but choice stone, whatever its source, lest it become of
ill proportion and fall in ruin!
Indeed,
indeed!
I
knew
not
that
you
could
so
easily
fathom
my
thoughts;
nor
did
I
know
how
illiberal
I
had
grown through my vanity! Forgive me, my friend!
Ask
not
my
pardon.
I
am
not
offended.
But
I
saw
clearly
that
you
were
doing
yourself
an
injustice
in
allowing
such play to prejudice. It was to set you right, not to humble you,
that I spoke.
Somehow
the
beauty
of
the
scene
was
enhanced
in
my
sight.
Like
a
gladdening
rain
laying
the
dust
were
the
words of my friend, and my soul's atmosphere was cleared, so that all
things appeared more lovely.
As we
walked, a doe and her fawn stepped into the path before us. Their
impulse, on seeing men was to take flight. But Quong held out his
hand and called them as if they were pets familiar with him. The
animals stopped, and
returned
along
the
path
until
within
reach.
He
stroked
them
gently
and
as
we
passed
on
they
followed
behind.
I
was
wondering
if
Quong,
in
his
many
solitary
walks
in
the
mountains,
had
not
made
a
few
pets,
as,
for
example,
these deer, and even the bear, when the idea was put aside by a new
occurrence. As we came under an overhanging rock a puma,
or California lion (Felix concolor), leaped into our midst with the
evident
p. 270
intention
of having venison for supper, indeed, had not the deer for which he
sprang been too nimble, it would have
been
an
instant
victim;
but
it
and
its
companion
affrightedly
closed
about
Quong,
and
the
latter
turning
to
the
panther, said sternly, but in a calm, low tone:
Peace!
And
there
was
peace,
for
the
carnivore
slunk
down
for
an
instant,
like
a
whipped
dog,
then
resumed
a
normal
catlike attitude, and, purring, walked with soft, feline tread on one
side, with the deer on the other side of the human
mediator,
and
I,
lost
in
amazement,
brought
up
the
rear.
Verily,
the
fable
of
the
lion
and
the
lamb
was
realized in actuality.
See,
my
brother,
what
it
is
to
know
the
law
and
to
live
it;
for
I
myself
am
a
vegetarian,
and
the
perfect
peace
such food allows renders my soul calm, so that I see the law as in a
mirror. Behold proof of the truth in this occurrence!
As he
ceased to speak we halted in front of a huge lodge of basaltic rocks,
some hundreds of feet in height. The ledge
was
broken
and
twisted
as
if
by
some
rending
convulsion.
All
about
the
base
lay
huge
fragments
broken
off
the face of the wall. Against the cliff rested a giant block many
tons in weight. Touching this with his hand, the Tchin said:
Here
is
our
Sach,
our
Temple,
so
to
say;
this
rock
is
guard
at
the
entrance
to
a
place
remarkable,
to
say
the
least,
if viewed from an occidental standpoint.
I
looked
in
vain
for
the
doorway,
or
any
crevice
which
might
lead
into
a
cavern.
Meanwhile
Quong
laid
his
hand
on the great cat with us and said:
Go!
And
the
lion,
pausing
not,
went
leaping
along
in
bounds,
for
these
animals
have
such
a
limber
spinal
column
that
they can not run or trot like other animals not of the feline tribe,
leaps by which it was soon lost to sight. Then Quong said:
As
it
will
not
return
here,
these
gentle
deer
would
best
remain;
no
other
spot
is
so
safe
for
them.
Good
bye,
my
little friends!
Continuing,
Quong said to me:
Have
you found the doorway? It is not strange that you should fail, for it
was constructed with the special purpose of baffling the curious.
Again he
touched the enormous quadrangular block. Immediately it tipped on
edge and leaned outward over us, causing me to spring away in terror
lest it fall on me. Be not afraid, my brother. See, it is under my
control as if on hinges ;
and
he
swung
it
back
on
its
lower
outer
edge
with
wonderful
ease,
only
keeping
his
own
nearest
hand
firmly upon it. To my amazed query he replied that it worked to his
will through magnetism. But I saw no
magnet,
and said so.
Truth!
In
me
is
the
magnet
you
do
not
see.
Did
it
ever
occur
to
you
that
the
processes
of
all
life
are
carried
on
by
what for our present purpose may be called magnetism? Assimilation of
food and drink, waste, excretion, all vital processes whatever? The
magnet is in the cerebellum or back brain, and in the medullary
substance of the
corporae
striatum, a veritable wound magnet. The force which causes the heart
to act, the lungs to act, maintains bodily heat, and so on, is
enormous; it amounts to many hundreds of thousands of foot pounds per
day. He that knows occult law can make nature parallel this magnet,
for the universe itself moves only because of the current, which
flows from positive to negative, from one−half of matter into the
other half, continuously. Here, now, is an occult secret: make a
place of separation in this, the Fire of Life, and where the poles
come in contact there shall force be in action. This block of stone,
the door, is an armature in a natural field of force. Here on the
ground. is another.
Putting
the door−stone back in place, Quong drew a circle on the ground
about a foot across. Then in this circle a couple of lines in a
simple cross, one north and south, the, other east and west. As the
four ends of the cross were contacted with the circle, a tall, steady
flame sprang up, its spear−shaped cone trembling within itself, but
being wholly uninfluenced by the wind, which had some time before
commenced blowing in vigorous gusts. Then sad the Tchin: Behold the
Vis Mortuus. Of all mankind only an occult student could bring it
forth; only such a one could put it out, unless by accident. Touch it
not; 'twould be fatal, on the principle that the greater contains all
lesser forces, and it would instantly absorb the force of life, or of
wind or wave, or projectile; it exists visibly here because
on
a
thaumaturgic
symbol.
You
think
that
symbol
might
as
well
be
of
any
other
form?
So
think
those
who
comprehend not. See that moth darting about the flame of the light;
it will enter, but not be burnt; no,
quicker see!
it touches, and disappears, and leaves no sign yet
the
light
is
not
hot,
no,
not
even
warm.
I
will
put
it out.
Suiting
his
action
to
the
word,
he
drew
a
stick
through
beneath
the
dust
on
which
the
circle
was
described,
and
the
light in that instant was gone. Then another circle made he, drew but
one line across it, north and south, then stepped into the figure,
one of his feet on each semi−circle. Immediately his whole person
was covered with a brilliant flame, so that he appeared on fire. I
was exceedingly terrified.
Do
not
fear
for
me!
It
is
well
with
me.
The
other
flame
was
negative
odicity,
and
would
have
instantly
been
fatal
to whatever motion touched it and have disintegrated its form; yea, a
rock thrown into it would at once have disintegrated, or a cannon
ball discharged from the muzzle of the piece would have fared the
same. But this is a positive flaming of the Vis Naturae, and
preserves life. I might stand here till the centuries mounted and be
not weary, nor hungry, nor sick, cat not, nor drink, yet live; for
this keeps all things untouched by time, as when they enter it. No
difference in symbolic figures, think you now? Indeed, yes. But my
soul will not progress; so that
case
of
living
though
its
use
offers,
I
care
not
to
employ
its
aid,
except
that
when
weary
it
gives
me
rest;
ill,
it
restores health.
He broke
the circle with his foot, and coming away, swung back the door−stone
again and stepped within the tunnel
disclosed
behind
it.
1
I
followed,
the
door
was
replaced,
and
I
found
that
the
passage
led
into
the
mountain.
I was still thinking of the biblical legend of the rolling away of
the stone from the mouth of the sepulcher of Jesus the Christ, and
paralleling it with this act of the Tchin, aware now that neither
were miracles, but manifestations
of
higher natural law, when we began to walk along the hall of the
tunnel I following closely in the rear of my guide, whom I could hear
but not see, for since the closing of the door−stone the blackness
was appalling in its intensity. Mistrusting this blind guidance, I
approached the wall, that I might feel my way, when suddenly all
about me shone a marvelous white light. It was not emanant from any
point, but all the air was luminous, for I observed that nothing cast
a shadow, either below, above or on any side. 'Twas the same
marvelous light I had once before seen in the cavern we had found
together. After going about two hundred feet we came to a door made
apparently of bronze covered with artistic cameo and intaglio figures
of men and animals ranged about a double triangle inside of a circle.
This door gave entrance to a large circular chamber not less than
sixty feet across, with domelike ceiling ten or a dozen feet high at
its junction with the wall, but over twenty feet in the center. The
same wonderful illumination was omnipresent in this great apartment
as in the hall outside. But I asked no questions; I deemed
observation the better way. Here it was that Quong temporarily left
me, going into another room through a narrow doorway closed by a
portiere. I devoted the time to looking about me, examining the
surroundings. I found that the chamber, like its approach, was
hollowed from the living rock, only that while the
beginning
of
the
hallway
was
in
a
basalt
cliff,
the
room
was
in
a
different
formation,
being
in
mineral−bearing
rock. The central part of the walls and ceiling cut across a wide
vein of gold−bearing gray quartz of hard texture. This lode, fully
twenty−five feet wide, had on one side a granite ledge, and on the
other red porphyry of the variety chiefly found in the quarries of
upper Egypt. Beyond the granite was another lode of metalliferous
rock, and in this one side of the room was reached without cutting
into other veins. The porphyry almost completed its side of the
chamber, but not quite, as a second body of gold quartz was
intersected, but not cut through. Now imagine the extreme beauty of
such walls as these when polished like glass, thus enhancing the
veinings of the clouded rock and brilliant beauty of silver and gold,
both native and in their ores, and not a few other metals and
minerals.
The
makers of the wonderful room had builded like giants and finished
like jewelers. But how had such an enormous
task
been
accomplished,
and
when?
A
town
of
many
hundreds
of
people
lay
but
a
few
miles
distant;
but
the inhabitants knew nothing of all this. It did not occur to me in
explanation that its builders were of the Lothinian Brotherhood, and
had formed their temple by the disintegrating force of the Vis
Mortuus, into which I had seen Quong cast a stone and had witnessed
its instantaneous disappearance. It was long afterwards ere I, musing
o'er memory's pages, thought of this solution to the puzzle of the
existence of the Sach, or Sagum. But when I did, I knew it for the
truth; knew that neither pick nor drill, nor any tool of human kind
had been used, and that what I had thought the result of years of
patient toil was but the work of a short time. Yet this was the fact,
my
friends!
On the
floor was a carpet of oriental variety. The fabric was of long fibers
woven together at one end, but loose like hair at the other; in color
a quiet gray. A footfall upon it gave no sound whatever, any more
than would a carpet of eider down. Around the sides of the Sagum
extended a wide divan, continuous except at the three entrances.
Covering it and depending from its edges was the same silky fabric as
lay upon the floor. The one article of movable furniture in sight was
a singular looking stand made of brass, which stood in the middle of
the apartment.
Its
top
indicated
that
it
was
used
as
a
brazier.
I
would
have
made
sure
of
its
real
use,
but
refrained
from
asking, not desiring to appear curious.
Weed,
ask questions if you wish, said Quong, who had just returned. Have
no
fear
of
seeming
inquisitive.
That is, as you suppose, a censer; its use will, appear. I was again
astonished at my friend's occult powers, for his answer proved a
clear case of mind reading. I now felt an unconquerable sense of
fatigue and sleepiness, and without
saying
anything,
or
asking
permit
as
I
might
more
courteously
have
done,
and
would
but
for
my
being
so
sleepily stupid, sat down on the divan, and then reclined at full
length; but this act seemed to arouse me so that I could not sleep. I
tried very determinedly to do so ere finally admitting to myself that
it seemed impossible.
So
you can't sleep? I will aid you.
Again
the Tchin had fathomed my wish, for I had hoped as a last resort that
he would offer to put me to sleep, having myself no doubt of his
power to do so. He leaned over me, and touched a knob in the wall; a
small door flew open, disclosing a number of shelves. From one of
these Quong took a peculiar looking flute of reed pipe. Placing it to
his lips he began playing an air which had a very familiar sound.
Like some sweet, half−forgotten memory floating back from Lang
Syne, bringing
an
exquisite
sense
of
pleasure
and
pathetic
pain,
so
the
wild,
sweet notes brought to my mind a faint, indistinct recollection of
some former delight. In trying to remember where what remember
when ah, me sleep, had overtaken my senses.
It
matters little how long I slumbered, whether minutes or hours; yet it
must have been hours.
Footnotes
272:1
NOTE. This
was
in
one
of
the
walls
of
one
of
the
vast
canyons
which
seam
the
sides
of
Mount
Shasta,
in
Northern California. Author.
CHAPTER
III. TAKE THEREFORE NO THOUGHT FOR THE MORROW
When I
awoke, rich, delicate perfumes, and the low hum of voices greeted my
still slumberous senses. On opening my eyes, I found that Quong was
by my side, having either remained while I slept, or returned before
I roused. In the center of the room, sitting on the floor, I saw
about a dozen people, each clad in a long gray robe. Quong had one of
these robes on his person, and to my astonishment, I found myself
attired in like manner. A high caste Thibetan, two Hindoo pundits and
an Egyptian were, excepting Quong, the only foreign brethren, the
remaining persons being American and English. The Egyptian was to the
Sakaza what the Grand Master is to a Masonic
fraternity.
Understand
that
he
was
not
a
teacher
in
the
sense
that
a
professor
in
a
college
is
an
instructor.
He was in himself more of the Way, more of the Truth, more of the
Life of God than any other present. And hence,
as
in
himself
the
highest
plane,
he
stood
before
the
rest
as
a
pinnacle
each
might
study,
and
rise
unto.
This
man alone was standing.
Perceiving
that I had awakened, Quong said:
Let
us seat ourselves in the circle, brother, that the ceremonies of the
evening may commence.
When
seated we formed two in a circle of ten persons, arranged in a ring
in the center of the chamber, our hands clasped on either side by our
neighbors, and so around the circle. In its center stood the brazen
censer, and beside it the Grand Master. Presently this person began
to speak in the best of English, giving a clear, concise statement of
the
wisdom−religion
of
the
Lothinians.
He
disclaimed
the
idea
that
anything
which
was
performed
under
occult
law could be a miracle, and declared that no miracle had ever yet
taken place in the world, because a miracle would be a contravention
of law, and what was a violation of law but evil? It being evil,
Jesus the Christ would have
been
the
last
ever
to
have
worked
one.
Not
a
man
or
woman,
it
was
asserted,
and
it
is
true,
comprehends
how
these laws operate, or understands anything of their nature, unless
such man or woman is an occult student. The world of science is more
ignorant of these mysterious forces of Nature than even the sect
styled Spiritualists,
for
these do comprehend a little, but so very, very little as to expose
them to fearful dangers, handling as they do forces so terrible when
abused that their field of operation might well give pause to the
wisest ere they trod therein. Yet science soon shall know, following
the Cross−Bearer. Beyond admitting me to free hearing of what was
said and done, no notice other than salutatory courtesy was paid me;
that is, I was not invested with any membership degrees; no degrees
can be conferred, for each is in self the degree represented. But the
Adept, as I clearly perceived, had spoken so personally direct that I
knew he addressed me. This was when he said:
There is
within this sacred place of meeting one who hath studied deeply;
studied as scientific modernism contemplates
all
life,
and
ever
hath
the
study
filled
him
with
melancholy,
yea,
even
despair.
He
hath
questioned
of
the
stars, 'What art thou?' and no reply hath been given beyond that
which astronomy, ever returns, 'Worlds, suns, blazing orbs, mighty
beyond power of mentality to conceive.' And of the grass, and it hath
said, 'I am of cells aggregated and vitalized by the spirit of
nature.' The animal hath replied, but in Darwinian terms: 'I am a
form evolutionized, and come up from protoplasm.' Man has he seen to
be at the apex of animal life, and so he says of himself: 'Lo! there
is naught but at one end the simple cell; at the other a complexity
of cells aggregated. But to me the world and all its forms speak of
action, and eternity; but of the immortality of man, of a soul or a
spirit, or of God, nay, no word! Death ends all!' O my brother!
speaketh not this joy, these griefs of thine, to thee of aught but
magnetic vibration? Art thou blind to the message of God that the
'vibratory' joy or grief or 'unconscious cerebral action,' where by
thou comest to a given knowledge, is but the method of thy life? And
the animal, saith it not: 'Lo! I am a soul, and this animal body is
fit tool for my soul powers, which, if they increase beyond the power
of
the
tool
to
express,
force
me
(the
ego
controlling)
to
cast
it
aside
and
seek
a
fitter
tool
in
a
body
suited
to
my progress.' And saith not man to thee: 'O brother in darkness, I am
at the apex of animal life, truly; in my admirably adapted physical
body is a fit tool to prose cute to the utmost any and all material
processes. It brings me to the wall of all physical life, and behold!
it enables me, the ego, to reach the top of this wall, and find that
I am a spirit, not a vital stone. And because of my sight, I will
leave behind the pursuit of materiality for that of spirituality, and
go even unto my Father's house, where are many mansions (conditions)
of spirit, but where matter breaketh not in to corrupt nor steal the
treasures.' Who hath asked, let him hear me. I have spoken. May peace
be with thee.
I
thought my friend Quong was speaking in a humorous vein when he said
that the Adept, whose name was Mendocus,
had
not
so
much
as
opened
his
lips,
or
used
his
vocal
organs
at
all.
Not
so,
however;
I
was
mistaken.
Quong read my thought, and said:
Nay,
my
brother,
not
in
jest!
Each
of
us
has
heard
Mendocus,
and
to
each
it
seemed
that
his
national
tongue
was
used; to me, my own; to you and five others, Anglo−Saxon; to the
Hindoo pundits, their tongue. Because Mendocus spoke from his soul
unto ours is the reason of this seeming paradox.
I
thought
at
once
of
my
Bible,
which
was
a
treasure
to
me
above
all
other
books,
and
of
the
passage
wherein
it
is
written:
'Now
when
this
was
noised
abroad,
the
multitude
came
together
and
were
confounded,
because
that
every
man
heard them speak in his own language.
In
answer to the unspoken thought, Mendocus, the Adept, turned to me and
said:
Verily,
they
spoke
unto
the
souls
of
that
multitude;
it
was
no
miracle,
but
law.
The
Bible
is
sound
occult
doctrine
so far as the matter in it has escaped the revisers, and worse than
revisers, the Roman Catholic interpolators and twisters of its
truths. Thou doest well to read it; I have read it through
eighty−seven times.
Here
another brother joined with the remark: The
hearers
and
the
speakers
were
to
each
other
as
a
perfectly
attuned violin to its bow, every string ready to respond to the least
master−touch.
To
this Mendocus added:
They
heard
the
speakers
as
thou
heardst
me,
not
with
ears,
for
no
aerial
connection
is
needed
between
souls
in
sympathy,
but
the
consciousness
of
what
was
said
existed
as
does
the
consciousness
of
one's
own
thoughts;
thou
needst not speak thy thoughts that thine ears may convey to thy
consciousness what 'thoughts thou thinkest.
Neither
are thine ears of more use in comprehending me. Yet because the
thoughts did not originate in thy brain, but
in
mine,
and
so
were
external
to
thine,
inner
consciousness,
therefore
thou
didst
suppose
that
thou
heardst
me
with thine ears, when it was thy soul which understood, for my voice
I used not.
I
now
understood
in
the
light
of
the
mind−reading
power
which
these
students
had
revealed,
why
no
question
had
been put to me concerning my life, my thoughts or will in regard to
affiliation with themselves; they knew these things, through this
ability, without asking.
Mendocus,
Master,
now
requested
attention
from
all
present,
and
then
made
an
invocation
to
God
and
to
all
occult
initiates in this world and elsewhere in the universe. At the
conclusion of this petition, he slowly raised his right hand, whence,
after half a minute, he dropped it to his side and bowed his head.
The wonderful light commenced to wane and, simultaneously with its
disappearance, a blinding flash of light seemed to dart from the
ceiling overhead,
striking
the
censer
by
his
side.
Then
succeeded
that
inky
blackness
which
follows
the
midnight
flashing
of the lightning of heaven; but it was not destined to last very
long. Soon in the deep darkness there was a noticeable lightening
which continued to increase until the whole interior of the Sagum was
illumined by a lurid glow which rendered every object clearly
visible. Like the other, it seemed not to emanate from any particular
point, but as if the entire atmosphere were like red−hot iron, self
luminous. The next instant I observed that the faces of the Lothins
had assumed an exceedingly ghastly hue, bloodless in appearance as
are the countenances of dead men. Their pallor was soon explained,
however, when my eyes fell on the brazen censer standing in our
midst.
The
gaze
of
every
brother
was
fixed
with
unwavering
intensity
upon
a
small
globe
of
blue
fire
which
rested
on the firepan. I noticed also that the self−luminosity of the
atmosphere was gone, and that the light from the blue globe cast
shadows. Although in size it was not larger than a filbert, yet its
intensity counteracted the luridness of the air. It was beautiful in
the extreme, but not dazzling. On the contrary it was cool and calm,
resting the eyes.
Evidently
the
light
was
the
same
as
the
positive
flaming
of
the
Vis
Naturae
with
which
I
had
seen
the
Tchin
envelop himself. It trembled and quivered like a globule of molten,
boiling metal.
Such
absolute silence reigned, not even a sound of breathing being
audible that
I
turned
a
quick
glance
on
my
friends.
Except
for
the
glitter
in
their
eyes
as
they
gazed
on
the
blue
light,
every
one
would
have
seemed
only
a
perfect but non−vital semblance of a human being. Then my gaze
reverted to the! object which centered the common attention. It had
been growing, and, now of a size of half a dozen inches, was
gloriously beautiful.
Although
I had seen no human agency concerned in its creation, yet I felt that
it was produced by the occult knowledge of which I had witnessed so
many other manifestations. Mind over matter. Marvelous, novel, all
this to me, but I knew it was not miracle, although magical. What is
magic? do you ask? Magic is the comprehension of laws not ordinarily
possible to grasp by means of physical experiment, because their
phenomena
in
general
lie
higher
than
the
physical
realm,
just
a
little
lower
than
mental
or
psychic
operations,
and
partaking of the last to a major extent.
As I
watched the blue globe, I gradually became en rapport with the mental
condition of the Lothins about me. Instead of wondering what were to
be the perfected dimensions and what the object of this glowing ball,
I contentedly
watched
it,
with
a
sense
of
perfect
knowledge
of
its
ultimate
size
and
use.
But
this
intuition
aroused
in
my mind no train of disturbing conjecture. I thought of nothing,
absolutely nothing, taking no thought for the morrow, or the next
moment. My intelligent friend, try this once; try to think of
nothing; to have no thought, not even the one that you are not
thinking. I doubt your success in the attainment of such a state of
mind; but if you are, happily, successful, you will remember to the
end of your allotted years on earth how great was the sense of rest,
of peace, of perfect joy, felt, not thought of, in that moment. Could
you attain and then retain such a mental state for half an hour, you
would become clairvoyant and clairaudient during that time, and both
see and hear across the leagues of earth; aye! and be conscious of
futurity, so that a prophecy then made by you would be
found
to come true in every detail, though in scope was over years mounting
to centuries. You must perceive, then, what a beautiful condition the
Lothins enjoy: thc whole present, and each way, from the present
almost to eternity, is theirs to know. These states of mind are
protracted with them, and in the quiescence which is theirs at such
times, they find themselves en rapport with the architect of the
world, and know His ways. Like Job are they then: hearing of Him by
the hearing of the ear, their eyes also behold Him. 1
Some
few of God's works they can do, many more of them they can
understand, laying the line on the foundations of the earth; entering
the springs
of
the sea, knowing where light hath its way, and the place of darkness
and the bounds thereof; yea, in this still time of their souls God
opens to them even the gates of death, through which they go and
return. But though they
know all
this, and so friend, might you, too, yet it is because the Creator
shows them the paths unto the place thereof;
and
He
will
show
you
if
you
enter
the
occult
door
through
which
Christ
has
gone
unto
the
Father.
Follow
Him, and greater things than these shall ye do.
Mendocus,
Master, now perceived that the lurid glow of the atmosphere had been
neutralized by the light of the blue sphere, which, full twelve
inches through, rested motionless in completion, its glorious,
radiant center of entrancing loveliness. He raised his hand slightly,
as if giving an unspoken command. Upon this the sphere of light rose
to a height of perhaps eight feet from the floor, where it hung
without visible means of support. Again the hand waved in command,
and the sphere moved horizontally over our heads to a point about
fifteen feet from the center of the chamber. Here it was permitted to
remain. Although every one present was intuitively aware of all that
was about to occur, I will describe every incident for the benefit of
my readers. Following the pure blue light came a sphere of intense
indigo color upon the brazier, its process the same as that of its
predecessor, and when
complete
it
was
assigned
position
thirteen
feet
from
its
neighbor,
on
the
same
eight−foot
plane.
Next
came
a
sphere of violet, of equally intense brilliancy, differing only in
color, not size. Then followed a globe of pure red, then one of
orange, another of pure yellow, and lastly one of glorious green.
Every one was at the same height from the floor, and equidistant,
approximately, from its neighbors. Any attempt at describing the
extreme beauty of these iris−hued spheres would indeed The futile,
as they hung, motionless, above our heads.
Once
again
the
Master
gave
silent
order,
and
the
spheres
began
to
move
horizontally
around
their
common
center.
Slowly at first, gradually the speed increased until persistence of
vision presented them to the sight as a great circle of light ninety
feet in circumference; nevertheless the orbital revolution did not in
any degree merge the colors into becoming white light. And now an
additional feature of beauty was presented: as the seeming ring sped
around, from each of its compound globes a shaft colored like its
parent was simultaneously projected horizontally to the center, when,
from the junction a. perpendicular column of light of purest white
went forth, up−ward and downward, the one to the great quartz
crystal in the ceiling overhead, the other to the carpet of gray
below, for the censer had been removed from underneath. Thus was
presented the spectacle of an enormous wheel, axle, spokes and rim,
revolving at great speed, and all formed of imponderable light.
Though it rested on the carpet, there was no scorching, for this was
but Viviant Fire, positive, not the negative Vis Mortuus.
Buddhism
symbolizes the latter element as Siva, the
destroyer;
it
is
the
Fire
of
Death,
the
one
wherein
I
had
seen
the
moth
perish
and
the
stone
disappear.
There
is
an
esoteric
Buddhism
as
well
as
an
exoteric,
or
religion
of
the masses, and the names of Siva and Vishnu, which to the exoterist
are names of personal Gods, of the Destroyer and the Preserver
respectively, are to the esoterist merely the terms distinguishing
the obverse and reverse aspects of Nature, that is, growth and
satiety, change and destruction.
Would
power like this of the Lothins ever be mine? It seemed to me that if
Mendocus, Master, had come to such wisdom, he, being but a man, could
not do more than I we
were
both
souls.
The
wondrous
temple
in
the
heart
of
the mountain; the lighting of the darkness; the lifting of the great
stone at the entrance; the Vis Viva and the Vis Mortuus; all this
that I had seen and was to see, was only the work of men who had, in
their calmness of soul and purity of heart and body, done these
things because the Christ−Spirit, in the pure of heart, is perfect
human and extends unto the Father. Could I not hope to attain the
power of doing likewise? I asked myself, and knew that I could, for I
was then in the peace of clairvoyance. Yet I saw not all that must
intervene, not all the events of the nearer future, nothing of them,
in fact, but only the more distant perspective of my soul's destiny.
Verily, said
Mendocus, but
not
now,
not
until
a
time
of
trial
be
past.
To
thee,
as
to
all
other
occult
neophytes,
will come moments of darkest doubt. and thy very soul will weep in
the agony of despair. No, thou wilt not doubt the truth of hermetic
wisdom at any time, but thine ability to acquire it only. Study,
then, the principles of truth,
not its
phenomena only. For its own sake it is more to be desired than its
works, though usually less attractive to neophytes. Thy doubts will
be born of an imperfect conception of thine own self, a want of
perception of symmetry;
giving
undue
proportion
to
certain
facts,
and
upon
finding
these
of
less
importance
than
thy
conception
of them originally painted, thy heart will fail thee, for in
themselves they are great, and if comparison declares them small,
what power shall grasp the greater? Then will it be that thou wilt
fear thou art but finite, and these
things
infinite, and thou wilt say to thy soul: 'My weakness is to these
things as packthread wherewith to draw leviathan.'
But
this
is
not
so,
for
no
creature
is
more
than
the
Creator,
and
thou
art
of
the
Father
and
joint
Creator
with Him. What shall prevail? Only Faith like that of the Spirit who
overlighteth Jesus and all them that triumph over time. Woe unto thee
if thou shall faint while buffeting the billows of doubt. Miserable
indeed is the lot of such a one, for, debarred from. the society of
the Brothers because, of his faint heart, he is yet possessed of a
knowledge
of
something
purer,
better,
higher
than
the
ordinary
ambitions
of
humanity.
After
his
glimpse
into
the
greater possibilities of his being, he disdains to resume his former
sense−relations with the world. He can not descend to the world's
level, nor raise his fellowman to his own height. So through the rest
of his life on earth he is alone. My friend, there is no solitude so
drear as he hath who is in the world, but not of it. Wilt thou
venture onwards, braving this peril? At this point there is yet a
chance of return without incurring the danger which follows when
further advanced. Set not thy hand to the plow if thou canst not go
to the end of the furrow; it is long and difficult to follow. The
world hath not so hard a task as this to impose in all its power. I
offer thee option.
Mendocus
now
watched
me
as
I
pondered
the
proposition.
I
felt
that
I
could
not
in
any
event
resume
the
old
life;
within
me
the
fire
was
already
alight,
and
the
Sword
of
the
Lord
had
cut
off
the
old
from
the
new,
so
that
I
felt
it
was between me and the past. No; Onward, Christian Soldier, must be
my song leading to victory. I was decided in my mind, though I had
not as yet said so; but I had no need to utter aloud my decision,
although, forgetting this fact, I was about to do so, when Mendocus
said:
Thou
hast,
then,
decided
to
go
onward.
I
am
sorrowful
because
of
it.
For
though
thou
shalt
come
forth
at
last
as
gold
burned
in
the
fire,
yet
the
ordeal
confronting
thee
is
fierce.
But
I
will
not
allow
that
thy
feet
go
alone;
for
that
were unwise.
I
will
so
do
for
thee
that
the
step
be
not
irretrievable,
lest
it
perchance
be
as
I
fear.
O,
Brother!
I
fear
me
woe
is
thine!
After
this
decision
I
was
required
to
take
vows
of
secrecy,
whereby
I
was
bound
not
to
reveal
any
part
of
what
I
should learn in any manner which might give the hearer of my words
practical use of what I told him. I might drop a hint which might be
followed as a clue to the Voiceless Silence where blooms the Flower
of Life; but, beyond a hint, my friend, I can tell you nothing. Of
hints I have given many. Nor, were I to disregard my word, and
divulge secrets of immediate working value, would you thank me. No,
rather would you curse me. Why?
Suppose
we
wit
an
instance:
Suppose
I
were
to
reveal
the
secret
of
the
Vis
Mortuus,
would
you
thank
me?
It
is,
remember,
that
force
which
may
be
projected
in
all
its
fatal
strength
to
any
distance
and
which
is
personified
in
the famous poem,
The
Destruction of Sennacherib,
in
the line:
The
Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast.
Suppose
I revealed that secret? How long would it be ere the world would find
that the unscrupulous amongst men were using it to work undetectable
murder? And its uses are many besides, for it is the principle in
nature which
governs
transmutation,
disintegration,
decay,
destruction,
death.
All
these,
but
never
does
it
build
anew;
it
is Siva, the Destroyer. Used aright, it is a beneficent force, for
without it there would be no progress in nature, because no change
could occur there could not even be retrogression, but utter
stagnation. Its sign is .
Much as
that means to me, it can be but a hint to you. Study it if you will,
and one day it shall be revealed to you. In reason you can no longer
ask why occult matters are so imperatively secret, for it must be
evident that this fair earth would be made by the unscrupulous into a
very hell of misery and crime, were they not thus secret. For a time
those who chose to subvert their knowledge would seem to thrive and
prosper, even though the world about them
suffered.
But
subversion
of
the
law
is
violation,
and
the
penalty
at
last
visited
is
in
tenfold
degree
upon
those
who went most astray in their blindness and sin. It would cause them
to curse the giver of such wisdom.
Nine−tenths
of the people of this world are unable to govern themselves well;
they cannot in saneness expect to be
made
sharers
of
such
awful
knowledge
as
Siva
represents.
Men
and
women
are
really
not
following
the
Christ
until every part of their own nature is held in an iron grasp of
merciless subjection to high principles. But study, my friends,
study. Christianize the money power of this world, so that capital
shall not work harm to men but good,
and
from
good
thus
born
the
karma
of
the
world
will
lead
to
the
goodness
of
heart
which
gives
calmness
of
soul; in that calmness your study will bear fruit, and then it will
not be a mockery, in seeming, of your hopes for
me to
say Study! I
rejoice in those earnest workers whose motto is: Look
up,
not
down;
look
out,
not
in;
look
forward, and not back, and lend a hand. Only this: the occult student
gazes in, and not out! But these are not esoterists. Their name shall
one day be great in the world, and though you who desire to study and
know occult truths now may not see your hopes fruit in your present
incarnation, yet in coming lives you will grasp these
truths
which elude you at present. Follow Him.
Before
me, Mendocus, Master, had opened a view of life so radically
different from the old, restless existence, that my heart grew warm,
regardless of his prophecy that bitter woe was perhaps to be my
portion ere I could enter the haven of my desires. The fact was that
my optimistic nature deceived me with a hope that somehow I could
manage to avoid the threatened sorrow, and, having escaped its
menace, could go happily onward. Alas, poor
me!
I
knew
nothing
of
karma,
and
in
that
day
knew
nothing
of
Zailm
of
Poseid.
Else,
had
I
known,
I
would
have trembled when the Master expressed his fears for my sake. I saw
before me a great ocean of wisdom, flashing
in
the
light
of
truth,
its
horizon
defined
only
by
the
voyager's
temporary
inability
to
go
farther,
its
depth
measurable only by that of the Universe. Free from the dogmatism of
cramping creeds and of superstition, that ocean reaches out into the
eternity which enshrouds the stars as well as the dust in mystery,
that mystery which veils the Creator from the created, veils it from
the joint Creator, man, too, just so long as his soul shall lean to
creation instead of to the Creator, his Father. Veils it until the
aeons of time shall be swallowed up in
eternity beyond
the stars, Earth, Venus, and Mars, when man shall cease to be man in
becoming more than man, and Life the Less be gathered into Nirvana,
sum of all the, parts. I repeat it, sum of all the parts, for it is
not in any wise that horrible cessation of being which Sanscrit
scholars have interpreted the word Nirvana to
mean.
They
have misconceived the facts; it is not the end of life, except Life
the Less, any more than the statement God is nothing (that
is, not one thing, but the sum of all things) should be construed as
a denial of the being of God, the Eternal Father of Life.
A
change
had
come
over
the
Master.
Up
to
the
present
his
attention
had
been
that
of
one
controlling
a
process.
Now,
with
his
back
to
the
shaft
of
the
wheel
of
light,
he
stood
beside
the
censer,
looking
upward,
his
gaze
like
that of one beholding a sight pleasing, yet absorbing. At last he
bowed his head and said:
Welcome
Mol Lang, friend and brother!
I saw no
one, but was aware that the person addressed could not be one of the
Sach. Mendocus, Master, turned to the brazier by his elbow and struck
it lightly with his outspread fingers, whereupon the fire pan became
red hot. Then he thrust his hand into a pouch depending from his
waist and drew it out filled with a white powder, which he cast on
the fire plate, producing a dense white smoke. I regarded this as a
mere ceremonial offering of incense, and
thought
it
savored
of
superstition,
for
I
had
now
lost
my
intuitive
perceptive
power,
and
could
only
depend
on
conjecture. This idea was scarcely formed ere abandoned, for the
cloud of smoke rapidly took the human form, into which the solid
appearance of genuine personality was introduced as the incense
consumed, until upon the glowing stand stood a man of commanding
presence. Some men seem to be not of any distinctive nationality but
very citizens of the world, or, even more largely, representatives of
the race, and one feels that they might be of this world or of any
other capable of supporting human life. Such was the man before us.
He was addressed by Mendocus as, Mol Lang, of Pertoz, and though I
knew no such country, I unquestioningly accepted this appellation.
His
deepset eyes, under massive brows, and a head of similar contour to
that of the philosopher Socrates; his snowy hair and long, white
beard, together with a soldierly erectness of person, made Mol Lang,
the Pertozian,
the very
personification of occult wisdom, from my point of view; nor was I
far wrong. His turban, which in fact was
blue,
mottled
with
brown,
seemed,
chameleon
like,
to
assume
different
colors
as
the
varicoiored
spokes
of
the
wheel of light passed by, not through him, but he through them. He
wore a long, gray robe, depending from the shoulders and belted at
the waist. On his feet, of goodly, delicate shape, were sandals.
The
Pertozian
stooped
and
put
his
hand
on
the
shoulder
of
the
Master,
making
some
remark,
the
import
of
which
I
did not catch, then stepped to the floor with a light bound, and with
Mendocus went to the divan and sat down, engaging in an earnest
conversation, which they held secret from the knowledge of the
others. Do you ask where our
clairaudient,
mind−reading
ability
was,
that
this
converse
should
have
been
unknown
to
any
of
us?
Unless
one
who knows that mind readers present are apt to exercise their ability
desires to have them share his thoughts, they can not. He preserves
as an almost unconscious habit the mental desire of having his
thoughts remain impenetrable, and to such a will no human power can
pierce the barrier it sets.
At
length they returned to our circle, and Mendocus seated himself with
us. The visitor then said:
Though
the men of Lothus have known others of my fellow Pertozians, few
heretofore have known me; none, indeed, but thy Master. I am come to
induct one of thy number into the land of the departed, while another
I take home with myself. To you, Lothins, I need not say that the
body is like unto a coat, to be put off or on at pleasure−by those
who know how. I say this only for him known in the world as Walter
Pierson, but unto me is Phylos.
And
some
day
the
world
will
bear
of
him
as
Phylos
the
Thibetan,
yet
shall
he
not
reside
in
Thibet
in
Asia,
but shall be so called because he shall for a time live on the soul
plane of the occult Adepts of Thibet. Unto thee, then,
Phylos,
I
say
when
thou
shalt
be
free
of
thy
mundane
body,
then
if
thou
wouldst
go
to
any
sphere
of
heaven,
unto Neptune, or any planet or star, thou hast but to desire such
transference of thyself, and it is accomplished.
Wilt
thou go with me this night, which is now nearly morning
Where
was
this
I
was
asked
to
go?
I
knew
not
clearly
whether
he
meant
the
soul
realm,
or
in
fact
just
where
he
did
mean to go. But my faith was strong, and I replied:
Whither
thou goest, I go also, for I have faith in thee that thou wilt do me
no hurt.
The
faith inspired in that hour by the gentle dignity and kindly love I
saw beaming from those deepset, calm gray eyes, has known in all
these subsequent years no cause for regret; nor for the action which
my faith then inspired me to make, has this heart any but a feeling
of supreme thankfulness that the Christ−Spirit then put it into my
soul to have that faith. I fancy I bear some reader, timid at the
prospect of trying the unknown, which might for all I knew at the
moment include my corporeal death, saying: How
came
it
that
you
felt
so
sure
of
Mol
Lang;
did
you
not fear he was a devil? No, I did not, for I was under the
protection of goodly men, into whose midst no demon could enter more
than night can reign beneath the noonday sun. At least one of my
protectors (Mendocus) had arrived at a finality so far as earth's
present cyclic age can teach; the physical nature had no secrets from
him; but the illimitable realms of the Father hold many mansions"
besides the universe of matter and the house of light,
or
the dwelling place of darkness. In this mansion of the material
universe nothing remained for Mendocus to
gain; he
stayed but to give. Death had no power over him; he was
supra−mundane, and until himself otherwise elected, he must live;
only the word of God (the true Logos) by himself invoked could loose
the silver cord. Would you, protected by such an one, fear demoniacal
influences? One other query of the multitude you may desire to ask, I
will answer. You inquire how these highly favored ones of God can be
certain of the truth of their intuitive perceptions, and I answer:
the man who lives in his spiritual nature does not believe, but knows
that his being is one with God the Father, the Great Parent. And his
spirit speaks by the voice of intuition, informing him by a single
flash of that which otherwise he would be long years in learning by
external methods of investigation, if, indeed, externality could ever
impart the knowledge. His spirit gives him from its own source, the
Father, an effortless, instantaneous perception of facts, principles
and things. I am reminded of the words of Mol Lang to me in this
connection: Phylos, some day thou wilt comprehend this: Earth is a
letter in a seven−fold alphabet; the stellar
universe
is
but
one
book;
its
pages
truly
are
myriad,
its
chapters
legion,
yet,
besides
this
book,
the
library
of
the
Creator is of endless number.
It
occurred
to
me
that
we
were
the
ones
who
should
thank
our
visitor,
and
he
not
thank
us
at
the
conclusion
of
his
remarks, for it seemed to me a lecture of wonderful power. A few
minutes later he turned to me and said:
Phylos,
art thou ready to go with me now?
I
replied affirmatively, as did Quong, whom the visitor called Semla,
when the same question was put to him.
Gravely
the
Brethren
arose
and
took
the
hands
of
the
Tchin
in
their
own,
as
one
by
one
they
said
to
him,
as
to
one
going into a far country to return not for years, and perhaps not
forever, Semla, may the peace of God attend thee evermore; fare thee
well. Then Mendocus, Master, said: Semla, my peace I give unto thee.
I noted
the difference in valedictory, and at another time asked of Mol Lang
and received the explanation that while
the
Brethren
could
not
give
peace,
not
yet
themselves
perfectly
possessing
it,
Mendocus,
Master,
having
it
himself could give it, especially to one who, like Semla, was so near
its attainment. To all these Semla said, quietly:
Peace
do I wish thee.
To me no
such farewells were accorded, for they said, We shall see thee here
again. This
to
me
was
unpleasant,
in the frame of mind I was in, but I concealed my feelings as well as
I was able, and replied as kindly as they
spoke.
Then Mol Lang said, Come.
He
started forward to the door of the Sagum, and I should have followed
without looking back, had it not seemed as it some one touched me.
Imagining that some Brother wished to speak with me and had thus
called my attention, I turned and saw that which will never fade from
the tablets of memory! Lying on the long, soft silk of the carpet was
a human form. Looking more closely I saw that this was my own
physical form, my body, my materiality, in short. In the act of
raising it from the recumbent position were four of the brethren, two
on each side. Others were doing a similar act for the corporeal shell
of Semla. It was my consciousness that something
was
being
done
to
my
earthly
body
which
f
had
mistaken
for
a
touch.
It
had
not
occurred
to
me
that
I
was
divested
of my mortal casket, so easy had been my disembodiment.
Death
is, after the agony of illness for those long sick, as easy and
pleasant an experience, said
Mol
Lang,
in
answer to my mental reflection. If thou wert not to re−enter thy
corporeal body again, this would be death for thee, he
added.
I
was
so
greatly
amazed
at
this
last
phenomenon
that
I
stood
still,
saying
nothing,
as
I
watched
the
bodies
being
removed from the main apartment and laid on couches in a smaller
room. Mol Lang then remarked:
Essentially
this is death. Behold then, body death is but a casting aside of the
grosser forms of life, which have served their purpose. As thou wilt
return, this is not absolutely death for thee. Semla will not return.
His body is therefore dead. When real death takes place, the gross
body is cast off, and the sword of the Lord cuts
it
off,
and
Siva takes
possession of it and distributes it to the elements, in order that
Vishnu may
receive
it for
new uses from Brahm Ëthe Creator. Then the soul is free for a great
length of time, compared to that spent on earth. Though the astral
shell can come into spiritualistic circles and manifest through
mediums, yet the I AM comes not into any earthly condition until it
returns for reincarnation; and then always on a higher, never on a
lower
plane
of
progress,
still
exists
a
penalty
of
sin,
or,
what
is
the
same
thing,
incomplete
severance
of
one's
self
from
desires for earthly experiences. Will ye prefer Earth to Life?
We go
not immediately to mine own home, but into that realm where those go
who have died from earth into devachan, that is, heaven, or the
'Summerland' of the 'Spiritualists,' or the 'Land of the Obb River,'
or, again, to 'that
bourne
from
whence
no
traveler
returns.'
Phylos,
the
sect
known
as
'Spiritualists'
are
in
error
when
they
speak
of 'spirit communion' and regard it as they do, for no ego returns
out of devachan except it be forced, and this is harmful and vastly
unjust to the ego. 1
The
astral soul and animal principle may thus return, but the I AM never.
To the
latter there is no past earth state; mind, I do not say for it, but
to it. That is, it has no consciousness of anything
earthly
or
of
anything
occurring
on
the
earth.
We
can
go
to
them,
but
they
can
not
come
to
us.
Let
us,
then, go.
The mind
works quickly, and ere we had reached the bronze door, my
consciousness had mastered the truth that death is not in itself
agony; that it brings no startling changes, and does not invest the
soul born into the hereafter with any wonderful power of foresight.
In fact, there is but freedom given from the earthly body, and a few
concomitant powers bestowed; nothing remarkable, considering that
earth has no more hold on the soul. I speak of those who in mundane
decession seek disenthralment from earth, having but little love for
its conditions, though
much
love
for
its
children.
Such
as
these
have
worked
for
their
brethren
and
accumulated
a
good
and
high
karma which takes them away from the prisoning conditions of earth.
Mol
Lang here interrupted my reflections, saying:
One
thing
else;
let
us
leave
thy
second
self,
that
part
of
thee
which
perceives
earthly
things
and
preserves
earthly
memories. This in order that no disturbing comparisons may arise
between that state into which thou goest and the earth behind thee,
which thou shalt not see more than they can who really die. But
between thee and earth will I preserve a vital link formed of thy
second natural principle, so that it shall not be death to thee.
Then
he said: I
believe I have no further use for this transient form.
Had an
uninitiated observer then been present, the astonishing, not to say
terrible, spectacle would have been presented
to
him
or
her
of
a
man
dissolving
into
smoke,
for
Mol
Lang
liberated
the
bonds
of
his
smoke−form
and
it floated away in formless cloud.
Mol Lang
laid his hand on my head, and as he took it away I no more remembered
anything of the world. I dimly saw
before
me
the
bronze
door
of
the
Sagum;
I
knew
that
Mol
Lang
opened
it,
and
that
we
three
stepped
forth,
not
into the long hall of the temple, but into an open expanse of green,
sunlit meadow or prairie land. But it was no surprise, for I
remembered nothing of any special features of earth life: I only knew
that I was I, and that I was in
a
pleasant land; it was much like a vivid dream; no one in viewing a
dream landscape is conscious of any other belonging
to
and
seen
only
in
waking
hours;
the
faces
in
dreams
are
natural,
not
novel,
not
strange,
and
when
seen
are not compared with those known during wakefulness, for knowledge
of the latter state is blotted out during sleep.
Mol
Lang spoke:
Thou
hast come through the portal; lo! physical nature and laws do not
reign here; they reign in the objective world, but not here, for this
is the subjective world, in no sense physical or existent, nor
perceptible to senses belonging to matter. Yet it is real, for Spirit
is real, and subjective states, no less than objective ones, are born
of the
Spirit
of
the.
Father.
This
is
another
of
the
Mansions
in
His
House.
It
is
farther
from
the
earth
than
the
farthest
star of the sky, because in no wise of material nature. Things of
earth to the inhabitants of this world are but dreams, and vice
versa. To either, the other seems unreal. This we are in is the 'Far
away home of−the soul.'
I
listened to Mol Lang and had ears to hear, so that I understood.
Earth, of which he spoke, was vague, and knowledge of it as an almost
forgotten dream. And the vagueness was because that principle of my
terrene nature which was the seat of earthly sensing, and of memories
of things perceived, was left with the body, This principle might
visit a spiritist medium and it would be called me. Yet it would not
be me, but my shell, my link of connection between my spirit and my
corporeal body. Friend, you will agree that an author is reflected in
his autobiography; but that book is not the author. No more is that
which has its
actions,
passions, beings, use and end in
the body the MAN. Yet that book may live and guide men to action. So
may the astral shell of a man or woman who is dead. And the vitality
of the medium may galvanize that shell so long as its influence
governs any living earthly man or woman. Hence we see the phenomena
of the circles of
believers in spirit communion. There is no return of the ego (the I
AM) to circles, neither communion from their plane down, though
sometimes from your plane up to theirs. And yet you persist, my
spiritist friends, in saying that I am in error. You say that what I
call shells can
not be such because they tell of events after death. Yes; they do, I
admit. And they do because
they
are
but
records
of
the
ego
which
for
a
few
brief
moments
at
death
is
sometimes
highly
prophetic,
and
sees forward over every detail, frequently for coming centuries. Or
again, the departing soul catches a glimpse of its own self−conceived
devachan, and the record of this is imparted to the shell, which
carries such views to the spiritist medium. Witness the often absurd
description given of the character of the spirit−world, and
that through honest mediums, too. They give none of CHRIST, save
where two or three are gathered in His name.
Mediumship
is
true;
its
ordinary
explanation
is
false.
The
medium
goes
into
a
trance,
his
or
her
vital
force
is
transferred to the control which
is but a shell, and not the true spirit or ego. Then the hearers
enjoy a
communication. Like
a reader of a book of record is that medium; events of the past are
retold, and more or less accurate prophecies made; the shell lives
for the nonce a galvanic life, just as Poe lives anew in the person
of an elocutionist rendering The Raven, from the rostrum. Just so
long as the Commentaries" influence mankind, just that long
will the spirit of
Caesar control mediums; and while the Book of Mormon retains its hold
on the deluded masses of Utah, so long will the Prophet Joseph
Smith influence sensitives. But I grow prolix.
Let
us
therefore
turn
to
the
world
of
effects,
and
see
what
it
presented
to
our
psychic
perceptions.
Will
you
come with us and see what we three saw as we went forth across the
plain which confronted us at the door of the Sagum?
Footnotes
281:1
Job xiii.¥.
292:1
I Samuel xxviii, 14−15.
CHAPTER
IV. PAYING LIFE'S REWARDS
Phylos, said
Mol Lang, thou
shalt
now
presently
behold
a
man,
all
in
a
world
of
his
own.
He
may
not
come
to
us, but we will go to him, and enter into perception of those things
which he sees, and because we enter into his perception, therefore we
shall be fellow spirits with him, not mere images of his conceptions.
Then shall his environment seem as real to us as it does to him;
nevertheless his world is (except for such visitors as ourselves,
and
those few, or perhaps many other souls who are on his identical
plane) merely a world of him own conception;
it
exists
not
for
him
who
is
his
neighbor,
who
will
be,
as
we
shall
see,
on
a
different
psychic
plane.
Both persons will be existent in the Mansion of the Father, who thus
giveth His beloved rest.
Let
us
enter
into
the
state
of
that
man;
he
is
an
inventor
from
the
world
of
cause,
and
all
about
him
shall
we
find
evidences of his inventive dreams, which here seem to be real to him.
On earth, he in imagination beheld multitudes of his fellow beings
using his adaptations of mechanical and natural forces. He had motor
railways which were free to the public, none indisposed to pay were
obliged to do so. And he had designs of coin, which the mint (owned
by himself, as he had desired while on earth, so that he might
correct abuses) minted free for use
by
the
people.
So
also
with
all
other
things
which
he
had
hoped
to
see
realized
on
earth.
Yet
he
died
without
it,
and coming to the world of effects, finds it all (to him only) a
fact. We will walk across this plain to the grove yonder, a mile.
For some
time after this we walked in silence, each content to note the beauty
of the scenery. Gurgling brooks meandered through flowery meadows,
groves dotted the perspective, while far away on the horizon was a
line of blue hills. When we came to the grove designated by Mol Lang
I saw that we were at a station, where cars of strange appearance
stood on a network of tracks. People were coming and going past this
central point in all directions.
The
cars
had
immense
spidery
wheels,
many
yards
across.
A
light
flight
of
metal
stairs
led
to
the
top
of
a tower; the tower was also an elevator, so that while some people
walked up, others were hoisted to the top, where, several rods from
the ground, they stepped into the body of the car; then an engineer
on the car manipulated certain machinery, and the immense wheels
began to revolve, swifter, swifter, and yet swifter, until the great,
light vehicle could be seen moving at an amazing speed across the
country, up and down hill or around
curves
with equal facility. Let us take a ride, quoth
Semla.
So
we
walked
up
the
spiral
stairs,
and
there
found
a
pleasant man in uniform, who asked if we would pay or not.
Yes, said
Mol Lang, I will, but my friends will not. Thereupon
he
produced
a
coin
of
gold,
and
while
the
official was making the entry in his book, Mol Lang handed the coin
to me to look at, and I saw that it bore a face of a man, and around
the edge the superscription:
MERTON
FOWLER, THE PEOPLE'S FRIEND.
What
conceit! thought I, whereupon Mol Lang smiled slightly, took the coin
from me and paid it over. The official asked where we would go, and
for answer Mol Lang said: To the Falls. The official knew of no such
place, but said that he would put us on a car, the engineer of which
would know. He conducted us to a car on the other
side
of
his
platform,
and
having
entered,
we
were
soon
speeding
away
like
an
arrow
for
swiftness.
The
stops
which we made were numerous, all for the purpose, so the engineer
explained, of complying with Merton Fowler's
rule
that
all
who
rode
on
his
cars
must
inspect
his
many
inventions.
The
variety
of
these
was
bewildering
to me, and so many of them seemed to be in operation solely for the
purpose of demonstrating peculiar mechanical principles, that I will
not consume space for description. At length, after traveling across
half a world as it seemed, though not taking a tedious amount of
time, we arrived at a splendid group of buildings. Then the engineer
confessed that he knew nothing of the Falls, except that he had heard
his master speak of them as existing. He would go to him. Accordingly
the car ran up before an edifice which looked like an office, and
there he put us in charge of another person with directions to take
us to Merton Fowler.
That
gentleman
we
found
in
a
palatial
environment,
where
things
were
of
great
beauty,
but
where
all
seemed
to
be
mechanical
contrivances,
and
to
exist
for
that
great
underlying
principle
of
the
designer,
the
systematization
of
his
knowledge, and the putting of it to more or less utilitarian uses. It
was a very paradise for a machinist, but I was not a machinist, and
it fatigued me. The number of people was amazing. Mol Lang said that
not all of these were mere ideals of that prolific mind, Fowler, but
that on the contrary, many of them were real personifications, a few
of whom were media like ourselves, but the majority dead, that
is, disembodied souls who were on the same plane of invention and
realization as the real mind in control, Merton Fowler. He was the
chief here, the others similars. I asked where the Falls were
situated, and the inventor, Fowler, replied that a certain author of
his acquaintance lived there, and had the pleasure of listening to a
mammoth pipe organ made for him by the
inventor, By
myself! All men whatever, said this egotist, are
beneficiaries
of
mine,
and
recognize
me
as
the
chiefest of human kind, and greatest of all living people!
I
turned away in contempt of such mammoth conceit and vanity, and as we
left Mol Lang said:
That
man
is
arranging
his
concepts
of
a
Christless
life
as
gained
on
earth.
When
all
is
assimilated,
he
will
recarnify on earth, and from his early childhood self−conceit and
self−admiration will be his ruling
characteristics.
In
his
last
life
on
earth
he
sowed
the
seeds
of
the
one
to
come.
Here,
he
enjoys
the
growth
of
those
seeds. Here, too, will the harvest mature, and when all gather, he
will take it to earth again to replant. Thou mightest ask what good
cometh of perpetuating such vanity. I would reply: 'First, 'tis the
law of God. Secondly, out of his future egotism will arise
self−confidence.' His spirituality of temperament is large, his
animal qualities well balanced and strong, and the good of all his
conceit will manifest itself next as a governor of those forces which
will
lead
men
forward.
Ere
he
died
on
earth
he
was
a
retiring
man,
timid,
feeling
himself
never
appreciated.
When he next appears there will be a strong soul, and a leader of men
to higher levels of life.
Truly, I
said, all
things under the hand of God work together for good!
The
Falls were in the devachanic realm of an author, who, while on earth,
was a very pleasing writer, albeit extravagantly hopeful in his
imaginative excursions and thought plays. This was, indeed, doubtless
the reason of his popularity as an author. His mind dwelt on the
sublime in nature, and on the good, the true, and the beautiful. Here
in his heaven he lived his books, and found all about him the
characters, the emotions, the delicate imagery and the sublime beauty
which made his pages seem real to their readers, and over which tears
of sympathy were shed by most perusers. To him also, these things,
figments of his imagination when penned, were here become what his
desire had always painted, realities, and he enjoyed the seeming
actuality, nor knew it but as a dream of his life's nighttime. Of
what use, since it was only a dream? I answer: these glorious
creations of the imagination all make for that high spirituality,
that keen sympathy of soul which shall soon bring about the universal
Brotherhood of Mankind; it shall dawn with the dawning of the new
century, creedless, boundless, asking
nothing
of
any
affiliate
except
high,
unfaltering
aspiration
and
action.
And
this
author,
who
has
been
in
his
soul−home these many centuries, shall be one of its prophets,
recarnified.
We found
the Falls in a vast gorge, deep as the Royal Gorge of the Arkansas
river. It connected two great lakes of rare loveliness; not the
Scottish lakes or Lake Champlain are more beautiful, though either
were as great as Nyanza. Over a cliff half a mile high, and in the
form of a double horseshoe, each more than a mile wide, were
two
magnificent falls of the river, separated in the center where the
middle points of the two curves met, by an island. From this cliff
rose three tall conical needles of rock, up, up, up into the air,
over a thousand feet each one. Around each was a spiral stairway
chiseled in the enduring granite of the stream, and from top to top
of each swung
a
suspension
bridge.
From
the
one
overhanging
the
falls
run
two
suspension
bridges
swung
on
great
cables,
miles long, reaching as they did the shores on either side of the
river by a diagonal course. I felt sure that the inventor, Merton
Fowler would
have
conceived
no
such
bridge,
because
his
mechanical
training
would
have
told
him such lengthy bridge−cables would break from their own weight.
But this author, who was no engineer, saw
no
such difficulty, and consequently his concept found no bar to
execution in his imagination. As it was not objective, but
subjective, it existed for him, and as we were temporarily on his
plane, and perceiving through. his senses,
we
also
saw
them
and
found
them
real;
and
to
all
on
his
plane
they
were
real,
subjectively
real.
But
earthly
eyes could not have seen them, for they see nothing except objective
realities. And both states are real, but to
those
on the respective planes only. If the things of the spiritual are
foolishness to the natural man, so are the things of the natural
world too the devachanee. But I digress. The myriads of people,
creations of the author's mind, used his bridge; they lived in a
Utopia of his creation, and the whole was a very heaven. It all
nurtured his spirituality, his reverence for God, his constructive
sense even, as well as his sense of sublimity. His soul has
almost
assimilated the whole of these steps toward God and
it
is
almost
ready
to
recarnify
as
one
of
the
deeply
artistic, constructive, reverential souls of earth; one of the nobly
beautiful, Godward turning leaders of the race. Is he not a worker
for the Father? By their works ye shall know them. And while and
because he leads, he himself will draw nearer, with every passing
hour to God; nearer to Nirvana, that glorious resting time of all the
lives, out of which the spirit of man shall wake to find itself more
than Man, find itself one of these sublime World−Spirits whose
glittering forms fill the skies of night! Or servers of the Father in
some other untellable way.
−
The
fact
must
be
sufficiently
obvious
that
the
life
between
the
grave
and
the
cradle,
life
in
the
world
of
effects,
is
a life of assimilation of results due to causes set in operation
while on earth, the world of causality. It is the character−forming
realm, where effects are so arranged as to present them as causes in
the succeeding earth life; not in the shape of segregate influences,
but as traits of character, giving rise to well−defined policies in
life on the part of individuals. Like attracts
like,
and if parents have certain influences governing their lives at
critical times, the soul in devachan, which is perforce seeking
rebirth on earth, will seize the opportunity presented of finding Its
similars, similars at that time, though
perhaps
at
that
time
only,
like
itself,
but
never
so
before,
possibly
never
to
be
so
again;
suffice
it
if
there
be
a concordant trinity at the time. There is no accident, no chance, in
the Universe; all is immutable law, cause and effect. Zerah Colburn,
whose precocity in mathematics whilehe was yet a little boy amazed
the world, did not inherit
his
powers
of
calculation.
Mozart
did
not
inherit
what
neither
of
his
parents
possessed,
though
it
is
true
that
the maternal mind did provide attractive mental similarity by her own
love for music, prenatally experienced.
Atavism
has
been
invoked
to
explain
these
cases
of
infantile
precocity
when
it
has
been
well
known
that
neither
parent had the traits which seem to have been passed to the
offspring. But atavism will not wholly suffice. The question of
heredity is a deep one; parents are moved by special influences, and
children of that time are souls attracted from devachan to their
mental similars. Such was the young Zerah Colburn: such the infant
prodigy, Mozart. Zailm Numinos might have told you that Colburn was a
noted Atlantean mathematician had he not neglected it in his history
of Atl. And Mozart was Aleman the poet and lyrist of Spartan Greece.
−
Night
seemed to be coming on; the air was pleasantly cool, and we found
ourselves, after a long sail on a lovely body
of
water,
standing
on
a
shore
whose
sands
and
pebbles
were
of
agate.
Bamboo
fringed
the
lake
margin,
and
many
graceful
houses
in
quiet
nooks
dotted
the
varied
landscape.
The
country
bore
some
resemblance
to
the
land
of Japan, and indeed we found that we were in the concepts of an
American who had resided for many years in Japan ere his entrance to
devachan.
We went
into a spacious veranda of a house of fine appearance, which in
architectural style was a general combination of things, most
comfortable. Contrary to Japanese customs, we found easy chairs
instead of mate or rugs, and in these chairs we took seats, Mol Lang
saying we would be welcome to do so. Ere long a servitor in Japanese
costume appeared and placed a table before us, and upon it laid
covers for five persons. Presently a handsome, elderly man, with a
young girl, who, I judged, was his daughter, came out of the
residence, and exchanged
salutations
with
us,
after
the
manner
of
true
gentlefolk.
This
was
as
Mol
Lang
afterward
explained,
the
real ego about whose imagery all things in this place clustered. The
lake, the tropical vegetation, the remodeled Japanese people whom we
met, in short, all effects here, were arranged in accord with this
man's ideals. In them he saw realized his dreams of a quiet,
care−free, hospitable life, and because he saw them, we also saw
them, for Mol Lang had insinuated our perceptions into this man's
soul plane. With him we partook of a generous supper. Liquors were
not on his table, nor could any have been found in all that soul
land, for the man was a total abstainer. Of course, the people whom
he believed he saw, and who, for him, resided in this, his country,
used no liquors more than he, for they were either his imagination's
concepts, or, if real individuals, were in sympathy with the master
mind, else they had not been there with him. But all this he knew not
any more than one who in slumber dreams, knows at the time that the
vivid dream personages and places exist solely for himself.
Sometimes,
truly,
a
night
dreamer
really
goes
away
with
another
harmonious
soul,
the
two
being
real
souls
on
a
psychic journey, it being no dream, but a fact.
This
man, in all of his princely extravagance, his artistically beautiful
buildings, the richness of raiment of the people whom he conceived,
the statues, fountains, groves, all, things, was but quaffing
imagined joys, wholly unconscious
the
while
that
they
were
subjective
creations.
They
were
all
conceived
for
a
single
purpose,
pursuit
of
which formed his chief joy, that of caring for the happiness of his
daughter. She was his idol, his joy, the reason for being, he would
have said. And she was a pretty girl, though not to my mind
beautiful. She was engaging,
witty,
well
educated,
and
accomplished.
But
I
have
seen
many
such,
and
thought
of
her
as
only
one
of
hundreds
I
had known. We were invited to stay indefinitely in this home, and,
upon Mol Lang's suggestion, accepted the offer. Days passed rapidly
in this paradise, of which our host's home was the central
attraction. He had great parks,
and
gave
splendid
entertainments
to
scores
of
happy
people.
His
house
was
a
palace
in
itself.
The
libraries,
the art gallery, with thousands of fine paintings, all this, and
more, made life so pleasant that several months bad elapsed ere our
party of three bade him adieu. In it all we saw that the gay life was
for the sake of the daughter, and held little pleasure for the
father. The art gallery, too, was added to his home for her sake. The
libraries were for both, and, as he said, he thought he took more
pleasure in books than she did; to him books were sacred treasures.
But
it
was
in
music
that
his
soul
found
ecstatic
rest.
Such
divine
melodies
and
such
exquisite
technique
and feeling as he exhibited in his rendition of fine music I had
never even dreamed of, much excellent music as I had heard. It was as
the fable of Orpheus come true. Hour after hour he played for me,
while Semla was away with Mol Lang, and my soul responded in a thrill
which swept it with sublime joy, until it seemed as if my being had
become a personless, throbbing, sobbing stress of harmony, that could
flee on the winds and set the souls of men
pulsing,
beating
in
unison!
I
knew
that
the
player
was
a
companion
to
me
in
it
all.
We
were
two
souls
on
the
same plane, reaping identical experiences.
At last
a day came when Mol Lang said: My
friends,
let
us
go
hence,
for
other
things
claim
our
attention.
A
few
hours here must suffice us. We will go where the daughter of this man
really is.
My
friend had, I thought, spoken of the months of our tarrying in this
paradise in a figurative sense when he said
a few
hours. But
he
had
not;
it
was
really
only
a
few
hours
as
the
people
on
earth
had
counted
the
same
interval
through which we had so recently passed. Time is, after all, only R
measure of so much done by or to him who experiences its lapse;
myriads of people have lived a whole century during ten minutes of
other people's time. Mol Lang's remark about our being ready to go
where the daughter really was I could not comprehend at the time, nor
did I know for years, all because my own astral had been left behind
in the Sakaza on earth; I had no means of comparison of ideas. The
place I was in was the only place existent for me; that is, it and
the country of the author and that of the inventor, Fowler. These I
knew of, and for them a memory shell had been formed by me as I went
through them; not that I was conscious of such a process of creation;
I was only aware of the memories which
were
retained
for
me,
and
which
seemed
part
of
myself.
But
Mol
Lang
explained
only
that
the
American
really
had not his daughter with him, but only his ideal of her ever before
him.
On our
departure we went down to the lake and got into a boat, and as we
traveled, somehow it seemed as if, without my knowing just how or
when, we had left the boat and the lake, and were in a garden,
walking amidst a profusion
of
flowers.
It
was
unaccountable,
but
did
not
particularly
surprise
me
nor
long
occupy
my
attention.
No
one is ever astonished at anything in the psychic realm.
It
was
a
city
garden,
and,
situated
on
an
eminence,
the
residence
of
the
owner
commanded
the
view
of
a
great
city,
extending in all directions. The house was evidently the home of a
person of refinement, and while evidences of wealth were numerous,
these seemed to be adjuncts of comfort, instead of a display of
riches. No person could long be amidst the influences of that home,
to which Mol Lang admitted us, without feeling that the owner
believed herself to have a great and sacred mission in life.
This is
the daughter,, said Mol Lang. The
girl
whom
we
saw
in
the
other
home
was
the
daughter,
as
the
father
imagined her to be when he died, leaving her at that age. See how
different is the woman from his conception of her. I bring thee here
that thou mayest see what difference exists between the devachanic
concepts of the soul and the objects conceived of. It illustrates the
saying that 'heaven is what we make it.' At that moment a lady
entered the room, evidently on business; her manner was full of
power. She seemed not to perceive us, and after a little I coughed
slightly to attract her attention. Mol Lang smiled in amusement, as
he! said:
Phylos,
thou
mightest
cough
long,
and
she
would
not
know
of
thy
presence.
Why?
Because
we
are
temporarily
on the earth, and I have given thee power to see earthly conditions,
that is, while we are on the earth, for it might
be
all
about
us
yet
if
we
were
in
a
different
psychic
condition,
the
earth
would
not
be
near,
but
vastly
remote
from
us. This lady has not yet come to the change called death. She is one
who labors to place woman on the proud basis of independence, proud,
because rightfully hers. But woman will never attain to it until she
does so by self−effort; nothing is won worth the having except by
self−effort. When she so wins it, she will be by the side of man,
not above him, for woman is not man's superior; neither below him,
for she is not his inferior; but beside him, for man and woman are
equal in all things. It will be a blessed day for humanity when this
time comes. This lady and her sister workers are now guiding those
dwellers of the earth who have not such clear understanding of the
needs of the times; and they will succeed, more or less, during this
century, but not brilliantly, since no great reform, nor anything
greatly good, can succeed in any century, decade or year nominated by
the number nine.
Hence,
human hopes will wax on wane, will seem to go forth to victory, but
will meet only failure until the new century.
Darkest
of
all
the
years
will
that
be
which
is
just
before
the
dawn.
This
brave
leader
we
see
here
will
see
Hope set in that last year like a star in the west, and she will die
then, despairing, though hoping, with prophetic Mackay, that 'Ever
the truth comes uppermost, and ever is justice done.'
For
a
considerable
time
after
this
we
were
silent,
for
Mol
Lang
seldom
spoke
without
definite
cause,
and
it
now
served his purpose better to be silent. I spoke next:
What
good can it be, what good can be achieved through such bitter
disappointment? Such heartache? That
which
cometh ever from all things. 'Man never is, but always to be blest,'
is wholly true. And it is not from the hopes we are able to bring to
realization in earth life that our devachan, our heaven, is made; but
from those
hopes,
longings, aspirations and determinations which through life are our
dearest desires because we have never been able to satisfy them. They
have the most happy heaven whose high−soaring souls have ever been
forced to
be
content with the mere view of Caanan from their mountain lookouts.
Let no poor, disappointed soul on earth mourn because of life's
unsatisfied longings, for we do not know to−day whether we are busy
or idle. In times when we have thought ourselves indolent, we have
afterward discovered that much was accomplished and much was begun in
us. These beginnings are fruitful, indeed, for they bestow upon us
our longed−for aspirations, 'over there' if we will, in His way.
During
this
discourse
of
Mol
Lang
I
had
glimpses
of
the
whole,
both
of
earth
and
of
heaven.
A
thing
which
struck
me with a feeling of peculiar anguish was that that gentle soul who
thought he lived for his daughter, really had not that daughter with
him, but only his self−created image of her. I had not thought of
the fact that even on earth we do not have our friends, but only our
concepts of them; that our supposed friend may really be our secret
enemy, but if we know it not we remain happy in our ignorance. Mol
Lang observed the feeling on my part and said, as he turned and
placed an arm around me as we walked onwards:
Phylos,
beloved son, feel not so! When the day cometh when this lady shall
enter the devachanic life, then whenever
and
wherever
she
has
ideals
and
concepts
like
those
of
her
father,
or
he
like
hers,
then
will
they
two
be
really together, 'two souls with but a single thought.' It is the
same on earth; only identity of thought makes nearness of souls. As
the grand march of souls following after Christ draw nearer unto God,
those planes where all souls are together in the thought and concept
will be the planes mainly occupied by humanity, till at the glorious
last, none shall be apart from any other, or from the Father.
The room
and its earnest worker had faded from view. Instead of it we found
that in front of us was a monastic edifice,
set
on
a
lofty
mountain
peak
which
arose
from
a
lake.
Dim
vistas
of
water,
of
wooded
shores
and
silvery,
shadowy isles were in perspective, Over the tower which rose from the
monastery was a flashing crescent of purple light. I asked what place
we were now come to. The answer was:
The
Lunar Temple, a part of devachan, but having nothing to do with the
moon. Here, where many occult students
come
after
laying
aside
the
earthly
body,
is
a
holy
place
of
rest.
Here
are
many
theosophic
adepts
and
neophytes;
they
saw
then
with
eyes
of
spirit,
hence
had
then,
as
now,
much
the
same
concepts
of
life;
devachan
to
them
is
not,
therefore,
on
the
same
plane
as
with
other
mortals,
any
more
than
their
objective
life
was.
Here
Semla
takes leave of us, to appear no more on earth until after fifty
centuries of mundane time. He will then incarnate, not as a Tchin,
but as a member of the American Nation of that far distant day,
because his life has been mostly spent in that land this time. But
now he enters into rest he has earned; this is his devachan.
There,
under
the
flashing
purple
light
from
the
monastic
tower,
Semla
took
his
leave,
invoking
upon
us
the
peace
of the Father.
Through
ability conferred by Mol Lang, I had seen the nature of the life
after death. For a few moments my soul was able to compare the newly
gained knowledge with my old time ideals of nature. I thought, If
all
this
is
but
a
dream, what is a dream? If this which seems real matter is not such
Nay, my
son, interjected Mol Lang, as I thought upon the nature of
matter, this
is
real
matter.
Why,
what
is
matter, dost thou think? Matter is a One Substantiality, having not a
single quality which any human sense can cognize. But force also is
one of the creations of the Father. And force hath two polarities,
the positive and the negative,
absolute
opposites.
Now
man
on
earth
hath
certain
senses;
seven
are
these
senses:
sight,
hearing,
feeling,
smelling, tasting, intuition, and one innominate. These last are not
yet evolved, for the fullness of days is not come; the Fifth Day is;
but the Sixth and the Seventh are not. With the last, man becometh
greater than he hath ever been. Only they that have ears that hear
shall solve this saying. Five senses cognize the positive dynamic
affections of matter by Force, and behold, man senseth the earth and
some of the stellar bodies. But all these are
of
the
positive,
and
hence
are
in
the
Father's
Mansion
of
Cause.
These
five
senses
are
what
the
Apostle
Paul
called
the 'Natural mind.' But 'In my Father's house are many mansions.' And
this, which is the briefer life after the
grave,
is His Mansion of effects, and it is the result of matter affected by
negative force. Here the first five senses call all things pertaining
to devachan 'mere dreams'; even wise Hamlet asks, 'What dreams may
come?' But I say unto thee, both earth (cause) and devachan (effect)
are material; both due in their every phenomena to force, but either
state is cognizable only by senses special to it. Man in one hath
five special senses, and these know the earth, but call heaven a
dream; and Man in the other hath other seven special senses, and
these know of devachan, but call earth a dream. Yet both states are
really material, and similarly, both are unreal except to the Father.
So Man is constantly dying from the one state and being born in the
other, back and forth, and only that state where he is is real to him
at any time. Myriad times does he repeat the process, incarnifying
and discarnifying, and each time of rebirth on the earth finds him
ever on a higher plane, until at last the concrete condition
miscalled life is over, and the conditionless 'long devachan'
(Nirvana) is attained. Then man and his Father are together and
at−one.
Man came from God; unto Him must he go. But only a few have done this
as yet, and of these Jesus
Christ
of Beth−le−hem is so far the only One who can truly say, 'I and
my Father are one.' Mol Lang had no desire that I should continuously
retain the memories of the experiences just passed through; the
separate facts were to become quite as unknown as if never observed.
All was solely for the purpose of surrounding my soul with influences
calculated to force me upward and onward, out of earth life, or
desire for it, until at last I would come to realize that I had known
something higher, and must return to the plane of the spiritual
nature. Yes, the word is MUST.
After
leaving
Semla,
with
the
new
life
open
to
him,
Mol
Lang
and
myself
sought
the
lake,
and
after
taking
our
seats on a bit of sandy shore, I asked questions as to the appearance
of the scheme of creation to occult perceptions. It seemed to me that
life must have a wider significance to him than to me.
Phylos,
it hath. Grand as the vision of life seemeth to the ordinary man,
made up, as it is, of his few years on earth supposedly followed by
unending existence in heaven, to me it is infinitely more sublime
than even earth's loftiest vision can present it! Man's ideas are
full of error; they involve the childishness of admitting that in the
life on earth the multitudes who 'make in their dwellings a transient
abode' are in the course of such a finite time, able
to
set
in
motion
infinite
causes
which
shall
be
carried
out
in
psychic
effects
eternally.
Only
through
the
Great
Master are any so able.
I have
so willed, my son, that the features of this visit to devachan shall
be withdrawn from thee, and thou wilt remember them only as a vague,
delightful dream, which shall have influence in leading thee to the
pinnacles of the Father and the summits of the soul. It is easy to
erase these memories; I have but to disassociate the astral body
here
formed
by
thine
experiences,
and
thou
wilt
thereafter
know
this
state
only
when
that
astral
shall
control
thee as its medium. I will take thee to mine own home in Hesper, and
there thou wilt come to know my son, whose
name
is
Sohma,
and
my
daughter
Phyris.
Yet
that
knowledge
also
will
I
dissociate,
after
the
time
of
it,
and
thou wilt forget it all; yea, even me wilt thou forget, and know only
through the same mediumship, because thy karma orders for thee long
years yet to come on earth, and atonement for evil works which have
cried unto God for
redress,
lo!
a
century
of
centuries,
and
longer.
Christ
hath
said:
'One
jot
or
one
tittle
shall
in
no
wise
pass
from
the law till all be fulfilled.' Save thou be re−leased to Him.
But thou
hast asked a question. Hear the answer: I sow a seed, and it shall
grow, and blossom and fruit, and though
the
sower
be
forgotten,
the
plant
will
not
be.
Thou
wilt
remember
my
words
forever,
nor
forget
them
for
one hour, for such is my will, yet forget me wholly.
Besides
the heavenly world, there are many more which are imperceptible to
men. Yet matter and force compose them all. Many of them are worlds
of Cause, but no merely human being is in them, nor can any earthly
sense
cognize
them
or
know
of
them.
They
are
peopled,
but
by
beings
of
whom
some
are
good,
and
some
are
evil;
in the sight of the Eternal Cause, relatively good or evil. That
which exists under laws inimical to man is evil to man, though not in
itself evil. But these 'mansions' are set apart from one another that
they may not interfere.
There
is that which is astray, but in itself not evil, for in all the
creation there is no evil eternal, for God is perfect.
The
worlds
of
human
life
are
seven
in
number;
yet
four
of
them
are
invisible,
unknowable
to
earthly
senses,
and
this not because of remoteness, but the kind of force−affection of
their constituent matter. Mankind occupies but one planet at a time,
for like its present dwelling place (earth) the human race is but a
letter in the Divine Library of Being. To be exact, the more
advanced, occult souls do inhabit Venus, which I have called Hesper,
and which was by the ancients of the Earth termed 'The Garden of the
Hesperides.'
Yes,
Phylos, life does mean more to me than to thee. I look at its stately
march, and I see the battalion of being wherein I am but a corporal,
progressing around its appointed seven spheres, whereof only Mars,
the Earth and Venus are matters which terrene perception can know; I
see the human race progressively incarnating on each of its peculiar
planets as it goes, every individual ego about eight hundred times,
approximately, on each world each time the race comes to it, which is
seven times also, making forty−nine world−carnate epochs. Each
ego thus hath incarnation
and
discarnation
periods
to
the
number,
more
or
less,
of
forty
thousand.
It
is
in
these,
that
beginning
as
an irresponsible creation, far from human, as thou wouldst define the
word 'human,' and ending as a Perfect Man entering
into
Nirvanic
rest,
that
the
scheme
of
the
Eternal
Uncreated
Father
is
perfected.
Yea,
verily,
man
sins,
but
as his incarnations progress, he atones for every jot, every tittle.
Karma is penalty for evil doing, and it is the law of God; it knows
no abatement of payment, accepts no vicarious price, but is faithful
gaoler over that prison
which
is life−action; whoso is cast therein shall not come out till every
farthing is paid. Beware, then, of doing wrong, for thou must bear
the penalty, only thou. Verily, life is long enough to make payment;
'tis better to have none to make!
1
We
go
now
to
a
view
of
the
truth
that
the
spirit
came
from
the
Father,
and
returneth
to
Him
after
it
hath
fulfilled
the law and the prophets; it liveth in the worlds of cause a short
span, but in those of effect a long span, for passivity is to
activity as about eighty to one, and the lives are many, strung like
beads on the one cord of the individual ego.
Lastly,
the
ego
coming
from
the
Father
hath
no
sex;
it
is
not
man,
neither
woman,
but
sexless.
When
it
entereth
upon life it becometh double, so that in the earth there is a man,
and there is a woman, and though the bodies and the animal souls and
the human souls be different in the twain, yet behold, their spirit
is one and the same. Now sometimes the two, being of one spirit, are
also husband and wife. Yet more often, they are not, for the age of
harmony
is not yet at hand. But it is of such singleness of spirit that the
Bible saith, 'What God hath joined, let no man put asunder.' There is
no man who could, if he would, so sunder. But that saying is not of
the carnal marriage, but of the spirit unit only. And the latter hath
no lust. But when the twain shall, after the millions of years which
lie between the non−esoteric Christian and Nirvana, come to know
all the law of life, then will the union be as it was before the
separation. Thou canst not really comprehend the truth now, but when
thou shalt at last be done with earth life, thou wilt then recall it
and know. And knowing it, thou wilt then tell the world of it. But
not
now.
Now
is
this
true:
Mates
in
the
Lord
can
not
know
each
other
as
such,
until
they
both
will
to
live
after
the rule of His Highway. And the latter hath nothing carnal.
'Straight is the Gate and narrow is the Way that leadeth unto Life,
and few there be that find it.' Until they find it they find not each
other; neither release from incarnation in the flesh.
Mol
Lang arose after this long discourse, wherein he had briefly
described the works of God. He said:
I
have answered thee. Come, let us go hence, and thou shalt know my
son, and my daughter, and my home.
He laid
his hand upon my brow, and I seemed to sleep; when I was again
conscious we were in an immense garden, and before us I saw a house
which at once impressed me as being a real home. This I say because
somehow
occult
study
had
seemed
foreign
to
home
life
and
influences.
How
entirely
compatible
the
two
are
will
appear nearer the end of this history.
I found
on acquaintance with it that it bore out my first impressions
perfectly, for it was the most genuine home that
could
well
exist,
and
typified
all
human
life
in
this
world
of
Cause,
Hesper.
It
was
a
home
of
human
glorified
beings, of occult students incarnate in exalted causal life.
Do you
ask me how any portion of the human race came to be so far in the van
as the Hesperian contingent? The answer is that their septune natures
had been so far perfected by the trials to which the study of occult
adeptism subjects its initiates, that they had become enlightened,
responsible beings; they had drunk of the cup concerning which Jesus
inquired of the children of Zebedee if they had the ability to drink
it. and in consequence there had come to them the keys to that realm
of spirit which no natural mind can understand. They had learned the
sevenfold
character
of
their
natures,
that
man
is
a
composite
being,
having
seven
principles,
viz.
the
I
AM,
or
ego;
the body of the spirit, or spirit−body; the human soul; the animal
soul; the astral reflection of the two lowest principles, by name,
vital force and the earthly body thereby animated. Thus far, I regret
to say, the mass of mankind is not developed much beyond its animal
soul; a minority have the human soul shining forth; but only occult
adepts have the Sixth or spirit−body developed, while none of whom
the world knows except Jesus and Buddha are perfect in the Spirit of
the Father.
Czy
pytasz mnie, jak jakaś część rasy ludzkiej znalazła się tak
daleko w awangardzie, jak kontyngent hesperyjski? Odpowiedź brzmi,
że ich siedmiokrotna natura została tak dalece udoskonalona przez
próby, którym poddaje swoich wtajemniczonych studiowanie
okultystycznego adeptyzmu, że stali się oświeconymi,
odpowiedzialnymi istotami; wypili z kielicha, o który Jezus pytał
dzieci Zebedeusza, czy mają zdolność do wypicia go. i w
konsekwencji otrzymali klucze do tej sfery ducha, której żaden
naturalny umysł nie może zrozumieć. Poznali siedmioraki charakter
swojej natury, że człowiek jest istotą złożoną, mającą siedem
zasad, a mianowicie: JESTEM, czyli ego; ciało ducha, czyli ciało
duchowe; duszę ludzką; duszę zwierzęcą; astralne odbicie dwóch
najniższych zasad, z nazwy, siły witalnej i ziemskiego ciała przez
nią ożywionego. Do tej pory, z przykrością muszę powiedzieć,
masa ludzkości nie rozwinęła się znacznie poza swoją zwierzęcą
duszę; mniejszość ma świecącą duszę ludzką; ale tylko adepci
okultyzmu mają rozwinięte Szóste, czyli duchowe ciało, podczas
gdy nikt z tych, których świat zna, oprócz Jezusa i Buddy, nie
jest doskonały w Duchu Ojca.
With
Mol
Lang
I
stood,
looking
upon
his
home
in
Venus,
the
world
to
which
Terre's
children
will
come,
leaving
it
deserted until another round shall return them, although on a higher
plane, that of perfect love, the
greatest
thing
in the world. But now Hesper is the planet of this Christlike love,
its home in the course of nature and man's development. Ye will not
all come, alas!
Phylos, said
Mol Lang, my
son
is
of
nearly
thine
own
number
of
years;
my
daughter
Phyris
is
of
the
same
age
as thyself. Both will tell thee of occult truths, as I have done, yet
they nor I, nor aught but the intuitions from thine own Godgiven
Spirit can teach thee. If a soul hath not in itself perception of God
and His works, no man can
teach
it,
for
having
ears
to
hear
and
eyes
to
see,
he
heareth
and
seeth,
but
comprehendeth
not.
To
me
it
is
given
of
God
to
show
thee
and
tell
thee
of
those
things
which
many
prophets
and
righteous
men
have
desired
to
see
and
to
hear, but have not. Blessed are thine eyes, for they see, and thine
cars, for they hear. Yet, nevertheless, thou wilt go again to earth
and wilt forget, and restlessly long for a better state, yet shalt
not find it again for long years. O Phylos, my son, would that thou
couldst even now know! But karma pursueth thee, seeking repayment.
And karma shalt have its dues, and thou wilt then go free. Let us
pray unto God now, for I speak no more of these things; I have spoken
already. Hereafter Phyris shall tell thee and show thee in my place.
Then,
in
that
Hesperian
garden,
we
knelt
together,
and
Mol
Lang
repeated
that
eloquent
voice
of
the
ages,
so
old,
yet ever new, the prayer of our Savior. I think tears were in our
eyes when we arose. Turning, I beheld a lovely woman.
Phyris,
my child, he is come! Phylos, this is my daughter, of whom I told
thee.
It
had
so
surprised
me
to
hear
a
man
who
had
so
much
of
what
untaught
fancy
calls
Godlike
power
speak
of
his
children, that Mol Lang had said to me in comment:
Phylos,
thinkest thou that because I have wisdom which thou bast conceived
only God to possess, that I am not human? My son, I am more wholly
and truly human because thus near unto God. But the mass of people on
earth are
not
fully
developed
even
yet
in
the
human
principle;
their
lives,
actions,
passions,
are
centered
in
the
Fourth
or
animal soul, and only the more exalted are come to the development of
the human within them. When mankind shall come fully into its
humanity, then Earth can no more be its planet; they must come here.
Bear in mind ever, that
all
thou
seest
in
Hesper
is
but
human,
and
so
thou
wilt
know
more
of
what
Man
is,
how
glorious
a
being
he
is.
Man is only partially human, and not filled with the Father, nor come
into his Spirit body, and he must therefore marry and live in
marriage, else the race would cease to reincarnate. Each ego must pay
its debts. But many will die debtors to Him.
We
three, father, daughter, and myself, went into one of the wide
porticos of the brown Parthenon like mansion, and sat down, being
where we could see over the profusion of flowers in the great
gardens. So beautiful was the scene,
both
near
and
far,
that
I
was
content
thus
to
remain,
unmoving.
Here
was
no
devachan,
no
scene
of
effects,
but an active life in a world of cause.
This
life differed from that upon earth in being broader, more perfect,
more glorious than terrene conditions can produce
in
the
present
round.
Ordinary
life
in
Hesperus
is
all
that
the
highest
form
of
life
can
be
on
earth;
and
thus
has all the wonderful development which exists in the midst of the
secret occult brotherhoods of Earth. It is impossible to express
adequately what perfection of physical life exists in Hesperus. But
it is a perfection of the physical nature, amid ideal surroundings,
all of which prepare the animal man to work for the human man, and he
for the Spirit man, the I AM, or ego. Thus does the ego progress
through matter. Is it not a sublime thought that reincarnation does
not mean transmigration of souls? The first leads man ever up; the
other, which is false, even
in
theory, merely a perverted notion of the first, might mean progress,
but more often would mean retrogression, and in all this Universe
there is no retrogression. Reincarnation is but a chance to expiate
the errors of life,
chiefest
of which is not overcoming and containing self. Will ye not pay? Then
are ye doomed!
Footnotes
311:1
See note page
236.
CHAPTER
V. HUMAN LIFE ON VENUS
It is
good to be at home again, said Mol Lang. I
love
my
home
because
here
are
my
friends,
and
here
is
the
congenial
atmosphere
of
spirituality.
I
see
about
me
the
environs
of
my
last
objective
incarnation,
this
present.
For
me there is no more birth, and no death of the body except through
transition of the Logos. Here I passed the ordeal of the crisis and
am become androgynous, for in me now are the feminine and the
masculine; I am whole, not half, and I and my egoic mate are one
individual We twain are one, and have come unto the Spirit in the
sense uttered by the Savior when He said, 'Be ye therefore perfect,
even as thy Father is perfect.' And thou, my son Phylos, wilt surely
come into this same glory, for by thy karma it is so fixed. Yes, said
he, reverting to his first thought, it
is good to be at home.
The old
man arose from his seat and paced with stately erectness up and down
the veranda. Old? Yes,
as
earth
counts age; for Pertoz he was just in early prime, not yet come to
his two hundredth year by some forty−eight months. And age could
never affect him more, for he was come to deathlessness; to bodily
immortality. Of him,
as of
many, are the words of the beloved apostle, John.
1
At
that moment he was in his astral form, his physical body being in his
sleeping−room, where he left it, in order to cross interplanetary
space for me. Curious thought! An inhabitant of Venus able to visit
earth at will! Yet it is not really difficult. It merely involves the
leaving of the physical body and plane at one point, and entrance to
the astral, or psychic plane. From this latter it is as easy to
return to the state of cause at any point, be it Alcyone, chief of
the Pleiads, glittering in their eternal depths, or
even
further, beyond ken of the telescope, as it is to return to the place
departed from. The whole difficulty is in leaving the physical plane
at all, and for the advanced esoterist this is as nothing, because
the normal state of his soul is always in the astral or psychic
instead of the physical. The difficulty with a student is in the
repugnance he feels to the thought of returning to an inferior state
of being, like life on earth. But the Life of Love is: I serve.
So
we return.
That we
were in the astral, disembodied state was no hindrance to Phyris'
perception of us, for like all Hesperians she
had
the
sight
of
the
soul
as
you
have
ordinary
sight,
a
mere
commonplace
power.
Her
eyes,
as
indeed
those
of
all souls on this high plane of being, have psychic clairvoyance as a
normal possession, though not the less endowed with ordinary physical
vision on this account. As in the long ago of Earth, her eyes were
still the same clear,
calm
gray,
the
kind
possessed
by
Jesus
of
Nazareth.
They
were
windows
for
her
pure
soul,
which
seemed
to
be
just
behind
them,
gazing
out.
This
slender,
graceful
girl
was
no
devachanic
ideal,
although
not
gross
enough
to
be visible to eyes used only to perception of objective, earthly
states of matter; her sweet, grave demeanor, her light laugh at
something said by Mol Lang, her perfection of physical life, all
breathed the fact of her objective being, and bore evidence to the
truth that her rule of life was obedience to the law. And yet I doubt
if your eyes, my friends, could have seen her at all. No telescope
will ever reveal human life on Venus; not that it is not there, but
its forms are of the One Substance effected by a range of force
rendering them imperceptible to earthly eyes. You will not think the
air any less material, or electricity any less real, because your
eyes cannot perceive them.
Your
eyes are very limited in their visual range; if the One Substance
vibrates more or less rapidly than an exceedingly
small
length
of
time,
producing
correspondingly
minute
force
wavelengths,
your
eyes
cannot
cognize
such vibrations. It is the same with your ears and hearing. If your
eyes and ears were not thus limited, you would see every sound and
hear every sunbeam. Every rainbow would be vocal, while heat, which
now you only feel, would
furnish
amazing
wealth
of
sound
and
vision.
So
it
is
with
the
Hesperian
people,
their
persons
you
could
not
see, their voices you could not hear, yet they would not be similarly
limited in regard to your persons and voices. But so long as you
fancy that because you have eyes you can see all that there is to be
seen, and that your ears hear all that is worth hearing, so long will
you depend on these organs, and gain that sort of false ideas of the
Universe which must arise from entire ignorance of all except the
tiny bit of creation you occupy. So long, too, will
you
depend
on
the
telescope
to
reveal
truths
about
other
worlds;
you
will
hunt
for
evidences
of
human
life
on
the nearer planets, but you will never find any until you cease to
expect that matter will reveal soul; it can not do it, for the finite
can not reveal infinity. Turn it about; ask of the soul revealment of
itself and of matter also, and
all
worlds will draw near to you, show their teeming vitality of life,
and all nature will uncover such treasures as the hungry soul of
science has never found before.
Phyris
was
able
to
look
over
all
my
past,
over
the
other
lives
which
I
had
yet
to
attain
the
power
of
re−collecting.
She knew every deed, thought and motive of it all. Had she oared to
examine this history? No fear existed in my mind, for I did not know
of such a past myself, and my ignorance preserved my peace of mind. I
did not try to analyze the reason for my eager desire to win this
maiden's good opinion. If I had, I should have railed at myself for a
presumptuous fool. As it was, I was happy in the knowledge of my
purity of purpose.
Though
dissociated
from
earth
life,
my
soul
development
was
but
little
more
than
before.
Therefore,
to
me,
Phyris
seemed a sort of goddess; and to have estimated only as perfect human
herself and her wondrous occult powers, would
have
been
an
impossibility
with
me.
To
have
found
that
I
was
in
love
with
her
would
have
frightened
me.
I
am glad that I was then prevented that thought. But deep in my soul
it was true, nevertheless, and the leaven was
working.
Closer
knowledge
was
not
to
have
the
effect
of
detracting
from
her
exalted
position;
but
it
was
to
raise
me
to
the
understanding
that
these
psychic
powers
were
attributes
of
human
nature,
for
in
itself
human
nature
is
essentially godlike.
By the
way, what is the mundane idea of God? You say that God is,
omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal. Very good. But the earthly idea of
these things is very narrow. Conceptions can never rise higher than
their source, hence God is, although a noble ideal, not nearly so
great to the world as He is to Hesperus. Do you say that I am
inconsistent, denying my own high claims for Man, and that I am
virtually negativing the statement that conceptions can rise to the
level of their source? I reply that the Father limits the height of
the source. What do I mean? I
mean
that
He
speaks to the but partially developed human soul on the earth plane
from the level of human principle in Himself, but from no higher
plane. Hence, the terrene conception of Him is that of a perfect
Person, all−powerful,
ubiquitous,
eternal, but a person; whereas He is impersonal. But to the
Hesperian, God speaks of Himself and His works from the level of
Spirit, which is above soul; it is the level of the Over−Soul of
Emerson. I hope you will study that statement, for nothing I have
said means more, is more important in all this book.
I
have
said
that
the
earthly
conceptions
of
omnipotence,
omnipresence
and
eternity
are
narrow.
It
is
true.
The
first
means only the most extravagant exercise or suspension of known laws,
but scouts the existence of fearful, wonderful, unknown laws.
Omnipresence means to the non−occult mind a variety of vague,
impracticable ideas, only the few recognizing it as immanency and
constant self insertion and creation. Finally, eternity; the mind
readily
agrees
to
unlimited,
endless
time,
yet
is
aghast
at
a
mere
decillion,
almost
refusing
credence.
Yet
one
is
to
the other as all to nothing. '
At the
time I first met Phyris my ideas of God were similarly limited, and
when I saw her exercise powers which no
terrestrial
man
ever
dreamed
that
even
God
could
possess,
I
was
truly
aghast.
Love
her?
Not
then.
Respect
her,
adore her, as a Hindoo does an image of his God, yes. But the seed
was sown; its growth sure.
Mol
Lang
left
me
in
the
large
parlor
of
his
home,
whither
we
three
had
gone,
and
when
only
Phyris
was
here
besides myself, I immediately was constrained by a diffident fear of
my gentle hostess. Although she soon dispelled this feeling, I
nevertheless felt relieved when a young man entered and she
introduced me to
My
brother, Sohma.
As I
looked upon the two, and remembered Mol Lang's appearance, I thought:
What
splendid physique these people
have,
how
graceful
and
perfect
every
line;
it
is
as
if
the
body
were
moulded
upon
the
soul,
and
perfect
in
its every physical contact.
Yes,
thou art right in thy thoughts, said
Sohma. He had replied to my thought, as Mol Lang and Phyris had:
Thou
art
right.
We
make
our
physical
lives
correspond
to
our
rigid
adherence
to
law,
though
that
adherence
is
to
us a second nature, not onerous, nor even in its exercise consciously
applied. Excesses, intemperance, indulgence of that nature so
pleasant to the animal senses, these have no attraction, but instead
are utterly repugnant.
Vegetarians
strictly,
never
taking
life
for
any
selfish
purpose,
is
it
wonderful
that
our
material
frames
conform
to
our soul shapes?
Truly
not, I replied, but
in
my
case
how
could
conformity
to
law
change
the
appearance
of
an
unhandsome
maturity? My body is already grown, completed in obedience to laws
not wisely nor very closely kept. I see you possessed of occult
wisdom, but I am not, and find it hard to remember what I have heard
of it; as for making the knowledge practical, impossible!
Phylos,
my
brother,
the
occult
adept
is
born,
not
made.
His
or
her
knowledge.
is
from
within,
not
from
without.
Unto thee shall be given the key of the Spirit, and behold, the
All−Knowing will enter into thy soul, and though no man shall teach
thee, neither any book, yet shalt thou become aware of all things,
for all things are of our
Father,
and that is the Spirit.
1
But
ere the Spirit come in, the house must be swept, and, my brother
Phylos, I would
that
thou
wert
not
destined
to
endure
this
ordeal.
Yet
the
occult
that
knoweth
all
things
is
born
of
many
lives, and in these has been evil. Thou art so born; it is karma.
Mol
Lang
had
now
returned
clothed
in
his
material
body,
and
I
alone
was
in
the
astral,
yet
not
solitary
in
the
sense
of loneliness, for my friends were not separated from me as a result
of our diverse physical conditions. True, I could not array myself in
material form, for I was in Venus, and my body was in a distant
planet. This condition was the reverse of disability, however, for in
going from place to place I had but to desire to be in the more
distant, and I was there, though this power enabled me to have such
freedom only in Hesper, and a sense of restriction
consequently
arose.
Discontent
was
growing
in
my
soul;
I
felt
already
a
stranger
on
this
high
soul
plane
whereto my friends were born. Though I knew nothing of earth because
my earthly self was in the Sach in the
care
of Mendocus, yet I had a most uncomfortable feeling of foreignness; a
feeling that some other and previous condition, somewhere, was not
strange, and I had a longing to be again in its familiar environment.
Poor me!
Footnotes
316:1
NOTE. Kindly
see St. John xvii; 21−26.
320:1
St. John xvi; 13.
CHAPTER
VI. AN INDIRECT ANSWER
An
eminent author has said that literary themes are necessarily limited;
that authors can not create as a fiction that which has no
counterpart in fact. And
this
is
absolutely
true.
Literature
is
restricted
to
ringing
the
changes
on
love,
hatred,
hope,
despair,
greed,
indifference,
envy,
the
gamut
of
our
human
emotions,
in
short.
When
these
are presented in their threefold aspects, tragedy, comedy, or
serio−comic, the scale is run, and the only further variations
possible are the lights or shadows of faintness or intensity of
emotion.
Perhaps
the
thought
arises
that
in
this
history
some
new
phase
will
appear,
that
Theo−Christianity
has
some
new
phases to present. Such an idea is doomed to disappointment. Indeed,
the occult will be found to exclude even certain potent earthly
factors of literature, all those of the lower animal nature, because
these have no place in human life. Envy, greed, hatred, have no place
in a nature which is close kin to that soul of love, Jesus.
Indifference,
sloth, despair, these can have no room in a soul which scans so
absorbing a vista as that open to Mol Lang, yet so loving a soul
that, like Jesus and Gautama, perfect willingness existed to turn
from such sublime reward in order that they might lead their least
brethren thither also. You may say that such love as this is not
animal
when I say it is not human. Right. But it is spiritual; it is that
love which only those know who have begun
to
tread the Path, knowing within the soul the advent of the Spirit. If
any of you come to feel that You will not shrink, though karma demand
you also to show that greater love hath no man than that he give
up
his
life
for
a friend, then brother, sister, you have known the birth of the
Spirit within you. Blessed are you then.
No
one
can
rightfully
expect
that
by
the
relation
of
weird
things
I
shall
give
him
a
half−hour's
amusement;
such
is
not my aim. This book is a work of love, done for a sacred purpose.
The second coming of Christ is upon the world, not only as a time
simultaneously arriving for all, but also unto each human soul as it
becomes ready to receive Him in the heart, and do His work.
1
He
is at hand now in the sense that if you will open your soul to
receive His spirit, He is there to enter in. Truly, of the moment He
comes to His own no man can tell the day or the hour; yet I say,
tarry not for Him as a man or an external spirit, but as the Christ
Spirit entering into your very being. And He shall not wait to come
an a man, but come as the Spirit of Divine Love, just so soon as you
are ready to make that your rule of life; and as the Christ and
Father are One, so therefore shall you that hear and attend be
glorified, and presently arise, depart from tide world, and go unto
the Life. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Likewise He shall come
as a person at the last.
2
I
certainly have strange things to relate, but nothing weird, unreal or
sensational. That which I say is from my Father, and can lead the
earnest hearer into the Path whither the Christ led the way. What I
say concerns a larger measure of life, Hesper, the planet of Divine
Love. I hope to reveal some further idea than I have hitherto of the
extent,
kind
and
duration
of
occult
life.
Heretofore
I
have
given
only
rules;
now
I
give
the
result
of
faithfulness
to
them. I hope to show what a glorious being man becomes through
heeding occult law, the law of the Spirit whereof I testify. Upward
through all the ages, with never any descent, Man pursues still the
glorious march which shall eventuate in making him one with the
Father more than man finite, Man infinite! Angelic! But my pen is
years ahead of my visit to Hesper. I must return to that time lest my
words become merely words, erected like modem buildings, fourteen
stories high.
My
desire
to
investigate
the
occult
truth
did
not
diminish
because
of
the
rapid
growth
of
my
desire
for
a
life
more
familiar. Yet ever and again I caught myself studying whether psychic
truth might not be pursued where, ah! amidst well,
some
set
of
conditions
less
rigorous
to
the
animal
instincts
struggling
within
me,
and
setting
me
so
far below my friends. As well hope to mix oil and water as to study
the occult amidst unspiritual, earthly influence!
As
preceptor,
Sohma
contented
himself
with
telling
me
of
principles,
and
not
of
marvels,
lest
in
pursuing
wonders
I should lose sight of causes; the fruit of a tree is apt always to
be more attractive to the ignorant than is the tree itself. Here is a
chief truth in guidance to occult study: pay small heed to the
marvels, or to magic, and all heed to laws, for the laws are the
tree. The marvel worker is the least of the brethren, understanding
not the laws of the rather to any profitable extent. Know the law,
know the marvels incident; know not the law, but only the marvel, and
you are not following Him, nor shall you inherit His kingdom, though
you could do more magic then the Tchin, Mendocus, or even Mol Lang.
It was their possession of least value; may you regard it likewise.
During a
stroll in the garden, I asked Sohma concerning his remark that though
I should be given the key to occult wisdom, I should not be taught
details. Sohma, you say details are omitted, and effects also, and
only general laws are to he taught me. Now, my nature seems incapable
of learning much in that way. I seem to feel a different method
necessary, a method born of of here
I passed my hand across my brow in perplexity, for earth memories
were not supporting me. Well,
I
know
not
exactly
what;
I
seem
to
have
some
vague
idea
of
a
past
life,
somewhere, in which other methods of learning were in use. I do not
know now, brother. I am lost. No, not lost, Phylos; misplaced, ahead
of thy common place in life. But thou makest reference to the
analytical
philosophy,
which reasons from effects back to a common cause. It is not a sure
process, as witness the status of chemical science in that vaguely
remembered life of thine. Chemistry is a proud science, though
handicapped by clumsy analytical processes. It cannot tell what a
grain of sand is.
Suddenly
my
chemical
learning
returned
to
me,
in
obedience
to
Sohma's
will,
although
the
environing
circumstances
of
its
acquirement
were
prevented.
But
with
the
return
of
the
knowledge
itself
I
became
immediately argumentative, and I replied to Sohma:
Pardon
me,
but
chemistry
can
tell
that.
Sand
is
silica,
silicic
acid,
and
it
is
composed
of
the
element
silicon
and
the oxygen of the air, in the proportion of two of the latter to one
of the former.
Precisely.
But
thou
hast
not
really
told
anything;
thou
art
as
far
from
a
finality
as
before.
Thou
sayest
sand
is
composed of two primary elements?
Certainly.
And
being primary, cannot he reduced farther?
No, they
cannot, I
said,
yet,
remembering
certain
wonderful
things
I
had
already
witnessed,
I
was
beginning
to
he nervous.
No! Art
thou sure? he
queried,
persistently;
and
I,
both
from
a
feeling
of
stubbornness
which
his
manner
aroused and a determination to be true to my science at, all hazards,
replied:
Assuredly!
Phylos,
if it were not that thy stubbornness were tempered with an admirable
fidelity to principle, I should say that wisdom will die with thee.
But, my friend, thy system of chemistry, with its sixty−odd 'primal
elements' and its 'monads, dyads, triads' and so on; its simples,
binaries, tertiaries and the like numerous compounds, is nothing but
a
fine
working
hypothesis,
well
adapted
to
producing
the
result
it
has
produced,
but
because
it
is
not
the
whole
chemical truth, not capable of ever attaining that wholeness of
results which marks the sublime constitution of nature.
So
far
from
conducting
to
the
truth
these
theories
have
just
the
opposite
effect;
they
teach
the
multiformity
of matter, whereas its unity is the truth. As I said, though, the
chemists of the earth have a good working hypothesis, one which will
do until the better method of truth is found.
Sohma
paused,
whereupon
I
asked
what
the
better
method
was.
He
did
not
answer
me
in
direct
words,
but
instead
he put before my mental vision a workshop, wherein were many kinds of
instruments and machines in states either
of
completion
or
approaching
completion,
lying
upon
tables
and
benches.
I
saw
here
a
clock,
there
watches,
there again an old style typewriter; there were time locks and
combination tools, besides many intricate mechanisms that even the
sight of suggested no use for. At a little distance upon a table lay
a confused mass of parts of machinery not put together. He said:
Phylos,
canst
thou
put
these
things
together?
In
this
pile
are
portions
of
clocks,
typewriters,
locks
and
so
forth.
Thou
sayest
thou
art
not
a
machinist,
hence
cannot
deal
with
these
things.
These
things
are
not
unfamiliar
to
me,
who am a machinist. With all the parts before thee thou couldst not
construct a clock or other mechanism. But suppose
thou
shouldst
take
carefully
apart
a
clock
now
in
running'
order,
and
study
carefully
all
its
relations,
and
do so by not one only, but by several of these instruments, then the
whole would become familiar to thee, and while merely taking one
clock apart would not be apt to teach thee, doing so by many would
enable thee to put them all together again as they were. That is the
process of analysis, deduction and synthesis; it is the same,
practically, in physics, or in mechanics or chemics.
But
my friend, I
said in dismay, I
cannot do these acts, not having opportunity to thus experiment.
That is
my point, Phylos. I will show thee the better method of which I
spoke. Here before us is an invention of my
own;
practically
I
am
its
creator,
and
therefore
do
I
understand
it.
Here
also
is
another
identical
machine,
but
it
is in separate state; its parts are a confused pile. Now thou knowest
nothing of constructive mechanics; I do, and I will point out to thee
the principal parts of the machine, which is in running order.
Observe!
Sohma
went up to the machine, which stood, a marvel of mechanical beauty,
its burnished brass and silver wheels, springs, cogs, chain belts,
etc., showing through the quadrangular glass case. He spoke into the
mouthpiece, explaining the machine to me the while. He said that he
would remain near the mouthpiece, so that his
words
should
be
reported
and
printed
and
bound
in
book
form.
As
he
spoke
he
loosened
a
set
screw.
Then
he
said:
A
microphonic
diaphragm
sets
strong
currents
of
electricity
in
operation.
These
act
only
as
my
tones
impinge
on
that vocal diaphragm, whereby, as thou seest, carbon discs close
other circuits, and operate levers carrying type upon their
extremities. Observe that this vocal diaphragm is made of sonant
steel cords, like those of a piano, and there are of these just as
many as experience has demonstrated that there are vocal tones and
octaves. Hence there is in one alphabet just that number of letters,
and our written language consists in the proper sequential
arrangement of these letters, either type, if printed, or symbolic
chirography, if written. Along with our spoken tones, then, if near
such an instrument as this, we can 'utter' a printed volume. The
congregate tones affect each its own chord; this in vibration
compresses the carbon discs, sets going the instant electric current,
the type lever
does its
work, the paper is carried a space forward and the next type strikes,
and so on till the voice ceases utterance. The spacing between words,
even, is automatically done, for, so long as one is talking
connectedly
there
is a utilization made of the return of the carbon disc from its
compressed active state, whereby a spring moves the paper carriage
one space for every minor pause in the voice, and two for periods,
but it is not sufficient for
more
than
a
double
spacing
motion.
I
am
done
speaking,
nearly,
and
will
move
this
lever
up,
thus
releasing
the
stored force which arose from the motion of the parts, especially of
the heavy balance wheel. No more printing will be done, but the
reserve force will fold, cut and bind my speech, and when this is
done, the last of the force stored, equal in all cases to the special
work, is exhausted entirely by the ringing of a bell which signifies
the
end.
Though
Sohma ceased to speak, the instrument still worked, and almost
quicker than this sentence will be put in type, the bell rang and
behold! Sohma's words in book form dropped into a little box at the
end of the case. The instrument
stood
motionless
in
its
case,
and
for
the
first
time
its
compactness
struck
me;
it
was
but
eighteen
inches
high, by two feet in width and three in length, yet it had done all
that marvelous work.
Couldst
thou take apart this instrument and put it together properly
again? was
the
startling
question,
startling
because I thought he intended me to do it! No, my brother; but as its
creator, knowing all its most obscure
points,
my comprehension of it and of other machinery, and of truths not
mechanical as well, but scientific psychics,
is
a
veritable
spirit
of
knowledge,
and
observe−this
spirit
I
will
to
enter
into
thy
mind,
at
least
so
far
as
concerns this mechanism. Behold it and know it.
Strange
to
relate,
I,
who
previously
knew
almost
nothing
of
such
things,
seemed
on
the
instant
to
understand
the
whole of the delicate apparatus, as a watchmaker does a watch. Sohma,
perceiving this, said:
Such,
Phylos,
is
that
key
to
all
wisdom
whereof
I
spoke.
God,
creator
of
all
things
whatever,
shall
one
day
enter
into thee. Then thy spirit, which is a ray of His Spirit, shed into
the darkness of life by Him, shall reunite with Him. And because He
creates by constant Logos all things and states of Being, and is
immanent in it all, knowing it all, so when He entereth thy soul,
thou shalt know all things likewise, and, in less measure, truly,
create also.
Thou
shalt
know
that,
in
chemical
sense,
only
one
element
exists,
operated
upon
by
Force.
Then
all
'elements,'
as
thou knowest them, shall be seen to be but different speeds of the
molecular formation of the One Element by varying
degrees
of
the
One
Force,
and
light,
heat,
sound
and
all
solid,
liquid
and
gaseous
substances
will
be
seen
to be different not in material, but in speed only.
That
knowledge underlies all life, physics, chemics, sonants, calories,
chromatics, electrics and all and every possible
aspect
of
nature.
Such
is
the
supreme
law
of
God,
and
He
is
nature,
though
nature
is
not
conversely
God.
Another law is that of compensation; may I tell thee of it?
I
replied
that
I
should
be
but
too
glad
to
listen,
for
his
words
revealed
God
in
all
things,
whether
high
or
low.
So
he continued:
This
law,
then,
not
only
governs
all
matter,
but
that
of
which
matter
is
the
reflection,
Spirit,
and
the
soul
realm.
I
need state but a single brief instance in material nature, the screw
plane. As the plane of a screw is greater or less in its inclination,
so will its action be either rapid or powerful, but never both at
once. If the thread be slight in pitch, the screw bar will progress
through its nut very slowly, but, as exerted in a screw press, the
crushing force will be enormous. Vice versa; if the pitch be steep,
the screw bar will progress rapidly, as to wit, the screw nail, which
may be driven into wood with a hammer, and revolve as it goes in.
Now,
in
the
soul
realm,
if
a
human
being
is
content
with
the
gradual,
easy
pitch
of
the
Godward
ascending
plane
of pure daily life, daily temptations to work in error, and too often
fall, progress upward will be slow, but very sure. But, on the
contrary, if eager to learn rapidly, it must meet in a few hours all
the crushing force of
temptations
to err and to sin which the ordinary man meets distributed through
many, many incarnations, covering
ages,
aye, aeonian time. In the one case the Father giveth sufficient of
the daily bread of strength unto men to enable
them
to
progress
very
slowly,
but
with
certitude.
In
the
other,
all
the
splendid
reserve
of
resistant
force
of
a
very God is needed, for all the power of Lucifer, that high nature
spirit who was incarnate in the planet which disrupted
into
the
solar
asteroidal
belt,
upon
the
lapse,
the
failure
of
its
Soul,
all
of
his
glorious
power
sufficed
not
to carry him to victory, so he fell. God−Christ in thee can alone
win this struggle. Truly, no mere human, so long as he remains Man,
can have such a temptation; not thyself, not Mol Lang, my father,
hardly Gautama were subjected to such a severe test as was that
sublime world soul, Lucifer, except relatively. I say relatively, for
consider this: that if a fly or an ant be subjected to all it can
endure, then its pain at that, point is as severe as that of a man at
his breaking strain. But as Jesus and Gautama were tempted to the
utmost and did not fail, therefore their victory was greater than
Lucifer's failure, and when thou shalt come to a trial like his,
thou'lt doubtless succeed; though, again, thou mayest fail. There is
but one
Guide;
follow and win; follow
not,
and fail.
1
It
is a new conception to thee to learn there is an animating ego, a
world spirit, inmateriated in each star, each planet, every stellar
body, just as there is an individual soul in each human, animal or
plant body. Yet this is true. True also it is that the spirits of men
will progress; will face the supreme ordeal, and, if they pass
victorious, will enter that long rest, heaven, devachan, call it as
thou wilt, Nirvana. But that is not the end, for life had a
beginning it
hath
also an end. And the perfect human ego emerging eventually from
Nirvana, that long devachan of all the incarnations, emerges not as
Man; it does not live, but It Is, and Its post−viviant existence is
a state of Being which no human mind could understand, except
inferentially it do so through the knowledge that that state is to
Life as the senior to the junior. But ere then is the trial
of transfiguration;
to it my father hath come, I have not. If we fail, then that is the
second death,
2
but
meet it we must, humanity must. But it is long ere then, for it
cometh not until the essaying soul be perfect, and be ready to leave
the pupaceous state of Human Life, to be judged according to (its)
works for Him who made it. Do I weary thee, Phylos?
I
replied that he did not, though it did seem that I grasped his
meaning only to lose it again. None the less I was eager
to
have
him
go
on,
fancying
I
understood,
just
as
every
Person
you
or
I
know
is
fond
of
thinking
his
or
her
comprehension of abstruse subjects perfect. Sohma smiled and said in
reply that, when he was done, all that I would have gained would be
the psychic bent favoring my progress, for I was destined to forget
the very ideas I fancied I was gaining. But he continued, observing
that a favorable prejudice was a worthy thing, calling for his best
effort for me.
I wish
thee to observe also this: that if thou thinkest the judgment day,
when according to its works thy soul is arraigned by thy spirit,
which is God in thee, if thou thinkest that because that day may be
in remote aeons ere it come, and therefore thou hast ample time to
lag, to err, I counsel thee it is a fatal mistake. For if at the
great trial any man fail it is because day by day, as the lives were
run, he neglected his chances, either by omission or commission.
Then
shall
such
suffer
the
second
death,
be
cast
into
the
'lake
of
fire,'
in
other
words,
their
Spirit
will
depart from the soul and go unto the Father, while the soul will be
gathered into the sum of force, the 'Fire' element, that which is sum
of all lesser force forms, out of which springeth life, heat and
vibration. But this will not
be
until
the
erring
one
hath
passed
from
his
soul
into
his
spirit.
So
the
'second
death'
1
is
not
of
the
sinner;
it
is
the
cutting
off
of
all
his,
or
her,
spoiled
work,
and
a
chance
to
begin
again,
to
build
better;
our
Father
damneth
not
His child, but only the imperfect work, the sinning soul. In our
library thou canst see a book brought here to Hesper from the Earth,
a book which speaketh of the order of the Rosicrux, wherein this
supreme Fire is written of. 'Tis also that Fire once called in the
Earth the Maxin. Phylos, thou wilt suffer the ordeal of the Crisis
before other men; whether thou shalt succeed or fail no man knoweth
save those who have passed heretofore.
When
Sohma ceased speaking, I looked around me, and found that while the
clocks and typewriters, and locks and various instruments, were gone,
the vocal printer was not gone; it was an actuality, the rest only
concepts which Sohma had willed me to see. My mind was not trained
sufficiently well to continue on a special line of thought so long,
and while I fancied that I possessed a clear idea of all my companion
had said, and was pleased by
the
notion,
yet
had
I
tried
at
that
moment
to
recollect
his
meanings,
I
should
have
been
chagrined
to
find
that
I
had nothing beyond vague ideas. Still, I did not try the experiment,
but, content with the supposition of possession, my mind wandered to
a new theme, and I asked Sohma if Hesperians had not found aerial
vessels
possible
among
so
many
triumphs.
He
turned
toward
me
and
looking
behind
me,
smiled
as
he
answered:
I will leave Phyris to tell thee that; I must go elsewhere.
I
was
pleased
at
this
new
event,
yet
shyness
at
once
asserted
itself,
and
though
vexed
at
this
fact,
my
vexation
seemed only to increase my diffidence. Taking, as I supposed, no
notice of this diffidence, she said:
We
rarely go, except we go astrally. We care but seldom to avail
ourselves of our aerial vessels; but we have them. It may be that
thou, or shall I say 'you' to lessen thy your shyness
of me? and Phyris bent a pair of laughing
eyes
upon
me,
a
gaze
that,
while
it
gave
most
delicious
pleasure,
effectually
confused
me,
past
recovery,
I feared.
Perhaps, she
continued, after gently laughing at my piteous abashment, perhaps
you
think
we
Hesperians
can
transport our physical bodies here and there by some occult process,
or other. For instance, as all forms of matter
are
but divine ideas clothed in the One Substance, it is possible to
disintegrate the material form, but preserve the psychic idea and
transport that as other thoughts move, by effort of will, then
rehabilitate it in matter. Thus it is, articles can be brought from
the earth here to us. But if you think we can do this by our own
bodies you err, for ourselves are the ideas embodied. Truly we can
emerge from these bodies, and travel in one brief instant from one
to
any other star. But we can not have two corporeal bodies at once. If
we leave the one we have, we can, by
putting
it
in
a
cataleptic
trance,
leave
it
in
fit
state
to
reoccupy
upon
our
return.
But
if
we
leave
it
and
make
around
ourselves a new one, like in all respects to the other, and abide in
it, the deserted temple will perish. We could do it; but we have no
need to, and consequently do not. All about you is matter, every
breath is matter, differing only from iron in its molecular speed.
The air is matter; electricity is matter. I will show you. See, I
wish a plate, several plates, cups, saucers, knives and forks, so I
image them (imagio, I create) in the mental or psychic form.
Do
you see them? Eyes of Earth could not; thou hast for a time Hesperian
vision.
Before
me was a pile of delicate tableware, with the pattern upon each piece
of a different kind.
These
articles
are
really
only
thought
forms;
no
eye
unable
to
perceive
a
thought
could
see
them.
But
now
look,
I
gather to myself the higher rate of speed, the extra force which
makes air of the One Substance, and the force
which
I leave is just that of the various minerals of which I desire my
ware to be 'made,' observe that one plate is a ruby, the real crystal
aluminum; and another is a pearl, others are of various gem stones,
as that cup and saucer, crystal carbon, diamond each one. On the
Earth those dishes would be valued into the millions of dollars, yet
here they are valued for their uses and their beauty only. Do you
see, Phylos, I know the terms of your language and what ideas are
conveyed by your words. But now I, like Sohma, must go, for I have a
dinner to get, a use for my plates, cups and saucers, which I have
made, as well as more yet to make. Quite like an ordinary mortal, you
say? Indeed, and why not? Do you think an occultist is always rapt in
abstruse speculations? You err, Phylos, you err, indeed. You may go
into the library, where you may find something to interest you. To
the library, therefore, I went, and if you will, you may go with me,
in a mental way, and see something of it. Do not object that these
Hesperian objects were unreal, just because I have said that no one
with ordinary terrestrial eyes could see any evidences of life on
Venus. Reality does not necessarily imply terrene solidity.
At
least
forty
thousand
volumes
lined
the
shelves;
many
of
them
were
plainly,
but
some
richly,
bound.
On
my
first introduction to this apartment I had found that the books on
the shelves were all in the phonetic print of Hesper. But I saw on a
table one whose cover bore in Anglo−Saxon in gilt letters the title
and name of the publishers, and as I looked, for a brief time the
memory power of Earth returned. The inscription was:
A
THOUSAND MILES UP THE NILE"
By
Miss
A.
B.
Edwards
Published by
Longmans
& Co.
1876
That
volume had been brought all the many millions of miles across
inter−planetary space along the currents,
just
as Phyris had done when she made the
tableware, only in the case of this book she had not created the
thoughts in the book, but had disintegrated the matter, preserving
the astral, the only reality about an object, and after
bringing
it
from
Earth
to
Hesper,
had
reclothed
it
in
matter
after
its
journey.
I
looked
about,
and
found
other
volumes, one entitled:
THE
ROSICRUCIANS"
By
Hargrave
Jennings.
I found
copies of Milton's works, of Tennyson's earlier poems, of Moore, and
a pile several feet high of other standard works; on top of all lay
the Essays of Emerson, upon which, as I gazed, appeared a piece of
white paper, and as I looked, the words seemed to form as if
precipitated from the air, Phylos, these books I have brought for you
from the distant earth. I did so that you might contrast them with
our Hesperian works. Finally, consider this: that we who are
illumined by the Spirit of the Creator do little with books or such
crude methods of learning,
caring
only
for
them
as
specimens
of
the
work
of
souls
on
certain
planes.
To
read
them
we
have
no
need,
no desire, they serve only as texts, for when we would learn, we
retire within our souls and listen to the All Knowing Spirit.
That
message
was
signed
by
Phyris.
It
was
written
in
English.
Written?
No,
precipitated,
and
as
soon
as
I
had
read
it, it disappeared as it had appeared, with no hand to remove it, no
person save myself in the room. With its disappearance I also ceased
to retain memories of the world whence I came. As I stood,
considering what next to do, Phyris came in and said:
Here
is
an
invention
by
Sohma
which
will
render
thy
delight
greater;
I
know
it
is
always
great
where
books
abound.
She
picked up a book from Earth, Shakespeare, and placed it in an
instrument which turned the pages automatically,
and
a
strong
electric
light
being
cast
on
the
visible
pages,
its
beams
reflected
upon
a
metallic
plate.
Unseen wheels revolved within a case, and a voice issued from a
funnel−shaped mouthpiece. To my pleasure I heard the reading of
page after page of the great English literary gem, in appropriate
tones for the various characters. While I listened, absorbed, Phyris
withdrew, and it was some time ere I noticed her absence. I think I
should then have gone in search of her, or of Sohma Mol
Lang
had
gone
to
a
distance,
on
duty
bent,
leaving
his
body asleep in his room but as I was about to go out of the library,
a hand a woman's hand, reached over my shoulder, and a soft voice
said:
Put
these over your eyes.
It was
Phyris, who gave me a seeming pair of spectacles. They were indeed
spectacles which all the fortunes of earth could not obtain. How
thoughtful she was of my pleasure! As I put them on, all the shelves
of books disappeared, and a book being pieced in my hand, as I know
from retrospection, for I did not know then, I found myself seemingly
amid scenes of most familiar aspect. All the mental pictures conjured
up by vivid perusal of Scott's famous poem, The Lady of the Lake, all
the
voices
of
its
characters
became
seen
and
heard,
as
if
I
were
on the spot where all was said to have transpired. For the time I was
transported by means of those magical eyespieces into the mental
world of Walter Scott, which, while he wrote,
Lay
around
him
like
a
cloud,
A world he could not see.
except
with the vision of the creative imagination.
The
whole
was
presented
in
a
few
moments,
for
thought
is
swifter
than
the
senses,
and
when
the
King
threw
his
golden fetters over Malcom's neck and laid the chain in fair Ellen's
hand, without waiting for the rest Phyris withdrew the wonderful
spectacles from my eyes and said:
These
would banish material surroundings, and let the reader directly into
the author's realms of imagery, whatever the book, but not whoever
the reader, for only fine, developing human senses, none that are
controlled by
the
animal,
can
enjoy
the
use
of
them.
And
this
because
they
are
a
species
of
sensitive
magnet,
linking
psychic
facts but not material things. But there, I do not know much more
about them, and you must ask father of them if you
would
learn
more.
I
am
only
a
girl,
and
must
learn
to
be
more
ere
I
can
assume
to
teach.
And
I
should
dislike
to fail in offering you an explanation. Your good opinion of me would
lessen, and that would be mortifying, for I treasure it I, well,
never mind, she said, as a delicate flush spread over her face, come
with me; I think it is well not to be too long a time amidst any one
set of influences, as literary environs.
Much,
aye, most that I saw in Hesper had been unfamiliar. But that delicate
blush it
set
me
thinking,
my
own
ideas meantime in a confused, ecstatic whirl. What did it mean? Did
it denote reciprocal affection?
It does
in truth, she said, in reply to my unspoken query. But
the
significance
of
it
is
beyond
my
knowledge.
Thou, nay, you, see me a maid of not many years. Your love shall
behold me a woman. Do I speak a riddle? Only time can solve it. You
are with me, and I with you, and our ages differ not greatly. You
have little understanding;
I have
more; both are imperfect, yet the Spirit shall make us whole. If I
asked you now, 'What is will power?' you could not answer it truly.
Yet I tell you, and my words shall sink deep, and guide you to me. I
said erroneously that
you
are
with
me,
and
behold,
you
are
so
only
in
the
sight
of
our
Father
in
the
beginning,
but
not
now.
Yet
one
day shall come, and when I shall ask, 'What is will?' you shall say
of your own knowledge: 'Will is the fiat of consciousness.' If it be
will of the animal soul, its result will be only a subjective thought
which shall energize muscles to do an objective reality conforming to
the subjective plan. If it be of the human soul, it will be of
greater intensity and nobler, but still the brain, and through it the
muscles, must render its fiat into material form. But if the will be
the fiat of our Spirits, and trained, we shall say to any material
force, 'Obey me,' and it shall obey. Because our Spirits are of our
Father and one with Him, and the Will of the Spirit shall need no
mediate brain nor muscle, but shall find every natural power its
direct servant, and this is the faith whereof Jesus spoke.
So,
Phylos, my own, I have told you, and yet you, hearing, hear not. Why
not? Because our Father is not yet manifest
in
you.
But
when
you,
having
heard,
understand,
then
shall
we
twain
be
one,
for
it
is
so
written
in
the
Book of Life.
As
she
ceased
speaking
we
came
into
a
plot
of
ground
wherein
grew
the
fruits
for
table
use.
Of
these
she
gathered
some, but of others desired, none were growing. Stooping, she drew on
the soil a figure which looked familiar, although I could not tell
where I had seen it previously. It was this ;
and
the
reader
will
remember
that
it
is
the
same
that
I
described
the
Tchin
as
making
when
he
caused
the
Vita
Mundi
to
flame
as
he
stood
within
it.
It
was also creative fire in Phyris hands, though it had not been so as
exhibited by Quong. In the space Phyris planted seeds, and then,
completing the symbol, the flames rose above the area sown.
Behold,
Phylos! If I have but the seed, the herb shall come forth after its
kind.1
But
if I have not the seed, my poor,
human
soul
wisdom
could
not
make
that
herb
grow.
Mol
Lang
could,
being
transfigured.
Having
seed,
I
can
bring God's Viviant Fire to aid its germination see! it sprouts; and
again watch it it grows visibly.
I
was
astonished
to
see,
mounting
up
as
fast
as
evening
shadows
lengthen,
green
tendrils,
and
buds
unfolding
even
as the flowers of primula spring forth, flowers, blossoming,
blossomed; seed scarps forming, formed; and the matured fruit hanging
in clusters in the radiant flame of the Vita Mundi, as high as my
head from the ground, where
erst
there
had
been
but
vacant
soil.
And
this
girl,
who
declared
herself
not
a
grown
woman,
exercising
such
magic as
this and thinking it only ordinary! This was an inherent power of the
Human Principle, my friends, and will be common to you also when you
become developed in the Human. Earthly man is yet only in the initial
of his humanity in a few favored cases, but is very largely in his
animality. Most of mankind is merely animal, not human, save by
courtesy. Yet the dawn of the glorious new era is at hand, and in its
fullness of days Christ shall come
again
to
it
and
enter
into
the
hearts
of
his
own;
and
it
shall
be
the
Father
that
shall
enter,
and
by
Messias.
Be
ye then prepared for the coming of the Spirit, for no man knoweth the
day nor hour thereof.
Footnotes
322:1
Luke xxi; 34, 35, 36.
322:2
Mark xiii, 26.
329:1
John xvi; 13.
329:2
Rev. xx; 13, 15.
330:1
Rev. xx, 13−15.
337:1
Genesis, i, 12.
CHAPTER
VII. THE
DESERT IS BEFORE THY FEET
So
the
days
passed.
It
was
over
two
weeks
of
the
local
time
that
I
had
been
in
Hesperian
environs.
And
during
this
interval the longing for the past life grew; the few occasions when
Mol Lang, Sohma or Phyris had recalled the vivid memories of Earth
had been seized upon by my Pertozian astral, and thus each such event
renewed the certitude of my having had a put in which all my
surroundings had been familiar. It saddened Phyris to know that every
time I was left alone my thoughts yearned with increased longing for
that past. At times a strong effort of my own will would successfully
bring it before me, bring, in fact, my earthly astral from Earth to
me, that astral which was the sum of my experiences and memories of
Earth. Then, being in Venus, I yet knew myself a man of Earth, and a
stranger, and my yearning grew strong for America, my ain
countree. That was home to me, oh! so much more home, although I had
no relatives living, all gone to devachan's rest, and no friends
comparable to those I had so strangely found in Hesper. My friend, it
is the soul that is chained, not the body of man. Unchain thy souls,
oh, brethren, and seek to know the things of heaven, of the high life
with God, and all things else shall be added unto you, yea, even to
the ability to explore the stars in person. Mine was bound to Earth
by love of home and native land. Then these moments of knowledge of
Earth would cease, because my will power was not strong
enough
to
hold
the
astral
summoned,
and
it
gravitated
to
its
own
level,
which
was
the
world.
Again
I
would
be left unconscious of the Earth life and brooding over the puzzle,
until some of the family banished the mental state producing it! No,
I was a soul not at home except on Earth; I was here on a higher
plane; I might be born after devachan into the level of the
Hesperian, but the fact ever obtruded with increased emphasis that as
yet I had not been so born.
It
was
a
pleasure
to
me
to
sit
at
table
when
my
friends
took
their
simple
repasts,
for
though
I
could
not
eat,
nor
indeed did I need food, it was agreeable to be with them when they
collected thus together.
The next
day after I had seen Phyris grow the fruits to eat, I was at supper
with the family when Mol Lang, speaking to his son, said: Sohma,
is
it
wise
to
tell
our
guest
so
much
philosophy
as
thou
said
sister
have
done
and contemplate doing?
Wherefore
keep secret the truth, my father?
Because,
son, Phylos must return to Earth; it is so fated. He can not know
these things, for hearing is not knowing, nor is seeing. He hath no
faculties developed whereby to know them, and thou nor I can not
permanently enter our knowledge into his soul. Jesus of Nazareth,
except He entered into the souls of His hearers as into a temple,
could tell them nothing. Caiaphas, the High Priest, and all the
Israelites heard the Savior with their ears and saw His doings, yet
were blind and deaf and comprehended not. But unto those who were His
disciples and followers He entered, and they saw and heard and
profited. That was the Spirit which the Master awakened in them and
they followed the Word, even as Jesus followed it. But the world has
had to read the printed Word for these many centuries, and though
many have believed, yet none, no, not one, has been illuminated
by
the
Spirit
like
unto
Paul.
What
thou
wouldst
say
to
Phylos
will
come
to
him
in
astral
form
when
he
begins to yearn for Hesperus, even as his astral of Earth now comes
to him as he yearns for Earth. And, having forgotten Pertoz,
forgotten us, yet will he utter these bits of occult lore, and will
suffer therefor. Suffer, because some hearers will by mystified,
others scornful, and none, himself included, able to explain or
understand.
Yes, my
parent, thou speakest wisely. Yet let me say, he will utter truth.
Truth is mighty and will prevail. If, at the time, it be
misunderstood, not less must it cause some act in both speaker and
hearer. I need not say thoughts are
things,
for
all
things
are
thoughts.
Even
a
stone
is
a
thought
concept
of
the
Eternal
Spirit,
and
the
stone
seen
by
ordinary eyes is but the externalization of the idea. If, then,
Phylos shall think, and his hearers think on his utterances, that is
an action, Making the actor responsible. If a small thought, then a
small hot; it will doubtless finish its karma in the life of its
utterance. But if a great thought, or deed, it will make its doer his
or her own legatee, and then? I speak to thee also now, Phylos the
inheritor of his own actions shall find the deed become part of the
great karma of the human race, and himself responsible for its
fruition, because, 'Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle
hall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.'
1
Only
thus can Phylos ever come to us again.
Well
spoken, my son! was
Mol Lang's sole comment.
Sohma
then said to me: Phylos, my brother, there is no man or woman but
hath in some past as well as present life done grievous evil to one
or more fellowbeings, man or animal. Whatsoever a man soweth, that
shall he reap. And our Father hath ordained that in life, subsequent
to the one witnessing the greater sins, he that did them must also
requite
them.
Must
do
so
by
setting
against
the
evil
counter−balancing
good.
Not
else
shall
any
one
come
into
the Kingdom. This is the law of karma.
On
leaving
the
table
I
went
with
Sohma,
into
his
own
rooms
to
see
a
painting
which
adorned
his
wall.
Its
size
was
three and a half feet by six feet, and it was framed with rubies,
sapphires, diamonds, pearls and other gems set in cement,
precious
stones
which
on
Earth
would
be
each
valued
into
three
period
of
figures.
Not
so
in
Hesperus,
for
they were produced as Phyris produced the jewel−dishes. But the
picture exceeded the frame, a production of art magic which all the
wealth of the world could not buy.
I
saw
a
view
of
a
boundless
ocean,
the
billows
lashed
in
tempestuous
fury,
seabirds
skimming
the
crests
or
flitting
through the air above. It seemed a sunset on the great waters, for
the red beams shone through breaking clouds, lighting the aftermath
of the storm with a great glory. Close at hand, so close that one
could see the anxious intensity of mingling emotions on their faces,
two men and a boy clung to a floating spar. One of the men was held
by his mates as he wildly waved his arms to a ship that lay, an acute
silhouette against the monstrous disc, right in the very middle of
the vermilion sun. Such a scene could not be worth so great a sum as
I named?
Truly,
it were idle to attach a figure to what no money could buy. But what
think you when I say that the pictured billows rose and fell as does
real water? And the wind scudding along caught the combing, breaking
billows and hurled
spray
and
spume
for
what
seemed
hundreds
of
feet.
The
petrels
and
gulls
dipping
their
feet
in
the
water
left
a
momentary
ripple
as
they
rose
again.
Clouds
flitted
across
the
horizon,
and
coming
athwart
the
great
sun
were
lit
by its crimson, while, even as I looked, the blazing orb sank its
lower edge beneath the waters. The tall ship had sailed
to
the
edge
of
the
shield
and,
looking,
I
saw
a
flag
raised
and
lowered
as
if
in
answer
to
the
men
on
the
spar.
Then a
boat, a mere dot at the distance, was launched. But the castaways
were too near the level to see these things and, as the sun sank
wholly from view, one of them raised his arms in wild despair and
slipped from the spar to his grave in the depths. After a time the
light of the full moon replaced that of the set sun, the clouds
cleared away, and in the pale, silvery light I saw the approaching
boat, seeking the castaways. I saw them, now floated to one side of
the canvas, but the searchers at first did not. They rowed here and
there, and finally were successful. Lifting the perishing man and the
boy into the boat, they pulled away to where the lights of their ship
gleamed in the night. Then the watery waste was left lifeless as the
boat disappeared in the gloom towards the ship, which, as I looked,
sailed out at one side of the picture, as if the whole scene was one
beheld through an open
window,
and
the
vessel
had
sailed
behind
the
window
casement.
The
canvas
slowly
whitened,
and
presently
was perfectly blank of color or figures.
While
I
yet
gazed,
out
from
the
side
on
the
right
of
the
frame
appeared
a
black
point,
coming
slowly
into
view,
and tossing up and down. Waves grew in green sullenness across the
whole canvas, and Sohma said:
See, it
is about to repeat itself. By watching thou shalt am the whole again.
It is a, scene of a shipwreck on the Atlantic Ocean, on the distant
Earth. As often as it is all completed it turns white, and then is
repeated. It is another example of the power of an occult mind over
matter; the artist's will changes the speed of the color, and either
reduces or raises it so that the vibrations making red are increased
and range up through all degrees of color−force, always exactly in
harmony with the astral image put on the canvas by the creative power
of the occult artist. 'Who painted this, dost thou ask?' Phyris. She
painted it ere thou camest to Hesperus, when thou didst
rescue
a
woman
from
a
life
of
shame.
This
scene
is
prophetic.
It
is
that
of
a
time
coming
on
Earth,
when
that
rescued woman shall be lost at sea, years hence. But look at the
picture.
I
looked, and saw that though the storm was yet only a menace, it was
surely coming and would overtake the
proud
vessel that now had appeared in full perspective, half a mile over
the waters from me, as it seemed. At the mainmast floated the Stars
and Stripes, Flag of the Union. The sight brought my astral to me,
and memories of Earth and homeland filled my eyes with tears. But
Sohma put away the sad feeling, leaving me but partially conscious of
the past. I could see a sailor go to the ship's bell and ring eight
bells, see, but of course not hear, four o'clock in the afternoon.
The sailor had hardly struck the time ere a man came on deck and
seemed to give orders to close reef. The
men
swarmed
into
the
rigging
and
obeyed;
it
was
from
their
actions
that
I
knew
what
the orders had been. Then coming back on deck, they battened down the
hatches and put all safe for storm. Not a moment too soon. First a
cloud overcast the sun; then a black pall in the north, obscuring the
view. I could dimly see that things on shipboard began to flap in the
wind, and soon the noble vessel careened far over to starboard under
the white−topped rush of frightful billows. Then the fugitive
craft, with its mainmast hanging over the side, began to flee before
the demon of the storm. I could see it as it rose and sank in the
maddened swirl, while it seemed as if the vessel was in rapid motion,
giving the effect of flight. Presently a squad of seamen made a rush
across the decks for the pumps, at which they worked with the energy
of despair. A woman came from the one hatch left open for passage
below decks, and winding the cordage of the stump of the mainmast
about her slight form, cheered the men in their desperate toil. The
foremast now snapped, and was cut adrift. The vessel was
filling
faster
than
the
men
could
pump
out
the
leakage,
and
a
jump
for
the
boats
was
made.
One
by
one
these
were
lost, swamped as they touched the water, till only one remained. Into
this the captain ordered his men. Two more men than there was
possible room for in the boat; and the captain with his mate and the
woman, whom he held in his arms, stayed. The boat was not seemingly a
hundred feet distant when the gallant ship pitched forward, prow
first, and went down. A spar floating by the lone boat was the
salvation of some of those in the frail shell, which I saw overturned
by the heavy waves. A moment I saw white faces, for the boat was near
in the foreground. I saw the woman's face as she sank, and she was
near enough so that I saw, not terror, but a peaceful smile depicted
on her features. Then I saw two men and a boy, clinging to a spar,
and the scene was come to the repetition, for on that spar, when two
days had elapsed (in seeming), I saw them as at the beginning of this
description. In
seeming? Yes,
because
the
canvas
depicted
that
night's
blackness,
the
next
day's
sombre
light,
another
night
and
the second day. The whole scene took about two actual hours for its
rendition.
Sohma
said
no
more
concerning
occult
wisdom.
He
knew
that
my
mind,
ignorant
of
the
philosophy
of
this
higher
life, was not in touch with its significance, and that I wearied of
it as a child does of studies at school; abstruse occupations
presenting to its limited comprehension no actual connection with the
facts of its little world.
Mol Lang
taught me yet one thing more there in Hesper, saying it was for my
guidance, and that I would not forget
it
at
any
time.
We
were
beside
the
great
river
which
flowed
past
his
abode
at
a
few
hundred
yards
distant.
I
sat on the gravel of the shore; Mol Lang sat above me on the bank,
close enough to touch me. He planted a seed, and over it held his
hands, palms downward. It grew fast, and soon stood mature at the
height of his head.
Banana−like
fruit hung amongst its broad leaves. He plucked some of the fruit and
ate it.
See,
Phylos, such is plant life. Thou hast said: 'Why not take animal life
to nourish our bodies,' and 'If it be wrong to take life of animals
is it not wrong to take that of vegetable growths?' My son, where any
form, mineral, plant or animal, exists, there also is an entity
created by the Spirit; the matter−form is nothing but clothing to
the astral,
and
this
to
the
soul.
Now
there
are
plant
souls,
animal
souls,
human
souls,
all
children
of
our
Father,
but
not
evolutionable one into the other in any given period of planetary
activity; but all progress towards the Creator as plants draw
sunward. No man can make even a plant soul exist; but if he know the
law, he can find a plant soul and give it a body of plant shape, if
the body be a higher type than it had before. He can I can incarnate
such a plant soul. It is a simple experience; it begins by sprouting
of seed, by growth of the young plant body, by maturity, budding,
flowering, fruiting and ripening more seeds, seven simple actions. I
can hasten these, and crowd them all into a few minutes. Then have I
given the plant soul its little experience. Left alone it would have
no others, but would die, the last experience in its incarnation.
Very well; I take its body, but cut off no needed process. It is m
virtually my body as my own flesh, for I made it and loaned it to the
plant soul. Out of me went strength to do it. Reverse the process,
eat the plant, into me returns my strength. But no man could forsee
the experiences which each day, hour and minute bring to an animal
soul, each and every one necessary, for it is growing toward the
Eternal, and each experience is a responsible link, making it a karma
which shall bring its animal soul into a next incarnate life. Kill
it, and thou canst not compensate it for its opportunities; but to a
plant thou mayest. Compensation is God's law. If thou doest a thing
and can not compensate for it, that is sin; but if
thou
art able to make proper balance, it is no sin. Hence the Master of
Nazareth did no sin in the matter of filling the fisherman's net; but
thou wouldst have sinned in doing likewise, for in thee the manifest
Spirit is not made
One
with thee. As thou canst not compensate an animal soul for its bodily
life, thou sinnest in killing. And the flesh is accursed by reason of
that sin. Behold, I say truly, if thou shalt do such sin, thou shalt
reap the penalty; no butcher can see God in His Kingdom: he must
cease to be a butcher ere he can have hope of knowing the occult
realm which is His Kingdom.
Mol
Lang arose, and I did also. He put his arm about me and said:
My son,
the desert is before thy feet. Its hot sands will scorch their soles,
yet heed thine own intuition
1
which
reveals
God
unto
thy
soul,
and
thou
shalt
come
out
of
that
desert.
Be
thou
faithful
unto
death,
and
thou
shalt
have
a crown of life from our Father. God be with thee and keep thee; I,
also, will guard thee.
My
friends,
years
elapsed
ere
I
again
saw
Mol
Lang,
weary
years
of
sorrow
and
trial.
He
left
me
there
by
the
river, and there Phyris found me not long after.
Soon
gathered
about
us
other
people,
mostly
young
persons,
even
some
children.
In
Hesper,
the
Seventh
Principle
has a fair beginning of growth, while as for their physical
perfection, any Hesperian has an almost godlike beauty and grace. But
to illustrate how great is the height of that plane above anything
earthly, and how many seemingly miraculous powers have there become
characteristic of humanity, so as to be common inheritance of every
ego theron incarnate, instance this: A little child, only four years
of age, but very mature in demeanor, while essentially childlike in
many things, came and stood beside me. Though the little one laughed
and chatted with
me, if I
had at first been disposed to think her babyish, I soon regarded her
differently. Young as she was, and of course unacquainted with any
deep occult laws, yet as child of a branch of humanity advanced to
the perfect human plane, and upon the threshold of the spiritual, she
herself was fitted to be there by untold. previous incarnations.
As
heritage
of
these
many
lives
the
little
maid
possessed
astonishing
powers
which
earthly
men
and
women must acquire by the slow process of study through years.
Study
first to conquer the animal nature, then meditate on the principles
which, for those who have the will to know,
are
in
these
pages.
Do
only
as
they
teach.
Follow
the
Way.
One
shall
guide
all
who
earnestly
ask
Him,
even
before the Day of Man.
Apparently
satisfied
regarding
my
appearance,
remember
that
I
should
have
been
invisible
to
non−clairvoyant
eyes, but was not so to her inherited psychic sight, the little one
remarked in sweet confidence:
My
father
hath
often
told
me
of
a
numerous
branch
of
the
human
race,
compared
to
which
we
Pertozians
are
as
the
leaves
of
a
single
tree
to
those
of
a
forest.
He
hath
pointed
out
the
planet
where
these
dwell;
I
have
never
seen
any of these lower human beings until now I see thee. Is it not
strange? And they tell me, too, that neither thou, nor the mass of
people are yet come to have knowledge of the karma, nor other occult
powers, do foolishly scoff at it, indeed. It is strange. Still thou,
and they also, will grow in knowledge. God demands it. Then thy
personal appearance will become more pleasing. (!)
I
was
wholly
abashed.
To
hear
a
mere
child
talk
thus,
and
conclude
with
the
remark
that
I
would
grow,
well,
grow
to grace, was most astonishing. It was pleasing, too, for though it
exhibited the vast gap between the Earthly man and the spirituality
of Hesper, yet it showed the vista of human possibilities with a
clearness which nothing else had done. Man needs comparisons to
enable him to judge of relative values. St. Peter's Church at Rome is
the greatest building the world now knows. But these vast buildings
must be set about with others, themselves large, to enable the human
mind to comprehend how vast they are. So with spiritual truths: until
this little child revealed it, I had not had anything but a vague
conception of the exalted truths I had heard. Mol Lang's marvelous
actions, those of Sohma and Phyris even, had impressed me as acts of
a superior being, whose side I could never gain as
an
equal. Truly, Mol Lang said he came there by study and, further,
faith in the Father. But my eyes saw not his progress; they but saw
his attainment; neither had I seen this child acquire her position,
but my soul could recognize the fact of her growth being still in
progress. In place of vague desires, I began to feel the thrill of
hope and a knowledge that I also might grow. Until that moment I had
accepted the statements of my friends that I could grow up to them.
Faith was now replaced by knowledge. Through this little one my life
was lifted and linked to the higher life of Pertoz, that of man
perfect. I was ready to say in earnestness, Of
such
is
the
kingdom
of heaven.
The
dozen
or
more
friends
present
asked
me
to
tell
my
life
story,
in
order
that
hearing
the
living
voice,
they
might
study me as I spoke. I complied. At last I finished. I had told of my
hopes in life, and they were lofty, noble hopes, like those which
throng the breast, subduing the animal nature, when one listens to
music whose chords thrill the soul to do and dare for the high reward
of hearing Him say: Well done, thou good and faithful
servant.
To me
then spoke Phyris, slowly, but how sweetly only one can know who puts
away all that sullies the human soul.
I
noted
that
she
no
longer
used
the
ordinary
personal
pronouns,
but
in
this
last
conversation
reverted
to
the
solemn style though using the familiar English language.
Phylos,
thou
hast
related
of
thy
life
all
that
thou
knowest.
I
know
much
more,
and
I
will
tell
thee
also,
though
thou goest to Earth, forgetting us, forgetting me.
Phyris,
say not so, I can never forget you! I
said sadly.
Yea,
Phylos, thou wilt forget me, because only thy Hesperian memory
knoweth me, and it must yield to thine Earthly
astral
when
thou
hast
returned
thither.
Yet
it
will
but
sleep,
not
perish,
until
the
time
again
cometh
for
it
to
govern thy life. When the years of karma are flown, thou wilt once
more come hither, and then thou wilt no more yearn for Earth, as now.
My. twin, I fain would keep thee here; I can not, for karma is set
against me, and karma
is
the Christ law, saying, 'Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap.' Though forgetting Hesper, yet thou shalt have an astral
record, and it will at times come to thee, even as thine earthly
record cometh here, disturbing thee, and it will be a strange thing,
for it will seem as thyself, yet thou shalt not recognize its words
as thine own history, so it shall seem also some one else.
Thou
hast told thy life so far as thou knowest it; but back of it thou
hast heard that thou hast had myriad other lives.
And
in
these
I
have
been
involved.
Naturally
so,
for
my
spirit
is
also
thy
spirit,
though
our
souls
are
not
now
near together as they have been in other times. I could tell thee
much concerning this eternity past, which thou hast had and known,
but forgotten page by page as the Angel of Death turned the leaves of
thy book of life. But I will not tell thee, Phylos, though I could
remember it from that living, eternal record of cause and effect, of
the mutual action and reaction of the forms of life and of matter;
'tis the astral record, the Father's 'Book of Life.' Memory is but
the power of the soul to read this great astral record. I have that
power; thou hast it not; but I will not tell thee, but leave thee to
find all this thyself; to know this past from thine own coming
wisdom. Then thou shalt know me as one with thyself. And I will in
that time write the long history of our lives from the remote days
when
thou
and
I
lived
in
old
Lemuria,
days
ere
the
Earth
had
known
the
continent
of
Atlantis,
or
the
glacial
epoch
of geologists 'twas the golden age. But we will know farther back
than that, even to the time when Earth did not exist, nor Venus nor
Mars, neither the sun nor any star. But of this I will not try to
tell the world all, not that it might not be told, but no reader
could comprehend that state wherein Man that is, was a race not
become Man as yet. When I say Man I say also all associate animals,
for every sort of being that lives on the Earth is Man, there being
men and animals, lesser men. No, they who heard the words could in
nowise comprehend beings neither animal,
plant
nor
mineral,
which
nevertheless
lived.
I
will
therefore
deal
solely
with
the
later
time
which
came
ere
the last glacial epoch, and still later with the time of Zailm, and
when of him, of thyself, for my Phylos is but Zailm reincarnate,
returned from devachan.
I
raised
my
head,
which
I
had
kept
bowed
while
Phyris
talked.
We
were
alone,
the
others
of
our
party
having
withdrawn. Phyris continued:
I
will write of Anzimee, and so of myself; and I will write of others
also. But now I speak of ourselves.
When Man
was born into the earth from Mars, as he is eventually to be born
from the Earth into Hesper, that was the basis of the allegory of
Adam and Eve, but back of them came all their lesser brethren, the
animals of land, sea and air. And back of the race birth were the
race lives on Man, and ere then lives on two other planets, neither
of which are of matter which the Earthly eye could perceive. There is
in them now no life process, for these world souls are resting, and
so also is Mars. Thus have I spoken of four of the seven planets of
which the human race makes cyclic visits, going from One to Two, to
Three, to Four (which is the Earth), to Five (Hesper), to
the
one
to
which
Man
will
go
after
his
years
on
Hesper,
and
thence
to
the
Seventh
or
Sabbatic
world.
These
two
last, like the two first, are imperceptible to the eyes of man on
Earth. Seven are the worlds, and seven times the race of Man circles
them; three times already hath Man circled the series and arrived en
masse at the fourth of the number in this, his fourth round. So,
Phylos, I speak of all these many race−lives; of Earth, of Hesper,
of Mars, and all other human planets, after the ordinary sense. But
whosoever wills may go with our Great Master,
escaping
the Rounds, and of that Life, no words can tell. But such will is
rare, and few there be that find that Way.
Yet here
are some of the signs along that Path; hear them, heed, and thus
find me.
Use
all
things
as
abusing
none.
Drugs, as drugs; food, as not gluttonously; drinks, as not
bibulously; society, as a study; marriage
1
as
a Way, but continency as His Highway. The most of our race must go by
the lower path, for the Cliff−brow Way is too dizzy; none can walk
it, save He holds their hands, and few there be that will to let Him,
for desires tempt them. But they that refuse that Life now, how shall
they find it again? They will not, and so shall cease with the world.
Then will have come true that which is written, 'There shall be time,
and times and half a time.' Alas that it should be so. A
message
of
this
judgment
shalt
thou
render
in
a
day
not
afar
off.
Being
in
the
middle
of
its
sojourn
upon
the
Earth,
the race is half through an experience of life that hath engaged it
for a period of time too vast for thy real comprehension.
Will
you not tell me? I
inquired. I
am
curious.
Tell
thee? Yes, and in words thou canst understand, yet the figures can
convey but vaguely to thee, who know not what all the period hath
seen transpire. These are the figures, and
Phyris
solemnly
counted
a
period
of
time
which my mind confronted as one helpless, lost in thought. But
see
thou
convey
to
none
other
this
knowledge,
until our atonement hath recurred. Such is the lapse of Time since
the Universe was without form and void, and darkness was upon the
face of the deep. Each man we see, except those who have been
transfigured, is but a semi−ego, and each woman the same, two of
these having one spirit. When the perfection time cometh, all the
halves shall unite, each with its own, and lo! this is the marriage
made in heaven. But first comes the Trial, the Crisis of
Transfiguration.
And
if, I asked, if
a
soul
pass
not,
why
not,
and
what
will
happen,
and
if
one
half,
one
mate,
shall
fall,
shall
the other also?
Oh, my
twin! If a soul pass not, it will be because the waywardness of its
many lives hath clipped the wings of its strength so that it can not
fly above the concentrated temptations of that trial. Such a fate is
the portion of all failures in this supremest trial. And lastly,
personally, if thou dost fail? Thy soul shall go into the Second
Death, and
because
of
that,
so
also
shall
mine,
for
we,
and
all
egoic
mates
fight
this
last
fight
with
our
combined
strength.
On me thy eternal life depends; on thee my hope rests; but upon the
Spirit rests all our hope. And we can not find It if we follow not
the Path shown us by Christ; if we seek It not, It will not seek us.
Save Christ is ours and in us we must fail in that fearful trial. But
come, Phylos, and see the Earth as it was in the days of Zailm. and
Anzimee, and seeing that time, behold it now.
Thus
speaking, she arose and touched me, and I perceived for the first
time that she, like myself, was in astral form. I seemed to sleep
momentarily, yet was conscious of motion, the sort of motion that one
experiences when passing from deep sleep to full wakefulness at once.
This was the passage from Hesperus to Earth. The sensation was
due
to
the
fact
that
my
present
astral
was
in
some
sort
material;
as
I
had
not
even
an
astral
when
coming
from
the Earth, and so nothing material, therefore I could not be
conscious of that transition. The sleeping unconsciousness was now
due to Phyris, who wished to draw my attention from her words
and herself.
−
Once
more all the scenes of Earth appeared. I saw the broad waters of the
Atlantic. Phyris said:
Names
are
appropriate;
see
here
is
the
Atlantic
Ocean
where
was
the
Atlantean
Continent.
And
now
we
descend
into it; above are its waters, and around us. They harm us not, for
our psychicality is superior to their psychicality. Behold the
psychic record of the past, the concrete history of the world,
imperishable until time shall be no more. Wouldst thou read of a
first destruction of Poseid? Seek it in thy Bible, and find it as the
Noachian deluge. This was before the age of Zailm, or of history
which they knew, many thousands of years. Wouldst learn of the
destruction of Lemorus, that great people who were in the Earth
before the Age of Ice, when the world knew no cold, nor snow, nor
frost; who antedated Poseid by countless ages? Turn to the book of
Job and read of how the 'deep boiled like a pot,' and reading, thou
shalt learn that Lemuria perished of fire from out the interplanetary
depths.
So
one
cycle
of
mankind
dieth
of
fire,
and
the
next
of
water.
And
again,
the
next
dieth
of
fire.
The
races
of
Earth to−day shall come, afar off as is yet that day, to perish of
fire, and the Earth be blasted and rolled together
as a
scroll, find thou its prophecy in the second Book of Peter III:10.
Yet knowledge of all this is not from my telling.
I
have
spoken.
And
now,
my
other
self,
I
take
thee
yet
awhile
to
fulfill
the
law
and
the
prophets
and
thy
karma. And I will abide thy coming again unto me; we part, see, here
is the Sagum, there Mendocus. Aye,
beloved,
we part, but it is for a little while, and then for eternity we shall
be one together. Let some dim perception
of
me
awaken
in
thy
mind,
and
sweeten
thy
life,
and
lead
thee
ever
upward.
My
peace,
so
much
as
it
is
such, be with thee, and keep thee!
She
put
her
arms
about
me,
and
held
me
long,
while
our
eyes
looked
into
each
others
souls.
Then
her
lips
met
mine in one ecstatic throb, and −she was gone!
Footnotes
340:1
Matthew, v. 18.
345:1
St. John, xvi, 13.
350:1
Cor. vii; 1 to 9; also 29, 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38.
CHAPTER
VIII. OLD TEACHERS TAUGHT OF GOD
I
awoke.
The
place
was
in
one
of
the
smallest
rooms
of
the
Sagum;
it
seemed
not
unfamiliar,
although
I
had
theretofore been only in the greater apartment. Mendocus sat by my
side. There was a sense of having lost something; I knew not what,
but the loss made me inexpressibly sad. I felt hampered, as if my
freedom had contracted. Otherwise, too, I felt weak, as if long ill.
But Mendocus put his hand over my eyes, and I slept.
The next
conscious moment came, and the weariness was gone, but not wholly so
the sense of loss, of restricted freedom. It was one thing to lose
prehension of memory and events; to have entirely forgotten Hesperus
and Phyris,
and
Mol
Lang
and
Sohma,
as
I
had
done;
but
it
was
a
wholly
different
and
impossible
thing
to
forget
or
in
any wise put away the growth of my soul during my five weeks of
absence from the Earth. Yes, five weeks, for despite the seeming
months in devachan, and the time in Pertoz, all but one part in a
thousand of my time of absence had been spent in Hesperus. Five weeks
of Earth time.
It
would
have
been
impossible
for
me
to
have
remained
in
Pertoz
and
been
happy.
It
would
be
impossible
for
you,
my friends. Why? Because it was a plane of soul life so exalted above
our familiar Earth that only growth can introduce the soul there,
long, slow, ofttimes painful, but growth. To me, then, or to you now,
irrevocable transference to such a high plane of life would be
fearful punishment; all our ordinary powers of life, all our present
selves put away, and an entirely different set of sensibilities and a
new, unknown, untried self in their place, knowledge in the use of
all which, amidst wholly strange phenomena and unlearned laws, the
misplaced soul would have to acquire through long, unhappy years. It
is a divine blessing to humanity that sudden transition from one
plane to a higher is as impossible as is any real retrogression.
I
sat
up,
and
then
stood
up,
Mendocus
assisting
me,
for
I
was
weak
and
dizzy
I
remained
at
the
Sach
until
several
days had elapsed, learning of various occurrences and making various
decisions and resolutions. Asking for Quong, I was told he was dead,
and knowing now nothing of the past five weeks, I accepted the news
with keen regret.
Mendocus
told
me
that
I
was
a
man
yet
possessed
of
earthly
appetites
and
passions,
although
I
had
lately
been
where humanity was of the heavenly order, as measured by terrestrial
standards, where no sensuality ever invaded, although the people were
not austere, nor was life there devoid of pleasure.
I
assented
for
the
sake
of
courtesy,
without
knowing
anything
of
whom
or
what
he
spoke,
more
than
an
untraveled
commoner of a great city knows of interior Africa, He saw my
ignorance and became silent.
His
remarks about social sin I felt inapplicable to myself, for although
I mingled with the people of this world, I did
not
sin
in
the
meaning
of
the
term
as
he
applied
it.
Perhaps
from
environment
I
was
not
free,
but
free
of
these
errors I was, and without any pharisaical self−praise.
Speaking
of
the
fallen,
however,
where
was
the
really
sweet
noble
girl
I
had
tried
to
raise,
and
who,
seconding
my
efforts,
had
gone
to
Melbourne?
Life
interests
were
again
claiming
me.
The
animal
soul
was
reasserting
itself,
and
warring as strongly as its feeble selfhood allowed with the human
soul and the stirring spirit which cannot sin nor err, because it is
one with the Over Soul, and so ever draws the human soul upward,
whilst the animal pulls it downward.
Then
said Mendocus to me:
Mr.
Pierson,
the
sins
thou
dost
condemn
in
thy
fellow−creatures
were
once
thine,
and,
if
thou
shalt
condemn
the
doer, may become thine again. That thou judgest, thou art not past
danger of committing.
Judge
not, lest thou be judged. But in thine inner soul these past five
weeks have placed a light, a lamp from God.
Hide
it
not,
but
let
it
so
shine
that
it
give
light
to
the
Sinful
who
have
no
light.
Pity
them,
deplore
their
error,
but if thou condemn them thou wilt not follow Him who said 'neither
do I condemn thee; go and sin no more.'
Mol Lang
had set a proper estimate on my powers in refusing to make
irrevocable my ascent to the Hesperian plane. I had stood ready with
the torch of desire to fire my earthly ships. If I could have known
of my escape I would have felt thankful. As it was, Hesper was become
an unmeaning name, and the ships were not burned. Pleased as a child
I had gone to the devachanic plane, where all things that the child
in experience desired, although it wished never so foolishly, seemed
to occur. Now the child having confronted the sober fact that
inexorable laws govern all the reign of being, had become stricken,
broken−hearted at his failure; had returned to his own sphere, and,
blessed mercy, was enabled to forget it all until such time as the
five weeks' leaven had leavened the whole, and return was possible in
the circumstances of one coming to his own. Friend, never assume the
attitude of childishness toward the sublime you
may
not
escape
as
lightly
as
I
did.
Count
the
cost,
or
else
plod
along with the commonplace masses. Both roads lead to the goal, one
short but inexpressibly severe, the other long, and, alas! quite
severe enough. It is no paradox to say that the shortest road is the
longest; life is not always measured by years some lives are but a
few short years but
oh,
the
bitternesses
and
not
impossibly,
sweets,
too,
crowded in them would require a thousand years of other and less
marked lives to essay.
Before
I
left
the
Sagum,
Mendocus
laid
down
esoteric
rules
for
my
guidance
in
the
days
to
come,
days
when
sole
dependence must be stayed on my knowledge of these rules, since no
esoterist would be near to counsel me,
Mr.
Pierson,
said
the
grand
old
sage,
I
have
here
a
Bible.
Lo!
I
have
read
it,
the
Old
Testament,
eighty−seven
times; the New, even more times. Yet I see ever now beauties in the
Book. I have here the Books of Manu, and
also
the
Vedas.
All
are
authorized
by
the
Christ−Spirit,
under
different
human
names,
truly,
and
in
different
ages.
All
are
more
or
less
allegorical;
all
require
His
Light
to
interpret;
without
it,
serious
errors
may
arise
as
they
have
arisen heretofore in the world with sad frequency and fearfully long
lived persistency.
I
will
therefore
declare
unto
thee
a
guidance
from
them.
Knock,
and
it
shall
be
opened
unto
thee.
But
see
thou
knockest with the will of the Spirit, for although the mind knock,
forever, the Way shall not be opened.
Ask,
and
it
shall
be
given.
But
although
the
animal
man
ask
ever,
no
answer
shall
be
given,
for
this
meaneth
also
except the request be made by the Spirit in thee for the Truths of
God, and not for earthly things; these last follow as shade the
sun. Whatsoever is asked of the Father in the Christ's name, that
shall He grant. But consider that
asking
in
the
name
of
the
Christ
is
asking
for
the
things
of
His
Kingdom.
With
the
gift
of
these
things
all
lesser
things shall be added, food, raiment and all else the body bath need
for. This is hard for the natural mind to comprehend. He will not let
thee perish though thou die of hunger.
Whatsoever
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. This is karma and the law, and
every jot of it must be fulfilled.
Man
is
a
creature
of
many
incarnations,
each
earth
life
one
personality,
strung
on
the
unbreakable
string
of
his
egoic individuality, which reacheth from everlasting to everlasting,
from the East unto the West.
No
demand of karma may be ignored; all must be paid in the course of the
lives.
Then 'do
unto others as thou wouldst be done by,' and remember, as thou doest
unto the least of thy fellow creatures,
in
that
manner
and
measure
is
it
done
unto
our
Savior,
and
unto
the
Father,
and
shall
be
done
unto
thee
again.
Keep
all the commandments; thou shalt so come to everlasting, where is all
wisdom.
That
evening I went out of the sacred precincts and back to the town.
There
I
learned
of
things
various.
My
mining
partners
were
now
willing
to
buy
my
share
without
further
parley.
From that sale I received approaching three hundred thousand dollars,
paid in installments, seven quarterly payments of nearly forty−three
thousand dollars gold coin, each one.
The
arrangement having been made for depositing these sums, as they fell
due, with my bankers in Washington,
D.
C.,
I
was
overcome
with
a
desire
to
travel;
this
and
my
ability
to
gratify
it
took
me
to
nearly
every
civilized
land. Yet no object except unrest prompted this nomadism.
Almost
two years had passed since I left City,
the
scene
of
my
esoteric
experiences.
I
was
in
Norway,
away from the wide, wide world, in a little hamlet close to a
celebrated fjord, where I had arrived the previous
day. My
guide and general utility man spoke English sufficiently well to make
himself readily intelligible. He proved to have been a sailor on the
ship in which I took my first voyage, and had returned to his native
land to minister
to
the
wants
of
travelers,
in
which
service
his
knowledge
of
Anglo−Saxon
did
him
good
stead.
He
was
delighted to see me, a feeling which I reciprocated. His name?
Certainly, Hans Christison.
Hans
said that four or five other summer travelers were staying in the
village, One
ish
ein
young
leddy;
she
haf
a
crazy for paint und brushes ish ein nardist, I think so.
A week
elapsed before I met this purty leddy, and
meantime
Hans
guided
me,
equipped
with
gun
and
fish
rod,
he rowing our light skiff. One afternoon I took the skiff and went
off alone to a rock jutting out of the fjord, whereon grew several
birch trees of graceful beauty. I tied the skiff, and then climbed
out and sat down to read the letters forwarded to me from New York.
While
reading
these
I
heard
a
little
sound
behind
me
as
of
some
person
else
on
the
tiny
island.
Turning
my
head
I
saw a woman, and then I laid down my paper and sprang to my feet. I
was too much surprised to raise my cap or even to speak, and she
seemed equally astonished. Then I said the one word:
Lizzie!
Mr.
Pierson! she
replied.
How came
you here? was
our next exchange. I told her of my aimless wanderings, and she
related her life
since we
parted in City.
From
Melbourne
she
had
gone
to
New
York
and
thence
to
Washington.
There
she bought a residence and established an art studio, assuming the
name of Harland. People were told little and learned less of her
antecedents, and were allowed to suppose that she was a young
Australian widow of moderate wealth. Each of the two summers after
her advent to life at the capital had been spent abroad, and this,
the third summer, she was spending in Norway. Her pictures had sold
well, and she had made up the entire sum which she
had used
from what she called my loan. This
she
insisted
on
giving
back
to
me,
but
I
laughed,
and
tentatively
agreed, saying, Before I leave, if you insist. I stayed four weeks,
there, stayed until I learned from a chance remark that she was going
away in a few days for a little stay among the Scottish lakes. Then
without saying anything to Mrs. Harland, I bade Hans take me by night
to the steamer which visited the little port once a fortnight, and
was then due, and going on board, paid Hans, adding a douceur. As the
ropes were being cast off, I said:
Hans,
let
the
'young
leddy'
know
that
I
am
gone;
tell
her,
if
she
asks,
I
am
going
to
St.
Petersburg.
Good
bye,
Hans.
To
the Capital of the Czar I went, and was there a week.
Then
back to Paris, then to London, and in another week I sailed for New
York, thence to Washington.
A year
passed. One afternoon as I strolled up Pennsylvania Avenue, I carne
face to face with Elizabeth Harland. We stopped, spoke, and then I
turned and walked with her. The old surged over us; I remembered the
days in California;
then
more
tenderly,
the
peaceful
month
in
Norway,
when
I
had
come
to
really
believe
I
loved
this
girl,
not only for her radiant beauty and sedately sweet womanhood, but for
her tremendous effort to triumph over error, and her success,
wherefore she was come forth from the fire, pure gold.
Before
we parted I learned her address, and resolved to call as soon as an
opportunity offered.
Next
evening
a
bank
messenger
came
to
my
apartments,
and
left
a
packet.
It
held
two
hundred
bank
notes
of
the
value of one hundred dollars each, and a letter. This I opened
hastily and read:
Sept.
3rd, 1869.
Mr.
Walter Pierson:
Enclosed
find
the
sum
of
my
indebtedness
to
you,
and
accept
my
heartfelt
gratitude
for
the
same.
And
we
will
be
friends; you are ever welcome to come to the home of
Your
sincere friend,
Elizabeth
Harland. I
pondered
the
situation,
and
when
the
moment
of
decision
came
made
up
my
mind
very
suddenly. The money which she had returned I put into my pocketbook,
took my hat and, being in proper attire, went down the street until I
found a cab. Entering this, I gave directions to the driver to take
me to No. ,
Street.
It
was
a
pretty
place.
When
I
rang
the
bell
it
was
answered
by
Mrs.
Harland
herself.
Her
manner
was
cordial,
but
I
fancied somewhat constrained.
On
the
wall
of
the
parlor
hung
a
picture
of
rare
merit.
A
man
whose
face
and
mien
was
as
expressive
of
divinity
as it lies in the power of paint and brush to depict, stood looking
on a woman whose face was hidden by her hands. In the dust at his
feet were characters written. The environment was that of the
architecture of the Holy
Land.
Under the painting, which was half life size, were the words, St.
John, VII:11.
I
sat
down
in
a
proffered
chair,
and
for
a
moment
silence
reigned.
My
hostess
broke
this,
saying:
You received the money, Mr. Pierson?
Yes. I
drew it out of my pocket and following my resolve, and waiving all
prefatory remarks, I said:
Except
you
give
me
yourself
with
this
money,
I
will
not
take
it
out
of
the
house.
Will
you
be
my
wife,
Elizabeth? I
asked as I knelt by her side.
Her
eyes gazed into mine a moment, and she said.
For
myself, because you love me, and veil the past with the success of
the present? tears
in
her
eyes,
tears
in
her voice as she spoke.
Yes,
darling!
With
a
convulsive
sob
she
rested
in
my
arms,
and
cried
as
if
her
heart
would
break.
At
length
she
said,
tremulously.
All the
world is less worth than this true love.
Our
wedding
was
quiet,
and
after
it
we
went
for
a
brief
trip
abroad,
going
only
to
England,
and
in
a
short
time
returned home.
CHAPTER
IX. THEY WHO HEED HAVE PEACE
Once
during
the
wanderings
before
my
marriage,
and
while
I
was
in
Hindustan,
I
met
an
old
man
of
unprepossessing figure, whose faded eyes no sooner rested on me than
he said:
You
are
he
of
whom
Mendocus
told
me,
and
charged
me
concerning,
saying
'tell
him
certain
things
for
me.'
This
I will do. Young man, your life shall be sad and bitter on Earth, but
sweet after that. Things will transpire because of which your animal
soul shall embrace itself and say, 'This is joy.' But immediately the
still voice of the human soul in you shall say, 'This joy is but a
Sodom apple,' and in that moment you will know that it is so. Hence
you will have ever a war between your animal soul, which is innate
depravity, and. your spirit, which is of God, Brahma, the One. See in
it the allegory of Adam and original sin; it pulls your human soul
down to death; the other, the Spirit, draws the human upward. Attend
then its sayings; I will render them for you:
Before
your eyes can see God they must be incapable of shedding tears for
any suffering of your own. Before your ears can hear, they must have
lost sensitiveness. Your voice may not speak eternal wisdom until it
has no power to wound. Before your self can stand in the presence of
the Eternal, its feet must have been bathed in the blood
of
suffering,
penance,
restitution.
Then
kill
the
ambition
to
excel
in
the
poor
paths
of
Fame.
Cease
to
regard
this life as your best possession.
Then
work for God as earnestly as others work for Mammon; and respect thy
life as those respect life who treasure it most, and be happy as
those who live for happiness. In the hearts of all is the source of
all error, in disciple
as
well
as
in
the
man
of
desire.
Study
a
plant
of
mustard,
witness
it
grow
and
bud.
But
if
thou
shalt
hew
it
down so that it never beareth seed, behold a strange thing, it will
sprout again and grow through the years, if it never
beareth.
And
this
although
it
is
only
a
material
form.
Now,
therefore,
if
a
human
soul
shall
not
be
cut
down,
yet
shall
not
enter
into
life
as
a
creator
by
reason
that
it
wills
not,
then
the
Spirit
of
life
everlasting
shall
go
into
it,
and it shall contain itself, and therefore live forever. Study the
truth of mustard life. Only the strong in God can act upon this
teaching and hold the lower nature. The weak must wait its maturity
and then will come their struggle. It will strive to keep the feet
from the Path; and may succeed. But if once all its power be wiped
out; if once thou doest the will of the Father earnestly, is His
obedient child, that is the atonement, for it shall give strength to
do every work of the Creator of Being. It will seem to take the very
life. That is because it takes the animal soul and throttles it. But
the human soul will recover, and the Spirit come into it. This is the
time of the Silence of the Soul. Then it shall be clear to you how
dark are the lives of those who are around you and have no goal of
union with the Spirit towards which to race. And you will see and
know karma. Also you will. see that because of your past incarnations
your karma is inextricably interwoven with the karma of the world.
This is that saying which the Nazarene answered when it was asked of
Him, 'Who is my neighbor?' If, Walter Pierson, you shall once be able
to know the Peace of Silence, you shall then learn of all things
about you, for the Earth is Brahm's,
and all in it teaches His works.
I
was surprised at being called by name, and also of being told of
Mendocus. The old man said further:
If
your
soul
once
knows
this
Peace,
no
storm
of
sin
or
of
sorrow
can
ever
more
ward
you
far
aside
from
the
Path,
for its knowledge is an abiding wisdom. Heed also the words of
Mendocus, read your Bible, read the Vedas, read Manu; and study. It
shall all be a staff to your hand and a lamp to your feet. Peace be
with you.
And to
you, peace, I replied as he turned and walked away into the crowd,
for we had stood by a public drinking fountain. Now that Elizabeth
was found and was my wife, I pondered deeply these things I had heard
of the
occult
lore.
Not
that
she
had
connection
with
it.
But
because,
as
the
years
went
by,
I
found
she
knew
and
cared
little about these abstruse studies, which I did. So our lives drew
apart. But she was oblivious of this fact, and I was glad because she
was. She had her churchwork and I aided her in all her sweet
charities. To us came two lovely little daughters, the greatest
treasures of our lives, and oh, so carefully taught regarding life
and shielded from its dangers. So long as these little ones were with
us, I was content. And yet I felt, in an ill−defined sorrow, that
Earth's experiences were but Sodom apples.
Sometimes
I found my lonelier hours disturbed by a strange voice which
whispered to my inner consciousness. As time passed it grew stronger,
and one day it appeared before my sight as a wraith. The Shape
talked. What it said
made
me
eager
to
hear
more,
so
I
cultivated
it.
It
became
thenceforth
a
regular
visitor,
and
from
that
to
being
always present when I was otherwise alone was but a step. It spoke of
having been on a distant planet which it
called Pertoz, sometimes Hesperus, again Venus. It
spoke
of
persons
whose
names
were
strange,
calling
one Mol
Lang", another Sohma and
a third Phyris. Then
it described these people, and I listened eagerly.
Who
were
they,
and
what
human
soul
was
this
which
had
gone
to
Venus?
The
ghost
looked
marvelously
like
myself. But my slumbers at night were as sound as if it visited me
not.
I called
it my ghost. How unconsciously true It told of everything related to
my being with Mol Lang, and in Venus; it drew my mind's eye to the
psychic scene in the bed of the Atlantic. It told of a visit to the
sun with Sohma,
of
which
I
neglected
mention
in
sequence.
Briefly,
Sohma
went
with
me
to
the
sun,
and
showed
me
that
it
was a vibrant body of less size than astronomers believe, but of
enormous density. I saw its oceans they were heavier than Mercury.
But it had no life forms which I took as such. Yet life of some sort
there is everywhere.
Perhaps,
indeed,
not
animal,
nor
vegetable,
but
from
the
high
standpoint
of
those
who
know
much
of
the
works
of
the All−Father, forms that no earthly man would call life are such,
nevertheless. But the sun is a force of such fearful vibrative
pulsing that even my subtle astral body was not unaffected. Sohma
said of it:
See
the immediate center of our solar system. Thou wouldst call it a
dynamo, the great dynamo of the system.
Right
wouldst thou be, and wrong also. The attempt to define the sun as an
analogue to a dynamo−electric machine has much to support it. But
to define it as identical is erroneous. The trouble with that theory
is the trouble
which
lies
at
the
root
of
and
weakens
all
other
theories
to
account
for
sun−heat
and
sun−light.
It
is
that
science
does not assign a sufficiently high value to the sun. The combustion
theory is invalid; the solar mass contraction theory is but partially
tenable and meteoric showers do not account better than the first
two. Neither does the electric−dynamo theory. Truly, the latter
explains how sun−heat and sun−light may coexist and not be
inharmonious
with
the
awful
degree
of
cold
between
earth,
the
planets
and
the
sun.
It
explains
that
which
denies
the simple combustion theory so completely, viz. that the farther one
goes from the earth center, either in a balloon or on a high
mountain, the colder and darker the air gets, so that inter−stellar
space is several hundred degrees below zero, and black as midnight,
with the sun a luminous disc, without rays. But the dynamo theory
does not explain the solar spectrum, nor the bands of spectra, nor
coronal 'flames,' nor 'sun spots,' nor solar nor lunar eclipses.
The
above statements were made by Sohma, as will be remembered by the
reader, while I was still−in the Hesperian astral state and for the
time was unconscious of a previous terrene existence. I had therefore
no memory of the mundane knowledge and was unbiased in my judgment of
the remarks of my friend. He had ceased to speak after uttering the
word eclipses. I
waited
for
him
to
continue,
but
as
be
did
not,
I
finally
interrogated, Well,
what does explain all? What is the truth? Thus questioned, he
resumed:
I have
said that the value accorded by astronomers is too small. Seeing a
fire, they would seek to explain by its means the sun. Finding this
untenable, and aware that a contracting mass gives off heat, they
next essay explanation on that hypothesis. But this will not do, nor
will meteoric showers, nor any hypothesis based on facts now
known,
all
are
too
low
in
aim;
the
Infinite
cannot
be
explained
by
the
finite,
nor
will
less
explain
greater;
fire
is energy, and electricity is energy, and God is energy. But fire
will not solve the query, 'What is electricity?' nor will electricity
answer 'What is God?' but God will explain both the others, for the
sum of the parts is equal to the whole. But a man does not know the
full number of the parts, the partial sum he does know will not
explain
God.
Sohma
ceased
again.
But
I,
filled
with
some
vagrant
earth
memory,
allowed
no
time
of
pause;
I
was
too
eager
to
wait, and I said:
But
this does not tell me what the solar puzzle is.
Thou art
impatient, my brother; know then, what was at one time known upon the
earth, but is now for ages forgotten; that Nature has a dual aspect,
is double, is positive and negative; that the great positive side is
the side known to mundane science, while the other or negative, or
'Night Side,' or, as it was once known in the earth by the
men
of
Atla,
'Navaz,'
is
a
side
all
unknown,
and
scarcely
guessed
in
the
most
exceeding
flights
of
speculation,
left unbroached, secretly kept by a few, who know not that they
entertain an angel, an angelic wisdom that in a century
more,
yea,
less
time!
shall
overturn
much
of
the
face
of
terrene
things,
shall
bestow
aerial
vessels,
and
all
else once known to those men of Atl of whom I spoke. Thou. dost not
yet understand?
I said
that I did not; that I thought he referred to some domain of the
physical forces not yet known; but what had this to do with the
sun? This: the suns of systems are centers of forces of the Night
Side of Nature whereof I spoke, and are force, and matter of a higher
value than are planets and satellites, just as water above a cataract
is water, truly, but being above and mobile, flows over and down,
developing energy. In other words, out of the cold, dark, negative
side, or 'night side,' force emerges, drawn to the positive polarity
which constitutes in its outgoing flow that termed Nature, and
develops in its fall,
magnetism, electricity, light, color, heat and sound, in order of
descent, and lastly solid matter, for this latter is a child of
energy, not its parent. When the Navaz forces drop to light, if the
light waves enter a spectroscope, they will emerge as colors; these
correspond to the various spectrum
bands,
and
will,
as
the
descent
progresses,
give
the
noted
fines
of
the
solar
spectrum,
as
the
great
'B'
line
of oxygen, the conspicuous '1474' line, and the brilliant 'H' and 'K'
violet bands.
I
thought
I
now
saw
the
truth;
but
I
saw
only
a
part;
a
grand
vista
was
yet
to
open.
I
saw
it
when
my
companion
resumed:
Thus the
evidence of flames, and metals on fire, and all that leads
astronomers to think sun and stars flaming hells.
But
their
'fires'
will
not
decrease,
for
the
Father
is
immanent,
and
the
forces
of
'Navaz'
are
perpetually
fed
by
Him. The graphic picture of a 'burned−out sun' is a dream, never to
be fulfilled. A day will come again in the
earth
when
instruments
will
be
made
which
Atlantis
once
well
knew,
when
the
prismatic
rays
from
a
spectroscope
will be found to be a source of heat, and of sound, so that the
so−called 'flames' of the sun, and of the stars will produce
music,
harmonies
divine.
1
Yea,
further,
for
going
on
down,
the
dark
green
solar
spectrum
of
iron
will
be
made to yield iron for use in the arts, and so with the other bands
and lines, the intense greens, blues, and blue−greens give copper,
lead, antimony and so on. It is by these Navaz currents that the
circulation in the universe is kept up, as blood in a man's arteries.
The suns are the systemic hearts. But thou art tired, my brother,
or
I would explain yet more, that the planets which receive all these
currents must return their equivalent. And thus would another vast
field open before thy sight. This last would explain that which so
worries science on
earth,
the
molten
terrene
interior.
That
also
is
something
of
an
error.
All
the
phenomena
which
seem
to
declare
the
earth to be in a melted condition inside do not prove it so in truth;
all point to the return currents, the positive; all exhibit the
venous currents of our universe, back to its hearts.
Sohma
concluded with an apostrophe to the leading minds of the Earth which
was beautiful indeed:
O
Science
of
Earth,
in
thee
is
the
hope
of
the
world,
when
thou
shalt
become
handmaiden
of
God.
Look
up,
value His works highly, and thou shalt read clearly many things which
now puzzle thee sadly. Thou art the Joseph, and Religion the Mary,
and ye twain shall show forth the Light of Life. Blessed art thou.
When
my ghost retold
me
this
conversation
I
seized
my
hat
and
went
out
to
look
sunwards
and
marvel
if
all
were true, and astounded, reflect again, Who is this Sohma?
The
puzzle
grew,
and
my
discontent
with
life
grew;
the
lump
was
becoming
leavened.
The
more
I
studied
the
truth
of
the
mustard
plant,
the
clearer
grew
my
perceptions,
and
I
knew
that
never
in
my
present
body
could
I
attain much progress, for in our union Elizabeth and I had passed by
the mustard unheeding, writing another karmic chapter.
For a
time my ghost was
amenable to my will as regarded its comings and goings; but it now
seemed to have entered
in
and
coalesced
with
me.
I
no
longer
heard
or
saw
it,
but
instead
was
often
one
with
it,
and
saw
and
heard
its visions and perceptions as if they were my own; and indeed, as
you know, this was a fact. It was in verity the record of my visit to
Pertoz, and was a true cast in all ways of my life there.
Ofttimes
my soul was torn by steadfastness to the duty of life as pointed out
by Mendocus. And then my only escape from trouble was to allow myself
to rest in the Hesperian astral to the exclusion of that of Earth. At
such times
I
was
living
again
the
life
with
Phyris
and
the
loved
ones
of
Pertoz.
Elizabeth
sorrowed
over
this
aberration,
as she
thought it; and my blessed little daughters grew to
regard papa as funny and
I
was
held
in
awe.
Not
a
pleasant experience, my friends. My wife would look at me sadly and I
know she wept when alone because I
often
absently called her Phyris. Indeed,
Elizabeth
was
my
closest
realization
of
the
Phyris
of
whom
I
knew
but
could not find on Earth. Under all this I grew thin and pale, and
aimlessly wandered about possessed of a huge disgust for worldly
interests or amusements, filled with sorrow for the sorrow I saw the
world held, and yearning
for
the
high
plane
which
I
at
last
knew
was
not
a
fantasy,
and
where
Phyris
was,
and
Sohma,
and
Mol
Lang.
But
I
could not get there; and they came not to me, therefore I studied the
rules of the Path, because torn with crazed regret when the lower
nature triumphed and I fell in sinful error, but although I fell, I
rose again. Then the effect this had on my sweet, loving wife came
home to me. Was this doing as I would be done by? No. So I set my
will in firm resolve and subdued my own sorrows, and made my nature a
tool for my soul, not a master over me.
Then
once
again
I
smiled,
and
the
color
and
flesh
came
back
to
me.
So
Elizabeth
was
happy
once
more;
and
I?
I
had
found
the
true
Path
at
last.
Service.
I
no
longer
wept
for
myself;
my
ears
were
no
more
sensitive,
my
tongue
no longer wounded any one with its morose utterances; chiefest
triumph of all, my feet were bathed in the life
blood
of
the
animal
nature,
so
that
I
lived
unselfishly,
my
whole
being
bent
on
doing
my
best,
living
as
happily
as
if solely for happiness, as earnestly as if for ambitious motives.
Then it was that the Peace of the Silence came, and I waited for the
Savior to take me and fight in me and do His work with my hands. The
Paraclete was come into my life.
It was a
sad blow when my little daughters died of epidemic scarlatina in the
year 1878. Thereafter I used my life to comfort the sweet woman whose
vital breath nearly died in that cruel loss. I think Elizabeth never
cared for anything
in
life
after
that,
except
my
loving
devotion.
And
I
gave
it,
for
I
knew
Phyris
would
have
me
do
so,
and
I
waited
on
Earth
now
only
to
make
it
tolerable
for
the
woman
I
had
sworn
to
cherish.
She
waited
in
anticipation
of
rejoining her children in heaven, and meanwhile devoted all her time
and energy, with feverish application, to doing all the good she
could, using our unlimited money for the purpose. How exultant I was
that the money was drawn from the gravel of the mines, and not come
to me from harassed debtors.
It
was
less
than
two
years
after
Dora
and
Maydie,
our
two
little
girls,
had
gone
to
the
Summerland,
ere
Elizabeth
followed after them.
I felt
the need of a radical change in living methods for the sake of my
health, and so, under an assumed name, secured
a
situation
as
mate
on
an
American
sailer,
a
splendid
vessel.
My
purpose
was
to
expose
myself
to
the
toil
of a sea life for a season in the idea of recuperation coming from
active duty.
Nothing
would
satisfy
Elizabeth,
except
going
as
a
passenger
on
the
same
vessel;
she
refused
to
leave
me
out
of
her care. The captain knew her relation to me, so did the crew, so
that her being a passenger was natural.
Near the
Bermudas a terrible storm came up, and I ordered the sails close
reefed; then the squall struck, the mainmast went over, the vessel
sprang a leak, the pumps were inadequate, and the boats were swamped,
all but one,
as
fast
as
they
were
lowered.
Into
that
went
the
crew,
and
I
would
have
put
Elizabeth
in,
but
the
men,
seeing
the boat full, pushed off and left her, Captain Washburne and me to
our fate. Hardly five minutes elapsed when our noble vessel pitched
bows on under the engulfing waves, carrying us with it.
I had
lashed myself to the deck cleats to avoid being washed overboard. So
now I was doomed to die and was glad. As the waters swept overhead, I
called out in my soul: Phyris! at last! at last I come! I
saw
Mendocus
as
I
lost consciousness, and when I next came to knowledge, I found myself
in the Sagum in California. Yet my body drowned off Bermuda's .coast!
Here was Phyris, and yes! Mol Lang. It was not long ere I again bade
Mendocus farewell, and with Phyris and Mol Lang went home to Pertoz,
home now, my own attained plane, and Earth with its dark and
dreadful ills left behind forever, but not Earth with its mighty
secrets of life. Yes, Terre, is. if insignificant, a point whence the
Human soul reaches out into the boundless sidereal universe and
formulates its laws, knows them, and is greater than all. I was come
to leave the Earth where so many incarnations had known
me.
'Twas
a time
For
memory and for tears. Within the deep
Still
chambers of the heart a specter dim, Whose
voice
was
like
the
wizard
tones
of
Time
Heard from the Tomb of Ages, points its cold And solemn finger to the
beautiful
And
holy
visions
that
have
passed
away,
And left no shadow of their loveliness
On
the
dead
waste
of
life.
That
specter
lifts
The coffin lid of Hope and Joy and Love.
O
Earth! point in the heavens, yet type of all the stellar universe.
Shall I
descend a moment to figures? Shall I speak numbers almost
inconceivable? I will. Just for a moment think of what we have come
to know in the schools of Earth, think of our human civilization that
permits us new comprehensions,
see
the
parallel
of
how
we
measure
time
and
distance
compared
to
the
Indian,
who
measures
one
by moons and
the other by looks, one
being
the
interval
between
one
full,
or
new
moon
and
the
next;
the
other being how far he can look and distinguish a man. Civilized man
measures by years and by miles, and
science
by light−years. How
much is a light−year? In the time of one second light travels one
hundred and ninety−two thousand miles, approximately. In one year
there are thirty−one million, five hundred and fifty−six
thousand, nine hundred and twenty−nine seconds; hence the distance
of a light−year is the multiplied product of one figure by the
other, briefly, the inconceivable distance of sixty trillion, five
hundred and fifty−three billion,
ten
hundred and fifty thousand miles. All that, and yet we see a star in
the northern heavens said to be one
hundred
and eighty−one light−years distant from the earth around which
our own sun revolves, one of its satellites,
as
the
moon
is
satellite
to
the
earth.
Such
is
the
material
universe,
an
infinitude,
one
of
God's
Works,
but
only one, and yet it is comprehensible mechanism, not, from the
material point of view, comparable to the value
of
one soul of Man. Why do I thus digress? Friends, to let you know what
proud place Man occupies. Think of all that nearly interminable
distance to Arcturus, and then reflect that that bright member of the
constellation Bootes is only a little way out in the boundless
universe! That vast bulk of matter, capable of being seen nearly one
hundred and twenty million times farther than the distance between
the earth and the sun. How great is that bulk? Estimated
by
comparison
it
is
more
than
half
a
thousand
million
times
larger
than
the
combined
mass
of
the
Earth,
Venus,
Mars,
Saturn,
Neptune
and
Mercury.
And
yet
the
human
mind
reaches
into
this
almost
infinite
thing
called
the universe and grapples understandingly with its problems of
matter, force, time, space, eternity, infinity! Laus Deo! Thus
Arcturus is our yardstick in the sidereal universe, which in itself
is in the House of our Father only one
mansion!
Besides it are many mansions, and,
friends,
there
is
one
mansion
of
the
many
to
which
I
have
called
your attention, that of the Soul. The Soul is not material, and one
loved one who shall go away out of your home into the Unknown
Country is farther away from you than Arcturus, for it is in another
condition of being.
Wondrous
privilege.
You
stand
on
the
threshold,
for
you
are
embodied
children
of
the
Creator.
You
can
learn
His
Ways, and go unto the loved ones gone before; or you can leave matter
behind and go into the psychic mansion, and reenter matter
wheresoever you will; be in the World one instant, in the astral the
next and in Arcturus the next I speak no idle tales who hath ears to
hear, let him hear.
−
Now I
had left the world for a new life, a new vantage point. So far I had
lived a life purely one of sacrifice to duty sad that duty one to
Elizabeth, all the later while knowing myself, through my other
astral, to be far from home
and
Phyris
and
knowledge.
And
now
the
release
had
come;
my
sacrifice
to
Elizabeth
was
completed,
my
charity
had
covered
a
multitude
of
sins,
oh!
many
more
than
I
knew
at
the
time
of
the
completed
sacrifice.
And
yet, I had not quite atoned for all the weary errors of past
incarnations. Almost free, however, almost free!
While
yet living with Elizabeth, my obedience to the rules of which I have
spoken and others of which I have not spoken, all from Mol Lang and
Mendocus, had given me insight into somewhat of the past. Thus I had
learned a little of the dead personality known to the reader as Zailm
of Poseid. I knew that Zailm's spirit, human soul, his individuality,
were also mine; that I, Pierson, had been Zailm. I was able to form a
fair remembering of Zailm's life, and of its events and his friends.
I knew that the acts he did and the sins he committed were my
inheritance and that I was responsible for them, because though his
personality was not my personality, his individuality was, and is,
mine. Although I knew not who Lolix was, or that she lived, yet for
Zailm's (my) sin with her and for her tragic
death,
I
must
atone.
To
whom?
Anybody
in
the
Earth
whom
I
could
serve
as
CHRIST
had
said
in
declaring,
Even
unto the least of these. I served with the sacrifice of my living
happiness the duty I contracted to Elizabeth,
by
living
for
her,
and
dying
on
my
ship
that
she
might
have
the
chance
to
escape.
I
had
rescued
her
from a
nameless sin of life in City,
and
brought
her
to
saving
faith
in
JESUS,
THE
CHRIST.
If
as
Zailm,
I, the Me, had tripped with Lolix, I, as Walter Pierson, had arisen
with another (?) soul to salvation. So karma balanced there. Karma,
self−made fate, binds the soul to make reparation in some life or
lives for its sins in
others.
It bound me; I paid the debt. It binds you for debts contracted
sometime, somewhere, and will you not
follow
the
Path,
and
after
paying
the
debt,
be
with
the
free
forever
more?
Charity
is
great:
its
least
worthy
aspect
alms giving, for although I give all my goods to feed the poor, and
have not (that) charity (which is love) it profiteth me nothing.
−
I
have
said
that
my
wife,
Elizabeth,
cared
little
for
my
esoteric
studies.
But
to
infer
that
she
cared
nothing
would
be wrong. She once found me in my library, using an occult needle.
This was a steel bar seven inches long, square,
and
one−third
of
an
inch
thick,
pointed
quadramidally,
with
gold
tips.
It
swung
in
a
glass
case
suspended
by a hair over the symbol.
Could
you have been gifted with clairvoyant sight, and have looked upon me
as Elizabeth found me, you would have seen that needle hanging
motionless, and all about it a golden light or aura. From either end
went a beam of this odic luminosity one to me, and one to a distance.
Looking along the latter you could have seen at its end a man,
standing
beside
a
dining
room
sideboard;
in
his
hand
a
glass
of
brandy.
That
man
was
a
dear
friend
of
mine,
with but one grave fault, inebriety. As he poised the cup to drink I
said firmly:
No!
'Touch
not,
taste
not,
handle
not!'
Neither
now
nor
henceforth!
Heed
my
voice,
or
you
shall
not
enter
the
Kingdom of Heaven.
Willis
Murchison, the would−be drinker, let the glass fall to the floor,
where it broke to fragments. A day or so later I met him, and he
related that he had had a vision, and heard a voice from God, saying
that he should no more
drink
lest
he
lose
his
chance
of
heaven.
He
never
did
touch
liquor
again.
He
heard
the
mysterious
voice
and
heeded; yet he had not heeded his friends. By the occult secret of
that aurant tipped needle whose power enlisted the service of spirits
not human, I held mesmeric power over him. Herein is the peril of
letting the masses know these things, for had I been unscrupulous,
lawless, a sorcerer, I could as easily have moved Murchison to any
crime. Elizabeth asked what I was doing there in the dark. Having
achieved my purpose with my friend, I said to my wife, Let me tell
you certain things. I told her of the law of karma, and much besides.
When nearly through,
I
willed
the
gold
pointed
needle
to
connect
her
mind
psychically
with
mine.
Between
us
the
line
of
light
was established. I whispered then:
Look!
See your past life on earth, and know it. Then tell me, nor forget
what you learn.
She
was silent for a few moments, then her breath came as in sleep.
Presently she said:
A
noble,
wonderful
man
is
guiding
me.
I
see
him
seemingly
uncover
a
remote
age
of
the
world;
it
is
the
day
of
a
mighty nation, who sail the air in what they call 'Vailx.' A splendid
city is about me. Now I am in a vast temple; the interior of it is
ornamented with real stalactites. I stand by a large cube of crystal
quartz, and on this is a
strange
flame which burns without fuel. I see a young couple whom a grave,
priestly man is uniting in marriage.
Ah, it
seems as if I loved the one to be wed better than I love life! I
implore the one in the assemblage who seems
to
be a ruler of the nation to prohibit the wedding. Then the priest
turns to me, now he looks at me, and, oh! my God! his look chills me
in death! I seem to rise above the scene and yet my body still stands
in a stony, petrified rigidity. Now
it
seems
some
time
elapses,
and
I
see
the
young
man
who
was
to
be
wed.
I
see
the
Monarch,
too, and they are both in the temple. Now the young man lifts the my
body of stone, and lets it drop into the
Light on
the great quartz cube, and it disappears instantly. But a foot was
broken off, and this the young man hides
in
his
mantle
and
carries
away.
It
seems
all
this
was
due
to
some
evil
done
by
him,
and
by
me
through
love
of him. I ah−h−h!
Elizabeth
sighed
and
then
awoke
to
her
surroundings.
I
lighted
the
study−lamp,
and
she
watched
me
curiously.
Suddenly she said:
Why,
husband, that young man I saw was was you! Oh, I believe now in all
these things you have told, but which I never believed till now I
have seen this. This experience had a great effect on her, so that
she looked more and more into the strange learning, and as a result
redoubled her efforts to do good in the world. Thus did
she
observe the Scripture, Be ye doers of the word, not hearers only, for
strange
though
this
learning
seemeth,
it is not so to Christian Esoterists, but only to mere bearers, and
in a less measure to doers on the exterior plane of Christian
service. Thus had I, who led Lolix astray, led Elizabeth back into
His deeper Path. But I first had to travel in it somewhat myself, ere
I could guide her. This occurred only a few months before her last
voyage with me, the Bermuda trip. But she had learned enough to know
we were both doomed on the occasion of the wreck, and when I would
have placed her in the boat, she said:
Husband!
Walter! I will not go into that boat, for out of the past I know that
now we change. I have come to know that in esoterically doing His
word, and not hearing it only, is there alone Life. Now I see again
into a past age. And you and I are together, and a little babe is
before us, wailing to us. You take it bleeding, into your arms, and
me also you clasp. Then you ask God for mercy. Generously you took
all the blame; yet I, too, having broken the law, had to share the
penalty. Then said One who was verily the Christ, although then we
knew it not, Therefore
in
a
far
day
thou
shalt
gather
a
sorrowful
harvest
of
woe,
and
repay
all
thou
art,
indebted.
When
thou
art
come again, also she with thee, and again are ready to go into
Navazzamin, thou wilt find thyselves free of Earth forever: My dear,
dear friend, it must be that we both die now; I fear not, for we will
of necessity meet again.
Farewell,
my
love,
till
then;
kiss
me.
Is
not
my
karma
paid
in
full,
so
far
as
Lolix's
error
is?
More
even,
possibly?
And Christ, shall He not receive me now?
And I
said: Yes,
dear
wife,
it
must
be!
Good−by,
and
God
bless
you,
for
we
will
truly
meet
again,
beyond
the
great deep River, with Him. And so in death I held her close.
Do you
longer marvel at her contented smile in the photographically true
picture of the death scene executed by Phyris? And I, friend? Was not
the special crime of Zailm atoned for, in that I brought her to know
God's law, karma,
and
in
making
my
life
a
living
sacrifice
for,
and
at
the
last
dying
in
an
effort
to
save
her
to
happiness
and
enlightenment, was that score not requited, fulfilled, and Jesus the
Christ obeyed? Sins, evil deeds, lies, thefts, adulteries, murders
even, axe in themselves only the shadows of lives turned to face away
from God into outer darkness; they are weak places in the chain of
character; unsymmetrical places in what Christ our Lord would have
perfect,
even
as
He
is
perfect.
For
in
Him,
the
Perfect
One,
are
none
of
these
things,
nor
shadow
of
turning.
He
beseeches us, saying, Be ye likewise perfect. Come unto Me, all ye
weary, and I will give you rest. So,
in
His divine love He proposes Himself to take all these (to Him)
shadows that to us are so horribly real. Of ourselves we can do
nothing, for as we undo through the lapse of ages, we also do fresh
evil. Not shadows to us.
But He
is the Light of the world. So the glooms we see while we look from
His way, will cease to be if we turn to His
following.
If
we
have
kept
a
the
laws
from
youth
upwards,
yet,
that
is
but
doing
no
sin
of
commission.
Behind
is an unrequited eternity. And, brethren, friends, the time is short
(Cor. vii: 29.) He will take these sins, and it
shall
be to us as if we took a boxful of shadow from a cellar and opened it
out in the noontide rays of the sun. But while the sins are all by
Him atoned; while when the days mount to years, the one robbed or
tied about, or otherwise injured, finds the Father's laws have made
it a up to him, if he only also knows that Father too, still we have
a work. Jesus, the Great Master, took all when we, aweary, asked him.
But we, while doing these crimes, walked in darkness. The tree of our
lives could grow nothing but sickly growths, pale leaves, dwarfed
buds, blighted fruits, in that darkness of the soul. We may have ever
seemed righteous to others; may have even cried
Lord,
Lord with our lips. But if our deeds knew Him not we were growing our
life−tree with fair bark, but decayed wood. So, after He has taken
on Himself our sins, and they are ceased, yet with our faces to
Himwards, we see our tree of character, pale, sickly, with few
leaves, and no fruit, standing in God's karmic light. Will we work to
make green leaves, and fruit in plenty? If we follow Him, yes. For He
always said in language unmistakable
to
those
having
ears
to
hear,
that
only
those
who
obeyed
the
Father's
law,
God's
Will,
could
hope
to
win
salvation.
He
will
remove
our
burdens;
will
mediate
and
atone,
but
we
must
undo
the
errors
with
the
strength
He gives; we must take each our cross and follow Him, and He, the
Good Shepherd, will lead us Home, to the immortal heights, where is
no more death, nor sin, nor suffering, neither parting. In Him we
have, all of us, time,
strength,
opportunity to undo, after He has atoned and shown us the way. He is
that Way. And we, letting Him dwell in us, make our life the Path.
Them can be no homegoing till, in Him, we become our own Path. If
there was another way, I would tell you. For I am come before His
second coming. It is near. Beware, lest night find you
idle.
Say
not
I
knew
Him
not,
either
as
Zailm,
or
as
Pierson.
To
know
Him
by
lip
service
is
one;
to
know
Him
by life lived as He bade us, is another. Having lived, now I speak.
Be ye doers of the Word, not hearers only.
Footnotes
365:1
Job xxxviii, 7.
CHAPTER
X. AFTER THE YEARS, RETURN
Sparing
details, what was the appearance of Phyris after the flight of the
years? When I left she was a bright, beautiful maiden, in the budding
days of womanhood, having the divine, spiritual glory which
characterizes the higher race of the perfect Human grade. How looked
she now? Different only in the maturity of rounded womanhood, the
prime which in Venus withers not with age, because there the animal
is subdued, and there are no excesses, indulgences, nor any of that
feverish grasping after unattainable things which the children of a
larger growth who
dwell
in
the
human−animal
plane
of
Earth
to−day.
Phyris,
the
dark−haired,
starry−eyed
girl
who was yet more than a girl, was a woman divinely fair, was again
before me. Again I beheld the sweetly natural, dignified mien that
reminded me of the first time I ever saw Mol Lang, that air of quiet,
but marvelous power. Enhanced by this appearance, as is a gem by its
setting, her sweet, pure selfhood shone forth, that sweet spirit
which in Phyris was divine, yet had lost none of the human
characteristics which have rendered Jesus so dear to mankind. The
spirit was there, the perfect human, also, but the animal, the nature
of Man on Earth, was reduced
to
its
place
of
servitude.
When
I
met
the
fair,
beautiful
woman
I
was
abashed.
At
that
moment
the
tide
of
the years overflowed my soul and awed me. Sometimes I had known of
Phyris when the Hesperian astral controlled me. But far oftener of
later years, the years of duty, this astral did not come, and then I
knew Phyris only as an ideal, and with the attributes of that ideal I
tried to endue Elizabeth, and the failure was agony to me.
Wonderingly,
wholly
delighted,
I
looked
on
Phyris
now,
nor
deemed
it
lack
of
propriety
that
she
should
kiss
me
and 'whisper, Home again, her eyes lighted with the peaceful joy
reflected from my gaze.
No
passion was in me, no prompting to be sentimental no,
that
was gone with Earth's feverish dream.
How
familiar all things appeared when at last I was come home. For six
Hesperian months
1
I
did nothing but wander in my psychic form in this Elysium, this
stellar garden of the Hesperides. In the other time most of my visit
was spent in the company of Sohma or Mol Lang. But now Sohma was
otherwise engaged. Mol Lang, too, was occupied in the work that
attracted him, that of guiding, teaching and helping mankind, en
masse, as well as individually; that portion of our race yet on
Earth. Unconscious of his agency, or of how, with others equally
great,
Mol
Lang
was
influencing
the
affairs
of
men,
these
men
on
Earth
went
on
with
their
doings,
fondly
thinking
that themselves were doing all. How little humanity on Earth knows
that it is thus guided. Yet our Father gives it to
His
occult
children
to
lead
their
lesser
brethren,
just
as
He
gave
it
to
Jesus,
one
of
the
Sons
of
Light,
higher
than
any other, who was an incarnation of the Christ. Perhaps human acts
were not, are not, guided individually, as a rule, although
exceptions exist. But just as shot, running in grooves, is checked by
the leaden pellets before and behind, so the acts of one man depend
on the acts of others; these on others still, until finally it
appears that the mass is influenced in the whole, and every
individual in the mass has his or her acts unconsciously controlled
by what are termed circumstances, fates, adverse or propitious,
inexorable, the grooves in which they run. That is to say, humanity
is ordered in its action by what may be named the Universal Karma. So
long as men grope in the dark,
ignorant
of
occult
laws,
so
long
must
they
produce
this
inexorable
karma.
It
is
fate,
self−made,
running
from
life to life, incarnation after incarnation, unavoidable, for it is
horn of the infraction of the laws of the Creator.
Even
Mol Lang, before he passed and triumphed at the Crisis, to which I
was soon to come, and which he
experienced
a century ago, was controlled by the great, Universal Karma. But in
passing that ordeal he passed from finite life to everlasting, and
became a law unto himself. And then, free of karma, he returned to
minister to those bound by circumstances. Mol, Lang was become more
than man. He had taken of the Tree of Knowledge, also of the Tree of
Life.
1
Such
as he utilize the elementals, those non−human, non−embodied
powers of the air. They find in mankind the tendency to sin, and use
it, so that the erring ones mount the ladder on rungs, each of which
is a conquered fault. The great religious movements, wars, and the
fields of commerce, all furnish experiences
for
mankind.
Do
some
seem
cruel,
evil?
Yet
each
is
a
part
of
the
scheme
of
the
Creator,
each
is
a
tool
in the hands of His ministers, and all teach that except a man, as
part of the Eternal Whole, works for that Whole, subduing the selfish
animal in himself, he can in no wise come to the Father.
Except
by My Path, says
the
Savior.
If Sohma
and Mol Lang could no longer be with me as companions, who then
could? Phyris. She became my tutor,
my
guide,
and
led
me
farther
on
towards
the
point
where
soon
I
must
take
the
Key
and
enter
alone
on
the
dread struggle, with only my faith in God to sustain me.
One day
Mol Lang said, Phylos,
come
with
me.
I went to his special apartments. There he said:
Hitherto
thou
hast
but
an
astral
body,
but
now
thou
needest
a
physical
body
as
a
base
of
action,
for
now
must
thou learn of thine own self. Sleep, that I may gather material atoms
about thine astral.
I
immediately
slept,
as
I
lay
on
the
couch
where
he
had
bidden
me
recline.
When
I
awoke
be
was
regarding
me,
and, for a moment forgetful, I sat up.
Arise, said
Mol Lang. I obeyed, and found myself clothed in flesh. Thus I became
a Hesperite. I was now of the same apparent age as Phyris, and was
thereby seemingly dispossessed of some twenty−five years. Before
any lengthy period there came to shine in me somewhat of the
Spirit−nature, and as the same ego shone in Phyris, so therefore we
grew into similitude of each other. Because of this indwelling
Spirit, Nature was become an open book,
and
occult
wisdom
addressed
me
from
all
sides.
Soon
I
could
leave
the
body
at
will.
Other
steps
succeeded,
and I grew with marvelous rapidity to know many of the minor things
reserved by our Father for His aspiring children.
With
me
now
was
abiding
a
Voice,
1
and
as
it
demanded
of
me,
I
answered
and
knew.
It
said:
What is heredity?
And
I answered from my spirit, knowing this thing:
Heredity
is the sum of experience which the souls of men carry from one life
through devachan into reincarnation.
It
is
in
nowise
transmitted
from
parent
to
child,
but
its
leading
trait
is
attracted
by
the
like
trait
in
the parents. The lesser traits are educed by cultivation, or else lie
dormant, according to environment.
Again
the Voice said:
It
is
not
well;
thou
who
hast
reaped,
must
now
saw.
I
am
the
Eternal
Spirit
in
thee;
obey
me.
Thou
art
now
able
to stand in my presence; able to see; able to hear; able to speak;
conqueror of desire, attainer of self−knowledge. Thou hast seen thy
soul in its bloom, heard the voice of Peace. Go thou and read my
writing in the Hall of Learning, which is My Works. Read.
To
stand is to have confidence. To hear is to have opened the door of
thy soul. To see is to have attained perception of My Works. To
speak is
to
have
gotten
the
power
of
helping
others.
To
have
conquered
desire−is
to
have acquired control of self. To have self−knowledge−is to have
come unto Me, whence thou art able impartially to view the personal
man that was thyself. To have seen thy soul in its bloom−is to have
had a momentary
glimpse
of that transfiguration which shall eventually make thee more than
Man.
Stand
aside in the coming battle, and though thou fightest, be not thou the
warrior. Look for Me, and let Me fight in thee. Obey My orders for
battle. Obey Me as if I were thyself. My orders thy desires for
I
am
thyself,
yet
infinitely more than thee. Look for Me, lest in the fever of battle
thou pass Me. I will not know thee if thou knowest not Me. If thy cry
come to Me, lo! I will fight in thee and will fill the void in thee.
Then shalt thou be unwearied. Without Me thou shalt fall; with Me
thou canst not fall, for I am the Spirit.
Listen
now
to
the
song
of
life
in
thy
heart.
Say
not,
'It
is
not
there.'
Listen
deeper.
This
song
is
in
every
breast;
it
may be obscure, yet it is there. Not the most wretched outcast but it
is in him, for all are children of the Father, which is I. Listen to
My Song, for while thou art yet but man, I shall not speak
continually, and thy strength must sometimes be in memory of Me.
Inquire now of the Earth−matter; of the air, of the water, the
wind; and seek the treasurers of the snow. My Peace I give unto thee.
At
last
I
saw;
I
heard;
and,
my
friend
who
readeth
this,
I
speak.
My
words
go
to
the
multiplication
by
types,
and
then by myriad copies through the world, to be known by those
that seeing, see and comprehend. And
with
each copy shall go my love and greater, mine eye shall note each
hungered seeker for the truth, and, be it in the palace, or cottage,
there, too, will I be, not figuratively, but my Spirit.
I
had
gone
into
a
lonely
mountain
spot
to
hear
this
Voice,
and
now
as
I
walked,
a
Being
not
Man
joined
me.
Its
presence was one of light and glory and goodness. With it came Mol
Lang, saying:
This is
one of the Beings of Good. Behold, Phylos, our Father's House hath
many Mansions, and in these are Beings
created
by
Him,
and
endowed
with
volition
like
as
Man,
yet
they
are
not
human,
never
were,
nor
ever
will
be.
Man
shall
be
perfect
when
the
Spirit
of
the
Father
entereth
him.
Then
shall
he
know
all
things,
and
be
perfect.
What is perfection? Absolute harmony with His Infinite Creation. So
there may be perfect men; also perfect Beings
which
are
not
Men,
as
this
one
with
us.
This
is
a
Good
Being.
But
there
is
an
opposite
in
the
Things
of
the
Creation. There are perfect Evil Beings, which likewise are not,
never were, nor ever will be human. What are these? They are in
perfect harmony with the laws of their existence, but those laws and
their conditions are absolutely
opposed
to
ours,
and
to
good.
Hence
such
are
inimical
to
our
life
and
so,
evil.
Yet
this
sort
seek
us
not,
nor we them. In the scheme of Creation evil and good are evenly
balanced. What disturbs, harmony with us, therefore,
disturbs
them
by
disadjustment
of
balance.
Hence
they
seek
not
our
harm.
But
Satan,
know
ye
him?
He
was
an
Angel
of
Light,
fallen,
and
come
to
so
much
the
greater
fall
in
that
his
height
was
so
lofty.
1
He
is
a
rebel,
and out of harmony.
Life,
Phylos, is limited, for it is but the action in the Mansion of Human
environment. But existence is not limited. Hence this Good Being with
us is not Life, but of Existence. See, It goes. This is Its symbol,
and the name
of
Its
Mansion
³And
when
thy
trials
are
thickest,
draw
about
thee
on
the
ground
that
figure
and
stand
in
it;
go not out, but call on the Father. He will send His ³Beings to aid
thee. Peace go with thee.
Mol
Lang disappeared, and I was alone.
Men
dread
most
those
insidious
diseases,
which
attack
not
openly,
but
the
weakest
and
most
unguarded
point.
So,
in the last, final Trial of the Crisis, I should be likewise
insidiously attacked by the Satanic hosts. Earth has tried me during
many lives; now was to come a trial greater than Earth. The attacks
of mere human error differ from that of the well−organized,
intelligent assault of those to whom evil has become natural, to
Lucifer and his fellow−rebels.
Of
what
nature
is
this
Trial
of
the
Crisis?
1
It
is
the
deciding
whether
in
the
long
series
of
incarnate
lives
the
soul
has improved its opportunities for good; if it, in the main, followed
the Path which Jesus pointed. If so, it has or will have strength to
cope with the best efforts of the Satanic foe. If not, it must fall
and die the second death.
2
His
incarnate life made the soul forgiving of all wrongs, forgetful of
selfish interests, helpful to those having less light, more gloom,
misery and sin to encounter, a self−contained nature? Has it become
like the Man of Sorrows, full
of
faith,
hope
and
charity?
Then
it
hath
beard
the
Voice,
and
will
not
fail.
But
if
the
soul
is
not
like
that,
then,
although
it
have
the
prophetic
sight,
and
knoweth
all
things,
though
it
have
faith
to
removing
mountains,
yet
shall
it be only the more like Satan, and the worse its fate.
Go
into the Holy Place.
3
And I,
knowing obedience, went into a room built of stone, apart from the
house. Then was I in the Presence where
I
had
been
as
Zailm
when
Priest
Mainin
was
blasted:
It
was
the
Presence
of
the
living
Christ.
It
was
Man,
yet more, for it
SYMBOLIC
PICTURE IN THE HOLY
PLACE
was
the
Spirit;
as
much
more
than
Man
as
the
sun
is
more
than
a
glow−worm.
Then
a
wondrous
Voice
said:
Be not afraid; it is I.
Around
that Holy Place were forms of fire. Ink and paper can give little
idea of the semblance. Yet look at the picture and try, with my aid,
to see. The bolt blazed as a thing of flame, so also the Great Star
and all the lesser ones.
The
Leaf
was
as
life,
and
the
cross
the
open
Way,
to
the
House
thereof,
while
the
Ring,
I
knew,
symbolized
the Eternal One, endless, beginningless. The Book was the Word, and
it blazed with scintillant, crimson flame.
But over
all, a Personified Presence, was the Eye, the Eternal, sleepless,
omnipotent omniscient Supervisor. So stood
I
in
the
presence
of
the
Father,
made
manifest
for
me.
As
I
remained,
I
knew
all
things
of
His
Works,
for
the
Spirit entered in. But not to abide, for as yet the Trial was not
come to pass.
For
weeks
I
stayed
in
the
Holy
Place,
and
came
not
out
to
eat
or
drink,
for
I
was
wholly
sustained
by
the
Spirit.
At
the day of the Great Peace this Spirit must enter in and I be in It
and It be in me forever more. But no guide could exist, no law for
the Trial, except my strength of ages. Even the Spirit would be
veiled in that ordeal.
Footnotes
377:1
About
112
terrestrial
days.
The
solar
you
of
Venus
is
224.7
earthly
days.
378:1
Revelations xxii; 14.
379:1
St. John xvi; 13.
381:1
St. Lake xii; 48.
382:1
St. Luke: xx. 35−36.
382:2
Rev.: xx. 15.
382:3
St. Luke: iv, 2.
CHAPTER
XI. TEXT: ST. MATTHEW IV
To
be, or not to be: that in the question.
HAMLET.
That
was
indeed
the
question
when
I
arose
one
morning,
and
knew
that
the
event
of
the
Crisis
would
that
day
decide whether or not I had Eternal Life, whether I was for the
Spirit, or the Second Death.
I arose
and went forth into the wilderness of the mountains, accompanied
only by a pet animal, somewhat resembling
a
fawn,
which
went
with
me
everywhere.
In
a
woodland
mountain
meadow
I
traced
with
my
staff
the
symbol ³and it instantly became crimson fire, which leaped and rose
and fell, unbroken, continuously. I was inside, the pet animal
grazed on the meadow. After making the symbol ³the Good Being
introduced to my knowledge by Mol Lang was with me, and it spake
much to me, and I to It. It said.
Lo! Thy
time cometh when I ³must leave thee, although I ³would do for
thee, but it is so that no being can endure
for
another
the
fierce
Trial,
neither
help
them
in
its
midst.
Yet
I
³say
unto
thee,
I
³believe
thou
wilt
win,
for
have I not known thee, lo! many ages? But now is that Trial come for
thee, when thy past, in all days and lives thou hast ever had, shall
rise tip and thou shalt be judged thereby, whe if they were my own;
and indeed, as you
know,
this
was
a
fact.
It
was
in
verity
the
record
of
my
visit
to
Pertoz,
and
was
a
true
cast
in
all
ways
of
my
life
there.
Ofttimes
my soul was torn by steadfastness to the duty of life as pointed out
by Mendocus. And then my only escape from trouble was to allow myself
to rest in the Hesperian astral to the exclusion of that of Earth. At
such times
I
was
living
again
the
life
with
Phyris
and
the
loved
ones
of
Pertoz.
Elizabeth
sorrowed
over
this
aberration,
as she thought it; and my blessed little daughters grew to regard
“papa” as “funny” and I was held in awe. Not a pleasant
experience, my friends. My wife would look at me sadly and I know she
wept when alone because I often
absently
called
her
“Phyris.”
Indeed,
Elizabeth
was
my
closest
realization
of
the
Phyris
of
whom
I
knew
but
could not find on Earth. Under all this I grew thin and pale, and
aimlessly wandered about possessed of a huge disgust for worldly
interests or amusements, filled with sorrow for the sorrow I saw the
world held, and yearning for
the
high
plane
which
I
at
last
knew
was
not
a
fantasy,
and
where
Phyris
was,
and
Sohma,
and
Mol
Lang.
But
I
could not get there; and they came not to me, therefore I studied the
rules of the Path, because torn with crazed regret when the lower
nature triumphed and I fell in sinful error, but although I fell, I
rose again. Then the effect this had on my sweet, loving wife came
home to me. Was this doing as I would be done by? No. So I set my
will in firm resolve and subdued my own sorrows, and made my nature a
tool for my soul, not a master over me.
Then
once
again
I
smiled,
and
the
color
and
flesh
came
back
to
me.
So
Elizabeth
was
happy
once
more;
and
I?
I
had
found
the
true
Path
at
last.
Service.
I
no
longer
wept
for
myself;
my
ears
were
no
more
sensitive,
my
tongue
no longer wounded any one with its morose utterances; chiefest
triumph of all, my feet were bathed in the life blood
of
the
animal
nature,
so
that
I
lived
unselfishly,
my
whole
being
bent
on
doing
my
best,
living
as
happily
as
if solely for happiness, as earnestly as if for ambitious motives.
Then it was that the Peace of the Silence came, and I waited for the
Savior to take me and fight in me and do His work with my hands. The
Paraclete was come into my life.
It was a
sad blow when my little daughters died of epidemic scarlatina in the
year 1878. Thereafter I used my life
to
comfort
the
sweet
woman
whose
vital
breath
nearly
died
in
that
cruel
loss.
I
think
Elizabeth
never
cared
for
anything
in
life
after
that,
except
my
loving
devotion.
And
I
gave
it,
for
I
knew
Phyris
would
have
me
do
so,
and
I
waited
on
Earth
now
only
to
make
it
tolerable
for
the
woman
I
had
sworn
to
cherish.
She
waited
in
anticipation
of
rejoining her children in heaven, and meanwhile devoted all her time
and energy, with feverish application, to doing all the good she
could, using our unlimited money for the purpose. How exultant I was
that the money was drawn from the gravel of the mines, and not come
to me from harassed debtors.
It
was
less
than
two
years
after
Dora
and
Maydie,
our
two
little
girls,
had
gone
to
the
Summerland,
ere
Elizabeth followed after them.
I
felt
the
need
of
a
radical
change
in
living
methods
for
the
sake
of
my
health,
and
so,
under
an
assumed
name,
secured a situation as mate on an American sailer, a splendid vessel.
My purpose was to expose myself to the toil of a sea life for a
season in the idea of recuperation coming from active duty.
Nothing
would
satisfy
Elizabeth,
except
going
as
a
passenger
on
the
same
vessel;
she
refused
to
leave
me
out
of her care. The captain knew her relation to me, so did the crew, so
that her being a passenger was natural.
Near the
Bermudas a terrible storm came up, and I ordered the sails close
reefed; then the squall struck, the mainmast went over, the vessel
sprang a leak, the pumps were inadequate, and the boats were swamped,
all but one,
as
fast
as
they
were
lowered.
Into
that
went
the
crew,
and
I
would
have
put
Elizabeth
in,
but
the
men,
seeing
the boat full, pushed off and left her, Captain Washburne and me to
our fate. Hardly five minutes elapsed when our noble vessel pitched
bows on under the engulfing waves, carrying us with it.
I had
lashed myself to the deck cleats to avoid being washed overboard. So
now I was doomed to die—and
was
glad. As the waters swept overhead, I called out in my soul: “Phyris!
at last! at last I come!” I saw Mendocus as I lost consciousness,
and when I next came to knowledge, I found myself in the Sagum in
California. Yet my body drowned off Bermuda's .coast! Here was
Phyris, and—yes! Mol Lang. It was not long ere I again bade
Mendocus farewell, and with Phyris and Mol Lang went home to Pertoz,
home now, my own attained plane, and “Earth with its dark and
dreadful ills” left behind forever, but not Earth with its mighty
secrets of life. Yes, Terre, is.
if
insignificant,
a
point
whence
the
Human
soul
reaches
out
into
the
boundless
sidereal
universe
and
formulates
its laws, knows them, and is greater than all. I was come to leave
the Earth where so many incarnations had
known
me.
'Twas
a time
For
memory and for tears. Within the deep
Still
chambers of the heart a specter dim, Whose
voice
was
like
the
wizard
tones
of
Time
Heard from the Tomb of Ages, points its cold And solemn finger to the
beautiful
And
holy
visions
that
have
passed
away,
And left no shadow of their loveliness
On
the
dead
waste
of
life.
That
specter
lifts
The coffin lid of Hope and Joy and Love.”
O
Earth! point in the heavens, yet type of all the stellar universe.
Shall I
descend a moment to figures? Shall I speak numbers almost
inconceivable? I will. Just for a moment think of what we have come
to know in the schools of Earth, think of our human civilization that
permits us new comprehensions,
see
the
parallel
of
how
we
measure
time
and
distance
compared
to
the
Indian,
who
measures
one
by “moons” and the other by “looks,” one being the interval
between one full, or new moon and the next; the
other
being how far he can look and distinguish a man. Civilized man
measures by years and by miles, and
science
by “light−years.” “How much is a light−year? In the time of
one second light travels one hundred and ninety−two thousand miles,
approximately. In one year there are thirty−one million, five
hundred and fifty−six thousand, nine hundred and twenty−nine
seconds; hence the distance of a light−year is the multiplied
product of one figure by the other, briefly, the inconceivable
distance of sixty trillion, five hundred and fifty−three billion,
ten hundred and fifty thousand miles. All that, and yet we see a star
in the northern heavens said to be one
hundred
and eighty−one light−years distant from the earth around which
our own sun revolves, one of its satellites,
as
the
moon
is
satellite
to
the
earth.
Such
is
the
material
universe,
an
infinitude,
one
of
God's
Works,
but
only one, and yet it is comprehensible mechanism, not, from the
material point of view, comparable to the value
of
one soul of Man. Why do I thus digress? Friends, to let you know what
proud place Man occupies. Think of all that nearly interminable
distance to Arcturus, and then reflect that that bright member of the
constellation Bootes is only a little way out in the boundless
universe! That vast bulk of matter, capable of being seen nearly one
hundred and twenty million times farther than the distance between
the earth and the sun. How great is that bulk? Estimated
by
comparison
it
is
more
than
half
a
thousand
million
times
larger
than
the
combined
mass
of
the
Earth,
Venus,
Mars,
Saturn,
Neptune
and
Mercury.
And
yet
the
human
mind
reaches
into
this
almost
infinite
thing
called
the universe and grapples understandingly with its problems of
matter, force, time, space, eternity, infinity! Laus Deo! Thus
Arcturus is our yardstick in the sidereal universe, which in itself
is in the House of our Father only one mansion! Besides it are “many
mansions,” and, friends, there is one mansion of the many to which
I have called your attention, that of the Soul. The Soul is not
material, and one loved one who shall go away out of your home into
the “Unknown Country” is farther away from you than Arcturus, for
it is in another condition of being.
Wondrous
privilege.
You
stand
on
the
threshold,
for
you
are
embodied
children
of
the
Creator.
You
can
learn
His
Ways, and go unto the loved ones gone before; or you can leave matter
behind and go into the psychic mansion, and reenter matter
wheresoever you will; be in the World one instant, in the astral the
next and in Arcturus the next I speak no idle tales—who hath ears
to hear, let him hear.
—————————−
Now
I
had
left
the
world
for
a
new
life,
a
new
vantage
point.
So
far
I
had
lived
a
life
purely
one
of
sacrifice
to
duty sad that duty one to Elizabeth, all the later while knowing
myself, through my other astral, to be far from home and Phyris and
knowledge. And now the release had come; my sacrifice to Elizabeth
was completed, my charity had covered a multitude of sins, oh! many
more than I knew at the time of the completed sacrifice. And yet, I
had not quite atoned for all the weary errors of past incarnations.
Almost free, however, almost free!
While
yet living with Elizabeth, my obedience to the rules of which I have
spoken and others of which I have
not
spoken,
all
from
Mol
Lang
and
Mendocus,
had
given
me
insight
into
somewhat
of
the
past.
Thus
I
had
learned
a little of the dead personality known to the reader as Zailm of
Poseid. I knew that Zailm's spirit, human soul, his individuality,
were also mine; that I, Pierson, had been Zailm. I was able to form a
fair remembering of Zailm's life, and of its events and his friends.
I knew that the acts he did and the sins he committed were my
inheritance and that I was responsible for them, because though his
personality was not my personality, his individuality was, and is,
mine. Although I knew not who Lolix was, or that she lived, yet for
Zailm's (my) sin with her and for her tragic
death,
I
must
atone.
To
whom?
Anybody
in
the
Earth
whom
I
could
serve
as
CHRIST
had
said
in
declaring,
“Even unto the least of these.” I served with the sacrifice of my
living happiness the duty I contracted to
Elizabeth,
by living for her, and dying on my ship that she might have the
chance to escape. I had rescued her from a nameless sin of life in
————— City, and brought her to saving faith in JESUS, THE
CHRIST. If as Zailm, I, the Me, had tripped with Lolix, I, as Walter
Pierson, had arisen with another (?) soul to salvation. So karma
balanced
there.
Karma,
self−made
fate,
binds
the
soul
to
make
reparation
in
some
life
or
lives
for
its
sins
in
others. It bound me; I paid the debt. It binds you for debts
contracted sometime, somewhere, and will you not follow the Path, and
after paying the debt, be with the free forever more? Charity is
great: its least worthy aspect alms giving, for although I give all
my goods to feed the poor, and have not (that) charity (which is
love) it profiteth me nothing.”
——————————−
I have
said that my wife, Elizabeth, cared little for my esoteric studies.
But to infer that she cared nothing would
be
wrong.
She
once
found
me
in
my
library,
using
an
occult
needle.
This
was
a
steel
bar
seven
inches
long,
square, and one−third of an inch thick, pointed quadramidally, with
gold tips. It swung in a glass case suspended by a hair over the
symbol.
Could
you have been gifted with clairvoyant sight, and have looked upon me
as Elizabeth found me, you would have seen that needle hanging
motionless, and all about it a golden light or aura. From either end
went a beam of this odic luminosity—one to me, and one to a
distance. Looking along the latter you could have seen at its
end
a
man,
standing
beside
a
dining
room
sideboard;
in
his
hand
a
glass
of
brandy.
That
man
was
a
dear
friend
of mine, with but one grave fault, inebriety. As he poised the cup to
drink I said firmly:
“No!
'Touch
not,
taste
not,
handle
not!'
Neither
now
nor
henceforth!
Heed
my
voice,
or
you
shall
not
enter
the
Kingdom of Heaven.”
Willis
Murchison,
the
would−be
drinker,
let
the
glass
fall
to
the
floor,
where
it
broke
to
fragments.
A
day
or
so
later I met him, and he related that he had had a vision, and heard a
voice from God, saying that he should no more drink lest he lose his
chance of heaven. He never did touch liquor again. He heard the
mysterious voice and heeded; yet he had not heeded his friends. By
the occult secret of that aurant tipped needle whose power enlisted
the service of spirits not human, I held mesmeric power over him.
Herein is the peril of letting the masses know these things, for had
I been unscrupulous, lawless, a sorcerer, I could as easily have
moved Murchison to any crime. Elizabeth asked what I was doing there
in the dark. Having achieved my purpose with my friend, I said to my
wife,
“Let
me
tell
you
certain
things.”
I
told
her
of
the
law
of
karma,
and
much
besides.
When
nearly
through,
I willed the gold pointed needle to connect her mind psychically with
mine. Between us the line of light was established. I whispered then:
“Look!
See
your
past
life
on
earth,
and
know
it.
Then
tell
me,
nor
forget
what
you
learn.”
She was silent for a few moments, then her breath came as in sleep.
Presently she said:
“A
noble, wonderful man is guiding me. I see him seemingly uncover a
remote age of the world; it is the day of a mighty nation, who sail
the air in what they call 'Vailx.' A splendid city is about me. Now I
am in a vast temple;
the
interior
of
it
is
ornamented
with
real
stalactites.
I
stand
by
a
large
cube
of
crystal
quartz,
and
on
this
is
a
strange
flame
which
burns
without
fuel.
I
see
a
young
couple
whom
a
grave,
priestly
man
is
uniting
in
marriage.
Ah, it seems as if I loved the one to be wed better than I love life!
I implore the one in the assemblage who seems to be a ruler of the
nation to prohibit the wedding. Then the priest turns to me, now he
looks at me, and, oh! my God! his look chills me in death! I seem to
rise above the scene and yet my body still stands in a stony,
petrified rigidity.————Now it seems some time elapses, and I
see the young man who was to be wed. I see the
Monarch,
too, and they are both in the temple. Now the young man lifts the—my
body of stone, and lets it drop into the Light on the great quartz
cube, and it disappears instantly. But a foot was broken off, and
this the young man
hides
in
his
mantle
and
carries
away.
It
seems
all
this
was
due
to
some
evil
done
by
him,
and
by
me
through
love of him. I—ah−h−h!”
Elizabeth
sighed and then awoke to her surroundings. I lighted the study−lamp,
and she watched me curiously.
Suddenly
she said:
“Why,
husband, that young man I saw was—was you! Oh, I believe now in all
these things you have told, but which I never believed till now I
have seen this.” This experience had a great effect on her, so that
she looked more and more into the strange learning, and as a result
redoubled her efforts to do good in the world. Thus did she
observe
the
Scripture,
“Be
ye
doers
of
the
word,
not
hearers
only,”
for
strange
though
this
learning
seemeth,
it
is not so to Christian Esoterists, but only to mere bearers, and in a
less measure to doers on the exterior plane of Christian service.
Thus had I, who led Lolix astray, led Elizabeth back into His deeper
Path. But I first had to travel in it somewhat myself, ere I could
guide her. This occurred only a few months before her last voyage
with me, the Bermuda trip. But she had learned enough to know we were
both doomed on the occasion of the wreck, and when I would have
placed her in the boat, she said:
“Husband!
Walter! I will not go into that boat, for out of the past I know that
now we change. I have come to know that in esoterically doing His
word, and not hearing it only, is there alone Life. Now I see again
into a past age. And you and I are together, and a little babe is
before us, wailing to us. You take it bleeding, into your arms, and
me also you clasp. Then you ask God for mercy. Generously you took
all the blame; yet I, too, having broken the law, had to share the
penalty. Then said One who was verily the Christ, although then we
knew it not, Therefore
in
a
far
day
thou
shalt
gather
a
sorrowful
harvest
of
woe,
and
repay
all
thou
art,
indebted.
When
thou
art
come again, also she with thee, and again are ready to go into
Navazzamin, thou wilt find thyselves free of Earth forever: My dear,
dear friend, it must be that we both die now; I fear not, for we will
of necessity meet again.
Farewell,
my
love,
till
then;
kiss
me.
Is
not
my
karma
paid
in
full,
so
far
as
Lolix's
error
is?
More
even,
possibly?
And Christ, shall He not receive me now?”
And
I
said:
“Yes,
dear
wife,
it
must
be!
Good−by,
and
God
bless
you,
for
we
will
truly
meet
again,
beyond
the
great deep River, with Him.” And so in death I held her close.
Do you
longer marvel at her contented smile in the photographically true
picture of the death scene executed by Phyris? And I, friend? Was not
the special crime of Zailm atoned for, in that I brought her to know
God's law, karma, and in making my life a living sacrifice for, and
at the last dying in an effort to save her to happiness and
enlightenment, was that score not requited, fulfilled, and Jesus the
Christ obeyed? Sins, evil deeds, lies, thefts, adulteries, murders
even, axe in themselves only the shadows of lives turned to face away
from God into outer darkness; they are weak places in the chain of
character; unsymmetrical places in what Christ our Lord would have
perfect, even as He is perfect. For in Him, the Perfect One, are none
of these things, nor shadow of turning. He beseeches us, saying, “Be
ye likewise perfect.” “Come unto Me, all ye weary, and I will
give you rest.” So, in His divine love He proposes Himself to take
all these (to Him) shadows that to us are so horribly real. Of
ourselves we can do nothing, for as we undo through the lapse of
ages, we also do fresh evil. Not shadows to us. But He is the Light
of the world. So the glooms we see while we look from His way, will
cease to be if we turn to His
following.
If
we
have
kept
a
the
laws
from
youth
upwards,
yet,
that
is
but
doing
no
sin
of
commission.
Behind
is an unrequited eternity. And, brethren, friends, the time is short
(Cor. vii: 29.) He will take these sins, and it
shall
be to us as if we took a boxful of shadow from a cellar and opened it
out in the noontide rays of the sun. But while the sins are all by
Him atoned; while when the days mount to years, the one robbed or
tied about, or otherwise injured, finds the Father's laws have made
it a up to him, if he only also knows that Father too, still we have
a work. Jesus, the Great Master, took all when we, aweary, asked him.
But we, while doing these crimes, walked in darkness. The tree of our
lives could grow nothing but sickly growths, pale leaves, dwarfed
buds, blighted fruits, in that darkness of the soul. We may have ever
seemed righteous to others; may have even cried “Lord, Lord” with
our lips. But if our deeds knew Him not we were growing our life−tree
with fair bark, but decayed wood. So, after He has taken on Himself
our sins, and they are ceased, yet with our faces to Himwards, we see
our tree of character, pale, sickly, with few leaves, and no fruit,
standing in God's karmic light. Will we work to make green leaves,
and fruit in plenty? If we follow Him, yes. For He always said in
language unmistakable to those having ears to hear, that only those
who obeyed the Father's law, God's Will, could hope to
win
salvation. He will remove our burdens; will mediate and atone, but we
must undo the errors with the strength He gives; we must take each
our cross and follow Him, and He, the Good Shepherd, will lead us
Home, to the immortal heights, where is no more death, nor sin, nor
suffering, neither parting. In Him we have, all of us, time,
strength, opportunity to undo, after He has atoned and shown us the
way. He is that Way. And we, letting Him dwell in us, make our life
the Path. Them can be no homegoing till, in Him, we become our own
Path. If there was another way, I would tell you. For I am come
before His second coming. It is near. Beware, lest night find you
idle.
Say
not
I
knew
Him
not,
either
as
Zailm,
or
as
Pierson.
To
know
Him
by
lip
service
is
one;
to
know
Him
by life lived as He bade us, is another. Having lived, now I speak.
Be ye doers of the Word, not hearers only.
Footnotes
365:1
Job xxxviii, 7.
CHAPTER
X. AFTER THE YEARS, RETURN
Sparing
details, what was the appearance of Phyris after the flight of the
years? When I left she was a bright, beautiful maiden, in the budding
days of womanhood, having the divine, spiritual glory which
characterizes the higher race of the perfect Human grade. How looked
she now? Different only in the maturity of rounded womanhood, the
prime which in Venus withers not with age, because there the animal
is subdued, and there are no excesses, indulgences, nor any of that
feverish grasping after unattainable things which the “children of
a larger growth” who dwell in the human−animal plane of Earth
to−day. Phyris, the dark−haired, starry−eyed girl who was yet
more than a girl, was a woman divinely fair, was again before me.
Again I beheld the sweetly natural, dignified mien that reminded me
of the first time I ever saw Mol Lang, that air of quiet, but
marvelous power. Enhanced by this appearance, as is a gem by its
setting, her sweet, pure selfhood shone forth, that sweet spirit
which in Phyris was divine, yet had lost none of the human
characteristics which have rendered Jesus so dear to mankind. The
spirit was there, the perfect human, also, but the animal, the nature
of Man on Earth, was reduced
to
its
place
of
servitude.
When
I
met
the
fair,
beautiful
woman
I
was
abashed.
At
that
moment
the
tide
of
the years overflowed my soul and awed me. Sometimes I had known of
Phyris when the Hesperian astral controlled me. But far oftener of
later years, the years of duty, this astral did not come, and then I
knew Phyris only as an ideal, and with the attributes of that ideal I
tried to endue Elizabeth, and the failure was agony to me.
Wonderingly,
wholly
delighted,
I
looked
on
Phyris
now,
nor
deemed
it
lack
of
propriety
that
she
should
kiss
me and 'whisper, “Home again,” her eyes lighted with the peaceful
joy reflected from my gaze.
No
passion was in me, no prompting to be sentimental—no, that was gone
with Earth's feverish dream.
How
familiar all things appeared when at last I was come home. For six
Hesperian months
1
I
did nothing but wander in my psychic form in this Elysium, this
stellar garden of the Hesperides. In the other time most of my visit
was spent in the company of Sohma or Mol Lang. But now Sohma was
otherwise engaged. Mol Lang, too, was occupied in the work that
attracted him, that of guiding, teaching and helping mankind, en
masse, as well as individually; that portion of our race yet on
Earth. Unconscious of his agency, or of how, with others equally
great,
Mol
Lang
was
influencing
the
affairs
of
men,
these
men
on
Earth
went
on
with
their
doings,
fondly
thinking
that themselves were doing all. How little humanity on Earth knows
that it is thus guided. Yet our Father gives it to
His
occult
children
to
lead
their
lesser
brethren,
just
as
He
gave
it
to
Jesus,
one
of
the
Sons
of
Light,
higher
than
any other, who was an incarnation of the Christ. Perhaps human acts
were not, are not, guided individually, as a rule, although
exceptions exist. But just as shot, running in grooves, is checked by
the leaden pellets before and behind, so the acts of one man depend
on the acts of others; these on others still, until finally it
appears that the mass is influenced in the whole, and every
individual in the mass has his or her acts unconsciously controlled
by what are termed circumstances, fates, adverse or propitious,
inexorable, the grooves in which they run. That is to say, humanity
is ordered in its action by what may be named the Universal Karma. So
long as men grope in the dark,
ignorant
of
occult
laws,
so
long
must
they
produce
this
inexorable
karma.
It
is
fate,
self−made,
running
from
life to life, incarnation after incarnation, unavoidable, for it is
horn of the infraction of the laws of the Creator.
Even Mol
Lang, before he passed and triumphed at the Crisis, to which I was
soon to come, and which he experienced a century ago, was controlled
by the great, Universal Karma. But in passing that ordeal he passed
from finite life to everlasting, and became a law unto himself. And
then, free of karma, he returned to minister to those bound by
circumstances. Mol, Lang was become more than man. He had taken of
the Tree of Knowledge, also of the Tree of Life.
1
Such
as he utilize the elementals, those non−human, non−embodied
powers of the air. They find in mankind the tendency to sin, and use
it, so that the erring ones mount the ladder on rungs, each of which
is a conquered fault. The great religious movements, wars, and the
fields of commerce, all furnish experiences
for
mankind.
Do
some
seem
cruel,
evil?
Yet
each
is
a
part
of
the
scheme
of
the
Creator,
each
is
a
tool
in the hands of His ministers, and all teach that except a man, as
part of the Eternal Whole, works for that Whole, subduing the selfish
animal in himself, he can in no wise come to the Father.
“Except
by My Path,” says the Savior.
If
Sohma
and
Mol
Lang
could
no
longer
be
with
me
as
companions,
who
then
could?
Phyris.
She
became
my
tutor, my guide, and led me farther on towards the point where soon I
must take the Key and enter alone on the
dread
struggle, with only my faith in God to sustain me.
One
day
Mol
Lang
said,
“Phylos,
come
with
me.”
I went to his special apartments. There he said:
“Hitherto
thou
hast
but
an
astral
body,
but
now
thou
needest
a
physical
body
as
a
base
of
action,
for
now
must
thou learn of thine own self. Sleep, that I may gather material atoms
about thine astral.”
I
immediately
slept,
as
I
lay
on
the
couch
where
he
had
bidden
me
recline.
When
I
awoke
be
was
regarding
me, and, for a moment forgetful, I sat up.
“Arise,”
said
Mol
Lang.
I
obeyed,
and
found
myself
clothed
in
flesh.
Thus
I
became
a
Hesperite.
I
was
now
of
the same apparent age as Phyris, and was thereby seemingly
dispossessed of some twenty−five years. Before any lengthy period
there came to shine in me somewhat of the Spirit−nature, and as the
same ego shone in Phyris, so therefore we grew into similitude of
each other. Because of this indwelling Spirit, Nature was become an
open book,
and
occult
wisdom
addressed
me
from
all
sides.
Soon
I
could
leave
the
body
at
will.
Other
steps
succeeded,
and I grew with marvelous rapidity to know many of the minor things
reserved by our Father for His aspiring children.
With
me
now
was
abiding
a
Voice,
1
and
as
it
demanded
of
me,
I
answered
and
knew.
It
said:
“What is heredity?”
And
I answered from my spirit, knowing this thing:
“Heredity
is the sum of experience which the souls of men carry from one life
through devachan into reincarnation.
It
is
in
nowise
transmitted
from
parent
to
child,
but
its
leading
trait
is
attracted
by
the
like
trait
in
the parents. The lesser traits are educed by cultivation, or else lie
dormant, according to environment.”
Again
the Voice said:
“It is
not well; thou who hast reaped, must now saw. I am the Eternal Spirit
in thee; obey me. Thou art now able to stand in my presence; able to
see; able to hear; able to speak; conqueror of desire, attainer of
self−knowledge.
Thou
hast
seen
thy
soul
in
its
bloom,
heard
the
voice
of
Peace.
Go
thou
and
read
my
writing
in
the Hall of Learning, which is My Works. Read.
“To
stand—is
to
have
confidence.
To
hear—is
to
have
opened
the
door
of
thy
soul.
To
see
is
to
have
attained
perception
of
My
Works.
To
speak—is
to
have
gotten
the
power
of
helping
others.
To
have
conquered
desire−is
to have acquired control of self. To have self−knowledge−is to
have come unto Me, whence thou art able impartially to view the
personal man that was thyself. To have seen thy soul in its bloom−is
to have had a momentary glimpse of that transfiguration which shall
eventually make thee more than Man.
“Stand
aside
in
the
coming
battle,
and
though
thou
fightest,
be
not
thou
the
warrior.
Look
for
Me,
and
let
Me
fight in thee. Obey My orders for battle. Obey Me as if I were
thyself. My orders thy desires—for I am thyself, yet infinitely
more than thee. Look for Me, lest in the fever of battle thou pass
Me. I will not know thee if thou knowest not Me. If thy cry come to
Me, lo! I will fight in thee and will fill the void in thee. Then
shalt thou be unwearied. Without Me thou shalt fall; with Me thou
canst not fall, for I am the Spirit.
“Listen
now
to
the
song
of
life
in
thy
heart.
Say
not,
'It
is
not
there.'
Listen
deeper.
This
song
is
in
every
breast;
it may be obscure, yet it is there. Not the most wretched outcast but
it is in him, for all are children of the Father, which is I. Listen
to My Song, for while thou art yet but man, I shall not speak
continually, and thy strength must sometimes be in memory of Me.
Inquire now of the Earth−matter; of the air, of the water, the
wind; and seek the treasurers of the snow. My Peace I give unto
thee.”
At last
I saw; I heard; and, my friend who readeth this, I speak. My words go
to the multiplication by types, and
then
by
myriad
copies
through
the
world,
to
be
known
by
those
that
“seeing,
see
and
comprehend.”
And
with
each copy shall go my love and greater, mine eye shall note each
hungered seeker for the truth, and, be it in the palace, or cottage,
there, too, will I be, not figuratively, but my Spirit.
I
had
gone
into
a
lonely
mountain
spot
to
hear
this
Voice,
and
now
as
I
walked,
a
Being
not
Man
joined
me.
Its
presence was one of light and glory and goodness. With it came Mol
Lang, saying:
“This
is one of the Beings of Good. Behold, Phylos, our Father's House hath
many Mansions, and in these are Beings
created
by
Him,
and
endowed
with
volition
like
as
Man,
yet
they
are
not
human,
never
were,
nor
ever
will
be.
Man
shall
be
perfect
when
the
Spirit
of
the
Father
entereth
him.
Then
shall
he
know
all
things,
and
be
perfect.
What is perfection? Absolute harmony with His Infinite Creation. So
there may be perfect men; also perfect Beings
which
are
not
Men,
as
this
one
with
us.
This
is
a
Good
Being.
But
there
is
an
opposite
in
the
Things
of
the
Creation.
There are perfect Evil Beings, which likewise are not, never were,
nor ever will be human. What are these? They are in perfect harmony
with the laws of their existence, but those laws and their conditions
are absolutely
opposed
to
ours,
and
to
good.
Hence
such
are
inimical
to
our
life
and
so,
evil.
Yet
this
sort
seek
us
not,
nor we them. In the scheme of Creation evil and good are evenly
balanced. What disturbs, harmony with us, therefore,
disturbs
them
by
disadjustment
of
balance.
Hence
they
seek
not
our
harm.
But
Satan,
know
ye
him?
He
was
an
Angel
of
Light,
fallen,
and
come
to
so
much
the
greater
fall
in
that
his
height
was
so
lofty.
1
He
is
a
rebel,
and out of harmony.
“Life,
Phylos, is limited, for it is but the action in the Mansion of Human
environment. But existence is not limited. Hence this Good Being with
us is not Life, but of Existence. See, It goes. This is Its symbol,
and the name
of
Its
Mansion
³And
when
thy
trials
are
thickest,
draw
about
thee
on
the
ground
that
figure
and
stand
in
it;
go not out, but call on the Father. He will send His ³Beings to aid
thee. Peace go with thee.”
Mol
Lang disappeared, and I was alone.
Men
dread
most
those
insidious
diseases,
which
attack
not
openly,
but
the
weakest
and
most
unguarded
point.
So, in the last, final Trial of the Crisis, I should be likewise
insidiously attacked by the Satanic hosts. Earth has tried me during
many lives; now was to come a trial greater than Earth. The attacks
of mere human error differ from that of the well−organized,
intelligent assault of those to whom evil has become natural, to
Lucifer and his fellow−rebels.
Of what
nature is this Trial of the Crisis?
1
It
is the deciding whether in the long series of incarnate lives the
soul
has
improved
its
opportunities
for
good;
if
it,
in
the
main,
followed
the
Path
which
Jesus
pointed.
If
so,
it
has
or
will
have
strength
to
cope
with
the
best
efforts
of
the
Satanic
foe.
If
not,
it
must
fall
and
die
the
second
death.
2
His
incarnate life made the soul forgiving of all wrongs, forgetful of
selfish interests, helpful to those having less light, more gloom,
misery and sin to encounter, a self−contained nature? Has it become
like the Man of Sorrows, full of faith, hope and charity? Then it
hath beard the Voice, and will not fail. But if the soul is not like
that, then, although it have the prophetic sight, and knoweth all
things, though it have faith to removing mountains, yet shall it be
only the more like Satan, and the worse its fate.
“Go
into the Holy Place.”
3
And
I,
knowing
obedience,
went
into
a
room
built
of
stone,
apart
from
the
house.
Then
was
I
in
the
Presence
where
I
had
been
as
Zailm
when
Priest
Mainin
was
blasted:
It
was
the
Presence
of
the
living
Christ.
It
was
Man,
yet more, for it
SYMBOLIC
PICTURE IN THE “HOLY PLACE”
was
the
Spirit;
as
much
more
than
Man
as
the
sun
is
more
than
a
glow−worm.
Then
a
wondrous
Voice
said:
“Be not afraid; it is I.”
Around
that
Holy
Place
were
forms
of
fire.
Ink
and
paper
can
give
little
idea
of
the
semblance.
Yet
look
at
the
picture and try, with my aid, to see. The bolt blazed as a thing of
flame, so also the Great Star and all the lesser ones.
The
Leaf
was
as
life,
and
the
cross
the
open
Way,
to
the
House
thereof,
while
the
Ring,
I
knew,
symbolized
the Eternal One, endless, beginningless. The Book was the Word, and
it blazed with scintillant, crimson flame.
But over
all, a Personified Presence, was the Eye, the Eternal, sleepless,
omnipotent omniscient Supervisor. So stood
I
in
the
presence
of
the
Father,
made
manifest
for
me.
As
I
remained,
I
knew
all
things
of
His
Works,
for
the
Spirit entered in. But not to abide, for as yet the Trial was not
come to pass.
For
weeks I stayed in the Holy Place, and came not out to eat or drink,
for I was wholly sustained by the Spirit.
At
the
day
of
the
Great
Peace
this
Spirit
must
enter
in
and
I
be
in
It
and
It
be
in
me
forever
more.
But
no
guide
could exist, no law for the Trial, except my strength of ages. Even
the Spirit would be veiled in that ordeal.
Footnotes
377:1
About
112
terrestrial
days.
The
solar
you
of
Venus
is
224.7
earthly
days.
378:1
Revelations xxii; 14.
379:1
St. John xvi; 13.
381:1
St. Lake xii; 48.
382:1
St. Luke: xx. 35−36.
382:2
Rev.: xx. 15.
382:3
St. Luke: iv, 2.
CHAPTER
XI. TEXT: ST. MATTHEW IV
“To
be, or not to be: that in the question.”
—HAMLET.
That
was
indeed
the
question
when
I
arose
one
morning,
and
knew
that
the
event
of
the
Crisis
would
that
day
decide whether or not I had Eternal Life, whether I was for the
Spirit, or the Second Death.
I arose
and went forth into the wilderness of the mountains, accompanied only
by a pet animal, somewhat resembling
a
fawn,
which
went
with
me
everywhere.
In
a
woodland
mountain
meadow
I
traced
with
my
staff
the
symbol ³and it instantly became crimson fire, which leaped and rose
and fell, unbroken, continuously. I was inside, the pet animal grazed
on the meadow. After making the symbol ³the Good Being introduced to
my knowledge by Mol Lang was with me, and it spake much to me, and I
to It. It said.
“Lo!
Thy time cometh when I ³must leave thee, although I ³would do for
thee, but it is so that no being can endure
for
another
the
fierce
Trial,
neither
help
them
in
its
midst.
Yet
I
³say
unto
thee,
I
³believe
thou
wilt
win,
for
have I not known thee, lo! many ages? But now is that Trial come for
thee, when thy past, in all days and lives thou hast ever had, shall
rise tip and thou shalt be judged thereby, whether thou shalt become
perfect, and thy name be Phylos , or whether thou shalt fail, and
have again all the bitterness of life to go through during
ages
to
come.
The
Father
saith
through
the
Spirit,
'Every
idle
word
that
men
speak,
they
shall
give
an
account
thereof.' How much more then of their actions?”
I
listened
mutely,
for
what
record
was
against
me?
It
might
be
evil,
or
good,
or,
worse,
that
lukewarmness
which the Spirit will not entertain, but rather heat or coldness of
nature.
“Fear
not,” said Ovias, ³"for not in vain hast thou lived. Neither
expect a record written concerning thee. For know this that the
principles inculcated by the Christ−Spirit which overshone Buddha
and all the mightiest of the Earth,
incarnating
in
each,
and
Itself
being
Son
of
God,
not
they,
until
by
union
of
It
they
became
Sons
of
God—know
that
if
thou
hast
made
these
principles
both
warp
and
woof
of
thy
character,
thou
hast
no
need
to
fear.
For this sort of fabric is strong, and was that which Jesus meant
when He said, and says ever, Timeless One that He is, “Lo, I am
with you always even until the end of the world.” Not one
individual act shall be brought forth to accuse
thee,
but
each,
all
and
every
greatest
thought,
and
least,
and
word
or
deed,
in
all
thy
many
incarnations—these have formed thy character. Is that character,
then, woven of the woof provided by Christ, and shown forth in the
Divine personality of Jesus, and illuminating Buddha, and Zoroaster,
Moses, Manu and other Salvators? If that be the cloth, then indeed
shalt thou prevail, though no one sustain thine arm. But if not that
weaving, lo! thou shalt fail, and not even I ³could save thee. I
³go. Be thou brave, and may the Comforter be in thee. Peace.”
All
that
day
I
stood
there,
and
was
not
weary.
Night
came
About
the
midnight
hour
my
pet
cried
out
in
terror,
and came leaping toward me. As it came I warded it from the ³flame,
and it stood outside, trembling. But I saw nothing
to
alarm
it,
save
Mol
Lang,
approaching
over
the
level
around
me.
He
hesitated
not,
but
seemed
about
to
cross the line of fire, as he
could,
but mindful of my perilous position I said:
“Stop!
If
thou
art
Mol
Lang,
then
come.
But
if
only
a
tempting
shape,
woe
unto
thee
if
thou
shalt
cross
that
line, for ³It shall punish thee as only an immortal can punish.”
He
came not; instead he ceased to appear as Mol Lang, and was another
sort. This tempter said:
“If
thou art proof against me, who so seemed thy loved preceptor that
thou really knew not, then thou art conqueror
over
death
and
sin.
I
have
no
power
over
thee,
and
thou
art
free
to
enter
eternal
life,
wherein
shall
no
more incarnations occur. I go.”
This
Shape withdrew, but the Voice in my soul whispered:
“Beware
yet awhile.”
I
stayed
on
unmolested
until
I
caught
myself
napping,
and
knowing
this
to
be
the
fatigue
of
the
flesh,
I
regretted that I had not met the Trial in astral form.
“Not
so,” whispered the Voice, “all thine elements, both physical and
psychic, must attend thee here.”
But
again
I
dozed,
and
quickly
aroused
myself,
for
the
scene
all
about
me
was
changed.
The
mountain
meadow
was gone, and in place of night seemed day. I gazed, seemingly, on a
scene where all the races of men and immortals were gathered under
the sweep of my prescient eye. I seemed to be taken over this realm,
and a fair, godlike being in appearance was my guide. Yet in caution,
I sheathed myself from head to foot in the ³flame as in an
armor,
at
which
my
guide
smiled,
but
said
nothing.
He
took
me
with
the
speed
of
thought,
so
that
we
seemed
to
go from star to star, now crossing vast interstellar spaces, now come
on fresh realms. All these realms were inhabited by creatures of
human shape, or at least they had human attributes. Before me they
all bowed and worshipped, for my guide said to them: “See thy
master.” Otherwise they were all engaged in pursuit of pleasure.
The multiplex passions of man on Earth were indulged without fear of
penalty. My fair guide said:
“These
are souls in whom I created certain passions and appetites, and shall
I punish them for indulging, without stint, traits I have given? Now,
tell me, why should all creation not have free license to get
pleasure as it may? My creatures do. There is no sort of restraint
placed by me on their free pursuit of carnal things, lusts,
appetites.
See,
they
are
happy!
For
a
time
I
am
giving
thee
control
of
them.
Through
indulgence
of
their
passions
they beget a sort of vital magnetism, and as their present ruler, it
thrills thee like new wine.”
As
my
guide
said,
the
sight
and
sensing
of
all
this
license
did
thrill
me
ecstatically,
and
was
affecting
me
with
a delirious, carnal joy. I put it away and refused to feel. Whereat
the beautiful Being said:
“Oh!
thou art blind! Behold, thou shalt have these realms for thine, and
have absolute authority, so thy word shall
be
life
or
death
to
these
people,
if
thou
wilt.
Here,
too,
into
this
eternal
joy,
thou
mayest
bring
Phyris,
and
lo!
forever
thou
shalt
with
her
do
thy
will,
and
hers,
and
no
penalty
be
exacted.
Wilt
thou
take
this
gift
of
supremacy?
It is free; I ask no return for it all. Only take it.”
Oh!
where was my knowledge, gained from the many lives, and from the
Voice? Gone! Gone, else I had known at once not to accept the
alluring gift. I was offered all this free, thereby violating the
divine law, which never
allows
something
for
nothing.
But
I
gathered
my
³armor
about
me,
lest
this
Being,
who
seemed
so
fair
and
good, were not so, and if not good, its touch might be fatal. Then I
said:
“It
must be that thou art arrayed in the livery of heaven to serve Satan
better. Demon, thou offerest that which subordinates all other beings
in these realms to my will. This realm is governed by pleasure,
passion, appetite, lust, all selfish; and no penalty set upon wild
license. These carnalities would conquer me, too, if I accepted−me,
who am otherwise about to become immortal, more than Man, karmaless.
These are selfish. Pleasure so gotten is the
essence
of
selfishness.
Truly,
thou
must
be
creator
of
it
all,
since
it
is
selfish.
It
is
thine.
It
could
be
mine?
Yea,
but only because over me thou wouldst reign. I am not now thy
subject; nor will I be. Only the Unknown God is my Master. Get thee
hence, behind me!”
The
scene
slowly
faded,
like
mist
in
the
sunlight.
There
came
a
lull,
and
I
hoped
the
battle
was
over,
for
I
was
weary. But I stood on the meadow again, with the ³fire leaping,
quivering in crimson pulses around the lines.
Nothing
could break that guardian flame, for it was a symbol of the perfect
state of being of another, but non−human, race. Only perfection
could avail against it. Perfection of good might; so, too, perfection
of evil might; but the latter had not yet come against it. I even
doubted the existence of any perfection of evil. What offer,
after
all,
had
been
made
but
of
the
things
which
were
mine
by
reason
of
the
divine
Sonship?
God
giveth
his
children control over each other for good, and for evil also, through
mental influence. What more absolute sovereignty is there than love,
exercised as He hath ordained. None. While I reflected, a soft and
lovely vision came, and lo, Phyris stood before me.
“Art
thou Phyris?” I asked.
“Could
any
but
Phyris
disregard
the
³flame
about
thee?”
she
replied,
penetrating
the
barrier,
and
sinking
by
my
side. This seemed truth, for Ovias ³was perfect being of Its own
condition. Only perfection can stand with perfection. At last I heard
her sigh softly, sadly. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Why
this sorrow, Phyris?”
“Phylos,
thou
enquirest?
I
reply.
Because
of
my
confession
to
make.
I,
too,
am
on
trial
as
thyself.
A
sad
story
of sin is mine. Woe is me if thou shouldst spurn me for it.” She
hesitated.
“Speak,”
I answered, apprehensively.
“This,
then. In a far Poseid day, when I had a personality called Anzimee,
and thou hadst one called Zailm, thou
knowst
the
day?
Aye,
and
with
sorrow
e'en
yet!
When
thou
hadst
gone
in
thy
vailx,
fugitive
from
memory
of
Lolix, I sorrowed intensely. And I knew not thine abode then. When
thou returned not, crazed, I went to Mainin
the
Incalix.
He
marveled
at
my
frenzy;
then
said:
“'Lovest thou Zailm, Rainu?'
“'As
my own soul, Incalix.'
“'I
marvel thereat. But never mind. Aid thee to find him? What if I love
thee, I who am a vowed celibate?
What
if, in my ability, I say Zailm shall no more come back?'
“Then,
Phylos, I begged for thee as for my own life! I implored his mercy.
At last the stern lines of his face relaxed, and he kindly said: 'I
would not keep thee apart; I was but testing thy love for him. Yet my
aid must receive compensation. Not money, nor jewels, nor power;
these have I in abundance. One only thing in thy gift will I have;
listen: in other days, when I came to knowledge of Nature's deeper
secrets, I was curious to experiment, and I sought the aid, all
confident of my power to subdue my servant, of the host of Satan, one
demon. But my power I overestimated, and I was subdued, a victim. So
one day coming my soul is forfeit to Lucifer to pay my debt and its
ever growing size. One only way can I avert this, by delivering
another, although less
experienced
soul,
in
place
of
mine.
Ere
this
night
a
maiden
and
her
lover
will
seek
me
at
the
hour
of
worship,
that I may solemnize their marriage already long published. But I
shall be gone, purposely. Thou wilt be there, and except thee, only
those two. Now, they are weak, but have never sinned.
“Their
natures
incline
to
error.
All
I
ask
of
thee
is
that
when
they
ask
for
me,
tell
thou
them
I
am
gone,
but
say,
'Thou art come to be wed?' then smile and say, again, 'Only the
simple folk publish their matings; the wise are never wedded, yet are
wedded in verity.' Say no more. If they take that mild hint, they
will sin, and lose their souls,
but
I,
the
great
Incalix,
shall
be
saved.
I
will
in
any
event
bring
thee
Zailm
again,
for
perchance
thy
hint
will
not be acted upon.'
“Mainin
ceased
speaking.
I
recoiled
in
horror.
Yet
even
as
I
was
about
to
refuse,
he
said,
'Remember,
only
thou
canst save Zailm.'
“I
thought him a fiend. Then I thought, it is but natural for him to
wish to save his own soul, even at another's cost.
And
oh!
I
so
desired
the
return
of
my
Zailm!
Tearfully
Bobbing,
my
soul
whispering
the
wrong
of
it,
but
my
heart pleading me to be blind for that once to wrong or right, I
yielded and said, 'Even as thou requirest, so will I do.'
“I
did
so.
But
false
to
Incal,
Mainin
was
false
to
me,
and
he
brought
not
Zailm
back.
When
Rai
Gwauxln
told
me of Zailm's death, I, too, died of shame and a broken heart. The
man and woman took my hint, and died after years of well−concealed,
direful crime. But I Phylos? In my consent to Mainin's will, I sold
my soul to the Arch Fiend, Mainin's master. So my life is forfeit
unless I can be helped. Forfeit, much though I know, and hard as I
have
striven
to
do
right
and
atone,
all
in
vain!
Yet,
my
twin
soul,
thou
art
able
to
save
me.
If
thou
savest
me
not,
then shall the Eternal Law cause me to die the second death. My soul
will be annihilated, my Spirit, which was unable to unite with my
soul, shall go back to the Source, our Father. And then, being a
soul, but thy Spirit also my Spirit, thou must also perish. Save
thyself then as well as me.”
“How?”
I
queried,
soul−sick
to
the
depths,
and
suffering
such
intensity
of
misery
as
almost
of
itself
to
cut
off
my life. Sick, because I felt Phyris, my other self, my pure angel,
to be in mortal danger, herself in a fatal mire, and threatened with
soul death. And because she was, I was also, for our Spirit was the
same.
“How?”
I again queried, whispered.
“Thus!
The
man
whom,
as
Anzimee,
I
led
astray,
hath
incarnated
several
times
since
then,
each
time
worse
and
worse, until now, a man on Earth, he is about to confront a
temptation which, if he fall, will aim his course ever henceforth for
evil, and final death of his soul. If he yield not now, he may or may
not at last escape, but the delay will put him beyond use to us, and
we shall surely die, whether he does or not. Aye! we shall if thou
actest not now.
If
his
soul
is
now
made
forfeit,
we
shall
surely
escape;
so
saith
Mainin,
who
is
blasted
and
in
outer
darkness,
yet
owneth
me;
'tis
an
only,
though
slender
hope.
O
Phylos,
think!
think!!
On
the
one
hand
eternal
life,
brightness,
and a chance to atone for all our sins, perhaps even rescue this man
at last, but on the other, death, blasting into outer darkness and
eternal demonhood.”
In the
calm night she stood before me and besought me to act for her, her
hands clasped, her eyes streaming, her agony fearful to see. Act for
her whom I loved better than life, and for myself; save our lives
that all might be well. How? By using my occult power to whisper to a
man, already sin−sodden, on a distant planet, a man who might not
conquer his temper even though I withheld my influence. Do what?
Influence him to sign his name as Governor
of
a
great
state
to
a
denial
of
pardon
to
two
men
about
to
die
for
murder.
Yet
they
were
innocent.
I
knew
it;
the
Governor
knew
it,
because
he
had
already
sinned
horribly
in
using
his
office,
money
and
power
to
weave
a
net of circumstantial evidence which would hang his two enemies for a
murder committed by his own hand. He would,
in
an
hour
more,
sign
or
not
sign
the
fateful
paper,
for
at
the
last
his
courage
was
faltering.
All
I
needed
to
do was to occultly encourage him. Already so sinful, was it likely he
ever would turn from evil ways to good?
Barely
possible. But I was to psychologize him to pass this opportunity and
complete his double murder, in order to
save
Phyris,
whom
I
so
loved,
whose
Spirit
was
my
Spirit,
whose
soul's
destruction
meant
my
soul's
destruction
also. It was so easy to do!
All
crimes
are
easy.
But
while
the
agony
of
despair
numbed
me,
a
ray
of
hope
came,
and
the
question
arose,
would this act save us? Had not God said, “Thou shalt not kill”;
and would not the double murder be on me as much as on the Governor?
Then I arose, and said, calmly,—Oh! how frightfully, despairingly
calm!
“Lo,
then. If we shall both die into outer darkness, yet will I never do
this thing. Thou, who art more precious than mine own life, must not
ask this! Saith not our Father: 'Whoso shall do evil, of him will be
exacted the penalty, of some thirty, some sixty, some an
hundredfold'? And if I, we, shall consign a soul to darkness,
thinkest thou, oh! my spirit mate, we shall not the more surely go
thither ourselves? Then, although these words seal thy death,
and
mine,
yet
will
I
refuse
to
sin.
I
will
not
do
thy
will.
I
have
not
erred
so
but
that
I
can
put
fort
h
my
hand
and, by the aid of the Christ−Spirit, cut off the progress of thy
sin, and thou mayest go back to the time, place, where
thy
soul
was
ere
thine
error,
and
recarnify
on
Earth
so
often
as
needful
to
expunge
and
atone
this
sinful
act.
And I will await thee where my soul is now progressed, during the
years, though they be tens of thousands, until pure, thou mayest
rejoin me. I will guide thee, so that thou wilt sin no more during
expiation. Aye, except that I must stay to so guide, I would go again
into the life of Earth with thee; but I must stay that my light be
clear. All this will I do, or if vicarious atonement were a
possibility in the Universe, I would go for thee, and let thee stay.
But condemn the man on Earth, and ourselves with him, no! I can not
so sin.”
With
a
convulsive
shudder,
and
a
despair
in
her
starry
eyes
that
smote
me
so
that
I
cried
aloud
to
God
in
my
agony, Phyris said in a mournful wail, as of a lost soul:
“O
Phylos,
think
well;
for
it
might
be
that
thou
art
hedged
about
with
that
sort
of
righteousness
that
maketh
the
Angels to weep and the Fiend to smile!”
“Phyris,
beloved, I have spoken! I alter not.”
She
moved
away
with
her
hands
covering
her
agonized
face,
sobbing
in
her
intensity
of
despair.
When
she
came to the ³fire she said:
“Phylos,
I could enter. My power is fled, and I can not go out; put it aside.”
I looked
from where I lay almost dying in my pain of an immortal hurt, and
found that I too was too weak to lower the barrier. Then I looked
within my being, and I saw that no more was the Light of the Spirit
within me, but gone forth. And then I knew what that awful appeal of
Jesus of Nazareth meant, that He, too, in the fearful strain of his
Human trial of the Crisis had beheld the Spirit in Him wane, when He
cried out: “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabacthani.”
Like
Him
I
cried
out
to
the
Father,
and
in
that
instant
the
Light
returned,
and
with
a
roll
as
of
mighty
thunder the darkness broke, and the night which had been around me
fled, so I saw that the sun was high in the heavens, and I alone had
been in a local gloom. The ³flame paled, and “Phyris” knelt
before me and implored mercy. Then I knew that Phyris, had not been
near. I knew that God the Father was entered in me to dwell
forever,
and that the perfection of evil had failed in its last, most subtle,
horrible and insidious attack, its last attempt
to
open
the
door
to
downwardness
for
me.
My
strength
out
of
all
the
lives
had
withstood,
and,
all
fainting,
I was come unto Christ. All the weary way of woe I had journeyed,
atoning as I came. And now my karma I had blotted out, and in me was
Life Everlasting. Gloria in Excelsis! Laus Deo! The song I heard was
the song of the starry hosts of God.
Then the
Voice spoke: “Thy trial is over; I am well pleased. It is written
in sacred Scripture, 'Ye must be born again,
of
water
and
of
the
Spirit.'
Even
so
hast
thou
been
born
now.
Of
water,
which
is
the
world
of
matter.
And
of
the
Spirit,
which
is
I
entered
in.
But
the
death
of
the
carnal
body,
and
rebirth
in
the
new,
is
but
night
after
day,
and
day after night. To these successive days and nights of the soul,
that Scripture refers not. Thou hast been born in the Earth many
times, and each time thy carnal body hath died. But the rebirth was
not that rebirth of the waters and of me. Those incarnations did but
prepare thee out of the waters of materiality for Me. But now thou
art born of that and of Me, and become a Son of Light, and at one
with the All−Father, and like unto the Nazarene. Carry thou My Word
unto all men, that all may come likewise unto Me who will, even as
thou, following the first Man
who came
unto Me, have thyself also come.”
Now when
I saw Phyris come, I knew that it was she in verity. She, too, had
had her Trial, and equal temptations had been offered her, and been
withstood, ninety centuries of years before, however. How say ye: “I
thought twin souls must fight the final fight together, and now you
say nine thousand years were between?” Behold,
friend,
time
is
but
measure
of
energy
exerted.
We
wrought
the
same
work,
so
were
together.
Is
Paul
more
saved than the latest regenerated soul? Yet Paul knew Jesus Christ
near two thousand years earlier. It had seemed to us both that the
Great Crisis had occupied centuries. Unto us, as we stood clasping
each other, came a glorious vision, and the Voice spoke, saying:
“Behold.
Look back over the mighty past. And when thou hast so done, look on
Earth, and see how there to effect the work of giving the people of
Earth thy life history. That shall take but a moment for thee, but
that moment shall seem years to thine agents on Earth. Then again,
look; I am thy Voice and thy Spirit. Thy souls shall
unite.
Behold,
thou
shalt
presently
hereafter
have
no
more
two
bodies,
but
one
only,
and
it
thy
Spirit
body.
Mine, for without Me thou art nothing. Peace is thine forevermore.”
Friend,
thou
mayest
have
trouble
in
understanding
this
strange
union.
Yet,
ponder
it
deeply,
for
it
is
to
be
thy
experience some day if thou art true to thy Savior and follow Him,
drinking of the cup which He drank, and triumphing at the Critical
Ordeal.
End of
Book Second
.
BOOK THE
THIRD
CHAPTER
I.
YE
SHALL
REAP
AS
YE
HAVE
SOWN.
THE
PERCEPTION
Suppose
the struggle had proven me wanting, and the verdict had been, “Mene
Mene Tekel Upharsin”? 'Then my—our—fate would have been that of
Mainin of Caiphul. To me who know the dread meaning of this fate, it
is more utterly frightful to contemplate than it can be to thee. It
means being a brother to devils, and subjection to Satan, who could
so cunningly, awfully tempt as we were tempted, and when successful,
make a servant of the victim, ever to pile up fresh karma. And such
karma as Satan's service makes is worse in a moment than the
wickedest man could pile up in a long lifetime. It means such
servitude until—when? Forever? Until the end of material things.
Then, when the heavens are rolled as a scroll and melt in fervent
heat, Satan (Lucifer) shall, with his minions, be cast into that lake
of fire which is the second death: which meaneth that the force, the
energy of
the
rebels, that which has made them distinct, potent souls through all
the past, shall become depersonalized, and disindividualized, cast
into the sum of the Fire of Elements, which form the forces of
Nature, the winds, odic and magnetic and electric forces. But
annihilation there is not, death there is not, though there be such a
change as constitutes the destruction of the union between soul and
Spirit, the return of the ]first to the great impersonal Vis Natura,
the return of the other to Him who created life. Then, after millions
of years the Father will gather the fervid elements into nebulae,
star−plasm, worlds, suns, systems, and a “new heaven and a new
earth” shall come forth. Then will the depersonalized rebel host
begin to reincarnate in protoplasmic life, and thence evolutionize
up,
up, up along the myriad incarnations until, after an eternity of
matter, they come once more to human conditions, to another Crisis,
to win or fail, and either, like Sisyphus, run again the weary
course, or else inherit hard−won
entrance
to
unconditional
being.
There
is
not
nor
can
be,
any
death
of
the
Spirit,
but
of
the
individuality
only.
Study
this
well,
my
friend,
for
such
is
the
fate
of
evildoers
who
sell
to
Satan,
because
such
is
Satan's
portion.
Our Father hath provided a Way. It is the sharp, knife−edge Path,
whereon all things so evenly balance that there is
turning
neither
to
the
right
nor
left,
but
steady,
even
pursuit
of
the
Path,
wherein
all
who
travel
that
way,
contain
themselves in all things, in eating and drinking, in sleeping and all
those things which cause the cares of this world.
Those
who
shall
be
accounted
worthy,
without
further
incarnation,
to
obtain
the
resurrection
from
the
body
of materiality neither marry nor are given in marriage, but must
receive the Kingdom of God even as if still little children. Yet
whoso doeth not so, it shall not be eternally counted against them,
but only till another incarnation.
It
must be that the things of sensation which are an offense unto the
Spirit occur, but karmic woe will attend the offender until he finds
the Path and travels therein. Hear, if hearing and understanding be
in thee, for these are the words of the Master.
————————
CHAPTER
II. JOB xxxviii:7
Contemplating
the victory in us of the Father, we chanted a song in answer to that
of the Sons of God who were our fellows. Perfect at last, in rapport
with all the law fulfilled, karmaless, immortal, beside Jesus, no
more need to incarnate, Life was ended, but Being just commenced.
Paradoxical? In all the aeons of time we had Life, but
Being,
which
hath
no
beginning,
neither
end,
and
is
not
under
the
dominion
of
Time,
every
ego
hath
ever
from
the Father. But Life hath beginning, so also it must have end; it
hath end. If its conditions are strong enough to enchain for aye,
then the soul is diverted from its ego to the tracks of Life, and is
then heritor of death. Only if a soul forfeit not to Life its hold on
Being−on its ego−shall it not die. Sin is the error of turning
from Being unto Life, whereof the shadow is death. The soul that
sinneth and turneth not away from finite life and the conditions
thereof, it shall die.
Down
all
the
realms
of
light
echoed
the
paeans
of
praise,
as
when
the
“Morning
stars
sang
together
and
the
Sons of God shouted for joy.”
CHAPTER
III.
“Fair
forms
and
hoary
seers
of
ages
put,
an
in
one
mighty
sepulcher.”
For a
little while yet Phyris and I were not wholly one entity. But we were
come to retrospection. With arms clasping
each
other,
we
walked
slowly
onward,
till
by
the
banks
of
the
babbling
brook
we
seated
ourselves.
Then
I said:
“My
twin,
let
us
scan
the
past;
let
us
draw
aside
the
curtain
of
bygone
ages,
and
see
the
record
of
the
Book
of
Life,
mirror
of
all
events,
sights,
sounds,
shapes,
all
things.
We
can
do
this,
because
we
are
karmaless,
deathless,
and are at one with the Father of Being, seeing, knowing as he knows,
because He is in us.”
We
pondered
the
scenes
of
our
Atlantean
life,
lives,
and
I
saw
ill−fated,
sweet
Princess
Lolix,
to
whom
I
had
been her ideal. Where had her sad soul gone when Mainin petrified its
clay? In the imperishable record we saw where her life−line crossed
ours. In her Poseid devachan she had found her dream of life seem
realized. Reborn into activity, again her life−line crossed mine,
her heritage pursued her, and she conquered it, for Lolix's
individuality was Elizabeth's (my wife). Her crime in Poseid was
expiated, and so, too, was mine. Karma was fulfilled there.
1
Man's
course upward to God is so blind, so untaught, instinctively like the
sunward turning vine. I had so confidently, in the Sagum, taken a
step irrevocable, except for Mendocus; and then had fallen again into
blind darkness,
despair,
but
instinctively
true
to
law
and
to
Elizabeth,
the
object
of
my
efforts—so
upward,
till
at
last
I
had gained the immortal heights. So had my alter ago, Phyris. Down
below were the deserts of life, and fair appearing fruits, apples of
Sodom. These ashes are good, for they cause the soul to essay the
heights.
Poseid,
and
all
the
lives,
had
meted
us
a
large
share
of
gall
fruit,
but
our
errors
required
it,
and
Karma
is
a
sure
paymaster.
Sin
begot karma and karma had exacted pay. Thus had I, for I am not
relating Phyris' history, given up hopes, happiness, as one gives his
open veins in the Sahara to quench the thirst of his friend.
2
By
this abdication I had lost my life and found it again. Karma, as the
long record showed, was not always requiring pay; for every good act
I
had
ever
done
I
saw
that
I
had
been
fully
paid
in
kind
my
every
jot.
These
were
providences
and
benefices
of
life. There is no accident in life; allow that a man may die “by
accident” and no man could be sure whether the ensuing night might
not find the earth dropping into, or else away from, the sun; or,
seeing the sun set, could feel sure it would rise again. All things,
small or great, are ordered. Not always from any pre−existent
incarnation; sometimes from one's last year's or yesterday's action
the fruit springs. In short, I, we, saw that the lesson of life was,
“whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap,” cause and
effect. There are those who will make cavilling argument, contend
that “accident does exist, and all is not order.” I argue not,
for “they that have ears to hear”
will
understand.
One
cannot
see
over
a
mountain
range
save
he
stand
on
a
taller
peak.
To
the
greater
vision,
accident is but an are of design, and disorder is but an arc of
order.
Footnotes
397:1
St. Matthew v: 17−18.
397:2
St. John xv: 13.
CHAPTER
IV. THE FALL OF ATLANTIS
Again we
looked over Atlantis, and saw many things else. The Zailm time
possessed a peculiar interest. I saw that dim, distant past, a past
old in the earth and ancient when Earth was yet a babe in the cradle
of time. Atl, chiefest of the prehistoric races, numbering at home in
Poseid, and abroad in the colonies, almost three hundred millions
of
souls;
Atl,
known
through
the
olden
earth
as
Atlan,
Queen
of
the
Seas,”
and
her
people
as
“Children
of
Incal,” i. e., “Of the Sun,” and as the “Sons of God.” How
are the mighty fallen! For now I behold her ancient site as part of
the bed of the restless sea, covered with ocean ooze and slime, and
to be known as the haunt of man
only
through the clear vision of the perfected eyes which scan astral
records. Again the scene was presented so that we saw it as the eyes
of my poor, weak, and pitifully mortal personality of Zailm had seen
it. There was stately Caiphul, the Royal; and there, far away, and
not so stately, Marzeus, its towers and turrets and chimneystacks and
lofty buildings marking where had stood the greatest of Atlan
manufacturing centers, where the machine shops and the mills had been
which supplied Poseid with vailx, and naims, and all sorts of
machines and instruments; with the products of the looms, the cereals
and endless articles of use, and of art. Over a million artisans
there by day, but by night scarce fifty thousand, all gone by car or
vailx to their homes anywhere from fifty to a hundred miles away, a
few minutes' ride. And all this to perish because of man's iniquity,
a few short hundreds of years later. Here and there I caught glimpses
of canals, distributing either natural rivers or streams, or the
product of aqua−aerial generators, such as Zailm had a small model
of in his last days in Umaur. We saw the world as Zailm. saw it:
Suern, with its millions of people; Necropan, with its ninety−odd
millions; Europe, then a barbarian land, only about one−sixth its
present area; and Asia, not so large in extent then as now, but
containing over a half million of souls. But the sparkling, brilliant
civilization which was more than peer of even proud to−day, that
was glorious Atl! Eleven hundred millions of people, civilized or but
semi−civilized, and as many more scattered over the continent and
islands of the seas who were utter barbarians—such was the world of
Zailm,
generally
viewed.
The
numbers
of
the
human
race,
and
especially
their
increase
during
several
generations,
has appalled the pessimists. But the greatest of pessimists, Malthus,
need have felt no alarm had he but known.
Because:
“The
world
goes
up
and
the
world
goes
down,
And the sunshine follows he rain.”
There
are a varying number of people always in the world; now more, now
less; for as a soul comes to Earth (having been in devachan) a soul
passes from Earth into devachan. But now two come while one goes, or
two go while one comes, relatively. Wherefore the world is apparently
encroaching upon the sources of supply, or again the
supply
of
all
things
exceeds
demand.
But
only
a
fixed
number
of
Human
Rays
went
forth
from
the
Father,
and
only
so
many
have
Life,
or
ever
will
have.
But
these
come
and
go
as
the
tides
ebb
and
flow,
now
on
Earth,
now
in
Heaven. Malthusians need not fear.
Zailm
had been my personality.
Thirty
centuries later, approximately, we saw again this land. But how
changed. Now had Caiphul lost something.
Not
the
tangible
matter
visible
to
earthly
men−no,
this
was
not
gone.
But
the
men
we
saw
were
not
the
high, lofty, noble−souled men known to Zailm and to Anzimee. And
when manhood suffers decadence, degradation, all nature with which he
has to do also sensibly alters for the worse. Marzeus, the city of
manufacturing arts, was no more; it had gone down before corruption.
Art had not suffered so much as had science. But the science which
drew upon the mysterious forces of Nature the “navaz”—this had
so far disappeared that airships were forgotten, or at most were
semi−mythical history. So were many other instruments which Zailm.
had known—the naima, those wonderful, wireless, combined telephonic
and photographic image transmitters. And the vocaligrapha, the
caloriveyant instruments and the water−generators−all were lost
in the night of time. But the men of the twentieth century shall find
them all again. Twenty−eight decades of centuries hath Day now here
continued, and soon it shall be proclaimed,
“The
evening
and
the
morning
are
the
seventh
day.”
Ye
who
hear
all
my
message
are
the
men
and
the
women
of this new day, and shall inherit all things from our Father
forever. And the full eventide of that day which
cometh
shall
behold
you
caught
up
“into
the
heavens”
to
escape
the
end
of
all
things,
when
the
earth
also,
and
the
works that are therein, shall be burned up.
1
But I
should deal with the past, not with the future. The seeds of
corruption sown in the hearts of men by the Evil
One,
master
over
Mainin,
germinated
and
throve,
and
then
began,
some
centuries
after
the
time
of
Gwauxln
and Zailm, a long, steadily downward course which weakened the
self−respect, manhood and womanhood of Poseid, a loss revealed in
countless ways, culminating in national depravity and ruin.
It was
upon one of these phases of ruin that we next gazed. We saw a woman
upon whose face rested a light almost divine in the power of its
transfiguring beauty. Her slight figure seemed not so much of Earth
as of Heaven. The loose robe of gray which she wore fluttered in the
breeze, the long tresses of brown hair, unrestrained, swept back from
the glorious face, on which sat pity and despair, yet mingled with a
wonderful radiance of appealing, entreating, agonized hope that some
might hear and turn away from the course they were following. Her
appeal assumed that most perilous form, for the champion, which an
appeal can assume, that of sharp denunciation. She denounced the
hideous system of blood−sacrifice in religion as being in
diametrical opposition
to
right,
to
God,
to
man,
and
m
responsible
for
the
corruption
of
the
people.
At
this,
the
priests
among
the crowd uttered hoarse cries of rage. In a voice, the astral record
of which rings yet, and forever, for those who have
ears
to
hear
such
psychic
tones,
she
cried,
from
her
high
place
on
the
pedestal
of
the
monument,
twenty
feet
from the ground and the upturned faces below:
“Oh,
ye!
Think
ye
that
Incal
will
accept
the
blood
of
innocent
animals
for
your
crimes?
Whose
sayeth
this
doth
lie! Incal, God, will never take blood of anything, nor symbol of any
sort which placeth an innocent in a guilty one's stead! And the
Incalithlon, and the Holy Seat, and the Maxin Light axe dishonored
whenever a priest layeth an animal on the Teo Stone, and striketh a
knife to its heart, tears it out and tosses it as sacrifice into the
Unfed Light. Yea, the Unfed Light doth truly destroy it instantly.
But think ye because of this that merciful Incal is pleased. O ye
brood of vipers, ye priests that are charlatans and sorcerers?'
An
angry
Incali
stooped
as
she
uttered
this,
and
picked
up
a
jagged
bit
of
stoneware.
In
front
of
him
was
a
litter
borne by sad−visaged slaves. On this, reclining amidst soft silken
cushions, was a woman of languorous beauty, the
very
impersonation
of
shameless
abandon.
In
the
warm,
tropical
atmosphere
she
lay,
innocent
of
any
covering,
except that the heavy waves of the hair of her beautiful, if wicked,
head partially concealed her nakedness. The shameless sight did not
attract notice because of its shamelessness; the only attention
bestowed by the dense and wrathful crowd around her was that of
sensual admiration from one or another. Such sights were all too
common in these last days of Atl. Seeing the priest pick up the
sherd, this woman said:
“What
wouldst thou with it?”
`Naught,”
answered the priest.
“Naught,
forsooth!
I
know
thou
wouldst
throw
it
at
yon
blasphemer,
if
thou
hadst
courage!”
“Courage, I lack not,” was the sullen reply.
A
voice
in
the
surging
crowd
now
called
out
that
the
blasphemer
of
religion
ought
to
be
sacrificed
on
the
Teo,
Stone, and her heart given to the Maxin. “Listen to that! The
people and the Incali would be with thee,” said the wanton. “Throw
the piece, and see if perchance thou mightest not reach the game.”
The
ecclesiastic raised his hand back, and poised the missile, while the
crowd nearest him gazed with eager eyes. Then the cruel bit of
pottery hurtled through the air towards the fair speaker overhead.
Her temple was presented,
and
the
missile
she
might
have
avoided
had
she
noted
its
coming,
struck
full
on
the
dainty
mark.
With
a
cry of pain she threw up her hands, reeled, and then fell outwards,
downwards, the twenty feet to the hard pavement below. The crowd,
which had hushed an instant, now uttered fierce growls, and those
nearest ran to the victim of the coward priest. Several of the
sacerdotal caste picked the poor body up, and carrying it by the
feet, arms and hair, quite as if the assault had been preconcerted,
instead of being the work of one miserable fiend, started off to the
Incalithlon, whose vast pyramid loomed not far away.
“See!”
said
Phyris,
“the
first
human
sacrifice
in
Caiphul!
Me,
even
me,
they
slew,
for
trying
to
stem
the
tide
of
depravity and ecclesiastical criminality. I repeated to them the
prophecy of the Maxin, and they heeded not, but slew me. For that
woman was my personality when I reincarnated, three thousand years
after thou, as Zailm, did leave me, as Anzimee.”
With a
strange ecstacy of crime, the priests, scarce an instant pausing,
placed the still unconscious victim on the
Teo.
Then
the
chief
priest,
still
called
the
Incalix,
stepped
from
the
Holy
Seat,
as
it
once
had
truly
been.
By
the
side of
the victim he stopped and profaned not God, but Man, by a prayer to
God; for no man can injure God except
through
injuring
Man.
Then
he
threw
open
the
gray
robe
and
bared
the
white
breast.
Swiftly
he
raised
aloft
the
keen
edged
knife,
then
smote.
A
shudder
shook
the
reviving
victim,
who
was
about
recovering
consciousness.
The
murderer
then
tore
out
the
quivering
heart
and
cast
it
into
the
Unfed
Light,
where
it
disappeared
and
made
no
sign. Then the flesh was divided piecemeal amongst the murderous
crowd, together with the bloodstained garments. But the most of the
blood had run into a depression in the Teo, made for sacrificial
blood. To this the priests added liquor, and in maddened frenzy
quaffed the mixture from golden goblets. The scene was sickening, and
I felt my very being revolt! And that poor murdered woman, a
virgin—who had given her life to rescue her nation
from
sin—that
was
she,
who
had
long
centuries
before
been
Anzimee,
and
now
was
Phyris,
part
of
myself,
and I part of her being, for our Spirit was one reunited. I could
forgive the crime I looked back upon, for the criminals knew not what
they did. And they have suffered for it, and yet shall suffer, for it
is their karma. When Death, the conqueror of all mortals, garnered
his harvest in Atl, these souls, which had sown sin and grown tares.
were reaped by the Great Reaper, and the tares were sown with the
good wheat when next those souls reincarnated.
And
they
have
had
to
glean
and
uproot
as
they
could,
and
so
must
continue
to
tear
up
the
evil
weeds
till every one be uprooted. Then will they have atoned unto God.
There is time enough, lives enough, but O friends, none to waste!
After
this human sacrifice the thirst for blood which the people manifested
became unappeasable. They demanded the life of the priest who struck
down the woman, for they were not yet accustomed to the rights the
Incali had so newly arrogated, those of human sacrifice. They claimed
that he had really murdered the woman, that they were unprepared to
go so far, that therefore he who threw the missile must die. The
tumult became so violent,
and
insurrection
seemed
so
imminent,
that
the
wretched
priest
was
dragged
out
and
offered
by
his
fellows
as the woman had been. But now came the denouement. When the high
priest turned to cast the heart of the last victim into the Maxin, he
staggered as if struck, his hand fell by his side, the heart dropped
on the pavement, and the
stricken
man
fell
forward
unconscious!
The
tall
taper
of
the
Unfed
Light
was
gone;
the
Maxin
book
was
gone!
In its place stood a human form, that of a Son of the Solitude. In
his left hand was a sword, in his right a pen.
“Behold,
the
day
of
destruction
is
at
hand
which
was
foretold
ages
age!
Atlan
shall
won
be
no
more
beheld
by
the sun in his whole course for the sea shall swallow you all! Attend
ye!”
Then the
dread apparition vanished. But the Unfed Light came not again. The
people fled, shrieking, leaving the
priest
who
had
fainted
lying
on
the
floor.
It
was
as
well,
for
when
venturesome
ones
came
into
the
Incalithlon
many
days
later
he
still
lay
as
he
fell,
for
he
was
dead.
In
his
greater
knowledge,
for
wicked
as
he
was
he
yet
was
chief, he knew, sorcerer that he was, that there really was a power
of right which was destined to bring the corruption of Poseid low and
uproot the hideous mockery of sin enslaving the nation. And in his
knowledge his soul had gone forth from his body in desperate fear, to
return no more.
But the
stupid sensualism of the masses, finding that after a few years
nothing terrible occurred, gradually lapsed
till
worse
than
before,
for
human
sacrifices
became
common,
lust,
gluttony
and
drunkenness
ran
riot,
and
the moral night's deep darkness closed in yet more blackly.
One man
and his family who lived apart partook not of the general wickedness.
True, he and his mate, like the ordinary
people
about
him,
were
not
married,
save
as
the
higher
animals
monogamize.
Nor
were
his
sons
and
their
wives any better. But blood sacrifice he nor they would do. And when
the monarch proclaimed that all must worship according to the new
standard, and sacrifice babes and women, these men, giants in
stature, and far superior, any one of them, to a dozen of the corrupt
slaves of the Rai, refused to obey the mandate. Fruits and treasure
they offered, but not blood. In his seclusion the father, Nepth, had
a revelation. It came from the Sons of the Solitude, who were nowise
altered from the ancient high standard, but Nepth thought it direct
from God. The revelation was but a repetition of the prophecy of
doom, but the knowledge of that prophecy having been
centuries
neglected,
bore
to
Nepth
all
the
force
of
a
new
revelation.
So
he
came
to
know
of
the
coming
destruction
of Atl, he and his sons. And they considered how to escape. Vailx
were unknown. Nepth and his sons were unskilled builders. But they
received instructions from the befriending Sons of the Solitude, who
came to them in astral shape. And so these better men of Atlantis
began to build a great vessel. It was clumsy, but secure, and had
room to receive several of all kinds of useful animals found in Atl,
and to simple ignorant Nepth these constituted every animal on earth,
for he knew nothing of other lands across seas, scarce knew of the
provinces in Incalia or Umaur, for in these last days communication
was not closely kept up. His neighbors and friends jeered and
reviled
him
as
a
blasphemer,
and
he
and
his
sons
as
men
crazed.
But
the
years
lapsed,
and
the
great
ark
of
refuge
grew, until one day it was complete. Then Nepth and his sons provided
it with ample stores, and they took the animals from the pens wherein
they had placed them as they captured them in years past. Indeed,
most of these animals
had
been
born
in
captivity
and
were
tame,
so
long
had
Nepth
carried
on
all
works
together,
not
knowing
just when the dread prophecy was to be fulfilled. The final
preparations were none too soon completed. Only a few days elapsed
ere the earth shook and trembled in a frightful manner. Rivers left
their beds, or sank through vast crevices in the earth; mountains
shook till they were left as hills, and
“Bowed
their tall heads to the plain.”
A
crevice
opened
close
by
the
vessel
of
refuge,
and
the
river
which,
half
a
mile
wide,
had
flowed
past
to
the
ocean, fifty miles away, now poured with a mighty roar into the
opening. For three days this awful turmoil continued. A man came,
beseeching for admittance. But Nepth said: “Nay, thou wouldst never
believe in other days.
I
told
thee
then
this
land
should
sink
under
the
seas,
and
thou
didst
revile
me.
Now
go
thy
way
and
tell
all
thou dost meet that 'Nepth spake truly.'“
Three
days of horror, and three nights. Death stalked through the land, for
the mountains fell on the plains and floods swept unrestrained. But
the worst was to come. On the morning of the fourth day it seemed as
if the rains
of
heaven would drown all, yet the thundering and turmoil was not
lessened. The gates of heaven and of the great deep were yet to be
broken, and the continent, yea, much also of the world to be drowned.
The people not yet destroyed were myriad, and were gathered in the
high places. Suddenly it seemed as if the foundations of the world
were withdrawn, for by one frightful, universal motion the lands left
unflooded began to sink. With never a pause to the hideous, sickening
sensation, all things sank, down, down, down—one, two, a dozen
feet! Then a period of rest. The rains, which came in sheets, instead
of drops; the wild blasts of furious wind; the sinking motion−all
ceased
while
men
might
count
a
score.
One
score,
two,
three,
yet
no
resumption.
The
wretched
people,
hidden
in
such
poor
shelter
as
they
could
find
and
dared
avail
themselves
of,
began
to
breathe
easier—perhaps
the
fearful ruin was at last stayed! But, no! A slight tremble, scarcely
noticeable after the mad three days, and then with
one
swift
leap
down
to
death
the
great
continent
of
Atlantis
sank
as
a
stone
sinks
in
water!
Not
a
paltry
dozen
feet, nor even a hundred, but almost a mile it sunk at one horrible
bound!
Nepth?
In the middle of the third day his vessel of refuge had floated to
the ocean on an outgoing rush of the floods,
and
there
the
winds
had
carried
him
until,
when
Atl
sped
down
to
death,
he
and
his
storm−beaten
ark
were
a couple of hundred miles away. A very few other people had been
similarly forced seawards, and these, after weary weeks, at last came
around the southern promontory of Africa, and drifted northeasterly,
to land on the west coast of Umaur. Here, too, the destruction had
left but a few miserable survivors. But the few hundreds thus left
founded
the
race
which,
repopulating
that
land,
was
found
by
Pizarro
after
many
centuries
upon
centuries
had
elapsed. And a few thus became many. They would not permit blood
sacrifice, but yet, like Nepth, offered fruits to Incal, and retained
the name, slightly modified, so as to be Inca, a name bestowed upon
their rulers. A few survivors landed further north, and repopulated
the land conquered by Cortez, the Spaniard, a few short centuries
ago. But these heeded not the lesson, for no sooner were they landed
on the desolated shores than they slew a woman as a thanksgiving for
their escape. But Nepth? For many days his vessel drifted over the
silent seas, with only
the
ceaseless
roar
of
rain
upon
the
roof
to
break
the
stillness.
At
last
the
vessel
grounded.
He
knew
not
where
he
was,
for
he
was
an
ignorant
man.
But
the
aspect
of
things
was
changed
wholly.
When
at
last
he
descended,
and
let loose his living freight, though he knew it not, he was in Asia.
This land had not suffered as other lands, but yet floods had covered
all the western part of Asia. The eastern portions, and what there
was of Europe and America, had not remained inundated after the quick
subsidence of the enormous tidal−wave, which, thirteen hundred feet
in height, swept outward from Atlantis' site upon the recoil of the
engulfing ocean. Thus closed the scene for us; the great deluge was
over.
Then
Phyris and I turned to other phases of the mysterious, past. These,
though not less interesting, may not enter these pages. Rai Gwauxln
was come to be Mendocus, while Rai Ernon of Suern was with us now,
Mol Lang.
Sohma
was
that,
Son
of
the
Solitude
whom
I
took
on
my
vailx
when
I
was
Zailm,
away
from
Suern.
So
we
saw the interweaving of the life lines. Then we saw the course of the
lost soul, Mainin, from remote ages when Atlantis was not known in
the earth, a sin−laden man then, until we found him, serving Satan,
an outcast from
human
ranks, blasted thence by that Son of God, “first fruit of them that
(had reincarnated) slept.”
Looking,
we saw that early Rai of Poseid, him of the Maxin Stone and the Unfed
Light, the Lawgiver. We knew him for the Christ, illumining man then,
and later as Buddha, and again overshining that greater than Buddha,
the Nazarene. “Before Abraham was, I am.” Whosoever the
Christ−Spirit entereth into and abideth in, becometh a Son of God,
and equal with Gautama; but into no one will it enter who doth not
travel the Path. That mighty One blasted Mainin. Yet we saw that
because Mainin had crossed our life then, I was thereby made the
instrument of mercy to him by Christ, and that occasion was yet to
come. Back of the time of Zailm we gazed upon a scene on the great
continent of Lemuria, or Lemorus. We saw a great house built of
stone, standing on a grassy sward, a plain, over which roamed herds
of cattle, and queer little horses, having three toes to each foot
and
high shoulders. Far to the east was a blue mountain range, beyond
that a great ocean. But between the manse and mountains flashed a
silvery lake. Within the house were many people, servitors all to two
people, a woman and her son. Gloom overspread all faces, the gloom of
blood. To a chief among subordinates the son gave orders. This slave,
grim, ferocious, a very incarnation of cruelty, attracted my notice.
His brown skin was swarthy, his hands
talon−like.
Only
a
breech−cloth
apparelled
him.
Receiving
his
orders,
he
disappeared,
but
soon
came
again,
pushing two manacled people, plainly of a different race from any
there. One was a youth, lithe, erect, rather haughty of mien, his
hair brown, his features symmetrical; that individuality of
twenty−three thousand years ago is now Sohma. The other captive was
a fair girl, sister to the youth, it seemed. Her beauty was delicate,
but voluptuous. The fierce, cruel eyes, gleaming like live coals from
under the shaggy brows of the master of the house, lighted with
admiration as he saw the girl. His heavy−set figure, his coarse
jaw, thick neck, and round, shaven head, all fitted him to be master
of the brutish crowd around him. This man extended his hand as if to
touch the captive maiden. She shrank away, and drew her figure erect
in a queenly scorn.
“Ha!
Unyielding as ever!” quoth the master. “We shall see.”
He
nodded
to
the
chief
slave,
who
threw
the
captive
boy
on
a
sort
of
altar
beside
him.
He
bound
him.
But
the
victim said firmly: “Sister, yield not; die first.” Her eyes
shone with an awful light of horror.
“Stop
his
voice,”
exclaimed
the
master;
and
the
slave,
nothing
loath,
cut
out
the
poor
boy's
tongue!
“Beast!” hissed the girl to the master.
“Ha!”
he
replied,
“I
will
prove
that
true,”
and
he
struck
the
bared
breast
of
the
tongueless
lad
with
his
own
dagger,
FIRST
SACRIFICE OF SELF FOR LOVE OF ANOTHER
and
tearing
out
the
heart,
threw
it
at
the
sister's
feet.
A
goblet
of
the
blood
was
caught
and
the
master's
mother, a priestess, who stood by the block, took it and gazed into
it. Then she said:
“The
gods say that the girl also must die.”
“Say
they
so?
By
all
the
powers
I
will
not
obey,”
shouted
the
master.
“Not
though
my
troops
of
war
fail,
and
the King fails!”
“My
son,” said the priestess, “thou mayest not avoid this sacrifice
and live, say the gods.”
“No?
Then
the
gods
be
served.
Give
me
that
knife.”
He
felt
its
keen
edge,
and
then
asked,
without
taking
his
eyes from the weapon, “Say the gods yet so?”
“Even
yet,” said the priestess.
“Bind
the
maid,”
and
his
orders
were
obeyed,
though
the
girl
had
fainted.
The
executioner
laid
his
ear
to
her
breast; a faint smile relaxed his features, and he said in his soul,
“She is dead.” He laid his hand on her breast, stood erect and
said:
“Accept,
ye gods, this sacrifice.”
An
instant the knife glittered overhead, the next he had buried it in
his own heart. So had the heart that knew no
mercy
yielded
to
love;
the
stern
warrior
was
dead.
The
gods
must
have
blood,
he
thought,
but
he
gave
his
own.
What personality was he, was the girl, dead from horror? Myself! and
Phyris!
Footnotes
400:1
II. Peter iii: 10.
CHAPTER
V. “MAN'S INHUMANITY TO MAN”
Again
the dead past revealed another scene. I saw myself in the person of
an ill−fed, ill−treated slave, ever hungry, wretched, too much so
to feel resentment. I died hungry, and then had a devachan of seeming
realization of my wants. 'Then again rebirth, and through a karma not
here to be explained, the new man had ease, wealth, plenty. But a
physical karma pursued, and he was ever hungry in the midst of
plentitude, and lazy when action was necessary. This state begot
disease, and the product of (in his previous life) “man's
inhumanity to man,” was afflicted
with
cancer
of
the
stomach.
This
killed
the
ferocious
appetite,
and
the
sybarite,
free
of
this,
set
to
work
to
cure himself. Finding he must fail, he sought comfort in religion,
and went forth to the wilderness to become a religious hermit. Now, a
hermit's life is one of uselessness to mankind. In that lone state my
individuality lost opportunities to cultivate moral strength by
worldly contact, and behold me after death come again to life as
Zailm, weak enough to sin with Lolix and beget then a karma that
lasted, with newly got vigor, till only a few years ago, punishing me
more bitterly than death, as thou, knowest. If Zailm, had sorrow,
thou knowest he had also
joy.
So
every
life−karma
is
made
up
of
sunshine
and
shadow.
“A
tooth
for
a
tooth?”
Yea!
But
also
“for
a
kiss
a kiss.”
CHAPTER
VI. WHY ATLANTIS PERISHED
Looking
along the line of life's yesterdays the reason became apparent why
all the wondrous attainments of Poseid
had
ceased
and
left
no
sign,
why
Atla,
which
metaphorically
held
aloft
the
world
into
the
light
of
science,
had sunk beneath the waters and gone down into deep, mysterious
caverns, to be hidden in an ignorance greater than that which
shadowed Pompeii and Herculaneum from subsequent centuries.
Natural
decadence tells the story. As the centuries succeeding the time of
the great Rai Gwauxln lapsed, ten, fifteen, twenty and more, the
nation came to a greater glory of mechanics, of science, and of
Physical condition than even Gwauxln's time had known. One by one the
scholars found that those things which had always been possible only
through mechanical contrivance were more easily accomplished by
purely psychic means; they learned it was possible to divest
themselves of the flesh, and in astral body go whither they would and
appear, instant as the electric current, at any distance. They
learned that they could perform material actions when they had thus
projected themselves. Then it was that the cruder methods, vailx and
naim, and all else similar, were suffered
to
lapse
into
that
semi−forgetfulness
of
the
Suerni;
and
exactly
as
they,
so
the
mass
of
Poseidi
depended
on the priesthood for all these things. For only the few exalted
minds could thus reach out into the deeper night−side of Nature;
the many must remain in the lesser places. Inevitably then came
corruption of power; the few were masters, and the many had no
recourse, because the master of psychics is invulnerable to the laws
of physicality when wielded by men less than he.
Then,
indeed, was the day come when ripeness was on the land and on the
people. The ripe pear can not keep perfect, but at the heart begins a
decay that spreads from core to cortex, and lo, the end. So in
Poseid, at the core began
the
outward−spreading
rot.
That
core
was
the
education
of
the
people.
Whenever
earth's
nations
shall
cease
to educate the coming generation, decay shall begin for the people.
In Poseid the few had attained such exalted knowledge of natural
forces that the many could not hope to overtake them. Then,
discontented with the comparatively poor education themselves had,
they suffered all its marvels to wane. Thus, ere thirty centuries
after
Gwauxln
the
Poseid
race
was
as
Suern,
but
more
corrupt,
and
lust,
appetite,
passion
and
power
had
laid
fatal
grasp on the proudest people the earth has ever known. How little
dost thou realize when thou readest in Hebrew Scriptures of the
destruction of the cities of the Plain it is the account, of the doom
of Marzeus and Terna, destroyed by the Navaz forces they had
forgotten how to control That destruction heralded that of the
continent, nine centuries later. A, ye! Poseid arose to an altitude
which the wildest dreams of science have not predicted for the modem
world; arose, flourished and decayed, in the fullness of cyclic
times. And America is Poseid come again,
reincarnated,
and
shall
see
its
scientific
people
repeat,
but
on
a
higher
plane,
the
attainments
of
Atla.
As
the
centuries pass it shall see the successive enfleshment of those souls
which in Atla, made that land proud, prouder, proudest. But it shall
do more, for America hath developed that soul−element which, when
her people were Poseidi, was first faintly traced. So, though
repeating, it shall do more—it shall have all Atla's marvels wedded
to the glorious soul foreseen for mankind by Him of Nazareth. It
shall flourish so, and then, in the fullness of its time, decay. But
that shall not be for four and a half centurial decades.
CHAPTER
VII. THE TRANSFIGURATION
I
might give many more life scenes. Let these suffice. Turn now to our
present.
The
reunion of the semi−egoii is one in which, after the mighty ordeal
of the Great Crisis, the souls of the feminine and masculine elements
become on the same plane; both are perfect. This is the marriage made
in heaven. Become so that each thinks, wills and expresses itself the
same in all ways simultaneously, the two alter egoii are then one,
having a feminine, negative, and a masculine, positive, aspect. Then
these two potentials unite and receive the Spirit, or I AM, which was
always undivided, and which illumined each soul of its pair equally.
So is this last union. Thus Phyris is me, living, being, immanent,
and speaks this message with me; is I, and yet, mysterious truth, is
herself! Likewise I am her and yet again, myself. I speak, and it is
she; she speaks and it is I; for we are one being, one spirit,
androgyne, perfect. Yet not perfect as our Father is, for He is
perfect as Conditionless Being, but our perfection is that of a part,
because we are all of God, but not He of any one of us. Indeed, were
this not true, then our attainment of perfection, Jesus' attainment
of it, or any child of the Father, would find in its realization
annihilation. But only the soul that sins is cast into the second
death, fated to the Sisyphic round till it does succeed. Perfection
may be conditionless in all respects save that it is not that of the
whole. And because we each axe parts, therefore are we forever
attracted to the Father, who is sum of all parts, and this attraction
is to onward Being. And we are ever attracted to the other parts,
both those which are peer and those which are less. It is because the
part is forever drawn to the sum that there is no death, save in
defying and abandoning all hold on the Whole. Perfection of a part
but draws it nearer to the Whole, and perfection of the Whole compels
It to depend on each of Its parts. There may be change; there is no
death. And there may be extinction of personality, the erring soul
may perish, and itself and deeds he annihilated, but the Spirit from
the Father dieth not. If for thy soul thou wouldst have eternal life;
if thou wouldst not see thy soul, that product of untold ages of
time, lost in the second Death, and thyself, oh Spirit, child of our
Father, doomed to recreate another soul to lay as acceptable offering
before our Lord, then subdue it, subdue thy soul, at—one it to God
through
Jesus
Christ
our
Lord,
by
recognizing
that
it
is
His,
given
Him
by
God,
made
by
thee
to
serve
the
Creator.
If thou make thy soul serve thee in His service, thou hast it
eternally. But if thou serve it thou shalt lose it and have to make
another during coming aeons.
Wilt
thou
follow
the
Path.
even
as
I
have
pointed
out
to
thee
that
it
leadeth
to
the
Kingdom?
Be
sure
of
thyself
ere thou dost embrace occult learning, lest it prove a veritable
Bridge of Mirzah, full of fatal pitfalls for thy feet. Better shun
the Secret Wisdom than fail, for strait is the gate and narrow is the
way that leadeth unto Being, and few there be that find it.
Knowest
thou me? A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, but a corrupt
tree. Wilt thou hew me down and cast
me
into
the
fire,
who
testifieth
concerning
the
Spirit?
“Not
every
one
that
sayeth
Lord,
Lord,
shall
enter
into
Heaven,” but he that doeth the will of my Father in Heaven. The
time is brief.
I
have spoken. Peace be with thee.
Mógłbym
podać jeszcze wiele scen z życia. Niech te wystarczą. Przejdźmy
teraz do naszej teraźniejszości.
Ponowne
zjednoczenie pół-egoii jest takie, w którym po potężnym
doświadczeniu Wielkiego Kryzysu dusze żeńskiego i męskiego
elementu stają się na tym samym planie; oba są doskonałe. To jest
małżeństwo zawarte w niebie. Stań się tak, że każdy myśli,
chce i wyraża się tak samo na wszystkie sposoby jednocześnie, dwa
alter egoii są wtedy jednym, mając żeński, negatywny i męski,
pozytywny aspekt. Następnie te dwa potencjały jednoczą się i
otrzymują Ducha, lub JESTEM, który zawsze był niepodzielny i który
oświetlał każdą duszę z pary w równym stopniu. Tak jest z tym
ostatnim zjednoczeniem. Tak więc Phyris jest mną, żyjącą,
będącą, immanentną i mówi to przesłanie ze mną; jest mną, a
jednak tajemnicza prawda jest nią samą! Podobnie ja jestem nią i
jeszcze raz sobą. Mówię, a to jest ona; ona mówi, a to jestem ja;
bo jesteśmy jedną istotą, jednym duchem, androgyniczni, doskonali.
Jednak nie tak doskonali jak nasz Ojciec, bo On jest doskonały jako
Bezwarunkowa Istota, ale nasza doskonałość jest doskonałością
części, ponieważ wszyscy jesteśmy z Boga, ale On z żadnego z
nas. Rzeczywiście, gdyby to nie było prawdą, to nasze osiągnięcie
doskonałości, osiągnięcie jej przez Jezusa lub jakiekolwiek
dziecko Ojca, znalazłoby w swojej realizacji unicestwienie. Ale
tylko dusza, która grzeszy, zostaje wrzucona w drugą śmierć,
skazana na syzyfową rundę, dopóki jej się nie powiedzie.
Doskonałość może być bezwarunkowa pod każdym względem, z
wyjątkiem tego, że nie jest doskonałością całości. A ponieważ
każdy z nas sieka części, dlatego jesteśmy na zawsze przyciągani
do Ojca, który jest sumą wszystkich części, a to przyciąganie
jest do dalszego Bytu. I jesteśmy zawsze przyciągani do innych
części, zarówno tych, które są równe, jak i tych, które są
mniejsze. Ponieważ część jest na zawsze przyciągana do sumy, nie
ma śmierci, z wyjątkiem rzucenia wyzwania i porzucenia wszelkiego
trzymania się Całości. Doskonałość części, ale przybliża ją
do Całości, a doskonałość Całości zmusza Ją do polegania na
każdej ze Swoich części. Może nastąpić zmiana; nie ma śmierci.
I może nastąpić wygaśnięcie osobowości, błądząca dusza może
zginąć, a ona sama i uczynki zostały unicestwione, ale Duch od
Ojca nie umiera. Jeśli dla swojej duszy chcesz mieć życie wieczne;
jeśli nie chcesz widzieć swojej duszy, tego produktu
niewypowiedzianych wieków czasu, utraconego w drugiej Śmierci, i
siebie, o Duchu, dziecko naszego Ojca, skazanego na odtworzenie innej
duszy, aby złożyć ją jako akceptowalną ofiarę przed naszym
Panem, to podporządkuj ją, podporządkuj swoją duszę, w—jednej
z nią Bogu przez Jezusa Chrystusa, naszego Pana, rozpoznając, że
jest Jego, dana Mu przez Boga, stworzona przez ciebie, aby służyć
Stwórcy. Jeśli sprawisz, aby twoja dusza służyła tobie w Jego
służbie, będziesz ją miał wiecznie. Ale jeśli będziesz jej
służył, stracisz ją i będziesz musiał stworzyć inną podczas
nadchodzących eonów. Czy pójdziesz Ścieżką, tak jak ci
wskazałem, że prowadzi ona do Królestwa? Bądź pewien siebie,
zanim przyjmiesz naukę tajemną, aby nie okazała się prawdziwym
Mostem Mirzah, pełnym śmiertelnych pułapek dla twoich stóp.
Lepiej unikać Tajemnej Mądrości niż zawieść, bo ciasna jest
brama i wąska droga, która prowadzi do Bytu, a niewielu jest
takich, którzy ją znajdują.
Czy
mnie znasz? Dobre drzewo nie może wydać złych owoców, ale drzewo
zepsute. Czy zetniesz mnie i wrzucisz w ogień, który świadczysz o
Duchu? „Nie każdy, kto mówi Panie, Panie, wejdzie do Nieba”,
ale ten, kto czyni wolę mojego Ojca w Niebie. Czas jest krótki.
Przemówiłem.
Pokój z tobą.
Koniec
The End
.
GLOSSARY.
Note:—Readers
of
“A
Dweller
on
Two
Planets”
will
please
remember
that
in
the
Atlantean
or
Poseid
language
the word−terminations conveyed grammatical number and gender. Thus
the singular was indicated by the equivalent for “a,” the plural
by “i,” feminine by “u,” while the absence of this terminal
indicated masculinity.
Aphaisism—equivalent
for
mesmerism,
but
not
hypnotism.
Astika—a prince.
Bazix—the
name
of
one
of
the
weeks
of
the
year.
Devachan—the life after death.
Ene—terminal
signifying
study
or
student.
Espeid—Eden, Edenic.
Incal—the
sun;
also
the
Supreme
God.
Incaliz, or Incalix—High Priest.
Inclut—first,
or Sunday (also Incalon). Inithlon—college
devoted
to
religious
learning.
Ithlon—any building, like a house.
Incalithlon—the
great Temple.
Lemurinus,
Lemuria
or
Lemorus—a
continent
of
which
Australia
is
the
largest
remnant
to−day.
Karma—consequences growing out of one's actions in former lives.
Maxin—the
Unfed Light.
Mo—to
thee.
Murus—Boreas.
Naim—combined
telephone and telephote.
Navaz—the
night;
also
Goddess
of
the
Night;
also
secret
forces
of
Nature.
Navazzimin—the country of departed souls.
Ni—to.
Navamaxa—cremation
furnaces
for
dead
bodies.
Nosses—the moon.
Nossinithlon—insane
asylum;
[lit.
a
home
for
moon−struck
persons.]
Nossura—mocking bird.
Pitach—a
mountain peak.
Rai—Emperor
or
monarch,
as
Rai
Gwauxln,
pronounced
Wallun.
Raina—a land governed; as the Raina of Gwauxln−Poseid.
Rainu
[also
Astiku]—a
princess
.
Su—be is gone.
Sattamun—desert,
or
wasted
land.
Suernota—the Asian Continent.
Surada—to
sing, or I sing.
Teka,
or
Teki—Poseid
gold
coin,
value
about
$2.67.
Vailx—an
aerial
ship.
Ven—a linear unit of about a mile.
Xanatithlon—conservatory
for
flowers.
Xio, or Xioq—science.
Xiorain—the
self−government
board
of
Xioqua.
Xioqene—science student.
Ystranavu—the
star
of
evening;
also,
when
used
astronomically
Phyristunar.
Zo—personal pronoun, possessive my or mine.
Rai—Emperor
or monarch, as Rai Gwauxln, pronounced Wallun.
